Puma hauled for repairs
Puma Ocean Racing, skippered by American Ken Read, claimed second place on Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, which ran from Singapore to Qingdao, China. After the stage finish the team’s 60-foot yacht was lifted out of the water in Qingdao for routine repairs and maintenance.
The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race features seven entries and began in Alicante, Spain, in October, with the final port scheduled in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June. Over the full route teams will sail more than 37,000 nautical miles. Crews departed on February 14 for Leg 5, bound for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Several yachts from the race are also expected to arrive in Boston in late April as part of the overall schedule.
Following each long ocean leg, boats often require careful inspection and maintenance; teams use these stopovers to repair rigging, check keel and hull integrity, and prepare systems for the demanding legs ahead. Puma’s shore period in Qingdao will allow the crew and shore team to address any issues and optimize the yacht before the fleet resumes the next stage of the circumnavigation.
NYYC honors greats with Hall inductions
The New York Yacht Club will honor John Longley and the late Thomas W. Ratsey with inductions into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame on April 30. The induction will be celebrated with a dinner at the New York Yacht Club. The ceremony will also recognize last year’s inductee, the late John Biddle.
John Biddle gained wide recognition as a film lecturer whose cinematography produced roughly 40 programs, many focusing on the America’s Cup. An active competitor, Biddle sailed to Bermuda 11 times and was crewmember aboard the winning yacht to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1957. He also sailed square-rigged vessels in the North Sea and competed repeatedly in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC).
John Longley has been a prominent figure in international yachting. In 1984 he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for his services to sailing. Longley is a veteran of five Australian America’s Cup campaigns and played a role in the successful 1983 Australia II effort, helping skipper John Bertrand select crew. He later served as an event director for ISAF world championship events and continued to contribute to major international regattas.
Thomas W. Ratsey joined his family’s sailmaking business at age 15 and, by 1882, the company had become responsible for the sails used by every America’s Cup challenger through to the Shamrock IV era. Ratsey personally took part in seven Cup challenges, and under his leadership the firm supplied sails to ten challengers and to defenders during his lifetime, establishing a legacy in high-performance sailmaking.
Inductees are selected for their skill, character, on-water performance, contributions to the sport, and international recognition. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the Hall of Fame dinner can be obtained by contacting the America’s Cup Hall of Fame at (401) 253-5000 or by e-mailing [email protected].
US Sailing selects youth world qualifiers
Ten young sailors have earned places on US Sailing’s 2009 Youth World Team and will represent the United States at the 39th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Buzios, Brazil, scheduled for July 9–18. Eight of those sailors qualified by taking first place in their classes at the U.S. Sailing International Sailing Federation Youth World Qualifier and U.S. Youth Multihull Championship Regatta in Long Beach, California.
The team members selected include:
- Laser Radial (boys): Chris Barnard of Newport Beach, Calif.
- Laser Radial (girls): Marissa Lihan of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- International 420 (crew pair): Ian Liberty of Colts Neck, N.J., and Alex Whipple of Plandome, N.Y.
- Club 420 (crew pair): Morgan Kiss of Holland, Mich., and Laura McKenna of Palo Alto, Calif.
- Hobie 16 (with spinnaker): Korbin Kirk of Long Beach, Calif., and Daniel Segerblom of Costa Mesa, Calif.
In the boys’ and girls’ windsurfing classes the US Sailing selectors chose athletes based on resumes and performance histories. Those named to the RS:X windsurfing entries are Chris Gardiner of St. Petersburg, Fla. (boys), and Solvig Sayre of Vineyard Haven, Mass. (girls).
Several members of the Youth World Team — Barnard, Lihan, Liberty, Whipple, Kiss, and McKenna — are also part of the newly launched US Sailing U18 program, a development pathway identifying Olympic potential in classes such as Laser Radial, 29er and I420. Selection to the Youth World Team and the U18 program is an important step for young sailors aiming to progress to elite international competition and Olympic pathways.
Desjoyeaux captures second Vendée Globe
French solo skipper Michel Desjoyeaux made history by winning the Vendée Globe for a second time, completing an approximately 28,303-mile course at an average speed of 14.02 knots and breaking the race record in the process. Desjoyeaux becomes the first sailor to claim two solo nonstop around-the-world victories in this demanding event.
Desjoyeaux had previously won the 2000–01 edition aboard PRB, finishing ahead of British skipper Ellen MacArthur by one day and 28 minutes. For this edition he entered the largest fleet in the race’s history — 30 boats — and arrived as one of the clear favorites. He crossed the finish line on February 1 after 84 days, 3 hours and 9 minutes at sea. Sailing Foncia, his 60-foot monohull, Desjoyeaux finished in about 20 knots of breeze under clear skies at Les Sables d’Olonne, the same port from which the race departed on November 9.
Reflecting on his victory, Desjoyeaux said, “I suffered a lot less this year. Maybe because I’m older, maybe because I have experience, so I was more at ease. The boats are tougher than a lot of people think. They should see what we put these boats through.”
This report originally appeared in the April 2009 issue.