Weekly Sailing Summary

Loki wins the double, Kiwis win Sunseeker Australia Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand wins Louis Vuitton Trophy again.

KEEL BOATS

With Rob Reynolds, owner and skipper and Julie Hodder, Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Commodore and tactician, the team on Exile convincingly won the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship's (SSORC) IRC Grand Prix division in conditions going from perfect to poor. Stephen Ainsworth's Loki took the double, the IRC Gun Boat Trophy for fastest yacht and IRC Overall in the IRC and PHS Ocean Passage Series. Lang Walker’s Kokomo won four of the six races in the Farr 40 division. www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2010 has attracted a fleet of 99 yachts and, for the second year running, one third of the fleet will experience their maiden voyage south in what is regarded one of the world’s three pre-eminent ocean races. www.cyca.com.au

MATCH RACING

Rising young Kiwi sailing star Phil Robertson put in a magnificent performance on the last day of the Sunseeker Australia Cup, defeating British skipper Ian Williams 3-0 in the final. He lost his first semi-final race to Britain’s Ben Ainslie, but came back again to win the next three, and finally outclassed Williams in a display of cool, calm sailing that defied his 23 years. www.australiacup.org.au

Robertson’s WAKA Racing team’s next event is the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia starting on 1 December where the field of competitors reads like the who’s who from the world of match racing. www.wmrt.com

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Jay Griffin and his team of Henry Kernot and Hamish Hardy, have clinched victory from Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s Tim Coltman in an epic grand final of the Musto International Youth Match Racing Championship, hosted by the CYCA. www.cyca.com.au

Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai, defeating the USA’s BMW Oracle Racing in two straight races. Over two years, Dean Barker and his team from Auckland have won four of five Louis Vuitton Trophy events and finished second in the other. www.louisvuittontrophy.com

AMERCIA’S CUP

Louis Vuitton will continue its long association with the America’s Cup. The Paris-based fashion house will present the prize, the Louis Vuitton Cup, to the winner of the America’s Cup Challenger Series, as well as serve as Official Timer for the 34th America’s Cup.

OFF THE BEACH & OLYMPIC CLASSES

2010 Sail Down Under Series kicks off with Sail Brisbane from 29 November until 2 December with the series then heading south to Sail Sydney on 6-9 December. Sail Melbourne finishes off the series with racing from 13-18 December. For the 2010 series, Yachting Australia is introducing live GPS tracking, an event blog and video highlights which will all be housed on the Sail Down Under website at www.saildownunder.org.au.

The Zhik Australian 49er Championship is underway at the Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie, NSW. The first two days of the series were tough for sailors and race officers. Twenty-five knots of breeze on Saturday brought lots of dramatic capsizes and tension at the marks. One competitor was taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder and a second suffered torn ankle tendons when his foot was caught in the foot straps. www.wangirslasc.yachting.org.au

18 FOOTERS

Gotta Love It 7’s team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage secured the 2010-2011 NSW 18ft Skiff Championship win with their fourth win in the fourth race of the five-race series on Sydney Harbour. www.18footers.com.au

AROUND THE WORLD

Four of the five skippers in the Velux 5 Oceans race are berthed in Cape Town, South Africa. Belgian solo skipper Christophe Bullens continues to race despite many set backs. The other skippers are preparing for their next sprint across the Southern Ocean to Wellington, New Zealand which starts December 12. www.velux5oceans.com

NSW MARITIME MEDALS

NSW Maritime Medals were presented to Arthur ‘George’ Tedds for his involvement in marine rescue; some 600 Sydney Heritage Fleet volunteers for their time maintaining historic vessels; Robert Dyer for initiating the Broughton Island Marine Radio Base; Neil Grieves for his many years of service to recreational boating in the Shoal Bay area; The Broken Hill Speed Boat Club for creating and maintaining a recreational space in the far-west of NSW; John Winning for extraordinary service and support to the sailing community; and Alan Lucas for his commitment to promote safe navigation through publishing. www.maritime.nsw.au

NEWS BRIEFS

Victoria’s Go Sailing Day delivered a strong message – clubs are open, accessible and looking for new members. Despite strong winds, a record thirty-six Victorian yacht clubs welcomed thousands of visitors for the annual free Go Sailing Day on 7 November. But the challenge ahead is for clubs to turn their guests into prospective sailors. www.vic.yachting.org.au

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Dec 6-9 -- Sydney International Regatta. Olympic Class regatta on Sydney Harbour www.nsw.yachting.org.au/

Dec 12-18 -- Asia Pacific Regatta, part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, is a grade one Olympic Class regatta. www.sailmelbourne.com.au/

Dec 14 -- CYCA's SOLAS Big Boat Challenge. The biggest yachts in Australia race on Sydney Harbour in a countdown to the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. eBay auctions a number of places aboard competing boats with the proceeds raised going to the SOLAS Trusts. The opportunity to fire the 19th century replica cannon to start the race will also be auctioned on eBay at the end of November. www.cyca.com.au

Dec 26 -- Rolex Sydney Hobart starts on Sydney Harbour at 1.00pm on Boxing Day. Charter boats of all shapes and sizes and a variety of costs are available to watch the start of this iconic event. http://rolexsydneyhobart.com

Dec 31 -- New Year’s Eve. Spectacular fireworks are fired off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, barges, and city skyscrapers at 9.00pm and midnight. Charter vessels participate in a themed parade following the 9.00pm fireworks. A special area is set aside for charter vessels in the Harbour. www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/

2011

Jan 2 -- Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Offshore Race hosted by The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au

Jan 20-26 -- Audi Victoria Week is the largest sailing regatta in Australia with over 450 yachts racing in various classes. Plenty of shoreside activities are available for friends and family who are not competing. www.victoriaweek.com

Jan 26 -- Australia Day. Events on Sydney Harbour include a Ferrython, Awesome Forces displays, best-dressed vessels competition, tall ships race, 174th Australia Day Regatta, Sydney Ports Jazz on the Water Concert. For details see www.australiaday.com.au

Photograph: Stephen Ainsworth's RP63 Loki wins IRC Ocean Passage in the SSORC courtesy of Andrea Francolini afrancolini.com

Weekly Sailing Summary

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