Fall Tech & Gear Review

Be sure to get your copy of the Fall Yachting Times Magazine (Also available digitally at yachtingtimesmagazine.com ).

Learn about the most inspiring and beautiful sails made and the man behind them.

Daniel Gohstand, creator of ImageSails

 

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Emirates Team NZ takes two more, leaves Oracle Team USA wondering…

Start of Race 1. Photo N. Birnbaum, ©2013

“We still have to look at the boat and what we can do to improve it. There’s a long way to go in my mind.” — James Spithill, after today’s loss to Barker and Team New Zealand.

America’s Cup defender ORACLE TEAM USA grabbed headlines this morning when the day’s crew lists were released. The defender had changed tacticians, inserting four-time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie in place of past America’s Cup champion John Kostecki.

Later in the day on the racecourse, it was Emirates Team New Zealand that stole Races 6 and 7 from the defender and now stands two-thirds of the way to winning the oldest trophy in international sport.

Emirates Team New Zealand leads the series 6-0 after winning Race 6 by 47 seconds and Race 7 by1:06. The winner of the 34th America’s Cup will be the first team to win 9 points. For the Kiwis that means three additional race wins and for ORACLE TEAM USA it means 10, due to a penalty imposed by the International Jury.

“We’re very satisfied with the day; it’s nice to get two more points, but there’s still a long way to go,” said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker. “It’s only two-thirds of the way to actually winning the Cup. You have to win 9 points. Three more races is a lot of hard work, and we know that it’s far from over. One bad day out there and momentum changes and things can be quite different. We’re under no illusion, there’s still a very hard road ahead.”

Ellison making his presence known. Pre-start, race 1. Photo: NBirnbaum,©2013

In Race 6 Barker said he was asleep all through the pre-start of the race, which put the team on the back foot. But in a similar scenario to Race 5, the team fought from behind on the upwind leg and passed the defender to gain the lead and then extend.

The win in Race 7 was a wire-to-wire performance. The Kiwis started to windward of ORACLE TEAM USA and crossed onto the racecourse riding on their hydrofoils and doing approximately 38 knots. They rounded the first turning mark in the lead and were never threatened the rest of the race.

Emirates Team New Zealand was untouchable on the two upwind legs. In Race 6 the Kiwis gained 55 seconds on the 3-nautical-mile leg and 50 seconds in Race 7.

Upwind, downwind? It’s still a tacking war.

“We didn’t know about the designs before the match started,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “Both teams spent a lot of time and energy focused on each other and where we stood. I think it’s a shock they have the edge upwind and potentially we have an edge downwind.”

That upwind speed edge rendered moot ORACLE TEAM USA’s decision to change its decision maker. Kostecki, who guided Spithill to victory in the 33rd America’s Cup in 2010, opened the match in the back of the boat, but after five races came under fire for some of his decisions.

Spithill decided yesterday to insert four-time Olympic gold medalist Ainslie in his place. Ainslie has been the team’s B boat helmsman and is widely considered a skipper, but the team felt change was needed for the sake of change.

“Sure we made a change in the back of the boat. Both John and Ben are fantastic sailors, two of the best sailors in the world. We’re very fortunate that we can rotate guys like that. But we’ll have to study the data and see what we can do to change up the boat.

“We still haven’t seen some conditions. Those guys have an edge upwind and tacking, but we still haven’t seen the light-air end of the spectrum and we haven’t seen the Code 0s,” Spithill said. “We still have to look at the boat and what we can do to improve it. There’s a long way to go in my mind.”

As it was my day to be out on the bay following the action from one of the Defender speed boats, I was hoping that Oracle Team USA would have at least one win. It’s my Birthday for goodness sakes! Just one win… that’s not too much to ask for, right?

Spithill and crew had a great start to race 1 but as we watched them heading for the finish, I saw Oracle jibe left toward the Marina Green, leaving New Zealand headed straight for the gates. Whaaa? I was dumbfounded. What were they thinking?

It was exciting to finally get out there and watch the racing “up close & personal” and I did get some great shots of both yachts as well as some of the cheering fans. And so the day wasn’t a complete loss.

…just for Oracle Team USA.

Oracle Team USA takes a bow for adoring fans. Photo: NBirnbaum,©2013

Racing resumes on Saturday with Races 8 and 9, scheduled for 1:15 pm PT and 2:15 pm PT. In the U.S., the America’s Cup Finals will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network. Replays will be available on the America’s Cup YouTube channel.
Thanks to Americascup.com.

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2013 America’s Cup Opens to Crowd of 30,000+, Time Trials Cancelled Today

After months of waiting, wondering and lots of speculation, the 2013 America’s Cup finally opened yesterday on July 4th with the grand Opening Ceremony on the main stage at the America’s Cup Pavilion.

Opening Ceremonies at America’s Cup Pavilion. Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

Sailors of the four teams contesting the 2013 America’s Cup—ORACLE TEAM USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Challenge and Artemis Racing were introduced to cheering crowds from their home nations and just about everywhere else.

ORACLE TEAM USA.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The 34th America’s Cup is being hosted in the U.S. for the first time since 1995 and will most likely be known from now on as the “San Francisco America’s Cup.” At least according to S.F. Mayor,  Ed M. Lee.

The Opening Ceremony featured cultural performances from the four competing nations, including the native New Zealand Maori performing arts group Te Waka Huia, by the tenor Pasquale Esposito from Italy, and Sweden’s Voices of Sweden Choir. The Recycle Percussion troupe performed a rousing rendition of The National Anthem on behalf of the U.S..

Te Waka Huia from New Zealand. Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

Additional performances were from Misa Malone, from the cast of Beach Blanket Babylon, who sang “San Francisco,” and Nayah Damasen, an 8-year-old from San Jose, Calif., who sang the National Anthem. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps ushered in the American flag and the flags of Italy, New Zealand and Sweden.

Team flags are presented.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The ceremony included a poignant tribute to Artemis racing team member Andrew “Bart” Simpson, who was killed in an accident when their AC72 flipped over during practice.

Teams honor fellow-team member Andrew “Bart” Simpson.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum © 2013

The park officially opened shortly after noon time with San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Monique Moyer, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco, Valérie Chapoulaud, the CEO of Louis Vuitton Americas, Charlotte Schultz, the Chief of Protocol for the city and county of San Francisco, and the ACEA’s Barclay, participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the entrance to the America’s Cup Park.

Opening fanfare.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The AC72 Time Trials that were scheduled for today have been canceled due to strong winds this morning.

“At 9:00am the wind is over 20 knots on the race course area and the forecast is for it to increase as the day goes on,” said Principal Race Officer John Craig. “The right decision is to keep the AC72s out of the parade and time trials today to keep everyone in good shape for the first day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, on Sunday.”

The boat parade will continue as scheduled, including the replica of the yacht America, but there will no AC72s participating.

On race day afternoons throughout the Summer of Racing, the America’s Cup Pavilion stage will showcase local performing artists free to the public. The Opening Weekend features five local bands with the first of these performances on Friday, July 5, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm PT.

The headliner act is New Diplomat, an American Alternative – Electronic Rock band. Featuring members from around the world, the band formed in 2010 and has since gathered a significant following, blending a combination of alt rock, indie pop and electronic music.

The opening act is The Five Hundreds, a San Francisco-based classic rock band that plays a mix of well-crafted original songs and high-energy rock and roll covers.

For the complete program and race schedule, visit americascup.com.

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ORACLE TEAM USA Dramatic Capsize Destroys AC72

San Francisco – 10/16/2012: ORACLE TEAM USA 72 capsizes during training on the Bay and is
pushed out of the Bay by currents.
Photo: Guilain GRENIER/AC Media.com.

ORACLE TEAM USA, the defender of the 34^th America’s Cup, has capsized its giant AC72 catamaran on San Francisco Bay during a training session. No one on the crew was injured.

The capsize took place during the team’s eighth day on the water. Conditions were fresh, with building winds whipping up waves against one of the strongest ebb currents of the year. As the team turned the boat downwind, the front of the boat nosedived and the boat pitch-poled.

“When the nose went down, the wing hit and a few guys went in the water,” said tactician Tom Slingsby. “We were unsure if the wing would snap, so we all climbed off the boat.”

With the boat on its side, the sea conditions quickly inflicted damage on the wing. The boat was pulled out to sea by the strong current, and as darkness fell, the team was still working to secure the catamaran platform and bring it back to base. The wing is destroyed.

“There’s no question this is a setback. This will be a big test for our team,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill. “But I’ve seen these guys in a similar situation in the past campaign before we won the America’s Cup. A strong team will bounce back from it. This won’t stop us from winning the America’s Cup.”

Each team competing in the 34^th America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup (the America’s Cup Challenger Series) can build two AC72 boats. This was the first of two boats to be built and launched by ORACLE TEAM USA. The second is due to be launched early in the new year.

ORACLE TEAM USA AC72 is virtually destroyed before team can right it.
Photo: Guilain GRENIER/AC Media.com

Event organizers say the setback to the American team won’t impact the 2013 racing calendar.

“This is a challenge for ORACLE TEAM USA,” said Stephen Barclay, the CEO of the 34^th America’s Cup. “The team will assess how to fix the damage caused by the capsize to this boat and will adjust its program as necessary. We expect them to be ready to defend the Cup as planned.”

AC72 Update:

Following the dramatic capsize and rescue of its AC72 on Tuesday, ORACLE TEAM USA has shifted to recovery mode on Wednesday, as the team works to salvage its America’s Cup boat.

The racing catamaran was towed back to the team base at Pier 80, upside down, arriving at 1:30am on Wednesday morning.

With the main element of the towering wingsail nearly “destroyed” according to skipper Jimmy Spithill, the team has been focused on recovering the catamaran itself, while boats have been sent out into San Francisco Bay to recover more parts of the wing.

The team has secured the platform to the dock is planning to lift it ashore in a way that minimizes further damage. This process should take place early in the afternoon.

“This is definitely one of the key moments in this campaign,” skipper Jimmy Spithill said on Wednesday as he looked at the crew preparing the catamaran platform so it could be hauled out of the water.

“This is a setback. Obviously we didn’t want this to happen. However this team has shown some real resiliency and been able to overcome challenges like this in the past. Champion teams have to overcome adversity and I’m confident we can do that. This is the team I want to be with in a time like this.”

For updates, please see www.americascup.com and www.oracleteamusa.com.

From America’s Cup Media.

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Watch The Fastest Sailboats on the Water!

This is an amazing video from America’s Cup – on YouTube. Watch it and remember to breathe!

ACWS 2 Update:

Racing at the America’s Cup World Series San Francisco got underway yesterday with seven races in the qualifying round of the match racing championship.

With the wind gusting over 20 knots and creating a nasty chop on San Francisco Bay, Artemis Racing – Red (Nathan Outteridge), Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker), Energy Team (Loïck Peyron), J.P. Morgan BAR (Ben Ainslie) and Team Korea (Peter Burling) all advanced to the quarterfinal round, with matches scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

China Team with Phil Robertson, won their first match race of the AC World Series and stood on the brink of advancing to the quarterfinal round, but didn’t start his final match against Artemis Racing – Red due to broken frames in the wingsail.

Full report to come. Visit the America’s Cup website for more information.

Results
Team Korea bt. Luna Rossa Piranha, +:02
Energy Team bt. China Team, +:56
Emirates Team New Zealand bt. Artemis Racing – Red, +:50.8
J.P. Morgan BAR bt. Luna Rossa Swordfish, +1:15
China Team bt. Luna Rossa Piranha, +:06
Artemis Racing – Red bt. Luna Rossa Swordfish, +:33
Artemis Racing – Red bt. China Team (DNS)

Quarterfinal Pairings
Thursday (12:25 pm PDT): Team Korea vs. Artemis Racing – White
Thursday (12:42 pm PDT): Energy Team vs. Emirates Team New Zealand
Friday (4:05 pm PDT): Artemis Racing – Red vs. ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS
Friday (4:22 pm PDT): J.P. Morgan BAR vs. ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL

Go to AC World Series San Francisco Results

America’s Cup on NBC Bay Area!

Be sure to catch all the action with the America’s Cup regional media partner NBC Bay Area, who plan to broadcast three days of live coverage around the AC World Series (Oct. 4-7).

Beginning today, Thursday, NBC Bay Area will broadcast the racing live on its digital channel California NonStop (channel 186 on Comcast and 11.2 on over-the-air digital). It will also broadcast live racing on tomorrow, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 6.

The “Super Sunday” final day of racing on Oct. 7 will be carried live by NBC Network, beginning at 1:30 pm PDT.

NBC Bay Area will produce and broadcast “Countdown to the Cup,” a half-hour program featuring the latest AC World Series races and activities surrounding the events. The show is scheduled to air on Oct. 6 at 8:30 pm PDT, and rebroadcast on Oct. 7 at 3:00 pm PDT.

NBC Bay Area also will air “America’s Cup Discovered” on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 9:30 pm PDT.

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SF Bay Crowded with Big Boats & Small for Rolex Series

ROLEX BIG BOAT SERIES

Sixty-six boats competed today, the third day of competition at the Rolex Big Boat Series. With divisions ranging from IRC to J-Boats, Express 37’s and finally catamarans, that raced for the very first time, all enjoyed the brisk airs and good winds.

While four teams have dominated their classes since day one (Vesper in IRC A, Shadow in Catamaran Class, Golden Moon in Express 37, and Double Trouble in IRC C), the decks gave been shuffling in the remaining four classes. I was onboard the tender, Double Trouble as Press for the races today and enjoyed watching all the starts and some great spinnaker legs.

Shadow, ProSail40 Catamaran

Golden Moon, Express 37

Donkey Jack, J/105

 

The largest class is the J/105 Class and the leader has been trading places like drunken sailors. Donkey Jack, co-owned by rolf Kaiser/Shannon Ryan/Steve Kieha (San Francisco), took the top spot today with finishes of 7-1, moving yesterday’s front-runner, Godot, skippered by Phillip Laby (Oakland), down to second place.

Also seeing a change in standing was the J/120 Class’s defending champion Chance, skippered by Barry Lewis (Atherton), which ousted John Wimer’s Desdemona from the first-place position it has held all week.

In the Catamaran Class, Peter Stoneberg’s (Tiburon) ProSail 40 Shadow looked great out on the course and brought in a powerful performance that added two victories the two already posted in the thus-far six-race lineup. Stoneberg, who is the commodore of the host St. Francis Yacht Club, came up with the idea of adding the new catamaran class when it landed smack-dab in the middle of two America’s Cup World Series events also being held on SF Bay. Then, when eight teams entered, it became clear that the concept was a winner. Watching the fast cats sail rings around the monohulls while rounding marks was certainly a crowd pleaser.

Sailed since 1965, the St. Francis Yacht Club Big Boat Series added the Rolex Watch USA as a title sponsor in 2005. A specially engraved Rolex timepiece will be awarded to winners in the four IRC Classes, the J/105 class and the Express 37 class.

All the racers and spectators alike will look forward to the last and longest race of the event tomorrow –  the “Bay Tour” race, which traditionally covers 20 or more nautical miles, will solidify who takes home class honors and the six special St. Francis Yacht Club Perpetual Trophies, each accompanied by a specially engraved Rolex timepiece. An IRC North American champion for 2012 also will be crowned.

More information can be found at www.rolexbigboatseries.com.

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World Series Starts Tomorrow! Big Cats Practiced Today in SF Bay Fog

San Franciscans eager for next summer’s America’s Cup will get a taste of what’s to come when sailing’s new regatta circuit glides into town this week.

AC cats practice on San Francisco Bay in preparation for the World Series starting August 22, 2012. © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Practice rounds took place today for 55 sailors from 12 countries on 11 boats that are contenders for the America’s Cup. The World Series races will give the teams a chance to test the waters, as it were, and find out if their boats and teams are up to the challenge.

“The challenge with the bay is it’s different every day, the tides, the wind, the fog. Not only that, but we’ve got other competitors to deal with,” Jimmy Spithill, captain of the defending champion and Bay Area’s own ORACLE RACING TEAM USA, said.

Conditions were probably good for the skippers but not so much for the hundreds of spectators who turned up at Crissy Field to get the first glimpses of the America’s Cup challengers practicing on the San Francisco Bay.  This is the first time fans can see races like this from the shore rather than miles away. Emirates Team New Zealand and China Team each capsized. Five crews now have capsized since practice began.

“I’m looking forward to showcasing the America’s Cup World Series to people here in the Bay area. I think it’ll be pretty cool going to Marina Green and watching the racing. It’s a unique racecourse because we’ll be racing parallel to the shoreline,” said John Kostecki, ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL

Team China flips over during practice racing on a blustery SF Bay. © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget.

Spithill vs Coutts on San Francisco Bay practice rounds. © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Emirates Team New Zealand also capsized.© ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget.

Artemis Racing hit the water in San Francisco for the first time today with the team’s two AC45s. The boats were launched from the team base in Alameda.

Skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA) was at the helm of ‘Artemis White’ and fellow team member, and Olympic medallist in the Tornado, Santiago Lange (ARG) was helming ‘Artemis Red’.

Artemis practices on a windy day before racing begins August 21. © ACEA 2012/ Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

“We have the same crew as the previous regatta in Newport. We have a new J3, the heavy-air jib; no surprise there. We’ve been developing some Code 0s and trying to figure out which one to use,”  Hutchinson said.

The Artemis AC45s sailed in the midst of the ORACLE AC45s who were also out training. August and September are important months to be experiencing the conditions on the Bay, as they are the same months in which the America’s Cup Finals will take place next year.

“Sailing on the Bay today was an important milestone for Artemis Racing”, commented CEO Paul Cayard. “The Bay will become our field of play for the next 14 months.  It is good to be here early.”

Wednesday’s match racing schedule features No. 6-seed Team Korea vs. No. 11 J.P. Morgan BAR, No. 7 Luna Rossa – Piranha vs. No. 10 Artemis Racing Red and No. 8 Luna Rossa – Swordfish vs. No. 9 China Team. Each match is a best-of-three.

Racing continues Thursday with two pairs of the match racing quarterfinals and the first two fleet races. View the racing lineup at ACWS San Francisco Regatta Format and additional event information at the ACWS San Francisco event page.

The race

WHEN: Wednesday to Sunday
WHERE: Marina Green
BOATS: 11
PARTICIPANTS: Artemis Racing Red, Artemis Racing White, Ben Ainslie Racing, China Team, Emirates Team New Zealand, Energy Team, Luna Rossa Piranha, Luna Rossa Swordfish, Oracle Team USA Coutts, Oracle Team USA Spithill, Team Korea
EVENTS: Match racing and fleet racing

Weekly schedule

WEDNESDAY: Match-racing qualifier
THURSDAY: Match-racing quarterfinals; two fleet-race qualifiers
FRIDAY: Match-racing quarterfinals; two fleet-race qualifiers
SATURDAY: Match-racing semifinals; two fleet-race qualifiers
SUNDAY: Match-racing finals; Super Sunday fleet race
START TIMES: 2:05 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 11:30 a.m. Sunday

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Holed, rolled, burnt and drowned. Would your boat survive?

Review of Crash Test Boat App

The Crash Test Boat app, published by Yachting Monthly, takes a rather ingenious series right from the pages of their print publication and with the addition of great graphics & video and put together a terrific (and a little scary) app for the iPad.

Reminiscent of TV’s ‘Top Gear’ but with a yachting slant, the purpose of the app is to show you how to avoid and troubleshoot disaster at sea. The Magazine first ran an 8-part series over a period of about a year, detailing their tortuous destruction of a perfectly good Jeanneau Sun Fizz ketch. Then YM Editor Paul Gelder, together with a plethora of experts like Mike Golding, one of the world’s top sailors (consultant on Capsize), Paul Lees, Founder of Crusader Sails (consultant on Dismasting and Jury rig), and YachtingTV’s own Steve Adams–put together a truly fantastic experience that could only be enjoyed on an iPad.

An app that truly does
justice to the medium

What’s in it for you?

Ask yourself this: “What’s your worst sailing nightmare?” Perhaps a dismasting or a fire below deck or maybe a complete rollover before your poor vessel strikes a rock and runs aground! Oh my!

The app highlights these and other potential disasters you may encounter at sea and looks at a range of different techniques and tools that can be used to survive them, with some surprising results. Eight potential disasters are covered, including dismasting, fire, leaks and running aground. I won’t give away the ending, but suffice to say, there’s not much of the boat left by the end!

The app isn’t all about destruction. In fact, there’s plenty of useful information with stories and advice from those who have experienced disaster for real. There are contributions from top yachtsmen.

“The lessons learned from these serial disasters have been well received globally by thankful yachtsmen who are now much better armed against potential peril.”  – Yachting Monthly

What I love about this app is its interactive design. Besides the 360 panoramas, the great video and galleries, you can also capsize a boat through a full 360 degrees just by sliding your finger across the screen. Stop midway and go backwards! You’re in control of every grisly detail.

If you’re not used to the newest navigation available on other media like magazines on the iPad, it might be useful to check out the instructions and help pages at the beginning. Overall, the app is user friendly, making use of those handy swipes and clicks to navigate.

At $4.99 the app represents good value for money. It may just give you the tip you need to get out of a tight spot one day, thereby avoiding the need to call for SOS.

Watch the Video:

Get it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/yachting-monthly-crash-test/id487217745?mt=8

They holed it, rolled it, burnt it and drowned it! But at least they didn’t SINK it!
Yachting Monthly’s crash test boat on show at the London Boat Show.

(Images/Screenshots courtesy of Yachting Monthly Magazine)

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Congrats to Laura Dekker – teen solo sailing circumnavigator!

SHE DID IT! LAURA DEKKER COMPLETES SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATION!

Laura Dekker - thrilled to have finished her circumnavigation. Photo lauradekker.nl.

It seems like the past few years were filled with great sailing feats by young sailors. Now the youngest has come home safely after voyaging 18,265 nm. On January 23, Dutchwoman Laura Dekker became the new youngest solo circumnavigator, reducing Australian Jessica Watson’s voyage by six-months.

Laura Dekker, 16, is reunited with her mother, sister and father on her arrival in St. Martin after a 361-day circumnavigation. Photo lauradekker.nl.

Having covered most of these attempts while writing the Cruising Compass for Blue Water Sailing Magazine, I became a champion of sorts, in hopes of forwarding their causes, and in some way, helping to broadcast their amazing feats to the non-adventure sailing world.

Some of you may recall that Dekker ran into more than just rough seas even before she set off on her attempt at circumnavigating the planet. She had intended to start her adventure at age 13, but Dutch authorities tried to block Dekker’s trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials said she should be in a classroom.

“The Dutch government was not kind to me,” Laura Dekker wrote on her blog last week. “It was never my intention to be the center of world news. From the moment my plans became public, Youth Care and other government organisations tried to stop me. During the first court case, in August 2009 they asked the judge to take me away from my father and to lock me up in a secure clinic. Now, after sailing around the world, with difficult port approaches, storms, dangerous reefs, and the full responsibility of keeping myself and Guppy safe, I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations put me through, were totally unfair. I am seriously thinking about not returning to the Netherlands. Of course I will discuss this with my parents.”

The route Laura took around the world, Image lauradekker.nl.

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-ft Jeanneau Gin Fizz Guppy. The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops at ports including the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and finally St Maarten, from where she set out on 20 January 2011. Now, though she claims to be the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage, Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council would not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors in order to discourage dangerous attempts.

Authorities in The Netherlands were quick to commend Dekker on her bravery, skill and perseverance, but insisted they had been correct to intervene.

“If Laura had drowned, we would be accused of not having done enough to protect her,” said an official from the Bureau of Youth. She added that it’s possible that Dekker made it around because they required her to sail a larger, more robust and better-equipped boat.

Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old American sailor, was rescued in the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Australian teen Jessica Watson set off Oct. 18, 2009 from Sydney, Australia, in Ella’s Pink Lady, her Sparkman & Stephens 34. She rounded Cape Horn Jan. 13, 2010  and returned to Sydney on 15 May 2010. Watson completed a 210-day solo voyage just three days before her 17th birthday.

Solo-circumnavigator Jessica Watson aboard her S&S 34, Ella's Pink Lady.

Mike Perham, also held the title of youngest person to sail solo around the world. He took nine months to circumnavigate the Globe in 2009 at age 17 on board the Open 50 racing yacht Totallymoney.com.

Mike Perham's route around. Photo totallymoney.com/sailmike.

Though it is Jesse Martin, of Australia, who still holds the record, recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe, sailing solo, non-stop and unsupported, at age 18 years 104 days when he set off from Melbourne on December 8, 1998, taking 327 days 12hrs 52 mins.

Newpaper clipping of Jesse Martin's return home. Photo jessemartin.net.

Sister & brother solo-circumnavigators Abby & Zac Sunderland. Photo abbysunderland.com.

“A true circumnavigation of the Earth must: start and finish at the same point, traveling in one general direction, reach two antipodes, cross the equator, cross all longitudes, cover a minimum of 40,000km..”

(21,600 NM, the circumference of the world at the equator.

                         – Explorers Web AdventureStats, 2007….

Dekker says her circumnavigation was about the voyage and she isn’t concerned about formal recognition. Neither is Hachette Book Group, which has already offered Watson a book deal, saying it will publish the blog entries she has written throughout her trip “as soon as possible after her return,” according to media reports.

“I think readjusting to life on land, keeping up with some of the exciting things planned for me, finishing my book and documentary, getting my driver’s license, and finishing school will be more than enough to keep me busy,” says Watson in her May 4 blog.

I’d like to offer a big “Congrats” to Laura. Our virtual “hats off” for an amazing feat. Well done! You go girl!

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Best Info on Cruising Galapagos Islands

 

Information for yachts that would like to stop or pass by the Galapagos Islands 

 

Preferred route to Galapagos Islands

Friday, November 3, 2011
You have three ways to visit Galapagos:

a. Only arrive and stay in the first port of call (could be Puerto Ayora, or Puerto Baquerizo or Puerto Villamil.

b. A permit for sail among the inhabited ports.

c. A permit for sail among the inhabited ports, and also for ask for an
itinerary in the protected areas of the National Park.

And for a good calculation:
d. How many gross tonnage is your sailboat ( gross tonnage )
e. How many people are onboard: ( 4 persons)

Knowing this information I can say you what is the more convenient for you (the necessity or not for to get a permit in advance).

a. Only arrive and stay in the first port of call
In this option you don’t need any permit in advance. You can stay anchorage(the sailboat) until 20 days.
Your Harbor Master fees taxes will be in relation of your Register gross tonnage, in your case: approx multiply per 8.1:U$..(official taxes are subjectof modifications )

Boats anchored at Union Island

Also you have to pay officially:

• Introduces species inspection: U$ 30
• Immigration per vessel: U$ 30
• Resident Control, each one U$ 10

The Servigalapagos professional services for Agency (clearance IN+OUT+Migration) : U$ 120
SAILBOATS OF THE PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMPERS GROUP: U$ 100

A permit for sail among the inhabited ports
In this option you require a permit in advance. You have to pay the same taxes mentioned in literal and the zarpes in each Capitanias among inhabited ports (aprox U$ 13.87 each one)

You would have to send to me in advance:

• Copy of the private ship’s registration
• Copy of all the passports of the people on board
• Blackwater or sewage certification of the vessel

The Servigalapagos professional services for Agency (permit paperwork, get it, IN+ OUT+ Migration): U$ 600

SAILBOATS OF THE PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMPERS GROUP U$ 500

A permit for sail among the inhabited ports and also for ask for an itinerary in the protected areas of the National Park In this case, the same taxes (literals:a. , b.) but you have to hire a naturalist guide on board, pay a special taxes of U$ 200 per person per day while are in the itinerary approved by the Galapagos National Park (while are in the itinerary the guide must be/sleep on board) , give a guarantee, and any other fees.

The Servigalapagos professional services for Agency (permit paperwork, get in, IN+ OUT+ Migration+ Galapagos National Park paperwork, itinerary, etc): U$ 1100
SAILBOATS OF THE PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMERS GROUP:U$ 900

If your plan is to be here in THE NEXT MONTHS, we are in time to start the paperwork process.

ANY HOW, I AM OPEN AND READY TO TALK WITH PPJ or ANYONE FOR DEVELOP MORE IDEAS AND SERVICES INFORMATION.

Kind regards,
Ricardo

Ricardo Arenas
SERVIGALAPAGOS (Sail’n Galapagos, together in the recovery of biodiversity) S.A.
Yacht and Ship Services, Agency, Logistic & Tour Operator
IRCA ISO ISM Lead Auditor Training
Tlfx: +593 5 2526186; GSM [24hours]: +593 [0]9 9480859
http://www.sailingalapagos .com info@arenas. bz
VHF: channel 05
P. Ayora, Santa Cruz Is. Galapagos, Ecuador.
“Respect to Galapagos.” We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act. It’s an habit”.

Source: Off the Pacific Puddlejump Yahoo Forum.

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