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  Always something in a name
 | | Peter Morton's Carkeek Mk3 Girls on Film - Day 2 - RORC IRC National Championship 2017 © Shaun Roster |
Many may have wondered just how the whole Fast40+ was going to pan out. On announcement, there was a flurry of models, and then just like British sports cars of old, the little badges with MkII and even Ml III started to appear. That might not be too far off the mark either, for the original action was all centred around the Solent. Now it was not brilliant for resale of the earlier ones, never is. Out of it all, the class took off, proving that you could do 20s in a 40-something, and still have a hoot, without the need for the dollars and extra bods to go play in the village of the TeePees.
 | | Niklas & Catherine Zennström and some of the Rán (JV 72) crew proudly hold the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy for winning IRC overall and IRC Zero in the 2012 RORC Caribbean 600. - RORC Caribbean 600 2012 © Tim Wright / Photoaction.com |
Awesome. The plan worked. So when a founder, and the current President of the TP52 class orders himself a new Carkeek 40 (a MkIII), you can see that this Grand Prix class is alive and kicking. That he is also a much-respected owner/driver, then Corinthian gets bandied around smartly. So it is Niklas and Catherine Zennström, the owners of Rán Racing, that have made the leap in, immediately after the recent HYS One Ton Cup in Cowes. The footage and images of the class and also the event were pretty good, and it augurs well for the class' expansion into other markets, as well.
A crew of 11, with a cap on pros at five, a limit on the number of rags, and probably even more importantly, mods, and you can see that a non-arms race with competitive sailing could work here and also in the US. There is a little bit of back ground footage here, here and also here. At least one boat here in AUS is going to show us what it all might be like with a fleet of them charging around, when it returns to racing shortly.
 | | The FAST40+ Fleet raced in the Eastern and Central Solent on the second day of Lendy Cowes Week. © Shaun Roster |
Rock dwellers might not have seen that the new AC Protocol came out for the 2021 bash that will be AC36. There were not any majors included, given the issue with the caulking leading into it, save for what was probably deemed an even more stringent country of origin clause for the sailors than was anticipated. It is not as strong for the technology side, which is interesting, but showing that Sardinia is the fallback position, probably at least reveals the obvious about where the money trail ends...
Hopefully it does occur across the ditch, and we field a team. If Artemis also does not continue, then we will have enough for two teams, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. One fully funded and able to go about its business is a good start. We'll take it!
 | | Steve Benjamin, Michael Menninger, Ian Liberty, and Dave Hughes – 2017 Etchells World Champions Leslie Richter |
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 Etchells, Five-Ohs, VOR, the Clipper, N32, RC44, Mini Transat, RORC Transat, St Helena Cup, Flying Fifteens, Laser Masters, Youth Match Racing, Multihulls, Jon Sanders, Lisa Blair, 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
2017 Etchells Worlds - A nail-biting finish
Leslie Richter, 
The overall winner of the 2017 Etchells World Championship, hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, is Steve Benjamin (USA), representing the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, with crew of Dave Hughes, Ian Liberty, and Michael Menninger. Benjamin, a past Olympic medalist, 505 World Champion, and 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, finally claimed the championship after numerous attempts.... [more]
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Solid fleet for 22nd Lock Crowther Multihull Regatta
Stephen Barton, 
It shoud be a fun weekend. The weather is looking nice and the generous sponsors including Musto, Maui Jim, ScottSails, Two Rivers wines, Hoods sails, Summit Coatings,Johnsn Bros Mitre 10, Vacuwash, Pittwater Online News, Geddes Optical and Multihull World Magazine will make for a gala Prize giving présentation dinner on Sunday evening.... [more]
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