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

The Perfect End Game Unfolds For Some at 470 Europeans
Palma, Mallorca, Spain: A day of pressure on the Bay of Palma as numerous teams vied for a spot in the 470 European Championship ten medal race line-up. For some today's racing marked a last shot at selection to their Olympic team. Stunning conditions with a breeze of 10-14 knots and blue sky.

Two races for the 470 men and scoring 7,2 results Mat Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS) have guaranteed themselves a top three finish in the 470 Open European Championship. Whether they can claim overall victory is in the hands of the double points Medal Race and a host of chasing teams.

Lara Vadlau/Jola Ogar (AUT) controlled the women's fleet again to tie up both the Open European title and European Championship gold medals from today's three races.

The double point Medal Races get underway on Tuesday 12 April at 1200 hours for the 470 Women, followed by the 470 Men at 1245 hours.

470 Men - Medal Race Line Up

1. Mathew Belcher / Will Ryan, AUS, 45 points
2. Sime Fantela / Igor Marenic, CRO, 57
3. Stu Mcnay / Dave Hughes, USA, 63
4. Sofian Bouvet / Jeremie Mion, FRA, 65
5. Lucas Calabrese / Juan De La Fuente, ARG, 66
6. Simon Sivitz Kosuta / Jas Farneti, ITA, 68
7. David Bargehr / Lukas Mähr, AUT, 75
8. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 82
9. Yannick Brauchli / Romuald Hausser, SUI, 97
10. Jordi Xammar / Joan Herp, ESP, 98

470 Women - Medal Race Line Up

1. Lara Vadlau / Jolanta Ogar, AUT, 29
2. Afrodite Kyranakou / Anneloes Van Veen, NED, 50
3. Fernanda Oliveira / Ana Barbachan, BRA, 63
4. Annie Haeger / Briana Provancha, USA, 67
5. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 71
6. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 71
7. Camille Lecointre / Helene Defrance, FRA, 79
8. Carrie Smith / Jaime Ryan, AUS, 81
9. Xiaoli Wang / Lizhu Huang, CHN, 88
10. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Irmina Mrozek Gliszczynska, POL, 92

2016europeans.470.org

49er European Championship
Barcelona, Spain: The super competitive 49er fleets lined up and stretched their legs as racing got under way from the world class Barcelona International Sailing center. Just up the Mediterranean beaches from where the 1992 Olympics were held, the 2016 Olympic fleet and the rest of the world chasing skirmished in the opening races.

The 49erFX raced in the afternoon sessions of the day and Netherland's emerging stars Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz started the championship in the same dominant manner that they took home the Princess Sofia Trophy from Palma de Majorca last week.

The yellow fleet of the 49er got racing under way to start the championship, and all three active class medalists drew the same fleet and engaged with one another. Once again it was the London Silver medalists Peter Burling and Blair Tuke who got the best start of all.

In the Blue 49er fleet, Austrians Nico Delle Karth with Niko Resch, fresh off their Silver medal at the 2016 World Championship got off to a good start with a 1, 7, 2 to sit in second overall after the first night.

The forecast for the rest of the week in Barcelona is outstanding, with endless sun and wind on offer. It could get really windy for the final day of qualifying, so putting in solid performances on day 2's qualifying will be vital in case the third day gets blown out. The schedule for day 2 is for the 49erFX to start with three races followed by the 49er doing four races.

49er.org/2016-european-championship/

Special Offer For A Fleet Of Six Blu26 One Design Yachts
This is a special opportunity to buy six blu26 One Design boats packages, ready to transport and ready to sail from Bluboats GmbH. The fleet of six blu26 One Design yachts was built in the year 2012 and used for the St. Moritz Match Race and the Volvo Match Race Cup in the following years.

All boats of the fleet are fully equipped, well maintained and come with a road trailer and plenty of spares. They are now stored in Ermatingen, Switzerland.

The fleet is for sale as a 6 boat lot or as pairs of boats.

Find all information in this document

bluboats.com/blu26/special-offer-for-a-fleet-of-six-blu26-yachts/

Tony Kehoe: Forty Years A Hero
Lifeboat crew past and present, family, fundraisers and well-wishers galore all gathered this weekend to wish one of Rosslare RNLI's most well-known and respected lifeboat men, a long and happy retirement.

Tony Kehoe spent 42 years volunteering with the RNLI as well as working as a fleet mechanic for the charity for a decade.

In a day filled with emotion Tony was taken out on a final lifeboat exercise with his colleagues. The railings down to the lifeboat had been lined with banners and Tony's family, including his wife Veronica, daughter Sonia, son Brian, son-in-law Kieran, daughter-in-law Louise and grandchildren Robyn, Hannah, Darragh, Joe and Harry were there to witness his final lifeboat exercise. On returning to shore after the short trip, which brought them out past Tuskar Rock, members and supporters of Rosslare RNLI lined the walkway back to the lifeboat station and Tony shook everyone's hand to receive congratulations and good wishes for a well-deserved retirement.

Tony reminisced about the changes that had occurred in the RNLI over the past forty years including that now, thankfully, there is a full kit for every crewmember on the lifeboat. Tony said, ' Back when I first joined there was one set of kit for the crew who went out on the lifeboat and whoever got there first got the best pair of boots and if you took a big pair of boats and a bigger fella came after you, that was it. There were no pagers so if you didn't hear the maroon go off someone rapped on your door and off you went.'

Asked about the callouts during his time on the lifeboat crew, Tony said that the one that stood out in his memory was in 1978 with Coxswain Seamus McCormack, who received a bronze medal for the rescue of two fishing crew. Tony added, 'It was to a Cornish fishing boat, Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur, she sank out there on a bad day. I was the youngest on that callout at just 22 years old. The crew had been trying to get into Milford Haven and a storm came on then and they lost power. During the night while they were adrift they had fired whatever distress signals they could. It was around noon that day when they were burning some stuff in a drum on the deck and a freighter spotted them and raised the alarm and we were launched.'

'The freighter made a bit of a lee for us and we got a couple of men off it and the RAF helicopter took one man off. We took them off in very difficult seas. It was a bad day with a bad sea and an old lifeboat but everyone was saved and the crew all stayed in Rosslare that night and departed on the ferry the next day.'

Tony's parting words of advice for his lifeboat crew as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement were short and to the point, 'Mind yourselves and look out for one another.'

From Afloat magazine:
afloat.ie

Match Cup ISAF Grade 4 Qualifier at Royal Southern
Hamble, Hampshire, UK: Over an action-packed weekend (9-10 April), teams from across Europe descended on the Royal Southern Yacht Club for an exciting ISAF Grade 4 match racing competition - the qualifying round and prelude to the main event, the ISAF Grade 2 Match Racing Final taking place 15-18 June.

After some really close racing the 'home' Royal Southern team, led by Annabel Vose (GBR) with Hannah Peters, Amy Prime, Rob Gullan and Piers Hugh-Smith, triumphed. Connor Miller (GBR) was second and Felix Jacobsen (Denmark) finished in third place.

The RSrnYC racing event team pulled out all the stops to make sure the visitors from around the UK and Europe were welcomed. Indeed the Club is delighted to welcome Felix Jacobsen, from the Royal Denmark Yacht Club, as a new Academy member! He and his team enjoyed the occasion so much they have signed up as members.

Final rankings: www.royal-southern.co.uk

Industry News
This year's Marine Industry Regatta will be sailed on June 1 out of Port Solent and the event already has a sponsor in the shape of Survitec.

And Survitec MD Ross Wilkinson reckons we should be able to get 20+ boats out this year. Although from the feedback the MIR team have been getting from interested parties this could be a lot higher.

In addition to the boats and people, we also have one very special person taking part. Volvo Race winner Ian Walker will be our guest speaker at the BBQ, talking about the recent trip he (and some complete beginners) took to raise funds for Sport Relief (incuding the huge fire as the boat shot Tower Bridge at the finish).

They braved Force 10 gales and raised more than a million pounds for the charity. That should be a talk worth listening to...

The cost of a Sunsail Match 40 on a bareboat charter for the day is £1095.00 (inc VAT). That includes breakfast, lunch and the £100 donation to our two charities.

Collecting the boats from Port Solent, we plan to get at least three races in the Solent. All boats are racing for the Boating Business Anniversary Trophy.

New this year is the option to boat share, or even take a single berth on a boat - ask the Sunsail office for details.

After the racing, there will be a networking BBQ at Port Solent a cost of £20 a head. Those who want to take a boat, but feel they need a little help, Sunsail can provide a skipper and/or mate to help you out.

www.boatingbusiness.com

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The Cowes Etchells Fleet are delighted to announce that Zhik have agreed to be exclusive clothing sponsor for the 2016 Etchells World Championship in Cowes.This compliments Zhik's appointment as Official Technical Clothing Partner to the British Olympic Sailing Team and the Official Supplier to the Australian Olympic Team.

Zhik are providing clothing for each competitor at the 2016 Etchells World Championship, hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club in Cowes. There will also be prizes for many categories from their new shop in Cowes High Street, which is managed by Kate Palfrey, wife of America's Cup Coach and former Etchells World Champion Andrew 'Dog' Palfrey.

The 2016 Etchells World Championship will be hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club in Cowes from 31 August - 10 September 2016.

www.2016.etchellsworlds.org
www.zhikstore.co.uk

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As we near the start of the 2016 Transat bakerly, the oldest solo ocean sailing race in the world, race owner and organiser OC Sport is pleased to announce La Compagnie as the race's Official Airline Partner.

Ocean racing at its finest, the rigorous 3000-mile sailing competition will take sailors across the North Atlantic, starting on Monday 2nd May from Britain's Ocean City of Plymouth, UK, and finishing in New York City at ONEº15 Booklyn Marina.

With the airline's North Atlantic flights almost mirroring the 2016 Transat route, La Compagnie is the perfect addition to The Transat bakerly family. Offering all-business class flights between New York to London and New York to Paris, La Compagnie provides a comfortable way for athletes and spectators to fly to and from this year's event.

For the first time in race history, Saint-Malo will host a warm up leg between France and Plymouth starting Saturday 23rd April. The fleet of 25 yachts and their solo skippers will then set sail from Plymouth on 2nd may at 1430.

The fastest boats in the fleet are expected to arrive in New York around Monday 9th May.

www.thetransatbakerly.com

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Volvo Car UK is delighted to announce its role as Principal Sponsor of the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta Sailing Week, 20th - 28th August 2016.

As part of the Principal sponsorship, Volvo Cars will be supporting the Junior Dinghy Sailing Series (Saturday 20th - Tuesday 23rd August) and the Cruiser Racing (Sunday 28th August), adding to the company's existing sponsorship portfolio across British sailing from grassroots to glory - the Volvo Ocean Race. Sponsorship of the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta resonates particularly with the company's sponsorship of the three youth classes - Optimist, Topper and RS Feva - and further emphasises the role of Volvo Cars as one of the driving forces behind British sailing.

There will be a number of special appearances from Team Volvo* athletes, including members of the British Sailing Team having recently returned to England from racing in Brazil. Luke Patience, part of the British Sailing Team, Olympic silver medallist and World #2, is looking forward to the celebrations

Volvo began its global association with sailing in 1997, since then Volvo Cars has sponsored sailing in the UK from the grassroots to the elite pinnacle of the sport. They have developed a sponsorship portfolio that includes Team Volvo, Official Car Partner of the British Sailing Team, the Volvo Sailing Academies, the Volvo Gill Optimist Championships, RS Class Associations, International Topper Class Association (GBR), Official Car Partner to Cowes Week and JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. All the UK sponsorships support the pinnacle of Volvo's global sponsorship, The Volvo Ocean Race.

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The Island Sailing Club, organisers of the largest yacht race of its kind in the World, the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, is delighted to announce that The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, publishers of three leading sailing magazines, Yachts and Yachting, Sailing Today and Classic Boat, have come on board as the combined Race Media Partner with immediate effect.

The Partnership includes an exclusive Round the Island Race digital souvenir guide, preview news and print features running over the next few months and including post-race reports across all three titles, all supported with digital coverage and social media posts.

To celebrate the announcement of this news, The Chelsea Magazine Company is offering a free digital subscription to any one of its three sailing titles to every competitor signing up to enter this year's J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.

To claim your free subscription simply visit www.chelseamagazines.com/round-the-island/ and enter your details. Issues will be e-mailed to you upon publication.

Standard entries to compete in the 2016 Round the Island Race close at midnight on Saturday 18th June. Enter here: rtir.me/entries

www.roundtheisland.org.uk

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SHOCKWAVE has been named a preferred supplier and Official Chase Boat Seat of ORACLE TEAM USA for the 35th America's Cup. SHOCKWAVE's shock mitigation seating will be installed on the team's support boats used during the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series events and on those in Bermuda as the team trains and races with the goal of winning a third consecutive America's Cup.

ORACLE TEAM USA's chase boats are the front line of support, carrying sailors, emergency personnel, coaches, designers and technicians who are on the water throughout training sessions and race days. They are first responders in time of need, and they both maintain safety and monitor performance. Having the highest level of shock mitigating seats provided by SHOCKWAVE will help reduce fatigue and enhance performance.

oracle-team-usa.americascup.com

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Leading sailing marketing agency Into the Blue (ITB) from the Isle of Wight has been recognised for its sponsorship activation of Volvo Cars' sailing sponsorship at the prestigious UK Sponsorship Awards.

ITB took home the award for 'Grass Roots Sports Sponsorship' for their Volvo Sailing Academies Initiative, despite strong competition from many leading brands in the sponsorship sphere including O2, SSE and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

ITB is the retained sports sponsorship agency for Volvo Car UK, and manages all aspects of their sailing sponsorship, working across everything from youth development through to Britain's top sailors at the pinnacle of the sport, the Volvo Ocean Race.

Held at the London Mariott hotel, the Sponsorship Awards have been a highlight in the sponsorship calendar for the last 22 years, recognising work across all sponsorship platforms from fashion to sport.

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New publication from Fernhurst Books:

An engrossing narrative of one man's struggle to achieve his dream and earn his place in India's maritime history.

On 19 May 2010 Commander Dilip Donde became the first Indian to complete a solo circumnavigation under sail, south of the 3 Great Capes. The feat, successfully completed by just over 200 people in the world, had never been attempted in his country before. In his own words, the book chronicles his progress over four years, from building a suitable boat with an Indian boat-builder; weaving his way through the 'sea-blind' and often quixotic bureaucracy; and training himself with no precedent or knowledge base in the country, to finally sailing solo around the world.

During this gruelling task he was mentored by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

fernhurstbooks.com/product/first-indian/

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Quantum Sails is pleased to introduce its newest affiliate loft Quantum Sails Hamble, serving sailors in the Solent area and across the UK. The loft is headed by John Reivers and Tom Gall, who also operate SO31, a successful business providing repairs and services for sails, bespoke canvas products and other sailing related products.

Tom Gall is the Loft Manager and a world-class sailmaker and sailor. Tom has been a part of several exciting projects including the two-handed Transat Jaques Vabre 2007 race as youngest crew member, working alongside world-class sailor Pete Goss as boat captain for his Class 40 'DMS' in 2010, serving as a member of the shore crew for Puma Ocean Racing for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 and most recently, sailing onboard Volvo 70 'Maserati' in 2012 for a Transatlantic Record attempt.

Featured Brokerage

1998 Botin & Carkeek 46. 100,000 EUR. Located in Italy.

GPH: 550.2 Shipyard: Harkey Yachts (South Africa), july 1998 Design Botin & Carkeek Construction Sandwich Vinylester / Kevlar

Details

Contact

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2004 Farr 520 Performance Cruiser - BRAVE. 299950 EUR. Located in Athens, Greece.

A true Performance Cruiser from the successful hull shape of the Farr 52. In sparkling order and very well looked after, minimal maintenance yacht for round the world sport.

Details

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222

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Infiniti 46R - NEW BOAT

Pre-preg carbon speedster for crewed and shorthanded offshore racing and employing the patented Dynamic Stability System. Engineering by Gurit and available with either fixed or canting keel

Details

Contact
Infiniti Yachts
Gordon Kay
+33 (0) 787 061 785

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

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