AC ocean racing, A Cats and OD—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 6 Jan 2014 The sailing word is a really small place, especially at the upper echelons of the game, where sailors often wear a dinghy vest one day and an ocean-racing smock the next, while saving their snorkels for when the driving gets really sloppy. Top guys are always in high demand, so it’s not particularly unusual to hear of a pro sailor going from a Cup campaign to a full-bore ocean-racing program only a couple of months later. If that sounds like the life, things get even more interesting on the personal level, especially as the gentlemanly rivalries that exist in one campaign often drift over to other sailing endeavors.

One interesting story that has emerged from this past year’s Sydney to Hobart Race is the tale of Cup sailors/participants enjoying a private race within a race, as Iain Murray (Regatta Director for AC34) and Ian Burns (Head of Performance for Oracle Team USA), sailing aboard the line-honors-winning maxi 'Wild Oats XI', 'bested' Tom Slingsby (Oracle Team USA’s strategist) and Stan Honey (who served as Director of technology for the 34th America’s Cup), who were sailing aboard 'Perpetual Loyal' (ex 'Speedboat'/'Rambler 100').

'Boats like Perpetual Loyal have come with a big reputation: essentially a new boat with considerable modifications to bring her right up to speed,' said Murray, who has sailed extensively aboard 'Wild Oats XI'. 'I think everyone in the crew was on their game this year. In the nine races this boat has done this was by far the best.'

The sailing world shrinks considerably further when one considers that 'Wild Oats XI' is owned by Bob and Sandy Oatley, the father and son drivers behind 'Team Australia', the Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup. Moreover, Murray has been named CEO of this endeavor. Ironically, Slingsby, who sailed aboard 'Perpetual Loyal', has already announced his plans to return to Oracle Team USA again for the 35th America’s Cup. It will be interesting to see if the antipodean rivalries from this year’s Hobart develop further as the next Cup cycle picks up momentum, and if this 'race within a race' foreshadows any of AC35’s drama.

More, inside, and stay tuned for more AC news, as it becomes known.

Speaking of Cup personalities who are sailing to great heights in other classes, Glen Ashby, who served as Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) wing trimmer in the last Cup, recently took top honors in the Australian A Class Championships. Ashby, it will be remembered, is a longtime championship-level multihull sailor and has already re-signed with ETNZ for the next Cup. According to reports, this win marks Ashby’s tenth class championship in Australia, however things will likely get more competitive for Ashby at next month’s Worlds, which are being held in Auckland, and which are expected to see Nathan Outteridge, Andrew Landenberger, Brad Collett, and Scott Anderson joining the hunt.

Meanwhile, in OD sailing circles, Benjamin Vadnai (Hungary) and Monika Mikkola (Finland) and have been named the top Male and Female sailors at the Laser Radial Youth World Championships, which just wrapped up in Oman.

'It was very close at the top,' reported a jubilant Mikkola, who now plans to matriculate into the full-rig Laser class. 'My plan was to stay in the top ten and stay close to [my top rivals to] protect my position so it feels very good to sign off my Radial career with the World title.' Get the full report, inside this issue.

Also inside, get the full scoop from the ongoing Rose Bowl Regatta, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the upcoming ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami (January 27-February 1).

And finally, take some time to learn about the great improvements that Sail-World has recently made to increase our already impressive coverage of international yacht racing. This includes translations into numerous languages, as well as the addition of new webpages that are designed to reach more sailors. Not surprisingly, these efforts have made Sail-World the world’s most trusted (and visited) news source, but we’ll let you be the judge. Happy sailing!

May the four winds blow you safely home,