In This Issue
Advantage to the south as Volvo Ocean Race splits
Medemblik Regatta starts in tricky conditions, ends in full power sailing
More power to save the seas
Polish skipper Szymon Kuczynski sets world record
Man of the Moment
Taking steps to enhance safety at sea
Industry News
Letters to the Editor
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
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
Advantage to the south as Volvo Ocean Race splits
Skipper Bouwe Bekking and his Team Brunel lead a southerly group of four boats who are taking advantage of stronger winds to open up an advantage as a split develops in the fleet.
To the north, wallowing in lighter conditions sit the overall race leaders, MAPFRE, as well as second-placed Dongfeng Race Team, and Turn the Tide on Plastic. Average speeds for these three have been in the 7 to 10 knot range for much of Tuesday morning UTC.
Meanwhile, the southerly quartet has been roaring along at over 15 knots, and at one point had opened up a 30-mile advantage over the northerners.
For all the fleet, the conditions have been more pleasant than anticipated, with the Gulf Stream providing warm temperatures to make life on board more comfortable. -- Peter Rusch
Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 9 - Leaderboard (12:30 UTC)
1. Team Brunel - Distance To Finish: 2,376 nautical miles
2. team AkzoNobel - 11.8 nautical miles behind
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 12.3 nautical miles behind
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic - 21.6 nautical miles behind
5. Dongfeng Race Team - 22.8 nautical miles behind
6. Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - 27.9 nautical miles behind
7. MAPFRE - 49.8 nautical miles behind
Medemblik Regatta starts in tricky conditions, ends in full power sailing
The Netherlands - First day of racing is done in difficult conditions. Light winds caused some delay, but at the end all scheduled races were sailed.
The 34th Medemblik Regatta starts with lots of sun! Unfortunately the conditions on the water aren't as good. First race scheduled in the morning was the RS:X men, but they got postponed. Principal Race officer Remco de Goederen: "The day started with a light, shifty wind, it made the conditions tricky for the sailors and race comité. The afternoon races also started with very light conditions, but around 3.30 pm there came more wind, enough to end the day pretty perfect."
Results day 1
RS:X Men
Yoav Cohen, ISR
Maciej Kluszcynski, POL
Sebastian Fleisscher, DEN
RS:X Women
Maja Dziarnowska, POL
Zofia Noceti Klepacka, POL
Stefania Elfutina, RUS
RS:X U19
Fabien Pianazza, FRA
Aleksander Przychodzen, POL
Max van der Zalm, NZL
Nacra 17
Fernando Echvarri Erasun/Tara Pacheco van Rijnsoever, ESP
Gemma Jones/Jason Saunders, NZL
John Gimson/Anna Burnet, GBR
Laser
Elliot Hanson, GBR
Yuri Hummel, NED
Eliot Merceron, SUI
Laser Radial
Maxime Jonker, NED
Elena Vorobeva, CRO
Daphne van der Vaart, NED
49er
Lucas Raul/Emile Amoros, FRA
Yago Lange/Klaus Lange, ARG
Jonas Warrer/Jakob Precht, DEN
49erFX
Annemiek Bekkering/Annette Duetz, NED
Dewi Couvert/Jeske Kisters, NED
Charlotte Dobson/Saskia Tidey, GBR
Full results: medemblikregatta.org/results/
More power to save the seas
As performance sailors we are not only passionate about our sport but also the seas upon which it's played, so it's not a hard stretch to harness this enthusiasm to help preserve the health and well-being of the oceans.
Sailors for the Sea have relied on this passion to fuel their mission of educating and activating the sailing community into ocean conservation. It's been a successful journey for the organisation founded by David Rockefeller Jr and Dr David Treadway 10 years ago.
Now, moving to the next level, Sailors for the Sea have combined forces with Oceana - the world's largest international ocean conservation organisation. This partnership will expand Sailors for the Sea's resources and directly involve them - and the sailing community - in campaigns designed to protect the world's oceans.
Oceana have four million supporters including top scientists, policy experts, celebrities and more. They have campaign teams in Canada, the US, Mexico, Belize, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, the UK and the Philippines, plus ocean-going research vessels, remotely operated vessels (ROVs) and a 71ft double-masted catamaran.
Full story in the June issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com
Polish skipper Szymon Kuczynski sets world record
Szymon Kuczynski secured a new world record for the smallest yacht to circumnavigate the globe singlehanded and unaided, when he returned to Mayflower Marina in Plymouth on May 17.
Szymon Kuczynski originally set sail from Britain's Ocean City of Plymouth on August 19th 2017.
The Polish native, 37, spent over 270 days, 10 hours and 29 minutes, alone at sea on board his yacht 'Atlantic Puffin' whilst undertaking his adventurous sailing expedition of nearly 29,000 nautical miles.
The solo sailor took a classic sea route round the three famous capes of Africa, Australia and South America, with no outer medical or technical support. Szymon had been living in a space of just four square metres for over 9 months and accomplished this trip without ever making any stops to ports.
Szymon Kuczynski, who self-funded the single-handed sea journey, completed his bold round the world trip by passing his original start point at Plymouth Breakwater.
The Atlantic Puffin then docked at Mayflower Marina where Szymon was welcomed by family, friends and supporters, many of whom travelled especially from Poland, including a TV crew from TVN channel. Also in attendance to honour Szymon's achievement was Counsellor Janusz Wolosz of the Polish Embassy in London and Sarah Gibson, Chef Executive at Plymouth Waterfront Partnership.
Man of the Moment
Glenn Ashby is taking part in the GC32 World Championship in Riva del Garda this week as mainsheet trimmer on board Sébastien Schneiter's Team Tilt. This is something of a retro-step from his position last year when he skippered the Emirates Team New Zealand flying AC50 catamaran to victory in Bermuda, recovering the 'Auld Mug' for the Kiwis.
While helmsman Peter Burling was more the public face of Emirates Team New Zealand, Ashby was not just skipper but also spent his time huddled in the cockpit, fiddling like a teenager with a gizmo akin to a Gameboy controller. Although nominally wing trimmer, Ashby's gizmo enabled him to not only control the wing, but the jib as well. "I had the whole aero package at my fingertips. You could use two or three fingers and your thumbs on both hands to be able to multi-task and change things simultaneously which was pretty handy. Yes, I wasn't breaking too much sweat - in fact I tried to keep myself very relaxed!"
In comparison, on board the GC32, Ashby is having to reacquaint himself with ye olde technology…rope! "It is a bit of rope-pulling festival which is pretty different to what we were doing last year. It's been nice to have to put gloves on again, although it was a bit tough for the first couple of months."
Ashby is no newcomer to Team Tilt, as he regularly sailed with the Swiss team during the 2016 season (prior to that he'd done one or two events with Leigh McMillan on the 2015 GC32 Racing Tour winner, Sultanate of Oman).
Aside from his America's Cup position, Ashby is also renowned for having won a mighty nine World Championships in the A-Class catamaran, in addition to three more in the F18 and a further three in the former Olympic Tornado catamaran and even the ancient ISAF Multihull World Championship with his former Tornado helm Darren Bundock. -- James Boyd
Practice races on Wednesday, racing for the Worlds is Thursday through Sunday.
www.gc32worlds.com/man-of-the-moment/
Taking steps to enhance safety at sea
As sailing evolves and develops, the risks in the sport are increasing and World Sailing are taking positive steps to protect the sailors and reduce the risks.
At World Sailing's 2018 Mid-Year Meeting in London, Great Britain, World Sailing's Council approved the addition of Regulation 38. This new regulation requests that Member National Authorities, Classes and Rating Systems report any safety related incident within 30 days of becoming aware of such incident or when it occurs at an event using the Racing Rules of Sailing.
An incident is defined as, "an unexpected event resulting in death or injury to a person or an unexpected event that, in the opinion of the bodies listed in Regulation 38.1, is hazardous in nature and has the potential to harm a person or property."
The purpose of the regulation is to ensure MNAs, Classes and Rating systems report relevant information regarding incidents occurring in training or racing, in order to share best practice and raise awareness of increasing safety concerns.
The mandatory reporting is in effect immediately and World Sailing now requests that MNAs, Classes and Rating Systems cascade the information amongst their organizations in order to create a safety reporting and awareness culture within their structure.
www.sailing.org/news/87000.php#.WwTllVMvy3A
Industry News
The leading events management agency, organiser and rights holder of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe, The Transat, La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and la Transat AG2R La Mondiale confirms its long lasting support of the Yacht Racing Forum. OC Sport will be the title sponsor of the "Top of the Sport" conference module, chaired by Marcus Hutchinson.
The Yacht Racing Forum is pleased to announce a three years partnership with OC Sport, a French based company that has a unique portfolio of events across sailing, cycling and running.
OC Sport will be the title sponsor of the "Top of the SportL conference module, chaired by Marcus Hutchinson, debating amongst others the future of the Volvo Ocean Race, the evolution of the Classe Ultime, the IMOCA, the new foiling Figaro Class and the latest news about the America's Cup.
The dates for this year's Yacht Racing Forum (October 22-23) have been set in order to coincide with the opening of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe race village, and to allow delegates from all over the world to discover the boats involved, in Saint-Malo. A special VIP treatment will be proposed to 25 delegates, with an exclusive guided tour of the race village and privileged access to the teams and race headquarters.
The Yacht Racing Forum is the leading annual conference for the business of sailing and yacht racing. The event will take place on October 22-23, 2018 in Brittany, in the town of Lorient, at the heart of the mythical Sailing Valley, one of the world's most dynamic venues for the sport and the industry of sailing and yacht racing.
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Volvo Penta of the Americas today said Susan Bonivich has been promoted to director of marine leisure market sales. Bonivich succeeds Tony Kelleher who was promoted to vice president of customer support for Volvo Penta of the Americas.
Bonivich, who began her career with Volvo Penta in the purchasing department in 1998, has served in different capacities, including purchasing, dealer development and dealer and OEM sales. She has been OEM account manager for seven boat builders and Volvo Penta's top 60 boat dealers.
Bonivich will be leading the sales effort for marine gasoline and diesel engines in the US, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. She will report to Jens Bering, vice president of marine sales for Volvo Penta of the Americas.
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NetComposites will present CompIC (Composites in Construction), an international conference taking place 30th - 31st January 2019 at Amsterdam Science Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Abstracts are now being invited from potential speakers.
The European CompIC edition is now in its third cycle and will explore and explain the success stories, advantages and obstacles of using FRP composites in construction applications.
Abstracts of 250 words are now being sought from potential speakers on subjects to include, but not limited to;
Materials and design.
Reinforcement and strengthening.
Biocomposites in construction.
Manufacturing.
Testing.
Standards.
Case studies.
Opportunities for New Applications.
The deadline is 7th September 2018 and accepted abstracts will qualify for a special speaker rate of £250.
To find out more about the conference and to register please visit compositesin.construction/call-for-papers/
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The Valencia Boat Show has a new management team for the 2018 edition. Following the elections held last March, Mercedes Gomis became the new president of the Union of Nautical Companies (UEN), organising body of the Valencia Boat Show next to Valencia Marina. In the interest of the organisation of the show, a working group has been put together, made up by seven UEN managers who, together with Consorcio Valencia 2007, have drawn up the strategic guidelines of the next edition of the Valencia Boat Show.
Each of the managers of the Union of Nautical Companies will be responsible for one of the main areas of the show and will work closely with contract-based professionals.
The Valencia Boat Show, which will be held from the 31st of October to the 4th of November 2018, will again have a wide selection of new boats from the main national and international boatyards as well as engines, electronics, accessories and nautical services by the main brands. Water sports such as surfing, kitesurf, paddle surf, kayaking and diving will also have the opportunity to present their products and novelties at Valencia Marina.
Also scheduled for this year are a number of parallel activities such as professional meetings in the nautical sector, talks and workshops for boat skippers and owners and nautical users, and a wide range of leisure activities for the whole family on the open day.
The Union of Nautical Companies (UEN), an association of companies in the nautical sector of the Valencian Community, has organised the Valencia Boat Show since 2009, making it an event organised by and for the nautical industry.
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A unique opportunity for marine industry on the River Medina has arisen at the Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) owned Kingston Wharf site in East Cowes, for the rental of 1.5 acres of prime waterfront storage land with all-tide deep-water access and wharfage.
The availability of this strategic marine employment site has come about as a result of the decision by current tenant Isle of Wight Aggregates to consolidate their operations at Medina Wharf.
Harbour Master Capt. Stuart McIntosh, said: "The Commission is very keen to see the Kingston Wharf site continued to be used as a traditional cargo wharf or for marine based employment, to the benefit of Cowes Harbour and the Island as a whole.
"We are therefore seeking a new tenant that can benefit from utilising the wharfage and the potential opportunity of the land and all-tide wharf access."
Kingston Wharf lies on the eastern bank of the River Medina, in East Cowes, Isle of Wight. The wharf adjoins the CHC owned Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard. Road access with good HGV accessibility is via Kingston Road. This gives easy access to the Red Funnel car ferry terminal, which is circa 1 mile to the north and provides a regular car ferry service to Southampton.
The wharf comprises a level site totalling approximately 1.5 acres. The south and north boundaries are fenced and the eastern boundary comprises an embankment, with fencing above. The western edge of the site comprises the river wharf, which is 60 metres in length, with a water depth of circa 2 metres below chart datum.
In addition to its direct river access, the site adjoins a bespoke hoist dock, which is served by a 40 tonne travel hoist. This is operated by Cowes Harbour Services, which is the marine services division of site owners Cowes Harbour Commission, the Statutory Harbour Authority for the port of Cowes.
The wharf was last used for the import and processing of aggregate and the existing planning permission is for this use. The Local Planning Authority has indicated that they would view favourably applications for a change of use to alternative marine based employment uses and/or development.
Interested parties are encouraged to view the letting particulars on CHC's website at http://cowesharbourcommision.co.uk and to discuss their intentions with property consultants Vail Williams who can provide further guidance.
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All three phases related to the redevelopment of the 35ha South Yard site of Devonport naval dockyard in Plymouth, southwest England are now underway. The multi-million site is being developed in three phases as a marine enterprise zone which gives tenants significant financial benefits.
Recently the first three tenants have moved into Phase 1. They are Surejust, Trend Marine and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). Surejust and Trend Marine are both suppliers to Princess Yachts and each occupy an industrial unit in Phase 1. The new location will enable them to provide even better service to Princess Yachts and develop new business opportunities in the southwest of England.
Princess Yachts has a large site adjoining the South Yard where they construct their 'M' class superyachts up to 40m (131ft) in length.
Work on Phase 2 infrastructure is already under way with Balfour Beatty contractors installing services ahead of construction of the new buildings for Phase 2, which is due to start next year.
Once all three phases of the development are complete, it will offer 25,000sq m of flexible employment space. For Phase 3, which includes three docks between 83m-145m (273ft-476ft), preliminary expressions of interest have been invited.
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Perini Navi is sponsoring the Mille Miglia 2018. The 2018 event is the 36th re-enactment of the Mille Miglia and will be staged in four one-day legs through Italy. The classic route to Rome and back, with stops at Cervia - Milano Marittima, Rome and Parma, will end in Brescia on Saturday May 19.
For the Mille Miglia 2018, Perini Navi has established the special prize "The greatest breakthrough of its time", which will be assigned to the car which represented the most important innovation of its time in terms of mechanics, engineering or style.
The prize reflects the natural vocation of the shipyard, which has revolutionised the yachting world with its sail control system, making it possible to build big sailing yachts that can be governed by a single person. Innovation, technology and design are the defining features of Perini ships, which navigate the world's seas under the banner of Italian excellence.
The special prize "The greatest breakthrough of its time" will be awarded by a prestigious panel made up of top names in design and journalism: Dan Lenard, Laura Sessa, Luciano Clerico and Franco Romani.
The Perini Navi prize will be awarded on Thursday May 17 during the Roman stage of the Mille Miglia.
Featured Brokerage
Mensae, a superb Swan 56 is well known in the New England and West Indies area, can either cruise in comfort or head offshore both in cruising, and casual racing.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com
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Extremely competitive 40 ft IRC and ORC contender. Full inventories for both rule and has had extensive refits over the past two years.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
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Her classic lines and cruising capabilities are the emblem of this ever lasting Swan model. Winner of the Swan Cup in 2000 and Antigua Race Week in 2001, 'Defiance' is a sea-kindly and fast performance cruiser that has a regatta winning pedigree.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
I'm going to ask you to exercise glands you never knew existed. -- J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
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