Volvo Ocean Race | A year to go: the countdown has begun

There is exactly one year to go before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race on 4 October 2014 in Alicante. It's going to be a groundbreaking edition in more ways than one, as the race's CEO Knut Frostad explains.

For the first time in the 40-year history of the Whitbread/Volvo, the race will be contested in a one-design boat. The first of the high-performance Volvo Ocean 65s is now out there sailing while race organisers are working on bringing a full fleet to the start line in Alicante on October 4, 2014.

All change at the RC44 Cascais Cup » News » RC Forty Four

With six races completed at the RC44 Cascais Cup it was all change on the leaderboard as Peninsula Petroleum claimed the top spot and Team Aqua dropped to fourth. Katusha was the most consistent team in a day where the sea state flattened, the fleet compressed and every position counted.

The first race of the day started in just 6 knots, Synergy Russian Sailing Team tacked straight onto port after the start and headed right, a winning move that took them onto a convincing win. Behind them the places changed leg by leg. Artemis Racing’s new tactician, double Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy picked the shifts well, after an indifferent start, for the team to take second on the final run, Katusha finishing third.

Five for 35 – Names to look for in the 35th America’s Cup / America’s Cup

The 34^th America’s Cup opened up opportunities for a new breed of America’s Cup sailor. Fitter, younger, new to the game, but bursting with accomplishments in dinghy classes where going fast, and sailing on the edge were the daily routine.

Plenty of young sailors played prominent roles in this America’s Cup, including Kyle Langford, at 24 the youngest sailor in the event, who was thrust into a starring role as the wing trimmer on ORACLE TEAM USA.

Langford (AUS) will be sought after as teams begin recruiting for the next Cup. And here are five other names to look for as teams start assembling talent for the 35^th America’s Cup:

Only Four Weeks Until the Super Boat World Champioinships and Poker Run Action in Key West

Only 4 weeks to go until we all once again hear the thunder and see the excitement of what are arguably two of  the best and biggest powerboating events in the world.

The Super Boat International World Championship run from November 3rd - 10th with live racing on the 6th, 8th and 10th.  Find more information and the complete schedule here; http://superboat.com/2013-Key-west-schedule/

The Key West Poker Run is The Florida Powerboat Club's signature event, voted Best Poker Run in the Nation by Powerboat Magazine. Commencing on Tuesday November 5th and running through November 11th, close to 200 powerboat teams are expected to attend and explore the 160 mile poker run course from Miami to Key West.  More information; http://www.flpowerboat.com/key-west-poker-run.html

Australia’s Hamilton Island Yacht Club confirmed as Challenger of Record / America’s Cup

Hamilton Island Yacht Club (HIYC), located on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, has challenged for the 35th America’s Cup. HIYC’s challenge has been accepted by the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which remains the Defender and Trustee of the world’s oldest international sporting trophy after its team, ORACLE TEAM USA owned by Larry Ellison, won the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco last Wednesday.

For the past three decades HIYC has run Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, which has become the largest annual regatta in Australia with some 200 offshore yachts competing in recent years.
HIYC is led by Australian winemaker and sailing legend Bob Oatley, whose succession of yachts named Wild Oats have dominated ocean racing in Australia for years, including having won six of the last eight Sydney-Hobart races. An Australian team led by Mr. Oatley won the last Admiral’s Cup, widely regarded as the world’s top prize in ocean racing.