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Brought to you by Boats.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 Transatlantic Race 2011: Start 2 Preview Without doubt, tomorrow's start will feature the most diverse battle of the race. The Open Class has just two yachts, but they are two of the showiest yachts in the race. Maltese Falcon, at 289', is the largest yacht competing and is up against the only multihull entered in the race, Phaedo, the Gunboat 66 owned by Lloyd Thornburg (St. Barthelemy). The Lamborghini-orange catamaran and the futuristic Perini Navi will be a spectacular sight as they head off into the Atlantic. In IRC Class Two, Jazz, a Cookson 50, has a star-studded crew including the highly experienced navigator, Mike Broughton (Hamble, U.K.), and skipper, Nigel King (Lymington, U.K.). Unfortunately, due to family commitments, owner Chris Bull is unable to make the trip. Two German teams on nearly identical yachts will also go head-to-head in the class. Christoph Avenarius and Gorm Gondesen's Shakti and Jens Kellinghusen's Varuna should virtually match race across the North Atlantic. IRC Class Three will feature six yachts, including Snow Lion, the Ker 50 owned by former NYYC Commodore Lawrence Huntington (New York, N.Y.). Snow Lion is a proven winner, having won her class in the Newport Bermuda Race, and should be highly competitive on corrected time. There are, however, some real fliers in this class, not the least of which is Zaraffa, the Reichel Pugh 65 owned by Huntington Sheldon (Shelburne, Vt.), whose crew includes several veterans of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo 60 Ambersail, skippered by Simonas Steponavicius (Vilnius, Lithuania), is a much-travelled yacht having logged over 100,000 miles since being purchased in 2008 to celebrate a thousand years of Lithuanian history. After sailing around the world, Ambersail took part in the 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, winning class honors and placing second overall. The youth entry from Germany, Norddeutsche Vermoegen Hamburg, will be helmed by Eike Holst whose third Transatlantic Race will be his first as skipper. And while the majority of the team aboard the Andrews 57 are university students in their 20s, two of the crew are just 18 years old. Open 60 Ourson Rapide, the Finot-Conq 60 owned by Paolo Roasenda (Vedano al Lambro, Italy). This is a special boat that should have a dream-like ride downwind. Scho-ka-kola, named for the German chocolate confection, is a Reichel Pugh 56 owned by Uwe Lebens (Hamburg) that has completed two previous Atlantic crossings. Prodigy, a Simonis/Voog 54, is a proven winner. Owner Chris Frost (Durban, South Africa) took line honors in the 2011 Heineken Cape to Rio Race and will compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race, as well as the Rolex Middle Sea Race, as part of a year-long campaign. Of the 10 crew on Prodigy, two - including Aaron Gillespie (Butler, N.J.) and John Fryer (New York, N.Y.) - were recruited by Frost using the "Crew Finder" feature on the event's website. It will be Gillespie's first Transatlantic crossing. The two smallest yachts in start two are both Class 40s: Dragon and Concise 2, the latter skippered by Ned Collier-Wakefield (Oxford, U.K.).. Tony Lawson (Haslemere, Surrey, U.K.) assembled a crew of young aspiring sailors from Great Britain to make up Team Concise. The team has become a force to be reckoned with having won the 2009 Class 40 World Championship, set a world record for the Round Britain and Ireland course and taken class honors at the RORC Caribbean 600 for the last three years. Dragon is the only boat racing across the Atlantic double-handed. Owner Michael Hennessy (Mystic, Conn.) has been an avid sailor ever since introduced to the sport by his father at the age of four on San Francisco Bay. Joining Hennessy will be co-skippered Rob Windsor (East Northport, N.Y.) Sponsors of the TR 2011 are Rolex, Thomson Reuters, Newport Shipyard, Perini Navi and Peters & May, with additional support by apparel sponsor Atlantis Weathergear. Settimana Delle Bocche - Farr 40 European Circuit Seven Farr 40 yachts representing Germany, Italy, Monaco and Turkey will compete in windward-leeward races on the renowned race course located off the north-east coast of Sardinia, nestled among the granite islands of the La Maddalena archipelago. Among the Italian teams to watch are 2010 Farr 40 European Champion and former World Champion Nerone, owned by Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori with Vasco Vascotto on tactics and Alberto Rossi's Enfant Terrible, fresh from victory in the ORC World Championship in Croazia last weekend with Francesco Bruni on tactics. Germany's Struntje Light, owned by European Fleet President Wolfgang Schaefer and with former America's Cup sailor Cameron Dunn calling tactics. Racing is scheduled to start tomorrow at 12 midday. Winds of 8 to 10 knots are forecast. RC44 Class Head To The Med Racing will take place in front of the spectacular Bay of Angels, very close to Cagliari port, with one day of match racing kicking off the proceedings on 29th June, followed by four days of fleet racing. (29 June - 3 July). One to watch will be Michele Ivaldi (ITA), tactician onboard Team CEEREF, an experienced Olympic and America's Cup sailor, having competed for Italy in the 1996 Olympic Games and with Luna Rossa/Prada for three America's Cup cycles. Cagliari is a venue that Ivaldi has raced at many times and is looking forward to welcoming the Tour. Two new teams, MAG Racing from Poland and RUS-7 Sail Racing Team powered by AnyWayAnyDay.com have joined the RC44 Tour ahead of Cagliari. Although they will not be challenging for the title this year, with all six events of the Tour counting for the overall title, they will already be preparing for their assault for 2012. In the overall Tour standings ORACLE Racing (USA) leads the title race after two events, following their victory at the RC44 Austria Cup in May. But they will need to watch out for Chris Bake's Team Aqua (GBR), who launched their brand new RC44 on Lake Traunsee in Austria last month. Team Aqua also lead the Match Race rankings and are just two points adrift of the leaders in the fleet race standings. Katusha (RUS) skippered by Paul Cayard are two further points behind in third. Tacktick Solution For High Quality Wind Data Tacktick's Maxi range can be interfaced to existing onboard electronics or fitted as stand-alone instruments. With no wires to run through the boat or up the mast and super-thin, lightweight displays, Tacktick's instruments offer the most weight efficient package for race boat owners. For special offers on Tacktick's racing Performance Packs (in £, € and $) visit www.tacktick.com Transpac Announces Six-Hour Tracking Delay That is, transponder-based position reporting will be delayed six hours until the first monohull comes within 100 miles of the finish line at Diamond Head, at which time reporting for the entire fleet goes real-time. "Racing around a High is one of the most difficult and treacherous challenges for an offshore navigator. It's hard because, when rounding a High, you have to pick your "lane" early, and if you get it wrong, you're toast. Navigators who succeed at the Transpac become sought after worldwide because the ocean racing community understands how important and how hard it is to get it right. Consider Mark Rudiger, Ben Mitchell, John Jourdane, Skip Allan, all of whom navigated internationally after honing their skills at Transpac. "With real-time reporting throughout a Transpac, the fastest boat in any group of boats with nearly level ratings would always win by covering," Honey said. "The navigational intrigue, challenge and tradition of the Transpac would be lost. For me, the Transpac races that I'm most proud of are the ones in which I won class or first to finish in a slower boat. Think Drifter '79, Charley '83, Pyewacket '99. Transpac is among the most difficult navigational challenges in any of the premier transoceanic races." It is worth noting that Stan Honey is not racing this year - he is too caught up as technical director of America's Cup 34 - so he has no vested interest beyond his opinion of the well-being of Transpac 2011. Separately considered, there is the approach to Honolulu, where a hard-working shoreside committee is waiting. The better those folks can anticipate arrivals, the easier the task and the better the outcomes. Family and friends also want to know about arrivals at Diamond Head and dockside. Thus decision number two. The six-hour tracking delay ends when the first monohull comes within 100 miles of the finish. Reporting for all boats then switches to real time. People waiting ashore will know what they need to know, and by that point in the race, every navigator's strategic commitments will have been made. "The Transpac has a long history as a race in which navigation matters," Honey said. "Using a six-hour delay for the first part of the Transpac recognizes and honors that history. Switching to real-time reports as the first monohull crosses the mark of 100 miles to the finish makes logistics easier for family members and for Honolulu committee members. It will add to the excitement of the finish. It's the right compromise." -- Kimball Livingston Spinnaker Tales All four sailors along with female Radial Laser class skipper Ashley Stoddart who finished with the top of the class Youth award in Kiel completed an outstanding result for Australia before the team line up for the 2011 Volvo Wold Youth championship in Zadar Croatia from July 7-16. In early June the 18 year old 420 sailors Gough and Galloway who race under the prestigious Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron burgee were the star performers winning the Sail Mooloolaba class championship with a perfect score. Their result in Germany was a fitting reward for the teenage Australian 420 class dinghy champions after gear failure robbed them from winning a medal during the 2010 Volvo World Youth championship in Turkey. The Australian's known to race fast in the stronger wind range firmed a grip on a major medal winning three of the first six races. They continued to revel in 18-20 knot winds but Gough and Galloway still had to apply a safe tactical strategy to finish with the Gold Medal ahead of the 177 boat fleet representing the World's top sailing nations. This result has left little doubt about their ability to successfully sail their dinghy in the fast lane when the breeze blows above 15 knots which has secured a top ranking to possibly become the first Australian male crew to win a 420 World Youth championship in Croatia when the final is decided of July 16th. (Mooloolaba's Lisa Charlson and her Brisbane Girls Grammar School class mate Sarah Roberts-Thomson showed their class under the coaching of Adrian Finglas to win the 1998 ISAF World Youth series in Cape Town.) Meanwhile Australian team mates Josh Franklin (18) and his highly skilled 17 year old crew mate Lewis Brake have also emerged as a top medal prospect in the Youth World 29 er class championship following their Gold Medal success at their first ever regatta in Europe. They finished all eleven races in the top seven and firmed a positive step towards the medal dais when the cleverly outpaced their 82 rivals with wins in races 3, 4 and 5. The race score of 4-2-5-7-6 wrapped up an impressive win for the young QAS sailors who proved their talent and ambition like Alex Gough and Andrew Galloway to have the potential of taking the next career step towards racing competitively in the Olympic 49er skiff and 470 dinghy classes. Both Franklin and Brake expressed their skill to handle the stronger winds to record a comfortable Gold Medal result in the 29er class championship. -- Ian Grant 
Get A Deal On The Racing Rules! To order the Rules DVD or learn more about it, go to: www.LearnTheRacingRules.com Rolex Baltic Week Twenty-five yachts in the 8-Metre class will sail from Wednesday, June 29th until Sunday, July 3rd, racing for the Robbe & Berking 8-Metre World Cup. Meanwhile, ten 12-Metres have reported for their global championships and eleven 6-Metre crews are seeking to win the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup. The Rolex Baltic Week will officially open tonight in the newly renovated home of Flensburg Sailing Club on the idyllic harbour of Glucksburg. As of tomorrow a total of nine races are scheduled, sailed each day from 12 o'clock. The 74-year-old King Harald V attended some training sessions with his 8-Metre yacht, driving the green "Sira" with sail number NOR 33. During the coming days at Rolex Baltic Week, he will be present not as a head of state, but as a yachtsman among many other sailors. The King is perceived by the other crews as a great competitor because of his decades of racing experience. The Canadian Richard Self admits: "We look forward to the match with 'Sira'." With his owner-partner Mark Decelles Self has shipped two 8-Metre yachts to Europe. They will sail the 1938-built "Raven" themselves to compete against "Sira" of the same age, while their 24-year-old "Gefion" was chartered by Ronald Palm (USA). Palm will have to compete in a fleet of four modern 8-Metre, including the Swiss "Yquem II" by Jean Fabre. The modern 12-Metres are not at the start in Flensburg, but the classic designs will enjoy some spectacular races for the class title. Wilfried Beeck, Kiel, owner and helmsman of "Trivia", expects a battle for the lead with "Anitra", "Sphinx" from Flensburg and the Danish "Vanity V". Industry News In May, the company announced the appointment of Julian Gowing as European general manager of Boats.com and this acquisition marks the first step in Dominion Marine Media's planned expansion strategy for Europe. The acquisition of Allboats.com also includes traffic, inventory and technology. Boats.com, which has its European headquarters in Fareham, UK will also be unveiling a new look logo and website. IBI News: plus.ibinews.com --------------------------------------------- The world's best catamaran sailors will converge on Aarhus, Denmark this August to compete in the Ronstan A-Class Catamaran World Championship. Hosted from the Kalovig Sailing Center, the races will be sailed August 10th through the 16th on the Bay of Aarhus. Recognizing the opportunity to showcase their latest technological advancements, Ronstan has agreed to be title sponsors of this year's event. Ronstan Marketing Director, Bryn Wellington said, "Our involvement with cutting edge racing classes is worldwide and goes back for years. Ronstan's products and image are a perfect fit for these high-tech cats. We are thrilled to be a major supporter of the event." Established in 1967 as a development racing class, the A-Class Catamaran has enjoyed a recent resurgence in international sailing circles driven by hot new designs and very active fleets. For more information on the world championships go to: www.a-catworlds2011.dk --------------------------------------------- Safety equipment manufacturer, McMurdo Ltd, has appointed SIMNAV B.V as an approved distributor for its McMurdo range of marine safety products in the Netherlands. SIMNAV B.V is an established distributor of leading brands in the leisure and light marine sectors of the Dutch market. As an approved distributor, SIMNAV B.V will promote, distribute and service McMurdo's full range of GMDSS equipment including; EPIRBs, SARTs, Navtex, VHFs, its Fast Find range of Personal Location Beacons and also the new McMurdo S10 Personal AIS Beacon. SIMNAV B.V is currently undertaking a strategic expansion to become a one-stop solution for businesses and individuals in the Dutch marine market. The company already offers a sales, repair and distribution service across a number of brands. --------------------------------------------- The OCEANUS watch from Casio Computer Co., Ltd. will be the Official Timekeeper of the 2011 Transpacific Yacht Race, marking the third time that the Transpacific Yacht Club and Tokyo-based Casio have joined hands across the Pacific. The OCEANUS is an advanced, solar-powered chronograph watch with time-signal calibration. It is mounted in a titanium case, with five independent motors operating independent hands and functions. The sun powers OCEANUS, making Casio the perfect partner for Transpac. Fifty OCEANUS watches will be awarded to Transpac winners. After pre-race staging and a festive sendoff from Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, the race will start in two stages from the waters off San Pedro's Point Fermin Park. The Aloha class and smaller raceboats will start on July 4, with the fastest boats following on July 8, all at 1 p.m. PDT. --------------------------------------------- The UK-based, accounting software company, bluQube, is to continue its close relationship with offshore, shorthanded sailing through sponsorship of the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR). The company already has a strong links with shorthanded offshore racing and is a supporter of the former Raymarine YJA Sailor of the Year, Katie Miller, following her win in the bluQube Solo 1000 Race in 2008. With continued support, Miller was ninth across the line on her Figaro bluQube in the 2009 OSTAR and took third in class the following year during the Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race. bluQube also continue to support the 2005 OSTAR winner and 2008-09 Vendee Globe competitor Steve White. Marketing Manager at bluQube, Matthew Kirby comments: "We have been involved in sailing sponsorship for over six years now, supporting ventures such as The Global Challenge and solo sailors including Vendee veteran Steve White and the OSTAR's youngest ever female competitor, Katie Miller," he explains. "In the past, we have seen significant commercial returns from sailing sponsorship through greater awareness, corporate hospitality and enhanced relationship building," Kirby continues. "We see the Global Ocean Race as the next step in our sponsorship plans, providing an exciting vehicle to capture the imagination of existing and prospective customers." Featured Brokerage The Dragonfly 920 Swing Wing is a design that fills the gap between the Dragonfly 800 and the Dragonfly 1000 Swing Wing trimarans. Having built more than 330 boats, Quorning Boats has irreplaceable experience which is reflected in their technique of production. The Dragonfly 920 is trailerable by only 2.5 m of beam. She rests on a launching trolley that can be winched up and down on a roadtrailer. This technique brings the boat down in a comfortable position when stepping the mast and getting the boat ready for launching. Brokerage through Harbour Boat Sales: www.yachtworld.com/harbourboatsales/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com The Last Word |
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