Weekly Sailing Summary

Aussies win three medals in Germany, Tassie team third in British Three Peaks, America's Cup draft protocol rules

OLYMPIC CLASSES

The Australian Sailing Team wins two gold medals and a bronze on the final day of round six of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Kiel, Germany. Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page finished second in the medal race to claim the gold medal and wrap up the 2009/2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup in the 470 class. Tom Slingsby claimed his second successive ISAF Sailing World Cup victory, with a nine point win in the Laser fleet. In the RS:X women's class Jessica Crisp won the medal race, jumping from sixth to third overall to claim the bronze medal.

KEEL BOATS & MULTIHULLS

Team Whistler from Tasmania placed third in the PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race in Britain. For the second year running the event was affected by light winds, hampering the progress of the 23 entries up the west coast from Barmouth to Fort William. However, the race was no less competitive with the leading four yachts arriving at the finish within 30 minutes of each other and the final positions were decided by the run on Ben Nevis.

The 123 starters in the tenth race of the Audi Winter Series were blessed with a quick ride around their respective courses on Sydney Harbour when an early southwesterly breeze of 12 knots clocked left during the start and lifted to 15 knots.

A record fleet is expected for the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week on 12-19 August. The Harley riding, charter skipper, recreational sailor and Wolverines drummer, John Clinton from Sydney, won the Boat of the Series award last year and will be herding up his Beneteau Oceanis 50 Holy Cow for this year's event.

Colortile, a yacht owned by two-time former world champion surf ski paddler -- and now avid offshore sailor -- Warren Buchan, and his fiancé, Kristy Edwards, has become the 100th entry for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week on 20-28 August.

Organisers of the 2010 Heaven Can Wait charity yacht race have slashed entry fees by up to $100 while establishing incentives for skippers, crews and supporters to raise more funds for the event's nominated charities. Now in its fifth year, the Heaven Can Wait (HCW) 24 Hour Yacht Race and the associated One Lap Dash will be held on Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, NSW, on October 2-3.

The Queensland Youth and Open Championship conducted by Southport Yacht Club were hampered by light winds and all races could not be completed. Angus Galloway and his team mates Jake Lilley, Alex and Andy Gough were announced the Queensland Youth and Open Champions while the SYC team led by Jess Hansen won the women's event.

Finals day for Stage 4 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour produced an all Australian final beween Torvar Mirsky and Peter Gilmour. The ‘Perth Prodigy', 24 year old Mirsky, did not defend his Portugal Match Cup title from last year. Instead Gilmour taught his apprentice a few new lessons, winning the 2010 Portimão Portugal Match Cup Champion.

The Lutra 80 Singularity had her first sail in the Mediterranean following a 42 day trip on a freighter from Sydney to Palma, Mallorca. At 24.5 metres (80-feet) with a maximum beam of 5.33metres (17.49-feet), her starting premise was to go fast in comfort. Her conception at McConaghy's in Sydney left no doubt that speed was of the essence. For example, those engaged in creating and fabricating the interior were given a strict weight regime with which to comply. Of her 24.5 tonnes, only 1.5 tonnes was given over to the internal fit-out.

CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD

Sailing across the Atlantic to Cork, Ireland, the skippers and crews in the Clipper fleet passed over the line of longitude which marked their official circumnavigation of the globe. A large flotilla of boats escorted the leading boat Cork in to Kinsale as the emotional team arrived in their home port at the end of Race 12. Cork's original yacht ran aground on a submerged reef in the Java Sea in January, Clipper's first loss of a boat in 14 years and more than 2,000,000 miles of racing. The crew of Cork were dispersed among the other nine teams to continue their challenge and came together again in Panama when they took delivery of their replacement yacht.

Spirit of Australia's fifth place finish puts them 0.7 points shy of overall victory and they now need just one point from the final two races in order to clinch the top spot on the podium in Hull on 17 July.

AMERICA'S CUP

In a joint initiative by the defender, San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club and the Challenger of Record, Italy's Club Nautico di Roma, a draft of the Protocol rules for the 34th America's Cup has been sent to the challenging teams. Foremost amongst numerous innovations is a forward-thinking structure that allows funds and assets to transfer from one America's Cup to the next. Teams have been invited to comment and contribute to the final Protocol rules.

NEW PRODUCT

Jo Engebrigtsen set about designing a lighting system specifically for boating, following a near miss boating accident in 2005. The initial product, Navi light 360° is a unique design of a water proof, 360 degree visibility super bright LED light combined with a double magnetic system, integrated into a compact shape that fits easily in your pocket. It is visible for up to five nautical miles (9.26km) in darkness. The Norwegian manufactured Navisafe range is available in Australia from RFD and includes the top selling Navi Light 360°, the Navi Light Red/Green, glow in the dark torch, Navi light Hunter, along with attaching systems.

IN BRIEF

Skipper Matthew Reynolds, 33, and his unlicensed passenger, Percy Small, 26, were each sentenced to at least five years jail in the NSW Supreme Court. The trial was told Reynolds was intoxicated when he handed over the wheel of a workboat full of partying young people on Sydney Harbour to Small, who was affected by alcohol, cannabis and cocaine. Minutes later the vessel collided with a fishing boat and six people died as a result of the crash.

The Marist Sisters College boatshed at Woolwich burned to the ground in the early hours of 21 June. No one was hurt but 35 boats were destroyed by the blaze. The school has provided opportunities for their students to participate in a range of water activities such as rowing, sailing and dragon boat-racing for many years and aims to build a new facility.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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

Aug 12 -- 19 -- Airlie Beach Race Week, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina airliebeachraceweek.com.au

Aug 20 -- 28 -- Audi Hamilton Island Race Week -- One of Australia's most popular sailing festivals. Race week blends world class yacht racing for Australian and overseas competitors with spectacular off-water events. hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

Aug 20 -- Sep 5 -- Festival Cairns festivalcairns.com.au

Aug 21 -- 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. henleyontodd.com.au

Aug 22 -- 24 -- Marine Safety Conference 2010, Burswood Entertainment Centre, Perth. nmsc.gov.au

August 26 -- 29 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. brisbaneboatshow.com.au

Aug 27 -- 29 -- The Great Tropical Jazz Party on Magnetic Island features internationally acclaimed jazz musicians. magneticislandjazz.org

Aug 28 -- Sep 3 -- Multihull Solutions Whitsunday Multihull Rendezvous apyc.yachting.org.au

Photograph: Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page in Germany

Weekly Sailing Summary

Tags