US Sailing has posted another excerpt, titled "The Tactical Mind: Tricky Stuff", from Dave Perry's Winning in One Designs. Perry's book is available from the US Sailing online store.

© 2004 AC Management

Sweden's Victory Challenge today announced that it is the seventh team to have its challenge accepted for the 32nd America's Cup. This marks the fifth time a Swedish team has challenged for the America's Cup, and it is the second consecutive campaign for Victory Challenge.

The team, representing the Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap, was accepted as a challenger by the Defending Yacht Club the Swiss Société Nautique de Genève prior to the initial challenge deadline of the 17th December, 2004. It was not announced as a Challenger until today at the request of the team. Victory Challenge made its public presentation of the team on Friday in Skeppsbrokajen, Stockholm, from its home Yacht Club.

The 2005 Racing and PRO/Safety calendars are hot off the press and posted to the website!

US Sailing has posted another excerpt, titled "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Finishing Upwind", from Dave Perry's Winning in One Designs. Perry's book is available from the US Sailing online store.

© 2004 Interlake Sailing Class Association

• Notice of Race
• Entry Form
• Lodging Information
• Area Attractions
• Description of the Racing Area along with maps of Geist Reservoir
• Photos from the 2004 Interlake Nationals

Added photos from the 2003 Lightning Burl Harmon Regatta to the Photo Gallery.

US Sailing has posted an excerpt, titled "The Great Escape", from Dave Perry's Winning in One Designs. Perry's book is available from the US Sailing online store.

© 2004 AC Management

There is also a "mystery" 7th Challenger that is yet unnamed.

It is now Dame Ellen! Ellen MacArthur will be granted Britain's highest honor for a woman (the equivalent of the male Knighthood) as reported by the BBC. See also the Wikipedia entry on Order of the British Empire. Ellen was already appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Queen Elizabeth sent the following message to Ellen:

To Miss Ellen MacArthur,

I am delighted to learn that you have completed your round-the-world journey in record time.

Since you set sail last November your progress has been followed by many people in Britain and throughout the world, who have been impressed by your courage, skill and stamina.

I send you my warmest congratulations on your remarkable and historic achievement.

The Queen has been pleased to approve that Ellen Patricia MacArthur MBE be appointed a Dame Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on the occasion of her record-breaking, solo circumnavigation.

The 2005 ISC officers took on their new responsibilities as of the ISC Annual Meeting held February 7 at the ISC clubhouse. The new officers are:

• Commodore: Mike Franceschini
• Vice/Rear Commodore: Bob Butsch
• Secretary: Bill Kennedy
• Treasurer: Carol Gebhardt
• Past Commodore: Jim McDonald

© 2005 Offshore Challenge Limited 2004

From Ellen minutes after crossing the line: "I cannot believe it, I absolutely cannot believe it. It hasn't sunk in yet. I don't think until I see faces again that it's reallly going to sink in. It's been an absolutely unbelievable journey, both physically and mentally. I'm absolutely overjoyed."

© 2004 SAEM Vendée

“Suddenly the boat was three tons lighter, and I thought ‘Great, here we go’, joked Golding. The reality was that the skipper was seriously worried, not only for the boat but for his own safety. “My immediate thought was retirement. I thought there was no option about carrying on.” But having dropped the sails and flooded the ballast tanks with water, Golding had time to weigh up other options. He decided to hoist a staysail and a fully-reefed main – a virtual handkerchief of cloth compared with his normal sail plan.

The added problem was that the remaining 50 miles would have to be sailed against the wind, still blowing 20 knots against him. “It was only following tentative experiments with small sail plans that we realised we could make the boat go to windward.”

To get his head round this new way of sailing, Golding said: “I imagined I was on a Thames barge with daggerboards and no keel, just that instead of carrying a cargo of 10 tons of coal I was carrying a few tons of water.” Gradually the ‘Thames barger’ gained confidence with his new set-up and even unfurled the Solent sail to generate more power. The boat picked up in speed and was averaging 7 knots, even touching 9 knots at one point.

The official Vendée Globe website also has a press release.

© 2004 SAEM Vendée

It was at 22 hours 49 minutes and 55 seconds GMT this Wednesday 2 February 2005 that the 60 foot monohull PRB skippered by Vincent Riou crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe 2004, the single-handed round the world race, without stopovers and without assistance at the start of Les Sables d’Olonne (France). The race time after covering the 23680 miles is 87 days 10 hours 47 minutes and 55 seconds at an average theoretical speed along the course of 11.28 knots (22 km/hr). He thus succeeds Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) who won the 2000/01 version of the race, having covered the 40000 kilometres of the course in 93 days 03 hours 57 minutes and 32 seconds. Vincent thus beats the previous record by 5 days 17 hours 9 minutes 37 seconds.

Jean Le Cam aboard Bounduelle has also crossed the finish line capturing second place. Mike Golding aboard the third place Ecover has reportedly lost his keel and is slowly limping to the finish with a lead of 858 nm on the next yacht.