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ISAF SAILING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: GOLD TO SLINGSBY AND DROZDOVSKAYA
Tom Slingsby (AUS) has won the 2007 Laser World Championship title on day eight of racing at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal. Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR) won gold after an incredible finish to the Laser Radial Medal Race.

In a 12-14 knot breeze on a windward-leeward course Slingsby won gold after recovering from a poor start to finish sixth in the Medal Race. Deniss Karpak (EST) was in the silver medal position until he was called for penalty turns. A brilliant final run lifted Andrew Murdoch (NZL) up to second place in the Medal Race and gave him the silver medal, with Estonia's Karpak completing the podium.

The wind built up to around 20-22 knots during the Laser Radial Medal Race. In an incredible finish, Sari Multala (FIN) was in a gold medal winning position until she underestimated the layline to the final mark and was forced into a double tack. This brought Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR) up into contention and the two had a drag race to the finish line to decide the World title. They crossed the line fractions apart but with Drozdovskaya ahead, giving her the World title with Multala winning the silver medal. Petra Niemann (GER), who led going into the Medal Race, took the bronze.

The Finn fleet had another excellent day of racing with a solid 20 knot breeze giving them two races in the gold fleet to decide the Medal Race line up. It was a day of up and down scoring amongst the top names, with overnight leader Emilios Papathanasiou (GRE) choosing the wrong side of the course in the second race of the day to end up posting a 35. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) now leads after two single-digit scores today, but it's incredibly close going into the Medal Race. Just five points separate Postma from defending World Champion Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (DEN) in seventh place.

The camera crews will also be waiting with baited breath for the Yngling Medal Race, with the much-hyped British showdown between Athens gold medal winning team mates turned rivals Sarah Ayton (GBR) and Shirley Robertson (GBR) perfectly poised. Ayton and her crew Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson lead Robertson, Lucy Macgregor and Annie Lush by just one point, with the Dutch and American teams close enough to prevent a match race at the back of the pack.

Ricardo Santo (BRA) was on fantastic form in the first gold fleet races in the RS:X. A 1,2 score for the day gives him the overall lead ahead of world #1 Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL). Zofia Klepacka (POL) held on to her lead in the women's fleet, whilst Barbara Kendall (NZL) had a great day to move from sixth to second overall.

Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes (GBR) are seven points ahead after eight races in the 49er. Overnight leaders and breeze specialists Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page (AUS) and Marcelien De Koning and Lobke Berkhout (NED) both posted a bullet apiece in today's windy 470 race to hold onto their top spots. -- ISAF, sailing.org

Event site: www.cascaisworlds2007.com

* Photos from the Laser medal race and awards, from Gilles Martin-Raget ( www.martin-raget.com ) and from Tuesday's Finn racing courtesy Robert Deaves, ( www.finnclass.org ) in the Eurobutt Gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

* Here's a link to the first news item from the ISAF Worlds on Sail TV: www.sail.tv/player?cid=448&source=email120207

Live coverage is available all week for the bargain price of 3.00 pounds!

QINGDAO CONFIRMED VOR STOPOVER
Qingdao, China: The port city of Qingdao was today officially confirmed as the China stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 with the signing of an agreement between race organisers and the Qingdao Municipal Government.

Qingdao's selection as the stopover on the marathon ocean race's new route through the Middle East and Asia follows more than six months of negotiations and evaluation.

The race CEO Glenn Bourke was in Qingdao for an official signing ceremony with the city's Vice Mayor Zang Aimin who said that Qingdao, which is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games sailing regatta, was seeking to establish itself as China's city of sailing.

Bourke and a team of race officials visited Qingdao in April after signing a co-operation agreement in Beijing with the Chinese Water Sports Administration Centre and the Chinese Yachting Association.

Race organisers have held discussions with a number of Chinese ports and there is still the potential for a second city to be selected as a pit stop before the fleet sails its longest leg, 12,000 nautical miles, to South America. Among the other cities, Shanghai appears the most likely but negotiations are continuing.

Qingdao, home of the famous Tsingtao beer, will serve as the main stopover with in-port racing and a pro-am event as part of the programme.

www.volvooceanrace.org

REGATTA SUPPORT AT SKANDIA COWES WEEK
Nexus Marine will be providing full regatta support at this year's Skandia Cowes Week both on and off the water. Owners of the NX, NX2 and Grand Prix NXR instrumentation systems will be able to obtain expert technical assistance with installation, calibration, and general troubleshooting. Prospective customers are also welcome to get in touch to arrange a demonstration. Call Jonas and Mathias any time on 00 4670 661 1917.

Nexus Marine provides support at over 100 events every year - go to www.nexusmarine.se to find out more. Nexus Marine is an Official Supplier to Skandia Cowes Week 2007.

THE FASTNET QUIZ...
Last week's question:
The Admiral's Cup series first included the Fastnet Race in which year?
Answer: 1957

This week's question:
What is the official distance of the race in nautical miles?

TWO correct answer winners this week and for the following weeks of our contest: one will win a copy of the new Fastnet book "Beyond Endurance" ( see www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771057557 ), another lucky sailor gets a free Dubarry Tshirt, front is plain, back features the famous Dubarry Knot Ur Dubes - the secret of the best shoelace knot in the world! T-shirts are really nice quality and 100 per cent faded cotton. See dubarry.com/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?pstring=1,76&catid=76&id=451

Cast your vote at www.scuttlebutteurope.com/index.php?option=com_philaform&form_id=5&Itemid=1

ECOVER HALF TON CLASSICS CUP - DUN LAOGHAIRE
In fresh westerly winds that saw one boat dismasted and another holed, the first three races in the 10-race series of the Ecover Half Ton Classics Cup were sailed on Dublin Bay today (Tuesday 10th June) and it was a good day for the Irish, with three boats heading the IRC standings.

Henri-Lloyd Harmony (Tino Hyland/Nigel Biggs, Royal St.George YC) dominated proceedings with three wins on the water that also translated into three handicap wins to lead the 25-boat fleet going into the second day. The 27-year old Rob Humphreys design has been known to perform well on the English south coast and clearly the Irish owners have mastered the formula so far.

George Radley's 'Miss Whiplash' from Glandore Harbour SC scored a 2-3-5 on the water to finish the day in second overall on both scratch and IRC. 'Per Elisa' (Robbie Tregear/Paul Pullen) from Royal Cornwall YC was only a point behind on scratch while another Dun Laoghaire entry - Jim Houston/Roddy Angus's 'Misjif'- had the better results on handicap to end the day third overall on IRC.

It was not a good day for much-fancied local boat 'Dick Dastardly' (Kinnear/Cusack/O'Neill) of Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club. After a good 3rd in the opening race and 11th in the second, the third race proved to be a disaster. They firstly had to recover a crew member through the guardrails and then shortly afterwards broke their mast to dent their hopes.

Another Irish boat, Henry Hogg's 'Eliminator' from Garrykennedy, was holed but still managed to complete the race schedule.

Racing for a fleet that is represented by five nations continues on Wednesday with another three races on the programme.

Ecover Half Ton Classics Cup Results - Day 1

Overall top three (after 3 races, subject to protest):
1. Henri-Lloyd Harmony (Hyland/Biggs, RSt.GYC) 3 points
2. Miss Whiplash (G.Radley, Glandore) 10 points
3. Misjif (Houston/Angus, RStGYC) 14 points

www.dlregatta.org

* Photos of Tuesday's race courtesy Gareth Craig, www.fotosail.com/07halftonners , in the Eurobutt Gallery scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/ in the Other Events category.

UK-HALSEY RULES QUIZ CD: THE EASIEST WAY TO LEARN THE RULES
Instead of getting intimidated by the loud "sea lawyers" or shying away from other boats, learn the rules the easy way with the UK-Halsey Sailmakers' Real Time Racing Rules Quiz CD. Our quizzes are based on common situations that you are likely to run into frequently on the race course. With our Quiz CD you learn by watching animated movies that you can start and stop and rewind as many times as you need. All the quiz answers are written clearly and in the same style that a protest committee use to announce a decision. First you read the situation and then the facts found followed by the rules that apply. The text has hot links for every rule citation and for all words defined in the rule book. The hot links bring up the rule or definition on the same screen as the movie and answer to the quiz - every thing can be seen together without having to flip pages in a book. The cost for the CD is $US45 plus $5 for shipping anywhere in the world. To buy the CD, go to www.ukhalsey.com and select the Online Store.

FIFTY YEARS OF ADMIRAL'S CUP MEMORIES
If you took part or were associated with the Admiral's Cup why not come and join the RORC and share your memories! They're planning an Admiral's Cup Reunion Party in Cowes on Thursday 2 August 2007.

Tickets are priced at 60 pounds a head which includes drinks at the Royal Yacht Squadron Pavilion, 1800, followed by a buffet supper at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.

The orderform for tickets may be accessed at www.rorc.org/content/view/247/1/

HMK HARALD BACK IN IMS
HMK Harald and his Fram-crew couldn't resist the challenge of competing in yet another IMS World Championship when it finally came their home waters outside of Hanko.

The Norwegian King has taken his Farr designed IMS Racer from 2001 out of the shed this season. Since last year the Fram team has been to busy sailing their new TP 52 Fram XVI in the Mediterranean to have time to sail their IMS racer who they won the IMS European in Sandhamn, Sweden back in 2005.

But this year it is back to IMS business. In August they will be back in the class. The IMS World Championships is sailed August 11th-18th at Hanko, south in the Oslofjord, this year.

Right now there are 20 entries, but the number is increasing every day. Among the entries are two Grand Soleil 42R, Finn Jani Lehti in Alfa Romeo and Sverre Valeur in Team Bergen. The highly successful Swedish IMS sailor Ralf Aspholm is also coming with his Sinergia 40 Data Communication.

There will at least be 10- 15 more Norwegian boats entering by the end of July. I have also been in contact with 5-10 more foreign boats that have said they will come, says Thomas Nilsson, chairman in the Norwegian Offshore Racing Club.

The Royal Norwegian Yacht Club is hosting the regatta, and you can read more on www.kns.no -- Jon Amtrup

FOR SALE:
Offshore Challenges currently have a set of direct built female moulds for a Farr designed Open 60. The hull and deck moulds are situated in Cowes (UK) and available for immediate shipping. Offers for the moulds need to be placed by July 13th 2007. The moulds will be destroyed if no offers are received or none accepted. For further information please contact Kevin Bennetts at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DESIGNERS TO LEAD SLOW WALTZ
Now the watching and waiting starts. The America's Cup game of 'who goes to which syndicate' is under way with suggestions that Team New Zealand design co-ordinator Andy Claughton may be considering a shift.

Claughton, who is English, may join the new British Origin challenge, although the latest announcement that new and bigger boats will have to be built for the 33rd America's Cup may offer a design challenge to keep him at Team New Zealand.

He is a key figure - as design co-ordinator Claughton manages the design process, construction schedules and interaction between design and sailing teams. Claughton declined to comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, there are other rumours, although less weighty, that highly rated Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill could go to Alinghi.

Both are significant shifts - if true.

Rumour and disinformation abound and the 'syndicate waltz' is a slow dance.

Team members most sought in the early stages are designers.

According to the America's Cup protocol released yesterday, designers cannot jump from one team to another after August 31.

Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth said the new boats would be harder to sail, with less reliance on technology and more on the athleticism of the crew; plus a new class would allow some creative design scope - something missing as the current Cup yacht class neared the end of its evolution. Butterworth said the new boats would 'open up' the Cup to new syndicates.

All challengers will need a new boat and may be allowed only one - meaning the designers need to get it right first time.

When sailors are considering offers, the first question they often ask is: 'Who's in your design team?'

If the answer is not to their liking, they will often look elsewhere. It's the same with designers; they will often look to see who is joining the sailing team before they commit. -- Paul Lewis, his full article in the New Zealand Herald at www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10450253

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Contender UK is launching Dynakote, the first one design spinnaker sailcloth to exclusively include Holmenkol nano technology coating integrated in the fabric.

Dynakote is a lightweight spinnaker fabric from Contender Sailcloth and is primarily for use on one design boats. By incorporating the revolutionary new nano-technology coating available from Holmenkol, Contender says this sailcloth will have increased water repellence, a higher tear strength, lower friction and give better wear and longevity without any additional weight or loss of flexibility.

Holmenkol coatings are made up of tiny (nano) particles which bond to the surface of the material they are applied to. During the process of application, the particles organise themselves in layers, forming a completely covered multi layered coating. The layered structure means that the coating resists abrasion, because if one layer is damaged, a deeper layer is exposed and acts as a protection to the rest. The high water repellency and low friction are achieved without adding any weight to the cloth. See www.holmenkol.com/bilder/download/Haendler_Aquatic_weltweit.pdf

* Australian boating equipment manufacturer Ronstan has appointed a new manager to head up its UK sales operation. Rob Crowe joins the team from Mon 23rd July, leaving his existing position as Product & Marketing Manager of Marathon Leisure Ltd.

Ronstan UK is based in Gosport Hampshire, and employs a team of five in the UK, backed up by significant marketing and manufacturing facilities in Australia and an additional manufacturing site in Denmark.

With a head office in Melbourne Australia, and regional offices in New Zealand, the USA, UK and Denmark, Ronstan has grown from an idea between 'Ron Allatt' and 'Stan Lenepveu' in 1953 to build boats and the equipment they would need, into a worldwide organisation. -- BYM, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=11774

* National Boat Shows has confirmed that Collins Stewart, sponsor of the 2007 London Boat Show at ExCeL, has renewed its sponsorship of the show for 2008. The announcement marks the continuation of an extremely successful partnership between the marine and financial communities.

For National Boat Shows, the association with Collins Stewart increased attendance from the city and financial audiences and was instrumental in attracting a broader scope of visitors to the 2007 show. -- BYM, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=1149

* Marine footwear specialist Dubarry, has announced that it will once again be sponsoring the Beneteau Cup, which takes place in Cowes from 16-19 August. The company will be sponsoring the major entertainment of the event with title sponsorship for the Dubarry Rumble-in-the-Jungle Ball.

The 2007 regatta will see 85 Beneteau yachts and over 500 competitors in Cowes for three days of racing, partying and family entertainment.

In addition to sponsoring the ball, Dubarry will be providing the helms and crews of winning boats with footwear vouchers, enabling them to select their preferred choice of Dubarry shoes or boots.

Dubarry will also provide a perpetual trophy for the overall winning boats of Classes One and Two. This unusual perpetual trophy is a life-size pewter casting of Dubarry's Shamrock boot. -- http://www.dubarry.com

* The UK's Brookes & Gatehouse (B&G), manufacturer of navigational equipment for performance sailors, has entered into a partnership with GRIB.US that will enable the complete integration of enhanced weather data into B&G's navigation platforms for racing yachts worldwide. Co-founders of GRIB.US, Steve Hayles and Marcel van Triest, are well-known top Grand Prix navigators and weather routers.

B&G says that it will shortly be announcing product enhancements that take advantage of the new GRIB.US technology. See www.bandg.com

From International Boat Industry news: www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070610141700ibinews.html

* Garmin (Europe) Ltd opened its new European headquarters in the UK last week in order to further support its marketing and distribution efforts in Europe.

Located at Hounsdown Business Park in Totton, Southampton, the new 155,000sq ft facility is set on 12 acres of land and includes more than 129,000sq ft of warehouse space.

According to Garmin, Southampton was the ideal choice for its new European headquarters as the company has been based in Hampshire since its first UK office opened in 1992. Garmin has since grown and developed in the area. -- IBI, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070528122157ibinews.html

THE LAST WORD
Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed. -- G. K. Chesterton

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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