Hawaii & Transat races, Rio - Sailing news from North America & beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 19 Jul 2016 Sailing and politics (thankfully) have little in common, except for possibly a small trick of timing. It seems that just as the 2016 sailing season slips into high gear across North America, the Republican National Convention (July 18-21) and the Democratic National Convention (July 25-28) are also hitting their high notes. True, there are still months of enduring talking heads before the November 8, 2016 U.S. Presidential election, but fortunately, there’s enough happening in the sailing world to at least partially drown out this year’s seemingly “special” brand of political mudslinging, vitriol and hyperbole.

For example, here on the West Coast, landlubbers are being treated to two simultaneous Hawaii races, as the Pac Cup and the Vic-Maui races are both headed for the Aloha State at the same time, albeit from different countries. The Pac Cup goes from San Francisco Bay to Oahu’s beautiful Kaneohe Bay, while the Vic-Maui starts in Victoria, British Columbia, and ends at a finishing line off of lovely Lahaina, on Maui’s northwest coastline.

As of this writing, Gavin Brackett’s American-flagged TP52, Valkerie, and David Sutcliffe’s Canadian-flagged TP52, Kinetic, are enjoying a tightly fought line-honors battle (Kinetic is currently leading on corrected time) in the Vic Maui Race, while Michael Boldt’s Canadian-flagged Forty (a Tartan 4100) is currently sitting in first place in both ORR and the Cruising division.

Meanwhile, in the Pac Cup, Mark English’s Mas!, a humble Moore 24, is currently sitting in first place in the Pac Cup, first Place in PHRF Overall, and first place in the double-handed division. At the front of the pack, Hill Blackett’s California Condor, a Class 40, and Rick Niello’s Jeanneau 57, Ticket II, were leading the charge to be the first crew to order drinks at the Lahaina Grill.

It’s important to remember, however, that both the Pac Cup and the Vic-Maui use a pursuit format, where slower and shorthanded crews start first, so these standings could (and likely will) evolve significantly in the coming days.

Jumping coasts, the ongoing Transat Quebec-St. Malo Race has seen some serious action this week, as skipper Sidney Gavignet and his crew had to be rescued in the mid-Atlantic after their MOD70 trimaran, Musandam-Oman Sail, suffered a capsize. The good news is that Gavignet and company survived the ordeal and are safely ashore; the less wonderful news is that their trimaran is currently adrift as the team sorts out plans to rescue the wildly powerful steed.

Meanwhile, in inshore news, word recently hit the docks that the America’s Cup Hall of Fame will induct two personalities into their coveted halls this year. According to reports, inside, Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) and Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, fourth Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl (GBR; 1841-1926), will both be inducted at a ceremony that’s set to take place on October 21, 2016, at the New York Yacht Club.

Both Mr. Bertarelli and the Earl of Dunraven have left significant (metaphoric) fingerprints on the Auld Mug and have become part of this grand trophy’s gravitational lore. Don’t miss the detailed report, inside.

While politics are threatening to impact the XXXI Olympics, in light of Russia’s widespread doping scandal, and while the Rio Olympics 2016 are fraught with their own politics, the good news for the sailors is that the Olympic regatta begins in less than three weeks. For many international sailors, this regatta represents the culmination of four (or eight…or twelve) hard years of training, fundraising, more training, and a heck of a lot of dedication and gumption.

For North American sailors, this summer’s Games are also a shot at redemption after dismal showings at the XXX Olympiad, which unfurled in London in 2012. While this particular scribe will not waste his words on this year’s “dumpster fire” election season, I can assure you that I will be proudly waving the Stars and Stripes as our athletes compete on the waters of Guanabara Bay.

May the four winds blow you safely home,