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 Fast cats and collegiate sailing—Sailing News from the U.S. and Beyond
 | | Practice Race - 2012 A-Cat Worlds Sam Moore |
Few designs can deliver the pound-for-pound one-person speed thrills of an A-Class catamaran, a class that's long served as a hotbed of competitive multihull sailing. The class' Worlds are currently taking place in Islamorada Florida, with racing going on through this Saturday. At the time of this writing, the always-fast Mischa Heemskerk (NED) is leading the pack, followed by Bradley Collette (AUS) and Steven Brewin (AUS), but with days of racing to go, the overall title is still anyone's game. Expect things to get spicier as the week's forecasted conditions test each sailor's heavy-air skills.
 | | ESIMIT EUROPA 2 (SLO) at the front of the fleet - 2012 Rolex Middle Sea Race © Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo |
Meanwhile, the race leaders are approaching the finishing line of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. According to the latest reports, Igor Simcic's 100-foot 'Esimit Europa 2' (SLO) is enjoying an insurmountable lead and—at the time of this writing—is within 70 miles of taking the line honors; she is followed by the smaller pocket maxis including 'Rán II' (GBR), 'Med Spirit' (RUS) and 'Stig' (ITA). Get the full scoop, as well some race photography, inside.
 | | Crew of RÁN 2 (GBR) sitting on the rail - 2012 Rolex Middle Sea Race © Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo |
For Cup fans, international yachting correspondent Peter Montgomery recently conducted and broadcast an interview with Oracle Racing's Murray Jones on a New Zealand radio station that detailed what it was like to be aboard 'USA 17' when she nosedived and destroyed her wingsail. Check out the full interview, inside, and also be sure to check out Grant Dalton's—Emirates Team New Zealand's boss—thoughts on what Oracle's capsize could mean for the 34th America's Cup.
And in collegiate-sailing news, the Intercollegiate Sailing Association has announced its 2012 All-Academic Sailing Team. This exclusive list honors sailors who are not only quick on the racecourse but also bright in the classroom, with a minimum standard of a 3.5 cumulative GPA. 'This year's selections are an excellent representation of the achievements on the water and in the classroom,' said Matt Lindblad, chairman of the ICSA All-Academic Sailing Team Selection Committee and head coach of the MIT Varsity Sailing Team. 'Eight of the team members also received a form of All-American recognition and most were competitive at the highest levels of collegiate sailing competition.' Get the full honor role, inside.
Also inside, be sure to get the full scoop on the RS:X Youth World Windsurfing Championships, the McMillan Cup, the Kathryn Hammond Memorial Regatta and the Stu Nelson Trophy, the later of which just took place at MIT on the always-shifty Charles River.
 | | 2012 Sugar Bowl J/30 North Americans Leighton O'Connor © |
And finally, don't miss photographer Leighton O'Connor's image galleries from the recent J/30 North Americans.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
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