Scuttlebutt Europe #2589 - 11 May
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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 Tom Slingsby Wins Audi Laser World Championship Tonci Stipanovic was also able to sit out the fourteenth race due to his 24 point lead over Juan Maegli from Guatemala after the first twelve races. Stipanovic's silver is his first medal in a world championship. "I'm probably even more happy than Tom", says the Croatian who will be sailing for his country at the Olympic Games in Weymouth, like Slingsby. Andrew Maloney (NZL) gave everything in the last two races and with a third and a twelfth place managed to beat Maegli Juan (GUA) to the bronze medal. New Zealand as nation fared well, with three out of the top 15 sailors haling from there, followed by hosting nation Germany and Sweden with two sailors each. Olympic medalist Paul Goodison (GBR) did not seem able to recover from his three yellow flags and finished in 20th position. He was able to use this world championship to test the waters for the Olympics and try out some different techniques before the Games in Weymouth. Andrew Murdoch who will be representing Australia at the Olympic Games did not have a particularly successful regatta series and finished in 24th place but managed a win in the last race of the gold fleet. The nations qualified for the last remaining Olympic tickets are the following, subject to ISAF ratification: Portugal, Ireland, Lithuania, Tunisia, Ukraine, Thailand, Czech Republic, Columbia, Venezuela, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico. Full results: news.balticsprintcup.com Star Worlds At the same time, the Kiwis gave it all and scored a bullet securing their ticket to London. Same for the Dutch who are now 5th and will see themselves in the Olympics! But, as for the other 2 tickets, it is still pending who is going to make it. Today's results give the last 2 tickets to Croatia and Spain with Greece on equal points with the Spanish duo. At the same time, the duo from Austria is still too close.. So, tomorrow it is going to be really tough... Top ten after five races, one discard: 1. Iain Percy / Andrew Simpson, GBR, 15 points Henri Lloyd Element Trousers The trouser fit is articulated for better ease of movement, whilst the stretchy fabric offers extreme comfort. The Fast-Dri qualities of the trousers results in a pair of trousers that can be worn in warmer conditions as a single layer, or part of the layering system when the need for a protective outer layer is necessary. The trousers further benefit from welded side pockets and a quick assess gusseted thigh pocket for those essential bits and pieces when out on the water. Also available in a woman's fit, which offers a concealed webbing belt on the waistband for a better fit. Colour: Black Abu Dhabi Close Out Fifth In Miami After Suffering For Speed On Leg 6 Abu Dhabi crossed the Leg 6 finish line at 08:57:37 UTC on Thursday after 17 days, 15 hours and 57 minutes and 37 seconds of racing. Skipper Ian Walker said a general lack of speed had led to the fifth place result, seven hours and 51 minutes behind fourth placed Team Telefonica. Walker said being unable to keep up with the other boats had put continual pressure on navigator Jules Salter and himself to find ways to get the team back in contention. "It's just been a tale of bleeding miles,'' he said. "The fleet spent a lot of time in similar wind, sailing the trade winds, sailing a very similar strategy and for whatever reason we weren't sailing as fast as the other boats. "Day in, day out, those miles add up. It puts a lot of pressure on Jules and myself to try and pull a rabbit out of a hat and find something extra and make up for that. Walker said the need for speed had forced the crew to take two risks: packing a minimal amount of food in a bid to save weight -- which resulted in some very hungry crewmen; and making some 'roll-the-dice' moves in the Caribbean. Abu Dhabi score 10 points for fifth place, taking their overall tally to 68. The Leg 6 results have thrown the leaderboard wide open and left the top four teams within 17 points of leaders Team Telefonica. With three more offshore legs and four more in-port races to be sailed before the race finishes in Galway in Ireland this July, the top four all still have a credible chance of lifting the overall trophy. SEIKO 49er Worlds - Consistency Is King
The first race for the gold fleet was held in light conditions with local Croatian sailors Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupac leading wire to wire to the cheers of their local sailing club volunteers and staff as their win was announced over the loudspeaker. Outteridge/Jensen were on their transom finishing in second. Race two had a shift just after the start with the right side favored. Additional positions were shifted on the downwind leg and a scramble of scores ensued between the top boats. A bit more wind pressure at the start of race three found the fleet evenly split on the weather leg with Denmark's Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang taking the win. Pawel Kolodzinski, Polish crew who entered the gold fleet in 4th, commented on the switch from qualifying to gold fleet; "Now we have to compete with the top 25 in the world. Every small mistake you make, there is a big difference in the fleet." For Poland, "Zadar is the 3rd selection for the Polish Olympic selection. We are currently leading and we hope this will be a good result for us." The forecast is the same for tomorrow at 8-12 knots and once again, clear skies. Saturday's forecast is for a change with more wind and clouds. La Transat AG2R La Mondiale "We didn't exactly plan on being the most southern boat, we had just been playing the shifts and south is where we found ourselves." Despite Artemis's rapid descent down the leader board to 14th and a lack of any rival Figaros visible on the horizon; Goodchild and Cherry were ever confident that they could regain 8th and set themselves back among the leader pack. With the fleet now spread out between leaders Cercle Vert and the most southerly boat Sepalumic, the race has once again been thrown wide open as Goodchild reports: "we have finally turned the virtual corner in the south and are finally heading straight for St. Barths. From now the tactical choices are over and it's a drag race. Artemis expect to cross the Transat AG2R finish line some time on Monday morning along with 7 or 8 of the other boats. "It's going to get very close and nerve racking towards the end," states Goodchild "We've even had challenging messages from the Spaniards (Gaes) who claim we wont get to St.Barths before them." Despite the proximity of the finish line, the race is far from over (1/4 race distance to go), both Goodchild and Cherry report that soaring temperatures and very little cloud cover is making for very difficult, if not unbearable sailing conditions, with Cherry fondly renaming the helm in 'the cremation seat'. www.artemisoffshoreacademy.com The Fulcrum Files by Mark Chisnell -- Now Available In Paperback On the 7th March 1936, after almost two decades of peace in Europe, Hitler ordered the German Army back into the Rhineland. It was a direct challenge to Britain and France. Still unnerved by the toll of the Great War, the politicians dithered and history teetered on a knife edge. But the spymasters were busy - just one man could make the difference between war and peace, victory or defeat. And that man was Ben Clayton. Mark Chisnell's brand new spy thriller returns to an epic period of history, and an epic period of sailing. www.amazon.co.uk/The-Fulcrum-Files www.amazon.com/The-Fulcrum-Files RORC Morgan Cup Race A cold, northeasterly wind piping up to over 20 knots heralded the start of the first domestic race of a busy RORC Season. Under a greyish, overcast sky the first boats away were IRC 3 & 4. The tide was beginning to run west, favouring the Royal Yacht Squadron end of the line. Although most boats were slightly line-shy, Mike West's A35, Eaujet, being sailed by Paul Worswick, positioned perfectly and had a great start, quickly hoisting the kite and leading the fleet down the Solent. Next to get away were IRC Zero, 1 & 2 - much less afraid to get close to the line before the start - and with the tidal flow increasing two yachts found themselves being carried over the line early. Andrew McIrvine's First 40, La Réponse, and Neil Kipling's, J122, Joopster, had to return in order to start correctly. Jim MacGregor's Elan 410, Premier Flair, and Andrew Pearce's Ker 40, Magnum III, got cracking starts. Had all competitors known what lay ahead of them now, we might have seen a few more cancellations. A tough and cold 30-mile beat to Owers Buoy followed waypoint 2. With a tide of nearly 4 knots reported by some at Owers, it became the deciding factor to which class took the overall win. Andrew Pearce and the crew of Magnum III made a spectacular start to their offshore campaign on the new Ker 40, taking IRC 1 and the Overall win in the Morgan Cup, narrowly beating her sister ship, Jonathan Goring's Keronimo. In IRC 2, Andrew McIrvine's La Réponse won the class, making a great start to their Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup trials. Another boat having an outstanding race was Eaujet, Mike West's A35 being sailed by Paul Worswick, who won IRC 3 by quite some margin, nearly an hour on corrected time. IRC 4 was won by Matthias Kracht in his JPK 9.60, Ultreia! However in the Two-Handed Class he was beaten to top spot by Peter Olden in his A 35 Solan Goose of Hamble. The RYA West Zone Bid to Defend RYA Eric Twiname Title This annual Junior event, always fiercely competitive and one of the highlights of the RYA's Racing calendar, is now in its 26th year and will see 325 contenders in over 285 boats and windsurfers pit their sailing skills against the best young talents from each of the six English Zones, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in a bid to help their Zone or home country team clinch the RYA Eric Twiname Championship crown. The highly charged weekend will offer the RYA Zone/Home Country Squads competitive racing in a fun and friendly environment. The weekend will welcome boats from across nine of the RYA Junior classes - Optimist, Topper, Feva, Mirror and Cadet dinghy classes with the windsurfers racing on Bic Techno boards with 4.5m, 5.8m, 6.8m and 7.8m rigs. Thanks to the long-standing and on-going support of the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust, the event, for sailors aged between eight and 15, is very cheap to enter with almost all of the costs associated with the running of the regatta met by the RYA and the Trust. The first part of the selection process for the 2012 RYA Laser 4.7 National Junior Squad will also take place alongside the Championships, with results from Rutland used in conjunction with those from further indicator events later in the season. Racing is scheduled to start at Rutland at 11.25am on Saturday 12th May with a maximum of seven races set for the weekend (up to four races on Saturday, and up to three on Sunday). No warning signal will be made after 3pm on Sunday 13th May. For more information about the regatta please visit the event website www.ryaracingevents.org.uk For information on the Eric Twiname Trust: erictwinametrust.org Industry News Kicking off the new year is North America's first major regatta of the winter season. Now in its 26th year, this spectacular event offers five full race days and world class competition. Enjoy fun shore side parties in this warm water, vacation destination. Premiere Racing's reputation for excellent race management and regatta organization promises to deliver another great winter get-away for sailing enthusiasts. Details on invited classes, information on logistics and planning will be posted on: Premiere-Racing.com --------------------------------------
World Superyacht Awards 2012: Judges' Special Award - 'A notable contribution to the technical advancement of sailing superyachts' "Hetairos" was awarded the judges' Special Award in the 40m+ size range, for her notable contribution to the technical advancement of sailing superyachts. She has set many new benchmarks in superyacht design and construction. L.O.A. : 66.70 meter -------------------------------------- Norwegian marine clothing brand Helly Hansen has reported strong financial results for 2011 and is claiming to have had a record first quarter in 2012. The company's 2011 EBITDA jumped almost 50 per cent to $24.9 million, following a 17 per cent increase in revenues to $275 million. For the first quarter of 2012 revenue also grew by nearly 15 per cent. Helly Hansen claims its performance is driven by a combination of revenue gains and improvements in processes and reduced operating costs. Key markets for Helly Hansen in 2011 were the US and Canada as well as Norway, where sales rose 15 per cent despite the amicable split from the country's largest retail partner. -------------------------------------- Organiser of the Barcelona International Boat Show has announced changes to this year's edition of the show. Port Vell will be the only venue for both the on-water and on-land exhibitions. In addition, the event will be held from 26 to 30 September, instead of the previously announced dates of November. Changes have been made to make it easier for buyers and enthusiasts to visit the event. The move, which also aims to help boost the sector, responds to the outcome of a report that concluded that, given the current complex climate in the Spanish nautical sector's, the model that best combines the possibility of attracting more buyers with the need to adjust the cost of participation for exhibitors is to concentrate the show in Port Vell, and for five days instead of the usual nine. As a result, the Barcelona show will be in line with the format used by other European shows, such as Cannes and La Rochelle in France, Southampton in the UK, and Genoa in Italy. -------------------------------------- The premiere issue of CharterSavvy, an online magazine devoted exclusively to bareboat chartering, has been launched by F&F Publishing. Free to subscribers, each quarterly issue is filled with in-depth features and stunning photography about bareboat charters worldwide.
The editorial team of self-proclaimed "charterholics" is led by award-winning journalist and charter expert, Chris Caswell, a well-known veteran of boating publications. "Bareboat chartering is a fast-growing niche in boating that isn't being addressed by the mainstream media," says Caswell. "Because of the economy, some people have given up their boats---at least temporarily---but still savor the boating lifestyle on bareboat charters. Bareboat charters are also an enjoyable way to sample the boating delights of foreign countries without investing months or years in a long cruise," he adds. The first issue, which reached an audience of more than 35,000 dedicated boating enthusiasts, has features on bareboat adventures in the British Virgin Islands, Greece, the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, and canal barging in France. To subscribe, readers can go to the CharterSavvy website www.chartersavvy.com for the latest issue as well as keep up on bareboating news via the CharterSavvy blog Featured Brokerage Available is a Bruce Nelson designed carbon rocketship. Optimized in 2005 for the IRC rule with a new keel, modified mast for masthead A-Sails and reballasted. The boat is in excellent condition with a superior sail inventory for both inshore & offshore racing, 32 sails in all. State of the art electronics as well as custom deck gear by Harken. Excellent opportunity, call listing broker for complete details. New North sails, May 2009, Main & two Jibs, 3DL's, Plus two A-Kites. May 2010 3 new North Sails, Vessel not launched in 2011, call for more info. Brokerage through World Yachts, Inc.: www.yachtworld.com/worldyachtsinc/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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The young Ben Clayton was one of Britain's brightest boxing prospects, until the day he slammed a left hook into a fragile chin. Sickened by the consequences he turned away from the ring, found solace in the arms of the beautiful Lucy Kirk and looked to a new challenge - winning the America's Cup in the great J Class Yachts.
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