Scuttlebutt Europe #2446 - 10 October
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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 Torvar Mirsky Wins Argo Group Gold Cup
Going into the final day, Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team was already assured of an automatic qualifying spot for the Monsoon Cup while Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing would retain tenth place overall regardless of his petit final result. They were fired up though, as were their opponents who were both seeking to close the gap on Tour leader Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group Gold Cup. Mirsky was knocked out of the 2010 Gold Cup in the quarter-finals by Berntsson and more than avenged for that defeat this year. He said: "We are over the moon with winning two titles in a row. We've never done that well in Bermuda and we've never had many Tour wins so this is fantastic, we're really on a roll. I'm so proud of the way the team sailed this week, everyone just knew what they were doing on board and we felt comfortable and confident. Johnie really tested us in the final which made for some great sailing." Argo Group Gold Cup standings: Overall Championship Standings - after 7 stages: RenRe Junior Gold Cup
Waddell led the regatta over all four days. After finishing 12 races going in to today, his final race on Hamilton harbor was not his best but he got the job done. Waddell admitted that he protected his lead by banking on second place finisher Astrid Still of Finland, who was also was the top girl sailor of the overall event. "In some ways I should have sailed my own race but I thought I should also protect my lead and 'sit' on Astrid," Waddell said. "I was focusing a lot on that today. " Astrid Still, 15, who is a powerful sailor with real great instinct was disappointed she "couldn't sail my own race" but she said she probably would have done the same thing if she were leading. Third place finisher Martyna Mik said "it was tricky today. I couldn't quite get the shifts right," but she had accumulated a solid performance and took home third. For Odile van Aanholt of the Netherland Antilles, who was second last year, her third Junior Gold Cup event was a bit tougher this year. "This year we had a lot better international competition and we really had a lot of shifty winds. It was a bit harder for me this time, but still great." All the sailors enjoyed the opportunity to race on Hamilton harbor in front of a large crowd of spectators and Argo Group Gold Cup sailors, who competed in their final match just after the juniors. -- Laurie Fullerton For more results and photos go to www.argogroupgoldcup.com and click on the Jr Gold Cup tab. Risking It All In The Doldrums While Colman and Ramon on Cessna Citation in third place remained 149 miles behind the New Zealand team on BSL and continued to bank miles to the west, the gamble of sailing through the Cape Verde Islands taken by Marco Nannini and Paul Peggs with Financial Crisis paid the Italian-British duo well, taking 17 miles from Cessna Citation and trailing the fleet's youngest team by 67 miles on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, leaving the Cape Verde island of Santo Antao 45 miles to port, Phesheya-Racing in fifth place and Sec. Hayai in sixth were having a personal duel with the trailing boat's Dutch crew of Nico Budel and Ruud van Rijsewijk winning back 12 miles overnight and trailing the South African team of Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire by 45 miles on Saturday morning. At 08:00 GMT on Saturday, the impressive gains by Nannini and Peggs on Financial Crisis came to an end as the breeze began to shut down: "The wind is getting lighter and lighter," confirmed Marco Nannini on Saturday afternoon. "There's little we can do other than press on and hope we can cover the next 500 miles to the Doldrums without going insane or getting stuck in a windless zone." Between midnight and midday on Saturday, the duo's speed averages on their first generation, relatively heavy, 2007 Akilaria Class40 dropped from ten knots to seven knots. "We keep chasing Cessna and although they invested yesterday in some miles going west, which clearly looks good today, the separation is not enormous and we'll gybe our way closer to their longitude playing the wind shifts." By 15:00 GMT, Financial Crisis had dropped back a handful of miles behind Cessna Citation and with the barrier of the Doldrums approaching, Nannini and Peggs know that the risk of big gains or losses is high: "The Doldrums can be a bit of a lottery and a little luck could reshuffle cards in our favour, as well as turn into a nightmare where the backbenchers overtake us," adds Nannini who is already beginning to suffer in the extreme temperatures at 14 degrees North: "The heat has come to be almost unbearable," he admits. "I drag myself around the boat like an old dog, looking for a spot where I can doze off for the next hour. I close my eyes, then wake up in a sweat, confused, weak, I stand up and almost collapse, drink another huge glass of water and repeat the cycle…." Southern Spars METS 2011 Audi Medcup Champions Quantum Racing add 2011 World Title
They added to worlds wins in 2008 in Lanzarote and defended the title they won last year Valencia. Emerging with a four points margin over Germany's Container, the American flagged Quantum team complete the same 'double' as they did in 2008, winning both the Audi MedCup Circuit title as well as the World Championship. With tactician Adrian Stead (GBR) combining with new navigator Francesco Mongelli (ITA) Quantum Racing were consistent across the very different wind conditions, from the very light sub 10kts conditions of the first three days of racing to a useful fourth in the strong early morning Mistral of Friday, to their final flourish in today's moderate 7-11kts. Udo Schuetz' Container with skipper-helm Markus Wieser (GER) and his crew, augmented at this regatta by Kiwi mainsheet trimmer Don Cowie, came out on the final day with their strongest finishes of the late season. Their 2,1,2 over the last three races of the season a secured them second place overall and shook off some of the disappointment of their lacklustre finishes in Cartagena and Barcelona. Final results: 1. Quantum Racing, USA, 17 points Esimit Europa 2 Takes Barcolana Line Honours
Owner of the yacht, Igor Simcic, and his all-star crew, composed by the best sailors from six European countries, started off perfectly and immediately took the lead, sailing on average at about 15 to 20 knots. The team's success was endorsed by the crowd of a few hundred people at the dockside, including members of the European Parliament, ambassadors from different European countries and chairmen of some of the largest European enterprises. The last regatta on the schedule of Esimit Europa 2 for this season is the 606-mile offshore Rolex Middle Sea Race, which will start in Grand Harbour in Malta on 22 October. www.esimit.com Race for Water Winner of the KRYS Match Steve Ravussin started by thanking his team and shore crew: "The crew did a fantastic job. The boat is magical and we had fantastic conditions here in La Trinite-sur-Mer. This is a great adventure: the MOD70 KRYS MATCH is the culmination of a beautiful project, but mainly the beginning of a great story. The event was perfectly organized. We had the most beautiful moments in the last days, while sailing with the Race for Water - with peaks at 37.8 knots (about 65 km / h!) - but also onshore, with great highlights such as the announcement of the partnership between the Multi One Attitude Foundation and UNESCO (and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) on water conservation." On the occasion of the KRYS MATCH Prize Giving ceremony, Marco Simeoni, President of the MOD70 class, expressed his joy and gratitude to the entire team who worked on organizing the event. He dedicated the victory of the MOD70 no.1 Race for Water to Hubert Desjoyeaux, owner of CDK Technologies, shipyard of the series, who died recently. Final results: 1. Water Race (Steve Ravussin) www.multioneattitude.com Live TV - www.krys-oceanrace.com Dubarry Storm - Designed To Perform Dubarry Storm - the calm within the Storm. Qualifying Race: Volvo Ocean Race
No points were at stake in the race, which was instead designed as an opportunity to test safety procedures, and Martínez stressed that finishing first meant nothing. "It was not a real race," he said, still dripping with the cava he and his team mates had sprayed around. "We spent a lot of time doing those manoeuvres for the safety, and we could have won or lost on one of those. Every time we did those manoeuvres the positions would change." On lining up against the fleet for the first time he simply said: "It looks like the difference between the boats won't be big." PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG Propulsion followed Telefonica in at 06:48:54. Earlier the race had turned into north-south divide, with Telefonica, PUMA and Sanya taking the southerly route around Ibiza and picking up much stronger winds. Team Sanya arrived back in Alicante at 09:18:54 to be greeted on the dockside by skipper Mike Sanderson who had ruled himself out of the offshore element of the race following an emergency appendix operation less than two weeks ago, leaving watch captains Cameron Dunn and Chris Main to share command for the qualification race. Dunn said that arriving slightly behind the other five boats at Ibiza had helped them to choose the advantageous southerly route around the island, a move that saw them pick up extra breeze and leapfrog into third place. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama sailing team and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing took the more direct northerly route but found themselves becalmed for longer. CAMPER, who had led for much of the race and Groupama 4 were expected to reach Alicante by mid afternoon. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing used their engine during the race, with skipper Ian Walker satisifed the crew had completed all the required safety checks. They arrived back after Telefonica. Clipper Race 4: Cape Town to Geraldton, Western Australia The Roaring Forties is the area defined by its strong westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere generally between the latitudes of 40 to 49 degrees south. Prior to the introduction of steam ships on the international trade routes, the traditional Clipper ships used to take advantage of these powerful winds as they transported goods between Europe, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. On New York, round the world crew member Mohan Krishnan, said his team had faced the dilemma of whether or not to tack yesterday. "To tack won and we were off to the south turning south east with the ocean currents pushing us a few knots further to the Forties," Mohan said. Mohan said the New York team is heading even further south in the search of even stronger winds. De Lage Landen is keen to regain second place and with just six miles between the Dutch boat and the US boat, skipper Stuart Jackson is taking advantage of more favourable winds. The boats are expected to arrive in Geraldton, Western Australia between 29 and 31 October. Positions at 0900 UTC, Sunday 9 October 1 Gold Coast Australia, 4194nm to finish www.clipperroundtheworld.com 18ft Skiffs R. Watt Memorial Trophy
Lane and his team of Paul Montague and Tom Anderson were always near the lead throughout the three lap race to score a 13s victory over Cameron McDonald, Darren McKavanagh and Will Chapman in The Kitchen Maker. Three times world 14 Footer champion Archie Massey, Dan Wilsdon and Mike McKensey were a further 1m6s back in third place, ahead of Kenwood-Rabbitohs (Brett Van Munster), Smeg (Nick Press) and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon). With a WSW breeze prevailing, the starter sent the fleet over a three-lap windward-return course. Many of the teams will improve over coming weeks as their new rigs become available. www.18footers.com.au Full video coverage of the race can also be seen on http://www.18footerstv.com Industry News Beneteau boat sales grew by 21.1 per cent to €694.4m. With its sustained rate of product development (23 new models), the Group has continued to refresh and extend its ranges. In the four key areas from its development strategy (large power yachts, the Asia region, powerboats in North America and South America), it achieved sales growth of over 70 per cent, up to €67.5m. Over the last 12 months, Beneteau has continued to develop its business in the powerboat market and now claims to be one of the leading players in Europe. At a press conference in Cannes, the company announced that the Jeanneau, Prestige, Beneteau and Monte Carlo Yachts (MCY) brands are all expanding their motor ranges with an emphasis on targeting growth in new markets. Beneteau offers more than 100 sail and powerboat models from 6m-18m (20ft-60ft) under the Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon and Prestige brands. The company also builds custom luxury yachts under the CNB marque. IBI News: plus.ibinews.com ------------------------------------------ The shipyard's president calls it "temporary" but a local official says there is a "reported plan" to file for bankruptcy Derecktor Shipyards told local media that it is considering a temporary shutdown of its operations in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Last year, the company launched Cakewalk V, a 218ft yacht that was the largest built in the US in more than 70 years. More than 300 workers worked at the Bridgeport facility during the building of Cakewalk and two other yachts. Now, the employee roster is down to 20 to 25 doing maintenance work on ferries. "It's tough times for us," Paul Derecktor, president of the company, told the Connecticut Post. "There's no new construction and service is just barely enough." Derecktor said layoffs have taken place steadily since Cakewalk V was delivered in November. Paul Derecktor told the paper that he is working with Connecticut governor's office to see if the state can help financially. The Department of Economic and Community Development said that its staff met with the company last week. ------------------------------------------ Marinas de Colombia SA, a Colombian and Spanish partnership, is investing US$19.7m to build Puerto Velero, a new marine complex in the city of Barranquilla. Once built, Puerto Velero will be Colombia's first major marine facility on its Atlantic coast. The first stage of construction, an initial 130 moorings, started last Thursday. Split into three stages, the next two stages of construction include the building of a sailing school, heliport and a boutique hotel with 38 rooms, plus 33 on-water cabins and 38 on-land cabins. Leisure facilities such as a spa and a gym are also part of the project. The construction now underway represents 34 per cent of the total investment. Second and third stages, representing 26 per cent and 40 per cent of the investment respectively, will follow. IBI: plus.ibinews.com ------------------------------------------ 2011 could be worse for Italian marina operators than 2009-2010, according to a report in Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. The paper says Italian marinas are experiencing a fall in the number of visits, a large number of berthed boats for sale particularly from 10m-20m (33ft-66ft), a reduction in the amount of fuel being bought and the flight of boats to France, Corsica and Croatia. The increase in the number of checks being carried out by the Italian financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, is also said to be causing unease among boatowners. Marina operators surveyed by the paper reported boats being used less and a decrease in visits on 2010, with some arguing that the Guardia di Finanza are being too heavy-handed. "[The checks] are a physical invasion of life onboard the boat. And they could be avoided, given that they're checking data that has already been registered," one marina operator told the paper. Featured Brokerage Michelsen FN racing, one-off ( 3/4 fractional ) 10.025 mtr built in 1988 equipped with Yanmar 2GM20 engine. Hull construction carbon fiber. Brokerage through Nikos O. Papadakis International Yachts Sales & Charters: Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word Back For The Wednesday Issue |
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