Enoshima: The Sailing Venue for Tokyo Olympics

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Time is running for both nations and the athletes to prepare for the conditions before the Tokyo Olympics 2020 starts after six months. The host is very much responsible for the preparation of the venue and it is mandatory for each of the sporting federations to manage the entire procedure. Alastair Fox, the World Sailing Director of Events is on point for ensuring that the Enoshima venue is fully ready before the big event. According to him, challenges will always come but it is important to know the way to overcome them. The main focus for him for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is to control the pollution especially for the sailing event which was the main concern for the Rio Olympics in the year 2016.


At first, the venue for the sailing event was decided at the Tokyo Bay, but later on, it was seen that it is just underneath the pathway for Haneda Airport. Out of the three venues as an alternative, Fox found that Enoshima would be perfect for the event. Moreover, if Tokyo Bay would have been the venue, the possibility of pollution would be there. The quality of water and the conditions for sailing are just up to the mark for the event to take place in the Olympics. According to him, sailors will be happy to sail their yachts at Enoshima because it has everything- northerly winds, light, the breeze from the big sea and waves.

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SeaDream to Launch a New Ship to Sail Globally

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Sea Dream, the luxury cruise based in Miami is ordered for a new ship in order to make their place in their expedition market.

Sea Dream Innovation is going to be a 220 passenger ship. It is going to be the third ship of the company and the first inclusion in the fleet since the year 2001. The inaugural voyage of the ship is one September in the year 2021. This will be a seventy-day tour around the world which will include two-day in Miami. The existing ship, Sea Dream I and Sea Dream II are presently sailing with 7 day trip to small ports in the Caribbean.

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80-Meter Superyacht Project Cosmos By Heesen

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Today, Heesen Yachts revealed the details of Project Cosmos; Seen to be a massive 80m with a top speed of 29 knots, she will be the yard’s largest yacht building to date and the fastest in its class, making a number of new technological advances for the iconic Dutch shipyard. The card was for speed and size, combined with the aesthetic appeal of a contemporary sports car. The combination of speed, aluminum and length required Heesen to devise new methods to bring longitudinal strength into the design without adding the overall structure of extra weight.

Heesen is a world leader in large aluminum yachts and has developed a brand new patent: ‘The spine’ reminiscent of the I-beam. ‘I’ section design means that it is far stronger than a metal plate – you can bend a flat bar, but you cannot bend an I’ beam.

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Hobart Yacht Race In Sydney

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The Hobart yacht race had been held in 2017 in Sydney and Ran Tan II was the 17th to come across the finishing line. For Brian Petersen, who was on this boat, he set sail in this race on Boxing Day and he was sure to finish in three days at the time when he set sail. The team had even booked accommodation for staying in Hobart on 29th December. That was the plan for the crew of the boat that was nine in number. They were confident that they would reach Hobart in time as per the hotel check in time.

 

However the course was raced even faster and Ran Tan II was able to complete the course in a day in advance, being 23 hours, 34 minutes and 4 seconds before their estimated or goal time of reaching the shore. The team was understandably happy with the time they finished the race in; indeed, having reached the shores of Hobart a day ahead, the first night was spent on the boat. The crews were only Kiwis and the Ran Tan II was part of an ocean race that is often considered one of the most challenging races that is conducted from the Sydney Harbor. There had been challenged that the boat faced, especially having to compete with an 80 ft yacht with an Elliot 50 vessel that their boat was.

However, having kept up a good speed throughout, Petersen admits that the race was akin to a dream run as they were able to hit speeds that they had never done before, the breeze taking them as high as 37 knots. They were also fearsome that some problem would develop, but the boat stood in good stead throughout and hence, the race was a great one for the Ran Tan II.

Controversial Yachtie Jimmy Spithill Looks Forward To Sailing With Kiwi Crew

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Jimmy Spithill has been called a few choice names by many Kiwis over the years.


But this controversial Australian yachtie is adamant he’s looking forward to racing up Northland’s east coast on a New Zealand boat with Kiwi crew.

As a skipper and helmsman, Spithill has won the America’s Cup twice, once for BMW Oracle Racing in 2010 and Oracle Team USA in 2013.

Then he lost defending the Auld Mug in June, memorably bequeathing his throne to Team New Zealand at the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda.

Jimmy Spithill is now an unexpected starter in the annual PIC Insurance Brokers Coastal Classic offshore sailing race from Auckland’s Devonport Wharf to Russell in the Bay of Islands, starting on October 20.

He will be one of the crew members on the Orma 60 trimaran, Frank Racing. In 2014, the boat broke the race record by sailing the 119 nautical mile “drag race” in five hours and 13 minutes.

The race usually features around 150 starters in everything from small keel boats to high-performance mono-hulls and multi-hulls.

Frank Racing owner and skipper Simon Hull said Spithill would be positioned as a tactician on the boat, “but it would be silly not to use his driving skills”.

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Hanuman Conquers First America’s Cup Superyacht Race

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There are three races for the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta.


The first race of this regatta was won by Hanuman and that too after making a bad start. Hanuman had to return and re-cross the line for starting too early. But, this delay did not affect Hanuman in any way as it came back from behind to win the first race of the Superyacht regatta as part of the 35th edition of the America’s Cup.

The breeze blew to the advantage of Hanuman and the crew was able to guide it smoothly in the waters. They were positioned on the favored side. They got the better of Velsheda close to the first windward mark. This is the same crew that won the six J class yacht fleet in March at the Saint Barths Bucket. Hanuman was perfect for the light breeze in Bermuda and it looked very quicker than the other boats in the 5 to 9 knot breeze.

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World Sailing Moves To London

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The headquarters of World Sailing will relocate to Central London from Southampton in late summer this year.


The location change for the International Federation was done after a prolonged evaluation process of feasible location. It was undertaken in November 2016 since the election of the Board of Directors and a new President. The main criteria for evaluating included connectivity or ease of access for stakeholders and members of World Sailing. In addition, it was also to retain the current staff and international diversity with best quality employment base. Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Geneva, Winchester, Lausanne and Southampton were evaluated by World Sailing. Among these locations, Winchester, Barcelona and Southampton were shortlisted by the Board of Directors of World Sailing in the end of 2016 prior to the announcement of Central London.

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Higgins And Marsh Makes History Winning 505 Nationals

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Veterans Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh of Brighton of Seacliff Yacht Club made history in the 2017 W.E.S.S Australian 505 Championship by winning the title for the sixth time.


They participated in the five-race series sailing Hawaii Five-O and gave consistent performance in all regattas. The American sailors Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel in IO Integration came second and the Canberra team consisting of Daniel Keys and Daryl Roos reached third.

The sailors, as well as the race committee, felt that the regatta was the most challenging of all there were no racing for two days and one race being completed in two days. The third day so multiple races in challenging southeasterly conditions.

It seems the knowledge about the local conditions helped Higgins and marsh in the Adelaide regatta. During the entire event, there was no sign of the traditional sea breeze.

On the final day only one race was permitted to sail, according to the notice of Race and Higgins started the race as the leader with four points clear of Holt. Higgins said that his strategy was to get back to Holt as soon as the one-minute gate start was completed.

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Wally Cross About Stadium Sailing

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Stadium sailing is a certain category of sailing that is being considered for change.


Wally Cross who is a professional in the world of sail making as well as director of Grosse Pointe Yacht Club points out some action plans that he and others have in mind to bring about changes in stadium sailing. Indeed, this is a format of sailing that is unknown to yacht clubs. Hence, there is an opportunity here which is worth exploring. PSL or premiere sailing league aims at providing boats in different yachting destinations. This business helps to create the stadium like environment that makes sailing, exciting and more alive for the viewers. The regional clubs would have challenges and then move to national levels.

The concept was given a try at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Michigan this year in September. About ten boats of the J/70s category were competing in four divisions in Detroit.

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