IMOCA 60s, VOR and AC35 update—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 6 Jun 2014 These are exciting times for American fans of shorthanded distance racing as the IMOCA Ocean Master’s inaugural New York to Barcelona Race kicked off in the Big Apple last Sunday, sending a four-strong fleet of IMOCA 60s across the Pond. Marc Guillemot and Morgan Lagravière, racing aboard 'Safran', are currently leading the hunt, followed by Ryan Breymaier (USA) and Pepe Ribes on 'Hugo Boss' and Guillermo Altadill and Jose Muoz aboard 'Team Neutrogena'. According to reports, the fleet (at the time of this writing) is exiting a meteorological depression that has been acting as a sling shot for the past several days, powering the fleet across the Atlantic.

'As soon as I saw the barometer stabilize, [I knew] that meant we were on the other side of the depression center so, I woke up [Lagravière] and we started to stack inside the boat and then made the tack,' said Guillemot. 'I am pretty happy with the way we made it, the position and the timing.'

Now, as the fleet starts to power reach in the new wind angle, conditions are fast, furious and more than a little bit intense aboard the fleet of turbo-charged IMOCA 60s. 'It is wet, very very wet,' said Breymaier. 'We are beam reaching in 20-25 knots and it is an underwater boat basically. The waves hit and they just go everywhere. They are not very confused or massive waves, they are just in the way!'

Get the full scoop on the IMOCA Ocean Master’s New York to Barcelona Race, inside this issue, and be sure to stay current with the website for the latest news, as it unfurls.

Speaking of offshore sailing, Team Dongfeng, a Chinese-flagged entrant in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race, is currently sailing transatlantic as part of their pre-race training, and the team recently had a close call with a whale.

'We had the scariest experience to date during the night when we came so close to hitting a whale, so close we could hear it breathing,' said skipper Charles Caudrelier. 'You can smell whales in the air but in the pitch black you can’t tell where they are. You can’t sense them in the water because very often when whales are at the surface it’s because they’re sleeping, so it’s a nasty surprise for both the whale and us!' More, inside.

Meanwhile, the America’s Cup has been helping to drive the news cycle as the Protocol that will govern the 35th America’s Cup was released to the public on Tuesday. Inside, Richard Gladwell, Sail-World’s America’s Cup Editor, takes a hard look at the changes that this Protocol represents, and what it could mean for AC35.

Also inside, get the latest scoop from the Sail for Gold Regatta, the ISAF Women’s Match Racing Worlds, the Gill Coed National Championships and the latest PHRF news from US Sailing.

And finally, for anyone who could use a visual shot of maxi yachts sailing on the Med, be sure to spend some time scrolling through the great image galleries-courtesy of ace shooters Carlo Borlenghi and Ingrid Abbery- from the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, which is currently taking place at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in northern Sardinia. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,