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DELTA DORE DISMASTED
Sylvie Viant, Race Director of the Barcelona World Race, has been notified by skipper Jeremie Beyou onboard the fourth-placed IMOCA 60 Delta Dore that his boat has been dismasted. Both he and co-skipper Sidney Gavignet are unhurt and safe onboard and the boat itself is structurally intact.

Jeremie contacted the Race Direction team by Iridium satellite phone at 0120 GMT (11 December) just minutes after the incident: "We have just been dismasted, we have wind from 300 degrees, 25 knots increasing to 35 knots sometimes, and waves not too bad at about 4 metres. We were sailing with one reef in the mainsail and staysail (small headsail). The mast seems to have fallen backwards."

Just under an hour later Jeremie reported: "We had to quickly cut the mast and boom away in to the water because it they were becoming dangerous and was going to start damaging the hull. The boat is okay, the deck is okay, only there are no more lifelines. And we have nothing big to use to make a jury rig for now."

The boat's position at the time of dismasting was 47 00 S 033 25 E, nearly a thousand miles south east from South Africa, dri fting slowly at between 1 and 2 knots east. The reason for the dismasting is unknown at this time.

The Race Direction Team is in regular contact with the two French sailors Jeremie Beyou and Sidney Gavignet and their shore team headed up by Gilles Chiorri. The skippers have 188 litres of diesel onboard, which will provide approximately 60 hours of motoring, the equivalent of approximately 240 miles. The team are also already studying the options of a jury rig using spare mainsail battens onboard.

Nearest land to their current position:
Edward Islands 175 nautical miles to the east (uninhabited)
Crozet Island 685 miles to the east (uninhabited)
Port Elisabeth (South Africa) 850 miles to the north west
Perth (Australia) 3700 miles to the east

The Maritime safety organisation, MRCC Cape Town, has been informed, however the skippers have not requested any outside assistance at this time.

* The leading boats in the Barcelona World Race have entered the 'Furious Fifties', that region south of 50-degrees latitude where the wind and waves roar around the planet uninterrupted by land.

For the boats still racing, the conditions are getting colder with each hour. Paprec-Virbac 2, the race leader, has added to its lead and entered the 'furious fifties'. Skipper Jean-Pierre Dick wrote in to say the water temperature was now less than 4-degrees Celsius, meaning growlers (relatively small - but still dangerous - bits of ice that break off bigger icebergs and drift around the southern latitudes) are now a real possibility.

Behind, both Veolia Environnement and Hugo Boss are pressing hard, trying to catch the leader and the latest position report has them south of 50-degrees as well. While further back, Temenos II and Mutua Madrileña have been struggling in lighter, upwind conditions. Temenos II has now escaped and is racing along at 15 knots. But Mutua Madrileña is still battling upwind.

PRB has reached Cape Town and retired from the Barcelona World Race, while Estrella Damm is still en-route and has its shore crew setting up in Cape Town to make repairs and get the boat back into the race.

www.barcelonaworldrace.com

WILD OATS XI TAKES LINE HONOURS - SOLAS BIG BOAT CHALLENGE
Under grey skies, the maxis took ownership of Sydney Harbour today for the annual SOLAS Big Boat Challenge, and for the second year running, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI dominated proceedings.

Matt Allen's Jones 70 Ichi Ban, the handicap winner of last year's race, led the fleet to the first mark after the 12.30pm start until they were pegged back by the sea of red pulling the strings on Wild Oats XI.

Resplendent in matching red crew shirts, the crew of Wild Oats XI meticulously manoeuvred the 30m maxi around the 12 nautical mile Harbour course in the 18 knot southerly, through the flotilla of spectator craft and past headlands with crowds of people watching some of the Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours prospects going through their paces.

Grant Wharington's 30m Melbourne maxi Skandia, which has spent a good part of the year in dry dock, shadowed Wild Oats XI, demonstrating good boat speed as they tried to close the gap on the same sized but newer model.

Skipper of Wild Oats XI, Mark Richards, was delighted with today's result although he warns it's not indicative of the final outcome in the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

"There are four very different boats and it's going to come down to who gets the conditions," he said, referring to the looming Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours contest.

He also recognised that Skandia, which finished second over the line, gave them a great race, and amidst all the pre-start action he took some time to eye off Mike Slade's City Index Leopard which was out on a corporate sail on the Harbour this afternoon.

Skandia is one and a half tonnes lighter than it was for last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart and Wharington was pleased they stayed within reach of Wild Oats XI today, the two power brokers hitting 20 knots of boat speed on the first run to Fort Denison.

"We are the oldest of the 30m yachts, which is starting to show. We are just hanging in there and we finished where we expected to be," said Wharington who is planning to amp up his sail wardrobe for the Rolex Sydney Hobart including a number of new laminate spinnakers for "the great race".

Third over the line today was Matt Allen's Jones 70 Ichi Ban which clearly won the start despite electrical problems.

On overall IRC results, the US TP65 Rosebud had an impressive debut in Australia, with the grand prix racer claiming her first win down under and looking ominous for the upcoming bluewater classic which starts on Boxing Day.

Top ten - Line Honours
Wild Oats XI - Robert Oatley
Skandia - Grant Wharington
Ichi Ban - Matt Allen
Rosebud - Roger Sturgeon
Wild Joe - Steven David
Vanguar. - R H Cawse
Andrew Short Marine Brindabella - Andrew Short
Quest - Bob Steel
You're Hired - Geoff Morgan & Andrew Banks
George Gregan Foundation - Getaway Sailing
Broomstick - Michael Cranitch/Ray Wallace

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia: www.cyca.com.au

* NZ boat Maximus sets off for Boxing Day's Sydney to Hobart race tomorrow, its crew rate themselves highly to take out the 63rd sailing

A number of major alterations to boat and crew could give kiwi entry Maximus a great chance of taking line honours in the Sydney to Hobart race.

Maximus, under the watchful eye of campaign manager Ross Field, leaves for Sydney today ahead of the Boxing Day start.

Field says they are certainly rating themselves a decent show to take out the 63rd sailing of the event and he outlines why. He says they have increased the rig size, changed shape internally and externally, increased the draft and taken a more professional approach to the campaign.

www.radiosport.co.nz/SportsNews/spyac/Detail.aspx?id=129202

OC EVENTS: RECRUITING FOR SENIOR PROJECT DIRECTOR
Set up in 2003 OC Events is responsible for managing and marketing professional sailing events. The company is looking to recruit a senior project director to work alongside the experienced OC Group management team to oversee the company's entire event portfolio. Applicants must have significant experience in event management and strong business acumen to ensure both the operational and commercial success of the company's events. The role would be full time, predominantly based in the company's base of Cowes, Isle of Wight. Please send applications to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

CLIPPER RACE 4 DURBAN - FREMANTLE
Ricky Chalmers and his team on board Durban 2010 and Beyond have managed to find their own private little wind generator overnight and have increased their lead to 112 nautical miles. With just over 800 nautical miles to go before the finish in the Swan River in Fremantle, Western Australia, it will be hard, but not impossible, for the chasing fleet to catch the South African team now.

With southern hemisphere pride at stake, especially on the run in to their home port, the Australian team on board westernaustralia2011.com are not giving in that easily and will be chasing hard to the finish.

The other teams are also thinking of the delights that await them on shore during the Christmas break in Western Australia, as well as of a possible podium finish. Nova Scotia skipper, Rob McInally says, "Another sleepless night at the Hotel Nova Scotia. We twist and turn trying to keep the lightweight spinnaker inflated in front of us. This morning we can see the fresher wind behind us but it never catches up. White horses can be seen behind us until about 200 metres from our stern and then nothing in front or to the sides. Five more days and possibly a podium finish. MORE COFFEE PLEASE."

The first yachts are due to arrive in Fremantle on approximately December 16. The finish line for Race 4 of Clipper 07-08 is in the Swan River near Fremantle's iconic Maritime Museum.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

ETCHELLS PIANA CUP
Miami, Florida, USA: Hundreds of Etchells sailors from North America, Europe, and Australia crowded Miami's Biscayne Bay December 8-9, 2007, for the Piana Cup, the first of four class events in the annual Jaguar Series. The event attracted 73 boats and their crew, including several of the class's world champions. At the end of the weekend, Bill Hardesty and crew, sailing USA 979, took home the cup, winning by one point.

This year's Piana Cup Regatta started and restarted amid controversy. A general recall immediately followed the first gun when dozens of boats in the very aggressive fleet crossed the line at least ten seconds before the start gun. Many boats in the fleet were in the same position at the second start, but the race committee attempted this time to call back the boats with on-course starts. Several skippers who doubted the RC's visibility down the line ended their day filing requests for redress, some of which were successful.

Biscayne Bay had flat waters and moderate winds for the three races held on Saturday. The breeze came on at 15 to 20 knots out of the east for the second day of racing. Last year's world champion, Jud Smith, chose the right side of the course in the first race and banged a corner, which launched him first around the windward mark and ultimately first to the finish. The fleet became aggressive at the start of what would have been the second race, which resulted in a general recall and the threat of the Z flag for the last race of the day. The Piana cup win was determined by a duel between Hardesty and Smith, who finished 5 th and 6th respectively, creating the one-point difference - after one score was dropped - that gave Hardesty the win.

Final top ten:
1. Bill Hardesty, USA, 15 points
2. Jud Smith / Henry Frazer, 16
3. G Andreadis / V Brun, GRE, 22
4. Jeffrey Siegal, 28
5. Scott Piper, 35
6. Peter Duncan, 36
7. Robert Wray, 37
8. Wade Edwards, 41
9. Bruce Golison / Steve Flam, 47
10. Andy Beadsworth / Oscar Strugstad, IRL, 52

The next regatta in the Jaguar Series will take place at the start of the New Year, January 5-6. Complete results for the Piana Cup, the notice of race, photos, and information about the upcoming events in the Jaguar Series are available on the Etchells Fleet 20 website at www.etchellsfleet20.org

COLLINS STEWART LONDON BOAT SHOW
London's largest annual event, the Collins Stewart London Boat Show, will take place at ExCeL - the heart of London's entertainment district - from 11-20 January 2008. Now in its 54th year the Show promises to offer something for all, and will welcome some 140,000 people, encouraging visitors to take to the waters.

Visitors to the Show have a plethora of exciting features to explore and enjoy such as Start Boating, Deck Games, an interactive Watersports Zone, Anchor Watch, Classic Boats and the Guinness Bar. There will also be a chance to climb aboard the HMS Exeter, the very first Royal Naval Destroyer to the Show.

londonboatshow.com

CATS TO SET SAIL ON WESTERNPORT
Some of world's fastest catamaran sailors will race on Westernport Bay next month when Somers Yacht Club hosts the Tornado Asia Pacific Championship in tandem with the Australian Championship from 4-9 January as part of the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A Sail Melbourne event, it has attracted more than 40 entrants. Crews are expected from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Austria, Spain and Great Britain, as well as Australia's World Ranked No. 1 pair of Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby and others.

Considered to be a great hope for a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, the Aussie pair will evoke added interest for Victorians, as Ashby is a local from Bendigo, whilst his NSW skipper is the silver medallist from the Sydney 2000 Games.

Ashby was named 2007 Victorian Sportsman of the Year in October and has further shown his world-ranked skills by winning the world A Class catamaran title held recently in Florida. He also holds a number of other catamaran world and national titles.

The Tornado Asia Pacific Championship It is believed to be the first international event of its type sailed on Westernport Bay.

The event starts from 2.30pm on 4 January and is expected to draw a big crowd to see Olympians and Olympic prospects contest back-to-back races over the six days.

SHORT TACKS
* Proof positive that the French regard the Atlantic Ocean as their backyard pond... this bit of inspirational lunacy:

Archi Factory / Octo Finances is a sailing project set up by Benoit Lequin and Pierre-Yves Moreau with the aim of breaking the 20 foot sport catamaran Transatlantic speed record during the 2007-2008 winter.

On Sunday at 21 h local time, they did it... knocking nearly two days off the old record, sailing from Dakar to Point A Pitre, Guadeloupe in just 11 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes and 42 seconds.

www.ocean-express.org

* Red Funnel, the Southampton based travel company have presented a cheque for 10,000 GPB to The Ellen MacArthur Trust, the cheque was received by the charities patron Dame Ellen MacArthur. Red Funnel has been a supporter of The Trust since 2003 with their support and services in 2007 amounting to the sum of 10,000 to help young people from all over the country regain their confidence while recovering from cancer and leukaemia.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust, based in Cowes, organise sailing trips for the children on sailing trips on 38ft to 45ft cruising yachts, giving them the chance to test themselves in a safe and supportive environment and enjoy the adventure of going out on the water for the first time. Each night the boats stay in a different port, with the children and crew living and sleeping on board. The children are invited back to compete in regattas such as JPMorgan Round the Island Race, Skandia Cowes Week and a residential Dinghy sailing week on the East Coast.

Red Funnel provide a high speed and passenger ferry from Southampton to the Isle of Wight and have supported the charity through several initiatives including, travel support to the Island for the young sailors, their families and the volunteers. The Trust's charity video is played on every high speed crossing throughout the year raising great awareness for the charity and a Red Jet is provided to escort guests back from The Ellen MacArthur Trust Ball during Skandia Cowes Week, the largest fundraising event of the year for The Ellen MacArthur Trust

* An amusing presentation on Franck Cammas' upcoming around the world record attempt. Some flash programmer had a LOT of time on his or her hands... www.duventpourcammas.com/en/

* The Golden Gate Yacht Club today made a renewed call for the America's Cup Defender to confirm whether it will agree to a mutual consent challenge so that planning for the next regatta can go ahead.

This follows a meeting in New York yesterday where the American club was disappointed that Alinghi representatives were only prepared to discuss a new vision for the Deed of Gift rather than concrete proposals.

"We have heard Ernesto's vision, but what we really need is his decision," Larry Ellison said. -- ggyc.org

* The yachts taking part in the next Superyacht Cup Antigua have now all arrived and are preparing for the regatta which starts on Wednesday 12th December. Sojana, the Farr designed 35m ketch arrived into Falmouth Harbour on Saturday morning having completed a Transatlantic race to St Maarteen. Crossing the line after nearly 12 days at sea, Sojana immediately turned around, no time to even nip ashore and celebrate their arrival, and headed to Antigua to prepare for their next regatta.

The Superyacht Cup in Palma which has been running for 12 years, has always supported a local charity, which in the last few years has been 'Joves Navegants' a charitable organisation that provides children of all ages the opportunity to learn to sail. The obvious choice for the SYC in Antigua was to support a similar organisation 'The Antigua Yacht Club Youth Program'. The Antigua program has been running since 1992 and has helped over 1500 students from the island by providing an opportunity to learn to sail. In many cases the students have gained a new passion which has helped them progress their education in the marine sector. Three students have gained scholarships to attend Hampton University in the US.

A proportion of the SYC yacht entry fee will go straight to the Antigua Yacht Club Youth Programme and a cheque will be presented at the prize-giving dinner on the final night of the regatta on December 15th.

For more information visit the website: www.thesuperyachtcup.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 Simon Meikle: Open letters, open letters. Is nothing confidential any more? I am sure Bertarelli and friends must have the message by now that the whole program is on a knife edge, and becoming the laughing stock of the sporting world. Will someone now take him down a dark alley and firmly explain AmCup 32 was great for the competitors and if it ain't broke, it doesn't need fixing!!

* From Butch Dalrymple-SmithAre you sure Ernesto Bertarelli really said:
"The "Deed of Gift", which goes back to 1851, does not guarantee a durable future for the Cup..."? Hasn't he noticed it's done pretty well so far.

* From Nico Morgan: Am I the only subscriber who feels that amidst the furore of the fake clubs and questionable motives we should be very concerned about the potential 2008 challenge in catamarans?

This "event" will not feel like a match race at all. The 2008 date wll suit Larry who seems to have cornered the market for designers already, while Alinghi admit to not yet having one. It will awful as a spectator sport (lack of close racing, no tacking duels etc) and the lack of a challenger series means little interest for sponsors.

I would be happier for everyone to prepare for a proper AC in the new class of monohulls further down the track: that and an old-style independent ACM with democratically elected members!

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THE LAST WORD
Compassion automatically invites you to relate with people because you no longer regard people as a drain on your energy. -- Chogyam Trungpa

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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