Weekly Sailing Summary

FARR 40S

The Australian Farr 40 fleet kicked off the 2009-2010 season with the annual Farr 40 Pittwater regatta hosted by Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club on Sydney’s northern beaches. Transfusion, owned by Guido Belgiorno Nettis and helmed by Matt Allen in Belgiorno Nettis’ absence, won the event with six first places and two second places in the eight race series. More information www.yachting.org.au

GOSFORD TO LORD HOWE RACE

The Hempel Paints 36th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race started from Broken Bay on 31 October. Bill Gilbert, aged 82, started in his latest yacht, a Jutson 45 named Southern Cross, with many of the crew who sailed with him in 1986 when he sailed another Southern Cross to a line and handicap double victory.

With no maxi yachts in this year’s 14 boat fleet and conditions not favourable for fast times, a record will not be set. Event website: Gosford Sailing Club.com.au.

MELBOURNE TO STANLEY

This year’s 152nm Melbourne to Stanley was a slow race. The line honours and IRC winner William Van Der Slo’s Calm was eight hours behind the record. The only retirement in the fleet of 26 yachts was 'Merlion' with a torn mainsail. Ocean Racing Club of Victoria website www.orcv.org.au/

18 FOOTERS

Following the return of the six skiffs which competed recently in the US, a fleet of 22 teams lined up in 20+ knot north easterly conditions to contest Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour. Several skiffs capsized on the spectacular spinnaker run to the wing mark off Shark Island and only ten teams completed the course.

Current NSW champions John Harris, Scott Babbage and Peter Harris handled the conditions superbly, bringing their skiff Rag & Famish Hotel home over two minutes in front of Sponsor Wanted, crewed by Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas. More information at www.18footers.com.au

SHORTHANDED SAILING

This year's Shorthanded Sailing Association of Australia’s racing series ended with the 180 mile Two Islands race which started on Sydney Harbour on 24 October. The fleet first headed up the coast to round Bird Island, then sailed down to round Flinders Islet before finishing back in Sydney Harbour. Lee Condell on his Mount Gay 30 Lik Lik won the Two Islands race and the series. The SSAA’s annual racing series comprises of eight events. www.ssaa.com.au

SB3 WORLDS IN GEELONG

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club will host the SB3 World Championship in January 2012, the fifth world championship for the class and the first to be held outside of Europe. The Dart SB3, crewed by a maximum of four, attracts the highest caliber of one design sailors and is the fastest growing sports boat class in the world. The championship will be programmed to overlap with Australia’s largest sailing event - Audi Victoria Week. www.victoriaweek.com.

JESSICA WATSON UPDATE

Sixteen year old Jessica Watson encountered four metre seas and winds gusting to 28 knots after passing Norfolk Island in her attempt to sail around the world alone and unassisted. The last of her fresh fruit has been eaten and she is now heading towards Fiji. www.jessicawatson.com.au

CLIPPER RACE

The Clipper 09-10 Round the Word Race leg three to Cape Town started on 27 October. The teams that do best in this race are those that look after themselves and their equipment. The rules of the race are designed to reward good seamanship and are there to ensure that the racing is as fair as it can be. No one is realising the truth of this more strongly than the crew of Cork, Ireland, who shredded a kite on the first leg. It was judged beyond repair in Rio so they are now without the most valuable of their three spinnakers – just when they really need it. Spirit of Australia is slowly sailing out of a wind hole on the way to the next scoring gate. www.clipperroundtheworld.com

PIRACY

A British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler are being held by Somali pirates after armed men boarded their yacht in the dead of night on 17 October when sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania across the Indian Ocean. Britain's Royal Navy found their 11.6 metre yacht, the Lynn Rival with nothing of value on board. The Chandlers were first taken to a ship off the Somali coast and are believed to have been moved to a village outside Harardhere. The pirates are arguing about demanding $A7.8 million ransom or the release of pirates seized by the French navy. Britain's Foreign Office has ruled out payment of the ransom. Somali pirates currently hold nine ships and about 200 people. For more information go to your favourite search engine.

Foreign warships patrol the Gulf of Aden but now Somali pirates have extended their area of operation and piracy is on the increase.

AMERICA’S CUP

The New York Supreme Court ruled that the 33rd America’s Cup, scheduled for February 2010, must take place in a venue in the Southern Hemisphere as per the strict reading of the competition’s governing document, the Deed of Gift, or in Valencia, Spain, as the only exception to that rule. www.alinghi.com/en/

The defending yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève, had selected Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates to be the venue for the next Cup but the Challenger of Record, the Golden Gate Yacht Club argued that this venue contravened the provisions of the Deed of Gift.

The Golden Gate Yacht Club has filed a new court motion asking for the Defender, Société Nautique de Geneve, to be removed as Trustee of the Cup. www.ggyc.com/acnews.php

AWARDS

Olympic silver medalist Glenn Ashby won the Victorian Male Athlete of the Year from a top class field of athletes. 29er sailors James Sly and Andrew Gillies won the Victorian Team of the Year. More information on Yachting Victoria’s website www.yachtingvictoria.com.au/

SAFETY

Operation EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was staged by NSW Maritime over the weekend of 24-25 October with Boating Safety Officers conducting 145 spot safety checks on vessels. While only two on-the-spot fines were issued, eight formal warnings were handed out, mainly for failure to carry a 406MHz EPIRB, which are compulsory to carry on any vessel heading two nautical miles or more offshore. www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/

NSW Maritime is working with the State’s new volunteer rescue organisation, Marine Rescue NSW, to provide a replacement boat for Batemans Bay Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol after its main rescue vessel broke down. The replacement vessel is a Sailfish 7200 aluminium catamaran, 6.50 metres in length and powered by two Honda 150 horsepower outboard engines. www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/

MULTIHULL SHOW

The world's first boat show devoted solely to multihulls is to take place in Lorient, France, from 15-18 April 2010. The harbour will accommodate new sail and power catamarans as well as trimarans both afloat and along the quay. Visitors will be able to take part in demonstrations and sea trials on Lorient harbour and see former racing multihulls and craft exceeding 18m (60ft) in length. www.le-salon-atlantique-du-multicoque.com.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Nov 8 – Go Sailing Day to help people go sailing at over 80 clubs throughout Victoria. Register your interest at Go Sailing.com.au.

Nov 14 – 15 -- Club Marine Sail Boat Show, Sandringham Yacht Club. Sailboat Show.com.au.

Nov 21 – 23 -- Club Marine Boating Extravaganza, Goolwa, SA - 150 on-water sites, more than 200 hard stand sites and a number of hands-on exhibitions and demonstrations. More details.

Nov 25 - Yachting Australia Roadshow at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at 7.30pm, immediately after the Yachting Queensland AGM. A presentation night aimed at introducing new initiatives, answering questions and providing information on the services it offers to the yachting community.

Dec 1 - Yachting Australia Roadshow at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia at 7.30pm. A presentation night aimed at introducing new initiatives, answering questions and providing information on the services it offers to the yachting community.

Dec 5 – 8 -- Sydney International Regatta - Olympic Class regatta on Sydney Harbour. NSW Yachting.org.au.

Dec 14 – 19 -- Asia Pacific Regatta, part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, is a grade one Olympic Class regatta. Sail Melbourne.com.au.

Dec 26 – Rolex Sydney Hobart. Rolext Sydney Hobart.com.

Photograph by Sam Crichton: The bottom mark at the Farr 40 Pittwater Regatta