In This Issue
Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid | Four podiums full and seven boats still racing | Auckland Council rules out Halsey Wharf extension for America's Cup | Zhik's Black Friday sale extends to Christmas | Day 1 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Tightest and trickiest of days opens RC44 racing in Lanzarote | It's down to the wire in the Extreme Sailing Series | World Sailing publishes Nacra 17 incident report | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | The Nations Trophy Mediterranean and US league | Announcing 2018 HP30 Class Limits | No truth to rumours that The Fish let him loose from a family fish tank... | 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

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

Four podiums full and seven boats still racing
After a late night finish that will go down in transat racing legend, the podiums of all four classes in the 13th edition of the Transat Jacque Vabre are complete.

If the Ultime class had seemed like a close finish on Monday, November 13, with less than two hours separating first and second place, the Class40 was balanced on a razor's edge. Maxime Sorel and Antoine Carpentier on their 40ft monohull, V and B, beat Aymeric Chappellier and Arthur Le Vaillant, on Aina Enfance and Avenir by just 17 minutes and 42 seconds.

Phil Sharp (Britain) and Pablo Santurde (Spain), on Imerys Clean Energy, who led the race for 12 of the 17 days finished hours later still under the cover darkness in the Bay of All Saints in Salvador de Bahia.

The biggest winner of the day though was Sam Manuard, who watched as the first four places in the Class40 were taken by boats he designed.

Sharp and Santurde won the race-within-a-race between the older generation boats, beating Bertrand Delesne and Justine Mettraux (Switzerland), on TeamWork40 into fourth. Imerys Clean Energy was pushed past its supposed maximums but still could keep pace with the latest generation French boats that remorselessly hunted him down and passed him.

"Whilst Phil's Mach 2 is a great all-rounder, the Mach 3 evolution was designed to achieve different goals," Manuard, who finished second with Sorel in V and B in 2015 explained. "Clearly the gains are in reaching and they also have a sweet spot in certain downwind conditions. Phil and Pablo have done an amazing job, once again proving what great sailors they are."

Meanwhile, back in the Atlantic, seven boats are still trying to reach the line. The most pressure is probably on the lanterne rouge (backmarker) Esprit Scout, which because of a technical pit stop is far behind the rest and may struggle with an active Doldrums, which it will enter tomorrow. It must average 7 knots over the 1,500 miles still to go if it is to cross the finish line before it officially closes on December 2 at 23:19:15 UTC

Arrivals
Wednesday, November 22

Winner
Maxime Sorel and Antoine Carpentier on their 40ft monohull, V and B at 23:19:15 (UTC).
Race time: 17 days 10 hours 44 minutes and 15 seconds

Second place
Aymeric Chappellier and Arthur Le Vaillant, on Aina Enfance and Avenir at 23:36:57 (UTC).
Race time: 17 days, 11 hours 01 minutes and 57 seconds

Third place
Phil Sharp (Britain) and Pablo Santurde (Spain), on Imerys Clean Energy at 04:33:41 (UTC).
Race time: 17 days, 15 hours 58 minutes and 41 seconds

Fourth place
Bertrand Delesne and Justine Mettraux (Switzerland), on TeamWork40 at 13:22:46 (UTC).
Race time: 18 days, 00 hours 47 minutes and 46 seconds

Fifth place
Oliver Cardin and Cedric Chateau, on Region Normandie Junior Senior by Evernex at 15:16:56 (UTC)
Race time: 18 days, 02 hours 57 minutes and 41 seconds

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

Auckland Council rules out Halsey Wharf extension for America's Cup
Team New Zealand's preferred America's Cup base is officially off the table, with two options now being put forward. But the question remains - which one?

At an all-day meeting Thursday, the Auckland Council voted to remove the 220m extension at Halsey St Wharf as an option for the America's Cup base.

It was something of a blow for Team NZ, who favoured that option because it offered the chance for a more village-like feel for competing crews and the public alike. Had it gone ahead, it would have cost a smooth $169 million plus an $18m relocation cost. Out of all the viable base options available, it would have taken the longest to build, taking up to 18 months to complete.

Instead, two options - a dispersed base at Wynyard Point and a clustered base at Wynyard Basin - were voted as the sole options to be considered by the Government and Emirates Team NZ.

A final decision on the base will be made just over a week before Christmas.

At the meeting, Team NZ chair Sir Stephen Tindall said they were now willing to be flexible about the other options as they had taken into account public opposition to moves to extend work into the harbour.

A statement released later, however, indicated the team's disappointment that the Halsey extension option had been taken off the table.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Zhik's Black Friday sale extends to Christmas
Simply amazing bargains to be had in Zhik's Black Friday warehouse sale.

Don't miss this fabulous chance to get your Christmas shopping in early for your loved ones. Pick up on a huge range of 2017 models, including Zhik's super thin Superwarm® and Hybrid™ wetsuits, Hiking Pants and the amazing Superwarm® Winter Steamers. Plus, there's the highly flexible 'Rio' P2 PFD buoyancy, shore gear, hoodies and fleece jackets.

There's a variety of high performance tops, great for all types of sailing and racing and great prices, including Orspan, Titanium, Hydrophobic and Spandex tops. For the yachties, there are also DeckBeater shorts and leggings, amazing for hiking on the rail and the now legendary ZKGs in black or grey/pink with our high-grip ZK soles and self-draining uppers. Brilliant on all deck surfaces.

Grab the chance to upgrade your foul weather gear too - with this unique opportunity to acquire some Isotak® 2 Ocean gear. Isotak® fabric is independently tested and proven to be four times more durable waterproof! Plus, there are coastal Aroshell jackets and much, much more.

www.zhik.com/clearance-sale.html

#MadeForWater

Day 1 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Tightest and trickiest of days opens RC44 racing in Lanzarote
Competition getting closer as the season nears its conclusion, combined with tricky conditions for today's three races off Lanzarote, left the top eight boats racing at the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup ending day one separated by just six points.

In the opening race, it was Chris Bake's Team Aqua that popped out just in front at the top mark, but it was a crucial early gybe that set them up for the remainder of the race. "It put us in good wind - it was the breaker," said Bake. His long term tactician, Cameron Appleton, added: "After that we could just sail free. On the runs being free of the other guys seems to be more important because if you get tangled you end up not sailing perfectly and with the way the sea state is, it is hard to be consistent all the time."

For race two it was the turn of defending RC44 champion Igor Lah and his Team CEEREF to have their moment and in the third race Bronenosec Sailing Team held on to take the win from Team Nika.

At the end of day one Team Aqua leads, but by just one point from Team CEEREF with Team Nika a further point back in third.

www.rc44.com/results

It's down to the wire in the Extreme Sailing Series
In a week's time the stunning Mexican municipality of Los Cabos will host the season finale of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series, bringing to an end what has been a thrilling season of high-performance foiling catamaran racing.

The final Act, presented by SAP, will see eight teams from eight nations - including a Mexican-flagged wildcard - go head-to-head from 30 November - 3 December. But, with the overall season victory at stake and the Act worth double points, the pressure is on more than ever for the crews.

Front-runner SAP Extreme Sailing Team has had an outstanding season so far and has shown no signs of slowing down, but victory for the Danish squad is not guaranteed at this critical stage.

Phil Robertson's Team Oman Air are not out of the fight yet. If the Omani team, that narrowly missed out on victory in 2016, is able to put two boats between itself and the current leader in the rankings for Los Cabos it will claim the 2017 title.

The fleet will race from 14:00 - 17:00 local time (UTC-7) from Thursday 30 November - Sunday 3 December.

www.extremesailingseries.com

* Giles Scott - Olympic gold medallist and tactician aboard Land Rover BAR for the 35th America's Cup - will join the young sailors of the Land Rover BAR Academy in Mexico for the final Act of the Extreme Sailing Series 2017.

Act 8, takes place from 30th November - 3rd December in Los Cabos, Mexico, and Giles will join the team as helmsman. He will take over from Ben Ainslie, Land Rover BAR's Team Principal and Skipper, who raced with Land Rover BAR Academy for the penultimate Act in San Diego, last month.

Giles Scott, who alongside the racing will spend time mentoring the young team of sailors, commented on joining the line-up: "I'm excited to be heading to Mexico to race with Land Rover BAR Academy for the final event of the 2017 series. We have all been following the team's progress for the past two years and we are proud of their efforts particularly in winning the Red Bull Youth America's Cup last summer. This will be my first time sailing on the GC32 and I'm looking forward to getting amongst this high octane competitive fleet."

World Sailing publishes Nacra 17 incident report
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has published an investigation report into the Nacra 17 incident involving Bora Gulari (USA).

The report, produced by a working party / investigation team led by Equipment Committee Chair Dina Kowalyshyn, provides a review into the incident, documenting the facts found with recommendations to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence.

The document published provides a full report into the conditions the team were sailing in, the equipment they were using, medical records, full statements from Gulari and Scutt as well as a review into video shot on the water. Furthermore, the findings are outlined with the root cause of the injury sustained by Gulari coming from the pitchpole.

Report here

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

Surrogate?
In the new Cup Protocol TP52s are exempt from a ban on 'Surrogate Yachts' - only a part of the reason nine TP52s are in build. Rob Weiland

Now that is the question...
There are obviously cases to be made, some class specific, for and against one-design. But one-design everything? Just some things? Then which things? Ken Read revisits the broad perspective

A level playing field... of his own
Jean-Pierre Kelbert and JPK in-house designer Jacques Valer are second to none in turning out IRC winners. The queue for their next boat is second to none too..

Bambino veloce
It's that Italian thing at work again. Small (petite...), beautiful, very fast

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The Nations Trophy Mediterranean and US league
The great success of the first edition of The Nations Trophy, where 28 Swan One Design, ClubSwan 50, ClubSwan 42 and Swan 45, raced to win the ambitious Trophy, has confirmed the new era of the Nautor's Swan racing soul.

2018 sees the launch of The Nations Trophy Mediterranean League. Opening with the inaugural Monaco Swan One Design, organized with the Yacht Club de Monaco, this first event will offer a fantastic 4-day programme of high-end racing and social occasions.

The Mediterranean League will continue with some classic Med rendezvous: SailRacing Palmavela, organized in early May by the RCNP in Palma de Mallorca; the Giraglia Rolex Cup, organized in mid-June by the YCI and featuring dedicated windward-leeward races off Saint-Tropez along with a special prize for the Offshore race; and closing in Palma de Mallorca at the beginning of August with the legendary Copa del Rey also organized by RCNP.

The prize giving for TNT Mediterranean League will be in Porto Cervo during the 20th edition of the Rolex Swan Cup scheduled for 9th - 16th September 2018.

In parallel, a The Nations Trophy US League will be organized in Caribbean and US waters. Starting in the Caribbean with St. Thomas International Regatta at the end of March, followed by Les Voiles de St. Barts in mid-April, racing moves to Newport RI for the NYYC Annual Regatta in mid-June and closes with the NYYC Race Week in mid-July.

Calendar

Announcing 2018 HP30 Class Limits
At the HP30 Class working group meeting on Monday 20th November, it was agreed by the owners of the existing fleet that the HP30 Class rule would be amended very slightly, to coalesce the maximum length of high performance yachts around a length of 30'.

With so many small fast boats available in this sector, it was deemed unnecessary to have such a wide gap between the shortest and the longest boats, as a consequence it was determined that the maximum length for new boats should be 30' or 9.2 metres. Existing boats (boats with an IRC age date or series date prior to the 1st January 2015) remain at 9.5m. Putting this into the context of what boats fit the class, amongst others, the following boats comply: C&C30, Extreme-26, FarEast28, Farr30, Farr280, Henderson30, MC31, Open 7.5, Pauger30, Seascape 27 and Soto30.

2018 Events Schedule

The class is in the process of finalising class starts at as many events as possible and the HP30 Class Nationals will be hosted in Poole at the International Paints Regatta, with three days of windward : leeward racing. Other exciting events include the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week and of course the points series finale at the end of the season.

"Excellent progress with the HP30 class following the latest owners meeting - further narrowing the class limits. This will bring all the boats closer together to ensure very exciting racing at all the events next year!" comments Alex Locke, skipper of the most recently acquired Farrr280. "Most excitingly, there is still plenty of time, between now and the start of the season for new owners to join this exciting fleet."

No truth to rumours that The Fish let him loose from a family fish tank...
Click on image to enlarge.

The rare frilled shark is considered a "living fossil" because evidence of its existence dates back to at least 80 million years ago. This summer, researchers found one alive and thriving off the coast of Portugal, uncovering more clues about the resilience of this ancient sea creature.

The researchers who discovered the shark off the Algarve coast were working on a European Union project in the area, the BBC reported. The goal of the project was to "minimize unwanted catches in commercial fishing," the researchers told SIC Noticisas TV, as the BBC noted, but the team unknowingly unearthed one of the rarest and most ancient animals on the planet.

Scientists believe the frilled shark has remained the same, both inside and out, since the Cretaceous Period, when the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops still roamed the planet. The creature, known by scientists as Chlamydoselachus anguineus, is incredibly simple and unevolved, most likely due to the lack of nutrients found in its deep-sea dwellings. A Japanese study of the shark found in Suruga Bay, Japan, revealed that its diet is 61 percent cephalopods—the class to which squids and octopus belong.

This deep-sea dweller is usually found between 390 and 4,200 feet below the surface, which is why it's rarely seen and wasn't even discovered before the 19th century (despite being around long before humans).

The shark caught this summer measured around 5 feet in length, but at their longest, they can be around 6-and-a-half feet, IFL Science reported. Another study of a Suruga Bay inhabitant showed that frilled sharks may also have the longest gestation period of any living creature, 42 months.

www.newsweek.com

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Butch Dalrymple Smith: If there is so much opposition and argument about locating the America's Cup team bases in Auckland, the obvious solution is to mount them on pontoons. Each team can build its own base at their home port and then ship it to Auckland on Dock Express where they can be floated into position and moored all together or separately wherever temporary space can be found. At the end of the event they can be shipped home ready to be dispatched to wherever the subsequent event will be held.

That reduces the cost and leaves Auckland City Council with only the grandstands, press centre and public spaces to build, which could probably be converted to a cruise ship terminal afterwards without too much difficulty.

I know the physical size of the team bases makes my proposal impractical but don't let details get in the way of a worthwhile point. Much of the team bases are flat open air space and these could be pontoons built locally. Car parking? Let them park at the nearest public carpark and use electric bicycles.

* From Don Wood:

Re the new concept As life goes on and I realise I have "upset" several Rule Makers & Rating Authorities over the years , could somemeone explain to me what the purpose is of the "traditional buoyant canoe hull " is in this latrst AC concept?

If the leeward foil provides lift and the windward "foil or whatever you name it up there " provides leverage / stability what is that old fashioned central canoe for ?

Looks almost a throwback to the Blue Arrow concept , when you only needed buoyancy before foiling speed reached .

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The Last Word
I am a man who pisses largely and frequently. This, they say, is a sign of great mental activity. -- Henry Miller

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