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

Jeremie Beyou Has Won The Solo Maitre COQ
The Solo Maitre CoQ, which took place this weekend in Les Sables d'Olonne, marked the start of the new Figaro season. The race was hotly contested and in the end, Jeremie Beyou (Maitre CoQ) came in first in the solo racers at 0701hrs this Saturday morning. A great victory and a fine moment for his partner. Jeremie Beyou's reactions: "This was a fantastic way to train. The weather conditions were extremely varied with calms on the first day and up to 23 knots under spinnaker last night. It was intense from start to finish. There were four of us with Yann Elies (Groupe Queguiner), Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat), Gerald Veniard and Jeanne Gregoire (Garage David - Scutum), racing double-handed, battling it out together throughout the race. Yann more or less dominated the vent and deserved to win, but as he passed the island of Yeu for the final time, he sailed further out to sea to gybe away from the wind shadow of the island... I managed to slip in between him and the coast. In the end, it was a fantastic win".

www.vendeeglobe.org

* Artemis Offshore Academy skipper Rich Mason (Artemis 77) finished the 215 mile Solo Maitre Coq 19th overall and second Rookie, just three minutes behind last year's winning Rookie Jack Bouttell (Overboard) in 18th. Kicking off on Thursday 13th March, the Solo Maitre Coq was a race of two halves from sunshine, super light airs, and kedging (using the anchor to stop being swept away on the tide) in the first 24 hours, to a cold fog and 18 knots of wind with a blast reach along the coast in the second.

Top Brit Phil Sharp finished in 12th place, only an error in finishing prevented him from holding on to a top 10 finish. Still a good result in this fleet for the experienced British solo sailor, with a Route du Rhum win, and a Mini Transat under his belt - his CV sits nicely with those around him on the results table.

Despite his lack of autopilot, Henry Bomby also sailed a smart race. One of the furthest boats inshore on the first run to ile d'Yeu, Henry was at the back of the fleet in 33rd. But with the fleet becalmed, he was able to sail up to and into the pack once again. By Friday (14th) morning, Henry had sailed his way past half the fleet and into 16th. At his peak, he was in 9th position, sailing hull to hull with the top skippers in the fleet.

Top Ten Solo Maitre Coq Results

1. Jeremie Beyou/Maitre Coq, FRA
2. Gildas Mahe/Interface Concept, FRA
3. Thierry Chabagny/Gedimat, FRA
4. Yann Elies/Groupe QUEGUINER-LEUCEMIE ESPOIR, FRA
5. Charlie Dalin/Normandie Elite Team, FRA
6. Fabien Delahaye/Skipper Macif 2012, FRA
7. Alexis Loison/Groupe FIVA, FRA
8. Corentin Horeau/Bretagne Credit Mutuel Performance, FRA
9. Corentin Douguet/Un Maillot Pour La Vie, FRA
10. Adrien Hardy/AGIR Recouvrement, FRA

www.artemisoffshoreacademy.com/news/

Event site: www.maitrecoqvoile.com

Fog Halts Clipper Racing
The Clipper Race fleet has ceased racing in Race 10 due to thickening fog which has reduced the visibility for the fleet to less than a quarter of a mile. As a safety precaution, the fleet will motor offshore until the visibility improves.

Race director, Justin Taylor who instructed lead skipper for the day, Eric Holden to cease racing if he deemed the reduced visibility was unsafe, said:

"They will now motor-sail offshore until the visibility improves and then restart racing using the Le Mans procedure. I expect that this will happen at first light tomorrow morning.

"Henri Lloyd will record their exact position at the restart signal. This will be used so that PSP Logistics can arrive at this exact spot and then begin racing themselves."

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Nakhimov Racing Wins 2014 Pirogovo Cup
Four races were held on the closing day of the Pirogovo Cup, fifth and final event of the Monaco Melges20 Winter Series, that is more than during the previous three days combined.

Crews from Monaco did their best on Sunday. Monaco Racing Fleet, skippered by Guido Miani won three races and moved from 13th to third place in the Pirogovo Cup standings while 3Menda had three second-place finishes to capture bronze.

However Nakhimov Racing with Ivan Babich at the helm won the regatta. The team also became the winner of the entire series.

Representatives of Synergy's main crew Konstantin Besputin and Valery Zatsarinsky were part of Nakhimov Racing in the Monaco Melges20 Winter Series.

Synergy Russian Sailing Team was fifth at the Pirogovo Cup. This result helped the Russian team (helmsman Valentin Zavadnikov, sailors Nikolay Kornev and Alexander Ekimov) to move up to the third position overall in the Monaco Melges20 Winter Series rankings.

Final top ten: (7 races, one discard)
1. Nakhimov Racing (Monaco-Russia, helmsman Ivan Babich), 18 points
2. 3Menda (Monaco, Federico Albano - Pierre Casiraghi), 23
3. Monaco Racing Fleet (Monaco, Guido Miani), 25
4. Aloha (Czech Rep., Jan Kucar), 30
5. Synergy (Russia, Valentin Zavadnikov), 34
6. Granitogres (Russia, Denis Lankin), 37
7. RUS7 (Russia, Kirill Podolsky), 39
8. Russo Trans (Russia, Yuri Morozov), 44
9. Team 156 (Russia, Vladimir Sokolov), 48
10. Team Matteo (Italy, Matteo Marenghi Vaselli), 49

From Valencia Sailing: www.vsail.info

Sail Racing Tuwok Jacket
Sail Racing launch their new technical GORE-TEX® product - the Tuwok Jacket, with new film released at sailracing.com.

We love products. We love development. We love details. Some people might think we're crazy. But it's all in the cause of what we call Total Commitment. We constantly question everything and closely examine every stitch of our products as each piece is developed and tested. From the thread we choose, to the insulation, waterproof membranes and outer layer materials we select - right down to the zippers that effortlessly glide open and fasten tightly together. Our eyes and hands are focused on getting everything as close to perfect as possible.

We know that perfect does not exist. How? Because we understand that we can always improve ourselves and the components used to create new products. This knowledge keeps us awake every night and motivated to do better every day.

Watch the new film and the story of the development of the Tuwok Jacket in GORE-TEX® at sailracing.com.

The Tuwok Jacket is made in 3-layer GORE-TEX® Performance shell, 100% water and windproof with high breathability. Available in 3 colours at authorized retailers and online at sailracing.com.

Further info: +46-706-956008

Minoprio Signs With Luna Rossa
New Zealand's Adam Minoprio, the 2010 World Match Racing Champion, has signed with the Italian Luna Rossa team for the 2017 America's Cup.

The former New Zealand Sailor of the Year, competed in the 2010/11 Volvo Ocean Race, as part of the crew of Camper, managed by Emirates Team New Zealand, but did not transfer over to the team's America's Cup program after the conclusion of that race.

Last year Minoprio returned to the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, skippering Team Alpari FX, with many of his former Blackmatch Racing crew sailing with him.

In 2010, Minoprio and Blackmatch Racing became the youngest World Champion ever on the World Match Racing Tour. -- Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz

www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=120113

18ft Skiff European Grand-Prix
After the return of up to six or seven teams from the J.J.Giltinan in Sydney, the World's most prominent 18ft Skiff race and also the unofficial World Championship as Mark Foy Trophy 2014, the Premium Event of the 18ft Skiff Class, we will have lots of new experiences and knowledge in the European class.

Season 2014 starts on Lake Balaton, Hungary between 22nd and 25th May, a venue that has been missed by lots of sailors in the schedule 2013. They have build a new ramp and so launching will be much easier than the years before.

The European Championship will be held at the first European venue at all, the Yacht Club Campione on lake Garda between 29th June and 5th July.

After these events the skiffs will return between 19th and 22nd July to Germany's Travemunder Woche, the second biggest Sailing event of the world and a big chance for the class to present spectacular sailing to TV, newspapers and around 400.000 visitors.

The final will be held at the Dutch Grand Prix in Grevelingen between 28th until 31st August and those who went there before know they will try to held an unforgettable regatta with a appropriate amount of party and celebrations as well. A perfect place for the showdown for the European crown.

www.18footer.org

Entries: www.formstack.com

Gitana Team To Build New Boat For Vendee Globe 2016 - 2017
After much study and deliberation, the team portrayed by five arrows has now made its decision and explains its choices.

To modify and adapt a monohull from the current generation or design and build a new craft, such was the first question Sebastien Josse and the Gitana Team needed to answer. "Since the finish of the last Vendee Globe, a new class measurement (technical rules which govern the Imoca class) has been adopted. To put it simply, it calls for a one-design mast and keel on all the new boats. These rules put rather a new light on things and anyway they needed to be interpreted to determine if the gain in performance of a new boat was a given. After much study and deliberation we've come to a decision and we're opting to build a new boat!" beamed the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild.

The future "Edmond de Rothschild" is the third new generation monohull announced for the next Vendee Globe. Furthermore, like her predecessors, her design will be the fruit of the work carried out by the association of two firms of naval architects based in Brittany: Guillaume Verdier Architecture Navale and VPLP Yacht Design (Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Prevost).

"The decision to go with this pair of naval architects was a natural and virtually logical step for us. They have been tracking all the evolutions in the Imoca class for over eight years and they've demonstrated that they design very high performance boats. Because of their contribution alongside Safran and Banque Populaire, they are ahead of the game on the architectural interpretation of the new class measurement, which will enable some time saving in the study process," Sebastien Josse explained.

The architectural studies required for this new project will begin in mid-April and will continue throughout the design of the 60' prototype. The build itself will commence this coming June and will continue for around a year. Gitana Team's new craft is likely to hit the water over the course of the summer in 2015.

Following an invitation to tender, it's the Vannes-based yard, Multiplast, which has been selected by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild's stable for the construction of its future boat. -- Kate Jennings

www.gitana-team.com

Windsurfers Set New Sailing Record In Florida
Two windsurfers have successfully completed a 375-mile adventure between Fort de Soto Park to Key Largo, in Florida.

Tony Vandenberg and Sean Hawes have completed the difficult journey in seven days, sailing between 12 and 14 hours a day.

The team participated in the 14th edition of the Everglades Challenge. They are the first windsurfers to complete the race that connects St. Petersburg and Key Largo.

"We are humble, happy and proud. It was a survival race. We are guessing with all the headwinds and beating, and some critically dumb navigation in the last moments of the race, we probably traveled 375 miles", Vandenberg explained to the Tampa Bay Times.

The last day was certainly one of the worst. With no GPS, the team entered "survival mode" and touched several islands before finally arriving at Key Largo.

"I ache all over, but it was the greatest challenge I've ever been through."

www.surfertoday.com

ISAF Personal Safety Course Providers Look Forward
In 2003 the International Sailing Federation introduced a standard basic syllabus for the training of safety courses in order to establish an internationally recognized qualification.

The training requirements form part of the ISAF Offshore Special regulations and courses have been established and run, conforming to ISAF standards, within 20 Member National Authorities.

From 11-13 March 2014 ISAF Personal Safety Course Providers from 14 MNAs came together at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Poole, Great Britain for a training workshop to exchange ideas and develop framework to improve course content in the future.

Hundreds of ISAF Personal Safety Courses are run around the world every year with offshore specialists being guided through the syllabus set out in Appendix G of the ISAF Offshore Special Regs.

Click here to find out where you can take the Personal Safety Courses. www.sailing.org

Throughout the three day course at the RNLI headquarters practical demonstrations were delivered, MNA teaching models were highlighted, discussions were had and offshore sailing legend Mike Golding took the group through his experiences.

Golding famously rescued Alex Thomson in 2006 during the Velux 5 Oceans and explained the importance of taking recognized training courses, "All offshore sailors realise the value in operating a life raft in a pressured panic situation at night in the freezing cold in bad conditions. You want to have the confidence to know you've used all that equipment before. Only by providing that sort of structured training can that be achieved.

"In a dynamic environment like the sea things can go from bad to much worse very quickly and there is no room to cope with panic or a complete loss of memory about how to use the equipment. You need to be comprehensively training and prepared."

ISAF Guide to Offshore Personal Safety for Racing and Cruising: www.sailing.org/32564.php

Why Land Rover Sponsor Sailing
Land Rover has made a commitment use sailing as a key part of their marketing mix. Perhaps the most obvious activation of this strategy to date has been a partnership with the Extreme Sailing Series, which began in 2013 as a 'toe in the water' and in 2014 will start to be activated properly.

Like many modern day brands, Land Rover makes decisions based on crunching numbers to understand who their customers are, how they think and most importantly - why they buy. Like many brands that understand the power of sports marketing and sponsorship, Land Rover have a wide choice when it comes to spending their budgets. The rights holders that can provide the closest match between audience (fanbase) and customer are the ones that will get the money.

There are two reasons why the data-crunchers said sailing was a good thing for Land Rover. The high proportion of oh high-net-worth followers of the sport and the realities of getting boats to the shore.

Which explains why Land Rover would choose the sport, but why choose the Extreme Sailing Series? A simplistic 'like-for-like' brand association might make offshore sailing the obvious choice for an off-road vehicle, but marketing is not simple and sponsorship is complicated further by a range of other factors.

Full article by David Fuller in his Yacht Sponsorship blog:

www.yachtsponsorship.com

Hans Fogh
To Hans Fogh's Many Friends:

On March 14th, 2014 Hans Fogh peacefully passed away.

The last thing he said to me was: "I will never give up!"

What a team Hans and Kirsten Fogh have been with their now expanding family.

He always referred to himself, in Danelish, as an "immigrant" after living here for just over 45 years.

If Canada ever gives Gold Medals for 'immigrants" it will be to the Family Fogh.

Sail on old Friend!! -- Paul Henderson

Featured Brokerage
2004 Evento 42. 120,000 Euros. Located in Germany.

The "Silva Hispaniola" an Evento 42 was build in 2004 as a youth racing project and developed to the most successful German ORC racing team. The team sails short and medium range regattas.

"Silva" was designed and continuously optimized with judel/vrolijk & co. For optimal performance the 42 ft boat requires a team of ten.

Results:
1st German Championship ORC Inshore 2013
1st Aalregatta 2013
1st MaiOR 2013
5th Worlds 2012
1st ORCi European Championship 2011
1st ORCi IDM Inshore 2011

Details

Brokerage: Judel Vrolijk Yacht Design,

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

The Last Word
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