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BWS walked through the NEEL 45 at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis last October and came away impressed. From the looks of it, this new 60 is a continuance of NEEL’s unique and innovative styling.
The latest arrival to the NEEL Trimarans family is a statement of intent with its “Sport Chic” navigation style.The NEEL 60 is a lightweight craft with sleek lines and all the sailing qualities of its smaller brother the NEEL 45.
Continue reading
Peter Aschenbrenner’s American 63ft trimaran, Paradox from California completed the
RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua on 20 February 03:22:52, in an elapsed time of 40:22:52, just missing out on the Multihull Course Record of 40:11:05 set by ORMA 60, Region Guadeloupe in the 2009 race.
Paradox was just 11 minutes and 47 seconds outside the course record, which has stood since the very first edition of the race. However, Peter Aschenbrenner was still up-beat dockside: “Fantastic conditions, really amenable to Paradox, that was a dream ride,” smiled Peter. “We’re really surprised that we were so close to the record. That time was set by a race boat and we are just a cruising trimaran with three year old sails. So to get that close was really astonishing and a testament to what a great boat Paradox is.” Continue reading
It’s been a long time in coming, but ORACLE TEAM USA hit the water on Monday in its ‘better than new’ AC72, named 17.
After conducting load testing over the weekend, 17 was launched on a grey morning in San Francisco, with the team hoping to sail later in the day as the skies began to clear.
Photo credit: © Guilain GRENIER / ORACLE TEAM USA
This is the first of the two AC72 wing sail catamarans that ORACLE TEAM USA will build. It has been in the shed for repairs since a spectacular capsize in mid-October. The team’s second AC72 is due to come on stream later in the spring.
General manager Grant Simmer says the design and build crews did more than just repair the boat; this is an improved version of boat one, with several key modifications. Continue reading
Team New Zealand will boycott most of next year’s America’s Cup pre-regattas as the 
team believes it will be a distraction from the main event.
In what is certain to create further tension between Grant Dalton and Oracle chief executive Sir Russell Coutts, the mastermind behind the new-look event, the Kiwi team will instead concentrate on their AC72 program.
Three America’s Cup World Series events, which are sailed in the scaled down AC45 catamarans, are scheduled for next year – one in Naples in April, and two in an as yet unconfirmed venue in the United States, believed to be New York.
Emirates Team New Zealand have decided to bypass these events as Dalton believes they are an unnecessary distraction when they should be focusing on sailing their AC72 – the boat the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup will be contested in. Continue reading
Check out these awesome clips of the TNT 34 taken during a sail from Imperia to La Spezia before the test for European Yacht of the Year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8VPXWOm7mE
For centuries, sailing has been known for the stately progression of billowing white triangles and trapezoids across an azure sea.
But 2012 may become known as the year San Francisco Bay changed all that.
Spurred by the America’s Cup switch to high-speed catamarans, the West Coast’s most prestigious sailboat race, known as the Rolex Big Boat Series, for the first time allowed speedy multihulled boats to enter the racing, which finished Sept. 9.
The move was like allowing turbocharged engines in motor sports. Dyed-in-the-wool sailors call it a move to the dark side.
St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore Peter Stoneberg pushed that move. He raced aboard his ProSail 40 catamaran Shadow and ultimately took first among the multihulls.
“The Rolex Big Boat Series is one of the premier events in the world, and having catamarans included in it for the first time is very exciting for us,” said Stoneberg. “You just can’t beat the thrill and adrenaline of racing them on San Francisco Bay.”
Catamarans are becoming increasingly popular, but they sail and handle in a completely different way than monohulls. As we age, comfort becomes more important and many folks are considering retiring to the sailing life aboard a multihull. Sample the cruising lifestyle on a catamaran with sailing educators Captains Jeff & Jean from Two Can Sail. Jean and Jeff focus on couples learning to sail together as a team. No heeling, no yelling — just enjoy sailing the tropical island breezes while you get the hands on experience of operating a large cruising Cat.
Explore these locations with Jeff & Jean this season:
Belize, Dec 15th – 21st 2012 (only one stateroom left)
Antigua, May 4th – 11th 2013
Bahamas, June 29th – July 6th 2103 (Abaco Sailing Week)
For more information on these catamaran cruising vacations and other educational offerings designed for couples, visit: www.TwoCanSail.com.
To fly or not to fly? This week’s Americas Cup Discovered focuses on the latest technology as the hydro-foiling 72-foot wing-sailed catamarans become a reality. The secrecy around all the teams and their boat designs has been rife, but America’s Cup Discovered was there the moment ORACLE TEAM USA’s AC72 ’17′ went on the water – including the instant it all went wrong. Join them this week for unseen footage of what has forced the team back to the drawing board.
Courtesy of www.americascup.com.
