RORC Transatlantic Race: Teasing Machine sets the Pace

Eric de Turckheim's French Nivelt-Muratet 54 Teasing Machine finished the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race on Friday 8 December in an elapsed time of 13 days 19 hrs 29 mins 08 secs. The French team lead the race overall after IRC time correction. Canadian Southern Wind 96 Sorceress, skippered by Daniel Stump and Tilmar Hansen's German Elliot 52 Outsider have also finished the RORC Transatlantic Race. 17 yachts are still at sea, vying for the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada.

Teasing Machine arrived at sunset on the 14th day of the race and has one hand on the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy. The team cheered for joy as they crossed the finish line. "We are very happy to be here in Grenada," smiled Eric de Turckheim. "This is my first transatlantic race and it has been fantastic. Every time I finish any race, be it a running marathon or a yacht race, you feel emotional, but also relaxed. Your mind, body and soul is released from that concentration. For me a memorable moment was passing through the transition zone after the start. We had been upwind for a long time and we had a short passage of very light winds before we got into the tradewinds. One night it was so beautiful, flying the Code Zero, doing just four knots. There was no noise, nothing and the moon almost full. It was just magnificent!"

The stunning Canadian Southern Wind 96 Sorceress, skippered by Daniel Stump with a crew of just nine, finished the race 35 minutes ahead of Tilmar Hansen's German Elliott 52 Outsider. Eleven German teams are taking part in this year's race, the first part of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the NRV (Norddeutsche Regatta Verein). NRV member Tilmar Hansen was delighted to be the first all-German team to finish the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race."We are thrilled to be here! It is great to be the first German team!" commented an elated Tilmar Hansen. "It is amazing and we can't have enough of that, but we would have liked to have beaten the  boats in front of us as well. We were trying hard, but it is very nice to be the first from Germany to finish this race."
 

At 1000 UTC on the 9th September, 17 yachts are still racing and provisional class leaders are as follows.

In IRC One, Bjorn Woge's German Andrews 56 Broader View Hamburg is 625 miles from the finish and leading after time correction in a highly competitive class. Broader View Hamburg is the most southerly of the class, defending a narrow lead from Friedrich Boehnert's German Xp50 Lunatix, and Kai Weeks' French Class40 Sensation, racing under IRC. Johann von Eicken's German Swan 56 Latona is far to the north and challenging the class leaders. On estimated corrected time, just four hours separate the trio.

In IRC Two, Richard Palmer's British JPK 10.10 Jangada, racing Two Handed with Rupert Holmes, leads on the water, and the class. The battling German Class 40s are less than 500 miles from the finish. Mathias Mueller von Blumencron's Red has opened up a 45 mile lead. Berthold and Tobias Brinkmann's MarieJo has reported a steering problem, but continues towards Grenada in the wake of their close competition. Gerald Bibot's Belgian Catamaran Zed 6 is 280 miles from the finish.

Follow the fleet and watch the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race unfold: Minisite: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/ 

YB Race Tracker: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking/2017-fleet-tracking.html
Individual yachts, classes or the whole fleet can be tracked throughout the race

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THE RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE - leg 1 of  THE ATLANTIC ANNIVERSARY REGATTA:

The westbound leg of the celebratory Atlantic Anniversary Regatta incorporates the 4th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race, an annual race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the International Maxi Association (IMA) http://www.internationalmaxiassociation.com 

The fleet will depart from Marina Lanzarote on Saturday 25th November 2017 and the 2,995 nautical mile race runs through the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to arrive at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championship in the Solent

The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes, now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4000

Race minisite: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/ 

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The AAR is a celebration of the jubilees of two of the most highly regarded sailing clubs in the world - the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) from Hamburg (150th anniversary) and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) from Sardinia (50th anniversary)

It is an extraordinary series of events spanning a 9-month period between November 2017 and July 2018, connecting Grenada and Bermuda with the vibrant maritime metropolis of Hamburg

Starts: Westbound (Lanzarote - Grenada) - Saturday 25th November 2017, Eastbound (Bermuda - Hamburg) - Saturday 7th July 2018

It is the first regatta series to cross the Atlantic ocean twice, in both directions

The regatta is supported by: The Royal Ocean Racing Club; Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, International Maxi Class Association, Segler-Vereinigung Cuxhaven.

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RORC RATING:

The RORC has also been a leader in yacht handicap systems and in co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, created IRC - the principal yacht measurement system for the rating of racing yachts worldwide

The Spinlock IRC rating rule is administered jointly by the RORC Rating Office in Lymington, UK and UNCL Centre de Calcul in Paris, France

The RORC Rating Office is the technical hub of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and recognised globally as a centre of excellence for measurement. For Spinlock IRC rating information in the UK please see: www.rorcrating.com and for IRC rating globally www.ircrating.org 

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THE INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION (IMA):

The International Maxi Association (IMA) represents owners of Maxi yachts worldwide.

Recognised in 2010 as the World Sailing international class of Maxi yachts, the IMA has the exclusive right to organise World championships for Maxi yachts. The current President of the IMA is Thomas Bscher, the Secretary General is Andrew McIrvine, also Admiral of the Royal Ocean Racing Club

The IMA has been closely associated with the RORC Transatlantic Race since its inception. The IMA is registered in Geneva, has a base in Porto Cervo and an office in the UK, for rating and technical matters. It has two affiliated classes (Maxi 72s, and J Class) and one associated class (Wally Class). The IMA's function is to 'guide, structure and encourage maxi yacht racing worldwide

The IMA rule defines and categorises maxi yachts: it aims to embrace all maxi yachts and encourage any development that has a positive effect on the construction and performance of maxi yachts'

www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

CALERO MARINAS: 
 

Calero Marinas has developed and manages three marinas in the Canary Islands, having accrued over 35 years' experience in the sector. The Canaries' warm climate and regular supply of breeze has lead Lanzarote to become a favourite training ground for offshore race teams, whilst the combination of good flight connections and easily available services has created a popular and reliable base for international sailors

Marina Lanzarote is the newest addition to the group with secure berthing for vessels of up to 60m LOA, a wide range of services and the advantage of having the city and maritime quarter within a few minutes' walk

The shipyard is equipped to hoist superyachts and the inclusion of deep keel pits in the yard's design was considered especially to meet the needs of transoceanic racing yachts

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CAMPER & NICHOLSONS MARINAS:

Camper & Nicholsons Marinas is widely recognised to be one of the world's oldest and most prestigious yachting business names, with origins dating back to 1782

The company has specialised in marina and waterfront development for over 40 years and has provided services to clients in more than 25 countries worldwide. Projects range from small marinas through to developments of over 500 hectares

Camper & Nicholsons Marinas Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Camper & Nicholsons Marina Investments Limited, listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas currently operate marinas in Grenada, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey and the UK, with over 30 new projects currently under way all over the world

Owned and managed by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, Port Louis Marina has transformed Grenada's yachting facilities. Overlooking the historic capital St Georges and designed to reflect the traditional Creole architecture, the marina offers 159 berths, including 30 superyacht berths for vessels from 25m to 90m LOA, and up to 6m draft

For more information about Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina visit: www.cnmarinas.com/plm 

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GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY:

The premium yachting destination in the southern Caribbean, Grenada and its sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are widely considered to be the most unspoiled cruising grounds in the Caribbean. Famed for its people's warm and gregarious hospitality Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean has a varied topography of mountains, rainforests and waterfalls, fringed by icing sugar beaches and cooled by trade winds.

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