Bart’s Bash, Round Britain and Ireland and more...

by Dan Ibsen, Sail-World UK editor on 19 Aug 2014 Welcome to Sail-World.com's UK e-magazine for August 20, 2014. Bart’s Bash will take place in one month on Sunday 21st September 2014, and is set to become the world's biggest yacht race. To date over 2364 sailors and 588 yacht clubs from 50 different countries have signed up to be competitors. Each club makes its own race within a 24hr period on that date. Most are aiming for a huge spectacular start line with juniors competing alongside seniors in a unique event.

If you do race on the day, you will be racing against Ben Ainslie in a Finn, Iain Percy in a Star, Paul Goodison in a Moth, Jimmy Spithill in a Melges E-Scow and Loick Peyron in his Trimaran and probably a thousand Optimist sailors by the time race day arrives.

The event is to celebrate the life of AC sailor Bart Simpson and a fundraiser for the Andrew Simpson Foundation. It is also going to be the biggest regatta in world sailing, and if the sailing community gets behind the concept will become 'World Sailing Day' - a great advertisement for the sport.

Register online now, to find a participating club in your region click here

Read more about Bart’s Bash click here

2014 Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland Race became a record breaking year, but also became a test of endurance for all the boats finishing the 1.800 miles race.

Musandam-Oman Sail, a MOD70 Trimaran have set a new provisional world record for the Round Britain and Ireland course. They crossed the finish line off the Royal Yacht Squadron last Thursday with an elapsed time of 3 days, 03 hours, 32 minutes, 36 seconds. This breaks the previous Record for a multihull held by Banque Populaire 5 in 2011, by 16 minutes, 38 seconds and is subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's Volvo Ocean 65, Azzam, skippered by Ian Walker, crossed the finish line of the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race off the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes with an elapsed time of 4 days, 13 hours, 10 minutes, 28 seconds.

This breaks the previous course record for a monohull set by Volvo 70 Groupama, in 2010, by 1 day, 8 hours, 16 minutes and 27 seconds. Azzam's record is subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council.

This was the second course record broken during the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing also fired a huge warning shot across the bows of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 boats. At the same time the record showed that the new one-design Volvo Ocean 65 is more than a match for speed, in the right conditions, for its predecessor, the Volvo Open 70. So we can expect a very competitive and exiting VOR race, starting in Alicante on October 4th.

Read all about the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race at Sail-world.com – the last boats finished during Tuesday this week.

Stay up with the latest sailing news, as it happens, on our websites www.sail-world.com/uk and www.sail-world.com/europe - Read more about Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, IFDS World Championships, J/111 World Championship, RS400 UK Nationals, OK Dinghy National Championship and many more events.

Good sailing,

Dan Ibsen, Sail-World UK editor
dan.ibsen@sail-world.com