Fickle wind continues to frustrate fleet

It’s been another frustrating day for the ten-strong fleet of ocean racing yachts taking part in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race. Today’s skipper reports to the Race Office are filled with curses to the wind gods as well as a number of tactical gambles as each team looks to outdo its closest rivals.

Fickle wind continues to frustrate fleet

It’s been another frustrating day for the ten-strong fleet of ocean racing yachts taking part in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race. Today’s skipper reports to the Race Office are filled with curses to the wind gods as well as a number of tactical gambles as each team looks to outdo its closest rivals.

Visit Finland along with Geraldton Western Australia and Welcome to Yorkshire have entered Stealth Mode over the last 24 hours, which has allowed Gold Coast Australia to retake the lead of Race 11, a day after it claimed maximum points at the Scoring Gate.

Geraldton Western Australia skipper, Juan Coetzer, explains his team’s tactical decision. “Last night we saw that we were not going to make the Scoring Gate as one of the first three teams to cross. So we opted for a different tactic by playing our Stealth Mode card.

“The wind has been kind to us but we had to work rather hard to keep on moving through the wind holes.” Geraldton Western Australia’s position will be hidden from the Race Viewer and the rest of the fleet until 1400 UTC today, while Visit Finland’s and Welcome to Yorkshire’s positions will not be reported until 0000 UTC and 0600 UTC tomorrow respectively.

Stealth Mode allows the teams to hide their positions from the rest of the fleet for a period of 24 hours, enabling them to spring some tactical surprises. The Race Office still tracks their positions every hour.

Latest boat positions (0900 UTC)

Position Team DTF DTL

1 Gold Coast Australia 1112NM 0NM

2 De Lage Landen 1113NM 1NM

3 New York 1117NM 6NM

4 Derry-Londonderry 1123NM 11NM

5 Visit Finland 1123NM 11NM

6 Qingdao 1123NM 12NM

7 Welcome to Yorkshire 1127NM 16NM

8 Singapore 1146NM 35NM

9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 1152NM 41NM

10 Geraldton Western Australia 1186NM 74NM

IN THIS ISSUE

1. Marine Insurance Warranties and their Attenuation
2. Charterers’ Interest in the Use of a Vessel and Rule B
3. ABS Connect Launched
4. Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust
5. Nautical Friday Corporate Challenge
6. People and Places

Broadly Boats News

Firetrench Directory

Update on FOB Network

The number of people joining FOB has risen to 2785.

You can see who is joining FOB by country and by occupation by using the search windows on the People page, the most popular page on the site, which does bear a passing resemblance to another well known and much more generalist networking site. We are pleased to report the support two new Sponsors, The Leviathan Facility at Lloyd’s and the firm of Fichte & Co in Dubai.

FOB offers a unmuddled approach to networking in the maritime, transport and risk areas, with small general subject groups. We moderate the site, but there have been very few cases where we have had to ask a member to give order. The FOB news page, together with the Maritime Advocate and its sister publication Bow Wave helps our members’ news to go viral. FOB is the network with maritime manners.

You can comment on the news, join a group, initiate discussions and post items designed to inform, educate or amuse your peers in the industry. New Groups have been set up for Aviation and Art.

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Registration is gratis for individuals. Businesses can take out a page for a small supporting contribution and we welcome firms prepared to sponsor Group pages or advertise with us. This helps to keep FOB a going concern and puts a smile on the face of our programmers and accountants..

FOB is a project designed to adapt the new ways of using the internet for the sorts of people who read The Maritime Advocate.

You are welcome to join

http://www.fobnetworking.com

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1. Marine Insurance Warranties and their Attenuation

Law Graduate Quintin Rares ,writing in the May edition of the Piper Alderman Trade and Transport News reports on the increasing tendency of courts in many jurisdictions to force insurers to pay marine claims, even where warranties have been breached:-

Marine insurers often ask their insureds to warrant certain things are true before issuing a policy. For example, the insured may warrant that the ship will be in survey throughout the policy. If the ship is then taken by pirates, the insurer may then deny indemnity due to the breached warranty, even though the (survey) warranty had nothing to do with the cause of the loss.

This system has been in place for hundreds of years. For example, in Kenyon v Berthon [1779], a ship was warranted as “in Port 20th July, 1776”. If fact she sailed 2 days earlier. Lord Mansfield stated that “though the difference of two days may not make any material difference in the risk, yet as the condition has not been
complied with, the underwriter is not liable.”

This legal position has been codified in section 39 of the Marine Insurance Act 1909, which states “A warranty… is a condition which must be exactly complied with, whether it be material to the risk or not. If it be not so complied with, then, subject to any express provision in the policy, the insurer is discharged from liability as from the date of the breach of warranty, but without prejudice to any liability incurred by him or her before that date.”

On first glance, this section seems very precise and harsh, yet recently, judiciaries around the common law world have attempted to water down its efforts. In short, there are four main methods by which judges have softened the effect of the section.

Read about the four main methods here:-

http://s2.webtemplate.com.au/bridgehead/PiperAlderman/media/files/8946.pdf#page=4

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2. Charterers’ Interest in the Use of a Vessel and Rule B

Kirk M. Lyons of the firm of Lyons & Flood in New York has sent in a note which asks a question of the Rule B regime:-

The ability under Rule B to attach a time charterer’s bunkers or other property aboard a vessel to secure a claim against the time charterer is well-known. Are there circumstances, however, where a charterer’s actual interest in the use of a vessel is attachable as security under Rule B? Somewhat surprisingly, there are no court decisions that directly answer that question. One older court decision has addressed this issue in dicta, and a few decisions have discussed related issues, but none have addressed this issue head on.

The beginning point of any analysis is the language of Rule B, which provides only that a defendant’s “tangible or intangible personal property” in the hands of a garnishee may be subject to attachment. Rule B(1)(a). It does not
define these terms and their interpretation is left for the courts to resolve on a case by case basis.

Read the note in full here:-

http://tinyurl.com/RuleBChs

klyons@lyons-flood.com

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3. ABS Connect Launched

To a Press Conference did the Avo and H.Hill go to see ABS Chief Technology Officer Todd Grove introduce the company’s new mobile interface for its website. Although we receive many publications from this highly competent and technical industry, the accent is very much on paper and pdf publications. ABS have decided to make a move into pastures new with the launch of the ABS Bookshelf application. Currently available for download (at no charge) from Apple’s App Store™, ABS Bookshelf is a mobile library of ABS’ extensive publications, including the more than 100 Rules and Guides available electronically and used in the design, construction and maintenance of vessels and offshore structures to ABS classification.

The organisation says “the ABS Bookshelf app provides designers, builders, owners, managers and operators the ability to take ABS’ Rules and Guides anywhere in the world on their iPad or iPhone, “The functionality of the app allows users to easily search and annotate key pieces of information that previously required internet access or large volumes of printed documents – all within a dedicated app designed to organize a user’s ABS documents.”

The mobile version of the ABS website also allows for the downloading of ABS publications, including the Rules and Guides, onto any mobile device including Blackberries and Androids. The mobile website streamlines clients’ access to key areas of the website including the hub of ABS classification services – My Eagle.

The new ABS mobile website and ABS Bookshelf app will soon be joined by ABS Survey Manager and ABS Directory apps, prototypes of which were presented at the press conference. The ABS Survey Manager app allows owners and managers a secure means to search real-time class and survey information on their ABS-classed fleet and then store it on their device. The ABS Directory provides contact details for ABS offices around the world through a direct search or GPS location functionality. Both apps will be available this summer.

[We can well imagine that ABS has stolen a march on the other players in this industry. What will they do? They will probably all follow suit. By Christmas some of them will probably be announcing something similar. By next spring one or two P&I Clubs, a hull insurer and flag state or two will announce how they are entering into the new era. Next planning meeting. Item one: Recruitment of App developers-ed]..

http://www.eagle.org

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4. Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust

We are in receipt of the May newsletter of this trust which updates supporters on progress. The Chauncy Maples is a 150 ton steamship being restored to provide a floating clinic for the isolated communities living around Lake Malawi:-

Peaceful transition in Malawi

His Excellency President Bingu Mathurika of Malawi died suddenly on April 5th and was succeeded by the vice president, Her Excellency Mrs Joyce Banda. Following the peaceful transition of government and the positive steps to improve the economic and political governance of Malawi, the British Government will appoint a high commissioner to Malawi.

New funds and help for Chauncy Maples

Leading marine lawyers Holman Fenwick Willan have donated more than £60,000 in cash and £40,000 worth of pro bono services, making them the third Special Founder for Chaucy Maples project. They have also contributed their time and skills, especially in contractural and legal matters. Partner Matt Illingworth said: ‘HFW believe that this is a wonderful project which is pulling so many parts of the marine industry together. We are delighted to support this unique project to improve the lives of so many in Malawi.’

Major brands are supporting the project. ZF, one of the world’s leading makers of gearboxes, has generously donated the gearbox and engine controls worth £25,000. The Ministry of Finance of Malawi have confirmed that the project will be exempt from import duty and fuel duty. This will save approximately half a million pounds, which means the renovation will happen quicker, and lives be saved sooner. Malawi will also benefit from foreign exchange, new tools and equipment.

Welcome Belinda

Belinda Coote has been appointed Executive Director. She brings with her vast experience having worked as Oxfam’s Regional Director for southern Africa; and Chief Executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Latitude Global Volunteering and AMREF UK. Belinda was a founder trustee and has stood down from the board in order to take up the post. Meanwhile in Monkey Bay, Ross Girdler is busy preparing for the next stage, making final technical drawings with naval designers from Naval Africa Durban.

For more details and pictures go to:-

.http://www.chauncymaples.org/default.php

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5. Nautical Friday Corporate Challenge

Word reaches us that the clever idea by the people at the charity Seafarers UK to harness the naturally competitive instincts of the maritime world is taking wing . Its Nautical Friday Corporate Challenge (1-29 June) has attrracted the support of companies from across the maritime sector planning many activities to raise funds for the UK’s leading charity for seafarers in need. For example:-

NYK has organised a five-a-side football tournament in the Powerleague Football Centre in London’s Docklands. The event will feature some of the titans of the shipping industry and maritime services sectors and promises to be a hotly contested albeit good natured tournament.

International law firm Hill Dickinson LLP will be holding various fundraising activities pitching their UK offices against each other as they compete to be victorious in the challenge. Nautical Friday veterans Pole Star are planning many events such as nautical-themed lunch menu and quizzes including rope splicing and Morse code. They plan to jam in all they can on Nautical Friday (29 June 2012).

For more information go to:-

http:// www.nauticalfriday.org.

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6. People and Places

The DLA Piper law firm have announced that a group of lawyers led by partners Joyce Chan and Heng Loong Cheong will join its Hong Kong office from Dewey & LeBoeuf

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Red Dunlap has been appointed by forensic consultants RTI as Director of Client Relations.

Ted is a cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was a member on the school’s employment law moot court trial advocacy team. During law school, Ted interned with Judge Michele D. Jaklitsch in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County.

Before joining RTI, he worked in private practice at Budow and Noble, and Niles, Barton & Wilmer, where he concentrated his practice on civil litigation and coverage matters, assisting a wide variety of clients with maritime, aviation, product liability, general liability, commercial, and construction issues.

Prior to Ted’s legal career, he gained extensive business experience in the recreational marine industry and as an electronic commerce professional. He is also a member of the Maryland, District of Columbia, and Anne Arundel Bar Associations, as well as a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States.

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Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) iis expanding its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of a new Global Marine Travel (ISS GMT) office in Singapore. ISS GMT Singapore has been opened to look after marine clients based in Singapore with their travel needs into and out of the city. Along with ISS GMT Philippines in Manila it will look after travel requests for clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Both offices are led by managers with over twenty years’ experience. Shern Kwa at ISS GMT Singapore will manage commercial marine crew and ensure the smooth operation of the office which is open round the clock, 365 days a year, while Jacqueline Wenlock has recently been appointed as the new General Manager of ISS GMT Philippines. Originally from Australia, Jacqueline has worked in the travel industry throughout her career and will run the team of 48 agents, quality controllers and accounting staff.

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Domestic Diplomacy for the One You Love

DANGEROUS: What’s for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRASAFE: Have some chocolate

DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: WOW! Look at you!
ULTRASAFE: Have some chocolate

DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST: Here’s fifty dollars.
ULTRASAFE: Have some chocolate

DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that?
ULTRASAFE: Have some chocolate

DANGEROUS: What did you do all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn’t over-do it today.
SAFEST: I’ve always loved you in that robe!
ULTRASAFE: Have some more chocolate.

[Source: Paul Dixon]

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Welcome to Life in the 2050s

Subject to conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFe9wiDfb0E&feature=player_embedded

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Motor Insurance Claims

“The accident happened because I had one eye on the lorry in front, one eye on the pedestrian and the other on the car behind.”

“I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.”

“I pulled into a lay-by with smoke coming from under the hood. I realised the car was on fire so took my dog and
smothered it with a blanket.”

Q: Could either driver have done anything to avoid the accident? A: Travelled by bus?

The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were – Q: What warning was
given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.

“I started to turn and it was at this point I noticed a camel and an elephant tethered at the verge. This distraction caused me to lose concentration and hit a bollard.”

“On approach to the traffic lights the car in front suddenly broke.”

“I didn’t think the speed limit applied after midnight”

“I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was
any risk.”

“Windscreen broken. Cause unknown. Probably Voodoo.”

“The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again”

“I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.”

“The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.”

“I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way”

“A truck backed through my windshield into my wife’s face”

“A pedestrian hit me and went under my car”

“In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.”

“I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection a hedge sprang up
obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.”

“I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.”

“An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.”

“I was thrown from the car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.”

“Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”

“I thought my window was down, but I found it was up when I put my head through it.”

“The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”

“I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.”

“As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before.”

“To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck a pedestrian.”

“My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.”

“I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat found that I had a fractured skull.”

“I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.”

“The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him.”

“I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.”

“The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.”

“The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of the way when I struck the front end.”

“The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing.

“I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.”

“I was backing my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.”

“When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.”

“The accident happened when the right front door of a car came round the corner without giving a signal.”

“No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert.”

“I was unable to stop in time and my car crashed into the other vehicle. The driver and passengers then left immediately for a vacation with injuries.”

“The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.”

“I saw her look at me twice. She appeared to be making slow progress when we met on impact.”

“The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.”

[Source: Paul Dixon]

Barcelona International Sailing Centre, Barcelona, 10-19 May 2012

On the penultimate day of racing at the 2012 470 World Championships, Mat Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) secured their third successive World Championship title, with their win in race 12 sealing victory for the pair.

Broadly Boats News

Firetrench Directory

In the 470 Women Gold Fleet, the teams from China and Poland have qualified their nations to the 2012 Olympic Games. The final two Olympic qualification places in the 470 Women event will be fought out on Saturday’s final race between the teams representing Croatia, Austria and Russia. With only 4 points separating them – everything is at stake.

Another shifty day with a breeze of 12-14 knots tested the sailors to the limit.

470 Men

Mat Belcher/Malcolm Page © Thom Touw

Pierre Leboucher/Vincent Garos (FRA) © Thom Touw

The 470 Men favourites and world #1 pairing of Mat Belcher/Malcolm Page (AUS) have on paper wrapped up the World Championship title with a bullet in race 12, to make it a hat trick Championship for them, with successive wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Their 12-race scoreline includes wins in eight races – an unprecedented achievement. Those wins did not come easy, with several times the pair found themselves nearer the back of the fleet than the front.

Malcolm Page is the most successful 470 sailor ever and, in his previous partnership with Nathan Wilmot, also secured victory at the 2004, 2005 and 2007 World Championships.

On crossing the line and sealing victory, Page said, “I was very excited. I gave Mat a lot of pats on the back and a few hugs here and there. This is my sixth 470 Worlds title, but I am as excited as the first.”

Commenting on Saturday’s medal race aspirations, Page continued, “We will just go and see what comes tomorrow. I am sure we will fight hard. We will wait and see what the weather brings tomorrow to see what the exact plan will be, but we won’t be jumping the start and we will be racing hard.”

In theory, Pierre Leboucher/Vincent Garos (FRA) also have the silver medal in their pockets. An OCS could unseat them, but there is no chance the French will let that happen. They just have to sail the course to claim their medal. So the battle is on for the bronze medal.

For the two Greek teams through to the Medal Race, tomorrow will decide which of them goes to the Olympics. Panagiotis Kampouridis/Efstathios Papadopoulos just have to finish ahead of Panagiotis Mantis/Pavlos Kagialis to secure selection. For Mantis/Kagialis to come out on top, they need to finish six boats ahead of Kampouridis/ Papadopoulos.

470 Men – Top 10 Medal Race Line-Up
1. Mathew Belcher/Malcolm Page (AUS) – 20 pts
2. Pierre Leboucher/Vincent Garos (FRA) – 39 pts
3. Joonas Lindgren/Niklas Lindgren (FIN) – 59 pts
4. Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic (CRO) – 59 pts
5. Lucas Calabrese/Juan de la Fuente (ARG) – 68 pts
6. Gideon Kliger/Eran Sela (ISR) – 73 pts
7. Onán Barreiros/Aarón Sarmiento (ESP) – 75 pts
8. Panagiotis Kampouridis/Efstathios Papadopoulos (GRE) – 79 pts
9. JRyunosuke Harada/Yugo Yoshida (JPN) – 81 pts
10. Panagiotis Mantis/Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) – 92 pts

470 Women
“Let the bell ring for the medal race,” was the exclamation of Lobke Berkhout (NED) after she came ashore to discover that having gone into today on equal points with Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark (GBR), she and helm Lisa Westerhof end the day on an equal 59 points apiece!

“It is funny to finish on equal points again – we have never been in this situation, although we know what it is to be so tight going into a Medal Race. It is going to be interesting and the four boats only want one thing,” Berkhout commented.

Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark (GBR) © Thom Touw

Xu Xiaomei/Yu Chunyan (CHN) © Thom Touw

In third place, just one point behind the top two teams, are Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie (NZL), with previous Championship leaders Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron (FRA) 3 points further back in fourth.

Aleh is excited by the closeness of the teams going into the Medal Race, saying, “It is quite impressive. It is going to be a pretty good race tomorrow. Somebody’s going to be pretty annoyed at the end of it – that’s the first thing I can think of. With four of us that close it is winner takes all – just don’t stuff it up.”

The World Championship concluding Medal Race on Saturday will see the top 10 teams face off in a windward/leeward battle. Any one of these top four teams could win the gold medal tomorrow, and equally all of them could miss out.

Further down the leaderboard and the focus was on Olympic qualification, which was accomplished perfectly by China’s Xu Xiaomei/Yu Chunyan. Their win in race 11, followed up with an 8th placing in race 12, guarantees that China will be at the Olympics. Now it is game on amongst the three Chinese teams to determine who will be selected to that place.

Poland’s Agnieszka Skrzypulec/Jolanta Ogar made history today by becoming the first ever Polish 470 Women team to qualify to the Olympics. They knew they needed to be towards the front half of the pack in race 11 which they achieved and then just needed a safe finish in race 12 – job done and the Olympics beckon. To say the team were thrilled is an understatement, “Now I don’t feel we are at the Olympics and I think it is going to be some time to realize we will really be there. The plan was to sail safe and smart which we did,” said Skrzypulec.

Not so much fun for the teams from Austria, Croatia and Russia who face their final showdown tomorrow as they compete for the final two nation places. With 4 points separating the teams it is unpredictably close.

The host nation’s hopes were dashed today as Spain’s defending World Champions, Tara Pacheco/Berta Betanzos were over the line in race 12 and tumbled down the leaderboard to 18th overall.

470 Women – Top 10 Medal Race Line-Up
1. Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark (GBR) – 59 pts
2. Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout (NED) – 59 pts
3. Jo Aleh/Polly Powrie (NZL) – 60 pts
4. Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron (FRA) – 63 pts
5. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA) – 78 pts
6. Martine Grael/Isabel Swan (BRA) – 91 pts
7. Gil Cohen/Vered Bouskila (ISR) – 92 pts
8. Ai Kondo/Wakako Tabata (JPN) – 92 pts
9. Henriette Koch/Lene Sommer (DEN) – 93 pts
10. Fernanda de Oliveira/Ana Barbachan (BRA) – 95 pts

Securing their nation qualification in Perth was the first step for Japan, and today the teams who achieved that were rewarded as Japan Sailing confirmed the selection of Ai Kondo/Wakako Tabata in the 470 Women and Ryunosuke Harada/Yugo Yoshida in the 470 Men, after their results here in Barcelona.

Harada said, “We have been training really hard and this selection means a lot to us. I am very, very happy. Ever since I started sailing the Olympics has been my goal and dream. The fact that I am now going to the Olympics is amazing.”

18th May 2012 – Cowes, UK – The weather may have been grey and murky on the Solent today, but the quality of racing at the opening day of the 2012 Vice Admiral’s Cup was spectacularly vibrant. For the 71 teams in six classes the day brought light to moderate shifty winds of circa 6-12 knots combined with a strong ebb tide, giving tacticians and navigators plenty to think about.

Broadly Boats News

Firetrench Directory

Race Officer Bob Milner set up shop for Classes 0, 1 and 2 along the Ryde bank, whilst his colleague Robert Lamb took Classes 3, 4 and 5 up onto the Hillhead plateau. All fleets were sailing windward leeward courses and the race committee succeeded in completing the three races scheduled for all classes.

In the overall standings Class 0 is led by Jonathan Goring’s Keronimo, Class 1 by the British Keelboat Academy’s Kolga, Class 2 by David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-Dream, Class 3 by Steven Tapper’s Stalker, Class 4 by Rick Melander’s Alice II and Class 5 by Oleg Zherrebstov and Rodion Luka’s Team Russia.

VAC 2012

In Class 0, featuring the 17 triallists for the GBR Team at the 2012 Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup, it soon became clear that no quarter would be given in the battle for places. No one team dominating the results and three boats are now tied on points at the top of the leaderboard. Paul McNamara and Tony Lowe’s Incognito got off to a good start winning the opening race, but followed this up with a 9th and 10th dropping them down to 6th overall. Third race winner Dignity, owned by Andrew Williams, took an 8th in race one and 4th in race two while Mike West’s Eauset turned in a very handy 2,6,5 scoreline, giving them 13 points apiece. Following a disappointing 10th in race one, Jonathan Goring’s Kerr 40 Keronimo took race two and followed up with a 2nd in race three to put them on equal points with Dignity and Eauset. On count back Keronimo takes the overall lead with Dignity second and Eauset third.

After racing Jonathan Goring confirmed that his overall impression of the day was, “Incredibly shifty! The wind was veering right all day and there was a massive 90 degree shift just before the third race. Our boat is the highest rating in the fleet so we’re constantly looking to pick our gap and find clear air. The tide played a crucial part too although at times, particularly in the first race, it was hard to decide what to do for tidal advantage. We got forced off to the right into more tide and expected to loose out, but at the first mark we’d gained on those who came up the bank! This is a crucial regatta for those of us hoping to be selected for the GBR Team and the Commodores’ Cup so we’re crossing our fingers for more breeze tomorrow.”

VAC 2012

Class 1, for 44-45 foot series production boats, may have had only six entrants, but what they lacked in numbers they more than make up for in quality. Boat of the day was the British Keelboat Academy’s Kolga who won the first race and followed up with a pair of second places to lead the regatta by five points. Jerry Otter’s Werewolf took a 3rd in race one and won race two but a disappointing sixth in race three leaves them in second overall, just one point ahead of Tony Langley’s Atomic.

After racing Atomic’s jib trimmer, Richard Mason Jr, concurred with Jonathan Goring’s assessment that the day was super tricky saying, “It was seriously shifty but the race committee gave us good courses with a long first race followed by two shorter ones. We had good speed and our decision making on the course was good, but our positioning on the start line needs work. None of the guys has sailed a 45 for a while so we’re finding our feet again and our tactician Ben Sexton is racing in his first truly grand prix big boat regatta – its been a steep improvement curve through the day.”

In Class 2 for the J/111′s David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J-Dream won the first and last races and came 4th in the second, while Jame’s Arnell’s Jeez Louise scored 3, 1, 2 leaving the boats tied on six points overall with J-Dream claiming the lead on count back. Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas’s Shmokin’ Joe sits in third place overall, two points being the leaders, thanks to a 2nd and two 3rd places.

VAC 2012

The fifteen J/109s in Class 3 put on a great showing with some exciting racing that got so close at times that the Protest Committee had two protests to resolve after racing. Steve and Jody’s Maine’s J2eau took the honours in race one from Christopher Palmer’s J-Taime with David McGough’s Just So 3rd. But it was Steven Tapper’s Stalker that claimed the boat of the day prize thanks to a 4th in race one followed by wins in next two races. In the overall standings Stalker now has a two-point lead over J2eau while Jonathan Hearth’s Jagerbomb takes 3rd place on 11 points with J’Taime fourth on 16.

The ten strong revival Quarter Ton Class was delighted to welcome back past ISAF Vice President George Andreadis, who returns to the Quarter Tonners after 21 years, aboard his 1991 Rob Humphries designed Atalanti IV. This boat was built specifically for the 1991 Quarter Ton Cup, where she finished sixth and was put into storage following the event. She has recently undergone a major refit over the winter and is now looking absolutely fabulous. On the water George proved he hasn’t lost his touch by taking two 2nds and a 5th, putting him in second overall, six points behind Rick Melander in Alice II who swept the board with straight bullets. One point behind Atalanti IV is Louise’ Morton’s Espada and Sam Laidlaw sailing Aguila lies fourth.

VAC 2012

Eighteen boats are competing in Class 5 – the newly renamed SB20 class (formerly the Laser SB3) – where Russia’s Oleg Zherrebtsov and Rodion Luka’s Team Russia made an impressive fist of the first day with a 2nd and two 1sts. Jerry Hill’s Sportsboatworld.com gave them a good run for their money but had to be content with a 3, 2, 2 scoreline putting them 3 points behind the Russian’s in second. Henri-Lloyd/Forelle Estates, owned by the Llewellyn/Wakefield/Virgus syndicate, won the opening race of the day, but then had to be content with a 7th and 4th putting them into third overall.

Three further races are scheduled for all classes tomorrow with a planned start time of 10.30am. The regatta continues until Sunday 20th May with a total of eight races possible. Tomorrow’s forecast is for brighter, dryer conditions although the light to moderate winds are likely to continue with around 6-8 knots from the south west.

Once again the Vice Admiral’s Cup is supported by long standing sponsors North Sails, Musto and Boat Sales International, and for 2012 we are delighted to welcome new sponsor Pascall Atkey The generous support of these sponsors is vital to the ongoing success of the event.

The artist’s concept depicts a comet-like tail of a possible disintegrating super Mercury-size planet candidate as it transits its parent star named KIC 12557548. At an orbital distance of only twice the diameter of its star, the surface temperature of the potential planet is estimated to be a sweltering 3,300 degrees Fahrenheit. At such a high temperature, the surface would melt and evaporate. The energy from the resulting wind would be enough to allow dust and gas to escape into space creating a trailing dusty effluence that intermittently blocks the starlight.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomers may have detected evidence of a possible planet disintegrating under the searing heat of its host star located 1,500 light-years from Earth. Similar to a debris-trailing comet, the super Mercury-size planet candidate is theorized to fashion a dusty tail. But the tail won’t last for long. Scientists calculate that, at the current rate of evaporation, the dusty world could be completely vaporized within 200 million years.

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A research team led by Saul Rappaport, professor emeritus of physics at MIT, Boston, Mass., has identified an unusual light pattern emanating from a star named KIC 12557548 in the Kepler space telescope’s field-of-view.

NASA’s Kepler space telescope detects planets and planet candidates by measuring dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars to search for planets crossing in front, or transiting, their stars.

“The bizarre nature of the light output from this star with its precisely periodic transit-like features and highly variable depths exemplifies how Kepler is expanding the frontiers of science in unexpected ways,” said Jon Jenkins, Kepler co-investigator at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. “This discovery pulls back the curtain of how science works in the face of surprising data.”

Orbiting a star smaller and cooler than our sun, the planet candidate completes its orbit in less than 16 hours– making it one of the shortest orbits ever detected. At an orbital distance of only twice the diameter of its star, the surface temperature of the planet is estimated to be a smoldering 3,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists hypothesize that the star-facing side of the potentially rocky inferno is an ocean of seething magma. The surface melts and evaporates at such high temperatures that the energy from the resulting wind is enough to allow dust and gas to escape into space. This dusty effluence trails behind the doomed companion as it disintegrates around the star.

Additional follow-up observations are needed to confirm the candidate as a planet. The finding is published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available for download at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.2662

For more details on the finding visit: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/dusty-exoplanet-0517.html

For more information about the Kepler mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that UTair of Russia has recently been certified as an AW139 helicopter operator and is set to operate ten AW139s for passenger, corporate and VVIP transport missions in Russia. The first aircraft is expected to be handed over this summer with deliveries planned to be completed by summer 2013. The aircraft will be deployed in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi and at additional bases located in Siberia. Additionally UTair is set to become an authorized service centre for the AW139. Initial training of UTair staff has started with plans for approximately 60 pilots and 40 technicians to be qualified to fly and maintain the AW139.

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Bruno Spagnolini, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are delighted to add UTair to the long list of major operators who have selected the best selling AW139 helicopter. The introduction of the AW139 into its fleet strengthens our partnership with UTair and we hope this can grow in the future. We are proud to support the future success of UTair.”

The AW139, thanks to its outstanding features, has been identified and selected by Russian industry as the benchmark helicopter in the light medium weight category to meet a wide range of demanding civil requirements. Thanks to its unparalleled features and capabilities, the AW139 is perfectly suited not only for VIP/corporate transport purposes in Russia but also to meet a wide range of requirements in the parapublic market. Almost 170 customers from more than 50 countries have ordered over 630 AW139s to perform a wide range of roles including VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, passenger shuttle services, fire fighting, border security and law enforcement duties.

The AW139 is also set to be assembled and delivered by the HeliVert plant located in Tomilino, near Moscow. HeliVert is a Joint Venture company established by Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of JSC UIC Oboronprom, part of Russian Technologies State Corporation) and AgustaWestland. The plant will have the capacity to assemble up to 20 helicopters per year, with production to start in the forthcoming months and progressively increasing to a steady state regime by 2015. The facility will employ over 100 people by 2015 when full production is established. The plant will meet the growing demand for the AW139 helicopters in both Russian and CIS civil markets.

UTair Aviation JSC is the world’s largest helicopter operator in terms of carrying capacity and number of rotorcraft, with more than 330 helicopters of all classes. UTair is the largest helicopter service provider to the United Nations, with cooperation agreements since1992. In Russia core clients for UTair helicopter services include the major oil and gas companies.

The Japan aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the critical operation
period for the Global Change Observation Mission 1st – Water “SHIZUKU”
(GCOM-W1) after we successfully performed essential events including the
scheduled orbit insertion and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2
(AMSR2) initial run-up(*1).
The satellite is currently in good health.

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JAXA will take about 45 days to insert the satellite into the “A-Train” (*2)
orbit, which is the SHIZUKU’s observation orbit, in order to participate in an
Earth observation mission called the “A-Train” in cooperation with satellites
of other countries while performing the initial functional confirmation(*3) for
about three months.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the parties and
personnel concerned for their support and cooperation with the SHIZUKU launch
and tracking control operations.

(*1) AMSR2 initial run-up
The setting to shift the initial rotation of the AMSR2 to 4 rpm.

(*2) A-Train (The Afternoon Constellation)
Please see the attachment.

(*3) Initial functional confirmation
Operations to verify if the overall satellite, as well as functions of onboard observation sensors, are working properly.

EVERETT, Wash., May 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dream Tour will draw to a close with a seventh leg of international trips. During the tour, a refurbished flight test airplane has demonstrated the Dreamliner’s capabilities to more than 59,000 guests with an estimated 6,000 more to see it during the upcoming stops.

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On May 23, the airplane known as ZA003 will depart Boeing Field for Sydney, Australia. Airline officials, government representatives, Boeing employees, suppliers and members of the media will tour the airplane during this leg of the tour. Below are the landing dates for each stop during leg seven.

* May 24 – Sydney, Australia
* May 29 – Auckland, New Zealand
* May 31 – Darwin, Australia
* June 1 – Tashkent, Uzbekistan
* June 3 – Casablanca, Morocco

Upon completion of the tour, ZA003 will go through a scheduled maintenance period and resume its duties in the 787 flight test fleet. While certification of the baseline 787 models has completed, additional testing is being conducted on airline-specific features, product enhancements, and technologies that will be introduced on the next member of the 787 family, the 787-9.

The Dream Tour airplane is outfitted with the 787′s special cabin features including a welcoming entryway, dramatically larger dimmable windows, bigger bins and dynamic LED lighting. The airplane is configured with a luxurious business-class cabin, an overhead crew rest compartment and an economy class section.

Thousands of fans have followed the progress of the Dream Tour at www.newairplane.com/787/dreamtour, which will continue to be updated throughout the seventh leg of the tour.

Delivery of additional airlifter comes 2 months after contract signing
RAF C-17 fleet has surpassed 74,000 flight hours

LONG BEACH, Calif., May 18, 2012 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the United Kingdom’s eighth C-17 Globemaster III to the Royal Air Force (RAF) today during a ceremony at the company’s final assembly facility in Long Beach.

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“I’m honored and delighted to deliver the Royal Air Force’s newest C-17 to join the fleet at Number 99 Squadron, where our seven C-17s are in constant demand flying missions in support of Defence and other government agencies’ requirements,” said RAF Wing Cmdr. David Manning, Officer Commanding 99 Squadron. “It’s a great feeling to know that we have the capability to deliver crucial supplies to the front lines with little notice, or to transport injured troops home with a better chance of survival because of the capability and flexibility of the C-17. This newest C-17 will be a welcome addition to the Air Force fleet.”

The RAF C-17s are operated by 99 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton. The first RAF C-17s entered service in 2001 and have surpassed 74,000 flight hours — 15 percent above the projected rate. The UK Ministry of Defence, citing ongoing demand, ordered additional airlifters for delivery in 2008 and 2010 and contracted for its eighth C-17 in March.

“RAF C-17s are ever-present when there’s a need for humanitarian relief or peacekeeping around the world,” said Bob Ciesla, Boeing Airlift vice president and C-17 program manager. “We’re proud to support the Royal Air Force in providing for the mobility needs of their great nation, and we are grateful for the partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence and U.S. Air Force that made this delivery possible in such a short time.”

“The RAF fleet’s airlift capacity, increased by this latest delivery, is backed by a comprehensive sustainment services program,” said Boeing Defence UK Managing Director Mike Kurth. “As part of the worldwide C-17 ‘virtual fleet,’ RAF C-17s are supported through the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP), a Performance-Based Logistics agreement. The support provided to the RAF under the GISP arrangement results in an excellent mission-capable rate at one of the lowest costs per flying hour.”

Boeing has delivered 242 C-17s worldwide, including 216 to the U.S. Air Force active duty, Guard and Reserve units. A total of 26 C-17s have been delivered to Australia, Canada, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations. India has 10 C-17s on order for delivery in 2013 and 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — More than 50 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from eight countries will come to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida May 21-26 to take part in the third annual Lunabotics Mining Competition.

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Practice sessions will take place May 21-22, followed by the official competition the rest of the week. Media are invited to cover the opening day ceremony and competition on Wednesday, May 23, from noon – 4 p.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. For access to the facility, journalists should contact Andrea Farmer at 321-449-4318 or afarmer@dncinc.com. Requests for interviews with NASA representatives need to be submitted to Tracy Young at 321-867-2468 or tracy.g.young@nasa.gov.

The teams have designed and built remote controlled or autonomous robots that can excavate simulated lunar soil. During the competition, the teams’ designs, known as lunabots, will go head-to-head to determine whose machine can collect and deposit the most simulated moon dust within a specified amount of time.

The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The project provides a competitive environment that may result in innovative ideas and solutions that potentially could be applied to future NASA missions.

Video highlights of the practice and competition will air on the NASA TV Video File. For downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

To view the competition webcast, visit:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-edge3

For more information about the competition and a list of participating teams, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lunabotics