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

Opening Day Of The Six Metre Worlds In La Trinite
Six Metre La Trinite Sur Mer, France: The opening day of the International Six Metre World Championship, being hosted by the Societe Nautique de La Trinite sur Mer from 28 May to 5 June, produced sparkling conditions and spectacular racing for the 42 strong fleet of 19 Modern and 23 Classic Sixes. The south-westerly wind gradually built from around ten knots to mid teens ensuring that the race committee was able to run all three of the planned races.

There were a number of boat on boat contact incidents on the race course today and Sir Peter Harrison's K12 Nada, being helmed this week by Peter Holmberg, found herself on the wrong side of two of them. Following protest Nada was disqualified from both races two and three.

The most serious of the incidents involved a port/starboard at the start of race three between Nada, Andrew Webster's USA45 Bob Kat II and Thomas Camus's FRA6 Normand III. The port tack Nada collided with the starboard tack Bob Kat II, who in turn was forced into Normand III. Although the jury subsequently disqualified Nada, sadly it was Bob Kat II that was the ultimate looser as she suffered very serious damage to her bow which is likely to prevent her from racing again in the championship.

Tomorrow's forecast is for southwesterly winds of up to 30 knots which puts racing in doubt.

Top Five Results

Open Division

1. Blade - Steve Kinsey, CAN, 7 points
2. Junior - Yann Marilley, FRA, 8
3. Sophie - Huge Stenbeck, SUI, 13
4. Scoundrel One - Bertie Bicket, GBR, 18
5. Jane Ann - Jaly Makila, USA, 20

Classic Division

1. Flapper - Lars Guck, USA, 11
2. Llanoria - Eric Jespersen, USA, 12
3 Lillevi - Andreas Haubold, GER, 13
4. Titia - Andy Postle, GBR, 16
5. Mena - Thomas Kuhmann, GER, 17

www.6metreworlds.com

Figaro Fleet, Slow Going
As forecast, the Figaro fleet has sailed into high pressure on Monday, with the fleet becalmed. Winds were between .5 and 2.0 knots throughout the day. The fleet is compressed, with only 2.5 separating the first 25 boats.

Addcording to the latest forecast the wind will return from the southeast Monday night, but remain light. The first arrivals are now estimated to be on Thursday morning.

1. Groupe Queguiner - Leucemie Espoir, Yann Elies, 319.7 nm To Leg Finish
2. Groupe Fiva, Alexis Loison, 0.08
3. Maitre Coq, Jeremie Beyou, 0.69
4. Skipper Herault, Xavier Macaire, 0.74
5. Skipper Macif 2015, Charlie Dalin, 1.09
6. Guyot Environnement, Vincent Biarnes, 1.26
7. Gedimat, Thierry Chabagny, 1.28
8. Safran - Guy Cotten, Gwenole Gahinet, 1.47
9. Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Espoir, Sebastien Simon, 1.78
10. Cercle Vert, Gildas Morvan, 1.96

www.lasolitaire.com

Protect Your Night Sight Offshore With Exposure's X2 Light
Ocean Safety Exposure's X2 personal searchlight may look like an ordinary torch but it's not! Small enough to live in your pocket, when you pick it up it is so light it's hard to believe it has a battery in it that will last 13 hours before recharging. In a daylight shop environment it's hard to get a sense of its impressive red beam searchlight. So checkout this amazing footage from Abu Dhabi's Ocean Racing!

See the power of the Exposure X2 and how you'll never damage your night vision again - or your skippers!

With three modes for red and white light, the red high beam will easily spot the tell-tales at the top of a Volvo 65 mainsail. The high beam white creates a 573 lumens searchlight with a 162m beam distance. IPX8 rated to 3m depth, the X2 has Strobe and SOS option for emergencies.

Justin Slattery trimmer on board Azzam says, "The Exposure X2 is a brilliant search light and its red beam spotlight options mean the ADOR team can keep trimming all night as if it was still daylight - and with no concerns about damaging our night vision.

More X2 information and contact Ocean Safety for dealers.

www.oceansafety.com

Protests Could Shake Up The Rankings
The ISAF-appointed independent international jury will be hearing four cases on Wednesday (June 3) after alleged breaches of sailing rules during Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Team SCA are to answer two cases: that they sailed against the traffic flow in a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), and, additionally, into a Rhode Island Sound exclusion zone.

Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE are also facing protests that they sailed against the traffic flow in a TSS.

The Race Committee has brought all the cases to the jury. If a penalty is to be given, the jury has discretion on what it will be.

Full details of the cases are available on the Race Noticeboard.
www.volvooceanrace.com/en/noticeboard.html

An Adventure Of A Lifetime
Whether out to set records or tick another box on the bucket list, the 41 registered entries in the Transatlantic Race 2015 all have one thing in common: they will be undertaking the adventure of a lifetime as they sail a stretch of 2,800 nautical miles from Newport Rhode Island's Castle Hill Light to The Lizard, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain.

Organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Storm Trysail Club, the race features three separate starts (June 28, July 1 and July 5) to accommodate the yachts of varying size and abilities, with a primary goal of having all boats arrive in England in close proximity to each other.

The smaller vessels will take the first start with the expectation of finishing in 15 to 20 days. The final start will feature the speed demons that are racing to complete the passage in less than six days, 22 hours, eight minutes and two seconds = the record-setting time established by George David's Rambler 100 in 2011.

Prior to the race, the competitors will be feted at Harbour Court, the on-the-water clubhouse of New York Yacht Club, during a series of receptions and dinners that reinforce the bond of camaraderie among these offshore adventurers and their family and friends. At the other end of the course, the Royal Yacht Squadron's Cowes Castle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight will host the awards presentations on July 24, a prelude to the week-long regatta that will celebrate the 200th anniversary of that club's founding.

Scratch sheet

www.transatlanticrace.org

Maserati and Giovanni Soldini: New Record Set On The San Francisco-Shanghai Tea Route
Maserati 21 days, 19 hours, 32 minutes and 54 seconds: that was the time it took Maserati to cover the Tea Clipper Trade Route; 7000 miles sailed by Soldini and his crew between San Francisco and Shanghai.

Maserati cast off from San Francisco at 1:52:50 GMT (3:52:50 CET) on the night of May 10 and then sprinted 7,392 real nautical miles at an average speed of 14,1 knots.

"As always, Maserati proved what an excellent craft she is and the crew made an efficient and very tight-knit team. 21 days from San Francisco to Shanghai is a very impressive time and we will be requesting certification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Conditions were good almost the entire way and the first part of the route was very fast: it took us only six days to reach Hawaii. Then we had a good old gallop through the Trade Winds. The final section, as we neared China, was the trickiest as winds were light, but we were expecting that."

The Maserati VOR70's next event is in Australia where, in late December, she'll take part in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, one of the world's most famous and challenging regattas.

maserati.soldini.it

Dubarry Ultima - Classic Craftsmanship
Dubarry Ultima It's been said of Ireland that it's a lovely country, just needs a roof. True, we get more than our fair share of rain from the storms that barrel in from the North Atlantic, but it's not so bad - it's not for nothing that we're known as the Emerald Isle.

In this part of the world we're also well used to making our living on the sea, in the sturdy Galway Hookers built by hand with traditional tools by local boat builders. These bluff-bowed gaff cutters have plied their treacherous trade on the often vengeful waters of the Bay for over 200 years. If ever there was a place where folk would appreciate a quality traditional sea boot - and had the craftsmanship to make one - it's here.

So it's here, in the town of Ballinasloe, just inland of Galway Bay, that Dubarry started making boots in 1937. We've honed our traditional boot-making virtuosity, found sources of the finest quick-drying, long-lasting leathers, and perfected the technology behind a warm, waterproof classic boot with award-winning grip. What else could we call the world's best traditional sea boot, other than Ultima?

Dubarry Ultima - Where will you go in yours?

dubarry.com

Landsail Tyres J-Cup In Partnership With B&G
The Landsail Tyres J-Cup kicks off on June 11 with over 50 examples of the J-Boat range competing on tight Solent courses over three days. Three individual national championships are up for grabs.

The largest fleet of J/70s assembled in the UK is expected to enjoy a thrilling encounter.

The ever popular J/109 fleet will be racing for the Lifedge J/109 National Championship. Racing in the strict one-design cruiser/racer class is always close with previous national champions being decided by the narrowest of margins.

The rapid expansion of the new J/88 fleet means they will enjoy their first National Championship sponsored by Fastnet Marine Insurance at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup and the J/97 National Championship will also be contested over the weekend.

www.jcup.co.uk

Safram Catamaran To Sail Maiden Race This Weekend On Lake Geneva
The Safram multihull campaign, led by Rodolphe Gautier, kicks off on Saturday 6 June at the Geneva-Rolle-Geneva regatta, warm-up event to the Lake's famous Bol d'Or Mirabaud held annually on the 13 June. This maiden race marks the beginning of a campaign that will take in some of the greatest lake events in Europe.

"Our first two events are on home waters," said skipper Rodolphe Gautier. "It will be a good opportunity for us to get to grips with the boat, we are still very much in the learning phase as a crew."

The Ventilo M1 multihull demonstrated in 2013 that it is more than a match for the popular Decision 35.

Christophe Peclard, a master sail maker and talented sailor, will be helming the multihull with an otherwise amateur crew. Lake Geneva sailor Fabien Froesch will bring his 10 years of Decision 35 experience to the team and young French sailor Antoine Lauriot-Prevost who raced the Youth America's Cup with Energy Team will also contribute to the crew's performance on Lake Geneva.

Safram (SUI50) - 2015 programme

6-7 June: Geneva-Rolle-Geneva, Yacht Club de Geneve (Lake Geneva)
13-14 June: Bol d'Or Mirabaud, Societe Nautique de Geneve (Lake Geneva)
2-4 July Blue Ribbon, Balatonfured, Hungarian Yachting Association (Lake Balaton)
29-30 August: Trofeo Gorla, Circolo Vela Gargnano (Lake Garda)
5-6 September: Centomiglia, Circolo Vela Gargnano (Lake Garda)

facebook.com/Safram-Sailing

Fastnet Maxis
While it may not be the event's ultimate prize, the monohull battle for line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race is always hotly contested, coming with considerable bragging rights. This year's race from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the event's organiser, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, will see the world's two very newest maxis jockeying for this prize. Both belong to American captains of industry and both were launched last autumn.

Favourite is the 100ft long Comanche owned by Jim and Kristy Hinze Clark. Clark, the Silicon Graphics and Netscape founder, has owned several high profile superyachts and the magnificent J-Class yacht, Hanuman, but his latest craft is a state of the art ocean racer designed by VPLP-Verdier, best known for their IMOCA 60 designs. In fact Comanche strongly resembles a scaled-up version of MACIF, winner of the last Vendee Globe, with a powerful hull, canting keel, twin daggerboards and rudders and numerous other go-faster features.

On paper, Comanche should have a clear run at the line honours title as she's 12ft longer than George David's latest maxi - Rambler 88, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian. David observes: "No doubt Comanche is the bigger boat and rates accordingly. We're a little off Comanche's speed through the water, but it's too soon to tell after only four day races together." To date the boats have only lined up at Les Voiles de St Barts, but in July they will compete in the Transatlantic Race 2015, between Newport and the Lizard.

While all eyes will be on the latest hardware, also in the mix will be Mike Slade's Farr 100, Leopard, the maxi which claimed line honours in the 2007 and 2009 Rolex Fastnet Races.

"It is an amazing fleet with Comanche and Rambler and a few Mini Maxis," observes Leopard's skipper Chris Sherlock. "It will be very tough to get on the podium - the best we can hope for against those two new boats will be third."

Owner Mike Slade intends to run a 'corinthian' campaign this season and will not be chartering the boat for the Rolex Fastnet Race. However on board will be the usual all-star cast, led by veteran America's Cup and round the world sailor, Paul Standbridge.

fastnet.rorc.org

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only 2011 Ker 40. 191500 GBP. Located in Sydney Australia.

Price quote ex-Vat landed to the UK, Germany, France or major Med' port.

REDUCED! The Ker was a ground-breaking design when it was introduced being the first lighter displacement design to the IRC rule and has proven designer Jason Ker correct that it was possible to have a light IRC yacht in this size range that is competitive. With a 1st in Div' 1 in the Fastnet, 1st in IRC Nationals UK, 1st in the RORC Cervantes Trophy all in 2013, and 'Midnight Rambler' achieving top scoring individual boat in the Southern Cross Cup 2014, as well as numerous other race wins there is no doubt about just how competitive the Ker 40 is. This one has been carefully optimised for offshore racing by a very experienced team and is very much a turn-key package. Perhaps do the next Sydney-Hobart and then ship back to your home Country? Full inventory on request.

Details

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

The Last Word
If someone else is paying for it, food just tastes a lot better. -- Gilbert Gottfried

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Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

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