Latest news with #RoyalYachtSquadron
South Wales Argus
7 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Goodchild excited to race on home waters in The Ocean Race Europe
The 35-year-old, who lives in France but calls Falmouth home, is representing Team Biotherm in the 4,500-nautical mile multi-stage offshore race which began in Kiel this week and ends in Montenegro on September 20. The opening leg of the contest docks in Portsmouth on August 14, with the race departing from the Royal Yacht Squadron for leg two three days later. 'I'm definitely excited,' said Goodchild, who is joined in the boat by skipper Paul Meilhat, co-skipper Amelie Grassi, Jack Bouttell and Gauthier Le Boc. 'I have spent a lot of my racing life in France, as that is where the offshore racing world is based, but bringing these really cool boats which we sail around the world into Portsmouth is really exciting. 'I will catch up with some old faces and show them what we do, so I'm really looking forward to it and I am hoping there will be a good turnout!' Sam Goodchild will race in The Ocean Race Europe with Team Biotherm (Image: The Ocean Race Europe) Goodchild is one of seven Brits competing in the race this year but there are no UK-based teams, something he hopes can soon change. 'I enjoy France but I live out there for work,' he said. 'I have been over there for the last 10 years for sailing. 'I come back regularly and I still consider the UK home but being over there helps my career the most. 'If we can have more interest in sailing, more people sailing and more British sailors on the start line, that is definitely the direction I want it to go in.' Goodchild was part of the crew who finished second in The Ocean Race two years ago, a worldwide event. He feels he learned plenty from that experience as he targets success this time around. 'Two years ago, it was my first time sailing those sorts of boats so it was a learning curve,' he said. 'The race lasted six months as opposed to six weeks so it was a bit more of an endurance. 'This time, I have been racing in these sorts of boats for the last three or four years non-stop, which changes the whole scenario, so I am looking forward to the challenge. 'Of the seven crews here, they all have good sailors on and the level of competition will be very high, which is what we are looking for.' Sustainability is one of the key aspects of The Ocean Race Europe and it is also a topic close to the heart of Goodchild, who is aware of the impact taking part in a sport he loves can have on the climate. 'The whole team makes an effort as to what we can do to reduce our impact,' he said. 'We travel around Europe, which isn't great, but we try and do it by train, which takes a bit longer but it is nicer and more interesting. "In partnership with the Tara Foundation, we have also installed a microscope on board to capture microplankton for use by scientists (Eco Taxa Database), who then use and analyse the data. 'It is a big part of our sport at the moment, what we can do to reduce our impact, so we all have to do our bit.' Seven international teams, seven stopovers, 4,500 nautical miles, racing for the ocean. The Ocean Race Europe comes to Portsmouth 14 - 17 August - the city where the race first began in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race.
Rhyl Journal
7 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Goodchild excited to race on home waters in The Ocean Race Europe
The 35-year-old, who lives in France but calls Falmouth home, is representing Team Biotherm in the 4,500-nautical mile multi-stage offshore race which began in Kiel this week and ends in Montenegro on September 20. The opening leg of the contest docks in Portsmouth on August 14, with the race departing from the Royal Yacht Squadron for leg two three days later. 'I'm definitely excited,' said Goodchild, who is joined in the boat by skipper Paul Meilhat, co-skipper Amelie Grassi, Jack Bouttell and Gauthier Le Boc. 'I have spent a lot of my racing life in France, as that is where the offshore racing world is based, but bringing these really cool boats which we sail around the world into Portsmouth is really exciting. 'I will catch up with some old faces and show them what we do, so I'm really looking forward to it and I am hoping there will be a good turnout!' Sam Goodchild will race in The Ocean Race Europe with Team Biotherm (Image: The Ocean Race Europe) Goodchild is one of seven Brits competing in the race this year but there are no UK-based teams, something he hopes can soon change. 'I enjoy France but I live out there for work,' he said. 'I have been over there for the last 10 years for sailing. 'I come back regularly and I still consider the UK home but being over there helps my career the most. 'If we can have more interest in sailing, more people sailing and more British sailors on the start line, that is definitely the direction I want it to go in.' Goodchild was part of the crew who finished second in The Ocean Race two years ago, a worldwide event. He feels he learned plenty from that experience as he targets success this time around. 'Two years ago, it was my first time sailing those sorts of boats so it was a learning curve,' he said. 'The race lasted six months as opposed to six weeks so it was a bit more of an endurance. 'This time, I have been racing in these sorts of boats for the last three or four years non-stop, which changes the whole scenario, so I am looking forward to the challenge. 'Of the seven crews here, they all have good sailors on and the level of competition will be very high, which is what we are looking for.' Sustainability is one of the key aspects of The Ocean Race Europe and it is also a topic close to the heart of Goodchild, who is aware of the impact taking part in a sport he loves can have on the climate. 'The whole team makes an effort as to what we can do to reduce our impact,' he said. 'We travel around Europe, which isn't great, but we try and do it by train, which takes a bit longer but it is nicer and more interesting. "In partnership with the Tara Foundation, we have also installed a microscope on board to capture microplankton for use by scientists (Eco Taxa Database), who then use and analyse the data. 'It is a big part of our sport at the moment, what we can do to reduce our impact, so we all have to do our bit.' Seven international teams, seven stopovers, 4,500 nautical miles, racing for the ocean. The Ocean Race Europe comes to Portsmouth 14 - 17 August - the city where the race first began in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race.
Leader Live
7 days ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Goodchild excited to race on home waters in The Ocean Race Europe
The 35-year-old, who lives in France but calls Falmouth home, is representing Team Biotherm in the 4,500-nautical mile multi-stage offshore race which began in Kiel this week and ends in Montenegro on September 20. The opening leg of the contest docks in Portsmouth on August 14, with the race departing from the Royal Yacht Squadron for leg two three days later. 'I'm definitely excited,' said Goodchild, who is joined in the boat by skipper Paul Meilhat, co-skipper Amelie Grassi, Jack Bouttell and Gauthier Le Boc. 'I have spent a lot of my racing life in France, as that is where the offshore racing world is based, but bringing these really cool boats which we sail around the world into Portsmouth is really exciting. 'I will catch up with some old faces and show them what we do, so I'm really looking forward to it and I am hoping there will be a good turnout!' Sam Goodchild will race in The Ocean Race Europe with Team Biotherm (Image: The Ocean Race Europe) Goodchild is one of seven Brits competing in the race this year but there are no UK-based teams, something he hopes can soon change. 'I enjoy France but I live out there for work,' he said. 'I have been over there for the last 10 years for sailing. 'I come back regularly and I still consider the UK home but being over there helps my career the most. 'If we can have more interest in sailing, more people sailing and more British sailors on the start line, that is definitely the direction I want it to go in.' Goodchild was part of the crew who finished second in The Ocean Race two years ago, a worldwide event. He feels he learned plenty from that experience as he targets success this time around. 'Two years ago, it was my first time sailing those sorts of boats so it was a learning curve,' he said. 'The race lasted six months as opposed to six weeks so it was a bit more of an endurance. 'This time, I have been racing in these sorts of boats for the last three or four years non-stop, which changes the whole scenario, so I am looking forward to the challenge. 'Of the seven crews here, they all have good sailors on and the level of competition will be very high, which is what we are looking for.' Sustainability is one of the key aspects of The Ocean Race Europe and it is also a topic close to the heart of Goodchild, who is aware of the impact taking part in a sport he loves can have on the climate. 'The whole team makes an effort as to what we can do to reduce our impact,' he said. 'We travel around Europe, which isn't great, but we try and do it by train, which takes a bit longer but it is nicer and more interesting. "In partnership with the Tara Foundation, we have also installed a microscope on board to capture microplankton for use by scientists (Eco Taxa Database), who then use and analyse the data. 'It is a big part of our sport at the moment, what we can do to reduce our impact, so we all have to do our bit.' Seven international teams, seven stopovers, 4,500 nautical miles, racing for the ocean. The Ocean Race Europe comes to Portsmouth 14 - 17 August - the city where the race first began in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
America's Cup: France's K-Challenge confirm intention to return following Naples host announcement
The America's Cup regatta will be held in the European spring and summer in 2027, with the Italian port city of Naples winning the bid for hosting rights. Naples has previously hosted legs in the America's Cup World Series in 2012 and 2013, but it will be the first time an Italian city has hosted the main regatta. Athens, Greece, was also widely reported to have launched a competitive bid for the regatta. The confirmation and announcement of the venue came more than a month earlier than the June 20 deadline set when the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron accepted the challenge of Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron, which again instated the Brits as Challenger of Record. While entry dates and requirements won't be made clear until the regatta protocol is released – which is also expected to be prior to June 20 – a joint statement from Kandler and co-chief executive Bruno Dubois hailed the hosting decision. 'This proximity is a real asset for our French team, which aims to participate in this 38th edition in line with what we initiated in the 37th. Whether for our fans who will want to travel, for our partners and their guests, or for the TV broadcasts of the regattas, which will not suffer from the time difference, the choice of Naples represents an undeniable advantage,' the statement said. 'With this announcement, we will be able to concretely move forward in seeking funding with our partners, so that a French challenger can be present in the oldest international competition and can fight to bring this prestigious trophy back to our country.' Earlier in the 2024 campaign, Kandler told Newstalk ZB's Jason Pine the French would not have been able to return to the America's Cup stage for the first time since 2017 had it not been hosted in Europe. Discover more The event in Barcelona proved to be a competitive regatta, with five challengers to Emirates Team New Zealand's crown, which the Kiwis ultimately defended. The French are the third challenger to publicly indicate their intention to return for the next cycle, along with Italy's Luna Rossa – who now have the benefit of challenging for the Auld Mug on home waters – and the UK's Athena Racing. American Magic are yet to publicly confirm their commitment, though skipper Terry Hutchinson said in an interview with Scuttlebutt Sailing News in January they were committed to continuing but were waiting to see how the regatta shaped up. Swiss syndicate Alinghi Red Bull Racing have indicated they don't intend to return for the 38th edition, though with entries yet to open, there is still an opportunity should the Swiss have a change of heart.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Major Robin Rising, Royal Marine who later breathed new life into the Royal Yacht Squadron
Major Robin Rising, who has died aged 90, spent 18 years in the Royal Marines before becoming secretary of the Royal Yacht Squadron, which he helped to turn into a modern yachting organisation. Rising was appointed secretary of the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1980 when Sir John Nicholson was Commodore and John Roome was Rear Commodore Yachting. The squadron was in a poor financial state and only Roome knew the squadron well; he later described it as the blind leading the blind, but the triumvirate brought a rush of dynamism and creative ideas. Rising's priority was to modernise the castle on West Cowes, the squadron's headquarters, by installing new heating and replacing the leaking sash windows, encouraging members to start going to the club again. Inheriting a part-time assistant and a part-time typist, he recruited a proper administrative staff and simplified the accounting system which used to take hours to reconcile each week. His new recruits were organised, cheerful, smart and energetic, and Rising's leadership soon generated an esprit de corps which made the castle a happier and more welcoming place. His relations with members were conducted with charm, mixed where necessary with polite firmness, and he maintained the highest standards, starting with his own immaculate dress. He was appointed LVO and retired in 2000. Robert 'Robin' Philip Rising was born on May 1 1934 in Bristol, where his father was a manager at British American Tobacco. From the age of four, after his parents' divorce, he was brought up by his mother with her parents in the New Forest, and at 13 he was sent to Pangbourne Nautical College, where he rose to be captain of sailing. In 1952, inspired by his uncle, Captain Humphrey Woods RM, who was killed in action in HMS Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate, he chose to do his National Service with the Royal Marines. In 1953, after landing craft training, Rising served two years in 2nd Raiding Squadron in Malta, and passed the Commando Course in 1955. With a cheque for £100 on his 21st birthday he bought a Firefly dinghy and towed it to races around the country behind a 1934 London taxi, and when appointed in 1956 to the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, he took both with him. Next, he commanded the 117-foot Ford-class patrol craft Ickford, attached to the amphibious warfare squadron based in Malta. For a passage from Plymouth to the Mediterranean, rather than risk the weather in the Atlantic, Rising endured the ribaldry of his fellow officers for taking Ickford through the French canals. Once in Malta, for his call on the admiral he was a rowed by two marines in Ickford's dinghy across Grand Harbour to the flagship. There the companion ladder's platform proved too high and Rising, having first handed up his sword was obliged to clamber up, under the eyes of the admiral and a ceremonial party. His operational task in Ickford was to reconnoitre ahead of the larger, slower landing craft and vector them onto their beach landing sites: being faster, Rising and his crew of Royal Marines often had the advantage of starting their 'runs ashore' a day or so before everyone else. In 1960 Rising became ADC to the Governor of Malta, Admiral Sir Guy Grantham, and in 1962 he became an instructor at the Commando Training Centre. He was one of the guards who mounted watch in Westminster Hall over Winston Churchill's coffin in 1965. He saw action, as adjutant of 45 Commando, in Dhala during the Aden Emergency, where, as a forward air controller, he called the RAF for strikes. Years later at dinner he met one of the pilots who recognised his voice. Rising was amphibious operations officer in the commando carrier Albion, and his final appointment was as amphibious plans officer on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia. In the Royal Marines and at the RYS, Rising was noted for always looking on the bright side of life: in retirement his dog walks took ages while he stopped to chat to those he had befriended. He married first, in 1961, Sarah Montgomery, and secondly, in 1993, Briony Lovell, who predeceased him in 2014. He is survived by three sons and a daughter of the first marriage. Major Robin Rising, born May 1 1934, died December 18 2024
