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WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR: MATCH CUP SWEDEN
Marstrand, Sweden: Lingering showers, light air, and massive wind shifts tested competitors, race managers and umpires today on Day Two of Match Cup Sweden. The eight teams in Group B managed to complete seven flights to conclude Round Robin 1, but one flight remains to complete this round for Group A, who will resume the competition tomorrow morning.

The tricky conditions meant no lead was safe, and in numerous matches those who looked clearly out of contention managed to claw back and even pass their rivals when blessed with a favorable shift or fortuitous puff of breeze. The DS 37's used for the event accelerate quickly, and so are very responsive even in these light conditions.

One of the most dramatic examples of this was in this afternoon's first match of Flight 4 for Group A, where Gavin Brady (NZL) closed a losing margin of several boat lengths with Bjorn Hansen (SWE) to within less than one length on the second beat of the race, only to lose all of that gain again at the top mark. But then on the run, he and his team from Oracle Racing managed to close this gap and even passed Hansen at the bottom mark, and even drew a red flag penalty on him while rounding.

Jensen performed his penalty turn after the rounding, but fouled Brady again, and had to do yet another turn. Normally this would be the end of the match, and Brady let Jensen split to the right side of the course. But it was there that Jensen found a puff of breeze, rolled over Brady who sat windless in the middle, and sailed on to win the match.

Results - Round Robin 1

Group A: (incomplete)
Simon Minoprio, NZL, 5-1
Bjorn Hansen, SWE, 4-2
Mattias Rahm, SWE, 4-2
Gavin Brady, NZL, 4-2
Evgeniy Neugodnikov, RUS, 2-4
Jenny Axhede, SWE, 2-4
Ian Williams, GBR, 2-4
Torvar Mirsky, AUS, 1-5

Group B:
Jesper Radich, DEN, 6-1
Magnus Holmberg, SWE, 5-2
Mathieu Richard, FRA, 5-2
Sebastien Col, FRA, 4-3
Johnie Berntsson, SWE, 3-4
Eric Monnin, SUI, 2-5
Claire Leroy, FRA, 2-5
Malin Millbourn, SWE, 1-6

www.worldmatchracingtour.com
www.matchcupsweden.com

ISAF SAILING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The sun came out and the windy kicked up a gear for day two of racing at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal. China's Lijia XU was a star performer with two bullets, as the Laser fleets joined the Tornados and Stars out on Cascais bay.

Cascais dawned in all its glory this morning with bright sunshine setting the scene for another terrific day of sailing. The breeze also picked up today, with the northwesterly gusting up to 18 knots and big waves greeting the Laser sailors competing in their opening races.

Carolijn Brouwer and Godefroid (BEL) were undoubtedly the stars of the day in the Tornado fleet, finding consistency unmatched by any of the other 48 crews. After ten years and two World titles in the single-handed Europe fleet, in 2005 Brouwer teamed up with her boyfriend Godefroid, himself a former World Champion and Olympic silver medallist in the Finn, to launch a Tornado campaign for Beijing. Coming to Cascais they had yet to really make a significant impact at the top of the fleet, but they seem to have found their form at the perfect time. Two third places today give them an eight point overall lead.

France's Rohart and Rambeau sailed a stellar 1, 2 today during the third and fourth races of the 2007 Star World Championship in Cascais, Portugal. Sunny skies, a 4-5 foot short swell, chop and a shifty race course did not stop the pair from continuing to rack up impressive results.

The Laser and Laser Radial fleets sailed out of the Cascais Marina for their opening two races today. The 149 Lasers, split into three fleets, seemed particularly nervy, with a series of general recalls and wind shifts resulting in a long day out on the water. Mate Arapov leads after two second places, with Simon Grotelueschen (GER) in second. World #1 Paul Goodison (GBR) also started well and lies third overall.

In the Laser Radial China's Xu again demonstrated her ability in the tricky, shifty conditions in which she won the World title last year in Marina del Rey. Two bullets give her a four point overall lead ahead of Nufar Edelman (ISR), with Sari Multala (FIN) demonstrating her speed in the breeze with 2,5 scores to lie third.

Tomorrow the Stars and Tornados are scheduled to complete races 5 and 6, after which the Star gold fleet will be decided. There are another two races in the Lasers, whilst the Ynglings and Finns join the fray out on race area 3. Another windy day is forecast.

www.cascaisworlds2007.com

SWAN EUROPEAN REGATTA
The honours on Day 1 of the Swan European Regatta went to Sir Peter Ogden and his crew on board Spirit of Jethou (GBR). After narrowly failing to pull off an audacious port tack start in the first race, the British Swan 601 recovered to win the race and followed up with a victory in the second race of the day.

In the Swan 45 Gold Cup, the American entries thrived on Independence Day. Alex Roepers Plenty (USA) tops the leaderboard with two second places, with William Douglas's Goombay Smash (USA) in third. In second place, nestled in between the boats from the USA is Glynn Williams' British entry WISC.

In Class B of the Swan European Regatta, Don Wood's aptly named Le Quatre Juillet (IRL) spent the day dueling with Richard Balding's Philippides 2 (GBR). Both of the Swan 41's from Lymington have a first and a second, to end the day on three points.

Provisional Results

Class A
1. Spirit Of Jethou, Swan 601, Sir Peter Ogden Gbr 1,1- 2 Points
2. Akarana, Swan 46, Graham & Libby Deegan Gbr 2,3 - 5 Points
3. Desperado, Swan 65, Richard Loftus Gbr 4,2 - 6 Points

Class B
1. Philippides 2, R Balding, Gbr 1,2 - 3 Points
2. Le Quatre Juillet, Don Wood, Irl 2,1 - 3 Points
3. Selene, Mark Jephcott, Gbr 3,3 - 6 Points

Swan 45 Gold Cup
1. Plenty, Alex Roepers Usa 2,2 - 4 Points
2. Wisc, Glynn Williams Gbr 4,1 - 5 Points
3. Goombay Smash, William Douglass Usa 3,8 - 11 Points

www.rys.org.uk/da/42630 and
www.nautorswan.com

605 MILES - CAN YOU GO THE DISTANCE?
60 seconds to the gun. Pin end favoured. The screaming begins. You know the boats to watch and you know they're watching you. One slip now and you'll lose more than clear air. You'll lose the psychological edge you'll need to perform for the next 605 miles. With Dubarry's quick, soft drying performance leathers, elasticated tops and a super-grip sole developed from F1 technology, there'll be no slips. The Dubarry Fastnet boot - the perfect start. www.dubarry.com

SPANIARDS TAKE EARLY LEAD AT 2007 J/80 WORLDS
With 124 boats from 8 countries, the 2007 J/80 World Championship (in La Trinite sur Mer, France) kicked off with 3 qualifying races on opening day (Tuesday July 3rd). The fleet is split into four flights for a qualifying series, before being sorted into gold and silver divisions later in the week. With most of the qualifying races counting in the cumulative score, there's no time for competitors to relax. Ignacio Camion and Jose Torcida Seghers, both of Spain, sailed nearly flawless to take the regatta lead. French match racing champion Victor Lanier is in 3rd, narrowly in front of Kevin Sproul of the UK and defending World Champ Glenn Darden of the USA.

Results
1: Ignacio Camino, Spain "Nextel Engineering" (4 pts) (2,1,1,)
2: Jose Torcida Seghers, Spain "Ecc Viviendas" (6 pts) (1,4,1,)
3: Victor Lanier, France "Equipe de France Militaire Ecole Navale" (9 pts) (1,4,4,)
4: Kevin Sproul, Great Britain "The Duke" (11 pts) (7,1,3,)
5: Glenn Darken, United States "Le Glide" (12 pts) (4,6,2,)
6: Luc Nadal, France "Gan'ja" (14 pts) (5,2,7,)
7: Sylvain Pellissier, France "Voilerie All Purpose" (15 pts) (5,2,8,)
8: Ulrich Muenker, Germany "Needles And Pins" (17 pts) (2,7,8,)
9: Patrick Bot, France "Ecole Navale Cg29" (17 pts) (6,5,6,)
10: Nick Chery, Great Britain "Unlimited Sailing" (18 pts) (10,5,3,)

Event website: www.j80worlds2007.com
Event photos: www.photomer.com

DRAGON EDINBURGH CUP
The 2007 International Dragon Edinburgh Cup, the class's British National Championship, hosted by Yacht Clubs of Weymouth, got underway today with twenty four boats from the UK, Ireland and Belgium competing. Despite blustery conditions which saw the wind shifting from 250 to 285 degrees and ranging from 15 to over 30 knots they completed two great windward leeward races out in Weymouth Bay.

Knowing that stronger winds were forecast for later in the day PRO Derek Abbott got proceedings underway promptly at 1030 and the fleet played their part with a nice clear start in around 17 knots.

In the overall standings David Palmer now leads on three points with Len Jones and Neil Hegarty sharing 10 points in second and Eric Williams fourth on 11 points. There is also a tie for fifth place with Tim Tavinor, sailing GBR729 with Paul Manning and Tom Harrison, and Ireland's Andrew Craig both on 13 points.

Each day during the Edinburgh Cup the Dubarry Daily award will be presented to a crew for "special achievement" and today Gitaine's crew were felt to be very worthy winners. This is a family crew led by parents Peter and Helen Stokes who originally planned to sail four up with their daughter Victoria and son Nick. Unfortunately Victoria broke a rib in the run up to the regatta and they are now sailing three up making them the lightest crew in the regatta. Despite this and the fact that their's is the oldest boat in the competition they coped admirably in today's strong weather. Sadly luck was not on their side and in the middle of the second race their mainsheet system broke and they were forced to retire.

Tomorrow one more championship race is planned together with the traditional Edinburgh Cup Crew's Race where the lunatics get to take over the asylum for an afternoon. The forecast is for more strong winds so tonight the crews are enjoying a well deserved evening off to prepare them for the next battle. The regatta runs until Saturday 7 July with six championship races scheduled. -- Fiona Brown

Top Ten Provisional Results After Two Races

1. David Palmer 1, 2 - 3 points
2. Len Jones 9, 1 - 10 points
3. Neil Hegarty 4, 6 - 10 points
4. Eric Williams 2, 9 - 11 points
5. Tim Tavinor 5, 8 - 13 points
6. Andrew Craig 6, 7 - 13 points
7. Michael Holmes 3, 11 - 14 points
8. Owen Pay 12, 3 - 15 points
9. Ivan Bradbury 14, 4 - 18 points
10. Paul Woodman 13, 5 - 18 points

www.britishdragons.org
www.ycw.org.uk

AREA SALES MANAGER - CONTINENTAL EUROPE
Gori propeller A/S manufactures and markets the patented Gori folding propeller. The propeller is designed for sailboats up to 150 foot and sold through a network of distributors worldwide.

We seek an Area Sales Manager with responsibility for Continental Europe. The role includes support of the existing distributors as well as calling on boat builders, boat dealers and other potential customers. The role also involves participation in trade shows and approximately 100 travel days annually.

We expect that you have marine industry sales experience and an interest in sailing. You are fluent in English as well as either French, Spanish or Italian. It is our preference that you work from our office in Denmark, but a location in one of the major markets could be an option.

For further information please contact Jens Guldborg, Director of Business Development This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.gori-propeller.dk

TOUR DE FRANCE A LA VOILE
One week ago, the competitors started the thirtieth session of the Tour de France. This might be an occasion to look back and see what has happened since the beginning of the regatta, meanwhile the thirty Mumm 30s make a forced stop-off in Cherbourg Octeville, waiting for the weather to calm down.

On the 29th of June, the Race Committee took the decision to delay the beginning of the race, because of a strong wind blowing in on Dunkerque. Since then, a prologue, four windward leeward legs and two offshore legs were sometimes sailed in extreme weather conditions.

The teams of the Tour de France Sailing Race have been sailing with very vigorous winds and a strong swell since the departure. Daniel Souben skipper of Courrier Dunkerque talks about the weather of the first week in the Channel: "We've had a very difficult wind as we've been sailing mostly upwind during the offshore legs. It is hard for the boats and for the sailors". Hiking for a long time is painful for the crews, who have to be totally dedicated to maintaining the balance of the boat in the breeze. "We're doing all right for the moment, always in the leading pack. Regularity is what matters".

Regularity is also what made the difference for the three leading favourites, Ile de France (Victor Lanier, Nicolas Pauchet), Tahiti et ses Iles (Teva Plichart) and Toulon Provence Mediterranee - COYCHyeres (Fabien Henry). Manche - Basse Normandie (Benoit Charon, Nicolas Jossier) used to be on the third step of the podium, before breaking its stay during the offshore leg between Dieppe and Cherbourg. Hopefully, they have been able to repair it, as EIGSI - Charente Maritime did after dismasting three days ago.

During the briefing with the skippers at 6pm, the Race Committee said that the departure would most likely not take place tomorrow: "the Raz Blanchard is raging and dangerous". They recorded a wind blowing from 25 up to 35 knots. A Mumm 30 could hardly cross it in these weather conditions". Another briefing is set tomorrow at 11am. -- Anatole Lucet

www.tourvoile.fr

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 Robert Taylor-Smythe: What a fabulous series. Not without controversy and whinging, of course, for it simply would not be an America's Cup without copious quantities of both, from all quarters... but compared to the last two 5-0 yawn fests, this was fantastic. Congrats to America's Cup Management, apparently much maligned but from this sailor's view they did one hell of a job. And of course to the billionaires and others who pour so much into this to make such an amazing spectacle. No whinging from me!

* From Michael Brown: The 33rd America's Cup is already embroiled in controversy. There seems to be skulduggery afoot, almost certainly driven by money, over where and indeed when it should be held, Louis Vuitton threatening to withdraw and the nationality rule.

Valencia must be desperate to be the hosts again, given that eventually this location came good it is surely a commercial decision on their part as to how much they can afford to ensure they will host the 33rd Cup? After all the Spaniards seem to have been quick off the mark with the first challenge, a stitch-up, who would ever suggest such a thing?

Loius Vuitton seem to have two choices - stay in and use their influence to bring some sanity to the way the Cup is run or withdraw and use their money elsewhere - support of young budding sailors would be my favourite, one day they might grow up and be able to afford some of LV's excellent products.

As for the nationality rule, I could not disagree more with the editor of Seahorse magazine in the August issue, the rule needs to be dramatically tightened and I would like to see a 100 percent rule or close to it. After all that is the case in most other major sports. It would be interesting to know how many non- Americans or British were on the two boats in 1851 but that was the era of gentlemen sailors. Could it be that the professional sailors of today are interested only in the highest bidder and representing their country comes a poor second. I acknowledge the problems where countries do not have a team but nothing is straightforward and that could be addressed.

* From Stephen A. Van Dyck re: the conspicuous absence of the Kiwis at the America's Cup victory press conference.

While there has always been controversy surrounding the cup it has been largely surrounding event conditions and management issues. The respect that the sailors have shown for each other over the years since 1958 has been noteworthy. Take for example the moniker "Gentleman Jim" Hardy, with whom Bill Ficker and I shared the 1970 AC press conference. He did not win the cup, but he won a lifetime of respect from sailors everywhere. Or take the example of Dennis Conner bravely showing up at the press conference to congratulate the Aussies when they lifted the Cup in 1983. And so when Mr. Bertarelli gracelessly implied that the losers could have a (their own) press conference perhaps he did not realize that they in fact were….since in fact Mr. Bertarelli is the loser, and because of it the Old Mug has a little less luster.

* From Guido Novelli: Ah, the triumph of ego over professionalism (and common courtesy). A quick note to Mr. Bertarelli: making billions selling nuns' urine doesn't automatically make you a media genius. As much as it pains me to say it, in the world of big event sports, the America's Cup is a minor player. The Super Bowl and World Cup, any Formula 1 race, have far greater viewership, yet you would NEVER have a team forbidding it's leaders/stars to not give interviews to the media immediately preceeding the event as did Alinghi. Other than some bizarre sense of aloofness, superstition or crushing ego, what could possibly be the reason to keep professional journalists, and their readers, away from the team?

Nor in any world level event would you have had the sorry spectacle of the losing team excluded from the final press conference. That's just amateur hour. Little wonder Louis Vuitton is unhappy. Arrogance and ignorance are a very bad combination.

THE LAST WORD
I don't think I'm alone when I say I'd like to see more and more planets fall under the ruthless domination of our solar system. -- Jack Handy

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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