Yachting News 26th May

The Even Keel Project aims to provide a worldwide sailing opportunity for disabled sailors, charities and children from less privileged backgrounds.

The projects’ philosophy stems from the importance of accessibility, the idea of breaking down barriers and creating fun and functional ways of increasing participation and highlighting the fact sailing can provide an environment whereby disabled and able bodied sailors can compete together and on a level playing field – or an even keel.

The Even Keel Project aims to allow its members to learn new skills and to experience the freedom and escapism of sailing at many different levels. In addition, they will also have the opportunity to compete and integrate with other members from around the world providing them with the platform to develop and extend that experience even further.

The Even Keel Project provides a valuable resource for many groups and purposes such as rehabilitation programmes, training venues for new potential Paralympians as well existing athletes who wish to train in a competitive environment.

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more disabled sailing here

Hannah’s passion for sailing dates from 1998, when Hannah competed in her first keelboat regatta – Cowes Week (the world’s largest sailing regatta). Following this successful week sailing with experienced sailors such as Chris Dunning, Hannah continued sailing whilst studying for her A-Levels. Once Hannah had left school, she went to Australia where she gained all her formal sailing qualifications and developed her love of racing. She spent the year racing Supermaxi and Whitbread boats of the highest calibre, including The Card and Wild Thing. On her return to the UK, aged 19, Hannah set about finding sponsorship for her first ever campaign, to enter the youngest crew ever to race at Cowes Week.

In August 1999 Hannah and her 5 crew (all under 20) were on the start line having secured funding from Cowes Week sponsors, Skandia and Roger Taylor and Ben Elton’s musical We Will Rock You.

Following this Hannah’s racing career took her all over the world, competing in races such as Goteland Runt, Sweden, Middle Sea Race, Malta and various race weeks in the Caribbean. She had also realised her love for short handed sailing through the Mini Transat circuit, racing 21foot single-handed boats designed for crossing the Atlantic.

For those that don’t know about www.thedailysail.com, it is a mecca for all things floating and all things racing. Run by sailing journalist James Boyd, it is hot off the press for all inshore, offshore and dinghy sailing news. Today my photo made the front page! Whether this is good or bad I am not sure, but for those in the industry that didn’t know I am racing the OSTAR they certainly will now! In the article James mentioned the likelihood of me being in a bar at 4am drinking tequila. I laughed a lot at this, because upon reflection, 2 of the major 4am tequila sessions I have had in the last 4 years have actually been with James!! I think it’s more to do with the company than any personality trait of mine!! Today has been a good day, lots of ticks on the jobs list and we really are getting into the non-essential jobs. Before we arrived in Plymouth we had a ‘must do’, ‘would like to do’ and ‘can do if we have time’ list – we are definitely bordering on the latter list now. After a slightly later than anticipated start this morning (all because of a fab evening with the boatshed.com gang) I did an interview with the telegraph and this afternoon we even had time to squeeze in a sail! It was a beautiful day and the fresh afternoon breeze was punching at nearly 20 knots, so we went out and saw in fellow competitor Katie Miller who had just arrived from Cowes.

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Thanks for visiting, check back here to see my latest updates and follow my progress around the world!

Hannah

The OSTAR 2009 has Started!

More than 30 competitors in OSTAR 2009 departed from Plymouth this afternoon (25th May) at 12.30pm on their 2,800 mile Atlantic crossing to Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

Crowds gathered to see H.R.H The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T start the race from aboard the Trinity House vessel, Galatea. He was joined by yachting favourites Mike Golding, Dee Caffari and Val Howells (competitor in the first OSTAR in 1960), who all support the race which has been hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club for nearly 50 years.

After months of preparation and anticipation the skippers, ranging in age from 18 years to 68, will now face strong, prevailing winds, an adverse Gulf Stream, hazardous icebergs (south of the Sea of Labrador) and dense fog as they each battle to reach their destination.

With international competitors from Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, the USA and the United Kingdom, the whole world will be watching their progress.

Trackers have been fitted on each boat and their progress can be seen via the OSTAR 2009 race website (www.ostar2009.com). Regular news updates and weather forecasts will also be available. The skippers will be leaving regular blogs on popular website www.blogstar.org.uk

David Southwood, Race Director of OSTAR 2009, commented: “It was a great honour to have our Patron  H.R.H The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T starting the race. A huge crowd was out in Plymouth to show their support for the competitors. The OSTAR is one of the most exciting events in the yachting calendar and the Royal Western Yacht Club has worked hard to maintain its Corinthian roots. We now wish the competitors the best of luck in their crossing and we look forward to greeting them on the other side of the Atlantic.”

The guardship HMS Iron Duke was on station in Plymouth Sound which was packed with spectator boats patrolled by the Plymouth Lifeboat, a fire ship and RIBs from the Royal Navy. A famous classic sailing craft “Corbeau des Mers” from the Museum de la Resistance came over especially from Brittany (she carried men across the channel in 1940 to join De Gaulle’s Free French Army).

For more information on the race, and the day’s events, please visit the website www.ostar2009.com

Katie Miller

The Original Single Handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR) is the world’s oldest solo ocean challenge, dating back to 1960. Founded by ‘cockleshell hero’ Blondie Hasler and first won by the circumnavigator Sir Francis Chichester, the race has upheld its Corinthian roots, providing aspiring professional and amateur sailors with the ultimate challenge. Val Howells remains the sole survivor of that first race.

Some of the world’s greatest sailors have taken part including; Eric Tabarly, Pete Goss, Loick Peyron, Francis Joyon, Mike Golding, Michel Desjoyeaux and Ellen MacArthur. The Atlantic is the only judge and allows no room for mistakes, emphasising that the race truly is inspired by legends and sailed by heroes.

The Royal Western Yacht Club is delighted to announce that the 2009 edition of the Original Singlehanded Transatlantic Race from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island will start on the 25th May 2009.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) and the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA) have announced today to enter a cooperation with immediate effect. The first sanctioned PKRA event under this new cooperation will be the PKRA KiteMasters Portimao  in Portugal.

As of this writing, a sanctioning and cooperation agreement has been signed by both parties, following up negotiations between PKRA Tour Manager Mauricio Toscano and IKA Executive Secretary Markus Schwendtner.

As a result, the PKRA will be bidding farewell to the International Surfing Association (ISA) which sanctioned previous PKRA events.

“The PKRA would like to extend its sincerest appreciation to the ISA Executive Committee for their utmost sincerity in helping the PKRA these previous months and for sanctioning past events including the recently concluded Leucate Tour stop,” said Toscano. “We will be forever indebted to their utmost graciousness especially when the PKRA was seeking an International Class to sanction our events,” added Toscano.

Markus Schwendtner said, that “we are happy that we have overcome our differences and that we have achieved our goal now to unite international competition kiteboarding under one umbrella. This enables us to develop kiteboarding with the help and input from all interested parties”.

The PKRA will be governed now by the International Sailing Federations (ISAF) Racing Rules of Sailing and have their world tour included in the unified IKA world rankings, while the  IKA agreed to give more influence to the riders regarding the development of rules and judging guidelines, to further unify and develop the sport of kiteboarding.

“We are really looking forward do drive the sport forward with the help of the national associations as well as the professional tour operators, that have done a great job in developing competition kiteboarding in the past years”, Schwendtner concluded.

The International Kiteboarding Association is an International Class Association of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). It is the world wide governing body of kiteboarding, amongst other responsibilities managing the global administration of the sport and combining world events into one united ranking.

The Professional Kiteboard Riders Association has been in the forefront of professional kiteboarding, organizing world-class, professional kiteboarding events and the PKRA World Tour since 2000. It is a highly-respected kiteboarding organization which aims to promote the advancement of kiteboarding as well as the riders it represents.

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Oskar Kihlborg / Ericsson Racing Team / Volvo Ocean Race

Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

Maria Muiña / Equipo Telefónica / Volvo Ocean Race

Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

500 more photos here