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

Rolex Farr 40 World Championship
Australian teams Edake, Kokomo and Transfusion performed strongly on day one of the 2016 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, which took place on the Macquarie Circle at 1200hrs with the 12 boat fleet ready to embark on a four day battle for the big one.

Sydney Open Corinthian Winner Jeff Carter (Edake) is leading Kokomo and Transfusion on joint points in fourth place, just one point behind Struntje Light and Flash Gordon.

Lang Walker and the Kokomo crew put in a solid performance scoring a 2-3-9 landing them in fifth place at the end of day one.

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's PRO Rob Ridley ran the first three races offshore on the Macquarie Circle, approximately 2 miles east of Macquarie Lighthouse in 16-20 knots. "It was a challenging day. Course 4 was set for all three races and we saw a lot of currents creating a short sharp set, which was our biggest challenge today."

Day 2 of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championships will commence at 1200hrs tomorrow, Wednesday, 17 February 2016 offshore and likely on Macquarie Circle again.

Top five after three races:

1. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 9 points
2. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, GER, 13
3. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut and Evan Jahn, USA, 13
4. Edake (Corinthian), Jeff Carter, AUS, 14
5. Kokomo, Lang Walker, AUS, 14

Full results

farr40worlds.com

JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship: Race 3
JJ Giltinan The appliancesonline.co.au team of David Witt, Tom Clout and Tom Anderson dad to produce their very best form to take out Race 3 of the 2016 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

In a highly spectacular and entertaining race in 20+knots of southerly wind, the heavy weather specialists had to come from behind after the first three legs of the course before finally taking the victory by 43s.

Defending champion Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin, John Winning Jr., Nick Catley) also came from behind in the first half of the race to grab second place just 1sec. ahead of Compassmarkets.com (Keagan York, Matt Stenta, Angus Williams).

The points are well spread at the moment and the contest is certain to be one of the most hard fought before the final race takes place on the harbour next Sunday.

Appliancesonline.com.au presently leads with a total of seven points, followed by Gotta Love It 7 on nine points, Smeg 11, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) on 12, Yamaha 15 and Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) on 20.

With a 20+knot southerly already blowing before the race, rig choice was made easy with all teams selecting the smaller #2 rig for the day.

A few teams, including the Gotta Love It 7 team, even went further and put a reef into the mainsail.

Race 4 of the 2016 JJ Giltinan Championship will be sailed on Wednesday (17 February). -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com

The Next Generation 36' Sport Cruising Yacht From J/Boats
J122E The J/112E is the newest addition to J/Boats' "E" Series of versatile sport cruising yachts. The "E" is for elegance and evolution in performance cruising design. Why settle for anything less than sailing where and when you want to in comfort, style and speed?

36 feet is a magic size in the J/Boats line-up. With a spacious two-cabin accommodation plan and a comfortable, ergonomic cockpit, the all-new J/112E is as well suited for the annual cruise as she is short-handing through rough weather or sprinting across the finish line.

See J/112E pix here: www.jboats.com/j112e

To learn about the entire E range please visit www.jboats.com

BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival
The 2016 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is gearing up to be a 'Year Not to Be Missed' and the kick-off will be a challenging 31-nautical mile race around Tortola for the Nanny Cay Cup and Nanny Cay Challenge on March 29th. The following day, over 50 boats will compete in the Scrub Island Invitational, a new location for this relaxed race and party afternoon. Eighty boats have registered so far for the 45th BVI Spring Regatta following the Sailing Festival.

The Nanny Cay Cup, Round Tortola has become not only an incredible scenic adventure around the island, it is also the Nanny Cay Challenge for the fastest mono and catamaran record around Tortola.

If the forecast looks good, there's a chance for entrants to throw down the gauntlet in the hope of smashing the existing record for the Nanny Cay Challenge by setting a new elapsed time as they race round the Island of Tortola, starting and finishing at Nanny Cay.

The current records to beat are: Monohull record (3hrs 29mins 44secs) set at the 2013 BVI Sailing Festival by Peter Corr's Aiyana, an Alia 82 and the Multihull record (2hrs 33mins 40secs) set by BVI's Triple Jack owned by Richard Wooldridge and Steve Davis. -- Trish Jenkins

www.bvispringregatta.org

America's Cup Spending: Just Over $14 Million
The (Bermuda) Government has spent just over $14 million on the America's Cup as of December 2015, the House of Assembly heard on Friday, with the figures being provided by Minister of Economic Development Dr Grant Gibbons following Parliamentary Questions from MP Wayne Furbert.

According to the Potential Economic Impact [PEI] assessment previously released by the ACBDA, the direct spending on-island for the America's Cup is estimated to be "in the region of approximately $250 million."

bernews.com

Forming Foundations Of America's Cup Village
A huge cargo of steel piles has been unloaded in (Bermuda's) Dockyard as part of the South Basin project.

The piles will be drilled into the seabed to secure the reclaimed land that will form the foundations of the America's Cup village.

The steelwork arrived in the West End last week on board the BBC Tennessee from Baltimore in the United States. Project managers expect to start driving the piles into the earth within the next couple of weeks.

Andrew Dias, the general manager of the West End Development Corporation, told The Royal Gazette that the project was "progressing well" and remained on time and on budget. -- Simon Jones in The Royal Gazette

www.royalgazette.com

Inaugural Antigua 360 Race
Boats and crews are gathering in Antigua in anticipation of The Inaugural Antigua 360 Race which takes place on Friday 19th February. This new and exciting race was conceived by Stan Pearson, a co- founder of the RORC Caribbean 600. Entry to the Around Antigua 360 is exclusively reserved for boats entered in the RORC 600 mile offshore classic, starting on Monday 22 February.

This year the 8th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 has an entry list as glamorous as any Grand Prix event anywhere. World class teams are already gathering in Antigua and the buzz around the dock is as much to do with the Antigua 360 Race as much as the offshore event. Entry interest has been given by the following boats already in Antigua

Unusually for an event of this calibre there is NO ENTRY FEE!! The event is being managed and run by Stan Pearson and his SYCA team who run the annual Superyacht event in Antigua every January.

British Sailing Team At The Rya Suzuki Dinghy Show
You can pick the brains of Britain's best at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show (5-6 March), where several top British Sailing Team talents and Olympic medallists will be on hand throughout the weekend to share their campaign experiences, tips and tricks.

London's Alexandra Palace will once again be transformed into a dinghy sailor's heaven as the annual show provides the perfect start to the dinghy sailing season, with talks and coaching sessions and all the latest boats and gear to get you sailing faster.

London 2012 silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark, world number one windsurfer Bryony Shaw, Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas and the indomitable three-time World Champion Finn sailor Giles Scott will be among the British Sailing Team members on hand on Saturday 5 March.

On Sunday 6 March, two-time Olympic medal-winning windsurfer Nick Dempsey, 2012 silver medallist Luke Patience and the World Championship-winning Paralympic Sonar team of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas will be among the British Sailing Team stars available.

Tickets are on sale now, with reduced rates available for RYA members and RYA affiliated clubs (purchasing 10+ tickets).

britishsailingteam.com
rya.org.uk  

Another Reason To Love Cowes
Triceratops Last Friday, a massive statue of the cretaceous dinosaur was moved by pranksters into the middle of a road in the village of Godshill on the Isle of Wight in England.

"That priceless moment when you're driving home from work at 3am and the road is blocked by a 20ft Triceratops!!! ‪#‎godblessbeer‬ ‪#‎someoneneedsamedal‬," Chris Hollingshead, who snapped the photo, wrote in a Facebook post.

Hollingshead said he commutes through Godshill so he immediately recognized the triceratops, which is known locally as Godshilla.

"Shock turned to amusement at what was actually in front of me, but after taking a quick pic I did speak to a police officer," he said.

Martin Simpson, who owns both Godshilla and Island Gems, a shop that sells gems and fossils, said it must've taken five people to move the triceratops statue.

www.iwcp.co.uk

Industry News
The Volvo Ocean Race has appointed North Sails to be the exclusive Official Supplier of sails to the Volvo Ocean 65 one-design fleet in 2017-18.

North Sails supplied the sail wardrobe for the last Volvo Ocean Race, which saw the first ever one-design Volvo Ocean 65 fleet finish in June 2015.

Nick Bice, who heads up The Boatyard maintenance centre at the Volvo Ocean Race, explained that the success of North Sails in renewing their partnership with offshore sailing's leading event was no foregone conclusion.

"North Sails was chosen against a lot of different criteria and not necessarily because of a long history in ocean racing and the Volvo Ocean Race," he said.

"Many elements have contributed to the final decision, including the simple fact that the North Sails 3DiTM product is very good. The company has a strong commitment to the next edition of the race, not only from a product but also a personnel point of view."

The next step is to finalize designs for the Volvo Ocean 65 sail wardrobe, which will be carried out once the 2017-18 route is confirmed by mid-2016. After that comes the manufacturing process, followed by the delivery of the sails to the 13th edition teams in April 2017.

--------------------------------------------------------

Crewsaver has announced its continued partnership with Warsash Sailing Club to support the Warsash Spring Series and Championship for a second year.

The Spring Series will be running from the 13th March to the 24th April 2016 and looks to attract 1200 sailors.

Crewsaver will be providing lifejackets from their popular Fusion 3D lifejacket range to the winners of the series. In addition to this, three lifejackets will be provided to the sailing club Bosuns and six lifejackets will be donated for the club's weekly prize draw.

To enter the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Series and Championship go to www.warsashspringseries.org.uk

--------------------------------------------------------

California Insurance, the Hong Kong owned general insurance company, has been announced as the new naming rights sponsor of the annual Match Racing Series organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC). The RHKYC Match Racing Series includes the National Championship (16 to 17 April 2016) and International Match Racing Regatta (22 to 24 April 2016).

The Match Racing International Regatta will again feature top overseas skippers, together with the top four Hong Kong match racing teams from the National Championship.

Training days and racing is held in the iconic Victoria Harbour, which is a spectacular venue for the sailors and spectators alike.

The Series had a distinctively Asian 'flavour' in 2015, with current world #13 Maximillan Soh from Singapore defeating Jeremy Koo from Malaysia in the Final.

www.rhkyc.org.hk

--------------------------------------------------------

The Marine Industry Regatta team has announced that Marine Super Store has come on board as chandlery sponsor for the Marine Industry Regatta 2016.

Thanks to Marine Super Store's sponsorship, competitors will be able to enjoy a wonderful jazz band when they come off the water. Marine Super Store is also sponsoring the prizes for the regatta and is offering competitors the chance to take advantage of some exclusive in store discounts.

The Marine Industry Regatta takes place on Wednesday 1st June 2016, sailing out of Port Solent in Sunsail First 40's. The regatta is a great way to get together with other marine professionals and to entertain clients and staff. Charitable donations from the event will raise funds for the John Merricks Sailing Trust and the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, another great reason to get involved.

www.marineindustryregatta.com

--------------------------------------------------------

Sunseeker International has thrown its support behind Poole Harbour's fledgling boat show as the show's primary sponsor.

The first Poole Harbour Boat Show was held in 2015 and proved successful enough that organisers Poole Harbour Commissioners moved to continue the show through at least 2017 and to expand it to three days.

The show, now called The Pool Harbour Boat Show in association with Sunseeker, will run from May 20-22, 2016.

The boat show's organisers hope to build on last year's attendance of 15,000 and are building up to host the 2017 European Maritime Day. The boat show dates were planned around the event, scheduled for 20 May 2017.

www.ybw.com

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Philippe Serenon, Past UNCL President: I totally agree with Skip Novak's words and am convinced that the format of the Cup will not help building its legend.

Technology and TV is as light as a puddle of oil on the ocean which is easily dispersed. But a wing underwater with its tons of lead leaves a trace in the waves ...

Featured Brokerage

Raceboats Only Raceboats Only Raceboats Only


2000 ORMA - modified. 575,000 USD. Located in California, USA.

TRITIUM is a modified ORMA Trimaran - stretched to 73 feet. Originally built by offshore veteran, Jean Le Cam, the boat was updated by Artemis Racing for testing of AC wing and dagger foils. The boat was heavily modified - with floats lengthened to 73 feet - the addition of hydraulically manipulated lifting "C" foils, hydraulic canting rig, and cross beams reinforced, for the new loads.

TRITIUM competed in the 2013 Transpac, where it was First-to-Finish and had the fastest elapsed time. Currently located in California - its design enhancements produce one of the fastest offshore vessels in the Pacific.

Details

Contact
Mark Womble
Morrelli & Melvin
+1-949-500-3440

----------------------------------------------

C47HP IRC - NEW BOAT.

The Carkeek 47 is a thoroughbred new HPR-IRC racing yacht, created with similar objectives to the C40 with HPR-driven performance both inshore and offshore - utilising no-compromise grand prix construction and technology throughout

Details

Contact
Carkeek Design Partners
+34 638 191 068

----------------------------------------------

1998 Mumm 30, 32,000 EUR. Location on request.

Engine refitted in 2011 and in good working condition. Ovington Marine built. She comes with a trailer.

Details

Contact

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

The Last Word
No nation ancient or modern ever lost the liberty of freely speaking, writing, or publishing their sentiments, but forthwith lost their liberty in general and became slaves. -- John Peter Zenger

Editorial and letter submissions to

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

Search the Archives

SEARCH SEARCH

Our Partners

Seahorse Magazine

YachtScoring.com

Wight Vodka

Robline Ropes

Harken

Marlow

Navico

Translate