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Around the Cape

If you've ever wondered what it was like to sail around Cape Horn in a clipper ship, this video is probably the closest you're going to get. It was filmed in 1929 by Captain Irving Johnson, then a young man, aboard the Peking, one of the great sailing ships of the time. It is an extraordinary record of a bygone era. Johnson's narration is informative if, at times, annoying. Around twelve minutes from the end, the Peking is beset by storms at the Cape, as ships have been for centuries. It's a good example of how relatively recently it was still possible to get a glimpse into what seems like the distant past:

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N Z SAIL.COM END OF SEASON NEWSLETTER May 2009

Taylor Burn with his Trophy

Hi Everyone,

We are now at the end of our first season as the proud new owners of N Z Sail.Com. And what a season its been! We started at Murrays Bay at the Winter Champs with a small amount of stock and no boats and have progressed through the season launching our own Hey Oi! brand of clothing which has been hugely successful, plus we are the New Zealand agents for Winner Optimists from Denmark.

Then just as we thought we had enough to keep us busy until next season we were awarded the dealership to stock Laser and all the extras that go with that. So to say the least, we are now ready to take stock, recharge and gear up for the start of next season.

Worser Bay was a huge success despite the inclement weather! As one of the main sponsors of the Optimist Nationals we are proud to say that out of the top 15 New Zealand competitors we supplied Winner Optimists to the national Champion (Taylor Burn, see photo) , 5th place (Jack Collinson), 11th place (Ben Caundle) and 13th place (Oscar Rorvik). Congratulations to all who competed in a fantastic Nationals and thank you to Worser Bay for all their hospitality.

As an End of Season special promotion for winter training, we would like to offer all your members a deal not to be missed! Normally priced at $318 in total, one of our Hey Oi! Cometa fleece tops and the new Hey Oi! Long pants – now at the amazing price of just $270 including freight.
Sam Meach, one of our top Laser sailors from Tauranga, who has just arrived back from his overseas trip wore the Hey Oi! garments and said “this is the warmest top I have ever worn. It dries out so quickly which meant I didn’t have to get into soggy clothes the next morning! How cool is that!” That says it all really…..!
so order yours now either on line at www.nzsail.com or give us a call on 07 579 2651. (All sizes available from XXS – XXL). Plus if you haven’t done already, please have a browse through all our Laser products which are now in stock. Again these are freight free throughout the Country.

So that’s all for now. Thank you for your support if you have come to see us at the NZ Sail.Com van and we look forward to catching up with you either through the winter months or at Murrays Bay for the Winter Champs.

Regards
Linda and Steve

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Mowgli thunders across the line

At 13:35:00 GMT (0735 local) today (19/05), in a chilly, 30 knot north-easterly breeze, Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli crossed the Charleston finish line of Leg 4 in the Portimão Global Ocean Race taking 23 days 21 hours 35 minutes to complete the 4,800 mile leg from Ilhabela, Brazil, to South Carolina with the British duo taking third place in the double-handed fleet.

The race from Brazil to the USA has been tough for Salvesen and Thomson. On the third day at sea, they were forced to seek shelter from strong breeze on the Brazilian coast to unwrap their spinnaker from the masthead and although the pit stop was swift, by the time Team Mowgli passed through the Recife Scoring Gate three days later on 1st May, the gap between Salvesen and Thomson and the double-handed leaders Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer had increased to 136 miles.

In an attempt to catch the leading two Class 40s, the duo took the gamble of taking a different, more easterly, route through the Doldrums rather than following the leaders and by the time they crossed the Equator five days after the scoring gate, the distance deficit to the German team had increased to 258 miles: a distance that was magnified by a tortuous journey through the fickle conditions of the Doldrums.

“It’s been like all the legs so far,” explained Salvesen shortly after crossing the finish line. “There have been highs and lows and we had more of our fair share of lows this leg, which is unlucky.” For Thomson, a career sailor with his eyes on a Class 40 of his own, the leg has been disappointing: “It has been a hugely frustrating leg,” he comments. “We had a slow, light airs start out of Ilhabela and being the heaviest boat in the fleet, we got left behind,” recalls Thomson. “Then the breeze filled in and we pulled in some miles, but then stopping for the spinnaker wrap really put paid to the rest of the leg, although we managed to salvage the spinnaker.”

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Sardinia 'luxury tax' cancelled

By IBI Magazine

The regional government of Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean, has cancelled the controversial 'luxury tax' levied on visiting yachts.

On Wednesday, May 6, Article 2 of the Financial Regional Act was passed effectively repealing the law known as the 'luxury tax', which also targeted holiday homes and private aircraft.

Sardinia's governor-elect Ugo Cappellacci promised a reversal on the luxury tax law when he came to power in March.

The law meant that visiting yachts berthed in any Sardinian port could have to pay up to €15,000 for its sojourn. Since the tax's introduction in 2006, the number of yachts present in Sardinian ports is said to have declined by 50 per cent.

(19 May 2009)

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Jongert hopes for white knight in form of investment groups

By IBI Magazine

Jachtwerf Jongert BV is hoping a white knight in the form of an investment group can rescue it from bankruptcy. A judge in the Netherlands last week appointed a receiver to run the shipyard after it was unable to obtain financing from its bank.

Jeroen Koot, Jongert's managing director, said that the situation had not changed since Friday, and that the shipyard is still closed, pending some sort of resolution to its bankruptcy protection. "We expect to know at some point in the next two weeks if we will restart the yard," Koot told IBI. "We have a good yard, excellent facilities, a strong brand name and good workers. We would like to continue to build these boats, even if it is smaller workforce."

Koot said several groups of investors are currently looking at buying the yard out of bankruptcy. "They are considering restarting the yard, taking possession of the name and moving forward," said Koot. Currently, there are unfinished boats sitting idle in the shipyard.

Koot said that Jongert's financial woes happened for several reasons. "The economy really started to turn bad on us, which made getting new projects extremely difficult," he said. "We had also developed a new line of motoryachts, which we were about to present, and we were developing the next line of sailing yachts. But we couldn't finish them because the bank refused to provide refinancing."

Jongert's bank cancelled its credit lines in April, Koot said, and took ownership of the shipyard shortly after that. Koot said Jongert's future should be clearer in the next two weeks.

(19 May 2009)

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GPS system may be close to breakdown

The top-level international research team, who have studied her in secret for the past two years, believe she is the most complete and best preserved primate fossil ever uncovered. The skeleton is 95% complete and thanks to the unique location where she died, it is possible to see individual hairs covering her body and even the make-up of her final meal – a last vThe Guardian newspaper is reporting that experts are worried that the GPS system may be close to breakdown.

It reports that US government officials are concerned that the quality of the Global Positioning System (GPS) could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures - which could have a disasterous impact on the world's seafarers.

The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year.

"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," said the report, presented to Congress. "If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected."

The report says that Air Force officials have failed to execute the necessary steps to keep the system running smoothly. The first replacement satellite was due to launch at the beginning of 2007, but has been delayed several times and is now scheduled to go into orbit in November this year - almost three years late.

The failings of GPS could also play into the hands of other countries - including opening the door to Galileo, the European-funded attempt to rival America's satellite navigation system, which is scheduled to start rolling out later next year.

Russia, India and China are also developing their own systems
egetarian snack.

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Dr Jørn Hurum, who has been working on the Ida fossil Photograph: Atlantic Productions

Jørn Hurum first set foot in the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum, where he now works, when he was less than 10 years old. But he hadn't simply come to look at the exhibits. He had made the 50km train journey clutching a rucksack full of fossils he had collected, because his questions about the specimens had left his school teacher out of her depth.

"He just appeared in my office and said, 'look I've got all these fossils, what do you think?'" says professor David Bruton, an expert on trilobites who has acted as a mentor to Hurum for the last three decades.

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Fossil Ida: extraordinary find is 'missing link' in human evolution

Perfectly preserved fossil Ida, unveiled in New York today, provides unprecedented insight into our ancestry.

Ida, one of the most complete primate fossils ever found, a 47-million-year-old human ancestor. Photograph: Atlantic Productions Ltd

Scientists have discovered an exquisitely preserved ancient primate fossil that they believe forms a crucial "missing link" between our own evolutionary branch of life and the rest of the animal kingdom.

The 47m-year-old primate – named Ida – has been hailed as the fossil equivalent of a "Rosetta Stone" for understanding the critical early stages of primate evolution.

The top-level international research team, who have studied her in secret for the past two years, believe she is the most complete and best preserved primate fossil ever uncovered. The skeleton is 95% complete and thanks to the unique location where she died, it is possible to see individual hairs covering her body and even the make-up of her final meal – a last vegetarian snack.

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NOW IS THE HOUR

May 19, 2009

Capri is a slice of heaven. For the crews preparing to start racing tomorrow conditions could not be better with the sky blue, the wind warm and building gently through the day and the sea state calm. Rolex Capri Sailing Week offers crews a great opportunity to enjoy the delights of this island paradise, set only a few miles from the heat and intensity of Naples. As with most things in life, if only it were so simple.

One-design racing in Farr 40s, Swan 45s and Swan 42s is typified by tight racing on the water, but class rules also impose tight weight restrictions on crew - and this means tight control of the culinary offerings onshore. Even the competitors in the Comet division, racing under handicap, may be thinking of their diet with light winds not expected to exceed 12- 13 knots forecast for the four days of scheduled competition. Today was a day for final checks and preparation. Racing starts tomorrow, Wednesday, and continues through to Saturday. Leaving any jobs undone overnight could jeopardise even the best-planned campaign. And, lest anyone doubt the seriousness of competition, a quick look at the Race Committee is enough to confirm this is no holiday camp. Peter Reggio, renowned for his firm grip on racing at recent America's Cups, is in the hot seat as Principal Race Officer. It will be his responsibility to set appropriate courses for the fleet comprising fifteen Farr 40s, six Swan 45s, four Swan 42s and fourteen Comet yachts.

Reggio knows he has work ahead, but is delighted to be here, "It's my first time in Capri, I've been here for about twenty hours and I'm loving it. The weather is incredibly nice and the people are fantastic," he remarks, becoming more serious as he acknowledges that, "the wind may be a little challenging, with the sea-breeze not filling until around noon each day when we are scheduled to have the first signals." If there is some waiting the crews are unlikely to worry too much. Capri is a stunning view from the sea, and in the words of one famous tactician "Capri makes the best sandwiches in the world" - so it could be worse.

All classes will race a maximum of nine times. The Farr 40s will racing solely windward/leeward courses, whilst the Swans plan to include one coastal course in their programme and the Comet 41S and 45S will compete over a mix of short and coastal courses.

Each class has its top guns here. Vincenzo Onorato and tactician Adrian Stead on Mascalzone Latino (ITA), Jim Richardson and tactician Terry Hutchinson on Barking Mad (USA) are two of the headline acts in the Farr 40s. Onorato is a three-time world champion. Richardson a mere two-times. Each will be looking to plant a psychological blow on the other ahead of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds scheduled for a month's time. There are others in this revered class - including Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Nanoq - that will be looking for an opportunity to cement their position in the pecking order.

For the Swans, the 'works-team' of Nautor's Swan President Leonardo Ferragamo - assisted in the decision-making process by Commercial Director, Enrico Chieffi - on the Swan 42 Cuordileone (ITA) is up against Rolex Swan Cup winner Enrico Scerni with Kora 4. Swan 45 world champion Hendrik Brandis and Earlybird (GER), have the Dane Sten Mohr - former world number one in the match racing rankings - in the role of special advisor. A second successful match-racing Dane, Jesper Radich, is with Nico Poons and Charisma (NED).

The Comets have their share of stellar performers, albeit at a more Corinthian level. Certainly, the skipper whose star is in the ascendancy at present is Marco Paolucci (winner of Giraglia Rolex Cup in 2008 with the Comet 45 Tartaruga) who for this event has paired himself with the 2008 ORC International World Championship winning Comet 45, Libertine. Whilst his feathers may not be unduly ruffled by the newly-formed all-woman team on I. Nova led by Cristiana Monina, 2009 Comet Cup champion Alessandro Nespega and Fral 2 will be tough competition.

Racing is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Wednesday 21 May at 1200 CEST.

With Capri's restaurants offering a spectacular array of food to tempt the palate, a twist to the normal sporting 'play of the day' seems in order: today's masterclass in whetting the appetite was prosciutto and melone, followed by fresh spaghetti and tuna tartare in lemon and basil, as served by La Cisterna.

The Rolex Capri Sailing Week, organized by the Yacht Club Capri, runs from 19 to 23 May.

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REDUNDANCIES: The British Marine Federation (BMF) announced on 15 May that it is to cut staff. The move follows a series of cost cutting measures by the BMF in an attempt to achieve a balanced budget.

But chief executive Rob Stevens says the cuts won’t impact on either the PSP Southampton Boat Show or the London International Boat Show, both run by BMF subsidiary National Boat Shows (NBS).

A statement issued by the BMF says: ‘following a thorough review of budgets, including cutting non-essential spending, it has become clear that regrettably some of these savings will have to be found through a reduction in personnel.’

This will be achieved by leaving current vacancies unfilled and a limited number of redundancies, adds the statement. The BMF is now entering a two-week period of consultation.

‘We have done all we can to avoid these regrettable reductions,’ said chief executive Rob Stevens. ‘The BMF is not immune to the current economic climate but by taking these tough decisions now we are putting ourselves in a sustainable position to continue to serve and champion the leisure marine industry.’

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what is yachtyakka?

Greetings Folks,

Thanks for clicking on my blog. From time to time I will be posting stories and links on here about yachting stories from my website and my sailing travels.

Happy Sailing

Steve