The hottest ticket for entertainment during the Monaco Grand Prix is normally the Amber Lounge, where the drivers mix with  supermodels, celebs and champagne. This year should be no different, as the lineup is:

Friday night:
10 Formula One drivers modeling on the Amber Lounge Fashion catwalk

Saturday night:
Girl band Sugababes performing live

Sunday night:
World class DJ Pete Tong spinning the decks for the Formula 1 fraternity

As per our previous post, there are still some stunning yachts with guaranteed berths available for the Grand Prix.  See more info about Monaco Grand Prix Charter here.

With a record breaking fleet of 39 megayachts, the 2010 St. Barth’s Bucket has come to a close. At the end of it all, it was the J-Class Ranger that took the 2010 Bucket. John Williams and his crew raced consistently and well, earning a well-deserved victory. Second place belonged to the Perini Navi Andromeda la Dea (which you can charter through Boatbookings.com), with the Perini Navi P2 in third place overall.

The sailing and the shore side activities were of the customary caliber. Conditions included sunny skies and fluky winds from 10-15 knots. Shoreside festivities included a yacht hop on Friday night, Bucket Bash on Saturday and Awards Presentations on Sunday.

Though St. Barth’s has long been considered the playground of the rich and famous, the local communities are solidly behind the bucket regatta. President Bruno Magras greeted the crowd at the Awards Presentation on Sunday to thank participants and invite them all back next year for the 25th anniversary of the bucket regattas.

For the second time, the first race of the America’s Cup was delayed-this time for too much wind!  They’ll try again on Friday, Feb. 12.

According to the Americas Cup Official Website, the Americas Cup is now planned to be held in Valencia on 8-10 February – although there are still at least 3 lawsuits outstanding – so anything is possible!

“Société Nautique de Genève publishes the Notice of Race for the 33rd America’s Cup

10-11-2009

The defender of the 33^rd America’s Cup, Société Nautique de Genève, has published the Notice of Race that will govern the 33^rd America’s Cup. As per the Deed of Gift the winner of the regatta will be the first boat to win two races in a best of three series.

The first race is scheduled to take place in Valencia (Spain) on Monday February 8^th, 2010. The second race is scheduled for Wednesday February 10^th. If required, the third race is scheduled for Friday February 12^th.”

We have full details on possible America’s cup charter yachts and specatator boats if you’re interested – it was a huge success last time it was held in Valencia!

The America’s Cup Regatta, expected to be sailed in February in Ras-al-Khamiah, UAE, has been suspended by a New York State Judge, stating that regulations state that it must be held in the Southern Hemisphere if it takes place between November and May. It was not immediately apparent if the race will still be held in the UAE.

It seems that the only winners of the Americas Cup are the Lawyers!

A yacht rally is a sailing event where a group of similar yachts race multiple point-to-point races over the course of several days.  The purpose of a rally is not purely to race, but to enjoy sailing and immerse the participants in the culture and history of one of the world’s great sailing areas.

One nice aspect of a rally is that the logistics are set up for you so all you need to do is show up and enjoy.  Each race, with up to 10 identical yachts, are run by a committee boat who plots the course and manages the race.  There are normally plenty of “lay days” for relaxation or sightseeing, and even the entertainment and  awards ceremonies are planned for you!

Rallies are great way to meet other sailors, both novice and expert, learn more about sailing, and experience the culture and history of the area where the rally takes place. The competition is not extreme – just enough to get your adrenaline flowing.

We have rallies in many amazing regions of the world including Sydney Austrailia, Phuket/Langkawi, Tonga, the Caribbean (Antigua, St Kitts, etc), the Aegean Sea (Greece and Turkey), the Amalfi Coast, Croatia and Corsica/Sardinia.  Many are coming up this Fall and Winter. Click here read more about Rally Yacht Charter and find out dates and itineraries for the individual rallies.  We’re sure you’ll agree that rallies are great ways to sail!

The third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, between Cochin in India and Singapore, has been won by Telefonica Blue of Spain. The favorites to win, Ericsson 4 of Sweden, came into Singapore in fourth position closing the ranks on the points table. The 1,950 nautical miles of the leg sawthe US Puma Ocean Racing team come in second and Sweden’s Ericsson 3 team come in thrid only 4minutes and 40 seconds ahead of their compatriots.  Whilst in Singapore the teams will undertake one of the 5 in-port races scheduled into the race before heading off to Qingdao, China on January 18th.

Some information courtesy of the New York Times online.

The Vendee round the world solo yacht race threw another twist to its unyielding and vicious tale on Thursday when French sailor Yann Elies suffered a broken leg, the result of his yacht being hit by a huge wave 800 miles off the coast of Australia.  Two other competitors, British yachtswoman Sam Davies and Frenchman Marc Guillemot, heroically altered their course to go to his aid and arrived at about the same time as an Australian naval frigate. As Davies noted “most of the time we are our nearest rescuers.” and due to their actions and sportsmanship Elies is now under a doctor’s care.  Davies and Guillemot have now returned to the race as it heads towards the open expanse of the Pacific Ocean along the clipper routes of old.

Jean-Pierre Dick, has overtaken his fellow frenchman Sebastien Josse and shot into the lead of the Vendée Globe Solo Round the World Yacht Race.  The Race, which was one of the starting pinnacles of Dame Ellen MacArthur’s sailing career, is considered by many to be the most gruelling of solo races. The 30-boat fleet of contestants entered the Indian Ocean southeast of the Cape of Good Hope on Monday having started and continued non-stop from the west coast of France on 9th November.

Josse was also overtaken by Roland Jourdain, another frenchman, and the fourth spot is occupied by Loick Peyron, meaning that the first four places in the race are currently waving the french flag. 68.3 nautical miles behind the leader is the first non-french contestant, England’s Mike Golding. Six boats have already dropped out of the race and with the rolling and unforgiving oceans of the south yet to come we could see further abandonments as the race progresses.

Watch this space for more information!

Some information courtesy of the Daily Times.

Three days ahead of schedule, Sweden’s Ericsson 4 team stormed ahead of the pack to reach Cochin in India yesterday morning and win the second leg of the race.  The yacht, skippered by Brazillian Olympic gold medallist Torben Grael, reached the port an estimated 12 hours ahead of the nearest contester Spain’s Telefonica Blue. Having already won the first leg which saw the race go from Alicante in Spain to Cape Town, Ericsson 4 now leads the points table with 26 points and are very happy with their 14 day journey from Cape Town to India.  This leg has been particularly tough being in a region not used before for the Volvo Ocean Race and amid fears and worries of pirate attacks heightened by the recent high profile hijackings in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.

The next legs of the race will see the eight teams heading towards Singapore, Qingdao in China and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil before ending their 37,000 nautical mile (68,000km) journey in St. Petersburg around June 2009.

[For more information about the Volvo Ocean Race]

Some information courtesy of The Age online