Yearly Archives: 2010

GPS Tracking delivers the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race LIVE to the world

Posted on April 20, 2010 | 2 comments

NEWS RELEASE
Date of Issue: 20th April 2010

GPS TRACKING DELIVERS THE J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUND THE ISLAND RACE LIVE TO THE WORLD
One of the largest GPS event tracking initiatives ever undertaken using mobile phone technology

RaceViewer

Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK: The Island Sailing Club and title sponsor J.P. Morgan Asset Management are introducing live GPS tracking for all boats taking part in the 2010 Round the Island Race on Saturday 19th June.  First announced at the London Boat Show in January, the Race organisers have been working hard over the past few months to refine and thoroughly test the technology.

Competitors with compatible equipment will be able to download a small piece of software that will allow their mobile phone or laptop to become a real-time GPS tracking device. The device’s position will be periodically transmitted to the official Race website, where a simple, easy-to-use race viewer will allow visitors to monitor the progress of individual boats throughout the race.

The tracking solution has been developed by the Race Technology Partner, Next Generation Results and funded by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. It will be one of the largest GPS event tracking initiatives ever undertaken with mobile phone technology, and possibly the largest in terms of yacht races.

The system is being billed as a trial in its first year, although the Island Sailing Club believes that a large percentage of the 1700+ fleet will almost certainly want to sign up to being tracked and will have the mobile phone technology to take part.

Watch LIVE as the Race unfolds
Competitors with GPS-equipped mobile phones or laptops will be able to have their position broadcast onto a live tracking platform that will be available on the official Race website throughout the day. This will allow friends and family and sailing fans from around the globe to watch the race unfold LIVE.  Visitors will be able to select the boats they want to follow when they open the Race Viewer and the live tracking will commence from the very first start time of 0500hrs right through to 22.30hrs, which is 30 minutes after the time limit set by the Island Sailing Club for yachts to cross the finish line in order to have officially completed the Race.

Website spectators will be able to search and select up to 10 boats that they want to follow at any one time through the Race Viewer. Boats will be searchable via their name and class. Each boat tracked will show its elapsed time from the race start and current GPS co-ordinates.

The competitors also benefit from this tracking technology as they will be able to replay their race and compare their performance with their rivals to see where they got it right – or wrong!

There will be areas of weak or no coverage as the fleet progresses around the Island, especially under the cliffs at the back of the Island and also if the boats move offshore. The ISC say that viewers musn’t worry if a boat disappears from view; it is more than likely that they have run out of battery or simply have no signal!

The list of compatible mobile phones for tracking will be made available on the Race website shortly. The Tracker application will be available for download from 1 June and the latest date competitors can register a device is 18th June.

More details of supported equipment and how to register for the service will be available on the race website at http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk


ENDS


NOTES TO EDITORS

Media Accreditation is now available online. You will need to accredit in order to receive all news releases issued on Race Day
Visit the Media Facilities section of the official Race website : http://roundtheisland.org.uk

  • The Island Sailing Club is grateful for the continued support of the 2010 Race Title Sponsor, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and the 2010 Race Partners: Beneteau, Britannia Events, Haven Knox-Johnston, Nautica Watches, Old Pulteney Whisky, Raymarine, Red Funnel and Volvo Car UK
  • Nautica Watches sponsor the Outstanding Seamanship Award. Contact: Dan Calvert, UK Marketing Manager. T +44 208 326 6900
  • The 2010 Event will be J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s 6th year as title sponsor and they have just announced continuation of their title sponsorship up to and including 2012
  • The Round the Island Race was first established in 1931 – 2010 is the 79th edition.
  • The Race starts and finishes in Cowes, Isle of Wight, the centre of British yachting
  • It is an all-encompassing event that caters for and embraces first timers, families, amateurs and professionals competing at the highest level. The event strapline is ‘Britain’s Favourite Yacht Race’
  • The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is the 4th largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs, with around 16,000 sailors taking part over the course of one day
  • A record 1,875 boats were entered in 2008
  • The current monohull race record was set by Mike Slade (ICAP Leopard) in 2008 at 3.53.05
  • The multihull race record still stands at Francis Joyon’s 2001 time of 3.08.29
  • 2009 enjoyed the 4th highest entry in the history of the race. Of the 1,779 boats entered in 2009, 1,566 boats completed the 50 nautical mile westwards course within the time limit
  • £100,000 was raised for charities in 2009

Full details and results from the 2009 Race can be found on the official website http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Images
We have some sublime imagery available that is free for editorial use with a photographer’s credit.
If you would like a copy of the Event logo emailed to you for use with your reports
or you need the password access to download images, please contact the ISC’s Race Press Officer, Peta Stuart-Hunt.

Images from the 2009 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race are available repro-free from http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Please credit the photographer and please also do us the courtesy of letting us know where and when you will be publishing these images.

Images are also distributed by onEdition http://www.w-w-i.com/round_the_island_2009/
Please contact: Luke Sprague at onEdition
+44 (0)1753 851 333
Luke@onedition.com

Media Enquiries to:

Peta Stuart-Hunt
Island Sailing Club Press Officer
J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

+44 (0) 1590 679 621
+44 (0) 7711 477 707
peta@prworksuk.com

and

Jo Grindley or Dan Wilkinson
Into the Blue for J.P. Morgan Asset Management

+44 (0) 1983 247 286
jo.grindley@intotheblue.biz
dan.wilkinson@intotheblue.biz

Event Enquiries to:
Lea Bennett
Club Secretary
Island Sailing Club

+44 (0) 1983 296 621
lea@islandsc.org.uk

http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Diary Date: Race day 2010 is on Saturday 19th June | First start time: 05:00

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The Lady loves…Sailing Logic!

Posted on April 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

Great to see the PR coverage for @sailinglogic coming through now. They have a DPS feature in this month’s Hampshire Society, a terrific interview with Allie Smith called ‘Me & My Business’ in April’s Hampshire Business and a really good interview with her business partner, Philippe Falle http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=499

Check out our latest PR coup: http://www.lady.co.uk/drupal-6.14/?q=lady_top_list

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The J.P.Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race attracts a fabulous array of boats and people!

Posted on April 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

YOUNG & OLD, ANCIENT & MODERN – ALL FABULOUS!

Peta Stuart-Hunt reports

So many of the boats that enter this extraordinary race have a fascinating provenance and the Island Sailing Club, organisers of this 79th edition of the J.P.Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, is delighted to be welcoming back previous competitors to the Race this year along with a healthy turnout of first timers and/or totally novice crews. For the latter, the Club has put together a very handy First Timers’ Guide for download off the official Race website and perusal at leisure. Some of the ‘older timers’ might even find it a useful and informative aide memoire! http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Some interesting entry news

Wildlife is a Dehler 36 SQ (Speed & Quality), owned and skippered by 76-year old Peter Freeborn from West Sussex who has been sailing for 50 years and thinks he has done ‘around five’ Round the Island Races during that time. Wildlife is a shortened keel Dehler 36, only drawing 1.65m and she doesn’t have radar fitted, but uses the Automatic Identification System (AIS). When asked why he still enjoys doing the Race, Peter immediately responded that it’s all about the challenge and the participation, commenting, “I still have that need to take on the challenge inside me.”

Peter clearly enjoys designing ‘things’. For example the back of the boat has an aerial mast that also acts a hoist for lifting outboard engines, dinghies or, he explains, it would prove useful in a man overboard situation. He has also adapted the boat to include a smaller steering wheel as he has leg injuries and replacement joints resulting from a car accident; this gives him a little more space and better freedom of movement around the cockpit. Apart from adapting his own boat, Peter has also, amongst other things, designed a training product to help with spacial awareness for use by all sports people to give them that extra winning edge. I wonder if he uses it on his boat…

Poppy is a standard Westerly Longbow hull re-rigged with an experimental Junk Rig with less sail area than the standard Bermudan rig with No.1 Genoa. Slieve McGalliard is the R & D Secretary of the Junk and Advanced Cruising Rig Association (JRA), and is racing to compare the performance with similar sized Bermudan rigged boats. The JRA, formed in 1980, has the aim of furthering the development of the junk rig and other unstayed and/or battened cruising rigs and creating an international community of people interested in such rigs to share experience and ideas.

Girl Power

The Hurley 24 Seaquill is owned and skippered by Sophia Richards from Gravesend in Kent. It’s her first time entering a race on her own boat however she is clearly a very experienced sailor. Sophia and her crew are all sailing instructors at the Medina Valley Centre on the Isle of Wight, an established residential centre for environmental and outdoor education for children, young people and adults.

Chrissie David from Gosport, is a yacht surveyor, a mother of five and grandmother of two and she has entered her home-restored Contessa 26 Black Pearl. Friend and fellow surveyor, Martin from Barbados, is coming over from the Caribbean to crew for her.

From Haslemere in Surrey, Helena and Graham Douglas own Wight Riot, a Maxi 999 (33ft). On her entry form Helena as the skipper states very clearly: ‘Was a cruiser. Now wants to be a racer.’ Scary!

Highly Sprung is skippered by Jerry Kent from Shoreham, who reminds us that his boat, an MG Spring, is the same model as that featured in the BBC’s 1980s long-running sailing saga ‘Howards’ Way’. Jerry describes himself as being tall with long girly hair and his crew are all ‘tall’ except for their bowman. Not sure what that’s all about!

A musical interlude

Aurora, a Beneteau 343, is described by her owner and skipper Tim Lees, as ‘a fine, fun, family boat with a real sense of adventure. We launched her new on Lake Windermere in the spring of 2008 and she made it quite clear from the start that she was an ambitious boat with grand ideas’. She has been moved from her home at Maiden Marine on Lake Windermere to Port Solent in Hampshire for the summer. Her crew hails entirely from Lake Windermere and all are Round the Island Race novices. Tim says to compete in this most famous of yachting events in his own boat is his ‘dream in progress’.

One of my dreams in progress is to install the delightful singer, songwriter and sailor, Peter Skellern, at a piano in a corner of my living room (complete with choir and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) and have him play and sing just for me. Realistically, the closest I’m going to get is to reveal with some excitement that Skellern’s collaborator, Richard Stilgoe OBE, songwriter, lyricist and musician, has entered his TEK35 Adelaide.

In recent years Richard has become increasingly involved in charity work, notably founding the Orpheus Trust in Surrey, a performing arts centre for young disabled people. His boat is one of John Shuttleworth’s multis, Hull #3 from Tek-composites in Canada, launched in 2001.

War babies

The exceedingly pretty Mary Lunn is a one-off yawl designed by the great Uffa Fox in Cowes and built in 1940 by the Mazagon Dock Co, Bombay, the boatyard where Sir Robin Knox-Johnston finished off Suhaili. Mary Lunn wasn’t commissioned until after the war. Shipped back through Suez she was sold from Yarmouth, IoW in 1946 to Viscount Runciman. The present owner/skipper, Robin Whaite, is Rear Commodore Sail and Power of the Little Ship Club in London.

The exquisite Ocean Pearl, photographed by Vanessa Bird

Racing in the Traditional Gaffer Class, Ocean Pearl (pictured) was built in 1933 by Nobles of Fraserburgh and registered at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. At 37ft 6in LWL, she was just under the 40ft length restrictions, which meant that she could fish within the three-mile limit of shore, and between 1933 and 1939 she was worked with nets and lines out of Peterhead. Between 1939 and 1945 she was requisitioned by the Navy and served as a supply vessel in Scapa Flow, before returning to the fishing industry after the end of the war.

In 1948 she was owned by a J. William Tait, who fished her until 1967, before selling her to Joseph Anthony Moore Phillips, father of Captain Mark Phillips, the first husband of HRH Princess Anne, who based her at Whitby, North Yorkshire. In 1981, three owners later, she was taken to Staines in Middlesex to be restored, but was eventually abandoned in a disused tarmac works, where she lay for 15 years before being taken to Combes Boatyard in West Sussex.

Nick Gates took over ownership in 1999 and over the past 10 years has rebuilt her, converting her from motor to sail. She is rigged as a Manx nobby, with standing lug main and mizzen, and sets 1600 sq ft of canvas.

Overlord is a 1936 Windfall yacht built by Aberking & Rasmusan for the Luftwaffe. She was part of a fleet of 100 sq.metre, 50 sq.metre and 30 sq.metre yachts used at Lemverder for Officer training and in particular, for training Luftwaffe navigators.

In 1945, Pelikan, as Overlord was then named, plus many more yachts in the fleet were taken as prizes of war at Kiel and later included in the reparations agreement. Many of the yachts were distributed amongst the British Services and Pelikan, was used by The Sappers at Chatham who re-named her Overlord.

Between 1946 and 1955 she had a distinguished RORC record with the Sapper Yacht Club. In 1961 she was bought by Tony Venables, a 33-year old retired Army Officer who had been her skipper whilst serving in the Royal Army Service Corps.  Tony, who was planning to sell her after two years, to recoup his capital and the running costs, was persuaded to retain her and formed the Overlord Sailing Club, now the Offshore Cruising Club (OCC), which effectively owns her.  Tony Murphy is one of the OCC’s skippers who has sailed on Overlord for around 20 years and will be skippering her in this year’s Race.

Experience counts

Enigma is a well-known Dubois Quarter Tonner with a great track record. Ed Dubois has lent the boat to a New Zealand crew for the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Regatta and generously said they could keep her for a few extra days to do the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. The co-skippers are Jamie McDowell and Brett Linton and amongst the crew, one name leaps out, that of Roy Dickson – a fixture of New Zealand yachting who in a lifetime of sailing has accumulated numerous sailing titles. Roy was part of the crew led by Chris Bouzaid that won the One Ton Cup in Germany in 1969, and first put New Zealand on the world yacht racing map. He is also Chris Dickson’s father!

The first of David Thomas’s 1979 production Bolero Quarter Tonners named Ayanami and owned by Roger and Liz Swinney, has raced in virtually every Round the Island Race since 1980 with a crew of Cowes-based locals who have all been racing together for 20 years. All that experience on board surely gives them an edge…?

Lastly, for now, Rob Murray from Marlow, Buckinghamshire, is a man with a lucky 13 Round the Island Races under his belt but this year he may well have a 3-month old baby tucked under his arm. He reckons that if the weather is light, baby will definitely be doing the race with him on Alexina, an X-412. Rob doesn’t mention whether Mum’s going to be on board fulfilling her crewing duties as well as providing a feeding station!

ENDS

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The Even Keel Project – inspiring and perfectly balanced for success

Posted on April 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE
Issued by: Peta Stuart-Hunt | PR Works +44 (0)7711 477 707

Image: Enjoying an extremely successful Even Keel Project Open Day are from l-r: Dave Rutter, M.D. of The Even Keel Project; Nick Wells, Artemis Investment Management; Jon Ely, CEO UKSA; Sarah Treseder, CEO, RYA; Simon Rogers, yacht designer. Photo: EKP

Date: 9th April 2010

The Even Keel Project – inspiring and perfectly balanced for success

Today at its first-ever UK Open Day, held in Cowes in association with partners Artemis Investment Management and UKSA, the Managing Director of The Even Keel Project, David Rutter, presented a brief review of how the Project has started to really move forward over the past year and outlined the Project’s plans for 2010.

The audience included a number of private individuals and also disability group representatives who will be the direct beneficiaries of the Project’s mission to get more people out sailing on equal terms.  The Project was also delighted to welcome the designer of the Artemis 20, Simon Rogers, Nick Wells from Artemis Investment Management and the new CEO of the Royal Yachting Association, Sarah Treseder, whose presence and support was especially noted.

Key initiatives unveiled for 2010 include:

  • The Project’s presence at the IFDS Disabled World Sailing Championships at Medemblik, Netherlands in July that will enable The Even Keel to showcase the Artemis 20 to a global audience.


  • The launch of the Artemis Even Keel Challenge that is being raced over three days during Cowes Week 2010 to introduce the most aspiring disabled sailing candidates of the Even Keel’s season to this most prestigious and fun annual racing fixture.  The winners will then have the opportunity to crew for professional sailing celebrities in the culmination of the Challenge on Day 3. More details will be released as plans are confirmed.


  • The Even Keel Project site development programme that is now beginning to gather real pace. The management team is in negotiation to establish centres of excellence in Boston Mass, Rotterdam and in Poland.


  • The signing of a long-term agreement with UKSA in Cowes, Isle of Wight, as The Even Keel Project’s UK base.


Dave Rutter thanked the Project’s supporters and his team, saying:

“We have achieved so much during the brief time we have been afloat and we fully appreciate that none of this would have been possible without the support of many organisations, for which we are truly appreciative.
“Trying to get new ideas and projects established is never easy during the best of times let alone while a recession has been in full flow, so for the project to have achieved so much in 2009 can only be down to the generosity and faith of our sponsors and hard work from all our staff. It has been a pleasure working with them all and we look forward to 2010 and to rolling out further sites for even more people to enjoy.”

The Even Keel Project operates six beautiful Artemis 20 racing keelboats.  Designed by Simon Rogers along America’s Cup yacht lines, these boats are highly adaptable for teaching, training and racing by both disabled and able-bodied sailors.  With a superb support team provided by UKSA and the Even Keel Project, and blessed with the perfect weather conditions, a number of individuals happily took to the water in Cowes on Friday afternoon to try out the boats for themselves.

This launch also heralds the start of the project’s ‘Try Sailing’ season, which starts on Thursday 15th April and has been created for disabled groups and individuals who would like to try sailing in a performance keelboat. UKSA is currently taking bookings for Thursday, Friday and Saturday sessions, with promising individuals also having the chance to compete in the Artemis Even Keel Challenge at Cowes Week.

Simon Davies, Director of Youth Development at UKSA, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be getting involved and to be hosting this inspirational project in the UK. Sailing is one of only a few sports where having a physical disability does not have to be a disadvantage. We are delighted to have been able to offer hundreds of sailors access to the water at UKSA through our adaptive sailing programme and that this project will allow us to help hundreds more.”

The Project is especially grateful to its title sponsor, Artemis, for its continued support. Artemis is a dedicated active investment management house, specialising in investments and asset management for retail investors and segregated institutional investment management.
Additional support is always appreciated and donations to the Project are gratefully accepted.

http://www.theevenkeel.com <http://www.theevenkeel.com>
http://www.uksa.org <http://www.uksa.org>

ENDS


Media Enquiries | The Even Keel Project

Peta Stuart-Hunt: +44 (0)7711 477707
peta@prworksuk.com

Media Enquiries | UKSA

Nicola Holder or Emily Wilson on 01425 472330
emily@mckennatownsendpr.com
Notes for Editors:

The Even Keel Project
The Project’s philosophy stems from the importance of accessibility, the idea of breaking down barriers and creating a fun and functional environment that will increase participation in sailing. The vision is to make sailing available to all, regardless of ability, age, gender or background. The Even Keel Project provides the opportunity to participate on an equal basis …and on an even keel.

The Project’s mission is to keep spreading the word that sailing is one of very few sports in which having a physical disability does not have to be a disadvantage. Through its adaptive sailing programme, The Even Keel Project is giving both able bodied and the disabled, the opportunity to participate together in a sailing activity that would otherwise be normally outside their reach. The Project’s philosophy stems from the importance of accessibility, the idea of breaking down barriers and creating a fun and functional environment that will increase participation.

The Project encourages members to learn new skills and experience the freedom and feeling of escapism that sailing can offer. The Project is all about integration, enabling members to compete at the same level and communicate with others from around the world, providing a unique platform to develop and extend that experience even further.

The Project provides a valuable resource for many groups and individuals who might want to use the project for rehabilitation programmes, sail training purposes, specialist training for athletes who wish to train in a competitive environment, or simply to be used just for fun.

UKSA
UKSA is a registered charity that is committed to changing the lives of everyone it works with through its maritime training and experiences. During 2009, UKSA trained almost 7,000 people and has been awarded the South East Prince’s Trust Innovative Partner Award.

The charity has enhanced the lives of many young people and undertakes extensive fundraising activities to provide personal development opportunities to all.

UKSA is also a globally recognised professional training establishment, training people in watersports and yachting to the highest level. Its graduates include world-renowned sailor Dee Caffari. The charity is also honoured to have Ellen MacArthur as an ambassador.


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No April Fool, just sadness at ceasing TRANSGLOBE role. Statement issued to sponsors.

Posted on April 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Very regrettably, I will no longer be working as the Press Officer for Exercise TRANSGLOBE. There is a statement from Project Officer Sqn Ldr Cottrell below that explains the difficult internal situation further that has led to this decision.

Suffice to say, the Exercise has not lost my support however, I cannot afford to give my time on a pro bono basis through to the end of July. There was a miniscule budget set aside to retain me and which I offered to work within – they now need what’s left of it for more important things.

Whilst I have been working for next to nothing to maintain some form of profile for the Exercise for the past few months the funding has been running out; the website doesn’t function properly (there’s no retained webmaster) and there just isn’t the internal support that is required to support a PR role anymore. It was their decision, not mine. It’s a really sad outcome.

This is Sqn Ldr Neil Cottrell’s statement as issued this morning to sponsors and partners:

EXERCISE TRANSGLOBE ANNOUNCEMENT

It is with the utmost regret that the Steering Committee of Exercise TRANSGLOBE has been forced, by circumstances beyond our control, to prematurely end the highly successful partnership with PR Works.  The Exercise funds have been consumed by the alterations to the crew changeover flight schedules arising from the damage inflicted by the Southern Ocean on HMSTV CHALLENGER, the Army crewed vessel during Leg 8.  CHALLENGER is now several weeks behind the other two vessels and low cost, non-transferrable airfares for her crew have been lost and have had to be refinanced.  The delay also means that only two yachts will compete in Antigua Sailing Week events.  CHALLENGER should rejoin the schedule in mid-May.

These unexpected costs have consumed the remaining budget for Exercise TRANSGLOBE and we simply do not have the funds to retain PR Works as our PR agency through to the end of the Exercise in July 2010.

The Steering Committee thank Peta Stuart-Hunt for the outstanding work she has done on behalf of the Exercise and want to place on public record that we have always received the highest professional service from Peta since the start of the Exercise.  Peta has worked tirelessly and effectively on our behalf and if we had the finances available we would certainly not have asked her to cease being our PR consultant at this stage of the Exercise.

Starting in 2009 in the depths of the Recession, Exercise TRANSGLOBE has had to be run on a slender budget as we failed to win major commercial sponsorship and the MOD support has been commensurate with the need to maintain Front Line budgets for ongoing Operations.  The Steering Committee has been forced into cost cutting measures to ensure that the Exercise remains financially viable.  Indeed, the MOD-wide budgetary pressures have also impacted on the Project Team such that only Andy Scott will remain as a full-time member of the team.  Both Neil Cottrell and Clive Cooper have been re-assigned to permanent duties but will remain as part time Project Team Members.

Peta Stuart-Hunt is the epitome of the consummate PR professional.  We have highly valued her advice, the depth of her knowledge and the outstanding value of her reports to the Media that have kept TRANSGLOBE in the public eye.  We really did not want to lose her support.

Neil Cottrell

Project Team Leader

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UNIQUE NEW TRAINING FACILITY IS COMMISSIONED ON THE RIVER MEDINA, COWES

Posted on March 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Royal Yachting Association’s Training Manager James Stevens and Cowes Harbour Commissioner, Captain Peter Jackson.

A unique facility for all users of the River Medina in Cowes, Isle of Wight, was inaugurated by the RYA’s International Training Manager, James Stevens, on Friday 26th March. Welcoming guests to the ceremony at the new 11-metre Training Pontoon on the Folly Reach, Cowes Harbour Commissioner, Captain Peter Jackson, explained that every boat owner needed at some stage to acquire essential boat handling skills such as berthing.  He explained that during the peak summer months in Cowes this was akin to trying to learn to fly at Heathrow Airport!

Ben Willows, Operations Manager at the UKSA, who contributed to the venture, welcomed the initiative on behalf of the numerous South Coast sailing schools who sometimes struggle to find space for training. David Walters, Chairman of the Cowes Harbour Advisory Committee, commented  that the new pontoon would significantly reduce the chance of conflict between river users and occasional damage to moored boats.

James Stevens congratulated Cowes Harbour Commission on providing what he believed to be a unique facility in the world.  He went on to say that the RYA very much welcomed the initiative as it encouraged all boat owners to improve their berthing skills and enhance safety by training family and other crew members to handle their boat properly in case of emergency.

Cowes is a favourite destination for many South Coast yachtsmen and in particular the large number of sail training organisations visiting from Poole, Hamble, Portsmouth and further afield.  Cowes Harbour Commission has now taken positive steps to ensure that all yachtsmen have somewhere to acquire these essential skills, and that inconvenience and disruption to other river users is minimised.

http://www.cowes.co.uk <http://www.cowes.co.uk>

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Round the Island Race attracts an eclectic range of enthusiasts

Posted on March 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

SERVING UP A VERITABLE CORNUCOPIA OF INTERESTING ENTRIES IN THE J.P. MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUND THE ISLAND RACE

Peta Stuart-Hunt reports

The Race organisers, Title Sponsor and Race Partners are always delighted to watch the Round the Island racing exploits of such high profile sailors as Dame Ellen MacArthur, Mike Golding, Alex Thomson, Dee Caffari and an array of superbly talented Olympic medallists such as Triple Olympic Gold medal winner Ben Ainslie and Double Olympic Gold medallist Shirley Robertson. This year is no exception and we will announce details of their race plans in due course.

Who’s Who?

Over the years there have been many famous faces and ‘names’ racing in this one-day annual yacht racing extravaganza. Some you would expect to see competing in ‘Britain’s Favourite Yacht Race’. However, occasionally the Race plays host to some of the international greats, such as America’s Cup skipper Russell Coutts and we also welcome sportsmen and women from other sports such as Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton who sailed on board Hugo Boss in 2008.

There is usually a sprinkling of actors and TV personalities, High Court judges, the great and the good from British industry and a politician or two spread throughout the fleet of 1700+ boats competing.  If you enjoy your sailing combined with a healthy dose of competition and you want to be a part of a unique event, then this is the sporting occasion for you, whoever you are!

The more famous faces usually prefer to protect their anonimity and simply enjoy a fabulous day’s racing with friends and family followed by some entertainment at the Island Sailing Club who first introduced, organise and have managed the Race with great discretion every year since 1931.

So, taking a closer look at entries that I am at liberty to flag up:

TV Chef cooks up a challenge for teenage adventurer

A South Devon seafood TV chef, Mitch Tonks voted Tatler’s restaurateur of the year, and labeled by The Independent as “a fishmonger for the 21st Century”, is sponsoring a teenage sailor, Henry Bomby, 19, in his quest to sail single-handed around Britain this summer aboard his 1969-built Contessa 26 The Seahorse.

Henry, who has only this month gained his Yachtmaster, is making his challenge tougher by climbing the three peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, taking in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race and competing in the J/80 European Championships in the Solent during his voyage.

He sets off from Dartmouth on June 12th.  His boat was purchased with his life savings of £2,000 and a £7,000 loan secured from a local boatyard, Baltic Wharf, without whom the project could not have begun. Mitch, who runs The Seahorse Restaurant in Dartmouth, is staging a series of fundraising dinners for Henry and is also planning to compete against Henry in this year’s Race, sailing in his new Contessa 26 Nellie. He said: “Henry is an incredible guy, young, ambitious and with a lot of potential ahead to do great things.”

Today’s Specials

Fer de Lance

At the time of writing, the only David Thomas-designed Hunter Sonata entered is Pintsize being raced by the Moore family, Alan, Maggie & their twins Sam and Zoe from Cherhill in Wiltshire. Alan has been offshore racing for 35 years and achieved his best result around the Island in 1989 when he came 2nd overall.

The only registered Viper 640 in the UK (pictured right) hasn’t had to travel far as she’s based on the Isle of Wight and owned by Glyn Locke who founded Artigiano, the UK’s leading Italian fashion brand. The main fleet is in the USA and there are a few boats in Switzerland and Australia. The sea and figurative painter Myles Mence helms Fer de Lance and Glyn’s younger son Alex will do the bow for the Round the Island Race.

Christopher Barker has raced Belle Serene, his Beneteau Cyclades 39.3, in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race since 2007, when he entered her in support of a breast cancer charity while his wife Zoe was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Happily this year Christopher and Zoe are both racing her along with family members.

Michael Struebel has recently trailered his Waarschip 600 Passaat over from Andijk in the Netherlands to Cambridge (UK), to practice sailing her at Grafham Water Sailing Club before competing in this year’s the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

Having sailed around the Island as crew last year now Michael will be competing in the Traditional Gaffer class as Passaat’s skipper with crew Tom, a keen 15 year-old sailor, and Chris, an experienced sailor on this boat loaned to him by his American sister-in-law and her Dutch husband, who recently had a stroke and is therefore unable to race her this year. Passaat has been in the family for the last 12 years in the Netherlands and is believed to be number 8 out of the Dutch boat yard in 1962 in Holland. They are raising funds for Stroke, Cancer and Arthritis Research and we wish them well.

Jump 2 is a J/29 that was decaying in a Welsh Yacht Club yard and was thankfully rescued from destruction by the present owner. She is now a family crewed boat that is being sailed from Rhyl in North Wales to Cowes and back for the race. Skipper Brian Dixon is a converted dinghy sailor and has been sailing for 40 years. The mainly family crew comprises mum and dad, youngest son aged 13, daughter aged 15 and a niece aged 14. They are joined by friends Colin, a triathlete who navigates, Jonathan, a fell runner who does mainsheet, Rex a rugby and water ski coach who makes everyone laugh and looks after the Genoa, and two other guests to be decided. Sounds like a fun boat!

Spitfire (GBR912) is a J/80, recently purchased and skippered by Wing Cdr Simon Ling RAF and crewed entirely by RAF servicemen (3 serving and 1 reserve). In a year that represents the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain they have formed Team RAFBF Spitfire and have commenced a three-year campaign towards participation in the 2012 J/80 World Championships in Dartmouth, Devon. In this year’s Round the Island Race they will be flying the distinctive heart roundel of the RAFs principal charity, The RAF Benevolent Fund (RAFBF).

Tom Brown, the skipper of the fiberglass Nordic Folkboat, Hannah, is an RYA Yachtmaster who divides his time between northern summers in Yarmouth when he races his Folkboat in and around the Solent and southern summers in Cape Town, South Africa when he races his 9m cruiser/racer. One of his crew, Tony Hall, also gets about a bit, having spent this past winter in Antarctica and South Georgia as a member of a UK research team.

The last wooden classic yacht built by Moody of Swanwick in 1970, is racing. Swan Dancer was built for the then finance director of the company. Designed by Fred Parker, Swan Dancer has in recent years crossed the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Antigua, competed in two Antigua Classic Regattas and sailed the East Coast of the USA. During the last two years she has sailed in the Canaries and the Med returning to the UK last summer.

This year Swan Dancer is being crewed by the somewhat romantically named Frere de la Cote, an International sailing organisation of people who love the sea. Members are judged by just two criteria, namely that of their qualities as a person and their experiences as a sailor, coupled with a respect and love of the sea. Their organisation is based (for fun) on the ancient Buccaneers!

Limbo Up is one of five Limbo 6.6’s entered this year. This one has a skipper and a crew competing in their first ever Round the Island Race. The Limbo 6.6 was designed in 1975 by Andrew Stewart as a small, fast coastal cruiser with potential for competitive racing as a one design ‘mini-tonner’. A Limbo 6.6 was raced transatlantic in 1979, and completed the course. Let’s hope Limbo Up makes it round and provides an everlasting happy memory for the skipper and crew.

It’s all about the numbers

Ninette, a Moody S31, boasts a combined crew age of 227 years from Rod at 73, down to Peter, the skipper’s son at 31 years old. The Skipper (who doesn’t actually mention his own age!) is Martin Ralph Halversen, a retired Air Traffic Controller who has sailed for over 40 years.

Then there’s 4 PLAY, an Etap 20, whose skipper David Annakin has been set a 50th birthday challenge to skipper his first ever race. He hasn’t named his crew yet which makes me wonder whether any of his friends has dared to put their hand up!

Entry number 500, Juno 2, a Jupiter 30 boasts a skipper from Cheam in Surrey and crew whose combined ages total 210 years. The skipper Ian Wilson has completed a transat crossing and is aged 79. His crew is made up of friends Don, aged 68 and Geoff, aged 63.

Anyone still wishing to enter this year’s Race has until midnight on Saturday 29th May to do so at the standard rate of £72 (£106 with advertising). After that deadline there is a two-week period of late entry that expires by noon Sat 12 June. Late fees apply thereafter at £205 (£302 with advertising).
ENDS

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TRANSGLOBE – Reporting restrictions lifted. Latest News

Posted on March 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

EXERCISE TRANSGLOBE NEWS UPDATE #18

Issued: 18th March 2010

TRANSGLOBE: LEG 8 – REPORTING RESTRICTIONS LIFTED.  CHALLENGER DOCKS IN THE FALKLANDS AFTER HAZARDOUS SOUTHERN OCEAN PASSAGE Discoverer and Adventure set off from Montevideo on Leg 9 to Antigua

The Army boat participating in the year-long Exercise TRANSGLOBE, HMSTV Challenger, has arrived safely in the Falkland Islands at the end of Leg 8 of the 13-leg tri-services expedition.  Alongside in Mare Harbour, her crew can reflect on an exceptionally eventful passage across the Southern Ocean from Auckland that started in January and ended up with them now berthed in a different venue to their two sisterships.  The mast problem that caused Challenger’s return to Wellington for repairs, extended the time they have spent on board by nearly two weeks and placed them well behind the other yachts.

The weather faced by the crew of Challenger was far more severe than that encountered by their fellow crews on board HMSTV Adventure (RN) and HMSTV Discoverer (RAF) both of whom finished Leg 8 on schedule in Punta del Este, Uruguay last Thursday.  All crews are safe but the crew of Challenger have suffered some minor injuries from the relentless battering of several days with winds in excess of 50 knots.

Challenger suffered a number of ‘knock downs’ where the boat heels over to an alarming angle during the last few days around Cape Horn.  However, each time the yacht responded as the Challenge 67s were designed to do, and righted itself quickly.  The skipper Becky Walford and her crew have shown enormous fortitude and resilience in getting Challenger safely to Mare Harbour and family, friends and supporters should take great pride in the outstanding effort and achievement of sailing over 6,000 miles and rounding the fearsome Cape Horn completed by this magnificent crew.  Becky has praised the team work and resilience of her crew from the Royal regiment of Fusilliers.  They have faced exceptional seas and hardship with fortitude, boundless stamina and good humour.

Reporting restrictions lifted

The ‘technical difficulties’ quoted on the official TRANSGLOBE website for the past few weeks has in fact been covering reporting restrictions placed on the Project Team back in Gosport. As Project Leader Sqn Ldr Neil Cottrell explains, “We were advised to restrict reporting of the Exercise whilst the vessels were close to Argentinean waters.  Now that two yachts are in Uruguay and Challenger is in the Falklands, we are lifting that restriction to let all family, friends and supporters of the crews know that they are safe and well.  We apologise for having to take down the position mapping and blogs for the last few weeks but will now be able to post the blogs in the order that they were sent from the boats.  Thank you for being patient with us during the period of restricted news release.”

As soon as the immediate repairs are complete, Windy Gale, the Leg 9 skipper of Challenger and his new influx of Army crew, will make passage to Antigua and try to get there for a planned maintenance stop at the start of May.  As a result of the delay, there may well be a knock-on effect to the timings for the Army crew change over in Antigua. Meanwhile, for Disco and Adventure, their Leg 9 has just started as they have this morning cleared customs in Montevideo and have begun the next leg to Antigua – 4,150 nm and around five weeks away.

The crews of all three yachts are eligible to join the exclusive membership of the International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) for those who have completed a sailing passage of the Cape Horn route.

ENDS

Media Enquiries: Peta Stuart-Hunt | Press Officer

T: 01590 679621 or M: 07711 477707

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RORC Yacht of the Year secures sponsorship

Posted on March 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE

Issued: 15th March 2010

RORC Yacht of the Year secures sponsorship
Puma Logic goes from strength to strength as the Malta Tourism Authority backs her for the 2010 racing season

Just a few months after being named the RORC ‘Yacht of the Year’, Sailing Logic is delighted to announce that its extremely successful Reflex 38, Puma Logic, has secured a significant sponsorship deal from the Malta Tourism Authority. This exciting partnership between the Malta Tourism Authority and Sailing Logic, the UK’s leading yacht racing sailing school, has evolved as a direct result of the yacht’s successful racing campaign in 2009.  For the 2010 racing season she will now compete under the name of Visit Malta Puma.

The Malta Tourism Authority was looking to sponsor a high-profile yacht or individual in the racing arena that combined an outstanding track record with high visibility opportunities. Puma Logic and her skipper, Philippe Falle were immediately recommended, by an award-winning national newspaper journalist, as being the perfect fit.

The new kite and livery of Visit Malta Puma

There are many synergies between the Malta Tourism Authority’s objectives and Sailing Logic’s activities, not least that Malta hosts one of the World’s premier offshore racing events – the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Philippe Falle, Sailing Logic’s Racing Director, comments: “We are very flattered and excited to be backed by another country! This sponsorship enables us to invest further in Puma – keeping her competitive at high profile events as well as helping us to continue to attract newcomers to the sport through our unique race-training programme.  I am particularly looking forward to increasing the awareness and popularity in the UK of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, which starts and finishes in Malta in October.”

The Malta Tourism Authority had already identified that the sailing community represents exactly the demographics to whom they are keen to promote Malta as a tourist destination – both in the UK and Ireland.

Alex Incorvaja, Director UK and Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority enthuses: ‘We’re delighted with this new partnership with Sailing Logic.  Philippe’s exceptional results made him an obvious choice and when we heard he is also competing in Round Ireland and Cork week – it was too good to be true.”

Philippe adds: “We’re really looking forward to working with the Malta Tourism Authority to implement a creative and innovative campaign that benefits both parties. The marketing and branding potential for both of us is extensive.”  He concludes: “The Maltese Islands are not new to the sailing world. From the Phoenicians to the Knights of St. John and the British Empire, Malta played host to the best seafarers in the Mediterranean. It is an ideal stop-over destination for anyone sailing in the Mediterranean.”

This year Visit Malta Puma’s extensive racing calendar kicked off with the Warsash Spring Series that commenced yesterday, Sunday 14th March in which she scored a second place in Black Group IRC2. Her programme also includes the Round Ireland Race, Cork Week, Cowes Week and seven RORC offshore races. http://www.sailinglogic.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Photo credit: Hamo Thornycroft.

Sailing Logic, a multi award winning sailing school, is the UK’s leading yacht racing sailing school. The company runs Visit Malta Puma, one of the UK’s most successful offshore yachts in recent years, with trainee racing teams on board for all her campaigns, making her racing results even more impressive.

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The Yarmouth One Design Class – a classic vintage. Owners are set for Centenary celebrations in 2010

Posted on March 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE | 15th March 2010

Issued by: Peta Stuart-Hunt | PR Works
T: 01590 679 621 E: peta@prworksuk.com

Little beauties

The Yarmouth One Design Class – a classic vintage
Owners are set for Centenary celebrations in 2010

The Yarmouth One Design Class, based at the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, is one of the oldest and most exclusive fleets of racing keelboats still racing in the Solent.  This year sees this small, but perfectly formed class of just nine boats start its Centenary celebrations that will culminate in 2013.

The month of May marks the start of the Centenary with an official launch taking place over the early May bank holiday weekend, including an Open Day being held in Yarmouth on Sunday 2nd May.

The discussions that eventually produced the YOD Class of boats was initially instigated in 1910 by Sir Arthur Cope, RA, (1857 – 1940), a famous portrait painter of the Royal Family who was Class Captain from its foundation until 1935 and Commodore of the Solent Yacht Club from 1926 to 1934 – the Club’s Royal status wasn’t awarded until 1947.  Henry Longmore, who worked at J Samuel White’s shipyard in Cowes during the First World War, designed these pretty boats.  Of the 13 launched, Theo Smith in Yarmouth built 11 just prior to and after the First World War and two were built in the 1920s by Woodnutts at St. Helens on the Isle of Wight.

The original owners of the YOD Class were generally quite distinguished and included officers from the Army and Navy, a knight, a baronet and the first Lord Mottistone. The Class Rules reflect the social conditions of the day: ‘One paid hand is allowed, but he may not touch the tiller during a race.’

Linking the past with the present
Two YODs left the Class in the early years and two sank during racing, leaving nine surviving when the Class was disbanded in 1970.  Most of them stayed in the Solent area and thanks to the enthusiasm and perseverance of their present owners over a period of several years, they have all returned to the Royal Solent Yacht Club.

This group of highly dedicated YOD owners, now led by their Class Captain, naval architect Chris Temple, is using the Centenary to help further promote the Class and to ensure that all the existing YODs are cared for and raced from late April to late September on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings.

There are further festivities planned to celebrate the Class formation and traditions dating back to 1910-1913. These include a private formal dinner seated at Sir Arthur Cope’s original dining table that is still in his house, The Towers, that is owned by a YOD owner and devotee of the Class. The garden is also home to the Sir Arthur Cope seat.

The YOD Class has a very active social side and the highlight of the year is the annual party held in August to raise money for charity. This takes place in the gardens of the Towers next door to the Royal Solent YC, with live music, dancing, fireworks, food and drink. The event is open to all, with tickets on sale at the door.  Last year’s party raised £14,000 for the AAIR charity, (Asthma, Allergy and Inflammation Research).  The date for this year’s event is Saturday, August 14th. It is being held in aid of Ignorance Isn’t Bliss, the prostate cancer charity founded by the late Kit Hobday.

Anyone interested in attending the Open Day on 2nd May or indeed in sailing a YOD should, in the first instance, contact the YOD Class Captain Chris Temple via email: chris@christemple.wanadoo.co.uk <chris@christemple.wanadoo.co.uk>.

ENDS

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