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ARTEMIS DISMASTS
Artemis Ocean Racing, the boat sponsored by UK investment company Artemis Investment Management, was this afternoon dismasted off the coast of Spain on Day Four of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Bahia in Brazil.

The British IMOCA Open 60, skippered by Jonny Malbon and Graham Tourell, was sailing in 35 knots of breeze when the incident occurred at around 1420 GMT. The cause of the dismasting is not yet known.

The mast broke close to the deck and fell forwards onto the boat, along with the boom and sail. The rig has been cut free and the boat is heading towards the Spanish town of Vigo, which is 100 miles to east.

Malbon, 33, and Tourell, 31, were unharmed in the incident. The pair is described as "shattered but safe".

Artemis was in 10th position when the dismasting happened. The incident means that Artemis' participation in the bi-annual race is now at an end.

* Artemis told race management at midday they had reduced the sails after two broaches and a massive wave laying the boat on her side. News of the dismasting came in at 17:00 The wind is gradually filling up in the Bay of Biscay to push the rest of the fleet to Cape Finisterre where the conditions are rough. The ORMA fleet is now even with the IMOCA fleet, which set out one day earlier and should pass them overnight.

The speeds on the ranking sheet of the Transat Jacques Vabre gradually increased since yesterday starting with the IMOCA fleet. After her great escape, Safran was within sight of her runners up, Foncia and Gitana Eighty, after a lead of 40 miles or so yesterday. The ranking of the three boats are changing with the rhythm of the jibes. At 4 p.m. the Verdier - VPLP design was 10 miles ahead of Foncia, with Gitana Eighty chasing the leader 30.7 miles behind. Gitana Eighty, Ecover 3, VM Materiaux and Goupe Bel opted for a westerly route to avoid falling into a lower-pressure ridge to the south along the Portuguese coast. Ecover 3, which sailed closer to the coast to pass Cape Finisterre, lost ground and is now ranked 6th after grabbing 2nd place yesterday at the 8 p.m. ranking.

Multihulls: ORMA and Class 50
The decision taken by Gitana 11 and Brossard out of Brittany seemed to pay even though the skippers are taking more risks, sailing in higher winds and rougher seas (they sailed more to the west in the center of the low-pressure system). The skippers took the risk because they know their boats could cope with these conditions. The first 3 boats should pass Gibraltar tomorrow night or early Thursday.

The sailing should become more manageable as they continue down along the coast. All of the 50 class multihulls have reached the Atlantic since this morning with Crèpes Whaou ! still in the lead. Laiterie de St Malo came back to 2nd (her "natural" place) 61 miles behind F.Y Escoffier's bolid (at 4 p.m.) after slipping into 4th yesterday. Her route along the English coast, the boat bouncing in the wake of cargo ships, was hard to maintain but now looks worth the effort.

Class 40
Fujifilm has had a see-saw day, moving up to 2nd, then falling to 6th at press time as they near Cape Finistere.

Latest update received from Alex Bennett:

"We have just changed down to the Code 5 after being on the masthead kite all night - am exhausted! We will soon have to gybe as we shave close to Finistere, but are waiting to the last minute to make it. Otherwise all is good, the sea is building and it looks like it's going to get turbo once we get past Cape Finistere - can't wait!"

Leading the huge Class 40 fleet is the French/Chilean team of Marc Lepesqueux and Felipe Cubillos aboard Siegenia AUBI. This is the first TJV for either 39 year old Lepesqueux or 45 year old Cubillos.

www.jacques-vabre.com/fr/s01_home/s01p01_home.php

ISAF AWARDS SIX INDUCTEES FOR INAUGURAL ISAF SAILING HALL OF FAME
On 5 November in Estoril, Portugal, the International Sailing Federation announced Paul Elvstrom, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, Dame Ellen Macarthur, Olin Stephens, Barbara Kendall and Éric Tabarly as the first six inductees for the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame.

Many of sailing's star names together with members of royalty were in Estoril to celebrate the achievements of the six inductees at a gala Dinner and Presentation, one of the centrepiece occasions of ISAF's Centenary celebrations. Over the past 100 years, sailing has seen many heroes and legends, and the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame has been created to recognize the achievements of those who have made the sport what it is today.

The inductees were presented with the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame trophy, - designed by renowned Portuguese artist, Cristina Leiria - by His Majesty King Constantine and ISAF President Goran Petersson. One of the sailing world's best loved commentators, PJ Montgomery, presided over the Awards ceremony.

Paul Elvstrom, Robin Knox-Johnson, Ellen MacArthur and Olin Stephens were in Estoril to receive their awards, whilst Jacqueline Tabarly, widow of the late Eric Tabarly, accepted his award. Barbara Kendall accepted her award from PJ Montgomery on film.

Nominations for inductees were submitted by ISAF members, with the final decision confirmed by the ISAF Executive Committee. The Honorary Chairman for the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame is His Majesty King Constantine, who is also an ISAF President of Honour.

www.sailing.org

THE NEW SHAPE OF BOAT BUILDING - THE FLUSH HATCH
Sleek and modern, Lewmar's Flush Hatch is an original design that represents a big shift in boat design. This particular hatch style has long been exclusive to superyachts and other prestigious builds, but is now becoming available on a broader, more affordable scale. And Lewmar is leading the way by offering builders a round version of this design.

The hatch fits seamlessly into a specially designed recess in the deck. The precision fit means no more stubbed toes or protrusions that prevent deck cushions from lying flat. To learn more, visit Booth #01.361 at METS or www.lewmar.com

AMERICA'S CUP COMPETITION REGULATIONS
There will be a Media Conference held in Barcelona for a presentation on the AC90 rule and the Competition Regulations for the 33rd America's Cup.

There will be five speakers at the event to be held in the Port Vell World Trade Centre:

Rolf Vrolijk, Alinghi principal designer
Juan Kouyoumdjian, TeamOrigin principal designer
Agustin Zulueta, Desafio Espanol general director
Michel Hodara, CEO of ACM
Tom Schnackenberg, class rule and competition regulations consultant for ACM

The Competition Regulations are a first for the America's Cup, where previously these were included in the Protocol or other documents.

Key points of contention in these regulations are expected to be how the Defender will compete in the Challenger Selection Series. Under the current Protocol, announced on 5 July and subject to one revision already, the Defender has both the right to conduct Defence Trials (by definition involving multiple boats) as well as having the right to sail in the Challenger Selection Series. An Alinghi spokesman previously told Sail-World that they did not expect to hold Defence Trials, and that these provisions would be removed from the Protocol. But for the meantime they would remain. It will be interesting to see how the Competition Regulations handle this aspect of the regatta.

The other point which will attract interest is in the number of hulls that can be built for the AC90 class. Previously it was believed that two hulls could be built, but only one sailed at a time, and that two boat testing outside the ACM organised regattas was to be prohibited.

None of this appears in the Protocol or AC90 rule, and the Competition Regulations would appear to be the logical place for these

However while intentions are always very fine things, the translation of these into regulations which can be policed is another matter.

Both moves were bought into ostensibly reduce cost, however the effect of the work-arounds would have the reverse effect. -- Richard Gladwell in Sail-World.com, more at www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=38883

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

LEADING NORWEGIAN OFFSHORE RATINGS JOINS FORCES
Now all Norwegian sailors will have one common measurement platform, whatever rating system they use. The Norwegian Offshore Federation (NORC and ORC's representative in Norway) and the Norwegian LYS Federation (NORLYS) have decided to join efforts and sail more races together in the same regatta format that NORC have used the last years.

Nilsson has together with Thorstein Tonneson, board member of NORLYS, recently produced a proposal of a cooperation between the two class organizations. Last week the boards of NORLYS and NORC decided to support the proposal.

- Both NORC and NORLYS have a common ambition to get more sailors to sail on higher ambition levels. This cooperation will give us a good arena also for the most active LYS-sailors in the so called Racing-classes in our Norwegian handicap system, says Havard Ravn Ottesen, Chairman of NORLYS.

These are a few of the actions that NORC and NORLYS plan to pursue:

- NORC and NORLYS will put up a common technical platform on www.seiling.org to administrate all handicap racing in Norway. This platform will contain a common database of measurement data, owners, boat, sails, issued certificates, payments etc. A common administrator will also be employed to work with both scoring systems.

- NORC and NORLYS wishes to further develop today's windward/leeward racing under NORC and IMS management to also include the most active sailors that today sail the R-class under LYS scoring. The regattas will as before not collide with the big established regattas and will consist of windward/leeward racing since both class organizations believe that this format is fun, demanding and developing race skills.

The two federations are now setting up a cooperation forum and working groups to establish the technical platform, regatta formats, marketing and sponsor activities.

BARCELONA WORLD RACE PROGRAMME ONLINE
The official programme of the Barcelona World Race, 'duo', is now available online on the regatta website.

This third issue of 'duo', contains everything you need to know about the Barcelona World Race, from team profiles to a guide around the race course, along with feature stories on the technology behind the remarkable Open 60 boats the crews will use to power their quest around the world.

Online, you can browse through the magazine online as you would with a paper copy of the programme. You can find the link to 'duo' on the left hand side of the homepage, under Race Programme.

Or, cut and paste the following link into a new browser window - www.barcelonaworldrace.com/duo/uk/

And you can follow the latest news from Barcelona World Race Village on the Moll de la Fusta in the Port of Barcelona as the countdown continues towards Sunday's 13:00 start time.

barcelonaworldrace.com

A WONDER WHEN THE RAIL'S UNDER
'Bit too deep, Skip!' The cockpit cranked out a sweet tack but the driver's too low, looking at the traffic instead of the trim. You're trying to grind in and the boat's still about 10 degrees off, the rail's way under and you're leaning over the winch, up to your knees in wet stuff. You're waiting for wet feet when you remember that you're wearing Dubarry's new Fastnet boots with the elasticated top. 'Nice one, Skip, we're there.' The new Fastnet boot by Dubarry: performance protected.

www.dubarry.com

ITCHENOR EDGE 2007 TWINAME RYA YOUTH TEAM RACING TITLE
One key race was enough to decide the winners as Itchenor edged out West Kirby to claim the 2007 Twiname RYA Youth Team Racing Championship crown at Spinnaker Sailing Club in Ringwood last weekend.

Fighting against the light, shifty winds that blighted the Blashford Lake event throughout the weekend, both teams were at the top of their tactical games to progress through Saturday with immaculate five wins apiece records.

But as it became apparent that the wind conditions were going to prevent the Championships going beyond the initial 66-race round robin phase, the crunch match proved to be race 46 when the two teams went head-to-head.

And after Itchenor were able to make the most of a contentious start line situation against their fierce Wirral rivals, the West Sussex six posted a 1st, 2nd, 5th record to take the pivotal race and ultimately the title with a clean sweep of 11 out of 11 wins.

Final results:

1. Itchenor - George Yeoman/Georgie Akin-Smith, Rob Struckett/Jeremy Williamson, Andy Shaw/Tom Hodkinson
2. West Kirby - Will Shepherd/Emma Lombard, Matt Shepherd/Kate Robinson, Owain Matthews/Jemima Riley
3. Sevenoaks - Emma Derby/Lilly Kottsieper, Peter Sexton/Camilla Barber, Ben Heilbron/Jonathan Turnbull
4. Magdalen College School - Pete Sands/Ed Down, Henry Fletcher/Johnny Lau, Charlie Makepeace/Phil Derry
5. Spinnaker - James Anderson/Ellie Assinder, James Clay/Michael Harris, Ed Morris/Josh Potts

www.rya.org.uk

CANADIAN SHIP TO RISE AGAIN FROM WELSH WATERS
The submerged hulk of a 147-year-old wooden sailing ship - one of the last known relics from the golden age of Canadian shipbuilding - is to be salvaged from a harbour on the north coast of Wales as part of an archeological "rescue mission" ahead of a massive dredging project.

The 50-metre, three-masted vessel, built in Quebec City in 1860 and christened The City of Ottawa to celebrate Queen Victoria's choice of a new Canadian capital just three years earlier, is being hailed as a historical treasure by British and Canadian experts - a rare remnant of the world's 19th-century maritime heritage.

During nearly a half-century of service as a cargo carrier at the height of the British Empire, The City of Ottawa sailed out of numerous English ports to far-flung destinations in Australia, Asia, South America, Europe, the U.S. and, occasionally, back home to Canada.

Damaged in a storm and laid up on a sandbar in the Welsh port city of Rhyl in 1906, the abandoned ship became a fixture on the waterfront of the popular tourist destination. But time and the tides gradually took their toll, reducing the great vessel to a skeletal state.

Half buried in sand, the ship's timbers still poke out of the water at low tide - a ghostly trace of its former self, but still an extraordinary prize for scholars who study the materials and techniques used in Victorian-era ship construction. -- Randy Boswell , CanWest News Service, full article at www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=7c9db1f1-63f1-454f-a0f2-c6c5338ac97d&k=2897

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 Brendan Foley - Tiamat IRL 12345 (Mills 40), Ireland Team Green, Commodores Cup '06:

Re: Bruce Williams and Fietje Judel's comments about IRC rewarding the high tech boat versus the club production cruiser... this may well be true if you compare a rarely raced club racer with a campaigning grand prix one off.

However if you look at recent Commodore's Cups you will see that production boats have bettered the one-offs. Take 2006... the French turned up with a raft of production boats and won the event, as they had done so the previous time as well. In both events Beneteau's, X Yacht's, J's and Archambault's all featured in the top ranks. The Mills, Corbys and Kers on balance did not outshine these production boats. All the crews were of similar quality and all had the best sails and preparation.

In light of this it seems clear that IRC can be equitable in terms of rating production versus one off boats. This is very good for cruiser/racing as it shows that your 200K Beneteau if sailed well enough can beat a 400K one off. Furthermore, local performance based rules such as Echo (similar to golf handicap - the more you win the harder your handicap) used in Ireland to run club racing shows how the club racer with little high tech investment can compete with a high tech grand prix campaigned boat. People are voting with their feet and the recent successes of IRC in the US and Scandinavia show it's ability to attract the best racers and therefore provide a format for the best international competition.

In summary IRC has created a format where high tech innovation and development is possible and encouraged but where an 'off the shelf' boat can also have a realistic chance of winning. We also all know of high tech boats sailed under IRC that do not do well as they are badly sailed. Therefore high tech does not equal an unfair advantage. You still have to sail better that the rest to win. Surely this what we all want?

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THE LAST WORD
We're having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, we're having a swan. You get more stuffing. -- George Carlin

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 Artemis 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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