#Offshore - BBC News reports that a sailor who went missing last week during a solo voyage from Plymouth to Portugal has been located and airlifted to hospital after falling overboard.

The 66-year-old man set off last Monday 10 June but apparently suffered chest injuries during the first night.

Falmouth Coastguard has difficulty contacting the man to determine his position but he was eventually found some 225km off the Isles of Scilly. He was later transported by helicopter to Cork for treatment.

Last minute packing, food drying, wiring and boat preparations are being hurried along as the North Of Disko crew prepare to set sail from Galway for Greenland in less than two weeks time. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the voyage is organised by Killary Adventure Expeditions, 'North of Disko' will see a crew of sailors, kayakers, climbers, a photographer and filmmaker set sail for the northwest coast of Greenland on June 15th.

The crew aim to cover over 1500nm to Aasiaat in Greenland, in about 14 days and then continue north, reaching Upernavik, well inside the Arctic Circle, a week later. From there, a team of four will set out on a 300km unsupported sea kayak, navigating through fjords and ice fields, while the team of three climbers will begin to tackle a series of first ascents, as they follow the kayakers south.

Adding a further dimension to the expedition, photographer Daragh Muldowney aims to explore and capture the beauty of this spectacular coastline, with the aim of publishing a book and hosting an exhibition upon return. The entire expedition and its achievements will also be documented through film by one of only two female crew-members, Claire Riordan.

Leading the crew on board the 49ft, ex admirals cup racing yacht the 'Killary Flyer' is Jamie Young, whose previous expeditions include the successful Irish Cape Horn Sea Kayak Expedition in 1989, the Guinea Bissau Sea Kayak Expedition in 1992, and the 'South Aris' expedition, which attempted to re-enact Shackleton's epic boat trip from Elephant Island to South Georgia, in 1997.

The crew also includes four young twenty-somethings embarking on the adventure of a lifetime as well as seasoned kayakers Ali Donald, Kevin O'Callaghan and climber Collin Gibbon.
Further information on the expedition, crew and updates on preparations can be found at www.northofdisko.com

#RTIR - Winning tactical advice from some well-known names and faces associated with the Round the Island Race has been posted online ahead of the latest edition of the iconic annual event at the Isle of Wight.

Later today (31 May) will also see the official pre-race press conference on the eve of the 2013 JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, the 82nd anniversary of one of the most prestigious events on the world sailing calendar.

A terrific line-up of guests including Dame Ellen MacArthur and Alex Thomson will be on hand for the presser, which will be streamed live online and will also feature a tribute to the late Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, whose memorial service and private funeral is also being held today. The Island Sailing Club will fly the ensign at half-mast this afternoon.

Later this evening, the race competitors will meet for the all-important weather briefing. Racers will be given the latest weather and tidal information luve, coboned with tactical advice from Met Office-trained professional meteorologist Chris Tibbs.

In addition, competitors can evaulate the weather prior to the race by viewing the course overview and tidal strategy videos at the Raymarine website.

Among this year's competitors are Yvonne Margerison and her long-term partner Mike Flint, who are racing in their 20th Round the Island Race.

The couple entered their first back in 1993 in their boat Charis and have taken part almost every year since, apart from one when their mast was broken awaiting repair, and another when they sold Charis and were waiting to buy their new boat Gernee (S31) which is entered this year.

Margerison and Flint are passionate about sailing, have been very active members at Rutland Sailing Club - Flint is a past commodore - and both are former commodores at the Newparks Cruising Association Club.

While there's been talk of their retirement from racing - let's hope that won't be till after tomorrow's race, where race organisers hope they'll put in a strong showing.

How to follow the Round The Island Race action

The action begins tomorrow morning 1 June at 5am, and spectators can keep fully up to speed on the racing as it unfolds via the official Round the Island Race website, with features from the live blog to live race tracking, weather updates, and the latest news and results.

The race Facebook page and Twitter feed will also be maintained with the latest happenings. For those wishing to contribute to the Twitter news as the racers sail around the island, use the hashtags #RTIR and/or #RaceForAll to raise another £1 for the official charity, The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

They have already joined forces on land – and now two rising stars of solo sailing have teamed up on the water to launch a top-level double-handed racing campaign.

Fiancées Dan Dytch and Emma Creighton will put their relationship through the ultimate test as they take on some of the world's most promising sailors in a series of races on 40ft Class 40 ocean racing yachts.

Competing as Momentum Ocean Racing, the couple will base themselves on the south coast of England and enter a string of testing events including the Class 40 world championships and the Transat Jacques Vabre, a double-handed race from Le Havre in France to Itajaí in Brazil.

The pair's ultimate goal is the Barcelona World Race, a two-handed, non-stop circumnavigation.

Briton Dytch, 30, and American yachtswoman Creighton, 28, met in 2011 in the run up to the Mini Transat, a 5,200 nautical mile singlehanded race from La Rochelle, France, to Salvador, Brazil.

They soon became a couple and, after both scoring impressive results in the Mini Transat, turned their attention to running a superyacht campaign in the Mediterranean.

But the draw of shorthanded sailing was too much and, after getting engaged in summer 2012, Dytch and Creighton decided to further cement their union by becoming teammates on the water too.

They join only a handful of sailors who have chosen to race alongside their partners including Sam Davies and husband Roman Attanasio who competed in the Transat AG2R together, Anglo-French pair Miranda Merron and Halvard Mabire who raced around the world in the Global Ocean Race and French sailors Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret who entered the Barcelona World Race together.

Dytch said: "The step up to the Class 40 an exciting advance in our careers. The competition in the 40 is much closer than the Mini because the boat speed between the boats is much more similar. This allows us to work more on tactical decisions, weather, routing and crew work. This is an important step towards our goal of double handing the Barcelona World Race together."

Creighton added: "It's perfect to be sailing together. People often ask if its a good idea and we always reply 'why would we want to sail with anyone else?' We work really well together and bring different strengths to the team."

Dytch and Creighton will be racing the former Concise Class 40, which scored good results under the command of British sailors Sam Goodchild and Ned Collier-Wakefield.

Class 40 yachts are designed to be raced across oceans, and attract some of the most talented sailors on the planet.

The first race of the season, the Normandy Channel Race, saw Momentum Ocean Racing finish eighth from 21 boats, followed by a class win in the Cervantes Trophy.

Their next outing sees them take on the Myth of Malham race starting on May 25.

The pair are currently self-funding their campaign but actively seeking sponsorship in return for exposure around the world.

For more information about the Momentum Ocean Racing campaign, go to www.momentumoceanracing.com .

2013 race calendar:
May 25 - Myth of Malham, Solent, UK
June 1 - Round the Island Race, Isle of Wight, UK
July 4 - Les Sables-Horta, Les Sables d'Olonne, France
August 11 - Fastnet, Cowes, UK
August 17 - Class 40 Worlds – Plymouth, UK
November 3 - Transat Jacques Vabre – Le Havre, France

Francis Joyon is in North Cove Marina in New York taking care of his maxi trimaran IDEC. Today, the official stand-by began as he awaits a weather opportunity to tackle the North Atlantic record between Ambrose Light and the Lizard. A legendary record.

Francis Joyon is in the thick of it. From today, in association with his faithful router, Jean-Yves Bernot, the helmsman of the maxi-trimaran IDEC has been watching the weather closely. The goal is to find the right low-pressure area – or preferably one which strengthens off the Gulf of Saint Lawrence – to be able to sail straignt across the North Atlantic in under 5 days 19 hours and 29 minutes. Or in other words keeping up an average speed of 21 knots... These figures may appear beyond belief and out of reach of ordinary sailors.  But Francis Joyon is not just anyone and the maxi-trimaran IDEC is not just any old boat. Fortunately, as when sailing solo, the task is truly reserved for an elite. We can remember how Ellen MacArthur just missed out on it,  and indeed only five solo sailors have managed to improve on the record launched by Bruno Peyron back in 1987. A time beaten by Florence Arthaud, before Bruno Peyron grabbed the record back. Then, there was Laurent Bourgnon and yes, already up there, Francis Joyon. It was in 2005 aboard the first IDEC trimaran (6 days and 4 hours). In 2008, Thomas Coville bettered that time with the record that is still his today after completing the voyage in 5 days 19 hours and 29 minutes.

Heading for an unprecedented Grand Slam?

"This is not an easy record," Francis Joyon warned us. "To keep up such a high average speed, you need to find the right weather and work hard at it all the time without any easing off."  So that is the real difficulty from a mathematical perspective... while in terms of sailing, he will also have to deal with the legendary mists, marine animals, shipping... and maybe also the wind dropping off as he approaches the coast of SW England.

For Francis Joyon and IDEC, this is a huge challenge. If he pulls this off, Joyon will become the only sailor ever to claim the Grand Slam of outright records. The skipper of IDEC already holds three other record times: the solo round the world record, the 24-hour distance record and the Columbus Route record. It will also be a way for him to gain his revenge after a failed attempt in 2011, when IDEC capsized at the start in New York. An incident that shows just how tricky the task of sailing this incredible wind-making machine can be, and indeed how scary it can be for a solo yachtsman. The North Atlantic record requires an all-out effort. However, that is something that attracts Joyon, who enjoys taking it to the limit, while making it all look so easy, giving the impression that he is just doing a normal sailor's job.  Two things that are far from being the case in reality.

The 5 record times so far set on solo crossings of the North Atlantic:

1987 : Bruno Peyron, catamaran, Explorer, in 11 days, 11 hours 46 minutes and 36 seconds
1990 : Florence Arthaud, trimaran, Pierre 1er, in 9 days, 21 hours and 42 minutes
1992 : Bruno Peyron, catamaran, Explorer, in 9 days, 19 hours and 22 minutes
1994 : Laurent Bourgnon, trimaran, Primagaz, in 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 42 seconds
2005 : Francis Joyon, trimaran, IDEC 1, in 6 days, 4 hours, 01 minute and 37 seconds
2008 : Thomas Coville, trimaran, Sodebo, in 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds

The RORC domestic offshore season sprang to life with a fast and, at times, furious 100 mile race to Le Havre for the coveted Cervantes Trophy. Sam Marsaudon and Géry Trentesaux's MC34 Patton, Courrier Vintage, finished the course in under 10 hours to win IRC Two and was declared the overall winner. Racing under IRC rule, the French team of seven included UNCL President, Marc de Saint Denis and was skippered by Géry Trentesaux.

Géry Trentesaux's MC34 Patton, Courrier Vintage, finished the course in under 10 hours to win IRC Two and was declared the overall winner of the Cervantes Trophy Credit: Peter Mumford-Beken of Cowes Géry Trenteseaux is one of the most experienced helmsmen in the race; he recalled: "We had more wind at the start than we expected and we had our big spinnaker up, which made for a very fast but at times tricky start, but Courrier Vintage loves going downwind in big conditions. I am too old to helm for ten hours, so we were rotating the driving. It was a very fast race and although the wind was down towards the end, we were not concerned as there was still enough to keep the boat going fast. We received a very warm welcome from the yacht club in Le Havre and celebrated with some dinner and of course some French wine and now we are looking forward to next week's North Sea Race."

Andrew Budgen's Volvo 70, Monster Project, took line honours and the IRC Canting Keel class in an astonishing elapsed time of just over 7 hours. Averaging close to 14 knots for the race, Monster Project was out of sight of the rest of the fleet shortly after the start.

Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, led the chasing pack out of the Solent with Ker 40, Magnum III, in hot pursuit, as owner Andrew Pearce explains:

"Well, what a race; quite spectacular and exciting in the extreme! The wind direction at the start made for a decision between a two-sail reach or our A3 kite and we went for the latter. With 20 knots at the start and rising it was an exhilarating first leg to clear the Solent. With gust after gust blowing through, it was all very exciting and in one bear-away we hit 20 knots of boat speed. Leaving the Solent, we changed to the Jibtop. As the wind increased, we reefed the main and hoisted the genoa staysail; if the breeze had been another ten degrees lower we would have surfed all the way to Le Havre!"

It was a case of digging deep and rotating the helm and trimmers for maximum input and sailing the best numbers. The wind speed was forecast to drop quite steeply through the late afternoon but it was a fast last leg into the finish, with just a slight softening of the wind strength on final approach. First in class and second overall was a satisfying result; we were beaten by Courrier Vintage and very well deserved it was too."

Magnum III was declared the winner of IRC One with Tonnerre de Breskens second and Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII, taking third.
Runner up in IRC Two was one of the two Figaro II entries from the Artemis Offshore Academy raced two-handed by Sam Matson and Robin Elsey, Artemis 21. RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine's First 40, La Réponse was third in class.

IRC Four was dominated by French yachts; Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, corrected out to win the class with Philippe Auber's JPK 9.60, Tusen Takk II, taking second place, a phenomenal effort as the boat was raced two-handed. Jean-Baptiste Crepin's Sun Fast 3200, Jubilon, was less than a minute behind after time correction, to take third.

19 yachts raced to Le Havre in the Two-Handed class with the entire fleet completing the race. The two pairs of young graduates from the Artemis Offshore Academy took the top two positions. Artemis 21, skippered by Sam Matson and Robin Elsey took the win from Alex Gardner and Dyfig Mon in the second Figaro II, Artemis 43, followed by Philippe Auber's Tusen Takk II in third place.

Momentum Ocean Racing was the only two-handed entry in the Class 40 Division, sailed by Dan Dytch and Emma Creighton, and the duo completed the race in just over nine hours to take the class win. Julian Metherell and Mark Denton's Fortissimo was second, with Brieuc Maisonneuve's AL Bucq, skippered by Stephan Theissing, in third.

"This was the first race of our season and we were delighted with the performance," commented Emma Creighton. "Third boat across the line, first Class 40 and first double-handed boat by hours! Then we turned straight around and after tucking the boat away in Hamble, it was time for a big breakfast and a nap!"

The RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the North Sea Race which starts on Friday May 10th, the 210 mile course taking the fleet from Harwich to Scheveningen.

In IRC Three, the top two boats on corrected time are subject to protests and therefore we await the decision of the Protest Committee before any trophies can be awarded.

#VOR - The Volvo Ocean Race team caught up with Ireland's own Damian Foxall on board Sidney Gavignet's MOF 70 yacht Oman Sail with fellow VOR veteran Neal McDonald.

As reported in March on Afloat.ie, Ireland's top offshore sailor - and watch-leader for last year's VOR-winning team Groupama - is part of an international crew that attempted to break the Round Ireland speed record that was unfortunately abandoned due to the harsh wintry conditions.

But Foxall vowed that a repeat attempt is on the cards, and tells the VOR website that his experience on Oman Sail "is exactly what I wanted to do after the Volvo. I just wanted to sail with a smaller team of friends, racing with a good crew."

He added: "Sidney, Neal and I have been sailing and working a lot together. It’s a very natural thing and it’s a pleasure.”

Foxall also sings the praises of the MOD 70 one design, heralding the future of the Volvo Ocean Race and the new VOR 65 yacht.

"It’s light in terms of logistics and repairs. On the water too, I’m looking forward to enjoy the best of the One Design sailing – the battle on the water and not in the boatyard."

#James Espey from Ballyholme Yacht Club currently leads the last leg of the ISAF World Cup at Hyères having won the first race against the best on the world including former Olympic champion Robert Scheidt from Brazil.

Espey has just started with a new coach in his bid to qualify for his second Olympics at Rio in 2016, he also sailed the Laser at London 201.

A 39th in Race 2 sees Annalise Murphy move up to 47th overall following her 50th in race one in the Women's Laser Radial class. The Dun Laoghaire 23-year-old declaring this evening: 'It's been a really difficult day for me. I made a lot of mistakes but looking forward to trying to fix them tomorrow!'

Update at 8pm

The opening day of racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères marked the return to action for familiar faces on the World Cup series as Robert Scheidt (BRA) stepped back into the Laser and Lijia Xu (CHN) and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) made a Radial return.

Xu and Bouwmeester last competed at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition where the Chinese sailor sealed gold in the Medal Race by taking the race win ahead of Bouwmeester who settled for silver. Following an extended break the pair are back in action in Hyères and from the off proved they still know their way around a Radial.

As racing got underway early in the afternoon following a morning delay due to light winds the conditions across the six race courses were tricky for the 800 sailors competing.

Xu and Bouwmeester read the scenario differently and held back from their familiar aggressive racing styles and opted for different sides of the course. At the first mark the pair were in the lead as Bouwmeester described, "She banged the right corner and I banged the left corner and we were first and second at the top which was quite funny."

Croatia's Tina Mihelic chased down the Chinese and Dutch sailors throughout the race to take the opening bullet. As the winds dropped in the second race Bouwmeester produced a 13th and Xu came down in 30th as Marie Bolou (FRA) took the win to hold a joint lead with the Mihelic. Nonetheless Xu was pleased to be back on the water, "My movement is a bit rusty but I enjoyed the light to medium winds because it wasn't that physical and allowed my brain to work out the mystery on the water. I tried to have really good starts, call the shifts and make the right tack."

In the Laser, Robert Scheidt (BRA) joined the fleet for his first 200-point regatta following a victory at the Laser Europa Cup on Lake Garda, Italy in March. The Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Laser medallist started positively and ended the day tied in second overall, "It was a very tough day because the breeze was very flukey and we had big wind shifts all day," exclaimed Scheidt. "I got a six, one and ten so I'm happy with my day because it's the first big regatta back in the Laser. It wasn't a great day, but not a bad one either so I'm pretty happy with that."

With Scheidt proving he still has what it takes to mix things up he will have his work cut out to catch light wind specialist Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) who took two race wins and the opening day Laser lead, "I knew I had to sail good because I am light and we have stronger winds in the next few days so I did what I could do best," said Stipanovic. "The first race I didn't catch the shifts so good but everything was almost perfect after that so for today I'm really happy."

The Croatian has a perfect scoreline having discarded his eighth in the opening race whilst Bruno Fontes (BRA), Giovanni Coccoluto (ITA), James Espey (IRL) and Scheidt all follow on six points tied for second.

World #1 in the Women's 470 Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan (BRA) and World #2 Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar (AUT) have taken in World Cup regattas in Miami and Palma with consistent results in both events. The Brazilians have won both and the Austrians have missed out on the podium twice, finishing fourth in the USA and Spain.

After the opening day in France Oliveira and Barbachan lead the Austrians by two points and Ogar is happy with the way things have been going despite missed opportunities, "It's not nice to finish fourth all the time but we leave the medal positions for the Worlds and Europeans," she said with a smile. "We always say we'll get the bad luck now and the medals in the future."

With light winds on the plate today and more of the same predicted on day two Ogar is happy with the way it's going, "Today was a pretty tricky day with light and shifty winds but we like these conditions and the first two races were really good with a first and second but in the third place we were black flagged but still really good and we're still improving."

Tied in third overall in the Women's 470 on six points are Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) and Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron (FRA).

In the Men's 470 New Zealand's Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Wilcox recorded two race wins and a fifth to take an early advantage in 63-boat fleet. In split fleets of 32 and 31 the Kiwis enjoyed a successful light wind day in their fleet that included World #1 pair Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) who ended the day down in eight.

Home nation Men's RS:X favourite Julien Bontemps (FRA) enjoyed the tricky breeze on the opening day to take an early advantage in the 51-boat fleet. A second behind Race 1 winner Piotr Myszka (POL) set him up nicely to for victory in the day's second race. Myszka was unable to replicate his performance in Race 2 and finished down in 17th but with the discard kicking in he holds the joint lead with Bontemps.

Bryony Shaw (GBR), runner up at ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma, started Hyères off positively with a race win in the sole Women's RS:X race of the day after a dying afternoon breeze brought racing to a close. French sailors Eugenie Ricard and Charline Picon trail the Brit.

First off the water on the opening day in Hyères was the 68 strong Finn fleet. Australia's Oliver Tweddell and Great Britain's Ed Wright hold the joint lead after a race win apiece but less than impressive results in their other races could see them dislodged from the top with Josh Junior posting the most consistent results of 2-7.

Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign (GBR) picked up two bullets and a second from three 49er races to take an early advantage. They lead compatriots David Evans and Ed Powys (GBR) and Spain's Federico Alonso and Arturo Alonso who are tied on two points.

Germany's Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz lead the 49erFX fleet following a consistent display of light wind racing. A race win, second and a third gives them a three point gap over Great Britain's Charlotte Dobson and Mary Rook in second and five point advantage over Frances Peters and Nicola Groves (GBR).

Two races in the Nacra 17 were completed on the opening day as Maxim Semenov and Alena Pankratova (RUS) and Renee Groeneveld and Karel Begemann (NED) took the race wins to share the lead.

In the 2.4mR Megan Pascoe (GBR) and Lasse Klötzing (GER) share the lead and London 2012 Paralympic Games Sonar gold medallists Udo Hessels, Mischa Rossen and Marcel Van de Veen (NED) lead the fleet.

Racing resumes on Tuesday 23 March at 11:00 as the Qualification Series comes to a close ahead of the Final Series on 24 April.

#isora – Irish offshore sailing chief Peter Ryan from Dun Laoghaire is calling for a strong turnout of cruisers for the first day race of the 2013 ISORA lynx metmAsts Offshore Racing Series series this Saturday (April 27th) (Notice of Race downloadable below).

The first race of a nine race series (that includes June's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race) starts at 0955 from Dun Laoghaire over a course to Arklow and back,  distance of some 50 miles. A briefing is planned in Dun Laoghaire Marina prior to the race start.

Saturday's ISORA race will be run with the Royal Alfred Yacht Club 2013 Coastal Series race using the same start, course and finish line.

The start line shall be located in Scotsman's Bay in the vicinity of DBSC 'Pier' mark between the mast of a committee boat flying the RAYC burgee and a start mark at the port end. A boat shall not start later than 15 minutes after her Starting signal.

Prior to the start of each race boats are requested to obtain acknowledgement from the Race Committee.

The course will be confirmed at a briefing at 08.45 at the Marina offices and afloat to the competitors on channel 72 before the start.

The course will be text to all entrants immediately after the briefing.

The course may include "Virtual" marks. These are coordinates of a position that each yacht must round. Evidence of rounding the "virtual" mark must be taken and may be requested by the Race Officer.

This evidence may include: Photographic (iPhone or similar) evidence of the yacht's GPS showing its position at the mark. Yacht's chart plotter track showing the yacht rounding the "virtual" mark.

The onus of proof of having rounded the "virtual" mark will be with each yacht.

THE COURSE
The course may be as follows:
1. STARTING LINE
2. Muglins to starboard
3. Arklow North to Port
4. Muglins to port
5. FINISH LINE

The rekindled offshore racing fleet of more than 20 boats with interest  on both sides of the Irish Sea  is enjoying an active programme of offshore racing each summer. ISORA organise offshore races that include cross channel, coastal and overnight races for a mix of skills.

Jörg Riechers and Pierre Brasseur, aboard the Class 40 "Mare", secure victory in the fourth edition of the Normandy Channel Race. From Germany and France's Picardy region, the duo crossed the finish line at 22 hours 57 minutes and 30 seconds UTC on Wednesday 17 April, in a time of three days, seven hours, 57 minutes and 30 seconds at an average speed of 8.08 knots. They were 56 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of "Made in Normandie", skippered by local sailors Nicolas Jossier from Granville and Alexandre Toulorge from Cherbourg. "Campagne de France" skippered by Briton Miranda Merron and local Halvard Mabire, bagged the third step of the podium, just one minute and three seconds behind second place! "Geodis" skippered by Fabrice Amedeo and Armel Tripon, finished fourth followed by "Al Bucq" skippered by Briton Ned Collier–Wakefield and Brieuc Maisonneuve, who made a great comeback, "Red" skippered by Mathias Blumencron and Boris Herrmann and "Groupe Picoty" helmed by Jean-Christophe Caso and Aymeric Chappellier, "Momentum Ocean Racing" and "Phoenix Europe – Carac". The finishers arrived in quick succession into Ouistreham, testament to the growing uniformity of the Class 40 line-up.

Jorg Riechers: "It's great to win the Normandy Channel Race after three participations and especially after dismasting just before the race. It's a really hard, technical race. Sailing in the Celtic Sea was chaotic. We never let up. Despite a tough passage at Barfleur on the outward leg, we gradually moved up through the fleet through our speed and sheer determination."

Pierre Brasseur: "What a race! It was intense from beginning to end. Jorg and I got on really well, him often carrying out the manoeuvres and focusing on the boat's performance and me doing the navigation".

Alexandre Toulorge: "We're happy with our performance in this Normandy Channel Race, which was a first for us. We've got the measure of the Class 40. Over a short course like this, we spend a great deal of time making sail changes so it's incredibly physical."

Nicolas Jossier: "Mare" was going faster on a reach and the crew made good their escape at Raz Blanchard. We were working on the weather for the first part of the race and that bore fruit."

Halvard Mabire: "We came back from nowhere. It's a fine third place. A few more miles and we'd have secured second place. We took a minute too long."

Fabrice Amedeo: "What fun! Geodis goes well. We checked her performance once again in the Normandy Channel Race. We made a few mistakes, but we caught up as we headed down the coast of Cornwall. "Campagne de France" extended its lead over us during the passage around Guernsey. At that point we were sure of fourth place but very soon it was our rivals behind who were breathing down our necks. We finished the race with a sprint. We're all-in."

The top four in the Normandy Channel Race in brief

A fantastic victory for 44-year old Jörg Riechers from Hamburg, the jovial 2012 Class 40 champion, German sailor of the year 2012, winner of last year's Solidaire du Chocolat and the Atlantic Cup and an outstanding Mini sailor; and also 33-year old Pierre Brasseur, from Amiens, a tall sailor with model looks, crew to Jimmy Pahun on "Ile-de-France" and second in the last Mini Transat in the series category. After shooting off the start line last Sunday, the two sailors on "Mare" were less successful in the middle section of the race before going on to put up a faultless performance for the rest of the race. Despite dismasting prior to taking the start of the Normandy Channel Race, they managed to get to the race start bang on time with a perfectly optimised Class 40, Mach 40. Congratulations!

It was a personal victory too for second placed Nicolas Jossier, 36, and Alexandre Toulorge, 34. The two Norman sailors, familiar faces in the Tour de France à la Voile and the Solitaire du Figaro (13 participations all together) had never raced together before and they were competing in their first NCR and their first Class 40 race. They were the driving forces in this edition, holding the reins from Sunday evening through until last night. Nicolas Jossier is sure to have a fine career ahead of him in Class 40, as is Alexandre.

A boisterous Normandy Channel Race

The 2013 edition of the event, organised by Sirius Evénements, was played out in medium to strong winds. Blowing in from the south-west for the bulk of the race, it never really eased, save for a few hours after the start as the fleet negotiated the Saint Marcouf islands.

After setting out on Sunday at 1700 hours local time the competition, based in France's Calvados region, lived up to expectations from the outset, and it was a sight to behold on the water. In glorious sunshine, the 20 Class 40s powered across the start line. Since the Route du Rhum 2010, never have so many Class 40s taken the start of an offshore yacht race.

The pacy "Mare", Jorg Riechers' Class 40, immediately created a stir, taking control of the fleet at the first windward mark of the initial coastal course. The other Mach 40, "GDF SUEZ" also put up an impressive performance, despite the attack from "Campagne de France" skippered by Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron and the skill of the German sailors on "Red", Boris Herrmann and Mathias Blumencron, the former editor of "Der Spiegel".

Close-hauled in around 15 knots of breeze, the NCR fleet made for the Saint Marcouf islands. Some opted for an offshore option prior to this compulsory passage, whilst others took their chances with a coastal option. Early that night, "Phoenix Europe – Carac" skippered by Louis Duc from Cherbourg and Stéphanie Alran from La Rochelle, were the first to link onto the Channel crossing thanks to a cunning option hugging the coast where it was sheltered from the current. "Made in Normandie" was in hot pursuit whilst the stars seemed to get bogged down. Making headway downwind, the wind picked up. Remaining slightly to the West of the great circle route, Alexandre Toulorge, also from Cherbourg, and Nicolas Jossier from nearby Granville, took the lead. Aboard their Kiwi 40, the duo were really packing a punch in this their first Class 40 race and first Normandy Channel Race.

In the early hours of Monday, "Made In Normandie" negotiated the Solent with ease and, close-hauled, soon had it in its wake. Behind them, "GDF SUEZ" skippered by Sébastien Rogues and Ludovic Aglaor, "Groupe Picoty" helmed by Jean-Christophe Caso and Aymeric Chappellier, slowly made up ground on the leaders thanks to a rather dangerous option flirting with the sand banks around the Needles. "Norma Concept – Le Pal" skippered by Bruno Jourdren and Thomas Ruyant, always among the winning options since Sunday's start, climbed into second place. On the nose, the winds were becoming increasingly strong as the fleet headed down the South coast of England.

In a biting cold the fleet made good speed off Poole and offshore of Start Point, whilst overnight on Monday, several competitors suffered from technical issues. On Tuesday morning, eight competitors had retired from the NCR, "GDF SUEZ" and "Norma Concept – Le Pal" opting to make for Plymouth so as not to damage their brand new Class 40s. A front situated above Ireland was causing the racers some concern and the Race Committee and Race Management took the tough decision not to send the sailors into the difficult seas off Ireland. In this way, a virtual waypoint had to be rounded some 50 miles North of Land's End. "Made in Normandie" was first to link onto the return leg, with some surfing on the programme!

On Tuesday evening, the top four, "Made In Normandie", "Mare", "Campagne de France" and "Geodis" were already on the homeward leg. On a reach they were able to glide across the English Channel, "Mare" really smoking as she made gains on the Normans. With 35 knots of breeze in the area, coloured by great fatigue for the majority of the sailors, the Normandy Channel Race was really living up to form...

By Wednesday afternoon they were on the home straight, upwind and then downwind, the two major protagonists in the Normandy Channel Race devoured the Raz Blanchard with gusto. It was at Barfleur that they began punching tide, with "Mare" extending away from the fleet and taking the win in style!

Entertainment as scheduled

Back on shore, there is no change to the great programme of entertainment lined up for the Normandy Channel Race. The race village will open on Friday at 1400 hours local time and spectators will be able to appreciate the Class 40s on the pontoon in Caen and enjoy the numerous festivities planned.
Since 2010, the Normandy Channel Race has been followed by an increasing number of enthusiasts and they were out in force for the start of this fourth edition, particularly as the fleet left Caen and paraded down the canal between Lower Normandy's capital and Ouistreham. They're sure to be back this weekend. The Normandy Channel Race 2014 is scheduled for May and in the meantime the Class 40 will participate in the Transat Jacques Vabre, which will set off from Le Havre on 3 November, bound for Brazil.

The overall standing can be viewed at www.normandy-race.com from tomorrow's arrival of the last boat, skippered by the valiant amateur duo on "Obportus 3".