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

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week
Photo by Andrea Francolini, www.afrancolini.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

After a slow start, some consistency in the breeze allowed the Australian Yachting Championship fleet to build momentum towards the windier part of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week with 20 knots plus expected for the series' closing day on Saturday August 27, 2016.

Karl K Three windward/leewards for the two Rating Series divisions on the eastern course area started out in 10-12 knot ESE winds under overcast skies and as the day progressed the breeze turned SE and faded to 8-9kts.

Karl Kwok's Botin 52 Team Beau Geste and Matt Allen's Sydney based TP52 Ichi Ban were set apart from the rest of the division A fleet on the IRC pointscore, up until Allen's fifth in the final race of the day. The result, and Beau Geste's fourth win on corrected time, gave Kwok's two-time Australian champion sailing for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron some breathing room at the top of the pile.

The Duncan Hine skippered RP66 Alive is leading the ORCi pointscore and scored well today on IRC, a second, third and a fourth for the Tasmanian pocket maxi.

Scallywag took one line honours win from three off the Oatley family's Wild Oats XI skippered by Mark Richards.

This evening Stephen Barlow's Farr 40 called Forty has the luxury of a six point buffer back to Gerry Hatton's Mat 12.45 Bushranger in Rating Series division B, thanks to three IRC short course wins in today's light airs.

On Friday August 26 the Australian Sailing Team, including the seven medallists, fresh off a plane from Rio 2016 will be honoured by Hamilton Island and their sailing peers at a public ticker-tape parade down Front Street starting at 4pm.

www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

The World Sailing Show - August
Postcards from Rio - the best pictures from the Games
America's Cup World Series - Pressure in Portsmouth
One amazing Norwegian sailor's quest for Gold
Paralympic class preview
Smashing the Atlantic - Comanche breaks another record
Extreme Sailing Series - How Alinghi took on the favourites
Tour de France à la voile - the 2016 victors

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=nCF-3aKo8CI, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Geneva, Switzerland: The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Mediterranean yachting event, which throughout its long history has inspired a string of superlatives, is set to scale new heights in 2016. Taking place from 4 - 10 September, the tally of 53 participants at the 27th edition of this highly anticipated annual gathering has set aficionados aquiver.

This year's fleet will surpass the previous record for participation (49 competing yachts in 2010). With the average size of the yachts nudging 28 metres (90 feet), if the entrants lined up bow to stern they would measure a little under 1,425 metres (0.9 of a statute mile).

The largest yacht in this year's fleet is the 49.6 metre Ohana, designed by the late Ed Dubois, built by Fitzroy Yachts of New Zealand and weighing a spectacular 370 tonnes. Ohana overshadows her nearest rival, the contrasting replica J Class Lionheart, by some six metres and 2016 marks her debut appearance at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.

First held in 1980, this exceptional event is organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA). Rolex has been title sponsor of the ultimate gathering of Maxis since 1985, and enjoys a proud and rich affinity with both host yacht club and the class.

www.yccs.it

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=wBoZmIEqrQI, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Boatbuilders Wanted
For a refit program of a 60 foot cruising yacht we are recruiting a team of Boatbuilders, carpenters, electricians, fitters for a two month - high intensity program as the owner wants to catch the winter trades across to the West Indies.

Location: Slovenia

Project start ASAP.

Applications and CV in English to

www.segelwelt.at

Royal Cork's Jump Juice Leads At Abersoch Keelboat Week
Conor Phelan's much travelled Ker 37 Jump Juice from Royal Cork Yacht Club leads class one of Abersoch keelboat week in North Wales this week. Five races of the series have been sailed so far with one discard. The Crosshaven entry, with Maurice O'Connell onboard as part of the Munster crew, leads the Jon Batson skippered Dehler 36 Wombat by a point and a half. There are three more races left to sail today and two tomorrow.

Full results in the nine boat class one fleet
www.scyc.co.uk/Sail-100/AKBW2016-IRC1/mywebos.html

Creating (And Living) The Dream
The world of large performance cats is coming alive with a vengeance.

Large performance multihulls offer the best of all worlds - sailing excitement, comfort and style, both racing and cruising - and are entering their next generation with the recent launching of the HH66 catamaran, built by Hudson Yacht & Marine. This is the latest in a long series of designs from Californiabased Morrelli & Melvin, who have been leaders in not only finding the right balance but also optimising the competing elements of speed, style and reliability into bold new innovative designs. Couple this design refinement with one of the world's largest integrated production builders in advanced composites and the results are spectacular.

Hudson's history in building large performance cats goes back several years, with eight 60ft fast luxury multihulls already under their belt. Builder Paul Hakes's own relationship with Gino Morrelli goes back further with the development of small, fast cats like the SL33, introduced in 2008 for the European lake sailing market. This fast 650kg, 10m design also caught the attention of America's Cup contenders of the day who were new to the multihull genre, both Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand getting their own boats to play with as they learned more about multihull sailing and design.

Yet Hakes and Morrelli actually go back further still, to Hakes's days at Cookson Boats during the building of Steve Fossett's Jules Verne-contender PlayStation, a 100ft monster from the late 1990s designed by Morrelli & Melvin.

Full article in Seahorse:
www.seahorsemagazine.com

Assistant Sailing Officer: Applications Accepted
Based at its Knightsbridge Clubhouse and reporting to the Chief Sailing Officer, this is an evolving role that includes managing or supporting numerous sailing and racing events throughout the year at Queen Mary Sailing Club in West London or in Cowes. Responsibilities will include the planning and administration that ensures the events are run efficiently, including preparing documentation, briefing of competitors and liaison with all stakeholders.

The sailing office manages a fleet of J/70s, J/80s, RIBs and a committee boat and the Assistant Sailing Officer will be expected to take an active role in the management of the fleet.

The new Assistant Sailing Officer will have a thorough understanding of sailing and racing, excellent communication and administrative skills and be proficient in MS Office applications.

Remuneration will be c£35,000 plus other benefits. The role will involve significant weekend work for which time off in lieu will be given.

Applications by letter, covering a CV, should be made to: The Chief Sailing Officer, Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LF or email

An Autonomous Boat Will Attempt To Cross The Atlantic Ocean
A group of ambitious students and recent graduates from the University of British Columbia have taken over a small corner at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club in Conception Bay South to work on their Sailbot.

The robot boat is named Ada, after Ada Lovelace, known as the world's first programmer.

But the more than five-metre-long sailboat stands out when compared with other boats docked at the club.

Covered with solar panels and filled with electrical wires and boards, it's able to sail itself.

"It makes all of its decisions on its own," second-year engineering student Cody Smith says.

"There's no control, theres no [remote control], we don't follow behind it. We just say, 'You're here and you need to go here,' and she'll do the rest. She'll take care of all the sailing."

The goal is to have the boat leave the waters off Newfoundland and make it all the way to a Ireland - something fellow researchers have tried, but never accomplished. -- Jeremy Eaton

www.cbc.ca

Video: www.cbc.ca/player/play/746480707960/

J/80 UK Nationals
Lymington, England: There are only 10 days to go until the J/80 Nationals at Royal Lymington YC that start on Saturday 27th August. With 23 boats entered so far and more expected, this is looking like it will be a spectacular event. Entries will be accepted until 9am on Saturday 27th August.

Amis Production drones are revving their blades, Seahorse Magazines are fattening the pig for the Hog Roast, Skyscanner are sound checking the Sunday night band, North Sails are trimming last minute sails, Berthon are sweeping the docks, Nick Cox are sizing up the gear from Helly Hansen and Royal Lymington YC are readying the Ribs. The extensive number of sponsors and the great sailing waters of Christchurch Bay mean that this event will be a classic of the J/80 calendar; if you haven't entered already, then don't miss out!

rlymyc.org.uk

Industry News
More than 60 boats will be making their debut at the 48th Southampton Boat Show, which runs from September 16-25 in Mayflower Park, Southampton.

With hundreds of boats on display, including 330 on the marina itself and over 2km of pontoons, this year's event is set to be another success.

Making its world debut will be the Hanse 588, the Cormate U23 Racing Edition and the Haines 26, along with the European debut of the Dehler 34 and Greenline Hybrid 36.

There will also be the UK launch of the Azimut 55S, Sunseeker Predator 68 MK II, Sealine F530 and Fjord 40 Open.

Alongside well-established attractions, On the Water's Try-a-Boat and Get Afloat, this year's show will offer a new opportunity for the youngest generation to get on the water free. Suitable for children aged 3 to 13, Bumper Boats provides youngsters with a chance to master boat steering, as well as the boat's built-in water cannon.

plus.ibinews.com

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Spinlock is set to showcase two new products at SMM, the world's leading trade fair for the maritime industry, as they expand on their market share in the commercial marine sector.

The British-based company, who design and manufacture their products in the UK, will present the multi-award winning LumeOnTM lights at the event. Taking advantage of modern LED technology, the tiny LED lights attach to a lifejacket's bladder, turning the whole lifejacket into a glowing light. This innovative, yet simple product, further improves Man Over Board (MOB) identification and recovery in a cost-effective way. Lume-OnTM flash for two hours, are sold to work alongside lifejacket lights and will retro fit all lifejackets with separate bladder and cover construction. They will be fitted as standard to all 2016 award-winning Deckvest 5D lifejackets.

The second new product to be showcased at SMM is the Deckvest Duro. Developed in response to increasing professional demand across the whole the commercial sector, the lifejacket can be worn for long periods of time, without interfering with professional performance.

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Oyster Yachts are delighted to announce that confidence seems to be increasing post Brexit and to confirm that we have signed contracts for the new build of the 9th Oyster 885; the 42nd Oyster 575, and the 20th Oyster 625. In addition, in the brokerage market - Oyster 100-02 Penelope and Oyster 125-01 are both under contract - and this week we launch the 6th Oyster 825 which is heading off on the Oyster World Rally in Jan '17 from Antigua.

This activity since Brexit brings the total value signed in the last 12 months to just over £40m for new Oyster yachts and well over £25m for brokerage sales.

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Performance apparel manufacturer Musto is offering a junior sailor a one-year sponsorship and an opportunity to train with sailing professionals in a social media campaign.

The #sailorsearch competition offers sailors ages 21 and under the chance to compete for campaign support valued at 5,000 pounds, or nearly $6,600.

The winner also will get the opportunity for one-on-one training support from a Musto ambassador and gain valuable promotional exposure via Musto channels. All sailors are welcome to apply: helms, crews and dinghy sailors, and inshore and offshore racers.

Musto is looking for young sailors who have significant experience on the water and have proved themselves on the racecourse. Entrants also will be judged on sportsmanship and their contribution to the sport.

Finalists will be selected by a panel that includes Musto ambassadors Ian Walker, a winning Volvo Ocean Race skipper and two-time Olympic silver medalist; Charlie Enright, the youngest Volvo Ocean Race helm and four-time All-American collegiate sailor; fellow Brown University and Alvimedica teammate, team manager and Melges 32 champion Mark Towill; and Richard Mason, 470 European Championship silver medalist, U21 49er European Championship gold medalist and winner of the Solitaire de Figaro rookie award and the Volvo Ocean Race rookie award.

The 10 finalists the panel selects will be put to public vote to determine the winner. Entries are open until Aug. 30. Finalists will be announced Sept. 5.

Public voting will close Dec. 1, and the winner will be announced Dec. 2. Entrants must be 21 or under as of Jan. 1, 2017, to enter.

www.musto.com/sailorsearch

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Barbados Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy is anticipating new economic opportunities and a number of jobs from Government's decision to make owners of yachts pay a flat annual fee for docking in Barbados.

In his presentation of the 2016 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals last week, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler announced that over the years the imposition of a duty on visiting yachts had simply not worked since many yacht owners would visit the island and then leave before the allowable six-month period was up.

As such, Sinckler said the duty requirement would be removed for yachts staying in the island longer than six months and would be replaced by an annual fee of $2,000 per boat.

Sealy told Barbados TODAY he welcomed the move because his ministry and industry players had been encouraging a move away from the "complicated system", which required the boats to remain in the island more than six months.

www.barbadostoday.bb

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 Alistair Skinner: in response to Alistair Murray's letter.

G'Day

I hope Alistair Murray won't take umbrage with this note as he is a mate and I don't want to take anything away from any of the sailors from ANY country but when it comes to qualifiers for the medal races it should be hard to ignore the long term performance of Team GBR.

Indeed there is nothing wrong in praising one's fellow countrymen and women for a fine performance and I notice Alistair avoids doing this by not criticising other country's sailors.

For strength in depth however GBR is king of the hill. Not only did they have a boat in every medal race in RIO, they have had a boat in every medal race EVER. 43 medal races so far and 43 GBR boats taking part. Column inches in UK newspapers about that little feat? Zero - but that's a different matter.

And when it comes to "super-coaches"? In the UK Jim Saltonstall's "ferrets" there must be the most successful group of sailors in Olympic history. Ainslie, Percy, Simpson, Robertson, May, Goodison and many others. How many paths to Olympic glory started under his tutelage?

Overall a great regatta compete with windless days and others where competitors were literally blown off the water, some exciting racing and for the 2nd generation Grael to cap it all off by going one better than dad in HIS first Olympics and by just 2 seconds in front of her home crowd was the icing on the cake.

And well done Rio, not a dead dog or severed arm in sight in spite of all the naysayers worries.

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The Last Word
A good field is one in which you don't mind even the least interesting part of your job. -- Will Shortz

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