Weekly Sailing Summary

Hooligan wins Rolex Trophy, Wild Oats XI wins Big Boat Challenge, CYCA Ocean Race of the Year awards, Sail Melbourne medals.

KEEL BOATS

Supermaxi Wild Oats XI took the gun in the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge, the fourth line honours win in this event for Bob Oatley, who steered his silver-hulled 100 footer around most of the Harbour course. Sean Langman and Anthony Bell’s 100 foot Elliott design Investec Loyal stayed in touch early, but slipped back to finish six minutes 23 seconds behind the leader. Alan Brierty’s RP62 Limit, with its contingent of New Zealand America’s Cup sailors, including helmsman Gavin Brady and tactician Chris Dickson, was crowned overall winner on handicap, beating near sistership Loki, but only just. www.cyca.com.au

Hooligan, the TP52 owned by Marcus Blackmore (NSW) won the Rolex Trophy in Sydney. Second overall was Loki, the RP63 owned by Stephen Ainsworth, with Melbourne yachtsman Rob Hanna sailing his TP52 Shogun into third place overall. Limit won the last race of the series, promising a close race to Hobart with Loki. www.cyca.com.au

Bob Oatley’s 30.48 metre supermaxi Wild Oats XI will be going for her fifth line honours victory in six starts in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart, and trying to lower her record time of 1 day 18 hours 40 minutes and 10 seconds, set in 2005. Brindabella is back with an enthusiastic new owner Jim Cooney, and a crew who dearly love her. George Snow first steered her across the start line in 1993. This year the race has attracted competitors from the US, UK, Russia, Italy and France. www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria has a new website which will have news updates from the Boxing Day Dash, the Melbourne to Launceston and the two races from Melbourne to Hobart, the East Coaster and the West Coaster. www.orcv.org.au

AWARDS

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has presented the CYCA Ocean Racer of the Year Awards. The Ocean Crew Person of the Year trophy was rededicated in memory of the late Sally Gordon, who lost her life last year in the CYCA’s Flinders Islet race. Sally was a recipient of the award in 2000. Yendys crewmember Andrew Crowe was presented with the Sally Gordon Memorial Trophy for Ocean Crew Person of the Year by Anne Gordon, Sally’s sister. The prestigious Ocean Racer of the Year has been awarded to South Australian yachtsman Andrew Saies. Over the past 12 months Saies has been on or near the podium in every race and regatta he has sailed in with his production yacht – a Beneteau First 40 named Two True. www.cyca.com.au

OLYMPIC CLASSES

Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page won gold in the 470 class at Sail Melbourne, the opening round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, and fellow Australians Sam Kivell and Will Ryan won the bronze. Australian Sailing Development Squad member Tom Burton won silver in the Laser class, qualifying him for the 2011 Australian Sailing Team, and beating Tom Slingsby who won the bronze. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen were fourth in the 49er class after finishing fifth in the medal race. The ISAF Sailing World Cup now moves to round two in Miami at the end of January. www.yachting.org.au and www.sailmelbourne.com.au

AROUND THE WORLD

The five yachts in the Velux 5 Oceans race left Cape Town, South Africa for the sprint to Wellington, New Zealand, but Christopher Bullens is set to restart the race after heading back to Cape Town 24 hours after the start with rudder problems. A team of local volunteers jumped into action to repair the Eco 60 yacht. www.velux5oceans.com

The Barcelona World Race starts on 31 December from Barcelona, Spain. Two co-skippers will sail around the world non-stop on Open 60 IMOCA class yachts. www.barcelonaworldrace.com

British yachtswoman Hannah Jenner has confirmed that her co-skipper for the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 is German sailor Anna-Maria Renken. Jenner and Renken are currently the only all-girl GOR team in the race around the world in Class40 yachts starting from Mallorca, Spain, on 25 September 2011. www.globaloceanrace.com

AMERICA’S CUP

Several cost-reducing amendments to the America’s Cup rules have been adopted, following recommendations from the Competitor Forum, as well as prospective teams. The amendments include a reduction of the entry fee by USD1.2million and bond requirements by USD2million. www.americascup.com

SAFETY

NSW Boating Safety Officers will be distributing the ‘Be Bright – Be Safe at Night’ brochure during a safety campaign in a bid to educate vessel operators about navigation light requirements. Twilight is one of the most difficult times to navigate a vessel as your eyes are constantly changing to adapt to the growing darkness. Navigation lights should be tested to see how visible they are at night, both at a distance and with background lighting on the shore and they need to be cleaned and serviced regularly. www.maritime.nsw.gov.au

Australia’s specialist safety distributor, RFD, has met the challenge of the new Australian Standard for the design and manufacture of PFDs with the release of a completely new inflatable jacket. The new RFD Cyclone 150 achieves the top level 150N performance in buoyancy, is comfortable to wear and suitable for fishing, sailing, and all forms of boating.
RFD has also launched the Kannad Marine line of EPIRBs, PLBs and SARTs onto the Australian market at a time when the demand for these units has never been stronger.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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 9pm and midnight. Charter vessels participate in a themed parade following the 9pm 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

Feb 4-6 -- Melbourne International Boat & Lifestyle Festival, Docklands. www.miblf.com.au

Feb 11-14 -- Australian Wooden boat Festival www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au

Feb 16-Mar 20 -- Van Dieman’s Land Circumnavigation Cruise. www.ryct.org.au

Feb 19 -- The Wooden Boat Rally will be held on the Tamar River at the Seaport Marina in Launceston, Tasmania. www.woodenboatrally.com

Feb 24-27 -- Variety Splash. A three-day rally on Port Phillip open to all sail and power boats, commencing at Waterfront City, Docklands, with an evening ‘Welcome’ function. www.varietysplash.org.au

Feb 25-Mar 4 -- Geographe Bay Race Week, held at in Busselton, is the largest yachting regatta in Western Australia. www.gbyc.com.au

Feb 26-27 -- South Australian Wooden Boat Festival at the historic River Port of Goolwa. www.woodenboatfestival.com.au/

Photograph: Hooligan came home fast in good pressure on day three of the Rolex Trophy Rating Series courtesy of Rolex/Daniel Forster

Weekly Sailing Summary

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