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

Hendriksen Wins 3rd Dragon European Title In San Remo
The stage was set for a final showdown of the very best Dragon Sailors in the World, on a day where San Remo sparkled with a blue cloudless sky and a challenging Mediterranean sea. Just a handful of points separated Lars Henriksen, Markus Weiser and Malte Philipp going into the last race so the European Title was up for grabs.

The line was skilfully set by the excellent International Race Officer Dodi Villani, with a slight starboard bias, as most sailors would probably want to take advantage of heading inshore. Although there was some misunderstanding on the start with a few boats, the fleet got away first time with just an "Individual" recall flag flying. As predicted everyone headed towards the shore on a long starboard tack, looking for extra pressure, flatter water and a wind bend that a curved land mass can often produce. With a 2.3 mile first beat, it was obvious the land would play a vital tactical role.

I spoke with Lars after the race he explained "We heard a lot of noise on the radio and after the most perfect start decide to go back, thinking it was a general recall. However, we soon discovered it was just an individual so quickly tried to make amends calling myself the most stupid idiot ever".

SUI 311 helmed by Pedro Andrade, crewed by Martin Westerdahl and Diogo Cayolla did an excellent job to hang on till the end, despite some huge pressure from former World Champion Lawrie Smith, who was finding his form a little too late in this competition.. MON 9 who sailed brilliantly the day before recording two 1st places, were struggling in the stronger wind conditions, so unfortunately former World Champion, Malte Philipp and his team dropped out of overall contention, but still sailed a brilliant championship to finish 4th.

Final top five
1. Debutant, Lars Hendriksen / Frithjof Kleen / Anders Baggers, 28 points
2. Bunker Queen, Marcus Wieser, Sergey Pugachev / Georgii Leonchuk, 30
3. Bunker Boys, Yevgen Braslavets / Igor Sidorov, Sergiy Timokhov, 33
4. Agtivists, Philipp Malte / Michael Kurtz / Thorsten Imbeck, 45
5. Annapurna, Anatoly Loginov / Vadim Statsenko / Alexander Shalagin, 50

www.intdragon.net
www.yachtclubsanremo.it

Enfant Terrible Captures Farr 40 Midwinter Championship
The 2014 sailing season got off to an inauspicious start for skipper Alberto Rossi and the Enfant Terrible team. The Italian entry hit the mark on the first upwind rounding and endured some additional difficulties during the opening race of the Farr 40 Midwinter Championship and had to scramble just to finish 10th in the 16-boat fleet.

There would be no more such problems for Enfant Terrible for the remainder of the regatta. Rossi did a superb job of steering, Vasco Vascotto was brilliant on tactics and the crew performed flawlessly as the Italians put up a steady stream of podium placements to capture the Midwinter crown in convincing fashion.

Enfant Terrible is the reigning Farr 40 world champion and picked up right where it left off last year with a top-notch display of sailing - winning six races and placing second in three others in totaling a low score of 25. Following that uncharacteristic double digit result to begin the four-day regatta, the lowest result the Italians posted was a third.

Beverly Hills skipper Gary Ezor made a successful debut on the Farr 40 International Circuit, capturing the Corinthian championship. Ezor steered Coquille to sixth place in Race 10.

Top Five Farr 40 Midwinter Championship Results (16 boats)
1. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, ITA, 25 points
2. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 39
3. Nightshift, Kevin McNeil, USA, 48
4. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, GER, 58
5. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut Jahn, USA, 61

For complete results: www.yachtscoring.com

farr40.org

Hudson Wight - Ringing The Changes
As we hurtle towards the start of the new sailing season, a new clothing brand, aimed squarely at inshore and offshore racing and cruising keelboat sailors, is clearly making its mark. Hudson Wight Performance Sailwear was introduced last Summer and the brand has been building a loyal following within the sailing fraternity ever since. 

Hudson Wight only sells direct and its Affiliate Scheme is at the heart of that business model. It allows Hudson Wight to give 15% of all its sales to its Affiliates, who are typically volunteer-run Clubs and Class Associations, or marine-related organisations and individuals.

"The aim is build a top-level brand with the sport of sailing as a key stakeholder in our success. With that approach we hope our Affiliate Scheme will lead to more people getting out on the water," says Hudson Wight's Managing Director Jamie Scrimgeour.

To introduce the Hudson Wight range to the discerning Scuttlebutt reader and encourage you to try it yourself, we are offering every subscriber the opportunity to use the unique Affiliate Code SCUTTBUTT to get at least 10% off a set of HW1s - Jacket and Salopettes - made with Hudson Wight's own 3-layer OceanVent fabric. Plus you will be eligible to receive a free Sailing Bag, Sailing Gloves and a snazzy Cap.

Not a single order has yet been returned and the customer feedback is really positive. www.hudsonwight.com/testimonials

Click here to secure your SCUTTBUTT order (offer ends 31st March): www.hudsonwight.com/?affiliate=scuttbutt

Tour Card Holders 'All In' For Argo Group Gold Cup
Francesco Bruni. Photo by Talbot Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and Argo Group issued 17 initial invitations for Bermuda's 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup. All of the 8 Alpari World Match Racing Tour (Alpari WMRT) Card Holders have told Alpari Tour management that they will sail in Bermuda. Match racing for the King Edward XVII Gold Cup Trophy is scheduled to start Tuesday October 21st on Hamilton Harbour in Bermuda. The finals are scheduled for Sunday October 26th.

Invitations were sent to the top 12 skippers in the current ISAF Open Match Race rankings. This includes the 8 Alpari WMRT Cardholders and 4 others who round out the ISAF leaders group. In addition, invitations went to 3 previous Gold Cup winners from the current America's Cup rosters and another America's Cup skipper who has yet to win the Gold Cup.

Francesco Bruni, (ITA) Luna Rossa Challenge, will be back to defend his 2013 title. Bruni who had been tactician with the Italian America's Cup team won 17 out of 20 races to put his name on the King Edward VII Gold Cup.

Taylor Canfield (USVI) the 2013 Tour winner and ISAF World Champion and winner of the Gold Cup in 2012 will also be back in the chase for his 2nd Gold Cup title.

Alpari World Match Racing Tour - 2014 Tour Card Holders

Skipper - Team
Taylor Canfield (ISV) - USone
Ian Williams (GBR) - GAC Pindar
Keith Swinton(AUS) - Black Swan Racing
Bjorn Hansen(SWE) - Hansen Sailing Team
Mathieu Richard (FRA) - Lunajets
Phil Robertson (NZL) - Waka Racing
Francesco Bruni (ITA) - Luna Rossa
David Gilmour (AUS) - Team Gilmour

argogroupgoldcup.com
wmrt.com

Melges 24 European Sailing Series First Event
Portoroz, Slovenia. Second day of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series regatta in Portoroz has been dominated by light winds. Slowly but surely, the sea breeze started appearing in the bay of Piran around noon providing the fleet of 24 monotypes another great day of racing.

The first race entirely belonged to Croatian Tomislav Basic, who led the pack from start to the finish with a considerable advantage.

Storm Capital Sail Racing (NOR) delivered a fantastic performance as well and was rewarded with a second place, while Altea (ITA) placed fifth but managed to maintain the lead.

Lenny (EST) has climbed to the second position overall after scoring a fourth and a third. "This is our first regatta in six months. We last raced in September and we are surprised how well we're doing. We came here to have fun but since we're on top of the chart, our appetites have increased," said Toniste brothers, ready for tomorrow's finale.

The battle will be particularly intense for the third place, as Storm Capital Racing (NOR) and Audi team (ITA) are only a point apart. "The wind was quite light and changing a lot so it was very hard to read. I'm glad we are still in the game for the podium because the boat returned from Australia only recently and its settings are not optimal yet," commented Riccardo Simoneschi.

ycp-klub.si/melges24/

St Barths Bucket
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi, carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Finishes at The Bucket were extra close today and decided some class wins by mere seconds. The third and final day of racing of the three-day series presented winds that again enabled a quick pace around the race course, this time in a "wrong way" (clockwise direction) around the island that measured 24.5 nautical miles for the Gazelle and Elegante classes and 21 for the Grande Dames and Mademoiselles.

Perhaps most dramatically, the Perini Navi Clan VIII finished a mere five seconds ahead of Seahawk in Grande Dames class, preventing another Perini Navi Seahawk from snatching victory overall and allowing Altair to slip in and take the top spot on the scoreboard.

Right at the start, his team's giant spinnaker, with over 1000 square metres of sail cloth, filled before it got to the lock at the top of the mast, and the halyard broke. "We crossed the line dragging it in the water," said Jonstone, "but we pulled it out and wooled it up; then while sailing on the backside of the island, we sent someone up the rig to sort things and change the lock over-it was an amazing effort." The Seahawk team then mustered the confidence to hoist the spinnaker again on the relatively short downwind stretch to the finish line, but bad luck was still riding with them. "We had 500 metres to go to the finish, and when the halyard went up it wouldn't jam in the lock."

Clan VIII and Seahawk crossed the finish line in third and fourth, with the Perini Navi Silencio and Altair taking first and second, respectively. In final cumulative scoring, Altair was one point ahead of Seahawk, with Silencio falling into third and Clan VIII finishing sixth.

For photos, final results and awards, visit bucketregattas.com/stbarths/

Entries Open for the 2014 RYA Eric Twiname Championships
Entries for the 2014 RYA Eric Twiname Championships, being staged at Rutland Sailing Club, are now open.

The annual Junior event will take place from 10 - 11 May 2014, and all sailors should enter online via the event website at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk

One of the highlights of the RYA's Racing calendar, the regatta is now in its 28th year and will see over 300 junior sailors pit their sailing skills against the best young talents from each of the six English Zones, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in a bid to help their Zone or home country team scoop the coveted Eric Twiname Shield.

The event which is an integral part of the Junior class calendar will offer the RYA Zone/Home Country Squads competitive racing in a fun and friendly environment. The weekend will welcome boats from across seven of the RYA Junior classes - Optimist, Topper, and Feva dinghy classes with the windsurfers racing on Bic Techno boards with 4.5m, 5.8m, 6.8m and 7.8m rigs.

Last year's event saw the RYA South West Zone reign victorious at Rutland Water as the 'Battle of the Zones' came to a exhilarating finish. The RYA South Zone clinched the Eric Twiname Dinghy Trophy while the South East Zone sealed the Eric Twiname Windsurfing Trophy.

www.ryaracingevents.org.uk
erictwinametrust.org 

18ft Skiffs Club Championship, Race 11
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: Michael Coxon, Dave O'Connor and Trent Barnabas came with a brilliant finish in Thurlow Fisher Lawyers to grab a one sec. victory in the Australian 18 Footers League's Race 11 of the Club Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

Today's win also consolidated the team's victory overall to take out the Club Championship by twelve points from the JJ Giltinan champion Gotta Love It 7 team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers defeated Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy and Peter Harris on Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel, with an unlucky Mojo Wine (Trevor Barnabas, Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge) a further 35s back in third place.

Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane) finished fourth, followed by Yandoo (John Winning) and Smeg (Nick Press).

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers finished the championship on 40 points, Gotta Love It 7 on 52, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel was third on 61, Smeg 67, Mojo Wine 75 and Fisher & Paykel (Grant Rollerson on 79.

John Winning, Andrew Hay and Jim Beck won the club's Season Point Score by six points from Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.

The 8-10-knot south east breeze provided competitors with good conditions for the final race of the season and spectators were treated to a great finish in a dying breeze.

Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com

Today's race was the last race of the 2013-2014 Season.

The 2014-2015 Season will commence in October. -- Frank Quealey. Australian 18 Footers League, www.18footers.com.au

HYPD5
The High Performance Yacht Design Committee is pleased to announce that HPYD5 will take place in Auckland, NZ as part of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in early March 2015.

Papers are invited on all topics relating to the design of high performance power and sailing yachts, including:

- structural design and analysis
- performance prediction
- wind tunnel and towing tank testing
- computational methods
- hull and appendage design
- regulations and rating rules

An exciting new development is that an agreement has been reached with SNAME (Chesapeake)  and Ecole Navale (Innov'Sail) to provide a coordinated  rolling 3 year programme of high quality yacht technical conferences.

Abstracts are due 1st July and final papers are due 1st October. All papers are reviewed by an international technical panel. See www.hpyd.org.nz for more details.

To unsubscribe, or for more information, please email -- David Le Pelley, HPYD Committee

Hobie Alter
Hobart "Hobie" Alter, who started out shaping surfboards, and ended up shaping a culture, passed away peacefully at his Palm Desert home on March 29 surrounded by his loving family. Born on October 31, 1933 in Ontario, California, he was 80 at the time of his passing.

The recently published biography "Hobie: Master of Water, Wind and Waves"reveals the story of this true Renaissance man. The son of a second-generation orange farmer, Hobie flourished spending time at his family's Laguna Beach summer home. And it was here in the family's garage back in 1950 where he began his somewhat accidental career by combining his two loves, wood shop and water, crafting handmade 9 foot balsawood surfboards for his friends. Business was good, and his father had grown tired of the sawdust, so in 1954 Hobie would open the area's first surf shop in Dana Point. But as demand continued to grow, balsawood was becoming scarce, and even with Hobie's creative assembly line, the wooden board building process was cumbersome. This is where Hobie's extraordinary gift for self-taught, "outside the box" engineering rose to the challenge. Through a top-secret trial and error process, and along with friend and employee Gordon "Grubby" Clark, Hobie pioneered the development of the foam surfboard. With the lighter and more responsive boards, and his gift for design and commitment to uncompromising quality, Hobie quickly became the number one surfboard brand in the world. The list of legendary surfers and shapers that worked or rode for Hobie is a virtual Hall of Fame and his success is seen as the launch point for California's iconic surf industry. Hobie himself was a top surfing competitor.

Having success with surfing, Hobie turned his attention to his other water-based passion, and after another series of tireless design testing, Hobie unveiled his namesake "Hobie Cat" which is credited with bringing high-performance sailing from the yacht club to the masses. "The Cat that Can Fly" could be launched off any beach and soon became one of the world's top selling sailboats.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to either:

Sport of Kings Foundation - in Memory of Hobie Alter
PO Box 2499 Capistrano Beach, CA 92624
sportofkingsfoundation.org

Surfing Heritage Culture Center - Hobie Alter Scholarship Fund
www.surfingheritage.org

Orcas Island Community Foundation - Deer Harbor Volunteer Fire Department- in Memory of Hobie Alter
www.oicf.us

www.hobie.com

Featured Brokerage
2008 A40 RC. 140,000 Euros. Located in the South of France.

Racing boat A40 RC GERANIUM KILLER is the fastest sailing boat in the RC market. Her structure is optimised for racing and she is much lighter than other boats of her type, meaning that she has won most races and regattas that she has entered: le Tour de Course, la Giraglia, les Voiles de St. Tropez, le Trophée Semac, etc. Her 3 separate cabins, kitchen and bathroom facilities also make her an excellent fast cruising sailboat, ideal for a short-handed crew.

Details

Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage: www.bernard-gallay.com

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

The Last Word
It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious. -- Alfred North Whitehead

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