Friday, 28 May 2010

Triumph and Tragedy - Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06

Short film looking back at the dramatic events of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race.
Is there a full length version of this film?






© Volvo Ocean Race via VolvoOceanRaceVideo's YouTube Channel. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, 27 May 2010

Looking forward to the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland double-handed Yacht Race


The Shetland Round Britain and Ireland double handed Yacht Race will set off from Plymouth on 6th June 2010 and see the double-handed crews sail 2000 nautical miles around the entire United Kingdom coastline. 


We will be following the yacht, Fujifilm, crewed by Alex Bennett and Malcolm Dickinson. We have enjoyed following their training videos on Alex's YouTube Channel and reading Alex's sailing tweets on Twitter. Don't forget to check out the official website  Alex Bennett Ocean Racing  and that you can help raise money for Hospiscare through Just Giving on Alex's site.


[Source for the following text -Wikipedia]

"The race has been hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club every four years since 1966. There are four compulsory stops of forty-eight hours at Kinsale, Barra, Lerwick and Lowestoft.
Following the success of the first two OSTARs, Herbert Hasler proposed to the Royal Western Yacht Club that there should be a two-handed race around the British Isles. The proposal was considered and the first Round Britain and Ireland race was held in 1966. The course, of about 2,000 miles (3,200 km), was be split into five legs separated by compulsory stop-overs of 48 hours each at Crosshaven in Ireland, Castle Bay, Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Lerwick in Shetland, and Harwich on the East Coast. It would circumnavigate Britain and Ireland and, with the exception of the Channel Islands and Rockall, all islands and rocks would be left to starboard.
The first race was a great success and the RB&I was established on a four year cycle (two years off the OSTAR cycle). Lowestoft replaced Harwich as the east coast port from the second race on. Thereafter the course remained the same until Kinsale replaced Crosshaven in 2006.
The RB&I grew rapidly to a multinational entry of many boat sizes and types. In 1982 the 85 starters included an 80 ft monohull, a 70 ft catamaran, several 60 and 65 ft trimarans, down to a 25 ft monohull, and represented over a dozen nationalities.
The following race was held in 1985, since 1986 was given over to the second TwoSTAR so it could run two years apart from the OSTAR. The four year cycle continued with races in 1989 and 1993, but reverted (following the last TwoSTAR in 1994) to its original schedule in 1998 and on to the latest race in 2010.

 The Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Yacht Race Website

[Source for the following text - The Daily Sail - Wednesday March 24th 2010, Author: Claire Gilbert]

"Race Organiser for the RWYC Peter Taylor is thrilled by the number and quality of the entries: “We have crews from the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, France, Belgium and Italy, and of course from the UK including Alex Bennett from the West Country. We’ve had a surge of interest from Class 40 competitors, 10 in the last month alone, and this has resulted in the race filling up so early. These state of the art craft are the fastest 40 footers on the water by far and will make for some very, very exciting racing.”
Taylor explained that limiting the number of entrants to 60 optimized the efficiency of the administration for the race, and also took into account berthing arrangements. The race’s home port, Queen Anne’s Battery Marina, has already joined forces with Sutton Harbour Marina, from where Plymouth itself grew as a major port and city, to provide enough space for all the starters.
Douglas Irvine, Business Development Manager for Shetland Islands Council, which is sponsoring the race, said: “I’m delighted at this news. By the time the race reaches Lerwick the fleet will be spread out so we will have no trouble accommodating all of the crews, even with boats not involved with the race also berthed. Lerwick is the crossroads of the North Atlantic, and we can promise all racers and visitors alike an excellent time on the islands. Any interested visitors should look on www.shetlandmarinas.com for information.”
The Shetland Round Britain and Ireland race has had up to 80 entrants in previous years, but due to the grueling nature of the event not all of the boats made it around the full course. Some, due to lack of preparation, never even made it to the first of four compulsory stops or even the start. As Peter Taylor explained: “All of the yachts and multihulls this year are bigger, stronger and better equipped. We would expect no more than 10% of the entries to drop out which is a phenomenal achievement. However, it may be that some skippers pull out before the start and as the race is held only once every four years we are very keen to have a full starting line up, and therefore for the first time we have started to register reserve boats."
The fleet will be split into two sections for the start to avoid conflict between boats in Plymouth Sound, and spectators will find the best vantage points to watch the majestic start to a great adventure on Plymouth Hoe or at Jennycliff, to the east of the Sound." Author Claire Gilbert. All Rights Reserved.


[entries list sourced from the RWYC RBI site]

Entrants

Boat nameMakeSkipperCo-SkipperNatQual

Multi:
Strontium Dog43' Tri Andrew Fennel Simon Redding GBRQ
Drama QueenDazcat 1150 Simon Baker Dan Fellows GBRQ
SuenosDazcat 1195 Rupert Kidd Darren Newton GBRQ
Backlash II11.6m Cat Tony Purser Matthew Theobald GBRQ
Cold Fusion ReloadedDragonfly 35 Tri.Tim Wilson Richard Haynes TRIQ
ParadoxDazcat 10Will ClaxtonMatt GillGBRQ
allez Van HeeDazcat 9.2Tony Van HeeBob BeggsGBR
FreebirdCorsair 31 triMike WigmoreGrant KellyGBRQ

Mono:
Wolfie’s ToyOpen 50Bartel Van HolsbeekVeronique Dierick Xvisschers BELQ
KindnessOyster 47Nicholas BoothJonathan ShingletonGBRQ
RafikiSalona 42Rein AmelsEbe DocterNEDQ
Roaring FortyClass 40Andrew MagrathDavid PughGBRQ
SoloClass 40Rune AasbergArild ScheiNOR
SpliffClass 40Andrew DawsonJon McColl GBRQ
FujifilmClass 40Alex BennettMalcolm DickinsonGBRQ
LivewireClass 40Stuart DoddIan Marshall GBRQ
sec.Hayai Class 40Nico BudelJules Banffer NED
Phesheya-Racing Class 40Nick LeggattPhillippa Hutton-SquireRSAQ
SunGard Front ArenaClass 40Marco NanniniPaul PeggsITAQ
OrcaClass 40Richard TolkienNeil BrewerGBRQ
40 DegreesClass 40 Peter HardingMiranda MerronGBRQ
Roaring AgainOpen 40Hans PlasRobin VerhoefNEDQ
VijayaDe Ridder 40Huib SwetsAnne RaangsNED
Roc40ft sloopDesmond HamptonAdrian BiggsGBRQ
SummerbirdWarrior 40David SouthwoodSebastian SouthwoodGBRQ
Quid Non?Swan 40Nigel PhilpottChristian JefferyGBRQ
JbellinoJ 122Rob CraigieCharles AllenGBRQ
The ShedLightwave 395Pip HarePhil StubbsGBR
GreyhoundDehler 39SQ Gerard SchalkwijkLaura EngelNEDQ
BeyondComfortina 38Stuart McDonaldAngus LawrenceGBRQ
ZestSigma 38Adrian BishopEric Bates GBRQ
ElixirElan 380Felicity GabbayRoger Barber GBRQ
Change of CourseC&C 115Keith GibbsRobin TatumGBRQ
ThunderMills 37 John FowlerWarwick Samuel GBRQ
Ding DongStewart 37Christopher RustomStephen HomewoodGBRQ
Home RunWesterly TyphoonJohn GoodchildMike PoveyGBRQ
KrackpotDehler 36 CWSDavid GebbettSteve LinekerGBRQ
RuffianSigma 36Pete McIntyreEmma NuttGBRQ
Jangada TooJ109Richard PalmerTrevor DrewGBRQ
JagerKoopmans 35 Dick KoopmansYolanda Cupido-Koopmans NEDQ
Q IIOne offMary FalkJerry FreemanGBRQ
Comedy of ErrorsHOD 35Tony White Sam White GBRQ
SuromaStarlight 35Bill Graham Robin Graham GBRQ
Kipper of LondonVictoria 34John CordenJohn NashGBRQ
TaikaJ 105Chris TibbsKim Vasey GBRQ
Flair IIMG 335William MumfordNed Mumford GBRQ
Knight’s ChallengeSigma 33Janet SainsburyJohn FutcherGBRQ
bluQubeFigaro IIKatie MillerMatthew LingleyGBRQ
Yogo Racing Izara Figaro IIOliver YoungSam GoodchildGBRQ
Home of JazzKoopmans VQ32Maarten RusschenHarry VogelNEDQ
StreamlineKoopmans VQ32Leslie IrvineAndrew WoodGBRQ
Richard House HospiceKoopmans VQ32Richard LettSharon McMichaelGBRQ
ResoluteContessa 32Wave CrookesDavid FlettGBR
Fastrak VIISunfast 3200iNigel ColleyDavid BowdlerGBRQ
SpiritCorby 30 Richard VersteeghJac SandbergNED
SantanaCapo 30 Myles PerrinAshley PerrinGBR
GratifikationGK 29 Richard ArgentKevin AshfordGBRQ

We are looking forward to following the race from next weekend. We will try and post any interesting video and articles that we find from the event. We wish all the competitors the best of luck!

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

DesTopNews / The Best of Sailing News

Sebastien Destremau's excellent international sailing report is an absolute essential for any sailor or sailing enthusiast. We hope that more and more people will discover DesTopNews on YouTube and on Sebastien's blog  DesTopNews Blog. The video reports are available in a variety of languages including English, German, French and Portuguese. Check out the video below and the official YouTube channel  DestremauSailingTV . We love the photography and Sebastien's commentary. It brings the best international sailing events from all over the world together in to one weekly programme. Spread the word about this top class show!

Thursday, 20 May 2010

New Sailing MUSTO MPX Gore-Tex Race Jacket Navy XL - Available Now

The Navy Blue version of the MPX Gore-Tex Race Jacket is now availble in our eBay shop, the Roan Star Sailing Outlet

 As with all of our MUSTO clothing, we have limited availability of our items. We get the best deals we can, and we try to offer the most competitive pricing we possibly can. 


We can't find a better price anywhere on the interweb for a brand new MUSTO MPX Gore-Tex Race Jacket - £245 including free UK delivery.



Check out the item specifics for a full technical description and detailed jacket measurements:



Looking for a different colour or size?   


Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Save 50% on MUSTO Windjammer Hooded Jackets Now


Available today in our eBay shop. Save 50% off the Musto Retail Price. We have these jackets available for just £65. This offer is a special introductory price, and won't stay this low for very long.

Musto's official product description describes the jacket as : " Named after the 19th century cargo ship with sails that 'jammed' the wind, you'll be protected from the wind and showers. The fleece backing makes this jacket truly soft and comfortable to wear. "

















 

This Musto jacket features:
  • Windproof , Showerproof with fleece back lining and hood
  • Soft Polyester outershell in smart dark olive colourway
  • Elasticated cuffs
  • Zip front with storm flap
  • Toggle adjustment on waist and hood
  •  1 x zipped pocket in lower back
  • 1 x vertical zipped chest pocket with internal music port
  • 2 x front pockets
  • MUSTO branding stitched on chest and inside collar

Thursday, 13 May 2010

New MUSTO MPX Gore-Tex Sailing Jacket - Great Price!

Newly listed in our eBay Shop

Brand new breathable waterproof MUSTO MPX Gore-Tex Sailing Jacket. Only £245! That's a huge £90 saving
.




 















MUSTO is the world's leading marine clothing manufacturer and is well know and respected by sailors across the globe. 

This shorter fit Musto MPX sailing jacket, is designed to be lighter weight and less bulky for inshore sailing and racing.
We have 2 sizes available, Large & XL. 
 

  • GORE-TEX® Pro Shell Laminate®
  • Roll-away, detachable, fluorescent peaked reefing hood
  • Recycled fleece lined collar
  • Stretch GORE-TEX® fabric covering upper back, shoulder & sleeve area
  • Smooth non-abrasive stretch wrist seals with Velcro adjustment
  • Water resistant front zip
  • Chest and side pockets with water resistant zips
  • Inner security pocket
  • Scooped back hem
  • Adjustable hem tensioner 

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Great Value MUSTO Clothing Auctions - Grab a bargain!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All of these items started at just 99 pence and will finish this Sunday evening on May 16th. We have our biggest ever choice of MUSTO Rugby shirts for auction this week, and this is a great chance to get a really good price for a top quality product. MUSTO Rugby Shirts range from £55-£60 in the shops, so as you can see from our auction prices and our usual discount eBay shop prices, we have some terrific savings on offer.
International Shipping available to a wide selection of countries, all fully tracked and insured.

Our MUSTO Auctions - Save this link to your favourites

Nespresso Cup - Highlights


From AdonnanteTv on YouTube  .Video copyright Nespresso Cup 2010

Beautiful Video from Portofino.


[Article Source BYM.com] 

"On the final day of racing at the Nespresso Cup, the first exclusive regatta for Wally yachts, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’ Magic Carpet Squared sailed a great final race to secure the overall Nespresso Cup trophy.

The Nespresso Cup came to a stylish conclusion today in Portofino, Italy. After three days of racing over the 6th to 9th May, the Wally yacht Magic Carpet Squared secured victory to lift the inaugural Nespresso Cup Trophy. The final day produced the best racing of the three-day event. The anticipated duel between Magic Carpet Squared and J One, driven by owner Jean-Charles Decaux, became a reality as the two boats headed out to the racecourse on equal points. The Yacht Club Italiano managed to stage two windward/leeward races in 12-15 knots of breeze and it was the final race that proved to be the decider...." article copyright Julie Royer. 



Tuesday, 11 May 2010

Darth Vader's recording for TomTom GPS - behind the scenes

Via ©TomTomOfficial  YouTube Channel - All Rights Reserved



Funny!

New MUSTO Waterproof Breathable Caribbean Jacket - Available Now


We have increased our range of MUSTO Caribbean jackets. This is a lightweight waterproof jacket with a roll away hood : A very useful waterproof jacket versatile enough to be worn all year round. We have new Navy Blue jackets available in 3 sizes, and we also have red and black available too. See our eBay shop for our full selection of MUSTO jackets. Available for discount price of £78 - Free UK Shipping. International Shipping Available.

This Jacket Features:

Lightweight, Waterproof and Breathable
Tough durable ripstop fabric
Mesh lining
Taped seams
Roll-away peaked hood
Two way front zip
Adjustable cuffs
Two external zipped pockets, internal security pocket
Scooped back hem with elasticated drawcord
Reflective Musto logo on collar

Tuesday, 4 May 2010

Bennett & Dickinson High Speed Training Onboard Yacht Fujifilm



Video from BennettOceanRacing YouTube Channel © Alex Bennett 2010. All Rights Reserved.

This is the latest video from Alex Bennett - high speed reaching with Code zero. We're big fans of Alex's Fujifilm videos. Great Sailing & Excellent footage!

Check out: Alex Bennett's Official Website to learn more about Alex & Malcolm.