Action at Etchells Pre-Worlds

An even blacker day at Zhik Etchells Pre-worlds  Sail-World.com /AUS ©

Zhik Etchells Pre-Worlds on Godszone, bright sunshine in the morning then the sun disappears, as the thunderstorms roll in, it's getting like Ground Hog Day.

A wide open Australian Etchells Championship regatta up on the Pittwater circle, with unusually light condtions offshore.

A total of 16 boats were black flagged on Day 3 of the yesterday. A long day on the water, six attempts to get two races away and thunderstorms for the third day in a row. We have some interesting photos from yesterday's sailing.

Day 3 Zhik Pre-Worlds 2012 downwind 2  Sail-World.com /AUS ©

There are thunderstorms on the ranges ashore right now, so it looks like more of the same.

We are looking forward to the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron run Etchells Worlds which start next Monday on the Manly circle. Some great teams and a very tight event is expected. We have been talking to lots of the top sailors and will run our main pre-view tomorrow.

Today we feature an Australian marine industry icon, GME has been manufacturing in Sydney for 50+ years. They are a world leader in EPIRBS, having been making them for an unbelievable 35 years.

Lots of interesting news today ... get amongst it.

Etchells Australian Championship - 2012 Pre-Worlds images day 3 The Sail-World Team, Etchells Australian Championship - 2012 Pre-Worlds day three images from the Sail-World team.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Pre-Worlds- Black day and lead changes Tracey Johnstone, Zhik International Etchells 2012 Australian Championship - It was a black day for the 61 yacht fleet competing in day three. Shifty winds, general recalls, black flags, protests, lead changes; the Zhik Etchells Nationals had it all.... [more] Share this story

80th anniversary of Vaucluse Regatta attracts vintage yachts Erin McKnight, This weekend, the 80th anniversary of the Vaucluse Regatta, hosted by Vaucluse Yacht Club, will be commemorated. The annual sailing event draws a myriad of yachts and sailing craft to race upon Sydney Harbour, and has done so since its inception in 1932.... [more] Share this story

BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival - Warm water and hot racing Trish Jenkins, BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival - With less than two months to the start of the event there is still time to experience one of the best loved regattas in the Caribbean. Gold Sponsor, The Moorings is the official charter partner for the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival and they offer a wide variety of modern yachts and packages to choose from.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race - Surgery performed onboard Cessna Citation Oliver Dewar, Global Ocean Race - On Sunday afternoon GMT, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel on Cessna Citation, leading the Class40s through the Southern Ocean, ran straight into a band of light wind stretching across the Pacific's high latitudes with speed averages plummeting to below three knots.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet struggle with fluky winds Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - The four-way dog fight continues at the head of the pack, with De Lage Landen, Geraldton Western Australia, Gold Coast Australia and Singapore all vying for supremacy. Just 17 miles separates them in terms of distance to finish, and Gold Coast Australia's skipper, Richard Hewson, surmises that they are all racing within a 25-mile box.... [more] Share this story

Steele holds lead in Harken Youth International Match Racing Melanie Benton, Chris Steele from the RNZYS has maintained his lead on the leader board, winning 4 races today from 5 matches. With a total of 14 wins overall he is only one point clear of Jordan Reece and two clear of David Hazard and Tim Coltman. The Trans-Tasman rivalries are really beginning to show on the leader board but there are yet two final Flights of Round Robin Two to be sailed.... [more] Share this story

Vaucluse Regatta to commemorate 80th anniversary Erin McKnight, Vaucluse Regatta 80th edition, hosted by Vaucluse Yacht Club, is being held this weekend on Watsons Bay. The annual sailing event draws a myriad of yachts and sailing craft to race upon Sydney Harbour, and has done so since its inception in 1932.... [more] Share this story

Royal Hobart Regatta - Perfect sailing conditions Peter Campbell, The Royal Hobart Regatta was held today on the River Derwent. Second only to Sydney's Australia Day Regatta in longevity the Regatta celebrated its 174th anniversary on a perfect late summer's day in the capital of the island State of Tasmania. Regatta Day has been a public holiday since 1838 when the then Governor, Sir John Franklin, declared it a day of recreation and fun afloat and ashore... [more] Share this story

Etchells Australian Championship 2012 images by Howard Wright Howard Wright images, Photographer Howard Wright captured these images on day 2 of the Zhik Etchells 2012 Australian Championship on Pittwater, NSW.... [more] Share this story

18ft Skiffs: Smeg wins again - Video Bob Killick, The Smeg crew of Nick Press, Daniel Phillips, and Dave Ewings read the storm impact of the final leg of the windward leeward race on Sydney Harbour.... [more] Share this story

2012 RS:X Australian Titles and Bic Techno regatta Justin Lord, 2012 RS:X National Titles and Bic Techno regatta was held as part of the Downunder Pro. Conditions were favourable with nor-easters ranging from light to very strong winds as the regatta progressed. The right side of the course had a gentle swell and the wind chop was small.... [more] Share this story

Inaugural Melges 24 South Australian State title to Accru Tracey Walters, What a finale to the inaugural Melges 24 South Australian State Titles. The final two races on day three were nail biters. With Accru and Foxtrot heading into the final race for the regatta on equal points and Outrage Us one point ahead of Accru, tensions were high.... [more] Share this story

Price and Edwards put Crunch on NSW 29er State Championship Title David Price, NSWIS ETS crew Harry Price and Nathan Edwards sailing Crunchie snatched a tightly held lead in a gripping finale of the 2011-2012 NSW 29er State Championship.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Pre-worlds 2012 - Teams to watch on key race day Tracey Johnstone, It is now day three of the Zhik International Etchells 2012 Australian Championship, the Pre-Worlds and the podium is still empty with several teams all capable of stepping up. Each of the top six boats already have one high-points race that they would rather not have in their results. The pressure is on them today to ensure there are no more bad races on their scorecard.... [more] Share this story

50th Anniversary Regatta at Palm Beach Sailing Club Dick Clarke, Palm Beach Sailing Club celebrated 50 years of cat sailing on Pittwater, on Saturday 11 February. Cat sailors started the Pittwater Catamaran Club in 1962, which merged with the Palm Beach Sailing Club (founded 1949) in 1999. We think Palm Beach has launched more successful sailors than any other off the beach cat club in Australia, possibly the world?... [more] Share this story

Etchells Pre-Worlds - Lead changes as new fortunes gained and lost Tracey Johnstone, It was mixed fortunes for several highly-rated title contenders who were expected to lead the fleet through much of the Zhik Etchells National Championship. Errors on the start line, shifty breezes and erroneous tactical calls cost some skippers any chance of a top ten finish while for others they are likely to miss out on a podium place.... [more] Share this story

GME – An Australian company taking the search out of Search and Rescue Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team, Having activated an Australian made GME 406 EPIRB and listened to the throb of an Australian Navy Seahawk as it approached in the darkness towards our stricken boat in huge seas in the 1998 Sydney Hobart race, this writer is very favourably inclined towards GME EPIRBS and these days even more so with GME producing EPIRBS with GPS.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Team Sanya reflect and prepare Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race skipper Mike Sanderson, Team Sanya, reflects on the race to date, further igniting the Chinese population's love for sailing and preparations for Leg 4.... [more] Share this story

Harken Youth International: Steele takes the lead into Round Robin 2 Melanie Benton, Former World Optimist Champion, Chris Steele from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has moved up the leader board, winning all of his five matches today. With a total of ten wins overall he is one point clear of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's Jordan Reece, who also posted an impressive five wins from five matches today.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Australian Championship - 2012 Pre-Worlds images day 2 The Sail-World Team, Etchells Australian Championship, 2012 Pre-Worlds. Images from day 2 on the Pittwater circle, sunshine and storms - images from the Sail-World team... [more] Share this story

Bruny Island Race - Calvert family yachting legend continues Peter Campbell, Hobart yachtsman Calvert sailed in his first Bruny Island Yacht Race 55 years ago, aboard his father Charles' famous yacht Caprice. Today on corrected time, Intrigue won the Bruny Island Race's premier AMS division, placed a close second to line honours winner Cougar II in the IRC division, and placed fourth to Mr Kite, which won the PHS trophy.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Australian Championship images by Beth Morley Beth Morley images, Etchells Australian Championship images by photographer Beth Morley.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Pre-Worlds - Talented technical North Sails team out in force Tracey Johnstone, North Sails has bought together its significant technical and personnel resources to support its clients competing in the Zhik Etchells Nationals being held from 11th to 14th February. Leading the technical team Melbourne loft manager, Noel Drennan. Choosing not to race this series has allowed him to help his fellow North Sails team members prepare clients and themselves for battle.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Australian Championship images from Howard Wright Howard Wright images, Howard Wright, Image Professional Photography presents this gallery of images captured at day one of the 2012 Zhik Etchells Australian Championship... [more] Share this story

America's Cup - Ben Ainslie joins Oracle Racing for 34th edition America's Cup, 34th America's Cup - Britain's most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Ben Ainslie, is all set to become a full time member of Oracle Racing for the upcoming edition on Francisco Bay in 2013. Before then, Ainslie will compete with his new team, Ben Ainslie Racing, on the America's Cup World Series circuit.... [more] Share this story

Bruny Island Yacht Race – Line honours to Cougar II Peter Campbell, Bruny Island Yacht Race is the oldest ocean yacht race in Australia. Cougar II, Tony Lyall's Transpac 52, tonight took line honours in the 86th edition of the race. The powerful sloop crossed the line at 22:54pm , outsailing a fleet of 25 of southern Tasmania's best offshore racing yachts to complete the circumnavigation of the island south of Hobart in 13 hours 14 minutes... [more] Share this story

Melges 24 SA State Titles lead to Alexander Tracey Walters, By the closing of the second day of the Riviera and Adelaide Shore Melges 24 SA State Titles, four different boats had a first place on the results sheet.... [more] Share this story

Milson Memorial Cup - Line honours winner Quest Peter Campbell, Milson Memorial Cup - Matt Wilkinson's Masrm 920 out of Sight may have been just that to the front runners in today's Milson Memorial Cup short ocean race off Sydney Heads, but she certainly was not out of mind when it came to calculating corrected time results.... [more] Share this story

Bruny Island Yacht Race - Cougar II leads the fleet Peter Campbell, Bruny Island Yacht Race, hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, 86th edition is currently underway. The Transpac 52 Cougar II this evening is power-reaching up the D'Entrecasteaux Channel towards a line honours victory.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Pre-Worlds - drama for Big Guns in first race Tracey Johnstone, Top title contenders in the Zhik National Championship, Brun and Bertrand, are in an unenviable position. With only eight races to the four-day event being held off Pittwater and with a fleet of exceptional sailing talent, breaking the line on a Black Flag start in the first race of the series is for John Bertrand, Vince Brun, Tom King and Mark Langford a costly mistake.... [more] Share this story

Olympic contender Viper strikes ahead of evaluation trials Viper International Class Association, At the Pattaya International Multihull Festival, multiple Olympian Carolijn Brouwer and crewmate Brett Goodall sailed their Viper to victory with the boat outperforming its rivals for a spot on the 2016 Olympic program at the week-long event.... [more] Share this story

RYA Tribunal on Perth 2011 incident reactions from Ainslie and Park Lindsey Bell, Perth 2011 - Reactions to the RYA Tribunal decision from Ben Ainslie and Stephen Park, RYA Olympic Manager, are as follows: Ben Ainslie: 'I welcome the RYA Tribunal's decision and am looking forward to fully focussing on my Olympic preparations. I deeply regret the incident, but would like to thank all the governing bodies involved for their thorough investigation.'... [more] Share this story

RYA Tribunal rules no further penalty for Ben Ainslie Louise Nicholls, The RYA Tribunal met on 9 February 2012 to consider a report dated 14 December 2011 received pursuant to the Racing Rules of Sailing Rule 69.1(c) from the International Jury at the ISAF Sailing World Championships held in Perth, December 2011.... [more] Share this story

Sydney Harbour Regatta: Entries aplenty and awesome action anticipated Alana Whitting, Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) is looking forward to a revitalised format for the 2012 Sydney Harbour Regatta.... [more] Share this story

Sydney Yachts GTS 43 – Raising eyebrows on World stage Richard Hammond, What to do you get when you combine the world-renowned Ker Yacht Design, with Australia's Sydney Yachts, a team that have been building quality offshore boats for a long time. Well, the result is the Sydney Yachts GTS 43 and recently, it's been raising some eyebrows, as it competes against some of the other hot new things out there in the marketplace.... [more] Share this story

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