Britain completes sailing team for London Olympics by filling last 3 available spots

The British Olympic Association has confirmed the Royal Yachting Association’s nomination of 2008 veterans Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes in the 49er class. Alison Young will make her Olympic debut in the Laser Radial event. RYA Olympic manager and sailing team leader Stephen Park says “we’ve got people who’ve got potential to medal in every single event. We’ve never had that before.” The BOA also rounded out its Paralympic team with the addition of Helena Lucas.

Kiteboarding to replace windsurfing at 2016 Rio Olympics

Kiteboarding will make its Olympic debut at the 2016 Games in Rio after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) dropped windsurfing. The decision has been met with surprise and frustration within windsurfing and an online petition has been set up to keep it as an Olympic discipline. British sailing's John Derbyshire said: "We're disappointed for windsurfing. "[But we are] looking forward to working with kiteboarders to develop the talent pathway for this new event." The decision was made by the ISAF at a meeting in Italy on Saturday and Derbyshire added: "While an exciting prospect for a new discipline, the decision to replace windsurfing will of course be a huge blow to the windsurfing community. Kiteboarding v windsurfing •Kiteboarding - a wind powered surface watersport using a kite and a board to move across the water. •Windsurfing - a wind powered surface watersport using a sail attached to a board to move across the water "We're disappointed for all those who are working at the coal face of the Royal Yachting Association's windsurfing programmes to deliver activity and British success on the world stage who will be affected most by this decision." However, he added: "Kiteboarding made a solid case for its Olympic inclusion at the March trials and, although a surprise that ISAF has voted it into the Olympic programme at this stage, it appears they wished to seize the opportunity, rather than wait until 2020." Britain's Bryony Shaw, who won bronze in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics, said on Twitter: "Windsurfing is me... I am windsurfing!" before adding: "My focus on London now seems heightened!! New discipline for Rio... New challenge...!" Compatriot Nick Dempsey, who was fourth in the men's event four years ago, commented on Twitter: "Wow, unexpected. That was a big decision and a very sad day for windsurfing. My heart goes out to all the aspiring champions and kids with dreams of windsurfing at the Olympics." Meanwhile, following sailing equipment trials held in Santander, Spain in March, the 49er FX was chosen for the new two-person women's skiff discipline while the Nacra 17 will be used in the two-person mixed multihull event.

How sailing helped autistic boy

Last year, Bonnie Monroe searched tirelessly for a summer camp that would enroll her autistic son, Mark. She found Clearwater Community Sailing Center and Rich White, an instructor who taught Mark to sail. "Rich told me to bring Mark out," recalled Monroe. "After Mark went out with Rich in a Hobie, he said, 'I'm ready to sail, Mom, let's go.' Rich didn't know about working with children who had autism, but he was willing to learn." The encounter changed Mark's life forever and became the catalyst for Camp Awesome, a new summer camp at the Sailing Center that will be aimed at helping children with disabilities. This evening, the center at 1001 Gulf Blvd. on Sand Key will hold a silent auction and cocktail party to raise money for the camp. "We will start out this program in a small but phenomenal way and work up to the best way of moving forward," said Sue Steward, the Sailing Center's director. "I'm overwhelmed by the amazing local support and donations we've received." Mark Monroe, 12, has high functioning autism. By the end of last summer, not only had he learned to sail and paddleboard by himself, he had joined the Sailing Center's regular summer camp activities. "After meeting him and evaluating him to make sure I could teach him, I started with one-on-one instruction three half-days a week," said White, the sailing instructor. "Within two weeks we went to full days. Mark is amazing. Not only does he sail alone, but he has become much more social." Monroe was so pleased, she told White she wanted to stay connected with the Sailing Center and become a member. "That's when the idea about a program that reached out to the community began," said Monroe. She wants to help make the sailing program for children with special needs a success. She's working for it to become financially self-sustainable and able to offer help for families that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Young carers get on board sailing barge

A PROJECT designed to give young carers a bit of their childhood back, has allowed eight youngsters to embark on a trip onboard an historic Thames sailing barge. The Rotary-sponsored trip left from Faversham's Harty Ferry on Friday as part of a two-day voyage to Gravesend, stopping off in Southend. The young carers, aged 12-16 from Faversham, Sittingbourne and Sheppey, were able to take the wheel of The Cambria, which was re-launched after undergoing a £1.5million makeover last year. Rotary Club District Governor Lynn Mitchell said: "We had an idea to do a project for young children and we felt there were a lot of forgotten young carers out there. "It means that they can just switch off, they can just forget and get their childhood back. Last year one of the trips was forced to leave at night and everyone came back and said it was just magical. "Now we are looking to have static weekends in the creek for the little ones who might not have the strength to steer it." But it's not all been plain sailing. Rotarians from 56 clubs across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, raised £20,000 to sponsor 10 trips this year. Some of the total came from Rotary clubs across Whitstable, Herne Bay, Canterbury and Faversham. Chairman of the Cambria Trust Bruce Richardson said he hoped the excursions would become part of the "bread and butter" of the barge's activities for the next three years, and explained that the Rotary's symbol would now decorate its sail. He said: "We want to help communities. We piloted the trip last year and the young carers had a ball. "For us it's so satisfying to see how much they're enjoying it. It's a brilliant project that really chimes with needs of our time as we rely on the work done by these people." The youngest sailor onboard was 12-year-old Jack Pike from Sheppey. He cares for his mother, who is limited by a back injury, and his brother who suffers from ADHD and autism. As the ship set sail he said: "I'm absolutely excited about this. I have sailed dinghies and boats but nothing like this before! "At home I spend a lot of time cleaning to help my mum and have to look after my brother because he can be a bit of a handful!" The trip was supervised by David Lloyd from Rotary and David Scoones from FACES, an organisation supporting carers in East Kent and Canterbury. He said: "These kids have to grow up quickly and for the older ones who have left school it can be a full time job, so it's nice to give them this opportunity."

Blind Sailor to sail the Irish Sea

This summer sees blind adventure-athlete Mark Pollock and local sailor Tiffany Brien aim to sail across the Irish Sea to raise money for the Mark Pollock Trust and Belfast Lough Sailability. Sailing across the Irish Sea would be a big enough challenge for any regular sailor, but for 36-year-old Mark, who has been blind since the age of 22 and paralysed in a freak accident in 2010, this challenge is quite significant. Luckily enough, Mark is not shy of a challenge. He has survived sub-zero Antarctic temperatures to become the first blind person to reach the South Pole, suffered scorching heat running six marathons in the Gobi Desert in one week, and has even competed at high-altitude in the Everest Marathon. Mark has competed against many able-bodied athletes, including Olympic gold medalists, Special Forces personnell and professional explorers, such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, all in a world of total darkness. After a threatening fall two years ago, Mark is fighting against his spinal cord injury, with the aim to defy the odds to walk again. The Mark Pollock Fund hopes to raise enough funds to assist with the capital and on-going costs associated with his spinal injury, including new wheelchairs, a team of care specialists and physiotherapy equipment. Mark says: “This will be my first big physical challenge since I was paralysed so I am really looking forward to giving it my best shot. I used to sail before my accident so I can’t wait to get back out on the water.” The challenge is scheduled to take place at the beginning of June, where Mark and Tiffany will be sailing in a specially designed SKUD Yacht that Tiffany purchased for the Belfast Lough Sailability following her individual challenge in 2007. She said: “Mark is a real inspiration so I am honoured to have the chance to participate in this challenge alongside him. His determination is infectious and I have no doubt we will achieve our goal of crossing the Irish Sea to raise valuable funds for the Mark Pollock Trust and Belfast Lough Sailability.” Belfast Lough Sailability helps those people with disabilities to learn new skills, while being able to enjoy the art of sailing, with the potential to reach their goal of taking part in the Paralympic Games. To support the Mark Pollock Irish Sea Challenge you can donate online at www.irishseachallenge.co.uk.

Sailability

'Untrained' sailors who bought £3,000 yacht on eBay hit the rocks on their 'first' voyage

Two 'untrained' sailors who bought their yacht on eBay smashed their boat onto rocks after getting lost just 400 yards into what was believed to be one of their first voyages. The hapless pair went out in their £3,000 24ft vessel but were soon left teetering on a reef near the entrance to St Peter Port harbour in Guernsey. These unnamed sailors had 'little or no knowledge' of the area or sailing and were attempting to move the yacht from one marina to another - only 700 metres away - when they ran it aground in the dark. Unaware of the rocks until their pale blue boat Ardel crashed into them, they were forced into a Mayday emergency call to the coastguard and a lifeboat was sent to rescue them.

Weymouth 2012 Sailing

Thrills,Spills and Close Racing to Open America's Cup World Series in Naples

Naples opened in spectacular fashion on Wednesday as strong winds and big waves created menacing racing conditions. The AC45 catamarans, powered by their powerful wing sails, were leaping out of the water, launched into the air by the heavy sea state. It's cool, the sailing is pretty awesome, you can't complain when you're sailing in conditions like that," said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, who sits at the top of the leaderboard after two fleet races. "But it's very challenging for the boats and very taxing for the crew. The goal was to get back to the dock in one piece, which we did - it's nice to be back in good shape." Barker and his team clawed back from deep in the fleet in race one to finish in third place. In the second race, they were able to secure a win, putting them on equal points with ORACLE Racing Spithill who also have a 1-3 on their scorecard. Barker's team gets the nod on the tiebreak by winning the last race. Close behind are two teams who put in an outstanding performance on a challenging day. Team Korea, with young skipper Nathan Outteridge sailing his very first AC World Series regatta posted a 4-2 to sit equal on points with Energy Team, who mirrored their score. "We couldn't expect much more than that," Outteridge said. "The big guns are ahead of us. But we're overachieving compared with expectations, so we're very, very happy." Not surprisingly in the difficult conditions, there were teams who finished the day less content. Terry Hutchinson was leading his Artemis Racing team to a solid second place in the first race when both bows buried in impressive fashion as he rounded the top mark. The front of the boat kept going down, the wind pushing the wing over, until they capsized. "It was a balance between racing the boat hard and not putting ourselves in a position of risk," Hutchinson explained. "I don't really feel like we put ourselves at risk but still we ended up on our side. It's just very frustrating… Luckily no one's injured, but the wing is absolutely broken… It's a real bummer, the boat was so well prepared and sorted for the regatta, and we've been going well in training, so all in all a pretty big disappointment." China Team too suffered minor damage to its wing and didn't finish the first race, or start the second. ORACLE Racing Bundock suffered some damage to one of its hulls after flying off a wave and landing hard in race one, which ended their day. But skipper Darren Bundock said he was confident his shore team would have them ready to race for Thursday. Both Luna Rossa crews, making their AC World Series debut turned in solid, if not spectacular performances to sit mid-fleet after the first day. The program for Thursday starts with Match Racing, the pairings determined by today's results, followed by two Fleet Races and the Fleet Racing Championship continues. The first Match Race start is 1330 local time (CEST). Provisional Standings after Day One: 1. Emirates Team New Zealand (Skipper: Dean Barker) 2. ORACLE Racing - Spithill (Skipper: James Spithill) 3. Team Korea (Skipper: Nathan Outteridge) 4. Energy Team (Skipper: Yann Guichard) 5. Luna Rossa - Swordfish (Helmsman: Paul Campbell-James) 6. Luna Rossa - Piranha (Helmsman: Chris Draper) 7. ORACLE Racing - Bundock (Skipper: Darren Bundock) 8. Artemis Racing (Skipper: Terry Hutchinson) 9. China Team (Skipper: Fred Le Peutrec)

Berry Creek couple talk about seafaring life

To some, living at sea and sailing the world might seem exotic. To Robert Lipkin and his wife Jody it can be humdrum, but they're living a dream. For him, it's one more chapter in a life filled with adventure. "When you're out in a storm in the middle of the ocean, a lot of people would think it's an ordeal," said Lipkin, who returned home to Berry Creek from a sailing trip Monday. "For me, that's when the juices start flowing — when you're alive." Bob Lipkin, 68, is widely known as longtime sailor and author Bob Bitchin, whose 68-foot ketch, Lost Soul, will be open for guided tours Saturday and Sunday at the Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show at Jack London Square in Oakland. When they aren't sailing, the Lipkins live on 40 acres atop a ridge near Berry Creek that boasts a splendid view of Lake Oroville. On Tuesday, the two talked about life at sea, and his exploits before that. "For 20 years, I rode on motorcycles and wrote about the outlaw life," he said. "I sold my bike in '86, and haven't looked back." It was Tommy Chong* of Cheech and Chong fame, who nicknamed Lipkin "Bob Bitchin" when the two worked out together at a gym in Santa Monica in the 1960s. The name stuck for good when Cheech referred to it in the movie, "Up in Smoke." Using the name professionally and as his biking moniker in the '70s, Lipkin wrote and published two magazines, "Biker Magazine" and "Tattoo." He later sold those to the publisher of Easy Rider. Change began in 1979, when he went to Tahiti with a friend. The friend ended up staying. Lipkin flew home to work on the magazines. The friend wanted Lipkin to join him and some others who wanted to set out sailing, but at the time he couldn't. "I owned a head shop," Lipkin said. "I was working evenings at the store and days on the magazine." One day, he was having lunch at the harbor where he lived and saw a "for sale" sign on a 51-foot boat. He bought the boat, and hasn't been the same since. "I loved it," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "It probably saved my life. Back in the '70s I did drugs. You can't do drugs and sail." "I was there when the motorcycle lifestyle was starting ... but it got to the point when (I thought), 'Nah'," he said. "I didn't like it when it changed. But I love adventure." Jody, 53, met Bob in the late '80s when she was bartending at the Portofino Yacht Club. "I said, 'Wow, I wouldn't want to run into him in a back alley'," she said. "He was rough looking." They've been together for 20 years, married 15. In 1993, the couple set sail for Samoa, the South Pacific, the North Pacific and the Caribbean. He said they sailed 75,000 miles in 10 years, "the equivalent of sailing three times around the world." Lipkin said that when you're out at sea, only 18 to 20 days are spent sailing. After that, they'd anchor and sail through various islands. Since he has always been a writer, Lipkin began another magazine while sailing, called "Latitudes & Attitudes." He recently sold it, but still has an interest in it and writes. They also produce a television show of the same name, but they're looking for a network to run it. He has also published seven books. Through the magazine, the Lipkins started an endeavor called Share the Sail, where readers can sail with to such places as Greece, Thailand, Tahiti, New Zealand, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Northwest. Lipkin found their property near Berry Creek 10 years ago through a friend, bought it, and built their house six years ago. "We love it in the mountains," Jody Lipkin said. "For sailors, they need open spaces. Sailors love the mountains." The seafaring lifestyle isn't idyllic, the two said. "The picture of it is probably better than the reality," Bob Lipkin said. "It's not the escape people think it is. It's 90 percent boredom, and 10 percent sheer terror." "It's a quiet, calm, free way of living," Jody Lipkin added. Most of the time at sea, their thoughts are on who will keep watch, their schedule, maintaining the boat, whether they've checked in with officials at their next stop, and "what's for lunch." They have met some rough seas, including a 10-day storm. The boat was once hit by a water spout in the Atlantic Ocean. Another time it was knocked down by an 80-foot wave in Hawaii. "When it happens, it may be scary, but that's what you remember," Bob Lipkin noted. "That's the adventure. The adventure begins when something goes wrong." Bob Lipkin has an adult son (his daughter died), six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. When he's home, he spends five or six hours every day working. He doesn't plan to retire, but he does plan to take a motorcycle trip with friends at his 70th birthday. He admitted he's "immersed in sailing." Still, the two enjoy their time at home and on land. "When you're out there and a storm comes in, you prepare for it," he said. "When a storm comes here, we put a log on the fire." "It's nice to have both," she concluded. "I'm thankful to have land and a beautiful piece of the ocean. I love both."

As Gold Medalist Found Out, More Coverage Is Mixed Blessing for Sailing

Ben Ainslie of Britain is on the cusp of becoming among the most decorated Olympic sailors ever. A victory in his Finn dinghy on his home waters of Weymouth at this summer’s Olympics would give him four consecutive gold medals, tying the sailing record of Paul Elvstrom of Denmark. So successful was Ainslie that there was speculation he could lead the British delegation at the opening ceremony in London. One thing could have stopped Ainslie, the clear favorite: his temper. At the Finn world championships in December in Perth, Australia, Ainslie was disqualified from two races after an altercation with a media motorboat driver and a cameraman. The penalty cost him a sixth world title. He was cited under the sport’s Rule 69, a sportsmanship violation akin to receiving a red card in soccer. The penalty led to reviews and investigations by governing bodies in Australia and Britain and by the International Sailing Federation. Britain’s Royal Yachting Association and sailing federation had the power to suspend his eligibility for the Olympics. All eventually cleared the way for Ainslie, 35, to continue his Olympic quest, with the International Sailing Federation announcing its decision last month. But the incident in Australia brought into focus the sport’s relationship with television coverage, which it desperately needs but which sailors have struggled to adapt to. From the current Volvo Ocean race to the America’s Cup and Olympics, sailors’ every move and sound are now being recorded. NBC recently acquired the rights for next year’s America’s Cup, which will be the first one broadcast on network television since 1992. “Sailors are not used to playing their game under the spotlight,” said Gary Jobson, the president of U.S. Sailing and an ESPN and NBC commentator. “Sailors have a long history of salt-and-pepper language. If sailors as a whole want media coverage, they have to be accepting.” Ainslie, having just started his own America’s Cup team, said that the use of helicopters and motorboats to capture the racing was important for the future of the sport, but that “there just has to be clear boundaries and a mutual agreement between the sailors and the media.” According to several international judges, verbal and even physical altercations between sailors in races are not unusual. But the fight between Ainslie and the camera boat at the 2011 world championships was. In the ninth race of the 11-race series, Ainslie was straining as he rocked his boat and pumped the sail rapidly while trying to overtake Pieter-Jan Postma in first place. On the final leg, a camera boat, broadcasting the racing live, weaved in front of him to get a close-up of Postma, and possibly slowed Ainslie’s boat with its wake. Inspection of images of the incident and reports by witnesses revealed that after finishing second in the race, Ainslie raced to the camera boat, jumped aboard, grabbed the driver and shouted at him. He then moved to the cameraman, lifted him, and yelled at him before pushing past and diving into the water to retrieve his boat. In sailing, misconduct is dealt with by the broadly written Rule 69 under the international Racing Rules of Sailing, which deals with competitors accused of “gross breach of a rule, good manners or sportsmanship,” or who “may have brought the sport into disrepute.” Standard rules infractions between boats are handled through written protests by competitors, and are heard by a committee or jury off the water. Rule 69 violations result in penalties given to individuals, not boats, in a regatta. Juries are not required to act on a Rule 69 report, but can initiate a hearing themselves. On shore, Ainslie and the camera crew apologized to each other. According to the event manager in Perth, John Longley, the media boat violated race guidelines for support boats. But the international jury at the championship held a hearing and decided that Ainslie committed “gross misconduct.” The jury disqualified him from Race 9 and the subsequent Race 10, in effect ending his run at the title.

The GPS built JUST for sailing with Bluetooth Wind Monitoring

One of the problems of using GPS chartplotters on a sailboat is that it is extremely difficult to calculate accurate arrival times given the amount of tacking often involved. Now there's a purpose-built Sailing GPS that not only accounts for the tacking that sailboats do, but can can tell you the optimal tacking angles and your Tacking Time to Destination (TTD). Standard GPS chartplotters do not account for the fact that sailboats tack back and forth, so it makes sense that if they don't know your tacking distances, how can they calculate your Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) correctly? The Sailing GPS solves this problem. It displays exactly how far each tack is, how long it will take to sail each tack, and the optimal tacks to arrive earliest. Pretty amazing. You can also use Google Maps to easily mark waypoints, connecting via Bluetooth with the Sailing GPS, which is much easier than manually entering long strings of numbers for the latitude/longitude of multiple waypoints. The Sailing GPS can even learn the unique "polar plots" for your individual vessel. This is not just a generic polar plot for all sailboats of a certain type, or estimates from a simulation - the Sailing GPS learns your unique vessel's actual performance on all different points of sail. It can then calculate your optimal tacking routes and Tacking Time to Destination (TTD). Later, you can transfer the polar plot data via Bluetooth to a PC, if you want to see your boat's unique speed profile across wind angles and wind speeds. SailTimer Inc., the manufacturer of The Sailing GPS, received final patent approval in March of this year for its pioneering R&D. "This technology is a big step forward for sailors" said Dr. Craig Summers, the President of SailTimer Inc.: "People assume that since GPS satellites can pinpoint our location on the Earth, everything shown on a GPS chartplotter must be very accurate", said Dr. Craig Summers, the President of SailTimer, "but if you head upwind on a tack, standard GPS units view your tack as cross-track 'error'." "They also don’t account for tacking distances in your ETA, and even if your speed remains constant VMG decreases all by itself the longer you stay on the tack. In the digital age, sailors need a GPS that displays simple, safe, correct information." The new patent, titled 'Navigational Planning and Display Method for the Sailor's Dilemma When Heading Upwind', was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office this year, and originally filed in 2006. The navigation functions in The Sailing GPS include support for the new wireless, solar-powered SailTimer Wind Vane which will be available this (Northern Hemisphere) summer, offering the ability to continuously update your optimal tacks with real-time wind data via Bluetooth. The Sailing GPS comes with a free waterproof DryPak soft bag with tie-downs. Unlike smartphones and tablets, the Sailing GPS is just as easy to see in direct sunlight, and with polarized sunglasses on. The screen of the Sailing GPS is protected by Lexan, which is very strong and won't break if it's dropped, and ... it floats. The polycarbonate Sailing GPS case is scratch- and UV-resistant, small enough for a coat pocket, and durable enough to remain unharmed with a bit of rough treatment, which is much easier than trying to protect and view an iPad in the cockpit (and the ETA won't go blank every time you tack). The Sailing GPS displays your tacking angles in a diagram and in degrees for each heading, but is not intended to replace a chartplotter. Nevertheless, even fully-equipped cruising yachts will not have the features provided by The Sailing GPS, including the quick and easy display of your optimal tacks and Tacking Time to Destination (TTD). The Sailing GPS costs US$399 and can be purchased online.

Sailing adventures to Greece and the Galapagos

Call it a ‘sail sale’: G Adventures (formerly GAP Adventures) is offering up to 50 per cent off Greek Island sailing adventures, as well as discounts for sailing trips through the Gulf of Thailand, the Galapagos Islands and the Maldives, plus kayaking excursions in destinations as diverse as Crete, Yellowstone and Brazil. It’s all part of the company’s ‘Bazaar’ sale, an ongoing promotion with new deals every two weeks. In the Greek Islands, itineraries range from eight to 15 days on small but comfy yachts - it’s just you, the skipper and seven other ship-mates - from Athens to Mykonos, (April 29 departure), Santorini to Mykonos (May 13), Santorini to Kos (May 6) and more (promo code G12GRKSAIL50). In the Gulf of Thailand, four and seven day itineraries are sale-priced at 20 per cent off (promo code BZ-THAISAIL20). Both the Galapagos and the kayaking trips are on sale to the tune of 15 per cent (BZ-GPS15 for the Galapagos and BZ-KYK15 for kayaking). And the Maldives discount comes in at 10 per cent, for seven-day cruises (BZ-AFMS10). The booking deadline for the Greek Islands sale is April 28, and for the rest, it’s April 9. See www.gadventures.com.