Scuttlebutt Europe #2267 - 21 January
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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 Down To The Wire At Key West
Take for instance Jim Richardson and his team aboard Barking Mad, which would appear to hold a comfortable nine-point lead in Farr 30 class. Standing on the dock sipping a mudslide, Richardson swore he wasn't counting his chickens before they are hatched. Barking Mad posted a solid score line of 2-1 in two races on Thursday and has a cumulative total of 11 points. Turbo Duck, sailed by the father-son team of Bodo and Nick Von der Wense, stands second with 20 points after posting a line of 2-1-2 in the last three starts. Things are much closer in several of the other professional-laden classes. A mere two points separate Warpath and Goombay Smash in Melges 32 after the discard was factored in following six races. Skipper Steve Howe (Portland, Ore.) and the Warpath team have 24 points, two better than William Douglass (Stamford, Conn.) and the Goombay Smash squad. Leenabarca, skippered by Alex Jackson (Riverside, Conn.) is just three points out of first place. Things tightened up considerably in the Mini Maxi class on Thursday as Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla.) and the Titan team posted two good results to put pressure on Dan Meyers (Boston, Mass.) and Numbers boys. Titan, a Reichel-Pugh 72-footer that Koch is chartering for the week, placed third in Race 6 and second in Race 7. Numbers, a Judel/Vrolijk 66, finished fourth in Race 7 and now is just one point ahead of Titan. It's a very similar scenario in IRC 1 class, which consists of five 52-footers. Anema & Core, a JV 52 skippered by Ennio Staffini of Annapolis, Md., reeled off four straight bullets to take charge. However, Canadian skipper Richard Oland has kept pace with the Southern Cross 52 Vela Veloce and is just two points astern of the leader. There was a three-way tie for first place in the RC44 class after Thursday's initial race. Russell Coutts and the Oracle crew got the gun in Race 6 to briefly take the lead. However, the standings shook out a bit after Race 7 with Team Aqua using a second place result to retake the lead by one point over Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato, Italy). Blu Moon, skippered by Franco Rossini of Switzerland, took over the lead in Melges 24 class after dropping a ninth sustained in Race 3. Helmsman Flavio Favini steered Blu Moon to results of fourth and second on Thursday and the two-time Key West champions enter Friday with a seven-point lead over UKA UKA Racing, which was forced to drop a 10th endured in Race 7. -- Bill Wagner Pit Lane To Slip Lane Still in pole position, Estrella Damm lead the fleet south, having escaped from the light winds in the small hours of this morning. Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes (ESP) are no doubt getting accustomed to looking in the rear-view mirror. After a sustained period of compression in the windless zone, which saw the leaders parked solid as the chasing pack reduced their lead, to within 30 miles for second-placed Groupe Bel this morning, the Spaniards must now watch for Michel Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart's rise up the rankings. Foncia this afternoon is second, placed fewer than 20 miles from the leader. In real terms the boats may be more than 500 miles apart, but Foncia and Virbac Paprec 3's diversion to South America has seen them re-enter the race track with a clear lane, heading south-east at speed. The 'laughing cow' team on Groupe Bel remain on Estrella Damm's tail, and have in fact continued to gained ground in the newly re-established breeze, now in third place. Virbac Paprec 3 now lie in fourth place, one ahead of Mirabaud. MAPFRE, who have taken a directly southerly line between the westerly duo and the main group, are currently in sixth place but at 18 knots is matching Virbac Paprec's speed and just a shade under Foncia's 18.7 knots during the past hour, sailing in similar north-easterlies. Wouter Verbraak (NED) on Hugo Boss commented today: "The next five days are looking pretty tricky, the St Helena high is pretty erratic in its movement so the weather models are not very much in line in what they think about the future. Short-term we are finally going into the transition that the other guys have been fighting for the last couple of days, and this afternoon we should be back in good winds so we're looking forward to that." Standings at Thursday 20 January at 1400hrs UTC Camet Code Zip Performance Shirt For more information please see AC45 Ticks All The Boxes
It was very hard, or impossible to find fault with the AC45, which turned in a remarkable performance by any standard and particularly for a multihull. She exhibited excellent speed up and downwind - hitting 13-16kts upwind and 27-30kts downwind. The sailing angles were very good - comparable with a keelboat, maybe not up at the angles of an AC Version 5 - noted for their closewindedness. Handling was an absolute dream - even some quite radical maneuvers such a several 'S' bend bearaways at speed from an on the wind course, there was no tendency to bury a bow, and she stayed almost level throughout. Tacking was unbelievable - far quicker than a monohull - even an AC class yacht - and more akin to a very well sailed foiling moth - which does not put her hull in the water during a tack. The AC45 put both hulls in the water for maybe a second as she went through the eye of the wind, and then she was back flying a hull again on the new tack. -- Richard Gladwell Full article and videos at: www.sail-world.com Stamm Eyes The 2012 Vendee Globe The Vendee Globe media team interviews Stamm: How far advanced is the construction of your new boat at the start of this new year? Bernard Stamm: "The boat is really taking shape. All of the parts, or almost, have been made in Switzerland at the Decision yard. So we're now into the assembly phase, where all the bits come together. She is due to be launched in March after a construction period lasting thirteen months. In collaboration with the team at the yard, Jean Le Huerou-Kerisel, the project's technical director has left nothing to chance in order to ensure that everything was just right. Every little piece has been weighed, examined and checked over. From experience, we know that it is never good to rush this phase and that has been one of the guiding principles for us in this project: we have given ourselves the time to do things properly. That is why we are counting on Swiss precision. That explains why the programme we drew up included me sailing in the Figaro class in 2010 and in a Class40 boat in the Route du Rhum, rather than rushing things to be there at the helm of the new 60-foot boat." What led you to choose Juan Kouyoumdjian for the design? B.S: "I know Juan well and I like the way he looks at things and his attitude to the design work. On top of that, he offers a different way of looking at these boats in the framework of the new rules. Without wishing to forget all our past experience, this means we can examine the problem in its entirety and get a different overall perspective. This is a real effort from a number of teams: mine, the lads at the yard, which is a supplier as well as being a partner and then the designers at Juan Yacht Design." In what way is this boat innovative? B.S.: "The boat conforms to IMOCA class rules. At first sight, she therefore looks like many of the other 60-foot boats that we see today. In terms of performance, her light weight and reliability, she is nonetheless innovative to the extent that we tackled all the questions concerning her design and construction with the aim of getting the best possible. To avoid damage happening as much as we can, there will be a lot of sensors on board keeping an eye on the structure. Of course, there are also some differences that I can't reveal!" Audi King Of The Docklands
Fourteen crews planning an assault on the 2011 SB3 World Championship put on a show worth watching as they went through their paces in the "Skins" style competition aboard the three to four person SB3 keelboat class. The final race finished after 6.00pm with Outteridge defeating a crew skippered by multiple world champion sailor Glenn Bourke (NSW) and reigning Australian champion Jono Shelley from the United Kingdom. It was a big win that increased as the race wore on. Bourke looked to be top dog throughout the day, with Outteridge not showing his true colours until late. "I guess you could say that, but we've still got tomorrow to go," said Outteridge who just last week won his third world title when he won the Moth Worlds to add to his two 49er Worlds wins. Bourke also feels confident, despite not having seriously raced any type of boat for three years. "I gybed off in the last race and we were punished for it," the former three-time Laser world champion and America's Cup sailor said. "I feel confident about tomorrow - it could be the old fox beating the young hen yet. One penalty, a bad start, sloppy crew work, a bit of bad luck - or good luck - could change the game. I hope it's shifty, because you get chances to make a comeback," Bourke added. The three will now face-off tomorrow, taking the points they earned today with them. Outteridge is on 1400, Bourke on 1300 and Shelley on 1200, giving Outteridge the upper hand. The competition finishes tomorrow afternoon with the finals. The lucky winner will spend 12 months behind the wheel of the brand new Audi A1. -- Di Pearson ISAF Youth Worlds - Equipment Reservation Deadline Approaching As detailed in the Notice of Race, published on 1 December 2010, equipment reservations received after the deadline may not be guaranteed a place at the regatta. All MNAs in good standing with ISAF may enter one crew per event and every competitor must be a national of the country which is entering him or her. Documents here - www.isafyouthworlds.com ISAF Athlete Participation Programme (APP) MNAs are also reminded to submit their applications for sailors who would like to join the Athlete Participation Programme (APP). Applications must be received by the ISAF Secretariat not later than 16 February 2011. For more information visit www.isafyouthworlds.com/news/34882.php About the ISAF Youth Worlds The ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship is open to competitors aged under 19 in the year of the championship (i.e. for Croatia, under 19 on 31 December 2011) in the events and equipment listed below (all supplied). Simply getting to the championship is a major achievement for most as entry is limited to one boat per nation, per event, meaning sailors first having to win through their national qualification series. 2011 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship Events Artemis Imoca 60 For Sale
The boat is for sale with an extensive inventory providing the new owner with a full meticulously maintained IMOCA 60 to campaign with a package including a significant sail and spares inventory. Ready to get back into the IMOCA circuit or for an adventurous owner to take on the IRC classic races. Currently out of the water in Southampton, ready for any inspection. Contact Charles Darbyshire for more details +44 7768 982233 Short Tacks ---------------------------------------------- Boat International Media's senior editors have whittled down over 100 nominations to an outstanding list of 62 finalists for the World Super Yacht Awards who are in contention to receive a coveted Neptune Trophy. An independent jury comprised of 14 superyacht owners will meet in March at Porto Montenegro, located at Tivat in the picturesque Bay of Kotor, to decide which yachts will receive a prized Neptune Award in 2011. The results will remain secret until the winners are announced during a glittering gala evening at London's Guildhall on Saturday 7th May 2011, where our host for the evening will be Natasha Kaplinksy. worldsuperyachtawards.com/2011-finalists/ ---------------------------------------------- The developer and publisher of branded social games, UnitedGames, will provide the online virtual race throughout the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR). The Amsterdam-based company serves 100 million players worldwide and is a market leader in online gaming with a powerful portfolio within the online sailing community. The GOR game will apply Class40 performance polars combined with outstandingly accurate weather data supplied by GOR Race Partner, PredictWind. The virtual GOR will include all the scoring gates, waypoints and ice limits of the on-the-water GOR enhancing the tactical elements of online sailing. Click on image to enlarge. In addition to the web client, UnitedGames will make the virtual race available on iPhone, iPad and Android-based smartphones enabling player-access to their game 24/7. To provide players with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the game-controls and the behaviour of the boats, a trial virtual GOR race of around 1,000 miles will be launched shortly before the GOR's start in Palma, Mallorca, on the 25th of September this year. -- globaloceanrace.com ---------------------------------------------- Udo Schutz, founder of Schutz GmbH & Co. KGaA and pioneer of honeycomb technologies prevalent in aircraft industries, kicks off the construction of a brand new boat. The new CONTAINER, one of the successors to the legendary yachts of the eighties and nineties of the same name and direct successor of the latest Mini Maxi sailing in that division the last two years, will be a TP52 and is under construction at Green Marine Ltd., UK. Only 4 months construction time will allow the boat to be ready in time for the start of the 2011 Audi MedCup season. The TP52 class high-tech boat will again be built by using Schütz state-of-the-art honeycomb technology (CORMASTER). Like her sistership RAN (GBR), CONTAINER's naval architect is the team of experts from Judel-Vrolijk design. ---------------------------------------------- Sunsail will team up with The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust in 2011 by providing three yachts to take young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia sailing. The charter behemoth has purchased 42 Beneteau First 40s for this season and the trust will use them throughout the summer holidays to run four-day trips in the Solent for youngsters. Cheryl Powell, Sunsail's chief operating officer, said: 'Sunsail are proud to be working with The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and to be able to help the trust enrich the lives of young people, who have been through so much. 'Not only is it good to be able to give something back, but it is a real pleasure to be able to introduce young people into a sport that we at Sunsail are so passionate about.' Yachting Monthly: www.yachtingmonthly.com David Robinson Ms Hughes managed to activate a safety airbag and was dug out by the couple's ski guide, Wayne Watson, but Mr Robinson died in hospital on Monday. While Ms Hughes had been able to deploy a safety airbag, Mr Robinson had not set his off. He was trapped in the snow for 20 minutes. The pair had been skiing off piste in Val d'Isère when the avalanche hit. Mr Robinson was airlifted to hospital in Grenoble, but died the following day with his wife by his side. Mr Robinsons originally set up Team Sails, but then became MD of Sobstad, a position he held until he retired. www.boatingbusiness.com/news101/david-robinson-killed-in-skiing-accident Letters To The Editor - * From Owen Sharpe: I'm more excited about the AC 45 on Auckland harbour than I have been for a long time. I've missed it twice at the Viaduct so far but am going again tomorrow morning. I'm a stalker. Looks absolutely stunning to me on the pics and the vid and moves through the water so easily with just a light breeze. Featured Brokerage "Papalapap" is in good conditions and is well maintained. The owner wants to sell because of time constraints. Brokerage through Moosbrugger Yachts: www.yachtworld.com/moosbrugger-yachts/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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