Scuttlebutt Europe #1952 - 27 October
Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.com Europe, 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 <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy23612 = 'editor' + '@'; addy23612 = addy23612 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text23612 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy23612 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text23612 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
Local Knowledge Sees Chris Larson Top The Leader Board
Photo by Pierrick Contin / IMCA. Click on image for photo gallery.
The Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis 2009 Melges 24 World Championship got underway today with two tricky races sailed in predominantly light airs out on Chesapeake Bay. As well as having to deal with a capricious breeze, which peaked this the morning at around ten knots but dropped to around six knots by the afternoon, the fifty-one-boat fleet also had to factor some complex and not insignificant current flow into their race strategies. With the local conditions playing such a major role in things, it is perhaps no surprise that it was 'local boy' Chris Larson at the helm of 'West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes' who was able to make most sense of it all.
Backed up by tactician Richard Clarke, Larson turned in the most consistent results for the day, with a 5,2, scoreline that sees him top the leaderboard tonight. Despite snagging a crab pot when leading race one, Flavio Favini on the Swiss entry 'Blu Moon' still managed to post a third and fifth today and sit in second place, just one point off the lead. After recovering well from a poor start in the first race, Italy's Carlo Fracassoli on 'Gullisara clawed his way back to ninth place at the finish, before taking a comfortable win in the second. This pair of top ten results were good enough to put him third overall at the end of the first day.
Reigning Melges 24 North American Champion, Terry Hutchinson on Quantum Racing, had what can best be described as a very mixed day on the water; having pulled off a spectacular win in the first race of the day and finishing in thirty-seventh place in the next.
Reigning World and European Champion and regatta favourite Lorenzo Bressani on 'Uka Uka Racing' had a terrible start to his title defence, due in no small way to an ankle injury sustained to bow-girl Francesca Prina yesterday, which tragically may see her take no further part in this regatta. 'Uka Uka Racing' struggled to an uncharacteristic 26,10 scoreline and sit in fifteenth place at the end of the first day.
Top ten after 2 races:
1. West Marine Rigging / New England Ropes, Larson, USA, 7.00 points
2. Blu Moon, Rossini, SUI, 9.00
3. Gullisara, Fracassoli, ITA, 10.00
4. WTF, Field, USA, 11.00
5. Full Medal Jacket, Melleby, NOR, 12.00
6. Full Throttle Burdick, USA, 14.00
7. Event's Clothing/Atlantis, Hardesty, USA, 22.00
8. Rock N Roll, Campbell, USA, 23.00
9. Joefly, Zandona, ITA, 24.00
10. Conejo Racing-Ocean Sailing Academy, Dabney, USA, 25.00
Breach Of Fiduciary Suit Filed Against America's Cup Trustee
The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) has asked the New York Supreme Court to remove the Swiss yacht club from its position as Trustee in a Breach of Fiduciary Duty complaint filed today.
In its place, GGYC - the Challenger of Record the 33rd America's Cup - has requested the Court to appoint a faithful, fit and proper substitute to oversee the next Match to be sailed in 2010, starting 8 February.
Foremost among a catalogue of failures of SNG and listed in a Breach of Fiduciary Duty complaint are:
- Offering the America's Cup hosting rights in order to extract secret commercial deals
- Repeated attempts to seize control of the rules and officiating processes to ensure that Alinghi can not lose
- Moves to disqualify GGYC's yacht despite assurances to the New York Supreme Court that this would not happen
- Selecting Ras Al Khaimah for the 33rd Cup to further its own business interests whilst exposing GGYC to unnecessary danger
"Winning the Cup brings not just honor and pride, but responsibilities too. The honor may have gone, but the responsibilities remain," said Russell Coutts, Skipper and Chief Executive of GGYC's challenging team, BMW ORACLE Racing.
"The America's Cup is meant to be hard to win, not impossible to lose," added Coutts.
A copy of the Breach of Fiduciary Duty complaint can be found at: www.ggyc.com/acnews.php
Full copy of the GGYC release at www.ggyc.com
2009 12 Metre Worlds Was A Team Effort
Photo by Amory Ross / www.amoryross.com. Click on image to enlarge.
The Twelves came back to Newport. Seventeen boats built 1928-1986 brought crews from France (William Borel shipped his Challenge 12 over), Norway (Einar Sissener chartered Gleam), Switzerland (Onawa was chartered by Morten Kielland) and England (Richard Matthews chartered USA. American teams were sprinkled with many Aussies and one very famous Kiwi. The 2009 Worlds Major Sponsors included top sponsor North Sails, Lewmar and Navtec whose One-Touch Winch Handles were the participation award, Atlantis Weathergear's vests and jackets and Island Outfitters' regatta clothing. Trumpy Yachts '73 America was the Signal Boat. Jamestown Boat Yard supplied the #1 press boat. Beverages were Gosling's Dark 'n Stormies, Harbor Town Wine and Narragansett Beer. Towerstream powered the Press Room with high speed WiFi. Jobson's film about the Worlds will be aired on EPSN Classic on November 7 at 1pm.
Stay tuned at www.12metreclass.org
The 2009 12 Metre Worlds Regatta Co-chairs were Jan Slee, Dyer Jones and Gary Jobson with Jan Slee serving as Managing Director. The New York Yacht Club Race Committee provided Race Management.
For the Worlds' photographers,visit meghansepe.zenfolio.com/p492606736 and www.AmoryRoss.com
12 Metres...still elegant, still racing! For more information, visit www.goldenyear2009.com
From the "Should Have Seen This One Coming" Files...
If the juvenile court this week allows Laura Dekker to sail around the world, at least she won't be by herself anymore. According to her lawyer the trip will be made into a reality TV show.
It could be the ultimate reality TV show: 14-year-old girl sails around the world solo, navigates the islands of Indonesia and the Panama canal, braves the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia, faces rough storms, dead calms, loneliness and physical exhaustion. Her reward: the Guinness world record for becoming the youngest sailor ever to circumvent the planet solo.
TV stations have been competing for the rights to Laura Dekker's story ever since it made headlines last August, when a Dutch juvenile court grounded her just as she was about to set sail in her 8-metre boat. Laura was temporarily placed under the supervision of a youth welfare organisation pending a decision by the juvenile court, which is expected by the end of this week.
After considering several proposals, 'Team Laura Dekker" has agreed to go into business with one, as yet unnamed TV station. In a bizarre twist the TV coverage is being used as an argument before the juvenile court. After all, sailing around the world with a TV crew in tow, hardly qualifies as a solitary experience...
From NRC Handelsblad:
www.nrc.nl/international/
Yachtworld Magazine
Yachtworld Magazine is no ordinary read - it has been developed specifically for you, our customers. Listening to your comments and after lengthy and in-depth research we are confident that Yachtworld Magazine will quickly become an extremely useful source of information and intelligence, and essential if you are buying or selling.
Available in two formats:
- Digital. Providing an electronic/digital version of the magazine that gives you additional powerful interactive features such as video clips, archiving, highlight notes etc
- Print. For those of us who love and cherish the experience of a quality printed magazine, Yachtworld Magazine, delivered free of charge to your door, will be a magazine you will find essential for your buying or selling needs.
Industry News
* An idea first punted during the Paul Streeter period has resurfaced for the 2010 Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show.
Having a raised platform along the outer walls that enabled visitors to walk along and look down at the boats was dismissed in 2005 as being far too expensive and difficult to organise.
Under the current trading conditions, however, National Boat Shows (NBS) has, like every other company, to pull out the stops to make its offer more attractive to its customers.
Tried in smaller form last year, the 2010 LIBS will see a bigger sailboat boardwalk along the north wall of the North Hall. Described as a visually appealing platform, NBS says it offers a cost effective method for sailboat companies to exhibit their boats.
The boardwalk will build on the smaller version that we installed for the 2009 show which was very well received, and the demand for this larger version is already high, he added.
The space is worked at a flat rate per size of boat. -- Boating Business, www.boatingbusiness.com
* The 2009 British Marine Electronics Association (BMEA) Conference took place on 21st October at the Novotel Hotel, Southampton.
After a full day of conferencing and the brief Annual General Meeting, the day ended with the announcement of three major awards:
- BMEA Waterside Dealer of the Year Award sponsored by Garmin UK Ltd
- BMEA Product of the Year Award sponsored by Boating Business
- BMEA Newly Certificated Technician of the Year Award sponsored by Raymarine plc
The winner of the BMEA Product of the Year, sponsored by Boating Business was Actisense with their NGW-1 NMEA 2000 to NMEA 0183 Gateway. Commendations were awarded Icom for its IC-M71 VHF Handheld Transceiver and Raymarine for its C Series Multi-Function displays.
The winner of the BMEA Dealer of the Year Award, sponsored by Garmin was Landau UK Ltd.
Raymarine presented the first BMEA Newly Certificated Technician of the Year award at the BMEA's annual conference. The award was made to Roger Upham of Roger Upham Marine Electronics Ltd. Based in Chichester, the company has over 30 years of experience installing marine electronics products.
* Yacht hardware company Ronstan today confirmed arrangements to be a Race Partner with the Global Ocean Race 2011-12. Via their UK Big Boat distributors, SailTek, Ronstan will be providing all bona fide entries in the race with a substantial discount on their extensive product range.
Founded in 1953 in Australia by Ron Allat and Stan Lenepveu, the Ron and Stan of Ronstan, the company has expanded into a global entity supplying quality marine hardware through a worldwide network of distributors and dealerships.
In 2001, Ronstan acquired the Danish brand Frederiksen, manufacturers of high quality big-boat hardware and in 2002 brothers Russell and Jason Belben took over the reins of Ronstan UK, moving across from their long-standing positions with Frederiksen.
* The 13th Scandinavian Boat Show opens at Stockholmsmassan on the 4 November.
The trade fair centre will be featuring many new boats appearing for the first time, while others will be appearing in new versions and with new fittings and equipment. New sailboats include Arcona 340, Dufour 405, Bavaria 32, Delphia 40.3, HR 310 and Elan 310.
The boat journalists' innovation prize will be awarded to one of the boats on show. Innovation can take the shape of pioneering design, new technology, environmental benefits or something that can be regarded as an "extraordinary innovation" - in the form of either a single factor or a total concept. The purpose of the prize is to encourage creative ideas that contribute to the development of boating life in the Nordic countries. The prize is 'Nordic' and the jury is made up of six of our most prominent and experienced Nordic boat journalists.
* Organisers fo the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show hope to gain a public relations coup for the show with a high-profile presence at this weekend's Formula 1 event in Abu Dhabi. The organisers will be planting their banner, quite literally, aboard Ellix Too, a 48m superyacht that arrived recently in UAE waters.
The yacht, built by ISA in Italy, will be will be berthed in a "strategic location" at Yas Island Marina near the Formula 1 race, according to a statement. "The Grand Prix is set to attract exactly the visitor profile we wish to welcome," said Franck Dailles, group director of Informa Yacht Group, the yacht show's organiser. "A presence at this highly anticipated event will no doubt excite a great deal of interest in the yacht show, and in Abu Dhabi as a world-class host destination for exclusive and luxurious events."
Yas Island Marina is expected to berth over 140 yachts for the race, with an estimated 5,000 people viewing the race from the decks of the moored vessels.
Ellix Too will also be present at the 2nd Abu Dhabi Yacht Show which runs from February 25-27, 2010.
Letters To The Editor - <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy23612 = 'editor' + '@'; addy23612 = addy23612 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text23612 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy23612 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text23612 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
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 David Pelly: Thanks to Brian Thompson, Harold Cudmore, Cam Lewis for pointing out that Golden Apple had the B&R type swept rig in 1974 but I was thinking of the Hurley Tailwind 38 which was built earlier than this and featured the full B&R cats-cradle with 30 degree angle fixed spreaders plus hydraulic forestay. You can find this odd boat on www.hurleyownersassociation.co.uk . Both hull and rig were by B&R and it was a most surprising project for a company that previously made very conventional little cruising boats. The result was completely outside of Hurley's comfort zone and the company went bust in 1974.
Meanwhile my erstwhile colleague (and skipper in the 1974 One Tone Cup) David Thomas points out that that the B&R rig is not really the one used today because it was designed for masthead rig. The small mast section combined with severe shroud loads tended to force the rig downwards so that the rigging went slack, 'orrible S-bends appeared and the whole contraption collapsed on deck. The modern offshore rig, he says, is more akin to a giant dinghy rig which had been using 'limited swing' spreaders since way back.
* From Pip Sawyer: More on B & R! I remember racing in the Solent in the late 70's on Machismo, one of a pair of identical Ron Holland 3/4 tonners. One had a B & R rig with a skinny mast section and diamonds, and the other a larger mast section, in line spreaders and runners. In effect, a Solent Points test bed.
* From Colin Curtis: WOW I certainly have stirred up a hornets nest of B&R fans, I thank you David Pelly-Brian Thompson-Harold Cudmore & Cam Lewis.
I was a young rigger at Hurley Marine when Lars Bergstrom approached our company to build his Tailwind 38 ft design, thank God that Johnathon Mason our Boss at that time said yes , this changed my life. I was a rigger of sorts but when I saw this Rig it looked really strange. I took Lars home and he explained it all to me it made sense... well, almost...
We built the boat and when it came to test rig the boat it was late at night, so we rigged up arc lights. It was AWSOME. A lot of the local sailors came to check it out. The next day we launched the boat in Millbay Docks. All the press were there even the local TV station.
This was a Revolutionary Design and it was part of my job to sail test the boat. We sailed three up... John Turner, Lars Bergstrom and myself. On the first day we took on Rex Hay's local Hot sailboat 'Ice Breaker'... it was embarrassing... we wiped the floor with them.
Rex bought one and named her "002". I believe we sold another three then the company closed leaving two hulls and two decks, Lars wanted one, so myself, Colin Bucksley and John Kiff built her in Blagdons boatyard on the end of Richmond Walk.
This was "Orange Peel". Lars sailed her home to Florida where he raced her in the SORC and the Mexico races, where it set one of the records, I was seduced by Lars to come and work at B&R on rigging, mast building and many other weird and wonderful projects: Windextream the fastest sailplane in the world, the M1 project, an Aircraft that flies up in near space powered by Micro Wave Energy from a ground station. Nothing was quite normal at B&R in those days. On Lars' death I was given "ORANGE PEEL". I have a new generation B&R rig with some added innovations.
Thank you to the people that knew and Loved Lars Bergstrom he was a true genius and innovator. To me he was also a great friend.
Featured Brokerage
2006 X-Yachts X-55, EUR 799,000. Located in the Netherlands.
RoXanne is a 55 foot performance cruiser sailing yacht of Danish quality, built by X-Yachts in Haderslev, delivered in July 2006. She is ready for ocean cruising or circumnavigation. The X-55 was voted European Yacht of the Year 2007. She has had very positive reviews in leading yacht magazines and scores top rank in the American analist Ted Brewer's comfort formula. The reason for this is the combination of her slim line, long waterline and smart weight placement below the waterline, that makes her very comfortable and seaworthy eventhough she is light weight. Sail critic Henk Bezemer wrote in the Dutch magazine Zeilen "The X-55 is a beautiful ship that promises to solve the classic dilemma between comfort, safety and speed."
Brokerage through X-Yachts Holland BV: www.yachtworld.com/x-yachtsholland/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com
The Last Word
Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest. -- Isaac Asimov
Use this box to send a copy of this issue of the Scuttlebutt Europe Newsletter to a friend:
[FORWARDFORM]
Or [FORWARD] for a page where you can send copies to up to a dozen friends.
About YachtWorld.com
Formed in 1995, YachtWorld.com is the premier online sales channel for yacht brokers around the world. The site lists more than 110,000 boats for sale in 115 countries by some 2,500 brokers in 60 countries. The total value of boats listed is over $40 billion. Headquartered in Seattle, YachtWorld.com has its European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales offices in Germany, Italy and Russia and sales representation in Dubai, Australia and China.
About Boats.com
Boats.com provides marketing and Web services to boat builders, dealers, brokers and service companies throughout the global recreational marine industry. The Boats.com Website provides consumer access to information, boat listings and financial and insurance products. With more than 143,000 new and used boat listings from more than 5,500 brokers, dealers and manufacturers, Boats.com is the largest concentration of recreational marine industry marketing in the world.
Yachtworld.com on line magazine is available free of charge and delivered digitally every month. Click here to receive your copy: www.yachtworldmagazine.com/ywm/latest/
NEW! See the Boats Blog at Boats.com -- www.boats.com/blog/
To subscribe, unsubscribe, and select HTML or Text format visit scuttlebutteurope.com
Editorial and letter submissions to <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy23612 = 'editor' + '@'; addy23612 = addy23612 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text23612 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy23612 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text23612 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy58758 = 'gb' + '@'; addy58758 = addy58758 + 'beesonstone' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text58758 = 'gb' + '@' + 'beesonstone' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy58758 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text58758 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //--> or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html
Search the Archives
SEARCH
Search
[{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}}
{{/data.error.root_cause}}{{texts.summary}} {{#options.result.rssIcon}} RSS {{/options.result.rssIcon}}
{{/texts.summary}} {{#data.hits.hits}}
{{{_source.title}}} {{#_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayPrice}}} {{/_source.showPrice}}
{{#_source.showLink}} {{/_source.showLink}} {{#_source.showDate}}{{{_source.displayDate}}}
{{/_source.showDate}}{{{_source.description}}}
{{#_source.additionalInfo}}{{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}}
{{/_source.additionalInfo}}
