Scuttlebutt Europe #2571 - 17 April
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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 Abu Dhabi Double Up On Boatbuilders for Azzam Repair Azzam is currently being shipped from Puerto Montt in Chile, after the team were forced to suspend racing because of damage to the hull. As soon as the boat arrives, the shore crew, including an eight-strong team of boatbuilders, will get to work completing the repair job started by Sam Bourne and Tim Collen, who have been doing as much as possible while Azzam is still on the ship. The shore crew will use foam and pre-shaped carbon tubing that arrived in Itajaí in surfboard bags on Monday. "Everything is in place now apart from the final piece of the puzzle, Azzam," said Abu Dhabi Team Director Jamie Boag, who has been working closely with DHL, the race's official logistics partner, on getting everything ready. "It will be a case of working round the clock to get this done and we've been studying every procedure to make sure we're doing everything as efficiently as possible. The deadline for the work to be done is Saturday, April 21, the date of the DHL In-Port Race Itajaí. Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi team have won two of the five in-port races to date, a feat matched only by overall race leaders Team Telefonica. Leg 6 from Itajaí to Miami begins on April 22. Cessna Citation First Through the Celox Sailing Scoring Gate Although Conrad Colman and Scott Cavanough took Cessna Citation across the Celox Sailing Scoring Gate shortly before midnight on Saturday and freed-off around Ponta do Calcanhar hitting ten-knot averages, it hasn't been so comfortable for the trio of Class40s further south. The chasing pack were separated by 150 miles at 15:00 GMT on Sunday, led by Marco Nannini and Sergio Frattaruolo with Financial Crisis but as speed averages hovered around eight knots in approximately 14 knots of easterly breeze throughout Saturday, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire fell into a private weather system on Phesheya-Racing with the South Africans fighting to keep the boat moving as miles were lost to Financial Crisis and the Dutch duo of Nico Budel and Erik van Vuuren on Sec. Hayai. While Colman and Cavanough added 29 miles to their lead in the past 24 hours and led the fleet by 241 miles on Sunday afternoon, the South Africans have dropped 25 miles to the Italian-Slovak team on Financial Crisis with Budel and Van Vuuren winning 26 miles from Phesheya-Racing as Leggatt and Hutton-Squire recover from their seven-hour ordeal in unreadable conditions. * Marco Nannini and Sergio Frattaruolo took Class40 Financial Crisis through the Global Ocean Race (GOR) Celox Sailing Scoring Gate in second place early on Monday morning and at 15:00 GMT the same afternoon, the South African team on Phesheya-Racing are just a handful of miles from crossing the virtual line off the coast of Brazil. As the GOR fleet begin their 14th day at sea in Leg 4 from Punta del Este, Uruguay, to Charleston, USA, the race leaders, Conrad Colman and Scott Cavanough have continued to pick up speed averaging just over 11 knots on Monday afternoon as they take their Akilaria RC2 Cessna Citation towards the latitude of the mouth of the River Amazon and approach the Equator for the second time in the 30,000-mile circumnavigation. GOR leaderboard 15:00 GMT 16/4/12: 1. Cessna Citation DTF 3046 11.2kts Cheminees-Poujoulat Hits The Water
The boat suffered some tough blows in the last Transat Jacques Vabre after hitting an unidentified floating object, forcing the Bernard Stamm- Jean-Francois Cuzon duo to give up. "When I got the boat back, she was barely floating and water would come up to the deck. The mast was ok but everything else had to be checked in order for us to understand what had happened because we didn't feel any shock. Pretty much everything was out of order inside: The computer system, the electrical and electronic components... Part of the fittings had been damaged too. Even the sails came out of the sails compartment and started winding around the helm ! There were holes everywhere, crashed doors and the paint and the finishing touch was gone...", explains the yachtsman who did not finish any of his previous Vendee Globe races (2000-01 and 2008-09). "We had to rebuild part of the starboard tack as well as the keel. We also got a new roof as we had sailed the Fastnet last year with the original roof which wasn't complete yet. We had to draw it, design it and then have it built at JMV in Cherbourg over the winter." The Transat's bad memory has now been put behind and what matters is the preparation for the Vendee Globe.. The upcoming schedule includes the Grand Prix Guyader (Starting on April 22-23) and the Tour of Europe (Starting on May 17), a race whose second stage, a solo route between Lisbon and La Rochelle, will be a good occasion to qualify for the Vendee Globe. Henri Lloyd Appoints New UK Marine Corporate and Area Sales Executive Sophie has over seven years' of direct experience and will be responsible for all UK corporate sales, branded crew gear and retail accounts in the South-West of England. Sophie brings with her a wealth of experience of working with top ranked sailing teams, individuals and corporate organisations. Sophie is also a successful and enthusiastic sailor in her own right, having started sailing in Optimists and progressed up to ranks to keelboats and shall be participating this season in the 3 Peaks Race and Pendennis Cup. Sophie will be based at Henri Lloyd's Lymington office in Hampshire. Sophie Bubb Safety Film Launched for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week On the 6th August 2011, the first day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, a collision took place between a Class 4 racing yacht and an inbound, large tanker. This was the first incident of its type at the regatta in at least 15 years and thankfully no-one was seriously injured. As organisers of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, CWL has been assisting ABP with their investigations into this collision over recent months and ABP's report into the incident will be published in the forthcoming months. In the meantime, a safety film has been co-sponsored by Associated British Ports (ABP), Red Funnel Ferries, Cowes Harbour Commission and CWL to assist safe sailing at one of the world's largest regattas. The film is now available at www.aamcowesweek.co.uk This year's Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week takes place from 11-18 August. Warsash Spring Series Resumes In Lively Conditions
The J/109 class has a dozen entries this year and so far each race has produced a different winner. This week it was newcomer Jonnie Goodwin's Harlequin that was top boat. This was his first race in the series and the team put in a very strong performance to beat David & Mary McGough's Just So by over four minutes. If Harlequin competes similarly in the next two weeks, there could well be a shake up in the results. In the light winds of the first half of the series the Sigma 38 class had been dominated by Kevin Sussmilch's Mefisto. The change in conditions made no difference. Mefisto established a lead on the first beat and although the racing was extremely tight behind, no one could make a dent in this lead. Two boats dominated the J/80 class. Rob Larke (J2x) won all three races and he was followed home each time by Ian Atkins in boats.com. It was a similar tale in the Laser SB3s. Joe Llewellyn, racing for the first time in Henri Lloyd, took all three guns. The minor honours were split between Robina (Jo Lloyd) and David Cummins' Rumbleflurg. At present Robina leads overall as Rumbleflurg missed the first day's racing. Next weekend the pace hots up with racing on both days for the Warsash Spring Championship, including a section with triallists for the Dolphin Brewer's Commodore's Cup. The fifth week of the Warsash Spring Series continues on Sunday 22nd April Warsash Spring Series - Provisional results 15th April 2012 IRC 1, Magnum III, Ker 40, Andrew Pearce www.warsashspringseries.org.uk EUROSAF Youth Sailing European Championship Entries are invited from European National Authorities for Sailing in nine different disciplines, including the single-handed Laser Radial and double-handed International 420, both boys and girls, the RS:X sailboard, boys and girls, and three open disciplines utilizing the International 29er, Hobie 16 with spinnaker and the Sirena SL16. The age limit for competitors is under 19 on 31st December, 2012. This event will be held annually, during the first full week of August. The regular date in the calendar will help the National Authorities in planning their participation and the class associations in setting dates for their own youth events to avoid a clash. Racing will take place on the Bay of Aarhus over a period of five days, which will be preceded by two days for registration, measurement and practice. The Open Ceremony will be held on Sunday 5th August and the Prize-Giving will be on Friday 10th August. The Notice of Race was published 5th January, 2012. In order to participate the European National Authorities for Sailing need to submit a Pre-Entry Form, which will be found on the event website www.eurosafyouthsailing.org along with other relevant documentation and information. For more information, or interviews, please contact John Friend or Thomas Capitani: /+45 20 40 84 42 Andy Shaw Takes Royal Southern Academy Match Cup Heat 2 Held in Laser SB3s on the Solent in cold, and at times shifty northerlies, the wind got up enough for PRO Martin Bedford to call 'no spinnakers' in the final flights to prevent the number of niggly damage calls increasing. This proved to be a wise move as the J/80s and SB3s taking part in the nearby Warsash Spring Series broached across the course in spectacular style. The high ranking skippers, Andy Shaw, Ali Hall and Rob Gullan, soon stood out from the less experienced skippers, Francesco Chivilo (ITA), Allan Higgs and Andy Sinclair. Fresh from winning the recent Volvo Youth Championship in the Spitfire catamaran class, this was only Sinclair's second match race event. He showed excellent speed and his results got better as he got to grips with the traps laid by the 'big three'. In the final flight of the second round robin, Ali Hall had to beat Andy Shaw for a three-way tie with Rob Gullan, but with Hall leading in his approach to the line, Shaw gained a small overlap to leeward and a red flag penalty on Hall put an end to that aspiration. Later in the first vs second play-off, Shaw managed to pull not just one but two penalties on Rob Gullan as they crossed the start line in their second match, going on to win 2:0. The qualifiers from Heats 1 and 2 now meet in the Grade 3 Royal Southern Academy Match Cup Final on 23-24 June when the winner goes forward into the RYA National Match Race Final. Second Heat Results: www.royal-southern.co.uk/youth/academy Australian O'pen Cup
Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club, Queensland, hosted this years‚ cup over the Easter weekend. The eight-race point scoring series was sailed in generally light winds that tested the skill of all the sailors. As the competition progressed and tension mounted, an adventure race followed by some free styling would shift the mood from tense and competitive to jovial and relaxed and laughter would once again fill the air. O'pen BIC regattas are about ensuring sailors have a good time with a competitive element and this one certainly filled the brief. The young sailors willingness to help each other both on and off the water was commendable and a delight to witness. A weekend of healthy competition concluded with sailors teaming up for one last adventure a race with a Le Mans start, lots of capsizing, skipper and crew changes and a final dash along the beach to the finish line. Full results online at: www.opencup.com.au Letters To The Editor - * From John Fitz: I happen to believe that it would be better all round if there was no [America's Cup] Hall of Fame. It seems to be that all it causes is disappointment and dissension, and perhaps even bitterness. And for what? In this celebrity-obsessed world is it really necessary to be made famous for doing or participating in a sport or pastime that you love, and which is to most people just that - a pastime? It's ridiculous ! If it isn't your sport or hobby, then let the industry do the recognising in which they are involved. They have enough "gongs" of their own without inventing another that is totally unnecessary. If you don't get enough satisfaction and pleasure from the sport in which you choose to spend you leisure time, and perhaps win some 'tin ware' or medals, then you should take up knitting or golf. You always get some back-slappers in Golf clubs. Forget about " the Hall" and just get on with enjoying life, and your liberty on the water. You should consider yourselves very lucky to be free, and able, to do that ! Featured Brokerage Based on the highly successful Beneteau 473 and designed by renowned naval architects Berret / Racoupeau Yacht Design, the Beneteau 393 is a unique 39-foot passage maker that answers the long awaited quest for a serious bluewater cruiser. Roomier, more spacious, and boasting some of the best accommodations to be found, the 393 will be sure to please the most scrupulous of sailors. Brokerage through Key Yachting Ltd.: www.yachtworld.com/keyyachting/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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