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Nervous Moments for the TJV Fleet—the hottest sailing news

For sailors racing in this year's Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race, these are busy and nervous days. The storied biennial event begins this Sunday off of Le Havre, France, not long before a massive weather system is forecast to cross the fleet's bows, whistling 35-40 knots and delivering a huge-and-confused seaway that will certainly slow down each boat's VMG and likely make life rather unpleasant for sometime. The double-handed race is contested in Class 40s and Open 60s, and will bring the sailors from France to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.

American sailing interests are being well-represented by Jesse Naimak-Rowse, aboard 40 Degrees, as well as Nicolas Halmos, who is racing aboard 11th Hour Racing. 'We are looking to get through the first big hit and then be able to take advantage of the better conditions,' said Rowse. 'The first 1000 miles set up the rest of the course.' Stay tuned for more the Transat Jacques Vabre as it becomes known.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12  Pedro Martinez

Also unfurling this weekend is the first of the in-port races for the 2011/2012 Volvo Ocean Race, which takes place on Saturday in Alicante, Spain. Six offshore-thoroughbred Volvo Open 70s will be toeing the starting line, waiting anxiously and aggressively to see who will take first blood in this storied event. While there's no doubt that the race's heart and soul is offshore, deep in the Southern Ocean, the in-shore races are a source of valuable points, and also make a big impact, psychologically, on all crews.

While the wisdom stands that the first boat to Cape Town wins the entire race, it will be interesting to see what teams will shine in the inshore setting. 'It's very clear how good everybody is so I guess I feel a little trepidation knowing that,' said Ken read, skipper of Puma Ocean Racing's Mar Mostro. 'But we're as good as we're going to be and it's time to get out there and put our money where our mouth is. Every point counts, and if you took the six teams right now and had a tiddlywinks contest, it would be a blood match. Every point is huge.'

Anna Tunnicliffe's Team Maclaren round the leeward mark - U.S. Olympic Qualifying Regatta 2011  US Sailing ©

Meanwhile, in Olympic sailing circles, the U.S. Olympic Qualifying Regatta is currently taking place in Key Biscayne, Florida, with serious pressure on the top of the leaderboard of the Women's Match Racing after two days of sailing. Anna Tunnicliffe ( Team Maclaren) and Genny Tulloch are currently locking horns for first-place, with Sally Barkow and her crew close behind. Racing continues through this Sunday, and will determine one of four slots in the second (and final) qualifying race, the 2012 Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta. Also at stake is an immediate qualification to the ISAF Combined World Championships, which take place in Perth, Australia in December. Get the full details inside.

Also Olympic related, ahead of the ISAF World Championships in Perth 2011, be sure to check out Rob Kothe's in-depth look at the current state of the Finn class, and the ever-looming question: Can anyone beat the great Ben Ainslie, one of the most decorated Olympic sailors of all time? 'Ben is an incredibly talented sailor.' said American Finn sailor Zach Railey (himself a silver medalist in the 2008 Olympics, finishing astern of Ainslie). 'I expect to see the British Finn Team leaders Ainslie, (Giles) Scott and (Ed) Wright, but the Finn fleet is getting deeper and deeper and such a very talented fleet for sure and there are big challenges ahead.'

Also inside, get the wrap-up on the Pan American Games, the latest from Paul Larsen's now-damaged Sail Rocket2, and also be sure to check-in with the Global Ocean Race fleet as they charge towards Cape Town, led by the father-and-son team of Ross and Campbell Field aboard BSL. Enjoy.

May the four winds blow you safely home,

David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor

U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta - Tie at the top after day 2 Dana Paxton, The U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta is currently underway in Key Biscayne, Florida and with two round robins near completion, three teams have risen to the top of the overall standings with a mere four matches dropped among them. Anna Tunnicliffe's and Genny Tulloch's teams are tied at the top with ten wins, one loss, while Sally Barkow's team is close behind... [more] Share this story

Perth 2011 – Can they knock off Big Ben? Rob Kothe, Sailings Superstar British sailor Ben Ainslie, the only sailor ever to be crowned ISAF World Sailor of the Year three times (1998, 2002 & 2008), will be 35 years old by the 2012 London Olympics. He will be sailing at his fifth Olympic Games, aiming to win another gold medal, perhaps weighed down by the British public expectations media demands with three gold medals and one silver round his ne... [more] Share this story

Sail-World on Facebook -Check us out!! David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor, Jeraldine Kennedy, Sail-World UK and European Editor explained 'Sail-World's Facebook wall has key selections from the nine Sail-World sites world-wide posted as well as providing the opportunity for Fans to get to know the Editors. 'We have already posted feature stories from many of our editors world-wide for the last six months, going forward we will be adding key feature stories each day.... [more] Share this story

Etchells Worlds 2012: youth aim to join cut and thrust competition Tracey Johnstone, The change is in the air. Younger Etchells class skippers and crew are joining the class and hunting worlds qualification for Sydney February 2012. Dubbed by sailors in the past as the ‘old man's class', it is no longer an accepted description of the Etchells. The younger sailors have sniffed out what the older Etchells sailors have known for quite a while - high cal... [more] Share this story

Proving that the Tornado has what it takes + Video Andrew Dowley, This coming week, the Tornado Class along with its representatives, will head to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the annual International Sailing Federation conference which is held from the 3-13 November. They are off to prove to the ISAF and MNAs that the Tornado has what it takes to return as the Olympic Multihull ahead of next year's trials.... [more] Share this story

Transat Jacques Vabre has international appeal Hélène Tzara, The Transat Jacques Vabre now has only three days until the start gun is set to fire and for the fleet, Sunday's start looms ever larger on the horizon. Today, Le Havre was a mix of quiet activity and growing anticipation whilst the weather analysis now ensures challenging conditions as the biennial race often delivers.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race Leg 1 - BSL approach finish line Oliver Dewar, Global Ocean Race - In the 15:00 GMT position poll on Thursday, Ross and Campbell Field leading the double-handed, Class40 GOR fleet on BSL are just 117 miles from the finish with an ETA of early Friday morning at the Cape Town finish line with an 87 mile lead over Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron on Campagne de France in second.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race Teams ready for In-Port Race Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 kicks off this Saturday, 29th October 2011 in Alicante, Spain at 1200 GMT/UTC (1400 local time). The six boats designed primarily to blast through the oceans will battle for the first points, and an early psychological boost, in a quickfire inshore sprint.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Race - Gold Coast Australia open up lead Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Gold Coast Australia has extended its lead overnight as a cold front bringing winds up to 30 knots powered the Australian team led by Tasmanian Richard Hewson towards the finish line off Geraldton.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race – Final countdown commences Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race – It used to be said that by the time the yachts hit the start line of the first leg, the Volvo Ocean Race was already won or lost. Historically, the teams with the biggest budgets and best preparation would have the greatest shot at glory – and more often than not they would be the ones lifting the trophy nine months later.... [more] Share this story

Barz Optics demonstrates Floater aquatic prowess Jeni Bone, Gone are the days of losing your sunnies to the bottom of the ocean. Floating like no other, Barz has put their new Floater to the test in the surf and haven't been disappointed.... [more] Share this story

Student Yachting World Cup - France holds the lead + Video Sail-World.com, At the Student Yachting World Cup in France, eight races have now been completed. Euromed Arthur Loyd (France) lead the overall rankings on 11 points.... [more] Share this story

Prototype for Olympic Womens Skiff trials has great pedigree Richard Gladwell, A New Zealand developed prototype is being test sailed in Auckland ahead of the proposed evaluation trials for the Olympic Womens Two-Person Skiff. The boat utilizes the 49er hull, foils and boom with a new sailplan designed to suit the ISAF specified target weight of 110-130kg. The team behind the Mackay Boats' prototype oozes talent and has a track record of excellence... [more] Share this story

US Olympic Team Qualifier - Genny Tulloch leads after first round Dana Paxton, At the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, Genny Tulloch's team won all of their matches (7-0). Tunnicliffe's team – Team Maclaren with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi – only dropped the one match to Tulloch.... [more] Share this story

Pan American Games dominated by Brazil ISAF, The Pan American Games have now wrapped up in Guadalajara, Mexico with Brazil snapping up five gold medals out of the nine events on show. Patricia Freitas and Ricardo Santos were dominant in the men's and women's RS:X. Freitas won nine of eleven races on her way to a well-deserved and convincing win.... [more] Share this story

Sailrocket 2 suffers damage in crash + high speed run video Paul Larsen, After a few good, high speed runs - disaster has struck! Vestas Sailrocket 2's main beam failed .. read on as Paul Larsen explains ....... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race - BSL approaching Cape Town Oliver Dewar, The Global Ocean Race leader BSL, being crewed by Ross and Campbell Field, has now been at sea for a total of thirty-one days. The main pack of four Class40s are north-west of the leaders by 1,500 miles and spread over 360 miles, with the variety of options taken to avoid the high-pressure system blocking their route to Cape Town coming into play.... [more] Share this story

Rolex Middle Sea Race – Artie first Maltese boat home KPMS, Rolex Middle Sea Race – After racing over 600 miles, the J/122 Artie crossed the finish line at 15.22 CEST, eight minutes in front of Jaru Team EC, a J/133, and, in doing so, was the first Maltese boat home. That finish also put the local entry, co-skippered by Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard, ahead of Rán (GBR) as overall handicap leader.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Visit Finland wins Ocean Sprint Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Race - After clinching the bonus point for the Ocean Sprint in race four yesterday, Visit Finland has stormed up the leader board overhauling two boats into sixth place. Olly Osborne and his team declared an elapsed time of 26 hours exactly for covering the distance between 90 and 95 degrees east. This time proved to be 70 minutes speedier than the second fastest boat... [more] Share this story

Rolex Middle Sea Race - A struggle to the finish KPMS, Rolex Middle Sea Race - Over the night and into this morning, a dozen boats crossed the finish line in Marsamxett Harbour after struggling on the ten-mile leg from Comino to the finish. The breeze had been solid on the leg from Lampedusa, and then drops off dramatically as yachts reach the Maltese archipelago, making for a tactically challenging last ten miles... [more] Share this story

Sail-World set for huge coverage of Volvo Ocean Race and Olympics Brendan Maxwell, The 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race starts in just over a week on 5th November in Alicante Spain. The Sail-World team is planning detailed coverage, as it will be with the Olympic newsletter series starting with Perth 2011. Between the two series there will be over eight million newsletters to our world-wide audience.... [more] Share this story

Kaenon Polarized new, hand-painted sunglass styles Sail-World, Kaenon Polarized, the Newport Beach-based Lifestyle and Luxury Performance sunglass brand, announces the launch of its 2011 Anniversary Collection, in celebration of reaching its 10 year milestone as a company. The Anniversary Collection is available in November, online and through Kaenon's authorized dealer network.... [more] Share this story

McConaghy's MC38 on the water - a cause for further excitement John Curnow, Around 10 months ago, we had some serious cause for excitement when the MC38 from McConaghy went from drawings to moulds. At the time, we thought that the boat would do to one design keelboat racing what the Mach 2 had done to foiling Moths.... [more] Share this story

In too deep- Behind the Race to Mackinac tragedy-U.S. SAILING comments Dawn Reiss, U.S. SAILING has now commented on this article. Before the 2011 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac 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

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

Sailrocket 2 - Waiting for the wind + short video Paul Larsen, We took the opportunity to re-skin the wing where it needed it.... [more] Share this story

Perth 2011 – a big U.S. team and a watershed for U.S. Olympic sailing Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team, Since sailing first joined the Olympic program in 1908 the most successful sailing nation has been the United States of America, with 59 medals. At the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics the U.S. led the field with seven sailing medals, while Great Britain took home just one bronze.... [more] Share this story

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