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

Fabien Delahaye Wins On Home Waters
At 13:14:36 on Tuesday 2nd of August, Fabien Delahaye crossed the finish line to win the first leg of La Solitaire du Figaro between Perros-Guirec and Caen in first place. The Normandy skipper sailing on Port Caen Ouistreham took just over 2 days, or 50 hours 14 minutes and 36 seconds, at an average 5.83 miles an hour to cover the 293.1 miles course that was full of surprises.

The final stages of the race were played out overnight on Monday in the light conditions and currents off the Cotentin coastline. Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert), the highly experienced Figaro sailor, finished just behind to take the second place whilst Jean Pierre Nicol (Bernard Controls) takes third to complete the podium. Xavier Macaire (Starter Active Bridge) comes in first rookie in 5th place, barely a minute ahead of Phil Sharp (Spirit of Independence), the first British sailor to finish, crossing the line in 7th and just 15 minutes and 4 seconds behind the leader. The first thirty skippers to cross the finish line are within an 60-minute time deficit on the leader.

The first leg win goes to a native Normandy sailor, Fabien Delahaye (he lives in Caen). In 2009, Fabien made his mark on the Figaro by winning the rookie or newcomer rankings. Over the past two participations Fabien has improved thanks to his very methodical work, clear mindset and is regarded as one of the young hopefuls who will set their mark on La Solitare du Figaro race.

On the finish line in Ouistreham, the tension was palpable as nothing had been decided and all was to play for over the final miles of the race. The very low and variable wind direction together with the 2 knots of current from the tides brought the fleet back together. Fabien managed to control his opponents and beat them to the finish over the final miles of the race. Seasoned sailors, Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) and Jean Pierre Nicol (Bernard Controls) finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The first rookie to finish, a mere 14 minutes behind the winner in 5th place is Xavier Macaire (Starter Active Bridge) being pursued by Britain's Phil Sharp on Spirit of Independence, who finishes 7th overall and just under a minute behind the first rookie.

First ten, first leg:

1. Fabien Delahaye, Port De Caen Ouistrehamn, 50h14'36" elapsed time
2. Gildas Morvan, Cercle Vert, + 11'09"
3. Jean-Pierre Nicol, Bernard Controls, + 11'22"
4. Jeremie Beyou, BPI, + 12'28"
5. Xavier Macaire, Starter Active Bridge, + 14'08"
6. Thomas Rouxel, Bretagne-Credit Mutuel Performance, + 14'19"
7. Phil Sharp, The Spirit Of Independence, + 15'04"
8. Laurent Pellecuer, Atelier D'architecture Jp Monier, + 16'54"
9. Nicolas Lunven, Generali, + 17'46"
10. Erwan Tabarly, Nacarat, + 23'01"

www.lasolitaire.com

Bribon Fills the Top Spot in IRC after Day 2
Photo by Kurt Arrigo, www.kurtarrigo.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre Palma de Mallorca, Spain: Differences in wind pressure between the inner and the outer race areas and strong shifts have marked the second day of races of the 30th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre. Exigent conditions for the 117 helmsmen of the seven fleets of this 2011 edition, and for the race committee which had to wait between half and one hour for the breeze to settle enough to race in all four race areas.

Day 2 was a good day for Jose Cusí's Bribon, whose two bullets set them in second after day two. The first race for the IRC A fleet started in a NWly breeze which soon shifted to right reaching the 150, thus matching the prediction, and finally established at the 135.

The debut of the Melges 32 class met the expectations and delivered tight, even and exigent racing in real time. American Argos signed the class first partial victory in the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre, with two times America's Cup champion Cameron Appleton onboard. Second was Melges 32 world champion B-Lin Sailing.com of Luca Lalli and Lorenzo Bressani. British Dawn Raid of Olympic Andy Beadworth was third.

The J-80 fleet, the other one design class making its debut in the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre, registered no changes. Nextel signed a second in the first race, and first was Maqueche from Cantabria, the province with the largets J-80 fleet in Spain. The second race was run in very shifty winds which forced two general recalls, and start was given with a black flag.

The X-35 class was to compete in the Charlie race area, where conditions were as tricky, and caused several changes in the classification which sees Hotelplan climb to the top of the scoreboard.

RI1 delivered less surprises, and Rats on Fire with Raico Tabares remains first after today's 1-4, thus opening a 12 points gap upon second classified Cuadernos Rubio. In RI 2 Telefonica ex-Volvo Ocean Race CEO Pedro Campos Movistar beat her main contendent Olympic Gustavo Martínez Doreste's Power Plate, and the two boats are now first and second respectively, with a four points advantage for the Galicia born Campos.

Tomorrow a double scoring coastal race of around 30 miles awaits the two compensated time fleets of the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre (IRC and RI). X-35 and Melges 32 will race in front of Ca'n Pastilla, whereas the J-80's stay at area Alpha, in front of the airport.

www.copadelreyaudimapfre.com

Mini 6.50 - Transgascogne - Leg 2 - Day 3 - Win For David Raison
Photo by Guillaume Grange, www.audialog.com. Click on image to enlarge.

David Raison The first competitors crossed the finish line of the second and last leg of the Transgascogne at Port Bourgenay FRA early this morning. Thomas Normand FRA is the winner of this leg, but David Raison FRA with his 'TeamWork', first of leg one and finishing second in leg two is the overall winner of the Transgascogne.

With this success, the qualities of his experimental mini with a round bow, greeted with smile at her first appearance, were clearly demonstrated. Especially the gliding qualities of this design surpass the competitors by far. David Raison is therefore one of the big favorites of the Mini-Transat beginning in September, the highlight of the season for the Minis. All other boats of the 48 participants' fleet were still underway this morning at press time.

See the race-viewer: transgascogne.geovoile.com/2011/

From Sailing-News.ch: www.sailing-news.ch

Top five, Proto Solo:
1. Teamwork Evolution, David Raison
2. Financiere de l'echiquier, Thomas Normand, 01h 37min 55s total time more than winner
3. Defi GDE, Nicolas Boidevezi, 04h 10min 46s
4. La tortue de l'Aquarium la Rochelle Aymeric Chappellier, 05h 04min 03s
5. Eole Generation / GDF-SUEZ Sebastien Rogues, 07h 39min 24s

Top five, Series Solo
1. Tour le Monde chante contre le cancer, Aymeric Belloir
2. Run'O, Renaud Mary, 02h 18min 41s total time more than winner
3. Liege Expo 2017, Jonas Gerckens, 02h 40min 05s
4. Imprimerie Cartoffset, Fabrice Sorin, 04h 21min 42s
5. Masqhotel, Pierre Cizeau, 07h 49min 20s

Complete results on the event site: www.transgascogne.com

Dubarry Crosshaven

Dubarry Crosshaven - The Best Gets Better
Click on image to enlarge.

You'd have to go around the world to find a better boot than Dubarry's Ultima or Shamrock - so they did. Green Dragon's raced round the world in Dubarry boots and their Southern Ocean feedback helped to create the world's best offshore boot. Top of the Dragons' list was a waterproof built-in gaiter with top draw-cord to make sure your foredeck forays don't result in a bootful of briney. They're warmer too, lined with GORE-TEX® Duratherm waterproof insulation, heel and toe reinforcement and a new super-supportive footbed inspired by Formula 1 technology.

Dubarry Crosshaven - boots born in the Southern Ocean.

www.dubarry.com

Spinnaker Tales
World Laser Masters sailing champion Mark Kennedy can confidently say he has provided his children son Mitchell (18) and daughter Madison (16) with the important personal skills.

The trio of Queensland Olympic Laser dinghy sailors who regard the Maroochy Sailing Club burgee as their battle-flag have continued to make a huge impression since father Mark won his World Crown at the Sydney Masters Games in 2009.

While this result remains as a career best result Mark has never failed in the role of offering his talented teenage children the best advice for their individual careers.

Relatively modest Madison gained her first official Australian representative colours when she contested the 2010 Youth Olympic regatta in the unfamiliar Byte class finishing 14th overall.

Naturally their careers have become the focal point at the family meal table with Mark providing Mitchell and Madison with the opportunity to talk openly during their post race analysis sessions.

Mitchell regards his father who introduced him to sailing at the age of six as the person who has played the most influential role in his career.

"He is awesome to talk sailing with". He said.

However while the Queensland Academy of Sport sailing team members Mitchell and Madison receive the best advice from their dad and QAS coach Adrian Finglas it has been their personal endurance and tactical skills which have gained the excellent results in the heat of the action on the race course.

Mitchell proved his exceptional one-design Laser dinghy sailing skills when he won his first major Gold Medal at the 2009 Sail Brisbane regatta in 2009.

He has practiced extensively with open class Laser sailors Ryan Palk and Klade Hauschildt to further improve his personal technique and tactical skills.

Last month Mitchell left the friendly and warm environment of his Sunshine Coast home and headed off to La Rochelle France for his first international regatta tour.

Before the first regatta began the rather quite teenager was regarded as just another 'Aussie' in the rigging area. But after 12 races the 'Aussie Battler' proudly stood on the podium to accept the World U19 Laser Radial championship Silver Medal.

After a few days rest he was back on the course contesting the Open Laser Radial Youth championship against 271 rivals.

During the 12 physically enduring races contested in moderate to fresh winds and larger than normal waves Mitchell continued to show his class finishing 7th overall with the best 10 race to count score of 13-2-4-6-6-4-8-7-5-29. -- Ian Grant

The Scandinavian Gold Cup Goes Back To Finland
Kenneth Helen (helm), Thomas Hallberg and Robert Nyberg winners of the 2011 Scandinavian Gold Cup. Photo by Matti Muoniovaara. Click on image to enlarge.

Scandinavian Gold Cup Eight nations were represented in this year edition of the prestigious 5.5 Meter Scandinavian Gold Cup in Helsinki, Finland: The Bahamas, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

The regatta was hosted by the NJK, the oldest yacht club in Finland.

The rule of the game is simple: the boat that first wins three races is the winner and after three races, a boat that has not won a single race can no longer compete.

Racing was tight and highly competitive as it is usual in the 5.5 Class. It took four races for the Finnish crew of  Kenneth Thelen, Thomas Hallberg and Robert Nyberg to get a third bullet and win the competition. They crossed the finishing line of the final match race just five seconds ahead of Norwegian Kristian Nergaard, last year's winner of the Gold Cup in Torbole, Italy.

With this victory, the Gold Cup makes its way back to Finland after sixteen years. "The entire crew is very pleased to bring the Cup back to NJK with a perfect timing since the club is celebrating its 150th anniversary." said Kenneth Thelen.

In the Royal Kaag Classic Cup, a fleet racing series reserved to the 5.5 Classic division, the Italian boat "Carabella" won the the regatta and the Cup for the seventh time in a row

The winner of the Hanko Evolution Cup, trophy reserved to the 5.5 Evolution division, was the German boat "Above The Line".

www.5.5class.org/about/gold_cup/gold_cup.html

Nordic Sailors at the Top of Lysekil Women's Match
Two Danish sailors have taken command of the Lysekil Women's Match. Trine Abrahamsen and Camilla Ulrikkeholm are both undefeated with four victories each, topping the scoreboard of this prestigious event. Swedes Karin Hagstrom and Linda Rahm are also on four victories each, but have two losses to add to that total.

The boats in Lysekil, a small town beautifully situated on the Swedish west coast, are the Danish DS 37, a racing machine more than 11 metres in length, with a weight of almost four tons. It demands a crew of six, twice the number of the Olympic Elliott that many of the crew have had to adapt to recently.

Karin has been out of the match racing circuit for one and a half years, now beating fellow Swede Linda Rahm in the first match of her comeback. Linda is still sailing with the same crew as when she won the Lysekil Women's Match in 2008.

Leaderbord in Lysekil Women's Match 2011 after the first day of racing:
1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 4 wins - 0 losses
1. Trine Julie Abrahamsen, DEN, 4 - 0
3. Karin Hagstrom, SWE, 4 - 2
4. Linda Rahm, SWE, 4 - 2
5. Nicole Souter, AUS, 2 - 2
5. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 2 - 2
5. Stephanie Roble, USA, 2 - 2
8. Silvia Roca Mata, ESP, 1 - 3
8. Cristiana Monina, ITA, 1 - 3
10. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 0 - 6

www.lysekilwomensmatch.se

Zorzi and Gonzalez are Laser 4.7 World Champions
Photo by Erik Simonson, www.pressure-drop.us. Click on image for photo gallery.

Laser 4.7 World Champions Today the oft promised big San Francisco Bay breeze came out to greet the Laser 4.7 Worlds competitors for their final day.

This morning, the breeze started off as just a whisper at 8-10 knots for the boys silver fleet ,who started at 1100 today, and a flood tide. Greek sailor Synodinos Eframidis pulled out ahead of the rest with an 8,2. Just behind him overall were Peru's Alonso Torres-Ilosa with a 19th and a bullet to end his Worlds event. In third overall for the event was American William Livernois.

The schedule today was a lot tighter with the girls and gold fleet boys set to start at 1pm. The girls started first as the wind began to build up to 15 knots and the tide started to recess out of the Golden Gate Bridge. With moderate chop and good breeze, all of the training these kids have done in heavy air in preparation for this regatta started to pay off. In race 11, Cecilia Zorzi raced well and finished in 9th, which, incredibly, was her second lowest score, thus a drop. In her last race of the day she climbed through the fleet from a top 10 rounding at the first leeward gate, to a top three rounding at the last wing mark. After she got tossed in the water for her winning regatta, Zorzi simply said, "It went well."

In the boys gold fleet, Francisco Gonzales and Carlos Rosello, both of Spain had a nail biter going into the day at only 10 points apart. Ultimately, Gonzalez finished the day with 24 points and a fourth place, finishing 28 points ahead. William de Smet of Belgium finished in third overall, passing Japanese sailor Keeiju Okada in both races today. Gonzalez was jubilant as his teammates tossed him into the drink just off the docks of the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Top five, girls:
1. Ceclia Zorzi, ITA, 26 points
2. Kim Pletikos, SLO, 55
3. Flem Host Line, NOR, 55
4. Therese Herud Celine, NOR, 74
5. Maud Jayet, SUI, 90

Top five, boys Gold Fleet:
1. Francisco Sammarco Gonzalez, ESP, 24
2. Carlos Rosello, ESP, 52
3. William de Smet, BEL, 72
4. Keiju Okada, JPN, 77
5. Mehmet Turkmen, TUR, 82

Full results: www.sflaserworlds.com/page/Laser-47-Worlds

Sail Faster And Smarter!
Speed and Smarts Speed & Smarts is a bi-monthly newsletter packed with tips to improve your racing performance. It's written by winning AC tactician David Dellenbaugh, and each issue has 16 pages full of instructional advice on tactics, strategy, speed, boathandling and rules (plus there's no advertising!).

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

Industry News
YachtWorld.com, a division of Dominion Marine Media, today announced that Al Gardner, one of the founders of YachtCouncil.org, has joined the company, effective immediately.

Along with his entire programming and design staff, Gardner has joined YachtWorld.com to collaborate on new product development. YachtWorld's strategy is ever‐evolving to ensure the best results for its members, and Gardner's team has a proven track record of managing and delivering strategic R&D.

"YachtWorld.com will continue to enhance its core mission," said Ian Atkins, vice president and general manager of YachtWorld, "which is to provide brokers and boat builders with a huge variety of web based marketing and software solutions. Now we have the opportunity to leverage our newly expanded resources to take our strategic product development to the next level more quickly."

Gardner joins YachtWorld.com with more than 20 years of experience in the technology and software industry, as well as nearly 15 years in the marine and brokerage industry.

yachtworld.com

------------------------------------------------

Aberdeen Asset Management are the new sponsors of the Reeds Nautical Almanac in a three-year deal, which will see the king of almanacs re-branded as the Reeds Aberdeen Asset Management Nautical Almanac.

The new editions of the almanac and regional almanacs, publishing in September 2011, will carry the new brand and will continue the Almanac's tradition of year on year improvement and meticulous presentation of all the data required for safe navigation. The 2012 edition will also come with a downloadable desktop version - the digital service, which is free to all purchasers of the Almanac.

------------------------------------------------

If you are heading down to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (6-13 August) this year make sure you check out the all-new Cowes Yacht Haven Regatta Village. This year the Regatta Village is undergoing a complete transformation and with it's chilled vibe, exclusive hospitality and retail outlets and brilliant retro entertainment line-up on the Gill Stage each evening it's definitely the place to be.

The Regatta Village will start to come to life a few days before Cowes Week when it plays host to two spectacular "Rockin' The Dock" concerts featuring Status Quo on Wednesday 3 August and 60's legends The Manfreds on Thursday 4 August.

For the first time in 20 years, rock legends Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt and their band Status Quo will be performing on stage on the Isle of Wight in a very special one-night-only concert. The band will perform a full set featuring a selection of their most famous hits as well as new material from their latest album.

Original Manfred Mann members Paul Jones, Mike Hugg and Tom McGuinness , and former member Mike d'Abo, are joined by Rob Townsend, Marcus Cliffe and Simon Currie as the exciting new line-up of The Manfreds, featuring both lead singers from the 1960's band. 

Cowes Yacht Haven Regatta Village will be in full swing from Friday 5 August.

The hospitality pavilions of OnDeck and Cowes Week title sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management will also be located in the village. The historic Dragon "Bluebottle", owned by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be on display at the Aberdeen Asset Management stand and will be open for viewing by members of the public. "Bluebottle" was presented to Prince Philip and HRH The Queen as a wedding present by members of the Island Sailing Club in 1948 and she will form the centerpiece of a week of celebrations being held by the British and Solent Dragon Associations, supported by Aberdeen Asset Management, to mark the 90th birthday of Prince Philip, one of their longest standing owners.

------------------------------------------------

The America's Cup Event Authority today introduced its official sportswear partner, PUMA. In addition to their role as sportswear partner, PUMA will operate both the official online and pop-up fan shop in ports hosting the 34th America's Cup races. The first America's Cup-branded merchandise offerings will be made exclusively available to fans attending the inaugural America's Cup World Series event August 6 - 14 in Cascais, Portugal.

As the official sportswear partner, PUMA will serve as the exclusive licensee of event-related sportswear for the America's Cup Event Authority and America's Cup Race Management teams, including their sailing performance gear.

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Marco Nannini: The last few days have been very different from my usual office life routine , clear sign that the Global Ocean Race is approaching fast.

We are now focusing on getting ready to race Eutourist Serv-System (the new name for our boat thanks to a recent sponsorship for the Fastnet)

I came down to the boat last friday straight from the office as the next day we were competing in the RORC Channel Race, we had very light winds but enough to keep us going around the 122 miles course, pretty much around the isle of Wight but stretching east to Newhaven.

We were reasonably happy with the race and we're now fully qualified to compete in the Rolex Fastnet. We finished just after sunrise on Sunday morning, second in Class40.

On Monday we spent the day sorting out our spares for the Global Ocean Race and preparing all we need to load in the container that will follow us around the world, including tools, freeze dried food and other equipment...

Today we went out training with three other Class 40s in a day organised by Brian Thompson and Pip Hare. Very valuable day, more of it tomorrow in the second session.

One thing is sure, come sunset I'm really tired and ready for sleep!

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 2006 Esse 850. US$ 69,000. Located In Annapolis, Maryland, USA.

2006 USA demo boat. Delivered fall 2006 therefore she was barely sailed that year. We are selling the demo boat for a newer model. This price represents delivery in Annapolis. Includes class main, spinnaker, 2 jibs, and number 4 heavy weather. Trailer, tacktick instruments, all sheets and halyards. Can be shipped to Europe for modest price of 40 foot HQ container. Boat has all the equipment of a $115,000+ new boat. PHRF 75. Many top 3 race results in major regional and national level regattas.

Brokerage through Annapolis Performance Yachts: www.yachtworld.com/annapolisperformance/

Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com

The Last Word
In the information age, you don't teach philosophy as they did after feudalism. You perform it. If Aristotle were alive today he'd have a talk show. -- Timothy Leary

Bookmark and Share

Use this box to send a copy of this issue of the Scuttlebutt Europe Newsletter to a friend:
[FORWARDFORM]

Or [FORWARD] for a page where you can send copies to up to a dozen friends.

[USERTRACK]

About Boats.com
Boats.com provides marketing and Web services to boat builders, dealers, brokers and service companies throughout the global recreational marine industry. The Boats.com Website provides consumer access to information, boat listings and financial and insurance products. With more than 143,000 new and used boat listings from more than 5,500 brokers, dealers and manufacturers, Boats.com is the largest concentration of recreational marine industry marketing in the world.

See the Boats Blog at Boats.com -- www.boats.com/blog/

To subscribe, unsubscribe, and select HTML or Text format visit scuttlebutteurope.com

Editorial and letter submissions to

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Search the Archives

SEARCH SEARCH

Our Partners

Seahorse Magazine

YachtScoring.com

Wight Vodka

Robline Ropes

Harken

Marlow

Navico

Translate