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JOHN BERTRAND WINS AUDI ETCHELLS RACE 5
The 1983 America's Cup winning skipper Australian John Bertrand won Race 5 in the 2006 Audi Etchells Worlds, off Fremantle. Bertrand showed a host of sailors from America's Cup campaign's past and present, how to win against the best. He finished six boat lengths ahead of 1999 Etchells World Champion Cameron Miles. American Craig Healy was third, a boat length back.

The losing skipper Dennis Conner had planned to be in Fremantle for a rematch against his old foe Bertrand. Conner was injured during the Heathrow Airport bomb scare in August and was a scratching from this International Etchells fleet.

Bertrand commented. 'One of the toughest fleet we've ever sailing in, the depth is phenomenal and every boat that crossed us, or that we cross seems to have an Olympian, an America's Cupper, or a top coach. In this fleet the difference between breaking through or be absorbed back into the fleet is like the thickness of a hair, the racing is really really close.

Yesterday's winner Ante Razmilovic finished fourth, current America's Cup campaigner Mark Bradford who sails for BMW Oracle was fifth, Kiwi champion Alastair Gair finished sixth, WA local Rob Bird was seventh and dual Etchells world champion Stuart Childerley was eighth. From that famous 1983 campaign Rob Brown was ninth and Skip Lissiman, the current National Etchells Champion was 12th.

The series lead has not changed. Jud Smith (USA) leads the series on 31 points, but behind him there has been a reshuffle. Ante Razmilovic (GBR) on 35 points, Alastair Gair (NZL) is third with 38 points, Andy Beadsworth (GBR) also has 38 points. John Bertrand is the leading Australian on 49 points.

Here are the series points (top ten) after five races:
1. Jud Smith/Dirk Kneulman/Andrew Wills/Thomas Saunders, USA, 31 points
2. Ante Razmilovic/Jez Fanstone/Stuart Flinn, GBR, 35
3. Alastair Gair/David Ridley/Carl Peters/Derek Scott, NZL, 38
4. Andy Beadsworth/James McHugh/Simon Fry, GBR, 38
5. John Bertrand/Ian Johnson/Tim Ede, AUS, 49
6. Mark Bradford/Graeme Taylor/Steve Jarvin, AUS, 53
7. Cameron Miles/Phil Smidmore/Dave Samson, AUS, 54
8. Stuart Childerley/Simon Russell/Roger Marino, BR, 59
9. Murray Smith/Brad Sheridan/Barrie Sturgeon, AUS, 70
10. Jake Gunther/Russell Tyson/Richard Ironmonger, AUS, 73

www.etchellsworlds2006.org

THE ORIGINAL FLYING DUTCHMAN
Cornelis van Rietschoten was the owner and skipper of the two racing yachts named Flyer. On his first attempt in 1977-78, Conny, as he is affectionately known, won the Whitbread Round the World Race on handicap and, determined to return, he put together a new boat and won it outright on at his second attempt in 1981-82.

Although he has been seriously ill for a while, Conny's eyes dance as we discuss our mutual love of sailing and the sea. He kept up with the Volvo Ocean Race by computer and by reading the news, and it is the design aspects and individual choices for routes that still fascinate him. He is interested in the performance differences between the designs; the light weather flyers and the fat bottomed heavy weather performance boats. "I think the yachts are incredibly fast and they look great to sail," he says. "They did well in the Southern Ocean. That is something else again. They must be very wet and there is little place to dry out, which is very hard on the crew."

"How much do you think a campaign costs now?" he enquires. "Eighteen million Euro budgets have been talked about in my presence," I reply and we both go quiet, reflecting on the differences in the race today.

Conny was ahead of his time, back in 1977. His total business approach to the race was unheard of and his stopovers were well planned. "I wrote down the skills I thought I had, and those I would have to find and buy," he explains. His approach to the race was professional and he was determined to choose the best yacht designer, build the best boat, select the best crew and work on the best route, knowing that these were the successful ingredients needed to win.

Did putting together the two Flyer projects and racing round the world change his life? "I learned a lot about myself and it gave me a lot of self confidence," he says. But would you like to be onboard one of these new generation high speed 'flyers' in the Southern Ocean? Conny thinks about this before answering, "I would not like to race the Volvo Race in one of these yachts. It must be hard on the crew to stay in good form during the leg. I think 10 men is the minimum of crew. I would have preferred 12."

Full interview at volvooceanrace.org/news/article/2006/november/pastlivesflyingdutchman/index.asp

ABN AMRO ONE SHIPS TO THE SYDNEY HOBART RACE NOVEMBER 2006
ABN AMRO ONE decides to ship with Complete Freight. With deadlines and timeframes of critical importance to such a high profile campaign Complete Freight's assistance was paramount. With the guarantee of firm vessel sailing dates and the ability for Complete Freight to arrange de-masting at the Terminal the shipment of the ABN AMRO Volvo 70 took place on the 8th November. The yacht is scheduled to arrive in Sydney on 3rd December where the yacht will take place in the Sydney - Hobart race. For further details please refer to the Complete Freight website: www.completefreight.com

LESS IS MORE FOR ARC CREWS
In four days' time, the 21st ARC transatlantic rally to St Lucia gets underway from Las Palmas, and another full rally will head west for the 2,700-mile tradewinds (fingers crossed) passage to the Caribbean. Each ARC is that little bit different, and this year the emphasis seems to have shifted slightly to boats of 40ft and under. The average size hasn't changed (47ft) but more and more people are heading off in smaller and more affordable production cruisers.

That may also explain another significant statistic this year: the large number of double-handers. Some 30 couples of all ages are choosing to do the crossing by themselves, and have specifically opted for a yacht of a size they can handle.

Anyone who has done the ARC before would notice a big change. The life and soul has fully migrated to the pontoons where the more average yachts are berthed. The days when the heart of the ARC was along the wall, and the biggest yachts seemed to take pride of place are long gone. -- Elaine Bunting in her new blog on YBW.com: www.yachtingworld.com//yw/blog/20061022185135blog_elaine_bunting.html

CONTAINER / CRADLE FOR THE RC44
The RC 44 Class has developed a revolutionary container and cradle, used for transporting and assembling the boat, hence saving time, cost and manpower.

When the boat is in the transportation position it is canted at a 60 degree angle with the stern scoop stored under the bow. All equipment including sails, rudder, keel fin, boom, mast and spares are stored in compartments within the container. The bulb is transported in position under the hull.

After arrival at a regatta venue, four struts are attached to the side of the container, each fitted with a small manual winch. The boat is supported on soft straps which are raised between the struts using the winches, to a position high enough to allow the attachment of the keel fin to the bulb. The hull is then lowered onto the keel after which the rudder and other parts are attached.

It saves a lot of time, cost and manpower. When a fleet of boats arrive at the same time, it only takes a few days to get all the boats assembled and in the water ready for racing. When the boat is transported on the container it reduces a lot of cost. For example, it costs only 2000 Euros to transport an RC 44 from Europe to America. It is also cheaper to insure and it provides a simple solution for storing the boat in the off season.

The container is based on a standard 40 foot open top container (12.2 x 2.5 m) and weighs approximately 4.5 tons. It is legally approved for ship transportation, under the GL, ABS, RINA, DNV or similar certificates. For trucking, it fits within the normal height and width restrictions.

EUROPEAN EXTREME 40 CIRCUIT FOR 2007
Sailing event management company, OC Events, and creators of the Extreme 40 Class, TornadoSport, have today officially joined forces to take this new and exciting Class forward in to 2007 and beyond. Their collaboration is underpinned by the creation of a series of regattas in Europe, to be managed by OC Events. Existing Extreme 40 teams have already confirmed their participation in the series, including Holmatro, Team Basilica and Conrad Humphreys Racing.

Designed by Yves Loday, in collaboration with Mitch Booth, at 40ft long, this lightweight carbon fibre catamaran has already shown its ability to provide exciting sailing, very close to the shore, offering a 'grandstand' sport for spectators and a unique B2B experience for guests. Normally sailed by four professional crew with a fifth VIP spot even in the full pressure races, the boats can reach speeds of up to 35 knots in the right breeze and flat water.

The Extreme 40 class made a debut in the 2005/06 Volvo Ocean Race competing at a number of stopovers around the world. After 70 races, in five different countries, it was two times Olympic Silver medallist Randy Smyth from America who finally clinched the inaugural series, ahead of Team Basilica.

TornadoSport expect a number of new boats to go into production in time for the 2007 season, and will confirm the size of this new production run in the coming days. A number of bids from European cities are already under consideration for the event venues - the inaugural tour is likely to include the UK, France, Italy, Holland and Germany.

Further details of the 2007 calendar will be available in the coming weeks to the race teams, with an official detailed announcement likely in January.

www.xtreme40.com

PURE TECHNOLOGY
When talking about technological advancements in marine electronics... look no further. Ockam continues to lead the way in sailing instrument system technology by utilizing an advanced scientific approach to perfect instrument accuracy and reliability. The high-speed, powerful Tryad CPU allows for easy calibration of sensor inputs and processes information in 3D utilizing pitch and roll from an available 3-axis, rate stabilized compass. This ensures the most reliable and accurate real-time data available. The Matryx II graphical display uses transflective LCD technology to provide crystal clear information, data strip-charts and system control. OCKAM instruments' provide a distinct competitive advantage. For information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.ockam.com

MORE THAN 700 IDEAS FOR GERMANY I
Montabaur, Germany: During a two-month competition period, more than 700 drafts for the German America's Cup yacht have been handed in. Now it is the jury's job to pick the winning design which will decorate the German boat in the world's most important sailing regatta in Valencia in spring 2007.

Submissions grew rapidly during the final period of the competition: Even on the very last day 200 drafts were sent in. Students, doctorsm architects and engineers as well as professional designers from different branches have sent in their design ideas. The oldest participant is 72 years old and comes from Hille in North Rhine-Westphalia, the youngest designers are two brothers aged ten and twelve from Pfungstadt in Southern Hesse.

Skipper Jesper Bank, Syndicate Head Michael Scheeren, Stephane Cordier (board member of Europe´s biggest online-distributor, Adlink Internet Media AG), Eva Heil (CEO of GMX) as well as a team of design-experts from Berlin-based international agency Select will now have to look through all the designs, evaluate and discuss until the final decision is made. The winner and his design are expected to be announced in the beginning of next year.

www.united-internet-team-germany.com

TAKING AIM AT THE CUP
Nearly any way you look at it, the 2006 season was a resounding success for Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team. Vincenzo Onorato's squad had results that were a vast improvement on the previous year and now, with the second of its two new boats nearly completed, the team should have plenty of time to work the kinks out before racing begins in 2007.

Vincenzo Onoratp is bubbling with enthusiasm; he made clear how much he believes in this team right from the beginning: "In the last America's Cup, we were competing to learn," he explained when he launched the team. "This time, we are serious... We are focused and committed to fight to the end."

On the water, the team improved by leaps and bounds compared to the 2005 season, but according to skipper Vasco Vascotto, there is still some ways to go.

"I think that we worked very hard. After the Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts (last year) we saw that we had some problems. Our first problem is experience in the America's Cup Class. We sail against most of these guys (on the other teams) in other classes, so we know we can do it. But here, we have to learn. Our boat was quite old, had some problems, but in the end, we have learned quickly. It's tough in the beginning but now we feel much more comfortable."

This year, Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team finished in fifth place on the 2006 Louis Vuitton ACC Championship, winning exactly half of its 26 match races. But the Italians were unable to beat any of the teams that finished above them, something that will have to change if the team is to advance next year.

On the Louis Vuitton Challenger Ranking, which will eventually be used to assign bonus points ahead of the Louis Vuitton Cup round robins, Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia sits in fifth place, sandwiched between Desafío Español and Victory Challenge. These three teams are likely to be in a close fight for a semi final berth, with the other smaller challengers trying to catch up from behind.

After struggling initially with a problem around the traveller area of the hull on its first new boat, ITA 90, the team switched builders for ITA 99, and in mid-November, the team announced the bulk of the work was complete. As for ITA 90, after several extra weeks in the boat shed, it has been sailing for most of the late summer and autumn, and the team is using it for two-boat training with its older boats. Vascotto says that he expects ITA 99 to be an improvement on ITA 90, but not a revolution.

Full article on the America's Cup site: www.americascup.com

MARION TO BERMUDA NOR ONLINE
The Notice of race for the 30th Anniversary Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race is online at www.marionbermuda.com

Monohulls in the biennial cruising yacht race start Friday, June 15, 2007 in Buzzards Bay near Marion Massachusetts. The cruising multi-hulls will start on Saturday, June16th.

In 2005, sixty-eight monohulls and thirteen multi-hulls started the race. Race organizers expect more than 100 competitors in 2007. All yachts will be scored under the ORR (Offshore Racing Rule) system, formerly AMERICAP II, and a class or classes will be scored with the IRC system that has become popular for many east coast events.

Yachts choosing to sail with celestial navigation only will receive a favorable 2% rating credit to their corrected time. They will then compete alongside yachts using electronic navigation for overall prizes. The 2% rating credit reflects the statistical difference between celestial and electronic performance in the past three Marion to Bermuda Races.

For the first time in this event, Sail Magazine will present the second annual Bermuda Ocean Cruising Yacht Trophy. This new prize is presented to the performing captain in successive Newport Bermuda and Marion to Bermuda Races. The first pair of these trophies was presented to two deserving captains. Jeff White of Radnor Pennsylvania sailed his Hylas 49 Makai in both the 2005 Marion and 2006 Newport ocean races and was the top boat among boats that had sailed in both events. Laura Sudarsky of New York sailed Cassiopeia to the lowest combined score considering all Cruiser Division boats racing in both races. -- Talbot Wilson

THE LAST WORD
I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun. -- Thomas A. Edison

OC Events, organisers of two major IMOCA 60 oceanic events, the new double-handed Barcelona World Race 2007, and the original solo transocean race, The Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) www.ocevents.org

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