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VOR FINISH IN ST. PETERSBURG
The historic Russian port city of St Petersburg has been officially announced as the race finish for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.

This will be the first time in the race's 34-year history that the fleet will visit a Russian port and follows the confirmation in late May that Russia will have its own entry in the race backed by St Petersburg businessman Oleg Zherebtsov.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Glenn Bourke, who was in St Petersburg for a press conference announcing the agreement with City Governor Valentina Matvienko, said it had long been a goal to take the race finish to Russia's second largest city.

"To finish this event in a city so full of culture, heritage and historical intrigue will make a spectacular finale," he said.

"Together with the Russian entry in the race, we are delighted to be taking the world's premier ocean race to the people of St Petersburg. I am confident they will provide a thrilling climax to the 2008-09 event."

The selection of St Petersburg marks another milestone in the 2008-09 iteration of the race after the decision to take the event through the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India and China.

The race route is nearing completion with the offshore start set for Alicante, Spain, on 11 October, 2008 following an in-port racing series a week earlier. The race is currently scheduled to last nearly 10 months, covering more than 37,000 nautical miles and visiting up to 12 ports.

The fleet winds up its Asian section in Qingdao, China, home to next year's Olympic sailing regatta, before heading off to South America on its longest and toughest leg, a voyage of more than 12,000 nautical miles. The fleet then heads up the U.S. East Coast to Boston and then across the North Atlantic to Galway before visiting Sweden en route to St Petersburg in late June 2009.

Zherebtsov, who will also be a member of the crew of the Russian boat in the race, said he was relishing the prospect. "This really is the biggest adventure in the world. It's awesome to be involved in it and to have the chance to sail round the world on a Volvo Open 70. We are definitley in it to win."

St Petersburg also recently announced that it would bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics after losing out to Athens as the venue for the 2004 Games.

www.volvooceanrace.org

MINI TRANSAT
Isabelle Joschke (Degremont Synergie) has been leading the fleet since Wednesday morning, but just 1.5 nautical miles away from another race favourite Peter Laureyssens (Ecover).

Samuel Manuard (Sitting Bull) and Yves Le Blevec (Actual) are now 3rd and 8th. The medium wind conditions of the first hours of the race have been favourable to the new prototypes, very light and designed for surfing. Isabelle Joschke took the benefit of her position very close to the direct route to get to the lead.

Slovenian Andraz Mihelin - a victim yesterday of a collision with a spectator boat has made a remarkable comeback - he is now ranked 6th with its Adria Mobil Too (13 nautical miles behind Isabelle Joschke). The first serie boat is Cultisol- Institut Curie skipped by Stephane le Diraison, he is 17th, 20 nautical milles from the front runners.

When the fleet just started spreading around in the Gascoigne Gulf, one competitor left the squad last night and has obtained an astonishing trajectory and speed. The Fidelia Assistance skipper Xavier Haize could the first to cross the line in the first leg of the Transat 6.50 Charente-Maritime/Bahia 2007 by going round solo and to the south of the huge high zone that is very active on the Atlantic coast.

More North and following Isabelle Joschke route, the fleet navigates over the course of a low wind that teeters between 10 and... 2 knots with a short advantage for the skippers that are more North... If Xavier keeps the same speed, he could have quickly reclaim the extra miles invested in his escapade to the south and could end first at the Spain occidental point.

www.transat650.org

SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW
The Southampton Boat Show in association with ITV Meridian returns to Mayflower Park this September. Celebrating its 39th year the Show, which has Europe's largest purpose built on-water marina, takes place from 14-23 September 2007. This year, the Show will see an exciting line up of famous boats on the feature berth of the Hydropool Marina. Not only will Sir Robin Knox-Johnston be there with his Open 60 "Lombard Marine Finance:, along with Mike Golding and the Open 60 ECOVER but TEAMORIGIN, Official Challenger for the 33rd America's Cup, will bring the newly liveried GBR 75 race training America's Cup boat to the Show.

www.southamptonboatshow.com

JOCHEN SCHUMANN LEADS GERMAN CHALLENGE TO 33RD AMERICA'S CUP
The second participation of a German yacht in the legendary battle for the oldest sports trophy in the world will be led by the multi Olympic medallist and double America's Cup winner Jochen Schumann. With this announcement Head of Syndicate of the German Challenge managed the highest possible sportive coup. "We have been doing our homework in the past few weeks and months and dealt with all necessary changes and duties. After committing Karol Jablonski as our skipper we are now able to welcome Jochen Schumann as the new Head of Team", Michael Scheeren announced.

"For me it is like a dream come true to be able to participate in the America's Cup for Germany. This is a comeback with an excellent starting position for the German Challenge", Jochen Schumann looks forward to his new assignment as a Head of Team. In the next couple of weeks he will be selecting the crew for the next two years. "We have been talking with high class sailors and this makes me feel very positive", says Schumann. From a sports perspective we are well-positioned in such an early stage of the game", Head of Syndicate Scheeren continues saying.

United Internet AG and AUDI AG main sponsors of the German Challenge With the United Internet AG continuing its commitment in sport sponsoring and the gain of new partners like Audi AG and Porsche Consulting, the whole concept of the campaign is now resting on many pillars.

AUDI AG is also supporting the rearranged United Internet Team Germany campaign and is therefore enlarging its sportive engagement in the sailing sport. The participation of the premium manufacturer can be noticed at first sight because of the four rings, which will be exclusively printed on the spinnaker and, together with the brand name 1&1, on the main sail.

Porsche Consulting takes over the yacht construction and provides coordinator of Technique The Porsche Consulting GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, will be responsible for the concentration of all technological competence. Porsche Consulting is now handed over all responsibilities for the developing process of the boat and the coordination of all involved companies - ranging from designers over contractors to boat builders.

The German team was able to purchase 'SUI 91', one of the most recent yachts of Cup winner Alinghi. "We now possess a very fast boat right from the beginning", says skipper Karol Jablonski. In the next weeks SUI 91 will change sites from the Swiss to the German base in Valencia. The German team is one of the first challengers to start training for the 33. America's Cup.

www.united-internet-team-germany.com

AINSLIE NOT RULED OUT OF OLYMPICS
Double Olympic champion Ben Ainslie could still sail for Britain in next year's Olympics despite leading the country's America's Cup challenge.

Ainslie was not named in Britain's team for the Beijing Games, but no-one has yet been chosen for the Finn class.

British team chief Stephen Park said: "I'm speaking regularly with Ben and he wants to compete at the Olympics.

"But we don't want Ben to compromise his position with Team Origin in the Cup or with the Olympic team."

Ainslie was last week named as skipper of Britain's Team Origin in the 2009 America's Cup last week which will take place in Valencia.

He won gold in the Finn class in the Olympics in 2004 and in the Laser class four years earlier while he collected a silver medal in the Laser in 1996.

Park added: "We've been in discussions with him and his managers at Team Origin.

"We have to make sure that Ben's America's Cup obligations aren't going to prevent him from completing the programme of events he'll need to if he is to be competitive in Beijing.

"However, we've still not been able to get the whole committee together to finalise our decision about the Finn class - that's why we've not made a selection known yet." -- BBC, news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/sailing/7003790.stm

VELUX GROUP RE-SIGNS AS TITLE SPONSOR OF THE VELUX 5 OCEANS IN 2010
Clipper Ventures PLC (UK) today announced that the VELUX Group (Denmark) has re-signed as title sponsor of the next VELUX 5 OCEANS race, due to take place in 2010-11.

VELUX began their relationship with the solo round the world yacht race in September 2005 as title sponsor of the last edition, which started and finished in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) between October 2006 and May 2007.

VELUX and Clipper Ventures have not disclosed the terms of the sponsorship agreement, but the investment has significantly increased from the initial contract negotiated in 2005, based on a commercial and financial commitment to grow the race and increase the worldwide impact and media interest. The last edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS delivered over EUR 60 million of media value worldwide and attracted huge public interest, with over 600,000 page returns from Google search and 25,000 views of race video clips on YouTube.

A race consultation period of three months will now commence to counsel the opinions of skippers, sponsors, host ports and the media. The objective is to review the last race and provide recommendations that will meet the needs and expectations of future partners.

The next edition of the race expects to once again incorporate stopovers in Australasia and the East Coast of the United States. VELUX and Clipper Ventures plan to announce a number of initiatives, strategies, partners and race format details at the upcoming boat shows in Paris and London at the start of December.

Clipper Ventures are also pleased to announce that David Adams will continue as Race Director for the 2010 edition. Adams, from Australia, was Race Director for the last race and has also won the race as a skipper in 1994, and will lead the advisory board and start work on recruiting a fleet of world class sailors and managing the format development.

www.velux5oceans.com

VICTORY ON DEBUT RACE FOR HULL & HUMBER
Hull & Humber stormed to victory in the first race of Clipper 07-08, crossing the line at La Rochelle more than 50 miles ahead of their closest rival, Liverpool 08. Hull & Humber's win in their debut Clipper Race follows their first place finish in the North Sea Race for the Wilberforce Cup from Rotterdam to Hull during training.

After the start of the race in Liverpool where they crossed the start line second in winds gusting up to 44 knots, Skipper Danny Watson and his crew had to use all their skill and judgement to keep the boat moving in very light airs as they approached the French coast. With 30 miles to go the yacht was doing little more than two knots until the sea breeze picked up and carried them, spinnaker flying, towards the finishing line.

Due to the short length of the stopover and the lack of wind, the Race Committee has taken the decision to end the race for the rest of the fleet at 0000 UTC, allowing the remaining boats to motor towards La Rochelle.

Race Director Joff Bailey said, "It's frustrating to have to call the first race prematurely for the rest of the fleet but in the current conditions the crews would not have the chance to rest, refuel and victual their boats before the departure on Sunday for Salvador. It is never an easy decision, but we took it in the best interest of the crews."

Liverpool 08 looks likely to finish in second place with Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper pushing hard for a podium position. The provisional results will be available on the Clipper Race website, http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com, after the race is called at midnight UTC.

Race 1 is a half-points race, with five points on offer for first place rather than the usual ten, down to half point for tenth place. After this short sprint, all the other races revert to full points with 10 points for first, nine for second and so on. Jamaica will receive half a point after retiring from Race 1, representing half of the normal one point awarded to boats that retire from a race.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

KEY WEST COUNTDOWN - JANUARY IS NOT FAR OFF
Get ready... it's time to make your plans... only 120 days until the start of North America's premiere keelboat regatta! Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica (January 21-25). Racing sailors from around the world are planning their annual winter escape to the island paradise of Key West. IRC, One Design and PHRF entries are rolling in and all will wage battle on warm azure waters by day and enjoy the legendary nightlife. Don't miss the unrivaled international competition, professional race management and awesome Key West wind, sun and fun. Current entries, planning details and online entry: www.Premiere-Racing.com

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Swedish sailboat producer Hallberg-Rassy is to build a brand-new head office that will connect directly to the yard's main factory in Ellos on the Swedish west coast.

Parts of the new office will be built on the water, says the company. The new building is planned to be ready for winter 2008/2009.

At the same time, the company's former head office will be renovated and expanded to allow for more production space, particularly for the varnishing department. The expansion will be made to meet future environmental demands from the authorities. -- Lars-Ake Redeen, International Boat Industry news, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070819135112ibinews.html

* With the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show the next major show in the UK boating calendar, the marketing for the event will now begin in earnest. The organisers have announced a media partnership with The Telegraph Media Group that will encompass an extensive advertising and editorial campaign, both online and in-paper, during the run-up to the show. The Telegraph Media Group will also run ticket promotions and have a presence at the show.

The on-going PR campaign will run alongside a multi-media advertising campaign across national and London newspapers, trade and boating publications, online, outdoor and local and national radio.

Whyte & Mackay will also be supporting their sponsorship of the event with promotional bottles of Whyte & Mackay whisky. They will be running a 'Spirit of the Water' competition with prizes of a luxury watersports holiday in The Maldives, a VIP weekend in London and tickets to the boat show.

* What did the top three TP52s in the Medcup have in common? What makes these impressive machines tick? The Medcup consists of five events in different countries and many different sailing conditions—from light winds in Spain, to gear-breaking breezes in Portugal. To win, competitors need an all-round boat and reliable hardware. Each of the top three overall Medcup finishers are fully-Harken equipped with the latest in carbon winch systems and Grand Prix hardware. Two of the three boats took it a step further and experimented successfully with the Pro-Trim traveler system (Artemis and Patches). Beyond on-site service, Harken representative Lou Varney from Diverse Yacht Systems trimmed the mainsail on Patches and sailed the full circuit. -- www.harken.com

* Opal Marine Ltd, the newly formed company that acquired the business assets of BA Peters after it filed for administration last month, has signed a distribution deal with Azimut-Benetti. As part of the agreement, Opal will market the Azimut Yachts range of luxury motoryachts to British nationals in both the UK and Spain.

BA Peters, one of Europe's largest luxury boat dealerships operating from six marinas in the UK and four marinas in Spain, filed for administration on August 14. Earlier this month, Opal Marine purchased the company's Chichester, Brixham and Swanwick dealerships, saving some 30 jobs. The company remains headquartered at Chichester Marina. -- IBI, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070814104335ibinews.html

* UK marine equipment manufacturer Lewmar has announced the appointment of Gregory Smith as chief operating officer of its US subsidiary, Lewmar USA, and president of its marine rigging division, Navtec Corporation. Reporting to Lewmar CEO Peter O'Connell, Smith will be responsible for managing the two companies' new US investment in manufacturing and product development. He will be based in Guilford, Connecticut, the main office for both Lewmar USA and Navtec.

In a separate announcement, Lewmar has also named Matt Von Bibra as its new Australasian OEM sales manager. Based at Lewmar's soon-to-be opened office in Coomera on Australia's Gold Coast, Von Bibra will be responsible for business development for the OEM market throughout Australasia. He will work with Lewmar's distributor, Harrold Marine Wholesale, locally in Queensland. -- www.ibinews.com

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 Paul Larsen: Ah, my favourite topic. Fortunately a clever bunch of Brits formed a council back in the early seventies to settle such matters.

The WSSRC can put an end to all the 'Who's the fastest' debates and does so in a very fair and open manner. Whether some boats choose to enter this arena is up to them. I find it quite surprising how few record attempts are made by 'super'-maxis considering how many there are out there and how low the hurdle currently is relative to their potential. The fact is that these maxi's interests lie around the bouys or to do specific A to B dashes. Whether one beats the other in that arena is down to a number of factors... but when it comes down to outright speed relative to offshore sailing then surely the 24 hour record is the benchmark.

So until Neville Crichton and his very capable team/boat can knock Seb Josse and the ABN AMRO TWO team off their 562.96 mile throne... he will have to sit back and accept the Volvo Ocean Race claim (I am writing this half out of a voyeuristic wish to see what Alfa Romeo could achieve and the knowledge that a good run would give a lot of people the ride of their lives... so getupit Neville!).

By the way, technically, the fastest monohull in the world doesn't have a name and few of us would recognise it if we saw it. It's the board belonging to Finian Maynard which set the current Outright world record. So monohull sailors can delight in telling their multihull brothers and sisters that "when it comes to outright speed...rah, rah, rah".

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THE LAST WORD
Beer here now. --- Baba Rum Raisin

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.

www.YachtsandCruisers.com the new place to buy and sell prestige boats, the website has been designed to showcase high-end boats. People looking to buy prestige boats will be able to easily navigate their way around the site quickly. The portfolio of thousands of boats can be viewed by category, make, location and price. Alternatively the 'Advanced Search' facility will benefit those buyers who have a specific boat in mind.

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