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JOYON ACROSS THE EQUATOR
Francis Joyon crossed the Equator Thursday at 12 h 23 (GMT). In so doing, his maxi trimaran IDEC set a new record time for a single-handed yachtsman, as it will only have taken him 48 days, 02 hours and 18 minutes to cover the 18,400 miles (great circle distance) from the start back in Brest on the 23rd November. At this precise moment in his epic voyage, Francis is 12 days, 11 hours and 17 minutes ahead of Ellen Mac Arthur's record time from 2004.

Pushed along by a trade wind punctuated by a few squalls, which give an indication that the Doldrums are not far away, IDEC today had her best day since rounding the Horn, clocking up 533 miles. Achieving an average of more than 22 knots over the last 24 hours, Joyon has just crossed the symbolic line separating the two hemispheres, with her daggerboards up, as is the tradition for multihulls, to stop the appendages getting snagged on the famous line. As the wind came around, by luffing, Francis was able to get back precisely on the direct route towards Brest, where his round the world voyage will end. "It really feels like on my way home now," he admitted, while getting ready to face the Doldrums once again. "I know the North Atlantic like the back of my hand, as I have already crossed it 25 times. That really makes the finish seem that bit closer."

"I know I won't be getting much sleep over the next 24 hours" he stressed. "The Intertropical Convergence Zone is moving northwards and I don't have any time to lose, if I want to avoid it." The next stage of the voyage looks fairly classic for this part of the planet at this time of year. "The north easterly trades appear to be well established," continued Francis. "I shall have to find the perfect compromise between the wind angle and trajectory to find the best route towards the westerly flow, which is well in place at the moment to the north of the Azores..."

The small port rudder that caused a few worries yesterday is now attached once again to the central helm. Alternating according to changes in the wind between staysail and solent, the large red trimaran is on the final leg of her incredible round the world voyage. There were fewer than 3200 miles separating Francis from the finish at midday today, "A little transatlantic run" joked Francis, who did after all win the single-handed Transat in 2000...

Records already set by the IDEC trimaran:
Start from Brest: Friday 23rd November at 10h05'52"GMT
Brest / Equator : 06 days, 16 hours and 58 minutes
Brest / Cape of Good Hope: 15 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes
Brest / Cape Leeuwin : 22 days, 15 hours and 28 minutes
Brest / Cape Horn : 35 days, 12 hours and 36 minutes
Brest / Equator : 48 days, 2 hours and 18 minutes

Indian Ocean record: 09 days, 12 hours and 03 minutes*
Pacific Ocean record: 10 days, 14 hours and 30 minutes*
Equator-Equator record:

*Awaiting ratification by the WSSRC

www.trimaran-idec.com

AROUND THE HORN
The honour of being first around Cape Horn in the Barcelona World Race goes to Paprec-Virbac 2 who left the fabled cape on their port side at 06:20 GMT this morning, moving from the tough Southern Ocean into the South Atlantic. With Cape Horn in their wake, and a 1000 mile lead, skippers Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall can celebrate this latest milestone, while remaining aware that some 6700 miles remain before the finish line in Barcelona.

"It was very bumpy and uncomfortable all night along the coast of Chile. There was a lot of wind and a huge sea. The waves were so big that we had the impression of dropping into a big hole every time we went over the peak of a wave," exclaimed Jean-Pierre this morning. "We are exhausted because we manoeuvred a lot to get to Cape Horn. Last night, Damian was very excited by the passage of the Horn. This morning, he fell down in his bunk and he's sleeping very deeply now. I am very tired too but we are both very happy!

"It is really nice to cross Cape Horn this morning. It was dark but we saw the Cape and its lights - massive shadow in the dark, a huge Cape. We can see the way back home! now, and that is a great feeling. We are going to celebrate this with a taste of some French Champagne for me and some Irish Whiskey for Damian. We have closed the door on the southern ocean."

Paprec-Virbac 2 rounded the Horn just over 1000 miles ahead of Hugo Boss, although by this afternoon, that lead was down to just over 980 miles. Both Damian and Jean-Pierre sounded exhausted, saying that they'd only been able to grab very short snatches of sleep over the past 48 hours.

Behind, Hugo Boss is sailing very fast in bumpy conditions, and closing in on Cape Horn themselves. It will be a weekend passage for Alex Thomson and Andrew Cape, likely Saturday night, European time.

barcelonaworldrace.org

IN THE MEANTIME... THE WEATHER FORECAST
On stand-by for nearly a month, the crew of Groupama 3 are carefully observing any favourable changes in the weather situation in order to set off on the Jules Verne Trophy record, held since 2005 by Orange II (50d 16h 20'). The ten men are waiting, but are making the most of the time to go over the basics again...

On a rather sunny Wednesday 9th January, the crew of Groupama 3 got together for a trip out on the water, bound for Penmarc'h and then Belle-Île off the NW coast of France, prior to returning to the submarine base of Lorient. Over a hundred miles was quickly devoured in a moderate 15 to 18 knot W'ly, which enabled the trimaran to flirt with 33 knots of boatspeed and gave the crew a chance to get together around Franck Cammas for a series of manoeuvres. They sailed with a mixture of upwind, slightly eased sheets and downwind, accompanied by sail changes, refined trimming and the rediscovery of sensations at the helm.

However, the days that go by without any opportunity to depart aren't easy to cope with on a daily basis as Ronan Le Goff tells us, back from Brazil ten days ago: "It's not very easy or very pleasant to hang around, especially for me as I'm used to being in Brazil in the winter... But it was the same scenario for the record on Orange II! You have to find the right `weather window' prior to rushing into it and for the time being, we are still in the right period to head off into the Southern Ocean. We're a bit stuck because we can't plan or do anything more than three days in advance since you have to be able to be operational very quickly as soon as you get into Code Orange..."

The wait will continue then over the next few days since the train of lows, which are sweeping across the Atlantic aren't over yet and the wind remains positioned between the South and the West without ever staying in the North for long enough, which would enable a rapid departure from Ushant... The mid range forecast indicates that there won't be a `weather window' opening up before midway through next week. -- Dominic Bourgeois

www.cammas-groupama.com

SKIMMING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC ON A 20-FOOT CATAMARAN ALONE
Francesco di Benedetto has tried this sort of thing before. In January 2007, he attempted to cross the Atlantic single-handed on a Tornado catamaran without assistance. Powered by Ullman Sails, he was 800 miles from Guadalupe when he stopped. He sailed 17 days total – 11 days without food, water or instruments after capsizing in a storm on his 5th day out. A year later, he's ready for another go. This time, he will sail on a new carbon fiber Eagle 20 catamaran hoping to start in April 2008. For more information about di Benedetto's preparations and progress, visit www.ullmansails.com

ARTEMIS TRANSAT AT THE LONDON BOAT SHOW FRIDAY
This Friday, 11th January 2008 visitors to the Collins Stewart London Boat Show will get a sneak preview of The Artemis Transat 2008, ahead of the official launch on 20th February in London. The preview, hosted by Richard Simmonds, will take place on the new central stage in the North Hall at ExCel at 2.00pm and will feature Ecover skipper, Mike Golding, Brian Thompson, skipper of Pindar, IMOCA 60 Artemis designer Simon Rogers and Artemis Ocean Racing skipper Jonny Malbon (33), who will be talking about the launch of the new Artemis IMOCA 60. Malbon is raring to get his hands on his new IMOCA 60 having being forced to retire from the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre and, therefore, missed out on the solo B2B race back across the Atlantic - The Artemis Transat will be his and the boat's first real solo test. Class 40 sailor Phil Sharp will give his views on this burgeoning new class, yachting journalist Bob Fisher will recall some of the classic moments from the race's history and OC Events Mark Turner on the challenge of organising this solo classic. Come and hear what the sailors have to say about Britain's oldest solo race and why it holds such a unique place in the history of ocean racing.

There are now just four months to go until the start of The Artemis Transat, the oldest solo race in the history of ocean racing, which will start on Sunday, 11th May 2008 from Plymouth (UK). Up to 40 IMOCA 60 and Class 40 racing yachts are expected to gather at Sutton Harbour, Plymouth for the 13th edition of the race that will see the skippers face 2,800 miles of tough racing across the treacherous North Atlantic to Boston (USA).

The Entry date is 15th February but already some of the skippers have completed the official entry procedure for The Artemis Transat, and are throwing down the gauntlet early to their opponents.

Early entrants in the IMOCA Class include:
Mike Golding
Jonny Malbon
Dee Caffari
Jeremie Beyou
Sebastien Josse

In the Class 40, Italy's favourite sailor Giovanni Soldini (41) has officially entered Telecom Italia.

Louis Duc is only 24 years old - the youngest entry so far. 2007 was his first year in the Class 40 circuit and culminated in him participating (and finishing 22nd) in the Transat Jacques Vabre onboard Ocean Eleven, the same boat Duc will race in The Artemis Transat.

thetransat.com

GIVING UP ON VALENCIA
Day after day, the beautiful dream of a great 33rd America's Cup in Valencia is cracking.

Today, Valencia Mayoress Rita Barbera has stated that there is a clear willingness on the part of America's Cup Management to allow the dock in Valencia Port to be exploited by the 2007 Consortium until a date has clearly been set for the next edition of the Americas Cup races, and in the light of the fact that the concession of the dock to ACM ended on December 31.

Mrs Barbera added that she hoped it would become operational by the spring.

The Mayoress made this statement just before she started a meeting with Jorge Bellver, the Urbanizing Councillor, and added that on Monday she had had a meeting with Cristobal Grau, the Sports Councillor to learn of the state of affairs regarding the dock following the 32nd edition of the Americas Cup.

The dock is also now the scene of the works necessary for the Formula 1 race and the platform bridge was being dismantled yesterday.

In a later meeting with Gerardo Camps the Economy Conseller, Mrs Barbera studied the possibility of returning the dock to its normal function.

CupinEurope.com: www.cupineurope.com/NewsEN/2008/Organews.htm
citing Valencia Life Network: www.valencialife.net

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.

www.londonboatshow.com

UK FASTNET 6.50
The Royal Western Yacht Club, based at Plymouth, is delighted to announce that it will be running the second edition of the UK FASTNET 6.50 starting in Plymouth Sound at 1200hrs on Saturday 17th May 2008.

Race Director Chris Arscott said " Last years event was the first event for Mini Class boats held in UK waters for thirty years and attracted an entry of 17 competitors from France, UK, America, Germany, Australia and Belgium. At the request of the French governing body Mini Classe we are holding this years event earlier in the year to attract more competitors and to avoid clashes with other events. We have already received considerable interest for the event and we are anticipating an entry of 50 boats ".

More information on the race including NOR, SIs and Entry Forms can be obtained from the Royal Western Yacht Club at ; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

AUSSIES TAKE GOLD AND SILVER IN 29ER WORLDS
In a coup for Australia, Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) sailors Steven Thomas and Jasper Warren have won the ISAF Grade 1 29er World Championship at Sail Melbourne.

Thomas and Warren were not in the box seat coming into the final day, but their fourth and two wins this afternoon clinched the Championship. They beat nearest rivals and silver medallists Byron White/William Ryan by a sizeable 19 points and bronze medallists Max Richardson/Alex Groves (GBR) by 29 points.

The massive points win was unusual in that the Championship lead swung in roundabouts, new leaders appearing just about every day.

Bleddyn Mon/Tom Humphreys (GBR) finished fourth overall and NSW brothers Andrew and William Chapman finished fifth. Next came the first all-girl crew of Annemiek Bekkering/Jeske Kisters (NED) who led the series coming into today's final three races. -- Di Pearson

www.sailmelbourne.com.au

BUNDOCK AND ASHBY CLAIM TORNADO PRIZE
Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS) today won both races to take out the Tornado Asia Pacific Regatta at Somers Yacht Club on the Mornington Peninsula.

Multiple Tornado world champion Bundock, who won Silver at the Sydney 2000 Games, and Ashby, a Victorian who won the 2006 Tornado Worlds with Bundock and recently claimed the A Cat World crown, beat their nearest rivals Andrey Kirilyuk/Valeriy Ushkov from Russia by five points.

While Bundock and Ashby have already been selected to the Beijing Olympic Games, the Russian are still battling it out with team mates who also contested the Sail Melbourne Regatta.

Kirilyuk has already represented at three Games and he and Ushkov are thrilled with their second place, scoring a pair of fourth places to overcome the world champions Fernando Echavarri/Anton Paz from Spain who took the bronze medal on countback from Olympic medallist, Mitch Booth and his crew Pim Nieuwenhuis (NED), on the final day.

Leigh McMillan/Will Howden from Great Britain rounded out fifth place. The pair is selected for Beijing.

Altogether, international fleet of 32 boats took part in the Regatta. All will have a few days off now before contesting Sail Melbourne's International Regatta at Sandringham Yacht Club starting on January 14. -- Di Pearson

www.sailmelbourne.com.au

RORC COMMODORE JOINS BALTIC SPRINT CUP
David Aisher, Commodore of the RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) announced last night his participation with Yeoman XXXII in the Baltic Sprint Cup 2008 due to start in Travemunde on 18th July. Yeoman is the latest of a long line of racing yachts in the Aisher family to bear the name and was launched in November 2006. Alan Green, Race Director of the Baltic Sprint Cup spoke to Robin Aisher:

AG: How easy is the boat to sail?
DA: She's just like a big dinghy. She may take a little tweaking to get into the groove but once there, she's off. Our sister ship Shogun has already claimed 35 knots of boat speed

AG: Does she keep good company?
DA: Yes. She likes to stay with the Farr 52s.

AG: How will Yeoman travel to the start?
DA: We'll do the RORC East Coast race from West Mersea to Breskens on 28th June and go from there.

AG: You are inviting crew members from the countries en route to join you?
DA: Yes, through Sail & Race we will take 2 crew members from each country in turn as we visit them on the different legs of the event.

AG: Will this be your first racing experience in the Baltic?
DA: We sailed our Sigma 38 to the Skagen Cup once before but this will take us much further east.

AG: What do you think of the competition in the Baltic Sprint Cup?
DA: Naturally I'm pleased the event has an IRC racing division. Although centred in Britain and France, IRC is used in over 40 countries by 6,000 boats with great success. We can see from the entry list that we will have some interesting racing in a varied fleet

AG: In particular?
DA: Christopher Wutke's new Guts 'n Glory! like us, she is a Rogers 46 and sailed by an experienced crew. I very much look forward to meeting them.

Christopher Wutke's company Spezial-Elektronic AG will sponsor the Baltic Sprint Cup sendoff from the port of Travemunde. Christopher's last Guts 'n Glory took part in the Middle Sea Race and Guts 'n Glory was part of the first ever Baltic Sprint Cup in 2005. Alan Green asked this well-travelled owner for the last word:

"We greatly enjoyed our participation in the Baltic Sprint Cup and have noticed how the racing standard has gradually increased. Now with an IRC racing division the event has opened up a new level. The Rogers 46 is a very exciting boat and with the presence of Yeoman we clearly have work to do...!"

The Baltic Sprint Cup is sponsored by Bank DnB NORD of Copenhagen.
www.balticsprintcup.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 Chris Graham: Hi, if Tidal Data really is free in the UK after all, maybe we should turn our attention (and Petitions) to the subject of UK Charts (and maps for that matter). It seems to me that our taxes pay for the collection of the data and the publication. Why do we have to pay again to get hold of the data? I understand that charts are free to download in the

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THE LAST WORD
"Well, George, we've knocked the bastard off." -- Sir Edmund Hillary, to another member of the British expedition group upon his return from the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953, when he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first persons to reach it.

Sir Edmund Hillary died Thursday, aged 88. An eloquent article on his life is on the BBC website at news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7182376.stm

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