Australia's 470 sailors aim for a sixth Olympic Gold

Australian 470 sailors Sam Kivell and Will Ryan  MartinezStudio-Sofía Mapfre - copyright

It could not happen to a nicer guy. Lake Macquarie's Will Ryan has been confirmed by Olympic Gold medallist Matt Belcher as his 470 crew for their Olympic 2016 campaign.

Ryan has had an ideal preparation for his new role. As training partners for Belcher and Page, working with Victor Kovalenko, crewing with Sam Kivell, the 193 cm (6 foot 3') Ryan is well advanced in the role and is very keen to help bring the super Coach his sixth 470 Gold Medal for the Australian team.

SAILING - Sydney Short Ocean Race Championship  Andrea Francolini Photography ©

The 35th Short Ocean Racing Championship runs out of MHYC this weekend, with the first ever Beneteau 40 First Championships, as always this is the start of the Sydney summer regatta season.

The 2012 Beneteau Cup runs in Sydney tomorrow, with a forecast of sunshine and light winds, and no doubt the French champagne will flow as always.

Jessica Crisp racing at Sail Melbourne in November 2011  Jeff Crow/ Sport the Library ©

Sail Melbourne 2-8th December continues its important role on the World Sailing Cup circuit with Windsurfing a late addition to the roster.

A major breakthrough for the Hempel Gosford to Lord Howe race with race director Tony Evans announcing more deep draft moorings in the South Passage. Certainly shaping up as a much revitalised event.

Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand in the first race between AC72s  Chris Cameron/ETNZ©

The AC72's continue to circulate and the attrition in the Vendee Globe continues, we have full reports.

Legends take on future stars at Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship Di Pearson, 90-year-old John Walker and 85-year-old Tig Thomas will once strut their wares this weekend as the two of Australia's most decorated sailing legends battle it out with the sport's young guns in Saturday's Seven Island Race of the annual Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.... [more] Share this story

Melges 24's rack up for NSW States on Lake Macquarie Tracey Walters, The 2012 NSW Melges 24 State Titles will see a fleet of the one design class take over the waters of Lake Macquarie, this weekend. The regatta series sponsored by One Sail and hosted by Lake Macquarie Yacht Club kicks off Friday afternoon with a twilight race, followed by a full weekend of sailing.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: Artemis Racing crew report on Day 3 + Video Sail-World, America's Cup Challenger of Record, Artemis Racing have completed their third day of sailing in San Francisco and report on their progress so far. Winds started light but later in the day came in at 15kts - a great breeze to test the AC72... [more] Share this story

Sir Philip Craven challenges Rio 2016 to best London 2012 IPC, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven has challenged the organizing committee of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games to outdo the achievements of London 2012, and deliver the best ever Paralympic Games.... [more] Share this story

Vendee Globe - Penalties given while another one 'bites the dust' Vendee Globe, In the Vendee Globe, Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski (Energa), bowed to the apparently inevitable and announced his retirement from the race on Wednesday at 1330hrs (French time) after days trying to find a fix for his autopilots. Gutek, almost 2,000 miles behind the leader, Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) had been sailing east, running tests on his two autopilots after his wipe out on Saturday.... [more] Share this story

Vendee Globe - Energa, 'Gutek' bow out of the race Zbigniew Gutkowski, The Vendee Globe has been nothing short of hectic for the skippers who set off from Les Sables d'Olonne and now, yet another skipper has been forced to retire. Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski, sailing on board Energa, has announced his retirement from the race.... [more] Share this story

Kialoa US-1: Dare to Win - The Big Crash off Sydney Heads Peter Allison and Andy Rose, The collision between two US-flagged maxi yachts, Windward Passage (Fritz Johnson) and Kialoa III (Jim Kilroy) during the first race of the 1977 Southern Cross Cup sailed ahead of the 1977 Sydney Hobart Race, was a talking point around international sailing circles for several days.... [more] Share this story

Invitation to Compete in the 2013 Pacific Keel Boat Challenge Tom Macky, MRX Yachting and the Auckland Regatta Week Trust invite overseas Clubs, Classes or Crews to submit an 'Expression of Interest' in competing in the 2013 Farr MRX Pacific Keelboat Challenge... [more] Share this story

Sail Melbourne - World's best collide at ISAF Sailing World Cup Lauren Garnet, The world of sailing will convene in Australia roughly two weeks from now for the first stop of the ISAF Sailing World Cup at Sandringham Yacht Club from December 2-8, 2012. The best local and international sailors are expected to compete in several classes as they attempt to kick start their Rio Olympics build-up in a right direction.... [more] Share this story

Kiteboarding stays, RS:X Windsurfing reinstated at Sail Melbourne Lauren Garnet, Despite ISAF's decision to remove kiteboarding from its roster of events for the next Olympics, Sail Melbourne announced on Wednesday its commitment to continue providing competitive platform for local and foreign kiteboarders by keeping the class as part of its program during the ISAF Sailing World Cup at Sandringham Yacht Club from December 2 to December 8, 2012.... [more] Share this story

Biddy Badenach raring for start of 2012 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Bruce Montgomery, Robert ‘Biddy' Badenach has been an avid follower of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race and there won't be any difference this year as the former Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania commodore and his family look forward to pulsating races in one of the world's most prestigious sailing event in Australian waters.... [more] Share this story

Klade Hauschildt to take part in UON SB20 World championship Ian Grant, Many friends of Sunshine Coast aquatic athlete Klade Hauschildt have long regarded him as a loner in the highly competitive sport of One-design dinghy class racing. Klade Hauschildt, now 22 and a member of the Queensland Academy of Sport sailing squad with his long term friend and training partner Ryan Palk, expressed his talent as a teenager sailing alone to win an Australian Sabot class bronze.... [more] Share this story

Vendee Globe - Brits excel in the Doldrums Vendee Globe, In the Vendee Globe, Alex Thomson and Mike Golding have been two of the big winners in the Doldrums. Thomson was down to sixth at the 1600hrs (French time) ranking, having been up to third this morning, but just 2.3 miles separate the five boats chasing the leader, Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire). Thomson made up eighty miles as the fleet compressed and has been able to bank that.... [more] Share this story

RC44 Championship Tour door opens for all-female team Jessica Gray, Interest from an all-women's team in taking part in the RC44 Championship Tour has meant a rule change on crew weights to allow competitive all women teams to join the class for the 2013 season. At the final event of the season in Croatia the RC44 owners agreed that an all women crew can have an increased all up crew weight of 740kg, 60kg more than a mixed or all male crew.... [more] Share this story

London Paralympic Games debrief to start in Rio IPC, The organising committee of what International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven defined as the best ever Paralympic Games, will share their knowledge and experiences of London 2012 with future organising committees and the 2020 candidate cities this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.... [more] Share this story

Vote for best image of the year - Thierry Matinez Thierry Martinez, Like every year, I have sent an image to photo contest of Yacht Racing Image of the Year presented by Mirabaud. I have been honoured two times in past year with Trophée Mirabaud. The public will be asked to vote on Facebook for the picture they consider the world's best yacht racing photograph of the year until December 1 at midday (CET).... [more] Share this story

Vendee Globe - Hugo Boss moves into third place Vendee Globe, In the Vendee Globe, at the back of the fleet, Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski (Energa) partially revealed the reason for his strange heading – he is testing a new solution to his autopilot nightmare. Since releasing his gennaker, the 39-year-old Polish skipper, has been heading due east and is 1607.9 miles from the top of the fleet.... [more] Share this story

Launceston to Hobart Race officially launched Peter Campbell, Four Victorian yachts are expected to enter The Good Guys Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race this year, including the champion yacht Audi Penfold Sports from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Ron Bugg announced the interstate interest in this 285 nautical mile race around the north and east coastline of Tasmania at today's launch of the sixth annual L2H.... [more] Share this story

Major development for Hempel Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race Sail-World, The Hempel 39th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht is set to start April 6th 2013 and will be boosted with the inclusion of extra vessel accommodation now that the LHIB (Lord Howe Island Board) has approved the revised sponsor proposal from the Race Committee to add up to five deep draft moorings in the South (Man'o'War) Passage.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: First AC72 Practice Race happens in Auckland + Video ETNZBlog.com, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa went racing off Auckland this afternoon. It was not so much a spectacle as an historic encounter as the two AC72 catamarans met on the water. It was the first AC72 race – practice or otherwise – to take place.... [more] Share this story

20th Annual Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship Damian Devine, James Spithill, the skipper of defending America's Cup sailing team BMW Oracle Racing, will be the honorary speaker at the opening ceremony of the 20th Annual Harken International Youth Match Racing Championships.... [more] Share this story

Tuesday's massive race kickstarts Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Di Pearson, Everything is all set for the upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2012 as the finest people in sailing gather at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia off the coast of Sydney next Tuesday, the 27th of November, to begin the 29-day countdown before the official opening of one of the world's most prestigious sailing race on Boxing Day.... [more] Share this story

ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami - Notice of Race now available Dana Paxton, US Sailing's premier competition for Olympic and Paralympic class sailboat racing returns to Miami, Florida, January 27 – February 2, 2013. Now known as the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, the regatta serves up six days of elite-level competition in the thirteen sailing events selected for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.... [more] Share this story

Southport boys claim 1st to 4th in RQYS Schools Fleet Sailing Brady Lowe, The Southport School Sailing Team put 12 months of training to spectacular use in the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadrons Term 4 Fleet Sailing regatta, held over five Sundays. With 50 Pacer dinghy's on the start line the fleet racing format is certainly the most visually spectacular form of school sailing, a big fleet on start lines and over short, close race courses.... [more] Share this story

Vendee Globe - Rudder scare on board Hugo Boss + Video Vendee Globe, The Vendee Globe fight continues for the remaining skippers. Alex Thomson was faced with a broken rudder bar on board Hugo Boss as the hydro generator ripped off whilst Gutek is heading north-west on board Energa. If Alex Thomson ever retires from sailing he might be able to open a mechanic's workshop after unveiling the result of seven hours handiwork with his grinder.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ blasting in the Gulf Chris Cameron, Emirates Team NZ was out sailing again in the Hauraki Gulf on Friday, ahead of an advancing front which hammered Auckland over the weekend. Team photographer, Chris Cameron, was on hand to capture the action.... [more] Share this story

11 year old takes out international sailing crown in Miami Annette Wadley, There certainly aren't many 11 year olds that can call themselves a World Champion. After all the hard work and training at Lake Tinaroo North Queensland, Kristen Wadley has grabbed her first world sailing title at the Miami Yacht Club USA. Kristen took out the O'pen Bic World Cup Championship's Under 13 Girl's Division earlier this month.... [more] Share this story

Calm 2 claims the Lipton Cup Bernie Kaaks, Jason van der Slot made it two in a row today with a resounding win in the Division A IRC fleet to win his second Lipton Cup in successive years. He won last year's cup with the original Calm, which sailed in this year's regatta with John Williams at the helm.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup: Confessions of a Wingsail Trimmer - Glenn Ashby ETNZBlog.com, Emirates Team New Zealand wing trimmer Glenn Ashby recalls only one anxious moment while sailing the AC72. It was the time a squall hit them on Auckland Harbour just as they were about to round North Head. 'We had been in squalls before but never when we either had to tack the boat or commit to bearing away. We were in close to 30 knots true wind speed.... [more] Share this story

Waterspout or Tornado + Video Lou Ramon Aguila, You wouldn't want to be sailing out there. A homemade video of a gigantic waterspout spiraling close off the coast of NSW's south coast yesterday has become a hit in the Internet, generating roughly 137,000 viewers just hours since it was uploaded on Youtube.... [more] Share this story

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