Yachting News 5th April 2011
Wild Days Rum Tours on Waiheke Island – more details here
Greetings yachties,
In this issue,
Vestas Sailrocket – update here,
AC45 – latest images here,
The Clipper Skippers,
Virgin Oceanic,
Fields Class40,
White Tiger Challenge,
Kiwimatch,
AC45 – sending it down the mine,
SailBlast – John Kostecki,
Ran,
Barcelona World Race – 2nd,
Scuttlebutt USA – latest issue here,
Sail-World Australia – latest issue here,
Sail-World UK – latest issue here,
Sail-World NZ – latest issue here,
Enjoy
The ten international sailors have been appointed to the prestigious and challenging position following a rigorous selection process. They will each skipper one of the ten stripped down, 68-foot racing yachts which are preparing to compete in the 40,000-mile challenge, the only global ocean race open to everyone, regardless of background and sailing ability, and the longest in the world.
The Clipper Race celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, the first edition having been run in 1996. It was established by legendary yachtsman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who, in 1969, became the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world. He wanted to make ocean racing available to everyone, regardless of nationality or background, and since that first race almost 3,000 ordinary people have taken the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and do something truly extraordinary by taking on nature in the raw and racing around the world under sail. More than 5,000 people have been introduced to sailing through the Clipper Training programme.
Following almost a year of intense planning and secrecy, the New Zealand duo of Ross Field and his son, Campbell, have officially entered the double-handed, round the world, Class40 Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR). The duo represents a combined offshore racing background unrivalled in the GOR fleet and has successfully purchased the Guillaume Verdier Design Class40, Desafio Cabo de Hornos: the yacht sailed to second place in the double-handed class of the inaugural 2008-09 GOR by the Chilean duo of Felipe Cubillos and Jose Muñoz.
Towards the end of March, the yacht was prepared for transport by Campbell Field and Jose Muñoz in the resort town of Algarrobo on Chile’s west coast before a 20-mile journey by truck south along the coast to the port of San Antonio. The boat is currently on board a commercial ship sailing from San Antonio to Rotterdam and will be trucked onwards to the Berthon Boatyard in Lymington, Hampshire, on the UK’s South Coast, for refitting before the Fields begin their GOR training and qualifying programme.
The Fields have been planning their GOR campaign from opposite sides of the planet: Ross in Waipu Cove on North Island’s north-eastern coast where he lives with his wife and a variety of dogs and cats, and Campbell at home in Lymington, UK, with his wife and son. “It’s great to be entering the GOR as we’ve have been working on this for a long time,” confirms Ross and Campbell agrees: “It is fantastic to be able to announce our campaign and entry in the GOR,” he adds. “We sat down and had a discussion late last year and decided to combine our skills and take it on together,”
Team Korea Enters 34th America’s Cup
For the first time in its 160-year history, a challenge has been made by a South Korean Yacht Club for the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports. The Sail Korea Yacht Club, represented by Team Korea, has been officially accepted as a challenger for the 34th America’s Cup.
Team Korea will be known as the ‘White Tiger Challenge’. The White Tiger, or ‘Baekho’ in Korean, is one of the revered ancient guardian gods in Korean mythology, ferocious and potent, a fitting image for a team from one of the world’s major industrial nations with long term America’s Cup ambitions.
Founder of Team Korea is Dong Young-Kim, an accomplished sailor and the organizer of one of the biggest prize money sailing events in the world, The Korea Match Cup. In launching Team Korea, he intends to boost public interest and knowledge of the America’s Cup and hopes to attract new people to take up sailing as their support for the team grows.
In announcing the team he said, ‘’The America’s Cup is not only the world’s oldest sporting trophy, it is one of the most celebrated, with a tradition, glamour and attraction like no other. Some of the most famous people in world history have competed in this event trying to win this coveted trophy, enjoying the honor of taking part and representing both club and country.”
“Now it is Korea’s turn to enter this famous competition for the first time, at the start of what will prove to be one of the biggest changes the Cup has ever seen, with these new high speed, radical, wing-sailed catamarans, designed to appeal beyond those already interested in sailing. This is a unique opportunity for us to create excitement around the sport in Korea, and introduce newcomers to the events through the awe-inspiring TV images we expect to see.’’
more about the White Tiger Challenge here,
follow the chatter about the latest video here
By Michelle Slade
SailBlast: What are you finding out about match racing the AC45?
JK: It’s pretty good – very exciting actually – but not too different than what we were doing in the last Cup. We just started two-boating a couple of weeks ago, we haven’t done too much racing but we’re started to get ramped up into the racing side. It looks encouraging, starting is a little bit different than with the monohulls – fewer maneouvers but still quite exciting. I think the final 30 seconds to a minute is not too different to monohull match race starts. We’ve had some good close racing in the racing we’ve had so far. It’s encouraging.
EMBED-Jet Boat Racing Crashes – Watch more free videos
