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MONSOON CUP: COL UNDER PRESSURE WITH ONLY 2 WINS
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia: Frenchman, Sebastien Col fresh from his Atlantic crossing after finishing 6th in the TJV had a tough day adjusting to the tough competition at the final event of the World Match Racing Tour. With only two wins, Col the skipper of the Areva America's Cup Challenge needs to get at least four wins under his belt if he wants to get into the final eight teams and still have a shot at winning the Match Racing World Championship. "I have been away sailing from the Tour (sailing in the recent TJV) and the competition is so tight and close it's been difficult to get back up to speed" said Col "hopefully we can get a better result tomorrow."

After a day of near perfect conditions in winds as high as 14 knots, the day came to a close with 36 races sailed in Kuala Terengganu. On shore spectators had the thrill of feeling as if they were part of the crew during the pre-starts with racing only a few meters from the shore directly in front of the three story purpose built sailing grand stand. Peter Gilmour had an amazing string of victories leading the day with seven wins. He had his come-uppance when he met up with Bjorn Hansen in their tenth flight battle. Young upstart Torvar Mirsky, from Australia who went into the day with a 2-0 record suffered three losses during the day. The most crushing to the confidence was the loss to fellow junior, Adam Minoprio of the NZ BlackMatch Team. However, both juniors from Oceania suffered losses to the master Dato' Peter Gilmour.

At the end of eleven flights, the records are:

Dato' Peter Gilmour (AUS) PST: 6.5-1
Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing 5-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) Saba Sailing Team: 5-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar: 5-2
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team: 5-3
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Apport.Net: 4-3
Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 4-3
Paolo Cian (ITA) Shosholoza 4-3
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team: 3-5
Sebastien Col (FRA) Areva Challenge: 2-5
Tiffany Koo (MAS) UK Halsey Gapurna Team: 0-7
Katie Spithill (AUS) Team Acuity: 0-8

Round robin racing will continue on Friday.

www.worldmatchracingtour.com

DUELLING IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC
Although the Barcelona World Race is a 25 000 nautical marathon around the world, you might not know that from the position reports today. There are three very close 'races within the race' happening on the south Atlantic as the fleet sprints south towards the 'Roaring Forties'.

At the front of the fleet, PRB and Paprec-Virbac 2 are battling for position at the head of the leaderboard, a spot PRB has occupied since the doldrums. But on the 14:00 position report, Paprec-Virbac 2 had eased in front by less than one mile, and had extended that to all of four miles on the 16:00 position sked.

It's even closer in the fight for fourth, where Hugo Boss has been reeling in Delta Dore all day. Early in the afternoon, skipper Alex Thomson made the pass and by 16:00 was ahead by just three miles.

And then, 70 miles behind, Temenos II has maintained its 20-mile advantage over Mutua Madrilena over the past day. All in all, three good battles up and down the fleet.

Left on its own in third place is Veolia Environnement, just over 130 miles adrift of the leaders and nearly 130 miles ahead of the chasing Hugo Boss. Further back, Estrella Damm is fighting to catch Mutua Madrilena, while Educacion sin Fronteras approaches the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha.

The two leading boats are in a strong position, with many in the chasing pack making the observation that the leaders might just catch a weather system that shoots them down south well ahead of the pack. The coming days will show whether that fear is justified.

Day 19 - November 29, 16:00 Gmt - Position Report With Distance To Leader

1. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean Pierre Dick / Damian Foxall - 0.0
2. PRB - Vincent Riou / Sebastien Josse - 4.1
3. Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain / Jean Luc Nelias - 138.1
4. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson / Andrew Cape - 257.1
5. Delta Dore - Jeremie Beyou / Sidney Gavignet - 260.3
6. Temenos 2 - Dominique Wavre / Michele Paret - 332.8
7. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso / Pachi Rivero - 353.3
8. Estrella Damm - Guillermo Altadill / Jonathan Mckee - 497.3
9. Educacion Sin Fronteras - Servane Escoffier / Albert Bargues - 758.8

barcelonaworldrace.org

GREAT GIFT FOR RACING SAILORS!
Know a sailor who wants to learn more about the rules? You should give them Learn The Racing Rules! This two-part DVD set, 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

SEAHORSE SAILOR OF THE MONTH
Last month's winners: Fred Eaton & Magnus Clarke (CAN)
Wow, that was fairly tight... as went went to press the new Canadian holders of the Little America's Cup (for it is that - ed) had just edged out this year's champion TP52 helmsman Torbjorn Tornqvist by 54% to 46% - the voting having hovered between 49:51% and 51:49% for over a week. Artemis in 2008 Torbjorn!

Next month's nominees:

Rohan Veal (AUS)
Ed Baird did a far better job than he got credit for at AC32, but Veal was so far ahead as the right choice for Rolex Sailor of the Year, for the good of sailing if nothing else, that we have no choice but to put him forward for a second time. Eight bullets at the 2007 Moth worlds showed the upstarts who is still boss. And a continuing effort to encourage a younger audience into the sport... How obvious was it to all but ISAF?

Mark Turner (GBR)
Not bad, create a new round the world event from scratch and substantially raise the bar for the quality of communication and sponsor-management. The Barcelona World Race is off and running and Turner's team has just confirmed a strong sponsorship package for their other big event, the historic Transat. Just as well Turner hung up his own sea boots when he did to focus on his real vocation.

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Harken McLube, Dubarry and Henri Lloyd.

Cast your vote at seahorsemagazine.com

LA SOLITAIRE DU FIGARO 2008: THREE STAGES AND EVEN MORE MILES
La Solitaire du Figaro 2008 returns to the original format: the 39th edition of the race, like the original Course de l'Aurore, it will be made up of three stages, one less yet with even more miles and a new host stop over port. There will be record 1,880 miles to cover over the course of the race between France and Spain and through the Irish and Celtic Seas.

La Rochelle will play host to the fleet for La Solitaire from the 19th to 25th of July and will start the 39th edition of the race. This will be the 7th time La Rochelle hosts the event.

On the 25th of July the race will set off from La Rochelle and head for Vigo in Spain. The 465 mile leg is a classic Figaro course that will see the fleet cross the Bay of Biscay, round Cape Finisterre - which will no doubt throw up some surprises, and the Cies Isles, the final course mark before the finish in Vigo.

On the 31st of July it will be time to leave for Cherbourg-Octeville, 590 miles of racing punctuated with strategic passage points: Cape Finisterre again, the Raz de Sein, the Channel Isles and finally the unpredictable Raz de Blanchard.

Finally, on the 8th of August, the fleet will head off on the 825-mile marathon leg to the port of L'Aber Wrac'h. The longest leg in the history of La Solitaire (the 762 miles on the last edition of the race were shortened due to the weather conditions) will make up two legs as for the 39th edition of the race there will be no Irish stop-over. The competitors will however be spending quite some time in these seas as for the first time, they will head round the Isle of Man, situated North East of Dublin. It will be the first time the race heads up to such Northern latitudes. What is going to be tough is knowing how to handle 6 days single handed racing, if you consider that the fleet, for the most part, averages some 6 knots; 825 miles that will push them to the limit and bring them to Brittany. The new port of L'Aber Wrac'h, inaugurated in 2007, will welcome La Solitaire du Figaro for the very first time.

"Working around 3 legs as opposed to 4 for the 2008 edition of the race gives the competitors an 825-mile leg, the longest in the history of La Solitaire. Whether it be the short coastal sprint or a long offshore marathon, all will have a chance to excel over the various stages of this race", explains Jacques Caraes -- Sabina Mollart-Rogerson

www.lasolitaire.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 Earls Court Boat Show Hall of Fame in Association with Yachting World, 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

* YBW.COM has a very special offer for those of you heading in the direction of the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show, which runs in London from 1-9 December.

All you have to do to get your tickets for a tenner is visit earlscourtboatshow.com and get buying.

Don't forget to enter one of our special codes in the 'Promotions and Special Offers', there's six to choose from:

- Practical Boat Owner: PBO/ECBS01
- Classic Boat: CB/ECBS01
- Motor Boat & Yachting: MBY/ECBS01
- Motor Boat Monthly: MBM/ECBS01
- Yachting Monthly: YM/ECBS01
- Yachting World: YW/ECBS01

And that's it, you'll get 6 pounds shaved off the normal admission price of 16. Oh, and don't forget children under 16 go FREE.

The small print...
- There is a one-off transaction fee of 1.50 GBP.
- The promotion is valid until 30/11/07.

ybw.com

NOTICE OF RACE PUBLISHED FOR PORTIMAO GLOBAL OCEAN RACE
Global Ocean Sailing Ventures (GOSV) today announced that the official Notice of Race for the 2008/09 Portimao Global Ocean Race has been published and is available for download on the race website - www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com. The Notice of Race includes the confirmed start date as well as the re-start dates from each stopover port.

"Publishing our Notice of Race is a defining moment for us and for our competitors who can now move their campaigns forward with the utmost confidence," said Race Director Josh Hall. "The NOR is the official document that governs the event and sets in writing the rules and regulations under which the race is held. It also defines the start and finish dates for each leg so we are all set for the first leg to South Africa to get underway from Portimao on October 12, 2008."

In discussions with Mayor Manuel de Luz and his team in Portimao it has been decided to move the start date into October from the originally planned date of September 20. "We are committed to having an extensive education program running in conjunction with the race and we felt that it was important that the race start after the local schools returned from their summer holidays," said Hall. "The pontoons will be open to the public and we look forward to having droves of schoolchildren visiting the fleet."

The start dates are as follows:
Portimao - 12th October 2008
Cape Town - 7th December, 2008
Wellington - 8th February, 2009
Ilhabela - 5th April, 2009
Charleston - 31st May, 2009

www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com

NARIIDA LEADS THE MAXI FLEET
Porto Cervo,Italy: The seven maxi yachts taking part in the first edition of the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup are progressing westward across the Atlantic accompanied by fair conditions and high spirits. The fleet set off from Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Monday 26th November bound for St Maarten in the Netherland Antilles. As of 16.45 UTC Morten Bergsen's Nariida (NOR) continued to hold a lead that she has not relinquished from the start.

The shortest possible distance the maxis will cover from start to finish, based on the most direct possible course, is approximately 2650 nautical miles. After just over 72 hours of navigation the Norwegian leader has covered more than 900 nautical miles, slightly over one third of the course. If skipper Knut Frostad and his crew can keep up this pace they may expect to arrive in St Maarten around the middle of next week, well ahead of the official time limit set for Friday 14th December at 15.00 local time (UTC -4).

Frostad and his crew, which includes many Volvo Ocean Race and Whitbread race sailors, are enjoying the relative comfort of this trip: "The atmosphere is great onboard. For those onboard used to racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, it's a huge difference sleeping in a proper bed and eating nice food every day. Some have even enjoyed the luxury of a fresh water shower!"

It hasn't all been plain sailing, but a resourceful crew can overcome many difficulties, as the skipper of the Wally 105 goes on to explain: "We ripped our reaching gennaker two days ago, and the crew has managed to sew it back together using the new sewing machine we have onboard. It takes a while to get various pieces from a 600 square metre sail back together, but now it's all in one piece again."

Nariida has chosen the most northerly route of all the maxis and is followed by Peter Harrison's Sojana (GBR). Further back, and following a more southerly course are Andrè Auberton's Dark Shadow (MON), Blue Pearl (GBR), Bernd Kortum's Julie Marie (GER) and Will Apold's Valkyrie (CAN) with less than 50 nautical miles separating each of these yachts.

Rounding up the fleet, having covered almost 600 nautical miles, is Gerhard Ruether's Zefiro (GER).

www.yccs.it

'BALANCE' TAKES TOP IRC HONORS IN SYDNEY
Paul Clitheroe and his amateur crew on Sydney 47 'Balance' won their division in the second race of the Savills 30th Annual Short Ocean Racing Championship in Sydney. The 'Balance' team, who won the IRC Racer/Cruiser division with 100% Ullman Sails inventory, used the series as their final tune-up for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race in December. 'Balance' won on corrected time over custom 66-footer 'Scooter' and maxi Andrew Short Marine Brindabella. For sails that are reliable and built with the highest quality for speed and performance, contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit www.ullmansails.com

WHY WERE ISAF ABLE TO MAKE SUCH A BAD DECISION?
Excerpts from an extensive analysis by TheDailySail:

Recently several national authorities have issued statements citing their views about the ISAF events selection. These shed much light on one of the key issues involved, none more so than the recent Irish Sailing Association statement, where they are very open about how they went about their decision making process: 'Although we have had some Multihull Olympic campaigns in the past, Ireland has never succeeded in qualifying for entry to the Olympic Games in this class. There are currently no Irish sailors engaged in Multihull Olympic campaigns and no junior or developmental programmes which would feed into future campaigns, hence the decision for our vote in favour of the other men's classes.'

So in a nutshell - national authorities vote in a way that ensures maximum potential Olympic success for their own nation. Why would they do anything else?

With such a system in place, where the majority of the votes arguably have the future of the sport on the Olympic stage as a secondary focus, it is little surprise we get decisions that are far from representative of the sailing community as a whole.

Another item that has come to the fore in the last couple of weeks is a document called the 'Olympic Programme Commission Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008.' In this article the International Olympic Committee suggests, with regards to the reduction of sailing classes, that: 'the Commission believes these reductions could be made through the exclusion of keelboat sailing events from the Programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, which would also reduce the construction and operational costs and complexity.' This is no hidden document and the IOC discussed this with the ISAF back when the events where being considered for the 2008 Olympics. We have to therefore assume one of two things: either the ISAF Council did not know or somehow forgot about this view from the IOC or, perhaps even worse, knew about it and chose to totally ignore their suggestions.

Full article at www.thedailysail.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: Regarding Desafio Espanol's statement about the AC court decision all I can say is "Riiiiight....". The America's Cup Deed of Gift states the requirements for a yacht club to enter so simply that one should not need to consult "with renowned legal advisers and professionals, both national and International". If they couldn't find a suitably compliant yacht club in Valencia (there must be yacht clubs in Valencia) then they could have looked anywhere in Spain rather than putting together such an obviously fake club as the CNEV (One wonders how long it will stay around). In reality their yacht club could have been anything as simple as a bunch of fishermen who get together to race their fishing boats on a regular basis; the Deed doesn't even say if the annual regatta has to be a sailboat regatta. This statement proves only that if you pay lawyers enough they will support anything.

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THE LAST WORD
Some people see the cup as half empty. Some people see the cup as half full. I see the cup as too large. -- 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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