Francesco Schettino to appear before judge today Arrested on suspicion of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship Ignored order from coastguard to return to ship 'Offered to return to doomed cruise liner, but only to collect black box' 'Seen wrapped in a blanket on way to shore' 30 minutes before order to evacuate was given Seventh person was found dead in shipwrecked vessel, rescuers say this morning 35 Britons on board reported safe and well, more than 60 people injured, 29 still missing Reports Schettino was dining with passengers when the accident happened     The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, Francesco Schettino, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter The Costa Concordia's captain did abandon ship 'half an hour' before hundreds of his...

Qingdao first destination to sign up to sponsor third generation global race fleet. Clipper 13-14 set to become world's largest and longest race. 6 January 2012 - Clipper Ventures Plc announced at the London Boat Show today that it has signed a major sponsorship deal with Qingdao, host of the sailing events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, to continue its participation in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race through to 2016. Credit: Clipper - Clipper Ventures' chief executive, William Ward (right), and Qingdao Municipal Government Vice-Mayor, Wang Xiulin, at the signing ceremony in ChinaQingdao has fielded an entry and hosted the event since 2005 and has credited the Clipper Race with helping it not only prepare for hosting the Olympics but also in ...

08.01.2012 - An American luxury passenger line en route to the Seychelles is stranded in the Maldivian waters due to "piracy risk", while the passengers depart to the Seychelles through airline flights, as reported by Hawwa Lubna from the minivan news. Secretary General of Maldives Association of Yacht Agents (MAYA), Mohamed Ali, told Minivan News on Sunday that the passenger line had arrived on December 29 and was scheduled to leave the same day after a brief stop near Male'. However, he said the cruise captain had decided not to leave with the passengers on board due to "security reasons", as there have been several attacks by pirates near the Seychelles. "To avoid the risk, the 67 passengers on board were taken to Seyche...

Wednesday December 7, 2011 - 1300 UTC    .The full Volvo Ocean Race fleet is back together for the first time in over a month, after PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG limped into Cape Town with just days to spare before racing resumes in conditions that will once again test the teams to the limit. The six boats in the 2011-12 edition are preparing to rejoin battle over the weekend with the second of 10 in-port races on Saturday (1300 UTC) and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi on Sunday at the same time. Weather forecasts suggest the teams will be heading straight back into possible boat-breaking conditions in Leg 2, with the teams facing the prospect of beating upwind in up to 30-35 knots for the first 24 hours. That will raise uncomfortable memories for...

4 December 2011 - The paradox could not be ignored - a parade of historic vessels meandering down the Swan River as a symbolic launch to one of the most intense international sailing competitions of the decade. But, somehow, it seemed appropriate. The four-hour Parade of Sail was the centrepiece of yesterday's elaborate opening ceremony for the 2011 World Sailing Championships, in which about 1100 competitors from 78 countries will spend the next 16 days fighting for world titles and Olympic qualification. Seven vessels, each representing a local yacht or sailing club, carried the official championship flag for a leg of the journey. They also carried a part of WA's sailing heritage. It began with Royal Perth Yacht Club's 100-year-old gaff-rigged yacht Mercedes, followed by a 14-fo...

Nov 29th 11 By Rebecca Cahilly   Things have just gotten a little easier for yacht crew when it comes to visiting certain Caribbean islands. While immigration regulations remain strict the world over, these amendments will simplify the headache for captains and yacht agents - and just might entice owners and guests to try a once off-limit island this season.Crewmembers hailing from various countries around the world, other than the Netherlands, have historically been required to produce a Netherlands Antilles visa when visiting the Dutch Antilles. However, for the past five years, agencies have been working with the local government to allow these crew easier access, and their efforts have finally paid off. As of summer 2011, the islands of the Netherlands Antilles now acc...

24 November 2011 - A quartet of robots set out last week on a 300-plus day journey that will take them 33,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean - the longest voyage ever attempted by an unmanned sailing craft, according to various reports. BBC News reported last Friday that the four robots, which were created by an American company called Liquid Robotics, departed from the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on November 17. At first they will travel together before pairing off into groups of two, one of which will head to Australia and the other embarking en route to Japan in order to support a Mariana Trench dive. "During their 300-day journey, the surfboard-sized Wave Gliders… will collect vast amounts of real-time data on ocean conditions and bea...

  November 24, 2011 - 1400 UTC Leg 1 Day 20 - Record-breaking conditions and breakneck speeds were heating up a high-seas game of pursuit on Thursday as CAMPER pushed hard against Leg 1 leaders Telefónica, while Groupama faced yet another fateful tactical decision.Team Telefónica notched an impressive 548 nautical miles over one 24-hour period, averaging 22.8 knots. Never far behind, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand posted 546nm, an average of 22.7nm.While the teams were falling short of Ericsson 4's monohull record of 596.6nm set in the 20080-09 Volvo Ocean Race, they hit speeds as high as 28 knots -- more than 50kmh.CAMPER's Australian navigator Will Oxley said conditions were exhilarating, with the Volvo Open 70s finally showing what they are...

23 November 2011 - A helicopter pilot is lucky to be alive today ... after his bird went down while attempting to set up a massive Christmas Tree in New Zealand this morning ... and the whole thing was caught on tape. According to reports, the blades got tangled in some cables ... knocking the chopper into a tailspin ... and then the whole thing came crashing down to the ground. Miraculously, nobody on the ground was injured.   video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

November 23, 2011 - 1630 UTC Leg One Day 19   - The Volvo Ocean Race fleet are set for some high adrenaline action over the next two days with the three remaining boats hoping to ride a fast moving South Atlantic cold front all the way to the first leg finish in Cape Town. On board leader Team Telefónica, skippered by Spain's Iker Martínez, the crew have battened down the hatches ahead of the storm system, the first effects of which have already pushed their peak boat speed up to almost 30 knots. Diego Fructuoso/Team Telefonica/ - Team Telefonica during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. Despite travelling at breakneck speed navigator Andrew Cape says the crew and the boat are under c...