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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 Audi Medcup Sardinia
Their positive momentum took a dent in Marseille last month when their shiny new Vrolijk designed, English built boat was hit and their transom damaged in an unfortunate joust with the British boat Gladiator. But today the mainly British crew, with renowned Kiwi tactician Gavin Brady, kept the current TP52 world champions Quantum Racing (USA) astern to the finish line, taking first gun in today's exciting practice race. In their native Sweden they took line honours in last week's 400 miles Gotland Runt and just lost out on winning overall by a matter of minutes whilst their next major offshore target with their 'big boat' will be defending their Fastnet Race overall title which they won in 2009 with a race strategy which several described as 'near perfect'. Today's practice race, contested in a brisk southerly sea breeze which reached 20kts, proved that Ran have the legs to win races, and if they can slightly raise their level of consistency they can surely be among the regatta title challengers here. Conditions are expected to be brisk for this regatta's first two planned windward-leeward races tomorrow, though forecasts suggest it will be the NW'ly Mistral, which accelerates down the long, flat and dusty valley upwind of the race area Tomorrow the 40 Series have their practice race. Panerai British Classic Week Race Officer Tony Lovell confirmed his intention to start today's single race at noon and set up his course to the east of Cowes with a start line off Osborne Bay. Although conditions had improved overnight the wind was still quite strong ranging from around 18-25 knots from the west-southwest. Throughout the day a steady stream of rain squalls swept down the Solent bringing stronger winds with them and drenching the sailors into the bargain. The course featured a series of windward/leeward legs and one short reaching leg with a lovely long final beat to finish off Cowes. Despite the enormous range in size of boats there were close tacking and gybing duels going on throughout the fleets and a number of very close finishes on the line. Fortunately the strong winds brought only a couple of significant cases of gear failure. The first happened only a few moments after the start for Classes 1 and 2 when David Murrin's 1957 Laurent Giles Sloop 'Cetawayo', tipped to be one of the top performers in this regatta, was forced to pull up with a broken lower starboard spreader. Back ashore David confirmed that they hoped to have a new wooden spreader made and fitted overnight and that they had every intention of being on the race course again tomorrow, joking that it "helps relax everyone if you get the discard out of the way early in the regatta". The other casualty was Roddy Steel and Eric Newman's delightful little 'Stren', a 1948 Spidsgatter 19½ Square Meter designed by Jac M Iversen, which broke a rudder fitting. Thanks must go to the crew aboard Richard Matthew's tender to 12m Crusader who kindly came to the rescue and towed them home to effect repairs. Full results are available online at: Spinnaker Tales The Mark Richards helmed Wild Oats X1 the present record holder and five times line honours winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race has the proven boat speed to wrap up both records before heading to race in the warm waters of the Whitsunday Islands as a feature entry in the 2011 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Her challenge starts with the Audi Sydney to Gold Coast race at 1pm on Saturday July 30 hopefully sailing the 384 nautical mile course before moderate to fresh spinnaker sailing winds to reach the finish line off Southport's Main Beach before the record time expires 4-35 pm on Sunday. Previously unstable coastal weather conditions have left the power sailing Wild Oats X1 falling short of breaking the 27 hour 35 minute 3 second record set by the George Snow skippered Brindabella in 1999. But long range forecasters are suggesting that the cold Southerlies which have gusted to gale strength along the New South Wales coast this week could be similar to the expected official race forecast. However time will tell if Mark Richards and his 23 member Wild Oats X1 crew will dock at the Southport Yacht Club Marina by completing the testing tactical race with an average speed of slightly better than 13.92 knots. They can expect to be kept honest by the Peter Millard skippered older generation maxi Lahana which earlier this year took line honours in the Brisbane to Gladstone classic after winning a tactical arm wrestle against the smaller Mark Richards helmed Wild Oats X to become the present Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel race record holder. Lahana survived a late charge from Wild Oats X to secure a breath taking 22 second line honours win which set the record average benchmark of 12.8 knots in August last year. Skipper Peter Millard has never stepped back from a challenge and has the former New Zealand built and owned Lahana showing improved performances in every offshore race. But the Lahana crew will be hard pressed to protect their line honours record from the challenge of the Wild Oats X1 crew when the start signal is fired at noon on August 5th. Mark Richards will have a handy reference to his tactical notes from last year and apart from making sure the deeper draft Wild Oats X1 clears the shoals in Moreton Bay should steer Australia's fastest maxi to a comfortable line honours win with a target set at reaching the Rosslyn Bay finish line off the Keppel Bay marina before 3-11-22 pm on Saturday August 6th to claim the record. -- Ian Grant Camet Code Zip Performance Shirt For more information please see Clipper 11-12 Round The World Five hundred 'people like you' representing more than 40 nationalities and all walks of life have signed up to take part in the challenge of a lifetime. More than 40 per cent of them had never sailed before beginning their pre-race training. The ten 68-foot yachts will be berthed in Ocean Village, Southampton, from Thursday 28 to Sunday 31 July. There will be a raft of free, family-friendly events in the race village including live music. The colourful and emotional departure ceremony will begin at midday on Sunday 31 July and after the yachts have slipped their moorings they will head out into Southampton Water for a spectacular parade of sail towards the start line at the historic Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. The race will start at 4.30pm and the yachts will exit the Solent to the east. Boating enthusiasts on the south coast of England are invited to join the accompanying flotilla to see the fleet on their way at the start of their 40,000-mile circumnavigation which will take them from the Solent to Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Geraldton Western Australia, New Zealand, the Gold Coast, Singapore, Qingdao, California, Panama, New York, Nova Scotia, Derry-Londonderry, Den Helder in the Netherlands and back to the Solent on 22 July 2012. You can follow the race on www.clipperroundtheworld.com where you will be able to view yacht positions updated every three hours plus dramatic diaries, photos and video from on board. You will also be able to pit your own skills against those of the crews by playing the online game. Pablo Arrarte and Joca Signorini Join Team Telefonica Both started off in Olympic sailing where they coincided in the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, although competing in different classes; Finn in the case of the Brazilian and Arrarte in the Star Class. With this brand new announcement, the Spanish team 'Telefonica' now notches up three Olympic champions onboard, as well as two America's Cup winners, three runners-up in the Barcelona World Race, a Volvo Ocean Race winner, a total of nine Olympians and 22 circumnavigations onboard the Spanish boat. Telefonica crew list to date: Iker Martínez (ESP), Skipper. RCMS - RORC Crew Management System Update Through working with the system we have discovered that the manual entry crew list has created increased complication for skippers, entrants and the RORC due to the duplication of contacts or the required verification of certificates and eligibility. We have now disabled the manual crew list. However, if you have already created manual contacts within your crew list it is possible for us to convert them for you. This will keep emergency contact details, certificates and other related information and will make them available to the crew member for review and correction, if necessary. The entrant's address book will be updated as well. Please let us know by Email to if you wish to have your crew list updated. HMS Victory Dismasted For Restoration During the operation 26 miles of rigging and 768 wooden blocks will also be removed, catalogued and documented as Nelson's flagship undergoes her most comprehensive overhaul for more than two centuries. The Commanding Officer of HMS Victory, Lt Cdr DJ 'Oscar' Whild RN, said, "The removal of the masts during the summer months is an exciting time in the ship's maintenance programme, and will give visitors a great opportunity to see the ship in a very different light." The last time that Victory's masts were removed was in 1944, when they were taken down to prevent possible damage during air raids.
Dubarry Sligo - Genuine Club Class Dubarry Sligo - the only deck shoe you'll ever need. Industry News Both yachts - a ketch C. 2193, and a sloop C. 2218 - will be delivered in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The Perini Navi Group closed the 2010 fiscal year with an order portfolio of €12m. Since June 2011 - thanks to the sales of these two new yachts - the volume is currently at €140m spread over seven superyachts. Fiscal year closed with a production value of €102.4m with a growth of 10.6 per cent compared with 2009. The principal economic indicators were all positive and aligned with the Group's expectations. EBITDA was at €13.1m and EBIT was €7.7m. -------------------------------------------------
2007 Harken UK Laser Nationals at Weymouth. Photo by Eddie Mays, www.eddiemays.com. Click on image to enlarge. Harken UK is delighted to announce their sponsorship of the 2011 Laser Nationals at Weymouth, from 27th August to 2nd September 2011. The Harken Laser UK Nationals 2011 are expecting 300 boats to attend the event, which is to be held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, Harken have a long standing relationship with the Laser fleet, manufacturing and supplying a number of innovative sailing solutions for the Laser. The Harken manufactured Laser Licensed products include the Laser Vang, Mainsheet Blocks and Clew Sleeve. In sponsoring the 2011 Laser Nationals, Harken hopes this will demonstrate, at least in part, their appreciation for the loyalty shown over the years. Harken are supplying a wide range of product prizes, including Hardware and Sport Products as well as products from the complementary brands that Harken UK Ltd distribute, which includes McLube and FSE Robline. At registration for the event, all competitors will receive a Harken entry pack gift. ------------------------------------------------- Sailmakers John Parker and Peter Kay have announced a new partnership with the international sailmaking brand OneSails, with service continuing at their Suffolk Yacht Harbour and Hamble Point Marina lofts. Both lofts will be offering the unique and innovative OneSails Millenium fused membrane construction system, OneSails Vektor continuous fibre range, plus the Vantage1 fibre range that is exclusive to the British lofts. 22 years ago John Parker and Peter Kay set off with a mission to provide an independent, bespoke sailmaking service, dedicated to crafting performance sails for both racing and cruising sailors. They have supplied sails for championship winning boats ranging from International 8 Metres to Ultra 30s, and had notable successes including multiple regional, national and international championships and most recently the 2010 Swan World Cup winner and J/24 European Championship. -------------------------------------------------
Click on image to enlarge. Herreshoff Designs' T/T Adele has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious ShowBoats Design Awards 2011 in the Tender Design Award category. The winners will be announced to an audience of superyacht owners and the build and design teams responsible for the shortlisted yachts on the final day of the Superyacht Design Symposium in Palm Beach, Florida. The anticipated awards ceremony concludes two days of design-focused events in advance of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Built by Taylor & Snediker Woodworking, of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, T/T Adele is a classic Herreshoff tender based on Nathanael Greene Herreshoff's Columbia Lifeboat (built for the 1899 Cup Defender COLUMBIA). T/T Adele is a multi-sensory experience; gleaming varnish reflecting off rushing water, the aroma of cedar planking, the sound of rippling waves glancing off the bow. She is 15' 6" overall and carries 107 square feet of sail. ------------------------------------------------- Following five successful years as title sponsor of the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, organised by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC), Audi Australia's sponsorship term has come to an end. The German luxury brand has confirmed that it will not re-enter into a new term with MHYC, instead looking to new areas for sponsoring activities within the sport of sailing in Australia. "After five years of this great event, it's time for Audi in Australia to focus on new areas of sailing sponsorship," Uwe Hagen, Audi Australia's Managing Director, said. "We have enjoyed our time as title sponsor of this spectacular and popular regatta, and we wish the event all the success for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, which has delivered a thoroughly professional event each year," he said "The conclusion of this sponsorship nonetheless sees Audi continue to be involved at a high level with the sport of sailing in Australia, although our activities will take a new direction for the future." ------------------------------------------------- Luminox, a Swiss high night-visibility watch and chronograph maker, joins the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) as the event's official timekeeper and co-sponsor. Luminox watches are known for their accuracy, durability and high visibility in low-light conditions. Consequently, the watches are highly-valued by military and security forces, including the US Navy SEALS, as well as yachtsmen. Tolo Frau, President of GOR's Commercial Division in Mallorca is delighted with this agreement: "When sailing, it is vital to have a watch that is not only accurate, but also water resistant, robust and easy to read in any conditions," says Frau. "These are precisely the essential qualities of Luminox, the GOR's official timekeepers. This agreement allows us to offer the event's fans a very exact timekeeping for the GOR, an event whose magnitude and global relevance in offshore racing arena make it a unique tool for our sponsors' publicity," Frau explained. Letters To The Editor - * From John Poulsen: The rules for AC which hinder the teams own marketing via own websites seems very bad. We have seen that AC finally turned to modern boats. This is great, both for the teams and the spectators. But now they turned down a modern use of internet due to the rules about internet. This is bad ! We….the spectators - wants good and interesting websites. We don't want a monopoly in the press and news coverage, we want to see the soul of the teams, the diversity of the teams and the diversity of the teams ingenuity in developing interesting websites too. Monopoly and censorship has never been of any good, this also goes for AC internet use. So…Team New Zealand……what about a genuine fan-website ? You support the fan site with news, photos, videos and all necessary informations which would normally be on a team website, then the fan site presents itself on the internet. Voila….Team New Zealand don't have any website itself, but the fan site is presenting the team. I´m sure a well developed fan site can give the same coverage as a teams own website. AC-rules can't omit fan sites……or ? Featured Brokerage The sweet sailing J-100 offers an attractive and versatile platform for daysailing, club racing and occasional overnight. "Remedy" is well equiped with tack-tick electronics, Autohelm Smart Pilot, and many sails for both daysailing and racing. She has never been in salt water until 5/11 and appears to be in excellent condition. Brokerage through Kingman Yacht Brokerage: www.yachtworld.com/kingmanmarine/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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