Team USA sails to historic victory

Yesterday in the San Francisco Bay, Oracle Team USA clinched the trophy in sailing’s greatest race, America’s Cup. The team narrowly knocked out Team New Zealand, who won four of the first five races. To regain its momentum, Oracle modified its boat, brought Sir Ben Ainslie aboard and proved its worth in dramatic fashion by winning eight races straight. In the final race, the team beat New Zealand by 44 seconds. The teams competing in the Cup are highly international, comprising Brits, Kiwis, Aussies, Americans. Emirates Team New Zealand was backed by a Dubai-based airline. Ainslie, a four-time British Olympic champion, worked brilliantly with skipper James Spithill and strategist Tom Slingsby – both Aussies – to turn the team’s fortunes around in what some are calling the most dramatic comeback in the history of the sport. “What a race it had everything,” Spithill told the BBC. “Man, these guys just showed so much heart.” He continued, “On your own you're nothing, but a team like this can make you look great. We were facing the barrel of a gun at 8-1 and the guys didn't even flinch. Thanks to San Francisco, this is one hell of a day.” Although the race ended with Oracle lifting the trophy – the Auld Mug – the Kiwis, led by skipper Dean Barker, put in a strong performance and clearly took the lead early on. Things began to change, however, when they began to have trouble dealing with strong winds. “It's obviously very hard to fathom. We went out there to give it our absolute best shot,” Barker said. “We felt we didn't leave anything on the table. When you're sailing against a boat going that fast it's very hard to swallow. It’s very frustrating. The gains they've made are phenomenal.” “I'm incredibly proud of our team and what they've achieved but I'm gutted we didn't get the last win we needed to take the Cup back to New Zealand.” Oracle also won the America’s Cup in 2010, clinching the mug from the Swiss team Alinghi in this extremely upper-crust competition. The winner each year determines the format, venue and timing of the next Cup. The specifications for this year’s Cup, laid out by the winners in 2010, were unique. Larry Ellison, billionaire Oracle co-founder who sponsors the team, and Oracle team captain Russell Coutts decided that the teams would use 72-foot catamarans with rigid wing sails. This change allowed the teams to reach speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. Some critics did not support this change, especially when Oracle’s catamaran capsized in the San Francisco Bay this May, killing two-time British Olympic medalist Andrew Simpson. Some referred to it as a “billionaire death match.” But the Cup is clearly about much more than money. Ellison “is obviously financially involved, but that’s not as important to him as the risk that he took in staging this spectacle on San Francisco Bay, in these high-tech catamarans, where nobody thought it was going to take hold, and now it’s taken hold in a bigger way then I think he had dreamed,” said Julian Guthrie, a San Francisco journalist who wrote The Billionaire and the Mechanic. “You're hitting near freeway speed – over 50 miles an hour,” San Francisco sailor Kimball Livingston told CBS. “These are the fastest boats ever built. We've never seen anything like this in any kind of sailing boat, much less the America's Cup.” An additional change this year: the races were held closer to shore, allowing easier access to television studios eager to increase audience interest in the sport, which has waned over the years. Faster boats and slicker televised coverage could be a winning combination for the future of the event.

Wayfarer Dinghy Cruise, Scotland May 2013

Tobermory 4 , Isle of Mull

Tobermory 3 , Isle of Mull

Tobermory 2 , Isle of Mull

Tobermory 1 - Isle of Mull

Cold Weather Sailing Tips

Take more clothes to the club than you think you might need. Carrying them should warm you up for a start! If your sailing wardrobe is inadequate, raid the cupboards for an old fleece or two. And it may be time to get the credit card out Basic principle: Never under-estimate the cold - it's far easier to strip a layer off if too hot than heat yourself up if you get chilled If your boat lives ashore rather than on a mooring, dress warmly in civvies whilst you rig up, including extra layers, hat, gloves, etc. No harm in sneaking thermals under the jeans or putting a (dry) sailing waterproof on together with your coat But if it is also chucking it down with rain, get the sailing gear on first Rig with a sense of purpose, this is no time for faffing about. If someone fancies a chat, save it for the changing room. Move the boat out of the wind if practicable. Check the toe-stap strings and the like - this is hardly the day for gear-failure to induce a swim Eat well before going afloat - this is not a time for low blood-sugar levels. And use the toilets too. Stripping-off to answer nature's call whilst out in the elements is not going to help keep you warm I have a theory that your head is a good source of wind-information. But if it aches with cold, forget that. Put on at least a beanie hat and better yet a balaclava - or both! Don't over-heat in the changing room, get sweaty then immediate freeze as you walk outdoors. Save putting on the last couple of layers until you have left the changing room, perhaps even until you go outside Don't wade into the water to launch if you can avoid it. If you really have to go deep water paddling regularly, get yourself a drysuit. Making the crew do it to save yourself is unacceptable Take an extra layer or two afloat - but store them somewhere dry - in an accessible tank or a dry-bag Don't wear leather sailing gloves - they keep your hands wet, which sucks the heat out of you. There are several alternative materials Do some gentle exercise to get the blood flowing Don't launch too early But once afloat, get busy. Don't sit there feeling miserable If you must hang about (due to general recalls for example) heave too and get out of the wind as much as you can. Also, if possible, sail to somewhere sheltered but not too far away from the start If you fingers get cold, suck them - you will be amazed Do some more gentle warming up afloat around the time of the 5-minute gun Do not be psyched out by the weather - embrace it and laugh; doing so will give you a real edge on the miserablists Light airs and cold are the biggest challenge all that sitting still If you come ashore feeling really cold, get warmed up, showered and changed before packing the boat up (but do take the sails down first)

A MUM has praised the yachtsman who taught her autistic son how to sail.

Carley Chamberlain, 26, was full of praise for Micky Early, 27, for his “time and patience” in helping her seven-year-old son David to develop. Now, just months after starting sailing at the Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club, David has gained the confidence to get in a boat on his own. Carley said David, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, began sailing at Easter. She said the help he had received from Micky, who is the training principal at the yacht club, had made a real difference. She said: “He did not socialise well so I started bringing him to the yacht club and he has been a completely different child ever since. He gets really into the sailing. He gets really focused on it. “Micky has taught my son for the past few months how to sail which isn’t easy as he is autistic.” “He has had the time and patience to give him one on one tuition for free. He has also done a lot for Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club as a volunteer,” added single mum Carley, from the King Oswy area of Hartlepool and who works as bar staff at the yacht club. She was so impressed, she has nominated Micky in the coach of the year category of the Hartlepool Mail Sports Awards. Micky, a member at the yacht club since he was ten, has loved helping David as well as dozens of other fledgling sailors. He said: “David’s progression is outstanding every week. He has gone from being scared of sitting in a boat with lots of people to getting in a boat by himself. He pushes himself every week.” Micky’s help has extended to all sections of the public. He’s held courses for students from High Tunstall, Dyke House, and Owton Manor Schools and said: “Hopefully, we are getting more primary schools in.” And when told he’d been nominated for an award, he said: “It’s nice to be recognised but I don’t really think about awards. I just do what I do.” Club commodore Barry Hughes said: “Micky is one of the best coaches on the North- East coast.” He said Micky had organised a family open day at the club which had been a huge success and another one was planned on September 14.

Matt Bugg starting Rio Paralympic campaign

London 2012 Paralympic sailor Matt Bugg leaves for Europe today to start the first stage of his campaign to represent Australia at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, sailing in the International 2.4R class. His first event will be the British open championships this coming weekend at Poole Yacht Club in Devon on the south coast of England which will host the 2.4mR open world championship in early September. The Tasmanian, who finished a creditable seventh overall at the London Paralympics, will be joined at Poole by his coach, Richard Scarr, and two other Australian 2.4mR class sailors from Canberra, Mark Duram and Michael Leydon. The Australians will then train with the British team before heading to Kinsale in Ireland for the IFDS Disabled Sailors World Championships from 22-30 August. This will be the first major Paralympic event following London 2012 with 120 disabled sailors from 20 countries expected to attend the regatta. 'We expect that Matt will be sailing in a fleet of 45 2.4.mRs, the single-handed Paralympic keelboat, while other Australians will be competing in the Sonar and Scud classes,' coach Richard Scarr told ‘The Mercury’ before flying out from Hobart on Sunday. Following the IFDS worlds, Bugg will return to Poole for the International 2.4mr Open championship for both disabled and fully able sailors. 'He will be facing 80 boats starting off the one line,' Scarr added. 'We have spent the past six months getting in some intense sailing on the Derwent, working on sail development, technical improvements to Matt’s boats and on race strategy, working with the other 2.4mR sailors from Canberra. 'Next year will see some more heavy race programs, including the first Paralympic qualifying regattas for Rio, to be sailed in Canada,' Scarr added.

Disabled Sailing Festival returns to Rutland

Sailors with a wide and varying range of disabilities will again descend on Rutland Water for the 7th RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta this weekend (10-11 August). Sponsored by Sport England and the Joan Braithwaite Sailing Trust, the regatta is the largest of its type in the country with competitors coming from all over Britain, and in some cases Europe, to compete in one of 10 classes. The event attracts sailors with a huge array of ambitions, from those who are relatively new to racing or simply enjoy competing to those with serious Paralympic aspirations. Rutland Sailing Club has hosted the regatta since its launch in 2007, and home club, Rutland Sailability, will as always have a strong contingent at the event, with some 15 local competitors bidding to make home advantage count. Debbie Blachford, RYA Sailability Manager, said: “We love bringing the Multiclass Regatta back to Rutland each year. It’s a great piece of water to accommodate more than one fleet and it’s a very accessible club with good facilities, great for networking and lots of interaction between the classes. “The regatta is a fantastic showcase of the talent we have within the disabled community and it’s a great social event too with many spectators coming along to support and meet other disabled people who share a common interest in the sport. “The whole ethos of Sailability focuses on the acceptance that everyone is different and it’s what each individual can do, not what they can’t, that can be nurtured into a lifelong involvement in sailing.” More than 60 volunteers, most based locally at Rutland Sailability, plus a number of RYA Sailability Regional Organisers and helpers from the country’s many different Sailability groups, will also be on hand to assist with the running of the regatta and help the sailors on and off the water. Debbie added: “The invaluable help of the Rutland Sailability group makes the event happen. Boat launchers, tractor drivers, RAF safety boats and crew, tea makers and all the rest, they are the spirit of Sailability.” The weekend kicks off with a race training day on Friday, offering on-water and shore based training sessions for both newcomers and more advanced sailors. A full day of class racing takes place on the Saturday before day two of racing on Sunday and the weekend culminating with prize-giving, including awards for the top boat in each class and the Ken Ellis Trophy for the overall champion of champions. Richard Parker will be travelling from Switzerland to compete in the Neo 495 class. He said: “We choose to come to the Multiclass Regatta as it’s a great opportunity to sail with other boats, see other classes on the water and to meet other people.” RYA Sailability is the national programme, run by British sailing’s national governing body, which encourages and supports people with disabilities to take up the sport and helps clubs to develop facilities to deal with a wide and diverse range of abilities. Sailing is one of the few sports in which able-bodied sailors and disabled sailors can participate on equal terms. The 10 different boat types being contested at the event are Challenger, Access, 2.4mR, SKUD 18, Laser Stratos, Artemis, Neo 495, Kinsman, Squib and Sonar classes. For more information about RYA Sailability and the Multiclass Regatta visit www.rya.org.uk/programmes/ryasailability or contact the Sailability team on 0844 556 9550 or at sailability@rya.org.uk

At Cowes Week - Alex Thomson nails it!

In an unexpected twist, solo Round-the-World Yachtsman, Alex Thomson, who was the sailor least expected to win ahead of the race, nailed it taking the speed title and £1,000 for 'Sported' - the UK’s leading sporting legacy charity of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. However it wasn’t easy for Alex, as he fought off strong competition from Olympic windsurfing medallist, Nick Dempsey and the Moth, raced by Olympic gold medallist, Paul Goodison. Sam Lutman-Pauc, more comfortable in extreme kitesurfing conditions and long distance speed challenges struggled with the short racecourse and ripping tide. 'That was great fun! Paul Goodison is officially a lunatic on the racecourse, was not giving even an inch of any boat. I didn’t expect to win but really I owe it to the two guys onboard with me, grinding away, so they can take all the glory not me. But, it was great to win the £1,000 prize money for Sported, looking forward to handing it over to them.' Commented Alex, who in January became the third only ever British sailor to podium finish at the Vendee Globe. The race was delayed due to the light wind, but the four guys finally got up and out at around 18.00. The conditions in the Solent were challenging and tricky, the wind varied from 10 to 15 [knots], with two to three [knots] of current and a strong tide that went in the same direction as the wind. But, second placed Nick Dempsey on his windsurfer enjoyed the battle 'all day there’s been no wind and we really didn’t know if we would actually be able to do [the race], so after all the preparation and excitement, when the wind came in it was amazing. It was close, Goody (Paul Goodison) and I had a brilliant first reach, we were neck and neck, but when we gybed and headed up for the second lap, the wind had shifted a bit and we couldn’t get back up to the next mark in one tack, so we had to double-tack. Everything I Iost there meant that Alex was just getting further and further ahead, but it was still so close! There was a lot of current out there today, it wasn’t easy. It was a really good race, very exciting amazing to race next to Alex in Hugo Boss.' Paul Goodison, best known for his skill in the single-handed Laser dinghy, reached 18 knots once up foiling 'It was a great race, really good fun to be out there with all the other guys burning around at different speeds. I thought I won the start, had a nice lead going down the first leg. Nick was a little bit faster and started reeling me in, and then just before the gybe mark I got quite a lot of weed on the foils. Had a bit of a nightmare gybe and then really struggled to get on the foils coming back. I had to stop, capsize the boat on it's side and clear the weed off, which is never fast. Watching Nick sail away from me was pretty disappointed. Alex obviously did well but I want a rematch in the flat water so we can have some real action! Classic race though, and all for charity as well!'

Women sailors take on the challenge of the Rolex FastNet Race

This year’s Rolex Fastnet Race will see a number of women sailors taking part, when the world’s largest offshore race sets sail from Cowes on Sunday 11th August. With the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s flagship event breaking new records in terms of the size of its fleet, this biennial race from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland and back around the Isles of Scilly to Plymouth, has attracted several well known women to take part. Spindrift 2 largest boat The largest boat on the start line will be the 40m trimaran Spindrift 2, which as Maxi Banque Populaire in 2011 completed the course in just 32 hours 48 minutes. Since the last race, this, the fastest offshore boat in the world, has been sold to the Franco-Swiss Spindrift racing team. Her new co-skippers are Yann Guichard and Dona Bertarelli, whose brother Ernesto Bertarelli has been involved with the America’s Cup with his Alinghi team. Spindrift 2 is obviously gunning to beat the existing record but putting up a challenge will be Vendee Globe competitor, Dee Caffari on Oman Air-Musandam. Seventh Fastnet for Dee Caffari For Dee this will be her seventh Fastnet, her first having been as skipper of Group 4 in 2001. In 2007, her IMOCA 60 Aviva had to pull out with a ripped mainsail and a very sick Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent on board, while last time she was on Steve Ravussin’s MOD70, Race for Water. Dee, who this year joins Sidney Gavignet’s team on Oman Air-Musandam said, “I’d never done the race that quick before in my life, so I am really delighted I’m back on a MOD70,” Omani sailor Raya Al Habsi As part of Oman Sail’s efforts to develop women’s sailing in the sultanate, Omani sailor Raya Al Habsi will also be competing on board. She has previously competed in Sailing Arabia – The Tour in 2012 and 2013. As to their prospects this year Oman Air-Musandam will be up against another MOD70 in the Seb Josse-skippered Edmond de Rothschild. Dee remembers two years ago when her crew match- raced another MOD70 Veolia Environnement for the entire race. “I am really looking forward to being back in that intensity again” she said. Overseas boats Of the 350+ boats competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race this year one third of the fleet, 119 boats are from overseas. The boat having travelled furthest is Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Men’s Business 3.5, from Adelaide in South Australia. 3.5 refers to how the boat’s original hull was chopped away from the deck, and somehow replaced with an upgraded design four foot longer, now up to 51ft. This dramatic modification worked, for in 2010 she won the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Secret Men’s Business 3.5 rates well under IRC and is expected to be a strong contender for the overall IRC prize. Looking for a hat-trick Looking for Rolex Fastnet Race honours will be Bella Mente, Hap Fauth’s Mini Maxi which will be trying to beat Rán 2. Niklas Zennström’s team on Rán 2 will attempt to become the first to ever win the Rolex Fastnet Race three times in a row: Bella Mente is a newer generation Judel-Vrolijk design and beat Rán 2 to the Mini Maxi World title last year so this will make for some very interesting racing. On the 11th August there will be a succession of starts for the various classes, with the full starting sequence taking two hours.

Jeanne from Ealing (uk) is the oldest woman to sail around the world

THEY say third time is the charm and that was definitely the case for intrepid pensioner Jeanne Socrates who broke a world record earlier this month. The 70-year-old from Ealing is now the oldest woman in the world to sail non-stop around the world unassisted after two failed attempts. After nearly nine months crossing the most dangerous stretches of open water in the world, Mrs Socrates is now back on dry land after getting back safely to her starting point of Victoria, British Columbia at around 2am on July 8. Mrs Socrates, a grandmother of three said: “I feel great. Lots of friendly people have been coming by to see me here or emailing. I got a lovely welcome on arrival, even though it was 2.20am. “It was eight and a half months of very mixed sailing and conditions, from the usual Southern Ocean strong weather, with even stronger stuff occasionally. “There were also way more periods of calm weather than I’ve experienced in my two previous Southern Ocean crossings, which is why it took a lot longer than I’d expected as originally I’d hoped for something like seven months sailing time.” Although she was by herself during the entirety of her trip, Mrs Socrates said she never felt isolated. She said: “I got lots of emails and also had frequent radio contact with people in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada, all of whom were very supportive and friendly. “The best moments were frequent, like being far across the Southern Ocean with lots of birds around, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, prions, all getting uplift off the big swell. “The worst moments were definitely when I had to climb the mast on my way down towards Cape Horn. It was really tough – I had to dig deep to force myself to get to the top, despite the motion of the boat trying to fling me off the mast frequently. “I would be very tired and covered in deep blisters on my fingers and bruising on my arms from grabbing hand-holds and clinging on for dear life.” “It feels good to know I’ve finally managed to achieve the non-stop round-the-world trip after my previous two unsuccessful attempts and can cross it off the list and relax, with no deadlines in sight.” Mrs Socrates said she hopes to be back in Ealing soon, but only for a short while as she has plenty of work to do on her vessel, Nereida. “I can’t afford to be away from her for too long at present. I have no plans for any particular celebration on my return but it will be good to see family and friends,” she said. Despite making history on the waves, she has no plans to stop sailing, adding: “I’m planning to get the boat repaired, although that will take quite a time because there’s so much to do, and I’m looking forward to organising Nereida for plenty of relaxed cruising in warm places over the next few years.” She added she is also busy collecting donations for Marie Curie Cancer Care. You can find out more at her website www.svnereida.com.