by Trish Jenkins

  
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2:03 PM Fri 27 Jan 2012 GMT

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Article source: http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/RORC-Caribbean-600-preview/93312

Different? Definitely. She is simple yet interesting to look at. The design teased us in the form of renderings and now she is coming alive in the form of a real yacht. Coming soon, the first hull in the 26-meter ‘WallyAce’ series will be launched. The first hull is in the final build stages and will soon be launched.

The WallyAce has several unique features for such a small vessel. For starters, there is a large master stateroom that is situated aft in the hull. The bed is oriented to the aft to face the wall of windows that provide stunning views from the stern of the WallyAce. Accommodation overall is for six to eight guests and four crew members.

There is a garage large enough to host a 6-meter tender and toys. Superior deck spaces blend seamlessly with the large glass-walled saloon. She has a sculpted design and whisper-quiet engines for efficient passage. As mentioned before the first hull will launch soon. Wally has another two hulls of the WallyAce model in production for launch and completion in the second half of 2012.

For more information:

Wally Yachts,
8 Av. des Ligures
MC98000 Principality of Monaco
Wally // Home

Article source: http://www.yachtforums.com/features/t-update-wally-yachts-26-meter-wallyace-17961.html

January 27, 2012

Sunreef Yachts has sold a new 80-foot (24m) catamaran to a European owner. It will be made of an advanced composite sandwich combining vinylester, PVC foam and carbon/glass fiber, with a carbon mast and boom, standing rigging with Kevlar and total sail area of 340 square meters, according to a news release.

It will weigh 45 tons, 60 tons fully loaded, and was designed to reduce windage and water resistance.

The yacht can accommodate nine guests and four crew. It will draw 1.8m.

The mold is under construction, and the yacht is due to be launched in March 2013. 

Article source: http://thetriton.com/article/2012/01/sunreef-sells-new-80-footer

After working their way into a handy lead on leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race, Team New Zealand have just as quickly been deposed with Team Telefonica yesterday seizing control.

Telefonica, from Spain, was the big mover on the fifth day of sailing, mowing down the fleet to advance from fourth place to first.

Coming from the favourable position in the north, Telefonica were at stages travelling two knots faster than the rest of the fleet and one by one they picked off their rivals.

By night they were closing in on Emirates Team New Zealand, which had led the fleet for almost 24 hours.

The Camper boat had taken the lead from Puma in the previous night and worked hard in vain to stem the Telefonica advance.

“We were trying to get over to the Indonesian shore as fast as possible and take a right hand shift. Telefonica’s leverage would have been hard for them to use if we had managed that,” said Camper skipper Chris Nicholson.

The latest position report had Camper in second place, 2.7 nautical miles behind the Telefonica crew.

Puma is in third a further 2 nautical miles back, with Groupama fourth, Abu Dhabi fifth and Team Sanya last in the race to their home stopover, in the Hainan Province of China.

With the Malacca Strait less than 12 hours sailing away, the fleet faces the prospect of another shakeup.

The yachts must thread their way through the 500 nautical miles of congested, narrow and hazardous water before they pass Singapore and emerge in the South China Sea and set course for the next stopover port, Sanya.

By Dana Johannsen
| Email Dana

Article source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/yachting/news/article.cfm?c_id=106&objectid=10781764

Lisa Ratcliff, event media

Posted: 27  Jan. 2012

Multihull sailing on Corio Bay

While the Cruising and Classic yacht divisions and multihulls sailed in a favourable south-easterly breeze early today, it was a glass-out in the middle of the day, then finally, Geelong’s Corio Bay put its best foot forward for the afternoon session.

The early starters ran out of puff as they were heading for the finish gate, when the wind transitioned between a south easterly and a northerly. They were the lucky ones.

First races of the day for the Melges 24’s, contesting their Australian Championship, Sydney 38’s and Premier Racing Series Division B, were abandoned when the breeze dialled north and faded, creating a ‘drifter’, as they say in the business.

Crews trod lightly on deck and tried to find shade from the sails as the hot sun bore down on those feeling drained from yesterday’s Australia Day celebrations.

The Melges 24 leader by two points after five races is the Warwick Rooklyn skippered Bandit.

“Half way through the series and it’s tight,” Rooklyn said tonight. “It was tough racing and a long day today, but by the third race, the wind had increased and we were able to shift modes. Kevin Nixon’s Accru crew are too good downwind, but we’re strong upwind.”

The Bundaberg Rum sponsored SB3 Victorian Championship is being led by former triple Laser world champion, Glenn Bourke, after five races.

Bourke, the CEO of Hamilton Island where the class’ world championship will be held in December, has four wins and a fifth under his belt, sailing Club Marine Hamilton Island. That despite being a little rusty having last raced with his crew at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in August.

Mainsheet, Rod Jones, and bowman Greg McAllamsmith, are the two Bourke will go to the Worlds with. Around 80 SB3s – half from Europe and half from Australia – are expected to vie for the world crown, back dropped by the beautiful Whitsunday Islands.

“It’s tricky sailing on Corio Bay, you have to be clever to stay in the money,” Bourke said this evening after racing finished late, when the best conditions were produced. On the regatta he added, “It’s great, the whole precinct is the regatta!”

Newcomer to the SB3 class is former big boat owner, Chris Dare, who picked up his new boat, Flirtatious, just a fortnight ago. “It was a case of sheet on and let’s go,” said Dare, who has combined with Finn sailor Oliver Tweddle and Dan Morrow for the Championship.

In the Coca Cola Multihull Series, Tim Pepperell’s trimaran, Bare Essentials, took line honours in this morning’s short race, while Sknot took handicap honours. In this evening’s twilight, David Renouf’s Yabb beat Bare Essentials on handicap, Pepperell’s Granger 8 taking its third back-to-back line honours win.

The event media boats were put to good use today, not only whizzing media covering the Festival of Sails between the different course areas, but acting as support vessels.

John Newbold’s Tasmanian Farr 40, Midnight Rambler, from the Cruising Spinnaker Series Division 1, was one of three boats which ran aground. It had to be towed off the sand by the Parks Victoria boat, while another media boat was used to ferry a crewman with a minor head injury from Mike Welsh’s Beneteau, Wicked, to a waiting ambulance.

This evening many cruising entries were back out doing what they do best – twilight racing. The initiative to include a twilight race in the on-water program and take the colourful fleet close to shore to show the ‘ice-cream crowd’ was a result of a collective request from the cruising boats.

“The cruising entries are the growth area of the event and tonight they came right in close to the waterfront where the crowds are enjoying the evening’s shoreside entertainment,” Festival organiser, Jav Greaves, said.

Tomorrow, the Cruising, Multihull, Classic Yachts and Noelex 30′s will undertake the Portarlington Race, while the Premier Racing Series, S80′s, Super 30′s, Sports Boats, Melges’, SB3′s and Super 30′s will continue windward/leeward racing.

The Festival of Sails concludes on Sunday.

Article source: http://yachte.com/news/story.asp?story=35679

Jan 27, 2012, 10:08 GMT

Fire fighting crews rushed to the scene after the yachts, moored next to each other, were engulfed in flames, shooting 15 metres into the air.

No one was aboard the burning boats and it took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control.

Damage to the yachts was estimated at several million euros.

Investigators are working to determine how the fire started.

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Athens – At least seven luxury yachts were destroyed in a fire at a marina near Athens on Friday.

Fire fighting crews rushed to the scene after the yachts, moored next to each other, were engulfed in flames, shooting 15 metres into the air.

No one was aboard the burning boats and it took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control.

Damage to the yachts was estimated at several million euros.

Investigators are working to determine how the fire started.

Article source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1687741.php/Greek-yachts-go-up-in-smoke-as-blaze-hits-marina

The leg to dread began with a tame drag race across the eastern side of the Indian Ocean, but now as the fleet arrives at the northern tip of Sumatra the pressure is starting to build.

From here the fleet will head down the Malacca Strait into an increasingly congested area with fickle shifty breezes. Before the race many of the navigators saw this area as the re-start of the race as a park up concertinaed the fleet.  That is yet to happen but at the moment getting around the tip of Sumatra is the first step.

As the intensity of the action increases the regularity of the tracker reporting has been increased and will be updating the boats’ position every 60 seconds.

To access the live data open the tracker as normal and press the red ‘Live’ button. The boats’ positions will be updated automatically each minute.

Having stayed high on the drag east, Telefonica and Camper, separated by just a mile, were in the best position to take a small hitch to weather to clear the outlying islands and lead the fleet.

Puma and Groupama are close behind, but the team that is most likely enduring the greatest stress at the moment is Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi that trails the front runners by 25 miles and currently lies in fifth place. While the margin isn’t huge, the fact that the team got rolled on this part of the leg revealed a worrying boat speed issue in these conditions.

Meanwhile the navigational and tactical task ahead is a daunting one.

At around 500 nautical miles from north to south the Malacca Strait is the longest in the world used for international navigation. Linking the Indian Ocean with the China Sea the strait is the preferred route for bulk of large scale commercial shipping in the region with more than 500 vessels passing through each day.

As well as keeping well clear of the tankers and cargo ships the crews will also have to dodge huge fleets tiny local fishing boats. Difficult enough to spot in the daytime, at night the boats and nets are often unlit and will pose a truly horrendous challenge to the teams.

The strait is over 200 nautical across at its widest point but narrows to less than 15 nm in the south where the fleet will exit into the South China Sea through the bustling Singapore Strait.

Deep water channels run through the strait but the seabed shelves rapidly to as little as 10 metres in places and is riddled with un-marked wrecks and shoals throughout. To complicate matters further complex tidal flows run up and down the strait at as much as five knots.

TELEFONICA REPORT

As predicted on board “Telefónica”, the northern option has finally paid off and after a climb up and up the rankings over the past few hours, two days after the tactical move North the boat skippered by Iker Martínez is now leading the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on their way to China.
 
At today’s 13:00 position report the crew had already shaved six miles off the gap with the then fleet leaders, the team from New Zealand. That was in fourth place as the fastest yacht in the fleet. By 16:00 racing was red hot. Iker Martínez and co moved past “Puma” and “Groupama” to sweep into second place in the fleet, putting themselves just four miles from the top spot, in the confident knowledge that theirs was still the fastest boat in the race at 14.1 knot average speeds, almost two knots more than the crew from NZ.
 
The forecasts have come good and at 19:00 UTC this Thursday evening, with 160 miles to go until the obligatory waypoint on this stretch of the leg, Pulua We, where the revered and somewhat tricky Strait of Malacca begins, “Telefónica” is sailing in first place at 14.8 knots.

Latest video clip from the boat features helmsman, trimmer and sails coordinator Jordi Calafat

PUMA OCEAN RACING – AMORY ROSS

Wouldn’t you know it? We’re back on top of each other again. After our first two tacks of Leg 3 last night, everyone’s bunched up and best trying to pick through some unexpectedly shifty winds on the way to Sumatra and the Malacca Strait.

At around 2AM UTC we were the most leeward boat with Groupama, CAMPER, and Telefónica (the miracle workers) all in sight, above and slightly behind, and now at day break and after a few more tacks we find ourselves as the most windward boat in a fairly significant “right hand” shift. It’s a good place to be, the windward boat on the lifted tack, but the breeze has to go left eventually and we’re in a holding pattern until it does. Timing for what could be our last tack east is critical: we want to minimize the distance sailed, but maximize our time on the new lifted tack.

Short tacking the last 400 miles of this “first stage” was not what any of us envisioned, at least not based on the weather information we previously had, but it’s provided some reviving interest among the crew, and a bit of tactical activity to get the brains working again. Sailing in a straight line for three days has a distinct dulling effect…

Otherwise, life rolls on fairly unchanged. It’s still hot as hell below, though the breeze has been building steadily (now at 17 knots), which means it’s getting a little wet on deck. A refreshing wave in the face helps to keep things cool, but with now-closed hatches, the moisture only makes things more humid and unlivable downstairs.

MIKE SANDERSON – TEAM SANYA

I promised to myself to not write if I didn’t have positive things to say. I used to hate during the last race which I didn’t do reading about skippers whinging … poor me.., why us… blah blah…, then after our Madagascar visit which certainly gave me a pretty quick wake-up call just how lucky we are even in our day to day lives, let alone to be out here playing boats with a group of people we enjoy being with really just cemented that. Based on all that however this is going to be pretty short.. ha ha, we have had a shocking 24 hours from a racing standpoint, first of all though I have to say that the boat and the guys are all great, OUR boat hasn’t skipped a beat and we have had ( touch wood) not one small breakage  and the guys are great as always, just pushing, pushing the whole time trying to keep us in the game.

The bad bits are that we got raked over by a series of black clouds, one in particular that saw us lose more then 20 miles to the fleet!!, it was a new experience for all of us on-board, a cloud travelled upwind against the trades ( NE Monsoon) and grabbed us.. parked us up for a while and then had us sailing downwind for as long as two hours while we tried to make the most of it.. always in the back of your mind though you know that this isn’t good.. for after it has done with you, the old breeze needs to re-establish itself in the wake of what is a pretty big weather system.. so sure enough there we flopped, knowing the whole time that the other guys where sailing away at twelve or thirteen knots…lemon… then when back in the breeze finally we got nailed twice by some more normal far smaller clouds, one a loss of six miles and one of five… So that’s been our day.

24 hours ago we had Abu Dhabi five and half miles away and the rest of the fleet within 35 and now the numbers are 30 and 60 ish….  What this means is that we are PERFECTLY position for our “Buffalo Girls” move that I spoke about the other day…. Yup.. they park up and we go round the outside…., okay, pretty wish-full thinking but remember this is from a glass half full crew!! We need to keep this fun otherwise we will all go mad.. reality is we have a speed deficit to the new boats and so like we did in the last leg, we will need to hit some calculated corners to get this thing on the podium.. not just punch it out there every time, but be patient and wait for a goodie….
 
So that’s our little world, next time you hear from us we will be out of the Indian Ocean, and into the Malacca straits, all the planning we have done for this section of the race showed what a game of snakes and ladders it could end up being.. so fingers crossed that we are rich with Ladders!!! Let’s be honest, we have Duff the Magic Dragon on our side, how can we not be lucky!!!!

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yachtingworldcom/yw/rss/newsxml/~3/YQhDW3J-xqc/story01.htm

Antigua Sailing Week has selected the local National Sailing Academy (NSA) as the official charity for this year’s regatta.

For Antigua Sailing Week 2012′s organisers, the strapline ‘Where Sailing Comes First’ is an essential part of the strategy. In previous years much of Antigua Sailing Week’s focus locally has
been about the parties, and while this is a very important part of any
sailing regatta, the 2012 team is shifting the focus so that people can
see the opportunities that exist to get involved ‘on the water’.

Head of shoreside organisation, Alison Sly-Adams, comments ‘Aside from creating a fantastic experience both on and off the water for participating yachtsmen who attend Antigua Sailing Week 2012, what lies at the core of our objectives is to assist in whatever way we can in getting Antiguans and Barbudans who currently aren’t and want to be, involved in the yachting industry.’

It was therefore an obvious choice to select the National Sailing Academy (NSA) as the official charity for Antigua Sailing Week 2012.  Antigua Yacht Club’s youth sailing programme has in its lifetime spawned some hugely successful Antiguan sailors such as Ashley Rhodes, owner of A A Rigging and a member of Antigua Sailing Week’s Regatta Organising Committee.  Karl James, a former Olympic sailor, has long been at the head of Antigua Yacht Club’s Youth Sailing Program, is on the Executive of the National Sailing Academy and a member of the Regatta Organising Committee.  However, it has until recently remained difficult for youths living outside of English Harbour or those who can’t swim, to have the opportunity to learn to sail.

The National Sailing Academy is a non profit organisation registered in 2010, and is now teaching 150 children per week how to sail. All children in the programme must be able to swim so those who can’t but want to learn to sail are taught to swim by Swalings International Swimming School.  As swimming and sailing are now part of the National Curriculum in all Antiguan schools, transport to both swimming and sailing lessons is provided by school buses, and the National Sailing Academy covers the cost of those lessons.

Elizabeth Jordan, President of the National Sailing Academy says, ‘We have now reached capacity at the Antigua Yacht Club, and increasingly it is frustrating that we can’t offer all schools the service. At this point in time 11  schools are part of the programme. It is for that reason that we are working to establish two satellite locations for the National Sailing Academy. One will be located at Jolly Harbour Marina and the second in Parham. This way we will be able to more easily offer lessons to all schools across Antigua. Our ultimate goal is to have 500 children a week learning to sail.’

Funding of the programme is entirely through donations and fundraisers and much of this is generated by the NSA team walking the docks and encouraging visiting skippers to pay US $1 per foot (for the total length of their boat) per year as well to donate boats needed to operate the school.  With two training locations to get off the ground, there is a significant need for an increase in funding to assist with payment of teachers and equipment.

Antigua Sailing Week is delighted to be able to assist the National Sailing Academy in reaching its goals. Kathy Lammers, Chairman of the Regatta Organising Committee for 2012 states ‘Clearly the result of the growth in the National Sailing Academy will be more Antiguans and Barbudans out on the water and involved in Antigua Sailing Week in years to come, with a significant increase in competition for all visiting yachtsmen. We at Antigua Sailing Week are delighted to be able to contribute to making that happen.’

For further information about the academy visit www.nationalsailingacademy.org.

For more information on Antigua Sailing Week and how to get involved, visit www.sailingweek.com

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yachtingworldcom/yw/rss/newsxml/~3/89N8mwj3jVI/story01.htm

Following two superyacht launches in 2010, Sunreef Yachts continues moving forward in the field of large yacht design. In early 2011, the shipyard received an order for an 82 feet Double Decker, and the company is now delighted to announce a new sale of a similarly sized 80 feet LOA yet dramatically different concept based on light displacement, performance and speed. Commissioned by a European owner, the Sunreef 80 will be made of an advanced composite sandwich combining vinylester, PVC foam and carbon/glass fibre, with a carbon mast and boom, standing rigging by Kevlar and total sail area of 340 m2, weighing just 45T lightship and 60T fully loaded. The sleek and sporty exterior line was designed carefully to reduce windage and water resistance.

The yacht is designed to comfortably accommodate 9 guests and 4 crew. For the very first time on a Sunreef single deck catamaran, the owner suite will be located on the main deck. As is the case for all Sunreef catamarans, the cockpit and flybridge will feature dining areas, sunbathing pads and extended storage. The mould is currently under construction, and the yacht is due to be launched in March 2013. The Sunreef 80 will begin the new composite superyacht series intended for owners who wish to enjoy fast sailing adventures without giving up on comfort and fully customized interiors.

Works progress steadily on two new models: 60 Sunreef Power and Sunreef 82 Double Deck

Commissioned in 2011, two new yacht models are due to be launched in mid-2012. The hulls of both yachts are currently being prepared for vacuum infusion, scheduled for next week. The moulds of the flybridge will be cut on a CNC milling machine and delivered to the shipyard in the coming days. The infusion of the wet deck for both models is set for mid-February. All interior design has been approved by the owners, and it is now being created at the woodwork and upholstery departments. Both models will be premiered at the Cannes International Boat Show in September 2012.

See Sunreef Yachts images :

Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 January 2012 )

Article source: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=97954

JamesList

Jared Paul Stern

• Qatari Royals Visit St. John on World’s 8th Largest Yacht
• Ultimate Porsche Driving Tours with Fast Lane Travel
• The Hotel Mogul’s Superyacht Lifestyle

This post originally appeared at JamesList.

During a recent trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands we spotted the amazing Alfa Nero, the 269-ft., $190 million megayacht launched by oceAnco in 2007, moored in St. John’s Cruz Bay.

It seems we missed the main attraction, however; a few weeks later the 436 ft. Al Mirqab, the world’s 8th largest yacht, built by Kusch Yachts in 2008, and owned by Qatari royal and prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al-Thani.

One of the world’s most impressive yachts, it’s bigger than the vessels belonging to the likes of Paul Allen and David Geffen, features luxury accommodation for 60 guests along with 60 crew. When she was launched Al Mirqab won the coveted Motor Yacht of the Year at the World Superyacht Awards, as well as an award for the interior design by Andrew Winch and a Judges commendation for the exterior styling by Tim Heywood.

The Al-Thani clan has been on a buying spree lately, and we can only speculate that they were in the Caribbean hotspot to acquire a choice piece of property. In 2008 they paid about $2 billion for famed London department store Harrods.

Sheikh Hamad also splashed out $100 million on a penthouse at London’s ultra-posh One Hyde Park development. St. John has long been a favorite with celebrities looking for a low-key tropical escape with the security of a U.S. territory. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Harrison Ford and Denzel Washington are among the A-list visitors to the island, which is home to Caneel Bay, one of the world’s top luxury resorts.

James Spotting is the official blog of JamesList.com, the world’s smartest luxury marketplace with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, offices in Marbella, Spain and representation in London, Frankfurt, Singapore and Miami. JamesList features more than 65,000 private jets, yachts, luxury cars, properties and exclusive watches for sale and rent from a trusted network of dealers around the world. James Spotting tracks the latest and coolest luxury news and trends from around the globe.

Article source: http://www.businessinsider.com/qatari-royals-visit-the-us-virgin-islands-on-worlds-8th-largest-yacht-2012-1