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ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART RACE
With winds of no more than 20 knots forecast just prior to the start, this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart was lining up to be a relatively benign event. But despite a moderate forecast, the world's toughest 'classic 600 mile' offshore race did not fail to live up to its reputation, with competitors not only having to survive, but race through one of Mother Nature's most treacherous obstacle courses, an event which eight years ago claimed the lives of six sailors.

Seventy-eight yachts took the start line of the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart, a smaller field than previous years, but by no means lacking in quality. While in 2005 the focus for line honours was the fight between two brand-new 98ft sisterships Wild Oats XI and Alfa Romeo, this year there were potentially five boats gunning for line honours - Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI back to defend her title, this time against two other 30m supermaxis Charles Brown and Bill Buckley's Maximus from New Zealand and Grant Wharington's heavily modified 2003 winner Skandia. Added to the mix were the Volvo Open 70s, Volvo Ocean Race winner ABN AMRO One and Matt Allen's Ichi Ban (formerly Grant Wharington's Brunel), 28ft shorter, but no less potent given hard enough conditions.

Outside of the maxis, some of the hottest competition was to be found in the 50-60ft range where several skippers were lining up for an equally heavyweight bout with their latest hardware. This included Geoff Ross' brand new 55 footer Yendys, Stephen Ainsworth's all conquering Loki, the canting keel Cookson 50s Quantum Sails and Living Doll and Graeme Wood's newly acquired Nelson Marek 52, Wot Yot.

* Prolonged upwind conditions experienced in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart have resulted in one of the races most classic entries taking handicap honours. This afternoon at a dockside ceremony at Hobart's Constitution Dock, Geoff Lavis, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, organiser of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race presented the coveted Tattersalls Cup to this year's winner, Lindsay May and his nine strong crew on the yacht Love & War.

One of the most beautiful boats in the race, Love & War is a Sparkman & Stephens 47- footer, built in 1973 for owner Peter Kurts. In a long, impressive career the boat was overall winner of the Sydney Hobart race in 1974 and 1978 and represented Australia in the Admiral's Cup in 1975. In her prime, she won most of the principle offshore races along Australia's east coast.

Love & War is typical of her era, with 'tumblehome' (where the beam of the boat is wider below the deck rather than at the deck level), a pointed bow and stern and she still is very 'original' with swaths of varnished teak down below, giant stainless steel winches, Tufnol blocks, an alloy rig - all massive bulletproof gear, typical of her vintage. The only acknowledgement of the 21st century is in her instruments. "In 2004 we added B&G instruments and Peter couldn't get over that the instruments cost as much as the hull cost when the boat was built," said May with a smile of nostalgia. Aged 80, Peter Kurts died in January 2005, the same day as Love & War sailed back into Sydney from the end of the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Love & War remains in the Kurts family, but son Simon was unable to sail this year and lent the boat to May who competed with many of his old colleagues from the famous Sydney maxi, Brindabella. The annual Rolex Sydney Hobart is a race where competitors are proud of the number of times they have entered and between the ten Love & War crew this year they had 132 Hobart races, making them one of the most experienced in the race.

The crew included Brindabella owner George Snow, sailing on board Love & War on this occasion as cook. "More fun, less responsibility - it is an important job on a boat," joked Snow, who is renown for the 'Brindabella breakfast', where the usual features are liberally enhanced with Tabasco.

* Mid-evening on New Year's Eve saw the diminutive form of David Kent's Gillawa finally cross the finish line, the last arrival in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart race. Despite this being the third year in a row that Kent's 32ft Cavalier 975 has taken the wooden spoon (for last boat in) in the annual Boxing Day run south, this year her crew achieved their ambition of reaching Hobart in time for the traditional fireworks display heralding in the New Year.

The majority of the top silverware for the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart was picked up by Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI and Simon Kurts' Love & War sailed by a team led by skipper Lindsay May. The former was awarded the J. H. Illingworth Trophy for winning line honours, the Jack Rooklyn Memorial Trophy for being the first yacht out of Sydney Heads and the F&J Livingstone Trophy for being the first yacht due south of Tasman Island, as well as finishing second in IRC Division 0 and the Rolex Challenge. Love & War's Lindsay May received the Tattersalls Cup for winning overall under IRC handicap, and a Rolex Yachtmaster timepiece. May was also awarded the Sir Arthur Warner Trophy for coming first in IRC Division 4.

At the prizegiving it was announced that the Wild Oats XI crew had clubbed together to donate AUD$ 2,000 for the cancer fund-raising being carried out during the race by British skipper Michelle Colenso, who's Oyster 55 Capriccio of Rhu won the Cruising Division. Mid-way through a round the world cruise Colenso was diagnosed with breast cancer and she competed in the Rolex Sydney Hobart despite being mid-way through her chemotherapy treatment. The donation from the Wild Oats crew was later matched by Lindsay May.

Aside from the racing within this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart there has been much human interest from Michele Colenso's cancer appeal to Sydney boatbuilder Sean Langman passing up his Division 0 line honours entry in favour of Maluka, the 1932 built 9m Ranger classic yacht he has spent eight months restoring at his Woolwich Shipyard.

"Maluka is part of Australian maritime history and he has restored that to a position where it will exist for many, many years," continued Lavis. "Then there is John Walker (at 84, the oldest skipper), Lou Abrahams (sailing his 44th race), and Witchdoctor doing its 26th Hobart, there were a whole lot of wonderful stories and that's why it has just been a really wonderful event."

www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

MIKE GOLDING AWARDED AN OBE
British yachtsman Mike Golding has been awarded an OBE for his contribution to the sport of sailing.

Golding, 46, who lives in Hampshire, is regarded as one of the world's best offshore racing sailors.

Having sailed since childhood, Mike first came to public attention in 1992 as a skipper in Sir Chay Blyth's revolutionary British Steel Challenge, when he led a crew of amateurs in this gruelling, inaugural race around the world, east about, against prevailing winds and currents.

In 1994, he established a new world record for the same east about circumnavigation, only this time alone. In doing so, he became only the second person to successfully complete this voyage bettering Chay Blyth's original time by more than 125 days - a record Golding held for seven years.

In 1996/7, Mike won the BT Global Challenge round the world race, leading an amateur crew to victory in five of the six legs and achieving a combined lead of more than two days on his nearest rival.

2001 saw the start of Golding's successful partnership with the ecological cleaning products manufacturer Ecover; a partnership that has involved the establishment of an Academy for Youth Sailors from around the world.

During that year, Golding became the first person to have sailed around the world in both directions and the only British person ever to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions.

Mike was FICO world champion 2005/6 and IMOCA world champion for two successive years 2004/5 and 2005/6; the first and only British sailor to hold this coveted title.

Golding recently commissioned the design and build of a new Open 60 yacht with which he will compete in the IMOCA circuit culminating in 2008 in the Vendee Globe, the third time he has entered this gruelling non-stop solo around-the-world race.

Golding will visit Buckingham Palace to receive his award from Her Majesty The Queen early in 2007. -- Coralie Rassinoux

www.mikegolding.com

DALTON NEARING FREMANTLE
At 07:00 in Australia (22:00 GMT Monday), New Zealand solo skipper Graham Dalton onboard A Southern Man AGD was less than 15 miles away from the finish line of the Velux 5 Oceans. Becalmed in light conditions, he should cross the finish line within the next 2 hours.

After 71 days at sea, Dalton will take fourth place, arriving in Fremantle after an epic leg which has seen him forced into port twice to make essential repairs.

www.velux5oceans.com

GOVERNOR'S CUP
For East London single-handed yachtsman Graham Wentworth his dream of completing the 1675 nautical mile Governor's Cup was shattered when his trimaran was flooded on New Year's Eve forcing him to abandon the yacht. Race control received notification that his right hull was flooded shortly after 19h00 local time last night.

Attempts to clear the water failed and as the electronics on board followed suit, Wentworth issued an EPB and an emergency rescue operation was launched. Wentworth was eventually rescued by the container ship MV DAL East London. His safety was confirmed shortly before midnight when he was picked up and he is due to arrive back in his home port of East London on 3 January.

A further withdrawal saw Marty Alessa seeking shelter in Saldanha Bay, while the Miura 2 Raging Bull is currently awaiting a lull in the weather to repair rudder damaged sustained over the weekend.

Defending handicap champion Our Dianne continues her lead in the handicap position and reported tearing a sail in gusting winds of up to 25 knots by early this morning.

Current synoptic charts show the South Atlantic high pressure system still located quite far north and the island is reporting north-westerly winds of approximately 10 knots, which is not very promising for fast finish times. -- Ronelda Visser

www.thegovernorscup.co.za

AMERICA'S CUP: LVC NOTICE OF RACE IS PUBLISHED
Update 2150 Sunday: Am pleased to report that Commodore Jones has just issued the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 NOR as well, which has been forwarded by email to all Challenger Reps and Alternates same as the LVC NOR was earlier this evening.

Just over an hour ago, Regatta Director Dyer Jones issued the Notice of Race for the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup.

The Challenger Commission (CC) has worked with Dyer on this document for more than a year. Your Ed. chairs the NOR working party, and it is with great pleasure and more than a bit of a relief that we are able to report this achievement to you tonight.

Our goal had been to have the NOR out before Christmas; we didn't quite make it, but at least it is out before the end of the year, even if only just.

Early in the New Year we will post the NOR on the Challenger Commission Blog, and explain some of the nuances and novel features. When you read it, I think you will agree that the NOR helps fulfill the CC's goals of selecting the Challenger that will face the Defender in the Cup, and developing the best possible Challenger -- one that can achieve the CC's mission "To relieve the Defender from the burden of holding the Cup." -- Tom Ehman, http://challengercommission.com

* Just three months from today, on 1 April 2007, all Challengers and the Defender are required to "unveil" and thereafter may no longer use "skirts" or "shrouds" to hide the underbodies of their ACC yachts.

Australia II, during the 1983 Cup at Newport, was the first yacht to skirt (at least in the modern era). Following the 1992 Cup in San Diego, rules were established to require the two AC finalists to unveil prior to the Match. This proved popular and the unveiling date was moved earlier in Auckland for the 2000 and 2003 Cups, to just before the start of the LVC finals. For AC 32, the Defender and Challenger of Record agreed in the Protocol to move the unveiling date even earlier, to just before the start of Act 13. This we think will be a popular move with the sponsors, media and fans, to say nothing of the sailors who are not fond of grappling with the wet, often slimy skirts at the start and end of each day's sailing.

The framework of the unveiling procedure for Sunday 1 April (which, coincidentally, is April Fools' Day in the USA among other places) has been agreed by ACM, the Challenger Commission and the Defender along the following lines, which we are in the process of formalizing into a proper tri-party agreement:

Key Dates
Sat 31 Mar 07 -- Declaration Day
Sun 1 Apr -- Unveiling Day
Mon 2 Apr -- Act 13 "No Change Period" begins 24 hours before the first race
Tue 3 Apr -- Act 13 Races 1 & 2, as previously published.

challengercommission.com

OPTIMIST WORLDS IN MONTEVIDEO
The last event of 2006 will also be the most international Class event of the year.

Fifty countries will be represented by some 230 sailors in the 2006 IODA World Sailing Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay which starts on 29 December.

The championship is a major exercise. All the 230 Optimists are supplied (by Rio Tecna in neighbouring Argentina) and all teams, with a maximum of five sailors and three adults, will be accommodated in the Radisson Hotel. The International Jury includes twelve IJs, race management will be supervised by two IROs and measurement by three IMs. Major development work has been undertaken by the host Yacht Club Uruguayo which celebrates its centenary this year and a big team of volunteers will be giving up their Christmas break to ensure a successful event.

The great turnout is a massive increase on the last time, fourteen years ago, that the Worlds were also at Christmas, also in South America (in Mar del Plata, Argentina) when there were just 133 sailors from 29 countries.

Nine of the additional countries were not even members of IODA in 1992, mostly from the Caribbean and other parts of the Americas, These include Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, both Virgin Island groups, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. Others rarely or never travelled abroad in those days. Of what we then thought of as the ex-communist countries only Croatia was represented: this year Poland, Slovenia and Ukraine are also present. The IODA Asian Championship had only been created two years before and neither China nor Singapore were represented: nor, from Oceania, were Australia, New Zealand or Tahiti. These additional countries may well be among the medals. Slovenia, China, Bermuda, New Zealand, Poland and Trinidad have already won them in the intervening years.

Looking back at 1992 almost 10% of the sailors went on to become Olympians. Most notably this was one of the ³Saltonstall years² when the foundations were laid for British Olympic domination. Present were future medallists Ben Ainslie (just four years later!), Chris Draper and Nick Rogers. Also a future medallist was Iker Martinez (ESP). Nine others have already been to the Games and several more are well placed for selection for 2008.

Results in this Class are impossible to forecast and for many the target will be the top 100 or to be the best ever from their country (see http://www.optiworld.org/bestever.pdf ). But no one will ever forget New Year's Day 2007 when they had a chance to represent their country. -- Robert Wilkes

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Letters are limited to 350 words, and you may only write a single letter on a topic. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published.

* From Eduardo Niveyro: Please I will be more than happy if you can correct the article about Peter Blake's death, because since i am Argentinian and in the article that i have read that Peter was killed by South American pirates; It should have been said that the pirates were from the north of Brazil, in a place called Macapa that is in the entrance of the Amazon river) and the pirates are now in prison.

You may wonder why i am asking you to do this, is because Argentina is part of South America and we don't have pirates here. The same goes for Uruguay and the South of Brazil; these are probably the safest places in the world for cruising.

I worked for Peter in Buenos Aires when his boat Seamaster was here (preparing the boat for the Amazon expedition, as I did later for Mr Ettienne Burgois who is the owner of [Seamaster] now renamed Tara 5 ( see www.taraexpeditions.com ) in Mar del Plata (Argentina) from where they did the two Antartica expeditions from November 2003 to March 2004, and from December 2004 to March 2005.

THE LAST WORD
New Year's Eve, where auld acquaintance be forgot. Unless, of course, those tests come back positive. -- Jay Leno

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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