Vendée Globe 2008-9: More Drama as Riou Rescues Le Cam

The scene of VM Matériaux’s capsize, showing the missing keel bulb. Image copyright Marine Chilienne/Vendée Globe.

by Véronique Teurlay and SailRaceWin

At 1421 (GMT) Vincent Riou on PRB arrived at the scene of VM Matériaux’s capsize. Riou reported that he found the yacht floating upside down, missing its keel bulb, but a small ‘flag’ was visible at one of the through-hull fittings on the bow of the upturned yacht. Riou shouted for Le Cam and heard a response from the French skipper inside the capsized boat.

The stern of VM Matériaux, where there is an emergency escape hatch, is underwater.


VM Matériaux is down at the stern, upside down. Image copyright Marine Chilienne/Vendée Globe.

While the Chilean navy was on the way to the scene, with a RIB and divers, Vincent Riou communicated that he had recovered Jean Le Cam on board PRB at 1910 GMT.

Jean, dressed in his survival suit, left the upside down VM Matériaux all by himself. At the fourth attempt to pick up Le Cam on passing, an outrigger on PRB caught in the remaining part of the keel of VM Matériaux and broke. In the mess, Jean Le Cam managed to climb aboard PRB, but the two men had to get clear of the upturned hull and tack quickly to ensure that PRB's mast did not fall down! (It was leaning at 30° initially.) They are currently sailing on starboard tack on a course of 110° with three reefs in the main and no headsail, while making a repair. Armel Le Cléac’h, who had also reached the place, is following in their wake on board Brit Air.

"It's an incredible story that has finished well", according to Alain Gautier, the safety consultant of the Vendée Globe.

Vendée Globe 2008-9

A-Cat Worlds 2009: Glenn Ashby has one hand on sixth A-Cat Crown

A-Cats after the start. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

by Rob Kothe

Australia's Glenn Ashby performed brilliantly today in Races 4, 5 and 6 of the A-Cat Worlds at Belmont, on Lake Macquarie.

All three races for the 94-boat fleet were sailed in similar 10-12 knots conditions, perfect for these high performance catamarans.

The fourth race of the 2009 A-Cat Worlds was one for the history books with three Australian Tornado (multihull) Olympic champions competing. Ashby, the Beijing Olympic Tornado Silver medallist (with Darren Bundock) won the race from Gosford's Scott Anderson, the Australian 1984 Olympic Tornado Silver medallist and the Australian 1996 Olympic Tornado Bronze medallist Andrew Landenberger.

Ashby won the second race of the day, Race 5 of the series, from Bob Baier, the top German A-Cat sailor and Steve Brewin, the second ranked Australian.

In the third race (Race 6) Baier won from Ashby with Dave Brewer in third.

With racing back on schedule after the first day was blown out due to high winds and with six races in the series now completed, tomorrow marked as the reserve day, has been declared a lay day.

One drop has been taken into consideration in the progressive scores. In the case of Glenn Ashby this is a lowly third.

With one further drop coming into play after the next three races, at this point in the regatta it appears that Glenn Ashby only has to get another 'keeper' to become unbeatable and claim the A-Cat World Championship title for the sixth time.

Here is how the day unfolded.

At the start of Race 4 Glenn Ashby and Steve Brewin started right, near the Committee boat.

Andrew Landenberger was first to the bottom mark, followed by Ashby and Brewin, who had come in from the right hand side of the course. James Spithill picked up 30 seconds around the right hand mark, zipping across from the left to avoid gas from the oncoming fleet.

The wind shifted fifteen degrees to the right, causing Principal Race Officer Moor to shorten the race at the bottom mark after two laps.

First across the line was Glenn Ashby, followed by Scott Anderson, Andrew Landenberger, Steve Brewin, Ben Deed, and James Spithill.

As Race 5 began there was a 10-degree wind shift to the left, to 080 degrees, as the fleet came down the run; Brewin was first to the bottom mark ahead of Bob Baier. Next came Manuel Calavia (ESP), then Ashby, Tom Slingsby (AUS), Brad Collett (AUS) and Nathan Outteridge (AUS).

At the second bottom mark Baier lead the fleet, followed by Ashby and Calavia.

A big finish from Ashby produced another win for the champion sailor. Next came Baier followed by Brewin, Calavia, Anderson, Brewer and Outteridge.

In Race 6 there was, in the last minute, a stack up of boats above the Committee boat.

The Spaniard Manuel Calavia started above Glenn Ashby. Below him was Steve Brewin and this group won the start.

Early in the first beat there was a shift to the right and on the run the breeze shifted back again. Germany's Bob Baier was the major beneficiary; Brewin the big loser as he lost eight places in the lap. Baier led Ashby round the bottom mark with Brewer in third place.

By the next lap around, these three boats had cleared away from the fleet and stayed in the same order until the finish.

Bob Baier had a convincing win finishing about 100 metres ahead of Glenn Ashby. Dave Brewer came a very solid third ahead of Luc Du Bois (SUI) and Manuel Calavia (ESP).

A-Cat Worlds 2009

Vendée Globe 2008-9: Le Cam Update

by SailRaceWin

It is understood that a tanker is now alongside the upturned hull of Jean Le Cam's boat, VM Matériaux, while two other race competitors should arrive in the vicinity within the next few hours. The keel of VM Matériaux is reported as missing, which appears to be the cause of the boat's capsize.

The boat's position locating beacons were set off several hours apart, which suggests that Le Cam is inside the hull, awaiting rescue. Conditions in the area do not permit going alongside the upturned hull at present, with 25-30+ knot winds and a 3-4 metre swell.

Vendée Globe

Vendée Globe 2008-9: Two round the Horn; Le Cam in Distress

Michel Desjoyeaux waves as Foncia rounds Cape Horn in the lead. Image copyright Jean-Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendée Globe.

by Véronique Teurlay and SailRaceWin

Leaders Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) have rounded Cape Horn and are now back in the Atlantic Ocean.


Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) rounds Cape Horn. Image copyright Jean-Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendée Globe.

Meanwhile, Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux), who had been in third place in the Vendée Globe, notified his shore crew of a problem at 56° 17’S 73° 46’W, 200 miles west of Cape Horn. The distress beacon was activated shortly afterwards, and assistance was sent from land.

Competitors Vincent Riou (PRB) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) were diverted towards the position of VM Matériaux. The conditions in the area of VM Matériaux at the time of the incident were southwesterly winds of 25 knots with gusts.

An earlier retiree, Seb Josse (BT), arrived in the Viaduct Basin in Auckland, New Zealand, at 2345GMT on 5th January.

Vendée Globe

A-Cat Worlds 2009: The Cats are Purring

Start of race 2 of the A-Cat Worlds. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

by Rob Kothe

Light winds for the A-Cat Worlds Race One, on Australia's Lake Macquarie today.

Spain's Manuel Calavia claimed first place. Calavia was the first ranked European behind five times A-Cat World Champion Glenn Ashby and Scott Anderson in the 2007 European Championships and was placed second behind Steve Brewin in the 2008 Europeans. 'I was the third boat up from the pin. I went left, found clean air and was good after that,' Calavia said.


Glenn Ashby talks dockside after racing. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

Ashby, who came second, described his approach to the challenging conditions. 'The secret was to go hard left until your nose bled or you almost bricked, and then come away,' he said.

For the start of Race 2 it was A-Cat Heaven - Winds were gusting 15 to 18, possibly 19, World Champion A-Cat brochure conditions on Lake Macquarie.

It was sensational first leg for Tom Slingsby, the duel Laser World Champion who is definitely a multihull talent. Off the start line, the entire fleet went left. Although the line was pin end favoured Slingsby had started 50 metres down from the boat end, went hard left and tacked on the port lay line, while others overlaid.

He came in on the port tack, fast ahead of the five times A-Cat World Champion, Glen Ashby for the third time in the last week, with Brad Collett and Andrew Landenberger close, followed by Luc Du Bois (SUI).

The young red headed Laser sailor says 'I haven't really figured out how to sail these things downwind. Well he is not too bad the second time at the top mark he was third behind the five time World Champion, just behind Brad Collett, who hit the bottom mark and fell back.

Slingsby. I'm, going well upwind, first to the top mark again. I was happy to get third. In my view I feel like I'm dog slow down-wind.'

After a late lunch the A-Cat fleet was back on the water for the third race in the series. Conditions had changed little from Race 2, again perfect A-Cat conditions, 15-18 knots from the north east.

At the top mark BMW Oracle mono and multihull racer James Spithill came in on starboard tack to lead, with Tom Slingsby speeding in on port, slotting into second ahead of Brad Collett and Hamish Sinclair. Fifth was Glen Ashby, who flew down the run, quickly over taking Collett and Sinclair.

At the top mark for the third time, World Champion Glenn Ashby has sailed through Spithill. Third on the water was veteran Scott Anderson ahead of Dave Brewer, Steve Brewin. Slingsby was nowhere to be seen, and then the green and gold trampoline appeared, about 15th on the starboard lay line, struggling for boat speed, after a gear failure.

A disappointed Slingsby had to retire from the race. 'One of my lines snapped. While I tied it up, I couldn't put any load on it so I had to come ashore.'

Ashby won again, from Spithill, Scott Anderson, Dave Brewer, Steve Brewin and Andrew Landerberger.


Light winds on Lake Macquarie for day two of the A-Cat Worlds. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

In the series overall after the first three races Ashby, with five A-Cat World Championships under his belt is certainly looking good for number six with a 2,1,1 result. Behind him is Spithill 3, 9, 2 and Switzerland's Luc Dubois has 7, 2, 7 is third. Dave Brewer, the unlucky sailor who was struck by lightning on the first day of the Pre-Worlds event is fourth with 5.10,4

Ashby commented dockside - 'Pleased to be 2, 1, 1 against this quality fleet. It's been great racing. James is surprising everyone with his boat handling, race tactics and race management. I'm sure we'll have some classic races down the track. '

Spithill commented. 'There is a long way to go in the series, but it was certainly fun out there today.'

Brewer, who spent the night in the regional base hospital after being the only A Cat sailor holding onto his carbon mast when lightning struck the water has sailed into contention in this top quality fleet.

He was smiling in the boat park 'You've got to start well and sail consistently. The last race was beautiful; about 15 to 16 knots.

'All the Olympic guys have been doing well, so I am just pleased to up there.'

A-Cat Worlds 2009

Vendée Globe 2008-9: Cape Horn for the Leaders; a third competitor heads for New Zealand

Roxy, the fastest in the last 24 hours, reaching along in the Southern Ocean. Image copyright Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendée Globe.

by Véronique Teurlay and SailRaceWin

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia), who has been in the lead for 19 days now, will reach Cape Horn within the next 24 hours. He has one last day in the Pacific Ocean, where the winds are blowing 40 knots and the waves are a permanent menace.

Desjoyeaux is 73 miles ahead of Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), and has a lead of 452 miles over Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux). Sixth placed Samantha Davies (Roxy), who has been the fastest over the last 24 hours, is 2,000 miles from the leader.


Sam Davies is happy with the wind, while Chuck (the autopilot) sails Roxy. Image copyright Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendée Globe.

Jonny Malbon (Artemis II) has decided to head for New Zealand as he has significant delamination issues with his mainsail. Following a succession of technical issues since leaving les Sables d’Olonne, the British skipper and his sponsor prefer to throw in the towel before engaging completely in the Pacific Ocean.


Shadow over the moon. Image copyright Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendée Globe.

Leaderboard at 0500 GMT 4th January 2009

1 Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) 7375 miles to the finish
2 Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) 73 miles from the leader
3 Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) 452 miles
4 Vincent Riou (PRB) 701 miles
5 Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) 724 miles
6 Sam Davies (Roxy)

Vendée Globe

A-Cat Worlds 2009: Day One Blown Out

Wave action on Lake Macquarie for the A-Cats. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

by Rob Kothe

The north easterly sea breeze came in early on Day One at Lake Macquarie. By 10am there were pressure patterns the length of the lake; Lake Macquarie is a big open space four times the size of Sydney Harbour.

There were some exciting pre-start rides from the fleet, which was out there enjoying the time.

49er World Champion Nathan Outteridge was running the start line with enthusiasm, whereas the old fox Glenn Ashby was sitting back conserving energy with his boat hove to in the breeze.

Unfortunately 22 knots is the top racing limit for the A-Cats and with winds speeds gusting to 25 knots out on Lake Macquarie, Principal Race Officer Peter Moor brought the fleet ashore half an hour after the scheduled 1300 start time.

At that stage it was a classic brochure nor'easter such as you get on Lake Macquarie, but just a tad too heavy for the lightly rigged A-Cats.

Once ashore the wind began to increase and by 3pm it had swung to north and was building into the high 20's.


Glenn Ashby, the Australian Champion, wins the race back to the dock. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

Five times world champion Glenn Ashby commented,'Safety is always an issue with the fleet.

'The more experienced guys could handle it no problems, but survival on the first day might have been a bit tricky. I think there were a lot of guys keen to sail, including myself, but at the end of the day I'm happy that most of the fleet has come back in one piece,' he said.

James Spithill commented, 'it probably would have been one of the best sea breezes of the year. If there's a class limit there's a class limit.

'But we all had a good little blast on the way in at least - a race to the dock,' he said.


Tom Slingsby sails his A-Cat on Lake Macquarie. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

According to Tom Slingsby, 'It would have been good to have a race to the top mark. But going down wind would have been an adventure.'

Principal Race Officer Peter Moor said: 'It's just too windy. The boats are pretty highly geared up. If it was the last race of the series you might think more positively about running the race, but as the first race in the series we don't want to have broken boats on the beach.

'We're going to come back tomorrow at 9.30. There are some boats out there today loving it like sailboards and kite surfers and 16 foot skiffs.

'We'll try and get two first off tomorrow. With a bit of luck we'll have a lunch break and maybe another two races in the afternoon.

'The forecast for the week is four days is fresh north east sea breezes every afternoon. I saw a forecast for Wednesday afternoon of 25 to 30 knots as the anticipated wind strength. It's not going to get lighter, so we will be starting early each day', he said.

A-Cat Worlds 2009

Some Highlights of 2008: A Golden Year for Kiwi Sailing

Tom Ashley wins Olympic Gold on the waters off Qingdao. Image copyright Juerg Kaufmann/Go4Image. All Rights Reserved.

by SailRaceWin

Olympic Gold

The highlight of 2008 for Kiwi sailors was, without doubt, Tom Ashley's Gold medal in the Men's RS:X windsurfer at the Olympics.

The 'wise head on young shoulders', as Ashley, still only in his early twenties, has been called, worked out that an average placing of fifth would get him what he wanted - and so it was. Roll on a repeat performance in Weymouth in 2012!

Ashley's achievement was backed up by solid performances by other sailors, such as Andrew Murdoch (Laser, 5th), Barbara Kendall (RS:X Women, 6th), Jo Aleh (Laser Radial, 7th) and Hamish Pepper/Carl Williams (Star, 9th) in both getting into the medal races and coming close to the gongs. New Zealand finished equal sixth in the overall Olympic sailing rankings. This promises that Ashley's medal can lead to a resurgence in New Zealand Olympic sailing achievement in years to come.


Pepper and Williams upwind in the Star at Qingdao. Image copyright Juerg Kaufmann/Go4Image. All Rights Reserved.

Special mention also goes to 'honorary Kiwi' Ben Ainslie CBE, former member of Team New Zealand, for his achievement in Olympic sailing in making his tally now three Golds and a Silver in single-handed classes.

International Match Racing

The up-coming team of the year was the BlackMatch Racing boys. Their achievements of a win in the Toyota Sopot Grade One Match Race in Poland and no less than four semi-final placings on the World Match Racing Tour, including two runner-up finishes, show that Kiwi match racing is as alive and well as ever.


BlackMatch Racing win the Toyota Sopot Grade One Match Race in Poland. Image copyright Juerg Kaufmann/Go4Image. All Rights Reserved.

The overall position of Adam Minoprio and the BlackMatch crew in fourth position, but level on points with ISAF #1 Mathieu Richard, at the end of the World Match Racing Tour 2008 at the Monsoon Cup in December, was a big pay-back for the sponsors, FedEx and Line 7, and supporters, Emirates Team New Zealand. This has gained them entry to all events on the World Match Racing Tour for 2009, enabling New Zealand to retain its involvement at the highest level of international match racing.

New Zealand achievement: Emirates Team New Zealand

Within New Zealand, Dean Barker and the Team New Zealand crew again proved that they are the ones to beat, taking out both the National Keelboat Championships and the National Match Racing Championships.

It was very pleasing to see the likes of Peter Burling from Takapuna (470 Olympic rep. 2008) and Josh Junior (World Universities Match Racing Champion 2008), from the Harbour City, up-and-coming youngsters, take the second and third places on the National Keelboat Championships podium, especially as the competition included old-hand international sailors in addition to Barker and co.


Dean Barker (right) with Ben Ainslie on Ainslie's recruitment to Emirates Team New Zealand in 2004. Image copyright Anne Hinton/www.annehinton.com. All Rights Reserved.

In the match racing, competition was international, with Ben Ainslie, this time representing Team Origin, once more finishing as runner-up to Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew. As new boy to Team NZ in 2004, Ainslie was also runner-up at the event, with a 2-3 scoreline against Barker in the finals. This time Barker asserted his dominance and, despite Ainslie's efforts, the winning scoreline was 3-0 to Barker.


Ben Ainslie and Team Origin congratulate Adam Minoprio and the BlackMatch Racing boys who defeated them in the semi-finals of the 2008 Bermuda Gold Cup. Image copyright Charles Anderson. All Rights Reserved.

Ainslie was previously beaten in the semi-finals to the Bermuda Gold Cup by Adam Minoprio and the BlackMatch boys, who finished as runners-up at that event.

A Very Special Thanks to Emirates Team New Zealand

Having won the Louis Vuitton Cup to a nil scoreline in 2007, it is appropriate that Emirates Team New Zealand and Louis Vuitton have combined to bring the America's Cup teams back not only to the race track but to compete out of the City of Sails at the beginning of 2009.


Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 82) ahead of Alinghi (SUI 64) at Louis Vuitton Act One in Marseille. Image copyright Anne Hinton/www.annehinton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Further significance for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is that, within financial constraints, all the strongest teams will be competing. These include many top Kiwis who have not been seen on home waters in a while, bringing a reminder of the well-known song New Zealand - Kainga Tuturu.

This promises to be a fabulous event, not only for New Zealand sailing, but for the whole country. Bring it on!

Looking to the Future

Yachting New Zealand has put out a call for women interested in the Olympic match racing event to contact them. A programme will be developed for this new Olympic event to fast-track interested crews into high-level competition.


Kylie Jameson (2004 Yngling Olympian) sails an Elliott 6m, with Sara Roberts and Gretchen White, in the finals of the New Zealand Womens National Match Racing championships 2003, against Katie Spithill. Image copyright Anne Hinton/www.annehinton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Jessica Smyth has already given notice of her interest in Olympic match racing and has been building her skills against the men. The Elliott 6 metre, a New Zealand design and familiar to women match racers in Auckland, is the boat that has been chosen for this new Olympic competition.

SailRaceWin is sure that if Sir Peter Blake could look down on us he would be delighted with the vibrancy of the sailboat scene in little ol' New Zealand.

Thanks to all concerned - from the mums, dads and clubs, to the boat-builders, riggers and sailmakers.

New Zealand is the place to be for sailing in 2009!


SailRaceWin is grateful to Juerg Kaufmann and Go4Image for exclusive provision of images of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta.

A-Cat Worlds, Lake Macquarie: New Boys Sound a Warning

by Rob Kothe

2008 Olympic Tornado Silver Medallist Glenn Ashby is five times A-Cat World Champion and the Australian sailor is odds on to take a sixth title on Australia's Lake Macquarie this week, but the new boys could make it tougher than expected.

Ashby had a convincing win in the Pre-Worlds event, the Australian Championships which finished on Wednesday, in which most of the world's best A-Cat sailors competed.

The nine race World Championship starts tomorrow at Belmont 16 foot Sailing Club and today was the final hit out for the 94 boat fleet.

Today's practice race was sailed in an eight to 13 knot wind from 065. The breeze stayed steady at the bottom of the course but was quite shifty up the course and at the top mark 1.1 nautical miles upwind.

The championship fleet in the time honoured way tested the patience of Principal Race Officer Peter Moor, with two general recalls then up went the I flag.

Ashby was just below the Committee boat and was fast away, but half way down the line dual Laser World Champion Tom Slingsby powered left.

Slingsby said ' I was down a little bit more to the pin than most, I started out to the left a bit; got a big left hand shift, tacked then just played the little shifts and just got ahead to the top.

'I have to concentrate so hard on these boats; I don't have much time to look around. I was just having a good battle with Germany's Bob Baier.'

Slingsby held his lead down the run battling to keep an in-form Baier behind him, with Australian 1996 Olympic Tornado Silver medalist, Andrew Landerberger climbing into third place by the second top mark.

America's Cup skipper, Australian James Spithill, is a multihull neophyte, but has been thrust into the multihull world with the giant BMW Oracle 90 foot catamaran and now he is proving a dab hand at the A-Cats, finishing fourth in the Pre-Worlds.

Today he was in the top six or seven until he spectacularly slipped off the back of his boat, 100 metres short of the top mark on the second beat. 'I was leaning back and the boat accelerated from underneath me', he smiled.

Many of the fleet sailed off the course after two and a half laps, so the final results were not a real guide to the Championship ahead.

Glenn Ashby had the final word. 'Defending my title was always going to be tough this year, with guys like Steve Brewin, Scott Anderson, Bob Baier and a host of others keen to knock me off as the A-Cat fleet continues to get more competitive.

'But now we have some pretty talented 'newbie's'. Tom beat me the other day and he did it again today, just natural talent and he, James and Nathan are all improving very rapidly, so its going to be an interesting week.'

A-Cat Worlds 2009

Vendée Globe 2008-9: Return to the Furious Fifties (but 2 head for New Zealand)

View from the race leader on board Foncia. Image copyright Michel Desjoyeaux/Foncia/Vendée Globe.

by Véronique Teurlay and SailRaceWin

Sam Davies (Roxy) complained of a lack of wind last night, but 2,000 miles in front of the contented Brit, race leader Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) has regained the storms and confused seas of the Furious Fifties. However, Desjoyeaux's speed, at 11.6 knots, was the slowest of the 5 leading boats, the others recording approximately 16 knots apiece.


A happy Sam Davies welcomes in 2009 from the Southern Ocean. Image copyright Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendée Globe.

Desjoyeaux is expected to reach Cape Horn on Monday, after 56 or 57 days at sea. This is about the same timing as Jean Le Cam in the 2004 race, but with a course 1,160 miles longer this time.


The missing port rudder and steering gear damage to Paprec

Of the retirees, which now amount to 15 - exactly half the fleet that started the race - Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Vibrax 2) and Sébastien Josse (BT) are heading for New Zealand. Josse is 600 miles from Auckland and should arrive on Tuesday. Dick is still 2,000 miles, or 12 days, away from Aotearoa.


Jean-Pierre Dick manages to smile, and send New Year greetings, despite retiring from the race in the direction of New Zealand. Image copyright Jean-Pierre Dick/Paprec-Vibrax 2/Vendée Globe.

Leading Positions

1 Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) 8152 miles from the finish
2 Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +69 miles from the leader
3 Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) +336 miles
4 Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) +599 miles
5 Vincent Riou (PRB) +616 miles
6 Samantha Davies (Roxy)

Vendée Globe

Rolex Sydney Hobart 2008: A Milestone Race

A rainbow brings colour to the marina in Hobart at the start of 2009. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

by Giles Pearman

The 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart has been a milestone one with a high-quality fleet of 100 boats including eleven overseas entries, an unexpectedly close line honours battle at the head of the fleet between the maxis Wild Oats XI and Skandia and four of the sensationally fast downwind TP52s filling the first four placings overall on handicap.

Bob Oatley's canting-keeled design Reichel/Pugh 98 Wild Oats XI took line honours for a record fourth-successive year after trailing Grant Wharington's Don Jones-designed canting-keeled Skandia for most of the race. While the two maxis slowed in lighter winds along the Tasmanian coast to be denied the course record, the TP52s hardly faltered and finished within five hours of them. Bob Steel's Quest won the race's major trophy the Tattersall's Cup for the overall winner on IRC corrected time, from Alan Whiteley's Cougar II. Both are Farr designs. Graeme Wood's Judel/Vrolijk-designed Wot Now was third and Syd Fischer's Farr-designed TP52 Ragamuffin fourth.

The two brand new Reichel/Pugh designs in the race also enjoyed the hard-running conditions with Alan Brierty's R/P 62 Limit placing fifth and Stephen Ainsworth's R/P 63 Loki eighth overall on IRC. Both are exciting boats, featuring the latest rig and sail-making technology, and their results were highly promising considering the Rolex Sydney Hobart was their very first offshore race.

As always, while the boats were impressive the people manning them were even more so and provided the most touching moments during the prize-giving ceremony at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania today, which was attended by His Excellency Peter Underwood, Governor of Tasmania, and Michael Aird MLC, representing the Premier of Tasmania, along with other distinguished guests from the organising clubs and the event supporters. Bob Steel, who won the race in 2002 with a previous Quest, was ready for the reminder at the ceremony that he had thrown the watch he was wearing at the time into the Derwent River when he accepted the Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece that goes to the winning yacht. Asked would he do the same with Rolex Yacht-Master he had won on that occasion, he pulled out an old watch from his pocket and theatrically threw it into the crowd.


Richard de Leyser, General Manager of Rolex Australia, presents a Rolex Yachtmaster timepiece and the Tattersall's Cup and replica to Mr and Mrs Robert Steel. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Steel praised his crew saying they had, 'put in a tremendous effort in beating the strong competition in this year's race', especially his sailing-master Michael Green, who has crewed with Steel in the Admiral's Cup as well as this race, including the 2002 win. Green, who has now sailed in thirty Rolex Sydney Hobarts, aims to overtake the thirty-five race record of his father Peter, a famed sailing-master from the race's earlier years who died in 1990. Each year he has raced since, Michael has poured a tot of rum into the sea for Peter as his boat has rounded Tasman Light nearing the finish of the race and downed one himself. Michael Green inherited a Rolex from his father, but lost it in a home robbery about thirteen years ago. And today, in recognition of Michael's efforts, Steel handed his second Rolex to him at the presentation ceremony; a gesture that left Green close to tears and brought deafening applause from the audience.

Another emotional moment came when John Walker received the medallion recognising the completion of his 25th Rolex Sydney Hobart in his Peterson 34 Impeccable, the boat he has sailed in all of them. Aged 86, he is the oldest skipper ever to sail in the race. "This race will be my last," he said simply before thanking the crews who have sailed with him over the years.

Syd Fischer was recognised with a medallion for completing his 40th race. Fischer, who is 81, in previous Ragamuffins, won the Tattersall's Cup in 1992 and took line honours in 1988 and 1980. His current TP52 Ragamuffin finished second to the 2007 overall winner Rosebud.


Tony Cable has now completed 45 Sydney Hobart Races. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Tony Cable from Sydney, who raced on the Volvo 60 Getaway-Sailing.Com, was recognised for completing his 45th race, passing the 44-race record of the late John Bennetto from Tasmania and Lou Abrahams of Victoria. "Records don't interest me particularly; I'm out there because I enjoy being at sea, the companionship and the competition," he said.

Understandably not present to receive his 25-year medallion was Graeme Ainley, skipper of Georgia, which sank on the first night when the rudderstock pulled out in a collision with an underwater object. The race committee awarded the Rani Trophy for the 'most meritorious performance' to Les Rodriguez's Volvo 60 Telcoinabox Merit for rescuing the crew of Georgia. "In difficult conditions the crew of Telcoinabox Merit conducted the rescue mission in an exemplary demonstration of seamanship," the citation read.

The award for the yacht travelling the most distance to compete went to Walross IV, owned by the Berlin-based Academy Sailing Club, which trains young students in offshore sailing. The yacht departed from Germany in October 2007 to begin a world-girdling voyage that took her to Qingdao for the Olympic sailing and on to Sydney.


Matt Allen, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

As has been tradition this year, Commodore Matt Allen of the CYCA, made poignant reference during his speech to the tragic events of 1998 that have so shaped recent editions of this great race, but drew out the positives from the events especially the developments in safety and survival equipment and techniques.

Richard de Leyser, General Manager of Rolex Australia, said Rolex was honoured to be a partner of the race noting that, "the Rolex Sydney Hobart is one of the world's great sporting challenges and within Rolex it is considered as one of the iconic events with which the company is associated. It rates alongside the likes of the US Masters and British Open in the world of golf and Wimbledon in the world of tennis."


New Year fireworks in front of the dock in Hobart. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

RESULTS

IRC OVERALL
1. Quest, Bob Steel (AUS/NSW), TP52
2. Cougar II, Alan Whiteley (AUS/VIC), TP52
3. Wot Now, Graeme Wood (AUS/NSW), TP52

DIVISION LEADERS
IRC Div 0: Quantum Racing, Ray Roberts (AUS/NSW), Cookson 50
IRC Div 1: Quest, Bob Steel, (AUS/NSW), TP52
IRC Div 2: Ragtime, Chris Welsh (USA), Spencer 65
IRC Div 3: Tow Truck, Anthony Paterson (AUS/NSW), Ker 11.3
IRC Div 4: Winsome, Harry Heijst (NED), S&S 41
PHS Div 1: Telcoinabox Merit, Leo Rodriguez (AUS/QLD), Volvo 60
PHS Div 2: Lloyds Brokers - Too Impetuous, Lindsay Patterson (AUS/QLD), Holland 43
Sydney 38: Morris Finance Cinquante, Ian Murray (AUS/VIC)
Cruising: Pippin, Roger Sayers (AUS/QLD), Farr 37

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008

A-Cat Worlds 2009: Australia's Glenn Ashby Wins A-Cat Australian Nationals

Glenn Ashby: champion A-Cat sailor. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

by Rob Kothe

Five times A-Cat World Champion Glenn Ashby reminded everyone just why he is the A-Cat King today. He has produced a dominating display in the five race Australian A-Cat titles on Lake Macquarie. His scorecard was 1, 1,3,3,1 - an impressive result in an 85 boat fleet.

The vertically challenged sailor, he is only 5 foot six inches (1.68 metres) has blistering speed, surprising when another six inches or 150mm would get more weight to windward.

Ashby has a different trapezing style to most of his competitors; his body is much lower on the boat, his airborne hull seems to just skim over the waves. His head is so low it's clear he often can't see the leeward hull, but his boat is flat and flat is fast.


Glenn Ashby: A-Cat Pre-Worlds Champion. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

Ashby says 'It comes from the Tornado. Darren (Bundock) is a low trapper and I need to be lower than helm, so I've always been a very low trapper. It provides maximum efficiency and I need that because I am far from tall.'

As well as speed, Ashby has always been a very smart sailor; he has five A-Cat World titles to prove that. But his silver medal Olympic Tornado campaign has sharpened his course skills even more, in the last two years especially.

He agrees. 'The last two years of the Tornado campaign have certainly improved my racing skills. Things like picking starting positions and shifts. The Olympic campaign has polished up some of the edges.'

'I guess it comes out best on tricky days. Today was a really 'woolly' day; we had a westerly from 6 knots to 28 knots, shifty, puffy wind. Really tricky conditions. There were some huge snakes and ladders. It was not a speed day; it was an eyes out of the boat day.'


Glenn Ashby has the right number on his sail for a champion! Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

In the first race of the day, the fourth in the series, Steve Brewin won from Tom Slingsby, Glenn Ashby and Brad Collett. In Race Five, Ashby took the gun from Andrew Landerberger and Brad Collett. Slingsby was seventh.

2007 Australian A Class Champion Steve Brewin commented back in the boat park, 'Glenn is always very hard to beat, so it was nice to do that in the first race today. On Monday he gave us a sailing lesson right from the start and that was a wake up call.

'I would have said that Tom Slingsby is probably the biggest improver that I've seen in a long while, in the shortest time. Today he had a 2 and a 7. Scott Anderson's doing a lot of training with Tom and certainly he's come up to pace.'

In fourth place overall was BMW Oracle America's Cup match racer James Spithill, who had a 16, 12 day after a second and seven yesterday.


James Spithill at the Belmont Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.

'I've been able to string together a few good results. However I think my family who were watching on the first day, just think it's a miracle I have not capsized. I've almost done it coming into the finish. Yesterday in one race, closing on the finish line I just pulled off this gybe and my boat was right on the edge. I somehow flattened it out and it was a Spithill family disappointment, obviously' he laughed.

Slingsby, dual World Laser champion is another freshman in the A-Cat's who is messing with the pecking order.

He came ashore today with a huge grin on his face, after a second in this morning's race ahead of his Australian Sailing Team mate Ashby and then a seventh this afternoon.

Slingsby commented 'Starting catamarans is a whole new thing for me, so timed runs in are a bit different for me; but it's pretty crazy. I've been lucky to get off the start so far. I had one bad one yesterday.

'Glenn's quick. It's not the only thing. I think off the start line people can match him; he's just smart and his boat handling is better than everyone else's.

'In one race I saw him duck ten boats. It was just one of the biggest duckings, but then he came out and went the right way and was gone. I think his 'smarts' are what are getting him in front of everyone. He knows how to sail his boat, that's for sure.

'I like plenty of wind because I am a bitter heavier than most. The more shifts the better, (like today) I think. I'd prefer having a bit more of a mind game than everyone else. But it's fun, it's a great boat, a great class and I'm really enjoying it' concluded Slingsby.

The A-Cat Worlds commence at Belmont Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie on the 2nd January, with the Practice race. Racing concludes on 9th January.

A-Cat Worlds 2009

Rolex Sydney Hobart 2008: Remembrance Before Celebration

Wreath laid at Constitution Dock in memory of the six sailors who died in the 1998 Sydney Hobart Race. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

by Giles Pearman

The traditional dockside presentation of the Tattersall's Cup to the overall handicap winner and battle flags to the divisional winners of the 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart was a moving occasion, preceded by a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute's silence to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic 1998 race in which six sailors lost their lives.


Plaque commemorating the 1998 Sydney Hobart sailors at the Tasmanian Seafarers Memorial in Triabunna. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

The ceremony also remembered other sailors who have died in the race or on delivery passages associated with it, like the Hobart yacht Charleston, lost with all five crewmembers on the way to the start of the 1979 race. Members of four families of the lost sailors accompanied Matt Allen, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Commodore Clive Simpson from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - the CYCA's partner club in organising the race - as they cast a floral tribute into the River Derwent.

Commodore Allen told the gathering, "ten years ago a severe and fast-developing storm resulted in the biggest ever maritime rescue conducted in Australian waters with 55 sailors rescued. This rescue operation involved some twenty-five aircraft, six rescue vessels and approximately one thousand search and rescue personnel. Five yachts sank and of 115 starters only 44 yachts made the finish in Hobart in a race that changed our sport forever."

Steadying his delivery to reflect the moving nature of the occasion, Commodore Allen continued, "as we mark this ten-year anniversary we remember the six lives lost in that race and the impact that loss of life had on the families and the yachting community. But it is also important that we remember all those who have perished during and because of the race since 1945."

Drawing positives from the tragedy, Commodore Allen went onto to explain to assembled crowd how, "the sport has seen a positive impact across the world in safety and the education and management of dealing with emergency situations. This included the design and introduction by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia of the safety sea survival course, which has been adopted worldwide through other ocean races. The abandonment and successful rescue this year of all fourteen crewmembers from Georgia has highlighted again the value of the course."

Ending the remembrance element of proceedings, Commodore Allen noted that, "following the tragic events of the '98 race we can take comfort that the lives lost were not in vain. Better safety standards and training the world over will remain as a lasting legacy to those who perished."


Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece for the overall IRC handicap winner, Quest. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Turning to the celebratory part of the presentation, Bob Steel, skipper of the Tattersall's Cup winner Quest (AUS/NSW) who won the race in 2002 with a previous Quest, remarked that, "I am absolutely delighted to be standing here again, thanks to a great crew and a great opportunity. The weather was in our favour and we took full advantage of that." Steel added that even though the winds this year suited his Farr-designed TP52, it had been demanding on his crew, "being a running race you still have to be very, very focused, you have to be at it all the time and you can't make a mistake. If you make a mistake, you will not be not standing up here."


Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece and Tattersall's Cup for overall IRC handicap winner, Quest. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Quest, besides being overall IRC winner, won IRC Division 1 from another two TP52s, Cougar II (Alan Whiteley, AUS/VIC), also a Farr design, and Wot Now (Graeme Wood, AUS/NSW), a Judel/Vrolijk design. Ray Roberts' Farr-designed Cookson 50 Quantum Racing (AUS/NSW) won IRC Division 0 for canting-keeled boats despite breaking off half her rudder blade about 200 miles from the finish when it slammed into a sunfish or a shark.

From that point, Roberts' crew had to race with reduced sail area to keep the boat reasonably upright. "It put an end to our chances of pulling off victory and was a big disappointment," he said. "Winning Division 0 is a good consolation prize and I was really proud of the guys who kept sailing the boat hard and on its feet so we could at least finish the race and still maintain a reasonable position in the fleet."

Chris Welsh's legendary, veteran Spencer 65 Ragtime (USA) won IRC Division 2. The slender, hard-chined plywood 'sneak box' built 43 years ago, has a very competitive IRC rating and enjoyed the hard-running conditions that lasted almost the whole race for boats bigger than 45-feet overall.

The IRC Division 3 winner is the Ker 11.3 Tow Truck (AUS/NSW), owned by Anthony Paterson and sailed by the same team of young sailors from Lake Macquarie who successfully raced Paterson's previous boat, a Mumm 30 of the same name. Paterson bought the boat, by British designer Jason Ker, which had been based in Jersey (United Kingdom), via the internet. He and his crew spent three months re-organising the Ker 31 and had time to race her only in the 180 nm Cabbage Tree Island race, to qualify for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, as Paterson explained, "the boat was a bit unknown to us, but we've always had a group of about ten guys who have sailed together and know each other very, very well. We just went out and learnt the boat over the 600 odd miles and pushed the boat as hard as we possibly could."

Harry Heijst's Winsome (NED), one of the two 36-year-old Sparkman & Stephens 41's entered by Dutch owners, triumphed in Division 4. Near sister S&S 41 Pinta-M, was third, behind the S&S 48 Ray White Spirit of Koomooloo (AUS/QLD).

Overall PHS (performance handicap) winner is the Volvo 60 Telcoinabox Merit (Leo Rodriguez, AUS/QLD), the boat that expertly rescued the 14 crewmembers from the sinking Georgia (AUS/VIC) on the first night of the race. The Farr 37 Pippin (Roger Sayers, AUS/QLD) won the Cruising Division and Morris Finance Cinquante (Ian Murray, AUS/QLD) the Sydney 38 One-Design Division.

Seven yachts retired from the starting fleet of 100: Georgia (sank), Sanyo Maris (broken gooseneck), Inner Circle (generator failure), Helsal III (rudder damage), Leukaemia (rudder damage), Somoya (broken furler) and Pachamama: Swiss Top to Top Global Climate Expedition. Shogun was disqualified.


Dockside ambience in Hobart. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Four yachts have finished since the last report. Noel Sneddon & Rob Saunders Inca (AUS/ACT) completed the course at 2232 AEDT on 30th December. Sean Langman's immaculately restored, seventy-six year old Maluka of Kermandie (AUS/NSW) crossed the line four hours later. The Russian crewed Getaway Sailing 2 (AUS/NSW) ghosted over the finish just before daybreak on the morning of 31st December, whilst Chris Dawe's Polaris of Belmont (AUS/NSW) waited until today's dockside presentation to arrive at Constitution Dock to great applause.

This left Hobart resident Murray Wilkes' Nest Property (AUS/TAS), one of the smallest yachts in the fleet at thirty-feet, to close out the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart, arriving at 1645 AEDT on the evening of 31st December. Nest Property was assured of a rapturous welcome from locals and tourists who have gathered in Hobart to bring in 2009. Wilkes will surely have cause to remember his first Rolex Sydney Hobart.


Dockside in Hobart's Port Elizabeth. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

RESULTS

IRC OVERALL

1. Quest, Bob Steel (AUS/NSW), TP52
2. Cougar II, Alan Whiteley (AUS/VIC), TP52
3. Wot Now, Graeme Wood (AUS/NSW), TP52

DIVISION LEADERS
IRC Div 0: Quantum Racing, Ray Roberts (AUS/NSW), Cookson 50
IRC Div 1: Quest, Bob Steel, (AUS/NSW), TP52
IRC Div 2: Ragtime, Chris Welsh (USA), Spencer 65
IRC Div 3: Tow Truck, Anthony Paterson (AUS/NSW), Ker 11.3
IRC Div 4: Winsome, Harry Heijst (NED), S&S 41
PHS Div 1: Telcoinabox Merit, Leo Rodriguez (AUS/QLD), Volvo 60
PHS Div 2: Lloyds Brokers - Too Impetuous, Lindsay Patterson (AUS/QLD), Holland 43
Sydney 38: Morris Finance Cinquante, Ian Murray (AUS/VIC)
Cruising: Pippin, Roger Sayers (AUS/QLD), Farr 37

The final prize giving for the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2008 will be held at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania on Thursday, 1 January 2009 at 1100 AEDT.

The 65th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart will start at 1300 AEDT on 26 December 2009.

The 100-boat fleet that started the 64th Rolex Sydney Hobart had crews representing the USA, UK, New Zealand, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and New Caledonia as well as every Australian state.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2008