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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 Luc Talbourdet Speaks On Proposed IMOCA Class Rule The proposed changes to the present IMOCA class rule are two-fold: 1. Changes to construction of the keel, following the loss of keels from a number of boats on the last Vendee Globe. Two options are on the table, with a view to improved safety. These are either: a. Changes to the construction of the keel to make this tighter and safer, but not necessarily involving specification of materials from which the keel is to be composed b. A change to a "forged" keel, meaning that the current carbon keels would be required to have a metallic casing 2. A change to make the class rules more strict and more of a one design, but without ruling out the use of older IMOCA boats with some modifications. This may, perhaps, be best described as a move towards a tight "box rule", and would also involve removal of the need for individual boat designers, so taking out some of the cost of creating a new IMOCA boat. However, the idea is definitely not to have a strict one design. The impetus for the second change proposed is given by Luc Talbourdet as economics in the current period of global financial crisis. A new class sponsor would be used to help fund the design of the new class of IMOCA boats by a chosen firm of naval architects. The idea behind this is to maximize the number of boats on the starting line for the next Vendee Globe, by cutting the costs to sponsors and competitors. A must read by Anne Hinton, the full article (and further comments on an interview with Bernard Stamm) at sailracewin.blogspot.com Transat Jacques Vabre: Guillemot Teams with Bidegorry A leading multihull champion, Pascal Bidegorry is among others, the man, who built up the giant trimaran project, Banque Populaire V aboard which Loïck Peyron and his crew smashed the Jules Verne Trophy record. Pascal was himself the skipper for two major races against the clock: the North Atlantic record with a time of 3 days and 15 hours at an average speed of almost 33 knots and the 24-hour distance record, when they clocked up 908 miles in just one day sailing at an average speed of 37.8 knots. His career since winning the Solitaire du Figaro in 2000 has been exceptional. Today, Pascal is a member of Yann Guichard's team Spindrift Racing, and he will be probably be giving the Jules Verne Trophy another go aboard the former Banque Populaire V. Marc Guillemot and Yann Guichard's teams are both based in La Trinite-sur-Mer and Pascal Bidegorry can therefore work for both. Marc Guillemot and Pascal Bidegorry will be working together a lot in the lead up to the Transat Jacques Vabre. That will already be the case next weekend at the Spi Ouest-France - Intermarche on the Open 7.50 and then they plan to relaunch the Safran monohull on 25th April. Dry Sail At The Uk's Leading Race Boat Destination Offering secure 12 month storage ashore, our facilities ensure that salt erosion is greatly reduced, maintenance costs are lowered and resale values are considerably improved. At HYS we can offer a yard space contract for your yacht or powerboat to have it lifted or launched to suit requirements. Come and talk the team. Our prime location boasts a local pool of experts who have fast become an integral part of the international racing circuit and our services extend to cater for all your racing and boating needs. Call us on 02381 247332 or visit www.hambleyachtservices.co.uk Notices Of Race For The Five Events In 2013 WIMR Series Published The NoRs can be found on the Series website: www.wimrs.com/documents/ 2013 WIMR Series Events : - Saint Quay Women's Match Racing - St Quay, France - Elliott 6m - May 15-19. www.wimrs.com Nanny Cay Cup Aiyana is the largest yacht competing at the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival and the crew let out a big 'cheer' dockside as the news came through they had broken the course monohull record. In the Cruising Class, Aiyana took overall line honours, however, after time correction, two yachts beat the 82' sloop on handicap. Matthew Barker's stunning 1930s sloop, Blue Peter was a magnificent sight, leaping to windward and utterly flamboyant under a huge spinnaker downwind, the timeless classic was to claim second in class but Swan 51, Northern Child skippered by Lucy Reynolds took the class win. Winner in the Bareboat Class was Dundee, skippered by Dutch racing expert Radboud Crul who has competed in 25 North Sea Races. In the Racing Class, Marcus Cholerton-Brown's First 47.7, EH01 developed an engine problem before the start but they needn't have worried, their boats speed under sail was exceptional and the British charter boat romped home to take the class win by over 12 minutes from Italian Swan 53, Meri Balletti, skippered by Jonathan Taylor. Canadian First 36.7 Hammertime II, skippered by Pasquale Leone was third. Bol D'Or Mirabaud 75th Edition A multimedia platform, accessible from the Bol d'Or Mirabaud's website or directly via http://news.boldormirabaud.ch, will offer a 75 day countdown so that sailing lovers can discover all aspects of this anniversary edition. Daily and weekly meetings will set the rhythm for the next eleven weeks with commentary, photos, videos, historical anecdotes and contests. The multimedia platform will also provide the latest news and events bringing this 75th edition to life. For this anniversary edition, the Organizing Committee wanted to make significant technological improvements. The most noteworthy of these installations is the GPS beacons on every boat, which will allow Internet users to follow all competitors on the completely redesigned Bol d'Or Mirabaud mapping system. The real-time winner of the Geneva - Le Bouveret - Geneva race is awarded the Gold Cup Trophy ("Challenge Bol d'Or"), up for grabs annually as long as it hasn't been won three of the last five years by the same owner or syndicate. The Vermilion Cup Trophy ("Challenge Bol de Vermeil") only rewards the first mono-hull to cross the finish line. To be able to keep this cup, the race has to be won at least three times during five years. The racecourse will be as straightforward and open as always, with the only one mark midway at Le Bouveret. Adidas Sailing: Drier, Warmer, Faster The asrp long jacket features: - 3D mesh protective collar with roll-away neon-coloured hood. www.adidassailing.com/en/products.html Industry News Luca Lucheschi, Commercial Director Nautor's Swan commented: "A clear focus for Nautor's Swan is the ongoing development of the Asia Pacific region. We have identified China as an essential market to work within in order to achieve sustained growth. The Hainan Rendez-vous is the ideal event with an international profile to assist in this region specific commercial strategy". Nautor's Swan will be located on H4 throughout the event. ------------------------------------------ The America's Cup Summer of Racing in San Francisco intends to be carbon neutral thanks to a partnership announced today between the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and Vancouver, BC based Offsetters, North America's leading carbon management solutions provider. To help the America's Cup reach its sustainability goals, Offsetters will provide a portfolio of high quality carbon credits that have strong links to marine benefits and the sport of sailing. Offsetters will also manage the America's Cup Sustainability Credit ("ACSC") Program. Each ACSC is comprised of a carbon credit equivalent to removing one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, and a cash donation to a restoration project in San Francisco Bay, where the sailing event takes place. The aquatics-related carbon credit projects will prevent emissions from entering into the atmosphere, thereby compensating for the emissions arising from the event that are under the control of the event organizers. All carbon credits will be sourced from high-quality projects, designed to meet or exceed the highest international standard for carbon accounting and offsetting. ------------------------------------------ HyMar Project wins Royal Thames Mansura Trophy. The EU Hybrid Marine (HyMar) Project won the Ocean Going and Coastal Division Technology Award. The EU Hybrid Marine (HyMar) Project - a collaborative research project led by the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and funded by the EU - won the 'Ocean Going and Coastal Division Technology Award' at the Royal Thames Yacht Club's Mansura Trophy Awards Ceremony last week. The primary aim of the HyMar project was to provide reliable and practical information about the effectiveness of marine hybrid propulsion in small craft. Extensive, practical testing of many different design concepts over the last three years has led to the development of a range of innovative technologies. In 2012, the team consolidated all of the lessons learned in a 13m (43ft) test boat, the Hallberg Rassy 42 Armorel. The final HyMar hybrid system in Armorel is optimised for energy efficiency and is based on design principles that allow any compliant equipment to be used regardless of supplier. ICOMIA provided HyMar with project management, scientific and technical co-ordination and technology foresight. The Royal Thames Yacht Club Mansura Trophy is a biennial competition to identify and reward excellence in the design, development and operation of hybrid marine craft. IBI News: https://plus.ibinews.com ------------------------------------------ Leading independent evaluation agency, Havas Sponsorship Insights, has confirmed the final media value of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series™ at €27.8million over the seven Acts in 2012 versus €25.7million in 2011 over nine Acts. A growing international interest and an ever-stronger TV news and programming footprint including live broadcasts from five venues in 2012, is strongly reflected in the increase in media exposure across all platforms in what was the second year of global touring for the original stadium sailing Series that visits iconic venues in traditional host venue territories as well as new markets around the world. The Extreme Sailing Series has seen a significant increase in global media value year on year, and Havas Sponsorship Insights, who has evaluated the media value for the Extreme Sailing Series since 2009, when the media exposure was valued at just €5.9million, use the same methodology that demonstrates the strong media growth. Despite having seven Acts on the calendar compared to nine in 2011 and 20% less race days per event (five days per Act in 2011 versus four days in 2012), the Series has importantly shown a marked increase in media coverage as it enters its seventh year on the international sailing calendar. ------------------------------------------ The Royal Southern Yacht Club's annual Fitting Out Supper that took place on Saturday 23rd March, dished up something a bit unusual this year with a trio of the world's top yacht designers in residence for an entertaining evening of delicious food and interesting insights into the world of the superyacht designer. Bill Dixon, Rob Humphreys and John Munford each explained their own particular design philosophy, focusing on one or two of their own projects, followed by a panel discussion. Bill Dixon compared his design for the Moody 45DS to 'Marmite' saying that you either love it or hate it. It had been a complicated design exercise from which the boat had evolved as a whole and Bill explained that he had to balance sometimes conflicting needs and the design challenges of visibility and control. Bill considers it a 'cross-over boat' pulling together the best elements of power and sailing boat design. Rob Humphreys provided a comprehensive overview of his work to date and noted that the best owner was one who wanted to buy a new boat every year. John Munford extolled the virtues of craftsmanship and described the super yachts whose design he had been involved in as 'strawberries for breakfast - irrespective of where you were and when'! -- Peta Stuart-Hunt www.dixonyachtdesign.com Featured Brokerage This fine Melges 32 is in as new condition without any faults or defects and has only been sailed by the owner for private use - without any racing - on the Lake Constance - never seen salt water! This boat is ready to go round the cans or class racing / IRC-ORC/handicap. Always stored in a heated hall during winter time. Brokerage through Kirchner & Mares International Yacht Brokerage: www.yachtworld.com/kirchner-mares/ Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com The Last Word |
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