Due to the accident I'm closing this blog....
You can read the rest in the newspapers...


I sold my boat, I lost my soul... goodbye my friends!

Club News
LETTERS TO THE BOAT YARD - BOB AND CHRISTINE HARPER

Join Bob and Christine Harper at Carrickfergus Waterfront to celebrate the release of "Letters to the Boat Yard"

You don't have to win the lotto to sail round the world, you just have to sell everything you own.

From Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland this is a story of a middle aged couple who did just that.

Date 2nd May 2009
Time 2-4PM
Place Marina Building Carrickfergus

Books will be sold and Bob and Christine will be on hand to sign your copy for you.

For more information contact 0044 28 9335 1501

Bob is RYA Regional Sailability Coordinator and volunteers with Belfast Lough Sailability in Carrickfergus, and are members of Carrickfergus Sailing Club. Prior to them leaving on their epic voyage Christine worked at the Ocean Youth Club.

I have found this news recently. It sounds amazing.




A new sailing theory has produced a craft that can sail faster than the wind - US and Aus patents

"My aim is to challenge the world sailing speed record," says Adelaide-based Fresh Innovator Stephen Bourn of his revolutionary patented sail craft design. "The design is suitable for both racing and exciting recreational sailing."

Stephen's new sail craft design can sail upwind and downwind faster than the wind. It has the potential to shatter the performance expectations set by conventional yachts, skiffs, catamarans, sailboards and kites.

"I decided to take a fresh look at the principles of sailing and the absolute limits to performance. What I came up with was a design that results in a much higher maximum speed," says Stephen.

His theoretical breakthrough was written up as a prize-winning paper and international patents have been granted for the sail craft design.

Stephen's work won him a place at Fresh Innovators - a national initiative that brings the work of 16 early career innovators to public attention. Following training in Sydney, the sixteen are now talking to the media, schools and business about their ideas. One of the 16 will win a study tour to the UK courtesy of the British Council Australia.

"We have proved the design concept on a number of radio-controlled models. We've also undertaken thorough analysis and computer simulation and are now seeking sponsorship to construct a full size craft"

The craft looks like a cross between an airplane and a sailing boat. Picture a catamaran where there is no trampoline, just a beam, and the second hull is much reduced in size. Underneath this smaller second hull is a scythe-like hydrofoil - the only part of the craft that doesn't lift out of the water.

A single wing-like sail is attached to the central beam or mast that is not central to the boat, but rather sticks out at an angle on the opposite side to the hydrofoil.

The single hull is where the pilot, oops, sailor sits controlling the height, speed and direction of the craft by two joysticks.

"The positioning of the wing, hull and hydrofoil is inherently stable meaning, unlike conventional craft, there is no risk of capsize as the sail force increases," says Stephen. "It can be launched from the beach and the cloth wing collapses quickly and easily for transport by trailer."

As well as creating the next thrill-seeking toy for sailors and kite-surfers, Stephen plans to challenge for the World Speed Record. The record is currently held by an extreme purpose built craft that only sails in one direction on a unique flat-water course.

The design won second place in the Amateur Yacht Research Society (AYRS)-Hogg Memorial Prize at the London Boat Show in January 2002. It has been patented in Australia and overseas and a technical paper was published in the AYRS Catalyst Journal in January 2002.

About The Inventor

Stephen Bourn has a degree with honours in mathematics from the University of Adelaide. He has completed studies in computer science and leadership and is currently completing a PhD in pure and applied maths. He has thirty years of experience in sailing and has some experience in speed sailing as a member of the current record holding Macquarie Speed Sailing Team. His invention has been developed in his spare time - his working hours are spent with Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation on computer based war-gaming and simulation of logistics.

Not for the first time, the wind failed to play ball in Capri, so principal race officer Peter Reggio blew the final whistle on Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2009 just before the stipulated cut-off point, making overnight leaders instantly into overall winners!

In an Italian shoo-in, Vincenzo Onorato and his Mascalzone Latino (ITA) crew took the laurels in the Farr 40 class, an especially pleasing result since these are virtually his home waters, while Carlo Perrone and his Atlantica Racing (ITA) crew proved themselves again, winning the Swan 45 class here for second time.

Adding to the Italian assault, Alessandro Nespega and Fral 2 (ITA) put the lid on a disappointing event last year to take victory in the Comet 45 class. Massimo Russo and Athanor (ITA) were runaway winners in the Comet 41 class, and, Leonardo Ferragamo and Cuordileone (ITA) left Capri top of the class in Club Swan 42s.

A clean sweep for the Italians, but it could have been different. In all but the Comet classes, the competition has been truly international, something Massimo Massaccesi, President of the Yacht Club Capri, is quick to point out.

"This is the tenth anniversary of the founding of our club. To see such a well prepared, competitive and international fleet has been a real pleasure. This event is significant for Capri and is recognised as an important one in the Mediterranean calendar," Massaccesi said.

As for the winners, without exception all were deeply satisfied with the week's proceedings and paid tribute to the race management's handling of the trying conditions.

"When you win it is always a good week," said a smiling Onorato. "I'm happy because, I was born in Naples so Capri is more or less my home and it is beautiful to win here. It was not easy, but it was very Capri. But it is also fascinating to sail in light winds and difficult sailing conditions. It is impossible not to be happy when you are in such a wonderful place like Capri."

With the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds to be held in a month's time, Onorato will be pleased to have a preparatory win already under his belt in this highly competitive class, but he recognises the difference between sailing in Capri and Porto Cervo.

"As a sailing event, this is certainly preparation, but you have to consider that probably in Sardinia we will have very different conditions."

Onorato is also swift to emphasise that he is by no means a certainty for what would be his fourth world title, "it will be no more or less difficult to win in June than at any other time. You have to fight to win anyway, which is very difficult, but that is the most interesting thing in this class. The Farr 40 is the most competitive in the world. Everybody can win."

Carlo Perrone and Atlantica Racing did not have it all their own way this week, and Charisma's (NED) storming performance yesterday would have put them on notice of a serious challenge had a race transpired today.

As it is, Perrone leaves Capri with the win in the Swan 45 class and a Rolex Submariner as his reward. "We're delighted because this was the first racing of this year, so we've started well," Perrone remarked.

Atlantica Racing is also preparing for its class world championship, scheduled for the end of August in Argentario and Perrone puts this good start to the campaign down to keeping many of the same crew from previous years, "one of the key issues in our success was managing to keep the same sailing team for this year, including Lorenzo Bodini [Olympian in the Tornado] as tactician. We did not do much training this winter!"

The crew of Delta Lloyd just gets better and better and although they crossed the Galway finish line in fifth place this morning at 0339 GMT, the team had been up in the lead during the leg and was in contention for a podium finish right up until the last moment.

As the crew gelled, their performance improved and they scored a third place in the in-port race series in Rio de Janeiro and Boston, as well as being third at the scoring gate on leg six.

On stepping ashore, Spanish skipper, Roberto Bermúdez said, "We're sailing against really good teams and really good people. We are trying to not make mistakes and to sail within our limits, and that's what we did here. You enjoy the race so much more when you don't 'lose' the fleet.

"You always think about the real big downwind sailing in the Southern Ocean when you think about this race, but these last couple of days were maybe the best downwind in the race, it was really good.

"It's a happy team and we've enjoyed it a lot. Everybody sailed very well and we are really starting to feel like a close group."

As the winner of the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race, Delta Lloyd already has one circumnavigation under her keel. The current team's first priority was to get to Galway in one piece, however, when the rest of the fleet put the throttle down, the crew of Delta Lloyd did the same.

The battle for fifth place was hard fought. Telefónica Black was also leader of the pack in the first third of this leg, but once the fleet cleared the ice exclusion zone and headed downwind, Telefónica Black did not flourish and finished at 0358 GMT, just 19 minutes behind Delta Lloyd. According to navigator Roger Nilson: "We were demolished"

Fellow Spaniard and skipper of Telefónica Black, Fernando Echávarri, commented, "We performed quite well. In the first half we were very comfortable with the boat and we did well, but we knew it was going to be really hard downwind.

"At the end, we were really close to passing Delta Lloyd, but we could not. It was very exciting racing, very close. It is more interesting when you can see the other boats."

For Ericsson 3, which finished two hours later in seventh position, at 0558 GMT today, leg seven could have been a leg the crew would rather forget.

In his usual irrepressible way, skipper Magnus Olsson was pragmatic. "We are a little disappointed with the result, but that's life. We think we've sailed the best ever, but this time it wasn't enough.

"When we sail as well, we are normally fighting for podium positions. It was frustrating when we didn't go so well, and in the end, we took some chances. In the short term, our egos have taken a beating and now we know how hard it is to really be up there."

With Volvo fleet safely arrived in Galway, there is a full two weeks for the crews to enjoy the legendary Irish hospitality before the in-port race next Saturday May 30. The start of leg eight is the following Saturday, June 6.

Leg Six finishing order
1. Ericsson 4: 8 points
2. PUMA: 7 points
3. Green Dragon: 6 points
4. Telefónica Blue: 5 points
5. Delta Lloyd: 4 points
6. Telefónica Black: 3 points
7. Ericsson 3: 2 points

Overall Leaderboard (provisional)
1. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA) 92.0 points (FINISHED)
2. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) 77.5 points (FINISHED)
3. PUMA (Ken Read/USA) 76.0 points (FINISHED)
4. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE) 60.0 points (FINISHED)
5. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR) 52.0 points (FINISHED)
6. Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) 36.0 points (FINISHED)
7. Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) 29.5 points (FINISHED)
8. Team Russia 10.5 points (DNS)

Scoring gate order
1. Telefónica Blue
2. PUMA
3. Ericsson 4
4. Ericsson 3
5. Telefónica Black