In an already high profile and packed sporting year for Great Britain, 2012 is also the year that the Royal Southern Yacht Club proudly celebrates its 175th Anniversary year. The Club is therefore especially delighted to be hosting a comprehensive and exciting Racing Programme that includes a number of high profile National Championships and some ‘signature’ events to mark the Anniversary, of which more details will be announced early in the New Year.
 
The ever-popular Summer Series Regattas are back in a format that allows for maximum racing on the water with minimal impact on other events taking place. In May, June, July and September, an entire weekend is dedicated to IRC, Sportsboat, One-design and White Sail/Club Class racing. Any class that can muster more than eight boats will be given their own class start.

In just under a week the 2011 Finn Gold Cup will start at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia.

For many sailors, as is the case with most classes, this will be their main trials for Olympic selection. Some sailors have already been given the nod, but for others, the battle continues, while also of course keeping an eye on the more important country selection. Seventy-five per cent of the country spaces for 2012 will be decided in Perth.

Though the final entry list has not yet been confirmed, the Finns have 77 expected entries from 33 nations, with the strongest and deepest fleet assembled in recent years. In all the are 22 former Olympians, four Olympic medalists and four former world champions.

It was a nail biting and frustrating finish for Gold Coast Australia, one of the ten 68- foot yachts competing in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race, as they closed in on the Race 5 finish line at Tauranga, New Zealand, to secure their fifth consecutive victory in the 15-race series.

Beating into a strong north westerly breeze they crossed the finish line at 03.26 local time on Friday 25 (1426 UTC Thursday 24).

The team had led from the start of the 3,800-mile stage, which set out from Geraldton, Western Australia, 19 days ago and has seen all ten teams face the full fury of Mother Nature as they raced across the Southern Ocean...

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG reported that they had suffered a broken mast on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which began 17 days ago from Alicante, Spain. The crew are unhurt.

The rig onboard PUMA’s Mar Mostro failed at around 1500 UTC in the southern Atlantic Ocean, about 2,150 nautical miles from Cape Town, South Africa.

Skipper Ken Read reported: “We were sailing on a port tack, beam reaching in 22-23 knots of breeze, heading east northeast with eight to 10 foot waves when the mast failed. There were no warning signs.

Breaking the line on a quiet, almost still, early morning off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, Gamesa co-skippers, Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois, completed the Transat Jacques Vabre double handed race in ninth place. With the fleet of 13 Open 60s which started in Le Havre, France, on Wednesday 2nd November reduced to nine by a succession of storms which battered the fleet with boat breaking condition during the first week of the race, Golding completed his record seven finishes from seven consecutive editions since 1999.

The duo finished the 4,730 miles course in a time of 17d 21h 42m 10s and were pushing hard to make places until the very final hours of the race.