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JOYON HEADING TOWARDS BREST
The route to Brest now appears to be open. Feeling rather less worried, Francis is going to be concentrating now on the only job that really matters for him - his route strategy between the Azores high and the deep North Atlantic low. This is crucial in order to reach the finishing line for his single-handed round the world record attempt as quickly as possible with the element of caution built in.

Taking advantage of a (relative) calm in the weather and a cleaner swell, yesterday Francis went back up the 32-metre mast of his maxi-trimaran, IDEC, for the fourth time in five days. After an hour and a half of work balanced at the top in his climbing harness, he came back down, visibly pleased with the state of what he saw and the repair that was carried out on the weakened anchor point for his starboard shroud.

Right in the middle of the transition zone on the edge of the Azores high, Francis has continued with the inspection of everything on board his trimaran, which he himself said was beginning to look a bit tired. Under gennaker and mainsail permanently with one reef, IDEC is playing her final hand before the final run towards Brest. At the beginning of the afternoon, Joyon gybed to the west, in order to avoid an area of calms. On the port tack, he is looking for some stronger winds before hoisting more sail on the starboard tack for the final sprint towards Brest. A new area of deep low pressure is currently located to his north west. By hopping on to its southern edge, IDEC will pick up some strong SW'lies, which will be favourable in his home run to reach the tip of Brittany. "They are forecasting 50-knot winds for the worst of the low," explained an unperturbed Francis Joyon. "I will need to get in the right place to avoid the worst of the blow. It's clear I'm going to get 30-35 knot winds in any case." No regrets therefore about losing the first reef. Sailing downwind with the swell in the right direction, IDEC could well offer us a final run in line with the performance already achieved since the start in Brest just 54 days ago...

www.trimaran-idec.com

ROLEX YACHTSMAN AND YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA: Lightning World Champion Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) and Princess Sofia Trophy Yngling Champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) today were named, respectively, US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. A shortlist of 10 male and nine female sailors - determined from nominations by the membership of US SAILING - were evaluated by a panel of sailing journalists who selected these two sailors for the noteworthy distinction.

Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the outstanding on-the-water competitive achievement of an individual man and woman in the calendar year just concluded. The winners will be honored and presented with specially engraved Rolex timepieces during a luncheon on February 29, 2008, at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.

Rolex Yachtsman of the Year - When Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) received his first nomination for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award in 2005, it was the result of crewing aboard winning boats at the Etchells World Championship and the J/24 Midwinters, combined with a string of four top-five finishes in the Lightning class. Fast forward two years to find the 45-year-old Linton now semi-retired, having sold his partnership interest in Masthead Enterprises, and in the helmsman's position, dominating the Lightning class, for which he has been crowned the 2007 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.

Linton also earned additional praise from the selection committee for performance in two other competitive one-design classes: he won the Flying Scot North American Championship and the Classic Moth National Championship.

Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year - Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) has reclaimed her position as the top woman racer in the U.S.A. upon being named the 2007 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. First recognized with the honor in 2005, Barkow was nominated to the shortlist for the sixth consecutive year and now joins a select group of women who have received the accolade more than once.

Although Barkow's primary focus has been helming her Yngling with a goal of representing the U.S.A. at the 2008 Olympic Games in China, her performance in other classes, whether fleet or match racing, were what set her apart in 2007.

More at www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex

SOLOCEANS HEADED FOR CAPE TOWN
Charles Caudrelier and Bostik's crew are now sailing in the Southern Hemisphere south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Bostik is sailing west of the Saint Helena anticyclone in order to find the fair winds leading them towards Cape Town (South Africa), where Erwan Tabarly will be discharged for professional obligations in France at the beginning of February.

A technical check-up of Bostik will also take place during the stopover in order to benefit from those 7,000 nautical miles testing the first Veolia Oceans one-design, before the passage through the Indian Ocean towards Wellington (New Zealand).

The arrival in South Africa is planned around 28th January.

The "Road to SolOceans" episode will be online in English and in French on the SolOceans' website on Friday 18 January. -- Clementine Chaignaud

To follow Bostik's progression, enjoy the "Road to SolOceans" videos and for all the latest news on the SolOceans, visit the website: www.soloceans.com

GP42 2008 CUP CALENDAR
The International GP42 Association calendar of the GP42 2008 Cup has been finalized. The second circuit of the fast-growing GP42 class will consist of 6 events in 4 European countries.

The starting gun of the 2008 season will be fired in 4 months from now in the Italian city of Santa Margherita, on the Ligurian coast. The Yacht Club Italiano will organize the season's inaugural event, Trofeo Pirelli - Copa Carlo Negri, from the 1st till the 4th of May.

The second event event will take place in France (another premiere for 2008) again under the auspices of the Yacht Club Italiano. The city of Saint-Tropez will be the stage for the Giraglia Rolex Cup, from the 8th until the 11th of June.

The GP42 fleet will then move to Valencia in order to compete in the Trofeo de la Reina, from the 10th till the 13th of July.

The season's 4th event is the Copa del Rey in Palma, Mallorca from July 25 to August 3.

After 4 events in the Mediterranean, the GP42 fleet will move to the Atlantic, racing off the coast of Portuguese city Cascais. The Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler, from the 28th till the 30th of August, will become the stage of exciting races for a second consecutive year.

The closing event of the 2008 international season will again be on Atlantic waters, in the Spanish island of Lanzarote. After its success in 2007 as a part of the Spanish national circuit, the Trofeo Puerto Calero - Cesar Manrique, from the 15th till the 18th of October, will see the international GP42 fleet race for the last time in 2008.

www.gp42.it

FUTURE FIBRES IS GROWING!
Industry leader Future Fibres is currently experiencing rapid and sustained growth in the composite rigging market. As a result, it is looking to fill a number of positions throughout the business. It requires a superyacht salesperson to service this rapidly expanding sector and maintain Future Fibres' current market leading position. Its service department is also looking to recruit a service manager and service administrator to help develop a global service infrastructure to support the growing customer base. For full details on these and all other vacancies visit www.futurefibres.com

SAIL MELBOURNE
470 Women's
Japanese crews are dominating the top spots after today's racing at the 470 Women's, holding onto second and third place overall behind leaders for the third day running, Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving (USA).

Conditions were rough due to large swells with sea breezes between 16-18 knots in the earlier race, increasing to 18-25 knots for Race 6 in the afternoon.

Fourth ranked in the world, Ai Kondo/Naoko Kamata of Kanagawa, Japan, are in second place. Kondo said they like the conditions very much and were looking forward to catching the Americans.

The highest placed Australians Elise Rechichi/Tessa Parkinson (chosen to represent at Beijing) dropped a place overall to 28th after not competing in Race 6.

470 Men's
First and second places in the 470 Men's have been held onto by Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page (AUS) and Gideon Kliger/Udi Gal (ISR) respectively despite both boats not competing in Race 6 this afternoon.

Page said after an altercation with a Chinese boat in the first race (Race 5), they decided to take the afternoon off to avoid breakages as the wind increased to 18 to 23 knots, bringing a large swell.

Athens Silver medallists (fourth placed at Sydney 2000), Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR) were disappointed they didn't sail as well as they would have liked, despite two second places.

Great Britain finished the day in fourth place overall behind Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic (CRO) (World Ranked number 13). The fleet, like the rest of the Olympic classes here at the Asia Pacific Regatta, starts its Final Series tomorrow.

Finn
Sailing legend and Great Britain's Beijing representative Ben Ainslie has unsurprisingly jumped into first place overall after a stellar performance with two bullets in Races 5 and 6 today.

Fellow countryman Ed Wright had a disappointing day on the water with third and 10th placings. After leading the regatta for the first two days, he has dropped to second on equal points with Ainslie.

Jonas Hoegh Christensen (DEN) after finishing a solid second in Race 5, slipped to third place overall after a ninth place in Race 6.

Laser Full Rig
The ability to drop one bad result after the completion of six races has catapulted reigning Laser world champion Tom Slingsby (AUS) from 32nd to first place overall in qualifying at the Asia Pacific Regatta today.

Sailing out of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club in 15-23 knot gusty winds, Slingsby was able to drop his Race 2 OCS (42 points) to take a one point lead at the end of Day 3 action.

As a result of winning four of the six races sailed so far, Slingsby has now narrowly edged out Andrew Murdoch (NZL), who can count three races to-date, sailing in an adjoining fleet.

Laser Radial Women's
Sarah Blanck (AUS) has cast aside her frustrations of yesterday to regain the lead in the Laser Radial women's class at the Asia Pacific Regatta today.

At the completion of racing today, Blanck and the rest of the fleet was able to drop their worst result; Blanck's being a 16th from Day 2, which elevated her above her three rivals and into the top position heading into the Final series which starts tomorrow.

Apart from her 16th placing, Blanck, who is sailing out of her home club, Royal Brighton Yacht Club, has finished no worse than second for the week.

Sari Mutala (FIN) remains the danger, consolidating her second position with a fifth and second placing today to be six points ahead of Lijia Xu (CHI).

Laser Radial Men
Greg Adams continued to dominate the Asia Pacific Regatta Laser Radial Men's class today with another two wins on Day 3 racing.

That brings Adams' total to five victories out of a possible six starts and shot him 10 points clear of his nearest rivals Richard Bott (AUS) and John Jagger (AUS).

The Australians continue to dominate the class with youth sailor Klade Hauschildt (AUS) in fourth position on 23 points. Tomorrow the fleet goes into the Final series.

Tornado
Following a late finish last evening, the Tornados were the first cab of the rank at Sail Melbourne's Asia Pacific Regatta today, starting just after midday.

It was a length of the straight victory for Australians Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby which has consolidated them in top position following Day 3 action.

Sailing in choppy conditions on Port Phillip, with 15-18 knot south-westerly winds, Bundock/Ashby crossed the line in the later Race 6 a good 300 metres clear of the fleet.

More results at www.sailmelbourne.com.au

ONLINE ENTRY NOW OPEN FOR 2008 NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE
The Newport Bermuda Race online entry system opened Monday, January 14. Qualified monohull yachts with a minimum ORR measured "L" length of 27.5 feet to a maximum of 30.00 meters may now go online to apply for entry. All owners are encouraged to us this online entry system to facilitate the entry process for themselves and the Race Office.

The Newport Bermuda Race is a serious 635-mile Cat 1 ocean race. It is America's classic, a must-do for all serious offshore sailors. It starts June 20th 2008 in Newport Rhode Island. The Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club organize the event and invite all qualified yachts to apply for entry to join the fleet.

The centennial race in 2006 saw a record 264 starters. Now, interest is high for this new century of racing that begins with the 46th sailing of the Bermuda Race in June. Organizers are gearing up for a similar size fleet.

The entry process, easy to follow and not requiring any special computer expertise, uses a secure on-line registration system: www.bermudarace.com/EntryProcess.

If you are thinking about racing to Bermuda in 2008, go online now to learn all of the details at www.bermudarace.com . Once on the site, take the opportunity to subscribe to the race newswire so you'll always be up to date on the latest Bermuda Race happenings.

For information about rules, regulations and entry contact Chairman Nick Nicholson This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Media and Press inquiries should be directed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DEAUVILLE WEEK AT THE CREWED FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP.
The French Sailing Federation (FFV) has recently announced the integration of Deauville International Week (28th May / 1st June 2008) in the Crewed French Championship for the first time.

This championship which is raced in the Mumm 30 - a high tech 9.40m yacht - brings together the best French crews and groups them into a single ranking in the Tour de France à la Voile and three other events along the Atlantic, English Channel and Mediterranean coasts (Grand Prix Atlantique / Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale - Semaine de Deauville - Route des Iles).

Following the example of the French Solo Championship, which is built around the Solitaire du Figaro, the Crewed French Championship will make the most of 2008 to gather together the best French and European crews and also testify to the dynamism of the Mumm 30 class.

For Deauville Week this comes as renewed recognition of its sporting interest and its appeal to crews.

This Championship will complete the labels also on the programme in the other event series: French J 80 Cup, Nationals 747 OD, J 109 EuroCup, Trophee Manche UNCL (Channel Trophy) for IRC craft.

www.deauville-week.fr

SHORT TACKS
* The entry form, Notice of Race and "contract-liabitity" for the Mini 6.50 Les Sables-Les Acores- Les Sables race are no online at www.sportsnautiquessablais.com

Reminder : Every complete and accompanied with payment registrations received before January, 21st 2008 will be registered on January, 21st 2008.

* Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been unveiled today as the Official Whisky Partner of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, the seventh edition of the event.

The announcement was made and the partnership toasted at the London Boat Show by David Stubley, Director of Sponsorship and Marketing of the Clipper Race organiser, Clipper Ventures Plc, and the Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, proprietors of Benromach Single Malt Scotch Whisky, David Urquhart.

* With 37 boats already in the lineup, entries close Jan. 31 for Balboa Yacht Club's biennial race to Cabo San Lucas this spring.

Competitors may enter and pay entry fees online directly from this link or through www.balboayachtclub.com

Current entries include a variety of boats from the smallest---Mark Rosene's Mumm 30, Habanero---to the largest---Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 (numbers indicate length overall in feet).

The smaller boats will start the 800-nautical mile race to the tip of Baja California, Mexico on Friday, March 28, the larger ones a day later.

Besides the record-busting Magnitude, several other high-profile ocean racers include Chris Welsh's classic Ragtime, Mike Campbell and Dale Williams' 68-foot Peligroso and Jim Madden's 66-foot Stark Raving Mad, but those magnificent machines are balanced by even more competitors in the 40-foot range. -- Rich Roberts

* After Roland Jourdain, Jeremie Beyou and Jean-Pierre Dick, who were the first three to complete their registration for the Vendee Globe, now Samantha Davies and Jean Le Cam have fulfilled all the requirements. In other words, having completed their qualifying run, they have now completed all the necessary paperwork.

* Two dominating wins on a white-flecked Port Philip Bay saw Ben Ainslie rise to his accustomed place at the top of the Finn class at the major Sail Melbourne regatta yesterday. In doing so, he unseated fellow Briton Ed Wright from the overall lead.

Wright's early form had been something of a message to the selectors, who have already named Ainslie for the Beijing Olympics ahead of him, and it was also a boost ahead of next week's Finn Gold Cup on the same waters. He is still right in the mix, lying second but tied for points with Ainslie. -- Tim Jeffery in the Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/

* A new distance racing tradition is born with the announcement of the bi-annual Casa de Campo Race in February, 2009. The race to the West Indies will start on February 13th from Fort Lauderdale and finish in the exotic, 5-star Casa De Campo Resort, in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Casa De Campo, popular to golfers around the world for its acclaimed Pete Dye courses, will showcase their new 370 slip marina. The International Farr 40 class recently announced that they will have their Rolex World Championship there in 2010.

The 900 mile race will track east through Northwest Providence Channel, turning southeast at Eleuthera, skirting the Bahamas, by the Turks and Caicos Islands, to the eastern tip on the Dominican Republic where boats will turn the corner for the run to the finish.

Event details and logistics information will be available of Premiere Racing's web site www.premiere-racing.com in February.

BENGT HORNEVALL
Bengt Hornevall, the third president of the IFA (International Finn Association) from 1960-1962, has passed away.

After a new stroke in the middle of December, Bengt died on 18 December 2007.

Bengt Horevall was the organizer of the second Gold Cup in 1957, in Karlstad, Sweden. He was also president of the Swedish Finn Association in the mid-1960s. From 1956 to 1963 he was president of Karlstads Kanotforening. Bengt was also a successful Finn sailor, and in 1959 he won the Swedish Championship.

IFA send its sympathies to his family and friends. -- Finn Class site, finnclass.org/News/bengt_hornevall.htm

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 David Munge: Following the completion of the Boxer Rebellion Germany occupied the Qingdao bay area which was fortified as Germany's primary naval base in East Asia. Perhaps we ought to ask Germany to use its sphere of influence to ensure the sailing area is up to standard.

Otherwise what was the point of the rebellion?

* From John Rousmaniere: Since new books often take a while to be discovered, I'm writing to say that anybody seriously interested in boats and the sea should be aware of "The Encyclopedia Of Maritime History", published by Oxford University Press and edited by John Hattendorf. The American Library Association recently named it the best reference book published in 2007. With four volumes and almost 1,000 entries, this is by far the largest and most authoritative publication available on this vast international subject. The topics are broad (naval architecture) and narrow (ballast). Naval warfare in all ages and places is covered, and so are oceanography, ancient Chinese voyagers, maritime art, shipwrecks, navigators, films, maritime law, literature, terrorism, religion, major ports... and on and on, from A to Z.

The 12 entries on yachting (which I wrote as a consulting editor) concern the sport's history and literature, the America's Cup, Joshua Slocum, four great yacht designers (Herreshoff, Watson, Stephens, and Farr), and 31 important classes over the past 125 years, including New Zealand's P, Australia's 18-foot skiff, Scandinavia's Folkboat, and England's X-OD, plus the A-Cat, Hobie 16, Lightning, Melges 24, E-Scow, J-105, and IACC.

All this does not come cheap, of course. But here's an acquisition that should be considered by yacht club librarians and students of our great pastime. For more information, www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryWorld/?view=usa&ci=9780195130751

FEATURED BROKERAGE
1930 Alden, 130,000 GBP Lying Cornwall, England

What a magnificant yacht . A splendid and hugely stylish "classic" yawl from the other side of the pond. This is how the Americans did it in the '30's. Subject to a 10 year professional restoration, which, excepting some cosmetic attention, is now very nearly complete. The style and character of this lovely yacht has been retained during the work and she would be perfect for any classic boat regatta.

Brokerage through YachtsAndCruisers.com: www.yachtsandcruisers.com

Complete listing details and seller contact information at www.yachtsandcruisers.com/boat/Alden/18170/

THE LAST WORD
When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt. -- Henry J. Kaiser

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