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RICHARD COMES UP GOLDEN IN BERMUDA
Hamilton, Bermuda: Mathieu Richard of France became the third consecutive first-time winner of the King Edward VII Gold Cup today when he defeated Sweden's Bjorn Hansen, 2-0.

Richard and his Saba Sailing Team crew of Greg Evrard (mainsail and tactics), Olivier Herledant (headsails) and Yannick Simon (bow and traveler) rolled through the regatta with a 12-2 record and won $35,000 of the $100,000 prize purse.

"I don't know what to say," said Richard, 31, of Nantes, France. "We went 3-0 in the quarterfinals and semifinals and 2-0 today. I guess it was our week. Everything worked well onboard. To win such a prestigious event is great for us."

Hansen and his Team Apport.net crew of Martin Stromberg, Johan Tempelman and Will Thompson finished the regatta 15-5 and won $20,000. They entered the final having won 13 of 14 races, but couldn't overcome the steamrolling Frenchmen.

In the Petite Final, Ed Baird of the U.S. defeated Bermuda's Blythe Walker 2-0 to finish third and place Walker fourth. Baird and his Alinghi crew of Rodney Ardern, Lorenzo Mazza and Piet Van Nieuwenhuyzen won $15,000. Walker and crew Adam Barboza, Carola Cooper and Somers Kempe won $8,000.

Baird also won the Wedgwood Heritage Trophy, awarded to the sailor who embodies the spirit of the sport and is a willing ambassador.

The win gave Richard 25 points in the chase for the match racing world championship and he trails leader Ian Williams of Great Britain by 7 points. Two events are left to decide the championship, the Brazil Sailing Cup Nov. 13-18 and the Monsoon Cup Nov. 28-Dec. 2.

The Gold Cup is Stage 13 of the World Match Racing Tour. It is the oldest match racing trophy in the world for competition involving one-design yachts. It was first presented at the Tri-Centenary Regatta at Jamestown, Va., in 1907 by King Edward VII in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America.-- Sean McNeill

King Edward VII Gold Cup Final Standings
1. Mathieu Richard (FRA)
2. Bjorn Hansen (SWE)
3. Ed Baird (USA)
4. Blythe Walker (BER)
5. Paolo Cian (ITA)
6. Johnie Berntsson (SWE)
7. Brian Angel (USA)
8. Glenn Astwood (BER)

Final Round
Mathieu Richard (FRA) Saba Sailing Team 2-0 over
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Apport.net

Petite Final
Ed Baird (USA) Alinghi, 2-0 over
Blythe Walker (BER) Team Max

www.bermudagoldcup.com

BARCOLANA 39: ALFA ROMEO 2 WINS AND BREAKS THE RECORD
Triumph and record for Alfa Romeo 2 at the Barcolana of Trieste: after only 55 minutes 30 seconds race and Neville Crichton wins in the Triestine regatta with 1831 different sailing boats on the start line. Crichton has won the race for the fourth time (2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007) and raced ahead of the crowd alone carrying out a smooth and technically perfect race: he waited to get clear before hoisting the gennaker, being concerned not to cause any damage to any of the 25 thousand sailors in the Gulf, and rushed ahead towards the first mark at a speed of over 25 knots.

More than 5 minutes advantage over all other rivals, a good 16-knot Bora wind, with gusts up to 35 knots, and Alfa Romeo had the victory in her hands, but only the excellent precision of the owner and helmsman, the boat's superiority enabled Crichton to break the record on the 16.5 miles course. Alfa Romeo 2 broke the record of 58'30'' set by Skandia in 2005 finishing two minutes before and is the winner of Barcolana 39.

The race was battled out 5 minutes behind: an interesting duel between Maxi Jena of Solvenian Mitja Kosmina, who finished second and the first maxi class Maxi, Esimit Europa of Igor Simcic, third and protagonist of an excellent race from the very start.

Kosmina, skipper of Maxi Jena, after a troubling start due to some problems with the genneker, immediately concentrated on clinching his "traditional" second place in Barcolana because Esimit, although a smaller boat, was able to sail ahead at the start and was second at the first mark, in Slovenian waters.

The real battle between one-design yachts took place in the second leg when Mauro Pelaschier, maintaining the eve's promises, sailed ahead of the friend-rival Cino Ricci, followed by Idrusa Calvi of Paolo Montefusco, Casino Park - Anyway True of the Bora Sailing Team, and Ricci. This order did not change until the end of the race.

These are the overall provisional results for the first ten boats that crossed the start line:

1. Alfa Romeo 2 of Neville Crichton in 55'30"
2. Maxijena of Mitija Kosmina;
3. Esimit-Europa of Igor Simcic;
4. Tuttatrieste2-Fiamme Gialle chartered by the Sailing Division of the Financial Police;
5. Fly-Cometa of Flavio Favini;
6. Drake Passage-Banca Generali of Mauro Pelaschier;
7. Idrusa-Calv i of Paolo Montefusco;
8. Casino Park-Anyway True of Maurizio Bencic;
9. Ross I-Esercito of Cino Ricci;
10. Ushuaia - Devco Devco Srl of Sabatini Paolo.

Complete results of all the classes at www.barcolana.it

SPIDERTECH BLUE LINE
Fruit of research at Fiorenzi Marine Group, we are happy to announce the launch of a brand-new product named "Spidertech Blue Line". The sails are manufactured using our patented Spidertech lamination technology and have the capability of being adaptable to different boat ranges.

Spidertech Blue Line considerably cuts down the production time when compared to the standard tri-radial cutting process. It can be stocked and used when needed, without having to wait for long delivery times normally only acceptable by very organised racing teams. Spidertech Blue Line is a patent pending technology.

www.spidertechsails.eu/blueline.php

TRANSAT 6.50
Quentin Monegier sailing Tabon, has been winched up by a helicopter belonging to the French army last night at 11.115 pm off to Cape Verde. He then was repatriated on the supervising frigate Le Germinal. He told us more this morning by phone...

Quentin was hurt by an unidentified floating object that holed out the boat. The water has infiltrated quite rapidly. He first tried to clog the foothold but in vain. Little by little, the boat started to sink and Quentin had water up to his knees when he activated both of his positioning systems and blew up the life raft. Both positioning systems stayed in the life raft.

Quentin is fine, but his repatriation will be complicated because Le Germinal isn't going to Cape Verde and is requested for military operation. The race's direction thinks about the possibility to reroute a support vessel, l'Esprit d'Equipe.

The organisation and the race's direction thank the MCRR "Gris Nez", the Marine Nationale, Le Germinal's crew, the Panther's crew that rescued Quentin. We also thank the French State Authorities and particularly the French Consul in Praia - Cape Verde that helped us to carry through this rescue operation.

1. Yves le Blevec, Actual, Proto, 1475.7 nm to finish
2. Adrien Hardy, Brossard, Proto, 87.5 nm to leader
3. David Sineau, Bretagne lapins, Proto, 93.05
4. Ronan Deshayes, Pco technologies, Proto, 99.18
5. Kristian Hajnsek, Adria mobil, Proto, 100.62
6. Nicholas Brennan, Rafiki, Proto, 107.52
7. Yann Riou, Cameleon, Proto, 110.83
8. Fabien Despres, Soitec, Proto, 118.69
9. Peter Laureyssens, Ecover, Proto, 128.6
10. Francois Salabert, Areas assurances, Proto,135.03

www.transat650.org

AMERICA'S CUP
* Paul Cayard has joined Desafío Español as Sports Director for the 33rd America's Cup. During the last edition of the Cup, Cayard was the team's Technical & Sports Advisor overseeing the preparation and set up of ESP97 during the weeks leading up the Louis Vuitton Cup in April 2007.

Cayard has 24 years of experience in the America's Cup and will contribute his expertise to the team, in his new position as Sports Director.

Cayard will start to work with the team in mid- October. This is the seventh time Cayard will be involved in sailing's premier event since his debut as a sail trimmer on board US-33 in 1983. In 1992, Cayard won the Louis Vuitton Cup skippering "Il Moro di Venezia" and in 2000 advanced to the finals of the Challenger Selection Series as Skipper of "AmericaOne".

Paul Cayard holds seven World Championship titles in different classes, has participated in two Olympic Games and in 1998, was the first American to win the Whitbread Round the World Race skippering EF Language. Cayard was also runner up in the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race skippering "Pirates of the Caribbean". -- www.cayardsailing.com

* The continuing America's Cup stand-off takes another twist in the long and winding road to the 33rd challenge.

As the legal stand-off continues in the States, the local Valencian newsletter, Valencia Life Network, claims that the agreement signed with Americas Cup Management and the Valencian Government clearly states the number of syndicates that are expected top participate in the next set of races as nine.

If this number of competitors is not reached, Americas Cup Management will be forced to repay the Valencians up to 7% of the total contract for each syndicate under nine entries in the Challengers' Selection Series.

Currently there are five syndicates signed up: The Spanish Challenge, Team New Zealand, TeamOrigin, Shosholoza and Team Germany.

Waiting in the wings are the ubiquitous BMW Oracle Racing, Ayre - a second Spanish Syndicate - Areva Challenge, Victory Challenge, Mascalzone Latino and China Team. America's Cup Management has also received inquiries about participating in the next set of Races from such countries as Brazil and Malaysia.

The local newsletter also repeats the news revealed earlier in the general Spanish press, that the date of the next edition of the Cup could shift to being staged in 2010 or 2011 if no agreement was reached soon. -- from Sail-World.com, www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=38297 citing Valencia Life: www.valencialife.net

* Just ten days to go now until the Alinghi/Oracle spat gets decided in the Supreme Court and there's a strong sense of "how on earth did we ever get back here." The news from the inside is that the judge is a real stickler for the letter of the law and will interpret the Deed of Gift absolutely down the line. If this is true then the case strongly favours Larry Ellison and no judge will be impressed by comments like Bertarelli's arrogant one about "having the best lawyers."

Personally I think it's a massive shame, not for Bertarelli but for for Butterworth and Simmer and the supreme Alinghi team who have been forced to lay their reputations and good names in the sailing world on the line for an over-zealous paymaster. You just know that Brad and Grant don't agree with this stupid Protocol and I can imagine having a beer with them in a grotty beer tent in a few years time and them saying "Magnus, that was a bloody shambles but what could we do?" -- Magnus Wheatley, Rule69 blog: rule69blog.com

* The Italian Eolia syndicate has submitted "pre-registration" to America's Cup Management and revealed some further details of its plans. The official entry will be made as soon as some of the funding is in place.

The aim is to make the team as Italian as possible. To that end, the syndicate hopes to acquire the boat that Luna Rossa used in the semi-finals, where it defeated BMW Oracle, and Italian will be the language spoken on the boat. It is believed that Francisco De Angelis will join the team, though perhaps not in a sailing role.

The new yacht will be constructed in the Cantiere Navali di Palermo shipyard, where Fincantieri operates the largest shipyard in the Mediterranean, building and repairing commercial vessels.

The initial budget for Operazione-Coppa America is 50 million Euros. This will not, as previously reported, come from a single source in the shape of an industrial group from northern Italy. The funds are to be provided by a Milan company, a bank and a number of businessmen in the north, who have formed a group for this purpose. In addition, it is likely that Sicily will contribute 10 million Euros, something that President Salvatore Cuffaro hinted at, about a month ago. -- BYM Sailing & Sport News: www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=16609

DENMARK'S BONDE WINS RENRE JUNIOR GOLD CUP
Hamilton, Bermuda: Denmark's Jes Lyhne Bonde led an international invasion of the Renaissance Reinsurance Junior Gold Cup this week.

Bonde won overall honors with the low score of 37 points in the 13-race, two-discard series. Bonde, who placed fifth overall last year, showed great consistency in a variety of weather conditions, winning two races, placing second three times and scoring nine top-five finishes overall.

There were nine sailors from overseas among the 32 entries, and they claimed nine of the top 14 spots overall. Bonde's compatriot Balder Tobiasen finished fourth with 54 points and Sweden's Jesper Gunneling rounded out the top five with 57 points.

Racing was held in Great Sound. The international junior sailors, ages 13 to 15, are selected by national Optimist associations. They're flown to Bermuda by RenRe, the title sponsor, hosted by local families and gain an insight to Bermuda culture by spending a day in school with their hosts.

The Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association thanks Renaissance Reinsurance for sponsoring the Junior Gold Cup for the fifth consecutive year and to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club for being a great supporter of junior sailing in Bermuda.-- Sean McNeill

Renaissance Reinsurance Junior Gold Cup Final Standings
1. Jes Lyhne Bonde, DEN, 37 points
2. James Anfossi, BER, 41
3. Brian Bulhoes, BER, 45
4. Balder Tobiasen, DEN, 54
5. Jesper Gunneling, SWE, 57
6. Blake Burgess, BER, 76
7. Oscar Lundqvist, SWE, 81
8. Miikka Nikkila, FIN, 91
9. Kalin Hillier, BER, 93
10. Goncalo Pinho, POR, 94

KEY WEST COUNTDOWN - JANUARY IS NOT FAR OFF
Get ready... it's time to make your plans... less than 100 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

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT?
"To my mind, this will be the toughest offshore race that's ever happened." So says Alex Thomson of the Barcelona World Race, which starts next month.

The nine teams entered are all starting to feel under pressure. The new 25,000-mile two-handed non-stop race through the Southern Ocean is being competed for by some of the fastest new Open 60s, four of them launched earlier this year and still sorting out last-minute teething troubles.

This will be the first time these boats have been raced round the world by two people and the skippers' view is that the race will be harder-driving and may even be more stressful than sailing alone.

"It will be harder than the Vendée Globe," says Britain's Alex Thomson, who will be sailing his new Hugo Boss with fellow Brit Andrew Cape. "We'll be sailing nearer 100 per cent the whole time. You'll always be changing sails, always grinding. There will be no let-up whatsoever.

"It will be hard labour - like going to prison, basically. Not quite solitary confinement, but very, very tough."

Thomson expects there to be a significant breakage rate. "They are all pretty new boats and nobody's used to pushing their boats for that long, so no-one really knows what's going to happen. It wouldn't surprise me if everybody has a half serious problem." -- Elaine Bunting in her blog: www.ybw.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting.html

The November issue of Yachting World has a preview of the Barcelona Race.

SECOND BITE OF NATIONAL MATCH RACING SERIES SUCCESS FOR CHERRY
Nick Cherry held his nerve in a fascinating climax to the 2007 RYA National Match Racing Championships as he clinched a crucial last race win to claim to the National crown for the second year running.

Helmsman Cherry, sailing with Nick Houchin, Nick Butt and Matt Adams, knew only victory in their final flight 22 showdown against Ali Hall coupled with defeat for two-time Championships winner Mark Campbell-James would see his crew take the top prize at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

But with Campbell-James, who had earlier beaten Cherry in their flight 20 head-to-head, succumbing to eventual Championship runner-up Andrew Cornah in the judgement race and Cherry edging out Hall, it was back-to-back titles for Team Cherry.

Despite the event being scheduled to take place over three days, non-existent to light wind in Portland Harbour on Friday meant racing did not get underway for the 11 Championship finalists until some welcome breeze arrived on Saturday lunchtime.

Ten flights, comprising three head-to-head races per flight, were completed on day one with both Cherry and Campbell-James progressing into day two unbeaten.

RYA National Match Racing Championships Final Results:
1. Nick Cherry (Nick Houchin, Nick Butt and Matt Adams)
2. Andrew Cornah (Andy Bryson, Carl Gibbon, Charlie Wylie)
3. Mark Campbell-James (David Mason, Andrew Yates, Andy Clark)
4. Jon Pinner (Matt Pinner, Tom Heywood, Ed Males)
5. Ali Hall (Ed Hill, Tudur Owen, Gareth Owen)
6. Andrew Shaw (Paul Childs, Tom Hodkinson, Nick Blevins)
7. Matt Greenfield (Ben Bainbridge, Luke McCarthy, Ed Atkins)
8. Lucy Macgregor (Nicky Macgregor, Rachel Howe, Sue Monson, Bethan Carden)
9. Niall Myant (Tom Smedley, Adam Wallece, Maia Walsh, Lauren Martel)
10. Mary Rook (Pippa Wilson, Stefanie Day, Joanna Brigg, Andrea Mackay)
11. Ben Saxton (Tim Saxton, Tom Davidson, Catherine Alton, Pete Perera)

www.rya.org.uk

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

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 Jock Wishart: History Repeating Itself!! Those with long memories will recall Freemantle 1987 and before 2007 recognised as the best Cup ever.

Why:The 12 metre rule was almost completely optimised and the speed difference between the majority of boats was marginal with close races. Two boats on TV screen at once/great excitement/very obviously a winner and a loser:- something a worldwide "lay" TV public could understand and the sport was ready to become mainstream with all the attendant riches rather than only appealing to a "niche" audience Larger TV audience = greater visibility for sport = bigger sponsorships = better TV deals = more money = more and better competition = more TV exposure = Larger TV audience =>>>>>>.

Or am I missing something after 30 years in the sponsorship game?

Well we threw it all away again the following year and the position was not recovered until 2007.

IF we allow the Swiss to get away with it, the sport of yachting will spend another 20 years in the wilderness!

FEATURED BROKERAGE
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She provides a very well put together boat: good pedigree and project management with almost all the tools and paper to start racing, could easily be ready for the next Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) with minimal effort. Other races open to her-Route du Rhum, the OSTAR, the Global Ocean Challenge.

Brokerage through YachtsAndCruisers.com: www.yachtsandcruisers.com

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

THE LAST WORD
The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little. -- Thomas Merton

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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