America’s Cup Back to Court and BMW Oracle Trimaran BOR 90 Sailing Again
BMW Oracle Racings America’s Cup team is starting sea trials of their newly modified trimaran BOR 90 in the waters off Point Loma this week. Helmsman James Spithill was seen with the America’s Cup trimaran on the dock, and the racing team will now ease into this next round of testing, as structural and other tests continue on the waters off San Diego. “As we gain more confidence with the boat, we’ll certainly be out there pushing it and seeing what we can get out of it,†Spithill said.
“It’s breaking new ground,†said 30 year old Spithill. “This has never been done before, so it’s an incredible opportunity for the sailors on both teams, and all the people involved; designers, builders. These boats have the most amazing power-to-weight ratio. There’s nothing else that’s ever been done on this sort of scale.â€Â … Details
There’s nothing that can stop him now!! Barring almost impossible-to-imagine events, Californian 17-year-old Zac Sunderland is about to become the youngest sailor on earth to circumnavigate the world solo.
He will break the record held since November 1996 by Australian David Dicks who completed his eight month trip when he was 18 years and 41 days old.
Zac pulled out of San Diego yesterday after clearing customs, and is due in Marina del Rey, on the central Los Angeles coastline tomorrow Thursday(16th July), just …Â Details
The 2009 Long Beach to Catalina and Back APBA Offshore National Championship Race orchestrated by R.P.M. Racing Enterprises is in the books and Craig Warner and Monster Kawasaki take home back to back offshore National Championships. Not since legendary offshore racer and sole PWCOFFSHORE Hall Of Famer Billy Womack has any racer won two in a row. Kawasaki further solidified its dominance in offshore racing with the second year of sweeping the podium with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes on Kawasaki platforms. It appears to be official, for now the Kawasaki ULTRA250/260X platforms own offshore racing.
Some of the biggest names in offshore racing gathered with R.P.M. Racing Enterprises around the historic Queen Mary at 8 am on July 12, 2009 to take on the challenge and test their metal with some of the best offshore racers in the world…Â Details
Jorn Tandberg, the defending European Class 1 offshore champion, will be hoping to break the Middle East dominance when he lines up to defend his title in next weekend’s BMW Norwegian Grand Prix in Arendal on July 17-19. Here 40 points will be up for grabs as the World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA) introduces a two-race Grand Prix format for the first time.
Tandberg, a two-times winner in 2008, will line up in a Mercury V8-powered Welmax hull (pictured) alongside fellow Norwegian, Kolbjorn Selmer. He will be trying for a third win on home-waters in four years and hopefully kick-start his season after a broken driveshaft ended his race in Qatar…Â Details