Volvo Ocean Race COO Tom Touber today joined Sail Newport’s Brad Read and Governor Gina Raimondo, to announce that the Race will be heading back to the Ocean State for the 2017-18 edition (full story below).

Heading back to Newport!

–       Rhode Island town to host race for a second time in 2018

–       Governor Raimondo heralds Newport’s achievement

–       More port announcements to come in the New Year

NEWPORT, Rhode Island, October 30 – Newport, Rhode Island, will once again host the North American stopover for the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18 following the success of the sailing-mad coastal town’s hosting of the world’s leading offshore event in May.

“We’re delighted to be able to confirm that Newport will be staging a second consecutive stopover in 2018,” said Race COO, Tom Touber, at Friday’s (October 30) official announcement.

“Everything worked brilliantly in Newport in May thanks to the great work of Brad Read and his team plus the backing of the Governor, legislative leaders and State of Rhode Island agencies, and we were delighted with the large amount of spectators from our major fan base in the U.S. and elsewhere, who supported the stopover.

“Moreover, the Newport stopover was greatly valued by our stakeholders, who very much enjoyed visiting the area for its history, culture and, of course, the commercial opportunities it provided.”

The news that Newport will again be hosting the event means that seven ports for the next edition of the 42-year-old race are already known.

The east coast port joins Alicante (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Auckland (New Zealand), Cardiff (United Kingdom), Lisbon (Portugal) and Gothenburg (Sweden) on the list of confirmed stopovers for the 2017-18 edition.

“The route is already shaping up very nicely, although we have several more key port announcements to come, probably early in the New Year,” added Touber.

Rhode Island Governor, Gina M. Raimondo, who joined Volvo Ocean Race officials and Stopover Director Brad Read in Friday’s announcement ceremony at the State Room in the State capital, Providence, said:

“Rhode Island looks forward to welcoming back the Volvo Ocean Race in 2018, and we’re honoured to be among this list of world-class port destinations.”

She added: “This year’s event was a great success, drawing more than 130,000 fans from across the U.S. and abroad. We look forward to once again showcasing Rhode Island as a great place to visit – and do business.”

Brad Read, who heads Sail Newport, which masterminded the stopover this year, was delighted to have the chance to repeat – and improve on – the success of their inaugural hosting of the round-the-world marathon.

“Sail Newport, the Department of Environmental Management, and State Leadership, together with all of our outstanding partners, organised and hosted the most successful North American stopover in Volvo Ocean Race history,” he said.

“We did this as a non-profit organization combined with a whole lot of community heart and passion because we knew the event would be a remarkable success.”

He continued: “I believe strongly that tourists, fans, sponsors and media will travel from all over the world to Rhode Island to be part of the next Newport stopover.

“Everyone wants the Race back here. The State, the marine, business, education communities, and fans, will follow the Race until it arrives back at Castle Hill in 2018.”

The precise dates of the fleet’s visit in 2018 are not yet known but will be announced when the full route is unveiled early next year.

To access the Newport 2018 promo video, please log-in to our FTP using the following details:

via Heading back to Newport!| Volvo Ocean Race.

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Clipper fleet takes on 2015 Sydney Hobart26 Oct 2015Clipper Race fleet and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to return in Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2015CLIPPER RACE: Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and the international Clipper Race fleet will compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (RSHYR) this December.Sir Robin is the founder of the world’s longest ocean race and the first man to sail solo, nonstop, around the world in 1968/9. He will race one of two Clipper 68 yachts that are taking part.The 76 year old said: “There is a real buzz amongst our Clipper Race crew about racing with the world’s best sailors again in one of the most famous offshore races. The crew will have sailed half way around the world to participate and will be excited to pit themselves against the best competitors in the sport.”The event will bring together sailors from 26 different countries. The fleet will arrive into Sydney around 11 December on the all Australian leg and will be half way into the race after having departed London on 30 August.John Cameron, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CTCA) Commodore, added: “This year the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is shaping up to be a spectacular, our 71st race will be an event to watch.”“Added to the mix we have, for the second time, the Clipper Race yachts. They will bring an additional 14 boats to our race, with the added character that only Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and his yachts and crews can bring as part of their round the world race. We look forward to welcoming them back.” he ended.Other competitors include Wendy Tuck, the first Australian female skipper in the history of the Clipper Race. While skippers Peter Thornton and Huw Fernie, from Great Britain and Seattle respectively, will compete in their second Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (RSHYR).

via Boating Business – Clipper fleet takes on 2015 Sydney Hobart.

Five British sailors named in World Sailor award shortlist

Written by RYA | 12 October 2015

British talents in dinghy, offshore and inshore racing recognised in award nominations

The diversity of British sailing talent has been acknowledged in the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year shortlist announced today (Monday 12 October), with five British contenders in the running for the coveted award.

Five top British sailors have been recognised across dinghy, offshore and inshore sailing disciplines, with Finn star Giles Scott, Volvo Ocean Race-winning skipper Ian Walker and five-time World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams among the five nominees for the men’s award.

Team SCA Volvo Ocean Race skipper Sam Davies, and Sarah Ayton, tactician on board Extreme Sailing Series’ ‘The Wave, Muscat’, are also included in the five-sailor women’s shortlist.

Launched 21 years ago, the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year is recognised as the pinnacle award a sailor can receive for his or her outstanding achievements by the world of sailing.

The awards are presented every November to one male and one female sailor, with this year’s ceremony taking place on Tuesday 10 November in Sanya, China.

Twelve months on from his first World Sailor of the Year nomination, world number one Giles Scott remains the dominant force in the Olympic Finn class.

During the 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015 award nomination period, the 28-year-old has extended his unbeaten run to two years in the heavyweight dinghy class, taking in a second world title, a second consecutive Olympic Test Event victory in Rio, World Cup wins in Weymouth and Portland, Hyeres and Miami, a EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup title in Palma – all combined with a tactician’s role alongside one-time rival Ben Ainslie in his quest to bring the America’s Cup back to British shores.

Ian Walker became the first British man to skipper a Volvo Ocean Race-winning team when he claimed overall honours with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the 2014-15 edition of the gruelling nine-month, 39,000 nautical mile 2014-15 race. Securing two leg wins on their way to glory, Walker’s team also secured victory in the in-port series and set a 24 hour distance record of 550.82 nautical miles while approaching Cape Horn.

Ian Williams is the only skipper in history to win five World Match Racing Championship titles, overhauling the previous record of four held by Australia’s Pete Gilmour at the Monsoon Cup back in Malaysia back in February. The world number one-ranked Williams finished the 2014-15 season with 13 event wins and 35 podium finishes.

Other shortlisted male nominees are New Zealand 49er pairing Pete Burling and Blair Tuke, and French Route du Rhum winner Loick Peyron.

Team SCA blazed a trail for women’s yacht racing in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race as the first all-female team in over a decade. Skipper Sam Davies led the team to a history-making victory in the penultimate leg into Lorient from Lisbon and a podium finish in the in-port series, and inspired a whole new wave of aspiring female sailors in the process.

Double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton is now the sole female sailor racing in the Extreme Sailing Series fleet, and as tactician on The Wave, Muscat, has guided them to five wins from seven regattas with the team now in touching distance of the series victory when Sydney hosts the finale in December.

Also in the running for the women’s award are Danish match racing World Champion Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, French windsurfing World Champion Charline Picon and Russian kiteboard racer Elena Kalinina.

The ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs) – the national governing bodies for sailing around the world – vote for the one female nominee and one male nominee whom they feel deserves the honour of receiving the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award 2015, with attendees at the awards also casting their votes in Sanya on the night of 10 November.

via Five British sailors named in World Sailor award shortlist | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

Saxton and Groves seal European Championship gold

Written by RYA | 04 October 2015

Multihull medals as Nacra 17 duo are crowned European Champions in Barcelona

Nicola Groves hailed a ‘fantastic’ victory with Ben Saxton at the Nacra 17 European Championships, which concluded in Barcelona yesterday (Saturday 3 October).

Groves and helm Saxton negotiated a tricky six-regatta, beset by weather disruptions, to head into the final medal race at the top of the leaderboard, but effectively level-pegging with Australia’s Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis in the chase for overall event gold.

A short postponement to the final day’s racing set the scene for a tense medal showdown, with a number of place changes keeping the British duo fighting until the end.  A fifth place in the medal race to the Australian’s sixth was enough to hand them the top spot of both the European and Open European podia.

Denmark’s Allan Norregaard-Annette Viborg completed the Open Europeans podium behind Bundock-Curtis and were the second European crew, with Italy’s Vittorio Bissaro-Silvia Sicouri the third European crew.

“It was a fantastic medal race and a really good battle with the Aussies.  We’re really chuffed with the way we closed out the race when it mattered, and we’ve had a great week,” Groves enthused.

Saxton added: “The race today was fun – we had good breeze, Nic did a good job and Maurice Paardenkooper our coach did a great job of preparing us.  We sailed OK to come fifth and that’s made us European Champions, so we’re really happy!”

Saxton and Groves joined forces in the mixed multihull event a year ago, with Groves having transitioned from the 49erFX.  This represents their first major event victory together, adding to their silver medal at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami in January.

“We’ve been working hard over the summer and in the build up to this event with our coach Maurice, and it’s great to see that it’s starting to pay off.   We had good speed in our new boat and showed level heads today in the medal race so we’re happy with the progress we’ve made together.”

The duo will take a short break before returning to training in Weymouth and Portland later this month ahead of further training blocks in Rio during the autumn and winter.

Elsewhere at the European Championships, fellow British Sailing Team crews Tom Phipps-Nikki Boniface and Lucy Macgregor-Dave Evans concluded their events in 11th and 14th places respectively.

via Saxton and Groves seal European Championship gold | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

Sailrocket to be displayed at AES

13 Oct 2015

‘Sailrocket 2’ broke the outright sailing record three times back in 2012

EVENT: The record-breaking ‘Sailrocket 2’ is to be displayed at this year’s Advanced Engineering Show (AES), taking place on 4 and 5 November at the NEC, Birmingham.

‘Sailrocket 2’ broke the outright sailing record three times back in 2012 after reaching over 65 knots (75+ mph) in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It also smashed the nautical mile world record.

The boat, which was designed with the aim of breaking through sailings “sound barrier”, is based on a unique concept that removes all the overturning forces associated with sailing boats and is as stable in the air as it is in the water.

With conventional hydro foils, at speeds around the low to mid 50 knot range, the pressures involved cause water boil on contact, offering a brick wall of drag. Sailrocket 2 was developed to have the power to test radical new foil shapes to overcome this and prove that sail-powered boats could go way beyond conventional limits.

The boat was built in the UK by Gurit, which provided composite materials, Formaplex, which provided tooling and complete CNC milled foils, and Aerotrope, which was the primary design office behind both Sailrocket 1 and Sailrocket 2.

The AES will be the first time Sailrocket 2 has gone on full public display since it broke the record three years ago.

via Boating Business – Sailrocket to be displayed at AES.

British sailors up for ‘World Sailor of the Year’

15 Oct 2015

Finn class sailor Giles Scott is one of three British males up for the award. Photo: Rolex/Daniel Forster

AWARD: The nominees for this year’s International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex ‘World Sailor of the Year Awards’ have been announced, with five Brits in the running.

Set to be held on 10 November 2015 in Sanya, China, the Awards ceremony celebrates the world’s finest sailors’ achievements during the qualifying period from the end of September 2014 through to 31 August 2015.

Only one nominee wins in both the male and female categories. The five males vying for the title are Britons Finn class sailor Giles Scott, 2015 Volvo Ocean Race winner Ian Walker and ISAF Match Racing World Championship Ian Williams. New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and France’s Loick Peyron are also up for the award.

In the female category, ex-Olympic medal winner Sarah Ayton and Sam Davies, who skippered Team SCA in the recent Volvo Race, are the two Britons competing for the award. Russia’s Elena Kalinina, Denmark’s Lotte Meldgaard and France’s Charline Picon are

The winners will be selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world, by a process of voting prior to the event and on the night of the Awards. The MNAs are now invited to vote for the male and female nominee they believe most deserves the Award. This vote will contribute to 50% of the overall result, while the remaining 50% of the vote will be decided by those in attendance on the night in Sanya.

Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece at the Award ceremony on 10 November 2015 in Sanya.

via Boating Business – British sailors up for ‘World Sailor of the Year’.

Third place finish for Land Rover BAR

19 Oct 2015

Land Rover BAR racing on the Great Sound Photo: Lloyd images

ACWS RESULT: Super Sunday at the 2015 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Bermuda saw team Land Rover BAR coming in second place concluding the season with third place overall.

The day saw a good breeze and tight racing over the short course, which culminated in three different race winners and a massive collision between Artemis and a jury boat.

Skipper and team principal, Ben Ainslie, said: “It was a tough one for the team, we had a good first race and a terrible second race. It’s been great to race in the America’s Cup venue, and today was a fantastic breeze – short racing, but pretty intense and hopefully it was a great spectacle.”

He added that gear failure and a tactical misjudgement in race two turned a possible 3, 2, 1 into a 3, 6, 2 result for the team.

Land Rover BAR finished in second place just three points behind America’s Cup holder Oracle Team USA, with Emirates Team New Zealand crowned the season winner.

Making a comeback in the final race, the team might well have closed out the season with a podium finish, but issues with the daggerboards allowed Emirates Team New Zealand to take the final win of the day.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series continues in February 2016. The first event of 2016 is still to be confirmed.

via Boating Business – Third place finish for Land Rover BAR.

Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 winning skipper Ian Walker of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team SCA’s all-female crew skipper Sam Davies have been shortlisted for the prestigious ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards (full story below).

ALICANTE, Spain, October 14 – Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 winning skipper Ian Walker of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team SCA’s all-female crew skipper Sam Davies have been shortlisted for the prestigious ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards for men and women.

A two-time Olympic medallist, Briton Walker finally got his hands on the Volvo Ocean Race trophy in the 12th edition, which finished on June 27 in Gothenburg, at the third attempt.

“Winning the Volvo Ocean Race was not only a special moment for me but also a special moment in the sporting history of Abu Dhabi,” said Walker.

“The Volvo Ocean Race is a huge mental and physical challenge and I am extremely proud to have followed in the footsteps of some of my childhood heroes like Sir Peter Blake.

“Personally it took me eight years of hard work to win this race, but you cannot achieve anything without a great team of people with you. Being nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award is an absolute privilege.”

In the female category, Sam Davies has been nominated for her campaign as skipper of Team SCA.

The first all-female crew to enter the race in over a decade, Davies and her team mates set out to inspire a new generation of women – and they certainly managed that.

Indeed, they made history with a Leg 8 win into Lorient on June 11 this year, when they became the first all-female team to win a Leg of this race in 25 years.

The awards will be presented on November 10 in another place with strong Volvo Ocean Race connections – Sanya, China – the city that the sailors visited in February this year at the end of Leg 3.

Also nominated in the male category is Team Volvo’s world champion Finn sailor, Giles Scott.

Winners are selected by various means including the ISAF member authorities and by those in attendance on the night.

via Shortlisted for the big prizes| Volvo Ocean Race.

A fighter jet on water06 Oct 2015T2 is designed to will ‘fly’ on foils the size of a wakeboard Photo: Land Rover BARTEST BOAT: The British America’s Cup challenger, Land Rover BAR, has launched its latest testing boat – T2 – at its home in Portsmouth.The new test boat will increase the momentum already developed with the initial launch of ‘T1’ last October. It’s the next stage in the relentless pursuit of technological excellence that will culminate in the design and build of the final race boat to challenge for the America’s Cup in 2017.Ben Ainslie, team principal and skipper, Land Rover BAR, said: “T2 is an extraordinary achievement; everyone on the design, engineering and shore teams have put everything they have got into this boat. Power is nothing without control, and there has been no compromise in the pursuit of both. All of the sailing team are grateful and privileged to get the opportunity to test fly this unique craft.”T2 is designed to drive forward a new era of British maritime design and technology. The boat uses the latest technology from both the aerospace and automotive industries to create the marine equivalent of a fighter jet.It will ‘fly’ on foils the size of a wakeboard, whilst lifting the weight of a fully occupied London taxi.Land Rover BAR said that T2 represents a significant step towards the team’s pursuit of power and speed, driving forward a new era of British maritime design and technology.The team will continue test sailing in the Solent throughout the winter. On the 17 and 18 October they will fly to Bermuda for the final Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event of the year.

via Boating Business – A fighter jet on water.