Racing NewsStorm Sends Flying Scot Fleet FlyingOn Tuesday afternoon a powerful storm-possibly a tornado-wreaked havoc on the 63-boat Flying Scot fleet gathered at Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass. for the class’ North American Championship Regatta.Winds clocked at 98 mph flipped as many as 30 boats, hurling some boats 10 feet in the air. As Marblehead police Sergeant Detective Marion Keating described, “Masts were thrown through boats like spears. It looked like a combat zone.”No one was injured during the storm, but damage sustained to competitors’ boats and club facilities caused the Flying Scot Sailing Association to cancel the regatta. For more information about the Flying Scot calamity, including pictures and video, click here, here, and here .Farr 40 European Championship Attracts Cup AllstarsFor the nine Farr 40s gathered for the Rolex Farr 40 European Championship – taking place July 13-16 in Menorca, Spain- the regatta presents a fine opportunity to prepare for the Farr 40 Worlds taking place in Newport, R.I. in September. Although the fleet is small and the forecast calls for light winds, the competition should be intense. Top teams in attendance include America’s Cup syndicates Alinghi and Mascalzone Latino-Capitlia, perpetual Farr 40 contenders TWT, and up-and-comers Enfant Terrible.For more information about the event, click here . Mackinac Race Set to BeginThree thousand sailors will take to Lake Huron on July 15 as the Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race commences. The crews will be carrying the rich tradition of offshore sailing as they travel along two courses on Lake Huron to Mackinac Island. The race begins in Port Huron and culminates with an awards ceremony on Tuesday, July 18 on the grounds of Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island.As one of the longest fresh water sailing races in the United States and the world, the event’s scope reaches far beyond the shores of Lake Huron, attracting top sailors from around the globe. Look for SW assistant editor Tony Bessinger’s exclusive coverage coming soon.For more information about the race, click here .U.S. Team Racing Championship Accepting ApplicationsThe application period for the 2006 U.S. Team Racing Championship has begun. This year’s event takes place at San Diego Yacht Club, and presents an excellent opportunity for team racers to compete against the world’s top teams. Teams interested in competing must apply before July 30; the U.S. Team Racing Championship Committee will invite up to 24 teams. To apply for the U.S. Team Racing Championship, click here .Johnson/O’Brien Dominate Junior Women’s Doublehanded ChampsAfter an impressive and consistent showing, Amanda Johnson and Ellie O’Brien won US Sailing’s U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship on Monday. The pair took the lead on the first day of racing and never gave it up. Milwaukee Yacht Club hosted the event, which was sailed in Club 420s.For complete regatta results, click here .Ellen Sails Final Race On B&QEllen MacArthur will bid farewell to her record-breaking multihull, B&Q, upon completion of the the Cowes-St Malo race beginning today. Also onboard for the race will be boat captain Loik Gallon, Offshore Challenges Sailing Team shore crew Erwan le Meilleur and Sebastian Chenier-Proteau, plus MacArthur’s business partner and OC Group CEO Mark Turner.MacArthur leaves the 75-foot trimaran to focus on her new Open 60 campaign, with plans to compete in the IMOCA World Championship circuit in 2007-09.For the latest Ellen news, click here . Morning Light Announces 30 FinalistsThe 30 young men and women chosen from among 538 applicants for Roy Disney’s Morning Light film project include a Yale University student, a female astrophysics student, and 28 other highly ambitious sailors. The finalists will participate in selection trials in Long Beach, Calif. August 5-13. At the end of those trials, the selection committee will announce a final team that will undergo four months of training on the Transpac 52 Morning Light in Hawaii starting in January. Eleven or 12 of those team members will race Morning Light from Los Angeles to Hawaii in the Transpacific Yacht Race starting July 15, 2007.Disney is filming the entire process for an upcoming feature film.For more about the Morning Light Project, click here . Industry News New Products Showcased at MAATS At the sixth annual Marine Aftermarket Accessories Tradeshow (MAATS)- taking place July 19-21 in Las Vegas, Nev.-the industry’s top manufacturers will present their latest innovations. New products slated for MAATS include ALGAE-X Fuel Catalyst, a fuel additive intended to improve combustion and reduce harmful build-up, Ring Prop, a propeller designed to increase handling performance, and Whale Water Systems’ Smartbail, an easily installed manual bilge pump. For more information about MAATS, click here . Anchor Reduces Damage to Reefs Hunter Boat Anchors has just introduced a range of patented anchors designed to reduce damage to reefs caused by traditional anchors. Each anchor is equipped with a pivoting sleeve that slides freely up the shank of the anchor, allowing the anchor to be pulled out backwards. The user steers the boat to a point directly over the anchor, the slide sleeve rotates and slides to the head of the anchor, then the user retrieves the anchor pointed end first, causing less damage to the seafloor. For more information about the reef-saving anchor, click here .
