Weekly Sailing Summary

MATCH RACING

Two races down and on match point, Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker, won the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena in Sardinia, defeating the SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team 3-2. It was the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event, and her mixed Russian and international crew led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski came very close to clinching the series. LouisVuittonTrophy.com.

The world’s elite match racers will converge on the developing region of Gyeonggi in South Korea for Korea Match Cup, Stage 3 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). Racing starts 9 June and competitors include Australians Peter Gilmour and Tovar Mirsky. WMRT.com.

INSHORE

Race 7 of the Audi Winter Series looked likely to be another one of those slow winter days on Sydney Harbour when the 134-boat fleet set sail in fickle winds. Just after the start the breeze veered south, kicking in at a solid 15-22 knots, catching many crews by surprise. Robert Segaert’s Beneteau 44.7, Quatre Quart from Division C, lost a crew member overboard at the first rounding of the Bradley’s Head mark, but retrieved him in seven or eight minutes. In the second Man Overboard, a novice female crew fell from Howard de Torres’ IMX 40, Nips N Tux, also from Division C. She was very cold when she got back on board. In the third incident, The Stick, formerly known as Broomstick, was holed around one and half miles from the finish. CYCA.com.au.

AROUND AUSTRALIA

Organisers of the Around Australia Ocean Race and Rally announce that they have run out of time to secure the necessary support to allow the event to proceed in 2011. SailAroundAustralia.com.au.

Ian Thomson has crossed Bass Strait after a tough 24 hours, steering the majority of the way as the auto-pilot has been playing up. He is expecting to pass Sydney on 8 June on his way to the finish of his solo Australian circumnavigation in Airlie Beach. SOSoceanRacing.com.

Jamie Dunross has enjoyed his stay in Airlie Beach, which lives up to its reputation of a ‘drinking town with a sailing problem’. The next leg for the quadriplegic sailor is around Cape York to Darwin. Due to reefs, boats, and tidal currents he has decided to sail to Townsville and stop a few days before going out through the reef. He will then stay well outside the reef until he has to come in again around the top of Cape York. Solo1.com.au.

CRUISING

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia launched the second Cruise to Hobart, which is timed so that participants will arrive in Hobart for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival (11-14 February 2011) and the start of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s Van Dieman’s Land Circumnavigation Cruise (16 February 2011). There is no designated start time and participants are free to leave Sydney at will and the route to Hobart and transit anchorages are unrestricted. CYCA.com.au.

OLYMPIC CLASSES

The Australian Sailing Team’s Tom Slingsby is competing in the 2010 Laser European Championship in Estonia and finished the first day in third position. Yachting.org.au.

JESSICA WATSON

Jessica Watson arrives in Mooloolaba after sailing up the coast from Sydney with friends and family. At Yamba she was thrilled to meet Kay Cottee when they stopped in for fuel and hot chips. JessicaWatson.com.au.

AROUND THE WORLD

Uniquely Singapore secured their first ever victory in Clipper 09-10, crossing the finish line at Ambrose Lighthouse first, after a close race from Jamaica with fellow competitors Cape Breton Island. Spirit of Australia was sixth and retains the lead overall. The fleet spent five days at the North Cove Marina in New York, right next to Ground Zero, before departing for Cape Breton Island. Race 11 has been designated the ‘Eagle Spirit Race’ by Cape Breton Island’s sponsors, with the inspiration coming from the magnificent eagle that emblazons the side of the Canadian entry. ClipperRoundTheWorld.com.

EXPEDITIONS

The Talisker Bounty Boat crew were back on Australian soil at Queensland’s Restoration Island after 34 days in a 25ft wooden boat during their attempt to recreate Captain William Bligh’s journey from Tonga to Timor. The National Park, about 800km north of Cairns, provided the exhausted crew with a much needed break from cramped wet conditions and a poor diet. They are now on their way to Kupang. TaliskerBountyBoat.com.

SAFETY

After an inquest into the death of a man on a vessel at night, a Queensland coroner recommends that recreational boat drivers be licensed to drive a vessel at night after theory and practical testing, and that boat licence holders undergo a refresher test of knowledge of boating rules and navigation every five years. MarineQLD.com.au.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has launched its annual Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Trusts Raffle with the major prize being a luxury Mudgee escape that includes a two night stay at Evanslea, a five-star luxury bed and breakfast, an Audi for the weekend, and a private tasting and wine tour at Robert Oatley Vineyards. The SOLAS Trusts have donated more than $500,000 Australia wide to support search and rescue organisations. CYCA.com.au.

IN BRIEF

Seven past and present members of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania are among the nine inaugural inductees into the Tasmanian Yachting Hall of Fame, announced by the Governor, Mr Underwood, at Government House on 3 June 2010. RYCT.org.au.

The Port of Airlie Marina harbour is fully formed with berth construction now underway. The completion of the first marina stage will coincide with the entry channel opening later this year. The marina will become operational at this time.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

June 13 - 14 -- The Oceanic Whitsunday Boat & Leisure Show, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach. WhitsundayBoatShow.com.

June 16 - Alex Whitworth tells his story of sailing Berrimilla through the North West Passage above Canada in 2008 at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. Arrive early, view the yacht, enjoy dinner on the deck and be seated for the 6.30pm start. Free and all welcome. Please register attendance with CYCA reception by email reception@cyca.com.au or 8292 7800

July 1 - 5 -- Melbourne Boat Show, Melbourne Exhibition Centre. MelbourneBoatShow.com.au.

July 6 – Aug 17 -- CYCA Medical Management for Mariners course - St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney aims to teach those who go to sea in small craft, especially yachts, how to deal with a medical emergency should it arise when professional medical assistance may be hours or even days away. The course consists of seven three-hour nights at the hospital followed by a three hour practical session taught by Helicopter Rescue Paramedics on board a yacht at the CYCA.  During the course, participants are shown how to treat and stabilise a patient and prepare and package the injured person for rescue. All welcome. CYCA.com.au.

July 4 - Melbourne to Vanuatu (M2V). ORCV.org.au.

July 15 - 18 -- Adelaide Boat Show, Adelaide Convention Centre. AdelaideBoatShow.com.au.

July 24 - Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally departs from Darwin. SailIndonesia.net.

July 29 - Aug 2 -- 2010 Sydney International Boat Show, Darling Harbour. SydneyBoatShow.com.au.

July 31 - Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. CYCA.com.au.

Aug 6 - Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race. BrisbaneToKeppel.com.

Aug 7 - Hervey Bay Whale Festival HerveyBayWhaleFestival.com.au.

Photograph: Louis Vuitton Trophy, La Maddalena, Italy, May 22nd-June 6th 2010. Race Day 16. Final: Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) beats Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS). Courtesy of LouisVuittonTrophy.com.