Racing

Looks like these boats are going to be fast, and won't have the stupid upper wind limit that they had last time round.

Andy Hindley (America's Cup Race Management, COO)
It was an unbelievable first sail. We were in 8-10 knots of breeze and we were sailing at more than double that speed .. .up to about 20 knots at one point.With a bit more breeze we could be going 28 – 30knots.

The more I hear, the more stoked I get.

Anybody have any tricks that they use in a PHRF fleet? I know using a code 0 jib gives you better angles, but I have found that you almost have to sail your own race at times.

Big Changes, Big Names, and Big Classes
Ensure Biggest Race Week Ever

NEW OFFSHORE COURSE MEANS SHORTER COMMUTE TO SOUTH’S BIGGEST REGATTA

CHARLESTON, SC (21 December 2010) – With more than four months until the start of 2011 Charleston Race Week, volunteers and professional staff are already hard at work to make “The World’s Friendliest Regatta” the biggest and best in its history.

Day three of the Extreme Sailing Series? in Trapani and the seven professional teams were faced with a strong north westerly wind which saw the boats scream downwind at over 45 km/h, as they performed spectacular handbrake turns around the marks, drawing gasps from the public. The two Oman Sail boats come out on top, The Wave, Muscat remaining in the lead, 16 points ahead of Oman Sail Masirah, while Groupe Edmond de Rothschild drops to third. Link

Just as they did in 2009, Emirates Team New Zealand clinched their second successive Audi MedCup Circuit win with two racing days of the 2010 season to spare. After Thursday's coastal race the supreme Kiwis under skipper-helm Dean Barker had built themselves an unbeatable lead and in the end, after today's one final blustery race in a Mistral of more than 28 knots off Cagliari, Sardinia the champions rounded out their second victorious season to finish 48.5 points ahead of Quantum Racing (USA) who finish runners-up, as they also did last season..

A1 cuts into the side of Bribon like a cheese slicer. Warning. Not for the squeemish.

Big wind led to a big crash at the Melges 32 worlds in San Francisco. Red was forced to retire form the race.

I race on a 41 foot sailboat and we have a regatta coming up which on leg of the race is about 60 miles across lake Michigan over night. I wanted to know if there was any secrets to reading the weather during the night or watching other boats in our section for a good understanding of whats going to happen weather wise.

Has the team said anything about competing again? Seems like they outperformed expectations this time, and with the experience of this race under their belts, they could be in a good position next time around.