In This Issue
• Another sign of the Apocalypse: Mount Gay Rum distillery catches fire
• OC Sport opens international base for offshore sailing campaigns
• Latitude Kinsale 3D Maps at BOOT
• Volvo Irish Sailing Awards
• Tim Magennis of Dun Laoghaire is Honoured By Classic & Traditional Boat Movement
• 2019 Star Europeans and SSL Breeze Grand Slam (Ssl 2500): Registration Is Open
• Launchings
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Thomas Jefferson
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
Another sign of the Apocalypse: Mount Gay Rum distillery catches fire
Fans of Mount Gay Rum may soon be mourning a potential deficit of the spirit after the brand's Barbados distillery caught fire, effectively destroying 150,000 gallons of rum.
On Jan. 16, a portion of Mount Gay Rum's St. Lucy distillery went up in flames just after 2 p.m., The Drinks Business reports. Thirty-five firemen and five trucks from the Barbados Fire Service responded to battle the blaze, Loop News Barbardos reports.
According to the outlet, officials were forced to break through the tank's roof to further release the flames.
No one was injured, but two individuals were hospitalized as a precaution for medical attention, Henderson said.
Later that day, reps for Mount Gay Rum confirmed news of the fire at their "distillery home" and echoed their gratitude that no one was injured.
OC Sport opens international base for offshore sailing campaigns
OC Sport, the international event organiser and rights holder, has opened a new base in Lorient, France. Managed by the company's French subsidiary OC Sport Pen Duick, 'Le HUB by OC Sport' will draw on the company's successful track record in the organisation of major offshore events and team management, to offer a full-service solution for international offshore sailing campaigns.
One of the first to take advantage of the new facilities at Le HUB is 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper Charles Caudrelier, who won the race at the helm of the OC Sport-managed Dongfeng Race Team.
Continuing their successful partnership, Caudrelier will take the helm of the OC Sport Figaro Beneteau 3 for the next two seasons.
Alongside Caudrelier initially will be two alumni of the successful Franco-Chinese Dongfeng Race Team, Fabien Delahaye and Benjamin Schwartz. Both will benefit from the resources and skills available on site, ranging from logistical know-how and technical services through to sponsorship and communications support, for their new Figaro Beneteau 3 campaigns.
OC Sport was founded in 1998 to promote and manage the stellar sailing career of Dame Ellen MacArthur, including her record breaking round the world voyage.
In her wake, Nick Moloney (IMOCA Skandia - 2004), Sebastien Josse (IMOCA BT - 2008), Samantha Davies and Sidney Gavignet (IMOCA ARTEMIS - 2009), have also benefited from the expertise of OC Sport in running their campaigns.
Most recently, the company celebrated its biggest ever team management success with the victory of Dongfeng Race Team in the Volvo Ocean Race, solidifying OC Sport's credentials as industry leading campaign managers.
Owned by the French media conglomerate, the Telegramme Group, OC Sport has the biggest portfolio of offshore sailing events in global sports management. These include four-yearly The Transat, the four-yearly Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the annual Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and the Transat AG2R La Mondiale.
Latitude Kinsale 3D Maps at BOOT
Click on image to enlarge.
In this letter I will preview what will be on display. There will be special prices for the pieces on display at the show so if you are interested then contact me and we can discuss.
There will be a show offer of 10% off all commissions taken at the exhibition.
My stand will be in hall 7 very near the main entrance, stand number 70 D 09 I look forward to meeting you there.
Here is a full list of the piece on display:
Bahrain Island colour 960*760mm (Shown at right)
EMS river estuary classic B&W 1000*930mm
Lake Leman (Geneva)colour 900*650mm
British Virgin Islands colour 1320*680*mm
Wadden Islands classic B&W 1000*930mm
Corfu to Paxos classic B&W 870*780mm
Lefkas Kefalonia classic B&W 870*780mm
Split Brac Hvar classic B&W 990*730mm
Bosporus classic B&W 1190*910mm
St Barts & St Martin ORIGINS
Seychelles ORIGINS
Bermuda ORIGINS
Light Chart Majora & Minorca
Light Chart Ibiza & Formentera
Gold Coast Cap Ferrat
Gold Coast St Tropez to Iles de Hyeres
WENGE Chart Table Bonifacio Strait
Volvo Irish Sailing Awards
Join Irish Sailing for an evening of celebration at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards, taking place on Friday 8 February at the RDS, Dublin when the country's finest sailors are recognised for their achievements.
There are also awards for Training Centre, Senior Instructor, Inclusion, Sustainability and Youth Sailor.
There are limited tickets available – to register please email and you can check out our website page for updates, photos and videos here: https://www.sailing.ie/Events/Awards
Tim Magennis of Dun Laoghaire is Honoured By Classic & Traditional Boat Movement
Tim Magennis, the doyen of the traditional and classic boat movement on Ireland's east coast, and one of the main movers in many significant historic sailing events in Ireland and the Irish Sea, was acclaimed with elevation to Honorary Life Membership of the internationally-represented Old Gaffers Association at its Annual General Meeting in London at the weekend writes W M Nixon.
It was a significant annual occasion from which the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association has returned with three major awards. Led by President John Wedick with Honorary Secretary Mark Sweetnam masterfully presenting the DBOGA case, the Irish contingent came back with Honorary Life Membership for Tim Magennis, plus the Cape Horn Trophy for Seamanship which went to Darryl Hughes for his already and deservedly widely-honoured Round Ireland Race with the gaff-rigged 81-year old ketch Maybird, and the "Grumpy Two" Cups, which went to DBOGA member Paddy Murphy of Renvyle in Galway, and his 16-year-old grandson Conor.
The "Grumpy Two" Cups are for a successful gaff-rigged venture by a senior skipper and a junior crew, and Paddy and Conor were awarded for their success in completing a round Ireland cruise with the restored 1916 Manxy Nobby Aigh Vie. This was a circuit which eventually brought Aigh Vie from the Connemara coast southabout of Ireland to her birthplace of Peel in the Isle of Man in time for the Peel Traditional Boat Festival, then northabout back to the Atlantic and Connemara. It was a major challenge, yet having met them during their circuit cruise, I can assure you that far from being grumpy, Paddy and Conor were notably cheerful in getting on with the task they'd set themselves.
WM Nixon's full story in Afloat:
afloat.ie/sail/
2019 Star Europeans and SSL Breeze Grand Slam (SSL 2500): Registration Is Open
Registration for the 2019 Star European Championship / SSL Breeze Grand Slam in Riva del Garda (SSL 2500), Italy, is open online, and you shouldn't waste time and go to the International Star Class website and sign up for one of the best sailing event of 2019.
The Star Sailors League will organize the regatta together for the first time and the traditional format of the Star Class Silver event will play as qualification round to the thrilling knock-out round of the final day, where the top ten team will start by sailing the quarter final, then the semi and the final during which the first team to cross the line will be crowned 2019 European Champion and winner of the first SSL Breeze Grand Slam, bringing home the biggest share of the 100,000$ prize pot.
The format is the one used by the Star Sailors League in the yearly SSL Finals in December, and previously adopted also in Grandson, Switzerland, for the Lake GS in 2015, then in Hamburg, Germany, for the City Grand in 2016 and this coming Spring for the Breeze Grand Slam. The sailors love it as you can never relax and after the qualification round the top ten teams are playing the game at the same level as no points are carried on.
The program will start on Saturday May the 11th with the opening of the registration in Fraglia Vela Riva, which will go on until Tuesday the 14th at 1pm with the start of the Practice Race.
Racing will begin on Wednesday the 15th at 1pm with the qualification round/all teams races that will resume on Sunday May 19th in the morning with the last scheduled start. Then in the afternoon, the knock-out round will be on from 1pm, with the top 10 teams sailing very close to the shores of Riva del Garda: quarter final, semi final and the final, followed by the Podium Ceremony.
A great number of teams are expected to take part at the 2019 Star Europeans/SSL Breeze Grand Slam, and many VIPs have already confirmed their attendance, one of the reason being that 2,500 SSL points are at stake for the winner of the event, and they could make someone in or out the Star Sailors League Finals in December. Robert Scheidt (BRA), Paul Cayard (USA), Diego Negri (ITA) and many other champions will be on the starting line of the event and among them there could be you, just like it happened to almost 200 sailors in both Grandson and Hamburg, experiencing the excitement of challenging their all-time heroes on the same racecourse!!
To get there well prepared you can join the training sessions organized by the SSL Training Center in Riva del Garda, you can find the schedule here.
Launchings
January 16th marked a key milestone for the Gunboat team, as they rolled the first Gunboat 68 out of the factory to the marina for her first splash and mast stepping on January 17th. Since the brand was acquired by Grand Large Yachting in 2016, the newest Gunboat series was conceptualized, designed and built by Gunboat in just two and a half years – a 16-month build time of 6801 from the first carbon laid on September 15th, 2017.
Before rolling out of the factory, the protective coverings were removed and reveal a first look at the thorough level of design detail. More photos and news will follow during commissioning and sea trials, and her first sailing adventures in 2019.
The Gunboat 68 incorporates generations of owner experience and exciting partnerships to deliver more seaworthiness, luxury and performance, built by an expert team and with the sound financial backing of the Grand Large Yachting parent company. The launch of 68-01 marks the most important milestone yet in building this great new series, the culmination of two and a half years of work and investment into the latest Gunboat, honoring the DNA of the brand while integrating proven industry technologies and the Gunboat community's 16+ years of experience and preferences.
For more detailed information, including specification and pricing, contact the Gunboat sales team: .
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The new Hylas H48 made her world premiere at the Newport International Boat Show and the US Sailboat Show - Annapolis Designed in collaboration with Dixon Yacht Design to achieve a mix of comfort, style and utility in a blue water cruising yacht under 50 feet LOA.
Hylas Yachts is proud to introduce the H48 to sailors around the world, and to enhance and continue its legendary reputation for building offshore performance cruising yachts that appeal to blue water sailors. Hylas worked with designer Bill Dixon of Dixon Yacht Design to achieve this mix of comfort, style, and utility in a semi-customblue water cruising yacht under 50 feet LOA.
Designed to appeal to couples and families who wish to answer the siren call of true offshore sailing or to give accomplished yachtsmen a way to upgrade their experience, the new H48 offers a spacious and comfortable evolution fromHylas's legacy models while taking sailing simplicity to a new level.
Dixon's design stays true to the builder's mission to create semi-customocean-ready cruising boats with a focus on simple sailing and interior comfort. "The H48 uses some elements from the proven quiver of Hylas attributes, including true oceangoing capability, the center cockpit, the large windows, and the swim platform," Dixon says. "But this model changes the flow on board, whether the owners and guests are moving about the spacious decks or relaxing together in the bright saloon, making the most of the onboard volume while factoring in the need for human-size spaces." Hylas Yachts and Dixon also worked together on the recently introduced design for the new H57 of which a number have already been sold off-plan.
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Neo Yachts & Composites is proud to presents is new born 350 IRC ORCi fast cruiser.
Neo 350 is a fast light cruiser / racer designed and built with a special eye to the latest ORCì rules to be the largest yacht ( gph) of the C group with attention of not paying extra penalties under IRC as well. The yacht may have an ORC or IRC dedicated keel and rudder configuration.
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J/Boats and J/Composites are pleased to announce the new J/99, a 9.9 meter (32.6') 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."
Letters To The Editor -
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 Paul Henderson:
To Concerned Sailors:
Now that I have been told by the World Sailing Executive Staff resident at Paddington Station that I have no status whatsoever, although I finished 3rd in Shark Int. Class World's last year EH!, let me relate for their edification the history of IYRU/ISAF/World Sailing and my fixation on communicating openly and transparently by E-Mail and the Internet.
I got elected in November 1994 as President of ISAF.
Within a few weeks I got a telephone call from Bernie Stegmeier, IBM Suisse President SYA. Bernie is his usual convincing way demanded ISAF get into the new exploding Internet. Not wanting to go against Bernie I told Arve to explore it.
Arve got quotes from UK Geeks and the cost was to be about 1million pounds and since ISAF was out of money (sound familiar) I reneged.
Bernie kept after me and by my usual luck I ran into Peter Harken who said that they had found a really good Geek in Ithaca New York who would do it really well at a good price.
I phoned David McCreary and what a character and good friend.
McCreary said he would do it for $50,000.00 US and got us sailing.org.
We had an Executive meeting in San Fran and Bernie and McCreary presented the concept to the Executive.
They turned it down but Bernie was adamant so I personally paid McCreary.
Bernie and I for 2 years edited each morning McCreary's editorials.
Then due to another lucky break I met Paul Pascoe another IBM Geek, Hobie 16 sailor, and got him to look at the website for Savannah 96 which he found was a disaster and wrote his own program for Sailing. McCreary and Pascoe took over all the Sailing Internet services in Savannah working out of the IBM trailers washroom.
Bob Fisher and the media gang complained bitterly about not having internet input in their tent so Pascoe at the exorbitant cost of only $600 US solved the whole problem with two modems. The second day of Atlanta 96 the whole IBM Olympic Internet feed collapsed.
Only Sailing's feed worked thanks to Pascoe and McCreary.
By the way ISAF never paid me back for what was paid to start this so I feel I have the complete right to communicate this way even though World Sailing has relegated me to a lowly competitive sailor. "If you do not respect history you are bound to repeat it" A Nony Mouse"
Happy New Year!
Paul Henderson OLY
Unrequited World Sailing Life Member (Paid for that designation also)
Featured Brokerage
The Swan 601 is a high performance racer cruiser that is as competitive today as when the first boats were launched in 2004.
See listing details in Nautors Swan Brokerage
Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com
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The Donovan 26 OD is an evolution of the successful GP26 built by Wrace Boats
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Tink Chambers
Stagg Yachts
+1.410.268.1001
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Superb example of the legendary Shipman 63 in Ferrari red with push button virtually everything. Constructed in carbon and glass fibre - she comes with an epic gimballed saloon, drop keel and of course sails like a rocket. Professionally maintained and looking 110% after a recent refresh of both yacht and systems.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. -- Thomas Jefferson
Editorial and letter submissions to
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