Thursday's award of The Carphone Warehouse Pick of the Day goes to the Contessa 32 Blanco which is leading the class overall.

The Contessa 32 is a renowned sea boat that can cope with anything.

But on Thursday, as gusts came through shortly after their start, Blanco reminded us how 1970 vintage long keel designs behave downwind.

As Blanco rolled from side to side, while her helmsman fought for control, a sensible crew member was seen spread-eagled on the cabin top, hanging on for dear life!

New lock gates and better mooring facilities are just some of the benefits motorboaters will see from a £3.8 million upgrade for the River Thames later this year.

Eighteen structures have been marked for improvement, with the largest projects on the lower Thames at Hurley and Sandford, where work will be carried out to replace lock gates and refurbish lock chambers to the tune of £1.55 million.

In total, fifteen locks will be affected by temporary closures, with work scheduled to take place between October 2010 and March 2011.

Other projects include upgrading the short stay moorings at Weybridge, opposite Shepperton Lock, to improve safety and provide better access for disabled people. The work should be completed in time for the August bank holiday weekend.

Short stay moorings at Surley hall point, near Boveney Lock in Dorney and the boat rollers at Sunbury Lock will also be improved.

Read the full story here: http://www.motorboatsmonthly.co.uk/news/494488/river-thames-set-for-3-8-milli...

Billed as a recreation of the historic inaugural match that formed the start of the America's Cup 159 years ago, today's race between Team Origin and BMW Oracle Racing around the Isle of Wight replicated the very first match rather too accurately - at least for British supporters.

Five hours after starting their east about race, it was the Americans that once again scored a victory against the British team. While their wining margin was a significant one, the race had started with plenty of drama. During the pre-start Team Origin incurred a penalty in a port and starboard incident. Then as the pair approached North Sturbridge buoy having gybed onto port to avoid the shallows off Ryde, Team Orgin engaged in an aggressive luff that saw the pair end up close to head to wind with their spinnakers up. The timing couldn't have been better for some of the Cowes Week competitors as the incident took place within metres of the IRC 1 fleet that were rounding North Sturbridge at the time.

As Ainslie on Team Origin released his grip of the Americans, both boats peeled away back onto a reach. Seconds later the American spinnaker exploded leaving the Brits clear to gybe away.

If blown out spinnakers were to settle the score, the Brits were one nil up, but it wasn't to last. Close to the forts at the eastern end of the Solent, the Brits blew their kite into pieces then managed to wrap the remaining pieces of the sail under the boat, an accident that handed the lead to the Americans. A lead that extended as the pair headed around the back of the island.

Breaking their genoa halyard added to the woes aboard the British boat and it was decided to halt the race in Freshwater Bay and perform a staggered re-start at Hurst Castle once the problem had been resolved. BMW Oracle re-started one minute before the Brits, a margin that only increased and saw Team Origin trail by two minutes by the finish.

While the Royal Thames Cup, set up specifically for this around the island race, will now head to the USA, tomorrow, (Friday), sees a return to match racing in the Solent and the competition for the Trafalgar Cup in which each race will count for three points rather than one. Three races are planned which means that two wins tomorrow for either team will produce the overall winner.

The first Black Group start was for the big boats competing for the New York YC Challenge Cup in IRC Class Zero. In the first four days of the regatta this class has seen three different race winners. Sir Peter Ogden's all-black Mini Maxi Jethou, lying third overall at the beginning of the day, asserted dominance from the start, significantly ahead and to windward of her competitors. Next were two TP52s, Johnny Vincent's Pace and Charles Dunstone's Rio, the latter making an uncharacteristically mediocre start.

In IRC Class 1, a huge mêlée of assorted boats, from J/133s to 12-Metres, tussled at the inshore end of the line. With the boats to leeward forcing those above them to luff over the line, a general recall was inevitable. The fleet was much more cautious for the second start, giving Michael Bartholomew's King 40 Tokoloshe and Andy Middleton's First 47.7 EH01 ample space to make a great start at the inner end of the line. Richard Rankin's 12-Metre Italia was right behind them, creating a huge wind shadow for the fleet to leeward as she tacked onto port 20 seconds after the start. However, she was unable to maintain height on the fleet, allowing many of her rivals to climb to windward above her.

Ten minutes into the race Tokoloshe was ahead and to windward of everyone else - she was one of only a relatively small number of boats in the fleet to clear Stansore Point without tacking, conferring a useful advantage on the long beat to EchoPilot, off Hurst Spit at the very western end of the Solent. By this stage Richard Loftus' Swan 65 Desperado had powered through the fleet, her mizzen furled in the fresh breeze, with another First 47.7, Javelin Sailing Promotion's Moana, a little to leeward. Richard Matthew's 12-Metre Crusader had also joined the front-runners, having climbed well to windward of Italia.

Class 2 got off to a clean start, with Brian Thompson and Lloyd Hamilton on the Archambault 40 Toe in the Water Too closest to the southern end of the line. A few lengths to the north, Rudi Floridor's Sydney 39 Allard Natural Stone was sufficiently far ahead to tack onto port in front of the pack. Off Stansore point, Peter Morton and Andrew McIrvine 's First 40 La Response crossed ahead of the fleet on starboard, with Allard Natural Stone sitting just on their weather quarter.

Four First 40.7s were OCS and failed to return at the start, including yesterday's winner Nicolas Gaumont-Prat's Tradition Philosophie lV. In contrast to the earlier classes, in which competitors had all tacked onto port to head to the north shore within a minute or two of the start, the 40.7s were soon spread across the entire width of the Solent, with Reter Robson's Playing Around and Herbert Smith's Interceptor both passing south of Gurnard north cardinal buoy.

Taking a flyer

In IRC Class 3, Dirk and Dianne van Beek's Bavaria Match 42 Sabriel went for a port tack flyer at the southern end of the line. With no starboard tack boats in the way, this would have worked perfectly had they not been OCS. With the second-placed boat overall, Michael Brough's Match 38 Steady Barker also OCS, Phil Farrands' lovely one-off Humphreys Old Mother Gun was best placed on the line.

The next start, for J/109s, was postponed due to an in-bound bulk carrier, the 44,000 tonne Panama registered Luminous Orange, due to pass through the line a couple of minutes after scheduled start time. However, despite VHF announcements, few competitors noticed the postponement, leaving the line boat, Running Bear, to round up competitors, as the ship sailed through the middle of the fleet.

A number of boats did not return in time for the restart, and of the boats that were on the line, Henry Kevill's Howden Insurance Brokers was OCS, leaving Pete Walker's British Police on Stalker best placed on a sparsely-populated line. David McLeman's Offbeat, a few lengths astern and to windward, was also looking good, and James Arnell's Jeez Louise was also quickly on the pace.

With the young east-going flood tide gaining strength, the IRC Class 4 fleet opted for the northern end of the line, with Richard Allen's First 35 Ancasta Boat Sales closest to the line at the gun, and Tom Snowball's First 34.7 Mongoose also looking well placed.

Thrilling conditions

The wind continued to increase through the morning, with gusts of over 25 knots, giving all classes plenty of excitement on their downwind legs. A weak warm front passing over the Solent just after lunch gave competitors an additional challenge, as the mean wind immediately in its wake dropped to 10 knots, but it soon recovered to its previous levels.

The first of the Black Group finishers were crossing the line just after 1500, with True Look, Carl Hennix's Seacart 30 trimaran the first multihull to finish, blasting across the line at 1513. Phil Cotton's Buzz, another Seacart, was second at 1526.

By now impressive rain clouds were building and a thundery shower scattered on-shore spectators at 1532, just as the first Sigma 33, Richard Puddifoot's Whippa Snappa crossed the line. This cold front was much more active than any of the forecasters predicted at the start of the day, a five minute band of driving rain heralding a sharp spike in the wind speed. In IRC Class 7 Madelaine and Isobella Donald's Folkboat Madelaine executed a spectacular broach 200m from the finish line, but recovered quickly to win their race.

At the same time, the wind veered by more than 90 degrees, from west-south-west to north-east, and dropped to just 8-10 knots. As the sun returned to the Solent spectators were treated to the sight of Black Group competitors heading east towards their finish lowering spinnakers, while White Group classes, heading in the opposite direction, hoisted theirs.
After the storm

Finishers were now crossing both lines thick and fast, with the RYS cannons firing in rapid succession. Jethou finished at 1549, with no other boats in Class Zero in sight, yet she was unable to save her time on Charles Dunstone's Rio, who won by an impressive eight minutes on corrected time, despite her unspectacular start.

Tonnerre de Breskens was the first Class One boat to finish at 1622, three minutes ahead of the Richard Matthews' Crusader, giving Matthews an advantage of more than five minutes on corrected time. Tokoloshe took second in this class on corrected time.

La Response maintained her lead in class two, taking honours in IRC Class 2 just before 1640, with a big enough margin to win her race by six minutes over Jim Macgregor's Elan 410 Premier Flair. Peter Robson's Playing Around crossed the line at 1642, to win the 40.7 class from Guy Prest's Tarka and Pete Newland's Anticipation.

Four minutes later Bernard Olesinski's X-40 Xinska took line honours in IRC Class 3, although Lance Adam's Corby 33 Banshee, and Iain Kirkpatrick's X-37 FatJax were ahead on corrected time.

Since we first got wind of the new First model many months ago, we've been excited about seeing it in the flesh. The combination of radical Argentinean designer Juan Kouyoumdjian's hull lines and Vendee Globe supremo Michel Desjoyeaux' technical tuning feedback, this isn't your normal new production boat. In fact in our September issue (out next week) we feature a 12-page special feature about exciting must-see designs at boatshows across Europe this autumn, which kicks-off with this 30ft pocket performance package, something that's far from your average white boat launch. In fact, alarmingly, it's pink!
Standing proudly on the hard in the centre of Cowes Yacht Haven for all the competitors to admire as they quell their post-racing thirst in the beer tent, this is one of the first three brand new 30's to launch this summer - all of which have been given this effeminate livery. The sleek coachroof windows with ‘eyelids', fiendishly deep (1.9m) T-keel, chined hull and muscle-flexing beam aft all look seductive enough, so why the garish colouring that makes it look more like a cross between Sam Davies' old Open 60 Roxy, and Jessica Watson's Ella Pink Lady?! "It's all to do with marketing" was the unsurprising explanation we were given. I guess when you've got those two ‘names' involved with her conception, Beneteau can be pretty confident it'll go quickly - otherwise, if dressed so conspicuously, one could stand to look like a bit of a pillock...!
I'd advise getting aboard if you have the time - this particular boat has yet to hit the water, and will be shown at Southampton Boatshow too. The cockpit is striking - or rather its beam is, creating enough space to spoil the crew of a 40 footer. There's even room for a navigator to slot in behind the helm's sitting-out seats each side. The running rigging set-up looks highly ‘tweakable' and having both a bowsprit and pole should entice those after offwind thrills. Down below is a tidy family-cruising set up, with all areas well-proportioned, including standing headroom, a ‘proper' galley, chart table, heads and forward cabin, and a huge double berth tucked under the cockpit aft.
At £100k all-in this is a very tempting package that you can be sure will both be racing and won't be the only First 30 at Cowes Week next year - presuming it's available in other colours!

Wayfarer International Championships 2010 saw a record one hundred and seven Wayfarers show for this event, which are held every three years and cycle between the USA, Canada, the UK and Ireland - and Denmark, where the last event was held in 2007. This year's event was held at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy and incorporated the UK National Championships. The class has seen a huge surge in interest following the launch two years ago of the Wayfarer Mark IV.

This brings the classic design bang up to date in terms of contemporary design, build quality, performance and features. Forty-five of these Hartley-produced boats attended; some helms having moved over from their classic 'woodies' and the rest of the Mark IVs bringing new blood to the fleet.

Sunday was Practice Race day which also incorporated practice starts and boat tuning sessions. The Practice Race was held in Weymouth Bay in a glorious force four south-westerly with sunny conditions and waves to match.

Weather conditions for the week were governed by a weak and slow moving low-pressure area over England and Wales - torrential rain and thunderstorms were forecast with light southerly breezes. As it happened, the rain passed us by and warm, sunny conditions prevailed.

South-westerlies at Portland are beneficial as they are reinforced by any sea breeze, indeed this effect seemed to be strongest within the harbour itself. This gave the race officer the option of an alternative sailing area should the wind become fickle in Weymouth Bay - the preferred racing area – while at the same time getting the fleet most of the way home.

The bay sailing area meant a three to four mile run down from the WPNSA along the beautiful Purbeck coast to the start line. This distance was needed by the time bunkering tankers and other constraints came into play, while at the same time giving us more exposure to longer and more interesting wave patterns.

Read the full story here: http://www.sail-world.com/UK/index.cfm?SEID=0&Nid=72960&SRCID=0&ntid=0&ticker...

Artemis misses chance to shoot past on final day
Chris Bake’s Team Aqua pulled an enviable treble by winning the match racing, fleet racing and overall championship at the RC 44 Valencia Cup.

Bake, a Canadian living in the U.A.E., and crew Cameron Appleton, Jeff Brock, Matt Cassidy, Andrew Estcourt, Ben Graham, Nigel King, Rome Kirby and Chris Noble completed the feat today with a 3-point win in the fleet racing portion of the regatta.

Team Aqua entered the final day with a 4-point lead over Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis of Sweden. After today’s first race Artemis looked set to shoot into first when it whittled that lead to 2 points by placing third in Race 9 to Aqua’s fifth.

“We were 45 seconds late off the line in that race,” said Bake, who described his team as “boxed out and going backwards” when the start gun fired. Aqua had been shut out by No Way Back at the committee boat end of the line.

Bake and crew, however, got a much better start in the 10th and final race, and then covered Artemis like a blanket to secure the clean sweep with a three-boatlength win.

In celebration Bake may have sacrificed his cell phone when he was pushed into the water by class founder Russell Coutts upon returning to the dock.

“Russell sacrificed my phone for me,” said Bake. “Everyone is a worthy competitor in this class. A tiny set up change or a good wave can make the difference between winning and losing.”

Tornqvist and his Artemis crew Noel Drennan, Andy Fethers, Terry Hutchinson, Dave Munday, Ivan Peute, Mark Towill, Morgan Trubovich and Chris Welch also pulled a treble. They placed second in the match racing, fleet racing and overall.

“Congratulations to the Aqua crew,” said Tornqvist. “They won the match racing and fleet racing and not by coincidence. They sail well and have a quick boat. Well done to them.”

Aqua’s win also creates a log jam at the top of the championship leaderboard. Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing, which Coutts helmed in the match racing, is the new leader with 6 points. Although Russian Maxim Logutenko drove for the fleet racing, the crew placed fifth in the fleet racing and third in the match racing for fifth overall.

The next three teams – Aqua, Artemis and Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back – are just 1 point behind.

“This class is always tight and it won’t get easier,” said Bake. “But this afternoon it feels good to have a clean sweep.”

The RC 44 2010 Championship Tour resumes in October with the RC 44 World Championship Puerto Calero Islas Canarias Cup, scheduled Oct. 11-16 in the Canary Islands.

RC 44 VALENCIA CUP FLEET RACE:
1. Team Aqua/Chris Bake (UAE) 2-3-5-4-3-1-1-4-5-1, 29 points
2. Artemis/Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) 5-7-2-6-1-3-2-1-3-2, 32 points
3. 17/Anders Myralf (USA) 1-4-1-1-5-4-5-10-2-3, 37 points*
4. No Way Back/Pieter Heerema (NED) 8-2-7-5-2-8-9-2-1-6, 50 points
5. BMW ORACLE Racing/Maxim Logutenko (USA) 10-6-4-2-4-6-6-5-10-7, 60 points
6. Katusha/Guennadi Timtchenko (RUS) 9-1-8-3-10-9-3-6-7-9, 65 points
7. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero/Daniel Calero (ESP) 3-9-9-10-6-5-8-8-4-4, 66 points
8. Team Sea Dubai/ Harm Mueller-Speer (UAE) 7-8-11-9-7-2-7-3-8-5, 67 points
9. Ceeref/Igor Lah (SLO) 6-11-3-7-8-10-4-7-6-8, 70 points
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team/Rene Mangold (AUT) 4-10-10-8-11-7-11-9-9-12, 91 points
11. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team/Vincenzo Onorato (ITA) 11-5-6-11-9-11-10-11-11-10, 95 points
(* includes 1 point penalty by International Jury)

RC 44 VALENCIA CUP OVERALL
(Final results, match racing, fleet racing, overall)
1. Team Aqua/Chris Bake (UAE) 1-1 – 2 points
2. Artemis/Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) 2-2 – 4 points
3. 17/James Spithill (USA) 5-3 – 8 points
4. BMW ORACLE Racing/Larry Ellison (USA) 3-5 – 8 points
5. No Way Back/Pieter Heerema (NED) 7-4 – 11 points
6. Katusha/Guennadi Timtchenko (RUS) 6-6 – 12 points
7. Team Sea Dubai/ Harm Mueller-Speer (UAE) 4-8 – 12 points
8. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero/Daniel Calero (ESP) 9-7 – 16 points
9. Ceeref/Igor Lah (SLO) 8-9 – 17 points
10. AEZ RC44 Sailing Team/Rene Mangold (AUT) 11-10 – 21 points
11. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team/Vincenzo Onorato (ITA) 10-11 – 21 points

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority announced today that two-time British Olympic medallist and past Volvo Ocean Race skipper, Ian Walker, will take the helm for the emirate's debut in the next edition of the race.

British Olympian Ian Walker (40), most recently skippered Green Dragon in the 2008-09 race and his career spans two decades in sailing and coaching including Olympic campaigns, the America's Cup and TP52s.

Walker will also be design consultant on the specially-designed Volvo Open 70, capitalising on his years of experience to guide the campaign through the preparations and the race.

ADTA, which was behind the emirate's successful bid to become a 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race home port, considers Walker's appointment to be a major coup for Abu Dhabi's first foray into the race.

"Ian is the lynchpin in the dream team we are determined to secure," explained Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, ADTA. "His high profile sends a signal of the seriousness of our ambitions in a sport which will help us build international awareness of our long maritime pedigree and exceptional coastline and surrounding waters."

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race is very pleased to have Ian Walker back in the race. "We believe he will be an excellent skipper and leader for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing," he said. "The host city is an excellent venue for sailing and hopefully this project will encourage and ignite passion for sailing within the region."

Read the full story here: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/news/article/2010/abu-dhabi-announces-skipper-w...

Beating the current America's Cup holders was clearly the goal for Team Origin, but nailing the first two races will have put a big smile on the team's faces, especially given the nature of their wins.

In the first of nine match races (and one around the island race) that are planned for the next four days, the racing started with an aggressive head to head match between the pair that saw the Brits trail by a couple of boat lengths by the weather mark. But as the pair rounding opposite marks at the bottom gate, it was Ainslie and Co.s decision to take the right hand side of the course that placed them into the lead. Reading the conditions correctly in their home waters was perhaps something you'd expect the local boys to do, yet the margin between the two boats meant that it was easy to let a slight advantage slip. But as Team Origin worked its way up the second beat the British team extended their narrow lead to a healthy margin by the second weather mark rounding. A margin that carried to the finish despite a technical problem on board that made for a very untidy and potentially risky gybe.

Coming from behind will have been a satisfying way to win the opening match.

In the second race, coming from behind was the undoing of BMW Oracle Racing before the race had even started. With a west going tide sweeping both boats up to the start line the pair were at risk of being early at the start. Origin appeared to know this and were trying desperately to kill time, but with BMW Oracle racing's skipper James Spithill keen to push the Brits up and in to the committee boat, the American team underestimated the effect of the tide and ended up shooting themselves in the foot at the start. Somehow Ainslie had found room to get his bow down just in time. Result, BMW Oracle was OCS, an expensive mistake to make on a short two lap race and one that handed the Brits a second win.

With some gear issues aboard both boats and conditions getting more lively by the minute thanks to the building tide pressing against a building breeze, the third race was postponed for the day as the teams headed for the shore.

Read the full story here: http://www.yachtingworld.com/performance-world/news/494232/team-origin-take-t...

The fastest man to sail around the planet had to leap to safety from his super fast yacht on Sunday afternoon after it collided with another boat at Cowes Week, Isle of Wight.

Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama 40, and Yann Guichard, onboard Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, collided at high speed, wiping out Cammas' steerage and sending his Extreme 40 catamaran hurtling straight for the sea wall at 20 mph.

The four-man crew of Groupama 40 were forced to jump overboard for their own safety.

Groupama 40 was fitted with on-board cameras which show the velocity the boat was travelling at as it smashed into the seawall with a crunch.

No one was injured in the incident.