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Gulari Bags Melges 24 Nationals—Sailing News from the U.S. and Beyond

Bora Gulari, 2011 Melges 24 U.S. National Champion   ©2011 JOY | U.S. Melges 24 Class Association

After an extremely intense regatta, Bora Gulari and his New England Ropes team have won the U.S. Melges 24 Nationals, a heady title to Gulari's already heady trophy case. 'This feels pretty good. Not often does it come down to the last gybe as to whether or not you win a championship or not,' reported Gulari. 'Needless to say, there was a lot of tension in the one and only race today. The last time I was this close was in 2008, when Brian Porter stole the win on the last leg of the last race, so it feels really good to have held on to win.' History didn't quite invert itself (Porter's Full Throttle finished in third place, with Nathan Wilmot and Conor Clarke's Embarr taking second-place honors) this time, but given the razor-think point margins, you can bet that stress levels were running high for all sailors throughout the event. Get the full report, inside this issue.

Camper Emirates Team New Zealand measures up  Nico Martinez ©

Meanwhile, the rest of this week's headlines are dominated by Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) news and previews. Emirates Team New Zealand's (ETNZ) Camper has now passed its official measurement procedure, a milestone that skipper Chris Nicholson is relieved to have put astern. 'The build tolerance with our boat was one millimeter on every single component,' said Nicholson. 'For instance the designed draft of our boat was exactly 4.5 metres and it came out at 4.499 metres. To deliver that sort of accuracy across such a complex boat as a Volvo Open 70 is not a simple task. If you don't have the right guys involved from the very beginning then it's not going to happen.' For ENTZ, the 'right guy' was Marcelino Botín, as well as ENTZ's in-house design group. Botín, it will be remembered, drew Puma Ocean Racing's il mostro their slippery steed which they rode to a second-place finish in the 2008/2009 edition.

The Volvo 70 'Il Mostro' skippered by Ken Reed and his Puma crew, cross the St David's Lighthouse finish line to take 2nd place on elapsed time behind Alex Jackson's 'Speedboat' PHOTO CREDIT: Talbot Wilson/PPL www.pplmedia.com  Newport Bermuda Race Media

And speaking of Puma Ocean Racing, skipper Ken Read and his crew recently arrived in Alicante, to what Read described as a sobering sight: Other highly strung VO70 in the stable, just chapping at the bit to start racing. This obviously introduces a psychological factor for the team, but Read—as usual—is on top of it. 'The bar talk is not going to determine our destiny, sometimes it's easy to fall into that trap,' said Read. 'So let's keep the blinders on keep focusing on our specific jobs and things will turn out just fine.' VOR fans can expect a sneak preview of things to come when ENTZ, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Puma, Team Sanya, Telefónica and Groupama line up for a 360-mile qualification race, from Alicante to Palma de Mallorca and back, on October 7. Stay tuned!

Also in this issue, be sure to check out the coverage of the Argo Group Gold Cup, which kicked off yesterday, as well as the Heaven Can Wait yacht race, and the latest edition of Oracle Racing News (for the Cup junkies who just can't quite get enough...you are not alone!). And for anyone looking for an offshore-racing fix, make a point of checking out the ongoing drama in the Global Ocean Race, where sailors have been dealing with everything from breeze, to the light stuff to nerve-wrecking encounters with fishing gear and small boats off the coast of Africa.

May the four winds blow you safely home,

David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor

Melges 24 U.S. National Championship - Gulari takes title Joy Dunigan, The new 2011 Melges 24 U.S. National Champions are Bora Gulari on New England Ropes and crew consisting of tactician Jeremy Wilmot, George Peet, Dan Kaseler and Chris Fortine. Nathan Wilmot at the helm of Conor Clarke's Embarr proudly took second overall. Brian Porter's Full Throttle finished third.... [more] Share this story

WMRT Argo Group Gold Cup slow start Talbot Wilson, The first day of the 2011 Argo Group Gold Cup saw Bermuda's top match racer Blythe Walker (BER) and Team RenRe fall to Jesper Radich (DEN) and Adrian Lee & Partners on a day when rain and shipping movements blotted out much of the programme. In that opening match, both Walker and Radich were over the line when the start gun fired, and had to turn back to re-start.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race fleet welcomes the breeze Oliver Dewar, Part of the Global Ocean Race fleet were hampered by pockets of breeze going into Monday evening off the coast of Western Sahara. Separated by 62 miles, Cessna Citation in third and Financial Crisis in fourth fell into a hole of two to four knots around 70 miles off the coast in the mid-evening before 11 knots of NNE breeze arrived before midnight, pushing the two Class40s south at seven knots.... [more] Share this story

RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup puts champions face to face Talbot Wilson, The RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup is set to begin on Thursday but today, the world's best young Opti sailors, ages 11 to 15, set out in Bermuda's Hamilton harbor for a first practice race. Meeting each other on the water and on the docks for the first time today, these youngsters come from all corners of the world and are true ambassadors of their sport.... [more] Share this story

WMRT Argo Group Gold Cup first day frustrations World Match Racing Tour, The 2011 Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate stage of the World Match Racing Tour and is being held from fourth-9th of October at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Today's opening day witnessed ISAF Match Racing World Championship contenders Jesper Radich, Bjorn Hansen and Francesco Bruni take victories in their first matches on what proved to be a frustrating opening day of racing in Bermuda.... [more] Share this story

ZOKE Kiwi Match Step Up To The Big League Logan Fraser, Zoke Kiwi Match Racing reports ahead of the Argo Group Gold Cup, part of the World Match Racing Tour, in Bermuda: Coming off our recent successes in the USA, ZOKE Kiwi Match is about to step things up a level. The team is off to Bermuda, for stage 7 of the World Match Racing Tour - the Bermuda Gold Cup. This will be our first World Tour event for the year and timing couldn't be better, given ou... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Camper Emirates Team NZ measure up Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race - Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Chris Nicholson says that one of the biggest challenges of this campaign has been getting through the race's stringent measurement process and that the most regular book he has read for the last two years is the Volvo Ocean Race rulebook.... [more] Share this story

Uno Farr 40 European Championship - The heat is on Jill Campbell, Uno Farr 40 European Championship - The past week's stormy, wet weather has given way to sunshine and blue skies as eight participating teams prepare for two decisive Farr 40 regattas in Istanbul, Turkey.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Puma enters the spotlight Volvo Ocean Race, With less than one month until the start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, Puma Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read is urging his crew to keep their ‘blinders on', ignore the bar-talk and remain focused as they arrive in Alicante, Spain.... [more] Share this story

RORC Caribbean 600 online entry open Trish Jenkins, The RORC Caribbean 600, run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with Antigua Yacht Club, is the only offshore race of the Caribbean series and since its conception in 2009, has become a firm favourite with offshore racers seeking a tactical challenge in warm Caribbean conditions. The 2012 edition will witness an impressive line-up of yachts starting from Antigua on Monday 20th February.... [more] Share this story

C. Thomas Clagett Jr Memorial Clinic and Regatta 2012 dates announced Clagett Memorial Clinic, C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta - To facilitate athlete preparation for the 2012 Paralympic Games, organizers of North America's premier event for sailors with disabilities have moved the annual event to July 6-9, 2012, at Sail Newport, Rhode Island's community sailing center.... [more] Share this story

TP52 World Championship day 1 – Tied at the top Sabina Mollart-Rogerson, Audi TP52 World Championship - Tony Langley and his core crew of Gladiator, complemented this week by American tactician Chris Larson and Spanish navigator Nacho Postigo, bolted together two excellent races in very light, streaky winds to lead the Championship off Porto Cervo's Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Sardinia on countback after the first day of racing.... [more] Share this story

U.S. Team Racing Championship for the Hinman Trophy overall Campbell Sailing, U.S. Team Racing Championship for the Hinman Trophy update from Andrew Campbell of CampbellSailing.com: The annual Championship is always a fun event to try and put on my schedule. The regatta is a great way to stay in touch with former college sailors and the teamrace-minded crowd is a different breed.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: Oracle Racing News - Edition 28 - From Plymouth Oracle Racing Media, Oracle Racing's newsletter for 3 October 2011 covering events after Plymouth... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race: Auckland Stopover News 4 - Showcase sells out! VOR Auckland Stopover, Running throughout the ten days of the Auckland Stopover, the Marine Showcase, is designed to offer New Zealand's leading marine industry innovators and suppliers a unique opportunity to exhibit products and information to the 200,000+ expected visitors and to build relationships with the international yachting world via access to the Volvo Ocean Race exclusive hospitality facility.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race fleet on the hunt Oliver Dewar, The Global Ocean Race fleet continue to experience dramatically varying conditions in the hunt for the elusive North East Trade Winds. The South African duo of Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire in sixth place on Phesheya-Racing finally dug into some breeze shortly before midnight on Sunday, releasing them from imprisonment in a wind vacuum 90 miles north-east of the Canaries.... [more] Share this story

Farr 40 European Championship feels the heat Jill Campbell, The UNO Farr 40 European Championship and the Farr 40 Event 3 competitors experienced stormy, wet weather this past week but, those conditions have now given way to sunshine and blue skies as eight participating teams prepare for two the two decisive Farr 40 regattas in Istanbul, Turkey.... [more] Share this story

Y'all come back now, ya hear - Heaven Can Wait, a personal journey Peter McIntosh, Heaven Can Wait 24-hour yacht race competitors were greeted by that Robin Williams-style reveille harking back to the movie Good Morning Vietnam just after 6am on Sunday as the marathon race drew to a close. The radio wake-up call was a bit of light relief on the part of the cancer charity event's principal race officer Blake Middleton, delivered in his distinctive North American accent.... [more] Share this story

College Sailing standouts capture U.S. Team Racing Championship Jake Fish, Minor Threat went 9-1 in today's six team Championship Stage, a Double Round Robin. Minor Threat collected two wins today over 2009 Champions, New York Yacht Club Team Extreme. Each member of Minor Threat has been an ICSA (Intercollegiate Sailing Association) All-American at least once.... [more] Share this story

For 24 Hours - just you, your mates and Lake Macquarie Heaven Can Wait media, The sixth annual Heaven Can Wait 24 Hour Race lived up to its reputation, with heavy winds and driving rain producing particularly testing conditions for the sailors in the second part of the race.... [more] Share this story

ICSA Senator's Cup ICSA, ICSA Senator's Cup - On Saturday, great breeze from the Northwest and a stunning rainbow greeted sailors on Horseshoe Bend of the St. Mary's River to start the morning. Perhaps it was just PRO Leah Anderson Magana '02 who brought the rainbow with her after nine years in Hawaii.... [more] Share this story

PWA Reno World Cup Sylt Grand Slam event summary PWA, The PWA Reno World Cup Sylt Grand Slam has now come to a close and with it the end of the 2011 season. The world's finest windsurfers were treated to ten days of stunning weather on Westerland beach in Sylt as a high pressure lingering over Europe brought with it blazing sun, but it also prevented the flags from flying.... [more] Share this story

Vodafone enables live broadcasting of OptiWorlds racing in New Zealand Nathalie van Dort, The latest major sponsor to confirm its involvement with the Opti Worlds NZ is Vodafone New Zealand, and the result promises to be a major leap forward for spectatorship of dinghy racing. The giant of the communications market will be making a significant investment in equipment and systems for the world championship youth sailing event, including Live Streaming of all races and mark roundings,... [more] Share this story

Will the Extreme Sailing Series survive the America's Cup onslaught? Kate Laven, The Telegraph (UK), Extreme Sailing Series is in its fifth season but fears overs its future grew when America's Cup rolled out plans for a similar circuit in a similar boat all funded by the world's fifth richest man. Can the Extremes survive? Mark Turner is almost certain that had he taken the job with the America's Cup, his five year old Extreme Sailing Series would now be defunct.... [more] Share this story

Chicago Match Cup – Spectacular Final + Video Chicago Match Race Center, Chicago Match Cup – Gale force winds continued today on Lake Michigan, yet despite the cold blustery conditions the action always remained hot for sailors and spectators alike in the final day of racing, held off the east end of Chicago's famous Navy Pier.... [more] Share this story

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