– Tropical cyclone Pam racks up winds of 200km/hr and could strengthen further as it heads south.

– The earliest that the fleet will depart Auckland is Monday March 16 at 1400 local NZ time.

– The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland will still take place as planned on Saturday March 14 at 1400 local NZ time.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 12 – This weekend’s Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 start, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil, has been delayed due to the development of a potential supercyclone.

The six-strong fleet was originally set to depart for the 6,776 nautical-mile voyage through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean on Sunday March 15.

But with forecasts suggesting that a grade five tropical cyclone could hit the area hard, Race organisers have taken the prudent step of delaying their exit by at least 24 hours.

As a result, the earliest possible restart would take place on Monday March 16 at 1400 local NZ time, although this is yet to be confirmed.

“Safety first,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad today. “We’re making this decision now because we don’t know the exact track of this tropical cyclone yet.

“It’s unusually big and essentially it’s blocking the road for our sailors, so it’s prudent seamanship from our side to leave them with options.”

The current forecasts suggest that the tropical cyclone, which has already racked up winds of 200km/hr and has been named ‘Pam’ by experts, could strengthen further as it heads south.

And even if the system misses New Zealand, big swells and rough seas could still cause real problems for the fleet.

“Our biggest concern is the sea state, rather than the wind,” continued Frostad. “The boats can handle a lot of wind, but there will be very big waves along the New Zealand coast, with nowhere to hide.

“We are not going to have the boats leaving Auckland before 1400 local time on Monday, but it could also be later. It depends completely on the movement of this tropical cyclone.”

The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland, which begins at 1400 local time on Saturday 14 March, will still go ahead as planned.

Current forecasts predict perfect sailing conditions of 20kts of easterly breeze and warm sunshine to ensure that Saturday’s sprint around the bay will be a spectacular event.

Grant Calder, General Manager of the Auckland stopover, said: ”Saturday promises to be a great day out, both on the water and in Auckland’s viaduct.

“The boats will be racing, and the Race Village will continue to offer a wide-range of free activities for everyone who wants to enjoy the last weekend of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race Auckland stopover.

“We have some fantastic live entertainment lined up, including the Black Seeds on Saturday evening.”

Despite the delay, a full departure ceremony including a mayoral handover and sailor’s parade will go ahead as planned on Sunday.

Race organisers are tracking the cyclone’s development and a revised event schedule for Sunday, including confirmation of whether any sailing will take place, will be issued as the situation develops.

The official skippers press conference will be held tomorrow Friday March 13, with the six team skippers in Auckland’s ANZ Viaduct Events Centre.

There will be an opportunity to enquire on the revised Leg 5 start plans tomorrow at 15:00 in the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre during the media session with Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.

For more information and RSVP details for the Auckland media day, click here.

via Leg 5 departures postponement: more details| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Commodore James Gubelmann, 12 Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station

The heyday of 12 Metre racing in the U.S. ended in 1983 when we lost the America’s Cup to Australia in Newport. The “second coming” for the fleet took place in 2001 when the Queen of England attended the Jubilee Regatta at Cowes, U.K. There were 39 12 Metre yachts at the starting line for that week’s long celebrations of America’s Cup boats, beginning with the original (1851) racecourse around the Isle of Wight. In recent years, our fleet of “twelves” has dropped from the 17 yachts assembled for the Jubilee celebration, to a present-day fleet of 10 boats.

The mission of the 12 Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station is: “To provide and facilitate discussion and a social environment for 12 Metre owners and others interested in the history of the 12 Metre Class and to encourage continued involvement in preserving, restoring and racing 12 Metre yachts in the Newport area” – which means that our board is dedicated to supporting the North American Fleet headed by Herb Marshall, with events on and off the water and exposure for the class in general.

We are currently organizing – with the International Twelve Metre Class Association headed by Commodore Dyer Jones – the next World Championships to be held in the U.S. in 2019. We plan to renovate and restore numerous “twelves” in our own Narragansett Bay Fleet, bringing them up to par to race against the very proactive Northern European Fleet headed by Patrick Howaldt out of Copenhagen, and the slick Southern European Fleet headed by Luigi Lang in Milan. This will be a spectacular event with 12 boats from America, eight boats from the Baltic, and six boats from the Mediterranean.

Our modern rules allow each boat to carry 14 crew on board, with the typical size of these boats ranging from 62 feet to 70 feet. This will be a spectacular series of regattas, as we are planning to invite the 12 Metres from around the world to put aside two and a half months in May, June, and July with races planned in four or five venues in New England, preceded by an inaugural regatta in the Caribbean!

Of interest in 2014 was the 12 Metre U.S. Nationals in Newport (RI), where we had a dinner for 100 crew at the Clarke Cooke House, our “12 Metre Yacht Club.” From the original crews who raced for the America’s Cup in 1964 and 1974, over 55 people attended an additional event held at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court. Believe you me, the 12 Metre class is coming back strong, and the heroes of yesteryear are back to support our mission! May the force (winds and tides) be with us.

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via Twelves are coming back >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News.

New Zealander Stu Bannatyne, one of the Volvo Ocean Race’s most experienced and toughest competitors, is joining Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) for Leg 5, the most demanding stage of the event (full story below).

– Kiwi Stu returns to boost Team Alvimedica

– Southern Ocean know-how will assist young crew

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 9 – New Zealander Stu Bannatyne, one of the Volvo Ocean Race’s most experienced and toughest competitors, is joining Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) for Leg 5, the toughest stage of the event.

Bannatyne is the ideal addition to the young crew for the treacherous Southern Ocean leg, with six races under his belt including three victories.

He takes over from bowman/trimmer Seb Marsset (FRA), who will help out with the shore crew for the leg and is scheduled to  return for the following stage to Newport, Rhode Island.

Team Alvimedica have already made an impressive start to their debut Volvo Ocean Race campaign, earning a podium place with third in Leg 3 and fourth in the next stage from Sanya to Auckland.

However, skipper Enright appreciates that they will need all the know-how they can muster for the 6,776-nautical mile journey from New Zealand to Itajaí, southern Brazil, starting on Sunday, March 15.

It will take them through the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn. Memories are still fresh from the last edition in 2011-12 when the fleet was ravaged by breakages with mountainous 15-metre waves causing havoc on the boats.

“Stu brings incredible experience to us for the tough Southern Ocean leg ahead,” said Enright.

“The leg that we are about to embark on is like nothing we have seen in this race so far.

“With most of our crew never having sailed in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, we will benefit from Stu’s knowledge and driving skills on this challenging leg.”

Enright added: “Stu sailed a trans-Atlantic training leg with us last summer and provided some invaluable insights and has continued to be a sounding board for us since the race started.”

Bannatyne, 43, is relishing the challenge of another Southern Ocean crossing. “The next leg with its huge waves and sustained winds of sometimes over 40 knots is the most demanding of the race.

“Knowing when to throttle back may be as important as pushing the limits. I hope I can help Charlie and the guys in their first Southern Ocean passage.”

The leg, the fifth of nine, begins at 1400 NZ time/0200 CET on Sunday. In all, the boats will cover 38,739nm, visiting 11 ports and every continent before the conclusion of the race in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 27.

Team Alvimedica race crew for Leg 5: Stu Bannatyne, 43, (NZL); Alberto Bolzan, 32, (ITA); Nick Dana, 28, (USA); Charlie Enright, 30, (USA); Ryan Houston, 32, (NZL); Will Oxley, 49, (AUS); Dave Swete, 30, (NZL); Mark Towill, 26, (USA); and Onboard Reporter Amory Ross, 30, (USA).

via Bannatyne’s back in business| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

An independent report into the grounding of Team Vestas Wind on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race was released today. It included a set of recommendations aimed at improving safety at sea for the entire offshore racing community (full story below).

– Independent panel calls for improved navigational systems

– Guidelines to be circulated among race crews

– Read the full report here

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 9 – An independent report into the grounding of Team Vestas Wind on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race was released today. It included a set of recommendations aimed at improving safety at sea for the entire offshore racing community.

In particular, it has suggested improving navigational charts and other on board software to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The Danish boat, Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS), was stranded on a reef at Cargados Carajos Shoals in the middle of the Indian Ocean during the stage from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi on November 29. The crew were forced to abandon the boat.

The badly damaged Vestas Wind has since been retrieved from the reef and is being rebuilt in the Persico boatyard in Bergamo, Italy, with a view to returning to the race for the last two stages starting from Lisbon, Portugal in June.

The independent report into the incident, commissioned by the Race in December, was conducted by acknowledged experts in the field – Rear Admiral (Rtd) Chris Oxenbould (chair), Stan Honey and Chuck Hawley (see below).

The panel reported that the facts of the grounding had already been well publicised and that its findings regarding what happened are based on interviews with the crew, race management, other relevant parties and recorded data were not contentious.

“The team was unaware of any navigational danger in its vicinity, incorrectly assessed the minimum charted depth at Cargados Carajos Shoals to be 40 metres and understood that it was safe to sail across the shoals,” summed up the panel.

The panel has not apportioned blame, but made the following conclusions:

i. There were deficiencies in the use of electronic charts and other navigational data onboard Vestas Wind.

ii. There were also deficiencies in the cartography presenting the navigational dangers on the small and medium scales of the chart system in use.

iii. The emergency management worked well and there were no administrative or race management issues that contributed to the incident.

Its main recommendations are:

i. That a provided set of guidelines for the use of electronic charts be endorsed and adopted in the race and subject to further review and refinement.

ii That the providers of the chart system used and the manufacturers of one of the on board navigation software systems be advised of the perceived deficiencies.

iii. The panel suggests that Volvo Ocean Race uses its leverage and influence in the yachting industry to encourage the development of an improved navigation system, including charts and software.

It also made five minor recommendations (page 63, paragraph 262) relating to the conduct of the race.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said all recommendations would be considered by the event.

He added: “Our plan is to circulate the guidelines to the skippers and navigators (as recommended by the report) here in Auckland, and also include them in future Notices of Race.

“It is our intention that the report serves as a useful document for the entire offshore racing community in the future. Accidents will always happen at sea – we hope this helps make them less likely.”

The fleet sets out from Auckland for the fifth leg of nine on Sunday, March 15. It is the longest and most challenging stage of the nine-month race, which takes the fleet through the Southern Ocean to the next destination of Itajaí in Brazil.

The 38,739-nautical mile race will conclude on June 27, in Gothenburg, Sweden, after visiting 11 ports in total and every continent.

* * * * * *

• Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould is a former deputy chief of the Australian Navy and an experienced ocean-racing yachtsman with a particular expertise in navigation. He is also the chairman of the Yachting Australia National Safety Committee.

• Ocean navigational expert, Stan Honey, who won the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 as navigator onboard ABN AMRO ONE, and Chuck Hawley, who serves as the chairman of the U.S. Sailing Safety at Sea Committee, assisted Rear Admiral Oxenbould on the report.

* Find out how to attend Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould’s presentation at the High Performance Yacht Design (HPYD) or attend the media conference call here.

via Vestas Wind grounding report – Why? And what next?| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Damian Foxall (IRL), one of the biggest names in offshore sailing, is joining Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) for the forthcoming treacherous Leg 5 (full story see below).

– Ireland’s top sailor joins Dongfeng Race Team for Leg 5

– Navigator Bidégorry returns to Chinese boat’s crew

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 5 – Damian Foxall (IRL), one of the biggest names in offshore sailing, is joining Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) for the forthcoming treacherous Leg 5.

Caudrelier and Foxall were on the Groupama boat that won the 2011-12 edition. The Irishman was the natural choice when Dongfeng’s skipper looked for an experienced sailor to bolster his line-up for the 6,776-nautical mile (nm) stage from Auckland to Itajaí, Brazil, through the Southern Ocean and round Cape Horn.

Foxall, who has competed in four previous Volvo Ocean Races, arrived in Auckland fresh from victory in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT), sailing with the renowned French sailor, Sidney Gavignet.

He said on Thursday that he was thrilled to link up again with Caudrelier, who has guided his China-backed team to joint top of the current race standings.

“I am delighted to be back ‘in the saddle’. This will be the 10th round-the-world event that I will be involved in and my eighth rounding of Cape Horn,” he said.

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to join Charles and the boys onboard Dongfeng who have been doing such an exemplary job. My role is to fit in as seamlessly as possible and to bring the benefit of a fresh person to the team.

“It is hard to overstate the difficulty of the Volvo Ocean Race for the sailors and teams, the longest sporting event in any sport, and it is exactly this, the duration, that makes it so hard. A planned rotation of the crew at key times has become a crucial part of any successful team’s strategy.”

Caudrelier agrees. “This leg is going to be a tough, freezing cold, with big seas and strong winds – only the toughest sailors can endure it,” he said.

Foxall could not be joining the race at a more challenging time. The first three boats finished the 5,264nm Leg 4 within just over eight minutes of each other after 20 days at sea with MAPFRE (Xabi Fernández/ESP) becoming the fourth team to win a leg.

Dongfeng Race Team won the second leg into their home port of Sanya from Abu Dhabi in January.

Foxall will replace Thomas Rouxel (FRA) on this leg, continuing the crew rotation programme set by Caudrelier to ensure his eight-man crew are fighting fit and bringing fresh energy into the team.

Navigator, Pascal Bidégorry (FRA), is back and will undoubtedly find the Southern Ocean leg less painful than being rested on land as he was for Leg 4. Caudrelier has yet to confirm which of his Chinese sailors will sail in the forthcoming stage.

The crew will be announced next week for the leg, which sets off on Sunday, March 15.

Damian Foxall’s four Volvo Ocean Race appearances

2001-02 (Tyco)

2005-06 (Ericsson)

2008-09 (Green Dragon)

2011-12 (Groupama sailing team)

via Damian’s back!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

TP52 Launchings

Training begins soon for TP52 Super Series teams.

A rare picture from the most private of new TP teams reveals the cleanest of decks nearing completion.  The design looks similar to last generation boats but a little more compact, possibly as designers refine the cockpit volume measurements.  The foredeck hatch also looks smaller than expected as driven spinnaker drops, when executed perfectly, don’t require anything bigger.  An unprecedented 9 new boats are in build at this time, with launchings over the next few weeks.

Spinlock has been chosen by all teams to supply on deck and under deck rope holding solutions. The Spinlock product offering the best overall package of proven reliability, durability, holding power, fast release, low weight and compactness. It is now very common for teams to independently test equipment as part of the rigorous selection processes to gain every possible advantage and ensure all criteria met.  We will soon reveal 3 more Spinlock developments embraced by worlds top yacht racers, in particular in the TP52 fleet.

via .

The Volvo Ocean Race launches a new young sailor award in a major sailing competition in the Gulf. It’s aimed at attracting a fresh generation of offshore sailors, following champions like Damien Foxall (pictured – full story below).

– Gulf race offers opportunity to find new talent

– Omani and British under-30s win first rookies prizes

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 3 – The Volvo Ocean Race has launched a new award for young sailors in a major competition in the Gulf, aimed at attracting a fresh generation of sailors into offshore sailing to follow champions like Damien Foxall (pictured).

The Race has introduced the Volvo Ocean Race Rookie Award for the two best under-30 sailors competing in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT), which was concluded over the weekend.

The event, contested over a 760-nautical mile (nm) course in the Gulf of Arabia, was first held in 2011 by Oman Sail. Since then, many top-level competitors in the event have been drawn from the ranks of past and present Volvo Ocean Race sailors, including the 2015 winners, Damian Foxall (IRL) and Sidney Gavignet (FRA).

It was the second year running Gavignet’s crew won.

The first victors of the Volvo Ocean Race Rookie Award were Team Renaissance Omani sailor, Ali Al Balushi, and the British sailor from the University of Plymouth team, Richard Mason.

Their prize is a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, to see the Volvo Ocean Race fleet after it completes the sixth leg of the current 12th edition from Itajaí, Brazil.

A panel of judges comprising George Catsiapis, CEO EFG Private Bank, Knut Frostad CEO, Volvo Ocean Race, and Gilles Chiorri, EFG SATT Race Director, picked out Al Balushi and Mason as the winners after they were nominated by their skippers in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT).

“We are thrilled that SATT has attracted recognition from the Volvo Ocean Race as being a valuable feeder race for young offshore sailors and we look forward to working closely together to promote the sport of sailing among young local and regional audiences,” said David Graham, CEO of organisers, Oman Sail.

Frostad added: “We are delighted to launch this award since the Volvo Ocean Race works hard to promote the development of young offshore sailors and also fully supports the initiatives and programmes that are being launched by emerging nations in the sport of sailing.”

Overall winners of the SATT were EFG Bank, Monaco, led by Gavignet, who has competed in four Volvo Ocean Races.

A course change, from east to west, resulted in 14 days of testing upwind racing on the six-leg course from Oman to Bahrain.

The fleet included 11 pro-am race teams with crews from 21 different countries, including GAC powered by Dongfeng, with three ‘resting’ sailors from Dongfeng Race Team taking part: Cheng Ying Kit (English name ‘Kit’), Liu Ming (‘Leo’) and Kong Chencheng (‘Kong’). They finished eighth.

via Volvo Ocean Race launches new young sailor award| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

AC World Series comes to Southsea

02 Mar 2015

Sir Ben Ainslie sailing his foiling AC45 past the Royal Yacht Squadron – photo: Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images

AMERICA’S CUP: The America’s Cup will return to race on UK waters this summer when the first AC World Series comes out to play off Southsea Common from July 23 to 26 this year.

The entertainment will start on Thursday 23 July with an opening ceremony and a parade of sail. This will be your first glimpse of the competing teams and the boats out on the water.

After the parade there will be entertainment in the purpose built “Great Waterfront Festival” site and Race Village Area.

Practice racing will follow on Friday 24 July. All competing teams will be out testing the waters and familiarising themselves with the race course.

Racing will take place literally right next to Portsmouth’s extensive shoreline, promising great views to spectators and fans.

Saturday 25 July and Sunday 26 July will both be race days culminating in the ‘Super Sunday’ racing showdown.

A chance to see the teams battle it out on the water, collecting points that will determine rankings in the lead up to the America’s Cup in 2017.

The blurb goes on to say crowds of ‘up to 500,000 people are expected over the four days’, so the always hard pressed A32 could be a nightmare if you’re heading for the Gosport area.

But it looks as if the racing will take place out towards Southsea Castle, which means it might be better to head into Portsmouth and follow signs from there.

An Adult Fanzone single ticket for the first day of racing will cost £48.50. A Four Day Adult Fanzone Pass with grandstand seat will cost £73.50.

There is a ticket limit of nine per person for this event, it says here… But Fanzone tickets for groups of 10 or more are available from Ticketmaster Groups on 0844 844 2121.

This is likely to be an enormous event for the area, so be prepared for some traffic to going the same way you are…

via Boating Business – AC World Series comes to Southsea.

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Volvo Ocean Race supports EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour with launch of Rookie Award for top two under 30 sailorsSaturday, 28 February 2015The Volvo Ocean Race has recognised EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT) as a leading development race for young offshore sailors by launching a Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) Rookie Award for the two best under 30 sailors competing in the event.Since 2011 when Oman Sail first launched its 760nm endurance race around the Gulf of Arabia, competitors have been drawn from the ranks of past and present Volvo Ocean Race crew and 2015 is no exception with past winners Damian Foxall (IRL) and Sidney Gavignet (FRA) currently at the front of the EFG SATT fleet as they head towards the finish in Bahrain. Three of the GAC powered by Dongfeng Race Team from China, namely Cheng Ying Kit, Liu Ming and King Chencheng are using EFG SATT as training for the next VOR which for any offshore sailor, represents the pinnacle of a career due to the formidable challenges set across the 27,000 nm route through the Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Pacific Oceans plus 10 inshore races staged at each stopover. Every Volvo Ocean Race team must have at least one crew member under the age of 30 but gaining racing experience to earn qualification is no easy matter and ambitious young sailors are constantly seeking opportunities to test their endurance, technical and strategic skills in events that replicate the VOR inshore-offshore model, such as EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour where 50% of all the crewmembers are aged under 30. The new Volvo Ocean Race Rookie Award was announced at the prize-giving for the inshore racing in Doha.“We are thrilled that EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour has attracted this recognition from the Volvo Ocean Race as being a valuable feeder event for young offshore sailors and we look forward to working closely together to promote the sport of sailing among young local and regional audiences,” said David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail. The Volvo Ocean Race will offer an economy return trip to Newport, accommodation and hospitality for the full stopover race weekend and pro-am day to the two top EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour Under 30 sailors, who will be nominated by their skippers and adjudged by a panel comprising George Catsiapis, CEO EFG Private Bank, Knut Frostad CEO, Volvo Ocean Race and Gilles Chiorri, EFG SATT Race Director. They will be announced at the prize giving in Bahrain at 16:30 local time on Saturday 28 February.“We are delighted to launch this award since the Volvo Ocean Race works hard to promote the development of young offshore sailors and also fully supports the initiatives and programmes that are being launched by emerging nations in the sport of sailing,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.

via BYM Sailing & Sports News.