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STRAIGHT LINING IT
If this is a time to consolidate the position a little, making small boatspeed gains, it is very! wet and very bumpy on ECOVER 3 as she scythes through the 20 knots tradewinds one full week after the start to the Transat ECOVER B to B in Bahia, Brazil.

Mike Golding has gained a matter of three or four miles on fifth placed Foncia (Michel Desjoyeaux) over the last four hours but still has a deficit of 37 miles to make up on the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre winner. Gitana 80 (Loick Peyron) continues to lead but Safran (Marc Guillemot) gained over 20 miles through the night and is now 13 miles behind Gitana. It is very much pedal to the metal straight line speed for the next two days, with a little less than 900 miles to the Canaries. Skirting the Azores High pressure system which is drifting North and East and should settle over Lisbon, will be the main tactical call. Do you sail fewer miles and risk slowing, or head west and try and get on the heels of a low pressure system earlier, but sailing more miles?

"It is very bumpy conditions, very wet on deck and quite wet down below. There is quite a big sea running. It is very uncomfortable and hard to move around. We have a problem with the ballast system. There is so much water on the boat that the forward ballast is filling and so every two hours or so I am ending up with a full tank of ballast on the leeward side forward. The only way to clear it is to bear off downwind and drop the scoop, so that is not very quick."

"Otherwise at the moment it is pretty bumpy, pretty jerky and very difficult to get some sleep." "I think we have another two days of this, which would be fine, certainly the boat is going fast enough and is quick enough in these conditions, i! t is just not quick having to slow and empty the ballast which is not doing us any good." -- Lucy Harwood

See video footage sent from ECOVER 3 on 5/12/07 :
www.mikegolding.com/?pg=media&type=video

Event site: www.transatbtob.com

GGYC: TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Valencia, Spain, 06 December: The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) said today it was concerned more than a week has passed without any acknowledgment from Alinghi of the club's requests for urgent talks on a mutual consent protocol for a conventional America's Cup in Valencia in 2009.

"Time is running out. Our designers and builders need to know what sort of boat we will be racing in and where," Tom Ehman, the club's spokesman, said.

Immediately following the November 27 New York State Supreme Court decision that GGYC was the valid Challenger of Record, the club wrote to Alinghi seeking a meeting, and subsequently offered to meet in Geneva. Neither request was acknowledged.

On Tuesday the club wrote to the Defender with a proposal supported by several challengers, asking again for an urgent response, but has had no reply.

GGYC will seek to have the next event, whether a Deed of Gift race or a mutual consent regatta, in Valencia. If GGYC is fortunate enough to win the 33rd America's Cup, and assuming commercial terms similar to the last event are offered, it would hold the 34th America's Cup in Valencia in 2011.

At the time of the court ruling Alinghi said it looked forward to talking with GGYC. Ehman said the American club is disappointed this has not happened.

* Too many concessions to Russell Coutts and not enough money in the pot will see Alinghi reject the latest peace offering, I'm told, as Ernesto strings out the challengers and elects to say nothing in response to the Golden Gate Challenge's latest peace offering. I sense that this is all about to turn really ugly and will very quickly cast the Alinghi team as pariahs in World Sailing.

The deal on the table is a good one and Jane Eagleson from the GGYC issued a hurry-up statement this evening (see above) urging Alinghi to come back to the table. However my nose is sniffing more and more multihull talk on the wires and in my inbox plus a lot of chatter about a change of venue which is incredibly sad for the Cup as a whole. Just as we looked like opening the door on a two Cup programme in The Sewer that would secure the employment of thousands of people and countless businesses, it looks like Alinghi are slamming it shut.

I'll bet Brad Butterworth is just days away from walking out on this farcical situation with Grant Simmer not far behind. -- Magnus Wheatley, www.rule69blog.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

* Tony Bullimore, yachtsman and adventurer, took to the water at the Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show to help demonstrate the correct use of a life raft.

When Tony's racing yacht capsized during the Vendee Globe race in 1997 he survived in a tiny air pocket in the upturned hull.

Tony joined Steve Holmes from the Coastal Sea School to introduce the 'life raft experience' which is available free of charge to all visitors to the show.

Tony will be at the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show to launch his latest racing campaign: to challenge the non-stop single handed round the world sailing record held by Dame Ellen Macarthur. His aim is to break the record in under 70 days. In a career spanning 40 years, Tony has sailed more than 500,000 miles, crossed the Atlantic more than 40 times, and has won over 150 trophies. Tony was elected Yachtsman of the Year in 1985 for his outstanding achievements.

Tony will be at the show's Survival Zone every day to meet with the public, to answer questions about his life as a racer and introduce exciting footage from his amazing survival.

HARKEN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MATCH RACING:
The Spithill family's third match racer...

The host club's Tom Spithill, Nina Curtis, Andy Hudson and Ian McKillop set the early pace today winning all 5 of their matches on Day 1 of the Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship. Adrian Short from Sandspit Yacht Club NZL also had a good day with his team winning 4 out of 5 matches in his first appearance at the "Harken". But its very early days with 4 teams having sailed only 1 match so far whilst Perths Robert Gibbs and James Williamson NZL had their only match postponed due to a broken main batten. Earlier this year Gibbs won the Cowes Youth Week Match in the UK and is expected to make a strong showing here.

It was no easy run for Spithill though who copped a penalty just 20 secs into match one of the regatta for a tardy dial-up. Trailing by three boatlengths at one stage he closed up the game and forced RSYS Jordan Reece beyond the Committee boat, unloading his penalty on the way back up to the finish line to take the match. In Flight 5, Phil Robertson from RNZYS looked set to take the gun ahead of Spithill but a last minute penalty turned the tables.

Young Ted Hackney from the CYCA incurred a pre-start penalty in Flight 6 but led off the line and was first into the increasing puffs from the left. But RSYS David Chapman managed an overlap at the bottom mark and Hackney was penalised twice more as he rounded too close and it was out with the black flag!

The breeze was light from the East and very shifty early on eventually settling to around 7-10 kts. A light NE'er is expected to build to 15-20 kts tomorrow which should provide some exciting downwind action. Racing finished at 5pm today to allow competitors to join the Sydney 38 fleet for some twilight racing.

Provisional Results:

Phil Robertson - RNZYZ / NZL - 2 wins/ 3 losses
Robert Gibbs - RPYC / AUS - yet to race
Josh Junior - RPNYC / NZL - 1 win/ 0 losses
Tom Spithill - RPAYC / AUS - 5 wins/ 0 losses
Adrian Short - SYC / NZL - 4 wins/ 1 loss
David Chapman - RSYS / AUS - 1 win/ 0 losses
Ted Hackney - CYCA / AUS - 0 wins/ 1 loss
Byron White - CYCA / AUS - 3 wins / 2 losses
Richard McPharlin - RFBYC / AUS - 1 win/ 4 losses
James Williamson - RNZYS / NZL - yet to race
Sam Sexton - RPAYC / AUS - 0 wins/ 1 loss
Jordan Reece - RSYS / AUS - 0 wins/ 5 losses

www.rpayc.com.au

CLIPPER RACE 4 DURBAN - FREMANTLE
The majority of the Clipper fleet are now past the half-way mark in this 4220-mile race and on schedule for arrival in Fremantle, Western Australia in 10 days' time. The finish line for this race is inside the famous Swan River, adjacent to the Maritime Museum, which will provide a great vantage point to watch the yachts as they complete the Southern Ocean leg of Clipper 07-08. While they are in Fremantle the whole fleet will be berthed at Fremantle Sailing Club for the duration of the Christmas stopover and there will be several open days towards the end of the stopover to allow the public and future crew to see these ocean racing yachts up close before the race restarts on New Year's Day.

The wind strength has dropped slightly for all of the yachts prior to the new weather system taking effect. This has allowed Qingdao, the most southerly team for the last week, to capitalise on the very slightly better wind strengths they have been experiencing over the last 24 hours and they are now just four miles from Durban 2010 and Beyond in terms of Distance to Finish.

All the skippers are reporting that they have their crews on a high state of alert ready for the first sign of a change in the wind strength, Martin Silk on westernaustralia2011.com going as far as saying his crew are at 'battle stations'.

For the crew of westernaustralia2011.com the anticipation has an extra dimension as they head for their home port. Skipper Martin Silk reported to the Race Office this morning, "There is much excitement on board with 46% of this leg complete and the possibility of an early arrival. The Advent calendar gets opened daily and thoughts of Christmas and family are prominent in all our thoughts and conversation."

The first of the yachts are due to arrive in Fremantle on approximately 16 December.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

INTO ONE DESIGN? WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED…
Tornado, Melges 24, Sabot, Martin 242, Yngling, J/105, Beneteau 40.7, Etchells, 470, A-Cat, Farr 40, Cal 20, Coronado 15, Fireball, 505, CFJ, 420, Europe Dinghy, Harbor 20, International 14, J/22, Holder 20, Flying Scot, Lido 14, Lehman 12, Lightning, Optimist, Snipe, Thistle, Cal 25, Soling, Melges 32, Sonar, Santana 20, Capri 14.2, El Toro, Ultimate 20, J/80, San Juan 24, Olson 30, Mumm 30, J/109, Antrim 27, J/24, Prindle, J/120, 2.4 Meter, Flying Dutchman, Formula 18, 18-Foot Skiff. Ullman Sails has been designing for speed for over 35 years.

Contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit www.ullmansails.com

BARCELONA RACE: THE NEED FOR SPEED
Up in front, if PRB is maintaining her lead and keeping Paprec-Virbac 2 38 miles in her wake, Hugo Boss has come yet closer to Veolia Environnement and seems to be in a position to threaten Jourdain and Nelias's third place. 31 miles behind the French crew, Thomson and Cape are making the most of their monohull's power, while enjoying every minute of their cavalcade at more than 20 knots. North east of her prey, Hugo Boss is apparently benefiting from stronger winds and has caught up on Veolia Environnement last night while moving away from Delta Dore's bow. "That boat is clearly fast", said Jeremie Beyou, "and they got some good winds before us and now have a better angle. But now we're also happy with our speed which is a relief because the Atlantic hasn't been that fast for us until now. We're in the 40s, and I have a very happy Sidney at the helm right now - the guy needs speed, so the conditions suit him fine at the moment. Looking ahead, we're going to get into some hairy stuff soon, so we're preparing for that."

The first big depression is expected to hit the fleet in approximately 72 hours, yet lighter winds tomorrow might allow for a slight compression, the leaders slowing down while their pursuers may keep going a bit longer. But after that, the great "conveyor belt" of low pressure systems looks right in place and active, the race towards this fast train is on the menu more than ever...

Day 26 - December 6, 16:00 Gmt - Position Report With Distance To Leader

1. PRB- Vincent Riou / Sebastien Josse - 0.0
2. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean Pierre Dick / Damian Foxall - 38
3. Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain / Jean Luc Nelias - 170
4. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson / Andrew Cape - 201
5. Delta Dore - Jeremie Beyou / Sidney Gavignet - 297
6. Temenos 2 - Dominique Wavre / Michele Paret- 488
7. Estrella Damm - Guillermo Altadill / Jonathan Mckee - 764
8. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso / Pachi Rivero - 817
9. Educacion Sin Fronteras - Servane Escoffier / Albert Bargues - 1386

www.barcelonaworldrace.org

RYA LEADS THE CALL FOR OLYMPIC RETHINK
The Royal Yachting Association is leading the push to have the Events for the 2012 Olympic Games reconsidered by the International Sailing Federation.

Following the controversial decision by ISAF Council during its annual conference last month, at which it opted not to include a modern high performance dinghy for women, dropped the multihull event and introduced a match racing format for the women's keelboat event, the RYA has written to ISAF President Goran Petersson asking for the decision to be reconsidered.

The RYA believes that the decisions taken are not in the best interests of the sport of sailing throughout the world, and requests that ISAF review its decision on three grounds:

- That the decisions weaken sailing and do not comply with International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines
- That the current decisions will bring fewer nations and young sailors into the sport of sailing
- That an amendment to the previously agreed voting procedure was hasty, and the process ultimately used for selecting events was flawed

The RYA is requesting that ISAF refrains from nominating the list of Events for 2012 to the IOC on 18 March, and instead reconsiders its voting process and Events decision at its Council meeting in May 2008.

www.rya.org.uk

ARVE SUNDHEIM ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AS ISAF SECRETARY GENERAL
Arve Sundheim (NOR) has announced his decision to retire from his position as ISAF Secretary General on 1 January 2008.

Jerome Pels (NED), currently ISAF Deputy Secretary General, will take over the role of ISAF Secretary General. Jerome joined ISAF as Competition Officer in 1997 and was promoted to Director of Sailing in 2002. Arve will remain at ISAF in a senior advisory role to the President and the ISAF Executive Committee through the Olympic Games in August and the Annual Conference/General Assembly in November 2008 in Madrid.

Arve Sundheim has had a distinguished career at ISAF, serving as the Secretary General since June 1995, working with two Presidents and through three Olympic Games. He will celebrate his 67th birthday in the New Year.

Arve Sundheim said, "After an exceptional year with the ISAF Centenary and the successful ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, I feel it is a good time to step down from the position of Secretary General and pass the helm on to my successor. After the appointment of Jerome as my Deputy in May this year, we have both been preparing for a seamless handover.

"The experience of working for the International Sailing Federation has been incredibly rewarding and I have greatly enjoyed working with such a diverse and passionate group of people. I am especially grateful to the ISAF President Goran Petersson and to the previous President, Paul Henderson, for the confidence and trust they placed in me over the years, and for the support they have given me."

Arve was brought to the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) by the then newly elected President Paul Henderson to replace Mike Evans as Secretary General in June 1995. He joined the IYRU after an extensive career in the Royal Norwegian Navy and the Norwegian Sailing Federation, with experience from the Olympic Games in Montreal/Kingston in 1976 through to Barcelona in 1992 and also the Winter Olympic Games at Lillehammer in 1994.

www.sailing.org

THE LOWEST DRAG OF ALL SAILBOAT PROPELLERS
Gori propeller is the chosen brand of propeller for high performance multi hulls and grand prix yachts, including GROUPAMA III, which is now preparing for an assault on the Jules Verne Record for fastest non-stop circumnavigation.

Gori propeller when folded does not auto rotate, and has the lowest drag of all sailboat propellers. Find out more at www.gori-propeller.com

ROLEX MIAMI OCR
The Notice of Race for US SAILING's 2008 Rolex Miami OCR has been posted at www.rolexmiamiocr.org and online registration has begun. (Competitors must register before January 21, 2008 to receive discounted entry fees.) Scheduled for its 19th edition over January 27 to February 2, the popular US SAILING event is classified by the International Sailing Federation as a Grade One ranking event and will host world-class racing for Olympic hopefuls in four of 11 classes (Laser, Laser Radial, Star, and Yngling) and Paralympic hopefuls in all three of their classes (2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar) chosen for the 2008 Games in Qingdao, China. (Because of Olympic-year conflicts with world championships held overseas, racing at the Rolex Miami OCR has been eliminated for seven of the Olympic classes.) e tough competition that has contributed to the steady growth of this event.

The Rolex Miami OCR consists of five days of fleet racing from Monday, January 28 through Friday, February 1, and one day of top-ten medal racing (for Olympic classes only) on Saturday, February 2, replicating the new Olympic format that will debut in Qingdao.

ussailing.org and regattanews.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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* From Rich Roberts: Glad to see Paul Mixon and Bill Pinkney of the BVI receive some recognition for their success in integrating African Americans into sailing, which has been the whitest of sports for way too long. Perhaps it will inspire US Sailing and American yacht clubs to pursue similar programs. Or perhaps not.

In recent years the community-supported US Sailing Center in Long Beach, Calif. has done remarkably well in reaching out to the whole diverse populace of the Los Angeles region, and young Steve Manson of Baltimore certainly made a major upbeat impression with Roy E. Disney's Morning Light program in this year's Transpac---both examples disproving the conception that blacks don't sail because they don't care to. Instead, those rare exceptions suggest that the problem isn't a lack of interest but a lack of opportunity.

Maybe it's time for yachties to ask themselves, what can my club do to grow the sport of sailing on a new foundation of diversity?

Also... a sign of sailing's apocalypse?

Russell Coutts, new CEO of BMW Oracle, writes a long, formal letter to his best Kiwi buddy, longtime tactician and golfing partner, Brad Butterworth, VP and skipper of Team Alinghi, with the latest mutual consent proposal for the 33rd America's Cup ( www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1204 ; "Mr. Brad Butterworth ... Dear Brad: ... Sincerely, Russell Coutts"). Seems these two guys could sit down over a pint or two of Steinlager somewhere and work the whole thing out in an hour. But then there are their bosses, the billionaires . . .

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THE LAST WORD
We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. -- Konrad Adenauer

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.

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