Sail World - Rallies, rallies and more rallies for 2011

The Silly Season is here and in this week's edition it seems organisers are promoting cruising rallies in every corner of the world for 2011.

The annual 'Gathering of the Swans' is happening in Cowes, in Asia they are including both sailing and motor boats in their adventure from Singapore to the equator and back, the Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race is gathering steam and in January they are even holding a yacht festival in Vietnam.

In the Atlantic, while teen sailor Laura Dekker has successfully crossed the Atlantic with a minimum of fuss in 17 days, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers has reached its usual stunning climax of partying and celebrations with only a few of the inevitable incidents to mar the event.

Two yachts are featured this week, at totally different ends of the yachting market - the Neel 45 trimaran is a long range cruising vessel with every comfort imaginable, and the Focus 800 is a little beauty of a day sailor that would be perfect at the end of anyone's garden.

Lots of other news – they actually closed the Panama Canal this week, sy Velella entertains with vivid descriptions of their adventures, and the UK is reorganising its coast guard activities with a loss of a staggering 226 personnel.

Saddest of the week was the loss of two cruising sailors in the Beagle Channel after a voyage to Antarctica – read how it happened...

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun and Happy New Year!

Nancy Knudsen, Editor

Laura Dekker is across the Atlantic
Nancy Knudsen,
Three months after departing Europe Laura Dekker, 15-year-old Dutch cruising sailor, has arrived on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten after sailing the Atlantic in 17 days(not to be the longest leg of her circumnavigation) from the Cape Verde Islands. She arrived after dark at the end of the 2200 nautical mile crossing, having experienced excellent winds during the last couple of days.... [more]
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Beagle Channel yacht tragedy
Sail-World Round-up,
World cruising yacht Nashchata has this week smashed into rocks in the Beagle Channel during a violent storm, and two of the crew have been killed. The 16.1 metre steel expedition yacht was in the middle of a world cruise and just returned from Antarctica when it lost power during the 60knot storm and decided to try to take cover in Sloggett Bay... [more]
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Sign of things to come?UK Coastguard to make drastic cuts in personnel
MCA/Sail-World Cruising,
Is this the sign of things to come for coast guard operations around the world? The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have just announced that they intend to 'modernise' the coastguard by rationalising the number of coast guard officers employed from the current 596 to 370 and reduce operational centres to six.... [more]
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Neptune Regatta 2011- preparing the way for the Race(?) to the Equator
Guy Nowell, Neptune Regatta Media,
Neptune Regatta 2011 - they've called it a race, but it looks more like a magnificent cruising holiday-in-company, a rally in other words, suitable for anyone within striking distance of Singapore. It reminded Sail-World's Asia Editor and magnificent photographer (see the photos in this story) Guy Nowell of a 'Swallow and Amazons' adventure:... [more]
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Featured yacht of the week: The Neel 45
Des Ryan,
The Neel 50 was created in 2009 by Eric Bruneel of Neel-Trimarans based in La Rochelle in France. Now the company has introduced the smaller version, the newly born Neel 45.... [more]
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Yachting festival for Mui Ne in Vietnam - January 2011
Sail-World Cruising roundup,
Apart from the Hong Kong to Nha Trang Race and a few intrepid cruisers, there has been very little activity for private yachts in Vietnam. However now an international yacht festival will take place in the central province of Binh Thuan, from January 15-18, 2011, Ngo Minh Chinh, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on December 20.... [more]
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The Gathering of the Swans in Europe, July 9 - 15, 2011
Nancy Knudsen,
The UK shores of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, that name that is synonymous with sailing almost ever since the leisure sport of sailing began, will be home next year to the next Gathering of the Swans. Otherwise known as the Swan European Nautor's Regatta, it will be held from July 9 - 15.... [more]
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Get your VHF Call Sign in an instant click
Coastguard Boating Education .,
The VHF radio is an important means of communication on any boat, large or small, recreational or commercial. Are you aware that maritime radio users are required to hold a Marine VHF Radio Operators Qualification and have a call sign for their vessel (except in an emergency or distress situation)?... [more]
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Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race - Safety at Sea Symposium
Liz Stott,
The Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race is a biennial event held in odd-numbered years, from Marion, Massachusetts to the island of Bermuda, a distance of 645 nautical miles. The Safety at Sea Symposium for the event is scheduled for March 19, 2011, and will be held at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is truly of interest and consequence to all sailors - not just those participating.... [more]
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And now for the good news - Ozone Layer heals itself
Jeni Bone,
Earth's upper ozone layer has stopped thinning and could be restored by mid-century, according to the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2010 report from the UN, released last month.... [more]
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Lewmar – the turn around Pt.II
John Curnow,
In Part I, we saw how Lewmar, the British leisure marine equipment supplier who designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of products including anchors, winches, windlasses, hatches, hardware, rigging, steering and thrusters, had not long ago had its back up against the wall.... [more]
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Yacht pinned to harbour wall by storm sinks
Sail-World Cruising/News & Star,
A British sailor who tried to bring his yacht into harbour during a 40 knot storm has lost his yacht when it was smashed and holed by the harbour wall of Whitehaven, a coastal town near the Lakes District area of England.... [more]
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25th ARC finishes in style
Jeremy Wyatt, World Cruising Club,
The 25th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) finished in fine style on Saturday 18 December with a spectacular awards ceremony at the Gaiety Nightclub in Gros Islet, near Rodney Bay Marina, Saint Lucia. After a slow start, 217 yachts had finished by the prize giving, with the remainder due to arrive over the next few days.... [more]
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Fire system: The argument for a fixed system on a sailing boat
Canadian Yachting/Sail-World Cruisin,
Engine room fires are mercifully rare on sailing boats, but every so often, one does occur. The engine room is the most likely place on your boat for a fire to get started and if the fire breaks out while you are out on the water, the lives of everyone on board are at risk.... [more]
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Ullman proud of round-world feat of two cruising sailors
Ullman Sails/Sail-World Cruising.,
Ullman Sails, whose Voyager Hydra Net Radial cruising inventory Michael Lawler and Barbara Burdick chose for a three year round-the-world sailing trip, were pleased to welcome the couple back on their return to Southern California. Their yacht Traveler, which bore them safely and securely through many adventures, is a North Wind 47.... [more]
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Voyaging with Velella - Wildlife highway
Meghan Cleary, American Sailing Association,
Continuing the 'Voyaging with Velella' series by ASA writer-at-large Meghan Cleary. Meghan, Prescott and their kitten Nessie are on a planned 9-month cruise in the tropics: We sailed into Chacala on the western coastline of Mexico before sunset, escorted all the way in to our anchoring spot by the most enormous dolphins I've ever seen... [more]
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Panama Canal closed!
Nancy Knudsen,
Never before has it happened! The Panama Canal, that lifeline between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean for thousands of ships a year as well as the cruising sailor, has had to be closed because of flooding.... [more]
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A yacht to dream about: The Focus 800
Des Ryan,
Crossing oceans may be a fantastic experience and achievement, but setting off for a simple day sail in a superbly crafted piece of good naval design must be the apogee of sailing experiences, and even better if you can do it single handed. And that's just what the Focus 800 is all about...... [more]
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ENDS

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