Ya gotta love a plan!!

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World team on 28 May 2014 3,2,1 - love the tongue in cheek quote from Darren Bundock, double Olympci silver medalist finished sixth in the Nacra 17 medal race at the Delta Lloyd regatta in Holland on the weekend, Bundock and Nina Curtis won the bronze medal to make it three third places at their last three regattas, including the two World Cups at Palma, Spain and Hyères, France.

All part of the plan as Bundock explains with a smile: 'Simple plan. 2014 we finish third in all regattas, 2015 second, 2016 first. Simple.'

In the Finn class is the Australian Sailing Squad’s still growing 20 year old Jake Lilley. Now 6 foot 7, he has plenty to be happy with after adding a bronze in Holland to his successful Europe stint winning the European Junior Championships a couple weeks ago and a solid French World Cup in Hyères at the end of April.

Lilley commented 'I am happy to finish third, but not satisfied. To fight out this week with PJ Postma from NED, who came fourth at the 2012 Olympics, and to train and gain experience racing against him was invaluable and will hold us in good stead for Kiel and then finally the ISAF worlds (in Santander, Spain in September.)'

Fun story of the week is about Multi-Tasking. Cadet skipper Zoe was faced with an important test at school on Monday but wanted to go sailing in the Sandringham Yacht Club winter series on Sunday afternoon. Problem: How to combine yacht racing and study?

Solution: Easy - just duct-tape study notes in a plastic sleeve to the back of crew Eliza's lifejacket for easy reference throughout the afternoon... and go racing.

Did you see Richard Gladwell's feature article about the presentations from the two designers from Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand who have been giving an almost two hour presentation in various venues around New Zealand, as part of the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ centenary celebrations.

The two design engineers Andy Kensington from Team NZ and Neil Wilkinson from Oracle, both graduates from New Zealand universities have been involved in America's Cup teams for 13 and 23 years respectively.

Kensington opened running through a few of the differences between AC72 technology and the earlier monohulls used in the America's Cup and looked at the canting keelboats. Then he turned to why Emirates Team NZ settled on the foiling concept from the outset. This is a MUST read!!

The next Oracle Team USA event is a ‘foiling camp’ on Lake Macquarie. 'The future in the America’s Cup is foiling boats, so we have a couple of foiling Phantoms and six or seven foiling Moths throughout the team and we’re going to meet in a few weeks at Lake Macquarie for a foiling camp,' explained sailor Joey Newton.

Quite a few AC sailors have trodden that path before. Nathan Outteridge won the Moth Worlds on Lake Macquarie in 2011, amongst that fleet were ETNZ Pete Burling and Oracle's Tom Slingsby.

2014 Airlie Beach Race Week - The Whitsunday Sailing Club is looking forward to welcoming a very special fleet of yachts for the 25th Vision Surveys Airlie Beach Race Week in August 2014.

With the World ARC Round-the-World Rally 2014-2015 having the Great Barrier Reef marked as part of the journey around the world, the fleet have been asked to join the sailing and socialising at the Vision Surveys Airlie Beach Race Week 8-15 August, hosted by Whitsunday Sailing Club. As many as 27 of the ARC fleet could participate.

Townsville’s Guilty Pleasures team are more than delighted that last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race handicap winner, Daryl Hodgekinson's Victoire, will be competing in the IRC Division in this year’s SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week.

The five days of racing, from the 28th August to 2nd September 2014, will give the Townsville team the opportunity to go head to head with the fast, offshore racer, as the Guilty Pleasures VI team prepare for their assault on the 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race with their IRC modified Farr 40.

Skipper Leon Thomas explained; 'Magnetic Island Race Week is our backyard, home event and there has been a Guilty Pleasures sailing boat in every Race Week. This gives us the chance to go head to head with last year’s Hobart winner. That will give us a gauge on how we are performing. Even though it’s not a long offshore race, it still gives us an indication of where we can make improvements to the boat to give us a better chance to compete in the Hobart.