Weekly Sailing Summary

SANCTUARY COVE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
Gold Coast, May 18 – 21. www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au

The annual event on Queensland's Gold Coast has a record 423 exhibitors and will offer the largest on water leisure and light commercial display ever staged in Australia.

There is no public or visitor parking at Sanctuary Cove or in the immediate area during the Show. For streamlined transport arrangements see web site.

The team from Seawind will be at the show with the newest Seawind 1160 and Seawind 1000 on display. The Seawind 1160 will then head to the Whitsundays for the Seawind Rally before beginning charters with Queensland Yacht Charters. The Seawind 1000 will feature the all new Coastal Cruiser Package with self-tacking jib, cruising canopy, bow seats, boom cradle, single line reefing and more.

Mother's Day on Sydney Harbour - In stark contrast to last week's blustery bash around Sydney Harbour, Race Three of the BMW Sydney Winter Series began in light and variable winds which finally settled into a pleasant sou'wester for the second lap.

The Dent to Dunk Cruising Race & Rally for sailing yachts, multihulls and motor cruisers will be conducted from May 20 - 30. The Coral Coast nine-day rally begins May 21 and the race and passage rally start May 27. This year the finish will be at Cardwell's Port Hinchinbrook due to Dunk Island resort being refurbished.

Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week adds a 'non-spinnaker' division within the Cruising Class.

Morning Light, a real-life adventure feature film recorded as it happens, whatever happens, will be part of next year's 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in a project led by race veteran Roy E. Disney. Based on the premise of "the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac," the film will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 in the next race in July 2007.

AMERICA'S CUP
Valencia, Louis Vuitton Act 10

The big three challengers, BMW ORACLE Racing, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand are racing their new boats, while the Defender is keeping the new SUI-91 under wraps for a while longer.

On the second day of the Louis Vuitton Act 10 Desafío Español was christened and earned a great victory over Luna Rossa - their first win over one of the 'big four'. After the third day BMW ORACLE Racing beat Emirates Team New Zealand, and was the only team to remain undefeated. Later, Luna Rossa Challenge recovered from her defeat by the Spanish and beat Alinghi.

On the fourth day of racing The Defender, Alinghi, beat BMW ORACLE Racing. The victory opens the top of the leaderboard for the remaining two flights of racing. Also a match remains between +39 Challenge and BMW ORACLE Racing that must be made up.

MULTIHULLS
Ellen MacArthur and the crew on the trimaran B&Q finish the final leg of the eight-week Asian Record Circuit 2006 in Singapore after sailing over 4500 miles via eight countries and establishing 13 new records. MacArthur sailed with a crew of four that has included Chinese solo sailor, Shaun Weng, Singaporean solo sailor Elaine Chua, French solo sailing star, Thomas Coville, and the regular crew of Loik Gallon, Erwan Lemeilleur and Charles Darbyshire.

Geronimo forgoes a record run from Hong Kong to Yokohama to avoid a typhoon. The maxi trimaran sailed instead to Taiwan.

On May 7 six 60ft trimarans were docked in Canary Wharf in the middle of London's business centre. On May 8 they started the Londres-Alpes Maritimes yacht race (London - Nice), the first event in the Multi Cup Café Ambassador 2006.

See also Keel Boats - The Dent to Dunk Cruising Race & Rally

OLYMPIC CLASSES & OFF THE BEACH
ISAF World Sailing Games 2006, Austria. The following Australians placed in the first ten in the qualifying series. On Tuesday the top names from each class will join the qualifiers in the gold fleets. After five races the top 10 boats in the gold fleet will sail in the final Medal Race.
 - 49ers - 1. Nathan Outterridge and Ben Austin
 - Laser - 1. Tom Slingsby, 4. Brendan Casey
 - 470M - 1. Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page, 2. Matt Belcher and Nick Behrens
 - 470W - 1. Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson
 - Laser Radial - 1. Sarah Blanck
 - Multihull M - 9. Lachlan Gibson and Josh Fugill
 - Mulithull W - 3. Belinda Zanesco and Bridget Waterhouse

Allison Shreeve AUS wins the Formula Windsurfing European Championships, which were almost a non event due to lack of wind in Portimao.

TRAINING
The TAFE NSW Open Training & Education Network (OTEN) is offering the Yachting Australia Sea Safety Survival Certificate to people wishing to revalidate their qualification. The cost of the course is $110 and special rates are available to sailing schools. OTEN is conducting sea survival sessions at the Qantas Jet Base on the following Saturdays: June 17, August 19, September 16, November 4 and 18, and December 2. For full details Ph: (02) 9715 8475

NEWS BRIEFS
HRH The Princess Royal will be the guest of honour at the July 12 Gipsy Moth Royal Gala Dinner and Australian Yachting Awards 2006 in Sydney.

WHAT'S ON
May 25 - Clipper Ships: Greyhounds of the sea - A new exhibition coming to Sydney's Australian National Maritime Museum recalls the brief but heady impact that the magnificent American clipper ships made on trade and immigration to Australia in the mid 19th century.

AROUND THE WORLD
Dee Caffari is currently on schedule to cross the official finish line, which is between Ushant, France and The Lizard, UK, around May 18. After finishing her attempt to become the first woman to sail single handed non-stop westabout round the world she will make her way to Ocean Village, Southampton as she is unable to finish in Portsmouth where she started due to the Volvo Ocean Race.

Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 - ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) wins the race to New York, extending their overall lead. Paul Cayard steered The Black Pearl over the finish line to claim second place and second overall, just half a point ahead of movistar (Bouwe Bekking) who finished fifth.

 - Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 from New York to Portsmouth UK got underway on May 11. The yachts are expected to arrive in Portsmouth, UK, around May 20. Only six yachts were on the start line as Spanish entry movistar, skippered by Bouwe Bekking (NED), suffered equipment damage on the previous leg and had to take a two-hour penalty. movistar is now way up in the north and sailing a course almost at right angles to the rest of the fleet which is just 200 miles from the Grand Banks.

 - Grant Wharington, owner and skipper of Brunel has been replaced by Matt Humphries as skipper, citing ill health as the reason. Mark Bartlett, 20, will make up the void in the crew left by Wharington, who did not reveal the nature of the illness, but said he will return home to Australia immediately to seek a medical diagnosis of his condition.

Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race - Race eight begins on May 17 from Victoria, Canada. The fleet will head south, stopping in Panama City prior to passing through the Panama Canal. The racing will begin again on June 10 to Port Antonio, Jamaica.

Adrian Flanagan reports on his arrival in Hawaii - being presented with leis, traditional flower garlands and a special lei of woven tea leaves for Barrabas, which was draped over her bow, as is the tradition. He is the first person to sail single-handed non-stop between the UK and Hawaii.

Photo - Gilles Martin-Raget: BMW ORACLE Racing's USA 87 get its fifth successive win, defeating Emirates Team New Zealand on day three of the Louis Vuitton Act 10 sailed off Valencia, Spain.

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