Generation Next | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

From Offshore Only - As I watched the action on the final day of the Super Boat International Offshore world championships from Key West, I was impressed by a number of things. The Super Stock class was easily the best action of the week and I have to give a nod to the Snowy Mountain Brewery team and my friend Brian Forehand for their second consecutive title in Manufacturer’s Vee class.

But I also realized something as I watched the races. The future of offshore racing is in good hands thanks to some talented second-generation competitors from some of the best-known families in the sport.

The best performance on Sunday was turned in by the Spirit of Qatar Superboat entry, which was driven by Ali Al-Neama and throttled by second-generation throttleman Billy Moore, son of the inventor of the throttleman position, the legendary Bobby Moore. Fuel starvation problems plagued Moore and Al-Neama’s 42′ MTI on Wednesday and Friday, but once Moore realized that he had full power on Sunday, he put it to good work.

First the 38-year-old Moore over took the Stihl team for second place and then the chase was on as he tracked down Billy Mauff and Jay Mueller in the Skater 40, WHM Motorsports, which looked like an aircraft carrier compared to the rest of the boats in the class. Eventually, with a few laps to go and WHM’s engines banging hard on the rev limiters the two boats charged into the harbor turn side-by-side. Moore and Al-Neama had the inside but WHM had a couple of boat lengths and tried to slam shut the door. Read more; Generation Next | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

Mylène Paquette - Successfully rowed across Atlantic Ocean

On Tuesday, November 12, Mylène Paquette, 35, became the first North American to row solo, from west to east, across the Atlantic – a trip about 2,700 nautical miles in length. The Montrealer successfully completed her trip at 11:09 a.m. local time in France (5:09 a.m. Eastern Time) when she reached l’île d’Ouessant, which is located about 60 nautical miles from the French port of Lorient. She had been at sea for 129 days, leaving Halifax on July 6 in a specially designed 7.3-metre boat propelled only by Paquette and the currents.

In September, the rower got a helping hand from the world’s largest ocean liner – the Queen Mary 2. Paquette capsized and lost some key items, including her anchor, iPhone and satellite phone, after she was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Humberto. The Queen Mary 2 received her call for assistance and agreed to help out the young rower. The crew donated food and supplies, including a new satellite phone and two anchors. Paquette had been part of a six-person crew that rowed the Atlantic Ocean in 2011.

P1 Champions To Be Crowned At St. Cloud Finale - P1 Superstock

SuperStock and AquaX national titles to be decided on East Lake Toho this weekend

Anyone who believes in the saying that it’s not the winning but the taking part that counts would be well advised not to show their face in St. Cloud this weekend. The city on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Florida will host the final round of the P1 USA SuperStock and AquaX race series and it will not be a place for the fainthearted.

The SuperStock Championship has raced in some of Florida’s best known resorts and lakes across the summer, and the City of St. Cloud will be an event sponsor for this weekend’s four-race finale. A fleet of 9 Panther boats will be on the start line with no fewer than four teams still in the hunt for the P1 national title.

Four boats signal technical stops | Transat Jacques Vabre 2013 : Le Havre - Itajai

Further damage has affected the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet with a further four boats having recently signalled that they intend to make technical stops. There are three Class 40s, GDF SUEZ, Tales Santander 2014 and 11TH Hour Racing  and one Multi 50 Actual.

GDF SUEZ (Class40)
Not long after they left Roscoff in the lead of the Class40 fleet on Sunday morning at 0400hrs (CET/France) French duo Sébastien Rogues and Fabien Delahaye realised they had lost the two essential wind vanes off the top of their mast. The pair plan to make an express pit-stop on the Spanish coast to make a rapid repair. On the 1400hrs (CET) position report this afternoon they lead the class by 18 miles this afternoon.

Actual (Multi 50)
Class leaders of the Multi50s, Actual, sailed by Yves Le Blévec and Kito de Pavant have confirmed that they have decided to make a technical stop in Madeira which lies 160 miles away pretty much on their direct course. They plan to re-instal part of their wind instrumenta at the top of the mast. Ronan Deshayes, technician, will be in situ to help. The stop is also expected to be a short one. On the 1400hrs ranking this afternoon Actual were leading by 39 miles ahead of FenêtreA-Cardinal (Erwan Le Roux/Yann Eliès).

Tales Santander 2014 (Class40)
Spaniards Alex Pella and Pablo Santurde on the seventh placed Class 40 Tales Santander 2014 have indicated they plan to stop into La Coruna after their starboard rudder took a shock, damaging the bearing. The two Spanish sailors believe they should reach La Coruna tomorrow but cannot anticipate how long the repair might take.

11TH Hour Racing (Class40)
And Transat Jacques Vabre race direction received confirmation from Hannah Jenner (GBR) and Rob Windsor (USA) that they will head to Brest after damaging their forestay where they will make a full assessment.

 Jenner reported, "At 0945 UTC this morning we were sailing upwind in 16-17 knots when there was a loud bang.  Our forestay has detached at the top of the mast dropping the Solent (headsail) into the water.  We have recovered the sail and saved the rig.  We are headed back towards Brest where we will make a final decision on our race status."

 Brest is approximately 150nm NE from their last reported position.

Shawn Alladio, the discreet woman who saves big wave surfers / Surfer Today

Shawn Alladio is the foremost expert in jet ski safety and rescue. Despite not living under the media radar, she has saved lives of the best big wave surfers in the world.

She is one of the most influential people in big wave surfing. Her name is Shawn Alladio. She has been teaching how to save fearless wave riders' lives, since 1989.

Alladio is a woman in a male-dominated environment. Big surf. In 1979, she bought her first Kawasaki jet ski and within years she had established the K38 Way of Training, a lifesaving method involving personal water crafts (PWC). More; Shawn Alladio, the discreet woman who saves big wave surfers

Mason Ho Wins HIC Pro : ASP World Tour – The Association of Surfing Professionals

SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii – (Saturday, November 9, 2013) - With the DNA of a Sunset Beach surfing champion, 25-year-old Mason Ho followed his father Michael’s legendary footprints to post his first ASP victory in the HIC Pro. His dad won this particular event four times between 1988 and 1996, and now Mason becomes the 30th name on the HIC Pro winner’s cup. His win earns him $15,000; takes him to No.1 on the ASP Hawaii regional rankings; and earns him a wildcard into the Round of 64 of the first two events of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing that starts next Tuesday.

Mason will now be hoping his dream run of today continues with a dream finish in the Vans Triple Crown. His dad was the original Triple Crown champion back in 1983… 30 years ago, and won the Vans World Cup of Surfing 3X from 1983-85.

Skydive Dubai claim second XCAT win at Chinese Grand Prix - UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

10 November 2013, Ningbo, China – Wiping the windscreen with their feet was probably not quite what Sultan Al Dhaheri and Jay Price were expecting when they took to the water for the Chinese Grand Prix this afternoon.

But, so tightly strapped into the boat, that was the only option available when soggy conditions caused the inside of the boat to fog up and cloud their vision.

Whatever they did, it seemed to do the trick as the Skydive Dubai duo managed to stay out in front, powering their way to their second victory of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series at the Chinese Grand Prix. That’s after claiming victory in round 4 of the Series in Stresa, Italy in September.

Arkema stablised | Transat Jacques Vabre 2013 : Le Havre - Itajai

The Multi 50 trimaran Arkema Aquitaine capsized yesterday evening (Sunday) around 200 miles from the port of Lisbon, Portugal. Co-skippers Lalou Roucayrol and Mayeul Riffet have made arrangements for a tow to Portugal.

 In the IMOCA Open 60 monohulls MACIF which made a four hours pit stop in Peniche, Portugal yesterday to replace a rudder blade is back in contact with the leaders. And GDF SUEZ still leads the Class 40 fleet.

Ironically, after surviving a Biscay gale, it was in more manageable but gusty, shifty trade winds conditions that Lalou Roucayrol and Mayeul Riffet on Arkema - Aquitaine capsized at around 2230hrs (French time) on Sunday with the Portuguese trade winds blowing from the N’ly sector at around 20kts.  The fast, gusty conditions proved to be the undoing of the multihull in conditions which often cause problems for multihulls, flying downwind. The gennaker sheet would only need to have snagged with a bad set of waves when the evening visibility was poorer.

2013 Key West Super Boat International World Championship Results

Key West World Championship - overall unofficial results below.  If you missed the live action, watch it here; http://new.livestream.com/sbi/keywest2013

Volvo Ocean Race | 'I have to make sure I do the Volvo Ocean Race' – Falcone

Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race

Having just won the America’s Cup with Team Oracle, Shannon Falcone already looks forward to the next challenge – which may very well be the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. After sailing twice in the race, the charismatic grinder tells us about the differences and the similarities of both events, and why doing both made him a better sailor. More; Volvo Ocean Race | 'I have to make sure I do the Volvo Ocean Race' – Falcone

Transat Jacques Vabre: Off and Racing

The 11th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre started under grey, drizzling skies in light winds at 1300hrs (local) off Le Havre’s Saint Adresse beach. The 44 boats, 26 Class 40s, six Multi 50s, 10 IMOCA Open 60s and two MOD70s broke the start line in eight knots of W’ly breeze in very choppy seas, heading three miles to the France Info mark before heading down the Channel towards Itajaí, Brazil. The Class 40 fleet are required to make a weather stop in Roscoff, 190 miles from Le Havre to sit out a big low pressure system which would have hit them in the Bay of Biscay at the weekend. They should arrive in Roscoff tomorrow afternoon.
 

Before heading out to the open sea, the 44 boats had to pass the France Info buoy, three miles from the start line. The order are buoy was:

- MOD70: 1-Edmond de Rothschild, 2-Oman Air - Musandam
- IMOCA: 1-Macif, 2-Maître Coq, 3-Safran, 4-PRB, 5-Bureau Vallée, 6-Votre Nom autour du Monde, 7-Team Plastique, 8-Initiatives Coeur...
- Multi50: 1-Actual, 2-Arkema, 3-FenêtréA Cardinal, 4-Maître Jacques, 5-Rennes Métropole Saint-Malo Agglomération, 6-Vers un monde sans sida
- Class40: 1-SNCF-Geodis, 2-GDF Suez, 3-Dunkerque, 4-Watt & Sea, 5- BET 1128, 6-79 Matouba, 7-Mare ...

2013 Key West Results (Day 1) | Super Boat International

Key West World Championship - day one results below.  If you missed the live action, watch it here; http://superboat.com/2013/11/key-west-racing-day-1/

 

Start of the Transat Jacques Vabre set for 1300hrs Thursday off Le Havre

 

At a skippers briefing at 1500hrs local time today race direction confirmed that the start of the 11th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Itajaí, Brazil will be at 1300hrs (local time) on Thursday, November 7, for Class40, Multi50, IMOCA and MOD70.

The fleet will dock out from Le Havre’s Paul Vatine Basin in the morning at 0930hrs am starting with the Class 40 Proximedia – Sauvez mon enfant until 1100hrs with the MOD70 Oman Air -Musandam moves out. The Quinette lock gates open at 1115hrs.

At 1300hrs the 44 boats will cross the starting line, head to the France Info mark (north cardinal General Metzinger) be left to port before setting sail to Itajai in Brazil.

Given the big depression forecast for the night of Saturday into Sunday race management have an option of requiring a weather stop, as authorized by the sailing directions, for Class 40 and perhaps also the Multi 50’s in Roscoff. That announcement will be made tomorrow pre-start.

More; http://www.transat-jacques-vabre.com/en

Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitees Announced : ASP World Tour – The Association of Surfing Professionals

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Tuesday, November 5, 2013) - The 29th annual Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau, the original one-day big wave invitational surfing event that requires waves measuring in excess of 20 feet, is excited to announce the list of 2013/14 Invitees and Alternates. The holding period for the event begins on December 1, 2013, and concludes on February 28, 2014. The official Opening Ceremony with the Aikau Family will be held on Thursday, December 5th, 3pm, at Waimea Bay.

Aaron Gold at home at Waimea Bay.

After opening the selection process up to peer polling for another year, there has been much movement on the Alternate list, but only one newcomer to the Invitee list: the North Shore’s own Aaron Gold, 31. A dedicated father, quiet charger and shaper of his own big wave ‘guns’, Gold is precisely the kind of surfer who Eddie would have hand-picked.

XCAT World Series Heats Up | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

While a majority of the performance boat enthusiasts will be fixated on Key West, Fla., for the remainder of this week and through the weekend as the Super Boat International World Championships and Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run converge, I’d like to steer a little attention toward some exciting racing that is about to take place in the Far East.

Two months after the team flipped its boat at the race in Arona, Italy, the Victory Team will enter a new boat in the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

With 13 teams expected to participate in the sixth leg of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) XCAT World Series in China this weekend (Nov. 8-10), there’s plenty of news coming out of the competitive international circuit featuring outboard-powered cats. Taking place on Meishan Bay in Ningbo, the event marks the first time the series has raced in Chinese waters. The Chinese Grand Prix follows a pair of September races in Italy, which marked the first ventures outside of the United Arab Emirates for the up-and-coming series.  More; XCAT World Series Heats Up | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

Key West Worlds Update: GEICO, Stihl Win; SuperStock Team OK After Crash

The first day of the Super Boat International Key West World Championships lived up to the hype. Due to nasty, wind-whipped conditions—not uncommon for Key West—race officials shortened the first stretch of the course so teams wouldn't have to withstand the conditions further offshore, which were reported to be at least 8 to 10 feet. Here's a look at the highlights from the day.

 

Miss GEICO Commands Attention With Win: By bringing home the win in Miss GEICO catamaran, the veteran team of Scott Begovich and Marc Granet got off to a fine start in the extremely competitive Superboat Unlimited class. The duo battled Spirit of Qatar and CMS in a back-and-forth first lap, but managed to keep pulling ahead en route to a commanding win. Spirit of Qatar, one of the Qatar Team's three race boats, finished 45 seconds behind Miss GEICO and 30 seconds ahead of CMS.  More; Key West Worlds Update: GEICO, Stihl Win; SuperStock Team OK After Crash

Third Qatar Cat A Wild Card For Key West Worlds

Of the 45 boats that reportedly "answered the roll call" at the Super Boat International Key West Offshore World Championships drivers meeting this morning, a hefty seven percent of them were from the country of Qatar. Backed by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, the team, which pulled into Key West, Fla., yesterday, is fielding catamarans in the Turbine, Superboat Unlimited and Superboat classes.  Read More; Third Qatar Cat A Wild Card For Key West Worlds

A Battle with the Channel - Transat Jacques Vabre

The 44 boats in four different classes which will take on the 5400 miles course to Itajaí, Brazil should take the start line off Le Havre at 1415hrs (local time) on Monday. While both of the MOD70’s will return to their docks for a couple of days to await their own start to Itajaí, all of the other duos are expected to start, heading into big winds and chaotic seas through the first days of the race.

 

 

There are always moments of apprehension for the Transatlantic racers as they leave the dock, but given the forecast for the passage out of the Channel, across the Bay of Biscay to Cape Finisterre those nervous times may linger well after the start gun.

Starting under Cape de la Hève the fleet will set off on starboard tack out three miles to the first buoy, ‘France Info’. Tacking at the mark they will then go NE for 3.5 miles tacking then towards the Cotentin Peninsula.

33rd Annual Key West Super Boat World Championships Ready To Begin | Super Boat International

Boat teams from around the United States and the World are ready to compete in the running of the 33rd Annual Key West Super Boat World Championships November 3rd through 10th in Key West, Florida. This ultimate competition of the biggest and fastest boats in offshore racing will be like no other race that has come before. The backdrop is set and high performance offshore teams will be ready with 3 days of racing starting Wednesday, November 6th at 10:00 am.

Recognized around the world, the biggest offshore racing event is ready to play host to the most powerful fleet of Super Boats. No class will have an uncontested winner and many classes are brimming with more boat entries per class than any race all season. The big boats will include multiple turbines, four or more Superboat Unlimiteds, eight or more Superboats and many more in other classes. This is expected to be one of the most exciting World Championships in the recent past.