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Preparations in Portimao on Portugal’s Algarve coast are well under way for the third visit in as many years of the TP52 Series of the Audi MedCup Circuit and for the arrival of the white hot GP42 Series who will race there as part of the Circuit for the first time.

Racing begins in just one week and the Portuguese local promoters and organisers Lagos Sports as well as the Circuit management team are pulling out all of the stops to ensure that the reputation for excellence of the Series’ only Atlantic venue is further enhanced.

Ashore and on the water, since 2007 Portimao has consistently proven one of the benchmark regattas. As well as the superb facilities around the Audi MedCup Village at the Marina de Portimao, at the scenic mouth of Portimao’s Arade River, the winds out on the racing arena have previously proven both regular and challenging.

The fourth regatta of the five which comprise the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit this time will catch the latter stages of the summer tourist season. The fantastic local beaches – some of the best in Europe – local restaurants, bars and clubs – and relaxed atmosphere have also made the Portugal Trophy regatta one which crews enjoy bringing family and friends to.

The TP52 Practice Race opens the regatta on Tuesday 18th August with the winners of the Portugal Trophy for the TP52 Series and the GP42 Series receiving their prizes after the conclusion of racing on Sunday 23rd August. For visitors to the regatta site the full range of popular interactive displays which comprise the Audi MedCup Expo are available, including live race tracking and comment from the water.

After winning the Marseille Trophy and, last month, the Region of Sardinia Trophy Emirates Team New Zealand are on a roll. They have a handsome lead on the points table for the Audi MedCup Circuit, while Daniel Calero’s Canarian team of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) have also won two from three regattas and lead the GP42 Series.

Grant Dalton (NZL) mastman and CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), cautions that their game plan for Portimao remains as it has been for previous regattas:

“The current points flatter us and a couple of bad races could see the margin evaporate.” Dalton remarks,  “Several boats – Matador and Artemis in particular – have the capacity to win races, to win the next two regattas and ultimately the series.

“We are not changing the boat for Portimao. Most boats in the Audi MedCup, NZL380 included, are pretty settled after three regattas and now sailing technique is the all-important factor.

“The team is working constantly on small improvements to preserve our current position. We aim to be better every day. That’s a cliché – but for Emirates Team New Zealand it pretty much sums up our approach to the series.”

As the team which has constantly surprised this season, Portugal’s Bigamist crew harbour hopes of achieving their first Audi MedCup regatta win on their home waters next week, but skipper-helm Afonso Domingos (POR), fresh from 12th in the Star World Championships, is first and foremost, a realist: “We would love to win Troféu de Portugal – Cidade de Portimão, but the odds are against us. For that to happen, it would be necessary that we did a tremendous job and the others make a lot of mistakes. Our main goal is to maintain the level that we’ve shown along the first three stages, and to win, at least, races.”

GP42 power
The five GP42 teams are readying for another intense fight in Portugal. With a small group the racing becomes even more intense, as every point has so much value compared to larger fleet sailing. Look for the team on Fillipo Faruffini’s Roma 2 (ITA) to come back with a vengeance, as the absence at the last event of their primary helmsman of two seasons, Paolo Cian (ITA), set them back enough to allow other teams to overtake their lead in the standings.

But that lead, now held by Daniel Calero’s Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), was not gained lightly, as the young talent from Canarias has shown ever-increasing levels of speed and tactical poise to repeat their victory earned in Cagliari. With the addition of Vasco Vascotto (ITA) to their team, Roberto Monti’s Airis driven by Cameron Appleton (NZL) should be positioned to expand their speed beyond their traditional strength in light air. And the remaining two teams from Spain – Caser Endesa and Turismo Madrid – each have their own strengths: Turismo Madrid is regarded as unbeatable in moderate air downwind, and Caser Endesa, just like their Canarias sistership, is getting stronger and stronger with each race.

So, who’s the GP42 favorite for Portimao? It’s simply too close to tell.

more later

Online Sailracing!

Sailport Sailonline.org offers online offshore sailracing as you have never experienced it. With super realistic boat performance, state of the art wind forecasts and realtime chat you will have the ultimate online sailracing experience.

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The French SOLo, Leg 3 of 4

Welcome to a thrilling single-handed race series in French, Spanish and Irish waters. We will sail a Beneteau Figaro round the 4 leg course similar to the real race La Solitaire du Figaro. Results from all 4 legs will be weighted together to rank the overall winner of the The French SOLo.

Starts this Friday

New Zealand North Offshore

We visit our New Zealand friends for a nice race around the north island in Orange

Race starts: Aug 14th 22:00

Join the chatter on Crew.org here

2 weeks from the record!

Dateline: Tuesday 11th August 2009 – Day 139
Position: 09:00 UTC – 37° 08.7N, 067° 13.17W  – 360 miles south east of New York
Speed: 11.4 kts
Distance to Ushant/Falmouth finish line: 2,600n.miles

17-year-old yachtsman Mike Perham is now within 2,600 miles of sailing into the record books as the youngest solo circumnavigator. He now expects to reach the Lizard line marking the start and finish point of his 30,000 mile record-setting odyssey as early as August 24, two months inside the current record.

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CLOSING IN ON THE LEOPARD

Where are they now? Click here

August 11, 2009

The ‘when will they arrive?’ lottery has begun this afternoon in sunny Sutton Harbour, the new arrival point for the Rolex Fastnet Race in Plymouth.

While a line honours victory for Mike Slade’s 100ft super-maxi ICAP Leopard might seem obvious, the brand new Hong Kong 80-footer Beau Geste of Karl Kwok is closing on them. At 03:00 GMT this morning they were 35 miles behind and by 14:00GMT were only 24 miles astern. Over the course of the late morning and early afternoon the smaller boat was occasionally sailing three knots faster down the course.

The reason, according to round the world race veteran, Steve Hayles, navigator on Niklas Zennström’s Ran 2, is that the boats astern of ICAP Leopard have enjoyed stronger wind from the northwest. “This breeze built from behind, it came down from the Fastnet Rock, so it has been a bad bit of timing for them. It was just unfortunate. We have more headed breeze and more of it. But to be honest we are suffering the same thing with the two STP65s behind us. We feel pretty happy with what we have done. We have stopped the rot here recently.”

Hayles says they are expecting the wind to veer towards the north in the next six to ten hours and to go light. “The breeze is going to drop below ten knots for sure. We will go around Bishop Rock at about 18:00 GMT. The last 90 miles to the finish, the routing has us doing it in nine hours, but my own thinking is that it is going to take 14.” So a breakfast time arrival in Plymouth. Significantly, and regardless of the slow finish, Hayles is quietly confident of Ran 2 winning under IRC handicap, which she is leading at present.

The IMOCA 60s still remain in contention, with BT IMOCA 60 around 22 miles astern of Beau Geste. Despite being sailed doublehanded, this afternoon she has overtaken the fully-crewed Artemis Ocean Racing. The first IMOCA 60s are expected home tomorrow mid-morning.

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At 0800 BST this morning (Tuesday 11.8.09) CNN Mainsail reporter Shirley Robertson reported that Artemis Ocean Racing was the first IMOCA 60 to round Fastnet Rock – approximately 10 minutes ahead of the French duo on BT – 44 hours into this 608-mile race from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet. Robertson, who was located on the ‘rock’ reporting for CNN, spoke to skipper Sam Davies who said she ‘was nervous about holding off BT downwind’ – a boat known for being fast under spinnaker and with two less people on board. Well, so far so good, as Artemis Ocean Racing keeps BT astern, although Dee Cafarri’s AVIVA is making a strong challenge to the west of Sam and the crew. Now sailing fast across the Irish sea on a broad reach under spinnaker, Artemis Ocean Racing is expected to reach the next race mark, Bishops Rock, on the southern-most point of the Scilly Isles in 6-7 hours [1900-2000BST].

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Alinghi and the Internet Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube

In an attempt to communicate better, faster and easier with all our Alinghi Friends and fans in general, we’ve promoted in the last months several projects in the internet social network area. As a result, you can participate with us and enjoy our multimedia content using for free any of the following and popular internet platforms:

- Alinghi Facebook Group: send us your support and share our passion with more than 5.000 Alinghi fans already!
- Alinghi Team Twitter Account: receive the official realeases as they happen
- Alinghi Friends Twitter Account: take a unique look to the behind the curtains action of the team!
- Alinghi Flickr Area: Thousands of Alinghi photos, just one click away.
- Alinghi YouTube Channel: along with our popular www.alinghi.tv we launched a channel in YouTube to make it easier for you to syndicate our content in your own web.

Sailing Videos on Sailgroove

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Watch live video from ON-THE-WATER ANARCHY on Justin.tv

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Where are they now? Click here.

Photo credit: Rolex /  Kurt Arrigo

FIRST AROUND THE FASTNET ROCK

August 11, 2009

At 00:26 GMT this morning Mike Slade’s 100ft supermaxi ICAP Leopard was the first boat in the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race to round the Fastnet Rock off the coast of southwestern Ireland. In a 10-15 knot westerly breeze, Karl Kwok’s Farr 80 Beau Geste passed at approximately 04:44 GMT, followed by the IRC Class SZ leader on handicap, Niklas Zennström’s Judel-Vrolijk 72 Ran 2 at 05:08 GMT. Behind them were a gaggle of boats led by the first two IMOCA 60s, Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet on the fully-crewed Artemis Ocean Racing, ten minutes ahead of Seb Josse’s BT IMOCA 60, the first doublehanded entry in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Behind them at 08:00 GMT, en route to the Pantaenius buoy, the offset mark southwest of the Fastnet lighthouse, were two more IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean Race winner Mike Sanderson on Pindar, just ahead of Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran. The Italian America’s Cup team on the STP65 Luna Rossa rounded later, at 07:54 GMT, having suffered slightly by approaching the Fastnet Rock from a more northerly angle.

At the time, the Italians had Dee Caffari’s IMOCA 60 Aviva on their tail. Earlier Caffari reported: “We had more breeze than we anticipated overnight which means we will be rounding the Fastnet Rock just in time for breakfast. We have sight of at least four other IMOCA 60s showing just how close this race is.” Roger Sturgeon’s US entry, the STP65 Rosebud/Team DYT was expected at the Fastnet Rock an hour after Aviva.

The forecast is showing an area of high pressure encroaching on the southwest of the British Isles over the course of today. In order to remain in the strongest breeze, ICAP Leopard has taken a radical northerly route towards Bishops Rock, the next mark of the course, located to the west of the Scilly Isles, 150 miles southeast of the Fastnet. While Slade’s super-maxi is on a heading taking her towards the Bristol Channel, Beau Geste and Ran 2 are sticking closer to the rhumb line. With conflicting forecasts it remains to be seen which will be the better tactic – Slade’s approach is longer but should ensure they stay in breeze, the direct route is more risky, but shorter.

This morning the bulk of the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet are between the Lizard and one third of the way across the Celtic Sea towards the Fastnet Rock. Midway to the Rock, the Jamie Olazabal-skippered Swan 56 La Floresta Del Mar is still leading in Class IRC Z, while the three small IRC Classes all have French handicap leaders: the Grand Soleil 43 Codiam in IRC 1, while Didier Darbot’s Sphinx 33 Parsifal still leads IRC 2 and is located just to the north of the Scilly Isles, just ahead of Fabrice Tropes’s Dufour 34, Major Tom, the new IRC 3 leader.

Depending upon her progress today, ICAP Leopard is expected in Plymouth late this evening.

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His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited the Scottish capital’s entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race this morning. The crew and local dignitaries who had lined up on board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital were presented to His Royal Highness before he headed below decks for a tour of the boat, accompanied by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the race’s founder and chairman.

A group of seven young people from Edinburgh, the Capital Crew, will be racing as part of the crew for the 35,000-mile race which starts on 13 September from the Humber on the east coast of the UK. Each of them will undertake a leg, their participation facilitated by the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Chairman of Trustees, Sir Tom Farmer, who was also on board to welcome the royal visitor. The Capital Crew’s participation will help them qualify for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

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The exciting new route for the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race has been unveiled. The addition of an eighth leg to the race delivers a second Great Cape and, at 40,000 miles, Clipper 11-12 will be the world’s longest round the world yacht race.

Keeping with the tradition of the current and previous two editions of the biennial race, Clipper 11-12 will take an easterly route around the world, following the trade winds and producing some exhilarating downwind sailing for the non-professional crews. The addition of a challenging new leg will take the fleet to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia for the first time in the race’s history.

The new Australasian leg will see the fleet dip once again into the Roaring Forties. Leaving Western Australia, the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts will round Cape Leeuwin on a sleigh ride east towards New Zealand before tackling the huge ocean swells that make Australia’s east coast a paradise for surfers.

The leg that follows, to Singapore and on to Qingdao, will follow a new, tactically demanding route through the islands of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to reach Asia’s sailing capital.

Much favoured by Clipper crews, the hugely demanding Southern Ocean race from South Africa to Western Australia and massive North Pacific leg remain in the route – the world’s longest global challenge.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the only place you’ll find vicars and stockbrokers racing against taxi drivers, engineers, students and chief execs. The occupations may be different, their ages span generations, but the adventure in their hearts and steely determination in their eyes identifies them as Clipper crew.

Will you be joining them to undertake the challenge of a lifetime? Taking the opportunity to break away from shackles of everyday life, to pit your wits against the elements, the oceans and all they can throw at you? Braving the icy conditions of the north Pacific, the energy sapping heat of the tropics, the mountainous seas of the Southern Ocean and the frustrating calms of The Doldrums.

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Fastnet Race Online Rights Storm.

August 11, 2009 by admin

Some of the biggest selling video games in the world are based on sport. Companies like Electronic Arts have been built on allowing armchair competitors to play their favourite sports with the aid of a keyboard or mouse or joystick. With the advent of GPS, real-time weather and telemetry data the lines between the real sport and the virtual competition are blurring all the time.

Professional sports organisers and rights holders have also realised for a long time that video game rights are a valuable commodity. As sailing becomes more professional, organisers are also starting to realise the value of their brands, but can you protect a race that is sailed on open water?

This year, the Rolex Fastnet Race, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club is offering an official virtual version of the race. The online version of the Rolex Fastnet Race is being provided by Manyplayers – the same company that run the popular online version of the Volvo Ocean Race. Meanwhile in Sweden, another online sailing platform – sailonline.org was promoting a virtual event that just happened to start in Cowes and finish in Plymouth running at the same time as the Fastnet Race.

The Sailonline race didn’t get very far though. The company’s website reads:

We are sorry to inform that we have to cancel the ongoing race “Cowes-Plymouth challenge 2009″ that started earlier today. Sailonline has been contacted by solicitors engaged by RORC and in order to avoid any disputes regarding rights etc we have decided to cancel our race.

What is most interesting is not that RORC finally decided to protect its commercial interests, but the reactions of sailonline players, most of whom seem to think that some kind of Corinthian spirit should prevail. It is almost impossible to imagine a company trying to run a virtual car-race based in Monaco on a certain weekend in May and not get shut down by F1, or someone trying to get away with running a virtual football game on the same day as the superbowl.

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This post is tagged Beau Geste, Capital Crew, Clipper Round the World yacht race, Dee Caffari, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Rolex Fastnet Race, sailonline, Sam Davies, Sidney Gavignet, yacht sponsorship