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Maiden returns to the UK

25 Apr 2017

Tracey Edwards MBE and the crew of Maiden

Maiden, the iconic boat that sailed into the record books in 1990, has returned to the UK 27 years after making history at the Whitbread Round the World Race with her all-female crew.

Skipper Tracy Edwards’ MBE defied critics who believed it wasn’t possible for an all-female crew to take part in the race – Maiden won two legs of the race and came second overall – the best result for a British boat since 1977.

Maiden’s restoration will take place in Southampton after which it is planned she will sail around the world again spreading the message that girls have potential and the right to an education.

The campaign – The Maiden Factor – is supported by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan whose father King Hussein I supported the original project.

“I, as a young girl, fondly remember his ‘hands-on’ involvement with the original project which made sporting history and surprisingly feel how the issues of female equality and values he championed all those years ago seem even more relevant today,” she said.

“As his daughter, I feel honored and humbled to be involved with the resurrection of the Maiden project as it embarks on its new chapter of maritime history.

“We can all use this a platform to highlight the need of equal access to education for girls in all corners of the globe, referencing something that he always believed in: ‘anything is possible’.”

Ms Edwards added: “It’s shocking to me that over 61 million girls around the world are still denied one of the most basic rights; access to education. The struggle to get Maiden to the start line represents the barriers faced by so many, whilst also proving to the world that girls can overcome them and achieve great things.

“The crew of Maiden faced many obstacles and prejudices. Very few people believed an all-female crew could complete the race.”

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via Boating Business | Maiden returns to the UK.

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Plymouth chosen as host

26 Apr 2017

The 50th anniversary of the Golden Globe Race will be commemorated with a salute to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Plymouth has been announced as the host port for the start and finish of the 2018 Golden Globe Race.

The race marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s victory in the Sunday Times Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world Race back in 1968/9 with 30 skippers due to take part.

A pre-event parade of sail will take place in Falmouth Harbour with a salute to Sir Robin. Other historic yachts joining the commemoration are due to include Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Alec Rose’s Lively Lady, a replica of Sir Chay Blyth’s original Golden Globe race yacht Dytiscus III and Joshua, which Frenchman Bernard Moitessier sailed in the original Sunday Times Race.

A charity race will follow, finishing at Queen Anne’s Battery Marina in aid of the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

“This is great news for Plymouth and the Club which is the home of Single Handed Oceanic racing,” said John Lewis, The Royal Western Yacht Club’s oceanic race director. “Plymouth continues to build on its enviable reputation to host major international sailing events.”

via Boating Business | Plymouth chosen as host.

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New blue water runner from Elvstrøm Sails

28 Apr 2017

Elvstrøm Sails new blue water runner is designed to perform the role of three sails in one

Elvstrøm Sails new blue water runner (BWR) is designed to perform the role of three sails in one. Designed as effectively two Yankee sails on a single luff cable, the runner works as a light up-wind genoa or reaching Yankee when the two-ply sails are together.

When running dead-downwind it can be peeled open into goose-winging mode, doubling the sail area to increase boat speed.

It can be trimmed and poled out like a spinnaker, or used without a pole.

The sail is the creation of Jeremy White, Elvstrøm Sails UK loft manager, in response to customers asking for a downwind sail that ‘gave the thrill of surfing downwind offshore’, and is ‘easy to control and stow quickly when wind conditions changed’.

“I wanted to create a sail that enables the chance to surf down waves, but with the knowledge that with a pull of a line from the safety of the cockpit the sail can be safely stowed,” he said. “I have so many customers asking should they buy a spinnaker, an asymmetric, plus running sails.

“With the BWR I believe now all three boxes are ticked. That means our customers can reduce their overall sail wardrobe and save money.”

The runner is hoisted furled in-front of the headstay and can then be unfurled and furled as required and also left up when not in use with no need for a snuffer.

It is constructed from Dimension CPP 3.5pz polyester storm spinnaker fabric.

The sail can be used in a range of wind angles as skipper and RYA instructor Paul Weinberg who used the sails in the ARC+ Rally explained: “We were able to use the sail in wind angles of 130 to 180 degrees.  Generally, in 5 knots of wind we managed 3-3.5 knots, around 6 knots in 5-8 knots of wind and over a steady 11 knots wind speed we were clocking 7 to 8 knots plus.

“We carried the sail up to 20 knots and on one occasion we were caught out in a squall of 30 knots gusts, so we reefed it then.”

via Boating Business | New blue water runner from Elvstrøm Sails.

Garmin supports Race to Scotland

28 Apr 2017

Ken Fowler will attempt to sail from Lands End to John O’Groats Photo: Giles Fletcher

Garmin is to sponsor Ken Fowler on his Race to Scotland in a single handed dinghy. Mr Fowler, 51, will attempt to sail from Lands End to John O’Groats starting on May 7 and plans to complete the trip in 20 to 30 days sailing solo for up to ten hours a day.

He will be raising money for Cancer Research UK and Oakhaven Hospice.

The two Garmin GPSMAP 276Cx with Bluechart g2 HD will be used by Mr Fowler and his land team to plan routes and waypoints.

Additionally, Mr Fowler will be able to record and replay his training and adventure via a Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 camera.

Using a quatix 3, he will be able to control the camera from his wrist. A built-in barometer will also monitor barometric pressure to help him detect changing weather conditions.

“Garmin has kindly supplied me with navigation equipment that is super compact (essential on a boat this size) and ultra reliable,” said Mr Fowler. “That equipment is going to keep me on course and safe as I navigate my way along the coastline of Britain.”

via Boating Business | Garmin supports Race to Scotland.

Le Cléac’h victorious in Vendee Globe

BY ADMIN • MARCH 23, 2017 • OLDER, RACING • COMMENTS OFF • 97

39 year old Breton sailing Armel le Cléac’h crossing the finish line as victor in the 2016/7 Vendee Globe race. Credit: Jean-Marie Liot / DPPI / VENDEE GLOBE.

The latest edition of this iconic solo non-stop round the world race has again proved exhilarating for competitors and spectators alike. Held only once every four years, it’s easily the world’s biggest sporting challenge, with competitors in full-on race mode day and night for the best part of three months.

This year was the first in which foils, that increase righting moment and partially lift the boat out of the water, were allowed by the IMOCA 60 class. Seven of the 29-strong fleet were equipped this year – one older boat to which foils had been retrofitted, along with the six new vessels.

The front of the fleet saw a thrilling chase between Britain’s Alex Thomson in Hugo Boss and France’s Armel Le Cléac’h and his Banque Populaire Vlll. The former held a narrow 120-mile lead in the South Atlantic Ocean when an unidentified floating object irreparably damaged his starboard foil. Incredibly, Thomson held the lead for a further week before Le Cléac’h overtook.

Le Cléac’h arriving in port where he was greeted by hundreds of thousands of supporters

Four days later the British skipper was back in front, but his lead didn’t last and at Cape Horn the Frenchman was 1,000 miles ahead. Yet Thomson closed the gap to less than 35 miles, within three hundred miles of the finish, having set a new world record of 536.8 miles in 24 hours. It was a thrilling finale to a race that again set a new record pace – le Cléac’h’s time, just short of 74 days and four hours, shaved almost four days off Francois Gabert’s winning time in 2012/13. A measure of this is that it’s little more than 20 years since a fully crewed giant multihull first completed a circumnavigation in under 80 days.

This is by no means a race in which the leaders have had the bulk of the headlines. Simply completing the course is a massive achievement – the historical attrition rate is around 50 per cent and more people have been in space than have finished the Vendee Globe. This year, with just 11 of the fleet retiring to date, has been better than most.

Rich Wilson, a 66-year-old American with severe asthma finished in 13th place, shaving 14 days off his previous time in the 2008/9 edition of the race and becoming the fastest American circumnavigator. His story is a truly inspiring one that he shared on a daily basis with 750,000 young people in 55 countries via his multi faceted educational programme.

Four boats remain at sea, including Conrad Colman, who cruelly lost his rig after 23,000 miles and is now sailing slowly towards the finish line under a jury rig he erected without outside assistance.  At the time of writing he was less than 200 miles from the finish at the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne and making a speed of six knots.

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via Le Cléac’h victorious in Vendee Globe | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Crushing blow ends world record attemptBY ADMIN • APRIL 25, 2017 • BREAKING NEWS, HOMEMOSAIC, NEWS • COMMENTS (0) • 178Australian single-handed sailor Lisa Blair’s world record attempt to be the first woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around Antarctica is over. A broken mast in savage Antarctic weather in the Southern Ocean’s notorious Roaring Forties has brought the record attempt to a cruel premature end after she had completed three-quarters of the 14,000-mile voyage over 72 days.Having set out from the southeastern Australian port of Albany on January 22 Blair successfully passed Cape Horn – roughly the halfway mark – after 50 days of sailing. Her boat, Climate Action Now is an Open 50, originally built in the early 2000s for the 5,500-mile Melbourne to Osaka double-handed race.At the time Blair said: “While I knew I was settling in for the long haul of this trip I have been quite surprised at how quickly the time has passed even though the days feel long,” Blair said after the first 60 days of her voyage. “It will be a few more short weeks and I will be setting foot once again on home soil. A part of me can’t wait to get there, but another part knows that I will end up missing this simple life at sea of eat, sleep, sail when I go back to the bustle of land.”Although there had been many items that have needed small repairs, at the 65 day mark Blair had managed to avoid any significant damage to her boat, with the exception of damaging the storm jib while lying to a series drogue in a storm just after Cape Horn and a bent pulpit leg.In the latter case, after being pummelled by a depression with winds of 45 knots that kicked up waves of 6-7 metres, an exploded block for the boom preventer caused the line to rip a leg of the pulpit out of the deck. Blair was able to rig a replacement block and secure the pulpit and tension the lifelines using lashings.At the time of writing Lisa Blair was motoring to Cape Town to assess the situation and effect repairs. LEAVE A REPLYYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Name *Email *WebsiteCommentRECENT POSTSSeasonal maintenance: Optimising ventilationDufour launches top of the range conceptCrushing blow ends world record attemptPogo 36 – High performance with Gallic styleDestination: PortimaoSavvy sailors plan for Atlantic stormsMaintenance: Prep for antifoulingDestination: Sopot, PolandLe Cléac’h victorious in Vendee GlobeBeneteau’s new concept makes sense

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