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

Test Of Endurance
Ten yachts are still racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race although the next yacht to finish the gruelling 1800 mile race is not expected until Tuesday evening. Over the last 24 hours a low pressure system that arrived from the north west, is bringing gale force headwinds that are hampering the progress of the fleet north of the Irish coast.

A tough couple of days for Roderick Knowles' Class40, Swish - Rick Tomlinson/RORC Roderick Knowles' Class40, Swish, is in the Celtic Sea, 340 miles from the finish and is expected around midnight tomorrow (Tuesday). At their current pace, Swish is almost 24 hours inside the world record for yachts of 40ft or less.

After two days of rough weather, two yachts are battling it out for class honours in IRC Two. J/111 British Soldier, skippered by Phil Caswell, has made great progress through the night and, after gybing at dawn this morning, they are heading for the north coast of Ireland with just under 700 miles to the finish. J/122 Relentless on Jellyfish, skippered by James George, is 10 miles behind British Soldier but leading the class on corrected time by just one hour.

Hanse 53, Saga, skippered by Peter Hopps, is the new leader of IRC One. The previous class leader, Stimpson 42 Palpatine, is still taking shelter in Stornaway.

The general weather outlook for the western coasts of Scotland and Ireland, and the Celtic Sea, is that the north westerly winds will prevail, but high pressure is due to arrive from the mid-Atlantic by tomorrow, bringing lighter westerly winds.

roundbritainandireland.rorc.org

2014 Youth Olympic Games
The second day of racing at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Sailing Competition will see light winds and an increase in temperature at Lake Jinniu.

Racing is scheduled to commence at 11:00 local time across the four fleets and a north easterly breeze at 5-6 knots is on the cards for the 101 racers from 62 nations racing in Boys and Girls Byte CII and Boys and Girls Techno 293.

The temperature has been relatively cool in Nanjing since the second Youth Olympic Games was declared open on 16 August but the temperature is expected to pick up to 27 degrees with high humidity.

Top three by class:

Men Byte
1. Pedro Luiz Marcondes Correa, BRA
2. Angello Giuria Farias, PER
3. Justin Vittecoq, CAN

Women Byte
1. Alexandra Dahlberg, FIN
2. Samantha JingYi Yom, SIN
3. Odile Van Aanholt, NED

Men Techno 293
1. Francisco Saubidet Birkner, ARG
2. Kensel Ikeda, JPN
3. Lars van Someren, NED

Women Techno 293
1. Lucie Pianazza, FRA
2. Linli Wu, CHN
3. Mariam Sekhposyan, RUS

www.sailing.org/events/youtholympicgames/

Cadet Worlds at Weymouth and Portland
Unseasonably blustery weather dished up a particularly excellent day for World Championship Cadet sailing at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Great Britain on Sunday.

Day 2 of the 2014 Cadet World Championship, sponsored by Thorpe Bay Yacht Club, dawned under leaden skies and the promised 25knt gusts were whipping around the dinghy park as the young sailors rigged their boats in anticipation of another exciting day on the water. However, a slight moderation in the conditions by the time the fleet launched meant that a course could be laid inside the harbour that made the most of the15-20knt westerly that had settled in for day.

Top five after six races, 1 discard:

1. Thomas Alexander / Sophie Alexander, AUS, 7 points
2. Jullian Mathwig / Matthias Henning, GER, 12
3. Lucy Terkelsen / Cally Terkelsen, GBR, 22
4. Igor Lvov / Marina Kulbashna, UKR, 31
5. Cesar Smet / Emiel Marian, BEL, 33

Full results

www.cadetclass.org.uk/2014-worlds

It's Time To Enter Key West Race Week!
Photo by Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Registration for Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 is live and the entry list is growing!

Enter your boat now and let the world know you are planning to race in North America's premier winter regatta.

Top tier programs from Europe and the US will compete in exciting one design and rated classes.

Handicap racing will fill the ranks with IRC, HPR, and PHRF fleets. Traditionally strong one-design classes include Melges 32, Melges 24, J/70, and J/105.

Start making your plans for the ideal winter escape with world-class competition, exceptional racing conditions and unique shoreside fun. January 18 - 23, 2015.

Entries and more: www.premiere-racing.com

EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship
Registration took place Monday for the 2014 edition of the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship, 2014, with racing starting Tuesday and concluding on Saturday 23rd August.

Strong teams from Italy and Russia will be competing against sailors from Germany, the UK and other European nations, including of course, the host nation, Poland. This is the third occasion this innovative and diverse championship has taken place, following two very successful years in Aarhus, Denmark and Tavira, Portugal.

The 2014 EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship is being organised by the Polish Yachting Association, in association with EUROSAF and is incorporated in the Gdynia Sailing Day series, generously sponsored by Volvo, Poland.

euroaf.org

Huff Of Arklow
The restoration of the classic yacht 'Huff of Arklow' is nearing completion in Cornwall and anticipating is building to see the 1951 John Tyrrell & Sons builkd back on the water in her original form next month.

The unique yacht designed by the famous Uffa Fox was built for Douglas Heard, a well-known Dublin yachtsman and the first president of the Irish Yachting Association, now Irish Sailing Association. Huff of Arklow was completely unique upon her construction and is believed to be the only example of a Flying Thirty left. She is an irreplaceable boat and has had a revolutionary effect on the history of yacht design. For these, as well as for many other reasons, she is worthy of preservation.

Huff of Arklow launch party will take place on 7th September.

From Afloat magazine: afloat.ie

Restoration facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/HuffofArklow

470 Junior European Championship Gold Medals Sealed With A Day To Spare
Gdynia, Poland: Jordi Xammar/Joan Herp (ESP) and Anna Kyselova/Anastasiya Krasko (UKR) are the 2014 470 Junior European Champions

An increase in breeze and choppy sea saw a few casualties in performance, as teams got to grips with the change in conditions today.

Spain's Jordi Xammar/Joan Herp today won the only 470 Championship title which has so far eluded them, and secured 470 Men Junior European Championship gold from their solid 2,2 race performance.

Nothing is guaranteed behind the Spaniards, as teams prepare for a battle extrodinaire to unfold tomorrow with those placed 2nd through to 5th in contention for silver, and even the 6th placed team having a long shot at bronze.

470 Men - Top 10 Medal Race Line-Up
1. Jordi Xammar/Joan Herp, ESP, 18 points
2. Malte Winkel/Matti Cipra, GER, 46
3. Giacomo Ferrari/Giulio Calabro, ITA, 58
4. David Charles Vila/Alex Charles Vila, ESP, 64
5. Matthes Waack/Matthias Rummel, GER, 66
6. Fabrice Rigot/Guillauume Rigot, SUI, 81
7. Simon Diesch/Patrick Aggeler, GER, 84
8. Filip Florek/Dominik Janowczyk, POL, 94
9. Kristian Check/Maxim Cherenkov, RUS, 97
10. Francesco Rebaudi/Matteo Puppo, ITA-99, 110

470 Women

Three back to back races for the 470 Women saw defending Champions Anna Kyselova/Anastasiya Krasko (UKR) open the penultimate day of racing with a win in race 8. They thought they had won race 9 too, but scored a penalty for being over the line. Fortunately for them, they wrapped up the day's racing with a win in race 10 and with it secured their second consecutive Junior European Championship title.

470 Women - Top 10 Medal Race Line-Up
1. Anna Kyselova/Anastasiya Krasko, UKR, 21 points
2. Frederike Loewe/Anna Markfort, GER, 42
3. Noya Bar-Am/Rimon Shoshan, ISR, 45
4. Jess Lavery/Megan Brickwood, GBR, 52
5. Jeanine Speelman/Marchien Speelman, NED, 58
6. Cecilia Zorzi/Bianca Caruso, ITA, 60
7. Fabienne Oster/Alexandra Lauber, GER, 67
8. Eva Peterneli/Valentina Baruca, SLO, 88
9. Benedetta di Salle/Alessandra Dubbini, ITA, 90
10. Tsuf Zamet/Saar Tamir, ISR, 90

junioreuropeans.420sailing.org

Dubarry Crosshaven - Comfortably The Best Performer
Volvo Ocean Race teams have chosen Dubarry's Crosshaven in every edition of the race since the boot was developed with Green Dragon in the 2008 edition. There are several reasons for that.

First, the innovation that impressed the Green Dragon guys most: the integral gaiter. Made of lightweight, hard-wearing, water-resistant fabric and cinched up with a drawstring, this gaiter means you can kneel down and work on the foredeck without suffering the dreaded 'bootful of green' that kills comfort for the rest of the passage.

And when you're dodging icebergs in the Southern Ocean as winter's teeth snap at your vitals, you'll appreciate the 350g GORE-TEX® Duratherm membrane and thermally insulated footbed that will keep your feet, at least, toasty.

Then there's the award-winning grip of Crosshaven's non-slip and non-marking sole. If you're trying to stay vertical on deck, and several tonnes of water traveling at 30 knots is trying to persuade you that you might be more comfortable lying down, you need your feet to stay planted.

We can all benefit from experience, but it comes at a price. Lucky for you that Green Dragon footed the bill, and the benefit is all yours.

Dubarry Crosshaven - Born at sea

dubarry.com

New Zealand's 3 News On Bermuda's America's Cup Bid
Top New Zealand broadcasters 3 News endorsed Bermuda's prospects for hosting the 2017 America's Cup over rival contenders San Diego this weekend.

The twin island nation, which reaped huge economic benefits from hosting the international yachting event in Auckland in 2000, had its own team publicly state that they would submit a challenge for the 35th Cup.

The America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) is to announce the winning host in October — and, in an editorial published on Saturday by 3 News, Bermuda was praised as the better venue for a commercially viable regatta.

Reporter Greg Pearson noted that if Team Oracle, the American defender, want to "chase the money, the best option is likely to be Bermuda, with the Atlantic territory providing a window to the more lucrative Europe audience".

"If the schedule follows the same format as San Francisco, 1pm and 2pm start times in Bermuda would be 5pm and 6pm in London, as opposed to 9pm and 10pm for the same start times in San Diego."

Bermuda's one-hour proximity to the US East Coast also better aligns the Island to American prime-time audiences. -- Jonathan Bell

www.3news.co.nz

First Qualifier For 2016 Paralympic Games
Tomorrow (19 August) sailing will become the first Irish sport to contest for a place at the 2016 Paralympic Games. The IFDS World Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada will serve as the first qualifying event for the discipline, with the top seven nations earning their country's place at the Games in Rio in two years' time.

John Twomey, Ian Costello and Austin O'Carroll from Providence Team IRL will be representing Ireland in the three-man Sonar class. They will compete in the six day regatta against 16 of the world's best Paralympic sailing teams from 12 other nations.

John Twomey is well versed in the qualification process and the pressure twinned with representing his country at this level of elite competition. Hailing from Ballinhassig, Co. Cork, John will draw on his extensive experience to lead his two crewmen, having represented Ireland in a record-breaking 10 consecutive Paralympic Games. His teammate Ian Costello from Killorgan in Co. Kerry is also no stranger to international competition having sailed with John in his first Paralympics in 2012 where they finished 11th overall. This will be Dubliner Austin O'Carroll's first major international event having joined the team late last year. -- Rachel Solon

www.sailing.ie
www.ifdsworlds2014.ca

Sebastien Josse Qualifies For The Route Du Rhum
With two and a half months to go until the start of the Route du Rhum, the countdown is on for the solo sailors who will be setting sail on the famous transatlantic race between Saint Malo in France and Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe. Sebastien Josse set himself a target of 15 August to validate his qualification for the event; late Friday, after a little over 50 hours at sea and having covered 1,000 miles, the skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild returned to the boat's port of registry in Lorient and, in so doing, has secured his entry ticket for 2 November 2014.

All the solo sailors intending to compete in the Route du Rhum have to complete a qualifier of at least 1,000 miles to validate their registration for the prestigious transatlantic race. Aboard the Multi70 fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, Sebastien Josse made the most of a favourable weather window, the skipper of Gitana Team left Lorient last Wednesday, 13 August, for a looped circuit around the Bay of Biscay. -- Translated by Kate Jennings

www.gitana-team.com

Opera House Cup
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, USA: A cherished tradition, the Opera House Cup Regatta, is held on the third Sunday of every August on Nantucket. The Opera House Cup Regatta was the first all-wooden, single-hulled classic boat regatta on the East Coast, and it attracts some of the finest sailboats in the country. Past participants include former America's Cup winners (Intrepid, Weatherly, Columbia), well-known competitors (Shamrock, Endeavor) and such other notable yachts as the Mystic Seaport schooner Brilliant and General Patton's When and If.

On the smaller side, prestigious boats in the Dragon class and the classic Herreshoff-designed and Nantucket-built Alerions challenge the big boys. There are six primary awards presented to the winners of the Opera House Cup Regatta: Overall Winner, 12 Metre Class, Alerion Class, Classic Division, Spirit of Tradition Division and First to Finish.

The Opera House Cup Regatta is the grand finale of Nantucket Race Week, and the events culminated with the OHC Awards Party, held under the tents on Jetties Beach on Sunday evening. Good food, Spanky's famous raw bar, drinks, videos of the OHC race, a silent auction, presentation of the awards and music kept the party jumping late into the evening. The OHC Awards Party is considered "the party of the season" on Nantucket, and there were easily over 1000 attendees.

www.operahousecup.org/page/ohc
www.panerai.com/en/

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The Last Word
We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda

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