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18 JULY 2009
At a press conference in Barcelona today, AC Management (ACM), the event authority for the 33rd America's Cup, presented the new Competition Regulations, including the event format and schedule, and elaborated on the new AC90 class. Announcing the dates for the Trials and the America's Cup Match marks another step towards a 2009 event.

The AC90 yacht, in summary, will be 90ft overall (27.4m), 6.5m in draft whilst racing, retracting to 4.7m. The beam will be 5.3m, up from 3.5m for many of the ACC V5 boats. It will have a displacement of 23tons, a mast height of 37.9m above the deck, a maximum bowsprit distance of 15.5m from the mast and unlimited spinnaker area. With a crew limit of 20 people, this will be a very demanding and exciting boat to sail (there are three more crew than on a V5 boat and approx 50% more sail area!). In recognition of the demanding nature of the new yacht, the crew weight limit has been removed.

ACM aims to limit costs for competitors through outlawing two-boat testing (the only permitted opportunity for one AC90 yacht to sail alongside another is when racing in ACM organised Practice Race or the Event), introducing "no-sail periods" and limiting the total number of sails produced. All this has been decided through consultation and in agreement with all five entered Challengers and the Defender.

A further major difference to previous America's Cup events is the competition format. The 33rd edition will be divided into four phases: Acts, Trials, Challenger Selection Series and the America's Cup Match, with the Defender being able to compete in the Acts, the Trials and the Match, but not in the Challenger Selection Series.

Practice Racing has been introduced as a replacement for two-boat testing. Any team can request a practice race and the regatta director will arrange an official practice series. This will be a carefully organised schedule publicised well in advance and providing equal opportunity for all Challengers who wish to participate. These are due to start as early as October 2008 and will continue up until April 2009. They will include a mixture of fleet and match racing round robins.

Event format and schedule (based on a 10 team scenario)

Acts
End of June/ July 2008: Act 1, in Valencia (fleet & match race in ACC V5 yachts)
September 2008: Act 2, location in Europe tbc (fleet & match race in ACC V5 yachts)
April 2009: Act 3, in Valencia in AC90 (fleet race) (tbc)

Results from the Acts do not carry forward into the Trials. However, aside from the exposure and prestige gained, there are bonuses with regards to sail allocation for 2009. If teams compete in the 2008 Acts, they gain five sails on top of their 45 sail allocation for 2009. The overall winner of the 2008 Acts gains an additional two sails and the second placed competitor gains one extra sail.

Trials
- Round Robins 1 and 2 Starting on May 2nd 2009
- Semi Final May/June 2009

Challenger Selection Series
- Starts in late June 2009 with the Repechage. The winner of this goes on to meet the top ranked Challenger in a best-of-seven Challenger Selection Final in July. The winner of the Challenger Selection Final becomes the Challenger and goes on to meet Alinghi in the America's Cup Match.

The 33rd America's Cup Match
- Starting on 18 July 2009, the best Challenger will face the Defender in a best of nine match race series.

More at www.americascup.com

THE RICH GET RICHER
The analysis of the weather information has proved to be a real challenge, but it appears that none of the skippers took the opportunity to make gains trying a western option in a stubborn low-pressure system, still centered in the Azores. The ORMA are now level with the Canaries, heading for the trade winds and the leaders of the IMOCA approaching Madeira. The boats off Cape St. Vincent and beneath will benefit from more pressure in upcoming days than the boats located between Cape Finisterre and Cape St. Vincent, which have been battling light winds since the Spanish Cape. The mood was quite down onboard some of the boats at the rear, but they were using the time to rest, make necessary repairs and dry off. The crews were also scrutinizing the weather data and changing sails to try to move the boats and make the smallest possible gain. The aim is to grab miles in the south without being caught in the winds shifting southeast, as they would push the competitors too far west. At the one-third marker, the race is still up in the air. But the boats beneath Cape St. Vincent will increas the mile difference.

The first IMOCAs should be able to follow the tracks of the ORMA and sail along the African coast, leaving Madeira to the west. The first three boats -- Safran is still leading after 5 days since leaving Le Havre, Foncia and Gitana Eighty are within 27 miles of each other (4 p.m. ranking). Behind them another pack of three boats Groupe Bel, Cheminees Poujoulat and Ecover 3 (VM Materiaux's position was not known at 4 p.m.) are sailing within 17 miles of each other, with Groupe Bel sixty miles from Safran.

The 40-footers are level with Lisbon. Their speeds are absolutely discouraging: 4.4-5.8 knots, the fastest is 7.5 knots (4 p.m.) for the boats in the middle of the group, already 91 miles behind the leader. Telecom Italia seems to make no mistakes and even nibbled miles on a few old IMOCAS. But she was not fast enough to escape the light winds in the area and her pursuers are nipping at her heels.

Multihulls - ORMA and Class 50
Groupama has been holding the lead since yesterday in front of Banque Populaire and Gitana 11. Cammas and S. Ravussin (Groupama) preferred to negotiate their way south through the Canary Islands, while Bidegorry and Y. Ravussin (Banque Populaire) chose to rely on the Venturi effect between the African Coasts and the Spanish Islands. Banque Populaire gybed to gain some tracks west but had nevertheless lost ground consistently to Groupama (The blue trimaran was sailing 64 miles behind the leader at 4 p.m., not showing a higher speed. Sopra and Brossard are now more that 200 miles behind Groupama in their descent to the Canary Islands. Their speed dropped dramatically.

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

HOLMATRO SHOWS METRE CLASS WINCHES AT METS
At METS 2007 Dutch manufacturer Holmato Marine Equipment will show a new model in its range of Meissner classic winches: the so-called Metre Class winch. Originally designed for yachts in the extremely competitive 8 Metre Class circuit this low profile winch with its large drum for higher sheeting speeds is proving equally popular on other classic racing yachts. Metre Class winches offer a perfect solution to those who want a fast and powerful winch without incurring the rating penalty for self-tailers given at many European classic regattas. Holmatro stand at METS: 01.547. www.holmatro-marine.com

DECISION TIME APPROACHES
The ISAF Council meets over three days of the ISAF Annual Conference. They are the final decision making body of ISAF and will make the final decision on all the issues raised in Estoril this year. During the week the ISAF Committees have debated and discussed the submissions (over 200 of them) at this year's Conference, producing recommendations to help inform the decisions of the Council.

After the Council received reports on ISAF's finances and administration, the President took the opportunity to outline the process for voting on the events for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, scheduled to take place tomorrow. The Council voted to accept this process with a couple of amendments.

So on Friday, the process for choosing the events will be...

First of all the Council will debate and then vote on the recommendation of the Events Committee, which was for the following events:

Windsurfer - men
One person dinghy - men
One person dinghy heavy - men
Two person dinghy high performance - men
Two person dinghy - men
Multihull - open
Windsurfer - women
One person dinghy - women
Two person dinghy - women
Two person dinghy high performance - women

If the recommendation of the Events Committee is accepted, then the ten events for the 2012 Games are decided. If the recommendation is not accepted then the process of selection begins again.

The Council will go through a series of votes and ballots to decide on the ten events. The slate of possible events, which the Council decided at the 2007 ISAF Mid-Year Meetings, will be noted. The Council could decide to change this slate of possible events and/or change to a five/five gender split, but any change would have to be based on a submission to this Conference.

There will then be a ballot where each Council member will select the ten events (from the slate of possible events and using the gender ratio agreed above) they support for inclusion in the 2012 Games. The events receiving the highest number of votes will be selected.

www.sailing.org

PATENTS IN A DEVELOPMENT CLASS?
The Daily Sail takes a look at the current debate in the Moth class:

Two weeks ago in an update on the Bladerider one design foiling Moth we reported that the company were attempting to patent a couple of their design ideas (see the article here). This is causing a considerable stir within the Moth community with arguments on-going over the moral right to patent within a development class, a debate with possible consequences not just within the Moths.

Essentially much of the debate revolves around two central themes: the rights of Bladerider International to protect their intellectual property and the Moths being a development class where designs are regularly copied and adapted. "It is an emotive issue simply because the class has contributed so much to sailing over the years due to its collaborative and inventive nature," explains 2006 Moth World Champion, Simon Payne. "Ideas are copied and developed and then copied again and made right. That has always been the case".

More (subscription required, good gift idea...) at thedailysail.com

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE RACING RULES?
If you want to feel more confident when racing near other boats, you should get Learn The Racing Rules! This two-part DVD, written and narrated by Dave Dellenbaugh, uses live sailing and computerized animation to explain all the important right-of-way rules. Part 1 covers the essential rules and limitations that apply whenever boats meet. Part 2 explains the complex rules about marks and obstructions. Each is an hour long and includes text of all rules discussed. Produced by SEA-TV, it makes a great gift!

To learn more or place an order: www.SpeedandSmarts.com

A FEW MINUTES WITH THE REGATTA ORGANISERS
On Thursday morning the Race Management Team held a final briefing for the 18 skippers of the Barcelona World Race to run through the Sailing Instructions and clarify any questions or problems ahead of Sunday's start.

An important moment, it was last chance for a joint meeting although there will continue to be plenty of communication between the Organisation and the competitors throughout the three month race.

A new non-stop round the world race concept naturally gives rise to a number of different aspects regarding regulations, the race course itself and media communication responsibilities. As OC Events Project Manager Mark Turner explained,

"A number of points were discussed and examples given; the most important being a clear explanation of the concept of stopping. The spirit of the race is to avoid any 'pre-planning' in terms of stopping in the competition, but at the same time allow the boats to be able to interrupt their course to make necessary repairs. A team would thus be able to stay in the race and still have a chance of winning."

Essentially if a boat were to break early on and need to make a quick pit-stop it would not necessarily see all chances of winning disappear out the window. No time penalty is to be introduced until Australia. After that stage, there will be a time penalty applied to discourage teams from planning a pit stop.

This final week in particular involves a number of essential safety checks for the teams to ensure that all equipment the boats have on board is working properly, contact numbers are correct, and that connection, reception and transmission of data runs smoothly.

On Sunday at 13:00, the fleet of nine IMOCA Open 60s will set off on their three month adventure around the world. But before heading off towards Gibraltar the fleet will sail a short course up the coast. The start line will be laid just in front of Port Olympic, from where the boats will then head to Port Forum, three miles to the North-east to round a buoy, before heading back to the start line where they have to pass between the two Race Committee boats.

The teams:

Delta Dore
Jeremie Beyou (FRA) & Sidney Gavignet (FRA)

Educacion sin Fronteras
Albert Bargues (ESP) & Servanne Escoffier (FRA)

Estrella Damm
Guillermo Altadill (ESP) & Jonathan McKee (USA)

Hugo Boss
Alex Thomson (GBR) & Andrew Cape (AUS)

Mutua Madrilena
Javier Sanso Windmann (ESP) & Pachi Rivero (ESP)

Paprec-Virbac 2
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) & Damian Foxall (IRE)

PRB
Vincent Riou (FRA) & Sebastien Josse (FRA)

Temenos II
Dominique Wavre (SUI) & Michele Paret (FRA)

Veolia Environnement
Roland Jourdain (FRA) & Jean-Luc Nelias (FRA)

www.barcelonaworldrace.com

BEER COOLER SAVES LIVES OF YACHTSMEN!
Three Australian sailors owe their lives to a beer cooler by using it as a float after their boat sank. They used the cooler's lid as a makeshift sail and, despite most of their voyage being in darkness, they were able to steer enough to avoid currents carrying them out into the Pacific.

The trio were in the water for nearly 12 hours before making landfall at Bushland Beach near Townsville in Queensland. All were exhausted, but grateful to be alive.

Garry Fleming, the boat's owner, said he carried a beer cooler whenever he went to sea, because "if anything goes wrong there will be the box to hold on to." How right he was - the boat sank so quickly that all its emergency equipment was lost. -- YBW.com, www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20071008165923mbmnews.html

AC SYNDICATE UPDATE
According to usually well informed Sport Economy, the first Eolia (a new Italian syndicate announced last month) sponsor could be La Banca Intesa-Sanpaolo.

Intesa Sanpaolo, which has been involved as a minor sponsor for Luna Rossa during the 32nd America's Cup, is among the top banking groups in the euro zone and leader in Italy and is looking for a more prominent international presence.

www.cupineurope.com citing www.sporteconomy.it

* "We are ready to file", said Pedro Perello. "But the game area remains in our opinion quite uncertain".

The leader of the new Spanish syndicate (and director of the Transpac 52 'Siemens' project), gave on Friday a Press Conference and could no longer hide his impatience.

The conflict initiated by BMW Oracle is one of the issues to be solved but other major obstacle is from AC Management side.

Perello said he asked Michel Hodara's Team to yield the former Luna Rossa base. Ayre purchased all the assets of the Italian Syndicate and it would be simplest if they could move in directly.

"But, they refused it because they gave verbal agreement to Team Origin about the use of the base", deplored Perello. "It is therefore so much more regrettable that we are not alone with this request".

As the deadline for leaving their bases was just over for the "old syndicates" (syndicates for the 32nd America's Cup unregistered for the 33rd edition) was just over, the new Desafio Espanol continue to hope in a positive outcome.

"We could move the Luna Rossa's assets in another base but it would simply waste time", said Perello. "And time is of priceless value in the America's Cup".

Perello concluded by saying that other meetings are scheduled with ACM and that "options B and C are still on the table"

www.cupineurope.com citing www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/

'SKANDIA WILD THING' BACK WITH ULLMAN SAILS
In its first regatta back with a brand new set of Ullman Sails, Grant Wharington's super-maxi 'Skandia Wild Thing' took line honors at last weekend's annual Melbourne to Stanley Yacht Race, November 3, 2007. The 98' super-maxi also finished second in IRC Divisional results. The race, which crosses Australia's Bass Strait, was an uphill battle in SSE winds. Ullman Sails Melbourne is set to deliver three more sails for 'Skandia Wild Thing' before this year's Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.

For more information on the 'Fastest Sails on the Planet,' contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit www.ullmansails.com

SEIKO PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERNATIONAL 49ER CLASS EXTENDED
SEIKO Watch Corporation has confirmed that it will continue as the Official Partner of the International 49er Olympic Class until June 2009.

SEIKO's support of the 49er Class in 2007 was the first global sponsorship deal with an Olympic sailing class. SEIKO used the partnership to launch its brand new marine range, "Velatura" to the worldwide sailing community. In addition SEIKO used the opportunity to run successful internal hospitality at key 49er Class Championships in Portugal and Italy.

SEIKO's financial and equipment support has stimulated global growth for the 49er Class through a series of training and master class initiatives. In addition the provision of equipment to the Class has been a significant attraction for sailors. For sailors the interaction with SEIKO at events has been positive with several teams now being sponsored by SEIKO at a national level.

The success of the partnership has shown the significant appeal that the sport of sailing can deliver when packaged correctly for sponsors.

www.49er.org

COLLISION AVOIDANCE
From Elaine Bunting's blog:

Following a collision and a couple of near-misses elsewhere in the fleet, I asked Dee for her assessment of AIS, or Automatic Identification System, a bit of kit that ought to be a massive help in avoiding collision at sea, and particularly of being run down by a ship. They might not see you, but with AIS you would know where a ship is even in atrocious vis, along with their course, speed, closest point of approach and time to CPA.

Here's Dee's evaluation from her Open 60 Aviva:

'I am now a complete fan. All OC Events races and the Figaro make an AIS receiver compulsory on their races. It will only be a matter of time before IMOCA (the Open 60 class) also have it in their handbook.

'Our receiver is linked to our MaxSea electronic charting software. Some people have it linked to their radar. Anyone with a transponder transmits their ship's name, Call sign, MMSI number, cargo, last port of call, next port of call, etc and also if there is a risk of collision with your position this all comes up on our screen.

'This allows us to see what is coming, the other vessel's SOG and COG and if he poses a threat so we can avoid early..."

More at www.ybw.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting.html

COOL, CALM, CONTROLLED PERFORMANCE
As owner-skipper, I've got to be in control. Nothing says 'amateur' more than a red-faced skipper screaming at a bewildered crew. I've got some great guys, we train hard, learn from our mistakes and earn our bullets. If I say 'Port rounding, gybe set, blast reacher' I know that's what will happen. No dramas. My performance needs to be reliable, surefooted, no slips. That's why I'm wearing Dubarry's new Fastnet boots. And the long-lasting performance leathers and tough Cordura uppers mean I get real value for my money. The new Fastnet boot by Dubarry: take control.

www.dubarry.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 (waived for Bruce's letter below!). No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From John Sweeney: In response to Mr. Foley's comments in issue#1354:

When was there ever a single rating rule used world wide?

700 IRC certificates may not sound like a large number but considering that a good balance of certificates issued over the last 3 years are to both new designs and retrofits, with a reasonable expectation that the numbers will grow 15% annually, that's success as I define it. Clearly a significant portion of the sailing community was waiting for a better formula.

As director of the International Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, I am pleased to be able to provide owners the option of racing under either IRC or our local CSA rule. The recent IRC champs in Annapolis saw terrific competition between 45 boats. Surely our 100 entries can thrive under a two rule format. I invite anyone interested in great racing in pristine conditions to join us - all rules are suspended during the post race parties. www.rolexcupregatta.com

* From Anthony Shanks: Once again the events committee has proven that it is utterly worthless. By presenting the events to the council that they have utterly disenfranchised the largest body of sailors that there is, Keelboat sailors.

When will they wake up to the reality that the events in the Olympics are quite simple

Single Hander, Male and female
Double Hander, Male and Female
Keelboat, Male and Female
Board, Male and Female
MultiHull Open
Single hander Heavyweight.

This is without a doubt the most equitable solution. Yet once again a duplication of medals , a double hander male and female and a high performance double hander male and female...z this is utter rubbish as they are both the same weight of sailor.

The Events committee have diluted the value of the double hander medal to get rid of the keelboats, in doing so they have turned the Olympic games from a serious event into an event for college kids.

So what are we all going to do, as usual we will let a group of people largely who have not raced in the modern era make a decision which has wide sweeping ramifications and then merely say well done.

Well I am sick of ISAF and being treated like second class citizens just because I sail a Keelboat.

THE LAST WORD
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there. -- Yogi Berra

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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