In This Issue
Local Hero Marchand Wins Figaro Stage 1
Finn U23 Worlds
Harken Tech Team on Duty at 2018 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
Gustavo and Rafael Del Castillo Palop are Snipe European Championships... Again!
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Classic Boat Museum is flying with wings!
Sailmaker vacancy
Blind Match Racing World Championship
Lab or ocean... or both
Ferretti in talks to buy Wally
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: H.L. Mencken

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

Local Hero Marchand Wins Figaro Stage 1
For Anthony Marchand, who won the 464 nautical miles Stage 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro at 22:54:28hrs (French Time/UTC +2hrs) this Wednesday night, there is something a Hollywood fairytale to his first ever Leg win, coming as it does on his eighth attempt at the legendary multi stage solo offshore race.

Marchand, 33 years old sailing Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire clung on to a tiny lead to score dream into his own home waters when the famous race visits the town of his birth, Saint Brieuc, for the very first time in its 49 year history, triumphing in what was one of the closest finishes for many years.

Triumphant Marchand said on the dock, "It was only in the last mile that I started to think of winning. But now I am satisfied. You see everyone behind you and say, 'it is not possible' Now you just want to start again and not to stop."

After 3 days 09hrs 54mins 28 secs of racing since leaving Le Havre on Sunday, Marchand finished just three minutes and six seconds ahead of second placed Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat) and 3 minutes and 38 seconds ahead of Charlie Dalin (Skipper Macif 2015) who staged a remarkable recovery from 11th at Wolf Rock to lead 90 miles later at Portsall off the north tip of Brittany.

British skipper Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) and Hugh Brayshaw (KEMAT) secured their best ever finishes. With 28 year old Roberts crossing the line off Saint Quai-Portrieux in fifth, six minutes and 18 seconds behind Marchand and Brayshaw, 25 years-old in seventh, eight minutes and 32 seconds behind the winner, it proved an historic night for British solo racing, the first time two British skippers have made the top ten on any Le Figaro stage.

At one point during the final stage of this first of four legs, 25 of the 29 solo racers were compacted on to a 1.4 nautical miles long patch of water. The top ten finished tonight within seven short minutes. With so little time between the top skippers the second stage, which starts Sunday racing 520 nautical miles to Ria de Muros-Noia in NW Spain, will ensure this will be the most open race for years.

Top Ten Stage 1 Finishers, Le Havre to Saint Quai/Saint Brieuc
1- Anthony Marchand / Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire, finished at 22h 54m 28s
2- Thierry Chabagny / Gedimat at 22h 57m 34s
3- Charlie Dalin / Skipper Macif 2015 at 22h 58m 06s
4- Sebastien Simon / Bretagne CMB Performance at 22h 58m 53s
5- Alan Roberts / Seacat Services at 23h 00m 41s
6- Erwan Tabarly / Armor-Lux at 23h 02m 01s
7- Hugh Brayshaw / Kamat at 23h 03m 00s
8- Alexis Loison / Custo Pol at 23h 04m 18s
9- Tanguy Le Turquais / Everial at 23h 04m 27s
10- Xavier Macaire / Groupe SNEF at 23h 05m 27s

www.lasolitaire-urgo.com

Finn U23 Worlds
Hector Simpson found his pace on the third day of the 2018 U23 World Championship for the Finn Silver Cup in Koper, Slovenia, to win the day after taking three second places. He moves up to fifth overall, while Ondrej Teply extends his lead at the top to 10 points. Joan Cardona also had a good day after three good finishes to move up to second, while Nils Theuninck narrowly holds onto third after a day of mixed fortunes.

The third day of the championship was another hot and sunny day. The sailors were held on shore with a one-hour postponement to wait for the arrival of the sea breeze, which appeared to be more promising, but again never quite materialised in the way everyone hoped for, and ranged from 4-10 knots. Its direction meant a one-way track up the Koper shoreline, to find the stronger breeze and escape the current. Those who had a good line to the left always came out looking strong, though most of the fleet got it wrong at some point during the day.

After six races, there is a possible five more to sail over the next two days. None of the forecasts show much wind, so the hope remains for a solid sea breeze, especially as temperatures will remain in the high 20s.

Top ten Results after 6 races
1. Ondrej Teply, CZE, 14
2. Joan Cardona, ESP, 24
3. Nils Theuninck, SUI, 30
4. Oskari Muhonen, FIN, 31
5. Hector Simpson, GBR, 36
6. Georgii Paches, UKR, 37
7. Lars Johan Brodtkorb, NOR, 37
8. Simon Gorgels, GER, 39
9. Federico Colanino, ITA, 51
10. Can Akdurak, TUR, 57

Full results: 2018.finnsilvercup.org/results/

Harken Tech Team on Duty at 2018 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
The Harken Tech Team will keep the fleets race-ready and flying during the 2018 edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Porto Cervo, Italy. Service will be available on site from Saturday, Sept. 1 through Saturday morning, Sept. 8. Call on the Harken Tech Team for regatta assistance and emergency spare parts. You will find the Tech Team's contact number at the regatta office.

The Harken Tech Team will also be present at these summer 2018 events:

Swan Cup/Porto Cervo, Italy (Sept 10-16) TP52 Super Series Sailing Week Valencia, Spain (September, 17-22)

The Harken Tech Team is a group of technicians who come together from Harken facilities throughout the world to support grand prix racing events. Harken At The Front.

www.harken.com

Gustavo and Rafael Del Castillo Palop are Snipe European Championships... Again!
Gustavo and Rafael del Castillo Palop (ESP) are the Snipe European Champions for the second time in a row.

The European Championship 2018 of the two persons dinghy finished last night in Pori, on the West coast of Finland: 41 entries from 10 nations had 10 amazing races this week in ever changing conditions.

The event was hosted by the oldest sporting and sailing club in Finland, Segelforeningen i Bjorneborg - BSF r.f., in cooperation with Snipe Class International Racing Association SCIRA. The scenic sandy beaches of Yyteri served as a beautiful backdrop to the Snipe European Championships this year for the second time, the first one being in 2006.

The second time Snipe European Champions, Spanish brothers Gustavo and Rafael del Castillo Palop were in total control of the regatta winning half of the races. The 'Spanish Armada', Europe's biggest Snipe fleet, covered top five positions.

The next European Championship will be held in Split, Croatia, in 2020.

Final top ten:
1. Gustavo del Castillo Palop / Rafael del Castillo Palop, ESP, 16 points
2. Jordi Triay Pons / Arturo Barranco Salamanca, ESP, 27
3. Victor Perez / Dries Crombre, ESP, 33
4. Jose M. Guerrero Macias / Pablo Martínez Iribarne, ESP, 33
5. Juan Cajade / Alexandre Tinoco, ESP, 41
6. Yannick Laumans / Dirk De Bock, BEL, 42
7. Manu Hens / Maj Kristin Hansen Borgen, BEL, 58
8. Paolo Lambertenghi / Antonio Bari, ITA, 59
9. Karl Otto Book / Maren Magda Book, NOR, 74
10. Juan Deben Tíscar / Jose Ramon Pardo Galdo, ESP, 79

Full results: www.regattanetwork.com

www.snipeeuropeans.org

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month

Last month's winner:

Carolijn Brouwer (NED)
'Carolijn exceeded my expectations in Dongfeng, she was more than just a crew, a mentor, a role model, I am so happy she was in our team!' - Bruno Dubois; 'The best sailor and the sweetest human being I know' - Marie Cerbelle; 'She is the best, in Moths to Maxis' - Stacey Jackson; 'The most incredibly goal-focused woman in sailing' - Esther Kruijver; 'I am in awe of Carolijn!' - Karyn Gojnich; 'There's no one quite like Carolijn!' - Jeroen van Catz; 'Big respect for mother Carolijn!' - Hans Klippus; 'Correction! Carolijn sailed every leg except the motor delivery to China!!!' - Darren Bundock .

This month's nominees:

Karl Kwok (HKG)
Victory at the offshore worlds in The Hague was one of numerous successes for one of the most enthusiastic yacht racers on the planet. Kwok has supported many sailors through their careers and he has also been quick to back a new designer he feels worthy of support. Many established names in the yacht racing industry owe this quiet Hong Kong businessman a great deal. And straight after winning the worlds he rushed to Palma to win IRC1 at Copa del Rey. Irrepressible

Lucy Macgregor (GBR)
Racing in Russia with Annie Lush, Nicky Walsh and her younger sister Kate Macgregor, Lucy Macgregor won her second women's match race world title in a row to add to her first championship win in 2009. And topping up this year's tally was getting through to the final four at the Argo Gold Cup in Bermuda - becoming the first woman skipper ever to do so. Being knocked out in the end by open world champion Torvar Mirsky isn't so bad...

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Henri Lloyd, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!

Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month

View past winners of Sailor of the Month

Classic Boat Museum is flying with wings!
Click on image to enlarge.

The Museum have taken delivery of the the huge solid wing used on a test boat and in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup during the 35th America's Cup from Ben Ainslie. The wing joins the hull which arrived a few months before the opening of the new Museum ' Boat Shed'. This solid wing combined with the huge carbon fibre foils enabled Ben and his team to perfect 'flying' on foils which enabled the team to successfully compete in Bermuda in 2017.

The hull and wing create an interesting and historic story, which will take visitor to the museum back to another era when Saunders - Roe, manufacturers of marine aircraft in East Cowes, built the incredible flying boats of the time. The link between sailing and flying is closer than many may realise both use principles of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to generate lift either in the air or the water. Ben Ainslie's America's Cup catamaran was almost the perfect combination of the two principles whilst not completely leaving the water!

Mark Mc Neill commented, " It has been a fabulous summer for the Museum, we have opened our new 'Boat Shed' on the opposite bank of the Medina river to our East Cowes Gallery and hosted out first party during the Cowes Classic Week. The Boat Shed opening allowed us to take delivery of the final part Ben of Ainslie's test catamaran and the enormous solid wing is now proudly on display in the new Shed. Interesting flying boats are all part of the Cowes heritage and it's over a century since the first Saunders-Roe flying boat was launched from docks in East Cowes"

He added, "I would like to thank Ben's team for their generosity in allowing the museum to continue immortalising the history of the America's Cup in its original home of Cowes" with a special thanks to the shore team for all their help in delivering and assembling the wing with our volunteers". -- Stuart Greenfield

www.classicboatmuseum.com

Sailmaker vacancy
Ullman Sails St. Maarten is a full service loft on the island of St. Maarten (Dutch side) in the Caribbean, offering services that include sail repairs & alterations, new sails & all types of canvas products.

We are currently looking for a qualified sail maker for our upcoming season from November 2018 to May 2019.

The applicant would be responsible for all types of sail repairs & alterations, removing & re-installing sails. The fitting of new sails & U-Stack covers. Experience in canvas work would be a plus.

The successful applicant must-

1) Be a qualified sailmaker capable of high quality repairs & alterations to all types of sails, ranging from board sails to superyachts.:
2) To be able to work independently or as part of a team:
3) Possess a positive attitude.:
4) Ideally be active in racing /cruising.

Employment would be full time for the above dates with the possibility of a longer contract.

Please send resume to:
Rob Gilders,:
Ullman Sails St. Maarten:
Tel. +1 721 544 5231

Blind Match Racing World Championship
The Blind Match Racing World Championships will take place at Rhu Marina, Helensburgh from Monday 3 - Friday 7 September 2018.

The 2018 event marks the first time blind sailing world championships have been held in the UK. The event has attracted the best blind and visually-impaired sailors from Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States of America.

Find out more about the Championship at www.rncyc.com/bmrwc2018 or follow us on Twitter at @rncyc.

Lab or ocean... or both
It's too easy to spend all your time in the lab when developing technical clothing but, as Musto likes to remind its customers, at some point you do also need to get wet. And when Musto says wet, it means very, very wet

The most physically demanding Volvo Ocean Race of recent times has just finished and there are some young (and older) sailors with a new appreciation of just how unyielding the seas can be. The incredible drone footage of the Volvo Ocean 65s piling along through the Southern Ocean and across the Atlantic at recordbreaking speeds has really brought home just how unrelentingly brutal and wet these boats are. Too wet, some would argue, especially when you compare the Volvo Ocean 65 with the sheltered comfort of a cockpit on a modern Imoca 60.

In the absence of much shelter from the one-design Volvo Ocean 65, the next best thing is to make sure you're suitably equipped for the firehosing that you're about to receive as you venture out on deck for your watch. Three of the seven teams in this lastest edition of the Volvo Ocean Race opted for Musto technical clothing, which has been worn by more sailors in the 45-year history of this famous race than that of any other brand.

In 1994, Musto was originally established as one of the most reliable and peer-recommended brands in offshore sailing, yet it was the formation of a partnership with Gore in 1991 that really led to a significant development in the performance of modern offshore garments such as HPX, which was launched in 1994. It should be said that Gore-Tex fabric is by no means unique to Musto. In fact, it's used by many of the world's most trusted outdoor apparel brands as their pinnacle technology for waterproof, windproof and breathable protection.

Full article in the September issue of Seahorse

Ferretti in talks to buy Wally
CEO Alberto Galassi confirms plans to acquire the Monegasque brand

According to Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, the Ferretti Group is in negotiations with Wally to acquire the Monegasque brand of sailing yachts and powerboats founded by Luca Bassani in 1994.

"We have been in negotiations for months," Feretti CEO Alberto Galassi told the paper. "We strongly believe in this acquisition, because the brand is extraordinary and in strong synergy with the other brands of Ferretti Group. But it is a very complicated operation.

"The agreement could be signed by beginning of next year, if all the necessary conditions are reached," he said.

The investment, which according to Il Corriere della Sera amounts to some €25m-€30m, would signal the Ferretti Group's debut in the sailing world - a key move for the Italian company, which is majority owned by China's Weichai Group (Piero Ferrari owns a 13.2% share).

The Ferretti Group has a portfolio of brands encompassing Ferretti, Pershing, Itama, Mochi Craft, Riva, CRN and Custom Line, and a production value of around €623m in 2017.

The news is expected to be officially announced in September at the Cannes Yachting Festival. -- Fulvia Venturi in IBI News

plus.ibinews.com

Featured Brokerage
2015 HH42 Power of Love. Located in Ipswich UK.

This Judel Vrolijk designed HH42 is a little used yacht at a great price, a near sister to current 2017 RORC Class One Champion.

Completed in 2015 but little used and presented in close to new condition this HH42 offers competitive IRC racing. HH42’s have won numerous races inshore and offshore which in 2017 included Class One in the RORC St Malo, Myth of Malham, Cherbourg race and a top 3 in the Fastnet.

Very well built and accurately finished in carbon, equipment includes Harken deck gear, winches and linked pedestal system, carbon spars by Southern, B&G electronics, North sail inventory including 4 additional in 2018.

Ashore Ipswich, UK from June, ready to go, and competitively priced ex vat to sell quickly.

Contact: Sally Morton -

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Contact: Sally Morton

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2012 Swan 53-521 'Puffy'. 1,161,000 EUR. Located in New England, USA.

Puffy is a fantastic example of the Swan 53. It has been specified with only the very best of everything available and has some very tasteful custom touches.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella

Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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1983 J-35 Bengal Magic. 800,000 EUR. Located in Hamble, UK.

Successful IRC Optimised Boat with Proven Track Record. Well maintained. Full set of 3Di’s North Sails, B&G H3000 Instruments. Ready to go winning.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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

The Last Word
The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression. -- H.L. Mencken

Editorial and letter submissions to

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html