THE Volvo Ocean Race has got off to the worst possible start, with four of the seven boats suffering serious damage during the first 24 hours of the first offshore leg. The carnage, which forced two boats, Bouwe Bekking’s Movistar and Paul Cayard’s The Black Pearl, to head to port for repairs, has served only to underline fears that the new breed of Volvo Open 70s are not yet ready for ocean racing and certainly not the immense challenge of the Southern Ocean.
America's Cup holders Alinghi finished third in Sunday's fifth and final race to win the latest three-day series of regattas in Sicily.
The Swiss boat ended the series level on points with US challenger BMW Oracle but won 3-1 on head-to-head races.
The broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough joins The Volvo Ocean Race to support BirdLife International’s Save the Albatross campaign.
The Volvo Ocean Race has adopted the Save the Albatross Campaign, and during the Southern Ocean legs of the race, the crews will pass through areas that are the traditional home of this magnificent bird. Ocean sailors hold a special affinity for the albatross and Volvo Ocean Race crew are no different. The crews will be sending back reports and pictures about the birds they come across on the race and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds will be answering queries and posting articles on the web site in the Ocean Watch section.
The biennial Rolex Fastnet Race has been an established fixture on the ocean racing circuit since 1926. The 607-mile race is a test of strategy and skill with challenging tidal currents and changeable weather. The fleet starts off the renowned Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, races out the Solent and across the often tempestuous Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock, and returns on a reciprocal course to the finish off Plymouth.
Thundercat racing is based on a 400 meters X 200 meters ‘M’ Circuit that has five turn buoys including a chicane. This close action racing produces an adrenaline sport that is exciting and thrilling for both racers and spectators.
The design, development and technical input has led to a new bread of quality boats with racing pedigrees that reach extreme speeds and out manoeuvre any other waterborne boat of a similar size. The boats are designed to plane quickly across the water allowing the hull to ride on a cushion of air bubbles reducing the wetted surface and lubricating the contact between vessel and water.
If NASA were to design a lilo it would be a Thundercat!
The UIM Powerboat P1 World Championship brings together an international field of competitors in highly powered twin-engine racing machines to create an exhilarating occasion, at specially chosen venues, for competitive racing and public enjoyment.
Archived news in 'Racing - Power & Sail'
2005
