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f 8, 13

The Next Volvo Route

by The Editors

Announcing the route for the 2014-'15 Volvo Ocean Race.

On April 8, the Volvo Ocean Race announced the route for the 2014-'15 race, which includes stops in 10 cities in nine countries.

The schedule:

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f 4, 13

Speedsailing Chronicles: Joyon Poised

by Tim Zimmermann

Francis Joyon

The French solo multihull master Francis Joyon is aiming to own the four biggest speed sailing records, which he calls, appropriately, the Grand Slam.

You probably wouldn’t know it, because for Francis Joyon, it is more about the sailing than it is about the glory.

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f 4, 13

MOD70 Retreats for Strength

by Bruce Gain

Oman is one of six boats in the MOD70 fleet.

The MOD70 has attracted interest and spectators, and delivered on being a relatively safe yet fun multihull class. But the problem is that the sponsors are not able to turn the spending spigot tap on again, or at least not just yet.

Economically speaking, things are bad in Europe. The unemployment rate in the European Union member states is at 12 percent, and there is no end in sight to the recession. This is not the best scenario to be in for a fledgling, yet promising, race class of multi-million dollar boats in need of sponsors. But that is the situation that the Europe-based MOD70 class faces, which no longer has a title sponsor and has been forced to shutter what was supposed to be the second European Tour this year.

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f 3, 13

Riding High

by Michelle Slade

While he has his critics—and they are loud at times—Russell Coutts remains confident the sun will shine on the 34th America's Cup.

With three months remaining until the 34th America's Cup officially kicks off, the architect of this new Cup remains confident both in his concept and his team.

These days, Russell Coutts spends a lot more time in his office than out on the water. But for the America’s Cup's most successful skipper, it’s all part of the challenge of the game. In fact, he appears to be thriving amidst the barrage of criticism from fans, other teams, and San Francisco politicians. Though, to be fair, many people have been much more positive about the new look of the America’s Cup.

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f 28, 13

Stability Mode

by Amelia Quinn

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Sail through the death puffs like boat 10.

Let your adrenaline pump as you count down to the next tiny Armageddon—as long as you’re prepared you should stay upright.

The breeze is up, howling down the river in dark puffs that dart towards your CJ. On the first beat, you’re easing the jib, hiking your booties off, and keeping an eye out for possible auto-tacks. At the windward mark, you’re making a solid layline call and navigating through starboard tackers. Then the windward offset comes, and you carve down around it—and suddenly you’re sailing downwind in a CJ in heavy air, one of the most precarious situations in college sailing.

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f 19, 13

The World’s Most Persistent Grandmother

by Tim Zimmermann

Jeanne Socrates

Septuagenarian Jeanne Socrates is 150 days in to a non-stop, solo circumnavigation of the globe aboard a Najad 380.

In sailing, as in life, determination and persistence deliver. No great voyage was ever achieved without hardship and adversity (any voyage without those two monsters is called a “milk run”). It’s no coincidence that the paragon of persistence himself, Ernest Shackleton, adopted the Latin “FORTITUDINE VINCIMUS” as his family motto. It means “by endurance we conquer,” which pretty much sums up the Shackleton experience.

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f 14, 13

The Safety Net

by Amelia Quinn

Prepare for the worst to sail your best.

If you have a good routine, you can always be prepared for the worst-case scenario at regattas. Well, almost always.

Call me paranoid if you like, but there are some mistakes that will take you down—they’ll cost you a race, or your pride—or inconvenience you for an entire regatta. For the most part, you have to experience these slip-ups to understand their gravity, but for your sake I hope that this article will be enough to protect you from yourself. You might think that these safeguards are overkill, but after you’ve been publicly shamed by Bern Noack you will realize that they are not.

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f 14, 13

Flying Under the Radar

by Michelle Slade

Luna Rossa Team Manager Max Sirena

Even though they’re latecomers to the game, Luna Rossa has been quietly working away in Auckland to prepare for the America’s Cup. Team manager Max Sirena gives us the scoop.

Luna Rossa is counting down its last days of training and preparation in Auckland, New Zealand, where the team has been steadily making up time as latecomers to the game. In a few weeks the sailing team heads to Naples for the grand finale of the 2012-’13 America’s Cup World Series, while much of the shore team will begin to set up shop in San Francisco. Team manager Max Sirena plans to have his team sailing on San Francisco Bay by the beginning of May.

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f 6, 13

Foil Focused

by Michelle Slade

Oracle Team USA designer Joseph Ozanne.

For the 33rd America's Cup, Joseph Ozanne spent a lot of time designing Oracle Team USA's monstrous wing. This time around, however, he believes the big gains will come from below the waterline.

Behind the scenes at Oracle Team USA, Joseph Ozanne crunches numbers using mind-numbing equations all in the name of a faster time around the racecourse for his team’s AC72. Ozanne is the team’s wing design leader and is also responsible for the performance prediction functions. Much of his work in the current campaign involves the daggerboards, which he believes will be critical to a team’s success in the 34th America’s Cup. Now on his third campaign with Oracle, the 34-year old Frenchman has had plenty of experience working with the best in the game.

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f 5, 13

Between the Sheets

by Amelia Quinn

Windy conditions make jib sheet management trickier.

There's more to jib sheet management than meets the eye.

Few things will take a crew down faster than mismanaged jib sheets, whether the problem is a tangled leg or a luffing sail. Around the racecourse, proper sheet management means anticipating potential snares and nipping them in the bud. In a CJ, this entails constant attention to the slack in the lazy sheet and keeping both sheets in the correct areas. In a 420, it means nailing the right balance of windward and leeward sheeting. In all college dinghies, sheet management means incorporating the right touch of delicacy, especially when it’s light.

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The Next Volvo Route

Speedsailing Chronicles: Joyon Poised

MOD70 Retreats for Strength

Riding High

Stability Mode

The World’s Most Persistent Grandmother

The Safety Net

Flying Under the Radar

Foil Focused

Between the Sheets

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