Scuttlebutt Europe #2549 - 14 March
|
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 Skipper Trials for China Team Fred Le Peutrec is a sailing veteran and one of the most experienced multihull skippers in the world. Fred has accumulated a number of world records, including the "Jules Verne Trophy" (previously called "The Race" around the world) three times (with Loick Peyron (2012), Franck Cammas (2010), Grant Dalton (2001)); he has been winner of the ORMA (trimaran) championships and has been in the top 3 on numerous occasions for World Championships and various multihull categories. The second skipper is a China Team member already since 2011, Phil Robertson. At only 25 years old, Phil fronts WAKA Racing, a tight team of top young sailors, and has already won many major regattas. He is currently placed 8 th worldwide in the World Match Racing Tour, and is aiming for number 1. In addition to this, Phil has placed in the top 3 in over 20 races in the past 2 years as skipper. China Team's international crew will be training in Sanya from March 14 to 29, 2012, and will be heading to Naples for the upcoming America's Cup World Series, to compete against the 10 other teams which represent the challengers and the defender of the America's Cup. 18ft Skiffs Queen of the Harbour
Kenwood-Rabbitohs took line honours by 1m40s from Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Peter Harris, Mark Kennedy and Diane Macartney). Mojo Wine (Warren Sare, Dan Wilsdon, Mike O'Shea and Emma Spiers) were a further 54s back in third place. Conditions were perfect for the ladies. A big sail 5-10-knot ENE breeze over a 3-laps 3-buoys course between Taylors Bay and Watsons Bay. Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) led the fleet to the first mark from De'Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn), Kenwood-Rabbitohs, Mojo Wine, Rag & Famish and Pure Blonde (Tom Clout). The downwind leg back to the bottom twin-marks saw Lumix challenged by Kenwood-Rabbitohs while Pure Blonde led a tightly bunched group including Mojo Wine, De'Longhi-Rabbitohs, Smeg (Nick Press) and Rag & Famish. On the second lap Lumix raced away to a 45s lead over Kenwood-Rabbitohs, Mojo Wine and Rag & Famish and looked a certain winner as the fleet headed back downwind. As the skiff gybed off Steele Point they capsized and the race became a battle between Kenwood-Rabbitohs and Rag & Famish, which went around the bottom round only a couple of boatlengths apart. Mojo Wine was third, followed by Pure Blonde, De'Longhi-Rabbitohs and Lumix. Taking advantage of a red windward buoy rounding on the final lap, Kenwood-Rabbitohs increased her lead to finish with an easy victory. It was an excellent result all round for the Kenwood company as today's winner Christina Giles is also the National Sales Co-ordinator for Kenwood. -- Frank Quealey www.18footers.com.au Video coverage of the race can also be seen on www.18footerstv.com The Cult of the Amel Many people who buy a long-distance bluewater cruising yacht are retiring early, perhaps after selling a company. But for French engineer and wartime Resistance fighter Henri Amel it was the other way round. M. Amel, known to his employees as 'le capitaine', started up the eponymous boatbuilding business when he was aged 50. He'd never run a business before. In the decades until he died in 2005 (aged over 90 and involved until the last on a daily basis), the yard produced over 2,000 yachts that have cruised all over the world. I have been having a look at their yard outside La Rochelle and at the history of the brand that gave us the Mango, the Santorin, the Maramu and the Super Maramu. To say that these yachts are distinctive would be an understatement. There's nothing else that looks quite like an Amel. Up to the launch of their new models, the 55 and 64, every Amel was largely designed by Henri Amel himself and sported features that were simultaneously slightly old-fashioned looking and cultishly enduring. Amels were always well ahead of their time with features that the boss devised such as electric furling sails and the first bow thrusters to be fitted as standard on production yachts. 'Le capitaine' also insisted that ketches were easier for a cruising couple to handle and the philosophy never changed. Amels were, and are, famous for being the ultimate standard production yacht. They were the Model T Ford of yachts, available in one shade. The company never encouraged nor offered many options. You got what they made. In Henri Amel's era customers didn't even get to choose a different colour of curtains or upholstery. Read Elaine Bunting's full blog post at Farr 40 Australian Championship The fleet enjoyed spectacular conditions, with sunshine and flat water, a solid 20 - 25 knot breeze, and the Harbour Bridge as a stunning backdrop. It was the final race of the series that really pushed everyone to their limits. Youngster Jack Cuthbert aboard Hooligan admitted that it was a thrill to cross the line first in the final race. Just 13 years old and weighing in at 35kgs, the super-flyweight is the youngest sailor in the fleet and barely heavier than the spinnakers he is in charge of retrieving and packing. He and fellow sailor Max Voss (member of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's Youth Development Squad) have both been incorporated to the largely professional Hooligan team, and were ecstatic after the excitement of the day. Back on-shore, protests were heard and the final results tallied. Transfusion was declared the Farr 40 Australian Champion for 2012, with Kokomo placing second overall and Estate Master third. Easy Tiger (Chris Way) was awarded the Corinthian trophy, with special prizes presented to the newcomers to the fleet, Forty and Lambourdini / Envy Scooters. -- Erin McKnight Full results and reports: Seahorse April 2012 Seahorse build table - Sizing things up Rod Davis - Clear the bench If you haven't subscribed to Seahorse already we're keen to help you attend to that! - Please use the following promotional link and enjoy the hefty Scuttlebutt Europe discount... and it gets even better for 2 and 3 year subscriptions... Sydney Harbour Regatta
For some victors, yesterday's performance put them into the box seat going into the final day, but for others, the pointscore was so close that final races made it or broke it. Warwick Rooklyn (CYCA) did not put a foot wrong, winning all six races in the increasingly popular Melges 24 one-design sports boat. His nearest rival this weekend was Kevin Nixon and his Accru crew, which features his wife and children. The larger Melges 32 One-Design was dominated by Tasmanian entry 2 Unlimited Seven Star, owned by Greg Prescott. In his absence, the boat was steered to five wins from six races, by Sydney Farr 40 guru and MHYC Immediate Past Commodore, Martin Hill. Interstate entries were big winners in a few divisions this weekend. Rob Hanna brought his recently purchased TP52, Shogun, up from Victoria for the IRC windward/leeward racing off Sydney Heads. Division B also went to a 'foreigner', with the David Lambourne/Barry Cuneo Farr 40,Lambourdini/Envy Scooters from Queensland coming up trumps, their Race 3 win sealing the deal in the four race series. They were thrilled with their unexpected win. In PHS Division 1 Non-Spinnaker, Trevor Bailey and his Beneteau 45 Carbon Credits overcame a challenge from Gunther Schmidtlindner's Lyons 46, Austmark to claim the spoils by four points. The Austmark crew were gracious in defeat. On board, helping the owner to second place, was two-time Olympian Nicky Bethwaite, the first Australian woman to sail at the Olympic Games ( Seoul, 1988). "After the terrible weather we've had, was the weekend magic," Bethwaite said. "It couldn't have been better – light and shifty and then spanking winds that let us all pick up our heels and run both days – we've had a ball." Bethwaite's crew from the 1998 Olympics also sailed the Sydney Harbour Regatta, in the Yngling class, in which she also contested the 2008 Olympic Games in. Gojnich, a mother of two girls, finished fourth overall after being unable to sail yesterday's three races. However, her trio of second places today showed she still has what it takes. The winner was Hamish Jarrett (Miss Pibb). Both competitors are from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. -- Di Pearson Full results for all classes and divisions, photos and more, go to: www.shr.mhyc.com.au Spinnaker Tales Normally the super fit father of the two talented Maroochy Sailing Club teenagers would be involved with supervising their preparations to contest major Laser class events. However Mark who has already won a Laser Class World championship at the Masters Games in Sydney combined his club sailing with his siblings to be physically prepared to contest the important series of 12 energy absorbing races to decide the best International sailor in his (45-54 age) class for 2012. After six races his team cheer squad Mitchell and Madison have enthusiastically monitored the results as their dad continues with his tactical arm-wrestle against fellow Australian team member and Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron mate Greg Adams. Greg Adams who has spent endless hours with extensive training sessions on the Waterloo Bay 'torture track' in recent months has produced a tactically smart performance to record a very consistent 1-1-2-2-2-1 score for a progressive 8 point lead over Mark Kennedy 3-4-3-1-3-3 while the New Zealand helmsman Mark Orams remains in medal contention with his 2-4-4-3-2-2 score. All three exceptionally fit one-design dinghy racing tacticians are poised to feature in an interesting match race to decide the 2012 World championship medallists in the final race on Saturday. The remaining six races which promise to test their tactical skills and physical endurance will be the highlight of the eight class World championships which has attracted over 200 aquatic athletes representing 19 nations. As expected the moderate Southerly trade winds have played their role in separating the best from the rest and the promise of a fresh and frightening wind forecast combined with the notorious white water crested 'Waterloo Slop' has the potential to turn Saturday's final into a demolition derby. Naturally the heavy wind sailors are happy with the strong wind warning forecast while the lighter bodyweight skippers can expect to spend long periods in the hiking straps to protect their reputation and point score. The promise of contesting the final six races in gusty wind and a rough and corrugated sea surface is not expected to upset Greg Adams, Mark Kennedy and their Kiwi rival Mark Orams as they continue with their personal duel. This 'brute breeze' forecast could also favour New Zealand's Scott Leith who has been the star performer winning five of the six races to lead Australian skippers Richard Bott and Danny Fuller in the tactical battle to decide the Laser Radial Apprentice Masters class championship. Veteran Queensland skippers Lyndall Patterson a Brisbane anaesthetist and mother of two grown up daughters remains poised to add another World championship to her impressive career by winning the Grand Master class while Kerry Waraker has displayed his physical endurance to firm a strong grip on the 65 year age group Great Grand Masters Gold Medal over England's Keith Wilkins and Brisbane's Lew Verdon. Industry News Users can access the iPad edition by going to the App Store and searching for the Yachting World magazine app. For those who do not have a subscription, there are full details of how to buy single digital copies and an annual subscription. Published monthly from London in the UK, Yachting World is the most widely distributed and most international sailing magazine in the world, reaching over 100 countries. Coverage includes blue water cruising, global sailing epics, international yacht racing, superyachting, international events and charter. -- IBI News --------------------------------------------- YachtWorld.com, a Dominion Marine Media (DMM) business with the Internet's largest worldwide database of brokerage boats, announced today that it is providing an inventory feed to BoatQuest.com. The arrangement is the result of an agreement between Dominion Marine Media and Active Interest Media. It provides YachtWorld.com members with additional online listing exposure directly from BoatWizard without creating any additional work for the broker. YachtWorld.com generates 1.6 million unique visitors per month who conduct 5.6 million searches. Brokers who are also listing their boats on BoatQuest can take advantage of this new service to seamlessly export their inventory to an alternative website that generates more than 3.5 million visits per year. YachtWorld brokers who wish to obtain more information about setting up their inventory feed should contact BoatQuest.com at --------------------------------------------- Exhibitors at this year's Stockholm International Boat Show have reported strong sales, despite the fact that the show saw attendance drop by 16 per cent to 94,258 people. The 10-day event, which closed on Sunday, remains the most visited Nordic boat show. In 2011, Swedish Bavaria importer Bavia Yacht AB had a record start at the first weekend at the show. Sales this year were also good. "We sold more boats than usual from 32ft-40ft at the show," says Bavia's Bernt Lindquist. Flipper motorboats from Finland introduced its new line at the recent Helsinki show, where it drew a lot of attention. The Flipper brand is also very strong in Sweden. "We sold 28 boats at the show, which is a very good result," says Christer Rexholt at Stockholm-based Flipper Marin. "During the peak years we could reach 40 boats sold at this show, but last year the number of closed deals was 20, so we're very pleased." Sweden's Ryds won the most environmentally friendly motorboat award for its new series, the Ryds Future Line. -- IBI News https://plus.ibinews.com/article/ --------------------------------------------- Lewmar reinforces its design team with new head of design, Nigel Smith. Nigel is a highly qualified designer, obtaining a Masters in Industrial Design Engineering at the Central School of Art and Design, London. Throughout his career his design input has attained numerous design awards and accolades. He has a wealth of experience within the leisure marine industry and combines this with a broad range of knowledge obtained within senior design roles at leading design consultancies. --------------------------------------------- 15 renowned international experts and designers from Italy, England, the USA and New Zealand will be present at the 3rd edition of the International Yacht Forum in Hamburg to share their extensive know-how and experience from the international racing scene. They have been involved in major campaigns like the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup, but they also know the common races all around the world. The International Yacht Forum in Hamburg is a platform for exchange of information for race sailors and the yachting industry, presented by the German Owners Association. Because the yachting industry is doing research worldwide to develop and test new technologies together with racing teams and ambitious yacht owners to make their boats faster. The participation fee is EUR 19, which includes the Forum on the 24.03.2012 at the Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg and on the morning of the 25.03.2012 at the Hamburg Sailing Club. Free drinks during the breaks and a lunch on 24.03.2012 are included. For more information and registration: www.iyfh.org The complete program: --------------------------------------------- Bollé sunglasses are announcing their partnership with RS as title sponsor of three RS class event series in 2012. The sponsorships are the Bolle RS Feva Grand Prix Circuit, a popular series of four events attended by around 200 boats, and the Bolle RS 200 and RS 400 Northern Tours, a circuit of eight and five open events respectively across the northern counties. In addition, Bolle will be a secondary sponsor of the RS Feva World championship at Hayling Island Sailing Club in June, an event anticipated to attract over 200 entries. Bollé are already an Official Supplier to the RYA's Skandia Team GBR and their Marine Sunglasses Collection has been thoroughly road tested by the Team in the build up to 2012. This announcement is one of a number of new marine initiatives as Bollé set out to increase understanding of the importance of good eye protection for sailors of all ages and all levels. Competitors in the Bolle RS Feva Grand Prix Circuit 2012, and the Bollé RS 200 and RS 400 Northern Tours can expect a generous supply of Bolle's marine sunglasses as prizes at their events throughout 2012. Featured Brokerage Two-time winner of the Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race - 2006 and 2010 - and winner of many other races, this is an extraordinary 10m trimaran for offshore racing, with amazing all round performance. Brokerage through Multimarine Composites Ltd.: www.yachtworld.com/multimarineuk/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
|
Use this box to send a copy of this issue of the Scuttlebutt Europe Newsletter to a friend: Or [FORWARD] for a page where you can send copies to up to a dozen friends. [USERTRACK]
About Boats.com 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
[{{{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}}
