Scuttlebutt Europe #2379 - 1 July
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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 Racing Machines Readying For Battle
Sunday, July 3, the third and final start for the Transatlantic Race 2011 will commence at 1350 Eastern Daylight Time, when the warning signal is fired at Castle Hill Lighthouse. Six yachts will then begin this historic and epic race across the wilds of the Atlantic Ocean. The following day as 4th of July celebrations are underway ashore, the action out on the race course is sure to be every bit as explosive. While Rambler 100 and ICAP Leopard, sailed by George David (Hartford, Conn.) and Clarke Murphy (New York, N.Y.), respectively, are likely to contest for line honors in the Transatlantic Race 2011, the other combatants are not just filling out the numbers. The conditions will play a big part in deciding the overall class winner in IRC Class One and the victor will claim the Cape May Trophy, which James Gordon Bennett - winner of the first-ever Transatlantic Race in 1866 -- presented to the New York Yacht Club in 1872. The Farr 80 Beau Geste, skippered by Karl Kwok (Hong Kong), was in fine form in the Annapolis Newport Race, beating both Rambler 100 and ICAP Leopard overall after time correction. Watch captain Gavin Brady (Auckland, New Zealand) is an America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veteran who has been sailing with Kwok for many years. "The ideal conditions for us will be a variety of wind angles and wind speeds. The other yachts will prefer one type of condition the whole way across. Puma, for example, is half the weight of Beau Geste and will go better in light conditions. All of the canting keel boats have dagger boards that give zero leeway and in heavy upwind conditions, that is a big advantage. Virtually all of our competitors are extreme boats, but Beau Geste was designed for a variety of wind angles and if we get upwind, downwind and reaching conditions that would be our perfect scenario. I also think that it is important to stress that this race rewards good seamanship, handling the boat well and pre-empting changes will be rewarded and that's a good thing. The overall winner will probably be the boat that is sailed the best; we should all get the result that our performance deserves." Challenging First Day at Extreme 40 USA Debut
It was a great comeback for British sailor Leigh McMillan who took over as skipper and helm of The Wave, Muscat. In 2010 McMillan helmed Ecover into third place overall but at this morning's press conference he was reticent about his hopes at his first 2011 event. These were quickly dispelled with a win in the first race and two more out of the seven races staged on the opening day. Roman Hagara's Red Bull Extreme Sailing pulled off two race wins in the final two races and consistency in the earlier races secured third place overall going into the second day. Special guest and two-time Velux 5 Oceans victor, Brad Van Liew, dropped by to experience his first Extreme 40 ride as guest 5th man. For Brad who is more used to racing ocean-going monohulls, the lightweight Extreme 40s came as a breath of fresh air: "These things can go from 0-20 knots in a couple of boat lengths and they can also go from 20-0 knots in a couple of boat lengths so when they sail into a windless hole, they pile in on top of each other which reconsolidates the race. I can imagine sailing one in 25 knots would change your 'fun-meter' level!" Current overall standings after 7 races, Day 1 (30.6.11) Dubarry Storm - Sailing Style In On The Street Dubarry Storm - the calm within the Storm. Mistral Keeps Farr 40 Fleet In Port The renowned north-westerly wind which gives Porto Cervo one of the world's top regatta courses was just a little too strong for the 40-footers gathered for the second event of the European Circuit 2011. Fortunately, however, tomorrow's forecast promises more favourable conditions with the wind predicted to fall approximately 15 to 18 knots. The overall provisional classification therefore remains unchanged from yesterday with Nerone (ITA), owned by Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio Sodo Migliori and with Vasco Vascotto on tactics, in first place. Two more Italian teams sit in second and third place: Alberto Rossi's Enfant Terrible - fresh from victory in the ORCi Worlds - and Alessandro Barnaba's Fiamma. Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, 1st July at 11 a.m. After racing owners will attend the official presentation of "The Fabulous 40s", which details the history of the class over the past 15 years, at the YCCS Clubhouse. Provisional Overall Results: www.yccs.com Laird Hamilton Signs On as Honorary 12th Crew Member for the Puma Ocean Racing Team
Hamilton together with the PUMA Ocean Racing Crew will commence a search for the world's monster waves during the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012. Skipper Ken Read and the crew aboard PUMA's Mar Mostro ( 'The Monster of the Sea' in Italian) will help track the world's biggest rogue waves which Hamilton will attempt to conquer, getting him one step closer to achieving his life-long ambition of "riding giants." Using the weather and navigational teams onshore and onboard PUMA's Mar Mostro, the crew will track wave patterns while sailing through the remotest reaches of the world's oceans. As monster waves are found, Hamilton will fly in, prepared to surf them. The key to Hamilton's success in riding the world's wildest waves rests on an innovative new "concept" surfboard by the same design team that brought PUMA's Mar Mostro to life. Juan Kouyoumdjian (Juan K), the mastermind behind PUMA's Mar Mostro Volvo 70, as well as the boat designer for two previous winning Volvo Open 70 boats, ABM-AMRO ONE and Ericsson 4, will collaborate with Hamilton on the surfboard development. Rolex Baltic Week As the first gun of the event fired at noon the racecourse basked under bright sunshine with fading east-south-easterlies, however conditions rapidly altered with a forecast cold front moving across the course bringing grey, overcast clouds and winds of 10-14 knots for the 12-Metre fleet and lighter conditions on the Eights' course. Of the 25-boat fleet competing for Robbe & Berking 8-Metre World Championship, the Canadian Raven enjoyed a perfect start to their regatta with two wins under the classic yachts (built before 1960), the 1938 design surprising many by matching the pace of more modern Eights. In the Sira class Raven came home ahead of the home nation's Anne-Sophie in the opener and French entry Hispania IV in the second race of the day. With a consistent scoreline of two thirds the Swiss team Catina VI end day one lying in third position, behind Anne-Sophie who scored a fourth to take second overnight, with Catina just one place off the podium. King Harald V of Norway's Sira took fourth in the first race (Sira Cup) among the international 8mR fleet, but was involved in a port-starboard collision in the next. Delphis was clipped by Sira as the royal boat bore away, hooking her by the leeward backstay, and will be awarded redress. Among the 8-Metre Neptune fleet, Catina VI and Anne-Sophie are on equal points after the first day, as are the 1912 yachts Elfe II and Sposa in the First Rule class, while the 2005 Hollandia leads the Modern division as well as the overall results. In the 12-Metre class, competing for the Robbe & Berking 12mR World Championships, the Danish entry Vanity V also enjoyed a flawless two wins to lead overnight. Racing continues for both 8mR and 12mR classes tomorrow at 1200, with racing opening for the 6mR fleet on Friday, 1st July. If you want to download high-resolution pictures, which are in general provided royalty-free for editorial use by media, please register on www.regattanews.com, the official website for all Rolex regattas. This site and the event website www.rolex-baltic-week.com also provide further information. -- Andreas Kling Free On The Water Sail Trim and Training Weekend The day is designed for Yacht or Dinghy sailors who have some experience in racing, but you do not need to have previously sailed an Etchells to attend the day. For sailors new to the fleet, the focus will be on the systems and general race tuning. For existing Etchells owners and crew, on the water sail trim and commentary designed to increase your ongoing boat speed. All of this will be videoed and played back at Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club with commentary on the day. Select this link to register your interest www.surveymonkey.com/s/etchells It is the responsibility of each person attending the event to ensure that they are competent to sail on the boats in the prevailing conditions, and by sailing or partaking in the event they acknowledge that they do so at their own risk, and that the UK Etchells Association or the participating boat owners cannot be held responsible for any damage or injuries how so ever caused. Sail Faster And Smarter! Whether you race a one-design or big boat, at the top or bottom of your fleet, you'll find lots of valuable ideas in Speed & Smarts. In fact, when you consider the cost of other go-fast items you can buy, this newsletter gives you extremely good "bang for your buck." View a sample issue at www.speedandsmarts.com/BackIssues/SampleIssue Subscribe at www.speedandsmarts.com New Shetland Speed Record On TP52
FjordSailing Shetland Race are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. The offshore classic between Bergen, Norway and Lerwick, Shetland has drawn sailors from Northern Europe for years. The course covers 180 nautical miles over the notorious North Sea. Nearly 50 boats participated in the regatta this year. The race committee introduced a second start from Ålesund this year to include more sailors, and 7 boats joined on the new start line. The race also incorporates the 1000Mile Doublehanded Race, and thereby drawing a truly international crew. The two Britt sailors Nigel Colley and David Bowdler won the 1000 nautical mile double handed race in three stages by winning every leg. The fastest boat both ways was Wolfpack, the former Fram XVI owned by HMK Harald, skippered by Thomas Nilsson, KNS. Nilsson with a crew of 14 sailed across the North Sea in 17 hours 27 minutes and 3 seconds. This is now the new record in the FjordSailing Shetland Race. "It's fun to set a new record and it was also one of the reasons that we lined up for the FjordSailing Shetland Race. That said, this boat and other equals have the potential to sail much faster in more ideal conditions. We will return", says Thomas Nilsson skipper on Wolfpack Racing Team, and also the over all winner of the Shetland Race. -- Jon Amtrup Results are available on www.shetland-race.no Classic Channel Regatta
Racing got underway on Saturday in a stiff 25-knot breeze with gusts in the early 30s. There were several pre-start incidents, but after that the crews of this majestic fleet showed great skill and seamanship to get their yachts round 18-mile course, with the wind easing a little towards the end of the day. Sunday saw racing postponed until 13:00 as a thick bank of fog sat just off the entrance to the Dart. When racing did eventually get underway the fleet had mixed conditions, as half the course was still enveloped in fog, while the other half was bathed in sunshine. Back ashore at the Royal Dart Yacht Club, prizes were presented by world-renowned yacht designer Nigel Irens, who had spent the day racing with Bruce Thorogood, Classic Channel Regatta Chairman on his 42ft sloop 'Mabel'. In addition to the class prizes, several special presentations were awarded, including the Lutine of Helford Memorial Trophy, presented to Peter Nash for his contribution to classic yachting by James Emerson, son of the late Clive Emerson, owner of Lutine of Helford and Gweek Quay Boatyard, Falmouth. Lutine of Helford has competed in all the previous Classic Channel Regattas to date. Conditions were extremely light for the start of all three classes, but the wind filled in almost instantly just after the start from a Westerly direction, as the fleet made there way across the Channel over night to Paimpol the wind veered to the North West. Some yachts experienced poor visibility and fog patches during the night, but everyone safely navigated their way through the shipping lanes to arrive off Paimpol the following morning. The first yacht to cross the finish line was Khayyam at just after 06:00. A warm welcome was extended to all visiting yachts on arrival in the port; the fleet has now been bolstered with the arrival of several additional yachts, which will compete in the final three legs of this colourful Regatta. -- Mike Jones Inaugural Bosham Classic Boat Revival
The regatta was open to classic day boats and dinghies and attracted classes such as the Aldeburgh Lapwing, Arun One Design, Devon Yawl, Firefly, Fairy Falcon, Fireball, Hornet, Chichester Harbour 18, Merlin Rocket, Minisail, National 18, Redwing, Scow, Sharpie, Thames Estuary One Design, Tideway, Torbay Minnow, YW Dayboat and possibly the largest gathering of Jollyboats seen in recent years. On Saturday the westerly wind, gusting up to 28 knots for much of the day, took its toll on many boats with many capsizes and sails shredded. Three races were run from a committee boat start with the fleet split into fast, medium and slow handicap for each race. Before the races even began, some boats had to be pulled off the mud, others decided the wind was too strong for their elderly boats - one is 99 years old. Several boats retired with gear failures after the first two races. On Sunday the sun came out and the wind, somewhat fickle in direction and strength, enticed all the entrants out again including all those who had managed to fix their gear failures over night or find alternative sails. Averaging 5-7 knots from the south-east, the fleets sailed another three races. A guest appearance was made by Swallow, the dinghy which featured in the classic film Swallows and Amazons. -- David Edmund-Jones The winners were: Fast handicap: Medium Handicap: Slow handicap: The Concours D'Elegance for the most beautiful boat, judged by Peter Willis, deputy editor of Classic Boat magazine, and traditional boat builder Peter Lacey, was awarded to Shoestring, a Hornet sailed by Roger Devereux and his daughter from Shearwater SC in Somerset. Runner up was Bosham's Gargany, a 12sqM Sharpie sailed by Dick Pratt. The event was kindly sponsored by; Jackson-Stops & Staff Based on the success of this year's inaugural event, plans are already in place to make it an annual fixture at Bosham Sailing Club. Letters To The Editor - * From Peter Cook, President Yachting Journalists' Association: Featured Brokerage An excellent racer/cruiser with a proven history. This is a great boat for both one design racing and weekends aboard. Complete turnkey package, ready to go. Just launch, untie the lines, and get started. Brokerage through Harbor North, Inc.: www.yachtworld.com/harbornorth/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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