FLYING MONOHULLS, GREAT SYDNEY HOBART MOVIES AND MORE.

All are excited about the new monohull concept and only the ones that live in the past find those boats ugly or uninteresting. Above, on the movie, an interview with Grant Simmer the Australian that won 4 times the America's cup and that now is on the British team. You need only to look at his face, smiling like a kid, while talking about the new boat to understand that even great old salts just love the idea and cannot wait to try the new boat. 

Great news for the ones that are enjoying the big battle between Mapfre and Dongfeng on the VOR for the final victory: Dongfeng has already solved the problem on the keel ram mounting a new one and has its crew reinforced with a great sailor, a Swiss one, Justine Mettraux that substitutes the French Marie Riou. 

Marie Riou is certainly a very promising and talented sailor but her experience was with dinghy and small multihull Olympic classes (three times world champion on Nacra 17) while Mettraux has all her background on solo offshore monohull racing, solo, duo or with a crew. 

She was the first woman to make 2nd on the mini Transat, raced the last VOR on Sam Davies boat and recently finished the Jacques Vabre in 4th (class40 with B. Delesne), right behind Phil Sharp/P. Santurde. She made 7th on the last Solitaire du Figaro, just behind one of the best world sailors, Yan Elies leaving behind great sailors like Jeremie Beyou. She is one of those women that could be here on her own right and not because having women sailors aboard give an advantage on the VOR.



But that is just a minor change, the big one will be Pascal Bidégorry that has hurt himself on the sternum and has done part of the last leg in pain. Charles Caudrelier has asked his friend Franck Cammas to replace Pascal on the 4th leg. Bidégorry has done a great job but the guy that is going to replace him and will take care of the boat navigation has not only a special relation with almost all French sailors aboard as it is one of the best sailors on the planet, having already won a VOR. So watch out for Dongfenf on the next leg. I am very curious.

Whishing all a great New Year what better way to finish this one than with great movies with fast boats sailing on the last Sydney-Hobart and on the Solas Big Boat Challenge?