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

Illbruck Crowned 2016 Melges 20 World Champion
Scarlino, Italy: The last day of competition in Scarlino came to a dramatic close with two final races and Michael Illbruck on Pinta with tactician John Kostecki, and crew Federico Michetti becoming the 2016 Melges 20 World Champions! Hosted by Marina di Scarlino/Club Nautico Scarlino, the World Championship was the most successful to date featuring four days of incredible sportboat racing, at a stunning venue and more than 200 happy sailors!

The final round of racing saw Illbruck and American Drew Freides on Pacific Yankee with Morgan Reeser calling tactics and Charlie Smythe on the bow, separated by only three points, advantage Freides. Although not a simple task, Freides aimed to keep Illbruck behind him, or at minimum out of top nine ranking. With less than a minute to the nerve-racking start, Illbruck and Freides appeared to be over the line. Illbruck however got away to the best pressured side, focusing mainly on the right in favor of a wind shift halfway up the course. Freides went left with his luck running out when he needed it most. His Race Eight result was his second disappointing finish of the day that ultimately served Illbruck well, advancing and overtaking for the big win.

Top Ten Results (Final- After Eight Races, One Discard)
1. Michael Illbruck, Pinta, 27
2. Drew Freides, Pacific Yankee, 34
3. Krzysztof Krempec, Mag Tiny, 46
4. Liam Kilroy, Wildman, 51
5. Achille Onorato, Mascalzone Latino, Jr., 60
6. Rob Wilber, Cinghiale, 80
7. Guido Miani, Out of Reach, 88
8. Alessandro Rombelli, STIG, 91
9. Richard Davies, Section 16, 93
10. Igor Rytov, Russian Bogatyrs, 104

Full Results
www.yachtscoring.com

melges20.com

Douarnenez-Horta-Douarnenez: Severe Winds In The Bay Of Biscay
In little more than 24 hours, the Bay of Biscay was particularly hard on the rookies in the Figaro Beneteau circuit. Of the five sailing in the Douarnenez-Horta Solo, three have already been forced to turn back. Aymeric Decroocq ( Bretagne CMB Espoir) ) for medical reasons, Tanguy Le Turquais ( Lizmer - Capitole Finance ) and Justine Mettraux ( TeamWork) due to hardware breaks.

In these tough conditions, the regulars of the circuit quickly found their marks and it is surely no coincidence to find in the leading group Gildas Morvan ( Cercle Vert ), Nicolas Lunven ( Generali ) and Charlie Dalin ( Skipper Macif 2015 ), sailing in a very tight grouping.

Two skippers seem to show some desire for independence. Pierre Quiroga ( Skipper Espoir EMC ), to the west, and Theo Moussion (#THEOENFIGARO ), in the East, chose to go it alone on divergent roads compared to the main fleet.

Yellowbrick Tracking

www.douarnenez-horta.com

Assistant Sailing Officer: Applications Accepted
Royal Thames 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

Hono Hosts Double Header For Wmrt Events
Over two consecutive weekends in September the Swedish west coast island of Hönö will host two World Match Racing Tour events at the World Tour level. The island which is home to the M32 boat building company, Aston Harald Composite, will offer a great sailing arena just outside the harbor of the Cape Crow Yacht Club (the host club). Each event will not only award WMRT points but will guarantee invites for the top two teams in to World Championship level events on the 2016-17 World Match Racing Tour.

The events will be sailed in the M32 catamaran with a format that includes seeding via fleet racing followed by Match Racing elimination rounds.

The first event will be the WMRT West Coast Cup sailed September 16-18 to which eight teams will be invited. The second event will be the WMRT Cape Crow Cup sailed September 23-25 also open to eight teams. For invite applications and Notice of Race please contact WMRT Racing Director, Craig Mitchell;

For teams that wish to combine the events with M32 Match Race licensing, Cape Crow Academy will offer clinics immediately prior to each event. Further information via Lars Linger;

wmrt.com

Berliner Yacht Club Are The Champions Of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia: Berliner Yacht Club are the champions after proving they were the masters of every kind of wind and wave condition over the three days of the Sailing Champions League in St. Petersburg (Act 1, 26. - 28. August).

For the final day of competition, the race course moved into the historic centre of St Petersburg with the strong current of the River Neva setting an additional challenge for the 23 international club teams representing 12 nations.

The leaders after two days of open water racing were Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, twice winners of the National Sailing League in Germany. However, breathing down their necks were fellow Germans Berliner Yacht Club who had notched up six straight victories in the ever-increasing strong winds of Saturday afternoon out beyond the river mouth of the mighty Neva.

The significance of a top 16 finish was to earn a qualifying spot for the Sailing Champions League Finals in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, a month from now. Nylndsak Jaktklubben of Finland took the 16th and final spot, just edging out Halmstads Segelsallskap from Sweden who missed out by a single point.

Top five final results:

1. Berliner Yacht Club, 23.42
2. Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, 27.16
3. Societe Nautique de Geneve, 36.95
4. Regattaclub Bodensee, 38.51
5. Yacht Club Adriaco, 43.73

scl2016.sapsailing.com

Hampshire Man Prepares For Marathon Round The Isle Of Wight Charity Swim
Southampton based sailor and marine professional Scott Dawson, 37, will be taking to the water in a different way when he will attempt to swim around the Isle of Wight, on Tuesday 30th August 2016.

Scott Dawson from Southampton is taking on the daunting 60-mile marathon - more than twice the distance of a typical cross-Channel swim - in a bid to raise £30,000 for two charities which are close to his heart.

The married father of two is fund-raising for Meningitis Now, and as a life-long yachtsman also wants to support the work of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Scott said: 'After a meningitis scare when I was five months old and as a parent myself I can understand what many parents must go through.'

Adding 'Having spent most of my life in or on the water I fully appreciate the work of the MCS in protecting our seas, shores and wildlife, and that is why I will also be aiming to support the society.'

'Completing this swim and raising money for Meningitis Now and the Marine Conservation Society will allow me to give something back and contribute to the vital work the charity carries out every day.'

Scott aims to swim from Ryde at 0630 30th August, when the tides are most favourable, and the water warmer. Swimming anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight, Scott knows he must get his timing just right to pass the famous Needles landmark before the tide turns against him - but not too early as the tide could take him straight past! The entire swim is expected to last at least 24 hours.

While Scott is not allowed any direct contact with anybody during his swim, he will have some famous names egging him on aboard his support boats, including record-breaking Cowes sailor Brian Thompson who is in charge of the navigation for the swim.

yb.tl/swimiow#

Boatbuilders Wanted
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

SB20 World Championship
The Cascais 2016 SB20 World Championships starts Tuesday 30 August, at the renowned venue of Cascais in Portugal. The Atlantic city of Cascais is synonymous with strong winds, large rolling waves, sunshine and great hospitality, making it an ideal venue for the one-design sportsboat world championship.

The entry list is packed with round the world sailors, Olympic medalists, and top keelboat sailors, who will be contesting this hard-fought championship from Tuesday, 30 August to Saturday, 3 September, with 14 races scheduled.

A superb fleet of 75 teams have entered from 13 nations, including the reigning champion crew from France who are back with new helmsman, young French 49er helm Gabriel Skoczek. The new team showed form by winning the Portuguese Nationals in June against many of the top contenders.

Rodion Luka from Ukraine, an Olympic Silver medalist in the 49er in 2004, has competed in the last six SB20 World Championships, finishing on the podium three times, but is yet to win the title. He'll be sure to be going all-out to take victory this time around.

Hugo Rocha is another Olympic medalist, having scored bronze for Portugal in the 470. He leads the Russian New Territories team who came second at the 2014 World Championships in St Petersburg. This combination are not regulars in the fleet, but with their mix of experience and local knowledge could make for a very strong team.

Another Russian entry of note is Vladimir Proshikin's Team Nika, a well-known name in many keelboat classes including the RC44, Melges 20 and of course SB20. Meanwhile there will also be strong Portuguese competition from another Olympian, Laser sailor Vasco Serpa, and the reigning 420 World Champions, brothers Diogo and Pedro Costa.

Representatives from the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, who are hosting the 2017 World Championships, will also be attending the Portuguese Worlds to meet officials and swap notes to fine tune next year's event in the UK.

www.cncascais.com
sportsboatworld.com

Phoenix Returns. Cayard Is Back.
Experienced American owner Richard Cohen will compete at the TP52 World Championships in Mahon, Menorca, with Phoenix, which will be skippered by Paul Cayard. The carefully assembled team includes a core group of sailors who have many years of experience in the class, but Cayard cautions that their initial objective is to learn and improve together in line with their long term goal, to be competitive on the 2017 52 Super Series.

Their plan is to race at the 2016 TP52 World Championships (14th to 18th September), where the fleet is now expected to be 12 boats strong. Phoenix will also compete at the final event of the season, the Cascais Cup in October, so that they will be on the best possible form for Key West in January 2017.

Cohen returned to racing last year with a 75-foot Frers design, but, seeking a more competitive, challenging level of racing earlier this season bought the 2014-launched Botin Partners-designed Phoenix, which is very similar to the current championship-leading Quantum Racing and world championship winning Azzurra. Phoenix finished fourth overall on the 2014 52 Super Serieswith recently crowned Olympic gold medallist Santi Lange (ARG) as tactician.

Paul Cayard has been absent from the TP52 class in the Mediterranean since 2012. Previously he shared the leadership of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis TP52 programme, initially dovetailing with Russell Coutts, winning the MedCup title in 2007. In 2010, Cayard called tactics for Artemis when they won Barcelona's showcase Conde de Godo Trophy. He also steered the Spanish America's Cup campaign's TP52 El Desafio.

The TP52 World Championships will take place in Mahon, Menorca from 14th-18th September. Racing starts at 13:00 CEST every day.

www.52superseries.com

121 Years Old And Still A Winner
Photo by Peter Campbell. Click on image to enlarge.

Bronzewing Bronzewing, coming up to the 121st anniversary of her launching in 1895, today won the final race for Division 3 of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's Winter Series on the River Derwent.

Skippered by Derek Adams, the latest in a long line of owners and restorers of the classic sloop, Bronzewing finished second across the line and first on corrected time, which gave her second place overall to Nigel Johnston's Ingenue.

Bronzewing, as she has always been named, was launched on the River Tamar on September 28, 1895, built of Huon pine by the famous Launceston boat-builder Ned Jack. She was a replica of the English yacht Challenger, a successful Thames River One Rater.

Among her owners was the late Jim Hickman who bought Bronzewing in 1952 and raced her successfully for the next 40 years. His son, the late Roger Hickman, sailed her on the Derwent as a teenager.

Bronzewing originally was built with a centreboard, her overall length being 28 ft 6in, a waterline length of 17ft 6in and a beam of 5ft 8in. Archives record that about 1930, the then owner had the yacht cut in half and a new mid-section to lengthen her to 35 feet. She was also given a fixed keel and a new Marconi rig. -- Peter Campbell

The Rallye Des Iles Du Soleil
A new rally open to amateur sailors is now proposed by Grand Pavois Organisation with a route from Madeira to Marie-Galante in the Island of Guadeloupe. Gatherings will be available in two French ports, one in Charente-Maritime for the Atlantic fleet and one in La Ciotat (Aix-Marseilles Provence Metropolis) for Mediterranean boats, in order to help the fleets reach Funchal (Madeira/Portugal). 

Of course, they are free to make their own way to the Portuguese island before the start of the Rallye des Iles du Soleil (RIDS) to Marie-Galante in the Islands of Guadeloupe at the start of November 2017. Another event in the event, a gathering will also be organised at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle 2017 in order to present this first RIDA to Guadeloupe to as many participants as possible, and to open registrations for the 2019 event.

Find us and register at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle from 28 September to 3 October 2016

Grand Pavois Organisation wants to open registrations to 80 boats, both French and foreign monohulls and multihulls. Every day, at 4 pm in the Press Space of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle, an official presentation of this new Rallye des Iles du Soleil by Grand Pavois Organisation will be organised (prior registration at the Rallye des Iles du Soleil stand, Hall A Stand L 24). It should also be noted that the Rallye des Iles du Soleil will have a space at the forthcoming Nautic Show in Paris at the Grand Pavois Organisation stand.

www.ilesdusoleil.eu

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only IRC 52 - NEW BOAT

Utilising Vrolijk’s latest TP52 hull but much lighter (7,290kg) without internal ballast, the VPP shows a big performance gain compared to existing TP52 designs

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
+971 (0)4 886 8555

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

Raceboats Only Soto 53. 750,000 EUR.

Fast cruising Sloop (design n. 44) made by Javier Soto Acebal who also supervised the construction of the boat. The construction of the boat and of its installations was carried out following the protocols of the European Economic Community (EEC) in order to get CE certification.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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

Raceboats Only 2001 Carroll Marine Farr 40. 125,000 USD. Located in Portsmouth, RI, USA.

This is hull # 96 and has always been very well maintained by her three owners.She was first built as SAMBA PA TI and then she was named TWINS. Her current owner has not used her for several years, but she is located in Portsmouth Rhode Island, has been under shrink wrap and has a Captain maintain her. In her inventory are many North sails, with several 1st string primary racing sails, having never been out of the bags! If one is in the market for a very nice and lightly used Farr 40, DARKSIDE could be the weapon of choice.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Please contact William Jenkins at 410-267-9419

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

The Last Word
Justice, even if slow, is sure. -- Solon

Editorial and letter submissions to

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