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FIRST BREAK
Of the 11 competitors in the Calais Round Britain race, a lively Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) has been head of the fleet since 08:00 hours Monday morning. "We can see Vincent Riou abeam of us. He's been a great pacesetter since the middle of the night! Ahead of us last night we saw cargo ships, fog, fishermen and fifty metres of visibility... We made a lot of manoeuvres between gennaker and spinnaker in very variable winds and passed very close to a trawler in the fog. At the moment we have good weather and reaching conditions ".

Right on his tail Vincent Riou (PRB) sounded equally upbeat, with everything onboard running like clockwork. " I'm already studying the weather files to see what lies in store for us for getting to Ireland. It should be fairly quiet! We will have to continue reaching until we get to Ireland. For the time being it's a drag race for us and we're already well organised into watches. Last night, we managed to break away from the others by following the direct route and outside we have sun, flat seas and fifteen knots of wind on the beam. We've got away from Dominique Wavre a little but we are currently alongside Jean Le Cam ."

In third place, 16 miles behind the top duo, Swiss sailor Dominique Wavre on Temenos has gradually been losing a little ground on the leaders over the course of the day, despite doing very well overnight.

Bernard Stamm (Cheminees Poujoulat) is just hanging onto the leaders by the skin of his teeth, after a tough tiring night pouring over the chart table. Finally able to get some sleep at lunch time today it was Conrad Humphreys who answered our call from Press HQ in Calais. " We've got wind on the beam and we're making 15 knots. It's a little light at the moment. Last night was very tactical. We headed up towards the South coast of England and Bernard did a good job of avoiding getting too near because there were too many boats close to the coast.

We did hit a very, very light patch of wind off Beachy Head though. I think we worked well as a team though we haven't had much rest and we're all learning about the boat and the other crew members. Bernard is tired as he was navigating all night. The plan is to reach stronger winds off the Scillies. In the next 24 hours the wind will fill in slightly forward and the boat speed will increase. At the Scillies there will be strong tides and then we'll have to concentrate on the right wind angle and speed to the Fastnet. " -- Laurence Dacoury / Kate Jennings

Rankings as of 20h50 4 June

1. VM Materiaux, Jean Le Cam, 1490.70 nm to finish
2. PRB, Vincent Riou, 4.80 nm to leader
3. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, 26.50
4. Cheminees Poujoulat, Bernard Stamm, 70.00
5. Aviva, Dee Caffari, 93.20
6. Artemis Ocean Racing, Jonny Malbon, 101.30
7. Roxy, Samantha Davies, 107.80
8. Akena Verandas, Arnaud Boissieres, 111.30
9. Delta Dore, Jeremie Beyou, 135.30
10. Generali, Yann Elies, 150.70
11. Maisonneuve, Alexandre Toulorge, 154.60

calaisroundbritainrace.com

* Editor: Surely one of the best event websites this year, in French and English (the latter from our old friend Kate Jennings), one of the best features is the race tracker, which is using Google Earth. Direct URL: www.netandsea.com/crbr2007/index.php

ENTRIES PASS 50 AT METRE REGATTA
Entries for the Metre Class Centenary Regatta topped 50 this week, as yachts built to the one-hundred year old Metre Rule are preparing to travel from around the world to the Solent for the July celebrations of the formula which has spawned so many famous yachts, classes, and challenges since it was first introduced in 1907. Several dozen 6-Metres will be taking part, going into this event straight from their World Championships in the previous week. The class is fiercely competitive despite the fact that many of the yachts were built in the 1920s and 30s, and the oldest entered so far, Cailin, was built in 1913.

Today's total entry of 8-Metres stands at eight, with several more entries to follow, and includes the 1931-build Saskia which is being shipped to Cowes from Australia.

A clutch of 5.5 and 5 metres are also entered, as are - so far - three 12-Metres Kelpie, Italia, and the 1957 British America's Cup Contender Sceptre. The event is also being celebrated by the 2.4-metre class, a one-man hull, of which thirteen are already entered. As well as the 50+ crewed entries, even the One-Metre class will make an appearance, raced by their shorebased radio operators in the sheltered confines of Cowes Harbour.

A fleet of Darings, which are built to the Metre Rule, will also be taking part.

The Metre Regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, is part of a festival of Classic and Metre racing which, as well as this event, includes the 6 Metre World Championships and the British Classic Yacht Club Regatta in Cowes, and the 8 Metre World Championships on the Clyde in Scotland.

A number of historic trophies are to be awarded, and other prizes are generously provided by regatta partners Harken, SLAM, and Spinlock.

The Metre Rule was first drawn up in 1907, which marked the beginning of an era of competitive racing, the most well recognized being the America's Cup which was raced in 12-metre yachts between 1958 and 1987. The 6-metre class also raced in good numbers throughout the first half of the 20th Century and now all the Metre classes are enjoying a resurgence, many having undergone immaculate restorations.

www.rys.org.uk/metreregatta

IF THE CUP RETURNS TO AUCKLAND
Considering the performance they are delivering right now, TNZ can seriously hope to win the Cup.

If they do, and if the Auld Mug returns to Auckland, despite they have indicated they are keen to continue, several syndicates have reservations about their involvement in the next America's Cup.

Nobody actually said "if Team New Zealand win, we won't be in the next Cup" but some came very close.

"If it goes to New Zealand we may not do it", said Shosholoza's Mark Sadler after their dream of a place in the LV Cup semi-finals faded with a loss against the Spanish home team. "We want it to stay in Europe."

With several German sponsors, South Africa's first challenge showed a clear preference for another Cup in Europe.

"Most probably Alinghi will win again and if they do, it is not final, but 99% sure, that the next Cup will be in Valencia", said captain Salvatore Sarno, team founder and managing director. "If this is the case I hope that we will be able to launch RSA 101 by February next year and have it ready for the first Acts in May. My plan is that we have a two boat programme and if we can do that we can win the America's Cup."

Desafio Espanol president Agustin Zulueta said after his team's elimination from the challenger series that his team's main sponsor had already decided there will be a Spanish challenge if the cup remains in Europe.

"The question is, if the cup goes to New Zealand," Zulueta said. "New Zealand is a very good place. I was living there when the event was there in 2000. But, obviously, there are not too many Spanish companies interested in going there in terms of a return on their investment".

"It's better for us if Alinghi win", added Desafío Español president. "However, Desafio Espanol, on its own, will try and go to New Zealand if that is the case".

The German syndicate has said it intends to move forward but Syndicate head Michael Scheeren said that "the engagement of their) sponsor is very much depending on the future venue".

"If it goes to New Zealand, we can't go on," told his home country's media Ralph Dommermuth, the founder and chief executive of one of the German team's main sponsors.

"There is no reason why Team New Zealand would not hold some regattas in Europe in the lead-up to the next event", said New Zealand Herald journalist Julie Ash. "If that happened, then it might encourage some sponsors with an interest in the European market to stay involved".

But, until a winner is found in this event, a number of teams' futures lie in the balance.

CupinEurope.com www.cupineurope.com/NewsEN/2007/AC33.htm, citing the New Zealand Herald: www.nzherald.co.nz

BE IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE SPECTATOR FLEET IN VALENCIA!
Our Shosholoza team spectator boat still operates - every race day until the end of the America's Cup Match. Morning briefing on our rooftop terrace overlooking Alinghi and Luna Rossa. Official "event flag" puts us in the reserved area closest to the start box and laylines. Live AC TV on board. Full buffet lunch with drinks. Expert commentators. All the fun you would expect from "The Soul of Sailing". Many hotels available, we can help. GROUPS WELCOME.

Reserve tickets online at www.cupexperience.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

CAP ISTANBUL
Everyone's behind Kone Elevators! Nocilas Berenger and Thierry Chabagny continue their dominance of this second leg across the Ionian Sea in this double-handed race for the Figaro Beneteau class.

The next island the fleet will pass is Cythere (Kythira in modern Greek), on the western boundary of the Sea of Crete. Now just 40 miles from the leaders, the passage will take place Monday night / Tuesday morning. With a further 350 miles to the leg finish at Foca, all is still in play. The leg is a total of 773 miles.

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent and Kito de Pavant lost their place as race leaders this weekend and even fell back as far as 6th in the pecking order before making their way back into second place. The two skippers went looking for wind to the south of their nearest rivals just as conditions unexpectedly changed for the worst. They consequently found themselves standing still without any wind at all for some 3 hours. It then took all their experience and seamanship to climb back up the order throughout Saturday and Sunday.of 3rd. The next 72 hours will be critical in this second stage and for the final standings in Istanbul.

1. Kone Elevators, Nicolas Berenger / Thierry Chabagny, 428 nm to leg finish
2. Domaine du Mont d'Arbois, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent / Kito de Pavant, 26 nm to leader
3. Docteur Valnet, Laurent Pellecuer / Francois Gabart, 27
4. Capitol, Christian Bos / Rodolphe Jacq, 28
5. Bostik, Nicolas Lunven / Oliver Krauss, 32
6. Baiko, Antonio Pedro Da Cruz / Pierre-Yves Collet, 33
7. M@rseille Entreprises, Jean Paul Mouren / Elise Garcin, 37
8. Luisina Design, Eric Drouglazet / Christophe Bouvet, 38
9. TEB, Erwan Tabarly / Romain Attanasio, 39
10. Defi Mousquetaires, Thomas Rouxel / Erwan Israel, 39

www.capistanbul.com

PINDAR OPEN 60 UPDATE
Pindar's first ever new build racing yacht

Pindar's brand new cutting edge Open 60 is nearing completion. Leading British print and electronic media company Pindar has teamed up with ISAF World Sailor of the Year, Mike Sanderson, and cutting edge designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian, to build it's first ever new build racing yacht. Construction began on the innovative Open 60 at TP Cookson's boatyard in New Zealand eight months ago. She will be shipped to the UK with the intention of competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race, before taking part in various other training events in the build up to the Transat Jacques Vabre this November.

Boat Captain Nick Black commented on the status of the yacht: "We have just finished the fairing of the hull and have put the hull and deck together. This is a really busy time in the schedule of the boat build as we bring together all of the different components from our various suppliers, with about 100 people in total working on all the different components."

Pindar's Open 60, whose name is yet to be confirmed, will be one of a number of other brand new Open 60s being built this year. The 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre race is set to be a true test of these Formula 1 machines.-- Kate Fairclough

Photos of the boat in build at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos in the Launchings section

www.pindar.com

A SUPERYACHT SHIPYARD FOR A "SUPER J"..... AND THE FARR 40S
Danish Yacht, specialists in top quality superyacht build, is based in Skagen in Denmark. The shipyard boasts some incredible projects from 45' - 150' plus length overall, including the award-winning new build of the Super J, 'Ranger'. Built from the same line drawings as the original in 1937, Ranger took the prestigious award for 'Highest Technical Achievement in a Sailing Yacht' at the Annual Showboat Awards.

In July, Danish Yacht will be a co-sponsor for the Farr 40 Regatta in Skagen, which is being raced under the burgee of the Royal Danish Yacht Club. The yard will provide lifting and launching, emergency repairs, container storage and support boat berthing for the fleet.

Further information from: Ole Dorum Jensen - Senior Sales Engineer
Danish Yacht, www.danishyacht.com Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

OPEN 470 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thessaloniki, Greece: Racing has begun at the 2007 Open 470 European Championships Men and Women. The event takes place from 1-10 June in front of the Greek ancient city of Thessaloniki, in the shadow of Athens.

The event is open for 470 teams from all countries around the World. The Title of 470 Class European Champion will be granted to the first ranked crew from the zone of European nations and the Mediterranean Basin.

According to last figures this morning, 101 470 Men crews from thirty nations from five continents, and 49 470 Women crews from twenty-three nations from also five continents have registered.

Current European Champions, the French Bonnaud brothers in the 470 Men and Germany's Stefanie Rothweiler and Vivien Kussatz in the 470 Women will meet strong competition to defend their Titles.

Predictions on the outcome for this European Championship event are hard to make. Close to the ISAF Sailing World Championships and the Beijing 2008 Olympics, competition gets stronger. No crews, nor in the 470 Men, nor in the 470 Women show consistency winning major events.

The qualifying series runs from Monday 4 June through Wednesday 6 June. Six racces per group with no more than three races a day. The qualifying series will be extended if six races have not been completed within three days.

Top ten from Monday's races:

Men (3 races sailed)
1. Alvaro Marinho / Miguel Nunes, POR, 5 points
2. Gabrio Zandona / Andrea Trani, ITA, 12
3. Kan Yamada / Kenichi Nakamura, JPN, 13
4. Mikhail Shremetyev / Maxim Sheremetyev, RUS, 13
5. Carl Evans / Peter Burling, NZL, 14
6. Fabien Delahaye / Etienne Bosse, FRA, 15
7. Matias Buhler / Marcos Lamas, ARG, 16
8. Matthias Schmid / Florian Reichstaedter , AUT, 20
9. Karlo Hmeljak / Mitja Nevecny, SLO, 21
10. Nicolas Charbonnier / Olivier Bausset, FRA, 22

Women
1. Stefanie Rottweiler / Vivien Kussatz, GER, 4 points
2. Giulia Conti / Giovanna Micol, ITA, 10
3. Camille Lecointre / Gwendolyn Lemaitre , FRA, 11
4. Daria Blaskiewicz / Geeske Genrich, GER, 12
5. Wakako Tabata / Naomi Kurita, JPN, 16
6. Elisabetta Sacchegg / Elisa Cecconi, ITA, 17
7. Lenka Smidova / Veronika Fenclova, CZE, 17
8. Emanuelle Rol / Anne-Sophie Thilo, SUI, 17
9. Vesna Dekleva Paoli / Klara Maucec, SLO, 20
10. Elise Rechichi / Tessa Parkinson, AUS, 20

Event site: www.ncth.gr/470/

LONDON OLYMPIC LOGO TRIGGERS DEBATE
The "iconic" logo for the 2012 London Olympics was unveiled here on Monday, but critics immediately condemned it as "hideous" and a waste of money.

The jagged emblem, designed to define the image of the Games in five years' time, comes in a series of bright shades of pink, blue, green and orange, and includes the signature five Olympic rings emblazoned onto the "0".

"This is the vision at the very heart of our brand," said London 2012 organising committee chief Sebastian Coe, the former 800m and 1,500m world record holder who won gold in the 1,500 metres at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.

"It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold, and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world," he said at the London launch.

Organisers hope the logo, designed to be instantly recognisable worldwide, will help boost its campaign to raise two billion pounds to stage the Games. -- AFP, via Yahoo News: news.yahoo.com

* In the pantheon of God-awful logos, the London 2012 Olympic one is almost in the same league as ACM's child-scrawl for the Cup. Apparently it spells out the numerical '2012' and we're all supposed to see it as a symbol of hope! And what's more, it cost 500,000 pounds to produce. Presumably class 3c in the local kindergarten are reaping the financial benefits of working with fuzzy felt and crayons for both the Cup and the Olympics...

However, it's quite re-assuring that it's not only in the AC where the lunatics are running the asylum... -- Magnus Wheatley, rule69blog.com

* Editor... I concur, it's dreadful. I shudder to think what the mascot will be. But there is plenty of competition in the "good God, what the hell is that thing" history of Olympic mascots. See www.yakscorner.com/stories/OLY04_mascots.htm

My vote goes for the Berkshire Fancy Rat: www.nfrs.org/types.php?type=marked

NEW WEBSITE FOR COVERCRAFT
Covercraft Ltd, part of the Hamble Group of Companies specialises in the production of all types of protective covers, many that end up on marine applications.

Based in Southampton, Covercraft have a successful record of growth and achievement, producing quality products for MARINE, INDUSTRIAL, MILITARY AND AVIATION industries. Covercraft are proud to have supplied covers for some of the most successful super yachts, including: "Mirabella V" and "Velsheda", in addition to many other famous yachts and power craft around the world.

Covers are made from quality materials by automated computer cutting equipment which offers accurate repeatable panels.

Take a look at the new website at: www.covercraftltd.co.uk

CLIPPER 07-08 ROUND THE WORLD YACHT RACE: FRENCH STOPOVER
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race will stop in France for the first time during the 07-08 Race. The stopover in La Rochelle from 19-23 September coincides with Le Grand Pavois, one of the world's largest floating international boat shows and the ten-strong Clipper fleet will add their presence to the event.

Each of the 68-foot Clipper yachts has an international crew of 18 drawn from all walks of life, the only professional on board being the skipper. Approximately 40 percent of the crew had never sailed before beginning their training for the race, which was established eleven years ago by renowned yachtsman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world.

Each of the yachts in the Clipper 07-08 Race is sponsored by an international city or territory, among them Glasgow, Singapore, Western Australia and Qingdao, the venue for the sailing events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

There is still time for people from France to apply to take part in the Clipper 07-08 Race. It sets off from Liverpool on 16 September 2007 and will last ten months, covering 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometres) and calling into 14 ports en route. The race is divided into seven legs and crew can choose to complete the whole circumnavigation or compete on one or more of the legs. Age is no barrier to taking part, the only stipulation being competitors must be over 18. There is no upper age limit.

clipper-ventures.com

TREASURE SECRETLY LANDED
An American salvage company has been accused of avoiding a British claim for treasure recovered from a wreck off the Scilly Isles. The 500,000 gold and silver coins, reported to be worth over 250 million pounds, were salvaged from a wreck thought to be that of a 17th century merchant ship.

But rather than being landed in the UK and declared to the Receiver of Wreck, the treasure was instead secretly landed in Gibraltar and airfreighted to Florida. Spain, meanwhile, suspects the wreck or its cargo could be Spanish, in which case Madrid could lay a claim to the treasure.

The salvage company said the haul came from an unidentified wreck code named 'Black Swan' which it discovered in international waters 40 miles off Land's End. Shipwreck experts in St Mary's on the Scilly Isles believe the wreck is that of the Merchant Royal, which sank 25 miles off Land's End in 1641 with the loss of her 18-man crew including her captain, John Limbrey.

Motor Boats Monthly: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070431214701mbmnews.html

THE LAST WORD
A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn't feel like it. -- Alistair Cooke

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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