Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid | Volvo Ocean Race - Brunel racing in reverse | Evacuated Clipper Race Yacht (Cv24) Partially Under Water After Running Aground Near Cape Town | The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale | Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2017: Top 20 disclosed! | Mini Transat Second Leg Start | BYOB or Charter! St. Thomas International Regatta & Round the Rocks Race - March 22-25, 2018 | 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship Winners Announced | The Atlantic Cup: New Race Partner and First Two Teams | Alex Pella: A new dawn for multihulls in the Transat Jacques Vabre | 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
Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid
Nominations open now for two awards: Best Caribbean Bar and Best Bar Elsewhere. Send us your bleary memories: scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars
Volvo Ocean Race - Brunel racing in reverse
Embarking on his eighth edition of the Volvo Ocean race, Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking is still looking for a win and he was plainly deeply disappointed with Team Brunel's sixth place in the seven-boat fleet on this 1650 nautical mile Leg One Ocean Sprint from Alicante to Lisbon.
Standing in the sunshine, near the old Fish market in Lisbon, we talked to the veteran skipper, who must have felt at times during the race, that he was in fact racing in reverse.
'Of course, it was not the result we were hoping for, but it was a great learning curve for the entire crew.
'It was a hard race for us, as soon as we arrived in Lisbon we had a diver inspect the appendages. We had rudder vibration for much of the race. We know we hit a lot of objects with the rudder, we hit a turtle for sure. And we just about lost count of the plastic bags and fishing lines.
'We had to do 12 slow and costly backdowns during the race. The inspection was to be sure there was no major damage to the keel, because you must lift out to fix that.
'The keel was OK, however, both rudders were very knocked about. Right now, on Tuesday afternoon, there are in the final stages of repair, before they go back into the boat.
'There is so much rubbish in the water, especially in the Mediterranean. We all need to work hard on Keep the Oceans Clean messages. 'In my first RTW race, I did not have to do a single back down and on this first leg, we did 12 and that says something about the health of our oceans.
Full article from Rob Kothe: scuttlebutteurope.com
Evacuated Clipper Race Yacht (Cv24) Partially Under Water After Running Aground Near Cape Town
Click on image to enlarge.
The crew of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race team, Greenings (CV24), had previously been safely evacuated after running aground at approximately 2140 UTC (2340 local time) on Tuesday 31 October after departing Cape town earlier in the day for Leg 3 of the eight-leg global sailing race.
The decision has been communicated to the Interim Skipper, Andy Woodruff, and discussions have taken place with Greenings Skipper, David Hartshorn (recovering from an earlier injury) and his crew regarding their future participation in this edition of the race.
The safety of the Skipper and crew have been paramount throughout this incident and all are doing well and no injuries have been reported.
Underwriters have appointed a surveyor who will attend the boat tomorrow and, on receipt of his report, a decision will be made as to whether the boat will be salvaged or not.
A full investigation of the incident is underway. Further updates are available on the Clipper Race website: www.clipperroundtheworld.com
The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale
The 3D chart is the perfect Christmas gift that is appreciated for a lifetime! It ticks all of the boxes: it's personal, bespoke, it's art with a difference and it's relevant.
As a shared gift amongst a group/crew or simply a treat for yourself!
Check out the website today, talk to Bobby Nash about your commission. www.latitudekinsale.com
Any chart any where in the world !
Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2017: Top 20 disclosed!
The top twenty pictures from the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award will be exhibited at World Sailing's Annual Conference in Puerto Vallarta (November 4 - 12), and then at the Yacht Racing Forum (Aarhus, Denmark, November 27-28).
The winner of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award - who will be announced and celebrated during the Yacht Racing Forum in Aarhus (DEN) on November 28 - is one of these twenty:
Top twenty photographers (in alphabetical order):
- Cristina Balcells (ESP)
- Stephanie Billarant (FRA)
- Olivier Blanchet (FRA)
- Chris Cameron (NZL)
- Sharon Green (USA)
- Soren Hese (GER)
- Nicolas Jutzi (SUI)
- Harry Kenney Herbert (UK)
- Anton Makhanov (RUS)
- Gilles Martin Raget (FRA)
- Pedro Martinez (ESP)
- Rob Migliaccio (USA)
- Tomas Moya (ESP)
- Jerome Naquet (FRA)
- Martina Orsini (ITA)
- Elena Otekina (RUS)
- Marina Semenova (RUS)
- Dmitry Sharomov (RUS)
- Tobias Stoerkle (GER)
- Sander van der Borch (NED)
The leading countries are: Russia (4 pictures), France (4 pictures), Spain (3 pictures), USA and Germany (2 pictures), New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy and The Netherlands (1 picture).
The votes by the public on Internet are still open, and not restricted to the top 20 images selected by the Jury.
Mini Transat Second Leg Start
Naturally there was a fair amount of emotion at the start of this second leg. Indeed, you're unlikely to set off across the Atlantic for the first time without a little apprehension and even the old-timers knew that they were heading off for at least two weeks given the weather conditions forecast and the change of course via the Cape Verde islands.
It was Marc Miro Rubio (Alfin), who was the first to leave the pontoon in Las Palmas aboard the only Pogo 1 of the fleet, whilst David Allamelou (Boreal) led the way in the prototype category, both followed by a procession of solo sailors filing out of the Latina Vela marina. For the first-timers whose backs were against the wall, they tried hard to disguise their apprehension, whilst the more experienced sailors were inevitably a little more detached. The biggest cheer unquestionably went to Marta Guemes (Artelia), the local of the leg.
Out on the water, the wind shifted round to the ENE shortly before the start. As such, on crossing the line, most of the solo sailors promptly hoisted their code zeros, whilst the more daring amongst them went straight for the large spinnaker.
Once the island of Gran Canaria is behind them, the fleet will be tasked with making its initial tactical choices. The general trend is likely to involve pushing along on port tack as far as the coast of Africa. However, once they get close to the shores of Mauritania, the racers are split on how to tackle the next section. Certain routing options recommend playing with the effects of the headland by linking together a series of manœuvres under spinnaker, at times under the cover of darkness. This route is somewhat hazardous of course, given the increased risk of encountering the local fishermen, who may prove to be intrusive. A number of competitors admitted that they were keen to head further offshore the minute they hit the steadier winds forecast. Accepting that you are likely to lose a bit of ground in order to reduce the risk at the start of what promises to be a long leg is not necessarily a miscalculation.
Position report on 1 November at 15:00 UTC
Prototypes
1. Andrea Fornaro (Sideral) 2,930.4 miles from the finish
2. Erwan le Mene (Rousseau Clotures) 0.5 miles behind the leader
3. Ian Lipinski (Griffon.fr) 0.5 miles behind the leader
4. Quentin Vlamynck (Arkema 3) 0.7 miles behind the leader
5. Simon Koster (Eight Cube Sersa) 0.8 miles behind the leader
Production boats
1. Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande Ambecco) 2,931.5 miles from the finish
2. Yannick Le Clech (Dragobert) 0.0 miles behind the leader
3. Clarisse Cremer (TBS) 0.4 miles behind the leader
4. Erwan Le Draoulec (Emile Henry) 0.5 miles behind the leader
5. Pierre Revol (Maribambelle) 0.6 miles behind the leader
BYOB or Charter! St. Thomas International Regatta & Round the Rocks Race - March 22-25, 2018
Register your own boat now in CSA; IRC; ORC; Multihull; CSA Bareboat; and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. Or, check out the charter operators in the Caribbean and Europe that have some swift-sailing vessels available.
For example, OnDeck Racing in Antigua offers its Beneteau 40.7 (Ortac) and Farr 65 (Spirit of Juno) and Caribbean Races in St. Maarten its J/120 (J-aguar) and Kiwi 35 (Wild Devil) by the entire yacht or by the crew spot. Noisy Oyster, a J122 by Swiss-based J122 Experience, is available by the yacht or with a first mate. Caribbean Yacht Racing in the U.S. and St. Maarten has its J122 (El Ocaso) for charter.
Any more J/122's? Three or more entries can get their own one-design class!
Register now and save! Pay only US $250 for entries received and paid in full by 5 p.m. AST on January 31, 2018. From February 1 to March 20, the entry fee is US $400.
Come celebrate STIR's 45th anniversary with world-class racing offshore, nightly parties, day-time beach games and live music, food and drink.
www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Email: or
Call (340) 642-3204
2017 RORC Season's Points Championship Winners Announced
Double victory: Lisa, First 44.7, Nick & Suzi Jones (skippered by Michael Boyd for all races except De Guingand Bowl) has retained their 2016 title; once again securing the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship for IRC overall as well as being announced the RORC Yacht of the Year.
Over 500 boats took part in the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship, with teams flying the flags of 30 different nations from Canada to Russia and Chile to New Zealand. Well over 4,000 sailors took part, and whilst the majority of the races were in the English Channel, the Championship included the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. The 13-race series, which this year included the Rolex Fastnet Race, is truly international and it is the largest offshore series by participation, anywhere in the world. For the serious offshore sailor, winning the championship is a real challenge.
Lisa - Overall winner - 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship The overall winner of the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship is Nick & Suzi Jones' British First 44.7 Lisa, skippered by RORC Commodore Michael Boyd. The corinthian team retained the title from 2016; the only yacht to achieve the double since Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens (2011-12). Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine's J/133 Pintia was second overall and Thomas Kneen's JPK 1080 Sunrise was third.
Lisa - 2017 RORC Yacht of the Year Lisa has also been awarded the RORC Yacht of the Year, winning the Somerset Memorial Trophy for an outstanding racing achievement by a yacht owned or sailed by a RORC member, as voted for by the RORC Committee.
The Atlantic Cup: New Race Partner and First Two Teams
Newport, RI USA: With preparations underway for the 2018 Atlantic Cup, Manuka Sports Event Management, organizers of the USA's toughest offshore race, are pleased to announce three new commercial partners, two teams and the release of the 2018 Notice of Race.
United Airlines Mileage Plus Exclusives, Hyatt Place Charleston and CODE-ZERO join as Official Partners for the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic dedicated to the Class40. The three new partners will provide a variety of opportunities for the race and its fans.
Pfficial entries opened on October 16th and seven teams from the US and Europe have confirmed their entry, with a further three expressions of interest. The first two teams to be announced are six-time race veteran Michael Hennessy on board Dragon Ocean Racing and Oakcliff Racing and its youth team from Oyster Bay, New York. Race Organizers will continue announce the teams each month in the lead up to the start of the race.
With over 1,000nm of ocean racing, the Atlantic Cup is the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic, the only race that includes both Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod and the only short-handed offshore race dedicated to the Class 40.
The 2018 Atlantic Cup will start in Charleston, South Carolina May 26th. The race will stop-over in Brooklyn May 28th-June 2nd before departing for Portland, Maine. The Atlantic Cup will wrap up in Portland June 4th-10th with a two-day inshore series. The Atlantic Cup has been carbon neutral since 2012 and was the first and is the only sports event in the U.S. to be ISO 20121 compliant.
Alex Pella: A new dawn for multihulls in the Transat Jacques Vabre
Alex Pella, the world-record breaking sailor, said today (Wednesday) that the Transat Jacques Vabre 2017 will mark the emergence of a new future for multihulls. With all eyes on just how fast the latest 30-metre Ultime to launch is - Maxi Edmond de Rothschild will be making its debut in Le Havre, Normandy on the start line on Sunday - Pella, co-skipper of the Multi 50 Arkema, believes the class will shine in this 13th edition of the "Route du Cafe".
"When we arrived last Friday and I saw the fleet, I said 'wow' because for me it's the first time that there's such a fleet in this class," Pella said. "Normally, when I've been here in another class, I've seen only two or three good boats. But now I think this race can change the future of the class. Now, the future of the multihulls is the Ultime class and Multi 50 because there's a really big difference between them."
There are six Multi 50s here, five competitive and four with foils all vying for victory. At just over 15 metres - half the length of Ultime - have a budget that is more accessible to those starting out in multihulls. Roucayrol revealed that Arkema spent €1.5 million to build the boat he launched in 2013, and spend €800,000 a year on the campaign, of which €200,000 has gone on their Mini 6.50 boat this year. The Ultime is a big step up, with budgets around six times that.
But those extra Euros may be felt in the first few days of racing, which are already promising to typically bracing North Atlantic weather in November. The weather and routing chatter on the pontoons began in earnest yesterday and 35-40 knots was being predicted after the start on Sunday.
"I think we're going to have to cross a big front there's going to be potentially 35-40 knots downwind the other side of that," Britain's Phil Sharp (Imerys, Class40) said. "That's what when we get really offshore west of Ireland - and it looks like we're going to have to head west to look for this northerly wind, to avoid headwinds. When we hit that we can escape south - and we'll be escaping very fast. We can surf at up to 25 knots and that's fast enough when you're on a boat like this."
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The Last Word
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