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
Dark Horse In Sweden
Click on image to enlarge.
Marstrand, Sweden: Simone Ferrarese set about day one of Stena Match Cup Sweden with some giant killing. The Italian is making the most of his wild card to this event, the third of the season on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, notching up four wins and just one loss from his first day at Marstrand.
The first upset came early, with the 25-year-old Italian beating reigning World Champion Ian Williams and GAC Pindar in the very first flight. Then came victories over Keith Swinton's Black Swan Racing and Taylor Canfield's USone. Ferrarese's good run was finally broken by local crew, Johnie Berntsson's Stena Sailing Team, but the Italian immediately bounced back with a win against Adam Minoprio and Team Alpari FX.
Ferrarese's strong showing was impressive, although it's Williams that tops the leaderboard with five wins from six matches. The only skipper to have kept a clean sheet thus far is Phil Robertson and WAKA Racing, but the young Kiwis have only raced four matches so lie 2nd in the standings.
Berntsson sits in 4th overall, just behind the Italians whom they beat today, along with Pierre Antoine Morvan and the Vannes Agglo Sailing Team. The local sailor lost to Williams and fellow Swede, Bjorn Hansen and eWork Sailing Team. Berntsson will be looking to exert his local advantage more than he did today. "It is quite shifty and puffy conditions for all the teams, but there are patterns to be found too," said Berntsson.
Stena Match Cup Sweden - Qualifying Session Day 1
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 5-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 4-0
Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Racing Team 4-1
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 3-2
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 2-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) GEFCO Match Racing Team 2-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX 2-2
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) eWork Sailing Team 1-2
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 1-2
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 1-3
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team 1-4
Henrik Eyerman (SWE) Team Henrik Eyerman 0-6
Edmond De Rothschild and Arkema - Aquitaine Win The Route Des Princes
After 2450 miles of offshore racing, linking Valencia to Roscoff on the Bay of Morlaix via Lisbon, Dún Laoghaire and Plymouth and 16 inshore short course contests of which they won nine, Edmond de Rothschild are winners of the MOD70 class on the inaugural Route des Princes multihull race around Europe.
Skippered by Sebastien Josse, the Edmond de Rothschild crew won the crucial Leg 4 bonus points at the Roche Gautier mark this morning and then made sure of their overall race victory when they finished first across the finish line of the last offshore stage, the short sprint from Plymouth.
In the Multi50 class, the combination of second place into Morlaix and winning the bonus points on the last leg, was enough for Lalou Roucayrol's Arkema - Aquitaine Region to take overall victory on the first major race outing for the fleet's newest Multi 50.
Edmond de Rothschild reigned supreme inshore, winning all the short course regattas contested, in Valencia, Lisbon and Plymouth. Leading by four points going into this final leg, ahead of the Sidney Gavignet skippered Oman Air-Musandam, the key to their overall win was to make sure of winning the 1.5 bonus points granted to the class leaders at the Roche Gautier mark this morning. That all but put victory out of reach of Oman Air-Musandam.
Final standings Route des Princes
Multi50
1. Arkema-Region Aquitaine, Lalou Ruycorel, 140.5 points
2. FenetreA-Cardinal, Erwan Le Roux, 138
3. Actual, Yves le Blevec, 138
4. Rennes Metropole - Saint-Malo Agglomeration, 105
Ultime
1. Prince de Bretagne, Lionel Limonchel, 166.5
MOD70
1. Edmond de Rothschild, Sebastian Josse, 167.5
2. Oman Air - Musandam, Sidney Gavignet, 159
3. Spindrift, Yann Guichard, 147
4. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick, 128
Yard Manager
Fox's Marina and Boatyard have an opportunity for a yard manager to work alongside our existing team. The successful candidate will have a proven record in the marine industry either as a professional yachtsman, in boatyard management or yacht building.
Key criteria will be relevant experience and the ability to manage people and projects.
Written applications in confidence to our MD Will Taylor-Jones by email:
Stockholm Presents Offshore Sailing In The City
Photo by Oskar Kihlborg, www.kihlborg.se. Click on image to enlarge.
Today's start of AF Inshore Race, the 40 nautical mile archipelagic dash to Sandhamn, marks the start of the AF Offshore Race 2013. Sailing enthusiasts of the world focus their attention on some 300 boats moored at the Race Village on Skeppsholmen in downtown Stockholm.
Today's start at 11:00, is a rehearsal for the grand launch tomorrow. The water will boil as 255 boats are released to round the island of Gotland and race back to the finish at Sandhamn by Tuesday-Wednesday. In the event area streams of sailing enthusiasts and general public gather for the festivities. During Saturday and Sunday tens of thousands of visitors are expected in the area to watch the boats and enjoy the atmosphere. The race will start on Sunday at 11:00. -- Mats Olsson
Mini Fastnet
Gwenole Gahinet and Gregoire Mouly (Watever-Nautipark) crossed the finish line of the Mini Fastnet as the indisputable victors at 5.47am and 49 seconds Friday morning. A great course and at great speed: leading since Tuesday morning, after the fleet passed Wolf Rock, they never gave anyone else the slightest chance, leaving them at a distance of more than an hour and a half in their wake. Louis Segre/David Raison (Roll my chicken) came in second and Jorg Riechers/Pierre Brasseur complete the the Prototypes podium for this 28th Mini Fastnet.
Ian Lipinski and Charlie Pinot (Pas de futur sans numerique) took first place for the Series boats, and in their wake the next three boats took their positions within just seven minutes, after 4 days of racing!
For his first victory on the Mini circuit, Lorient's Ian Lipinski was immediately baptised by his peers when he got back to the pontoons.
Top five protos:
1. Gahinet/Mouly (Watever-Nautipark) at 05.47 and 49 seconds
2. Segre/Raison (Roll my chicken) 1 hour 36 minutes behind the winner
3. Riechers/Brasseur (Mare) 1 hour 39 minutes behind the winner
4. Bertrand/Pulve (Chasseur de prime) 1 hour 42 minutes behind the winner
5. Delesne/Canevet (Teamwork) 1 hour 43 minutes behind the winner
Top five series boats:
1. Lipinski/Pinot (Pas de futur sans numerique)
2. Chaigne/Chenard (LMS) 15 minutes behind the winner
3. Mary/Chuh (runo.fr) 19 minutes behind the winner
4. Koster/Beaudart (GO4IT) 21 minutes behind the winner
5. Bouyssou/Mariette (No War) 50 minutes behind the winner
www.winchesclub.com/minis650/fastnet650/
Fife Regatta
Photo by Marc Turner, pfmpictures.co.uk. Click on image to enlarge.
Fairlie Clyde, Scotland: All action today in the Largs channel as Solway Maid's spinnaker ripped in the first few minutes after the start of Race 2 of the Fife Regatta. After a spectacular sail to the line right on the start gun she was looking fantastic however the classics are challenged by winds of up to 25 knots.
If it is a challenge on the large yachts then consider the extremes on the smaller Fife's with freeboard of only 2ft. Being so close to the water is exhilarating and very much a feature of these well designed craft. Bob Fisher, attired in his blazer and tie, was getting the very best from Mignon with crew Barry Dunning working hard as the yacht was surfing downwind.
Stephen Bennie, from Troon Yacht Haven, commented that the boats were pushing the limits of their design ability providing great sailing with Viola breaking her top speed by exceeding 10kts. The fleet headed north from Largs to Skelmorlie bank buoy, across to Toward Lighthouse and then towards the beautiful harbour of Rothesay where they anchored for the night.
Todays results showed one of our guests yachts, Rainbow, a Lynton Hope design, was left chasing the class winners Mignon. Mignon scored her second first and continues to lead class 3. Class 2 saw a change in the leader board with Mikado, 1904, stamping their mark on the class with Truant having to settle for 2nd. Class one was again dominated by Saskia, with Sonata and Astor finishing behind her.
Marlow and Modern Classics
The Classic Series Brings Marlow's knowledge of high-tech, performance running rigging from our Grand Prix Series and Standard range to traditional and classic yachts. The solid white and natural colours of the Classic Series mask the use of exotic materials and high tech manufacturing processes, blending perfectly with the teak decks, wooden spars and polished fittings of any classic craft.
May of 2013 saw the successful collaboration between Marlow Ropes and Rigmasters (UK)Ltd of Southampton. Rigmasters (UK) Ltd is the long-standing contract rigging company to the world re-known boat builder Spirit Yachts of Ipswich. With the launch of a Deckhouse 50 and a Deckhouse 65, the brief to Marlow was to produce a range of custom-blend performance ropes. Apart from the technical composition, the colours also had to meet set criteria. Add to this a very short lead-time period for production. The trust placed by Rigmasters (UK)Ltd in Marlow Ropes to come up with the goods, was well justified, as the end-result impressed the boat builder and their clients.
Thrills And Spills To Dieppe: RORC Morgan Cup Race
Paul Willcox at the helm of Tonnerre de Breskens powering through the finish line off Dieppe. Photo by Adrian Gray. Click on image to enlarge.
Piet Vroon's marlin blue Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, surfed through the finish line at Dieppe to take Line Honours and the win overall under IRC to lift the Morgan Cup. Finishing the 122-mile race in under 12 hours, it was a fast downwind ride across The English Channel but boat handling and tactics were very much a big part of the overall win.
Andrew Pearce's Ker 40, Magnum 3, was runner up with Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII, into third place overall.
In IRC Two Philippe Falle racing Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka, was the victor. Stacy Vickers' First 40 Windward Assoc. on Lancelot II Logic was second but only by the narrowest of margins, astonishingly after over 17 hours of racing the race charter team was just 9 seconds ahead of First 40, La Reponse, skippered by RORC Admiral, Andrew McIrvine.
In IRC Three there was a 'David vs. Goliath' battle for the class win. Pascal Loison's JPK 10.10, Night and Day, racing two handed, was one of the smallest yachts racing to Dieppe and Ben Morris' Swan 55, Lulotte, racing fully crewed, one of the largest. Lulotte took line honours but Night and Day finished just over half an hour later to win the class by a mere 3 minutes on corrected time. Christopher Palmer's J/109, J-T'Aime, was third in class.
Subject to a request for redress from With Alacrity, Kevin Sussmilch's Sigma 38, Mefisto, is the winner of IRC Four, Chris and Vanessa Choules' Sigma 38, With Alacrity, is second and Robert Boulter's Cal 40, Breeze, is in third.
The RORC Season's Points Championship continues next weekend with The Lyver Trophy Race organised by the Royal Dee Yacht Club and Liverpool Yacht Club. The bi-annual 100-mile race from Holyhead, Wales to Howth in Dublin Bay is timed to take place a week after the Holyhead Regatta and is an excellent feeder race for yachts taking part in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. -- Louay Habib
Wet Boots and Tired Smiles
The first offshore leg of the Tour de France a la Voile was a wet, intense and happy sprint from Dunkirk, France to Breskens, Holland.
The fleet started at 9pm in calm conditions: sailing downwind in 12 knots from the west on flat seas.
At the first transition buoy OmanSail Team took the lead. Trouble soon followed. Contact between Bretagne Credit Mutuel and Sodebo broke the bowsprit off Thomas Coville's boat (Sobedo). Sobedo's crew improvised their spinnaker from the bow causing the boat's performance to suffer.
After dusk the wind reached 20 knots, peaking to 25 knots during the night. In the dark of night, surfing down the face of waves at speeds approaching 20 knots, the sailors had to navigate numerous perils: cargo ships, fishing buoys and geographical hazards.
The sailors completed the leg in 12 hours, surfing downwind under spinnakers from 9pm - 2am. They rounded a mark just of Rotterdam and then sailed upwind to Breskens until 7am. The fleet was rewarded with a final hour under spinnaker before crossing the finish in Breskens.
Groupama (1st) overtook OmanSail (2nd) just 20 nautical miles from the finish, finishing 54 seconds only ahead of them. Bretagne Credit Mutuel (3rd) finished on the podium. Courrier Dunkerque took 4th after some ships came a bit too close for comfort. Nantes St Nazaire E.Leclerc took 5th and TPM Coych 6th. Sodebo was relegated to 10th place after suffering a broken bowsprit. Martinique - BE.Brussels earned a beautiful 7th, leading the amateur ranking.
The 96 sailors are now going to get dry, get some rest and some food. In-port racing resumes tomorrow with three races weather permitting (coefficient 1 per race). Departure time from the dock at 9am.
Top ten overall ranking after 6 races (provisional):
1. Groupama 34, Cammas Franck, 199 points - Blue Spinnaker
2. Team Omansail, Pouligny Cedric, 180
3. Courrier Dunkerque 3, Souben Daniel, 177
4. Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite, Troussel Nicolas, 174
5. Sodebo, Coville Thomas, 161
6. Nantes - Saint Nazaire - E.Leclerc, Douguet Corentin, 158
7. Ville De Geneve - Carrefour Addictions, Mettraux Elodie-Jane Et Groux Nicolas, 154
8. Toulon Provence Mediterranee - Coych, Bernaz Jean-Baptiste, 154
9. Martinique - Be.Brussels, Wolters Delphine Et Moures Matthieu, 133
10. Iskareen, Dittmers Christiane Et Bruhns Sonke, 133
11. Normandie, Choquenet Baptiste, 133
12. Bienne - Voile - Srs, Peter Luzius Et Kunz Francois, 113
Marine Sales Executive
Harken Inc is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of quality sailboat hardware and accessories, operating across 48 countries worldwide to supply products including blocks, travellers, furling systems and winches.
The UK operation, Harken UK, based on the South Coast, are looking for an ambitious marine sales executive to join their highly successful and expanding team.
The Role:
- Field based Sales, including account management and business development to both existing customers and new accounts
- Selling marine hardware and accessories
- Will include work at Boat Shows interacting with trade and retail customers
The Candidate:
- Proven track record in B2B sales
- Keen sailor, preferably in dinghies and yachts
- Technically credible
- Ability to understand business issues and identify opportunities
- Effective organisation and time management
- Experienced in CRM
- Graduate level preferred, but not essential
- Willingness to travel
- Ability to communicate clearly
- Clean Driving licence
Type: Permanent
Position: Sales Executive
Industry: Marine Hardware and Accessories
Salary: Dependent on experience
Contact: CV's and covering letters to be emailed to by 15th July 2013.
Winners From Eight Nations
The last race day at the Kiel Week provided some unexpected thrilling moments in the international classes. The message about the 21. Kiel Week victory of Wolfgang Hunger had to be retained until the last race. But at the end the experienced five-time 505 World Champion and record Kiel Week winner Wolfgang Hunger came out on top. He gained the title for the sixth time in the high-class fleet of the 505 together with his crew Julien Kleiner (Munich).
German athletes won nine more of the 17 international classes, eight titles were granted to international sailors. Altogether more than 4000 sailors from 48 nations in 32 classes showed up in Kiel and have managed altogether more than 420 races.
The next edition of the Kiel Week will be June 21-29 2014.
Top three by class:
29er
1. Lucas Rual / Emile Amoros, FRA, 12 points
2. Ida Svensson / Rasmus Rosengren, SWE, 64
3. Jasper Steffens / Tom Lennart Brauckmann, GER, 69
420
1. Jan Borbet / Kilian Northoff, GER, 26
2. Santiago mas Depares / David mas Depares, ESP, 30
3. Sebastien Simon / Pierre Rhimbault, FRA, 33
505
1. Dr. Wolfgang Hunger / Julien Kleiner, GER, 25
2. Christian Kellner / Martin Schoeler, GER, 40
3. Morten Bogacki / Lars Dehne, GER, 43
B/One
1. Gordon Nickel / Morten Nickel / Patrick Priebe / Sebastian Roske, GER, 16
2. Christian Soyka / Arne Petersen / Fabian Dutzmann / Stefan Schimkowsky, GER, 17
3. Tobias Schadewald / Dustin Baldewein / Lukas Feuerherdt / Max Kohlhoff, GER, 24
Contender
1. Mark Bulka, AUS, 30
2. Soren Dulong Andreasen, DEN, 33
3. Christoph Homeier, GER, 37
Europe
1. Lars Johan Brodtkorb, NOR, 10
2. Mathias Livbjerg, DEN, 29
3. Soren Johnsen, DEN, 37
Flying Dutchman
1. Harold Wijgers / Niels Kamphuis, NED, 25
2. Olaf Ballerstein / Jobst Wellensiek, GER, 44
3. Kilian Konig / Johannes Brack, GER, 46
Folkeboote
1. Christoph Nielsen / Florian Raudaschel, Torben Dehn, Reichenberger Klaus, GER, 27
2. Per Buch / Hans Schultz, Per Puck, DEN, 28
3. Sonke Durst / Karsten Butze Bredt, Lukas Bruning, GER, 38
Formula 18
1. Helge Sach / Christian Sach, GER, 10
2. Arne Gosche / Michael Walther, GER, 41
3. Sven Lindstadt / Maren Odefey, GER, 42
H-Boot
1. Morten Nielsen / Niels Henrik Borch, Per Kloster, DEN, 22
2. Steffen Stegger / Carsten Pedersen, Lars Christiansen, DEN, 23
3. Erich Offermanns / Karsten Klee, Mona Offermanns, Vera Ooffermanns, GER, 33
Hobie 16
1. Stefan Wiese-Dohse / Susanne Gehrmann, GER, 17
2. Detlef Mohr / Karen Wichardt, GER, 23
3. Jens Goritz / Uta Ulbrich-Voigt, GER, 35
J/24
1. Peer Kock / Bendix Hugelmann, Dennis Ruge, Marc-Daniel Mahlmann, Simon Zweigler, GER, 39
2. Mike Ingham / Klaus Walkusch, Marianne Schoke, Max Hoelzer, Scott Ikle, USA, 41
3. Jan Kahler / Olaf Zietz, Ole Harder, Roland Bohm, Tim Becker, GER, 43
Laser 4.7
1. Eric Toralf Malach, GER, 24
2. Hannah Anderssohn, GER, 25
3. Gerald Williams, HKG, 37
Laser Radial
1. Christian Guldenberg Rost, DEN, 19
2. Karolis Janulionis, LTU, 24
3. Simon Lundmark, SWE, 36
Musto Performance Skiff
1. Roger Oswald, SUI, 26
2. Paul Dijkstra, NED, 29
3. Iver Ahlmann, GER, 41
OK-Jolle
1. Andre Budzien, GER, 16
2. Bo Petersen, DEN, 23
3. Greg Wilcox, GER, 29
Starboot
1. Denis Khashina / Dmitry Mechetin, UKR, 12
2. Tom Lofstedt / Martin Larsson, SWE, 16
3. Berezhnoy Andrey / Sergey Masalov, RUS, 34
Newport Bucket Preparations Underway
Newport, Rhode Island, USA: Plans and preparations are in high gear for the 12th edition of the Newport Bucket.
The hallmarks of an enjoyable sailing competition and camaraderie will be very much in evidence when the yachts convene at the Newport Shipyard headquarters. In the growing superyacht racing arena, the "Spirit of the Bucket" is unique and time-honored with a storied 27 year history. The nightly social activity begins at the Newport Shipyard with a welcoming party for participating yacht owners, guests and crews.
Early entries are coming in and the organizers anticipate an exciting, well-rounded fleet with yachts ranging in size from 80' to 180'. Two Royal Huisman built yachts - 154' Hyperion and 170' Meteor will be gracing the starting line along with the 180' Vitters built Marie, and other classic and elegant yachts.
The event features two days of racing in the beautiful waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. Racing begins on August 24.
The entry list, planning details, and past results and photos are posted on the Bucket web site: www.BucketRegattas.com
Daily results, news and photos will be posted during the event.
Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Owen Sharpe: It's true that lifelines are more likely to save lives in the AC72 contest than the adjustable winglets that the AC regatta director is trying to force. And they wouldn't disadvantage the team that has come up with the best solution to the long established class rules.
No team is obliged to go sailing if they haven't sorted a solution, including the defender.
Featured Brokerage
1998 Open 60. EUR 189,000. Located in Belgium.
The Open 60 is currently berthed in Belgium and is seriously for sale and ready for immediate use. Very well maintained! She has always sailed under Imoca specifications, has done 2 Vendee Globes and 1 Velux 5 Oceans, Brunel copes with all Eco 60 and Imoca specifications
This Open 60 with rotating wingmast and swingkeel underwent a total refit in 2006.
Brokerage through Bach Yachting International: www.yachtworld.com/bachyachting/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com
The Last Word
A wooden boat is a beautiful artifact in the same sense as a violin... Adjusting the rigging of a sailboat is not much different from tuning a violin before a concert. -- Victor Janovich
About boats.com
boats.com is a highly powerful and effective global marketing solution for the boating industry. With half a million new and used boat listings, offered across the globe by manufacturers, brokers, dealers and private advertisers, it is the most comprehensive site in the World. Over 1.4 million boating consumers visit our sites every month, generating up to 16.5 million page views, with over 500,000 of these visitors coming from within Europe. Whether you are providing a product or service or selling new or pre owned boats, boats.com offers an extensive and varied range of solutions, tailored to suit all marketing budgets offering extensive local and international coverage.
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html