Anne Caseneuve retires – OSTAR Trimarans done

05/28/09
In an email sent to the Race Office at 0700, Anne Caseneuve has informed us that she has unfortunately had to retire from the race and is returning East. We have no further information at this stage.

The retirement of the only two trimarans in the race leaves the Line Honours Prize of winning OSTAR 2009 to a mono hull. So now the battle to Newport is really on. The retirement of the two tris emphasises the toughness of the OSTAR and shows that anyone who finishes is a winner. The first three days of this race have lived up to the reputation of the race as being one of the toughest in the world.

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Outward Bound Odyssey

05/26/09
Saturday May 23. Newport Shipyard, Gary Jobson, Rodger Martin, Team One Newport and the Seaman’s Church Institute hosted the Outward Bound Odyssey. The Odyssey is a seven-week expedition from Key Largo, FL to Spruce Head, ME in two Hurricane Island 30′s. The HI 30 is designed by Rodger Martin who was on hand to greet the crew with fellow yachting enthusiast and president of US Sailing Gary Jobson.

The two boats are shown here hanging out at the Newport Shipyard for the Memorial Day weekend. The yacht in the background is the 144 ft Artemis. She is one of the first big boats to show up in Newport and a sure sign that the season and activities at the Shipyard are heating up. The crews usually sleep in the boats but enjoyed the hospitality of the Seaman’s Church institute during their stopover in Newport.

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Don’s Marine receives YAMAHA recognition

05/26/09
Don’s Marine Inc, In Tiverton Rhode Island has just been notified by Yamaha, that they are the only dealer in the U.S. with 3 full time Yamaha master technicians on staff. This is a big accomplishment given there are less then 100 Yamaha master techs in the country.

From left to right Dave Hebert, Pat Murphy, and Ray Phenix.

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In print and online – Harbor Guild Celebrates the 12 Metre

05/26/09
Capt. Joe Davis, publisher/editor of the Newport Harbor Guide and Jan Slee, President of the 12 Metre Class, have announced the 2009 edition of the Newport Harbor Guide and Official Program of the 12 Metre Golden Year of Racing, is now available in print and online. The collaboration between these two local yachtsmen was forged earlier this year as a resource-sharing opportunity to benefit the many local and visiting mariners to Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay.

A comprehensive source of information for all things nautical in the City-by-the Sea and environs, the 2009 Newport Harbor Guide contains articles that celebrate an exceptional year of world class sailing events, both at home and abroad. They include the 6 Meter World Cup and Clagett Disabled Sailing Regatta in Newport, plus the URI sailing team’s bid for the Student Yachting World Cup in France, and the OSTAR (Observer Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race that begins May 25 in England and finishes in Newport), to name a few.

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Titan 12 Wins 64th Block Island Race

05/26/09
LARCHMONT, NY – Tom Hill’s brand new Custom Reichel/Pugh 75 Titan 12 took line honors on May 23 in the Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race in a near-record time of 17 hours, 18 minutes and 13 seconds, and with that finish scored the overall victory in IRC. The 186 nautical mile race, in its 64th running, began Friday afternoon, May 22, and sent Titan 12 and 54 other IRC- and PHRF-rated boats off on a course from Stamford, Conn., down Long Island Sound, clockwise around Block Island (R.I.), and back. A Southwest breeze of 8-10 knots got the boats off to a quick downwind start and stayed consistent until the fleet got to Plum Gut.

The Block Island Race – the traditional start to the summer sailing season, held each Memorial Day Weekend – featured eight classes for IRC, PHRF and doublehanded entries with the smallest entry, Benoit and Victor Ansort’s (Old Greenwich, Conn.) Olson 30 Wave Dancer, and the largest entry, George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) 90-foot water-ballasted sloop Rambler, which won the 2005 Block Island Race.

On it first race, the newly christened Titan 12 had the fastest corrected time and finished first in IRC Zero class over John Brim’s (New York, N.Y.) Reichel/Pugh 55 Rima2, in second and Rambler, in third.

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$8.6-million Tiverton marina expansion (wow)

05/26/09
The Trinity Marine Group, a private investment company based in the British Virgin islands, has purchased Quality Yacht Services in Tiverton, plus an adjacent property, for $8.6 million.
The company plans to invest another $5 million to turn the property, to be called Trinity Marina, into a facility that can accommodate yachts as large as 300 feet. Full story- projo.com

e-mail from bluQube

05/25/09
Mon 5/25/2009 2:09 PM est. The 2009 OSTAR is on and 34 Single-handed sailing yachts are headed to Newport from Plymouth England. 2,700 or so miles to go! Katie Miller aboard the Beneteau Figaro II bluQube checks in with riyachting.com Katie is obviously focused totally on the sailing. This is a classic transmission.

“Hi ill, katie on bluQube.

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2nd Place

05/24/09
PUMA – A Really Good Day – Fighting back to finish in an almost inconceivable second place after breaking their rudder mid-way across the Atlantic Ocean, PUMA crossed the finish line of leg seven of the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway, Ireland at 02:19 local (01:19 GMT) this morning. Pulling back from last place two nights ago after breaking one of the boat’s two rudders and having to stop to make emergency repairs 1,000 miles west of Ireland, the PUMA team were elated, finishing just two minutes ahead of hometown Irish team, Green Dragon. Arriving at the dock in Galway Harbour to a euphoric cheering crowd and with only 38 minutes separating second to sixth place, the atmosphere in Galway was incredible.

Kenny commented on the dock in Galway: “This is as good as it gets. That was some of the best sailing we have ever done. To come back into second place after breaking the rudder like that, this crew is unbelievable. What an amazing reception here in Galway! It’s three in the morning for crying out loud and the crowds are huge. I have never witnessed anything like this – we are stunned!” more-pumaoceanracingblog

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Paradise wins 38th Figawi Race

05/24/09
In its first Figawi, the Paradise passed 80 boats on its way from Hyannisport, sailing into Nantucket at the head of the regatta in just under 2 hours and 25 minutes at 12:55 p.m. Story Cape Cod Times

image/Steve Heaslip

OSTAR in Two More Days

05/23/09
Telegraph.co.uk – OSTAR 2009: Britain boasts 17 competitors in the world’s oldest trans-atlantic race.

The Daily Sail – we understand that the actual numbers on the start line are expected to be closer to 30-31 with sadly Luca Trentini and Steve Black definitely not being able to make it. image/thedailysail

Model cruises shuts down website.

05/22/09
Due to a lack of reservations, Model Cruises will not be operating this summer in Newport. There does not appear to be enough demand for this business to sustain the cost of running the boat.

That’s the message on the website today. Here’s the “bikini marketing plan” story from projo.com. Sorry no images.

Royal Treatment

05/22/09
Our friend and Commodore of the Newport Yacht Club Norm Bailey is in Plymouth for the start of the 2009 OSTAR. Norm is there as the representative for the U.S. end of the race and will be seeing the fleet off from the deck of the GALATEA. Norm is going to be in very good company which will include The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T. After the start it’s lunch with His Royal Highness!

The 2009 running of the event will be started by the race patron, H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T. The Duke will arrive on Plymouth’s Barbican Landing Stage (near Mayflower Steps) at 11.30 am before embarking on the Trinity House Vessel, GALATEA, where he will shoot the starting gun at 12.30pm.

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Hurricane Island Sharpie Schooners coming to Newport

05/21/09
On Saturday May 23rd, the Outward Bound Sea Program Committee will welcome two Sharpie Schooners to the Newport Shipyard. The Sharpies are crewed by Outward Bound staff on a training expedition called The Odyssey and will be stopping in Newport during their 50-day, 2500 mile sailing expedition from Key Largo, Florida to Spruce Head, Maine.

Gary Jobson and Rodger Martin will be on hand to welcome the crews.

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An Evening at Harbour Court

05/21/09
15th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta. June 5-6, 2009 Hosted by New York Yacht Club Newport, RI.  Live & Silent Auction Friday, June 5, 6:00PM. Public Invited/Purchase tickets in advance.  details

Sailing Scholarships for 2009 – GBSA

05/21/09
The Greenwich Bay Sailing Association is offering three full scholarships for 2009. The scholarships will cover the tuition for up to three students for up to eight weeks of sailing instruction through GBSA.

GBSA is a non-profit local junior sailing program that dates back to the 1960′s.  It’s located in the Carter J Buckley Sailing Center on Water Street in East Greenwich. Children from the surrounding areas and beyond learn the fundamentals of sailing, sportsmanship and camaraderie. Students start as young as 7 years of age and may compete up to age 18. The program runs from June to August, and it is open to the public. gbsa.info