18 FOOTERS – European Champianships in Carnac – Day One – The weatherforcast of 13 knots turned out to increase so the fleet had to decide: Big or Small. All teams decided for small and 1 hour before the start it was quite hectic at the harbor.

Big rigs and sails laying around and everybody except two teams went onto the water. The British team Hyde were still preparing their stuff for San Francisco and Germay’s Magic Marine’s helm had to go to hospital due to some problems with the eyes.

The races in shoppy waves and 17-18 knots showed a clear two Race win of Howard Hamlin, USA in front of “Woody” John Winning. Stay tuned for more.

Photos from Thierry Martinez you can find here.

http://www.thmartinez.com/2013-European-18-Skiff-Day-1,498,10,fr,f1.html

AC NEWS – Artemis Racing sailing director Iain Percy spoke to AC Uncut this weekend to talk about the team’s intention to carry on competing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series.

The Swedish challenger is in the process of getting its second AC72 ready to sail following a capsize last month that severely damaged its first boat and led to the death of Percy’s best friend and teammate, Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson.

“We didn’t want to end with this being our final chapter… Our decision (to stay in the competition) was an easy one,” Percy said. “We’re sportsmen and we’re America’s Cup sailors. And we want to compete in the America’s Cup. It’s a fantastic competition. We all support it. Our owner really supports it so we want to be a part of it. It’s going to be a great event here in San Francisco so I think it will be right for Bart and for the team for us to be out there.”

Percy says his team is working as hard as possible to get out and race he says he’s “disappointed” in the reaction of some of the opposing teams.

“Losing a friend is very different to getting revved up for a competition. So for us it’s been very strange and disappointing to not understand that people see things differently from us. We want to get out and race and we can’t see why that wouldn’t be good for every team in the event,” he said.

“We find it strange that people want to stop that but it doesn’t deter us in any way. We have our processes and our own challenges without trying to be stopped by the opposition. We want to leave that behind and get on with trying to support the event and get our team out on the water.”

Artemis Racing has indicated it is likely to miss some of its opening round matches as it resumes sailing in early July and working its second AC72 towards a state of race-readiness for later in the month.

ROUTES DES PRINCES – Jean-Pierre Dick and the crew of Virbac-Paprec 70 continue to lead Leg 2 of the Routes des Princes race as the leaders negotiate Cape Finisterre this morning on the 990 miles stage from Lisbon to Dún Laoghaire Dublin this morning.

Virbac-Paprec 70 was the closest to the cape on the NW corner of the Iberian peninsula, some 17 miles to its SW, having established their lead early yesterday evening after the breeze all but died away completely just to the west of Cascais. By the 0400hrs ranking during their first night at sea on the stage Jean-Pierre and his crew had increased that lead out to 25 miles racing when they held firm to their course and their opponents tacked offshore at the latitude of Porto.

The offshore group have since come back at Virbac-Paprec 70 making consistent gains on a faster angle, but the leaders still had 8.28 miles in hand as they raced north at 24-28kts.

Ahead there is what Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator on the Maxi80 Prince de Bretagne, describes as a ‘techncial’ day. First there is the decision whether to route inside or outside the DST – the traffic separation zone off Finisterre – and then the key stage as they plot their route around the low pressure system in the Bay of Biscay. Passing into the centre would mean light, unstable winds when the goal is to get as close to the middle as possible to make the best gains. With the depression moving east it down to risk management, tracking the speed and direction of the low accurately and not being trapped by ‘the target’.

Already to the east of their rivals Virbac-Paprec 70 are seeing some steady convergence with the fleet when a westerly position going in to the depression may be favoured.

For the Multi50’s the passage of Cape Finisterre was yesterday’s highlight whilst today’s will be who can collect the bonus points for being first to the mark off the west off Britanny Yves Le Blevec’s Actual carries a margin of just over five miles over FenêtréA-Cardinal this morning with Arkema – Aquitaine Region in third at 15 miles behind. In the brisk NW’ly reaching conditions Arkema-Aquitaine have not been too compromised by having split their large gennaker in two yesterday evening. Le Blevec’s team has seen some of their lead clawed back.

Their wind will slowly head this morning meaning the final miles to the mark will be upwind on port tack when some more compression may be possible.

Multi 50’s at 0600hrs UTC
1- Actual, Yves Le Blevec, 548.51 miles to finish
2- FenêtréA – Cardinal, Erwan Le Roux, 5.30 miles to leader
3- Arkéma – Region Aquitaine, Lalou Roucayrol, 15.07 miles to leader
4- Rennes Métropole – Saint Malo Agglomération, Gilles Lamiré, 170.00 miles to leader

MOD70 at 0600hrs UTC
1- Virbac – Paprec 70, Jean-Pierre Dick, 720.48 miles to finish
2- Spindrift, Yann Guichard, 8.28 miles to leader
3- Oman Air – Musandam, Sidney Gavignet, 9.42 miles to leader
4- Edmond de Rothschild, Sébastien Josse, 14.62 miles to leader

MAXI80
1- Maxi 80 Prince de Bretagne, Lionel Lemonchois, 730.22 miles to finish

Jean-Luc Nélias (Prince de Bretagne): “Once out of the Tagus the wind dropped and it became very calm. We were at the front of the MOD70 pack when the wind filled from the NW and so we are now under full main and staysail. We are watching on the AIS alongside Oman Air-Musandam  and Edmond de Rothschild. Spindrift was just behind us has disappeared and Virbac-Paprec is further inshore.. The next 24 hours are going to be technical because you have to squeeze between the DST and the Cape Finisterre and a small depression. We will try to pass east of it but it is moving, we will be wary to not get caught in the middle. Then we will be upwind from tonight until Fastnet”.

Yves Le Blevec (Actual): “It is cold. Yesterday we negotiated the passage of the depression and also the passage of Cape Finisterre. We had two possible choices because of DST, which is an obstacle. We had to move from one side or the other. We passed between it and Cape Finisterre. The sea was not so bad, OK for the boat and crew. That’s why we made this choice. It’s pretty weird because we had the impression of having opened the gap and then there was the passage of the front with unstable winds.”

KOREA CUP – The top offshore sailing event in South Korea finished leaving the best impressions and memories to competitors and organisers. The two demanding and tiring offshore legs taking the fleet from Uljin to Ulleung island and from Dokdo islands back to Uljin offered great moments to the teams competing. The natural beauty of the islands and the hospitality of the locals were only few of the things that made this race unique.

From light to strong winds and from clear skies to rainy weather the 6th Korea Cup had it all. With participations from every corner of the world and with a high level of competition the Korea Cup 2013 filled up all expectations and continues the tradition of great sailing events organised in South Korea. check it out!

THE FORCE REPORT – The door closed on the first phase of the American Youth Sailing Force (The Force) training program this past weekend with the final two days of AC45 training provided by Oracle Team USA (OTUSA). With OTUSA’s withdrawal of support, the team is on its own for next phase of training. The Force will be relying exclusively on the SL33 and a new physical fitness program to prepare themselves for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

In last weekend’s moderate September-like weather, The Force underwent hours of intensive training on the AC45. “This past weekend was once again incredible sailing the 45,” said Force member, Cooper Dressler. “In the breeze, the boat picks up and hauls, akin to a turbocharged engine that purrs like a kitten.” Things can go wrong and he talks about the physicality needed on the boat, “The AC45 is exceptionally dialed-in and a joy to sail in breeze…as long as you are fit enough to pull its strings.”

Fellow teammate Evan Sjostedt knows that timing on every maneuver is crucial, “Hoists and douses must be perfect, since being late on a hoist can make or break a bear away. The team treated every lap like a race, and pushed the timing as much as possible to simulate … when there are nine other AC45′s on the same course.”

The team has moved beyond how to do the maneuvers. Their focus is on how to do them better and faster. Evan continues, “We are learning how to push the boat in a race – constantly refining every maneuver, figuring out all the tiny changes to shave seconds off.” Teammate David Liebenberg adds, “We are trying to iron out the details of all of the maneuvers and how to conserve energy. No one has figured out how to best sail the boats with six people, but we are almost there.”

It was clear by the end of the day on Sunday just how far this team had come since its first encounter with an AC45 last November. They looked sharp and ready to go another round when practice was called for the day.

In this next training phase without OTUSA support, The Force is sailing three days a week on the SL33 catamaran that we’ve chartered for the next two months. It’s the same boat we’ve been alternating with the AC45, but now we’ll be using it to primarily work on two boat tactics with the other US team. The Force is also starting a new physical fitness program now that they won’t have the OTUSA trainers to work with every day. Strength and conditioning is going to be key to muscling these wicked fast catamarans around the course. Take a look at our new video on our exercise program:

The Force is also working hard on raising the money to reach the starting line of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. They are planning fundraisers, engaging in crowd source funding and signing new sponsors. Their next fundraiser is at the Golden Gate Yacht Club on June 21. Cooper is excited about making contact with team supporters and he hopes that, “aside from gaining support for our team, we can raise more excitement among the Bay Area sailing community for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.”

Beyond the ever-important fundraising, The Force is moving ahead with their summer outreach program that includes educational efforts at the Treasure Island Sailing Center and the National Maritime Historic Park’s Hyde St. Pier. Cooper says, “Outreach is highly important to our team, and although we are training and striving to win this competition, we refuse to lose sight of how important it is to pass on the stoke of sailing to younger generations as well as those who don’t have the means to get out on the water themselves.”

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE - Everyone is guessing and speculating about the Challenged America double-handed entry of Urban Miyares and David Hopkins in this year’s legendary, 2,225 nautical mile Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Now you can get the answers, first-hand, from Urban Miyares, co-founder of San Diego’s Challenged America Program. Where? Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego on Monday June 24 at 6pm.

SAILING TOOLS – Quatix – The Only GPS-enabled Marine Navigation Watch

• High-sensitivity GPS-enabled marine watch with altimeter, barometer and 3-axis compass
• Stream NMEA 2000 data
• Special sail racing features
• Garmin marine autopilot remote control capabilities
• Automatic MOB detection

Designed for avid mariners of all types, from dinghy racers and kayakers to big sail and power boaters, quatix is a high-sensitivity GPS navigator marine watch. It’s the only GPS-enabled device that provides an incredible range of marine navigation features including automatic MOB detection, remote control of Garmin equipment, and streaming NMEA 2000® data to a navigating marine watch.

A highly accurate watch, it also includes sailing features never before combined into 1 watch, such as race countdown timer, virtual starting line, tack assist and tidal information. It’s also equipped with an automatically calibrating altimeter and barometer, a 3-axis compass, temperature sensor and tide information. Plus, it shares data wirelessly with other compatible Garmin apps.

Specialized Sailing Features

The quatix combines advanced sail racing tools for unparalleled awareness and a competitive edge during a racing competition. quatix can easily set up a virtual starting line between 2 GPS waypoints. It then combines the starting line with the built-in countdown timer to calculate both distance to the line as well as desired speed and burn time available, which enables the vessel to cross the line at maximum speed at the exact starting time. Once the race has begun, the watch then switches to Tack Assist mode and indicates whether the vessel is getting headed or lifted based on the optimal tack angle provided and makes for a more efficient and controlled sailing experience.

For more information CLICK HERE

RIGGING TIPS – The Rope Shackle is the perfect replacement for traditional metal snap shackles and scew shackles.

The Soft Shackle needs no tools and is easy to open and close. Their light and soft properties will not damage paintwork and do not corrode or rust.

AC NEWS – San Francisco TV station, ABC7 News’ Mark Matthews interviews Artemis Racing’s CEO, Paul Cayard, on the team’s attempts to recover from the fatal training incident on May 9, and when they expect to be sailing again.

RECORD BREAKERS – Francis Joyon has just shattered the North Atlantic record: 5 days, 2 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds or in other words a time that is 16 hours, 34 minutes and 30 seconds less than the previous record set by Thomas Coville in 2008.

Over the final stretch, Francis Joyon came very close to beating his own outright distance record over 24 hours (666.2 miles) and this enabled the Breton skipper to make important gains over the second half of the crossing, in spite of sailing some distance away from the Great Circle Route.

AC NEWS – In the final episode of America’s Cup Discovered we join Ben Ainslie in Cowes, Isle of Wigh as his AC45 team JP Morgan BAR smash the Round the Island Race multihull record. Back in San Francisco we see ORACLE TEAM USA and Emirates Team New Zealand line up their AC72s for the first time on the future America’s Cup race course. The countdown is on to the Summer of Racing in San Francisco.

TEAM EMIRATES – Today was a milestone day in San Francisco, when two AC72′s lined up for a race on the actual race course that will be used for racing in the Louis Vuitton and America’s Cups which start in just over 3 weeks. This was the first time but certainly not the last that Emirates Team New Zealand battles it out with Luna Rossa.

NEW PRODUCT – Nobeltec TimeZero App is designed for coastal sailors and features useful tools & data.

This App is a much more compact, mobile alternative to our entry-level PC-based software, Nobeltec TimeZero Odyssey.
Now sailors who do not have enough space on their boat for a PC, or who simply want a more affordable navigation tool, can enjoy the benefits of this iPad solution.
The Nobeltec TimeZero App makes our navigation technology accessible to a much wider audience.

This App’s chart engine is based on the powerful TimeZero technology, allowing users to scroll, zoom and rotate the MapMedia Raster charts in no time, even in 3D!

This will be the best sailing app on the market for sure – offering unprecedented speed and ease of use.

CLICK HERE  more information about the Nobeltec TimeZero App

AMERICAS CUP – Panasonic has joined the 34th America’s Cup as an Official Supplier. Panasonic will enhance the on-site fan experience with five large LED video boards and 85 flat panel televisions that will be placed throughout the America’s Cup Park and America’s Cup Village.

“Creating dynamic and compelling video experiences is a hallmark of this America’s Cup,” said Petra Carran, Marketing Director for the America’s Cup. “Panasonic is the right choice to allow our fans to enjoy our television and video productions throughout the America’s Cup venues.”

“Fans now have the opportunity to watch the races in crisp, clear high definition, bringing the racing excitement even closer,” said Jim Doyle, President of Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. “The America’s Cup is a great fit for the Panasonic brand as the precision involved with such high caliber racing is well matched with the quality of the engineering behind our products.”

Fans of the America’s Cup can enjoy the action on screens and video walls from Panasonic spread throughout the public and hospitality areas at the America’s Cup Park, the America’s Cup Village and the America’s Cup Pavilion.

SAILING NEWS – The 40 skippers competing in the 44th Solitaire du Figaro …#8220; Eric Bompard cachemire left Gijòn on the northwestern coast of Spain today at noon local time, bound for Roscoff in Brittany, for the third leg of four. Getting to the finish could be a long and painful affair as the weather forecast looks set for very light winds on the 436 miles to the finish.

Before saying their final goodbye to the Spanish town, the 40 skippers were set on a windward/leeward coastal course, just off the Cimavilla cape. The start signal went off at exactly noon local time, with a good breeze of around 12/15kts. Best start was by Vincent Biarnes (Prati’bûches), who went for the bold move to choose the pin end of the line on port tack while the rest of the fleet was packed at the signal boat end.

Biarnes, crossed in front of the whole fleet, got to the layline and the upwind mark with only one tack and a margin good enough to escape the chaotic rounding that ensued, with tens of boats fighting for water.

The wind increasing a little more, the downwind leg turned into a fast and spectacular gybing match. Thanks to his edge on the rest of the fleet, Vincent Biarnes managed to round the Radio France mark still in first, followed by Julien Villion (Seixo Habitat), Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert), Michel Desjoyeaux (TBS) and Jérémie Beyou (Maître CoQ). The first non-French skipper on the Radio France mark, that is the last compulsory waypoint before heading offshore to the Bay of Biscay, was Nick Cherry (Magma Structures) in 14th and the first rookie Simon Troel (Les Récycleurs Bretons) in 11th. All in all it took the fleet no more than half an hour to cover the 5,5 miles long course.

Offshore, inshore…

A mere three hours after the start, the race tracker showed the fleet progressing upwind with a shifty and unstable 8/10 knots breeze. And, contrary to what had been forecasted the wind slowly veered to the NW, whilst everyone was expecting it be from the East… No more than 12 miles from Gijòn, the fleet already started to spread out with a lateral separation of some 8 miles between the most offshore and inshore skippers, Jean-Pierre Nicol (Bernard Controls) and Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert), who opted for speed in spite of a more direct heading, with the provisional leaders staying on a more central route. According to the 3pm position report, the top spot was still occupied by Vincent Biarnes (Patri’Bûches) with Michel Desjoyeaux (TBS), Xavier Macaire (Skipper Herault), Morgan Lagravière (Vendée), Nicolas Lunven (Generali) close on his tail.

The trio Jackson Bouttell (Artemis 77), Nick Cherry (Magma Structures) and Sam Goodchild (Shelterbox – Disaster Relief) were neck and neck and best placed non-French skippers in 25th, 26th and 27th respectively with Bouttell also leading the rookies. Further behind were David Kenefick (Full Irish) in 31st, Henry Bomby (Rockfish) in 34th, and Edmund Hill (Artemis 77) in 36th.

Which way to Roscoff?

The skippers are now faced with the leg’s big dilemma. Which way to go to cross the bay of Biscay with such uncertain and different weather forecast. The first, and only, compulsory mark, the île d’Yeu, to be left to port, is some 240 miles but how to get there remains an enigma. Moreover, weather and routing models seem to differ very much and the skippers will have to make shrewd strategic calls to avoid getting stuck in windless areas whereas their adversaries benefit from a different breeze, meaning big gains or losses that could turn the second part of the leg into playing catch up or a solitary run to the finish.

Best Anglo-Saxons ever

Sam Goodchild (Shelterbox – Disaster Relief), in 9th overall is determined to reach his target of being the best placed British skipper since the race switched to one-design boats in 1991, doing better than Phil Sharp finishing in 18th in the 2011 edition. Nick Cherry (Magma Structures) could also succeed in the feat, being 14th overall and having showed extreme consistency and focus.

If young Jackson Bouttell will manage to keep his most dangerous contestant Claire Pruvot (Port de Caen Ouistreham) at bay, he could also become the first Anglo-Saxon to excel in the rookies’ category. The way to Dieppe and a potential historical result, though, is still long and full of traps.

Skippers’ quotes:

Vincent Biarnes (Prati’Büches): “I started on port tack, in front of the whole fleet. A bit risky but I’m really happy because I only made up my plan to minutes earlier! Plus, with the wind going to the NW, I was heading straight to the mark, with just one tack and, volià! I was in front. Now we’re on route to ‘île d’Yeu and everyone is charging on… there is a lot of lateral separation, we can expect some very radical options, this afternoon already”.

Jean-Pierre Nicol (Bernard Controls): “I have this idea turning over in my mind, the wind was not coming from a “normal” direction at the start and this means that the situation is different from what we thought. So I went West, more West than the others, but the latest weather models tell me it might be the right choice. I want to get around the wind-hole from the North so I set a waypoint to do that. But we will have to adapt to the situation to keep boat speed”.

Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert): “We’re into a front over northern Spain that is not moving, and the wind is coming from everywhere… there is some fog and some swell that makes it hard to trim and we have manoeuvre non stop. The air is a NW now and I’m looking for a NE, that’s a big 90° shift to the right.The plan is to be fast, stay lower to the direct route to benefit from the wind shift as soon as possible. It should become more stable in a few hours…”

RECORD BREAKERS – Aboard his maxi-trimaran, IDEC, Francis Joyon is due to reach the halfway point of his voyage between New York and The Lizard this evening. While at lunchtime today, based on the mathematics, he was some 100 miles off the pace set by the current record-holder, Thomas Coville, the skipper of IDEC said he was pleased with the first part of the crossing. He managed to get away from the coast of North America with all its traps and hurdles: fog, all sorts of obstacles, winds that were variable in strength and direction.

IDEC, as if marking the start of the second stage of the transatlantic crossing gybed in the middle of the day. Francis Joyon has to stick with the strongest conditions associated with the low-pressure area with winds in excess of 25 knots. He will therefore gradually be easing his way back up to a more direct route, which will see him clock up the miles more easily towards the tip of SW England, where he will finish late this week. As the hours slip by, the sailor from Locmariaquer in Brittany is sounding more and more upbeat, as he sees the low moving in a clearer direction, allowing him to be in with every chance all the way to the British Isles

How to follow IDEC’s record attempt:

Live tracking / Charts
An interactive chart, updated every 15 minutes, will be available from the start on the website www.trimaran-idec.com

KOOL KAYAK SAILING – From FalconSailsUncut:

“Patrick Forrester & Kelley McCrate came to the 2013 South Bass Rendezvous early because there was some nice wind. We both used our brand new 1 square meter Falcon Sails with a carbon fiber mast and boom. The South Bass Rendezvous is held every second week end after Memorial Day at South Bass Island State Park. South Bass Island is at the East end of Lake Erie in the Bass Island Chain.

As a warm up on Wed we circumnavigated south bass clock wise. When we rounded the north east tip, we had great sailing conditions. It was challenging / not a beginner paddle sail.

The one thing we had going for us was years of rough water paddling and rescue experience. Otherwise we had some learning curves to deal with.

Kelley was on his 3rd paddle sail, and first rough condition paddle sail. I would not have blamed him for not wanting to pop a sail. He did awesomely. I saw him broach / round up on a breaking wave with the sail up one time. That is a lot of changing forces. I was amazed he stayed upright. If the skeg where down that may not have happened. A hard sweep or rudder stroke may have prevented it. Its not easy to get all the new forces under control. Next time I am sure he will be even more graceful.

Myself ( Patrick Forrester ), have been paddle sailing in rough conditions for years but had to deal with a new boat, and an attempt at using a traditional paddle. My new boat is an Epic 18x Sport. It is an amazing boat. The designer is genius. I could go on and on about all the things I like about it. It has great speed, comfort & plenty of maneuverability. The build is clean inside and out. Though it is very tippy in the chop. It takes some getting use to. That combined with not having much experience with a traditional paddle, lots of wind, breaking waves, shoals, trying to handle a camera, slowing down for Kelley’s not so speedy boat, my hands where full.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the South Bass Rendezvous, and other kayak sailing opportunities.”

STAR CLASS – At the stunning lake Garda many of the top Star sailors were present during the four days of the 2013 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship. The challenging conditions and the low temperatures athletes came up against during the four days of the event made things a lot harder but even more exciting. Winners of the event were the Italian Olympian Diego Negri and his German Olympian crew Frithjof Kleen, boosting Negri 2 spots up the Star Sailors League leader board and one step closer for qualifying at the gran final in December. But before that, all athletes are set for the World Championship of the class in September in San Diego where things are expected to get really exciting.

SAILING NEWS – Our Full edition takes you from Italy to Tunisia visiting Portugal and Spain along the way – But First, the Route des Princes starts from Valencia towards Morlaix in Brittany.

1. Route des Princes 1st Leg
2. Star Sailors league
3. Figaro 2e Leg
4. Normandy Sailing Week
5. Groupe Bel Med Record