British company OC Group and mainland Europe based ThirdPole have been acquired in a non-cash deal that will bring together their competences into a global leading sports marketing and events company. The two brands will remain, OC continuing to specialise in professional sailing teams and events, and ThirdPole which is a new and expanding force in Outdoor Events ranging from running, cycling and biathlon, to more extreme sports including adventure and trail running races. OC and ThirdPole combined aspire to become a world leader of outdoor events on all playing fields: oceans, lakes, mountains, forests, deserts and city centres.

La société britannique OC Group et la société ThirdPole, active en Europe continentale, ont décidé de fusionner, sans transaction financière, leurs activités et leurs compétences pour former un groupe unique sur le marché du marketing et de l’événementiel sportif. Les deux marques cohabiteront, OC cherchant à conforter son leadership dans la voile de haut niveau (management de projets et d’événements), ThirdPole renforçant quant à elle sa visibilité dans l’univers des événements outdoor, depuis le cyclisme, running ou biathlon, jusqu’à des sports plus engagés tels que les raids aventure et les épreuves de trail running.

We are pleased to unveil a new chapter in the charity’s history:  A new brand identity, name and mission statement. Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust: Rebuilding young people’s confidence.  We are pleased to unveil a new chapter in the charity’s history:  A new brand identity, name and mission statement. Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust: Rebuilding young people’s confidence.

The Trust has always aimed to help young people rebuild their self confidence, which we believe to be vital to their long-term recovery from cancer, and hope the new brand portrays this aim, along with the fun, hope and friendships borne out of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s activities.

The process has not been rushed; it was started after a review of the Round Britain Voyage last September, and has been lead by Nick Williams, one of the charities Trustees. Along the way we have involved many people in the new brand development, asking parents, medical staff, volunteers, corporate partners, patrons, trustees and of course the young people who have sailed with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust the question, what makes us special? And, what words would you use to best describe the Trust?

The words used most frequently were: Inspiring, Confidence, Hope, Friendships, Supportive, Fun, High Quality Delivery and Forward Thinking. From there the new brand identity was borne, and of course fully supported by our patron, Ellen MacArthur, who was instrumental in the development, even sketching some initial ideas seen here.        

The Trust has developed and evolved enormously over the past seven years: In 2003 we took just 15 young people sailing from two hospitals; Southampton and Great Ormond Street. In 2010, 263 young people between the ages of 8 to 17 have been sailing, working with every primary cancer care unit across the UK.  Next week will see the Trust embark on its first sailing trip for the 18-24 age group, and plan to extend the reach to this important group in the future. 

Ellen MacArthur will today be launching the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which seeks to inspire people to re-think and re-design a sustainable future. Ellen’s new autobiography has also just been published,  in this she talks about many of the inspiring young people she has met through her work with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.  Ellen will continue to work with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust alongside her new Foundation.  We wish our Patron all the best with these projects.

www.ellenmacarthur.com

Rob da Bank played an exclusive set on the final night (Thur 5th Aug) of the Extreme Sailing series in Cowes, to raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Trust.  OC Group, who run these spectacular Extreme 40 sailing events across the globe came up with the idea for this fundraising evening which was held in the Extreme Bar at Egypt Point, a purpose build temporary facility to give spectators a fantastic shoreside view of all the sailing action.

Rob da Bank, Radio 1 DJ,  founder of the Bestival Music Festival held annually on the Isle of Wight and owner of own record label, ‘Sunday Best’ played an eclectic and diverse mix of music as always.  He quickly got the crowd up and dancing until close at Midnight and made no secret of his affinity with the Isle of Wight by wearing an I ‘heart’ Wight’ T-shirt.  Proceeds from the ticket sales as well as Rob da Banks fee for the night totalled a fantastic £2,500.

The Trust would like to say big thanks to OC Group and Rob da Bank for their help, as well as everyone who bought tickets and supported this event.

Guichard et son équipage à bord de Groupe Edmond de Rothschild ont remporté les Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel, troisième épreuve de la saison, et ne pouvaient être inquiétés même avant que la manche finale - comptant double - ne soit lancée.
Guichard et son équipage à bord de Groupe Edmond de Rothschild ont remporté les Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel, troisième épreuve de la saison, et ne pouvaient être inquiétés même avant que la manche finale - comptant double - ne soit lancée. Un fait rare et notable sur le circuit, où le résultat final n’est quasiment jamais connu avant l’issue de cette ultime course à hauts risques. Mais force est de constater que le skipper breton était indéboulonnable en haut du classement, après avoir détrôné Ecover. Avec 4 victoires aujourd’hui, la démonstartion était impressionnante.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsYann Guichard : “Je pense que c’est la plus belle régate qu’on ait jamais faite, on est rentré dans le match dès le premier jour, on a progressé dans les manoeuvres et là les deux derniers étaient presque parfaits. On s’est fait super plaisir à bord et le résultat est là. Il y a des jours comme ça, on aurait pu courir 10 manches aujourd’hui, je suis sûr que ça serait super bien passé.”Une foule de 65,000 personnes sur 4 jours est venue sur le rivage du Kiellinie assister aux débats sur l’eau, malgré des conditions climatiques pas toujours idéales - conditions qui sur le parcours se traduisaient d’ailleurs par des situations tactiques complexes à gérer. Aujourd’hui comme hier, de gros grains de pluie ont émaillé l’après-midi, avec de soudaines rafales et un vent déclinant par la suite. En plus des nombreuses pénalités distribuées, on notera une collision entre Red Bull Extreme Sailing et The Wave, Muscat sur un classique tribord : l’impact a été entendu jusque sous la tente VIP, mais aucun dommage notable n’était à déplorer et les troupes de Roman Hagara ont reçu 4 points en compensation (l’étrave de l’Extreme 40 a pu être réparée sur l’eau).© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsAprès avoir mené lors des deux premiers jours, l’équipage d’Ecover doit ce soir se contenter de la seconde place, mais il aura vendu cher sa peau : troisième avant cette dernière journée au général derrière Masirah, l’équipe de Mike Golding a su remonter d’une place cet après-midi : “Cela aura été une belle régate pour nous”, explique le skipper britannique, “nous revoyons nos objectifs à la hausse pour le championnat, ce qui est le plus important. Pas de secret, le travail d’équipe et l’entraînement payent.”La bagarre pour la troisième place s’est jouée entre les deux bateaux de l’écurie Oman Sail, et c’est finalement Paul Campbell-James sur The Wave, Muscat qui l’a emporté lors de l’avant-dernière course et a réussi à contester le leadership de Peyron dans l’ultime manche !En milieu de tableau Mitch Booth n’a pas cédé de terrain, et se place 5ème derrière Masirah (à égalité de points). Avec 99 points Red Bull Extreme Sailing prend la 6ème place devant Groupama 40 barré par Tanguy Cariou en l’absence de Cammas, parti démolir le record du Tour des îles Britanniques à bord du VO70 de l’équipe. Jutse derrière, la bagarre a fait rage entre les deux équipages ‘locaux’ Team Wirsol Germany (Tino Mittelmeier) et Audi Sailing Team Germany, structure montée en vue des JO de 2012. Une victoire impressionnante, et saluée comme il se doit par les spectateurs, dans la manche 2 du jour a donné la haute main à Team Wirsol Germany.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsLa prochaine étape pour les Extreme Sailing Series™ est Trapani en Sicile, du 24 au 26 septembre. Comme l’explique Yann Guichard : “Je ne suis jamais allé à Trapani, je crois qu’on va naviguer dans le port, ça va peut-être ressembler à Almeria. A cette période, il devrait y avoir du thermique, donc ça devrait être des conditions très sympa et une belle bagarre. Je crois qu’on a bien démontré qu’il fallait compter sur nous pour la victoire finale. On vient de passer la mi-championnat, et avec cette seconde victoire on prend un super ascendant psychologique, aussi au niveau points, donc on est super contents.” Guichard compte deux victoires (Sète et Kiel) contre une pour Campbell-James (Cowes), et se place aujourd’hui très clairement comme l’homme fort de cette saison 2010.Kiel.Sailing CityLa tradition nautique de la ville est plus que jamais sur le devant de la scène puisque tous les ans au mois de Juin se tient la célèbre Semaine de Kiel, plus grande épreuve de voile en Europe, qui chaque année attire plus de 1000 bateaux. L’année dernière, plus de 45000 personnes se sont rassemblés sur les bords du canal pour voir les Extreme 40 évoluer malgré la pluie battante, alors qu’en 2008 ils étaient 80 000 !Résultats Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel 1 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild 167 points2 Ecover Sailing Team 142 points3 The Wave, Muscat 128 points4 Oman Sail Masirah 125 points5 The Ocean Racing Club 125 points6 Red Bull Extreme Sailing 99 points7 Groupama 40 92 points8 Wirsol Team Germany 67 points9 Audi Sailing Team Germany 61 pointsClassement général Extreme Sailing Series™ 2010 1 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild 22 points2 The Wave, Muscat 20 points3 Ecover Sailing Team 19 points4 Oman Sail Masirah 17 points5 Red Bull Extreme Sailing 10 points6 Groupama 40 9 points7 The Ocean Racing Club 8 points8 Team GAC Pindar* 3 points* Team GAC Pindar n’a pas été en mesure de disputer l’épreuve de Kiel mais sera de retour pour Trapani et Almeria.

Yann Guichard, Hervé Cunningham, Pierre Pennec und America`s Cup-Sieger Thierry Fouchiet – dies Quartett ist der vielbejubelte und gefeierte Sieger der dritten Station der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel.
Yann Guichard, Hervé Cunningham, Pierre Pennec und America`s Cup-Sieger Thierry Fouchiet – dies Quartett ist der vielbejubelte und gefeierte Sieger der dritten Station der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel. Der 36 Jahre junge Skipper Guichard der Groupe Edmond de Rothschild setzte seine am Freitag begonnene Aufholjagd fort und brachte den Gesamtsieg am Sonntag in sechs Wettfahrten bei der einzigen deutschen Station der internationalen Segelserie unter Dach und Fach. © Paul Wyeth/ OC Events„Ich bin wirklich glücklich und danke meinem Team – die haben einen Super-Job gemacht,“ sprudelte der überglückliche Guichard hervor, der beeindruckt war von der deutschen Etappe: „Phantastisch – das Publikum hier – man hört die Leute schreien und klatschen!“ Von Donnerstag bis Sonntag pilgerten rund 65.000 Zuschauer an die Kiellinie und trotzten auch gelegentlichen Regenschauern. Diese und trockene Abschnitte, drehender Wind und Böen machten die Bedingungen trickreich für die Flotte der neun Boote. Allein drei Tagessiege fuhr das französische Team heraus und beendete die Stippvisite in KIEL.SAILING CITY mit 167 Punkten auf dem ersten Platz. Das doppelt gewertete letzte Rennen des Tages sicherte sich der Nord-Atlantik-Rekordhalter Guichard ebenso wie den Sieg in der ersten Wettfahrt am Sonntag. Gesamtplatz zwei ging nach 23 Wettfahrten und einer spannenden Aufholjagd am letzten Tag an Mike Golding (Großbritannien) mit dem Ecover Sailing Team. Noch vor dem omanischen Team The Wave, Muscat von Skipper Paul Campbell James (Großbritannien). © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsYann Guichard hält damit auch weiterhin die Gesamtführung in der europaweiten Segelserie, die nun nach Italien weiter zieht. Vom 23. bis 26. September wird die vierte Etappe erstmals in Trapani ausgetragen, bevor es vom 9. bis 12. Oktober in Almeria in Spanien ins Finale geht.Schreie auf dem Wasser, Super-Gedrängel an den Tonnen und ein lautes Krachen – die nötige Prise Drama gab es auch in sechs Tages-Wettfahrten am Sonntag. So knallte das Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team des Österreichers Roman Hagara auf den linken Rumpf des omanischen Teams The Wave, Muscat. Wegerecht hatten die Österreicher – ärgerlich waren alle – und weitersegeln konnten beide Teams, weil der Schaden glücklicherweise gering blieb.Super-frech und pfiffig fuhr das Wirsol Team Germany im zweiten Rennen den ersten Sieg heraus. Vom Fleck weg kam die junge Crew von Trainer Roland Gäbler gut ins Rennen, gab keinen Meter her und segelte kurz vor dem Ziel auch noch an der britischen Ecover vorbei. Das gab zwar einen Protest von Skipper Mike Golding, der sich benachteiligt sah, aber selbst Golding musste lachen – so lautstark war die Begeisterung der Zuschauer über diesen „Coupe de Fortune“ des jungen deutschen Teams, das sich artig bei den jubelnden Fans bedankte. Golding augenzwinkernd: „Da bin ich ja froh, noch Zweiter geworden zu sein….“ © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsTrainer und Skipper Roland Gäbler freute sich für „seine“ Jungs: „Das war mal gut für die Psyche.“ Steuermann Tino Mittelmeier, der freitags noch mit sich selbst gehadert hatte, war am Sonntag wieder mit sich im Reinen: „Das war unser erklärtes Ziel, hier auch einmal zu gewinnen.“ Johannes Polgar, Skipper des Audi Sailing Team Germany, und seine Crew mussten am letzten Wettfahrttag die deutschen Kollegen vom Wirsol Team Germany noch vorbeiziehen lassen, gleichwohl hat das Team um den einzigen Katamaran-Segler eine bemerkenswerte Leistung abgeliefert. „Ich möchte mich auch direkt beim Kieler Publikum bedanken, das war wirklich toll diese Unterstützung.“ Teamchef Oliver Schwall dankte Veranstalter OC Events und KIEL.SAILING CITY und war begeistert: “Ich denke, das war ein Riesenereignis für jeden, der dabei war. Extreme Sailing Series™ ist der Weg wie man Segelsport präsentieren sollte.“  Das Audi Sailing Team Germany war mit einer Wildcard erst am Montag in den Extreme Sailing Series™ Circuit eingestiegen und konnte vor der ersten Wettfahrt exakt 1,5 Stunden trainieren. Nicht viel für ein professionelle Serie…Wirsol Team Germany – bereits 2009 vor Kiel dabei - begeisterte auch die Gäste von Sponsor Wirsol. Vorstand Stefan Riel, hatte insgesamt 250 Kunden, Partner und Gäste aus China, Japan, den USA und Europa eingeladen, die „mit leuchtenden Augen wieder von Bord kamen“. Endstand 3. Etappe Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel:1. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Yann Guichard (FRA), 167 Punkte2. Ecover Sailing Team, Mike Golding (GBR), 1423. The Wave, Muscat, Paul Campbell James (GBR, Oman), 1284. Oman Sail Masirah, Loick Peyron (FRA/ Oman), 1255. The Ocean Racing Club, Mitch Booth (NED/ Slowenien), 1256. Red Bull Extreme Sailing Series, Roman Hagara (AUT), 997. Groupama 40, Tanguy Cariou (FRA), 928. Wirsol Team Germany, Tino Mittelmeier/ Roland Gäbler (GER), 679. Audi Sailing Team Germany, Johannes Polgar (GER), 61Gesamtstand Extreme Sailing Series™ nach drei Etappen:1.  Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, 22 Punkte2.  The Wave, Muscat, 203. Ecover Sailing Team, 194. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, 105. Oman Sail Masirah, 176. Groupama 40, 97. The Ocean Racing Club, 88. Team GAC Pindar, 3

Yann Guichard and his crew on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild have won the third round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel with a race to spare – an unusual occurrence on this circuit that normally sees every event go to the wire in the final double points race.
Yann Guichard and his crew on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild have won the third round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel with a race to spare – an unusual occurrence on this circuit that normally sees every event go to the wire in the final double points race.  However, there was no stopping Guichard who took control of the German event yesterday, unseating Britain’s Mike Golding from the top of the leaderboard. Today the French team scored four 1st places and two 4th places in the six fleet races: “I think that’s the best event we have ever done,” said Guichard. “We were in the match since the first day, our manoeuvres got better and better and the last two days were almost perfect. We enjoyed ourselves onboard and the results speak for themselves. Sometimes, like today, things just go well - we could have had 10 races today and I’m sure it would’ve been just as fine!”© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsThe Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel event, supported by Kiel.Sailing City, delivered tough and tricky racing conditions for the 9 competing teams who rose to the challenges and entertained the 65,000 strong crowd that lined the Kiellinie shoreline
over the four days.  Conditions were similar to yesterday – big rain squalls bringing big gusts, then decreasing wind – and there was plenty of action on the short race courses resulting in numerous penalties. There was a collision between Red Bull Extreme Sailing and The Wave, Muscat in the third race of the day in a port/starboard incident approaching the weather mark – the impact was so loud it was heard inside the VIP enclosure! Neither team incurred major damage and carried on racing with Roman Hagara’s team awarded a 4-point redress as they sat out the next race to affect repairs to their bow on the water.  © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsThe all-British team on Ecover, having led for the first two days, had to settle for 2nd place overall and that was not without a fight. At the start of the final day they were lying in third behind Oman Sail Masirah, skippered by Loick Peyron. But good fighting tactics saw them move into 2nd overall after two races which they managed to cling on to: “It was a really good event for us and, more importantly, we are moving forward our expectations in the overall series which is great,” said Golding. “We had one slightly shaky day here but we see a continuous improvement which is important. There’s no secret, it’s all about team work and training, and it’s paying now.”  The battle for 3rd place then developed between the two Omani teams of Oman Sail Masirah and The Wave, Muscat. Paul Campbell-James, skipper of The Wave, finally got the upper hand in the penultimate race moving into 3rd overall with 120 points, 1 point ahead of Masirah. In the final double points race, Loick Peyron had the advantage but ‘CJ’ fought back to finish ahead and take 3rd place on the podium.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsMid-leaderboard Mitch Booth on The Ocean Racing Club continued to dominate, finishing on equal points with Masirah, but awarded 5th place overall on countback. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, involved in so much of the action here today, finished in 6th place on 99 points, ahead of Groupama on 92 points, helmed by Tanguy Cariou whilst Franck Cammas demolished the Round Britain & Ireland course record on his Groupama VO70.  A ‘home’ team battle raged between the German ‘wild card’ entries of Team Wirsol Germany, with the young skipper Tino Mittelmeier at the helm, and the Audi Sailing Team Germany which facilitates training for the 2012 Olympics. Going into the final day, only 1 point separated the two teams to Audi’s advantage, but a spectacular win in the second race of the day for Team Wirsol Germany – that sent the thousands of spectators ecstatic – helped them overhaul their compatriots.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsNext stop for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series™ is Trapani, Sicily over the 24-26 September, the penultimate event of the circuit: “I’ve never been to Trapani, we’re going to race in the harbour so maybe it will be comparable to Almeria,” commented Guichard. “At this time of the year there should be some thermal breeze so conditions should be pleasant and we can expect a good fight.”   Yann Guichard now has two wins under his belt (Séte and Kiel) and Paul Campbell-James one (Cowes). “I think we clearly demonstrated that we’re a force to be reckoned with for the Overall Series victory,” said Guichard. “We’re now more than halfway into the season, and with this second event win we take a psychological advantage as well as one in terms of points, so we’re very happy.” From the performance here in Kiel it looks like Guichard’s campaign is gathering steam – can anyone stop the ‘express train’ now?   Kiel.Sailing CitySituated on the Baltic Coast in northern Germany, this iconic sailing venue plays host to the German round of the Extreme Sailing Series™ at the halfway stage of the 2010 circuit. The city of Kiel, home to the famous Kieler Woche, is well used to hosting other international ISAF endorsed events and the crowds turn out in there thousands to watch the Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel. In 2009, in pouring rain, over 45,000 people watched the action for the three-day event and in 2008 in glorious sunshine, over 80,000. At the 2010 event an estimated crowd of 65,000 attended the four-day event.Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel Overall Results1st Groupe Edmond de Rothschild 167 points2nd Ecover Sailing Team 142 points3rd The Wave, Muscat 128 points4th Oman Sail Masirah 125 points5th The Ocean Racing Club 125 points6th Red Bull Extreme Sailing 99 points7th Groupama 40 92 points8th Wirsol Team Germany 67 points9th Audi Sailing Team Germany 61 pointsExtreme Sailing Series™ 2010 Overall Standings1st Groupe Edmond de Rothschild 22 points2nd The Wave, Muscat 20 points3rd Ecover Sailing Team 19 points4th Oman Sail Masirah 17 points5th Red Bull Extreme Sailing 10 points6th Groupama 40 9 points7th The Ocean Racing Club 8 points8th Team GAC Pindar* 3 points* Team GAC Pindar was unable to attend the Kiel event but will be back competing in the remaining two events in Trapani (Sicily) and Almeria (Andalucia).

Jetzt haben sie es geschafft: Yann Guichard und seine französische Groupe Edmond de Rothschild haben sich ganz elegant und mit stabilen Leistungen in die Spitzenposition bei der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel geschoben.
Jetzt haben sie es geschafft: Yann Guichard und seine französische Groupe Edmond de Rothschild haben sich ganz elegant und mit stabilen Leistungen in die Spitzenposition bei der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel geschoben. Zwei Tagessiege, drei zweite und zwei dritte Plätze genügten dem 36 Jahre alten Skipper und seinem französischen Team, um an der britischen Ecover von Mike Golding vorbei zu ziehen. Riesenpech hatte am dritten Tag des Segelspektakels vor rund 30.000 Zuschauern Mitch Booth mit The Ocean Racing Club, während Roman Hagara, Doppel-Olympiasieger und Skipper des Red Bull Sailing Teams, das Wiedersehen mit Kiel genoss.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsFür das Team The Ocean Racing Club und Skipper Mitch Booth – den in Australien geborenen Niederländer, der in Spanien lebt – war der Tag in der sechsten Wettfahrt unfreiwillig vorbei. Dem unter slowenischer Flagge segelnden Syndikat fuhr das omanische Team The Wave, Muscat hinten in den Beam – den Querstreben, der die beiden Rümpfe miteinander verbindet. Dabei wurde der so heftig beschädigt, dass ein großes Loch im Material klafft. Skipper Paul Campbell James (The Wave, Muscat) hatte indes kaum eine Chance, den Crash zu verhindern. Das omanische Syndikat bekam eine Böe ab und rauschte förmlich in den mit rund 20 Knoten Windgeschwindigkeit dahingleitenden Katamaran der Kollegen hinein. Riesenpech für den zehnmaligen Weltmeister Mitch Booth, denn der erwischte einen glänzenden Tag bis dahin mit zwei Siegen, zwei zweiten Plätzen und einem vierten Rang. Nun wird der gut acht Meter lange Beam repariert und selbst dabei bildete sich eine kleine Traube von technikbegeisterten Männern, die unbedingt zugucken wollten.Überhaupt -  das Kieler Publikum verdiente sich überall Bestnoten: „Cowes war schon toll, aber das hier ist richtig schön mit den vielen Zelten an der Kiellinie und den ganzen Besuchern,“ sinnierte Doppel-Olympiasieger Roman Hagara (Österreich), der vor gar nicht so langer Zeit mit Vorschoter Hans Peter Steinacher etliche Kieler-Woche-Regatten bestritt – nur dort ohne Publikum. Der Profi fuhr im letzten Tagesrennen am Samstag, das als Match-Race Boot gegen Boot gesegelt wurde, einen glatten Sieg heraus. Die französische Groupama 40 hatte keine Chance gegen das Team unter österreichischer Flagge. Hagara/ Steinacher sind nach zwei Olympiasiegen die Segel-Stars schlechthin in der Alpenrepublik. © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsUnd – es gab eine kleine Neu-Auflage des AC-Matches vor Valencia: Thierry Fouchiet – Crewmitglied der siegreichen BMW Oracle Racing, ist bei der Groupe Edmond de Rothschild an Bord und – gewann auch in Kiel gegen Loick Peyron. Die französische Katamaran-Legende unterlag mit Oman Sail Masirah im Match-Race, der letzten Wettfahrt in Kiel. Peyron segelte im AC vor Valencia an Bord der Alinghi.„Ich bin ja schlicht begeistert wie die Leute hier die deutschen Teams angefeuert haben,“ freute sich Roland Gäbler, langjähriger Konkurrent von Hagara/ Steinacher im Olympia-Circuit. Die beiden deutschen Teams gewinnen weiter an Erfahrung. „Ansätze von Frechheit waren heute ja schon da,“ resümmierte Gäbler, der sein Wirsol Team Germany von außen unterstützt. „aber es ist auch klar, dass die Jungs hier auf Profis treffen, die mehr die Ruhe weg haben und einfach ihre Routine ausspielen.“ Die junge Wirsol-Crew fuhr im ersten Rennen des Tages schnörkellos direkt auf den dritten Platz und wurde mit rauschendem Beifall der Fans auf Tribüne, an der Kiellinie und von der rappelvollen Reventloubrücke belohnt. „Was für ein Tag! Ich stand voll unter Adrenalin bei diesen trickreichen Bedingungen. Die Zuschauer haben echt super-spannende Rennen gesehen,“ japste ein sichtlich begeisterter Johannes Polgar, Skipper des Audi Sailing Team Germany. Im Match-Race gegen das Wirsol Team Germany holte sich die junge Crew, in der nur Polgar Katamaran-Erfahrung hat, ihren ersten Tagessieg.  Die „Lokalmatadoren“  bekommen die volle Unterstützung der Zuschauer, allerdings legen sich die Besucher auch keinerlei Zurückhaltung für die anderen sieben Teams auf.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsSchon deshalb schauen die Segler erwartungsvoll auf den Finaltag am Sonntag, der mit der Öffnung des Race Village ab 11 Uhr beginnt. Dann werden wieder ab 14.30 Uhr sechs bis sieben Wettfahrten gesegelt – im letzten Rennen des Tages gibt es zudem die doppelte Punktzahl und das erhöht den Druck auf die Teams enorm….Zwischenstand Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel nach 17 Wettfahrten:1. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Yann Guichard (FRA), 111 Punkte2. Oman Sail Masirah, Loick Peyron (FRA/ Oman), 953. Ecover Sailing Team, Mike Golding (GBR), 934. The Wave, Muscat, Paul Campbell James ( GBR/ Oman) 845. The Ocean Racing Club, Mitch Both (NL/ Slowenien), 806. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, Roman Hagara (AUT), 687. Groupama 40, Tanguy Cariou (FRA), 598. Audi Sailing Team Germany, Johannes Polgar (GER), 499. Wirsol Team Germany, Tino Mittelmeier/ Roland Gäbler (GER), 41

Très bonne journée pour Yann Guichard et ses hommes, journée s’achevant sur une victoire en match race contre Loïck Peyron. Dans un temps incertain et des conditions changeantes, l’équipage français a fait preuve d’une grande régularité lors de cette avant-dernière journée des Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel et s’impose devant Masirah, second à 16 points.
Très bonne journée pour Yann Guichard et ses hommes, journée s’achevant sur une victoire en match race contre Loïck Peyron. Dans un temps incertain et des conditions changeantes, l’équipage français a fait preuve d’une grande régularité lors de cette avant-dernière journée des Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel et s’impose devant Masirah, second à 16 points. © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsYann Guichard: “On a super bien navigué aujourd’hui, on a toujours été dans les bons coups et surtout pas baissé les bras quand on était derrière. On a pris que des bons départs, on a eu une pénalité à une manche mais on revient troisièmes. J’ai la dream team à bord et je crois que c’est ça qui fait la différence, ça manoeuvre super bien ce qui permet d’avoir toujours ce petit centimètre qui sert pour passer devant les copains. Aujourd’hui, l’objectif était avant tout de revenir sur Ecover et esayer de le dépasser, voilà c’est chose faite.” Nul doute que l’équipage d’Ecover se mord les doigts ce soir d’avoir réalisé une journée en demi-teinte, mettant un coup d’arrêt à sa domination - Mike Golding reste sur le podium provisoire à la troisème place, mais avec 93 points. Il est vrai que les conditions à grains du jour étaient déconcertantes, comme l’a noté Paul Campbell-James : “Cet événement n’a rien à voir avec Cowes, ici c’est très technique, il faut garder un œil sur le ciel tout le temps, car de la pluie annonce du vent. Nous n’avons pas été trop mauvais aujourd’hui, mais les deux premiers jours nous n’arrivions pas à aller où nous voulions.”© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsCela n’aura été facile pour personne, certains ont eu un peu de chance et d’autres moins… Mitch Booth a fait un très beau début de journée - deux victoires et deux places de second - qui pouvait le faire grimper à la quatrième place au général, avant d’être percuté par The Wave, Muscat, qui a endommagé la poutre arrière. “Nous nous préparions pour la dernière course en flotte du jour, et The Wave allait nous passer dessous, quand ils ont été pris par une grosse rafale. C’est passé de rien à 20 nœuds d’un coup, et il n’ont pas pu abattre à temps.” The Ocean Racing Club a obtenu compensation pour les courses manquées, et l’Extreme 40 a été gruté pour effectuer les réparations. Mitch et son équipage devraient être de retour sur l’eau demain.Une foule estimée à 30 000 personnes au total a défié la pluie battante avant de profiter d’un grand soleil, pour assister aux 6 courses en flotte et au round de match racing du jour. “Kiel, c’est fantastique”, explique ce soir Mitch Booth, “les gens adorent l’événement et on les entend nous encourager - ça se manifeste fort, surtout les équipes locales passent la ligne. Cela nous pousse à leur donner le spectacle qu’ils méritent !”© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsGroupe Edmond de Rothschild et Masirah ont offert un duel magnifique : Peyron avait l’avantage mais a commis une petite erreur sous la pression de Guichard, lui valant une pénalité. Masirah a tenté de conserver assez de distance pour effectuer sa pénalité tout en conservant la tête, mais cela n’a pas suffi et Guichard s’est imposé.Côté “locaux”, Audi Sailing Team Germany s’est offert une place de quatrième et une victoire de match race contre Wirsol Team Germany.Demain s’ouvre la journée finale des Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel, et comme le dit Yann Guichard : “Il reste encore une journée, encore 5 à 7 manches donc c’est encore loin d’ètre fini. On va faire comme d’habitude prendre manche par manche. Il y a un super esprit à bord, on prend beaucoup de plaisir donc je suis confiant pour la suite.”. Les démonstrations de Moth foiler débuteront à 12h30, les Extreme 40 entreront en piste à 14h30.

It was a good day for Yann Guichard and his men on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild ending with a win in their match race against Loick Peyron. On a day of inconsistent weather, the French team performed consistently securing three 2nd places, two 3rd places and a 1st in the final fleet race on the penultimate day of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel event to steal a march on their rivals and topple Ecover from the top of the overall leaderboard.http://www.extremesailingseries.com/images/gallery/kiel_2010/x40k10d3-176_thumb.jpg
It was a good day for Yann Guichard and his men on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild ending with a win in their match race against Loick Peyron.  On a day of inconsistent weather, the French team performed consistently securing three 2nd places, two 3rd places and a 1st in the final fleet race on the penultimate day of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel event to steal a march on their rivals and topple Ecover from the top of the overall leaderboard. “We sailed really well today, always being in the match and never giving up when we were a bit behind,” said Guichard. “We took only good starts and despite a penalty in a race we managed to finish third. I have the dream team on board and I think that’s what makes the difference - all the manoeuvres are spot-on and that helps to get that extra inch to get in front of the other guys. Today the objective was to get in front of Ecover so it’s been achieved.” Groupe Edmond de Rothschild now has a 16-point lead over their closest rivals Oman Sail Masirah going into the final day tomorrow.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsEcover will be gutted to see their dominance falter - a 7th, 8th, 3rd, 5th, 4th and 7th - was nowhere near good enough and they are now ranked third overall on 93 points.  Conditions today were really tricky – big rain squalls and plenty of cloud action inducing shifty winds and lanes of no pressure, then good pressure, as Paul Cambell-James, skipper of The Wave, Muscat explained: “It’s such a different event compared to Cowes, very light wind and shifty conditions. It’s really technical here, we were watching the sky all the time, looking for clouds and squalls, as you know rain means wind. Today was not too bad but the last couple of days didn’t go the way we wanted too.”It was not easy for any of the teams, some got lucky and some didn’t.  Mitch Booth was having a great day – two race wins and two seconds places, enough to elevate The Ocean Racing Club into 4th place in the overall standings - until The Wave, Muscat ran into the back of them damaging their back beam, as Booth explained: “We were getting ready for the last fleet race, it was pretty gusty, and The Wave were trying to get underneath us and they got caught by a gust.  They tried to bear away but the huge gust and accelerated them from a standstill to up to 20 knots in two boat lengths and they hit our back beam.”  ‘CJ’ and his crew only had a few seconds to go for damage limitation: “We tried to slow the boat down as much as possible but when you go 20 knots it’s not easy to do! We hit them where it would make the less damage and hit the back of the beam.” The Ocean Racing Club has been given redress for the races they missed this afternoon, and the Extreme 40 has been craned out to make repairs to the back beam. All being well, Mitch Booth’s team will be back racing tomorrow.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsThe estimated 30,000-strong spectator crowd endured the torrential downpours and then basked in the sunshine, enjoying all the action the nine-boat Extreme 40 fleet had to offer from the six fleet races to a final round of match racing: “Racing in Kiel is fantastic,” said Booth. “The people here love it, there were thousand of spectators today and you can hear them cheering from the water, especially when the local teams cross the finish line. That makes you feel like you have to do your best and provide the show they deserve.” Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Oman Sail had a great match race - Peyron had the advantage with Guichard pushing hard forcing Peyron to make a mistake and incur a penalty. Masirah tried to put enough distance between themselves and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild to perform the penalty without being overtaken, but it could not be done and Guichard took the win.  © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsThe Audi Sailing Team Germany will be further encouraged by their day on the water, scoring a 4th place in the first fleet race and a win in their match racing against the other ‘home’ team Wirsol Team Germany.Tomorrow (Sunday, 29th August) is the final day of the third round of the Extreme Sailing Series™ and there is still everything to play for as Guichard summed up: “There’s a great spirit onboard but there’s still a day to go so it’s not over yet.” The German public will not be disappointed…The final day of Extreme Sailing Series™ action starts tomorrow with Moth demonstrations from 12.30 and Extreme 40 racing from 2.30pm.

Nach fünf Wettfahrten war der Segeltag auf dem Wasser vorbei und Mike Golding, Skipper des Ecover Sailing Teams, der Mann des Tages: Drei Tagessiege fuhr der Mann aus Großbritannien ein, der heute seinen 50.
Nach fünf Wettfahrten war der Segeltag auf dem Wasser vorbei und Mike Golding, Skipper des Ecover Sailing Teams, der Mann des Tages: Drei Tagessiege fuhr der Mann aus Großbritannien ein, der heute seinen 50. Geburtstag feiert und über das ganze wettergegerbte Gesicht grinste, als Weltmeister und Skipper Roland Gäbler vom Wirsol Team Germany mit einer Flasche Schampus auf die Bühne an der Kiellinie kam, um zu gratulieren – zur Gesamtführung und zum Geburtstag. Die beiden deutschen Teams Wirsol und Audi Sailing Team Germany, die eigens für die deutsche Etappe der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel am Start sind, belegen nach zwei Wettfahrttagen und zehn Rennen die Plätze zehn und neun.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsGolding ist legendär: Der Brite hat die BT Global Challenge gewonnen, ist um die Welt gesegelt, hat 2004 das Transat gewonnen – die Überquerung des Atlantiks – und kam beim Vendee Globe als Dritter ins Ziel – übrigens ohne Kiel, der war dem Spitzensegler abhanden gekommen. Drei erste, ein fünfter und ein dritter Platz in den Wettfahrten des zweiten Tages untermauerten die gute Leistung vom Vortag. Ecover führt mit 67 Punkten das Ranking der Extreme Sailing Series ™ in der Kieler Innenförde an. Dem Regen und kühlen Wetter trotzend, harrten erneut einige tausend Zuschauer an der Kiellinie aus und sparten nicht mit Szenen-Applaus. Der Skipper hatte nur wenige Worte für den Tag: „Perfekt – alles war wirklich gut.“Dem furiosen Start in die dritte Station der europäischen Segelserie folgte für Skipper Johannes Polgar vom Audi Sailing Team Germany ein etwas ernüchternder Tag. „Uns ist nicht alles so gelungen wie wir uns das auf dem Kurs gedacht haben. Wir sind oft gut gestartet, waren dann aber als vierte oder fünfte an der Tonne. Wir haben auf Angriff gesegelt, waren auf der Ostseite aber benachteiligt, da war der Wind einfach schlechter.“Gleichwohl haben Polgar und seine „Katamaran-Neulinge“ Markus Koy, Lorenz Huber und Timo Koch Riesenspaß auf dem schnellen, großen Katamaran. Polgar und Roland Gäbler sind sich in einem Punkt völlig einig: „Es ist absolut fantastisch, dass man hier in einem Feld mit Olympiasiegern, America`s Cup-Gewinnern und Rekord-Haltern segelt. Alle treffen sich hier auf diesen schnellen Booten.“© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsDas Wirsol Team Germany holte auf, allerdings haderte Steuermann Tino Mittelmeier mit sich selbst: „Ich glaube, ich hatte `ne Sperre im Kopf – ich habe die Starts schlecht gefahren. Aber wir haben dann immer wieder aufgeholt. Aber für die Starts muss ich die Verantwortung übernehmen. Wir sind jedenfalls alle noch mit Spaß dabei und haben die Power nicht verloren.“ Wirsol Team Germany rangiert mit 20 Punkten hinter dem Audi Sailing Team Germany mit 28 Zählern.Diverse Scherze wird sich Red Bull Sailing Team-Skipper Roman Hagara (Österreich) gefallen lassen müssen. Am ersten Tag segelte das Team nur auf Platz sechs, kaum hatte heute Germanys Next Top Model-Kandidatin Miriam Höller aus Schermbeck den Hightech-Katamaran der Österreicher „geentert“, lief es besser. Höller: „Das war absolut toll – ich war noch nie auf so einem Ding.“ Dann kam noch Red Bull Air Race World Champion Hannes Arch aus Salzburg an Bord und schon ging die „rote Post“ ab. Ein Wettfahrtsieg, ein zweiter Platz…jetzt rangiert das Team des Olympiasiegers auf Gesamtplatz fünf.Ganz rationell und unauffällig hat sich die Groupe Edmond de Rothschild immer weiter nach vorn geschoben. Das vom Franzosen Yann Guichard – zweimaliger Nordatlantik-Rekordhalter – geskipperte Team zeigte exzellente Rennen in der Kieler Innenförde und rangiert hinter der Ecover von Mike Golding auf dem 2.Platz mit 63 Punkten – also nur vier Punkte hinter den führenden Briten.Der dritte Tag der Extreme Sailing Series™ in Kiel beginnt mit der Öffnung des Race Village ab 11.00 Uhr, um 14.00 Uhr folgt die Parade of Sail und ab 14.30 Uhr wird die erste Wettfahrt angeschossen. Der Wetterbericht ist verheißungsvoll für die Innenförde – die Sonne soll sich blicken lassen und deutlich mehr Wind wird erwartet.Stand Extreme Sailing Series™ Tag 2 nach insgesmat zen Wettfahrten:1.   Ecover Sailing Team, Mike Golding (GBR) 67 Punkte2.   Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Yann Guichard (FRA), 633.   Oman Sail Masirah, Loick Peyron (FRA/ Oman), 594.   The Wave, Muscat, Paul Campbell James (GBR/ Oman) 485.   Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team, Roman Hagara (AUT), 466.   The Ocean Racing Club, Mitch Booth (NED/ Slovenien), 407.   Groupama 40, Tanguy Cariou (FRA), 388.   Audi Sailing Team Germany, Johannes Polgar (GER), 289.   Wirsol Team Germany, Roland Gäbler/ Tino Mittelmeier (GER), 20

Mike Golding et Ecover s’accrochent à leur première place des Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel, à la veille de l’avant-dernier jour de compétition. Deux victoires en flotte et une en match racing leur donnent un total de 67 points.
Mike Golding et Ecover s’accrochent à leur première place des Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel, à la veille de l’avant-dernier jour de compétition. Deux victoires en flotte et une en match racing leur donnent un total de 67 points: “C’est agréable d’être devant à l’issue de cette journée, un bon cadeau d’anniversaire”, a déclaré Mike, qui fête aujourd’hui ses 50 ans. “Mais la réalité est que l’on regarde derrière nous et que l’on voit toujours les mêmes bateaux finir dans le groupe de tête, c’est très très serré... et on ne peut pas compter sur des erreurs de leur part, ça n’arrive pas !”© Paul Weyth/ OC EventsAvec seulement 8 points séparant les 3 premiers, l’équipage britannique est suivi de près par Groupe Edmond de Rothschild qui, s’il n’a pas signé de victoire de manche aujourd’hui, s’est montré très régulier et a dépassé Masirah au général. Comme l’explique Yann Guichard : “On a été super réguliers aujourd’hui avec 3 manches de 2 et une de trois, c’est bien, ça paye. On a pris de bons départs et la vitesse du bateau est bonne, on est contents ce soir car on passe seconds au général provisoire. Les conditions météo pour la fin du week-end ne vont pas être si fortes que ça, donc il va falloir garder la même concentration et comme d’habitude jouer chaque point.”Les hostilités ont aujourd’hui débuté dans 9 noeuds de vent, permettant aux 9 équipages de lever la patte pour saluer le public venu nombreux. Avec une moyenne de 12 minutes par course, les parcours affichaient une distance d’environ 800 mètres entre la ligne de départ et la marque au vent.© Paul Weyth/ OC EventsLe double médaillé olympique Roman Hagara, à la barre de Red Bull Extreme Sailing, a eu une bien meilleure journée qu’hier - sans doute le fait de vouloir briller aux yeux du mannequin Miriam Holler, embarquée comme invitée ! “Il nous faut être plus agressifs pour monter au classement”, explique Roman, “ce vent léger rend les choses vraiment difficiles.” La montée en puissance de l’équipage après un début de journée difficile place Red Bull en 5ème position, juste 2 points derrière The Wave, Muscat.Le fait d’être l’équipage le plus léger de la flotte (et ce d’environ 40 kilos) n’a pas aidé Paul Campbell-James et ses troupes, qui perdent ce soir une place… Loïck Peyron a pour sa part maintenant 11 points d’avance sur son “camarade d’écurie”. Chez Groupama, c’est Tanguy Cariou qui officie à la barre en l’absence de Franck Cammas, qui lui mène son VO70 autour des îles britanniques (avec succès, soit dit en passant), et ce soir l’équipage français monte d’une place (7ème), 2 points derrière The Ocean Racing Club de Mitch Booth.Comme l’a noté Tanguy : “C’est un peu mieux qu’hier aujourd’hui même si ça reste difficile. Bien sûr, ce qui nous manque c’est des heures d’entraînement avec ce nouvel équipage. En plus, dans ces conditions de vents léger, la maîtrise du bateau est primordiale, il faut vraiment connaître son bateau sur le bout des doigts et ce n’est pas vraiment notre cas. On a corrigé quelques erreurs par rapport à hier et au final on est pas si loin donc tout va bien.”© Paul Weyth/ OC EventsLors de l’avant-dernière manche le vent était tombé à 5 noeuds et la pluie s’était installée, ce qui ne semblait pourtant pas décourager les spectateurs. Une série de match races a été alors lancée, mais avec un vent faiblissant encore, l’expérience aura été lente et douloureuse pour les équipages !Les équipages locaux, sans surprise, concèdent que la tâche n’est pas aisée face à un plateau aussi expérimenté, mais les objectifs restent atteints, comme l’explique Johannes Polgar : “à chaque fois que nous avons un concurrent derrière en passant la ligne, c’est un succès pour nous. Notre marge de progression est importante, mais nous sommes impatients de voir arriver le vent qui est censé monter ce weekend.”L’action reprend dès demain samedi 28 à partir de midi avec des démonstrations de Moth foilers, avant que les Extreme 40 n’entrent en piste à 14h30.

Mike Golding’s Ecover Sailing Team have managed to hold on to the top spot at the Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel event going into the penultimate day tomorrow (Saturday, 28th August).
Mike Golding’s Ecover Sailing Team have managed to hold on to the top spot at the Extreme Sailing Series™ Kiel event going into the penultimate day tomorrow (Saturday, 28th August). Two 1st places, a 4th and a 5th in the fleet racing plus a win in the match racing gave them 67 points: “It is great to be at the top at the end of today – a nice birthday present!” said Mike who is 50 today. “The reality is that we still look behind us and see the same boats finishing at the top of the fleet so it is very, very close… We keep hoping that one of the other boats at the top will have a really disastrous race but there is none of that.” © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsWith only 8 points separating the top 3 boats, the British team are being closely shadowed by their French rivals… Yann Guichard and his crew on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild may not have claimed any race wins today but three 2nd places and a 3rd saw them steadily claiming points to move into second overall today, ahead of Loick Peyron’s Oman Sail Masirah: “We were really consistent today… It’s great and it’s paying in the end,” said Guichard. “We took some great starts and we are happy with the speed of the boat. We will have to keep the same pace – as usual every point is important.”In this star-studded class, every point is hard fought for and no team can feel secure with their advantage. Nearly every Extreme Sailing Series event goes to the wire and with a double points final race on Sunday, the skippers know how important it is to secure every point they can now.The racing began in a steady 9 knots of breeze and the nine-boat fleet was speeding around the short race track, flying their hulls in front of the crowd.  Each race lasting on average 12 minutes, covering each 800m leg in just 2-3 minutes.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsDouble Olympic Gold Medallist, Roman Hagara, at the helm of Red Bull Extreme Sailing had a far more satisfying day today on the water, scoring their first race win of the regatta. Obviously inspired to perform well under the gaze of German top model Miriam Holler who raced on board in the 5th man guest spot: “Even if we had some bad results at the beginning of the afternoon, we got better after a win,” said Hagara. “We have to be a little bit more aggressive to catch up on the leaderboard. This light wind makes everything really hard.” They continued in that vein with a second place in the penultimate fleet race with Red Bull Air Race World Champion, Hannah Arch spurring them on in the 5th Man spot. Their performance today has moved Red Bull Extreme Sailing up a place to 5th overall with 46 points, just two points behind The Wave, Muscat.  Despite being the lightest crew by about 40 kilos, it didn’t help their performance and Paul Campbell-James will be disappointed to have dropped a place overall, although Peyron can be comforted to have an 11-point lead over his counterpart. With Groupama skipper Franck Cammas competing in the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland race on his Volvo 70, Tanguy Cariou is driving here in Kiel and will be pleased to have scored their best result of the regatta so far with a 4th place in the second race of the day to help elevate the team from 8th overall to 7th, two points behind Mitch Booth’s The Ocean Racing Club.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsBy the penultimate fleet race the wind had dropped to just 5 knots and the rain became a more consistent feature that, thankfully, didn’t seem to deter the spectators. A round of match racing then followed but by this time the wind had dropped to less than 3 knots, then almost nothing, proving a painfully slow exercise for the teams. The German ‘wild card’ teams are not surprisingly finding the going tough against this experienced field but their objectives for competing are being met as Audi Sailing Team Germany skipper, Johannes Polgar, confirmed: “Every single race when we leave a competitor behind at the finish line is a great success for us. Our learning curve is steep but we’re looking forward to the breeze that is supposed to pick up over the weekend.” The action continues tomorrow, Saturday 28 August from midday with foiling Moth demonstrations before the main act, the Extreme 40s take centre stage at 2.30pm.Watch yesterday video HERE

Il apparaît clair, alors que s’ouvre la troisième épreuve du championnat Extreme Sailing Series™ 2010 marquant la mi-saison, que trois ou quatre équipages sortent du lot et se bagarrent en haut de tableau. Ce qui est moins évident, c’est de prédire qui s’imposera, alors que la première journée a été faite de fortunes diverses.
Il apparaît clair, alors que s’ouvre la troisième épreuve du championnat Extreme Sailing Series™ 2010 marquant la mi-saison, que trois ou quatre équipages sortent du lot et se bagarrent en haut de tableau. Ce qui est moins évident, c’est de prédire qui s’imposera, alors que la première journée a été faite de fortunes diverses.© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsA Sète, manche inaugurale de 2010, Yann Guichard et ses hommes se
montraient dominateurs tandis qu’à Cowes dans le vent fort et les
courants, Paul Campbell-James s’imposait… Aujourd’hui, Ecover a tiré
son épingle du jeu à l’issue de 5 courses : “C’était une entrée en
matière facile, rien à voir avec l’année dernière ! Nous sommes montés
en puissance au long de la journée. A chaque événement nous semblons
progresser donc c’est une bonne chose pour la confiance. Il reste bien
des courses mais nous avons les yeux rivés sur la première place”,
explique Mike Golding. L’an passé, il en était autrement et la
progression de l’équipage (qui intègre notamment le barreur olympique
Leigh McMillan) a en effet de quoi susciter les compliments.Les
conditions du jour, 5 - 6 noeuds de Nord Est, se sont avérées exigeantes
en termes de concentration. Avec les deux équipages locaux, neuf
bateaux se trouvent sur la ligne de départ à Kiel. Si The Wave Muscat
remportait la première manche, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild prenait la
seconde alors que le vent grimpant à 8 noeuds permettait aux coques de
s’envoler un peu. Au final, Loïck Peyron et Masirah se retrouvent ce
soir seconds derrière Ecover, et le skipper baulois se réjouit de
retrouver un des piliers de son équipage, le Nº1 Freddie Carr. “Nous
sommes prêts à en découdre”, lance Loick. © Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsContacts, combat
rapproché... les courses du jour n’ont pas manqué d’animation, Wirsol
Team Germany touchant Groupama 40, et la dernière manche voyant une
situation tendue entre The Wave Muscat et Red Bull Extreme Sailing (ce
dernier sera finalement pénalisé). Le public ne s’y est pas trompé,
venant applausir en masse les Extreme 40 régatant en bordure de rivage.
Johannes Polgar, skipper du Audi Sailing Team Germany, a déclaré : “Mon
équipage a adoré se mesurer aux autres et entendre le public les
encourager.” Le
Audi Sailing Team Germany a été constitué pour l’entraînement en vue
des JO de 2012, et sa première incursion en Extreme 40 suscite
l’enthousiasme de ses membres : “C’est simplement incroyable”, déclare
le chef d’équipe Oliver Schwall, “nous nous sommes inscrits en urgence
la semaine dernière, et nous voilà ici, avec l’impression d’être
compétitifs. L’équipage a fait du bon boulot. Les Extreme Sailing Series
sont une super plateforme pour notre sport, nous remercions les
organisateurs et la municipalité pour leur soutien.”© Paul Wyeth/ OC EventsRéactions à l’issue de la première journée :Loïck Peyron, Oman Sail Masirah“Une
parfaite journée pour se mettre en jambes ! Un vent faible, comme nous
l’attendions, donc des manches très techniques sur lesquelles les
départs sont primordiaux. Le plan d’eau est vraiment sympa car la mer
est plate et il permet des parcours étroits et très rapide. On a pas été
mouillés, ça change et en plus on a même eu le droit à un rayon de
soleil ! On est seconds ce soir au classement général, à trois points
derrière Ecover, qui réalise une super journée. En embuscade, comme
j’adore !”Yann Guichard, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild“Pas
facile ce plan d’eau de Kiel, surtout quand le vent est léger, il
change beaucoup tant en direction qu’en intensité. C’est très technique
mais bien pour prendre ses marques quand même. On commence doucement et
non pas dans 25 noeuds de vent, surtout qu’on a changé d’équipage, donc
on est plutôt satisfaits du résultat à l’issue de cette première
journée. Le vent devrait se renforcer tout au long du week-end, il va
falloir s’adapter. Notre objectif est clairement de faire mieux que
l’année dernière, nous avions terminé 4ème, notre pire résultat de la
saison, et bien sûr jouer la gagne parce que pour gagner le championnat
il va falloir remporter des événements. Chaque point est important!”Kiel.Sailing CityLa
tradition nautique de la ville est plus que jamais sur le devant de la
scène puisque tous les ans au mois de Juin se tient la célèbre Semaine
de Kiel, plus grande épreuve de voile en Europe, qui chaque année attire
plus de 1000 bateaux. L’année dernière, plus de 45000 personnes se sont
rassemblées sur les bords du canal pour voir les Extreme 40 évoluer
malgré la pluie battante, alors qu’en 2008 les spectateurs étaient 80
000 !

Everyone was pleased to wake up to less wind today at Bradwell, and news that the group would be sailing to Maldon. With 11 Bradwell vessels out on the water today, from RIBs to Oysters and Wayfarers, everyone got a chance to do some proper sailing for the first time since arrival.  Heading in convoy over to Maldon, up the Blackwater Estuary, there was plenty of time for everyone to have a go at steering, and learn more about how these boats work.  After lunch, which was eaten sitting on the waterside at Maldon and followed for many by an ice cream from the kiosk there, the sail back proved to be a bit wetter than the journey there.  As well as the rain finally making an appearance, Frank and Jimmy under motor attacked pretty much every other boat, with water pistols and buckets, to much laughter and squealing! 

Charlotte wrote “We sailed to Malden today where we stopped for lunch and ice creams, it took 3 hours to reach, luckily our group had the advantage of a motor. It was a great experience and we all got a bit wet.”

Lucy had this to say “Today we all sailed in different boats, our group went in an Oyster which was slow when there wasn’t any wind, but we kept each other entertained with bad jokes! I really enjoyed today because we got to go out sailing but it was a bit wet especially when Frank went a bit overboard with the water pistol!  

Once back at the centre, and after hot showers, the roast pork dinner was followed by team games of pool, table tennis and archery inside as the rain continued to fall.

Now the wind has dropped a bit, we have high hopes of doing more sailing tomorrow, fingers crossed the rain will stop as well!

High winds in Essex meant no sailing, but still a good time was had by allToday the groups swapped round so those canoeing yesterday were today climbing up the high ropes, mountain biking, or on a short RIB trip and crabbing and vice versa.

Here are some comments from the young people (and an older one) here this week !

Mark - Typical we went canoeing today, I was in the boat that didn’t want to capsize, what did we do capsize TWICE, it was fun though . Hopefully the weather is better tomorrow for sailing, fingers crossed

Kiyah - Well I started the day feeling a bit reluctant to go out on canoeing but I’m glad I did even if Dave did make us capsize a couple of times I had a great time and enjoyed learning the skill it was AMAZING!!!! Definitely some thing I would do again and would love to do high ropes again as I spent the day doing them yesterday and was amazed how far I went .

Lewis - Today at the Bradwell center we done some bike riding and the high ropes due to the weather being a big disappointment.  Although the weather was not the best we still had a good laugh, hopefully the weathers better tomorrow.

Nursey Cerys - Today Nursey managed to only supervise the high ropes in the morning (hee hee). Everybody did marvelously well and reached the top.  Probably not wanting to hear me complain about the bike seats being uncomfortable and my bum hurting for the next three days, we then went in the rib to Aoleus and had a trip round the baffle wall. Everyone had a go at driving. We then came back into the marina and set about trying to outwit the crabs of Bradwell. We managed to con 35 of them to join the water in the bucket. Then we went kite flying mine was broken I’m sure…..

Tomorrow we are all waiting to see what the wind does, so hopefully our sailing week will include some sailing!

Our second residential dinghy week has begun and 34 young people who have all sailed with the Trust before, have returned to Bradwell Outdoors for the week of mainly water based activities.The weather has not improved a great deal since last weeks trip, and today the groups were split to take part in either canoeing, or a day of mountain biking and high-ropes.

With Patron Ellen and Trust Manager Frank were out with the canoe group today, and we didn’t expect anyone to return dry at the end of the day. Jamie has been canoeing a few times before and had this to say about his day.  “I enjoyed it – we sort of like went down the weir and didn’t capsize, but coz of weight of the three of us, just slowly sank anyway! I got very wet – we had one of Ellen’s dog’s Floss on board with us, she got in the way a bit but it was good fun.”

Georgina also spent the day on the water saying “It was fun, and when we came to eat the dinner my salad wasn’t there so I had to pick all the ham out of a sandwich, there was loads of fruit though, so it was ok – and Ellen’s dog Norman jumped from boat to boat, it was so funny, all the canoes were together and he decided to walk across us, we all thought he’d get to the end boat and jump out, but he didn’t.  Then when we weren’t looking Ian tied all the boats together so we couldn’t go anywhere, which was really funny too. Then tonight we came back and I went on the high ropes and attempted the leap of faith but it didn’t work, I missed the trapeze! At least I got up there though!”

The other groups spent their day mountain biking, and trying the high ropes.  Hannah and Alice said “We started of the day with mountain biking, which was very fun and exhilarating although slightly bumpy. We enjoyed racing through the puddles and speeding over the bumps. In the afternoon we faced the challenges of the high ropes. It was good fun and we had loads of laughs. We are looking forward to spending more time in our group canoeing tomorrow.”

Alex said “This morning we did mountain biking this was good fun especially zooming through the puddles and flying down the abandoned runway this afternoon.  We did high ropes the first time was a bit scary but the second time was great.”

As the weather looks similar for tomorrow the groups will swap around, doing the activities they missed out on today, so wait for more reports from the young people tomorrow.

Our first group of young people returning to sail at our residential dinghy week at Bradwell on Sea are all out for their first full day of sailing today.Everyone arrived on Sunday from pick-up points all over the country, with the NICFC group travelling from Northern Ireland.  Thirty three young people spent their first night at Bradwell Outdoors centre after enjoying ham egg and chips, and a bit of teambuilding in their sailing groups. 

The breezy weather on the Blackwater estuary meant the first couple of days sailing was postponed and replaced by either canoeing, or High Ropes and a mountain bike ride around the area.  The overcast weather didn’t stop all the canoe-ers taking a dip in the canal on the Monday, mostly after their slide down the weir, but there were also a few capsizes during the obligatory waterfights! 

Everyone had a go at the high ropes, with one group managing to get four people on the telegraph pole platform, and a few challenging themselves in the timed race to the top.

  On Tuesday night the first trip to the infamous packing shed took place, with two boats sailing across to spend the night on an island in the estuary.  The girls got to work cooking the spaghetti Bolognese, whilst the boys attempted to light a fire with not much success.  The evening culminated in a ‘bin-bag’ fashion show, and some stories, before everyone eventually dropped off to sleep. 

Wednesday was the first day of good sailing conditions and seven boats set off with everyone on board to sail across to Brightlingsea.  Later on this evening the rest of the group will head off to the packing shed whilst the others stay behind at the centre for an evening of archery and a movie.

Our first group of young people returning to sail at our residential dinghy week at Bradwell on Sea are all out for their first full day of sailing today.Everyone arrived on Sunday from pick-up points all over the country, with the NICFC group travelling from Northern Ireland.  Thirty three young people spent their first night at Bradwell Outdoors centre after enjoying ham egg and chips, and a bit of teambuilding in their sailing groups. 

The breezy weather on the Blackwater estuary meant the first couple of days sailing was postponed and replaced by either canoeing, or High Ropes and a mountain bike ride around the area.  The overcast weather didn’t stop all the canoe-ers taking a dip in the canal on the Monday, mostly after their slide down the weir, but there were also a few capsizes during the obligatory waterfights! 

Everyone had a go at the high ropes, with one group managing to get four people on the telegraph pole platform, and a few challenging themselves in the timed race to the top.

On Tuesday night the first trip to the infamous packing shed took place, with two boats sailing across to spend the night on an island in the estuary.  The girls got to work cooking the spaghetti Bolognese, whilst the boys attempted to light a fire with not much success.  The evening culminated in a ‘bin-bag’ fashion show, and some stories, before everyone eventually dropped off to sleep. 

Wednesday was the first day of good sailing conditions and seven boats set off with everyone on board to sail across to Brightlingsea.  Later on this evening the rest of the group will head off to the packing shed whilst the others stay behind at the centre for an evening of archery and a movie.

The Chamber’s centenary year was celebrated in style at its Cowes Week Ball, with proceeds raised on the night benefiting the Ellen MacArthur TrustGuests at the event enjoyed a great night out – and raised an incredible £4,600 for the Ellen Macarthur Trust from an auction and a special fundraising casino, which were among the attractions at the Ball.

Guests wined and dined in style, and were also treated to a journey through the last century by entertainers including Charlie Chaplin, George Formby and Norman Wisdom impersonators, a 1940s singer, and an Abba tribute band.

Zoe Stroud, Chamber Group Marketing Manager, said: “It was a special occasion to mark the Chamber’s centenary year, and we were so proud of our guests as they raised so much money for charity.”

The young people returning to sail on our Longer Cruising Week will be heading back to Yarmouth tomorrow, after a tour of the South Coast.  After leaving from Yarmouth on Monday morning, the four boats sailed to Weymouth on the first night, getting there in time for a display of fireworks (we’d like to say we arranged that for them, but apparently it happens every Monday during the summer!). 

On the second day they had a long sail west, beating the wind most of the way, with the crews ending up in Brixham for the evening.  The following day was spent relaxing in this coastal town and ended with a BBQ on the beach, with each boat bringing tasty a side dish, including potato salad, and cornflake cakes with glace cherries and white chocolate on top!  Leaving there early this morning, the boats are now heading towards Poole where they will spend their last night on the yachts before returning to Yarmouth tomorrow and heading home. 

There have been plenty of waterfights along the way, and between the boats they have managed to catch and cook 21 Mackerel so far. 

The Scarlet Oyster crew created this little mantra about themselves, “We are 99% awesome, 1% magic with a dash of epic throw in for good measure, we are the recipe for an amazing crew!!”

On board, Sam, 17 from Kings Somborne, Hampshire said “Its been brilliant, absolutely amazing - one of the best trips I’ve ever been on, such good fun, and its been everything from exciting to feeling seasick but i’ve had such an experience. today i’ve been helming almost all day - We worked out yesterday we’ve done about 100 miles on this trip so far.  I really want to come back and be a volunteer next year.”

Paula, 17 from Bolton said (before phone reception went in mid sentence)  “I’ve really really enjoyed this trip - everyone so nice !”

We hope they have a lovely last night in Poole!

Buy tickets for Rob Da Bank and the Sombrero Sound System, playing in Cowes, IOW tonight (Thur 5th Aug) in aid of the Ellen MacArthur TrustThere are still a few tickets left for this exclusive gig which will be held in the Extreme Bar as part of the Extreme Sailing Series at Egypt Point, Cowes, during Cowes Week.  This will be from 7pm to 12pm, with all profits coming to the Ellen MacArthur Trust.  Tickets are just £12 and you can buy them here.

Read a great article about the Ellen MacArthur Trust, written by Karenza Moreton, which appeared in the Yorkshire Post on Saturday.Karenza Moreton, a journalist who has previously sailed with the Trust during our summer trips as a volunteer, joined our fourth trip with young people from Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham to write a piece for the Yorkshire Post. 

After spending couple of days with the group, and having experienced the trips before, Karenza’s article, which we think sums up the spirit of our trips perfectly, appeared in the Yorkshire Post Magazine on Sat 31st July.  Read it here.

On Thursday, 24 young people from hospitals in Southampton, Cambridge and Leeds headed home after four days of sailing with the Trust Five boats, Moonspray, Scarlet Oyster, Outreach, Dumbledore and Vis were home to the young people, skippers and volunteers for the week and for the first day of sailing on Tuesday there were perfect conditions with most having a go at steering on the way down to Yarmouth, and a few practices of ‘man overboard’ with a fender.

There were several keen fishermen and women on the trip this week, but despite spending alot of time with rods or mackerel lines out, no fish were caught (although of course there were a couple ‘that got away!’)

Ellen joined the boats on Wednesday morning and sailed up to East Cowes moving between several of the yachts to chat to the young crews.  The RIB rides were a huge success as usual with constant demands to go faster from those on board!

The BBQ was held at East Cowes Marina again, and this week, as well as the musical background from Skipper Mark and Volunteer Luke on guitars, it also saw the first ‘trial’ of a volunteer who allegedly got a kite stuck in the top of the tree at Yarmouth.  Plenty of eager witnesses came forward to strengthen the prosecutions case and eventually, Vicky was found guilty as charged, much to everyones amusement, and sentenced to a traditional Trust soaking!

On Thursday morning there was another epic waterfight on the pontoon at East Cowes Marina, with everyone involved getting completely wet through and plenty of laughter from all involved as well as brave spectators on nearby boats!

Once again, the week ended at UKSA and a show of hands suggested everybody wanted to return next year to continue their sailing experience with the Trust.

This week, 15 young people who have sailed with the Trust before arrived for the new longer cruising week, and made their way from Yarmouth yesterday to Weymouth today.  Keep checking our facebook and twitter for updated news of their trip.

Young people from hospitals in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield returned home yesterday after spending four days sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Trust On Monday, the Trust welcomed 26 young people from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Alder Hey Liverpool and Sheffield Children’s Hospital for the penultimate four day trip of the year.  The week was full of the usual fun and games, waterfight’s, and we were lucky with the weather once again! 

Ellen joining the trip for a day, sailing with the young people and enjoying the Rib rides, and BBQ at Newtown Creek. There was even chocolate cake for all, as the group celebrated Hannah from Chester’s 17th birthday.  She said “It has been fab, we’ve done so much and everyone has been up for a good time. I have had such an amazing time. I have met loads of great people; we have already arranged a reunion! I feel really privileged to have been involved in the trip and so lucky to have been invited.  It was my birthday this week and everyone came out in a big crowd and I didn’t know what they were doing but they had bought me a cake and all sang happy birthday! We were on the beach, and it was perfect.”

Rebecca, staff nurse at Birmingham Children’s hospital who was experiencing a Trust sailing trip for the first time said at the end, “It has been excellent, everyone just clicked. It has been all laughs and giggles the whole time! The trips are so valuable for the young people. The experiences and responsibilities they are given with The Trust and being able to do their own thing and as well as learning new skills, like looking after the boat and cooking, is so important.  You really do notice a change in the young people. Understandably everyone starts the week really quiet and a bit reserved because they don’t know what to expect, but by the end everyone has really gelled and are a really close group. You can see their confidence increase.”

  Paige, 15 from Chesterfield commented, “This week has been great, everything has been just amazing! I couldn’t pick the best bit. I have made so many friends! We have done so much, and had loads of waterfights which was great fun. Id love to come back, any day!”

The group all travelled back yesterday and we hope to see them all again next year. 

Next week, the last four-day trip of the summer for under 18’s, will see young people arrive from hospital’s in Cambridge, Leeds and Southampton.  After that, we have several ‘return to sail’ trips, followed by our first ever four day trip for 18-24 year olds just off treatment in September.

Young people from UCLH, Great Ormond Street, John Radcliffe Oxford and Royal Marsden Hospitals have just finished their first four day sailing trip with the Trust.  Young people from UCLH, Great Ormond Street, John Radcliffe Oxford and Royal Marsden Hospitals have just finished their first four day sailing trip with the Trust.

The group arrived on Monday to take part in four days of sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Trust and, although the weather wasn’t as good as the previous two weeks, still managed to have a great time both on and off the water.  There were the usual waterfights, crabbing, and one of the boats even managed to catch some mackerel which the crew enjoyed for lunch.  The group visited Yarmouth Lifeboat and some got the chance to sit behind the wheel. 

Once again the BBQ at Newtown creek was moved to East Cowes Marina due to the extremely windy weather and the salad/fruit salad competition, which each week seems to get better and better, was won by a delicious Eton mess but with commendations for the potato salad with bacon.

Ellen joined the group for the BBQ to say hi, and as well as our usual brilliant volunteers, Chloe, Tim and Larvell, who all took part in our graduate volunteer training were back helping on the boats this week, and all did a fantastic job.

We had some lovely comments at the end of the trip once again.  Dennis Calleja, 15, treated at Great Ormond Street said, “I used to be a Sea Scout but this is the first time I have been on a yacht and it has been good to be on the water. It has been a good experience and I would definitely come back.  The weather hasn’t been great but that didn’t make a difference, we still had a great time. It has been an opportunity to make something good out of something not so good and I am glad I came”.

Catherine Dye 16 and treated at UCLH commented, “This is my first time sailing and it has been really good. I wouldn’t normally choose to this kind of thing so it has been really different for me but it has been great. It is nice to talk to everyone here because we are all in the same position, my friends at home don’t always understand and these guys do because they are going through it too so it easier to talk about it. I feel like I have got my confidence back this week.”

Karl Brindle, 14 also treated at UCLH added, “This week has been excellent. We all interacted really well and everyone on the boat got on really well. The best bit was the RIB ride; we went really fast and got soaked! I have really enjoyed the week. I never thought about sailing before coming here but I would definitely come back, 100%.”

Next week we have new people coming from hospitals in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield so we are all looking forward to meeting them on Monday.

Extreme sailing action on the water mixed with music sessions every night in conjunction with and curated by Rob da Bank…

Trust Ambassador Dan Monk is currently working in the Arctic on a boat skippered by Andy Dare (aka Bear), who has skippered many Trust trips in the past.Bear sent the following account of how he and Dan came to be on Polar Bear hosting adventure expedition to the Arctic, and what they’ve been up to, along with some amazing photographs of their adventure.

  Polar Bear is a Challenge 72, & was built for the BT Global Challenge 2000 Race, & coincidentally I was the boat’s first skipper when she first hit the waters back in April 2000.  I did not complete the race, choosing to skipper an expedition yacht to the Antarctic over a couple of years.  In the year 2004 the yacht completed the Global Challenge round the world race following the same route against the winds & currents into the southern Oceans this time called Imagine it done, skippered by Dee Caffari.  After this circumnavigation Dee then secured a new sponsor & headed straight back into the southern ocean for another circumnavigation, but this time solo, & became the first woman to ever sail the world against the winds & currents single handed. 

After 3 round the world trips The Polar Front purchased the yacht & now runs adventure expeditions to the Arctic.  I got a job skippering Polar Bear on this years trip round the Arctic, to The Faeroes, Iceland & Greenland, & at the last minute the 2nd mate left for another job, so 2 days before the off I rang the trusty Dan Monk, & the next day he was on the train to Newcastle, & the day after that we set sail to the Shetlands.

I first set sail with Dan with the Ellen MacArthur Trust 6 years ago in the Solent, & could see he had a huge appetite & enthusiasm for sailing & the sea.
The Trust & Ellen, along with many others helped Dan secure his Yachtmaster Offshore at the UKSA, & then it was a proud moment when Dan himself could skipper Trust trips, taking out other kids in a similar position to himself.  I sailed with Dan on many occasions round the UK on Challenge yachts having a huge amount of fun & building a great friendship with him.

Dan had a huge opportunity in 2007-8 being selected to sail round the world in the Clipper Race, and has racked up an impressive 40,000m of world sailing, so when I needed a new 2nd Mate I knew a quick call to Dan would be in order.  It’s been a non-stop roller-coaster so far, of fun & work, but its been great for us both to sail together again & go to some pretty impressive places, that most people would only dream about.

After the initial sail to Iceland we had a short stay in Iceland where we completed some work onboard, but also managed to explore for ourselves round this amazing country. We have toured round about 3/4 of the Island, visiting the most amazing waterfalls, glaciers & perhaps the most amazing place Jökulsárlón, where ice calves into a huge lake right next to the beach.  Of course we choose to camp right there listening to the sound of spitting ice during the night, or lack of it due to the 24 hour sunlight up north!
We are off to Jan Mayen & Greenland in a few days & are very excited to be exploring in the high Latitudes.

  Its been great sailing with Dan again, as we have always had great times together since we met many years ago sailing on the Solent with the EMT.
I knew Dan would enjoy sailing on bigger boats, & fondly remember our first trip together on a Challenge 67 yacht from Bristol to Southampton, up on the foredeck getting covered in huge waves - Great stuff! Its been a joy to see his improvement & never ending enthusiasm, so I knew when the opportunity arose for a position on Polar Bear,  Dan was the Man!

Dan Monk, Trust Ambassador and 2nd Mate on Polar Bear spoke to us last week and made us very envious with his stories of whale and dolphin sightings and the beautiful scenery he’s encountered.  He added, “I have managed a great number of experiences starting with the Ellen MacArthur Trust, & continuing into larger & larger adventures because of the people I have met in the Trust, like Ellen, Frank & Andy.  The Trust is not just for a few days, it can & has changed my life, & its just like being part of a family.
I would like to say thanks to all the people who have helped in all my adventures - There are some many people to thank, but I am sure you know who you are - Thank you!! & keep following the Trust Website & The Polar Front site, as you will see more adventures very soon!”

Visit www.thepolarfront.com for more pictures & stories from the boat &  crew including Dan & Bear.

Yesterday we said sad goodbye’s to twenty young people from hospitals in Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall and Nottingham. Yesterday we said sad goodbye’s to twenty young people from hospitals in Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall and Nottingham.

Once again the weather was kind to us, as twenty young people arrived on Monday for their first sailing trip with the Ellen MacArthur Trust.   Trust Patron Ellen spent the whole week with the group, and was the official mate on board ‘Freedom’. 

The trip ran to the same format as usual, and one crew even got into full sailing spirit as pirates for the day! 

Thee wind picked up a little on Wednesday night, so the group BBQ’d at East Cowes Marina (thanks to Mike for accommodating us at the last minute!) instead of the usual Newtown Creek.  Ellen also celebrated her birthday on Wednesday night (a day in advance of her actual birthday) at the BBQ , and shared out a huge cake which everyone was only to happy to try.  The cake-eating was accompanied by an impromptu hosepipe waterfight between Ellen and Trust CEO Frank!

  We received some great comments about the week form the young people and adult volunteers who took part:

Adam Matthews, 18 from Cardiff had previously sailed as a young person but returned in April for our volunteer training, gaining his Day Skipper qualification, and this week was on board Dumbledore.

“I was previously a cancer sufferer and sailed with the trust a few years ago so I wanted to come back and allow other young people to experience sailing. It has been a great week, seeing the young people enjoy it. I remember having that much fun! I am hoping to come back next year. I would do anything to help the Trust.”

Rowan Ramsay, 13 and treated at QMC in Nottingham had this to say about his week “The week has been really good! I didn’t no what to expect of the sailing, but I really wanted to try something new. I would definitely do it again. We have been all round the Island on the boats, and we got to go on a RIB which was amazing -  we went really fast!”

On Thursday everyone headed back home after a sunny, busy, and exceedingly wet (due to the waterfights not the weather!) week!!

On Monday we will be welcoming young people treated at University College London Hospitals, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Royal Marsden in Sutton, and John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford to the IOW for another sailing adventure!

OC Technology, part of OC Group, the global sports marketing company specialising in professional sailing, has signed a new strategic partnership with Yellowbrick Tracking.  This significant consolidation in the tracking business establishes Yellowbrick as the leading company in the offshore yacht tracking market with the largest fleet of Iridium-based tracking units available, backed by years of experience.

“Our products have made a significant contribution since 2006 to making tracking a normal part of every offshore race, and we have held a large market share” commented OC Technology Manager, Clémentine d’Oiron, “The partnership with Yellowbrick will provide race organisers and sailing teams all over the world the best possible service and allow for continued investment in product development”

The new partnership will see all operational delivery of tracking services carried out by Yellowbrick, including the provision of the hardware and the online management system, whilst OC Technology will continue to market their integrated communication systems that have been developed over the last decade to such great effect for professional sailing projects, such as, Dame Ellen MacArthur’s solo round the world record and the inaugural Barcelona World Race. 

The standard OCTracker unit will be renamed YellowbrickMAX and Yellowbrick will now manage all the tracking operations of the combined business. The Yellowbrick units are self-contained, battery-powered, lightweight, tracking devices capable of reporting a boat’s position, speed and course at pre-determined intervals, and are programmable remotely.  In addition, Yellowbrick will also manage the OCTracker+ units, to be renamed YellowbrickMAX+, which allow for a hard-wired installation and extended data transfer capabilities, such as, true wind speednand other data.

Yellowbrick Managing Director, Nick Farrell, commented: “We are very excited to see this new partnership go through. Yellowbrick now has the largest Iridium-based tracker hire stock in the world, and the most comprehensive back-office system. The experience and depth of knowledge of our combined teams means that we will be able to deliver our first-class service to many more race organisers who wish to track their events. Using Iridium-based trackers means that our units work anywhere on earth, without areas of marginal or no coverage, unlike other operators. Both the Yellowbrick and YellowbrickMAX units and web viewing solutions are tried and tested products.”

The OCTracker unit was launched in July 2006 and in 2007 the entire fleet in the bi-annual Rolex Fastnet Race were fitted with the units in association with the RORC.  Since then the tracking units have been used by many race organisers and race campaigns including Thomas Coville’s S’Odebo record programme, the double-handed non-stop Barcelona World Race and the solo transatlantic The Artemis Transat.  The units will also be used again in the next edition of the 2011 Barcelona World Race and other prestigious round the world races.

The Extreme Sailing Series kicked off in France at the end of May at the start of the 2010 five-round European circuit, next stop Cowes Week with nine top class teams starting 31st July with nine teams competing. 

Organisers, OC Events, are looking ahead to the 2011 season with the immediate objective of securing venue and main partner deals and allow the event to continue to develop: “The Extreme Sailing Series is 100% reliant on sponsorship – as are many sporting events – even though this circuit has a relatively low price tag with exceptional returns compared to others, we need to secure a major title partner to replace iShares who supported the circuit for 4 years before having to pull-out late in 2010 due to their acquisition,” commented John McKenna, Director of the OC Group Commercial Team.  “It proved too late in the year to find a replacement but we are focusing on finding a replacement partner as well as secure host venues for the 2011 circuit across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The Extreme Sailing Series circuit offers sponsors a global sporting entertainment product that is ripe for expansion in a relatively uncluttered market with strong sustainability credentials.”

To find out more about the sponsorship opportunities available, go to http://www.extremesailingserieseurope.com/en/opportunities/

To find out more about the 2010 season, go to
http://www.extremesailingseries.com

On the 24th June, Artemis Investment Management announced their continued support of British sailing in 2010 across all levels from grass roots to fully professional ocean racing. This new commitment establishes Artemis as one of the longest and most significant existing supporters of British sailing.

The cornerstone of the new campaign, which will be managed by OC Group and its subsidiaries, is the Artemis Offshore Academy that will support a UK training programme of excellence for British short-handed sailors, providing a structure to bring talented sailors up through the ranks. Designed to help them win major offshore solo and short-handed races in the future, the ultimate goal is to put a British sailor in a strong position to win the Vendée Globe in 2016 or 2020.

OC Group CEO, Mark Turner, commented: “A big difference with France who dominate the solo and short-handed racing scene due in the main to their training programmes and facilities, is that today in the UK we do not have that structure so the Academy has been established to address that issue. We have very few sailors with their own boats and and less with fully funded campaigns. So to assist in the initial stages, the Artemis Offshore Academy has four Figaro boats available for the Development Squad and Ambassador sailors to kickstart the project and we can expect these boats to be out training a large percentage of the time. We hope with time that we will have more Associate sailors, ie those funded campaigns joining the Academy training, like in France.  Additionally, the Artemis Offshore Academy will offer two annual scholarships – a fully funded Figaro campaign, to compete in the pinnacle Solitaire du Figaro event which Jonny Malbon is doing this year.  And, secondly, a Mini Transat boat which will be available to the ‘hungriest’ Mini sailor – overcoming the capital purchase barrier that many of the best newcomers come up against.

“Artemis are providing the level of support exactly where it is required and we hope we are creating a long-term legacy.  We are already speaking to other partners and suppliers who are keen to support this initiative,” concluded Turner.

To read all about this new initiative and to find out what else Artemis Investment Management are supported in sailing, go to http://www.artemisoceanracing.com

OC Technology, part of OC Group, the global sports marketing company specialising in professional sailing, has signed a new strategic partnership with Yellowbrick Tracking. This significant consolidation in the tracking business establishes Yellowbrick as the leading company in the offshore yacht tracking market with the largest fleet of Iridium-based tracking units available, backed by years of experience.

Rebecca, 16 from Northumberland and Kat, 17, from Surrey took part in the trip last week.  Read on for their thoughts about their first sailing experience with the Trust.Rebecca, 16 from Northumberland and Kat, 17, from Surrey took part in the trip last week.  Read on for their thoughts about their first sailing experience with the Trust.

Kat, 17 from Farnborough Cove, Hampshire was treated at the Royal Marsden, Sutton for Hodgkins Lymphoma. Here’s what she had to say about her first experience with the Trust.
“I felt nervous before coming, didn’t know anyone and it was very awkward at the start, no one knew each other. By the time I left I didn’t want to leave, I met lots of amazing people and still missing them now.  It was the best experience ever, thank U for everything. I can’t wait to go back and see everyone again.  I gained confidence and to communicate within a group and how to sail a boat, it was amazing=) xx “

Rebecca, 16 from Ashington Northumberland was treated at Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle also for Hodgkins Lymphoma.

“Before coming on the trip I was so scared incase I didn’t get along with anyone. But after going meeting the people who had been in the same situation, I felt like we had been friends for years. I loved sailing and doing the other things, it has been such a laugh and I would love to do it again probably with the same people. They made my trip worth while!
I also like how you’s organised it. I never thought sailing would be my cup of tea! In a way I’m glad I was ill to be able to experience things I never thought I would do. I hope to stay in contact with everyone and thankyou so much for letting me try something new. “

It was great to meet Kat, Rebecca and all the other young people on last weeks trip and they all worked so well together to make it a fantastic trip for all involved.  We hope to see them all again in the future. 

Young people from hospitals in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Leicester and for the first time, Newcastle, yesterday completed their first four-day sailing trip with the Trust  Young people from hospitals in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Leicester and for the first time, Newcastle, yesterday completed their first four-day sailing trip with the Trust

The group of 20 young people along with group leaders from each hospital and our Skippers and volunteers enjoyed great weather for our first trip of the summer for young people just out of treatment, who have never sailed with the Trust before.

The first day and evening of the trip is spent at our operational base, UKSA, in Cowes, IOW. The young people are introduced to their new home for the next few days and take part in some teambuilding exercises to get to know each other and prepare for the trip ahead.

Day two and the Trust boats set off from Cowes and headed out to the Solent for a days sailing, mooring up in the afternoon at Yarmouth Harbour and sleeping on board the boats in the evening.  Trust Patron Ellen joined the young people for tea and cakes in the evening to find out how everyone was enjoying their trip so far. 

On the third day everyone sailed up to the picturesque Newtown creek for a BBQ.  With just one day to go it got quite emotional on the beach that night, as the realisation that everyone would be going home the next day dawned.

On Thursday everyone pitched in to clean the yachts, get all luggage off and say goodbyes before heading home after a very successful, water-fight heavy and happy trip.

The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle joined us for the first time this year, and Michelle Luke, Clic Sargent Social Worker from the hospital who travelled with the group said, “This is the first time we have worked with The Trust, and it has been fantastic for the hospital. I am really looking forward to giving more kids the opportunity next year! I never thought we would have this chance. These type of experiences really do shape your future”.

Chris Logan, who first sailed with a the Trust as a young person after recovering from Hodgkins Lymphoma and now returns as a volunteer commented, “It is great to see the smiles on peoples faces and give something back to The Trust. I hope that sharing my experiences can help them. This week has been great; it has been mainly water fights with a bit of sailing!!”

One of the young people, Rebecca Johnson, 16, treated in Newcastle added, “We’ve done so much this week that I never thought I would, sailing, barbeques and rib rides! The best bit has being able to meet new people who understand and being able to have some fun! We have all been through the same thing. I have made some great friends. I would definitely come back to The Trust”.

Thanks to everyone, young people and volunteers alike, for making this such a great week.  We were sorry to see everyone go, and you can read some of the lovely comments already posted by some of this the group on our Ellen MacArthur Trust Facebook page.

Next week it all begins again however, this time with young people from hospitals in Cardiff, Cornwall, Bristol and Nottingham jumping on board.  We’re looking forward to meeting all these new people and hope they enjoy themselves as much as this weeks group did.

A fundraising Caribbean night was held on Saturday raising £320 for the Trust. A fundraising Caribbean night was held on Saturday raising £320 for the Trust.

Pete Edwards, who recently helped man the charity stand for the Trust during the J. P. Morgan Round the Island Race and will be volunteering on a trip later this year, has already organised several events for the Osborne Lodge Masons to raise money for the Trust this year.

The Caribbean themed evening was held at the Riverside Centre in Newport, IOW and was a great success.  Local reggae artist Derek Sandy entertained the crowd and this was followed by a Limbo , which loads of people attempted. As the bar got lower, the numbers dwindled and Pete was proud to be one of the last ones standing, but admits he ached the next day!

The raffle raised £320, and DJ’s Mike Austin and Graham Andre who gave their services for free kept the entertainment going until 1am.

Thanks to Pete, Lisa and everyone else who contributed to make the night both alot of fun, and a great success.

Lorna Clark from Haslemere is raising money for the Trust by baking delicious cakes for her work colleagues! Lorna from Haslemere is raising money for the Trust by baking delicious cakes for her work colleagues.

Lorna is the mother of one of our graduate volunteers (Jack sailed on the first leg of the Round Britain voyage last year and will return as a volunteer at our Residential Dinghy Week in August), and has been baking cakes for her friends and work colleagues, who are only to happy to give a donation to help Lorna raise money for the Trust.  Lorna has set up a simple VirginMoneyGiving page to make it easy for those enjoying her cakes in their tea break to make a donation in appreciation (if you would like to show support for her great idea you can click here - although i’m afraid you won’t get a cake!) .  

Lorna has recently used decorations from Photocake Occasion who can supply the Ellen MacArthur Trust logo in icing to put on cupcakes (pictured here, thanks Lorna and Jack!) or larger cakes.  If you want to follow in Lornas footsteps and get baking you can now buy these Ellen MacArthur Trust cake decorations from Photocake Occasion here.  and not only will you have cakes that look fabulous, but Photocake Occasion will donate £2 for every sheet sold to the Trust!  Yummy!!

Round the World sailing legend Roland Jourdain has thrown his hat into the ring and will be entering his Extreme 40, Veolia Environnement, into the Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week this year, bringing the fleet to nine in total. One of the World’s very best ocean racing skippers, Jourdain is a two-times IMOCA World Champion and has won the Transat Jacques Vabre twice as well as the infamous Route du Rhum.

Round the World sailing legend Roland Jourdain has thrown his hat into the ring and will be entering his Extreme 40, Veolia Environnement, into the Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week this year, bringing the fleet to nine in total. One of the World’s very best ocean racing skippers, Jourdain is a two-times IMOCA World Champion and has won the Transat Jacques Vabre twice as well as the infamous Route du Rhum.

One event down, four to go until the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Champions will be crowned in Almería, Andalucía, Spain, but for those that didn�t manage to join the crowds in their thousands in Sète, France for the opening event of the 2010 circuit, they can watch all the action on Bloomberg TV across Europe this weekend, and on Dahlia Sport in Italy.

Sorry to leave everyone hanging on Saturday but here are the final results for all our Trust crews - Well Done EVERYONE!!  With great sailing conditions (apart from the 04:30 wake-up call) the five Trust boats successfully completed the 2010 J. P . Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

There was plenty of friendly competition between the boats, and a good race at the end between Scarlet Oyster and Bellerophon of Wight.  As far as line honours go, Scarlet finished first, followed by Bellerophon, Moonspray, Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust, then Outreach, but here are the official results for the day.

1st BELLEROPHON OF WIGHT (Sigma 38, IRC Division 2D). 311th Overall   Took 8hrs 16mins (8hrs 08mins on corrected time).  27th out of 38 in class.
Bellerophon of Wight, Crewed by Brayan, Freya, James and Joanna with Barrie, Amanda, Hugh and Laura.

2nd MOONSPRAY (Gibsea 44, IRC Rating System Division 5A).  492nd Overall.  Took 8hrs 40mins (8hrs 44 on corrected time).  17th out of 38 in class.
Moonspray crewed by Ben, Claire, Daisy, Joe and Lee, with Dan, Chris, Clive, Ellen and two Meridian TV crew (Watch Meridian at 6pm tonight, Monday 21st June, for a feature about the race from on board Moonspray).

  3rd SCARLET OYSTER (Oyster Lightwave, ISC Rating System Division 4A).  548th Overall.  Took 8hrs 12mins (8hrs 49 on corrected time). 32nd out of 60 in class.
Scarlet Oyster crewed by Alice, Stefan, Steven and Suzanna, with Cath, Amy, Peter, Louise and Stephen

  4th SAILTIME CHALLENGE ELLEN MACARTHUR TRUST (Charity Challenge boat - Beneteau Oceanis 40, ISC Rating System Division 4C).  756 Overall. Took 9hrs 20mins (9hrs 26mins on corrected time).  26th out of 41 in class.
Sailtime Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust crewed by Emma, Lenaic, Siobhan, Vince with Alasdair, Mark

  5th OUTREACH (Westerly Sealord 39, ISC Rating System Division 4C). 807th Overall. Took 9hrs 47mins (9hrs 56mins on corrected time).  39th out of 41 in class.
Outreach crewed by Ben, David, Jonny, Nathaniel with Mark, Sue, Pat, Barnaby and Debbie.

Thanks to all the crew, volunteers, fundraising cyclists and sailors, and those in on the Charity Stand for making this such a great day for all.

With Scarlet and Bellerophon in a battle for the finish we are leaving to see them in now You can continue to follow the progress of the yachts here.  Good luck everyone!!

The lead cyclists completed their Round the Island cycle challenge with the winner passing the post in 3hrs 28mins.

  The lead cyclists from J. P. Morgan Asset Management Bournemouth offices completed their Round the Island cycle challenge with the winner passing the post in 3hrs 28mins.

Will Stephens was first past the post, with previous years winner Steve Moss just a meter behind and Andy Graham third.  Around 6 of the faster cyclists finished very close together, and were followed by the rest of the fast group fairly quickly.  The rest of the pack are beginning to get back to Cowes now.

You can still support the fundraising cyclists here.

Suzanna, 18, from Derby has just reported everyone on board Scarlet Oyster is having a great day.  Suzanna, 18, from Derby has just reported everyone on board Scarlet Oyster is having a great day.

The boat is currently neck and neck with Bellerophon as they round the coast at Bembridge, the Easterly point of the race.

Suzanna said they have all been working as a team, and all had a go at steering.  Steven, 21 from Derriford is on the helm at the moment.

You can follow their progress here.

You can visit our Charity Stand today in the Race Village at Cowes Yacht Haven from 12:00 today. You can visit our Charity Stand today in the Race Village at Cowes Yacht Haven from 12:00 today.  Trust volunteer Pete Edwards will be manning the stand, and will be joined by Rita Lake later on.

The Regatta Village in Cowes Yacht Haven will be buzzing later today and organisers are encouraging everyone to come along and enjoy some terrific entertainment for free!
There are activities being organised to suit all ages. Youngsters are being really well catered for with their own kids zone featuring face painting, arts & crafts and, to tie in with the World Cup, human table football! There is also a drawing and colouring competition (separated into two age groups of 4-8 years and 9-13 years) being held over the weekend, with the sailing phenomenon and triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie selecting the winning entry at 1700hrs on Saturday 19th June in the Kids Zone.
Older members of the family are also being encouraged to play Human Table Football (sign up on site) but for those wishing to put their feet up, there’s a Chill Out Zone with a selection of healthy smoothies and professional masseuses offering free massages!

The Regatta Village also includes a fully licensed hospitality marquee and a live music/broadcast stage, with LIVE entertainment later on from three excellent bands on the main stage. Event favourites Martinez, an acoustic-based band playing a mixture of well-known classics with a Latin / Spanish twist, will start the day off (1630hrs-1830hrs).
Next up will be Switch (1900hrs-2100hrs), a popular young Isle of Wight three-piece playing the best of today’s hits. Switch has a well-deserved reputation for lively performances and enjoys a good following of fans at all of their gigs.
Finally, (2200hrs-2345hrs) there’s Cornerstone, a contemporary band comprising five professional musicians who will round off the weekend’s entertainment playing the most recent chart hits as well as classics from the 60’s through the decades.

Find out more about the Round the Island Race and events here.

Our fundraising crew of Vince, Siobhan, Emma and Lenaic are currently on the SouthEast of the Island, having a brilliant time.Our fundraising crew of Vince, Siobhan, Emma and Lenaic are currently on the SouthEast of the Island, having a brilliant time.

Just speaking to Siobhan she tells us they are going pretty fast and its quite hairy with all the yachts around, but she is pulling ropes when told and enjoying the day thoroughly.  They are currently third out of the Charity Challenge boats, with Macmillan leading the way, followed by Prostate UK, and Breast Cancer Care bringing up the rear.  You can support Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust here.

Meanwhile Outreach is just passing Shanklin and skipper Mark informs us everyone is happy and relaxed, some so relaxed they are sleeping now!  Nathaniel is back on the helm although everyone has had a go so far, and they are beating upwind at about 6knots.

Jonny, 14 from Poole said “There are loads and loads and loads and loads of boats and I helmed past the Needles and again round St Catherine’s point.  We haven’t had any waterfights yet because we haven’t been close enough to any boats, but maybe on the way in….”  Everyone look out for Outreach when she nears the end of the race…you could get wet!!

Follow the boats and bikes here.

IDEC was the fastest boat to finish today in just over four and a half hours.Finishing Times/not corrected times:
1. IDEC 09.34.05
2. Oman The Wave, Muscat 09.37.33
3. Oman Masirah 09.37.57

With the fastest yacht taking around 4 ½ hrs gives our leading fundraising cyclists a good chance of beating the boats, and they will be nearing the finish of their cycle challenge soon.  You can support them here. 

Patron Shirley Robertson is taking part on a Team Volvo for Life TP52 and making good time, and Trust Volunteer Bosun Dave Wright is also out on the water enjoying the race.

Moonspray has just passed Outreach on the South East side of the Island and there is a real battle developing between Trust leaders Scarlet Oyster and second place Bellerophon who is taking a route nearer the coast, for the lead.

You can follow their progress here.

Steven, 21 from Derriford has just reported Scarlet is passing the southernmost point of the IOW. Steven, 21 from Derriford has just reported Scarlet is passing the southernmost point of the IOW.

Scarlet is still in the lead of the five Trust boats and whilst some of the crew are eating sausage baps, the girls are having a lie down after the early start!  They’ve been taking plenty of pictures from the boat and haven’t seen any of the other Trust boats yet – they were pleased when we told them that is because all the other Trust boats are behind them, but we have just heard Bellerophon can now see them and is catching up fast.!

On Moonspray everyone is happy and they had just put a reef in the sail because it was getting a bit breezy.  Speaking to Claire, 17, from Bognor Regis who also took part in last years race she said “We’re going quite fast and this year has been better than last year, as by this point last year I’d been sick!  Spirits are high and we are sitting around enjoying the weather.”

Ellen said “We’re three miles from St Cat’s and powering along.  Its all smiles on board, great sailing, good speed, Moonspray is really stretching her legs.  We’ve had two lots of tea, bacon butties, grapes, two rounds of chocolate bars and its not even breakfast time yet!!”

Daisy, 17 from Sherbourne is running bets on the time Moonspray will finish, reckoning 3pm herself, and ranging to a 5pm guess from Ben.  Only time will tell!

Follow the progress of the boats and bikes here.

Latest reports from Scarlet, Outreach, Moonspray and Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust With Scarlet Oyster still in the lead, the crew of Alice, Suzanna, Steven and Stefan, with Skipper Cath, Stephen, Amy, Peter and Louise all “screaming along” and are doing 16 to 17 knots round the back of the Island.

Outreach, in third place out of the Trust boats crew of Nathaniel, Jonny, David and Ben, along with skipper Mark Wibberley, Sue, Pat, Barnaby and Debbie are all very happy at the moment.  Nathaniel is at the helm, and just about keeping ahead of his Uncle Vince, on board Challenge EMT.

The latest news from our fundraising Challenge EMT, with crew Vince, Siobhan, Emma and Lenaic is that they are whizzing along, and obviously entertaining themselves with nautical jokes, having just texted “Why are pirates called Pirates?.....Because they RRRRRRRR!”.  The old ones are the best!!  You can support them, and maybe leave a message with some better jokes in…here.

Moonspray is still bringing up the rear, but gaining ground.  Crew Daisy, Claire, Lee, Ben and Joe receiving what we hope will be top tips from our Patron Ellen , and the strong crew of skipper Dan Taylor, Chris, and Clive with a Meridian TV crew also on board they have currently consuming 3 of their 5 a day fruit, but are balancing this out with bacon sandwiches.

Follow their progress here.

The crew of Bellerophon have just passed the Needles and are doing well. The crew of Bellerophon have just passed the Needles and are doing well.

Crew member Joanna, 18 from Ashford, Kent was at the helm when the start cannon was fired, and said “It was really awesome but scary to steer across the start line.”  The rest of the crew, Brayan, Freya and James along with Barrie, Amanda, Hugh and Laura had a great day on their practice sail yesterday and their competitive streak means I’m sure they will soon be giving Trust leader Scarlet a run for her money.

Follow the boats and cyclists here.

At the start of this amazing race, where 1779 boats gather to race round the Island, one of the most important jobs is the lookout!  At the start of this amazing race, where 1779 boats gather to race round the Island, one of the most important jobs is the lookout!

Two of the Trust boats were doing a particularly good job of this early this morning, with Jonny on the bow making sure noone was in the way of Outreach, and Trustee Clive ensuring Moonspray had a clear path.

Currently the leading boats in the race, who started at 05:00 are well past the south tip of the Island and on their way back up towards Cowes again.  The trust boats are all doing well,

Follow the Trust boats and our fundraising cyclists here.

Everyone began to wake up at 04:30, to get ready for their day on the water at the J. P. Morgan Round the Island Race.

Everyone began to wake up at 04:30, to get ready for their day on the water at the J. P. Morgan Round the Island Race.

Meanwhile, Patron Ellen was at the Royal Yacht Squadron ready to start this, the 79th Round the Island Race, with J. P. Morgan Asst Management giving its sixth year of support to this world renowned event.

At 05:00 the start cannon was fired, before Ellen caught up with Moonspray for her race start at 06:10.  The weather conditions are currently near to perfect for the Trust boats, with Scarlet Oyster still in the lead, followed by Outreach who has just reported they are at the Needles. Bellerophon is catching them fast.  Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust is just behind them, with Moonspray at the back. 

Also right now, around 100 cyclists from J.P . Morgan are currently preparing to begin their cycle challenge round the IOW.

With the majority arriving yesterday to get a good nights sleep before the big day, hopes were high that this year once more, the bikes may well beat the boats around.

Yesterday at the press conference two of the J.P.Morgan cyclists were presented with the Charity Challenge Trophy for raising the most money for charity, with the Ellen MacArthur Trust once again their beneficiary!

The cyclists have raised a fantastic amount of money for the Trust over the last few years of taking part in this event, around £50,000, and this year are well on course to raise their target of £15,00.

You can support the cyclists here, and track their progress along with the boats here.

Seventeen young people have arrived this afternoon to take part in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race on Saturday.Seventeen young people have arrived this afternoon to take part in the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race this Saturday 19th June.

The group, who have all sailed with the Trust before, have travelled from all over the country to take part in this world-renowned Race.  Everyone is getting excited and are all settling onto their boats, meeting their fellow crew, going through safety brief and familiarising themselves with the yachts again.  There’ll be a bit of team building tonight, followed by a BBQ, and tomorrow they will be out for a practice sail before the big day.

Follow the Twitter link on our homepage to see the amount of food on board for the trip - they certainly won’t go hungry!

The Trust will have four boats racing on Saturday, Ellen MacArthur Trust Moonspray, Ellen MacArthur Trust Scarlet Oyster, Ellen MacArthur Trust Outreach, and Bellerophon of Wight.  You will be able to follow the progress of these crews, and the Charity Challenge yacht Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust from our website on race day, and get regular updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Our Trust Crews:

On board Moonspray - Ben, Claire, Daisy, Joe, Lee

On board Scarlet Oyster - Ben, David, Jonny, Nathaniel

On Board Scarlet Oyster - Alice, Stefan, Steven, Suzanna

On board Bellerophon of Wight - Bryan, Freya, Joanna, James

Of course all crews will be aided by our trusty skippers, Dan Taylor, Cath Vise, Mark Wibberley and Barrie Harding, with help from a group of fantastic volunteers.  Hope everyone has a great trip, and of course a great race!

In 2009 thousands gathered along the shoreline in Cowes, Isle of Wight, to watch the Extreme 40s in close quarter combat. The racing, easy to understand for both the sailors and non-sailors alike, was intense and spectacular, with the teams cheered on as they crossed within inches of each other and the beach.

Andrew Funnell successfully completed his target of rowing 100 km during the weekend of 29/30 May, raising around £2,300 for the Trust! Andrew Funnell successfully completed his target of rowing 100 km during the weekend of 29/30 May, raising around £2,300 for the Trust!

Andrew started rowing at 8.30am on Saturday and stopped at 5.10pm having covered just over 70km.  Fortunately, despite an aching back, sore joints and hands, and very tight leg muscles, he was able to pick up where he had left off at 9.30am on Sunday and completed the full distance at around 1pm. 
 
In total Andrew rowed for 7 hours 41 minutes, covering 101,267m, going just over the set distance to be on the safe side, with an average rowing speed of 13.2 km/h (or 2m 17s splits for 500m).

Andrew has raised around £2,300, more than double his £1000 target, and you can still support him on his fundraising page here.

Everyone at the Trust would like to congratulate Andrew for going the full distance, and thank him for raising such a fantastic amount of money.  This will help give more young people in recovery from cancer or leukaemia the chance to get out on the water to rebuild their confidence after treatment.

Trust Patron Ellen was delighted to attend Solent RIB Charters open day, and officially open their new building on 27 May. Trust Patron Ellen was delighted to attend Solent RIB Charters open day, and officially open their new building on 27 May.

Solent RIB Charter have supported the Trust for many years, providing exciting RIB rides for the young people who sail in the summer.  Richard, Stuart and the Solent RIB Charter team also gave Scarlet Oyster a spectacular RIB escort at the launch and homecoming of last years Round Britain voyage. 

During the open day, as well as showing off their impressive fleet of RIB’s, there were demonstrations and activities from Progressive Resources, a team-building company now owned by Solent RIB Charter.  Guests could have a go at laser clay shooting, archery, duck herding and chocolate making among other things!   Guests also enjoyed a Hog Roast before Ellen wound a winch that unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening, and presented Richard Ward and Stuart Hedges with a photograph of Scarlet Oyster flanked by their RIB drivers from our Round Britain homecoming.

We cannot thank the friendly, professional team at Solent RIB Charter enough for the support we’ve received during our trips, and look forward to seeing them again on the water this summer. 

You can find out more about Solent RIB Charter here, and about Progresive Resources teambuilding activities here.

Yann Guichard’s men proved to be unstoppable at the first round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series in Sète, France, claiming overall victory and firmly throwing down the gauntlet to the other seven teams for the remainder of the season.

At the penultimate day of racing at the first round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series in Sète, France, three teams are taking control at the top of the leaderboard. A jib sheet problem for Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and a penalty dealt Guichard’s men a last place in the final race, but they had done enough to keep their lead and there seem to be very few cracks in their armour. “We started off really well, then had a couple of less than good starts and in those conditions it becomes hard to catch up. Overall we’ve done good things but at times we did not shine, yet we still retain our first place and tomorrow we’ll try and stay on the podium!” said Guichard. Oman Sail Masirah’s convincing victory in the final race keeps Loick Peyron in third behind Paul Campbell-James’ team on The Wave, Muscat in second. Only 4 points separate each of the top three teams going into the final day tomorrow.

At the penultimate day of racing at the first round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series in Sète, France, three teams are taking control at the top of the leaderboard. A jib sheet problem for Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and a penalty dealt Guichard’s men a last place in the final race, but they had done enough to keep their lead and there seem to be very few cracks in their armour. “We started off really well, then had a couple of less than good starts and in those conditions it becomes hard to catch up. Overall we’ve done good things but at times we did not shine, yet we still retain our first place and tomorrow we’ll try and stay on the podium!” said Guichard. Oman Sail Masirah’s convincing victory in the final race keeps Loick Peyron in third behind Paul Campbell-James’ team on The Wave, Muscat in second. Only 4 points separate each of the top three teams going into the final day tomorrow.

Yann Guichard�s Groupe Edmond de Rothschild may have retained control at the top of the leaderboard after five races today but the pressure is on from Paul Campbell-James’ team on The Wave, Muscat who are excelling here in France moving up to second overall.

At the resort of Sète on the south coast of France, the first event of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series got underway today. There was sunshine and there was breeze, although it proved unreliable in both direction and strength but enough to see the Extreme 40 hulls flying and generating some great pace on the downwind legs.

In brief: - Official Series Magazine available online - Mitch Booth confirms his team line up for The Ocean Racing Club - Teams nominate chairities to support for 2010 season.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust has Kevin Mole Outboards and Suzuki to thank for a new RIB engine The Ellen MacArthur Trust recently re-engined its existing Ribcraft support RIB with a new lightweight and fuel-efficient Suzuki DF80.  The Trust uses the 4.8m Ribcraft throughout the summer as a support RIB for transferring people, equipment and provisions out to the yachts and the old engine needed replacing.

Kevin Mole Outboards who are based on the River Medina in West Cowes arranged a fantastic deal for the Trust and, once the outboard had been rigged, husband and wife team Kevin and Mandy Mole were pleased to be able to hand over the keys to Patron Ellen MacArthur.

Ellen said, “I know Kevin and Mandy have provided the Trust with a fantastic service in the past and a great deal on this particular outboard. This RIB is an integral part of the work that we do so I would like to thank them for all their help.”

In addition to the new DF80 Suzuki also donated one of their small and portable 4hp outboard motors, worth over £800, for the Trust to use as an auxiliary engine.

Spokesman for the Ellen MacArthur Trust, Frank Fletcher said, “We did a lot of research into the range of four stroke outboard motors available on the market today and it soon became clear that Suzuki was the brand to go for. We are really pleased with the new outboard and very grateful for the service and advice provided by Kevin and his team as well as the 4hp that was donated by Suzuki.”

The Suzuki DF80 is lightweight, compact and economical. It offers top-level fuel-efficiency as a result of Suzuki’s Lean Burn Fuel Control technology, without sacrificing on performance. Suzuki’s precision engineering also means that the DF80 also provides quiet, smooth operation and low emissions.

Thanks to Kevin Mole Outboards and Suzuki for their support.

Whilst football fans around the world obsess about the selection of their World Cup national squad, all bar one of the Extreme 40 teams have now confirmed their ‘squads’ for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series that kick-offs in a week’s time on the south coast of France at Sète from 27th-30th. Eight international teams will be on the start line to battle it out over five events across Europe this summer. At the mercy of the on-water referees, the teams racing their high-speed 40’ catamarans will be hoping to avoid any ‘sending offs’! But on race courses that on average only equal the size of six football pitches, the teams are constantly engaged in close combat that frequently result in punishable infringements.

Whilst football fans around the world obsess about the selection of their World Cup national squad, all bar one of the Extreme 40 teams have now confirmed their �squads� for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series that kick-offs in a week�s time on the south coast of France at Sète from 27th-30th. Eight international teams will be on the start line to battle it out over five events across Europe this summer. At the mercy of the on-water referees, the teams racing their high-speed 40� catamarans will be hoping to avoid any �sending offs�! But on race courses that on average only equal the size of six football pitches, the teams are constantly engaged in close combat that frequently result in punishable infringements.

Andrew Funnell will be attempting to row 100 kilometres on a rowing machine from Saturday 29 May to raise money for the Trust. Andrew Funnell will be attempting to row 100 kilometres on a rowing machine in the reception area of Donyngs in Redhill.

He plans to start rowing on Saturday 29 May and keep rowing until he hits 100 kilometres. This is likely to take at least a couple of days, with breaks for drinking, resting, eating and sleeping.

Andrew said “I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to sail from a young age and want to support the work done by The Ellen MacArthur Trust.  I chose this challenge as it appeared relatively apt to do a loosely water related solo challenge.”

Andrew has already raised a fantastic £890.00 and if you want to support his efforts please visit his Justgiving page here.

Everyone here thanks Andrew for supporting the Trust, and wishes him the best of luck in his challenge. 

On Saturday 19 June at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, keep an eye out for The Ellen MacArthur Trust’s fundraising boat ‘Challenge EMT’.  On Saturday 19 June at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, keep an eye out for The Ellen MacArthur Trust’s fundraising boat ‘Challenge EMT’.

On board will be relatives of young people who have sailed with the Trust, raising money and promoting the work of the Trust by competing in the Charity Challenge. 

J.P. Morgan Asset Management set up the Charity Challenge ‘race within a race’ to help promote the four preferred race charities, the Ellen MacArthur Trust, Macmillan, Prostate UK and Breast Cancer Care and to encourage other competitors to race for charity.  SailTime has kindly donated each charity a boat to try and win this year’s Charity Challenge.

Our Team EMT consists of:

Vince Bradbury
Vince is the uncle of Nathaniel Fletcher, who came sailing with The Trust for the first time last year on a four day IOW summer trip from Alder Hey Hospital Liverpool. Nathaniel will be returning to sail in the Round the Island Race this year with the Trust, so there’s sure to be some extra competition for our Charity Challenge team to beat the young people!  Vince, who lives in Hampshire, is ex-army and is also the Mayor of Whitchurch.

Siobhan Stefaniw
Siobhan is the mother of Michael Stefaniw who was treated at Great Ormond Street for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2001. Michael first sailed with The Trust in 2004 and has since returned several times, sailing up the Thames and under Tower Bridge during our Round Britain voyage last year.  Siobhan has competed in the Round the Island Race before. She is Interim Director of Nursing and Clinical Development at Whittington Hospital NHS Trust and lives in London.

Ross Bye
Ross Bye is the father of Emily Bye, who first sailed with the Trust in 2007. Emily has since returned to Bradwell Residential Dingy week, and also a bit of the Round Britain Voyage last year.  Ross lives and works in Dorset.

Emma Stokes
Emma Stokes is the sister of Vicky Stokes, who first sailed with The Trust in 2007. Vicky returned to help The Trust with their summer trips throughout the summer of 2008, and did a leg of the Round Britain Voyage in 2009.  Subsequently Emma volunteered on one of the Trust’s summer trips last year.  Emma, who is from Hertfordshire, is training to be an Actuary.

On Saturday 8 May the EMT crew met at Hamble Marina for a day of sail training, in preparation for race day!  Daisy, one of the young people sailing in the race with the Trust also took part in the training.   Our crew were joined by triple gold and silver Olympic Medallist, sailor Ben Ainslie who gave invaluable advice and tips to our competitors. Trust patron Ellen also jumped on board during the day to meet the crew and show her support.

Ellen will be competing on board one of the Trust yachts in the race, against our Charity Challengers, so it will be very exciting to find out who will be crowned Trust champion on the day! On Saturday June 19th you will be able to follow the progress of Challenge EMT, as well as four Trust yachts crewed by young people in recovery from cancer and leukaemia here on our website.

All of Team EMT are raising money for the Trust before their big day, and if you would like to support the Challenge EMT crew, please click here.

The Trust would like to thank J.P. Morgan Asset Management and SailTime for their support.

For more about the Charity Challenge and the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, please visit www.roundtheisland.org.

Cowes-based charity and leading maritime training provider, UKSA has pledged its continued support to The Ellen MacArthur Trust for the next three years.  Cowes-based charity and leading maritime training provider, UKSA has pledged its continued support to The Ellen MacArthur Trust for the next three years.

UKSA has supported The Ellen MacArthur Trust since 2003 and is recognised as a charity that is committed to changing the lives of everyone it works with through its maritime training and experiences. Together both organisations have made a real difference to many young people and recognise working together to combine their skills can enhance the experiences of those who sail with The Trust.

UKSA provides its facilities as a base from which The Trust can operate, as well as invaluable advice on safety management, good practice and support for professional yachting qualifications for the young people who come to sail with The Trust.

Jon Ely, Chief Executive at UKSA, said: “Working in partnership with other organisations is the best way to ensure we meet the needs of each young person and support impactful long term outcomes.  The Ellen MacArthur Trust is a fantastic charity that has a similar ethos to us – to make a huge difference to many young lives and we are pleased to be able to work together”.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust was set up by Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2003 and aims to inspire young people’s cancer recovery through sailing. The Trust takes young people sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer and leukaemia. Frank Fletcher, Trust CEO, said; “Working with UKSA over the past seven years has really enhanced the work we do. The team at UKSA are all experts, and the facilities and services they provide are of the highest standard. It is great to know we have their support moving forward”.

The Trust is already busy with their summer sailing activities for 2010. Last Saturday, (8th May), 45 volunteers from The Trust descended on UKSA for an intensive day of volunteer training, with Trust Patron Ellen MacArthur DBE. Ellen said, “The support UKSA has given us is incredible. The work we do is so important to so many people, and to know we have the support of such a professional team is fantastic”.

To find out more about the UKSA and the courses they provide, please visit www.uksa.org

As Majan slowly motored into The Wave marina in Muscat, the 200+ strong crowd rose their flags into the air to welcome the crew home. Family, friends, press, VIPs and Oman Sail staff gathered on the dock to see Majan and her crew for the first time since the 6 February, 97 days ago.  The families and close friends got the first attention from the crew. Mohsin got to see and hold his baby girl, Thura, for the first time. Slowly all the greeting embraces were over and the media interviews and questions started in earnest. Over 100 school children had come down to see the festivities and were hugely excited. “This chapter of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race is now over, we look forward to the next. Majan and crew are home safely, and we are satisfied we have given our all.  Majan has stood the test superbly, as can be witnessed by the condition she was in when we arrived. After the home coming we have just witnessed, we can safely say that Oman has given the crew a heroes welcome,” reported Mark Covell. Watch the videos about the end of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race and visit the photo gallery for new pictures…
As Majan slowly motored into The Wave marina in Muscat, the 200+ strong crowd rose their flags into the air to welcome the crew home. Family, friends, press, VIPs and Oman Sail staff gathered on the dock to see Majan and her crew for the first time since the 6 February, 97 days ago.  The families and close friends got the first attention from the crew. Mohsin got to see and hold his baby girl, Thura, for the first time. Slowly all the greeting embraces were over and the media interviews and questions started in earnest. Over 100 school children had come down to see the festivities and were hugely excited. “This chapter of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race is now over, we look forward to the next. Majan and crew are home safely, and we are satisfied we have given our all.  Majan has stood the test superbly, as can be witnessed by the condition she was in when we arrived. After the home coming we have just witnessed, we can safely say that Oman has given the crew a heroes welcome,” reported Mark Covell. Watch the videos about the end of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race and visit the photo gallery for new pictures…

The Ellen MacArthur Trust held its annual Volunteer Induction Day on Saturday 8 May, with 45 volunteers travelling down to UKSA in Cowes for a day of information and activities. The Ellen MacArthur Trust held its annual Volunteer Induction Day on Saturday 8 May, with 45 volunteers travelling down to UKSA in Cowes for a day of information and activities.

During the day they were taken through the trip logistics and ethos of our trips, giving those who have never sailed with the Trust before a better idea of what to expect, and our regulars a refresher, and chance to meet and pass on their experience and advice to others.  Natalie Doyle from the Royal Marsden gave a presentation on survivorship, and Emma Greenaway, now a volunteer, spoke from experience about how it felt to be a young person just out of treatment sailing for the first time.  For those who could stay, there was dinner and chance for us to say thanks in advance for their help and time in the evening at the Woodvale in Gurnard.

Our volunteers bring a wide range of different skills and knowledge to the trips, and are on board because of their sailing expertise, medical background or general dedication to the work the Trust carries out.  We would like to thank everyone who attended, and all the volunteers who will be helping this summer.  The Trust could not operate without this dedicated group of fantastic people.

Majan and her crew crossed the finish line off Cape Ras Al Hadd at 23:29:30 last night : “As is the same with so many ocean voyages, we’re happy to have finished safely, but sad that it’s all over. By the time we get to the dock 140 nm from here (Muscat, Oman) we will have logged 20,419 nm sailed. The sun is rising over us and more poignantly it’s rising over Oman. We are home! We left Muscat on the 6th February; 96 days ago, by the time we get to Muscat we will have been away 97 days - a lot has happened since then.” reported this morning Mark Covell onboard Majan. Check out pictures of their arrival in the Photo Gallery. Full story online soon.
Majan and her crew crossed the finish line off Cape Ras Al Hadd at 23:29:30 last night : “As is the same with so many ocean voyages, we’re happy to have finished safely, but sad that it’s all over. By the time we get to the dock 140 nm from here we will have logged 20,419 nm sailed. The sun is rising over us and more poignantly it’s rising over Oman. We are home! We left Muscat on the 6th February; 96 days ago, by the time we get to Muscat we will have been away 97 days - a lot has happened since then.” reported this morning Mark Covell onboard Majan. Check out pictures of their arrival in the Photo Gallery. Full story online soon.

Double Olympic Gold Medallist Roman Hagara and his Olympic crew Hans-Peter Steinacher were a show-stopper on the Danube in Vienna yesterday when they formally announced their participation in the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series circuit, stopping the traffic and the passers-by as they craned to get a view of the dashing Red Bull Extreme 40.

The A100 Trimaran Majan and her crew have put in their last tack and their last gybe, as well as seen their last racing sunrise. “After a long starboard tack out from the coast of India we are now in the Arabian Gulf and 300 miles from Cape Ras Al Hadd.” Reported Mark Covell, media crew onboard Majan. He added: “‘In on one’, was the last call from the navigator. That means no more manoeuvres and into the mark on one tack. At present the wind is blowing a cooling 11 knots true from 305º. That puts us a good 30º under the lay line for the finish. The forecast is for it to lift us and get stronger. If it does it will put us back on target and send Majan galloping across the finish like a home sick horse!” After crossing the line at Cape Ras Al Hadd, the Oman Sail trimaran will still have a further 140 nm to sail before docking in the Wave Muscat.
The A100 Trimaran Majan and her crew have put in their last tack and their last gybe, as well as seen their last racing sunrise. “After a long starboard tack out from the coast of India we are now in the Arabian Gulf and 300 miles from Cape Ras Al Hadd.” Reported Mark Covell, media crew onboard Majan. He added: “‘In on one’, was the last call from the navigator. That means no more manoeuvres and into the mark on one tack. At present the wind is blowing a cooling 11 knots true from 305º. That puts us a good 30º under the lay line for the finish. The forecast is for it to lift us and get stronger. If it does it will put us back on target and send Majan galloping across the finish like a home sick horse!” After crossing the line at Cape Ras Al Hadd, the Oman Sail trimaran will still have a further 140 nm to sail before docking in the Wave Muscat.

“Estimated time of arrival (ETA), but what does that mean?” said Mohammed on the last Leg of the Indian ocean 5 Capes Race ahead Muscat, Oman.  “So with all the information at out disposal right now, we estimate a time we will be there. If this was a quiet road with not much traffic and we were driving a car I would be happy to give an ETA. However, we are in the fickle Indian Ocean bobbing about in ever decreasing winds.  We’re racing as fast as we can to the line - but with the weather patterns changing almost hourly, and the current against us, pushing us away from the finish line, trying to predict the correct ETA is a bit like threading a sailmaker’s needle with your eyes shut.  The wind is now only 4.5 knots and we have slowed to 4 knots upwind. The temperature has soared to 40º by day and 35º by night. I think we can safely say we are all being tested on this final leg – mentally more than physically,” he reported. As Paul Standbridge, the skipper, said: “At least we don’t have kids sat on the back seat of the car asking “Are we there yet?”  But if there were we would be saying, “We are doing our best! We’ll be there when we get there – not long to go now!” According to the last estimate Majan and her crew are hoping this will be on Wednesday May 12, with less than 580 nm to go, but they are in the hands of the weather gods, for the last time on the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race!
Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the end of Leg 5…
“Estimated time of arrival (ETA), but what does that mean?” said Mohammed on the last Leg of the Indian ocean 5 Capes Race ahead Muscat, Oman.  “So with all the information at out disposal right now, we estimate a time we will be there. If this was a quiet road with not much traffic and we were driving a car I would be happy to give an ETA. However, we are in the fickle Indian Ocean bobbing about in ever decreasing winds.  We’re racing as fast as we can to the line - but with the weather patterns changing almost hourly, and the current against us, pushing us away from the finish line, trying to predict the correct ETA is a bit like threading a sailmaker’s needle with your eyes shut.  The wind is now only 4.5 knots and we have slowed to 4 knots upwind. The temperature has soared to 40º by day and 35º by night. I think we can safely say we are all being tested on this final leg – mentally more than physically,” he reported. As Paul Standbridge, the skipper, said: “At least we don’t have kids sat on the back seat of the car asking “Are we there yet?”  But if there were we would be saying, “We are doing our best! We’ll be there when we get there – not long to go now!” According to the last estimate Majan and her crew are hoping this will be on Wednesday May 12, with less than 580 nm to go, but they are in the hands of the weather gods, for the last time on the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race!
Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the end of Leg 5…

The A100 Trimaran Majan is coming back home at full speed off the Indian coast. The boat passed Cape Comorin yesterday, 5th and final landmark of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race at the southern tip of India : “Like a steam train crossing the Indian continent, we powered up the coast of Kerala, eventually coming close to land just off the town of Kolachel. The Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course just keeps coming up with pleasant surprises, and the team on board keep saying it’s so different on each ocean leg. Very soon we could hardly see the land and you had to pinch yourself and think, “did we really see all that?”  But we definitely smelt the curry and saw some landmarks, and then we vanished into the night, to get on with our watches and race, and wonder what the people on shore are doing?” reported Mohammed al Ghailani onboard Majan. The Arabian Peninsula is now less than 1230 nautical miles away.
The A100 Trimaran Majan is coming back home at full speed off the Indian coast. The boat passed Cape Comorin yesterday, 5th and final landmark of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race at the southern tip of India : “Like a steam train crossing the Indian continent, we powered up the coast of Kerala, eventually coming close to land just off the town of Kolachel. The Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course just keeps coming up with pleasant surprises, and the team on board keep saying it’s so different on each ocean leg. Very soon we could hardly see the land and you had to pinch yourself and think, “did we really see all that?”  But we definitely smelt the curry and saw some landmarks, and then we vanished into the night, to get on with our watches and race, and wonder what the people on shore are doing?” reported Mohammed al Ghailani onboard Majan. The Arabian Peninsula is now less than 1230 nautical miles away.

Majan has already experienced difficult times during this inaugural Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race, but in recent days, the situation has been hard to bear: “There is so little wind and the sea lies so still and lifeless. It’s 40º on deck and 33º in the water. Eating a hot meal is the last thing you want and sleep is harder to achieve in your roasting bunk. Will we ever get to Muscat? The attitude on Majan is a little more positive. All of the above still exists, it is hot and the sea does look like oil. We stay more positive, why? Because we have to! As we all know Mother Nature can play games with us all, cooking up all manner of combinations. I know most cruising boats would be very pleased with that. However we’re not cruising, we’re racing! Mohsin is dealing with the slow pace extremely well as he wants to get home to see his new baby girl for the first time” reported Mark Covell onboard Majan. Fortunately, Majan and her crew are now heading towards the Sri Lanka coastline at a good 20-knot and about 1,700 nautical miles are yet to be covered before reaching the final destination of Muscat, in Oman. “ It’s great to feel Majan moving again in the wind and waves.” added Mohsin this morning.
Visit the Photo Gallery to discover new pictures about the 5th Leg…

Majan has already experienced difficult times during this inaugural Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race, but in recent days, the situation has been hard to bear: “There is so little wind and the sea lies so still and lifeless. It’s 40º on deck and 33º in the water. Eating a hot meal is the last thing you want and sleep is harder to achieve in your roasting bunk. Will we ever get to Muscat? The attitude on Majan is a little more positive. All of the above still exists, it is hot and the sea does look like oil. We stay more positive, why? Because we have to! As we all know Mother Nature can play games with us all, cooking up all manner of combinations. I know most cruising boats would be very pleased with that. However we’re not cruising, we’re racing! Mohsin is dealing with the slow pace extremely well as he wants to get home to see his new baby girl for the first time” reported Mark Covell onboard Majan. Fortunately, Majan and her crew are now heading towards the Sri Lanka coastline at a good 20-knot and about 1,700 nautical miles are yet to be covered before reaching the final destination of Muscat, in Oman. “ It’s great to feel Majan moving again in the wind and waves.” added Mohsin this morning.
Visit the Photo Gallery to discover new pictures about the 5th Leg…

Dame Ellen MacArthur, Patron of the Trust, celebrated yachtswoman and veteran of the Round the Island Race, will fire a cannon to start the race, on Saturday, 19 June.Dame Ellen MacArthur, celebrated yachtswoman and veteran of the Round the Island Race, will fire the starting cannon to set the fleet on its way on Saturday, 19 June.

Owing to the tide on race day, this year sees a very early first start of 0500 for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. It’s early but it will make for an amazing spectacle as the sunrise coincides with the hundreds of boats milling around the start-line off the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Ellen MacArthur will fire the starting cannon to set the fleet on its way, and will then be joining one of the four Ellen MacArthur Trust boats entered in the Race, with our young people making up the crews.

The Trust will also be competing in the ‘Charity Challenge’, crewed by relatives of young people who have sailed with us on board ‘Challenge EMT’.  This yacht will be part of a race within the race, raising money, and competing against the other three preferred charities, Macmillan, Breast Cancer Care, and Prostate UK.  Vince, Siobhan, Ross and Emma will be fundraising before the event and taking part in the media activity around the race to promote the Trust.  There will be more information about their ‘Charity Challenge’ coming soon, and you can support the Trust and our Charity Challenge Crew here.

On race day you will be able to follow the progress of all the Trust boats here on our website.

Ellen follows an illustrious list of previous Race starters including the sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, double Olympic sailing medallists Shirley Robertson OBE and Sarah Webb OBE, and celebrity gardener and TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh MBE during his time as the High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.  Whether you’re a landlubber or a Race competitor, the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race has plenty of on-shore activity to keep everyone amused and entertained this year. The Race Village, situated in Cowes Yacht Haven (CYH), will be hosting the only outside big screen on the Isle of Wight so that everyone can come and watch the England versus Algeria World Cup game on Friday, 18 June, at 1930. Entry is free but numbers will be limited by the CYH management. There is a packed schedule of events taking place in the Race Village over the Friday and Saturday and again entrance is free. Highlights will include live music, public hospitality tents, an arts and crafts zone, and a health zone with a smoothie tent and free massages.

To find out more about the race please visit the J.P.Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race website  

The race is organised by the Island Sailing Club 

“Today is a very special day, as our very own Mohsin Al Busaidi has become a father,” reported Mark Covell this morning. Mohsin rang home and spoke to his wife Sarah back in Oman who broke the news to him that he was a father to a beautiful baby girl, called Thura. “Mother and baby are doing well,” says Mohsin. “As soon as he got off the satellite phone he humbly apologized to all the crew for being a little anxious and pre-occupied over the last few days. “I am happy now and you have the old Mohsin back. I am a father, I am so happy, I don’t need to worry any more.”  They now need fair winds and good weather to deliver them home to Oman, still more than 2,700 miles to go, and unite the new dad with mother and baby!
Read below the race news about the start of the Leg 5, and visit the photo gallery…
“Today is a very special day, as our very own Mohsin Al Busaidi has become a father,” reported Mark Covell this morning. Mohsin rang home and spoke to his wife Sarah back in Oman who broke the news to him that he was a father to a beautiful baby girl, called Thura. “Mother and baby are doing well,” says Mohsin. “As soon as he got off the satellite phone he humbly apologized to all the crew for being a little anxious and pre-occupied over the last few days. “I am happy now and you have the old Mohsin back. I am a father, I am so happy, I don’t need to worry any more.”  They now need fair winds and good weather to deliver them home to Oman, still more than 2,700 miles to go, and unite the new dad with mother and baby!
Read below the race news about the start of the Leg 5, and visit the photo gallery…

In brief: The biggest French multihull sailing champions will meet once again in the five-round 2010 Extreme Sailing Series. Loick Peyron, holder of the most multihull championship titles, Yann Guichard, a favourite for the forthcoming Route de Rhum, and Franck Cammas, who convincingly won the Jules Verne Trophy just one month ago, will meet on the water for the first time this year on 27 May at the first event in Sète, France.

The fifth and final leg of the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race from Singapore to Oman started today… On a beautiful day with 6 knots from the a westerly direction Majan and her crew crossed the line to the south of Cape Piai at 04:00 (GMT), midday local time. “Our host for the week, the Keppel Bay Marina had looked after us admirably. A big thank you to all the staff for helping us with our various boat works and projects. Now, as we now pick our way northwards up the course, we enter the Malacca Straits. After passing Sri Lanka, we will carve around the bottom of Cape Comorin, the southern most tip of India, the final cape on this 5 Capes Race course, which will be the last sight of land before seeing Oman.  We will then race as fast as we can to the finish line off Cape Ras Al Hadd to enter the Gulf of Oman and home to Muscat. By then we will have raced over 16,000 sailing miles,” wrote Mark Covell this morning before the off.
The fifth and final leg of the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race from Singapore to Oman started today… On a beautiful day with 6 knots from the a westerly direction Majan and her crew crossed the line to the south of Cape Piai at 04:00 (GMT), midday local time. “Our host for the week, the Keppel Bay Marina had looked after us admirably. A big thank you to all the staff for helping us with our various boat works and projects. Now, as we now pick our way northwards up the course, we enter the Malacca Straits. After passing Sri Lanka, we will carve around the bottom of Cape Comorin, the southern most tip of India, the final cape on this 5 Capes Race course, which will be the last sight of land before seeing Oman.  We will then race as fast as we can to the finish line off Cape Ras Al Hadd to enter the Gulf of Oman and home to Muscat. By then we will have raced over 16,000 sailing miles,” wrote Mark Covell this morning before the off.

Majan and her crew arrived in Singapore on the 19th of April. During her stopover, Majan was able to “stretch her hulls” with many guests onboard: “It was very light airs for our guest sailing today. Only 5 knots of wind.  Most dinghies and dhow’s would be barely drifting in such light breezes, but Majan is so powerful she is still able to impress out guests, gliding along smoothly and gracefully. We had two groups of guests all who seemed to really enjoy themselves” reported Mohammed al Ghailani from Singapore.
The shore crew had a long job list to go through before leaving the dock on the 27th of April, undertaking the final Leg 5 of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race and heading back to Oman. “We are all looking forward to the next leg and sailing with our new crew member, Ali Ambusaidi who joins us from the Oman Sail Academy” added Mohsin al Busaidi.
Visit the photo Gallery to see new pictures of the stopover in Singapore…
Majan and her crew arrived in Singapore on the 19th of April. During her stopover, Majan was able to “stretch her hulls” with many guests onboard: “It was very light airs for our guest sailing today. Only 5 knots of wind.  Most dinghies and dhow’s would be barely drifting in such light breezes, but Majan is so powerful she is still able to impress out guests, gliding along smoothly and gracefully. We had two groups of guests all who seemed to really enjoy themselves” reported Mohammed al Ghailani from Singapore.
The shore crew had a long job list to go through before leaving the dock on the 27th of April, undertaking the final Leg 5 of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race and heading back to Oman. “We are all looking forward to the next leg and sailing with our new crew member, Ali Ambusaidi who joins us from the Oman Sail Academy” added Mohsin al Busaidi.
Visit the photo Gallery to see new pictures of the stopover in Singapore…

OC Events has announced today the final venue on the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series circuit. Kiel, on the Baltic Sea in northern Germany will play host to the dynamic circuit for the third year running (26th -29th August) with the action, once again, being played out just metres from the shoreline.

It’s hot and humid here in Singapore, but no rest for the crew or shore crew as they get trapped by a new job list. Mohsin al Busaidi commented: “By now you must wonder what we still find to do to Majan at each stop over? Surely the jobs list must be pretty short by now, and Majan must be totally sorted? The reality is that a racing boat is never completely finished.  There is always something that can be perfected. Just like a Forumla 1 car wears through tyres, we wear through sails, sheets and halyards. On this last leg the G1 halyard strop and halyard broke, and we had to improvise a fix for that. The third gear cog in the port pit winch sheared off three teeth and we also managed to snap three vanes off the wind generator.  All these problems, you work around at sea”.  
He added: “The sailing crew must also find time to get to the gym as it’s important to maintain general fitness, while on the stopovers.   Lots to do and fit into our short stay here. And once again, thanks to our hard working shore crew led by Murray Goodsell, it means Mohammed and I can get a day or two off, before we set sail again on the 27 April”.
It’s hot and humid here in Singapore, but no rest for the crew or shore crew as they get trapped by a new job list. Mohsin al Busaidi commented: “By now you must wonder what we still find to do to Majan at each stop over? Surely the jobs list must be pretty short by now, and Majan must be totally sorted? The reality is that a racing boat is never completely finished.  There is always something that can be perfected. Just like a Forumla 1 car wears through tyres, we wear through sails, sheets and halyards. On this last leg the G1 halyard strop and halyard broke, and we had to improvise a fix for that. The third gear cog in the port pit winch sheared off three teeth and we also managed to snap three vanes off the wind generator.  All these problems, you work around at sea”. 
He added: “The sailing crew must also find time to get to the gym as it’s important to maintain general fitness, while on the stopovers.   Lots to do and fit into our short stay here. And once again, thanks to our hard working shore crew led by Murray Goodsell, it means Mohammed and I can get a day or two off, before we set sail again on the 27 April”.

Read the next part of the diary from the Volunteer Training Week where our 15 young adults are working towards their Competent Crew qualification, to become Trust volunteers. The 15 young adults in recovery from cancer or leukaemia and returning for training to become Trust volunteers this summer have now made their way home (despite the Volcanic Ash!) and received Competent Crew qualifications, with three achieving their Day Skipper! 

This was a fantastic week from a Trust perspective, seeing familiar faces returning as adults ready to take on the responsibility of volunteering, after meeting them first between 1 to 5 years ago when they had just finished treatment!  We are extremely proud that these young people want to now give something back to the Trust and the young people who sail with us, and we look forward to seeing them again in the summer, helping on the boats. 

Read on for the last part of their diary of the week.

  Moonspray

Wednesday 14th April
Today we sailed from Yarmouth to Portsmouth in somewhat arctic conditions.  Heading up wind we continued to tack across the Solent and made the most of the help from the tidal currents.  Jo’s and Emily’s serving of Tomato soup and butties helped us all through the afternoon and we made good progress sailing.

Before we knew it we arrived at Haslar marina in Portsmouth.  Dan gave us all a quiz on the names of various parts of a boat, and found out that we were all experts….well experts in the making at least!!

Dinner was certainly a success – a little biased maybe seen as this is the chef of the night writing but gosh the pasta was good! Everyone got together for a great night where good fun was certainly had by all.

Thursday 15th April
After a nice relaxing morning, and a serving of bacon butties we were all ready to sail out of Haslar Marina and head towards Southampton.  The weather was much better than yesterday, and we spent the morning basking in the sunshine while heading towards Southampton.

A bit of knot practising and lassoing some mooring boys later we moored up and spent dinner across from the port of Southampton.  We enjoyed the serving of a nice and chilli Thai green curry, a really good dinner in preparation for the nights sail, while the huge tankers were being loaded and unloaded just across from us. 

Bellerophon of Wight

Wednesday 14th April
Woke up in Yarmouth, set sail at 08:45am to Portsmouth.  Was very cold and windy but as a team we made it. We practice the man over board procedure by throwing a fender. It was tricky to judge the bow of the boat but managed to get it after a few attempts.  In the evening all the crews met up and had a great chuckle.

Thursday 15th April
Today we set sail from Portsmouth to the top of Southampton water. it was a challenging sail as we were set tasks to sail around triangular courses. This involved tacking, jibing, baring away, hardening up and aware of the points of sail - not that I know what they are haha Was difficult but we are slowly understanding.  Now the dinner is being cooked and we will set off at 8pm for an adventurous night-sail to Cowes….dun dunnn DUUUUNNNN!!!!

Majan, after having passed the fourth Cape, Cape Piai, yesterday at 14.47 GMT, arrived in Singapore the same evening. Mark Covell, onboard Majan, reported a moment that none of the crew will forget:  “When we were blasting through a narrow channel at 18 knots under full sail, a lone fisherman was crossing the channel well ahead of us in a thin dug out wooden canoe. Within seconds we were barrelling towards the unsuspecting sailor, he had obviously not seen us. To see his face as we shot by in a 105 ft ball of power was unforgettable. He looked up at us calmly, like he was witnessing a UFO landing in his back yard!”. On arrival in Singapore, Mark added: “We will all look back on this leg as a leg of contrasts compared to the open ocean. Walking the course of the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race has been interesting. Running this leg as a fleet race with as little restriction on the course as possible will be intriguing.” The stopover in Singapore will last until the 27th of April before Leg 5, the final leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course, passing the last cape of the race, Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India. Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the end of Leg 4.
Majan, after having passed the fourth Cape, Cape Piai, yesterday at 14.47 GMT, arrived in Singapore the same evening. Mark Covell, onboard Majan, reported a moment that none of the crew will forget:  “When we were blasting through a narrow channel at 18 knots under full sail, a lone fisherman was crossing the channel well ahead of us in a thin dug out wooden canoe. Within seconds we were barrelling towards the unsuspecting sailor, he had obviously not seen us. To see his face as we shot by in a 105 ft ball of power was unforgettable. He looked up at us calmly, like he was witnessing a UFO landing in his back yard!”. On arrival in Singapore, Mark added: “We will all look back on this leg as a leg of contrasts compared to the open ocean. Walking the course of the Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race has been interesting. Running this leg as a fleet race with as little restriction on the course as possible will be intriguing.” The stopover in Singapore will last until the 27th of April before Leg 5, the final leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course, passing the last cape of the race, Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India. Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the end of Leg 4.

Majan and her crew, after a hard windless day, finally crossed Cape Piai, the southern most point of the Malaysian peninsular at 14:47 GMT today, 18th of April.
Singapore is directly opposite Cape Piai - they are currently heading into dock. Like the cold of the Southern Ocean, or the high winds of a cyclone, the crew, as sailors, have to deal with all conditions :“Flat calm, a millpond, a desert oasis of tranquillity, bereft of wind, spent, the wind is resting; the means of propulsion has ceased to be.  All statements to the effect that this boat is going forward are now inoperative, this wind is an ex-wind, it has snuffed it…..! We just need to find a way not to go a little mad in this heat. ” reported Mark Covell onboard Majan. Majan will leave singapore the 27th of April for her final Leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race, back to Oman.
Majan and her crew, after a hard windless day, finally crossed Cape Piai, the southern most point of the Malaysian peninsular at 14:47 GMT today, 18th of April.
Singapore is directly opposite Cape Piai - they are currently heading into dock. Like the cold of the Southern Ocean, or the high winds of a cyclone, the crew, as sailors, have to deal with all conditions :“Flat calm, a millpond, a desert oasis of tranquillity, bereft of wind, spent, the wind is resting; the means of propulsion has ceased to be.  All statements to the effect that this boat is going forward are now inoperative, this wind is an ex-wind, it has snuffed it…..! We just need to find a way not to go a little mad in this heat. ” reported Mark Covell onboard Majan. Majan will leave singapore the 27th of April for her final Leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race.

Life on board has taken a twist now that the crew is racing in the Java Sea. “It’s the same but different,” told Mohammed al Ghailaini on board Majan. “Flat water is the biggest change.  A multihull can handle very big waves but give Majan flat water and she purrs along like a happy cat stretched out in the sun. Our drinking water consumption has tripled and our freeze-dried food consumption has halved due to the rising temperatures. You just don’t feel like eating hot mince and mash or spaghetti bolognaise in 40 degrees.   A fresh salad would be nice and maybe a cool glass of juice!  Dream on…for a few more days. So far, we have made better progress than expected. The forecast has been for very little wind by day and a touch more by night.  We did have a hot and painful 4 hour stretch of under 3 knots yesterday - but last night we fed off the updraft of a large thunderstorm about 10 miles away.  As the hot are was sucked up into the system, it drew air past us giving us a solid 15 knots for most of the night,” he reported. Majan and her crew are hanging onto a nice 8 knots from 300 degrees, for now. They are only about 36nm from another waypoint - a light house called Karang Selatan that they must leave to port. After that they head north for 60nm to another island and then they can turn left and start their 450nm approach to Singapore and the finish line off Cape Piai, the fourth Cape of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race.
Life on board has taken a twist now that the crew is racing in the Java Sea. “It’s the same but different,” told Mohammed al Ghailaini on board Majan. “Flat water is the biggest change.  A multihull can handle very big waves but give Majan flat water and she purrs along like a happy cat stretched out in the sun. Our drinking water consumption has tripled and our freeze-dried food consumption has halved due to the rising temperatures. You just don’t feel like eating hot mince and mash or spaghetti bolognaise in 40 degrees.   A fresh salad would be nice and maybe a cool glass of juice!  Dream on…for a few more days. So far, we have made better progress than expected. The forecast has been for very little wind by day and a touch more by night.  We did have a hot and painful 4 hour stretch of under 3 knots yesterday - but last night we fed off the updraft of a large thunderstorm about 10 miles away.  As the hot are was sucked up into the system, it drew air past us giving us a solid 15 knots for most of the night,” he reported. Majan and her crew are hanging onto a nice 8 knots from 300 degrees, for now. They are only about 36nm from another waypoint - a light house called Karang Selatan that they must leave to port. After that they head north for 60nm to another island and then they can turn left and start their 450nm approach to Singapore and the finish line off Cape Piai, the fourth Cape of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race.

Seeing land again is always a good feeling for a sailor, and Mohammed saw it first.  Mohsin, onboard Majan, tells: “The thing Mohammed and I notice the most is the amount of rubbish in the water. To be fair it’s not all man made. Clumps of grass and mangroves float about like mini islands, each with their very own eco system. The wind slowly dropped off from a light air beat to nothing. We persevered, working closer to the land feeling there may be some more wind due to compression along the shore. The contrast to the stark open ocean to having so much visual stimulation around us is almost too much to handle. Smoke, boats, people land and shipping are all new to us”. He added “Now we are having to navigate round obstacles, instead of sailing for days on one heading.  So for Mohammed and I it is really good for practicing our navigation, and understanding more about what Marc and Paul are planning.”  No more long and open ocean swells and weather systems for Majan and the crew. This is flat water coastal racing, island hopping with Jawa to starboard and Sumatra to port. Singapore is up ahead them and they have approx. 400 nm to go on this penultimate leg of the course and lots of twists and turns to come, with a mixed forecast of showers, squalls and light breezes.
Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the Leg 4 and watch the Video about the hoisting of the head sail, the G1…
Seeing land again is always a good feeling for a sailor, and Mohammed saw it first.  Mohsin, onboard Majan, tells: “The thing Mohammed and I notice the most is the amount of rubbish in the water. To be fair it’s not all man made. Clumps of grass and mangroves float about like mini islands, each with their very own eco system. The wind slowly dropped off from a light air beat to nothing. We persevered, working closer to the land feeling there may be some more wind due to compression along the shore. The contrast to the stark open ocean to having so much visual stimulation around us is almost too much to handle. Smoke, boats, people land and shipping are all new to us”. He added “Now we are having to navigate round obstacles, instead of sailing for days on one heading.  So for Mohammed and I it is really good for practicing our navigation, and understanding more about what Marc and Paul are planning.”  No more long and open ocean swells and weather systems for Majan and the crew. This is flat water coastal racing, island hopping with Jawa to starboard and Sumatra to port. Singapore is up ahead them and they have approx. 400 nm to go on this penultimate leg of the course and lots of twists and turns to come, with a mixed forecast of showers, squalls and light breezes.
Visit the photo gallery below with new pictures of the Leg 4 and watch the Video about the hoisting of the head sail, the G1…

Our 15 EMT graduates in volunteer training are sailing from Yarmouth to Portsmouth today. Since arriving on Sunday each crew is keeping a diary of their trip.  Read on to find out what’s been going on…Since arriving on Sunday the young crews from Carmarthenshire, Essex, Devon, Surrey, Glasgow, Bedfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Hampshire, London, Cheshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, West Sussex and Herefordshire are keeping a diary of their trip.

  Moonspray Crew:  Paul, Jack, Tom, Luke & Larvell

Sunday 11th April
Day 1 of training.  It was an early start for many of us, all travelling down to Southampton port to catch the 3.15 Red Jet Ferry across to the Island to meet the EMT training team.  As I walked into the red jet terminal I was looking for any signs of anyone who’d be on the training week with me – thankfully it was a lot easier than I thought as it wasn’t difficult to spot a few Round Britain T-shirts and a game of UNO underway!  No before long, everyone had arrived and there were many friendly faces to catch up with on the journey across. 

A quick water taxi later and we were introduced with out boats, 3 in total all holding a team.  Our boat MOONSPRAY was to be home for 8 of us during the week – the training team of Dan Jo & Emily, and the volunteers Paul, Jack, Tom, Luke & Larvell.

The rest of the day involved getting acquainted with Moonspray, general Health and Safety and having a group discussion on what makes the best volunteer. 

Monday 12th April
Today was a brilliant day sailing on the Solent & around East Cowes Marina.  The day started with a few interviews and Larvell getting filmed for a documentary for the BBC.  A few catwalk walks up and down the pontoon for him and the hard work was done, so we all jumped on board, and got the fun stuff underway.  We were lucky enough to have Ellen Join us on board, so BBC Jo came along for the sail too to try and catch some “money shots”! 

Around the Solent we learnt the basics of sailing – such as the roles of the sails and the importance of harnessing the power of the wind.  We criss-crossed our way across the Solent all undertaking the variety of roles on board, getting hints and tips from the best of experts!  We returned to the Marina to practice some Pontoon bashing and after a good few runs we parked up to enjoy some tea and plan the next days sail.

Tuesday 13th April
Destination Yarmouth.  A plan had been made the previous night for the sail West out of the Marina.  We harnessed the tides and sailed out of the marina at around 12.  Before hand we were kept busy with some more Pontoon Bashing and a spot of lunch.

The weather today was brilliant – plenty of sun and the wind behind us!  It was a brilliant days sailing, practicing what we had learnt previously and enjoying the conditions…fingers crossed the nice weather continues!   Unfortunately for a certain fender it weren’t all plain sailing, as it was chucked over board half way as we practiced the techniques for rescuing a man over board.  It was successfully rescued and the essentials were all learnt.

Outreach Crew:  Rachel, Adam, Joe, Rob and Tim

Sunday 11th April 2010
Joined outreach and meet all crew members along with skipper and mate.
We were shown about the boat, got to know each other, explored Cowes.  Went to Marks locker to talk about “what makes a good volunteer”.

Monday 12th April 2010
On Monday morning after breakfast, we started doing safety checks around different parts of the boat. We then slipped our moorings and proceeded to the Cowes channel and did some manoeuvres after which we proceeded out into the Solent in an orderly fashion and hoisted the main sail. Had wonderfully clear weather.
After supper we looked at the chart and planned out our route for the next day meeting up with some of the other crews.

Tuesday 13th April 2010
After breakfast we set sail out of Cowes marina and proceeded to head down the coast to Yarmouth. Along the way we hove to and had a spot of lunch. After we had eaten we headed to New town creek and had a look at the harbour. We then set the sails again and headed for Yarmouth. Along the way we talked about different situations that could arise while sailing with young children on board. We also talked and practiced a man over board. As we approached Yarmouth we practiced mooring onto a buoy. The weather today was clear, windy and not too choppy. A great day’s sailing all in all.

Bellerophon of Wight Crew:  Laura, Chloe, Ben, Chris and Barnaby

The past two days have been really fun and full of learning, having Dave as mate and Barrie as skipper is great.  They are teaching us everything we need to know from knots, points of sail, putting up the head sail and putting away at the end of the day, taking over the helm ECT. On the Monday we sailed around the Solent and today we came out of the Solent and went west towards the needles we went out at a decent time as the wind and tide was on the way out so we had a quick and warm sail.  We are currently in Yarmouth for the night ready for an early start to Portsmouth in the morning.

Cowes, l’une des villes européennes les plus emblématiques de l’univers voile accueillira pour la quatrième année consécutive les Extreme Sailing Series. Deuxième étape de la saison 2010, l’étape britannique se déroulera du 31 juillet au 5 août pendant la fameuse Semaine de Cowes.

This week we are thrilled to welcome back 15 young adults who first sailed with us after treatment for cancer or leukaemia and have now returned for training to become Trust volunteers.  On Sunday, Ben, Laura, Chloe, Barnaby, Tom, Tim, Rachel, Rob, Larvell, Joe, Luke, Paul, Jack, Adam, and Chris travelled from all over the country to East Cowes Marina to begin a week of volunteer training with the Trust.  During this week everyone will be working towards their Competent Crew qualification, taking responsibility for the various duties on board and learning how to become a valued volunteer on our summer trips.

The week will include training on how to use the VHF radio and communicate a Mayday, communicate to the cockpit effectively from the foredeck when mooring, be able to put up and take down sails without instruction, instruct others on how to use the winches, and how to work with the crew and young people and become a great volunteer.  Each boat has five young adults on board and two Trust skippers, so the young crews will receive the best training.

The Trust knows from experience that these volunteers who have sailed as young people can provide very positive role models for those sailing for the first time just out of treatment .  It also gives our young people the chance to learn more about sailing, and, in their words, to give something back to the Trust and those who are still at the beginning of their recovery journey.

The young crew spent Monday out on the water familiarising themselves with the boats.  Patron Ellen was intending to join them for an hour in the morning to say hello, but ended up sailing across to Beaulieu and back as she was having such a fantastic time with the crew! 

The boats moored up together in East Cowes in the evening where the crews make their own dinner and learnt some Navigation theory.  Today they will be navigating to Yarmouth and we will keep you updated on their progress throughout the week. 

One of Europe�s most iconic sailing venues will welcome back the Extreme Sailing Series this summer for the second leg of the five-event circuit.

“At 9.00 UTC, (around 4am W Australia time) we had a big drama on deck.  Mohsin was steering in around 15 knots of breeze and we were sailing downwind off the north west corner of Australia, under our huge cuban-fibre genniker, the G1. Suddenly, the halyard snapped about a foot below the top of the mast – sending the sail tumbling over the side in the dark,” reported Mark Covell onboard the A100 Majan this morning. “Mohsin, Marc and Sidney were on watch at the time,” he continues. “Quick thinking by Mohsin, meant little damage was done as he turned the boat down, slowing us right down, and shouted for Paul to come up on deck.   This was quickly followed by a call for ‘all hands on deck’ – meaning we all had to jump out of their bunks and come and help. It took about twenty minutes to haul the sail back on board – it’s big, heavy and the cuban-fibre weave makes it very slippery too, so hard to get a grip on.  Currently, it is half on the deck and half down below decks, as there’s not room to stow the whole sail on deck unfurled. We think it’s undamaged, and we have ‘moused’ a line in place to thread a new halyard when it gets light. The plan is to hoist the sail from the deck in the morning.  Normally – when it’s not in use this sail all nicely furled up into a big roll.  We unroll using a furling pulley system when we need it.   So hoisting it unfurled and loose will be quite interesting”.
Visit the photo Gallery to see new pictures of the start and of the sail drama…
“At 9.00 UTC, (around 4am W Australia time) we had a big drama on deck.  Mohsin was steering in around 15 knots of breeze and we were sailing downwind off the north west corner of Australia, under our huge cuban-fibre genniker, the G1. Suddenly, the halyard snapped about a foot below the top of the mast – sending the sail tumbling over the side in the dark,” reported Mark Covell onboard the A100 Majan this morning. “Mohsin, Marc and Sidney were on watch at the time,” he continues. “Quick thinking by Mohsin, meant little damage was done as he turned the boat down, slowing us right down, and shouted for Paul to come up on deck.   This was quickly followed by a call for ‘all hands on deck’ – meaning we all had to jump out of their bunks and come and help. It took about twenty minutes to haul the sail back on board – it’s big, heavy and the cuban-fibre weave makes it very slippery too, so hard to get a grip on.  Currently, it is half on the deck and half down below decks, as there’s not room to stow the whole sail on deck unfurled. We think it’s undamaged, and we have ‘moused’ a line in place to thread a new halyard when it gets light. The plan is to hoist the sail from the deck in the morning.  Normally – when it’s not in use this sail all nicely furled up into a big roll.  We unroll using a furling pulley system when we need it.   So hoisting it unfurled and loose will be quite interesting”.

Three days after Majan left Fremantle, her crew are now sailing at 27 knots to their next destination – Singapore – on this penultimate leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race. More than 1,000 miles after the start at Cape Leeuwin, Mohammed al Ghailani confides: “I always find the first 48 hours at sea very hard. As soon as my body and sleep clock has become accustomed to the timing, I am happy again. I personally take about two days to get my sea legs. We had an upwind start again and, yes, I was very ill. Please can we have at least one slow start to a leg? These first nights that launch us right into the thick of it are becoming too common. It will get lighter and lighter and hotter and hotter as we sail up to Singapore. I also like that every mile we sail we are getting closer to Oman and home. It’s still a long way to go and I’m not wishing it away but I am missing home, friends and family. I have never been away this long before. Paul and Mohsin have taught me never to count the days. I love my time on Majan but think I’m only human to sometimes want to be with my family.”  Majan is almost at the halfway point en route to Singapore with approx 1260 miles to go. Watch the Videos below about the start of Majan from Fremantle and Cape Leeuwin…
Three days after Majan left Fremantle, her crew are now
sailing at 27 knots to their next destination – Singapore – on this penultimate
leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race. More than 1,000 miles after the start at
Cape Leeuwin, Mohammed al Ghailani confides: “I always find the
first 48 hours at sea very hard. As soon as my body and sleep clock has become
accustomed to the timing, I am happy again. I personally take about two days to
get my sea legs. We had an upwind start again and, yes, I was very ill. Please
can we have at least one slow start to a leg? These first nights that launch us
right into the thick of it are becoming too common. It will get lighter and
lighter and hotter and hotter as we sail up to Singapore. I also like that
every mile we sail we are getting closer to Oman and home. It’s still a long
way to go and I’m not wishing it away but I am missing home, friends and
family. I have never been away this long before. Paul and Mohsin have taught me
never to count the days. I love my time on Majan but think I’m only human to
sometimes want to be with my family.”  Majan is almost at
the halfway point en route to Singapore with approx 1260 miles to go. Watch the Videos below about the start of Majan from Fremantle and Cape Leeuwin…

Majan cast off from the dock of Fremantle, Occidental Australia, at 10.00 hours (local time – 03.00 AM GMT), ready to restart at 12.00 hours (05.00 AM GMT). Their ‘start line’ is at 270° West at a navigation buoy called Hall Bank. They then have to sail south back to Cape Leeuwin, to pick up their Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race course, where they left off at the end of Leg 3, before they head up north to Singapore. “We hope to see some of our new local Fremantle friends out on the water to wave us off,” said Mark Covell, Media crew onboard Majan. “Fremantle has really embraced Majan and her crew. The two days of guest sailing was a great success. The groups that came out on Majan were grinning from ear to ear when they stepped off the boat. Today, we have all been putting the last preparations in place for Leg 4 and packing the boat.” Read more about the start of the Leg 4 in the Race News below…

Majan cast off from the dock of Fremantle, Occidental Australia, at 10.00 hours (local time – 03.00 AM GMT), ready to restart at 12.00 hours (05.00 AM GMT). Their ‘start line’ is at 270° West at a navigation buoy called Hall Bank. They then have to sail south back to Cape Leeuwin, to pick up their Indian Oceans 5 Capes Race course, where they left off at the end of Leg 3, before they head up north to Singapore. “We hope to see some of our new local Fremantle friends out on the water to wave us off,” said Mark Covell, Media crew onboard Majan. “Fremantle has really embraced Majan and her crew. The two days of guest sailing was a great success. The groups that came out on Majan were grinning from ear to ear when they stepped off the boat. Today, we have all been putting the last preparations in place for Leg 4 and packing the boat.” Read more about the start of the Leg 4 in the Race News below…

Sailing reporter, Sebastian Destremau of DesTopNews, contacted Oman Sail about the possibility of coming down to Fremantle to film Majan, speak to Sidney Gavignet and find out more about the A100 and the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race project. Last week he got on a plane to Perth and this is the first result of the filming he did. Watch the French version on You Tube now - English version will follow : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTwCCg9rrxY&feature=player_embedded#
Sailing reporter, Sebastian Destremau of DesTopNews, contacted Oman Sail about the possibility of coming down to Fremantle to film Majan, speak to Sidney Gavignet and find out more about the A100 and the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race project. Last week he got on a plane to Perth and this is the first result of the filming he did. Watch the French version on You Tube now - English version will follow – copy this link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTwCCg9rrxY&feature=player_embedded#  >

BBC’s ‘Flog It’ auction show came to the IOW last year, and Trust volunteer Hugh Dinsdale took along an old Hornby Dublo train set to get it valued.  BBC’s ‘Flog It’ auction show came to the IOW last year, and Trust volunteer Hugh Dinsdale took along an old Hornby Dublo train set to get it valued.   Hugh reported back after the initial valuation at Cowes Yacht Haven, that his item had been selected to be featured at auction, and several weeks later he took the set to Shanklin Auction Rooms, where the next part of the show was filmed. He pledged to the Trust that he would split any profit it made at auction between the EMT and his young daughter Ellen.  The show was aired on 2nd March 2010, where Hugh was featured talking about the Trust and the train set did very well, with the Trust receiving a generous £150.   .

Hugh has been volunteering with the Trust for several years both on land and on the water, and has also raised funds previously by completing a parachute jump.  We would like to say a big thanks to Hugh for this very unusual but very welcome fundraising donation.

While preparations were being put in place for the 2010 European circuit of the Extreme Sailing Series, six of the teams were battling it out in Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat for the inaugural Asian circuit. The dedicated 26 minute TV programme is now being shown around the World .... see here for broadcast times. Host Broadcaster Sunset&Vine;|APP will post regular updates here with the broadcast times of the 25 minute highlight programme from the inaugural circuit. Catch all the action on the water; all the action on the water as well as a look at the teams and personalities that battled it out in Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat.

Back in Fremantle after an Easter break for some of the crew, the shore and offshore teams have been very busy. Majan has had a makeover for its guests and is now ready for Leg 4.  “My first impressions are that the boat has been tweaked and perfected taking Majan even closer to race spec,” reported Mark Covell, media crew, back from a break in Oman. “The next few days it’s all about the media,” he added, “we have invited an eclectic mix of Australia’s travel, yachting and consumer media to sample the dynamic sailing experience of Majan. From two scheduled sails we ended up with 3! 18 guests experienced a sail on an A100!”. Mona Tannous, Manager of Oman Tourism in Australia & New Zealand is one of the guest in Fremantle. “The first group of guests have just come off the boat, totally raving about the experience. I myself was dumbfounded yesterday when I finally saw her in ‘real life’ so to speak,” she said. The start for the next leg to Singapore is planned for the 9th of April.

Back in Fremantle after an Easter break for some of the crew, the shore and offshore teams have been very busy. Majan has had a makeover for its guests and is now ready for Leg 4.  “My first impressions are that the boat has been tweaked and perfected taking Majan even closer to race spec,” reported Mark Covell, media crew, back from a break in Oman. “The next few days it’s all about the media,” he added, “we have invited an eclectic mix of Australia’s travel, yachting and consumer media to sample the dynamic sailing experience of Majan. From two scheduled sails we ended up with 3! 18 guests experienced a sail on an A100!”. Mona Tannous, Manager of Oman Tourism in Australia & New Zealand is one of the guest in Fremantle. “The first group of guests have just come off the boat, totally raving about the experience. I myself was dumbfounded yesterday when I finally saw her in ‘real life’ so to speak,” she said. The start for the next leg to Singapore is planned for the 9th of April.