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84 ENTRIES FOR TRANSAT 6,50 CHARENTE MARITIME BAHIA
The entry list for the 2007 Transat 6,50 has been published. The Board of Directors is well aware of the often legitimate questions and doubts of the skippers who are in the waiting lists. The main problem is the growing success of these boats, and the current Board as well as its predecessors are not strangers to this success.

The Board faces this tough problem with this state of mind. We particularly wish to thank all the people who have contacted us to share their suggestions. We also have taken into account all the solutions posted on the different blogs and forums. Some are interesting, other completely unrealistic, even dangerous. We all resume all these along the whole year and will exploited with the light of the definitive list of participants. In 8 months, a lot of things still can change and we can only do an objective statement by then.

Everybody will be solicited as you will receive within the next months a detailed inquiry. For your information, we already did this kind of inquiry in 2006 and have only received 15 answers… Decisions should then be taken and will be submitted for approbation to the members at the General Assembly in December 2007 in Paris.

Regarding this year, it is out of the question that we change the qualifying criteria in the middle of a campaign, the only option was then to increase the number of participants. This is not simple because it leads to logistic, financial, not inconsiderable security constraints for the organiser. Harbour possibilities also represent an obvious limiting factor, even if everybody agrees to accept less favourable conditions.

After a demand from the Classe Mini and talks with the Grand Pavois, we finally agreed on 84 entries, that is to say 9 more than on the current list and 12 more than in 2005. Even if, of course, this does not completely solve the problem, far from this, it is a significant breath of oxygen and a notable effort that we wish to salute here from the organiser. Now we are no more very far from an assumption in the future of 90 to 100 boats.

In the same idea, we have joined in the 2009/2011 bid an amendment asking for 84 to 96 boats. The number of participants proposed will be a part in the choice. But we have to be careful because asking too much boats may restrain some applications from organisors.

www.classemini.com

RS:X TITLES DECIDED AT TAKAPUNA
The RS:X wind surfing Open and NZ National Championships has just concluded after four days of racing in Takapuna, North Shore, Auckland. The regatta attracted some top international competition in both the women's and men's events.

Tom Ashley came out on top in the Men's with an overall win giving him the Open and New Zealand national championship titles for 2007. Ashley, representing Takapuna Boating Club had a strong and consistent regatta, with four wins and three 2nd places on home waters to seal the title, over Maksym Oberemko (UKR) in second, and Jon-Paul Tobin (NZL) in third.

Alessandra Sensini, current World Champ and three time Olympic medallist from Italy beat our own Olympic legend Barbara Kendall in the women's event. Sensini was strong with five wins from ten races, and Kendall was delighted to have the tough competition to line up against.

Top Ten Final Results - Open Men's Championship

1. Tom Ashley, NZL, 17 points
2. Maksym Oberemko, UKR, 19
3. Jon-Paul Tobin, NZL, 20
4. Byung Gun Lee, KOR, 51
5. Michael Lichtwark, NZL, 64
6. Michael Lancey, AUS, 70
7. Chris Blake, NZL, 75
8. Dmytro Davydenko, UKR, 81
9. Scott Davies, NZL, 82
10. Anton Shelikhov, RUS, 86

Top Ten Final Results: Open Women's Championship

1. Alessandra Sensini, ITA, 15
2. Barbara Kendall, NZL, 28
3. Olga Maslivets, UKR, 29
4. Alsison Shreeve, AUS, 37
5. Hayley Thom, NZL, 52
6. Kate Ellingham, NZL, 53
7. Maayan Davidovich, ISR, 54
8. Wiebke Snadnick, GER, 62
9. Steffanie Williams, NZL, 64
10. Justina Sellers, NZL, 67

www.yachtingnz.co.nz

ROUND-UP! ROUND-UP! BE THE FIRST TO SEE THE NEW H3000 SYSTEM FROM B&G
Come and see the revolutionary H3000 Instrument system from B&G at one of the many International Boat Shows taking place this spring. Visit Dusseldorf, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Miami, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Auckland, Dubai or Madrid to name but a few, and let the experts run you through all the new features available with H3000. Allowing new ways of visualising sailing data, the NEW Graphical Function Display combines bonded screen technology with a high-resolution graphical display to give unbeatable clarity, durability and reliability. Along with NEW simple Auto Calibration Routines, H3000 is the future of marine instrumentation for performance cruising and racing.

www.bandg.com

AMERICAS CUP
* In a preview of the Louis Vuitton Cup, which will start in Valencia this coming April 16th, the Louis Vuitton "Espace" on the Champs-Elysees will organize an exposition "Wind and Sails" The America's Cup Legend and the Louis Vuitton Cup.The exposition will take place in Paris from January 17th to April 16th and then in Valencia Spain until the 12th of June. A vision of the event through celebrated artists The exposition presents the photos of three celebrity pioneers of sailing photography, Edwin Levick, Morris Rosenfeld, and Frank Beken, alongside two contemporary masters of the kind, Carlo Borlenghi and Philip Plisson. Jonathan Glynn-Smith, a fashion photographer, will bring for his part, another perspective of the event.

Photo archives of the first photographers will be alongside the spectacular moments of recent races. Contemporary art presentations and a selection of recorded audios and videos, signed by video artists Ange Leccia and director Jean-Francois Julian evoke the power of the sea and the event, the America's Cup.

The exposition also allows listening to audio recordings like the famous America's Cup opening speech on September 14th 1962 by the President John F. Kennedy.

Espace Louis Vuitton
60, rue de Bassano - 101, avenue des Champs-elysees - 75008 Paris
Opening hours: 12h to 19h, Monday through Saturday
From 13h to 19h on Sunday

From April 16th to June 12th, the exposition will move to Valencia

www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=3142

* Mascalzone Latino Ita 99, the new boat of the team led by Vincenzo Onorato, was christene. and launched Tuesday morning at 12.40 in Valencia. A small ceremony was held at the base for the team and their family members to mark the happy occasion. Lara Ciribi' Onorato, Vincenzo's wife, had the honor of christening the boat.

Mascalzone Latino Ita 99 arrived at the team's base on Monday the 22nd of January in record time and is ready to start two boat testing with Ita 90.

As required by the ACC Rule, Ita 99 was built in Italy by Marine Composite of Andora, Savona and was then transferred to Green Marine of Lymington, (GB) where it underwent the final fit-out.

Photos at www.mascalzonelatino.it

* SUI100, Alinghi's latest racing yacht, rumbled into Valencia, home of the 32nd America's Cup, on Friday evening under dark skies and torrential rain. The 25m boat has taken approx 20,000 hours to complete and the best part of four years of development.

With the racing yacht safely tucked away in the Alinghi boatshed in Valencia, work will begin on preparing it for sailing when the team return from Dubai. Dirk Kramers, chief engineer, is one of those on site in Valencia, he comments: "Decision boatyard and the Alinghi boatbuilding team have done a wonderful job and now the boat is here, we will put the finishing touches on and incorporate all the lessons we have learnt from training and testing in Dubai. When the boat hits the water, she will be the best that she can be and we are looking forward to testing her in the lead up to Louis Vuitton Act 13."

* With five America's Cup challenges under his belt and a key figure in three challenges, as a man with a passion for car rallies, Luc Gellusseau loves competition. In just a few days time, CHN95 will be launched in Valencia.

CHN95 is your 4th boat. How would you define her?

LG: It is an original boat for several reasons. First of all, the story of her conception is unique. We formed a task force with only a few people with a lot of experience and we asked them to design and build a boat that would have the potential to compete with the best, with no design compromise.

What do you mean exactly by that?

LG:The designers were free to do what they felt was best. We didn't tell them "the boat has to be so, it has to look like this." On the other hand, they had big constraints : time, as they only had three and a half months to design her, and the obligation of using an existing deck and structure, those of CHN69 … for financial reasons as usual! Thanks to their skills and their multi America's cup experience, this was made possible. And we have carefully examined changes on other team's boats. This freedom with constraints forced the designers to be creative.

After that, we had to build the boat. It was a pretty big adventure to build a racing boat in China, something that had never been done before. That was original by itself.

Rumour has it that CHN95 is part of a trend?

LG: I don't know, it doesn't really mean anything. I would need to see the other boats to comment. Who has really seen enough new boats to be able to say that such and such a boat is "part of a trend?" I haven't anyway.

We have a bowsprit which means that we had to push the volumes forward. I'm not sure that other boats have a bowsprit like ours for example. All I can say is that the volumes of our hull are forward just like the majority of other boats. However, only small differences on specific points are likely to give you an edge. Take NZL84 and 92 that both look alike. There is no doubt in my mind that 92 went much further and is the superior boat. -- Full interview at www.china-team.org/china/news-en/art_290106

CORPORATE SALES MANAGER
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To apply send your CV plus current salary details to Anne Tobin, Human Resources. Musto Ltd., Christy Way, Laindon, Essex, SS15 6TR or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Closing date: 16 February 2007

DEE CAFFARI RUNS LONDON MARATHON 4 CANCER
After what must definitely be the most memorable year of her life so far, round-the-world yachtswoman Dee Caffari is swapping her deck shoes for a pair of trainers in preparation for the 2007 London Marathon, in a bid to help improve the quality of life for people living with cancer.

Dee sailed into the record books in May 2006, as the first female to make a solo circumnavigation of the globe against the prevailing winds and currents. Since then, in amongst a whirlwind of public appearances, she has competed in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge and been awarded BBC South's Yachtsman of the Year Award in December, plus the Raymarine Yachtswoman of the Year Award in January. She also became patron for cancer charity Sail 4 Cancer and it is on their behalf that she will be running the London Marathon.

Now focusing on her next challenge, to be the first woman to sail solo non-stop around the world in both directions, the London Marathon is part of Dee's rigorous training schedule, which also includes events such as the 2007 Rolex Fastnet and the 2008 Transat.

To sponsor Dee and to learn more about Sail 4 Cancer please see the website at www.sail4cancer.org or call 0845 408 1849. For more information about Dee Caffari, please see www.deecaffari.com .

FEBRUARY'S LINE-UP ON SAIL TV - SKY CHANNEL *219
February Highlights Include:

World Match Racing Tour - Portugal Match Cup
A Day in the Life of Skandia Cowes Week
German Sailing Grand Prix
Collins Stewart London Boat Show
2006 UIM Powerboat P1 World Championships

* Channel 219 is allocated to Sail TV as at today's date but is subject to change. We will advise if and when.

Upcoming this week and weekend:
Thurs 1-Feb 06:30 - RNLI Doc 12' x2 / Collins Stewart London Boat Show 200.
Thurs 1-Feb 22:00 - World Match Racing Tour 2006 - Germany & Croatia
Fri 2-Feb 20:30 German Sailing Grand Prix 200.
Sat 3-Feb 09:00 Cork Harbour History - 1 / BMW Team Do.
Sat 3-Fe. 21:00 Outremer Cup / Team Shosholoza Profil.
Sun 4-Feb 20:00 World Match Racing Tour 2006 - Germany & Croatia / Collins Stewart London Boat Show 2007 / Cork Week 200.

Check out the new player and check future schedules at www.sail.tv

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. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Ben Heslop: I am from the North East of England, and have visited LBS many times at Earls Court. Since its move to Excel I have been abroad, and this is the first year that I have gone.

Upon first impressions, Excel costs more, took longer to get there, and was in a seedy end of the city. This was offset though, by the venue itself which was well lit and thought through. The amount of vessels, 'toys' and gear on display was impressive and would provide something for everyone. I was not, however, tempted to venture outside as it was a very cold and windy day.

On a personal front, cost and access aside, Excel doesn't have the magic of Earls Court. A good analogy would be that Earls Court is a pair of slippers and a good book in front of a log fire, to Excel's plasma TV. Each to their own.

In conclusion regarding your article, I cannot see Earls Court in early December being viable because of Paris - the end of November would be better. I think the outside exhibits at Excel are relatively futile because of the elements. If only one UK show were to survive, my money would be on Southampton - it's generally warm, often sunny, with vast acres of things to do/see, and lest we forget, it's actually on the sea!

* From Michael Webb: I agree with the substance of Mark Jardine's article and do not need to comment more on his well made points but I think the organisers have lost the plot. The boat show as well as being a trade show is also a social event for both sailors, their spouses (the customers of the marine industry) most of whom are not based in or near London. A visit to London after Christmas allows the boys to play boats and the girls to go shopping as well as allowing for some fine dining in the evening thus hitting about three birds with the one stone. My main preference is for Earls Court in that you are near the West End with good hotels and nightlife. Why have it in December when everybody is busy in their own pre Christmas madness when January works?

* From Eddie Mays: The failure of Excel as a venue and the ridiculous timing of the proposed Earls Court show is indicative of the sorry state that we, as a nation, find ourselves. The overriding concern that everything must be in London is very sad.

I have long thought that an exhibition in the New Year, when it is expected, at the N.E.C. would be a good solution, even though it means I have to drive a little further.

If the industry is not careful Britian will only have the International Southampton Show as a window for the world through which the world can view us.

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THE LAST WORD
Wear the old coat and buy the new book. -- Austin Phelps

OC Events, www.ocevents.org , 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) plus the Extreme 40 Sailing Series for The iShares Cup.

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

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