Louis Vuitton continues - 700 boats from 74 nations - VOR hits Lisbon

by . on 28 May 2015 Louis Vuitton continues as Americas Cup sponsor - In a very significant move, the America's Cup Events Authority has announced that Louis Vuitton has renewed its sponsorship of the full Challenger Selection Series, extending the longest sponsorship in international sport.

Louis Vuitton has become the title partner of the America’s Cup World Series, the America’s Cup Qualifiers and Challenger Playoffs as well as the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match.

Since 1983, Louis Vuitton has continued to play a major role in the America’s Cup, but this agreement is the widest-ranging yet, tells Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup in a written statement, which also states that Louis Vuitton is extending its involvement throughout the entire event.

Read the whole story HERE

2015 Delta Lloyd Regatta stronger than ever – The regatta started Tuesday and finish with medal races Sunday, and this is a record number of competitors in the long history of the event, which includes both the 10 Olympic Classes, three Paralympic Classes and Kiteboarding. The event is the third in the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup Series and is also a qualifying event for the ISAF World Cup in Weymouth in June.

ISAF’s change in the World Cup concept only allowing 40 boats in each fleet, has meant a huge success to the European Regattas for Olympic and Paralympic Classes, especially the events in the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup Series.

Princesa Sofia Trophy in Palma had more than 800 boats from 80 nations, followed Garda Trentino Olympic Week with more than 500 boats from 54 nations, and now Delta Lloyd Regatta has more than 700 boats from 74 nations.

The European Olympic Regatta scene is stronger than ever, with two ISAF World Cup events and in addition to this the world’s largest Regattas for Olympic Classes in Palma and Medemblik, both of them being world cup qualifiers.

Volvo Ocean Race arriving in Lisbon - After an extremely exciting finish, Team Brunel won the seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race after one of the calmest trans-Atlantic legs ever sailed. Bouwe Bekking said the leg was mostly cruising over a flat Atlantic Ocean.

Skipper Bouwe Bekking’s sailing team took 9 days and 11 hours to complete the leg to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Team Brunel is now third in the general ranking – only one point behind the second-placed Dongfeng Race Team. The race is not over yet.

MAPFRE finished second, also after having been one of the dominating boats on the seventh leg. Team Brunel and MAPFRE were the only ones to opt for a shorter route with slightly less wind. Fortunately, the boats that were further north and had opted for the edge of the High, did not get the wind they expected. And suddenly MAPFRE, Team Brunel and later Dongfeng Race Team found themselves in a very good position.

Alvimedica overtook Dongfeng and crossed the finishing line just 55 seconds before the Chinese boat, with their rival Abu Dhabi at fifth place. Thereby Abu Dhabi only lost one point to Dongfeng, but at the same time Team Brunel’s chances for a podium place have risen significantly, if they can keep up the pace at the last two legs.

Team Vestas Wind restored to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Wednesday, nearly six months to the day when the boat ran aground, setting off a story of teamwork, determination and sheer hard work to return the crew to the start line in Lisbon.

Many experienced observers of the 41-year-old race had feared there was no way back for the Danish team in the race’s 12th edition when the Vestas Wind ran aground on the Cargados Carajos shoals in the Indian Ocean during leg two on November 29. The collision caused heartbreaking, extensive damage to the beautiful blue boat.

But the doubters would have underestimated the combined efforts of an expert team assembled by Vestas and race organisers, who have managed to rebuild the shattered Volvo Ocean 65 boat to the strict one-design demands of the race in four months – half the time it would normally take to build the boat. The work has been carried out by the Persico Marine boatyard in Bergamo, Italy.

Read more about “Blue is Back” HERE

Good Sailing
Dan Ibsen
Sail-World UK editor