Yacht of the year 2009

Sometimes something happens in life where you know a bit of the history - the hard work,the ups and the downs and the heartache mixed with the triumphs. So I knew what it meant to Philippe Falle today when the Royal Ocean Racing Club named Puma Logic as its yacht of the year.

"It's the happiest day of my life," he declared on his Facebook page. I have known Philippe for many years since we sailed together on 3Com in the 1996/97 BT Global Challenge race. I last sailed with him on Puma Logic in the Round Britain and Island Race in 2006. What a ball-breaker that was.

He's a top class sailor and really should be helming or skippering at a much higher level. But he ploughs his own furrow and for the last few years he has concentrated on a sail training business, Sailing Logic, based in Southampton, taking novice sailors and building them in to winning crews. This year Puma Logic came second in IRC overall in the RORC championship.

Recognition means everything in sailing so it's great that RORC has given the boat this thoroughly deserved accolade. I hope it's a sign of bigger things to come.

First yachts home inside two days on Caribbean 600

Congratulations to the Royal Ocean Racing Club for having the guts to extend its stable of races at a difficult time for the yachting industry.

First over the line of the first Caribbean 600 was the trimaran, Guadeloupe Region, in 40 hours, 11 minutes, while ICAP Leopard, the 100ft British super maxi, was the first single-hulled yacht to finish, completing the course in 44 hours, 5 minutes, the 12th race record achieved by the yacht since its launch in 2007.

Mike Slade, owner of ICAP Leopard and Chief Executive of Helical Bar PLC, gave the race his stamp of approval: "The Caribbean 600 has been a really challenging race which deserves to be a classic, as it fits well with the Fastnet and the Sydney Hobart," he said.

The race, over a roughly triangular course, starts and finishes off Antigua’s English Harbour. RORC Caribbean 600 hopes become an annual fixture in the Caribbean racing season.