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

Rolex Big Boat Series: Rewarding Excellence
These aren't just any regatta trophies. They are the oldest of the St. Francis Yacht Club's six most important perpetual awards presented each year at the Rolex Big Boat Series, which on Sunday completed its 51st edition on San Francisco Bay. The St. Francis Perpetual Trophy is historically significant as the namesake of the inaugural series (1964) that led to the Big Boat Series and then to the Rolex Big Boat Series in 2005, when Rolex transitioned from presenting to title sponsor.

The City of San Francisco Trophy (added in 1968) is unusual yet charming: one of two golden spades used in 1933 to break ground for the Golden Gate Bridge. The trophy seems fitting especially because the "Gate" figures predominantly into the racing here - strategically when the racecourse passes beneath it and visually when it joins Alcatraz Island and the San Francisco city front as iconic backdrops for the action.

Today, Victor Wild's TP 52 Bud, sailing in ORR A class, and Sy Kleinman's Schumacher 54 Swiftsure, sailing in ORR B, were named respective winners of the St. Francis and the City of San Francisco Trophies and additionally were awarded Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepieces, representing the sport's most recognizable and cherished reward for showing greatness on the water.

Rolex timepieces also accompanied The Atlantic Perpetual Trophy awarded in the HPR class (winner Peter Krueger, Double Trouble), the Commodore's Cup for the J/105 class (Shawn Bennett, Jose Cuervo), the Keefe Kilborne Trophy for the J/111 class (Rob Theis, Aeolus), and the Richard Rheem Pepetual Trophy for the J/120 class (David Halliwell, Peregrine), while five additional victors were named in classes for Melges 24 (Doug Wilhelm, Wilco), Express 37 (Mark Dowdy, Eclipse), PHRF Sportboat (Gary Redelberger, Racer X), Multihull (Randy Miller, Miller Racing) and ORR C (Wayne Koide, Encore).

regattanews.com
www.stfyc.com

Spirit Of Europe Wins Nord Stream Race
Spirit of Europe has won the 2015 Nord Stream Race after extending an early lead near Flensburg across 800 nautical miles through the Baltic Sea to finish as champions in Saint Petersburg, Russia today. Bronenosec has finished in second with the Gazprom Youth Sailing Challenge on board Tsaar Peter taking a close third, Petite Flamme and SGM still racing follow in fourth and fifth.

Tim Kroger, skipper on board Spirit of Europe, had a point to prove this year marking his fourth attempt at victory, after taking third in 2014. Long standing rival Bronenosec came as defending champions for this edition as the hottest competition for Tim Kroger and his crew.

Nord Stream Race 2015 - Overall Results
1. Spirit of Europe
2. Bronenosec
3. Tsaar Peter
4. Petite Flamme
5. SGM

www.mysailing.com.au
www.nord-stream-race.com/eng

Mini Transat: The Big Slide Down The Coast Of Portugal
With a strong following wind, the Minis bowled along the portuguese coast, with the same worry in each person's mind: the best way to attack, whilst also keeping the boat under control. In this constant game, it's experience that makes the difference.

It's not by chance that, with a few exceptions, the old hands of the Mini circuit are in the leading places in this first stage of the Mini Transat Iles de Guadeloupe. At the moment, the big guys are justifying their reputations and they are all in contention to vie for the best positions. Davy Beaudart (Flexirub), who has been the race favourite, is keeping hold of his place with gusto, and fighting off the attacks by the furious trio of Axel Trehin (Aleph Racing), Frederic Denis (Nautipark) and Ludovic Mechin (Microvitae). Amongst these three, some sort of gentleman's agreement has come about: instead of each of them fighting all the time, they are taking it in turns to rest and attack. This isn't just an altruistic thing, as it also lets them use their boats to full potential, whilst decreasing the risk of breakages.

The possibility of breakages is of course always with them, and there have already been two demastings (Gilles Avril et Andrea Pendibene) and several other competitors, such as Carlos Lizancos have thrown in the towel, or made a stop for repairs.

Positions on 23rd September at 3pm (TU+ 2)

Prototypes ( Eurovia Cegelec class)
1. Davy Beaudart, Flexirub, 597 nm to the finish
2. Frederic Denis, Nautipark, 31.9 nm to leader
3. Axel Trehin, Aleph Racing, 33 .3 nm
4. Ludovic Mechin, Microvitae, 37.5 nm
5. Clement Bouyssou, Le Bon Agent Bougeons l'immobilier, 38.3 nm

Series (Ocean Bio-Actif class)
1. Ian Lipinski, Entreprise(s) Innovante(s), 661 to the finish
2. Benoit Hantzperg, YCA Dhumeaux - Secours Populaire, 2.9 nm
3. Tanguy Le Turquais, Terreal, 14.8 nnm
4. Julien Pulve, Novintiss, 23.0 nm
5. Charly Fernbach, Le Fauffiffon Henaff, 50.1 nm

www.minitransat-ilesdeguadeloupe.fr

Dubarry Crosshaven - Comfortably The Best Performer
Round the world racing teams have chosen Dubarry's Crosshaven in every edition of the race since the boot was developed with Green Dragon in 2008. There are several reasons for that. First, the innovation that impressed the Green Dragon guys most: the integral gaiter. Made of lightweight, hard-wearing, water-resistant fabric and cinched up with a drawstring, this gaiter means you can kneel down and work on the foredeck without suffering the dreaded 'bootful of green' that kills comfort for the rest of the passage.

And when you're dodging icebergs in the Southern Ocean as freezing winds snap at your vitals, you'll appreciate the 350g GORE-TEX Duratherm membrane and thermally insulated footbed that will keep your feet, at least, toasty.

Then there's the award-winning grip of Crosshaven's non-slip and non-marking sole. If you're trying to stay vertical on deck, and several tonnes of water traveling at 30 knots is trying to persuade you that you might be more comfortable lying down, you need your feet to stay planted.

We can all benefit from experience, but it comes at a price. Lucky for you that Green Dragon footed the bill, and the benefit is all yours.

Dubarry Crosshaven - Born at sea

dubarry.com

IMOCA 60 Fleet Switches Back To Race Mode: 5th Defi Azimut
With the summer holidays over it must be time for the Defi Azimut IMOCA, from 25 to 27 September 2015 in Lorient, France. This atypical exhibition event, which forms part of the annual programme for the top skippers, is returning for a fifth edition that promises to be especially tough given its top-flight line-up.

No fewer than fifteen IMOCA 60s are expected to compete in a series of double-handed races and regattas; the event is hosted on the pontoons of Lorient-La Base in south-west Brittany.

This year, with the Transat Jacques Vabre fast approaching, a number of duos have taken up the kind invitation from the Defi Azimut 2015, at the start of which will be a number of the IMOCA Class' legendary skippers including Armel Le Cleac'h, Sebastien Josse, Vincent Riou, Tanguy de Lamotte, Jeremie Beyou, Yann Elies and Bertrand de Broc.

Added to these will a number of the future protagonists for the Vendee Globe 2016.

www.imocaoceanmasters.com
www.defi-azimut.net

Gale Steals The Show In Race 6, Abandoned.
Heavy duty sailing and good seamanship were called for on day 3 of racing in Talamone Tuscany at the Snipe World Championship organized by the Circolo della Vela Talamone.

Race 5 was completed with Mario Calazans-Daniel Seixas (BRA) crossing the finish line in 1st position. For safety reasons, race 6 was abandoned when a gale swept through Snipe Bay with winds on the race course reaching 26-30 knots.

A good call by the Race Committee chaired by Fabio Barasso who could also count on the on-the-water safety team of the Circolo della Vela Talamone to ensure all 83 crews from 18 nations could return safely to shore. Spaniards Soto Valero-Belmonte Cuenca dismasted and were towed into port.

After five races with no discard, Luis Soubie - Diego Lipszyc from Argentina are still in the lead with 32 points (4-6-8-3-11). Augie Diaz - Kathleen Tocke (USA) are second at 43 points (12-5-7-15-4). Third place on the provisional scoreboard for Japanese Yuichi Oi-Noriaki Sakai at 60 points (18-29-9-2-2).

The World Snipe continues tomorrow with the possibility of completing up to three races. The warning signal for Race 6 is scheduled for Thursday 24 September at 11 a.m.

www.snipeworlds2015.com

SYRF Progress Report
Completion of the Wide Light Study, more additions made to the Technical Library, a new member joins the team, and new research projects are being approved and considered for a new mission statement which defines SYRF's role in promoting the science of sailing

With the help of SYRF's summer intern Sam Sheckells, more research papers and other materials were added to the SYRF Library. The total is now an impressive 270 documents.

The Wide Light Project is currently wrapping up, with a report submitted by lead investigator Andy Claughton of Southampton University now in final review. The report and all results will be published on the SYRF website next month, in addition to an article on the project written by Jim Teeters and Dobbs Davis for Seahorse Magazine, to appear in an upcoming issue in late 2015.

The Board has approved the exploratory phase of a Cloud-based CFD project proposed by David Egan, which aims to develop a pre-configured tool combining the meshing, RANS, and post-processing softwares necessary for analysis in the Cloud. This project will make these state-of-the-art tools more readily available to both designers and handicappers.

More information at www.sailyachtresearch.org

Quantum Key West Race Week Extends Early Entry Deadline To October 1
A strong initial turnout for entries has prompted event organizers at the Storm Trysail Club to decide to extend the early discount deadline one month further to October 1st, 2015 for the 2016 edition of Quantum Key West Race Week. After October 1st, the entry fee increases by $4/foot of the overall length of the entered boat.

Already the majority of entries to the 2016 event have signed up for one-design competition in several classes: Melges 24, J/70, J/80, Farr 280, Viper 640, J/88, C&C 30, J/111, and J/122 classes. And there are other one-design classes also considering their entry plan to the event.

Among the handicap classes, IRC 1 and 2 have thusfar attracted 9 committed entries, with more expected, but the real growth is expected in three new class offerings at this year's event: ORC Club, Multihulls and Performance Cruisers.

Organizers are also exploring the option of having exhibition race classes at the event to give spectators on shore a taste of the excitement of competitive sailing.

Classes that may be interested in a reduced format of three days of racing over Wednesday-Friday, January 20-22nd, should as soon as possible contact event manager Bill Canfield at .

Entry form and race documents:
www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1390

keywestraceweek.com

Clipper Week 4: Countdown To Rio
Week 4 of the Clipper Race sees leader LMAX Exchange less than 500 nautical miles from the finish in Rio storming along, but starting to slow from peak speeds in excess of 11 knots having opened up a convincing lead, almost 300 nautical miles ahead of the other front runners, being led by Chinese entry Qingdao.

The past week has seen the leading boats cross the Equator and perform the time-honoured maritime tradition of the Equator crossing ceremony where the crew pay tribute to King Neptune to ensure a quick and safe passage.

The first five teams have now completed the sprint section, and Qingdao has the fastest time so far at 30 hours, 11 minutes.

While LMAX Exchange looks set to clinch first place into Rio this weekend, Qingdao hopes to hold onto its current place in second, as a hundred nautical miles separates it from GREAT Britain, Derry-Londonderry-Doire and Garmin, who battle it out for the final podium place.

Winds are expected to drop after the fleet rounds Cape Frio when the leaders will slow and the chasing pack catch up.

As at 1400 UTC Wednesday the fleet positions were as follows:

1. LMAX Exchange - 500.45 nautical miles to finish
2. Qingdao
3. Derry-Londonderry-Doire
4. GREAT Britain
5. Garmin
6. Visit Seattle
7. ClipperTelemed+
8. PSP Logistics
9. Mission Performance
10. Unicef
11. Da Nang - Viet Nam
12. IchorCoal

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Mount Gay Round Barbados Series
Bridgetown, Barbados: Preparations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series (16-24 January 2016), and to commemorate 50 years of independence for Barbados, are well underway.

Three days of coastal racing, the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race (the headline event), and the chance to contest a final 300-mile Ocean Race to Antigua to tie up with the Superyacht Challenge, gives plenty of options for teams looking for early season, top-class racing.

For teams with a taste for speed, and rum, there's a chance to win their skipper's weight in Mount Gay Rum as a prize for the fastest time if any of the 14 Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race records are broken.

This year Errol Barrow Day - the birthday of the first Prime Minister of Barbados, and 'father' of independence, who was a keen sailor/member Barbados Cruising Club - commemorates 50 years of Independence for Barbados.

In an effort to mark the occasion, William Griffith (CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc), has announced a new and exciting partnership between Barbados and Team Concise, Britain's successful offshore racing team. The MOD70 trimaran - Concise 10, and the highly successful Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), Class 40 Champion, Concise 8 will be branded Ms BARBADOS, for the forthcoming winter season and will be based near Bridgetown, Barbados.

Team Directors Tony Lawson and Ned Collier Wakefield launched Team Concise in August 2006 with the intention of helping young British sailors forge a future in competitive offshore racing. Since then the team has completed over 30,000 miles of racing, built three generations of Class 40s, and produced some notable race results, including a Class 40 world championship win.

The outright monohull record round the island of Barbados remains in the hands of Andy Budgen and team on the British VO70 Monster Project who set a time of 4 hours 42 minutes 28 seconds in 2014. However, with the likes of the Barbados-branded team on their MOD70, and a selection of super-fast monohulls taking part, the absolute multihull record and several monohull class records look set to fall.

mountgayrumroundbarbadosrace.com

Featured Brokerage
1996 49' Goetz Taylor. 89,900 USD. Located Green Bay, WI, USA.

EXPERIENCE is now for sale. Built by the world famous Eric Goetz in 1996 as NUMBERS, she had unparralled success over the years racing under the IMS rule.

Donated to the United States Navy, she was renamed POLARIS and also did very well on the East coast of the United States.

She is now for sale by her present owner and is open to offers. Plenty of spare gear, carbon fiber mast, and in very good condition, EXPERIENCE is a fun fast racing boat that will do very well for years to come.

Details

Contact:
Thoroughbred Yacht Sales
William Jenkins at +1 410-267-9419

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

The Last Word
The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man. -- Richard Feynman

Editorial and letter submissions to

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