In This Issue
Figaro: Five In The Frame At Seven Miles To Finish
Racing Cancelled In Porto Cervo
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Bart's Bash
Lusitania Deck Chair At Blasket Islands
Whitfield retains Harken Youth Match Racing title
Ray Davies gets excited about the #AC36 Race courses
Less than a thousand days to go
Industry News
Letters to the Editor
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Winston Churchill
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
Figaro: Five In The Frame At Seven Miles To Finish
At less than eight nautical miles to the finish, the transition zone at the foot of the hills on the turn in to the Ria de Muros Noia has slowed the leaders right down and suddenly leader Sebastien Simon is on the defence. He had slowed to speeds of less than two knots and is closest inshore while Anthony Marchand and Charlie Dalin try to go around the outside. From a lead of over five nautical miles late this afternoon, shared along with his 'shadow' Eric Peron, Simon now has four rivals within one mile and Xavier Macaire has just moved into second. Marchand, Stage 1 winner, is a big threat looking to profit offshore in what may be a steadier breeze. This stage is not over yet. GBR's Alan Roberts is in the mix, tussling over sixth and seventh with Thierry Chabagny
Earlier on Tuesday: Sebastien Simon (Bretagne CMB Performance) is still being shadowed by Eric Peron (Finistere Mer Vent) who is less than 0.3 of a nautical mile behind as the easternmost duo require a second gybe to clear the headlands after La Coruna. Their first gybe back to the west cost them a mile on third placed Pierre Leboucher (Guyot Environnement) and Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) and although they have been quicker than their rivals to their west, it looks certain they will lose more of their four nautical miles or so lead. Latest routings show two different outcomes, Simon winning by less than one minute, or - from the more westerly position, Anthony Marchand (Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire) winning by a similar margin. Under the circumstances that is based on two different models which will struggle to preict the local effects on the last miles in to the finish which is right off the harbour wall up at the RCN Portosin. Certainly Marchand and Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat) - first and second on the first leg - are staking their faith in having the fastest angle, slightly further offshore to get the most undisturbed breeze.
Tracking: www.lasolitaire-urgo.com/en/cartographie
Racing Cancelled In Porto Cervo
Porto Cervo, Italy. 4 September 2018. Unstable weather conditions, with various storm pockets moving around the regatta course, forced the Race Committee led by Peter Craig to abandon today's race shortly after the start.
Racing is postponed until Wednesday in this 29th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup & Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship, with the same schedule as today: windward-leeward races for the Wally Class and a coastal course for the other five divisions. The forecast for Wednesday shows a south-easterly breeze of 7 to 14 knots.
Today's meteorological conditions had been predicted by the forecasting models for several days, however the complexity of the situation and the numerous variables at play meant that various scenarios were possible.
The Race Committee raised the AP flag ashore to postpone racing this morning, signalling to competitors to wait at the dock for further developments. At 1 p.m. the flag was lowered and the start for the first group, the Maxi 72s, was scheduled for 2 p.m. A solid thermal breeze from the south of approximately 12 knots was blowing on the regatta course when, just minutes before starting procedures were about to get underway, a storm moved in from the Bocche di Bonifacio straits, blocking the thermal breeze and leaving the fleet windless.
The Race Committee tried to get starts underway on both the coastal and windward-leeward courses at 4 p.m. with a northerly wind coming from the great black clouds. However shortly after starts were given for the Maxi 72 and Wally Classes, racing had to be cancelled due to a massive shift to the right of over 50 degrees followed by a complete absence of wind.
Seahorse September 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Italian engineering!
Racing at 30 knots round the world or cruising a giant Superyacht in the Mediterannean, Cariboni has long been the trusted partner for innovative and reliable solutions in the complex field of performance hydraulics
Find the time
This year's Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo, Sardinia looks set to become the most popular edition yet of this 'busy' celebration of Swan ownership
RORC news - Rude to say no
Eddie Warden-Owen
Sailor of the Month
Well who would you have picked this month?
Winner
Dongfeng team manager Bruno Dubois sat down with Patrice Carpentier to talk through the story of this year's Volvo Race win
IRC - First among equals
And a first look at the challenges of creating a new look dual-purpose Imoca 60. James Dadd
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Bart's Bash
Founded in 2014, Bart’s Bash honours the life and legacy of British Olympic Gold Medalist and America’s Cup Sailor, Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson. Funds raised through the event enable the charity set up in his name to continue developing young people’s skills and making sailing accessible to all.
All sailing clubs, yacht clubs, schools, universities, scout groups, sea cadets, windsurfing clubs, individuals and any venue globally that is inspired to take part can sign up to take part.
Lusitania Deck Chair At Blasket Islands
Click on image to enlarge.
The folding deck chair was salvaged by the islanders in 1915 following the sinking of the ill-fated liner.
More than 1,198 people died when the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-Boat eight miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in Co Cork on 7 May 1915.
The deck chair, along with some other flotsam from the vessel, was recovered by the islanders shortly afterwards.
The deck chair continued to be used on the island as a fireside armchair until the Great Blasket was evacuated in 1953.
It remained in a shed on the mainland for decades before it was donated to the Blasket Centre by relatives of one of the islanders.
As luck would have it, the deck chair features in an iconic photograph of the islanders as they evacuated the Blasket in 1953.
The deck chair is made of beech and the woven seat is made of rattan, a vine found in the Far East. The deck chair has been carefully restored by master craftsman Pat Broderick.
"The deck chairs on the Lusitania and the Titanic were made by the same company in Liverpool. I was able to save most of the original timber and paintwork, copper screws and hinges. The woven rattan seating had to be replaced as it was rotten. However, I managed to source the same material and the pattern I have woven is identical," Mr Broderick said.
"This chair has seen so much and has a fantastic story to tell. I often wonder about the people who sat on it on the Lusitania. And then on the Blasket itself, can you imagine all the beautiful Irish folktales and songs it heard by the fireside on the Blasket island," he added.
www.rte.ie/news/munster/2018/0829/988306-lusitania/
Whitfield retains Harken Youth Match Racing title
Six teams assembled at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy this weekend to fight it out for the RYA/Eric Twiname trophy at the Harken UK Youth Match Racing Championships.
Teams gathered on the Friday afternoon for some open training to refresh their Elliott 6.5m sailing skills before heading to Portland house for supper and the first briefing and a discussion on the quirks of match racing rules.
With the draw for boats completed on Saturday morning the teams headed out in to Portland Harbour in a gentle easterly breeze with a threat of the sun making an appearance at some point. Racing got underway with some tight battles from the very beginning.
Defending champion Matt Whitfield started to assert his dominance laying down win after win but the rest of the racing was very tight. In one early match between Octavia Owen and Ted Blowers the lead changed on every leg and three times on the final run with Blowers taking the win in the last fifty metres.
By the end of the day and after ten races each, Whitfield was leading the pack undefeated, Joe Burns was in second place having lost both matches to Whitfield and one against Alaric Bates, and Bates finished the round robin in third having lost one more match. Ted Blowers had done enough to secure the remaining semi-final spot.
Sunday promised to be a better day on the water with slightly more wind than Saturday and so the teams eagerly headed afloat, ready for the action. Semi-final one was a head to head between Matt Whitfield and Ted Blowers with Whitfield continuing his undefeated streak. Semi-final two saw Alaric Bates lining up with Joe Burns with Burns coming out on top winning his place in the final 2-0.
In the final Whitfield kept his impeccable score line beating Burns 3-0 but the umpires were kept busy in the battel for third place. Five closely fought races between Ted Blowers and Alaric bates saw Blowers take the final place on the podium 3-2.
Ray Davies gets excited about the #AC36 Race courses
Emirates Team New Zealand's Ray Davies knows about sailing in Auckland better than most. He went for a spectator's view of the close in race courses that will see the revolutionary AC75's flying around the Waitemata Harbour in 2021
Less than a thousand days to go
So 917 days to go until the 36th America's Cup kicks off in Auckland at 1600 local time on 6 March 2021 with most of the early races happening over weekends.
The 'Overture' in Cowes Yacht Haven was more a gathering of the clans, the presentation enlivened by an awesome hologram with the only news being the date and the reveal of the er... logo.
Prada is title sponsor of both AC (so the ghastly 'presented by Prada' moniker) and the challenge selection series. Plus Yanmar has come on board as event sponsor as Grant Dalton put it "having spent so long chasing them around" referring to the Japanese engine maker backing Oracle Team USA in San Fran.
Max Sirena from Luna Rossa talked about their youth program (400 applicants whittled down to 7) and Pirelli coming on board, Terry Hutchinson spoke about the return of the New York Yacht Club, having Dean Barker on board and wouldn't tell me about his the American Magic test boat, Ben Ainslie gave away as little as possible about their T5 test boat, the former Quant 28 fitted with an AC75 foil style package, revealed formally today.
Dalts was on top form. How to win the America's Cup? "Get the right people and feed them a lot of money!" He revealed some information about the courses which will all be off downtown Auckland so that it can be watched from on land (unlike 2003) the high ground are all accessible "provided we talk nicely to the Moaris" Interestingly, racing will start at 1600 daily - best for sea breeze and least bad for international TV audiences.
Industry News
The Yacht Racing Forum is the leading yacht racing industry conference. This year’s event will include a number of new, exciting features and a world class speaker line-up. The conference and exhibition will address the major challenges in the yacht racing world and reassemble the key players from yacht racing event organisers, sponsors, teams, venues, yacht clubs, agencies and sailors.
Seventeen leading sailing brands have already booked a stand. Space is limited; make sure to secure your exhibition space rapidly ! The programme and speakers list are online
Latest speakers confirmed: Charles Caudrelier, Adrienne Cahalan, JB Braun, Merfyn Owen, Emmanuel Bachellerie, Jonathan Duval, Michel Kermarec, Bruno Dubois, Brian Carlin, Thierry Verneuil, Yann Dolo, Herve Favre, Nicolas Henard, Andy Claughton, Joe Hall, Damian Foxall, Jeremy Pochman and many more.
The Yacht Racing Forum 2018 will take place at the heart of the city of Lorient, in the Palais des Congrès.
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Bainbridge Marine has signed to distribute Jotun Leisure Yacht products from September 1 2018.
The deal will see the full range of Jotun Leisure Yacht products stocked by Bainbridge and offered out nationally to its retailers and dealers.
Jim Brickwood, UK business development manager for Jotun Yachting added: “It is exciting to be entering a new phase in the growth of the Jotun Leisure Yacht business, working with Bainbridge to build our presence across the chandlery network in the UK.
“We look forward to working alongside the respected and knowledgeable team at Bainbridge.”
The Jotun product range includes antifouls, varnishes and topcoats.
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Future Fibres is to supply its new AEROrazr rigging to all teams competing in the 36th America’s Cup.
The newly developed aerofoil shaped solid carbon rigging is created especially for elite grand prix racing.
With the America’s Cup using advanced and technically progressive yachts, the selection of AEROrazr acknowledges the commitment Future Fibres has made with its design innovations, said Sam Watson, CEO of Future Fibres and parent company Southern Spars.
“With the introduction of aerofoil profiles to our already successful RAZR rigging product we have taken another significant step in our high-performance rigging offering,” he said.
The AEROrazr rigging is pushing the boundaries of innovation added Martin McElwee, head of Emirates Team New Zealand rigging and will push the AC75s performance to its maximum.
Future Fibres’ solid carbon RAZR rigging was custom designed and supplied to all nine newly built TP52 boats currently competing in the 52 Super Series.
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The Cowes Harbour Landmark Design Competition has been launched to find an inspirational design idea for an iconic “welcome” landmark to be sited on the detached Cowes Breakwater at the mouth of Cowes Harbour on the Isle of Wight.
Organisers Cowes Harbour Commission have created this free-to-enter competition for students across the Isle of Wight aged between 14 and 18 years old. Students are being asked to come up with an exciting design idea for a prominent and striking piece of artwork, sculpture, installation, or architectural fabrication to go on the 350 metre long manmade Cowes Breakwater.
Entries to the competition should be submitted to Cowes Harbour Commission by 1700hrs on Friday, 11th January 2019. An exhibition of the short-listed entries is due to be held in Cowes, prior to an Awards Ceremony in March 2019 where the final winners will be announced. Prizes will include a day trip to the London Design Museum, art materials, and a boat trip around Cowes Harbour. There are plans for the winning design or designs to be re-worked by an art, design or engineering team for a semi-permanent or permanent installation (finance dependent) on the Breakwater in the future.
To find out more, and to download the Cowes Harbour Landmark Design Competition entry documents, please go to: cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/competition
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A new owner for Bavaria Yachtbau looks to be in sight, with reports that a bidder’s binding offer is on the shipyard’s desk with specifics of the sale already having been negotiated.
According to reports in the daily regional newspaper Mainpost last Friday, the offer allows for the continuation and expansion of what was once Germany’s largest series production shipyard.
Bavaria’s cooperation partner is said to be an Italian manufacturer of luxury yachts that wants to expand its product portfolio into a cheaper price segment.
A spokesman for the new investor told the paper that the investor wants to remain anonymous until the contract is finally signed. The purchase price is said to be paid in cash.
The terms of the sale, according to the source, were negotiated on Thursday 30 August. According to the paper, the completion of the sale “only require the final legal examination and the approval of the creditors committee." The contracts are due to be signed this week. The management of Bavaria Yachtbau has neither confirmed nor denied the statement.
It is highly unusual for a potential new owner of a shipyard to present plans to the public before a contract is signed. This is also the opinion of Bavaria’s interim managing director, Tobias Brinkmann, who was appointed in April to sell the shipyard. “However, this shows at least a serious interest in the continuation of the shipyard,” Brinkmann told the Mainpost.
Bavaria told Germany’s float magazine that further information could not be provided at this time. “It remains the case that the sale of Bavaria Yachtbau will take place in September.” It is not known which potential investor is behind the newspaper interview.
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BWA Yachting, is expanding its operations into North Africa by opening a new office in Tunisia.
This is the latest move by BWA Yachting and it adds to their strong presence in the Western Mediterranean, as they already have offices in Spain, France, Monaco, Corsica and Malta.
With its beautiful beaches extending endlessly along the Mediterranean and its guaranteed sunshine, Tunisia is an ideal yachting destination. But in addition to sand, sea and sunshine it has much more to offer: the fertile country in the north, the lonely hill and desert regions, the picturesque towns and charming villages of the interior, and in addition to all this, the traces of a long and eventful past.
Spearheading the operation in Tunisia as operations manager for BWA Yachting is Hatem Mrabet. As a member of the most reputable local shipping agency, he has over 20 years of experience in the nautical and hospitality sectors and is looking forward to exciting times ahead.
BWA Yachting Tunisia’s main office will be at 76, Avenue De La Republique in La Goulette and the agency will cover all the main superyacht marinas such as Hammamet, Bizerte, Sidid Bou Said, Monastir, Tabarka, Gammarth, Sousse and Djerba.
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