Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.com Europe, 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 Team Tunnicliffe Wins XII International Women's Match Race Criterium Spanish Tamara Echegoyen gets to the semifinals, but in the petit finale has to surrender also to the Australian Katie Spithill, but obtains an excellent fourth place. The French crew skippered by Leroy faced the Spanish girls of Tamara. Echegoyen's team in the seminfinals, the first one to get three wins going straight to the final. While the French won the opening match the Iberian quickly answered by getting the second one and even. In the third race specialist Claire Leroy didn't make the tiniest mistake and crossed the finish line with a good margin. Yet it was the fourth match that proved Leroy's abilities in the start box and her experience in maintaining the control throughout the legs, which got her a place in the final. The second semifinal was a truly Anglo-saxon affair, with the Australian Katie Spithill facing American skipper Anne Tunnicliffe and a very levelled battle, so much that it was necessary to dispute a fifth race to decide the other finalist of the Calpe Criterium. The US female sailors were then able to get a small lead at the start and keep it up to the finishing line. The final too was fought at the best of five matches, the first going to Anna Tunnicliffe's team, the second to Claire Leroy's thanks to a clear and winning start. The third match was the most close raced one and went to the Americans as did the first one, that witnesses on the water said was "impeccable". The crew form the United States thus succeeded in getting their first title at the Calpe XII Criterium Internacional Femenino. Final results: Korea Match Cup Qualifier After a long day of drifting around with no racing, the race officer abandoned racing at 3 o'clock. This meant, as top qualifiers in the round robin we were given the regatta victory and entry to the Korea Match Cup 2010. This is a great result for the team but not the way we wanted to win the event. Our sights are now set on the Korea Match Cup where we plan to take it a step further than last years Monsoon Cup. From here the team continues on up to Europe where Garth, James, Sam, and Matt are racing with Magnus Holmberg for Match Race Germany (World Tour Event). Phil is also competing in the same event with South African Ian Ainsle. -- Waka Racing Results: www.wakaracing.com Groupama Unveils Its Strategy For The Volvo Ocean Race "When we committed ourselves to supporting Franck Cammas back in 1998, he was a young sports entrepreneur, who was just discovering the multihull scene. Twelve years on, he has won virtually all the crewed races and racked up no less than six records, including the legendary Jules Verne Trophy on 20th March 2010. By confirming our commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, namely until 2015, we are supporting the Group's international development, which makes 30% of its turnover overseas and employs over 11,000 employees outside France. Groupama is today identified as the leading vessel owner in French sailing. With the Volvo Ocean Race, this presence will further develop overseas" analyses Frederique Granado, Groupama's director of external communications. Franck Cammas: "The challenge we've committed ourselves to is a sizeable one. Since 1993 and Eric Tabarly, not a single French team has participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Up against the top crews from New Zealand, America, Spain and Ireland, it's going to be an intense battle. We're just rediscovering the monohull and we still have a lot to learn. However, we're going about it with as much enthusiasm, seriousness and humility as possible. Thanks to Groupama's commitment, we were the first to put our team together. Making up my entourage are Volvo specialists like Damian Foxall, Ben Wright, Luc Gellusseau, Herve Le Quilliec as well as Killian Bush, who are joining together with various long-term stalwarts of the Groupama Team like Stephane Guilbaud, Pierre Tissier, Loic Dorez, Yann Riou and Olivier Mainguy" explains Franck Cammas. With the purchase of Ericsson 4, winner of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, Groupama Team can boast an excellent platform for training and analysis. Rechristened Groupama 70, the Koujoumdjian design is performing an increasing number of sail trials offshore of Lorient in Brittany, where the Team is based. "Unfortunately we didn't have the time to involve the excellent French architects in the work, as they are also only just discovering the restrictions of the class measurement linked to these 70 foot (21.5 metres long) boats. As such we opted for Juan Koujoumdjian, who is based in Valencia, Spain. However, it's actually in nearby Vannes, at the Multiplast yard, that Groupama 4 will be built. This will represent 40,000 man hours and we know the team well because we built the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 with them" adds Franck. With work having started in the last few days, the construction will take 10 months till her scheduled launch on 15th March 2011. New Rules Tool From Uk-Halsey Take the test as many times as you want. Tell your crew and tell your friends! In another month we will post another test. There is no charge to take the test, but we do require you to log in. Your login is your e-mail address. For those who have not created a login with the UK-Halsey site, it is simple and we do not ask for much information. After signing up you will not get spammed, since UK-Halsey does not share your data with anyone. You will find a link to the test right on our home page: www.ukhalsey.com Magic Carpet Wins Nespresso Cup The final day produced the best racing of the three-day event. The anticipated duel between Magic Carpet Squared and J One, driven by owner Jean-Charles Decaux, became a reality as the two boats headed out to the racecourse on equal points. The Yacht Club Italiano managed to stage two windward/leeward races in 12-15 knots of breeze and it was the final race that proved to be the decider. Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones could not have been more delighted with his victory. Surrounded by some of the legends in the sport - the likes of America's Cup legend Tom Whidden and Volvo Ocean Race navigator Marcel van Triest - their combined skills were put to the test. This new premier regatta solely for the Wally Class, brought together some of sailing's most respected world-class sailors and leading Wally owners, to deliver one of the most aesthetically pleasing sailing regattas on the planet. Together with Wally Yachts, Nespresso created the Ultimate Cup, and the ten Wally yachts competed in a series of races demonstrating their unique blend of style and cutting-edge design. Overall Positions Nespresso Cup Final Day: Full results available at www.yachtclubitaliano.it - official race organisers of the Nespresso Cup Event site: www.nespresso-cup.com Barbara Kendall Retires From Competition Kendall, 42, announced her retirement in a statement today, having competed in five Olympics and won gold, silver and bronze medals. "After 24 years I'd lost the passion for competing. I used to be consumed by it, and when I got back out there I was waiting for that feeling to come back, and it just didn't. I felt tired, and had nothing left," Kendall said. She competed at her fifth Olympics in Beijing in 2008, finishing sixth, the same year she claimed silver at the world championships which showed she could still foot it with the world's best. Kendall, whose brother Bruce also won Olympic gold on the water, became a household name in New Zealand when she won gold at her first Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, claimed silver in Atlanta four years later and bronze in Sydney in 2000. She sits on the IOC's athletes commission, and is also on the IOC's women and sport commission. Kendall also holds two positions with the Oceania Olympic Committee as an executive board member, and the president of their athletes' commission. From the New Zealand Herald: Mini Pavios Postponed for the 2nd Leg Between Gijon and La Rochelle The low pressure moves quickly in the morning to head towards the middle of the Bay of Biscay. It goes slightly north in the afternoon, and generates very disturbed conditions. For the start, conditions of low pressure with west-southwest wind force 3-4 that turns west. The showers limit the visibility. With the rise of the low pressure in the afternoon, the west wind strengthens and is then northwest force 4-5 with a risk of reaching force 5-6 in a sea that becomes rough. In the evening and night it will continue to strengthen sector west-north-west force 6 with potential 35 knots gales and gusts. This kind of changing situations limits its reliability due to uncertainty about the precise development of the low pressure. Nevertheless, there are risks of conditions that will get worse. Low pressures on Monday in the North of theBay of Biscay before reaching France on Tuesday. The low pressure and very unstable conditions on Monday will change into a northerly stream Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, the pressure should increase and improve the weather forecast. minipavois2010-uk.blogspot.com Martinique: Super Sexy In Black More info can be found at www.camet.com South Zone Scoop 2010 Eric Twiname Shield Having endured pretty testing high winds and driving rain yesterday, the concluding day of the championships bought with it far more favourable conditions for 325 competitors at the event, with the sun coming out of hiding and the wind speed dropping from 20 to 10-15 knots. As a result the days full complement of three races took place allowing for some swapping of places at the top of the fleets and the South Zone to emerge as the new Eric Twiname Champions. In clinching their victory the South Zone also won the Eric Twiname Dinghy Trophy, awarded to the Zone with top overall Dinghy score, while the North got their hands on the Eric Twiname Windsurfing Trophy, awarded to Zone with top overall Windsurfing score. Girl power proved victorious in the events brand new Feva class as South Zone duo Anna Prescott, 13, and Jessica Eales, 12, sealed the class victory, doing it in impressive style winning all but one of their races over the two days. The South East's boys Barnaby Blackstone, 13 / Ben Moverley Smith, 14, made do with second place finishing nine points behind. And it was the South Zones Shorrock brothers Matthew, 13, and Ben, 10, who wrapped up event honours in the Cadet class notching up double-bullets in their six races with fellow South team mates Will Davis and Jack Collings clinching more points for the Zone finishing up in third. John Derbyshire, RYA Racing Manager / Performance Director added: "The RYA Eric Twiname Championships are a fundamental rung in the development ladder for the young sailors, some of whom will have started at the absolute grassroots through the RYA's OnBoard and Team15 programmes and for those who we hope will eventually go on to represent Britain as seniors at the World's biggest Olympic Classes regattas." Full results and further event information can be found at the RYA Racing Events website at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk Historic First Female Entry for the 13th Edition of Match Race Germany Both Match Race Germany and the ISAF World Match Racing Tour actively welcome female entries to the Tour series which provides an amazing opportunity for these sailors to race against some of the world class match racers on a level field. Kadelback is originally a 470 dinghy helm having finished 10th overall at the 2008 World Championships, she then moved into women's match racing when it became an Olympic discipline as did many of the world's top female athletes. Kadelback made the decision to step back slightly and helm for Schumann who already had a 4th place at the Games in the Yngling class. This produced a very successful team dynamic and the ladies finished 2nd in the 2009 World Cup. At the Qualifier for Match Race Germany, the Open German Championship, the helm and crew decided to change positions. Tactician for the EWE Sailing Team, Schumann, is Germany's best known female sailor with 20 years of successful international racing and has competed at Olympic standard until recently. Originally from Berlin, Schumann is very adept at transferring her competitive sailing skills across different disciplines and yacht / dinghy models. Skipper List Match Race Germany (Stage 2) Start of ARC Europe Under a warm Caribbean sun and with steady 10-15 knot ENE breeze, the downwind start made for a colourful sight, with cruising chutes flying as crews enjoyed the perfect conditions as they set off on the first day of their Atlantic sailing adventure. The first stage of the rally often has some of the best weather conditions encountered on the 'Atlantic circuit' and forecasts for the passage to Bermuda predict some good sailing. The ARC Europe route takes the yachts a total of some 3625 miles eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, to their final destination of Lagos in southern Portugal, stopping in Bermuda and the Azores along the way. Also starting out for Bermuda yesterday were a contingent from St.Augustine, Florida, where the yacht crews have been hosted by the St.Augustine Yacht Club. The St.Augustine starters "Alma de Sal" and "Fizz of Cowes" will have a similar distance to cover to reach Bermuda where they will meet up with the rest of the fleet before continuing their passage towards the Azores. www.worldcruising.com/arceurope Letters To The Editor - * From Keith Barker: Some people miss the point of sailing round the world. It is a personal achievement! I have always wanted to do it but did not have a family rich enough to fund me a boat suitable enough. Then came work, marriage and children. With no time or spare money to do it. Now that I am retired and the children have left home I find myself disabled and restricted in the amount of money available. My message to any young person out there is that if you have a dream go for it or time might mean you cannot. Featured Brokerage Baruna's race record is part of the lore and history of American sailing. Her accomplishments are many all done with,grace, integrity and elan.She has been venerated and recognized as a unique part of of our sailing heritage.Her legacy needs to continue and grow. Brokerage through The Yacht Exchange: www.yachtworld.com/theyachtexchange/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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