Scuttlebutt Europe #4014

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

A physically demanding Miami day
Contrary to the other seven boats that are currently used for Olympic sailing, the RS:X Windsurfer is at its most physically demanding in lighter air.

In the Men's RS:X fleet, the Swiss, Mateo Sanz Lanz finished first on the leaderboard followed by close rival, Pawel Tarnowski (POL) and Ivan Pastor Lafuente (ESP) in third.

After not even leaving the dock yesterday, the 26 competitors in the Men's Heavyweight Dinghy division, a.k.a. the Finn class, were happy to get in three races today. This regatta marks the return to World Cup Series competition for two medalists from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, gold medalist Giles Scott (GBR) and bronze medalist Caleb Paine (USA).

However it was Ioannis Mitakis (GRE) who ruled the day, climbing the ladder with an eighth in the first race, a third in the second and finally a first to close things out.

With six races down, the 49erFX fleet is halfway to Saturday's Medal Race. But as well as they've sailed to this point, Jurzcok and Lorenz are not taking anything for granted, especially with the forecast calling for significantly more breeze over the next few days.

In the 49er, Croatians brothers, Sime and Mihovil Fantela continue to hold their lead on day two whilst Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell (GBR) are in second but equal on points with Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT).

It is all to play for in the Laser Radial fleet as the top three sailors are locked on equal points. Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU), champion of the 2017 Laser Europa Cup held in Lithuania, is first followed by Valentina Balbi (ITA) and Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) in second and third.

The Laser finished the day with Tom Burton (AUS) in first place on the leaderboard. Nick Thompson (GBR) progressed to second and Thomas Saunders (NZL) is in third.

Australian Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist Nacra 17 sailors, Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, dominated today's races winning all three. They hold a nine-point lead over the Great Britain's, John Gimson and Anna Burnet.

The Japanese maintained their dominance in the Men's and Women's 470. -- Stuart Streuli & Aadil Seedat - World Sailing

Full results: sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

Congressional Cup returns to its roots
The Congressional Cup, recognized as the 'granddaddy' of modern world-class match racing, will present the 54th edition on April 18-22 in Long Beach, CA. Breaking away from the World Match Racing Tour, the 2018 event returns to the exciting 10-boat format favored by spectators and competitors alike.

Founded by Long Beach Yacht Club in 1965, it has set the standard for top-level match racing worldwide, pioneering the concept of on-the-water umpiring, in a spectator-friendly venue.

Five of the world's top 10 ranked match racing skippers will compete this year, including three-time Congressional Cup winner Taylor Canfield (ISV), Harry Price (AUS), Sam Gilmour (AUS) and Chris Steele (NZL). Swiss sailor Eric Monnin will also return, plus Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) and hometown favorite Scott Dickson.

Reigning Congressional Cup champion Ian Williams (GBR) will be back, to defend his 2017 title. In last year's edition, Williams went from rags to riches: scrapping his way to victory after a shocking last-place finish in 2016.

The 10-boat, double round-robin format will give competitors twice the chance to familiarize with the boats and conditions and sharpen their skills, making for more rousing competition, which delights racers and fans alike.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

And so the dam breaks
It's taken a while but the Mini fleet has woken up. Joe Lacey and Fred Augendre sit down in Lorient with scowman David Raison

Some journey
Today the company that bears his name covers everything from iceboating to America's Cup racing - and a lot more besides. But that's a very, very long way from where it all began. Peter Harken

To boldly go
That AC75 - Franck Cammas, Grant Simmer and Dean Barker talk to James Boyd

Design - The master of (multihull) intuition
Very tough - Ian Farrier

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Court case throws new twist into Amercia's Cup base row
The America's Cup base row has taken a new twist with a claim that a court case could trip up a plan by Economic Development Minister David Parker to house the syndicates on Wynyard Point.

Sail-Word.com reported yesterday that Parker's claim of saving several million dollars from the Wynyard Point option appeared to fly in the face of a Supreme Court decision.

The 2016 decision found that Panuku Development Auckland was responsible for remediation costs of $50 million on a Mobil site at Wynyard Point, said Sail-Word.com.

"The decision covered only the Mobil NZ leased site but is clearly relevant to all other leaseholders in the Tank Farm area now known as Wynyard Point.

"It is hard to believe that Parker, who is also Attorney General, would be unaware of an 18-month-old decision handed down by the Supreme Court," the article said. -- Bernard Orsman in the NZ Herald

Cited in Radiosport NZ www.radiosport.co.nz/

Storm Trysail Club and Foundation are making available WOMEN OFFSHORE video
Storm Trysail is working on an initiative to encourage more women sailors to experience sailing offshore. Recognizing that the number of women who race or cruise offshore is disappointingly low, Storm Trysail has created WOMEN OFFSHORE, a new video produced by STC member Gary Jobson, in which 10 highly experienced women sailors share helpful ways to get more women on the water.

WOMEN OFFSHORE is being offered to yacht clubs and sailing organizations wishing to present this important video to their memberships. Free downloads of WOMEN OFFSHORE can be requested by contacting Storm Trysail Club member Charles "Butch" Ulmer at .

WOMEN OFFSHORE is the latest addition to the Storm Trysail Video Library. In addition to this new program, this collection offers a range of videos covering specific safety-at-sea best practices. Organizations and individuals can purchase subscriptions to the Safety-at-Sea Video Library.

By making these informative videos available, Storm Trysail seeks to encourage more people to safely participate in offshore sailing. See the preview below:

Romain Attanasio: "A more competitive project"
After finishing fifteenth in the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe aboard a legendary IMOCA launched back in 1998, Romain Attanasio has since then acquired a more modern boat, Fabrice Amedeo's former Newrest-Matmut, a Farr design from 2007. So, now he's begun a new IMOCA cycle leading up to the 2020 Vendee Globe. On his new boat, Romain will be able once again to make the most of his racing instinct.

Romain, your new boat has now been handed over in Port-la-Forêt. This one is ten years younger than Famille Mary-Etamine du Lys, your previous IMOCA. We can imagine that changes a lot of things for you...

"They're reallylike chalk and cheese. The rules and standards of performance moved so fast over that ten year period. I know what this type of boat is like having taken part in the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre sailing double-handed with Louis Burton on another Farr design from the same generation (the pair finished in ninth place, editor's note). My current boat performs much better and is lighter, but the basic philosophy is the same as on Louis's old boat, so I know what to expect when sailing on her. She will be going into the yard next week. The two major goals will be to look at all the systems and to slim the boat down as much as possible. We won't be doing any major work on her this year. She is due to be relaunched in April."

So the goal for you is to be that much more competitive?

"Exactly. I completed my first Vendee Globe aboard an older boat where my main aim was to make it all the way around the world. I deliberately went for reliability. I knew that if I completed that race, it would open doors for me to return in 2020 with a boat that would perform better and that is exactly what has happened. I'm always aiming to move forward, but remain humble. I don't have a brand new boat, but nevertheless one that should allow me to go on the attack more. Whether when I'm out training in Port-la-Foret or racing, I should be able to fight it out with boats from the same generation as mine."

www.imoca.org

Industry News
The Toronto International Boat Show (TIBS) closed on Sunday on a strong note, with an attendance jump over 2017 and exhibitors reporting steady sales of boats and marine equipment.

Final attendance for the 10-day event, which was held at the Enercare Centre on the Toronto waterfront from January 12-21, was announced as 77,493 people representing an approximate 1% increase over the 77,105 who visited in 2017.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the Toronto International Boat Show is Canada's largest consumer boat show and the largest indoor boat show in North America with more than 550 exhibitors and 1,200 boats on display. Home to the world's largest indoor lake, it also presents an extensive program of feature attractions including wakeboard and waterski shows, public boat rides, paddleboard demonstrations and nearly 300 informative seminars.

plus.ibinews.com

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The 113th annual Progressive New York Boat Show, which started today at the Javits Center in Manhattan, will run through Sunday.

The New York Boat Show will feature 400 new boats and marine accessories.

All-Star New York Mets pitcher and boating enthusiast Jacob deGrom will meet fans at the Mercury Marine booth on Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

The new Touch-a-Boat Tour gives children an opportunity to climb aboard a working fireboat from the New York Fire Department and meet firefighters who work on the water.

It also will allow kids to see what is billed as the world's fastest catamaran and talk to the race team, meet the New York Police Department marine unit, take the helm of a boat from the Progressive Boat Club's new Oculus Rift virtual reality experience and win prizes.

The show is holding its first New York Boating Career Day from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday in an effort to address the industry's growing workforce shortage. After the morning sessions, students will tour the show to talk to exhibitors and learn more about innovations in boating. More than 300 exhibitors are expected to be at the show.

At the Progressive Boat Club, mariners from the Annapolis School of Seamanship will teach hands-on boating courses for all levels of experience.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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The German Boat and Shipbuilding Association (DBSV) is to host a new boat show in Hamburg this year and has formed a 'North-South Alliance' with event organisers Messe Friedrichshafen and Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) to pool their experiences together.

The inaugural 2018 Hamburg Boat Show will be held from October 17-21 at the Hamburg exhibition complex. Almost 300 companies have already expressed an interest in attending.

The new exhibition concept is also a starting point for the North-South Alliance formed by the association and the shows in Friedrichshafen and Hamburg. This should impact positively on the Interboot show in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany. The DBSV is therefore not only playing a leading role in Hamburg, but its presence at the watersports exhibition on Lake Constance will also be increasing.

plus.ibinews.com

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Sailing instrument specialist A+T Instruments has launched its new ATP1 processor to complement the company's established range of instruments and displays for superyachts and 'Grand Prix' race yachts. The new product is aimed at the refit market, allowing yachts with B&G H2000 and H3000 systems to upgrade processors while keeping existing wiring, displays and sensors.

This is a big selling point, as it means there is no need for yachts to fit a completely new system if only one or more displays have failed and any mixture of legacy B&G and new A+T replacement displays can be supported and then changed over time. The company has reported high initial interest from larger sailing yachts, where high specification and service is required and the cost of a complete 'take out and start again' would be prohibitive.

Now in its third year of operation, A+T has been well received by the large sailing yacht market, crucially for offering choice in a sector that was previously dominated by one major player. The demand for greater choice in the sailing instruments market is evident: at the 2017 St Barths Bucket, over a third of entries feature some A+T equipment on board.

A development of the ATP1 processor is also underway for the new build market and 2018 will see a Grand Prix version released with higher level performance and enhanced sensors. The company also provide spares, repairs and replacements for all existing B&G instrument systems.

www.superyachtnews.com

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Word premieres at BOOT Dusseldorf

Several world premieres were slated for the show, including the Cranchi XT 36; Jeanneau Cap Camarat 7.5 bowrider; Axopar Brabus Shadow 800; the Southerly 480; the Ferretti 920; and the Nimbus W9.

Bavaria Yachts debuted the C65, the C50 and three versions of the new C45, as well as the motoryachts R55 and Bavaria E34 Fly.

Attractions such as "The Wave" and the new Dive Center attract visitors, organizers said. Young water-sports enthusiasts are drawn to "The Wave" because of the surfing challenge it presents. Surfers that include Airton Cozzolino, Zane Schweitzer, Bernd Rosiger and Fiona Wylde were coming to the show from their Hawaiian hot spots.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

Eight Bells: David Walters
David Walters, the founder of David Walters Yachts, designer and builder of the Cambria series of popular cruising yachts, and co-founder of Shannon Yachts, passed away January 17 at the age of 75 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The impact that David had on the marine industry is profound and will endure for many years to come. For David, his career was more than a profession: it was a lifelong passion, and one he was always eager to share. He touched many lives both professionally and personally.

Hundreds of boats of his design are sailing the waters today, pridefully cared for and as elegant as the day he commissioned them. Countless sailors are scattered around the world on boats David helped them purchase. Every client, fellow broker, or anyone who has worked with him, will attest to his character, dedication, and devotion.

In September of 2016, David asked Amanda Noon and Josh McLean to continue the legacy he'd spent a lifetime building. His company, bearing his name which carried so much importance and meaning to him, was left to their trust.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

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* From Don Street: When are we going to hear of the results of the MAIB investigation of the grounding and loss of the Clipper shortly after the departure of the fleet from Cape Town also where were the other two grounding where the boats were saved???

Electronic navigation is not the be all end all, it must be backed up by common sense and seamanship.

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The Last Word
I'd love to sell out completely. It's just that nobody has been willing to buy. -- John Waters

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