LVC update and Transpac news—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 19 Jul 2013 The international sailing spotlight remains fixed on San Francisco Bay and the Louis Vuitton Cup, where Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) sailed unopposed around the racecourse on Thursday as their opponent-Artemis Racing-is not yet race ready. But instead of simply sailing victory laps, skipper Dean Barker and his crew are using these 'race days' to gain valuable experience on the course and with their boat. According to reports, the team recorded a new course speed record of 44.15 knots, which they reached in just 15.8 knots of true windspeed.

'By far this is the coolest, most fun boat I’ve ever sailed on, there’s no doubt about that,' said ETNZ wing trimmer Glenn Ashby. 'The boats are getting faster and faster. Every month, we’re getting quicker. If we had another six or eight months of development we’d probably get another three to four knots quicker.'

Speaking of Artemis Racing, the team has now successfully concluded load testing their new AC72. According to reports, the other teams shared information about the working loads needed to safely sail an AC72, so the team is feeling more confident about returning to the water. 'We aim to put her in the water on Monday,' said Artemis CEA Paul Cayard.

As for Luna Rosa, the Italian-flagged team recently made news with its involvement in a new round of protests, which will be heard by the International Jury. The first, which was lodged by Stephen Barclay, COO of the America's Cup Events Authority (ACEA), has to do with the Italian team’s non-attendance at the Louis Vuitton Party. The second, lodged by the Italians, alleges that the ACEA manipulated some images of Luna Rossa’s AC72. Stay tuned for more on these protests, as it becomes known.

Also AC-related, US Sailing has announced that it will award a Hanson Rescue Medal to six sailors from the American Youth Sailing Force (one of the teams competing in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup) for their help in saving a woman from a minivan that crashed into San Francisco Bay on June 21. 'We were getting ready for a party when we heard some yelling from over the seawall,' said team supporter Vince Casalaina. 'We didn’t know what was going on at first, but then we saw the van as it started to float out away from shore, at which point my team got into our boat.'

And in ocean racing news, most of the 58 yachts sailing in this year’s Transpac Race have now crossed the halfway point (or considerably beyond) of this classic ocean race. At the front of the pack are John Sangmeister’s ORMA 73 'Lending Club' (ex 'Tritium Racing'), Bob Hayward’s 'Manatea' (a Seastream 650), and Yuichi Takahashi’s 'Ten Quarter' (a Beneteau First 40) who-at the time of this writing-were 211.2 miles, 231.1 miles and 367.3 miles, respectively, from the finishing line. [N.B., the race uses a staggered start, with the slower boats starting first.]

Sangmeister and his 'Lending Club' crew are looking to best the overall course record, and the next several hours will be critical to their attempt. Stay tuned to the website for the latest Transpac news, as it unfurls.

Also inside, get the latest news from the ISAF Youth Sailing Worlds, the Farr 30 Worlds, the Edgartown Yacht Club’s Race Weekend and the Optimist Worlds. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,