Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS

Weather forecasters have issued a strong wind warning with the South East trades expected to gust between 20-30 knots which promises to turn the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week into a test of heavy wind sailing and could shake up the leaderboard. All reports at Boating Oz.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2009 will see an unprecedented contest for line honours as a result of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's decision to increase the overall length limit (LOA) of competing yachts from 98 to 100 feet, or 30 to 30.48 metres. More details.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Notice of Race is now available.

A recently formed partnership with German carmaker Audi has launched Victoria's oldest sporting event into a new era. More details.

-- INTERNATIONAL

Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard secured a second consecutive line honours victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Niklas Zennström's Ran 2 was the overall handicap winner. Light winds at the start and end, combined with powerful spring tides, made for a 'tactically challenging' race, and one of the longest in recent years. More details.

As the leaders of the third leg of the Solitaire du Figaro entered Dingle Bay, Ireland, less than ten miles from the finish line, the breeze died completely and the placid waters became a parking lot as the rest of the fleet piled around the corner at Valentia Island. Any one of 20 boats could have won it, but ultimately it was Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli) who crossed first. More information.

The Solitaire du Figaro's fourth and final leg to Dieppe started in 16-17 knots, though the south-westerly direction kicked up enough of a sea to give the numerous spectator boats an authentic if slightly uncomfortable nautical experience. A chartered jet carrying the organizers and race officials of the race buzzed the 52 very surprised skippers mid-Irish Sea. More details.

AMERICA'S CUP

James Spithill, the helmsman of BMW ORACLE Racing, is the man entrusted with taming the 90-foot by 90-foot behemoth the sailing cognoscenti has dubbed 'Dogzilla'. He appears to have been made for the challenge. More information.

 - In the first official presentation of the team since becoming the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America's Cup, team owner Larry Ellison thanked his team for their dedication and promised to leave no stone unturned in their quest to win back the oldest trophy in sports for the United States. More details.

Alinghi 5 docked out of its temporary base in Genoa, Italy, for its first hours of saltwater sailing and conditions for the first outing were ideal: a light southwesterly breeze and flat seas. More info.

OLYMPIC CLASSES

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms there will be ten sailing events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. ISAF had made a request to keep the number of sailing events at 11, maintaining the Open Multihull event. More details.

Following discussions with ISAF, the award-winning Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) will enable international teams to train at the venue throughout the period leading up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Find out more.

The final day of the Finn 60th Anniversary Regatta at Uppsala Kanotforening on Lake Ekoln ended on a high, with 30 knot winds and spectacular sailing conditions as the Dutch team took a clean sweep of the medals, while Mikael Brandt (SWE) won the Swedish Championship. More details.

OFF THE BEACH

Australian Sailing Development Squad sailor Ashley Stoddart has finished second in a highly competitive fleet at the 2009 Laser Radial Youth World Championship in Karatsu, Japan. More details.

On Saturday August 29, Southport School Sailing Club and Sail Training Centre will host 'The Plastic Fantastic Intergalactic Championships' on the Nerang River. For well over a decade, TSSSC has utilized the Laser Pico dinghy class for basic sail training, and in recent years has also acquired RS Feva XL's. More information.

Bora Gulari (USA) took two races on the final day of the 2009 CST Moth World Championship to win the event from earlier leader Nathan Outteridge (AUS). More details.

Singapore sailors, Bryan Lee, Kimberly Lim, Ryan Lo, Andrew Tang and Elisa Yukie Yokoyama, set a record in the world of junior sailing by winning a fourth straight medal in the team racing event at the IODA Optimist World Sailing Championship. More details.

Alaçati PWA World Cup: Its party time, Turkey style, as the Pegasus Airlines World Cup draws to an exciting climax. Antoine Albeau and Valerie Ghibaudo predictably take the titles. More information.

AROUND THE WORLD

Australia has been confirmed as an entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, making it the third consecutive time the sporting nation has fielded an entry in the biennial event. The yacht, to be named Spirit of Australia, complete with the iconic image of the boxing kangaroo emblazoned on her hull, will compete against nine identical stripped down 68-foot racing yachts in the 35,000 mile race around the world. More details.

NEWS BRIEFS

A spectacular exhibition recognising some of the great milestones and achievements in sailing in Australia will be the centrepiece of activities planned for the official opening of Hamilton Island's impressive new yacht club during Audi Hamilton Island Race Week later this month. More details.

Want a delivery skipper? Find out more.

Final nominations are being called for the NSW Maritime Medal awarded to an individual or group who deserves public recognition for their outstanding contributions to the boating and marine community. More details.

Marine artist Giovanna Cattoi has about 90 minutes to capture the kaleidoscope of colour and movement on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. That's the time it takes for her oxygen tank to run out while she sketches underwater during the first step of a process that finishes with her unique paintings on display on the Sunshine Coast. More More information.

Nominations are invited for the 2009 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, the most prestigious award of recognition in the sport of sailing. More details.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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

Aug 22 - Traditionally run on the dry bed of the Todd River in the Northern Territory's Alice Springs, the Henley-on-Todd was cancelled in 1993 due to the uncharacteristic flooding of the river. But it will be business as usual at this year's event, when residents and visitors alike congregate for the quirky race. More details.

August 27 - 30 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Brisbane Boat Show.

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 details.

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 information.

Sep 12 - Great Whitsunday Fun Race Whitsunday Sailing Club.

Nov 14 – 15 - Club Marine Sail Boat Show, Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC). More details.

Photograph courtesy of Thierry Martinez