Continue reading »]]> The Select proved to be a hard race for the fleet with many retirements.

PHOTOS (Bruno Bouvry imagesdemer.com)

PODIUM

Proto    

                                      Series

RESULTS

Continue reading »]]> While in the Atlantic everyone is getting ready for the Demi Cle the Med keeps on with its calendar.

Prototype

Num	Bateaux	Equipage	Classement	Temps
342	FONTANOT	Michele ZAMBELLI  Enrico PODESTA	1	38h 43′ 01
811	KEY-PAX	Pacifico D’ETTORRE Renzo GROTTESI	2	41h 08′ 25
631	MA VIE	Andrea FARINA  Gianluca GELMINI	3	42h 41′ 21
437	GRF 91	Andrea FRASSINETTI  M. MASETTI	4	43h 50′ 45
798	CIMBRA	M. VERLATO  Gian Marco PEPE	5	45h 08′ 52
542	UNA VELA PER EMERGENCY	Tiziano ROSSETTI  Christoph DENKER	6	47h 11′ 33

Production boat

Num	Bateaux	Equipage	Classement	Temps
538	KEYLOG	Luca SABIU  Riccardo APOLLONI	1	40h 21′ 20
507	GOLDEN APPLE	Alberto BONA  Luca TOSI	2	41h 04′ 37
556	SMART OCEAN RACING	Federico CUCIUC  Stefano PALTRINIERI	3	41h 16′ 44
600	MONSTER	Davide LUSSO  Alexis ORSINO	4	41h 25′ 24
622	BIG JIM	Piero PLATONE  Andrea PIVOLI	5	43h 28′ 36
623	SPAZIO LIBERO	F. DE MESEL	6	43h 30′ 55
521	SPEEDYG	Marco ROSSI  Andrea LORENZI	7	43h 34′ 50
568	JOLIE ROUGE	Federico FORNARO  A. FORNARO	8	44h 09′ 08
682	UMPALUMPA	Andrea IACOPINI  Stella TOMMASO	9	44h 09′ 10
660	MADEMOISELLE IODEE	Véronique POUTIER  Hubert PAPET	10	44h 24′ 00
220	ARMENS	Gianpiero FRANCESE  Lisa LANTERI	11	45h 34′ 35
408	NEW	Pier Luigi PALMERO  F. ZIRONE	12	48h 25′ 45
459	CARETTA CARETTA	Riccardo CAO  Carlo MARONGIU	13	49h 11′ 38
355	PERLE DE SUEUR	Massimo CICARELLI  F. ANTONACCI	14	DNF
608	JANAINA	A. CASTELLI  M. BURLANDO	14	DNF

Continue reading »]]> The first 100 miles of Mini racing have been sailed already and here you can see the results.

Prototype

Num	Bateaux	Equipage	Classement	Temps
339	ELIMA	Edwin THIBON	1	17:12:00
395	C2O	Marine FEUERSTEIN	2	18:22:00

Production boat

Num	Bateaux	Equipage	Classement	Temps
658	MATCH BOX	Ronan DREANO	1	16:47:00
746	PETIT COLIBRI	Mathieu CLAVEAU	2	17:19:00
502	JEHOL	Pascal BRAUD	3	17:26:00
657	PEOR PARA EL SOL	Ruben CASTELLS SOLE	4	17:33:00
330	AVENTURE 05 BRIANCON	Christophe FIALON	5	17:40:00
613	LONESTAR	Jan HEINZE	6	18:15:00
453	GIN TONIC	Pol MAURICKX	7	18:52:00
288	EN TÊTE A TÊTE	Bernard-Pierre ASSEGNINOU	8	19:14:00
691	INTEMAN	Jose Daniel MARTIN MIGUEL	9	19:51:00

Continue reading »]]> AIR 2012 or Around Islands Race 2012 has been finally confirmed as part of the official races this year!

The race is scheduled for September 28^th in Valencia (Spain) just before the Mini Barcelona and leaving enough time in between to participate in both races!

This new singlehanded category C event covers 300miles starting from Valencia and going to Palma to then pass in between Ibiza and Formentera and returning to Valencia.

The skippers will be welcomed at the Marina Real Juan Carlos I (AC Port) where all the facilities will be available and a race village will be set for people to come and visit.

This new and exciting event is managed by Bret Perry from Katabatic Sailing and he is very happy to welcome all mini skippers and enthusiasts in the astonishing city of Valencia.

Fun and Paella guaranteed!

You can find more information at the event website www.miniair2012.com .

Or check the NoR at: http://www.miniair2012.com/uploads/1/0/3/1/10319804/nor_english_final.pdf

Continue reading »]]> IT TAKES 20 minutes for an ocean tanker to turn from a speck on the horizon to a roaring, 100,000-tonne brute about to steamroll your boat in the middle of the Atlantic.

So, as the only person aboard a 6.5-metre yacht floating days away from the South American coast, sleep was a luxury in which Scott Cavanough rarely indulged.

But one morning in late October was different. It was the second week of the Mini Transat, a race from France to Brazil considered one of the world’s most extreme yachting events.

Cavanough, 30, was weary and sore after a spell of storms and squalls. After fighting for two days to keep the boat on course, he collapsed onto a pile of gear to snatch an hour’s sleep.

Just before 5am, a tanker appeared on the horizon. His ship ID system emitted a low, soft beep to warn of its approach. Cavanough kept sleeping.

When he finally stirred, the monstrous bulk of the tanker loomed. It was 90 seconds away.

"I didn’t really have time to think about it, I was really scared," the Brisbane sailor recalled. "I said a few swear words and I was thinking this is not how I wanted it to be. I just knew if I didn’t do something, I wouldn’t come out of it alive."

He tried, unsuccessfully, to turn his boat in the light southerly breeze. Then he looked up and heard the deep thrum of the tanker’s engine. He knew it was too late. The yacht grazed against the tanker, its carbon fibres splintering as the rigging snagged and snapped the mast in half.

By the time it was over, his boat was a limping wreck, and taking water fast.

It would be another 28 hours before he was rescued and forced to abandon his beloved $250,000 project.

Two months on and Cavanough will join the crew of supermaxi Lahana in this year’s Sydney to Hobart race, protected by 30 metres of hull and 22 other pairs of watchful eyes.

"I’m just getting out there and going sailing again. It’s a bigger boat, and you get someone to talk to and joke around with. It’s a very different race," he said.

But Cavanough has not let go of his dream to finish the gruelling Mini Transat, and is working towards building a new boat.

"Some people would go, ‘That’s it, I’m not sailing again’, but I enjoy it so much," he said.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nicole Hasham

Continue reading »]]> On the 12 December 2011, at Ilha do Machadinho, Skippy has been found! Skippy has been abandoned at sea on October 25th after a collision near the doldrums and has drift all the way to Brazil.

The boat has been found by a local fisherman who informed that the boat is empty without any equipment on board.

Info source diarioonline.com.br

Continue reading »]]> The RG650 is the latest mini series to hit the water. The boat was on display in La Rochelle at the race village and will be sailing the 2012 season aiming for the Transat.

The RG650 is built in Argentina by a well established dinghy manufacturer. RioTecna (www.riotecna.com) has more than 20 years experience in building light weight performance boats; among them you may find the world famous Lange Optimist, Europe, Snipe, Cadet, 470 and 29er.

The design has been developed by GYD (www.gyachtdesign.com) relaying on the experience on their proto and the search for a new more powerful series mini. The design features a powerful hull with more bow volume. The chine flows through two thirds of the boat and it is higher than on the other 3^rd generation boats; this provides a very powerful and flat bottomed hull but with a progressive increase on wetted surface area.

The boat is built by using the latest building techniques and the best materials available. The hull and deck are built over female moulds as well as the interior grid which is built in one piece and then bonded and laminated to the hull. All this provides a very strong, stiff and lasting vessel while keeping the weight to the minimum.

The deck and hull connection is not visible (a feature that no other mini has) and this also allows a better structural arrangement as the lamination is done in the outer and inner skins.

The boat is very well equipped with the best gear available and includes Karver blocks as a standard; its mast is from Z-spars as well as its standing rigging.

Three RG650 have been built two of them are already sailing and the 3^rd one will be leaving the yard shortly. For all of you who would like to see the boat the 816 is based in Valencia (Spain) and will be taking part of the 2012 season. This boat is available as a demo and we welcome everyone to visit the boat in Valencia or at any mini event (you may find more information of the events the RG 650 will be racing in its web site).

The firsts sail tests carried in Argentina showed that the boat is very fast and easy to handle we now look forward to the start of the season to become a strong contender in this fantastic fleet!

For more information you can visit the RG650 website www.rg650.com where you will be able to find information about our EU and US agents.

pictures and info copyright RioTecna & GYD.