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SOLO SAILING STUDY SHOWS HOW HUMANS COPE WITH STRESS
Bernard Stamm, a seemingly invincible Swiss sailor, has been leading the Velux 5 Oceans solo around-the-world yacht race since the start. But he may finally be reaching his limit - and that is exactly what a group of researchers from a British university are looking to document, by using psychological tests developed by NASA to find out how the human mind copes with life-threatening situations.

Though the study relies almost entirely on interviews and self-administered tests, psychologists for NASA said the findings could benefit their astronaut training program.

"We're trying to identify some of the common characteristics of people who consistently think clearly and perform under extreme conditions," said Michael Tipton, the organizer of the study at the University of Portsmouth's department of sports and exercise science. He said the results of the study, which requires all five sailors in the 30,150-nautical-mile race to take a weekly cognitive test, would help to better select and train people working in other extreme professions, including search and rescue squads, the military and the oil industry.

Portsmouth's study involves questionnaires sent to the sailors weekly via e-mail. The questions are designed to cull information about the sailors' mood and the conditions they are working under. Portsmouth bases its mental tests on a model that NASA created to assess its astronauts' ability to work effectively under high stress. Psychologists for the space agency are now interested in the Portsmouth study.

"A huge amount can be gleaned from these guys," said Dr. Albert A. Harrison, an behavioral health adviser to NASA. "They are isolated, and under a tremendous amount of stress."

He added that solo sailing was one of the few high-risk activities in which sleep deprivation could be documented, and that the information would be helpful in preparing for moonwalks and even potential "spam in the can" missions to Mars, in which a single astronaut would take a nearly three-year journey in a small craft to the planet. -- Full story by Chris Museler in the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/sports/othersports/22sailing.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

JJ GILTINAN INTERNATIONAL 18FT SKIFF CHAMPIONSHIP
Sydney Harbour, Australia: The young Gotta Love It 7 crew of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Rob Bell showed their skills on Sydney Harbour today when they took out Race 4 of the SLAM-Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan International 18ft Skiff Championship in a nail biting finish from the defending champion team in Fiat.

Gotta Love It 7 took the victory by just 5secs from Fiat (Michael Coxon) with Pegasus Racing (Howie Hamlin) only eight more secs. back in third place.

Fourth placed Asko Appliances (Hugh Stodart) was 6secs further back, followed by appliancesonline.com.au (John Winning Jr) and Fisher & Paykel (Andrew Cuddihy).

The win puts Gotta Love It 7 into second place over all on 14 points while Fiat retains the lead on 11.

Another NE sea breeze greeted the 32-strong fleet for today's race with crews split on their choice of rigs.

Race 5 will be sailed Thursday and the final two races on Saturday and Sunday. -- Frank Quealey

Top ten after four races:
1. Fiat, Michael Coxon, AUS, 11 points
2. Gotta Love It, Seve Jarvin, AUS, 14
3. appliancesonline.com.au, John Winning Jr, AUS, 24
4. Club Marine, Euan McNicol, AUS, 25
5. Asko Appliances, Hugh Stodart, AUS, 26
6. Pegasus Racing, Howie Hamlin, USA, 28
7. Active Air-2UE, John Sweeny, AUS, 34
8. Macquarie Real Estate, Micah Lane, AUS, 39
9. Omega Smeg, Daniel Phillips, AUS, 40
10. Fisher & Paykel, Andrew Cuddihy, AUS, 52

www.18footers.com.au

RACING ABANDONED AT SEAWIND F18 WORLDS
The firmly established ridge on the Queensland coast continues to deliver strong winds to the Capricorn Coast.

Overnight at Yeppoon, the site of the Seawind F18 Worlds, winds gusted to 30 knots. This morning the wind eased but as black clouds rolled north, the pressure lifts on the leading edge and the gusts increased.

An AP went up early and at 1pm local time, racing was abandoned for the day with wind gusting into the low 30's.

Race Co-ordinator Mark Laruffa commented, 'The forecast looks good at 15-20 for the next two days and organisers are scheduling four races each day, with a mid day break.' -- Rob Kothe

www.2007f18worlds.com.au

BALTIC SPRINT CUP 2007
The parties have begun! The Baltic Sprint Cup starts in Copenhagen on 20th July - meanwhile, skippers and crews and race officials 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

NEW NAUTICAL MILE RECORD
The WSSR Council announces ratification of a new World Record:

World Nautical Mile Record
Bjorn Dunkerbeck
31st October 2006
41.14 knots at Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Board was a"Proof Custom" with a 6.3m North Warp sail.

Previous record was 39.97kts, Finian Maynard BVI, Oct 2005, Walvis Bay, Namibia

This is the final record ratification from Walvis Bay 2006. The event tally of records is:

2 World Nautical Mile records
2 World KiteSail records
6 National Outright records
12 National Outright Nautical Mile records
3 National KiteSail records

John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council

LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE
* Team New Zealand's race yachts are on their way to Valencia, stowed in the massive hold of an Antonov cargo aircraft.

The Antonov AN124-100 left Auckland at daybreak and will make refuelling stops in Sydney, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur, Karachi and Istanbul on a 56-hour journey to Valencia where it will arrive on Saturday morning.

Team shore crew and engineers carefully loaded the aircraft on Tuesday. The shrink-wrapped yachts, masts, keels and bulbs were accompanied by several tones of gear and sails.

Much of Team NZ's shore crew and administration staff are already in Valencia, and Dalton is due to depart on Friday. The sailing crew is scheduled to leave at the end of the month.

Testing of NZL 84 and NZL 92 off Valencia is expected to start on March 5, about a month out from the final build-up regatta - Louis Vuitton Act 13.

* BMW ORACLE Racing's USA 98 is on the way to Valencia, Spain on board an Antonov cargo plane. The team's new boat will be delivered to the base in Valencia later in the week.

Scott Sandford, the team's New Zealand logistics manager, oversaw the pack-up and trucking of the new America's Cup Class yacht to the airport in Auckland today. USA 98, the masts and appendages are being loaded onto the cargo plane tonight. The plane will depart New Zealand tomorrow.

PORTOFINO PANTS
For a night out with the crew or for racing off Valencia, these canvas pants are perfect for all activities. This modern, classic, Italian design is also great for crew dress uniforms!

The Portofino Pants are made from 9 oz. brushed, soft cotton canvas. They have a relaxed fit with plain front, hemmed legs, zipper fly, belt loops, two deep side pockets, and two stitched rear-pockets with Velcro closures. They are designed with a double seat for protection and gusseted crotch for full range of motion. The stone colored front and mist gray or khaki back give these pants a unique look. www.camet.com

SCHOONERS METEOR AND BORKUMRIFF IV JOIN PALMA SUPERYACHT CUP
Additional yacht entries to confirm this week include the 50m schooner Borkumriff IV and 51m Meteor. Borkumriff was designed by Gerard Dijkstra and John G Alden and built at Royal Huisman in Holland in 2002. The other new entry is Royal Huisman's latest showpiece, also designed by Dijkstra and Alden, the 51m Gaff rigged schooner 'Meteor'. The yacht is due to be completed in the near future and is aiming to be delivered in time for the America's Cup in Valencia as well as taking part in The Superyacht Cup. The two traditional style yachts have both been designed with performance in mind and it will be an interesting display against some of their smaller, more modern designed rivals.

Ready to capture the action on the water from every angle, Kos Picture Source have been appointed as photographic media partner and supplier of images to The Superyacht Cup. Kos Picture Source represent 30 of the leading marine photographers.

The Superyacht Cup incorporating The New Zealand Millennium Cup currently already has over 40 entries and is expecting up to 60 yachts over 30m LOA. It will be held at Dique del Oeste in Palma, Mallorca, June 16 -19th 2007. -- Kate Branagh

www.thesuperyachtcup.com and www.kospictures.com

BACARDI CUP
The Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta expands its reach drawing teams from China and Croatia for the first time in its 80- year history. Early registrants for the six-day race series include former Star Class World Champions and Olympic Medalists from 19 countries.

Former Bacardi Cup champions in the early sign-up include 2004 winner Afonso Domingos of Portugal, seven-time winner and Olympian Mark Reynolds of California, two-time winner and Olympian Peter Bromby of Bermuda, and John Dane and Austin Sperry, defending champions from Mississippi.

The 2007 Bacardi Cup Regatta will be sailed March 4 through March 9. It is co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the U.S. Sailing Center, both based in Coconut Grove, and sponsored by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.

This race for the Trofeo Bacardi originated in Havana, Cuba in 1927 and the tradition flourished until political unrest forced Bacardi to leave Cuba in the late 1950's, subsequently taking the company's sailing competition out of the country as well.

In 1962, the Regatta found a new home in Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, where it has continued to sail ever since. The Bacardi Cup remains one of the few Cuban-born sporting events to survive in the United States.

The Notice of Race, Online Registration, and further regatta information can be found online at www.starclass.org

From BYM News: www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=4056

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Quantum Sail Design Group is pleased to announce that Guy Standbridge has joined the Group. He will be based at the newly acquired service loft in Palma where he will work with Spike Thomson and his team.

Standbridge will focus on super yacht sails for Quantum. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the sailing, fitting out, and project management of large racing and cruising yachts to the task. Standbridge will work with the new Structural Membrane manufacturing facility in Palma to further develop Quantum's super yacht sails.

* The first ever Mumbai Boat Show opens this week, 22 February, with British businesses playing a key role. British involvement has been crucial - the British Marine Federation (BMF) not only helped set up the new Indian Marine Federation, but the BMF International Team and the team who run the London and Southampton Boat Shows have helped the Mumbai Boat Show organisers with sales, technical and marketing advice. The BMF is also partnering the central pool at the event and will run a number of events on the water including RC model Laser racing.

The British leisure marine industry will have a strong presence at the show, with 17 UK companies exhibiting out of a total of 55. -- www.bymnews.com

* Ancasta's South of France office, Port Napoleon, has been appointed as a dealer for the Rodman range. The dealership will handle all ranges of Rodman boats including fishing, sports fishing and flybridge yachts, plus the new Muse range.

Ancasta's Mediterranean office, Port Napoleon, is based at the well developed marina in Port Saint Louis in the estuary of the Rhone. The offices are in easy reach of the Cote d'Azur, Corsica, Balearics, Cote d' Amethyste, Cote Vermeille and Spain. -- IBI news, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070121120008ibinews.html

* Brian O'Sullivan, Chairman of the Irish Marine Federation, told a group at the Dublin Boat Show last week that development of Ireland's marine industry is being hampered by a lack of facilities and infrastructure. O'Sullivan said that general economic growth in Ireland has pushed boat ownership upwards from a small base to an industry that is valued at about 630m Euros.

But in major harbours like Dublin and Cork, O'Sullivan said, it is very difficult for new owners to find slip or mooring spaces. O'Sullivan added that the lack of launch ramps, moorings and marinas, with some developments blocked by planning objections, is preventing increased public access to the water and that this needs to be resolved. -- www.ibinews.com

* YachtWorld and Boats.com have announced a media and marketing partnership with the new Antibes Yacht Show (AYS) which takes place over the Easter holiday from 6th - 9th April 2007.

With immediate effect YachtWorld will provide links to and from the AYS web site giving visitors the ability to research a vast collection of new and used power and sailing yachts. Recently revealed as the most visited marine web site, YachtWorld will offer its international community of visitors the ability to link through to http://www.antibesyachtshow.com to access the extensive information about this exciting new show on the Cote d'Azur, the centre of the Mediterranean yachting world.

The new show takes place in Port Vauban and will cover a wide spectrum of exhibits from tenders to superyachts for sale and charter. -- www.boats.com / www.yachtworld.com

* The 1st Egypt International Boat Show is to take place at El Gouna's Abu Ti Marina later this year, courtesy of event organiser Marine de Cleopatra.

The show, which runs from June 6-10, will cover an area of nearly 1,000m2 on land, with around 126 berths on water. A wide variety of boats will be on hand, including an extensive range of power, sail and superyachts. Exhibitors will also be displaying a large selection of brand-name marine equipment and instruments, engines, accessories and more.

The show, which is supported by the Arab Marine Industry Association (AMIA), will be promoted extensively to buyers throughout the Gulf States, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

For more information, visit the boat show website at www.egyptboatshow.com

* Sardinia Yacht Services (SYS) of Porto Cervo, Italy has teamed up with the University of Sassari's Facolta di Economia e imprese del turismo di Olbia to sponsor a convention on nautical tourism in Sardinia later this year.

Held at the Olbia Airport convention centre on the Costa Smeralda, the one-day event will cover topics relating to the importance of nautical tourism on the country's local economy. Participants will include local politicians, port authorities, charter committees, suppliers and more.

The one-day conference is scheduled to run from 9.00-14.00 on Saturday, March 3, 2007. -- ibinews.com

THE LAST WORD
A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience. -- John Updike

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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