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Brought to you by Yachtworld.com Europe and Boats.com Europe, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to
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RORC Cowes-Cherbourg And Season's Points Championship
Photo of Davis Aisher (left) and Harry Heijst courtesy RORC. Click on image to enlarge.
The appalling weather that came to mainland Britain on Saturday closed some schools and resulted in over 80 severe weather warnings issued by the Environment Agency. So it was no surprise that the RORC fleet, which assembled on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line on Friday evening (5 September), was far less than the 52 original entries. 19 yachts completed the race and all of them should be praised for excellent seamanship; none of the yachts got into a situation which required any outside assistance.
Leading the fleet into Cherbourg to take the gun and win IRC Zero was David Aisher, sailing his Rogers 46 Yeoman XXXII in his last race as RORC Commodore.
Philippe Delaporte's J/122, Pen Azen, finished the series in fine style, winning IRC One and finishing top of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship, in Class and Overall.
However, Pen Azen was beaten into second place for the overall win in the Cherbourg Race by Harry Heijst's S&S 41, Winsome, which won the Cherbourg Trophy.
Another classic Sparkman and Stephens yacht won IRC Three; Paul Marsh's Olin Stephens One Tonner, Clarionet, rounded off the points series in fine style, winning the Jolie Brise Trophy and staying ahead of their rivals to clinch the IRC Three Season's Points Championship.
John Loden and Bernie Bingham had a great end to the series; winning the Two-Handed Class for the Cherbourg Race in the HOD 35 Psipsina and lifting the RORC Trophy.
The young crew from the RYA Keel boat programme won Class Super Zero on TP52, John Merricks II for the Cherbourg Race. Their participation in RORC racing this season should not be under estimated, the crew are all in their early twenties and many of them will be bright stars of the future. The RYA and the John Merricks Sailing Trust should be applauded for making it possible for them to gain such valuable experience. -- Louay Habib
Full results of The Cherbourg Race and the RORC Season's Points Championship are available at www.rorc.org
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.hotcapers.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Porto Cervo, Italy: The 19th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, concluded today with the announcement of the winners based on yesterday's overall results. The Race Committee and the forty competing Maxi yachts waited and prayed to the wind Gods on the waters off Sardinia's Costa Smeralda until 13.45, but the light and shifty breezes failed to reach more than an average of 2 knots of intensity and PRO Peter Craig was forced to abandon racing for the day.
Overall victory therefore went to George David's Rambler (USA), Ernesto Bertarelli's Numbers(SUI), Ranger (CAY ISL) and Lindsay Owen Jones' Magic Carpet2 (GBR) in the Racing, Mini Maxi, Cruising and Wally divisions respectively.
With Rambler and Alfa Romeo 3 the only competitors in the Racing division, the four days saw a constant leapfrogging between the two with the last to win taking control of the overall classification. Alfa Romeo owner Neville Crichton had confided in today's race as his last chance to seize victory but instead saw Rambler, with America's Cup strategist Ray Davies on board, take the top spot.
While Alfa Romeo 3 came in fourth in the Mini Maxi division it was Bertarelli's Numbers, whose crew included Ed Baird, Brad Butterworth and most of the America's Cup-winning Alinghi team, that dominated from the beginning and finished with a five point delta over second placed Rosebud/Team DYT (USA), owned by Roger Sturgeon. Jim Swartz's Moneypenny (USA), with America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veteran Paul Cayard aboard, took third place.
The J Class Ranger, a reproduction of the classic 1937-launched yacht of the same name, stormed to victory in the Cruising class with a clean run of bullets and an eleven point advantage over second-placed Hetairos (GER). Velsheda (GBR), the other competing J Class, took third place.
In the Wally class, which had eight competing yachts, L'Oreal President Lindsay Owen-Jones took first place with his Magic Carpet 2 (GBR) ahead of Irvine Laidlaw's Highland Fling X (GBR) and Thomas Bscher's Open Season (GER). The final overall classification shows just how close competition was in this division with only two points separating the top four boats.
Top-class racing continues at the YCCS next week with the Rolex Swan Cup in program from 8th to 14th September.
Overall Standings
Racing
1. Rambler, George David, USA, 6 points
2. Alfa Romeo, Neville Crichton, NZL, 6
Cruising
1. Ranger, Rsv Ltd, USA, 4
2. Hetairos, Rockport Limited, GER, 15
3. Velsheda, Tarbat Inv Ltd, GBR, 19
Mini Maxi
1. Numbers, Meyers/Bertarelli, USA, 4
2. Rosebud/Team Dyt, Roger Sturgeon, USA, 9
3. Moneypenny, Jim Swartz, USA, 10
Wally
1. Magic Carpet 2, Lindsay Owen-Jones, GBR, 11
2. Highland Fling X, Irvine Laidlaw, GBR, 12
3. Open Season, Thomas Bscher, GER, 13
www.yccs.it
www.regattanews.com
It Was Rigged: 2008 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
40 of the world's largest, fastest and most technologically advanced racing yachts competed in the 2008 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup off Costa Smeralda. Once again, the regatta turned out to be another impressive feat for Southern with all four division winners rigged by Southern Spars.
50% of the fleet were powered by a Southern Spars mast. Our congratulations to all competitors, particularly the division winners: Numbers, Rosebud/Team DYT, Moneypenny (Mini Maxi); Ranger, Hetairos, Velsheda (Cruising); Magic Carpet II (Wally); Rambler, and Alfa Romeo (Racing).
For more on Southern Spars: www.southernspars.com
The Lawsuit To Nowhere
Even attentive 'Buttheads who diligently have been paying attention to The Greatest Show on Earth, the three ring circus also known as the AC litigation (Commercial Division, Appellate Division, First Department, and now the main event in the third and most important ring, the New York Court of Appeals) may have forgotten about the AC sideshow in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, before District Judge Pauley. There amongst General Tom Thumb, The Fiji Mermaid and Chang and Eng, the Siamese Twins, Team New Zealand (TNZ) has been exhibiting the greatest oddity of them all, The Lawsuit to Nowhere, against Ernesto Bertarelli and his posse (SNG, ACM, et al.)
TNZ sued Ernesto, et al. in two separate actions. One was a state court action before Justice Cahn in the Commercial Division alleging damages from a breach of a contract embodied in some e-mails to hold AC 33 in 2009 and a second claim that Ernesto, et al. breached fiduciary duties owed to TNZ in the way they went about setting up AC 33. The second action was a pretty far out antitrust action against the same crew before Judge Pauley in the U.S. District Court. Because of the arbitration agreement in the AC 33 Protocol, Ernesto, et al. removed the state court case to the U.S. District Court, based upon the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). It was then assigned to Judge Pauley. TNZ moved to remand the state court action back to Justice Cahn and Ernesto, et al. moved to compel arbitration of everything before - (you guessed it) Ernesto's handpicked arbitrators.
After at least six sets of papers and a booster seat load of exhibits, Judge Pauley heard oral argument on September 5, 2008. Although Judge Pauley reserved and will write a decision, based upon the papers and the argument - and without going out on a limb with any predictions - it seems very likely that Judge Pauley will send everything to arbitration. It appears that TNZ's cases were rather poorly thought out, without much attention to trying to write around arbitration. While a party can always plead inconsistently, at some point inconsistency becomes incoherence. TNZ seems to be there, as over and over again opposing counsel was able to turn TNZ's factual allegations back upon TNZ to undercut key elements of TNZ's effort to avoid arbitration... -- the full text of this, the 28th(!) superb article by Cory Friedman on cutting through the AC legal thickets, is in our sister publication, see www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/
There's a New King in Town
St. Moritz, Switzerland: Mathieu Richard was crowned the 'King of the Mountain' today in St Moritz after beating Ian Williams 2-0 in a light wind final.
At 1130 this morning sailors, umpires and officials were sitting in the warmth of the cafe with their hot drinks and looking at a lake with not a breath of wind to be seen. Officials were making plans for the worst case scenario and working out the count back in case of no wind while everyone sat with their fingers crossed hoping the breeze would come in enough to get the racing under way.
Finally around lunch time the breeze arrived. It was barely visible on the lake but officials deemed it enough to race in. The first match of the day saw Ian Williams meet Adam Minoprio for a tough race in very shifty conditions.
In the second match between the two, Williams hit the start line with pace, and got the favoured pin end. He led comfortably around the course, and was able to fend off Minoprio who attempted to roll ahead down the final leg but couldn't quite make it. This win saw Ian Williams' Team Pindar progress to the final.
In the other semi final, Mathieu Richard was already one up against fellow Frenchman Philippe Presti after winning the first match yesterday. The wind was rapidly disappearing and moments after the race started it looked as if the breeze had died completely.
In the first match, a split tack saw Richard take an early lead but not enough to be able to cross in front of Williams. As the teams approached the top mark on opposite tacks, Richard on Port, they both luffed head to wind but Richard just had enough speed to wriggle around the bow of Team Pindar to take the lead.
When the day finally finished after eight hours of on and off rain, Principal Race Officer Christian Scherrer told spectators "Today has been especially difficult, with the pressure of the cut off time and trying to make sure we avoided a tie, so I'm glad we got through it".
The new 'King of the Mountain' and St Moritz Match Race 2008 champion is Mathieu Richard with his crew of Greg Evrad, Olivier Herledant and Jean Marie Dauris. -- Kirsten Bollinger
Final Placings
1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team / French Spirit
2. Ian Williams (GBR)Team Pindar
3. Philippe Presti (FRA) French Match Racing Team / French Spirit
4. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ / BlackMatch
5. Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K Challenge
6. Peter Wibroe (DEN) Wibroe Sailing Team
7. Jes Gram Hansen (DEN) Mascalzone Latino / Trifork Racing
8. Eric Monnin (SUI) search.ch
9. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team
10. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
11. Paolo Cian (ITA) Shosholoza
12. Michael Hestbaek (DEN) Team Hestbaek
www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch
www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com
B&G at the Southampton Boat Show
To see the ultimate in racing instrumentation systems, visit the B&G display at this year's Southampton Boat Show. Products on show at stand G97 (Navico UK) will include the top-of-the-range H3000 instrument and pilot systems - available in a wide range of configurations - and the revolutionary WTP2 (wave technology processor). We will also be demonstrating the latest version of the market-leading Deckman tactical software.
Our specialists will be available throughout the show to demonstrate product features and capabilities, and discuss with you the system that best suits your needs and budget.
So come and see us, or visit www.bandg.com
PUMA Ocean Racing Arrives In Alicante
Photo by Sally Collison/PUMA Ocean Racing. Click on image to enlarge.
Alicante, Spain: PUMA Ocean Racing arrived in Alicante, Spain mid afternoon Friday (CET), successfully delivering their boat il mostro from their training base in Newport, RI. The team left Newport on August 26th in preparation of the start of the Volvo Ocean Race on October 4. The transatlantic crossing was a chance for the team to see how the boat handled in the open ocean
"We called this our team's "Leg 1." It was great practice for our boat and team," said Skipper Ken Read. "We were able to work out some kinks and really come together as a team. Our goal at the beginning of this project was to get a great team of guys on il mostro, and I can confidently say that we have succeeded. Our boat performed well and, we're looking forward to getting this race started."
The PUMA boat and sailors will remain in Spain until October. The team still has to participate in the required safety training, weather briefs and il mostro will undergo official measurement by Volvo Officials. Ken and his crew will also use the time to practice of the In-Port and Pro-Am Races which will be held October 4-5.
www.pumaoceanracing.com
Ricoh Musto Skiff Worlds
Photo by Tania Samus, Photoblink.co.uk. Click on image for photo gallery.
Richard Stenhouse of Great Britain was crowned 2008 World Champion after dominating the competition at the Ricoh sponsored Musto Performance Skiff Worlds in St Mortiz, Switzerland.
Richard Stenhouse (GBR) won the final two races on Lake Silvapna in brilliant sunshine and 18 knots of breeze to finish with a total of just 13 points from 12 races. This gave Stenhouse a massive 28-point winning margin over second place Roger Oswald of Switzerland. Oliver Graeme (GBR) competed the top three, finishing just one point behind Oswald.
In total 53 competitors from 10 nations competed in St Mortiz for the 2008 World Championship title, with the fleet all agreeing that the venues was one of the best they had sailed at.
The next World Championships is to be held at Black Rock Sailing Club, Melbourne Australia in early 2010.
Top ten final results:
1. Richard Stenhouse, GBR, 13 points
2. Roger Oswald, SUI, 41
3. Oliver Graeme, GBR, 42
4. Bruce Keen, GBR, 45
5. Dave Poston, GBR, 56
6. Pablo Arandia, ESP, 59
7. Andrew Peake, GBR, 67
8. Ian Trotter, GBR, 83
9. Jerry Waalles, GBR, 85
10. Dan Vincent, GBR, 85
Complete results at www.mustoskiff.ch/regatta/2008/worlds/results-Worlds.html
PSP Southampton Boat Show Celebrates Its 40th Show
If you're looking for a great day out, look no further than the PSP Southampton Boat Show, in association with ITV Meridian. Celebrating its 40th Show, the sixth largest Show in the UK features Europe's largest purpose built on-water marina and runs from 12-21 September 2008.
There are plenty of activities off the water that you can enjoy too. Over 600 exhibitors will be showcasing their products including sailing accessories and marine fashion. To book tickets simply call the ticket hotline on 0844 209 0333 or book online at
www.southamptonboatshow.com
* Editor: SBS has a special discount for Eurobutt readers, use promo code SCBT1
Walker Claims Second Successive Australian Match Race Title
Photo by John Roberson. Click on image to enlarge.
Perth, Western Australia: Evan Walker and his crew, representing Sydney's Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, claimed the 2008 Barbagallo Marine Australian Match Racing Championships on Perth's Swan River this afternoon in unequivocal style.
Crewed by Will Ryan, Brendan Casey, Kurth Fatouros and Silas Nolan, Walker won the first match of the best of three final by 52 seconds, then in the second encounter he forced his opponent, Robert Gibbs, into a succession of penalties which led to him being disqualified from the race, handing the title and the trophy to the defending champion.
Walker and his crew proved tactically superior to Robert Gibbs and his team, from the event hosts, Royal Perth Yacht Club, essentially winning the final by inflicting penalties on the locals.
In the first race of the final Gibbs had two penalties against him before he crossed the starting line, and in the second he started with one penalty already outstanding.
It was on the second leg of the course that Walker harassed Gibbs into two more penalties in quick succession, which in addition to the one he was already carrying, prompted the umpires to raise the black flag and eliminate him from the race, handing the title to Walker.
In the battle for third place, two local skippers, Gordon Lucas of Royal Perth and Doug Cooksey from South of Perth, had two tight races, with Lucas a former winner of the title in 1999, beating Cooksey by 29 second, and then a slender 1 second.
Conditions for today's competition were ideal, with a steady 10 to 15 knot seabreeze filling in just in time for the start. -- John Roberson
Final results:
1. Evan Walker, CYCA/NSW
2. Robert Gibbs, RPYC/WA
3. Gordon Lucas, RPYC/WA
4. Doug Cooksey, SoPYC/WA
5. Peter Nicholas, RFBYC/WA
6. David Chapman, RSYS/NSW
7. Nicky Souter, RPAYC/NSW
8. Tristan Brown, RFBYC/WA
Letters To The Editor
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Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Alessandro Castelli: Mr. Tomasgaard's is the last of a very long row of absolutely meaningless and far from reality ideas to promote sailing on tv.
This idea has already made a lot of harm to our sport.
The first step was to take away the 60 degree long reaches from the racecourse. Believe me, on a Laser and many other boats it's the best leg ever. Then we've had many other brilliant moves.
Now ve've ended up with many short nasty races, and even a medal race, where if you break the gear you're dead (except for the miracle happended to the 49er Danes).
Nobody was watching a 2 hours race 15 years ago, just like nobody is watching a 20 minutes race now.
I tried on the computer (no way to have it on tv) during the last olympics. I chose the 49er (the shortest in time). There is no way, it's way too boring. And I can imagine how it is for someaone who doesn't know anything about sailing (the big market for the sponsors).
The only way is to have a 5 minutes summary for each class at the end of the day, like in Barcelona '92 games. And very important with the help of a virtual spectator, like in the AC.
Start, first meters, mark roundings, important moments, with a good commentary and the virtual spectator help.
Forget about the live coverage of a full race. There are too many chances of having the race postponed anyway.
Please, give the races back to the sailors. Nobody will ever watch us having fun around the cans anyway.
* From David Munge: Quote from Sunday's EuroScuttlebutt.
"I can't think of two sports that are closer than Formula One and the America's Cup," comments Ed Gorman. "Both are at the top end of technology, the human factor is essential; some even share the same sponsors. It's a great pity that they didn't find a way to get closer during this week-end."
Loathing to discourse with such an eminent journo as Ed Gorman, but as a sailor I can not think of anything apart from the use of carbon and the AC technical development procedures that likens sailing to F1. In truth he does qualify his statement by saying the America's Cup and not sailing. He also talks about the human factor. Yes it would be difficult for both AC and F1 to do without the human factor, as would most worldly things. Perhaps if we could learn to describe what sailing is or does and the emotions it creates we would not rely on a "phoney" sport, such as F1, to explain what we mean.
Certainly F1 is nothing like sailing.
However, Peter 'Bungy' Taylor famous for his early wooden Finns, and the first plastic double bottom Finn, the latter developed with David 'Sid' Howlett, managed to make the change from building boats to helping building F1 cars. 20 plus years ago he left his Salcombe yard and got a job with Sauber F1 team. Sauber was bought out by BMW, and Bungy was Manager of their composite facility in Switzerland.
Earlier this year, in Canada, BMW/Sauber won their first F1 race in recent times, but where was Bungy?
Ironically sailing in a single handed long distance race! Perhaps in a wooden boat?
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The Last Word
I think people are entitled to march without a permit. When you have a few hundred thousand people on the street you have permission. -- Tom Hayden
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