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  17 hours and some change...
 | | François Gabart and the MACIF trimaran © Vincent Curutchet / ALeA / Macif |
Breaking his own 24-hour run by almost 80nm, François Gabart has set a new 851nm record on board the Ultime Tri, Macif. As he ploughs on through the Indian Ocean (or is that flies across it?), first he obviously has to finish, but he could well nab first place in the group he will take out to just the four souls to ever hold it (along with Joyon, MacArthur, and Coville).
Of course, you'd be pretty happy to churn out half of that score in a modern monohull flyer, but as Xmas looms ever larger, look at it this way. Given this new super-record equates to a get-out-of town 35.45 knot average, you'd be in Hobart in just 17 hours and 43 minutes. Take that on! (N.B. Langman's Team Australia sits at 29 hours 52 minutes and 23 seconds.) It's barely enough time to clear the Heads, have the roast cooked and eaten, douse (furl) the Screecher and cross the line. Bet the rum would taste really good at the Customs House!
Also seems important to not only praise Gabart himself at this point, but also Macif herself, the masterful VPLP, her builders, spar makers and then also North Sails, whose 3Di Endurance wardrobe is powering her along, nautical mile after nautical mile. Pretty amazing stuff, and you can see the tracker right here. At the time of writing Gabart remains around 700nm in advance of Coville's time.
 | | François Gabart and the MACIF trimaran © Jean-Marie Liot / ALeA / Macif |
Staying with the Ultimes for a while, and the man whose solo RTW record of 49 days, 3 hours, 4 minutes and 28 seconds is under threat, Thomas Coville, took out the Transat Jacques Vabre in record time, with fellow crewmember, Jean-Luc Nelias. They sailed 4,742 nautical miles at an average speed of 24.94 knots. This possibly seems slow to Coville, but they still managed to take two days, two hours, 31 minutes, and 16 seconds off Franck Cammas and Steve Ravussin's previous record on Groupama 2.
Sodebo just beat the newest of all of these wicked machines, which is the impressive looking and almost as strikingly decorated, Edmond de Rothschild. The latter sailed further and faster, covering 4,838 nautical miles at an average speed of 25.21 knots, yet still finished 1 hour 47 minutes and 57 seconds astern. It would be fair to say Rothschild is still in work-up/shake-down mode, so this next generation craft could still set the world on fire in the next couple of years. Look out!
The news was not so brilliant for the Maxi80, Prince de Bretagne, who was dismasted 93 miles from the finish when the backstay ruptured. Doh! She was towed by the Brazilian authorities to Salvador de Bahia, which is good, because despite no injury to crew (Lionel Lemonchois and Bernard Stamm), and they amazingly recovered all the gear, they had no donk or generator, so it was good they were close to shore (something like 18nm off).
 | | Andrew Cape and Bouwe Bekking – Volvo Ocean Race © Richard Edwards / Volvo Ocean Race |
Ditching the two extra hulls as it were and off to the Volvo, now. The VOR fleet is sailing the 7,000 nm leg from Lisbon to Cape Town and is expected to arrive late Thursday or early Friday. As this gets written, brilliant veteran Australian navigator Andrew Cape has been the first navigator to pull the trigger, for in the last few hours Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel was the first boat to point towards Cape Town. The rest of the fleet was still heading Sou'west looking for more pressure, but Vestas 11th Hour Racing, four miles astern, then Mapfre and AkzoNobel all followed Capey's lead and gybed in towards Cape Town. There ensues a 2500nm heavy running drag race in the OD VO65s.
So if that all seems too out there, then dragging it back in somewhat could well be sailconnect.com. I first met Brad McMaster a while back, and it was clear that having people engaged with our sport was a real passion for him. Specifically, and in his own words, “SailConnect was conceived to improve the way the sport of sailing communicates. If we are to increase participation and commitment, we need to reinvent the way the sport engages to break down those perceived barriers to entry.”
His own significant experience gave him a good perspective to work from, which is why the platform works around clubs and events. McMaster notes that in 2007 whilst managing crew on his boat for the Fastnet, this issue of managing and finding crew was very real. “Fast forward 10 years and SailConnect is now live with the mission of simplify boat administration for owners, help crew sail on more boats more regularly by creating crew mobility, and provide all clubs with a platform to manage participation and communicate with sailors...everywhere.”
You know he is on the right track when it comes to the much bandied about participation term. As McMaster notes, “In the 2015 census of sailing around 240,000 people participated in our sport, but only 50% of them did so more than three times a year. So we don't necessarily have an issue bringing people to the sport, but clearly we do struggle to keep them engaged in the sport. What this suggests is that we don't need to focus on the first ‘date', we need to fix the second, third and fourth outing. This means we have to look at the way we engage with them, then we can work to introduce more people to the sport.”
SailConnect is a free platform to download, so skippers and crew alike can go and check it out here.
 | | Hundreds of boats are expected to compete in the CH Robinson Marlay Point Overnight Race 50th Anniversary - Marlay Point Overnight Race Julie Geldard |
Well then, it has to be that time, and just as Tim Shaw said, “But wait! There's more.” Now you will have to go to the website for other news, for it has been yet another bumper week. Check out the links below as a sample of the articles, which include World Sailing, Transat Jacques Vabre, VOR, the Clipper, Mini Transat La Boulangére, news from Tassie, news from the Lakes with Marlay Point, the OKs, 18s, Superyachts in Antigua, Sail Melbourne, the Stars, WASZPs to hit Freshie big time in 2019, Kristen Anderson takes us far, far away again, and much, much more.
Also, well done to all the associations and events for all the news you have been supplying. Keep it up. Readers await you! Please ensure you have your club or class do the same via the submit function, just up in the top right of the Sail-World home page. In the meantime, go for a wander to review the proverbial plethora of material for you to explore on the site, from all over the globe. Also, do keep a weather eye on Sail-World. We are here to bring you the whole story...
John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS
Greg Wilcox extends lead in final OK Dinghy World Rankings
Robert Deaves, 
Following a record breaking European Championship in Faaborg, Denmark in July, nine national and regional titles were decided in the European autumn, as well as the Nordic Championship in Nykøping, Denmark, where Anders Andersen, from Denmark, dominated the 45 boat fleet to win from Johan Bjørling, from Denmark, and Jonas Børjesson, from Sweden.... [more]
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St. Barth Cata-Cup – Day 1 tomorrow
Event Media, 
There are big champions on the roster, starting with all the winners of the past editions from 2008 to 2016: Dalton Tebo, Emmanuel Boulogne, Tanguy Kervyn, Enrique Figueroa, Keki Figueroa, Franck Cammas, Matthieu Vandame, Patrick Demesmaeker, Olivier Gagliani, Pierre Le Clainche, and Antoine Joubert.... [more]
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