Scuttlebutt Europe #2006 - 14 January
Brought to you by Boats.com Europe, Yachtworld.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 Irish Entry Hits Rock In Clipper 09-10 Round The World Yacht Race All 16 crew were safely evacuated to the island and subsequently to two sister yachts, Team Finland and California. All are safe and next of kin have been informed. Falmouth Coastguard is working with local agencies to ensure that the situation is being constantly monitored. Next of Kin of all those on board have been informed and all crew are safe and accounted for. The Irish entry was sailing in 20-knot winds when she struck a rock off the small island of Gosong Mampango at 2018 GMT, 13 January (0418 local time, 14 January). The yacht was competing in the fifth race of the biennial global challenge which left Geraldton, Western Australia for Singapore on 3 January 2010. Initial reports from skipper Richie Fearon stated that the boat is lying on her side on the rock with the toe rail under water and that some hull damage has occurred. Because the winds were increasing, the crew evacuated to the island as a precaution. Competitors Team Finland and California were in the vicinity and immediately stood by off shore. The skipper and crew of Cork have subsequently used their life rafts to transfer to the waiting boats and all are now safely on board. Team Finland's skipper Rob McInally is relaying updates with both the race organisers and the coastguard agencies. The yachts on station are best placed to assess the situation and consider what salvage options are practical. Are They Describing The Same Meeting? While Brad Butterworth, Alinghi skipper and Societe Nautique de Geneve representative, was in Singapore engaged in good faith discussions to resolve remaining issues ahead of the 8 February America's Cup Deed of Gift Match in the presence of David Tillett, the chairman of the ISAF America's Cup Jury, and David Kellett, the ISAF representative, BMW Oracle unilaterally aborted talks by filing their ninth lawsuit against the Societe Nautique de Geneve at the New York Supreme Court seeking to disqualify the Defender from the upcoming Match. "BMW Oracle has already successfully disqualified 18 teams through the US courts to gain access to the Match, now they are seeking to win the Cup without ever racing for it," said Brad Butterworth. "This latest lawsuit has come as a shock given we were planning a further meeting to finalise discussions today, it demonstrates extreme bad faith. Clearly they are not ready to race. They have completely disregarded the jurisdiction of the ISAF America's Cup Jury, which they sought so hard to have instated, and have instead reverted to the New York courts where they clearly feel they have a greater chance of success," he added. SNG's defending yacht has been constructed in Switzerland in compliance with the provision of the Deed of Gift. SNG disagrees with GGYC's interpretation. BMW Oracle's statement that Alinghi will be using USA-made sails is wrong. The sails for the Match have been constructed in a sail loft in Villeneuve, Switzerland. Furthermore, the 3DL process of making sails is subject to Swiss intellectual property rights. The inventors of the process, Jean-Pierre Baudet and Luc Dubois, are two Swiss engineers. Every challenger and defender for the America's Cup since 1995 has used 3DL Swiss technology based sails. * Talks in Singapore to settle major issues ahead of the 33rd America's Cup have broken up. No mutual agreement was reached. "This is very disappointing and frustrating," commented Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing. "On three separate occasions during the two days talks there was a final draft of an agreement. GGYC was ready to sign. SNG's negotiators were prepared to sign, but it seems they were not given permission." GGYC would like to thank the negotiating teams - Tom Ehman and Richard Slater for GGYC and Brad Butterworth and Hamish Ross for SNG - for their tireless efforts to reach a solution. GGYC is also grateful to International Sailing Federation's representative David Kellett and the chairman of the International Jury for the 33rd Match for their helpful involvement in the search for a settlement. * Fortunately we have Pierre Orphanidis to help explain: Russell Coutts in his opening statement expressed his disappointment that the discussions in Singapore didn't produce a mutual-consent settlement. It appears the talks were productive because according to him there were 3 different agreement drafts and at the end of both days there was an agreement "from all of the parties inside that meeting". All drafts were "acceptable" for Coutts, but on both days, "at the 11th hour", as he states, were rejected "by Geneva". In particular, on the 2nd day, the agreement was "pretty much completely" drafted by Alinghi's representatives (Brad Butterworth and Hamish Ross) and accepted and signed by BMW Oracle's delegates (Tom Ehman and Richard Slater). Yet, in an "extremely unusual" way, the very same persons that wrote the draft, rejected it again "at the 11th hour", when they were about to board the airplane on their way back!!! According to Coutts, it was again orders from Geneva that led to the rejection of the final draft. He reiterated this point various times throughout the press conference. Although everybody in the room had agreed on a text drafted by Alinghi and the BMW Oracle representatives had signed it, a direct order from Geneva stopped Alinghi's negotiators from signing.... ... A point raised by a number of local journalists was the statement by Valencia mayor, Rita Barbera, a couple of hours before the press conference, that her talks with Ernesto Bertarelli, who is visiting Valencia on a daily basis lately, broke down. Bertarelli wouldn't cede any rights to the city of Valencia, preferring to have a sort of "private" regatta. To the eyes of the press it seemed a futility to hold talks in Singapore, trying to reach an agreement with BMW Oracle, while the team owner was concurrently holding seemingly contradicting talks in Valencia. A Modern Twist on a Classic Look Outfit your crew today at: www.camet.com NOR For 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Three hundred of the world's top sailors representing over 60 nations are expected to descend on Atakoy Marina in Istanbul this July for youth's sailing blue ribbon event. Triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie (GBR), three-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts (NZL) and Volvo Ocean Race winner Stuart Bannatyne (NZL) are just three legends of the sport to have first made their mark at the Youth Worlds. The Turkish Sailing Federation will organize the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship under the authority of ISAF. The Atakoy Marina, located at the southern end of the Bosphorus Strait, will host the championship, with racing set to take place on the Marmara Sea. Gulden Aktugan, Event Manager for the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, said, "We're delighted to be welcoming the world's best young sailors to Istanbul for the 40th edition of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship. Preparations are well underway to make this a spectacular championship fitting for the Youth Worlds 40th anniversary. As the only city located on two continents and as joint European capital of culture in 2010, Istanbul is sure to provide all the competitors and coaches with a truly memorable experience." The event is open to competitors aged under 19 in the year of the championship (i.e. for Turkey, under 19 on 31 December 2010) in the events and equipment listed below: Boy's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial Entry details were sent to ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs) in December 2009. MNAs are reminded of the deadline for submitting Registrations of Interest this Friday 15 January. The Notice of Race for the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship contains all of the key details relating to the championship and is available to download from the championship website: www.isafyouthworlds.com Stacking This time, the decisions on a team's sail wardrobe will be even more critical and rely on a strategy developed many months beforehand. The new limitations and large reduction in the number of sails, outlined in the Volvo Open 70 Rule for the next event, intended to cap campaign costs without undermining the standard of racing and the performance of the boats. This time teams can only build 15 pre-race sails per boat, (a modest reduction from 17 in the last race), and build a further 15 for the entire race, a much bigger cut from the 24 sails that were previously allowed. Clearly, such a reduction will mean that broader crossovers are required between various sails in order to span a greater range of conditions, while longevity will also become a more significant factor. In the last event, Green Dragon was one of several teams which raced around the world on a limited budget, where skipper Ian Walker had to balance performance requirements against what was affordable. Walker believes that the rule changes could have further effects. "Ironically, I think stacking will be harder as the sails will be heavier," he said. "To give an idea of the effect that stacking has, if we put all the gear on one side of the boat, we needed to swing the keel 25 degrees to the other side to level the boat. That's how much stacking counts." Read full story in the latest issue of Life At The Extreme magazine. Matt Sheahan is racing and technical editor of Yachting World. Top Crews Come Together for F18 Australian Championship The fast and exciting Formula 18 (F18) catamarans are coming to Corio Bay in Geelong, where the Royal Geelong Yacht Club will host the F18 Australian Championship for the first time at Audi Victoria Week from January 23-26. Heading the line-up are the reigning Australian champions, Matt Homan and Luke McDonald from Humpybong Yacht Club in Queensland. "It'll be really good sailing on Corio Bay - we've never done a title there before - it'll be nice flat water," Homan said today. Asked who could upset his second consecutive title, Homan replied: "Steve Brewin and Greg Goodall are the majors - and a few of the Nacra guys as well." Goodall finished second at last year' Nationals, Brewin sixth. "There's a new design, a C2, that's coming to Geelong, which is relatively untried, so that should be good," Homan reports. Goodall, from Victoria, designed the new 'C2' and he's loaning one to Brewin from NSW. Brewin, who usually sails with his dad Richard as crew, will not only race a new C2, but will have a new crew Jack Benson aboard. Launched at the Paris Boat Show last month, Audi Victoria Week is its first time the C2 will be seen publicly in Australia. -- Di Pearson Spanish Castle To White Night So when Telefonica Blue rounded the first mark of the first Stockholm in-port race in last place, it would have been easy for their heads to go down. Instead, they spotted a wind shift, split from the fleet and passed three boats on the second leg, overtaking one more on the final lap to finish third. In front of a countless armada of spectator boats, Telefonica Blue sailed a much better opening leg in the second race. They led at the first mark; then, as they had done so many times, sailed away from the fleet. Bouwe Bekking and his team added the overall in-port series prize to their long list of achievements with their fourth win. But crucially, PUMA was second, which left the gap at 6.5 points. There were still eight points available for the winner of leg ten, but the scoring system awarded two points to any boat that started the final leg. Only another rock or an act of god could stop Ken Read and his team, and there was to be no final, extraordinary twist in the tale. Once PUMA had crossed the start line, leg ten to St Petersburg was effectively a coronation parade for Ericsson 4 - which didn't stop the crews looking for that final win. Extract taken from the Official Volvo Ocean Race Book, Winner Sportel Monaco 2009 Best Illustrated Book Available for purchase at: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/volvobookEUROBUTT/ Ready To Tackle The Wind It is quite a different type of sailing. Firstly, the biggest adjustment is sailing with other people. Oh my goodness, there were people on board with whom I could discuss tactics. I still make the final decision, but it is quite enlightening to hear different perspectives. And then, secondly, of course, there is only one other boat on the start line. Certainly something to mess with one's head. But that is the other appeal about match racing, women's or open. In fleet racing, make a mistake and you usually have time to make up for it. In match racing, make a mistake and the fight back has to be instantaneous, although the race isn't won until the first boat crosses the line. So many more alternatives going through one's head at one time. And then there is the teamwork. Finding the right people to make up the team is not an easy task. I have been very lucky to have several girls willing to sail with me. For the Elliot 6m, I sail with Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi. I think sometimes, I am not the most genial person to have at the back of the boat. But like any successful business team, not everyone agrees all the time, but everyone respects everyone's opinion. -- Anna Tunnicliffe (ISAF Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and US Sailing's Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, quite the double play) More on Anna's website (where you can find information on donating to the Sailing Foundation that supports her campaign: www.annatunnicliffe.com Jessica Watson Rounds Cape Horn "It's after years of dreaming and this huge build-up so it's really, really special and it feels like I've turned a corner," Jessica Watson told The Daily Telegraph. "It's still sinking in, I suppose. I just need a few more minutes to sit here and look at it, really let it sink in. "Once I catch up on a bit of sleep I think I'm going to be absolutely thrilled and on a pretty good high for a while." She said she was excited to know her parents would fly over the yacht from Chile and that Chilean and Argentinian naval boats also planned to sail past. "I've been three months without seeing another person and it's been over a month since I've seen another boat and here I am today, I've got boats and planes and people everywhere so it's pretty exciting stuff," she said in a video blog posted on her website. Now, she is sailing north-east towards the Falklands Islands, off the southern coast of Argentina and ever closer to the 10,000 nautical mile halfway mark. -- Georgina Robinson in the Sydney Morning Herald, www.smh.com.au More Internationals For Warren Jones New Zealand are, as ever, sending a strong contingent, including last year's winner Phil Robertson, who will hope to become the third skipper to win the event twice, following in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Simon Minoprio and world no. 2 skipper Torvar Mirsky of Australia. Robertson and his Waka Racing Team came to the 2009 event ranked 51st in the world, and in the past year have risen as high as 24th on the ladder, before slipping back to 25th in the latest ranking list. The Warren Jones Regatta is considered to be a bridge from the youth circuit to the senior circuit, and has become a launch-pad for match racing stars, with the top two on the current world rankings, Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky, past winners. The event takes on a new format this year, with two regattas being run over the period of a week. Starting with the Collins Mullins International Youth Regatta, which is being used as a qualifying series to whittle the fourteen hopefuls down to ten who will make it into the Warren Jones Regatta. Four skippers have already qualified for the main event, defending holder Robertson and fellow Kiwi skipper Rueben Corbett, along with Even Walker of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australian and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's David Chapman. The Collin Mullins Regatta kicks off on Thursday 28th January, with the Warren Jones Regatta starting Monday 1st February, both managed by Swan River Sailing and hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on the Swan River. -- John Roberson Letters To The Editor - * From Jonathan Crinion: Re: Sam Davies Crowned YJA Pantaenius Yachtsman of the Year Sam Davies looks like a pretty fine woman to me. Perhaps YJA Pantaenius 'Sailor' of the Year would be a more appropriate name for this award in the future? Featured Brokerage An opportunity to own a legend of cruiser racers, The Sigma 38 will go down in history as one of the best loved and popular cruiser racers of all time. This one has a good sail wardrobe, heating, Autopilot and much more. Brokerage through Premier Yacht Sales Ltd.: Premier Yacht Sales Ltd. Complete listing details and seller contact information at The Last Word |
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