In This Issue
Snakes And Ladders On Opening Day Of Rc44 Sotogrande Cup | Consistency Is Equalling Success At Sailing's World Cup Series | Liverpool Confirmed For Clipper 2017-18 Race Start And Finish | Harken Tech Team on Duty at Gaastra Palmavela 2017 | Team Ravenna Blasts to Victory in First Leg of 2017 2k Tour | Countdown to Transpac: Under 70 days to go | The World Of Sailing Comes To Antigua Sailing Week | Seahorse May 2017 | Maiden Comes Home to HYS | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

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

Snakes And Ladders On Opening Day Of Rc44 Sotogrande Cup
The opening day of the RC44 season and the RC44 Sotogrande Cup proved extremely trying for PRO Peter Reggio and his race management team as they valiantly strove to keep the course orientated to the wind, an operation that required course changes on nearly every leg of all today's four races.

With the heavy guns out in the RC44 fleet, today's four races had four different winners with giant victories especially for Alexander Novoselov's Katusha in race one and the local heroes on John Bassadone's Gibraltar based team Peninsula Petroleum in race four.

Team Nika ends the opening day two points clear of Chris Bake's Team Aqua in turn three points ahead of Bronenosec Sailing Team. The light blue RC44 was widely considered star performer today as all but three of her crew, including the helmsman are new to the fleet. With conditions looking lively for tomorrow, all eyes are currently on the forecast to see when racing will continue.

For full results www.rc44.com/results

Consistency Is Equalling Success At Sailing's World Cup Series
Hyeres, France: Out of the 534 racers from 52 nations, racing across the ten Olympic events, Foiling Formula Kiteboarding and 2.4 Norlin OD, Heiner has been one of the most reliable performers with a string of top five finishes to lead in the Finn.

Racing in a 7-13 knot breeze that took some time to fill in, the second regatta of the 2017 World Cup Series reached its mid-point and the battle to make Saturday and Sunday's live Medal Races is on.

In only his third Finn regatta, Heiner had another consistent day of racing to take the lead in a fleet packed full of experienced racers.

Although he's a fresh face in the Finn, the Dutchman is no stranger to competitive racing. He is a former Laser World Champion and used to racing in competitive fleets. Moving into a new boat can always be challenging for a sailor but Heiner has thrived in the Finn after making the crossover.

Damien Seguin (FRA) continues on the path to glory in the 2.4 Norlin OD. The Rio 2016 and Athens 2004 Paralympic gold medallist has won all but one race this week and is firmly in control to win another title in Hyères.

The sail of the day goes to Germany's Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz who took all three wins in the 49erFX. That perfect performance moves the German team up in to silver medal position. They will need to continue that winning form though if they are to overhaul Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) who are 10 points ahead.

Great Britain's Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell edged ahead in the 49er with a 1-8-4. Those results give the Britons a slender two-point advantage over Spain's Diego Botin and Iago Lopez.

Rio 2016 silver medallists Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) have cut the gap at the top of the leaderboard to one point behind the Rio 2016 bronze medal winning Greeks, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis who currently occupy top spot in the Men's 470. Mantis and Kagialis had to discard a 27th place before picking up a bullet in race two as they came under pressure from the Aussies who took a second and third for the day.

The Women's 470 leaders mimicked the men's with a discard in the first race and a bullet in the second. Dutch racers Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes van Veen discard their 16th and as a result are now tied on 15 points with Switzerland's Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler. Silvia Mas Depares and Patricia Cantero Reina (ESP) are three points back in third. -- Daniel Smith - World Sailing

Full results: www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

Liverpool Confirmed For Clipper 2017-18 Race Start And Finish
The historic maritime city of Liverpool is officially confirmed today as the Start and Finish partner of the Clipper 2017-18 Race, with Race Start day set for Sunday 20 August 2017.

A decade on from last hosting the Clipper Race, the historic Albert Dock will once again play host to the fleet, and the thousands of visitors who will bring a welcome economic boost to the city.

Liverpool will utilise the race's global platform to raise its international profile and maritime legacy, hoping to inspire the next generation of sailors and seafaring enthusiasts in the waterfront city. It also aims to promote its cultural heritage on the world stage to position the city as the home of large scale cultural events that are accessible for all - reinforced at the moment as Liverpool bids to be the UK host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Liverpool has not only made a unique contribution to world commerce and culture, it has one of the world's great waterfronts, with Albert Dock part of a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in the city. Aside from Liverpool, the only other cities in the world that have arrival ports in the heart of the city are Sydney, New York, and Shanghai.

The Clipper 2017-18 Race will mark the fourth-time Liverpool has hosted the Clipper Race in its eleven editions, making the city the event's most frequented start and finish port ever. Liverpool previously hosted the start and finish for the 2002-03, 2005-06 and 2007-08 race editions in the lead up to it being named European Capital of Culture in 2008.

The race will return to Albert Dock in Summer 2018 following its global route which will include stopovers in South America (port TBC), Cape Town, Western Australia (port TBC), Sydney, Hobart, East Coast Australia (port TBC) Sanya and Qingdao - China, Seattle - USA, Panama, New York, and Derry Londonderry - Northern Ireland.

clipperroundtheworld.com

Harken Tech Team on Duty at Gaastra Palmavela 2017
The Harken tech team will keep the Maxi and TP52 fleets race-ready and flying during the 2017 Gaastra Palmavela regatta, Mallorca, Spain. The team will be onsite and available from May 3 - 6, with spare parts in stock to keep your gear primed and rolling.

If time allows, they'll also handle standard service requests: winch maintenance, system tuning, pedestal set-up, etc.

For a consult, call +39 340.4819166. This number will also be posted at the race office.

www.harken.com

Team Ravenna Blasts to Victory in First Leg of 2017 2K Tour
Team Ravenna led by seasoned skipper Jacopo Pasini set the pace at the opening event of the 2K season winning against some formidable opposition from the Dutch and the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

2K opened the season by moving for the first time to the city of Ravenna on the Italian Adriatic coast. Hosted by Circolo Velica Ravennate the tour stepped into the fleet of Thom 28's for the first time.

The top ranked teams Serpentine (GBR) and DMTRA ( Holland) were the teams to beat... and they were. Bavaria proved the dark horse, first smacking down Serpentine, then the formidable Italian team from Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Team Ravenna which had started slowly were sailing for the first time as a pair. Jacopo Pasini one of the most experienced 2K skippers had teamed up with Michele Mazzotti for the first time..and it showed. But over the first two days the team gelled perfectly and with Pasini calmly taking the role of team defender he delivered win after win against the very best on the circuit.

By the end of the round robin stage Ravenna had emerged as the leader and so to face the young English team from the Royal Thames. The Brits, all highly experienced dinghy team racers were up against it. The Italian boat speed, control and line domination was to prove the winning formula.

Next leg is in Holland then we are back to Italy.

2kteamracing.com

Countdown to Transpac: Under 70 days to go
Los Angeles, CA: With just under 70 days to go to the first start of the 49th biennial Transpac, skippers and sailors, sponsors, families, spectators and organizers from the Transpacific YC are all working hard on their preparation tasks for this classic 2225-mile race from LA to Honolulu. In all, 63 monohull and multihull entries from 7 countries around the Pacific and beyond are now entered, ranging in size from Chris Lemke and Brad Lawson's Hobie 33 Dark Star to two 100-footers: Comanche, skippered by Ken Read, and Manouch Moshayedi's Rio100.

Once class divisions are decided, all will start in three separate waves on July 3rd, 5th and 6th, 2017 for a rich variety of elapsed and corrected time trophies.

And for multihull entries there is now good news: Amendment #3 of the Notice of Race has been published stating that Multihull ratings for Multihull handicap awards shall be based on the ORR Multihull rating rule (ORR-MH), with each multihull yacht required to have a valid ORR-MH rating certificate. The measurement and certificate information required to generate and issue an ORR-MH certificate can be obtained by emailing

For those interested and who can meet the qualifications, Transpac 2017 is still accepting entries up until May 30th.

For more information visit the event website at 2017.transpacyc.com, or email TPYC Entry Co-Chairmen Chris Hemans or Ross Pearlman at

The World Of Sailing Comes To Antigua Sailing Week
A staggering number of sailors from around the world are descending on the Caribbean island of Antigua to celebrate the 50th edition of Antigua Sailing Week. Over 150 teams racing on a huge variety of yachts will make this year's event the biggest for many years. About 1,500 competitors from 32 countries will enjoy five days of world class racing, preceded by the Guadeloupe to Antigua Race and the Peters & May Round Antigua Race. Thousands more will join in the party celebrations, with seven beach days and party nights, including internationally acclaimed Damian Marley heading an all-star line-up for Reggae in the Park in the historic Nelson's Dockyard.

Approximately 70 teams racing at Antigua Sailing Week are from ten European countries and one dependency: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and Jersey, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

British boats have been coming to Antigua Sailing Week since the first regatta in 1968. Sir Peter Harrison's Farr 115, Sojana was the last British team to win the coveted Lord Nelson Trophy and the magnificent ketch is back, gleaming after a major refit intent on a close battle with Jean-Paul Riviere's Finot 100, Nomad IV. Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster, Sir Richard Matthews' Humphries 38, Oystercatcher XXXI and Chris Jackson's First 40, Arthur can be counted as British boats to watch this year.

Richard Matthews will be competing at his 37th Antigua Sailing Week and as a long-time resident of the island has won class at Antigua Sailing Week on many occasions. This year, Oystercatcher XXXI and Scarlet Oyster have been on sparkling form, unbeaten in class all season. Last year both boats won their class at Antigua Sailing Week, but neither has won the Lord Nelson Trophy.

The Caribbean islands are well represented at Antigua Sailing Week with teams from: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, St Barths, St Maarten and Trinidad.

Almost 50 teams will be competing in the popular Bareboat Class and over half of them are from Germany, entered by Hartmut Holtmann's KH+P yachtcharter which has bought over 500 boats to the event since 1991 through his company. North and South American teams include Argentina, Canada and Puerto Rico, and there are over 10 entries from the United States. On 15 occasions, teams from the USA have won the Lord Nelson Trophy, more than any other nation.

Jim Kilroy's Maxi Kialoa IV was the first USA team to compete in 1982 and this year, Kialoa III, sailed by the K3 Foundation will be racing and would love to see a repeat of their sister ship's victory.

One of the favoured teams is led by American skipper, Bob Hillier on El Ocaso. The J/122 came desperately close last year and is back, chartered by the Geneva Yacht Club. The all-American team, led by Texan Jim Hightower will be racing King 40, Hot Ticket, which has been impressive in the Caribbean all season. Puerto Rican hopes for victory may lie with Sergio Sagramoso's Melges 32, Lazy Dog.

Baltic and Scandinavian countries include Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as many entries from Russia, including a team from the Shantar Islands YC, racing Ormindo in the CSA Multihull Class. The Shantar Islands are located 15 miles off the East Coast of Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk, in the northern extremities of the Pacific Ocean, further east than Japan.

After the Guadeloupe to Antigua Race on Friday April 28 and Saturday's Peters & May Round Antigua Race, five days of racing at Antigua Sailing Week will begin on Sunday April 30. -- Louay Habib

www.sailingweek.com

Seahorse May 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
'Finishing' the Vendee, oceanic multihulls may (just) be back... and on a 'budget', Denmark's solo explosion, the polished illusionists of Auckland and keeping skiffs sensible. Blue Robinson, Ivor Wilkins, John Winning, Jochen Rieker, Patrice Carpentier

Paul Cayard - (Now) a clash in name only
Could the modern America's Cup and today's Volvo Ocean Race have grown any further apart?

IRC column - Well, I wouldn't start from here
James Dadd has been kicking back at his French farmhouse and taking the long view

Design - We must have lighter, nimbler and cheaper IRC designs
Marc Lombard and Eric Levet make clear their thoughts to Frederic Augendre

Seahorse build table - (Definitely) a cut above
Michele Pitrucci has given us a very clever, very user-friendly and very fast new foiling cat

Sailor of the Month
Two of the brightest young talents on the ocean

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Maiden Comes Home to HYS
In 1989, Maiden, skippered by Tracy Edwards was launched at Hamble Yacht Services (HYS). Maiden made history as the first all-female crew to race around the globe in the Whitbread Round the World Race. They won two legs and came second overall - a British record that is still held to this day. Tracy Edwards was awarded Sports Personality of the Year in 1990.

27 years later, Maiden has returned home to HYS and it was fitting that Dave Newsome and Jon Read were the crew to lift her out, after launching her almost three decades ago. Maiden will be lovingly restored at HYS, as she was back in 1989. HYS was chosen for a number of reasons, not just for the historical involvement in the Maiden Project.

Maiden will be unveiled at Cowes Week 2018 before joining in the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race which will bring together yachts and crew from previous editions of the Whitbread Round the World Race. Maiden will then embark on a three year round the world trip to help fundraise for women's rights.

www.themaidenfactor.org
www.hysgroup.co.uk

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2002 Farr 52 FURTIF2. 180000 EUR. Located in Toulon, South of France.

She was built in 2002, refitted in 2008 in New Zeeland by the current owner and brought to France in 2012. She has been optimized for the IRC racing. 2016 Rating : TCC = 1.288. Well maintained and ready to go.

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2012 SEATEC Multi 50. 110000 EUR. Located in La Rochelle, France.

TRIBULATIONS was designed by Nigel Irens and built with the same mould as Fujicolor (Mike Birch) and Fleury Michon IX (Philippe Poupon). Named Laiterie du Mont Saint Michel in 1987 and skippered by Olivier Moussy, she was then taken over by Olivier Kersauzon as the Esso Super Plus.

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The Last Word
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