VOR, match racing, Mallory Cup—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 30 Sep 2014 For fans of Grand Prix offshore racing, the big wait is almost over. The 2014/2015 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) is about to begin in Alicante, Spain, starting this coming Saturday with an in-port race, followed a week later by the start of Leg One, which takes the One Design fleet of Volvo Ocean 65s from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa.

For the crews, these final days represent some of their final chances to secure last-minute provisions and to sort out their land-based affairs before heading off into a massive adventure that will literally girdle the planet, not to mention a final chance for onboard training.

According to reports, the onboard medic-sailors have now completed the last of their medical-aid training. This mandatory program runs for several months and covers everything from nightmare scenarios such as a compromised airway to more routine tasks such as administering sutures or installing a temporary dental filling. This training has proven itself to be an excellent way of keeping crews safe and healthy at sea, and-based on the past several editions of the race-the odds are good that the onboard medic-sailors will have their knowledge and training tested by the time the fleet returns to Europe next June.

Also VOR-related, Mapfre, the insurance giant, has become the naming-rights sponsor of the Spanish-flagged VOR entrant that’s headed by the legendary Pedros Campos. The team is 'pleased and grateful to Mapfre for having its support in this new great adventure which is competing in the Volvo Ocean Race representing Spain,' said Campos. 'Mapfre has been supporting sailing for years and we have already worked together in big campaigns. Without a doubt, we will do our best to get Mapfre and Spain in the highest place we possibly can.'

Get the full VOR report, inside, with exclusive interview from the Sail-World team and be sure to stay tuned to the website for the latest news, as it becomes known.

Meanwhile, on U.S. waters, Benz Faget and his crew of Randall Richmond and Thomas Sweeney, sailing under the colors of the Southern Yacht Club, beat out skipper Paul Wilson and his team from the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club to win the 2014 U.S. Adult Sailing Championship (AKA, the Mallory Cup). The event, which was held on the waters of Eagle Mountain Lake and hosted by the Fort Worth Boat Club, represents Faget’s third victory in the prestigious Mallory Cup, which he previously won in 1994 and 1999.

And in Cup news, Oracle team USA, the Defender of the 35th America’s Cup, brought their winning AC72 class catamaran from the 34th America’s Cup through the streets of San Francisco as part of Oracle OpenWorld 2014, and also to mark the one-year anniversary of their impressive (and successful) comeback campaign to win the last America’s Cup. Get the full multimedia report of 'USA 17’s' most recent adventure, inside this issue.

Speaking of match racing, but of a totally different variety than the Auld Mug, Taylor Canfield and his 'US One' team won the inaugural Dutch Match Cup in light, patchy winds after some tight on-the-water combat against Ian Williams and his 'GAC Pindar' squad. The event, which was raced off of Lelystad, in the Netherlands, was part of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT), where Canfield has been dominating the conversation for the past several years.

'It was never-say-die out there,' said Canfield, 'and I have to pay tribute to my crew, Rod Dawson, Mike Rehe and Hayden Goodrick, for keeping at it, however we were doing in the race.' Get the full multimedia report from Lelystad, inside this issue.

Also match-racing related but much closer to home, Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen narrowly edged-out Stephanie Roble to win the 2014 Buddy Melges Challenge, which is part of the greater WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series). 'This is just crazy,' said Pedersen. 'The racing was so close. I never really knew a race was won before seeing the flag on the race committee boat.'

'Stephanie [Roble] put a lot of pressure on us in all the final races,' continued Pedersen. 'Yesterday she won with quite some distance, but today the racing was closer. We didn’t win the last match by more than maybe half a boatlength.' More, inside.

Also inside, get the latest update from Bart’s Bash, the Kite Foil Gold Cup Australia 2014, and the J/105 North Americans.

And finally, start your week off on the good foot with Erik Simonson’s great photo gallery from the 2014 Melges 20 Pacific Coast Championship.

And because we love classic yachts as much as modern designs, don’t miss Eugenia Bakunova’s great image gallery from the Régates Royales – Trophée Panerai, which just wrapped up racing off of Cannes, France. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,