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Plastiki

ICAP Leapard 3 – where are they now?

Louis Vuitton World Series – into the finals – ETNZ win, watch all the racing on Yachtyakka with SailTV

RC44 – Copenhagen

Boating Line – latest issue here

more later, going sailing with Edwin today

The fishing restricted area is far larger than the surface oil slick, which has a radius of about 200 miles, thought it’s constantly moving with the currents. Jane Lubchenco, a marine scientist and the head of NOAA, says that’s because the agency draws its no-go lines both where the oil seems to be now and where it’s expected to move over the next 72 hours. “The intent is to close areas where there is a reason to believe there is or will be a significant amount of oil,” Lubchenco said at a press conference in New Orleans today. “We have expanded that area as the oil has expanded.” And though Lubchenco said the agency would consider reopening fishing areas once tests on seafood confirmed its safety, so far the closures have only grown.

The rapid increase in the restricted area raises complex questions about what’s going on with the oil beneath the surface of the water. Several independent academic research teams say they’ve found evidence that plumes of oil are forming and moving underwater — perhaps due to the effect of the nearly 1 million gallons of chemical dispersants the energy giant BP has used on the oil, both on the surface and at the wellhead 5,000 feet below. But BP CEO Tony Hayward has denied the existence of significant plumes, saying that what we see on the surface is essentially what we have. With more than 40 days having elapsed since the spill began, it’s imperative to get hard answers — especially since underwater plumes could pose a threat to underwater coral reefs toward Florida and Cuba. “The prospect for risks to those areas seems extremely strong,” says Rader.

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Emirates Team New Zealand wins Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena

Two races down and on match point, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today in an action-packed afternoon of match race sailing.

The New Zealand boat that won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland in February prevailed 3-2 against the SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team that had put the Kiwis on the ropes 2-0 after the first race today.

“In the end it comes down to confidence in our team,” said Dean Barker, skipper and helmsman of ETNZ. “It’s hard to believe. It was a long way back from 2-0 down. But the guys stuck with it and they gave us an opportunity that we jumped on. After that we sailed more like we expect to and it feels fantastic to win another event.”

It was the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event and her mixed Russian and international crew led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski came very close to clinching the series.

After the finish, boats crowded around the Kiwi winners and a fireboat sprayed water high in the air as Barker and his crew hosed each other down with champagne from two jeroboams and a methuselah of Moët & Chandon presented on board by Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Yves Carcelle.

The start for the last race of the day set a new record for race turnarounds. The cutoff for competition was 4:00 pm and Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio and his team hustled to setup and signal the start of the last race, less than five minutes after the finish of race three.
A shifty easterly breeze that built slowly in speed provided excellent conditions on a warm, sunny final day of racing. Because there was no wind early, the petit final for third and fourth places was abandoned and the French/German team All4One was confirmed in third place, with Sweden’s Artemis fourth.

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The RC 44 Championship Tour explores new venues, and discovers Copenhagen

The third regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 will take place next week in Copenhagen (Denmark). The top of the annual leader board is as hot as ever, with the leading teams only separated by a few points. Just back from the ACC event in Maddalena, many sailors & teams will be on top form. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik will sail with James Spithill onboard “17”, and steer the boat during the fleet regatta.
June 3, 2010 – Copenhagen will host the third regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 on June 8 – 13. Organised by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, the event will bring together ten RC 44 one-designs for a week of fleet and match racing.

Winner of last year’s Championship Tour and current leader of the overall ranking, Pieter Heerema and his Team No Way Back will be the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup “home team”. Despite sailing under the Dutch flag, No Way Back is the only RC 44 who already sailed in the Baltic Sea. Indeed Pieter Heerema and his crew test-sailed their boat in Denmark for the first time during the winter 2008-09; a practice session that paid off and allowed the Dutch team to immediately compete for the top spots.

James Spithill will also benefit from local advice thanks to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik, who will steer 17 – that’s the name of the boat – during the fleet race. Crown Prince Frederik is a keen sailor, a competitive Farr 40 skipper as well as an accomplished Dragon sailor.

Team No Way Back leads the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 after two events with 4 points, ahead of Team Sea Dubai, 7 points, BMW ORACLE Racing and Artemis, 9 points. No Way Back also leads the fleet race ranking ahead of three teams on a tie in second: Artemis, Team Sea Dubai and Ceeref. Finally, three teams are joint leaders off the match race ranking with six points each: BMW ORACLE Racing, No Way Back and Team Sea Dubai.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup are the same as the ones involved in last month’s Austria Cup, with Jes Gram Hansen making a come back on the circuit as pro helmsman on board of Team Sea Dubai.

It is the first time that an RC 44 regatta takes place in Northern Europe. Martin Bender, the Event Director of Wonderful Copenhagen, the event’s main partner, commented: “We are thrilled that Wonderful Copenhagen and Royal Danish Yacht Club can host such a fantastic sailing event. We are also confident that the sailors and their friends will enjoy the famous racing waters in Oresund, and the many experiences the City of Copenhagen gives visitors. We are all looking forward to welcoming the RC 44 families to Wonderful Copenhagen.”

After Copenhagen, the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 will carry on in Valencia (SPA) in July and the Canary Islands in October for the first ever official RC 44 World Championship. The RC 44 fleet will then be shipped to the US, also for the first time, and will compete for the Oracle RC 44 Cup Miami in December.

Photo: Copyright GEPA / Ralph Martin Fisher / RC44 Class – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik will steer 17 during the fleet race, alongside James Spithill and John Kostecki.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup:

Team No Way Back (Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies)
Artemis (Torbjorn Tornqvist / Terry Hutchinson)
CEEREF (Igor Lah / Rod Davis)
BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts)
Team Aqua (Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton)
Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (Daniel Calero / José Maria Ponce)
Katusha (Guennadi Timtchenko / Paul Cayard)
Team Sea Dubai (Jes Gram Hansen)
AEZ RC44 Sailing Team (René Mangold / Christian Binder)
17 (James Spithill)

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This post is tagged ICAP Leopead, Louis Vuitton World Series, Plastiki, rc44, SailTV, yachtyakka