Scuttlebutt Europe #3927

In This Issue
Monaco Classic Week - La Belle Classe | ILCA Laser Standard Men's World Championship | GAC Pindar Win M32 Series Scandinavia, Become Back-to-Back Champions | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | Clipper Race3: Mixed Results From Stealth Mode Tactics | Destination World for Francois Gabart | FAST40+ Class HYS One Ton Cup | Bart's Bash | Are lobster pots a danger to yachts? | Hit the road Jack - sailing royalty farewells its King | 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

Monaco Classic Week - La Belle Classe
The 13th Monaco Classic Week - La Belle Classe, one of the largest classic yacht meetings, ended Sunday after a week packed with magical events in a Roaring Twenties atmosphere. Time has no hold on this one-of-a-kind biennial event which attracted nearly 150 boats, from classic yachts to period motor-yachts and vintage motorboats, here to pay tribute to our maritime heritage.

Launched in 1994, the meeting has not only retained its freshness, but also the spirit of the first powerboat meetings from 1904 when the Principality hosted the world's industrialists taking part in nautical events.

It was a week dedicated to the Yacht Club's Art de Vivre la Mer philosophy, alternating events at sea, technical inspections, a culinary competition, the arts and elegance. "It is this sort of event that repositions Monaco as the city it was conceived to be, one centred around the harbour," notes the Yacht Club de Monaco's General Secretary, Bernard d'Alessandri. "Monaco is a yachting destination for both modern and traditional yachts."

Among the highlights, 90th anniversary celebrations for Creole, Xarifa and Trinakria who made a stunning entrance on Saturday into Port Hercule after racing, and a moving tribute to Carlo Riva, the brilliant designer behind the famous mahogany-hulled motorboats so coveted by the jet set in the fifties.

The big winner of this edition was the gaff cutter Viola, a beautiful 1908 sailing yacht which in France is considered a historic monument.

Considered by many to be Charles Nicholson's masterpiece, Creole was the main attraction of the week. The Yacht Club de Monaco wanted to honour this three-mast schooner which is 90 this year. Escorted by Trinakria (50m) and the ketch Xarifa, both also launched in 1927, Creole (58.22m) made a majestic entrance into Port Hercule to a thunderous greeting of horns and cannon fire, trailing a string of Rivas, Chris Crafts and Hacker Crafts in her wake.

Overall winner: Monaco Classic Week Trophy 2017: Viola (Kostia Belkin)

Elegance Prize - sailing yacht Elena of London (Mark Dixon) / Motorboat: Albatros (John Filoes)

La Belle Classe Restoration Prize
Winner: The Blue Peter (Mathew Barker)

Regularity Trial:
Winner: Why Not, a 1967 Riva Junior (Renaud Balay)

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc

ILCA Laser Standard Men's World Championship
Split, Croatia: Fears of wind coming from all directions on the second day of 'Finals' at the Laser Standard Men's World Championships were unfounded when a westerly breeze developed just after noon. All three fleets were sent afloat to another new course area 3 miles from Split harbor in front of island Čiovo. In the gold fleet, three races were completed. The silver and bronze fleets that could not start races in yesterday's conditions, finished two races today.

Racing got underway an hour later in a 12-14 knot wind, with big waves and a strong current flowing West, after just one general recall.

In the second race, the wind freshened and shifted slightly to the right.

The wind continued to turn another 10 degrees right for the third race as the sun sank lower in the sky. The fleet split evenly up the first windward leg and the leaders came from both sides of the course with some new names in front and some familiar names further back.

With two races left to sail, Kontides goes into the last day with a 15-point lead over Tom Burton. This would normally be sufficient to take the title. However, the weather gods may still have a say as a fast-moving frontal system is expected to move across Split sometime on the final day. If it arrives early, anything can happen including no sailing!

Preliminary top-ten results:
1. Pavlos Kontides CYP 15 points
2. Tom Burton AUS 30
3. Matthew Wearn AUS 31
4. Philipp Buhl GER 37
5. Jesper Stalheim SWE 45
6. Nick Thompson GBR 48
7. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz FRA 50
8. Thomas Saunders NZL 51
9. Francesco Marrai ITA 60
10. Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini GBR 65

Full Results

laserworlds2017.com

GAC Pindar Win M32 Series Scandinavia, Become Back-to-Back Champions
Stockholm, Sweden: Ian Williams arrived as the man to beat in Stockholm, leading the 2017 series after four events, and being chased down by a hungry Scandinavian pack led by Wallen Racing just two points behind. The British crew kicked off the regatta showing they were here to do the business, taking four back-to-back wins on the opening day. From that point onwards the team led the regatta, untouchable on top.

With GAC Pindar the only team not to catch a last place finish over the event, consistent results were clearly the key to success over the 16 race event. Even with some poor starts on day two, Williams and crew managed to pull it back every time as fans cheered the team picking their way up through the fleet.

Conditions at this event followed the low-end wind trend which has been seen on the 2017 series, testing light wind tactics and pressuring crews on their race starts reactions. The light wind has taken nothing away from racing over the five event series, with the tight race courses in city centre locations making the drama spectacular to watch and to be part of for the sailors.

As the 2017 M32 Series Scandinavia wraps up for another year, some crews will be heading to Chicago next weekend for the M32 North America Championship whilst others will be racing in the Mediterranean series which still has two events on the calendar this season. Details of the 2018 M32 Series Scandinavia will be outlined in the coming months, where GAC Pindar skipper Ian Williams has already stated he will be back to defend his title and aim for a third M32 Series Scandinavia championship.

M32 Series Scandinavia - Results
1. GAC Pindar, Ian Williams (GBR) - 68 points
2. Wallen Racing, Jonas Warrer (DEN) - 60
3. Essiq Racing Team, Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) - 59
4. Flux Team, Johnie Berntsson (SWE) - 55
5. Section 16, Richard Davies (SUI) - 24
6. Boys of Carbon, Chris Steele (NZL) - 18
7. Neptune Racing, Sam Gilmour (AUS) - 14
8. China One Ningbo, Phil Robertson (NZL) - 11
9. Trifork, Michael Hestbaek (DEN) - 8
10. Sailing Team NL, Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) - 8

Full Results

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

THE 36th AMERICA'S CUP
And now it's all about what happens next...

Long shadow
The largely self-taught Doug Peterson brought Ganbare to the 1973 One Ton Cup and offshore yacht design was never the same again. Tim Jeffery remembers a good friend

Early signs
And Ivor Wilkins already knows a lot more than he is quite ready to let on... So watch this space

Commitment
And more commitment - Bouwe Bekking is about to start his 8th race around the globe (sic)

Ken Read
And 2017 really is 'the year of the record'

Ten years and growing
And this year it's the turn of Aarhus, Denmark

The 2018 Grand (Caribbean) Tour
Can't make up your mind, why not have all of it?

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Clipper Race3: Mixed Results From Stealth Mode Tactics
As several teams have re-emerged from Stealth Mode, the leader board is looking a little clearer and Sanya Serenity Coast remains in the lead. More than half the teams in the fleet have now employed their 'invisibility cloaks' during Race 1 with HotelPlanner.com the latest to hide from public view.

Whilst GREAT Britain failed to make up any significant ground on the leaders and is in sixth place, Unicef is in third and within 28.5 nautical miles of the first placed Sanya Serenity Coast, and just 0.61nM off Visit Seattle in second.

A day after coming out of Stealth Mode, Qingdao is in fourth place, and 58.5nM off the lead. Qingdao recorded a fleet high distance travelled of 115nM (nautical miles) overnight and Skipper, Chris Kobusch, comments: "The past 24 hours were dominated by fast, intense spinnaker runs.

"With decreasing winds in the late afternoon, we dropped the Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker) just after six o'clock, gybed, and hoisted the Code 2 (mediumweight spinnaker) for the night. With apparent wind of 15-20 knots, we reached its limits and got great speeds throughout the night."

Clipper Race Meteorologist, Simon Rowell, reports whilst the low developing ahead won't be particularly strong, it will result in a number of sail changes due to the fast and ever-changing conditions. The weather should favour the back of the fleet, with the steady wind to help guide Greenings and Nasdaq south.

clipperroundtheworld.com/race/standings

* Andy Woodruff, 41, from Poole, Dorset, has been appointed as the interim Skipper for the Greenings team in the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race.

Joining the team in Punta del Este, Uruguay, at the end of September, Andy will provide relief cover for Skipper David Hartshorn who was subject to a helicopter medevac during the opening leg of the race following a serious hand injury.

The race route is split into eight separate legs. Leg 2, the 3,560Nm South Atlantic Challenge, from Uruguay to Cape Town, will start on 4 October 2017 and will take approximately 17 days to complete.

From Cape Town, the Clipper Race will continue on to Fremantle, Western Australia; Sydney; Hobart; the Whitsundays; Sanya and Qingdao in China; Seattle, USA; Panama; New York; and Derry Londonderry, before returning to Liverpool on 28 July, 2018.

Destination World for Francois Gabart
During a press conference last Wednesday at the Paris headquarters of the Macif Group, Francois Gabart and his sponsor talked about his next competitive target: to try to beat the single-handed round the world record on a multihull (currently held by Thomas Coville since December 2016, of 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 38 seconds).

He will be on standby as of 22 October. The idea of attempting this single-handed round the world on a multihull emerged during the Vendee Globe, which Francois Gabart won (2012-2013), and has since gradually became concrete with the design and then the build of the MACIF trimaran, followed by its launch in August 2015. Then came a period of two years during which the skipper and his team familiarised themselves with the boat.

This was interspersed with important wins in the Transat Jacques-Vabre 2015, the Transat Bakerly 2016 and The Bridge last July.

Back from New York mid-July, the MACIF trimaran stayed at sea, in its home port of Port-la-Forêt, where it endured a comprehensive overhaul: dismantling, checking and reassembling of lots of parts, but also a few reinforcements here and there, in anticipation of any wear. Two years after it was first launched, Francois Gabart has a safe, reliable, high-performance boat with which to take on this round the world challenge.

And what next? "We are lucky to have ambitious goals, with the Route du Rhum in 2018 and the single-handed round the world in 2019, which will require substantial modifications to the boat next winter." The standby period will last roughly three months, during which Francois Gabart hopes to find the right weather window to cast off.

www.macifcourseaularge.com/trimaran-macif

FAST40+ Class HYS One Ton Cup
From Thursday 21st September, the FAST40+ Class will compete for the prestigious HYS One Ton Cup. Created by the Cercle de la Voile de Paris (CVP - Paris Yacht Club) in 1899, the One Ton Cup is steeped in history and reputation in the world of yacht racing.

Winners of the Cup include many legends in the sport of sailing; Syd Fischer, Harold Cudmore, Henrik Soderlund, King Harald V of Norway, Paul Cayard, Francesco de Angelis, and Russell Coutts.

The 2017 edition of the One Ton Cup is hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, and presented by Hamble Yacht Services and supported by Grapefruit Graphics, Premier Composite Technologies, TT Rigging, Diverse Yachts and North Sails. FAST40+ Class supporter Henri Lloyd will be awarding a special prize to the winner.

12 FAST40+ teams are entered, nine races are scheduled, with a variety of courses including; windward-leeward, and a weighted round the cans race.

www.fast40class.com

Bart's Bash
The fourth year of the world's largest sailing event, Bart's Bash, got off to a terrific start in New Zealand at the Whangaruru Sailing Club in Oakura Bay, New Zealand as sailing and yacht clubs around the world were gearing up to run their own Bart's Bash races.

Setting the scene for the Bart's Bash that took place today on behalf of the Andrew Simpson Foundation who are headquartered at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, CEO, Pete Allam said, "We knew it was going to be a tough call getting 125 boats off the start line at the appointed time of 1300 when we knew that the wind was due to die and change direction by 180 degrees. However, after a couple of rainstorms we got everyone off the start line and enjoyed a great race."

The cadets from Brading Haven Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight have spent the day to'ing and fro'ing between the Island and Southampton aboard Red Funnel's car ferry and with a captive audience have managed to raise in excess of £500.

Of particular poignance was Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation Trustee and a Founder, Iain Percy, sailing his 2017 Bart's Bash in the original Star boat that he and Andrew 'Bart' Simpson sailed their last race together in at the London 2012 Olympics, winning Silver, to add to their Olympic Gold medal achieved in the same class previously, at the 2008 Beijing Games. Another special moment came with the announcement that two young sailors, Ben Thomas and Billy Hope, volunteers at the Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre, had been selected to race their Bart's Bash with Iain in the Star. These deserving boys have between them given around 2,000 hours of their time to help young people learn to sail. Both of them are keen racers and have competed at national level. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt

www.bartsbash.com/bashboard?year=2017

How To Donate

An easy way of helping support Andrew 'Bart' Simpson's legacy is TEXT TO DONATE (any time/any amount of money from a fiver upwards!) e.g.: BART17 £5 to 70070

www.justgiving.com

www.andrewsimpsonfoundation.org

Are lobster pots a danger to yachts?
The Cruising Association has launched a campaign to make lobster pots safer for small vessels and is asking sailors to sign the petition

A petition launched by the Cruising Association to make marking of lobster pots safer is again live after it was shut down by the Government until after the General Election.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200001

The CA's petition obviously hit a nerve with the boating public as not only did the petition receive nearly 6,000 signatures in two weeks but the CA has received hundreds of e-mails from people in the UK and worldwide telling of their experiences. Not only were boats severely damaged - some unrecoverable - but hundreds of lives were put at risk when their boats became entangled in the lobster pot tethers.

The RYA has recently relaunched a reporting form which aims to bring all the necessary information together at one collection point, here:

www.rya.org.uk

If you support the CA's campaign, please: sign the petition - petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200001 - even if you had already done so, as previous votes can't be carried over carry on reporting incidents to us via , and go to the link to fill in the new RYA form

Scuttlebutt Europe #3927 - 19 September

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