Kitesurfing pips windsurfing for the 2016 olympic slot

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed that kiteboarding will replace windsurfing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Council voted 19 to 17 to have kiteboarding in the capital of Brazil.

The ISAF Council decided that kiteboarding should debut in the Olympic Games, in the Men’s and Women’s board events. In November 2011, an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as “windsurfing and/or kiteboarding”.

The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well.

The ISAF Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Committee will consider and make further recommendations to Council on the implementation of the inclusion of kiteboarding at their meeting in November 2012 at the ISAF Annual Conference.

“These announcements mark a new era for sailing and we welcome the new classes into the ISAF family. The equipment selections have fulfilled the criteria set out by the Evaluation Panel and we look forward to seeing the boats not only at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but the ISAF Sailing World Cup and ISAF Sailing World Championships”, says ISAF President Göran Petersson.

“Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included into the list of prestigious ISAF Events and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.”

Now for something colder and quicker

Ice yachting on lake baikal

Speedsailing down under

Volvo Ocean Race – Telefonica take two on the head

Brace Brace

Sailing – I can be all things

for some it is the Volvo Ocean Race

camper roars

And for some it is calm

What type of sailor are you?

Monday Bike Style – nautical looking

Monday Bike Style

This week we are killing the Bike portrait side of things and going all summer and nautical with a preppy, billowing spinnaker type of style outing.

rugger bugger Tory swagger (well in this case probably RI prep) and a big woody (boat)

Multi One Design championship – the real Formula One of sailing

just the look of this prom gives me goosebumps ….. 70 foot try doing battle around the world. The sailing world has a lot to thank the French for – they really pioneer the best while the AC crowd bicker. This Volvo Ocean Race and the match race championship get me going.

The Krys Ocean Race will be first international event of the new MOD 70 circuit . The race will leave New York July 7th, 2012. The European Tour will follow in September 2012

The Boats involved

This latest generation of absolutely identical trimarans aims to combine modernity and performance, safety, reliability and cost control.
Measuring over 10 feet in length (21.20 metres instead of 18.28 metres), the MOD 70s are less beamy than their ORMA ancestors, the latter reaching 18 metres.
Seven specific features, which favour safety and reliability, whilst guaranteeing performance, can be noted:

 

SECURITY – RELIABILITY – PERFORMANCE

• 1) Smaller sail area (5%) providing more safety when ocean sailing 2
• 2) Longer central hull (10 ft) to minimise pitchpoling 3
• 3) Raised beam clearance to reduce wave impacts 4
• 4) Possibility to lift the centre hull rudder
• 5) Curved foils for more performance and safety 6
• 6) Shorter monolithic canting mast (+/- 8%) positioned further aft in the hull 7
• 7) Low temperature cured carbon fibre & foam sandwich construction

MOD70 DESIGNERS – BUILDERS

• • VPLP Design Office(Fr): Designers, architects office
• • NORTH SAILS (USA/Fr): Sails, 3DL, unique one-design sail wardrobe

OFFICIALS YARDS

• • CDK Technologies (Fr): Project manager yard, assembly
• • Decision (Sui): Boatyard, construction of the beams
• • Multiplast (Fr): Boatyard, construction of the floats
• • Lorima (Fr): Construction of the masts and booms

The revival of the oceanic multihull: 

The 1980s represented the advent of the multihull with a number of fabulous projects, though all too often they were overambitious. From that point, all the protagonists were keen to redefine a framework with strict dimensions: it was the birth of the 60 foot multihulls; a class measurement which would then form a unity within a class known as ORMA (Ocean Racing Multihulls association), which was governed according to an open class measurement.
After 15 years of adventures offshore and following the Route du Rhum 2006, the ORMA class ended up undergoing massive change: changes of status, an evolution in the Board of Directors, the nomination of a new President, Patrick Chapuis, and an Executive chairman, Franck David.
It was at the start of the Vendée Globe 2008 that Stève Ravussin and Franck David, who has accompanied the former in his various sailing projects since 1999, presented the Multi One Design project to Marco Simeoni. Its ethos centred on completely identical oceanic multihulls.

The concept of everyone racing on an equal footing on the ocean planet appealed to the Swiss company director. Indeed the latter didn’t think twice about investing in and working on the idea, initially refining the overall concept by bringing an international and eco-friendly dimension to it! Marco Simeoni signed an order for five MOD70s, which was the starting point for “The Multi One Design Story…”.

Shaw 650 sports boat …… I’ll have one please Santa come Christmas time

The Shaw 650 is an amazing boat from deep south – taking off from where the SB23 and others led before …

A sportboat is a performance day sailor designed for performance, safety and stability. The Shaw 650 brings speed to more people, with maximum performance at this size, combined with affordable pricing. Lightweight and well mannered, easy planing and easier transportation – this is the answer to performance one design racing.

• Fast: one of the quickest sportboats in this size, competitive in keelboat, sportboat and OD fleets
• Affordable: highest levels of specification and construction at a reasonable price, with long term value thanks to NZ technology and expertise in construction and high quality parts
• Fun: easy to sail, low sheet loads, easy to rig and transport

Every boat features the same high quality of construction which has been created by marine professionals in New Zealand most of whom also own or race Shaw 650s themselves.

It’s around $50 000USD so out of my price range but looks like a good option for entry into this market …. here is a video of it going though the paces

 

and another

the old roll downwind – sailing from the past

Chinese gybe – Nantucket preppy stylee

 

 

a bl**dy great day to go sailing

 

sums up racing doesn’t it ….. lovely Melges 24

The Art of Carving Water

Nice video

 

Cool Runnings in top form doing 24kn+

The 7.50 Open is a high performance one-design boat. It is currently the faster monohull for its size. The Groupe Finot applied all its experience from the very successfull Open 50′ and 60′ to develop this great raceboat.

Some good action onboard the modified Finot Open 7.50

 

 

 

Seascape 18 – what a beauty – anyone got 15 grand

I love this boat – a perfect trailer sailor racer – the laser SB3 for the modern world

Just tracked down UK distributor and it will be about £21 grand including trailer and bits you need ….. still great but pegged to Euro which is very strong at the moment.

 

And finally we got first boats to Lake Garda. That was eagerly expected since we knew low weight – high hull stability concept should fit perfectly to 20+ knots conditions that are normal for that part of the world. And we were not disappointed.

Endless surfs and effortless upwinds without “rail meat” on the side or aft lifelines were the reason Sportcamp Stickl decided to go for Seascapes to revive their monohull school programmes.
Check the video to see it for your self.

Yachting World: A scaled down Mini-Transat-styled One-design sportsboat, that’s affordable, versatile and lots of fun. Lifting keel and twin rudders allow her to be both beached and trailed, simple construction keeps the price tag down, while a carbon rig aids performance. Up to 15.5knot surfs on our first kite run! Playful and tamable, with her broad aft stable form sections, this is a both a fun family toy and a potentially thrilling sportsboat class within a commendable budget – definitely special.

Swissboat: Uncomplicated but yet challenging: The Seascape provides fun and speed for beginners and proven sailors – and remains at a very interesting price.

Voile Magazine: The very clever Seascape 18 is a good boat for racing or day-sailing. Maybe not the best for the open sea but a very pleasurable all-rounder, easy to trail and easy to sail.

Yacht: An almost democratic approach to small sportsboats: easy to rig, easy to beach, easy to handle – and a blast to sail when it’ s windy. Besides, quite accessible in terms of price, too – at least if one considers carbon mast, boom, bowspirt and laminate sails. And you can camp on the Seascape 18 with a tent over the vast, unobstructed cockpit. The only downside is performance in low wind – too much wetted area and too much weight with three on board.

TP52 bow and stern video

Keith Brash gives you yet another look from on board the TP 52 Quantum Racing. The boys get rolling today in Cartagena, Spain…. this gives you a flavour

this is on Quantum but all I can say is come on Container ….

 

Alpina Sailing Watch

Alpina have just released a “Sailing Collection” of watches made for … Sailing. This Chronograph model is a regatta timer – a first, I believe, for the Swiss brand.

Regatta timers are used for helping sailors to carefully line up their boats with the beginning of a yacht race. They are, basically, modified 10 minute countdown timers. Unless you are sailing, they are pretty much useless for anything aside from imprecise 10 minute countdowns. The good news is that they are relatively diminutive on the dial and add a fun sense of color. Plus, you get to explain to people who don’t own deck shoes what a regatta is. Disclaimer *of course any real sailor uses a digital gps device like the TackTick system

The chronograph is based on a modified SW500 automatic movement that is Sellita’s take on the ETA Valjoux 7750. This one of the first times that I have seen it used and it is supposed to be a pretty nice movement. For at least the last few decades, yacht timers have often taken the form of little circles that move from one color to another as time goes down. People operating a racing boat don’t have time to look at little hands, so the circle and color system makes seeing how much time you have left at a glance fairly simple. It also leaves the dial open.

lovely in mesh

The case is 44mm wide in steel and clearly has some resemblance to the IWC Aquatimer. I like the large crown and masculine, but not too massive, chronograph pushers. The watch is water-resistant to 300m which is pretty good for a diver style chronograph. One thing I don’t get is the markers on the rotating bezel. They look cool, sure, but why a navigational bezel? I mean, it isn’t totally without use, but it feels more for show than anything else. I would prefer a more standard diver’s style bezel with a 60 minute ring  – a 60 minute countdown ring might be interesting, actually.

Coming in two dial colors (black or white), the Sailing Collection Chronograph will come with your choice of either a metal Milanese (mesh) bracelet or a rubber strap. I like the dials a lot but wish the hands were a bit more prominent (bigger!). Price is $2,795 on rubber and $2,995 on the metal bracelet.

Tech Specs From Alpina:

Reference: AL-880LB4V6/ AL-880LS4V6
Delivered in a special gift box with an Extreme 40 boat miniature

 

Movement 
Automatic with yacht timer function, caliber AL-880 PVD Black coated Alpina rotor

Functions 
Hours, minutes, seconds, yacht timer function.

Case
Stainless steel case, 44 mm diameter
Sapphire crystal, see-through case back
Unidirectional turnable bezel
20 ATM Water-resistant

Dial
Black or white dial,
Large white luminous indexes 
White luminous hands with Alpina red triangle signature on the second’s hand

Strap
Black rubber strap / metal bracelet / mesh bracelet

Rambler – transatlantic winner

Champagne and pasties greeted the jubilant double record-breaking crew of the yacht Rambler 100 which sailed first over the finish line after an “exhilarating” transatlantic race from New York to Cornwall.

The 22-strong crew of the 100ft American yacht set a world record for the 2,975 nautical-mile course after crossing the finish line at Lizard Point on Sunday, to be welcomed in traditional Cornish style by the race committee bearing hot pasties and bottles of bubbly. The crew also believes it has set a transatlantic speed record after a thrilling start to the race.

1. 

   Rambler 100 crosses the finish line in Falmouth

After taking line honours in the gruelling Transatlantic Race 2011, skipper George David said: “It was really nice to see David Aisher from the Royal Yacht Squadron greet us on the line with Cornish pasties and some champagne and beer. We feel pretty good – it was a remarkably fast time.

“For the first 80 hours of this race we were ripping along; towards the end we hit a few holes in the wind, but the net speed average was 15.7 knots across the Atlantic, which I think is going to prove a record in its own right – as a speed record for any transatlantic race. We feel pretty good about that.”

Rambler 100 made it to Cornwall in six days, 22 hours and eight minutes after setting out from New York.

Three separate starts on June 26, 29 and July 3 saw 26 boats from 40ft to 289ft battle it out for glory. Although Rambler 100 took the line honours, Mar Mostro skippered by New Yorker Ken Read, which crossed shortly afterwards, was expected to be declared race winner on corrected time.

OLD VIDEO: The Rambler gets home in 40 hours, 20 minutes and 2 seconds, claiming the monohull record but still 9 minutes shy of the overall course record set in 2009 by Trimaran ‘Region Guadeloupe’ This is the 3rd RORC Caribbean 600 offshore race.

The Joy of Sailing

Beating upwind in a decent wind with a good chop and a laser dinghy … what’s not to love on a day like that.

Happiness in Black and White

 

Me old chum Marc

Watching the TP52 race in the MedCup – really close and great racing …. watching the long distance race and heard the commentators give a shout out to my old friend from sailing days at the Vaal Dam in South Africa …. Container won that race and are just leading going into the last day ….

Marc Lagesse (RSA) navigator Container (GER):
“It was great to win. We have had a few second places, so to get a win is great. It was not an easy race at all. The first beat we ended up on the wrong side of the shift, so we rounded quite badly but in true Container style we just kept chipping away, one boat at a time. The guys sailed really well and it was literally just one boat at a time. We had a good run, there were veins of pressure and Hamish did a good job of keeping us in the pressure, and we got to the bottom mark in third place and then it was just a long slog home. It was case that we could sail our way and were able to put ourselves in the pressure, so it helped us, the rich getting richer upwind. We were happy too with Audi All4ONE’s comeback because it gives us a few more points on the board on Quantum Racing. They were taking a bit of flyer, but only tacked once and we will have tacked ten times so that is at least ten boat lengths of gain already. Ours is not much of a lead for the Audi MedCup but we will see what tomorrow brings.”

Americas Cup Boats – they keep falling over don’t they

 

Ooops indeed – as one member goes through the wing.

Skandia Sail for Gold – pre olympic Finn racing

Tougher competition than the Olympics was Ben Ainslie‘s summary of Skandia Sail for Gold 2011. It was medal race day and the tension could be felt throughout the boat park as the elite of each Olympic discipline prepared to be tested

There was so much on the line – possible Olympic selection, ISAF World Cup points, the regatta result and of course a hefty dose of pride. Five hours later and spectators had been treated to some stunning racing, topped off when Ainslie clinically dispatched another rival to take gold. Ainslie’s win sealed Britain’s place as the top nation sailing nation at the 2012 Olympic venue. Australia was the only country that could match the home team’s gold medal tally across 13 Olympic and Paralympic classes.

No one was expecting the Finn medal race – the last of the day – to be an anti-climax. And no one was disappointed. Only one man, Giles Scott (GBR) could take the gold medal from triple Olympic Champion, Ben Ainslie – who also happens to be the reigning World Match Racing Champion. There was always going to be fireworks and they started early, with the pair battling way behind the line as the others jostled to start. Ainslie came out in front and kept his foot on his younger rival’s throat all the way up the first leg, the pair still trailing the fleet, which was all that Ainslie really required with a 16 point overall lead. But then the unexpected happened… Scott blasted past Ainslie on the run.

The Olympic legend reversed the tables on the next windward leg to lead again at the final turning mark, only for Scott to do the same thing on the final run – despite some aggressive defending from Ainslie. But that one place was vital to Scott, who needed ninth to secure his silver medal from Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) by a single point. A tremendous physical display of no-limits pumping saw Scott safely home for silver, with Kljakovic Gaspic taking bronze from medal race winner, and reigning World Champion, Ed Wright (GBR).

The final medal race had been everything that spectators had hoped for, and as the athletes sailed home and the medal tallies were counted, any locals that had ever doubted Skandia Team GBR’s strength on their home turf could relax. The nine medal total at the end of this regatta brings home the strength in depth of the performance, particularly when you note that those nine medals didn’t include anything from three classes in which the team medalled in 2008 in Beijing – the Star, RS:X Women and 470 Men.

Quotes of the Day

Ben Ainslie (GBR) – Finn Winner

We’ve got huge quality in the Finn fleet here, especially in the British team with Giles (Scott) and Ed Wright in particular sailing very well. It’s been a really tough week physically with strong winds so I’m really pleased to have come out on top. It was hard work, I won’t hide from that fact. It was one of the toughest events I think I’ve ever done physically.

Sometimes that’s the way it goes (re. the match race in the final). Giles was the only one who could beat me and in terms of our Pre-Olympic selection trials. I sealed the regatta win and it worked out OK. It’s always quite tense with those match races, it’s never easy and Giles sailed very well and put up a good fight. It’s a tough situation that we only have one spot per class.

Finn After Medal Race
1. GBR 3- AINSLIE Ben (42pts)
2. GBR 41- SCOTT Giles (56pts)
3. CRO 524- KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan (57pts)

americas cup teaser video

Will the reality match the hype? Right now, the hype, at least on video, is pretty damn good. Maybe they should just produce the entire AC via 3 minute you tube clips? Might get a larger audience…