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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 ISAF Executive Statement: Ainslie Case The Executive Committee has reviewed the decisions of the International Jury and the RYA Tribunal, the video evidence of the incident, other relevant documentation from Perth and has taken legal advice. Mr Ainslie was asked to comment and did so. The Executive Committee supports the decision and the report of the International Jury and the report of the RYA Tribunal that found that Mr Ainslie committed Gross Misconduct and believes that the penalties imposed to date are appropriate. Accordingly, ISAF does not regard it as appropriate to conduct a further hearing into the incident and no further action will therefore be taken. The issue of Media Boats is a separate matter from the decision issued today. The ISAF Media policies were clear and the issue of adherence will be considered separately. Volvo Ocean Race
After a near-perfect start, Chris Nicholson's men stole the lead from PUMA Ocean Racing on the way to the first mark and refused to give it up to take their first win of the 2011-12 edition of the race. "It was a cool day for us all round," a delighted Nicholson said. "If we could have written the script it would have been just that. "We've had a lot of pressure recently and over the last few months and it can either break you or as a team you can step up. "We've had a few slumps along the way and we're not there yet but perhaps now we have a bit more of a roadmap for the future." CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand remain in third on the overall standings but their win in Auckland's In Port Race moves them to within 18 points of overall leaders Team Telefonica. * The Abu Dhabi shore team worked through the night to fix structural damage in the bow of Azzam - and just 12 hours after arriving back in Auckland the sailors were headed back out to sea. Ian Walker's crew must now play catch-up to rejoin their five rivals, who at the latest position report were around 200 nautical miles into the 6,700nm leg to Itajaí in Brazil. "It puts us in a different weather situation to the rest of the fleet and so we need a bit of luck," Walker said as his crew prepared to slip lines in Auckland. "Twenty four hours could turn into 48 hours or 72 hours or alternatively we could sail up behind them if the weather goes our way. "We're not just going to sail up behind them by being faster and smarter - we're going to need a break from the weather." "Once we get sailing everyone will get back into the routine and start crossing off the miles and hopefully we'll get a break." Abu Dhabi will resume racing once they pass the point at which they suspended racing yesterday. * At 1900 UTC tonight Team Telefonica (Iker Martínez/ESP) leads as the fleet racing in Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Auckland receives the predicted battering less than 24 hours into the leg. According to weather experts, the already well-developed South Pacific low-pressure system to the northeast of Auckland is set to intensify as it moves towards the colder waters of the Southern Ocean. As the strong tropical depression moves south and east, it is blocking the route past East Cape with strong headwinds. This has caused the skippers and navigators to shy away from the traditional course across the Bay of Plenty and, instead of diving hard south, the fleet, now reduced to five boats, has headed north from Auckland to set up a better angle for heavy wind ahead. At 1900 UTC, the fleet had tacked onto port and were battling headwinds of up to 29 knots, flying off six-metre waves. Telefonica led the fleet from CAMPER 4.4 nm behind, followed closely by Franck Cammas' Groupama sailing team, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) and Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL), who had led the fleet out of the Hauraki Gulf earlier today. The fleet was split 19.10 nm from first to last with speeds varying from 11.4 knots for Sanya and 12.9 knots for Telefonica. Nico Budel Re-Joins the GOR in Punta Del Este The 72-year-old yachtsman dismasted on the first night of GOR Leg 2 off the Cape of Good Hope with his son, Frans, when rigging component failure brought an abrupt halt to continuing the course to Wellington, New Zealand. Without seeking assistance, the Budels motored back to Cape Town and immediately began making plans to re-join the GOR. New sails from North were ordered and a replacement carbon mast was built by Southern Spars and, 11 weeks after the dismasting, Budel set off from Cape Town for a 4,400-mile voyage through the South Atlantic to Uruguay. "I've tried to find out what is different from the original mast," says Budel. "But it's pretty much the same and the boat feels familiar," he confirms of his first generation Akilaria Class40, formerly Beluga Racer of the 2008-09 GOR double-handed winners, Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme. Nico Budel's co-skipper for Leg 4 to Charleston, USA, is 42-year-old Erik van Vuuren - one of the Netherland's most experienced big-boat, professional inshore and offshore sailors who will shortly arrive in Punta del Este to begin preparations for the next leg, while Frans Budel will re-join his father in the USA for the transatlantic Leg 5 to the circumnavigation's finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. Europa Race to Start on May 5th What a perfect opportunity for the future Vendée Globe competitors to get the measure of their potential and to test their yachts before their solo race around the world ! That is why it is not surprising to notice that all confirmed Europa Race entrants so far are also going to enter the Vendée Globe. Javier Sanso (Acciona), Armel le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire), Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat), Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), François Gabart (MACIF), Marc Guillemot (Safran) et Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) will be in Istanbul in May for what will be an exciting dressed rehearsal six months before the start of the 2012 Vendée Globe. 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... Running The Rhumblines There was no hesitation when the highly experienced sailor received a call from Mackay Yacht Club skipper David Turnbull to join his crew on the Frers 39 Matangi for the tactically demanding 308 n/ml Blue Water classic starting on Brisbane's Bramble Bay at 11am on Good Friday April 6th. Greg Tobin is no stranger to the mental and physical demands of ocean racing having contested the 2007 Rolex Sydney Hobart and the 2008 Brisbane to Gladstone races with business partner Charlie Preen onboard Cumberland Charter Yachts comfortable cruiser racer Dehler Magic. Naturally Greg Tobin took little time in deciding to spend Easter at sea and his previous Gladstone Race experience will prove invaluable for skipper David Turnbull in his bid to sail the 23 year old American built sloop to her handicap rating against her modern rivals including race favourite the Robert Hanna skippered Royal Geelong Yacht Club TP 52 Shogun V. Matangi formerly owned by well known Tasmanian Ocean racing sailor David Stephenson has the distinction of competing in many of Australia's major offshore races while this will be her race over the challenging Brisbane to Gladstone course. However Greg Tobin will refer to his previous race knowledge to provide skipper David Turnbull with the best tactical advice to make sure Matangi sets the required boat speed to remain competitive against her more modern rivals. The Matangi crew of warm tropical water sailors will race in elite company with Shogun V heading an impressive line up to contest the prestigious 64 year old The Courier Mail Cup awarded to the crew who records the fastest corrected handicap time. Shogun V originally launched to race with the Italian team in the 2011 series of the Audi Med Cup in Europe is a slightly more modern version of the 2011 Brisbane to Gladstone race winner the Marcus Blackmore skippered Hooligan and has proved to be a strong challenger for this race and the 2012 Audi Australian championship at Hamilton Island in August. Meanwhile skipper Robert Hanna and sailing master Tristram Eldershaw will remain focused on keeping the exciting speed sailing Shogun V on the required pace to win the race ahead of the Golden Oldies headed by 8 time race winner Saltash ll (Sandy Cavill) and four time Courier Mail Cup champion the Gladstone yacht Wistari skippered by Scott Patrick. -- Ian Grant A New Adriatic Offshore Contest: The Thousand Islands Race This new race will be held in two parts: starting on Sunday, 23 September from the historic port city of Rijeka, Croatia, the fleet will leave the islands of Unije, Susak, Premuda, Dugi Otok, Kornat, Vis, Lastovo and Mljet to starboardand finish at the new harbor of Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro. Over this distance of about 300 miles, the fleet will face the technical challenge of navigating among the many islands and channels of the Croatian coast and fascinating Boka Kotorska bay of Montenegro. After a prize giving in Porto Montenegro on Wednesday, 26 Sept, the fleet will then race back to Rijeka on the same course, starting on Thursday, 27 September, with a prize giving scheduled for Sunday, 30 September in Rijeka. Entries need only be over 9.0 m in length, have an ORC Club or ORC International certificate, and a Stability index greater than 110. A fun tune-up race will also be held on Saturday, 22 September to promote the race and give local media some exposure to the event. Notice of Race, on-line entry form, course, venue and logistic information can be found at: Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta
With approximately 10 knots of easterly breeze, race officer Peter Craig opted for a laid mark course, making for a technical and tactical challenge. From the start in Virgin Sound, the fleet would be sent east to a windward mark, then out on a reach to a gybe mark before heading west to the Dog Islands, and back up to a finish line set in Sir Francis Drake Channel roughly between Seal Dog and Nail Bay. Tacticians were divided on whether to head left or in toward Necker Island on the first tack. The wind continued to drop as the fleet rounded the Dog Islands, not only creating a further tactical challenge for the afterguards, but also stalling Hanuman. 'The breeze filled in from behind, which let the fleet catch up,' said Hanuman's tactician Kevin Burnham. 'We got a wild shift of around 70 degrees, and the wind to the right died completely but Indio was able to ghost through. However, I don't think we could have made up the four minutes that Indio beat us by on corrected.' For Andrea Recordati, it was the last beat that proved decisive. 'We had perfect shifts,' he said, 'and that last leg was where we won the race.' Not only the race, in fact, but the Boat International Media Trophy for the overall regatta win. With Indio pipping Hanuman in this last race and the top two overall places set, the fight for the final piece of silver was between old rivals P2 and the ketch Sojana. For the first time this week, Sojana beat P2 on corrected, but it was not enough to steal third place overall from the Perini Navi. Full results: Alice Burton Memorial Trophy
As the wind battered the fleet, Yandoo was one of the few teams to negotiate the course without capsizing at least once. The official winning margin was 4m30s from another highly skilled team of Brett Van Munster, Paul Williams and Shaun Moran on Kenwood-Rabbitohs. Third place went to Lumix, with Trevor Barnabas, Tim Webster and Greg Dixon on board, a further 40s away. The wind was close to the maximum strength the skiffs could habndle and it wasn't surprising that there were some capsizes before the start. Once away, the race to the windward mark (first set of three-buoys) at Clarke Island was extremely close. Taking advantage of the 'handicapping' of the marks, De'longhi-Rabbitohs (Matt Searle) grabbed a narrow lead from Pure Blonde (Tom Clout) while Yandoo was first to the blue buoy. Spectators were treated to an awesome display by the flying 18s as they powered down the spinnaker run from Clarke Island to Obelisk Bay. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com www.18footers.com.au Scottys Little Soldiers
Recently, I skippered the Royal Armoured Corps Offshore Racing Team entry in the Royal Ocean Racing Club Caribbean 600 Race - a demanding 600 mile race klnown as the Fastnet of the Caribbean. 6 crew members (4 of whom had never been on a boat before!) were members of 2 RTR - all had themselves just returned from a 6 month tour in Afghanistan. The crew chose Scotty's Little Soldiers to be their charity and dedicated their race to raising some cash for this cause. You can find more details and a donation page at: www.bmycharity.com/slsc600race Please take a moment to visit the page and help if you possibly can. For The Record Comment: This was the first successful attempt to establish a time for a monohull on the Cadiz to San Salvador route. John Reed Featured Brokerage On a passage the boat is sailed very easily single handed or by a couple. Returning to Australia in 1992 after the first cruise to Thailand, Summersalt did the 2500 miles from Singapore to Thursday Island in 18 days thru the reef strewn waters of Indonesia. This passage was done 2 handed with the autopilot steering nearly all the time in mostly variable but following winds. The fact that the only form of charging for the single 75amp battery was one 42 watt solar panel is indicative of how easy the boat is on the helm, even in following seas. In 2004 Summersalt had a refit in Phuket with the cabin being raised to give a head room of 1.58m in the saloon. In 2007 all the standing rigging was replaced as were all the halyards. On one hull the bottom has a copper-epoxy treatment with antifoul on the other hull. Brokerage through Pippen Marine: www.yachtworld.com/pippenmarine/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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