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With a runaway performance and three race wins, the British superstar Ben Ainslie captured his sixth Finn Worlds title yesterday before today's Medal Race. Refreshening winds of up to 30 kn and big waves made the race one of the windiest of the last years, and many capsizes and abandonments were the consequence. Ed Wright GBR, 20 points behind Ainslie, has his Silver Medal for sure, as Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN on rank 3 is 34 points farther back ! 8 points behind the 3rd place, Ivan Kljakovic-Gaspic CRO and Tapio Nirrko FIN still have some chances for the Bronze Medal. Zach Railey USA 10th just made the Medal Race, Greg Douglas CAN is 14th. Christopher Cook, former 8th, did not compete and descends on rank 25. The results, the daily report and the videos. The rankings, the daily report and the video of the day.

The breeze was around 15 kn yesterday on the second day of the 470 Worlds final races in Barcelona. While the lonely ride of the defending champions in the men's class, Matthew Belcher/Malcom Page AUS, continues (rank 1 and 5 yesterday, 21 points advantage), another leader change happened in the women's class, but the points' gaps remain small. Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark GBR are now on top of the interims rankings with the same number of points as Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED. Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie NZL follow on the 3rd place. Still in the race for medals are Lecointre/Géron FRA and Petitjean/Douroux FRA. Clark/Lihan USA, with their worst day (20th and 22nd) are now 17th, Archibald/Dexter, sailing in the Silverfleet, are 34th. The first of the not yet qualified nations for the Olympics is Denmark with Koch/Sommer DEN. Actually on rank 7, they cannot be passed. The worst ranked of the other five nations fighting for an Olympic berth is Russia at this moment.
Second at present behind the outstanding Belcher/Page AUS are Leboucher/Garos FRA, closely followed by Kliger/Sela ISR. As far as the fight for the Medal Race is concerned, there are 4 teams on the positions 9 to 12, separated by 6 points, battling for the top-10. The best North Americans are McNay/Biehl USA as 18th, Ramsay/Leigh CAN are 22nd. The ranking lists, the daily report and the video of the day.

Sun, cool temperatures and fresh winds of up to 28 kn prevailed on the last day of the qualifications for the Gold-, Silver or Bronzefleet. Sari Multala FIN is the new overall leader finishing 1 and 2 yesterday, followed three points behind by Lijia Xu CHN. Allison Young GBR is now third. Tania Elias Calles MEX sailed her discard result (a 12th rank) and is now down on the 14th place, Paige Railey USA is on position 17, Isabella Bertold CAN is 25th. But the points' gaps remain small and more position changes will occur in the next races. The results.
In the U-21-rankings, Erika Reineke USA has again replace Marie Boulou FRA on top. The daily report and the video-interviews.

Two fleetraces and the matchracing quarter finals were on the program yesterday on the first day of the Venice ITA AC World Series. Finishing 1 and 3, the French 'Energy'-Team with Loïck Peyron FRA took the lead ahead of 'Luna Rossa - Swordfish' (Paul Campbell-James GBR) and 'Team Korea' (Nathan Outteridge AUS). Qualified for the matchracing semi finals are 'Energy Team', 'Artemis Racing', 'Oracle Team USA Spithill' and 'Luna Rossa Piranha'. The report and the video of the day.

After four races at the Starboat Western Hemisphere Championship, McChesney/Zwingelberg (USA) have taken the lead ahead of Hornos/Gardner USA and MacCausland/ Christenson. The results.

The leading 'Prysmian' with David Raison/Jerôme Vedrenne FRA had only 24 miles to go to Plymouth this morning at 4 a.m. UCT, but 'mare.de' with Pierre Denjean/Julien Pulve FRA was only 3 miles behind, and nothing has been decided yet. The first Series-Mini 'Kalonig 2' (Ian Lipinski/Francois Jambou FRA) however is over 51 miled back, with 'minus' of Loïc Forrestier/Thierry Wasem SUI only 2 miles back. But the race-viewer gives different positions: It is possible, that 'TeamWork' with Justine Mettraux SUI/Milan Kolacek CZE is still in the lead of the Series Minis. The race-viewer.

There was no racing on day four of the Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK, after the wind spent most of the day spinning circles around the race committee. Three races will now be sailed on Thursday, to conclude the opening series, before Friday's medal race and final race. The rankings stay obviously unchanged with the British trio Ben Ainslie, Ed Wright and Andrew Mills in the lead ahead of Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN on rank 4. Christopher Cook CAN is 8th, Zach Railey USA 12th. The results, the daily report and the videos.

Moderate winds between 10 and 12 kn yesterday off Barcelona, and in addition higher waves and a strong current, making the sailing tactics difficult. Racing resumed now with the classes split in Gold-, Silver and in the men's also Bronzefleets. With the day ranks 2 and 5, Matthew Belcher/Malcom Page AUS extended their lead on 20 points already, but the fight for the further ranks remains thrilling. Kliger/Sela ISR on rank 2 are only one point ahead of Leboucher/Garos FRA and the other chasers Fantela/Marencic CRO, Lindgren/Lindgren FIN or Calabrese Delafuente ARG are only little behind. The best North Americans are now McNay/Biehl USA as 18th, Ramsay/Leigh CAN had a bad day loosing 6 places now on rank 24.
The situation is very open in the Women's Class where the first boats are very close together. The new leader now are Ingrid Petitjean/Nadège Douroux FRA thee points ahead of Aleh/Powrie NZL and Lecointre/Géron FRA. Clark/Lihan USA on rank 14 are only 7 points behind rank 10 and a medal race qualification is still possible with some good races. Archibald/Dexter CAN remain on rank 33. The results and the video of the day. The daily report gives an overview of the ISAF Olympic Nations' Qualifications. While in the Men's Class, the 7 open places have been allotted after the qualification phase, there are still 6 nations fighing for the one of the five remaining Women's berths. The event-website.

Two fleetraces and the first matchracing quarter finals are on the program today, first day of the second-last America's Cup Series 2011/12 in Venice ITA. The overall leader of the Circuit is 'Emirates Team New Zealand' ahead of 'Oracle Racing' and 'Artemis'. But the smaller teams have now caught up their deficit in trainings' hours, and the Italian public expects before all some exploits from the two Italian 'Luna Rossa'-team. The event-website. The regattas can be followed live this afternoon. .

30 teams from the USA, CAN, ARG and BRA compete in the 2012 Starboat Western Hemisphere Championship in Annapolis Md. Two races were sailed on day one and Vesella (SFrancis)/Sperry (BisB) USA (ranks 1/3) have taken the lead in front of Diaz (Coral Reef)/Baltins (BisB) USA (3/2) and McChesney (Annapolis YC)/Shane Zwingelberg (AN) USA (5/5). Seven races are planned until Saturday, May 19. The results and the events website.

The two leading Mini 650 Protos 'Prysmian' with David Raison/Jerôme Vedrenne FRA and 'mare.de' (Pierre Denjean/Julien Pulve FRA) 7 miles behind rounded the light ship Conninberg of the Irish Coast with a big advantage during this night. On rank 3 follows the first Series Mini 'TeamWork' with Justine Mettraux SUI/Milan Kolacek CZE. Only 10 miles farther back follows 'minus' with Loïc Forrestier/Thierry Wasem SUI. The race-viewer. 200 miles are left to the finish line.

Fresh winds around 20 kn and cold temperatures prevailed on day 3 of the Finn Worlds 2012. Ben Ainslie GBR won both races yesterday thanks to his superior downwind speed. With Ed Wright GBR on rank 2 and Andrew Mills GBR on 3, the UK Finn Team maintains its impressive leadership. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN on rank 4 is now the only one more or less capable of staying in touch with the first three, as yesterday's 4th Jonathan Lobert FRA dived on rank 9. Christopher Cook CAN is 8th, Zach Railey USA 12th. The results, the daily report and the videos.

Light winds again off Barcelona for the last two qualification races. The defending champions are the outstanding leaders in the men's class with a flawless 6 wins in 6 races record sheet, and go with a six points advantage on Marinho/Nunes POR and Lindgren/Lindgren FIN to the Goldfleet finals. Fantela/Marencic CRO and Leboucher/Garos FRA follow on the ranks 4 and 5. Ramsay/Leigh CAN are 16th, McNay/Biehl 19th. Just six races have been sufficient to deliver the final seven nations who have qualified to be on the start line at the 2012 470 Olympic Sailing Competition. i.e. Chile, Canada, Ireland, Korea, Russia, Turkey and South Africa.
The French have taken again the lead in the Women's Class at the end of the qualifiers. Camille Lecointre/Matilde Geron FRA are first one point ahead of Petitjean/Douroux FRA and the tied Aleh/Powrie NZL. Westerhof/Berkhout NED follow another point back on rank 4. Clark/Lihan are 11th, Archibald/Dexter CAN 33rd. With only five Olympic qualification places available at the 2012 470 Worlds, six unqualified nations have made it through to the Goldfleet and will now battle for the slots. There are seven more races of the final series to go and this story is a long way from over yet teams from Austria, China, Croatia, Denmark, Poland and Russia go head to head. The results, the daily report and the video of the day.

The Olympic Laser Radial World Championship 2012 began yesterday off Boltenhagen GER with two races sailed in a freshening breeze of up to 20 kn. The unconstant wind from the shore created difficult sailiing conditions. Cecilia Carranza ARG finishing 1 and 5, had the best opening day, leading by a small margin ahead of Tatiana Droszdovskaja BLR, Sari Multala FIN and Tania Calles-Wolf MEX. Other best ranked of NorAm sailors are Erika Reinecke USA 23rd and Isabelle Bertold CAN 26th. Paige Railey USA is only 30th for the moment. 133 participants from 55 nations. The results and the daily report.

The leading boats have rounded the Fastnet Rock during the past night and are now heading for the Conninberg light boat off the Irish coast. The two Protos 'Prysmian' (David Raison/Jerôme Vedrenne FRA) and 'mare.de' (Pierre Denjean/Julien Pulve FRA) have now a clear 40 miles'lead on the 3rd overall, the best Series Mini 'Kalonig 2' (Jan Lipinski/Francois Jambou FRA). 'Minus' with (Loïc Forrestier/Philippe Wasem SUI) follows on rank 4, the previous leader 'Go4it' (Simon Koster/Nils Palmieri SUI) is now 5th. The race-viewer.

A well established fresh breeze between 15 and 18 kn allowed to sail three races with each of the five fleets of totally 150 teams. Today, the qualifications phase comes to an end. As mostly when a fresher wind fills in, it is the World Champions 2010 time and both - Matthew Belcher/Malcom Page AUS and Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED - won all three heats of their fleets, becoming the clear overall leaders in their classes. Marinho/Nunes POR and Fantela/Marencic CRO are on the ranks 2 and 3 in the men. The previous leaders Leboucher/Garos FRA are down on rank 6. Ramsay/Leigh CAN are on the 14th place, McNay/Biehl USA are on position 37.
In the women, Cohen/Bouskila ISR and Kondo/Tabata JPN and Aleh/Powrie NZL with the same number of points follow on the ranks 2 and 3 behind the Dutch ladies. Petitjean/Douroux FRA descended on rank 6. Clark/Lihan USA are 20th, Archibald/Dexter CAN 34th. The results, the report and the video of the day.

Rain and a breeze arond 15 kn circling with the clouds prevailed over the regatta area during the two races sailed yesterday. With the day ranks 1 and 3, Ben Ainslie GBR has taken the command over the fleet with Ed Wright GBR and Andrew Mills GBR on the ranks 2 and 3, confirming the British leadership in the class once more. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN on the 4th place and Jonathan Lobert FRA on the 5th position give at least an international touch to this Championship. Christopher Cook CAN is 5th, Zach Railey USA 15th. The results, the daily report and the videos.

The Olympic Laser Radial Women's World Championship 2012 begins today at the German Baltic Sea coast at Boltenhagen, same venue as the Lasers Standard. 135 participants from 55 nations are on the entry list, among them the previous World Champions and favorites for the 2012 title Marit Bouwmeester NED defending champion, Lijia Xu CHN, Krystal Weir AUS or Gintare Scheidt LTU. The most prominent name missing is Evi Van Acker BEL, a regular top 5 finisher. Five US and five Canadian Laser women will be on the starting line with Paige Railey USA as favorite for a medal. The event-website.

This morning at press time (7 h CET), 'mare.de' with Jörg Riechers GER/Ryan Breymaier USA was only a few miles before the finish line in New York. 'Campagne de France' with Halvard Mabire/Miranda Merron GBR followed 2,5 miles behind on rank 2. The race-viewer und die event-website.

The 470 World Championships began yesterday afternoon in a light breeze after a start postponement. The men's class, split in three fleets and the women's class, divided in two fleets, sailed one race each, with the French boats dominating the heats. Camille Lecointre/Matilde Geron FRA and Ingrid Petitjean/Nadège Douroux FRA were the winners in their fleets, as were Leboucher/Garos FRA and Bouvet/Guillarme FRA, as well as - obviously - the defending champions Belcher/Page AUS. Ramsay/Leigh CAN are 64th (race rank 22) and McNay/Biehl USA 67th (race rank 23).In the women's, Ainsworth/Weguelin GBR and Kadelbach/Belcher GER were on the 2nd positions. Archibald/Dexter CAN are on rank 17, Clark/Lihan USA started with a black flag disqualification. The ranking lists, the official report and the video of the day.

Variable winds from the shore made sailing difficult on day one of the Finn World Championship 2012, and only a few had single digit results in both races sailed. Ed Wright GBR took the overall lead with the day ranks 1 and 2, followed by Ben Ainslie GBR (3/1) and Deniss Karpak EST (5/5). Christopher Cook CAN is on the 8th place, Zach Railey USA is 11th. 98 participants. The rankings and the report.

19 two-person-teams started yesterday at noon in Plymouth GBR to the Mini-650 Fastnet-Race. This morning at 4:30, 'mare.de' with Pierre Denchen/Julien Pulve FRA was the leader in the Protos, while Simon Koster/Nils Palmieri SUI with their 'Go4it' were the leaders in the Series, 0,1 miles in front of 'Shanawdith' (Rudolphe Victoria7Estelle FRA). The race-viewer and the report on the start.

At the Opening of the America's-Cup-Festival-Week in Venice ITA over the past weekend, the Venice Trophy, a series of short races, and a long-distance race with the finish line close to the St-Marks Square were organised. As from Thursday, the World Series Regattas will be sailed. The overall victory of the short races went to 'Luna Rossa - Piranha' with Chris Draper GBR, and in the long-distance race on Sunday, it was 'Artemis' with Terry Hutchinson USA, who took the winner's Trophy. The report and the event-website.

As apparent during the past days, Gildas Morvan/Charlie Dalin FRA with their 'Cercle Vert' did not allow anybody to overtake them during the last days, letting them celebrate their Transanat AG2R victory at St-Barth after 22 days and 8 hours underway with an average speed of 7,25 kn. Less than 2 hours after followed Erwan Tabarly/Eric Péron FRA ('Nacarat') as second and Jeanne Grégoire/Gérard Véniard FRA with their 'Banque Populaire' arrived just 3 hours later as 3rd. Meanwhile, 10 of the 16 yachts arrived at the French Carribean island of St-Barth. The rankings, the reports and the videos of the arrivals.

During the last 12 years, the ISAF Council and the Events Committee made several strange decisions in selecting Olympic events and equipment. While in earlier days, classes were chosen based on their world-wide spreading, btw a requirement of the IOC Olympic Charter, and established class organisation - the Laser was chosen 20 years after its launching - the delegates (most of them without any international racing experience, and some with language difficulties) become more and more 'creative', making strange decisions and inventing new events .... The latest low-point according to some reports seems to be the selection of Kiteboarding at the 2012 ISAF Midyear Meeting, where Delegates voted erroneously because of language difficulties. The close 19-17 decision in favor of Kiteboarding and against Windsurfing would apparently not have happened, if the voting had been correct. More .... .

The 16 two-person teams competing in the Class 40 Atlantic Cup have been sailing up the US East Coast direction New York for two and a half days now. After two thirds of the distance, 'mare.de' with Jörg Riechers GER/Ryan Breymeyer USA are leading ahead of 'Bodacious Dreams' with Dave Rearich/Matt Scharl USA and 'Campagne de France' with Havard Mabire FRA/Miranda Merron GBR. The Race-Viewer und die event-website.

Light winds prevailed again on the last day of the 49er World Championship 2012. After the last two fleetraces, the double-point-no-discard Medal Race of the 10 best-ranked decided on the final outcome of the Championship. The defending Champions Nathan Outteridge/Ian Jensen AUS had an easy race thanks to the big advantage, and their victory, the fourth 49er title, was logical, and makes them the clear favorites for the Olympic Regatta in three months' time. Peter Burling/Blair Tuke NZL took Silver as last year in Perth AUS. In the tight fight for Bronze, the tie-break rules decided in favor of Norregard/Lang DEN who replaced Dyen/Christidis FRA on the podium. The final results of the best North-Americans are: Cook/Lowden CAN 21st, Murrieta/Murrieta MEX 37th and Strammer/Brown USA 46th.The final results and the final report.

Today at noon CET, the start to the first race of the 470 World Championships 2012 will be given in Barcelona. 95 male teams from 33 nations and 54 female team from 30 nations are on the entry lists. According to the weather forecast, the winds will be rather light, what enlarges the number of potential medal winners. In the men's category, the defending champions Belcher/Page AUS are again the key favorites. McNay/Biehl and Robinson/Hume sail for the USA, Ramsay/Leigh and Saunders/Saunders for Canada.
In the women's, there are several teams with chances. Clark/Lihan are the US representatives, Archibald/Dexter and Meers/Flanagan sail for Canada.
In addition to the race for the title, the last Olympic berths (7 men, 5 women) are at stake. For some nations, this is also the final selection event for the Olympics.
Yesterday, groups of 10 teams sailed an in-port race in Barcelona, see the video. Read also the official preview.

The Finns complete the chorus of the Olympic classes sailing their World Championships these days, beginning with their event today at Falmouth GBR. 98 Finns from 31 nations are on the entry list, among them the top favorite Ben Ainslie GBR, however defeated last week at the same venue by Giles Scott GBR during the UK Finn Nationals. Five CAN Finns, lead by Christopher Cook and three US Finn with the medal contender Zach Railey are on the list of participants. The preview and the event-website with a daily live coverage.

Since 40 hours the 20 teams of the Atlantic Cup from Charleston SC to New York are underway on this first leg. 'Bodacious Dreams' (.../...) has a narrow 3 mile lead on 'Campagne de France' (Halvard Mabire FRA/Miranda Merron GBR). The doublehanded teams will sail a second leg, a sprint race from New York to Newport. In Newport fully crewed inport races will conclude the race. See the race tracker, read all reports and see the video interview with the team of the dismasted '40 Degrees'.

The final decision for the Worlds title was made yesterday in the last race sailed in a 8 to 12 kn breeze the Bay of Hyères. The defending champions Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada BRA controlled their unique opponents for the title, the Olympic Champions Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson GBR, uncompromisingly, and sailed them down the fleet. The Brazilians earned herewith his third Starboat Worlds title. The Bronze medal went to Michael Hestbaek/Claus Olesen DEN, who came back to the Star last November only, and mastered the difficult conditions at the event perfectly. O'Leary/Burrows IRL and Lööf/Salminen SWE, two more favorites for Olympic medals, follow on the ranks 4 and 5. The other successful nations for an 2012 Olmypic berth in addition to Hestbaek/Olesen DEN were Hamish Pepper/Jim Turner NZL (7th), Emilios Papathanasiou/Antonios Tsotras GRE (9th) and Marin and Dan Lovrovic CRO. With only one, respectively two points back, Echevarri/Rodriguez ESP and Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT will miss the Olympic Regatta. Clarke/Björn CAN finished on the 18th place, Mendelblatt/Fatih USA are 21st. The final results, the event-website and the Video.

The final races 4-6 were sailed yesterday at the Croatian coast in moderate conditions. Winning one of the races, Nathan Outteridge/Ian Jensen AUS made another step towards the successful defense of their title, their forth on the 49er. Burlng/Tuke NZL defended their 2nd place 8 points behind, while the 3rd Dyen/Christidis FRA are already 30 points back. Two more races are on the program today before the 10 best-ranked will meet for the Medal Race. The best North-Americans Cook/Lowden CAN are on the 22nd place, Murrieta/Murrieta MEX are 33rd and Strammer/Brown USA 48th. The results and the report of the day.

The drag race direction finish continues in a stady 20 kn trade-wind. 315 miles are left for the leading 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) to reach the French Carribean island St-Barth, ETA tomorrow Sunday evening. Admittedly, the chaser reduce their backlogs by some miles, but considering thd stable breeze, any position changed in the coming 36 hours seem unlikely. 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) on rank 2 is actually 24 miles behind, 'Banque Populaire' with Jeanne Grégoire/Gérard Véniard FRA follows 38 miles back. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Micah Buzianis USA and Valérie Arighetti Ghibaudo FRA are the winners of the Ulsan/ Korea PWA Worldcup Slalom. The leading Björn Dunkerbeck SUI had to abandon the competition with a foot injury. Karin Jaggi SUi missed the overall victory in the last final heat and remained on rank 2. The report/url] and the [url=wxw.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=920]video.

Finishing 2nd in the first race of the day, Tom Slingsby AUS defended his World Champion title in the Lasers Standard successfully. This is already the 5th title for the Australian, and at Boltenhagen, he demonstrated for the first time his superiority in light-winds also. Undoubtedly, he is the outstanding favorite for Gold at the 2012 Olympics. Tonci Stipanovic CRO earned the Silver medal 28 points behind. Andrew Maloney NZL captured the Bronze medal on the last day of the Championship replacing the astonishing newcomer Juan Maegli GUA on the podium. The final results, the report of the day and the video-Interview with Tom Slingsby AUS.

The lightest winds of this Championship, 5-7 kn, prevailed yesterday in the Bay of Hyères during the fifth race. Very unconstant in strength, this breeze buried the hopes for a medal for a number of favorites. Only four teams have realistic chances for the title in the last race today. Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson GBR lead 5 points ahead of Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada BRA. O'Leary/Burrows IRL follow 6 points behind, and another 3 points back are Kusznierewicz/Zycki POL, who needed a victory in the last race to move on top. Winners of the day yesterday were Pepper/Turner NZL, who - with this success - moved up on rank 6 and are now on a safe way for the Olympic berth, as are the 5th-ranked Hestbaek/Oleson DEN. Four nations on the positions 11 to 14, ranked within four points, fight for the remaining two places today: CRO, ESP, GRE and AUT. For today, moderate 12 kn West wind conditions have been announced. Clarke/Björn CAN are now on the 19th place, while Mendelblatt/Fatih USA did not compete. The best US finish so far was realized by George Szabo sailing with the President of the Swiss Federation Vincent Hagin SUI on rank 3 moving up to rank 20 overall.
The results, the daily report and the video of the day.

Light and unconstant winds prevailed on the first day of the finals at the 49er Worlds. With the day ranks 2/6/8, Nathan Outteridge/Ian Jensen AUS extended their lead on 22 points. New on rank 2 are Burling/Tuke NZL. Dyen/Christidis FRA advanced on the 3rd position. Excellent performance by Kirkland/Kirkland BER moving up 7 ranks on 10th as best of the Western Hemishphere teams, Cook/Lowden CAN are 24th. Progress also for Murrieta/Murrieta MEX as 7th of the Silverfleet (32nd overall). Strammer/Brown USA are 19th of the Silverfleet (44th overall). The results and the daily report.

With 590 miles to go, the fleet heads directly towards the finish line in a 20 kn trade-wind. Considering the stable conditions, the positions of the first boats seem to be consolidated allthough the gaps are still rather small. 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) leads 27 miles ahead of 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA), 'Banque Populaire' (Jeanne Grégoire/Gérard Véniard FRA) follows 45 miles behind the leading duo. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

'Abu Dhabi' with Ian Walker GBR reached the finish in Miami yesterday as 5th and last. Despite of choosing a similar route as the better ranked teams, the Arabian team had no chance with their Volvo 70 to meet the performance of the new Juan Koujoumdjian designs. The report and the videos of the arrival.

Good conditions yesterday allowed to complete the full slalom program. In the men's category, Antoine Questel FRA leads in front of Micah Buzianis USA and Ben Van der Steen BEL after four eliminations, in the women's, Karin Jaggi SUI realised two race wins and reduced the gap on the leading Valérie Arighetti Ghibaudo FRA. The report.

Two races of the finals by fleet were sailed yesterday at the Laser Worlds on the Baltic Sea, initiallly in an 8 kn breeze, increasing to 16 kn during the day. With the day ranks 3 and 5 as well as the second discarded result, the defending champion Tom Slingsby AUS has a 20 points' advantage before the last races today. Considering the announced fresh breeze, the title will be his without any doubts, while the Silver medal is on the tablet already for Tonci Stipanovic CRO, as his advantage on the third-ranked, the surprising international newcomer Juan Maegli from Guatemala, age 23, is even 24 points. Andrew Maloney NZL, Andreas Geritzer AUT and Tom Burton AUS on the ranks 4-6 have still their chances for the Bronze medal. The local favorite Simon Grotelüschen GER however is out of the top group down on rank 11.
Things are getting worse for David Wright CAN with another bad day now out of the top-10 on rank 12, 11 points behind rank 10. had a desaster day dropping on 8th overall 20 points away from a medal. Minor changes for Lee Parkhill CAN on 16th and Charlie Buckingham 27th, while Chris Dold descends on position 44 in the Goldfleet.
The results, the report and the videos.

The qualification races ended yesterday with three heats sailed in a 10 kn moderate wind, and until Saturday, the final races will be sailed in Gold-, Silver- and Bronzefleets, before the Medal race of Saturday. With the day ranks 1/1/2, the defending champions Outteridge/Jensen AUS have now taken the lead, followed by Schadewaldt/Baumann GER and Alonso/Alonso ESP closely behind. Bermuda, Japan, Canada, Griechenland and Italien, all qualified for the Goldfleet, have definitely acquired the five remaining Olympic berths. The USA (Storck/Moore) got their Olympic ticket at the 2010 Worlds in Perth already. The results and the daily report.

There was the layday at the Worlds in Hyères yesterday for the 72 Starboats from 32 nations. Up to now, four races were sailed in very different sailing conditions. For the last two races today and tomorrow, light winds and summery temperatures have been announced. The narrow points' gaps between the top-ranked boats as well as the fight for the last four Olympic berths guarantees races full of suspense. Thanks to the positive outcome of a protest for redress after a collision, Echevarri/Rodriguez ESP are again back in the race for the quota places. Hestbaek/Oleson DEN, Pepper/Turner NZL and the Spanish are now even, Arapov/Mikulicic CRO follow 8 points behind. With Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT, 2 points behind the Croates, and Papathanassiou/Tsotras GRE moving up considerably when the discard becomes effective after race 5, two more nations will fight for the Olympic ticket. Lucky the North-Americans Mendelblatt/Fatih USA 19th and Clarke/Björn CAN) 21st already qualified for the 2012 Olympics, as they are at present far away from quota places. The results and the videos.

'Camper' with Chris Nicholson NZL was only 0,6 miles behind the leading American in the approach to the finish line, but Ken Read USA and his 'PUMA'-team successfully defended the first place celebrating their second leg win, arriving in Miami 1 hr 8 min before the Kiwis. The fight for rank 3 went in favor of 'Groupama' with Franck Cammas FRA crossing the finish line 35 min before 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP. This means, that the four top teams are now again closer together in the overall rankings. The coming 7th leg from Miami to Lisboa POR - start May 2 - will be exciting. The daily report and the videos.

After a tough Atlantic crossing influenced by light winds, the teams benefi t now for the first time from a fresher breeze, the trade-winds, enabling the boats to accelerate to 10 kn. The positions on top did not change with 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) ahead of 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) and 'Banque Populaire' (Grégoire/Véniard FRA), but the gaps between the boats are so small, that everything can happen in the 780 miles to the finish. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Racing resumed last around 6 p.m. only when the breeze finally filled in enough to start some more runs allowing the men to complete the Double-Elimination up to the semi-finals. Still in the race is Björn Dunkerbeck SUI while the World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA was out after a premature start. The women with Valérie Arighetti Ghibaudo FRA and Karin Jaggi SUI take up the competition today only. The wind forecasts for today and tomorrow are favorable. The report and the videos.

The breeze was somewhat fresher and above all more regular on the first day of the Laser Worlds 2012 finals with two races sailed by each of the Gold-, Silver and Bronzefleets. Tom Slingsby AUS booked another race win defending a 12 points' lead on Tonci Stipanovic CRO, who, as best of the day yesterday finished 2nd and 3rd. Third is Tom Burton AUS, while the 4th and 5th ranked Juan Maegli GUA and Andrew Maloney NZL are at equal points.
David Wright CAN had a desaster day dropping on 8th overall 20 points away from a medal. Small positive changes with three ranks up for Lee Parkhill CAN on 15th and Charlie Buckingham 28th, while Chris Dold descends on 37th, all sailing in the Goldfleet.
The results, the report and the videos.

The fresh breeze of Monday was replaced by a moderate steady Easterly wind yesterday. The fleet was very quickly spread over a large area with some of the title favorites and candidates for Olymic berths finally on less comfortable positions, such as Lööf/Salminen SWE (now rank 15) or Negri/Voltolini ITA, superior European Champion last year and now after another abandonement (again after a collision), down on rank 52. For the very first time, Italy will not be represented at the forthcoming Olympic Starboat Regatta ! Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson GBR extended their overall lead with another victory on 10 points thanks to an exceptional downwind speed. Scheidt/Prada BRA and a point behind O'Leary/Burrows IRL are on the remaining podiums' seats. The best cards for an Olympic berth have Hestbaek/Oleson DEN (8th), Pepper/Turner NZL (9th), Arapov/Miclicic CRO (10th) and Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT (11th). Four points further back lie Papathanassiou/Tsotras GRE in wait for a mistake by their opponents. The ranks 33 (Mendelblatt/Fatih USA) and 41 (Clarke/Björn CAN) did not help to improve the overall score for the North Americans remaining on the overall positions 19 and 21. The results, the report and the video of the day.

Ideal skiff-sailing conditions with flat water and a 8-15 kn breeze on day 2 of the 49er Worlds allowed to complete three perfect races. Tobias Schadewaldt/Hannes Baumann GER have now taken the lead three points ahead of Przybytek/Kolodzinski POL and Outteridge/Jensen AUS on the ranks 2 and 3. Kirkland/Kirkland BER on rank 17 are the best of the Western Hemishphere teams, Cook/Lowden CAN are 23rd, Murrieta/Murrieta MEX 44th and Strammer/Brown USA 51st. The results and the daily report.

The race for victory will be tight this evening at the finish of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race in Miami FL. 'Puma' with Ken Read USA leads still with only 11 miles ahead of 'Camper' NZL, but the light and unconstant wind will offer opportunities to the Kiwis with Chris Nicholson NZL to attack over and over again. Another duel is open for the third place with 'Groupama' (Frank Cammas FRA) only 6 miles in front of the overall leader 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP). The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Changing wind conditions, but no change in the positions on top, as the fresher breeze filled in practically everywhere at the same time. 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) keeps the lead on 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) with a 30 miles' backlog now. The new 3rd-ranked is 'Banque Populaire' with Jeanne Grégoire/Gérard Veniard FRA. 950 miles are left to the finish. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Circling winds interrupted the PWA Slalom Worldcup competitions yesterday in Korea. One heat has been completed so far with Bora Kozanoglu TUR defeating the World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA. In the Women's category, Valéry Arighetti-Ghibodo FRA was first. Karin Jaggi SUI missed the finals after a premature start. The report and the event-website.

The qualification phase of the Laser Worlds ended yesterday with the races 7 and 8 again sailed in very difficult light winds. The first 56 athletes continue the finals in the Goldfleet as from today. Outstanding also yesterday Tom Slingsby AUS, extending his lead to over 20 points. The new second-ranked is Andreas Geritzer AUT ahead of a closely packed chaser group with Tonci Stipanovic CR, David Wright CAN, Juan Maegli GUA and Andrew Maloney NZL, and even Simon Grotelüschen GER as 8th is only 9 points behind rank 2. The Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR advanced - despite of his DNE, the non-discardable disqualification, on rank 22, allowing him to continue the Championship in the Goldfleet.
While David Wright CAN is well positioned to fight for the Silver or Bronze medal, Charlie Buckingham USA - up again on rank 31 - as well as the Canadians Lee Parkhill 18th and Chris Dold 32nd are at least qualified for the Goldfleet. The results, the daily report and the video of the day.

The forecasted breezy day arrived yesterday in the Bay of Hyères after the initial two light wind days, and the third race was sailed in a 18 kn wind at the start, increasing to over 25 kn in the last round of the race. The Olympic Champions Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson GBR, already winners of the windy Semaine Olympique two weeks ago, dominated the race winning in front of Kusznierewicz/Zycki POL and Lööf/Salminen SWE. With this win, Percy/Simpson have taken the overall lead one point ahead of Scheidt/Prada BRA 2nd, relegating the former leader O'Leary/Burrowes on rank 3. With Rohart/Ponsot FRA and Kusznierwicz/Zycki, two other favorites and former World Champions are on the ranks 4 and 5. In the battle for the four open Olympic berths, Pepper/Taylor NZL (7th), Hestbaek/Oleson DEN (9th), Echevarri/Rodriguez ESP (11th) are the best placed, while Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT, Arapov/Mikulicic CRO and Papathanassiou/Tsotras GRE fight for the fourth place shortly behind. Slight improvements for Clarke/Björn CAN 15th and Mendelblatt/Fatih USA 18th overall. As from today, lighter winds have been announced again after the passage of the disturbance. The results, the report and the video of the day.

The 49er Worlds began yesterday at the Croatian Adriatic Sea coast in a light 8-12 kn breeze with three races. Jointly on top are Przybytek/Kolodzinski POL and Schadewaldt/Baumann GER, followed only one point behind by the trio Kirkland/Kirkland BER, Schmidt/Böhme GER and Burling/Tuke NZL. The defending champions Outteridge/Jensen AUS on rank 11 and the Worldcup Hyères winners Dyen/Christdis FRA on rank 13 had a rather discrete first day. The best ranked teams from NorAm nations are Cook/Lowden CAN 15th, Murrieta/Murrieta MEX 39th and Strammer/Brown USA 46th. The results and the report.

Sally Barkow and her team reopened the game coming back strongly with two wins on day two, but at the end of the day, it was Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer und Debbie Capozzi USA who decided the trials in their favor with a safe 6-3 victory. As World number 1 and with an impressive row of successes in the last months, the perfectionist Anna Tunnicliffe will be THE favorite at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth/London. The report.

Dying winds in the Carribeans brought the top boats of the fleet almost to a complete standstill yesterday, and the high-tech racers trailed with about a 1-2 kn speed only. The big winner of the day was 'Groupama' with Franck Cammas FRA reducing the gap to 57 miles, overtaking 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) during his 'rush'. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) defended his lead with an 11 miles advantage on 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL). 340 miles are left to the finish. This means, that - considering the actual conditions - they will be underway for two days. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

1100 miles off the finish line at St. Barth, the Transat AG2R comes now in its final phase. Nothing has been decided yet, even though the leader 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) extended her lead again on 46 miles now. But with her more northerly course, there is the risk that the major opponents in the South will touch the fresh trade wind earlier. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Winning the first race of the day, Giles Scott GBR made everything clear prematurely yesterday and defeated the British superstar Ben Ainslie GBR, who aims tor his fifth Olympic medal at Weymouth in three months from now. This has been his first loss since a long time. Jonathan Lobert FRA follows on rank 3. The report and the final results.

A grey sky and a 5-8 kn breeze prevailed at the start of the second race of the 2012 Star Worlds in the Bay of Hyères. A 30°'s shift shortly after the start extended the fleet immediately considerably, and some of the favorites were way back. Right from the beginning in front were Flavio Marazzi/De Maria SUI, who took the lead on the first downwind and defended this place in a close duel up to the finish line. Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada BRA on second were only half a boat lengt behind, Hestbaek/Olesen DEN were 3rd. Overall, O'Leary/Burrows IRL have now taken the lead ahead of Scheidt/Prada BRA and Percy/Simpson GBR. Marazzi/De Maria SUI and Echevarri/Rodrigues ESP follow with the same number of points and just behind are Stanjek/Kleen GER and the winners of the first race Rohart/Ponsot FRA. On the ranks 8-12 are four nations fighting for an Olympic berth, i.e. NZL, DEN, CRO and AUT. A bad day for Mendelblatt/Fatih USA and Clarke/Björn CAN now on the overall ranks 23 and 25. The results, thereport of the day and the video of the day.

Light winds were again prevailing on day three of the Laser Standard Worlds at the Baltic Sea. In abating winds, two more races were sailed, and Tom Slingsby AUS extended his lead with another race win to 9 points. The best of the day Rasmus Mygren SWE (2 and 3 yesterday) is now on 3rd, Andreas Geritzer AUT advanced on rank 3 with the day ranks 1 and 5, tied with the former 2nd Tonci Stipanovic CRO. Out of the title race prematurely is the Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR who collected his third penalty for pumping, a DNE (non-discardable) disqualification. Mixed emotions for David Wright CAN, new on rank 5 overall after a discard (rank 21) and a race win yesterday. Charlie Buckingham USA drops on rank 47. The rankings, the daily report and the videos.

The ISAF Midyear Meeting having taken place at Stresa near Milano ITA during the last few days decided in favor of Kiteboarding instead of Windsurfing as the new Olympic event. At the same time, the Nacra 17 catamaran will be the equipment for the new 'Mixed-Multihull' event and the Mackay FX (a 49er with a smaller rig) will be in use in the new 'Women-Skiff' event. These decisions come into effect during the next 2013-16 Olympiad leading to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Commission is now responsible to present the race format to be used in this new event at the ISAF Annual Meeting in November this year. The official ISAF report.

With 480 miles to go, the slack conditions make the final approach to the finish line full of tension, as the gap between the leading duo with 'Puma' of Ken Read USA and 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) is still only 17 miles. 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) however has lost some ground and is now 47 miles behind. The fastest for the moment is 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA) reducing the gap to 99 miles. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The 49ers are the next Olympic Class to start with the 2012 World Championship, this time at the Croatian Adriatic Sea Coast. And here again, it is not only the Worlds title at stake, but also the last five Olympic berths. The defending champions Nathan Outteridge/Ian Jensen AUS are again the favorites for the title. During the first days, the winds will be rather light, and this enlarges the number of potential medal winners. 77 teams from 34 nations participate. CAN is represented by four, the USA by one skiff. The US top 49ers Storck/Moore are not on the entry list (due to injury). The event-website and the official preview. Not sailing are of course the two-times Olympic medalists Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez ESP, overall leader with their 'Telefonica' in the 2011/2 Volvo Ocean Race. They plan to jump on a 49er after finishing the VOR in June to make the impossible happen to sail for Olympic Gold after a sucsessful Round-the-World Race ! The report.

The slow drag race went on yesterday in the middle of the Atlantic, and in light winds of up to 10 kn, the two-person teams all progressed at similar speeds. While 'Cercle Vert' with Gildas Morvan/Charlie Dalin FRA on top sailing deeper extended their lead on the second-ranked Tabarly/Péron FRA to 38 miles. But the ranks 3-7 are separated by 8 miles only. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

After the first day of the Women's Match Race USSTAG Olympic Qualification finals in Weymouth GBR, it is Anna Tunnicliffe USA with her team who clearly lead over Team Sally Barkow USA with a 4-1 advantage in this best-of-six series. The report.

The breeze was less strong than on Saturday yesterday, filling in with 10-12 on Sunday final day of the GP Ambassadeurs of the SNG. Winning two of the four races on the program, 'Alinghi' with Ernesto Bertarelli SUI closed the gap on 'Realstone' with Jerôme Clerc SUI, leading so far. With more race wins, it was 'Alinghi' who took the top place in this first event of the 2012 Vulcain Trophy. 'Artemis' with Torbjörn Tornquist SWE and Paul Cayard USA as tactician. The rankings and the report.

Difficult conditions with shifty and varying winds between 10 and 13 kn prevailed on day two of the Laser Standard World Championship at the German Baltic Sea coast. During the second race of the day, the breeze considerably decreased. But the defending champion Tom Slingsby AUS did not bother about and defended his leading position with the day ranks 1 and 4. Considering the discard result, he is now on the top place overall with race wins only. Tonci Stipanovic CRO remains the first chaser three points behind together with the tied Tom Burton AUS on rank 3. Andy Maloney NZL follows on the 4th place while Simon Grotelüschen GER advanced on rank 5. The Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR is now - thanks to the discarded race - on position 9. David Wright CAN is 7th, Charlie Buckingham USA moved up on rank 29, thanks to a race win and the discard coming into effect. The results, the report of the day and the video of the day.

Unusual South wind entering the Bay of Hyères over the Porquerolles Island prevailed on the first day of the Starboat World Championship creating difficult conditions. After some start postponements, the wind established around 10-15 kn to allow for the only race of the day.
With an impressive start-to-finish victory, Xavier Rohart/Pierre-Alexis Ponsot FRA demonstrated their excellent form. Lööf/Salminen SWE and O'Leary/Burrows IRL follow on the ranks 2 and 3. In the tight fight for the remaining four Olympic berths, it was the former Tornado Olympic Champion Fernando Echevarri ESP with Fernando Rodriguez ESP as crew who set a first mark finishing 4th. Andersen/Just DEN as 9th, Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT as 10th and Lovrovic/Lovrovic CRO as 11th occupy at present the remaining quota places. Clarke/Björn CAN 12th and Mendelblatt/Fatih USA 13th are the best North Americans. The results, the well edited video of the day and the report (f) and in English.

Light winds, yesterday around 10 kn, shaped again the day during leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race. 'Puma' with Ken Read USA extended her lead to 28 miles on 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) and 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) following closely together. The light-wind condition will probably further delay the arrival, as there are still 790 miles or roughly four days to Miami FL to sail. Some teams are already now short of food ! The race-viewer, the daily report and the Videos.

Light winds around 10 kn continue to rule the Transat of the 10 meter one-design yachts with two-person teams. The trade-wind zone has slightly moved southwards, leaving now all teams in similar air streams on their way to the finish line. No position changes happened during the last hours, but the gaps between the boats increased again. 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) leads 28 miles ahead of 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA), while 'Les recycleurs Bretons' (Bothuon/Troel FRA) follow 48 miles behind the leaders. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Three races were held on the Frisco Bay Saturday for the various dinghy classes. Favorites Howie Hamlin in the 5o5, Johnny Heineken (Kite) and Tracy Usher (Laser) are leading the rankings. See all results. The Inaugural Moth Slalom was won by Charlie McKee.

The nine teams sailed demanding six races off Geneva in a 12-18 kn of wind from the Southwest. A number of critical moments including a capsize of 'Zen Too' characterized the day. 'Realstone' with Jerôme Clerc SUI defended the lead ahead or 'Alinghi' with Ernesto Bertarelli SUI. Among the winners of the day was also 'Artemis' with Torbjörn Tornquist SWE and Paul Cayard USA calling tactics, moving up on rank 3. The report and the rankings.

The Dragon Grand Prix Guyader ended yesterday with a light wind race, and Jens Christensen DEN took the overall victory ahead of Markus Wieser UKR and Dmitry Samokhin RUS. Ed Sawyer USA on 'Clairvoyant' with Martin Payne GBR and Join Mortimer USA lost his remarkable rank in the top-20s dropping on position 47 after not-finishing the last race. The results.
Yesterday the speed races began as well: The big 50 to 70 foot trimarans, the IMOCA Open 60 and the Kites did several runs. The best of the day Sébastien Josse FRA on a MOD 70 reached 27,03 kn. The wind was too light for the kite-surfers. Bruno Sronka FRA reached only 17,5 kn. The report and the videos.

With the two Semi-Final Rounds complete in the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, two teams advance to the Final Round, a first-to-six series. Anna Tunnicliffe's 'Team Maclaren' with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi will meet Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly to decide who will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympic Games this summer. Read the complete report.

As tune-up to the 'Sail for Gold' Regatta in Weymouth in early June, the Finn UK National Championship has an excellent Finn fleet on the starting line. After two races, Giles Scott GBR is leading 5 points ahead of Ben Ainslie GBR. The report. The complete results have not yet been attached to the event-website this Sunday morning.

Clear skies and favorable winds prevailed over Chesapeake Bay today during day two of the 2012 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta, which saw top-tier racing from all 17 boat classes. The prime conditions also paved the way for a dramatic final day of competition tomorrow at the Annapolis leg of the largest sailing series in the country. The Farr 30 Class, which has seen a resurgence in recent years, saw a strong fleet of 16 boats from as far away as Sweden, Canada and California navigate the Chesapeake Bay course with masterful precision. In the end, 'Groovederci' from Santa Barbara, Ca. squeaked out the class’s top spot with a three race score of six-points. Read the full report and see all results.

Plenty of action is going on in North-America this weekend. Check the provisional results after the first day on regattanetwork.com.

Split in three fleets, the Lasers sailed their first two races of the 2012 World Championship yesterday in a 10-15 kn breeze. Winning both races of his fleet, the defending World Champion Tom Slingsby AUS has already taken the overall lead, followed by Tonci Stipanovic CRO and Rutger Schaardenburg NED on the ranks 2 and 3. Rasmus Mygren SWE and Andreas Geritzer AUT are on the positions 4 and 5. Only five sailors succeeded to book two single-digit results yesterday in this highest competitive Olympic class. Already struggling however is the Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR, penalised twice for pumping and forced to abandon race 2. The best-ranked North-American sailor so far is David Wright CAN on the 12th place overall. There is room for improvement for the US Lasers with Robert Crane as best on rank 31 behind four Canadians. Ramon Gonzales PUR is 84th, Yanik Gentry MEX 128th.
The report, the video of the day and the results.

Yesterday, the Practice Race was sailed in the Bay of Hyères in very light and shifty winds, but as always, most participants abandoned the race prematurely. Today at 10 a.m. UCT, the start will be give to the first race, according to the wind forecast with an unusual south wind and thundery weather. Finally, 69 teams from 31 nations will be on the starting line. The video of the day and the event-website.

Entlang der karibischen Insel-Kette hat sich das Spitzen-Duo 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) und 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) in den vergangenen 24 Stunden bei leichten achterlichen Winden im Gleichtakt fortbewegt, der Abstand beträgt weiterhin 8 Meilen. Mit einem Schlag gegen Süden hat 'Camper' nun allerdings etwas frischere Winde, gut möglich, dass es schon bald zu einem Leader-Wechsel kommt. Etwas zurückgefallen ist dagegen 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP), ihr Abstand ist auf 27 Meilen angewachsen. 'Groupama' auf Rang 4 konnte den Rückstand dagegen auf 93 Meilen verringern. Der Race-Viewer, der Tagesbericht und die Videos.

The fleet is separating and stretching more and more searching for wind. Gildas Morvan/Charlie Dalin FRA on their 'Cercle vert' stick to a direct westerly course to the port of destination and this strategy resulted in an extension of their lead 33 miles up to now. 'Nacarat' with Erwan Tabarly/Eric Péron FRA on the other side try to find their luck going South where fresher winds prevail. This morning, their speed was 2 kn faster than the leaders'. 1'500 miles are left to the finish. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Racing in the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta got underway in Weymouth/Portland, UK, with a significant portion of the Semi-final Round completed. Although the day started out with grey skies and light wind, the conditions improved to allow the Race Committee to complete four races in Flight A and five in Flight B. In the 'first-to-six wins' round, there are two pairings. The first, Flight A, completed four races. Anna Tunnicliffe's 'Team Maclaren' with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi leads Stephanie Roble’s team of Maggie Shea and Darby Smith with four wins, zero losses. In Flight B, five races were held. Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard Leonard and Jenn Chamberlin lead Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly with three wins to Barkow’s two losses. Read the complete report and see all results.

The Decision 35 catamaran circuit, the Vulcain Trophy, began yesterday with the first event, the Trophée Ambassadeurs, organised by the SN Geneva. The nine teams sailed four races, initially in a light north-easterly breeze, during the later afternoon shifting to a fresh west wind exceeding 20 kn. 'Realstone', the team of the Geneva Centre d'Entraînement à la régate CER with Jerôme Clerc SUI steering took the overall lead with two race wins, followed by 'Alinghi' with Ernesto Bertarelli SUI and 'Ladycat' with Dona Bertarelli SUI (with Yann Guichard FRA as tactician) on the ranks 2 and 3. Among the participants also the America's Cup Challenger of Records 'Artemis' with Torbjörn Tornquist SWE and Paul Cayard USA, 'with little "rust" from not having sailed competitively in the boat for six months'. Above all, sailing upwind on starboard tack in the last race, the day ended by colliding with 'Zen Too' (with Fred Le Peutrec FRA, skipper of AC 'China Team'), but the cats are back at the SNG for a repair over night. See Paul Cayard's report, the official report and the results.

More than 200 masts descended upon Chesapeake Bay today to kickoff the Annapolis leg of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta, the largest sailboat racing series in the country. And despite weak winds and stormy conditions that lingered throughout the day, eight of the 17 boat classes competing in the event were able to complete races. Highlighting day one were strong showings from local Annapolis boats in the J/22 class, which is one of the largest competing this weekend and is also holding its East Coast Championships in conjunction with the event. The top three placing boats in the 36 boat class all hail from Annapolis. Read the full report and see all results.

Rain and no wind caused another unplanned lay day yesterday at Douarnenez, and the Dragons' rankings remain unchanged with one race only and Ben Van Cauwenberghe BEL on top ahead of Henrik Larsen UKR and Dmitry Samokhin RUS. Ed Sawyer USA and his team are 17th. The IMOCA Open 60 did not yet sail so far. The report.

The Antigua Sailing Week 2012 ended yesterday with a final coastal race, an event with dream sailing conditions for the over 100 teams, mostly in a breeze exceeding 20 kn and summery temperatures. Again were among the participants not only boats from the America's but also a number of teams from Europe. All results, the final report and the videos.

Last Tuesday, the Kornati Cup 2012 ended at the Croatian Adriatic Coast, the first of a series of events organised by Pitter-Yachting with charter yachts. Almost 100 teams from 10 nations participated in the four-days' competition. The results, the videos and the reports. The next Pitter-Yachting event will be the Business-Cup in two weeks from now.

The Practice Race was started yesterday in a light wind, but nobody finished the test. For today, the weather forecast is more promising with a south-westerly breeze of 15 to 20 kn. The start to the first race of the Laser Standard World Championship will be given at 1 p.m. UCT. Two races are on the program for today. The Event Website.

The Starboat World Championship 2012 - probably the last one as Olympic class - begins today with the Practice Race in the Bay of Hyères FRA. In addition to the fight for the title with the usual favorites Scheidt/Prada BRA, Percy/Simpson GBR, Lööf/Salminen SWE, Kusznierewicz/Zycki POL and Rohart/Ponsot FRA - all former World Champions - , the fight for the remaining four Olympic berths will be exciting. Contrary to the last Worlds in Perth AUS, where a number of strong nations did not participate, all sailing nations are present with their best teams such as Pepper/Taylor NZL - also a former World Champions even capable to reach the podium in Hyères - , Hestbaek/Olesen DEN back in the Star since 6 months, as are Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT, both former Finn resp Laser Champions. Getting better from race to race is also the former Tornado World Champion Fernando Echevarri ESP with Fernando Rivero ESP as crew. Croatia is represented with three teams. And last but not least always ready for a surprise Papathanassiou/Tsotras GRE.
Ready for a medal are also the best two German teams Stanjek/Kleen GER and Polgar/Koy GER. The largest delegation with 14 boats comes from Switzerland, while the USA and CAN are represented by two teams each only. Clarke/Björn CAN and Mendelblatt/Fatih USA have outsider chances for a medal.
78 teams from 31 nations are on the entry list.
After the very windy Semaine Olympique of the last week, the weather forecast is rather moderate. For the first two days, thunderstorms with circling winds have been announced. Lateron, a moderate seabreeze is expected. The Event-Website.

Meanwhile, the five Volvo-70s' fleet has reached the Carribean islands. Leader along the French Antilles is still 'Puma' with Ken Read USA , but since this night, the chasers have the advantage of a fresher breeze. 'Camper' NZL (Chris Nicholson NZL) follows 8 miles behind, 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) was 17 miles back this morning. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

A leader change happened on day 13 of the Transat AG2R. With roughly half the distance across the Atlantic sailed, the two-person teams are still looking for well established trade-winds. While the leading duo - now with Morvan/Dalin FRA on their 'Cercle Vert' as first - still sails in a moderate 12 kn breeze, the fleet behind is continuously reducing the gap. Behind the second-ranked 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA, 12 miles back), 'Les Recycleurs Bretons' with Bothuon/Troel FRA are now 37 miles back. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The second part of the GP Guyader began last Wednesday in the Bay of Douarnenez. Participating are the Dragons with a World-Championship-worthy fleet, as well as the IMOCA Open 60 for once not as a solo class but sailed by teams. One race was sailed on the first day, but yesterday, there was not enough wind for further races. First ranked in the Dragons are Ben Van Cauwenbergh BEL and his team ahead of Henrik Larsen UKR and Dmitri Samokhin RUS. Ed Sawyer USA and his team were 17th. The first race of the IMOCA Open 60 has been postponed to today yesterday. The event-website.

The 2012 Laser Standard World Championship begins today at the German Baltic Sea Coast with the Practice Race. Three months before the Olympic Regatta, this is the most important last encounter of this most-powerful Olympic Class. The defending World Champion Tom Slingsby AUS and members of the OZ Sailing Teams, as well as the strong British squad, led by the Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR will be challenged by the increasingly strong German team on its home waters. Simon Grotelüschen GBR, selected for the Olympics, was the winner of the Palma ESP World Cup event, and Philipp Buhl GER was first at the Hyères FRA. World Cup. 169 participants from 61 nations are on the entry list.
Charie Buckingham and Robert Crane represent the USA. Other North American sailors come from Canada (7 boats), Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The event-website.

Good sailing conditions around 20 kn allow a fast approach towards the Carribeans for the VOR-70 fleet. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) is still first 5 miles ahead of 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL). The third 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) has lost some ground as is now 18 miles behind 'Puma'. But within the next 24 hours, the top trio will again encounter some light wind zones and nothing is decided yet. Over 1'600 miles are left to Miami FL. The race-viewer, the reports and the videos.

The leading duo - at present, 'Cerlcle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) is 7,6 miles in front of 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) - has been slowed down as first, and part of the advantage has gone. The 3rd-ranked 'Skipper Macif' (Meilhat/Delahaye FRA) has reduced the backlog to 38 miles. The wind forecast announces light winds for the time being, and a merger of the fleet in not impossible in the days ahead. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Some minor changes in the ISAF World Rankings happened after the Hyères Worldcup event. The new number 1 in the Starboats are Eidvind Melleby/Pettar Pedersen NOR, Outteridge/Jensen AUS regained the first place of the 49ers. In the Windsurfers, the Polish athletes extended their leads, occupying the first two positions in both the men's and women's categories. Poland remains therefore on top of the nations rankings, where 17 nations are represented with top-3 ranked sailors.
NorAm sailors in the top-10 ranks are: Women Matchrace Anna Tunnicliffe 1st, Sally Barkow 6th, 4th places have McNay/Biehl 470m, Clark/Lihan 470w, Clarke/Björn CAN Starboat, and a 6th position has Paige Railey Laser Radial. USA, CAN, MEX are not represented in nations' rankings.
The ISAF report and all ranking lists.

Today is the first day of the 2012 ISAF Midyear Meeting with the highly awaited selection of the equipment for the new Olympic events Women Skiff and Mixed Multihull on the Agenda. Furthermore, the decision whether Windsurfing will be replaced by Kite-Surfing will be taken. We have informed earlier about the trials held in Spain end of March. According to some comments from the test drivers, the Nacra 17-Katamaran and the RS800 or Mackay FX skiffs are favorites. But the ISAF decisions are never predictable, as politics and self-interest play an important role. The Midyear-Meeting lasts until Sunday. The ISAF preview.

As expected, the winner of leg 4 of the Global Ocean Race from Punta del Este URU to Charlestion USA was again 'Cessna Citation' of Conrad Coleman/Scott Cavagnough NZL, the only new generation Class 40 still in the race. The Italian 'Financial Crisis' with Marco Nannini ITA/Sergio Frattaruolo SLO arrived yesterday as 2nd ranked. The report.

Crossing the doldrums, the leading trio is now sailing closely together in freshening-up trade winds direction Carribeans. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) still has the lead, but 'Camper' Chris Nicholson NZL) was only 0,5 miles behind this morning. 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP follows 3 miles back. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The Europeans of the 29XX class, candidate for the Olympic women skiff, ended yesterday with four races sailed in a 12-15 kn breeze. A class of their own were the Danish teams, winning all 13 races. Jena Hansen/Katja Salskov DEN earned the title three points ahead of Caroline Heerema/Marie Thusgaard DEN. Victoria Jurczok/Anika Lorenz GER completed the podium winning the Bronze medal. 10 teams from 7 nations racing. The final rankings and the report.

Last Sunday, the Contender World Championship in Florida ended with an Italian double victory. Antonio Lambertini ITA earned the Gold medal after 9 races completed ahead of Giovanni Bonzio ITA and Sören Andreasen DEN. Joachim Harpprecht GER as 4th missed the podium by 10 points Ethan Bixby USA on position 5 is the best American helmsman. 42 partidipants of 9 nations on the final ranking list.

The fleet is spreading out even more while sailing across the Atlantic in a constant moderate 15-18 kn breeze. The leading duo 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) and 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA), separated by 8 miles only, again increased the advantage on the fleet on their westerly course, and is now already 70 miles ahead of the first chaser 'Credit Mutuel - Bretagne' (Marchand/Attanasio FRA). The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Moderate winds and sunshine prevailed yesterday on the last day of the GP Guyader part one off Douarnenez FRA. Armel Le Cléac'h FRA was the winner of the 60 miles coastal race of the IMOCA Open 60 and at the same time also Act I of the Open 60. In the M34, Daniel Souben FRA and his 'Courrier Dunkerque' team moved on top overall with two race wins. In the Dragons, Jens Christensen DEN was first ahead of Stephan Link GER and Jörgen Schönherr DEN. All ranking lists and the daily report.

After two days of big breeze, day three of Antigua Sailing Week saw similar conditions for the competitors. However the Ocean mark laid for today’s big boats was a new addition. It took over 300 feet of line to lay the mark four miles off the leeward coast of Antigua. The sizeable yachts in CSA 1 were an awesome sight today, smashing through the start line to windward through the Caribbean surf and after coming off the wind at the Ocean mark, the yachts speared off downwind, bow up, accelerating off big waves to surf at speeds of 20 knots plus. Read the full report, see all results and watch the video of the day.

The sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race is now in its crucial phase. The leading boats have reached the innertropical convergence zone, the doldrums, with unpredictable thunderstorms and calm zones. Who-ever gets out the first reaching the Northern trade winds, will have a substantial advantage pulling away from the rest of the fleet. 'Puma' with Ken Read USA is still holding the first position, but 'Camper' (Chris Nichoilson NZL) and 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) reduced the gap during the past night on 7, respectively 13 miles, importantly, are two miles faster than 'Puma'. Lost ground have however 'Abu Dhabi' (Ian Walker GBR, backlog 109 miles) and 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA, backlog 133 miles). The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Ideal conditions at the begin of day 3 with a 15 kn breeze at the Costa Brava and three races were sailed again. But lateron, the wind increased to over 20 kn, that was too much for the 'large' 29xx women's skiff. The Danish duel on top of the rankings continues with Jena Mai Hansen/Katja Slakskov-Ivernsen now as first one point ahead of Caroline Heerema/Marie Thusgaard Olsen DEN. Sara Diaz/ Marta Capdevila ESP follow one point behind on rank 3. The team of the day Victoria Jurczok/Anika Lorenz GER moved up on rank 4. The official report and the ranking list.

The second day of Antigua Sailing Week will be remembered for sparkling racing conditions which piped up at the end of the day to deliver some high octane racing in the sublime waters on the leeward side of Antigua. So far Antigua Sailing Week has produced dream-like conditions. Heavy upwind work with warm sea spray breaking over the deck rewarded with a wild ride downwind through the deep blue Caribbean surf. Read the full report and see all results.

After a day with some fresher winds, the teams are now again approaching a lull zone along the coast of Venezuela. The fleet is still very close together. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) keeps the first place had a 20 miles lead on 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) this morning. 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) follows closely behind on rank 3. Even 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA) sailing at the end of the fleet has reduced the gap on the leaders to 114 miles. The outcome of the race is still fully open. The race.viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The fleet has passed the way point off the Canaries and is proceeding southwards in an only light trade wind. The leading duo 'Nacarat' (Tabarly/Péron FRA) and 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) has extended the lead slightly. 'Skipper Macif' (Meilhat/Delahya FRA) on the 3rd place is now 15 miles behind. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

Two more crazy races were conducted in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday leaving Ryan DeVos on Volpe with winning America's Cup helmsman Ed Baird as tactician and crew of Scott Nixon, Sam Rogers, Mike Hill, Drew Weirda and Scott Martins as 2012 Melges 32 East Coast Champions. In second overall, Jason Carroll on Argo finished with equal points, yet lost the tiebreaker to DeVos. From Italy, Lanfranco Cirillo's Fantastica remained in the hunt all day to finish third overall. Read the full report and see the complete results.

There was some electrifying action on the first day of Antigua Sailing Week. Big breeze and lumpy seas were the order of the day for the first race with more exciting action and drama to get the regatta off to a blistering start. Peter Harrison's Farr 115, Sojana corrected out to win CSA 1A today but there was a dramatic rescue in CSA 1B. Stefan Lehnert was understandably concerned when his son, Phillip went over board from Tripp 56, Passion 4C during a broach when approaching the Half Moon mark. Read the full report, watch the video of the day and see all results.

The five Volvo 70 have passed the most Eastern point of Brazil yesterday and are now reaching the freshening trade-winds. The boats are now even closer together with 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) leading only 7 miles ahead of 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) and another 4 miles farther behind 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP). The event-website.

Light winds prevailed yesterday at Douarnenez for the first day of the Grand Prix Guyader. Winner of the only race of the large Dragon fleet was Jörgen Schönherr DEN ahead of Jewgenij Braslavets UKR and Alexander Ezkhov RUS. The M34 sailed two heats and 'Credit Mutuel Bretagne' (Nicolas Troussel FRA) is the first leader. The results and the report.

The second day of racing in Palm Beach at the 2012 Melges 32 East Coast Championship was nothing short of dramatic. Three more races, a near perfect 12-15 knots of breeze, overcast skies and big seas put a wild spin on the leaderboard. Jason Carroll on Argo now leads the 16-strong fleet, ahead by three. Lanfranco Cirillo’s Fantastica shuffled back to finish the day second overall. Ryan DeVos on Volpe tumbled from second overnight to finish the day in third. Five points now separate the top three. Read the full report and see the complete results.

The fleet passed the control point North of La Palma yesterday in an unchanged sequence with 'Nacarat' (Duthill/Péron FRA) ahead of 'Cercle Vert' (Morvan/Dalin FRA) and 'Gédiamt' (Chabagny/Pratt FRA). The Race Viewer and the daily report.

There was drama right from the start of the 2012 Yachting World Round Antigua Race: Squally conditions intensified the trade winds to churn up the swell into a foaming powerful sea state with rogue waves reaching over three metres. The feisty conditions caused at least two retirements due to gear failure. Read the full report.

The 'Tour de Belle Île' has grown to an important event at the French Atlantic coast with 502 boats on the entry list of the 5th edition this year, including the opening regatta for the new MOD-70 circuit. Light winds prevailed and the winner Sébastien Josse FRA (‘Groupe Edmond de Rothschild’) with 4h 48min was far from the previous record of 2h 42min. Michel Desjoyeaux FRA (‘Foncia’) and Yann Guichard FRA (‘Spindrift Racing’) completed the podium. Alain Gautier FRA (‘Sensation Océan’) finished 2 minutes behind on his old ORMA-60, Loïck Féquet FRA (‘Maître Jacques’) was the first Multi-50 to cross the finish line. The details.

The 29erxx European Championship began yesterday at the Costa Brava ESP with 5 races sailed in a 15 kn breeze. 10 women teams from 7 nations participate. Leaders in the interims rankings are Caroline Herremaa/Marie Thusgaard DEN. Unfortunately, the event-website does not yet contain race results.