Last Saturday evening Whyalla Yacht Club wound up its sailing season for 2007/2008 with the trophy presentation.Keel yacht class had a very sombre season due to work commitments by crews and skippers, inclement weather and retirement kept the fleet in harbor for most of the season, however the North Long Race, Malcolm Foubister Memorial and South Long Race were sailed Bob Monaghan’s yacht Riff Raff scooped the trifecta in these three races.

In the off the beach dinghy class saw Emily Brougham have a very successful season in the Pacer dinghy All @ C.

Emily won the mixed dinghy championship and took out the title Queen of the Gulf in the Pacer class crewed with Tony Zetter at the Easter Regatta with line honours in the Triangular Long Race with crew Kevin O’Neil.

On corrected time David Shaw and Zac Day in Pace Maker drew with All @ C in the Triangular Long Race.

Mitchell Sawyer and Crispin Painter took out the South Long Race in the Pacer TZ, line honours went to Abe Casey and Georgia Gray in Slippery When Wet.

The overall line honours in all classes, WJ Murray Memorial went to Leon Jarvis in Cunning Stunt II and Emily Brougham in All @ C.

The novelty trophies were won by Abe Casey, The Bucket Trophy for the most capsizes and The Dunny Seat Award to Ashleigh Gardiner for numerous spectacular achievements.

Club achievement awards were presented to Grace Foubister, Toby Apsimon memorial club person of the season and the Eyre Peninsula Trophies Junior Club Person of the season, won by Abe Casey.

Crispin Painter won the Bridges Financial Services encouragement award.

Most improved trophy went to Mitchell Sawyer.

www.wylla.yourguide.com

Eric Sharp 

A New York Supreme Court judge Monday gave the Swiss defender of the America’s Cup 10 months to build a giant multihull and meet an American challenger in a regatta next March.

The decision by Justice Herman Cahn is a compromise between the American Oracle team’s demand that the race be held in October and the Swiss Alinghi’s insistence that it take place no sooner than May 2009.

Cahn ruled that Alinghi, as the defender, can pick the venue, including Valencia, Spain, where the Swiss defended the cup last summer, and that the first race would be 10 months from the date of his order on Monday.

That could be problematic: The 1887 Deed of Gift that governs the America’s Cup says races must be held in the northern hemisphere between May 1 and Nov. 1. However, the judge’s ruling also said that Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco, which Oracle represents, and the Societe Nautique de Geneve, Alinghi’s sponsoring club, could mutually agree to changes in venue and dates.

More court action is expected, no matter what the Americans decide, as the Swiss continued to insist that they should not have to race before May 2009.

www.freep.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The America’s Cup match race between holders Alinghi and challenger BMW Oracle is to be held in mid-March of 2009, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled on Monday.

Judge Herman Cahn ordered the showdown race to take place in 10 months’ time in Valencia, Spain, or any other location chosen by Alinghi’s yacht club SNG (Societe Nautique de Geneve) provided it notifies the challenger at least six months ahead.

The judge said SNG and the challenging Golden Gate Yacht Club “may engage in a mutual consent process” and arrange satisfactory dates, courses and rules for the 33rd America’s Cup in accordance with the Deed of Gift governing the event.

Judge Cahn ruled last November that BMW Oracle should be the challengers of record for the next edition of yachting’s biggest prize rather than CNEV, the Spanish club favored by Alinghi.

“We are pleased that the Court has advanced the process and required the defender to confirm the venue,” Golden Gate Yacht Club spokesman Tom Ehman said. “We will now be considering the order to determine our next steps.”

The ruling set up a best-of-three, head-to-head series for the America’s Cup rather than the usual multi-boat competition to determine a challenger.

As challenger, BMW Oracle can name the type of boat to be used for the race and they have said they will opt for large-scale multi-hull boats. The challengers were pressing to hold the event in October 2008.

Alinghi argued that the preparation time allowed for in the yachting competition’s 121-year-old rules should push the date to May 2009 to give them ample time to get ready.

Lucien Masmejan, lead counsel for Alinghi, said they would ideally prefer to hold the races in July, given that March was not a regular sailing time in the northern hemisphere.

“Not everyone is on holiday then, there is sun, heat and some good winds that you won’t have earlier. At the earliest it could be May but ideally July,” he said.

Masmejan said that Alinghi were glad to have time to be prepared for the race.

“The decision is very positive because if we would have had to race in October we would have been unable to be ready,” he said.

www.reuters.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York State Supreme Court judge has sided with a U.S. yacht club in an America’s Cup dispute, which could force a rare one-on-one showdown for the oldest trophy in international sports.

Judge Herman J. Cahn refused Tuesday to hear new arguments from two-time defending champion Alinghi, letting stand his order in November that San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club was the rightful Challenger of Record, not a Spanish club that had been chosen by the Swiss. Golden Gate backs BMW Oracle Racing, which is headed by Silicon Valley maverick Larry Ellison.

Neither yacht club was immediately available for comment. However, the cup could be decided in a showdown between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing in catamarans later this year.