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STAMM ON COURSE FOR WEEKEND ARRIVAL
On a leg that must seem to have gone on forever, this being the start of the seventh week at seas for the boats, finally the waypoint Bernard Stamm is looking at on his computer-driven navigation system is the leg 2 finish port of Norfolk, Virginia. This morning's position update shows this to be 1770 miles away for the Swiss-born skipper and his Open 60 Cheminees Poujoulat.

After a painless Doldrums crossing and now into the brisk northeasterly trade winds, Stamm has been eating up the miles over the weekend having put almost 800 miles more on his lead over second placed Kojiro Shiraishi on Spirit of Yukoh, whom he now leads by a massive 2,755 miles. This morning Bernard is at the same latitude as the Grenadine Islands in the Caribbean and has covered 368 miles in the last 24. However this is set to reduce as he must cross an area of light winds between two systems once he is to the north of the Caribbean. Once he is through this then Bernard should be back up to speed once again, sailing in strong southeasterly winds generated by a high pressure system to his northeast. This should make for a fast passage north to Norfolk, where he should arrive this coming weekend.

His worst predicament is with his watermaker. This has been broken for several days now and as a result Bernard was forced to catch water in his reefed mainsail as he sailed across the Doldrums. This is providing a good source of drinking water - and Bernard reckons, enough to get him to the finish - even through coming off the mainsail it is quite salty. However seven weeks at sea have taken their toll on his body. This morning Bernard was complaining of rashes on his legs and back and for this he does need less salty water. "I have a skin problem due to the sun and the salt so I will try to repair the watermaker to rinse my body." Bernard says this is not something he normally experiences and has come about from wearing nothing between his skin and his foulweather gear.

www.velux5oceans.com

CAYARD HAS BIG PLANS FOR WORLD SAILING LEAGUE
Cayard sees the World Sailing League as more similar to the popular NASCAR series than elite Formula One auto racing.

"In both of these events, there are no limits to technological research and no limits on spending. In that kind of competition, whether car or boat racing, the teams with the larger budgets generally do the best. We want the sailors to make the difference. At the same time we will make it more exciting than the America's Cup as these boats will be doing three times the speed."

"In a nutshell, Russell and I want to create an event for non-connoisseurs of sailing that the general public can be excited about. We will race close to shore in big impressive fast boats, in short races lasting 30 minutes. We will create a level playing field in similar boats built at a reasonable cost, with a national identity. That will make for an extremely competitive event."

Cayard hopes that San Francisco will be one of the cities on the WSL circuit.

"I really want (the Bay Area) to be (involved)," he said. "In order to be selected, cities will have to provide some services and infrastructure. Hopefully, San Francisco will see the value of being part of the global sailing circuit.

"If the city has an interest it would be great if it came to us. We are planning on presenting the project to the city. We won't do that next week, but maybe later this year when we get all our marketing materials in order."

The prototype catamaran, by French designers Mark van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Pr}vost, will be launched later this year. The fleet will be built in 2008 in time for the startup of WSL competition in 2009.

WSL won't be a career for the faint of heart.

"The boats will be sailing at 40 miles per hour, flying one of the hulls 20 feet up in the air," Cayard said.

"Potentially the boats could do a thing called a pitchpole. Going through the leeward (downwind) mark, if the tip of the leeward hull digs into the water, the boat can flip on itself. The crew up 20 feet above the water can get catapulted through the air and can land 100 feet away from the boat. You're sailing at a speed of 40 mph, but the action becomes more like 40 squared. We think that at this speed the sailors will have to wear body armor similar to American football." -- Full article by Jan Pehrson at www.marinij.com/fastsearchresults/ci_5275189

WSL site is at www.wsl2009.com

NEXUS NX2 LOOKS SET FOR A BUSY 2007 SEASON
Nexus Marine has confirmed that the three latest X35s to be launched in the UK will be fitted with Nexus NX2 instrumentation systems. Key factors in this success were said to be the accuracy of the data, ease of calibration, the high levels of support provided by Nexus and value for money. The company has also reported a series of orders for the new NXR Grand Prix system from boats of 40 feet plus in length.

Nexus will be providing its owners with shoreside support at the season's major races and regattas, and in association with Rib-X and Suzuki will also have an on the water service for the speedy resolution of any last-minute issues. Event dates will shortly be available on the Silva Ltd website, along with further information on the Nexus product line.

www.silva.ltd.uk

DN ICEBOAT WORLD GOLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
Top ten results of the 2007 World Gold Cup held on February 18 -20, 2007 on Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Menominee, Michigan USA:

1. Matt Struble, USA, 10 points
2. Tomas Lindgren, SWE, 14
3. Bernd Zeiger, GER, 25
4. Ron Sherry, USA, 28
5. John Dennis, USA, 32
6. Mishal Burczynski, POL, 45
7. Jakob Schneider, POL, 53
8. John Harper, USA, 57
9. Pawel Burczynski, POL, 61
10. Tomasz Zakrzewski, POL, 70

Full results at idniyra.org

LASER MIDWINTERS EAST: TUNNICLIFFE PIPS RAILEY TO THE TITLE
Clearwater, Florida, USA: The ISAF Grade 1 Laser Midwinters East came down to a final race shoot out in Florida as Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) got the better of team mate and rival Paige Railey (USA) to take the Laser Radial title on countback. In the Laser fleet, world #1 Paul Goodison (GBR) secured a more comfortable victory with a double bullet finish.

Tunnicliffe and 2006 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Railey had been a class apart in their respective qualifying fleets, winning nine of the ten races between them to both move into the gold fleet on a perfect four points.

In the 88 strong Laser fleet, Brits Nick Thompson and Goodison led after the qualifying series, and from there the world #1 took control. Goodison took three bullets from the five gold fleet races to score victory by ten points. Thompson was less consistent and slipped back to third place overall, as Bernard Luttmer (CAN) moved up to take second.

Victory in the 19 strong Laser 4.7 fleet went to Cameron Hall (USA). Daivd Alfonso (PUR) was second, with Alex Anderson (IVB) third. -- ISAF, sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1lFnAuq8&format=popup

Top five Lasers:
1. Paul Goodison, GBR, 19 points
2. Bernard Luttmer, CAN, 29
3. Nick Thompson, GBR, 31
4. Andrew Campbell, USA, 31
5. Brad Funk, USA, 34

Top five Radial Class:
1. Anna Tunnicliffe, USA, 15
2. Paige Railey, USA, 15
3. Gintare Volungeviciute, LTU, 19
4. Lisa Ross, CAN, 38
5. Keamia Rasa, CAN, 71

www.clwyc.org/LaserMidwintersEast07/

AN ABSORBING INTEREST
The America's Cup starts today . . . with the purchase of the fully illustrated, two volume history of the event by Bob Fisher. The records of all the races, including the elimination events, and the stories behind the duels and the men who engaged in them are to be found in "An Absorbing Interest - the America's Cup 1851-2003, a history." Full details from: www.wiley.com/go/americas

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Sailor Tony Rae is going into his sixth America's Cup with unfinished business on his mind.

Rae knows all about the ups and downs of fighting it out for the Auld Mug.

He is the most experienced member of Team New Zealand's sailing crew and the only one who can trace his cup career back to New Zealand's debut effort in Western Australia in 1986-7.

Bar the big boat-versus-catamaran mismatch in 1988, he has been in a New Zealand syndicate at every cup regatta since, including the triumphant 1995 campaign in San Diego.

But it's the nagging disappointment of the last time around, in Auckland four years ago, that will provide him with the most motivation over the coming months in Spain.

Rae was part of the Team NZ crew whitewashed 5-0 by Swiss challenger Alinghi in early 2003.

To add insult to injury, the defenders failed to finish two of the races because of equipment failure.

"Obviously, it was a huge disappointment for us and I feel I'm still getting over it," Rae said.

"We thought we had a pretty good boat and we were on track, but the way it turned out with the amount of breakages we had -- which was shock to all of us - was pretty hard to take."

In the countdown to the start of the challengers' series in mid-April, Rae and the rest of the Team NZ's crew are heading to Spain over the course of the coming week.

Their race boats, NZL84 and NZL92, were freighted by air from Auckland last week, and the team's sailing programme in Valencia is due to start on March 5. -- New Zealand Press Association, full article at www.xtramsn.co.nz/sport/0,,12021-6999329,00.html

CHARLES CAUDRELIER JOINS MARC GUILLEMOT
Paris, France: The new Safran monohull racing boat will cross the starting line of the Jacques Vabre Transat (Le Havre - Salvador de Bahia) on November 3 with skipper Marc Guillemot joined by Charles Caudrelier, winner of the Le Figaro-Afflelou solo race in 2004

Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier will be writing the first chapter in the competition career of the new Safran monohull, which will be launched in May of this year. They will be sailing together in the first sea trials, and will discover all the power and elegance of the brand-new Safran Open 60 monohull. Together, they will go into regular training in preparation for the Jacques Vabre Transat starting on November 3, 2007. In addition to open sea trials off La Trinite, and regular training runs at the Port-la-Foret center, the duo will be participating in the Calais Round Britain Race, then in the Record SNSM (Saint Nazaire - Saint-Malo) in June, and in the Rolex Fastnet Race in July.

It was back in 1990 at the end of the "La Solitaire du Figaro" solo race that Marc Guillemot first crossed paths with Charles Caudrelier. To participate in the legendary summer race that year, Marc had rented the Figaro Beneteau from Charles' father. Quite naturally, Marc asked Charles to ferry the boat from La Rochelle back to Concarneau. Ten years later, chance brought them together again, this time on the same boat, the La Trinitaine 60-footer, during the Grand Prix de Fecamp race.

PINEAPPLE CUP MONTEGO BAY RACE
Montego Bay, Jamaica: With all but one of the Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race entrants having posted finish times, the 811-mile distance race from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Montego Bay, Jamaica, has officially concluded for 2007. Bob Towse's Reichel/Pugh 66' Blue Yankee (Stamford, Conn.) won the seven-boat IRC Class A, while Michael Brennan's Reichel/Pugh 45' Sjambok (Annapolis, Md.) won the seven-boat IRC Class B and took home the Silver Seahorse Trophy as top performing IRC boat in the fleet. Frank Kern's J/120 Carinthia (Detroit, Mich.), which won the seven-boat PHRF class, also had the best overall performance for PHRF to win the Silver Pineapple Cup Perpetual. Twenty boats signed up for the biennial classic, ranging from the 81-foot Bon Bon (ex. Carrera) to the 30-foot The Cone of Silence. In heavy winds, the yacht Captivity, a Langan 78 owned by Samuel Byrne of Hamilton, Mass., was dismasted in the first hours of the race. The crew reported no injuries but had to put in to Guantanamo Bay.

True to its form for the past two years, the event delivered a thrilling sleigh ride through the Bahamas and the Windward Passage to Jamaica.

By 6 p.m. on Monday, February 19th, eight boats had crossed the finish line in what was perhaps the most exciting finish the race has ever seen. In a rare sight, six spinnakers appeared over the horizon and approached the finish line in a close group. Titan 12, the course record holder from the 2005 race, took line honors (three days, 15 hours, 15 minutes and 58 seconds), but behind her Bon Bon and Blue Yankee raced neck and neck in an attempt for second place. Bon Bon won the battle by a mere 26 seconds and Harrier finished across the line only three minutes behind Blue Yankee. -- Barby MacGowan

www.montegobayrace.com

30TH ZWITSERLEVEN ROUND TEXEL RACE
Texel, Netherlands: The 30th Zwitserleven Round Texel Race in the Netherlands shows several innovations. First, the recreational sailors will have their own classification, the so called silver fleet. That means they don't need a measurement form and they pay a lower entry fee, which makes participation in world's biggest cat race more economical. The party tent is the second change, as the new licensee and caterer will restore the original social atmosphere. As of March 6th, all participants can register for the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2007, that will start on June 23rd.

Despite the two classes, the whole fleet starts together, so the sensation of hundreds of colourful catamarans on one line remains the same. Recreational entry fee is 100 euro, whereas the competitive racers pay 110 euro. In addition, the Golden Fleet competitors still have to meet the requirements for participation. Foreigners only need a measurement form, but Dutch equips also need a starting license, eventually a sponsor certificate and a membership at a sailing club that is associated with the Royal Netherlands Sailing Federation. All of this gives them the right to participate in the official Dutch Championship Catamaran Sailing, called the Texel Dutch Open, commencing on June 20th. That competition runs over three days. -- Diana Bogaards

www.roundtexel.com

DRAGON EDINBURGH CUP & SOUTH COAST CHAMPIONSHIP
The British Dragon class is going from strength to strength with increased participation among the regional fleets and a strong presence on the international circuit. To reflect this resurgence of interest, from 30 June to 7 July 2007, the 2007 Dragon South Coast Championship and Edinburgh Cup will be hosted for the first time by the Yacht Clubs of Weymouth in association with the Solent Dragon Fleet.

These back to back events will be the highlight of the 2007 British Dragon season and 40+ boats from across the UK and Europe are expected to compete. In addition a number of teams from the rapidly growing Russian fleet will be challenging for the historic Edinburgh Cup.

The Edinburgh Cup was presented to the Dragon Class in 1949 by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, then owner of the Dragon "Bluebottle". This perpetual trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Dragon Open British National Championship and is regarded as one of the most prestigious trophies in British yachting.

Racing for the South Coast Championship will take place from 1st to 3rd July with six races scheduled over the three days. The Edinburgh Cup will be raced from 4th to 7th July and again six races are scheduled over the four days. The boats will be moored along the quayside in Weymouth Harbour with social events being hosted by the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, Weymouth Sailing Club and Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy.

For further information about the 2007 Dragon South Coast Championship and Edinburgh Cup please visit www.edinburghcup07.co.uk

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 Michael Sheppard-Capurro: As someone involved in installing stock mounted autopilots, I followed Ed Alcock's advice and read the MCIB report into the sinking of the yacht Megawat.

Much attention is paid to the peripheral factors, such as the use of copper-based antifouling, lack of watertight bulkheads, imperfect machining of the rudder stock's surface, use and positioning of an unauthorised tiller arm for the autopilot. Meanwhile, why no mention in the report itself of how the rate of water ingress was so great in spite of the presence of the rudder stock's stand-up tube? The owner offers the information that there was a hole in the bottom of the boat presumably where the tube had been. Is it not likely that the rudder hit something and that the impact broke the (weakened?) stock and tore the tube out of the bottom of the boat? A loud bang followed by failure of the steering suggests a more sudden breakage than would occur as a result of fatigue while working. Surely a fatigue breakage would have resulted in steering failure followed by the bang (drag ripping out the tube)?

Should investigations such as this one not try to identify the likely sequence of events leading to a sinking rather than merely seek to catalogue the technical shortcomings which may or may not have contributed to it and make some (admittedly valid) recommendations? What about a recommendation against using spade rudders in cruising yachts?

THE LAST WORD
In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and the police takes the place of the pirates. -- Michel Foucault

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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