ABC of Sailing News Feed

New Speed Sailing Record Contender - Wot Rocket

Wot Rocket is half-sailboat and half-sailplane; a nine-meter long canoe style hull with two tiny foils, each about a sixth of the size of a Moth foil and a nine-meter rigid sail, then a transverse beam out to an aerodynamic twin pod crew compartment. It is built entirely from carbon fibre and weighs approximately 400 kilos. The countdown to Australia's attempt to reclaim the 500m world speed sailing record last held in 1993 will begin this week with a Wot Rocket crew safety drill before on-water trials commence on Botany Bay next week.

With a diver on hand, pilot Sean Langman and co-pilot Martin Thompson will practice an emergency evacuation from the upside down pod of Wot Rocket in the Qantas Jet Base pool (Sydney) today at 10am.

Then, from Tuesday to Friday, May 13 to 16, Wot Rocket will be launched at the seaside suburb of Kurnell to attempt to break the current world speed sailing record of 49.09 knots (90.9 kilometers per hour) set by French sail boarder Antoine Albeau in France in March this year.

Should the record be broken unofficially, a bona fide World Sailing Speed Record Council timekeeper will be called in to ratify the time during an official attempt to put Australia back on top of the list of the fastest speeds ever achieved on water. The last time Australia held the record was when the trimaran Yellow Pages Endeavour set a then fastest time of 46.52 knots back in 1993.

The idea for Wot Rocket was conceived four years ago by 18-foot skiff champion, Rolex Sydney Hobart veteran and trailblazer Sean Langman who was inspired by the story of Burt Munro, the Kiwi who set a world land speed record on his modified Indian Scout motorcycle in 1967 at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, USA.

Langman joined forces with leading Australian designer Andy Dovell, sought input from a number of 747 pilots for their invaluable aeronautical knowledge, had it built using the staff and facilities at his various Noakes Boat & Shipyards and finally teamed up with Wotif.com founder Graeme Wood who invested in the project because he 'likes left of field ideas'.

"We are really venturing into the unknown with next week's testing," admitted Langman today.

The difference between this sailboat/sail plane and any that have come before it is that it will be attempting to break through the water speed barrier using a technology as yet untried on any sailing craft - supercavitation - to reduce the drag which is around 1,000 times greater in the water than in air.

Supercavitation will in effect mean Wot Rocket flies in a gas bubble created by the outward deflection of water by a specially shaped nose cone and the expansion of gases from its fin and foil design. By keeping water from contacting the surface of the body of Wot Rocket, this will significantly reduce drag and allow extremely high speeds.

The concept behind the Wot Rocket approach is to induce supercavitation at lower speeds where control can still be maintained and from there push through to the top speeds.

Supercavitation means Wot Rocket should only require a fraction of the 45-50 knot winds that Albeau needed to go 0.39 knots better than the previous record. A moderate 18-20 knots should do the trick, according to Langman.

For more information, visit www.sail-world.com. More information about the speed sailing word record attempts can be found at www.speedworldcup.com.

NCL Welcomes Return of Norwegian Sky to Miami

MIAMI - NCL Corporation (NCL) announced that it will reflag and rename Pride of Aloha and launch the ship as Norwegian Sky, offering three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Miami commencing this summer. The 2,002-passenger ship, built in 1999, will return to the NCL international fleet, and will be outfitted with NCL's Freestyle 2.0 enhancements. It will be the youngest and highest quality ship sailing three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Miami beginning July 14. The new itineraries go on sale with fares from $229 per person for an inside stateroom and from $329 per person for a balcony stateroom.

To welcome the ship to Miami, NCL is offering a "Kids Sail Free Summer Vacation� promotion for reservations on Norwegian Sky made from May 6 to 31 for trips taking place on July 14 to September 26. Children ages six months to 17 are eligible to sail free (government taxes and fees and fuel supplement apply).

"NCL pioneered the first Bahamas cruise from Miami more than 41 years ago and last had a ship in the three- and four-day cruise market from Miami in 2003. By reintroducing Norwegian Sky and positioning the ship in Miami sailing short cruises to the Bahamas, we are returning to our roots. At the same time, we are raising the bar by offering a modern Freestyle Cruising ship that features a variety of accommodations, including balconies and suites, a multitude of onboard amenities and a choice of six restaurants,� said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO. "In addition, we will outfit Norwegian Sky with the Freestyle 2.0 enhancements currently being introduced across our fleet. This, coupled with the port-intensive itineraries, offers guests seeking a quick getaway an unmatched cruise experience. There is no doubt that NCL's three- and four-day Freestyle product on the industry's newest ship offers the highest quality and best value for money in the market.�

Norwegian Sky will depart Miami on Mondays sailing four-day Bahamas cruises with full day stops in Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private island in the Bahamas. On Fridays, the ship will sail a weekend getaway three-day Bahamas itinerary, departing Miami at 5pm with all-day stops in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, returning to Miami at 7am on Monday mornings. These sailings are scheduled through April 17, 2009.

Norwegian Sky will enter a wet dock in Miami during which a casino will be added. Also, the ship will receive the significant product and hardware upgrades that are part of the company's major fleetwide initiative, Freestyle 2.0. These enhancements include: a major investment in the total dining experience such as new menus and Lobster Galore; upgrading the stateroom experience; new wide ranging on-board activities for all guests; and additional recognition, service, and amenities for balcony and suite guests.

Originally launched in 1999, Norwegian Sky has more than 240 balcony staterooms, a choice of six different restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, multiple entertainment venues, two pools, extensive children's facilities, a sports deck, and a variety of spacious public rooms. Norwegian Sky had been reflagged and renamed Pride of Aloha in 2004 and sailed Hawai`i inter-island cruises until May 2008.

For more information or to book a sailing trip on Norwegian Sky, call your travel professional, go to www.ncl.com or contact NCL at 866-234-0292.

NCL Corporation Ltd. is the holding company for various subsidiary companies involved in owning and operating the ships of Norwegian Cruise Line.

NCL is building two new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery in 2010. NCL today has the youngest fleet in the industry, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea, and has recently added its latest new ship, the 2,400-passenger Norwegian Gem. (BUSINESS WIRE)

Sailing Race Stopped Due to Unfavorable Weather

Due to unfavorable weather, race officers on Division A course at Stanford Antigua Sailing Week were left with no other option but to abandon its second race. The 184 participating yachts were already on the third day of the race.

A buildup of heavy black clouds in the northwest pushed over the course area and a massive wind shift forced a change of course at the start of race two. However, the wind shifted back again which caused chaos on the start line in some of the latter class starts. ORMA 60 trimaran Region Guadeloupe reportedly collided with the 50-ft. trimaran Crepes Whaou.

As for the results of previous events, the Swedish team of Calle Hennix won against Crepes Whaou and Region Guadeloupe in the Multihulls True Look race. Benny Kelly's TP52 skippered by British sailor Andy Beadsworth finished first once again in Racing I Panthera, while Stuart Robinson and his British team aboard the Swan 70 clocked up another win in Racing Class II.

For more details on this news, please visit www.ybw.com.

Sailing Club Expansion Now Underway

Town planners recommended for approval the proposed expansion of an Exmouth dinghy club. The plan includes lengthening the sea defenses along the Exe Sailing Club's boundary at Shelly Road that will effectively extend the dinghy park and increase its capacity.

Robert Burford, architect of the club, said the proposed expansion will result in better utilization of the club's land. This, he added, will provide a bigger dinghy storage space that will cater to the increased membership of the club "while ensuring minimum visual impact." The plans will enable an extra 10 to 20 spaces, bringing the capacity to around 200.

The said proposal gathered support from town's officials as well. Councilor Ken Harper said the extension of the facilities were a good thing and "should be encouraged."

The new sea defense wall would be built with stone filed gabions to the 'minimum height' needed to provide the necessary sea protection and 'be in harmony' with the existing wall.

For more details on this news, please visit www.exmouthjournal.co.uk.

Tampa Sailing Squadron to be Held on May 2 - 4

The Tampa Sailing Squadron will hold the Steve Bromell Commodore's Cup Regatta from May 2 to 4. The registration for the annual sailing regatta will be from 5 to 7pm on Day 1, with hamburgers and beer to be given away for free. A skipper's meeting will be held at 8pm.

The Saturday's race features PHRF racing for spinnaker, non-spinnaker, racer cruiser, true cruising, and mother lode fleets. One-design fleets are encouraged, while five or more entries may constitute a class. At the end of the day, everybody is invited to take part in the pig roast as the hosts announce the results of the race and award the trophies.

On the other hand, the squadron's Women's Commodore's Cup Regatta will be held on Sunday, sailing Tampa Bay west of Apollo Beach. Racing is open to female skippers with female crew sailing mono-hull keel boat or multi-hull boat with valid VFPHRF rating certificate. Divisions are spinnaker, non-spinnaker, and coach on board. Interested parties may contact fleet captain Dan Kresge at 813-546-7125 before May 1.

The fee for Saturday's race is $35, while the fee for Sunday's event is $25.

For more details on this news, please visit blogs.orlandosentinel.com.