Melges 32 Madness—Sailing News from the U.S. and Beyond
by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 23 Sep 2011
This week, all eyes have been riveted on the Real Club Nautico Palma, in Palma de Mallorca, and the ongoing Melges 32 Worlds. After three day’s of close racing, John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti team is still sitting in first place, with a seven-point lead over Lanfranco Cirillo Fantastica; Yukihiro Ishida’s Yasha Samurai fills out the top-three. Racing continues through Saturday, so be sure to check the website for updates, as they become available. In the meantime, be sure to scroll through Max Ranchi’s killer image gallery, inside.
In OD circles, the ink has dried and Bruce Kirby, the designer of the Laser, has now taken back the Laser Design rights, thus saving the world’s most popular OD class from near-certain doom. 'I signed the contract this morning,' said Kirby. 'The design rights have reverted to me. I am hoping now that the ILCA will drop the whole idea of a rule change, and I will be taking steps immediately to get the confusion over builders and builders' plaques straightened away. I have confidence that I will have class and ISAF support with this.' Be sure to get Rob Kothe’s full report, as well as the critical backstory, in this issue.
And in Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) news, Mike Sanderson’s Team Sanya has joined Telefonica in Alicante, where the race will start on October 29. 'Arriving in Alicante means we have entered the final phase before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race,' said Sanderson. 'The bonus is that we are exactly where we hoped to be—not behind and not ahead of schedule.' Also inside, check out the news of Emirates Team New Zealand’s official christening of Camper, their now-generation Volvo Open 70. ENTZ is expected to join the growing crowd of Tier 1 offshore sailors in Alicante sometime in the next week or two. Inshore races begin ahead of the October 29 starting guns, so stay tuned for more on the VOR as it develops.
Also inside, get the latest on ISAF’s newest round of RFPs for Olympic equipment (Women’s Skiff and Mixed Multihull classes), the Clipper Around the World Race, and the Global Ocean Race.
Happy Friday.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
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