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ACURA MIAMI GRAND PRIX
Miami Beach, Florida, USA: All four classes came down to the final day and none was more exciting than the professional-laden Farr 40. Warpath, sailed by the father-son team of Fred and Steve Howe, posted a second in Race 8 to move into first place then protected a narrow two-point lead in the ninth and final race to capture the Rolex North American Championship.

It was an impressive comeback for Warpath, which stood ninth in the 16-boat fleet after the opening day.

Alinghi, the Swiss-based syndicate headed by billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, placed fourth overall to secure the Acura Grand Prix Championship for the Farr 40 class. Alinghi, the current holder of the America's Cup, won Acura Key West 2007 in dominating fashion then followed with another strong result here in Miami to post the lowest combined score for the two winter regattas organized by Premiere Racing.

No boat did better in the Acura Grand Prix Championship than the Melges 32 Let's Roll. The Italian entry, skippered by Claudio Recchi, scorched the fleet in Key West then put forth an equally impressive performance in also winning here in Miami.

Samba Pa Ti was another double-winner, capturing IRC class here in Miami and also garnering the Acura Grand Prix Championship for that class. Skipper John Kilroy seized the lead on the second day of this regatta and never relinquished it despite heavy pressure from Magic Glove, a Ker 50 owned by Colm Barrington of Dublin, Ireland.

Final Class Standings after 9 Races - Top 3 Boats in Class

IRC (with discard)
1. Samba Pa Ti, TP52, John Kilroy, USA, 16 points
2. Magic Glove, Ker 50, Colm Barrington, IRL, 19
3. Windquest, TP52, Doug DeVos, USA, 24

Farr 40 (Rolex National Championship - with no discard)
1. Warpath, Fred & Steve Howe, USA, 43
2. Twins, Erik Maris, USA, 45
3. Nanoq, HRH Prince Frederik, DEN, 49

Melges 32 (with discard)
1. Let's Roll, Claudio Recchi, ITA, 15
2. Star, Jeff Ecklund, USA, 20
3. New Wave, Carroll/Kullman, USA, 25

Mumm 30 (with no discard)
1. Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, Monaco, 14
2. Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas, USA, 20
3. Champosa, Jonathan McDonagh, USA, 28

www.premiere-racing.com

* Photos by Ingrid Abery at http://www.hotcapers.com and in the Scuttlebutt Europe photo gallery, scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

HARKEN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MATCH RACING REGATTA
A relieved and very excited Nicky Souter has taken back to back wins in the Harken Women's International and has delivered the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club its third consecutive win with a 3-1 result in this afternoon's final on Sydney Harbour.

With rarely more than one boat length between the defending champion Souter and her worthy opponent, Jessica Smyth from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron who was unrelenting heading into today's semis finals, the finals were spectacularly close.

Souter beat RPAYC club mate Nina Curtis 2-0 in the semi finals while Smyth knocked CYCA's Meghan Andrew out of the second semi with the same result, thereby setting up the final showdown between the two top ranked skippers.

Now in its third year, the RPAYC in Pittwater on Sydney's northern beaches has a clean sweep of the Harken International Women's Match Racing Regatta trophies with Katie Spithill winning the inaugural regatta and Souter, sponsored by Musto, following up with back to back wins.

The next regatta on the women's match racing circuit is the New Zealand Women's Match Racing Championship from 19-22 April when Souter and her crew will head to Auckland where they will again come up against Jess Smyth, this time on her home turf. - Lisa Ratcliff

Final results: www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/HARKEN_finals_07.xls

AN ABSORBING INTEREST
Despite Frank Zappa's personal observation (Scuttlebutt Europe #1179), here's one book that will not make you sleepy. "An Absorbing Interest - The America's Cup 1851-2003, a history" contains all the details of the number one event in yachting, over the past 152 years - the truths and the lies, the facts and the fiction are all in the lavishly illustrated two volumes. It will keep you awake. Full details of Bob Fisher's book at: www.wiley.com/go/americas

JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT WINTER CHALLENGE SERIES FINAL
The grand final of the JPMorgan Asset Management Winter Challenge Match Racing Series saw the British teams dominate proceedings at the Queen Mary Sailing Club, Staines this weekend (9-11 March), with 'comeback kid' Andy Green taking victory.

The round robin on Friday and Saturday saw close racing, and some upsets as the teams battled hard to secure a place in the semi-final.

An international field including the only women's team led by France's Claire Leroy, lined up against a strong Scandinavian presence consisting of Finland's Jon Eriksson, world number ten Staffan Lindberg and Sweden's world number eight Bjorn Hansen, as well five British teams and an entry from Switzerland.

The biggest upset of the weekend came during the final round robin match. The pre event favourites, last year's winner and European Champion Staffan Lindberg (FIN) and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) were tied and went into a deciding knock out race. Hansen took the win, securing his place in the semi-final. Eric Monnin (SUI), and Britain's Mark Campbell James and Andy Green progressed with ease to the semis, each losing just two races.

The final on Sunday saw excellent racing conditions with a southerly 15-knot breeze allowing for some fast and close match racing. Andy Green dominated his semi-final races against Eric Monnin (SUI), taking three straight wins.

The final was an intense competition between Green and Campbell James. Campbell James, sailing with Andy Yates, Andy Clark and Dave Mason, took the first race, with Green's team of Mark Williams, Jonathan Taylor and Graham Sunderland pulling the lead back in the final run to secure the next. The final tiebreaker was close, the boats were neck and neck until Green rounded the last mark just ahead of Campbell James, an excellent hoist saw the team accelerate away and take the victory and the overall title.

Final Rankings
1. Andy Green, GBR, Jonathon Taylor, Graham Sunderland, Mark Williams
2. Mark Campbell James, GBR, Andy Yates, Andy Green, Dave Mason
3. Eric Monnin, SUI, Loris Von Siebenthal, Marc Monnin, Jean Claude Monnin, Simon Brugger
4. Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Mathias Hermansson, Pontus Meijer, Mattias Bredin
5. Staffan Lindberg, FIN, Daniel Walberg, Magnus Hansson, Carl Johan Uckelstam
6. Jon Pinner, GBR, Christian Hamilton, Tom Haywood, Jeremy Fowke
7. Nick Cherry, GBR, Nick Houchin, Tom Odell, Connor Myant
8. John Greeland, GBR, Tim Burnel, Charlie Cumberly, Nick Butt
9. Jon Eriksson, FIN, Pasi Palmu, Jan Marrsson, Peter Anton
10. Claire Leroy, FRA, Opheile Thoron, Elodie Bertrand, Morgane Gautier, Marie Riou

www.rya.org.uk

* Photo by Paul Wyeth at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/
Look in the Other Events section.

GLOBAL OCEAN RACE POSTPONED
The latest missive to prospective skippers of the forthcoming Global Ocean Race from organisers announces the postponement of the start of the first race. This solo/doublehanded 40 and 50ft round the world race with stopovers was scheduled to start this September:

As many of you know we have been in protracted discussions with the Portuguese city of Lisbon for the last 10 months and we have traveled there for meetings on 8 different occasions.

Our most recent visit was two weeks ago and despite our best efforts we were informed that due to a local government corruption scandal that occurred there in early February (that involved specifically the Vice-Mayor with whom we had been dealing) that they were unsure if they could carry out their sponsorship of the event. This of course was shocking news to us.

The good news is that our plan B is rapidly bearing fruit. We have been holding concurrent talks with the city of Portimao in the Algarve region of Portugal. After Lisbon delivered their news we immediately contacted them and have been in negotiation with them for the last two weeks.

Due to a busy event calendar in 2007 and for budgetary reasons, we have agreed with Portimao that the GOC will in fact be postponed one year and the start will now be in September 2008.

Having also been contacted by many potential entries requesting a delayed start to allow more time for sponsorship seeking and boat construction/preparation, we expect the fleet to be even larger in 2008 than in 2007. For one it does not conflict with the Route du Rhum, an event that has attracted many Class 40 entries.

As soon as we have announced this deal with Portimao we will be issuing our Notice of Race which has been ready for a while now and we will be formally opening up the entry inscription.

Full text at: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070212141532ywnews.html

GOC site: www.globaloceanchallenge.com

WANT TO BREAK SOME PERSONAL RECORDS, NOT THE BANK?
What is it about Nexus Marine racing instruments that has won them so much attention in such a short space of time? It's a question we've been asking our ever-growing community of satisfied customers.

For some it has been the consistent accuracy of the data they receive, while for others it has been the incredibly easy-to-use yet effective 'steer by the needle" instrument read-out. For many more it is the combination of technical excellence and value for money offered by a manufacturer determined to ensure that all the benefits of the latest technology are made accessible to sail racers everywhere. If you want to break some personal records, and not the bank, contact UK distributor Silva Ltd on 01506 406277, or via www.silva.ltd.uk

GIORGIO FALCK MEMORIAL REGATTA
Scarlino, Italy: The north easterly winds gusting to 35-40 knots on Sunday morning led to an early conclusion of the final day of racing at the "Memorial Giorgio Falck" organized by the Club Nautico Scarlino and reserved to the Swan 45 class. The final victory went to the Americans on Vixen helmed by her owner Dick Weismann who kept the Italians' attempts to threaten her lead at bay. Second place for Startrading (Stefano Masi) and third for Kora 3 (Enrico Scerni).

The last race of the regatta took place on Saturday and turned out to be the toughest and most spectacular of the series. 11 boats battling a northeasterly blowing at 30 knots ensured plenty of cavorting on the flat seas of the Gulf of Follonica. Well handled risky broaching and numerous ripped sails plagued all the crews, but most of the fleet managed to finish the race in truly challenging conditions.

Final Scoreboard after 12 races (2 discards)

1. Vixen, Dick Weismann, USA, 24 points
2. Startrading Stefano Masi, ITA, 33
3. Kora 3, Enrico Scerni, ITA, 34
4. Atlantica, Carlo Perrone, ITA, 44
5. Talj, Vittorio Ruggiero, ITA, 44
6. Jeroboam Ca'Nova, Vittorio Codecasa, ITA, 48
7. Charisma, Nico Poons, NED, 63
8. Cuor di Leone, Leonardo Ferragamo, ITA, 68
9. T.Too-Pilot, Francesco Martino, ITA, 70
10. Mandolino, Diego Visconti, ITA, 73
11. Blue Nights, Tea Ekengren, FIN, 85

www.clubnauticoscarlino.com

GIPSY MOTH MEETS THE NAVY
After being threatened by pirates in the Gulf of Aden in February, the crew of Gipsy Moth IV were certainly glad to meet up with the Royal Navy frigate HMS Cornwall and Royal Fleet Auxiliary replenishment ship RFA Fort Austin. Gipsy Moth met the vessels off the coast of East Africa as she headed north towards the Red Sea.

HMS Cornwall and RFA Fort Austin were patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and located Gipsy Moth IV with the use of Cornwall's Lynx helicopter. The Royal Navy vessels were operating as part of Combined Task Force 150, the coalition maritime force that conducts maritime security operations (MSO) in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean. Coalition maritime forces in the area conduct MSO under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping could operate freely while transiting the region.

Young members of Gipsy Moth's crew took the opportunity to come onboard HMS Cornwall for a shower and some hearty Navy food before having a tour around the ship. Two of HMS Cornwall's Marine Engineers, Chief Petty Officer Briggs and Petty Officer Winfindale, took the opportunity to give the Gipsy Moth crew a helping hand by fixing their defective water making equipment.

www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070207155237ymgipsymoth.html

GROUPAMA'S 2007 PROGRAM
Last Friday, Franck Cammas and Roger Lair, responsible for Groupama sponsoring, revealed the next season's program for trimarans Groupama 2 and Groupama 3. A busy calendar, alternating new record attempts - five on the 2007 program - fully crewed and solo offshore races, and new events such as the Fastnet race. For Franck and his team, 2007 is the start of a new maritime adventure with the maxi trimaran, launched last June. The ORMA program, which as been going on for 10 years is still on the schedule for Groupama in 2007.

Hitting the water last week, after nearly three months of winter refit, Groupama 3 is now ready for the first year of its record breaking campaign.

2007, five records on the program:

After a week of trial navigations off the Lorient coast, Franck and his nine crew members will quickly set sail for Spain. The "Columbus Route", first record of the campaign will also stand as a test for the last-born of the G Class. From March 26th, Team Groupama will be standby in Cadiz for its first trans-Atlantic crossing. Then, from the end of May - beginning of June, the maxi trimaran will stay in Florida, attempting to break the Miami - New York record.

Franck and his men will later attack one of the most famous records: the North Atlantic crossing (New York - Lizard Point). Back in Europe at the end of July, the maxi trimaran will be taken out of the water for a short period, before going back to its element to get ready for the Jules Verne Trophy. From December 3rd, Team Groupama will be standby for its first round the world. Beautiful program!

Throughout the year, Franck and his team will try to break a fifth record within the four introduced above, the longest distance covered in 24 hours. The current record holder, Bruno Peyron, covered a distance of 766, 8 miles in July 2006.

For this ambitious program, Franck Cammas and Franck Proffit, in charge of the operations for Groupama 3, put together an experienced sailing crew: Steve Ravussin, who will be watch captain on board Groupama 3 such as the two Franck, Sebastien Audigane, Yann Guichard, Ronan Le Goff, Hugues Destremau, Bruno Jeanjean, Yann Dekker, Stephane Guilbaud, Frederic Le Peutrec and Daniel Souben. Also part of the sailing crew, Pascal Blouin and Loic Le Mignon, both permanent members of Team Groupama.

Weather wise, Jean-Yves Bernot will be the router for Groupama 3. Onshore, in his office of La Rochelle, Jean-Yves, called the wizard, will collaborate with Marcel Van Triest, the navigator on board.

The final crew for the Jules Verne Trophy will only be announced after the first four records.

Groupama 2 first objective: Transat Jacques Vabre

Watch captain and helmsman on board Groupama 3, the Swiss Steve Ravussin was also chosen by Franck Cammas to be his co-skipper for the Transat Jacques Vabre, main event of the 2007 ORMA season. But before this great appointment at the end of the year, a fully crewed race starting from Lorient is on the ORMA program in May. The ORMA season will then go on with the SNSM Trophy, the Douarnenez Challenge and the Rolex Fastnet Race, leaving from Cowes.

www.cammas-groupama.com

TEAM NZ DISMISSES DAMAGE RUMOURS
Team New Zealand were due to sail both its America's Cup boats today following rumours NZL92 received structural damage last week.

Sailing websites have been speculating about damage to the boat, suggesting it had limped back to its Valencia base after an outing and stayed behind closed doors ever since.

The New Zealand Herald reported that Team New Zealand dismissed the rumours, saying a forecast storm meant the boats went out early and returned early before being put in a shed.

After a day of maintenance NZL84 was raced on Friday leaving NZL92 ashore while the syndicate had the weekend off.

www.stuff.co.nz/3991323a1823.html

STOLEN MOODY 44
Jeanie Marie, a Moody 44 CC sloop with white hull and superstructure, and teak decks has been stolen from Hamble, Hampshire.

The yacht, which is to believed to have gone missing during early February from Pile No. J23 on the Hamble River, bears a hull identification no. MPPGB105F696, yard no. D6122. She is British registered (no. 900290) and was stolen complete with Avon six-person liferaft which also has a serial number K83L968. She also has an inboard Volvo Penta MD22 50hp diesel engine.

If you have any information that could help the owner track down the stolen yacht please contact the Marine Unit at the Hamshire Police on 0845 0454545. C Claims - Marine Loss Adjusters - say there is a reward for the recovery of the yacht (subject to their usual conditions).

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 Bruce Kirby: In response to D. Baker's letter on Archbishop Tutu helping the South African AC team, I can recall that during races my father, who sailed very well and attended church (in the winter) would frequently invoke the name of the Lord when he had blown the start or missed a couple of early shifts. With grand fortissimo he would address either or both God the Father and Christ the Son, (not usually troubling the Holy Ghost unless the situation was truly dire) But it was surprising how often the opposition would be so distracted - horrified or amused - by these invocations that they would lose concentration and allow us to slip reverently into the lead.

THE LAST WORD
The intermediate stage between socialism and capitalism is alcoholism. -- Norman Brenner

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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