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27 Aug 2010	SKUDs Down Under!
18 Aug 2010	Update from the SKUD 18 Committee
16 Aug 2010	Fitzgibbon & Cox win in Weymouth
12 Aug 2010	SKUD 18s Racing at Sail For Gold
15 Jul 2010	GBR wins IFDS World Championship in SKUD 18
1 Jul 2010	French National Access Class Championships 2010 at Vichy - FRA
12 Jun 2010	Champions Decided at 2010 Access Worlds
1 Jun 2010	Royal Perth Yacht Club to host Access Class Championships (AUS)

SKUD 18 on Sydney Harbour Photograph:Robert Barnbrook David Staley, Friday, 27 August 2010 SKUDs Down Under! SKUD 18 sailors will have the opportunity to compete in 20 races over 12 days at 2 great Australian events this December.   The Sydney International Regatta will include the SKUD 18 for the first time in 2010.  SKUDs will be hosted by Sailability Rushcutters Bay and racing will be on the spectacular Sydney Harbour from December 6th – 9th.    The ISAF Sailing World Cup continues at Sail Melbourne from December 12th – 18th with racing commencing on the 13th for the SKUD fleet.  Sandringham Yacht Club is a world class venue and has attracted a SKUD 18 division for this event since 2007.   With a growing Australian fleet and strong interest from overseas, it is hoped that at least 10 teams from 5 countries will contest these two outstanding regattas in December - part of the annual Sail Down Under Series.  Both events will be sailed as per Class Rule J.3 (centreline seats).   To support the growing fleet size, the Australian Access Class will be helping to coordinate the transport of boats between venues.   For Notices of Race and information about the Sail Down Under events, visit the websites… www.sailsydney.yachting.org.au ,  www.sailmelbourne.com.au ,  www.saildownunder.org.au   SKUD 18s also have other major events in Australia and New Zealand in 2011.    The Kiwi Cup and Access Class New Zealand Championships will also include the SKUD 18 and are being held from 27th – 29th January in Napier on Hawkes Bay (about 400km from Auckland).  For information, email timdempsey@xtra.co.nz   Sail Auckland will be held from February 2nd – 6th next year and SKUD 18s are invited.  The NOR will soon be posted on www.sailauckland.org.nz   The Asia-Pacific Combined Access Class Championships will be held at Royal Perth Yacht Club from April 22nd – 25th.  There will be divisions for all the smaller Access classes and the SKUD 18.  Keep an eye on www.accessclass.org and www.rpyc.com.au   Further enquiries about SKUD 18 events can be directed to David Staley - david@skud.org SKUD 18s at Sail Melbourne 2009 SKUD 18s at Sail Melbourne 2009 SKUD 18 on Sydney Harbour

SKUD 18 Committee, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 Update from the SKUD 18 Committee Hello all SKUD 18 Owners & Sailors   Following on from SKUD Forums at the Access Class Worlds in Rutland and the IFDS Worlds in Medemblik during June and July, the SKUD 18 Committee held a teleconference on August 10.   Here are a number of items that we would like to bring to your attention……..   Annual Election We are now seeking nominations for the SKUD 18 Committee.  The By-Laws allow for “a maximum of 5 owner/sailor representatives who are active SKUD 18 sailors in good standing with the IACA or their National Access Class Association”. These people are elected by the owners and form the Committee in conjunction with Gene Hinkel as Class Technical Officer, Chris Mitchell as Designer/Builder and the IACA President or his delegate.  We aim to have members from Europe & the UK, North America and the Asia-Pacific Region.   My thanks to Allan Smith, Tim Dempsey, Dong Hai, Gene Hinkel, Chris Mitchell, Terry Peek and David Staley for their work over the last year.   Nominations close at 12 noon GMT on Monday August 30, so if you think you could contribute to the work of the SKUD 18 Committee, please get your nomination form (below) back to David Staley ASAP.    Class Rules Update A draft of the SKUD 18 Class Rules has been developed to ‘tidy up’ a few items including: Popping Battens (RRS 42) Alternative Penalty (360° turn) Seating (angle of side for canting and non-canting seats) Hull Weight (increase to 400kg) There is now an opportunity to comment on these changes over the next month (either via email to the Committee or the google-group forum) before a vote of owners is arranged during September.  Please find a copy of the draft rules update below.   SKUD 18 Events Sail For Gold, Weymouth – Despite the organisers not agreeing to relaxing the eligibility requirements, it was good to see a fleet of 5 SKUD 18s competing at the 2010 Sail For Gold regatta.  Congratulations to Dan & Rachael for their win, and to all the other crews who competed and made sure the Class was well represented.   The class has written to Semaine Olympique Francaise requesting a relaxation of the eligibility criteria, however we are yet to receive a reply.  Regardless of the response, we are hopeful that a good fleet of SKUDs will participate in April 2011.  We hope that teams from FRA, ESP, ITA, NED, GBR, IRL and possibly POL will enter, in addition to some non-European teams who have their boats in Europe.    Sail Melbourne in December should have 6 or more SKUDs competing.  Discussion is also underway to include SKUDs in the Sydney International Regatta earlier in the month.  SKUDs are also invited to compete in the Access Class Asia-Pacific and Australian Championships that will be held in Perth over Easter 2011.  Sail Melbourne in 2011 will be held in November next year to avoid a clash with the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth.   Rolex Miami OCR – Good entries are expected for the 2011 event.   Please let us know if you are planning to enter any of these events so we can update the organisers and other interested teams.   Website: www.skud.org SKUD 18 news, event reports, images and information about class rules, additional equipment applications and an event calendar is available on www.skud.org.  The class will now have a ‘classifieds’ section would enable owners to advertise boats and equipment for sale or wanted.  We would also encourage owners, sailors and coaches to provide content in the form of news stories, event reports, tips etc that can help keep www.skud.org up to date and interesting.  Please forward your advertisement and content to david@skud.org.                                                                                                                                                       Gunwale Modification With the appearance and success of the MkII SKUDs at recent events, there has been renewed discussion about modifying the gunwale on MkI boats.   While any performance benefit is uncertain, the Committee would like to make it clear that boats with gunwale modifications approved by the Technical Officer Gene Hinkel will meet measurement requirements in that regard.  We would also highlight that the modification is not a requirement.  Chris Mitchell has produced a set of instructions for the modification procedure and these are available below.                                                      Depending on the level of interest and the ability to get a number of MkI boats together in one place whose owners want to modify gunwales, Chris and Gene have offered to supervise and assist.  This would be done in Florida after the 2011 Miami OCR and before the Disabled Midwinters.  Owners would need to meet the cost of materials and reasonable expenses, and provide assistance.  If you are interested in this opportunity and could get your boat to Miami next January, let David know.   SKUD Sails After two events to test out the MkII sails from Horizon, there are few changes in process: The jib has been re-cut and is now closer to the MkI style.  Those who have received the early suits of Horizon sails will have their jibs replaced Mains from now on will come with a lighter, more flexible battens Owners wanting to recut MkI sails to suit a MkII mast now have instructions available below It should be noted that full measurement of sails and battens will start in 2012   Buoyancy Chris Mitchell has provided a Buoyancy Update (see below) that all owners should read and consider.  The SKUD 18 Class recommends that all boats have 450kg of buoyancy secured within the hull cavity in the form of styrene or polyethylene ‘noodles’.    If you have any questions for the SKUD 18 Committee regarding the above, please email myself or David Staley.   Regards   Scott Whitman President, SKUD 18 Committee Email: scottnj@gmail.com   Other Links   SKUD Committee Nomination Form   Draft SKUD 18 Rules Update   Gunwale Modification Instructions   Recut of MkI Sails for MkII Mast   SKUD Buoyancy Update

Dan Fitzgibbon & Rachael Cox (AUS) have won Skandia Sail For Gold Photograph:World Wide Images Event Media & Craig Heydon as amended by IACA, Monday, 16 August 2010 Fitzgibbon & Cox win in Weymouth The Australian Sailing Team went home laden with gold after an astonishing week of racing in Weymouth Bay – the 2012 Olympic venue. The Aussies picked up gold in four classes including the SKUD 18 that was won by Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox.   The venue, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, is the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing venue and it threw everything at the competitors this week.   The pair dominated the SKUD 18 fleet in just their second regatta together since the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, winning seven of the event’s 10 races to take a 3.7 point victory over the World Champion Great Britain crew of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell.  John McRoberts and Brenda Hopkin from Canada were third.   “We’re both thrilled that we won this regatta, it’s our breakthrough win and we’re really happy with the result,” said skipper Fitzgibbon. “I think we’re sailing better now than we did at the Paralympic Games, we’re trying to get better at every regatta, we were better at this regatta than we were at the last and we’re moving forward well.”   Cox was equally happy with the win, just a couple of weeks after their Bronze medal at the 2010 IFDS World Championship.   “We had a great day today, it was good to be putting into place all the things we learnt in Holland,” said Cox. “It was fantastic to finish this trip on a really high note.”   Fitzgibbon and Cox won the opening race of the day before finishing the regatta with a second, a great finale to a busy two months in Europe. Other Links   Event Website Dan Fitzgibbon & Rachael Cox (AUS) receive their gold medals at Skandia Sail For Gold Dan Fitzgibbon & Rachael Cox (AUS) have won the 2010 SKUD 18 competition at Skandia Sail For Gold Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) were second at Skandia Sail For Gold John McRoberts & Brenda Hopkin (CAN) were third at Skandia Sail For Gold

Australia leads SKUD 18s in Weymouth Photograph:World Wide Images Craig Heydon as amended by IACA, Thursday, 12 August 2010 SKUD 18s Racing at Sail For Gold Day three of the 2010 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta turned on much more favourable conditions for sailors with moderate breeze and clear skies allowing the fleets to catch up on racing lost on Tuesday.   Australian sailors had another strong day on the water at the final round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth, England, with race wins in the SKUD 18 and four other classes.   2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Silver medalists Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox were the standout performers of the day, winning all three SKUD 18 races to open up a three point lead over the second placed World Champions from Great Britain, Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell after starting the day tied for the lead.   “Rachael and I had an awesome day with three bullets, we had some consistent wins which was awesome,” said skipper Fitzgibbon. “The English crew are World Champions and have set a benchmark for what we’re aiming at and we had some really good racing with them today.”   “We not doing anything different out there, just working on a lot of things that we’ve talked about and the little things and slowly it’s all coming together and getting better for us,” he said. “I think we’re sailing better now than we did at the World Championships last month where we were a bit underprepared as we hadn’t sailed for a while but things are starting to come together for us now.”   John McRoberts and Brenda Hopkin from Canada are in third place.   Racing continues until Saturday. Other Links   Event Website Daniel Fitzgibbon & Rachael Cox (AUS) lead the SKUD 18s in Weymouth after Day 3 Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell are second after Day 3 in Weymouth John McRoberts & Brenda Hopkin are third after Day 3 in Weymouth

Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) have won the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik Photograph:Sander van der Borch David Staley, Thursday, 15 July 2010 GBR wins IFDS World Championship in SKUD 18 Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell from Great Britain have won the IFDS 2010 World in Medemblik, Netherlands. Today proved they can also play the game with stronger wind, but they had to fight hard for it. The first race was a neck and neck battle with New Zealand, two Australian teams and the USA.  They all took it up to Rickham & Birrell and they finished fifth, their lowest score for the regatta.   In the second race Rickham & Birrell were sailing for gold and finished fourth - good enough the World title. Two points behind were Scott Whitman & Julia Dorsett (USA), who sailed an extremely consistent regatta to claim the Silver Medal. Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox (AUS) won both races today to secure the Bronze position.   The stronger winds on the final day clearly favoured the Australasian teams. Tim Dempsey & Jan Apel (NZL) have been feeling their way through their first major international regatta but revelled in the fresher breezes. Likewise for the second ranked Australian team of Ame Barnbrook & Lindsay Mason who have not competed internationally since the 2008 IFDS SKUD Worlds in Singapore.   Malaysia was another team who put in a very strong regatta in the generally light conditions, only dropping back to 8th after a couple of races in the heavier air.   The 2010 IFDS World Championships were the first Nations Qualifier for the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition. With GBR already guaranteed a spot as the host nation, the next top six nations (USA, AUS, CAN, SIN, MAS & NZL) should expect an invitation to compete in Weymouth in two years time.   For full results, daily video bulletins and some great photographs, visit the event website.     Other Links   Event Website Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) have won the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) had to work hard on the final day to win the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik Scott Whitman & Julia Dorsett (USA) finished second in the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik Dan Fitzgibbon & Rachael Cox finished third in the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik A New Zealand SKUD 18 debut. Tim Dempsey and Jan Apel in Medemblik Colourful racing in the SKUD 18s in Medemblik Ame Barnbrook & Lindsay Mason (AUS) were strong on the final day in Medemblik Vera Voorbach & Arend Pet (NED) - Netherlands makes its SKUD 18 competition debut on home water Norhanisah Che Aziz & Al Mustakim Matrin (MAS) sailed well in the generally light airs Ignacio Robles & Nuria Cueva (ESP) - Spain's first competition in the SKUD 18 SKUD 18 Start Line in Medemblik Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) have won the 2010 IFDS Two-Person Keelboat World Championship in Medemblik

French Nationals 2010 at Vichy Photograph:La Voile Ensemble Cedric Castaldi, Thursday, 1 July 2010 French National Access Class Championships 2010 at Vichy - FRA The French Access Class Association are very appreciative of the efforts by the organisers in Vichy to conduct the 2010 National Championships and thank all volunteers and the sailors who had travelled to the event.   While southern France was experiencing devastating floods, the thermometer in Vichy showed only 5 degrees on the Sunday morning. Sailors had the pleasure to see the sun two times for 10 minutes on the weekend and sailed in either very light or very fresh conditions, often with rain.   For the 7th French Nationals, 35 sailors participated including 4 from Australia.   The Access 2.3 Solo was the largest fleet with 13 participants. Australian coach, Chris Ruston ( AUS) finished first overall with Barry Coates (AUS) second and Patrick Parrot (CV Bordeaux) the first French sailor.   In the two-person Access 303 with 7 teams, Frederic Magnier and Jerome Grumetz (CEV of SEA Berck) were first, followed by Michelle Germain / Gerard Acker and Cedric Castaldi / Clementine Breniaux (CYVGL).   In the Access 2.3 two-person fleet, 4 crews came from CEV Berck. Jean Luc Ravaut and Philippe Dram won the title after having dominated the competition. Other Links   Results Link   Photo Library   La Voile Ensemble Website French Nationals 2010 at Vichy

The Access Class Combined World Championships have concluded in the UK Photograph:David Staley David Staley, Saturday, 12 June 2010 Champions Decided at 2010 Access Worlds One final race for each of the five divisions was sailed today in a moderate breeze to conclude the Bruce Wake 2010 Access Class Worlds and SKUD18 International Championships at Rutland Sailing Club.   The winners of the two-person divisions sailed this morning had already been decided before the start. Zoltan Pegan / Eva Mircsev (HUN) had posted 4 wins from 7 heats in the Access 303 and Alexandra Rickham / Niki Birrell won every race over the past 4 days in the SKUD 18s.   Placings for the SKUD 18 podium were also fairly certain as the Michael Cogswell / Liz Foreman (GBR) and Jean Claude Mirc / Gerard Eychenne (FRA) had finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in 3 of the week’s races and had established positions on the leader-board. Rickham & Birrell relaxed a little today, enabling Cogswell & Foreman to post a race win. The French team finished back in 5th place this morning but it was enough for them to hold on to the final podium spot.   The 303 two-person competition for 2nd and 3rd was still open going in to the last race. Kenji Sasahara / Yumiko Suzuki (JPN) had maintained their 2nd position since day two but their 8th today dropped them back to 3rd overall, while Andy Garcia/Ian McNair (GBR) moved up a place. Eiko Takashita / Reiko Kato (JPN), another of the 4 Japanese teams contesting this division, won the final heat.    The breeze lightened off a little for the afternoon session in the single-person classes. While Angus MacGregor (AUS) secured his Access 2.3 World Championship yesterday by taking another two wins and building a massive 13 point lead, Monique Foster (GBR) and Bruno Pereira (POR) were one point apart last night but a protest hearing went against Pereira and his 6th today was only enough for the Bronze medal.    Two other Portugese sailors finished in the top ten, a great result for a country that only conducted its first National Access Class Championships this year. The APCA selected their top 5 competitors from the event to travel to Rutland to contest the Worlds.   In the Access 303, Zoltan Pegan (HUN) overnight held a single point margin over Chris Ruston (AUS) who was 4 points clear of Gerard Eychenne (FRA). Ruston finished two places adrift of the Frenchman, but it was enough.   “I was not prepared to take on Zoltan today and risk it all”, said the Australian. “I was happy to stay close to Gerard and make sure I held my overall position”.   Magali Moraines (FRA) led the Liberty fleet into the final day from two Australians, Chris Cook and Barry Coates. Cook took the race win, but with Moraines following him across the line, the Championship went to France, with Australians in 2 and 3.   In the Servo divisions, Melvin Kinnear (GBR) had dropped back to third in the Liberty last night but his win today elevated him to equal points with Wilma van den Broek (NED. The tie break went in favour of Kinnear, with one more win during the week. Vera Voorbach (NED) was third. Martin Waller (AUS) won in the Access 2.3 servo.   Rutland Sailing Club and the volunteers of Rutland Sailability have made competitors welcome and comfortable ashore, and the race management team led by PRO Ralph Tingle has done an excellent job in at times difficult conditions. Along with the UK Access Class Association volunteers, they were thanked by IACA President Terry Peek at the presentations ceremony where the major prizes were awarded by Penny Wake for the major event sponsor, the Bruce Wake Trust.    It was also announced that the next Access Class Combined World Championships will be held at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney, Australia in April 2012. Other Links   Event Website   Results   Fotoboat Photos Angus MacGregor (AUS) 2010 Access 2.3 Open World Champion Monique Foster (GBR) was very happy with second place in the World Championships Zoltan Pegan (HUN) has won the Access 303 Single Person World Championship Magali Moraines (FRA) has fought hard all week and has won the Access Liberty Open World Championship Melvin Kinnear (GBR) has won the Access Liberty Servo World Championship Zoltan Pegan & Eva Mircsev (HUN) have won back to back World Championships in the Access 303 Two Person class Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (GBR) have won the 2010 SKUD 18 International Championship The Access Class Combined World Championships have concluded in the UK

Royal Perth Yacht Club - Host to the 2011 Australian & Asia-Pacific Access Class Championships Photograph:David Staley David Staley, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 Royal Perth Yacht Club to host Access Class Championships (AUS) The Australian and International Access Class Associations have just announced the 2011 Australian Access Class Championships will be held concurrently with the Asia-Pacific Championships.  The combined events will be hosted by Royal Perth Yacht Club in Western Australia during Easter, from Friday April 22 through Monday April 25 next year.   RPYC host the annual State Access Class Championships and have a strong Sailability program.  The Club has also conducted a variety of World and Australian Championships over the years for a range of classes, and hosted the 2006 IFDS World Championships. The State’s premier keelboat club, RPYC is located on the beautiful Swan River close to Perth’s CBD, has a large and accessible clubhouse and a modern floating marina.   Competitors will be arriving from most Australian States along with sailors from New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.  Single-person competition will be held in the Access 2.3, 303 and Liberty classes.  Two-person competition will be held in the Access 303 and SKUD 18.    Whilst conducted as an open event, the majority of sailors competing in the Access Championships have some form of disability, many using wheelchairs for mobility ashore.  But once afloat, their speed and tactics match any able-bodied competitor.  Several aspiring Paralympians and past Access Class Champions are sure to be in Perth for the event.    Access sailors of all ages and abilities from around the region will now be looking forward to competing in Perth and enjoying in the moderate autumn breeze conditions.  Competitors from Japan have already confirmed they will be attending, so it is hoped that international entries will provide a strong boost to the Championships fleet.   The Official Notice of Race is now being developed and this should be available in early September.  Look out for information on the class website www.accessclass.org or visit the Royal Perth Yacht Club website www.rpyc.com.au.     For information in the meantime, contact:   Australian Access Class Association David Staley: david@accessclass.org / +61 3 9768 3101   Royal Perth Yacht Club Graeme Handley: boatingoperations@rpyc.com.au / +61 8 9389 1555 Other Links   Royal Perth Yacht Club Royal Perth Yacht Club - Host to the 2011 Australian & Asia-Pacific Access Class Championships Royal Perth Yacht Club Dock Facilities Access 2.3s racing at the 2010 Australian Championships Access 303s racing at the 2010 Australian Championships Access Liberties racing at the 2010 Australian Championships SKUD 18s racing at the 2010 Australian Championships