Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019, Porto Cervo, Yacht Racing Sep 2-7

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019 – 7 September – An enthralling end to a spectacular week

Sep 7, 2019: The 30th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup enhanced the event’s reputation as a must do regatta on the international circuit. Organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), in partnership with Rolex since 1985 and in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, it delivered a week of pulsating action, consummate skill and elevated performance. The contest remains the pinnacle of large monohull yacht racing, attracting the best boats, the most passionate owners and the finest crews.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019 – More than a Regatta

5 September 2019 – Marking its 30th edition this year, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is one of the most established events on the sailing calendar. Unique, iconic, magnificent, it is only open to yachts over 18 metres (60 feet). The longstanding partnership and shared vision of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and title sponsor Rolex, in conjunction with the enviable sailing environment, have enabled the event to evolve and expand over the years. By the halfway point of the 2019 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the racing has already proved exceptional and promises much in the two days remaining.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019 official website -- Tracking -- Results

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019 – 3 September – An impressive spectacle

For close to 40 years, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has been a captivating fixture on the yachting calendar. A gathering of the very best yachts and the very best crews, the 2019 event marks the 30th edition of this, now, annual institution. An integral part of Rolex’s six-decade-long association with yachting, since 1985, and exemplifying the enduring pursuit of excellence present throughout the sport, this year’s grand prix contest has attracted an impressive fleet of 53 yachts. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, the first two days of racing in and around the Maddalena Archipelago have been close fought and offered an inspiring spectacle. -- Rolex World of Yachting video above published Sep 3, 2019. See also the preview video.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2019 celebrates its 30th edition from 1–7 September. For almost four decades, the event has provided an exacting test for the Maxi, the most powerful, elegant and impressive yacht class. First held in 1980 and organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, Rolex has been the event’s Title Sponsor since 1985. Uniting cutting-edge yachts, supreme professional talent and northeast Sardinia’s wonderful sailing environment, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is a truly unique competition. The 2019 edition will welcome in excess of 50 yachts from pure racers to high-performance cruisers and classic masterpieces. Rolex’s support for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, and the world of yachting more broadly, stems from the brand’s perpetual commitment to excellence in all its activities.

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The 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race Starting Aug 3, LIVE Feed

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 – 8 August – Burnishing the Legend

Aug 8, 2019: The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of sailing’s ultimate challenges: a racecourse that has achieved mythic status, a turning mark that is a true icon in sport and a near 100-years of history and tradition. The 48th edition attracted a record fleet of 388 yachts, of which 333 competed for the overall win on handicap. Conditions this year properly tested competitors from around the world. Professional and Corinthian crews alike experienced a broad range of weather and sea states; all had to overcome the notorious tidal and tactical challenges presented by the famous course. Records were broken, superlative performance converted into triumph and across the fleet endeavour was rewarded. An enduring legend has been polished once again.

Fleet tracking LIVE: https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/2019-fleet-tracking-race-player

Race Results: https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/competitors/race-documents/results

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 – 7 August – Wizard Leaves Fleet Spellbound

Aug 7, 2019: The 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race has been won by David and Peter Askew’s 21.5 meter (70-foot) Maxi yacht Wizard. Finishing third on the water behind her larger rivals Rambler and SHK Scallywag, she is the first American yacht to win the race overall since Great News in 1989.

Prevailing from an international fleet of 388 yachts is a remarkable achievement. The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the world’s legendary and most challenging contests. Wizard’s crew can be rightly proud of their accomplishment and for fully embracing the characteristics required to succeed in discipline of offshore racing: preparedness, determination, endurance and skill. It was not an easy win. Conditions at the Fastnet Rock on the second day were some of the worst in recent years with strong wind and steep waves testing the commitment of the crews. Wizard’s position at the top of the podium was challenged hard, not least by French yacht Bretagne Telecom, which finished second overall, a mere 45 minutes behind and British yacht Tala, a further 45 minutes back. The victory adds further lustre to the enduring and continuing history of the race.

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 – 6 August – Tough, Inspiring and Recognizable

Aug 6, 2019: As the 48th Rolex Fastnet Race moves through its fourth day, the flood of arrivals continues. The window of opportunity for those pursuing overall victory is narrowing and, after four days, crews still at sea are beginning to tire. Finishing well is dependent upon full commitment to performing at the best of one's ability and remaining resolute until the finish. The American yacht Wizard is currently in top spot, but the prevailing characteristic of Rolex Fastnet Race crews is to persevere to the very end, meaning the result remains in the balance. Nearly a century old, the Rolex Fastnet Race remains one the most inspiring and recognizable offshore racecourses in the world. Supported by Rolex since 2001, the race is organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, and the 2019 race has attracted a record fleet of 388 yachts ready and willing to test themselves against one of the toughest of offshore races.

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 – 5 August – Monohull Line Honours

 Aug 5, 2019: For the second time in a row, George David and the crew of the 27-metre (88-foot) Maxi yacht Rambler has secured the Line Honours trophy in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Once again, though, they were thwarted in the pursuit of the monohull race record; this time missing out by one hour, 16 minutes. Setting a new fastest time to the Fastnet Rock, it looked likely that the benchmark for the race as a whole might fall. As it was, Rambler found herself engaged in an intense, three way tussle for the lead and, even as the opportunity to improve on the race time faded, the challenge to be first home intensified. Finishing the 605nm course in one day, 19 hours, 55 minutes, Rambler held off her closest rivals, Scallywag and Wizard. With line honours resolved, attention turns to the overall win on handicap. The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the preeminent stages for offshore racing. With challenging wind and sea conditions in the Celtic Sea, the fleet still racing will have to exhibit all the determination and perseverance that have characterized this legendary race since it was first held in 1925.  Organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the race has been partnered by Rolex since 2001.

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 – 4 August – Multihull Race Record Broken

Aug 4, 2019: Co-skippered by round the world race winners, Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild secured Multihull Line Honours in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday afternoon. Finishing the 605nm course in 1 day 4 hours 2 minutes, the 30.5-metre (100-foot) French Ultime trimaran eclipsed the previous race record by some four hours. Out on the course, monohull Line Honours continues to be contested by three Maxis – the the 30.5-metre (100-foot) Scallwag, the Volvo 70 Wizard and the 27 m (88 ft) Rambler. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and partnered by Rolex since 2001, the race attracts a broad range of entries passionate about taking on the legendary test. Away from the leaders, the majority of the 388 yacht fleet are still sailing towards the race’s emblematic landmark, the Fastnet Rock on the southern tip of Ireland.

See also:
 Multihull Line Honours Winner: Maxi Edmond De Rothschild (RORC 4 Aug 2019 video): The 32m long Ultim trimarans laid on a spectacular finish in this 48th Rolex Fastnet Race resulting in MACIF, the leader since rounding the Fastnet Rock earlier this morning, being beaten to the finish line in the last breath of the race by her arch-rival Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. As Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’s skipper Franck Cammas explained: “Just after they gybed onto the layline for the finish we crossed them and decided to overlay. It was our last chance to see if there was something still possible. But until five minutes before we finished we never thought it was possible!” For their endeavours the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild crew won the Rolex Fastnet multihull trophy and were presented with a Rolex timepiece, ashore at Plymouth Yacht Haven.

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 video 3 August--A spectacular start for an impressive fleet--The 48th edition of legendary Rolex Fastnet Race got underway today. First held in 1925, the race has achieved mythic status and each edition enriches the honour and legacy. A record fleet of 388 yachts crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, separated into seven starts. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and partnered by Rolex since 2001, the race is a core element in the Swiss watchmaker's six-decade-long association with the sport. Featuring an array of the very best professional and Corinthian crews from around the world, 100 foot foiling multihulls are vying with similar-sized monohulls at the front. The smaller classes are filled with the traditional mix of the experienced, the intrepid and the adventurous. The winners will become legends.

Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 preview video. 2019 marks the 48th edition of biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club since 1925 and partnered by Rolex since 2001. The 605nm race is a classic examination of strategy and skill attracting a mix of passionate Corinthians and professionals. This is offshore racing at its very best, with complex weather patterns and testing tidal currents to be negotiated. For Rolex, this type of sailing challenge lies at the heart of its enduring six-decade-long support for the sport. On Saturday, 3 August an intrepid fleet of 400 yachts will set sail from Cowes, on the south coast of the United Kingdom, bound for the Fastnet Rock off southern Ireland and the return. leg to the finish in Plymouth. Start Date & Times: Saturday 3 Aug 2019 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race Start from 12:30 - 14:00 (local time Cowes, England).

Official website: rolexfastnetrace.com
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LIVE Video Replay Vendée Globe 2016-17 Start Nov 6, Sailing Video

LIVE Video Replay Vendée Globe 2016/2017 Start November 6, 2016:

Follow the Vendée Globe start LIVE in the video above

Alex Thomson On Starting the Vendee Globe 2016:

Alex Thomson onboard HUGO BOSS will race 28 other competitors 26,000 miles around the world I Solo I Non Stop I Without Assistance I GOOD LUCK ALEX!!! Video published Nov 6, 2016

Vendee Globe Facts:
Single-handed round the world race
Start: 6 November 2016 in Les Sables d'Olonne, France
Finish: Les Sables d'Olonne, France (ETA - 25 January 2017)
Official Event of the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship 2015-16
Coefficient: 10
Tracking: http://tracking2016.vendeeglobe.org/hp5ip0/

🎥 Jour J : résumé du départ de la 8ème édition / D-Day : summary of the 8th edition start #VG2016 pic.twitter.com/NjvRN3Qj53

— Vendée Globe (@VendeeGlobe) November 6, 2016

More info:

• www.oceanmasters.com | @IMOCA60
• www.imoca.org
• www.vendeeglobe.org | @VendeeGlobe
• #VG2016

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Transat bakerly 2016 Leaves Plymouth, England, for New York (videos)

The Transat bakerly start:

A view from the sky - fantastic heli images of The Transat bakerly start: At 14.30 hours, the 25 skippers competing in The Transat bakerly answered the starter’s gun fired from the decks of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Kent, marking the start of their 3,050 nm journey across the Atlantic. Published on May 2, 2016.

Below:  Spectacle à Saint-Malo - 2016 Transat bakerly:

Below: PHIL SHARP Imerys (UK) on the 2016 Transat bakerly:

Phil Sharp: It's very hard, from the beginning to end - Published May 2, 2016

The Transat bakerly 2016 sets sail on one of the greatest race courses of them all: "The 25 boats in The Transat bakerly 2016 fleet set sail today on one of the great races in solo sailing, the 3,050-nautical mile passage across the north Atlantic from Plymouth to New York. Spectators both on shore and on the water turned out to watch as the mostly French fleet gathered under grey skies on Plymouth Sound, England, to answer the starter’s gun fired from the decks of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Kent at 14.30hrs.

"Ahead of the solo skippers and their boats lies one of the most daunting challenges in professional sport – the north Atlantic, complete with bitterly cold storm force headwinds, an ever-present adverse swell, freezing fog and even the danger of ice. The forecast for this year’s race – the first time this classic has been staged since 2008 – is for a reasonably quiet start but for 45-knot headwinds and big seas for the leading yachts by Wednesday, as they head into the Western Approaches.

"The fleet is divided into four classes, each of which will produce an official winner of The Transat bakerly:

1. Fastest boats are the giant trimarans of the Ultime class, three of which are battling it out for line honours, with the first expected to reach the finish at New York in around eight days.
2. Next the five-strong fleet of smaller Multi50 trimarans which could fly across the “pond” in 12 days;
3. Six IMOCA 60s - the state-of-the-art monohulls used in the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race that starts later this year;
4. Slowest boats will be the smaller monohulls of the 10-strong Class40 fleet which should take around 15 days to complete the course but in which we should see some of the tightest racing.

"Alongside the fleet is a one-off entry by the French racing legend Loick Peyron who is sailing Eric Tabarly’s 44ft wooden ketch Pen Duick II in the same trim as she was when Tabarly raced her to victory in The Transat (then called the OSTAR) in 1964. Peyron is expecting to take around 27 days to reach the finish at New York." Read more: The Transat bakerly 2016

The Transat bakerly 2016 Tracking

More information: http://www.thetransat.com/

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