New Zealand team has been under speculation lately because of their bad results in the previous outing at Cardiff. The team made a great comeback over a fortnight of the dismal performance in the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul. It was a sense of surprise for all the teams as well as the fans as Dean Barker’s crew fought hard to make amendments to their last position finish in the Cardiff. This comeback was written on the cards as the team was just at the loss of form. In the opening day of the Extreme Sailing Series the Emirates team from New Zealand found themselves tied up at the 1^st position with the current defending champion of this series. It was a result which no one thought of at the start of this series. Currently the SAP Extreme Sailing team is on 2^nd position followed by the Red Bull Sailing team.

Dean Baker the skipper from the New Zealand team came out speaking to the press about the joys of this performance. He agreed that in Cardiff it was a tough time for the team but today it is a delightful feeling in coming out of waters leading. He also stated that the team’s main aim is to move forward in continuing with the form and is looking forward to carry this form for the rest of the event.

Not only the team ended their day on top of the charts but they even came out in recording the fastest speed among all the other teams in the fleet. Their average speed was recorded as 16.27 Knots when sailing downwind while sailing upwind the team maintained an average speed of 11.80 knots. This racing was held in open waters at the Marmara Sea at the entrance of Bosphorus. The start was good and it will be interesting to see whether the New Zealand team will be able to hold it up throughout.

Lifeboat volunteers used a grapnel and ropes to free a yacht that had trapped on Sunday on a lobster pot buoy in the Gerrans Bay. Falmouth inshore lifeboat was afloat looking after another incident off the St Anthony Lighthouse when it was turned aside at 5 pm on 17th August to help yacht Peerless II that had become entangled 2 miles south of Gull Rock.

A Falmouth RNLI spokesperson told that the inshore lifeboat attended on scene at 5.08 pm and saw that the rope from the lobster pot was caught around the yacht’s keel. Utilizing ropes as well as a grapnel the inshore lifeboat crew were able to finally retrieve the rope and free the boat. Once, at 6 pm, it was confirmed that there was no damage to the yacht, it was able to carry on its passage to Helford.

The statement added that the boat with 2 persons on board had been on passage to Helford when its keel had become caught on the lobster pot marker. With the weight of the yacht, their crew members were unable to free the line and they asked for help from the coastguard.

Meanwhile, the Torbay RNLI lifeboat went to the help a yacht which was taking on water seventeen miles off Brixham. On Monday, it was around 9.10 am that the alarm was raised by 2 yachts that saw spotted the vessel Seahawk in difficulties.

Without any fanfare, they have come to Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge; and at Opening Ceremony, they called themselves as the most humble squad at the regatta. They told the tale regarding how they skinned together funds for their thirty six hour flight to New York by wooing donations. They were really surprised at the generous sources whose given  amounts made their participation possible. Tonight at the regatta dinner, they are sponsored by a member of a local club.

In spite of all these, or probably because of it, they stay on the top of the standings after the first day. This dark horse squad is a bunch of sailors representing Royal Capt Yacht Club from South Africa. all of them have their dream about sailing in an international contest and today they are on the top with 5–2–1 finishes. Denmark’s The Royal Danish Yacht Club is in 2nd with a 4–4–2. In the 3rd, it was The Manhattan Yacht Club with a 1–9–3.

Dennis Conner passed the day seeing the races when entertaining different dignitaries. After sailing, all the squads gather ed on the 157 foot lovely yacht Arabella. The racing again starts tomorrow, but tonight is the Steak Dinner with Dennis Conner.

Meanwhile, athletes continue to take part in the “Ice Bucket Challenge” to assemble money and awareness for ALS research, and LeBron James has joined in. The Cleveland Cavaliers star completed the challenge on a yacht and he nominated his two kids and US President Barack Obama.