Scuttlebutt Europe #1936 - 2 October
Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.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 <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy7372 = 'editor' + '@'; addy7372 = addy7372 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text7372 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy7372 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text7372 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
D-2: The Protos
Funchal, Madeira: D-2 before the Mini 6.5 proto fleet sets sail on the second leg of La Charent-Maritime Bahia transat.
They should be fast... Undeniably faster than Series on the second part of the race. With the range of expected weather conditions, it is clear that the prototypes will be able to get out of complex areas faster than the series. Also, the reference time on this "big piece" of 3100 miles is credited to Yves Le Blevec in 2007: 17 days 06 hours. A difficult record to beat given the weather conditions expected at the start.
Bertrand Delesne (Entreprendre durablement) is ahead in Funchal's ranking. He wins the first round, and shows and proves the reliability of his plan Manuard 2009. He also set the record for the longest distance travelled in 24 hours on the first stage with 274 miles at over 11 knots on average. In the end, because that is what matters, Bertrand is 2 hours 18 minutes ahead of HP Schipman (Maisons de l'avenir-Urbatys). Which is, actually, nothing... And he knows it: "To be 1st, it changes nothing for me. This is a new beginning. I'll do my race. Sail as I know, and I will only mind my own business. My boat is new, but I have sailed over 4500 miles with it. It is reliable. I built it during the last Vendee Globe and I used the ideas from each other to make mine more solid. I have no pressure. I do not want to have any. Knowing the course is a definite asset. If I went into the unknown, I will be disabled for sure."
It must be said that HP Schipman also knows his boat. He has designed his boat with design house Lombard, and built it. In the end, his number 716 is different and lighter than the sister ship of Yves Le Blevec. This boat has a large potential. It is fast, very fast, and HP has demonstrated his capacity in the first leg, both in the breeze and low wind.
Thomas Ruyant on Faber France's is 3rd, 3 hours behind the leader. Once again, almost nothing before the crossing of the Atlantic and more than 500 hours sailing.
One prototype has retired after the first stage: Jorg Riechers (Mare.de)
Top five after the first leg:
1. Bertrand Delesne (Entreprendre durablement): 6 d 00:21:21
2. Henry-Paul Schipman (Maisons de l'avenir-Urbatys): 02:18:52 after the 1st
3. Thomas Ruyant (Faber France): 03:00:35 after the 1st
4. Stephane Le Diraison (Cultisol-Marins sans frontieres): 08:26:04 after the 1st
5. Fabien Despres (Soitec): 10:28:12 after the 1st...
Platu25 Worlds
Photo by J Renedo, www.sailingstock.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Punta Ala, Italy: Three more races sailed today and the Platu25 Worlds are coming to a turning point. With its good, steady breeze and choppy seas the Tuscan racecourse provided all the excitement and the show needed for. Today's intense and close racing was crucial to decide the Gold and Silver fleets division that will be announced before tomorrow morning and will be battling on the last two days of the Worlds.
Today it was the "Spanish armada" day, with the crews coming from the Iberian peninsula showing strength and consistency, keeping up against the Italian, Danish and German teams and consolidating their position on the general scoreboard. It is now Real Club Nautico de Palma's Iberdrola (4,3 and 1 today); Caixanova Men skippered by Marcus Perez from Vigo (4, 2 and 7 their partial results) and Vilagarcia (with an excellent 1,2, 3) to occupy the three steps of the podium.
It was a good day for some but a very unlucky day for others, like the Greeks on Modus Vivendi, world reigning champions and one of the most serious pretenders to the podium. Despite all their efforts their championship has been plagued by a series of troubles: a black flag yesterday, a technical issue to a spreader today that forced them to go back ashore and not start in the second and third race, and making them loose precious points in the overall results table.
As defined by the class rules, having sailed seven races, the crews could discard the worst result. The provisional overall results is then already calculated with a discard but does not consider any possible pending protest still to be discussed in front of the Jury. The points scored up to now will not be cancelled as the teams can have a second discard after the ninth race.
"Nemesis" Too Fast at Anarchy's Sportboat Festival
Last weekend the U.S. contingent of sportboats gathered in San Diego to find out who was top of the food chain at Sailing Anarchy's International Sportboat Anarchy Festival. After six races over two days in 10-15 knots of breeze, longtime Ullman Sails customer Geoff Longenecker and his crew on Melges 30 "Nemesis" proved their prowess and claimed the overall title. Fully powered by Ullman Sails, the "Nemesis" team won the 19-boat Sportboat A division, beating a competitive lineup of 11 Flying Tigers, a J-125, a Corsair 29 and others.
Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance.
Visit us at www.ullmansails.com
Alinghi 5 Arrives in Ras Al Khaimah
Ras al Khaimah, UAE: The Swiss Defender of the 33rd America's Cup docked in the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah on Wednesday morning after a 12 day, 4,400nm voyage aboard Rickmers Singapore, a cargo ship.
The 193m ship left Genoa, Italy, on 18 September with the giant catamaran, Alinghi 5, two masts, seven support vessels and approximately 20 containers on board. It travelled across the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and Gulf, across the Red and then Arabian Sea before docking in Saqr Port, Ras al Khaimah in the Arabian Gulf at 06:30 CET on Wednesday 30 September.
"We are extremely happy that the shipment, including Alinghi 5, arrived safely in Ras al Khaimah," said Grant Simmer, design team coordinator. "All the equipment that we used in Genoa was onboard so now we can set up our base and workshops and get going. We will be doing some modifications to the yacht over the coming days and the team members are arriving and getting settled so it's going to be a busy few weeks, we hope to be sailing again as soon as possible. We greatly appreciate the support that we are getting from the local community and from the government of Ras al Khaimah," he added.
The Alinghi catamaran will travel to the America's Cup Island of Al Hamra over the coming days along with its entourage and for the next four months the team will be focused on training for the Match for the America's Cup which starts on 8 February 2010.
Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) confirms that it has received the modern day equivalent of the Custom House Registry detailing BMW Oracle's USA, challenger for the 33rd America's Cup. SNG published the Measurement Procedures in August of this year. These procedures will be used by the measurers to confirm the dimensions of both the Defender and the Challenger's yachts; checking that the dimensions of the yachts comply with the Deed of Gift and, in the case of the Challenger, with the dimensions of their Certificate of Vessel provided with their challenge. -- Daphne Morgan Barnicoat
ORC VPP Documentation Now Available
Formulations of the rating rule and scoring options explained in one document
The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the 2009 ORC VPP (Velocity Performance Prediction) Documentation manual, authored by Andy Claughton of the International Technical Committee (ITC) and amended and edited by other ITC and ORC members. This 68-page guide provides the offshore sailing community a complete summary of the physics and computational processes that lie behind the calculation of sailing speeds and time allowances for boats measured for the ORC International and ORC Club rating systems.
"It has been years in the making," said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC, "and designers have always had access to the VPP, but we are happy to at last present this manual to the broader public in this accessible form to help demonstrate the principles and transparency behind our rating systems."
The following excerpt from the Overview section in the manual explains the approach made in devising an effective VPP:
"Predicting the speed of a sailing yacht from its physical dimensions alone is a complex task, particularly when constrained by the need to do it in the "general case" using software that is robust enough to be run routinely by rating offices throughout the world. Nevertheless this is what the ORC Rating system aims to do.
"The purpose of this document is to describe the physical basis of the methods used to predict the forces on a sailing yacht rig and hull, and to define the formulations (equations) used by the VPP to encapsulate the physical model. In order to do this the document has been set out to first layout the broadest view of the process, gradually breaking the problem down into its constituent parts, so that ultimately the underlying equations of the VPP can be presented."
More information at www.orc.org
Kayospruce Launch New 2010/2011 Catalogues
Kayospruce has just completed two brand new catalogues, now available in either print or digital format - 130 pages of marine and technical product and a Sunbrella Collection interior and exterior fabrics supplement.
The 130 page complete catalogue features all the latest product ranges. Clear images are accompanied with exact dimensions and specifications in hardware ranges and colour and pattern swatches show the Sunbrella interior and exterior fabrics. The pages detail specific properties of the fabrics: water repellence, mildew, weather resistance and fire retardance.
Both catalogues are available from Kayospruce by telephoning +44 (0) 1489 581696.
For more information see: www.sailcloth.co.uk
Rolex Fastnet Winners to Compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart
For the first time ever, the line honours and overall handicap winners of Britain's famous Rolex Fastnet Race will contest the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in the same year.
Mike Slade's Farr 100 ICAP Leopard and Niklas Zennstrom's JV72 Ran, the line honours and overall winners respectively of this year's Rolex Fastnet Race, will make their way to Sydney to compete in the 65th edition of the Australian blue water classic which starts at 1pm on 26 December from Sydney Harbour.
If ICAP Leopard and Ran can each repeat their Rolex Fastnet Race performances in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, they will be the first British yachts to take out the double of the JH Illingworth Trophy (line honours) and Tattersall's Cup (handicap) since Crusade and Morning Cloud more than 40 years ago.
Crusade, Sir Max Aitken's Alan Gurney designed 62 footer, took line honours in 1969 while the Sparkman and Stephens 33ft Morning Cloud was sailed to overall victory by Edward (later Sir Edward) Heath, then Leader of the Opposition and later to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
ICAP Leopard will return to Australia from the UK in December and will compete for line honours glory against this year's highly competitive fleet, including four other 100 footers - Robert Oatley's Reichel Pugh-designed Wild Oats XI, Neville Crichton's RP100 Alfa Romeo II, Brook Lenfest's Farr 100 Rapture and the Greg Elliott-designed Maximus, which will be chartered by Sean Langman and renamed.
Peter Millard and John Honan's Bakewell-White designed 30m maxi Lahana and Grant Wharington's Victorian IRC 30m maxi Wild Thing, the 2003 line honours winner, will round out the maxi fleet.
UK based Niklas Zennstrom's Ran, a 72-footer from the design board of the noted German-based naval architects Judel-Vrolijk, was launched in April this year. While conditions in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race favoured the larger boats, Ran sailed an impressive race to win overall.
The crew of Ran is a veritable who's who of international offshore yachtsmen including Volvo Ocean Race veterans Powell and Steven Hayles and America's Cup sailors Adrian Stead, Andy Hemmings, Richard Bouzaid and Richard Meacham.
Following the Rolex Fastnet Race Ran returned to the Mediterranean to win the Mini Maxi Division 00 of the Maxi World Rolex Cup in Sardinia in September, beating Neville Crichton's RP71 Alfa Romeo 3.
Once the crew arrives in Sydney mid December, Ran will compete in lead up events the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge and Rolex Trophy Rating Series.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2009 Notice of Race is now online at rolexsydneyhobart.com/editorial.asp?key=1711
Mascalzone Latino Launches 1st Boat for LV Series
One month exactly separates us from the start of the newly-created Louis Vuitton World Series and the Mascalzone Latino shore crew launched earlier today in Valencia the first of the Italian team's yacht that will be used in the circuit's opening event in Nice, and probably in all other Mediterranean venues. The two Italian boats being so similar we don't know whether it was ITA-90 or ITA-99.
As for the other pair of boats that will be raced in Nice, both Bruno Trouble and Grant Dalton had stated in the Paris presentation on the 8th of September that an agreement had been reached with Desafío in order to use the Spanish team's yachts, ESP-88 and ESP-97. Yet according to an article by The Independent's Stuart Alexander (see below) it seems that that agreement didn't materialize and as a result, Team Origin and BMW Oracle will provide their yachts, GBR-75 and USA-76, respectively. Both of them are 2003 yachts, updated to Version 5. The former is the ex SUI-75, Alinghi's trial yacht in the 31st America's Cup in Auckland, that also raced in the 2006 Louis Vuitton Acts in Valencia.
This must explain the recent activity in the BMW Oracle base and the arrival of various trucks yesterday noon, one of them with an ACC bulb, probably of the British yacht. I'm not sure whether the hull of GBR-75 is already in Valencia. We'll have more updates tomorrow. -- Pierre Orphanidis in his Valencia Sailing blog: valenciasailing.blogspot.com
* Stuart Alexander has an interview with Bruno Trouble, the audio file at www.independent.co.uk
Years in the Wilderness?
A warning that the America's Cup could be headed for years in the wilderness has been made by two of the top contenders in an event that can trace its history to Britain in 1851.
Rivals on the water this week in Slovenia's RC44 circuit, Russell Coutts, skipper of the Golden Gate Yacht Club's BMW Oracle challenge, and long-time Cup campaigner Paul Cayard both say that the way the Swiss defender, Alinghi, is controlling the rules for the next on-the-water clash scheduled for February could frighten off other potential challengers for years to come.
An overnight barrage of new legal moves by the California-based Oracle is asking the New York Supreme Court to reconsider its interpretation of the way in which the event is to be run, also the appointment of officials, with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) involved in that process, and the extent of their jurisdiction, and also the way the BMW-Oracle boat, USA, is to be scrutineered.
In case Justice Shirley Kornreich does not wish to revise her judgment, other papers are being lodged simultaneously with the Appellate Division.
Oracle is fearful that the way Alinghi is structuring the criteria will mean that it can never pass the measurement tests. Additionally overnight, Oracle published its certification document showing that the boat is just over 113 feet long, though that reduces to 90 feet or less when measuring the part in the water, and 89.5 feet wide, half a foot within the limit.
The problem would be if Alinghi demands that the boat must be exactly 90 feet by 90 feet to the millimetre and if, unusually, the 90 feet in length must include the rudders. There are further disputes over whether the challenge boat must be measured when fully loaded, sinking it further and so longer in the water, when Alinghi's defence catamaran would not be required to be measured the same way.
Further legal moves are imminent, one contesting Alinghi's choice of the little-known Arab emirate of Ras al-Khaimah as the venue for the races, where the Alinghi catamaran arrived today. A further claim is expected that Alinghi's representative club, the Societe Nautique de Geneve, has failed in its duty as a trustee of the Deed of Gift which governs the event and was first drawn up by members of the New York Yacht Club in 1857. "What's missing at the moment is that there is no trustee," said Cayard.
Stuart Alexander's full article in The Independent: www.independent.co.uk
Mariquita 1911
"Mariquita 1911" by Yachting Heritage presents the architects, the builders, the owners, the skippers and the crews of the incredible 19 metre class.
The book is illustrated with unpublished photographs as well as works by some of the greatest maritime painters (Martin Mackrill, Guy l'Hostie, Brian J Jones, Louis Paul, Montaigue Dawson, Jamie Medlin). For the very first time the calculation book and plans by William Fife III, Alfred Mylne, Charles Nicholson, Max Oertz complete the technical descriptions. Only 400 copies have been published for this reserved, limited and numbered edition.
A superb gift for the discerning sailor.
* Editor: Read our review
Bank Sarasin - RC44 Portoroz Cup
Portoroz, Slovenia, Today was the first day of the fleet racing series. We had good winds all day, between eight and 12 knots. The wind was from the south and there were some pretty big shifts, and holes as well.
Onboard Katusha, we had a moderate day. We are lying 6th after four races, but just three points out of third. Things are tight still.
BMW Oracle had a great day winning the first two races and are leading the fleet racing at this point. No Way Back from Holland had a good day as well, winning the last two races so they are in third place. Artemis sailed more consistently and is in second place overall.
There are too many ups and downs to go through it all. One big mistake we had was being over the start line early in the third race. This made it tough for us and Team Modri Gaj of Slovenia, as we had to go back to restart and the fleet had a huge jump on us. We managed 10th in that one.
Today was also the first day of sailing for our helmsman, Pieter Taselaar. Most of the other helmsmen have been steering their boats for more than a year. These boats are very sensitive and need to be constantly adjusted, both the sails and helm, to go fast. Pieter did a great job today and he will feel even more comfortable tomorrow.
First thing tomorrow should be the DHL Race. This race is a coastal race of about 15-20 miles. We are going to race up to a town called Izola and back. There should be "Bora" wind tomorrow and rain too! Nice. After the DHL Race (which counts double) we will probably do one or two windward leeward races, weather permitting. -- Paul Cayard, www.cayardsailing.com
For more information go to www.RC44.com
Letters To The Editor - <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy7372 = 'editor' + '@'; addy7372 = addy7372 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text7372 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy7372 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text7372 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
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 Miguel Marques: Just wanted to make a correction in 2007 Francisco Lobato was also the favourite in the series category, but broke his rudder near Cape Verde and finished 9th. So he didn't miss the 2007 Mini Transat!
For more info on him visit his English web site at www.franciscolobato.com/online_eng/index.html
Featured Brokerage
2006 X-Yachts X-35, EUR 115,000. Located in Barcelona, Spain.
X-35 One Design, meticulously prepared for X-35 class racing. Ready to step on board and win races!
Brokerage through X-Yachts Holland BV: www.yachtworld.com/x-yachtsholland/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com
The Last Word
Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. -- Spike Milligan
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.
About YachtWorld.com
Formed in 1995, YachtWorld.com is the premier online sales channel for yacht brokers around the world. The site lists more than 110,000 boats for sale in 115 countries by some 2,500 brokers in 60 countries. The total value of boats listed is over $40 billion. Headquartered in Seattle, YachtWorld.com has its European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales offices in Germany, Italy and Russia and sales representation in Dubai, Australia and China.
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.
Yachtworld.com on line magazine is available free of charge and delivered digitally every month. Click here to receive your copy: www.yachtworldmagazine.com/ywm/latest/
NEW! 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 <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy7372 = 'editor' + '@'; addy7372 = addy7372 + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text7372 = 'editor' + '@' + 'scuttlebutteurope' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy7372 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text7372 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //-->
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: <!-- var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy33944 = 'gb' + '@'; addy33944 = addy33944 + 'beesonstone' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_text33944 = 'gb' + '@' + 'beesonstone' + '.' + 'com'; document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy33944 + '\'>' ); document.write( addy_text33944 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n <!-- document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' ); //--> or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html
Search the Archives
SEARCH
Search
[{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}}
{{/data.error.root_cause}}{{texts.summary}} {{#options.result.rssIcon}} RSS {{/options.result.rssIcon}}
{{/texts.summary}} {{#data.hits.hits}}
{{{_source.title}}} {{#_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayPrice}}} {{/_source.showPrice}}
{{#_source.showLink}} {{/_source.showLink}} {{#_source.showDate}}{{{_source.displayDate}}}
{{/_source.showDate}}{{{_source.description}}}
{{#_source.additionalInfo}}{{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}}
{{/_source.additionalInfo}}
