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AMERICA'S CUP
Munich, Germany: Kolja Spori, a prominent European sports marketing agent, today announced that his company's claim against America's Cup sailing team Oracle Racing, owned by Larry Ellison, has been confirmed as final and binding by the German courts. .

Mr. Spori introduced BMW as a main sponsor to Oracle Racing in 2002. After being compensated for arranging this transaction prior to the last America's Cup campaign held in Auckland, New Zealand, Oracle Racing's new management, now led by renowned sailor Chris Dickson, refused to pay Spori the commission for the 2007 America's Cup campaign that will be held in Valencia, Spain. Mr. Spori subsequently filed a claim in Germany against Oracle Racing, which has been ordered by the German courts to pay 5% of the BMW sponsor fee to Spori, plus legal fees and interest. According to industry sources, BMW's sponsorship of Oracle Racing amounts to US$80.0 million.

Oracle Racing had ignored the German courts for two years. Only when the final and binding verdict of March 29, 2006 became known, Ellison threw a renowned law firm into the game.

In a verdict of October 24, 2006 their argumentation was rejected by the German courts and Spori's verdict confirmed as final and binding. Since Oracle Racing's payments were still outstanding, the German courts have now sent asset confiscation letters to the third party debtors in Germany - sponsors BMW, Allianz and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. If the asset confiscations do not suffice, the team's racing yachts could be put on a chain in Valencia.

Mr. Spori began his career as Head of Sponsorship for Hugo Boss AG, the German fashion company, before founding Grand Prix Group, now comprising sports marketing companies in six countries. Spori brought Compaq into Formula 1, then the sport's biggest non-tobacco sponsor and worked with McLaren-Mercedes and other racing teams and drivers on various sponsorship transactions. Spori also initiated and developed the F1 Grand Prix of Istanbul. The industry magazine "BusinessF1" calls Mr. Spori "one of the top sponsorship agents in Europe".

K.COM Comm. & Consulting GmbH (Grand Prix Group) gpg.cc
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* Skirts and shrouds that conceal a boat's underwater secrets can be as simple as a small screen around the keel or a full length, theatre style drape that runs from bow to stern. In the years since concealing the underwater profiles and appendages became popular following the historic victory of Australia II in 1983, the systems for maintaining a boat's modesty when being lifted in and out of the water have become ever more complex. And of course, the more the teams try to stop the public and rival teams seeing what lies beneath, the more we want to know.

Yet the irony is that for many of the teams there's little of real significance to hide and anyway, the real issues this time around are on display for everyone to see. Many of the major developments have happened above the waterline where rigs and sail plans have seen some of the biggest changes in the style of modern Cup boats. The fact that the development has inspired such a broad range of approaches and styles makes the new generation of boats all the more interesting.

Oddly enough, it has been changes in the rules governing what happens under the water that have influenced the configurations above it. The overall displacement of the boats has been reduced by one tonne and keels are allowed to be 100mm deeper than they were in the previous generation under version 4 of the America's Cup Class rule. This, combined with an increase in the maximum total sail area by around d 50m2, has made the racing closer with boats able to accelerate more readily and stand a better chance of closing the gap on the leader on the downwind leg. The new rules have also given designers more scope to experiment.

Another significant change is that designers can no longer trade displacement against sail area, there are fixed limits on both, although they can continue to play with the distribution of sail area. This has led to some whacky looking sail plans with mainsails that have such large headboards that they almost look rectangular. With headboards that extend up to 2.5m aft and horizontally from the masthead, these sails are so extreme that they look like someone has trimmed the top few metres off the rig. Altering both the size of the head and the length of the mainsail foot changes the aspect ratio of the mainsail and with it the flow distribution is also changed. The centre of effort of the sail is also changed. -- From an article on the America's Cup website by Matthew Sheahan, see www.americascup.com

* Monday morning at 08.30 a. m. the Head of the Syndicate Patrizio Bertelli, Skipper Francesco de Angelis and all of the Luna Rossa Team greeted the arrival of ITA 94 in Valencia.

Last Wednesday the hull left the Persico Nautical Division yard (Nembro - Bergamo, Italy) with destination Livorno where it was then transferred via ship to Spain.

The inaugural launching will take place in Valencia in January. -- lunarossachallenge.com

* Photos of Victory Challenge loading one of their boats onto an Antonov transport place bound for Dubai at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos

CHRISTMAS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's latest ETA in Fremantle is December 27:

A frustrating day yesterday on Saga Insurance as between 0900 and 1730 we had no mainsail set as I was trying to repair the battens. Today has started no better. There is insufficient material to make splints any longer, so the Rigg system of putting rope through the battens to hold them together is the only solution available. Using Spectra rope, very strong but thin, they have lasted a few days because the fibreglass and carbon ends of the battens have just sawn through the rope. So I decided to try the same system with thicker rope. It makes it harder for the ends to get at the rope itself but whether it will last very long remains to be seen. It won't help the shape much, but it might stop the battens breaking through their pockets along the sail and creating a serious obstacle to lowering or hoisting as they get caught in the runners or shrouds. Not might get caught in them, do get caught in them!

First thing this morning, the 2nd and 3rd battens are out of their pockets again, broken clear and caught behind the shrouds, so the mainsail has had to come down again whilst I see what can be done about it. And each bit of additional damage has its effect on the whole sail. Saga Insurance is going to need quite a lot of work in Fremantle I am afraid.

If you do not understand sails then you won't appreciate just what a huge handicap this is. It means I cannot get a decent shape to the sail and often, mechanically, I cannot raise or lower the sail without a massive amount of juggling, which I dare not risk at night. Add to that, the time lost whilst the sail is down, such as speed dropped from 11 knots to 7 knots, and I am trying to think of ways to achieve some sort of solution, and it really is surprising I am not even further behind the leaders.

1800 miles to go, not a decent forecast, and each day sees less time spent sailing and more spent on repairs.

* Graham Dalton, the Kiwi skipper sailing his Open 50 A SOUTHERN MAN AGD has arrived at the remote Kerguelen Islands. The small French islands mark the last mandatory waypoint in the route to Fremantle, Western Australia, but will also serve as a vital stopover for Dalton. The experienced sailor needs to re-fuel and unravel his torn headsail which is furled on his bow. Race Director David Adams has been talking to the authorities in Kerguelen to make sure that they were ready to receive the weary solo sailor and help him make his repairs as quickly as possible.

www.velux5oceans.com

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE RULES?
If you'd like to feel more confident about racing near other boats, you should get Learn The Racing Rules! This new two-part DVD, written and narrated by David Dellenbaugh, uses live sailing action and computerized animation to explain all the important right-of-way rules in the 2005-2008 rulebook. Part 1 covers the essential rules that apply whenever boats meet. Part 2 explains the often-confusing rules about marks and obstructions. Each is an hour long and includes the text of all rules discussed. Produced by SEA-TV - makes a great gift!

To learn more or place an order, go to www.SpeedandSmarts.com

THE ISAF WORLD SAILING RANKINGS
The world's number one ranked sailors to wrap up the ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 2006 are confirmed. With two classes completing their world championships since the last ranking release and a host of lower graded regattas taking place, there are some interesting movements.

Great Britain ends the year as it began, as the top performing nation. It now has seven teams in a top three position. On the rise again are Australia and it now has three sailors at a number three position. Krystal Weir (AUS) moves back up again and newly crowned Tornado World Champions Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS) use their success to shift them back up to the number three position joining Tom Slingsby (AUS) who holds the same in the Laser.

For Great Britain, Paul Goodison (GBR) and Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark (GBR) and Nick Dempsey (GBR) hold on to the top spots in the Laser, Women's 470 and Men's RS:X Rankings respectively, maintaining their lead over next best nations France and Spain who both have one sailor at number one and two in the number two position. The Netherlands also has three sailors in the top positions.

As the year closes on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings, the Olympic Classes begin to look forward to the re-start of the ISAF Grade C1 and Grade 1 circuits. Sail Melbourne 2007 kicks off on 13 January and the 470 and RS:X fleets will already have been in action in Miami, USA at their North American Championships.

In a year that saw the first ever ranking releases for the RS:X, 30 different sailors/teams have held a number one position with 2547 helms holding ranking points.

For now Great Britain are the undoubted leaders of the pack, but as the 2007 ISAF Worlds approach and the Olympic cycle accelerates towards Qingdao, the die is far from cast.

The top sailors by class:

Finn: Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, DEN
Laser: Paul Goodison, GBR
Men's 470: Gabrio Zandona / Andrea Trani, ITA
Star: Robert Scheidt, BRA
Tornado: Xavier Revil, FRA
RS:X Men: Nick Dempsey, GBR
RS:X Women: Olga Maslivets, UKR
Skiff - 49er: Pietro Sibello / Gianfranco Sibello, ITA
Laser Radial: Anna Tunnicliffe, USA
Women's 470: Christina Bassadone / Saskia Clark, GBR
Yngling: Monica Azon Canalda / Sandra Azon Canalda / Graciela Pisonero, ESP

Complete rankings at sailing.org/rankings

PATIENT FALCON WAITED HER TURN
English Harbour, Antigua: After three days of sailing Patient Falcon (29m) Nelson Marek designed sloop owned by Don Smith won the overall trophy at the first Superyacht Cup in Antigua. In second place came Kalikobass II (32M) and third The Maltese Falcon (88m).

This brings to a close the first Antigua Superyacht Cup regatta. All that remains is the traditional gala dinner and prize giving.

Day 3 Results and Overall Positions:

1st Patient Falcon
2nd Kalikobass
3rd Maltese Falcon
4th Sojana
5th Velacarina

The Superyacht Cup organisation looks forward to seeing everyone at the 2007 Palma Superyacht Cup [16-19 June], when a fleet of 70 Superyachts, the largest superyacht sailing fleet ever, will gather to enjoy 4 days of racing between the Louis Vuitton and America's Cup.

thesuperyachtcup.com

PETERS & MAY SHIP RECORD NUMBER OF MOTOR YACHTS
World leaders in global yacht transportation, Peters & May, report a significant increase in the number of large motor yachts that they have shipped from the UK to various worldwide destinations.

"The numbers for October and November are up on the same period last year", commented Operations Director Gerald Price, "and we have already passed the 1000 mark for number of yachts shipped this year". "It's indicative of the buoyancy of the UK motor yacht manufacturers and their developing markets in the Far East, USA and Australia - and the boats are getting bigger too".

www.petersandmay.com

NEW SUPER-ZERO SERIES FOR SKANDIA COWES WEEK
The creation of a Super-Zero class with its own race series at Skandia Cowes Week 2007, is all set to entice the owners and skippers of the world's largest and fastest ocean racing yachts to compete at next year's event (4-11 August). This new class meets the demands of the owners of mainstream Class 1 boats to separate canting keelers from boats with fixed keels.

Recognising that the majority of these big boats will only be able to fit a few days racing into their schedule prior to the start of the Rolex Fastnet, the new Super-Zero Series will comprise three days of racing encompassing a round-the-cans race on Friday, 3rd August – the day before the start of the 2007 Week, as well as a race around the Island on Wednesday, 8th August and a short coastal race on Thursday, 9th August.

CEO of Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC), Stuart Quarrie, explains: "A typical Cowes Week course will provide tight Solent racing for these big boats on the day before the remaining 1,000 boats start their week's racing. This allows the big boats the space they need and gives the Event a spectacular platform from which to launch the Week."

Virtually everyone in the racing world would agree that pitting boats with canting keels against their fixed keel cousins is unsatisfactory and is more akin to racing multihulls against monohulls. Therefore, regardless of rating, owners/skippers of any boat of over 14 metres LOA that has a canting keel and that wants to take part in the Regatta, will have to sail in this new Super-Zero Series, unless they fix their keel amidships and re-rate accordingly.

In a joint initiative between CCC and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), there is further incentive for the big boats to sign up to the Super Zero Series. To coincide with the Rolex Fastnet Race, held every two years, a new sequence of high profile stages will include the Channel Race, the Skandia Cowes Week Super-Zero Series and the Rolex Fastnet Race. The culmination will be the presentation to the overall winner of the prestigious 'Seahorse Magazine Trophy'.

The Super-Zero class has been created specifically for any boat wishing to race that is between 14 and 30 metres LOA and with an IRC rating of 1.420 and upwards, whether it has a fixed or canting keel. In addition, regardless of rating, owners/skippers of any boat of over 14 metres LOA that has a canting keel and that wants to take part in Skandia Cowes Week will have to sail in this new Super-Zero Series, unless they fix their keel amidships and re-rate accordingly. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt

www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk

SEAMASTER YEAR IN SAILING
APP Broadcast's Seamaster Year in Sailing will be broadcast on Eurosport on Wednesday December 20th 2006 at 2215CET.

The one-hour programme, which includes the major highlights of the grand prix sailing year, includes an exclusive interview with Volvo Ocean Race winner Mike Sanderson as he reflects on an overwhelming victory, an exclusive interview with Russell Coutts as he considers the challengers and the defender for the 2007 America's Cup plus Dee Caffari's record-breaking non-stop solo round the world voyage against the winds and currents, the starters, storm action and Southern Ocean rescue in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race and Ellen MacArthur's Far East record-setting tour. And we take a look at the new and exciting TP52 MedCup circuit and travel to China for the 2006 Olympic Test Event in Qingdao. It's an action-packed hour of racing coverage that includes unique, exclusive and dramatic images and interviews from the Seamaster Sailing production team.

For more information on Seamaster Sailing visit www.seamastersailing.com

"BILTONG" BERTIE
Legendary South African yachtsman "Biltong" Bertie died at his home in Gordon's Bay on Monday at the age of 63.

Stanley John Reed had been suffering from cancer, SABC radio news reported.

Reed was the first South African, and one of only a few yachtsmen in the world, to complete three singlehanded circumnavigations of the globe.

He will be especially remembered for his heroic rescue of fellow-South African John Martin, whose yacht sank after hitting a submerged iceberg in the Southern Ocean, during the 1990/91 BOC Challenge.

He was awarded South Africa's highest civilian award - at the time - for bravery, the Wolraad Woltemade Decoration, for the outstanding seamanship he displayed during Martin's rescue in extreme conditions.

He also received a presidential citation and was listed in the Civic Honours Book of the City of Cape Town.

Reed joined the South African Navy in 1961, and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer during his 22-years in uniform.

It was there that he began his sailing career, which led to him achieving world fame in the inaugural BOC Challenge singlehanded race around the world in 1982/83, when he finished second accross the line and first on handicap in the 14-year-old sloop "Voortrekker", considered obsolete.

He sailed some 170,000 nautical miles competitively - over 100,000 singlehanded.

Reed married his wife Pat in 1968, had four children, and three grandchildren.

iafrica.com/news/sa/524887.htm

THE LAST WORD
The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself. -- Sir Richard Francis Burton

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

Over 80,000 boats for sale on www.boats.com

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