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An AC Newcomer?—Sailing News from the U.S. and Beyond

The crew of Luna Rossa after the Louis Vuitton Cup Final Day 5  BMW Oracle Racing © Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

The Cup world is atwitter with speculation that the Italian-based Luna Rossa sailing team will make a last-minute entry into the 34th America's Cup. According to Richard Gladwell's article (inside), the rumor began flying after Prada SA made an announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that they had been 'invited' to sponsor Luna Rossa in the next Cup, to the tune of 40-million euros—what Gladwell termed a 'good starting platform' for developing a competitive AC72 class catamaran program.

Furthermore, in separate Cup news, a new America's Cup World Series (ACWS) event has been announced for April of 2012 in Naples, Italy. Then, in May, the ACWS circus rolls on to Venice for a second Italian ACWS event. Be sure to check out Gladwell's article, and pay special attention to the reason for Prada SA's announcement in Hong Kong.

In speed-sailing circles, Paul Larsen is making progress in his goal to rob kiteboarding legend Robert Douglas of his outright world speed record. Just recently, Larsen managed to hit 54 knots aboard his half-plane/half-boat speed machine, a personal best for both Larsen and Vestas Sailrocket 2, and precariously close to Douglas' 55.65 knots. 'This boat will do the business. It WILL beat the current world record. I know that now. The question is how much we can get out of it. Triple rum and cokes in a pint glass are the drinks for a new best speed.' Get Larsen's full report, inside this issue.

Andres Soriano - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12  Ian Roman/Volvo Ocean Race

Offshore, in Volvo Ocean Race circles, Team Sanya has announced that Andres Soriano will be filling the role of Media Crew Member (MCM), taking over from Frankie Leonard, the team's original MCM. Prior to getting hired for MCM, Soriano had been working on Team Sanya's shore team. 'I just thought that if you don't ask you don't get,' said Soriano. 'I just said to Moose [ed note: skipper Mike Sanderson] ‘I'm sure there are some big names out there, but I'm interested in the job. I don't get sea sick, I love the ocean, I've wanted to do the race since I was a kid.' Soriano recently graduated from New York University with a degree in communications. Ironically, Soriano's former roommate, Nick Dana, is the MCM aboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, so expect some good-natured competition between these two camps. 'We're very competitive people and with Nick and I doing the same job I think we're going to be pushing each other,' said Soriano. Get the full story, inside.

Morgan Freeman. National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame (NSHOF)

In Olympic circles, US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee recently announced the class of boats that will be used for the 2012 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth Worlds Qualifier (January 13-16, 2012). The National Sailing Center and Hall of Fame has made some big announcements, the leaders of the Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 are pressing hard, with some familiar names populating the leaderboard, and the South Atlantic super-highway has opened up for the leaders of the Global Ocean Race. Get the full stories, inside.

May the four winds blow you safely home,

David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor

Sailrocket 2 punching through 54 knots Paul Larsen, Just a quick one to say that we have punched through 54 knots, 62 mph and 100 kmh. The fun part is that we did it two up and Vestas Sailrocket 2 was far from optimally trimmed.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: Italian Challenger 'invites' Prada sponsorship of E40m Richard Gladwell, An announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has triggered further speculation that the Italian based Luna Rossa team will make a late entry for the 34th America's Cup. In the notice filed with the exchange Prada SA has advised that it has been 'invited' to come in as a sponsor of the the Luna Rossa team.... [more] Share this story

Puma's Volvo 70 - 'il mostro' - for sale! Marine Business-World.com, PUMA's il mostro is being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The auction started on September 30 and concluding on October 30, we will accept bids for one of the fastest VOR boats in the world. Puma's il mostro is the perfect platform for a racing owner wishing to compete in offshore racing both under handicap and as a course record breaker. Auction ends October 30th 2011... [more] Share this story

Perth 2011 – World Sailor of Year aims for Olympic Gold, America's Cup Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team, As a youngster growing up on Australia's east coast he did not like sailing; he was bribed by his sisters to crew for them, at 20c a race. But he was 2010 World Sailor of the Year, has four World Championship titles, is one of the hottest Olympic Gold Medal Prospects and has now joined the America's Cup scene.... [more] Share this story

Pan American Games sailing regatta -Team USA Sailors well positioned Dan Paxton, Heading into the scheduled 'lay day,' Team USA leads in the Lightning and the J/24 classes and stands in medal position in three others through six races of the Pan American Games sailing regatta at the Vallarta Yacht Club.... [more] Share this story

AC World Series San Diego - Edmond de Rothschild Group team with Aleph Kate Jennings, The America's Cup World Series will undertake its third edition in San Diego, California from 12-20 November. It has now been announced that Pierre Pennec, Christophe Espagnon, and Thierry Fouchier of Edmond de Rothschild Group will be sailing aboard the AC45 Aleph – Equipe de France for the event.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race - Campagne de France under serious threat from BSL Oliver Dewar, Global Ocean Race 2011-12 - After 23 days leading leg one the Franco-British duo of Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron on Campagne de France are under serious threat from BSL of the New Zealand duo, Ross and Campbell Field, with the two boats separated by just under four miles after 5,000 miles and 26 days of racing at 15:00 GMT on Friday.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Teams approach Ocean Sprint Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - As the teams approach the Ocean Sprint in race four, conditions are proving challenging due to a massive high pressure system sitting right in their path. The fastest team to cover the distance between 90 and 95 degrees east will receive an extra bonus point, regardless of their position relative to the rest of the fleet.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race Teams carry out final preparations Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 - Dockside tensions are mounting in Alicante as the countdown to the most competitive Volvo Ocean Race in its 38-year history enters its final stage. The Iberdrola In-Port Race, a close-quarters sprint around a short course next Saturday, October 29, will mark the start of the 2011-12 edition of the world's toughest and longest professional yacht race.... [more] Share this story

Sailrocket 2 - Getting used to 50 knots Paul Larsen, Well yesterday turned into a pretty wild day. The way the morning was unfolding we knew the wind was going to outperform the forecast. Sailrocket 2 had up to now done four runs within a knot of 50 knots. Two over and two under. We weren't sure if we had hit some sort of flow phenomena relating to the radical new foil around this speed.... [more] Share this story

US Sailing's Championship of Champions - Raab takes the lead Jake Fish, US Sailing's Championship of Champions - Twenty of the top one-design champions in the country raced in Flying Scots for the Jack Brown Trophy. Skipper Chris Raab (Sunset Beach, Calif.), the defending 2010 Champion, and crew Bill Draheim (Heath, Texas) has a narrow two point lead over skipper Andrew Eagan (Metairie, La.) and crew Marcus Eagan (Madisonville, La.).... [more] Share this story

U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta preview Dana Paxton, U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta - On October 26 the nation's top Olympic hopefuls in Women's Match Racing will begin competition in Miami, Fla. Organized by US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport, the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) and Key Biscayne Yacht Club, the ISAF Grade 3 event is scheduled for Oct. 26-30... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Second global challenge for cheeky Australian Tracey Johnstone, Embarking on his second Volvo Ocean Race, Australian Casey Smith is looking facing a massive global challenge and loving every moment of it. The 33-year-old professional sailor's extensive ocean racing experience and outstanding boat management skills, his ability to absolutely focus on the job at hand, mixed with a wicked sense of humour and a lot of Australian cheekiness, are his tools.... [more] Share this story

US Sailing ISAF Youth World Qualifier equipment announced Dana Paxton, US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee has announced the equipment for the US Sailing's 2012 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth Worlds Qualifier. The event will take place January 13-16, 2012 at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, California.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race – Gold Coast Australia holds lead Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Race – Gold Coast Australia is preparing to start the Ocean Sprint as they hold their lead over their nearest rivals, De Lage Landen and New York. Richard Hewson, skipper of Gold Coast Australia, said he expects to start the Ocean Sprint at around midday tomorrow and although he does not anticipate 'record-breaking' conditions he said his team would give it their best shot... [more] Share this story

Antigua Sailing Week preview Louay Habib, Antigua Sailing Week - Wild surf and warm trade winds make Antigua one of the world's most desirable sailing destinations. Stunning beaches and spectacular cliffs, complimented by an historic past, make the island irresistible to sailors the world over and for the next edition of Antigua Sailing Week, three high performance Racing Maxis are expressing interest in forming a super racing division.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Fired, hired and couldn't be happier Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race - Not many people can recall being fired from their job and smiling afterwards. But for Team Sanya's Andres Soriano, being fired from the shore team meant he could be hired just moments later as a member of the sailing team.... [more] Share this story

NSHOF historic first induction dedicated to Walter Cronkite Jan Harley, The induction of 15 sailors into the National Sailing Hall of Fame during ceremonies that will be dedicated to the memory of Walter Cronkite (1916-2009).... [more] Share this story

US Sailing's Championship of Champions preview Jake Fish, The Championship of Champions will this year be hosted by the Corinthian Sailing Club on White Rock Lake located in Dallas, Texas. There will be three days of racing which is set to take place in Flying Scots from the 20-22 October with a roster of championship skippers and their teams who will race for bragging rights and the Jack Brown Trophy.... [more] Share this story

Pan American Games day 2 - US holds lead in three classes Dana Paxton, Pan American Games are currently underway in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Racing in light-wind conditions, Team USA enjoyed a successful second day at the regatta. Through four races, the U.S. holds or shares the lead in three classes — Lightning, Snipe and Sunfish.... [more] Share this story

BAADS Herb Meyer Regatta on McCovey Cove Erik Simonson, 17 brightly colored, distinctive boats flooded the 'Friendly Confines' of McCovey Cove over the weekend for the third annual Herb Meyer Regatta named for the longtime B.A.A.D.S. Commodore and leader from Marin County. Herb was injured near 20 years ago and the resulting injury left him a quadriplegic, but he refused to give up his love for sailing... [more] Share this story

In too deep - Behind the Race to Mackinac tragedy Dawn Reiss, At 333 miles, the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world. Before the 2011 race, the event had never seen a racing-related death in its 103 years. Experienced sailors Mark Morley, 51. and Suzanne Bickel, 40, both of Saginaw, Michigan, were among the 3,500 competitors. Chicago journalist Dawn Reiss researched this detailed article for six weeks... [more] Share this story

Vestas Sailrocket 2 joins the 50 knot club + Video Paul Larsen, We just got back in from a great session and I'm happy to say that Vestas Sailrocket 2 is now in the 50 knot club. We did three runs culminating a great final sprint where she just surged over the 50 knot mark recoding a peak of 50.53 knots. On the previous run she hit over 46 knots.... [more] Share this story

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