Ecstatic Win for Telefonica Blue in Volvo Ocean Race Leg Four

QINGDAO, CHINA, January 29, 2009 (The Boating Channel) - In a leg that has been full of drama, bravery and courage, Bouwe Bekking and his men racing Telefónica Blue have pulled off their second leg win a row to take first place on the podium in Qingdao, China, after sailing immaculately.

Shortly before crossing the finish in thick fog at 0700 GMT (1500 local time), after racing for 11 days, 2 hours and 26 seconds (11d:02h:00m:25s), Bekking said, “I feel far from comfortable. Even if it should go wrong, the guys should all feel like the moral winners of the leg; they sailed like champions.” [More...]

Artemis Transat Fleet Prepares for Sunday Departure

PLYMOUTH, UK, May 9, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

The clock is ticking down in the Barbican, the medieval center of Plymouth where 23 skippers prepare for the start of the Artemis Transat 2008. The single-hand race across the Atlantic leaves from Pylmouth on Sunday, May 11. The Class 40 fleet will head for Marblehead, Massachusetts, 2,739 miles away, while the IMOCA fleet will travel 2,743 miles to finish in Boston harbor.

The course includes gates (obligatory points of passage), in a zone where ice floes represent a huge danger. Four years ago, the skippers set themselves a waypoint to avoid the icebergs and growlers, and for this thirteenth edition ice has already been spotted to the South of the banks of Newfoundland (41°30 North). [More... ]

5 U.S. Teams to Compete in Qingdao International Disabled Sailors Regatta

Ten members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics have landed in Qingdao, China, and are preparing for five days of racing at the International Association For Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Qingdao International Regatta.

The U.S. has sent five of its top-ranked teams to this May 11-15 event. Although it is not an official test event, the IFDS Qingdao International Regatta will serve as the most realistic training the teams and the organizers will see before the Paralympic Games in the fall. Head Coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) says in an email from China, “There is no substitute for practicing at the venue in preparation for the big show.” [More... ]