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Update from the 5 Oceans Race:
It was only Wednesday that we were all engrossed in a fast and furious battle between bitter rivals Alex Thomson (HUGO BOSS) and Mike Golding (ECOVER), jostling constantly for second place, neck and neck, at times only separated by only one mile. The first cruel blow was struck at 0300 GMT on Thursday morning when Alex Thomson capsized as a result of severe structural damage to the top of his keel. By 1100 GMT, the young British skipper was forced to make the devastating and crushing decision to abandon ship as the damage was deemed irreparable and an immediate threat to his security.

Meanwhile Mike Golding, some 70 miles to the east, was experiencing some of the best sailing of his career, breaking his personal record for a top speed by hitting 32 knots and covering 446 miles in 24 hours, further closing the gap on leader Bernard Stamm (CHEMINEES POUJOULAT). However, once the FICO World Champion received the call from race control that Thomson was in trouble, Golding didn't hesitate to immediately turn back and race towards HUGO BOSS as fast as possible, his focus shifted instantly from racing to rescue. This meant battling into strong headwinds and big seas to get to Thomson as quickly as possible in a race against the oncoming weather and the onset of darkness. The game had completely changed.

Although Golding made contact with Thomson on Thursday evening around 2030 GMT in typical Southern Ocean conditions of sleet and snow, it was jointly agreed to undertake the dangerous sea rescue and transfer at first light on Friday morning. Golding spent a nervous evening preparing himself and the boat for one of the toughest challenges in offshore racing.

At 0500 GMT Alex Thomson bid a tearful farewell to HUGO BOSS, his boat for three years, and jumped into his life raft, wearing his survival suit. Despite a well formulated plan from the two experienced sailors, the rescue was plagued by engine problems on ECOVER and 15 foot swell, making manoeuvring close to impossible for Golding. Finally, after four desperate attempts, Thomson stepped aboard ECOVER to much huge relief from both Brits. After dressing a hand wound that Alex picked up during the rescue, the rivals turned partners prepared to head back on course to Fremantle.

However, lady luck had not dealt her last cruel blow to these two skippers. At 1150 GMT on Friday, Mike and Alex were enjoying a much needed whisky coffee when a 40 knot icy gust blasted over the boat. They heard an incredible bang and rushed outside to see what was happening. They arrived on deck just in time to watch the top of the mast shatter before their eyes. Devastated by the damage, Golding turned to make best speed towards Cape Town. ECOVER now has two drained, very exhausted skippers on board this morning. An extremely long night saw work going on until they could do no more. With a staysail set only in 30-40knots of wind and extreme cold, they have been making steady progress on a course between north and 030 degrees.

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Create your own radio station online based on your musical tastes. Pop in a band that you like and Pandora will find similar artists and play their music for you for free! Enjoy the site now as I have seen similar sites come and go. Maybe this one will last. Check it here.

'Shark Park," a spot miles offshore Santa Barbara County, looked deceptively placid.

On the deck of the 75-foot Condor Express, 10 seasoned surfers, six photographers, two videographers, two writers, a medic and a water rescue specialist watched earlier this month to see if it was big enough to break. There was a palpable sense that maybe they'd be out of luck.
But peering out over the surface of the sea as it rippled slightly like a rustling teal blanket in the early morning light, they focused on a set of waves racing toward the submerged rock reef, wondering if it would break.
Pointing at one wave as it bunched up on the reef, Dan Curry, a 46-year-old, barrel-chested, Carmel-baseed big-wave surfer and personal trainer, muttered, "There it is."
The wave warped ominously, jacking up as high as a four-story building half a city block long before the wall of water curved over, exploding in a thundering cavernous barrel. Sounding like a jet engine on overdrive, the explosion of white water sent a concussion of rippling "wavelets" as big as six feet into the channel.
Mr. Curry and the other surfers smiled.

They knew as the tide dropped, the waves would get even better, bigger and hollow.
With sea lions swirling through the clear water, the surfers on the Condor scurried to get into their wetsuits, beginning what would turn out to be a full day of epic surf in perfect conditions on a wave that had just been discovered. The Feb. 7 expedition to Shark Park -- given the ominous name because of its proximity to a spot where a sea urchin diver was killed by a Great White several years ago -- was part of a six-year effort by Montecito-based photographer and filmmaker Greg Huglin.
Since 2000 Mr. Huglin -- known to many as "Huggie" -- has been scouting distant offshore locales looking for the next Peahi or Mavericks or Cortes Banks. He was looking for a spot that can hold massive waves, possibly even the elusive crown jewel of this emerging extreme sport -- "the 100-foot wave."
In the last few years, big-wave surfing has made quantum leaps, as surfers began to use Jet Skis and Waverunners to tow themselves into ever bigger waves, double and triple the size of anything ridden before. Waves in excess of 50 feet cannot be paddled into, and tow-in surfing has become the next frontier for big-wave riders.

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With a top speed of 33 mph, these cats can fly. Needless to say, the Tornado is a very fast cat! For the vid, click here.

Checkout the most famous photos ever snapped. Click away.

The Orange Project trimaran capsized last night at 0024 (French time) in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 600 miles north-west of the Azores. At 0945 this morning, the Russian tanker Okhta Bridge, which was making progress towards Stève after having received the distress signal emitted by the Norfolk (USA) MRCC. The rescue operation has been a tricky one, and Stève was in a state of shock, but he's now safe and sound, en route towards the South of England where he should step ashore on 13 November. Having survived his capsize but also a particularly hazardous rescue operation, Ravussin said: "I've had three lives today".

The usually lively and enthusiast Swiss skipper is clearly still in shock. His trimaran, Orange Project, flipped over last night in heavy conditions - 35 knots of wind and short but steep waves. After a forced technical pit stop in the Azores last week, he was free from any result-related pressure, and was as he confessed sailing conservatively, with two reefs in the main and the Solent, ballasts filled in order to help the boat remain flat. While he was on the foredeck, busy tying up his gennaker to the net, the autopilot suddenly failed and the trimaran started luffing… Stève ran to the cockpit, but another pilot failure made the boat bear away violently this time! Nose-diving was unavoidable, the transoms were soon up in the air, the masthead came crashing into the sea…

"The protection structure installed by Lalou Roucayrol (previous skipper of the boat, then named Banque Populaire) around the helmsman seat saved my life, Stève says. When the boat pitch-poled, I hung on to it, not knowing which way it would come down. The mast resistance prevented the total capsize for a moment, but eventually the boat ended up upside down. I found myself under the net. I was wearing my survival gear, which I had put on to shelter from the spray. I'm not a good swimmer, and I had to fight to keep my head out of the water. I saw my own death a first time… The crossbeam was on my back, and the swell, lifting the boat up, allowed me to breathe."

Stève found enough strength to climb up on the upturned boat. He then was able to turn his distress beacon on, and the signal was caught by the Maritime Rescue Center Control of Norfolk, USA. Norfolk then contacted the Route du Rhum organisers, and alerted the ships that were sailing in the area. The Okhta Bridge tanker, which was the closest, changed course and came to the rescue. Ironically enough, this ship belongs to the Sovcomflot company, which was Stève's sponsor last year in the Oops Cup.

Seeing the massive silhouette of a tanker getting dangerously closer surely is a scary experience… "The boat came 5 metres away from me," Stève recounts. I was tangled up in a mess of ropes, and I did not understand how the crew had planned to get me out of this trap. They tried to throw lines at me from the bow - I was right under it, and it culminated at 20 metres above the sea! I made myself a kind of harness, and managed to catch their rope. It was connected to an automatic winch, and when the crew thought I was properly tied, they turned the winch on, and I was dragged along the hull. I had kept with me a pair of scissors, which I used to cut all the ropes that were still tying me to the trimaran… I screamed like never before, I thought my end was near…"

Stève is now safe and sound, in the hands of the Russian crew. "They're incredibly kind and thoughtful. Physically, I'm fine. Mentally, I feel as if I've fired all my rounds, there's not much left…"

The boat is now drifting far away from inhabited lands. The beacon still sends a signal, giving its position to the maritime authorities. For the moment, recovering what will soon be nothing but a wreck is out of the question. "I wanted this Route du Rhum, I was prepared for it, and so was my whole team. It turned into a nightmare", adds Stève.

Orange, Stève's sponsor sent this message earlier today: "We're relieved to know that Stève is alive and well aboard the Russsian tanker that came to his rescue this morning. It's been a cruel Route du Rhum for him, we'd like to share his disappointment and salute his courage. The whole Orange staff wishes to thank him for the determination and moral qualities he displayed during this race."