In This Issue
First day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta | Melges 24 European Sailing Series | Yacht Racing Forum: Time to register! | It's Cup Time | Racing Starts Friday! | North Sails 3Di Powers Onorato to Victory in Melges 20 Act 2 | The Vikings Are Coming! | Industry News | 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
First day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta
Medemblik, Netherlands: The 33rd edition of the Delta Lloyd Regatta started with great competition across seven classes. Many Olympic sailors raced their first event since Rio. There were also a number of sailors, training here in Medemblik, aiming for Tokyo 2020. The conditions on the water were great, with a nice breeze and plenty of sun.
Focus for the Laser Radial sailors is mostly on the World Championships in Medemblik later this year. It was strong start from Britain's Alisson Young, with two first places. It's also the first event back in the boat for gold Olympic medallist and Dutch favourite, Marit Bouwmeester.
German 49er sailors try to stay calm
After the first day of racing we find Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf, team Germany, in the lead. "This event is more training for us. We're in the lead after the first day, which we didn't really expect. It has been a really good day after all. The next few days will probably be trickier. We just have to stay calm, sail well and get a good result to get into the medal race."
The competition in the 49erFX is very close. Croatian, Enia Nincevic, transferred from the 470 women to the 49erFX and is training with Igor Marenic, three time Olympian and gold medallist at the summer Olympics.
www.deltalloydregatta.org/results
Melges 24 European Sailing Series
Riva del Garda, Italy: The second event of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series had a strong Ora wind around of 18 knots that put Gian Luca Perego's Maidollis ITA854 (1-5-DNS today) on top of the podium of the event valid also as Melges 24 Italian Open Nationals
Maidollis won the regatta with a race to spare and in Luca Perego's team there was Carlo Fracassoli in helm, Enrico Fonda calling the tactics, trimmer Giovanni Ferrari and pitman Stefano Lagi in the crew.
Many changes in the final ranking happened thanks to the last race, which eventually took on the second position on the podium the American crew of Monsoon USA851 (3-10-1) by Bruce Ayres with Mike Buckley calling tactics, and the young guys of FGF Sailing Team HUN728 (4-27-3) with Robert Bakoczy at the helm.
Andrea Racchelli, at the helm of Claudio Ceradini's Altea ITA722 (5-8-10), after having won the first event of the 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz and having concluded three brilliant races in the second day in Riva del Garda, slips down in to the fourth position.
Fifth position goes to the 2016 Corinthian World Champions of Taki 4 ITA778 (7-2-9/2-1-2) that, never scoring anything worse than a ninth place in the overall ranking and a second in the Corinthian one, are the most consistent crew of the Corinthian fleet and gain the first placement in the division.
The next event in the Melges 24 European Sailing Series is scheduled for June 16th-18th in Marstrand, Sweden - the last event before the Melges 24 World Championship that will be held in the Nordic waters of Helsinki from July 31st to August 4th.
Yacht Racing Forum: Time to register!
The Yacht Racing Forum will take place in Aarhus, Denmark, on November 28-29.
Many of the sports key personalities and brands have already confirmed their participation. Don't miss the opportunity!
It will be a great event, informative and fun, and an excellent opportunity to network and do business!
The Yacht Racing Forum will focus on three key areas that impact everyone in the industry: Business & Marketing, Design & Technology and Risk Management & Safety.
Early Bird discount valid for the top 80 registrants: € 300 (instead of € 400)
Register: www.yachtracingforum.com
It's Cup Time
Four years in the making and hundreds of millions of dollars in development, it's time for the battle to begin for yachting's most prestigious trophy.
We take you to Bermuda for the World Sailing Show's preview of the 35th America's Cup.
We take a close look at the teams and consider how they might fare over the next five weeks. We look at the road to the America's Cup and explain what the successful Challenger needs to do to be selected to take on the Defenders, Oracle Team USA.
Plus we find out directly from some of the skippers about how hard these boats are to fly and how they rely on innovative new technology.
Racing Starts Friday!
The round robin AC Qualifiers begin Friday with four races.
Race 1: USA vs FRA - Should be an easy win for USA.
Race 2: SWE vs JPN - A key early indicator - who's hot?
Race 3: FRA vs NZL - Another tough opponent for FRA.
Race 4: GBR vs SWE - Have the Brits found some speed?
Remember that Land Rover BAR and Oracle Team USA already have points on the sccoreboard - the bonus points they earned in the AC World Series.
At the end of the Qualifiers, the AC World Series final standings will be used to break ties. This could affect which challenger is eliminated, the pairings for the semi-finals and whether a team earns a bonus point for the America's Cup Match. -- Jack Griffin
North Sails 3Di Powers Onorato to Victory in Melges 20 Act 2
Congratulations to Mascalzone Latino Jr. for their impressive victory at Act 2 of the Melges 20 European Series!
A team led by Achille Onorato sailed a consistent six-race regatta including two bullets, securing the overall win by seven points.
Mascalzone Latino Jr. raced with a mainsail made of North Sails 3Di RACE, a new product to the Melges 20 that is already making waves.
Hear initial remarks on the sails from Mascalzone tactician, Cameron Appleton, and stay posted on the new Melges 20 offering from North Sails at northsails.com
The Vikings Are Coming!
Badoiri an Cladaigs (Claddagh Boatmen) Regatta 2017 will not only showcase the most beautiful Galway Hookers and Gleoiteogs in the West, but an invasion of two Viking Long Boats will give this year's event a decidedly Nordic feel.
The annual regatta will now encompass the inaugural Claddagh Traditional Boat Festival. From Wednesday evening 24th May to Sunday 28th May the Claddagh Basin in the heart of Galway city will showcase twenty uniquely Galway traditional Irish boats. They will include the 5 Galway Hookers and Gleoiteogs built and refurbished by Badoiri an Ċladaiġ to date.
The talented ship builders are on track in their plans to build a total of fourteen of these iconic vessels, representing the 14 Galway Tribes, in time for 2020, when Galway will be the European Capital of Culture.
The two Viking Long Boats and their crew, from Ardglass in Northern Ireland, are joining their boat making brethren in the West as guests and invaders. The Claddagh Basin will also host a Viking village for the period of the festival. Their presence will be inescapable, with a (weather dependent) full Viking invasion of Salthill on Saturday 27th May.
The Festival will also be an opportunity to demonstrate the City of the Tribes' traditional Irish music prowess. With the help of many of the local branches of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri eireann there will be plenty of song and dance on the city's street corners, and trad sessions galore.
From Wednesday evening to Friday evening the Feile will also showcase some of Galway's finest music and song talent at the Claddagh Basin.
Industry News
Nautical clothing retailer Musto Ltd has been put up for sale by owners Phoenix Equity Partners, according to reports appearing this week in London-based newspapers The Sunday Times and City A.M.
The iconic British brand, which serves as a clothing supplier to the British Olympic sailing and equestrian teams, is expected to net an ambitious £50m in a sale which could go through within the year.
Musto is expected to achieve sales of around £35m for the 2017 financial year. The company's last reported turnover was £31.2m for the financial year ended 2015, with a net loss (after tax) of -£1.2m.
Musto was founded in 1971 by Keith Musto, providing high-end technical clothing for the offshore sailing market, later adding specialist clothing lines for the equestrian and shooting markets.
Phoenix Equity backed a management buyout of Musto in 2007 in a deal which valued the business at £40m, leaving the Musto family with about a 30% stake in the company and a £10m payout.
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Canadian finance company FLIR, the parent of Raymarine has named James Cannon as president and CEO. Cannon previously worked for more than 16 years in senior leadership positions at Stanley Black & Decker Inc. He was most recently president of Stanley Security North America & Emerging Markets. Before that, Cannon was president of the company's Industrial & Automotive Repair (IAR) business unit, first in North America and subsequently in Europe and Latin America, before then serving as President of Stanley Oil & Gas.
At Stanley Security North America & Emerging Markets, Cannon held direct P&L responsibilities across five business units, managed over 5,000 employees, and oversaw the operations of numerous manufacturing plants and distribution centers.
Cannon was in the US Army for 10 years as an infantryman and armor officer in a different assignments around the world, including Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq. He later oversaw key security missions as part of the Army's peace enforcement operations in Bosnia.
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The Offshore Academy, Britain's only centre of excellence for solo and single handed yacht racing today announced the continuation of their long term partnership with Musto and new partner Red Funnel Ferries. Fielding two of the three British competitors in the 2017 Solitaire URGO le Figaro race The Offshore Academy continues to support the British solo sailors of tomorrow.
As official Clothing and Performance Footwear sponsor, Musto have been involved since the inception of the Academy and have had a long standing partnership in support of the short-handed sailors of tomorrow. Providing its world renowned offshore sailing kit to protect sailors, allowing them to focus on performance.
The sponsorship continuation will see The Offshore Academy competing in Musto clothing and performance footwear for the next three seasons, with major races such as the Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and Rolex Fastnet races still to come in the 2017 calendar.
The Offshore Academy also welcomes 'on-board' Red Funnel, a new sponsor for the 2017 season providing support and backing to the Academy team as Official Travel Partner. The Offshore Academy has a long standing business relationship with Red Funnel with offices in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, 2017 will see this relationship further strengthened through the new sponsorship.
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Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has signed contracts to support the development of 18 marine infrastructure projects in seven Croatian counties with an aggregate value of HRK 50m (US$7.2m).
The investments will allow the country to add a total of 1,600 berths at 16 locations, according to data obtained by local news site Tportal.hr.
In total, the Croatian authorities are aiming to spend around HRK 180m (US$25.9m) on a number of marine investments - including projects related to constructing or modernising local ports, marinas and harbours - over a four-year period.
The largest contribution this year, at HRK 12m (US$1.73m), will be allocated to the marine project in the Split-Dalmatia county.
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The Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group will today become the Official Automotive Partner of World Sailing, the International Governing Body for the sport.
As part of an ambitious plan, World Sailing will partner with the Volvo Ocean Race, owned by Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group, to develop the next generation of offshore sailors.
The next stage of that process will be to set-out a clear pathway for offshore sailors from across the globe. This will include the creation of Volvo Ocean Race Academies, designed to provide a stepping stone for young offshore sailors.
World Sailing has also proposed an offshore showcase event to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Volvo Ocean Race have pledged their full support for the bid.
Volvo have a long running commitment to sailing and previously worked with the world governing body of the sport, acting as title sponsor of the Youth Sailing World Championships from 1999 to 2010. -- Daniel Smith - World Sailing
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The Yacht Racing Forum is pleased to announce a two years partnership with world renowned expert in ropeholding and technical safety equipment Spinlock.
"We have been involved in several past editions of the Yacht Racing Forum and today, we are pleased to rejoin the event as a partner / exhibitor for 2017 and 2018" says Marketing & Sales Manager at Spinlock, James Hall. "The Forum is an excellent opportunity to meet the world's leading classes, designers, boat builders, events and influencers in the sport through one event and this is precious for us. We are also very interested about the Risk Management & Safety conference: this topic is at the heart of our activities and we are keen to be involved and debate."
The Yacht Racing Forum 2017 will take place on November 27-28 in Aarhus, Denmark, six months prior to World Sailing's World Championships.
Based in Cowes, UK, Spinlock is an independent and innovative company, widely acknowledged as the world expert in ropeholding. Spinlock also produces personal protection equipment widely used at top races and regattas inlcuding the award range of Deckvest Lifejackets.
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Sailing navigation and instrument specialist B&G, a Navico brand, has been made an official Volvo Ocean Race supplier for the 2017/18 race.
B&G will supply the entire fleet of Volvo Ocean 65 yachts with state-of-the-art navigation systems, tactical software and Grand Prix level instrument systems. The company will also provide race support to the organisers and crews of the race, which begins on October 4 in Alicante, Spain.
B&G's instrument and navigation equipment will be based on WTP3 - the powerful Wave Technology Processor that monitors the yacht's systems and eliminates the effects of boat motion from critical wind data. Integrated with wind, boat speed, heading, GPS, load cells, keel angle and rudder angle sensors, WTP3 provides the teams with highly accurate real time information.
Additional equipment will include with B&G's new widescreen Zeus multifunction display, broadband 4G radar, Class-B AIS systems, 20/20 HV displays and a range of high precision sensors.
As well as a complete line-up of B&G products, racing teams will also be supported at every stopover by B&G specialist support staff and crews will have 24/7 emergency technical assistance worldwide.
The Volvo Ocean Race, technical race and media teams are also supplied with live data transmitted from the B&G systems on board, to the race HQ in Alicante via Inmarsat communications. This allows monitoring of each vessel, as well as providing an overview of current weather, boat location and overall leader positions.
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Pirelli gets onboard Emirates Team New Zealand completing the team's shortlist of highly committed brands for the 35th America's Cup.
Pirelli, one of the world's largest tyre manufactures, announcing its partnership with the team confirms once again to be at the forefront of international sports events.
"For Emirates Team New Zealand is definitely a plus to have Pirelli on our side just before the racing begins in what will be one of the most competitive America's Cup ever" said Grant Dalton "We value associations with premium international brands like Pirelli where continuous innovation and dedication are a core part of the culture."
Featured Brokerage
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2015 Farr 280 OD. 125,000 USD.
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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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2007 IMOCA 60 "COMPAGNIE DU LIT". 450000 EUR, Located in France.
A fine racing yacht that has proven its capabilities in all kinds of conditions, COMPAGNIE DU LIT is arriving in Australia in the coming days and will be available for viewing over the Christmas period.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy our country's way of life; it's only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage. -- Bruce Schneier
Editorial and letter submissions to
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