Weekly Sailing Summary

KEEL BOATS & MULTIHULLS

Ten boats started Australia's longest Category One race, the Melbourne to Vanuatu Race on 4 July. The 1885 nautical mile race, which was conceived as a way to escape the southern winter, has a humanitarian aid component as a container with medical, school supplies, and apparel accompanies the fleet to Vila. Check out ORCV.org.au.

The 125 starters in Race 11 of the Audi Winter Series had another quick but action packed sail around their respective courses on Sydney Harbour with a consistent south sou-westerly breeze of 12 knots, giving the divisional pointscore leaderboard a little shake-up. CYCA.com.au.

With just over two weeks until entries close for the 25th Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, interest in the potential Veterans division of this year’s race is taking shape with three IRC boats registering their intent; Love and War, Simon Kurts’ Sparkman and Stephens 47, Spirit of Koomooloo, Mike Freebairn’s S & S 49 and Wild Rose, Roger Hickman’s Farr 43. CYCA.com.au.

In a boat yard just north of Brisbane the finishing touches are being applied to Rod Jones’ latest weapon, the modified GP42 Alegria IV (A4). A4 has been shipped out of Europe and has been undergoing major works to transform her into a competitive IRC ocean racer. Amongst other works she has had a new keel bulb made and fitted, new rudder and twin wheels to replace her tiller steering along with a long fixed bow sprit for her asymmetrical spinnakers. BrisbaneToKeppel.com.

Prizes for the best presented yacht and crew and the best fun-themed yacht and crew will be awarded at the Prix d’ Elegance at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2010. At last year’s Race Week it was a crew impeccably attired in safari suits and a yacht that glistened from stem to stern that won the ‘Best Presented’ award, while the trophy for the best ‘Fun-Themed’ yacht went to eight ‘Michael Jacksons’ who had choreographed their own dance routine for the ‘Thriller’ movie theme.

This year Audi will provide the richest prize in Australian sailing – and all competing teams at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will be eligible to win. One crew will drive home in a new Audi A5 2.0 TFSI Sportback, valued at more than $80,000 on the road. HamiltonIslandRaceWeek.com.au.

Stena Match Cup Sweden, Stage 5 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour will be held on 5-11 July. Australians Peter Gilmour, Keith Swinton and Katie Pellew neé Spithill are competing. WMRT.com.

OFF THE BEACH

OAMPS Insurance Brokers Queensland Youth Week is being conducted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron 3-6 July. QLDyouthweek.com.

Four Australian women are competing at the Laser Radial Worlds in Larg, Scotland on July 6- 25. Laserworlds2010.co.uk.

The twelve members of the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Sailing Team have flown out of Sydney to compete in the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey on 8-17 June. Yachting.org.au.

CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD

The Clipper fleet will depart Kinsale in Cork, Ireland, on 9 July to sail to Ijmuiden, Netherlands. The final race will be to The Humber, UK finishing 17 July. ClipperRoundTheWorld.com.

AMERICA’S CUP

Rating rule authorities in America and Britain have been commissioned to draft the rules for the next generation of America’s Cup yacht. In asking US Sailing and the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Seahorse Rating affiliate to write the rules, BMW ORACLE Racing and Golden Gate Yacht Club, winner of the 33rd America’s Cup last February, has ensured the process is neutral and independent. AmericasCup.com.

IN BRIEF

Fisheries Queensland has established Marine Animal Release Teams (MART) on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and in Mackay to release marine animals entangled in shark nets. Entanglements generally occur around August and September when young inexperienced whales are on their way back from the northern breeding waters. Supporting the MART teams are ‘volunteer whale spotters’ who reside in high-rise buildings along the coast and are trained to identify and confirm entanglements. Deepi.qld.gov.au.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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.

August 11 - 15 -- Perth Boat & Leisure Expo, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. PerthBoatShow.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 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.

Sep 5 – Oct 11 -- The Louisiades Rally for yachts and powerboats over 30 feet will depart and return to Cairns. Participants will cruise in company across 520 nautical miles of the Coral Sea, to the Louisiades Archipelago in Papua New Guinea. The program of events includes sailing canoe racing, feasts, sing sings, skull cave visit, traditional dancing, a remote river trip, school and hospital visits and more. The program also allows plenty of time for independent exploration to the islands and their friendly communities. Entries close July 1. LouisiadesRally.com.

Photograph: ORCV Commodore, George Shaw and Robyn Brooke, organizer of the Vanuatu Humanitarian Aid Project, say goodbye at the start of the Melbourne Vanuatu Race. Courtesy of Teri Dodds