Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS

Race 11, the final race of the Audi Winter Series 2009, was a fast race once the predicated north-westerly winds arrived. After a short delay in the start due to lack of breeze, the wait was well worth it for the 135-boat fleet. More details here.

Entries in the 24th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race closed at 1700hrs on Friday and a fleet of 81 has entered, five more than last year's race. The race starts at 1pm on Saturday 25 July. Details here.

There is still time to enter Meridien Marina's Airlie Beach Race Week in Queensland, the perfect event for cruising yachts to hardcore racers, and everything in between - that is the clear and welcoming message from the race organisers of their seven day celebration of sailing, camaraderie and fun from Thursday 13-20 August in the Whitsundays. More here.

Victorian Michael Hiatt and champion New South Wales skipper Ray Roberts are poised to stage another battle for the 2009 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week title from August 14-20. Details here.

It's that time of the year when Sunshine Coast ocean racing sailors focus their attention on casting the mooring lines and cruising north for some warm water racing in the Whitsunday Islands. More details here.

- INTERNATIONAL

Alfa Romeo, the Australian-built super maxi owned and skippered by Kiwi yachtsman Neville Crichton, has smashed the race record in the TransPac race by more than a day, arriving in Hawaii in the fastest time in the 103 year history of the event, further confirming Alfa Romeo as the yacht to beat in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart race in December. More here.

Match Cup Sweden signified the half way stage of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour and, following the Swedish classic, there is a change on the leader board. The new leader is Mathieu Richard's French Match Racing Team. Details here.

In 2009 Artemis Ocean Racing aims to promote British short-handed sailing talent through a team structure that recruits skippers for particular periods and events. More details here.

MULTIHULLS

Groupama 3 is on standby for an attempt at breaking her own North Atlantic record set on July 23 2007 with a time of 4 days, 3 hours and 57 minutes. The maxi trimaran skippered by Franck Cammas has been given until August 18 to find the right weather conditions. Details here.

OC Events, organisers of the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series, is now considering host venue applications for 2010 and beyond. More details here.

AROUND THE WORLD

Knut Frostad, the Volvo Ocean Race CEO, takes time out to reflect on the challenges and achievements of the ground-breaking 2008-09 race and provides an update of the outline plans for the next event. More here.

Edinburgh has been confirmed as an entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, and the yacht, named Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, will sail down the Firth of Forth into the city this summer for a visit ahead of the 35,000-mile race which will showcase Scotland's inspiring capital to a global audience. More here.

OLYMPIC CLASSES

A fleet of 89 boats sailed in the Finn Gold Cup off Vallensbaek Harbour near Copenhagen in Denmark. Celebrating its 60th birthday, the Finn is the men's heavyweight Olympic single-handed boat and is sailed mostly by men weighing over 90kg. Jonas Høgh Christensen (DEN) won the event. While the boat was born in Sweden, Denmark is the country to have had the most success at World Championship level. Timothy Castles, the only Australian to compete placed 50th. More here.

The European Laser Radial Championship is being conducted in Charlottenlund, Denmark, Gabrielle King is the only Australian competing. Updates here.

The Match Cup Sweden at Marstrand last week was the big build-up event for eight of the 12 teams competing in the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship in Lysekil, in Sweden from, 27 July to 1 August. Details here.

If the IOC grants sailing an 11th medal for the Olympic Games, it will be for an Open Multihull Event, raced in Tornados as in China, but a decision may not be known till October. More details here.

OFF THE BEACH

The 39th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship is being conducted in Buzios, Brazil, and the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Sailing Team is competing. Updates here.

The Australian School Team Racing Championship is being conducted by Royal Queensland Yacht Club on  Waterloo Bay with 15 teams from across the country competing. Updates here.

Entries for this month's 2009 Mirror UK National and World Championship to be hosted by Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales have reached 100, and among those entries are six Australian crews from Western Australian and Victoria. Details here.

Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA), a new continental kiteboard tour approved at the continental tour level and set to commence towards the end of this year in Asia, has been sanctioned by the IKA. More details here.

NEWS BRIEFS

An Australian boat builder, found guilty of manslaughter in April because of faulty construction of a yacht that led to four deaths, was sentenced to three years in jail. More here.

Melbourne Boat Show has exceeded all expectations to achieve recession-defying attendance figures and spectacular sales for exhibitors. More here.

Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney launched its “Sailing for Schools Road-show” demonstration at Balgowlah Heights Public School, the first ever to be seen in Australia. Details here.

The Victorian Institute of Sport has appointed a Head Coach, Johnny Rodgers, to lead the new VIS Sailing program. More details here.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

July 12 – 26 -- A junior naturalist workshop week and a discover Mr Darwin holiday program will be conducted during the winter school holidays at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney. Details here.

July 16 - 19 -- Adelaide Boat Show, Adelaide Convention Centre. Adelaideboatshow.com.au.

July 18 -- Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally departs from Darwin. Sailindonesia.net.

July 25 -- Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. Goldcoast.cyca.com.au.

July 30 - Aug 3 -- Sydney International Boat Show, Darling Harbour. SydneyBoatShow.com.au.

August 12 - 16 -- Perth International Boat Show, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. PerthBoatShow.com.au.

Aug 13 – 20 -- Airlie Beach Race Week, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina. AirlieBeachRaceWeek.com.au.

Aug 21 – 29 -- Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. HamiltonIslandRaceWeek.com.au.

August 28 - 31 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. BrisbaneBoatShow.com.au.

Sep 11-13 -- The Great Tropical Jazz Party on Magnetic Island follows on from Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week, with many crews lingering on to relax after a week of competitive sailing. Details here.

Oct 8 – 11 -- Mandurah Boat Show, Mandurah Ocean Marina. MandurahBoatShow.com.

Oct 17 - 18 -- Darwin Boat & Leisure Show, Darwin Convention Centre. DarwinBoatShow.com.au.

Nov 1 -- Try Sailing Day NSW at various sailing clubs. Official website here.

Nov 14 – 15 -- Melbourne Club Marine Sail Boat Show will be held at the Sandringham Yacht Club's brand new premises. Details here.

Photograph - David Brogan: Broomstick - overall winner of Division A of the Audi Winter Series 2009