Weekly Sailing Summary

Summary for w/b - 18 July, 2006 12pm

AUSTRALIAN YACHTING AWARDS
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal (Princess Anne), in her capacity as Patron of the Gipsy Moth Global Project and Patron of the UKSA, presented the awards to the following winners.
Male Sailor of the Year: James Spithill (NSW)
Female Sailor of the Year: Allison Shreeve (NSW)
Youth Sailor of the Year: Kyle Langford and Evan Walker (NSW)
Sailor of the Year with a Disability: Paul Borg (VIC) and Don Scott (NSW)
Services to Yachting: Lou Abrahams (VIC), Bill Joselin (NSW) and John Kirkjian (NSW)
Media: Graeme Adam (NSW).

The two most memorable speakers at the Australian Yachting Awards were blind sailor Paul Borg and a Scottish girl, Elaine Caldwell, a homeless person now involved in the Gipsy Moth IV project. Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, referred to Gipsy Moth IV in her speech as an ambassador for the sport of sailing. $42,000 was raised for the project by an auction conducted by Britain's best known auctioneer, Nick Bonham.

Allison Shreeve was unable to attend the awards due to commitments in Europe where she is currently competing. Allison has a hectic schedule with five important events, all back to back, in four different time zones!

TRAINING AGREEMENT
The Royal Yachting Association President (RYA), The Princess Royal, impressed nearly 100 dignitaries and key personnel from the maritime industry when she attended the launch of RYA Training in Australia on Thursday at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Yachting Australia (YA) and the RYA signed an in principle agreement regarding the delivery of training in Australia. The agreement will see the two organisations cooperating to offer qualifications in Australia endorsed by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency at Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster levels.

RYA Training's Penny Haire said the RYA was initially approached by several Australian sailing schools to offer RYA courses in Australia, but it was important for the UK-based company to work alongside other relevant boating organisations, especially Yachting Australia.

KEEL BOATS
Forty yachts have entered the Sydney Mooloolaba and Sydney Mackay yacht races. Grant Wharington's 30m Skandia will race to Mackay via Mooloolaba, and Italian skipper Sal Ridulfo will compete in his first long ocean race, starting July 29.

Entries are still available in all categories for the Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week from August 19 through to August 26.

Queensland Government South Pacific Boomerang - Helsal II, skippered by Simon ‘Slim' Dryden, was the second boat to finish the inaugural Melbourne to Vanuatu race. With six female sailors on the boat the boys gained weight and the boat smelt just as good as it did when the race started.

 - The Savage Oceanic 46 Moomba won the IRC handicap division. Angus Fletcher's Radford 45 Tevake II was second and Mark Welsh's Lidgard 11 metre Alien was third.

The inaugural Rivergate River Race organised by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and Rivergate Marina & Shipyard in Brisbane was won by Queensland's Quest, owned by the newly appointed Commodore of the Squadron, Kevin Miller.

Margaret Williams has been forced to berth at Townsville for repairs to her rigging while attempting to sail solo around Australia, non stop and unassisted.

Locman Cup – Elba Island, Italy, Stage 8 of the 2005-'06 World Tour - Peter Gilmour from Perth and crewmembers Rod Dawson, Christian Scherrer, Kazuhiko Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji won the event, defeating Ian Williams GBR in the final.

Australian Katie Spithill, general manager of sales Lewmar, was defeated in the final of the Mayor's Cup by Claire Leroy from France, the world's number one female match racing skipper.

Thirty young men and women, including Australian Jeremy Wilmot, have been chosen from 538 applicants for Roy Disney's Morning Light film project. They will participate in selection trials in August before the final team of 15 will be announced. After four months training on the Transpac 52 Morning Light in Hawaii they will race from Los Angeles to Hawaii in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race starting July 15, 2007.

AMERICA'S CUP
AREVA Challenge, the French Team for the 32nd America's Cup, has received the number FRA93 for its new boat, which is expected to arrive in Valencia at the end of October. Their old boat, FRA60, was Team New Zealand's winner of the 2000 America's Cup.

Ellen MacArthur and crew sailed their last competitive race on the record-breaking 75ft trimaran B&Q from Cowes to St. Malo. MacArthur's next project is a new two-boat Open 60 team to compete in the IMOCA World Championship circuit 2007-09.

ROUND THE WORLD
Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race - The fleet is spread out sailing towards the south west of Ireland. Positions are constantly changing. The crews reflect on their futures, but the skippers will be trying to keep thoughts on the present. With racing this close concentration is the key to success.

Adrian Flanagan has problems with his propeller shaft and is heading to Nome, Alaska for repairs. Barrabas will spend the winter in Nome and Adrian will return next summer to continue his trip around the world via the Northern Sea Route.

CRUISING
Treleaven's Travels - Ian and Andrea Treleaven watched the World Cup semifinal in Sicily then sailed their 47ft Beneteau yacht to Tunisia. Diesel in Tunisia is 73 Australian cents a litre, although this is high compared to the 45 cents they paid two years ago.

MARINE INDUSTRY
The Boating Industry Association of Queensland has put forward a six-point plan for the government to follow in any future marine rezonings. The plan was resolved at a national summit in Brisbane to consider future introduction of Marine Protection Areas in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The recent Federal budget is expected to have a big impact on the Brisbane International Boat Show to be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, August 30 to September 3. Boat registrations in Queensland at the end of June were 202,958 - up from 193,964 at the same time in 2005.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
July 20 - 23 -- Trading Post Adelaide Boat Show, Adelaide Convention Centre.

Aug 3 - 8 -- Sydney International Boat Show, Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour.

More information at www.boatingoz.com.au or subscribe to receive weekly email news with links.