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HIGH STAKES AND RENEWED RIVALRIES
The stakes will be high when the 2007 Acura Miami Grand Prix starts on March 8. For many of the programs, it signals a resumption of their Key West battles. In addition to renewed rivalries and Miami class championships, the Acura Grand Prix Awards will double the race course drama. The Farr 40 class will also have their National Championship at stake.

The Acura Grand Prix Awards will be presented to the boats with the lowest combined cumulative points for Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix. Given the stature of both events and the competitiveness of these four grand prix groups, the Farr 40, Mumm 30, Melges 32 and IRC winners will be special champions.

Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino is the defending Farr 40 2006 Acura Grand Prix Champion. Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi won this year in Key West handily. An America's Cup warm-up in Miami? Onorato is a Valencia challenger with Cup winning skipper Russell Coutts as his tactician. Bertarelli is the well known defender and has Brad Butterworth as his Miami tactician.

Given a 10 race series with no discard, anything could happen in the Farr 40 class. In addition to Alinghi and Mascalzone Latino, contenders for the Farr 40 2007 Acura Grand Prix award are Flash Gordon, Twins, Opus One and Nerone.

The IRC big boat class is loaded with possibilities. Dan Meyers' Farr 60 Numbers recent one point Key West win over Edgar Cato's Hissar in the IRC 1 class has him tied on points with Magic Glove, Colm Barrington's new Ker 50 (Dublin, Ireland). Magic Glove also had a one point win in IRC 2.

All but one of the sixteen high-performance Melges 32s were on the line in Key West. Italian Claudio Recchi's impressive win last January makes Let's Roll the boat to beat. Mike Carroll and Marty Kullman's New Wave (St. Petersburg, FL), Jeff Ecklund's Star (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), and Simon Williams' Fresh Guidance (Newport, RI) are close enough in points to be serious contenders for the combined trophy. Williams has World Champion Bill Hardesty on board in Miami.

Watch for a good battle between the Netherlands based Mean Machine (Peter DeRidder) crew and the Santa Barbara, California crew on Groovederci (Deneen Demourkas). Demourkas is the defending Acura Grand Prix champion and DeRidder is the defending Miami class champ, winning in 2006 by just 2 points. He recently was second in Key West, a tie-breaker away from the class win. The Mumm 30s also race with no discard.

Racing is March 8 - 11.

www.Premiere-Racing.com

JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT WINTER CHALLENGE WOMEN'S FINAL
Last weekend (23-25 February) saw fifty of the world's top women's match racers descend on Queen Mary's Sailing Club in Staines for the JPMorgan Asset Management Winter Challenge Women's final.

Expectations were high for world number one Claire Leroy (FRA), who is the only woman to have secured a place in the grand final in March, yet it was the outsiders, led by fifteenth ranked Silja Lehtinen (FIN) that stole the show, securing the title away from the event favourite.

Leroy qualified for the semi final with ease during the round robin series, along with Lehtinen. Also securing their places in the semi-final were world number two Lotte Petersen (DEN) and Swedish national champion Jenny Axhedle.

The series culminates with the Grand Final on 9-11 March. The qualifiers have featured many teams from the top of the World Match Race rankings with sailors representing twelve different nations. The teams through to the final have had to fight hard for their places, with several lesser-ranked match racers beating the top teams to secure their chance to become the overall winners of the series.

Overall Results:

1. Silja Lehtinen, FIN
2. Claire Leroy, FRA
3. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN
4. Jenny Axhede, SWE
5. Gemma Farrell, GBR
6. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED
7. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
8. Josie Gibson, GBR
9. Mary O'Loughlin, IRL
10. Katie Archer, GBR

rya.org.uk

THE NEW GENERATION OF B&G INSTRUMENTS PREMIERS IN EUROPE AND US
The new UK launched X-41 is among the first few yachts worldwide to be fitted with H3000, the new generation of B&G instruments. Further H3000 systems will be onboard six X-35's in Europe within a month and H3000 was recently installed on the Bermudan based Swan 42 'Morgan's Ghost', with four of the five Swan 42's built to date now using B&G.

B&G, the electronics name synonymous with quality and performance, introduced the H3000 instrument system to offer new ways of visualising sailing data through unique bonded display technology with graphical data representation, for both serious cruisers and racers.

www.bandg.com

NEW CLASSIC YACHT EVENT AT THE ITALIAN RIVIERA
Imperia, the Ligurian city who is hosting the 'Vele d'Epoca' race week with more than 100 traditional yachts participating has now decided to offer the port facilities to host a new event at the beginning of the Mediterranean season : 1st 'Imperia Classic Yacht Meeting' from the 27th of April to the 1st of May 2007.

It is planned to involve the sister city: Newport, Rhode Island, USA to take part in the organisation of an event that is set to bring together all lovers of traditional vessels and seamanship.

Assonautica Imperia will be hosting this event together with partners from the yacht charter and brokerage sector as well as official support from the region and also from international supporters. The meeting will be hosting trade visitors such as yacht charter brokers or yacht suppliers to have the opportunity to talk at length to the captains and the crews on board as well as to all visitors. Individual yacht owners are also invited to exhibit their boats to show them off to brokers or buyers.

The meeting will be partly open also to the public to get at least a glimpse of some of the most beautiful boats ever built in history. The event is overlapping with the annual Genoa Charter Show this year. Genoa's Molo Vecchio has more requests for dockage for the charter event than they can accommodate and Imperia could as well take off some of the pressure and host the classic yachts in a unique setting and with ample dock space.

Visitors to the Genoa show will have the opportunity to take a shuttle service to and back from Imperia free of charge.

www.imperiaclassicyachts.com

HEINEKEN REGATTA
The preliminary numbers are in, and they are impressive. The 27th annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta begins this Thursday, and race officials have divided the 256 entrants into 20 preliminary classes that promise to deliver close, competitive racing across the entire fleet.

It's not every year that entrants get the opportunity to share a race course and swap tacks with not one, but two winners of ocean racing's most coveted prize. But that will be the case with the 2007 Heineken, which has attracted the victor of the 2006 Volvo Ocean Race, New Zealand's Mike "Moose" Sanderson, and his invincible Volvo 70, ABN AMRO ONE. Sanderson and his able crew will be assisted by another Volvo champion, American John Kostecki, who skippered illbruck to the winner's circle in the 2002 round-the-world race.

Racing for all twenty St. Maarten Heineken divisions begins on Friday. This year, for the first time ever, there will also be competition on Thursday. The Thursday racing - for the Commodores Cup, sponsored by Budget Marine - will be scored as a separate regatta, and will not affect the overall standings.

When the starting guns sound on Friday, all 256 boats will be on the course vying for victory in their respective divisions. Among the top race boats are a pair of yachts that made history in the prestigious 2006 Newport-Bermuda Race, and will hope to replicate their winning ways in the blue waters of the Caribbean. A local entry, Lagoon Marina Synergy, a Frers 49 that once competed in the famed Admiral's Cup, was a division winner in the Newport-Bermuda classic and was also honored with the inaugural Carleton Mitchell Finesterre Trophy as the yacht with the best corrected time in the Cruiser Division.

In the Bigboats 2 class, local hero Randy West will once again be skippering the Carpenter 64, Van Ki Pass, aboard which he chased and found glory in the Newport-Bermuda Race, winning his class in the veteran yacht's first offshore race after an extensive refit. With her varnished wood hull, Van Ki Pass can and does stand out in any fleet of racers. Another Bermuda veteran, Clay Deutsch aboard his well-sailed Swan 68, Chippewa, will be teeing it up against West and his mates.

An exhibition class is comprised of three former America's Cup-contending 12-Meters, which always add a visual treat to the race course. -- From BYM News, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=4296

Event site: www.heinekenregatta.com

SWAN 601 ARTEMIS IS AVAILABLE FOR CHARTER FOR THE 2007 SEASON
This is a rare opportunity to charter this 2005 stunning high performance German Frers-designed Swan. Sporting full carbon composite construction and renowned Nautor Styling, Artemis will provide you with the ultimate racing experience. She is fully race-prepared to the highest standard and raring to go.

Racing with a maximum crew of 16, Artemis is available for Caribbean and UK based race charters and corporate entertainment. She will also be available in the Mediterranean for America's Cup 2007 series viewing.

Please contact Peter Bresnan on +44799097081 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ISAF IN-HOUSE CERTIFICATION
Some of the world's leading sailing nations have joined the ISAF In-House Certification programme (IHC), which aims to make getting out on the water and racing as simple as possible. Since the launch of the IHC last year several Olympic Classes and leading manufactures have also joined the programme.

The IHC programme will give sailors the opportunity to buy equipment which is race legal at the point of purchase. ISAF is aiming to implement an international system of IHC, giving sailors worldwide the benefits of self-certificated equipment - principally savings in time and cost.

The basic structure of IHC incorporates ISAF Classes, Member National Authorities (MNAs) and manufactures as the key stakeholders. Since the launch of the IHC programme last year, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the USA have all joined the development of the programme.

The IHC centres around a Certification System allowing the builder to self-certify their equipment at the point of manufacture - but only once their have met a designated standard. Each nation or region will have an IHC Authorizing Authority (AA) approved by ISAF (normally the MNA), which will approve, contract and audit builders with Certification Systems. ISAF Classes involved in the IHC will ensure their class rules are suitable for IHC and assist the development of control methods and training.

Classes already involved include the 49er, 470, Finn, RS:X, Tornado and Yngling Olympic Classes, as well as the 29er, Formula 18 and Hobie 16 and Tiger.

Classes, MNAs and manufacturers that would like to become involved in or find out more about the IHC programme should contact the ISAF Technical Department to obtain an ISAF IHC Pack, or visit the ISAF IHC microsite at www.sailing.org/ihc

DOUBLE HANDED RACE SPONSORSHIP
Southampton, England: The Royal Southampton Yacht Club is pleased to announce that title sponsorship of the forthcoming Southampton to Santander Double Handed race has been awarded to Sail Ventures Ltd, builders of the Owen Clarke designed Class 40 yacht the 'Express 40'. The race, run in collaboration with the Real Club Maritimo de Santander, is to be known as:

The Southampton - Santander Express 2007.

Starting on Saturday, June 30 2007, the challenging 510 mile course will take competitors from the Solent, outside Ushant and across the Bay of Biscay to Santander in northern Spain. The race is expected to take about four days and the RCMS will host a prize-giving dinner on Friday, July 6.

Inspired by the Brixham to Santander race which took place until 2001, this event builds on the RSYC's highly successful Double Handed series, the premier such series in the UK.

For further information, follow the links to the Notice of Race and Newsletter on the RSYC racing website www.rsyc.org.uk/racing, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact the Sailing Secretary on +44 (0)23 80223352.

LAUNCHINGS
* If you've been to Cherbourg recently and noticed a boat that appears to be sailing with the hull upright but its rig canted over, don't attribute it to stretchy rigging or too much alcohol: there really is such a boat.

The Cogito is the brainchild of French engineer Guy Broquaire, who came up with the idea of attaching the rig to the twin keels via a metal ring inside the boat, roughly where the main bulkhead would normally be. The ring rotates independently of the hull, so as the rig heels to the wind and is balanced by the keels, the hull stays upright - or almost upright. The idea is that the crew can control the angle of heel to a maximum of around 10 degrees.

Because the hull stays more-or-less upright, it can be a different shape to one designed to sail at the normal 20 or 30 degrees, having a fuller stern for more accommodation.

Cogito stands for COntrole de la GITe Optimise (optimized heel control).

Full article by David Harding / Practical Boat Owner, along with a link to a video of the boat: www.pbo.co.uk/auto/newsdesk/20070127162328pboyacht.html

More at www.voiliers-cogito.fr

* African Cats BV introduces the first fossil fuel free sailing yacht. In the continuing search to reduce consumption of fossil fuels African Cats produces the all electric FastCat 435 sailing catamaran. This catamaran has a lower weight and because of that can sail faster than the diesel version and it does not use any fossil fuel for propulsion.

The break thru became possible because of Vector-K built FastCat 435 combined with the new developed Lithium Ion batteries (optional) or the standard absorbed glass mat and the new designed light weight brushless electric motors 9.2 KW and the fact that FastCat 435 Vector-K sails well under very light wind conditions (10 kn. at 90 degrees app. 7,5 kn. boat speed).

Charging: When charging is necessary the motors/generators will recharge the batteries up to 60 amperes per hour while sailing. The electric version is also equipped with dual wind generators and solar panels for continuous additional charging capacity.

voilesnews.fr/en/info_15_7736.html?nid=38000230

* Le Breton Yachts has announced that the first SIG45 will be launched in the Spring of 2008. Construction will be in 100% carbon fibre by Indiana Yachting in Italy. The first owner plans to race the boat extensively in Europe and North America.

Inspired by the achievements of the great French ocean multihull racers, the design brief for the new SIG45 had three requirements: the yacht had to incorporate the latest in racing multihull design; it had to provide simple, elegant accommodation for 6, and above all, it had to look stunning.

Le Breton Yachts brought together a talented team for the project. Naval architecture and styling are by Van Peteghem Lauriot Prevost (VPLP), who applied design innovations direct from their latest racing yachts (the SIG45 shares her bows with Groupama 2, winner of the 2006 Multicup championship). Interior design is by award-winning designer Bjorn Johansson, and racing legend Bruno Peyron brings over 20 years of ocean racing experience to the design and rig and deck layout.

voilesnews.fr/en/info_15_7769.html?nid=38000230

* When the newly built, 140-foot traditional sailing vessel "Spirit of South Carolina" finally splashes down on Sunday, March 4, it will offer a unique portal into the region's history, but it will also present a window of opportunity for tackling some vexing problems facing the state's school systems.

Almost six years in the making, this elegant, robust vessel -- envisioned originally as a means of rekindling interest in Charleston South Carolina's rich maritime heritage -- will become the first genuine wooden sailing ship to be built here in more than 100 years.

The 150-ton Spirit of South Carolina has been designed and built along the lines of the traditional pilot schooners that served as a vital component of the region's busy mercantile scene in the 18th and 19th centuries. Like its forerunners, this ship has been built with traditional methods, including lumber grown in South Carolina, and this ship will also have a crucial function -- serving to deepen and enhance the education of young students from around the state.

Beginning in the fall of this year, the Spirit of South Carolina will enter service as a sail training vessel, accommodating fifth and six grade students on day sails out of Charleston and elsewhere along the South Carolina coast. The ship will be staffed with a captain and several mates, as well as a number of purposely trained educators. Math and science lessons will comprise the primary curriculum for these students, but those lessons will also incorporate an understanding of the history and culture of the region.

The Spirit of South Carolina is scheduled to launch on the Cooper River on Sunday, March 4 at 12:00 p.m.

www.scmaritime.org

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 Carl Cramer, Publisher, Wooden Boat magazine: re: Water Wags claim as oldest one design: We can quibble -- and I would be happy to. But the FIRST one-design class was the North Haven Dinghy from North Haven, Maine, in 1884.

Being second-best isn't all bad.

THE LAST WORD
I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers. -- Mahatma Gandhi

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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