Team Holmatro started inconsistantly at the Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix in Portsmouth (GBR). After two days and eight races, the Dutch entry claims a fourth position overall. The Austrian Andreas Hagara, former European and national Champion Tornado, did the honours as a skipper on Sunday. He performed pretty well with a series of 4-2-2-4. On Tuesday May 30, Mitch Booth returned in his role as skipper with Hagara next to him. The crew experienced difficulties with the short course and a drop on the point table was inevitable. Tommy Hilfiger and subsequently the Volvo Ocean Race multihull made history as first VX 40's to capsize in a breeze up to 25 knots. Basilica stood up against all risks and is leading, followed by Tommy Hilfiger and Motorola.

"That was an entertaining day", said Mitch Booth afterwards on the dock. "I was so much distracted on the downwind leg, that I sailed over the starting buoy." It was Leigh MacMillan that pitchpoled first with the Motorola in the second race. The crew was hanging in the air for seconds, with the rudders free. The VX 40 came down snail-like and everybody drew a breath of relief, as nobody knew the consequences of a capsize. The answer came in the last race: the carbon boat and the sailors were very strong. Randy Smith and his teammates were given the honour to be the very first VX 40 upside down. They were just recovering from a pitchpole, as the next wind gust came in. It blew the American multihull over. A heavy rib was needed to upright it. While being in this rescue process, the Volvo Ocean Race team pitchpoled merciless. Skipper Yves Loday, designer of the VX 40 and 1992 olympic champion Tornado, could not avoid this unvoluntary swim and crashed badly into the mast. Loday, who had a bruise in his face: "The cold water relieved the pain, but my back hurts now." Nevertheless, the sailors could still make fun of it. Randy Smith, sitting on the upper hull and shouting down to the people in the rib: "Of course we will finish the race anyway." This did not happen.

Lake Neusiedl, Austria, May 19th 2006 - Team Zwitserleven Booth/Dercksen is close to a medal at the ISAF WorldS ailing Games 2006 in Austria. After eight races on Lake Neusiedl, the Dutchmen are second on the points table of the Hobie Tiger class. The Australians Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby are leading. The medal race on May 20 will be decisive for the final podium ranking. According to Mitch Booth, the competition is close. Theoretically, it could be a win or a tenth.

Before Herbert Dercksen starts to talk about today's racing in Austria, he expresses his feelings about the tragedy onboard ABN AMRO II: This is a really tragic story and our deepest sympathy go out to all at the ABN Amro team, and our hearts go out to Hans=92 family and close friends.

Team Full Tilt Race Report, Saturday, May 20, 2006
My crew Corey M. & I entered my Tornado "Full Tilt" in the annual "Hardway" distance event this past Saturday. This race starts in Santa Barbara and finishes in Ventura harbor. There are several courses between the different fleets participating. The ORCA class big multi's typically go around Santa Cruz island for a ~70 mile distance...though this year they voted for the lesser 45 mile option of going around Anacapa island.

This year's event was officially opened up to the beachcats for the first time thanks to much lobbying by several individuals, including Ventura Nacra driver John S. Though John could not make the event himself, he did a lot of leg work promoting the it and even shuttled teams to SB the morning to the race!

We had 7 boats turn out....4 I20's, 1 Hobie Tiger, 1 Prindle 19 with spinnaker and our T. We were given the shortest course, sharing with the non-spinnaker class keelboats. Start outside SB harbor, Oil Rig Platform "C", Platform "Habitat", Platform "Grace" then finish inside Ventura harbor...for a 29 mile race distance.

May 19th, 2006 -- Team Tybee Island sailors John Casey and Kenny Pierce completed the 500 miles from Hollywood, FL to Tybee Island, GA in just 44 hours, 15 minutes and 54 seconds to win their 3rd Tybee 500 victory. Team Tybee made history by being the first team to win each individual leg in addition to the overall title. Daily event videos, pictures, and updates may be viewed at www.Tybee500.com.

Five other teams finished the race with three teams dropping out or being disqualified for receiving outside assistance. Team Tygart Racing had finished in the top 3 almost every leg, but on the last leg just miles from the finish, it was evident that something was wrong.

Just Swell! MBYC Cat Fight, San Diego, California, by Connie Brown

What is cold (51 degrees), has a sizable storm swell, rains and has sun? A great weekend of Cat racing!  On Saturday wind direction was due west at 270 degrees and blowing in the teens with swells from trough to peak from 8-10ft. Event coordinator, Carl Teyssier, noted that it was, “an educational day for skippers and crew”.

I had a different platform for this year’s Mission Bay Yacht Club Cat Fight. Usually, I would be hanging off the side of a cat catching a stiff breeze but this year I had a great ride on a 36ft Monohull Committee boat photographing the days events and the photo opts kept coming.

The swells on the first day crested one right after the other and sent several committee boats riders to the side rails more then once.  Racing was a hard and fast. With several boats capsizing and a few completely turtled, some needed chase boat assistance. By the end of the second race on Saturday, more then half the boat had heading in. The other diehard teams wanted more. The Race Committee obliged.