Salsa the night away in Port Klang
Mark October 10th in the diary as “Party on the Horizon” onboard the exquisite tall ship "SY Lili Marleen” now anchored in Port Klang. Boarding starts from 6pm onwards at the Royal Selangor Yacht Club and enjoy the freedom of the seas with an accelerating moonlight party, inspired on by an amazing Samba band and elevating DJ music till 2-3am the next morning. Only RM 250 per pax, inclusive of feeder boat transfers and delicious finger foods will be served. Non-alcoholic drinks, beer & spirits will be available at very reasonable prices. There are only 200 tickets up for grabs (strictly 18 and above) on a first come - first serve basis. Tickets will need to be purchased in the next couple of days before departure, either online at: http://www.leisurepleasure.cc or contact Leisure N Pleasure leisurenpleasure@live.com James 019-232 1717, TK 019-277 7007 or Alex 010-253 1170 who promise to promptly deal with any enquiries.

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CONTENTS

1. EDITORIAL - Cranking up the local keelboat match racing scene - AC33 debacle
2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS - Thai Platu Nationals October 10/11th OMYC, Pattaya - New Investors in the World Match Racing Tour - America's Cup has been mugged... - ISAF invites bids to host Nations Cup - DON'T DO IT, LOVE! - Celebrate the 20th Raja Muda Regatta - Singapore dominate Byte CII Worlds - India International Regatta - First of many - VALE Peter J R Sharpe 1936 - 2009 - Sarah Darwin embarks on Future of Species - Regime change at Manila Yacht Club - NOR for 14th Asian Sailing Championship (March 2010 Shanwei, China) - 2010 World Championship events for Olympic classes - Preparing marinas and boats for hurricanes
Up next - Borneo Challenge (Oct 9-14) - Singapore Superyacht Conference (13-15 Oct) - China Coast Race Week (16-18 Oct)
3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS - TP52 Worlds set to fly - iShares Cup final countdown - 2009 Rolex Middle Sea Race - LOUIS VUITTON launches PROFESSIONAL SAILING CIRCUIT - Mini Transat sailors at it again - Hilary Lister the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain - Class40 endorses the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 - Clipper Race Update - U.S. Navy also into triple-hulled ships
Follow the: Mini Transat - Clipper Race - TP52 Worlds - iShares EX 40 Cup - RC 44 - World Match Racing Tour - Rolex Events.
4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS - Alain Thébault cracks the 50 knot barrier - Paul Larson's team determined to succeed
5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - Day 1 of Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup takes it's toll. - Quick thinking and ingenuity saves sinking catamaran - 16-year-old Jessica Watson hits cargo ship - Dramatic action at iShares Cup Amsterdam

1. EDITORIAL

And the winner to host the XXXI Olympiad in 2016 is (Pause, fumble, fumble) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Congratulations to all concerned...

While some elements amongst the top echelons of decision makers are doing their damndest to bring the sport of sailing into disrepute, it is good to see others still working towards making huge improvements on the International racing scene, especially in the Olympic disciplines by introducing the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) Sailing World Cup annual circuit. If this can quickly filter down the pyramid to the developing countries with Olympic aspirations, we should soon see a small local keelboat match racing scene developing. They could perhaps join the KFC-MYA dinghy regattas held throughout the Malaysian states each year. This will put tremendous strain on the present Asian National Member Associations resources and the MYA will be following the Monsoon Cup and World Match Racing Tour very closely for some further inspiration.

Now what is wrong with the protagonists at the top of the sailing pyramid? Can't they understand plain English or George L. Schuyler's intention for the Challenge Cup to be for sportsmanlike yacht club competition between nations. That means racing to find the fastest boat of the time and if you have trouble with the rest of the rules then revert back to Rule 1. The experts including Brad Butterworth and Russell Coutts have always described the AC as a design race. Now, it's an unlimited design race. Surely after all the wrangling in court this is the most interesting design Cup that's ever been, because there's no parameters. No holds barred and you can do what you want. It seems that the DOG was created with this in mind and about time the court ruled to forget about all the other nonsense and tell them to get back on the water to find the fastest boat of the time. No more arguments and why bother match racing dissimilar boats. Future events could even see defender and challenger trials being resumed. Surely there is room at the top for an event of this stature and bring about further innovative boat designs and racing techniques. I say just go for it and stop all the squabbling once and for all.

Just as F1 is slowly moving south and east, with new races in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and China, so too are sailing’s biggest properties looking outside traditional UK & European markets to host their events. The World Match Racing Tour visits Malaysia and Korea. The Volvo Ocean Race visited India and China - places where the sport of sailing is new, exciting and very under developed. The Arabian 100 is a statement of intent from Oman Sail and the 33rd AC is having a RAK attack in February next year, plus the possibility of having Extreme 40 events in Hong Kong and Singapore is becoming a reality. We welcome these events to our shores and only hope that the organisers take a look at the AY Calendar before choosing their dates, so as not to conflict with major yachting events held in neighboring countries (Like the King's Cup and Monsoon Cup clash) to be avoided so local sailors can attend and are more likely to compete.

Coming up this month is the newly revamped Borneo International Yachting Challenge from 9th to 15th October and the China Coast Regatta (16-18 Oct) will be the second event on the 2009-10 AYGP Championships. It will be interesting to find out at the 1st Singapore Superyacht Conference (Oct 13-14th) how they intend on bringing the fragmented Asian megayacht scene together into a unified marine service industry. The AsianYachting Team will continue training with the RSYC Team in Pt Klang in preparation for the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (Nov 23 to 26) Regular Malaysian Team News will be circulated as news comes to hand. This wonderful opportunity must not be wasted. With some further encouragement, this path could well be the way that Asian women sailors can get amongst future Olympic medals.

All these topics and much more on the International yacht racing scene is either covered below and regularly updated on the AsianYachting website. Enjoy!
Capt Marty Rijkuris

2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS

2.1 Thai Platu Nationals October 10/11th OMYC, Pattaya
This year provides a sensational situation and a fitting finale to the One Design Platu Championship of Thailand. As word spreads, competition in the 19 boat fleet at Pattaya is increasing in both quality and quantity. Warm seas, good winds and an ideal marina facility to race a fleet of identical boats, now attracts some of the best crews in Asia and even further afield. To date 14 teams have entered the Platu National Championships of Thailand which is the fourth and final round of the One Design Platu Championship 2009. Ray Roberts, Platu 117 Stingray, is the holder of this years Coronation Cup, won at the Top of The Gulf Regatta in May is bringing his team from Australia for this event. Rolf Heemskerk, Platu 130 The Fox, the current National Champion of Thailand will try to retain his title with a team from Malaysia. The Thai National team, who won gold at the last SEA games, will come straight from the Platu Worlds in Italy to join in the fun on Platu 116 Naiad. Scott Duncanson will be sailing his favourite Platu 124 The Ferret. They are the current 2008 Platu Series Champions and after adding the Open Championship title back in March to their tally of places are leading the 2009 title race. Having missed out last year to Rolf's Malaysian team they would dearly love to add the National title to their rapidly expanding resume. With these four champions all on the water at the same time with other top level entrants, sparks are sure to fly and we can expect 'mark roundings' to be hotly contested and no doubt, some very noisy and exciting racing. One Design fleet racing promotes winning crews not winning boats. More info contact: kevscott@hotmail.com Thai mobile +66 878 25 00 11 Competition results to date and other Platu information can be found at http://www.OMYCsailing.com

2.2 New Investors in the World Match Racing Tour
22nd Sept Hong Kong - based private company Regal Faith Ltd has acquired from F10 Holdings Ltd their interest in ProMatch Tour Ltd, the exclusive rights holder of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). The investment by Regal Faith Ltd and its consortium of investors based in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia basically made up of Peter Gilmour, Patrick Lim (the Malaysian businessman that founded the Monsoon Cup) and there are several others that have asked to remain private. They are very substantial individuals with significant businesses around the world are excited to be involved in the sport of match racing and see tremendous opportunities to build upon the already internationally established and prestigious WMRT. Match racing veteran Peter Gilmour has been appointed Acting President and will become the Tour Advisor once a full time replacement has been found. For all WMRT events it will be business as usual. Tour Director Craig Mitchell said, “Regal Faith Ltd’s investment in the WMRT demonstrates the value that has been built up in the Tour over the last three years. The investment will enable us to continue to expand and develop the Tour and we look forward to delivering the vision of our new investors.” The WMRT will be holding the annual Tour Summit for all event organisers on the day immediately following the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco on 11th December 2009. Following consultation with the Tour’s event promoters and stakeholders a detailed presentation laying out the re-energised ambition and vision of the Tour will be unveiled during the opening weeks of 2010. Full details at: http://www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com

2.3 America's Cup has been mugged...
This glorious event has been so grievously damaged and betrayed by Bertarelli and his billionaire nemesis, San Francisco software guru Larry Ellison, that the trophy needs to be blown to smithereens so it will never, ever again sully the landscape of serious international sport. Strong words? Well, look at the facts. Since Bertarelli's Alinghi team successfully defended the Cup in 2007 in Valencia, Spain, the event has been mired in one legal wrangle after another. So tangled is the web that the next Cup very likely will be in some blistering Middle East port next year between two immense, engine-assisted multihulls bearing little resemblance to anything that's ever raced before. How did it come to this? It wasn't easy. First Bertarelli appointed an all-but-nonexistent Spanish yacht club to be his puppet challenger of record for the 33rd defense. Then he unilaterally dictated terms that gave him power to change the rules, kick out any challenger he didn't like, and hire and fire race officials. Ellison, who had already failed spectacularly in two attempts to win the Cup in 2000 and 2003, took exception to the terms and sued in New York state courts, which have overseen the Cup since the late 1980s, when rules were written and filed there as a trust. The event has been in and out of court for the last 18 months in a bewildering array of suits and counter suits. The America's Cup has regressed from a glittering, multinational event with entries from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America to the old pattern of two unappealing rich guys flaunting their fortunes while the world struggles through hard times. Goto full story Angus Phillips - Washington Post Here...

2.4 Last chance for a Sunsail Birthday Bargain..
Remember the incredible 35% discount off the charter price on selected sailing holidays in the Austral-Asian region, are only available until the end of the year. Join Sunsail in celebrating 35 years in the business and while your there, grab a fantastic bargain for your next sailing holiday. Vessels are booking fast so don't miss out! The world’s largest yacht charter operator, has a diverse range of yachts at several Asian locations that offer all year round sailing opportunities. The extended season also allows the yachts to be available for the 20th Raja Muda Selangor Regatta in November and they have just issued a notice to get in early for December's King's Cup and January's Royal Langkawi Regatta before peak season bookings are at a premium. Visit Sunsail Asia website www.sunsailasia.com and receive regular updates on Sunsail's new activities in the Asian region contact Tel: +66 (0)76 239057 Email: sales@sunsailasia.com

2.5 ISAF invites bids to host Nations Cup
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) is inviting bids to host the Grand Final and Regional Finals of the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup. Held five times previously, the Nations Cup triggers a pyramid of events, with nations holding club and then national championships to select their teams to attend the Regional Finals, which in turn lead to the Grand Final, where nations are pitted against each other, creating a sound, viable and appealing series of events. Each Regional Final will have an open and women's division, with entries limited to only one entry from each of the nations within that region. Regional Finals will be held over a maximum of four days, with one or more crews going through to the 2011 Nations Cup Grand Final. Further information, including the Event Description and Bidding Information, and the Bidding Document are available from the ISAF Nations Cup site at http://www.sailing.org/nationscup

2.6 50% discount for remaining 2009 IRC certificates
2009 IRC certificates issued after 30th September 2009 will be charged at only 50% of the standard rate. This discount will apply to both new applications and to revalidated certificates from previous years, but only to certificates which will expire on 31st December 2009. This offer is timed to coincide with the start of major Autumn Series in the Northern hemisphere. Certificates issued under this scheme will still expire on 31st December 2009 and will be subject to the standard 2010 fees for revalidation in 2010. - More at: http://rorcrating.com/

2.7 DON'T DO IT, LOVE!
Teenage sailor Jessica Watson (One of this months Unluckiest Sailors Below) and her parents have been given a clear warning by Australian authorities to call off the 16-year-old's solo trip around the world after a damning assessment of her skills. The Courier-Mail obtained a copy of the collision report between Jessica's yacht Ella's Pink Lady and the 63,000 tonne Chinese bulk carrier Silver Yang on September 9th which shows basic problems led her to a potentially fatal crash off southeast Queensland. Maritime Safety Queensland inspectors concluded the Sunshine Coast teenager: Most probably dozed off before her vessel hit and was dragged alongside the 63,000-tonne cargo ship. She did not turn on a device that would have warned her of a potential collision and could not produce a clear, plotted plan for her journey. Also she had not developed a fatigue management plan and kept a log with "irregular latitude and longitude entries". Full story Here or goto Watson's website at: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/the-latest-news

2.8 Celebrate at the 20th Raja Muda Selangor Regatta
In spite of lean economic times, the enthusiasm for the Raja Muda seems undiminished and the 20th consecutive edition should turn out to be challenging and enjoyable as its predecessors have been. To mark this auspicious milestone, the Royal Selangor Yacht Club is organizing some additional features. These will include a Reunion Dinner party at Port Klang on Thursday 12th November, to which all past winners of the Raja Muda Cup have been invited, together with past Chairmen and key members of the Organising Committees, Commodores of regional yacht clubs, and other notable yachting types who have contributed significantly to the event over the years. Over 60 yachts have already expressed an interest or have formally registered for the regatta with a good balance across all seven classes. Following the format of recent years, there will be four IRC classes, two non-IRC classes (one of which will be for classic-style yachts) and an OMR multihull class being assembled by Henry Kaye, the first winner of the Raja Muda Cup in 1990, and now prominent multi-hull sailor in Phuket. The public are welcome to go down to the marinas along the way to cheer on their favourite team and get a taste of what yacht racing is all about. NOR, more info at: http://www.rmsir.com or if you want to join in the fun by chartering a yacht or take up a crewing position contact them by Phone: +603 3168 6964 or Email: info@rmsir.com

2.9 Singapore dominate Byte CII Worlds
At the recently completed Byte CII World Championship in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Singapore sailors took the top three positions with Darren Choy the new 2009 World Champion, sending an ominous message ahead of next year’s Youth Olympic Games (YOG), where the Byte CII will be used as equipment in the One Person Dinghy Boys and One Person Dinghy Girls events. All three of the Singapore medal winners are under 16 and will be eligible for the YOG next year (which is open to 15-16 year olds). Darren Choy sailed an incredibly consistent series in tremendously varying conditions without winning any of the 14 races. His average point score per race, (counting his two drops!) was a mere four, with five seconds, four thirds, a fourth, a sixth and a seventh! Terrence Choo of Singapore was second overall, winning three races but not quite able to match Choy’s consistency. Chai Xun of Singapore completed the podium in third overall, beating out Jon Emmett, the defending champion, for third place by one point. First female and fifth overall was another Singapore sailor, Najwa Jumali, who put in particularly strong performance during the heaviest day of the series when winds reached 22 knots and she scored three fifth place finishes. Full coverage - http://www.bytechamps.org

2.10 India International Regatta - First of many
More signs that sailing’s future is in places like Asia and the Middle East. Force India stood on the podium in the F1 GP at Spa - a surprise result to some, but as we have reported before - the balance of power in sport is changing. The Yachting Association of India has announced the first “India International Regatta” scheduled at Chennai from 1-8 November 2009. Six days of racing in the Optimist and the 29er classes organised by the Yachting Association of India and hosted by Tamil Nadu Sailing Association around the Chennai harbour will bring together competitors from across the world. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Yachting Association of India and for more information on how to get to the regatta, and to book your charter boats, visit the event website http://www.iiregatta.in.

2.11 VALE Peter J R Sharpe 1936 - 2009
The sad news is that during September the sailing world lost one of its greatest supporters and most gentlemanly competitors when Peter Sharpe MBE past away at his home in Subic Bay. From New Zealand to Fiji, Ex-Commodore of the Port Moresby Yacht Club in Papua New Guinea and onto the Philippines, Peter organised races and competed with the finest sailors from across the seven seas to become a well respected ocean racer in his own right. His focus, enthusiasm and determination will be greatly missed. A sailing event was held at the Subic Bay Yacht Club on Sat 19th Sept in his honour as this was were he devoted so much time and solely due to these efforts that sailing in Subic Bay has taken off over the last few years. Following the gathering to celebrate his life and in particular his great contribution to the sport that we all love, Peter's funeral was held on Sunday 20th September at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina after mass at Funeraria Paz. He can now Rest in Peace.

2.12 DK 46's still on Top of the Podium
If your serious about forming a racing team and joining the racing class at major regattas in the region, there are two Mark Mills designed DK46's, that have won nearly every major event in the Austral-Asian region on the market. DK is one of the most technologically advanced composite manufacturing facility in the SE Asian region. The design office works on high performance IBM CAD/CAM systems which are data supply linked to production and directly command the five-axis milling machine that accurately cuts hull plugs and moulds. Contained within the 110,000 sq ft facility is a multi-cycle computerized temperature oven (25m x 5m x 3.5m), a spray chamber (18m x 6m x 5.5m), an engineering workshop and a dedicated laminating room. In addition, DK also has an in-house 40m long autoclave to cure carbon fibre and kevlar finished products. So what are you waiting for? Serious Yachts for Serious Sailors can be found at http://www.dkyachts.com

2.13 Sarah Darwin embarks on Future of Species
In the wake of Charles Darwin, who sailed from Plymouth on the HMS Beagle, on September 1st his great-great-granddaughter Sarah Darwin has embarked on the same trip. While Charles Darwin's observations during his journey around the world led to his publication "Origin of Species" that changed the way we view the world, 150 years later from the same port where her great-great-grandfather started his memorable voyage, biologist Sarah Darwin will sail the entire voyage again on the Clipper Stad Amsterdam and will embark on the "Future of Species". The journey will focus especially on the changes the earth is going through. Sarah will be joined by a film crew and a constantly changing international company of renowned scientists, writers, philosophers, artists and descendants of Charles Darwin. Follow the progress at: http://www.stadamsterdam.com/content/home/index.xml

2.14 Regime change at Manila Yacht Club
We have heard that there has been some sort of shakeup at the Manila Yacht Club - regime change and no one seems to be interested in organising keelboat racing anymore. Consequently many owners have walked out and skippers/crews have gone to Subic Yacht Club for their racing. Recent announcements have the Boracay International Regatta Committee organizing the following events:
The 21st Funboard Cup - windsurfers and kiteboarders 25 - 31 January 2010
Paraw Regatta 5 - 7 February 2010
West Pacific Hobie 16 Championships (in conjunction with the Hobie Fleet) 18 - 21 Feb 2010
Subic to Boracay Race 20 - 21 February 2010
Boracay Cup for Keelboats and Ocean Multihulls 22 - 27 February 2010

2.15 NOR for 14th Asian Sailing Championship (March 2010 Shanwei, China)
Fourteen sailing events will be contested at the Guangdong Ocean Sports Training Centre (GOSTC) from 20-29 March. Shanwei is located on the South China Sea in the Guangdong province of China, approximately 150 kilometers east of Hong Kong. The championship will be hosted by the Asian Sailing Federation and the Chinese Yachting Association and is organized by the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and the Shanwei People’s Government. Racing will be held six men’s, five women’s and three open events, including the Optimist, 420, 470, Mistral, RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial and Hobie 16 classes. Find out more about the event at the Asian Sailing Federation website http://www.sailingasian.org. Click for NOR http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/10ASCNOR-%5B7511%5D.pdf China is also hosting the 16th edition of the Asian Games at Guangzhou in November 2010.

2.16 Quantum Sails are turning heads. Oh! and winning races
Have you noticed lately that more and more winning yachts have the big Green Q Quantum Sails logo firmly planted on their sails. The Quantum Sail Design Group designs, engineers and manufactures sails for racers and cruisers who demand the highest levels of quality and performance. Quantum has achieved a leadership status in the sail making industry by offering highly differentiated quality products supported by an uncommonly high level of personalized customer service, recognized expertise, professionalism and an exhibited passion for development of the sport of sailing. Quantum sails are available through more than 60 lofts located throughout the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, Europe, South Africa, South America, Malaysia, Japan, and Australia. Discover some winning ways at: http://quantumsails.com

2.17 2010 World Championship events for Olympic classes
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has published the provisional dates and venues for the World Championships of the events selected for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. The schedule begins and ends in North America, with the 49er Worlds in Freeport, The Bahamas (2-9 Jan) and the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship (20-25 Sept) at Newport, RI, USA. In between events will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Star) 12-23 Jan, The Netherlands (470) 9-18 July, Great Britain (Laser Radial) 6-14 July, Great Britain (Laser Standard Senior) 27 Aug - 5 Sept, USA (Finn) 27 Aug-4 Sept, and Denmark (RS:X) 28 Aug-5 Sept. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/29291.php

2.18 Preparing marinas and boats for hurricanes
A new online publication for marina, boat yard and yacht club managers outlines proven techniques that could greatly reduce damage to their boating facilities whenever a hurricane strikes. The 24-page What Works, A Guide to Preparing Marinas, Yacht Clubs, and Boats for Hurricanes shares success stories as well as failures of dozens of marinas and clubs that have experienced a hurricane over the last two decades. The guide is published by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), a national recreational boating advocacy organization that also offers marine insurance and has an industry-leading hurricane response team. To download a copy of the guide, go to http://www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes

3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3.1 TP52 Worlds set to fly
Ten TP52's including the defending champions Quantum Racing (USA) and 2007 winners Artemis (SWE) will compete for the TP52 World title starting off Palma, Mallorca, racing from the famous Real Club Nautico de Palma. In some senses it will be business as usual aboard eight of the ten which are regulars on the Audi MedCup Circuit, but the Worlds fleet will be welcoming two new crews to TP52 class racing in the shape of France's Paprec Recyclage (formerly the 2007 launch Judel/Vrolijk design Artemis and most recently Tau Ceramica Andalucia) and Great Britain's Henri- Lloyd Weapon of Choice (formerly the 2007 launched Judel/Vrolijk Matador). Racing at the TP52 World Championships starts with the official practice race on Tuesday 6th October and finishes on Sunday 11th October. The regatta follows the same pattern as the typical Audi MedCup Circuit event with one coastal race set to run on the Friday. http://www.tp52worldchampionship.org

3.2 iShares Cup final countdown
The final event of the 2009 iShares Cup Sailing Series will reach its dramatic conclusion next week in Almeria, in the region of Andalucia, from Saturday, October 10th to Monday, October 12th. The sixth event of the 2009 European circuit sets the scene for a nail-biting finale. After five events and no fewer than 92 races, incredibly just one point separates the top three boats in the overall iShares Cup series. Current leaders Oman Sail Masirah, skippered by Pete Cumming, won three events in a row at Hyères, Cowes and Kiel. They are tied on 43 points with French crew Gitana Extreme - Groupe LCF Rothschild, who are lying second after winning two events, the series opener in Venice and the penultimate event in Amsterdam. Just one point behind these two is Oman Sail's stable mate Renaissance – it simply couldn’t be any closer! More at: http://www.isharescup.com/container.asp?id=22148

3.3 2009 Rolex Middle Sea Race
Looks set for another cracking edition - its 30th. 73 yachts have entered, only five short of last year's record number. When the fleet sets off on its 606 nautical-mile adventure on 17 October it will do so from a new spectacular start line that runs between a mast at the Saluting Battery on the St Peter and St Paul Bastion built during the late-1500's and an inflatable mark, to be laid just off Fort St. Angelo, home to the Knights of St John." A lot has been made of the fastest yacht on the list this year, Mike Slade's 30-metre ICAP Leopard (GBR), her likely closest competitor Karl Kwok's 24-metre Beau Geste (HKG), Danilo Salsi's Swan 90 DSK Pioneer Investment (ITA) and, of course, the cool and trendy Mini Maxis: Ran 2 (Niklas Zennstrom/GBR), Rosebud/Team DYT (Roger Sturgeon/USA), Bella Mente (Hap Fauth/USA), Alegre (Andy Soriano/GBR) and Luna Rossa (Patrizio Bertelli/ITA). The Rolex Middle Sea Race is more than just a big-boat race though there is a lot to be said after a look at some of the smaller yachts. The final prize giving is on Sat, 24 October. George David's Rambler established the current Course Record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds in 2007. More at: http://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

3.4 LOUIS VUITTON launches PROFESSIONAL SAILING CIRCUIT
The Mayor of Nice, the World Sailing Team Association (WSTA) and Louis Vuitton announced that the first Louis Vuitton World Series (LVWS) event will be held in Nice, France on 7- 22 Nov 2009. The Louis Vuitton World Series is an outgrowth of the successful and highly-competitive Louis Vuitton Pacific Series that took place in Auckland in February earlier this year. The launch of the LVWS is positive news for top-tier professional sailors as it guarantees a global world series aboard high-tech Version 5 ACC monohull racing boats. The series will feature a 10-team field competing in shared ACC yachts in a round robin, one-on-one match racing format where the two finalists go head-to-head to determine the winner. Points will be accumulated throughout the series to determine the ranking of the season. The second Louis Vuitton World Series event is scheduled for March 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand, followed by a Series in La Maddalena (Italy) in May 2010. -- Full Report here...

3.5 Mini Transat sailors at it again
At 14:02 exactly, the 83 competitors still registered in The Charente-Maritime / Bahia Transat 6.50 set off on Saturday, October 3rd, in front of Funchal city on the Portuguese island of Madeira for the second and longest stage (3100 miles) heading for Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). The Canary Islands, an archipelago of Cape Verde, the Equatorial Doldrums and surfing the trade winds in the Southern Hemisphere is all yet to come... The menu is very rich and varied for these solo transatlantic sailors aboard boats only 6.50 meters in length! A start on time with mainsail reef and solent. The goal: avoid collisions and get out as quickly as possible from the minefield of 83 hulls to start sailing "serenely" the 5740 km to go... So,François Cuinet N°412 on Plan Jardin passed the buoy first for prototypes at the Funchal Naval Club followed by Thomas Ruyant (Faber France) and Nicolas Boidevezi (Défi DGE) and Hervé Aubry N°582 on Ville de Pornichet for Series boats has imposed his tone. Nice demo! But this is only the start and the game should be very long and tiring... Follow their progress and short film clip of the start at: http://www.transat650.org/en/

3.6 Hilary Lister the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain
On 31st August 2009 the quadriplegic yachtswoman Hilary Lister became the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain. In a series of day sails starting from Dover in June 2008 and restarting from Plymouth on the 21st May 2009. Hilary completed her ambitious project to sail solo around the British Isles a day earlier than expected. The inspirational sailor, from Selling, near Faversham, Kent, suffers from a degenerative disease and has no use of her arms and legs. She steers her specially-adapted Artemis 20 keelboat by a sip-and-puff computerised system involving three straws - one puff to port, one sip to starboard. The yacht that Hilary used, the Artemis 20, now forms the core of the Even Keel Project in the UK, designed to offer sailing to disabled and disadvantaged audiences who would not usually have access to the sport. Full story and info on the Hilary Dream Trust, goto http://www.hilarylister.com/

3.7 Class40 endorses the Global Ocean Race 2011-12
The Class40 President Jacques Fournier and Class Board Directors have confirmed that the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 is the only round the world race to be officially endorsed by the Class40 Association. The Global Ocean Race will be the second running of the event that Josh Hall and Joe Harris originally launched as the 2008-09 Portimao Global Ocean Race. Conflicting interests are setting up the rival Portugal Ocean Race as holding an affordable event for the non professional sailor in the street is becoming hot property. Holding two events in the same year is not feasible and only the feistiest will survive. -- Full story: http://portimaorace.com/?page=news&news_id=353&lang=en

3.8 Clipper Race Update
The North Atlantic Scoring Gate, the elusive, 80-mile-wide target to the south of the Canary Islands, over which an area of light air had rather inconveniently parked itself, has finally been crossed by Spirit of Australia. The only southern hemisphere team in Clipper 09-10 crossed the gate 1830 UT and scores three points for Brisbane based skipper, Brendan Hall and his crew. The three points have already been added to Spirit of Australia’s overall score, moving the team into the overall race lead following their second place finish in Race 1. Up at the front of the fleet Cork, Ireland, is in second place, chasing down the leaders, Team Finland who did not go through the scoring gate. Skipper, Richie Fearon, says, “We've had a good night sailing and finally getting the double figure speeds we have been looking for since leaving the Canaries. Our task now is to catch up with the Finns now we are both in similar winds and hopefully close their lead. Game on!” “The wind strengths will continue to grow and be stronger on the eastern side of the race track, so the boats positioned further east are best positioned to take maximum advantage from this,” explains Race Director, Joff Bailey. “That said, the skippers will now be focusing their attention on how to cross the Doldrums. Follow all the action at http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

3.9 U.S. Navy also into triple-hulled ships
We've been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy's triple-hulled ships, but here's one that was launched last month, the U.S.S Independence. Built by General Dynamics, it's called a "littoral combat ship" (LCS), and the tri-maran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us of the Merrimac ironclad from Civil War days. Littoral means close to shore, and that's where these fleet hulled babies will operate, tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns. These ships were designed to be relatively inexpensive this one's a bargain at $208 million and the navy plans to build 55 of them. This trimaran is the first of the new fire-breathing breed, ready to scoot out of dry dock at a rumored 60 knots.. It's like a speedy and heavily-armed aircraft carrier for helicopters.

4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS

4.1 Alain Thébault cracks the 50 knot barrier.
It's Official! The World Sailing Speed Record Council has ratified three new world records for the French foiling trimaran l'Hydroptère to became the fastest yacht on the planet. The French trimaran now officially holds the "World Sailing Speed Record and D class World Records" over the 500 metre mark at: 51.36 Knots - surpassing the previous records (Outright World Record: Alexandre Caizergues (kitesurf), 50.57 kts, set in Namibia last year and lifting the D Class held by l'Hydroptère, previously at 46.88 kts). Also, l'Hydroptère now has the world record for the fastest nautical mile - 48.74 knots - which breaks her own previous record. The records were established at Hyères when 28 kts of westerly wind was blowing across the course. During the run Alain Thébault and his crew hit 55,5 kts (103 km/h) and a set a mean velocity of 51.36 kts. More at -- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/ A parallel project, is in the course of manufacture. Hydroptère.ch, an experimental platform which will sail on Lake Léman, will be launched in spring 2010, It will be used as demonstrator for the development of the maximum sized hydrofoiler, which will sail/fly around the world. Three records are targeted: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and round the world tour. Catch the incredibly great film footage of Alain Thébault and his l'Hydroptère crew roaring along at a top speed of 55.5 knots or the equivalent of 102.79 km/h can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ-gdqo35os

4.2 Paul Larson's team determined to succeed
The UK based VESTAS SAILROCKET team have returned to Walvis Bay in Namibia for one more assault on the outright speed sailing record. The 28 day record period will commence on the 2nd of October. This will be the final record attempt for this wonderful boat. It has endured a long and eventful life to reach its current level of performance and its structure bears the scars of many a hard earned lesson. This is truly a unique and significant craft which has shown the potential of a radical concept for achieving both stability and efficiency in high speed sailing craft. The team, together with the sponsors and supporters have shared a fascinating journey but their ultimate objective, to be the outright fastest in the world, remains. The journey will only end when this objective is reached, one way or the other. Regular updates and live feeds will be streamed from their new website at http://www.vestassailrocket.com throughout the attempt.

5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"

5.1 Day 1 of Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup takes it's toll.
There was a twinkle in the eye of Poseidon this morning. The current crop of sailing gods may have gathered in Porto Cervo for the 2009 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, but the lord of the sea was about to prove mastery of the waves does not come easily even to the gifted. This was to be a testing day for all competitors. The journey from Porto Cervo harbour to the start line was enough to set the nerves jangling this morning as a 3-metre sea and 20 - 25 knots of northeasterly wind greeted competitors. The conditions were more than manageable for Maxi yachts, but there were traps in the waves and gusts that would catch those unwary, unlucky or unprepared. The Racing Mini Maxis got proceedings underway. It was at this point that Poseidon played his first trump card. Andres Soriano and Alegre (GBR) suffered sail damage that was considered enough to warrant the crew taking an early bath. One down. The fifth and final start was the most dramatic. Poseidon's humour was black at this point, perhaps frustrated at the fleet's apparent nonchalant regard for the conditions. The Polish crew on Intuition were thrown the unhittable curve ball. Two bangs announced the Racing/Cruising Mini Maxi's entrance into the arena. The one from the Committee boat was expected. The one from Intuition was gut wrenching as the top three metres of her mast separated leaving her mortally-wounded on the line, a sorry sight for the fast departing fleet. Two down. In the Wallys, Lindsay Owen Jones Magic Carpet had looked to be settled into the groove early holding a good lead all the way to Barrettinelli when the trident of bad fortune chose to strike Owen Jones, not for the first time in the history of this event. Twice in quick succession the head sail appeared to blow out of the foil, leaving Magic Carpet looking a little thread bare as she was forced to finish the race under main alone. Not quite three down, but in the context of this race she would no longer play a serious role.

5.2 Quick thinking and ingenuity saves sinking catamaran
The lifeboat crew, called to the rescue scene, quickly inflated the liferaft of the catamaran and shoved it inside the cockpit of the sinking boat, thus keeping it afloat. The catamaran Camelot and a fishing boat, Hayley Marie, collided approximately 1.6 nautical miles south of Pendennis Point in Falmouth, Cornwall on the southern coast of Britain. The bow of the fishing boat was damaged. Its single sailor, a man from Truro, was unhurt. Several boats answered the Camelot's mayday call, including the Falmouth pilot boat, the Cornwall Fire Brigade rescue boat and the Falmouth lifeboat, and a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was also dispatched to the scene. The family of five on board the catamaran were forced to abandon their vessel, which was sinking, and were transferred to the Falmouth lifeboat. While they, and their two dogs, were unhurt, they have been saved from the loss of their boat by the quick thinking of the lifeboat crew, and they will now be able to salvage the vessel.

5.3 16-year-old Jessica Watson hits cargo ship
Set off from Mooloolaba to Sydney on a leg which was to be a precursor to her attempt to solo sail the world non-stop and unassisted, hit the 63,000 tonne Japanese cargo vessel Silver Yang less than 24 hours after leaving port. The Sunshine Coast schoolgirl, who had set out with a year's supply of Tim Tams in a bright pink 10.2m yacht now called Ella's Pink Lady, has returned to Southport to repair the broken mast and damaged bow deck section. Jessica, after requesting vainly by radio that the ship change course to avoid her, and realising a collision was about to happen, had gone below and braced herself in her bunk. She was therefore not injured. Jessica's father says the schoolgirl was the victim of a 'hit and run', and described the encounter as 'David versus Goliath' and blamed the crew of the larger boat. Mr Watson said his daughter’s communication equipment, including AIS transponder, radar enhancer and navigational equipment that inform other ships and ocean vehicles of her presence, were all operational. Jessica says that once her yacht is repaired she is still hoping to complete the 23,000 nautical mile trip in time for her 17th birthday on May 18. Follow her progress at: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

5.4 Dramatic action at iShares Cup Amsterdam
There was dramatic action on the water during the Preview Media day and Day 1 of the iShares Cup Amsterdam. In the fourth race of the day, Mike Golding’s Ecover was hit by Oman Sail Renaissance, skippered by Loick Peyron, in a classic port starboard confrontation. The nine boats, squeezed into the IJ-Haven canal, just 875 metres by 265, were on the final leg of the final practice race of the day when Renaissance hit them on the port stern. Mike Golding picks up the story: “It was a straight forward port starboard incident; I just don’t think they saw us or heard us calling. We had been crossing and ducking each other all the way up the beat. They hit us in a relatively soft area of the boat, it looks bad but luckily it’s not a structural point of the boat.” Loick Peyron agreed: “It’s not a good day for us today. We were at the back of the fleet fighting our red boat (Oman Sail’s Masirah) and no-one on board looked right and it’s the first thing you should do on a port tack. There was no noise and we hit them. I really hate it, it’s not good; the second time in three weeks, not the same situation, but the second time. (Oman Sail Renaissance hit Team Wirsol Kiel Sailing City in the first day of racing in Kiel). The guys worked through the night helping the Ecover shore team to get the boat back on the water for the next days racing."

Plenty of action on Day 1 of the iShares Cup Amsterdam - the penultimate round of the six-stage series... The trickiest racecourse on the European circuit proved testing for the nine Extreme 40s but it was Oman Sail Masirah who ended up being the biggest casualty. A collision with BT put a large hole in the port hull of Masirah and she started taking on water. Pete Cumming and his crew, leading the overall iShares Cup circuit at this stage, got redress for the races they missed but it was not the start the Oman team would have wished for going into this penultimate round.

Having had no more than two hours of sleep after a night spent helping to repair Ecover hit by Renaissance the day before, Oman Sail's Ian "Mucky" McCabe was called back on stage for the second day in a row... This time, his team's Extreme 40 Oman Sail Masirah was the one to take care of, and judging by the size of the hole in the float, Mucky realised he was in for another sleepless night! They finished the job the next day and re-launched the boat with 30 minutes to spare before the first race on Day 2. A job well done - Wore me out just writing about it.

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