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SEAWIND F18 WORLDS
Heavy weather on the first day of the 2007 Seawind F18 Worlds being sailed at Rydges Capricorn Resort off Yeppoon, Queensland. An eighty boat fleet from 12 nations started but sixteen boats capsized with three sailors requiring medical attention.

The forecast for the start of racing on Day 1 of the Seawind Formula 18 World Championship was for south easterly winds 20-25 knots.

A heavy swell from the last three days of southerly winds, made the launch from the beach through the surf break exciting for the large numbers of spectators on the beach.

At the start, the wind was blowing at hardly more than 15 knots, but the swell was such that would normally be associated with around 25 knots.

The French pairing of Mourniac and Citeau (FRA) lead at the mark from triple World Champion Mitch Booth and his crew Pim Nieuwenhis (NED), who came in from the port layline and were close at the top mark.

Besson and Arnaud (FRA) were third, with the Spanish champions Echavarri and Paz (ESP) in fifth place. Australians Bundock and Ashby were fourth at the first mark.

As the wind continued to build so did the seas, to three metres, and as the fleet ran down with the wind and waves at speeds of more than 20 knots, boat after boat capsized.

In all sixteen boats retired from the race, after spectacular capsizes and nose dives. Rescue boats assisted three Queensland sailors, who needed medical attention.

At the second mark, Bundock and Ashby were third but catching the leaders by the top mark for the third time, Bundock and Ashby were clearly leading from Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhis.

The winners of Race 1 were Bundock and Ashby (AUS), ahead of Booth and Nieuwenhis (NED) with Mourniac and Citeau (FRA) in third. Besson and Jarlegan were fourth (FRA) with the Spaniards Echavarri and Paz, fifth.

Robert Greenhalgh with brother Peter, sailed into tenth place and may rise, as protests were still being heard. -- Rob Kothe

www.2007f18worlds.com.au

THE 'ROAD TO VALENCIA' BEGINS IN SWITZERLAND
The 32nd America's Cup is launching 'Road to Valencia', a promotional tour leading to the start of the decisive phase of the competition, with its first stop scheduled in Geneva, Switzerland on 26th February.

The 'Road to Valencia' is a five-city tour which leads to the ultimate stages of the 32nd America's Cup. Following competition in Louis Vuitton Acts in 2004, 2005 and 2006, the final season of racing in Valencia is now just weeks away.

On the 3rd April, all 12 America's Cup teams begin their final campaign, which will end with a new winner hoisting the oldest sporting trophy in the world into the air in triumph early in July.

From Geneva, 'the road' runs through Paris (28th February - 1st March), Rome (5th March), and Berlin, (7th-8th March), before concluding in Madrid (12th-13th March). At each stop, there will be a press conference for the media along with a special VIP dinner.

For the general public, one of the most compelling features of the 'Road to Valencia' is a unique slide show featuring images from racing in Marseille, Valencia, Malmo-Skane and Trapani. Uniquely, these images will be projected on the sides of landmark buildings in each city. In Geneva, the images will be displayed on the Hotel Beau-Rivage, along the Quai du Mont-Blanc on the evening of the 27th February from 19.00.

In Paris, the Maison Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Elysees will be the backdrop on the evening of March 1st. The evening projection in Rome takes place on the 5th March at Palazzo Ferrajoli at Piazza Colonna, and in Berlin on the 8th March at the Universal Music Entertainment GmbH. The final stop on the 'Road to Valencia' is Madrid, where the images will be projected on the Teatro Espanol and Hotel Me, at Plaza Santa Ana beginning at 20.00 on the 13th of March.

www.americascup.com

STAMM HITS THE DOLDRUMS, DALTON TAKES A PIT STOP
'The end of the southern hemisphere is quite hard. Yesterday, the wind was supposed to come from the side while dropping, but it came from directly on the nose, even sometime to the north-west and very light, but with very big squalls and heavy rain, big windshifts and gusts up to 30 knots. It was a perfect day!' joked the race leader.

Having all the fanciest navigation and weather-forecasting technology in the world means nothing when you are negotiating the Doldrums. Weather forecasts are next to useless, and the best you can do is literally look as far as the horizon and try to guess what the clouds have in store for you.

Today, however, Stamm has been sailing through steadier conditions. 'Now it is much better, the sky is clear and I am able to head to the 'next' Doldrums.' And then the battle will start all over again.

Still, he's managed to hold his own against Koji Shiraishi in second place, with Cheminees-Poujoulat sitting on a very comfortable cushion of 1935 miles' lead, according to the 1500 hours position report today.

* Just a day after Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR) pulled into Ushuaia to fix - among other things - his broken mainsail headcar, Graham Dalton (NZL) has suffered the same breakage aboard A Southern Man AGD. The New Zealander is making his way towards Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands, and he has made contact with the Fisheries Department to request assistance as he draws nearer.

Like Knox-Johnston, Dalton said that he needed to pull in to repair the headboard car before negotiating the expected headwinds going northwards up the Atlantic. Upwind sailing exerts the most force on the headcar and without it there would be a danger of the whole sail ripping away from the mast, so it would be foolhardy for Dalton to continue in the boat's current state.

www.velux5oceans.com

SLAM-WINNING APPLIANCES JJ GILTINAN INTERNATIONAL
Defending champions Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Nathan Ellis have taken the lead in the 18ft Skiff Championship following their narrow victory in Fiat in Race 3 of the regatta on Sydney Harbour today.

Fiat crossed the finish line just 4secs ahead of John Winning Jr and his appliancesonline.com.au team with Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin) a further 22secs back in third place.

The Fiat team now have a score of nine points, followed by Club Marine (Euan Mc Nicol) on 11, Gotta Love It 7 on 13, Asko Appliances (Hugh Stodart) on 22, Active Air-2UE (John Sweeny) 23 and Pegasus Racing (Howie Hamlin) 25.

Placed behind the top three today were Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris) fourth, Asko Appliances and Pegasus Racing sixth. -- Frank Quealey

* Photos in the Scuttlebutt Europe Photo Gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

RS:X SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
News Tom Ashley (NZL) won the ISAF Grade C1 RS:X South American Championships, showing great form in the predominantly light airs in Buzios, Brazil. In second place overall, Brazil's Ricardo Santos won the South American title.

The five day regatta concluded early this morning in Brazil. 20 sailors competed in the Men's RS:X fleet with representatives from an impressive 14 countries. Ashley, who won silver at last year's RS:X World Champs, only finished outside the top four in one of the eleven races, recording three wins, three seconds and three third places. The standard of competition was high with local windsurfer Santos second and Joao Rodrigues (POR) in third overall. 'The regatta was held in mostly light wind and was a very tough physical contest, with 11 races sailed in five days,' said Ashley, a member of the Yachting New Zealand Olympic Squad.

www.broadlyboats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5513

BELL LAWRIE SCOTTISH SERIES
The Clyde Cruising Club held a drinks reception at the Dublin Boat Show on Saturday 17th February to publicise the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series 2007, Scotland's biggest yacht racing event. The four day regatta takes place from Friday 25th to Monday 28th May 2007 in Tarbert, Loch Fyne on the west coast of Scotland.

Commodore Jim McIlraith explained the format of the annual event, which has racing for 14 separate classes on three different race courses in the scenic waters of Loch Fyne. There's also a pre-regatta Tarbert Inbound Race, which sets off from Bangor on Thursday 24th May. With easy flight links between Irish airports and Glasgow and Prestwick and marina berths at Troon, Inverkip, Largs, Ardrossan, there's the opportunity to base a yacht on the Clyde for a couple of months and enjoy cruising around the islands too.

For those without access to their own boat, this year Sunsail Largs has made its fleet of Sunfast 37 yachts available for the Scottish Series, offering sailors the opportunity to charter a yacht and compete at Scotland's biggest race week. The yachts can also be chartered with a professional skipper and crew, enabling businesses entertain corporate guests or groups of novice sailors to get together and enjoy an exciting day's yacht racing on the Clyde.

Talisker, who have been a race-course sponsor for 5 years, have extended their support and are sponsoring the Talisker Marquee ashore this year. The marquee is the focal point for all the parties in Tarbert after racing, starting with the daily prize-giving and continuing long into the night with live bands playing Thursday to Sunday evenings. ing in the clear waters of Loch Fyne.

The Bell Lawrie Scottish Series attracts around 200 visiting yachts to the picturesque West Coast village of Tarbert, plus over 1,200 crew who truly bring the normally quiet village to life over the racing weekend.

Further details and Race entry forms for this year's Bell Lawrie Scottish Series are available now from the Clyde Cruising Club website: www.clyde.org

THE SAILOR KING TURNS 70
HM King Harald, skipper on Fram XVI and ORC's Honorary President, will celebrate his 70th birthday February 21. Celebrities and royalties from all over the world are coming to the Norwegian capital to celebrate the monarch both on Wednesday and in the weekend. An extensive program is planed for the king.

His sailing season for 2007 is also extensive. Together with his Fram-team the popular monarch will sail his second season in the competitive TP52 class, and the world in Sardinia will be a natural high for the team. Even though the TP 52 season is pretty hectic, he will also start in the World Championship in IMS in his home waters of Hanko with Fram XIV.

On behalf of all our members and sailors world wide, ORC wishes to congratulate HMK Harald with his birthday.

DUBLIN DELIGHTS AT EXTREME LAUNCH
Long queues formed at the Dublin Boat Show in Ireland last week as Irishman Justin Slattery, bowman of the winning entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, ABN AMRO ONE, signed scores of copies of Life at the Extreme, the official book of the race.

And if one session of signings at the Windmill Stand wasn't enough, Slattery joined forces at the Viking Marine stand the next day with fellow countryman, David Branigan, who worked with Oskar Kihlborg as official photographer to the race, to add their signatures to even more copies.

Sales of the book at one stage reached over 1,000 euros in 10 minutes at the official launch after Slattery and Branigan were guests of Today with Pat Kenny, Ireland's largest radio show, held earlier that morning.

Media and friends of the race were invited to attend the launch of the book, written by acclaimed Australian author, Rob Mundle.

The appreciative boat show crowd kept Slattery and Branigan occupied for an hour and a half.

Life at the Extreme, published by Nomad Press, is available to buy onine at www.volvooceanrace.org/booksanddvds/book/ or from leading online and high street book stores for $44.95 ref ISBN: 0977129489.

BOL D'OR MIRABAUD 2007
Geneva, Switzerland: The Bol d'Or - the traditional sailing regatta round Lake Geneva - will take place on 16th and 17th June. For its sixty-ninth edition, the Organising Committee has pleasure in presenting its partners: Mirabaud, which confirms its commitment as the main sponsor, and Girard-Perregaux, the presenting sponsor.

The event will now officially be called: The 'Bol d'Or Mirabaud, presented by Girard-Perregaux'.

Mirabaud has been involved in the Bol d'Or since 2005 as the main sponsor, and is one of the oldest banking establishments in Switzerland. The company was created in 1791 and is one of the rare authentic Swiss watchmakers.

The 2007 edition of the Bol d'Or Mirabaud will bring together the classes which made this regatta on Lake Geneva internationally famous (Decision 35, Ventilo M2, Psaros 40, Toucans). Other international classes are expected. -- Bernard Schopfer

FROM GITANA TO GITANA 13
Gitana 13, the Gitana Team's new multihull, was launched on 30 January at Vannes. But this 33-metre maxi-catamaran, skippered by Lionel Lemonchois, will not be the stable's only newcomer during 2007. Armed with his solo experience gained on the recent Route de Rhum aboard Gitana 12, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent will this season be at the helm of Figaro, Domaine du Mont d'Arbois, marking the return of the monohulls to the Gitana story. As for Gitana 11, the 60-foot trimaran that triumphed in the Route du Rhum, she'll be taking part in the 2007 Orma programme which has as its highpoint the Transat Jacques Vabre, contested double-handed at the end of the season, but still with Lionel Lemonchois at the controls.

April 2007 will also offer an opportunity to delve into the history of all these legendary boats, from Gitana to Gitana 13, courtesy of a book to be published by Editions du Chêne retracing the history of the Gitanas. A unique iconography will illustrate the family's love affair with sailing spanning over a century.

Gitana vessels have been turning heads since 1876: the steam schooners on the waters of Lake Leman with Baroness Adolphe de Rothschild, then Baron Edmond's monohulls, and lastly the multihulls of his son, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild. In 2006, Lionel Lemonchois offered the Rothschild Family a superb victory thanks to his performance in the Route du Rhum / La Banque Postale, which is sure to forever remain a highpoint in the Gitana history. But the story goes on and the team run since March 2006 by the sailor Loick Peyron has just welcomed some new arrivals in the shape of the maxi-catamaran Gitana 13 and a figaro, Domaine du Mont d'Arbois.

While it will be difficult for Gitana 13 to compete with the latest-generation G class vessels like Groupama-3 or the future Banque Populaire-5, she remains nonetheless a boat with a stunning track record. Consequently, the catamaran will test out the modifications made this winter by having a tilt at two early-season records: La Route de la Decouverte, Cadix-San Salvador (held by Steve Fosset on Playstation in 9 days, 13 h, 30 m and 18s) and Miami-New York (2 days 5h 54 m 42s). Depending on Gitana 11's sporting programme, it's possible that her stable mate will also attempt other symbolic records during the 2007 season. But Gitana 13 will also be dedicated to initiation and discovery courtesy of a programme that should start to take shape come 2008...

www.gitana-team.com

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 Suzie Marwood: Good to see the world of sailing untouched by political correctness. Fascinating to see that the entrants for La Solitaire Affelu le Figaro comprised "rookies, women and foreigners". Gosh, I can imagine that some would qualify as being all three.

* From Ed Alcock: The report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) into the sinking of the yacht "Megawat" off coast of Northern Ireland - 25 May 2005 is available at the following link to their site: www.mcib.ie/reports/?thisID=1907

On the 26 May 2005 the yacht "Megawat" sank following failure of the rudderstock. The craft was sailing from Dublin to Scotland in 20/30 knots of wind when a loud bang was heard, the steering failed and the craft began to take on water. The liferaft was deployed to allow transfer to another yacht "Quite Correct" which was in the vicinity. The liferaft failed to inflate. The crew were successfully transferred using the inflatable tender belonging, to "Quite Correct". The yacht "Megawat" sank in approximately 40 minutes.

Anyone involved in installing or using a stock mounted auto pilot or liferaft should read it.

THE LAST WORD
Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room. -- Sir Winston Churchill

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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