The Need for Speed

Sydney Harbour Regatta 2011, Middle Harbour Yacht club, Sydney HOOLIGAN  Andrea Francolini Photography ©

A big weekend for Sailing with the Sydney Harbour Regatta and the start of the Performance Sailcraft sponsored Laser Masters Worlds 2012.

Laser Masters Worlds 2011  Chuck Lantz - copyright

Sail-World will be at RQYS for this major event in which 233 sailors from 19 countries around the world will be sailing from Sunday 11th for the next week.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will reach Auckland on Sunday and we will have full coverage as you'd expect.

Brad Jackson has two hands on the helm and two eyes on the horizon, where an ominous black cloud looms in the waiting. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Sanya, China to Auckland, New Zealand. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)   Amory Ross/Puma Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race©

Thanks to everyone who has messaged us about our Sail-World site speed up, the opening page load time is now about a quarter of what it was, as are the story loads. This is just stage one of a major investment in new servers and software, needed as the Internet has gone mobile and our audiences have continued to grow rapidly.

Some 40% of our audience are on smart phones or tablets these days and we will be unveiling new large image sizes for these devices in coming days.

Volvo Ocean Race Auckland Stopover News 14 - Kia ora Knut! VOR Auckland Stopover, As the fleet battle it out on the way into Auckland, the Race Village is open in the Viaduct. The Global Party begins with twelve hours of entertainment every day from 9am to 9pm. Today's line up includes five live bands as well as race highlights and action on the big screens. Then there's the Volvo Experience with the Grinding Challenge, the Race simulator and Air Balls on water... [more] Share this story

2012 Laser Masters Worlds preview - Hot fleets and breeze expected Laser Masters World Championships media, The 2012 Laser Masters World Championships will be sailed from of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly (Queensland, Australia) on Brisbane's Moreton Bay. With many world champions amongst the 233 sailors competition is expected to be tight and titles hotly contested.... [more] Share this story

Ensign Yachts Mooloolaba is now open at Mooloolaba Marina, Parkyn Pde Florian Coroller, Gold Coast's Ensign Yachts main office takes great pleasure in announcing that they have recently opened up there new office in Mooloolaba and will be operating seven days a week.... [more] Share this story

Father and son chase Gladstone Race history Ian Grant, Peter Cavill and son Alexander have chartered the champion ocean racing sloop Saltash ll to contest the 2012 308 n/ml QantasLink Brisbane to Gladstone race over the Easter weekend. Saltash ll, a modified yachting world Diamond class day sailor, successfully co-skippered by the Wright brothers, Ian and Bill, to win The Courier Mail Cup on a record eight occasions is listed among the top chances... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Podium battle Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Ocean Race leader Groupama 4's 84.7-nautical mile lead could be unassailable. After 19 days at sea the pack is chasing hard, but concentrating on beating each other rather than mounting an assault on Groupama, who have just over 400 nm to go in Leg 4.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race team Puma Ocean Racing suffer raincloud induced agony Amory Ross, Volvo Ocean Race team Puma Ocean Racing make new enemies as Amory Ross, MCM, reports: There are very few things in this world I hate. Alarm clocks. Creamed spinach. Spiders. Ghost stories. Tequila. The Boston Red Sox. Well, effective immediately – I'm adding clouds. I hate clouds. They're beautiful and they do look like ice cream, I know, but I still hate them.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race team Groupama 4 prepare for long day ahead Franck Cammas, Volvo Ocean Race team Groupama 4 lead has dropped from a 149.50 mile lead to 95.5 miles. Before they can step onto the dock in Auckland, Franck Cammas and his men still have a day and a half at sea, beating into a strong South-East to easterly wind, which will fade as they make their way along the coast of New Zealand.... [more] Share this story

Cygnet Regatta at Port Cygnet Yacht Club preview Peter Campbell, Cygnet Regatta, hosted by Port Cygnet Yacht Club, is being held this weekend in southern Tasmania. At least five of Hobart's famous Derwent (D-class) yachts will contest as the venerable one-design class enjoys a revival of interest, notably among younger yachtsmen. This year marks 148 years since the first regatta was held on the beautiful waters of Port Cygnet... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race teams frustrated Heather Ewing, Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race entry Edinburgh Inspiring Capital have been racing to close the gap on the rest of the fleet since suspending racing yesterday to medevac an injured crew member. Alan Stewart is recovering after receiving hospital treatment for a fractured leg while the crew gets back to the business of racing across the Pacific Ocean.... [more] Share this story

Farr 400 – Pretty purposeful – Part II John Curnow, This weekend, Matt Allen's new Farr 400 will debut at the Helly Hansen Sydney Harbour Regatta. In Part I, of this article, Dee Smith, who is the Project Consultant for the pretty purposeful Farr 400, explained in terrific detail, firstly the creation of the boat and then the strict class controls that will be applied to these vessels. Now in Part II, we get to hear what owner, Matt Allen, has to s... [more] Share this story

Get behind the campaign, help Belcher and Page name their boat Craig Heydon, Australian sailors Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page are offering the opportunity for people to get behind their Olympic campaign in a new way by naming the boat they will race at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Belcher and Page have a tradition of naming their 470s after Nicole Kidman movies and this theme will continue with their new boat.... [more] Share this story

Global Ocean Race - Phesheya-Racing completes podium Oliver Dewar, In Leg 3 of the Global Ocean Race, the South African duo of 45-year-old Nick Leggatt and 28-year-old Phillippa Hutton-Squire, crossed the finish line in Punta del Este in third place with their Akilaria Class40, Phesheya-Racing at 16:26:20 local (18:26:20 GMT) on Wednesday 7 March, taking 38 days 16 hours 26 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the 6,300-mile course from Wellington to Uruguay... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race - Squalls and a shakeup Volvo Ocean Race, In the Volvo Ocean Race this afternoon, Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) moved up to second place on the Leg 4 leader board as Groupama 4 continued to dominate. The fleet is racing towards Cape Reinga, the turning point at the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island, which lies 437 nautical miles ahead of Groupama.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Race entry Edinburgh Inspiring Capital divert Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race teams have undergone a dramatic 24 hours which has seen Scottish entry, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, divert to Japan to medevac an injured crew member. Alan Stewart damaged his knee when he twisted it badly. Surgeon Stephen Wigmore advised it would be wiser for Alan to receive treatment in Japan... [more] Share this story

Wooden Boat Festival at Royal Geelong YC Bob Appleton, Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong is being held this weekend, 10th and 11th March 2012, at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Entry is free and the general public can enjoy an amazing array of close to 100 different types of wooden boats. Onshore displays and demonstrations will add to the historical aspect of our nautical heritage.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race: Big ecomomic benefit and visitors confirmed for NZ Richard Gladwell, The benefits of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover to Auckland were spelled out by Rachael Dacy of Auckland Tourism and Economic Events. 'This event does means a lot to Auckland, injecting $30.3million into the Auckland economy.'... [more] Share this story

Australian O'pen Cup – It happens at Easter Bevan McKavanagh, The Australian O'pen Cup is set to take place next month, with over 40 sailors already entered.... [more] Share this story

Sydney Harbour Regatta- Action aplenty on and off the water Jess Mulquiney, All eyes will be on the Sydney Harbour Regatta this weekend as over 250 yachts compete for the 2012 Champions title.... [more] Share this story

Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Accommodation options Kristie Kaighin, Have you booked your accommodation for Hamilton Island Race Week 2012?... [more] Share this story

New for Brisbane - Rivergate International Boat Show Jeni Bone, Brisbanites who love the boating lifestyle won't have to travel far this year to see what's new on water. Brisbane is to welcome a new boat show to the ranks of major marine showcases, with the anticipated launch of the Rivergate International Boat Show in October 2012.... [more] Share this story

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