Slingsby, new Hobart boat, new World Rankings
Today we've run an interview with Australia's Tom Slingsby who has plans for a busy few months ahead. If he qualifies, he will be competing in three World titles over the summer, none of them in the Laser class.
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Qingdao Olympic Regatta 2008. Tom Slingsby (AUS). - Sail-World.com- AUS© Click Here to view large photo |
A lot of underwater paddling on the Australian Olympic class scene. Yesterday there was the major Post Qingdao de-brief and in two weeks a big Development Squad heading for Hamilton Island, as the Yachting Australia, athletes and coaches look ahead towards Weymouth 2012.
One of the interesting things during the week was the Weymouth Speed Week action. While top speeds were only in the high 30's, not nearly as fast as Namibia, it's still quite a bit ahead of what a Qingdao Speed Week might have delivered.
On the subject of speed, Sail-World will be covering the 2008 Rolex Sydney to Hobart race in detail, with a bigger team and more coverage than ever before. Our first world-wide Rolex Sydney to Hobart newsletter will go out on 1st November.
One Australian entry is creating some interest in Auckland at the moment.
It's the latest yacht from Cookson Boats.
The flush decked Farr 55 Living Doll for Melbourne owner, Michael Hiatt is undergoing her final stages of fit-out.
Hiatt is a repeat Cookson owner, having very successfully campaigned the Cookson 50, also named Living Doll, for the past four years.
Sail-World had an early look at this latest Farr design, an IRC fixed keeler, and our images are featured today. Her first serious race is expected to be the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic which starts on Friday week. Sail-World will be reporting on that race in detail.
Off the coast of Africa, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet makes good progress without the drama that marked the opening stanzas that marred the start of the last Volvo OR, and really never left that event. You can go into information overload with the Volvo race, so Sail-World is picking the eyes from each day's news, rather than running overlapping reports from each boat.
by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team
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