In This Issue
SHK/Scallywag completes arrivals into Cardiff
Atlantic Cup Arrives in New York City
Extend Your Limits
World Sailing seeks replacement for Laser - Radial
TVNZ to push the boat out with America's Cup coverage
The will to change
ORC Sportboat European Championship 2018 Starts in Portopiccolo
Phil at the Sharp End
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Elon Musk
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
SHK/Scallywag completes arrivals into Cardiff
The full fleet of seven Volvo Ocean Race boats has now arrived in Cardiff, Wales, with David Witt's Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag the final team to cross the finish line in Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The team finished just under a day behind the leaders on this transatlantic race, after falling off the back of a weather system early in the leg. Since then the Scallywags have generally been sailing in less wind than the leading group ahead of them.
Despite some compression in the fleet with transitions between weather systems, it was never enough to bring the team back into contention.
"It's good to be here in Cardiff and arrive home in Wales. It's great," said Trystan Seal, who grew up sailing in Wales.
The end of the transatlantic leg means an end to the longer offshore legs of this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Leg 10 takes the teams to Gothenburg, Sweden, while the final stage of the race brings the teams from Sweden to The Hague.
Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 9 - Results / Leaderboard
1. Team Brunel - Winner Leg 9 - 08 days, 08 hours, 39 minutes, 53 seconds
2. team AkzoNobel - Second place Leg 9 - 08 days, 08 hours, 43 minutes, 58 seconds
3. Dongfeng Race Team - Third place Leg 9 - 08 days, 10 hours, 16 minutes, 12 seconds
4. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - Fourth place Leg 9 - 08 days, 11 hours, 09 minutes, 09 seconds
5. MAPFRE - Fifth place Leg 9 - 08 days, 12 hours, 49 minutes, 52 seconds
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic - Fifth place Leg 9 - 08 days, 14 hours, 56 minutes, 21 seconds
7. Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - Sixth place Leg 9 - 09 days, 08 hours, 22 minutes, 50 seconds
Volvo Ocean Race Projected Leaderboard after Leg 9
1. Dongfeng Race Team - 60 points (finished)
2. MAPFRE - 59 points (finished)
3. Team Brunel - 57 points (finished)
4. team AkzoNobel - 48 points (finished)
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 36 points (finished)
6. SHK / Scallywag - 29 points (finished)
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic - 26 points (finished)
The Sky Ocean Rescue In-Port Race is on Friday June 8. The Race Village is now open.
Atlantic Cup Arrives in New York City
With first (#145 Eärendil) and second (#127 Amhas) place of Leg One of the 2018 Atlantic Cup decided yesterday afternoon it was the turn of the remaining competitors to cross the Angola Cables Finish Line. The Swedish flagged Class40 #95 skippered by Mikael Ryking and Karl Jungstedt secured a provisional third place in the early hours of Wednesday, May 30th. Their Pogo40s2 crossed the finish line at 02h49h12 with an elapsed time of 86h49m12s to complete the 648 nautical mile first offshore leg.
#95 Talanta was closely followed by #37 First Light sailed by former Olympic campaigner Fred Strammer and Sam Fitzgerald. The duo, competing in their first Class40 race, are also the youngest team in the fleet. With their fourth place finish they have set themselves up nicely for both the second leg to Portland, Maine and the subsequent inshore series.
Leg 1 of the Atlantic Cup did not disappoint with regards to lead changes, tough tactics, a bit of luck and of course a tad of boat speed.
When it was all said and done, the leg was won by the boat that most deemed the quickest. Eärendil sailed by skipper Catherine Pourre and Pietro Luciani pulled out to a comfortable leg win in the end, but not without being pushed hard by Amhas. Where I think they shined was getting around the high pressure center after exiting the stream. The Gulf Stream is always a blessing and a curse, known by all who sail the Bermuda Race every two years. It sucks you in, makes you want more, and if you get too greedy it can spit you out backwards if your not careful. You would think with todays modern weather technology there would be better modeling of the stream and the eddies, but at the end of the day it's always a bit hit or miss.
Now a quick rest and a trip to Maine. Getting colder, cold weather, likely fog, and for sure game-on for the overall title. Can't wait to be glued to my Yellowbrick Tracker to watch the next leg in the East Coast classic.
The Pro-Am regatta takes place on June 1 in NY Harbor. Leg 2 race starts from the Manhattan Yacht Club at 2 PM Saturday June 2nd.
Extend Your Limits
Musto's captivating new film, Extend Your Limits, explores the psychology of dedicated dinghy athletes on their journey towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The film release accompanies the news that Musto will be supporting a remarkable total of five national sailing teams at the Tokyo Olympics: Britain, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Holland. Shot on the Bay of Palma, the video features gold medal hopefuls and Musto ambassadors Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell as well as Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz to name but a few.
There are some challenges on the road ahead. Just as there were on the road we've left behind us, for that matter," Dylan Fletcher comments. Mental blocks can be as big, bigger even, than the physical ones, and they're usually harder to overcome. But human will is a pretty awe-inspiring thing.
Musto's Dinghy Collection, featured on the athletes throughout, shows just how far innovative kit and cutting-edge design can also go in helping push an athlete towards the finish line- and potentially towards Olympic gold. The benefits of seams that have been placed to match the contours of the body and the exceptional stretch of Musto's eco-conscious, petrochemical-free neoprene wetsuits can be seen in almost every frame. When we're comfortable, we're better able to focus on our performance, Annemiek Bekkering comments. And in Musto gear, we're always so comfortable. The neoprene that they use to make the wetsuits is around 15-20% lighter, and I can definitely feel the difference when I'm maneuvering around the boat. And because the collection has been designed for the latest and fastest boats, many pieces also feature impact protection - from experience, I can tell you that the D3O® pocket facilities come in pretty handy! They harden upon impact and take the blow so I can feel safer while we're pushing the boat hard'.
Musto's focus was firm when it came to providing its most dynamic collection yet. As Extend Your Limits made clear, the line was created to give dinghy athletes everything they need, from practice to training to competing. Musto's Flexlite Collection physically encapsulates this focus. A firm favourite of the British Sailing Team, the most successful Olympic sailing nation. Constructed from super-stretch neoprene, Flexlite garments deliver a remarkably unrestricted spectrum of motion. Unique to Musto, Flexlite wetsuits also feature a 4-layer construction, with alumin thermal rebound. This ensures prolonged heat retention in the coldest waters.
It really is a unique collection," Stuart Bithell finishes by saying. You know all about the mental preparation and the physical endurance you have to go through to be the best, but you don't realise just how much of a difference your kit makes until you're wearing it and you're absolutely going for it. It's a pretty special feeling, and for those sailors out there who have struggled with finding the right pieces for the right conditions and their activity, perhaps their search is over.
Shop the new Dinghy Collection
www.musto.com/en_GB/activity/sailing/dinghy/
World Sailing seeks replacement for Laser - Radial
World Sailing is inviting Class Associations and Equipment Manufacturers to tender for the Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy Equipment for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.
This refers to the possible replacement of the Laser and the Laser Radial, which are are to be used in Tokyo 2020.
Although the Laser and Radial presently used for the Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy events were not scheduled for replacement at the recent World Sailing Mid-Year Meetings, they are caught by the new Re-evaluation Policy.
The Invitation to Tender follows from World Sailing's Olympic Re-evaluation Policy, that Equipment selected for each Olympic Event shall be subject to re-evaluation at least every eight years.
The review process will allow the existing Olympic Equipment for the Event, along with any new Classes or manufacturers who wish to have their equipment included in the Olympic Games, to tender for inclusion.
The procedures and criteria for the re-evaluation were approved at World Sailing's Mid-Year Meetings in May 2018 and the final outcome of the review will be decided in November 2018.
But, and it's a big But . . . if a decision to evolve or select new equipment is made, the Equipment Committee and the Technical and Offshore Department will then schedule and program equipment selection trials amongst the shortlisted bidders.
This would mean that a final decision would not be made until November 2019. -- Gerald New in SailWeb:
TVNZ to push the boat out with America's Cup coverage
TVNZ has secured the exclusive broadcast rights for New Zealand to the 36th America's Cup which includes the preliminary World Series events, the Christmas Race in 2020, followed by the Prada Cup in early 2021 and the 36th America's Cup Presented by Prada in March 2021.
The event's return to TVNZ will give New Zealanders access to all races broadcast live and live streaming will also be available across TVNZ's platforms. Coverage will begin with the America's Cup World Series in 2019 and culminate with Emirates Team New Zealand's defence of the Auld Mug in 2021 during the 36th America's Cup Match Presented by Prada in Auckland.
The deal resumes TVNZ's association with the event that goes back to 1987 when it was part of the original family of five sponsors of Emirates Team New Zealand.
TVNZ's Chief Executive Kevin Kenrick stated that TVNZ will deliver viewers extensive Cup coverage across TVNZ 1, DUKE, TVNZ OnDemand and 1 NEWS NOW:
"The event returning to TVNZ brings to mind Peter Montgomery's iconic TV commentary - "The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup" - because it brings the whole country together and as a nation, we're really invested in the team's success. We're going to push the boat out to make our coverage accessible to the biggest audiences so everyone feels part of the action."
"From the first boats hitting the water to the final Cup race, we're committed to bringing New Zealanders every moment of the America's Cup. Every regatta and every race will be screened live and free across a range of platforms and devices. We know sports fans don't want to miss a moment, so we won't break to ads during live racing."
And as part of TVNZ's agreement, NZME's Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport will deliver exclusive radio commentary of the event.
The will to change
So do renewables actually work? Hell, yeah!
Conrad Colman's 16th place Vendee Globe finish in 2017 was remarkable for many reasons: not only did he bring home his boat to a huge public welcome after losing the rig mid-Atlantic, but less well known perhaps is that he made it around without fossil fuels of any kind. And he wants to do it again.
'I wanted to be the first sailor to complete the lap without burning fossil fuels,' says the Lorient-based Kiwi. 'Raphaël Dinelli tried in 2008 with Foundation Ocean Vital, Javier Sanso's Acciona in 2012 really advanced the thinking in terms of renewables. Sadly neither finished the race. So given the efforts by others to tackle this technological challenge I was delighted to have been the first to pull it off.
'Even before I had a sponsor active in the renewables sector, I ripped the diesel engine out of my boat,' says Colman. Look at his website (conradcolman.com) and you'll find a revealing choice of quote, by Eleanor Roosevelt: 'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.'
Colman is a true believer and, with a will like that, a fossil fuel-free circumnavigation was always on the cards. 'I replaced the engine with an electric motor from Finnish company OceanVolt, batteries by Super B in Holland and solar panels from Italian company Solbian. I also trialled prototype thin-film solar panels from a company in southern France, but they are not yet a mature technology and failed after a couple of days. It clearly takes an international effort to go green!'
Full article in the June issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com
ORC Sportboat European Championship 2018 Starts in Portopiccolo
Portopiccolo, Trieste: The Gulf of Trieste welcomes once again a major international sailing event, with the opening of the ORC Sportboat European Championship 2018 scheduled in Portopiccolo from 29 May to 3 June.
The Yacht Club Portopiccolo, in collaboration with the Sistiana Nautical Department and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC), is hosting this championship event alomost one year after the ORC World Championship 2017 was also held in the Gulf of Trieste. Yet unlike the Worlds, the fleet competing here will use the ORC rating system to equalize the competition between only small (from 6.0 to 9.15 m in length), light (less than 2 tons) and fast Sportboats.
Twenty-seven entries from 6 nations are in the fleet, with most from the host country Italy, but others from Slovenia, Hungary, the Netherlands, France and Austria.
After measurements, inspections and registration fr the past two days, and the Opening Ceremony last night, the racing program starts today Thursday midday with a coastal race to test the teams' skills in navigation and strategy. Then Friday through Sunday racing will continue on Windward/Leeward inshore courses starting each day at Noon, with multiple races possible each day depending on weather conditions.
The final Awards and prizegiving ceremony will be Sunday at 1700.
"We are pleased to be host of the ORC Sportboat European Championship 2018," said Claudio de Eccher, President of the Yacht Club Portopiccolo. "This event is certainly the most important among those up to now organized by our Club that has, from year to year, host more and more important regattas ranging from the Star Class, to the Maxi Yachts, the J/70 one-designs and classic yachts."
For more information, visit the event website at www.orcsportboat2018.eu
Phil at the Sharp End
He is the boss, the director, the leader of this thrilling Normandy Channel Race. The Briton, who hails from the island of Jersey, Phil Sharp, paired up with Julien Pulvé, took control of the fleet yesterday and immediately stamped his mark on the race, treating himself to the honour of being first to round Tuskar lighthouse to the South of Ireland this morning.
He's continuing to set the pace along the dazzling shores of the Emerald Isle, skilfully controlling an overexcited pack of no fewer than 5 pursuers biting at his heels. Putting in tactical gybes to reposition themselves and cover their adversaries, the crew on the Mach 40 Imerys Clean Energy are having to keep an eye out all around them in this fine downwind sprint, which is set to last till they get to Fastnet. Once there, the competitors will hook back up with some more of these light airs, which have really set the tone for this 2018 edition. Indeed, thinking they'd seen the back of them after Land's End, the forecasts are for more of the same.
The Celtic Sea has finally enabled some separation amongst the fleet. The top 6 remain pretty bunched up in around a ten-mile radius and now boast a lead of over 20 miles in relation to Campagne de France (Mabire - Merron). Powering their way down to the Fastnet, they're picking up the pace as they hoist their gennakers, fleshing out their lead every minute in relation to the 14 boats that are still beating up to Tuskar as we go to press.
They're in for another stressful and tactical night as light airs permeate the area around the legendary Fastnet Rock. In the absence of a thermal breeze, the sailors will once again have to hunt down any puffs of breeze, watch the lights of their rivals in the immediate vicinity and do battle with the chop to gain headway to the South step by step.
Retirement of Yoda: Deprived of a large spinnaker, Franz Bouvet and Carolina Vojtisek have opted to throw in the towel due to no longer having the required sail for the next stage of the race.
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The Last Word
When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor. -- Elon Musk
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