Alamitos Bay Yacht Club

In This Issue
Mini Transat: Closing in on the Finish | MAPFRE and Team Brunel lead the charge to Alicante | Yacht Racing Forum: Time to register | The Gathering Of United Nations | Ben Ainslie links up with British billionaire for Am Cup | New York and Bermuda tipped to host America's Cup warm-up regattas | A rare opportunity | Laser Masters World Championships | Red diesel checks remain suspended in Belgium | Race 2 Day 6: Qingdao Secures Top Scoring Gate Points For Second Consecutive Race | Featured Brokerage

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

Mini Transat: Closing in on the Finish
It's hard to know who's got the ball in their court in the extremely variable conditions currently dominating play in the Atlantic. The wind seems to have picked up again to the south-east pretty generally. The group positioned furthest over to the east that has been heavily penalised over the past twenty-four hours is looking a tad healthier this Tuesday evening. However, for much of the fleet, there is still a way to go before they can finally make landfall.

This first leg of the Mini-Transat La Boulangere will certainly be etched on the sailors' minds. Now embroiled in a snail-pace race to the promised land, the solo sailors are finding it hard to know what strategy to adopt given how much the rankings are fluctuating from one position report to the next.

Ranking at 15:00 UTC

Prototypes - Top Five
1. Arthur Leopold-Leger - Antal XPO - 78.4 miles from the finish
2. Ian Lipinski - Griffon.fr - 17.8 miles behind the leader
3. Erwan Le Mene - Rousseau Clotures - 47.8
4. Romain Bolzinger - Spicee.com - 49.9
5. Simon Koster -Eight Cube Sersa- 56.9

Production boats - Top Five
1. Valentin Gautier - Shaman - Banque du Leman 118.4 miles from the finish
2. Erwan Le Draoulec - Emile Henry - 9.1 miles behind the leader
3. Remi Aubrun - Alternative Sailing - Constructions Du Belon - 9.3
4. Benoit Sineau - Cachaca II - 12.1
5. Ambrogio Beccaria - Alla Grande Ambeco - 14.7

minitransat.fr

MAPFRE and Team Brunel lead the charge to Alicante
Skipper Xabi Fernández's MAPFRE crew is leading the charge into the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday afternoon.

The Spanish team made a jump on the rest of the fleet by heading further inshore in search of favourable sea breezes following Sunday's start, with Team Brunel benefiting from following a similar track.

Forty-eight hours later, their tactics have paid huge dividends. At the 1300 UTC position update on Tuesday, MAPFRE enjoyed a seven nautical mile lead on Team Brunel, who were themselves almost 40 miles ahead of third-placed Turn the Tide on Plastic.

While MAPFRE march on upwind towards the Alicante finish line just over 250nm away, Team Brunel continue to shadow them ten miles to the south.

Meanwhile things are about to heat up for the chasing pack as they prepare to enter the Strait of Gibraltar.

The tiny nine-mile wide stretch between Tarifa on the southern tip of Spain and Morocco in northern Africa is renowned as a navigational challenge thanks to the extremely localised weather caused by the wind and water being forced through such a small gap.

The strong headwinds the fleet experience in the Strait will give way to light 5 to 10 knot northeasterlies in the Alboran Sea on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.

This will push the ETA for the leaders into the early hours on Thursday morning, with the rest of the fleet arriving throughout the day, a public holiday in Alicante.

On Wednesday afternoon, the gates to the Alicante Race Village are scheduled to open at 18:00, with festivities and entertainment marking the opening ceremonies from 20:00, culminating with fireworks at 22:00.

Volvo Ocean Race Prologue Leg - Positions - 1300 UTC, 10 October

1. MAPFRE; distance to finish = 255 nautical miles
2. Team Brunel; + 7 nm
3. Turn the Tide on Plastic; + 44
4. Dongfeng Race Team; +59
5. team AkzoNobel; +60
6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing; +60
7. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag; +61

volvooceanrace.com

Yacht Racing Forum: Time to register
The annual conference for the business of sailing and yacht racing will celebrate its first decade in Aarhus, Denmark, on November 27-28.

The Yacht Racing Forum has firmly established itself as a must attend event for anyone involved in the business of sailing and yacht racing. The Forum is in good shape and attracts a growing number of the sports' leading personalities and brands, including a record 18 exhibitors this year!

This years' conference will put emphasis on the sports' leading events: America's Cup, Vendee Globe, Volvo Ocean Race and Class Ultime (what a year for our sport by the way!). But the event will also focus on mainstream yacht racing, club management and popular sailing classes, with conferences focusing on sponsorship, media exposure, sustainability and much more.

Run alongside the Business and Marketing Conference, the Design & Technology Symposium will focus on the latest innovations, materials and designs, data analysis, innovations in sail design and construction. Over the past few years, the symposium has taken momentum and now gathers over 100 delegates, including experts from the America's Cup, top level builders, engineers and designers, software specialists and hardware furnishers.

Several social functions are planned, aimed at sharing a good time and favoring networking and business, including evening drinks and a gala reception provided by North Sails on Monday night at Aarhus' City Hall.

For more information and registration: www.yachtracingforum.com

The Gathering Of United Nations
The inaugural Nations Trophy got under way today. 28 crews have gathered at the Real Club Náutico de Palma for four days of Swan One Design racing. There are some serious trophies on the table for the best prepared, most committed crews: the ClubSwan 50 European Championship, the Swan 45 World Championship and the ClubSwan 42 European Championship. Finally, and most importantly, there is The Nations Trophy itself. Created by Milanese silversmiths, Buccellati, this magnificent cup will be awarded to the top performing country.

Eleven nations are represented by the competing yachts: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Beyond that statistic, the individual crew are mix of professional and amateur sailors drawn from some 22 countries making the dock a real melting pot of languages, expressions and culture.

Picking possible winning teams from within the 11-boat ClubSwan 50, 9-boat Swan 45 and 8-boat ClubSwan 42 championship fleets is understandably tricky. The most recent form guide is Copa del Rey Mapfre held here in late July. The German ClubSwan 50, Earlybird, and Swan 45, Elena Nova, both won their classes; Earlybird by some margin, and Elena Nova by a single point. In the ClubSwan 42s, the Spanish teams Pez de Abril and Nadir were separated by six-points. That might suggest the Germans and Spanish have what it takes to lift The Nations Trophy. The winner of The Nations Trophy will be determined by taking the two best-placed yachts from each country and combining their place-positions. Yachts may be in the same class.

The weather prospects look good for some solid competition over the next four days. A large high pressure system should mean warm and dry weather for the entire regatta period. The breeze is expected to fill in each day around noon from the southerly quadrant and slowly build to the 10-12 knot range, with potential for higher gusts especially later in the afternoon. Conditions look favourable for the development of Palma's famous thermal sea breeze; if so, this could push the breeze strength into the upper teens.

www.thenationstrophy.com

Ben Ainslie links up with British billionaire for Am Cup
The British America's Cup team is already gearing up for the change to monohulls.

Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR team has joined with British billionaire Tony Langley's 52ft team to compete in the world's leading hi-performance monohull event, the 52 Super Series.

Ainslie will lead his team aboard Langley Holdings' Gladiator TP52 using the series to develop their monohull racing skills which are significantly different to those required for foiling catamarans.

Langley will continue at the helm of Gladiator, a role he has had since 2012. The team tied the latest event in Mahon, scoring equal points to the 2017 Super Series champions, Azzurra, only losing out on the regatta victory on a tie-break.

Land Rover BAR has already said it will contest the 36th America's Cup in Auckland, after reaching the challenger semifinals in Bermuda, losing to eventual Cup winner Emirates Team New Zealand.

www.nzherald.co.nz

New York and Bermuda tipped to host America's Cup warm-up regattas
New York and Bermuda loom as America's Cup warmup options ahead of the real deal in Auckland 2021.

Team New Zealand rules expert Russell Green revealed some of the thinking around the build-up to the event as he discussed the protocol recently released by the defenders and challenger of record Luna Rossa in a live chat with American-based website Sailing Illustrated on Wednesday.

Luna Rossa, the Italian syndicate backed and run by Prada boss Patrizio Bertelli, will organise the five overseas pre-regattas which are planned for 2019 and 2020 and will be sailed in the new 75-foot monohulls to be introduced in this 36th edition of the America's Cup.

Green said there was a desire to take the pre-regattas to "traditional venues with good wind and good viewing".

Italy has already been touted as a pre-regatta host and that will surely fall to Circolo Della Vela Sicilia, the official yacht club behind Luna Rossa based in Palermo, Sicily.

The early challenge confirmed by the New York Yacht Club last week looks likely to be rewarded.

Green suggested Newport, Rhode Island, the home base of the NYYC, would fit the formula, being regarded as the traditional home of the America's Cup with the club holding the Auld Mug from 1851 to 1983.

Green said other areas of the Mediterranean would have appeal to Bertelli.

He also mentioned the Carribean or a return to Bermuda which held the America's Cup this year.

www.stuff.co.nz

A rare opportunity
The well-known Tripp-designed and Nautor Swan built custom cruiser-racer Valkyrie is on the market...

For the past half a century Nautor Swan have earned a reputation for producing some of the world's finest cruiser-racers. Swans have generally been produced in series production, with small refinements available to meet an owner's individual taste. And while these production models are carefully chosen and developed to meet the demand in specific market niches, occasionally there is a unique project that Nautor Swan takes on on a custom basis, which presents the opportunity to welcome a unique yacht to the Nautor CV.

It was on this basis that, in 2007, the design office of Bill Tripp produced Valkyrie, a 78ft modern cruiser-racer that offers its owner great luxury and style while retaining much of the pedigree of a modern race yacht. The build materials, for example, are the same as those used in custom raceboats: pre-preg carbon fibre over a foam core for the hull and deck. This materials mix delivers plentiful strength and stiffness while helping to keep this large yacht's displacement down to just 38,000kg. Meanwhile, a generous sail area deployed on the yacht's carbon rig gives a sail area/displacement ratio that ensures impressive performance in all conditions.

Full article in the October issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

Laser Masters World Championships
Split, Croatia" Champions from a variety of nations were crowned after final racing in the Laser Masters World Championships, in Split, Croatia.

Racing on the final day of the Laser Masters World Championships was brought forward an hour to increase the possibility of all fleets sailing at least one final race. In hindsight, it was a wise move as the wind pattern of previous days was repeated. An offshore land breeze from the North eventually shifted to build from the South West after a two-hour wait afloat.

The Radial Apprentice and Master fleets attempted one race, sailing halfway through the course before the southerly wind dropped below the 5-knot threshold and the race was abandoned. The same fleet restarted an hour later when the breeze finally settled in, building to 7-8 knots from the South West.

A packed and noisy prize giving showed the warm camaraderie in the fleet, as the sailors are looking forward to the 2018 location in the popular city of Dublin, Ireland.

Final Standings (Top 3 In Each Fleet)

Standard Apprentice:
1. Maciej Grabowski POL, 6
2. Maxim Semerkhanov RUS, 14
3. Adonis Bougiouris GRE, 15

Standard Master:
1. Brett Beyer AUS, 12
2. Peter Hurley USA, 16
3. Emesto Rodriguez USA, 25

Standard Grand Master:
1. Allan Clark CAN, 11
2. Andy Roy CAN, 20
3. Tomas Nordqvist SWE, 21

Standard Great Grand Master:
1. Michael Nissen GER, 9
2. Mark Bethwaite AUS, 10
3. John Pitman NZL, 16

Radial Apprentice:
1. Jon Emmett GBR, 6
2. Anastasia Chernova RUS, 17
3. Noel Bayard FRA, 24

Radial Master:
1. Alessio Marinelli ITA, 10
2. Scott Leith NZL, 17
3. Wilmar Groenendijk NED, 34

Radial Grand Master:
1. Martin White AUS, 20
2. Pierantonio Masotto ITA, 27
3. Terry Scutcher GBR, 36

Radial Great Grand Master & 75+:
1. Bill Symes USA, 12
2. Robert Lowndes AUS, 23
3. Kerry Waraker AUS, 27

Women's Radial Apprentice:
1. Anastasia Chernova RUS, 17
2. Georgia Chimona GRE, 30
3. Paula Marino URU, 31

Women's Radial Master:
1. Giovanna Lenci ITA, 53
2. Michelle Bain NZL, 78
3. Monica Wilson USA, 84

Women's Radial Grand Master:
1. Lyndall Patterson AUS, 90
2. Vanessa Dudley AUS, 117
3. Anne Loren SWE, 238

Women's Great Grand Master & 75+:
1. Hilary Thomas GBR 255
2. Gill Waiting NZL, 258
3. Deirdre Webster CAN, 293

sailing.laserinternational.org/site/event-site/66

Red diesel checks remain suspended in Belgium
Sailors are being advised that controls on the use of red diesel in Belgium remain suspended until further notice.

The confirmation has come from the RYA which has been in contact with the Belgian Ministry of Finance.

The move comes after a British couple were fined €500 after Customs officials found red diesel in the fuel tank of their Hunter Channel 31, Blue Diamond, while they were in Nieuwpoort, Belgium in June this year.

Maurice and Jill Phillips later urged other sailors to boycott the country.

The RYA said this latest announcement follows a meeting of the EU's Indirect Tax Expert Group, which met earlier this month on the issue.

www.ybw.com

Race 2 Day 6: Qingdao Secures Top Scoring Gate Points For Second Consecutive Race
All eyes have been firmly fixed on the Race Viewer during the sixth day of racing as the twelve Clipper Race teams battled it out to reach the Scoring Gate.

Following a fierce battle with Liverpool 2018 and Visit Seattle, Qingdao, currently in ninth place, crossed the Scoring Gate at 1349 UTC to secure three bonus points, a repeat of its Scoring Gate success during Race 1.

Liverpool 2018, currently standing in tenth place, crossed just four nautical miles later, going on to pick up its first two bonus race points and eighth placed Visit Seattle claimed the final point.

After taking the Northerly route to cross the Scoring Gate, time will tell if they can make up the additional miles to catch the leaders sailing closer to the rhumb line.

Elsewhere, there has been a shakeup at the top of the leaderboard with just three nautical miles separating Greenings, Garmin and Dare To Lead.

After holding onto first place for five days, Dare To Lead has slipped into third place behind its closest rivals. Despite this, focus remains on maximising its position after deciding to playing the Joker.

Race positions: clipperroundtheworld.com/race/standings

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The Last Word
People who boast about their I.Q. are losers. -- 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

In This Issue
Less than 2 minutes separates first two Protos | Game On! Register Now for St. Thomas International Regatta - March 23-25, 2017 | MAPFRE edges Team Brunel to win abbreviated Prologue Leg | Musto announced to be official supplier to ring in a victory for Team Brunel | Italy Takes An Early Lead At The Nations Trophy | Melges 40 Valencia Grand Prix | Notice of Race for the IRC Europeans and Commodores' Cup | Silk Cut Back for the Legends | Featured Brokerage

Less than 2 minutes separates first two Protos
Ultimately there was very little separating the top two sailors with their radically different temperaments and track records at the end of this first leg. The former had the status of defender in this race and was constantly calling himself into question regarding his position within the Mini fleet. The second had decided to consider this race as a journey of self-discovery with nothing to lose enjoying what he can come to the circuit to search for.

One came from north-west, the other from the north-east and yet Arthur Leopold-Leger and Ian Lipinski ended up crossing tacks barely two miles from the finish of this first leg. Another hundred metres or so and we might have seen a reversal of the ranking, that's how close a call it was for the top two.

Ian Lipinski: "For the past two days, all I've seen is my rivals making up tens of miles on me. It's felt like I wouldn't get through this. As you don't know where the others are, your mind soon starts racing and you imagine that you're the only one to have gone off on a limb on a catastrophic option. Last night, I was convinced that a whole bunch of skippers had already made it into Las Palmas. My game plan at that point was to limit the damage, not go for the win.

The race isn't all about these last 300 miles either though. Once again, I've had an absolute ball sailing this boat. I've discovered lots more things, another way of using my keel to make the boat lighter and a new way of helming in heavy seas. This boat is such a melting pot of considerations that you feel like you'll never cover all the angles. Roll on the second leg with some beefy trade winds, that's all I ask..."

* Valentin Gautier wins Series Class first leg in Mini Transat

By securing Series class victory in the first leg of the Mini-Transat La Boulangère, Valentin Gautier (Shaman - Banque du Leman) has swept away the doubts that had bombarded him after a rather chaotic pre-season. Indeed, after winning the Pornichet Select, he was subsequently forced to retire from two other races and hadn't been able to train as much as he would have liked.

Seemingly, he has quickly found his bearings again. Indeed, upon arriving in La Rochelle, somewhat undermined by a season which hadn't gone according to plan, Valentin Gautier was able to dig deep and move up towards the front of the fleet from the start of the race. Always in the match right from the Bay of Biscay, he rapidly got amongst it with the small group of favourites who were monopolising the top spots.

"First place is very cool. I've had a bit of a complicated season. I won the first event and then I had two retirements in a row; the first due to injury and the second as a result of material damage. Since then, I'd done no singlehanded Mini races at all. I needed to reassure myself a little. Inevitably, pocketing this first leg in the production boat category is really neat. Now I just have to make sure I have fun in the second leg because however things play out, my Transat is a success."

First five, Series:
1. Valentin Gautier, 10d 03h 40min 29s
2. Remi Aubrun, +02h 20min 03s
3. Clarisse Cremer, +02h 27min 54s
4. Erwan Le Draoulec, +02h 43min 46s
5. Benoit Sineau, +03h 30min 06s

First five, Protos:
1. Ian Lipinski, 9d 23h 22min 12s
2. Arthur Leopold Leger, +01min 53s
3. Erwan Le Menek, +06h 10min 32s
4. Romain Bolzinger, +07h 07min 45s
5. Aurelien Poisson, +07h 37min 23s

www.minitransat.fr

Game On! Register Now for St. Thomas International Regatta - March 23-25, 2017
Sailing is underway, the bar is open and the wonderfully-challenging round-the-rocks waters off the St. Thomas Yacht Club are as beautiful and challenging as ever. Plan now to put the Caribbean, the 45th St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) on March 23 to 25 and 3rd Round the Rocks Race on March 22, 2018, on your race calendar!

You want it? We have it! STIR 2018 offers it! Classes: CSA (Racing or Cruising); IRC; ORC; Multihull; Beach Cat or One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. It doesn't matter if you cross the pond on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the RORC Transatlantic Race or on your own, we have a hot class ready for you to offer some cool competition!

Already registered is Canadian Rob Butler's Touch2Play racing, of which Butler has traded his J/88 for a new Reflex 38. Back is Island Water World Racing in the one-design IC24 fleet, with St. Maarten's Frits Bus and STIR regatta director, Chuck Pessler. El Ocaso, Caribbean Yacht Racing's J/122 is registered and ready for charter. New, is Red Hot Caribe, Emanuele Bianchi's USA-based high-performance Tartan 101, and Russia's Pjotor Lezhnin Racing, sailing their RG650.

The chance to trade tacks with America's Cup, Volvo Ocean and Olympic crews on the water and off is what earns STIR its motto, 'We Love It Here' You will too.

www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Email: cpessler@hotmail.com or stycisv@gmail.com
Call (340) 642-3204

MAPFRE edges Team Brunel to win abbreviated Prologue Leg
The Spanish MAPFRE team won the Volvo Ocean Race Prologue Leg on Wednesday, holding off a late charge from Team Brunel after Race Management shortened the course, converting the compulsory gate at Cabo de Gata into the finishing line.

For skipper Xabi Fernandez and his team, it's a continuation of the success MAPFRE found on Leg 0, where the team was the overall winner of the four-stage leg.

"It's all good on board," Fernandez said shortly after crossing the 'virtual' finishing line.

"It's been really good training. It's been a close race and I'm really happy with the team's performance."

Close behind the winner was Team Brunel.

Both of the leading teams owed their performance in large part to a decision they took early in the leg, shortly after the start, when they hugged the coast of Portugal in contrast to the rest of the fleet further offshore.

The coastal route paid in a big way, and less than 24-hours after the start, MAPFRE and Team Brunel held a decisive lead over the fleet, turning this into a two-boat race for victory.

But the chasing pack had a hard-fought battle for third place, with team AkzoNobel squeaking in just ahead of Turn the Tide on Plastic and Vestas 11th Hour Racing.

"We had a very good race, very enjoyable. Good close racing," said skipper Simeon Tienpont. "We were in the game all the way. MAPFRE and Brunel went a different route which worked out for them, but with the rest of the fleet we took the best we could out of it and I'm very confident after finishing in third place."

At the back of the pack, Dongfeng Racing held off Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag.

With the shortened course putting the finishing line some 120 miles away, the teams will now motorsail to Alicante, the start port of the Volvo Ocean Race. The event Race Village opens Wednesday evening, with entertainment, ceremonies and fireworks.

The teams are expected to arrive beginning in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday, ahead of practice racing on Friday and the MAPFRE in-Port Race Alicante on Saturday. Leg One of the Volvo Ocean Race starts on 22 October.

Volvo Ocean Race Prologue Leg - Positions and finishing times (UTC), 11 October

1. Mapfre; finished 09:49 UTC
2. Team Brunel; finished 10:06 UTC
3. team AkzoNobel; finished 12:44 UTC
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic; finished 12:53
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing; finished 12:59
6. Dongfeng Race Team; finished 13:09
7. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag; 13:17

http://volvooceanrace.com

Musto announced to be official supplier to ring in a victory for Team Brunel
Musto is proud to be announced as the official supplier to Team Brunel, skippered by Dutch Sailor and Volvo Ocean Race Veteran Bouwe Bekking. Team Brunel will compete in the Race starting in Alicante, Spain on 22nd October 2017, with the race covering 45,000 nautical miles, six continents and 12 host cities.

Bouwe Bekking is the most experienced skipper taking part in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. His first attempt at the race was in 1985-86 with the 2017-18 edition of the race possibly being his last attempt to lift the trophy and he's ensured that he has a stardust crew around him.

Team Brunel as the latest announced team is the dark horse of 2017-18 edition of the race - its crew has come together late but is full of world-beating talent that could see the team lifting the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy in June 2018. The most noticeable crew addition is Kiwi hero Pete Burling who joins the team fresh from a whirlwind 12 months in which he's won Olympic gold and the America's Cup as the driver on Emirates Team New Zealand - he's now aiming to be the first sailor to win the sport's Triple Crown.

Bouwe Bekking, Skipper Team Brunel: "Over the years the boats have got more physical, way faster and therefore also far wetter. Musto has done a great job developing foul weather gear which is breathable, flexible and allows you to do your job whilst staying dry and comfortable. I'm delighted to be wearing Musto for the fourth time in the Volvo Ocean Race."

Petra Carran, Head of Marketing, comments: "It's fantastic for Musto to be working with a sailor of Bouwe's experience and sailing excellence. We look forward tosupporting Bouwe and Team Brunel throughout the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 and wish them every success as they cross the start line this month."

musto.com
teambrunel.com

Italy Takes An Early Lead At The Nations Trophy
Racing at the first edition of The Nations Trophy started in earnest today with the fleet of 28 Swan One Design yachts completing two races in trying conditions. A struggling breeze led to a two and a half hour delay to the scheduled start, and once underway the racing was technically demanding as crews worked hard to both gain and maintain. At the end of Day 1, Italy is the leading country in The Nations Trophy, with Spain in second and Netherlands in third.

In the individual championship fleets, the ClubSwan 50 Europeans are led by Cuordileone (ITA), with Porron IX (ESP) in pole position in the Swan 45 Worlds and Far Star (ITA) heading the pack in the ClubSwan 42 Europeans. Boat of the day across the three classes, was Luis Senis Segarra's Porron IX posting an impregnable score-line of 1, 1.

There was an early warning of a difficult day ahead, as local wind guru Nacho Postigo explained the weather forces at play at this time of the year: "Today is going to be a typical Bay of Palma day for the end of summer/beginning autumn. The water is relatively hot, and while the land gets really cold in the night, which is good, it does not get as hot as it does in the summer. So the difference in temperature between the land and sea is not as high and you can have a weaker thermal." And that is what played out. The wind failing to break above 8 knots through the two races and, what pressure there was, suffering some huge oscillations with boats mentioning 40 degree shifts.

Racing at the 2017 Nations Trophy continues tomorrow, with the first race scheduled for 12 noon.

www.thenationstrophy.com

Melges 40 Valencia Grand Prix
Valencia, Spain: The second act of the 2017 Melges 40 Grand Prix circuit got off to a strong start with three races completed on opening day in light to moderate breeze, naming three different race winners.

Atop the charts overall is Valentin Zavadnikov's DYNAMIQ - SYNERGY SAILING TEAM with Ed Baird on tactics. They successfully submitted a 1-2-2 scoreline to take an early lead, while Porto Cervo champ Alessandro Rombelli at the helm of STIG with tactician Francesco Bruni gave the day a good run to finish up one point behind in second place.

It was an awesome starter day for new Melges 40 owner Yukihiro Ishida aboard SIKON with Chris Rast serving as tactician with a big win in Race Three.

More grand prix racing excitement is scheduled for Thursday, October 12.

Results after three races:
1. Valentin Zavadnikov/Ed Baird; MON-13, DYNAMIQ - SYNERGY SAILING TEAM; 1-2-2 = 5
2. Alessandro Rombelli/Francesco Bruni; ITA-4, STIG; 2-1-3 = 6
3. Yukihiro Ishida/Chris Rast; JPN-40, SIKON; 3-3-1 = 7
4. Richard Goransson/Cameron Appleton; SWE-42, INGA; 4-4-4 = 12

https://www.yachtscoring.com

Notice of Race for the IRC Europeans and Commodores' Cup
The Notice of Race for the 2018 IRC European Championship, incorporating the Commodores' Cup, is now available.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) welcomes expressions of interest for the event, and online entry will be open from Monday 8th January 2018. As announced earlier this year, the Cowes-based championship will be held from 8-16th June and will follow the successful Commodores' Cup race format, with a variety of different courses ranging from inshore, coastal and offshore - 10 races in all using the Spinlock IRC rating system.

The RORC has instigated a new format to include the Commodores' Cup, a Corinthian team-based event within an IRC fleet racing championship which is open to amateurs and professionals. New for 2018 are the following:

1. Competitors wishing to enter the Commodores' Cup are invited to create teams of three boats with a rating between 0.995 and 1.270 with a max DLR of 210

2. Teams can represent a club, a region or a nation. For national representation, authorisation may be required from the appropriate MNA

3. The Commodores' Cup maintains its Corinthian ethos with only one professional sailor allowed on each boat

4. Boats that race with two females or two crew under 25, or one female and one under 25, are allowed an extra crew member

5. There is no crew weight limit, only the crew number limit on their IRC rating certificate.

Download a pdf of the Notice of Race

For more information go to: www.rorc.org or contact the RORC Race Team: racing@rorc.org

Silk Cut Back for the Legends
Gothenburg, Sweden: Record-holder Silk Cut is the fourth boat entered in the Legends Race next year. She was originally skippered by Britain's Lawrie Smith.

Silk Cut started the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race as the pre-race favourite, with odds of 7:2. The combination of Lawrie Smith as skipper and strong funding held good promise. A fast boat, with the skipper willing to take some chances, Silk Cut, claimed a new 24-hour multihull world record of 449.1 nm, averaging 18.71 knots on Leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Fremantle, Western Australia.

However, Smith's luck ran out, when on Leg 5, from Auckland to Sao Sebastiao in Brazil, the wind gusted to 68 knots and, 2,000 nm from land, Silk Cut's mast snapped at the second spreader and Smith headed for Ushuaia, the southernmost port in the world and retired from the leg.

With a new mast, Silk Cut's form improved with a win on Leg 6 from Sao Sebastiao to Ft Lauderdale, USA, beating Paul Cayard and EF Language, the eventual race winner, by 78 minutes. But, in a fleet made up of 10 Whitbread 60s, Silk Cut was only able to finish midway through the field, in fifth place overall.

Now called Boudragon, Silk Cut has been completely renovated and is skippered by Hans Bousholte, the former skipper of BrunelSunergy, also an entry in the 1997-98 race. Hans nowadays is a motivational speaker and gives lectures about the Volvo Ocean Race (www.hansbouscholte.com).

In 2014 Hans started the Oceanraces Academy, a programme for young talent with the ambition to sail big boats. The ultimate aim is to train and prepare them for ocean races like the Volvo Ocean Race. To make this all possible, Oceanraces Academy organises corporate sailing events and multi-day trips.

Boudragon/Silk Cut will not only be taking part in the Legends Race 2018 from Gothenburg to The Hague, she will also be present in the stopovers of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 in the start port of Alicante, Lisbon and Cardiff.

Anyone who wants to sail onboard Boudragon/Silk Cut can sign in on www.oceanracesacdemy.com

Featured Brokerage
2005 TP52 - ORLANDA. 199,950 EUR. Located in East Coast, Italy.

Original spec TP52 that has had a 2013 refit, including new paint, and has been little used since. Full offshore interior with heads and galley.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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2007 X-46 - VITAMINA X. 190000 EUR. Located in West Coast, Italy.

3-cabin version of this popular X-46 performance cruiser. With super cool carbon rig, she has been well looked after and is well equipped for coastal cruising. She has spent her life in the Med being well cherished.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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2008 Corby 36 - Stratisfear. 95000 EUR. Located in Pwhelli, Wales.

The pocket rocket "Stratisfear" is now available for the 2017 season and as ever with these Corby designs, they come with IRC potential in abundance.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
sampearson@ancasta.com
+442380 016582

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

The Last Word
Some parts of my character weren't what you'd call presidential. -- Zaphod Beeblebrox

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Second service at the Mini Transat
They took their time, but the trade winds now seem to have kicked back in. As a result, the group of around thirty or so racers, becalmed to the north of the latitude of Madeira, has got some wind in its sails again for the final straight to the Canaries. For these sailors, the race has been transformed into their very own adventure.

There may well be a few illusions shattered within the second group making its way towards the Canaries, some of whom will be competitors who had high hopes in terms of the leader board. They'll have to switch their game plan now. Racking up a deficit of over twenty-four hours in relation to the head of the fleet translates as no hope in the overall ranking, though there is always the second leg still to cover of course.

At the tail end of the fleet, the stimulus of competition has an altogether different density. You don't battle in the same way for a place on the podium or a fortieth place. As such, it is no coincidence that within the chasing pack, the groups are made up according to the vagaries of the breeze and according to affinities sometimes too. Within these small maritime communities, there's a lot of chatting over VHF, alerting one another when you're going to sleep and where the boat is heading under autopilot, even warning of key moments such as when you're going to put in a tack. Less pressure, more well-being, such is the rule.

At 0800 French time 19 Protos had finished, 5 still sailing, 1 abandonment. 37 Series boats finished, 18 still sailing, 1 abandonment.

www.minitransat.fr/actualites/second-service

Fast And Furious Sailing For Clipper Race Fleet
Many of the teams in the Clipper Race fleet have been setting their own boat speed records during some fast and furious sailing on Day 8 of the Stormhoek Race to the Cape of Storms.

Leader of Race 2, Greenings, has notched up 312 nautical miles in a 24-hour period. Interim Skipper, Andy Woodruff, is proud of his crew and explains: "It takes some very committed sailing to reach over a 300-mile day. It's more amazing that many of the crew achieving this had limited-to-no-sailing experience before their training and now they hurtle down the waves in the dark towards Cape Town."

The team has passed the halfway point to Cape Town and is looking ahead to the next landmark.

For the top ten teams, Clipper Race Meteorologist, Simon Rowell, explains that the weather front that has been progressing from west to east is expected to catch up with the southern group of the fleet later tonight, before reaching the northern group around 6-9 hours later, which may shake up positions of the fleet.

Race positions: clipperroundtheworld.com/race/standings

Cowes Week Ltd seeks new Regatta Director
The organisers of the world famous Lendy Cowes Week regatta are seeking a new Regatta Directorto replace Phil Hagen, who left CWL after this year's regatta to focus on other interests.

The Regatta Director role is a year-round, part-time post, and carries a responsibility to evolve the on-the-water side of the regatta in order to retain andon the yachting and racing circuit, has the vision to take the racing programme forward and can work with existing and potential entrants, class associations and organising clubs to ensure the event offers the best possible competitive experience.

The new Regatta Director will work as part of a small executive team and also with the member clubs of Cowes Combined Clubs through the regatta's Sailing Committee.

The closing date for applications is 6th November 2017. Anyone interested in the role should request further details by emailing recruitment@lendycowesweek.co.uk

Sail Aid UK campaign gathers momentum!
Sail Aid UK, set up in September in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria wreaking violent havoc across so much of the Caribbean, reports that its first major fundraising platform, the Black Tie/Loud Shirt Dinner at Land Rover BAR's Flight Deck in Portsmouth on 11th November, was virtually sold out within days of announcing it, however there are still a limited number of tickets available. Booking enquiries to: simon@sailaiduk.com.

In addition to take-up for the gala dinner and some incredible online and live auction prizes being sourced, there has been fantastic personal support for from the pro-sailing community for the Sail Aid UK cause including Sir Ben and Lady Georgie Ainslie, Ian Walker, Shirley Robertson OBE, Helena Lucas MBE, Hannah Mills MBE, Sam Davies, Dee Caffari, Brian Thompson, Alex Thomson, Andy Beadsworth and many others.

Funds raised from the dinner, organised and hosted by Sail Aid UK, are anticipated to be in the region of £100,000. The evening is kindly being supported by Land Rover BAR, Ophir Gin and Westerhall Rums. The MC is broadcaster and sailor Hannah White who has generously given her time and the organisers are also indebted to Nick Bonham who is also kindly contributing his superlative auctioneering skills to up the anti in the room and raise as much as possible.

In tandem with a new Sail Aid logo designed by Hannah Webster there is now a purpose-built website at www.sailaiduk.com, courtesy of Jeremy Pocock, Sailing Club Manager, which includes the all-important 'Action Stations' fund channel.

Click www.sailaiduk.com/page/how-to-help to donate.

Japanese Opening For The 2017-18 World Cup Series
Gamagori, Japan will play host to the opening event of Sailing's 2017-18 World Cup Series with more than 290 world class sailors from 40 nations ready to race across eight classes from 15-22 October.

Gamagori, Japan will play host to the opening event of Sailing's 2017-18 World Cup Series with more than 290 world class sailors from 40 nations ready to race across eight classes from 15-22 October.

Olympic medallists, World and Continental Champions and leading World Cup contenders will head to the Japanese town to compete with racing scheduled to commence at 11:00 local time on Tuesday 17 October.

Sailing in the Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy (Laser/Radial), Men's and Women's Two Person Dinghy (470), Men's and Women's Skiff (49er/49erFX) and Men's and Women's Windsurfing (RS:X) the competition will be intense with sailors eager to test themselves against their rivals on the World Cup circuit.

The week will culminate with Medal Races on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October with both days to be streamed live across the World Sailing Network

Japanese hopes for medals on their home waters will be put on their seven teams lining up in the 26-boat Men's 470 fleet .

Live tracking and competitor's analytics will be available via SAP Sailing Analytics throughout the event here - https://wcs2018-gamagori.sapsailing.com

www.sailing.org/news/

U.S. Match Racing Championship
Oyster Bay, NY, USA: The 2017 edition of the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl marks the 50th Anniversary of this historic and highly competitive event. Oakcliff Sailing is hosting this US Sailing National Championship over three days, this Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 15, 2017.

Match Racing in the U.S. is seeing a resurgence with ten teams competing this year, eight of whom earned their spot in U.S. Match Racing Qualifying events, and two being invited by the selection committee based on many factors including ranking. The teams will go head-to-head in the Match 40 for this elusive crown in Oyster Bay.

The winning team comprised of 100 percent U.S. citizens will earn the title of U.S. Match Racing National Champion and will qualify to represent the United States in the Open Division at World Sailing's 2018 Nations Cup Regional Qualifier, an international match racing championship. The overall winning team, regardless of team members' nationality, will earn the Prince of Wales Bowl and automatically qualify for next year's U.S. Match Racing Championship.

The defending champion, Nevin Snow (San Diego, CA), will be put to the test against his coach from Georgetown, Janel Zarkowski (Annapolis, MD), as well as two-time U.S. Women's Match Racing Champion (2016, 2015), Nicole Breault (San Francisco, CA).

Competitors List

www.ussailing.org/racing/

Land Rover BAR install the UK's first Seabin
Land Rover BAR have partnered with Seabin Pty to install the UK's first Seabin on the pontoon of the team's base in Portsmouth. The Seabin, an automated rubbish collection device, will sit alongside 1,000 oysters housed in protected cages on the dock, introduced as part of a scientific project and launched in 2015.

Each Seabin collects floating debris and micro plastics down to 2mm in diameter and has the capability to collect 83,000 plastic shopping bags or 20,000 plastic bottles per year. The team are expecting to remove half a tonne of debris from the waters around The Camber each year, as-well as removing pollutants such as oils and detergents.

Land Rover BAR was one of the early supporters during the initial Crowdfunding campaign that made the Seabin project possible and the UK's model is also the World's first commercial unit to be installed. The team are committed to protecting their 'pitch' and reducing their environmental footprint by working with exclusive sustainably partner, 11th Hour Racing, partners and suppliers to identify and communicate new innovative solutions to deliver further positive change.

land-rover-bar.americascup.com

18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 1
Click on image for photo gallery.

The 18ft Skiffs were back on Sydney Harbour today when the Australian 18 Footers League conducted Race 1 of the 7-race Spring Championship to open the 2017-2018 Season.

Conditions were steady from the North East for the 14-boat fleet and the race provided a drama-free dayu for many of the new teams.

Retirement of some of the long-time competitors meant there were new crews joining the 18s for the first time and other young sailors moving up to some of the more-fancied teams and we were given a glimpse of some of the potential of the young teams.

In fact, the winning Panasonic Lumix team of Jordan Girdis, Lachlan Doyle and Nathan Edwards scored their first in the 18s after leading for more than half of the 3-lap course.

Panasonic Lumix defeated another young team of Ben Bradley, Rory Cox and Jacob Broom in Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel.

The winning margin for Panasonic Lumix was 22secs,

Third place went to the experienced Smeg team of Lee Knapton, Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge, which finished a further 1m21s behind Coopers-Rag.

The new Finport Trade Finance (Keagan York) was fourth, followed by Yandoo (John Winning) and Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster).

The Spring Championship will continue over the next six weeks (last race of the championship will be sailed on 19 November) with a cumulative pointscore system applying over the seven races.

The season's highlight, the JJ Giltinan Championship will be held on Sydney Harbour 2-11 March 2018.

www.18footers.com.au

Mobile is EVERYTHING
It's not enough to have a website that "works" on phones and small tablets. It has to work FAST. Google believes that after five seconds you've lost a third of your readers. After 10... crickets. Almost no one there.

To solve that, Google engineers built two new technologies: Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and Progressive Web App (PWA). AMP gets cached and served BY google. Your page loads in 1-2 seconds. And gets some prime real estate in google search. A superb entrance into your site.

PWA turns your website into an app. One that you can add to screen and acts like a "native" app.... without having to go through App stores. It solves the second / third / subsequent page load time issues. And works "offline".

We connect AMP and PWA.

Read our case study: sailingsource.com/case-study

If your website is built in either WordPress or Joomla, contact us for a quote and get onto the next revolution on the web.

webmaster@sailingsource.com

Ludde Ingvall's CQS To Cross The Atlantic
London, England: Ludde Ingvall's super maxi CQS is to cross the Atlantic Ocean, instead of returning to Sydney for this year's Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race. A change to shipping schedule meant that the boat could not get back to Australia in time to prepare properly for the race to Hobart.

Ludde and his sponsor Sir Michael Hintze took the difficult decision to pull out of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, and instead enter the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Trans-Atlantic race from Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands to Grenada's Port Louis.

Ludde commented, "the up-side of this change of schedule is that we will have the chance to help support the Caribbean communities devastated by the recent hurricane, by entering some of the events on their circuit."

Sir Michael Hintze added, "It is regrettable that we have had to pull out of the Hobart, but this is also a great opportunity for us to put CQS through her paces in this long distance race over such a well-known route."

CQS and her crew will do Malta's Rolex Middle Seas Race, the last event on their European tour, then head to Lanzarote for the dash across the Atlantic, which starts 25th November.

The Rolex Middle Seas Race starts 21st October from Malta's Grand Harbour, and takes the fleet north through the Straights of Messina, around the Stromboli volcano, then west along the north coast of Sicily, before turning south past Pantelleria and rounding at Lampedusa to return to Malta.

The schedule of events to be undertaken in the Caribbean has not yet been decided, but the CQS team are in contact with a number of regatta organisers with a view to doing those that can accommodate the boat and bring most benefit to the islands.

www.bigboatracing.com

Launch Of Maxi Banque Populaire IX Delayed
Click on image to enlarge.

Due to the windy weather conditions announced in Lorient at the beginning of next week, Team Banque Populaire is forced to postpone the launch of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX scheduled initially on Monday 16 October.

The Banque Populaire team is currently studying the favorable dates for launching maneuvers in optimum conditions, taking into account, on the one hand, tidal constraints and on the other hand the availability of Group representatives, for this event marks a new milestone in the history of the Bank.

www.voile.banquepopulaire.fr

Featured Brokerage
2011 Maxi 82 AEGIR. 3,599,000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

AEGIR, a Simon Rogers Design built in 2010 and designed as a modern Racer-Cruiser to compete in the Maxi Class of the most prestigious race events, has fulfilled her goals at the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup in Porto Cervo, winning both the 2012 and 2013 editions, and finishing 2nd in her class in 2016!

She is also a proven offshore racer with a 3rd place at the Caribbean RORC 600 in 2011, and a 4th at the Middle Sea Race in 2016!

Light, strong, fast and sharp on the water, she can also turn into an ideal blue water cruising yacht, offering excellent comfort and all the amenities of high standard sailing style, with 2 double cabins forward and one triple cabin with single beds, a large saloon, a comfy cockpit table for up to 8 guests and a large sunbed area on an open transom.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info@bernard-gallay.com

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2009 Mills 43 - "Windpower". 180000 EUR. Located in

Top performing IRC boat in South Africa over recent years and with sister ships dominating the ORC circuit too, shes a complete package. Very tidy and high spec sail inventory included.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582
sampearson@ancasta.com

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

2002 IRC Maxi LA BETE. 600,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.

Fresh from a winter refit of full servicing and checking, conversion of the primary winches to hydraulic and many more upgrades, this IRC Maxi 90' (LA BETE) offers superb value for money in a competitive package ready for the Maxi Worlds and regattas all over the globe.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

The Last Word
History has shown that one cannot legislate a culture of integrity. And yet, one of the paramount responsibilities and challenges of corporate leadership is to ensure such a culture. -- Preet Bharara

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Endeavour hat trick for Saxton and Lewis
Annie Reid (RCYC Commodore) presents Ben Saxton (left) and Toby Lewis with the Endeavour Trophy. Photo by Roger Mant. Click on image for photo gallery.

Royal Corinthian YC, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, UK: Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis today added another three wins to their already impressive haul of first places from yesterday to win the 2017 Endeavour Trophy series with a race to spare

Going into today's final three-race showdown, Saxton and Lewis were just one point ahead of Nick Craig and Holly Scott (D-One) but just minutes into the first race of the day, disaster struck for Craig/Scott when gear failure forced their retirement from that race. Thankfully a swift repair job to the gooseneck meant they were back in action for the penultimate race of the series.

In stunning summer-like temperatures and winds in the 16-18kt range, the 30-strong star-studded fleet enjoyed close tactical racing on the relatively sheltered waters of the River Crouch and Roach. As well as tip-top racing techniques required in the Phil Morrison-designed RS200, winning or losing was also down to gaining the best tidal advantage.

Although Saxton and Lewis ultimately won every race, it wasn't a complete walk over by any means, particularly in the second race of the day (race 7) when Steve and Sarah Cockerill (2000) sailed impressively to hang onto the lead for the majority of the race.

Roger and Jane Gilbert (International 14) quietly but confidently sailed a really impressive series to see them take third place overall

With eight races completed the fleet headed back upriver to the Royal Corinthian YC where the prizegiving marked the closure this unique, annual champion of champions' series for the Endeavour Trophy. -- Sue Pelling

Overall Results (after 8 races)
1. Ben Saxton and Toby Lewis (2016 Champion) 8 points
2. Nick Craig and Holly Scott (D-One) 23
3. Roger and Jane Gilbert (International 14) 34
4. Jon Gorringe and Emma Clarke (RS400) 34
5. Christian Birrell and Rob Henderson (470 m) 36
6. Ben Palmer and Amy Seabright (RS200) 49

royalcorinthian.co.uk/endeavour/

MAPFRE draw first blood in Volvo Ocean Race
The local heroes on Xabi Fernandez's MAPFRE were a popular winner in the first point scoring race of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Fernandez and his team made a bold call at the start to duck behind the entire fleet in order to sail up what turned out to be the favoured right hand side of the course, coming from behind to earn a narrow lead at the first gate.

The Spanish team sailed a flawless race, in terms of strategy and execution, and were never threatened after grabbing the lead at the first mark.

But behind them, it was a hard-fought race. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag was strong on the first leg, but dropped back over the course of the race. In contrast, Dongfeng Race Team fought up the fleet to grab second place, battling with Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Team Brunel who were trading places throughout the race.

MAPFRE In-Port Race Alicante -- Results
Position - Team - Elapsed Time - Points
1. MAPFRE, 54:38, 7
2. Dongfeng Race Team, 56:06, 6
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, 56:54, 5
4. Team Brunel, 57:13, 4
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, 58:07, 3
6. team AkzoNobel, 58:31, 2
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic, 59:39, 1

volvooceanrace.com

The new Regatta Director will work as part of a small executive team and also with the member clubs of Cowes Combined Clubs through the regatta's Sailing Committee.

The closing date for applications is 6th November 2017. Anyone interested in the role should request further details by emailing recruitment@lendycowesweek.co.uk

Guichard Victorious at Alicante Match Cup
Alicante, Spain: On a day when you couldn't have asked for better sailing conditions, Yann Guichard's Spindrift Racing rounded off a flawless display with victory at the Alicante Match Cup.

Guichard defeated Dutch two-time Olympian Pieter-Jan Postma in the final to maintain an impressive 100 per cent win rate during the four-day regatta, held in conjunction with the start of the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race.

The weather gods saved their best until last, delivering a 10-12 knot breeze and bright blue skies for the final day of action that saw the M32s able to really stretch their legs. Again the fleet of seven 65ft Volvo Ocean Race boats provided a stunning backdrop as they held their own Pro-Am racing just offshore from the M32 race course.

Spindrift Racing & Sailing Team NL qualify for opening event of 2018 WMRT Season A delighted Guichard said the result was just what his team wanted going into the 2017 WMRT Match Racing World Championship in Shenzhen, China, in under two weeks.

Final Standings

1. Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing
2. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), Sailing Team NL
3. Jonas Warrer (DEN), Team Warrer
4. Markus Edegran (USA), E11even Racing
5. Nico Delle Karth (AUT), Chilli Racing
6. Sally Barkow (USA), Team Magenta 32
7. Quentin Delapierre (FRA), Team Lorina - Golfe du Morbihan
8. Lukasz Wosinksi (POL), Delphia Sailing Team
9. Sam Gilmour (AUS), Neptune Racing
10. Kim Kling (SWE), Caprice Match Racing Team

Detailed results

wmrt.com

Spanish Conquistadors
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi, carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

The Spanish team has secured the inaugural Nations Trophy, which ended in Palma de Mallorca today. Contested by three classes of Swan One Design yachts, the best two results of each of the eleven competing countries counted towards the national prize. By winning both the Swan 45 and ClubSwan 42 classes in commanding fashion, Spain gave little oxygen to the efforts of the other competing nations. Italy the early leaders in the competition would finish second, and Germany's late run would collect third place.

The individual championships were close-fought affairs. Earlybird (GER) assumed the lead of the 11-boat ClubSwan 50 Europeans on day three of the event, and the powerful German team played their cards perfectly today to maintain top spot. Porron IX (ESP) set aside her problems of yesterday and, today, reasserted control of the 9-boat Swan 45 Worlds. Nadir (ESP) had already proved unstoppable in 8-boat ClubSwan 42 Europeans.

It was Groundhog Day with a twist on the weather front. Too light to go racing at noon, but when the wind did come it was from a more easterly direction and offered the strongest conditions of the week at 12 - 14 knots.

The Nations Trophy 2017 - Final Results
(Position, Team, Country, Owner/Driver, Total)

ClubSwan 50 European Championship (11 Teams)
1. Earlybird (GER), Hendrik Brandis, 29
2. Bronenosec (RUS), Vladimir Liubomirov, 35
3. Cuordileone (ITA), Leonardo Ferragamo, 35

Swan 45 World Championship (9 teams)
1. Porron IX (ESP), Luís Senís, 29
2. Motions (NED), Lennard Van Oeveren, 31
3. Aphrodite (ITA), Pier Drancesco di Giuseppe, 31

ClubSwan 42 European Championship (8 teams)
1. Nadir (ESP), Pedro Vaquer, 18
2. Pez de Abril (ESP), Jose María Meseguer, 28
3. Far Star (ITA), Lorenzo Mondo, 30

The Nations Trophy 2017 (11 nations)
1. Spain (2)
2. Italy (6)
3. Germany (6)

thenationstrophy.com

Guest Editorial: Magnus Wheatley
Oh dear, lone voice time again. I've read all the naysaying after the event about just how downright awful those dreadful foiling cats were in Bermuda. Excuse me? I thought it was a terrific spectacle and well done to my Team NZ friends in out-thinking and out-smarting everyone.

That BAR vs TNZ race in the big breeze where Burling, behind at the time, said about Ben: "he's outta control" is my top pick on You Tube (which for you lot reading this is a video service on the interweb owned by a rather large company called Google.)

I have also read some really crass posts and sniping quotes about Larry Ellison with a sub-text that he was some kind of creation from Star Wars and a force of evil for the AC. Well I heartily disagree (about the evil bit) and I think that the sport should say a massive thank you to Larry for the endless millions he has pumped into the event - without which, the patient would have died from boredom around 2003.

It has been a terrific ride, a tremendous spectacle and the sport is poorer, a lot poorer, now that Lazza is hanging up his Dubarry's. Now we return to the snooze-fest proposition of foiling monohulls. Give me a break. This is completely shooting the sport in the foot just as we were ushering in a very bright new generation of F1 sailors.

The old stagers will be licking their fat chops as the chance to do another AC means the gravy train can continue. Yup, we've got lead mines on the horizon with 12 bored, overpaid crew but the great news is that the pompous middle class retirees who seem to have the voice now, can "understand" what the hell is going on and sit and watch 20 tack beats and spinnaker hoists.

Oh please, give me a break. If you want to kill all interest from the digital generation then carry on. Winding the clock back is plain daft and the next Cup, probably in Italy, will be as dull as ditchwater.

Leave the foiling monohulls to the astonishing offshore boys where the likes of Alex Thompson can stretch Boss's legs and rack up thousand mile days. Short course foiling in monohulls is plain ridiculous and won't appease anyone other than an extremely temperamental bankroller who got lucky by marrying a fashion genius and is busy spending her money on a vanity project and some daft notion that this is good for the sport.

Sure there were lessons that needed to be learnt from Bermuda - cyclors and oil anyone? - but these were easily solvable and Larry was so close to being bang on the button. Now we re-set and the AC goes backwards two generations in a stunning victory for the myopically challenged who secretly yearn for the J-Class to be reinstated and just can't understand why their grandkids don't get sailing and why their yacht club membership is dying.

What a shame but thank you Larry for trying.

Seahorse October 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
France, France, France, the perfect reminder, muted celebrations in Barcelona, Parko moves to the back of the bus. Plus when should you leave it to the elders to drive progress? Ivor Wilkins, Carlos Pich, Patrice Carpentier, Dobbs Davis

Rod Davis - What now?
The multiple America's Cup skipper, helmsman, tactician and coach has a clear idea what lies ahead

Cut!
Farewell, Bermuda... And long live the 36th America's Cup. Andy Claughton

Seahorse build table - A growing force
Now here's one you (probably) never expected to see in these pages. Or even expected to see at all

Sailor of the Month
Young blood and great expectations

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.

Champagne for Zoulou, caviar for Realteam
Victors were crowned on this final day of Marseille One Design, also the last day of competition on the 2017 GC32 Racing Tour.

Esteban Garcia's Realteam, skippered by Jerôme Clerc, is the winner of the 2017 GC32 Racing Tour. Following her victories at Riva and a 'come from behind' win in Calvi, Realteam's third place at Marseille One Design was enough for the Swiss team to claim the overall Tour prize in 2017. Six points behind was American Jason Carroll's Argo, just one ahead of Naofumi Kamei's Mamma Aiuto! from Japan.

The final regatta of the season had a clear and definite winner: Erik Maris' Zoulou. With 11 races sailed at Marseille One Design, the French team won all but two, including a perfect scoreline over the weekend. Today in winds of 8-9 knots, the boats were sailing upwind under gennaker and could foil fully downwind. In this, Zoulou led the seven GC32s around every mark on Marseille's Rade Sud.

Venues for the 2018 GC32 Racing Tour will be announced shortly and will include several of the five in southern Europe the flying catamaran circuit has visited in 2017

GC32 Racing Tour @ Marseille One Design overall results
1, Zoulou, 16
2. Mamma Aiuto!, 39
3. Realteam, 45
4. Malizia - Yacht Club de Monaco, 48
5. .film Racing, 52
6. Team ENGIE, 53
7. Argo, 55

2017 GC32 Racing Tour championship overall results
1. Realteam, 10
2. Argo, 16
3. Mamma Aiuto!, 17
4. Team ENGIE, 24
5. Malizia - Yacht Club de Monaco, 25
6. Zoulou, 34
7. Movistar, 34
8. ARMIN STROM Sailing Team, 38
9. .film Racing, 39

www.gc32racingtour.com

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 Euan Ross: The need for speed?

In the current Seahorse, Jack Griffin makes the case for 'speed' as the overriding objective in the selection of a suitable vessel to contest the America's Cup. But he deftly skips 100 years of absorbing competition which give lie to that assumption. And perhaps quoting J. P. Morgan's preference for "the fastest and most powerful vessel that can be produced" is not the most apposite pitch for a commercially viable competition. David Boyd's plea that the Cup should be raced for "in the biggest boats people can afford" seems to be a more common sense approach and indeed reflects the history of the event.

Through the heyday of the magnificent 90ft LWL boats, contenders did indeed become ever faster with longer overhangs and more sail. But then the 1914-20 event saw slower boats with a reduction to 75ft LWL. Speed potential gradually increased again with the relatively under-canvassed J Class reaching 87ft LWL before they were retired in 1937, still some way short of the speed and power of Reliance, in 1903, however. Then came the 12 metres in 1958 with a 45ft LWL representing a big step down in performance. The 'big boat challenge' in 1988 saw more speed, but in a pointless format, before the 60ft LWL America's Cup Class in 1992. Since 2007, distaining Froude, we have had quick and even quicker foiling multihulls. Overall however, a graph of speed by year since 1870 would rise and fall to reflect what was economically viable rather than what was possible.

As a postscript I see the eighth VO65 is for sale and available now. So I guess the repurposing of that class as a 'pay to play' event is dead in the water too, viz "The VO65s will themselves be recycled after the 2018 finish, with a leadership and development programme for Volvo Ocean Race affiliated companies, with an on-water component for employees and clients racing in the 65s". And clearly the value of a 'spare' following recent experience is not conceded either.

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The Last Word
Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other. -- Eric Burdon

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Brad Jackson takes over as skipper for team AkzoNobel | Simeon Tienpont Statement | Azko Team Statement | Inside the Volvo Ocean Race: The Boatyard and North Sails | Spindrift Racing wins Alicante Match Cup | IRC Congress looks to the future | You're Invited! Celebrate the 45th Anniversary St. Thomas International Regatta - March 23-25, 2018 | 18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 2 | A helping hand in the Caribbean | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

Brad Jackson takes over as skipper for team AkzoNobel
Three-time Volvo Ocean Race winner Brad Jackson has been announced as skipper of the Dutch Volvo Ocean Race entry team AkzoNobel for the 2017-18 edition of the 83,000-kilometer around the world race.

The forty-nine-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand is competing in his seventh Volvo Ocean Race after coaching the Swedish all-women entry Team SCA in the 2014-15 edition.

Jackson will take on the skipper role as well as his watch captain commitments shared with three-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran and 2008-09 edition winner Joca Signorini (BRA). Jackson's appointment follows the recent departure of Simeon Tienpont (NED) from the team.

As well as Signorini, Jackson's crew includes three-time Volvo Ocean Race competitor and 2008-09 edition winner Jules Salter (GBR), 2005-06 competitor Luke Molloy (AUS), Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Martine Grael, Danish match racing skipper Nicolai Sehested, young up-and-coming New Zealand sailor Brad Farrand, and 23-year-old Bermudian Emily Nagel - the youngest female sailor in the current edition of the race.

Team AkzoNobel sailing team line up:
Brad Jackson (NZL) - skipper
Brad Farrand (NZL) - bowman, sail trimmer
Martine Grael (BRA) - sail trimmer
Luke Molloy (AUS) - helmsman, sail trimmer
Emily Nagel (BER) - sail trimmer
Jules Salter (GBR) - navigator
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) - boat captain, helmsman, sail trimmer
Joca Signorini (BRA) - watch captain, helmsman, sail trimmer

Brad Jackson profile - Volvo Ocean Race participation:
2014-15: Team SCA - manager and coach
2011-12: Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg - 3rd
2008-09: Ericsson 4 - 1st
2005-06: ABN AMRO 1 - 1st
2001-02: Team Tyco - 4th
1997-98: (Whitbread Race) Merit Cup - 2nd
1993-94: (Whitbread Race) New Zealand Endeavour - 1st

volvooceanrace.com

Simeon Tienpont Statement
Following the team's action, Simeon Tienpont issued a statement:

The meeting with skipper of team AkzoNobel Simeon Tienpont and Communications, Public Affairs & Legal Affairs of AkzoNobel, which was cancelled by AkzoNobel a few times and was late, did not contribute to any solution.

The deadlock Tienpont was forced in yesterday following AkzoNobel's one-sided termination of the contract was not resolved; the meeting did not contribute to any solution, so there was no other choice than to go public after AkzoNobel's suggestive statement about our skipper Simeon Tienpont.

During the Prologue leg of the Volvo Ocean Race (which left Lisbon on October 8th), so at a time AkzoNobel knew that Tienpont as a skipper was unreachable, AkzoNobel terminated their contract with Simeon Tienpont and his entire team. The team finished third in the Prologue.

FIRST ENTRY
AkzoNobel announced their sponsorship in the 2017-18 race on July 5th, 2016 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, and were the first team to enter the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo Ocean Race is the longest and toughest sailing race in the world. Tienpont has participated twice in the race (2005-06 and 2016) and is a two time America's Cup winner.

DISAPPOINTED
AkzoNobel has refused to reverse its decision and it looks they are unwilling to continue the Volvo Ocean Race campaign with Tienpont as their skipper.

Tienpont: "Disappointing, especially because me and my team were successfully racing the Prologue from Lisbon to Alicante."

Tienpont: "They talk about a contract break, which is absolutely unfounded and is very damaging to my reputation, especially in view of the timing, just before the start of the race. I can only guess that it is about a small budget overrun on a safety issue, but we have always been 100% transparent to AkzoNobel about our financial affairs and all our expenses have been made with their approval. It is them, not me, who is in clear breach of the contract."

More in Scuttlebutt: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Azko Team Statement
First of all, we want to thank everyone for the many messages and comments the team has received over what has been a difficult few days for us. We appreciate every single one of them - the positive and the negative ones - and we very much value everyone's passion for the campaign.

Right now team AkzoNobel is dealing with a challenge none of us ever expected to face. It has been tough, but the sailors and the shoreside support staff have every intention to be on the start line next Sunday for the start of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The complex nature of the events that have unfolded over the last week have meant we have been unable to communicate with our supporters as openly as we would normally do so, and for that we are sorry.

The title partner and owner of the team has said:

- Simeon Tienpont's management company STEAM breached its contract to manage the team AkzoNobel entry in the Volvo Ocean race 2017-18
- The breach was serious enough for AkzoNobel to terminate the contract with immediate effect and AkzoNobel then took over the full management of the team
- Simeon was offered the option to continue as skipper but opted not to continue and has left the team

Full statement:
www.teamakzonobel.com

Inside the Volvo Ocean Race: The Boatyard and North Sails
With the start of Leg 1 fast approaching, the Volvo Ocean Race's Boatyard Sail Loft manager, Nathan Quirk, and head of Boatyard, Neil Cox, explain how North Sails 3Di technology has changed the game in port.

It's been 30 years since North Sails began making sails for the Volvo Ocean Race. During that time North Sails has equipped VOR teams with the highest quality sails to see them through the round the world epic. But a lot has changed in the past three decades, and as the race has evolved, becoming faster, more extreme and more professional, so the demand for cutting-edge sails has grown.

The development of North Sails 3Di technology was in many ways a response to the sailors' demand for lightweight sails with increased durability. North 3Di sails are made using tiny pre-impregnated filament tapes to mirror the load-bearing and shape-holding qualities of a rigid aerofoil wing while remaining lightweight, durable, and easy to handle. It was to prove a breakthrough in technology, one that completely overhauled the way Volvo Ocean Race teams approach sail management.

"We have five days to service between 50 and 60 sails. Previously teams would re-cut and modify the shapes of their sails to keep them straight and performing at their optimum level. We don't do that anymore because we don't have to - we can get these teams around the world with the 3Di sails, and they're still in great shape."

Full Story: bit.ly/2kKCHxV

Spindrift Racing wins Alicante Match Cup
Alicante, Spain: On a day when you couldn't have asked for better sailing conditions, Yann Guichard's Spindrift Racing rounded off a flawless display with victory at the Alicante Match Cup.

Final Standings
1. Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing
2. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), Sailing Team NL
3. Jonas Warrer (DEN), Team Warrer
4. Markus Edegran (USA), E11even Racing
5. Nico Delle Karth (AUT), Chilli Racing
6. Sally Barkow (USA), Team Magenta 32
7. Quentin Delapierre (FRA), Team Lorina - Golfe du Morbihan
8. Lukasz Wosinksi (POL), Delphia Sailing Team
9. Sam Gilmour (AUS), Neptune Racing
10. Kim Kling (SWE), Caprice Match Racing Team

Detailed results

wmrt.com

IRC Congress looks to the future
Another successful annual IRC Congress meeting was held in early October in the popular sailing venue and race destination of St Malo on the northern French coast. Forty delegates from as far afield as Japan and the USA came together to talk about the International Rating Certificate (IRC) racing around the world, technical development and ideas on encouraging participation in yacht racing generally.

In 2018 there is the exciting prospect of the IRC European Championship combined with the RORC's Commodores' Cup in Cowes in June, closely followed by the joint IRC and ORC Hague Offshore World Championship in the Netherlands in July. These events set the high standard for IRC racing in 2018, along with the major offshore classic races that continue to be scored using IRC.

However, the IRC Congress never loses sight of the core of the IRC fleet who are taking part in club racing around the world every week and much talk at Congress was how to further encourage this. Everyone agreed that exciting events drive participation. This is demonstrated by the record four minutes for the Rolex Fastnet Race entry to be fully subscribed and the large number of boats that entered the Offshore Worlds straight after registration opened. Clubs were encouraged to put on events that provide an escape from the stresses of modern life, with a variety of courses, and some longer races with interesting destinations.

The IRC Technical Committee has been working on technical developments including the rating of boats equipped with foils, and a longer term review on rating 'code zero' sails. IRC has always been fast to embrace new developments in yacht design, while as far as possible retaining the characteristic simplicity of the IRC Rule and avoiding too much complexity for the majority of owners.

The 2017 IRC Congress Minutes are published on the IRC website, as well as the IRC 2018 Rule text and a summary of the Rule changes. www.ircrating.org

You're Invited! Celebrate the 45th Anniversary St. Thomas International Regatta - March 23-25, 2018
Be part of a celebrated history and make your own by registering now for the 45th St. Thomas International Regatta! What started as a handful of any boats afloat, with estimated handicaps and informally set courses has grown into the 'Crown Jewel of Caribbean Yacht Racing' with high tech racing machines, several classes such as the one-design C&C 30s and numerous handicap rules including CSA, IRC and ORC by which winners, sometimes separated by seconds on corrected times, are calculated. Yet, what's stayed the same is the camaraderie, spirit of sportsmanship and fair play and a great gusto to sail and party hard.

"STIR is the St. Thomas Yacht Club's oldest signature regatta and we are determined not to let the double blow of hurricanes take us off course for 2018," says regatta director, Chuck Pessler. "STIR is a time-honored tradition with past winners that read like a Who's Who of the sport and our 2018 event gives entrants a chance to add to this history with their own podium finishes."

Register now in CSA; IRC; ORC; Multihull; CSA Bareboat; and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com

For more information, email: stycisv@gmail.com or cpessler@hotmail.com, or call (340) 642-3204.

What to help in U.S. Virgin Islands' hurricane relief? Donate to the Marine Rebuild Fund: cfvi.net/programs/funds.php and www.facebook.com/MarineRebuildFund/. All donations to this non-profit will be used to clean up the current cruising grounds including storm-beached boats, grow marine industry offerings and develop marine vocational programs.

18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 2
Photos by Frank Quealey. Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The Triple M 18ft Skiff team of James Ward, Adam Gillson and Huon Oliver totally dominated Race 2 of the Australian 18 Footers League Spring Championship, which was sailed in a light Easterly breeze on Sydney Harbour today.

Ward and his team were prominent from the start and took the lead at the first set of windward marks after a battle for supremecy with Smeg (Lee Knapton) and The Kitchen Maker (Stephen Quigley) shortly after the start.

Triple M soon raced away to a clear lead on the first spinnaker run and only John Winning, Cameron McDonald and Michael Kennedy on Yandoo looked likely to be able to put pressure on the runaway leader.

At the end of the first lap of the course, Triple M led Yandoo by 1m30s and had the same lead at the conclusion of the following lap.

The team on the leader were faultless omn the final lap and went on to score a 2m2s victory over Yandoo.

While the two leaders were rarely challenged for their positions throughout the entire race, the battle for the minor placings was quite the opposite.

Several of the new and young teams impressed again and last week's winning Panasonic Lumix, on 6 points, holds a one point lead over Yandoo and Finport Trade Finance in the seven-race championship.

Another young team on Coopers-Rag & Famish Hotel is next on 8 points, followed by Smeg on 13, Quality Marine Clothing on 15, and ILVE (Oliver Hartas) on 16.

Today's light conditions on Sydney Harbour test the fitness of all teams as they come to grips with the tricky winds at the Rose Bay end of the course.

Race 3 of the Spring Championship will be sailed next Sunday, 22 October. -- Frank Quealey Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com.au

A helping hand in the Caribbean
Click on the logo for a photo gallery of Sevenstar's rescue efforts

After the Caribbean Islands were left devastated from recent hurricanes, Dutch yacht transport company Sevenstar quietly went to work. The result: last week Sevenstar delivered 140 pallets of aid, including generators, medicines and water at no cost to the devastated island of St Thomas for the American Red Cross.

Says Richard Klabbers, MD Sevenstar Yacht Transport: "We are frequent visitors to the Caribbean islands, delivering hundreds of yachts each year. Over the last ten years we have built many great relationships; they are close friends and are in great need of help to re-build their community. We have the ships, and we want to help. It is fantastic to be able to assist in a meaningful way with what we do best - providing timely transports in a well prepared and coordinated manner."

We see it as our humanitarian responsibility to take care of those in need and where possible we will help at no cost. Please contact Nic Kuhne who is coordinating our aid efforts on nic@sevenstar-yacht-transport.com should you feel we can be of further service.

sevenstar-yacht-transport.com

* From George Morris:

Further to the two very good articles on the 'need for speed' in the AC (and a few others that are doing the rounds): I enjoyed the foiling boats but would not force them on anyone who did not want to pump one round the racecourse. I enjoyed the WMRT and was surprised as to how well it adapted to the catamaran format. I quite like the Extreme Sailing Series although it is at its most interesting in non foiling, non extreme light wind situations. I enjoy the JJ Giltinan race week. I have just watched the Volvo 65s blundering around an inshore racecourse in Alicante. Superb.

FWIW the Americas Cup could as well be sailed in VO65s as anything else - preferably in Capetown in a gusty Force 7. And my contribution to all this? Absolutely nothing - I have no idea what Mapfre do for a living or GAC Pindar or Moviestar or ABN AMRO or any of the others. But thanks to the wonders of YouTube it is all there in my livingroom. After a four hour orgy of watching TV I can then go out and sail my Weta, remembering to shout 'three two one - deploy' at the windward mark and 'Weight up' after every tack and feel that I have been part of it. I am now working on a New Zealand/Oz accent to complete the experience.

* From Adrian Morgan:

Magnus makes some killer points in his spirited defence of Larry Ellison. And about time someone stood up for a man who did indeed try and change the course of the America's Cup, and has in many ways succeeded. It will never be the same again. But that has ever been the case, as the AC reinvents itself through controversy, court rooms and craft changes from crazy lead mines to foiling cats, and now to what should if they have any sense be a stupendous, full crewed foiling monohull. How could you race anything else on the waters of the Hauraki Gulf, after the bowling green pitch in Bermuda? Makes sense.

As for bored sailors on 12 Metre lead mines with only winches to grind, sails to trim, masts to climb, spinnakers to set and peel, tactics to plot, sails to pack, (foils to trim?), you only have to run back the YouTube of Oracle as they finished the last race to sense the relief on the faces of the miserable grinders for whom the ordeal was, thankfully, over.

As for spectacle, I was talking to a friend who was in Bermuda, on a spectator boat. Spectator as in, once the race had started, the best view was on a screen in the deck house. In short: he was watching the same picture as I was in my cottage in the Highlands. Sure, there were moments of drama, thank goodness. For me it was a case of watch the start, catch it mid-race, to see who was leading, and cut to the finish. Speed is relative, a quick fix that soon wears off. Who watches F1 for the speed alone?

Let's not go into the absurd idea that the defender can join the challengers and discover all their secrets. And all the other stuff about token Americans, protocol changes, boat changes, cabals, and the general jimmying the rules we have come to expect of American defenders over the years. The Kiwis will not be immune to the temptation to shift the advantage ever so slightly their way, of course. How much is the question.

Lastly, as many people will be putting finger to keyboard this morning in answer to Magnus' brilliant tirade against the pompous middle class retirees , if Larry really has the sport at heart, let him harness the might of Oracle and, with a clean sheet, home grown talent prove that America can win the Cup back honestly, without recourse to lawyers and on (relatively) level terms. I suspect he'll walk away from a game he can no longer manipulate quite so shamelessly.

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The Last Word
The mother of all answers is... 'paint.' -- Ken Campbell

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Is Larry Ellison's America's Cup-Style World Series About To Be Announced? | Seahorse Sailor Of The Month | Harken Spotlights Small Boat Continuous Line-Drive Furler at Hansboot - 10/28 - 11/5 | Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry: Recap of Incident in Newport Harbor | Sir Ben Ainslie to bolster Land Rover BAR Academy in Extreme Sailing Series Act 7, San Diego | 11th China Cup more international than ever | Where Sailing Comes First but the Rum is a Close Second? | Industry News | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

Is Larry Ellison's America's Cup-Style World Series About To Be Announced?
Larry Ellison, whose syndicate lost the America's Cup to New Zealand in Bermuda in June this year, is believed to be close to announcing a "World Series of Sailing" based on that regatta.

Reliable sources suggest that the proposed series will be contested at a number of venues around the world. The ultimate prize will be a spectacular trophy provided by French fashion house, Louis Vuitton, which was a major sponsor in Bermuda.

Teams from the USA, Sweden, Japan and France are said to be committed to the event and others are expected to follow, including one possibly headed by two-time Cup winner, Ernesto Bertarelli.

With many of the syndicates involved in "AC35" in Bermuda having retained some of their facilities there, it is now likely that one round of the World Series - possibly the first - would be staged there.

As Cup defender in Bermuda, Ellison changed the face of America's Cup racing with the introduction of spectacular high-speed, 50ft long hydrofoil catamarans.

The same boats would be used for the World Series and compete on unique, "spectator friendly" courses along the lines of those created in Bermuda. -- Rob Mundle

More at www.robmundle.com

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:

Stephen Baker (USA)
Big vote for Stephen and Mathias Coutts and in the end it came down to just two votes; next time. 'Stephen is humble, focused and a great role model for other kids' - Tom Homberger; 'A little guy but a great guy... and a great sailor!' - Fernanda San Roman; 'Calm and confidence, awesome' - Christina Nigro; 'Great attitude too' - Claudia Visnevski; 'Stephen has crushed this year in the Opti and he'll only improve!' - Rob Simmons; 'Stephen is an amazingly talented sailor and he's still improving so fast...' - Laura Tanton.

This month's nominees:

Rayco Tabares (ESP)
Hugely underrated Spanish helmsman who this year won his fourth J/80 world title - the last three consecutively - in a fleet that is increasingly becoming the new destination of choice for top current and previous Olympic sailors looking for something to do when they want to get away from it all... Tabares has also had considerable success in Mediterranean big boat regattas but has yet to catch the eye of the top international teams. Yet...

Guillermo Parada (ARG)
The Azzurra TP52 team quietly goes about its work, always practising and working away at the small things that make a boat go faster. Helmsman Guillermo Parada has been there from the start, along with tactician Vasco Vascotto... quite the pairing. This year they won the overall TP52 Super Series title and already have a new boat on order for what promises to be a mega-tough 2018 as the Cup teams go back to practising monohull sailing...

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Henri Lloyd, 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

View past winners of 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

Harken Spotlights Small Boat Continuous Line-Drive Furler at Hansboot - 10/28 - 11/5
Unleash the performance of small boat furling with Harken's continuous line-drive furler. The unique combination of its small size and continuous line makes this low-profile furler the perfect choice for harnessing and managing the ever-increasing horsepower of today's high-performance boats.

The line is easy to install and can be removed without disassembly. Offset holes in the drive sheave grip line securely, with the stripper and feeder working together to prevent jamming. The line guard adjusts in 90-degree increments to accommodate attachments to the boat. The furler is used with an upper swivel or a hoistable halyard swivel to build a fixed or hoistable jib furling system.

Harken's continuous line-drive furler will be demoed during the Hamburg International Boat Show at Peter Frisch GmBH, Hall B5, Stand D.121.

Stop by and give it a go!

harken.com

Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry: Recap of Incident in Newport Harbor
Newport, RI, USA: SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, Rhode Island's Official Sailing Education Vessel homeported in Newport, R.I. is back safe at her berth at Fort Adams State Park after an incident that left her disabled in inner Newport Harbor.

On the evening of Sunday, October 15, the 200-foot Perry, with 12 crewmembers aboard, was moving under diesel power from Bowen's Wharf - where it had been docked for the Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival - to Fort Adams, located approximately a quarter mile away in the outer harbor. When her two propellers became entangled by one of the ship's dock lines, Perry drifted without engine power and came in contact with four boats that were docked nearby. During the incident, no one was injured and minimal damage occurred. Perry did not run aground, and thanks to the quick actions of the captain, crew, the Newport Harbor Master, Oldport Marine Services, the Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force and Coast Guard Station Castle Hill, the ship was secured in the northeast corner of the harbor with a safety zone established around her.

On Monday, October 16, after a diver cleared the propellers and both engines were operational, Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the situation and move the ship safely to its berth with USCG-required tugboat assistance. The relocation was completed by Monday at 5 p.m.

Owners/captains of the four affected vessels were contacted, and an investigation of the incident will be completed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

www.ohpri.org

Sir Ben Ainslie to bolster Land Rover BAR Academy in Extreme Sailing Series Act 7, San Diego
Sir Ben Ainslie, the four-time Olympic gold-medallist and America's Cup sailor, is to return to the Extreme Sailing Series as helm of Land Rover BAR Academy for the penultimate Act of the season in San Diego, from 19 - 22 October.

The British sailing star, who recently finished a campaign in the 35th America's Cup as Team Principal and Skipper of the British challenger, Land Rover BAR, has previously competed in the Series in 2011 and in 2014.

This time Ainslie joins the UK-flagged youth team, which was set up in his name to train the next generation of British America's Cup athletes, as helm and mentor. The syndicate, the average age of whose trialists is just 21, currently sits bottom of the scoreboard. But the team has shown moments of brilliance competing against a seasoned fleet of some of the world's most accomplished sailors, including a second-place finish at Act 2 in Qingdao, China.

The eight-strong fleet of GC32s will race in San Diego Bay from 13:30 - 17:00 UTC-7 on Thursday 19 October and from 14:00 - 17:00 UTC-7 from Friday 20 - Sunday 22 October.

extremesailingseries.com

11th China Cup more international than ever
The 11th edition of the China Cup International Regatta is becoming more international than ever with the World Championship of the World Match Racing Tour set to join the 10 other racing divisions. Reigning World Champion Phil Robertson will be looking to defend his title in the high-speed M32 catamarans along with the rest of his Team CHN One.Ningbo crew. However, with around 1,500 sailors representing almost 40 different regions and nations, there will be plenty of other high-level competition going on around Daya Bay near Shenzhen, one of China's most advanced and up-and-coming cities.

Beginning with a skippers' briefing at the spectacularly located Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the four-day regatta starts with a passage race to Daya Bay on 26 October and concludes on 29 October after three days of short-course racing around the cans.

The international fleet sees everyone from first-time racers to Olympic Champions competing alongside each other. The Beneteau 40.7 fleet is nearly always the most closely contested, and this year attracts entries from around the world including three teams from Russia. Yiihua Pocket Emirates Team New Zealand is back for a third year, skippered by Laurie Jury with a mix of youth and experience on board. The team is also bringing the sport's most famous trophy, the America's Cup, to display during the event and help enthuse a new generation of sailors in China. Others to watch in this hot one-design fleet include Team Mercedes-AMG skippered by New Zealander Bradley McLaughlin, My Side Team from South Africa and perennial strong performer Vanhang Longcheer which often has some of the best known Australian professionals among the crew.

In the IRC racing, Frank Pong's 75-foot Reichel/Pugh sled, Jelik, is most likely the one to beat across the finish line for line honours, although it's Tiffany Koo and Hero Racing who often set the pace on adjusted IRC handicap scores. Other notable IRC performers over the years include Shenzhen Seawolf and Lighthorse AlphaPlus.

There will be four race courses, and 11 racing classes:

- The 2017 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) Finals held in the One Design M32 Class (with M32 Qualifying being held on Oct.24th-25th)
- One Design Beneteau First 40.7 Class
- J/80 Class
- HKPN A Class
- HKPN B Class
- IRC A Class
- IRC B Class
- IRC C Class
- One Design Bavaria Cruiser 37 Class
- ASAF Keelboat Cup Class
- One Design Youth Class

www.chncup.com

Where Sailing Comes First but the Rum is a Close Second?
Big warm seas, consistent trade winds, challenging round the buoys racing and the best shoreside parties in the Caribbean sum up the phenomenon that is Antigua Sailing Week. Preceded by an optional race, the Peters & May Round Antigua Race featuring 52 nm of perfect pre-ASW tune up for new teams, followed by five days of racing off Antigua's south coast and interrupted by a beach day, this is a regatta not to miss.

Classes include Big Boat, Racing, Sport Boat, Cruising, Multihull, Bareboat and Club Class. Daily prize givings at Antigua Yacht Club are legendary as is the final awards party hosted in historic UNESCO-accredited Nelson's Dockyard.

Bragging rights, the best silverware and a photo op with the Queen's representative, the Governor General mean you get the best of all worlds - professionally run race management, incredible history and Caribbean beaches, parties and English Harbour Rum.

Mix that with a Fever-Tree ginger beer and you have the Perfect Storm.

www.sailingweek.com

Industry News
Arthur Beale & Fernhurst Books are hosting an evening looking at two contrasting voyages from our Making Waves series, Sailing Around Britain and Last Voyages.

Kim Sturgess, Sailing Around Britain, will discuss how, at the age of 50, he sailed around Britain in 50 day sails and 1 night passage. Nicholas Gray, will talk about some of the famous sailors featured in his book, Last Voyages, recounting their lives and last voyages.

Please join us on Wednesday 25th October, at 18:30 at the Arthur Beale shop in London (194 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8JP). A nominal £5.00 entry fee is charged but this is fully refunded on purchase of one of the books in the Making Waves Series (or any purchase over £15.000 from the shop).

Places are limited, so we ask you to email talks@arthurbeale.co.uk to reserve your place. For more information: www.arthurbeale.co.uk/events/

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The Volvo Ocean Race and its global distribution agency Sunset+Vine, the TV sports producer and distributor, which is part of the Tinopolis Group, announced their initial list of broadcast partners this week in advance of the race start on 22 October 2017 with an emphasis on core countries featuring boats, stopovers and sailors in the race - and a shift towards digital coverage.

Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Samsung will bring race content to the most popular digital platforms in the world, while Spain (TVE/Teledeporte), Portugal (RTP), Brasil (TV Brasil), France (Sport+), South Africa (SuperSport), Australia (Fox Sports), New Zealand (Sky NZ), UK (Sky Sports) and Holland (NOS) all feature national channels or premier sports broadcasters covering the race programming throughout the nine months starting this month with the Volvo Ocean Race's one hour race preview special.

Other premium broadcasters in top markets include J-Sport (Japan), Sport TV (Turkey), TG4 (Ireland) and Sweden's TV3 Sport.

On the digital side, Sunset+Vine has delivered partnerships for the race with leading online and mobile platforms such as Sina.com (China), Twitter (Global), Tencent (China), Aftonbladet Sport (Sweden), Samsung (Asia) and OutsideTV.com (USA) to bring the race's award-winning content to smartphones, desktops and tablets.

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The Construction in Process Stage at the upcoming METSTRADE Show will include a new round table session on boat construction & recycling techniques. The event on the second day of the show will feature a line-up of speakers and participants from a wide range of countries and disciplines. The stage will also host demonstrations of manufacturing processes throughout the three days of METSTRADE 2017, which runs from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 November.

After its launch last year, the Construction in Process Stage will make a return to the 2017 edition of the METSTRADE Show in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre. Throughout the three days of the event, this dedicated demonstration area will offer live presentations on how materials showcased in the Construction Material Pavilion (CMP) are actually produced.

Organised in cooperation with Simonetta Pegorari, a communications & marketing specialist in composite materials, the event will focus on the highly topical subject of new materials and construction techniques for boats and yachts and end-of-life of FRP materials. The round table will provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas between technicians and yacht designers, while the public will also be given the chance to interact with the expert speakers and gain a greater understanding of the latest environmental, technical and regulatory issues.

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Garmin International, Inc. has announced that it has been selected as an official supplier for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-2018, providing its action and 360 cameras to the seven teams competing in the 45,000-mile race around the world.

As an official supplier, Garmin's flagship waterproof1 action cameras, the VIRB® 360 and VIRB Ultra 30, will be used on each boat to capture high-quality video that can be easily edited and shared with race fans around the globe. The Volvo Ocean Race spans four oceans, touches six continents and stops in 12 landmark cities. It begins Oct. 22, 2017 in Alicante, Spain and ends in late June 2018 in The Hague, Netherlands.

This waterproof VIRB Ultra 30 is an ultra HD action camera that captures 4K/30fps video with GPS G-MetrixTM data overlays that show performance metrics like how far, how high and how fast the user went. It also features voice control2 so users can tell the camera to start, stop and "remember that." It features an LCD touchscreen display and high-sensitivity microphone that even work through the waterproof case.

For a more immersive experience, the VIRB 360 captures fully spherical 360-degree video in up to 5.7K/30fps resolution with 360-degree audio, and it includes built-in sensors for augmented reality G-Metrix data overlays.

* From Euan Ross:

On behalf of the middle-class retirees of Hampshire, who were once gainfully employed and indeed also once part of the now-defunct Rule 69 community, I guess we will have to come to terms with our impending irrelevance. But perhaps not yet….

Mr Larry Ellison might have presided over the recent America's Cup regattas, but that in itself hardly merits elevation to a coveted niche in the pantheon of our sport. Pedestal honours in this instance might be more fittingly awarded to Nick Holroyd's design team for the 34th Challenge. The 2013 TNZ brains trust circumvented the AC72 rule to transform the brutish big cats envisaged by Team Oracle into fiendishly clever flying machines. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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2013 Volvo Ocean 65 - SCA. 995000 EUR. Located in

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1976 Palmer Johnson S&S 46 - ARISTEIA. 99000 USD. Located in Alogonac, MI - USA

Classic S&S from 1976 always stored under cover and heavily updated - bit of a barn find really!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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2005 Comet 45 - ILVITELLO. 200,000 Euros. Located in Flensburg, Germany.

Composite rocket ship from Comar Yachts. 2005 build and comprehensively optimised in 2008 with new keel, rudder, carbon rig and a funky suit of Banks D4 sails.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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+44 (0) 1590 679222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

No Issue Thursday
Your humble narrator is away for the Thurday issue. Burying an old friend and true American hero at Arlington National Cemetery. A man who held a very high rank in the US Army and stood up, spoke loudly against torture during the Iraq war.

He saw more death and destruction than anyone should. That took its toll on him. In his memory, at the request of his widow, I state and ask to those suffering from depression: it's not "unmanly" to need help. Seek help. And get all the guns out of your house and office. Please.

The Last Word
If someone else is paying for it, food just tastes a lot better. -- Gilbert Gottfried

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Porto Santo rounding for Leg One | Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit | Grenada Sailing Week Classics - In a class of their own. | Greenings Claims Narrow Line Honours Into Cape Town | Girls on Film win the battle - Invictus win the war | Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series all set for 5th season | Botin Partners signs for NYYC America's Cup Challenge | Extreme Sailing Series San Diego | Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image | When Her Father's Yacht Vanished, She Searched the Sea Until She Finally Found Peace | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

Porto Santo rounding for Leg One
After months of strenuous preparation, thousands of miles sailed in training, the first offshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race will get underway on Sunday.

In a departure from the traditional long first leg down the Atlantic Ocean, this year the race starts with a (relative) sprint from Alicante to Lisbon.

Unlike the rest of the route which was set in stone more than a year ago, the final route for Leg 1 has just been announced, with Race Director Phil Lawrence selecting one of four options he had available to him.

His decision means the boats will head to Lisbon via the Portuguese island Porto Santo in the Atlantic. Like all things in sailing, it was the weather that determined the route.

"One of our course options was to send the boats out to the east, through the Bonifacio Straight, around Sardinia, back out through Gibraltar and straight to Lisbon. The medium-term weather forecast is for a strong mistral, potentially 50 or even 60 knots, followed by an extended period of high pressure and light winds throughout the Mediterranean, so that wasn't very attractive," Lawrence explained.

In order to avoid a dangerous blow followed by a frustrating lack of wind, the race director has decided to give the Volvo Ocean 65 fleet an early taste of the Atlantic.

"The leg course we've chosen is approximately 1450 miles. There's a varied weather outlook for that course, quite complex for the Atlantic, which will present some challenges for the crews and we expect them to arrive in Lisbon after approximately a week."

www.volvooceanrace.com

Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit
The Volvo Ocean Race has used the first of seven Ocean Summits it is hosting around the world in 2017-18 to launch a unique programme that will gather data from parts of the oceans that are otherwise inaccessible to scientists - while the Spanish government pledged its backing for UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign.

Wednesday's Ocean Summit in Alicante - held four days before the start of the 2017-18 edition of sailing's 45-year-old race around the world - brought together politicians, scientists, business and sport to tackle the problem of ocean health, with a specific focus on plastic pollution.

As the world's 14th largest economy, Spain's declaration of support is a significant boost to the UN's global campaign, which now boasts 32 member states and aims to 'turn the tide on plastic' by inspiring action from governments, businesses and individuals.

The Science Programme is key to that goal of creating action to tackle plastic pollution, based on accurate data.

The Programme - made possible thanks to the support of Volvo Cars, and a consortium including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), JCOMMOPS (UNESCO-IOC), GEOMAR and SubCtech - is comprised of three elements.

All of the racing yachts in the 2017-18 edition will send data back from the oceans every 10 seconds - recording temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction. This data will be passed on to NOAA and the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. It will contribute to more accurate weather forecasts and climate models.

Secondly, during the four most isolated legs in the race, all seven yachts will carry drifter buoys equipped with satellite communications to transmit information on ocean composition and currents.

Thirdly, the Turn the Tide on Plastic team skippered by British yachtswoman Dee Caffari will carry instruments onboard to test salinity, dissolved CO2 and Chlorophyll-a (algae), and for the first time ever, microplastics, directly in the sea water around them.

volvooceanrace.com

Dee Caffari's presentation at the summit:

Grenada Sailing Week Classics - In a class of their own.
The Island Water World Grenada Sailing Week is one of the few regattas in the Caribbean to have its own Classic Class. We all love to see these graceful ladies gliding through the water like a hot knife through butter. The carefully designed courses offer the Classic yacht crews some challenging and exciting racing under the cool trade winds and against the beautiful backdrop of a Caribbean island. We invite all Classic yachts to come and challenge two rivals who regularly vie for first place; Judd Tinius on his Yawl Classic, 'Galatea', and Mathew Barker on his Alfred Myne 65, 'The Blue Peter'.

Mathew Barker says:

"I enjoy coming to Grenada because apart from Antigua, it is one of the few regattas to provide a classic class, there is always great racing between the yachts on challenging race courses of the south coast. As for the parties? - Just brilliant on sea and ashore."

This Classic Class also includes traditional sloops such as 'Savvy', who's Captain, Danny Donelan, looks forward to challenging yachts from the Carriacou Sloop fleet.

To Register: www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4444

Website www.grenadasailingweek.com. Sign up for newsletter online, Email: info@grenadasailingweek.com, Facebook: GrenadaSailingWeek, or Twitter @grenadasailweek

Greenings Claims Narrow Line Honours Into Cape Town
The Greenings team claimed victory late last night in a thrilling finale to the Stormhoek Race to the Cape of Storms, which saw the top two teams finish approximately two miles apart after 14 days racing through the South Atlantic in the second stage of the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race, from Punta del Este, Uruguay.

An intense battle played out between the top two teams since the opening day of the race, some 3,560 nautical miles ago. Greenings crossed the finish line first at 21:20:55 local South African time, (19:20:55 UTC), just 17 minutes and 45 seconds minutes ahead of Dare To Lead which finished at 21:38:40 local (19:38:40 UTC).

Andy Woodruff is the Interim Skipper for Greenings after the original Skipper, David Hartshorn suffered an injury on Leg 1.

It is the second consecutive stage win for Greenings, which also set a new Clipper Race record for the most nautical miles covered in a 24-hour period after notching up 329 nautical miles on Day 9.

Narrowly behind in second place was Dare To Lead, skippered by Capetonian Dale Smyth, who fought hard and was in the lead for much of the race. The team has played its Joker Card and will double the number of points for this race once official positions are announced.

The Clipper 2017-18 Race fleet has now covered over 10,000 of the race's 40,000 nautical mile route since Race Start in Liverpool on 20 August.

Race 3 of the Clipper 2017-18 Race starts on 31 October, departing Cape Town for Fremantle, Western Australia.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Girls on Film win the battle - Invictus win the war
Sir Keith Mills' Ker40+ Invictus, is the 2017 FAST40+ Champion, after winning the last race of the season, taking second place in Round 5, to clinch the overall title. Sir Keith Mills lifted the FAST40+ Trophy, and the Cloudy Bay Bowl, as winner for the 2017 FAST40+ Race Circuit.

Peter Morton's CF40+ Girls on Film won Round 5 of the 2017 FAST40+ Circuit. The Isle of Wight based team won four of the five rounds, over the last six months. However, it was not enough to take the overall win for the season. The new Girls on Film is undoubtedly quick, and extremely well sailed, but a ninth in the first round, racing a chartered boat, proved the team's undoing.

Stewart Whitehead's Carkeek MkIII Rebellion, was fifth in Round 5, placing third for the 2017 circuit, and is a serious contender for 2018. Bas de Voogd's Carkeek MkIII Hitchhiker, finished the season in fourth place, the Dutch team was competing in the class for the first time. Dennis Gehrlein's young German team, racing Silva Neo, was third in Round 5, lifting the team to 5th for the circuit, a massive improvement on their 11th place last year.

The 2018 FAST40+ Race Circuit will shortly be announced, new teams are also expected to join the class next season.

www.fast40class.com

Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series all set for 5th season
Act 1 of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series kicks-off Friday 20th to 22nd October, as the Yacht Club de Monaco hosts a fleet of international teams who for the fifth year running have set up their winter training quarters in the Principality for a series of monthly regattas.

Organised from October to March by the YCM over three-day weekends, in collaboration with technical clothing supplier SLAM, the purpose is to give sailors an opportunity to prepare at the highest level for the upcoming season.

An initiative of YCM member Valentin Zavadnikov, it attracts teams from nearby Italy but also many from Eastern and Northern Europe. The programme is intense. Last year’s edition fulfilled all objectives with more than 70 races completed for 300+ sailors from 14 nationalities in five classes.

For the new season, the focus is on the J/70s and Melges 20s. Some teams have made no secret of their ambition, like Valeria Kovalenko (ArtTube) in the J/70s. Last season, the Russian sailor maintained an impressive consistency to win the Series after 21 races, with the Brazilians on Manda-Chuva in 2nd and the YCM’s Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda) completing the podium in 3rd. This season, the field is wide open for this class which is massively popular in Monaco with a fleet of 17, probably the biggest concentration in the Mediterranean.

In the Melges 20 last season, Russians ruled the roost with Alexandr Ezhkov (Pirogovo Sailing) on top, followed by Alexander Novoselov (Victor) and Vadim Yahinson (Leviathan).

yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home-en/

Botin Partners signs for NYYC America's Cup Challenge
Bella Mente Quantum Racing (BMQR) is pleased to announce it has signed an exclusive agreement with Botin Partners Naval Architecture to design the yacht it will sail in the 36th America's Cup competition, which is scheduled to take place in Auckland, New Zealand, in early 2021. The syndicate will represent the New York Yacht Club, which has returned to the America's Cup arena after a 15-year absence.

Botin Partners is one of the world's most reputable yacht design firms, with a unparalleled track record of success across many classes, particularly large monohulls. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron announced just over a month ago that the next America's Cup will be sailed in the AC75 monohull.

BMQR is the combination of two successful American keelboat programs, Hap Fauth's Bella Mente Maxi72 program and Doug DeVos' Quantum Racing team. Over the past decade, Quantum Racing has sailed Botin Partners' designs to five world championships in the TP52 class (above). Locking in the design team early allows BMQR the opportunity to begin development of its AC75.

Marcelino Botin, the founder and president of Botin Partners, has extensive experience in the America's Cup having been the principle designer for Emirates Team New Zealand from 2004 to 2011, including the 32nd America's Cup when ETNZ won the Louis Vuitton Cup and narrowly missed defeating Alinghi in the America's Cup match.

nyyc.org

Extreme Sailing Series San Diego
Alinghi and Land Rover BAR Academy were the teams to beat on the opening day of the penultimate Act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series in San Diego, USA. But it was the Swiss who demonstrated their prowess in the light winds and took the overnight lead as they left the Brits floundering in the final race.

For Alinghi's helm Arnaud Psarofaghis it was a good day at the office. The defending champion currently sits in third on the overall leader board and the pressure is on as it nears the end of the season.

Land Rover BAR Academy - helmed by four-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie - also put in a strong performance which almost matched Alinghi's. Going into the final race the two were tied on points but, as Alinghi crossed the line in first, the wind died and the Brits were unable to complete the course in the allotted time and did not finish.

The GC32 Stadium Racing kicks off Friday at 14:00 UTC-7.

Standings after Day 1, 6 races

1. Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothe Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey, 64 points
2. Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Ben Ainslie, Adam Kay, Elliot Hanson, Will Alloway, 59
3. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Kostner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason, 56
4. Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari, 54
5. Team Extreme San Diego (USA) Morgan Larson, Andrew Campbell, Matt Cassidy, Mike Kuschner, Cooper Dressler, 49
6. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller, 48
7. NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Andy Maloney, Josh Salthouse, 45
8. Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA) John Tomko, Jonathan Atwood, Matthew Whitehead, Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd, 36

www.extremesailingseries.com

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image
The 'Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image' is a yearly photographic contest and exhibition. It seeks to recognise the very best yacht racing image taken during the year, and that which best represents the essence and excitement of yacht racing as a sport.

The contest is open to professional yacht racing photographers from all over the world. Three prizes are awarded:

The main prize is the 'Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image'. It is awarded by a panel of international specialists from the yacht racing and photographic industries

The 'Yacht Racing Forum Award' is decided by the 700 delegates of World Sailing's Annual conference as well as by the 300 delegates of the Yacht Racing Forum. It is selected on the basis of a vote amongst the top 20 pictures (selected by the international jury) exhibited at both conferences.

The 'public prize' is selected by the number of popular votes on Internet. This is a fun award, aimed at increasing the photographers visibility on the social networks and the global value of the contest. Photographers are encouraged to like and share pictures, and to do as much self-promotion as they can. This prizes recognizes the quality of the winning picture as well as the photographers' network and the support he (she) can generate around him and his (her) photograph.

The 2017 Gallery for the prize (yes, the public can vote...) is here:

www.yachtracingimage.com/gallery/contest-2017/

Click on your favourite and you have the access to vote (Facebook access needed).

When Her Father's Yacht Vanished, She Searched the Sea Until She Finally Found Peace
After Argonaut went down in calm waters, Chelsea Rice-Morris was convinced of foul play. She didn't stop until she had her answer.

"Boats don't just sink," says Chelsea Rice-Morris. "People don't just disappear."

On July 25, 2012, the 59-foot Argonaut, a robust $600,000 yacht crewed by owner John Rice and French Canadian crewmember Guillaume Gosselin, was sailing in calm conditions just three miles behind a second boat, 20 miles off Maumere, Indonesia.

Then it wasn't.

On August 9th Gosselin arrived in the port of Kupang aboard an Indonesian fishing boat. He reported that the Argonaut had sunk 14 days earlier and John Rice was dead.

A great read, full article: narrative.ly/when-her-fathers-yacht-vanished

* From David Pelly:

For reasons that I do not quite understand, this seems to be the week in which superannuated yachting journalists are being allowed a free whack at the America's Cup in Scuttlebut. May it be my turn now?

The only special qualification I may claim is to have been a member of the World Sailing Speed Record Council since its establishment in 1973; longer than anyone except our wonderful Secretary General, John Reed. Because some of the attempts on our records have been in craft so bizarre that you have to think very carefully before even describing them as boats, the Council has needed to address some very basic questions such as: what is a boat? or, what is sailing?

Other rule-making organizations do not usually bother with such definitions, perhaps believing them to be self-evident but if you are confronted by a chap who is proposing to stand on a very tiny surf-board with insufficient displacement to support his own weight at rest and to sail over mud-flats with about one centimetre of water over them, pulled by a rigid-wing kite; would you accept it for a sailing speed record? This was not just a dream but an actual proposal which very fortunately never came to reality, but did encourage us to call for a minimum depth of water (Half the maximum beam of the craft afloat or 10cm, whichever is the greater). Furthermore, the water must not be frozen.

Competitors in the America's Cup are not likely to be bothered by these particular requirements but I would like to suggest to the 'wise men' who are currently hard at work composing class rules for the proposed America's Cup 75 foot monohull Class that they might like to borrow our Rules 7 & 9, both of which were clearly broken by all of the finalists in the recent event with the result that this was not a competition between sailing yachts but between clockwork machines which could not move until they had been 'wound up'. If this is allowed to continue unchecked, future America's Cup matches could take place in space rockets or any other type of machine.

Part of WSSR Rule 7. Manual Power
A yacht shall use human power only, apart from battery power for instrumentation. There is no objection to various methods of power transmission such as hydraulic provided there is no element of power storage beyond that associated with materials in their conventional sailing application.

WSSR Rule 9. Means of Propulsion.
A yacht shall sail by using only the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease her speed.

* From Owen Sharpe:

I'm thrilled to hear Larry's proposal. I thought the foiling cats were great in several ways. I think they'll end up being the boats for AC after Auckland, if that competition continues.

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2002 IRC Maxi LA BETE. 600,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.

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The Last Word
Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. -- Robert Anton Wilson

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 fleet takes the Leg 1 start
Dongfeng Race Team powered its way into an early lead on Sunday, pushing penalties on its two closest competitors, in hard-fought racing as the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 got underway.

Conditions couldn't have been better for the start in Alicante, Spain on Sunday afternoon.

The fleet of seven of the best sailing teams in the world started Leg 1, a 1,450 nautical mile sprint to Lisbon, Portugal in bright sunshine and a 15-20 knot Easterly breeze

They were treated to some of the most intense racing ever seen in the opening minutes of a Volvo Ocean Race. The highlight came on the approach to the final turning mark before leaving the bay, when Dongfeng Race Team came screaming in on a collision course with Team Brunel and MAPFRE, both of whom were forced into a quick gybe to avoid the right of way Chinese boat.

Separated by less than a meter at times, as they went through their manoeuvres, the on water Umpires judged neither Brunel nor MAPFRE had kept sufficiently clear and penalised both, pushing them back down the fleet.

After winning round one of the fight, Dongfeng then sped off with the lead, with Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Turn the Tide on Plastic in close pursuit. All three would thread their way through the spectator fleet, at times within an arm's length of the astonished guests, before finding a clear passage out to sea

www.volvooceanrace.com

Drama and then more drama
The Volvo Ocean Race Leg One started with drama and its continued all day.

On land, overnight Simeon Tienpont was reinstated as skipper on AkzoNobel, but at the cost of his navigator and watch captains.

On water, Charles Caudrelier's Dongfeng forced penalties on his two closest rivals, Xabi Fernandez' Mapfre and Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel at the final Alicante mark before heading out on the 45,000-nautical mile circumnavigation.

Dee Caffari drove Turn the Tide ide on Plastic into second place, ahead of the David Witt skippered Sun Hung Kai Scallywag, with Mapfre sailing back towards to sixth place. But another dramatic charge from the Spanish team who reeled in her rivals one by one and then took the lead from downwind specialists Dongfeng.

But it's incredibly tight racing with regular lead swaps. Team Vestas took the lead shortly thereafter and AkzoNobel was close behind in third place as the fleet streamed south from Alicante on Leg One, towards the Andalucian corner Capo de Dongfeng.

This Leg has a notional distance of 1450 nautical miles (nm) or maybe more to Lisbon Portugal, via Porto Santo, a small island to the northwest of Madeira, 490 nm from Lisbon, well off the Morocco coast.

The fleet is scheduled to arrive in Lisbon next Saturday afternoon, highly desirable from a Corporate perspective.

Rob Kothe's full editorial: scuttlebutteurope.com

Russians dominate Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series kick-off
The first Act of the 2017/2018 Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco got off to a cracking start, with winds up to 20-knots on the first two of three days and six races completed.

Consistency paid off for the Russians on Art Tube who handled the conditions to perfection, winning five of the six races in the J/70 class. Winners last season, the team led by Valeria Kovalenko set the pace from the start, finishing 12 points ahead of newcomers Oman Sail 1, helmed by Stevie Morrison, 5th in the 49er class at the London Olympics. The Italian Sport Cube completed the season's first podium.

The Monegasque team of Cesare Gabasio (TinnJ70) came 4th, and Remi Piazza (Levante), a youngster from the YCM's Sports Section won first prize in the amateur category. "It is important we encourage amateurs to race," says Michel Boussard, President of the Monaco J/70 Class Association, delighted to see that 20-plus J/70 teams are already signed up for the next regatta 10-12 November 2017.

In the Melges 20 class, the Russian Alex Team won ahead of their compatriots on Leviathan, with Gone Squatching helmed by Pietro Loro Piana pipping the YCM's Ludovico Fassitelli on Junda to the post to take 3rd.

Organised once a month from October to March by the YCM, in partnership with technical clothing supplier SLAM, on the initiative of Valentin Zavadnikov, the Series has proved a big success since it launched in 2013. As evidenced by the two Omani teams, the series continues to attract newcomers keen to prepare for the season ahead.

Final rankings - J/70
1st Dennis Rozhkov - RUS (Art Tube) - 5 points
2nd Stevie Morrison - MON (Oman Sail 1) - 17 points
3rd Germano Scarpa - ITA (Sport Cube) - 19 points

Final rankings - Melges 20
1st Alexander Mikhaylik - RUS (Alex Team) - 11 points
2nd Maxim Titarenko - RUS (Leviathan) - 15 points
3rd Pietro Loro Piana - ITA - (Gone Squatching) - 15 points

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc

VOR Breaking News: Dutch national TV says Tienpont has won the arbitration
According to the NOS (Dutch national TV) website in the Netherlands, Simeon Tienpont has won the arbitration case that he brought against team sponsor AkzoNobel and will return to Alicante to skipper the yacht when Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race starts tomorrow off Alicante, Spain. Here is a Google translation of the original article posted a few minutes ago:

"The Dutch sailor Simeon Tienpont has won the arbitration case he had tried against AkzoNobel. Tienpont wants to return as a skipper to the team that starts at the first stage in the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday in Alicante. Tienpont was fired by AkzoNobel last week, one day before the first in-port race, due to breach of contract by Tienpon's management company STEAM. The team had chosen Brad Jackson as a new skipper.

The 35-year-old Tienpont went to the Dutch Arbitration Institute and received a favorable decision. He travels to Spain today to discuss his return on the boat with the crew. The first stage of the Volvo Ocean Race starts in Alicante on Sunday.

AkzoNobel has responded briefly to the current state of affairs. "We are evaluating the current situation and working with Simeon Tienpont," said AkzoNobel spokesman Joost Ruempol."

This comes as no surprise to your Ed. given how long the arbitration panel, that started Friday morning, took to reach and announce it's decision (just now, Saturday afternoon CET). Had it been an open and shut case in favor of AkzoNobel, one would have expected a rather faster decision. -- Tom Ehman

www.sailingillustrated.com

Team AkzoNobel Statement
Following extensive discussions, we are pleased to announce that team AkzoNobel will be starting the Volvo Ocean Race today under skipper Simeon Tienpont.

Team AkzoNobel's crew list for Leg 1 is:

Simeon Tienpont (NED) - skipper, watch captain
Brad Farrand (NZL)
Antonio Fontes (POR)
Martine Grael (BRA)
Luke Molloy (AUS)
Ross Monson (GBR) - navigator
Emily Nagel (GBR/BER)
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) - watch captain

Brad Jackson (NZL), Jules Salter (GBR) and Joca Signorini (BRA), have decided not to sail the first leg and are considering their future plans whilst ensuring that the boat is ready to race today and assisting AkzoNobel to achieve its goal. Rome Kirby (USA) has also decided not to sail

Tienpont commented: "This has obviously been an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved since we arrived here in Alicante just 10 days ago. I have now reached an agreement with AkzoNobel and all parties now want to put this behind us and focus on our campaign for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18.

"I would like to thank Brad Jackson for stepping up at such a challenging time to keep team AkzoNobel moving forward with our preparations for the race. Thanks also go to Joca Signorini and Jules Salter for their contributions to the campaign so far and also to Rome Kirby. We are grateful to Sun Hung Kai Scallywag team owner Seng Huang Lee and skipper David Witt for loaning us Antonio Fontes for this first leg.

Mascalzone Latino wins Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race
Vincenzo Onorato's Cookson 50 Mascalzone Latino sailed into Nha Trang last night at 18h 46m 31s to take the win in IRC Racer 0 and IRC Racer Overall. The Italian boat was 2h 49m 55s ahead of Joachim Isler and Drew Taylor's Ambush who are 2nd place in IRC Racer Overall.

Mascalzone Latino owner Vincenzo Onorato commented on the Race on arrival, "It's the very first time we have joined the Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race. It was amazing because we did the Race in 53h 26m 31s and we did around 770nm actual distance sailed - unbelievable! The only 'low' of the race was to just keep drinking water, there was no beer on board. The biggest high - we had a top speed of 30kts; unbelievable."

Mills 41 Ambush takes the win in the IRC Racer 1 division after an epic run which saw Ambush punching above her weight keeping her up with the 50 footers for most of the Race and clocking an impressive elapsed time of 61h 27m 59s.

3rd in IRC Racer Overall and 2nd in IRC Racer 0 is Hong Kong's FreeFire a TP52 owned Sam Chan with a corrected time of 78h 27m 30s. The IRC Racer 2 fleet - which started 25 hours before the IRC Racer 0 and 1 divisions - began to arrive in Nha Trang last night. Russian entry, Alexander Vodovatov's First 40 CR No Applause, sailed in at 20h 04m 46s - shortly before Nick Southward's J-109 Whiskey Jack at 21h 27m 33s with Whiskey Jack taking the win with an elapsed time of 83h 19m 14s.

www.chinacoastraceweek.com

Seahorse November 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

A worthy legacy
Twenty years on Ian Walker remembers his great friend and Olympic medal-winning partner Jonny Merricks and reflects on the work carried out by the sailing trust created in his name

The caravan moves on
Rob Weiland looks at the quite different immediate prospects for the TP52 and Maxi72 fleets and debates the likely consequences of an America's Cup switch back to monohulls

Small steps (but important steps)
Joe Lacey asks JND 39 Lann Ael skipper Didier Gaudoux how last year's tailender transformed into this year's runaway Fastnet winner

Seahorse build table - Fine pedigree
The Fastnet-winning La Rochelle design office of Nivelt-Muratet is firing on all cylinders - Teasing Machine 3 and now another IRC flyer

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.

Rolex Middle Sea Race: The Calm Before The Storm
George David's American Maxi, Rambler 88, has made the best of the light breeze dominating the first 24 hours of the 38th Rolex Middle Sea Race to build a commanding lead over her rivals. Pressing on through the sticky conditions, Rambler had reached Stromboli this afternoon with the majority of the fleet still to pass through the Messina Strait. While the going has been slow so far, gale force winds are still forecast to arrive from the northwest during the small hours of Monday morning. This threatened increase will play a large part in determining the race outcome.

By the end of the first night at sea, the 2017 Rolex Middle Sea Race fleet had passed Capo Passero, on the south eastern corner of Sicily. As expected, the moderate easterly wind enjoyed at the start faded yesterday evening and yachts struggled to maintain their early brisk pace. Headway during hours of darkness proved difficult, testing patience at skill. At Capo Passero, the overall leader under IRC was Dieter Schon's German Maxi72 Momo. Vadim Yakimenko's Russian TP52 Freccia Rossa was leading IRC Two, Eric Daher's French Ker 46 Tonnerre de Glen was leading IRC Three, Jamie Sammut's Maltese Solaris 42 Unica was leading IRC Five, and Igor Rytov's Russian JPK 1080 Bogatyr was leading IRC 6. The standings will undoubtedly change as the yachts continue to play snakes and ladders before exiting the narrow confine of the Messina Strait.

At 1200, on the second day, many yachts were enjoying a blade of fresh northerly breeze on their approach to the southern end of the infamous strait.

The majority of the fleet in the Rolex Middle Sea Race is expected to pass through the strait by the end of today. Overnight, strong to gale-force winds will build from the northwest. For those on the passage from Stromboli to Favignana, the wind will be on the nose and leave crews facing a tough beat across the top of Sicily. Once around the next corner, the course will open onto a potentially wild sleigh-ride. 40 knots of wind and a significant sea state are expected to push the yachts south to Lampedusa and the eventual turn back towards Malta.

104 yachts started the Rolex Middle Sea Race. So far, six boats have officially retired: Proteus (USA), Hispaniola (LTU), Jings! (GBR) Vamos Adelante (ITA), Wind (RUS), Xpresso (MLT). All crew are safe and well.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

The World Sailing Show
Seven boats, seven hungry teams and one clear goal, to win the Volvo Ocean Race. Having trawled through team biogs, walked the boards and tapped into the dockside gossip, its time to set out the World Sailing Show form guide to the 45,000 mile race.

The blueprint for the 36th America's Cup has been revealed, but its not what many might have expected. We look at the key details on the future of the Cup.

As the Fast 40+ fleet locked horns for the prestigious 1 Ton Cup, we took a guided tour under the skin of one of these carbon machines.

Plus, we visit stunning Sardinia to watch some of the world's Maxis and Super Maxis do battle.

- Volvo Ocean Race Form Guide
- Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominees
- New Blueprint for America's Cup revealed
- Under the skin of a Fast 40+
- News
- Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup in stunning Sardinia

The Wirth M. Munroe Race Is On!
The Sailfish Club of Florida is pleased to report that the 61st Wirth M. Munroe Race will proceed as planned on Friday, December 1, despite ongoing clean-up efforts in South Florida related to Hurricane Irma. The 60-mile race, which begins off Government Cut in Miami and finishes off the Palm Beach Inlet, is a true test for sailors of all stripes, from Grand Prix racers to club cruiser-racers. All entrants will be rewarded with the legendary hospitality of the Sailfish Club of Florida and will have the opportunity to attend the post-race buffet dinner and awards ceremony.

"We have conferred with our partners in the Organizing Authority and are confident that the facilities necessary to run and support the race in Miami and Palm Beach are fully functional and the enthusiasm is high," said Event Chairman Tom Bowler. "We encourage all sailors to take part in this historic staple of the winter racing season. We look forward to seeing you on the starting line and at the buffet table."

Once again this year, the Sailfish Club of Florida is partnering with the Storm Trysail Club to sponsor the race. The Biscayne Bay Yacht Club has joined the Organizing Authority and will host the Skippers' Meeting on Thursday, November 30 at 1830. SORC and Sailfish Club of Florida will oversee Race Management. The Wirth M. Munroe Race will be scored as part of the SORC's Islands in the Stream series, which also includes the Miami to Nassau Race, the Lauderdale to Key West Race and the Miami to Havana Race.

For more information on the Wirth M. Munroe Race, please go to www.sailfishclub.com/munroe/details or contact SarahGay@sailfishclub.com

To enter the race, please go to yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4439

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The Last Word
A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest. -- Albert Einstein

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Rambler 88 takes Line Honours at the Rolex Middle Sea Race
George David's American Maxi Rambler 88 has taken Line Honours in the 2017 Rolex Middle Sea Race, crossing the finish line at the Royal Malta Yacht Club at 21:48:09 CEST on Monday 23rd October, in an elapsed time of 2 days, 9 hours 48 minutes 9 seconds.

This was the third consecutive year that Rambler 88 has taken Monohull Line Honours in the race. The ten year old record set by George David in a previous Rambler still stands, after the fleet experienced light winds for the first 30 hours of the race. By contrast, the gale force conditions which crossed the course early Sunday morning produced an epic run for Rambler 88 over the second half of the course; the 88ft canting keel Maxi covered 300 miles in just 14 hours.

"The Mistral conditions reminded me of 2007 in Rambler 90 when we set the record, but then it blew even harder maybe 50 knots. This time we saw 40 but mainly mid-30s. In those conditions it is a little hard to see, it is exciting and very wet, especially when you turn a corner, and you are sideways to the waves. It was a really wet race, and when we had the pedal down we were into the 30s for boat speed. It is nice to get home first, but we race this boat for a corrected time win as well. You can never tell until the last boat is in, so we will have to wait and see."

Rambler 88 Crew: George David, Brad Butterworth, Dean Barker, Rodney Ardern, Silvio Arrivabene, Josh Belsky, Rodney Daniel, Will McCarthy, Robbie Naismith, Simon Daubney, Stu Wilson, Dean Phipps, Mark Newbrook, Nathan Hislop, Jan Dekker, Jerry Scott Beavis, Curtis Blewett, Brian Giorgio, Aaaron Reynolds - Lovegrove

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition
Pictured at right: Pirate's Bight Bar & Restaurant, Norman Island BVI

In support of Sail Aid UK

It's time to put your thoughts into words and send in your nominations for 2017's Wight Vodka Favourite Yachting Bar competition! Now in its ninth year, this competition is now open! We are accepting nominations and welcome your stories, drink recipes and memories.

This is a special year for yachties and the bars they love. Many of the world's greatest ones have suffered unthinkable hardship and devastation from hurricanes throughout the Caribbean.

To honour those establishments that have been hard hit, some of which may not soon return, we will present TWO awards this year:

BEST YACHTING BAR IN THE CARIBBEAN
This includes bars both open and closed at this time.

BEST YACHTING BAR ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
This category is for currently operating establishments. Where you can go and personally celebrate their nomination or victory.

For generations the Caribbean has been a home away from home for the United Kingdom's sailing industry. Building an economy and infrastructure around tourism and the hosting of sailors and their events and regattas.

Now after decades of helping to build and strengthen our community, Sail Aid UK and some of Britain's most well known sailors want to help rebuild theirs.

Please visit www.sailaiduk.com to learn of fundraising events and auctions, and DONATE what you can.

NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BAR HERE

scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

SAP Extreme Sailing Team triumphs in San Diego
It was deja vu for SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi as it went down to the final double-points race to decide the winner of the penultimate Act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series in San Diego, but the Danes held their nerve to walk away the champions.

With tensions running high and teams pushing hard, there were two collisions within the final two races. As SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi fought for pole position, a simultaneous battle for third raged between Oman Air and Red Bull Sailing Team. But the Omani syndicate fell foul of a penalty and watched Red Bull Sailing Team sail its way onto the podium.

Although the chance of defending its 2016 Series title is now slimmer, Swiss-flagged Alinghi - currently in third in the overall standings - has made gains on Oman Air for second and is now only one point behind.

NZ Extreme Sailing Team helm Josh Junior showed moments of brilliance, twice leading in a race before being overtaken within the final few legs. The Kiwi squad finished the Act in fifth and remains in fifth in the Series overall.

An unfortunate issue with the boat meant that Land Rover BAR Academy was unable to compete in the opening two races. Re-joining the fleet in race 22, the British syndicate - which was helmed by four-time Olympic gold-medallist Sir Ben Ainslie - failed to find its form of the opening day. It finished the Act in sixth and remains in sixth in the season standings.

The international fleet will reconvene in Los Cabos, from 30 November - 3 December, for the double-points final Act of the 2017 season, presented by SAP. Racing will take place in front of the Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort.

Extreme Sailing Series Act 7, San Diego, standings after day 4, 25 races

1. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason, 273 points
2. Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothe Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey, 263
3. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller, 239
4. Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari, 233
5. NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Andy Maloney, Josh Salthouse, 212
6. Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Ben Ainslie, Oli Greber, Adam Kay, Will Alloway, 201
7. Team Extreme San Diego (USA) Morgan Larson, Andrew Campbell, Matt Cassidy, Mike Kuschner, Cooper Dressler, 198
8. Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA) John Tomko, Jonathan Atwood, Matthew Whitehead, Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd, 152

2017 Extreme Sailing Series overall standings

1. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 78 points
2. Oman Air (OMA) 73
3. Alinghi (SUI) 72
4. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 66
5. NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) 56
6. Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 54

www.extremesailingseries.com

Register now in CSA; IRC; ORC; Multihull; CSA Bareboat; and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com

For more information, email: stycisv@gmail.com or cpessler@hotmail.com, or call (340) 642-3204.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing, team AkzoNobel lead the way
An eventful opening 24 hours in the Volvo Ocean Race has seen skipper Charlie Enright's Vestas 11th Hour Racing grab the lead as the fleet converge on the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew, along with team AkzoNobel, were the first to make a break for the Spanish coast as night fell on Sunday evening, where they benefited from favourable conditions and emerged in front of the fleet.

"We took the inshore route with good angle and we know we crossed ahead of the fleet when we converged with them again," explained Enright. "For now the only boat in sight is AkzoNobel. But we like our sail set up. We feel like we're going through the water well."

That's an understatement. On Monday afternoon, the team, along with second placed AkzoNobel is picking up a nice shift as well as increased pressure and the leading pair will likely extend their lead into the Strait.

For team AkzoNobel, it's been a whirlwind 24-hours. After three of the team's most experienced crew elected not to sail Leg 1, reinstated skipper Simeon Tienpont submitted his final crew list just an hour before leaving the dock. But the new configuration has been on fire since leaving Alicante, and at the 13:00 UTC position report was in a solid second place.

Leg 1 - Position Report - Monday 23 October - 13:00 UTC

1. Vestas 11th Hour Racing -- distance to finish -- 1096 nautical miles
2. team AkzoNobel + 6nm
3. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag +15
4. MAPFRE +15
5. Turn the Tide on Plastic +17
6. Team Brunel +18
7. Dongfeng Race Team +19

volvooceanrace.com

No Optical Illusion
It took a lot of time and effort but 25 years after first - briefly - seeing the light of day on Chris Dickson's Whitbread 60 Tokio the Code Zero sacrificial leech has finally been consigned to the sailing history books

In describing the luff shape of Doyle Sails' new cable-less Code Zero, the designers use a lens analogy - which neatly illustrates the smooth curve that projects forward but gives no hint what it actually achieves. That subtle bulge represents a significant performance gain and an elegant solution to an issue that has troubled these asymmetrical sails ever since increasing boat speeds started dragging apparent wind further and further forward to the point where offwind progress was achieved with upwind trim.

As is often the case, class and rating rules often lagged behind the pace of technical development, leaving sailmakers and competitors to adopt clumsy work-arounds to extract the available performance within outdated regulations.

Almost from the time that asymmetrical spinnakers became mainstream, the name of the game has been to design flatter and flatter sails - until they came up hard against limits imposed by the rating rules.

Full article in the November issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

Spindrift Racing In Chinese Championship Finale
Yann Guichard and his crew will be competing in the much-anticipated Championship Final of the World Match Racing Tour from Tuesday in Shenzhen, China.

The World Championship is being held as part of the 11th edition of the China Cup International Regatta, and Guichard and his crew will be among 1500 sailors representing almost 40 countries competing in Daya Bay near Shenzhen, one of China's most advanced and up-and-coming cities.

This event marks the culmination of the 2017 World Match Racing Tour with Spindrift racing competing in five events in the season, and recently winning the Alicante Match Cup with a perfect score at this showcase event held against the backdrop of the Volvo Ocean Race start.

The M32 fleet will be back up to full strength for the World Championship, with 18 teams competing to win the coveted title. Spindrift racing will face stiff competition from the likes of reigning World champion Phil Robertson, Taylor Canfield, Ian Williams and Chris Steele amongst others.

Fleet racing for the WMRT World Championship starts on Tuesday with the fleet racing the teams divided into three pools.

Fleet One
Robertson / China One Ningbo
Canfield / US One
Guichard / Spindrift racing
Holmberg / Gothenburg Racing
Thomas / RPM Racing
Edegran / E11EVEN Racing

Fleet Two
Williams / GAC Pindar
Steele / 36 Below Racing
D Gilmour / Team Gilmour
Mirsky / Mirsky Racing Team
Warrer / Warrer Racing
Aschenbrenner / Aschenbrenner Racing

Fleet Three
S Gilmour / Neptune Racing
Jerwood / Redline Racing
Postma / Sailing Team NL
Dackhammar / Essiq Racing Team
Berntsson / Berntsson Sailing Team
Price / Down Under Racing

M32 Spindrift crew for World Championship:
Yann Guichard - Helmsman
Christophe Espagnon - Mainsail
François Morvan - Trimmer
Sam Goodchild - Bowman

wmrt.com

Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race
The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is undoubtedly one of the toughest of all yacht races. First organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in 1995, the 1,805nm course is reputedly tougher than a transatlantic race as it negotiates headlands with tidal challenges all around the UK, as well as the notorious British weather. The race starts and finishes in the Solent and is on a four-year cycle because of the toughness of the race which is a step up from a typical RORC offshore and even the Rolex Fastnet Race.

It attracts the serious RORC racer looking for a special challenge and this race is special; three times longer than a Fastnet, circumnavigating all the islands of the UK, including Muckle Flugga, the most northerly point, which is a momentous place for any sailor as it is further north than Cape Horn is south!

Senior RORC member, Gavin Howe will be racing a brand-new Sun Fast 3600 Tigris which is typical of the size of boat that competes in the race. Gavin raced around the course in 1978, 40 years ago and will have 23-year old Sam Cooper as crew.

In 2014 the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race set an unprecedented five new world records because an intense low pressure system settled over northern UK making the race a downwind ride for the faster boats. The MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail did not tack once in the whole of the 1,800nm as she sped around the outside of the low pressure system with the wind behind her.

For 2018 an amazing variety of yachts is expected, with world-class professional and passionate corinthian sailors racing together to climb one of offshore racing's biggest mountains, and will include IMOCA and Class 40s.

The 2018 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is also an official event for the 2018 Class40 circuit. In 2014, Swish, skippered by Canadian Roderick Knowles set the world record for monohulls '40 foot and under' of 8 days, 19 hours, 06 minutes and 49 seconds.

The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race starts on Sunday 12th August 2018 from Cowes. All boats will carry trackers and full coverage of the race is available by visiting the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race's minisite: roundbritainandireland.rorc.org

Pre-Notice of Race available HERE

Nacra 15 Youth Olympic Qualifying
Right now in Medemblik (Netherlands), 28 eager Nacra 15 teams representing 13 Nations and four continents are preparing their first Nacra 15 Youth Olympic Qualifying event. In October 2018 the Nacra 15 will be the youth sailing boat during the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. The goal, to be one of the Fourteen Nacra 15 teams representing their respective countries who will participate during these Youth Olympic Games. The teams must be mixed teams in the age born between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2003. The Nacra 15 is the "pathway class" to the Olympic Nacra 17 multihull. These top youth racers race to qualify their country.

Today the practice race has been sailed in great sailing conditions, 14-17knts. The weather forecast for this week also looks good. Race 1, tomorrow Tuesday 24th at 11.30 with 4 races scheduled back to back per day, through to Friday, a true test of fitness, skill and stamina. A total of 16 races are scheduled.

Races can be live followed by tracking www.sailracer.org . Also look for updated information and results at the website www.nacra15class.com and Facebook page Nacra15 Class Association.

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francescovitale@nautayachts.com

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1997 Maxi 79' Racer - 'OURDREAM'. Price on request. Located in Ravenna, Italy.

Maxi 79 Racer OURDREAM is a beautifully refitted maxi racing yacht that is easily sailed and perfect corporate or fun platform for both inshore and offshore regattas. Recent refit to a high standard means low running costs.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

The Last Word
Real-life people are often the hardest to play, people that you recreate who have actually lived, because you have to live up to people's knowledge of those characters. -- Derek Jacobi

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Steele Shines in Shenzhen
Shenzhen, China: Chris Steele showed his mettle on day one of the WMRT Match Racing World Championship. The skipper of the young Kiwi team, 36 Below Racing, put on a dominant display in his fleet racing group. The first two days are all about doing well enough in the six-boat fleet racing Qualifying Stage to be able to move forward into the match racing knock-out rounds.

Scores of 1,2,1,1 place Steele as the clear leader of Group 2 ahead of Ian Williams who sits on 11 points, a point in front of top 49er sailor from Australia, David Gilmour.

While Steele is running away with Group 2, the leaderboard is much tighter in the other two groups. Former Match Racing World Champion Taylor Canfield holds top spot in Group 1, but only by a point ahead of defending world champ Phil Robertson and Frenchman Yann Guichard who are tied for second.

The first day of the WMRT Match Racing World Championship marks the prologue leading into the 2017 China Cup International Regatta.

Wednesday sees the conclusion of the fleet race Qualifying Stage, when the bottom team in each group will move to the Sail Off to fight for the remaining spot in the Super 16 Stage.

Qualifying Session 1 Results

Group 1
1. Taylor Canfield (ISV), US One Sailing Team - 8 points
2. Phil Robertson (NZL), China One Ningbo - 9
3. Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing - 9
4. Måns Holmberg (SWE), Gothenburg Racing - 18
6. Markus Edegran (USA), E11even Racing - 18
5. Steve Thomas (AUS), RPM Racing - 24

Group 2
1. Chris Steele (NZL), 36 Below Racing - 5
2. Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar - 11
3. David Gilmour (AUS), Team Gilmour - 12
4. Jonas Warrer (DEN), Warrer Racing - 18
5. Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team - 18
6. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN), ART Sailing - 20

Group 3
1. Johnie Berntsson (SWE), Flux Team - 11
2. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), Sailing Team NL - 12
3. Harry Price (AUS), Down Under Racing - 12
4. Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE), Essiq Racing Team - 14
5. Sam Gilmour (AUS), Neptune Racing - 16
6. Matt Jerwood (AUS), Redline Racing - 21

wmrt.com

2018 World Cup Series - Round 1, Gamagori
Five more World Cup Series Japan champions were decided in Gamagori as the inaugural World Sailing event in the land of the rising came to a close.

As Typhoon Lan heads towards Japan, racing was scheduled to commence at the earlier time of 10:40. A light 3-10 knot breeze from the north made things challenging, as the wind varied in strength and direction throughout the morning.

Many of the athletes competing in Gamagori will now head 300km up the coast to Enoshima, host venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, for training and Enoshima Olympic Week.

Following that, racers will head to Miami, USA for the second leg of the 2017-18 World Cup Series in January 2018.

Podium positions:

470 Men
1. Mathew Belcher / William Ryan, AUS, 23 points
2. Tetsuya Isozaki / Akira Takayanagi, JPN, 36
3. Kazuto Doi / Naoya Kimura, JPN, 41

470 Women
1. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Irmina Mrózek Gliszczynska, POL, 14
2. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 27
3. Cassandre Blandin / Aloise Retornaz, FRA, 34

49er Men
1. Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 44
2. James Peters / Fynn Sterritt, GBR, 50
3. Lukasz Przybytek / Pawel Kolodzinski, POL, 53

49erFX Women
1. Victoria Travascio / Maria Branz, ARG, 40
2. Tanja Frank / Lorena Abicht, AUT, 41
3. Sayoko Harada / Sera Nagamatsu, JPN, 41

Laser Men
1. Sam Meech, NZL, 46
2. Pavlos Kontides, CYP, 55
3. Tom Burton, AUS, 68

Laser Radial Women
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 51
2. Emma Plasschaert, BEL, 52
3. Josefin Olsson, SWE, 57

RS:X Men
1. Pawel Tarnowski, POL, 9
2. Mengfan Gao, CNN, 10
3. Mateo Sanz Lanz, SUI, 12

RS:X Women
1. Hei Man H V Chan, HKG, 21
2. Fujiko Onishi, JPN, 22
3. Xianting Huang, CHN, 30

Full results: www.sailing.org/worldcup/

Yacht Racing Forum: Last opportunity to register
Our check list:

- Conference and exhibition venue: Superb
- Partners and sponsors: the key players have joined
- Catering - Excellent - all tested!
- Evening reception - Promising!
- Hotel - nice and cosy!
- Conference schedule: Complete and available online
- Speakers list: Complete and available online
- Weather and temperature: Well, let's see for this one !

www.yachtracingforum.com

World Sailing Match Race Rankings
World Sailing has released the latest Open and Women's Match Race Rankings

Top Ten: Open
1. Philip Robertson, NZL
2. Ian Williams, GBR
3. Taylor Canfield, ISV
4. Harry Price, AUS
5. Sam Gilmour, AUS
6. Mati Sepp, EST
7. Matthew Jerwood, AUS
8. Maxime Mesnil, FRA
9. Patryk Zbroja, POL
10. Eric Monnin, SUI

Top Ten: Women
1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE
2. Renee Groeneveld, NED
3. Caroline Sylvan, SWE
4. Pauline Courtois, FRA
5. Trine Palludan, DEN
6. Marinella Laaksonen, FIN
7. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE
8. Antonia Degerlund, FIN
9. Nicole Breault, USA
10. Clare Costanzo, AUS

www.sailing.org/rankings_table.php

Giving safety at sea the biggest chance
After many months of hard work and training the Volvo Ocean Race has finally got underway on the first leg from Alicante to Lisbon, the leaping off point into the open oceans that lie ahead. Safety preparation could not have been more stringent. Ocean Safety has provided a broad inventory of safety equipment including two ground breaking super lightweight Ocean SOLAS Ultralite liferafts for each boat. Every yacht will also carry two Ocean Safety bulkhead mounted Jonbuoy Recovery Modules with Jonbuoy horseshoes fitted with an Ocean Signal MOB1 which automatically activates if the Jonbuoy is launched. Other new equipment includes custom flare packs containing smoke flares, hand flares and rockets.

Ocean Safety conducted intensive training sessions, several days each for all the crews, including classroom training and practical liferaft and man overboard sessions in an environmental swimming pool.

And that's still not all - Ocean Safety will be checking the kit at intervals during stopovers to make sure servicing is carried out where needed, so that everything is always ready to go at a moment's notice. Everyone at Ocean Safety wishes the Volvo Ocean Race crews a fantastic adventure of a lifetime!

www.oceansafety.com

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Contest
In support of Sail Aid

Thanks for the dozen initial submissions for this year's contest... please keep them coming!

Remember, there are two prizes this year, one for the Caribbean, one for Elsewhere. And while you're making your submission, give a thought to those who have lost so much from the hurricanes this fall, you can donate to SailAidUK at our supporting website or directly at www.sailaiduk.com

We suggest you mix a batch of this and think about a beach and a bar...

Citrus Salty Dog

1.5 Ounces Of Wight Vodka
5 Sliced Kumquats, Muddled
4 Ounces Of Grapefruit Juice
2 Ounces Of Orange Juice
1/2 Lime, Juiced
1/2 To 1 Cup Ice
Orange And Lime Sea Salt
Salted rim, orange slice, and kumquat slices, to garnish.

In a mixing glass, add vodka, muddled kumquats, grapefruit juice, orange juice and lime juice, stir. Rim a serving glass with salt, either flavored or plain. Add ice. Strain the cocktail into the serving glass and enjoy.

Nominate and donate:
scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

The Bucket will go on
Despite the hurricane damage felt in St Barths, the industry's biggest superyacht regatta will not be dampened...

A month on since the Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on many of the Caribbean islands, the organisers of the St Barths Bucket have confirmed that the 2018 edition of the superyacht regatta will go ahead as planned.

"As we have stated before, the people of St Barths are resilient and the recovery progress is ongoing," says Peter Craig, St Barths Bucket's event director and race chairman. "Many restaurants, villas and hotels plan to be 'open for business' and ready to welcome visitors in November and for the holidays. The airport, roads, and port are open with services already restored to many."

In a statement issued to yacht owners, captains and friends of the Bucket, Craig confirmed that the Bucket stewards are committed to a 2018 St Barths Bucket that will provide all that the storied event is famous for: superb competition, fantastic shoreside socials, and the Bucket hallmarks of camaraderie and sportsmanship.

At this early date, 25 superyachts have already indicated their intent to participate, with the current entry list including many regular Bucket supporters such as Axia, Rebecca, Rosehearty, Unfurled, Visione and Zenji. There will also be representation from the J-Class fleet, with Svea and Velsheda having signed up already. The organisers will be posting and emailing the Notice and Conditions of Race shortly and will email the entry application to those programmes that have accepted their invitations. -- Bryony McCabe

www.superyachtnews.com

British disabled sailors take part in the Barcolana
Disabled Sailing challenge for the Round the Island Race in 2018

Four British Sailors (Kate Hedley, Carol Dudgale, Steve Bramwell and Geoff Crowdace) had an all expenses paid trip to Italy to take part in the "Barcolana", the biggest yacht race in the world which this year had 2101 entrants racing from one start line in the bay of Trieste.

The invitation, to Trieste was made by the Northern Mediterranean branch of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians. It follows a visit by four Italian disabled sailors to Cowes, who successfully took part in a Disabled Sailing challenge in the 2017 Round the Island Race. The Disabled Sailing challenge was supported by the Italian Prosecco DOC Consortium in both Cowes and Trieste.

It is hoped that there will be more entries from teams of Disabled Sailors in the 2018 Round the Island Race in Association with Cloudy Bay. It is intended that the entry information will be included in the Notice of Race for 2018 in due course. -- David Brunskill

Atlantic Double
A record entry is expected for the fourth edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race, starting at Marina Lanzarote, Canary Islands, on 25th November, 2017. Close to 25 teams are expected, racing a huge variety of ocean going yachts. Nine different nations will be taking the challenge, racing 3,000 miles to Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada, West Indies.

The 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race makes up one half of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta (AAR). The second race, organised by the RORC and Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV), starts from Bermuda on 7th July 2018 and finishes in Hamburg, the home port of the NRV, celebrating its 150th anniversary.

For the RORC Transatlantic Race, two of the favourites for the overall win under IRC will also be racing from Bermuda to Hamburg. Jens Kellinghusen's German Ker 56 Varuna, representing the NRV, and Eric de Turckheim's French Nivelt-Muratet 54, Teasing Machine. Both owners are members of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Whilst both of the yachts are new to the racing circuit and relatively the same size, there is a huge difference between them, as Laurent Pages, Teasing Machine's tactician and winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, explains:

"Varuna has a canting keel and a powerful hull shape," commented Laurent. "We have just completed 10 days testing with the new Teasing Machine which is fixed keel. We are happy with the performance over a broad range of conditions. I have no doubt that Varuna will be quicker in strong reaching conditions, but racing across the Atlantic is not a straight forward sprint; there are local effects and you need to always be looking forward to get your strategy right. Varuna should be ahead of us for the race. However, after time correction, Teasing Machine has the ability to change that. Personally, to race across the Atlantic twice in the same year is fantastic. It is a rare opportunity."

The entry list is still open for competitors interested in taking part in the RORC Transatlantic Race, run in association with the International Maxi Association, and is the first leg of the commemorative Atlantic Anniversary Regatta starting on 25th November 2017 from Lanzarote to Grenada.

Entry list: The latest list of entries can be found at: rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
anniversary-regatta.com

Crewsaver launches the #LifejacketSafe challenge as part of its lifejacket safety campaign
As part of its #LifejacketSafe campaign, Crewsaver has announced the launch of the #LifejacketSafe challenge, a quiz style challenge with thought-provoking questions highlighting lifejacket dos and don'ts. Not only could the advice learnt in the challenge save your life but also, by taking the challenge, you will be automatically entered into the prize draw to win the ultimate lifejacket package!

The #LifejacketSafe campaign aims to increase safety awareness by highlighting the importance of not only wearing a personal flotation device, but also making sure it is worn correctly and is well maintained. So, if the worst should happen, you are well equipped and can rest assured that your safety equipment is not going to let you down.

Prove you have what it takes to be #LifejacketSafe and enter the #LifejacketSafe challenge!

Accept the challenge here www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LifejacketSafe

Should ignoring storm alerts carry criminal penalty?
There are now calls for legislation to penalise people who disobey advice from the Coastguard.

Despite warnings telling people to stay inside and avoid going near the sea, there have been numerous reports of people not paying any heed to this safety advice.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he will consider making it a criminal offence to ignore severe weather warnings as some people did during Storm Ophelia.

'People who disobeyed the red alert and travel warnings yesterday didn't just put themselves at risk they also put at risk the lives of other people, particularly our emergency services. But I would never rush into creating a new crime. I think it is something that we will have to consider' "It was suggested today in the Dail that we would look at it on an all party basis and that's what I'd like to do."

Sinn Fein Transport Spokesperson Imelda Munster said: "It's not just foolishness it's recklessness.

"They are not only putting their own lives at risk they are also endangering the lives of all the voluntary bodies, who give up their own free time to save lives.

afloat.ie/resources/

Featured Brokerage
2005 TP52 - ORLANDA. 199,950 EUR. Located in East Coast, Italy.

Original spec TP52 that has had a 2013 refit, including new paint, and has been little used since. Full offshore interior with heads and galley.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

2006 GP42 - Wan Ma Rang. 200000 USD. Located in Thailand.

"Wan Ma Rang" is a well optimised and cared for GP42 design, that offers huge potential under IRC and ORC racing, through a wide range of wind conditions. Continually upgraded throughout her life.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
sampearson@ancasta.com
+44 2380 016582

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2008 Landmark 43 - Min IDE H. 220000 EUR. Located in Nyborg, Denmark.

One of the most competitive ORC boats on the market today, with a sister ship having recently won the 2016 World Champs. Get in touch to learn more and be on the podium in Poland 2017!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
sampearson@ancasta.com
+44 2380 016582
+64 2277733717

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

The Last Word
I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; one third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence. -- Bobby Henderson

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid | Bogatyr wins 2017 Rolex Middle Sea Race | America's Cup Veterans Battling for Survival in the Sail Off | Harken Spotlights Small Boat Continuous Line-Drive Furler at Hansboot - 10/28 - 11/5 | RenRe Junior Gold Cup: A South American Drag Race | Can we have our boat back? | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | Industry News | Martin Crotty - An Appreciation | Featured Brokerage

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid
Nominations open now for two awards: Best Caribbean Bar and Best Bar Elsewhere. Send us your bleary memories: scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

Bogatyr wins 2017 Rolex Middle Sea Race
Igor Rytov's Russian-crewed JPK 1080 Bogatyr has been declared the overall winner of the 38th Rolex Middle Sea Race. While a number of yachts are still racing, none has the possibility of beating Bogatyr's corrected time. Bogatyr is believed to be the first Russian yacht to win one of the classic 600-mile offshore races. Rytov is an accomplished sailor, but is a recent convert to offshore yacht racing. He campaigns a Melges 20 with great success on the international circuit and a number of his Melges crew were with him on this race.

Rytov and his crew will be presented with a Rolex timepiece and the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy at the final prize giving at the Mediterranean Conference Centre (former Sacra Infermeria of the Order of St John) on Saturday, 28th October, 2017.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

America's Cup Veterans Battling for Survival in the Sail Off
After two days of fleet race Qualifying three skippers are battling for survival through to the Super 16 Stage. This is the final of the World Match Racing Tour, so the heat is on for the young Australians Steve Thomas and Matt Jerwood who are joined by young Dane Joachim Aschenbrenner in the Sail Off. This will determine which one of these three progress to the knock-out stages in the match racing.

Taylor Canfield had the best day on the water, with stronger breeze of 12 to 13 knots and lumpy swell working to the US Virgin Islands skipper's advantage. The former World Champion won three heats straight, only falling in the final race of the day with a 6th and last place. Canfield tops the group, two points ahead of defending World Champion Phil Robertson from New Zealand.

In Group 2, although Chris Steele didn't quite dominate to the same extent as on day one, the New Zealand skipper steered 36 Below Racing to some solid finishes to win the division 9 points in front of two teams tied for second place, Australia's David Gilmour and Great Britain's Ian Williams, the multiple World Champion from the keelboat era of the World Match Racing Tour. Steele's performance was the best of the fleet racing, making him top seed for the Super 16.

In Group 3, the Dutchman Pieter-Jan Postma got better throughout the day as he steered Sailing Team NL to scores of 4,3,2,1 - sufficient to clinch the group by a single point from Australian Harry Price who finished tied for second place with Nicklas Dackhammar from Sweden.

wmrt.com

Harken's continuous line-drive furler will be demoed during the Hamburg International Boat Show at Peter Frisch GmBH, Hall B5, Stand D.121.

Stop by and give it a go!

harken.com

RenRe Junior Gold Cup: A South American Drag Race
Hamilton, Bermuda: The opening races of the 15th annual RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup were held in "glamour" conditions out on the Great Sound today. Breeze was 20-22 knots from the ESE all day under mostly sunny skies.

Straight out of the gate in it looked to be a South American drag race with Jose Rother from Argentina and Santiago Pacheco from Uruguay leading the pack. 'Santi' was here last year and has returned having won his National Championships two years in a row. He is back to make good on his 5th place finish of last year as he felt he could do better and was very pleased to have the opportunity to return. Santi said, "I was so happy when I won the Nationals Championship at home and really hoped that Uruguay would receive the invitation so that I could come back to Bermuda, I love it here so much".

Not to be overlooked on the water was 12 year old Richard Schultheis from Malta. Both he and his sister Antonia are here competing and Malta is making their debut appearance in the Junior Gold Cup. Although he is the youngest of the overseas sailors and one of the smallest, he handled the breeze with confidence and his consistent finishes of 5, 3, 5 leave him in 4th after today.

Leading the female fleet in 8th overall is Natascha Rast from Switzerland, the 2017 Swiss Female National Champion.

Racing continues tomorrow through Sunday with the first annual Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup Team Race Championships to be held in Hamilton Harbour on Saturday.

juniorgoldcup.com

Can we have our boat back?
School children in South Carolina in the USA are awaiting news on the whereabouts of their unmanned sailboat that made landfall in Ireland's North West this past week.

As WCSC Live 5 News reports, the miniature vessel named Cruiser was believed to be on its way to a school in Bangor Erris after reaching the Co Mayo mainland near Achill Island on Wednesday (11 October), some five months after it was launched by students at Harbor View Elementary in Charleston.

If you have any information as to Cruiser's current whereabouts, you can get in touch with the school HERE.

The news comes six months after the miniature unmanned yacht Lancer was returned to the ocean after sailing from the north east US to Connemara - and bringing together the Connecticut high schooler behind the marine science project with the Galway girl who found the boat near her home.

In July, Lancer was tracked on a return course to Ireland. The boat finally made landfall near Plymouth in Devon last month, but its current whereabouts are unknown.

afloat.ie/marine-environment/

Seahorse November 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Torque is cheap - Part II
After a 'bit' of a party Emirates TNZ skipper Glenn Ashby is back in circulation and tells Blue Robinson more about what was going on in Auckland before the team left for Bermuda

End of an era (but the innovation carries on)
Dobbs Davis looks at the dramatic influence of the Gougeon brothers on boatbuilding materials and techniques that today we take for granted

Cup heritage - Part II
Eric Hall moves onto the 12-Metre era, boron, carbon and aerospace epoxies… and a lot of lead?

Design - Not always obvious
Mischa Heemskerk is not afraid to sacrifice a bit of sail area - doesn't seem to slow him down

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.

Industry News
Marlow's Pink Rope Supports Breast Cancer

To support Breast Cancer Awareness a percentage of the profits from the sale of Marlow's pink rope will go to the cancer charity.

The vibrant pink yarn was introduced in the Gecko FCR 2 c two years ago and is used throughout the leisure marine sector.

Jon Mitchell, MD, Marlow Rope said: "Marlow contributes to a range of charities every year. Cancer Research UK is just one of the charities we support. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and our vivid pink yarn is the perfect fit for this chaitable initiative."

Earlier this year, Marlow also launched its support for another cancer charity, The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, with the launch of its Ultimate Guide to Splicing book. A percentage of sales from the book goes directly to the cancer trust that aims to rebuild confidence after cancer, using sailing to support, empower and inspire young people.

Marlow Ropes is the world-leading manufacturer and authority on ropes. Based in Hailsham, East Sussex with a global distribution network, it creates in excess of 400 new products each year. Marlow Ropes' breadth of knowledge and technical expertise has earned it a global reputation for quality and innovation.

marlowropes.com

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The receiver handling the US Watercraft bankruptcy in Rhode Island has received a cash offer of US$620,000 for its trademarks, boating lines, tooling, moulds and manufacturing processes. Its brands include True North, C&C, PDQ and J/Boat.

A notice said that the offer was to be free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, with no contingencies and a deposit in the amount of 10% of the purchase price.

The Alerion line was not included in the offer to purchase. The Alerion 20, Sport, 28, 33 and 41 moulds, plugs, lines, trademarks, complete engineering, CNC cams, BOM etc are being offered for sale to the highest bidder.

Salvadore Auctions is scheduled to sell off other assets related to US Watercraft's marina facilities, including travel-lifts, woodworking equipment, J-Boats and other equipment at its facilities in Warren, Rhode Island on November 11.

plus.ibinews.com

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The Volvo Ocean Race has selected Great Circle–Squid as its marine and race weather provider.The Volvo Ocean Race, a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world, has selected Great Circle–Squid as its marine and race weather provider.

This marks the second consecutive race that Great Circle–Squid has been named official weather provider of the Volvo Ocean Race

Safety and performance will be the main focus for the meteorological solutions provided daily to the race management team, which are then shared with each of the competitors in the 8-month race around the world.

Founded in 2011, Great Circle-Squid is a world-leading provider of marine weather services, both for race management and sailors (skippers and navigators).

www.greatcircle.be
volvooceanrace.com

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The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has extended its commitment to a fourth season of the award-winning 'Race of Their Lives' human adventure unscripted TV series, produced by UK based 1080 Media TV, to complete distribution deals through to 2020.

The unique event trains every-day people from all walks of life, many of them sailing novices, to take on the world's toughest oceans in the biggest round-the-world race featuring hundreds of crew from over 40 nations, battling it out on twelve identical modern yachts, in a year-long 40,000 nautical mile series of races between six continents to circumnavigate the globe.

"We continue to have excellent feedback from broadcasters to the 7-part series we produce for the Clipper Race, which follows this unique challenge through the experiences of the Corinthian competitors of all ages and backgrounds, as they take on this extraordinary endurance challenge," said Cliff Webb, CEO of the 1080 Media TV.

"We are currently in production with the third season of 'The Race of Their Lives' which is following the 2017-18 edition of the Clipper Race, which has just reached Cape Town. The extension of our role as Host Broadcaster for the Clipper Race to 2020 enables us to respond to the growing demand to include the 2019-20 edition in our distribution deals."

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Recently acquired West Marine Inc. said chief executive Matt Hyde, who led the company for five years, will leave.

Chief financial officer Jeff Lasher will take over as interim CEO until the company finds a replacement, spokeswoman Margo Donohue told Trade Only Today.

Hyde transformed the company from a recognized boat parts retailer to a broader "waterlife outfitter" for retail and professional customers, the company said in a statement issued Monday evening.

West Marine was publicly traded prior to its September sale to private equity firm Monomoy Capital Partners for $328 million, or $12.97 a share.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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Hurricane Maria, which slammed into St. Croix before devastating Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 as a Category 4 storm, will make a significant impact on the boating industry, though the extent of it might not ever fully be appreciated.

"It's a huge loss to the maritime industry," BoatUS CAT team member D.J. Smith, who spent time on both islands Oct. 11-14, told Trade Only Today. "It's staggering, actually."

"There are huge amounts of foreign entities there that are charter fleets that aren't American or American-registered," Smith said. Many of the boats there are registered in St. Martin and St. Croix, as well as countries around the world.

Smith, who wound up tallying between 45 and 50 days salvaging and assessing boats through hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, also visited the region after Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

"I think as far as the vegetation on [Puerto Rico], Hugo did a lot of damage, but Maria did probably three times as much," Smith said. "Every tree was dead, all the power lines were down. Traffic was a snarl out there because people were all going to one certain place to get water, food and gas."

The marinas fared pretty well because they rebuilt up to a higher standard after Hugo, Smith said. "But the boats - when you have high surge, boats have a tendency to break lines, break loose and end up on pilings. If they're not secured properly, it can become a mess."

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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Helly Hansen, the Norwegian technical outdoor brand, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire UK sailing and country apparel brand Musto for an undisclosed sum. The news comes not long after the company was put up for sale by its owner, Phoenix Equity Partners. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With this transaction, Helly Hansen says it will become a global leader in professional sailing apparel, complementing its existing leadership position in professional skiing apparel and enhancing its presence in the UK outdoor market.

Peter Smith, CEO of Musto, will continue to lead the business and will report to Helly Hansen CEO Paul Stoneham, who will also become executive chairman of Musto.

Helly Hansen says it will invest in Musto's international growth ambitions as well as deepen its technological and sourcing capabilities.

plus.ibinews.com

Martin Crotty - An Appreciation
Martin Gerard Crotty was a man of many interests and talents, most notably in design and sailing.

He served as president of the Institute of Designers of Ireland and vice-commodore and trustee of the National Yacht Club. In both arenas, his legal background, and charming and helpful manner served to bring out the best ideas, while a keen eye for detail ensured both work and leisure pursuits were done to a very high standard.

He initially sailed a Flying Fifteen dinghy in the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire with Jim Gorman. After success in this arena, he wanted to do more offshore and long-distance events and bought a share with his best friend Peter Cullen in the Cruiser Racer half-tonner, Eliminator. They were the first Irish boat to win the prestigious Victoria Cup run by the Royal Dee Yacht Club, a thrilling victory. Peter and Martin moved up to the yacht Nyala and while doing a Round Ireland race in 1991 pulled into Dingle for refuge and repairs. It was here that the plan to develop the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle (D2D) race was hatched.

Martin was the first chairman of the NYC D2D and ran it successfully for 22 years, only stepping down this year. He served on the committee of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and was vice-commodore of the National Yacht Club in 1993.

His sage advice was treasured by the Irish sailing community and he served as trustee of the National Yacht Club over the last three years.

He shared the last 30 years with his partner Sabina Saar and loved to spent time in Dromcollogher, Co Kerry, where they had a house. He is survived by Sabina, sister Marie Therese, nephew Luke and brother -in-law Noel Gardiner.

www.irishtimes.com

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Contact
CANTIERE DEL PARDO SPA
via Fratelli Lumiere, 34 - 47122 Forlì (FC)
Tel: +39 0543 782.404 /
Fax: +39 0543 782.405
m.bach@grandsoleil.it

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Knierim FC53 Fast Cruiser. NEW BOAT.

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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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info@knierim-yachtbau.de
T +49-431-30 10 60

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2014 Swan 60-910 'Thor'. 3,250,000 EUR. Located in California, USA.

‘Thor’ was launched in November 2014 and is ready for racing or cruising. Currently lying in Mexico, she is available for immediate delivery.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Lorenzo Bortolotti
lorenzo.bortolotti@nautorswan.com
brokerage@nautorswan.com

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

The Last Word
Familiarity breeds attempt. -- Alfred E. Neuman

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

The Fleet Pushes North
Speeds are up as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet left the island of Porto Santo to starboard early this morning and turned north, aiming towards the final mark of the course before the finishing line off Lisbon, Portugal.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing, having survived a scare when a ballast tank hose failed, dumping 800 litres of water in the bilge, was first around and is now charging towards the new 'virtual mark' set yesterday, dubbed Porto Santo North.

It's nearly directly downwind, meaning the teams will be gybing towards the mark, but this part of Leg 1 is largely setting up as a speed contest.

MAPFRE isn't making it easy on the leader. With a different sail configuration, the Spanish team has been able to match speed with the Vestas boat, while sailing a slightly more favourable direction towards the mark, making a gain of nearly 4-miles between the 07:00 and 13:00 UTC position reports.

Positions in the chasing pack remain in flux. Less than 10 miles separate fourth from seventh place. Every mile gained is hard-earned. Any lapse is punished.

Leg 1 - Position Report - Thursday 26 October (Day 5) - 13:00 UTC
1. Vestas 11th Hour Racing -- distance to finish - 572.0 nautical miles
2. MAPFRE + 12.2nm
3. team AkzoNobel +13.3
4. Dongfeng Race Team +22.9
5. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag +29.7
6. Team Brunel +32.7
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic +33.0

volvooceanrace.com

Passage Race kicks off the 11th edition of China Cup
The 11th edition of the China Cup International Regatta opened with the passage race from Hong Kong to Shenzhen today. With around 1,500 sailors from 40 different nations and regions, this event is more international than ever and the competition tougher by the year.

In the hotly contested one-design fleet of Beneteau 40.7s, Ellian Perch's crew on My Side Team from South Africa threw down the gauntlet by winning their fleet. Yiihua Pocket Emirates Team New Zealand finished second, the Kiwis desperate to win this event at their third attempt. Among the crew are two of the winning America's Cup crew from earlier this year, Josh Junior and Andy Maloney.

In terms of line honours, Frank Pong's 75-footer Jelik led the way in a race that saw very light winds from start to finish. Principal race officer Simon James had taken the precaution of putting in two gates on the race course that could also serve as early finish lines if the fleet failed to make it in time to Daya Bay. It was just as well James instigated this fall-back, as most of the fleet only made it to the first gate, so light was the breeze, rarely getting over 5 knots.

In the IRC divisions, it was Standard Insurance Centennial Sailing Team who won Class A, TongJi Blue Sharks-Ocean Link Team who took Class B, and perennial winner Shenzhen Seawolf who won Class C.

Among those to suffer in today's fickle conditions was the defending champion in the Beneteau 40.7s, Wanhang Longcheer. "There were seams of breeze that you either got or you didn't," said Longcheer's Australian professional Steve McConaghy.

On Friday the inshore racing begins, with 11 racing classes competing across four race courses. -- Andy Rice

www.chncup.com
www.facebook.com/chncup

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition
In support of Sail Aid UK

Two of the many submissions that have come in this week:

Name of the bar
Willy T's (The Bight Bay, Norman Is BVI) (pictured at right)

Here's what makes it so great...
Pure and complete debauchery; one can only arrive by boat

Is there a special drink they make?
Belly button (aka Body) shots

Name of the bar:
Sorry, No telephone (in St.Barths)

Here's what makes it so great...
I had the pleasure of visiting this bar during La Transat en double stopover in St.Barths in April 1989. It was right at the end of the pier. And yes, they didn´t have a phone. I wonder if it´s still there after Irma and Marie?

To jumpstart YOUR memories... try this one, courtesy The Telegraph

The Bullshot

Marilyn Monroe said of the Bullshot: "What a terrible thing to do to vodka!" I disagree - they're surprisingly delicious.

50ml Wight vodka
90ml beef consommé

Pour into a tall glass.

Season to taste with with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, a good few slugs of Worcestershire sauce, a dash or two of Tabasco, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of celery salt. Stir everything together, then top up the glass with ice.

Alternatively, for a winter warmer, replace the ice with boiling water 0 it's very reviving after a walk in the snow.

Then when you're feeling warm and fuzzy... have a thought for those struggling so hard to just survive after the hurricanes. Go to SailAidUK.com and contribute.

Submit your booze-soaked memories of great bars here: scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

Junior Gold Cup
Hamilton, Bermuda: Another tough breezy day on the Great Sound along with a few scattered rain showers did nothing to dampen the spirits of the 38 RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup sailors. Upon completion of 6 races, and at the halfway mark, Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) National Squad sailors, Magnus Ringsted, Sebastian Kempe, Ahzai Smith and Christian Ebbin are currently in the top 10 positions in the regatta.

While the Bermudians were putting on a good show and rising upward, Jose Rother of Argentina was flawless winning all three races today and two by a large margin. Close on his heels is Santiago Pacheco of Uruguay in 2nd and in 3rd overall is Calle Lagerberg of Sweden. Top female sailor is Antonia Schultheis of Malta while younger brother Richard is in 4th overall.

Weather conditions are supposed to change tomorrow which may see a shake-up of the leaderboard. Potentially the breeze may drop down to 5-10kts which will favour the smaller sailors in the fleet. Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow before Saturday's team Race Championships in Hamilton Harbour and a final three fleet races scheduled for Sunday.

Top 10
Jose Rother, Argentina
Santiago Pacheco, Uruguay
Calle Lagerberg, Sweden
Richard Schultheis, Malta
Fltecher Walters, Australia
Magnus Ringsted, Bermuda
Sebastian Kempe, Bermuda
William Pank, Great Britain
Ahzai Smith, Bermuda
Christian Ebbin, Bermuda

juniorgoldcup.com

No Optical illusion
It took a lot of time and effort but 25 years after first - briefly - seeing the light of day on Chris Dickson's Whitbread 60 Tokio the Code Zero sacrificial leech has finally been consigned to the sailing history books

Full article in the November issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

Changes In Leadership And New Publications At SYRF
Newport, RI - The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) is pleased to announce that World-class navigator and America's Cup Technology Director Stan Honey has been elected by the Board of Directors to be the new Chairman, taking over from the role filled by Steve Benjamin, who will remain on the Board. Both Honey and Benjamin are well-recognized world-class sailors and past winners of the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award.

Another Board member, Jay Hansen, will now fill the role of President of SYRF, taking on an active role to work closely with Executive Director McKenzie Wilson in guiding existing SYRF-funded projects as well as finding new opportunities to help SYRF fulfill its mission to support the science behind handicap racing. Hansen is recently retired from being the Chief Operating Officer of the North Technology Group and has had over two decades of experience in guiding research and development project.

This change in leadership comes at a time of numerous ongoing activities for SYRF

"This is an exciting time at SYRF," said Jay Hansen, "because we have many interesting projects underway that are starting to yield results that can have both direct and indirect benefits to big boat sailing."

www.sailyachtresearch.org

Marblehead MA attorney Charles Cook among 10 indicted in sex trafficking ring
Marblehead MA, USA: A prominent attorney from Marblehead is among 10 people indicted in connection with an alleged human trafficking operation, prosecutors announced Friday.

Charles Cook, 65, was indicted Thursday by a statewide grand jury on charges of conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual servitude, conspiracy to launder money and sexual conduct for a fee.

* Editor: Charles Cook was the Principal Race Officer for the London 2012 Olympics held in Weymouth.

The charges stem from an investigation by the attorney general's office into a website called "Chloe's Companions."

Two women, Sonya "Chloe" Palic, 46, of Manchester, N.H., and Charlotte "Red" Napolitano, 46, of Bedford, N.H., were first arrested last February.

They allegedly oversaw an operation in which 12 to 15 women at any given time were made available through the website to men who were willing to pay for sex.

The women were taken to locations all over eastern Massachusetts.

Pulic and Napolitano were indicted on 19 counts each of trafficking persons for sexual servitude and deriving support from prostitution, as well as conspiracy counts. Pulic was also charged with money laundering. They each face charges in multiple counties.

Also indicted were John Vivilecchia, 53, of Groveland, David Johnson, 60, of Carver, Eric Simpson, 44, of Mendon, Anthony DiDominzio, 52, of Manchester, N.H.; Caleb Gerry, 23, of Gardner, Richard Napolitano, 43, and Eric Peltak, 44, of Manchester, N.H.

The attorney general's office said that the role of Cook, Vivilecchia, Simpson and Johnson involved paying for sex and helping to launder funds.

The men are expected to be arraigned within the next two weeks.

www.barcomplaint.com

Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde arrive in Le Havre for the final Championship race
After a fast crossing from Phil Sharp's home town of Jersey, the British skipper and his Spanish co-skipper Pablo Santurde have arrived in Le Havre to focus on final preparations for the Transat Jacques Vabre race to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Currently leading the Championship aboard zero emissions Class 40 Imerys, the team were one of the first of 38 boats from different race classes to arrive in the Paul Vatine race village.

The day crossing from Jersey to Le Havre was the final training for the duo before they are confronted with the real test in the race to Brazil against 15 other Class 40's.

Moored at Quai des Antilles the team have an intense ten days to complete the final checks. Phil continued: "We have a long list of race security requirements to pass and as of next week we'll be focusing on a range of possible weather scenarios from here to Brazil".

Estimated to arrive in Salvador de Bahia some three weeks later, the team have been working on a daily fitness routine with jogging and weight sessions to ensure that they are on top form for what is expected to be a long endurance race.

Just over one week remains before the big departure of the Transat Jacques Vabre on Sunday the 5th of November at 13:35 local time

www.philsharpracing.com
www.transatjacquesvabre.org/en

Launchings
Prior to the Monaco Yacht Show, Malcolm Mckeon Yacht Design announced confirmation of a contract for the design of a 78m sloop, the studio's largest design commission to date.

Speaking exclusively to SuperyachtNews, Mckeon reveals that the project, having progressed through several evolutionary stages, has now been costed by a number of shipyards and the client is considering the next step.

Project MM78 is an extreme design and has some unique features for a yacht of its size. Mckeon explains that the client wanted a large sailing yacht that didn't actually feel like a large sailing yacht when on board. This has been achieved by the studio through an ambitious use of glass, with floor-to-ceiling hull windows in the main saloon and master suite and a glass aft bulkhead. Large hull-side platforms further enhance the connection with the water. The 360-degree view from the cockpit has negated the need for a flybridge, which would be a first for a new build of this size.

www.superyachtnews.com

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After 10 months of intensive work, numerous meetings between Thierry Bouchard's Ciela Village Team, naval architects VPLP, the number crunchers HDS/Gsea Design and the CDK Technologies design office, the Ciela Village trimaran was launched on 4 October, in Port-la-Foret, Brittany. This 15-metre MULTI 50 trimaran will now begin her first sea trials in the Baie de la Forêt with a view to competing in the upcoming Transat Jacques Vabre. A 10-month build

It took 10 months, 20,000 man-hours and 15 people to successfully complete this build. With her sleek form inspired by the large offshore racing multihulls and a helming station that is well protected by a cuddy with clean lines, every detail has been studied at length by the designers, Ciela Village Team and the CDK Technologies design office, with a specific focus: weight saving and performance.

The addition of foils, which is an innovation now permitted by the Multi 50 Class rule, means that hitherto unimaginable speeds can now be achieved on this type of boat: 40 knots

Following her launch on 4 October, the Ciela Village trimaran will immediately begin a period of fine-tuning. This will continue to be an intense period for the teams at CDK Technologies, who will be keenly monitoring the boat's performance during the Transat Jacques Vabre, which is due to set sail from Le Havre in early November.

www.cdk-technologies.com

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Vitters Shipyard in the Netherlands has signed a new order for a 50-metre classic performance ketch. Commissioned by an experienced owner primarily for cruising, the yacht will be built to Lloyd's special service craft rules.

Construction will start by the end of October and delivery is scheduled for late 2019. The naval architecture for this exciting custom superyacht is done by Hoek Design and Rhoades Young Design is responsible for the interior styling. MCM, represented by Nigel Ingram, is serving as the owner's representative. The yacht will have an aluminium hull, built in Alustar, with a centreboard keel and a carbon rig with in-boom furling. The naval architecture has been further developed and fine tuned with the experience of previous projects.

The twin deckhouse configuration includes an owner's deckhouse aft and a central deckhouse complete with saloon. Also on deck will be three cockpits - one for the owner aft, the main cockpit amidships and a crew cockpit forward of the mast. A large tender will be stored on a recessed tender-well on the foredeck.

Below decks this 50-metre ketch will have a contemporary traditional interior. The owner's suite will be situated aft to dovetail with the private deckhouse and cockpit. There will be two dedicated guest cabins - one double and one twin - plus the option to convert a seating area into a third guest accommodation. Other interior facilities include a second saloon and a dedicated gym.The yacht has four crew cabins along with a mess and a separate lounge area.

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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
sampearson@ancasta.com

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2016 Ker 40+ - Magnum 4. 550000 GBP. Located in Hamble, UK

A completely unique opportunity that will NOT last long! MAGNUM 4 The 2016 Ker 40+ is now available. This BRAND NEW BOAT is on the market and offering a HUGE saving for its next owner.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
Central Listing
sampearson@ancasta.com
+442380 016582
+64 2277733717

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2010 JND 35. 120000 GBP. Located in Cowes, England.

A bandit IRC or ORC racer. Turn key project and ready to bring in the bread right from the very off.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
sampearson@ancasta.com
+442380 016582

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

The Last Word
Nothing is more obnoxious than a low person raised to a high position. -- John Clarke

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Vestas 11th Hour Racing Wins The First Leg Of Volvo Ocean Race | Torvar Topples Robertson To Win His First World Title | Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition | World's first floating wind farm | Saving the whale (from us) | Two Women, and Their Dogs, Rescued After Nearly 5 Months Lost at Sea | Industry News | Featured Brokerage

Vestas 11th Hour Racing Wins The First Leg Of Volvo Ocean Race
Lisbon, Portugal: Vestas 11th Hour Racing crossed the finish line in Lisbon at 1408 UTC ahead of their competitors by a few hours earning 8 points and are now the leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race. They led the 7-day race since the first night staying ahead of the other seven boats through the Strait of Gibraltar, around the island of Porto Santo, and north to Lisbon via a virtual waypoint added by the Race Committee mid-leg.

This is technically back-to-back ocean leg wins for the American duo, Enright and Towill. The pair along with their fellow US sailor, Nick Dana, won the final leg of the last edition onboard Team Alvimedica. This is the first leg win for Vestas, and for a Danish flagged boat in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The team is now in Lisbon for one week participating in outreach events with the local community, an In-Port Race, Pro-Am racing, and preparing for the 7000-mile leg to Cape Town, South Africa that starts on November 6th.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing led for the majority of the 1650 nm course that took the seven teams from Alicante, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal.

Leg 1 Results
1. Vestas 11th Hour Racing
2. MAPFRE
3. Dongfeng Race Team
4. team AkzoNobel
5. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag
6. Team Brunel
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic

volvooceanrace.com

Torvar Topples Robertson To Win His First World Title
Shenzhen, ChinaL Torvar Mirsky has become the Match Racing World Champion after beating defending champion Phil Robertson 3-1 in the 2017 finals in Shenzhen, China. The skipper from Western Australia tore up the script, defied the odds, and sailed out of his skin to beat the form sailor of the past two seasons, New Zealand's Phil Robertson.

Mirsky's precision sailing came as a surprise to a lot of teams, bearing in mind they haven't done nearly as many regattas on the circuit since the arrival of the M32 catamaran. Robertson went into this event as the clear favourite and it looked like he would go all the way after dispatching fellow New Zealander Chris Steele 3-0 in the Semi Finals. "Unfortunately we couldn't cross the line first in the final," shrugged Robertson. "We were outsailed, it's a one-event World Championships and Torvar did a fantastic job today. We have to take our hats off to him and accept he sailed better. But it's been a great season, we reached the final in every event, and we're taking steps in the right direction. It's been fantastic to be here in China, we're lucky to be sponsored by Ningbo and we have a massive fanbase in China which you don't really know about until you get here. It's huge."

Semi Final
Pair 1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team 3-1 Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing
Pair 2
Phil Robertson (NZL), China One Ningbo 3-0 Chris Steele (NZL), 36 Below Racing

Petit Final
Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing 2 - 1 Chris Steele (NZL), 36 Below Racing

Final
Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team 3 - 1 Phil Robertson (NZL), China One Ningbo

Final Standings
1. Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team
2. Phil Robertson (NZL), China One Ningbo
3. Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing
4. Chris Steele (NZL), 36 Below Racing
5. Harry Price (AUS), Down Under Racing
6. David Gilmour (AUS), Team Gilmour
7. Taylor Canfield (ISV), US One Sailing Team
8. Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar

wmrt.com

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition
In Support of SailAid UK

Submissions and stories coming in over the transom... memories and praise for the pubs that give warmth and cheer to sailors around the world.

Here are two recent ones:

Pensacola YC Grill Room Bar, Florida, USA (pictured at right)

Here's what makes it so great...
The friendliest bartenders, great food, daily specials, spacious deck, spectacular view of the PYC marina at the mouth of Bayou Chico with a beach on Pensacola Bay.

Is there a special drink they make? Care to share the recipe with us?

PYC's Famous Frozen Bushwackers. A sneaky drink and desert all on one big glass.

4 ounces cream of coconut
2 ounces coffee liqueur (tia maria,kahlua)
1 ounce rum (black)
1 ounce Creme de Cacao
4 ounces half-and-half
4 ounces vanilla ice cream
plus a dash secret ingredients and a cherry on top.

Bushwackers come in pitchers delivered to boats finishing the Gulfport-Pensacola Race. Crews then sleep on the lawn under the oaks :)

Salty Mike's, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Here's what makes it so great...
The home of Wednesday night racers, local live-aboards, delivery and mega yacht crews - and sometimes their "slumming"/cool owners, it is the first place to go in one of the most beautiful port cities in the world. Any night of the week there will be a small crew of folks ready to share a beer and a story, and maybe a foosball game. And Sean the bartender always takes care of you....

Is there a special drink they make? Care to share the recipe with us?

The beer and cocktails do seem colder there...

Send us your thoughts on the greatest yachting bar: scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

And skip a couple of overpriced, half-caf, skim milk, shaved chocolate, cinnamon frosted, frappamaccacrappa "coffees" this week, and give to a very worthy cause: SailAidUK to help the sailing industry hit so hard by Caribbean hurricanes.

sailaiduk.com

World's first floating wind farm
Five giant turbines have been tethered to the seabed about 15 miles from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.

The wind farm has been officially opened by Nicola Sturgeon.

The first minister said the project, which will generate enough power for about 20,000 homes, was testament to Scotland's "international reputation" for renewable energy.World's first floating wind farm starts generating electricity.

At 175m from sea surface to blade tip, the turbines are almost as tall as the Queensferry Crossing.

They extend another 78 metres below the surface and are chained to the seabed to stay in place.

Norwegian energy firm Statoil has been working on developing the project, known as Hywind, for more than 15 years.

Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "Hywind's presence in Scottish waters is a reminder that, as the windiest country in Europe, and with some of the deepest waters and most promising offshore wind sites, Scotland is perfectly placed to capitalise on floating turbine technology.

"Our unique offshore supply chain and the skillset it supports put us at the forefront of the deployment of these innovative machines."

Bird charity RSPB Scotland opposed the project, not because it dislikes the technology but because it believes too many offshore turbines in the area have already been approved. It fears thousands of sea birds may be killed by offshore wind farms.

The operation to tow the turbines into place from Norway was completed in August.

www.bbc.com/news/

Saving the whale (from us)
It's not just boats that suffer in a whale strike at sea... the consequences for the world's largest known mammal can be every bit as destructive

For most offshore sailors the grandeur of seeing wildlife within their marine ecosystems is another big reason to be passionate about this sport. Thousands of species of birds, fish and mammals all play their roles in keeping a healthy and sustainable balance to the ocean's ecosystems. As sailors we can have a unique role ourselves in helping preserve this balance even as man's own interactions with the planet present increasing and now more easily identifiable effects that threaten this environment.

Observing large marine mammals in their habitat is simultaneously thrilling yet frightening since the prospect of being close to a moving object that may greatly exceed our size can be disturbing. One hundred and fifty years on from the tale of Moby Dick it's no less hard to break this primal fear of being sunk from a whale impact. And each year brings more living examples.

One was in May 2012, when video captured Camper helmsman Roberto Bermúdez de Castro throw his VO70 violently up into the wind to narrowly avoid colliding with 'something huge' while hurtling along at 20kt. 'It would have been a bad day for the whale and for us,' said onboard reporter Hamish Hooper. 'Fortunately "Chuny's" decent reflexes saved the both of us from the equivalent of a freight train colliding with a truck.'

This was not an isolated incident.

Full article in the November issue of Seahorse magazine: www.seahorsemagazine.com/

Two Women, and Their Dogs, Rescued After Nearly 5 Months Lost at Sea
They were supposed to trade one island paradise for another: a monthlong sailing trip in spring, from Honolulu to Tahiti.

But on Wednesday morning, they were discovered in the wrong hemisphere, 5,000 miles off course and nearly six months into a dream that had curdled into a nightmare.

Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba were rescued by the Navy vessel the Ashland 900 miles south of Japan, according to a statement released by the Navy on Thursday. After setting out in early May, a storm claimed their 50-foot boat's engine on May 30. They spent the next five months adrift at sea and unable to make contact with others.

The two friends survived on a water purifier and a store of oatmeal, pasta and rice, with two pet dogs, Zeus and Valentine, to keep them company.

"I had tears in my eyes,'' Ms. Appel said of the moment she saw the Navy ship approaching, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "It was incredibly emotional."

www.nytimes.com

Industry News
New editors announced at Time Inc marine titles

Following a re-organisation of Time Inc's marine titles, Theo Stocker has been appointed editor of Yachting Monthly and Rob Melotti as editor of Practical Boat Owner.

Hugo Andreae remains editor of Motor Boat & Yachting and Elaine Bunting of Yachting World, while Elaine also takes up the role of group editor and content director across all of Time Inc's marine titles.

The purpose of the reorganisation has been to create a more efficient art and production process while preserving roles creating content for the magazines and websites.

"Our new editors, Theo Stocker and Rob Melotti, have each worked on their titles for a number of years, are really familiar with readers and their brands' DNA, and they will do a great job," says Elaine Bunting.

"We have some exciting plans lined up, the next of which is a relaunch of Yachting Monthly with the January issue - a fresh, bold new look that is bigger and better than ever." We will follow suit next year with improvements to other titles and some exciting digital plans.

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Semidep-Ciotat (La Ciotat Shipyards), which manages the impressive array of facilities at La Ciotat in the South of France, is seeking up to three partners to share in a new €100m investment to further expand the facility. The main asset of the new project will be a 4,000-tonne capacity shiplift to be operational by the start of 2022.

Jean-Yves Saussol, SEMIDEP's CEO, told IBI: "This is a new project to develop a new platform with the 4,000-tonne shiplift which will take four years to complete. It will be ready for late 2021 or the start of the season in 2022. This will be a new platform to add to those that we already have with the 2,000-tonne platform, the 300-tonne platform and the 200m (656ft) drydock."

The new shiplift will be dedicated to yachts over 80m (263ft) and Saussol indicated that the actual technology that will be chosen has not yet been decided on. "We have been in touch with a number of companies such as Synchrolift and once we have appointed the partners then we will decide on the right technology for the project," he said.

Blohm + Voss La Ciotat is working on a 35-month long concession which ends in November 2019.

For the new project La Ciotat Shipyards has issued a call for 1-3 private operators to share in the new venture and the €100m investment that is involved. The new project will be geared to the refit and repair of superyachts over 80m.

plus.ibinews.com

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The Jury of the DAME Design Award 2017 competition has announced that 64 products from a total field of 122 entries have been nominated to enter the final round. To reach this stage is, according to the organiser, a notable achievement, one which is acknowledged by the creation of a special DAME 2017 display area during the METSTRADE Show itself. Visitors will be able to see the very broad diversity of submissions, with products that will be used on all sizes of watercraft, from stand up paddleboards through to superyachts, with equipment prices ranging from just €3 to six figures.

This year's entry of 122 products from 22 countries shows the continued growth of interest in the DAME Awards.

The DAME winners will be announced during the Breakfast Briefing on the opening day of the METSTRADE Show 2017, which will take place at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre from 14 to 16 November.

The shortlisted products are divided into seven categories:
- Marine electronics and related software
- Interior equipment, furnishings, materials and electrical fittings used in cabins
- Marina equipment, boatyard equipment and boat construction tools & materials
- Deck equipment, sails and rigging
- Clothing and crew accessories
- Lifesaving and safety equipment
- Machinery, propulsion, mechanical and electrical systems & fittings

plus.ibinews.com/

* With less than three weeks to go before the 2017 METSTRADE Show opens for business, event organiser Amsterdam RAI has confirmed that 1,526 exhibitors have confirmed their presence at this year's event - a figure which has already surpassed last year's record high of 1,471. These include 290 yards and equipment supply companies represented in the SuperYacht Pavilion, 69 exhibitors in the Marina & Yard Pavilion and 49 in the Construction Material Pavilion.

The three-day show, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, runs from November 14-16 at the Amstersdam RAI convention centre and is expected to attract more than 15,500 unique visitors.

plus.ibinews.com

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The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is very pleased to announce that it has appointed Tom Way as its new Deputy Race Director, with immediate effect in Cape Town, following the decision by Dan Smith to step down from the role in order to relocate back to Scotland.

An experienced racer and RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certified instructor with over 60,000 miles in his log book, Tom has over 10 years' experience in the marine industry, including five years working for the Clipper Race.

Tom has developed an extensive and invaluable level of knowledge of the Clipper Race and its operations, following roles with the training, refit, maintenance, recruitment and media departments. Most recently Tom also spent the past ten months working in Abu Dhabi as Fleet Manager for Pindar's two Volvo 60s.

Tom, 27, from Portland, Dorset, began his Clipper Race journey as a qualified crew member on board the Derry~Londonderry entry in the Clipper 2011-12 Race

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Featured Brokerage
1997 Farr 45 - "Bucket List". 79000 EUR. Located in Scheveningen, Holland.

If you are looking at stepping your racing plans up, but only with a small boat budget, then this boat is a country mile ahead of its rivals at this size and performance and needs serious consideration. A lot of fun to be had with these timeless machines!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380016582
sampearson@ancasta.com

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1994 Mumm 36. 90.000 EUR. Located in

For sale ABSOLUTELY MUMM 36 – 1994 Formerly Thomas I Punkt three time Mumm 36 world champion.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Christophe Champroux
+ 33 673 31 11 59
christophe@apyachting.fr

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2011 TP52 - SPIRIT OF MALOUEN VIII. 600000 EUR. Located in Lorient, France.

Super Series Specification TP52. Fully kitted out and ready to play. Has IRC sail configuration as well as class. Designed by Judel/Vrolijk in 2011. Formerly RAN racing and hugely successful in the TP class. Built by Green Marine to exacting standards and in excellent condition.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

The Last Word
We invented words; we'll tell you how they're supposed to sound. -- John Oliver

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Groupama exits America's Cup challenge | Torbin Grael wins Star European Championships | Last Day for Maximum Savings on North Sails One Design | New Open Criteria For 50th Transpac Barn Door Trophy | Lipton Cup Comes Home to San Diego | Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition | Victor "the medal maker" Kovalenko to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame | Kay Cottee to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame | Featured Brokerage

Groupama exits America's Cup challenge
French insurance group Groupama confirmed Monday the end of its sponsorship with an internationally acclaimed yachtsman Franck Cammas. Groupama, which has supported the French sailor since 1997, decided not to follow him in his new project for the 2021 America's Cup after supporting his team for the 2017 edition in Bermuda.

Says Groupama in its statement, "For Groupama, the sporting and geographical framework that has just been announced and recently confirmed by the organizers of the Cup is now too far from its natural mutualist European and French bases. It is in this context that the group thinks and will soon announce the evolution of its sponsorship policy which will remain ambitious but in different sports and geographical territories."

Although he can already count on the support of Norauto - a French based company which focuses on car repairs, car accessories and car parts - in his desired challenge for the America's Cup, Cammas recently explained that he would "exploit other interesting and innovative ways of financing."

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Torbin Grael wins Star European Championships
Negri-Lambertenghi touched the victory at the European Star Championships: despite the first in the final test they finish second with 2 points from Torben Grael, who wins the Open Championship

At the Yacht Club Sanremo the great entertaining Star European Championship is over, with the great names of the sailing world, which once again demonstrated the charm of the former Olympic Star Class

The places on the podium were in play until the last moments, with only four points separating the top three places.

Silver for Italy with Diego Negri (Yacht Club Sanremo) and Sergio Lambertenghi (Circle Sail Torbole), who ended the Star European Championship in the best way possible: they won the 6th and last race started in light wind conditions on 6 knots, which then increased to 15.

Brazilian crew Grael-Lopes took fifth in the sixth and final race, but that was enough to remain in the lead of the overall standings, winning the Championship (open) with two points advantage over Negri-Lambertenghi; third the former world champions Augie Diaz-Bruno Prada (USA), disqualified from the last test, but remained on the podium, despite the same score with other Brazilians Lars Grael-Samuel Goncalves, second in the final test but with no partial victory over the United States.

Final top ten:
1. Torben Grael / Arthur Lopes, BRA, 15 points
2. Diego Negre / Sergio Lambertenghi, ITA, 17
3. Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada, USA, 18
4. Lars Grael / Samuel Goncalves, BRA, 18
5. Emilios Papathanasiou / Anronis Tsotras, GRE, 31
6. Jack Jennings / Frithjof Kleen, USA, 33
7. Roberto Benamati / Steffen Rutz, ITA, 40
8. Giampiero Poggi / Manlio Corsi, ITA, 50
9. Nando Colaninno, Federico Colaninno, ITA, 54
10. Thomas Allart / Killan Weise, NED, 54

Full results
www.yachtclubsanremo.it

Last Day for Maximum Savings on North Sails One Design
2017 has been a remarkable year for North Sails One Design clients, who stacked the podium in events throughout the US and overseas. North Sails offers comprehensive sail inventories for over 250 one design and offshore one design classes, from Optimist to Lightning, to the new J/121.

In the market for new sails? Now is the best time to order - our best savings of the year are available through Tuesday, October 31st. No tricks (all treats!), contact your North Sails expert today and save 15%.

northsails.com/sailing/en/one-design

New Open Criteria For 50th Transpac Barn Door Trophy
The Board of Directors at the Transpacific YC have announced they have loosened the restrictive criteria defining monohull yachts eligible to receive the First to Finish "Barn Door" trophy in the next 50th edition of the Los Angeles to Honolulu Transpacific Yacht Race, aka the Transpac. The start of this 2225-mile classic biennial ocean race that was first run in 1906 is scheduled for the week of July 8, 2019.

Specifically, when issued the Notice of Race for the 2019 edition will remove any restrictions on use of moveable ballast or non-manual power to define those eligible to receive this classic trophy, while boats that are first-to-finish contenders may not have a length greater than 100 feet overall (30.48 meters). This criteria is similar to that used in numerous other ocean races around the world, including the Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, Middle Sea and other races.

From 2009 - 2017 those monohull entries that used moveable ballast or non-manual power were eligible to race, but the first boat to finish with these systems on board was not eligible to win this trophy, and instead were contenders for the Merlin Trophy.

Previous first-to-finish trophy award winners include some of history's greatest ocean sailing yachts, such as Dorade (1936), Ticonderoga (1963-65), Stormvogel (1967), Blackfin (1969), Windward Passage (1971), Ragtime (1973-75), Merlin (1977, 1981, 1987), Morning Glory (2005) and Pyewacket (1997-99, 2007). The trophy itself was built and dedicated as a large carved and polished slab of native Hawaiian Koa wood, and hence acquiring the moniker "Barn Door."

Barn Door Trophy winners were often at the forefront of design and technology in their respective eras of racing. It was Barn Door Trophy winner Merlin in 1977 that by setting a new course record helped bring about a revolution in "Fast is Fun" offshore yacht design and the development of new classes of Ultra Light Displacement Boats (ULDB's). In 2005 it was Hasso Plattner's Reichel/Pugh maxZ86 Morning Glory that did the same with her canting keel system, now a standard feature on most first-to-finish contenders.

With this new more open criteria, any monohull that fits the length restriction and safety regulations may be eligible to win the Barn Door Trophy. This includes current-generation oceanic speedsters such as IMOCA 60's, Volvo 70's, and canting-keeled SuperMaxi's such as this year's Merlin Trophy winner Comanche. It is widely speculated that the announcement being made in one month from the organizers of the 36th America's Cup is for their new monohull design to include elements of foiling technology - this application on an offshore boat could conceivably also be used in a Barn Door contender in 2019.

2017.transpacyc.com

Lipton Cup Comes Home to San Diego
San Diego, CA, USA: The final day of the 103rd Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup began with a postponement while breeze filled in from the South. Race Committee was able to get the first race off at 1:45pm setting a shorter, 3 lap course across the bay which was key in achieving all 3 races needed today to complete the regatta.

San Diego YC had a tough first day of the regatta but improved throughout, seeing their best scores Saturday which put them neck and neck with Newport Harbor YC, the defending 2016 Lipton Cup champs. After the victory, San Diego YC skipper, Tyler Sinks, said, "It feels like redemption. Having won and lost once before - it's definitely more fun to win than to lose."

SDYC Commodore John Reiter talked about the win and regatta. "The future of the sport is in provided boats. We had visionaries back in 2010 that helped to make this event one of the best of the best. The 2017 Lipton Cup win was a great way to cap off a strong year." -- Liz Smith, SDYC Partnerships Director

Final standings:
1. San Diego
2. Newport Harbor
3. San Francisco
4. Larchmont
5. Chicago
6. New York
7. Coronado
8. California
9. Long Beach
10. Balboa
11. Southwestern
12. St. Francis

sdyc.org

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Competition
In Support of SailAid UK

One of the recent submissions in the Best in the Caribbean category is one that your humble narrator has personally visited, and can vouch for the generous souls behind the bar, and the kind souls on staff and membership.

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St. Thomas Yacht Club, US Virgin Islands (pictured at right)

Here's what makes it so great...

The bar at St. Thomas Yacht Club is part of the clubhouse designed by the late Kendrick Bragg (Capt. of the WW II B-17, made famous in A Wing and a Prayer). In the rafters of the bar are hundreds of burgees left by visiting yachtsmen over the last half century. Attached to the bar is a covered patio that looks over the STYC dock and mooring field in beautiful Cowpet Bay. The patio has been anchored by a spectacular wooden gaff-rigged flag mast that was brought from Suriname in the late 1960's. In the early 1980's a boom was added to the mast, over which a marine canvass awning was fashioned for shade. The combination of bar and shaded patio make STYC the perfect place to spend a hot afternoon with your favorite drink. The bar/patio has also been the gathering-place for countless numbers of sailors during hundreds of STYC regattas that are famous for live music and fabulous parties. The bar has hosted most yachtsmen who have ever lived in or visited the northern Caribbean.

Unfortunately, as a result of Hurricane Irma the flag mast is no more and STYC is searching for a replacement. The bar, however, is back in business and is a wonderful place to enjoy the Caribbean breezes and your favorite libation.

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STYC has bounced back much faster than many of our favorite watering holes. You can help them return by supporting SailAidUK and other charities.

The team behind Sail Aid UK has been looking into additional fundraising options to help broaden the reach and appeal of its initiative beyond the pro-sailors and to also attract support from the huge cruising fraternity that enjoys sailing the Caribbean waters as much as anyone.

There is now a range of exclusively designed and affordable T-shirts incorporating the Sail Aid UK logo and available in men's and women's sizes for £25 incl. P+P each and children's sizes at £20 incl. P+P, available to purchase online through the Sail Aid UK website. www.sailaiduk.com/shop

All profits from sales go directly to Sail Aid UK.

In tandem with organising the final details for its Black Tie/Loud Shirt Dinner at Land Rover BAR on November 11th, Sail Aid UK has also launched its Online Auction which is now LIVE!

The team has been busy sourcing a terrific array of interesting and appealing items across the affordability scale for people to bid on. These range from luxurious weekends away (off boats!) and high-end sailing experiences, to a private antenatal class in London with 'Doctor and Daughter' (bid starts at £200) or a bottle of House of Commons Scotch signed by the Prime Minister Theresa May and with bids starting at just £150!

www.jumblebee.co.uk/sailaiduksilentauction

Send your Best Yachting Bar stories to Scuttlebutt Europe at scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

Victor "the medal maker" Kovalenko to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame
Renowned sailing coach, Victor 'the medal maker' Kovalenko OAM, will be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame this week at a ceremony in Sydney.

"Victor Kovalenko has altered the course of Australia's achievement at the Olympic Games since coming to this country 20 years ago. The impact he has had on our Olympic sailing program will be forever admired," said the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Selection Panel on the announcement of Kovalenko's induction.

Since arriving in Australia from the Ukraine in the leadup to the Sydney 2000 Games, Kovalenko (born 1950) has coached Australia's 470 athletes to five gold and one silver Olympic medal.

Over the course of his career, Victor's athletes have won ten Olympic medals (six gold, one silver and three bronze) over eight Olympic Games. His charges have also won more than 18 world championship titles, in addition to dominating European and other international regattas.

In addition to Olympic medals and world titles, Victor has also been named as Australia's coach of the year in both 2008 and 2012, and received an OAM in 2012 for his services to sailing.

Seven Hall of Famers will be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame this Friday, 3 November 2017 at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney.

Kay Cottee to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame
Kay Cottee AO, the first woman to perform a single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world is to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame (ASHOF).

An initiative of Australian Sailing in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum, the ASHOF was established to recognize the greats of Australian Sailing. According to the highly regarded Selection Panel, Cottee has achieved at the highest level in our sport.

"Kay Cottee AO inspired generations of female sailors when she became the first woman to sail unassisted, non-stop around the globe via both hemispheres," said the Selection Panel in announcing her induction. "To this day, Cottee remains an inspiration to people of all generations across the globe."

Born in 1954, Cottee circumnavigated the globe in her 37 foot (11 m) yacht Blackmores First Lady in 1988. Her extraordinary feat was made even more remarkable by the fact that she completed it at a time when modern GPS was in its infancy.

Cottee's circumnavigation was eastbound from Sydney, Australia and took her around the five great capes in the southern ocean. Departing Sydney she headed south of New Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean, around infamous Cape Horn and then north to cross the equator and round St Peter and St Paul Rocks in the North Atlantic. From there Kay headed south again and rounded the Cape of Good Hope before crossing the Indian and Great Southern Oceans on her way home around the southern tip of Tasmania. She then turned north for the final long run up the east coast of Australia to Sydney.

Cottee spent more than six months alone at sea. She started out on November 29, 1987, and after sailing for 189 days, 0 hours and 32 minutes she finished on June 5, 1988. Her voyage saw her log 22,100 miles at an average speed of 116.93 miles per day. The voyage was completed without touching land, and without any form of outside aid apart from radio contact.

Featured Brokerage
Gunboat 68 - New Boat.

The all-new Gunboat 68 is the culmination of 15 years of development within the fleet. It honors the past while boldly moving into the future. A dream team of designers have developed the platform with close coordination from the existing owners and crew, as well as industry insiders, to make the Gunboat 68 the greatest Gunboat ever built. The core design team includes VPLP design and interior/exterior stylist Christophe Chedal Anglay and Patrick le Quement.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
sales@gunboat.com

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1989 Frers 92 - BRISTOLIAN. 800000 GBP. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

Iconic and very special Frers 92 cruiser / racer that is well known on the international regatta circuit with her blue black livery and classic Frers lines. She continues to wins hearts and minds wherever she goes, and comes with new cloth and other performance updates.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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2001 Carroll Marine Farr 40. 125,000 USD. Located in Portsmouth, RI.

This is hull # 96 and has always been very well maintained by her three owners.She was first built as SAMBA PA TI and then she was named TWINS. Her current owner has not used her for several years, but she is located in Portsmouth Rhode Island, has been under shrink wrap and has a Captain maintain her. In her inventory are many North sails, with several 1st string primary racing sails, having never been out of the bags! If one is in the market for a very nice and lightly used Farr 40, DARKSIDE could be the weapon of choice.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Please contact William Jenkins at 410-267-9419

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

The Last Word
Ultimately life is disease, death and oblivion. It's still better than high school. -- Dan Savage

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Mini Transat Course Change | Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Departs South Africa | Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Team Safely Evacuated After Running Aground Near Cape Town | Knots V Splicing | World Sailing Awards one week away | Virtual marks innovation for Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship | Cauliflowers to (very fast) catamarans | 18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 4 | Industry News | Featured Brokerage

Mini Transat Course Change
Midway between the Bahamas and the Azores, a tropical wave is taking shape as an active storm formation looms. For the time being, the associated minimum low pressure is not likely to prove dangerous, however the water temperature, which is exceptionally warm for this time of year, is conditioned by a high degree of instability. As such, ultimately, the formation of a tropical storm is a plausible hypothesis.

Wishing to avoid taking the risk of sending the fleet of 6.50m boats into winds in excess of 45 knots and wild seas, Denis Hugues, in agreement with the organiser, has decided to create a compulsory gate between the islands of Santo Antao, to the north and Sao Vicente to the south.

In terms of distance, this equates to a detour of around 200 miles in relation to the direct route, or one long extra day to make Martinique. On the upside comes the guarantee that everyone will be sufficiently far away from the potential centre of the tropical low. In any case, the passage along the channel between the two islands may herald further measures to be imposed upon the Mini sailors should the weather situation deteriorate.

Second stage departure is set for Wednesday November 1 at 14hr.

www.minitransat.fr

Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Departs South Africa
Click on image to enlarge.

The third stage of the Clipper 2017-18 Race, officially known as Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race, got underway today from Cape Town for its highly anticipated 4,754nm Southern Ocean sleigh ride towards Fremantle, Australia.

The race officially got underway at 1200 UTC (1400 local time) in light and variable conditions.

First to cross the start line, ahead of a triangular course in Table Bay, was Capetonian Dale Smyth's Dare To Lead team, closely followed by Visit Seattle, led by youngest ever Clipper Race Skipper Nikki Henderson, and HotelPlanner.com, Skippered by Conall Morrison from Derry-Londonderry.

Sanya Serenity Coast was first to the next mark with its kite up, followed by Greenings, Unicef and HotelPlanner.com. As the fleet headed out of Table Bay, Sanya Serenity Coast continued to lead the rest of the teams who were tested by fluky winds swinging between the north and west.

Teams are expected to arrive into Fremantle, Western Australia, between 21- 25 November.

Following a stopover there, they will depart on 2 December for Sydney, where they will once again take on the bluewater classic Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race between Christmas and New Year. After a short stop in Hobart, the race continues north up the east coast to Airlie Beach in the heart of the picturesque Whitsunday Islands which mark the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, which will tie up Leg 4, the All-Australian Leg.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Team Safely Evacuated After Running Aground Near Cape Town
The crew of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race team, Greenings (CV24), have been safely evacuated after running aground on the western side of Cape Peninsula, which sits roughly halfway between Cape Town and Cape Point during Leg 3 of the eight-leg global sailing race.

The Clipper 70 yacht, which has already circumnavigated the world twice before, run aground at approximately 2140 UTC (2340 local time) on Tuesday 31 October after departing Cape Town earlier in the day.

The Skipper and all 17 crew members are safe and well and there were no injuries reported on board but all were evacuated on to rescue boats provided by the NSRI (National Sea Rescue Institute) for precaution to return to shore at Hout Bay. The safety of the Skipper and crew are paramount, so all measures that have taken place have been preventative.

Clipper Race Director, Mark Light, and Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, plus members of the Maintenance Team have remained in constant contact with the Skipper and with the rescue services. After initially being informed of the grounding another of the twelve teams, Unicef, as the closest vessel, was asked to standby to assist but, as the situation is now under full control, Unicef has since been instructed to stand down and continue racing.

A full investigation will take place and further updates will be provided at www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Knots V Splicing
Click on image to enlarge.

It is likely anyone who has ever used ropes has learned to tie knots - to create eyes, connect rope to objects or even just for decoration. There's a knot for every application and for many applications there is no better solution than a knot.

However, there are limitations and every time a rope is distorted, strength is lost. A bent rope means that some of the fibres on the outside of the curve will have to carry more load while fibres on the inside may take none of the load. In addition, parts of the rope in a knot may be compressed such that the fibres are unable to move to share the load.

The level of strength reduction can be substantial. In some cases, strength can be reduced by over 50 per cent. However, this will depend on many factors, including the type of knot, how the knot is tied, how neat it is, how the rope is loaded and the design of the rope amongst others. In contrast to these figures, a well spliced rope will typically retain 90 percent of its quoted strength. In fact, some ropes (typically HMPE products) are often quoted with spliced strength, as this is how the product is tested. If strength of termination is critical then a splice is always the preferred choice.

Marlow Ropes is the market leader in Leisure Marine rope and has over 200 years of experience in rope care and advice. This helpful infographic will explain more about the difference in strength between knots and splicing. Look out for Marlow's new Guide to Splicing which will launch this Autumn at the Southampton Boat Show (Stand J300), La Grand Pavois, La Rochelle and METS in Amsterdam.

www.marlowropes.com

World Sailing Awards one week away
In just one week (7 November), some of the biggest names in sailing will be celebrated in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the inaugural World Sailing Awards evening.

The World Sailing Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of the world's leading sailors and recognises the exceptional contributions made by those who have devoted their time and effort to further the sport.

Hosted by sailing broadcaster, Alec Wilkinson, and two-time Olympic medallist and two-time Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Sofia Bekatorou, the highlight of the evening will be presentation of the ultimate recognition of excellence - the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

The 2017 World Sailing Awards will also feature the presentation of the Beppe Croce Trophy and President's Development Trophy.

Nominees for the Rolex World Sailor of the Year feature sailors drawn from the America's Cup, Vendee Globe, Windsurfing, Offshore and Olympic Class racing, highlighting the breadth and depth of the sport.

The Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards is the most prestigious award of recognition in the dynamic sport of sailing. Since the awards' inception in 1994, the trophy has proudly accumulated the names of those who have demonstrated unparalleled, performance, endurance and accomplishment in sailing.

The winners will be decided by World Sailing's Member National Authorities, attendees on the night and the voting public.

On Saturday 4 November at 18:00 CST, the public will be invited to cast their vote on sailing.org for who they believe is the worthiest recipient of the coveted male and female Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

Voting will be open for a period of 72 hours and will close just hours before the announcement is made - 18:00 CST on Tuesday 7 November.

The names vying for the coveted Rolex World Sailor of the Year are:

Female
Marit Bouwmeester (NED) - 2017 Laser Radial World Champion
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) - 49erFX World Cup Series Champions
Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU) - Pro Windsurfers Association World Tour Freestyle and Slalom World Champion
Tara Pacheco (helmed by Fernando Echavarri) (ESP) - Nacra 17 World Cup Series Champions

Male
Glenn Ashby (AUS) - America's Cup winning Skipper
Peter Burling (NZL) - America's Cup winning Helmsman
Thomas Coville (FRA) - Singlehanded Round the World Record holder
Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA) - 2016-2017 Vendee Globe winner

sailing.org

Virtual marks innovation for Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship
The 40th edition of Middle Harbour Yacht Club's (MHYC) Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) will be conducted on the weekend of 25-26 November and the Club is introducing innovations for the final day of racing.

Instead of the usual shorter windward/leeward races, the Club is replacing them with a single ocean race, using a hybrid course of laid and virtual marks to provide competitive racing for all types of boats

"It's our intention that the Sunday course will commence with a windward-leeward around laid marks and then to one or more virtual marks," Race Officer Denis Thompson said.

"Using virtual marks enables us to set the course angles and length that will provide good racing on all points of sail without the logistical challenges of laying and retrieving marks in deep water

"While the idea of virtual marks may be new to many of our local sailors, they've been utilised for the Volvo Ocean Race and the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the UK. They have also been used for years to define restricted areas, traffic separation lanes for shipping and as course rounding marks," Thompson ended.

The Sailing Instructions will be published one week before the SSORC so that navigators can plot the course well ahead of race day. On-board navigation systems, or apps for portable devices such as Navionics can be used, provided there is a record of the plotted location of the virtual marks and the GPS track the boat sailed.

The Notice of Race incorporates the World Sailing Appendix WP - Rules for racing around waypoints.

www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au

Cauliflowers to (very fast) catamarans
Among the specialists who helped Armel Le Cleac'h to his Vendee Globe victory were some modest engineers working away quietly in Quimperle.

Guelt, the mother company with its roots in the technically demanding food service industry, founded Guelt Nautic 20 years ago to apply its mature expertise in precision metalwork for applications in another challenging environment: performance sailing. The company's skill set, which combines hightechnology engineering and design, mechanics, electrics and automation, allows it to take on a wide variety of demanding projects on all scales and in all settings.

With these skills plus a spirit of innovation, Guelt Nautic has become a regular supplier to teams in the world's top sailing events, the Route du Rhum, Vendee Globe, Volvo, Transat Jacques Vabre and recently the America's Cup.

Guelt's 5,700m2 facility in Quimperle, between the ocean racing centres of Port la Forêt and Lorient, is well established as a prized asset in the delivery of engineering focus and reactivity to many of the most successful skippers and their teams. This gives Guelt a rare opportunity to collaborate closely and frequently with many of the world's most demanding ocean racing projects.

Full story in the November issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 4
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: After three weeks of light, flukey conditions, the 18ft Skiff fleet was blessed with a perfect 15-knot Nor'Easter wind for Race 4 of the Australian 18 Footers League Spring Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

The breeze brought with it some great racing and resulted in victory for the experienced De'Longhi crew of Simon Nearn, Grant Rollerson and Brandon Buyink.

De'Longhi's team grabbed the race lead on the second windward leg of the three lap race and withstood a strong challenge from Triple M (James Ward, Adam Gillson, Huon Oliver) to take victory by 18s.

The Kitchen Maker (Stephen Quigley, Tom Quigley, Sam Ellis) was always in or near the lead throughout the race and finished a further 34s back in third place.

Finport Trade Finance (Keagan York) was fourth, followed by Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster), Yandoo (John Winning), Coopers-Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards) and backmarker Smeg (Lee Knapton).

After four races in the seven-race Spring Championship, the points lead is shared by three teams Triple M, Coopers-Rag & Famish Hotel and Yandoo on 22 points.

Race 5 of the Spring Championship will be sailed next Sunday.

www.18footers.com

Industry News
The 58th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opens Wednesday and will continue through Sunday at seven locations around the city.

The show covers more than 3 million square feet of space at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach and Yachting Center, the Hall of Fame Marina, the Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Sails Marina, Hyatt Regency Pier 66 Marina and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

The 2017 event will be the first Fort Lauderdale show since the company that produces it, Show Management, was acquired by London-based Informa. In-water and on-land exhibits are sold out. More than 1,500 boats, including 8 miles of yachts, are expected to be on display. More than 100,000 visitors are expected.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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After nearly 20 years serving in various positions at Soundings Trade Only, Dean Waite announced he will retire as publisher of the publication Dec. 31.

Waite was named publisher in 2011. Prior to that he ran the business side of operations from 2007 to 2011 as advertising director.

Under his direction, Soundings Trade Only began co-sponsoring trade shows to build the magazine's connections in a wide variety of segments.

The magazine now co-sponsors events that include the International BoatBuilders' Exhibition & Conference, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (better known as ICAST), the International Marina and Boatyard Conference, the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, the Miami International Boat Show and the International Marine Electronics Conference and Expo - in addition to the USA Pavilion at Metstrade.

Prior to his time at Trade Only, Waite had served as vice president and publisher of daily newspapers owned by the New York Times Co. and Landmark Communications in Florida and Southern California.

Waite also worked for 10 years in the cable television business, where he served as vice president of cable marketing for The Weather Channel, executive director of the Cable Television Administrative and Marketing Society and later as vice president of the Eastern division for The Disney Channel.

Waite will move on to launch a recreational marine consultancy called Waite & Associates LLC, which he says will allow him to keep his "foot in the water" while dialing down his daily expectations as publisher.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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Garmin has bought electronic navigational charts and mobile applications company Navionics for an undisclosed sum.

In addition to its boating app, Navionics has developed nautical charts for oceans, rivers, and lakes worldwide.

Many of the charts have been developed with Navionics' proprietary surveys, done both in the field and with remote sensing such as satellite imagery and airborne laser scanners.

"Navionics has long been known as a leading supplier of highly accurate navigational charts and mobile applications for boaters," said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and CEO. "By combining Navionics' content with Garmin's BlueChart and LakeVu content, we will be able to offer the best available breadth and depth of coverage to our marine customers."

Navionics is headquartered in Viareggio, Italy and employs more than 350 staff globally who will be retained. The Navionics brand will be retained.

www.boatingbusiness.com

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The Wall Street Journal reports that Akzo Nobel and its US rival Axalta Coating Systems are considering a possible merger to create a multibillion-dollar coating giant. A source said the talks are at an early stage and could collapse before a deal is reached.

The deal would involve Akzo Nobel spinning off its specialty chemicals business, as it plans to do now, and distributing proceeds to shareholders. A merger of two equals of the two companies would then give the new company added scale for better pricing for raw materials, streamlined operations and new clients.

The story also said that the structure involved in the merger would be critical in winning support from Akzo's shareholders. Some have been concerned that the Amsterdam-based company would seek a major acquisition to protect itself from unwanted suitors.

One of its major shareholders, Elliott Management Corp, earlier this year attempted to force Akzo into sale talks with its rival PPG Industries Inc. The US$28bn takeover attempt failed.

ibinews.com

Featured Brokerage
2015 TP52 Provezza.

For Sale TP52 PROVEZZA, 4th place overall 52 Super Series 2017. Design Vrolijk, builder Cookson 2015.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Tim Haynes:
tim@provezza.net
+44 7967386652

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Swan 45-001 Kyknos

Swan 45-001 left Finland during the spring of 2002 and within two months was collecting silverware as the overall winner of the 50th Anniversary Giraglia Cup. She still has everything it takes to be competitive in the Swan 45 one-design class and is offered for sale at a very attractive price.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Giorgio Passarella
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07

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2006 Club Swan 42 - SOUTHERN. 245000 USD. Located in Newport, RI - USA.

SOUTHERN is an extremely competitive Club Swan 42 having just won the New York Yacht Clup Invitational Cup 2017 and is now for sale and in fantastic condition. She was originally a fresh water boat before moving to the E.Coast for one design racing at the NYYC.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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

The Last Word
A modern revolutionary group heads for the television station. -- Abbie Hoffman

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid | Volvo Ocean Race - Brunel racing in reverse | Evacuated Clipper Race Yacht (Cv24) Partially Under Water After Running Aground Near Cape Town | The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale | Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2017: Top 20 disclosed! | Mini Transat Second Leg Start | BYOB or Charter! St. Thomas International Regatta & Round the Rocks Race - March 22-25, 2018 | 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship Winners Announced | The Atlantic Cup: New Race Partner and First Two Teams | Alex Pella: A new dawn for multihulls in the Transat Jacques Vabre | Featured Brokerage

Volvo Ocean Race - Brunel racing in reverse
Embarking on his eighth edition of the Volvo Ocean race, Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking is still looking for a win and he was plainly deeply disappointed with Team Brunel's sixth place in the seven-boat fleet on this 1650 nautical mile Leg One Ocean Sprint from Alicante to Lisbon.

Standing in the sunshine, near the old Fish market in Lisbon, we talked to the veteran skipper, who must have felt at times during the race, that he was in fact racing in reverse.

'Of course, it was not the result we were hoping for, but it was a great learning curve for the entire crew.

'It was a hard race for us, as soon as we arrived in Lisbon we had a diver inspect the appendages. We had rudder vibration for much of the race. We know we hit a lot of objects with the rudder, we hit a turtle for sure. And we just about lost count of the plastic bags and fishing lines.

'We had to do 12 slow and costly backdowns during the race. The inspection was to be sure there was no major damage to the keel, because you must lift out to fix that.

'The keel was OK, however, both rudders were very knocked about. Right now, on Tuesday afternoon, there are in the final stages of repair, before they go back into the boat.

'There is so much rubbish in the water, especially in the Mediterranean. We all need to work hard on Keep the Oceans Clean messages. 'In my first RTW race, I did not have to do a single back down and on this first leg, we did 12 and that says something about the health of our oceans.

Full article from Rob Kothe: scuttlebutteurope.com

Evacuated Clipper Race Yacht (Cv24) Partially Under Water After Running Aground Near Cape Town
Click on image to enlarge.

Following careful analysis of the situation and state of the Clipper Race Yacht CV24 the Clipper Race office has confirmed that the vessel is partially underwater after running aground on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, and will take no further part in the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

The crew of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race team, Greenings (CV24), had previously been safely evacuated after running aground at approximately 2140 UTC (2340 local time) on Tuesday 31 October after departing Cape town earlier in the day for Leg 3 of the eight-leg global sailing race.

The decision has been communicated to the Interim Skipper, Andy Woodruff, and discussions have taken place with Greenings Skipper, David Hartshorn (recovering from an earlier injury) and his crew regarding their future participation in this edition of the race.

The safety of the Skipper and crew have been paramount throughout this incident and all are doing well and no injuries have been reported.

Underwriters have appointed a surveyor who will attend the boat tomorrow and, on receipt of his report, a decision will be made as to whether the boat will be salvaged or not.

A full investigation of the incident is underway. Further updates are available on the Clipper Race website: www.clipperroundtheworld.com

The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale
Looking for that special gift that is nautical and unique?

The 3D chart is the perfect Christmas gift that is appreciated for a lifetime! It ticks all of the boxes: it's personal, bespoke, it's art with a difference and it's relevant.

As a shared gift amongst a group/crew or simply a treat for yourself!

Check out the website today, talk to Bobby Nash about your commission. www.latitudekinsale.com

Any chart any where in the world !

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2017: Top 20 disclosed!
The top twenty pictures from the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award will be exhibited at World Sailing's Annual Conference in Puerto Vallarta (November 4 - 12), and then at the Yacht Racing Forum (Aarhus, Denmark, November 27-28).

The winner of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award - who will be announced and celebrated during the Yacht Racing Forum in Aarhus (DEN) on November 28 - is one of these twenty:

Top twenty photographers (in alphabetical order):

- Cristina Balcells (ESP)
- Stephanie Billarant (FRA)
- Olivier Blanchet (FRA)
- Chris Cameron (NZL)
- Sharon Green (USA)
- Soren Hese (GER)
- Nicolas Jutzi (SUI)
- Harry Kenney Herbert (UK)
- Anton Makhanov (RUS)
- Gilles Martin Raget (FRA)
- Pedro Martinez (ESP)
- Rob Migliaccio (USA)
- Tomas Moya (ESP)
- Jerome Naquet (FRA)
- Martina Orsini (ITA)
- Elena Otekina (RUS)
- Marina Semenova (RUS)
- Dmitry Sharomov (RUS)
- Tobias Stoerkle (GER)
- Sander van der Borch (NED)

The leading countries are: Russia (4 pictures), France (4 pictures), Spain (3 pictures), USA and Germany (2 pictures), New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy and The Netherlands (1 picture).

The votes by the public on Internet are still open, and not restricted to the top 20 images selected by the Jury.

www.yachtracingimage.com

Mini Transat Second Leg Start
Naturally there was a fair amount of emotion at the start of this second leg. Indeed, you're unlikely to set off across the Atlantic for the first time without a little apprehension and even the old-timers knew that they were heading off for at least two weeks given the weather conditions forecast and the change of course via the Cape Verde islands.

It was Marc Miro Rubio (Alfin), who was the first to leave the pontoon in Las Palmas aboard the only Pogo 1 of the fleet, whilst David Allamelou (Boreal) led the way in the prototype category, both followed by a procession of solo sailors filing out of the Latina Vela marina. For the first-timers whose backs were against the wall, they tried hard to disguise their apprehension, whilst the more experienced sailors were inevitably a little more detached. The biggest cheer unquestionably went to Marta Guemes (Artelia), the local of the leg.

Out on the water, the wind shifted round to the ENE shortly before the start. As such, on crossing the line, most of the solo sailors promptly hoisted their code zeros, whilst the more daring amongst them went straight for the large spinnaker.

Once the island of Gran Canaria is behind them, the fleet will be tasked with making its initial tactical choices. The general trend is likely to involve pushing along on port tack as far as the coast of Africa. However, once they get close to the shores of Mauritania, the racers are split on how to tackle the next section. Certain routing options recommend playing with the effects of the headland by linking together a series of manœuvres under spinnaker, at times under the cover of darkness. This route is somewhat hazardous of course, given the increased risk of encountering the local fishermen, who may prove to be intrusive. A number of competitors admitted that they were keen to head further offshore the minute they hit the steadier winds forecast. Accepting that you are likely to lose a bit of ground in order to reduce the risk at the start of what promises to be a long leg is not necessarily a miscalculation.

Position report on 1 November at 15:00 UTC

Prototypes
1. Andrea Fornaro (Sideral) 2,930.4 miles from the finish
2. Erwan le Mene (Rousseau Clotures) 0.5 miles behind the leader
3. Ian Lipinski (Griffon.fr) 0.5 miles behind the leader
4. Quentin Vlamynck (Arkema 3) 0.7 miles behind the leader
5. Simon Koster (Eight Cube Sersa) 0.8 miles behind the leader

Production boats
1. Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande Ambecco) 2,931.5 miles from the finish
2. Yannick Le Clech (Dragobert) 0.0 miles behind the leader
3. Clarisse Cremer (TBS) 0.4 miles behind the leader
4. Erwan Le Draoulec (Emile Henry) 0.5 miles behind the leader
5. Pierre Revol (Maribambelle) 0.6 miles behind the leader

minitransat.fr

BYOB or Charter! St. Thomas International Regatta & Round the Rocks Race - March 22-25, 2018
BYOB - bring your own boat or charter! The more the merrier to race in the back-to-back Round the Rocks Race on March 22 and the St. Thomas International Regatta March 23 to 25, 2018, in the beautiful U.S. Virgin Islands.

Register your own boat now in CSA; IRC; ORC; Multihull; CSA Bareboat; and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. Or, check out the charter operators in the Caribbean and Europe that have some swift-sailing vessels available.

For example, OnDeck Racing in Antigua offers its Beneteau 40.7 (Ortac) and Farr 65 (Spirit of Juno) and Caribbean Races in St. Maarten its J/120 (J-aguar) and Kiwi 35 (Wild Devil) by the entire yacht or by the crew spot. Noisy Oyster, a J122 by Swiss-based J122 Experience, is available by the yacht or with a first mate. Caribbean Yacht Racing in the U.S. and St. Maarten has its J122 (El Ocaso) for charter.

Any more J/122's? Three or more entries can get their own one-design class!

Register now and save! Pay only US $250 for entries received and paid in full by 5 p.m. AST on January 31, 2018. From February 1 to March 20, the entry fee is US $400.

Come celebrate STIR's 45th anniversary with world-class racing offshore, nightly parties, day-time beach games and live music, food and drink.

www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Email: stycisv@gmail.com or cpessler@hotmail.com
Call (340) 642-3204

2017 RORC Season's Points Championship Winners Announced
Double victory: Lisa, First 44.7, Nick & Suzi Jones (skippered by Michael Boyd for all races except De Guingand Bowl) has retained their 2016 title; once again securing the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship for IRC overall as well as being announced the RORC Yacht of the Year.

Over 500 boats took part in the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship, with teams flying the flags of 30 different nations from Canada to Russia and Chile to New Zealand. Well over 4,000 sailors took part, and whilst the majority of the races were in the English Channel, the Championship included the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. The 13-race series, which this year included the Rolex Fastnet Race, is truly international and it is the largest offshore series by participation, anywhere in the world. For the serious offshore sailor, winning the championship is a real challenge.

Lisa - Overall winner - 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship The overall winner of the 2017 RORC Season's Points Championship is Nick & Suzi Jones' British First 44.7 Lisa, skippered by RORC Commodore Michael Boyd. The corinthian team retained the title from 2016; the only yacht to achieve the double since Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens (2011-12). Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine's J/133 Pintia was second overall and Thomas Kneen's JPK 1080 Sunrise was third.

Lisa - 2017 RORC Yacht of the Year Lisa has also been awarded the RORC Yacht of the Year, winning the Somerset Memorial Trophy for an outstanding racing achievement by a yacht owned or sailed by a RORC member, as voted for by the RORC Committee.

The full list of winners

The Atlantic Cup: New Race Partner and First Two Teams
Newport, RI USA: With preparations underway for the 2018 Atlantic Cup, Manuka Sports Event Management, organizers of the USA's toughest offshore race, are pleased to announce three new commercial partners, two teams and the release of the 2018 Notice of Race.

United Airlines Mileage Plus Exclusives, Hyatt Place Charleston and CODE-ZERO join as Official Partners for the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic dedicated to the Class40. The three new partners will provide a variety of opportunities for the race and its fans.

Pfficial entries opened on October 16th and seven teams from the US and Europe have confirmed their entry, with a further three expressions of interest. The first two teams to be announced are six-time race veteran Michael Hennessy on board Dragon Ocean Racing and Oakcliff Racing and its youth team from Oyster Bay, New York. Race Organizers will continue announce the teams each month in the lead up to the start of the race.

With over 1,000nm of ocean racing, the Atlantic Cup is the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic, the only race that includes both Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod and the only short-handed offshore race dedicated to the Class 40.

The 2018 Atlantic Cup will start in Charleston, South Carolina May 26th. The race will stop-over in Brooklyn May 28th-June 2nd before departing for Portland, Maine. The Atlantic Cup will wrap up in Portland June 4th-10th with a two-day inshore series. The Atlantic Cup has been carbon neutral since 2012 and was the first and is the only sports event in the U.S. to be ISO 20121 compliant.

AtlanticCup.org

Alex Pella: A new dawn for multihulls in the Transat Jacques Vabre
Alex Pella, the world-record breaking sailor, said today (Wednesday) that the Transat Jacques Vabre 2017 will mark the emergence of a new future for multihulls. With all eyes on just how fast the latest 30-metre Ultime to launch is - Maxi Edmond de Rothschild will be making its debut in Le Havre, Normandy on the start line on Sunday - Pella, co-skipper of the Multi 50 Arkema, believes the class will shine in this 13th edition of the "Route du Cafe".

"When we arrived last Friday and I saw the fleet, I said 'wow' because for me it's the first time that there's such a fleet in this class," Pella said. "Normally, when I've been here in another class, I've seen only two or three good boats. But now I think this race can change the future of the class. Now, the future of the multihulls is the Ultime class and Multi 50 because there's a really big difference between them."

There are six Multi 50s here, five competitive and four with foils all vying for victory. At just over 15 metres - half the length of Ultime - have a budget that is more accessible to those starting out in multihulls. Roucayrol revealed that Arkema spent €1.5 million to build the boat he launched in 2013, and spend €800,000 a year on the campaign, of which €200,000 has gone on their Mini 6.50 boat this year. The Ultime is a big step up, with budgets around six times that.

But those extra Euros may be felt in the first few days of racing, which are already promising to typically bracing North Atlantic weather in November. The weather and routing chatter on the pontoons began in earnest yesterday and 35-40 knots was being predicted after the start on Sunday.

"I think we're going to have to cross a big front there's going to be potentially 35-40 knots downwind the other side of that," Britain's Phil Sharp (Imerys, Class40) said. "That's what when we get really offshore west of Ireland - and it looks like we're going to have to head west to look for this northerly wind, to avoid headwinds. When we hit that we can escape south - and we'll be escaping very fast. We can surf at up to 25 knots and that's fast enough when you're on a boat like this."

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

Featured Brokerage
2010 Ker 40 - "Keronimo". 250000 GBP. Located in England - South Coast.

Ready to spearhead any IRC or ORC fleet and with a large amount of sail development over recent years, she got more to offer than most! Friendly inshore and offshore and with a 2017 sail wardrobe and immaculate cosmetics, she is a real head turner and ready for next enthusiastic owner.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582
sampearson@ancasta.com

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2009 Mills 43 - "Windpower". 180000 EUR. Located in

Top performing IRC boat in South Africa over recent years and with sister ships dominating the ORC circuit too, shes a complete package. Very tidy and high spec sail inventory included.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582
sampearson@ancasta.com

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2011 TP / IRC 52 "Viento". 800000 USD. Located in Auckland.

Originally launched as "Container", this boat has always been a front runner in any regatta its entered and is arguably the most competitive TP/IRC 52 on the market today. Inshore and offshore capability, refined by the best that NZ has to offer. An absolutely turn-key, regatta winning boat!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+44 2380 016582
+64 277733717
sampearson@ancasta.com

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

The Last Word
Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." - Denis Diderot

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Grant Simmer joins British America's Cup team | Close action forecast for Mirpuri Foundation In-Port Race Lisbon | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar | Golden Globe Race 2018 will be based in France | Launch of a giant of the seas | Mobile is EVERYTHING | Record Number Of Boats In Sir Durward 100 Regatta | David Gower named new Chairman of Cowes Classics Week | Nicholas O'Leary Reveals Ireland Ocean Racing's IMOCA 60 | Featured Brokerage

Grant Simmer joins British America's Cup team
The British America's Cup team, Land Rover BAR, led by Sir Ben Ainslie have today added a wealth of experience to their challenge with the announcement that four times America's Cup winner Grant Simmer will be joining the team as CEO.

Simmer has competed in 10 America's Cup cycles, winning sport's oldest international trophy four times. His first came as the young navigator aboard Australia II's, during their historic victory in 1983, breaking America's 132-year stronghold on the Cup. It was the first time in the competition's history that the trophy had left American shores. The Australian born sailor/designer has gone on to win the America's Cup three further times as head of design, managing director and general manager with Swiss team Alinghi and more recently with ORACLE TEAM USA.

Grant Simmer will take responsibility for the sporting and performance side of Land Rover BAR alongside Team Principal Ben Ainslie, with the focus on winning the America's Cup.

Martin Whitmarsh will continue as an advisor to the team and CEO of BAR Technologies, formed to commercialise technologies developed through the America's Cup team.

The BAR Technologies business has grown at considerable pace in the last few months under Whitmarsh's leadership, with some exciting projects already well advanced.

landroverbar.com

Close action forecast for Mirpuri Foundation In-Port Race Lisbon
The second in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 will be held in Lisbon starting at 14:00 UTC on Friday afternoon.

Seven teams will take the start of the Mirpuri Foundation In-Port Race on Friday afternoon at 14:00 local time (UTC).

This is the second in the Volvo Ocean Race In Port Race Series. In Alicante, MAPFRE beat Dongfeng Race Team with Vestas 11th Hour Racing completing the podium.

The forecast is for moderate 10 to 15 knot southwesterly winds.

For that wind direction, the length of the race course is likely to be confined by the banks of the Tagus River, so Principal Race Officer Bill O'Hara is anticipating the course will be short, with at least three, and possibly up to four, laps. The target time for the race is 60-minutes.

With so many manoeuvres required on the short course, boat handling is sure to be a determining factor for success on Friday.

www.volvooceanrace.com

Seahorse November 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
Maxis keep getting better (and faster), the pressure on the (runaway) favourite, back around the wrong way, bucking the (IRC) trend, big shoes to fill, Multi 50 resurgence, Hamo is rebuilt and a Caribbean we can help to rebuild. Ivor Wilkins, Dobbs Davis, Patrice Carpentier, Carlos Pich, Blue Robinson

Children of chaos
All agree that the foiling Nacra 17 is a stunning Olympic machine. Not everyone is thrilled with the problems of joining the fleet. Rob Kothe

No optical illusion
For code sails the challenge of mid girth measurement used to be all about hanging the washing off the leech…

Saving the whale (from us)
We need to hit fewer very large objects while out at sea - our largest known mammals would certainly not disagree

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.

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar
In support of SailAid UK

Tonight we celebrate the first winner of the Wight Vodka Best Yacht Bar competition, a lovely bar restaurant in the Azores: Peters Cafe Sport (pictured at right)

From Travelling Claus:

Cafe Sport, or Peters Bar as it is also known as, is located on a tiny island on the Azores, in the mid Atlantic, but is world famous among people who love sailing.

Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, before we all got internet, Peters Bar was the most important post office in the world for long distance sailors. This was the place where trans Atlantic sailors had their mail sent to on a Poste Restante address and this was the place where you picked up gossip about people in the sailing world, as well as changing their currency in to portuguese escudos. These days you can still pick up some gossip, but the Poste Restante thing is almost gone with the arrival of email, but the bar is still going strong and attracting hundreds of long distance sailors every year, as other foreign visitors and many locals who like to hang out there for a drink too.

The real name of the cafe is Cafe Sport, which you will see on the sign as you enter, but the cafe is actually known better as Peters Cafe. The odd thing though, is that there was never a guy called Peter there. The Peter name comes from the second World War, where the previous owner was a young man and working on a battle ship, where one of the American soldiers thought he looked like his teenage son Peter, so he called him that even if his name was Henrique.

The cafe is decorated with hundreds of flags and pennants that has been donated by the thousands of ships that has been passing by over the years, as the Azores is the natural stop over point for sailing boats crossing the Atlantic ocean from the Caribbean to Europe during spring months. Upstairs they have a fascinating collection of scrimshaw (painted whale teeth) and down in the main bar you have bar food being served during day time hours and live music a couple of times a week. -- travellingclaus.com/peters-bar/

This year we have two categories: Best in the Caribbean (to those still standing AND those who have been hit very hard by hurricanes)

Tell us your stories about YOUR favorite bar: scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

And take a moment please to donate to a terrific fund helping the sailing and tourist industry recover from the hurricanes: www.sailaiduk.com

Golden Globe Race 2018 will be based in France
Brexit is being blamed after it was announced a major yacht race will be moved to France.

The Golden Globe Race was originally in Falmouth but was nabbed by Plymouth earlier this year.

Now it will be held in Les Sables d'Olonne on Sunday July 1.

Plymouth City Council described the move as 'disappointing'.

It is the second time the event marking the 50th anniversary of the original event in 1968/9 has changed venues, with a lack of a sponsors and Brexit blamed.

Spokesman Barry Pickthall explained: 'We had major sponsors lined up, but no one knows what is happening with Brexit and because of that uncertainty no one wants to spend money. We are by no means the only sporting event affected by this. We feel that we exhausted every avenue before making this decision.

'In contrast, Les Sables d'Olonne were ready and willing to offer significant amounts of support for the start and the build up and had sponsors lined up to help pay for the event.'

The move is a blow for Plymouth as boating fans from across the Europe would have descended on the city however the city council said they could not commit to supporting the event.

The race was set to be held in Plymouth in July 2018.

"The Sables d'Olonne agglomeration, the city and the Vendee partners will be happy to offer the Vendee Globe channel and public support to these adventurers who will take off from Les Sables on July 1, 2018, 50 years after Sir Robin Knox -Johnston, Bernard Moitessier and their companions on the "long route". The Golden Globe Race is also an opportunity for Les Sables d'Olonne to reinforce its popularity with lovers of the sea all around the world. This is a maritime adventure with a capital "A". Welcome to Les Sables d'Olonne! "

www.cornwalllive.com

Launch of a giant of the seas
After over 135,000 man-hours, numerous meetings between Team Banque Populaire, the designers (naval architects VPLP), the number crunchers (HDS/Gsea Design), and the design office and teams from CDK and Keroman Technologies, the Maxi Banque Populaire IX was launched on 30 October in front of the Keroman Technologies yard in Lorient. The 32-metre Ultimate trimaran (a new generation of maxi multihulls designed for singlehanded racing) is making for her port of registry, Lorient La Base, before beginning a series of sea trials.

Designed to be helmed singlehanded around the globe by her skipper Armel Le Cleac'h, this extraordinary boat joins the first Ultimate multihull to be issued by CDK Technologies back in 2015, Francois Gabart's trimaran MACIF. Perhaps her most striking feature is the installation of foils and rudders with lifting surfaces (fins enabling the adjustment of the boat's longitudinal trim). These appendages should translate as speeds never before achieved by boats of this size by aiming for extensive 'flight' situations.

CDK Technologies successfully launched into the manufacture of large-scale carbon masts in 2015, with the delivery of an innovative 42m mast.

Sticking to this approach and taking advantage of the supreme performance of its 50m autoclave, which is the only one of its kind in Europe capable of creating wing masts, CDK Technologies has devised for this boat a particularly innovative technique for manufacturing large masts, enabling the design of the profile to be optimised, whilst making the spar more lightweight. This 100% CDK technology has also been applied to the manufacture of the Banque Populaire IX's boom.

A derivative of the solutions fine-tuned in the America's Cup, a unique system for manoeuvring the foils (these huge aileron-style appendages added to the floats) lies at the heart of the successful, innovative approach by Team Banque Populaire in collaboration with the teams at CDK Technologies.

www.cdk-technologies.com

We connect AMP and PWA.

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webmaster@sailingsource.com

Record Number Of Boats In Sir Durward 100 Regatta
A record-setting number of boats took to Montagu Bay this weekend to celebrate the life and work of Sir Durward Knowles, one of the Bahamas' most iconic sporting figures and the world's oldest Olympian.

The Sir Durward 100 Regatta - a joint effort by the National Family Island Regatta, the Bahamas Sailing Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources with responsibility for regattas - featured the top talents in sloop sailing and international sailing in the country.

Winners in the sloop sailing segment of the regatta included A Class - Red Stripe; B Class - Ants Nest; C Class - It Ain't Right and E Class - Judgement Day.

The regatta also featured international Olympic-style boats in the regatta with participation from all of the clubs across the country. This field will feature Optimist sailing for children aged 8-15, Sunfish, Laser, International 420s and Snipes.

This segment featured 81 boats making it the largest event including international sailing the Bahamas has ever hosted.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Renward Wells, whose portfolio includes responsibilities for regattas, outlined the impact that he expects the regatta will have.

"Too often we are not given our due while we are alive and it is so wonderful to see a man who has lived for nearly 100 years, the world's oldest Olympian, made the Bahamas proud through his life had an impact on my life as a track and field athletes and contributed to many others who have gone on to Olympic and world championships fame. You never know how far your contribution can go or boost the person you are assisting, but I say with certainty that it is because of individuals like Sir Durward and their contribution I can stand here as the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources.

The legendary Olympic sailor celebrates his 100th birthday on November 2 and competition in the free-for-all regatta serves as a means of "giving back and saying thank you" to Knowles, the oldest living Olympic champion in the world.

Sir Durward was present at the regatta for much of Saturday evening to award the winners of the essay competition so was not present for the finale, but his daughter Charlotte accepted the honour of the regatta on behalf of the family.

www.tribune242.com/news

David Gower named new Chairman of Cowes Classics Week
Recently elected Commodore of the Royal London Yacht Club David Gower has succeeded Sir Richard Ottaway as Chairman of Cowes Classic Week.

The event is managed by the Royal London Yacht Club with support from the other Cowes Clubs for both on and off the water organisation. Gill Smith, the first ever lady Rear Commodore of the Royal London since its foundation in 1838, is PRO for the second year running. She is supported by a team of around 80 dedicated volunteers.

Part of the success of Cowes Classics Week is the organisers' close relationship with the competitors. A representative from every class along with the event's race officers gather for a wash up meeting held towards the end of October each year, enabling comments to be considered and changes to be made if required.

Cowes Classics Week will be held on 23 - 27 July 2018.

cowesclassicsweek.org

Nicholas O'Leary Reveals Ireland Ocean Racing's IMOCA 60
Ireland Ocean Racing, the team behind Nicholas O'Leary's 2020 Vendee Globe Challenge, are back in Dun Laoghaire, this time with their own IMOCA 60 racing yacht.

O'Leary has just completed the Rolex Middle Sea Race where with Alex Thomson in the IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss they have turned in a virtuoso offshore performance to be third home across the line, bested only by the significantly larger Rambler and the 100ft Leopard.

The new boat for O'Leary is the former Great American IV, an Owen Clarke designed boat from 2006 aboard which Dominique Wavre took part twice in the Vendee Globe (retired in 2008/2009, 7th in 2012/2013). This 60-footer has clocked up an impressive number of miles. She has taken part in two Barcelona World Races, the double-handed round the world race and one Route du Rhum.

Bought by the American solo sailor Rich Wilson in 2013, the boat underwent an important refit in late 2014-early 2015 after being struck by lightning.

For his debut Vendee Globe, the young Irish skipper has a boat which has shown herself to be reliable if he intends doing the race in her or just using her for a training boat. Aboard this very same boat, Dominique Wavre completed the race in 90 days in 2013.

Only 100 sailors have succeeded in sailing single-handed non-stop around the world and no Irish sailor has yet completed the Vendee Globe.

afloat.ie/sail/events/

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2010 Davidson Custom 70. 850000 EUR. Located in East Coast, Italy

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+44 (0) 1590 679222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

2017 Libertist 850

Libertist is freedom, speed, and sheer joy of sailing. It is of the best quality and innovative materials. Very light, equipped with minifoils, rotating carbon mast, and ample electronics. The trimaran has been created for demanding sailors who love their sport.

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K36 - Samurai

Samurai is the image of this boat. A Samurai traditionally has been a person who serves a well respected leader and has “Busido” spirit meaning they have the drive to fight with every effort and dedication to the best of their ability and skill.

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+81 (0) 46 884 4141
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The Last Word
A right is not what someone gives you; it's what no one can take from you. -- Ramsey Clark

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Mini Transat: The funnel settles the accounts
Between the islands of Santo Antao and San Vicente, the competitors have to make their way along a channel spanning seven miles wide. The passage through the gate will give a precise idea of how everyone is ranked as well as drawing up an initial hierarchy prior to making the big leap across the Atlantic from which there is no way back.

They are there. In fact, at the head of the fleet, Ian Lipinski (Griffon.fr) and Simon Koster (Eight Cube Sersa) got through it some time ago after a little hook southwards to distance themselves from the wind shadow created by the mountains of Santo Antao, which culminates at nearly 2,000 metres. With the disturbed cone of breeze able to influence play as far as 30 miles out, we can well understand the prudence of the top two, who didn't want to play with fire. Particularly so with three rivals in hot pursuit, Jörg Riechers (Lilienthal), Romain Bolzinger (Spicee.com) and Charlotte Mery (Optigestion - Femmes de Bretagne), who would certainly have snapped up the opportunity to play catch-up.

Behind this leading group, Andrea Fornaro (Sideral) is likely to be first of the chasing pack to negotiate the channel, just ahead of Keni Piperol (Region Guadeloupe), who has made a great comeback after a prudent start. However, they'll have to keep an eye out for Aurelien Poisson (Teamwork) who could really close the gap thanks to an option a long way to the south. It should be roughly the same set-up for Pablo Torres (Bicho II Puerto Sherry) against the group of rivals slightly further to his north made up of Fred Guerin (Les-amis.fun), Jonathan Chodkiewiez (Tasty Granny) and Julien Hereu (Poema Insurance). However, Julien is bound to have other things on his mind today since he celebrated his twenty-fifth birthday on his own albeit with a pot of Nutella, a packet of M&Ms and some spicy sausage... Presents have a sentimental value at sea, the likes of which you find nowhere else.

Position report on 5 November at 15:00 UTC

Prototypes
1. Ian Lipinski (Griffon.fr) 2,016.3 miles from the finish
2. Simon Koster (Eight Cube Sersa) 34.2 miles behind the leader
3. Jorg Riechers (Lilienthal) 56.3 miles behind the leader
4. Romain Bolzinger (Spicee.com) 65.1 miles behind the leader
5. Charlotte Mery (Optigestion - Femmes de Bretagne) 69.9 miles behind the leader

Production boats
1. Tanguy Bouroullec (Kerhis - Cerfrance) 2,085.6 miles from the finish
2. Erwan Le Draoulec (Emile Henry) 14.6 miles behind the leader
3. Clarisse Cremer (TBS) 23.2 miles behind the leader
4. Pierre Chedeville (Blue Orange Games - Faire Retails) 39.5 miles behind the leader
5. Benoit Sineau (Cachaça 2) 46.4 miles behind the leader

www.minitransat.fr

Transat Jacques Vabre Start
A pumped up Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde (Imerys Clean Energy) - the Anglo-Spanish pair - were first across the line in the Class40 as the 13th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2017 started at 13:35 (French time) from its home in Le Havre, in Normandy, France today (Sunday). Beautiful light but lively weather greeted the fleet of 37 boats and 74 crew.

With 15-18 knots of north-westerly winds, a choppy shallow sea and plenty of current against them, they negotiated 15 miles of coast to round the first marks at Antifer and etretat. It will be a highly technical and tactical starting phase, with lots of sail changes and no sleep tonight.

The Ultime should be passing Ushant around midnight, followed by the Multi 50 in the middle of the night. The Imoca and Class40 are likely to suffer most in a softening wind against the strong currents at the tip of Cotentin, and the gaps with the multihulls will already start to widen.

All four classes are looking at record times for this bi-annual double-handed transatlantic "Route du Cafe" race of 4,350 miles to Salvador de Bahia, in Brazil.

First across the start line
Ultim: Sodebo Ultim'
Multi 50: FenêtreA - Mix Buffet
Imoca: St Michel - Virbac
Class40: Imerys Clean Energy

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

Transat Jacques Vabre - a first for the Yacht Club de Monaco
Among the 34 boats competing in the 13th Transat Jacques Vabre, which started on time in a fresh north-westerly on Sunday 5th November at 12.35pm (UTC), is the foiling IMOCA 60' Malizia II - Yacht Club de Monaco.

It is the first time a Monegasque boat has competed in this famous offshore race, an initiative of YCM Vice-President, Pierre Casiraghi. Although he was unable to take part he has entrusted the helm to YCM member Boris Herrmann (his teammate on the GC32 circuit on Malizia), paired with Dunkirk sailor Thomas Ruyant.

The fleet comprises 15 Class 40s, six Multi 50s, three Ultimes and 13 IMOCA 60-footers. Malizia II - Yacht Club de Monaco is being thrown in at the deep end with one goal in mind: "Obviously we want to finish on the podium, and weather conditions permitting, it would be great to cross the line before 19th November which is National Day in Monaco," said Boris Herrmann before leaving the quay.

YCM General Secretary, Bernard d'Alessandri, added that the boat's participation was integral to the Club's sailing policy to "position the Principality as a mecca for yachting, but not just for luxury yachts".

A ramped-up calendar for 2018 includes a regatta in June reserved for the IMOCA 60' class.

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home-en/

Next stop - Cape Town
Dongfeng Race Team converted a strong start into an early lead as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet embarked on Leg 2, a 7,000 nautical mile race from Lisbon to Cape Town.

Conditions were perfect for the leg start, with bright blue skies, and a 15-20 knot Northerly breeze that allowed the fleet to reach up and down the Tagus River past the city front of Lisbon.

After exiting the river and heading offshore past the protection of Cascais, the wind is forecast to build to over 30-knots, with a heavy ocean swell near 4-metres. It will be a fast and challenging first night at sea as the teams charge to the southwest.

within 15-minutes of clearing the mouth of the river, the fleet was already seeing over 30-knots of wind and Dongfeng Race Team recorded a boatspeed of nearly 33-knots.

Leg 2 - Position Report - Sunday 5 November (Day 1) - 15:00 UTC

1. Dongfeng Race Team -- distance to finish - 5,094.2 nautical miles
2. Team Brunel +0.2nm
3. MAPFRE + 0.6
4. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag +0.9
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing +1.6
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic +1.8
7. team AkzoNobel +1.8

volvooceanrace.com

Gabart and the MACIF trimaran are off!
On standby since 22 October, François Gabart cast off , Saturday 4 November, at 10.05 (French time, UTC+1) to take on the challenge of the single-handed round the world record. The MACIF trimaran skipper left his home port of Port-la-Forêt, on Friday evening, to make his way to the round the world starting line located between the Creac'h lighthouse, in Ouessant (Ushant), and the Lizard Point lighthouse in Cornwall, England, before setting sail in an 18-knot north-westerly.

To beat the record, held since 25 December 2016, by Thomas Coville in 49 days, 3 hours, 4 minutes and 28 seconds, François Gabart will need to cross the finishing line before 13.09 on 23 December (French time, UTC+1). In addition to working relentlessly to push his 30-metre trimaran as hard as he can, he will also need a sequence of favourable weather conditions, starting with the weather he will meet on the first run to the equator, which Thomas Coville crossed last year in 5 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes and 52 seconds.

Follow François Gabart's record attempt on the MACIF trimaran
On the map: bit.ly/MACIF-CARTO-TDM

www.macifcourseaularge.com

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Contest
Today's featured submission from

Juanas Pagodas & Sailors Grill, Navarre Beach, Florida

Here's what makes it so great... Coldest beer, magnificent sunsets, best music, on the water with docks, friendliest people

And today's special Vodka drink... one that's perfect for any hour of the day. The Espresso Martini.

Legend has it that a top fashion model walked into a London bar in 1984 (no report on the time of day) and asked for a drink that would both wake her up... and f**k her up. Thus was born the Espresso Martini. Sophisticated, edgy and unexpectedly strong.

Wight Espresso Martini

1 Part Kahlua
1 Part Wight Vodka
1 Part Espresso
Optional: Add Simple Syrup To Taste
Garnish with a few espresso beans.

Shake the Kahlua, Wight Vodka and espresso together with plenty of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass to get rid of all the small ice chips. Tip: Shake for like 10 seconds for optimal frothiness.

Now that you're on your way towards wakefulness and/or the other... pull out your credit card and have a kind thought for the yachting community in the Caribbean. Give to Sail Aid UK to help our brethren back on their feet.

Send us YOUR favorite watering hole:
scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

Pickled herring all round
On the 10th anniversary of the first Yacht Race Forum it's the good burgers of Aarhus in Denmark who will play hosts to this year's edition

The annual conference for the business of yacht racing will celebrate its 10th anniversary in November in Aarhus, Denmark. Founded in 2008, the event has steadily gained momentum since it was taken over by the Genevabased team at MaxComm Communication, led by event MC Bernard Schopfer.

In the three years since, the number of exhibitors has tripled. For a great many of those involved at the sharper end of yacht racing - opinion-formers, suppliers, sailors, organisers, sponsors, administrators - the Forum has become an important information sharing and networking opportunity in the run-up to Christmas.

The Yacht Racing Forum remains the only business-to-business conference dedicated to bringing together players from across the whole yacht racing industry and the 2017 conference will once again be populated by key personalities from within the industry worldwide.

www.seahorsemagazine.com

10th Annual Conch Republic Cup
The Conch Republic Cup (CRC) announces its 10th Edition of the Key West Cuba Race Week January 26 -February 3, 2018. "In celebration of the historic relationship between Key West and Havana we wish to renew the peace, love and friendship that are promoted through this event," said CRC Executive Director, Karen Angle during a recent visit with Commodore Jose Miguel Diaz Escrich of Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba. This year the race promises to be better than ever with the support of Key West Community Sailing Center, Key West Yacht Club and the Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba. This week long event is designed to give competitors the chance to cross the waters of the Gulf Stream to and from Cuba as well as race against Cuban sailors in the Torreon de la Chorrera Buoy Race.

The sailing history between Cuba and Key West began with ships sailing between the two islands for the purpose of trade. Once commercial shipping began to use fuel the ways of the sailing ships passed into the history books. However the tradition of sailing between Cuba and the US has continued with several events and races from all over Florida. The Florida Keys has the Conch Republic Cup that Commodore Escrich from Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba helped to start in 1997 with Peter Goldsmith from the Key West Sailing Club which is now the Key West Community Sailing Center.

Today among sailors the crossing between Cuba and Key West is still on their bucket list. The Florida Straits has always been seen as a challenging body of water due to the strong current of the Gulf Stream and intense nature of the winds.

Registration Deadline is December 31, 2017. For more information including the updated Notice of Race and full schedule Visit www.conchrepubliccup.org

Vote now for the 2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year
World Sailing is now inviting the sailing community, sports fan and the public to vote for one male and one female who they think should be crowned 2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Public voting is open for a 72-hour period and will close on Tuesday 7 November at 17:59 CST, 23:59 UTC, just hours before the announcement at the inaugural World Sailing Awards in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Female Nominees:
Marit Bouwmeester (NED)
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA)
Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU)
Tara Pacheco (helmed by Fernando Echavarri) (ESP)

Male Nominees:
Glenn Ashby (AUS)
Peter Burling (NZL)
Thomas Coville (FRA)
Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA)

www.sailing.org/vote.php

John Bertrand offers to help Slingsby
America's Cup-winning skipper John Bertrand has offered to help Tom Slingsby in his bid to get Australia into the prestigious sailing regatta for the first time in more than 20 years.

Bertrand guided Australia II to victory in 1983, breaking the United States' 132-year monopoly of the competition. Australia hasn't had a boat in the America's Cup since 2000.

Slingsby, the 2012 Olympic men's Laser gold medalist and two-time America's Cup sailor aboard Oracle Team USA, is keen to get an Australian boat up for the 2021 challenger series in New Zealand, most likely off Auckland. Emirates Team New Zealand won the America's Cup in June.

"Tom Slingsby is endeavoring to pull it together. I've said to Tom, 'I'll help in any way I can'," Bertrand told Australian Associated Press on Friday. "But it's up to the people who are willing to underpin something like this to maybe 90 percent of the total budget, so that's always the challenge."

www.thenewstribune.com

Read more here: www.thenewstribune.com/sports/

18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 5
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour, Race 5 of the Australian 18 Footers League's Spring Championship produced the fifth different winner when Ollie Hartas, Pedro Vozone and Rob Polec brought ILVE home a 23s winner on Sydney Harbour today.

The ILVE team had to come from behind to grab the lead at the final set of windward marks then hold off the former world champion SMEG team of Lee Knapton, Moke McKensey and Ricky Bridge.

Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster, Phil Marshall and Nick Hord) was a further 58s back in third place, just ahead of Jordan Girdis' Panasonic Lumix, Finport Trade Finance (Keagan York) and Noakesailing (Sean Langman).

With just two more races to be sailed in the championship (after each team drops its worst performance so far), Finport Trade Finance leads the points table on 15 points, followed by Panasonic Lumix on 18, Appliancesonline.com.au also on 18, Yandoo (John Winning) on 20, Smeg on 20 and Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards) on 21.

The less exterienced ILVE team sailed faultlessly on the spinnaker run to the finish line off Clakr Island and gave the series its five different winner and a great finish over the next two weeks.

Race 6 of the Spring Championship will be sailed next Sunday, 12 November.

Race 7 (last race of championship) will be sailed on Sunday, 19 November. -- Frank Quealey

www.18footers.com

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Contact Andrew Sheriff, CPYB
Dion's Yacht Yard, Salem MA
978-985-7077 mobile
andrew@ecys.com

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

Ker 40+ - PACE. 575,000 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.

PACE is an incredibly well sorted and maintained modified Ker 40+. She has many modifications to the original design making her significantly faster, but without incurring a large handicap increase. National Champion in the Fast 40+ fleet, she wants for nothing, with a fresh wardrobe of sails and turnkey. Perfect yacht for the Fast 40+ fleet or any IRC / ORC regatta.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk

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

2007 TP52 - RKO. 440,000 EUR. Located in Sydney, Australia

RKO is a hugely optimised example of these designs, benefiting from a very high spec North 3Di sail package, which caters for both inshore and offshore racing alike. Additional upgrades include a complete cosmetic overhaul and the addition of standing carbon rigging - this is a race winning machine

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The Last Word
The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality. -- John F. Kennedy

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Battling currents and lobster pots; 45-knot gusts, 5-metre waves ahead | Mini Transat: In search of the lost wind | Element: Harken for People who don't Need Harken | Decision day - is west the best? | Bacardi Cup J/70 Announcement | Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Contest | Hotelplanner.Com Resumes Racing in the Clipper Race | Very rare Marconi H12 with builder's plate, in need of full restoration | Featured Brokerage

Battling currents and lobster pots; 45-knot gusts, 5-metre waves ahead
If the first night of the 13th Transat Jacques Vabre was tough, the second night will wash away the memory in brutal fashion for the 37 boats and 74 crew, with winds gusting up to 45 knots and 5-metre waves as they begin to cross a cold front off Cape Finisterre from this evening (Monday).

The race has started with record-breaking weather forecasts but these are boat-breaking conditions where it is more about seamanship and survival rather than speed.

The upwind conditions will be tough for all four classes, and momentarily negate much of the advantage of the foiling boats across the fleet, even that of the 32-metre long leader in the Ultime class, Edmond de Rothschild.

Class40: between a rock and a racing current
What a battle. Just 15 miles between the first 7 boats with newly-launched boat Aïna, Enfance & Avenir (Chappellier/Le Vaillant) leading and Britain's Sharp in fourth and Miranda Merron (Campagne de France) in fifth. The leading Class40s could not really rest as they crossed the ridge of high pressure as they has to protect themselves from the strong current, which was reported as being up to 10 knots. They will reach the front tomorrow.

Imoca: What a battle II
Just 13 miles between the top eight. Des Voiles et Vous, SMA, St-Michel Virbac lead a fleet, which slowed by the ridge this afternoon, is slowly accelerating. The SMA duo (Meilhat / Gahinet) have given nothing to the foilers. But the more upwind conditions in big seas suit them. As soon as they pass the front (around 01:00 UTC), the foilers should make their reaching speed count.

Multi50: Arkema set the pace
Lalou Roucayrol and Catalan's Alex Pella on Arkema managed the difficult first night of sharp downwind racing expertly and stayed true to their pontoon plan of a quick start to be best placed for the front. The Multi50s are all heading due west, towards the front they will reach in the evening. All except Reaute Chocolat (Tripon / Bernaud) who have opted for a safer southern route at the cost of miles in what will be the toughest boat in the fleet to manage these conditions.

Ultime: Maxi Edmond de Rothschild escaping
After a crazy night with speeds of 40 knots, the Josse / Rouxel duo is making more than 20 knots, over 20 miles ahead of Sodebo Ultim' and beginning to feel the grip of the cold front.

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

Mini Transat: In search of the lost wind
There are now six sailors making a pit-stop to effect repairs at Mindelo with the arrival of Thibault Michelin (Eva Luna), victim of rudder damage a few days earlier. A seventh competitor is set to join them shortly, Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande Ambecco), whose boat has a broken bowsprit. He's turned back to make for Cape Verde.

It must be a long time since the channel between Santo Antao and Sao Vicente has seen so much traffic. For the past twenty-four hours, there has been a steady stream of Minis creating a bottleneck in this little stretch of water with over fifty boats having now set a course for the West Indies.

However, before they can sample the delights of the long surf of the Atlantic swell, they have one last obstacle to negotiate: getting past the wind shadow created by the mountains of Santo Antao. Whether it's a question of character or a more long term strategy, two theories are clashing here. Those keen to take a gamble are gallantly trying their luck by opting to cut in immediately to leeward of Santo Antao, there where the cone-shaped wind shadow is at its narrowest point.

The upshot of this is a rather tough section where the skipper has to know how to hunt down the slightest puff of breeze, but where the route northwards is freed up quickly. Some sailors have been revelling in this option, including Jörg Riechers (Lilienthal) on a prototype and Guillaume Combescure (Mini Oiri) on a production boat. The German sailor Lina Rixgens (Mini Doc) has also made this gamble. For others, this choice has enabled them to benefit from a few hours of light winds to carry out repairs at sea without having to indulge in the compulsory pit-stop option and its subsequent time penalty.

List of casualties to date:

Arthur Leopold-Leger (Antal XPO): rudder damage and partially delaminated transom.

Remi Aubrun (Alternative Sailing - Constructions du Belon): autopilot issues.

Julien Hereu (Poema Insurance): broken bowsprit, masthead halyard to be re-moused, generator no longer starting.

Andreas Deubel (www.andreasdeubel.de): mast wand issue.

Pavel Roubal (Pogo Dancer): fuel cell no longer working and helm issue.

Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande Ambecco): broken bowsprit. The Italian sailor is turning back and heading for Mindelo.

Thibault Michelin (Eva Luna): rudder damage.

Elodie Pedron (Manu Poki et les Biotechs) has repaired her rudder and everything's now working again so she won't be making a pit-stop at Mindelo.

Position report on 6 November at 15:00 UTC

Prototypes
1. Ian Lipinski (Griffon.fr) 1,729.6 miles from the finish
2. Simon Koster (Eight Cube Sersa) 73 miles behind the leader
3. Jorg Riechers (Lilienthal) 85.7 miles behind the leader
4. Andrea Fornaro (Sideral) 128.5 miles behind the leader
5. Charlotte Mery (Optigestion - Femmes de Bretagne) 129.6 miles behind the leader

Production boats
1. Erwan Le Draoulec (Emile Henry) 1,886.2 miles from the finish
2. Tanguy Bouroullec (Kerhis - Cerfrance) 3 miles behind the leader
3. Clarisse Cremer (TBS) 11.6 miles behind the leader
4. Pierre Chedeville (Blue Orange Games - Faire Retails) 63.3 miles behind the leader
5. Benoît Sineau (Cachaca 2) 69.4 miles behind the leader

www.minitransat.fr

Element: Harken for People who don't Need Harken
You're not a racer? But you are a sailor? That's fine. Because at Harken, we make products for sailors.

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Available in early 2018.

Learn more at: www.harken.com/element

Decision day - is west the best?
After a fast and furious opening to Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, the fleet is settling into a groove on Monday, with navigators and skippers already facing the first of many critical decisions on this race from Lisbon to Cape Town.

Today will give us the first indication as to how far west the teams want to set up for their approach to the doldrums.

"We're planning another gybe to the west to take advantage of the shifts," explained Juan Vila, the navigator on MAPFRE this morning with his boat charging south.

And soon enough, the Spanish team made the right turn and as of 13:00 was the second furthest to the west. Only Dongfeng had hit the west more aggressively.

"There's a massive, multi-hundred mile long wind shadow behind Madeira so we don't want to end up downwind of it," explains Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari.

"And if we go further south, towards the Canary Islands, there's a potential low pressure system that could be trouble. All routing has us headed west of Madeira."

Earlier today, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag skipper David Witt and navigator Steve Hayles appeared to have a contrary view, charging to the south and positioned as the eastern most boat in the fleet. But shortly after the 13:00 UTC position report, they too gybed, and are still set up to pass - just - north of Madeira.

The boats are sailing into familiar territory as Porto Santo, one of the Madeira Islands, was a mark of the course on Leg 1. But on this leg, the teams can leave the island group to either side. They should pass the islands this evening UTC.

Leg 2 - Position Report - Monday 6 November (Day 2) - 13:00 UTC
1. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag -- distance to finish - 4,723.5 nautical miles
2. team AkzoNobel +5.4
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing +14.1
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic +14.9
5. Team Brunel +27.7nm
6. MAPFRE + 35.2nm
7. Dongfeng Race Team +51.2

volvooceanrace.com

Bacardi Cup J/70 Announcement
Coconut Grove, Florida, USA: Bacardi USA is pleased to announce a new format in 2018 for the 91st anniversary of the world-famous Bacardi Cup, sailed on the emerald-green waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. Started as a regatta for Star boats in Havana, Cuba in 1927, the Bacardi Cup has continued to evolve and change with the times, giving it continued growth and popularity in a sport that has seen numerous regattas come and go.

In 1962, the series moved to Biscayne Bay and in 2010 the event expanded to include other classes in addition to the Stars. Known since 2013 as Bacardi/Miami Sailing week, recent classes have included J70's, J80's, and other sportboats from 18 to 24 feet.

For 2018, the organizing committee has decided to refocus the series on the original idea of an invitation-only regatta where the best small-boat sailors in the world come together to compete in tight, competitive, thrilling racing with the emphasis on quality instead of quantity. Still sponsored by the venerable Bacardi Rum brand and the Bacardi family, who have been active patrons since the beginning, the series in 2018 will be called the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta.

The Star class as always will have a single race per day on long, demanding legs rarely seen in today's short course era. Only one other one-design class has been invited to the regatta in 2018: the J/70 class, the fastest-growing one-design sportboat fleet in the world.

The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta will be held March 4-10, 2018 and is being run by a new management company, Twelve MKTG, headed by Sara Zanobini, well-known to competitors in past years as the driving force behind the scenes of the event. She is joined by Miami native Mark Pincus, a US Sailing-certified PRO who is organizing the on-water racing program as he has done in past Bacardi regattas.

bacardiinvitational.com

Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar Contest
Today's featured submission is a very unique one. A club that is aboard a ship.

Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago. Founded in 1892.

Here's what makes it so great...

It's a cool bar on a 374' ship that is the clubhouse.

Is there a special drink they make?

They make a James Bond Martini for me. Some people call them "Ted 'Tini's"

It's a vodka martini with a splash of gin, shaken, dry, up, cold and blue cheese olives.

Read up on the history of the club: www.columbiayachtclub.org/about/history

Send us YOUR favorite watering hole:
https://scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

Hotelplanner.Com Resumes Racing in the Clipper Race
HotelPlanner.com has resumed racing after diverting to Port Elizabeth to drop off round the world crew member, Greg Adams (59), who had a suspected fractured arm. The team was met by Clipper Race officials, Tom Way and Sarah Hoare, in Port Elizabeth in the early hours of Sunday morning and Greg was safely disembarked and transferred to hospital for X-Rays.

Leg 3 crew member, Steve Hathaway (56), has also been transferred to hospital after injuring his finger on Day 1 and will not be resuming Race 3: the Dell Latitude Rugged Race.

We wish Greg and Steve all the best as they receive treatment for their injuries. Skipper Conall Morrison is happy with the situation and has also welcomed six new crew members onboard from Greenings who had run aground earlier in Race 3.

Earlier in the day, HotelPlanner.com had ceased racing, by turning its engine on, at 0150 UTC in order to make its way in to Port Elizabeth. Since the crew transfers have taken place, the team has now returned to the point where it turned the engine on and resumed racing to Fremantle at 1102 UTC.

clipperroundtheworld.com

Very rare Marconi H12 with builder's plate, in need of full restoration
In 2015, HMM in collaboration with Boatwright Dan Shea developed a concept called the "Curatorial Restoration". It is a restoration of a Herreshoff-built boat done under the oversight of the curatorial staff of the museum, and it happens here on Burnside Street where the boat was originally built. Dan's restoration technique uses original materials and techniques, and it is geared to produce THE most authentically restored boat for discerning patrons.

Two Herreshoff 12 1/2s have gone through this program to date, one of which the museum retained for our own use, and one of which was sold to a gentleman in the Edgartown fleet. He purchased the boat in the middle of the restoration process, so he was able to collaborate with Dan on many of the decisions.

SWALLOW is a very unique and rare boat, and she is next in line to go through this program. She is one of only 5 "Improved Model" boats built for customers in the Fishers Island fleet, of which only 3 are known to remain. The boats have a wider side deck and a raised afterdeck. This from the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonne:

"A. Sidney DeW. Herreshoff incorporated a number of new features into the time honored 12 1/2 footer design at his father, N.G. Herreshoff's, earlier suggestion. The new features included a raised afterdeck with the tiller coming over rather than through the transom, coamings moved inboard slightly, copper flotation tanks under the scats which eliminated the need for watertight bulkheads fore and aft, and a special, hollow spruce spar. Many of these features were designed to make this small boat safer for the youngsters that would be sailing them. This model would be less apt to swamp and sink in rough waters as the earlier boats occasionally did."

This is an opportunity for a buyer to get involved early in the restoration of a rare boat, as being part of the process can be incredibly rewarding and fun.

Contact the Herreshoff Museum: w.lynn@herreshoff.org

Featured Brokerage
1989 Frers 92 - BRISTOLIAN. 800000 GBP. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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2012 Swan 60 Racer Cruiser. Price on application. Located in Spain.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

2001 Carroll Marine Farr 40. 125,000 USD. Located in Portsmouth, RI.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Please contact William Jenkins at 410-267-9419

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

The Last Word
People, please. We’re all frightened and horny, but we can’t let some killer dolphins keep us from living and scoring! -- Mayor Quimby

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Wight Vodka Best Yachting Bar: In Support of Sail Aid | Transat Jacques Vabre: Merron Heading To Port With Damage As Sharp Powers Into Lead | Accelerating away from Madeira and towards decision day | The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale | Seahorse Sailor Of The Month | HP30 Class | Warmer (less cold), drier (less wet), fresher (less exhausted) | For The Record | Industry News | Featured Brokerage

Transat Jacques Vabre: Merron Heading To Port With Damage As Sharp Powers Into Lead
British sailor, Miranda Merron and her French co-skipper - in sailing as in life - Halvard Mabire were heading for land this evening (Tuesday) to assess a damaged port rudder after their Class40 boat, Campagne de France, broached in heavy conditions in the Bay of Biscay.

Both sailors are apparently uninjured and will draw on all of their enormous experience to return to this 13th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Shortly after 12:00 UTC, Campagne de France, maintaining a strong challenge in 5th place in class, suffered a brutal broach, causing the bracket holding the port rudder, to break.

The 60-year-old Mabire, a big figure in French sailing and president of the Class40, and Merron, 48, a winner of the race in 1999 and formidable competitor, struggled for more than two hours to get their new boat back in order and check the damage.

The breakage is depriving them of a rudder, making the boat unmanageable. A repair can only be made in the shelter of a port. Mabire and Merron should decide their destination by the evening.

The cold front did some damage though as the Ultime-class Maxi 80 Prince de Bretagne broke its mainsail halyard last night. Skippers Lionel Lemonchois and Bernard Stamm plan to take shelter behind Santa Maria, the island southeast of the Azores, to climb to the top of the mast.

Class40 hit
Gustave Roussy have aerial trouble and are no longer receiving wind data and also tore their staysail. V and B, who had been pressing at the front of the fleet, were forced to drop their sails for two hours to laminate a cracked front bulkhead. In these chaotic sea conditions, that will need constant monitoring.

Before the front even arrived it had scattered the Class40s at the back of the fleet. Earendil making a short stopover in Camaret-sur-Mer to repair their staysail, and the Brazilian team, Mussulo 40 Team Angola Cables, stopping over in the same port to solve their electronic problems. Other boats changed course to avoid the worst.

Sharp work at the front
The Anglo-Spanish duo of Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde surged from fourth into first place, passing two French duos in newly-launched boats that are four years younger than Imerys Clean Energy.

Speaking in the morning, Sharp was most happy that they had got through the front unscathed and was looking forward to catching up. He probably did not imagine it would only take a matter of a few hours to catch and pass Carac and Aïna Enfance & Avenir. Carac edged in front by the evening but Sharp has laid down the challenge.

Contrast those experiences with the largest boat in the fleet, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, which flew through the front and pointed its bows towards Salvador at around 20:00 UTC on Monday night. "We crossed the front in two hours, that's the advantage of the multihull," skipper Sébastien Josse said.

The Ultime class are approaching the Azores and are almost a fifth of the way to the finish in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil (twice that of the Class40) Behind them, interestingly, the Imoca and Multi 50 fleets are intertwined.

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

Accelerating away from Madeira and towards decision day
As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet continued to charge west at breakneck speeds on Tuesday, a crucial decision that could ultimately affect the overall outcome of Leg 2 was looming.

The seven teams have been treated to a wet and wild opening 48 hours to the 7,000 nautical mile stage from Lisbon to Cape Town, their biggest challenge to date.

Boat speeds have been soaring close to 30 knots as the VO65s charge downwind on a tradewind-powered sleigh ride that has lasted since leaving Lisbon on Sunday.

But as well as having to deal with the physical demands of such extreme sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race crews are caught in a mental game of chess on water as they try to choose the ideal moment to head more directly south.

At 1300 UTC MAPFRE were showing as the lead boat with Dongfeng Race Team and team Akzonobel in second and third.

But the reality at this stage of the leg is that official rankings come second to actual positions on the water relative to the weather that lies ahead.

The big decision revolves around whether it will pay to be further west or further south. The fleet were today split by just 60 square miles, with MAPFRE opting for the more southerly route, while Dongfeng around 40 miles to their north west choosing the westerly option.

Not only must the crews avoid a huge wind shadow in the lee of the Canary Islands but also consider the best possible crossing point for the Doldrums, the ever-moving band of low pressure lying three-plus days away to the south.

Leg 2 - Position Report - Tuesday 7 November (Day 3) - 13:00 UTC
1. MAPFRE -- distance to finish - 4,938.3 nautical miles
2. Dongfeng Race Team +22.0nm
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing +36.0
4. team AkzoNobel +37.2
5. Turn the Tide on Plastic +43.3
6. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag +45.3
7. Team Brunel +56.9

volvooceanrace.com

The Perfect Nautical Gift for all Seasons by Latitude Kinsale
Looking for that special gift that is nautical and unique?

The 3D chart is the perfect Christmas gift that is appreciated for a lifetime! It ticks all of the boxes: it's personal, bespoke, it's art with a difference and it's relevant.

As a shared gift amongst a group/crew or simply a treat for yourself!

Check out the website today, talk to Bobby Nash about your commission. www.latitudekinsale.com

Any chart any where in the world !

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:

Guillermo Parada (ARG)
'Grande Guille' - Osvaldo Serrano; 'Voto por Guille Parada!' - Guillermo Garlini; 'El Trueno!' - Gaston Usuario; 'Cola leche!' - now that one got us (Google) - Gasto Popovsky; 'Great crew, great people' - Omar; 'Un gran profesional de la vela' - Gustavo Wilhelmus; 'ha siddo sie,pre un dominador' - (careful with that one on Google) - Javier Maldonado; 'le temenos muy alta' - (we fear you a lot...) - Jesus Beceiro; 'never pony' - (the same) - Matias Pereira; 'We learned to like each other...' - Rob Weiland. Always!

This month's nominees:

Igor Rytov (RUS)
In a month that saw Russian crews at the top of almost every major one-design competition Rytov's achievement stood out as a first in the annals of offshore racing. Sailing with an all-Russian crew on another trusty JPK 10.80, Bogatyr, Igor Rytov is now the first Russian skipper to put his name on one of the classic ocean racing trophies, winning this year's Rolex Middle Sea Race overall by just over 6 minutes, surviving nearly four days of rapidly changing conditions

Larry Ellison (USA)
Errors, there were a few, wise after the event, there are aplenty... always. Like it or not, Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison did change the America's Cup for ever and a lot of it was very good and is strongly influencing AC36 as ETNZ graciously admit. Muchmoney was spent, lots of opposition overcome (OK, sometimes steam-rollered) but they dragged the event so far forward it can now afford to ease back just a little for the longer term

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Henri Lloyd, 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

View past winners of Sailor of the Month

HP30 Class
The HP30 Class will soon be re-established, with a new constitution, class association and race programme.

A Class Constitution has been drafted by RORC Rating Office and has been posted on the HP30 Class website.

RORC Rating has spent some time working on the Class limits and proposes the following for discussion by the Class Association and approval:

Min LH: 8.5m Max LH: 9.6m (existing boats) - new boats Max LH: to follow
Min TCC: 1.055 Max TCC: 1.150 (may be slightly higher)
Max Draft: 2.45m
Max IRC DLR: 125 per certificate
Min Speed Ratio: 0.119 - The minimum TCC^2/LH ratio is less length sensitive and kinder to some of the existing boats allowing them to achieve the Class Limits, without having to make massive changes to their configurations.

Clarification over definitions for Existing Boat, Build Date and Series Dates to be advised in the RORC Rating Class Limits document and Class Rule which will be supplied in the future.

Broadly speaking, the following boats fit into the class: FarEast28R / Farr280s / Farr30s / Henderson30 / Soto30 / C&C30 / BR31 / Cape31 / FarEast31R and Pauger30.

There is plenty of choice for varying sizes of budget and there are other boats which could be optimised to fit the rule with minor changes.

The committee will meet as per the Class Association Constitution (now on the website). Joe Hall has offered to assume the role of Class Manager. Dates and details of the first meeting will be posted in due course. For those with time to support the HP30s please email secretary@hp30class.com

hp30class.com

Warmer (less cold), drier (less wet), fresher (less exhausted)
Crews in the first Whitbread in 1973 pretty much stayed wet from start to finish. But thanks to continuous innovation things are rather better now...

Few people have been involved in the Volvo Ocean Race for as long as Bouwe Bekking who, as the skipper of Team Brunel, is about to embark on his eighth campaign in one of the world's toughest offshore contests. Bekking knows where his priorities lie and somehow maintaining the condition of his crew in such a long and fatiguing event is probably the most important priority of them all. Hence one thing that Bekking will never mess around with is clothing. Team Brunel is one of three entries this year to have adopted Musto as their clothing supplier.

Since Bekking first competed in his first then Whitbread Round the World Race onboard Philipps Innovator in the 1985-1986 event the boats have only become steadily faster. Back in the mid- 1980s no one had even conceived of a large keelboat that could lift out of displacement mode and on to the plane. Life onboard was a good deal more comfortable - or rather less uncomfortable - back then, and although the pace of the race was not exactly sedate, it wasn't as 'by-the-moment' as it has become today.

Full article in the December issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com

For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record:

Record: Chicago to Mackinac
Yacht: "Il Mostro" VO 70
Name: Peter Thornton USA and 13 crew
Dates:.16th to the 17th October 2017
Start time: 22;40;30 UTC on 16/10/17
Finish time: 16;40;19 UTC on 17/10/17
Elapsed time: 17 hours 59 minutes and 49 seconds
Distance: 289 NM
Average speed: 16.06 kts

Comments:
Previous record: "Stars and Stripes" Steve Fossett. USA 1998. 18;15;32

John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council

Industry News
Members of the yacht racing community and sailing industry from all over the world are invited to Save the Date and join the Yacht Racing Forum 2018, on October 22-23 in Lorient, Brittany. Organized by MaxComm Communication, and co-hosted by Bretagne Développement Innovation and the cluster Eurolarge Innovation, this event will reassemble the sports' key personalities: event organisers, sponsors, designers, professional sailors, boat builders, media as well as insurance and finance companies, and provide a unique opportunity to network, debate the future of the sport and make business in one of the sport's strongholds.

The dates of the Yacht Racing Forum 2018 are changed to October 22-23 in order to fit in with the international sailing calendar and allow delegates to visit the Race village of the Route du Rhum, in Saint-Malo. An optional guided tour of the region's sailing industries, active in yacht racing, will also be proposed to the Forum delegates.

www.yachtracingforum.com

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Jeremy White, manager of the UK Elvstrom Sails loft in Hamble was given the 'Innovator of the Year' award at the recent annual Elvstrom Sailpoint Conference in Denmark for all the global lofts and dealers.

The award was made by Jesper Bank, commercial and R&D director in recognition of Jeremy's concept and design innovation for Elvstrom's new Blue Water Runner (BWR) downwind sail, launched earlier in 2017. This unique new sail is effectively three sails in one, combining two Yankee-style reaching sails on one furler. It can be flown directly downwind with the two sails peeled apart in goose-wing mode, used as a powerful reacher and also as a Code 0 sail in lighter breezes. It is already proving popular for offshore cruising owners.

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The organising committee of the Gold Coast International Boat Show and Marine Expo in Australia plans to cancel next year's show. A statement said the show would be "halted effective 2018".

The Gold Coast show, which started in 2011, originally launched in October of 2011 to showcase Coomera boatbuilders. In 2015, it changed dates to run at the same time as the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) in May. After pressure from participating builders, equipment suppliers and the Boating Industry Association, the show dates last year were changed to March. Organisers said 23,000 visitors came to see more than 600 exhibited boats during its three-day run.

The organising committee said that it "reluctantly" came to the decision because its boat builders "are now bustling as a result of new-boat sales and the hardstands and re-fit sheds are a hive of activity." It added that space for the show had become a "significant consideration".

plus.ibinews.com

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Australia's technical sailing apparel producer Zhik has come on board as Official Apparel Partner and Event Supplier of the 2017 Sail Melbourne International regatta (29 November - 3 December 2017).

Zhik, who is a supporter and partner of the World's best sailors, adds the Sail Melbourne International (SMI) partnership to their existing support of Australian Sailing and the Australian Sailing Team.

The new partnership will see a Zhik event merchandise shop at the event with items also being available online. Also, every entry in the regatta will receive a Zhik SMI branded cap as a part of their entry and Zhik will provide prizes for the Invited Class winners as part of their partnership.

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The Volvo Ocean Race and Sina Sports in China have agreed to a content partnership that will see video and digital coverage from the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 distributed across the Sina Sports platforms.

Along with an 11-part television series that began in October and runs monthly through July 2018, Sina Sports will also feature weekly race udpates, regular news highlights and streaming of race leg starts, in-port races and leg finishes and arrivals of the fleet into each port stopover.

Sina Sports will access other live updates from the race including live interviews or boat look-ins and will also have instant access to race standings, boat trackers, updated photos and more via Volvo Ocean Race's digital widgets.Sina Sports are also able to distribute highlights on the popular Weibo platform in China, which will be showing the race's weekly update.

The Chinese Dongfeng Race Team are competing in their second Volvo Ocean Race with French skipper Charles Caudrelier, who led the team, which featured six Chinese sailors, to a third-place finish in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

This edition of the race also features stopovers in Hong Kong and Guangzhou in January and February 2018.

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Exhibitor registration is now open for the 11th Barclays Jersey Boat Show, which will be held over the Spring Bank Holiday of Saturday 05 to Monday 07 May 2018.

Organised by Ports of Jersey with the operational support of local specialists, 3D Events, the three-day show will take place in and around St Helier Marina, Weighbridge Place and Marina Gardens.

First staged in 2008 as an opportunity to showcase Jersey's marine leisure industry to a wider audience, the event continues to grow in both size and reputation, regularly attracting in excess of 30,000 visitors over the three days and continues to be the largest free-entry event in the Channel Islands.

The 2018 show will once again provide an eclectic mix of entertainment both on and off the water, including the Main Stage programme of musical performances, live demonstrations and without doubt the continuing presence of the Royal Navy. Full details of activities and participants will be posted on the official website, jerseyboatshow.com as well as associated social media sites as and when confirmed.

Featured Brokerage
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