Racing – The Yacht Club

First Day Races Act 2 Extreme Sailing

As Act 2 of Extreme Sailing Series took off on 28^th April at Qingdao, the first day saw the Team Extreme and others get onto an exciting start.

This Olympic sailing city of China saw the tournament start off well despite the fact that the venue is known for the conflicting weather conditions that can have sudden changes will often catch the sailors off guard. There was a classic example set on the opening day itself of the tournament that is being known as the Mazarin Cup. The seven international crew ships hit the water when the wind was up a couple of knots which delayed the start of the race by about two hours.

It seemed that the race director John Craig was about to give up on their hopes of having a successful racing day when the weather gods seemed to have woken up and a 15 knot wind was delivered on the race course that was designed around the Fushan Bay. Continue reading First Day Races Act 2 Extreme Sailing

Sail Auckland Regatta to be hosted by Murrays Bay

One week from this day, the brand new appearance from Murrays Bay Sailing Club would come alive with the first day of racing at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland Regatta 2016.

The North Shore club that officially started the operation of their new club house back in September in 2015, is playing host to New Zealand’s premier Olympic as well as Invited classes meet. Racing goes on for more than 4 days from 25th to 28th February.
The entry list carries few of the NZL Sailing Team’s rock stars like Gemma Jones, who constitutes the hosting Murrays Bay Sailing Club, as well as her Nacra 17 multihull sailing partner Jason Saunders from Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club clean from World Champs competition in Clearwater, Florida. They would sail against the Aon Fast Track Squad pair Olivia Mackay as well as Micah Wilkinson who was the top under-23 crew in Clearwater.
At the Sailing World Cup Miami in January, there were 4 Kiwi sailors in Laser medal race making it tough for live commentators to distinguish that New Zealander they were seeing in a race where no other country had over one sailor. Out of the two top New Zealand Sailing Team’s Laser campaigners – Sam Meech and Andy Maloney – are set to go head to head at the Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2016, with a lot more New Zealand Laser sailors taking this scope to battle against their elite group of compatriots.
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland’s Laser fleet attracts international sailors regularly and in 2016, is not an exception with entrants from Australia, Finland, Korea, China, Singapore as well as the Cook Islands in town as well as around to get a taste of the kiwi contest and the Hauraki Gulf track.

Continue reading Sail Auckland Regatta to be hosted by Murrays Bay

Skippers for World Match Racing Tour announced

Today, the World Match Racing Tour unveiled the left over 4 ‘Tour Card’ captains who will be a part of the World Championship 2016. They are France’s Yann Guichard, Sweden’s Mattias Rahm, Denmark’s Nicolai Sehested and United States’ Sally Barkow, the leader of the first ever all-female Tour Card team.

These appointments complete the skipper lineup for World Championship 2016. Sally Barkow, born in the United States, is a former sailor as well as 2-time US Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. She has received her racing stripes both offshore and inshore, and recently on board all-female Team SCA in Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

Making his very first appearance on World Match Racing Tour, Yann Guichard, the former Olympic sailor from France, is known to the multihull world after several campaigns including the Multi One Championship and Rolex Fastnet Race. In the year 2011, Guichard co-founded the Spindrift Racing with partner Donatella Bertarelli and a UK Yacht Charter company. At present the team is trying to break Jules Verne Trophy for fastest non-stop travel of the world on board the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2.

Yann told that he has always been down to match racing. The World Match Racing Tour now offers a unique scope to combine both these aspects. The World Tour will constitute a grand sporting goal for Spindrift racing in the coming year.

Mattias Rahm has recently turned his skills to multihull racing by winning the M32 Scandinavian Series in the year 2013, and coming as runner up in the following years. On the other hand, Denmark’s Nicolai Sehested said that they are happy to be a part of the World Match Racing Tour with TREFOR Match Racing.