Weekly Sailing Summary

New sportboat category for Hammo, Sydney Harbour Regatta, 18 footers on Sydney Harbour, the closest finish in solo racing history

KEEL BOATS

Organisers of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, which will be staged from 19 to 27 August, have announced that the sportboat category, which sees the SB3 class already committed, will be expanded to include Melges 32s and other designs. www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan has retained its lead in Class A of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, with Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki in second place and Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll now third overall. The Philosopher’s Club, owned and skippered by Peter Sorensen, won the Audi Final Drive Challenge, taking the keys to the major prize of the regatta -- a brand new Audi A1. The boats trimmer Peter McIntyre was nominated to drive the two-lap course. www.sydneyharbourregatta.com

The organisers of the Geographe Bay Regatta Week in WA intend to move the event one week forward in 2012 in response to surveys. The dates for 2012 would therefore be 17-24 February.

OFF THE BEACH

Australian 18ft Skiff champions Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas fought back strongly in Thurlow Fisher Lawyers to score an impressive win in Race 2 of the Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan Championship on Sydney Harbour. After two light-wind days, most crews are hoping for more breeze for the rest of the series. The seventh and final race will be on Sunday 13 March. www.18footers.com.au

OLYMPIC CLASSES

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has so far received 661 entries from 72 nations for the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships. At the closing date for priority places on 28 February, a total of 941 sailors were registered to make the trip to Perth in December. www.sailing.org

AMERICA’S CUP

USA 17, the technologically groundbreaking trimaran that won the 33rd America’s Cup, has arrived in San Francisco, the host city for the 34th America’s Cup.

The Artemis Racing team completed its first training period in New Zealand on the AC45 in 12 to 15 knot winds. The team will now focus on its own AC45 -- the platform is scheduled for delivery this week -- which will need to be finished, painted, and assembled under the direction of Phil Jameson, the team's AC45 project manager. www.americascup.com

AROUND THE WORLD

The leader of the Velux 5 Oceans, Brad Van Liew won the third sprint of the Velux 5 Oceans race. Guteck beat Chris Stanmore-Major to second place by just 40 seconds after sailing 6,700 miles from New Zealand to Uruguay, the closest finish in solo racing history. Derek Hatfield finished over an hour later. www.velux5oceans.com

Virbac-Paprec 3, co-skippered by Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron continue to lead the Barcelona World Race towards Cape Horn. The relentlessness of circling the bottom of the planet is beginning to tell on some of the fleet entries, while for others the margins are still measured not in thousands of miles, but in dozens. www.barcelonaworldrace.com

OUTBOARDS

Following a rationalisation of dealers in the Brisbane metropolitan area, Wynnum Marine is the only dealer on Brisbane’s south side authorised to carry out warranty and service work on Evinrude E-Tec outboards.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

April 11-17 -- Sail Port Stephens. Entries are open for all divisions, including the NSW IRC Championship, Commodores Cup (PHS), SB3 National Championship, Sports Boats and the Port Stephens Trophy which has a racing and cruising division. www.sailportstephens.com.au

Apr 15-26 -- Endeavour replica voyage from Sydney to Brisbane www.anmm.gov.au

April 16-17 -- Geelong Heritage Festival. This National Trust organised community event’s theme is ‘Water’. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club will have all types of historic vessels from times gone by on show and sailing. Some rare film footage will be shown of yachting on Port Phillip Bay from the 1930s. The Enterprize will be berthing at the Club all weekend. www.rgyc.com.au

April 17-24 -- Gladstone Harbour Festival - free entertainment, live music, street parades, fireworks and the spectacle of the yachts arriving after completing the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht race. www.gladstonefestival.com

April 22 -- 61st Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race starts. Queensland’s most famous blue water yachting event sets sail in the waters off Brisbane every year on Good Friday. www.brisbanetogladstone.com.au

April 22 -- Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race starts at Beauty Point on the Tamar River just north of Launceston and finishes in Hobart on the River Derwent. www.threepeaks.org.au

April 23-24 -- Lake Macquarie Classic Boatfest, Toronto NSW www.classicboatfest.com.au

May 19-22 -- Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Gold Coast. www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au

Photograph: Whale at Hamilton Island Race Week

Weekly Sailing Summary

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