ISAF Sailing World Cup, BWR, VOR—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond
by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 12 Dec 2014
49er racing action on day 1 of the ISAF Sailing World Cup - Melbourne 2014. Jeff Crow/ Sport the Library
http://www.sportlibrary.com.au
The big news in One Design sailing comes from the antipodes, where the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne (December 7-14) is now in high gear, delivering world-class racing and challenging wind conditions. Racing has been taking place across all classes (12 Olympic classes and two Paralympic fleets) on six different race courses, with the winners from each ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta, as well as the highest-placed 'home continent' sailor in each class, qualifying for the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final, which takes place from October 29 to November 1, 2015 in Abu Dhabi.
'It’s going to be a pretty exciting day,' said PRO Ross Wilson. 'Yesterday showed that good things come to those who wait with a fantastic afternoon of racing.'
As for the sailors, the mind games of staying relaxed and focused at this high-level international competition have already begun. 'I was pretty relaxed out there waiting for the wind to come in, I knew it would eventually,' said Finn sailor Ed Wright (GBR). 'It was a tricky day with lots of shifts. I caught up my losses with my downwind speed. Hopefully tomorrow will be stronger; it’s more fun when it’s physical.'
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Get the full report from Melbourne, inside this issue, and be sure to stay tuned to the website for more racing action, as it unfurls.
Speaking of the antipodes, Act 8 (December 11-14th) of the Extreme Sailing Series tried to kick off in Sydney on Thursday, but the RC had to cancel racing due to too much breeze. Inside, check out the audio recording of the skipper’s media conference, and stay tuned for more from the final Extreme Sailing Series event of the year, as it unfurls.
Meanwhile, in ocean-racing news, co-skippers Jörg Riechers and Sébastien Audigane have announced their plans to race in the 2014/2015 edition of the Barcelona World Race (BWR), which kicks off in Barcelona, Spain, on December 31, and takes double-handed teams around the planet and back to Barcelona aboard IMOCA 60 monohulls.
'It's a pleasure to be looking forwards to participating in the Barcelona World Race.' Said Riechers. 'I have I wanted to be in this race [for] a long time because it is one of the biggest sporting challenges that exist, and is also a human challenge because you have to live on a boat at sea for three months in extreme conditions in a small space.'
Get the full BWR report, inside, and stay tuned to the website for more news, as we approach the New Year’s Eve start.
The other ongoing and international ocean-racing contest, of course, is the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR), where the fleet leaders are, at the time of this writing, some 320 miles from the finishing line off of Abu Dhabi. Team Brunel is currently leading this charge, followed by Dongfeng Race Team and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, but with a mere eight miles separating the leaders, and some tactically challenging sailing (read: mountains and shifty airs) remaining, this battle could see three distinctly different outcomes.
'How many legs have I won in the Volvo Ocean Race?' pondered Team Brunel’s skipper, Bouwe Bekking, who is a multi-lap VOR veteran. 'I would say about eight? I’m not sure. I’d have to count again – but not enough – and it’s high time we added another one to the list.' Get the complete VOR story, inside, and be sure to stay current with the website as the boats creep and crawl towards the finishing line.
Also inside, get the latest news from the upcoming Sydney to Hobart Race (S2H) and the newly announced M32 series, get the wrap-up report from the recent Etchells Jag Series, and get the latest updates from the RORC’s Transatlantic Race.
And finally, be sure to spend some time scrolling through Beth Morley’s great image gallery of the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge, which serves as a warm-up of sorts for the much bigger S2H.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
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