December 2006 SailingNews

December 31, Sydney Hobart. With winds of no more than 20 knots forecast just prior to the start, this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart was lining up to be a relatively benign event. But despite a moderate forecast, the world's toughest 'classic 600 mile' offshore race did not fail to live up to its reputation, with competitors not only having to survive, but race through one of Mother Nature's most treacherous obstacle courses, an event which eight years ago claimed the lives of six sailors.

Wild Oates. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Seventy-eight yachts took the start line of the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart, a smaller field than previous years, but by no means lacking in quality. While in 2005 the focus for line honours was the fight between two brand-new 98ft sisterships Wild Oats XI and Alfa Romeo, this year there were potentially five boats gunning for line honours - Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI back to defend her title, this time against two other 30m supermaxis Charles Brown and Bill Buckley's Maximus from New Zealand and Grant Wharington's heavily modified 2003 winner Skandia. Added to the mix were the Volvo Open 70s, Volvo Ocean Race winner ABN AMRO One and Matt Allen's Ichi Ban (formerly Grant Wharington's Brunel), 28ft shorter, but no less potent given hard enough conditions.

Quantum Racing, rounding Tasman Island. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Outside of the maxis, some of the hottest competition was to be found in the 50-60ft range where several skippers were lining up for an equally heavyweight bout with their latest hardware. This included Geoff Ross' brand new 55 footer Yendys, Stephen Ainsworth's all conquering Loki, the canting keel Cookson 50s Quantum Sails and Living Doll and Graeme Wood's newly acquired Nelson Marek 52, Wot Yot.

In addition to this were the stalwart Rolex Sydney Hobart entries, some celebrating more than 40 participations in the race. Then there were several first timers including boats having made their way around the world to reach the start. These included Adventure, a British services owned and run 67ft steel boat skippered by Major Charles Roberts of the Royal Signals, Michele Colenso's Oyster 55 Capriccio of Rhu, midway through a round the world cruise and raising awareness and money for breast cancer and yachts such as Chris Bull's Jazz and Italian Danilo Salsi's DSK Comifin (as well as ABN AMRO) that were shipped in from Europe especially for the race.

Conditions could not have been more perfect for the departure with the sun out and a southeasterly wind allowing the boats to reach out of Sydney Harbour, watched by an estimated 500,000 spectators from land or on board the vast array of vessels lining the race course. As expected, it was the Mark Richards-skippered race favourite Wild Oats XI that was fastest out of the blocks, scoring the psychological advantage of leading the fleet out through Sydney Heads into the open sea.

Prior to the start, conditions the first night had been forecast to be the briskest of the race but with winds unlikely to be more than 20 knots. However this was a southerly wind that had been blowing for at least two days and as the boats sailed further offshore this wind would clash with the south flowing current, creating a dangerous wind against current situation with steep, sharp waves. Thus competitors were faced with the hard decision: they could head offshore where they would find stronger winds and a more powerful, favourable current that would speed them south faster, but in taking this option they would risk their boats in these dangerous, potentially boat-breaking waves. Alternatively, they could tack back inshore where there was less wind, less and possibly even unfavourable current, but flatter water.

For most, this decision came down to the type of boat they were sailing. Having survived the rigours of the Volvo Ocean Race, Mike Sanderson's ABN AMRO One headed offshore, while Wild Oats XI and the majority of the fleet tacked back into more protected waters inshore.

ABN AMRO One. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Just as conditions were abating a little in the early hours of the morning, news filtered through from the race course of two dismastings. Despite making it around the world virtually unscathed, the Rolex Sydney Hobart proved too much for ABN AMRO One. While storming along offshore in 30-35 knots of wind, she had briefly pulled into the lead ahead of Wild Oats when her mast had snapped.

"It was all familiar territory," commented skipper Mike Sanderson of the conditions - they had encountered considerably worse on the upwind leg to New York on the Volvo Ocean Race. "There were two big bangs and it all came tumbling down. Something broke which had just died. Maybe we were lucky it didn't go in the Volvo Ocean Race. All we have left is up to the first spreader."

At around the same time - 0300 local time on 27 December - the mast also fell on board the New Zealand line honours contender Maximus. Her dismasting was the more alarming as her forestay had parted company at the masthead, causing the towering spar to fall backwards into the cockpit. This would have crushed several of her crew had the mast's fall not been broken by landing on the winches and the boat's twin steering wheels.

"I think we were incredibly lucky no one was killed," said crewman Ian Trelaven, who had suffered a severe head injury which briefly knocked him unconscious. "I was down to leeward getting ready for the leeward traveller and heard the crunching. I hit the deck and the boom must have got me in the back of the head and just pushed me into the deck. It landed on a winch and it stopped doing any serious damage to me."

Maximus - dismasted December 27. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

In addition to Treleaven, four other of Maximus' crew Glen Attrill, George Hendy, David Mundy and Martin Hannon were injured, suffering a mixture of injury to their lower back, head, ribs and pelvis. They were taken off the boat either by police launch, or in the most urgent cases by helicopter. Most seriously hurt was New Zealander David Mundy who broke his leg and some ribs and was airlifted off in a stretcher. All but one were released from the hospital within 24 hours.

A day into the Rolex Sydney Hobart the severe conditions of the first night had claimed nine boats that had retired with a variety of technical problems, mostly to do with their steering, rudder or rig. The most serious of these was Mike Freebairn's classic 1968 overall winner, Ray White Koomooloo. While sailing in a 22 knot southwesterly on the morning of the 27th, the 41 footer fell badly off a backless wave. Soon after, she started to flood rapidly. "We did everything we could to save the boat," said Freebairn. "We started ripping up the floorboards trying to find where the water was coming in. We couldn't locate the problem. We started bailing for a while, then I decided for the safety of the crew that we'd better abandon,"

Freebairn and the crew of their stricken yacht transferred via liferaft to the British services yacht Adventure, which had diverted to go to their assistance (for which they were later awarded five hours redress). From Adventure they were subsequently taken aboard a police launch. This same police launch then went to 1988 overall Rolex Sydney Hobart race winner, Illusion, to transfer off skipper Graham Jackson who had suffered a fractured wrist, broken hand and a cracked sternum after he was thrown across the deck of his yacht.

"I was steering the boat when it launched off a huge wave," Jackson later explained. "The boat became airborne. When it crashed back down I was catapulted onto the deck hardware. We have a titanium tiller extension that snapped like a twig. I'm surprised the boat didn't break."

Twenty-four hours into the race, competitors were still sailing in lumpy seas, still upwind, albeit getting gradually lighter, with conditions not only taking their toll on boats, but on crew, with numerous incidents of seasickness and minor injuries. The second afternoon, the three remaining line honours contenders were crossing Bass Strait. Wild Oats XI had extended her lead to 40 miles, only to see it evaporate when they were becalmed for four hours off Flinders Island, northeast of Tasmania. Fortunately navigator Adrienne Cahalan had anticipated this and made sure they positioned the silver supermaxi directly in front of the chasing boats.

In second place on the water, Skandia had closed to within five miles of Wild Oats XI when she broke her daggerboard. This lifting board, located in front of her canting keel, prevented her from making leeway. Without it, her performance upwind would be seriously impaired. Wild Oats XI sped away once she picked up the new breeze and Skandia had to fend off advances from Matt Allen's Ichi Ban until the wind piped up the following morning by which time they were approaching Tasman Island on the southeast side of Tasmania.

With no board to prevent them sliding sideways upwind, the Skandia crew was forced to keep the canting keel more vertical and with this reduced stability were unable to power the boat up as much as they normally would. "Ichi Ban went from being 12 miles behind us to just sailing past us like we were going backwards," said skipper Grant Wharington later. "We had a #4 jib, like a storm jib, and a reef in the main and they had a full mainsail and a full-size jib. They just went past us like we were sailing a 40 footer."

Wild Oates off Tasman Island, December 26. Photo: Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

At 21:52 on 28 December, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI crossed the finish line off downtown Hobart after 2 days, 8 hours, 52 minutes, and 33 seconds at sea, more than 14 hours slower than their record time in the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart, but a highly respectable performance given the conditions. They had taken line honours in two consecutive Rolex Sydney Hobarts, the first time this had happened in 42 years.

Owner Bob Oatley, 78, did not sail on board for this race, but was on the water to greet his yacht on her arrival. "I feel like a young man again," he enthused. "It was a great opportunity last year and the boys made the most of it. This year it was very different conditions. The other boats had a lot of trouble keeping up and they failed, I think, because they tried to hang on. I told them to play it safe and the boat would do the rest. You couldn't ask for more than this. We believed in the boat and the boat did the job."

Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards said they had suffered no gear failure save for a broken headsail on the first night. According to navigator Adrienne Cahalan there were two key tactical moments in their race - when they had decided to take the risk and head inshore on the first night, leaving ABN AMRO One to survive in the rough conditions offshore and then when they had covered Skandia and Ichi Ban prior to being becalmed in Bass Strait.

Second into Hobart was Ichi Ban who had managed to fend off the larger Skandia as the two boats turned off the wind and blazed off across Storm Bay and up the Derwent River. Unfortunately, the remaining race track wasn't enough for the larger Skandia to regain second place and Wharington's maxi finished just 16 minutes after his old Volvo Ocean Race boat.

Among the 50-60 footers Geoff Ross' new Yendys, sailed by a strong roster of crew from the BMW Oracle Racing America's Cup campaign, came out on top. With better boat speed and flawless tactics they had pulled ahead on the water but their chances of winning on handicap went up in smoke when the wind had dropped and shifted in direction on the approach to Tasman Island. The other highly tipped boat prior to the start, Stephen Ainsforth's Loki had suffered from the outset when they had to repair a broken hydraulic ram in their foredeck on the first night. This process had caused tonnes of water to flood below and for them to lose places, a position from which they were unable to recover.

As more and more boats arrived in Hobart, so opinions about the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart race became galvanised. No one could remember a Hobart race where the wind had failed to exceed 30 knots (only ABN AMRO One reported more on the first night). Nor could they remember one when from the start to Tasman Island they constantly had to sail upwind. Lou Abrahams, skipper of the Sydney 38 Challenge and sailing his 44th race to Hobart on this occasion (and equaling the record number of participations in the process) said: "I think it was not a hard race. I can remember races where it has been upwind and in rougher seas. This one was generally moderate upwind."

Due to the heavily upwind-biased conditions several of the top handicap positions were taken by the better sailed classic yachts from the 1970s. Built to the IOR rating rule of the day, these boats are heavy and with a fine bow and stern and are superb, even comfortable upwind compared to the modern breed of lightweight speedsters. And so it was that a piece of Rolex Sydney Hobart history - Love & War, Peter Kurts' 1974 and 1978 race winner was able to make her hat trick. Kurts died in January 2005, and his Sparkman & Stephens-designed 47 footer was being sailed this year by his former navigator Lindsay May and a team made up of crew from the Sydney-based maxi Brindabella, including owner George Snow.

"I always said to Peter and to Simon (Peter Kurts' son) that this boat could win the Hobart race again," said May. "She just had to be on the start line on the right day when the conditions were right and she'll win the race and that's exactly what happened. Upwind under this handicap, this boat will sail above its handicap almost consistently."

While the lightweight boats headed inshore, Love & War headed offshore with similar tactics to ABN AMRO, but unlike the VO70 survived the conditions, shooting south on an abnormally fast current that at times topped 4.5 knots. May and the Love & War crew, said their result was a fitting tribute to Kurts, who during his life was a pillar of the Australian yacht racing community. "We tried to sail the boat in the spirit that Kurtsie would have sailed it and that was to sail it hard, and to keep asking the questions all the time, and to drink plenty of tea," said May.

Handicap division winners: 
Division 0: Ichi Ban, Matt Allen 
Division 1: Yendys, Geoff Ross 
Division 2: DSK Comifin, Danilo Salsi 
Division 3: Challenge, Lou Abrahams 
Division 4: Love & War, Lindsay May 
PHS 1: Ocean Skins, Tony Fowler 
PHS 2: Another Fiasco, Damian Suckling 
Sydney 38: Challenge, Lou Abrahams 
Cruising: Capriccio of Rhu Michele Colenso 

Line Honours winner: 
Wild Oats XI, Mark Richards

For more information about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2006 including updated position reports (every 10 minutes) please visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Love & War. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

December 30, Sydney Hobart. Prolonged upwind conditions experienced in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart have resulted in one of the races most classic entries taking handicap honours. This afternoon at a dockside ceremony at Hobart's Constitution Dock, Geoff Lavis, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, organiser of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race presented the coveted Tattersalls Cup to this year's winner, Lindsay May and his nine strong crew on the yacht Love & War.

One of the most beautiful boats in the race, Love & War is a Sparkman & Stephens 47- footer, built in 1973 for owner Peter Kurts. In a long, impressive career the boat was overall winner of the Sydney Hobart race in 1974 and 1978 and represented Australia in the Admiral's Cup in 1975. In her prime, she won most of the principle offshore races along Australia's east coast.

Love & War is typical of her era, with 'tumblehome' (where the beam of the boat is wider below the deck rather than at the deck level), a pointed bow and stern and she still is very 'original' with swaths of varnished teak down below, giant stainless steel winches, Tufnol blocks, an alloy rig - all massive bulletproof gear, typical of her vintage. The only acknowledgement of the 21st century is in her instruments. "In 2004 we added B&G instruments and Peter couldn't get over that the instruments cost as much as the hull cost when the boat was built," said May with a smile of nostalgia. Aged 80, Peter Kurts died in January 2005, the same day as Love & War sailed back into Sydney from the end of the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Aside from canny tactics, one of the reasons for Love & War's success is her typical 1970s hull shape and her heavy displacement - both features are very good for sailing upwind, which represented 90% of conditions in this year's race. "Upwind under this handicap this boat will sail above its handicap consistently. Downwind - no, it is not happy," admits May.

Snow compared her to the modern race boats surrounding her on the dock in Hobart: "It is a heavier boat and not as heavily canvassed, and so not as dynamic. But it is beautiful boat, it goes up and down the waves, it doesn't bang and slam, it is a very easy boat to sail."

While the modern lightweight boats headed inshore, Love & War made a beeline for the lumpy conditions offshore, where the south-going current was fighting the wind from the south creating a sharp, highly uncomfortable sea state.

"We just went out to sea," said May. "Then we hooked into this incredible current, 4.5 knots." Typically the current here is 2 or 2.5 knots. They stayed offshore across the mouth of Bass Strait, where they also made good use of the current, playing favourable eddies to the full. Being east also put them into a good position to be able to head for Tasman Island without having to tack as much as the boats inshore. "Then we had favourable current all the way down the Tasmanian coast - 2.5 knots, which I have never ever seen," said May.

Love & War finished at 09:17 this morning, taking 3 days, 20 hours, 17 minutes, and 24 seconds to complete the 628 mile passage, one of a torrent of boats that have been arriving in Hobart throughout today.

Shortly after midnight, Danilo Salsi's DSK Comifin was 12th boat home, the immaculately turned out Italian Swan 45 taking the handicap win in Division C. "It was a nice race. A lot of upwind - too much," said tactician and former America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race crewman, Pietro d'Ali. "The Swan 45 is a very good boat upwind and in the chop it is no problem. It was good conditions for the boat, but not for the body."

Like Love & War, DSK Comifin being a strong boat, had headed out into the current on the first night and done extremely well, maintaining an easterly position down the race track. However their luck ran out on the approach to Tasman Island when the wind dropped and the wind shifted causing to them to be pushed into the shore 60 miles up the coast.

"We are very happy," continued d'Ali. "The boat was very well prepared but we didn't think we would have so much upwind. But it is not a surfing boat, so downwind is a little bit tricky, so we were lucky to find good conditions for the boat."

British skipper Chris Bull and the crew of his J/145 Jazz had a less than satisfactory Rolex Sydney Hobart. As Bull explained: "The first night was extremely tough, boat breaking conditions as we saw with other competitors and we did back off. We actually tacked back inshore to get out of the worst of the sea and that is not a move we would have made in terms of getting to Hobart as quickly as we could. We made it to protect the integrity of the boat and the safety of the crew. So that put us on the back foot at the start of the race and we were playing catch up after that."

Offshore, the faster lighter weight, American-built yacht had been launching off waves, then landing with an enormous impact. "We knew the sea would be gnarly out there but we didn't realise quite how bad it would be. In fact it proved to be a bit more than we thought we could safely ask the boat to take," said Bull. "We had several people seasick which made it difficult to sail the boat efficiently and we just judged that if we carried on launching off waves like that for several more hours we couldn't be sure the boat would cope with it."

Bull was hoping for more reaching conditions that have suited Jazz so well in offshore races in the past. "We had some spinnaker work at the end which is where we managed to pull back some time. If we'd had the spinnaker up half way through I would have fancied us still to get some good honours, but as it was it was a bit too late." Despite this, navigator Mike Broughton took them on an easterly route and they faired well from this tactic, arriving 16th into Hobart and finishing third under handicap in Division C.

Crewman and triple Olympic medallist Rodney Pattisson, one of Jazz's helmsmen, was pleased to have evened his score of Rolex Sydney Hobarts, having now finished three out of six. "This was an easy one, except most of it was on the wind. We only had one hard bashing one night and normally you get a lot worse seas."

At 19.00 there were still 13 yachts left to reach Hobart, however none of these can now finish in a time fast enough to beat Love & War.

Listen to recorded audio interviews from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: www.regattanews.com

For more information about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2006 including updated position reports (every 10 minutes) please visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Wild Oates rounding Tasman Island. Photo: Carlo Bolenghi/Rolex

December 29, Sydney Hobart Race. The battle of the 50 footers in the Rolex Sydney Hobart reached its conclusion in Hobart today with a resounding on the water as well as handicap win for Geoff Ross' brand-new 55 footer Yendys, crossing the line at 12:45pm local time.

Like line honour winner Wild Oats XI and her arch-rival Loki, Yendys is a Reichel/Pugh design and the first grand-prix boat to have been built in China. "I am incredibly happy with the boat. It is magnificent, the best boat I've ever sailed on," enthused Ross of his new steed. "It is almost a boat you would build if there was no handicap, so that's the test. It is really simple, but it goes."

Over the fateful first night of this Rolex Sydney Hobart, Yendys had stayed inshore and hadn't seen wind stronger than 27 knots. Ross was amazed that these conditions had taken such a toll on others in the fleet. "We didn't have any really bad conditions. It was just very lumpy in the current. It was rough, but seriously if you complain about that you should come by plane. I personally don't like it, but I can hardly say it was unexpected," he said.

What was novel for Ross was that they never experienced winds greater than 30 knots. "It was rough and bumpy, but if you don't see 30 knots coming to Hobart - that is pretty extraordinary in my experience. I've never had that before."

Over the course of the race, Yendys used better boat speed and good tactics to slowly ease ahead of her rivals and up until the approach to Tasman Island was looking in good shape on handicap. However as he was approaching the corner, the wind dropped to single digits and they were unable to lay Cape Pillar, the southeastern tip of Tasman Island. "We ended up coming in somewhere around Maria (island - to the north of Tasman Island) and it took us a long time to get around that. We thought we would get around Tasman Island at 4am and we got around at 7.30am - that was the difference."

At present Yendys is lying seventh overall under IRC handicap and is leading Division B. The fifth boat into Hobart, 2 hours and 49 minutes after Yendys, was Graeme Wood's Nelson Marek-designed TP 52 Wot Yot, with designer Bruce Nelson sailing in the crew. Wood's company wotif.com is fielding two yachts in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, with Wood skippering his TP 52, newly acquired from the US. Wood said he'd been surprised by how well the TP 52, a boat designed to sail downwind from Los Angeles to Hawaii, went upwind. "We were sailing alongside Loki a lot of the time and holding her all the time upwind. We were pretty chuffed because Loki is a 60 footer and a heavier boat should go well in those conditions."

While they did well calling tactics, during the race they concentrated mostly on the basics: boat speed, keeping the boat level, trimming, etc. They would have done better had they predicted the southeasterly this morning. "The southwester never came and we were a bit to the east of the rhumb line down there which didn't hurt us too much, but then coming across Tasman Island this morning we hit some headwinds which probably did us a fair bit of damage overall," said Wood.

Wot Yot is currently ninth overall under IRC and second in Division B. Highly rated prior to the start as the boat to challenge Yendys, Loki had a less than ideal Rolex Sydney Hobart. Fast out of the blocks, they managed to blow up the hydraulic pump mounted in the foredeck and used to alter the up-down control for the genoa fairlead. To repair the hydraulic ram pipe they had to access it from below and in the process this caused a deluge of water to get in through the foredeck whenever they buried the bow - in the conditions experienced, this was often.

"We had a bow full of water," recounted despondent owner Stephen Ainsworth. "We had the electric bilge pump running to stem the flow. So we had probably a tonne of water up there for several hours while we fixed the problem and ran a new lead. And people just sailed past us and that happened right after the start, so we were always playing catch up. It was just one of those races for us."

Ainsworth echoed the sentiments of all the other skippers in being surprised just how upwind this Rolex Sydney Hobart has been. "This is my 10th Hobart race and I have never done a race which has been upwind the whole way. It wasn't rough and it wasn't cold, so it was quite pleasant. We ate lots of food, but it was a bit boring. We finally got a chute up coming round the corner into Storm Bay and even that wasn't that exciting in 8 knots!"

After struggling to remove a piece of kelp from his rudder while crossing Storm Bay, Ainsworth's race was made only slightly more bearable by just beating Ray Roberts' Quantum Racing to the finish line by one and half minutes. But then this was a 50 footer.

Like Ainsworth, Ray Roberts' Rolex Sydney Hobart would have benefited greatly from less upwind conditions, Quantum Racing being a Cookson 50 with a canting keel like Wild Oats and the Volvo Open 70s. "It worked really well, but from a rating point of view, it being an all upwind race, it was probably a disadvantage," said Roberts of his yacht's movable appendage. "With a canting keel boat you can't out-sail your rating penalty in an all-upwind race. This boat is primarily an off the wind boat and if we'd had more of that I think it would have been a different result. In 25 years of doing the Hobart race it was really unusual to be on the wind 90% of the way. That made it hard for us, but that is what this race is: You have to have the right boat, the right strategy, the right crew and there's that luck element."

They suffered no problems with their boat and aside from less upwind work, Roberts reckons that in the given conditions they had suffered being later to the southeasterly shift in the latter stages of the race than bigger boats like Matt Allen's Ichi Ban, the current IRC leader among the boats that have finished. While Ichi Ban were able to lay the corner at Tasman Island in one tack, in contrast Quantum Racing had to tack perhaps 100 times. "But that is the ball game and the luck element of the Hobart race. Those guys sailed very well, but they had their good break as well, so good luck to them."

Tactician on board, American Dee Smith, said that both the current and the wind had failed to behave as forecast, but this came as no great surprise. "We missed a couple of things, but I think we sailed the boat well and safe and I think it is pretty good to be in here when we did."

The next boat expected into Hobart is the Volvo Ocean 60 DHL, skippered by Olympic Tornado veteran Mitch Booth. At present Lindsay May's Love & War is leading overall under IRC handicap from John Williams' Bacardi. Both boats must finish by mid-morning tomorrow if they are to win the coveted Tattersalls Cup.

Listen to recorded audio interviews from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: www.regattanews.com

For more information about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2006 including updated position reports (every 10 minutes) please visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Wild Oates rounding Tasman Island. Photo: Carlo Bolenghi/Rolex

December 28, Sydney-Hobart. To the relief of her 23 exhausted crew and owner Bob Oatley, this evening Wild Oats XI gybed her way under spinnaker in the dark up Hobart's Derwent River to secure her second consecutive line honours win in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, the first back-to-back win in the race since Peter Warner's Fife-designed Astor, in 1963-4. The sleek silver-hulled 30m super maxi gingerly motored into Hobart's Constitution Dock to the rapturous cheers of the large and welcoming crowds.

Having passed the Derwent River's Iron Pot light at dusk, Wild Oats XI crossed the finish line at Castray Esplanade in Hobart at 21:52:33 making her elapsed time for the 628 mile course 2 days 8 hours 52 minutes and 33 seconds, more than 14 hours slower than their record time in last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart when they scored the coveted race triple of line honours, Tattersall's Cup handicap win, and record time.

The slower time was hardly surprising given the severe upwind conditions experienced in this year's race that has caused nine retirements from the 78 initial starters, including two dismastings and one sinking.

Upon his arrival, Wild Oats skipper Mark 'Ricco' Richards praised his crew that included round the world navigator Adrienne Cahalan and former America's Cup skipper Iain Murray: "The last couple of days these guys have been through some really tough conditions. I'm proud to have been involved in such tough race with such a great group of people and I'd like to thank all guys for being with me on such a great race."

After a speedy run out of Sydney Harbour when their boat speed had touched 23 knots, for Wild Oats XI the most critical decision was made on the gruelling first night at sea when they chose to leave ABN AMRO One to her offshore strategy, sailing in more wind and more current, but also in considerably worse sea. While the Volvo Ocean Race winner was being battered by 30-35 knot winds, instead they headed towards the calmer waters inshore where it was blowing 25 knots.

Richards explained: "We backed off a lot. I was under strict instructions from Bob [Oatley] to back off when we had to. He only told me about 500 times! There was a lot of set offshore and you can get a big gain by being there normally, but with a lot of wind and the sea state being that rough, we just didn't want to be out there. So we opted to go inshore and stay out of the current which meant staying out of the big waves and just to look after the boat for the night."

At the time this tactic was causing a lot of discussion on board, for offshore Mike Sanderson's Volvo Ocean Race winner, ABN AMRO One, looked to have made the right tactical move, briefly taking the lead. But then ABN's mast broke. As navigator Adrienne Cahalan puts it: "It was only ABN who stayed out there and we let them go. Everyone else was inshore. They had 30 knots out there and big seas and you just know that surviving that type of seas without backs is pretty tough."

The only damage Wild Oats suffered was on that first night when they blew out their heavy #1 head sail. "We had two guys working 12 hours non-stop all night to repair that sail and we sailed with that sail pretty much all afternoon today," said Richards.

The conditions also took its toll on the crew. "It was pretty tough," continued Richards. "These boats are powerful and we had some big seas. Two guys got washed against stanchions pretty badly, which you have to be careful of - it's just sailing unfortunately."

Cahalan admitted that the seaway, as they crossed Bass Strait, had not be pleasant: "I had to come on deck to get some fresh air once or twice. People get very tired because you are sitting on the rail all the time and it was very, very cold and that always takes it out of you."

After ABN AMRO's dismasting, Wild Oats led the fleet for the remainder of the race, although it was far from plain sailing. A game of snakes and ladders developed between the remaining line honours contenders. Wild Oats had extended her lead to 40 miles only to spend four hours becalmed to the north of Flinders Island. Fortunately Cahalan had seen this coming and they had been able to cover Skandia and Ichi Ban before they were becalmed.

This allowed Grant Wharington's Skandia to close to within five miles of her again. "We were so close, within 5-6 miles of each other, that a bad sail change could make the difference - we had to make sure we were in the same patch of water as them," said Cahalan.

However attrition once again took its toll on their closest competitor. "We could see Skandia all day yesterday, they were quite a few miles behind us," said Richards. "In the morning they were fairly close but then they clearly had an issue and they just slowly slipped behind us, so we were pretty comfortable."

Over the course of Thursday, Wild Oats slowly extended. Freeing up from the wind as she rounded Tasman Island, the south southeasterly breeze held, allowing her to make a fast passage across Storm Bay. Only as she passed the Iron Pot light and entered the Derwent River leading up to Hobart was she able to hoist a spinnaker for the first time during this race.

On his boat's arrival in Hobart, Wild Oats XI's owner Bob Oatley was ecstatic. "I feel like a young man again. It was a great opportunity last year and the boys made the most of it. This year it was very different conditions. The other boats had a lot of trouble keeping up and they failed, I think, because they tried to hang on. I told them to play it safe and the boat would do the rest. You couldn't ask for more than this. We believed in the boat and the boat did the job."

Wild Oats is off tomorrow for the return trip to Sydney to make the start of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race. She will then be loaded back on to a ship and will return to Europe to compete in races in the Mediterranean next season.

While during her last day at sea Wild Oats was not being seriously threatened, this was far from the case in the fight for second place between Skandia and Matt Allen's 70 footer, Ichi Ban. Following the breakage of Skandia's forward daggerboard on Wednesday afternoon, a day later approaching Tasman Island on the wind and in a building breeze, Ichi Ban was finally able to overhaul her larger rival.

As Grant Wharington put it: "They went from being 12 miles behind us to just sailing past us like we were going backwards, like we were sailing a 40 footer. We had a #4 jib, like a storm jib, and a reef in the main and they had full mainsail and a full-sized jib and they just went past us like we were sailing in a beach ball."

In the end, Ichi Ban managed to hold on to second place finishing at 01:42 local time, almost four hours after Wild Oats. She was followed just 16 minutes later by Skandia, who had been closing continuously since they had freed up rounding Tasman Island. "They had seven miles on us at Tasman Island and we finished less than two miles behind them. Once we were going downwind again and didn't need the daggerboard, we were fine," said Wharington.

Ichi Ban skipper Matt Allen said when he left Sydney on Boxing Day he hadn't imagined they might be second home into Hobart. "Getting Skandia late this afternoon was good - they were a bit handicapped without their forward rudder. Everyone was really focussed and we kept on changing sails and just kept working at it. The boys did a great job. And it is great to be so close also to Wild Oats. We're ecstatic. It's all eyes now on the weather to see how the whole handicap situation plays out."

Like Wild Oats, Ichi Ban had been more conservative tactically on the first night staying inshore. Allen said that at the time they had had their own issues to deal with such as a broken checkstay and breaking their two headsail halyards, which they replaced. In any event Allen was pleased with their tactics. "The coast of New South Wales, when you get that big current heading south against the southerly breeze, is the most diabolical place in the world."

While Wharington said he considered throwing in the towel when Skandia's board broke, he was pleased he didn't as getting to Hobart, even in third place, is a result. "It is just one of those things. Unfortunately there are a hundred things on a boat that can break. I suppose it is not the end of the world, but when you can't be competitive the average guys might pull the pin and go home. That is the great thing about this race - you have to finish." Aside from the broken board, Skandia arrived in good shape and he is pleased with the extensive modifications he has made to the boat's keel and her new stern.

Wharington is also impressed with their time. "I suppose we finished here not much outside the old record and we've been upwind the whole way and we put a spinnaker on for the first time about four miles from the finish line."

The next finisher is expected to be Geoff Ross' new Yendys late morning today. Sixty-six boats remain racing.

Listen to recorded audio interviews from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: www.regattanews.com

For more information about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2006 including updated position reports (every 10 minutes) please visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Maximus - dismasted December 27. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

December 27, Sydney Hobart. At 1300 local time this morning Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI had 100 miles to go to reach the finish line off Hobart's Constitution Dock where local experts are predicting she will arrive after midnight tonight. The latest update shows her to have a 13.8 mile lead over her other 30m rival, Grant Wharington's 2003 line honours winner, Skandia and 25.6 miles on Matt Allen's Volvo Open 70, Ichi Ban. The boats are half way down the east coast of Tasmania with Skandia inshore and Ichi Ban offshore.

Before reaching the finish line, Wild Oats XI has still to round Tasman Island at the southeast corner of Tasmania where she will pass first Cape Pillar and then Cape Raoul, known for its famous vertical columns of rock known locally as the 'organ pipes'. From there the race leader must turn northwest and negotiate Storm Bay. Here in previous races, boats have been becalmed enabling those astern simply to sail around them although this is unlikely to occur this time with a southerly breeze forecast. Through Storm Bay the boats head for the mouth of the Derwent River leading up to Hobart where there is even greater chance of gusts, sudden wind shifts and calms.

"It is going to be pretty tough to catch them from here, but obviously we're hoping the wind will shut down in the river tonight and it will give us another chance," said Skandia skipper Grant Wharington this morning, his fingers crossed.

While yesterday Skandia broke her daggerboard and was expected to be overtaken by Ichi Ban overnight, Wharington and his crew have done an admirable job of hanging on to their position. This may have partly been due to the conditions overnight which at one stage saw the big blue and white maxi becalmed.

The wind is forecast to be southerly all the way to the points on the south side of Tasman Island, and if this proves true then Wharington reckons they will have to put in another losing tack off to the east. This is not helped by their broken daggerboard. "We have about half the righting moment we would otherwise have so that makes the boat quite tippy and obviously we go a bit sideways as well. So not really ideal," said Wharington. Given this situation Wharington believes there is a good chance they will be caught by his old Volvo Open 70, now Matt Allen's Ichi Ban. "Everything is great. The boys are in good spirits. But they are very wary at this stage that the fat lady hasn't been sighted yet," he concluded.

Further offshore, the wind went light overnight for Ichi Ban, but they were not becalmed, although the wind also clocked right around. They were also able to hoist their downwind sails in the early hours this morning, but by dawn the wind had backed to the south-southeast blowing 14 knots.

Despite being further offshore than Skandia with a better angle into the coast, even Ichi Ban at present wasn't able to lay the southern end of Tasman Island, reported Coxon.

Ragmuffin under jury rig. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

After a dramatic 24 hours of dismastings and a sinking, last night was quiet with no additional problems reported among the 69 boats that are still racing.

On handicap the lead has reverted to the smaller boats with Lou Abrahams, a veteran of 43 previous Hobarts races, ahead on his Sydney 38 Challenge, but only 14 minutes ahead on corrected time from Graeme Ainley and John Williams' Petersen 44 Bacardi. Simon Kurts' venerable 1974 and 1978 overall winner Love & War is third.

In the battle of the 50 footers, Geoff Ross' brand new Reichel Pugh 55 is leading on the water and on handicap in Division B, while Ray Roberts' Cookson 50 Quantum Racing is on top in the larger Division A -- http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com

Images of ABN AMRO One under jury rig and injured crew being airlifted from the dismasted Maximus are in the Rolex Sydney Hobart album of the BYM Photo Gallery:

December 21, US Sailing names 2006 Athletes of the Year, for outstanding performance and achievement. Star sailor Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) as SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year, respectively. The Star team of Andy Horton (Newport, R.I.) and Brad Nichol (Lake Sunapee, N.H.) is the Team of the Year, and Sonar sailor Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) is the Paralympic of the Year.

US SAILING has also nominated these sailors to the USOC for consideration for the overall USOC Athletes of the Year Awards. The USOC will select the award winners from the Athletes of the Year recognized by each Olympic sport's national governing body. The awards will be announced in January 2007.

SportsMan of the Year: Mark Mendelblatt: Star skipper Mark Mendelblatt burst into Olympic contention this year after winning a gold medal with crew Mark Strube in a 93-boat fleet at the 2006 Star European Championship, part of Rolex Baltic Week in Neustadt, Germany. In an unprecedented performance at a major Star championship, they scored three consecutive bullets in the first three races and finished with only 10 points. Mendelblatt and Strube won another gold medal in a fleet of 49 Star boats at Kiel Week in Kiel, Germany, one of the largest sailing events in the world. Mendelblatt and Strube finished second in a 70-boat fleet at the Star Eastern Hemisphere Championships in Naples, Italy and third out of 14 at the St Moritz Match Race in Switzerland.

SportsWoman of the Year: Paige Railey: At age 19, Railey has celebrated an impressive string of victories this year, including a gold medal in a fleet of 34 boats at The Good Luck Beijing - 2006 Qingdao International Regatta, the first of two Olympic test events in China. Railey also won gold medals at the Semaine Olympique Francaise in Hyeres, France, and at the ISAF World Sailing Games in Austria, after tough competition with the defending champion from France, Sophie de Turckheim. At the Laser Radial North American Championship in Florida, Railey won the 18-boat fleet by 33 points after finishing with a perfect nine point score. Railey also won the gold medal in a fleet of 94 boats at the Laser Midwinters East Regatta in Florida. In addition, Railey won silver medals at US SAILINGıs Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR) and US SAILING's Olympic Pre-Trials in Newport, R.I.

Railey was named the 2006 Female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex. She is the first female American sailor to be named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year since the awards were first presented in 1994, and is the youngest ever recipient of the award. Railey was ranked the number one Laser Radial sailor in the world by ISAF from September 1, 2005 - August 31, 2006 and is ranked the number one Laser Radial sailor on the 2006 US Sailing Team. This is the fifth year Paige has been named Female Athlete of the Year by US SAILING.

Team of the Year: Andy Horton and Brad Nichol: Ranked number one on the US Sailing Team in the Star class, skipper Andy Horton and crew Brad Nichol have consistently achieved podium finishes in 2006. Horton and Nichol dominated the Star class and won an impressive gold medal at the 2006 Qingdao International Regatta. They also won a silver medal in a fleet of 67 Star boats at US SAILING's Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR). Horton and Nichol won a bronze medal in a 93-boat fleet at the 2006 Star European Championship, part of Rolex Baltic Week in Neustadt, Germany. The team came in fourth place in a fleet of 66 boats at the Star World Championship in San Francisco, Calif., and fourth place in a fleet of 14 boats at the Holland Regatta in Medemblik, The Netherlands. They also came in eighth place in an aggressive 80 boat fleet at the Star North American Championship in Miami.

Paralympian of the Year: Rick Doerr: Ranked number one in the Sonar class on the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team, skipper Rick Doerr has had strong results in both Disabled and Open events with a variety of crew in 2006. At US SAILINGıs Paralympic Pre-Trials in Newport, R.I., Doerr, along with crew Timothy Angle and Bill Donahue, dominated the four-boat Sonar fleet with six wins in seven races. Doerr, with crew Angle and Donahue, again secured the gold medal among strong international Paralympic contenders at the Clagett Regatta in Newport, R.I., after winning four bullets in five races among an eight-boat fleet. At the America's Disabled-Open Midwinter Regatta in St. Petersburg, Fla., Doerr dominated the seven-boat Sonar fleet and won the gold with Angle and Brian Tabler. Doerr continued his gold medal streak when he won, with crew Peter Wilson, Angle and Britt Hall, the Sonar Long Island Sound Championship, an Open regatta in Noroton, CT, which attracted 21 boats. He also won silver medals at the Tappanzee Challenge in Nyack, N.Y and at the Midwinter Championship, an open and disabled international regatta.

December 18, SCYA Women's Sailing Convention. The premiere sailing convention for women is set to launch on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, CA. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) will again be the primary sponsor of the 18th Annual Women's Sailing Convention, presented by the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA).

The event is open to all women from novices to experts and the 2007 program is packed with workshops to choose from - both on and off the water - including: Welcome Aboard (for beginners), Suddenly Single-handed, Sail Trim, Using GPS, Provisioning, Diesels for Dummies, Basic Navigation, Anchoring, Spinnaker Rigging and Going Offshore. All of the workshops are presented by top women sailors from all over Southern California, many of whom are Coast Guard licensed operators.

"We offer something for everyone whether you race, cruise or day sail," said Gail Hine, the event's organizer. "For those who are already involved but desire more, we will offer some new areas of inspiration and instruction along with excellent networking opportunities," she added.

To cap off the event, the dinner guest speaker will be Capt. Holly Scott of Seal Beach, CA. Scott is a well-known local sailor who has been very popular during her previous convention seminars and brings a great sense of humor in making women feel empowered in mastering sailing skills.

An annual sell-out, participation at the convention is limited to about 275 and registration is $135 which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all workshops, handouts, and a skipper's bag. To find out more or to register, go to http://www.BoatUS.com/women or http://www.SCYA.org or contact Gail Hine at 23863 Nutwood Way, Murrieta, CA 92562; phone 951-677-8121; e-mail hine@scya.org.

Photo: Photo: Walter Cooper/Sailing World

December 14, Sailing World magazine has selected the Esse 850 as the overall winner in its annual Boat of the Year awards for 2007. The Esse 850 beat out 18 other boats for the top prize.

The 2007 contest marked the 23rd time the magazine has honored the best in boat design and building. In addition to the top award, the magazine also awarded honors for Best One-Design to the Open 5.70.

Best Sportboat went to the Corsair Sprint 750, and the X-35 One Design earned the Best Racer/ Cruiser title. The Best Cruiser/Racer was the Salona 37.

An independent panel of experts picked the winners from the 19 nominated boats announced during the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, in October. The winners will be featured in the January/ February issue of Sailing World, due to hit newsstands on December 15.

For list of 17 of the 19 entries, with photos of each entry go to: http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=48240&typeID=395&catID=687

December 12, America's Cup News. The Valencia Sailing website reports that Cayard will initially be employed for two months as consultant for the Spanish team and helmsman of the second boat. After that period, Cayard and Desafio Espanol will jointly agree on his role in the team. Paul Cayard will supervise the preparation and finetune of ESP-97, the Spanish team's brand new boat, which is scheduled to make the trip this month from the construction yard to the team's base in Port America's Cup, where it will get fitted out to begin the first structural tests later in January 2007. -- http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com

USCG replacement vessels/planes/helicopters. Four years after the Coast Guard began an effort to replace nearly its entire fleet of ships, planes and helicopters, the modernization program heralded as a model of government innovation is foundering. The initial venture - converting rusting 110-foot patrol boats, the workhorses of the Coast Guard, into more versatile 123-foot cutters - has been canceled after hull cracks and engine failures made the first eight boats unseaworthy.

Plans to build a new class of 147-foot ships with an innovative hull have been halted after the design was found to be flawed. And the first completed new ship - a $564 million behemoth christened last month - has structural weaknesses that some Coast Guard engineers believe may threaten its safety and limit its life span, unless costly repairs are made.

The problems have helped swell the costs of the fleet-building program to a projected $24 billion, from $17 billion, and delayed the arrival of any new ships or aircraft. That has compromised the Coast Guardıs ability to fulfill its mission, which greatly expanded after the 2001 attacks to include guarding the nationıs shores against terrorists. The service has been forced to cut back on patrols and, at times, ignore tips from other federal agencies about drug smugglers. The difficulties will only grow more acute in the next few years as old boats fail and replacements are not ready. -- by Eric Lipton, New York Time, full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/09/us/09ship.html

December 11, Tornado Worlds Class World Championship, Buenos Aires, Argentina. From the US Team Advanced Equities: Both our T2 Racing teams finished this Tornado Class World Championship on the River Plate in Argentina where we started it - in the lower middle half of the pack.

We all strove for and expected results better than we achieved but we-re not disheartened. Basically our performances were very uneven. Both boats, Advanced Equities I and Advanced Equities II, are coming back to the US, and the US Sailing Rolex Olympic Classes Regatta in Miami in late January, with a lot more experience of the current state of development in the class and the knowledge that we can deliver more consistent results.

We've already started the review process with our coaches, analyzing the regatta and our part in it. Sails, tactics, tuning, techniques and trimming are all being evaluated as we look forward to Miami.

The Australian team of Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby won this event handsomely with a superb low-point score that meant they didn't even have to sail the final race. Lange and Espinola were second overall and the Austrian team of Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher was third.

Team Advanced Equities I - Johnny Lovell, New Orleans, La., and Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas - finished 26th in today's race for a race overall place of 27th. Team Advanced Equities II - Don Thinschmidt, Holland, Mich., and Drew Wierda, Miami, Fla., - finished 39th today, leaving them in 39th place overall - Drew Wierda [Team Advanced Equities II]

The breeze under 6 knots kept the competitors waiting on the water to start Race 9. When the breeze finally picked up the RC had to move the course due to the shallow conditions. By then only 1 race could be sailed and the Australians won the title with one race to spare.

The battle was between local heroes ARG Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola and AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher. Both teams started together in the middle of the starting line but the Argentineans went all the way to the right side of the course while the Austrians decided for the middle. Santiago and Carlos rounded in first, followed by Dutch Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis in second and Spanish Fernando Echavarri & Anton Paz in third. The Austrians rounded seventh.

By then the Argentineans were leading by far and had nobody to threatened their lead. The Spanish took over the second position on the third and last weather mark rounding followed by the French Yann Guichard & Alexandre Guyader in third. The Austrians didn't manage to improve their position and finished 11th.

ARG Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola crossed the finishing line in great style flying a hull to the hundreds of spectators watching the final race of the 2006 Worlds.

The French had a good campaign placing 6 teams in the top 15 with Guichard & Guyader finishing 5th overall. The Greek team of Iordanis Paschalidis & Constantinos Trigonis were the 4th overall.

Says Darren Bundock about his result: "The focus the whole year has been on this World Championship. This is the one we wanted and means a lot after the effort and preparation for this event. A lot has got to be said for our coach Mike Fletcher he has coached me to five world championships now in the Olympic Class and coached Mitch Booth and John Forbes to one before I came along. His persistence before this regatta with getting our trimming techniques and speed right has probably won the regatta for us".

"The pairs decision making skills this week has won the regatta for them, yesterday they made some of the best decisions when under pressure. On the starting line they knew when to push and when it was getting crowded and the risk was high to back out and find another hole. Decisions like that win world championships. Yesterday they showed the world they wanted this World championship", commented Fletch.

Top 6 after 9 races[with one discard]:
 1. Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby                            AUS   6-2-4-2-1-5-1-2-(DNS)        23 pts
 2. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola                        ARG   7-(23)-8-4-12-2-2-1-1        37 
 3. Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher                    AUT   1-8-1-3-2-(33)-11-4-11       41
 4. Iordanis Paschaladis & Constanantinos Trigonis          GRE  (31)-3-13-7-9-11-5-11-8       67
 5. Yann Guichard & Alexander Guyader                       FRA   9-(31)-14-18-6-16-6-5-3      77
 6. Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz                    GER  15-1-(28)-10-4-4-4-15-27      80  
Best North American:
16. Oscar Johansson & Kevin Stittle                         CAN  29-19-24-8-3-25-19-(30)-4    131
20. Daniel Robbie & Gary Chu                                USA 13-(dnf)-17-12-29-10-10-35-37 163
27. Jonny Lovell & Charlie Ogletree [New Orleans/Kemah, Tx] USA (OCS)-15-10-25-16-31-17-29-26 169

Photo: Tornado Worlds

December 8, Tornado Worlds Class World Championship, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Australians Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby and Argentineans Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola had an excellent Day Four [Saturday], having each a bullet and a second on Saturday's races. The weather forecast was not very promising for this Saturday but as the locals say "The Rio de La Plata will not let you down".

Race 7 went underway with a steady 8-10 knots NE breeze. The left was the way to go. ARG Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola rounded the weather mark in first followed closely by AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby. The Belgium team of Carolijn Brouwer & Sebbe Godefroid in third. The Ozzies got the best out of the pressure and took the lead half-way up the second upwind. The Belgiums rounded the second upwind in second but the Argentineans recovered the position and had a close last downwind with the leaders and winners of the race, Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby. The Belgiums crossed the line in third.

The wind picked up to 12-14 knots for Race 8. Once again AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby took an early lead with 2005 World Champions ESP Fernando Echavarri & Anton Paz in second. ARG Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola got ahead of the Ozzies on the last beat. The two teams had a head to head downwind and the Argentineans took the bullet for the delight of the local supporters. ESP Fernando Echavarri & Anton Paz finished third.

AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby have been sailing a very consistent regatta and are leading by 13 points. The AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher are holding the second position - the team had an 11th and a 4th today - with ARG Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola 6 points behind them in third.

The last 2 races are scheduled for 13h00 tomorrow with the Prize Giving Ceremony scheduled for 19h30.

From Charlie Ogletree: All regattas are learning experiences but the lesson plan is proving tougher than expected here on the Rio de la Plata at the Club Nautico San Isidro.

Each of our two T-Squared Racing teams got in one good top-of-the-fleet performance in this morning's light air race. The results were not as favorable in the second race, as the breeze, which had delayed the first start by an hour or so, built from six to 14 knots. Both teams ended up in the second half of the fleet.

One thing is for sure, the Australian team of Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby has delivered an astounding performance in these very tough sailing conditions. With two races remaining tomorrow, the Aussies now lead by 13 points a fleet that is populated with the world's best, including past Olympic medallists and international champions.

Team Advanced Equities II - Don Thinschmidt, Holland, Mich., and Drew Wierda, Miami, Fla., finished 20th in the first race today, recording their best ever result in a Tornado World Championship and leaving a lot of very good boats in their wake. They are showing good upwind speed and staying up with the pack but they have been suffering downwind. As Don says: "We're lacking a gear downwind." A new spinnaker is in the pipeline for the Miami Rolex Olympic Classes Regatta in January.

On Team Advanced Equities I - Johnny Lovell, New Orleans, La., and Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas - we were 17th in the first race but we've been lacking form. We're now treating this event as a test-bed, working on our sails every night, trying new setup ideas and techniques every day, and measuring our performance against the boats we want to beat in the coming year. We've learned a lot and, besides, there is still a day's racing remaining.

That's my report from Argentina today. We'll have one more report after racing wraps up Sunday, Charlie Ogletree, Team Advanced Equities I.

Standings after eight races (48 boats - 1 discard):
 1. Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby                            AUS  (6)-2-4-2-1-5-1-2          17 pts
 2. Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher                    AUT   1-8-1-3-2-(33)-11-4       30 
 3. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola                        ARG   7-(23)-8-4-12-2-2-1       36 
 4. Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz                    GER  15-1-(28)-10-4-4-4-15      53  
 5. Lodanis Paschaladis & Constanantinos Trigonis           GRE  (31)-3-13-7-9-11-5-11      59
Best North American:
20. Daniel Robbie & Gary Chu                                USA  13-(dnf)-17-12-29-10-10   126
21. Oscar Johansson & Kevin Stittle                         CAN  29-19-24-8-3-25-19-(30)   127
26. Jonny Lovell & Charlie Ogletree [New Orleans/Kemah, Tx] USA (OCS)-15-10-25-16-31-17-29 143 

December 8, Tornado Worlds Class World Championship, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Day Three [Thursday] took some time for the breeze to come in. and Race 5 was delayed in 45 minutes and started in very light conditions - SE 6-8 knots.

Spanish Javier Padron & Antonio Cuevas Mons rounded the weather mark in first after having a clean start at the RC side while the pin end of the starting line was very busy. Australians Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby rounded right behind them, took over the lead mid way down the first downwind and got the bullet of the race 1 minute ahead of second placed AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher.

"That's the first time I finished first in a Tornado Worlds", says with a big smile 4 times A-Class World Champion Glenn Ashby. Canadians Oskar Johansson & Kevin Stittle were third and Germans Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz fourth.

Race 6 saw the breeze pick up to 12 knots and most of the fleet choosing the left side of the course to reach the weather mark. But it was local heroes Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola that rounded ahead of NED Micha Heemskerk & Herbert Derkson with a good distance between them. The Dutch made their move on the second downwind gybing early into a pressure line to close the gap to the Argentineans, took the lead on the final upwind and won the race. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola remain 3rd overall. AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby rounded the first mark in 9th position and fought their way back to 5th by the finish to take the overall lead. Race 4 winners FRA Billy Besson & Arnaud Jarlegan crossed the line in 3rd. AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher got themselves into trouble on the starting line, started in the second row, and finished 33rd.

"It's fantastic to lead the regatta at the mid way point but the biggest advantage for us is to be the only boat not to have a drop race in the 20's. This will be a huge advantage as the regatta goes on", explains Bundock.

Standings after six races (48 boats - 1 discard):
 1. Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby                    AUS  (6)-2-4-2-1-5         14
 2. Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher            AUT   1-8-1-3-2-(33)       15 
 3. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola                ARG   7-(23)-8-4-12-2      33 
 4. Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz            GER  15-1-(28)-10-4-4      34  
 5. Lodanis Paschaladis & Constanantinos Trigonis   GRE  (31)-3-13-7-9-11      43
Best North American:
18. Oscar Johansson & Kevin Stittle                 CAN (29)-19-24-8-3-25      79
19. Daniel Robbie & Gary Chu                        USA  13-(dnf)-17-12-29-10  81
28. J. Lovell & C. Ogletree [New Orleans/Kemah, Tx] USA (OCS)-15-10-25-16-31   97 

December 7, Tornado Worlds Class World Championship, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Day Two of the Tornado Class World Championship here in Buenos Aires again proved difficult for both T-Squared Racing crews. With three days of racing remaining on the River Plate our overall scores are disappointing and we know we can and will do better. Conditions for racing were ideal. It was a beautiful sunny day with a 10 to 13 knot sea breeze and we completed two more races.

Our crew, Team Advanced Equities I - Johnny Lovell, New Orleans, La., and Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas ­ finished 10th in the first race, despite a collision on the starting line that forced us to work our way back through the pack. We were making a nicely-time start with right-of-way at the pin end of the start line when we were hit by another boat just 45 seconds before the start gun. We protested and the other boat made its penalty turn but by the time we were sorted out we had to start on port tack and duck behind the majority of the fleet. From there we battled back and, considering the start, thought we made a great comeback to finish in 10th. Things were looking up.

We were still on a roll when we made a great start in the second race. However, the wind was unstable and we were consistently in the wrong place at the wrong time. Several gusts came through and we lost position to boats on both sides of the course because we were unable to benefit from the new breeze. We worked our way up to 15, only to finish in 25th place.

Our team mates, aboard Team Advanced Equities II - Don Thinschmidt, Holland, Mich., and Drew Wierda, Miami, Fla., - also had a rough day. Based on what we all judged to be strong new evidence, they had expected to successfully reopen a protest and overturn their disqualification following their involvement in a collision in yesterday's Race One. However, the jury stood by its decision based on previous facts found. That set the tone for the day and they finished 41st and 36th in today's races.

We weren't the only ones to find the conditions trying. Yesterday's leaders, the French team of Xavier Revil and Christophe Espagnon, had two middle-of-the-fleet finishes to drop to seventh place overall. The Austrian crew of Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher moved up to first place with a 1-8-1-3 record, while the always-present Australians, Darren Bundock and Glen Ashby stayed in second place with 6-2-4-2 places.

We know things will be better tomorrow. Both teams have been sailing below their potential and besides, with six races in hand tomorrow, we all get to drop our worst race and we each have a 48th place that will be wiped from our overall total -- Jonny Lovell.

2 races are scheduled for Thursday starting at 13h00.

Standings after four races (48 boats - no discards):
  1. Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher        (AUT)  1-8-1-3         13 pts
  2. Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby                (AUS)  6-2-4-2         14
  3. Santiago Lange & Carlos Espinola            (ARG)  7-23-8-4        42 
  4. Billy Besson & Arnaud Jarlegan              (FRA) 10-21-15-1       47
  5. Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis                (NED)  4-12-7-27       50
Best North American:
  20. Johansson & King                           (CAN) 29-19-24-8       80
  24. Daniel & Chu                               (USA) 13-48/dnf-17-12  90
  28. Lovell & Ogletree [New Orleans/Kemah, Tx]  (USA) 48/OCS-15-10-25  98 

December 5, Tornado Class World Championship, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first day of racing [Tuesday] was not a good beginning for John Lovell, New Orleans, LA & Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas [Team Advanced Equities]. After winning the pin end and a spectacular start in the very shifty six knots breeze of the first race, they crossed the finish line in ninth place, only to find they had been judged OCS.

They were one of seven boats over the line early (OCS), in reviewing video afterwards, their windward bow was over by three feet. They bounced back from that disappointment to sail a conservative second race and finish 15th, moving up to 34th place overall with a 49-15 record. Now they must sail more conservatively for the rest of the series after using up their one race discard opportunity.

Double Olympic Medalists AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher in race one, lead from the start followed by number 1 ranked FRA Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon. The Austrian team opened a comfortable distance to cross the line in first followed by the French.

The clean right side of the gate in the second upwind paid off for PUR Enrique Figueroa & Jorge Hernandez and NED Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis who finished 3rd and 4th consecutively.

The SE wind picked up and the Tornados started race 2 with a 10-12 knots breeze and gusts reaching 14 knots. After a clean start the fleet divided itself to both sides of the course.

Once again, the leader, AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby, opened a good distance. Behind them the GRE team of Iordanis Paschaladis & Constantinos Trigonis and GER Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz were closely fighting for the 2nd position

On the second downwind the jib of the Ozzies came down and the lead they had wasn't enough to keep them ahead of the second, GER Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz. The Germans took the bullet, followed by the Ozzies.

The Greek team of Paschaladis & Trigonis crossed the line in 3rd, followed by ESP Javier Padron & Antonio Cuevas Mons in 4th and FRA Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon in 5th.

Winners of Race 1, AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher, crossed the line in 8th.

Top 5 after 2 races:
 1 FRA Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon             2-5       7 pts
 2 AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby                   6-2       8 
 3 AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher           1-8       9
 4 GER Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz          15-1      16 
 5 NED Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis                   4-12     16
Best USA:
29 USA Donald Thinschmidt & Andrew Wierda            24-32     56
32 USA Daniel Robbie & Gary Chu                      13-49\DNF 62
34 USA John Lovell & Charlie Ogletree                49\OCS-15 64

Our crew, Team Advanced Equities I - Johnny Lovell, New Orleans, La., and Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas - and our team mates, Team Advanced Equities II - Don Thinschmidt, Holland, Mich., and Drew Wierda, Miami, Fla., competed in two practice starts and a practice race against most of the other 46 boats entered for this event.

The race course, on the River Plate, off the Club Nautico is about 30 miles from the ocean with fresh water the color of latte coffee. The rich chocolate hues hide the reedy grass, marsh weeds and lily pads that collect on our foils and rudders.

The time we've spent here preparing for the worlds has left us confident about strong performances against an impressive international fleet. There are no less than 13 Olympic medalists and 10 world champions included in the starting lineup.

Conditions for the formal practice event were perfect, with bright sunny skies, clear air and a nine to 14-knot southeasterly breeze. The conditions were challenging with the fluctuating breeze and big shifts of up to 15 to 20 degrees.

We were 12th to the windward mark in the practice race and pulled up to fourth by the first leeward mark and held on to be sixth at the windward mark the second time around. Then we chose not to finish but sailed quietly down the last run, checking out our competition. Altogether we're happy with our boat speed upwind and downwind.

The soft humid sea breeze conditions, similar to Miami mean that there's not as much weight to the wind as one might expect, so we've set the boat up for powering through the lulls in the wind. Still, we expect that this will be a high scoring event with all competitors counting at least one or two races in the back of the back.

Don and Drew on Team Advanced Equities II had a tough start in the practice race and were unable to find a clear lane early in the race. Still they were happy with their boat speed and their performance.

The hospitality here at Club Nautico has been fantastic. The club premises cover three or four acres of beautifully landscaped grounds that link to a golf course and include three swimming pools, extensive tennis courts and other sporting facilities. The restaurant is first class. Every team here has three or four volunteers who help daily with launching and retrieving boats. It promises to be a memorable week.

Our two teams are sharing a house with the Puerto Rican and Dutch Tornado entries and tonight we've invited the Brazilian team over for an Argentinian style barbeque. Tonight we're socializing. Tomorrow we do battle.

That's my report from Argentina. We'll be reporting nightly, during the Worlds. For more about this event, go to www.tornado.org. Full results are at Club Nautico San Isidro. Our title sponsor, Advanced Equities, is at www.advancedequities.com.

Sail fast, Charlie Ogletree Team Advanced Equities I

December 4, Mumm 30 Worlds, Miami Beach, FL. It was a picture perfect day for sailboat racing off South Beach for the final race of the Mumm 30 World Championship. Erik Maris and his crew on Twins are the new World Champions, won in convincing style. It is his first ever World Championship title, and the team "convinced" him to take the obligatory victory swim in the harbor after getting doused with Champagne Mumm on the dock. His strategy going into the day was to, "do what we know how to do, and we'll be ok. The race that won it for us was Friday when we were OCS and came back to 11th. Our tactician was awesome, he's a 470 sailor, and the whole crew did a great job, they deserve this." - Full report: http://www.mumm30.org/content/view/114/18

Final Results:
1. (FRA) Twins, Erik Maris,              5-2-3-7-9-1-2-9-11-1           50 pts
2. (AUS) Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, 4-12-9-1-2-4-5-10-7-7          61
3. (USA) Sixx, Tom Lihan,                2-4-6-23-1-15-4-1-1-8          65
4. (NED) Mean Machine, Peter deRidder,   1-3-10-11-6-10-8-12-2-12       75
5. (ITA) Cheyenne, Frederico Strocchi,   3-10-8.5(avg)-14-11-6-17-3-4-4 80.5
6. (USA) Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas,  7-8-2-5-16-8-1-5-3-31(ocs)     86

Preliminary Results (protests pending)
1. (FRA) Twins, Erik Maris,              5-2-3-7-9-1,    27 pts
2. (AUS) Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, 4-12-9-1-2-4,   32
3. (NED) Mean Machine, Peter deRidder,   1-3-10-11-6-10, 41
4. (USA) Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas,  7-8-2-5-16-8,   46
5. (USA) Sixx, Tom Lihan,                2-4-6-24-1-15,  52

November 30, MUMM 30 Worlds, Miami Beach, Florida: Opening day [Wednesday] had picture perfect conditions. Sailors on 30 boats from nine countries were treated to Florida sunshine, good breeze and some great surfing waves. All races were four leg windward-leeward races, with 1.75 mile legs. The easterly wind ranged from 14-20 knots, starting out light in the morning and building during the day, with stronger puffs on the left, backing slightly early afternoon.

Everyone got out of the blocks without mishap for the first race of the day. Winds were lighter inshore at the start, building at the top mark out closer toward the Gulf Stream. The natives were restless on the second race and a string of bow numbers were called over in an individual recall. The breeze built to 16-18 knots and the surf was up - giving a great ride downwind for all and causing some carnage for others.

Wind velocity increased slightly more for the final race of the day. -- Renee Mehl

Top ten after 3 races:
 1. Mammy!, Diarmuid Foley,        IRL, 8-1-1     10 pts
 2. Twins, Erik Maris,             FRA, 5-2-3     10
 3. Sixx, Tom Lihan,               USA, 2-4-6     12
 4. Mean Machine, Peter de Ridder, NED, 1-3-10    14
 5. Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas, USA, 7-8-2     17
 6. Cheyenne, Frederico Strocchi   ITA, 3-10-6.5* 19.5
 7. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson    USA, 14-5-4    23
 8. Foriegn Affair, Richard Perini AUS, 4-12-9    25
 9. Team Bold, Nelson Stephenson   USA, 15-9-5    29
10. Champosa, Jonathan McDonagh    USA, 11-11*11* 33
*AVG

November 27, 2006 Audi Etchells World Championship, Fremantle West Australia. Jud Smith, the three times North American Etchells champion and four times Worlds runner up took the gun in the eighth and final race to win the Etchells Worlds.

Smith and his crew of Dirk Kneulman and New Zealanders Andrew Wills and Thomas Saunders, crossed the finish line and shortly afterwards the Star Spangled Banner boomed from the Black Swan, the very same tender that boomed out Men at Work back in 1983 when Australia 11 took the America's Cup.

The Fremantle Doctor was pumping with winds climbing into the 20's as Smith led from the first mark he was overtaken by his countryman Chris Busch down the run but rounded inside the San Diego sailor. Half way up the beat for the second time, he crossed ahead and was never overtaken again. Smith crossed ahead of Busch, third was Craig Healy.

Ante Razmilovic from Britain needed to beat Smith by two places today, but the best he could do was fourth. New Zealander Alastair Gair who led into the eighth and final race of the series only needed to stay in contact to take the title. At the top mark for the first time the Kiwi's were 18th; they fought back valiantly to take seventh place and had to be content to settle with second overall.

Top three, eight races, 1 throwout:
 1. Jud Smith/Dirk Kneulman/Andrew Wills/Thomas Saunders USA  1-2-1-6-(21)-6-4-1     21 pts
 2. Alastair Gair/David Ridley/Carl Peters/Derek Scott   NZL  2-(23)-4-3-6-1-2-7     25
 3. Ante Razmilovic/Jez Fanstone/Stuart Flinn            GBR  9-9-(12)-1-4-2-1-4     30

ML crew members (l-r) Piet van Os, Charlie Enright, Kate Theisen and Genny Tulloch of Houston. Photo: Honolulu Advertiser

Morning Light Team, Honolulu - Never mind that the familiar trade winds failed to show for the Morning Light team's weekend adventure in Hawaii. In the words of sailing manager Robbie Haines, the young sailors were "blown away" by their two days on a Polynesian canoe with nature's navigator, Nainoa Thompson.

Roy Disney, whose documentary film production will climax when the 15 men and women sail the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu next July, said, "It came out by far the best it could have, especially because there wasn't much wind the whole weekend. The kids just ate it up. In just two days they figured out how to sail that thing pretty well."

Graham Brant-Zawadzki, 21, of Newport Beach, Calif., said they not only learned about navigating without instruments but the native culture behind the concept. "We all care about the ocean, but it's really cool to see the whole perspective of how they approach sailing," Brant-Zawadzki said. "When they come together they're not a crew, they're a family, and the boat is their home, not just a vehicle to take them somewhere."

Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, unraveled the mysteries of how to find the way with only the sun, the wind, the stars, the sea and the birds as guides. "The navigation system they use has been passed down orally for thousands of years," Brant-Zawadzki said. "But when you think about it, there's a lot of scientific background behind their methods, and it's very sensible how they figure it out from observations."

Photo: Leslie DeMeuse

The team, hosted by the Marine Education and Training Center and Waikiki Yacht Club, sailed the 62-foot double-hulled canoe offshore from Sand Island near the international airport. The initial plan to sail from the island of Maui to Oahu via Molokai was abandoned about a week earlier---a sound decision. The only double-digit breeze they saw was on the second day Saturday when the canoe hit 6 knots past Koko Head along the southeast shore of Oahu.

On Friday they stayed out past dark so Thompson could demonstrate celestial navigation. On Saturday they went out to a shallow offshore area where most of the team went swimming. Only one of the 15 team members, Chris Clark, was unable to participate because of studies at Univ. of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., but he'll hear all about it when they reassemble in Honolulu in January to start training for next summer's race on their Transpac 52.

Perhaps Kate Theisen, 19, of Socorro, N.M, could relate best to Thompson's explanations of natural navigation. She's studying planetary science. "Nainoa would ask questions to make sure the kids understood what he was telling them," Haines said. "Kate got all the answers right." Theisen said, "It was really neat because I do all the mathematical calculations and understand the principles behind all of it. He would apply it in a completely new way that they don't teach me at school, so it was remarkable to make the connections."

If there wasn't much wind, no problem. "When you're racing it's all about, 'Oh, I wish we had better wind,' " Theisen said, "but this was learning about the navigation." The activities and the sailors' impressions were well-reported by local media. Genny Tulloch, 21, of Houston told KHNL Channel 8, "We've gained more of an understanding about using nature . . . to know where you're going. Those are things that racers don't use. We usually use [instrument] numbers." Jesse Fielding, 19, of North Kingstown, R.I., told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that the double-hulled canoe "has a totally different purpose" than the high-tech racing boats that sail much faster. "This boat was designed to explore and voyage," Fielding said.

But Thompson told the sailors, according to the Honolulu Advertiser, "They're more similar than you think. We come from very different cultures, but there's a shared love of the sea, a passion for sailing and a desire to pass that knowledge on to the next generation."

The sailors and Thompson are destined to meet again. The former will be back in Hawaii early in January to train for the Transpac and said they plan to be on hand to wave Thompson bon voyage when Hokule'a departs on a 7,000-mile cruise to Micronesia. Later, Thompson said, he hopes to sail the canoe out to Diamond Head to greet Morning Light when it finishes the Transpac in July.

Thompson, asked at a press conference what he hoped the kids would get from the weekend, said, "I hope we teach them about the culture and the history and respect for Hawaii and the oceans, and in July, when they sail their boat from California to Hawaii, when they get here I hope they'll feel just a little bit like theyıre coming home.' " Digital stills and digital video clips of their Thanksgiving experience are available for download at www.papahui.com

More information: www.pacifichighproductions.com/
Polynesian Voyaging Society: pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/

November 24, Lovell & Ogletree at the Tornado South American Championships. Team Advanced Equities I - Johnny Lovell, New Orleans, La., and Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas - started the Championships today with a fifth place finish in Race One. There are 32 boats competing in this regatta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that is a warm-up event for the Tornado World Championships which start on December 5. France won today's race, Greece 2nd, Argentina 3rd, Holland 4th, USA-Team Advanced Equities I 5th.

Charlie writes us: Today's race featured light and very shifty conditions with 6-12 knots of air. We sailed a solid race to move up every leg to round the last leeward gate in second. We chose the right side on the last beat and then the wind shifted 30 degrees left ahead of a rain cloud and we lost three boats. A fifth is a "keeper in this tough fleet and we are looking forward to tomorrow. Race Two today was abandoned due to an 80 degree wind shift on the first beat and a 30-knot storm.

Our team mates - Don Thinschmidt, Holland, Mich., and Drew Wierda, Miami, Fla., - who sail Team Advanced Equities II, arrive on Saturday to start preparing for the Worlds.

Argentina is a beautiful country with very friendly people. It is spring here so the weather is very warm and nice. The Argentinean steaks on the barbecue are some of the best we have ever had! We are learning Spanish phrases and acclimating quickly. We are sharing a house with our coach Jay Glaser and John Farrar, Team Puerto Rico, Team Holland and Don and Drew of Team Advanced Equities II.

1. FRA Olivier Backes - Paul Sevestre
2. GRE Iordanis Paschaladis - Constantinos Trigonis
3. ARG Santiago Lange - Carlos Espinola
4. NED Mischa Heemskerk - Herbert Dercksen
5. USA John Lovell - Charlie Ogletree

November 21, Audi Etchells Worlds. With Denis Connor unable to attend (he was hit by a baggage trolley at London's Heathrow Airport during a Terrorist scare, and unable on Doctors instructions to fly), the Field tightens at Audi Etchells Worlds in Australia,

Ante Razmilovic's win today took him to third place overall in the regatta. The 35 year old Briton is not a new kid on the block, having won the 2003 European titles, the 2004 British titles and only being beaten in the 2004 North Americans on count back.

While Razmilovic has now made a podium claim, the four times Worlds runner up and three times North American champion Jud Smith, has further tightened his grip on the 2006 Worlds, stretching his lead over Britain's Andy Beadsworth.

Smith is determined to get the monkey off his back. 'It's kind of embarrassing, to have come second in the Etchells Worlds four times. But there is a long way to go in this regatta and I've learned not to take anything for granted.

'Last year we were leading up until the second last day and one mistake, and we put ourselves away. We just want to have a chance going into the last day.'

Provisional Results for Etchells Worlds Championship after 4 races with 4 races to count
 1. Jud Smith/Dirk Kneulman/Andrew Wills/Thomas Saunders USA  1-2-1-6      10 pts 
 2. Anam Chara Andy Beadsworth/James McHugh/Simon Fry    GBR  3-4-2-10     19 
 3. Ante Razmilovic/Jez Fanstone/Stuart Flinn            GBR  9-9-12-1     31 
 4. Alastair Gair/David Ridley/Carl Peters/Derek Scott   NZL  2-23-4-3     32 
 5. Julian Plante/Michael Coxon/Nick Garland/Matt Day    AUS  25-5-7-7     44 
 6. Una Mas/Mark Bradford/Graeme Taylor/Steve Jarvin     AUS  5-34-5-4     48 
 7. John Bertrand/Ian Johnson/Tim Ede                    AUS 10-17-9-12    48 
 8. Stuart Childerley/Simon Russell/Roger Marino         GBR 27-11-8-5     51 
 9. Cameron Miles/Phil Smidmore/Dave Samson              AUS 4-14-17-17    52 
10. Jake Gunther/Russell Tyson/Richard Ironmonger        AUS 12-15-10-16   53

Photo: JOY Advertising/USMCA www.usmelges24.com

November 20, Rosebud from Edmond, Oklahoma wins 2006 MELGES 24 U.S. National Championship.

Chris Larson at the helm for Scott Holmgren on Rosebud is the new, 2006 Melges 24 National Champion. In addition to Larson and Holmgren was the great league of Chuck Norris and Andrew Estcourt. Standing in for second, on his 37th birthday was Scott Nixon at the helm for David Ford on Lightwave Micro with Mark Ivey on board calling tactics, Bell Canty and Brian Smith.

Overnight leader John Pollard on Excellent seemed to have everything under control in the first two races of the day, but a DNS in the last race dropped them to third overall.

Kelly Gough from Hickory Creek, Texas, drove for Shawn Grisham on Bullseye.

Top three:
1. Chris Larson/Scott Holmgren. OK. Rosebud          7-1-2-5-(11)-8-5-7-1     36 pts
2. Scott Nixon/David Ford.      RI. Lightwave Micro (6)-6-5-3-6-5-1-(14)-5    37
3. John Pollard.                UK. Xcellent         4-4-3-1-4-13-7-2(47/DNS) 38

Audi Etchells Worlds. A win on Day one followed by a second today and Marblehead MA. sailor Jud Smith leads the 70 boat 2006 Audi Etchells Worlds fleet in Fremantle West Australia. The 'Fremantle Doctor' must have been busy with house calls today as the sea breeze did not lift above 14 knots.

Smith sailing with Canadian Dirk Kneulman, the 1998 Etchells World Champion and two Kiwi's Andrew Wells the New Zealand Optimist coach and 48kg 14 year old Opti sailor Thomas Saunders, sailed into second place and retained the regatta lead.

Racing will continue through until Saturday 25th November

Top ten after two races:
1. Jud Smith / Dirk Kneulman / Andrew Wills / Thomas Saunders, USA, 3 points
2. Andy Beadsworth / James McHugh / Simon Fry,                 GBR, 7
3. Chris Busch / Rod Hagebols / Willem van Waay,               USA, 14
4. Cameron Miles / Phil Smidmore / Dave Samson,                AUS, 18
5. Ante Razmilovic / Jez Fanstone / Stuart Flinn ,             GBR, 18
6. David Clark / Stephen Barlow / Andrew Smith,                AUS, 20
7. Alastair Gair / David Ridley / Carl Peters / Derek Scott,   NZL, 25
8. John Bertrand / Ian Johnson / Tim Ede,                      AUS, 27
9. Jake Gunther / Russell Tyson / Richard Ironmonger,          AUS, 27
10. Julian Plante / Michael Coxon / Nick Garland / Matt Day,   AUS, 30

Star North Americans, Biscayne Bay, Florida. Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams convincingly won the Star North American Championships 2006, which concluded in Miami, Florida over the weekend. Adding this to their Star World Championship win in October, the Star class rookies are rocketing up the rankings.

Pepper and Williams started their Star campaign earlier this year and have since sailed twelve international regattas in what is considered one of the toughest Olympic classes. They have won four of the last five regattas they've sailed and have captured the attention of the sailing world. -- Jodie Perkins, Yachting New Zealand

Final top ten:
1. Hamish Pepper / Carl Williams,         NZL, 13 points
2. Robert Scheidt / Bruno Prada,          BRA, 22
3. Xavier Rohart / Pascal Rambeau,        FRA, 36
4. Marc Pickel / Ingo Borkowski,          GER, 45
5. Ross Macdonald / Mike Wolfs,           CAN, 51
6. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Dominik Zycki, POL, 56
7. Matthias Miller / Manuel Voigt,        GER, 62
8. Andy Horton / Brad Nichol,             USA, 64
9. Peter Bromby / Bill Mcniven,           BER, 65
10. James Spithill / Magnus Liljedahl,    AUS, 68

November 19, US Sailing, Newport, R.I. (Sunday November 19, 2006) - The Board of Directors of US SAILING, national governing body of the sport, today has elected Jim Capron of Annapolis, Md., as the organization's new president. Immediate past president Janet Baxter (Chicago, Ill.) passed the helm to Capron at the organization's annual meeting in Newport this morning.

"I'm looking forward to working with our many sailors, clubs, classes and partners in promoting and improving our sport," said Capron. "Serving as president of sailing's national governing body is quite a responsibility and I am honored to have been elected for this position."

Capron has been involved with US SAILING in many capacities over the years. He has served on the organization's Board of Directors since 2001, most recently as a Vice President. He has also been a member of numerous committees, including the Appeals, Judges, Race Administration, and Olympic Sailing Committees. In addition, Capron is a US SAILING Senior Judge and Umpire as well as an International Judge and Umpire certified by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). As an official, he has served as a judge or umpire at many international events, including the Olympic Games, Louis Vuitton Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, and the ISAF World Sailing Games.

Capron is an experienced sailor as well, having owned and campaigned various classes of sailboats over the years, from a Penguin to a J/35 racer/cruiser. An engineer by trade, he is the founder and president of Capron Company, Inc., a facility automation design and contracting firm located in Rockville, Maryland. Between cruising the Chesapeake Bay and his volunteer work at US SAILING and ISAF, Capron still finds time to race his Etchells.

The US SAILING President serves for a one-year term and a maximum of three consecutive terms.

US Sailing announces Jim Tichenor of Houston, TX. to its Board of Directors for a one tear term, together with:

Dick Allsopp       (Orange Park, Fla.)   - one-year term
Susan Epstein      (Sharon, Mass.)       - one-year term
Amy Gross-Kehoe    (Santa Clara, Calif.) - two-year term
Chip Johns         (Mattapoisett, Mass.) - two-year term
Bill Stump         (Venice, Calif.)      - two-year term
Tom Hubbell        (Delaware, OH)        - three-year term
Patty Lawrence     (Cincinnati, OH)      - three-year term
Jerome Montgomery  (Long Beach, Calif.)  - three-year term

The first meeting of the new Board of Directors will take place on Sunday, November 19 at US SAILING's annual meeting in Newport, R.I.

November 15, Snipe Class. Lynn Fitzpatrick last month finished her duty as chairperson of the Snipe Western Hemisphere and Orient Championship, and now files this report amid her volunteer duties at the Star North American Championship in Miami, FL that begins today Wed.

The Star Class can be a pretty intimidating Class. It's not only full of hulking giants; it's loaded with sailing legends. Living in Miami, I've grown accustomed to the North Americans Star sailors spending an inordinate amount of time at Coral Reef and the US Sailing Center during the winter months. Yet the international talent assembled here this week is nearly incomprehensible.

The Schoonmaker Trophy was sailed this weekend. This annual regatta was used as a tune up by over 40 of the 80+ boat fleet that is registered for the NA' s. Light air was forecast for the weekend, and late Friday afternoon a local fleet member asked me if I wanted to crew for the weekend. What a treat! I suited up in a droop suit and a harness that could never be made snug on me and went out with the big boys! For the first three legs of Saturday's race, we were rounding marks with Olympic Star, Finn, Soling, Laser, and FD medalists, not to mention all of the America's Cup skippers and crew!

On the first day of measurement for the Star NAs, I was concerned that there may not be enough volunteers to accommodate everyone. Before I knew it, I went from handing out measurement forms to weighing everybody in. There are four women sailing in the regatta and 160 guys. Nearly 70 of the 80 all male teams are concerned about being within 100 grams of the weight maximum. After they have starved themselves, worked out, and relieved themselves, the last resort is to strip down to everything from tighty whities, to Brooks Brothers boxers, to Speedos - in front of me! They're all very friendly. I can't wait for the rest of the week to unfold. -- Lynn Fitzpatrick

November 14, U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship Title, Newport Beach, Calif. By the time the teams for the finals of the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship were lined up on Saturday, spectators were in for a treat, and the finalists didn't disappoint. The finals put the team led by Deb Capozzi up against another very strong team led by Katie Pilley-Lovell. After a hard-fought battle, Capozzi and her crew of Lindsay Bartel (Bayport, N.Y.), Kelly Hand (Vancouver, Canada) and Chantal Legler (Montreal, Canada) took home the National Championship title. The U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. and Dry Creek Vineyard was hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach, Calif., and raced on Governor Cup 21s.

It certainly was no easy win for Capozzi, particularly in the finals. Capozzi won the first race in the finals, but Pilley-Lovell - sailing with Chafee Emory (Newport, R.I.), Deb Willits (La Porte, TX) and Tara Thomas (Severna Park, Md.) - dug back in the second race to tie the series. Race 3 saw a great battle between the two, with Capozzi barely taking the win. After changing boats, the two teams went back at it. After a very exciting pre-start, Capozzi was able to control off the line, then used great boat speed to stay out in front, even with Pilley-Lovell and her team finding some great pressure and advantageous lifts. Capozzi cruised across the line to take the fourth match and win the title. Capozzi, who was on the winning boat last year, and her crew took home US SAILING's Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy as the 2006 U.S. Women's Match Racing Champions.

By winning US SAILING's U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship, Capozzi has been presented with the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy and has qualified for a position on the starting line at the 2007 Mayor's Cup, an ISAF Grade 2 event. For Pilley-Lovell, this was the second consecutive year she has won the Mrs. Charles Adams Trophy.

In the Petit Finals, Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.) and her team of Melinda Erkelens (Piedmont, Calif.), Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.) and Jo Ann Jones (Arnold, Md.) defeated the team led by Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) and her crew Kelly Dale (Long Beach, Calif.), Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.) and Amanda Callahan (Canton, Mass.).

To view the complete results of the event, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc.

Key West in January and Miami Beach in March - escape the winter chill and join racing sailors from around the world heading to South Florida for warm weather, sizzling nightlife, and the hottest racing North America has to offer. Acura Key West 2007 (January 15-19) and the 2007 Acura Miami Grand Prix (March 8-11) should be on your winter racing calendar. Important reminder: the Key West entry deadline is December 8. Miami Grand Prix classes include Farr 40, Melges 32, Mumm 30, TP52 and big boat IRC. For event details and entry information visit: http://www.Premiere-Racing.com

November 13, ISAF Annual Conference The second day of ISAF Council meetings in Helsinki, Finland brought the big issues of this year's ISAF Annual Conference to the table. With over 100 Submissions to discuss, including new classes and new courses, there was plenty of opportunity for the Council members to stretch their debating muscles.

Looking towards 2008, the Council approved Submission 064 (as amended by the Windsurfing Committee) to introduce a new media friendly Medal Race course with a slalom finish for the two windsurfer events.

Submission 079 to delete Regulation 16.1.6, which currently limits the classes from which ISAF can choose the equipment for the Olympic Games and Regional Games, was deferred. This followed the recommendation of the Events Committee, who felt the proposed removal of the regulation would have undesirable affects of the Regional Games.

One of the key topics was several applications for ISAF Class status. Two new classes were approved for ISAF Recognized status - the Musto Performance Skiff and the X-35 Keelboat. Both the RS:X and the RS Feva were approved for ISAF International Class status.

Submission 117 to introduce a form of performance reporting for ISAF Race Officials was approved with some amendments. This will provide a system to make positive reports on Race Officials, and also give a system for a formal reporting process on conduct and competence in respect of officials. In supporting the submission, Race Officials Chair John Doerr (GBR) pointed out that this will bring sailing into line with the common practice across the vast majority of other sports federations.

The Council also approved the recommendations for the 2008 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship to be hosted in Auckland, New Zealand and the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship to be hosted by Perth, Australia.

On the final day of ISAF Council meetings at the ISAF Annual Conference in Helsinki, Finland this year's hot topic, an ISAF World Cup for the Olympic Classes was given the go ahead.

After lengthy discussions on the World Cup series yesterday, it was clear that a consensus around the Council table was strongly in favour that this was the way forward for sailing.

After lengthy debate including representations from the classes, event organizers and the MNAs, ISAF Vice-President David Kellett (AUS) presented the Executive Committee proposal on the World Cup to Council which was approved by a large majority.

The proposal passed by Council is summarized below:

ISAF will establish an ISAF World Cup series for the Olympic Classes using the following events:
- Sail Melbourne
- Rolex Miami OCR
- Princess Sofia Trophy
- Semaine Olympique Française
- Holland Regatta
- Kiel Week

The intention is to commence the ISAF World Cup as soon as possible, and no later than 2008. ISAF will work with the event organizers through 2007, in order to promote the 2008 ISAF World Cup, and to consider the inclusion of the Olympic Class World Championships and a Grand Final event.

The Executive Committee will report on progress and report to the Council at the Mid-Year Meeting in May 2007 with a more detailed outline of the ISAF World Cup -- http://www.sailing.org

Page Railey, Florida, USA wins ISAF Female Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.
Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

November 8, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards. The International Sailing Federation and Rolex have announced Laser Radial Champion Paige Railey (USA) and Mike Sanderson (NZL), winning skipper of the Volvo Ocean Race, as winners of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2006.

At an Awards Ceremony in Helsinki, Railey and Sanderson were honoured for their outstanding sailing achievements between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006, when Railey won a number of major international regattas in the Laser Radial, and Sanderson led TEAM ABN AMRO to a dominant victory in the Volvo Ocean Race.

This is the second consecutive year that Paige Railey from Florida has been nominated for the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. Last year Ellen Macarthur (GBR) pipped her to the title, but still only aged 19, it would be no surprise to see Railey nominated again in the coming years. Since the Laser Radial was selected two years ago as the new equipment for the Women's One Person Dinghy Olympic event, Railey has proven herself as the sailor to beat.

With no prior experience of Olympic level sailing, the teenager's meteoric rise to the top of the sport has shocked Railey more than anyone. But her lack of experience has proven no barrier to success as she has moved seamlessly from the top of the youth sailing world to the top of the sport at senior level. Towards the end of the 2005 season Railey won the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Korea and then a few weeks later went on to win the Laser Radial World Championships in Brazil.

Railey opened the 2006 season with victories at the French Olympic Sailing Week and the ISAF World Sailing Games in Austria, although she struggled during the summer at the European and World Championships with some below par performances. However in August she bounced back in fine style, to win a challenging Olympic Test Regatta in Qingdao, the venue for the Olympic Sailing Competition in 2008. Paige Railey commented: "This comes as a shock, I didn't really think I had the chance to win. I was really excited just to be nominated again. So to win it, I can't tell you how excited I am. It has been an amazing year. Winning the World Championship in Brazil last year, I really didn't expect to win that regatta. It was my first World Championship at senior level, and when I first got into Olympic sailing I was really stressed about being immersed in that scene. I was told I'd have to work my way up from the bottom, so to get in at the top was a real surprise. This year winning the Olympic Test Regatta in Qingdao was a real high point. I was just coming out of a slump, and then I had a really good event in China.

Few teams have dominated a round-the-world race quite like Mike Sanderson's team on ABN AMRO ONE in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. Sanderson brought an understated yet authoritative leadership to the campaign, as the team spent the best part of a year learning how to tame and master the frighteningly quick Volvo Open 70 design that was introduced for this race. Sanderson's team not only came up with the fastest boat, but they knew how to sail the Volvo Open 70 better than anyone. Over eight months and 31,500 hard miles around the planet, ABN AMRO ONE won all but three of the nine offshore legs and all but two of seven In Port races.

Sanderson commented: "I'm unbelievably honoured. These awards are something I've always followed with great interest, and to follow in the footsteps of names like Russell Coutts is amazing. I don't consider myself to be in the same league, but for people to nominate me for this is a great honour.

To lead a team like ABN AMRO ONE was a dream come true. For all 12 of us who sailed on the boat, including the two guys who joined us for the In Port races, this is a very special award. We had a really special relationship, we had a great team, we got on well, and we loved doing what we were doing. The fact that we've been honoured here by the world of sailing is very cool."

November 7, Speed Sailing at Walvis Bay. The first day [November 3] on the 500m course brought some more new national records, Nick Vardalachos from Greece made it to 38.92 knots and Morten Knutsen to a new Norwegian record at 36.98 knots. Weymouth Speedweek winner Nigel Bowley is going for a new British Kitespeed record with 41.38 knots.

Zara Davis from Great Britain set a new British womens record with 37.24 knots, after several times checking the official timing video. All new records are subject to WSSRC ratification, but commissioner Michael Ellison has so far confirmed the speeds.

Top speed of the day was set by Dave White from Great Britain at 42.91 knots on his production Tabou Manta 49, directly followed by Bjorn Dunkerbeck. Also joining the 40 knots club were Alessandro Comerlati and Darren Barker -- http://www.50-knots.com

November 2, World Speed Sailing Week, Walvis Bay, Namibia. Three world records were broken Tuesday, subject to WSSRC ratification. Hennie Bredenkamp from South Africa was leading the competition with his production Fanatic speedboard most of the time, until Bjorn Dunkerbeck switched from production back to his prototypes, smashing the old record by more than one knot to 41.14 knots. Hennie is now holding the production record on the mile with 40.33 knots, which gives some satisfaction back to him but there is still a big bullet on Bjorns back now and those two are together with Dave White the hottest candidates for new records on the 500m course, which is prepared now for the next days.

Zara Davis also bettered the old women's nautical mile world record by more than one knot to 34.74 knots and Rob Munro (Cape Doctor, Naish) set a new Kitespeed world record over the mile with 35.65 knots.

On Monday Bjorn Dunkerbeck missed the overall world record by only 0.5 knots, but set a production record on the mile with 39.52 knots. Hennie Bredenkamp (RSA), Alain de Gendt (BEL), Dave White (GBR), Franz Grabner (AUT), Frank Stein (NAM), Nick Vardalachos (GRE), Thomas Doeblin (GER), Morten Knutsen (NOR), Maaike Kallenborn (NED) on the windsurfers and Juergen Geiger (NAM) as well as Rob Munro (GBR) on the Kiteboard all set new national records on the mile (records subject to WSSRC ratification).

Complete results at http://www.50-knots.com

Bitter End Yacht Club's Pro-Am Regatta, Virgin Gorda, BVI. Paul Cayard and Russell Coutts finished overlapped in the first race of the fleet racing portion of the Bitter End Yacht Club's Pro-Am Regatta, and from that point on, the other eight skippers seemed to fade a bit as the event took on the appearance of the "Paul and Russell Show." Sailing with crews composed entirely of guests of BEYC, the two seemed right at home in the IC 24s used for the event, a J/24 that has been modified with a Melges 24-type cockpit.

Cayard's worst finish was a second place, which ultimately provided him with a seven-point edge over Coutts. Ken Read missed the first four races because of airline problems, but the judges awarded him average points, which moved him into the third spot on the podium.

The event continues on Thursday with the top four Masters Division skippers from the fleet racing portion of the event (Butch Ulmer, Keith Musto, Rod Johnstone & Bruce Kirby) and the top four Junior Division skippers (Cayard, Coutts, Read & Dave Perry) tangling in the match racing phase of the BEYC Pro-Am Regatta. http://www.beyc.com

October 30, U.S. Championship of Champions, Little Rock, Ark. The U.S. Championship of Champions is comprised of 20 class champions selected by US SAILING from applications made by their class associations. The last day at Grande Maumelle Sailing Club in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday determined a new U.S. Champion of Champions. The title now belongs to Alan Field, the Martin 242 North American Champion from Los Angeles, and crew Steven Hunt (San Diego, Calif.).

Augie Barkow (Pewaukee, Wis.), C-Scow National Champion, had been in the lead since day one, but when he finished 15, 13, 11 in races 9, 10 and 11 respectively on the last day of the regatta, the lead was up for grabs. Field and Hunt were happy to step up, winning races 10 and 11. From then on, their lead was sealed and with a pair of fifth place finishes in the regatta's two last races, the title was theirs. Barkow ended up finishing third overall, behind Matt Burridge (St. Louis, Mo.), Lightning North American Champion, who posted some solid top ten finishes including a pair of firsts in race 9 and 13 to finish second overall. "It was pond sailing today" said Burridge when describing his strategy and the light and shifty conditions on the final day of the regatta. "And don't wait too late to consolidate," he added.

Although neither Field nor Hunt have any experience sailing scows, they attribute their success to two factors: Field, besides growing up in a variety of one designs including Sabots, Lidos, and Thistles, sails in the ultra competitive Farr 40 fleet. "Both the Martin 242 and the Farr 40 are like big dinghies, where very small adjustments can reap large gains." said Field. Crew Hunt admitted to tuning up his dinghy skills by sailing FJs with the Point Loma High School Sailing Team, which he coaches.

For complete results, photos and daily reports visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC. The event is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. Inc., as are all of US SAILING's National Adult Championships.

Final results (20 boats, 13 races, 1 throwout)
1. Alan Field, Los Angeles, CA./Steve Hunt, San Diego, CA:       5-2-3-3-7-5-5-6-[13]-1-1-5-5, 48 pts              
2. Matt Burridge, St. Louis, MO/Paul Hanson, Glen Carbon, IL:   3-4-1-1-[13]-12-8-8-1-6-2-9-1, 56 
3. Augie Barkow/Jeffrey Niedziela, both from Pewaukee, WI:     1-1-4-4-9-4-1-3-[15]-13-11-2-8, 61 
4. Paul Abdullah, Jacksonville, FL/Nick Turney, Toledo, OH:    5-5-7-12-1-2-4-[14]-9-2-12-3-2, 61 
5. Joe Kutschenreuter, E. Troy, WI/Colin Smith, Ft.Lauderdale: 4-7-[14]-9-11-8-9-2-3-3-7-1-10, 74

Amanda Blake and crew Sarah Mergenthaler Sunday
Photo: Rich Roberts

Pre-Trials for trhe RS:Xs and the 470s, Long Beach, CA. Stuart McNay and crew Graham Biehl in the men's 470, Amanda Clark and crew Sarah Mergenthaler in the women's 470 and Ben Barger and Nancy Rios in the men's and women's RS:X windsurfer, respectively, were winners in Southern California's final set of US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials concluding Sunday.

Barger and Rios also qualified for U.S. berths in the Pan-Am Games next year. This wasn't just a dress rehearsal for the big show a year from now when they'll compete for the sole slots in their classes to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Olympic sailing at Qingdao, China. It was worth more than that. "A whole lot more," said Clark, referring to the campaign funding available to members of the US Sailing Team. "It's an important step for us being ranked number one," McNay said.

The Southern California Pre-Trials in 8 of the 11 Olympic classes this month were the first of three ranking events for the US Sailing Team of 2007, which is now only three deep in each class instead of five as in past years so that available funds for travel, shipping and equipment may be concentrated on the cream of the crop prospects.

Also, being number one is even better because that means medical insurance, plus possibly additional grants from the Olympic Sailing Committee based on performance. Clark and Mergenthaler were ranked No. 1 the past two years but were the second women's team behind Erin Maxwell and crew Elizabeth Kratzig starting the fourth and final day Sunday. "We were under pressure to get our [number one] slot back," Clark said.

Worse, a starting violation on the first day put them in a hole they dug their way out of through six consecutive races with no finish worse than fifth climaxed by first place in the second of three races Sunday. They finished three points up on Maxwell/Kinsolving as four women's teams placed second through fifth in the combined scoring with the men---and how about that?

"These were conditions that women can do very well in," Blake said, referring to the generally single-digit winds that picked up only slightly to 8 or 9 knots Sunday. "That's what is good about the 470. We can be very competitive with men." But they feared they had blown it all in the last race when, Mergenthaler said, "we sailed for the wrong windward mark." Before realizing their error, they sailed toward a mark being used by a fleet of 70-footers racing farther offshore. Their mark had been moved because of a wind shift. "We were just trying to cover our competition," Clark said, "and fortunately our competition sailed there, too." McNay and Biehl have a temporary leg up on their strongest rivals, Mikee Anderson and crew David Hughes, who missed the first day because Anderson had an economics exam at USC. The latter won two of their seven races, but McNay and Biehl finished ahead of them in four. Anderson and Hughes wound up as the third men's team behind Justin Law and Michael Miller and seventh overall. "It made for some competitive racing," McNay said, but the best part was winning the last race. Biehl said, "We were talking about that on the final leg‹how it's always nice to finish a regatta with a first."

Barger won all nine of the men's RS:X races, while Rios posted her fifth and sixth wins in eight women's races. Although the time limit had not passed for starting another race, the 10th race was cancelled because the wind was lighter than the minimum required to protect the board sailors from overextending themselves with the physical exertion required to pump their sails.

The 470s sailed out of the US Sailing Center while the RS:Xs were based at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club down the street. Previous Pre-Trials hosted this month: Tornado, San Diego YC; 49er, Southwestern YC, San Diego; Finn, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach; Star, California YC, Marina del Rey. Complete results are available at www.sdyc.org/trials/ or directly through the links in the right-hand column. A year from now the same venues will host the formal Olympic Trials to select the one boat in each class that will represent the United States in the Olympics at Qingdao, China in 2008.

Final leaders:

470 (men and women combined; 12 boats, 10 races; 1 throwout):
1. Stuart McNay, Chestnut Hill, Mass./Graham Biehl, San Diego,      2-1-1-1-2-1-3-(5)-3-1,   15 pts
2. Amanda Clark, Shelter Island, N.Y./Sarah Mergenthaler, N.J.,   4-(OCS)-6-3-1-2-5-4-1-8,   34
3. Erin Maxwell, Norwalk, Conn./Isabelle Kinsolving, New York,      3-3-4-2-5-4-2-7-7-(9),   37

Complete results: http://www.ussclb.org/

MEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 9 races; 1 throwout):
1. Ben Barger, Tampa, Fla.,           (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1,   8 pts
2. Seth Besse, Guilford, Conn.,      (4)-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-3,   18 
3. Mark Powell, Miami,             2-2-3-(4)-3-3-3-3.5-2,   21.5  

WOMEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 8 races, 1 throwout):
1. Nancy Rios, Cocoa, Fla.,             2-1-1-1-1-(3)-1-1,   8 pts  
2. Farrah Hall, Annapolis,           1-2-2-2-2-1-2-(OCS),   12 
3. Karen Marriott, Lakewood, Colo.,    3-3-3-(4)-4-2-3-2,   20  
 
Complete results, photos and more information: www.abyc.org and www.sdyc.org/trials

Ainslie won the five-race series 3-1, winning three straight after dropping the first. Despite the loss, Baird moved into second place on the world championship leaderboard. His second place finish added 20 points to his scoreline and gives him 40 points total, 7 behind leader Ian Williams who placed 4th at the Allianz Cup. Paolo Cian and Jesper Bank are tied for third with 35 points. Ainslie slots in as 9th on the leaderboard with 25 points.

Semi-Finals
-- Ben Ainslie defeated Ian Williams 3-1
-- Ed Baird defeated Jesper Bank 3-0

Petite Finals
-- Jesper Bank defeated Ian Williams 2-0

Allianz Cup site: http://www.allianzcup.com World Match Racing Tour site: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/

October 29, Pre-Trials for trhe RS:Xs and the 470s, Long Beach, CA. A small delegation from Long Beach's Chinese sister city dropped in to watch the competition on the next-to-last day of Southern California's US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials Saturday, and the weather conditions made them feel right at home. Whatever brought the towns together as sister cities 21 years ago, it wasn't the wind, although it may have looked that way to the visitors. While Long Beach is famous for brisk afternoon sea breezes, Qingdao, site of the 2008 Olympic sailing, is already notorious for barely a breath of air.

The only real excitement Saturday came at the end of the 470 dinghy race when Erin Maxwell fell out of her boat. We're not making any of this up. It's all part of the China Syndrome that has sailors all over the world refining the art of sailing without wind. This week it's worked out well here. On Saturday the 470s managed only one race in 3-4 knots before the wind quit entirely, while closer to shore the RS:X windsurfers squeezed in a pair of short races around a patient postponement.

Maxwell, of Norwalk, Conn., is one of the stronger contenders for the U.S. berth in women's 470. Her crew is Isabelle Kinsolving of New York, who sailed to fifth place with Katie McDowell in the 2004 Olympics at Athens. Maxwell and Kinsolving were fought their way to the finish line to nip regatta frontrunners Stuart McNay and crew Graham Biehl for second place behind winners Mikee Anderson and crew David Hughes.

Photo: Rich Roberts

"We did one big roll tack (see her demo in photo at right) and I missed my foot strap," Maxwell said. "The boat hadn't even completely crossed the line before I fell out." But the finish left them in clear second place overall, although 10 points behind McNay and Biehl with three races hopefully remaining Sunday. "Isabelle and I are a pretty new team," Maxwell said, "but we're happy with the way we're going. We haven't had many bumps." Except, well . . .

The frontrunners, McNay of Chestnut Hill, Mass. and Biehl of San Diego, were reminded that they still face a dogfight with San Diego rivals Anderson and Hughes, who joined this competition a day late. The latter fought for the early lead with a brief tacking duel near the first windward mark, gave up the lead downwind but got it back to notch their first win in four races, with three remaining. "Weıre much better with their competition," Biehl said. "They overstood the mark downwind and we sailed a little faster, but we didn't do what we should have done on the second [upwind leg]."

Women's RS:X Windsurfer Farrah Hall beats Nancy Rios on Saturday.
Photo: Rich Roberts

On the Women's RS:X course, Farrah Hall, Annapolis, broke Nancy Rios' win streak at four by outfoxing her Cocoa, Fla. rival in the last race, Hall said she finally beat Rios in the conditions that favor her lighter rival by picking the better side of the course. "I was ahead and covering her, and then she and everyone else went the other way," Hall said. "Every once in a while I get lucky."

While in Men's RS:X; Ben Barger of Tampa, Fla. stretched his perfect string to six. "I'm trying to find as much training as possible in these kind of conditions. It's good practice for China" said Barger. A win here would be a big step toward earning him not only the U.S. slot for the Pan-Am Games but a chance to sail in the Pre-Olympics at Qingdao next year. The other two events counting in the latter equation are at Miami next January. "That's why this is one of the more important events," he said. "The ranking events mean a lot for all the sailors . . . medical coverage, pay for the trip to the Pan-Am Games and the Pre-Olympics.

Current Leaders:
"MEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 7 of 10 races; 1 throwout):
 
1. Ben Barger, Tampa, Fla.,     (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1,   6 pts
2. Seth Besse, Guilford, Conn., (4)-3-2-2-2-2-2,  13  
3. Mark Powell, Miami,          2-2-3-(4)-3-3-3,  16   

WOMEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 6 of 10 races, 1 throwout):
1. Nancy Rios, Cocoa, Fla.,     2-1-1-1-1-(3),     6 pts  
2. Farrah Hall, Annapolis,      1-(2)-2-2-1,       8  
3. Karen Marriott, Lakewood, CO 3-3-3-(4)-2,      15

Complete results: www.abyc.org

Current leaders:
 
470 (men and women combined; 12 boats, after 7 of 10 races; 1 throwout):
1. Stuart McNay, Chestnut Hill, Mass./Graham Biehl, San Diego,              2-1-1-1-2-1-(3),   6 pts
2. Erin Maxwell, Norwalk, Conn./Isabelle Kinsolving, New York,              3-3-4-2-(5)-4-2,  18
3. Amanda Clark, Shelter Isl, N.Y./Sarah Mergenthaler, Harvey Cedars, N.J. 4-(OCS)-6-3-1-2-5, 21
 
Complete results: http://www.ussclb.org/

That would include Seth Besse of Guilford, Conn., who was second in all three of Friday's races. "I'm a good 25 pounds heavier than him," said Besse, who scales 185. "That's a big advantage for him until the wind hits 12 knots. At 15 to 18 we're pretty close, and at 20 I'm a lot faster."

The wind picked up to 11 to 14 knots on the second day of Pre-Trials for trhe RS:Xs and the 470s that sailed on an outer course with perhaps a bit more breeze. At the other end of the scale is Nancy Rios of Cocoa, Fla., all 117 pounds of her, who has now won three of four of the women's races but has worked herself hard pumping the sail---the standard style in this class, especially when the wind is light. Afterward she needed a massage from Sean Hunt, a masseuse hired by US Sailing just for the windsurfers.

Rios noted that when it's light the women have to work harder because "the boys have bigger sails and were able to plane more. I'd like to switch for one day." "I'd like to switch [bodies] with her," Barger said. He's thinking ahead to the 2008 Olympic sailing at Qingdao, China, where the wind is notoriously light. Besse said, "The guys who won [in the recent test regatta] in China weren't over 130 pounds."

MEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 5 of 10 races; 1 throwout):
1. Ben Barger, Tampa, Fla.,          (1)-1-1-1-1,   4
2. Seth Besse, Guilford, Conn.,      (4)-3-2-2-2,   9
3. Mark Powell, Miami,                2-2-3-(4)-3, 10  
 
WOMEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 4 of 10 races):
1. Nancy Rios, Cocoa, Fla.,           2-1-1-1,      5
2. Farrah Hall, Annapolis,            1-2-2-2,      7
3. Karen Marriott, Lakewood, Colo.,   3-3-3-4,     13

In the 470s, Stuart McNay of Chestnut Hill, Mass. and crew Graham Biehl of San Diego moved well away from the pack with two firsts and a second for a 10-point lead with six of 10 races completed. But the good news for several sailors was being able to discard their worst finishes after five races. That and scores of 3-1-2 for the day jumped one of the leading female teams, Amanda Clark of Shelter Island, N.Y. and crew Sarah Mergenthaler, Harvey Cedars, N.J., into a second-place tie with Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving in combined scoring. Clark and Mergenthaler suffered a 13-point score for jumping the start line in the second race Thursday.

"Not having that helped things," Clark said. "Today was a lot of fun. They gave us a long course that let the boats spread out." Clark and Mergenthaler placed 11th in this year's women's 470 Worlds. "I like where we are in our campaign right now," Clark said.

The 470s are sailing out of the US Sailing Center while the RS:Xs are based at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club down the street. Previous Pre-Trials hosted this month: Tornado, San Diego YC; 49er, Southwestern YC, San Diego; Finn, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach; Star, California YC, Marina del Rey. Complete results are available at www.sdyc.org/trials/

A year from now the same venues will host the formal Olympic Trials to select the one boat in each class that will represent the United States in the Olympics at Qingdao, China in 2008.

Current leaders
470 (men and women combined; 12 boats, after 6 of 10 races; 1 throwout):
1. Stuart McNay, Chestnut Hill, Mass./Graham Biehl, San Diego,                (2)-1-1-1-2-1,   6 pts
2. Amanda Clark, Shelter Island, N.Y./Sarah Mergenthaler, Harvey Cedars, N.J. 4-(OCS)-6-3-1-2 16
   Erin Maxwell, Norwalk, Conn./Isabelle Kinsolving, New York,                3-3-4-2-(5)-4,  16

Nancy Rios [Coaca, FL.] shares women's RS:X lead with Farrah Hall [Annapolis, MD.]Photo: Rich Roberts

October 27, 470 and RS:X Olympic Pre-Trials open in Long Beach. Along with draw poker and American Idol, sailing is one of the few competitions where women can face off with men on equal terms. "It's wonderful," Isabelle Kinsolving said Thursday as the first day of 470 dinghy racing in the third week of Southern California's US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials turned into Ladies Day on the water.

Stuart McNay of Chestnut Hill, Mass. and crew Graham Biehl, San Diego, emerged as the early leaders with two first places and a second, but the women's teams of Erin Maxwell/Kinsolving, Canada's Jennifer Provan/Carol Luttmer and the Czech Republic's Lenka Smidova with Elizabeth Kratzig of Miami Beach as crew grace the next three positions after the first of four days' racing.

The genders are separated in the RS:X windsurfer classes nearer the beach east of Long Beach, with Ben Barger of Tampa, Fla., runnerup to Peter Wells in the 2004 U.S. Trials, posting two runaway victories on the new Olympic board and Nancy Rios and Farrah Hall swapping firsts and seconds to share the women's lead after two races.

Following morning Santa Ana desert winds up to 15 knots, the breeze shifted 180 degrees to onshore for the rest of the day but only flirted with double-digit velocity, raising the opinion that the light wind favored the women because they're smaller. Kinsolving, a slim six feet tall and an Olympic participant at Athens, wasn't buying any of that.

"None of the men's teams here are significantly bigger than the women," she said. Paul Foerster, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist who is coaching some of the women this week, chimed in, "They're just better sailors!"

Provan and Luttmer showed that when they won the first race by relentlessly holding off McNay/Biehl and Maxwell/Kinsolving on two laps around the trapezoid track. "They're our tuning partners," McNay said. "They caught a nice right shift coming off the starting line and passed everyone."

Smidova also can be expected to hold her own this week. She won a silver medal for the Czech Republic at Athens and plans to sail with Kratzig, an American, as crew at Qingdao in 2008. Kratzig said nationality will not be a problem. "I have a residence there and meet all the requirements," she said.

Other sailors have switched countries from one Olympics to another---notably, Rod Davis of Coronado, Calif., who won a gold medal for the U.S. at Long Beach in 1984 and a silver for New Zealand eight years later.

Kinsolving said she welcomes the head-on rivalry instead of separate scoring because "otherwise when you work real hard to pass a boat and it turns out to be a man, it doesn't mean as much." Barger (pronounced with a hard G, as in burger) was never challenged in his two wins. "The rest of the Americans here aren't as tuned up in the light air," he said.

The new RS:X is about a foot wider and a foot and a half shorter than the Mistral it follows in the Games, and the downside is that it's slower in light wind. "In this wind today the old board would been faster," Barger said, "no doubt about it."

The 470s are sailing out of the US Sailing Center while the RS:Xs are based at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club down the street. Previous Pre-Trials hosted this month: Tornado, San Diego YC; 49er, Southwestern YC, San Diego; Finn, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach; Star, California YC, Marina del Rey. Complete results are available at www.sdyc.org/trials/ or directly through the links in the right-hand column.

A year from now the same venues will host the formal Olympic Trials to select the one boat in each class that will represent the United States in the Olympics at Qingdao, China in 2008.

Current leaders
470 (men and women combined; 12 boats, after 3 of 10 races):
1. Stuart McNay, Chestnut Hill, Mass./Graham Biehl, San Diego, 2-1-1,    4 points
2. Erin Maxwell, Norwalk, Conn./Isabelle Kinsolving, New York, 3-3-4,   10
3. Jennifer Provan, Toronto, Can./Carol Luttmer, Kingston, Ont., 1-2-8, 11

MEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 2 of 10 races):
1. Ben Barger, Tampa, Fla.,               1-1,  2 pts
2. Mark Powell, Miami,                    2-2,  4
3. Seth Besse, Guilford, Conn.,           4-3,  7  

WOMEN'S RS:X (5 boats, after 2of 10 races):
1. Tie between Nancy Rios, Cocoa, Fla.,   2-1,  3 pts
               Farrah Hall, Annapolis,    1-2,  3
3. Karen Marriott, Lakewood, Colo.,       3-3,  6

Entry and other information is available at www.ussailing.org/olympics/pretrials/default.aspx

Allianz Cup, San Francisco, California. Italy's Paolo Cian, tied for fifth in the match racing world championship standings, leads the Group B round robin at the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle after four flights. Cian has a perfect 4-0 record at Stage 5 of the 2006-'07 World Match Racing Tour.

After Cian there's a tie for second, at 3-1, between old foes Ed Baird [USA] of Alinghi and Peter Gilmour [AUS] of PST. The wind conditions were light for Day 2 of the $100,000 regatta. The wind blew from the northeast for most of the day around 6 knots. It would build to 8 knots at times, but also drop to 4 knots or less.

Like Day 1, the current played a major factor in the racing, on the runs in particular. In a largely ebb tide starboard jibe was the fast tack, going with the 2-knot current.

Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, the world's largest enterprise software company, and a member of the BMW ORACLE Racing afterguard, completes the round at 0-4. He's competing in his first World Tour event as a skipper. In the past three years he's won the Owner/Driver series at the Moët Cup and UBS Trophy, both America's Cup Class regattas. He's also a five-time maxi yacht world champion.

Friday's schedule calls for a Pro-Am regatta in the morning, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Group B racing is scheduled to resume around 1:30 p.m. and, time permitting, the race committee would also like to start the repechage round in the afternoon.

Group B Provisional Standings Thursday (After 4 of 7 flights)
1. Paolo Cian       (ITA) Team Viano Mercedes Benz-Shosholoza, 4-0
2. Peter Gilmour    (AUS) PST,                                 3-1
T. Ed Baird         (USA) Alinghi,                             3-1
4. Jesper Bank      (DEN) United Internet Team Germany,        2-2
T. Mathieu Richard  (FRA) Saba Sailing Team,                   2-2
6. Cameron Dunn     (NZL) Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia,         1-3
T. Brian Angel      (USA) King Harbor Match Race,              1-3
8. Larry Ellison    (USA) BMW ORACLE Racing,                   0-4

Tune into http://www.sail.tv for updates and for the final rounds of the Allianz Cup 2006.

Video clip from Wednesday's sailing on YouTube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUVby_Ye1Dw

October 22, The three-day US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials, California. Morgan Larson and crew Pete Spaulding held on to win the 49er competition at San Diego, Brian Boyd rallied for the Finn title at Newport Beach and George Szabo and crew Mark Strube cruised home in the Stars at Marina del Rey as the three-day US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials wound down Sunday.

Dalton Bergan, Seattle, and crew Zack Maxam, Coronado---currently Larson and Spaulding's hottest rivals for the 49er U.S. Olympic berth in 2008---overtook them by winning the first two races on the final day. Then, as the breeze on Coronado Roads cranked up from 12 knots---best of the weekend---to a peak of 23, Larson and Spaulding won the last race to prevail by one point.

The breeze also was better with 9 knots fading to 6 at Newport Beach, where Boyd, from Annapolis, came out of a three-way tie for second with a 1-2-7 score line for the day. That was good for a three-point edge over veteran Darrell Peck of Gresham, Ore., who with five races sailed was able to discard a 40-point hit for being OCS in the first race Saturday.

First-day leader Andy Casey of Fountain Valley was another point back in third, one point ahead of Zack Railey of Clearwater, Fla., the highest-ranked US competitor. Szabo and Strube had sailed together in a 2004 Olympic campaign and this weekend marked their reunion. The Californians' only win in seven races came in the first race Friday but it allowed them to lead comfortably throughout for a final 10-point margin over Andy Horton, Shelburne, Vt., and crew Brad Nichol, Miami Beach.

"He's great to sail with," Szabo said of Strube. "Our really good first day was the difference. Now we'll go to all the events we can and see how it goes." Next October for the Trials they'll be back in their light-air comfort zone on Santa Monica Bay, where Szabo also won the Star North Americans last year.

Horton and Nichol will be waiting for them. They were fourth and the top Americans in this month' s Star Words at San Francisco but dug themselves too deep a hole with a 7-11-12 performance on the first day. They had never sailed in Southern California but plan to return next August for an intense buildup to the Trials.

Winds were 4-5 knots following a brief fog delay but grew to 8-10 for the second race Sunday. Boyd, 30, a real estate developer, wasn't at his best the last time he sailed his Finn in California. He competed in the Olympic Classes Regatta at Long Beach last spring with a cast on one hand after driving a spike through it a week earlier.

"I just tried to stay out of trouble today," he said. "There was a lot of kelp in the water and I noticed a current sheer at the windward mark that worked out for me. It felt good to be back in the boat. I'll be going back to work now but will get ramped up for a full European tour next spring and summer."

Meanwhile, Larson/Spaulding and Bergan/Maxam seem destined for a shootout over the next year. Larson in 2000 and Bergan and Maxam in 2004 just missed the Olympics with second-place finishes in the Trials. Last year Larson joined up with Spaulding, who was Tim Wadlow's crew for an Olympic fifth place at Athens.

The Pre-Trials spectacle will finish Oct. 26-29 with four days of racing for the men's and women's 470s at the US Sailing Center in Long Beach and the men's and women's RS:X---the new Olympic sailboard---just down the street at Alamitos Bay YC.

A year from now the same venues will host the formal Olympic Trials to select the one boat in each class that will represent the United States in the Olympics at Qingdao, China in 2008.

Final class leaders
FINN (39 boats; 5 races, 1 throwout):  
1. Brian Boyd, Annapolis,               (9)-3-1-2-7,   13 points.
2.  Darrell Peck, Gresham, Ore..       (OCS)-4-7-4-1,  16
3. Andy Casey, Fountain Valley, Calif., 3-5-6-(12)-3,  17

STAR (23 boats; 7 races, 1 throwout):
1. George Szabo, San Diego/Mark Strube /Corona del Mar, Calif.,  1-2-2-3-3-(12)-6,  17 pts  
2. Andrew Horton, Shelburne, Vt./Brad Nichol, Miami Beach,       7-11-(12)-1-1-4-3, 27
3.  Andrew McDonald, Laguna Beach, Calif./Brian Faith, Miami,    3-6-3-7-8-(11)-5,  32  

49ER (13 boats;  9 races, 1 throwout):
1. Morgan Larson, Capitola, Calif./Pete Spaulding, Lafayette, Ind., 1-1-2-2-2-1-3-(4)-1,  13 pts
2. Dalton Bergan, Seattle/Zack Maxam, Coronado, Calif.,            (3)-3-3-1-1-2-1-1-2,   14
3. Tim Wadlow, Beverly, Mass./Christopher Rast, Wake Forest, N.C., (5)-4-4-4-3-3-2-2-3,   25

"Definitely," Lovell said after the 39-year-old veterans posted third and first places on the final day of the Tornado catamaran competition in the US Sailing Pre-Trials Sunday. "We came back for this campaign to win a gold medal."

Lovell and Ogletree's tuning partners, Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico, finished second overall in the 12-boat fleet, five points behind the winners and three ahead of the next best American team of Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi of Florida.

Winds were a light 6 knots for Sunday's first race but built to 12 for the second, giving Lovell and Ogletree a boost in their preferred conditions. "We were able to double trapeze downwind," Ogletree said. "That was fun, and we won by about one-and-a-half minutes."

Next month their campaign moves to Argentina for the South American Tornado championships, a tune-up for the Worlds in Buenos Aires starting Nov. 18. Another major step will come in Portugal next year in their first opportunity to qualify the U.S. for the Olympics in the Tornado class. Each country must demonstrate a high level of performance in a class before any of its individual competitors are allowed to compete.

"After the Worlds we'll take a littler time to rest, then start to focus again," Ogletree said.

Next weekend (Oct. 20-22) the 49ers will be at Southwestern YC in San Diego, the Finns at Newport Harbor YC and the Stars at California YC in Marina del Rey. The spectacle will finish Oct. 26-29 with four days of racing for the men's and women's 470s at the US Sailing Center in Long Beach and the men's and women's RS:X---the new Olympic sailboard---just down the street at Alamitos Bay YC.

A year from now the same venues in San Diego, Newport Beach, Long Beach and Marina del Rey will host the formal Olympic Trials to select the one boat in eight of the 11 classes that will represent the United States in the 2008 Olympic sailing at Qingdao, China in 2008.

Final Tornado leaders (12 boats; 7 races, including one discard):
1. John Lovell, New Orleans/Charlie Ogletree, Kemah, Texas  2-1-1-1-1-(3)-1,   7 points
2. Enrique Figueroa/Jorge Hernandez, Puerto Rico,           1-(3)-2-2-3-1-3,   12  
3. Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi, Florida,                    3-2-(13)-4-2-2-2,  15

The first of the two day event was postponed with a strong front bringing winds exceeding 40 MPH. The second day saw a cloudless sky with winds in the 10-15 range. Sam Williams from Bay Head won the Club 420 with 14 points, with Taylor Lutz of Houston placed second, also with 14 points.

420 Class Series:
1. Sam Williams      Bay Head Yacht Club (OCS)-1-5-1-1-6	 14
2. Taylor Lutz       Lakewood YC    (TX)   1-2-2-4-5(DNS)	14
3. Elizabeth Whipple Manhasset Bay  Y.C.   3-(7)-3-2-7-5	 20

Laser Radial:
Best Southwest
17. Jeff Strebel     Lakewood Yacht Club, Seabrook, Texas.

October 9, U.S. Match Racing Championship, Fort Worth, TX. It all came down the final race on the final day of the U.S. Match Racing Championship on Saturday, hosted by Fort Worth Boat Club. A face-off between the team representing Pequot Yacht Club led by Dave Perry and the team led by defending champion Brian Angel representing King Harbor Yacht Club went to the max, as the best out of 5 series went to 2-2.

In the deciding race, Dave Perry and his crew Terry Flynn and Chris Museler came out ahead of Brian Angel and his crew Michael Delanty and Payson Infelise to take home the title. This marked Dave Perry's second U.S. Match Racing Championship title, after previously winning it in 1982 (when he represented Yale Corinthian Yacht Club).

The Petit Final, the battle for third place, turned out to be just as exciting as the competitors went to the best-out-of-three limit. The Bayview Yacht Club team led by Nathan Hollerbach, who won the Championship just three years ago, edged out over Benz Faget's team representing Southern Yacht Club. Hollerbach had set the stage on Friday starting off the Petit Final with a win in the first race, but Faget came out prepared on Saturday-morning to tie the series 1-1. In the final race, Hollerbach came roaring back to win the race and take third place.

Final results:
 1. Pequot Yacht Club:      Dave Perry, Terry Flynn and Chris Museler
 2. King Harbor Yacht Club: Brian Angel, Michael Delanty and Payson Infelise
 3. Bayview Yacht Club:     Nathan Hollerbach, Evan Jahn and Micheal Rehe 
 4. Southern Yacht Club:    Benz Faget, Dave Bolyard and John Duffy
 5. King Harbor Yacht Club: Scott DeCurtis
 6. Bayview Yacht Club:     Chris Van Tol
 7. King Harbor Yacht Club: Steven Natvig
 8. Rush Creek Yacht Club:  Jake Scott
 9. Larchmont Yacht Club:   Jon Singsen
10. SouthernYacht Club:     Devon Sweeney

October 7, Wells Fargo Private Bank Star World Championships, San Francisco, California. In a classic nail biting finish Friday, where one small wave would have made a difference to the points standing between those fighting to take home a gold star today, New Zealand won its first Star World Championship.

The trophy went to skipper Hamish Pepper and crew Carl Williams, with 19 points on the board. Racing got underway just after noon in cold, gray and cloudy conditions, with the breeze a steady westerly of 10-12, with occasional puffs to 15 knots.

Peter Szasz, St Francis Yacht Club Regatta Chairman, commented, "We're thrilled to congratulate Hamish and Carl on their victory today. It's been an extremely demanding week on the water and our accolades go out to every competitor." Peter continued, "With the 2008 Olympics just around the corner, this has been one of the most exciting events ever hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. With the unusual weather delivered to us this week, the Berkeley Olympic Circle proved it's worth as a world-class course location, providing demanding conditions that have kept this international fleet of sailors focused and challenged throughout this 6-day series. We know that this is an excellent sailing venue to host a future summer Olympics event."

Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Bruno took second place (22 points), while defending champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (FRA), took third place (23 points), Andy Horton and Brad Nichol (USA), took fourth (30 points), and Fredrik Loof and Ander Ekstrom (SWE), took fifth place (40 points).

Top ten Friday:
 1. Hamish Pepper / Carl Williams,     NZL, 1-(20)-4-1-5-8     19 points
 2. Robert Scheidt / Bruno Prada,      BRA, 6-4-(13)-5-3-4     22 
 3. Xavier Rohart / Pascal Rambeau,    FRA, (14)-5-5-2-8-3     23
 4. Andy Horton / Brad Nichol,         USA, 2-9-1-(32)-9-9     30
 5. Rohan Lord / Miles Addy,           NZL (33)-13-12-13-1-1   40
 6. Flavio Marazzi / Martin Kozaczek,  SUI, 3-2-10-11-(46)-14  40
 7. Flavio Marazzi / Martin Kozacrek   SUI, 4-1-14-(15)-12-15  46
 8. Mateuse Kuznierewick/Domonik Zycki SUI, 17-10-(67)-21-4-7  59   
 9. Jim Buckingham / Mike Dorgan,      USA, 13-23-19-4-2-(40)  61
10. Marc Pickel / Ingo Borkowsky       GER (43)-35-2-9-20-5    71

October 7, SUNFISH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, Charleston, South Carolina: The Charleston wind gods nearly took a powder Wednesday as 96 Sunfish sailors waited out on the harbor for two and a half hours before a light southeasterly breeze finally filled in and the competition ensued. The race committee staged two five-leg, windward-leeward contests today, the first with a fierce two-knot ebb moving across the course, and the next one with a burgeoning flood tide that caused the fleet to get unusually spread out, with many sailors finding it difficult to lay the weather mark.

Texas sailors at the Sunfish Worlds were: Gust - RCYC; Collins - Dallas; Saavedra - RCYC, V. Manning & P. Manning - Austin YC

  With the breeze ranging between 6 and 10 knots all day, and relatively flat water for most of the afternoon, the conditions on the racecourse were none-the-less demanding. Not too surprisingly, it turned out to be a very good day for regatta leader David Loring, who consolidated his spot at the top of the leaderboard by posting two top-three finishes (2nd and 3rd).

Loring's elation was due to the fact that he now sits with a 28-point margin over his closest competition- David Mendelblatt of St. Petersburg, Fla. Loring has 15 points, and Mendelblatt has 43. If the race committee can accomplish seven races by the end of the event on Friday, then the competitors will have the option to throw out their worst race. In Loring's case, that's a sixth place. For Mendelblatt, that would be an 18th that he picked up during Tuesday's first race.

Despite Loring's good fortune on the water, the day really belonged to Mendelblatt. The 36-year-old opthamologist led each of the day's races, exhibiting superior speed and good tactics.

Top ten of 96 places
 1. Loring,         USA,  1-1-2-(6)-2-3-4       13 points
 2. Mendelblatt,    USA, 3-(13)-18-7-1-1-2      27
 3. Whitehurst,     USA (13)-3-13-1-4-11-3      43
 4. Stanton,        ISV  (12)-4-3-9-9-9-9       55
 5. Gust RCYC Texas USA, 21-14-7-3-8-2-(34)     55
 6. Delgado,        GUA 6-11-14-11-(18)-10-6    58
 7. Colmenares,     VEN, 7-5-(31)-10-24-5-16    67
 8. Jones,          USA 15-8-(35)-16-28-18-1    86
 9. Clifton,        USA, 2-28-(36)-4-26-7-19    86
10. WIllard,        USA, 9-15-10-8-(54)-20-33   95

October 5, Wells Fargo Private Bank Star World Championships, San Francisco, California: Hamish Pepper and crew Carl Williams (NZ) stole racing Wednesday, leading the rock star fleet around each mark to finish in first place overall in Day 4 of the Wells Fargo Private Bank Star World Championships. Fellow New Zealanders Rohan Lord and Miles Addy, while taking 11th today, move up the ladder to 2nd place overall.

Sailors were presented with the most challenging day thus far in the competition with gray skies, flat water, occasional rain and the lightest of air. The start was delayed while the St Francis Yacht Club race committee was forced to move marks to adjust for some significant shifts. The breeze never realized more than 8 knots from the west with lows of 3-5 knots during racing - tricky sailing even for the local guys.

Title defenders, Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (FRA), took second place today, Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell (GBR) picked up their performance for a third, with Jim Buckingham and Mike Dorgan (USA) taking fourth place. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) took fifth.

Hot favorites, youngsters Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom (SWE), are making their come back and sitting comfortably in 10th overall.

With much at stake in this competition, there have been some serious disappointments during the starting sequence. Today saw a general recall at the first start and the second a Z-flag start.

Head of International Jury, Ralph Roberts, commented, "The biggest thing is that San Francisco is losing its image as a heavy weather venue. Everyone measured in their heavy weather sails because it purportedly never blows under 20 knots here. It's just been challenging for everyone however this is the best fleet I've ever seen. While it's been difficult, at the same time this contest is made for those who are training for Beijing."

Top ten:
 1. Hamish Pepper / Carl Williams,     NZL, 26 points
 2. Rohan Lord / Miles Addy,           NZL, 26
 3. Xavier Rohart / Pascal Rambeau,    FRA, 26
 4. Robert Scheidt / Bruno Prada,      BRA, 28
 5. Flavio Marazzi / Martin Kozaczek,  SUI, 34
 6. Andy Horton / Brad Nichol,         USA, 44
 7. Jim Buckingham / Mike Dorgan,      USA, 59
 8. Daniel Stegmeier / Beat Stegmeier, SUI, 69
 9. Afonso Domingo / Bernardo Santos,  POR, 71
10. Fredrik Loof / Anders Ekstrom,     SWE, 71

International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Rankings for Olympic Classes, Newport, RI. Hello Everyone [from Anna Tunnicliffe] as many of you already know, I'm now the top-ranked woman Laser Radial sailor in the world, 93 points clear of my nearest competition. In the rankings a year ago I was in 17th place but I had already improved on that and moved up to #2 in the previous rankings announcement in August.

One of my friends was quick to point out that I'm the only American ranked Number One in any of the 11 Olympic Classes and asked me how it feels. After a year's hard work, with some mixed results at times, I have to admit that it feels very good indeed. I'm really psyched. Of course it's just a ranking and when it comes to racing you still have to perform.

I'm writing this from Newport, RI, where I've been training for the last couple of days in preparation for US Sailing's Olympic Pre-Trials to be sailed here October 11-15.

We're sailing out of the parking lot on Newport's Third Beach and so far we've had two really good training days in classic Newport 12-15 knot breezes and good waves. I've been training here with Tania Elias-Calles from Mexico. This weekend coach Luther Carpenter is conducting a team training camp and next week my college coach Mitch Brindley is arriving to be my personal coach for the series.

The raw numbers in the rankings don't show the extremely strong position of the US in the Radial Class 22 months before the Olympics in Qingdao. My American team mate Paige Railey, who previously topped the rankings, dropped to third place after she was knocked out of this year's Radial World Championships. Paige posted strong results in other events this year and our battle for the US Olympic berth in the Radial Class over the next 12 months promises to be epic.

I can't finish this note without saying a huge thankyou to all my supporters and sponsors, especially Carmeuse. I draw strength from your messages of encouragement, and I wouldn't be at this level in my training regimen without your financial support.

For more information, check my website at www.annatunnicliffe.com.

The rankings are at http://www.sailing.org/rankings/publishrankinglist.asp?rankdd=4&rankmm=1 0&rankyy=2006&clscode=W-LAS&clsdesc=Laser+Radial+%2D+Women%92s+One+Perso n+Dinghy++

My sponsor, Carmeuse, is at www.carmeusena.com

Until next time,
Sail hard, Anna

Photo: Wells Fargo Bank Star World Championship

October 4, Wells Fargo Private Bank Star World Championships, San Francisco, California: Day 3 [Tuesday]. A breezier day brought plenty of action to San Francisco Bay on Day 3 of the Wells Fargo Private Bank Star World Championships. A delayed start while the breeze kicked in was worth the wait to see a solid 11-12 knots at the gun. After two general recalls, the Z flag was raised and at the 3 rd start, 8 teams were called over early. Protests were subsequently filed and are under review by the jury.

The westerly breeze was steady during racing at 14-15 knots. Andy Horton and Brad Nichol (USA), took first, ahead of Marc Pickel and Ingo Borkowski (GER), in second. Mark Reynolds and Hal Haenel (USA), took third, followed by Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams (NZ), in fourth. Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (FRA), took fifth.

Said Reynolds, "We had a good start, tacking very quickly to the right. It was a little better to go right but not much. We lost the Germans on the second beat who then went more south on the second run, while Horton (USA) went back to the right as the wind shifted. We missed both shifts on the second beat but were able to stay in the top three. Those guys are a little faster than me downwind."

At the end of racing Nicolas Rosas (ARG), was on the dock at the St Francis Yacht Club furiously pumping water from the boat he and Juan Kouyouumdjian are racing. Hit on their port aft quarter off the start by Bill Buchan and Erik Bentzen (USA).

Day 2 on the Berkeley Circle today. A moderate westerly breeze of 10-12 knots prevailed although the start was delayed several hours due to a dense marine layer suffocating the breeze earlier in the day. The cloud burned off about 2pm bringing brilliant sunshine and steadier conditions. Reading the shifts was the answer to success on the course with competitors reporting very shifty conditions at the outset of racing.

Taking first place on Day 2 was the Swiss team of Flavio Marazzi and Martin Kozaczek, with Rohan Lord and Miles Addy from New Zealand in second. In third place was the Swiss team of brothers Daniel and Beat Stegmeier. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada took fourth, with Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau of France in fifth.

Arriving in town late last week and sailing on a 12-year old chartered Star, the Stegmeier brothers are elated with their success so far, currently sitting in 7th place overall.

Top ten - at end of Racing Tuesday:
 1. Andy Horton / Brad Nichol,          USA, 12 points
 2. Rohan Lord / Miles Addy,            NZL, 15
 3. Flavio Marazzi / Martin Kozaczek,   SUI, 19
 4. Robert Scheidt / Bruno Prada,       BRA, 23
 5. Xavier Rohart / Pascal Rambeau,     FRA, 24
 6. Hamish Pepper / Carl Williams,      NZL, 25
 7. Daniel Stegmeier / Beat Stegmeier,  SUI, 39
 8. Mark Mendelblatt / Mark Strube,     USA, 49
 9. Iain Murray / Andrew Palfrey,       AUS, 54
10. Jim Buckingham / Mike Dorgan,       USA, 55

October 3, The 2006 Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina Sunfish World Championships, began with a bang Monday as ninety-eight sailors from 16 countries were treated to relatively steady east-southeast winds for two, five-leg races. Charlestonian David Loring, the 1995 world champion in this class and chairman of this regattaıs organizing committee, showed incredibly consistent boat speed by winning both races. His margin of victory in the first contest was 55 seconds. He won the second race by a similarly convincing margin.

The competition was almost without incident, though one sailor did capsize (Jacob Donkersloot of the U.S.), and at least two protests had been logged by 6:00 p.m. As most observers might expect, the fleet did suffer one general recall during the second race. ³That was a real break for me,² explained Loring afterward. "I was buried, and I probably would have wound up in 60th place if there wasnıt a general recall in that one. It really taught me a lesson. There's no reason to start in a crowd in this 100-boat fleet. I'm much better off finding clear air somewhere else down the line and using my speed to get out front."

The action resumes tomorrow with Race No. 3 scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. The forecast calls for northeast winds in the 10-15 knot range on Tuesday, which is good news for Loring and those sailors who favor stronger winds. -- Dan Dickison, http://www.sunfishworlds-2006.com.

September 29, 30th Annual Houston In-The-Water-Boat, Watergate Yachting Center.

Show hours Saturday 10 a.m. - 7:30p.m. & Sunday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

200 vessels moored dockside and two colorful air-conditioned tents with exhibits

Experts are available to discuss financing options, insurance, marine engines, electronics and much more.

September 28, The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex announced today that US Sailing Team member Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) has been named to the shortlist of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award. The only USA sailor on the shortlist, Railey joins ten other world-class sailors nominated for this prestigious award. This is the second consecutive year that 19-year-old Railey has been named to the Sailor of the Year shortlist. The winners will be announced on November 7 in Helsinki, Finland.

The 121 ISAF Member National Authorities - the national governing bodies for sailing around the world - will now be invited to vote for the one female nominee and one male nominee whom they feel deserves the honor of receiving the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

Railey was recognized for the World Sailor of the Year award for her outstanding performance in the Laser Radial during the nomination period (September 1, 2005-August 31, 2006).

"Ever since the Laser Radial was selected as the women's single-handed dinghy for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, Paige Railey has shown the world that she means business," reads the announcement by ISAF. "At her first event in the current nomination period she claimed the 2005 Laser Radial World Championship title in Brazil and went on to claim five more top spots at ISAF Graded events in 2006."

The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award is not to be confused with US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award, for which nominations are currently accepted at www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex. These awards are specifically for U.S. sailors and the eligibility period is for the 2006 calendar year.

For more information on the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award, Railey's accomplishments and the other sailors named to the shortlist, please visit the ISAF website at www.sailing.org.

The board of directors of the Quantum Sail Design Group confirmed today that founder and managing partner Larry Leonard is stepping down and relinquishing his role in the day to day operations of the company. He will continue to be a minority share holder.

Leonard and his partners started Quantum in 1996. Today the company is the second largest sailmaker in the world, with more than 60 locations in 22 countries.

"This was a very difficult decision," said Ed Reynolds, president and a founding partner. Reynolds was named president of Quantum in 2005. "Over the past three years our structure has changed from a collection of sole proprietorships to a unified, global corporate entity. Quite simply, we have been unable to come up with a way to redefine Larry's role within the company that is acceptable to all parties."

Co-founder and partner Farley Fontenot* said: "We acknowledge and appreciate all the contributions Larry has made in helping create the Quantum Sail Design Group. It is due in part to his original vision that we owe the strength of our current position. Quantum has gone through a period of unprecedented growth and is today enjoying a period of financial and market success that would have been impossible without the groundwork he helped lay. We look forward to continuing growth and innovation in the years ahead."

* of Seabrook, Texas.

Quantum Sail Design Group designs, engineers and manufactures sails for racers and cruisers who demand the highest levels of quality and performance. Quantum has achieved a leadership status in the sail making industry by offering highly differentiated quality products supported by an uncommonly high level of personalized customer service, recognized expertise, professionalism and an exhibited passion for development of the sport of sailing. Quantum sails are available through more than 55 lofts located throughout the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, Europe, South Africa, South America, Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

ELISSA Youth Seamanship Program. Texas Seaport Museum's annual Youth Seamanship Training Program aboard ELISSA, the Official Tall Ship of Texas, is still welcoming new participants at its second session this Saturday, September 30 at 9 a.m.

Any interested person between the ages of 11 to 17 is invited to attend with no obligation for further participation. Youth who join the 129-year-old ship's volunteer crew not only learn the skills required to sail this ship, they also become part of the team that keeps her in seaworthy condition. They will work alongside and learn from masters of centuries-old technologies, like sailmaker Jim Brink, who designed and built the sails used in the Hollywood productions Master and Commander and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Parents or guardians should accompany any new children to meet the youth seamanship training leaders and to read and sign necessary paperwork allowing the children to work onboard the ship. All Saturday seamanship training sessions begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., during which time youth participants are not permitted to leave the site. Youth are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. The Texas Seaport Museum is located at 21st and Harborside Drive on Galveston Island. ELISSA is docked next to the museum.

Those children who go on to participate in the 14-session program become an integral part of the ELISSA crew. (Participants are required to attend at least 10 of 14 every-other-week sessions.) Children who complete the program will have the opportunity to serve as crew members when ELISSA sails in the spring. The seamanship training program is free of charge (except for the purchase of a Youth Crew shirt), but requires a commitment of time to attend at least the 10 mandatory sessions. The sessions are held every other Saturday running through mid-March.

For more information or the complete schedule for the Youth Seamanship training program, contact John Schaumburg, ship manager or Kurt Voss, director, Texas Seaport Museum, at 409-763-1877.

2006 IFDS Blind Sailing World Championship, New York Yacht Club, Newport, Rhode Island.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalists:
B1 Division (6 Sonars):   
NOR Thomas Johannesen/Jostein Stenevik/Stian Soltvedt/Jon Lystrup 1-5-3-2-(6)-2-2-3-1-1-2-2-1-1 26 pts
NZL Rob Aislabie/Dave Allerton/Wayne Holdt/Simon Holdt            4-1-4-(5)-1-4-3-1-2-2-1-4-2-2 31
USA-Mass Sengil Inkiala/Deborah Keating/Ken Legler/Lisa O'Connor  2-3-5-1-2-3-1-5-3-3-4-3-(6)-4 39

B2 Division (7 Sonars):   
NZL Paulien Eitjes/Dick Lancaster/Gary Smith/Scott Burling        1-(3)-2-1-1-2-1-1-3-1-1-2-1-1 18
GBR Lucy Hodges/John Simpson/Chris Sinclair/Gary Butler           2-1-(3)-2-3-1-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-3 27
USA-Mass Matt Chao/Nina Kagan/Bill Rapp/Peter Frisch              3-2-5-4-2-3-5-3-1-(6)-3-1-4-4 40

B3 Division (6 J/22s): 
USA-FL J.P. Creignou/Jan Bartleson/Colin Park/Patty Forrestel     2-1-1-1-2-1-1-(3)-1-1-2-1-1-1 16
GBR Gary Kirby/Toby Davey/Martin Moody/Ian Shirra                (5)-2-3-4-1-2-2-2-4-2-3-2-3-5  35
NZL Eddie Moree/Shannon Leslie/Brian Trubovich/Tony Poolman       3-3-(4)-2-3-4-3-1-3-3-1-4-2-4 36