Scuttlebutt Europe #2501 - 6 January
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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 Hours Away From An Historic Finish The fourteen strong crew now have the speed record within their grasp and are on course to smash the existing record by nearly three days. The Banque Populaire V crew hail from a number of nationalities, however, Thompson takes pride in being the only British crew member on board. The crew are blasting towards the finish line at 33 knots and look set to complete the Jules Verne Trophy ahead of the current record held by Groupama 3, which stands at 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes and 52 seconds. The crew aboard Banque Populaire V have already broken four speed records* on this amazing sprint around the globe; one to the equator, one to the cape of Good Hope, one to Cape Leeuwin, and one from equator to equator. Upon completion, Thompson will also become the first Briton to circumnavigate the globe non-stop for a fourth time, beating existing records held by fellow sailors Dee Caffari MBE and Mike Golding OBE. Hours away from the finish line, Brian Thompson, the only Brit on the boat said: "We are all in great spirits now as we push for the finish near Brest. Our goal was to set a new world record and, if we do, it will be true testament to the hard work of the entire crew over the last 45 days. I am very much looking forward to stepping back on land and we have timed it just right to miss the last of the left over Christmas turkey!" Time to equator = 5d 14h 55mn 10 seconds www.brianthompsonsailing.com Clipper 11-12 Race 7: Gold Coast To Singapore Geraldton Western Australia was the first of the ten teams to cross back into the Northern Hemisphere. After wallowing around for most of the day, trying to make the most of every zephyr of wind in their bid to reach the Equator, Gold Coast Australia finally found some light breeze about an hour after sunset. "At 1315 UTC we crossed the Equator from south to north. For all on board this is a fantastic milestone," says skipper, Richard Hewson. "For the round the worlders it meant crossing the Equator from south to north for the first time, and for the crew who joined us in the Gold Coast it is the first time they have ever crossed the Equator by sea. The fleet is expected to arrive in Batam, Indonesia, between 24 and 27 January, where they will muster before a ceremonial arrival at Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore on 28 January. You can find out how to get on board for the Clipper 13-14 Race at the London International Boat Show from 6 to 15 January. Visit us on stand G102 in the North Hall to meet former crew members and to discover more about the exciting new Clipper 70 fleet which will enter service in the next edition of the race. You can also try your hand at the Harken Coffee Grinder challenge to see just how much effort it takes to hoist the mainsail, and there are presentations each day at 12.15pm in the Knowledge Box, next to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race stand. Positions at 0900 UTC, Thursday 5 January 1. Geraldton Western Australia - 2,946nm to leg finish Henri Lloyd Activities At The Tullett Prebon London Boat Show 2012 Henri Lloyd's mission is to constantly innovate better than anyone else to make sailing more enjoyable, whilst maintaining our high standards of performance alongside delivering increased comfort for sailors. The collection marks another year of intelligent innovation from the Henri Lloyd design team and includes the new Extreme Waterproof Boot and the Freedom Jacket and Hi-Fit. Henri Lloyd Ambassador Ben Ainslie CBE, Triple Olympic Gold Medallist will be our special guest on Thursday 12th January and will be conducting activities on the Henri Lloyd stand including poster signing, photo opportunities and will also be launching a special range of new clothing for 2012. London Boat Show visitors will have the opportunity to have their photo taken with a life size model of Ben Ainslie; the images will then in turn be made into a special collage of images that will be presented to Ben. Henri Lloyd will be retailing their marine range via our retail partners Andark (stand nos - D310) and Marine Superstore (stand nos - A317-A320). Please look at our Face Book page (Henri Lloyd - Marine) for more information in regards to activities and timings. The Day After, with Iker Martinez Winning or not often lies in the detail, and even if we'd finished second in both legs it would still have been a great result. I think we did a good job preparing, we have a great boat, but things will be a bit different from here, because the regatta's really got going and I'm sure that we all know what to do by now to get the best out of the boat and crew. How is "Telefonica" after this leg? We are really happy because the boat is doing really well and she's sailing well, and all of us on board are also all in good shape too. Of course, we've got to check, check and check again and and then check what we've checked, just in case, but we are very happy and we will be on form for the start of the next leg. Everyone's been commenting on the fact that the last two legs were very unusual in meteorological terms, in that the conditions weren't what you'd usually get for these areas. What do you think about that? We've had a bit of everything: strong winds, light... It wasn't what we expected, but that's this regatta for you - you need to be prepared for anything. On this next leg we think we'll be close-hauling for a large part of the leg and we'll have to see... We might end up going downwind for the whole leg! (laughs) This Volvo Ocean Race had given you the opportunity to sail along new routes and has taken you to new ports... How do you all feel about that? Well, it's always easier if you know exactly where you are going and what's in store. The first leg, for example, was a routing that most of the sailors had done before, so it's all more sinmple. You know where to go a bit more and tactically it's that bit more straightforward. The second leg was more unpredictable because whilst we were on a similar course to the last edition, there's not the same level of knowledge there. If you're talking about the Doldrums, for example, there's not that much information around about them in that area or on how to sail into Abu Dhabi. I think that these are new things for us all and it opens up the door to new possibilities, it's interesting and it makes for a more challenging and interesting regatta all round. EUROSAF European Championship EUROSAF, in partnership with Sailing Aarhus and the Danish Sailing Federation, has published the Notice of Race for the EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship, to be held in Aarhus between 4th and 10th August. This event is the first of what is to become an annual championship, always held during the first full week of August. The equipment to be used will be the same as that used for the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, but a significant difference is that each country will be permitted to enter two crews in each of the participating classes. The upper age limit will be the same as that for the World Championship, that is under 19 on the 31st December in the year of the championship. Equipment is not provided, but there will be a limited number of boats available for charter. Competitors, however, are encouraged to bring their own equipment. The disciplines and classes will be: Disciplines: Equipment Entries will be through the national sailing authorities in Europe, all of whom are invited and encouraged to send teams. The Notice of Race available and further information is available at www.eurosafyouthsailing.org Enquiries to John Friend , or Thomas Capitani Nielsen The Westward Cup
Run in association with the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) and the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) with the RYS as the Organising Authority, the Westward Cup was first held in July 2010 and was a tremendous success for everyone taking part. It marked the revival of and interest in Big Class yacht racing in the Solent and around the world. The Clubs have now extended invitations to the owners of the following yachts to race in June: Altair, Cambria, Elena, Eleonora, Lulworth, Mariette, Mariquita, Moonbeam IV The RYS will run the racing along the successful lines of 2010, making maximum use of the waters around the Isle of Wight to ensure the captains and crews enjoy challenging and competitive racing that only these waters can deliver. Racing will be scored under the International IRC Rule. The RYS may also produce results under a modified CIM rule to enable comparison of results using a rule used at other regattas by these magnificent yachts. It is also the intention to include a race around the Isle of Wight, subject to weather conditions. Jeckells The Sailmakers Celebrates Its 180th Anniversary Probably one of the longest standing exhibitors at the London Boat Show, Chris claims he has spent a total of two and a half years of his life at shows, starting when he was just 12 years old. Over these years, sailmaking has made huge advancements and Jeckells has been at the forefront, pioneering designs and sail technology throughout the years. Chris is perfectly placed to delve in to the history of sail making; how materials, technology and processes have progressed, and explain how modern materials and technology are utilised in today's sail manufacture. Rachel and Paul Chandler - Long-standing Jeckells' customers Rachel and Paul suffered a terrifying ordeal after they were kidnapped and held hostage by Somali pirates for over a year in 2009 whilst sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania. Hear about their plans to restore their beloved boat, Lynn Rival, and discover why they'll be keeping the bullet holed boom. Olly Rofix - Both types of Leukaemia survivor Olly, has recently completed an outstanding achievement, not only overcoming a life threatening illness, but also completely restoring and then sailing his beloved 18 foot on a round Britain Sailing Challenge to raise awareness and funds for the Anthony Nolan Trust. Find out more on his successful eight month challenge inspired by his battle with a rare and still undiagnosed Leukaemia. Jeanne Socrates - In October 21012, Jeanne will launch her third attempt to become the first woman to sail non-stop solo around the world. Using Jeckells sails, she will be attempting to set a world record as the oldest woman to complete this challenge, in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Come and meet this incredible and determined lady and learn more about the challenges she faces. Crash Test Boat at London Show Yachting Monthly has acquired a second-hand 40ft Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 ketch, which [it has used to] test major disaster incidents on board. The Crash Test Boat series was used to test theories about what to do in a disaster scenario. The aim was to give you the best possible tools to avoid and troubleshoot catastrophe afloat, as well as the confidence to use methods that you know have been tried and 'Crash Boat tested'. Watch videos from the Crash Test Boat series 2011 programme of controlled sailing disasters Robert Holbrook: "Why I bought a boat to wreck" * The Crash Boat will be at the London Boat Show: stand on F106, located in the North Hall Replica of Darwin's Ship to be Built Inspired by the bicentenary of Darwin's birth in 2009, a group of scientists and sailors decided to create a replica and they are now ready to proceed with the build. They still need to raise £5million, but have already organised workshops in Brazil, Chile, China and Australia and partnered with NASA in a ship-to-space program. Peter McGrath, joint founder and trustee of the HMS Beagle Project, wrote in the Guardian: 'All of this has been accomplished without the ship, but it's time to build her and fully develop her science and educational potential. 'Once launched, the new Beagle will bring the adventure of science to life, retracing (Robert) FitzRoy (the skipper) and Darwin's voyage, serving as an ambassador for British science, history and industry and taking scientists and sailors to sea. Mr McGrath said he hopes the replica 'would serve as a 21st-century icon to inspire a new generation to engage with science', as, without Darwin's voyage on Beagle, 'the evolutionary foundations of modern biology would not have been laid until years, possibly decades later'. The remains of the original HMS Beagle lie under the mud of the River Roach, Essex. From Practical Boat Owner: Prince Philip Cup Regatta Starts in Hobart Today
The Prince Philip Cup, now ranked a level one event on the International Dragon calendar, is the Australasian championship for the classic Dragon, a three-crew keelboat designed in Norway in 1929 and an Olympic class from 1948 to 1972. The Prince Philip Cup now ranks third in the world behind the World championship and the European championship as the most prestigious regattas for the classic class in which Australian yachtsmen have won an Olympic gold medal and several world championships. The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology, with Hobart shipwright Zane Ridgeway the only licensed builder of Dragons in Australia. His latest boats, several of which are contesting the Prince Philip Cup, incorporate built-in buoyancy and the latest in sail-trimming techniques. The 2012 Prince Philip Cup, conduced by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania has attracted a fleet of 14 boats, from Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales while the outgoing president of the International Dragon Class, Robert Campbell from Weymouth, England, is sailing a chartered boat. The Dragon regatta starts today with the first two races for the Ted Albert Memorial Trophy. Race three is scheduled for tomorrow morning, followed in the afternoon by the Charles E Davies Invitation Race. Race one of the Prince Philip Cup, also for the Jack Linacre Memorial Trophy, will be sailed on Sunday, with the seven heat championship continuing through to Friday. -- Peter Campbell Letters To The Editor - * From Blue Robinson: It has been interesting reading over the past couple of weeks the reaction to Ben Ainslies confrontation with the media boat in Western Australia during a World Championship regatta. Many of the online and printed accounts included events that simply did not happen - and were unable to describe in full what actually happened. I watched every Finn race in that regatta and was standing next to the Danish photographer Mick Anderson as he took the pictures of Ainslie on the TV media boat. It is difficult to shed light on this subject without generating heat - but what Ainslie did was a reaction to what happened during the final leg of race nine. This was a World Championship event - and a TV media boat was driving on the course between Ainslie and Pieter Jan Postma - then manoeuvred in front of Ainslie and finally stopped on the finish line in front of him. Take a moment to consider that. Did the wash from the TV boat slow Ainslie down? From my perspective, yes. Did Ainslie repeatedly call the TV boat to move away during the race? Yes. Did the TV boat move away? No. How would any athlete - in any sport react if you drove a TV car between them and the person they are battling with during an intense World Championship event, ignoring the athletes calls to move away? What effect would driving in front of the athlete - and finally parking in front of them on the finish line have? Ainslie's actions on boarding the TV media boat were wrong and he was disqualified under ISAF rules (gross misconduct). The RYA know all this and will decide if further actions against Ainslie are appropriate. Because of this, Ainslie is unable to comment - but having witnessed the race and following incident, is clear to me this was a reaction from an athlete subjected to a level of aggressive interference from a TV boat I have not seen in twenty five years watching sailing World Championships. 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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