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In This Issue
2019 D-Marin ORC World Championship Open For Entries
Hydra happy in Grenada
Video Interview: Henrik Bergesen, Owner of Hydra Class40
Be part of Antigua Sailing Week
18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 3
Sovereigns Cup
Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Smith Storms To Gale Force Victory At The Datchet Flyer
A Fifth Challenger?
What's New In The 2019 Tour Voile
Letters to the Editor
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Greta Garbo

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

2019 D-Marin ORC World Championship Open For Entries
Sibenik, Croatia: In June 2019 Sailing Club Val, D-Marin Mandalina and the City of Sibenik will host the 2019 D-Marin ORC World Championship, which will attract around 150 sailboats and 1,000 sailors from all over the world to participate in this prestigious regatta. This will be the greatest sporting event ever held in Sibenik.

The official regatta program will start on May 31st with sailboat measurements, while the opening of regatta will take place on Sunday, June 2nd in the Old Town of Sibenik. Except in D-Marin Mandalina, the sailing boats will also be berthed on beautiful Sibenik waterfront promenade, so locals and their guests will be able to see them from up close. The regatta will last for six days and will be divided in one long and one short offshore navigational races with the remainder of the program being buoy racing on two course areas.

Along with Sailing Club Val, the marina D-Marin Mandalina has hosted many other high-level international regattas including the 52SuperSeries, the Croatian ORC D-Marin Cup, and various Farr 40, Melges 24 and Melges 32 Class events.

Entries are now open at www.orcworlds2019.com

Hydra happy in Grenada
Henrik Bergesen's Norwegian Class40 Hydra, skippered by Tristan Kinloch, finished the RORC Transatlantic Race at 22:02:23 UTC on Sunday, 09 December in an elapsed time of 15 days 10 hrs 2 mins 23 secs. Hydra was runner-up in the Class40 Division to Catherine Pourre's Earendil. Early in the race, Hydra was very much in contention for the class win until a rudder problem forced the team to make a pit stop in the Cape Verde Islands.

Stephane Bry's Class40 Sirius is expected to be the next boat to finish the RORC Transatlantic Race. As Hydra crossed the finish line, Sirius had approximately 200 miles to go and was expected to be in Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina on Monday evening, 10 December.

Trevor Middleton's British Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep was less than 400 miles from the finish and spoke with the RORC media team on Sunday 09 December at 1800 UTC. "We have about 48 hours to go. All is well on board and we are making good progress," commented Middleton. "This has been a cracking race with lots of great sailing," added Black Sheep's skipper, Jake Carter. "The crew have worked really, really hard and we are looking forward to celebrating when we arrive in Grenada."

Arto Linnervuo, skipper of Finnish Xp-44 Xtra-Staerk spoke by Satellite phone 380 miles from the finish."We are all fine on board," confirmed Arto. "We have about 17 knots of wind from the east and we are going well. We have plenty of food and water to give us the energy for the last miles. We have had a few small problems in the last few days so we have had decided to be conservative, but we are making good speed. It looks like we will finish at about sunset on Tuesday 11 December as long as the conditions are steady. We would like to congratulate everyone in the race. All of us have shared a fantastic experience and it couldn't have been better. We hope everyone has enjoyed the race as much as we have."

Benedikt Clauberg, owner of Swiss First 47.7 Kali spoke by satellite phone on Sunday 10 December, 670 miles from Grenada. "All is well on board Kali but last night we saw a rocket flair and turned around to investigate under engine, but we didn't find anything. We returned back to our original position and started sailing again. We are having great fun; it's all downwind with the spinnaker up. Everybody is safe and the sailing is brilliant!"

Race Results

Tracking

Video Interview: Henrik Bergesen, Owner of Hydra Class40
Henrik Bergesen's Norwegian Class40 Hydra, skippered by Tristan Kinloch, finished the RORC Transatlantic Race at 22:02:23 UTC on Sunday, 09 December in an elapsed time of 15 days 10 hrs 2 mins 23 secs. Hydra was runner-up in the Class40 Division to Catherine Pourre's Class40 Earendil. Early in the race, Hydra was very much in contention for the class win until a rudder problem forced the team to make a pit stop in the Cape Verde Islands.

Full story: rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Be part of Antigua Sailing Week 2019! 27th April - 3rd May 2019.
As summer draws to a close, what better time to start planning for #ASW52!

Join 1200 crew from 30 countries, and be part of the 52nd edition of Antigua Sailing Week. Registration is open! #RaceChaseCelebrate

www.sailingweek.com

18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 3
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The Asko Appliances crew of James Dorron, Harry Bethwaite and Karl Langford came from a seemingly hopeless position to win an incredible Race 3 of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

In a race which saw two leaders capsize while in a race-winning position, Asko Appliances grabbed the lead just 200 metres from the finish line to produce the dramatic 33s victory.

Sean Langman, Ed Powys and Nathan Edwards took the lead, in Noakesailing, witrh one lap of the North-East course still to sail and looked to have the race won before they capsized at the final wing mark.

The Noakesailing team recovered quickly but lost the lead as Asko Appliances powered home on the spinnaker run between Shark Island and the Clark Island finish line off Double Bay.

Smeg (Michael Coxon, Ricky Bridge, Mike McKensey) took an early lead and opened up a break of more than 1m30s at the second windward mark, but the skiff capsized when it hit a wave, and nose dived as the team approached the bottom mark, which left Noakesailing in the lead.

Despite losing several minutes in the capsize, the Smeg team recovered brilliantly to finish in third place, just 21s behind Noakesailing.

Next Friday the Australian 18 Footers League will conduct the inaugural 'Supercup' race, which will feature former class champions. The club will have a spectator ferry leaving Double Bay Wharf at 4.30pm to follow the racing, which starts at 5pm.

Next Sunday is Race 4 of the NSW Championship. -- Frank Quealey

Live streaming of each race is available on 18FootersTV

www.18footers.com

Sovereigns Cup
The Notice of Race for the 2019 Sovereigns Cup in Kinsale Yacht Club has been published and entries are now being taken online at http://www.sovereignscup.com

As well as the IRC and Echo classes there will also be a Coastal Fleet and White Sail (Non-Spinnaker) classes. The 2019 event will include a dedicated one design race area hosting the 1720 European Championships & Dragon Irish Nationals. Early Bird entry assures you of the best value and is available until 15th February. Proudly sponsored by O'Leary Life the event will provide for very competitive racing at all levels.

The magic of Kinsale, a Fabulous Sailing location, Gourmet food, Accommodation, Fun and Entertainment for all of the family. Known as The Cruising Hub of Ireland and on the Cool Route, take advantage of the event: a stepping stone to cruise the scenic SW coast of Ireland, the starting point to the Wilde Atlantic Way.

www.sovereignscup.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse magazine

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." -- Rick Blaine in Casablanca

A memorable line from an unfogettable film... and an iconic bar. What makes one particular bar stand out in one's mind? The people, the ambiance (or the glorious absence of any), and ... the drinks.

Here's one of your humble narrator's favourites, for it combines two of his most cherished stimulants, working in opposition and in tandem. The Expresso Martini.

The Espresso Martini has a relatively short history with the drink believed to have been first created in the early eighties by London bartender Dick Bradsel. According to Dick, a famous model entered the Soho Brasserie where he was working, and asked him to create a drink that would "wake me up".

1oz Wight Vodka
1oz Espresso
1/2 oz Coffee Liquer

Definititely shaken, not stirred. Drain into a martini glass and garnish with a few coffee beans (grated dark chocolate sometime substitutes)

More about Dick Bradsel

Have a few... and then put pen to paper, as it were, and tell us YOUR favorite bar.

scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

wightvodka.com
latitudekinsale.com

Smith Storms To Gale Force Victory At The Datchet Flyer
Richard Smith 'kiddy rigged' his way to victory at the Datchet Flyer as he expertly navigated his way through 30-plus knot gusts in the second round of the Selden SailJuice Winter Series.

It's been a while since a high-wind event in the Winter Series, but anyone praying for some breeze to stretch their legs perhaps got more than they bargained for at the reservoir beneath Heathrow Airport's flight path. On Saturday, three back-to-back handicap races saw a high rate of attrition in the 83-boat mixed handicap fleet. The 420s revelled in the strong winds which increased throughout the day, and at the end of the first day it was a 420 1-2-3 on the scoreboard with 10-year-old Harry George crewed by his father James who were leading the way.

Sunday dawned to a slightly less stormy but still very gusty Datchet Water, with the prospect of a single, double-points non-discardable Pursuit Race. Using a split start for the Slow and Fast Handicaps, this gave more race time for the faster boats than a standard pursuit race format. Val Millard planed across the Slow Handicap finish in first place aboard her Challenger trimaran, painted in a colour of red not dissimilar to the legendary Red Baron's Fokker triplane from World War One. "There were a few hairy moments in the gusts," said the 70-year-old competitor. "At one point I had water almost up to my waist, but it was great fun."

In the Fast Handicap Sam Mettam and Tim Saunders just kept ahead of the chasing Contender of Iain Horlock to win their pursuit race. Harry and James George had been vying for the lead until a whomping gust knocked their 420 flat and saw their chances of overall victory sink, but James was elated with their performance all the same. "Harry sailed incredibly and to finish 8th overall, I'm over the moon." At 10 years old, Harry was the youngest competitor with the oldest ranging up to 78 years, racing in 40 classes ranging in speed from the Topper to the International Moth.

Smith won by a single point from Megan Ferguson and Ellie Driver who sailed a superb series in their 420, who in turn finished just a point ahead of Alistair Goodwin in a Laser.

A total of 39 boats has competed in the first two events of the season, and after Draycote and Datchet it's the defending champion Alistair Goodwin who takes the top spot. Up to second and third overall are two other former winners of the Series, Tom Gillard in his Solo and Peter Gray and his crew in the three-man National 18.

Round 3 of the Series, the Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey is already booked up and running a waiting list. Round 4 follows soon afterwards, with the Grafham Grand Prix still taking entries for 30 December.

www.sailjuiceseries.com

A Fifth Challenger?
The fifth challenger in the 36th America's Cup in Auckland is thought to be US21 and the Long Beach Yacht Club - a second American challenge for an event looking as if it will be much beefier than many thought, with six challenges a possibility and a slim chance of seven.

Make no mistake - though the new entries received recently by Emirates Team New Zealand are "late" challenges for the 2021 event, the conditions of entry (including US$4m of fees and performance bonds by the end of December) and the need to catch up on a difficult boat design mean these are no lightweight, funsy, let's-go-for-the-hell-of-it challenges.

US$4m up front is, even for billionaires, not chump change and represents a pretty firm commitment - though it may be some teams will seek an instalment plan to help with the financial burden.

US21, now challenging through the Long Beach Yacht Club from California, are said to be the other syndicate accepted by ETNZ; they are headed by hot US match racer Taylor Canfield.

So that's five challengers: Italy's Luna Rossa (the challenger of record, COR), INEOS Team UK (Sir Ben Ainslie's mob this time round), American Magic and the New York Yacht Club plus Malta Altus (Altus being the real estate company behind the challenge).

The six other conditional late entries still in front of ETNZ need to have certain requests granted before they can join the hunt - and those conditions also must be ratified by Luna Rossa as COR.

So it will be a little while yet - maybe the new year or after - before we know the identity of confirmed challengers for the 36th America's Cup. However, the volume of bar-room gossip/sailor speculation is rising, pointing to some possibly left-field entries. -- Paul Lewis

www.nzherald.co.nz

What's New In The 2019 Tour Voile
2019 marks the return of territorial identifications, one of the major features of the Tour Voile since it was established. Teams will have to bear the name of the town or region to which they are connected on their masts, making it easier for fans to identify and cheer on crews from their regions.

Another highlight is the creation of a mixed classification for teams who field at least one female crew member every day, putting the focus on the feminine talent of the Tour Voile.

2019 Route
Sailors eyeing victory in the 2019 edition will have to prove their endurance, stamina and determination throughout 7 acts and 17 days of racing. Competitors will be thrown into the deep end, starting with a pure nautical regatta that will be held in Dunkirk for the 33rd time in 42 editions. The Tour Voile Base will then head to Normandy for two consecutive acts: Fécamp, in Seine-Maritime, not far from the legendary site of Étretat, and Jullouville, in Manche, within sight of Mont Saint-Michel.

After 2015 and 2017, the Tour Voile will again visit the home town of the Vendée Globe, Sables d'Olonne, before heading to the Mediterranean. The first stop is Port Barcarès, in Occitania, an act that promises wind and sailing in style! Next up is Hyères, which boasts one of the most jaw-dropping roadsteads in the world and will provide a picture-perfect backdrop to the Diam 24 od yachts. Nice will host the seventh and final act for the sixth year in a row. The crowds watching from the Promenade des Anglais will enjoy a pure nautical regatta finish and, on Sunday 21 July, the Super Final, which has played a decisive role in the podium since its inception three years ago and will therefore keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Franck Cammas Is Back
Registration for the 2019 Tour Voile opened on 28 November. About 30 teams are expected to take part in the 42nd edition, including an Omani vessel with Franck Cammas as its skipper. A global icon of sailing, the yachtsman from Aix-en-Provence won the Tour Voile on an M34 in 2013 and finished second in 2015, the first year featuring Diam 24 od yachts. His impressive wins in off-shore (including the Volvo Ocean Race, Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre) and in-shore racing (America's Cup and French Olympic Week) make Franck a textbook example of the elite well-rounded sailors that the Tour Voile celebrates with its unique and tough mixed format.

www.tourvoile.fr

Featured Brokerage
2008 GP42 - SILVA NEO. 275,000 EUR. Located in Hamble, UK.

Extremely competitive 40 ft IRC and ORC contender. Full inventories for both rule and has had extensive refits over the past two years.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222

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2013 Botin 80. 1,550,000 USD. Located in San Diego, CA, USA.

CABRON is now for sale. Formally known as BEAU GESTE, this Botin 80 lacks for nothing. All North sails, B/G wind gear, container FULL of spare gear, she is turn key Call for the massive details

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410 267 9419
410 353 7862

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1995 Yachting Developments S&S Maxi. 320000 EUR. Located Nr.Naples, Italy.

Extensively refitted beautiful boat with great sailing performances combined with easy handling. The yacht was designed by S&S for offshore racing and cruising in IMS Regulation. She had a major stern modification in 1997, new keel 1997, and new carbon rig 1997.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Michele Antonini
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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

The Last Word
I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said 'I want to be let alone!' There is all the difference. -- Greta Garbo

Editorial and letter submissions to

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

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