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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 Conrad Colman and Scott Cavanough Win The GOR Having led the GOR fleet for the majority of Leg 5 from Charleston, USA, to France, Cessna Citation thundered towards the finish line hitting 17 knots under full main and Solent in a large, rolling, Atlantic swell, crossing the short, Vendee Globe finish line south of the Nouch Sud buoy off Les Sables d'Olonne at 13:20:14 GMT (15:20:14 local), with the finish gun fired by Class40 skipper and ex-President of the Class40 Association, Jacques Fournier, who fired the start gun for GOR Leg 1 in Palma, Mallorca, almost nine months ago. Cessna Citation completed the 4,000-mile North Atlantic crossing in 17 days 22 hours 50 minutes and 14 seconds. Colman has completed the circumnavigation with four separate co-skippers, sailing with Spanish Mini sailor, Hugo Ramon, in Leg 1; British sailor, Sam Goodchild, in Leg 2; South African yachtsman, Adrian Kuttel, in Leg 3 and was joined by Australian Mini 6.50 sailor, Scott Cavanough, for the final two legs of the GOR and has claimed first place in every leg except Leg 1 and also holds the GOR's Class40 24-hour run record, covering 359.1 miles in December during Leg 2 through the Indian Ocean. With Cessna Citation moored in Port Olona, three Class40s are still racing through the North Atlantic led by Marco Nannini and Sergio Frattaruolo with Financial Crisis who were 218 miles from Les Sables d'Olonne at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday with a finish line ETA of Thursday afternoon. GOR leaderboard at 16:00 GMT 6/6/12: 1. Cessna Citation, Finished in 17d 22h 50m 14s * Last minute adventures in the final day of the Global Ocean Race Today is the last full day at sea for us, in around 24 hours we should be making landfall and reach Les Sables D'Olonne and bring to a conclusion this epic jurney. We've been making very good progrees with strong following winds pushing us for days but the adventure is not quite over yet. Last night as the front was passing through we were flying towards the finish line with our medium spinnaker in strong building winds, admittedly we were on the limit but it was such a joy to see the boat surfing at 15-20 knots that i wished to take that memory home with me. As i write we are crossing the imaginary line between Ouessant and Cape Finisterre that delimits the bay of Biscay. The route to and from these two points is one of the busiest shipping routes in Europe leading into the traffic of the English Channel. We had been used to seeing the occasional ship in the North Atlantic which is certainly the busiest of the seas we crossed, but here, suddenly the AIS anti collision system woke up and is currently plotting 12 ships in range, all travelling along this route, pretty much like crossing a motorway. Further in the bay, where the sea bed rises sharply from thousands of meters to shallow waters we'll have to watch for french fishing boats, a real threat, Hugo Boss was famously hit by one just outside Les Sables D'Olonne, let's hope they are on strike today! I'm sure a part of me will be sad when all of this will be over, but the anticipation for the completion of this journey is enormous, my fiancee Ella is now travelling from London to come and meet me on the finish line and it will be a really special feeling after 10 months of separation interrupted by brief visits at each stopover. Several family and friends will travel to meet me in Les Sables and I think as the days will pass it will all start to sink in, that we have sailed around the world. Certainly the return to land will have its share of challenges, hopefully an offer on the boat will materialise soon to enable me to deal with the debts i racked up and get by until i find a job. None of this is life threatening though, only a temporary hassle which i think pales in comparison to what we're achieving. A massive thanks to those who have sent fresh funds through www.marconannini.com/help, a webpage that was setup as a bit of a joke and that put me back in the game when I very nearly retired from the race in New Zealand, these contributions have made a make or break difference to the project, thank you all! Time to concentrate for the final stretch. -- Marco Nannini The Breeze Picks Up And So Does The Competition
The wind pick-up this morning, and by the afternoon it was a challenging twenty knots and change for most race courses. Once again, the stamina of the athletes was tested to the limit - and it's just going to get windier. The Women's Match Racing completed their initial round robin, and the top six went through to the Gold Group, skippers; Lucy MacGregor (GBR), Claire Leroy (FRA), Olivia Price (AUS), Ekaterina Skudina (RUS), Silja Lehtinen (FIN) and finally, Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) pulling it out of the bag to take the last place. The Repechage Round got underway with first blood going to Renee Groeneveld, Stephanie Hazard and Tamara Echegoyen - all with three wins each. They will complete the round in the morning. The Gold Group also started racing and Ekaterina Skudina put her nose in front with three early wins - again, the Group will complete their racing in the morning. The Stars saw a fabulous return to world class form for Iain Percy and Andrew 'Bart' Simpson. They scored a first and a second to move to the overall lead, with just a one point advantage from long-term Brazilian rivals, Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada. Dropping to third and two points behind were the Irish pair of Peter O'Leary and David Burrows, with Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn from Canada just another point behind the Irish. The Finn class saw another dominant performance from Giles Scott, but today it was almost matched by Ben Ainslie. Scott won the first race, with Ainslie digging himself back from a poor first beat to score a third. Then Ainslie blew past Scott to win the last race, leaving him to score a second. USA Olympic representative Zach Railey is third, ten points adrift of Ainslie. Full results: www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk Some great shots from Tina Varkey Photography, behind the scenes: www.tmvphotography.co.uk/p532194567 Racing On The Bosphorus At just 700 metres wide at its narrowest point, the Bosphorus is a crucial shipping channel, with heavy traffic crossing between the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. The shores of the straight are heavily populated, but the residents are more accustomed to seeing ferries and tankers as opposed to the racing catamarans. The Extreme 40s last met in Qingdao, China seven weeks ago and over the last two days, the teams have been making the most of the time to fine tune their boats and put in some practice on the water. British Olympian Leigh McMillan, skipper of The Wave Muscat, is top of the leaderboard after a win in Act 2, and is eyeing the podium for a third consecutive event. "We had a really good start this year, we were straight out of the blocks with two podium finishes and we are hoping to maintain this with another podium finish in Istanbul." Racing takes place over four days from the 7-10 June, with one day of open water racing followed by three days of stadium style racing when the event opens to the public. Adding to the action on the water will be the NeilPryde Racing Series, on the 9-10 June, including a special LED night race scheduled for Saturday night. The racing will be streamed live to the website with expert commentary from Richard Simmonds. This streaming is also available on all iOS devices (iPad, iPhone) at the following times: Friday 8th June: 1400-1600 CET (All times CET – Central European Time – GMT -2hr and local time EEST +1hr) Goblin 3 The Big Winner of American Express Bosphorus Cup Today, the Bosphorus Cup is the top sailing event in Turkey The last day of the American Express Bosphorus Cup 2012 did not start with the best perspective. The boats had to wait for hours in the water for the wind to come. The race committee had to postpone races for several hours before a light breeze come from the North. The first race of the day started with the boats fighting for a good place on the starting line. Nevertheless a few meters after the start the wind shifted considerably and the organizers had to abandon the race and reset the course area. The second and final start was given and the boats had a clear start. Many were the candidates for the first place and the ticket to Porto Cervo and every one was pushing hard. That had as a result, a big collision between Fenerbahce 1 and 7 Bela that could not continue racing. Big winner of the American Express Bosphorus Cup 2012 was finally Goblin 3 that secures its participation to the Melges 24 European Championship in Porto Cervo. The crew celebrated their victory and awaits for the big award ceremony on Tuesday to take the prestigious trophy. Full results: bosphoruscup.net Equipment Selected for Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games Events and Equipment Boy's One person dinghy - Byte CII ISAF Head of Competitions, Alastair Fox said, "The Byte CII and the Techno 293 are fantastic choices for the YOG. The equipment is modern, visually exciting and extremely well suited for the 15/16 age category for the sailing events. ISAF will be working closely with the Classes, the Chinese Yachting Association and the Nanjing Organising Committee to deliver a successful sailing competition on Lake Jinniu during the Nanjing 2014 YOG." The Techno 293 and Byte CII were on display at the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. The 2014 Youth Olympic Games will take place from 16-24 August 2014 in Nanjing, China with the sailing taking place in the northern outskirts of the city at Nanjing Jinniu Lake. The Qualification System for the 2014 YOG is currently being finalised with the IOC and more information will be released in due course. Exhibition of Nautical French Naturalist Paintings This exhibition of 80 oil paintings brings together for the first time the works of eight French landscape painters from the first half of the 20th century. Although the artists were exhibited in their lifetimes and their works are in major museums in their native France, this is the first exhibition as a group, and first time any of them has been exhibited in the United Kingdom. From Yachting Monthly: Industry News At the London Boat Show this year, Henri Lloyd and Ben launched the Ainslie GBR 3 Collection to celebrate Ben's sailing career to date. The range comprises casual lifestyle clothing for men, women and children and features Hoodies, Polos, T's and caps, and features a patriotic red, white and blue colour story combined with a union jack motif, use of Bens sail number and his signature, the range is available in the Falmouth Store. Ben is already Britain's most successful Olympic sailor of all time, but London 2012 will see Ben competing at his fifth consecutive Olympic Games, for his fifth medal. Ben is competing in the Sail for Gold Regatta 2012 from the 1st to 9th June at the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy. -------------------------------------------------- As Supporting Sponsor, Mount Gay Rum will once again be bringing a Caribbean vibe across the Atlantic Ocean from the Island of Barbados to the world famous sailing regatta, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. With its official 'Regatta Rum' status, Mount Gay Rum will also be supporting and sampling both Mount Gay Eclipse Rum and Mount Gay Extra Old Rum at a number of events and hosting consumer, trade and yachting press. Competitions in local and national print media and radio, as well as sampling activities, Caribbean music and Mount Gay Rum being served at venues throughout the town, will bring a real Bajan feel to this year's Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. As much as sailors love Mount Gay Rum, they love Mount Gay Rum Red Caps from regattas around the world as much. Many aspire to collecting one from every regatta they have sailed in. This year, the first 500 competitors to enter The Mount Gay Rum Red Cap crew party at Peppermint Shepard's Wharf on Thursday 16th August, will be rewarded with one of the most cherished mementoes of any regatta - the coveted Mount Gay Rum Red Cap! Tickets will sell out fast for the party which features live Caribbean music and theming as well as Mount Gay Rum cocktails. -------------------------------------------------- Fidelity Investments will partner with the global America's Cup World Series, when it concludes its first season in Newport, Rhode Island at the end of June. The Newport event village is open from June 23-July 1, with the AC World Series racing from June 28-July 1 providing the climax to nine days of nautical-themed activities. Newport marks the final stop of the 2011-2012 America's Cup World Series, a six-stage championship spanning Europe, the United Kingdom and North America, where teams accumulate points at each stage in dual racing formats. The overall winner of the AC World Series will be crowned in Newport, an historic home for the America's Cup. An Official Sponsor of the Newport regatta, Fidelity Investments is also the presenting sponsor of the AC World Series Newport Exploration Zone and the Volunteer Program. The Exploration Zone, located on the north lawn at Fort Adams, will offer an interactive experience for children and adults of all ages. The 100 foot x 40 foot tent will showcase more than a dozen exhibits from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), the America's Cup Healthy Ocean Project partners, and local non-profits. In addition, there will be a small theatre off the main tent, where attendees can enjoy a variety of short lectures given by scientists and students. Located in the heart of the America's Cup Village, the Exploration Zone presented by Fidelity Investments will be open from Saturday, June 23 through Sunday, July 1. Fidelity will also be the presenting sponsor of AC World Series Newport Volunteer Program. Approximately 50 volunteers, including a core group of Fidelity employees, will be recruited to help support the Newport event, in all aspects of the operations including marketing, media, television, client services, sustainability, accreditation, and race management. -------------------------------------------------- Three independent yacht yards in mid-coast Maine are appointing Bruce Johnson, formerly of Sparkman & Stephens, as their business development executive. Brooklin Boat Yard, Front Street Shipyard and Rockport Marine reached an agreement to employ Johnson to represent each yard independently in seeking new construction projects. Johnson will be responsible for attracting and negotiating new national and international builds and refits to Maine, and matching them with the yards based on scope. Johnson is leaving his most recent post as president of Sparkman & Stephens, the venerable 82-year old yacht design and brokerage firm where he has worked as chief designer for the past 12 years and president for the past three. His relationship with S&S spans 24 years, first as designer and then as vice president before assuming his role as chief designer. He is considered one of the foremost experts in the complete S&S design collection from 1929 to 2012. -------------------------------------------------- This year's Haven Academy Award for Boating Innovation has been won by a new self-steering gear design for small yachts. Called 'The Steersman' by its designer Robert Chicken, it offers greater safety at sea by providing a reliable self-steering system which is not reliant on battery power.
The innovation, which has already been featured in Sailing Today magazine, uses changes in wind pressure in the foresail to sense and power the steering of the boat. The Steersman is easy to use and reacts instantly to any deviation from course. Robert Chicken, who has patented his idea and already has a website www.steersman.net said on being advised he'd won the Haven Academy Award: "This is a great boost for Steersman and the funding will help with the purchase of a 3D CAD system to develop the design and also with a professionally produced instructional DVD. Although the initial product will be for smaller boats, I'm aiming to quickly extend the range for yachts up to 40 feet". Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the Haven Academy judging panel said when announcing the winners: "This proves that with our help we really can make good ideas happen. The Steersman is a truly innovative product that can bring a new dimension of enjoyment and safety to sailing". Letters To The Editor - * From Manfred Schreiber: From 2606: "The manoeuvre went badly wrong and Gimson crashed into the gold medallist - fortunately McIntyre had borrowed the boat from Gimson!" This piece of text has put a big smile on to my face though not the gloating type of grin. I really feel sorry for the two competitors but excactly the same happened to my friends during a DN Championship. G-38 crashed his boat in the opening race and "Krogo", G-749 had lent him his spare hull. In the next race G-38 crashed into G-749 and both hulls from Krogo had been destroyed beyound "overnight repair" possibilities. Not a good one when you are far from home and the season is very short. Featured Brokerage Iconic IACC yacht. One of the most revolutionary yachts designed. Bruce Farr creation with tandem keel and rudder joined to bulb keel, designed for San Diego series in 1990's. Had potential to win the Cup but stumbled in the semi-finals. She has been impeccably maintained by current owner who sails her when in NZ. She has raced in the Millenium Cup and is a regular sight on the Harbour when the Louis Vuitton Cup is on in NZ. Currently on the hard stand in Auckland NZ. Brokerage through All Boat Brokerage Ltd.: www.yachtworld.com/allboat/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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