Scuttlebutt Europe #2386 - 12 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 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Despite the wide range of sizes and designs making up the 30 boat fleet, the racing could hardly have been closer both on the water and on handicap, with every startline and mark rounding fiercely contested throughout the day. In Race 1, Louise Morton's 'Espada', (helmed at this event by Colette Blair standing in for the injured Morton) turned in a line honours performance in the first race, which was good enough to also give 'Espada' a corrected time race win by just under a minute. Second in that race was last year's Quarter Ton Cup winner 'Cote' owned by Darren Marston & Ollie Ophaus, who edged Sweden's Rickard Melander on 'Alice II' into third place by just 16 seconds on corrected time. Fourth was Rob Gray's 'Aguila', ahead of Ireland's Eamonn Rohan on Anchor Challenge. Race 2 saw a compelling three-way battle for line honours between 'Aguila', 'Alice II' and George Kenefick's Irish entry 'Tiger'. 'Aguila' eventually prevailed to take the gun and a narrow 8 second corrected time victory over 'Tiger' in second and 'Alice II' in third. 'Espada' rounded out a solid day with a fourth place ahead of Ian Southworth's 'Whiskers'. Racing at the 2011 Quarter Ton Cup continues tomorrow Tuesday 12 July with three more races scheduled. The regatta concludes on Wednesday 13 July. Revived Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Winners 2005 - Purple Haze (1977 David Thomas design) - Tony Dodd www.quarteronclass.org Puma Catches The Game
PUMA's Mar Mostro reached a maximum speed of just over 30 knots early in the race, traveling 551 nautical miles on day three. By day five, however, light air slowed their pace towards the finish at The Lizard and the last several hundred miles were slow going. While PUMA's Mar Mostro is now making its way to the team's summer training camp in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Rambler 100, which took line honors yesterday and established a new record with an elapsed crossing time of 6 days, 22 hours, 8 minutes and 2 seconds, has made its way under motor to Endeavour Quay (Gosport, Portsmouth, U.K.) where the 100' Maxi will be based until competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race next month. Meanwhile back out on the North Atlantic where 24 boats are still racing, Jazz, a Cookson 50, has opened up a big lead on the other competitors in IRC Class Two. With 240 miles to go, Jazz expects to get to the finish line early evening Tuesday and have a cushion of about 270 miles over Varuna and Shatki. In IRC Class Three, Zaraffa, skippered by Huntington Sheldon (Shelburne, Vt.), looks like a certainty for the class win and has just about 100 miles left to finish the race. Unfortunately, it could take some time yet as there is a complete lack of decent wind in the vicinity of The Lizard, so much so that Zarraffa is now well north of the rhumb line -- in the Celtic Sea -- looking to pick up breeze. The leading boats in IRC Class Four still have over 500 miles left to race. Carina, the McCurdy and Rhodes 48 skippered by Rives Potts, Jr. (Essex, Conn.), is still leading on the water, but the Army Sailing Association's British Soldier, with lighter displacement, has made up substantial miles. The British Army crew is 60 miles behind Carina but the new wind is due to fill in from the west and British Soldier should get into fresh pressure before Carina. In the Open Class, Maltese Falcon was never going to be able to compete with Phaedo in light air. The 289' Perini Navi weighs 1100 tons, while Phaedo is a mere 17 tons. Phaedo is nearly 200 miles ahead of Maltese Falcon with just over 100 miles to the finish. 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 Running The Rhumblines Questionable Logic became embroiled in a tactical match race with the Charles Wallis skippered MDB 41 Reignition for the major corrected handicap points in the opening race of the Whitsunday Sailing Club hosted Doyle Whitsunday Sail Loft series to emerge with a 48 second win while the smaller Elliott 9m Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) claimed third place points. There were some real tricks in the wind which favoured both the line honours winner Reignition and Questionable Logic while a late afternoon calm dramatically changed the chances for the smaller and slower yachts Wobbly Boot and the Kevin Fogarty skippered Space sailor Idle Time to protect their handicap ratings. Both crews were in good shape before the unstable trade wind died leaving the balance of the fleet to struggle in the listless breeze. The crafty light wind sailing specialist Charles Wallis steered ReIgnition to a relatively comfortable 1 minute 10 second line honours win but unfortunately the margin was not enough to hold out the lower handicapped Questionable Logic. When Charles Wallis and the ReIgnition crew set the time for his lower handicap rivals to beat he remained hopeful that the swiftly softening breeze would improve his chances to win the line and corrected handicap double. But Terry Archer's Questionable Logic crew were equally determined to protect their light wind sailing reputations by holding on to claim the important first place points with an elapsed time of 1 hours 20 seconds before the wind fell away to a zephyr testing the patience of the crews. There was no opportunity left for the balance of the fleet to change the provisional handicap results when the John Galloway skippered Queensland Marine Services became 'glued' to the sea surface before finally drifting over the finish line 17 minutes 28 seconds later to claim the third fastest and sixth on corrected handicap which was disappointing result for the June series champion. Fortunately the return of a more stable trade wind promises to provide the fleet with a supreme test of skill rather than luck when they contest the important second race of the series on Pioneer Bay this week. Meanwhile Questionable Logic, ReIgnition and Wobbly Boot remain as the crews to beat. -- Ian Grant Daring Class 50th Anniversary Sail Past
The Darings assembled off the Green after a hard day's racing in the Solent and following the firing of a canon from the RYS, sailed in line astern eastwards past the RYS Flagpole for the salute. Taking the salute was Captain Guy Robinson Royal Navy, the Commanding Officer of HMS DARING, flanked by the Class Admiral, Robin Aisher and the Class Captain Col. Carron Snagge. Designed in 1960 as a one-design 5.5m class, the Daring remains the most popular class for dayboat racing in Cowes. In addition to a full programme of races every Saturday and Sunday in the season, they will also be competing soon in both Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and the Metre Regatta. -- Giles Peckham Finn Sailing Opportunity In Moscow The 2011 Finn Silver Cup - the Junior World Championship - is being held once again at the Moscow Sailing School, using its own fleet of Finns which are being generously provided free of charge to all sailors. It was last held in Moscow 2007 and attracted 50 sailors from 20 countries. Last year the event was held in San Framcisco. The regatta will be held from 23 to 30 July and will include the Moscow Finn Association welcome regatta, the 'Crystal Cup' as well as a two day training clinic with a former Olympic Finn sailor Paul McKenzie (AUS). Everything will be take care of by the organisers. For those who need a visa, this will be organised by the Russian Sailing Federation, there is a free transfer provided from the airport to the club and accommodation is even available at the club for just EUR 30 per day including meals. Other hotel accommodation is also available nearby. The school has 60 complete Finns (except sails) from Devoti Sailing Ltd, which were bought for the 2005 Finn Gold Cup held in Moscow and they will be lent free of charge to the competitors at refundable deposit of Euros 400. Boats are only available in order of receipt of applications and though most have already been allocated there are some still available. If you want to take up this unique opportunity, please contact the Moscow Sailing School below as soon as possible. The organisers would love to welcome sailors from other classes to Moscow and the Finn class. Email: Dubarry Lahinch - Inspired By Design Dubarry Lahinch - performance perfected. 22 Yacht Clubs, 16 Countries, An Egalitarian Challenge The waters off Newport, Rhode Island, provide the setting for this sailing event that promotes a level playing field and a Corinthian spirit. The competition will take place from 10-17 September 2011 and is strictly limited to non-professional sailors tackling a one-design class: the NYYC Swan 42. For each team, all but two of the crew must be nationals of the country and members of the club they represent. While the host club provides many of the yachts used in the competition, some invited yacht teams may bring their own boats. Even so, all rigs are identically tuned and locked down, and sails are provided by the organisers. It is an egalitarian contest: the winning team is the one that most skilfully manages its yacht, the opposition and the conditions. Following a successful and popular inaugural edition in 2009, the NYYC increased the number of invitations from the 19 teams that were extended two years ago: 22 yachts representing 16 nations from six continents will be present, a global contest in every sense. Amongst the list are the top five finishers from the previous edition: New York Yacht Club (hosts of the event and winners in 2009), Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Japan Sailing Federation, Nyländska Jaktklubben of Finland and Ireland's Royal Cork Yacht Club. A whole host of clubs sought invitations for this year's contest, reflecting how much it caught the imagination of yachtsmen around the globe. "The event promises to showcase the finest amateur sailors in the world. The opportunity to race at such a high level of competition has encouraged many clubs to seek an invitation, for where else can they take their best club racers and compete against national and international champions, even America's Cup legends, on an equal basis?" reveals Event Chair John Mendez. By country, the roster of participating teams is: Yacht Club Argentino (ARG); Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (AUS); Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (BER); Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN); Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (CHN); Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP); Nyländska Jaktklubben (FIN); Itchenor Sailing Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR); Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (GER); Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL); Yacht Club Capri and Yacht Club Punta Ala (ITA); Japan Sailing Federation (JPN); Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (NOR); Clube Naval de Cascais (POR); Royal Cape Yacht Club (RSA); and Eastern Yacht Club, Annapolis Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club (USA). Finding the Yao Ming Of Sailing Team Sanya have entered this race to compete at the highest possible level and put the venue of Sanya in China in the map as a world class (and, as yet, relatively unknown and undiscovered) tourist destination. Sanya is located on the Hainan Province and the city is to be found at the southern-most tip of China, right next to Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Sanya has been selected as one of the 10 stop-over ports in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race and the teams are expected there in February 2012. The criteria is pretty straightforward - you need to be Chinese, super strong and fit (90 kgs), ideally have some sailing experience or sporting experience competing at the highest level, you need to speak fluent English (as the 9 other guys are unlikely to be able to speak Chinese), you need to be willing and able to get stuck into being part of this team at every level - helping out on boat work, pre-race preparations, media interviews, fitness training - and generally willing and able to turn your hand to whatever each day brings. So far Team Sanya has gathered a shortlist of around 20 potential Chinese sailing team candidates whom they are assessing right now with a view to the first two candidates joining the team for the Fastnet race from 14th August 2011. If you are interested in putting your name forward for consideration, please send your details to . We need to have a copy of your CV/biography as well as a short video/podcast/set of images about you and why you want to join the Team Sanya sailing team. Swan European Regatta
With an 11 mile course taking the Swan 45 Class and Class A from the Squadron Line to West Lepe, East Lepe and finally Salt Mead before heading back down the Solent under spinnaker to the Squadron Line to finish, the pressure was on from the start. The Swan 45 fleet were away cleanly on the first start but in Class A, in their first race the brand new Swan 53, Raika, owned by Jamshyd Godrej from India pushed the line a little too hard and found themselves having to return to re-start. Magical Mystery Tour, Club Swan 42 raced by the Leask Family also turned back to cross the line but then quickly found clear wind and began to push the high performance Swan hard - they were quickly amongst the front runners and upwind crossed tacks back and forth with Colin Buffin's Swan 62, Uxorious. The light airs favoured Magical Mystery Tour heavily and once they turned downwind she extended her lead, finishing almost 3 minutes ahead of Uxorious on the water and winning by a little over 2 minutes on corrected time from their sister ship, Baraka GP, raced by the de Graaf Family. Samantaga, the Swan 45 jointly owned by Philippe Moortgat and Patrick van Heurck lead from the outset to take the gun to start the regatta in style. Glynn Williams, racing his Swan 45 WISC, drew upon his crew's significant local knowledge to fight through to second place at the first mark which he held until the finish line. Third place was clinched by Peter de Ridder sailing with his family onboard the Swan 45, Checkmate. Class C's 8 mile long course took them from the Squadron Line up to Gurnard Ledge, to North East Gurnard, to Cowes Radio and then back for a finish in a dying sea breeze off the Squadron Line. Jacobite, Swan 38 raced by Stephen James continued her domination of handicap racing in the Solent to win by 22 seconds on corrected time from the Swan 43, Cisne raced by Tony Thorpe. Third place went to the stunning Cecille, Swan 36. Complete results: 70.168.203.20/rys/index.html Open Europeans Helsinki
Seiko 49er Europeans British sailors Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign mastered the light air technique by winning both races of the day. Catching up with Fletcher while putting his boat away he commented, "After a long wait, we launched at 3:00. We've sailed every day on this course and that was a bit of an advantage for us so we knew what worked. The two bullets now put Fletcher/Sign (GBR) in the lead with 48 points followed by previous regatta leaders Delle Karth/Resch (AUT) with 52 and the Nielsen brothers, Emil and Simon, (DEN) in third with 55. 2008 gold medallist Jonas Warrer with crew Soren Hansen (DEN) had the second best day posting a 3-3 to move them to sixth overall. 470 Women There are 43 teams competing in the 470 Women fleet from 10 nations, including seven of the world's top 10 teams. 470 Men Australia's Mat Belcher/Malcolm Page (AUS) remain in first overall, with Israel's Gideon Kliger/Eran Sela now taking over the second place slot. Moving up into third are Luke Patience/Stuart Bithell (GBR). The charge for the 470 Men and Women European Championship titles continues tomorrow with three races planned for the 470 Women to get back on schedule and two races for each of the men's fleets. Racing is scheduled to get underway tomorrow at 1155 hours. Finn Racing for the Finns continues on Tuesday, with more wind, and rain on the forecast. Full fleet racing scheduled until Wednesday, with the medal race for the top 10 and the final race for the rest on Thursday 14 July. Featured Brokerage Stylish fast Comet 45 S with generous spec and meticulously maintained throughout. Custom built with exquisite attention to detail. Built december 2007, never chartered, mint condition. A powerful and beautiful yacht for cruising and racing. Lombardini LDW2204 diesel engine, sleeps 8 in 3 cabins + saloon, sloop rig, fully battened main, furling genoa, all the latest navigation gear, bow thruster, all safety gear for MCA included but never chartered. Ready to go! Brokerage through Mediterranean Yachts: www.yachtworld.com/medyachts/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com The Last Word |
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