Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, 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

Half The Job Done For Team Alvimedica
The Hague, Netherlands: Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) made a triumphant entry into The Hague at 0134 local time/2334 UTC this morning and put themselves in poll position to win Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The Turkish/American team still have 480 nautical miles (nm) of the final leg of the nine-month offshore marathon to negotiate to Gothenburg, Sweden, having sailed two days, eight hours and 34 minutes since leaving Lorient, France, on Tuesday.

That gave them a 26nm advantage over the second-placed boat, Dongfeng Race Team.

Enright, 30, the youngest skipper by far in the race, also led his team to the Cape Horn landmark ahead on Leg 5, but relinquished that lead and eventually finished third.

If Team Alvimedica can complete the job and win in Gothenburg, they would be the sixth of seven boats in the fleet to have won a leg in this 12th edition.

They will head out of The Hague at 1200 local time (1000 UTC) on Saturday with their one-hour plus advantage over Dongfeng Race Team and the rest of the fleet taking their advantages and deficits over their rivals too, in a staggered start.

The seven boats are due to finish the leg in Gothenburg on Monday afternoon according to the latest estimates.

If Team Alvimedica were to be first into port there too, they would need Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) and to improve on their current sixth and seven places and sandwich themselves between Enright's crew, Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE, to take an overall podium place.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) sailed serenely on in fifth place, having avoided any major problems on the first half of Leg 9. They have an assailable eight-point advantage over Team Brunel at the top of the overall standings.

volvooceanrace.com

Even An Impact Can't Break The Wave, Muscat's Stride
Ten exhausting and fast-paced, short, sharp, sprint races were the order of the day on the first of four days of racing at the Extreme Sailing Series Act 4, Cardiff presented by Land Rover. The eight international elite level Extreme 40 teams were put to the test on a typically tricky Cardiff racecourse, contending with 40-degree shifts and gusts from 10 to 23 knots.

Winning the day with an 11-point lead at the close of play, The Wave, Muscat didn't exactly have it all their own way. A collision in the third race at the windward mark with SAP Extreme Sailing Team resulted in serious damage to their tiller bar. Despite the terrific crunch of cracking carbon, fortunately none of the crew were hurt, but with the damage irreparable on the water, the team limped back to the pit lane for repairs. Five races later, The Wave, Muscat took it in their stride and came back fighting, with two wins and a third in the final three races of the day - the defending Cardiff champions top of the overnight leaderboard with redress on 90 points.

Racing continues tomorrow from 14.00 BST with live video and race commentary from 15.30 BST at www.extremesailingseries.com/live

Extreme Sailing Series Act 4, Cardiff presented by Land Rover standings after Day 1, 10 races (18.06.15)

Position / Team / Points

1. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari, 90 points

2. Oman Air (OMA) Stevie Morrison, Nic Asher, Ted Hackney, Ed Powys, Ali Al Balashi, 79

3. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Mads Emil Stephensen, Brad Farrand, 77

4. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Hans Peter Steinacher, Jason Waterhouse, Jeremy Bachelin, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson, 74

5. GAC Pindar (GBR) Chris Draper, Seve Jarvin, Tyson Lamond, James Wierzbowski, Kazuhiko Sofuku, 73

6. Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Garth Ellingham, Alexander Bozhko, Aleksey Kulakov, 66

7. Team Turx powered by Kaya Ropes (TUR) Mitch Booth, Can Bayulken, Selim Kakış, Diogo Cayolla, Pedro Andrade, 46

8. Lino Sonego Team Italia (ITA) Lorenzo Bressani, Enrico Zennaro, Andrea Tesei, Tom Buggy, Stefano Ciampalini, 45

www.extremesailingseries.com

My Sharona Extends Lead At J/111 Worlds
Newport, Rhode Island, USA: The weather forecast for Thursday's racing was benign enough- winds of 6-9 kts from the SSW all day with skies clearing in the afternoon. After about an hour postponement, the seabreeze filled in from the classic southerly direction offshore. Once the winds averaged 5 kts, Ida Lewis YC PRO Peter Garard sent off the fleet on the first of three windward-leeward races.  By the late afternoon, the breeze had built into the 8-12 kts TWS range, making for excellent, incredibly tightly-packed racing.

Sailing the best record of the day was none other than George Gamble's MY SHARONA, extending their lead with a 4-3-1 scoreline for a total of 19 pts overall and a seemingly unassailable 15 point lead over the rest of the fleet.  Behind them, it has become a war of attrition for many teams hoping to crack the top five overall.

The J/111 Worlds finish on Friday with two more races planned in what appears to be steady SW breezes offshore of Newport.

Top 10 results

1. My Sharona, George Gamble, USA, 19
2. Lake Effect, Bob Hesse, USA, 34
3. Partnership, David and Maryellen Tortorello, USA, 35
4. Kashmir, Brummel/Henderson/Mayer, USA, 39
5. Spaceman Spiff, Rob Ruhlman, USA, 40
6. JELVIS, MartinDent, GBR, 42
7. Wind Czar, Richard Lehmann, USA, 45
8. Wooton, William Smith, USA, 48
9. Wicked 2.0, Douglas Curtiss, USA, 53
10. Perseverance, Bennett Greenwald, USA, 55

www.j111worlds.com

Henri Lloyd Elite Offshore - Performance
In offshore conditions crew performance and comfort is paramount. Reducing weight and increasing breathability increases comfort and mobility:

Weight
Benefits the individual (each set is over 1kg lighter) and also makes a significant contribution to weight saving when multiplied by the number of crew.

Fatigue
Carrying 1kg less and reducing bulk, movement and dexterity are improved. Slide Glide technology gives less interlayer resistance, so reduces fatigue and improves performance.

Safety
The following design features all contribute to increased safety onboard;
- Increased peripheral vision from the Optivision Hood.
- Less fatigue means more alertness and better decision making.
- If a crew member is immersed, lighter more flexible gear increases mobility in the water and aids recovery.

The Lightest, Most Breathable Offshore Gear Ever, Without Compromise: www.henrilloyd.com/elite/

Find us on Facebook

Porto Cervo - "Not Normally Like This"
While the breeze was occasionally similar today to yesterday when the full schedule of match racing was completed, a tricky wind combined with an annoying left-over swell caused a long wait out on the water, then a long wait ashore before the AP over A signal was hoisted over the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda marking the end of a fruitless opening day of fleet racing at the Audi RC44 Porto Cervo Cup.

The conditions caused anxiety for Peter Reggio, one of the world's most experienced Principal Racing Officers, and his race management team.

"It was frustrating because it was teasing us the whole time - go, no go, go, no go, etc, but it is fine, that's part of the deal," he explained. "The velocity was up and down too much. It was sometimes 3.5 knots and the most we ever saw was seven at the top of the rigs, but it would come in for ten minutes and then it would go away and the direction was all over the place. We were having swings of 40-45 degrees and when it finally went right to 070° towards the end, it started dying again.

"You'd look upwind and it might look okay and then you'd look to the right and it was horrible and you'd look to the left and it was even worse. You might have been able to run a race, but it wouldn't have been a fair one - that is the biggest point."

Today's lack of wind brought the inevitable cries of 'it's not normally like this here'

As to tomorrow's conditions, Reggio says that local forecasts are looking more favourable.

rc44.com
www.icarussailingmedia.com

Busy Day For Marion Bermuda Racers
Marion, Massachusetts: The Warning Signal for the Classic Yacht Division is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, June 19, 2015, at 1200 EDT. The 118-foot Bermuda Sloop, 'Spirit of Bermuda', will begin her countdown as the first boat to start in the 20th Marion to Bermuda Race. The Warning Signal for the first Founders Division class is scheduled for 1235 EDT. Founders Division classes will start at 15- minute intervals.

Sailing aboard 'Spirit', His Excellency George Fergusson, the Governor of Bermuda, will be making his first ocean race to the island nation 645 miles SSE of Marion. 'Spirit' is sailing with seven professional crew and fifteen guests of the charterer Jim Butterfield of Bermuda.

Forty-five other yachts from 65 to 34 feet will be divided into classes in the Founders Division based on the boats' ORR handicap ratings. Competition for special awards is extensive. There are special prizes for celestial navigated yachts, short-handed crewed yachts, double-handed crews, family crews, youth crews, all female crews, mini-class yachts of the same hull design, service academy, oldest average age, regional crews, and combined performance with other offshore races like the Newport Bermuda Race.

The Marion Bermuda Race is now the only ocean race in North America that offers a celestial navigation class for those skippers who want that challenge. To help stimulate participation in using celestial in 2015, the time benefit has been increased from 2% to 3% over electronically navigated yachts.

Sixteen of the 46 entries in 2015 will be in the Celestial Navigation Class. They compete for the Founders Trophy for first overall and also compete for the Beverly Yacht Club Polaris Trophy awarded to the first celestially navigated yacht. -- Talbot Wilson

www.marionbermuda.com

Record SNSM: Morgan Lagraviere's First Race On Safran
For his first race on the new Safran, Morgan Lagraviere will be joined by Nicolas Lunven for the Record SNSM, a 330-mile race, which starts in Saint-Nazaire on Sunday June 21 at 2000hrs (French time). For the Lagraviere / Lunven duo, the race will be a major test for the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Currently training at Pole France in Port-la-Foret with his teammate, Nicolas Lunven, Lagraviere is already thinking about what faces them in the race this weekend. On Sunday evening at 2000hrs, the two sailors will leave Saint-Nazaire at the start of the Record SNSM.

The course consists of a 330-mile loop where you have to round the Ile de Groix, leave to port the Rochebonne Shelf (off the Ile de Re), round the BXA safe water mark (at mouth of the Gironde), and then head back to Saint-Nazaire.

Lagraviere expects a race of between 24 and 48 hours, depending on weather conditions.

Lagraviere and Lunven, on board the new Safran, will face at least three other IMOCA 60: SMA (skipper Paul Meilhat), Initiatives-Cœur (Tanguy de Lamotte) and Bureau Vallee (Louis Burton). A fourth, (but by no means least), competitor could be added to the list: Armel Le Cleac'h's new Banque Populaire VIII, launched last week.

www.recordsnsm.com

Industry News
Sally Helme, publisher of Cruising World and Sailing World magazines, has been awarded the 2015 Leadership in Women's Sailing Award. The award was presented last weekend by the National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA) and Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) at the NWSA Annual Conference.

The award recognises an individual with a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.

Helme was also the first female publisher within the sailing industry as well as past president of Sail America. She has served on the boards of Sail Newport and US Sailing, and is currently a vice president of Marine Marketers of America. Helme was also a founding member of International Women in Boating. In 2011 Helme was honoured with the Sail Magazine Industry Leadership Award, and in 2014, the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association Anchor Award.

IBI: plus.ibinews.com=

-----------------------------------------------------

The keynote speaker at the METS 2015 Breakfast Briefing on 17 November will be Peter Sander, Manager Emerging Technologies & Concepts at AIRBUS Industries. He will speak on the subject of 'On the way to Additive Layer Manufacturing: Chances & Challenges for future of design & industrial production'.

The Breakfast Briefing is the traditional kick-off of the three-day Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam RAI, where invited guests and dignitaries gather to hear the winners of the DAME awards announced. As this year's keynote speaker, Peter Sander will leverage on his 34 years of experience in the aviation industry to explore the world of 3D printing or - to use its more precise title - Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM).

The presentation will include an overview of the key factors, details on materials and processes, and tips on how to convince, designers and management for the new industrial value chain. Finally we will see some of the flying- and demonstrator projects out of a scope > of more than 120 ongoing or finalized ALM projects and some future industrial needs.

www.metstrade.com

-----------------------------------------------------

Reyn Spooner, the Hawaii based business known for its iconic reverse-print shirt designs, has partnered with the Transpacific Yacht Club to design and provide the official Hawaiian-inspired race collection for the next two editions of TPYC's biennial Transpacific Yacht Race. This legendary race is known as the Transpac, which is a 2225-mile race from Los Angeles to Honolulu. This year's edition of the race starts on July 13th, 2015 and the following race will be held in July 2017.

Reyn Spooner will design special, limited edition Transpac Aloha shirts, as well as create exclusive logo items available to both crewmembers and the general public. Transpac items will be available in Reyn Spooner stores in Hawaii, online at ReynSpooner.com, at the launch and finish lines of the Transpac Race, and select retailers.

transpacyc.com

-----------------------------------------------------

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce MUSTO as the Official Clothing Supplier for the Cowes and London-based club and the Rolex Fastnet Race.

For more than 50 years, MUSTO have proved their expertise in technical sailing clothing and footwear and the RORC, celebrating its 90th anniversary is delighted to announce this new long-term partnership.

MUSTO will produce RORC insignia and event merchandise as well as Rolex Fastnet Race branded merchandise for the 2015 race.

"As a RORC member of 20 years and having competed in five Fastnet races I know just what being a RORC member means. It's an elite club of highly experienced offshore sailors and we are extremely proud to be associated with them again. Many are MUSTO customers already and we look forward to continuing to keep everyone warm and dry for the next few seasons in our new capacity as the Official Clothing Supplier to RORC," commented Nigel Musto.

www.musto.com www.rorc.org

-----------------------------------------------------

Harken announces the completion of a massive R&D effort to nearly triple the load potential of its Captive Reel winch line. Originally offered for loads between 1.5 and 25 metric tons, Harken has just finished bench testing 70-ton (154,324 lb) hydraulic and electric prototypes designed for an upcoming new breed of "gigayachts" over 80 meters. The inclusion of the electric version is an unprecedented capability above the 20-ton range that can reduce noise, improve efficiency, and recharge the battery while easing.

The design also features an innovative twin-screw inner transmission for faster trimming speeds, a smaller overall winch size, and reduced component wear - a vast improvement over current market offerings. Harken engineers also made major improvements in the tensioning system with a system that minimizes sheet wear by evenly gripping over a large surface area. The team plans further development of turnkey systems and cooperation with leading rope manufacturers.

-----------------------------------------------------

LaserPerformance and Shanghai Far East (SFE) announce new partnership to develop dinghy sailing in People's Republic of China.

SailLaser, a program sponsored by LaserPerformance,  to promote sailing and train enthusiasts all around the world to sail dinghies is proud to announce that it has agreed to partner with SFE to open SailLaser Centers in Shanghai, Diashan Lake and Suzhou Dushu Lake in 2015.

The Partnership Agreement was signed by Demolar Du, President of SFE and Bahman Kia, LaserPerformance CEO.  In 2016 four additional Centers are planned, working with other sailing clubs in China. 

-----------------------------------------------------

Miami commissioners and members of the Key Biscayne Village Council were scheduled to hold a key joint meeting this morning in the hopes of resolving a dispute over plans to host the Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin.

The meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Miami Dade College, is part of a required mediation process triggered by a lawsuit Key Biscayne officials filed in February against the city of Miami, according to an article in the Miami Herald.

The suit, which entered into mediation shortly after being filed, challenges the city's plans to build an $18 million event space and park outside the Marine Stadium and host the boat show's feature event there in February.

Village officials, who have also sued the boat show's parent company, say the city is violating a deed restriction by hosting a commercial event on the site and that the traffic generated by the show will clog the Rickenbacker Causeway. They also contend that the plans were made in "closed-door" sessions.

Soundings Trade Only

Letters To The Editor -
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 John Osborne: re: Jindivik

She sailed on Port Phillip for many years out of Sandringham Yacht Club I can't remember years but suspect 1980s, 1970s.

Featured Brokerage
2009 KER53 C/R. 600,000 Euros. Located in Marines de Cogolin, France.

The boat is fully refitted in 5/2013 (new hull paint, interior paint, new & bigger rudder (McConnaghy), new electronics & updatings, top-down-furler etc.) with a clear focus on "easy cruising"...

Details

Contact the owner: Pit Finis
+49 172 20 12 824

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word... Back On Tuesday... No Issue On Monday
A Happy Fathers Day to all Dads... and particularly to those in the USA who've been given a glorious gift courtesy of the ABC (!) network.

9 PM EDT on Sunday June 21 sees the return of the famed "Battle Bots" robot fighting program from the early 2000s. Not some obscure cable channel mind you... ABC.

Coincidence that the first episode is on the ONLY day of the year when a Father can demand (and get) the TV remote, the comfy chair and obsequious drinks and snacks service?

All hail the ABC network schedulers. I'm taking the whole day off with my family and then grabbing the remote for the big screen TV.

battlebots.com

Editorial and letter submissions to

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html