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ISAF SAILING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships are heading for the record books with 74 nations registered to compete after the first phase of entry. With eleven World Championship titles and Olympic Qualification at stake, from 28 June-13 July Cascais, Portugal is set to play host to the biggest ever event for the Olympic Classes.

As the principal qualification regatta for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, with 75% of all national places to be decided, the 2007 ISAF Worlds is on course to be a record breaking Championships and a highlight of ISAF's Centenary year.

In the first phase of the entry process each ISAF Member National Authority (MNA) could apply for one Priority Place in each of the eleven Olympic events in Cascais. Seventy-four nations successfully applied for places, adding up to a total of 432 boats and 649 sailors. Amongst the nations who will be competing at their first ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, the British Virgin Islands, Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Philippines and Tahiti.

The next phase of the entry process is now underway. Additional Places have been assigned to MNAs based on the results of their sailors in the 2005 and 2006 Olympic Class World Championships. Only two nations, Australia and France, have qualified for Additional Places in all eleven events.

In addition to this, 20% of the quota for Additional Places have been designated Commission Places. Applications for Commission Places, which will be assigned by an ISAF Qualification Commission, are also now being accepted.

MNAs have until 15 March 2007 to accept their Additional Places online at the Championships website - www.cascaisworlds2007.com

PAUL CAYARD AND DESAFIO ESPANOL
Valencia, Spain: Today Agustin Zulueta, Technical-Sports Manager of Desafio Espanol 2007, presented Paul Cayard to the media. Paul Cayard, one of the world's most accomplished sailors, is supervising the preparation and fine tuning of the new boat ESP-97 in the weeks leading up to the Louis Vuitton Cup that begins in April.

During today's press conference Zulueta said that he contacted Cayard as soon as he finished the Volvo Ocean Race. "We got in touch with Cayard on the suggestion of our President, Ignacio Sanchez Gallant. He said to go for the best and Cayard is one of the people with the best experience in the America's Cup."

"The team has done a good job preparing over the last two years and is competitive." Cayard also said that the purchase of the three boats and equipment from One World Challenge was a really good move, as it gave the team a head start.

Regarding the team's performance to date Cayard stated, "I did not see the team race in the recent Acts. However, I know the designers John Reichel and Jim Pugh and it appears that the shore team is doing a good job. I think the team has a strong chance to reach the semi-finals."

"Everyone in the America's Cup wants to win and this time around there are several teams - all of which are more or less strong. There are the big teams like BMW Oracle, Alinghi, Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand. However, Victory Challenge, Desafio Espanol 2007 and Areva all have excellent potential. The possibility exists that any one of these teams could surprise us all and beat out the others."

With regards to the boats, Cayard commented that they are longer, narrower and more responsive. He added, "It's amazing to see how the boats go upwind. They are different from the boats I am used to, particularly the Volvo Open 70."

www.desafioespanol2007.com

2007 SCYA J/BOATS MIDWINTERS
Congratulations to Tony Weatherbee and his J109 team on "Commotion" capturing top class honors at the Midwinters in Dana Point, Feb 10-11. Christian Morris on "Painkiller" followed in second place making it another one, two finish for teams with full inventories of Ullman Sails. In the J105 class three of the top 5 boats had full inventories of Ullman Sails. Top teams choose Ullman!! The 2007 racing season is upon us, and it's not too late to upgrade your inventory to a set of the "Fastest Sails on the Planet". Contact your local Ullman Sails loft and visit www.ullmansails.com

AMERICA'S CUP HALL OF FAME 15th ANNUAL INDUCTION
Bristol, Rhode Island, USA: The America's Cup Hall of Fame announces selection of two significant sailing leaders for induction into the Hall of Fame. Laurie Davidson (New Zealand) and Bruno Trouble (Paris, France), have been named as the 2007 inductees to the America's Cup Hall of Fame. The inductees, who exemplify the best in both the design and international promotion of racing for the Cup, will be honored on the occasion of the America's Cup Hall of Fame 15th Annual Induction Ceremony to be held Sunday, June 24, 2007 in Valencia, Spain. Tickets to this black-tie dinner are available to the public and can be reserved by contacting the America's Cup Hall of Fame at 401-253-5000 or e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Laurie Davidson, Auckland, New Zealand 1936-
As one of the best America's Cup designers since the introduction of the new America's Cup class in 1990, Laurie Davidson had also played a role in the design of the New Zealand fiberglass 12-Meters that were among the top performers during the 1987 competition in Fremantle, Australia.

In the 1995 challenge in San Diego, both Laurie Davidson and Doug Peterson were named designers for the Kiwis. Laurie was the designer of KZL 32 and Doug the designer of KZL38. Both designers and other technicians contributed to the rig and other details after the basic design was established. NZL 32 went on to win the Cup in five straight races over the American Cup defender.

In the year 2000, when Laurie was chief designer for Team New Zealand, it was asserted that designers for the other teams had used NZL 32 as their point of departure. But that year Laurie took another jump ahead and came up with what is now known as the "Davidson bow." This is a forward overhang geometry that provides slightly greater sailing length within the rating. Again the Davidson boat won in five straight, this time against the challenger Luna Rossa from Italy.

Bruno Trouble, Versailles, France (1945- )
Bruno Trouble has been very special to the America's Cup - as a sailor and skipper, then as the mastermind behind the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Bruno, a Flying Dutchman and Soling champion, was skipper of two challenges for the America's Cup led by Baron Marcel Bich. Bruno had been drafted from the 1976 French Olympic sailing team and did such a good job at starting he was promoted to skipper FRANCE I during the Challenger series in 1977. He then returned to skipper FRANCE III in 1980. Also in, 1983 he participated in a challenge led by Yves Rousset-Rouard.

Bruno Trouble has enhanced the America's Cup in a different way from all others. As noted by members of the Selection Committee, Bruno is the first "impresario" in the Cup's history. He has been the head of the press operation, the coordinator for the Challenger Series, an essential link with syndicates and sponsors, a face for the Cup in Europe and an agent for change while always maintaining respect for America's Cup tradition.

www.herreshoff.org

BALTIC SPRINT CUP 2007: CITY HALLS SUPPORT THE CUP
The Baltic Sprint Cup, one of the newest offshore sailing regattas in Europe is receiving its own particular brand of approval - so far the Lords Mayor of Sassnitz, Gdansk, Klaipeda and Parnu have honoured the event with their official patronage. "It is the special nature of this regatta which has so much appeal" said one. The event includes five legs between 88 and 200 miles in length sailing successively between Copenhagen, Denmark and Parnu Estonia. Every stopover is

The parties have begun! The Baltic Sprint Cup starts in Copenhagen on 20th July - meanwhile race officials, skippers and crews celebrated the launch of the Notice of Race this week in fine style at a BSC dinner. From Parnu, Estonia, Simmu Saar and Kulli Haav outlined plans for receiving the boats at their 100-year old, very active yacht club. Entries are welcome in two or more of the five-leg offshore event for cruiser-racers finishing at Parnu on 3rd August. Race results on ORC club. www.balticsprintcup.com. The cool way to explore the Baltic.

Principal sponsor Bank DnB NORD www.DnBNORD.com

PINEAPPLE CUP MONTEGO BAY RACE
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA: The 2007 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, or "Mo Bay" as it is fondly known, begins Friday, February 16. The biennial competition, jointly hosted by the Storm Trysail Club and the Lauderdale and Montego Bay Yacht Clubs, runs 811 nautical miles to Montego Bay, Jamaica from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The largest of the 20 boats registered in two IRC classes and one PHRF class is Stephan Reith's Bon Bon, a Reichel/Pugh 81. The smallest is another Reichel/Pugh, Doug Mitchell's 30-foot The Cone of Silence. Also entered is Tom Hill's Titan 12, the 2005 course record holder (2 days 10 hrs, 24 min, 42secs).

An "interactive" tracking map will be posted on the race website www.montegobayrace.com . It will show the daily positions of all boats reporting their noon positions to the Montego Bay Race Committee.

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 Anthony Richards: IRC - fair or not? An admittedly prejudiced view which uses one race (the Sydney - Hobart) to suggest IRC is unfair does not make a convincing argument. This is particularly true when the argument admits that other factors come into play in longer races. Different conditions suit different boats and a rating system that goes even halfway to leveling the playing field is remarkable. Approximately 11,000 certificates around the world, over 50% up on the previous year, would suggest that Mikel Emaldi has missed something.

Spain, incidentally threw out their long established favourite rule, IMS, at the same time as dropping IRC. I don't think that situation is fully settled.

* From Andrew Hurst, Editor, Seahorse magazine: We firmly believe that one of the beauties of any half-decent single number system, like IRC and IOR before it, is that literally, (almost) every dog has its day.

Hope of success is the reason people enter races, and while Love & War may not have been sailed better than Oats etc (though I would not be so sure), she was however more suited to a serious upwind slog under the 'current' system, as anyone who has sailed those heavy, stiff 70s IOR designs will know.

And if the current rule rewards those few days when she gets her conditions, all the better. Finally 'Spanish Med' did not abandon IRC, they have yet to try it.

* From David Meagher, Chairman Race Committee, Cork Week 2008: For hundreds & thousands of sailors who are looking for a measurement system that removes the subjectivity of crew skill and local committees and is international in scope, IRC is doing a very a good job. Despite its widespread use, PHRF in the USA & other similar systems here in Europe (ie ECHO in Ireland) have huge issues with subjectivity, parochialism, and the inability to factor-out crew skill and boat tuning from a design's inherent performance. This is especially true for a design that is a one-off.

I have personally raced IRC for a number of years in a variety of boats & conditions, if you sail to your TCC you will do well. Isn't it fantastic that 'old' boats can win and beat the 'new' boats if they sail better - this is very good for our sport.

Based on my experience, each PHRF & ECHO region behaves like a petty European principality of the Nineteenth Century, setting its own ratings with little regard for what other regions may have already concluded. Just read comments from sailors at recent events about how close the racing was in IRC. Wake up and smell the roses - IRC WORKS!

* From Jeremy Mead: I think Mike Emaldi's letter misses the point on why the old boats did so well in the 2006 Sydney Hobart. It was principally a heavy weather upwind race. This naturally favours the IOR style yachts, which have relatively low IRC ratings for their length and so perform above their rating upwind in a blow. Not wanting to detract from Lindsay May and his crew's (and sails) superb performance, I don't suppose even Russell Coutts reunited with his Kiwi former colleagues and with a perfect set of 3DLs could sail Love & War to a repeat performance if the wind blew from the North.

If Mr Emaldi prefers racing in slow heavy ugly IMS boats rather than the modern light and super fast yachts that IRC typically encourages then good luck to him. And if every now and then a well sailed old'n can beat a hot new one, all the better.

* From Andy McLelland: You are so right in some ways but also I think so wrong to criticise IRC.

What we have to remember is that whilst the RORC rating office (I am a member of the club) would not admit to it, IRC billed as a "rating" rule, does have an element of or adjustment perhaps even dare I say handicapping in it.

What we also have to remember is that out of the thousands of IRC boats around the world, only a very small percentage of certificates are issued to professionally managed campaigns with new build and very well sailed boats. These campaigns tend to sail one design or level rating.

In other words IRC has made managed, competitive yacht racing available to thousands of yacht owners who would otherwise be sailing under some low tech yardstick and for that reason it has been a resounding success and deserves the highest praise.

To state that the rule is unfair is in itself unfair. The rule is as fair as it probably can be given the massive range of boats it has to accommodate.

If you want a level playing field stick to one design or level rating programmes and let the masses enjoy their IRC - they enjoy it even if you don't!

(I don't really like handicap sailing but I do like to see the hundreds of IRC boats out enjoying the Solent most weekends!)

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THE LAST WORD
Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing. -- Oscar Wilde

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.

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