Email Print

Land Rover BAR launch academy

25 Jan 2016

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup (RBYAC) will use the same AC45F boats used for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series

ACADEMY: The British America’s Cup Challenger and Land Rover have deepened their commitment to creating a sustainable talent programme in sailing with the launch of the Land Rover BAR Academy.

This new initiative will find and support talented young British sailors, and create a pathway into the America’s Cup.

The immediate goal is to select a British team to compete in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup (RBYAC) in 2017.

Raced in the same AC45F that the senior teams use for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, every America’s Cup Challenger and the Defender must enter a team into the RBYAC. The finals will be fought out during the main competition in Bermuda 2017.

The mentoring and support team will include Land Rover BAR Sailing Team Manager and three times America’s Cup winner Jonathan ‘Jono’ Macbeth.

Mr Macbeth commented: “The Extreme Sailing Series will provide a great opportunity to trial sailors in the Academy. This will be the first step to building a team for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in 2017.

“The longer term aim is to mentor young British sailing talent and build the next generation of British America’s Cup sailors.”

The project manager will be Rob Andrews, London 2012 Olympic Sailing/Venue Manager, and a former RYA Olympic coach.

The new Academy’s coach will be Andrew Walsh, a former Extreme Sailing Series and Olympic multihull sailor and coach.

Land Rover BAR sailor and three time winner of the series, Leigh McMillan will lead the team into the first two events to help develop their skills at the helm of these high performance boats.

via Boating Business | Land Rover BAR launch academy.

Dominant Pascoe claims 2.4mR world crown

Written by RYA | 10 January 2016

Gold for 2.4mR sailor who claims first world title in Hobart

Megan Pascoe rounded off a dominant display of racing to claim her first 2.4mR World Championship title in Hobart, Australia, this weekend.

The 29-year-old secured the Open Worlds victory a day ahead of time, having amassed an unassailable lead ahead of the final scheduled day of competition on Sunday (10 January).

But even with her world title confirmed before the final two races of the ten-race series, the Ardingly sailor still impressed on Sunday, and concluded her regatta counting four race wins and eight races inside the top three.

“It’s pretty awesome!” admitted Portland-based Pascoe. “Going into Saturday’s race, I didn’t really think about the possibility that I could win a day early, but it’s fantastic that I did.”

Pascoe has been a regular podium performer at both disabled and Open World Championships for the one-person 2.4mR Paralympic class, but this is her first time on the top step and she was determined not to be outdone by brother Sam, himself a World Champion in the International 14 class.

“We now have two World Champions in the family – both in January and both in Australian venues, so it must be something about the month and the year!

“For me to actually go out and do this in this style is great,” added Pascoe, who ended the regatta with a 21-point margin over home hero Matt Bugg.

“I’ve only ever had a couple of regattas like that where everything has happened as it should and you’ve had that little bit of luck so I’m really pleased.”

Hobart’s river Derwent certainly provided a tough test for the World Championship competitors, with challenging wind conditions and big place changes throughout the racing.

“The river Derwent hasn’t been playing ball – people say it’s the hardest end to the Sydney-Hobart race, just getting up the river, and I can understand that. It’s a very, very interesting river to sail on and I don’t really know how I’ve come out of it so well!”

Aspiring Rio 2016 sailors completed the podium, with Matt Bugg taking silver and New Zealand’s Paul Francis bronze.

Although Pascoe’s own hopes of a Paralympic Games berth didn’t come to fruition for Rio, with defending 2.4mR Paralympic Champion Helena Lucas having earned the nod for Great Britain last year, she is resolute that she will get her chance.

“I will be competing at the Paralympics; it just might not be this one!” she said confidently.

Results from 2016 2.4mR World Championships.

For news and British Sailing Team updates visit us at www.britishsailingteam.com on Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing

via Dominant Pascoe claims 2.4mR world crown | Home | News | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

Understanding a race start

by British Sailing Team sailor Anna Burnet

Successful execution of the start is often the most influential factor in a sailing race. This is particularly true for dinghy and inshore racing because a shorter race emphasises the need to start well and gain an early advantage on competitors.

There are a number of factors to take into account when considering how to approach a start. Implementing a pre-start plan is a great way of ensuring you have all the knowledge you need to start well and with the best chances for a successful first beat.

Within a pre-start plan, be sure to incorporate checks of rig set-up, wind patterns, line bias and transits.

Knowing where to focus attention within the starting sequence can be a difficult task and establishing a regular routine, such as below, will certainly help to enhance your confidence in the start.

5minute, warning signal: Start your stopwatch (preferably 2 stopwatches) and double check the committee boat for the course number and bearing to the windward mark. Take a head to wind bearing to compare the two numbers. This will highlight if the windward mark has been offset to one side of the beat, a factor that could be very important to your first decision.

4minute, preparatory signal: Most importantly, note which flag is being used – P, I, U, Z or Black – check your Racing Rules as to which ones to watch out for! The different preparatory flags will have an implication on your approach to the start line. For example, if the ‘black’ flag is used, you cannot cross the line in the last minute of the start and therefore you may need to line up further away and with enough space to safely manoeuvre behind the line. Continue to check the wind bearing until as late as possible, to ensure that you are confidently in phase with the shift pattern. At this stage you should be aware of the first decision you are going to be making and how this will tie in with the first beat strategy.

1minute, preparatory flag down: Depending on the flag being used, at this stage in the start you need to be in your desired starting position and lined up with enough room to accelerate onto the line. Ensure there is a constant stream of communication to the helm regarding time and distance to the line. If you have timed your run up as part of a pre-start routine, this can be used to call when to trigger the acceleration. Be prepared to react quickly if surrounding boats do decide to accelerate earlier than you anticipated.

Start, class flag down: Maximum speed across the line, with an immediate focus on the sail set-up. This is much easier if you are pulling the sails in to the same markers as decided in the pre-start rig check. As the first decision has already been pre-empted, heads can generally remain in the boat and focussed on maintaining speed. Sailors who haven’t prepared for their first decision are likely to either miss an opportunity or lose speed as their focus wanders to what’s going on around them.

Even with the best preparation for a start, there is no guarantee that it will all go to plan. In the event of a setback, the key is to stay calm and revert to the information you have gained. Once out of danger, the next decision you make should revert to the priorities you had for the first beat and all will not be lost!

via Understanding a race start | The British Sailing Team | RYA.

BACKPRESS RELEASE 13 JAN 2016, 11:01 UTCSHARE 50,488 happy customers for museum DownloadCarmen Hidalgo/Volvo Ocean Race DownloadAinhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race DownloadJavier Escandell/Volvo Ocean Race AlicanteThe Volvo Ocean Race’s museum has established itself as one of the most popular attractions in the busy tourist city of Alicante, southern Spain, with 50,488 visitors during 2015 (full story below).- Volvo Ocean Race attraction proves big hit with foreign tourists- Schoolchildren take advantage of free educational programme – Visitors can take onboard tour of former race boatsALICANTE, Spain, January 13 – The Volvo Ocean Race’s museum has established itself as one of the most popular attractions in the busy tourist city of Alicante, southern Spain, with 50,488 visitors during 2015.Some 44% of the visitors came from overseas to see the world’s leading offshore sailing event’s museum, 8% more than the previous year.That compares against the average of 13% foreigners who entered museums in the Valencia region, according to the latest official figures of the national Ministry of Culture. Of the overseas visitors, the highest proportion were British (21%), followed by French (9%), Swedish (8%), Dutch (8%) and German (7%).“This year the results of the museum have been exceptional,” said outgoing Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad. “We are very satisfied at having consolidated ourselves as a model for leisure, tourism and culture in the city.”Alicante residents represented 68% of the Spanish visitors, with people from Madrid accounting for 11%. The museum, which offers a free educational programme, welcomed 4,842 schoolchildren in 2015.“If we discount the effect of the hosting of 2014-15 Alicante Race Village in October 2014, when the museum received more than 12,000 visitors in 10 days, we have grown 6%,” added Frostad.“To pass the barrier of 50,000 visitors this year has been incredible. It is our maximum capacity in normal conditions.”Inaugurated in June 2012, the Volvo Ocean Race museum is a modern exhibition dedicated to the 42 years of history of the round-the-world race for crewed boats, whose fleet for the 13th edition will leave Alicante in October/November 2017 (date to be confirmed). The museum adjoins the race HQ in the city’s marina.“Whether you are interested in offshore sailing or not, you will think that this really is a museum which is worth visiting. There’s a lot of interesting information, well exhibited and very interactive,” commented a Briton, Victor, in a review on the tourist information website, TripAdvisor, that awarded the museum its Certificate of Excellence in 2014 and 2015.The free-to-enter museum, belonging to the network of museums in the Valencia region, is equipped with advanced multi-media technology and interactive attractions giving visitors a taste of life onboard the one-design boats that contest the nine-month race, the longest in world sport.The museum also boasts two Volvo Open 70 boats, Brasil 1 and The Black Pearl, which both took part in the 2005-06 edition, and are displayed outside the building ready for onboard tours at the weekends.

via 50,488 happy customers for museum | Volvo Ocean Race.