The first SB20 class Grand Slam event of the season was held this weekend in Hyeres, France. 3 days of racing were scheduled between 3rd and 5th May. A quality fleet representing 7 nations arrived to warm sunny 22 degrees - a welcome change for sailors from our rather cool Spring in the UK.

Day one was sailed in a building sea breeze that increased from 12 knots at the start of race one to 22 knots at the end of race four. The first 3 races were dominated by John Pollard's "Xcellent" team from Royal Torbay Yacht Club, starting well, crossing the fleet and heading hard right. Pollard's team had the speed and strategy to stay ahead. SB20 Class President Ed Russo sailing for France and the new Russian team of Kirill Frolov, were also fairing well in brand new Sportsboat World boats. By the 4th race the breeze had built and the fleet were enjoying fast downwind planing conditions. Pollard again led to the windward mark, however gybe sets from Helena Lucas, Jean-Baptiste Bernaz and Jerry Hill took them into the top 3 places at the bottom mark with Hill finally getting through to first place by the end of the race.

Saturday was a bit hazier and lighter and it looked clear that the sea breeze was unlikely to settle. Instead after a short delay the Race Officer managed to get in 3 races in 5 knots of patchy shifty breeze. The Brits of Pollard and Hill struggled to find the best way up the first beats in all 3 races, however Kirill/Frolov and Russo clearly had a much better handle on the conditions, Kirill winning the first two races and Russo scoring a top three in each race.

With no racing on Sunday, as the breeze was even more unsteady and rarely reaching 3 knots the fleet headed back into port with the Russian team of Kirril/Frolov helmed by Alexey Murashkin winning on countback from Ed Russo, John Pollard was left in 3rd place.

The Russian team were popular winners and this win bodes well for a packed season for this new team. Helena Lucas in her first event picked up the Clarins sponsored prize for first Lady helm/crew team finishing in 5th place, and Michel Boussard's team from Monaco picked up the Masters prize.

With some lively evenings in Bar Sax, the fleet had a really enjoyable event. Many of the competitors now will move on to the next Grand Slam at Malcesine on Lake Garda where 40 boats are expected to compete at the end of May.

#sb20 – What a difference a day makes.  Lying 8th overall coming into day 2 of the SB20 Easterns at Howth Yacht Club, Aidan O'Connell and team on Ruby Blue from the Royal St George YC set the marker today in the waters off Howth to take the title off Ben Duncan's Sharkbait by a two point margin.  Duncan only managed to score a 10th, 5th and an 8th today whilst O'Connell gave a master class in consistency scoring a race win and two 4th places.  O'Connell's remarkable comeback started in the first race with a bullet and a considerable distance over the fleet whilst in race 2 & 3 Aidan hung in with enough points in the bag to allow him discard his 16th from day 1.

A full set of SB20 East Coast Championships results are available to download below as an Xcel file.

Winds were from the west and blustery all day giving the crews some testing shifts to contend with.  In race 1 with 60 seconds to go before the start,  PRO Harry Gallagher wisely decided to fly the AP rather than allow a 30 degree shift interrupt the proceedings.  The consistent shift seemed to stay in the right and Harry and his team reset the course accordingly.    Boats were pressed on the beat but revelled in the brisk downwind legs with speeds up to 13 knots in the moderate conditions.

Third place goes to John O'Driscoll also from the Royal St George YC on-board Boomchicawahwah who sailed equally consistently for the weekend.   John and his team scored a 3.0 and 5.0 discarding his 11th today.  Third place was tied for points with Kieran Dorgan from Cobh Sailing Club but as O'Driscoll had scored a race win on day 1 he took the final podium place.

Daragh Sheridan on Dingy Supplies finished the day with a sparkling race win in race 3.  Any of the lead boats who got enough of a chance extended their leads and Dingy Supplies did this in style.  Dingy Supplies kindly sponsored some spot prizes for the fleet also.

In the Silver fleet, overnight leader Gillian Guinness was pipped to the post by Davy Taylor's Boatmec.com.

#sb20 – 24 entries made the start line this morning for day 1 of the SB20 Eastern Championships at Howth Yacht Club.  With a cold North Easterly promising to die off by mid-afternoon,  PRO Harry Gallagher and his team got the show on the road right on time and sent the fleet away cleanly.  Defending his title Ben Duncan on Sharkbait set to it right away with a race 1 win but not before a bit of upwind duelling with Cork sailor Mel Collins each trying to throw the other to the wrong side of the race course.  Duncan was able to break tacks and came out on top leaving the Collins family with a 2nd in race 1.

With an ever decreasing wind and a strong south going tide, Race 2 got underway with a 50/50 split in the fleet upwind on each side of the course.  With the wind planning to clock right, strangely it was the left handers who made it to the top first.  Scott MacKeown with Nicholas O'Leary on board showing a clean pair of heels but chased closely by Royal Irish YC man John O'Driscoll on Boomchickawahwah.  It was a bottom end split at the final rounding that decided race 2 with McKeown opting for right and O'Driscoll opting for left.  It was O'Driscoll who got the bullet but only by a nose.

Race 3 went to a black flag after two general recalls in ever decreasing wind which had now gone to full easterly and further dying.  A large bunch-up at the first weather mark allowed Ger Dempsey and Chris Nolan on Venuesworld.com slip in before the gaggle and pull some distance on the fleet.  Venuesworld.com were never really threatened after that and went on to score their first Championship race win.

Variety was the order of the day with Sharkbait, BoomChickawahwah and Venuesworld.com each getting home first.   However it was a lesson in pure consistency that has Darren martin onboard "The Sloth" with a 5.0 5.0 and 2.0 to score 12 points overall behind Duncan's 8 point first place overnight.

Mel Collins, Kieran Dorgan and Gareth Flannigan (filling in for Peter Kennedy) each have some work to do tomorrow.

In the Bronze fleet, local class captain Gillian Guinness who scored a 4th in race 1 is 4 points ahead of HYC sailor Paul McMahon with James Gorman in 3rd.

#SB20 – Up to 25 entries are expected tomorrow for the season opener for the SB20 class circuit.

Following a very successful three weekend Key Capital Partners Spring Warmer in Howth, the fleet will gather in Lambay Sound to decide the 2013 East Coast Championship.

Defending their title, Sharkbait (Duncan / Moran) will be tested by the usual suspects on Ridgefence (Kennedy / Kane) but a new formidable teaming of the Collins family from RCYC (Mel & Killian including Killian's wife Mary) will be out to prove their potential.

Welcomed back to the fleet after a two year layoff is Kieran Dorgan on his new boat 'The Beard' also anxious to the 2013 Sharkbait dominance to the test. In total 5 entries travel from Cork Harbour which seems to indicate a renewed desire for the boats in the southern area.

Clubs represented in the fleet show the national interest in the one-design racing fleet with entries from the combined Dun Laoghaire fleets, HYC, RCYC, ISA, KYC, Royal Ulster YC, Royal North of Ireland YC & Carrickfergus SC.

#sb20 – The 2014 SB20 World Championships have been awarded to Yacht Club Hercules in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Championships will run from 5th to 11th September.

The Russian SB20 fleet has seen significant growth since 2009 and the Russian teams are highly competitive on the international circuit. Oleg Zherebtsov, Chairman of the SB20 class in Russia won the 2012 SB20 European Championship in Medemblik and was placed 3rd (on equal points to the Champion) at the recent 2012 UON SB20 World Championships in Hamilton Island, Australia. Oleg has been the driving force behind the growth of the SB20 Class in Russia, and was delighted that the 2014 World Championships will take place in St. Petersburg. Today there are 23 boats in Russia and there is strong growth forecast for the coming years.

The Yacht Club Hercules organised the finish of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race and has experience in hosting European championships. Hercules boasts a highly qualified technical staff and secretariat. Further news and developments about Hercules can be followed on their website: www.port-hercules.com .

The SB20 Class received four high quality bids from yacht clubs in sailing hot spots around the world to host the 2014 World Championships. "It's been a difficult task separating these bids from each other," explained Ed Russo, SB20 World Council President, "And we are extremely appreciative of the effort and interest from these competing Clubs."

Ahead of the 2014 World Championships in St. Petersburg, the SB20 Fleet will contest their 2013 World Championships in Hyeres, France from September 7th to the 13th where a fleet of over 100 SB20 boats is expected.

The SB20 class provides low cost, high intensity, big fleet racing and attracts some of the most recognisable names in sailing today.

The Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) SB20 sportsboat fleet get together for a beer and a catch up in the Royal Irish YC at 8pm this Friday. The bay class, the biggest in the country with up to 20 boats, has its annual dinner on Friday 1 March 2013 at the Royal St. George YC and no doubt both functions will be opportunities to discuss both the local DBSC calendar and the national fixture list both of which were published this week.

One other topic up for discussion with DBSC SB20 captain Doug Smith over the winter has been the the possibility of the Dragon class joining in the SB20 Sunday sailing. Up to ten Dragons have indicated they would switch to Sunday from traditional Saturday racing. It is something of a compliment to the SB20 DBSC format and the windward/leward courses. Perhaps other classes, such as the Flying Fifteens and Squibs, might consider the same too if separate starts could be given?

(Proposed) DBSC SB20 Sunday Series in 2013

May – Sunday 5th, 19th & 26th

June – Sunday 23rd & 30th

July – Sunday 7th & 21st

August – Sunday 4th, 18th & 25th

SB20 2013 Irish Calendar

Spring Warmer Howth Y.C. April 6/13/20

Easterns Howth Y.C. April 27/28th

Westerns Lough Ree May 11/12th

Southerns (Kinsale) June 08/09th

Dun Laoghaire week July 11/14th

Nationals Galway July 26/28th

Northerns Aug 10/11th Royal Ulster

Worlds France Sept. 7th – 13 th

Midlands Lough Derg Oct 19/20th

#sb20 – Three British teams were in the top three of the SB20 Worlds at Hamilton Island with three boats tied for first place.

It was a gripping finish on the deciding day at the UON SB20 World Championships at Hamilton Island with Geoff Carveth sailing into the class history books, crowned SB20 world champion for the third time.

It was the closest finish at any SB20 worlds with Carveth's British WKD team, Glenn Bourke's Australian entry, Club Marine, and Rodion Luka's Team Russia all wrapping up their series tied on 41 points after six days and 12 races. A countback was needed to separate the ultimate victor from second and third.

"Going into race two today we decided to take a risk. We gambled for a better ranking and took the right hand side of the course," said Carveth this afternoon. "It's the only time, during the whole event that the right hand side paid off. Glenn and Rodion went left and suddenly the chance came.  When we finished we were in disbelief that we'd put the number of boats between us.

"The crew have worked really hard. We trained hard here just days before the event started. Lesley and Squirrel really got up to speed and Roger has been fantastic. He's broken his run of seconds at SB20 world championships!"

WKD's South African bowman, Asenathi Jim, leapt off the boat once the result was known while the crew of Roger Hudson, Lesley Dhonau and Carveth embraced, then fell in, joining Jim for a victory swim.

"We've got to say a huge thank you to WKD and Joe Woods for making it possible for us to be here," Carveth added.

Hamilton Island CEO Glenn Bourke almost added another world title to his belt. "I have the utmost respect for the two guys we tied with," said Bourke. "It's testament to Geoff's talent and their crew work that they kept working their way out of deep positions, particularly in the last six races".

Team Russia's helmsman Rodion Luka was gracious in defeat, "Geoff is a great mate and I am happy that he won. We'll be back for another event and we look forward to that. Hamilton Island is beautiful and a great place to sail. The competition has been so tight, it's not often you have three boats tied on points at a world championship".

Winds were easterly and shifty for the final day of competition at 7-9 knots for the first race and up to 14 knots for the decider.  Denis Thompson pulled his black flag out again in race 11 after three general recalls due to wind shifts and antsy crews. On the fourth attempt the fleet got away cleanly. Three SB20s were pinged and individually recalled in the final race 12.

A countback separated first and second, Team Russia and Club Marine, with WKD, a mere three points off the frontrunners heading into today's final two sprints. The tension on the dock this morning was palpable with a world title riding on the final act for the three contenders, and points still to be claimed for those with their sights on the minor placings.

Competition at the UON SB20 World Championships began last Friday in light to moderate ESE breezes and after Monday's layday, midway through the competition, fresher ENE winds made for a very different set of conditions and a change in gears for the one design fleet of 42 international entries representing nine countries.

"I'm very pleased for Hamilton Island that we've had a range of conditions and such depth of talent for this truly international competition," said Bourke.

"I think the island put on a great regatta and the race management was outstanding. I feel Hamilton Island has come of age in terms of running world class sailing events."

Bourke also took the opportunity to acknowledge a number of valuable event partners. "I would like to acknowledge UON not only for their naming rights, but for entering two boats and being an active part of these world titles.

"Events Queensland gave us tremendous support to run a truly international event by assisting with shipping the SB20s to the island, which in turn attracted many overseas competitors and their families to the Whitsundays."

Bourke also thanked the SB20 World Council for its decision to grant Hamilton Island the event rights, and for their ongoing cooperation and assistance.

The SB20 class will hold their 2013 World Championship in Hyeres in the south of France next September.

Results at http://worlds2012.sb20class.com

#sb20 – Places at the UON SB20 World Championships at Hamilton Island have shuffled with each race, but there has been one constant – Oleg Zherebtsov and Rodion Luka's Team Russia, which has occupied the top spot since day two.

This afternoon Glenn Bourke and his classy Club Marine crew of Andrew York and Greg Macallansmith caught up to the pointscore leaders. Bourke's second, fourth and bullet in the last race on day five has put them on equal 33 points with Team Russia and second on a countback.

The formidable Russian crew dropped their worst result, a 15th in race 10. They and the Australian Club Marine team led by Hamilton Island's CEO are heading into the final day pressure cooker barely separated.

"I will try to focus as much as I can," said Luka this afternoon. "There is a lot of pressure but I have experience. Tomorrow will be like the first day of racing. We will have dinner tonight and save some energy for tomorrow."

Bourke says his latest results reflect the fact he's getting comfortable with the level of competition. "I'm getting into the rhythm of the event, it's coming at the right time and we are improving a little bit each day. Tomorrow will be won and lost on who gets off the start line well."

Bourke, a multiple Laser world champion, says the buzz of international competition is a thrilling experience. "It's the most exciting thing you can do in your year".

Geoff Carveth's WDK (GBR) is third on 36 points and still in the hunt while Robert Greenhalgh's The Beard is fourth overall with 49 points.

The penultimate day of competition produced more superb sailing in the tropical Queensland Whitsunday Islands in the 10 knot average NE breezes.

Race 8 was a clean start. Race 9 was another general recall for the jumpy fleet at the sharp end of their world title followed by individual recalls for two SB20s, including the aptly named Still Out of Control (Mark Wolfenden), which tangled with the Italian SB20 Nuri while trying to re-start.

The top mark roundings were loud and lively as the fleet bunched up, and the downhill runs were spectacular with a straight line of spinnakers against the afternoon glare of another perfect summer's day. The area is crying out for water but the afternoon thunderstorms typical of this time of year have stayed away.

Sydney based Craig Nicholls picked up his best result of the series, an eighth in race 8 with Typhoon. Nicholls has paired up with Scott Glaskin, a 16 foot skiff state champion from Royal Perth Yacht Club and Morgan White, one of Australia's most sought after bowmen whose dance card is full for the Australian summer calendar including the Rolex Sydney Hobart, Club Marine Pittwater & Coffs Harbour Regatta, Festival of Sails and Farr 40s.

Having never sailed an SB20 previously, Nicholls and his cohorts had 45 mins training two days out and two hours the day before the world championship commenced last Friday.

"Coming into the world titles the Typhoon crew were happy to wing it, falling back on their experience in other classes," admitted Nicholls.

Other well placed Australians teams include Ian Brown's One Design Sailing in 6th, Nick Rogers' Karabos in 14th and Peter Jones' And Then in 18th.

Two of the crews black flagged in race 7 yesterday, after being called OCS, were reinstated last night and this morning. The Beard and Ben Saxton's Bango Powered by SLAM sought redress and the international jury decided in favour of the two British crews. Both have been granted average points up to the end of race 10.

The forecast for tomorrow's final two races is SE to NE winds 10-15 knots. Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson has scheduled an 11am start so the SB20s being shipped back to Europe can be packed into containers before most crews head off Friday to be home in time for Christmas.

#sb20 – Nine sequences, six competitors black flagged and disqualified, two general recalls, two postponements, two course changes, an abandonment and a partridge in a pear tree. A mini-series could be made on the highs and lows of day four of the UON SB20 World Championships at Hamilton Island.

The 42 international crews contesting their world title in the 20-foot sportsboats set off from the marina at 9.30am this morning, most towed to the course area in the light winds. Nearly five frustrating hours later after the race committee twice moved the racetrack further east chasing steady wind, the first race of the day got underway in a building NNE breeze.

Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson finally settled on Chance Bay off Whitsunday Island and that's where the magic began. After three days of light air the adrenaline was pumping and the spray was flying as the Whitsundays turned put on its best face for the visitors, up to 18 knots of breeze, white caps and sunshine galore.

Race 6 was a thriller, on the risk of a black flag disqualification following two general recalls the fleet judged the current right and got away cleanly in 15 knots of NNE breeze. Glenn Bourke's Club Marine was first to the top post chased by the two British boats, Robert Greenhalgh's The Beard and Geoff Carveth's WKD.

The crews turned the corner and powered up for the downhill slide, bodies crammed at the stern quarter to balance out the pressure over the right shoulder and keep the boat on its feet. By the second top mark rounding places had swapped, WDK led Club Marine and Pietro Negri's Stenghele (ITA), and this was how they screamed through the finish gate under kite.

Race 7 was another black flag start only this time Thompson's gavel came down with a bang. Six SB20s were disqualified, including top contenders The Beard, Ian Brown's One Design Sailing and Ben Saxton's Bango Powered by SLAM, an expensive penalty which will become their discard race. A number of those disqualified are seeking to be reinstated with 'night sailing' about to commence in the jury room.

Carveth and his crew of mainsheet Roger Hudson and bow 1 and 2, Lesley Dhonau and Asenathi Jim, picked up back-to-back wins today to move into third overall.

"Finally some good hard racing, that's what we came here for," said an exhausted Carveth this evening. "When the wind came in it was worth waiting for. There were some tense moments with the black flag and in the second race we nearly lost our lead to the French and Rodion [Team Russia], but we climbed back over them and put ourselves in charge again".

Second in race 7 was Rouxel Thomas' French entry, Hyeres 2013, named ahead of next year's SB20 worlds venue, and again, the Italians in third.

Team Russia's grip on the pointscore top spot is tightening, their eighth and fourth enough to keep the wolves at bay for another day. After tomorrow's scheduled race 8 a discard will come into play.

Glenn Bourke, Andrew York and Greg Macallansmith's Club Marine has moved into second on the overall pointscore after seven races, eight points from the Russian masters and just one ahead of Carveth, a previous SB20 world champion.

One Design Sailing is the next best Aussie boat on the pointscore, currently 10th, followed by Tasmanian Nick Rogers' Karabos in 13th, Stephen Fries' WSIWYG V in 17th, Peter Jones' And Then in 19th, Troy Forrest's Black Rat in 20th and Victorian Chris Dare's Flirtatious in 21st place.

It's been a long day for competitors and officials and as the sun set over Hamilton Island, SB20s and official vessels were still making their way back to the marina.

All crews enjoyed yesterday's only series layday. Great Barrier Reef tours, a visit to the famous Whitehaven Beach, a round at the stunning Hamilton Island golf course and relaxing crew lunches at the many restaurants were just some of the activities crews opted for before competitors gathered at the main pool for the Bundaberg Rum layday pool party.

With two days and five races of the SB20 world titles scheduled there is still plenty more to come.

Tomorrow's forecast is for NNE winds 5-10 knots tending ENE 10-15 knots in the afternoon.

#sb20 – At the half way point at the UON SB20 World Championships at Hamilton Island, the Russian team spearheaded by Oleg Zherebtsov and his helm Rodion Luka is still leading the international fleet of 42 sportsboats.

In a first-class display of tactics and crew work, sailing wunderkind Ben Saxton and his Great Britain team closed the gap on the clubhouse leader with a bullet in today's only race. Saxton's Bango Powered by SLAM is now seven points off the leading Team Russia.

Australia's Glenn Bourke and his Club Marine crew have held onto third overall but lost their grip on the countback that had them on equal points with Saxton at the close of racing yesterday. This will only motivate the cool multiple world champion racing with bow number 07, which has some island staff referring to their boss as '007'.

"There were a couple of opportunities we didn't grab with both hands but in the light airs we are not unhappy with our sixth today," said Bourke, the CEO of Hamilton Island.

Ian Brown's One Design Sailing has moved into fifth overall. Dual Olympic gold medallist Malcolm Page, who is on the mainsheet, said "Conditions today were fickle. When you got it wrong you paid big. There's a lot to play for, and a lot to lose.

"We are happy to be where we are, it's a bit better than I expected. We are just sailing our own races."

Ian Brown is also happy with their current standing on the results sheet. "We are working hard at maintaining our place" he said this afternoon. Between now and the end of the series Brown is hoping to find some time to tweak the rig. Tomorrow's layday could be opportune except "A few are playing golf tomorrow and they need a silly buggy driver...that might be me" the skipper conceded.

Today's big mover was Russia's Anna Basalkina and her in-form SB20 crew on Aquaholics. The Olympic 470 and Yngling sailor picked up a third place today to be sixth overall.

"It's quite difficult in the light winds, we took a good start today and kept our left side and that was the right way. Downwind we were fast, I am happy," the pleased skipper said. "I will try to come in the top three, that's the golden place".

On the steamy conditions Basalkina commented, "It's hot compared to other countries and cities where I've sailed, it's hard to keep concentration going". While the locals are swimming in the warm Whitsunday waters, the reputation of some of Australia's sea creatures has so far kept the Russian crew in the boat and unwilling to take a gamble on a refreshing dip.

Also breathing down the necks of the top tier is the Italian team of Stenghele, led by Pietro Negri and eighth overall, and UK entries, Geoff Carveth's WDK, fourth overall, Jerry Hill's sportsboatworld.com, seventh overall, and Robert Greenhalgh's The Beard, ninth overall.

The race committee signalled a postponement before today's one and only race. Patience paid off and it wasn't long before a 5-6 knot ENE breeze came to answer competitors' prayers, cooling baking bodies and setting things in motion for what ended up being a consistent fifth race of the 12 race series.

The light ENE winds ran out of puff just as the backmarkers cruised through the finish line under spinnaker. Cloud cover threw a blanket over the race course and with no sign of anything promising on the horizon the race committee lifted anchors and all boats headed back to Hamilton Island marina where crews are now enjoying an early mark.

Tomorrow is the one and only layday for the SB20 sports boat fleet contesting their world title. Racing will resume on Tuesday and conclude on Thursday, December 20.