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Saturday 18th saw another exciting edition of RIOW Solo, Round the Isle of Wight single-handed, organised by Petit Bateau. With an excellent entry list of 28 boats, 26 crossed the start line and all bar the slowest boat in the fleet went round.

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It looks like this Easter could break the tradition of wet and windy misery that typifies this holiday in the UK. The entry list, updated as of the 7th of April shows 37 confirmed entrants 12 of which still need to qualify. A few are travelling from lands far away such as Italy and the US so I presume they will sail a single-handed leg as part of their delivery to qualify, others are closer, in France and the UK.

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In the old days the Ostar fleet would just disappear over the horizon from the start at Plymouth with nothing reported back until the finish. Then spotter planes would set off from Newport in the hope of getting the first glimpse of the leaders through the fog and a photograph for the newspapers to print the next day, or the next Sunday in the case of the Observer. The full results would not be known for a couple of months as the stragglers crossed in 40 or 50 days. The likes of Tabarly and Hasler were notorious non-communicators; only Chichester had a radio and a newspaper contract.

Imagine the Grand National steeple chase at Aintree being held at night with only the start and the finish lines illuminated, the last you hear or see on the commentary is ‘And they are off, they are crossing the Melling road for the first time’ then very much later the first exhausted horse crosses the finish line’ it looks like Red Rum, yes it’s Red Rum, a fantastic victory for Red Rum’.

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Unicredit Group Markets and Investment Bank London has nominated the Institute of Cancer Research Charity of the Year in support of Marco Nannini's OSTAR Charity challenge.

Marco will participate in the OSTAR, the single handed transatlantic yacht race from Plymouth, UK to Newport, R.I. in the US and, to date, has raised more than £12,000 with a ambitious aim of achieving £50,000.

Some of the world’s greatest sailors have taken part including; Eric Tabarly, Pete Goss, Loick Peyron, Francis Joyon, Mike Golding, Michel Desjoyeaux and Dame Ellen MacArthur.

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The Vendee Globe has clearly shown that the relationship between the solo sailor and the public has changed dramatically over the years. The solo skipper can hardly afford to set off like a hermit and be “alone at sea”.

Our East Coast correspondent Jerry Freeman, stumbled across two Ostar skippers preparing their boats in Suffolk Yacht Harbour, on the Orwell, at the weekend.

Now lets go back a few months. Solo sailors will recognise the scenario: it's the Christmas holidays and the next seasons campaign is being dreamt up, with a good sailing adventure book, a bottle of wine and roaring log fire.

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At this time of the year, feeling the first few splendidly warm rays of sunshine, I would guess spring is around the corner. So the announcement that the Ice Season is now open took me a little by surprise. I went skating in november and december and made a fool of myself at the Ice rink in Seven Sisters in north London, so this news must be coming from down under, although Australia is not exactly renowned for skating, what is it then?

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Vendeeglobe.org daily Traffic Rank Trend

The internet is sure a big place and to use an appropriate analogy, it is easy to feel like a drop in an ocean. Google, the number 1 site in the world, attracts 30% of the internet users which is over 1.5 billion people, that’s right we finally have more internet users than Chinese people.

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Pip Hidesley in Felixstowe after her 6,500 miles voyage from Uruguay

Today Hannah White announced she will enter the 13th edition of the OSTAR on a Figaro II named after her newly signed sponsor PureSolo, a new London-based music company.

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Tabarly's course, winner of the 1964 OSTAR. Click on image to view full screen

The North Atlantic is a physical oceanographer’s dream playground, all the toys are there to be measured, monitored and admired but sailing through it is a difficult task.