In This Issue
Concise is first boat home | Rambler 88 claims monohull line honours | Rock-bound flotilla | A new breed of carbon racer | Maidollis and Taki 4 Are the New Melges 24 World Champions | A Slow Start to Racing in Lysekil - but the sailors praise the new boats | A Real Fixer-Upper: 144-Year-Old Bay Lighthouse for Sale | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | 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
Concise is first boat home
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi, carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Unchallenged, Concise 10 blazed into Plymouth Tuesday morning, first boat home in the 47th Rolex Fastnet Race. Tony Lawson's MOD70 trimaran crossed the finish line off Plymouth breakwater at 05:55:00 BST with a race time of 42 hours and 55 minutes. This time didn't come close to the overall multihull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race but it was still respectable considering they sailed upwind all the way to the Fastnet Rock.
Skipper Ned Collier Wakefield said he had enjoyed the start, leaving the Solent amid the giant spectator fleet and the journey back from the Fastnet Rock: "Last night we gybed south and just sat there doing 30+ knots in flat water and brought that pressure all the way in. The moon was out so you could see what was going on." As to their exceptional performance to the Rock he added that the MOD70 was sailing upwind, typically making 21 knots at 50 degrees. "The MOD70 is an amazing machine. Every time we go out we still come back smiling."
Among Concise 10's crew were Paul Larsen, the world's fastest sailor (who sailed Vestas Sailrocket 2 at 65.45 knots average over 500m in 2012) and towering Rio 2016 Finn gold medallist and Land Rover BAR crew Giles Scott, sailing his first offshore race. "It was really good," said Scott. "Upwind, it felt like a long way out to the Fastnet, although I know a lot of the fleet have still got to go through all of that. On the turn round, when we started ripping downwind, Land's End didn't feel that far away at all. The fastest speed I saw was 36 knots."
Rambler 88 claims monohull line honours American George David's Rambler 88 arrived in Plymouth to claim monohull line honours. The silver maxi crossed the finish line off Plymouth breakwater at 22:14:21 BST in a time of 2 days 9 hours 34 minutes and 21 seconds. This was more than six hours faster than they had managed in 2015 when they ghosted in just four minutes astern of Jim Clark's 100ft maxi, Comanche. But it was considerably outside of the monohull race record of 1 day 18 hours and 39 minutes, set in 2011 by the Ian Walker-skippered VO70, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
For a lengthy period this morning Rambler 88 appeared set to achieve 'the double' ie win both line honours and overall on handicap. However she has since been displaced from the top spot overall under IRC by the 115ft giant, Nikata and Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer.
In 2011, the Rolex Fastnet Race nearly claimed David's life when the keel broke off his 100ft maxi, causing the boat to capsize shortly after rounding the Fastnet rock. David and four others were washed away from their boat and it was only thanks to a near miraculous set of circumstances that they were rescued shortly before dusk. Passing the same area this time David said they had touched base with the Irish rescue services who had saved them six years ago.
"We called the Valentia MSRC, the search and rescue unit for Ireland and had a talk to them on the radio and the Baltimore RNLI. They knew we were there by looking on the tracker. We know those people very well having met them in the dire-est of circumstances. They are wonderful people and it was nice to connect with them."
As usual Rambler 88 was bristling with America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race winners, including many former Team New Zealand and Alinghi crew. A new recruit this time was former Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Dean Barker, who sailed as watch leader. Although best known for his inshore racing, this is Barker's third Rolex Fastnet Race having previously competed on a Mumm 36 and aboard Hasso Plattner's maxi Morning Glory in 2001.
The next arrival due is Ludde Ingvall's maxi CQS.
Track the fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race: cf.yb.tl/fastnet2017
Rambler 88 claims monohull line honours
American George David's Rambler 88 arrived in Plymouth to claim monohull line honours. The silver maxi crossed the finish line off Plymouth breakwater at 22:14:21 BST in a time of 2 days 9 hours 34 minutes and 21 seconds. This was more than six hours faster than they had managed in 2015 when they ghosted in just four minutes astern of Jim Clark's 100ft maxi, Comanche. But it was considerably outside of the monohull race record of 1 day 18 hours and 39 minutes, set in 2011 by the Ian Walker-skippered VO70, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
For a lengthy period this morning Rambler 88 appeared set to achieve 'the double' ie win both line honours and overall on handicap. However she has since been displaced from the top spot overall under IRC by the 115ft giant, Nikata and Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer.
In 2011, the Rolex Fastnet Race nearly claimed David's life when the keel broke off his 100ft maxi, causing the boat to capsize shortly after rounding the Fastnet rock. David and four others were washed away from their boat and it was only thanks to a near miraculous set of circumstances that they were rescued shortly before dusk. Passing the same area this time David said they had touched base with the Irish rescue services who had saved them six years ago.
"We called the Valentia MSRC, the search and rescue unit for Ireland and had a talk to them on the radio and the Baltimore RNLI. They knew we were there by looking on the tracker. We know those people very well having met them in the dire-est of circumstances. They are wonderful people and it was nice to connect with them."
As usual Rambler 88 was bristling with America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race winners, including many former Team New Zealand and Alinghi crew. A new recruit this time was former Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Dean Barker, who sailed as watch leader. Although best known for his inshore racing, this is Barker's third Rolex Fastnet Race having previously competed on a Mumm 36 and aboard Hasso Plattner's maxi Morning Glory in 2001.
The next arrival due is Ludde Ingvall's maxi CQS.
Track the fleet in the Rolex Fastnet Race: cf.yb.tl/fastnet2017
Rock-bound flotilla
The hottest contest in this group is between the seven one design Volvo Open 65s. They finally reached the Fastnet Rock at around breakfast time this morning with the Chinese entry Dongfeng Race Team in first place, making the turn south at 0758, followed by Team Akzonobel, MAPFRE, Sun Hung Kai Scallywag, Team Brunel, Vestas 11th Hour Racing and with the Dee Caffari-skippered Turn the Tide on Plastic bringing up the rear almost an hour later.
As to the conditions they were experiencing on the return journey back across the Celtic Sea, Dong Feng skipper Charles Caudrelier, who won the Volvo Ocean Race in 2011-12 with Groupama, said: "It is very, very complicated. Everyone has gone into the corner and the wind is very, very shifty. MAPFRE was far behind us and they caught a big shift and they seem to be ahead now. There are shifts of 20-40° and the same with the wind speed. For a long time, we had 10 knots and the others had 15. Now we all have the same wind, around 16-17 knots. You would make a good choice and gain a lot, but then for one hour we had five knots less."
At the time Caudrelier was estimating their arrival at the finish being around 0200 Wednesday.
Tonight the bulk of the Rolex Fastnet Race will be progressing across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock. In IRC One, the Mylius 15e25 Ars Una of Italian Vittorio Biscarini late this afternoon was approaching the Fastnet Rock, having recovered the lead from the French crew on Codiam.
In IRC Two, Gilles Fournier and Corinne Migraine's J/133 Pintia still had just over 50 miles to sail to reach the Fastnet rock but had extended her lead on corrected time in her class, having pulled more than 5.5 hours ahead of second-placed, British favourites Nick and Suzi Jones' First 44.7 Lisa, skippered by RORC Commodore, Michael Boyd.
Leaders in IRC Three, both on the water and on corrected time, were half way to the Fastnet late this afternoon with Arnaud Delamare and Eric Mordret's JPK 10.80 Dream Pearls easing ahead of the doublehanded crews - Ian Hoddle and Oliver Wyatt on the Sun Fast 3600, Game On, and Ed Fishwick and Nick Cherry on Redshift Reloaded. All three boats were jockeying for the lead on the water with Dream Pearls closest to the rhumb line to the Fastnet Rock.
Meanwhile in IRC Four, the JPK 10.10s have been suffering, allowing the upwind weapon that is Paul Kavanagh's Swan 44 Pomeroy Swan to take the lead ahead of Chris Choules' Sigma 38, With Alacrity.
A new breed of carbon racer
For racing sailors seeking action packed, high level, fast performance, Grand Prix 40 footer style racing at a fraction of the cost, the BR31 offers similar features and feel.
This high-end, affordable, semi-custom racer, from Ben Rogerson Yacht Design has been optimized so you can compete under ORC or DLR, and as a highly competitive HP30 Class contender.
Designed for a maximum crew of seven, and packed with many of the features found at the top of the sport. The BR31 appeals to sailors seeking to make the step up from smaller sports boats, and those wanting a smaller and exciting alternative within IRC & ORC racing.
- High quality construction and British build
- Lightweight carbon fibre construction
- Fast competitive IRC & ORC racing
- Performance options available
- Estimated IRC Tcc: 1.14
www.bryd.uk/yacht-designs/br31
Maidollis and Taki 4 Are the New Melges 24 World Champions
Helsinki, Finland: The 20th edition of the Melges 24 World Championship came to an end in Helsinki, with a series of eleven races that challenged the crews with weather conditions that ranged from light wind to heavy breeze and seas.
After the success obtained in the Worlds of Torbole in 2012, exactly five years ago on August 4th, the couple helmsman-tactician Fracassoli-Fonda contributed to the success of Italian entry Maidollis by Gianluca Perego with also Giovanni Ferrari, also a part of the 2012 winner team, and Stefano Lagi onboard.
The Italian crew has been able to sail very consistent races, with placements that only once went below the 10th position: they closed the series with a total of 35 points and a margin of 23 points over the second placed. In day two of racing they also achieved a record for the Melges 24 Worlds, by winning all the races that were sailed in that day. Vice-World Champion is American Monsoon by Mike Buckley with Bruce Ayres in helm and Mark Ivey as a coach, which has all through the series battled to maintain a podium placement: the two bullets scored in the series helped Monsoon's holding tight to the silver medal.
The boat with Niccolo Bertola is Melges 24 Corinthian World Champion for the second year in a row. His crew: Giacomo Fossati, Marco Zammarchi, Matteo De Chiara and Giovanni Bannetta and Niccolo Bianchi as the coach.
After a brief summer rest, the fleet will lead to Medemblik, the Netherlands for the penultimate event of Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2017, that is going to conclude in October in Luino, Italy.
Full results of the open division
The results of the Corinthian division
A Slow Start to Racing in Lysekil - but the sailors praise the new boats
The second stop of the 2017 WIM Series saw a dramatically different day from the blustery practice day yesterday. Very light and shifty winds led to postponements, long waiting and fewer matches than scheduled as Lysekil Women's Match kicked off Tuesday with the first day of racing. Thanks to the new Fareast 28R boats, the sailors still came ashore with big smiles: "Super fun boats with a fast and sporty feeling, really something new and challenging" says Swede Caroline Sylvan of the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, who won one of her matches and lost the other.
The weight of the new Chinese boats in Lysekil Women's Match is about a third of the previously raced DS 37s, and they are sailed with a crew of five instead of six as in the Danish precursor. Accordingly, they are quicker in the turns and with faster acceleration, characteristics that in combination with asymmetric instead of symmetric spinnaker is leading to a completely different tactical game on the race course.
"The large asymmetric spinnaker will easily make us broach when luffing the opponent too quickly, so we will have to be a little more careful. But that wasn't actually a problem today" says Trine Palludan.
The Wednesday weather forecast looks more promising.
Standings in Lysekil Women's Match after the first day of the round-robin (skipper, team, nationality, wins - losses):
1. Trine Palludan, Team Kattnakken, DEN, 2-0
2. Alexa Bezel, ChicaCER Women Match Racing Team, SUI, 1-0
3. Renee Groeneveld, Dutch Match Racing Team, NED, 2-1
3. Johanna Bergqvist, Team Bergqvist Match Racing, SWE, 2-1
5. Anna ostling, Team Anna, SWE, 1-1
5. Caroline Sylvan, New Sweden Match Racing Team, SWE, 1-1
5. Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 1-1
8. Antonia Degerlund, Team Skona Vibbisar, FIN, 0-1
8. Linnea Floser, Peregrine Racing, SWE, 0-1
8. Octavia Owen, Athena Racing, GBR, 0-1
11. Marinella Laaksonen, L2 Match Racing Team, FIN, 0-2
A Real Fixer-Upper: 144-Year-Old Bay Lighthouse for Sale
The lighthouse on 22 August 1885. Click on image to enlarge.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA: If you're looking for a cozy home with great views and major privacy from neighbors, look no further.
A 144-year-old lighthouse, two miles off of North Point State Park, is up for sale to the highest bidder. But the place needs some work.
Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light Station is a cylindrical structure that was built in 1873. It is one of the lights that mark the Craighill channel, from the Bay to the mouth of Patapsco River.
The keeper quarters inside are 1.5 stories, with a deck that stretches all the way around. The cast iron lantern room sits on top of the lighthouse, about 25 feet above the water's surface. A keeper and an assistant lived there until 1964, when the light became automated.
The federal government decided to sell it after a nonprofit group's plans to restore it didn't work out.
The unique waterfront home is listed on the U.S. General Services Administration website for a price tag of $15,000. That doesn't include, of course, the boat that would be required to commute home.
Bid: gsaauctions.gov/g
Seahorse August 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Design - Higher (and wider)
The 39ben is not a (wrong) birthday for the Land Rover BAR skipper but it does mark a radical step for another famous yacht racing name. Alex Vrolijk and Jochen Rieker
Historic context
Volvo - and Whitbread - race veterans Brad Jackson (who is going again) and Paul Standbridge (who is definitely not going again) look at race editions old and (very) new
Wow!
It was one hell of an America's Cup match to be commentating on for TV. Ken Read
Confessions of a Cup addict
Or to put it another way, the ability to change your mind gracefully... Ian Walker
Sounds familiar?
Overdue - a new challenge between nations
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Industry News
Ocean Safety develops world's first SOLAS Ocean Ultralite liferaft for Volvo fleet
As seven of the eight yachts competing in the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) battle it out in this week's RORC Rolex Fastnet Race, they have been carrying a lot less weight on the transom than ever before, thanks to an unparalleled innovation from Ocean Safety.
The new Ocean Ultralite SOLAS compact liferaft is a totally new concept derived from Ocean Safety's original space-saving Ocean Ultralite liferaft. It uses carbon composite technology to achieve a significant 23% weight saving, a vital boost in the search for speed.
Alistair Hackett of Ocean Safety explains "Weight saving in ocean racing is the holy grail. We seized an opportunity to work with the VOR team to find a solution that would reduce the weight of the 12 person liferafts to enhance performance, while conforming to international SOLAS standards. The key areas of development were the inflation system, pack contents and the construction of the canister. Despite the weight reduction, the liferaft containers are still incredibly robust to withstand the harsh environments that they will endure on the open ocean."
Ultralite is not just for Volvo - it is likely to be sought after by large ocean going and grand prix maxi racing yachts around the world.
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Ronstan announced as official hardware supplier for 2017 SAP 5O5 Worlds.
FSE Robline will serve as official cordage provider for September regatta
Organizers are pleased to announce that Ronstan will serve as official sailing hardware supplier for the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship, being held Sept. 20-29 off Annapolis. Ronstan is the United States distributor of FSE Robline, which has agreed to become official cordage provider for the regatta.
Ronstan and FSE Robline will be on-site throughout the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship, with goods on display, discounts on select products and items to give away.
Ronstan is a sponsor of Mike Martin and Adam Lowery, the reigning International 5O5 class world champions. Martin and Lowery are among many top teams competing in the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship, which will be held on the Chesapeake Bay. At press time, the prestigious regatta had attracted 88 entries representing 12 different countries.
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Vendee2020Vision, the initiative to aid up-and-coming British talent to compete in the next Vendee Globe, is pleased to welcome UKCloud onboard as a partner to the project.
UKCloud provides assured public cloud services for the exclusive use of UK public sector organisations. The company, which was recently lauded the fastest-growing private company in the UK in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100, will be joining the team for the remainder of the 2017 sailing season including Cowes Week, the Fastnet Race and other UK based events.
Vendee2020Vision's existing partner Artemis Investment Management LLP has been at the forefront of British offshore sailing for the last decade, "It is fantastic to welcome a new partner to Vendee2020Vision, our long term investment to develop a British skipper capable of winning the Vendee Globe continues and it is great to welcome such an innovative British company to the project".
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Pewaukee, WI-Harken announced today the appointment of Mark Wiss as Director of Global Grand-Prix and Custom Yacht Sales. Previously, Mark successfully managed sales of Harken Grand-Prix products for 16 years. Adding custom yacht sales to his responsibilities provides a great opportunity to build internal synergy in teamwork and collaboration for Harken, while assuring continuity for our customers and industry partners.
Mark's extensive background in the sailing industry began early-on as a sailmaker and boat captain. His career at Harken includes positions as Director of Global Sales and Marketing, Grand Prix Racing Sales & Service Manager, and America's Cup Sales & Service Manager.
Harken also announced its appointment of Shanghai Far East FRP Boat Company as its newest authorized distributor in China. Shanghai Far East joins Sunrise Marineware Limited, an authorized Harken distributor since 2011, in working to equip boats of all types and sizes with high-quality Harken deck hardware and winches.
Shanghai Far East Chairman Mrs. Demolar Du and Alan Lan, Managing Director of Sunrise Marineware have been pioneers in promoting sailing in China, and are responsible for much of the sport's rapid growth in the region. Shanghai Far East's focus on China's retail markets will allow Harken to develop ever stronger relationships with this sector and to respond to customers quickly with the highest level of technical and customer service.
Featured Brokerage
2010 JND 35. 120000 GBP. Located in Cowes, England.
A bandit IRC or ORC racer. Turn key project and ready to bring in the bread right from the very off.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
+442380 016582
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2014 JPK 1080 - Sunrise. 230000 EUR. Located in Port Hamble.
The results really do say it all with this unrivalled French design from JPK. Two years of great success under the belt and no signs of stopping just yet. "Sunrise" is currently the only 10.80 on the market today and is a turn key boat for Commodores Cup 2016 and beyond. OPEN TO OFFERS.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
+442380 016582
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2015 Farr 280 OD "FOMO". 136,000 USD. Located in Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom.
The Farr 280 One Design is a new production racing sailboat by Farr Yacht Design that delivers the excitement of grand prix racing to the under-30’ one design arena.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Harmen Rockler
Farr Yacht Sales
+1 410 267 6550
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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