Alamitos Bay Yacht Club

Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, 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 editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

ISAF and Rolex Announce World Sailor Nominees
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex are proud to announce the Nominees for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2014.

ISAF received nominations for the 2014 Awards from across the world for sailors representing all aspects of the sport. The nominees are put forward based on achievements made during the qualifying period from 1 September 2013 to 21 September 2014.

Only one nominee wins in both the male and female categories. The names vying for the coveted and prestigious 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award are:

Male
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS)
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL)
Bill Hardesty (USA)
Giles Scott (GBR)
James Spithill (AUS)

Female
Steph Bridge (GBR)
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA)
Charline Picon (FRA)

The winners are selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world. The MNAs are now invited to vote for the male and female nominee they believe most deserves the Award.

The winners will be announced at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards presentation and dinner, taking place on Tuesday 4 November 2014. The venue for the event will be at the Pueblo Español, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece.

Full profiling of each nominee and their achievements will be available on the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards microsite at www.sailing.org/worldsailor starting 6 October.

David Kellett To Be Awarded ISAF Beppe Croce Trophy
David Kellett (AUS) is to be awarded the ISAF Beppe Croce Trophy which honours an individual for their outstanding voluntary contribution to the sport of sailing.

The ISAF Beppe Croce Trophy, first presented in 1988 in memory of Beppe Croce, the ISAF President from 1969 to 1986, will be presented to Kellett at the 2014 ISAF Annual Conference in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Born on 14 December 1948, Kellett has been a passionate sailor throughout his life. He started out in small boats and Olympic classes before making the move to ocean racing and the America's Cup.

Kellett's first involvement in ISAF came in 1992 when he became the ISAF Member of Council for Group L. Kellett represented the region and his involvement and impact within ISAF was quickly felt. From 1994-1998 he was a Member of the Events Committee and from 1997-1998, a Member of the Oceanic Committee.

In 1998 Kellett was elected as an ISAF Vice President and held the position through to 2008. He then served as Treasurer from 2008-2012.

Kellett is the first recipient from outside of Europe or the America's.

Full article with more biographical information at
www.sailing.org/news/38976.php

The Volvo Ocean Race Apps
Volvo Ocean Race fans can now carry the world's toughest ocean race in their pocket, thanks to the launch of a new official mobile app.

Developed for both iOS and Android systems, the app is available for download from the App Store and Google Play.

An exclusive rolling digital channel, Life at the Extreme TV, will stream live events from the race's Alicante HQ and 10 other host ports around the globe, as well as the very best of our videos.

Fans can use the in-built tracker to follow the progress of the fleet with pin-point accuracy, showing updates every 10 seconds during live coverage.

In addition, the introduction of a tailored notifications service means that users need not miss a thing during the nine-month, 38,739 nautical mile marathon.

Volvo Ocean Race App on iOS

Volvo Ocean Race App on Android

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
Some you win some you lose... with Terry Hutchinson, Dobbs Davis celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Big Boat Series, Nick Holroyd of Emirates TNZ takes a first look at AC62 design and we catch up with 'new' Italian skipper on the block... Roberto Tomasini

Quality sells
Even TP52 class manager Rob Weiland is faintly amazed at the number of TP52s in build

Have your say!
The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation needs your help... as Dobbs Davis explains

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Jclass at St Tropez
As the J-Class at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez contemplate Thursday's mid-regatta day off from competition, Ranger enjoy a comfortable lead at the top of the Class standings thanks to today's win around the windward-leeward course, their third victory from three starts.

The long time members of the Ranger crew believe it might be some seven years since they last won three races back-to-back, but the net result is that they have breathing space, four clear points up on second placed Lionheart which finished a good, close second today, Velsheda finished third and Shamrock fourth. For sure the smiling motif which appears below Ranger's waterline might be broader today.

A delay to start time was rewarded by a light SE'ly breeze which faded at times but never really mustered much more than seven knots. An economy of manoeuvres, keeping tacks and gybes to the bare minimum was vital today, as was picking the strongest lanes of breeze.

The enjoyment of the magnificent regatta is in no way marred for the Shamrock crew which are inherently less competitive, racing with cruising sails, but they are pushing themselves hard and happy with how they are sailing the boat.

"Things couldn't be going better on Shamrock." Grins Mike Toppa, Tactician on Shamrock, "We have been having such a good time, a good week. But the two rainy days, the first two days, are probably our best chance to do better when it was windier, these were best days of sailing. The boat got up and was going. We are not really competitive against the racing Js. We have cruising sails, slower winches and a limited number of crew.

The guys do an awesome job on Shamrock. They get the sails up and down fast, they are sharp and crisp. It is a little frustrating but we can make our mark at the starting line. We race ourselves, and push ourselves to do better at the mark roundings and the start and so on. But we are all having such a good time. How can you possibly tire of being here. The scene is amazing, the range of boats. If you don't like Saint Tropez you don't like sailing. The boats are like celebrities here. It is phenomenal to see the boats here, so beautifully maintained. I love it."

jclassyachts.com
lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/en/

Industry News
Oakley Capital Private Equity s pleased to announce the acquisition of Tomasoni Topsail S.p.A by its portfolio company North Technology Group. Tomasoni holds the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute North Sails branded clothing throughout Europe and Asia. The acquisition follows Oakley Capital's investment in North Technology Group (owner of the North Sails brand) earlier this year; and marks the final stage in consolidating North Sails global operations back under common ownership.

"We are delighted to be backing the most iconic brand in sail making as it looks to deliver its ethos of performance, innovation and technology to new ranges of consumer products," said Peter Dubens, Managing Partner of Oakley Capital. "The acquisition of the apparel licensee will enable North Sails to broaden its significant brand heritage and awareness within the sailing community to a larger international range of consumers on and off the water."

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Inspection and rigging specialists Marine Results are providing a pre-launch inspection to the fleet of seven Volvo 65 yachts that have been built for the forthcoming Volvo Ocean Race which starts on 11th October 2014.

The company have been carrying out the ultrasound inspection of the hull slamming area, rudders, masts and spreaders, whose highly sensitive results reveal any defects in the early stages of construction. The work has taken place at Green Marine, the UK based yacht builders that have been finishing each yacht, and the Marine Results team has been on site for each one as it is completed.

The inspection is part of a requirement of R&Q Insurance Services to fulfil insurance risk assessment requirements.

The Marine Results inspections will flag up any early flaws in the yachts and their rigs, which can be then be rectified before the fleet crosses the start line of the 39,000 mile race.

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Sunset+Vine|APP, the Oxford-based unit of the multi-award winning UK independent TV sports production and media company Sunset+Vine, has helped ISAF smash all previous broadcaster records for the recent Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships.

Sunset+Vine International was responsible for the television distribution of the championships which took place in Santander from 12th-21st September 2014.

With daily news bulletins and live coverage of all ten Medal Races forming part of this year's programming offering, the event secured an unprecedented commitment from broadcasters worldwide including ESPN (USA), BBC, OSN, beIN France, Seven Australia, CBC, Globosat and TYC Argentina.

The final number of broadcasters that took live and news coverage from this year's event was 24 - a staggering 600% increase from the previous ISAF World Championships held in 2011. This equated to a total of 46 territories and an impressive estimated household reach of 182,114,000 - a figure that doubled all previous records for the event.

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NetComposites will present CompIC (Composites in Construction), an international conference taking place 3rd February 2015 at The Park Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Abstracts are now being accepted from potential speakers.

The conference is designed to introduce and educate visitors on the use of fibre reinforced composites in construction, allowing delegates to explore and discuss the current and future innovations and trends of the industry.

Running in conjunction with the conference will be a free-to-attend EU Research Project clustering event on 4thFebruary, which will take place at the prestigious Teijin Auditorium, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, a landmark use of composites in construction. This event will promote dissemination between research and commercial companies alike, through mini exhibitions, posters and forums.

www.netcomposites.com

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HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco met with designers from ten superyacht design firms that have signed up as Wood Forever Pact Partners - as well as two WFP Members, builders VSY and Burger - at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation stand (QP 42) in the Monaco Yacht Show on 24 September.

Designers of Superyachts who care about deforestation have the opportunity to make a real difference to the environment by becoming Partners of Wood Forever Pact.

Wood Forever Pact is the flagship project of the 'Monaco makes a commitment against deforestation' initiative, led by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Committed to specifying only certified woods, these designers have pledged to introduce clients - who they are designing (or have designed) superyachts for - to Wood Forever Pact (also proposing that superyacht owners become WFP Ambassadors) and raise awareness of the benefits of using woods sourced from well-managed forests.

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Doyle Sails is back as the lead sponsor of the Hamble One Design Championships. 2014 will be the 12th edition of this popular event, attracting both white and black fleet one design racing over two weekends - 4/5th October and 18/19th October.

This year the weekend of 1/2nd November has been designated as a 'spare', so as to give the race management team the flexibility to run racing should one of the earlier weekends be completely lost to bad weather.

The Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships will offer 3 races on each Saturday and 2 races each Sunday. Racing, under the experienced eye of CROs Jamie Wilkinson and Stephen Parry, is offered on white group for SBR, J/70, J/80 and SB20 classes and on black group for J/109, J/92 and Impala classes. Other One Design Classes that can muster a minimum of six entries may also apply for a class start. Please contact HRSC to discuss.

Doyle Sails is one of the world's largest sail makers, with over 80 locations around the world. The Southampton Loft, based at Shamrock Quay covers every aspect of sail making and service from Dinghies to Superyachts and aims to be the first choice loft for repairs, service and laundry.

The Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships is a key component of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, organised and run by Hamble River Sailing Club.

hamblewinterseries.com

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CD-adapco, the largest privately held CFD focused provider of Computer Aided Engineering software, today announced its new partnership with Ben Ainslie Racing. The America's Cup team will be utilizing the CD-adapco simulation tool, STAR-CCM+® in the design of its racing boat

The focus of the 35th edition of the America's Cup is sustainability, the set of restrictive rules means this is likely to be the most challenging America's Cup ever from an Engineering Simulation point of view. The introduction of much tighter design specifications, including "one design" components such as a common wing for all contenders, reduces the scope for large design differences between the boats and will likely mean that victory is decided by the smallest of margins. Since the rules will likely prohibit actual sailing of the boats until about 5 months before the competition, most of the important early design decisions will have to be based on data from CFD simulations.

www.prweb.com/releases/

Letters To The Editor - editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
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 David Barrow: Well Done Bob Fisher it is about time someone let the cat out of the bag. I am sure a few of us have been offered "expenses" over the years. Kind offer never accepted.

The problem is that the rules were never hard enough and not really policed properly. Also pro definitions need tightening up. Why not look at similar sports like golf and tennis and see if there is something we can learn from there. The sport of sailing needs growth and getting beaten by people who are paid to compete against you is not going to be a good marketing proposition for our sport. There are those that say sailing is unique in so far that everyone can sail together. That's ok for the odd regatta, but where will it end if pro sailors are completely unregulated.

* From Alistair Skinner: I have to say 'The Fish' is 100% right. Sailing is a self policing sport and if Alesandro has proof that an owner is paying someone to sail, obviously knowingly passing off a category 3 as a 1 then it is quite simply cheating. The red flag should go up at the first 4 minute signal of the regatta. Rules in question? Certainly Rule 2 "shall compete....sportsmanship & fair play". If payment can be proven then it would "clearly establish these principles have been violated" Perhaps even a Rule 69.1(a) "a gross breach of a rule" It would be kind of hard to prove perhaps but this sort of pre-meditated cheating is not good for our sport at all and every effort should be made to stamp it out. ISAF may have many faults in some people's eyes but if sailors don't use the rules to help keep the sport honest it is like blaming the police because you got robbed when you left the front door open.

Sad that some people have so little in their lives that they have to cheat just to win a yacht race though.

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The Last Word
The devil is only a convenient myth invented by the real malefactors of our world. -- Robert Anton Wilson

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Volvo Ocean Race
It's been two long years of waiting but the Volvo Ocean Race returns to action in the opening Alicante in-port race on Saturday with anticipation rising thanks to a new one-design boat which promises the closest competition in the event's 41-year history.

The in-shore showdown marks the first competitive action since Franck Cammas' French crew on Groupama lifted offshore's most prestigious trophy back in June 2012.

This time, the seven-strong fleet will be competing for a second competition - the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Series - in Saturday's race rather than points which count towards the overall prize.

Only if teams finish exactly equal on points in the offshore legs at the conclusion of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 in June next year will the in-port positions count as a tie-breaker.

The one-hour race around the southern Spanish port city's harbour will give crews, media and fans alike the chance to see the new one-design Volvo Ocean 65 boats in serious action.

Whether the event will be a reliable form guide for the race proper is unlikely - in 2011, Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing boat won the in-port race in Alicante and then suffered a broken mast within hours of starting Leg 1 a week later.

But all crews are taking it very seriously with Leg 1 to Cape Town starting exactly a week after the Alicante in-port race on October 11.

The action begins at 14:00 local time (13:00 UK). The action will be shown live on www.volvooceanrace.com from 1350 (12:50). -- Gerald New in Sailweb

* The Race Village opened on October 2 at 1800 local time, and will remain free to enter until October 11.

Then it is packed away to follow the Volvo Ocean Race boats on the first leg of their voyage across four oceans and five continents around the globe.

Key dates
Race village opens: October 2, 2014
In-port race: October 4, 2014
Leg start: October 11, 2014

Concerts
Leiva: October 3, 2014
Vetusta Morla: October 4, 2014
Miss Caffeina: October 8, 2014
Space Elephants: October 10, 2014
Fangoria: October 11, 2014

volvooceanrace.com

Realteam, Gazprom Team Russia And Groupama Excel In Nice
Light winds dominated the opening day of Act 7 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Nice, France calling for pin-point precision from the teams as the battle at the penultimate Act of the 2014 global tour began on the sparkling Mediterranean waters.

There was change in the air with the newer teams on the circuit calling the shots and Realteam had all the right tactics and boat speed as the fastest average team according to the SAP sailing analytics. The Swiss team scored two first and two seconds places finishing the end of day one in pole position.

Despite not scoring in race two after sailing the wrong course whilst leading, Gazprom Team Russia sailed an impressive day, scoring two race wins to claim second place overall, on equal points with the all-French fixture on Groupama sailing team skippered by Franck Cammas at the close of play.

Watch Friday's racing live from 1530 local time, (GMT+2) at extremesailingseries.com

Standings after Day 1, 8 races

1. Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jerome Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Barbarin, Bryan Mettraux, Thierry Wassem, 51 points
2. Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Matt Adams, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov, 48
3. Groupama sailing team (FRA) Franck Cammas, Tanguy Cariou, Valentin Bellet, Arnaud Jarlegan, Devan Le Bihan, 48
4. GAC Pindar (AUS) Nathan Wilmot, Seve Jarvin, Hugh Styles, Tyson Lamond, James Wierzbowski, 45
5. J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Campbell-James, Bleddyn Mon, Matt Cornwell, 44
6. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Peter Burling, Glenn Ashby, Blair Tuke, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat, 44
7. Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Anna Tunnicliffe, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey, 39
8. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari, 39
9. Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Ted Hackney, Kyle Langford, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi, 33
10. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Mark Bulkeley, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson, 30
11. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Christian Kamp, Brad Farrand, 26

www.extremesailingseries.com

Dubarry Crosshaven - Comfortably The Best Performer
Volvo Ocean Race teams have chosen Dubarry's Crosshaven in every edition of the race since the boot was developed with Green Dragon in the 2008 edition. There are several reasons for that.

First, the innovation that impressed the Green Dragon guys most: the integral gaiter. Made of lightweight, hard-wearing, water-resistant fabric and cinched up with a drawstring, this gaiter means you can kneel down and work on the foredeck without suffering the dreaded 'bootful of green' that kills comfort for the rest of the passage.

And when you're dodging icebergs in the Southern Ocean as winter's teeth snap at your vitals, you'll appreciate the 350g GORE-TEX® Duratherm membrane and thermally insulated footbed that will keep your feet, at least, toasty.

Then there's the award-winning grip of Crosshaven's non-slip and non-marking sole. If you're trying to stay vertical on deck, and several tonnes of water traveling at 30 knots is trying to persuade you that you might be more comfortable lying down, you need your feet to stay planted.

We can all benefit from experience, but it comes at a price. Lucky for you that Green Dragon footed the bill, and the benefit is all yours.

Dubarry Crosshaven -- Born at sea

dubarry.com

New Open 60 For Andrea Mura
The Italian skipper, Andrea Mura, aged 50, announced his intention on September 24th to take part in the next Vendee Globe aboard a new generation 60-foot IMOCA. She will be built at the Persico yard in Bergamo. Famous for winning the 2010 Route du Rhum in his category, the Italian skipper will be attempting to repeat that success this year before focusing on the non-stop solo round the world voyage.

Looking back at the history of the Vendee Globe, only four Italian sailors have ever set sail from les Sables-d'Olonne. In 2016, there will be a fifth competitor, Andrea Mura, who will also be the first Italian to set sail in the non-stop solo round the world race aboard a brand new boat. 'We are currently designing the IMOCA 60 and looking for a boat that will be competitive and a good performer,' explained the skipper.

The Vendee Globe will be the pinnacle of the career of this 50-year old sailor, who began sailing smaller boats, competing in particular in the 470 circuit, before joining an Italian challenger in the America's Cup.

Andrea Mura, who is also well known as a sailmaker, became involved in ocean racing aboard Vento di Sardegna, a 50-foot monohull aboard which he won the 2010 Route du Rhum in the Rhum category, thus becoming the first Italian to achieve such success in the solo transatlantic race. He has also had success in the Twostar and the Quebec – St-Malo in 2012 and in the 2013 Ostar. On 2nd November, Andrea Mura will be setting sail from St. Malo to attempt to achieve a second victory in the Route du Rhum, before dedicating himself entirely to the solo round the world race project.

www.sail-world.com

J/24 World Championship
With just a few points between Will Welles' Cougar and Mauricio Santa Cruz's Bruschetta there was no room for error in the final two races of the 2014 J/24 World Championship hosted by Sail Newport.

Welles (USA) had used his throw-out on Thursday, so the only way to assure a win was to stay ahead. And that's what he did. Sailing with Nick Turney, Richard Bowen, Daniel Rabin and Luke Lawrence, Welles sealed the deal with a 2, 5 to win the day and the World Championship with 38 points.

Mauricio Santa Cruz's (BRA) Bruschetta settled for second place with a total of 55 and points, while John Mollicone's Team Helly Hanson (USA) finished in the show position with 70 points.

Friday's weather was sunny with wind speed from 10 to 12 kts out of the northeast. In the first race of the day, Welles finished second to Mollicone, while Greg Griffin's Team Tarheel (USA) placed third. Matias Seguel's Semi Pro (CHI) closed the regatta with a victory in race ten. Luis Olcese's Scaramoush (PER) and Shigetoshi Shirahama's White Squall (JPN) rounded out the top three.

Top five
1. Cougar, Will Welles, USA, 39 points
2. Bruschetta, Mauricio Santa Cruz, BRA, 56
3. Helly Hansen, John Mollicone, USA, 71
4. Team Tarheel, Greg Griffin, USA, 86
5. Honey Badger, Travis Odenbach, USA, 96

Complete results at www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=982

Britannia Rules The Waves On New &Pound;20 Coin Design
The Royal Mint has released a new nautical-themed £20 coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

Nautical numismatics will surely delight at the new design from the Royal Mint, which depicts Britannia seeing off British ships at the start of World War One.

The design was launched this week (24 September) to commemorate 100 years since the advent of The Great War, and aims to capture the art deco style that was prevalent at the time.

Minted in fine silver, this collector's coin is available to order for the face value of £20, although with the run limited to 250,000, that value is likely to rise over time.

John Burgdahl, sculptor and designer, said: "I decided to use the figure of Britannia in order to represent all of the allies who took part, most of whom were British or drawn from the British Empire.

"I combined inspiration from two sources: the South African medal for war services and the First World War memorial plaque awarded to those who died."

Read more at www.mby.com/news/

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
It's all change at the Tour Voile as the event goes multihull (much to the approval of Francois Gabart), a look at the extraordinary 'Ultime' line-up in the 2014 Route du Rhum, a stirring tale of courage and calm from the Tasman, an epic 31st Hamilton Island Race Week and something a little better than PHRF. Blue Robinson, Ivor Wilkins, Patrice Carpentier, Dobbs Davis

Seahorse build table - Cool as ice
Giuliano Luzzatto catches up with an ultra-slippery new offering from Umberto Felci of Felci Yacht Design

Sailor of the Month
Just keep plugging away (and you'll get there)

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Launchings

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=1fOKhGMddk8, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Ragamuffin 100, which started out as a modified Elliott design, Maximus, is another supermaxi undergoing a major rebuild or retrofit.

In Auckland the Bakewell White design, originally Zana, has been fitted with a new stern and deck section, and will contest the coming Transpac.

Across the Tasman, the new Ragamuffin 100 will be virtually a new boat with a a new hull design by Andy Dovell / Syd Fischer / David Witt. The hull mould and shell was built by Innovation Composites at the Nowra facility.

The hull shell has been transported to Sydney City Marine where it will be fitted to the modified deck of the original Maximus.

www.sail-world.com

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Click on images to enlarge.

With her graceful sheer, long overhangs, and distinctive knuckle bow, the A-30 could have sailed right off the pages of a 1920's yachting magazine, but she also embraces the very best of modern times.

The team at Artisan Boatworks has earned their reputation as building, restoring, and maintaining some of the world's finest small yachts. The A-30 is their latest offering for passionate sailors who seek the aesthetics and traditional detailing of an early 20th century heirloom, combined with cutting edge sailing performance, improved comfort, and ease of handling.

The A-30, designed by Stephens Waring Yacht Design, features epoxy/wood composite construction, shallow draft with a modern high-performance underbody, self-tacking carbon fiber rig, optional inboard diesel or electric propulsion, and a cozy interior with sitting headroom and a double bunk.

robbreport.com

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Carbon Ocean Yachts, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA have started to build a new Owen Clarke Design Class40 for an American owner. The design team includes Clay Oliver, engineering by PURE and weather modelling data from Chris Bedford.

UK designers, OCD and US based America's Cup designer, Clay Oliver have been working together on a hull development program spanning many months and have eventually arrived at a max. beam design with lines that are unique in the class. Sail wardrobe, ballast tank positions and appendages have all been reviewed on the back of the weather and course data developed during the hull design but the finished design is still work in progress for the client, project and design team.

COY is building the Class 40 in Bristol, Rhode Island and is close to completing the male plug, which will produce the carbon female mould. The hull shell construction drawings have been delivered by PURE, the engineers responsible for Team New Zealand's last and future AC 72 America's Cup challenger.

Lead designer, Merfyn Owen puts his expectations for the latest Class 40 in North America in perspective. "We expect some real innovation and quality in the build from Carbon Ocean Yachts and I'm sure it will be the quickest boat on 'paper'. However, history tells us that those with current boats need not despair! Wise sailors know and my experience of racing in the class in the US, for the last five years, tells me that especially in short-handed sailing, once the hull gets wet; experience, local knowledge, preparation and good old time on the water are all great levellers.

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Following a successful first day of racing at the Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo for the fleet of close to 100 Swans, Leonardo Ferragamo, Chairman of Nautor's Swan, unveiled the newest addition to its highly successful SwanLine of yachts (53 to 115 feet): the Swan 95.

Available in two versions, the Flush Deck (FD) and Semi Raised Saloon (S), the Swan 95 is setting the new benchmark for performance super yachts.

Nautor's Swan continues to extending its reach in the super yacht range, with four Swan 115s sold since January 2014 and one Swan 105 RS recently launched – the SwanLine also includes the Swan 105, also in FD and S versions.

Similar to the Swan 115, the Swan 95 boasts twin rudders, to ensure maximum responsiveness and maneuverability. It also has the option for a lifting keel, for limitless cruising.

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Limerick's long tradition of boat building has entered a new phase with the innovative 'City One' design from the Ilen school and network for wooden boat building taking to the water this weekend writes Andrew Carey.

The school, which has built the traditional Gandelows, took inspiration from the traditional Shannon river boat to design the new 'City One' and have it ready for the annual festival of racing on the river.

This year's Gandelow Races include the special 'City One' Limerick sailing challenge, which involves the launch and racing of four of the new and spectacular performance sailing boats, designed for racing between the bridges of Limerick and custom-built at the Ilen School in Roxboro, a Limerick City of Culture #madeinlimerick legacy project.

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The Last Word
You can always pick up your needle and move to another groove. -- Timothy Leary

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Team Alvimedica Wins Inshore Race
Photo by Rick Tomlinson, rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Alicante, Spain: Charlie Enright's smile said it all as he led his young Team Alvimedica crew to victory in the opening skirmish of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 on Saturday.

There's a long, long way to go and the Alicante in-port race success does not even count towards the offshore overall trophy apart from as a tie-breaker in the case of teams finishing level on points.

But as a confidence-builder for the Turkish/American team, you could hardly beat victory under bright blue skies and 14-knot winds in front of thousands of fans who thronged the Alicante harbour.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, winners of the 2011 Alicante in-port race, were denied a repeat triumph by a mere five seconds in just over 14 knots of wind with Spanish entrants MAPFRE third a further 25 seconds adrift.

Team Brunel (NED) eventually pipped them for fourth spot with Team SCA's all-women crew (SWE) leaving Team Vestas Wind (DEN) comfortably behind to take sixth.

Leg 1 from Alicante to Cape Town begins next Saturday. In all, the boats will cover 38,739 nautical miles over nine months before the adventure finishes in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 27, 2015. They will visit 11 ports in all, including a pit-stop in The Hague.

Alicante in-port race results:

1. Team Alvimedica (Turkey/USA)
2. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
3. MAPFRE (Spain)
4. Team Brunel (The Netherlands)
5. Dongfeng Race Team (China)
6. Team SCA (Sweden)
7. Team Vestas Wind (Denmark)

www.volvooceanrace.com

Digby's Volvo Form Guide
This edition of the Volvo looks humdingingly good. Knut is worthy of his crown, in my view, for changing to one-design, and for separating the port race fluff from the clarity of being the fully crewed round the world ocean race. If the past two editions haven't grabbed you, this one should.

As I write, dear daughter Frances is Topper racing on Lake Bowmoor near Oxford. We both understand that prep is crucial, but once she's launched, the winner on the water is the most skillful sailor. The boat is secondary - ish. That's what's so exciting about this Volvo. It focuses the entire story on remarkable people and their remarkable skills in a remarkable race.

So, in boat builder Green Marine's official hand-over order, here's my unofficial, un-partisan, completely objective form guide to the runners and riders:

1. SCA - Go girls, bring it home, come on you beauties!! The depth of experience on this team is unbelievable. Vendee Globes, Olympics, top class offshore and match racing. They were first to launch, prepped the longest, look utterly dedicated. What a shot in the arm for the race. And what an inspiration for Frances! I don't think the physical comparison to men makes that much difference. They have extra crew. Their navigator could sleep for hours and be fresh as a daisy. Their leg podiums will be cool news. 4-1.

2. Dongfeng - These guys are less about winning and more about China. Xu Lijia won Olympic Radial Gold in 2012 (she's amazing) and the Chinese Olympic squad in Santander were out in huge numbers. This is all about building Chinese ocean racing skills, and heroes, under French skipper Charles Caudrelier, plus the cleverest impresario in sailing, Mark Turner. Any leg podiums will be a massive result and, hopefully, big news in China. 7:1.

3. Brunel - Flight of fancy... imagine a sailing version of Da Boxing Movie. Grizzled vet Bouwe Bekking, slumped in some dusty sailing club. Knut walks in through backlit doorway. "Bouwe, old salt, we need you." "No way Knut. I dun six o dese tings. Never won. Takes it outta ya." "Bouwe, c'mon, da fight's still in ya. You just don't know it." "S'a young guys game Knut. You been dere." "Yeah... [gazes wistfully]... I been dere... But don't give up now Bouwe. You can win dis... " Cue music, roll tacking, epic Hollywood comeback etc. Just foolin' Bouwe. Sorry. A dark horse campaign. 4:1.

4. Abu Dhabi - Skipper Ian Walker has had two practice Volvo runs, didn't go great, but we all know what practice makes. He returns with his superb sponsor and an ace crew. They smashed the Round Britain and Ireland. If they start with a target on their backs, I don't think that'll phase Ian. Broad shoulders. Tough leader. Third time lucky. Theoretical favourites: 2-1.

5. Alvimedica - The young guns. Charlie Enright, from the US of A, plus his posse of hipsters. Pow wow! TV is going to love these dudes. Less experience but the most enthusiasm. 5:1

6. Mapfre - This is my pick of the bunch. Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, 49'er Gold medallists, Volvo vets, second in the two-handed non-stop Barcelona World Race. They're not just Spanish, but Basque. Tough, determined, immensely skilled, the salt of the Bay of Biscay in their blood. They're late to the table, but they have a secret weapon: Michel Desjoyeaux, le Prof. Having Michel onboard is like having an entire extra crew. Two times solo Vendee Globe winner, he's an offshore genius. Give 'em a leg to get up to speed, then sit back and watch in awe. Due to their short run up: 3:1.

7. Vestas - Aussie skipper Chris Nicholson is last in. This is his fifth Volvo. Scratch crew. The best sponsor, I reckon. (I love wind turbines; they're sculptural, beautiful, duty-of-care-to-our-planet-remindingly great). Anyway, says my cameraman buddy Konrad Frost, who taught me everything I know, you'd think the boatbuilders would have got it down by hull seven. That's the one you want. Bet it's quick. No pressure on these guys. Well worth a punt. 4:1.

So, my heart is with the girls, my head is with Ian Walker, but my gold is with the Spaniards. Oooo arrr. Godspeed to ye all!

Digby Fox - livethestory.com

Holding On: Why The Latest Dyneema&Reg; Products Are Better Than Ever...
The demands on high-performance running rigging are becoming higher and Marlow's Grand Prix Series offers core options using Dyneema®, Vectran and Zylon (PBO). Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but Dyneema® has become the 'Gold Standard' for performance running rigging.

Dyneema® is a HMPE (High Modulus Polyethylene), also known as UHMWPE or Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and is available in a number of different grades. All grades of Dyneema® have excellent fatigue resistance (cyclic bending) and UV, chemical and abrasion resistance, but all have poor heat resistance due to a relatively low melting point (150°C).

Dyneema® offers the best strength-to-weight ratio of any material used in rope manufacture, rivalled only by PBO, and is now the material of choice for high-performance cores. Marlow offer a range of Dyneema® cores to suit application preferences as well as budget. However, with new grades of Dyneema® being introduced and different treatments available, the decision as to which core is best can often be confusing.

Article in Seahorse magazine: www.seahorsemagazine.com/current-issue/9-content/november-2014/239-holding-on

Alinghi Snatch Victory In Nice
Morgan Larson and the Swiss team Alinghi snatched victory from the hands of their fellow countrymen Realteam in the final race at the Extreme Sailing Series in Nice, to take victory on French waters in front of thousands of spectators - and with that they now have one hand firmly placed on the 2014 Series trophy.

With only one Act to go this year, Alinghi have extended their lead at the top of the Series leaderboard to eight points over The Wave, Muscat, but with 20 points up for the taking in Sydney, and five teams capable of a podium position, it's not over until it's over u learn from those, and we'll be going into Sydney very much looking to win."

Realteam, who led for the first two days in Nice, have been impressive on the French Riviera but couldn't quite hold off the more experienced Alinghi.

Emirates Team New Zealand came home a respectable fifth place, which has secured them third on the overall Series rankings place heading to Sydney, while GAC Pindar secured their best result of the year, finishing in sixth place.

Standings after Day 4, 29 races (5.10.14)

1. Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Anna Tunnicliffe, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 183 points
2. Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jerome Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Barbarin, Bryan Mettraux, Thierry Wasem 171
3. J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Campbell-James, Bleddyn Mon, Matt Cornwell, 161
4. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Mark Bulkeley, Thomas Cjakgak, Stewart Dodson, 160
5. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Peter Burling, Glenn Ashby, Blair Tuke, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat, 156
6. GAC Pindar (AUS) Nathan Wilmot, Seve Jarvin, Hugh Styles, Tyson Lamond, James Wierzbowski, 146
7. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Kostner, Thierry Douillard, Christian Kamp, Brad Farrand, 145
8. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari, 143
9. Groupama sailing team (FRA) Franck Cammas, Tanguy Cariou, Valentin Bellet, Arnaud Jarlegan, Devan Le Bihan, 143
10. Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Ted Hackney, Kyle Langford, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi, 138
11. Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Garth Ellingham, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov, 133

extremesailingseries.com

World Champion Backs Bermuda Cup Bid
Bermuda's bid to host the 35 America's Cup has received a ringing endorsement from one of the world's top match racing skippers.

Taylor Canfield, the reigning Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion, says that the Great Sound will provide the perfect arena to showcase the foiling wing-sail catamarans that are capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.

"I think Bermuda would be a great venue to host the next America's Cup," Mr Canfield said. "Bermuda has great weather, it's a beautiful place and I think it would be incredible racing in the Great Sound, which is like basically a natural stadium for the style of racing they are looking to do. I think it would be pretty cool to see it there."

Bermuda is in a two-horse race with San Diego to host the next America's Cup in 2017 and, at the very least, is guaranteed to stage a World Series race if the bid committee fail in their attempt.

Although the deadline for the venue announcement is not until the end of the year, there is growing speculation that an announcement could be made this month. -- Colin Thompson

www.royalgazette.com

"Rookie Centenarian" Olympian Wins the 4th Gstaad Yacht Club's Centenary Trophy
Photo by Jurg Kaufmann, go4image.com. Click on image to enlarge.

A gentle breeze, warm sun, blue skies. One couldn't have asked for better weather conditions for the fourth edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, the true rendezvous for the oldest boats of the classic yachts circuit and the focal point of classic racing at the Voiles the Saint-Tropez, hosting event of the regatta.

For the fourth consecutive year the Centenary Trophy gathered one hundred years and more old yachts that competed with an especially created handicap system in a pursuit race. The Race Committee set the race area on a 7 mile long costal course, with the first start signal fired at around 12:30 in 8 to 10 knots of wind. After some three hours, the first boat to cross the line, was Philippe Oddo's Olympian skippered by Bruno Trouble. The very competitive P Class gaff cutter, at her first participation to the Centenary was then declared the winner of the Trophy

Second placed Silhouette, was also participating to the regatta for the first time, but as her owner Daniel Heine declared she will be back in the future

www.gstaadyachtclub.com

Ranger To Rainbow
This new book is a detailed account of the development of the J Class yachts, primarily from 1996 when author, David Pitman, first became involved with the rebuild of Velsheda. He was Secretary of the class for more than 12 years and primarily responsible for the rebirth of the Class, from the launch of a new RANGER in 2002, then HANUMAN, LIONHEART and finally RAINBOW in 2012. It is packed with many technical and sailing images of these iconic yachts.

Other J Yachts, including SVEA are now under construction or in design stage. The book details an account of the build process, the technical development of the yachts, the crewing and the Class Association.

This book continues the detailed story of the J Yachts covered by the book Enterprise to Endeavour, written by Ian Dear (also available on request £42.00).

132 pages A4 packed with many colour and historic images.

www.strawberrymarketing.com/publishing/ranger-rainbow/

Also available at Amazon.co.uk

Suspended Naples Mayor Target of New Probe
Naples, Italy: Suspended Neapolitan mayor Luigi de Magistris said Friday he was unworried at being the target of a fresh probe into tampering with the America's Cup which took place in the southern Italian city last year. "The news doesn't even nick me. Anyone who works as administrator, who has the courage and puts his face (forward) must keep in mind that he may be subject to judiciary investigation," said de Magistris, who was suspended for a conviction regarding abuse of office while working on a corruption case when he was still a magistrate.

" I am an honest man. Bringing the America's Cup to Naples was an important intuition," said Magistris. Raimondo Pasquino, the president of the Naples city council assembly, on Thursday notified de Magistris that an order suspending the latter from his duties and signed by the local prefect had been delivered. De Magistris, a former magistrate, was handed a suspended 15-month sentence for abuse of office while working on a corruption case.

www.gazzettadelsud.it

* From Euan Ross: On the perennial issue of pros in yachting: where exactly they fit into our sport and how to handle them, this apposite quotation from Gilbert Hackford-Jones' 'Come Sailing' of 1948, comes to mind - or at least it does now that I have finally sourced it.

"It is better if the owner knows most, even if he knows very little. Sailing with a man of superior knowledge and experience is a valuable lesson once in awhile, but it is a far, far better thing after you have learned from books and in other people's ships for you to chance your own arm, come what may. If you don't believe us go into a pub where the paid-hands and amateur pros gather for their pints and listen to what they say about their owners."

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1992 Cookson Volvo Ocean 60. 220000 Euros. Located in Saint Martin.

CUBA LIBRE is one of the first generation Volvo Ocean 60s. It was drawn by Bruce Farr and built in 1992 at Cookson Boats in New Zealand as one of two yachts. CUBA LIBRE, ex-Heineken, is a sporty and fast yacht that is still capable of winning regattas today. The interior of the ship is an unusual set up for a racer, with three double cabins and a separate shower and toilet. It also offers a modern galley and a spacious living room with tables. The flat screen can be used for the debriefing of a race as well as for presentations. The stereo makes for good entertainment.

Details

For sale by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage
bernard-gallay.com
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The Last Word
A physicist is an attempt by an atom to understand itself. -- Michio Kaku

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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Laser Master Worlds - Long Slow Day In Hyeres
Day 1 of the Laser Master Worlds in Hyères, France but the racing struggled to get going due to the very light breeze, with the Radial events failing to manage any successful starts. The Laser standard fleets were more successful, although only one race was completed for each.

Maciej Grabowski of Poland leads the youngsters in the Standard Apprentice event, from Adonis Bougiouris of Greece and Federico Bressan of Italy, Dave Freeman of Britain is in 25th.

The Standard Master fleet of 116 was split into two flights with Brett Beyer of Australia and Scott Ferguson of the USA wining their flights. They lead overall from Allen Clark of Canada and Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands. Best placed Brits are Alan Davis who took a third in his flight and Simon Bennett who had a fifth.

The Standard Grand Masters were also split into two flights. The results only show one winner! Phil Paxton of Canada is followed by Tracy Usher of the USA and Micael Lundgren of Sweden. Britain's Nick Harrison took a third in his flight and Pete Sherwin a sixth. -- Gerald New, SailWeb.co.uk, www.sailweb.co.uk/Dinghy/

Top three places by group:

Standard Apprentice (Age 35 - 44)
1. Maciej Grabowski, POL, 2 points
2. Adonis Bougiouris, GRE, 4
3. Matt Blakey, NZL, 8

Standard Master (Age 45 - 54)
1. Allan Clark, CAN, 5
2. Andreas John, GER, 6
3. Niklas Pernvik, SWE, 7

Standard Grand Master (Age 55 and over)
1. Robert Britten, CAN, 3
2. Roberto Bini, ITA, 6
3. Michael Nissen, GER, 7

Radial Grand Master (Age 55 and over)
1. Ian Escritt, GBR, 1
2. Michael Keeton, NZL, 2
3. Brett Wright, BER, 3

4.7 Great Grand Master (Age 65 and over)
1. Stephen Walsh, AUS, 1
2. Nagaoka Akemi, JPN, 2
3. Waltraud Schmitt, FRA, 3

Full results: lasermasters.coych.org/results/

Have Your Say
Technology marches on: This is not just an axiom to modern life, but a fundamental principle embraced by most of us who race sailboats. Modern design trends have produced boats that are faster, more exciting and safer than ever before, where 40-footers are now exceeding the speeds of 50-footers built only a decade ago. Accordingly there is a growing interest in building and racing this new generation of high-performance offshore-capable designs.

But as in most arenas of technology, the cutting edge is not always widely accessible: not only are the costs higher for the boats themselves, but also for campaigning them at a competitive level where all of their potential can be realised on the racecourse. Fair racing with these boats can also be difficult because the existing handicap systems cannot always rate them fairly against other more typical mainstream designs that populate most regattas.

As part of SYRF's mission to support the science of sailing, we would like to know more about us with some valuable feedback on how to characterise competitive big boat racing. Your answers will help shape the future of the sport for all concerned.

Full article in Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

SYRF Page with links to Surveys:
sailyachtresearch.org/projects/survey

Dubarry Ultima - Quality Always Lasts
It's amazing to think how sailing has changed since Dubarry started making boots in 1937. The first marina arrived in the 1930s but there were no plastic boats to park in it before the 1940s. There was no yacht radar before the 1950s, nor marine diesel engines before the 1960s, also when polyester sailcloth ousted linen and cotton. The 1970s brought instrumentation and the 1980s saw Decca come and go as GPS stole the show. Oiled canvas gave way to PVC, which yielded to GORE-TEX®. Much indeed has changed, yet one thing has stayed the same: nothing signifies a confident, experienced, discerning yachtie like a pair of Dubarry boots.

Developed as a more luxurious, classical and traditional interpretation of the legendary Shamrock, on which the company's reputation was built, the Ultima is Dubarry's flagship boot. Its sole delivers award-winning, sure-footed grip. Its GORE-TEX® liner is waterproof and breathable to keep you warm, dry and comfortable. Its Dry-Fast-Dry-Soft water-resistant leather weathers with grace and distinction, recording every nautical mile of your experience in the gentle, tanned folds of its sumptuous hide. It's clearer than ever that, though times may change, quality always lasts.

Dubarry Ultima - Where will you go in yours?

dubarry.com

Argo Group Gold Cup Fleet Is Ready
Hamilton Bermuda: The fleet is set for the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup, Stage 6 of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. Racing starts Tuesday, October 21 at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Qualifying knockout Round-Robin matches consist of 20 teams divided into two groups. That's followed by knockout Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Finals. Leading from the top will be current Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) number 1 skipper and 2006 Gold Cup winner Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar, the 2013 Gold Cup defending champion Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa, and 2012 Gold Cup winner and defending Alpari World Match Racing Tour Champion Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One.

These three are part of the elite group of eight skippers who hold AWMRT Tour Cards giving them automatic entry into each of the seven events on the Tour. Rounding out the card holders group are Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team, David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour, Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets, Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing, and Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX.

argogroupgoldcup.com

18ft Skiffs: 2014-2015 Season Begins Sunday
The 2014-2015 Season of 18ft Skiff Racing will begin Sunday 12 October when the Australian 18 Footers League stages a 3-Buoys club trophy race on Sydney Harbour.

Seventeen teams have entered for the new season with the reigning champions Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage (Gotta Love It 7) the early favourites to retain their titles in the major events later in the season.

Despite the favouritism, Team Seven will be under a lot of pressure from several top teams in new boats and with new equipment.

Thurlow Compensation Lawyers, skippered by former JJ Giltinan and Australian champion Michael Coxon, and Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) have been the biggest threats to '7' in recent seasons and will again be the main challengers in 2014-2015.

Smeg, with a new, but experienced 18 Footer crew to the 'Smeg' skiff, Appliancesonline (a new skiff with former Australian champion Micah Lane at the helm), another new skiff Asko Gorenje (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) will also be strong contenders.

The current Australian 16 Footer champion Lee Knapton joins the Mojo Wine team, replacing Chris Nicholson, and ensures the team will remain at the pointy end of the fleet.

The experienced Grant Rollerson, who has been skippering 18ft Skiffs for the past decade, joins Simon Nearn's De'Longhi-Rabbitohs crew and is expected to give this team a great boost. -- Frank Quealey Australian 18 Footers League

2014-2015 Season Fleet:

Thurlows Compensation Lawyers - Michael Coxon
Yandoo - John Winning
Asko Gorenje - Marcus Ashley-Jones
De'Longhi-Rabbitohs - Simon Nearn
Appliancesonline.com.au - Micah Lane
Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel - Jack Macartney
Gotta Love It 7 - Seve Jarvin
Smeg - David Witt
Pure Blonde - Nick Daly
Mojo Wine - Lee Knapton
Lumix - Jonathan Whitty
Compassmarkets.com - Keagan York
The Kitchen Maker - John Sweeny
Noakes - Sean Langman
Haier Appliances - Pedro Vozone
Ilve - Ollie Hartas
Fisher & Paykel - Rob Flanagan

Dates for the major championships are:
JJ Giltina Championship - 13-22 February
NSW Championship - 11 January-1 February (five races)
Australian Championship (Brisbane) - 20-23 March

Atlantic Cup / Ocean Race North
Newport, Rhode Island, USA: Manuka Sports Event Management announced today their plans to move the premier offshore race in the United States, The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, to a biennial event. The 5th edition of the race will start May 21, 2016. As in the previous editions of the race, The Atlantic Cup will visit three iconic ports along the east coast of the United States. Host cities will be announced in the coming months.

The Atlantic Cup is the U.S.' only short-handed offshore race dedicated to the Class 40. The race was created and designed to grow the audience for short-handed, offshore racing with hard fought competition and exciting shore based events while also being the most environmentally sustainable sailing race.

11th Hour Racing, presenting sponsor of the Atlantic Cup, has been a supporter since the race's inception and fully supports the decision to move to a two-year cycle. With 11th Hour's help, the Atlantic Cup has become the leading example of an environmentally responsible sailing race. In 2016, The Atlantic Cup will continue to set the standard, implementing new and innovative solutions to enhance sailing performance, the race experience and protect the health of our waters.

Given the growth and strength of the Class 40 fleet on the east coast and the need for an event to bring boats north after the winter, today we are also announcing, the Ocean Race North (ORN) from Charleston to Newport. ORN will run in the odd years and the race will include the Class 40s and an ORR division. ORN is slated to start May 2, 2015.

AtlanticCup.org
OceanRaceNorth.com

Garmin Hamble Winter Series
'Good things come to those who wait' commented race officer Kathy Smalley at the prizegiving of day one of the 2014 Garmin Hamble Winter Series. That was certainly the case out on the water. Despite a two hour postponement to await the breeze, the race team remained confident that enough wind would fill in, despite the evidence from a nearby scrap metal yard fire, from which the smoke rose in a perfectly straight column. But sure enough, at 1230 a gentle 6-8 knots from the SE ghosted in, allowing all classes to fit in a race in blazing sunshine. Combined starts got the fleet away in double-time to make the most of the fickle breeze.

First to start, with an individual recall, was IRC 0. Niklaas Zennstrom's Farr 45 Kolga finished 1st on corrected time, only one second ahead of Chris Body's J/111, Icarus. Fellow J/111, JElvis, finished third.

In IRC 1, Tim Octon's Corby 35 Doyle Sails finished three minutes ahead of second placed Xinska to take the top spot, while in IRC 2, HOD35 Malice topped the podium, ahead of the J/88 Eat Sleep J Repeat and First 35 Hot Rats.

IRC 3's start was combined with the Sigma 38s. J/97s dominated the podium, with Andy Howe's Blackjack II ahead of Charles Ivill's 'ETB Tyres Just Like That in second. John Noe's X-332 La Nef IV was third.

The Sigma 38s were topped by Nigel Goodhew's Persephone, with Chris and Vanessa Choules' With Alacrity in second and Rob Lee's Kindred Spirit in third.

IRC 4 might have the smallest boats in the fleet but it also boasted the largest entry with 14 boats, 7 of which were Impala 28s. Quarter tonner Flashheart finished first on the water and overall, 30 seconds ahead of Impala Polly on corrected time. Mustang 30 Erik the Red was 3rd.

Next weekend sees the first of two MDL Hamble Big Boat Series weekends, as well as the second Garmin Hamble Winter Series race day

Full results: www.hamblewinterseries.com

Oyster Palma Regatta
Saturday, the final race and party day of the Oyster Regatta Palma 2014, and with the five-race series already in the bag hopes for a bonus pursuit race hung on a... zephyr. Those lucky, early gradient winds of the week looked to have blown out. But a wilful lot, the Oyster race team urged the fleet to come out and wait in the bay, ready to race if the sea breeze came in. And slowly it did. The cumulus built above the Tramuntana hills. The planes changed take-off from inshore to offshore, and with six knots the call went out, "race on".

The course was a simple triangle with a reaching start and on the beat generally more pressure offshore than in.

In the Concours d'elegance the Class 3 award went to Sara Blue V (Oyster 54 - Charles Billson), Class 2 to Great Bear V (625 - Graham and Victoria Hetherington), Class 1 Penelope (Oyster 100).

Top three by class:

Class 1
1. Karibu, Karibu Ltd, 5.50 points
2. Reina, Jeroen Hemels, 7.50
3. Starry Night of the Caribbean, Starry Yachts, Ltd, 10

Class 2
1. Lady Mariposa, Dan Hardy, 4.25
2. Guardian Angel, Maxim Kudryashov, 5.50
3. Vamos of Portsmouth, David & Joanne Furby, 13

Class 3
1. Silver Lining, Judy & Max Morrison, 9.00
2. SUNsuSEA, Paulina & Mariusz Kierebinski, 9.75
3. Yo Ho Ho of Sark, Neil & Sue Speed, 10.75

Full Results oysteryachts.com

Mast Top Selfie
Click on image to enlarge.

Alicante, Spain: Sweden's third in the line to the throne Prince Carl Philip needed no time to consider when he was challenged to climb to the top of a Volvo Ocean Race boat's 30-metre mast on Sunday - 'I'll do it,' he said.

While his entourage looked on with bated breath, the intrepid 35-year-old clambered up the Dongfeng Race Team rig with barely a downward glance.

Once at the top, he scribbled a message at the top of the mast, took a 'selfie' picture and then leisurely joined the Chinese challengers' crew for a pro-am race in which they finished fifth out of seven.

"That was a privilege and a unique experience to do this," he said afterwards.

"I felt very safe up there, it was good, really nice."

The Prince is the Patron of the Volvo Ocean Race and had spent the weekend in Alicante for its opening, including the first in-port race which he watched onboard the all-women challengers' boat, Team SCA.

The first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 begins on Saturday, October 11 when the seven-strong fleet leaves for Cape Town. The 38,739 nautical mile race will take nine months to complete and is due to conclude on June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

volvooceanrace.com

Classic Yacht Celebrates 100th Birthday At Opening Day On The Derwent
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia: The classic yacht Gypsy celebrated her 100th birthday in style on Hobart's River Derwent this afternoon - leading a fleet of more than 220 yachts and motor cruisers in the traditional Sail Past to mark the Opening Day of the Yachting Season and also receiving the Beauty Prize.

Built at Eaglehawk Neck in 1914, Gypsy has been owned by the Knight family of Hobart since 1918, and current owner/skipper Steve Knight believes she has taken part in every Opening Day Sail Past from and including 1919.

Craft taking part in the Sail Past ranged from Laser dinghies through to ocean racing yachts and large cruisers with the conditions ideal on the Derwent, a light northerly breeze and a temperature of 24 degrees, albeit slightly cooler afloat.

Following the Sail Past, the majority of boats headed across the Derwent for a raft-up in the lee of Kangaroo Bluff where Opening Day festivities continued well into the afternoon. -- Peter Campbell

* From Roger Johnstone: The torrent of social media criticism levelled at the commentary on the VOR in-port race coverage in Alicante came as no surprise. Truly awful. Part-way through the race I switched the sound off altogether. Someone in VOR made a serious error of judgement and fixing it has hopefully been near the top of Knut Frostad's "to do" list this week. Hopefully, there's still time to get Peter Lester and Martin Tasker on a plane from New Zealand. They are much missed and badly needed.

Featured Brokerage
2002 Swan 45. 225,000 GBP. Located South Coast UK.

A very rare beast, the 3 cabin layout and refurbished yacht is in sparkling order and available now. Stored ashore and shrink wrapped during the winter moneth she has benefitted by being looked after by a sought after professional boat captain.

Complete with a high top container, and plenty of storage space, she is a true turn key package for both IRC racing, One Design Racing, or just simple family cruising, as she also has full and lightly used cruising inventory.

Details

Contact:
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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The Last Word
When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him. -- Bayard Rustin

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The Rhum Giants
Ultimate is defined as extreme or supreme and in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe the Ultimate class represents the battle of the giants, the extreme multihulls fight for supremacy. The Ultime class was created back in 2010 the giants return in 2014 for the historic tenth edition of the legendary solo Transatlantic from Saint Malo to Guadeloupe. Racing the Ultimes is one of the most pure human challenges in the race.

This year they are eight trimarans in this Ultime category. All are capable of completing the course to Pointe a Pitre in less than eight days and to maintain speeds of more than 30 knots. But all eight are different in their dimensions and their design philosophy depending on what their original purpose was. But all will require enormous levels of skill and stamina. And for each, just reaching Guadeloupe will be an achievement.

In order of size, here are the Ultime eight.

The Maxi Spindrift skippered by Yann Guichard is the biggest trimaran ever built to compete offshore and was conceived as a crewed record breaking machine. It is 131 feet long and the mast is 130 feet tall.

Then there are three trimarans of around 100 feet. Banque Populaire VII won the Route du Rhum 2010 in her previous colours and this time will be raced by Loick Peyron, Francis Joyon races Idec Sport and Thomas Coville the new Sodebo Ultime.

There the lighter Maxi80 Prince de Bretagne of Lionel Lemonchois.

And there are three near identical 70 foot trimarans, slightly revised and adapted MOD70s which are now set up for solo sailing: Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild skippered by Sebastien Josse, Musandam Oman Sail skippered by Sidney Gavignet and Paprec Recyclage sailed by Yann Elies.

The Route du Rhum starts November 2nd.

www.routedurhum.com

*|VIMEO:[$vid=107950560]|*

Designed To Break Monohull Sailing Records
It has been about a year since Jim Clark commissioned Hodgdon Yachts to build him a new racing yacht. This past weekend, that new racer, the Comanche, finally touched down in Boothbay waters.

Hundreds of people gathered in Shipbuilder's Park in East Boothbay this past Saturday, directly adjacent to Hodgdon Yachts, to watch the launch of the vessel. With black and red paint and at 100 feet long by 30 feet wide, the hull of the boat creeped out of its construction warehouse on stilts and slowly made its way to the platform that would lower it into the sea.

Now the racing yacht is scheduled to be towed to Rhode Island where it will receive its mast and keel. From there it will make the journey, by sail, to Charleston, South Carolina, and then it will be placed on a ship and transported to Australia before its inaugural race, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which takes competitors on an approximately 630 nautical mile journey from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania.

www.boothbayregister.com

SK2. Welcome To The New.
The fast and fun sportsboat with a canting keel. Developed by Swing Keel Sailing Ltd and built by Ovington boats.

The SK2 is equally a capable racer for 2-3 crew or a performance day-sailor with family and friends. Developed as a strict one design class in mind it is equally suitable for a wide range of mixed fleet racing. The SK2 has been shown to live happily and be equally competitive amongst dinghies, sportsboats and more varied inshore club fleets. A true cross-over boat.

SK2's thoroughly developed package provides a new experience. The difference is the canting keel. Easily operate manually the canting keel provides additional righting moment and allows full use of SK2's powerful sailplan. Together this makes the SK2 suitable for a wide range of wind conditions. It also offers an ideal trialling vehicle for those with an eye on something bigger.

Weighing in at only 210kg (hull & Keel) it is towable by any car. At this weight an SK2 is also easily launched by hand like a dinghy from the beach or a boat slip.

sk2sailing.com

Watching The Start
Just days until the beginning of the Volvo Ocean Race nine-month nautical marathon. Here's everything you need to know before the big day...

The race starts on Saturday 11th October at 14.00 CEST, when the teams depart on the 6,487 nm journey from Alicante to Cape Town.

You can watch LIVE streaming coverage from 13.50 CEST on our brand new mobile app - which also features a tracker, tailored notifications and route information,

Download the app here: Apple Store
Google Play
(The live coverage will also be available to view on volvooceanrace.org)

Also, don't forget to check Twitter for the latest updates from the water - find out what everyone is saying about the Volvo Ocean Race: twitter.com/volvooceanrace

Information on the Race Village

Saturday 11th October also marks the start of our Virtual Volvo Ocean Race game! Sign up

The Volvo Ocean Race has contracted around 100 broadcasters worldwide who will be showing regular coverage of the event. Our flagship half-hour weekly show, Life at the Extreme, will round up all the action for 39 weeks from this weekend (October 11/12) until the end of the race. You can check the TV coverage in your country here

Spinlock IRC Single Event Rating Takes Over From LV TCC
The RORC Rating Office, the technical and administrative hub for all things Spinlock IRC rating-related in the UK, is re-badging its Limited Validity TCC (LV TCC) as the Single Event Rating (SER) with immediate effect.

The LV TCC scheme was an initiative launched two years ago as a means of introducing new owners to the benefits of racing under IRC without them having to apply for a full certificate. If owners only wanted to race in one or two events in the year they could apply for an LV TCC, with an upgrade to a full IRC certificate offered at a reduced rate.

The change of name is primarily being introduced to provide a more understandable and user-friendly path to build on the success of the past two years. 2014 saw 81 events accepting LV TCCs with 117 certificates being issued, compared with 54 events and 124 LV TCCs being issued in 2013.

A gateway into IRC racing

The newly branded SER is being rolled out to regatta and race organisers across the UK, with encouragement to include it in communications with their members and potential race and regatta entrants.

In spite of the LV TCC option already being widely available at club events and having been taken up by most major events over the past two years, the vast majority of interest has been from those run in the Solent region e.g. Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race and Panerai British Classic Week.

The LV TCC has given owners the opportunity for a memorable day or week of IRC racing at minimal cost. However, it is positive to note that a small number of boats that held LV TCCs in 2013 have upgraded to full IRC certificates in 2014 and as the Rating Office Technical Director, Mike Urwin, comments, "We may not yet be seeing vast numbers but it is satisfying to have made some converts."

He continues, "Noting the apparent strong Solent/major event bias, while the significant increase this year in the number of events accepting LV TCCs confirms that Clubs around the UK are keen to get more people racing, we recognise that many potential racing owners are not aware of the SER option, or the help and advice they can get from their local IRC Advocates or the Rating Office.

"We hope that the change of name will make SER more accessible and widely recognised, and. we will also be talking further to club officials and members at the regional level including seminars to be jointly held with the RYA this winter."

For further information on the Spinlock IRC Single Event Rating, visit the RORC Rating Office website: www.rorcrating.com/ser

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Fixtures and fittings
As we roll into another Volvo Ocean Race Tim Jeffery - there from the beginning - reflects on the heritage that underpins this magnificent event

Staying dry - Part 2
Oracle Team USA software specialist Andrew Mason expands on the potential for advanced simulation ahead of the next America's Cup

It all started in a garage - Part 2
And the J/Boats team take a first tentative step into the grand prix world. Rod Johnstone

Paul Cayard
And how the sport - and the Rolex Big Boat Series - is steadily changing for the better...

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McPherson Crowned Ceilidh Cup Champion
Nicole McPherson booked her place in the Grand Final of the 2014 RYA National Match Racing Championships after her crew clinched event honours at the Ceilidh Cup/Scottish Student Sailing Match Racing Championships which were held at the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club (RNCYC) this weekend (4-5 October).

Forming part of the RYA National Match Racing Series, the event is a match racing event for Scottish universities with additional non-student entrants, with the Ceilidh Cup being awarded to the best overall team as well as a separate prize for the best university team, which was won by Theo Hoole from the University of Strathclyde Sailing Club.

Final Ranking of Skippers & Clubs:
1. Nicole McPherson*, Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club (Ceilidh Cup Winner)
2. Theo Hoole, University of Strathclyde Sailing Club (SSS Match Racing Champion)
3. Connor Simms, Dundee University Sailing Club
4. Craig Paul*, Edinburgh University Sailing Club
5. Emily Robertson, Glasgow University Sailing Club
6. Scott McWhirter, Glasgow University Sailing Club
7. Alison Morrish*, University of Strathclyde Sailing Club (from round robin)
8. Calum Underwood, University of Strathclyde Sailing Club (from round robin)
9. Josh Bather, University of St Andrews Sailing Club (from round robin)

* denotes teams ineligible for the Scottish Student Sailing prize.

www.rya.org.uk/racing

2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Notice Of Race Released
The Notice of Race for ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, scheduled for 25-31 January 2015, has been released.

On-line entry will open on 10 November 2014 via mocr.ussailing.org. The deadline for priority entries with regards to quotas is 5 December 2014. Entries must be received no later than 5 January 2015 to qualify for early entry.

Competitors in the Paralympic events will have five days of fleet racing from Monday 26 January to Friday 30 January. Medal Races across the ten OIympic events will bring the regatta to a close on Saturday 31 January where medals will be awarded to the top three boats.

Event winners in each Olympic event from ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami will qualify to the 2015 SWC Final whilst the best placed 'home continent' sailor will also qualify.

Regatta Headquarters will be located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida.

2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup
Melbourne - 7-14 December 2014
Miami - 25-31 January 2015
Hyères - 20-26 April 2015
Weymouth - 8-14 June 2015
Asian Round - September / October 2015
2015 Final Abu Dhabi - TBC

www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Industry News
A record 1,331 companies have registered to exhibit at this year's Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam. With just five weeks to go before the show opens on November 18, the number of exhibitors has already surpassed the total for METS 2013 (1,320 exhibitors), and as the final few places are filled, the three-day event for the global marine equipment sector is gearing up to be the biggest to date.

In addition to the record-breaking number of exhibitors, which hail from 46 countries, 18 country pavilions will allow nations to create their own distinctive area at the show under the auspices of ICOMIA, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations.

The Chinese Pavilion has grown in particular, with a doubling in the number of companies compared to previous edition. The square metre size of the Slovenian Pavilion has also grown by 50% compared to 2013 and the USA Pavilion is larger too.

The SuperYacht Pavilion will also be the largest to date, with more than 190 exhibitors. They will enjoy the benefits of a new stand design that reflects the unique nature of the superyacht sector while maintaining the uniform look and feel that ensures products and networking come first.

METS 2014 is organised by Amsterdam RAI in association ICOMIA. The show runs from November 18-20. -- IBI News, ibinews.com

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A trio of key speakers will address a global audience to demonstrate how inspiration and innovation can increase participation and generate business success. Olympic Gold Medallist Iain Percy OBE will welcome delegates from around the world to the International Sailing Summit (ISS) on 17 November 2014 and record-breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister and Rod Carr, Chairman of UK Sport will headline the Gala Dinner.

Highlights include Spinsheet Magazine's advice on changing your game plan to welcome diverse customers, using British Cycling as a case study to grow participation, Oman Sail's view on empowering women through sports and using cost effective technology to improve participation with examples from Sail Racer.

Organised by British Sailing, a group association of the British Marine Federation (BMF), the event is expected to attract some 150 delegates representing all aspects of their sailing sector from every corner of the globe

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Yachting Australia is pleased to announce the finalists in 12 categories for the Yachting Australia Awards 2014, the annual celebration providing an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements and recognise contributions made, both on and off the water.

On Friday 17 October 2014, the winners will be revealed at the Awards ceremony to be held at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Winners will be announced on Friday 17 October in the categories of
Male Sailor of the Year
Female Sailor of the Year
Sailor of the Year with a Disability
Youth Sailor of the Year
Sport Promotion Award
Sport Professional Award
Lifetime Achievement
Volunteer Award

This year sees the introduction of four new categories with nominations made by State Associations for these Awards.
Club of the Year
Official of the Year
Instructor of the Year
Coach of the Year

www.yachting.org.au/awards-2014

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Feedback for the 16th Auckland On Water Boat Show (AOWBS), which ran from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 September 2014, has been overwhelmingly positive, with several significant sales made at the show.

Visitor numbers were up a healthy 14 per cent on the 2013 show, a result that show organizers were delighted with.

The 2014 edition completely sold out of exhibitor space, with nearly 200 exhibitors and more than 200 boats on display. The show welcomed nearly 30 new exhibitors to its lineup, another telling indication of its ever increasing popularity. -- Ellie Brade in Sail-World.com

www.sail-world.com

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With a growing number of clients in the West Country, Nicolle Associates the international yacht brokers based in Hamble, have taken the decision to open a new branch in Plymouth.

The new Plymouth office will be headed by Peter Preston, currently a senior broker at Nicolle Associates Hamble office. He brings with him a wealth of 'boating' experience being a racing and cruising yachtsman, a transatlantic sailor, and one who is equally at home on motor yachts.

Featured Brokerage
2012 High Performance Sport Cat "NINJA". 200,000. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

NINJA is designed by Brett Bakewell-White for coastal offshore racing and she is based on the SL33, designed by Morelli & Melvin. She is a fully category 3 compliant racing catamaran with navigation lights, 4 bunks, a small galley, life rafts etc.

In short NINJA is one of the fastest boats on the water considering she is only 33 feet long. She is quiet a "weapon" especially in light wind. She only needs 8 kts of wind to be fully powered up and reach speed of more than 15kts of boat speed.

Her success on the race course in NZ is talking clearly: a winning boat!

Contact for sale:
Siggi Mansaker
siggi@mansaker.com

Details

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way by gradually winning over and converting its opponents: What does happen is that the opponents gradually die out. -- Max Planck

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Hydroptere To Attempt Pacific Ocean Record
The hydrofoil trimaran Hydroptere will try for another nautical record with support from biotechnology leader Finesse Solutions.

After a year of rest in San Diego, the Hydroptere will return to sailing. French and American sponsors are joined by a new partner: Finesse Solutions of Santa Clara (California), a manufacturer of measurement and control solutions for life sciences process applications.

The Hydroptere - called "the flying boat" - is the fastest hydrofoil trimaran in the world, averaging more than 51 knots over 500 meters and in excess of 50 knots over one nautical mile. The crew of Hydroptere intends to set a world speed record across the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Training will begin in early October in Los Angeles, with the goal beating the Los Angeles to Hawaii record time set by Olivier de Kersauson on Geronimo in 2005.

hydroptere.com/en/the-news/last-news/

One Of Our Favorites...
Mark Chisnell has partnered with B&G to provide an exceedingly well-informed blog on the Volvo Ocean Race. Bookmark this one... An excerpt from his Leg 1 Preview:

We'll be following the weather, the moves and counter-moves, the big plays and the little flyers right here on the B&G website, with a weekly report posted every Tuesday. And at the end of each leg, B&G will be awarding a prize to the best performing navigator, according to the following criteria:

"The B&G Volvo Ocean Race Navigator's Prize will be awarded to the navigator who, in the opinion of the judging panel, has made the most effective use of meteorological, oceanographic and geographical information to gain distance on the majority of the fleet."

It's worth a $1,000 a leg, with a further $5,000 for the overall prize at the end of the race - the money and kudos will go to the navigators who best use their craft to make gains for their teammates. Yours truly will be heading up the judging panel, and each week I'll bring you an analysis of the strategies that have unfolded - or are in play - that might just win the money...

I'll be writing for sailors, people who know their port from starboard, and a tack from a gybe. It will also help if you know a low-pressure system from a high pressure one, but if you don't... these days, there's always Wikipedia.

www.bandgvor.com/leg1-preview/

History Beckons
The 35th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race is fast approaching and appears likely to rewrite the record books. Entries are shortly due to close and the Royal Malta Yacht Club is already bracing itself for the biggest fleet to grace its island home since the Great Siege of 1565. The Ottoman Armada of 450 years ago was recorded to be 193 in strength. This year's race entry is currently 129 and, even with the likelihood of some falling by the wayside before the start on Saturday, 18 October, there is every possibility that the number crossing the start line in Grand Harbour will exceed the current highest entry of 99 participants set last year.

The vibrant interest in this 606-nm offshore race reflects a resurgent passion within the yacht racing community for events that offer a proper test to both Corinthian and professional crews. The similar length biennial Rolex Fastnet Race is the biggest in terms of sheer numbers, attracting in excess of 300 yachts in each of its two most recent editions. This year's 70th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart (slightly longer at 628-nm) anticipates a fleet around 130 yachts, which would be its largest entry for 20 years.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race is organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and has been sponsored by Rolex since 2002.

The race starts in Malta's Grand Harbour on October 18

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Marinepool - Clothing Partner of the Extreme Sailing Series™
Marinepool is widely regarded as one of the leading sailing clothing and maritime lifestyle brands and is the "Official Clothing Partner" of the Extreme Sailing Series™.

We have built a reputation for outstanding quality, excellent service and quick and reliable deliveries. These are only a few of the reasons why no less than 4 of this year´s teams in the Extreme Sailing Series™, among them 2012 and 2013 Champions The Wave, Muscat, are racing in Marinepool kit.

Using only the best materials and state of the art production technologies, no detail is omitted to ensure every product is optimized before it reaches the market. More than 23 years of experience and design excellence, plus the invaluable input of the world class athletes proudly wearing Marinepool garments, guarantee the products are at the cutting edge of technology.

Uncompromising, highly functional and extremely light weight; Tested and approved by many of the world's finest sailors.

As a group of companies with German roots and head quarters, operating in 43 countries, with product lines ranging from performance sailing clothing and a test winning life jacket range to maritime fashion, Marinepool is uniquely qualified and the perfect match for the clothing requirements of YOUR sailing team or company.

Purchase the Extreme Sailing Series™ Collection by Marinepool directly from the official online store: http://www.extreme-sailing-series-store.com or contact us for your customized team wear on info@marinepool.com

Marinepool | Design. Technology. Passion.

www.marinepool.com

Sunfish Worlds
Arapahoe, North Carolina, USA: The Sunfish World Championship and Youth Championship combined will welcome 99 sailors from eleven countries along with their families, coaches, support crew and volunteers. Competitors in the World Championship earned berths through their home country's qualifying regattas. The Youth World Championship is open to qualified sailors under the age of 19.

72 new Sunfish sailboats made by LaserPerformance will be used by the competitors for the two regattas. The boats are being chartered to the sailors by Triton Yacht Sales. The unique opportunity provided by a new charter fleet allows the competition to be truly one design and leaves everything else up to the sailor and his or her skill set.

The Sunfish was designed in 1951, and the Sunfish World Championship has been a prestigious competition since 1970. Today, the International Sunfish Class sanctions more than 1,000 events each year.

Nine races are scheduled in the Youth Championship and will take place from October 10 through 12. Twelve races are scheduled in the World Championship running from October 13 through 16 with October 16 as a reserve day if necessary.

www.sunfishclass.org

2.4 Metre World Championship
Toronto, Canada: The 2.4mR World Championship has concluded in Toronto, Canada with Sweden's Stellan Berlin claiming gold.

The final day of racing brought 10-15 knots of breeze and sunny skies. There were three races scheduled for the day however the dying breeze forced the cancellation of race three, with a total of 10 races on the final scoreboard. Stellan Berlin (SWE) was crowned World Champion for the second consecutive year with four bullets and several other top scores to secure his title.

Erikstad Bjornar (NOR) took silver and Helena Lucas (GBR) scooped bronze. Canadian Allan Leibel missed the podium in fourth and Paul Tingley placed eighth overall.

Top 10 overall:
1. Stellan Berlin, SWE
2. Bjornar Erikstad, NOR
3. Helena Lucas, GBR
4. Allan Leibel, CAN
5. Megan Pascoe, GBR
6. Marko Dahlberg, FIN
7. Henrik Johnsson, SWE
8. Paul Tingley, CAN
9. Rikard Bjurstrim, FIN
10. Niko Salomaa, FIN

www.toronto2014worlds.com

First America's Cup World Series In Portsmouth
It has been revealed the four-day World Series events in Portsmouth are due to take place off Southsea seafront in June 2015 and July 2016.

Organisers hope to put on a festival on Southsea Common close to the finish line. Race action further off the coast will be shown on big screens.

Leslie Greenhalgh, events director at America's Cup World Series Portsmouth, said: 'What we've got together is a really public show with lots of other events going on around the racing.

Final details will be confirmed in an announcement later this month.

An exhibition will also show the history of the 1851 America's Cup in the Solent and explain how Sir Ben Ainslie, who has his base at Camber Dock, is trying to bring the race back to Britain.

Six teams have been confirmed but Leslie added she expects two or three could join before the regattas begin.

www.portsmouth.co.uk

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Seahorse build table - Cool as ice
Giuliano Luzzatto catches up with an ultra-slippery new offering from Umberto Felci of Felci Yacht Design

Sailor of the Month
Just keep plugging away (and you'll get there)

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Garmin Hamble Winter Series Returns
The UK's premier winter series is back! The Garmin Hamble Winter Series runs for eight weekends from Sunday 5th October until Sunday 30h November, and the club is delighted to welcome Garmin back as title sponsor for the 10th year running. In a sign of confidence, entries are already at a higher level than seen in past years.

Entries are pouring in from all points of the Solent, with boats from Lymington, Cowes, Gosport, Southampton and Hamble planning to head to the central Solent for some top-notch racing in 6 classes - IRC0, IRC 1, IRC 2, IRC 3, IRC 4, Sigma 38 and J/109. Two races are planned per day for the first half of the series, before a break weekend - after this it reverts to one race per day.

The Garmin Hamble Winter Series also incorporates two other events; the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships, which runs on the first and third weekends and the MDL Big Boat Championships, run on the second and fourth weekends of the series. These two events offer two weekends each of concentrated racing for those unwilling to commit to a whole series. The Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships features racing for SBR, J/70, J/80 and SB20 classes in the white group, and J/109, J/92 and Impala 28 classes in the black group. In a change from past years the break weekend of 1st and 2nd November this year can be used to run one design races should a weekend be lost to poor weather earlier in the championships.

www.hamblewinterseries.com

Deep-Diving 'Exosuit' Lets Scientists Explore 2,000-Year-Old Shipwreck
A treasure trove of bronze and marble statues, gold jewelry and ancient scientific instruments may be buried in sand, hundreds of feet below the Aegean Sea, and a team of explorers is going after the 2,000-year-old hoard using the most advanced diving suit ever built.

Later this year, scientists and divers plan to explore the so-called Antikythera shipwreck, which settled on the seafloor around 50 B.C. off the coast of Antikythera, a Greek island. The team's secret weapon is a 6.5-foot-tall (2 meters), 530-pound (240 kilograms) metal diving suit equipped with 1.6-horsepower thrusters that can reach the extreme depths where the ship came to rest.

Brendan Foley, a maritime archaeologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts and co-director of the Antikythera mission, thinks the ship's entire main cargo hold is buried under layers of sand. Previous explorations have only scratched the surface of what the shipwreck might hold, but the Exosuit will make an extensive exploration possible, and the mission could unearth some incredible artifacts.

The ancient shipwreck remained hidden until 1900, when Greek sponge divers first spotted it off the coast of Antikythera. Among statues, gold jewelry and other luxury goods, the sponge divers pulled the world's oldest known computer from the wreckage. Scientists believe the device, called the Antikythera mechanism, functioned as an analog computer that could predict eclipses, phases of the moon and other astronomical events. It predates all other computing devices by almost 1,000 years.

Aside from a brief mission in 1976 led by Jacques Cousteau, the shipwreck has remained undisturbed until now.

news.yahoo.com/deep-diving-exosuit

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2014 Officially Launched
Professional sailing photographers from all over the world are invited to join the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award 2014.

Started in 2009, the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image is the world's premier photography competition dedicated to the sport of sailing. The prestigious trophy will be awarded during the World Yacht Racing Forum in Barcelona, on December 11, 2014.

Submission of the pictures is now ope., In order to participate, photographers need to register and submit their best yacht racing image taken in 2014 before October 26, at the following address: www.maxcomm.ch/yri2014

The contest is open to professional photographers. The detailed rules are available on the event's website: www.yachtracingimage.com/contest/rules/

Two prizes will once again be awarded: The 'Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image', chosen by the international jury, and the 'Public Award', decided by the number of popular votes on the website and the participants of the World Yacht Racing Forum.

Featured Brokerage
2008 Mills 41. 240,000 USD. Located in Hong Kong.

Ambush was built by MacConaghy in 2008 and has since been successfully campaigned through Asia both on and offshore. She has been professionally maintained throughout and continues to win.

She is currently configured with a pole and a rating of 1.157 which has proven a very potent set up inshore against the newer breed of lighter 40 footers.

Ambush's design was developed by Mark Mills as a progression from the original Tiamat and the king 40 with input from Dave Ullman and the owners who have considerable offshore experience.

Contact:
Drew Taylor
ambushdrew@gmail.com
+852 9303 2428

Details

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The Last Word
History is a vast early warning system. -- Norman Cousins

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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Volvo Ocean Race Starts From Alicante This Saturday
The 12th edition of the race starts from Alicante on Saturday October 11th. Seven teams, 66 sailors and 18 nationalities setting off in identical one design Volvo Ocean 65 racing machines.

The first leg will take the fleet out into the North Atlantic, south across the Equator and into the South Atlantic, on into Cape Town 6,500 miles away. It will take them more than three weeks.

Large crowds are expected to converge to watch the emotional dockside departure - where sailors must say goodbye to their wives, husbands and children - before the leg starts at 1400CET in front of the Alicante dockside for a lap of the bay before heading off towards the Strait of Gibraltar and out into the Atlantic.

The Teams:

Team Alvimedica [USA/TUR]: skipper Charlie Enright [USA], crew from United States of America, Australia, France, Italia, New Zealand.

Team SCA [SWE]: person in charge Samantha Davies [UK], 100% female crew from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and The Netherlands.

Dongfeng Race team [CHN]: skipper Charles Caudrelier [FRA], crew from China, France and Sweden.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing [UAE]: skipper Ian Walker [UK], crew from New Zealand, Ireland, UAE, Australia, Spain.

Team Vestas Wind [DEN]: skipper Chris Nicholson [AUS], crew from Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Argentina, the Netherlands.

Team Brunel [NED]: skipper Bouwe Bekking [NED], crew from the Netherlands, Lithuania, France, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Denmark.

MAPFRE [ESP]: skipper Iker Martinez [ESP], crew from Spain, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom

volvooceanrace.com

The Fish Weighs In...
The pace is hotting up with increasing rapidity. There are less than 48 hours to the start of this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race - the twelfth since the event began (as the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973). This, however, is the first in one-design boats and has nine stopovers during its 38,739-mile course that finishes in Gothenburg on June 27th next year.

The seven competing yachts - 65 footers with canting-keels and water-ballast are proving almost as quick as the 70 footers from the last race; possibly faster downwind and fractionally slower upwind in heavy airs; and promise to finish more closely than ever before.

It will not be tough at the start - only four to five knots of breeze are expected on a sunny Saturday and Simon Fisher, the navigator of the Abu Dhabi entry Azzam, has predicted that it will take two days at least to reach Gibraltar, 300 miles away. He says that there is no sign of the Atlantic Trades to take them across the Ocean on the accepted route to Cape Town. -- Bob Fisher in Sail-World.com (first in a three part series)

www.sail-world.com

Ocean Safety's Magic Kru Sport and R10 Combo for Volvo Crews
Photo by Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica

A couple of vital safety products from Ocean Safety will give a massive boost to the chances of survival at sea for the crews starting the Volvo Ocean Race in little over a week from now. They are the Kannad R10 AIS Survivor Recovery System (SRS) and the Kru Sport Pro lifejacket, which will be worn by each crew member on Team Alvimedica, Team Brunel, MAPFRE and Team Vestas Wind. The Kru Sport Pro is designed to have the R10 fitted to it, so there is nothing else to think about when putting on a lifejacket.

The Kru's waistcoat design makes it very comfortable and barely noticeable to wear and what's more the R10's size means it can also be carried in the jacket's pocket. The R10 alerts AIS receivers on vessels within a four mile radius with precision position information, so if a crew member falls overboard, the alert will transmit both onboard the yacht, and also on other vessels in the area.

At Ocean Safety's recent training day for the Volvo teams SCA Skipper Sam Davis spelt out the importance of the equipment. "Safety is critical," she said. "We are self sufficient out there and there is going to be nobody running after us looking out for us. To win a race you have to finish and so safety is a performance aspect."

oceansafety.com

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao
More than 150 sailors from 25 nations racing across six classes are set to compete at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao in China from 14-18 October 2014.

As the dust settles on the ISAF Sailing World Championships many of the racers are heading east to compete at the second edition of ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao.

Racing across the Men's and Women's 470, Laser, Laser Radial and Men's and Women's RS:X will take place across three race courses at the venue of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition. Strong Chinese contingents as well as international excellence will make up the six fleets ensuring an exciting week of racing in China.

Competitors across the six events will be vying for their share of the 180,000USD prize money. 18,000 USD will be awarded to the gold medallist with 8,000 USD and 4,000 USD going to second and third place.

Racing is scheduled to commence on 14 October Medal Races bringing the regatta to a close on 18 October.

www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Calvi Network First J/70 European Champion
Riva del Garda, Italy)- The first J/70 European Championship saw a fantastic turnout of 35 teams from 8 nations. After having led the J/70 Italian Circuit all season, Carlo Alberini and his CALVI NETWORK team just hung onto their lead going into the last day to be crowned the first J/70 European Champions. Sailing like a man possessed, Charlie Esse's crew on BABY-J from Great Britain won the J/70 European Corinthians title with all top 12 finishes (the only boat to do so in the entire fleet!).

As everyone had hoped for, the Fraglia Vela Riva did a magnificent job both hosting the on-shore social festivities as well as providing excellent racing on the famous Lago di Garda.

The fleet was blessed with a perfect first day, with three races completed in southerly winds of 16+ knots. After the first race in 8-12 kts, the wind grew in strength, with puffs climbing into the high teens.

For the second day of sailing, Riva del Garda provided gorgeous weather, sunshine and winds of 12-18 knots from the south.

For the first time all week, Friday dawned with light airs and it stayed that way all day. It was a beautiful "harvest fall day" on the lake, with temperatures in the 70s and 6-8 kts of breeze from the south.

It was a long last day of sailing for the fleet. Racing started early in the morning on a clear day with winds from the north, it was the fleet's first opportunity to race with the north wind that is usually present in the morning on Upper Garda. The previous 9 races had all been raced with the winds from the south (the bora).

Final top five:
1. Calvi Network, Carlo Alberini, ITA, 21 points
2. New territories, Hugo Rocha, ESP, 27
3. Uji, Marinelli Alessio, ITA, 44
4. Baby J, Charlie Esse, GBR, 48
5. Team Ceeref, Igor Lah, SLO, 57

Full results

www.fragliavelariva.it/en/regatta/1571/view

1202 Registrations and New Arrivals
1202 teams have registered to the Barcolana, confirming the positive trend in contrast to recent editions. Today about a hundred more sailboat owners have entered the regatta and about fifty boats have moored in the Bacino San Giusto and in the Bacino San Marco.

On Saturday 11th October, Tina Maze - downhill and giant slalom gold medallist at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics - will be Generali's special guest in Trieste for the Barcolana.

In the afternoon the four Extreme 40 catamarans hit the water after assembling their cats in less than eight hours. The Barcolana organizers were thrilled to see the beautiful yachts sail in the Gulf.

* Land Rover brings to Trieste, for the first time in this format in Italy, the Extreme 40 catamarans. They are nimble and quick and race in reduced spaces as if they were in a stadium. The stadium concerned is the Bacino San Giusto that will be the first in Italy to host a series of regattas of Extreme 40 catamarans, an illustrative and preview event, a special format that fascinates millions of people year after year from Australia to England, from Russia to the United Arab Emirates.

From 9th to 11th October sailing enthusiasts will have the chance to support the great champions of the Extreme Sailing Series, watch the catamarans' evolutions, jumps, tacks and gybes on one hull, as well as incredible ways of approaching the buoys, with all of this happening a few steps away from the shore.

Along the Rive a special area will be dedicated to catamarans, where it will be possible to experience first-hand this new and increasingly fascinating aspect of sailing.

www.barcolana.it

Ragamuffin 100
Syd Fisher's Rags, new hull, deck (ex Maximus), keel (ex Wild Oats) arrives in Sydney ready for fit out for the 2014 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.

Australian yachting legend, Syd Fischer launched his first Ragamuffin in 1968. Actively campaigning three Grand Prix racing yachts, (Ragamuffin 100, 90 and 52) pursuing line honours and world records across the globe, Syd and his Team Ragamuffin are still living the dream 45 years on.

Video from Boatsontv. com: youtu.be/1fOKhGMddk8

Loro Piana Crowned J/80 Italian Champion
Loano, Italy)- There was no question the J/80 Italian Nationals had attracted some of the big names in international sailing circles that recently took place from the 25th to 28th of September in Loano, Italy. While many of them did well, as anticipated, it was Giacomo Loro Piana (of the famous fashion house- Loro Piana) that provided all the drama on the final day, flying to the top of the standings with one race to go and, while holding onto their breath in the last race, just held on for dear life to win a three-way tie for first.

In the end, Loro Piana nearly lost the regatta, posting another 7th while Rama/ Coppa won the final race followed by Edoardo/ Bressani in 2nd and Galli/ de Angelis in 3rd and Alberto Signorini with Tommaso Chieffi in 4th. As a result, Loro Piana won the tie-breaker on most 1sts, Gallie/ de Angelis took 2nd on most 3rds over Edoardo/ Bressani. Settling for 4th was Signorini/ Chieffi and in fifth overall was Rama/ Coppa sitting on 26 pts.

www.blueprojectsailing.com

Industry News
The Dinghy Academy, Valencia has successfully undergone a formal audit from ISAF and has subsequently become the first venue to become an ISAF Approved Training Centre.

The equipment for which the training programmes at the Dinghy Academy, Valencia are currently granted is to the Laser and Finn classes.

Luca Devoti, Owner and Head Coach at the Dinghy Academy Valencia said of this approval, "Sailing is and has been all my life. For the Dinghy Academy and for all those working, training and racing here, to be recognized by ISAF is a great honour. We will not only strongly promote the Olympic values in the athletes we train but also try to do our best to introduce as many young sailors as possible, from all over the world, to enjoy our beautiful sport."

ISAF is currently working with a number of other Sail Training venues wishing to be granted this status based on their provision of training programs for sailors and/or coaches.

------------------------------------------------

MUSTO invites sailing fans in Alicante to take on the MUSTO Grinding challenge for a chance to win a Volvo Ocean 65 sailing experience at the final port in Gothenburg With just two days to go before the action begins in Alicante, the doors have opened at the MUSTO Official Race Store in the event village. Fans can visit the store to purchase official Race merchandise and Race replica kits for all MUSTO teams; Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Dongfeng Race Team and Team Alvimedica. Visitors can also take on the international MUSTO Grinding Challenge to be in with a chance to win an incredible Volvo Ocean Race prize.

www.MUSTO.com

------------------------------------------------

National Maritime Museum Cornwall has won the 2014 Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award, beating a six-strong shortlist to sail away with the accolade of Britain's most family friendly museum.

The Family Friendly Museum Award is the biggest museum award in Britain and the only one judged by families. The award, run with the charity Kids in Museums, aims to celebrate those museums that enthral children of all ages. Kids in Museums is an independent charity dedicated to making museums open and welcoming to all families, in particular those who haven't visited before.

This year's six shortlisted museums were visited secretly by undercover family judges. The families measured the museum against the Kids in Museums Manifesto - 20 ways to make a museum family friendly - compiled entirely from visitors' comments. After sneaking around and reporting back their findings, they picked National Maritime Museum Cornwall. The Maritime Museum received the award at a star-studded ceremony at the Telegraph newspaper offices on Friday.

And it was double award joy for the Falmouth Museum as they were also named Cornwall's Best Museum in the 2014 Cornwall Today Awards on Thursday evening.

www.nmmc.co.uk

------------------------------------------------

Hamble River Sailing Club (HRSC) is delighted to welcome Hudson Wight back as the Official Clothing Sponsor to the 2014 Garmin Hamble Winter Series (GHWS).

"The sets of foul weather clothing provided last year were truly tested and performed well. The weekly draw amongst competitors present at the prize giving was extremely popular and will be back from Sunday 5th October, when Hudson Wight will also be providing clothing and voucher prizes as the day sponsor," said Trevor Pountain, Commodore Hamble River Sailing Club.

During the Winter Series, Hudson Wight will be offering a 'Team Bundle' comprising three sets of 2014 HW1s for £999 (usually £400 per set or £360 using the special Affiliate code below) or three sets of 2013 HW1s for £799 (only available in a limited range of colours and sizes M or L, Red and L, Blue). To qualify for this discounted price, please add 'HRSC' in the affiliate box on Hudson Wight's website http://www.hudsonwight.com - the company is also providing a range of Daily Draw and Winners' prizes, plus overall Class prizes.

hamblewinterseries.com
www.hudsonwight.com

------------------------------------------------

Opal Marine, the UK yacht brokerage and marine services company, has ceased trading and gone into liquidation. The Chichester Marina-based company shut up shop seven days ago.

Former finance manager Jey Kanthan told IBI's sister publication Yachting Monthly: "There are not enough funds to pay the remaining four employees, the company is insolvent and the directors are drawing up a long list of creditors."

Kanthan said part of the problem was outside contractors - including engineers - being allowed on site to work on yachts. "They did not have our overheads and therefore were able to undercut us."

He also said business was impacted when other brokerage companies started to operate from the Premier Marina in West Sussex.

plus.ibinews.com

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The Last Word
TV networks are dying. The death throes of religion give us jihads. The death throes of television give us reality shows. -- Penn Jillette

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Volvo Ocean Race: First Day At Sea
Photo by Christophe Favreau, www.christophefavreau.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Team Vestas Wind emerged as narrow leaders when daylight broke on the Mediterranean after the first night of Leg 1 but the fleet was closeley bunched after a night of rain and wind shifts as a weather front passed over the fleet.

Team Vestas Wind Onboard Reporter Brian Carlin summed up how things were progressing at the head of the fleet in his overnight log.

"We keep battling it out for the lead with MAPFRE right now," he reports. "Team Brunel is out on the wings, the night will be long. A change in wind has already been causing some tactical moves within the fleet.

"Just after dark set in, a big left hand swing developed within minutes putting an all-hands-on-deck scenario for the crew. I suspect this to continue throughout the night."

By 0700 UTC with wind speed around 10 knots, the Danish boat was still just two nautical miles clear of MAPFRE, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing a mile adrift of them and Dongfeng Race Team bringing up the rear but still very much in touch.

In all, three boats - MAPFRE, Abu Dhabi and Team Vestas Wind - held the lead during the course of the night before a move by the Danish boat to head to the coast in the opposite direction to the rest of the fleet paid dividends at around 0300UTC. And during the day on Sunday just 4 nautical miles separated first from last as the fleet prepared for the transit through the Straits of Gibraltar and out into the North Atlantic.

The fleet was expected at the Straits at around 1900UTC.

Ranking at 1525 CEST (1325 UTC) Sunday:

1. Team Vestas Wind
2. MAPFRE - 0.6nm from the leader
3. Dongfeng Race Team - 2nm from the leader
4. Team Alvimedica - 3nm from the leader
5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - 3nm from the leader
6. Team SCA - 3nm from the leader
7. Team Brunel - 4nm from the leader

volvooceanrace.com

Testimony of a VOR App Addict
So, this is a little tough for me, you know, I don't usually like opening up and sharing emotions. I'm a man, after all.

The first time I tried the App was through a friend, Chris Carpenter. I guess that's how it always starts, through so called friends, mixing with the wrong crowd....

Chris said "have you tried the App?" "What App?" "The race App, it's really good. It actually works better on your phone than on a computer. The graphics are smoother."

I don't normally go for this sort of thing, but, well, Chris is a mate - ha, that's what I thought anyway - and, you know, what harm could it do? So I downloaded.

The rush was instant. I could pinch zoom in and out of the tracker, see the little boats whizz along, speed up time, watch all the lead changes and boat tracks. And when I could spin the whole world round with my little finger, well, that was it. I knew I was hooked.

Now I have to get the phone out every few hours, just to see how my favourite team is getting on.

And this is the really sick part. The stuff they don't tell you about. My daughter is fighting me for the phone. Whenever it comes out, she's wants some too! She wants to know how the girls are getting on. It's like a disease man!

So, you know. It's infected our family. We're arguing about tactics. I'm even having to go out and work to pay for all the time I can twiddle on the App. No wonder the employment rate is soaring in our part of the world.

And there's, like, videos, and onboard chats, and some American chick, Genny something, yakking about how it's all going, and God it's free. They're actually giving this stuff away just to get us hooked!

Right there man, that is a Goddamned crime. These people should be locked up!!! These evil app pushers, they've got one helluva lot to answer for!!!

Phew... Sorry. Gets me pretty worked up this sort of thing.

I better sit down.

Anyway, that's my testimony. I guess if I've learned anything, it's, like, nothing new. It's been said a thousand times. If you don't want to get addicted, Just Say No. Such simple words. If only it was so easy... Thanks for listening. -- Digby Fox - livethestory.com

Windy Start With Big Swells In Busan
The Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, the last event on the 2014 WIM Series, couldn't have kicked off with more challenging conditions. Sunday's racing offered waves of up to three metres height, gusts around 30 knots and as many degrees suddenly shifting wind direction:

"I felt just like being in a washing machine" sighs Anne-Claire Le Berre of France, who, despite that impression, managed the conditions in a formidable way. With three wins and no losses she's the only undefeated skipper at the top of the scoreboard so far in the regatta.

Super Typhoon Vongfong is not expected to disturb the racing in the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race until Monday, but Sunday's conditions were challenging enough for the crews on this final event of the 2014 WIM Series. The swells and the puffs caused not only severe difficulties in boat handling, but also a few minor breakdowns and some seasickness among the crews. Yet 20 matches were sailed, after a short initial postponement.

With Super Typhoon Vongfong predicted to approach the waters of Haeundae beach on Monday, bringing 50 millimetres of rain and as many knots of wind, it may be no racing at all.

Standings in the round-robin of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, the fifth and final event of the 2014 WIM Series (skipper, country, wins - losses):

1. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 3 - 0
2. Katie Spithill, AUS, 3 - 1
2. Trine Palludan, DEN, 3 - 1
4. Stephanie Roble, USA, 2 - 1
4. Denise Lim, SIN, 2 - 1
4. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 2 - 1
4. Susannah Pyatt, NZL, 2 - 1
8. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 2 - 2
9. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 1 - 2
10. Sung Eun Choi, KOR, 0 - 3
10. Urara Fujii, JPN, 0 - 3
12. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 0 - 4

www.wimseries.com

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Quality sells
Even TP52 class manager Rob Weiland is faintly amazed at the number of TP52s in build

Have your say!
The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation needs your help... as Dobbs Davis explains

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine

Esimit Europa 2 Wins Barcolana Regatta
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi, carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Trieste, Italy: "What a race!" was the most common remark among the thousands of spectators at the dock side of Trieste, after a dramatic finish of the 46th edition of the Barcolana regatta, as Esimit Europa 2 crossed the finish line first, struggling in conditions of calm and very light breeze up to only 2 knots of speed.

At the famous Barcolana, the sailing festival in Trieste, 1,878 yachts gathered at the starting line, which was the highest number of yachts in the last five years. This year, this largest single-start regatta in the Mediterranean was marked with extreme conditions of calm and light breeze, in which the crews had to navigate in no more than two knots of wind speed throughout the course of the race. The organizers had to shorten the original course of about 13 nautical miles to end at the first water mark.

In a dramatic finish with sailboats Maxi Jena, Tempus fugit and Illyteca (Tutta Trieste), the crew of Esimit Europa 2, which is composed of the best sailors from 11 different European countries, led by the German sailing legend in the role of skipper and helmsman, Jochen Schumann, managed to cross the finish line as the first in the fleet. After 2 hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds of sailing on only about four nautical miles long course of today's race, the Esimit Europa 2 achieved its fifth consecutive victory at the Barcolana regatta, and its 34 consecutive victory since its christening in 2010. The second and third place went to the sailing boats Illyteca and Maxi Jena.

In very different conditions of this race in the year 2010, the Esimit Europa 2 established the record of 56 minutes and 13 seconds on the 16.8-mile course.

www.esimit.com

Eric Monnin Wins Teamwork Geneva Match Race
Swiss local hero Eric Monnin and his team Sailbox won the twelfth edition of TeamWork Geneva Match Race ahead of David Gilmour (AUS) and Arthur Herreman (FRA).

The final took place on Sunday afternoon in light and fluky winds off the Societe Nautique de Genève. Eric Monnin didn't leave a chance to Gilmour, winning the final 2-0.

Monnin was sailing with olympian sailors Yannick Brauchli and Romuald Hausser, as well as Julien Falxa.

Slightly disappointed with his result, Gilmour said he enjoyed sailing on lake Geneva for the first time: "It's a beautiful spot and we were very happy to compete here. We are disappointed with our result but Eric sailed really well. We've been in Europe since may and this is the end of our european tour. We will now head to Bermuda where we will once again sail against Monnin."

TeamWork Geneva Match Race was organized by Societe Nautique de Genève with the support of IT company TeamWork.

Final ranking, TeamWork Geneva Match Race 2014
1. Team Sailbox, Eric Monnin (SUI)
2. Team Gilmour, David Gilmour (AUS)
3. Match the World Sailing Team, Arthur Herreman
4. Lumba Match Race Team, Dejan Presen

18ft Skiffs R. Watt Memorial Trophy
Sydney Harbour, Australia: 18ft Skiff Racing was back on Sydney Harbour today when the Australian 18 Footers League staged the R. Watt Memorial Trophy 3-Buoys race as the opening event of its 2014-2015 Season.

A perfect 18-knot North-East sea breeze prevailed, giving competitors some excellent rides and spectators great racing action to watch.

The Thurlow Fisher Lawyers crew of Michael Coxon, Dave O'Çonnor and Trent Barnabas were superb to lead for most of the race before finally crossing the finish line 12s ahead of the nearest challenger.

Asko Appliances (James Dorron, Jeronimo Harrison, Gus Williams) were consistently near the head of the fleet throughout the race to come home in a deserved second place.

Seve Jarvin, Scott Babbage and Clinton Evans (Gotta Love It 7)were a further 54s back in third place.

With new teams and several replacement skippers and crews on the opening day, the race produced some great battles throughout with placings changing continuously behind the winner. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

Final Placings were:
1. Thurlow Fisher Lawyers
2. Asko Appliances
3. Gotta Love It 7
4. Lumix
5. Smeg
6. Appliancesonline
7. Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel
8. Yandoo
9. Mojo Wine
10. Compassmarkets.com
11. Noakesailing
12. Fisher & Paykel
13. Ilve

Retired:
De'Longhi, Pure Blonde, The Kitchen Maker

www.18footers.com.au
www.18footers.tv

Nick Bubb Joins The John Merricks Sailing Trust As A Trustee
Nick was the recipient of a JMST award back in 2003 which supported his Mini Transat campaign and allowed him to demonstrate the potential he had begun to show as an emerging talent in shorthanded ocean racing. He subsequently went on to race around the world non-stop on a maxi-cat in the Oryx Quest, competed in the Volvo Ocean Race, Transat Jacques-Vabre, Route du Rhum, Mini Transat, numerous Round Britain & Ireland races and many other Open 60, Class 40, Mini and Figaro events.

More recently, Nick skippered the centenary Shackleton Epic Expedition during their crossing of the Southern Ocean re-tracing Shackleton's voyage from Antarctica to South Georgia, on a 23 foot wooden rowing boat in vintage clothing.

Professionally Nick no longer works in sailing and after a short career in finance, now works with the wildlife conservation charity Fauna & Flora International as their Global Development Executive. Many of his achievements he attributes to the support he received from the JMST and the life changing opportunities that were given to him as a result.

As part of the voluntary role which includes helping to select future awardees and promoting the JMST, Nick will be representing the Trust at the North Sails Golf Day on Friday 24th October, an annual event that always draws the support of former colleagues and friends of John's.

Sir Ben Ainslie and Matt Cornwell from Ben Ainslie Racing and Iain Percy, Skipper of Artemis Racing will be joining Nick and a host of past Olympic medallists, professional sailors, yacht designers and marine industry colleagues, who turn out to play a good game of golf whilst remembering John and supporting the charity in his name.

www.jmst.org.uk

Venezuelan David Gonzalez Arria Wins The 2014 Sunfish Youth World Championship
Arapahoe, North Carolina, USA: Holding a slim two point lead going into the final race of the nine race series, David Gonzalez Arria of Venezuela stayed ahead of his closest competitor and finished third in the race to win the series. Alonso Collantes of Peru was seventh in the final race to finish second overall. Finishing strong in the last two days of racing and rounding out the top three was Daniela Rodriguez of Ecuador. John Birkett also representing Ecuador was fourth and Chase Carraway of the United States finished in fifth. Thirty seven competitors from six countries participated in the championship. The Youth World Championship was open

The Youth World Championship will be immediately followed by the Sunfish World Championship with seventy two sailors. Twelve races are scheduled in the World Championship running from October 13 through 16 with October 17 as a reserve day if necessary.

2014 Sunfish Youth Worlds final results

www.sunfishclass.org

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The Last Word
So Einstein was wrong when he said, "God does not play dice." Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that he sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen. -- Stephen Hawking

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

How Libby Outsmarted The Guys
Libby Greenhalgh took her courage in her hands and split with the rest of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet approaching the Straits of Gibraltar - and it briefly left the women of Team SCA in a good lead as they entered the Atlantic on Monday.

The Team SCA navigator has made her reputation as a skilled meteorologist but she still wondered if she had made the right call when she ordered the magenta boat to go north when the other 55 sailors went south.

"Everyone except us were going the southerly route through the Straits and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why," said the Briton.

"We wanted to stay with the fleet but we also wanted to stick with our plan - and our plan has us sailing north."

The crew had to wait four hours after their tactical gamble for their next position report - and found that they were sitting pretty, some 21 nautical miles clear of their rivals.

"The team collectively hooted and hollered for joy as Libby told us we were ahead," related their onboard reporter, Corinne Halloran. "Our risk paid off big time and we are now officially sailing in the Atlantic Ocean."

By midday CEST (10:26 UTC), however, the rest of the fleet had made up for lost time and were again bunched up in a 14-mile spread from first, Team Vestas Wind, to last, MAPFRE. By this time, Team SCA were fifth.

All of the fleet, were sailing at around 10 knots.

At 2155 UTC, October 13:

1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
2. MAPRE
3. Team Alvimedica
4. Team Vestas Wind
5. Team Brunel
6. Team SCA
7. Dongfeng Race Team

volvooceanrace.com

How A Bitter Feud Sank The Sydney To Hobart Race Yacht Wild Thing
It was the high-profile sailing partnership that promised a return to the glory days of its maiden win in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race.

But the team behind the drama-plagued 100-footer Wild Thing has imploded in a mire of bankruptcy, financial disputes and accusations of incompetence that famously saw the vessel disqualified just three hours before the start of the 2012 race.

The boat's skipper Grant Wharington has been bankrupted following a disastrous property project in Victoria and has fallen out royally with the boat's alleged owner David Price over finances and the failures of Wild Thing.

Under questioning by lawyer Innis Cull, Mr Price blamed Mr Wharington for the team being disqualified from the 2012 race, which he believes Wild Thing would have won.

Officials ruled team Wild Thing had not properly submitted their paperwork, but Mr Price told the court Mr Wharington included false information on documents about modifications he had made to the boat, leading to them being disqualified.

"We were disqualified because he was inept in building and helping to build the boat," Mr Price said.

"His representations were incorrect, he lied on documents and ... the racing commissioner ... forbid us from entering, causing great distress to everybody involved."

The [bankruptcy] examination heard disputed claims about the value and ownership of Wild Thing, which is at risk of falling into the trustee's hands.

Mr Price's company, BC-39, allegedly bought the boat from Wharington Properties for about $40,000, despite estimates valuing it at more than $1 million, the court heard.

But shipping records showed it was still listed as being owned by the company.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Luderitz Speed Challenge
Luderitrz, Namibia: Easier conditions, records have increased.

After the last strong conditions, today the wind was good enough to improve and break some other National Records.

Beginning at 20-25 knots reaching 30-35 knots in the middle of the afternoon.

This 3rd day of race has seen improved conditions with a more stable wind and a shallower wind angle.

The channel has been pumped to increase the level of water as well.

Andrew Redfern, the Fijian who has established the record of his nation on Thursday reaching 36.41 kts in difficult conditions and never stopped improving today until exceeding 40 knots. He has been helped and coached by Anders Bringdal, Farrel O'Shea and Sébastien Cattelan. As Andrew Redfern is leaving us tonight, the new Fijian Record is now 40.87 kts.

Another National Record has been broken today. We saw the Swedish kitesurfer Roger Ornvang pushing it the whole day until achieving 43.19 kts beating his own record from last year which was 41 knots.

The spectators enjoyed a nice battle between the young Dutch Hans Kreisel and his mentor Jacques van der Hout who led the race today with 47.74 kts.

Some of the riders took the opportunity to train in choppy conditions today and test some equipment in the lagoon.

Erik Beale has shown lots of knowledge from his great experience in Speed Sailing using the whole day to test his prototypes which are a combination of a windsurf and kitesurf board adding a cavitating fin. The result looks promissing. -- Sophie Routaboul

luderitz-speed.com

Uncompromising, highly functional and extremely light weight; Tested and approved by many of the world's finest sailors.

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Postponement Of Monday's Racing At The Busan Cup
Photo by Kim Wolf. Click on image to enlarge.

With winds around 30 knots, and even stronger gusts from the nearby Super Typhoon Vongfong, there was no possibility at all to race in Busan on Monday. The sailors received the disappointing but expected message when gathered for the Monday morning briefing in the 19th floor gym of the Seacloud Hotel:

“From the hotel roof we can clearly see the sea state and feel how much the wind is blowing, well above the limit” Regatta Director Alfredo Ricci stated.

“Even without the Official Warning of Korean Coast Guard, there wasn’t a single chance to sail today” Ricci continued.

The Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, the last event on the 2014 WIM Series, will resume racing Tuesday, if the weather allows

Standings in the round-robin of the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, the fifth and final event of the 2014 WIM Series (skipper, country, wins - losses):

wimseries.com

Rare British Win In The Star Class
Ante Razmilovic and Brian Hammersley scored a rare British win in the Star class Trofeo d'Amicizia at Brenzone on Lake Garda over the weekend. They beat the reigning European Champions, Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi of Italy by one point, with Christian Scheinecker and Gebhardt Wallinger of Austria third. Since the removal of the Star class from the Olympics few Star boats are raced by British crews. -- Gerald New in SailWeb.co.uk

International Star - Trofeo d'Amicizia - Final top five:

1. Ante Razmilovic, Brian Hammersley, GBR, 11 points
2. Diego Negri, Sergio Lambertenghi, ITA, 12
3. Christian Scheinecker, Gebhard Wallinger, AUT, 19
4. Tom Lofstedt, Jesper Sundman, SWE, 20
5. Alexey Zhivotovsky, Lev Shnyk, Vodnik, RUS, 23

Full results: www.sailweb.co.uk

San Francisco Return For Rolex Farr 40 Fleet
The 17th edition of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will be held in San Francisco, California 15-18 October.

The St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, last hosted this event in 2004; however, the Farr 40 fleet recently had the opportunity to test the famed wind and tidal conditions of San Francisco Bay during September's Rolex Big Boat Series. The current Rolex Farr 40 World Champion, Italy's Alberto Rossi, sailing Enfant Terrible, finished second overall at the event, succumbing to Rolex Farr 40 North American Champion Alex Roepers a native of The Netherlands who skippers Plenty.

Rossi won his 2013 World Championship on a tie-breaker countback following the closest finish in the event's history, and his crew will again be joined by skilled tactician Vasco Vascotto, fresh from an impressive Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup onboard the Mini Maxi Robertissima III. However, successfully defending a Rolex Farr 40 world title is a difficult task and has only been achieved by one team: Italy's Mascalzone Latino in 2007 and 2008.

The first of four days of racing commences on Wednesday 15 October, with the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship prizegiving concluding the week's activities on Saturday 18 October.

farr40.org
farr40worlds.com

Just So Dominates Jog Offshore and Inshore Series
David McGough's J109 'Just So' has dominated the 2014 JOG Offshore and Inshore series from the outset. Starting with a win in the Cowes-Cherbourg Race in April, she went on to take three further firsts, a second and fourth for a convincing overall win in the Offshore series.

A closely fought win in this weekend's JOG Inshore Cowes-Owers race, saw her vying against J109 Jibe, and put her clear ahead to win the Inshore series, with fours firsts, two seconds and a fourth.

Powered by Elvstrom Sails EPEX laminate membrane sails, Just So also won the 2013 Offshore series. This is the first time she has won both JOG series in the same year.

A very happy David said, "We had everything on Saturday, 5 to 19 knots, sunshine, heavy rain and hail. The thunder and lightning threatened but was always on the edges. The wind shifts were huge and we played snakes and ladders with Jibe.

However, in difficult conditions yesterday, and even with only six of us and our revered tactician in bed ill, we managed another 1st out of 12 boats with Jibe two minutes behind. We were first overall on corrected time by 20 seconds out of 58 boats! What a way to finish the season - it has been a great JOG year."

www.jog.org.uk

Voodoo Child Wins Bluboats Cup 2014
The Voodoo Child Sailing Team Team won last weekend not only the blu26 class championship at the Züricher Yacht Club but with this also the Bluboats Cup 2014, the annual blu26 class championship. In second place we find last years winner Giachen Racing and in third place the Team Hazel. Overall 22 blu26 have participated in the five championship regattas held in Switzerland and Germany.

The full results matrix of the Bluboats Cup 2014 is online in the news section of the bluboats website: www.bluboats.com

New Uk Youth Sailing And Education Initiative
On Monday October 13th, Sir Keith Mills and four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie launched the 1851 Trust, which aims to inspire and engage a new generation through sailing and the marine industry, providing young people with the education, skills and training to become innovators of the future and stewards of the marine environment.

The Duchess of Cambridge will be Royal Patron of the new charity.

The Trust will be supported by Ben Ainslie Racing, and the team will host a Visitor Centre for the Trust at the team's Portsmouth headquarters, opening in June 2015. It will be an interactive showcase for the sport, sustainability and innovation. Sir Ben Ainslie will also be a Patron of the 1851 Trust.

1851 was the year of the Great Exhibition, a celebration of modern industrial science, technology and design and championed by Prince Albert. It was an opportunity for countries to showcase the best of their achievements. A syndicate of businessmen from the United States brought the schooner called America to demonstrate their shipbuilding skills. America outclassed the British racing fleet of 1851, and began the challenge that Ben Ainslie Racing have now embraced - to bring the Cup home.

The Trustees will be: Rod Carr CBE, Chair of UK Sport; Robert Elliott, Chairman and Senior Partner of Linklaters, the global law firm; Jo Grindley, representing Ben Ainslie Racing; Sir Richard Ottaway MP; Wendy Schmidt, President of The Schmidt Family Foundation and co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute; Rob Stevens CB, former Chief Executive of the British Marine Federation; and Georgie Thompson, broadcaster.

www.1851Trust.org.uk

Garmin Hamble Winter Series / MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships
There might have been a mixed bag of weather conditions but the central Solent hosted some great, close racing for the second weekend of the 2014 Garmin Hamble Winter Series, this week comprising the first of two MDL Hamble Big Boats championship weekends.

For the second race of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series the forecast predicted a light Northeasterly wind that would build to around 17 knots as the day went on, and so it proved, with all classes fitting in two races from a startline near Hill Head.

The big boats of IRC 0 were first away. Niklas Zennstrom's Farr 45 Kolga won both races, ahead of a brace of J/111s - Louise Makin's Kolga and Chris Body's Icarus with two 2nds and two 3rd places respectively.

In IRC1, Bernard Olesinski's X-40 Xinska improved on her 2nd place last week to score two firsts this week. Tim Octon's Doyle Sails and Nick Rawbone's Playing Around took a 2nd place apiece.

In IRC2, Robbie and Lis Robinson's Hot Rats leads the class overall after their win in the first race of the day, ahead of HOD35 Malice. They finished 2nd in the second race behind Richard Searle's JPL1010 Pincer Movement.

IRC 3 saw a first and second apiece for two J/97s, BlackJack II and ETB Tyres Just Like That, who now sit a point apart at the top of the leaderboard. John Noe's La Nef IV had two thirds.

In the J/109s, Roger Philips' Designstar 2 extended her lead over the rest of the fleet with another two first places. Nigel Goodhew's Persephone did the same in the Sigma 38 class, giving her a 3-point lead over Chris and Vanessa Choules in With Alacrity.

As last week, IRC 4 had the smallest boats but the biggest entry and some of the closest racing in the fleet. Toby Gorman's Sigma 33, Stan the Boat sailed a blinding day to win both races.

The weekend also hosted the first of two MDL Hamble Big Boat Series weekend, featuring racing for Farr 45s, J/111s and IRC0 and 1 classes keen to finish off their season with some close and exciting racing.

In IRC 0, Tokoloshe II, a GP42 owned by Michael Bartholemew, leads overall after two firsts and two second places. She is four points ahead of Niklas Zennstrom's Kolga, which scored three third places and one first, and Ben Saunders' Ker 40 Keronimo in third place.

In IRC 1, Bernard Olesinski's X-40 Xinska scored four bullets to top the class. Behind her, Jim Macgregor's Premier Flair took three seconds and a fourth to sit second overall, ahead of Nick Rawbone's 40.7 Playing Around in third, tied on points with Stuart Wilkie's Puma in fourth.

The J/111 class was topped by Cornel Riklin's Jitterbug, which scored two firsts and two seconds to place them 6 points clear of Chris Body's Icarus. Martin Dent's JElvis finished the weekend equal on points with JElvis but a place behind her on countback, in third.

The MDL Hamble Big Boat Championship returns for its final weekend in a fortnight. Next weekend sees the third Garmin Hamble Winter Series race day and the final weekend of the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships.

www.hamblewinterseries.com

Student Yachting World Cup
La Rochelle, France: The SYWoC is an event organized every year in France by students for students. Created in 1979 under the name of Course de l'Europe, the cup was just meant to great participants from Western Europe. But, as time went by, more and more Eastern European countries joined the cup. That's why the Course de l'Europe changed its name to become the SYWoC.

Now, any country can take part at this yearly-event. For now, one country is represented by only one team, who represents its university (or school) too. The university winning the SYWoC is pre-selected to take part to the next edition to defend their tittle.

The regatta lasts one whole week in France and gathers about 150 competitors, representing 15 countries from all around the world. During this week, the atmosphere is both sportive and multicultural. The first night, every team has to participate at the crews' dinner by bringing some dishes or some beverage representing their country. This way, the students have an opportunity to meet and discover other culture before the cup begins. Each night, students can also meet at the dinner room and have some nice time with the participants.

This year's event is from October 15 to 22.

www.sywoc.org

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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
For me, a bit of anthropology in the evening is always better than staying and watching the telly. -- Nick Rhodes

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Katie Spithill To The Top In Busan
Busan, Korea: Racing resumed Tuesday in Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, after yesterday's postponement due to strong winds. A difficult sea state and shifting winds remained to challenge the sailors, but Australian Katie Spithill managed to come out of the day with six wins and only one loss, finishing her round-robin with a 9 - 2 total that takes her to the top of the score board.

Trine Palludan of Danish World #1 Team Ulrikkeholm finished her round-robin stage with eight wins and three defeats, after a 5 - 2 result in Tuesday's matches

For French Anne-Claire Le Berre, the swells and the shifting winds caused more trouble, as she went from undefeated at the top to a fourth position overall with her 5 - 3 score so far

Standings in the yet incomplete round-robin of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, the fifth and final event of the 2014 WIM Series (skipper, country, wins - losses):

1. Katie Spithill, AUS, 9 - 2
2. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 6 - 2
3. Trine Palludan, DEN, 8 - 3
4. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 5 - 3
4. Denise Lim, SIN, 5 - 3
6. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 3 - 2
7. Stephanie Roble, USA, 4 - 4
8. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 2 - 3
9. Susannah Pyatt, NZL, 4 - 7
10. Urara Fujii, JPN, 2 - 6
11. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 0 - 5
11. Sung Eun Choi, KOR, 0 - 8

wimseries.com

Star North Americans
The 2014 International Star Class North American Championship came to an exciting close Saturday with the completion of the final race in the series held at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in some of the most challenging winds Star sailors have faced in a Silver or Gold Star regatta this year. Overall success was not defined by number of race wins, but by consistency and maintaining a low point average as seen in the final results. Within the top 5 finishers, none of the teams won a race throughout the series and 1st through 5th place, with 40 and 72 total points respectively, were separated by a seemingly large 32 point gap that calculates to a mere 4 point difference in race finishing place averages. Brazilians Torben Grael and Guilherme Almeida (BRA 8210) ultimately won the Championship with a cumulative 40 points and a race average 8th place for all 8 races.

For Race 8, the final race of the 2014 International Star Class North American Championship, the Race Committee sent the Star sailors on their longest and most difficult race yet: the 5 leg, windward-leeward Course 3 with 1.8 mile long legs.

Alan Campbell and crew Steve Rollo (USA 8045) crossed the finish line in 1st place, winning one of the International Star Class's 5 North American Championship perpetual trophies: the Edward N Hay Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the 1st place finisher in the last race of the series.

Jerry Wendt and crew Ezra Culver (CAN 8389) finished the race in 2nd overall, earning Culver his first Star Class Honor of 1 Silver Bar for a Race Top 3 Finishing Crew. Tomas Hornos and Josh Revkin (USA 8177) finished in 3rd place with Paul Cayard and Brian Terhaar (USA 8460) immediately behind them in 4th, and Derek DeCounteau with crew Jamie Stewart (USA 8083) crossing in 5th place.

Top 5 after 5 races (preliminary):

1. Torben Grael & Guilherme Almeida, BRA, 40 points
2. Tomas Hornos & Josh Revkin, USA, 46
3. Arthur Anosov & David Caesar, USA, 48
4. Paul Cayard & Brian Terhaar, USA, 61
5. Jack Jennings &Jesse Fielding, USA, 72

Full Final Overall Results

www.starnorthamericans.com

Dubarry Crosshaven - 'Race Face' Protection
It's pitch-black. We're on the wind halfway across the Irish Sea, heading for 'The Rock' in a Force 6 - and it's building. On the rail we might look like a troop of Japanese snow monkeys on valium but we've huddled into something like comfort when skip calls the headsail change we've been dreading for the last five minutes. Three minutes later I'm clipped on with my feet on the leeward toerail with an armful of changed foresail when a wave engulfs the foredeck. The water clears and I'm still onboard thanks to the combined efforts of my tether and the stanchion lodged in my crotch. Lucky me.

Sail change over I'm back on the rail but my feet are cold and wet and my enthusiasm for this caper ebbs quickly away, unlike the sea water - the boots were still wet a week after the finish in Plymouth. It's 1989 and, though the stylishly weathered Shamrock boot is much in evidence, the Crosshaven is but a dream. Had I been wearing Crosshavens, the gaiter and drawstring would have kept my feet dry and my race face on. Funny how something so simple can be so incredibly effective.

Dubarry Crosshaven - Born at sea

dubarry.com

Breeze On At The 2014 Sunfish World Championship
Arapahoe, North Carolina, USA: After a light air day one, day two brought big breeze and plenty of chop to the race course. Principal Race Officer, Hal Smith put the fleet through their paces to get in four races and bring the throw out to the score sheet.

Francisco Renna of Argentina was untouchable all day, winning all four races to lead the seventy two boat fleet with eight points overall. Single digit finishes in all four races moved USA team members Conner Blouin and David Mendelblatt into second and third. 2011 Sunfish Youth World Champion Jean Paul de Trazegnies of Peru also put up great scores with three seconds and a fifth to move up to fourth overall. USA's Hank Saurage rounds out the top five.

Race seven of the series is scheduled for 1000 on Wednesday. A total of twelve races are scheduled in the World Championship running through October 16 with October 17 as a reserve day if necessary.

Top five after six races

1. Francisco Renna, ARG, 8 points
2. Conner Blouin, USA, 22
3. David Mendelblatt, USA, 28
4. Jean Paul de Trazegnies, PER, 30
5. Hank Saurage, USA, 33

Full Results

Bronenosec Triumphant On 2014 Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit
Swan 60 Bronenosec has won the Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit for a second consecutive year. Vladimir Liubomirov's team is relishing a clean sweep for 2014 having won all three events in the circuit series, sitting on top with a clear 6 points in their favour.

The team representing Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, Russia won the Nord Stream Race, 2014 Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship held in conjunction with Copa del Rey MAPFRE and were the top Swan 60 at the Rolex Swan Cup.

Tim Kroger's Spirit of Europe has also excelled in consistency throughout the 2014 circuit taking a highly coveted second at the World Championship this year which puts her in second place overall.

Renowned yacht racing names involved with the Gazprom Swan 60 circuit continues to grow since the conception of the class in 2012. USA'S Olympic gold medallist Carl Buchanan and pro sailor Jack Slattery were new comers to the fleet this year. New Russian racers for Bronenosec included pro Anton Sergeev from the 470 and 49er dinghy classes with experience in the Russian national match racing team.

www.gazpromswan60class.com

2014 RS:X Youth World Championships
Less than week to go before Opening Ceremonies at the 2014 RS:X Youth World Windsurfing Championships in Clearwater Florida.

The start of the event is October 18. Preparations are in full swing and more than 85 competitors from 20 nations and 4 continents have already registered. These championships are limited to Olympic Class athletes under 19 years old.

"Windsurfing has been an Olympic sport for thirty years." said Jerome Samson, President of United States Windsurfing, "The worldwide youth pipeline has never been this strong. We're absolutely delighted to welcome the best young windsurfers in the world to the US. "

Event website: www.rsxclass.com/youthworlds2014/

Matt Allen: America's Cup Threatens Olympic Gold Medal Charge
The president of Yachting Australia has revealed the America's Cup is the biggest challenge to the ongoing success of Australia's Olympic sailing program.

"Quite honestly the America's Cup is our biggest challenge in the sport," Allen told The Australian. "If you're swimming for Australia that's the pinnacle if you're in the Olympics. For sailing there is actually another financial level and that's the America's Cup.

"So our challenge is to make sure that we don't lose our best athletes to the America's Cup."

While the Olympic competition is decided athlete vs athlete using identical equipment, the battle for the Auld Mug is often settled by big cheque books and the designers' drawing board.

Following the London Games, Australia's gold medallists were all signed by America's Cup teams.

Allen, alongside the Oatleys, who was originally the America's Cup Challenger of Record, moved to lock in a more Olympic-friendly timeframe for the America's Cup regatta. -- Simon King in The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/

'Important Piece Of History' at Spanish Armada Wreck Beach
A rudder from a ship that formed part of the Spanish Armada discovered at a beach in Co Sligo recently has been transferred to the care of the National Museum for preservation and study.

As Sligo Today reports, the 20-foot rudder was found on the beach at Streedagh - renowned for hosting the wrecks of three ships from the 1588 galleon fleet - by a local farmer, who contacted the Department of Heritage's Underwater Archaeology Unit.

The rudder is almost completely intact, with a piece missing which the archaeologists believe may have been picked up at random by a passer by believing it to be driftwood.

It's hoped that this part can be recovered to put together "an important piece of history".

From Afloat: afloat.ie/marine-environment/

Story in Sligo Today: www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=33155

Top British Optimist End Of Season Championship
Light winds made for challenging sailing at the Volvo Gill Optimist End of Season Championship this past weekend at Rutland Sailing Club. The event marked the end of the summer sailing season in the UK for one of the largest competitive classes in the world. Around 300 of the country's top young sailors took part, including five members of the Great Britain Optimist Worlds Team who are heading to San Isidro, Argentina next week for the Optimist World Championships.

The main fleet as always showed the talent some of the best young sailors this country has to offer. Will Hall a GBR Optimist World team member proved his worth for the second year in a row and took home the trophy of End of Season Champion.

The tricky conditions and unpredictable wind patterns on Rutland water makes these young sailors' achievements even greater.

Main Fleet:
1st - Will Hall, Cardiff Bay Yacht Club
1st girl, (6th overall) - Julia Mellers
2nd - Kai Wolgram
3rd - Archie Leckie

Transition Fleet:
1st - Oliver Meadowcroft, Upper Thames Sailing Club
1st girl, (2nd overall) - Florence Brellisford
3rd - Terry Hacker

Regatta Fleet:
1st - Alexander Cogan Sivarajan, Clyde Cruising Club
1st girl, (2nd overall) - Carys Attwell - Rutland Sailing Club
3rd - Jamie Gatehouse

www.optimistsailing.org.uk

Is The New Dublin Bay 24 The Best Way Forward For Old Classic Yachts?
The preservation of old boats can be a contentious issue, particularly so when the vessel is of significant historical interest at several levels, such as Erskine & Molly Childers' ketch Asgard. Technical and academic question arise as to when a refit become a major refurbishment, when does a preservation become a conservation, or when is a restoration veering into being a re-build? Alternatively, should you simply cut your losses and build from new, but using the original plans if the boat meant something very special to you and the larger maritime community? W M Nixon takes a look at three special boats of Irish interest which are currently at an important changes of course in their voyages through life.

A month ago, when I heard from an acquaintance with a Classic in the Balearics that he'd heard a rumour a restored Dublin Bay 24 had been seen sailing in the inner reaches of the Bay of Biscay, and seemed to be very much at home there. This I thought rather good news, as it seems to me to be a much more appropriate setting for these very special boats than the French Rivera with its harsh sun, where the classic yachts are so large that the Dublin Bay 24s, or whatever they were to be called, would be virtually invisible.

For once, it's good news, albeit with a slightly sad tinge. The slightly sad note is that the Dublin Bay 24 Periwinkle, which never left her birthplace in Scotland and was only united permanently with her sisters when they were all shipped to Brittany several years ago, is now absolutely no more. Well, her tiller still exists and is in use, but whether that's the original tiller from 1948 is another matter. And her lead ballast keel still exists. But the rest of Perwinkle is totally gone, burnt to ashes. Yet Periwinkle still sails, and is looking very well indeed.......

The story of the Periwinkle replica and much much more by WM Nixon in Afloat:

afloat.ie/blogs/

Safety At Sea Seminars
The 2015 Safety at Sea Symposium is scheduled for March 21-22, 2015 at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. The symposium is sanctioned by US Sailing and the seminars fulfill a part of the Marion Bermuda Race Safety Requirements:

At least 30% of those aboard the boat, but not fewer than two members of the crew, unless racing single-handed, including the person in charge, shall have attended a one-day or two-day US Sailing Safety at Sea Seminar within the last 5 years, or other courses as accepted by US Sailing.

It is not required (currently) that return crew attend, but we strongly recommend it. Safety is just as important cruising home from Bermuda as it is racing to Bermuda.

This symposium features a very experienced group of speakers to address a series of topics which are of vital interest to all serious sailors. In addition to the safety topics there will be breakout sessions for the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race and the Marion Bermuda Race. On-site registration will begin at 0700, March 21, 2015. The program begins promptly at 0730 and is scheduled to continue until 1600.

For more information, visit: bit.ly/MBR_SAS

Featured Brokerage
2008 Elliott Super Sport. 180000 Euros. Located in Auckland, New Zealand.

Elliott 9metre Super Sport OVERLOAD is a carbon fiber 30ft canting keel race yacht, designed by Greg Elliott. It was set up and built for inshore/coastal and even offshore racing, launched in September 2008.

OVERLOAD has a carbon mast, carbon prod, full set of North sails, Ronstan/Harken deck gear, Lewmar winches, cradle. The yacht is well maintained and in like new condition.

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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Every man should be allowed to love two cities, his own and San Francisco. -- Gene Fowler

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Rolex Farr 40 World Championship
San Francisco, Ca, USA: Success often follows success, and that was never truer than today as racing for the coveted Rolex Farr 40 World Championship title got underway on San Francisco Bay. There are 19 international teams vying for the championship crown, but the dominating performance on the opening day of the championship series was turned in by New York's Alexander Roepers, on Plenty, with three wins in as many races run on the Berkeley Circle.

The consistency exhibited today by the crew on Plenty only adds to the luster of a standout year: having been second at Cabrillo Beach in March, the team went on to win the Rolex Farr 40 North Americans in May, the Cal Cup in June and the Rolex Big Boat Series which was sailed in San Francisco just last month.

Roepers gave credit to the crew when asked about the team's performance: the four professional sailors, Terry Hutchinson (tactician), Skip Baxter, Morgan Trubovich and Greg Gendell, along with Ted Hackney, Scott Holmgren, Matt McDonough, Dimitri Simons and Jennifer Wulff.

Plenty leads the overall standings with three points, followed by 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Guido Belgiorno-Nettis on the Australian-flagged Transfusion which posted finishes of 3-2-4 for nine points. The two other Australian teams in the fleet are next in the standings: Lisa and Martin Hill, on Estate Master, finished 4-3-8 for 15 points and third place in the overall standings; while Andrew Hunn, on Voodoo Chile, went 9-6-3 for 18 points to stand fourth. Tied for fourth is the defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Alberto Rossi, on the Italian-flagged Enfant Terrible, with finishes of 5-7-6.

Racing resumes tomorrow, October 16, and concludes on October 18, when a champion will be crowned.

Complete results

Event: farr40worlds.com

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao
Qingdao, China: The second day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao will see the breeze and current increase to make for an intriguing day of racing.

Up to 2 knots of current and a south westerly breeze ranging from 13-18 knots gusting up to 20 knots will test the sailors.

Racing for the 171 sailors from 21 nations in six classes will commence at 13:00 local time.

Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) blitzed the Laser fleet on the opening day taking both bullets ahead of Pavlos Kontides (CYP) who came through in second in both races. With the wind picking up Stipanovic will have his work cut out to record another double bullet day.

In the Laser Radial Dongshuang Zhang (CHN) has a small advantage following a solid opening day.

Lu Yunxiu (CHN) and Olga Maslivets (RUS) share the lead in the Women's RS:X whilst Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) tops the bill in the Men's fleet.

Pavlos Kagialis and Panagiotis Mantis (GRE) and Wei Mengxi and Xu Yani (CHN) hold top spot in the Men's and Women's RS:X.

www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Palludan & Macgregor Leading Busan Semis 1 - 0
After an intense Wednesday in light winds and bright sunshine on the waters of the Korean Haeundae Beach, the round-robin of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race was completed. Lucy Macgregor of Great Britain and Danish Trine Palludan have now taken a firm grip of their respective semi final, with Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg and Katie Spithill of Australia both one match down/

The Korean waters of Haeundae showed another side of itself during Wednesday's racing, when bright sunshine and just a light breeze followed on the initial days, clearly affected with heavy rain and strong winds from the nearby Super Typhoon Vongfong. The lack of time due to previously having lost one day of racing to Vongfong, caused the regatta organizers to cancel the quarterfinal stage and immediately move on to the semis.

Standings in the semis of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, the fifth and final event of the 2014 WIM Series:
Trine Palludan, DEN - Katie Spithill, AUS 1 - 0
Lucy Macgregor, GBR - Anna Kjellberg, SWE 1 - 0

Results in the round-robin of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race (skipper, country, wins - losses):
1. Katie Spithill, AUS, 9 - 2
2. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 8 - 3
3. Trine Palludan, DEN, 8 - 3
4. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 8 - 3

5. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 7 - 4
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 6 - 5
7. Stephanie Roble, USA, 6 - 5
8. Denise Lim, SIN, 5 - 6
9. Susannah Pyatt, NZL, 4 - 7
10. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 3 - 8
11. Urara Fujii, JPN, 2 - 9
12. Sung Eun Choi, KOR, 0 - 11

wimseries.com

Hurricane Gonzalo Delays Argo Group Gold Cup
Hamilton Bermuda: In a meeting today [Wednesday Oct. 15] Argo Group Gold Cup organizers at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) took a close look at Hurricane Gonzalo's predicted track and intensity and decided to delay the event schedule by one day to allow crews the opportunity to reschedule flights to arrive after the storm has passed and the airport is reopened. Practice will now be held on Tuesday Oct 21 and racing will be scheduled to start Wednesday morning Oct 22.

Bermuda, host island to the Argo Group Gold Cup - stage 6 of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour had a brush with Hurricane Fay last Sunday, Oct. 12. Now less than a week later Bermuda expects for a relatively direct hit from dangerous Hurricane Gonzalo. The Cat.4 storm is now predicted to pass within 42 miles to the west of Bermuda on Friday. All of Bermuda is hoping for the best, bracing for the worst.

Because of the one-day delay to the start of racing, the remainder of the schedule will be compressed and organizers will take advantage of the fine weather predicted after the storm to get the full event in for the competitors and spectators. The winner of the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy takes home $50,000 of the $100,000 prize purse.

argogroupgoldcup.com

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

A most remarkable man - Part 2
With the first edition of Bart's Bash Blue Robinson, Iain Percy, Ben Ainslie and Anthony Nossiter reflect on the big man himself

Nowhere to hide
Andrew Hurst throws caution to the wind as he looks at this year's round-the-world fleet...

Holding on
Jon Mitchell of Marlow looks at the progress that continues to be made with Dyneema fibres

RORC news
And the 'new' Maxi 72 Class officially comes into being... Eddie Warden-Owen

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine

IMOCA Class General Assembly
It was a studious General Assembly meeting that took place in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nantes this Wednesday 15th October. On the agenda was the event programme for the class for the coming years, the partnership with OSM (Open Sports Management) and the re-writing of the design rules with the addition of some external expertise. After 23 years of evolution, the rules needed more coherence and better legibility, adapted to meet the needs of the current projects.

This GA was, above all else, confirmation of the direction taken by the IMOCA Class around the design rule. This means that, for all new boats built, they will have to use a standardised keel and mast. Two key objectives were cited for this decision, on the one hand the management of budgets for the new parts and, on the other, a reinforcement of the safety factors around the keels. Today, they estimated a lowering of budgets by around 10-15%, based on the prototype pieces.

With 6 new boats in construction, it was essential that the rules from last year remain in place, at least until the finish of the 2016 Vendee Globe event, which marks the end of a cycle.

Current new build projects :

- Safran (Morgan Lagraviere), design by Verdier - VPLP, expected launch Jan-Feb 2015
- Banque Populaire (Armel le Cleac'h), design by Verdier - VPLP, expected launch march 2015
- Edmond de Rothschild (Sebastien Josse), design by Verdier - VPLP, expected launch 2015
- Hugo Boss (Alex Thomson), design by Verdier - VPLP, expected launch June 2015
- Saint-Michel Virbac (Jean-Pierre Dick), design by Verdier - VPLP, expected launch July 2015
- The Italian Andrea Mura has announced the intention to build a new boat for the next Vendee Globe (design by Verdier-VPLP)

www.oceanmasters.com
www.imoca.org

ISAF Match Race Rankings
Taylor Canfield (ISV) has reclaimed the World # 1 position in the open rankings whilst Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) holds on to the World #1 position in the Women's rankings.

Taylor Canfield (ISV) and Ian Williams (GBR) have once again exchanged places on the ISAF Open Match Race Rankings with the 2013 World Champion, Canfield returning to the World #1 position.

With two Alpari World Match Race Tour events counting to this ranking release it was 2-0 to Canfield as he defeated Williams in the final in Chicago, USA and at the inaugural Dutch Match Cup in Lelystad, The Netherlands.

Mathieu Richard (FRA) and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) hold steady at World #3 and World #4 respectively whilst Philip Robertson (NZL) makes a return to the top five after finishing sixth at the two World Tour events.

The top three of the ISAF Women's Match Race Rankings remain unchanged so Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) holds on to the World #1 position once again. Anna Kjellberg (SWE) and Stephanie Roble (USA) are World #2 and World #3 respectively.

Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN) claimed the ISAF Grade 1 Sheboygan Women's Match Race International, the penultimate event of the 2014 WIM Series, and moves up one place to World #4. The Danish skipper beat Roble for the title but only counts seven scores from the maximum eight which is affecting her overall position.

Caroline Sylvan (SWE) moves up two places to World #5 after claiming fourth place in Sheboygan.

Top ten, match racing Open

1. Taylor Canfield, ISV
2. Ian Williams, GBR
3. Mathieu Richard, FRA
4. Bjorn Hansen, SWE
5. Philip Robertson, NZL
6. Eric Monnin, SUI
7. Joachim Aschenbrenner, DEN
8. Nicolai Sehested, DEN
9. Keith Swinton, AUS
10. David Gilmour, AUS

Top ten, match racing Women

1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
2. Anna Kjellberg, SWE
3. Stephanie Roble, USA
4. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN
5. Sylvan Caroline, SWE
6. Anne-claire Le Berre, FRA
7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED
8. Milly Bennett, AUS
9. Claudia Pierce, NZL
10. Denise Lim, SIN

www.sailing.org/rankings/index.php

Audi Hong Kong To Hainan Race
The 2014 Audi Hong Kong to Hainan Race will get underway in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on Thursday 16 October, with the warning signal sounding at 1310hrs. First organised to mark the return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1997 and conducted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) with the co-operation of the Chinese Yachting Association (CYA), with the finish hosted this year by Serenity Marina in Sanya, Hainan, the race is well established and represents the only existing Category 1 offshore race to finish in the PRC.

Of the 11 boats originally entered, only 9 boats will make the start line on Thursday, with Sense 50, Sea Monkey, withdrawing after losing all her electrics in a suspected lightening strike and X-55, Xena, sustaining damage to her mast in a start line incident at Audi China Coast Regatta. Current record holder, TP52 FreeFire, is also a question mark for the race with suspected rig damage.

Karl Kwok's Team Beau Geste is taking on Audi China Coast Regatta winner Ray Roberts' OneSails Racing in a TP52 head-to-head which promises exciting racing at the front of the fleet. Paul Winkelmann's Island Fling (JV42) has been optimized since last year's Hong Kong to Vietnam Race, and proved fast on the water in the Audi China Coast Regatta, however in IRC Racer 1, they will be pitted against the new Kinmonth/ Burns owned Sydney GTS43, EFG Bank Mandrake 3, on her first offshore foray with her consistent and highly experienced amateur crew. Having run her numbers for yesterday's forecast, EFG Bank Mandrake 3 is predicting a frisky race with a finish within 24hrs.

Audi Hong Kong to Hainan Race official website www.rhkyc.org.hk/hkhainanrace.aspx
Fans can also follow on Facebook www.facebook.com/rhkyc

Not Sailing But Astonishingly Cool...
Lockheed Skunk Works Says It Has A Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Billionaire superheroes Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne's defense companies both had one, and now real-world defense giant Lockheed Martin says they have one too. It is the holy grail of cheap and stable energy, yet it has alluded the scientific community for a century. Well, that may finally be about to change once and for all with Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR).

Lockheed's 'bleeding edge' aircraft design and boutique technology development arm, the Skunk Works, has officially announced that they have what they think is a very workable and incredibly small fusion reactor design. If it does indeed work as projected it could change the the world as we know for the better, not just for powering homes and offices all over the world, but for powering ships and even spacecraft and aircraft, the cumulative effect of which would be akin to a restart on the atomic age all over again.

Early production examples of the Compact Fusion Reactor would fit into a shipping container and produce 100MW of power. This output would be enough to power well over a whopping 80,000 homes in the US and is equivalent to one of the Navy's large A4W fission reactors found on Nimitz Class aircraft carriers.

foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com

David Thomas
Britain's influential yacht designer David Thomas has died.

Earlier this year, the Royal Southern Yacht Club hosted its first David Thomas regatta in celebration of the yacht designer, who had been a member of the club for 25 years. The main speaker was PBO contributor Peter Poland, a long-standing friend of David's, who built many of his designs as co-owner of Hunter Boats.

He said: 'David has an instinctive understanding of what sailors want - he has been the Pied Piper of yacht designers, that's his secret.

'People from all divisions of sailing have sailed out on a David Thomas design. They will go on for ever.

'He is also responsible for the largest one-design fleet in Round the Island Race history, 105 Sigma 33s, a record that will never be beaten.'

The Royal London Yacht Club on Cowes, Isle of Wight also run an annual David Thomas-inspired regatta.

www.pbo.co.uk

* From George Morris: Am I the only person having difficulty accessing and navigating the VOR website? The site itself is not particularly self explanatory with the rapid scrolling of what appears to be some sort of multipage menu when you open it. The Full Tracker will not run in Chrome and when I got it to run in IE some of the meteorological data was wrong or in incomprehensible units or the wind was 180 degrees out. With perseverance I think I have managed to extract most of the information available but right now I cannot get any information at all off the site in either browser. All I have is a corrupt hotspot inviting me to download Unity Player, which I have already done several times. In the past I have always thought that the Extreme 40s had the world's worst website, but I fear they now have competition!

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1st Whitbread Round The World Race 93/94

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The Last Word
If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons. -- Winston Churchill

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Team Ulrikkeholm New WIM Series Champion
The only team to have won two out of five events on the 2014 WIM Series, is the new titleholder. With substitute skipper Trine Palludan finishing 4th in the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, Danish World # 1 Team Ulrikkeholm secures the Terry J Kohler Perpetual Trophy and the USD 25 000 prize check.

When the 2014 WIM Series concluded Thursday with the semis and the final of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, bright sunshine from a clear blue sky, but somewhat wacky winds off the Haeundae Beach, characterized the racing. 2013 WIM Series champion Lucy Macgregor of Great Britain survived the difficult conditions incomparably. First she defeated Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg 3 - 1 in their very tight and exciting semi fina

Anna Kjellberg faced Trine Palludan in the petite finale, and the Swede secured her podium place in Busan with two straight wins over the fellow Scandinavians of Team Ulrikkeholm:

Results in the final of the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race: Lucy Macgregor, GBR - Katie Spithill, AUS 3 - 2

Results in the petite finale:
Anna Kjellberg, SWE - Trine Palludan, DEN 2 - 0

Results in the semi final:
Katie Spithill, AUS - Trine Palludan, DEN 3 - 1
Lucy Macgregor, GBR - Anna Kjellberg, SWE 3 - 1

Final top ten in the 2014 WIM Series, after five stages out of five (skipper name, nationality, WIM Series points, prize money):
1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm/Trine Palludan, DEN, 88, USD 25 000
2. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 83, USD 15 000
3. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 69, USD 10 000
4. Stephanie Roble, USA, 68
5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 59
6. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 57
7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 45
8. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 36
9. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 25
10. Annabel Vose, GBR, 25

www.wimseries.com
www.busanmatch.com

100 Foot Limit Raised For 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race
The 100 foot (30.47m) LOA monohull limit set by a number of the classic 600 mile races such as the Fastnet, Sydney Hobart and Middle Sea races has been lifted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Royal Malta Yacht Club for the 2015 editions of the Rolex Fastnet and Rolex Middle Sea Races. This will allow superyachts participating in the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series to compete.

The AORS consists of four events: the RORC Caribbean 600, the 2015 Transatlantic Race from Newport to the Lizard, the Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race. Superyachts have always been eligible to race in the RORC Caribbean 600 and a number have entered for the west to east Transatlantic Race at the end of June/July 2015, organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron and New York Yacht Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club.

In previous editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race only monohulls of 100ft or less were eligible to win the coveted Fastnet Challenge Cup. In 2013 there were two monohulls at this upper limit of 100ft: Mike Slade's Farr 100, ICAP Leopard (GBR), and Igor Simcic's RP100, Esimit Europa 2 (SLO).

With a number of superyachts competing in the 2015 Transatlantic Race, such as Elena Ambrosiadou's, 289ft Dykstra/Perini Navi, Maltese Falcon, and Mariette, the 1915 Herreshoff classic, the increased LOA limit for the 46th biennial Rolex Fastnet Race will entice yachts over 100ft to enter and possibly win the Fastnet Challenge Cup, making for a spectacular race from Cowes, Isle of Wight in August 2015.

fastnet.rorc.org

All Seven In The Fleet Within Striking Distance Of The Lead
All seven Volvo Ocean Race boats have tasted the lead at least once during five extraordinary days of racing since setting off from Alicante at the weekend in sailing which is re-writing the offshore rule-book.

In years past, the fleet would have been well stretched, tens of miles apart, by this stage in Leg 1 between Alicante and Cape Town.

Instead we are seeing close-quarter action more akin to in-shore sailing with hundreds of metres often separating the fleet.

By 1000 UTC on Thursday, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing still retained a tiny lead over Dongfeng Race Team with Team SCA hot on their heels in third and the rest of the fleet still very much in touch and within striking distance.

It was always suspected that the competition would be close for the 12th edition of the 41-year-old event which is introducing a one-design boat, the Volvo Ocean 65, for the first time. But never quite this tight.

For one sailor, Tony Rae of Team Vestas Wind, there has been precious little rest or comfort after setting out on Saturday from Alicante with a badly bruised - or possibly broken - rib. He is using the bottom of a kitbag to protect the injury after an out-of-control grinder handle hit him in the chest in a practice race prior to departure.

Rae, 53, who is the oldest sailor in the fleet, has made little of the injury. "I didn't want to worry my mum," he explained.

volvooceanrace.com

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=mLcNn0asnT8, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Volvo Crews Will Keep Ocean Safety's Training In The Forefront Of Their Minds
As the Volvo Ocean Race gets underway every crew member will be reflecting on the long road of preparation which has led up to last weekend's big day. Along the way, and probably the most important part of their training, were the sessions that were held by Ocean Safety just a few weeks ago, to familiarise every crew member with the all-important on board inventory of safety equipment.

"Everyone was attentive to this training course," commented Sam Davies, of Team SCA, who participated with her crew. "It's critical that we're aware of the safety equipment on the boats and we know how to use the kit."

Ocean Safety, the UK's largest independent safety supplier, has provided the majority of all the necessary lifesaving equipment to the seven yachts taking part in the gruelling 37,000 mile race, including lifejackets, liferafts, man overboard recovery systems and other vital onboard equipment. Ocean Safety has worked closely with the crew members to ensure that they are all aware of the equipment onboard and familiar with how to use it.

Will Oxley, navigator on Alvimedica has experienced getting into a liferaft for real in the rolling ocean. His experiences are recalled in an interview which intertwines real life with the Ocean Safety liferaft launching sessions in the safety of an indoor pool.

oceansafety.com

Ben's Olympic Finn Sails Are Up For Auction
Now's your chance to own a piece of sailing history.

Ben Ainslie has generously gifted his three Olympic winning Finn sails to be auctioned, with the proceeds going to the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. All are usable, or just for memorabilia.

All the sails have been put on ebay.co.uk on a 10 day auction.

Athens 2004 HV2
Ebay ref 231361487890

Bid here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231361487890

Beijing 2008 North
Ebay ref. 231361490504

Bid here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231361490504

London 2012 North mb1
Ebay ref 231361492004

Bid here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231361492004

8th China Cup International Regatta
Some of the world's most famous and accomplished sailors are getting ready for the start of the 8th edition of the China Cup International Regatta. The four-day regatta starts with a passage race on 24 October 2014, and concludes on 27 October after three days of short-course racing.

With 105 boats representing more than 30 different regions and nations, entered across five racing divisions, the international fleet sees everyone from virtual beginners to Olympic Champions racing alongside each other.

The Beneteau 40.7 fleet is always the most hotly contested. Last year the 470 Olympic Champion helmsman from Beijing 2008, Australia's Nathan Wilmot, came to do battle in this hot, one-design fleet. This year his former 470 team mate, double Olympic Champion Malcolm Page is sailing on the crew of Vatti Sailing, a perennial high performer at this regatta, with an all-star crew skippered by Jono Rankine.

Last year's winning boat, Vanke Longcheer, will be among the frontrunners in the 40.7s, along with Beijing Sailing Center skippered by Great Britain's Rick Pointon, who won this division in 2011. Other big names include Corentin Horeau who at 23-years-old is recognised as one of France's up and coming offshore talents, and Mikhail Ermakov, vice president of the Russian Sailing Federation.

Aside from the Beneteau 40.7 division, two other hotly-contested one-design fleets are the SOTO 27 and a new addition - the Fareast 28R. The two handicap divisions are IRC and HKPN. -- Andy Rice, SailingIntelligence.com

Regatta Website: www.chncup.com/?lang=en
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/chncup

Francisco Renna Dominates the 2014 Sunfish World Championship
Arapahoe, NC, USA: Francisco Renna of Argentina is the 2014 World Champion. His spectacular score line included four race wins giving him a final 17 point cushion over his nearest competitor. The final three races of the series were sailed on Thursday to complete the series at nine races.

Jean Paul de Trazegenies of Peru sailed a great final three races to move into second place. Conner Blouin of the United States was close behind in third.

In all seventy two competitors from ten countries participated in the championship. The provision of new Sunfish sailboats chartered to them by Triton Yacht Sales made for very strong, competitive racing.

The 2014 Sunfish World Championship was organized by the International Sunfish Class Association. This year's championship was held at Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer. The residential camp venue offered a unique opportunity for sailors, their families, coaches and support crew to stay on site.

The 2015 Sunfish Youth World and World Championship will be held in Parracas, Peru next October.

Top five
1. Francisco Renna ARG, 24 points
2. Jean Paul de Trazegnies, PER, 41
3. Conner Blouin, USA, 45
4. David Mendelblatt, USA, 47
5 Jonathan Martinetti, ECU, 61

Full results: www.sunfishclass.org/results_archive

RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing Championships
Over 300 young sailors will be bidding for bragging rights this weekend (18-19 October) as Oxford Sailing Club, Farmoor Reservoir, plays host to the RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing Championships 2014.

The two day regatta will welcome teams from the Junior and Youth class associations, zones, clubs, schools and individual teams who will commence battle in the two separate events. The Junior fleet will contest in RS Feva's and the Youth fleet Firefly's for teams of three boats (all boats are supplied).

23 teams in the Junior fleet and 27 teams in Youth fleets will take to the waters of Farmoor Reservoir.

Two teams from the south coast were crowned champions at last year's event, with 'Team Oracle' taking the championship title in the Youth fleet and the 'Flying Spinnakers' making their mark in the Junior fleet.

www.ryaracingevents.org.uk
http://erictwinametrust.org

Tight, Tactical Racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao
It was a light wind day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao with many ups and downs across the six fleets competing on the Beijing 2008 Olympic waters.

After a short early afternoon delay the sailors headed out onto the water with a shifty breeze and strong current that would once again test them to the max.

One race was completed in the Men's and Women's 470, Laser and Laser Radial whilst the Men's and Women's RS:X packs, sailing shorter races, completed two.

Racing is scheduled to commence at 12:00 local time on Friday 17 October.

Top three by class:

470 Men
1. Jordi Xammar / Joan Herp, ESP, 9 points
2. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 13
3. Pavel Sozykin / Denis Gribanov, RUS, 15

470 Women
1. Mengxi Wei / Yani Xu, CHN, 5
2. Xiaomei Xu / Ping Zhang, CHN, 12
3. Shasha Chen / Haiyan Gao, CHN, 14

Laser Men
1. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 4
2. Pavlos Kontides, CYP, 10
3. Wannes Van Laer, BEL, 20

Laser Radial Women
1. Dongshuang Zhang, CHN, 9
2. Tatiana Drozdovskaya, BLR, 13
3. Tina Mihelic, CRO, 13

RS:X Men
1. Byron Kokkalanis, GRE, 17
2. Aichen Wang, CHN, 28
3. Max Oberemko, RUS, 40

RS:X Women
1. Olga Maslivets, RUS, 19.4
2. Jiali Sun, CHN, 37
3. Hongmei Shi, CHN, 47

www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Rolex Middle Sea Race
The 2014 edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, will start on Saturday 18th October in Grand Harbour, Malta.

This will be the largest fleet ever assembled in the 46 year history of the race. The vast majority of the competing yachts have now registered for the race and about 120 yachts, flying the flags of 24 countries, are set to take on one of the world's most awe-inspiring ocean race courses.

The hot favourite for Line Honours is Igor Simcic's Maxi, Esimit Europa 2. The European team, led by three-time Olympic Gold medallist Jochen Schumann, will be attempting to take line honours for an unprecedented fourth occasion. Weather permitting, Esimit Europa 2 is capable of beating the course record; 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds. Set by George David's American Maxi, Rambler in 2007.

In IRC 1, there is the mouth-watering prospect of two of the world's best Maxi 72s going head to head. Niklas Zennstrom's Swedish JV72 RAN V and George Sakellaris' American RP72, Shockwave are both crewed by world class professional sailors. Team Ran has won IRC One twice before but Zennstrom's team has never won the race overall. Shockwave will be competing in the race for the first time, George Sakellaris' team was in fine form earlier in the season, winning the RORC Caribbean 600 overall.

In IRC 2 last year's overall winner, Georgio Benussi's TP52, B2 skippered by Michele Galli, returns to defend the title. However, the Italian flyer will first and foremost be focusing on winning a highly competitive class including; Jens Kellinghusen's German Ker 51, Varuna, which won the gruelling Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race and Stefan Jentzsch's brand new hi-tech Carkeek 47, Black Pearl. There are a bevy of yachts in the class which will revel in heavy weather, Vincenzo Onorato's Italian Cookson 50, Mascalzone Latino, German Swan 82, Grey Goose and British Frers 94, Bristolian.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

* From Gerald New, sailweb.co.uk: re: VOR website

Thank you George.

I thought it was just me.

I have had the same problems.

I find it best to ignore all the silly multi image style links and go to the bottom text menu bar.

Do not know what this must has cost, but the testing was obviously not done in the real world.

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The Last Word
Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live. -- Mark Twain

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Plenty Crowned Farr 40 World Champion
New Yorker, Alex Roepers has been crowned World Champion after taking 4 from 7 bullets on San Francisco Bay for the 2014 Rolex Farr 40 World Championships.

With just one point separating second, third and fourth place, crews were keen to hit the water this morning to fight it out for the big one but the bay didn't deliver...boats sat on the water for hours before a race officials were fighting against the clock to get one race in and set a course prior to the 3.30PM final warning signal.

International Class President Martin Hill had another successful day on the water finishing with a 2nd place in the last race and maintaining their overall second position on 34 points.

Transfusion were keen to get some races underway today to jump up the leader board after their devastating 11 point protest penalty but it wasn't to be. The Transfusion boys provided the afternoon's on water entertainment with Will Mackenzie swinging off the halyard in stuntman style before face planting into the water from a fair height.

Provisional top ten after 7 races

1. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 24.0
2. Estate Master, Lisa and Martin Hill, AUS, 34.0
3. Enfant Terrible , Alberto Rossi, ITA, 39.0
4. Struntje light, Wolfgang Schaefer, GER, 41.0
5. Voodoo Chile, Andrew Hunn, AUS, 45.0
6. Kokomo, Jim Richardson, AUS, 46.0
7. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut and Evan Jahn, USA, 46.0
8. Nightshift, Kevin McNeil, USA, 49.0
9. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, AUS, 52.0
10. Groovederci, John Demourkas, USA, 60.6

Full results

farr40worlds.com
farr40.org

Record Start For 35th Rolex Middle Sea Race
Thousands of spectators lined the Valletta Waterfront to witness the start of the 35th Rolex Middle Sea Race.

122 yachts started the race, a new record for the Mediterranean classic offshore race. Under blue skies and brilliant sunshine, the international fleet of yachts from 24 different countries set off on the 608 nautical mile race. The light winds created a calm almost serene start but this race is always full of changes and a variety of conditions are forecast over the coming days.

Jamie Sammut racing his Maltese Solaris 42,Unica summed up the passion just after the start. "We were very nervous, this is such a huge occasion, the size of the fleet was just amazing and we were filled with pride that Malta is hosting such a great yacht race. The emotions definitely affected us and we didn't get a good start but we settled down and got into our rhythm. Just after we left Grand Harbour, we were joined by a big pod of dolphins and I am sure it will not be the last time that our friends will join us in this race. After all our preparations, it is a relief to get going on what I am sure will be a great adventure."

Due to the size of the fleet the race was split into five starts and Transport Malta closed Grand Harbour to all traffic for the race. The fleet enjoyed centre stage applauded by a lively crowd, which lined the 16th century bastions synonymous with the walled city of Valletta.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/index.cfm

Dubarry Ultima - Where will you go in yours?

dubarry.com

Dongfeng's Broken Rudder Setback
Dongfeng Race Team lost the lead in the Volvo Ocean Race early on Saturday after the boat hit an unidentified object and broke their rudder.

They lost the lead but replaced the decimated part and they were soon back sailing at 20 knots.

The problem enabled Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to take the lead but the rest of the fleet were still hot on their heels.

The Chinese team's problems began at 0210 UTC when a 'violent impact' hit the boat. Dongfeng's onboard reporter Yann Riou picks up the story: "We had two options, installing the emergency rudder or removing what was left of the old rudder and putting the new one in place. We decided to go for the second option.

"Thomas (Rouxel) put the diving suit on. He jumped into the water... removed what was left from the old rudder (not much) and we put the new one in place.

"We are all disappointed... it does not look very fair but there's nothing to do about this."

It has not been plain sailing for Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi crew either. They reported narrowly missing a net yesterday afternoon but the winds were so light that they were able to take avoiding action.

Team Brunel and Team SCA were not so lucky and were held up briefly after debris caught in their keels.

The Dutch boat even had to send a swimmer into the water to dive down to remove a strip of rubber from their keel.

The women's team also showed an irregular track and reported running into a fishing net, leading to more lost time behind the rest of the fleet who are now some 50 miles ahead of them.

volvooceanrace.com

Argo Group Gold Cup Survives Gonzalo
Hamilton Bermuda: The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has announced that the Argo Group Gold Cup is still set to sail, albeit on a compressed schedule, starting Wednesday, October 22. Using the one-day-delay plan announced last Wednesday, the Argo Group Gold Cup will be compressed to five days of racing and organizers will take advantage of the fine weather expected after Gonzalo. Winds predicted to be in the 20kt range each day will help get the full event completed for the competitors and spectators.

Stage 6 of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour had been threatened by the category 3 hurricane that struck Bermuda on Friday night [October 17] with predicted winds of over 130 mph. Saturday morning island officials were accessing the damage and later in the day reopened the causeway that links the Bermuda International Airport to the Hamilton end of the island, points South and West.

As previously announced the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup will remain on its original schedule Oct. 23-26. The juniors sail up to 5 races a day in the Great Sound for three days. The final day they race one last race on Hamilton Harbour doing the halftime break in the Argo Group Gold Cup finals.

The Family Festival of Sail, the initial event of Argo Group Gold Cup Week , was originally scheduled for Sunday Oct 19 in Barr's Bay Park adjacent to RBYC. The festival is rescheduled to October 26 and will be part of the finals day celebration.

bermudagoldcup.com

Watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=21913d8c0g4

oceansafety.com

Offshore Youth Challenge Trophy
The Marion Bermuda Race has created the Offshore Youth Challenge Trophy for all sailors ages 16-23. Separate from our service academy trophy, the Offshore Youth Challenge was designed to enable young adult sailors to experience the challenge of sailing offshore in a USSER Oceans event in the accompaniment of experienced adult mentors.

A minimum of four youth sailors must be aboard to qualify as a Offshore Youth Challenge boat, with at least 66% of the crew qualifying as 'youth.' One or more adults must be aboard and must be at least 23 years of age by June 18, 2015.

Are you a skipper or boat owner interested in participating in the Offshore Youth Challenge Trophy? Or, are you between 16 and 23 years old and want to get some offshore experience? Visit bit.ly/MBRyouth or contact Editor@marionbermuda.com for more information

GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series
Online entry is now open for the UK's premier Dinghy Winter Series, managed by SailRacer. Last year saw a record number of entries, with over 800 boats, up 18%, with many events filling up, some operating a waiting list, others at near capacity.

A number of classes have decided to run their own Winter Series within the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series. SailRacer will provide extracted results for these classes and specific prizes for fleets of 10 or more boats. This is a great chance to show off your class to the rest of the dinghy world. If your class would like to get involved please contact Brenda Hoult.

More on the dinghy classes

Enter

Bill Green
Lymington, England: Bill Green, San Francisco-born sailor, Navy jet jockey (not a lot of people know that); US Coastguard; shrimp-boat hand (not a lot of people know that either); One Ton Cup winner and most latterly proprietor of Green Marine slipped quietly away from this life with - as was his final wish - no fuss or bother. He is and will be mourned by his daughter Saskia, his son Pom, wife Susan, his immediate family and by a circle of friends as wide as the ripples of a lifetime of major contribution to yachting and international yacht racing can spread.

Bill Green was born in San Francisco, Calif, in 1937 and built his first boat at the age of 11. He arrived in England from the city of Kerouac, flower-power and all that went with it aboard George Kiskaddon's Spirit of San Francisco when European and English yachting were still hide-bound by tradition and white duck trousers but ready for change. Spirit and her bandana-wearing crew rocked the boat in more ways than one and her English season of 1967 is still spoken of with awe by those who were there - especially those who were downwind.

After a spell of international crewing, racing and running the world-girdling schooner 'New World' Bill returned to his native city and teamed-up with friend and fellow Californian Doug Peterson who needed help building a new boat to the then new IOR for the One Ton Cup. The boat was Ganbare. Ganbare won the North American One Ton championship of 1973 and then went to Sardinia for the One Ton Cup itself. They won the first four races but in the triple-scoring long offshore went round a mark the wrong way, were penalised and the One Ton Cup was won by the Dick Carter-designed Ydra. What Bill Green said to the navigator is not recorded but we may assume it was pithy and to the point. Ganbare, Peterson and Bill Green seriously caught the attention of British boatbuilder Jeremy Rogers, who asked Green to join his company as consultant and help them build and campaign their own race boats. At a time when many British offshore racers still took pyjamas to sea, had sherry with supper and worked watches Bill Green's minimalist stay-awake-and-sail-the-boat approach coupled with an equally minimalist attitude to just how many winches and similar deck hardware was needed both changed perceptions and won races. Ganbare became the Peterson 35, went into production with Rogers and in 1974 the 'works' Peterson 35, Gumboots, won the One Ton Cup, giving Bill his revenge. It also cemented the association with Rogers and with Lymington.

In the 'Seventies there were only two match race competitions in the world: the America's Cup and the Congressional Cup in Long Beach California. Bill Green persuaded the local Royal Lymington Yacht Club to stage a similar series, called originally the Lymington Congressional Cup, eventually the Royal Lymington Cup. Imitated elsewhere, it was the foundation of what is still the world match racing circuit.

In the early Eighties Bill with the technically brilliant Ian King (another Rogers employee) and their wives Elsa and Dianne founded Green Marine, the four together building a company which quickly became a world leader in advanced composite construction. Green Marine's output ranged from lifeboats and military craft to mega-yachts, America's Cup boats and Whitbread and then Volvo round-the-world racers.

Away from boats and boat-building Billy Green was a latter-day Renaissance man with a wide range of knowledge and interests from Mozart and opera to good food and cycling. His collection of state-of-the-art road and race bikes is the stuff of legend.

There will be a private family cremation in Lymington on Thursday (23rd) but on November 22nd those who sailed with, loved or whose lives were enriched by this extraordinary sailor, boat-builder, businessman and polymath are invited to gather to raise a glass or two, swap stories about him or just simply reminiscence in a very Bill Green way: roasting some meat, listening to some music, drinking some rum. For details of the gathering - and to add your own reminiscence, especially if you cannot be there in person - please email memoriesofbillgreen@gmail.com -- Malcolm McKeag

* From Euan Ross: Back in the days of the water-ballasted sixty footers, the 3D tracking system was years in advance of anything else, but now it does indeed seem to have regressed. I'm tempted to say the whole race has regressed, but I guess a small fleet of one-designs describing a tortuous course through psychologically, rather than physically, challenging waters is just something entirely different. And it's certainly not any easier.

The tracker was indeed hard to find as there were no clues on the home page. However, that has been fixed with 'tracker/dashboard' now prominent on the first window that appears - though you have to be quick! Once you have found it, the full tracker will run on Google Chrome. Its irritating, but to use the 'Full Tracker' it seems that you have to right click the jigsaw icon and run the plug-in each occasion.

On the good news front, the wind direction arrows are now usable and it is possible to separate the individual yacht markers. I guess the closeness of the racing in one-designs caught the tracker designers out. They seem to be working on it though.

After you use it a few times, just type 'Volvo' in the omnibox and you'll go straight there avoiding the plethora of annoying trivia. The race reporting is better on all the other yachting websites in any case; though it remains a challenge to identify a genuine race report among all the extraneous blogging bull pumped out by each campaign.

* From George Morris: re: VOR website, Gerald New's letter:

Thankyou Gerald for your support and the brilliant heads-up that the navigation tabs are at the BOTTOM of the page below the adverts. I had not spotted them and before your tip I had to reboot the site every time I wanted to change pages. Has anyone ever come across a website with the navigation bar at the bottom before? But, like the crews, we learn as we go along. To get the Tracker to run in Chrome, when that little jigsaw piece appears and says 'Unity Player needs your permission to run' look up to the top right hand corner near the favorites star and there you will see a miniature version of the jigsaw piece.

Click on it and the tracker will run. It's brilliant! Even the wind arrows work if you expand the scale enough. And the isobars are not at 800mb intervals but 8mb I think. It's all good stuff when you can get to it. But is the Vmg figure instantaneous or over the three hour period?

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2009 Jethou - Judel Vrolijk 62 IRC Mini Maxi 'Jethou'.

A superbly crafted IRC race yacht designed by J/V and built by Green Marine, the dream team.

Competitive against the 72's in the Mini Maxi fleet, and also and much more importantly in IRC racing in general.

Beautifully built, and to sail, she offers an excellent opportunity to nip at the heels of the Mini Maxi 72's and to leave TP52 fleet behind.

Absolutely full inventory for inshore and coastal racing, relatively low running costs for the first few years.

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The Last Word
You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. -- Robin Williams

No Issue For Tuesday
Your humble narrator is off to Bermuda for the Gold Cup, travelling all day Monday and then easing into some hurricane-themed drinks. Back for the Wednesday issue from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Qualifying Groups Set For Argo Group Gold Cup
Hamilton Bermuda: In spite of Hurricane Gonzalo's thrashing of the Onion Patch last week, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the people of Bermuda are ready to host the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup, Stage 6 of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT). All 20 teams have arrived safely from their corners of the world and will practice for a day and race on Wednesday.

Thirteen countries are represented in the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup. The teams have been divided into two groups of 10 for the Qualifying Session round-robin knockout matches:

Group 1 features Tour leader leader Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team, Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX, Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa , Pierre Antoine Morvan (FRA) Equipe de France, Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena sailing Team, Arthur Herreman (FRA) Match the World, David Storrs (USA) Pequot Racing Team, Somers Kempe (BER) Raymarine/Ocean Electronics, and Dirk-Jan Korpershoek (NED) Opportunity Team.

Group 2 is led by 2nd on the Tour Taylor Canfield (ISV) Team One, Mathieu Richard (FRA) Luna Jet, Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing, David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour, Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team, Eric Monnin (SWI) Swiss Match Racing Team, Marek Staqnczyk (POL) www.470sailing.org.pl , Chris Poole (USA) Riptide Racing, Lance Fraser (BER) DigiCel Bermuda, and Nathen Outteridge (SWE) Artemis Racing. -- Talbot Wilson

argogroupgoldcup.com

Renre Junior Gold Cup
Hamilton Bermuda: While the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup always offers opportunities for young people to have new experiences, coping with Hurricane Gonzalo offered the 14 competitors traveling from overseas to Bermuda a hurdle that strengthened their respect for this island nation. Many of the 14 competitors spent layover time in either hotels or airports and some are now guests in homes without electricity. Yet, it all builds character and this week's storm certainly gave the young people an appreciation of what Bermudians are made of.

Along with the experience of being in Bermuda for the first time, the young international sailors spent a lot of time checking weather reports and watching the eye of the hurricane pass right over the island while waiting for rescheduled flights. Now that they are in Bermuda, host families have done their very best to get the visitors settled but some are still without power. A few boats are still getting ready.

Interestingly, because electricity and Internet are not at full capacity, the youth sailors are spending a lot of time between practicing simply off the smartphone grid; talking, bonding and relaxing as they prepare for the coming race.

renrejrgoldcup.com

Marinepool Ocean Racing Clothing For The 40Knots+ Category
When Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe will start on November 2nd two exceptional yachts - Spindrift2 and Oman Sail Musandam - will be at the starting line in the super fast Ultime class. Both capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and among the hottest contenders for line honours.

Marinepool is the official clothing supplier to Spindrift Racing and to Oman Sail and skippers Yann Guichard and Sidney Gavignet, respectively, will sail the single handed race in the very latest Marinepool Ocean Racing suits.

Made from revolutionary Dermizax NX fabrics by Toray of Japan the Ocean Racing suit offers ultimate protection from the elements. A smart non porous membrane provides exceptionally high waterproofness, moisture permeability and low condensation. The smooth texture of the fabric, its light weight configuration and high elasticity make the garments comfortable. The 3-layer stretch fabric is highly breathable and abrasion resistant, features include waterproof zippers and 3M™ reflex patches for increased visibility at night. Latex dry suit seals reliably keep the enormous spray at these speeds outside. The top is available with a high offshore collar with signal colour hood or without a hood for conditions when only a full face helmet is the answer.

Designed and developed with the skippers of the ultimate speed machines.

Marinepool | Design. Technology. Passion.

www.marinepool.com

Girls Need Heroes Too
The Volvo Ocean Race is rocking da house. A week in and everyone's been in the lead. Speed up the tracker over a day and it looks like the Tour de France peloton, with SCA cutting a different swathe. They looked stellar in the Med, got a bit of catching up to do now.

Daughter Frances asked me today, Sunday, why they didn't follow Dongfeng's route through the Cape Verdes. They would've had time to see it paying. That's a good point, not sure Frances, I mean, that's how it looks on the App right?

VOR rule chief Jack Lloyd kindly clarified what the score was on teams knowing everyone else's positions, because I thought they'd be online 24/7 with those massive domes and space age internet speeds. (Here in ye olde Somerset, the cows crap faster broadband).

Jack says: "We do not let the teams access the outside world except through our race control, so they can email family etc and make the occasional phone call. They get a position report every six hours which is when they can see each other, otherwise they're on their own."

So, no movie downloading then...

I love the archive film of the first Whitbread in 1973, where they're loading crates of beer onboard. More adventure than today's full-on sport, with its awful freeze-dried food. Wikipedia says freeze drying is also used for "preparing river bottom sludge for hydrocarbon analysis" - says it all.

Fellow Scuttlers have moaned about the VOR site, so forgive my repetition. Get the App! It's amazing. The tracker works brilliantly. And you can whip it out any time and check what's going on. If you're not into smart phones, there are plenty of cheap iPhone 5s on Ebay... The world in your pocket. And music. The best invention since PG Tips. (If I had to choose though, the tea wins).

Here are just two of the coolest things that've hit me between the eyes from this VOR so far:

1. Knut's interview with Genny Tulloch, where he says "never give up." This links straight to that comment, worth a watch: youtu.be/KTI5YbUmvDE?t=4m17s

2. And Corinna Halloran's daily writing off SCA: teamsca.com/blog/day-7-expecting-the-expected

I don't know much about Corinna. Her "This is Me" video reveals more questions than answers: teamsca.com/crew/corinna-halloran

But she writes like an angel – clear, descriptive, insightful. Paul Cayard wrote brilliantly about this race from EF Language in 1997-98. They won. He's a gifted communicator.

And Mark Covell's description of the smell on the Russian boat in 2008 was visceral.

Video is cool. Knut's chat could change the direction of someone's life. It's the best bit of advice I've heard in a long time.

But writing is cooler. It can change the direction of humanity.

Back to the oceans, phew, sign up to Corinna. She's worth the read. -- Digby Fox - livethestory.com

18ft Skiffs Major A. Frizelle Trophy
Photos by Frank Quealey. Click on image for photo gallery.

The brilliant conditions of last week’s opening race of the season were duplicated today when the Australian 18 Footers League’s Major A. Frizelle Trophy race was sailed in a 20-knot North East wind on Sydney Harbour.

Current JJ Giltinan champion Gotta Love It 7 team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage showed why they are the world’s best team when they dominated the fleet to score a 3m4s victory.

Backmarker Thurlow Fisher Lawyers crew (Michael Coxon, Dave O’Connor and Dave Ewings) also showed their skill to finish second, with Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy, Peter Calligeros) a further 21s back in third place.

Yandoo (Nick Press) was fourth, followed by Mojo Wine Lee Knapton) and Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane).

De’Longhi (Simon Nearn) looked certain to finish fourth but a capsize just 50 metres from the finish sent the skiff back into 10th place.

Smeg (David Witt) also suffered a heavy loss of placings when spinnaker halyard problems forced the team back from second position to finish nineth.

Follow all the racing on the Australian 18 Footers League’s www.18footers.com.au website. -- Frank Quealey

IMOCA Foils Or Not? Some Explanations From Jean Kerhoas
The IMOCA General Meeting took place in Nantes on Wednesday 15th October. Two important decisions were taken: foils were allowed and the rule won’t be changed before the end of the next Vendee Globe. So there will be foils on the latest boats. We interviewed the class President, Jean Kerhoas to find out more.

Jean Kerhoas, IMOCA President:

"Firstly, we should stress that the General Meeting went smoothly with 69 attending out of the 77 registered and the discussions were very thorough, constructive and polite with no animosity. SConcerning the matter of whether or not to ban foils, everyone was able to express what they thought - both for and against - and once again, we voted with a very big majority in favour of not changing the rule. That means that there is still freedom to do what you want with the appendages. We also did what was required to ensure that the rules can never change again between two Vendee Globe races. Any modifications to class rules will only be possible at the Meeting following on from the end of each race."

"Today, there are six new boats being built. The designers and the teams obviously looked at where the rules allow innovation, that is to say the hulls and appendages. Some members of the IMOCA were worried by this prospect - which is why this meeting took place and led to this decision. The teams building these new boats are already well down that road, so it was not reasonable for us to tell them that the rule was about to change again. This was a wise decision and once again taken in a calm atmosphere by a very large majority: 53 in favour of not changing the rule, 15 against, 1 abstention.”

So there will be foils on the Vendee Globe boats, but they won’t be flying?

"No, of course not. We’re looking here at ballasted monohulls, not at America Cup multihulls. We can say they are lifted, are lighter and for the moment, no one can say exactly what the gains will be in terms of performance thanks to these new appendages. We’re going to have to wait for the new boats to be launched from early 2015 onwards. We do know that it represents an additional cost (of around 200,000 to 300,000 euros), but that is reasonable in this series and far removed from the sums around four or five times that that we have heard being banded about."

imoca.org

SK2. Welcome To The New.
The fast and fun sportsboat with a canting keel. Developed by Swing Keel Sailing Ltd and built by Ovington boats.

Weighing in at only 210kg (hull & Keel) it is towable by any car. At this weight an SK2 is also easily launched by hand like a dinghy from the beach or a boat slip.

sk2sailing.com

Garmin Hamble Winter Series
All last week the forecasts agreed that this weekend was to be a brutal one. But contrary to the expectations of most of the fleet, the weather gods allowed the race team to fit in one race on this, the third Sunday of the 2014 Garmin Hamble Winter Series – but it was in conditions that put boats and their crews to the test.

In IRC 0, the British Keelboat Academy on Kolga continued their run of first places with another bullet, placing themselves atop the overall results by 8 points ahead of Louise Makin's J/111 Journeymaker II and third-placed J/111, Icarus.

Similarly, in IRC 1 Bernard Olesinki's X-40, Xinska, added another first to their results, ahead of Stuart Wilkie's Puma and Tim Octon's Doyle Sails.

Richard Searle's JPK1010, Pincer Movement won the IRC2 class, finishing a minute ahead of HOD35 Malice on corrected time.

In IRC 3, it was local boat, Projection 920 Wee Bear that pulled out all the stops to win the class by four and a half minutes on corrected time. J/97 Blackjack came in second, at the head of a trio of J/97s.

In IRC 4, it was Richard and Ursula Hollis' X-95, Crackajax that finished first, 40 seconds ahead of Toby Gorman's Sigma 33 Stan the Boat, who was four seconds ahead of Impala 28 Polly.

Of the J/109s, Adrian Wheal's Jolly Jack Tar beat Owain Franks' Jynnan Tonnyx to take the top spot.

Finally, the Sigma 38s had a close battle on their hands, but it was Nigel Goodhew's Persephone that added to their string of first places with another bullet.

This weekend also hosted the second of two Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships. Racing on both Saturday and Sunday, the SB20, J/70, J/80 and J/109 classes enjoyed some thrilling, close racing in exciting conditions over the weekend.

Over the two weekends, the J/109s fitted in 9 races. This class was won by Tony Dickin's Jubilee, tied on points but edging ahead of Iain MacKinnon's Tigh Solius II on countback. Steven Tapper's Stalker was in third place.

In the white fleet, the J/70s were racing for a place at their World Championships. Over 10 races, it was David Atkinson's Jawbreaker that topped the fleet, finishing 9 points clear of Simon Cavey's Just4Play. Nick Munday's J7t was third.

The J/80s were won by Douglas Struth and crew in DSP. They finished eight points ahead of second-placed Jalapeno, with Yannig Loyer's J-out of the Box in third place.

The SB20s were led by Jerry Hill's Sportsboatworld.com, ahead of Scott Graham's Chill Pill + in second, and Tom Clay's Whyaduck in third. Between Chill Pill and Fourth-placed SBeed, there were only two points separating the three boats.

hamblewinterseries.com

* From Antony Matusch: It's been about a month now since the ISAF Executive made known their intent to kill the Sailor Classification system, with no viable recommendations for replacement. Their proposal sends a dreadful message.

It would seem that they no longer want to take an interest in or support amateur sailing, instead opting exclusively for the professional and the elite. If the governing body of sailing no longer takes amateur sailing seriously why should anyone else? Are they so out of touch? We have one of the great participative sports, let's keep it that way.

Sailor Classification is a key tool for use by Keelboat and Offshore events and classes. It enables them to provide affordable and enjoyable racing and still keep their grass roots amateurs involved. Whilst a few owners can afford full professional crews most cannot or do not enjoy doing so. Classification enables these classes and events to not only survive, but flourish. Corinthian keel-boat and offshore sailing is a major and vital part of the sport, please don't let it be wrecked.

I and many others had extensive experience in the '90's of trying to run events with limitations on professionals (as requested by the classes) before the ISAF system was introduced. It was a nightmare to do it effectively in terms of both workload and in arriving at decisions for International sailors and it was grossly inefficient. That is why the RYA was asked to help, which it did, and why in due course the merging of the RYA and US Sailing systems into ISAF was inevitable.

ISAF is the only existing body that can run such a system worldwide and their idea that a multitude of international and local classes and events can set up their own systems instead is unworkable. It will lead to anarchy and chaos, just as it was 20 years ago. Furthermore, now that sailors frequently race in multiple classes, multiple applications by a sailor would be required!

If this submission were to be passed it would take effect immediately. A new international organisation to fill the gap would seem to me to be the only solution but that is a big task and impossible to do quickly.

If you care about our sport I strongly urge you to get hold of your national authority and urge them to vote against this submission.

Time is running out, they meet on November 1st.

* From George Morris: I have always found the theory of apparent wind sailing hard to master (where does the extra energy come from?) but the Volvo website has Bouwe Bekking with a speed of 8 knots and a Vmg of 9.9. While this is obviously a mistake it does seem to me that we need to define our terms - do we mean 'velocity made good towards destination (or waypoint)' or do we mean 'velocity made good up- or down- wind'? And is it over the 3 hr period or is it just the top of a wave? When I followed the Vendee a couple of years ago that information was given on their 'dashboard'. And one of the great pleasures of watching these events is the TV blog from Samantha Davies. I haven't seen anything from her yet.

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The Last Word
All cruelty springs from weakness. -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Esimit Europa 2 Take Line Honours
The expected frontal system arrived around Midnight last night at the northwest corner of the course. Reports of storm force winds and big seas have been received by the Race Committee and 17 yachts had officially retired from the race by 11:00 CET on Wednesday 22 October. The Race Committee has received no reports of any injuries to crew from the fleet.

Last night, the 100ft canting keel Maxi, Esimit Europa 2, skippered by Jochen Schumann, was outside record pace for the course but this is the fourth time Esimit Europa 2 has taken Line Honours for the Rolex Middle Sea Race and that has never been achieved before. Royal Malta Yacht Club Commodore, Godwin Zammit, presented Esimit Europa 2 with their fourth line honours flag.

Niklas Zennstrom's Maxi 72, Ran V, finished the Rolex Middle Sea Race about three hours after Esimit Europa 2 to set the 'bar to beat' for the yachts still racing

Lee Satariano's Maltese J/122, Artie has emerged as the hot favourite to become the overall winner of the 2014 Rolex Middle Sea Race. However, at 16:00 CET, Artie was still 80 miles from the finish and the Mistral storm is still raging. In addition, there are several yachts behind Artie that could still claim the overall prize.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Doldrums Lottery
While the rest of the seven-strong fleet were left some 90 miles plus in their wake, searching for the gusts which would finally propel them back into contention, skippers Ian Walker (GBR-Abu Dhabi) and Bouwe Bekking (NED-Team Brunel) were powering clear towards the island of Fernando.

They still have just over half the 6,487 nautical miles to complete the opening leg between Alicante and Cape Town but the experienced pair already look to have made this a two-boat sprint to the finish come the first week of November.

For Team SCA's British navigator Libby Greenhalgh, it was a particularly frustrating night after the women closed a large gap on the rest of the fleet of around 75 miles by Tuesday only to fall back again once they too hit the Doldrums.

Bekking, the 51-year-old Brunel skipper who is competing in the Race for a record-equalling seventh time, knows all about the frustrations of trying to 'race' through the Doldrums when the winds and fates seem stacked against you - or rather are just not there.

"Throwing the dice we hate. We prefer to act on facts and figures. But then I can reflect as well that sometimes 'luck' is with you and sometimes against. But in the end it will even out."

It also helps to have a navigator on board with the towering experience of Andrew Cape (AUS), as Bekking does, or Simon Fisher (GBR) on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

volvooceanrace.com

Williams And Stanczyk Lead Groups In Argo Group Gold Cup Qualifying
Hamilton Bermuda: Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar who is #1 on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and stands #2 in ISAF rankings going into Stage 6 at the Argo Group Gold Cup had a nearly perfect first day in the Argo Group gold Cup. He won all four of his matches but stands on 3.5 points.

Williams tried to cross Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa in a close match and failed to make it. Bruni's bow roller caught William's backstay and the two boats twirled away locked together for what seemed like an age. Both skippers were penalized 1/2 point for the incident. Williams leads Group 1 going into flight 6 on Wednesday.

Leading Group 2 is Marek Stanczyk (POL) Henri Lloyd Rainmaker Racing, a former Polish Match Race Champion. He finished the first day with a perfect 4 points and no losses. Stanczyk defeated Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets, Eric Monnin (SWI) Swiss Match Racing Team, Nathan Outteridge (SWE) Artemis Racing.

Taylor Canfield ((ISV) US One, top seed in Group 2, has 3 points. He is joined there by Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team and Staffan Lindberg (Fin) Alandia Sailing Team

Sailing starts again on Thursday at 9:00 ADT with more Qualifying matches. The forecast for Thursday calls for winds of 18 to 22 knots in the morning decreasing to 12 to 18 in the afternoon. Isolated showers and a risk of thunderstorms throughout the day.

argogroupgoldcup.com

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Seahorse build table - Cool as ice
Giuliano Luzzatto catches up with an ultra-slippery new offering from Umberto Felci of Felci Yacht Design

Sailor of the Month
Just keep plugging away (and you'll get there)

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

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Giles Scott Makes Star Debut in the SSL Finals 2014 at Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas: The list of champions taking up the invitation to the second Star Sailors League Finals, organised by the Nassau Yacht Club for December 1st to 7th 2014, is getting longer by the week.

After the recent announcement of the first 12 competitors, who gained automatic access to the SSL Finals because of their positions in the Skipper Ranking, and the first guest star, London 2012 gold medallist, Freddy Loof, it is the turn of the very young but also very promising Giles Scott. Now virtually a certainty for the British Olympic squad, the rising star is also seen as a natural successor to Ben Ainslie who has retired from that side of the sport to devote himself full-time to the America's Cup.

Unbeaten in 2014, Scott repeated his brilliant double of 2011 this year to become both Finn European and World Champion.

The SSL is also growing fast and looking set to hold plenty more big surprises in the coming weeks. The hottest tips on the water will be Robert Scheidt, who has won five Olympic medals, two in the Star class, London 2012 Star champion Freddy Loof, top-ranked SSL skipper Diego Negri, Robert Stanjek, World Champion 2014 at Malcesine, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Gold Star and two-time Olympic medallist, Xavier Rohart, bronze at Athens and two-time World Champion, and many more.

starsailors.com

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao
Qingdao, China: It was a light wind, big wave finish at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao as the medallists were decided across the six fleets competing on the waters of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) had wrapped up gold in the Men's RS:X the day prior but intriguing battles for gold across the remaining fleets played out in a tense day of competition.

The stakes were high with Qingdao medals on the line, a share of the prize money and invitation places at stake for the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final set to be held at the end of November in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Next up for many of the racers is the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 26-30 November.

Top three by class:

470 Men
1. Jordi Xammar / Joan Herp, ESP, 30 points
2. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 34
3. Onan Barreiros / Juan Curbelo Cabrera, ESP, 37

470 Women
1. Mengxi Wei / Yani Xu, CHN, 15
2. Xiaomei Xu / Ping Zhang, CHN, 26
3. Shasha Chen / Haiyan Gao, CHN, 28

Laser Men
1. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 28
2. Pavls Kontides, CYP, 36
3. Tom Burton, AUS, 46

Laser Radial Women
1. Dongshuang Zhang, CHN, 25
2. Tina Mihelic, CRO, 36
3. Sara Winther, NZL, 38

RS:X Men
1. Byron Kokkalanis, GRE, 30
2. Aichen Wang, CHN, 46
3. Max Oberemko, RUS, 49

RS:X Women
1. Jiali Sun, CHN, 53
2. Olga Maslivets, RUS, 61.40
3. Hongmei Shi, CHN, 83

Full results: www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

ISAF Sailing World Cup Website
www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Cowes Etchells Winter Series
Cowes Etchells winter series was reduced to just one day, Sunday 19th October, Saturday the 18th had a horrid forecast so racing was cancelled on the Friday night, but for the few who did venture out onto the bramble bank on the Saturday sailing the conditions were not ideal, in fact rather strange with 20 degree jib backing wind-shifts, the racing was unlikely to have been great.

But 9 teams made it to the starting line on the Sunday morning and were greeted by 17kts gusting 22, that gradually increased to 22 gusting 26, from a SSW direction over an ebbing time that made for a slight to moderate sea state. Three races were sailed.

For the Cowes Fleet's league season results it was Shaun Frohlich first, David Franks second and Rob Goddard's Stampede third who also won the Corinthian league.

Sailing in Etchells for many of the fleet continues in Hong Kong and Miami over the winter, before racing starts again in Cowes next April. -- Rob Goddard in Yachts and Yachting:

www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/179663

RYA Eric Twiname Youth And Junior Team Racing Championships
This weekend (18-19 October) winning glory went to 'Gingernut and Assorted Biscuits' and team '420' as they were crowned 2014 RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing champions in their respective events.

The biggest team racing event in the world was held at Oxford Sailing Club, Farmoor Reservoir, with 23 Junior (under 16) teams and 27 Youth (under 19) teams competing for championships honours.

Following a full day's racing on Saturday with 10 rounds completed on both the Youth course with Fireflies and the Junior RS Feva course, standings started phenomenally close on the Sunday. The Youth fleet saw 11 of the 27 teams fighting for seven places that make up the Gold A Fleet, while there were three teams in the Junior fleet who had all lost only one race each.

However, with Sunday bringing gusts of up to 42 knots, racing soon came to a close at lunchtime after only one more round of stage one was possible, resulting in the event winners being decided from the final standings in the round robin stages.

2014 RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing Championships results:

Junior
1. Gingernut & Assorted Biscuits (Hayling Island SC/Royal Torbay YC)
2. 420 (Datchet Water Sailing Club /Frensham Pond SC)
3. RS Tera Assoc 1Youth

Youth
1. 20 (Warsash SC/Royal Lymington YC/ Spinnaker Sailing Club)
2. Sevenoaks School
3. Winchester College

Full results: enter.sailracer.org/events/

www.ryaracingevents.org.uk

ISAF World Sailing Rankings
The ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 20 October 2014 have been released.

- Men's RS:X racer Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) climbs to World #1 following ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao victory
- Australia's Tom Burton (AUS) retains World #1 in the Laser after Qingdao bronze
- Jordi Xammar and Joan Herp (ESP) continue their rise after first senior title at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao
- Ups and downs in the Laser Radial after World Cup Qingdao.

Top ranked sailors by class:

470 Men: Mathew Belcher / William Ryan, AUS
470 Women: Camille Lecointre / Helene Defrance, FRA
49er: Jonas Warrer / Peter Lang / Anders Thomsen, DEN
49er FX Women: Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA
Laser Men: Tom Burton, AUS
Laser Radial Women: Marit Bouwmeester, NED
Finn: Bjorn Allansson, SWE
Nacra 17 Mixed: Vittorio Bissaro / Silvia Sicouri, ITA
RS:X Men: Byron Kokkalanis, GRE
RS:X Women: Flavia Tartaglini, ITA

The full ISAF World Sailing Ranking lists, results from all ISAF Graded events, lists of Graded events throughout the year, Ranking release dates and the method of calculation for the Rankings can be found on the ISAF website at www.sailing.org/rankings

2015 Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Finance Challenge Launched
Over 150 finance professionals participated in the inaugural Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Finance Challenge in 2014 and due to its success, the 2015 event will not just be repeated, it will be staged over five days instead of just one. It will be organised in partnership with Sunsail, the newly appointed Official Charter Sailing Partner of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, using Sunsail's identical fleet of 30 Sunsail Match First 40s from 10 to 14 August, 2015.

The winners of last year's regatta, Aberdeen 1, followed by Deloitte Blue, with Red Funnel M&G 1 in third, have already expressed an interest to participate.

A daily prize giving will be held in Sunsail's hospitality area in the lively Cowes Yacht Haven and the overall Challenge champions will be awarded the perpetual Finance Challenge Trophy on Friday 14th August.

All finance companies racing in the Sunsail Match First 40 class will be eligible to enter and Sunsail has allocated a portion of its 30 strong fleet for finance companies wishing to take part.

The 2015 regatta takes place from 8 - 15 August.

Those companies wishing to enter the Challenge should contact Alex Tredget of Sunsail Events at alex.tredget@sunsail.com

www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

* From Euan Ross: The Volvo Tracker - correction: This stuff drives us all nuts, but bear with me. If you have updated to 64 bit Chrome as I have just done, the Volvo Tracker's Unity Web Player download link delivers incompatible software. It simply does not work, as an earlier correspondent noted. You have to download a different 64 bit Unity Player (run an internet search for this) and then restart your long-suffering computer. Then the cumbersome process works as we have suggested. Now let's get back to the sailing!

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The Last Word
Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Canfield and Williams First Into Argo Group Gold Cup Quarter Finals
Photo by Charles Anderson. Click on image to enlarge.

Hamilton, Bermuda: Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One, top seed in Group 2, is the first skipper to qualify for the Quarter Finals in the 2014 Argo Group Cup. Canfield lost his first match in Day 1 racing against Chris Poole (USA) Riptide Racing. Since then the #2 skipper on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour has sailed to seven straight points. He will sail Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets in the final flight Friday.

Second to qualify is Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar, top seed in Group 1. By press deadline he reached a score of 7.5 points with 8 wins, but a ½ point deduction for the collision on Wednesday. The first pick for the Quarter Final automatically goes to the top qualifier from Group 1. Williams could face a challenge from Hansen when they meet in the final flight of Group 1 on Friday.

Three of the next 4 skippers in Group 1 may also qualify for the Quarters… Pierre Morvan (FRA) Vannes Aggio Sailing Team, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team, Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX and Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team.

Group 1 teams who will not make the cup include RBYC Commodore Somers Kempe’s team Raymarine/Ocean Electronics, David Storrs (USA) Pequot Racing Team, Arthur Herreman (FRA) Match the World.

Group 2 has finished sailing their Thursday flights and none of the teams except Canfield in Group 2 is safely out of the Qualifying session and into the Quarter Finals yet. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team is in 2nd place after 10 of 11 full Flights with 5 points. He along with 5 skippers sitting on 4 points can go through or go home.

Skippers on 4 points with one flight left in Qualifying include David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour, Eric Monnin (SWI) Swiss Match Racing Team, Nathan Outteridge (SWE) Artemis Racing.

Skippers on 4 points, but with two flights left to sail, are Mathieu Richard and Marek Stanczyk (POL) Henri Lloyd Rainmaker Racing. He has sailed one less race after a crewman was injured in flight 8 and they missed their flight 10 match.

argogroupgoldcup.com

Junior Gold Cup
Hamilton Bermuda: First day jitters marked the start of the 12th annual Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup. Racing featured strong performances from a trio of nordics including Christian Spodsberg of Denmark now leading the race with three points, Mainio Ormio of Finland with 9 points and Kasper Nordenram of Sweden who is in the top 10.

In second place, Adam Larson of Bermuda has 7 points and had a great day on the water today. Larson, whose family is still without electricity after Hurricane Gonzalo, said he has been getting to bed a lot earlier these days and feels that the conditions also favored his performance today.

For Denmark’s Christian Spodsberg who had a second and first place consecutively, he was careful to start in the middle and hang back a little on a crowded line. “There was nice wind and I was very pleased with the way I sailed today. It was great.” -- Laurie Fullerton

renrejrgoldcup.com

Artie's Heroic Return
Artie was the first Maltese boat to finish the race and is the provisional winner of IRC 4 and ORC4. 72 yachts are still racing, however Artie's corrected time, which decides the overall winner is unlikely to be beaten by any of the remaining competitors.

Lee Satariano was asked before the race if the record entry of 122 yachts and the fact that Artie is a J/122 was an omen? "I am not superstitious anymore!" commented Lee just after stepping ashore. "It was a very very tough race. The crew have worked around the clock from day one and the race didn't start well for us but during day two we started to get our the shifts right and co-skippers Sebastian and Christian Ripard did a great job on the tactics and the end result was a a series of correct decision that put us in a good position before the storm arrived."

www.middlesearace.com

Buy A Piece Of Kingfisher... Charity Auction
One of the guys at Future Fibres, Dale Fisher, is doing an ironman this weekend for charity ( justgiving.com/Dale-Fisher/ ). He has also arranged to auction a piece of Kingfisher's original rigging (which we have had lying around for years at work) through the Ellen MacArthur trust...

Deadline Sunday www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111487829103

Lucy Hutchinson was married to Riff (production manager at FF for 10 years), Tom's brother, and she passed away from cancer in Feb this year only 6-8 months after being diagnosed with Cancer.

Want to buy a piece of history and support Cancer Research through the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust?

BID at www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111487829103

CONTRIBUTE: justgiving.com/Dale-Fisher/

Ian Walker Speaks Out On Safety Training
Ocean Safety's Sea Survival training sessions with the Volvo Ocean Race teams, might seem a distant memory to the crew members as they prepare for departure, but how much of what they learnt will stay with them?

Ian Walker, skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, talked to Ocean Safety during training.

"The training sessions help us to come away with practical ideas and ways in which we might change our equipment, how we're going to organise ourselves or what we do in the event of certain situations arising.

Sea survival training provokes thought, discussion and self improvement. The course is good for team building, being in the pool together and boarding liferafts.

When you're confident that you're going to be safe, you can then sail the boat faster because you're not worried about danger and risk becauseyou're managing that at the same time.

To read the full interview go to bit.ly/1uyfqYq

oceansafety.com

Looking Forward To A Pint In Dingle
Canadian sailor Erkan Gursoy, who recently navigated the Northwest Passage solo, says he's looking forward to a pint once he reaches Irish waters, as RTE News reports.

The 67-year-old boat builder from Vancouver is currently some 500km off the west coast in his 11m yacht Altan Girl after riding out the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo that brought heavy winds to Ireland in recent days.

And despite the initial concerns of the Irish Coast Guard, he's "not in any difficulty" as he makes slow but steady progress across the Atlantic bound for port at Dingle.

Besides, he's faced his share of bigger challenges since setting out on his epic voyage earlier this year, such as getting stuck in Arctic ice for 10 days in July - during which time he had to fend off the advances of dangerous polar bears.

From Afloat magazine:
afloat.ie/sail/offshore

Article in RTE:
www.rte.ie/news/2014/1022/654207-erkan-gursoy/

And despite the initial concerns of the Irish Coast Guard, he's "not in any difficulty" as he makes slow but steady progress across the Atlantic bound for port at Dingle.

From Afloat magazine:
afloat.ie/sail/offshore

Article in RTE:
www.rte.ie/news/2014/1022/654207-erkan-gursoy/

Time To Fly
Photo by Lloyd Images. Click on image to enlarge.

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) took to the water for the first time from their temporary base in Southampton, sailing their foiling AC45. The boat originally raced under BAR colours during the America's Cup World Series in 2012-13, and has subsequently been modified to fly on hydrofoils.

Team Principal and Skipper, Ben Ainslie commented, "Ten months ago we had nothing, so to be out there today foiling in one of these boats - after such a short time frame - is the result of a huge amount of effort from all of the team, especially the shore team and the designers.

For us sailors it's a real privilege to get out there and sail one of these boats. It's been a great first day and it's a good start, but it's only a start and we have a lot of work to do over the coming months."

RORC Transatlantic Race Fast Approaching
Start: Lanzarote: 29 November 2014 to Grenada

A varied and international fleet ranging from 40 to 100ft (12.19 to 30.48m) will set off for Grenada on Saturday 29th November from Lanzarote, the most eastern in the Canary Islands chain, in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's new offshore race.

After a week of preparation and social events hosted at Puerto Calero Marina, the inaugural RORC Transatlantic Race will see competitors from several countries weave their way through the historic archipelago before making landfall 2,800 nautical miles away where they will be welcomed at Camper & Nicholsons' Port Louis Marina.

A number of boats will be vying for line honours including the largest boat in the fleet, the 100ft (30.48m) Finot-Conq maxi, Nomad IV (MLT), the Southern Wind 94, Windfall and Baltic 78, Lupa of London.

Jeremy Pilkington's 78ft maxi, Lupa of London (GBR) will be sailed by Daniel Stump with a top crew, including Isle of Wight-based solo sailor and project manager, Jonny Malbon, and young solo offshore Artemis Offshore Academy graduate and top British 'rookie' in the 2013 Solitaire du Figaro, Jack Bouttell on board.

The Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges Team is delighted to have completed a successful first year on the Volvo 60, Spirit of Adventure (CAN). A season that included the RORC Caribbean 600 allowed 91 individuals, from 27 to 77 years old, to take up the opportunity to sail on the grand prix yacht with two round the world sailors, Derek Hatfield and Chris Stanmore-Major, who between them have more than 400,000 ocean miles and five circumnavigations.

Four young sailors from Oakcliff Sailing's training and coaching centre based in the North Shore of Long Island, Oyster Bay, NY have been given the opportunity to compete in the RORC Transatlantic Race thanks to the generosity of their newly donated Class40.

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

ISAF World Sailing Conference
The annual bunfight that is the conference of the world governing body for sailing, the International Sailing Federation(ISAF) gets under way at the start of next month in Palma, Majorca.

Over 400 blazers (including a 13 - strong delegation from the Irish Sailing Association) will gather to discuss the burning and not so burning issues of the day, with a system developed in Ireland looking set to be the hottest topic on the agenda. Back in the days when Cork Week grew to be the most popular (if not the most populous) major keelboat regatta of its type in the world, it became clear that there was a demand to distinguish between those who sailed for fun and those who did so for a living. At the heart of the issue were the shouts of "unfair" from the largely amateur crews who saw a creeping influence of contracted-in sailors with a background in sailmaking, high performance events and marine industry related professions.

Responding to this unrest, the Royal Cork Yacht Club, led by Donal McClement, developed a system for excluding such "pros" from certain classes of racing. The result was the increasing adoption of the system by race organisers until ISAF decided to call it the "Classification Code" and enshrine it in their regulations where it has been ever since, updated to reflect trends in yacht racing. While it is not perfect, it does have widespread acceptance, so it was quite a shock to ISAF members to discover that submission 025-14 proposes to remove it altogether as an ISAF regulation. It is believed that this is being championed by ISAF President Carlo Croce, under pressure from elements within Italian sailing, where the use of the code is less popular.

ISAF, formerly the International Yacht Racing Union, has a governing process more akin to an old style Soviet politburo than to modern democracy. An executive committee implements the policy decisions of a 40 member Council, which are subject to review at the Annual General Meeting, where the voting body is the member national authorities (MNAs) of each ISAF country. It was this little know wrinkle in the ISAF constitution that allowed the MNAs to overturn Council's decision to include kitesurfing in the 2016 Olympics the 2012 AGM in Dun Laoghaire. Confused? Well you should be, because simple it ain't.

Full article in Afloat magazine's blog:
afloat.ie/blogs/water-rat/

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston: 'I'm No Ancient Mariner'
For he is returning to his solo ocean racing roots when he takes part in the French single-handed classic, the Route de Rhum from St Malo across the Atlantic to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

At 75 he is the oldest entrant. His yacht is called Grey Power.

Will I win it? No! Of course not,' he laughs. 'But I shall have loads of fun participating in it.'

But then the smile fades and his eyes twinkle. 'But you know, once I'm out there I shall get rather competitive.'

Why come out of retirement? 'I have never retired,' he fires back. 'Yes, I'm 75 now, but age has absolutely nothing to do with it.

'You are what you feel, not what you're counted as bureaucratically and I'm not anything like my age.

'I've been incredibly lucky. I've got a strong body. I'm fit.'

www.portsmouth.co.uk

Industry News
Next month, Terry Greenwood of British Cycling will be speaking at the 13th International Sailing Summit (ISS). He will reveal the concept behind the triumphant revival of British Cycling as inspiration of an ambitious future for the sailing industry.

Taking place on 17 November 2014 the Summit will address a global marine audience with innovative ways to engage an all-inclusive audience and generate business success. Terry Greenwood will identify lessons from the cycling industry as his contribution to the theme 'Waking up the sailing industry - how sailing needs to modernise, diversify and develop to attract and retain participants'.

Since 2009 British Cycling, in partnership with Sky, has inspired over 1 million people to cycle regularly.

The Summit is organised by British Sailing, a group association of the British Marine Federation (BMF). Taking place in Amsterdam the day before the world-renowned Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS), the event is expected to attract some 150 delegates representing all aspects of the sailing industry.

---------------------------------------------

After more than 17 years with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Chief Executive Officer Jerome Pels has decided to pursue other professional challenges.

Managing a complex organization like ISAF is not an easy task at the best of times. With 142 member national organizations; more than 100 ISAF classes; a very professional and dedicated cadre of International Race Officials, ISAF is unique amongst international sports federations and undoubtedly needs the skill demonstrated by Jerome to be efficiently managed. In this task Jerome has always counted on the invaluable support of his colleagues in the ISAF Secretariat.

Jerome stated: "After 17 years I believe I have accomplished most of which an individual can accomplish at any organization. I started in 1997 and leave having been for the last 6 years the highest ranking executive of ISAF. I have made countless friends, visited more places than I could ever have imagined and faced numerous challenges most of which I am pleased to say I was able to overcome. I leave behind a healthy organization and a great staff whom I will dearly miss. I am certain they will continue the outstanding performance which I have always counted on. I wish to thank in particular, my colleagues in the ISAF Secretariat, the Executive Committee who placed their confidence in me, and everyone whom I've been privileged to meet and deal with over the last 17 years. It is time for me to seek new professional challenges"

www.sailing.org/news/39158.php

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With the recent expansion and announcement of "Phase II" at Oyster's Norfolk facility in Wroxham, Oyster staff and their guests were invited to the official opening and launch party held on Friday 17 October, to celebrate the next chapter in the history of this luxury yacht-building outfit.

After nearly 40 years of partnership, in 2012, Oyster Yachts took over the Oyster business of E C Landamores and made it a wholly owned Oyster operation. Now in 2014, the new expansion, which is a conversion of the original building currently owned by Anthony Landamore and managed by Tilia Properties, has created two additional build bays plus a new deck bay to accommodate increased demand. This successful partnership has been the driving force behind the extended factory and in turn has been the catalyst of Oyster's recent recruitment drive.

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Groupe Beneteau today announced its sponsorship of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider and ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. Groupe Beneteau, the parent company of Jeanneau and Beneteau sailing yachts and Lagoon catamarans, is the world's leading yacht builder, and will now become a significant presence in high-performance sailing with its support of both the US national sailing team and North America's premier Olympic and Paralympic classes regatta. The partnerships are effective immediately, and will continue through the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Henri Lloyd will be well represented through out the competing teams in the French single-handed classic race, the Route du Rhum.

Henri Lloyd long term Ambassador and Clipper Round the World Race founder; Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, aged 75, will be the oldest competitor in the race when he competes onboard his Open 60, Grey Power.

Sir Robin will be wearing Henri Lloyd's Ocean Pro Jacket and Hi-fits.

The crew of the Maxi80 Prince de Bretagne have also chosen Henri Lloyd for their race attire, skipper Lionel Lemonchois who has won this race twice previously and his team will be wearing Henri Lloyd's Elite range.

www.henrilloyd.com

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The first pile has been driven in the Royal Southern's Yacht Club's most ambitious construction scheme to date, the creation of the Prince Philip Yacht Haven. The Royal Southern Yacht Club and its close neighbour, the RAF Yacht Club, have worked together for several years to reach this milestone.

The need for this major construction project arose as a direct result of the deteriorating condition of the Royal Southern's sea wall but, looking to the future, the Club decided to make a virtue of necessity and improve its berthing facilities.

Incorporated into the design are facilities to enable sailors with severe physical disabilities, including those who are restricted to wheelchairs, to have direct access to boats afloat.

This project will also provide improved facilities for the RAF Yacht Club who will now have direct access to their pontoons and rationalisation of land holdings. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt

www.royal-southern.co.uk/PPYH/PPYH-Blog

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The Last Word
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently. -- Warren Buffett

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Johnie Berntsson Wins 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup
Denmark’s Christian Spodsberg won the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup and Sweden's Johnie Berntsson won the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup. Click on image for event photo galleries.

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team has won the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup and $50,000 of the $100,000 prize purse. Berntsson defeated Eric Monnin (SWI) Swiss Match Racing Team 3-1 in brilliant match racing conditions on Bermuda’s Hamilton Harbour. This is the second time the jovial swede has won the King Edward VII Gold Cup, repeating his triumph of 2008.

Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar and Taylor Canfield (IVS) US One were the two competitors who had reached the Semi Finals with the best record. Coming into the Argo Group Gold Cup they were ranked 1 and 2 on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. They lost to Monnin and Berntsson in the Semi Finals. In the Petite Finals, Canfield defeated Williams 2-1 to claim third place, leaving Williams in fourth.

The Final and Petite Final skippers had sailed in 32 Gold Cup events amongst the four.

Two special trophies are presented at the Argo Group gold Cup. The Wedgwood Heritage Trophy was first presented at the 1990 King Edward VII Gold Cup competition. It is presented to the sailor who best represents the traditional values and history of sailing. This year’s winner is Eric Monnin as a consistent presence at the Gold Cup, always gracious and always a gentleman.

The Jordy Walker Trophy recognizes Marek Stanczyk of Poland as the most improved young match race sailor who competes in World Match Racing Tour events or other events that automatically qualify a skipper for a Tour event. He comes from Poland and has less opportunity to sail in international match racing events and but has improved his skills tremendously.

Jordy Walker, a man who gave his heart and soul to sailing and the sport of sailboat racing, used his time, money and talent to promote the sport he loved, to introduce the modern format of match racing to Bermuda. And, in fact, he brought match racing to the World in 1988 through the establishment of the WMRA and its match racing championship events he helped establish around the globe.

Overall results of Stage 6 Argo Group Gold Cup, Alpari World Match Racing Tour

Denmark's Denmark's Christian Spodsberg wins the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup
Hamilton Bermuda: After three days of racing on the Great Sound, the fleet of 14 International sailors and 26 Bermudians met their final teacher - a tricky, shifty Hamilton harbour course the final challenge to the fleet. The sailors took it on and despite the difficult, light conditions, Denmark's Christian Spodsberg finished today's race in first place with 33 points and is the overall winner of the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup.

"The harbour was much more shifty and difficult than I expected and I had to fight my way up to the top mark where I was in fourth" Spodsberg said who won the regatta. "On the next rounding, through the gate, I was in first so that was very good. It was a great time here overall."

Bermudians placed well in the overall regatta with Adam Larson,13, holding on to his second place with 53 points. Larson sailed very well this week and also earned the award for top Bermudian sailor.

Third place went to Brazil's Joao Emilio Vasconcello with 54 points. He is a tall boy who sailed well in both heavy breeze and super light conditions.

The top female finisher award went to Julia Szmit of Poland, who finished in ninth place overall. -- Laurie Fullerton

juniorgoldcup.com

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:

Mark Mills (IRL)
'From Mandrake all those years ago, he just keeps on producing fantastic boats' - Peter Morton; 'Beautiful design and terrific engineering' - Keith Church; 'Mark is the designer I have chosen for my new boat!' - Roberto Lacorte; 'Millsy is a super nice guy and with a brilliant brain' - Brendan Foley; 'The Mills 39 is one great sports car of a boat!' - Andrew McIrvine; 'Surely he's now a lead contender for any campaign chasing a fast boat?' - Dane Ralston; 'Mark's creativity has sparked some great designs' - Tim Perrotti.

This month's nominees:

Iain Percy (GBR)
The team behind Bart's Bash, led by Iain Percy, aimed to raise around £20,000 with their new event in honour of a wonderful friend... as we went to press the running total stood at £276,610 with 26,879 the latest tally of sailors having taken part in the event in the many nations all around the globe. To reach out so far demanded extraordinary work and co-ordination - and the Artemis Racing CEO was not found wanting

Markus Wieser (GER)
After a fiercely fought final race in Medemblik, wrestling with his principal rivals Lawrie Smith and eventual runner-up Pieter Heerema, Wieser eventually came through to take his third consecutive Dragon Gold Cup title. This to add to success earlier this year in Tuscany at the Scandinavian Gold Cup for 5.5 Metres and other one-design prizes hoovered up during the course of perhaps Wieser's best ever season

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!

Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month

To subscribe to Seahorse Digital £30 for one year with discount promo code SB2 click www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Route du Rhum Race Village Open
At 1600hrs local time Friday afternoon the race village for La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe was opened, ready for an estimated influx of up to two million visitors expected over the next week leading up to the start of the four yearly race from the historic walled town of Saint Malo to Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe. The mayor of Saint-Malo, Claude Renoult and Alix Nabajoth, President of Guadeloupe's Sports Commission shared the honours in declaring the sizeable village area open whilst the 91 competing craft line the docksides of the basins, in place before today's 1830hrs deadline for the boats to assemble. And so the festivities which are set to be enjoyed up until the start gun, next Sunday November 2nd at 1400hrs local time.

The 1830hrs time limit for the race fleet to muster in Saint Malo ensured that the atmosphere today has been electric. The public turned out in big numbers to see the five different classes assemble, the Ultimes, Multi50, IMOCA Open 60s, Class 40 and the Rhum divisions. Tonight all are safely moored up from the biggest - the 40 metres Spindrift 2 of Yann Guichard to the smallest the 12 metres Acapella of Charlie Capelle and Jean Paul Froc's Bilfo-Group Berto.

Experts and spectators are trying to predict what will happen in the Ultimate Class, which has eight contenders this year, including three boats that are more than 30 m long. "Physically, I am in great shape. I have been working on my fitness, and I realise how important it is every time I set sail," explains Yann Guichard, skipper of Spindrift 2. "I continue to train to work on skills, but I feel strong, which is vital for my confidence. Once the weather forecast becomes clearer and we draw up our strategy for the first few days of racing, I will be ready to go. I know my opponents and I know the limits of solo racing on a boat as powerful as Spindrift 2, but if I have a good race with no technical or strategic errors I know I have a chance. That is why I am so excited about this race!"

www.routedurhum.com

Have Your Say
Technology marches on: this is not just an axiom to modern life, but a fundamental principle embraced by most of us who race sailboats. Modern design trends have produced boats that are faster, more exciting and safer than ever before, where 40-footers are now exceeding the speeds of 50-footers built only a decade ago. Accordingly there is a growing interest in building and racing this new generation of high-performance offshore-capable designs.

But as in most arenas of technology, the cutting edge is not always widely accessible: not only are the costs higher for the boats themselves, but also for campaigning them at a competitive level where all of their potential can be realized on the race course. Fair racing with these boats can also be difficult because the existing handicap systems cannot always rate them fairly against other more typical mainstream designs that populate most regattas.

As part of the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation's mission to support the science of sailing, we would like to know more about us with some valuable feedback on how to characterize competitive big boat racing. Your answers will help shape the future of the sport for all concerned.

We would like to hear not only from designers but also from the racers themselves: what are our desires and expectations in relation to modern high performance design, and where are the boundaries of our notions on performance, affordability, seaworthiness, and fair racing. Should 40-foot offshore-capable boats be comfortable to race offshore? if so, what does this mean? Does have does everyone want boats that plane in only 14 knots of wind? or is this too expensive to achieve given current technologies? and if so, what about cost controls: is this desirable, and if so, what should be controlled without stifling the spirit of innovation in design?

We invite all interested parties to take this survey – owners, sailors, designers, builders, sailmakers, race organizers to name a few – who have an interest in supporting the growth and development of competitive high-performance sailing and want to express their views. And we have provided this in two versions: a General survey to solicit your views on the role of high performance boats in the sport, and a more specific Technical version to gauge more specifics on how high performance boats are defined.

Results will be gathered, collated and reported in due course, and should be of interest to all who participate.

Find the survey at www.gofaster.com

18Ft Skiffs Club Championship - Race 1 - Alf Beashel Memorial Trophy
Photo by Frank Quealey. Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The brilliant conditions which have prevailed for the opening races of the 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers League season continued today for Race 1 of the Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.

After all teams registered their new equipment, they took to the harbour in a South-East breeze, which gusted to more than 20-knots.

Two of the top skiffs had major skipper changes. James Francis replaced Seve Jarvin on Gotta Love It 7 and Hugh Stodart replaced Michael Coxon on Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.

The change on the '7'red machine made little difference as Gotta Love It 7 (James Francis, Sam Newton, Scott Babbage) scored another brilliant victory - by 2m58s.

Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy, Charles Dorron), sporting a brand new #2 rig, finished in second place, with Smeg (David Witt, Tom Clout, Reece Goldsmith) a further 1m30s back in third place.

The Alf Beashel Memorial Trophy for the handicap section of the race went to John Winning's Yandoo.

A wonderful result when the trophy honouring one of the greatest 18 Footer men of the past (Alf Beashel) is won by one of the present great 18 Footer men. -- Frank Quealey

www.18footers.com.au

Giles Scott Claims British Sailing's Athlete Of The Year Prize
Giles Scott claimed top honours at the British Sailing Team's annual awards, winning the Athlete of the Year prize after his unbeaten run in the Finn class this season.

The 27-year-old paid tribute to his coach Matt Howard, his Finn class training partners and the team's support staff as he collected the award following his dominance since returning to the heavyweight dinghy just over a year ago after an America's Cup sabbatical.

Megan Pascoe was named the Paralympic Classes Athlete of the Year after a consistent season in the 2.4mR class, which saw her win the European Championships and claim podium finishes in all five of the World Cup and EUROSAF events she contested.

Scott's coach Matt Howard picked up the British Sailing Team's 'Golden Funnel' award for coaching excellence, with his name now appearing on the trophy for a third time in the nine year history of the prize, while Lorenzo Chiavarini was the runaway winner of the Podium Potential Sailor of the Year Award following his victories at the Laser u21 World and European Championships, and his 11th place at the senior World Championships in Santander.

British Sailing Team members were also invited to vote for the colleagues they felt best displayed some of the team's core values of 'Collaboration', 'Passion', 'Committed to Excellence' and 'Gold Driven', with Head of Sports Science and Medicine Paul Mullan and Finn sailor Ben Cornish both emerging as double award winners.

The full list of recipients at www.britishsailingteam.com

www.rya.org.uk/britishsailingteam/

China Cup International Regatta: Late Victory For Vatti Sailing In Simpson Passage Race
Shenzhen, China: The opening day of the 105-boat China Cup International Regatta saw old rivalries renewed in the Beneteau 40.7 class, as Vatti Sailing stole victory from Vanke Longcheer in the opening Simpson Marine Passage Race from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.

With the wind blowing 14 to 18 knots, and some big waves on the upwind course, Huang Jianhua's Vanke Longcheer held the lead for the majority of the three-hour race. But in the final stages of the 18-mile course, Vatti Sailing managed to find a way past their rivals to steal victory just before the finish.

This was Vatti Sailing's third consecutive victory in the Simpson Marine Passage Race, although last year Jono Rankine's professional crew were concerned at the speed of Vanke Longcheer which went on to win the regatta overall. This generated a controversial dispute within the fleet, with Vanke Longcheer bringing their own suit of racing sails while the majority of the fleet were using standard suits provided for the regatta. A change in the rules has put an end to that problem for this year, so the hope is for a closer contest between more evenly matched boats.

The China Cup International Regatta 2014 takes place on 24th to 27th October 2014 in the waters of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. There are 105 entries representing more than 30 countries and regions including: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, USA. -- Andy Rice, SailingIntelligence.com

www.chncup.com/?lang=en
www.facebook.com/chncup

Disabled Kitesurfer Chris Ballois Sets New Speed Sailing Record
Chris Ballois has set a new world record for disabled speed sailing. The French kitesurfer hit 42.94 knots, at the 2014 Luderitz Speed Challenge. Ballois was motivated. He wanted to break the 40-knot barrier, and after an inaugural run at 39.14 knots, he was able to drive his kite at 79.52 km/h over 500 meters. Chris Ballois was able to do what many non-disabled kitesurfers can't.

Meanwhile, the 2014 Luderitz Speed Challenge continues delivering excellent wind conditions. Several new windsurfers have arrived and had their go on Namibian speed channel for the first time.

Jacques van der Hout made 43.57 knots; Alain de Gendt hit 41.44 knots, and Erik Beale raced at 41.87 knots. Alain Moutauzou is already in the 40.61 knots, Jim Cloarec accelerated at 40.58 knots, and Christophe Richaud made 40.29 knots.

With stronger wind in the forecast, records will keep falling. Erik Beale, the first sailor to hit 40 knots, and Thierry Bielak, are ready to raise the 1990s sailing class flag.

www.surfertoday.com

* From John Burnie: I have often heard people questioning the validity of carrying trysails and storm jibs on offshore races. Anyone who did the Rolex Middle Sea Race last week (especially on the smaller boats) are probably now quite grateful that Category 2 (special regs) are part of the entry requirement. It is interesting to note that most of the fleet were able to continue racing - despite elevated seas and, at times, sustained winds of Force 9/10. Much of the credit for that perhaps should be directed towards the RORC - their effort in developing and improving the special regulations is probably not adequately recognised.

* From David Evans: The comments in today's edition 24/10/2014 about ISAF, how it is managed, seemingly behind closed doors by unknown and unrepresentative delegations in the most obscure manner, all coupled with what appears to be the undue influence that certain Countries seem to be able to exert, really highlights the problem we have here.

I don't think anyone in the UK wants the this particular rule to be changed in the way ISAF intend. Speaking as a true amateur as are nearly all participants that I ever meet, we already have far too much professionalism and too many commercial interests destroying our sport already.

Who are the UK's representatives on ISAF? I have not the faintest idea and I doubt anyone else has. By the way how are they elected, by whom? How do we lobby unknown individuals over whom we have no electoral power? I would mind betting that every other Country is the same as the UK, so here we have an unrepresentative body deciding how or what we can do., shaping our sport and giving us rules, did we ask for any of this - no.

How did we end up with ISAF itself?
Who decided we all wanted/needed it, the answer is of course - the so-called self proclaimed administrators of our sport decided to do this to us several years ago.
Were we consulted - no; did we want it - no; was there a public uprising or serious dissatisfaction or even mild criticism of the IYRU - no.
How did our sport come to be run by a clique of special interests I wonder?

I have been an active yachtsman and dinghy racer (please please not a "Boater") for 60 years and no one has ever asked me!

We need change and we need democratic forces to come into play here and we need this to happen soon!

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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. -- Ray Bradbury

Back On Wednesday
No issue for Tuesday as your humble narrator will be travelling all day Monday. Back for the Wednesday issue.

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Team Brunel Snatch Lead - For Now
Alicante, Spain: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have finally given ground to Team Brunel after almost exactly a week at the head of the fleet but the new leaders' thin advantage may well be very short-lived as the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 1 turned into a game of hunt-the-breeze.

Ian Walker's (skipper-GBR) men edged ahead of the fleet on October 21 after leapfrogging past Dongfeng Race Team, having navigated the Cape Verde Islands.

They kept their noses in front until Tuesday morning when Bouwe Bekking (skipper-NED) and his crew moved into a 59-nautical mile advantage.

But before Dutch race fans get too excited, their position only reflects their placing in the most easterly point of the fleet, closer to the opening leg finish in Cape Town.

Team Vestas Wind have gambled by following a course to the west of the two leaders but it was paying slim dividends with markedly less breeze where they were.

Spain's MAPFRE went even more for broke, heading 230nm west of Team Brunel but in the best gusts of the fleet.

The boats are expected to complete the 6,487nm first leg from Alicante to Cape Town around November 5 after setting out on October 11.

volvooceanrace.com

The Need For Speed
Ian Walker, skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race, spoke to Louay Habib.

16 Days into Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have been consistent, almost conservative, in their tactical decision making. Whilst other teams have 'rolled the dice' Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have been playing the percentage game and relying on their skill, experience and meticulous data collection before the race, to optimise one thing and one thing only - speed.

"Fundamentally, it is how you trim the sails and steer the boat. However, we have ballast tanks, dagger boards and a swing keel and all the gear on board. The most important factor is the sail settings and choice of sail combination but all of these factors contribute to performance. We spent all of our training trying to figure out how to make the boat go quick."

Read the interview: www.cobham.com

Dubarry Crosshaven - Preferred By Professionals
If you had to invent the most punishing ordeal for offshore sailing footwear - an extreme boot camp you might say - then you couldn't do much better than the Volvo Ocean Race. It's a 37,000-mile ocean-bashing, boat-trashing dash around the planet, and if there's even the slightest imperfection in boat, man or gear, the VOR will find it, break it, then tell everyone about it.

For most of us, it's the ultimate contest of man and machine against nature. For Dubarry, it's R&D. After supplying its ever-green classic, the Shamrock boot, to the professional crew of Ireland's Green Dragon entry for the 2008-09 Volvo, Dubarry's most fanatical designers listened, developed, tested, listened some more, tweaked, analysed and tested again. The result was the Crosshaven boot.

When Green Dragon arrived in Galway at the end of Leg 7 for the best party the race has ever seen, elbowing their way through the "craic addicts" was Dubarry's research team, wanting yet more feedback. Their finishing touches sealed the Crosshaven's reputation as the offshore professional's boot of choice. Where's the proof of that? Competing teams chose Crosshaven in the 2011-12 VOR and again in the 2014-15 race.

Dubarry Crosshaven - Born at sea

dubarry.com

North Sails Golf Day For The John Merricks Sailing Trust
Sailors were out in force on the golf course on Friday 24th October, when 88 golfers turned out for the 18th North Sails Golf Day at Cams Hall Golf Club, Fareham. John 'Jonny' Merricks worked at North Sails and the first Golf Day, organised as it is today with the help of the Seahorse Golf Society, was set up to raise money for a Trust to be started in John's name. Since its inception 17 years ago the Golf Day has raised over £168,500 for the John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST).

Miraculously, the forecast rain never materialised, and the warm October weather continued as former colleagues and friends of John's, including, Eddie Warden Owen, Iain MacDonald-Smith, Ossie Stewart, Jonathan Taylor, Chris Mason and Stephen Park, turned out to play a round of golf whilst also remembering John and supporting the charity in his name.

Giles Scott, recent winner of the British Sailing Team's Athlete of the Year award, after his unbeaten run in the Finn class this season, and team mate Ed Wright, also wielded their golf clubs in support of the Trust.

Rob Larke won the event with a score of 39, earning him the famous Bandit trophy.

The Contender Longest Drive competition, won by Steve Adlam with a massive 292 yard drive, earned the JMST a donation from Contender to match of £292.

The Grapefruit Graphics Nearest the Pin Challenge was won by Dean Shaw.

JMST Trustee, Ian Walker, Skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing sent a message via VOR Race Control to all the players, "Right now I am lucky enough to be in the middle of the Ocean doing what Jonny would have loved to have done. It makes me sad to think of all the wonderful opportunities sailing has given me that Jonny never had. He too could have been stuck trying to sleep in a boiling hot carbon container with 8 other very smelly blokes! I am sorry to miss the Golf Day this year but wanted to thank you all for being there and for supporting the JMST. The JMST has a pretty simple goal to give chances to young people in sailing that they might never have had. This year the JMST has touched more young sailors lives than any other and I am very proud of everything that has been done with your help over the last 17 years….."

www.jmst.org.uk

Optimist World Championship
Club Nautico San Isidro, Argentina: 6 races were made last week and the fleet was divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each fleet has 70 sailors. This first part of this championship had light winds, lot of current and little waves but today it changed completely: The wind gauge marked 23Knts on the race area, the waves were high and short, there were current and it was cloudy. This changes made a turn on the results. The Gold Fleet had two races: The Brazilian sailor, Gustavo Abdulklech won the first race and then Voravong Rachrattanaruk from Thailand won the second race. The Silver fleet made two races also and the bronze fleet only made one because of the strong winds. The final results: 1st Nicolaz Rolaz from Switzerland, 2nd Dimitris Papadimitriou from Greece and third place Gustavo Abdilklech from Brazil. Mara Turin who was winning the OptiWorld is 8th after a very hard day.

Top five, Gold fleet after Tuesday's racing:

1. Nicolas Rolaz, SUI, 28.0 points
2. Dimitris Papadimitriou, GRE, 31.0
3. Gustavo Abdulklech, BRA, 43.0
4. Jelmer Velds, NED, 45.0
5. Aina Colom, ESP, 55.0

Full results of the individual championships

Racing continues through Thursday.

On Sunday the Team Racing Championship finished with Thailand winning, followed by Singapore and Spain in second and third place.

Full results for Team Racing

optiworlds2014.org

World Yacht Racing Forum & Yacht Racing Design and Technology Symposium
The World Yacht Racing Forum & Yacht Racing Design and Technology Symposium has been a key event for leading figures in the yacht racing industry for the last 7 years. It provides fascinating discussions and learnings on the latest developments for the business of the sport, best practice examples on growing business in yacht racing and excellent networking opportunities for companies within this exciting sector.

The 7th World Yacht Racing Forum and Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium takes place on the 10-11 December at the Hesperia Tower Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

Attend the WYRF and YRDTS to:

- Expand your network of contacts within the yacht racing industry
- At the WYRF meet with event organisers, sailing teams, pro sailors and class associations
- At YRDTS meet with yacht designers, boat builders, engineers and suppliers
- Discover the latest strategies to grow the base and business of yacht racing
- Learn from leaders in the industry about best practice for event management, sponsor acquisition and marketing.

DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE TODAY

ScuttleButt readers get a special 10% discount on the total delegate price; email us today onwyrf@informasportsgroup.com with your discount code AY2038SB10

For information on partnership opportunities please contact Informa Sports Group on +971 4407 2442 or sponsorship@informasportsgroup.com

www.worldyachtracingforum.com

Windier Weather Brings Victory For Vanke
The China Cup International Regatta saved the best for last by producing the strongest breeze of the regatta for the final day. It set up the perfect showdown in some of the closely fought classes, with the 103-boat fleet sent on a 13-mile Round the Island Race in the morning followed by a concluding short-course race.

Most competitive of the eight fleets was the 22-boat Beneteau 40.7 class. Finding space on the start line was not easy and one of the leading contenders, Beijing Sailing Center, could only manage a second-row start by the committee boat. Vanke Longcheer got the best start at the pin end and soon had arch-rival Vatti Sailing falling into her bad air.

However, Vanke was upstaged by Australian team, John Hearne's WOB Gloria Star, which showed impressive pace to win the island circumnavigation, with Vanke in 2nd, Vatti in 4th and Beijing back in 6th.

Jono Rankine's team would have to sail their socks off in the final race if they were to make up the 2-point gap to Vanke Longcheer. The green boat won the race, but the yellow shirts were too consistent and by coming 2nd, clinched the regatta by a single point. The winning tactician, 18ft skiff World Champion Seve Jarvin, grinned: "It was an awesome day in the end, But it was stressful! The crew did a fantastic job, we kept it clean and got off the line well. We ended up winning by a point which is awesome. We felt like the boat was going well and we gelled as a team."

For the second year running, the 2012 winners have played second fiddle to Vanke Longcheer. But after a sail controversy last year, Vatti helmsman Simon Cooke felt better about finishing runner-up this time, with tighter controls on the one-design aspect of the 40.7 fleet.

In the other one-design fleet, the SOTO 27s, Tiffany Koo has raced seven China Cups before, but apart from a line honours victory aboard the Maxi yacht Jelik, this was her first victory at the event. Koo and her crew on CMGE/ KRT won in style, taking five wins from seven races.

Koo's former skipper, Frank Pong, steered his Reichel-Pugh 75-footer, Jelik, to IRC Division A victory ahead of HuaAn Sailing Team. In IRC B, Dongfeng Race Team beat last year's winners, Nick Southward's J/109 Whiskey Jack. In IRC C, the defending champion Lighthorse won the final four races in the series but a set of retirements early in the week meant that the clear winner was HNA Dream Team skippered by Li Xiaojing.

Regatta Website: www.chncup.com/?lang=en
Results: www.chncup.com/?action=app&method=result
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/chncup

Frasch Leads German Team to International 14 Worlds
Touristen Express' Bjoern Frasch and crewman Oliver Peter are leading the way for a German challenge at the International 14 World Championships to be held at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, in Victoria, Australia, from 3rd to 17th January, 2015.

The multiple World Championship competitor expects another three northern German teams to soon lodge their entry. "There will be four German teams coming to the Worlds. The boats are already on their way to the UK to be shipped together, with the UK boats, to Australia," Frasch said.

The other teams are GER28's Georg Borkenstein and Eike Dietrich, GER230's Axel Reinsch and Peer Blohm, and GER13's Julian Retzlaff and Fabio Pfisterer.

Borkenstein was the best-placed German in this year's European Championship in Kiel, finishing in fifth place in the 31-boat fleet. At last year's World Championship in Toronto, Canada, he was again the best placed German, finishing in 12th place while Reinsch took out 19th.

Notice of Race available at: www.i14worlds2015.com/regatta-documents/
Enter here: www.i14worlds2015.com/online-entry/

* From Malcolm McKeag: The answer to David Evans' "heartfelt question "why ISAF?" may be given in two words: "the Olympics". Before 1984 the Olympics were an essentially amateur affair, after 1984 there was money to be made. Before 1984 the host nation/ city got government money to stage the Games, inevitably at a loss. Yacht racing at this time was run by amateur, Corinthian clubs and involved amateur sailors. The yacht racing rules of the time even required that a yacht in a race could be steered only by an amateur. Each nation had its own national body, each varyingly active but most concerned primarily with yacht racing and primarily the yacht racing rules. Each national authority subscribed to a body called the International Yacht Racing Union - the IYRU. The IYRU was formed in London in 1906 only and entirely to administer the International Rule of measurement (the Metre boat rule) and to coalesce the various clubs‚ varying sailing rules into a common code, which it called the International Racing Rules. The Americans did their own thing. Later, by common consent and the amalgamating of the North American Yacht Racing Rules with the IRRs, the IYRU became the international forum for matters racing. The IYRU operated like most clubs: its decisions were made by committees of which there were few and all concerned, as the name implies, with racing. That was the IYRU's business and it minded its own business well. As the body responsible for yacht racing the IYRU dealt with the similarly constituted body responsible for the Olympic Games, the IOC. The IYRU was based in London, in rooms rented from the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge, and had a staff of three in the office plus an international measurer who looked after technical matters for the international classes, including the Olympics. It held an annual conference every November, usually in London.

1984 LACOG, the Los Angeles Committee organising the Olympic Games, in the hope of mitigating the cost of running the Games, had the bright idea of selling-off sponsorship rights to the Games. Coca-Cola bought the main rights, there were other sponsors as well. And the IOC also sold the rights to televise the Games. In the US these went for big bucks. When the money was totted-up at the end to everyone's delight there was a modest, indeed not insubstantial, surplus. The IOC divvied this out between the sports, giving the money to each sport's affiliated body. The IYRU found itself in funds. But there was a snag. The IOC would give the money only if the affiliated body could speak for all participants in its discipline.

And so, to keep its hands on the Olympic money, the IYRU changed its constitution, unilaterally declaring itself to be "the world governing body for all forms of sailing" and arrogating to itself the right to tell sailors of all sorts around the world what their sport would be and what they could do.

And the rest, as they say...

* From Gordon Davies IRLGD4: It took me less than three minutes to confirm that Chris Atkins (GBR) is a Vice President of ISAF, that David Batt (GBR) and John Crebbin (IRL) are the Council members representing Group A (UK and Ireland). As Dick Batt and Chris Atkins are International Race Officials it took me another minute to obtain their e-mail addresses in the ISAF website Race Officials section. Hardly unknown individuals who Mr Evans cannot lobby.

As for being unrepresentative, Council members are appointed by the Member National Authorities of the group they represent ( see ISAF Constitution article 40a - another 1 minute 30 seconds of research!). In this case the RYA and the ISA. I presume Mr Evans is a member of the RYA, and I suggest he contact them for further information regarding their internal arrangements for designating an ISAF Council member.

The President and Vice President of ISAF are elected by the General Assembly held every 4 years. The General Assembly is made up of one delegate per Member National Authority, plus the President and Vice-Presidents (article 31). President and Vice Presidents are elected by the General Assembly (article 32 and 65).

This appears to me to be clear example of representative democracy, in which the members (the MNAs) elect Officers and and vote on issues brought to Council through a network of committees, sub-committees and working groups. The members of these committees are published on the ISAF website. Most Committee members welcome input from active sailors. The actual functioning of ISAF is far removed from that of an 'unrepresentative body' of 'self appointed administrators'. If the democratic process sometimes produces less than perfect propositions and decisions that is a price I am prepared to pay for a Constitution that allows me, as an active sailor, to make my voice heard.

I am certain that if David Evans has some well argued comments to make regarding ISAF Classification he will find that both Chris, David and John will read them with interest.

* From Alistair Skinner: I agree with David Evans. I am also a sailor of long experience though at just 46 years a spring chicken compared to David's 60. I have no objection to racing against the pros but I would expect to know who is what and more importantly I would expect our governing body to govern. I also agree with the apparent lack of representation or transparency. On the high side, they have delivered, what is now, a robust set of racing rules, have set in place firm and measurable guidelines for assessing and certificating the knowledge and skills of race officials and fought our sport's corner with the Olympic movement to maintain our expensive inclusion in the worlds biggest sporting circus to name but three areas.

Sure they are not perfect but I am sure that their tight adherence to their own rules, and acting on said rules, in no small part only enhances the fact that, generally, sailing is still a 'clean' sport where winning with the respect of one's fellow competitors is still as important as it was when the Paul Elvstrom first made the statement.

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The Last Word
There is no patent. Could you patent the sun? -- Jonas Salk on why he didn't patent his polio vaccine. Dr. Salk's 100th birthday is October 28th. Thank you Dr. Salk.

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

ISAF Annual Conference
The 2014 ISAF Annual Conference will take place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from 1-8 November 2014.

ISAF Committee, Sub-committee and Commission members will head to Palma where they will be joined by ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), Class Associations, sailors, event organisers, boat manufacturers and many more.

More than 500 delegates will be in attendance to share ideas, stories and to discuss the future of sailing.

Over 200 submissions have been submitted by Committees, MNAs and Class Associations proposing changes to existing policies, regulations or rules as well as looking to introduce new ones. All submissions and topics will be discussed at Committee, Sub-committee and Commission meetings commencing on 1 November. From the Coaches Commission to Oceanic and Offshore Committee, all will consider submissions and other areas relevant to them.

On Tuesday 4 November Palma will play host to the 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards. A diverse collection of male and female sailors make up the 2014 nominees and they will be celebrated throughout the evening.

The male nominees feature Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS), Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), Bill Hardesty (USA), Giles Scott (GBR) and James Spithill (AUS). The female nominees are Steph Bridge (GBR), Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) and Charline Picon (FRA).

All will be vying for the coveted title of ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Conference blog:
www.sailing.org/follow/2014-annual-conference-blog.php

2014 Annual Conference Microsite
www.sailing.org/2014-conference.php

Skippers From Eight Nations Take On La Route Du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe
Route du Rhum. Photo by Christophe Launay. Click on image to enlarge.

As might be expected for a country for which solo ocean racing is a national passion - witness the huge crowds on the Saint Malo docksides today enjoying warm Indian summer sunshine - the vast majority of the entries for the La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe are from France. But the record 91 strong field is peppered with solo skippers from eight other nations, nine men and two women hailing from Italy, Great Britain, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and Finland.

Italian Alessandro di Benedetto - 11th in the last Vendee Globe and ninth in the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre - is the only non French skipper in the IMOCA Open 60 Class and his racing challenge improves with every big race even if he considers his older boat is 30 per cent less powerful than the most recent generation of boats racing.

It is in Class 40 and the Rhum Class that most of the international skippers are entered. In Class 40 Conrad Humphreys (GBR) - 7th in the Vendee Globe 2004-5 - returns to the race with Cat Phones Built for it, the Akilaria RC3 which was previously Caterham. Miranda Merron (GBR) races the well travelled, well proven Pogo S2 Campagne de France. Both will be looking to match the record of Phil Sharp who still ranks as the only British skipper to win Class 40 in the Route du Rhum, triumphing in 2006 when compatriot Ian Munslow was third.

Philippa Hutton-Squire is Anglo-South African and takes on La Route du Rhum for the first time, racing a Rogers Class 40. From Belgium Michel Kleinjans will take the start of his second La Route du Rhum - he won the Rhum class with a 45 foot mono in the 2006 edition. This time he sails one of the Farr designed Kiwi 40 FCs.

And Italy's Andrea Mura (ITA) is back to defend the Rhum class title he won in 2010 on the 50 footer Vento di Sardegna. He is looking to step up to the IMOCA Open 60 Class in the next Vendee Globe.

www.routedurhum.com

Paul Goodison Joins Artemis Racing
Artemis Racing is pleased to announce its 7th Olympic gold medalist with 2008 Laser Olympic Champion Paul Goodison joining the sailing team.

Paul brings a wealth of Olympic experience to Artemis Racing, having competed at the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games. He is also a former Laser World Champion claiming the 2009 title in Halifax, Canada.

Since the London Olympics, Paul has won the Melges 32 World Championships in 2012 and the Melges 20 World Championships in 2014, while also sailing in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series with BAR. More recently, Paul has been developing his foiling skill set, training and competing in the Moth, claiming a respectable 12th rank in his first ever Moth Worlds earlier this year.

Paul joins the team primarily as a Helmsman but will also work in a number of other roles depending on the sailing and testing program.

artemisracing.com/paul-goodison-joins-artemis-racing/

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International Masters Regatta
San Diego, California, USA: Out of twelve legendary sailors, one has sailed away with the title of International Masters Regatta Champion. On the final day of racing it was Augie Diaz who finished in first place for the three day regatta, continuing his streak of impressive finishes. Diaz also took gold for the 2013 Star Western Hemisphere Championship and 2013 Star Winter Series Championship.

The final day of the regatta would bring back the shifting winds, but the race committee worked hard to spot out the steadiest locations, moving the course and weather marks accordingly. The founder of the regatta Don Trask and Jonathan Wright both excelled in Sunday's conditions, taking them from their previous positions in the middle of the scoreboard to second and third place overall. Unable to manage the shifty winds, day two's leader Bob Fisher fell to sixth place.

Final places:

1. Augie Diaz, Coral Reef YC, 48 points
2. Don Trask, St. Francis YC, 56
3. Jonathan Wright, Cruising Club of America, 58
4. Gary Jobson, Annapolis YC, 58
5. Chuck Nichols, San Diego YC , 60
6. Bob Fisher, Royal Lymington YC, 64
7. Donny Martin, Royal Vancouver YC, 66
8. Dennis Durgan, Newport Harbor YC, 68
9. Bruce Munro, St. Francis YC, 75
10. Jon Andron, St. Francis YC, 87
11. Dick Enersen, Golden Gate YC , 109
12. Tom Ehman, Golden Gate YC, 110

www.sdyc.org/masters

12ft Skiff Interdominion Back On Sydney Harbour In January
Kiwis on C-Tech. Photo by Rolf Lunsman. Click on image to enlarge.

For the first time in 10 years, the action-packed12 foot skiffs will return to Sydney Harbour proper when the acclaimed Australian versus New Zealand 12ft skiff Interdominion Championship, conducted by the 12ft Skiff Association and hosted by the Australian18 Footers League at Double Bay, is held from 3-10 January, 2015.

The highly coveted Australia versus New Zealand event the Interdominion is hosted by each country in turn. It boasts some big names who found their roots in the class; Aussies Dave Porter, John Winning, Iain Murray, Michael Coxon and Bruce Hewish and Kiwis John Chapple (three times), Bruce Farr, Russell Bowler, Don Lidgard.

Most notable is Kiwi Championship record holder, Tim Bartlett, whose six wins spanned an incredible 18 years, his last in 2001-2002. But as the old saying goes, you can't keep a good man down, and Bartlett, who will turn 63 on January 18, continues to impress on the race course and is without doubt the veteran to beat with his Frankenskiff.

The Kiwis proved too strong on home turf in 2014, winning overall and carting off the Teams trophy as well.

An Invitation race is scheduled for 2 January 2015, with the first race to be sailed on Saturday 3 January. From there, a race per day is scheduled, with lay days set down for Monday 5 and Thursday 8 January. Entries close on 15 December 2014.

The 12 foot skiffs began racing in Australia around 1914 at Cremorne Club, before moving to Lane Cove Club in 1916. The Silasec Trophy, presented to the scratch winner each year, was donated by Keith Golding of Sealwall Trading Company. -- Di Pearson

For Entry Form, NoR and further information: skiff.org.au/events/55th-interdominion-championship/

Farr280 News
We took AYBE (the UK based Farr280 demo boat) out for another sail over the weekend with a number of prospective clients. Here is a video clip of the boat downwind in about 20 knots of true wind and a typical Solent chop: youtu.be/jU_kahFzW64

The boat is stable but rapid and most importantly great fun.

We had another cracking weekend sailing the boat and are thrilled with the positive responses and progress we are making with developing the Class. So far we have sailed the boat with Swiss, German and numerous UK customers, to great effect and we will be making exciting announcements in the near future.

The boat is also winning the PR battle, too, from the positive comments posted online. Indeed, it is apparent that the Farr280 is the opinion formers preferred newbie, not only because of its dramatic design, but also its performance, technical advantages, One Design Rule and the stringent build processes employed by Premier Composite Technologies. So far the boats are coming out within 5Kgs of each other.

With plans for a Class start at KWRW and to form strong fleets in the UK and throughout Europe, now is the perfect opportunity to test sail the boat here in Cowes. There are still four weeks of test sailing ahead of us, this year and we want as many people as possible to come and sail AYBE. Are You Brave Enough?!

To make a booking, please contact: Joe Hall
Email: joe.hall@activateswitch.com
Telephone: +44 7774 138777

www.farr280.com

Wilson Crowned RS:X Youth World Champion
The British Youth Sailing Team's Emma Wilson clinched an emphatic World title at the 2014 RS:X Youth World Championships in Clearwater, Florida, on Saturday (25 October).

The 15-year-old from Christchurch, Dorset, sailed a solid series from the offset and entered Saturday's medal race showdown with a narrow two point cushion at the top of the leaderboard.

With a solid 14 knots of breeze and glorious sunshine, Wilson showed poise beyond her years to win the medal race in extraordinary fashion to claim both the Under 19 and Under 17 World title. Imogen Sills finished the medal race in second, sixth overall, making it a an impressive one-two for the British team on the final day of racing.

Top five, women:
1. Emma Wilson, GBR, 38 points
2. Berenice Mege, FRA, 50
3. Marta Maggetti, ITA, 54
4. Ma Kwan Ching, HKG, 58
5. Zuzanna Czurylo, POL, 76

Top five, men:
1. Radoslaw Furmanski, POL, 27
2. Mattia Camboni, ITA, 28
3. Toni Bonet Macias, ESP, 66
4. Oel Pouliquen, FRA, 77
5. Michele Cittadini, ITA, 108

Event: www.rsxclass.com/youthworlds2014/

rya.org.uk/racing

Making Ends Meet: Bill Erkelens Interview
Many know Bill Erkelens as a former rigger, team manager for the Maxi Sayonara and subsequently Campaign manager for Oracle Racing during the IACC efforts and a really good sailor with a solid Rolodex of connections in the yacht racing world. When the opportunity to manage a Volvo team, Bill did not hesitate, and in late 2013, the Bay Area Native accepted the roles as the COO for Team Alvimedica.

It's been a whirlwind dozen or so months for Bill and we caught up with him during a short respite from the chores involved with running the program, after finishing up the 6 week Alicante start operations and rushing to South Africa to set up and meet the crew in Cape Town.

PD: How do you compare running an AC team vs a Volvo Team?

BE: Very similar, but with the America's Cup you have 3 years of meetings and a few weeks of sailing!

PD: Tell us about Alicante and the prep.

BE: It was 6 weeks full on. All the team members, including sailing, shore and management teams putting in long days. We had one 1/2 day off in that period. We would arrive at 6:30 in the morning and get home at 10:00 PM. We have the 2nd smallest shore crew with 5, some of the better funded teams had excess crew, so obviously they didn't have such long days. There was an unexpected issue with bottom paint on the boats and all the teams needed to deal with stripping, re-priming and repainting. You play the hand you are dealt and everyone rolled up their sleeves and got dirty. That's all behind us now and things should be much smoother.

Full interview in Pressure Drop:
www.pressure-drop.us

Artemis Offshore Academy's Apprentice Preparateur Programme
Trials for the Artemis Offshore Academy Preparateur Training Programme will take place on the 20th-21st November 2014 at the Academy's base in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Following the success of its first Preparateur apprenticeship, the Academy are once again looking to recruit a British trainee preparateur for the 2015 Class Figaro season. An invaluable opportunity for the right applicant, the programme combines tuition from industry professionals and hands-on experience with the Artemis squad to put talented individuals on the pathway to becoming a skilled and professional preparateur

The trials, running between 20th and 21st November, will give invited applicants a chance to show their ability to work as a team, their technical skills, their planning, preparation and individual skills, and most importantly their ability to learn.

As the number of British sailors competing on the French Class Figaro continues to grow, the Academy looks to further develop its structured British shore team already working alongside the squad. Whether you excel on the water or with Sikaflex on the pontoon, the Artemis Offshore Academy are dedicated to providing British talent with a leg up into the world of professional offshore racing.

To apply

* From Mike O'Dwyer: No one , as far as I am aware , has mentioned one of the more interesting moments from this year's race.

Namely that the Italian coast guard, repeatedly, asked all competitors to take immediate shelter on Wednesday afternoon.

The forecast was grim and conditions were expected to worsen overnight (they did).

We, having heard that message , felt that we couldn't carry on racing and luckily for us, being so far off the pace, shelter was easy to get to.

So far all good and the coast guard are to be commended for taking such a proactive stance. What it meant in practice however was that it was extremely difficult to finish the race within the time limit so we were forced to retire.

I am sure I am not alone in asking the RMYC to look at getting rid of the time limit and fitting in with all the other major RORC races where no limit is imposed.

* From Fritz Mueller: I love following Optimist Worlds coverage on Scuttllebutt!.....I went twice to WC as an alternate, having finished 5th in trials those years, '69 and '70....Brother Mark was full on those days, a champion....such a huge event, even then. By age 14 I was messing about in OK Dinghies, and sailing "the Box".

The best thing, in retrospect, is what the Optimist Class (and I sailed Clearwater Prams too, even younger) imparted to us was a sense of confidence and self reliance on the water, as for many kids. In those days you learned seamanship first, racing skills second. There were no wind limits, little chance for immediate rescue. No coaches, just hands on and concerned parents.

Spinning a yarn around what it was like back then at MYC , CGSC, and CRYC would be easy....there are a bunch of World and great Champions who got their start there...

Only to be in that small dinghy and facing all and anything / everything that could be thrown upon you.....enough said. We all walked away from that experience, ultimately, with a great life lesson. Optimist sailing has to be the best option you can provide for your kids......

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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Let us learn to dream, gentlemen, then perhaps we shall find the truth. -- August Kekule

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

Close Contact Challenges
It's been 19 days and well over 3,500 nautical miles (nm) since the Volvo Ocean Race fleet set sail for Cape Town from Alicante, but the three leading boats are still within sight of each other with the fourth chasing them down just 18nm adrift.

It could hardly be closer. The changing wind patterns are testing the navigators to the limit every day and there are issues from lurking icebergs ahead to electrical problems to keep each of the seven crews on their toes 24/7.

Such a close packing of the crews so long into the opening leg is unheard of in the 41-year history of the event with the sprint to be the first to sight Cape Town's Table Mountain, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, still anyone's to win.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing narrowly have their noses in front (Ian Walker/GBR), 2nm clear of Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) with Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) just 4.2nm further adrift.

China's Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) are by no means out of it either in fourth place on the tracker, nor even Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) in fifth.

At the back of the fleet, it is not such a happy picture. Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) are more than 300nm behind after suffering miserably through lack of wind, while MAPFRE (Iker Martinez/ESP) had huge problems with a broken water pipe on board and electrical problems.

volvooceanrace.com

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=aKaSb68Q6EE, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Chris Benz Luderitz World Record Chase
Luderitz, Namibia: Today was the top performance day of the 2014 event with 50+Knots performances recorded, as well as many PBs and four country records falling.

Strong 25-35 knot winds were forecast for today and this proved true, however, the angle of the wind only allowed for optimal performances towards the end of the day's racing.

The fastest speed of the 2014 event was recorded today by Italian Champion Patrik Diethelm registering an impressive new Italian Record of 51.18Knots (actual World Record is 52.05 kts). In fact, Patrik achieved 50Knots+ speeds almost four times consecutively - he was in unbeatable form.

Three other National Records fell; Ex- German and once again German Champion, Christian Bonermann with a new record of 48.82Knots, Denis Vladimirov with a new Russian Record of 47.67Knots (broke it 3 x) and Zoran Jovanovic with the new Serbian Record of 39.4Knots (done in Kitesurfing).

The Belgium Alain de Gendt has also broken a record today in "Production Board" category of his country: 46.66 kts.

Day 8 in Luderitz at this remarkable canal and spot, the day's exciting racing changed lead several times. Grabbing the lead initially was Jim Cloarec (France), then Raffaello Gardelli (Sweden), Thierry Bielak (France), then Christian Bornemann (Germany) with a new national record and finally, TOP performer of the day, as well as the entire 2014 event, Patrik Diethelm (Italy).

Day 8 has provided some of the best and top performances of the 2014 event despite not optimal conditions and thus proves once again that the channel created by Sebastien Cattelan, the first man to smash the 50Knots+ barrier, to be the best spot on the world speed sailing circuit.

www.luderitz-speed.com

Seahorse November 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Fixtures and fittings
As we roll into another Volvo Ocean Race Tim Jeffery - there from the beginning - reflects on the heritage that underpins this magnificent event

Staying dry - Part 2
Oracle Team USA software specialist Andrew Mason expands on the potential for advanced simulation ahead of the next America's Cup

It all started in a garage - Part 2
And the J/Boats team take a first tentative step into the grand prix world. Rod Johnstone

Paul Cayard
And how the sport - and the Rolex Big Boat Series - is steadily changing for the better...

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine

Team Alvimedica Auctions The Opportunity To Be A Part Of The Volvo Ocean Race
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a part of the Volvo Ocean Race? We aren't just talking about watching a race from the shore during a stopover or being one of thousands waving goodbye to the fleet from the dock as they go to sea for weeks. We are talking about truly being a part of the Volvo Ocean Race - racing on the boat as crew, taking part in sail changes, feeling the power of the wind under the sails as you drive the boat around a mark, being onboard during a leg start, hearing the calls made for a tack, and jumping overboard just as the fleet head out to sea. Well if you never thought it was possible, think again!

Team Alvimedica is offering the incredible opportunity for you to join the Volvo Ocean Race as a part of the team with two auctions at each stopover:

- Jump Seat: Be on Alvimedica with the crew as they wave good bye to cheering fans and start the leg of the race. After completing the inshore portion of the leg you will jump overboard before the fleet head out to sea.

- Pro-Am Race: Join Team Alvimedica as crew for a Pro-Am race against the rest of the fleet with a group up to seven friends or colleagues.

The highest bidder on each auction will win this experience with all proceeds donated to a local heart charity of the stopover country. Bid to support the improvement of heart hearth around the world and truly become a part of Team Alvimedica!

www.teamalvimedica.com/auction/

What Is AIS and is it Worth Fitting?
Rupert Holmes weighs up the options for boat owners trying to decide whether or not to fit AIS.

AIS - or Automatic Identification System - is an automated system that allows vessels to exchange data including their position, course and speed. From a small boat perspective it's predominately used for collision avoidance.

The system is mandatory on ships of over 300 tonnes, all passenger vessels, and in the EU all fishing vessels of less than 16 meters length, with a few notable exceptions such as military and border patrol vessels. Initially ships were often fitted with only a basic text display for AIS data, although most now have an AIS overlay on radar and plotter screens. There's no requirement for pleasure craft to fit the system (unless competing in ISAF Category 2 offshore races, such as the Rolex Fastnet Race), however yachts may benefit from fitting a receive only system, or a combined transmitter/receiver.

Whether AIS is worth fitting will depend on the type of boating you do. If it's only in good weather and in a popular area such as the Solent then there's probably little to be gained. However, for boats venturing further offshore and likely to meet reduced visibility and other inclement weather, as well as engaging in more night sailing, an AIS receiver is clearly a valuable and relatively inexpensive aid to help avoid potential collision situations.

As to whether an AIS B transmitter is useful, again this will depend on similar considerations. I certainly have no regrets about having invested in one, however, for anyone with a limited budget I would be more likely to prioritise a dual band active radar transponder to be sure your boat shows up clearly on large vessels' radar, as this remains the key tool by which larger vessels assess the risk of collision.

uk.boats.com/boat-content/2014/10/ais-worth-fitting/

Rolex Sydney Hobart Entrants In Historic Gascoigne Cup
The winner of Saturday's Gascoigne Cup will have its name engraved on the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's historic yachting trophy but it's doubtful if it will receive the same accolade as the first winner of the Cup, Magic.

Launched in 1875 and owned by then RSYS Commodore J R Fairfax, Magic's sailing prowess inspired a popular jingle around the waterfront:

Magic's a billow puncher
Scorning squall and spray
She'll small her way to windward
Any stormy day

The Gascoigne Cup dates back to 1886 when Colonel F G F Gascoigne presented a Challenge Cup to be competed for annually by yachts over fives tons, until won three times in succession.

The race, over a 30 nautical mile course off Sydney Heads but starting and finishing in the Harbour, is now one of three short offshore races the Squadron conducts each season, each one now part of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Grant Thornton Short Ocean Pointscore.

Saturday's fleet of 40 modern racing yachts is a far cry from the cutter-rigged Magic and her competitors, most of which carried huge gaff mainsails and topsails with headsails set on long protruding bowsprits.

According to RSYS records, Magic had a load waterline of 48 feet and a sail area of 2,054 square feet. -- Peter Campbell

www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=128369

Across The Atlantic On A Multi 23
Photo by Christophe Launay. Click on image for photo gallery.

Vincent Beauvarlet is a French sailor. If he started his career as a windsurfer, youth world champion in 1990, he discovered offshore sailing quickly (Route du Rhum, Quebec St Malo)... Today, three days before the start of La Route du Rhum, he goes on a long journey from Cancale (France close to St Malo, start of the Route du Rhum) to Guadeloupe (French caribbean island, arrival of the Route du Rhum and where he is born 40 years ago) alone onboard a very small multihull a Multi 23 (VPLP Design ) called "Ocean Love Dream".

If he won't go as fast as big multihull as Spindrift, 140 feet, Vincent'll try to make a new record set of the atlantic cross alone and onboard a dinghy multihull. It's not holidays, it's adventure. Vincent, take care! -- Gilles Morelle

www.vincent-beauvarlet.com

Industry News
The Little Britain Challenge Cup, the biggest sailing regatta for property and construction, is delighted to announce that Sunsail Events has agreed a 3 year deal to become a Silver Sponsor and an Official Charter Partner of the Little Britain Challenge Cup for 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Sunsail operates the only fleet of perfectly matched charter boats in the UK and the Sunsail Match First 40s have competed in their own Little Britain Challenge Cup class for a number of years.

Sunsail has developed specific charter packages for the Little Britain Challenge Cup that offer excellent value for money and cater for both bareboat and skippered charterers. Sunsail will work closely with Little Britain to promote the regatta and specifically encourage new entrants to the event.

The LBCC established 27 years ago, is the biggest annual UK gathering of senior property and construction industry figureheads. The LBCC also supports a number of charities: Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Jubilee Sailing Trust, Team GBR Paralympic Sailing Team, Cirdan Sailing Trust, Cowes Sea Cadets, Island Youth Water Activities Centre, Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue, Cowes Sailability Club.

www.littlebritain.co.uk

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Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) is pleased to report that completion on the 2014 phases of the Cowes breakwater construction programme is imminent with contractors Boskalis Westminster now finalising the reshaping of the 350 metre long breakwater core in advance of a winter settlement period.

Boskalis Westminster also carried out the recent capital dredge in Southampton Water, and after confirmation that the dredged gravel material met the specification required for the Cowes breakwater, the material was put to environmentally beneficial reuse in the building of the breakwater core at Cowes.

At the point of mobilisation in May 2015, the breakwater gravel core will be reshaped before the start of rock transport and placement in June. At least 40,000 tonnes of rock armour will be installed over the gravel core and this operation is estimated to take 12 weeks to complete. Navigation aids, fixed beacons and buoys will then be put in place before a monitoring and handover period next autumn.

The result in October 2015 will be a 350 metre long, detached rock armoured breakwater in Cowes Harbour that protects existing homes, businesses and harbour users and that enables the regeneration project for East Cowes, and the jobs that will bring, to progress.

cowesharbourcommission.co.uk

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Having become the largest manufacturers of Optimists in the world, established a global sales network for one-design racers and performance cruisers, Shanghai's Far East Boats, harbours hopes of putting its name to the first America's Cup entry built in China. That is the lofty ambition of chairman Demolar Du Yingying.

Far East Boats, the company she founded with her husband Lu Weifeng in 2002, has produced over 14,000 yachts with a distribution footprint which reaches western Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, South Africa and Russia.

The range spans from youth dinghies like Funboats and Optimists, Lasers, International 420s, under licence to ISAF, to catamarans such as the Rosella 36C unveiled at the Shanghai International Boat Show earlier this year.

Far East Boats has launched training initiatives with over seven yacht clubs all over the country. The majority of clubs in China, which now number 40, have adopted their training techniques.

"As an example we have four clubs in Shanghai and Suzhou and at one of them 6,000 people came for sailing training for the first time this year. We also hold team building events at those clubs where we attract the corporate sector to try sailing," Ms Du Yingying says.

"We educate them about sailing and then they get to try it for themselves. In this way we are helping to introduce the whole country to sailing."

That growth resulted in China's first ever gold medal in the Laser class at the London 2012 Olympics for Xu Lijia. That followed gold for Yin Jian in the woman's sailboard at Beijing in 2008.

www.fareastboats.com

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Wolz Nautic from Gaukonigshofen have appointed a new sales director: Jorg Bubelach is now in charge of worldwide sales for the mega-yacht sector at the leading supplier of yacht decks and prefabricated teak decks within the DEUTSCHE YACHTEN Working Group. The 47-year-old will be based in the new office in his home town, Neumunster, Schleswig-Holstein, and will also provide project managing services to customers.

Mr Bubelach was previously on the board of directors at FUCHS Fordertechnik AG in Oststeinbek, a company providing construction, manufacturing and project management for hoisting solutions and cranes, where he was also responsible for the sales of yacht components. His predecessor, Martin Ruckert, has left Wolz Nautic after more than ten years' service and will now be working for the Austrian company Kormoran located in Salzburg. The hitherto close co-operation with him will be continued as Wolz Nautic is Kormoran's development partner for innovative teak deck solutions.

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The Qatar International Boat Show (QIBS) has been admitted as a candidate member of the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO). The news comes just two weeks prior to the opening of QIBS 2014, which is now in its second edition.

The IFBSO was started in 1964 to create a high standard of excellence for its members, and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. The organisation brings together more than 30 of the world's leading boat shows and marine and maritime trade exhibitions.

Held at Mourjan Marina in Lusail City, just north of downtown Doha, the 2nd Qatar International Boat Show will be double the size of last year's event, offering an improved layout, a high percentage of international exhibitors, a huge number of repeat exhibitors, and a total of 60 boats on display.

IBI News: plus.ibinews.com

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