Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS

Every yacht that started the 3rd Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race on Saturday 1 August raced the entire distance incident free and finished at Keppel Bay. More information.

Bob Robertson’s recent appointment as Commodore of the Mooloolaba Yacht Club has shown he is not yet prepared to accept a back seat in Queensland ocean racing. More details.

Whitsunday Sailing Club will celebrate the opening regatta of the 2009 Festival of Sails when they host the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week from August 14-20. More details.

Southport Yacht Club’s Shane Smith will sail his revamped Blazer 23, Mullet Gut, one of the most successful Sports Boats currently racing on the Southport Broadwater, when he contests the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week sports boat championship on Pioneer Bay from August 14-20. More information.

Will the fleet for this month’s 26th Audi Hamilton Island Race Week top the magical 200? It’s a distinct possibility as the closing time for entries looms. Details.

Not everything is about sailing - sometimes it’s just about having fun - and the Whitsunday Fun Race is the best party of the year. Saturday 12 September is one huge day for the Whitsunday Sailing Club and you don’t have to be a sailor to be involved. More information.

 - INTERNATIONAL

New Zealand's Adam Minoprio hits the top spot in the Open ISAF World Match Race Rankings and French skipper Claire Leroy remains number one in the Women's Rankings. More details.

Interview with Adam Minoprio at this page.

Neville Crichton’s new 71 foot mini-maxi, Alfa Romeo, has made a stunning debut in the Copa del Rey regatta in Spain by winning six of the ten races. hMore details.

Massimo Mezzaroma’s Nerone(ITA) has been crowned Farr 40 European Champion for the fourth time after a blazing performance at the 2009 championship held in Cagliari, Sardinia. More details.

Jeremie Beyou guided his Figaro Beneteau 2 across the finish line in St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie to claim the second leg of the 40th Anniversary edition of La Solitaire du Figaro. More information.

The third leg of La Solitaire du Figaro is under way, a complex 485 mile passage between St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie in France across to Dingle on the west coast of Ireland. Details.

Following a tricky first night at sea, the mid-fleet of the Rolex Fastnet Race has experienced a rainy grey day as the yachts slog upwind westward along the English south coast. Mike Slade's 100-foot super maxi ICAP Leopard was the first boat rounding Land's End. More details.

AMERICA’S CUP

The America's Cup Defender Alinghi and its yacht club, the Societe Nautique de Geneve, announce Ras al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, as the venue for the 33rd America's Cup in February 2010. More details.

The giant Alinghi 5 catamaran was lifted off Lake Geneva by helicopter, destination Genoa, Italy, where trials and training continue towards the 33rd America's Cup. See photos at this link.

Following the suggestion of New York Supreme Court's Justice Kornreich, the America's Cup defending yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), has published the measurement procedures for the 33rd America's Cup Match. More details.

A statement is made by the Societe Nautique de Geneve(SNG) following a hearing regarding the timing of delivery of Golden Gate Yacht Club's (GGYC) Custom's House Registry for their challenging vessel for the 33rd America's Cup. More information.

MULTIHULLS

The WSSR Council announces the ratification of two new World Records, the Outright Transatlantic and Outright 24 hour records, both by Banque Populaire 5. Details.

OLYMPIC CLASSES

The Australian Sailing Team's Tom Slingsby finished second behind Paul Goodison (GBR) at the 2009 Laser European Championship in Sweden. More info.

OFF THE BEACH

Finian Maynard (BVI) and Valerie Ghibaudo (FRA, Loft Sails) were crowned the Speedsailing World Champions for 2009 in Greece. More details.

As the 2009 PWA slalom tour draws to an exciting climax, it's Alaçati in Turkey that will host to the world’s best, once again putting on spectacular shows both on and off the water. More details.

NEWS BRIEFS

Nominations are now open for the 2009 Australian Yachting Awards, recognising outstanding achievement in the sport over the period of March 2008 through to July 2009. More information.

The Rotary Club of Sydney Cove has donated $10,000 to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Safety of Life at Sea Trusts (SOLAS) from the monies raised as part of the annual Rotary Charity Regatta that the CYCA hosts in November each year. More details.

MARINE INDUSTRY

The National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC) reminds the marine industry that the next raft of national standards for commercial vessels enters legislation nationally on 1 October 2009 through an amendment to the USL Code (Amendment 7). More details.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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

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

Aug 16 - Want a new angle on Sydney? The National Maritime Museum invites you to climb to the top of its historic lighthouse for a different view of Darling Harbour and the city beyond. More details.

Aug 21 – 29 -- Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Hamilton Island Race Week.

August 28 - 31 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. More details.

Aug 29 – Sep 4 --  Multihull Solutions Multihull Rendezvous APYC Yachting.

Sept 11 - Quiet Little Drink cocktail party –This famous annual affair will be bigger and better this year with Syd Fisher and Col Wildman receiving their '40' Sydney Hobart plaques, while Graeme Ainley, Robert Green and John Walker will receive their '25' plaques. More information.

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. More details.

Sep 12 - Great Whitsunday Fun Race Whitsunday Sailing Club.