Ocean Racing

Sent!

by Sail Staff, Posted February 12, 2008

Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall completed their non-stop circumnavigation aboard their Open 60, Paprec-Virbac 2, to win the first edition of the Barcelona World Race, a non-stop, shorthanded (2 crew, total) round-the-world race. Initial speculation put the total time required for the race at around 80 days; the winning duo sent the course in a total of 92 days, 8 hours, 49 minuets, and

Global WiFi

by Sail Staff, Posted March 10, 2008

One of the biggest wildcards in the next Volvo Ocean Race will be the role of the dedicated media man. This crewmember will not have an actual sailing role (it remains to be seen if he/she can even help out with domestic duties such as cleaning the galley), but instead will be responsible for shooting still- and video footage of the boats as they rip their way around the world. This job will

New Race on the Block

by David Schmidt, Posted April 15, 2008

The Corinthians Association announced the starting date for a new, U.S. Sailing-sanctioned Category 2 distance race that will begin on Sunday, July 27, 2008 in the waters off Stonington, Connecticut. The Corinthians teamed up with the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club and the Boothbay Yacht Club (in Booth Bay, Maine) to offer a 332-nautical mile distance race that will end in the fabled lobstering

New Cat, New Colors

by David Schmidt, Posted April 23, 2008

If you thought that the Puma Avanti — formerly ABN Amro Two — sported an unusual paint job, baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Really, how many boats can you think of that boast an asymmetrical paint job? Likely zero, but that’s exactly what Puma rolled out of Goetz Custom Boats’ yard in Bristol, Rhode Island on Monday evening. The boat, which has been

The Named

by David Schmidt, Posted May 8, 2008

One of the closest-guarded secrets in American sailing circles has been the who’s-who roster for Puma Ocean Racing, Ken Read’s Puma-sponsored Volvo Open 70 team, the only U.S.-flagged entrant in the 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Many big names tried out for these 11 coveted spots, and Read has joked about receiving “death threats” from certain veteran ocean racers, should he pass them over for

Desjoyeaux Out

by Sail Staff, Posted May 16, 2008

He had the resume, the credibility, and the talent. What he hadn’t expected was the whale. French superstar sailor Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of the IMOCA 60 Foncia, and an early favorite to win the Artemis Transat race—he commanded a spot on the leader board early on—had an unexpected encounter with a whale on May 15 (Day 5 of the race), and was forced to retire.

Drawing Near

by Sail Staff, Posted May 22, 2008

This year’s Artemis Transat Race will go down in the record books as a race that no one wanted to lead: If you did, chances were good that you might face the woes of Michel Desjoyeaux, Seb Josse, and Vincent Riou, all of whom were doing well; all of whom were forced to retire due to either collision with marine life (Desjoyeaux and Riou) or gear failure (Josse). Now the race has taken a brighter

A Magic Third for Peyron

by Sail Staff, Posted May 24, 2008

By Kimball LivingstonAnd now he stands alone. With a crossing time of 12 days, 11 hours, , Lock Peyron won an unprecedented 3rd solo transatlantic race on Saturday, bringing Gitana Eighty across the finish line of the Artemis Transat with seven hours to spare over his nearest rival—and that was after diverting to pick up Vincent Riou from his imperiled

Wild Design

by Sail Staff, Posted May 27, 2008

If you thought the new Puma il mostro was wild looking from a graphic-design standpoint, Team Russia’s new steed is currently the heavy-weight champ of “different” from a design perspective. The boat, designed by UK-based designer Rob Humphreys and built by Green Marine (also in the UK), features distinctive spray rails on its bow section; long chines that run from the

Team Telefonica Optimized

by Sail Staff, Posted June 5, 2008

The Spanish-flagged Volvo Ocean Race team, Telefonica, this week announced the addition of two gold-medalist heavy hitters to their already-strong team of sailors. Spaniards Xabi Fernndez and Jordi Calafat — the former from Palma de Mallorca, the later from the Basque country — have signed on to sail under the leadership of Bouwe Bekking on the team’s Farr-designed VO70.