We hope you enjoy the Dec/Jan edition of Club Marine Magazine, which is full of information about a wide variety of marine events scheduled to take place over the summer of 2005/06.

We are very much looking forward to the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet into Melbourne on or around January 17 – assuming they make it this far. News stories coming through as I write this column about the carnage that hit the VOR fleet in the early stages of the first leg of the race would suggest that their month in the sun, and on dry land, at the end of Leg 2 in Melbourne in January/February will be very much anticipated by all, none more so than the Australian crew on board the Brunel Sunergy entry.

Regardless of what shape the Volvo 70s are in by the time they arrive here, there is no question that the month-long festival being staged by the Melbourne Stopover Organising Committee, in association with Events Victoria and the City of Melbourne, will be a world-class, once-in-a-lifetime event. For a full schedule, go to www.melbournestopover.com.au.

Club Marine is the proud sponsor of the inaugural Club Marine Challenge Rally, which will raise funds for Challenge – Supporting Kids With Cancer. The rally is being held on Saturday, January 21, and will cater for a variety of participation options. The tall ship, James Craig will lead a procession of pleasurecraft, including trailerable power boats, motor cruisers and cruising yachts up Port Phillip Bay from Sorrento and there will be a series of keel boat races run around the bay at the same time. Everyone will eventually converge off Station Pier in what will be the largest-ever display of boats seen in Victorian waters. The flotilla will then proceed up the Yarra River and on to Docklands for an overnight celebration. Turn to page 33 for a comprehensive rally preview.

I am also watching with great interest the progress being made by the current world-champion crew onboard the 18ft skiff, Club Marine. Skipper, Euan McNichol and his crew were able to win the first round of the Club Championship on only the third occasion they sailed the new boat and at the time of writing are in second position in the NSW Championship – a truly remarkable feat. To keep track of Club Marine’s progress, click onto www.18footers.com.au.

Club Marine Insurance will also be aboard many of yachts, both large and small, taking part in the 2005 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race, and we look forward to what promises to be 628nm of action-packed adventure for those taking part. There is a real possibility of record times, with new super-maxis Wild Oats XI and Alfa Romeo expected to share the honours with experienced campaigners such as AAPT 2, Skandia and Konica Minolta.

It would be downright un- Australian to be doing anything else on Boxing Day but watching the start of the big race, either around Sydney Harbour, or on the box at home elsewhere around the country. Turn to page 38 for a comprehensive race preview, or log on to www.rolexsydneyhobart.com.

And just when I was hoping to relax after a big summer season, February brings the Club Marine Southern 80 Ski Race – the world’s biggest water ski race – to the Murray River on February 10-12. This event literally shatters the peaceful calm of the river country around Echuca/Moama for one weekend a year, with organisers expecting crowds upwards of 80,000 to witness teams negotiating 120 bends at average speeds in excess of 100mph. Go to www.southern80.com.au for more information.

As you can see, our calendar is pretty full, and I hope to have the chance to meet many of you, our readers, as I travel around the country over coming months. In the meantime, I would welcome any feedback about Club Marine Magazine or our insurance business, so please feel free to e-mail me at ceo@clubmarine.com.au.

Safe boating,

Mark Bradley
Publisher and CEO
Club Marine Limited