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

ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship: Late Start, Late Finish
It was a late start and a late finish on the second day of competition at the 2014 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Tavira, Portugal with the last competitors reaching the shore at 21:00 local time.

The breeze came in late in the day and the first start came at 16:01 local time before the final competitors reached the shore at 21:00.

A light yet consistent westerly breeze ensured all eight fleets completed a full complement of races on the Algarve to shape up the leader boards nicely.

Racing resumes on 13:00 local time on Wednesday 16 July.

www.isafyouthworlds.com

Optimist European Championships
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland: Dublin Bay offers challenging sailing conditions and the steep learning curve of the 254 young sailors at the 2014 Optimist European Championships has led to some dramatic changes in positions.

The new leader of the boys' event is Kasper Nordenram of Rorviks Sailing Club (on a lake in central Sweden). Competition at the top of the fleet has grown very close with Kasper leading from Enzo Balanger from Guadeloupe, sailing for France, and Pablo Lujan of C.N. Javea, Spain.

Overnight leader Jacob Ahlers had a poor third race but bounced back to place 4th in the fourth race of the day and may benefit when the first discard is taken, as may reigning champion Tytus Butowski of Poland.

In the girls' event Iset Segura from the Catalan club of Arenys de Mar leads with a win in Race 3 and a lead of 20 points over the overnight leader Josefine Akesson (Sweden). Brazilian Olivia Belda and Ebru Bolat of Romania are next, within a point of each other.

However the rather lighter winds today had a significant effect on the overnight results lower down the fleet. Reigning champion Mara Turin of Slovenia who had disappointed on day one registered two 6th places and others who may have benefited include the Asian girls such as Lisa Nukui (Japan) (scores 1 and 8) and Shyn Ee Phua (Singapore, 7 & 8).

The best results of the day came from the British girl Fenella Bennett (Royal Lymington Yacht Club) with two second places.

Racing continues through Saturday 19 July.

Full Results:
Boys
Girls

www.oppieuros2014.com

SK2. Welcome To The New.
Click on image for SK2 Videos

The fast and fun sportsboat with a canting keel. Developed by Swing Keel Sailing Ltd and built by Ovington boats.

The SK2 will be shown at Southampton Boat Show 2014 and will be available for test sails at the show. The boat will be in the marina in berth M010. Book your test sail early by e-mailing us at or come to see us on our shore based stand at E032.

For more information on the SK2 and what it has to offer visit www.sk2sailing.com

Iker Martinez To Lead Spanish VOR Challenge
Alicante, Spain: Iker Martinez will again be leading the Spanish challenge for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2014-15, his team confirmed today.

The 37-year-old Basque sailor, who has just been crowned European champion in the Nacra 17 multihull class, is looking forward to his second campaign as a skipper following the Team Telefonica entry in 2011-12.

On that occasion, Martinez had the luxury of many months of preparation that helped propel the Spanish boat to a big early lead in the last Volvo Ocean Race before being overhauled by eventual winners, Groupama of France. Telefonica eventually finished fourth.

The team has also announced today that they have recruited the biggest name in French sailing, Michel Desjoyeaux, to help guide the crew's preparations.

Desjoyeaux is one of the leading figures of global single-handed ocean racing having twice won the Vendee Globe plus the Solitaire du Figaro on three occasions and the Route du Rhum. He also competed in the Volvo Ocean Race/Whitbread Round the World Race in 1985-86 (Cote d'Or), 1989-90 (Charles Jourdan) and 1993-94 (La Poste).

On Saturday, the Spanish team whose title sponsor has yet to be announced, compete in the Round the Canary Islands race in their Volvo Ocean 65s against Volvo Ocean Race competitors Team Brunel and the all-female crew of Team SCA.

www.volvooceanrace.com

Freddie Simpson Signs Up To Sail In Bart's Bash
Andrew's eldest son Freddie, aged four, was named earlier this week as the 1,000th sailor to register for the Bart's Bash.

Bart's Bash will see thousands of yachts, dinghies and windsurfers racing at hundreds of locations across the world simultaneously in memory of the father-of-two.

The goal is to set a new Guinness World Record as the largest-ever sailing event and to raise money for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, a charity that aims to transform the lives of young people through sailing.

Weather permitting, Freddie will be sailing his first ever sailing race at the Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre, based at the National Sailing Academy at Osprey Quay, Portland, with his Uncle Iain (Iain Percy, the triple Olympic medallist).

They will be competing in the Star keelboat, taking up the seat and the skipper that his Dad was so successful with in his career.

More than 500 clubs from more than 45 countries have so far signed up for Bart's Bash.

From Practical Boat Owner

www.bartsbash.co.uk

America's Cup: Challenger Calls Competitor Meeting
Hamilton Island Yacht Club, the America's Cup Challenger of Record, has taken the initiative and called a meeting of potential Challengers for the 35th America's Cup, ahead of the close of entries in less than a month's time.

The meeting will be a face to face meeting with about seven Challenger teams attending plus the Defender, Oracle Team USA.

The circuit-breaking development came midway through an interview with the Challenger of Record's CEO Iain Murray. The point was raised that extending back into the period of the 1987 America's Cup and through to 2009, Competitor Forums and Meetings were a regular part of the America's Cup cycle. Murray was asked by Sail-World.com why these had not yet been called in the current America's Cup cycle.

'We are not waiting until the entries close. We'll be having a meeting very shortly. It will be face to face, and they have to attend in person,' Murray replied.

Responding to the point that at least four of the Challengers had expressed a clear preference for a return to San Francisco, Murray responded: 'I'm sure we would all rather sail in San Francisco. But the difference in offering by the other venues to San Francisco is substantial.' -- Richard Gladwell in Sail-World.com:

www.sail-world.com

Champagne Joseph Perrier July Regatta + IRC Solent Series
The largest turnout for a Royal Southern Yacht Club July regatta since 2008 ensured that the 2014 Champagne Joseph Perrier supported event delivered competitive sailing of the highest order to the 73-strong racing fleet.

Numbers were enhanced by the fact that the July Regatta formed part of the on-going season-long IRC Solent Series and also encompassed the XOD Solent Championships, with no fewer than 16 of the venerable yachts taking part.

The weekend saw a strong turnout in the evolving and growing National Handicap for Cruisers class, and featured one of the regatta's closest competitions for overall honours. Rob Bottomley's First 40 Sailplane pipped Graham Nixon's Elan 40 Magic by two points.

It was close too in the XOD fleet with Richard Bullock and Richard Jordan's two wins in Lass giving them a two point margin over Roger Yeoman's Merlin, which was in turn two ahead of David Palmer's Princess Jalina.

The XOD fleet also experienced a potentially serious incident when Hamish Wilson was knocked overboard unconscious during Saturday's third race. However, prompt and decisive action by fellow competitor Mos FitzGerald, who went into the water from another XOD to support Hamish, and the white line RIB crew Dick Long and Stephen Hughes, saw Hamish quickly evacuated ashore via the inshore lifeboat.

Vying for largest class honours with the XODs was the 16-strong IRC1 which included a sub-class of six J/111s who, along with the other J classes, were tuning up for the Royal Southern-hosted J-Cup at the end of the month.

Bragging rights went to Duncan McDonald's Shmokin Joe ahead of Cornel Riklin's Jitterbug and Tony Mack's McFly. Overall in IRC1, however, Shmokin Joe had to give best to Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe II and Peter Morton's Salvo.

Overall results for the Cruiser Class, Black Line, White Line, J/111s and XODs

www.royal-southern.co.uk

The Royal Southern's Summer Series continues with the Gaastra Pro Gear BV August Regatta 30th-31st August. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt

Seahorse July 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Fast and fun
Dobbs Davis takes a close look at the Bolt 37

Fair?
Rob Weiland has his own slant on the Oracle Team USA cheating scandal and its repercussions

Seahorse build table - Beaujolais nouveau
Torbjorn Linderson has had his (multihull) pencil out once again

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470 European Championship
Athens, Greece: The final double-points Medal Race wrapped up racing to decide the podium line-up today for the 2014 470 European Championship and Open European Championship titles, with overall European victory going to teams from Great Britain and Austria. 248 sailors from 31 nations sailed 6 days of competition.

Top performing nations across the two fleets are Austria and Great Britain who stepped onto the podium in both the 470 Men and 470 Women events. Austria's sailing success once again put the land-locked nation on the map with 470 Women European Championship gold and 470 Men European Championship silver, and Great Britain who secured gold in the 470 Men Europeans and silver in the 470 Women.

Raced as a 470 Open European Championships, medals are awarded to the top three European nations, with the Open European Championship title open to all nations.

Luke Patience/Elliot Willis (GBR) claimed 470 Men European Championship gold the day before, so their only focus in the25 minute windward/leeward Medal Race was to put sufficient boats between them and the overall Championship leaders Mat Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS) to try and claim the 470 Men Open European Championship too.

But, the 11 point deficit to Belcher/Ryan proved too much, and with the Australians covering the British in the latter stage of the race and restricting their lane options, it was game over to secure Open European Championship glory too.

Third time for Mat Belcher to win the 470 Open European Championship title; once with Malcolm Page in 2011 and in 2013 and 2014 with Will Ryan.

470 Men - Top 5 Overall
1. Mathew Belcher/Will Ryan, AUS, 38 points
2. Luke Patience/Elliot Willis, GBR, 53
3. Matthias Schmid/Florian Reichstaedter, AUT, 71
4. Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic, CRO, 73
5. Joonas Lindgren/Niklas Lindgren, FIN, 77

The Austrians and British were already guaranteed gold and silver medals for the 470 Women European Championships, with just the colours to be sorted between them, leaving Tina Mrak/Veronika Macarol (SLO), Sophie Weguelin/Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) and Camille Lecointre/Helene Defrance (FRA) all in contention for the bronze medal.

470 Women - Top 5 Overall
1. Lara Vadlau/Jolanta Ogar, AUT, 45 points
2. Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark, GBR, 58
3. Jo Aleh/Polly Powrie, NZL, 62
4. Anne Haeger/Briana Provancha, USA, 72
5. Tina Mrak/Veronika Macarol, SLO, 87

www.470.org

Panerai British Classic Week
Cowes produced near perfect conditions for day three of Panerai British Classic Week where Squadron Racing Ltd ran two more excellent races in the Central Solent for the 52-strong fleet. With hot sun, a balmy sea breeze built from sub 10 to almost 20 knots.

In Class 3 Christine and Giovanni Belgrano's Whooper continues to dominate, winning both of today's races to make it four straight wins overall.

Mikado, owned by Michael Briggs, also claimed two first places today in Class 4 and so jumps into the lead overall with a seven point margin.

Sean McMillan's Spirit 52 Flight of Ufford was once again the most consistent performer in Class 1, adding a first and second to their score card.

In Class 2 race three proved to be somewhat controversial. There was a start line port starboard incident between David Murrin's Cetewayo and Ebsen Poulsson and Ed Dubois' Firebrand that later resulted in the Protest Committee awarding a 4% penalty against Firebrand. Then Cetewayo misjudged their approach to Gurnard Ledge and made contact with the buoy requiring them to take a 2% penalty. Jamie Matheson's Opposition was the clear winner of the race and after all the penalties were applied Firebrand was scored second and Cetewayo third.

In the 8 Metres the opening race of the day went to Christopher Courage's Helen who was also looking very good in race four until they became aware that the boat, which they only took possession of last week, was taking water fast. Unable to immediately trace the source of the water they pulled up on the final beat allowing their fellow competitors to sail on by. Back ashore they discovered the offending problem was a faulty bilge pump which was back filling.

Racing continues until Friday 18 July and the event will conclude with a Parade of Sail past the Royal Yacht Squadron and Cowes Green at 11.00 on Saturday 19 July.

www.britishclassicyachtclub.org/regatta

'5 Reasons Why We Should Host 2017 America's Cup' - Bermuda Vs. San Diego
The candidates to host the America's Cup in 2017 are down to Bermuda and San Diego. Today, Bermuda Sun deputy editor Don Burgess and San Diego Union-Tribune sports writer Bill Center state their case for why the event should be hosted in their respective homes.

The five reasons cited for Bermuda
1. The Arena
2. Shoreside Facilities
3. Location
4. Connections
5. Government Support

The five cited for San Diego
1. The Arena
2. Sailing Conditions
3. Shoreside Facilities
4. History
5. Connections

Full article in the Bermuda Sun: bermudasun.bm

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The Last Word
What really matters is what you do with what you have. -- H. G. Wells

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