Artemis Racing's 2013 America's Cup Challenge. AC72 From moulds to the wing.

The first wing has already hit the wind near Valencia: 40 metres high, weighing just over a ton, manufactured using carbon moulds made in Italy. Persico is manufacturing the carbon moulds for the wing components. The parts are gigantic 20 metre-high pieces. In fact, when assembled, a wing is 40 meters high. The components for the first wing were moulded in Valencia at Future Fibres. The assembled wing has a surface area of 260 square meters and weighs just over one ton. Just few days ago, the wing was hoisted on a modified ORMA 60 trimaran used as a training boat, in Valencia - where the Swedish team Artemis Racing is headquartered. Now that the first wing has been launched, engineers at Persico Marine have gone back to work on the second wing.

Luna Rossa 34America's Cup: Grant Dalton Announcement About The Collaboration With Luna Rossa

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam turned bat-mobile after picking up an unexpected passenger close to the shore of Malaysia.

Deciding the Volvo Open 70 looked like a comfortable place to spend a few hours of downtime, a bat chose to rest its weary wings on Azzam’s big black mainsail.

“He joined us this morning, I think he got blown offshore,” skipper Ian Walker told “He basically attached himself to the mainsail and has survived a few tacks up there. He fell asleep on the reef point, and has been there for five or six hours.”

Despite being locked in a duel with CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand just a mile ahead, Walker said his team would take care of their visitor.

“I think he likes our black sails and Azzam’s falcon,” Walker added. “We will try and deliver him back towards shore tonight.”
volvooceanrace.com

Rapid repair keeps Abu Dhabi in the hunt

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have been fighting to close down the leading pack and get back in contention as the fleet negotiate the congested and unpredictable Malacca Strait.

Their efforts were dealt a frustrating blow this morning however when they had to drop their code zero headsail after discovering a mysterious tear in the massive sail when the sun came up this morning.

The sail was quickly pulled to the deck to avoid the rip getting any bigger before a posse of sailors including a concerned looking skipper Ian Walker assembled on the foredeck to assess the damage.

Happily for the Azzam crew the damage could be fixed on deck, without the aid of a sewing machine. After first drying and cleaning the area around the tear, the crew glued patches to both sides of the sail and, after checking for any other signs of wear, the code zero was soon re-hoisted and pulling.

Soon after, bowman Justin Slattery was hoisted up the mast to check on how the repair was holding up and to tidy up a loose edge on one side of the patch.

Walker said he was unsure how the sail had been damaged but suspected it may have snagged on the stiffening battens in one of the other headsails during a tacking maneuver during the night.

At the 1900 UTC position report Abu Dhabi remained in fifth place but had made some inroads on the leaders, reducing their deficit by 4 nautical miles (nm) to 36 nm.

volvooceanrace.com

Home Win for Abu Dhabi in Etihad Airways In-Port Race - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12

Boat Builders Wanted

Persico Marine is looking to recruit highly qualified boat builders for its growing activities. Prospective candidates should meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in prepreg, infusion techniques
• Punctual and focused
• Ability to contribute to a highly skilled building team
• Great attention to detail
• Ability to read construction drawings
• EU work permit preferred.

Work to be carried out in Bergamo in Northern Italy.
Remuneration package depending upon experience.
Candidates should forward their Curriculum Vitae to marine@persico.com

Leg 1 Start Summary - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 - Zinedine Zidane Goes Sailing

Alicante, Spain Keep up to date with all the action during the Leg 1 race start. Zinedine Zidane joined the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team on board their racing yacht Azzam at the start of the Volvo Ocean Race on Saturday, surviving a wet and wild inshore course, with winds gusting up to 30 knots, before jumping off backwards into the Mediterranean. Zidane later joined the team for the start of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, which began with a fast and furious race close to the shore, where 60,000 fans were gathered.