Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.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 Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan Championship Sydney Harbour: After a controversial morning before today's race 7 of the Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship, the Gotta Love It 7 crew of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage put it all behind them to take out the championship with an impressive win on Sydney Harbour. Gotta Love It 7 was disqualified after yesterday's Race 6 win and was conceding series leader Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas) three points going into the last race. They needed to win the race and hope that Thurlow Fisher Lawyers would not finish within the top three. The final points for the championship were tied when Gotta Love It 7 won today's race by 27s from a gallant Rag & Famish Hotel sailed by Jack Macartney, Tom Clout and Drewe Waller, while Thurlow Fisher Lawyers finished only fifth. Gotta Love It 7 took the title on count back with three wins against Thurlow's two. Western Australia's Grant Rollerson, with his SLAM team Anthony Young and Peter Nicholson, was seventh today but their consistency over the seven race regatta was enough to get them third place overall on 27 points, ahead of Red Claw Wines (Matthew Searle, Archie Massey and Mike McKenzie) on 28, CST Composites sailed by US champion Howie Hamlin, Fritz Lanzinger and Paul Allen on 29 and Yandoo (John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson) sixth on 35 points. With a building north east breeze, the rig decision within the fleet was split between the bigger #1 rig and the #2. The crucial contest between Gotta Love It 7 and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was included in the split with Gotta Love It 7 making the correct choice (#2 rig) when the wind freshened to around 18-20 knots. Jack Macartney and his Rag & Famish Hotel crew gave a great display to lead for most of the race - only to be run down by the championship winners on the final windward leg. While Jack Macartney is an Australian 18ft Skiff champion as crew with Micah Lane, this is his first season as skipper and the team has been a big improver over the season. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Final top ten: 1. Gotta Love It 7 - Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton, Scott Babbage, AUS www.flying18s.com Groupe Bel and Mirabaud out of Barcelona World Race Kito de Pavant: "This is a difficult decision to make. We are leaving most of the Barcelona World Race course behind us. Obviously, it is frustrating, since all that was left was the Atlantic and we had hopes of really continuing the fight to win the podium. However, we are also happy to be here, safe and sound. This whole story could have turned nasty! What's important now is to find a cargo ship quickly to return the boat to Europe, so that she can be ready for the start of the European Pro Tour in Instanbul on 3 July. -- www.sharingsmilestour.com * Race Direction of Barcelona World Race in Barcelona were informed of the dismasting of the IMOCA Open 60 Mirabaud at 1646 UTChrs Saturday evening. The yacht skippered by Dominique Wavre (SUI) and Michèle Paret (FRA) had been racing in difficult conditions since this morning, with strong headwinds and rough seas. During his daily radio transmission at 1300hrs UTC, Dominique Wavre stated that the wind was strong (but not storm force) and the seas were making life very difficult. At 1640hrs UTC Saturday he informed his shore team of the breakage during a very brief radio transmission made under extremely difficult conditions. Speaking Sunday morning live to the Visio-Conference with Barcelona, Wavre outlined that the duo now planned to ride out the remainder of the worst of the stormy low pressure system before attempting to set up a jury rig using Mirabaud's boom and storm jib. The Swiss skipper, who had to abandon his 2008-9 Vendee Globe with keel damage, remarked that Mirabaud was low in diesel and so will need to be self-reliant to sail towards the Argentinian coast which was about 650 miles to the west this morning. Wavre recalled: " When it happened we had the seas coming from ahead and we were slamming, the boat making about 10 knots. We heard a crack. We saw the port side spreader at the third level collapse and then everything went very quickly. We could do nothing as the top seven metres of the mast fell. We fought for a good time to secure the remainder of the mast and tried to cut the sails free to set the two parts of the mast free from each other. But the top section of the mast hit the spreaders, smashed them and the whole remaining section became unstable. So we had to cut the shrouds and let it go. It was 2 or 3 am by the time we had the deck reasonably clear. The deck is not damaged, the boat is watertight and that's important. Now the priority is to ride out the depression. We don't know how we will get to the Argentine coast, we don't have much diesel and so we might need to rely on our own resources to get there." Yacht Salesperson Though a proven track record in the marine sales sector is a plus, an applicant with extensive, but non-marine, experience of selling to HNWIs will also be considered. A strong sailing background and knowledge of yachts is essential, as, naturally, are fluent language skills in European languages. The position will likely be based at Oyster's HQ in Ipswich, though a European base is a future possibility. Please contact: and +44 (0)207 830 9303 Florent and Rambeau Win 84th Bacardi Cup Miami, Florida, USA: For the 472 sailors from 25 countries, conditions on Biscayne Bay were ideal as temperatures in the low 70s and sunny weather combined with shifty breeze to challenge them on the final day of racing at Bacardi Miami Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank where champions were decided in five one-design classes. In the Star class, racing for the 84th Bacardi Cup over six days, the sixth and final race opened with the top-two teams separated by just one point. 2008 Olympian Peter O'Leary and David Burrows (Ireland) were leading the 89-boat fleet followed by Guillaume Florent and Pascal Rambeau (France), and, just five points back, Frederik Lööf with Max Salmiren (Sweden) and Eivind Melleby with Petter Morland Pedersen (Norway) were third and fourth, respectively, but tied on points. With a 12 knot breeze at the start of the race, the Stars were off on a course covering 11 nautical miles. When all was said and done, 2007 Bacardi Cup winner Hamish Pepper and crew Craig Monk (both New Zealand) were the race winners, followed across the line by Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen (Norway) who had led the series early in the week before picking up penalty points in race four. The French team was fourth across the line, and with O'Leary and Burrows crossing sixth, the Bacardi Cup went to Florent and Rambeau with 23 points - edging out the Irish by just one point. A 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the Finn class, Florent is marking not only his first year in the Star, but also his first Bacardi Cup. Crew Pascal Rambeau, from La Rochelle, won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in the Star and has competed in the Bacardi Cup before, with his previous best finish a fourth. When Florent was recovering from an Achilles tendon injury a year ago, he reached out to Rambeau, and the rest, as they say, is history. Final top ten 1. Guillaume Florent / Pascal Rambeau , Grand Fort Philippe, FRA, 23 points Event site: bacardicup.com Full results at Mary Anne Ward Crowned Audi Melges 20 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Champion It was a spectacular heart-pounding day on the water. There was so much at stake. First and foremost, the prestigious title of Bacardi Sailing Week Champion hung in the balance, but also, the scores needed to be decided in the 2011 Miami Winter Series ranking. Ward captured the event title by the skin of her teeth. Second place finisher Michael Kiss on Bacio, with Chris Rast on tactics and his son Mitchell as crew, was involved in an altercation with Tate Russack on Diesel at the start of race one. Luckily, redress was given and Kiss was able to hang on as runner-up. Unfortunately, overnight leader Paul Reilly on Red Sky, with Andy Burdick as tactician and crew member Mike Kuschner, suffered a difficult day on the water. He was disqualified from the final race, dropping him back to finish third overall. In two weeks time, the Audi Sailing Series gets started in Europe, and Charleston Race Week kicks off on April 14-17. Final top ten (After 6 Races) Event site: www.MiamiSailingWeek.com Full results at Seahorse April 2011 Olympic and small boats news - Turning point Design - Modern classic Sailor of the Month Y's Cup, Marseille: Winners are the Danish/Kiwi Radich Racing Team At 8am this morning, gusts of 47 knots were already reinforcing a wind averaging 30-32 knots. It was simply impossible to race properly in those conditions. We had made provision for a reduction in wind strength... but Eole decided not to take a morning at home! Jesper Radich's crew win the Y's Cup 2011, followed by the Aleph Sailing Team of Bertrand PACE and the team of Damien IEHL (Wind 2 Win). The top four crews divided amongst themselves the bonus of Euro 5,000. The Radich Racing Team already having its ticket to participate in the Match Race France (NDLR : being holder of a 'Tour Card 2011', the team has entry to the World Match Racing Tour events without having to pre-qualify), the team of Bertrand PACE who win the ticket of entry to the first stage of the World Match Racing Tour 2011. The next big match racing rendez-vous in Marseille the week of 10-15 May 2011 with Match Race France organised by the YCPR. Twelve of the best skippers in the world will face off against each other in order to determine the winner of the first of the 9 stages of the world tour. For further information: www.matchracefrance.com and wmrt.com Translation by SailRaceWin: Surgery For Wild Oats XI Bob Oatley's record breaking supermaxi yacht, Wild Oats XI, is about to undergo an upgrade following news that the 30-metre long sloop is to face a powerful foreign challenger in the Rolex Sydney Hobart race later this year. American George David has put Hobart race line honours, and hopefully an associated record breaking run, high on the agenda for the 30-metre offshore racer he recently chartered and renamed Rambler 100. Originally named Speedboat, Rambler 100 is recognised on the international sailing circuit as being unbeatable in the strong conditions that often prevail during the Sydney to Hobart race. Working closely with the yacht's skipper, Mark 'Ricko' Richards, Oatley has commissioned Wild Oats XI's designers at the Reichel-Pugh office in America, as well as other yacht design specialists, to research what can be done to turbo-charge his maxi for the showdown with Rambler 100. Wild Oats XI is already out of the water and being prepared for surgery, however while Mark Richards has confirmed that a new keel will be fitted he has said little else: 'We are looking at every avenue when it comes to making the boat faster. One thing we are definitely doing is running a computer analysis on a number of foil configurations.' The latter point could be a clue as to what might be happening with the big boat. Wild Oats XI is a CBTF concept - a canting ballast/twin foil design. It is possible that when the yacht emerges from the builder's shed mid-year the forward rudder/foil will have been replaced by a retractable twin-centreboard configuration like that seen on Volvo 70 round the world racers. One thing Richards is very definite about is the magnitude of the challenge that will come from Rambler 100 in the Hobart race: 'The result of the Hobart race this year will depend on the conditions we get. You are dealing with two totally different boats here: Rambler is a brute of a boat when compared to Wild Oats XI. She's far more powerful and carries about twenty per cent more sail. In fresh reaching conditions they will be gone - we won't see them - but in the light to medium stuff we should be OK. I also think that there won't be a lot in it if we get strong southerly headwinds. -- Rob Mundle Short Tacks Yacht Club de la Grande Motte www.ycgm.fr Classe Mini: www.classemini.com --------------------------------------------------- Awesome video of DN ice yacht Europeans 2011 in Estonia. Courtesy ZDF, Germany, but you don't need to understand German to enjoy the images: alturl.com/qcvsg -- Anne Hinton --------------------------------------------------- Due for its seventh edition in 2011, the Ida Lewis Distance Race is now a classic on New England sailing calendars. The race, which starts Friday, August 19, features a 177nm and a 150nm race course over some of the most storied and beautiful sailing grounds in the world. With a spectacular start off Fort Adams in Narragansett Bay, the race includes turning marks at Castle Hill, Brenton Reef, Block Island, Montauk Point, Martha's Vineyard and Buzzards Tower on its way to a signature champagne finish inside Newport Harbor off the historic Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Classes are for IRC, PHRF (including Cruising Spinnaker and a Youth Challenge division), One Design and Double-Handed boats of 28 feet or longer. It is a qualifier for the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF); the Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies (IRC); and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series. --------------------------------------------------- Jessica Watson, who is arguably the best known sailor in Australia at the moment has launched a campaign to compete in the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Watson will be joined by Michael Perham, who in 2009 became the youngest person to sail around the world. The average age of the crew for the Sydney Hobart Race is just 19. The campaign is an interesting juxtaposition against other parts of the sport and shows how personality and human interest can appeal to a wider audience while talking about the technology can leave people behind. While Olympic sailors have their heads down trying to qualify for 2012 and the 'stars' of other pro series are mostly reluctant media performers, Watson is in her element sharing her passion for sailing with a wide demographic. The full crew is Michael Perham (19),another solo circumnavigator from the UK, Peter Woodward (21), Will Broughton (19), Cameron Dale (20), Leigh Thorne (21), Alexandra Paton (20), Levi Curtin (18), Sean Lindsell (21), Genevieve Warlow (19). -- YachtSponsorship.com, www.yachtsponsorship.com/2011/03 --------------------------------------------------- This summer the Beneteau Owners Club is running a cruise to France over the weekend of the 1st - 3rd July. This fun, family cruise will be leaving Port Hamble (other starting points may be added across the south coast if required) and heading for Cherbourg in time for a weekend of fun, family friendly, French entertainment, food and drink. The partners for this event are Sailing Today, Beneteau, Ancasta International Boat Sales and Universal Yachting. The partners will collectively be facilitating a fully chaperoned cruise across the channel, including FREE workshops prior to the weekend of the cruise. These will include passage planning, getting the most out of your electronics, safety, along with many others. This cruise is for anyone that owns a Beneteau yacht, from owners that have notched up many nautical miles, to owners that are just starting out. Any Beneteau Owner may register for this event or join the Beneteau Owners Club by simply emailing with their full contact details and a few basic details about their boat. Full information will be sent by reply. Entries are limited so registrations will be handled on a first come first serve basis. --------------------------------------------------- The Gunboat 66 is perhaps the only boat you could take afternoon tea on whilst doing 20 knots... Courtesy of Yachting world, we bring you Peter Johnstone in a dressing gown: www.yachtingworld.com/video/boat-tests/ Featured Brokerage Built for the 1989 Whitbread as NCB Ireland and well looked after and refitted ever since/ Brokerage through Berthon International: www.yachtworld.com/berthon/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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