Waiheke Boating Club Mid Week Race

Last Race

Round Waiheke Race here

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PRESS RELEASE – RC 44 Championship Tour 2009

The RC 44 Class goes green and pursues its development at a steady pace

* DHL to minimize carbon footprint of the Championship Tour

Following the first regatta of the 2009 Championship Tour, held in Lanzarote last month, the RC 44 fleet is now heading to central Europe for the next regattas. Oracle joins DHL, BMW and SLAM as Partner of the Class, whilst new teams have scheduled their debuts. Some important Class rules have also been updated in order to increase the attractiveness of the Class, whilst Boat no 21 is nearing completion. DHL will minimize the carbon footprint of the champions tour and offset the carbon dioxide emission from transportation.

Hamburg, March 23 2009 – The RC 44 Class Association announced today during a press conference in Hamburg’s Norddeutscher Regatta Verein that it is looking forward to a great sailing season and is very positive about the development of the Class.

With six international regattas on the program, many of the world’s best sailors, new teams and the arrival of Oracle as partner alongside DHL, BMW and SLAM, the Championship Tour pursues its development at a steady rhythm.

“We are very pleased to welcome Oracle as a partner of the Class alongside our logistics supplier DHL, BMW and SLAM”, said Class manager Bertrand Favre. The support of these prestigious brands is a fantastic boost and a testimony to the quality of our work over the past years.”

“As the official Logistics Partner for RC 44 since 2008, we see the Tour as a perfect platform to demonstrate our logistics expertise to our customers in a fascinating environment”, said Wolfgang Giehl, Senior Vice President Corporate Branding & Advertising for Deutsche Post DHL. “Now we are particularly delighted to announce that commencing in 2009, DHL will ensure that the transportation is carbon-efficient, in line with the sport of sailing itself, by reducing the footprint of the tour and offsetting unavoidable carbon dioxide emission for transportation. It’s a positive and tangible demonstration of Deutsche Post DHL’s commitment to lean-carbon logistics and minimizing our impact on the environment.”

New teams about to make their debuts in the Championship Tour include Team Austria (René Mangold / Christian Binder), K-Challenge (Stéphane Kandler / Sébastien Col) and Team Adriatic Challenge (Robert Lang). They join several teams who recently launched their RC 44 campaigns, including Artemis (Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker), Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (José Calero / José Maria Ponce) and Team No Way Back (Pieter Heerema / Philippe Presti).

“It is great to see new teams joining the Class”, commented Russell Coutts. “The concept of the circuit, which mixes amateurs and owner drivers with professional sailors, works well. The professional race management is also a huge asset of this Class. Finally, the strict one-design characteristics of the RC 44’s and the ability to transport the boats on containers reduce the costs significantly for all the teams.”

Following the season opener held in Puerto Calero at the end of February, the fleet is being transported by DHL to Cagliari, Sardinia (ITA). The Championship Tour will then move to Lake Traunsee (Austria), Lake Garda, a fifth venue to be announced soon and Dubai, where the teams will compete in the Gold Cup. World renowned sailors involved in the Tour include James Spithill, Dean Barker, Cameron Appleton, Sébastien Col, Christian Binder, Philippe Presti, Russell Coutts and Karol Jablonski, making it one of the world’s top sailing Classes.

45th race for the Crimson Blazer starts Tuesday

by Rich Roberts

LONG BEACH, Calif.—What do the Masters golf tournament and the Congressional Cup match racing regatta have in common?

Tradition, certainly. A Masters golf winner gets a Green Jacket while a Congressional Cup winner receives a Crimson Blazer, both proud distinctions that set the two events apart in their particular niches of the sporting world at a high a level of esteem.

“This event is special,” says Rod Davis, who has won four Crimson Blazers and returns this week as tactician for New Zealand’s Adam Minoprio in Long Beach Yacht Club’s 45th renewal of a sailing original.

A double round-robin featuring 10 sailors from seven countries, including top-ranked Sébastien Col of France, Olympic triple gold medalist Ben Ainslie of Great Britain and U.S. Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Terry Hutchinson, runs Tuesday through Friday off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, followed by semifinals and finals for the top four Saturday—and who says sailing isn’t a spectator sport?

The pier east of downtown Long Beach will have bleacher seating within rooting distance of the action, free parking at the beach end and shuttle service starting Wednesday, all free of charge. Racing is scheduled to start at noon each day, wind conditions permitting.

It’s been 16 years since Davis won the last of his four Crimson Blazers—two for American teams and two for New Zealand, his country of residence since 1987.

“I’ve coached three of these guys,” Davis said, referring to his work with Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup program the last few years that involved Ainslie, Hutchinson and Minoprio at various times.

But he isn’t sure the younger competitors are aware of the role the Congressional Cup played in building world-class match racing by introducing on-water umpiring to the game in 1988 and sustaining a Grade 1 level of competition through the years.

Ainslie is 32, while Minoprio at 23 became the youngest winner ever on the World Match Racing Tour when he won the year’s opening event at Marseille earlier this month.

more here

Four-time winner Rod Davis, tactician for Adam Minoprio this time, weighs in for Camille Daniels

In just over 6 hours at 60knots, this beast will use 22,000 liters of diesel!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 MARCH 2009

BRITS ON TOUR

London, UK – TEAMORIGIN the British challenger for the 33rd America’s Cup skippered by triple Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie will compete on the 2009 World Match Racing Tour having secured the final Tour Card.

Ben Ainslie (UK), helmsman, will lead a TEAMORIGIN crew, that also includes double Olympic Gold medallist, Iain Percy (UK), Matt Cornwell (UK) and Christian Kamp (DEN), at up to 9 match racing events around the world, starting with Match Race Germany on 27 May and culminating with the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia in December. “Since TEAMORIGIN was formed there has been limited opportunity for us to sail as a team. The Tour will allow us to compete at a high level of match racing competition whilst we develop our core sailing team. We look forward to competing on the Tour this year and having a shot at the World Championship. The Tour will aid in our preparations for the next Cup as and when it happens” said Ainslie.

For Ben and Iain, better known for their phenomenal Olympic success, the World Match Racing Tour, as well as a natural stepping stone on their path to the Americas Cup, presents a new challenge for the pair and the chance to follow the progress of these talented sailors throughout the 2009 Tour is a very exciting prospect.
“With the addition of TEAMORIGIN to the teams competing on the Tour this year we are shaping up for a highly competitive season.  The WMRT’s commercial platform and television coverage will enable the team to continue racing and continue to build the team profile, as well as contributing towards the solid base they need to build a winning Americas Cup team.” said Tour Director Craig Mitchell.

Highlights of WMRT shows can be seen on http://www.sail.tv/

Current World Match Racing Tour Leaderboard (top eight teams after stage one of ten):
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand/Black Match Racing, 25
2. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ French Team Spirit, 20
3. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 15
4. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 12
5. Ed Baird (USA) Alinghi, 10
6. Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, 8
7. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza, 6
8. Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar, 4 points

About the World Match Racing Tour:
• The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 10 World Championship events across the globe
• The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special Event” status
• The World Tour awards over US$1.5million in prize money
• Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the ‘ISAF Match Racing World Champion’
• Events utilize the same “match race” format used in the America’s Cup with racing taking place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focuses on team work and skill. Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-the-water stadiums.
• Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 600 million households in excess of 90 countries around the world.
• World Match Racing Tour sponsors include Line 7, Pindar, Custom House, Travel Places, Wedgwood and Sail.TV

STAGE	DATE	EVENT	LOCATION
1	March 10 – 15	Marseille International Match Race	Marseille, France
2	May 27 – June 1	Match Race Germany	Langenargen, Germany
3	June 2 – 7	Korea Match Cup	Gyeonggi, Korea
4	June 16 – 21	Portugal Match Cup	Troia, Portugal
5	June 29 – July 5	Match Cup Sweden	Marstrand, Sweden
6	September 1- 6	St Moritz Match Race	St Moritz, Switzerland
7	September 9 – 13	Danish Open	Denmark
8	September 22 – 27	Brasil Sailing Cup	Brazil
9	October 5 – 11	King Edward VII Gold Cup	Hamilton, Bermuda
10	December 1 – 6	Monsoon Cup	K. Terengganu, Malaysia

Oslo show exceeds expectations

By IBI Magazine/Lars-Åke Redéen

Sales were better than expected at this year’s Norwegian International Boat Show (also known as Sjøen for alle), which ran from March 13-22 in Oslo, Norway.

“We reached our goal with 41,000 visitors,” says Erlend Prytz, managing director of Norboat. “Considering this is a decline from last year by 19 per cent, this shows the interest for boating is very big and that many customers have taken the chance to do good bargains.”

“This is the best Sjøen for alle we’ve ever visited,” says Thor R Nilsen, salesperson for Finland’s Targa boat range.

Nilsen says that several contracts were closed at the show and more are expected to follow. “Maybe we didn’t have as many visitors as last year, but those who came wanted something new and exciting, and that’s more important to us.”

Some 450 boats were presented at the show by 200 exhibitors. In all, 41,100 people visited the show, a decline of 19 per cent from last year’s 50,850 visitors.

“We’ve signed more contracts this year than we did last year and have many discussions to follow up after the show,” says Henrik Thaulow at Yamaha Motor Norge.

“We also had good sales at the show,” says May Len Stensaker at Lunde båt, importer of Bavaria sail and motorboats to Norway. “We had eight boats sold at the show and I’m convinced we’ll sign some more in the coming weeks.”

more here

Looking back

ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHALLENGE?

2009 Tall Ships® Atlantic Challenge – Coming Soon!

Photo courtesy of Sail Training International

The start of the TALL SHIPS® ATLANTIC CHALLENGE 2009, a 7,000 nautical mile journey around the North Atlantic Ocean, kicks off in Vigo, Spain in less than four months.  French, German, Spanish, Canadian, Dutch, Italian, British, Bulgarian, Bermudian, Uruguayan, Romanian, and American are some the national vessels expected to participate in all or part of this spectacular international event.

Jointly organized by Sail Training International (STI) and the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), the TALL SHIPS® ATLANTIC CHALLENGE is a way to experience a foreign culture and to bring the majesty of the tall ships to your doorstep. The participating ships and their crews are ambassadors for their country, eager to learn about the port they are visiting and eager to teach visitors about their homeland.  STI and ASTA also invite youth of all ages to become a part of this amazing voyage by becoming a crew member or trainee aboard a tall ship. This unique experience will include port visits, races between host ports and a cruise-in-company. It will truly be a way to become a part of history.

Come sail with us for the adventure of a lifetime!!!

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Put 20 copies of your logo on yachtyakka with live links back to your webpage for just $10 per week – bargain!!

Photo Credit: Tammy Sawyer
IRIYA Champion Don Anderson’s Renegade with Tim McCormick at the helm. Tammy Sawyer joined us at Green Lake on Saturday and shot quite a few pictures.

Via Vicki Gluek: ” [Here's] a few pictures of the 3/7/09 ‘bonus’ day of boating. We went to the lake to skate, not expecting wind, and then it blew a steady 20-25 mph all afternoon. The pictures are of Dale Llivezey and Dave Gluek.”
UPDATE: Been getting some emails about Dale Livesey’s bendy J-boat mast. Yes, it’s a Ron Sherry Composite Concepts mast.

Gybing Away – 21 03 09

I’ve just come inside from putting in a gybe as I’m heading off ESE and later SE. It’s good fun outside in the drizzle and, with my dry suit on, I stay totally snug and warm – at times too warm! I’m always wearing this bit of kit down here; it’s so easy to put on and then I just have instant waterproofing.

I’m pleased to say I’ve gotten pretty efficient at gybing and can now do the whole procedure in around fifteen minutes. Let me explain what this involves…

First, I tidy up the inside, making sure everything is in position and ready to lean on the other side and that nothing’s going to topple over or fall on the floor. After doing this I head outside, clip on and then bear away a little more. I then furl the genoa away, making sure that the sail remains taught and doesn’t flap at all as that can chafe all sorts of things.

After this, I adjust the preventer accordingly, bring the traveller up to the centre, and get the leeward backstay ready to be winched on. I then go down inside and dump the ballast to the other side which involves opening two valves and letting the water flood the lower tank before shutting off the valves again. Then it’s back outside again and, once clipped on, I winch in the mainsail until it’s almost at dead centre, which slows Totallymoney.com right down. I then winch on my leeward backstay as much as possible and bear away a little more so that we’re almost dead downwind.

Once happy that everything is ready and all the lines I need aren’t in a tangle, I slowly take the boat down round in a gybe until we are sailing downwind on the other gybe.

After being happy that we won’t gybe back again I immediately winch on tight the now windward backstay and, after doing so, ease off very gently the leeward backstay and put that away. Once done I ease off the main sheet a fair bit so that Totallymoney.com is happier, then I ease off the traveller to the right point and then put on the preventer/vang, and winch this on fairly tight to flatten the mainsail out. I then wander up to the mast and adjust the lazy jacks accordingly to hold in the sail I’ve got reefed in. After getting back to the cockpit I unfurl the genoa, trim this back on and once being totally happy, tidy away all the cockpit lines into their relevant bags to make the cockpit nice and organised just how I like it.

And that’s just the brief description!

My general plan is to now head off ESE and then SE for the next three to four days to stay in the best weather and to duck under a high coming our way which is due next Wednesday.

©Sailmike2009
more here

PUMA LEG FIVE DAY 36 QFB:  received 21.03.09 1524 GMT

Kenny’s asked me to fill in for him today as he’s been laid up in with a bad stomach.

One thing’s for sure it’s not from overeating, we are slowly starting to move into a rationing situation.  The food was planned out for a 36 day leg, which is tomorrow. Add to that the fact we had a strangely contaminated batch of food on one of the earlier days so essentially today is our last day of regular food… starting tomorrow we’re into the emergency bags containing lots of protein powder and cereal.

No-one’s going to die of starvation but it’s not going to be much fun either and definitely not an ideal situation.  For sure one we could do without in terms of bringing our ‘A’ game to the final push to the finish.  I’m sure we’ll be well taken care of when we arrive in Rio.

And just ‘how well’ and ‘with what’ is the topic of much conversation on these seemingly endless four hour watches.  One worrying  question  that has been raised; after six weeks of freeze dried ‘mush’ will our  bodies even be able to handle one of  those big  South American  steak’s  or the first cold beer? Only one way to find out… get there and give it a try

Andrew Cape made the quote to me yesterday that, ‘It’s a big ocean, but it’s getting smaller’. Onboard Il Mostro it’s starting to feel as though we are running out of time and opportunities to catch the Ericssons, who are respectively about 200 and 100 miles ahead of us.  Unfortunately they sit between us and the finish.  Right now, in simple terms they just sail into everything before us:  they sail into a light patch and we catch up some miles, they get through the light patch and the mileage stabilises, then we sail into the light patch and they gain some miles. At the moment it’s looking like a few more hundred miles of this and then a straight shot into Rio.

Very frustrating and with every three hour sched the ocean definitely gets a bit smaller.

Rick Deppe – MCM

Yard Yakka

Early March

Rapid progress is being made, with interior finishing taking place, along with deck fairing and finishing ready for painting.

Cockpit gear is also being fitted prior to final finishing and painting.

Davidson 69- ‘Pendragon VI’
Nearing completion in Christchurch, New Zealand is Laurie Davidson’s latest racing yacht. To be based on the Westcoast of the USA, she will be sailed in the Transpac Race to Hawaii as well as the numerous Offshore Races and Inshore Regattas that fill up the American Racing Calendar. As with numerous previous projects, Dibley Marine assisted Davidson in the Design Management and details.

Pendragon VI will be built entirely in carbon fibre pre-preg, she will be cured in the new 28 metre oven that Franklin’s Boatyard have built to handle the job.

The interior ends will be finished in high gloss over the carbon fibre with American maple trim while the centre area will be a paint finish.

She will sport a Southern Spars rig with North Sails, a lifting keel, and a 75hp Volvo Penta auxiliary with a retractable drive.

New J

Hanuman, the replica new build of Endeavour II, was launched over the weekend at the Royal Huisman yard in The Netherlands. Designed by Dykstra and Partners, and with an interior by Pieter Beeldsnijder; she made a dramatic appearance as she was lowered into the water yesterday.

She was launched alongside the shipyard to step the mast and check all the rigging systems, prior to moving the yacht to the North Sea for commissioning and sea trials.

more here

more images here

Two Handed Offshore Racing – Wellington

Two Handed Offshore Race, seen here at the start of a harbour course.
Eight boats started in the Two Handed Offshore Race at 10am (Saturday 21 March 2008) this morning in a light North Easterly.

The course takes the boats around The Brothers and back to finish in Wellington. The forecast for Cook Strait is for a southerly change building to 35 knots this evening.

from the scheds as they come in

1640             Esprit reports Midnight Express in lead, followed by Gucci, Clear Vision, Flying Colours, Esprit and Splash Palace. No southerly yet, but big black clouds to the south.
1653           Clear Vision reports they are neck and neck with Gucci and have rounded The Brothers. Midnight Express is in the lead.
1718           Flying Colours reports rounding The Brothers. The southerly has arrived.
1729           Esprit rounding The Brothers.
1755           Splash Palace reports rounding The Brothers and they know what they’re in for.

more here

follow the chatter on crew.org here

just back from…the race

“Plenty of rocks to avoid on the Brothers 2 handed race! as well as nasty weather! 2 boats pulled out from 10 registered before the start due to 35 knot forecast (maybe), which promptly changed to 40 knots 3 hrs into the race. Two more dropped out, but we were leading briefly at the time, so carried on across the Strait in a nice 15 knot northerly after a spinnaker run along part of the South coast. Of course as soon as we reached the Brothers (=2nd at that time after being 5th in the middle of the Strait), the 40 knot southerly hit (can you believe the timing, Northly when going N and Southerly when returning South!) Needless to say, 40 knots turned into 45 knot gusts with big seas. Launching off one wave with big gust in Karori rip, broke the reefing line, boom dropped, and while fixing it, an involuntary tack resulted in blood everywhere, from me!

Made it back by midnight (14 hrs so no race records this year!) and spent 5 hours in A and E getting 5 stitches, but got 3rd on line behind Y11s and and should take the 2 handed inshore/offshore series at least on IRC, maybe club and PHRF.

Excellent ongoing coverage on

http://www.rpnyc.org.nz/index.php?optio … Itemid=215

Thanks to ROs especially for the warm food upon return at midnight.

Was a bit late up this morning, so missed the start of the Pacific Inshore!

Need to loosely cover psychic into Rio in this race. Could still be here again tomorrow, will this race never end?

Sunburst”

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Put 20 copies of your logo on yachtyakka with live links back to your webpage for just $10 per week – bargain!!

by Frank Bethwaite

Over on crew.org is a raging debate about what is a pig rooter and what is a Honey.

“Give it a race against a wharf structure, and against the tide the wharf will win!”

Enjoy…

Well Squid, as someone who has over 1,500 posts on these forums dating back to 2005 I think we’ve come a half circle on this website.

On one breath you call a ETNZ’s TP52 “another kinda silly, useless boat that cost way too much” and a John Wellsford Sundowner “a Honey”.

I accept your point of different strokes for different folks and the points of other posters make in relation to the Sundowner.

The point I make here though is that your comments reinforce my opinion that the has been a distinct shift in the emphasis of this website away from the higher performance / racing it originally started off with towards a more across the board orientation.

Now, I accept that many will consider that this is a good thing but from a personal point of view I don’t and, in my view, this indicates why we don’t have the quality / extent of involvement in the forums from people like BBW, JK etc that we used to.

I make this comment openly because I am genuinely interested in what you / others have to say and the discussion / debate that may accompany this.

Yours sincerely

What The?!

the next reply..

and on this forum too

I’m confused.

Would anyone else out there call that design “A Honey”?!

A wee Dibley or Thompson et al sports boat is “a Honey” but that? Really?! Really truley????!

Isn’t the set of photos of the one under construction the very one that Whipple smashed up on Gt Barrier?

Progress

more progess

“However, the final approach to Cape Horn was monumentally tough for Kleinjans: “The Chileans had forecast 50-60 knots, but it wasn’t usually as hard as that to begin with,” he explained earlier. “Even so, it was 40-50 knots and then we crossed the continental shelf and the waves got steeper and more confused. I was sailing with two reefs and it was OK and the pilot was under control.” During the night, though, the wind began to build and Cape Horn delivered nightmare conditions. “It got to be always at 50 knots, but we seemed alright so I went to my bunk with the boat slamming into the waves. The next thing I know, I wake up and everything in the boat is on top of me.” Roaring Forty had been thrown onto her side at 56°S in freezing waters. “We had just collided into a wave and stopped completely, going straight into a broach.” Fortunately, the Open 40 righted swiftly. “We weren’t down for very long and the boat came up quickly. There really wasn’t time to be scared.”

Into the solo sailing hall of fame for Michel Kleinjans

more here

This is an article published in Boating New Zealand Magazine :

“The entire Northwest Passage has seldom been undertaken by a single vessel because of the shortness of the navigation season and the unpredictability of the ice conditions which can be encountered.” – Canadian Hydrographic Service’s Sailing Directions

Story by Sandra Carrod

“Bear!” yelled Chris as he turned and ran, his rifle still on his shoulder.

“You’re kidding,” said Kelly. Chris was the joker amongst our crew of eight.

As Kelly and Steve crested the ridge overlooking the beach, the polar bear stretched to her full height and looked straight at them.

“Shit, he’s not,” said Steve and they, too, took to their heels. The one thing we had been told was not to run; a polar bear can cover the ground a lot faster. But luckily the bear felt the same way. With her two cubs she bounded off in the opposite direction, towards the sea, where the rest of the bears were feeding.

more here

Past Projects:

2008 – NZ subantarctic Campbell Island  - NZ Department of Conservation albatros research.

2008 – NZ subantarctic Auckland Islands  - NZ Department of Conservation sea lion research.

2007 – NZ subantarctic  – Natiolnal Geographic Magazine -  southern right whalephotography and bipopsy sampling.

2007  - Great Australian Bight  – NHNZ /  Discovery Channel –  Bluefin tuna documentary.

2006 – Galapagos – Edinburgh University climate research, based on fossil corals.

2006 – Fiords of Southern Chile – Otago University dolphin survey. We spent six weeks in search of the
Chilean dolphin, recording sightings of whales and dolphins between the Beagle Channel and Puerto Montt.

2006 –  Antarctic Peninsula - we spent February dodging ice in search of unclimbed peaks.

2005 – Southern Ocean. We sailed from New Zealand to South America. A voyage of  32 days in the
Furious Fifties with no sign of other human life. We provisioned in Chile and the Falkland Islands, for an
expedition to South Georgia and Tierra del Fuego.

more here

more about Cape Horn here

What are we doing wrong?

ERICSSON 3 LEG FIVE DAY 34 QFB:  received 19.03.09 1955 GMT

Not over until it’s over

On deck it is a wonderful day with sunshine, calm seas and around 16 knots of wind. The boat is dry and nice and the temperature is steadily increasing.  We are still going upwind and the four guys on deck are trimming and trimming to keep the boat up to speed. But even down below there is a lot going on.

We are in somewhat of a peak, with people beside me and Aksel (Aksel Magdahl) using the computers.  It is not for writing emails to beloved family members or anything else private. No, it’s about preparing the boat for the in-port race and to get it ready for the next leg. We are sending work-lists to the shore team.

‘Hey guys, it is a bit early for that isn’t it?’”, Arve Roaas commented. Well, yeah, in one way. We still have to concentrate 100 per cent to keep our position and make it to Rio, preferably in the first position that we are in. And I can assure you, everyone is working their thumbs and nails off for that. It would be a huge win for us to win this leg after all we been through with fixing the boat in Taiwan, sailing it shorthanded to China, starting seven hours after the others, and first around the Horn.

But the race is not over in Rio and the work-list-writing for sure needs to be done.
This race is not like it used to be with several weeks to rest and prepare the boat for the next leg. The time spent on land has really become a race and we have no time to lose. We need to know exactly what to focus on when we hit the shore, so our shore team can get going.

The boat is really bruised and battered after this wrecker of a leg and it needs to be taken care of, quickly. With the routing we are going for now, we expect to land in Rio on the 24th, which gives us nine days until the in port-race.  It is a bit crazy.
The boats are not the only part being exhausted. The crew are, if possible, in even bigger need of some rest.

I believe all the crews are crying for some time to relax. Not the least us on Ericsson 3 who haven’t had any time of since Singapore.  But you just have to keep focused and realise that this race is not over until it’s over.  In St: Petersburg.

Gustav Morin – MCM

This post is tagged adam, atlantic, barker, bethwaite, challenge, congressional, coutts, davidson, davies, dean, deppe, dibley, frank, franklin, hanuman, ian, iceboat, j class, kenny, minoprio, ocean, portimao, race, rc44, read, rick, rod, russell, sawyer, tall ships, tammy, teamorigin, volvo, waiheke, williams