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
Alpari World Match Racing Tour Announces First Ever Event In Holland
London, UK: The Alpari World Match Racing Tour today announced the addition of the Dutch Match Cup as an official stage of the 2014 world championship tour.
The Dutch event joins the current schedule of six championship events in Germany, Sweden, Poland, Chicago, Bermuda, and Malaysia. Today's announcement comes just two days before the start of the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour on the shores of Lake Constance at Match Race Germany from 5-9 June.
The Dutch Match Cup will mark the first ever Alpari World Match Racing Tour event to be held in Holland. The event will take place from 24-28 September in Lelystad, the largest municipality in Holland and the capital of the province of Flevoland. The event will offer a prize purse of USD75,000 (adding to the current 2014 Tour prize purse of USD1.4million) and teams will compete in an identical fleet of Maxfun 25 keelboats with four crew per boat.
The racing will take place directly off the harbour wall at Bataviahaven in Lelystad, one of the largest marinas in the Netherlands located on the 700 km2 Markermeer in between North Holland and its larger sibling, the Ijsselmeer.
In addition to hosting the Dutch Match Cup, the Batavia Sailing Center also plans to launch an annual match racing series in Holland in partnership with the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and ISAF (International Sailing Federation). The national sailing program will provide a valuable pathway for aspiring Dutch sailors to hone their match racing skills and increase their world ranking. The series will also incorporate a youth development program to attract new sailors to the sport, and to match racing.
www.wmrt.com
www.dutchmatchcup.com
WIM Series At The Royal Cork
Next week the Women's International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) starts the new season in an exciting historical context. The first event will not only be hosted by the oldest yacht club in the world, the Royal Cork Yacht Club, but the event will also continue a tradition of ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championships dating back to 1999. And on top of that the surroundings, with the newly renovated Camden Fort Meagher, offer a really beautiful and historical setting.
The WIM Series began in 2013 with its inaugural season, comprising five successful events in France, Denmark, Korea, USA and Sweden. No less than 25 crews from 13 countries raced each other in hundreds of thrilling matches, and the title and the USD 50 000 prize pool were still up for grabs until the last day of the final event, the Lysekil Women's Match in Sweden. Lucy Macgregor of Great Britain became the first skipper to put her name on the Terry J Kohler Perpetual Trophy, with Swede Anna Kjellberg runner-up.
The second season of the still young, growing and aspiring WIM Series will open next week in a context with far more tradition, routine and history. The Royal Cork Yacht Club hosts the first event in Ireland on June 3 – 8. Private sailing started to become popular in Cork Harbour already in the late 1600s, and by 1720 interest in the sport had progressed so much that the 26 year old William O'Brien and some of his friends established The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork. This club is known today as the Royal Cork Yacht Club, and it is the oldest yacht club in the world.
Marinepool Club And Crew Jacket Collection 2014 - A Sportive Look And Maritime Chic In Classic Style
2014 has seen the introduction of a new Club and Crew Jacket line that is the perfect outfit for get togethers in the clubhouse, an apres sail drink in the cockpit or for any trip both on water and land. Garments for all occasions and events that require a sportive look in a classic style.
There is hardly any other sport that is similarly demanding on clothing than sailing. Garments used on boats or for regattas require highest reliability in terms of waterproofness, breathability, abrasion resistance. Functional cuts, light weight and further intelligent design features are indispensable - and the ideal crew wear brings all these qualities together. Furthermore, sailing as a sport and lifestyle reaches beyond the action on board and on race courses. Maritime clothing has a wide appeal and has become a way of living for many. The functionality of the garments is a welcome add-on and asset. The new Club and Crew Jacket collection by Marinepool is designed for racing crews, club teams, the ambitious amateur and fashion conscious water sports enthusiast alike. The utilization of technical high-quality fabrics ensures crucial features in terms of function such as breathability, wind and waterproofness and highest wearing comfort.
Consequently, these products can be used for racing, day sailing and any other dynamic outdoor activities. Maritime colours and fashionable details such as the striped knitted sleeve cuffs, collar and hem of the "Storm Jacket", available for men, women and kids bring a casual touch to the functional jackets. In combination with jeans, chino trousers, shirts or polo shirts and with its stylish design, the "Cruising Jacket" is the perfect outer layer for casual looks or sportive elegant outfits.
The new Marinepool club and crew jacket collection.
Design. Technology. Passion.
RORC North Sea Race Report
A fleet of 52 yachts entered the 180-mile RORC North Sea Race, the fourth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. Starting from Harwich on the East Coast of England, the line was blessed with a 15 knot easterly wind, providing a true beat to the first turning mark of the course. The breeze was to fade during the race which suited Volvo Ocean 65, Team Brunel.
The Dutch team, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, took line honours and the overall win under IRC after time correction. Wouter Hermsen's Sydney GTS 43, Luctor 3 was second overall and winner of IRC One, and Harm Prins Volvo 60, Pleomax, was third and winner of IRC Zero. Congratulations should also go to the winner of IRC Two, Ard Moerman's Bashford & Howison 36, Ace, and to Paul van der Pol's J/109, Yeti, which won IRC Three.
This is the first RORC race in which the new VOR 65 has competed and it was a great warm up for the Volvo Ocean race, which starts in the autumn, providing an opportunity for Bouwe Bekking to trial his new team and to give his sponsors the sail of their lives.
The overall winner of the North Sea Race under ORC was Frans Rodenburg's First 40, Elke. Robert Jockin's Dehler 39, Griel, was second and also winner of ORC Two. Anita Bakker's Dehler 35, Gast-Vrij, corrected out to win ORC 3 & 4.
15 teams, all from The Netherlands, raced in the IRC Two-Handed Class and, after a race lasting over a day and a half, the result was decided by just one minute. John Van Veen's J/105, Dream Machine, with Rob Vis as crew, was the winner of the class, beating Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker's J/122, Junique, into second place. Chris Schram's JPK 10.10, 'So What', was third. -- Louay Habib
For full results from the North Sea Race: www.rorc.org
Laser Europa Cup Winners Crowned at WPNSA
Great Britain's three-day Laser Europa Cup event drew to a close amid glorious racing conditions at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on Sunday (1 June).
Battling against a light and shifty breeze on the opening day of the regatta (Friday 30 May), conditions slowly improved across the course of the weekend with today's superb sunshine and South Westerly 10-15 knots resulting in a fantastic finale and a full schedule of races across the Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Laser Standard classes.
In the Laser Standard, the British Sailing Team's Podium Potential sailor Lorenzo Chiavarini - the under 21 World and European Champion - revelled across the eight race series and cemented his position at the top of the leaderboard, having led the event from the outset. Elliott Hanson finished seven points behind in second with Jack Wetherell in third.
In the Laser Radial event, Jon Emmett did enough in today's final two races with a second and first to hold onto his overnight lead and claim event honours ahead of John Booth in second and Jack Aitken in third.
Europa Cup victory in the Laser Radial female fleet went to Hannah Brant, who also secured a qualification berth for Great Britain in the Byte CII class for this summer's Youth Olympic Games in May.
Hollowell Sailing Club's Arran Holman was victorious in the Laser 4.7 class clinching Championship honours with three race wins from the eight race series.
Full results: events.sailracer.org/eventsites/default_s.asp?eventid=189526
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:
Leigh Mcmillan (GBR)
In spite of the influx of America's Cup teams last year's Extreme Sailing Series champion has continued to fight it out at the front this year in relentless and unruffled style. 'One of the fastest - and nicest - guys on the grand prix circuits' - Jed Smith; 'This year has shown that Leigh can take on and defeat the very biggest names in sailing' - Jenny Hargrove; 'He has taken all that Tornado experience and mastered the VX40s better than any other skipper' - Hamish Calder; 'All hail the catmeister' - Bob Smith.
This month's nominees:
Giles Scott (GBR)
After a brief interlude in the America's Cup with Prada the man who arguably came closest to denying Ben Ainslie his fourth gold medal is back in the Finn and is only interested in one result at Rio 2016. And he's back with a vengeance winning the recent tricky European championships by the quite extraordinary margin of 50pt from his closest rival. All those Finn sailors who sighed with relief at Big Ben's retirement can think again.
Gwenole Gahinet And Paul Meilhat (FRA)
Two young tigers indeed... in winning the Transat AG2R Gahinet and Meilhat defeated many of the very biggest names in French offshore sailing including the biggest name of all, Michel Desjoyeaux. There was very little subtle about this victory, the fast pair claiming simply 'to have sailed like hell and pushed at full throttle from start to finish... That is the only way to race, n'est ce pas?'
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!
Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month
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Industry News
Nick Bonner has joined Elvstrom Sails UK in a new role as Sales Consultant. Nick brings with him a wealth of racing and big boat experience. A sailor since the age of 4 on his fathers Sigma 33, he then moved into dinghies and sailed single-handers in the British Youth Squad.
His twenty years experience of professional trimming has subsequently included Whitbread projects on Rothmans and Fortuna, three Admirals Cup campaigns, the IOR 50' circuit, Ultra 30's, Farr 40's and more recently mainsail trimmer on the mini-maxi 'Shockwave', amongst numerous other projects. He is a Swan 45 World champion and Farr 40 European champion and has previously worked in the sail making sector.
Nick will be working alongside loft manager Jeremy White, who took over the loft in 2012 to regenerate and drive Elvstrom's market development strategy
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The 13th International Sailing Summit (ISS) will be held in Amsterdam this year on Monday, November 17 - the day before the start of METS.
Hosted by British Sailing, one of the British Marine Federation's (BMF) group associations, this year's summit theme is 'Waking up the sailing industry - how sailing needs to modernise, diversify and develop to attract and retain participants'.
Topics will include:
- Recent innovations in the industry
- Growing sailing in Asian and other international markets
- Existing programmes successfully growing sailing amongst women and young people
- Examples of organisations and programmes that have re-invented themselves to grow through recent challenging times
- Alternative sports that have been successful in increasing participation
IBI News: plus.ibinews.com
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Henri Lloyd has boosted their marine sales team, with the appointment of Daniel Tudor-Williams as the UK Marine Sales Support Assistant, Daniel will be supporting both Henri Lloyd's expanding corporate and wholesale marine accounts, and shall be based out of the Henri Lloyd Lymington office.
Daniel has a considerable wealth of knowledge from the marine branding and retail sector and has previously worked for Force 4, Grapefruit Graphics, Rule 26 and Coast Graphics.
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McConaghy Boats has announced a strategic move to the large yacht market. Part of this strategy includes the establishment of a New Zealand office to add to the company's existing presence in Australia, where the company is headquartered.
With facilities in China and Australia, McConaghy produces racing yachts, composite components and dinghies, as well as sail and powerboats. The builder says it will apply its race boat expertise and technology to the superyacht sector.
This new focus will complement the company's ongoing work in the sub 30m sector.
Previous high profile superyacht projects from McConaghy Boats include the multi-award winning trimaran Adastra and Mike Slade's racing heavyweight Leopard 3.
IBI News: https://plus.ibinews.com
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In a move that consolidates its long-term future, the UK's Solent Refit signed a 20-year lease on its site at Hythe in Southampton. The lease was signed with the Home & Communities Agency (HCA), the owner of the site which also includes Green Marine and a group of other yacht and marine sector service companies.
Solent's facilities comprise a 1,500-tonne slipway with linked transfer system and some 10,000sq m of covered space. -- David Robinson
VALENTIN MANKIN
The only sailor to win three Olympic Gold medals in three different classes has died in Viareggio, Italy. All told he won four Olympic medals.
Born in 1938, Valentin Mankin was initially from Kiev, before emigrating to Italy in 1988 where he worked as a yachting coach.
His first Olympic success under the flag of the USSR came at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico where he sailed in the Finn class, winning the Gold medal, winning three of the seven races sailed, and finishing in the top three in the other races that he counted for his final score. Mankin finished over 40 points ahead of the Silver medalist, Hubert Raudaschl (AUT) in the seven race series contested by 35 competitors sailing supplied boats.
His great win was a little over-shadowed by the win of Rodney Pattisson and Iain Macdonald-Smith (GBR) who dominated the Flying Dutchman class with five wins and a second place, also finishing 40 points clear of the second placed boat.
In the next Olympics, he teamed up with Vitaly Dyrdyra to win a second Gold medal in the Tempest class in 1972 Olympics sailed in Kiel, Germany. In Montreal in 1976 he had a new crew Vladyslav Akimenko, after his regular crew was injured just weeks before the start of the regatta. They finished second to win the Silver medal.
In the 1980 Olympics in Tallin, in his native Russia, Mankin (then 41 yrs old) won his third Olympic Gold medal In the Star class, sailing with a new crew Aleksandr Muzychenko. The series was only decided in the last race. Ironically he again beat Hubert Raudaschl (AUT) who finished second - the two great sailors had both won Gold and Silver in the Finn class in 1968. -- Richard Gladwell in Sail-world.com
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The Last Word
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