Clipper, China Sea, Classics—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 21 Apr 2014 San Francisco Bay was abuzz this weekend as the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race kicked off Race 11 (AKA 'Leg 7') of their around-the-world adventure, with their next stop in Panama. According to reports, Race 11 encompasses 3,350 nautical miles and will take the One Design fleet roughly 21 days to complete. En route, crews will have to make many important tactical decisions, one of the most important being the choice to hug the coast or to punch offshore.

Teams are only just beginning their lengthy leg south but that certainly isn’t limiting the competitive spirit, nor the simple pleasures of offshore sailing. 'As we rally at the starting line in front of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, we may be part of the biggest round the world fleet of racing yachts, an extraordinarily competent and hard-working crew, but I for one will trust the unbeatable power of the Clipper Race ship cookies I cooked that morning to get us to New York in first place,' said Elaina Breen of 'Henri Lloyd'.

While the season is still young for North American distance racing (but stay tuned as wonderful things await warmer weather), the Rolex China Sea Race just concluded in the Philippines’ Subic Bay, with Syd Fischer’s 90-foot 'Ragamuffin' taking line honors. According to reports, the 'Ragamuffin' crew reeled off 565 nautical miles in 57 hours, 31 minutes and 18 seconds. 'That’s why this is a good boat–the modifications helped a lot-we got the breeze that we anticipated but the boat sails well above the wind strength,' said Fischer after finishing the course.

Handicap honors went to Neil Pryde’s 'Hi-Fi', a Welbourne 52, which collected the IRC Overall win, beating out Bryon Ehrhart’s 'Lucky' (TP52) and Sam Chan’s 'Freefire' (TP52). According to Pryde, the team experienced a ''fantastic race, probably the best we’ve ever had. We were in pressure most of the way apart from a couple of very light hours this morning, other than that, we kept moving all the time.'

Get the full Rolex China Sea Race report, inside this issue.

In America’s Cup news, Sail-World’s New Zealand editor, Richard Gladwell, has reviewed Diane Swintal, Steven Tsuchiya, and Robert Kamins’ new book on the 34th America’s Cup, entitled 'Winging It'. 'This is not a coffee table book, but more a working primer on the 34th America's Cup, the events that led up to the Match, and the racing it self-summarized in both narrative and data formats,' writes Gladwell.

'Die-hard Cup fans may be disappointed that there is not a lot of new insights into the Cup,' continued Gladwell’s review. 'But will appreciate that that their knowledge gaps are largely filled. The text is short and punchy in its style.' Check out Gladwell’s full review, inside, and direct your web browser to www.wingingitbook.com to purchase your copy of the book for your nautical library.

Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, the 27th edition of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (April 17-22) is in full swing, with many gorgeous yachts and talented wooden-boat sailors enjoying the fine Caribbean racecourse conditions. 'An absolutely amazing day, we got the gun and we are first in class, how much better could it be?' said Stuart Armstrong, skipper of the John Alden-designed 'Desiderata'. 'We come here because it is the best classic regatta in the world. Two of our crew have never been here before and out there today, looking at all those boats, they were gob smacked with the beauty of the fantastic boats and winning was just the cherry on the top.'

Racing continues at Antigua Classics Week through April 22. Get the full report, inside this issue, and be sure to stay tuned to the website for racecourse results, as they become known.

A large squad from US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider has assembled in Hyeres, France for the ISAF Sailing World Cup final round, we will be keeping you posted on their exploits this week.

Also inside, check out the latest updates from the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, the Bayview Mackinac Race (July 12 start) and the Coastal Cup (June 11).

Finally, don’t miss Jude Robertson’s great image gallery from the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,