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CLASSIC CONDITIONS KICK OFF GOLD CUP
Hamilton, Bermuda: In a classic Bermuda day resplendent with sunshine and a westerly wind around 15 knots, the 59th annual King Edward VII Gold Cup got underway today with three flights in all three round robin groups. The 21 teams have been split into three groups of seven for the initial round robin racing.

America's Cup-winning helmsman Ed Baird of the U.S. is the only skipper to go 3-0 on the day and leads Group A. He's closely followed by the event's reigning champion Ian Williams of the U.K., who's at 2-0.

In Group B there's a three-way tie between Johnie Berntsson of Sweden, Staffan Lindberg of Finland and Mathieu Richard of France, each at 2-0.

Group C is led by Paolo Cian of Italy and Daniel Glomb of Brazil, both with 2-0 records.

The top two finishers in each group at the end of the round robin advance to the Quarterfinal Round while the third- and fourth-place finishers advance to a Repechage Round.

Baird, who helmed Alinghi to victory in the 32nd America's Cup in July, is the only skipper at 3-0 because he's the only leader who hasn't had a bye. Each team receives one bye in round robin racing. -- Sean McNeill

Group A Standings
(After 3 of 7 flights)
1. Ed Baird (USA) Alinghi, 3-0
2. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, 2-0
3. Blythe Walker (BER), 2-1
4. Alvaro Marinho (POR), SETH.PT Team, 1-2
5. Scott Dickson (NZL) Dickson Racing Team, 1-2
6. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Monnin, 0-2
T. Peter Wibroe (DEN), 0-2

Group B Standings
(After 3 of 7 flights)
1. Johnie Berntsson (SWE), 2-0
T. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team, 2-0
T. Mathieu Richard (FRA) Saba SailingTeam, 2-0
4. Jon Eriksson (FIN), 1-2
T. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge, 1-2
T. Chris Van Tol (USA), 1-2
7. Sally Barkow (USA) Team 7 Sailing, 0-3

Group C Standings
(After 3 of 7 flights)
1. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza, 2-0
T. Daniel Glomb (BRA), 2-0
3. Brian Angel (USA) King Harbor Match Race Team, 2-1
T. Glenn Astwood (BDA), 2-1
5. Bjorn Hansen (SWE), 1-1
6. Robbie Allam (GBR), 0-3
T. David Tabb (GBR), 0-3

www.bermudagoldcup.com
Photos of the first day of racing by Charles Anderson at www.bermudagoldcup.com/photos/

CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD
Nova Scotia's relentless pursuit of Durban 2010 and Beyond has closed the gap to just seven nautical miles between their distances to the finish line, although they are actually approximately 18 nautical miles across the water from each other. This would put them out of sight but certainly not out of mind, as they eagerly await the position reports every six hours and anxiously scan the horizon, especially at night, for any sign of a navigation light or a sail.

The leading two boats are well into the standard latitudes of the ITCZ and are yet to show signs of slowing down. The notorious Doldrums of mirror calm seas and breathless days seem to be a far cry from the steady 8 knots of Durban 2010 and Beyond and Nova Scotia but this is no unexpected accident.

Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper it seems has also been studying the ITCZ and is maintaining her distance on the leading two, heading for the same crossing point. The chasing pack of Hull & Humber, Liverpool 08 and westernaustralia2011.com are all still hitting some great speeds under spinnaker, westernaustralia2011.com polling at 11 knots, but perhaps heading for a slightly more easterly crossing point. Those boats further back and to the east of the path taken by most of the fleet seem to be starting to feel the effects of the lighter winds lingering to the south of the Cape Verde Islands.

One positive effect of the ITCZ, which the leading pair has already been experiencing, is the rain! While this often comes with strong winds and a change of wind direction, the welcome deluge of fresh water gives the crew a chance to get on with some washing, both of their clothes and themselves. Having been racing now for more than two weeks in warm temperatures and close quarters, it will be a relief to everyone on board.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

LIGHTWEIGHT CODE ZERO SHORTS
These shorts are perfect for everyone...from the yacht racer to the day sailor, from the kayaker to the mountain climber. The new nylon fabric is lightweight, yet made for the abuse. It has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish that dries quickly and has a UV rating of 40+. The Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts are the lightest shorts on the market weighing in at a mere 9 ounces. Offset side seams reduce chafing and the improved design, with a clean relaxed profile, gives you extreme flexibility. Lightweight Code Zero shirts, pants, etc.

So go and get some at www.camet.com

TRANSAT 6.50
The fleet passed the Canaries Archipelago last night. That was more or less easy or comfortable depending on the navigation zone chosen. The competitors sailing the most East, such as Adrien Hardy (Brossard) and Yann Riou (Cameleon), had to go through the chicane between Tenerife and Grande Canaria. The two sailors are now leading the fleet despite the extra miles they have covered compared to those that chose the West option - such as the trio Le Blevec (Actual), Joschke (Degremont-Synergie), Fabien Desprees (Soitec), that came back to the direct route. East, the wind blew at 40 knots last night as registered by the escort boats.

Numerous competitors had bet - since Funchal's start - on the wind reinforcement by the East. Did they expect such an acceleration off to Morocco and Mauritania coats? Adrien and Yann will have to preserve their leadership a quite exhausting way. A leadership that the western sailors will try to get back the whole day long by sailing before the wind, a more comfortable way than their opponents.

This trade wind acceleration has caused several damages already. Three sailors had to stop at Santa Cruz de La Palma: Raoul Cospen (Dalet Digital Media Systems), the Spanish Nacho Orti (Medi-Valencia) and Laurent Bourgues (Adrenaline). Sebastien Gladu (Clichy sous bois) also had to stop at Santa Cruz this morning.

Portuguese Francisco Lobato (BPI) leads the Series boats fleet, only 22 nautical miles away from Adrien Hardy. He zigzagged all night between La Gomera and Hierro islands. Herve Piveteau (Jules Imprimerie cartoffset) does his best to protect his second position by sailing the closest to Mauritania coasts.

There has been a nice come back of two unlucky competitors (until now), the Spanish Alex Pella (Generalitat Valenciana), 33rd and the Slovenian Andraz Mihelin (Adria Mobil Too) from now on 14th.

* Emmanuel Laurent on Domaine des Thomeaux has dismasted. He first activated a green alarm before activating a red alarm. The escort boat Zidibule contacted the race HQ by VHF to signal that the Super Calin had dismasted just above the first spreader. All is OK on board and Emmanuel has done a makeshift repair that will enable him to reach Palma on his own. Zidibule stays close in case he might need help.

www.transat650.org

BERTARELLI IN AMERICA
An excerpt from Kimball Livingston's article on Sail West:

And now the morning is getting on and I have the undivided attention of The Man Who Holds the America's Cup, who knows full well that I have been hammering on him since about two hours after he announced the protocol for the 33rd match ("The protocol can be boiled down to five words, You are all my prisoners"), and part of the reason he has come to America at all is to attempt to make peace with the likes of me and we have not quite an hour of this happiness ("The 32nd America's Cup was great, and we organized that; I was hoping they would at least give us a chance to repeat that success") before his handlers start fidgeting and he has to go pose for photographs with the America's Cup and a background of the Golden Gate Bridge (yes, the Cup came along, still traveling in its Louis Vuitton case with two bodyguards) and then immediately The Man has to stand up in front of a lunchtime crowd of a couple hundred people and turn his story into a stew of information and argument and entertainment and then rush back to the G5 at SFO and -- take a breath -- I can tell you this: It is impossible to spend time with Ernesto Bertarelli when he's on-message and not like him and want to dash home and bake him an apple pie. He's that good...

But we are left to ponder whether it is a sign of strength or weakness that Team Alinghi would launch a PR campaign in America as we hurtle toward a showdown in the courts of New York, with Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth off in the great elsewhere giving interviews and expressing optimism that an agreement will be reached between Alinghi and BMW Oracle without going to court.

A must-read, in full at sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/10/alinghi-in-america.html

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

MACGREGOR CLAIMS SECOND NATIONAL MATCH RACING CROWN
Lucy MacGregor took advantage of near perfect conditions in Portland Bay to lead her unbeatable crew to RYA Women's National Match Racing Championships glory at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) this past weekend.

Poole's Macgregor, 20, joined by fellow Yngling world bronze medallist Annie Lush and Beijing Laser Radial hopeful Andrea Brewster, posted an immaculate nine out of nine flight wins on a fantastic opening day of racing before picking up where they left off on day two, notching up a hat-trick of victories to cruise through to the semi-finals.

Two straight wins over Charlotte Lawrence's team in the semis saw Skandia Team GBR's Macgregor paired against Somerset's Mary Rook in the final.

But with the wind dropping fast Macgregor's fabulous five, which included her sister Kate, quickly clinched back-to-back wins to deservedly claim the overall title. In the petit final Gemma Farrell's crew achieved the same feat over Lawrence to take third.

It is the second time the Dorset youngster has claimed the Women's National crown, her first triumph coming in 2004, with Rook also part of that Championship-winning crew.

The Women's Championships marked the final qualifying round of the 2007 RYA National Match Racing Series, which kicked off with the BUSA Championships in March. Twelve finalists are now poised and ready to do battle at the three-day Series finals at WPNSA this coming weekend (12-14 October).

www.rya.org.uk

ROLEX OSPREY CUP
Later this month, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) will host some of the world's most accomplished sailors during the Rolex Osprey Cup, an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 1 women's match racing regatta. Scheduled for October 18-21, the regatta will feature 10 international teams, including the world's #3 ranked Team Acuity, skippered by Katie Spithill (Pittwater, Australia). Spithill, the runner-up at the 2007 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship, will compete against nine other top skippers including #4 ranked Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), a two-time world champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), also a past Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and the current U.S. Women's Match Racing champion. Racing takes place daily on Tampa Bay in Sonar class keelboats, within viewing range of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier.

"We expect to improve on a few parts of the race course that are a little unpolished for us," said Barkow, who recently won the ISAF Grade 1 Trentino Women's Match Race, in Italy, and the 2007 Boat U.S./Santa Maria Cup. In addition to her team's success in match racing, Team 7 is working toward a berth at the 2008 Olympic Games, in the Yngling.

Another Olympic hopeful competing is Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), who this week is competing in Newport, R.I. at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Laser Radial. Tunnicliffe finished in second place in the 2006 Rolex Osprey Cup to Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) and again in 2005 to Giulia Conti.

The 10 competing teams, listed by skipper (current world ranking), in alphabetical order:

1. Sally Barkow (#4, Nashotah, Wis.) with crew Debbie Capozzi, Annie Lush and Lindsay Bartel.
2. Liz Baylis (#13, San Rafael, Calif.) with crew Lee Icyda, Suzy Leech and Karina Shelton
3. Caroline Bejar (#56, Brazil) with crew Andrea Grael, Isabel Ficker and Laura Zanni
4. Giulia Conti (#52, Toscolano Maderno, Italy) with crew Alessandra Marenzi, Giulia Mazzoti and Giovanna Micol
5. Sabrina Gurioli (#11, Forli, Italy) with crew Elena Orioli, Marta Reynes Nicolau and Lisa Lardani
6. Sandy Hayes (#18, Scituate, Mass.) with crew Cindy Olsen, Kathryn Zainea and Phyllis Karlberg
7. Katy Lovell (#20, New Orleans, Louisiana) with crew Alice Manard, Ann Graham and Carla Schiefer
8. Rachael Silverstein (#63, St. Petersburg, Fla.) with crew Jee Lee, Becca Thomas and Kristen Herman
9. Katie Spithill (#3, Pittwater, Australia) with crew Nina Curtis, Jessica Eastwell and Kristen Short
10. Anna Tunnicliffe (#35, Plantation, Fla.) with crew Liz Bower, Ali Sharpe and Molly Vandermoer

www.rolexwomensmatch.org

SHORT TACKS
* Extreme Sailing Videos: High adrenalin action on the high seas, including an amazing catamaran pitchpole: www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070908112104ymnews.html

* The minutes of the recent GBR IRC Committee are published on the RORC Rating Office website www.rorcrating.com

* The Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand announced from the New Zealand Embassy in Paris that Wellington, the Capital of New Zealand, will host the unique stopover of the SolOceans, the first single-handed oceanic round-the-world race sailed on equal footing, on sixteen-metre (52.5') high-tech one-design Veolia Oceans monohulls, all identical to each other.

The start of the first SolOceans is set for 25 October 2009 from Lower Normandy, also the final destination of this around the globe course in two legs of around 50 days each.

In the meantime, from November until April 2008, the first one-design Veoila Oceans will sail around the world for reconnaissance purpose, with a stopover at Wellington, in January 2008. www.soloceans.com

* The first videos of the competitors of the 2007 Transat 6,50 Charente Maritime Bahia are online on www.sailingnews.tv

* This week's VOR Podast features a fascinating interview with Paul Cayard who reflects upon his career to date, reveals his thoughts on the new-look Volvo Ocean Race, and discusses what he hopes to achieve with the establishment of the World Sailing League. www.volvooceanrace.org/podcast

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 Rohan Veal: After three days of racing in a wide range of conditions, I ended up with another clean sweep of races, this time at the 2007 Moth Japan National Championships.

It was far from an easy victory as most of the local sailors are more than 10kg lighter and have a huge advantage in the lighter winds encountered on the second day, however what was most unusual for me was the huge rolling swell from the Pacific Ocean.

The regatta was held in a small South Eastern costal fishing town called Choshi, so of course my prize for the regatta was a 10kg box a fresh fresh. Shame I can't take it home on the plane with me. ;-)

More race details and photos on my web site www.rohanveal.com

* From Anne Hinton: Please see sailracewin.blogspot.com - for the lighter side of the AC! I should point out that the Team NZ band is not run by Team NZ, as it isn't part of the sailing. It is really Trae and Ray Davies who do the organising of the music side of things on an informal basis. If you do want to run part of the story, it is ok with me and SailRaceWin to put out:

Team New Zealand Band to go On Tour

Team New Zealand afterguard member and bass guitar player, Ray Davies revealed recently that the Team New Zealand band wants to go and tour Northland, the region of New Zealand north of Auckland, when the sailors return home. "We want to play in a few of the pubs around Northland", said Ray.

"We'll play a few songs that people can sing along to; a few good old Kiwi songs, U2, and so on. I'm not very good, though", said Ray, modestly. "Trae's a natural [lead singer Tony Rae]. Trae's family is quite musical. Mine aren't at all! Trae's a very good singer. The band's a lot of fun."...

with credits to me and SailRaceWin and, please, a comment to the effect that Team NZ does not run the band. Tim Jeffery gave them a good write-up in Valencia (as is mentioned later in the piece).

Sailing bands (with Trae included) date back to the Whitbread - and involve sailors from all around the world - but don't seem to feature in the sailing news that often. The item might help cheer Kiwis up after the All Blacks' result last weekend...

* From Di Pearson: Read the letter from Lojze Babic with interest. Congratulations to Mirko Bogic - very inspirational for all.

We have an Australian sailor Alby Burgin who I believe to be 91 and still sailing near Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney, with Sailability - and helping others learn.

According to the official records, Alby did 32 Sydney Hobart races, the last in 1999 aboard his yacht Alstar at 84 years of age.

This year his 'oldest person to race to Hobart' record will be superseded by John Walker, who at 85, will become the oldest person to do the Hobart. In fact, John and his yacht Impeccable are heading off on their 24th Hobart race - together.

There may be others - we breed em tough in Oz.

FEATURED BROKERAGE
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Brokerage through YachtsAndCruisers.com: www.yachtsandcruisers.com

Complete listing details and seller contact information at www.yachtsandcruisers.com/boat/Class/18724/

THE LAST WORD
There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice. -- Joseph Addison

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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