The second and final day of the Yacht Racing Forum had an impact on the idea of popularizing the world of sailing, analysed the risks of navigation in flying multihull, discussed the evolution of match- racing and drew the future of sport.

The second round of the Yacht Racing Forum 2016 continued to analyze business and marketing in the competition candle, and added the sensitive issue of risk management and security. About 30 speakers and an intense conference program left a battery of opinions about what it is, what it should be and what it will be the candle in the coming years. The day began with an interesting presentation by Ken Read, President of North Sails, who invited the sector to recover 20-35 year-olds who have stopped sailing, to get more participation from women and to take care of amateur navigation with the long-term objective of creating more potential shipowners. Another interesting block of the day was the risk and safety management, factors that have increased their importance with the arrival and popularization of the foils and the flying ships. The ships are increasingly fast and potentially dangerous, and the attendees pointed out how these risks can be limited to preserve the integrity of the participants. The program fired with an impressive final panel that brought together Ken Read, American Cup Champion Ed Baird, Volvo Ocean Race Director Mark Turner, designer Juan Kouyoumdjian and World Sailing Alastair Fox, who openly expressed their views on the sector.

The Yacht Racing Forum special prize was for the author of this exceptional photograph, the Mallorcan Nico Martínez. For the Vizcadno Luis Fernández the third prize. The Spanish professionals were certainly at the highest level.

Volvo Ocean Race News
Mark Turner was accompanied on the forum by Phil Lawrence, regatta director of the Volvo Ocean Race. Among the brushes they left on the novelties of the race, he highlighted the possible incorporation of ocean multicasches or monocascos with foils, both radical changes to keep the event at the forefront of ocean navigation. This decision is a fundamental part of a ten-year plan they are working on and will have to be defined in the coming weeks.

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2016 Award: Nico Martínez and Luis Fernández awarded
The program of the day included the announcement of the winner of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2016, French Jean-Marie Liot, with a photograph of the IMOCA 60 Safran by Morgan Lagrière literally swallowed by a wave in his preparation of the current Vendée Globe. The Yacht Racing Forum special prize, awarded by direct vote of the forum participants and attendees to the World Sailing annual conference, was for the Mallorquín Nico Martínez. Third was Luís Fernández.

First day 28 / 11 / 2016

The opening day of the Yacht Racing Forum 2016 in Malta has had half a hundred speakers and an intense programme in which a number of issues of interest to the sector have been discussed. Among the topics discussed in the module on business and marketing, they have highlighted the presence of sailing on television and on social networks, sponsorship and their return, the lessons learned in the JJ.OO. of Rio 2016, sustainability, challenges and opportunities offered by sailing events. In the design and technology module, navigation on foils has concentrated much of the day, but it has also been discussed on the application of new materials and technologies. The surprise of the day was the live connection with Alex Thomson, the IMOCA pattern 60Hugo Bosswhich currently occupies the second position in the Vendée Globe race after overcoming the Cape of Good Hope. The British confessed that "I couldn't go back to sailing an IMOCA without foils.. "

The Yacht Racing Forum began in Malta. About 300 attendees have participated in the two modules around which this first day has been articulated: business and marketing, design and technology. The conferences have left interesting data and phrases from the speakers that define the present of the competition candle and suggest its future.

The Yacht Racing Forum is a forum designed for competition sailing professionals from around the world to share their ideas, projects and experiences. Although the conclusions and opinions generated during the event are not official in nature, they lay the foundations on which the future of the sector will develop. Since its first edition in 2008, it has been organized at the end of the European race season. It has a travelling character, and every year it chooses an emblematic place for its celebration. He has already visited cities such as Geneva, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Estoril or Monaco. Its ninth edition will be held at the emblematic Grand Excelsior hotel in Malta on 28 and 29 November. More than 250 delegates have confirmed their attendance, including 25 representatives of specialized media. Major event organizers, teams, sponsors, agencies, journalists, insurance companies, designers and regatists from around the world participate. The list of speakers includes references of different facets of the sailing industry, such as Ken Read, Mark Turner, Andy Hunt, Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, Mike Gascoyne, Tucker Thompson, Andrew Hurst, Leslie Greenhalch, Wouter Verbraak, Ed Baird or Jordi Neves. The program is divided into three main blocks: Business and Marketing; Design and Technology; Risk and Security Management. The topics to be addressed include: the present and future of competition sailing, television sailing, the use of social networks, commercial strategies for small and medium-sized events, sustainability, navigation with foils, integration of new materials in the design process, insurance, innovation in design and manufacture of candles, risk and responsibility, regulation to ensure crew safety, etc.