Scuttlebutt Europe #2537 - 27 February
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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 18ft Skiffs: Giltinan Championship
Gotta Love It 7 dominated the regatta with six wins from the seven races to finish with an overall score of six points. Second overall was Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas) on 22 points, followed by Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane, Paul Montague and Tom Anderson) on 23. Mojo Wine (Archie Massey) was fourth on 26, then Smeg (Nick Press) 30 and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) on 34. Today's race was sailed in a 15-knot North East breeze with most crews electing to go with their big #1 rigs. Gotta Love It 7 took the honours again, this time by 2m14s from Thurlow Fisher, with Mojo Wine a further 14s back in third place. Appliancesonline, Smeg and Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones) completed the top six placings. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League www.18footers.com.au Video coverage of the race can also be seen on www.18footerstv.com Etchells Worlds 2012: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
In first place overall was the Iron Lotus team of Tom King, Ivan Wheen, David Edwards and Owen McMahon. They just had to hold a top 14 or better place to win. This they did finishing a comfortable fifth in the last race held today. Into second came the Magpie team of Graeme Taylor, Grant Simmer and Steve Jarvin. Taylor was looking for a hole-in-one today to knock King out his first place. He left the dock feeling reasonably comfortable about the challenge ahead. Unfortunately they found themselves caught up in a battle of 10 to 15 degree wind shifts which landed them a sixth in the last race. Then in third came the Triad team of John Bertrand, Tom Slingsby and David Giles. Bertrand was already in third place going into today's race. He had to cover both Taylor and Roulette (Jud Smith) in the hope of moving up the scoreboard, but a poor start and 10th on the line cemented his third place. The line honours prize today went to the Boat X team of Noel Drennan, Anthony Nossiter and Will McCarthy who sailed a superb race. It was a powerful finish for this team as they crossed the finish line over a minute ahead of second placegetter and former World Champion, Cameron Miles, racing with Grant Crowle and David Sampson. In third was the 2012 Australian Champion Fifteen team of David Clark, Andrew Smith and Alan Smith. Today the race was off on the first gun for a 2.2 mile first beat on an axis of 010 and with a finish on the third work. There were three individual recalls - Iris III (Peter McNeill), Gelert (James Howells) and Gen XY (Matthew Chew). Throughout the afternoon the breeze slowly built and swung 20 degrees forcing a course change at the bottom mark second time, to 030 degrees. There were several teams that struggled to pick and work the shifts. Drennan was one that seemed to finally find his momentum in the conditions. Final top ten results: 1. Tom King , AUS, 38 points RORC Caribbean 600 Winners Decided Team Selene skippered by Benjamin Davitt finished yesterday morning. The Swan 80 sailed an excellent race to claim third place overall and will lift the prestigious Swan Caribbean Challenge Trophy later this evening. Without doubt, the closest racing for this year's event was in IRC One. Colin Buffin's Swan 62, Uxorious IV, was first to finish, but the team did not celebrate a class win. Buffin and his young team knew that Amanda Hartley's Swan 56, Clem, was extremely close to eclipsing their corrected time. Just over three and half hours passed before Clem crossed the finish line to win the class by just 21 seconds on corrected time. Jaime Torres' Puerto Rican First 40, Smile And Wave, finished shortly after midnight last night to claim third in IRC One. Scarlet Logic, co-skippered by Ross Applebey and Tim Thubron, finished the RORC Caribbean 600 shortly after 2300 last night. The Oyster 48 has been vying for the overall win for the last two days. In the end Scarlet Logic missed out, but the team had put in an incredible effort and have been rewarded with a convincing win in IRC Two. Scarlet Logic has the best corrected time in IRC One, Two and Three and as a result will be awarded the fantastic prize of a week's accommodation at the luxurious Inn at English Harbour. There was joy and pain for both IRC Canting Keel and the Class40s. Ernesto Cortina's Volvo 70 Gran Jotiti finished the race in just over two days. The Spanish team is racing the yacht formerly known as Telefonica Black in the last Volvo Ocean Race. Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50, Privateer, showed exceptional pace and boat handling throughout. Unfortunately the American team failed to start correctly and accepted a 10% penalty from the race organisers resulting in Gran Jotiti being declared winner of IRC Canting Keel. The Class40s turned into a battle royale between Christophe Coatnoan's Partouche and Christof Petter's Vaquita. The two Class40s were locked in a heroic tacking duel for the final push to the finish line, a 40-mile beat from Redonda to the finish in Antigua. Vaquita crossed the line just after sunset beating Partouche by a slender margin, just 15 minutes in a race lasting over 3 days. However, Vaquita failed to start the race correctly and to the Austrian crew's disappointment, the class win was awarded to Partouche. -- Louay Habib What's On at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show 2012? From kit, boats and gear to expert analysis and insight on the Volvo Main Stage and top tips from some of dinghy sailing's leading experts and coaches in the Coaching Area. With over 200 sailing clubs, classes and associations, chandlers and boat builders and a whole host of exhibitors, all under one roof, the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show is a must for all dinghy sailors. What to expect for 2012 We'll be celebrating our Olympic and Paralympic sailing heritage with the RYA's 'Our Sporting Life – Sail for Gold' exhibition. On display will be photos and memorabilia through the ages, with items kindly shared with us by past Olympic and Paralympic sailors. In the West corridor there will be a fantastic centenary celebration display of Jack Holt designed dinghies, kids can enjoy the ever popular treasure hunt or they can relax and surf the net in the Volvo Chill-Out Bubble. There will also be special visit from Team Volvo's and Skandia Team GBR's 470 pairing Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills. The top sailors will take time out of their busy training schedules to head to the show for the whole weekend to inspire and motivate the next generation of sailors. "The show has a really unique atmosphere and with the Games on the horizon and guest appearances from Team GBR and Team Volvo sailors, it will have an added buzz about it this year. So as well as being a great place to get up close to your sailing heroes, you can check out all the latest equipment, boats and kits; meet up with friends, win great prizes and chat with class associations, have fun and much more", commented Helen Waterhouse, RYA Volvo Dinghy Show Manager. So, whatever your age and sailing ability there really is something for everyone. Book your ticket now. For more information, full show schedule and to book your tickets visit www.dinghyshow.org.uk or call the ticket hotline on 0844 811 0409. Seahorse Sailor Of The Month Conrad Colman (NZL) This month's nominees:
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Harken McLube, Dubarry & Musto. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable! Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at * Seahorse has a special subscription offer for those who vote and/or comment on the Sailor of the Month... vote and see! Spying. Camouflage. Skulduggery. Reporters and just a handful of photographers were ushered past razor-wire fences, "No Trespassing" signs and "Top Secret" banners to get a glimpse of the carbon-fiber hulls taking shape in a warehouse at the end of Pier 80. The whole unveiling made lead boat designer Dirk Kramers, who consented to the media event, very uncomfortable. It felt like -- well, as Kramers put it -- "dropping your pants." Kramers has been involved in designing five racing yachts for the America's Cup over the years. And he's been around when James Bond-like scuba divers were caught taking underwater photos of secret keels; when helicopters circled overhead with powerful zoom lenses; and when one competitor mounted fake listening devices on a boat to "psych out" the sailing crew. In 1983, Australia II builders painted an optical illusion on the yacht's secret "winged keel" so it would appear to be a different shape underwater. And they wrapped the keel in a "skirt" each time it was hauled out of the water. "I've been playing this game for a long time," Kramers said. Still, why would billionaire Larry Ellison, an avid sailor, tip his hand to competitors by inviting media to the boatbuilding warehouse? Did obsession with secrecy die with Apple's Steve Jobs? Hardly. It's just that "we think this Cup has existed behind closed doors long enough," said Oracle Racing spokesman Timothy Jeffery. The secrecy culture "is not the way to engage an audience, is it?" www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ Is Sailing a Spectator Sport? The truth is that sailing is already a spectator sport. Many participants, including Ben Ainslie, and their support teams, earn a living as a result. Their lifestyle (which may not always be opulent) is funded by revenue generated by the sale of images which provide the basis of most sponsorship deals. If nobody gets to see the racing (either directly or though reports, resumes or pictures) then that revenue will disappear. ISAF has been told clearly that either sailing gets screen time or it will be out of the Olympics. Without the revenue generated by the Olympics many national sailing federations will be in financial trouble. We all remember the Volvo in Galway. The French do this several times a year, forming the basis of a whole industry, from boat-builders and sailmakers to event organisers, coaches, journalists. Professional sailors will increasingly have to realise that they are in the entertainment business. Their job is not to win races but to win prime time minutes and column inches for their sponsors. Events for professional sailors will be designed to be spectacular and television friendly. Some of these events, such as the next America's Cup, will bear little ressemblance to the racing that we, the recreational sailors, enjoy. The challenge, for federations, clubs, classes and all sailors is how to harness the enthusiasm generated by the professional circuits to benefit sailing as a whole. - Magheramore Full article in Afloat magazine: Running The Rhumblines They will be racing against some familiar faces who they met during the recent Australian championship regatta on Brisbane's Moreton Bay. Competing in the New South Wales title is another step forward for skipper Klaus Lorenz who first became recognised for his dedication to focus his career a beyond being recognised as top club sailor to representing Australia in the Optimist class. Both he and his school mate Ollie Annear have continued to improve their boat handling skills with extensive training sessions on the warm waters of Pioneer Bay and while they are confident with their collective skill it will be put to the test on the tactically demanding Georges River course this weekend. Every second of their training program has been applied to improving their crewing combination and developing the important skills of completing the spinnaker sets, gybes and drops with a fast and efficient technique. However while they are happy with their individual progress of training alone the talented team from the Whitsunday Sailing Club can expect to be presented with a supreme challenge when they tension their against their more experienced crews during the New South Wales championship. This represents another important example of the support and encouragement which the Whitsunday Sailing Club has invested in their squad of junior sailors. While Klaus Lorenz and Ollie Annear are regarded as the leading members of the squad their Optimist team led by female skipper and Australian representative Eva Lorenz will line up to contest the Queensland championship on Brisbane's Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron courses during the May Labour Day holiday weekend. Meanwhile Eva Lorenz now coached by her proud older brother Klaus promises to be mentally and physically prepared to contest the New Zealand Nationals next month as the Whitsunday Sailing Club officials prepare to host the multiclass regatta over the Easter weekend. -- Ian Grant Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4: Green Mosquito Takes Control On a cold, dark day, heavy with rain, Franck Cammas' Groupama 4, the green mosquito that has been buzzing in the ears of leg leaders CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand for days, broke away at around 0100 UTC -- a move CAMPER chose not to follow. The key to the leg will likely be how the teams cross a windless zone to reach the northeast trade winds, which will take them swiftly towards the finish in Auckland. "We prefer to go away from this light wind area, but we won't be able to entirely avoid it and will have to go through calm areas before we reach the trades," Cammas explained. Groupama may now have the edge over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 27 nautical miles (nm) to their north, as well as the rest of the fleet, including CAMPER, 103 nm to their south, all of whom have very unstable wind. Meanwhile, PUMA have concluded their lonely detour to the north, which has brought them back within range of the fleet just 28 nm to the north of Groupama 4. Overall leaders Team Telefónica, placed second on the leg leaderboard, are over 161 nm south of PUMA. Their position near the top is distorted by their position as the furthest boat to the south. On the 1300 UTC leader board today, CAMPER showed a slim margin of 13.9 nm over Telefónica, although their real threat could be from PUMA and Groupama in the north. The current leg placings are distorted by the distance to finish calculation and it will not become clear who the winners and losers are until the transition into the trade winds is complete, which will be Tuesday at the earliest. Featured Brokerage When preparing for the 2000 America's cup in New Zealand, the BMW/Oracle syndicate was having trouble getting enough time in the wind tunnel to test sail shapes and the costs were escalating. They hit upon the idea of designing a building to 1/3 scale models for on the water testing. Set up to be sailed by two people, they have all the sophisticated sail and mast controls of the full size boats and the mast placement in the boat can be varied for and aft. Carbon fiber laminated hull and deck. Lead keel bulb with steel shank. Carbon fiber rudder and tiller. Exterior of hull and keel painted black. Brokerage through Sparkman & Stephens, Inc.: Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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Last month's winner:
Andrew Cape (AUS)
Hap Fauth (USA)
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