Top of the Gulf Regatta bigger than ever
Now in it's seventh year, the 2010 Top of the Gulf Regatta (TOGR) will take place on 30th April to 4th May, at Ocean Marina Yacht Club (OMYC) Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, Thailand. The one design Platu 25 Coronation Cup and Thailand Optimist Championships are held at the same time. As Ocean Marina continues the renovation started last year, the increase in berths and range of services is seeing an increase in numbers of racing and cruising yachts entering the Jomtien fleet. International entries are already coming in at a fast rate and local Thai-based boats will be out in force. Particularly the Ocean Multihull class is expected to grow to 12-15 boats this year. The dinghy classes are again looking to flourish this year and expectations are high that the 2008 record of 128 Optimists may be exceeded this year. In addition, a Laser fleet and some Byte II's are expected to join in. More TOTGR info from: http://www.topofthegulfregatta.com and contact them at: info@topofthegulfregatta.com to enter the sailing events held at Ocean Marina.

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CONTENTS

1. EDITORIAL - April brings a double banger of events - 2009-10 AYGP continues
2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS - Eight Bells for Khun Boo - Platu, One Design Championship of Thailand 2010 - Laser Youth Worlds in Thailand - Vote for the Asia Boating Awards - Revised Asian Sportsboat handicaps - Testing Dynamic Stability System - Yachts visiting Hong Kong simplified - ISAF Anti-Piracy Guidelines - Boat Asia 2010 (15-18 April) - Newszene from Historical Vessel Vega - ISAF to review 33rd AC race committee - Koh Samui festival of sailing & fun - Wisconsin selected for ISAF Nations Cup - King's Cup under review - Changes to China Cup International Regatta (29 Oct to 01 Nov)
Up next in Asia - Rolex China Sea Race (Starts 1st April) - Commodore’s Cup (April 6-10) - Top of the Gulf Regatta (1-5 May) - Sawadee.com Regatta (May 31 - June 5)
3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Match Race France April 6-11 - Farr 40 Worlds in Dominican Republic April 21-24 - Sailing to Cuba made easy - 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race is now set - Plastiki sets sail - New TP52 regs for 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit - Lia's Unorthodox Training - ETNZ Wins Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland
Follow the: Ongoing Clipper Race - Match Race France April 6-11 - Farr 40 Worlds April 21-24
4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS - New Jules Verne Record - 48 d 07 hrs 44 mins 52 secs! - l'Hydroptère maxi on drawing board
5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - Hull & Humber skipper breaks leg - 75 knot winds tear out pontoons - Boats suffer in Chile earthquake - Clipper California breaks mast - Cyclone Ului takes its toll

1. EDITORIAL

After a gap in proceedings the beginning of April brings a double banger of events. It is not an April fools day joke, but the 565nm blue water classic Rolex China Sea Race between Hong Kong and Subic Bay in the Philippines starts on April 1st. We then go straight into the hastily scheduled Commodore’s Cup (April 6th - 10th) in Subic Bay which caps off the annual Philippine escapade in style.

The yachts will then cross the entire breadth of the South China Sea to Ocean Marina in Pattaya, Thailand, for the Top of the Gulf Regatta which takes place from 1st to 5th May and is open to all forms of racing craft including monohull, multihull and dinghy classes. The final event on the AYGP Championship is the Sawadee.com Regatta on Koh Samui, Thailand (May 31st - June 5th) which is turning into a festival of sail and the spectacular prize presentation on the majestic lawn setting of the Centara Grand Beach Resort should not be missed. In fact if your looking for some tropical sailing and lively entertainment choose any major regatta on the Asian Calendar and we can assure you will not be disappointed.

As summer appears on the northern hemisphere horizon the high profile events kick into gear. The ISAF World Cup for Olympic classes, the World Match Racing Tour kicks off in France, TP 52's and GP 42's gearing up for the Audi MedCup Circuit, RC44 Circuit gets going, Extreme 40's announcing new venues and the Louis Vuitton Trophy continues in Italy.

One of the benefits of having these high profile events is there ability to produce and broadcast live footage both on TV and the Internet during their events. Extending these live feeds to smaller news websites like AY has enabled us to offer our browsers the whole regatta to watch, highlights and full replays after the live action has finished, together with a host of news articles. This has not only improved our news coverage but also remarkably improved our web ranking and therefore making the site more valuable to our advertisers. The Louis Vuitton Trophy - Auckland is still available at: http://asianyachting.com/SailTV.htm courtesy of Sail TV and the wonders of the internet.

All these topics and much much more on the Asian and International scene are covered (Below) and regularly updated on the AsianYachting website.
Enjoy!
Capt Marty Rijkuris

2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS

2.1 Eight Bells for Khun Boo
It is with deep regret that at 10.00am 24th March one of Thailand's finest sailors passed away. Khun Boo fell seriously ill while on a yacht delivery from Donsak to Phuket. His condition was critical by the time the crew managed to get him to a hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia. For three weeks he was in a coma hooked up to various machines. He had been recovering from TB, which he contracted around July last year, but recently caught pneumonia which seriously affected his breathing. He did briefly come out of the coma and recognized his friend Chandran but sadly Boo's condition deteriorated until he moved on. For those of you who did not know Boo… he was an institution in yachting around SE Asia and a remarkable happy go lucky character – not to mention a fully paid-up member of ACYC. Not many Thais in Phuket have taken to yachting seriously, but Boo is one of the exceptions. At one time or another, he has either crewed on, or delivered, most of the significant yachts around here. The ACYC will be raising funds for hospital expenses, funeral bills and transportation costs, so if you would like to make a cash donation, please email Commodore Mick Kealy on mick@octopusasia.com for the bank account details where money transfers are being received. Boo was supporting his elderly mother and now that he is gone, she will have very little to keep her going. If there is any excess money from donations, we will make sure the rest goes to her to help keep her on her feet.

2.2 QUANTUM SAILS, Platu, One Design Championship of Thailand 2010
Sailing on The Fox, Rolf Heemskirk's Viewpoint Team showed why they were previously Thai National Champions by scoring 5 bullets and a 2nd place to romp away with the 2010 OPEN CHAMPION from 10 other competitors. Entries from Italy, Denmark, Russia and Australia competed with the best Asian teams to produce a truly international competition. The next event in the series is The Top of The Gulf Regatta 30 April to 4 May at Ocean Marina Pattaya. 15 teams have entered including an all girls team and 2 more crews are likely to join. Three crews from Japan, two from Australia and 3 teams from the Singapore University will take on Rolf Heemskerk (The Fox) and the current National Champion, Scott Duncanson (The Ferret) will resume their titanic battle to be top dog after Scott was unable to sail at the recent OPEN championships. Kev Scott still has 3 platus available for charter so call him now for one? Email kevscott@hotmail.com or Thailand cell 0878 25 00 11 Club site http://www.omycsailing.com

2.3 Laser Youth Worlds in Thailand
It is most appropriate that the Minor Food Group have decided to “come aboard”, as the principal sponsor for next week’s 2010 World Laser 4.7 Championship, to be sailed off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, South Pattaya. Some 120 boys and girls (under 19 years-of-age) are coming to Thailand’s shores from 27 countries, to compete against a strong contingent of Thai youngsters, for the largest one-design dinghy event ever held in the Kingdom - the 2010 World Laser 4.7 Youth Championship. It is going to be an exciting event and, unlike most yacht racing where the action is “somewhere over the horizon”, the Worlds, raced in onshore southerlies, will be VERY close in to shore-based spectators. More information on the 2010 World’s at http://www.laserthailand.org/ or go to http://www.varuna.org and click on the Laser 4.7 logo for results and photos.

2.4 COMPETITIVE PRICES FOR COMPETITIVE SAILS
Quantum Sails pride themselves on Quality - no matter what the season. Whether it is winter, summer, spring or fall, it is the perfect time to get the best deals. Quantum Sail Design Group was formed in 1996 by a group of independent and experienced sailmakers. The firm has grown to more than 60 sales and service outlets throughout the world with US headquarters in Traverse City, Michigan and European headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. Quantum also has sail making facilities in Malaysia, South Africa and Traverse City, Michigan. Discover your winning ways at http://www.quantumsails.com

2.5 Vote for the Asia Boating Awards
For the first time ever, the Asia Boating Awards, the top event of the yachting calendar in Asia, will be staged in Hong Kong at the upcoming Hong Kong Gold Coast Boat Show on May 8, 2010. Organised by Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating magazines, the awards recognise the best yachts globally as well as top Asia-based yacht builders, Asia-based regattas, Asian marinas and yacht clubs, best maritime city in Asia and Asia's top yachting personality. This year's event will see new categories, including best production multihull (catamaran or trimaran), best designer working in Asia, and the best 'green company', in recognition of builders and yachts that have developed more eco-friendly products and systems. Asia-Pacific Boating and China Boating invite all of their readers to participate in the awards by nominating their favourites in each category. This can be done at the Asia Boating Awards website http://www.asiaboatingawards.com. The most popular entries in each category will then be compiled into a shortlist and presented to an independent panel of judges.

2.6 Revised Asian Sportsboat handicaps
The diverse range of true "Sports Boats" in the Asian region, has the Race Committee deciding to update the handicap system used by the Sports Boats Class at this years Sawadee.com Regatta. The event will now use the Australian Sports Boat Association's SMS system, giving competitors the opportunity to race under this system for the first time in Asia. Announcing the change, Simon James, Race Director said "By adopting the system, we can now give our Asian based competitors an opportunity to evaluate their performance against other local crews prior to the 2010 Asian Sports Boat Championships in Hong Kong." "The announcement is already creating a positive buzz on the internet". Scott Duncanson of Australian based Duncanson Yachts and designer of the Phuket "8" said "I believe SMS clearly deserves a try first in Asia and Samui Regatta is a great start" In the event of lower than expected entries, the Race Committee may merge the Sports Boats into the IRC 2 Class, but will run a dual scoring system (IRC & SMS) and present an overall Sports Boat Trophy, based on SMS in addition to any IRC Class prizes. Full details are included in the updated NOR which may be downloaded from http://www.samuiregatta.com

2.7 Testing Dynamic Stability System
25ft sportsboat launched with Hugh Welbourn's unique patented lateral foil system conceived as Dynamic Stability System (DSS) – the revolutionary new foil package, that cleverly and simply comprises an athwartships foil that extends to leeward, passing laterally through the hull of a yacht, thereby creating lift, allowing bulb size to be reduced, reducing pitching and dramatically increasing performance. Following on from the 27ft test boat in Spain last spring, so now finally a bespoke, fully tricked-up 25ft sportsboat has been launched in Brisbane using the DSS.

2.8 Big discounts at Sunsail
Incredible big discounts up to 25% plus extra days charter for free on various sailing craft are some of the offers going in the Austral-Asian region. Grab a fantastic Sunsail bargain for your next sailing holiday. Vessels are booking fast so don't miss out! They are proud to announce that the Leopard 38 - better known to Sunsailors as the Sunsail 384 - has been named 'Boat of the Year' by Cruising World, earning the titles 'Import Boat of the Year' and 'Best Multihull Cruiser'. This new and innovative catamaran is now available at some Austral-Asian bases. Some yachts are still available for the Top of the Gulf Regatta in May and Koh Samui Regatta 2010 in June. Check it out by visiting the Sunsail Asia website www.sunsailasia.com and receive regular updates on Sunsail's activities in the Asian region contact Tel: +66 (0)76 239057 Email: sales@sunsailasia.com

2.9 Yachts visiting Hong Kong simplified
With the increased presence of super yachts in the region, the Hong Kong Immigration Department and Hong Kong Marine Department have become more ‘user friendly’ towards these vessels by producing an 'one stop web page' for visiting yachts outlining port procedures and requirements at: http://www.mardep.gov.hk/en/pub_services/ocean/notes_ymaster.html Until now this information has been spread over a number of online locations. This is a step in the right direction though attention should be drawn to the crew immigration requirements which currently remain based on tourist visas as opposed to the length of time a yacht is allowed to visit. Discussions are continuing in this area and it is hoped that rules can be changed to accommodate visiting crew in due course.

2.10 ISAF Anti-Piracy Guidelines
An increase in pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden should be anticipated, with as many vessels held by pirates pending ransom negotiations last week as roughly half the level experienced over the past year. Pirates are now ranging ever further across the Somali Basin, with the possibility of attacks occurring as far east a the coast of India and as far south as Madagascar. In response to these warnings, the International Sailing Federation has updated and re-issued its guidelines to yachts contemplating making a passage through this region. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/32211.php

2.11 Boat Asia 2010 (15-18 April)
In line with the improving market sentiment, Boat Asia 2010, Asia’s premier leisure boat and luxury waterfront lifestyle event, to be held from 15-18 April at Marina at Keppel Bay, is upping the ante with a tantalizing line-up that will seduce all, regardless of whether you’re a boating enthusiast or not. Those looking to recapture the Golden Age of boating, can look forward to two historically-rich superyachts – the Cariad and Vega. The Cariad is the largest (at 118-feet) and oldest Gaff Ketch in the world today which was built in 1896 as the bequest of Queen Victoria. The Vega was built in 1893 by Norwegian brothers, Ole and Johann Nerhus, and is one of the few boats in the world to be officially classified as a “Historical Vessel”. Vega and her crew dedicate themselves to humanitarian delivery missions. Those with more contemporary inclinations can look forward to the more than 10 stylish new yachts making their debut for the first-time in Asia. These include the ZAR 73 Sky Deck, Riviera 45 Flybridge, Leopard 384 Catamaran, Marquis 500 Sports Coupe, Bertram 570 and Oyster 56. They will be joined by an exciting on-water display of motor yachts, sail boats, and catamarans as well as a on-land display of speed boats, jet skis, sailing yachts, marine equipment and accessories, and resorts and properties. For more information visit: http://www.boat-asia.com

2.12 Newszene from Historical Vessel Vega
Shane Granger's 80 foot Norwegian galeass Vega and her crew usually dedicate themselves to humanitarian delivery missions which include carrying medical and educational supplies to isolated island communities of Papua, Banda Aceh and the Solomon Islands. This 120 year old vessel is bustling full of classic sails, ropework, intricate running and standing rigging that would normally be a nightmare to the uninitiated. Shane and Meggi have completely restored and maintained the vessel in original condition and expertly produce a Newszene with hints on the intricacies of maintaining the vessel as well as forthcoming adventures that can be found at: http://www.sailvega.com/newsletter

2.13 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 is a specially modified Mark Mills designed DK46's, that has 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

2.14 ISAF to review 33rd AC race committee
The International Sailing Federation confirmed the receipt of the Regatta Report Forms from the ISAF Race Officials appointed to the 33rd America's Cup Match. The Regatta Report Forms were received from the ISAF appointed Principal Race Officer Harold Bennett and the Chairman of the International Jury David Tillett. They will be sent to the ISAF Race Officials Committee who will review the contents and make recommendations if deemed necessary. The purpose of the report system is to provide an assessment of the ISAF appointed officials and to learn from incidents or exceptional situations that happened during an event. -- Full story: http://www.sailing.org/news/32042.php

2.15 Koh Samui festival of sailing & fun
Whether you're a hardened sailor or just someone that likes partying under the stars every night the Sawadee.com Regatta has something for everyone. The regatta, contested off Koh Samui’s sun-drenched Chaweng Beach, begins on 31st May and concludes on the 5th June. For the 9th consecutive year, this leading lifestyle and sporting event will attract competitive and social sailors from around the world. The five-day regatta is one of Asia’s most glamorous sailing events and this year will reach even greater heights as it takes on a true carnival feel with the addition of some new and exciting events that include Golf, Jazz and Asia’s Biggest Boot Camp! Whilst competitive sailing lies at the heart of the Sawadee.com Regatta, the blend of sport, lifestyle and adventure adds an extra dimension to this already established event. More info, Entry Forms and NOR can be found on the website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com or email ksr@mobyelite.com See you there!

2.16 Wisconsin selected for ISAF Nations Cup
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has announced the selection of Sheboygan, in Wisconsin, USA as host venue for the Grand Final of the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup. The US SAILING Center Sheboygan will host the Grand Final of the sixth edition of the ISAF Nations Cup from September 13-18, 2011. Competition will be held on Lake Michigan in the Sonar (with a crew of three) for the men's event and the Elliott 6m (with a crew of three) for the women's event. The ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final is the culmination of an 18-month competition staged over a series of Regional Finals held across the globe to find the world's top match racing nation in both men's and women's events. The venues, dates and country allocations for the Regional Finals of the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup will be announced later this month. More details at ISAF Nations Cup microsite: http://www.sailing.org/nationscup

2.17 King's Cup under review
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's largest keelboat regatta and arguably the most popular with over 2,000 people attending each year. Now entering it's 24th year, the Organising Committee continue to innovate and develop the Regatta with the aim to provide the same high standard each year, with a few new twists. Speaking at a recent meeting, Race Director Simon James, gave a few insights into what is in store for this years event. “We plan to publish the provisional Notice of Race by the 1st May this year. Since the closing day of the 23rd Regatta, we have undertaken a review of Classes and Courses and have sought feedback from participants to see how the sailing can be improved and ensure we are catering to the vast diversity of boats and participants we have.” James continued, “Each year we review the range of visiting yachts to the region and try to cater for any predominant changes in size or design. Two examples of this have been reflected in the phenomenal growth in the Bareboat Class and the introduction of the Modern Classics Class in 2009 which gave some of the “less young” boats and competitors an opportunity to return to the Regatta.” Full report at: http://www.kingscup.com and take a look at video clips on their YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/phuketkingscup

2.18 Changes to China Cup International Regatta (29 Oct to 01 Nov)
The fourth edition will kick off with the Hong Kong to Shenzhen passage race, followed by a mix of inshore races and island races on Daya Bay, Shenzhen, China. Racing will be provided for entries from the Racing Class, One Design classes, classes raced under IRC, SBR ratings or COA HKPN Handicap numbers are subject to the number of entries. A number of changes for the 2010 edition are expected to bring more excitement to competitors: China Cup will be awarded to winners in each class (instead of only the Beneteau 40.7 One Design Class, as in previous editions of CCIR). More races are being planned for the four day regatta (9 races as against 6 races previously) with a mix of Windward/leeward and island races. National Sailing Federations and Navy teams from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippine etc are invited to submit entries, to make this year's sailing event even more competitive. For enquires concerning boat charter, costs, entry and advertising please contact Miss Yuna: tel +86-755-88353518; fax:+86-755-88323928; Website, http://www.chncup.com email: yuna@chncup.com

3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3.1 Match Race France April 6-11
The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) kicks off with the Match Race France, on April 6-11. This year the leading professional sailing series features 10 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status. The World Tour awards over US$1.5million in prize money with points awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the “ISAF Match Racing World Champion”. In addition, an incentive to compete in the world’s premier sailing series just got bigger. A US$250,000 overall prize pool for the top nine teams with a $50,000 bonus for the outright winner of next year’s World Match Racing Tour is now on offer. Check out the 2010 racing program on the newly updated website at: http://www.wmrt.com/

3.2 Farr 40 Worlds in Dominican Republic April 21-24
All eyes will be on the defending World Champion, Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (USA) who is also a three-time Rolex Farr 40 World Champion. Lining up Barking Mad in their sights, will be more than a few teams who have proven in the past that they are capable of winning not just races, but more importantly whole series: Helmut Jahn on Flash Gordon 6 (USA) with tactician Bill Hardesty, won the 2009 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship and is fresh from winning the Farr 40 class at the 2010 Miami Grand Prix. Always pushing the boundary is Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone, with tactician Vasco Vascotto onboard was the 2003 Rolex Farr 40 World Champion and 2009 European Champion. Other teams offer up a strong challenge, including Guido Belgiorno-Nettis on Transfusion (AUS), with tactician Tom Slingsby, who won the 2010 Farr 40 Australian Championship for the second year in a row; Wolfgang Schaefer on Struntje Light (GER); Doug Douglass on Goombay Smash (USA), with tactician Morgan Larson; Alex Roepers on Plenty (USA), with tactician Tony Rey; Alberto Rossi on Enfant Terrible (ITA); Lisa & Martin Hill on Estate Master (AUS), with tactician Hamish Pepper; and Alessandro Barnaba on Fiamma (ITA). New to the Farr 40 fleet this past year is Nico Poons on Charisma (MON), who is the reigning Swan 45 World Champion. Follow the event at: http://www.farr40worlds.com

3.3 Sailing to Cuba made easy
If the international boating community would like to keep abreast with information concerning the nautical activities, the facilities for vessels that sail into our territorial waters, Commodore Diaz Escrich from the Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba, is writing a blog and answering any questions on a new web site http://www.CubaSeas.com where you will find an “Ask the commodore” page. Also you can find a video of his presentation to the International Superyacht Society and the Seakeepers Society during the Miami International Boat Show as well as a wealth of additional information and stunning hi resolution images of what to expect in Cuba.

3.4 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race is now set
Auckland, New Zealand, is back in the Volvo Ocean Race after a gap of 10 years. The city, which has fielded some of the world’s best sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race, last hosted the event in 2001-02. It will stage the leg four finish from Sanya in China and the start of leg five, which will take the fleet into the Southern Ocean once again, round the infamous Cape Horn and up to a finish in Itajai, Brazil. “This announcement completes the route and our goal of contracting all the ports before the end of March 2010, significantly earlier than in previous race cycles”. CEO Knut Frostad added. The route for 2011-12 is now set and includes: start port Alicante/Spain, Cape Town/South Africa, Abu Dhabi/UAE, Sanya/China, Auckland/New Zealand, Itajai/Brazil, Miami/USA, Lisbon/Portugal, Lorient/France and finish port Galway/Ireland. This announcement completes the guessing game that has been taking place over the month of March. More at: http://www.volvooceanrace.com
Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa
Leg 2: Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE
Leg 3: Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China
Leg 4: Sanya, China - Auckland NZ
Leg 5: Auckland NZ to Itajaí, Brazil
Leg 6: Itajaí, Brazil to Maimi USA
Leg 7: Maimi USA to Lisbon, Portugal
Leg 8: Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France
Leg 9: Lorient, France to Galway, Ireland

3.5 Plastiki sets sail
Sat 20th March: Plastiki sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and out of San Francisco Bay on a trans-Pacific expedition vessel, bound for Sydney, Australia. The brainchild of banking heir and passionate eco-hero, David de Rothschild, Plastiki has been three years in the making. The catamaran, designed by Australian naval architect Andy Dovell, is built using a material known as PT which is created purely from recycled plastic bottles and the expedition aims to raise awareness of how it is possible to use our garbage to great benefit. The voyage will also highlight the man-made horror of the Pacific Garbage Patch - vast swaths of waste that have accumulated in this beautiful and sensitive ocean. Some 12,500 plastic bottles have been used in the construction of Plastiki and the entire vessel could be recycled post-voyage. Two and a half years of extensive research and design have been invested in the project with Plastiki subsequently being built and prepared in San Francisco, California. Plastiki will probably average around four knots of speed for the 5,000 mile crossing and will rarely exceed six knots. Co-skipper David Thomson will be accompanied by a crew of six, led by female British Skipper, Jo Royle, and including two cameramen who will be documenting the voyage. Also onboard is Olav, the grandson of Thor Heyerdahl of Kon-Tiki fame, whose family have fully endorsed the expedition. More at: http://www.plastiki.com

3.6 New TP52 regs for 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit
The start of the first regatta of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit season, the Portugal Trophy which will take place on the testing Atlantic waters and winds off Cascais, raising the curtain on what promises to be a fascinating and exciting year for the world's leading regatta circuit. Activity throughout the TP52 fleet has been building up progressively over recent months. Small changes to the TP52 Class Box Rule mean that all of the teams which plan to compete at this season’s five Audi MedCup Circuit regattas or the TP52 World Championships in October are required to have made the prescribed modifications to their existing boats: adding 150kgs of weight to the keel to compensate for the reduction in crew weight, moving to a ‘square-top’ mainsail with twin backstays and increasing spinnaker area and adopting bowsprits. Great Britain’s new Juan Kouyoumdjian (ARG) designed TeamOrigin is the only new build TP52 this winter. Current Audi MedCup champions Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) completed their modifications in-house and have been trial sailing the new configuration on the waters off Auckland. 2008 Audi MedCup champions Quantum Racing (USA) who finished overall runners-up are believed to have taken the opportunity to update their deck profile and have made a bigger winter refit. Torbjorn Tornqvist’s (SWE) 2007 champions Artemis (SWE), third overall in 2009 have a busy sailing season planned and will be back to challenge hard. Alberto Roemmers’ (ARG) team of Matador (ARG) start training on March 19th as a build up to the Palma Vela regatta. Full details at: http://www.medcup.org

3.7 Lia's Unorthodox Training
Congratulations to Lia Ditton, who has arrived in Antigua after 73 long days at sea. Lia, 29, and fellow oarsman Mick Birchall, 44, a detective inspector, crossed the Atlantic from Tenerife in the Atlantic Rowing Race. Nothing to do with sailing, or so you might think, but Lia has declared it her preparation for the two-handed Barcelona World Race at the end of this year. The grand plan is to take part in the non-stop race for IMOCA 60s with Channel Islands sailor Phil Sharp. Just to fill you in, or more likely jog your memory, Lia describes herself as Britain's 'one and only professional sailor-artist'. While a student from the Chelsea School of Art & Design she took part in the OSTAR in 2005, sailing a 35ft Shuttleworth trimaran, Shockwave. Lia's blog: http://oarsomechallenge.co.uk

3.8 ETNZ Wins Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland
Racing under the colours of the host Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta. The Kiwi boat extended on every leg of the deciding five-mile race off Auckland’s East Coast Bays against the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma to record their second win out of the reduced three race final. Right after the finish, the normally controlled and contained Emirates skipper Dean Barker had a broad smile on his face as he soaked his veteran team with champagne from a jeroboam of Moët et Chandon, not even sparing an event photographer who had climbed aboard for the occasion. Noting that his team had lost two races in the two weeks, Barker added: “It’s always satisfying when you feel that you’re sailing your best on the last day, and today we were sailing really well.” Live streaming highlights and full replays of the whole regatta are still available at: http://asianyachting.com/SailTV.htm

4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS

4.1 New Jules Verne Record - 48 d 07 hrs 44 mins 52 secs!
The Jules Verne Trophy now belongs to ten men who have sailed around the globe at an average of 18.76 knots along the optimum course, beating the reference time set by Orange 2 in 2005 by 2 days 08 hours 35 minutes. Franck Cammas and his men crossed the finish line off the Créac'h lighthouse at Ushant (Finistère) at 21h40'45" UTC Saturday 20th March. The skipper Franck Cammas, navigator Stan Honey, watch leaders Fred Le Peutrec and Steve Ravussin, helmsmen/trimmers Loïc Le Mignon, Thomas Coville and Lionel Lemonchois, and the three bowmen Bruno Jeanjean, Ronan Le Goff and Jacques Caraës, supported on shore by router Sylvain Mondon, have pulled it off: they have beaten the round the world record under sail via the three capes! In 48 days 07 hours 44 minutes, Groupama 3 has certainly had her highs and lows, as she hasn't always been ahead of the reference time set by Bruno Peyron and his crew in 2005. On the contrary! The giant trimaran had a deficit of just over 500 miles in relation to Orange 2 and was only able to beat the Jules Verne Trophy record thanks to a dazzling final sprint from the equator. At that stage they had a deficit of one day and two hours, but by devouring the North Atlantic in 6 days 10 h 35', Groupama 3 quite simply pulverized the reference time over this section of the course. Full review at: http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/index.jsp

4.2 l'Hydroptère maxi on drawing board
The Hydroptère project is not limited to the performance of the 60-feet trimaran which has beaten two world speed records at an average speed of over 50 knots in 2009 in the Mediterranean. Alain Thébault and his team decided to extend the limits of the project and planned to develop two new boats, with the ultimate objective of sailing around the world in approximately 40 days on l'Hydroptère maxi. To reach this objective, the team with the help of the ”papés” (retired engineers) and of their scientific adviser, The Swiss Technological Institute in Lausanne, decided to follow the same experimental process as that employed by Alain Thébault in the development of l’Hydroptère and to consider an intermediate step, that being to build on a reduced scale a test model i.e. l'Hydroptère.ch. It will serve as a lab boat whose main purpose is to test geometries and behaviours in varied real conditions for the development of l’Hydroptère maxi. As a Swiss-French project l’Hydroptère.ch is being built in two shipyards, one in Brittany and one in Switzerland. She should be launched beginning of summer 2010. At the same time in Lorient, l’Hydroptère is in a shipyard and she should be back in the water this spring.

5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"

5.1 Hull & Humber skipper breaks leg
11 March 2010: Piers Dudin, 31, skipper of Hull & Humber, one of ten entries competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, sustained an open fracture to his right leg after a fall on the tenth day of the race from Qingdao China, to San Francisco USA. The incident was immediately reported to Falmouth Coastguard and the Salisbury-based skipper’s next of kin have been informed and Piers is reported to be in good spirits. Piers was on deck at the time of the incident which was reported to the race office at 0935 GMT. The crew reacted quickly and after seeking medical advice through Falmouth Coastguard they applied a leg splint to the injury and administered painkillers. Hull & Humber was situated 400 nautical miles east of Japan at the time of the incident. As a precautionary measure, two of the Clipper 68s also competing in Clipper 09-10, Spirit of Australia and Cape Breton Island, were instructed to rendezvous with Hull & Humber in case they could be of assistance. At 1340GMT the Japanese Coastguard dispatched a rescue boat with a doctor onboard to rendezvous with Hull & Humber and Piers was safely medevaced by the Japanese Coastguard. The 50 metre rescue vessel motored towards Japan where it rendezvoused with a larger vessel from which the skipper was airlifted by helicopter to the city of Sendai, approximately two hours north of Tokyo. In a message to the crew, Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, praised the way the team had handled the situation. For further information log onto http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com

5.2 75 knot winds tear out pontoons
01 Mar 2010: Western Europe has been savaged over the weekend by Xynthia, an Atlantic storm that has claimed over 50 lives, 45 of them in France. More than a million French homes are without electricity. A posting on www.forumvoile.com, from an owner with a boat in Les Sables d'Olonne, reported 'pontoons A and B have been torn from their pilings and ended up at pontoon C, G is now on land. Two boats are impaled on pilings, several boats have sunk, many were dismasted.' Xynthia was the same storm responsible for the heavy rains that caused devastating mud slides in Madeira last weekend.

5.3 Boats suffer in Chile earthquake
Wed 10th March: On February 27, 2010 at 500 km from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake epicenter in Chile, significant changes in the sea level were observed. The photos below show the marina of the Yachting Club Higuerillas in Viña del Mar, Chile. In the first images the sea level is unnaturally high and then the water practically disappears. -- Enrique Roselló photos at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2010/03/boats-suffer-in-chile-earthquake.html

5.4 Clipper California breaks mast
At 15.45 GMT on Sunday 21 March, the 68-foot racing boat California was hit beam on by a very large sea coming from the port side. The impact caused the boat to roll through approx 120 degrees and as the yacht righted herself, the mast was broken in two places. With storm force winds blowing in excess of 50 knots, California was sailing under a very conservative sail plan with just the storm jib hoisted. During the roll, a large amount of water came through the main hatch and flooded the navigation station, cutting off the boat’s communication systems. The EPIRB ensured that the relevant authorities would be made quickly aware and that the incident could be communicated. Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston says, “Masts are not designed to go through water. It’s a medium hundreds of times more dense than air. So when a mast goes into the water the chances are it will break. Crew member Clive Cockram was sitting in the portside saloon seat at the time of the incident and as the boat rolled, he was thrown across the saloon before hitting his head on the galley serving hatch. The impact caused a number of cuts to his head but they were attended to and he appeared in good spirits. Other crew members suffered some minor abrasions and bruising but nothing that can’t easily be dealt with on board.

Skipper Pete Rollason and his crew set about cutting rigging away from the deck area and as the yacht still had a functioning mast to the height of the first spreader a jury rig was set. Fellow competitor Jamaica Lightning Bolt rendezvoused with the dismasted yacht and skipper, Pete Stirling, was able to talk to California skipper, Pete Rollason, via VHF radio. The 180-metre Danish registered tanker, Nord Nightingale, arrived at the scene after being diverted by US Coastguard and transferred injured crew member Clive Cockram on board. Fellow crew member, Dennis Flynn, was also taken on board as he had signed up to sail Leg five of the Clipper Race and since the start in Qingdao, has experienced more than most sailors will ever go through. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber have also diverted to California to offer assistance and to transfer fuel to ensure the US entry reaches her home port safely. Race website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

Following the loss and replacement of the rig on Team Finland several weeks ago, and the subsequent loss of the California rig, Clipper has decided to review the race schedule. Race Director, Joff Bailey, says. "For the crew onboard Team Finland and California and the race as a whole, it is far better that all nine boats start together from San Francisco, and as such the decision has been made to delay the race start from San Francisco. The new date is very much dependent on Team Finland's progress across the Pacific but it is currently looks like we will delay it by five days to 16 April. The confirmed date of the race start will be announced in due course and we endeavour to keep the impact this delay will have on the overall schedule to a minimum."

5.5 Cyclone Ului takes its toll
The Whitsunday's are the winter home of sailing in Australia. Cyclone Ului crossed the Australian coastline at Airlie Beach with winds of 200km per hour. Here is some of the coverage. Including some sad sad vision of Anaconda II on the rockwall. One of a dozen boats that had incredibly been left on their moorings outside the shelter of the large and very safe Meridien Marinas Abel Point, the local marina and which ran aground during a night of furious wind and big seas.

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