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TORNADO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
San Isidro, Argentina: Race 5 finally got underway after the race committee delayed the racing waiting for a steady 6 knots of breeze to fill in. The left hand side of the course paid up the first work and it was the Spanish team of Javier Padron/Antonio Cuevas Mons that lead Bundock and Ashby around the first mark. Bundock/Ashby rolled over the Spanish mid way down the first run to take the lead and choose the right hand side of the course upwind just as the breeze started to fill in from the right hand side. Roman Hagara moved to 2nd up the next upwind also playing the right hand side but by the time Hagara reached the top mark Bundock/Ashby had extended a 1 minute lead and were not head again.

Race 6 saw Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher get themselves into trouble on the starting line and started second row. The breeze had shifted to the right and fill into 12 knots. It was local hero Santiago Lange/ Carlos Espinola that lead NED Micha Heemskerk/Herbert Derkson from the right to round the first mark one, two consecutively. Series leader Hagara/Steinacher rounded the first mark 31st. Heemskerk/Derkson made their move on the second downwind gybing early into a great pressure line to close the gap to Lange/Espinola and took the lead up the final upwind.

Bundock/Ashby rounded the first mark in 9th position and fought there way back to 5th by the finish to take the overall lead.

The competitors can now discard there worst race.
Tomorrow (8 December) is a lay day.

Top ten after 6 races:
1. Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby, AUS, 14 points
2. Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher, AUT, 15
3. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola, ARG, 33
4. Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz, GER, 34
5. Lordanis Paschaladis & Constantinos Trigonis, GRE, 43
6. Billy Besson & Arnaud Jarlegan, FRA, 47
7. Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon, FRA, 47
8. Francois Morvan & Matthieu Vandame, FRA, 48
9. Matthieu Souben & Gurvan Bontemps, FRA, 57
10. Enrique Figueroa & Jorge Hernandez, PUR, 61

tornado2006.cnsi.org.ar/hometornado.asp

MAXI CAPRICORNO SETS A NEW ARC COURSE RECORD
Eleven days and five hours of non-stop concentration; good tactics and almost constant ENE trade winds have paid off for Italian maxi yacht Capricorno, as they crossed the ARC finish line in Rodney Bay, St.Lucia, to set a new ARC record of 11 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds.

Owner, Italian businessman Rinaldo Del Bono, was jubilant as the 24m Maxi crossed the finish line, the-12 strong crew cheering and waving to the assembled media and spectator boats. Much of the credit goes to American skipper, 36-year old Matthew Babcock, whose brave decision to stay north early on, paid off as their better gybe angle gave them superior speed to that of Italian rivals Fantasticaaa, during the last few days.

The two big boats were neck and neck yesterday, but Capricorno just managed to creep ahead of their larger rival, finishing three hours ahead of the Swan 100, and taking some seven hours off the existing ARC record. With 25 knots blowing across the finish line it was an unforgettable sight as Capricorno and her crew- all clad in aqua marine blue shirts -powered across the line close to the committee boat.

A jubilant Babcock said, " It's been great sailing all the way, 20 knots surfing down waves non-stop. We've blown out two spinnakers but it was worth it!" He and his crew are delighted to be in St. Lucia and to be record breakers, the rum punch going down mighty fast!

With current strong trade winds forecast to hold well into next week, this weekend should see plenty of arrivals, as the ARC yachts enjoy one of the fastest crossings for several years.

www.worldcruising.com/arc2006

BLUE WATER SAILING MANUAL BY BARRY PICKTHALL *JUST PUBLISHED*
A must-have book for anyone planning to sail offshore or take time out to race or adventure sail around the world. With contributing editors Sir Chay Blyth, Mike Golding, Pete Goss, Anbdrew Roberts, weather guru David Houghton and sailing medic Dr Campbell Mackenzie, this book distils the lessons from 50 circumnavigations completed by Sir Chay Blyth's Global Challenge yachts and adds the experiences of the two winning Whitbread round the world race campaigns. Priced 25 pounds sterling from www.southatlanticpublishing.com

ISAF MATCH RACE RANKINGS
France continues its reign at the top of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings as Sebastien Col (FRA) and Claire Leroy (FRA) hold onto their number one positins. Ian Williams (GBR) continues his assault on the top of the rankings whilst Silke Hahlbrock (GER) makes her first appearance in the top five.

The next Rankings release will be on 1 February 2007 following on from the ISAF Grade 1 Auckland Match Race in New Zealand. This will be the first release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings in 2007.

There have been two big ones for the open match race fleet since the last release on 25 October and there is therefore little surprise to see some major changes in positions. Sebastien Col (FRA) holds on to the number one position for the fourth consecutive release despite a disappointing eighth place at the ISAF Grade WC Monsoon Cup.

Peter Holmberg (ISV) makes the biggest leap into the top 20 following his victory in Malaysia at the weekend. Now counting eight results instead of six as he also made an appearance at the ISAF Grade WC Allianz Cup, Holmberg climbs a massive 61 places up the rankings to number 14. Making a similar move is Jesper Bank (DEN) whose third place in San Francisco and fifth in Malaysia sees him moving up 47 places to number eleven.

Claire Leroy (FRA) has clinched a clean sweep for 2006 as she remains at the number one position today. Behind her, in second and third place, there is no change to the positions of Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN) and Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED) in second and third.

With just two events counting points for the women at this ranking release there are not many changes in position amongst the top 20.

Top Ten: Match Racing - Open
1. Sebastien Col, FRA
2. Ian Williams, GBR
3. Mathieu Richard, FRA
4. Paolo Cian, ITA
5. Chris Dickson, NZL
6. Peter Gilmour, AUS
7. Eugeniy Neugodnikov, RUS
8. Bjorn Hansen, SWE
9. Ed Baird, USA
10. Staffan Lindberg, FIN

Top Ten: Match Racing - Women
1. Claire Leroy, FRA
2. Lotte Meldgaared Pedersen, DEN
3. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED
4. Silke Hahlbrock, GER
5. Marie Bjorling, SWE
6. Katie Spithill, AUS
7. Linda Rahm, SWE
8. Josie Gibson, GBR
9. Jenny Axhede, SWE
10. Christelle Philippe, FRA

sailing.org

JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT WINTER CHALLENGE SERIES
Entries for this weekend's third round of the JPMorgan Asset Management Winter Challenge Match Racing Series (8-10 December) read like a who's who of international match racing, with five crews inside the world's top 20 set to descend on the Queen Mary Sailing Club, Staines.

Britain's world number two ranked helmsman Ian Williams of Team Pindar is currently leading the World Match Racing Tour, and will head to this weekend's Grade 2 event as favourite to book his place in the Series final from 9-11 March 2007.

Amongst Williams' main challengers in the RYA's fleet of J80s this weekend will be Finland's world number 10 Steffan Lindberg, the 2006 European Match Racing Champion and winner of the 2005 Winter Challenge Series, France's 2006 Series winner Damien Iehl, world ranked 17th and his 19th ranked compatriot Pierre Antoine Morvan with Germany's Andreas Willim completing the crews from the world's top 20 set to compete on Staines Reservoir this weekend.

Women's World Match Racing Champion Dorte Jensen of Denmark has also booked her berth as the sole female helm amongst the otherwise all-male fleet, Monaco's Michele Perris has stepped in to helm Italian world number four Paulo Cian's crew, while British match racing talents Mark Campbell James, Andrew Cornah and Christian Hamilton will be looking to punch above their weight in the strong international 10-crew contest.

With such a high calibre entry for this weekend's event, the weather could be the only dampener on an otherwise world class event, as strong winds have been forecast over the next few days.

Entries
Ian Williams, GBR
Steffan Lindberg, FIN
Damien Iehl, FRA
Pierre Antoine Morvan, FRA
Andreas Willim, GER
Mark Campbell James, GBR
Dorte Jensen, DEN
Andrew Cornah, GBR
Christian Hamilton, GBR
Michele Perris, MON

ULLMAN SAILS - DENMARK
Ullman Sails International is pleased to announce that GP Covers in Aarhus, Denmark has joined the Ullman Sails group. The three partners are Oluf Groenkaer, Bo Melson, and Flemming Clausen. They moved into new facilities this Summer in Aarhus, which is one of the largest sailing centers in Denmark. Lasse Rosenbech heads the sailmaking team. Recently, his sails finished 1st on an Elan boat in one of Denmark's largest keelboat regatta's. The Ullman group is delighted to have these talented sailmakers on our team. Their contact information is listed in the "Loft Locator" section at www.ullmansails.com

MAUD FONTENOY AT CAPE HORN
The furious fifties, Cape Horn; all names which conjure up the South Ocean. Maud Fontenoy was just 35 miles to the East of this legendary rock this morning. This evening the second big cape that marks out her circumnavigation should be rounded and the gateway to the Pacific Ocean will open out ahead of L'Oreal Paris. Philippe Monnet, one of her predecessors on this route against the winds and currents, attended today's radio session to encourage Maud and pass on a few tips.

The Cape Horn will be true to form. As Richard Silvani from Meteo France indicated this morning, " the current wind of 15 to 25 knots, will continue to freshen over the course of the day until tomorrow lunch time and will shift round to the WNW providing conditions hard on the wind. After Cape Horn there will be 6 metre waves. It's not the most favourable window to make the passage, but it's not the most unfavourable either as conditions would have been worse over the next 10 days".

Despite all the warnings the skipper of L'Oreal Paris was in good spirits, warmed by the touching encouragement at the radio session, that included support from her sponsor Annette Roux, President of the Beneteau Group.

As for Philippe Monnet, he wished the sailor "courage... as well as patience and more patience as the road is still a long one. At the end of the adventure, the rewards are great."

www.maudfontenoy.com

TROPHEE CLAIREFONTAINE
Paris, France: On Thursday afternoon Jean-Marie Nusse, Chairman of Papeteries de Clairefontaine, handed out the prizes for the XVIIth Trophee Clairefontaine, which was held at La Trinite-sur-Mer last September. Seven invitations were then made official in anticipation of the eighteenth Trophee Clairefontaine, which will take place for an additional year in La Trinite-sur-Mer, from Thursday, August 30th to Sunday, September 2nd.

Franck Cammas received his 2006 champion of all champions trophy during a ceremony on the Morbihan stand in the Brittany section of the Paris International Boat Show. He also won the Quo Vadis Challenge for having the best result in the three legs sailed in the bay of Quiberon. The Rhodia Warm-up prize, for the eight training regattas on the Friday, was awarded to Loick Peyron, who sailed very evenly and also won a third place in both the Trophee Clairefontaine and the Quo Vadis Challenge.

Seven champions already invited to the 18th Trophee Clairefontaine:

Franck Cammas
Ellen MacArthur
Lionel Lemonchois
Yann Elies
Jeremie Beyou
Loick Peyron
Michel Desjoyeaux

There is now only one vacant place left, either for the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, or for the winner of the America's Cup. Decision next spring.

Since it began, in 1990, the Trophee Clairefontaine is the only event in the world to unite champions from different disciplines on a totally equal footing, on spectacular catamarans exclusively designed and used for this purpose

La Trinite-sur-Mer will once again welcome the Trophee Clairefontaine des Champions de Voile in 2007.

LIGHTER, FASTER & MORE POWERFUL.
Words not usually used to describe instrument systems. Ockam is the leader in providing the most accurate real-time data available. The Pentium based Tryad processor combined with an available 3-axis rate stabilized compass paves the way in delivering a stable wind solution that takes the heel, pitch and roll of the boat into account. With performance and weight in mind, all sensors interface close to their location allowing the information to stream unimpeded throughout the system's single cable "daisy chain" network. Thus eliminating heavy multiple cable runs and expensive junction boxes. To learn more, contact Ockam: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.ockam.com

IMPERIA WINTER REGATTA
Imperia, Italy: More than 250 teams of 470, 420 and L'Equipe representing ten different countries (Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland) will be at sea from Friday to Sunday 10th December for the second part of Imperia Winter Regatta 2006.

Olympic class 470 (male and female) 420 class (male and female) have on schedule nine races on two different sailing areas, while L'equipe crews will race 6 races over the weekend.

On the starting line many international level teams will be present: in the 470 class Italian Gabrio Zandona/Andrea Trani, first in the ISAF World Ranking; Italian Fabio Zeni/Nicola Pirenti from Garda Lake, leader of Italian Ranking and 2006 Italian Champion team, Giulio Desiderato/Alessandro Saettone (YCI Genova). Among female teams Giulia Conti/Giovanna Micol from Trieste, a team especially good in match racing and Maria Stella Turizio e Maria Carolina Rendano from Naples, very good sailors in the 420 class before upgrading to 470.

The fight will be tough as well in the 420 class where there will be a many teams already qualified for next New Zealand World Championship: 2006 Italian Champions Edoardo Mancinelli Scotti/Lorenzo De Felice, Campioni Italiani, 2006 Under 15 champions Simon Sivitz Costa/Jas Farneti, Franch mixed team Marie Lumeau e Vincent Guillarm, all racing in the male division. Among the girls the Italian team Giulia Zappacosta e Sara Zribi, who was 6th in the ISAF Youth Championship.

* In the Laser Class, Ireland's Roger Anthony Craig was the winner of all the three sailed races followed by the Italian Giacomo Bottoli and the Lituanian Rimsas Laurynas: Bottoli scored 5 (he capsized on the starting line of the first race)-2-3; the Lituanian sailor scored 3-3-2. Craig won as well the final results after the 8 race series scoring an advantage of 5 points over the second, Bottoli and 13 point over the third placed Laurynas. -- Laura Jelmini

www.i-w-r.com/en/home

ROLEX TROPHY ONE DESIGN SERIES
Sydney, Australia: The Rolex Trophy One Design Series this weekend has attracted a heady line up of current world and national champions and a large number of husband and wife combinations who will contest nine races starting Friday 8 December and finishing Sunday 10 December.

Starting at 11.00 (local time) each day, three one design classes, the Farr 40 class, Sydney 38 class and Sydney 32 class will race off Sydney Heads.

The Rolex Trophy One Design Series will be the second Farr 40 regatta for husband and wife team of Lisa and Martin Hill who last year won the Sydney 38 division of the Rolex Trophy One Design Series and are the current national champions.

Recently crowned Rolex Farr 40 World Champion and winner of the Farr 40 division of last year's Rolex Trophy, Vincenzo Onorato and his mostly Italian crew, were today fine tuning Mascalzone Latino for this weekend's match up against the local fleet.

'Australia has produced some of the top Farr 40 sailors over the years and this is a great opportunity to sail against them,' commented Onorato.

Also lining up tomorrow amongst the fleet of 11 is the runner up at the Farr 40 world titles, Matt Allen, who will switch his attentions from his Rolex Sydney Hobart preparations with his Jones 70, also called Ichi Ban, to this weekend's Farr 40 contest he will sail with wife Lisa on the crew.

The forecast for Friday and Saturday is for light sou'easters in the morning before the summer nor'easter is expected to fill in over the course of the afternoon. Sunday's forecast is for a 10-15 knot nor'easter, freshening to 15-20 knots in afternoon.

www.cyca.com.au

CLASSIC YACHT STILL A WINNER IN OFFSHORE RACING
Morag Bheag, a classic yacht designed 43 years ago by Illingworth and Primrose, the Illingworth being Captain John Illingworth RN, founder of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, is still proving a winner at sea.

Skippered by John Maclurcan, Morag Bheag last Saturday clinched both the IRC and PHS Division 3 spring pointscores of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Short Ocean Pointscore – but only by the closest of margins.

Morag Bheag, a 34-footer was designed by the UK-based naval architects Illingworth and Primrose in 1963 and was launched on 2 May 1969 for John Maclurcan's father.

Following service with the Royal Navy in World War II and his victory with Rani in the inaugural Sydney Hobart Race in 1945, Illingworth returned to England to become a noted yacht designer, working closely with Laurent Giles and later Angus Primrose. His most successful yacht was Myth of Malham, a two-times winner of the Fastnet Race.

On Saturday, Morag Bheag and another classic yacht, Kevin O'Shea's former World One Ton Cup champion Stormy Petrel dead-heated for first place on corrected time in the IRC Division 3 of SOPS.

The dead-heat was sufficient to give Morag Bheag a one point-winning margin in the spring pointscore, but had Stormy Petrel's corrected time been one second less she would have won the race and taken the series on a countback. -- Peter Campbell

THE LAST WORD
Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain. -- Mark Twain

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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