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ARTEMIS SNARES ROLEX TP52 GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP
In the end they made it look easy. With only a single score outside the top five all week - a six in the first race - Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis (SWE), with Russell Coutts in the role of tactician (and at times magician) swept to a comprehensive victory at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship 2007. The winning margin was 26.75 points ahead of 2006 Champion, Eamon Conneely's Patches (IRL). The enormity of the win is emphasized by only 6 points separating the next four boats.

Two races were held today under a leaden sky and in light winds that struggled to reach double figures. The first race involved a 1.7 nautical mile leg and started in 6-7 knots. It was won by Alberto Roemmers' Siemens (ESP), which has steadily found her racing legs after a slow start to the week. The second race, with a 2 nm leg, was won by Patches; tactician Ian Walker and helm, Stuart Childerley, signing off the Championship with a third bullet. But the true story of the day was Artemis and it was Tornqvist who walked away with the Global Championship trophy and a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece for his efforts.

With a team comprising many of the top names in the sport including: Coutts, Juan Vila, Ed Smyth, Ross Halcrow, James Dagg, Andrew Taylor, Jared Henderson, Richard Meacham, Peter van Nieuwenhuyzen, Jeremy Lomas and Max Sirena; Tornqvist could be excused for having felt intimidated sat in the helmsman's position, but he has clearly relished sailing in such exulted company and learnt from the opportunity, "it's a challenge and I like challenges. coming into this season I felt the pressure of sailing with such good sailors and sometimes I thought am I going to be the weak link in this, but I have had great support. I have probably improved as we have gone on: starting, how to accelerate, getting the timing right. And, today it was good, but I can improve more!"

Final Overall Standings

1. Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, SWE, 23.25
2. Patches, Eamon Conneely IRL, 50.00
3. Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, MON, 50.50
4. Siemens, Alberto Roemmers, Esp, 55.25
5. Stay Calm, Stuart Robinson, Gbr, 55.75
6. Windquest, Doug Devos, Usa, 61.50
7. Mutua Madrilena, Bablio S.P., Chi, 61.75
8. Glory, John Buchan, Usa, 69.00
9. Cristabella, John Cook, Gbr, 74.75
10. Cam, Leon/Sanchez, Esp, 78.00

www.rolextp52globals2007.com

ALINGHI WINS THE CHALLENGE JULIUS BAER
Lausanne, Switzerland: The Alinghi catamaran is the clear winner of the Challenge Julius Baer - the yearly championship of Decision 35 catamarans, held on lake Geneva over ten regattas.

Alinghi's crew were keen to finally win this championship after finishing twice second and once third. "It's true", comments Pierre-Yves Jorand, one of Bertarelli's key crewmembers: "Ernesto really wanted to win this event on his own lake. 2007 is the Alinghi year, and this victory is a nice ending to a fabulous season."

The catamaran Foncia, skippered by Alain Gautier, finishes second of the championship ahead of Jean-Francois Demole's Cadence.

Nicolas Grange, the President of lake Geneva' multihulls association, comments: "The Class has reached a great maturity. The teams are very close from each other, and every team can win races. There are lots of very famous international sailors, and this brings a lot to the level of our young sailors. I am also very happy to note that the atmosphere on land is excellent. We are fierce competitors on the water, but good friends on land. " -- Bernard Schopfer

Challenge Julius Baer 2007, final ranking:

1- SUI 1 - Alinghi - 14 points
2- SUI 5 - Foncia - 22 points
3- SUI 6 - Cadence - 27 points
4- SUI 2 - Okalys - 35 points
5- SUI 3 - Julius Baer - 36 points
6- SUI 9 - Smart Home - 38 points
7- SUI 8 - Banque Gonet & Cie - 42 points
8- SUI 4 - Zen Too - 44 points
9- SUI 10 - Ladycat - 46 points
10- SUI 7 - Axiom Risques & Finance Management - 49 points

www.challengejuliusbaer.com

EARLS COURT: PUTTING THE 'SHOW' BACK INTO BOAT SHOW
From 1-9 December, the revamped Earls Court opens its doors to sailors, Christmas shoppers and show-goers visiting London. There's music and fashion shows, Riva, a spa for the footsore, the original special events Guinness bar, the National Maritime Museum's Hall of Fame, dozens of drams from the Whyte & Mackay family, acres of chandlery and boats! From a 'boat in a bag' to Gipsy Moth IV, a display of yachts on the pool and headline musical entertainment!

The all-new Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show: you can't beat boating in the heart of London!

www.earlscourtboatshow.com

A & EAU CLINCH BMW CITY CHALLENGE TITLE FOR SECOND TIME
Law firm Allen & Overy LLP (A & Eau) lifted the BMW City Challenge sailing trophy for the second time at London's Docklands yesterday. The defending champions, skippered by experienced husband and wife duo Graham and Julia Bailey (nee Salt), clinched victory by two points ahead of NIR Capital and JP Morgan Asset Management.

Other members of the winning crew included Kevin Young, Dylan Potter and former employee, Kirstin Gilbert who have all worked in the firm's Structured & Asset Finance Group, based in Canary Wharf. Along with the trophy, the crew will each enjoy a unique BMW driving experience around the famous Nurburgring race-circuit in Germany.

Staged in the waters of Royal Victoria Dock, against the striking city backdrop, the weather conditions held out and provided sufficient breeze to complete four of the scheduled five races. Despite an impressive challenge from NIR Capital, who won two races outright, it was the consistent teamwork of the A & Eau crew that prevailed, securing top three finishes in the first three races. Despite also tying for second on 13 points, 'The Wrecking Crew (Accenture) had to settle for fourth place after narrowly missing out on the prizes in the count back.

This year's BMW City Challenge series began in May, and saw an increase in entries from 22 to 32 teams. Jointly organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club and Berkeley Marine, crews of five have been battling it out over the summer evenings in identical Beneteau First Class 8s (eight metre keelboats). Winners of the four heats qualified automatically for the final, whilst the six next best finishers competed for the remaining four places in the semi-finals, which also took place yesterday.

The winning teams will be presented with their trophies at the official BMW City Challenge prize giving which will take place at The Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge on October 15, 2007. -- Jo Gawith

Final Results
1. A & Eau
2. NIR Capital
3. JP Morgan Asset Management
4. The Wrecking Crew
5. IPC
6. Royal Thames Yacht Club
7. Clifford Chance
9. Ernst & Young

NOAH'S ARK ON THE MOVE
Noah's Ark is alive and well and sailing round the Netherlands. Well almost anyway, but it's not Noah's original, but a one fifth scale replica built by Johan Huibers.

The 70m craft, together with a passenger load of horses, lambs, chickens, rabbits and other animals, will be used as a floating religious monument and zoo. It was built at Schagen north of Amsterdam, using American cedar and Norwegian pine, and cost around 0.7 million GBP.

Mr Huibers stresses that, despite global warming, he doesn't believe that the world will be destroyed by a second flood. Nevertheless he does plan to build a larger Ark when funds permit. -- Motor Boats Monthly, http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070826182950mbmnews.html

"We're also planning a big movie theatre in our next Ark, which will have continuous showings of the Left Behind movie adaptations. Some nice fellows from Las Vegas named Penn and Teller have offered to fully fund it provided we call it the 'Suckers Born Every Six Thousand Years Theatre' which is a very odd name but we're game..." said Huibers.*

*Editor: I made that last part up... it's exactly six months until April Fools...

CORK WEEK ANNOUNCES CARROLL CHALLENGE CUP FOR TP52
Planning for the TP52 2008 Season is well underway and a new trophy is up for grabs.

The Organisers of Cork Week 2008 have announced that The Carroll Challenge Cup will be awarded to the best TP52 racing under IRC next July at Cork Week which takes place from July 12th to July 18th next.

The Trophy was presented to the Royal Cork Yacht Club in the summer of 1858 and it was a prize in Club Races during the 1850s and 1860s. It has pride of place in the Club Trophy Cabinet and the decision to award it to the prestigious TP52 is sure to attract interest from across the class which is set to grow by the addition of 10 new boats this year.

The first entries for Cork Week 2008 have already been received and organisers are looking forward to the most successful event yet

Full details of the event, can be found at www.corkweek.ie or +353 21 483 1179 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

AMERICA'S CUP FEUDERS IN CONTACT
There was a glimpse of a breakthrough in the America's Cup dispute between holder Ernesto Bertarelli of Switzerland and American Larry Ellison following direct contact between the billionaires.

Bertarelli had previously refused to talk unless Ellison dropped a legal action, but the pair spoke at length on the phone on Thursday night. Sources suggest both men said they wanted to avoid going to the New York Supreme Court on Oct 22.

Ellison claims that the new rules for the 2009 Cup – the Protocol – drawn up by Bertarelli after winning the Cup in Valencia in July, are unfair in giving the defender unprecedented advantages, and that they are invalid.

Until Thursday, Bertarelli had turned down the offer of mediation from Ellison and other teams.

"The previous Protocol worked perfectly well," Ellison's new skipper Russell Coutts, who won the Cup for Bertarelli in 2003, said. "What the other side has completely failed to do is explain why any of these changes are necessary, especially as they undermine fundamental fairness." -- Tim Jeffery in the Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/09/29/sosail129.xml

INDUSTRY NEWS
* With 1,013.9 million Euros in sales over FY 2006-07, up 22.7%, the Beneteau Group has passed the 1 billion Euro mark and come in ahead of its initial target. This figure for sales includes 93.9 million Euro for IRM, with this company incorporated into the Group's consolidated accounts as of January 1st, 2007.

Like-for-like, sales are up 11.4% on the previous year to 920 million Euros.

This performance has been made possible by both the boat business and the Group's other activities.

- On boats (Beneteau, Jeanneau, CNB, Lagoon and Wauquiez), sales are up 9.7% to 798.9 million Euros. On a constant exchange rate basis, this growth comes out at 10.5%. The fourth quarter saw a further acceleration, up +14.2% on a constant exchange rate basis, compared with +11.5% in Q3.

The autumn's first shows in Europe have revealed a continued upturn on the markets following on from last season's trend. The Group is expected to continue benefiting most from this, thanks notably to its new models.

- On sail boats, the Group is stepping up the renewal of its Cruiser (Oceanis and Sun Odyssey ranges) and Racing Cruiser (First range) offerings.

* The team from Boats and Outboards have managed to raise 7,200 GBP for the charity Sail 4 Cancer. The group held a party at the Southampton Boat Show last week to raise funds for the charity - which tries to improve the quality of life of individuals and families affected by cancer through giving them an opportunity to go sailing.

Boats and Outboards has been an enthusiastic supporter of Sail 4 Cancer, and the team organised an auction last Tuesday evening at the boat show, with prizes kindly provided by donors like the Earls Court Boat Show and Fairview Sailing, who donated a weekend charter directly to Sail 4 Cancer, plus a Yamaha jet ski - a last minute donation by Greengrass Park, part of the Lagoona Park network, insured by Mardon Marine and serviced by Lagoona Park.

There was a happy hour sponsored by Mardon Marine and the evening was a great success, raising over 7,000 GBP for the very worthy cause. -- www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk

* At least a month ahead of schedule and on budget, Morris Yachts will open the new M-Series production hall on Monday, October 1 at 12:30pm. The first boat to be moved in will be a M42 and it belongs to the company¹s founder - Tom Morris.

The project in Trenton, Maine production facility includes a new dedicated M-Series Production Hall and massive renovations and space efficiencies throughout the 2.75 acre production facility. The new hall will provide 9,000 square feet of state-of-the-art workspace.

The existing facility's utilities will be upgraded to include energy efficient lighting, an upgraded waste treatment system and in-floor heating. This is all to improve efficiencies, and work environment, increase capacity and meet demands of larger custom projects.

Celebrating 35 years of boating building, Morris Yachts was founded in 1972 by Tom Morris.

* The 39th Southampton Boat Show, in association with ITV Meridian, finished on Sunday after a successful 10 days.

With over 127,200 people visiting the show, organiser National Boat Shows (NBS) says attendance increased by 8% - equating to 9,500 more visitors than last year.

This was driven by a record attendance on press and preview day and one of the largest attended second Saturdays in recent years.

Morgan also highlighted that next year's 40th show would have a title sponsor in PSP, the Fareham-based freight company with which it had a bit of a spat a few weeks ago. The problems have all been solved and PSP becomes the first title sponsor of the SBS. The three-year contract was agreed last week between NBS managing director Andrew Williams and PSP managing director Frank Dixie. The show will be known as the PSP Southampton Boat Show.

ITV Meridian has also agreed a three year extension to its contract. -- www.boatingbusiness.com/news

* Potential exhibitors at the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show have just a few hours left to register interest. The cut-off for exhibitor enquiries is 1st October 2007 at 6pm.

James Brooke, MD of the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show said, "With just 2 months to go until the show opens its doors to the public, we have been busier than ever making sure that the show is full of the kind of features and exhibitors boating communities told us they wanted to see.

We put the deadline in place to allow us to cope with demand and to focus on those committed to the show. For the next two months we will be concentrating on delivering a show for the visitor and getting thousands of visitors into Earls Court.

Since we announced the 1st October as our cut-off we have been inundated with enquiries and bookings. With the Southampton Boat Show being such a key event in the boating calendar, we realised that some of the industry would need to wait until after mid-September to make a decision and we are now seeing many of those companies book.

Many of our team visited the Southampton Boat Show but at the request of the organisers, refrained from discussing the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show in the grounds, however, we have received many phone calls from concerned exhibitors wishing to discuss the circulation of rumours at Southampton about the future of our show. We feel the need to dispel any rumours that may be circulating and would like to make our position clear and state for the record that the show is happening and has a great future at Earls Court with our headline sponsor, Whyte & Mackay."

YACHTS TO THE CARIBBEAN
Peters & May again have ships available to transport yachts and powerboats to the Caribbean this winter. They are scheduled to leave Southampton between November 1st-15th and Palma between November 10th - 20th with a transport time of around 12 days to Tortola. All the documentation can be arranged to make the service as simple and trouble free as possible.

This is the fast, safe delivery system that gets your yacht to some of the best cruising waters in the World with virtually no wear and tear. For detailed information about this service please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

http:www.petersandmay.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 Cliff Bradford: I picked up the following article from Scuttlebutt (the US version) # 2441. The "AGAIN" reference is to the brouhaha that followed a similar multihull scorning in US Sailing's submissions earlier this year. I found the submissions strange since it my understanding that the Tornado class has been seeing rapid growth in the UK.

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OUTRAGED ... AGAIN
Back in March, Scuttleblog posted a report regarding the list of suggested events that the US Olympic Sailing Committee had submitted to ISAF as their preferred choices for the 2012 Games. Following the ISAF directive to reduce the number of events from eleven down to ten, the US identified 8 of the 10 events that they felt most strongly about. When it was learned that the US list did not include multihulls, it did not take long for that community to stand up and scream.

If the USOSC was feeling singled out back then, they now have company as England's sailing federation, the Royal Yachting Association, has found itself amid a similar brouhaha. According to the Daily Sail subscription website, "Over the last few days cat sailors across the UK have been outraged after the discovery of two recent submissions by the RYA to ISAF for discussion at the November ISAF Annual Conference. The first submission fails to include the Tornado in a list of proposed classes at the 2012 Olympic Games and the second calls for the removal of multihull sailing at the ISAF Youth World Championships. Although the submissions are held on a public web-page and are viewable by all, it is felt by many to be proof of an anti-cat sentiment within the RYA as well as an unacceptable lack of discussion between the RYA and cat sailors."

* Scuttleblog report: tinyurl.com/2tlbq8
* Daily Sail story: tinyurl.com/2u6jjl
* RYA submissions (103-07 & 129-07): tinyurl.com/2v2pfm

THE LAST WORD
About the only sport in which cannabis could be considered a performance-enhancing drug would be the World Mars Bar Eating Championships -- Roy + H.G.

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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