Scuttlebutt Europe #2219 - 16 November
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Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.com Europe, 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 Russians annd Kiwis Come From Behind at Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai
Their efforts put the Kiwis and Russians second and third respectively in the standings after Day Two but it is James Spithill's American team BMW Oracle Racing that enjoys first place with a perfect 4-0 score. Weather played a role in curtailing racing, forcing the race committee to postpone one match until tomorrow. The start of racing was delayed as the race committee waited for the sea breeze to fill in. One hour before the scheduled start at noon there was barely a breath of wind as the temperature hit 30 deg. C on its way to a forecast high of 32 deg. Racing got under way an hour and a half later in a building northerly breeze. Later in the afternoon a gusty, dusty breeze off the desert heralded an easterly wind shift and briefly postponed competition before racing restarted in 15-knot northeaster. Flight One, Race One, Emirates Team New Zealand def All4One, 00:23 - At the gun, Dean Barker steered the Kiwi team to a perfect start to leeward of the French/German boat, eventually forcing Sebastien Col away. At the weather mark ETNZ led by 12 seconds but had to work hard to hold off the opponents nipping at their heels. Flight One, Race Two, BMW Oracle Racing def Artemis Racing, 00:27 - Artemis tactician Iain Percy called for a pin end start, while Oracle was well up the line as they started together. At the top mark James Spithill had the American boat 17 seconds ahead but they went through the downwind gate side by side. Oracle shredded a spinnaker approaching the leeward gate and Artemis' Cameron Appleton closed, only to be denied an inside overlap protest. Flight Two, Race One, Emirates Team New Zealand def All4One, 00:17 - ETNZ enjoyed an early lead before Col pulled off a close port tack cross half way up the leg. All4One controlled the right and rounded the top mark 10 seconds in front. Closing the leeward mark the Kiwis rolled their opponents and went on to win. Flight Two, Race Two, BMW Oracle Racing def Artemis Racing, 00:37 - Skipper James Spithill wanted the left and grabbed it after taking Cameron Appleton and Artemis out into the spectator fleet in a lively and noisy circling duel. Spithill led back and tacked onto port right at the pin end of the line. When Appleton eventually came back on starboard, the American boat was already 60 metres clear ahead and pulling away. Flight Three, Race One, Synergy Russian Sailing Team def Mascalzone Latino Audi, 01:19 - Aggressive tactics before the start cost Synergy a penalty as Francesco Bruni attempted to hook Gavin Brady's Mascalzone. Brady started at the committee and went right but Bruni got up on his hip and held the Italian boat above the starboard layline to lead at the next two marks. Synergy had a 120-metre edge as the breeze softened on the second beat. A penalty turn put the Russian boat back into contention but Mascalzone rounded the weather mark just three seconds in front. The Italian boat's voyage to victory ended when the spinnaker came off the halyard and went in the water. Provisional Results: * Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires Guillemot Steals Third Into Guadeloupe, Completes IMOCA Podium Converging on the west coast of Guadeloupe after passing just to the east of Montserrat, he sailed round the unfortunate long medium term tenant of third Jean-Pierre Dick whose Virbac-Paprec 3 was moving at less than half the pace than the IMOCA world champion was making. On the dock in Pointe-a-Pitre early this morning, Guillemot recalled his surprise at seeing the blue branded sails of Virbac-Paprec appear on the horizon to his left. When they were just over a mile apart he gybed away because Dick was clearly in a different wind, closer in to the island shore. Safran, the design predecessor of Dick's new VPLP/Verdier design, scarcely missed a click and went on to pass the Basse Terre mark two and a half hours ahead of Dick Guillemot, winner of last autumn's Transat Jacques Vabre race to Costa Rica, paid tribute to both Roland Jourdain and Armel Le Cleac'h who respectively take the top two steps on the podium. But only two days ago Guillemot was back in fifth, behind Vincent Riou (PRB). Indeed on the 0800hrs ranking Sunday he was 28 miles behind Dick, and even when they converged at the Tete a l'Anglais at the top of the NW corner of the island, Guillemot was still some 20 miles behind. The Safran solo skipper once more underlined how close the IMOCA Class is, not only highlighting that the races sailed by Jourdain and Le Cleac'h, but how little mistakes or breakdowns escalate to become significant deficits. In the early part of the race Guillemot was compromised by a problem with the halyard hook on his Solent, and also lost a spinnaker overboard. Disappointed Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) took fourth place, some 2 hours and 46 minutes later. He was clearly upset to have lost out on his podium finish considering that he was in the top three for most of the final 800 miles of the race was in the leading pack throughout and was one of the four skippers to have lead during the race. Dick had serious electrical problems throughout with his battery system suffering regular cut outs which caused serious problems with his pilot at times. He has some work to do on the new boat before the Barcelona World Race which starts 31st December. Vincent Riou finished fifth, 1 hour and 49 minutes later on PRB, also launched this year. The 2004-5 Vendee Globe winner also suffered similar battery and electrical problems, reporting on the dockside that he is running the same system as Dick. * Lionel Lemonchois duly completed the second measure of a pair of Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010 doubles, today when he triumphed on a second consecutive edition of the race. In 2006 Lemonchois smashed the course record by four days, winning on Gitana 11 in 7 days 17 hours 19 hours 6 seconds, just under half the time that it took on this very different but courageous race on Prince de Bretagne. While leading the race Lemonchois came very close to giving up his challenge when the lashing which hold the mainsail to the headboard car failed. Three days in from the start his mainsail fell to the deck with the halyard left at the top of the mast. Unable to retrieve late in the evening he had already turned back for Spain. But, driven as much by his desire to win, the passion of his sponsors - a huge collective of Breton farmers who combine to form France's biggest organic vegetables producer - and memories of the six months of hard labour he had put into repairing and refitting Prince de Bretagne, in a three hour operation Lemonchois scaled the mast and effected the necessary fix. Battered, bruised but unbowed after recovering from his considerale exertions he set the Cabaret/Irens design back on course he gave chase. Lemonchois was 483 miles behind the leading Multi 50, Franck-Yves Esoffier (Crepes Whaou!).at midday on Sunday 7th Novmeber. That afternoon and evening first Crepes Whaou! suffered damage, losing part of the bow of her main hull, and then only hours later in the big seas it was Yves le Blevec's new leader Actual which was damaged, cracking a cross beam. Both tried to continue after repairs, but subsequently abandoned, Actual retired only yesterday. Lemonchois stuck to the task, sailing a smart strategy in the light winds and four days later he was 75 miles adrift on leader Lalou Roucayrol (Region Aquitaine - Port Medoc), passing him last Friday. www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com Henri Lloyd to Exhibit Full 2010 Marine Range at METS For 2010, Henri Lloyd has launched a revolutionary innovation aimed at advancing more eco-friendly marine technical apparel, taking the marine industry's first steps to link product development and eco-friendly problem-solving. Henri Lloyd have applied our skills and expertise of innovative design technology to reduce energy consumption and decrease unnecessary waste, by offering the industry's first 'infinite loop' recycling system for marine apparel. For more information on the Blue Eco Jacket and the other new products for 2010, please visit our stand. Henri Lloyd stand - 03.137 Light Airs Frustrate Velux 5 Oceans Fleet Frustration has swept through the fleet, now tantalisingly close to Cape Town. At the last position report at midday UTC second placed Gutek and his Eco 60 yacht Operon Racing were just 560 nautical miles from the line but in the previous 24 hours covered just 121 nautical miles. "Right now I have no wind," the 36-year-old Pole said. "I am sailing very, very slowly. During the last three days I made less distance than I would normally in 24 hours. The longer I sail the slower I go. I keep looking back for the boys, but I don't think they will catch me because they won't have any good wind either." He is right - Canadian Derek Hatfield was today experiencing equally frustrating conditions on Active House, just over 1,000 nautical miles from the finish. The cause of the problems for the ocean racers is the St Helena High, a complicated series of high pressure systems that cover a huge area of the South Atlantic. The latest ETA for Gutek's arrival into Cape Town is Wednesday but unless the wind picks up it could be later. It is likely Derek and Chris arrive during the weekend. Statistics from 12pm UTC position report: Skipper; distance to finish (nm); distance covered in last 24 hours (nm); average speed in last 24 hours (kts) Brad Van Liew: finished Nov 14, 28 days, 1 hour, 51 mins ISAF Olympic Fallout The Star class fully supports the ISAF decision-making process and the eventual outcome. We understand and appreciate many of the challenges ISAF faces in making our sport more attractive to the media and we believe the Star can make unique and valuable contributions in this area. The Class had a strong delegation in Athens to argue the benefits of keelboats as athletic sport boats and their value to media presentation. There are two arguments that seem most compelling. First and foremost, keelboats are where many of the heroes of our sport compete. Star Class champions are among the most recognizable names, and excluding them from Olympic competition is denying the media the established stars of the sport. Second, one of the objectives of the Olympic Commission is to have "diversity of physiques;" yet all of the other boats have very narrow weight ranges. Other than the Finn, all male competitors need to be less than 85 kilos. Over the next several months we'll continue to work closely with ISAF in a positive and constructive manner as we continue to attempt to convince ISAF Council members that keelboats should be represented in the 2016 Olympic Games. Members are also encouraged to contact their Member National Authority (MNA) officials or ISAF Council members to argue the benefits of including keelboats. Regardless of the final outcome of the 2016 Olympic event selection process, we will continue to thrive as a class and move forward. The Star is the premier one-design racing keel boat in the world and for 100 years Star sailors have led the way in advancing the sport of competitive sailing. Our 2010 European Championship set a class attendance record with 140 entrants. We possess more talent, resources, and commitment than ever before in our history. www.starclass.org/artman/publish/article_531.shtml From the Kiteboard Association: We surely made a huge step forward at this years ISAF annual conference with regards to kiteboardings participation in the 2016 Olympic Games, however at the moment there are only 2 medals available for 4 possible board sport event which up till now only allow for a limited number of choices... - both parties could fight it out in a policy of non-cooperation, which may succeed in the short term but may well come back and bite one later ISAF council accepted - probably for the first time - the recommendation of its specialists committee and decided provisionally on a slate of events for the 2016 Olympics. Following the explanations of the Events Committee as well of the Olympic Commission, listing 2 "Board" events for 2016 could mean either the one or the other - or a combination of both. While setting two of the most attractive events against each other still doesnt look very wise in respect of the requirements of the International Olympic Committees Programme Commission, it is now up to us to "make a plan". So what does this actually mean... ? Windsurfing is about to lose its permanent ticket in the Summer Olympic Games The first question that we should ask ourselves is wether we should allow ISAF to pitch the two board sports communities against each other, or if we are able to find a solution that allows both sports to keep its integrity while allowing both participation in the Games. www.internationalkiteboarding.org Sailors Wouldn't Give A PX For Anything Else! At METS this week, MUSTO are displaying a collection of tried and tested foul weather suits, many of which have already been around the world, seen gnarly conditions, and have come back to us in order to develop better products for future generation models. This is how MUSTO has become the most tested, trusted foul weather gear for sailors worldwide. Come along and see us to learn more about or development process or find out about our exciting new collection for 2011. METS, Amsterdam RAI, British Pavilion, stand 03.314 Perth International Regatta
The Perth International Regatta is the formal test event for the Perth 2011 Sailing World Championships in December next year and has attracted 230 boats from 40 nations. Ian Campbell, the Chairman of Perth 2011 and the CEO and Events Director John Longley both expressed their satisfaction with the number of top level competitors at the Perth International Regatta and the high level of excitement among national and international sailors. The Perth International Regatta boasts eight of the 10 Olympic classes and half of the sailors competing are in the top 10 in the world in their events. It is the biggest international class event held in Western Australia and Event Director John Longley estimates that this week's event could bring five million dollars into the local economy. Longley said the phenomenal success of Ben Ainslie and Tom Slingsby put them into "a different class of sailing with their pure athleticism." He encouraged spectators to watch the medal races to be held close into the Fremantle foreshores in Bathers Bay. Improved technology in TV coverage, twitter, and tracking has also expanded spectators' ability to watch or follow the races. Slingsby and Ainslie agreed that the renowned windy and choppy conditions from the Fremantle sea breeze will be a big challenge, especially for Ainslie who said "the sea breeze is nothing like in the UK". Racing gets underway for the Laser, Laser Radial and Finn classes on Tuesday 16 November, with their medal races scheduled for Saturday 20 November. The 470 (Men and Women), 49er and RS:X (Men and Women) begin their regatta on Wednesday 17 November, with medal races scheduled for Sunday 21 November. J Class Solent Regatta A three-day competitive round the cans race Series is planned in and around the Solent on 18-20 July 2012, which can be viewed from the many vantage points along the shore and on the water.This Series will culminate with a prizegiving at the RSYC Clubhouse in Ocean Village, Southampton on Friday 20 July. On Saturday 21 July, the fleet will assemble in the central Solent, again under the flag of the RSYC for the start of the Hundred Guinea Cup - a race around the Isle of Wight over the original course of the America's Cup in 1851. Clockwise and without a time limit, this time it will include the Nab Tower. Peter Armitage,Commodore, Royal Southampton Yacht Club, said: "With strong tides and complex navigational decisions, the 2012 Solent Regatta will be a great challenge to the Captains and crews. RSYC is looking forward to running the racing for the largest J Class fleet ever seen on their 'home waters' of the Solent and planning is already well under way. We also look forward to welcoming everyone at our Ocean Village Clubhouse - which will boast a fully-staffed media centre - and at our Gins Clubhouse on the Beaulieu River." Finding suitable deep-water berthing and appropriate shoreside facilities for such a large fleet is often a challenge. Solent Refit, the new superyacht base on Southampton Water, has been selected as it is ideal and importantly, can berth all the fleet together. For spectators, the yachts can be viewed from the seaward side, together with their many beautiful support vessels. Just 10 J Class yachts were constructed, six in the USA and four in England. There were other designs produced but not built. During this period there were never more than four J yachts racing together. Only three originals survived the Second World War - Shamrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda. They rested and rotted in mud berths, until their rebuild and rebirth as 21st Century racing superyachts. With the formation of the J Class Association (JCA) in 2000, the possibility existed for replicas from history to be built and race again. New yachts have been launched and some are under construction. Most of these projects are expected to be completed by 2012, creating a fleet of the biggest, finest racing yachts the world has ever seen. Rainbow is expected to launch in 2011 and could line up against Endeavour, repeating the historic races for the America's Cup of 1934. Southampton, Shamrock Quay, the Hamble River, Gosport, Cowes and the Solent all feature prominently in the rich history of this Class. www.jclassyachts.com 
What's Your Ultimate Sailing Adventure? Add Ultimate Sailing Adventures to your Christmas list today or have a peek inside the book and watch the video: Paul and Rachel Chandler Released By Somali Pirates After 388 Days They are now under the protection of local government officials close to Somalia's border with Ethiopia, and are expected to fly to safety in Kenya later on Sunday. Rachel and Paul Chandler meet Somalia's Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed at the Presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu It is understood that a ransom was paid. The Foreign Office could not confirm that, and officials said that they were "investigating" the reports. A spokesman for the Chandlers' family could not immediately be reached. Sources in the Somali town of Adado, 220 miles northwest of Mogadishu, said that Mr and Mrs Chandler were "safe and well" and would be offered food and a shower at the home of the town's governor, Mohamed Aden Tiiceey. The couple, from Tunbridge Wells, was given mobile telephones as soon as they were freed and made calls to their family. It is unclear why discussions were successful at this point, although it is understood that a fresh ransom was offered early last week. The British government has a strict policy of not paying kidnappers, and it is thought that the money was raised from family and friends. -- Mike Pflanz in The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/ Thank You Alan
Thank you Alan from everyone at ISAF* and enjoy spending more time sailing. * And everyone else who's raced offshore in the past few decades. Ours is a safer sport thanks to Alan. Featured Brokerage She was designed and built with the intention of single handed or multiple crew distance cruising in style. We have sailed the boat ourselves and found her to be an absolute doddle to handle - you can be sailing under full canvas in less than 10 minutes and with her excellently thought out rigging systems can be totally controlled by her helmsman without leaving the tiller. You will passage plan at 8 knots and 220 mile days are easily attained. Her build quality appears very good and she has some fantastic design ideas that really make her stand out from the crowd. Constructed in epoxy the maintenance is minimal. Brokerage through Clarke & Carter Interyacht Ltd.: www.yachtworld.com/clarkeandcarter/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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