Gasse To Run Four Races in 2014 / Speed on the Water

Coming off an offshore racing season that saw Gasse Racing compete in just one event—the Super Boat International Sarasota (Fla.) Suncoast Grand Prix—the team is planning to run four SBI events in 2014 in the Unlimited class. Powered by a pair of Mercury Racing1650 engines, the team plans to run its 48-foot Marine Technology, Inc., in the SBI season-opener Charlotte Harbor, the Sarasota Suncoast Grand Prix, the National Championships in Clearwater, Fla., and the Key West Offshore World Championships according to Gasse throttleman John Tomlinson.  More; Gasse To Run Four Races in 2014

200 days until the 2014 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

 

Deep Creek 2014 Set to Host the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in McHenry Maryland September 17-21, 2014. The Adventure Sports Center International is the prestigious venue for the event and is the Only Mountaintop re-circulating whitewater course in the World.

 

Be a Part of History! Olympic Level Athletes from over 35 Countries competing for the Gold!

 

The ICF World Championships represent much more than a simple competition. It is a gathering of nations from around the globe joining together in sport and camaraderie.

 

This is the 25 year anniversary of the 1989 World Championship held right here in Garrett County Maryland and only the second time in History this prestigious event has graced the United States.

Miami set to welcome US 52 SUPER SERIES’ strongest fleet yet

The strongest fleet of American 52’s yet assembled will compete at the second regatta of the two events which comprise the US 52 SUPER SERIES starting Wednesday off Miami’s famous South Beach next week.

Five US registered 52’s are joined by two European boats, Niklas Zennström’s world champions Rán Racing and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s Azzzurra, to form what is considered to be the most competitive fleet of modern TP52’s to race together in American waters.

Along with the six boats which opened their 52 SUPER SERIES season at Quantum Key West in January when owner Doug DeVos’ steered Quantum Racing to win overall, the highly optimised Vesper, with owner-skipper Jim Swartz on the helm and tactician Gavin Brady calling the shots, joins the competition and represents a very potent threat.

Welcome to the 2014 BACARDI MIAMI SAILING WEEK presented by EFG BANK.

MIAMI, FLA. (February 27, 2014) – Attracted by a highly-regarded race management team and the area’s renowned racing conditions, elite sailors will again be on hand when the fifth annual running of BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) presented by EFG Bank is held March 2-8, 2014, from the regatta headquarters at Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. The six-day racing schedule is headlined by the Star class, which will have 57 boats on the starting line all fighting to win the 87th Bacardi Cup.  On the last four days of the regatta, the Stars will share the Bay with competitors in the Audi Melges 20, J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and VX One classes.

The Star Fleet at BACARDI Miami Sailing Week 2013 (Photo Credit BMSW/Cory Silken

There are 192 boats registered across the six one-design fleets, with competitors from 15 foreign nations (Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine) travelling great distances to compete against American sailors. 

News & Features | ISAF | World Sailing | Official Site : RealstoneThrow Down The Gaunlet

The much-anticipated opening Act of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series began on Thursday 20 February in Singapore under the gaze of the cities soaring skyscrapers, where eight races produced six different winners.  

The Swiss flagged Realtstone were the form team, executing a consistent strategy in the trying conditions, to finish the opening day of the global tour top of the leaderboard - their best result since joining the circuit last year. Some of the newer teams struggled to get to grips with the stadium racecourse, posting a mixed bag of results and a crash between defending champions The Wave, Muscat and GAC Pindar will leave the Aussies with a night of repairs ahead.  More: News & Features | ISAF | World Sailing | Official Site : Realstone Throw Down The Gaunlet

Fleet lined up in Singapore ©Lloyd Images

Dimity Stoyle Spoils Surfest Hopes for Stephanie Gilmore at HunterPorts Women's Classic Today

Today was ladies day at Surfest Newcastle as the Hunter Ports Women's Classic ran through Rounds 3 and 4 of competition, leaving just 12 surfers in contention for the coveted event title. The surf was small, but offering clean sections for explosive turns for the surfers brave enough to take on the Merewether rock shelf.

Dimity Stoyle (Sunshine Coast, QLD/AUS) sent a warning shot to her fellow competitors that she's hungry to defend her Hunter Ports Women's Classic title. Winning this event last year set Stoyle up for the biggest competitive year of her life and by year's end she qualified for the elite ASP Women's World Championship Tour and will make her debut on the Gold Coast in less than two weeks. Stoyle posted the event's highest wave score 9.90 (out of a possible 10), and backed that up with a 9.27 and topped off her near-perfect heat by eliminating 5-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS).

"I'm really bummed that Steph (Gilmore) is out of the event, she's my favourite surfer." Stoyle said. "I went out and I wanted to get the best waves of the heat, I felt a little greedy. At the start of the heat I made sure that I sat where I wanted to and a good wave came. I was so happy that it worked, I paddled back out and the same thing happened again. It's hard to find the waves out there so I felt bad for everyone else in my heat, but I'm really happy to be through to the next round."

Pauline Ado (FRA) is in sizzling form at the Hunter Ports Women's Classic, posting excellent scores in every heat executing fast and critical turns. Ado has now advanced into the last round of competition before the Quarterfinals where she will face Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and Alessa Quizon (HAW).

"It's been really cold and hard to train at home in France," Ado said. "It's great to be here in the warm sun and only wear a light wetsuit. It took me a while to get into a rhythm in that heat. I posted some big scores and then I felt confident, but towards the end Paige (Hareb) and Alana (Blanchard) started to get some good scores and then I started to stress again, but it all worked out. I would love to win this event, but right now I'm focussed on my next heat."

Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) used her powerful backhand attack to post two scores in the 8-point-range and claim an easy victory in Round 4 today. While some surfers struggled in the small surf conditions, Buitendag powered through her turns, to be one of the eight ASP Women's WCT surfers left in the 12 woman draw.

"Even though there's a bit of swell it's broken up by the wind, you really have to be in the right place at the right time," Buitendag said. "As you progress the rounds get more critical so it's good that there's swell coming. This is my third year at this event and I really enjoy it, I'm starting to recognise the roads and places I go. We're staying with a family just across the road, it's very cool, I feel very comfortable here."

For more information, live webcast and photos log on towww.surfest.com

ORACLE TEAM USA to open spring training in Australia

ORACLE TEAM USA, the America’s Cup champion, will begin its sailing program in Sydney, Australia next month.

The team has scheduled practice against Team Australia, representing the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, the Challenger of Record for the 35th America’s Cup.

ORACLE TEAM USA has shipped one of its AC45 catamarans to Australia for spring training before the sailing team returns to the United States later in the year.

“This training session on Sydney Harbour is the first of a series of trials and training sessions for our sailing team and will be the first time our sailors have been together since the America's Cup,” said sailing team manager Tom Slingsby.

“We’ll welcome back some old faces and introduce some new blood as we look for the right crew combination for the sailing team for the 35th America’s Cup.

"These sessions will be coordinated with Team Australia and we're looking forward to sailing against this new Cup team.”

ORACLE TEAM USA has already announced Jimmy Spithill, the skipper, and Slingsby, the strategist and sailing team manager, will both be returning to lead the sailing team.

Further sailing crew announcements are expected before the summer.

Update - 2014 Offshore Powerboat Racing Season Schedule

 

A quick update to the consolidated 2014 U.S. offshore powerboat racing season with races from organizers such as Super Boat International (SBI) and Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA).  Also, we cannot forget the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, where you can you see a boat like My Way run 224 mph.  Have a race event you want listed, send it to us and we will add it to the list!

	April
Apr 11-13	SBI - Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix	Charlotte Harbor, FL
	May
May 2-4	OPA - Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix	Lake Hopatcong, NJ
May 16-18	SBI - 5th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix	Cocoa Beach, FL
	June
June 20-22	OPA - Atlantic City Offshore Grand Prix	Atlantic City, NJ
	July
July 4-6	SBI - 30th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival	Sarasota, FL
July 25-27	OPA - St Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race	St Clair, MI
	August
Aug 1-3	SBI - 6th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix	Michigan City, IN
Aug 8-10	OPA - International Offshore Powerboat Race	Port Huron, MI
Aug 15-24	Lake of the Ozarks Shootout	Lake of the Ozarks
Aug 20-24	SBI - 11th Annual Thunder on the Gulf	Orange Beach, AL
Aug 20-24	SBI - 1st Annual Pensacola Grand Prix	Pensacola, FL
Aug 22-24	OPA - Great Race on the Sea	TBA Long Island, NY​​
	September
Sept 5-7	24th Annual New York Grand Prix – Tribute to 911	New York, NY
Sept 12-14	OPA Nationals  - Solomons Offshore Grand Prix	Solomons, MD
Sept 26-28	6th Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship	Clearwater, FL
	October
October 3-5	OPA World Championships	Ocean City, MD
	November
Nov 2-9	34th Annual Key West World Championship	Key West, FL

Daytona XCAT event cancelled / UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

The World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) regret to announce the cancellation of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series race that was scheduled to take place in Daytona, USA from April 11-13.

“Due to logistical factors beyond our control, it is a great pity for us to have to cancel the Daytona race, which would have been round three of the Series. We were greatly looking forward to taking the Series to the United States as we are well aware there is a great following there, but this will unfortunately have to wait a little longer,” said Dr Khalid Al Zahed, Vice President of the WPPA.

“We are working towards setting up another date for an XCAT race in the United States and will announce details as soon as these have been finalised. One thing is for sure – we will definitely be in the US by 2015 ,” added Al Zahed.

The third round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series is now scheduled to take place in Napoli, Italy from May 23-25.

Team Aqua Snatch Victory In Virgin Gorda / RC Forty Four

Peninsula Petroleum had led the RC44 Virgin Gorda Cup since day one, for the final day all they needed to do was stick with the same format; consistency and staying out of trouble. But the day didn’t go to plan for the Gibraltar based team, allowing Chris Bake’s Team Aqua to snatch victory on the final race of the event.

 

Racing was again inside Virgin Gorda's North Sound. As the fleet got underway Peninsula Petroleum were given a red flag penalty off the startline of the day’s opening race, putting them to the back of the fleet. Vasco Vascotto calling the shots for John Bassadone got the team back in touch with the fleet by the second beat. But a port-starboard incident with Gazprom Youth Sailing Challenge, saw the Russian team head back into the dock with a gaping hole in the side of their RC44 and retire from racing.

Caio Vaz (Brasil) Wins Sunset Beach Pro - Waterman League

SUNSET BEACH, HAWAII – The first stop of the 2014 Stand Up World Tour saw the fifth anniversary of one of the tour’s marquee events – the Sunset Beach Pro.  This iconic wave is known for it’s power and difficulty – every wave offers up it’s own unique, distinct challenge.  Local knowledge proves to be a huge asset as evidenced by the abundance of Hawaiian athletes in the main event draw.

More; Caio Vaz (Brasil) Wins Sunset Beach Pro

Selection Events Released for 2015 US Pan American Games Team

Portsmouth, R.I. ( February 14, 2014)  - The US Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) has released the list of selection events for the 2015 United States Pan American Games Team, which will compete at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. 

Pending approval by the US Olympic Committee (USOC), the top eligible team at the following events will qualify for the Pan American Games if the US has qualified as a country in the class.    

• RS:X Men: 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami (January 24-31, 2015)
• RS:X Women: 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami  (January 24-31, 2015)
• Sunfish: 2015 Sunfish Mid-Winters (Melbourne, Fla., March 20-22, 2015)
• Laser: 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami  (January 24-31, 2015)
• Laser Radial: 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami  (January 24-31, 2015)
• Hobie 16: 2014 North Americans (Lewes, Del., September 22-26, 2014)
• Lightning: 2015 Winter Championships (St. Petersburg, Fla., March 12-15, 2015)
• Snipe: Pan American Games Trials (San Diego, Calif., October 11-13, 2014)
• 49er FX: 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami  (January 24-31, 2015)
• J24: Pan American Games Trials (Marion, Mass. August 15-17, 2014)*

*If the United States does not qualify for a J24 berth at the 2014 J24 North American Championships, then the Trials will be held in Tampa, FL February 27-March 1, 2015.

Updates will be posted here:   http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/PAG.htm 

Getting to the end game - RC Forty Four

The penultimate day of racing at the RC44 Virgin Gorda Cup didn’t see a change at the top of the overall leaderboard, Team Aqua were the most consistent performer of the day, moving them up from fourth to second, putting them in touch with leaders Peninsula Petroleum. Four races produced four different winners, in what was another stunning day of Caribbean racing for the RC44 fleet.

Racing got underway to the south of Neckar Island in 14 knots. Katusha emerged as the leader at the windward mark, an early gybe by Synergy down the first run paid, giving Valentin Zavadnikov’s Russian team the lead. A double tack by Synergy to make the top mark put Katusha back at the top, only for Synergy’s tactician Ed Baird to again call for the early gybe - a move that gave Synergy the first win of the day.

Australians Crowned Hobie 16 World Champions / ISAF/ World Sailing

Australia's Gavin Colby and Josie Mark have been crowned 2014 Hobie 16 World Champions at Jervis Bay, Australia after a challenging week of racing.

Race 11

In what was a somewhat challenging day of stops and starts the winds picked up and the boats went out on schedule for the first race of the day. The 12 knot northerly dropped off toward the end of the race but not before Cam Owen and Suzzi Ghent picked up a strong opening result.

The West Australians gave it everything they had and lead wire to wire taking victory followed by Jason Hess and Irene Abascal from Guatemala in second and fellow Aussies Stephen Watt and Arbi Watt from New South Wales picking up third.

The drop in wind put a hold on racing but the sailors' enthusiasm was not left wanting and they were back on the water at 14:00 for the second race of the day.

Race 12

That enthusiasm was evident as Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin from New South Wales, Australia threw themselves at the line taking the lead and holding it all the way to the finish. The pair narrowly beat Jason's parents Rod and Kerry Waterhouse also from New South Wales. Coming in third were Koreans Byeongki Park and Haekwang Youn.

The real shake up of race 12 though was current Hobie World Champion Jerome Le Gal's Black Flag Disqualification (BFD) placing him 57th for the race and ultimately costing him the title and changing the game for the other competitors in the field.

Race 13

Waterhouse and Darmanin again took the top spot in what was a fantastic days racing for the pair as winds freshened and the boats got to stretch their legs giving the sailors some pressure for the last race of the day. Second and third were picked up by Tim Shuwalow and Nina Curtis from Sweden and Daniel Bjornholt-Christensen and Lachlan White respectively.

Gavin Colby and Josie Mark gave it their all and placed fourth. Unaware of Jerome Le Gal's BFD the pair unknowingly sealed up the event to ultimately be crowned Hobie 16 World Champions.

More honours for faultless Fazza in Fujairah « UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

14 February 2014 XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing – Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi extended their lead at the top of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series standings with a second consecutive win in Fujairah this afternoon.

The Fazza duo led from start to finish in a race that certainly wasn’t without drama, with three boats failing to finish.

Team Westerlund (Joakim Kumlin and Daniel Svenson) who started the race in fourth position flipped their boat on a turn in the 10th lap, but emerged unscathed, thanks to a speedy response from Dubai Police Rescue and the WPPA Rescue team.

OPA Racing | OPA is now part of APBA Offshore

After more than a dozen years of producing Offshore Racing events, OPA Racing (Offshore Powerboat Association) has joined forces with American Power Boat Association in order to bolster the ranks within APBA’s Offshore Category.

“We see this as a very positive move for our teams and the sport in general” said Ed (Smitty) Smith, President of OPA. “By joining with the APBA, several things happen. Our teams are now eligible for the APBA Hall of Champions, we can now promote joint events with other APBA categories to enhance our product at our race sites, we can establish globally recognized speed runs and we have the exclusive rights to the APBA Offshore sanction within Region one, two, three, four and six. The sport has been so fractioned that it was time to do something to help put it back together.”

APBA Executive Director, Dan Wiener, couldn’t be more excited to build upon the Offshore category. “This has been one of our goals since I joined APBA almost three years ago. To reunite the Offshore Category is very exciting. By bringing OPA under the APBA umbrella it will help us to promote Offshore Racing in the Great Lakes Region and along the East Coast. A few years ago we began working with the Offshore Super Series who’s race sites are located primarily in the central part of the country and along the Gulf Coast, the APBA Offshore Category has life once again. Having two Offshore racing circuits now sanctioning with APBA, plus P1, we can see our way toward a true National Championship and World Champion for some of the biggest and baddest boats in the world.”

Wiener continues, “OPA is a great addition to APBA, they had roughly 60 registered teams in 2013 and a series of eight races, with some really great venues. I’m looking forward to helping them in any way possible and I’m thrilled to have them join APBA.”

Perfect match race day at the RC44 Virgin Gorda Cup » News » RC Forty Four

Virgin Gorda served up perfect match race conditions for the first day of the 2014 RC44 Championship Tour. A steady 11-14 knot easterly breeze and flat water allowed the race committee to complete all nine flights inside the confines of Virgin Gorda’s beautiful North Sound. Penalties flew and a few collisions meant it was an exciting day for both the sailors and the umpires alike.

Defending match race champions Team Aqua, with tactician Cameron Appleton at the helm, made sure they stayed at the top of the leaderboard, losing just one of their eight matches to Synergy Russian Sailing Team, with Ed Baird driving.

32 Men Advance to Round 3 in the Sunset Beach Pro at Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Hawaii – StandUpPaddleSurf.net

SUNSET BEACH, HAWAII – It was a clear and hot day with very light winds for the first day of the Sunset Beach Pro main event. 48 men started the day in conditions that could be considered mid-range for Sunset with a 4-6 foot swell. While the waves were not as large as in previous years, the conditions were smooth with barrelling overhead sets coming through all day.   More; 32 Men Advance to Round 3 in the Sunset Beach Pro at Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Hawaii – StandUpPaddleSurf.net

Kilo Runs 101 | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

From Offshore only - Just moments before happy hour—one of my favorite hours of the week—last Saturday evening, I got a call from Mike Fiore of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in Bristol, R.I. Months earlier, Fiore had told me that one of his goals for 2014 was to break Reggie Fountain’s existing V-bottom kilo record of 171 mph set in 2004, but it wasn’t something he was ready to announce publicly. Knowing that the cat was about to slip out of the bag for any number reasons, Fiore called to give me the news on the record. Within an hour, the story was live on speedonthewater.com. By the next morning, more than 1,000 people had read it.  more: Kilo Runs 101 | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships - July 27, 2014

The 18th Annual Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard Word Championships is set for Sunday, July 27, 2014.   The race crosses the Ka’iwi Channel that connects the Islands of Molokai and Oahu. This 32-mile journey across the 2,300 foot deep channel has challenged athletes since the first organized outrigger race in 1952.

Registration Overview | Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships

ABU DHABI OCEAN RACING NEWS: Slattery, Fisher, McLean and Harmer jointhe crew

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – February 10, 2014 – Ireland’s Justin Slattery, Australia’s Phil Harmer, Britain’s Simon Fisher and New Zealand’s Andrew McLean have joined Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s crew for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. 

Joining Ian Walker’s crew this Monday are four sailors with a combined total of 12 Volvo Ocean Race campaigns between them. 

They join Emirati crewman Adil Khalid, Australian under-23 recruit Luke Parkinson and British onboard reporter Tom Bushell. 

All four have previously raced with Walker, Abu Dhabi’s double Olympic silver medalist skipper. 

Stand Up World Tour Day 1 Highlights – Women, Youth, and Legends Take to the Water at Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Hawaii – StandUpPaddleSurf.net

Stormy conditions have been covering the North Shore for most of the previous week. This morning saw the conditions improving as the wind began to settle down and the waves cleaned up to provide consistent 5-7 foot faces at the “Pool Bars” break at Turtle Bay Resort.

It was a fun day of competition and exhibition today as we saw the first two women’s heats, competition between under-16 youth and a special exhibition from some living surfing legends. Na Kama Kai also held a youth clinic to teach the next generation the necessary skills to excel in the ocean.

More; Stand Up World Tour Day 1 Highlights – Women, Youth, and Legends Take to the Water at Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Hawaii – StandUpPaddleSurf.net

Rio 2016 Olympic Test Event Notice Of Race Published / ISAF | World Sailing

The Notice of Race for the Aquece Rio - International Sailing Regatta 2014 has been published.

Aquece Rio is the first of two 'Test Events' for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition and will welcome sailors across the ten Olympic sailing events from 2 to 9 August 2014. The regatta venue is the Marina da Glória with racing taking place inside and outside the Guanabara Bay.

Each ISAF Member National Authority (MNA) is entitled to enter two boats in each event and must register with Rio 2016 not later than 1 May 2014.

Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition
The Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition will take place at the Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and will feature 380 athletes competing across ten events.

Racing is scheduled to take place from 8-18 August 2016 and the competition format for all events is fleet racing.

Regatta Information

Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition Qualification System / ISAF / World Sailing

The qualification system for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Qualification has been published.  Click here to download the Qualification System.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition regatta venue is the Marina da Glória with racing taking place inside and outside the Guanabara Bay and will feature 380 athletes competing across the following 10 events:

Men's Windsurfer - RS: X
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Men's One Person Dinghy (Heavyweight) - Finn
Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Men's Skiff - 49er

Women's Windsurfer - RS: X
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Women's Skiff - 49er FX

Mixed Multihull - Nacra 17

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter a maximum of one boat per event, a total of 15 athletes (eight men and seven women).

Outerlimits Launching Assault On V-bottom Kilo Record / Speed on the Water

While the venue has not yet been determined, Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats is gearing up for an attempt to break the V-bottom kilo record in late March. The record currently stands at 171 mph and was set by a 42-foot Fountain Powerboats V-bottom in 2004.

In a recent test session, this Outerlimits SV 43 reportedly reached 164 mph. (Click here to watch the video.

 

Mike Fiore, the owner of the custom high-performance V-bottom and catamaran company in Bristol, R.I., is teaming up with Joe Sgro—the record attempt will be made in Sgro's SV 43 canopied raceboat—and noted offshore racer Brian Forehand, as well Michael "Doc" Janssen, who owns the two-time offshore world championship-winning SV 29 Snowy Mountain Brewery raceboat and Dave Scotto, who owns an Outerlimits SL 52 open cockpit V-bottom that ran a record-setting 150 mph at the 2013 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.  More ; Outerlimits Launching Assault On V-bottom Kilo Record

The epilogue to the 7th Vendée Globe - Vendée Globe

A year ago, while François Gabart and Armel Le Cléac’h were enjoying their reception and applause on dry land after completing the round the world voyage in 78 days, Alex Thomson took the remaining place on the victory podium of the seventh Vendée Globe. At sea, Jean-Pierre Dick was sailing on a knife’s edge, while Javier Sanso capsized. Eleven out of the twenty sailors that had lined up at the start of the Everest of the Seas on 10th November made it to the summit. Time for our final look back at the highlights and key moments in the last Vendée Globe.  More; The epilogue to the 7th Vendée Globe - Vendée Globe 2012-2013

1000 days to go to the start of the eighth Vendée Globe - Vendée Globe

The start of the next Vendée Globe will take place in exactly 1000 days from now. A thousand days to find a sponsor, build or buy a boat, get ready and train to be in the best of shape on the big day. The countdown has begun.

The sound of the starting gun for the eighth Vendée Globe will echo around the bay off Les Sables d'Olonne in exactly 1000 days from now, but what will this race be like? It is rather too soon to say for sure, but the sailors know that time slips by and that 33 months is a long time, but in fact relatively short. This worry about the clock ticking will depend on how far advanced each project is. One thing for certain is that the next Vendée Globe is already the focus of attention and you can feel the excitement building. The Vendée Globe still makes sailors dream. Some stated their intentions early on and at the start of the year have already been sending out their messages about their respective campaigns. In 2016, we can bet on there being a lot of top class, well prepared candidates. Let’s take a closer look.

Volvo Ocean Race | The day we had to abandon our boat

Andrew Cape has sailed countless thousands of miles with Bouwe Bekking in nearly 20 years but the abandonment of their boat in May 2006 continues to stick in his mind. Now reunited with the Dutch skipper as Team Brunel’s navigator, Cape tells us how leaving movistar behind only made the pair stronger.

Cape and Bekking were sailing on board movistar, a Spanish entry in the then new Volvo Open 70 class, when the keel pivot broke in the Leg 7 from New York City to Portsmouth of the 2005-06 edition of the race.

For an agonising hour or two, Bekking was in two minds about whether to stay on board and try to salvage movistar or accept to quit the Volvo Open 70. After the Dutch skipper received key data from Cape, already his navigator back then, he made the tough call of leaving the boat behind.