In This Issue
Three Up, Three Down Gives Balestrero the Melges 32 Edge in Riva del Garda
Cracking Solent breeze for Day 4 at Cowes Classics Week
Harken takes in Sailing World Championships in Aarhus
Williams claims Qualification by a point at Match Cup Norway
UK J/80 National Championships 2018: Sailing Instructions Issued
Tornado Boats International
RORC Channel Race Preview
Launchings
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Batman

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

Three Up, Three Down Gives Balestrero the Melges 32 Edge in Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda, Italy: Three spectacular races were held on Lake Garda in 14 knots of breeze today. The stunning race conditions ultimately inserted Italy's Matteo Balestrero at the helm of GIOGI in first place overall at the third Melges 32 World League event of 2018.

Balestrero, with the highly-accomplished Branko Brcin as tactician, progressively secured his early leadership, race by race to take the overall lead.

The day opened with the convincing success of European Champions Edoardo Lupi and Massimo Pessina (Lorenzo Bressani, tactician) aboard TORPYONE finishing just in front of Balestrero, then Christian Schwoerer's LA PERICOLOSA in third.

Balestrero poured on the speed in the pre-start of Race Two, sprinting off the pin end of the starting line getting out front with a massive lead, crossing the entire fleet early on. Only reigning World Champion Pavel Kuznetsov on TAVATUY could keep pace with him finishing second, followed by Edoardo Pavesio's FRA MARTINA taking third.

Race Three was fantastic for Waldemar Salata's CASINO ROYALE from Poland. He improved his day dramatically with a first place finish, chased by Lupi/Pessina grabbing second, and Lasse Petterson in third from Norway sailing PIPPA.

Tomorrow, Friday, the Melges 32s go racing again with a 1300 start.

Top Five Results (Preliminary - After Three Races)
1. Matteo Balestrero/Branko Brcin, GIOGI, ITA, 2
2. Pavel Kuznetsov/Evgeny Neugodnikov, TAVATUY, RUS, 14
3. Lupi, Pessina/Lorenzo Bressani, TORPYONE, ITA, 16
4. Edoardo Pavesio/Manu Weiller, FRA MARTINA ITA, 17
5. Lasse Petterson/Matteo Ivaldi, PIPPA, NOR, 17

yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4737

Cracking Solent breeze for Day 4 at Cowes Classics Week
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Cowes Classics Week After yesterday's fluky conditions a stiff and steady easterly set into the Solent today for the penultimate race day of Cowes Classics Week.

Good tactics and playing the tides were two factors key to success in the Cruiser classes which started their fourth day of racing from the Royal London Yacht Club's shore line.

This was certainly the strategy for Andrew Pearson's 10 metre Bojar, built in 1937, which continued her clean sweep of wins in Red Class 2. "We learnt a lot of lessons from watching the fleet in front of us (Red Class 1)", reported tactician Nick Ryley. "We could see that some were struggling to cross the line so we decided to come in on port, managing to cross the rest of the fleet and then tacked out offshore to get the best of the tide. That was our winning tactic, right at the beginning and we managed to hold onto our lead the whole way round." He adds "We are just beginning to understand how to keep this 81 year old, 16 tonne yacht moving in light winds!"

In the Green class Mike and Barbara Harrison's Contessa 26 Jiminy Cricket scored her third win of the week out of four races, keeping the 44 year old at the top of the leaderboard ahead of William Edwards' 1962 built Mermaid class Annabelle. Also racing in Green is Cynthia a Seaview Mermaid that was built in 1922 and discovered virtually as a wreck by Mike Randall and a number of partners. She was restored over a number of years and the last fitting was fastened hours before the first race in the 2017 edition of Cowes Classics Week.

With a class rating for the Cowes Classics Fleet Cynthia is competing in Green all week. Meanwhile nine other Seaview Mermaids made a one day guest appearance today, keeping up the custom of one-day classes coming along which have included the Squibs and the Victories this week.

Sharing the Seaview Mermaids circuit were the Bembridge One Designs, whose identical and gleaming blue hulls make them unmistakable, and the elegant Loch Longs. The wind held steady throughout the day for three races each putting both classes on schedule to complete their full series tomorrow. Jonathan Evans' Tantrum is the Loch Long to watch with four firsts in seven races so far while Russ Fowler in BOD1 continues to lead the Bembridge One Designs going into the final day.

The XOD fleet, numbering 46 boats today, made, as always, for a great spectacle. Course Race Officer Bob Milner set three races today. A general recall for the first race of the morning, not unusual for this class, delayed proceedings but subsequent clean starts kept the schedule going. Race one of the day went to John Tremlett in X80 Lass, while the middle race was claimed by James Meaning and his crew on X156 Gleam. All went well in the steady easterly breeze until race 3 when, minutes after the first six boats had crossed the finish line, the wind shut off, and then proceeded to barely breathe from both east and west. "We had thankfully just shortened the course," says Bob, "but then it was a long wait for the rest of the fleet to struggle to the finish." The final race was also a triumph for Lass which now tops the leaderboard by a slim point over Max Crowe's Clair de Lune.

www.cowesclassicsweek.org

Harken takes in Sailing World Championships in Aarhus
The Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, is the largest Olympic Sailing event between the 2016 Olympics and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Sailors from some 100 nations in all 10 Olympic sailing disciplines will be competing for Worlds medals and qualifying their countries for the Olympics. In addition, there will be a kitesurfing showcase for men and women.

When an estimated 1,100 sailboats converge on Aarhus, Denmark, July 30 to August 12, the Harken team will be there too. We will be speaking with some of the estimated 1,500 participating sailors about new rigging ideas and absorbing new thinking that happens only where the world's fastest sailors congregate. You can't be more "at the front" of sailing.

The team also is providing support to Columbus Marine, Harken's Denmark distributor, and will help sailors with technical support if needed. Competitors can find Harken close to the shuttleboat landing near Boat Park 2.

Will the top teams that competed in Brazil continue to be the top teams or will they be pushed off the podium by up-and-coming talent? Harken At The Front.

www.harkenatthefront.com

Williams claims Qualification by a point at Match Cup Norway
Risor, Norway: Making its debut on the World Match Racing Tour this week, Risor delivered in spades on the opening day of Match Cup Norway. Qualification for the event's 12 teams from eight nations was held on the narrow rocky finger of water off Risor in southern Norway. Today's 12 races were completed in flat water and 6 to 15 knot winds that built gradually during the afternoon before abating. This, combined with the sailing area's tight confines and much manoeuvring, provided a broad test for competitors.

Ultimately it was six time Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team who prevailed. The British team scored 12 points, one less than 2016 World Champion, Kiwi Phil Robertson and his China One Ningbo team. They, plus third placed Jonas Warrer, the Beijing 49er Olympic gold medallist and second generation Swedish match racer Måns Holmberg will sit out tomorrow's Sail Off stage and go directly to Saturday's Quarter Final stage.

During the lighter conditions of the morning session, Phil Robertson had banged in a consecutive series of four second-placed finishes, which he was more than satisfied with. It was only when his team got back out this afternoon in the fresher breeze that they managed to score their first and only bullet. Like Williams, this they had managed by battling their way up through the fleet.

After today's racing, Risør, the new venue on the 2018 World Match Racing Tour has received a resounding thumbs up from the competitors. "It has a very similar feel to Marstrand with the rock boundaries everywhere and it's a little bit longer than Marstand, which is nice for the fleet racing. It is perfect if it could stay like this all week," concluded Robertson.

Qualification stage results
1. Ian Williams, GAC Pindar, 12
2. Phil Robertson, China One Ningbo, 13
3. Jonas Warrer, Warrer Racing, 16
4. Mans Holmberg, Gothenburg Racing Team, 18
5. Torvar Mirsky, Mirsky Racing, 19
6. Harry Price, Down Under Racing, 19
7. Yann Guichard, Spindrift Racing, 21
8. Nicklas Dackhammar, ESSIQ Racing Team, 22
9. Johnie Berntsson , Berntsson Sailing Team, 22
10. Daniel Bjornholt , Youth Vikings, 26
11. Pieter-Jan Posma, Sailing Team NL, 29
12. Petter Morland, Petersen Norsteam, 36

www.m32world.com
www.wmrt.com

UK J/80 National Championships 2018: Sailing Instructions Issued
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club looks forward to welcoming competitors to three days' racing in Lymington's tropical waters on 18th to 20th August. Generous sponsorship has allowed the organisers to offer competitors an excellent on-the-water and social programme.

Administrative arrangements are now finalised. Sailing Instructions and guidance on the use of bowsprits have been issued. Also, tickets for social events can be booked on-line. rlymyc.org.uk/OnTheWater/Racing/Racing_Events/J80Nationals.aspx

Race Management and the Protest Committee will be of international standard, with members of the Protest Committee on the water to keep an eye on everyone!

Tornado Boats International
Tornado Boats Tornado Boats International are launching a new 6m coach boat at the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus from the 31st of July - 12th of august 2018.

Tornado Boats International have a long tradition for designing and manufacturing customized coach boats to Yacht Clubs all over the world. But in recent years, there has been demands for a longer coach boat, explains Lars Hjorth, owner of Tornado Boats International:

“We have got numerous requests from sailing coaches worldwide demanding a longer coach boat that still maintains the steadiness, agility and seakeeping qualities of a Tornado RIB.”

The most optimized Coach Boat on the Market
The result is the Tornado 6m coach boat. It has the maximum measurements allowed by the Olympic Committee and has been optimized from specifications from renowned international sailing coaches.

Reduced Planing Threshold
The primary quality of the Tornado 6m coach boat is a very soft ride against the waves due to a reduced planing threshold. This optimizes the boat’s medium speed and its stability of direction and makes it very controllable during long training sessions in harsh weather conditions.

If you’re in Aarhus at the Hempel Sailing World Championships and would like to try the new coach boat for a day or two, please contact us at or at +45 20 97 70 70.

tornadoboats.com

RORC Channel Race Preview
DATE: Saturday 28th July - first start 10:00
COURSE: Cowes – Solent finish, around marks
DISTANCE: 24-36 hours

Dating back to 1928, the Channel Race is one of the oldest races organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. This weekend all of the class leaders in the 2018 RORC Season's Points Championship will be in action and all of the top ten teams after eight races sailed.

The United Kingdom is experiencing the hottest summer since 1976, and the weather for the start on Saturday morning is looking spectacular with a warm westerly wind forecast, which could well be enhanced by sea breeze to produce exhilarating racing.

In IRC Three, the overall leader for the RORC Season's Points Championship will be once again be racing Two-Handed, Richard Palmer's JPK 10.10 Jangada. However, that lead in IRC Three and IRC Two-Handed is being eroded by the chasing pack, especially by a brace of well-sailed Two-Handed teams racing Sunfast 3600s: Ian Hoddle's Game On and Rob Craigie's Bellino.

The big boat showdown in IRC Zero is between overall winner of the 2018 Myth of Malham, Ker 46 Lady Mariposa, skippered by Nigel King, and Harmen De Graaf's Ker 43 Baraka GP, the overall winner of the 2018 Volvo Round Ireland Race. In IRC One, the top three teams for the season will be in competing; Ed Broadway's Ker 40 Hooligan VII, Maxime de Mareuil's Xp-44 Orange Mecanix2, and Mark Emerson's A13 Phosphorus.

In IRC Two, the class leader for the season, Army Sailing Association's X-41 British Soldier, will be skippered by William Naylor. The scratch boat in the class is Thomas Kneen's JPK 1180 Sunrise. Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, has been in fine form, and will be racing. Sailing Logic's First 40 Arthur Logic, skippered by Johnathan Tyrrell, will enjoy a battle within the class with two other First 40s; Sailing Logic's Lancelot II, skippered by Pete Burwood, and Ronan Banim's Galahad Of Cowes. Performance Yacht Racing's First 47.7 EH01 is back in RORC action after returning from the Caribbean.

In IRC Four the runaway leader for the season, Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, will be racing, as will a total of 17 teams racing in the ever popular IRC Two-Handed Class. The first start for the 2018 RORC Channel Race will be at 10:00 this Saturday from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line. The best vantage points will be along Cowes Green and Egypt Esplanade on the Isle of Wight. Watch the race online with the fleet tracker: http://yb.tl/channel2018 -- Louay Habib

www.rorc.org

Launchings
J/99 J/Boats and J/Composites are pleased to announce the new J/99, a 9.9 meter (32.9') crew-friendly, offshore-capable speedster currently under development at J/Composites in Les Sables d'Olonne, France.

The J/99 is the newest addition to the J/Sport range, combining headroom and comfortable interior accommodation with the tiller-driven responsiveness of a sport boat. The sail and deck plan are optimized for easy handling with fewer crew, and incorporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and the new Offshore Sailing World champion J/112E. The interior features twin aft cabins, a proper sit-down forward facing nav station, an L-shaped galley, and a private forward head with sail locker.

Now more than ever, sailors are attracted to adventure-filled, signature events (Fastnet, Middle Sea, Chicago-Mac, etc.) where straight-line speed, sail handling, strategy and weather routing are all equally put to the test. The J/99 is designed to excel in these events (both fully crewed and short-handed) while delivering the exhilarating, family-friendly experience the J Sport range is known for.

"The J/99 opens up a wide range of sailing possibilities," commented designer Alan Johnstone. "The versatile sail plan, balanced hull form and efficient cockpit will work as well for short-handed offshore sailing as for weekend sailing with friends. The J/99 packs a lot of performance and versatility into a manageable size and budget."

jboats.com/j-99

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Lively Lady

Fifty years after her first single handed global circumnavigation, the 36ft cutter Lively Lady is once again back in the water in an as new condition having recently undergone a long and extensive refit at Hayling Yacht Company by volunteers from the charity Around and Around. The refit work included replacing the deck, reassembling the wheel house, new electrics, an interior refit and a full repaint using Jotun Yachting paint products.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Alec Rose's global circumnavigation aboard Lively Lady. A greengrocer from Portsmouth with a passion for single handed sailing, Sir Alec set sail on 16th July 1967 returning 12 months later on 4th July 1968 having circumnavigated the globe, stopping off in Australia and New Zealand. A year after that of Sir Francis Chichester aboard Gypsy Moth IV, and a year before that of Sir Robin Knox Johnson's in Suhali. You can see Lively Lady at this year's Hamble Classics Regatta in September.

Quote: Jim Brickwood, Business Development Manager, Jotun Yachting UK "The hard work carried out by the volunteers at Around and Around has certainly paid off, with Lively Lady looking better than new and in a condition which will see her through the next 50 years. At Jotun Yachting we are proud to have played our part in not only protecting such an iconic yacht for the future, but, also bringing back her timeless beauty. We look forward to following her future circumnavigations."

www.jotun.com/uk/en/b2c/products/

www.livelylady.org

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Swan 78

The Swan 78-001 Haromi and Swan 78-002 Kinina, the two of four Swan 78s already sold, designed by German Frers, have just been launched in Pietarsaari.

Haromi will attend the Rolex Swan Cup 2018 in Porto Cervo (9-16 September) and the Genova Boat Show together with Swan 54. Her sistership, Kinina, will be on display at the Cannes Yacht Show (11-16 September).

The latest version of the Swan 115, hull n. 004 will be exhibited in a worldwide preview at the Monaco Yacht Show. In the US, Nautor's Swan will take part at the Annapolis Boat Show with the Swan 54.

All of Nautor´s know-how and experience in racing and cruising yachts have been incorporated into this new blue-water Swan 78. Her length has been deliberately contained in order to meet the EC 24.00 meters length overall limitation, and her hull form is beamy and very powerful. Modern hull lines, with a flared stern above the waterline, twin rudders and a telescopic keel make Haromi a performance yacht capable of fast long-distance cruising, or an ideal home-from-home for relaxing onboard in privacy with friends and family.

Haromi is fitted out with a bespoke performance package to upgrade her racing ability, reflecting her owner's competitive success. This includes a longer bowsprit, ECsix carbon rigging, halyard locks, a square-top mainsail with running backstays, a mainsheet traveller and additional powered winches on the coachroof.

Otherwise, keel options include deep telescopic lifting, fixed deep and fixed shallow possibilities yet always maintaining stability. The twin rudder configuration and standard sail plan remain constants. Swan 78-002 Kinina has a standard keel with a 4m draft.

Hull and bulkheads are in prepreg glass/carbon, deck and structures in full carbon epoxy sandwich with Corecell foam core, vacuum and oven cured.

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phinisi

A new 55m (180ft) luxury phinisi superyacht called Prana started charter operations in Indonesia last week for its owner, the Ibiza-based boutique hotel brand Atzaro. Construction of the traditional wooden vessel was supervised by Bali-headquartered marine services and consultancy firm, Yacht Sourcing.

Yacht Sourcing is working alongside Atzaro to manage Prana, as well as operating it and sharing in marketing. For the past 21 months, Yacht Sourcing has managed the build of the yacht, which was expertly hand-crafted in Bira, Sulawesi.

Prana is the largest phinisi yacht in Indonesia by volume but is smaller in length than the longest, the 65m (213ft) Lamina, which is a traditional-styled schooner. Prana's 18-strong crew were also trained by Yacht Sourcing.

Prana was constructed of ironwood and teak using time-honoured techniques. The two-masted phinisi yacht took 21 months to complete, from the laying of the keel, hull and bulkheads to finishing the superstructure, decks and soft furnishing. She was launched last month.

Regarding the phinisi market in Indonesia, she explained: "The market is definitely growing as the luxury yachting scene grows in South East Asia. In terms of type, Prana is a phinisi, while Lamima is a schooner, but both are wooden traditional yachts."

plus.ibinews.com

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only 2010 MD65-5 Adastra. Located in Gocek, Turkey

Beautiful, 4 cabin (owner, crew and 2 x guest) example of Maxi-Dolphin's elegant semi-custom performance cruiser the MD65

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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Raceboats Only 1999 Farr 65 - ALBATROSS II. 265,000 GBP Located in Cowes, UK.

From 1999 this Farr 65 example is currently coded to MCA CAT 2 but the yacht can also be coded to comply to Cat O. Professionally managed with all systems regularly maintained the yacht is very much a going concern

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222

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Raceboats Only 2010 Humphreys 54 - "Bengal 7". 330000 GBP. Located in Australia.

"Bengal 7" (ex-Oystercatcher XXVII) is from the drawing board of Tom Humphreys and built with no-expense-spared by Hakes Marine, NZ Grand-prix in the specification throughout, however more rugged and offshore orientated than the likes of the TP In addition the lift keel.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+442380 016582

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the room remains the same. -- Batman

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