Alamitos Bay Yacht Club

Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

Luna Rossa confirm $109m sponsorship
Italian America's Cup challenger Luna Rossa have confirmed a massive $109m sponsorship for the next event.

The €65m sponsorship comes from fashion house Prada, their long-term supporter, and will be paid over four instalments through to 2021 when the event is scheduled to be raced in Auckland.

The huge sponsorship confirms the level of intent from the Italians who are the challenger of record, working alongside America's Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand to shape the 36th edition of the regatta.

Luna Rossa signed on as the challenger of record within seconds of Team New Zealand's cup-clinching race over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda last June.

The sponsorship will include participation in leadup events they indicated were planned for New Zealand, the United States, Asia and Europe.

Prada's chief executive officer and executive director Patrizio Bertelli also heads the Luna Rossa syndicate.

Luna Rossa were instrumental in seeing the America's Cup return to monohulls after three editions of racing in multihulls.

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/

Mount Gay Round Barbados Race record breakers
Bridgetown, Barbados: Squally winds reaching 30kts from the north-east made for magical sleigh-ride, record-breaking conditions in the 82nd Mount Gay Round Barbados Race.

While the lively conditions in big seas proved too much for many of the 34 entries in the 60nm sprint around the Island of Barbados, for others it couldn't have been more thrilling. In total seven records were broken - the largest ever number of records broken in the history of the event.

One of the biggest heroes of the day was undoubtedly Trevor Hunte, the local adrenalin junkie who, on his Starboard Phantom Batwing 377 raceboard windsurfer, smashed his own record set in 2016 by just over four minutes with a time of 5h 30m 46s.

Arguably the most notable result of the day with a finish time of 4h, 13m, 37s was CQS, the 100ft multi-winged supermaxi from Australia skippered by Ludde Ingvall that not only broke the Absolute Monohull record but also established the 100ft and under record.

Among the young sailors taking on the challenging course today was Jason Tindale (27) in College Funds. He and his team from Barbados Yacht Club once again demonstrated their skill by sailing a tactically sound race. Having established the J/24 record in 2015 and bettered their time in 2016, they've done it again with a time of 8h 18m 9s.

The 50ft and under record went to the two-year old British custom-built Marc Lombard 46 IRC cruiser racer - Pata Negra - owned and skippered by Giles Redpath with a time of 6h 19m 53s. Having sailed from St Vincent yesterday, Redpath and his team of mainly locals, and some of who had never sailed before, did exceptionally well given the extreme conditions.

Conviction, the local Botin Carkeek-designed TP52 with David Staples at the helm sailed a great race and broke the 60ft and under record from last year by just over three minutes.

The extreme conditions were far from ideal for the four foiling kitesurfers who started out this morning. However, Kevin Talma persevered and was the only one who managed to complete the course and establish the Foiling Kitesurfer record with a time of 5h 42m 33s.

The Classic fleet, including The Blue Peter, Mat Barker's Alfred Mylne 65, Ruth, the local schooner, and a couple of working Brigantine - Tres Hombres and Fryderyk Chopin, glided gracefully up the west coast but the conditions took their toll and none managed to complete the course.

2018 records

100ft and under - CQS - 04:13:37
60ft and under - Conviction - 05:17:29
50ft and under - Pata Negra - 06:19:53
One-design J/24 - College Funds - 08:18:09
Singlehanded - Luna - 07:57:19
CSA - Whistler - 06:11:40
Windsurfer - Trevor Hunte - 05:30:46

Full results

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Winter in a Boat
In recent years the idea of living on a boat has become increasingly popular, due in part to rising house prices and the yearning for a more 'community' based lifestyle. However, for some people, the winter season can bring about doubts, and pervasive winter boating myths, as most people worry about protecting their boats from the ice and snow or keeping warm.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands the difference between myths and simply taking the proper precautions to protect your boat and live safely on the water. With this in mind, here are our top 6 myth busting tips for surviving winter season with a boat.

Myth 1: You only need to cover your boat during the winter season
Myth 2: A boat isn't safe in a mooring during the winter
Myth 3: Boats are damp and cold during the winter
Myth 4: The pipes will freeze
Myth 5: The boat will be dark during the winter
Myth 6: There's too much involved in maintaining a boat in the winter

Full article: scuttlebutteurope.com

Nobby's parting shot at ICRA
Norbert 'Nobby' Reilly has resigned from the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) over disagreements with its direction in the last 12 months.

In his resignation letter submitted yesterday (Thursday 18 January), the Howth Yacht Club stalwart and former ICRA commodore suggested that it is "probably a good time to wind up" the association, on the eve of a symposium to determine its future direction.

Reilly accused ICRA of "getting in the way of its own plan" since a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016 with the ISA, now Irish Sailing, led to a boost in its finances for cultivating and promoting cruiser racing in Ireland.

Of its €50,000 budget for 2017 - four times ICRA's revenue in 2015 - allocations of €11,000 were made for training and €8,500 for recruitment via CrewPoint.

But Reilly claims only €2,000 of the former was spent in clubs (Howth YC and the Royal Cork) which already have training programmes in place, with little spend or results for the latter.

afloat.ie/sail/icra

Hometown Heroes
It was a hometown heroes welcome for David Witt and his crew aboard Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag as they rocketed into Hong Kong to take their first leg win of the Volvo Ocean Race. The racing had been intense since the Scallywag team snatched a surprising come-from-behind lead as the hunters hunted them with every bit of grit and determination, but they fended off all challengers by employing a well known inshore tactical strategy; they placed themselves squarely between those chasing and the finish line, and the tactic paid in spades. By winning the leg they became the first ever Hong Kong-flagged team to win a leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Much of the credit for their victory should go to Libby Greenhalgh who came on board as navigator in Melbourne. Libby, along with Annemieke Bes are the two females on board and their contribution has been massive. The leg from Australia to Asia is a minefield that needed to be navigated with a steady hand and steady head. After a bit of a rocky start Greenhalgh and skipper Witt saw their opportunity as the leading boats wallowed in the calms of the doldrums. Taking a calculated gamble they "cut the corner" turning toward Hong Kong before the rest of the fleet. The risk was that they would run out of wind but they skirted a windless zone on either side, remained in a steady breeze, and took a commanding lead. Some will say that they got lucky while others will know the truth; it was their Dubarry Crosshaven boots engineered and crafted to take on the tricky condition of the Pacific Ocean that gave them the winning edge.

dubarry.com

Return of the Joker
Click on image to enlarge.

After spending decades off the radar and falling slowly into disrepair, the Bar Harbor 31 - initially named Joker - has resurfaced. Joker was the fourth of thirteen boats that comprised the fleet of Bar Harbor 31s which all left the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company's doors in the spring of 1903.

Joker's owner contacted Alec Brainerd of Artisan Boatworks because of his former affiliation with Seal Cove Boatyard, where he first dipped his toes into the pool of marine industry work. Brainerd founded Artisan Boatworks in 2002 and currently serves as the President. Under his leadership, Artisan Boatworks agreed to transport Joker to their Rockport, Maine yard and has plans to rebuild the yacht according to her original specifications.

While Joker may not be ready for her next sail just yet, many of her components have maintained their integrity throughout her roller coaster of a journey. Her keel, many parts of the deck hardware, and most of her original planking have been saved, continuing to give shape to the restored yacht. Surely this is a testament to the quality of the original build, which took place in Bristol, Rhode Island 115 years ago.

With a 48' 10" overall length, but only 30' 9" at the waterline, the structural rigidity of the topsides, deck, and sheer were some of the most important aspects of N. G. Herreshoff's design. Fortunately, his experience in the boatbuilding world allowed him to do this without creating a cumbersome yacht. Rather, the "key strength-giving elements are lightweight, small in size, beautiful to look at, and simple to build," according to Maynard Bray in his publication Two Views of the Herreshoff Bar Harbor 31s.

The team at Artisan Boatworks will be working meticulously to preserve or replicate each of these details to pay appropriate homage to Herreshoff's historic strength and beauty.

www.classicyachtownersassociation.org

Ocean Safety February Open Days
Ocean Safety will be inviting yacht owners to familiarise themselves with their essential onboard safety equipment when the company opens its doors to customers at its Southampton depot on 3rd and 4th February 2018.

Ocean Safety Glasgow and Plymouth will run a similar event on Saturday 3rd February.

Hopefully you've never had to launch your liferaft or seen your lifejackets inflated, or even let off a fire extinguisher or flare. We all hope for drama-free boating, but it's worth being prepared, ready for coming spring.

You are invited to bring along your liferafts, lifejackets, and other serviceable onboard safety equipment to be checked by Ocean Safety's expert team. Everyone is welcome to turn up to watch general demonstrations which will be held throughout the day but if you want to see your own liferaft inflated or equipment opened and checked, you will need to make an appointment. This equipment can then be left for servicing and can be collected at a later date. During the day there will be plenty to see and do and the experts will be on hand to answer questions

Visitors to the Southampton Open Day will also see and take part in flare demonstrations and personal AIS recovery systems demonstrations. A full programme is now available on Ocean Safety's website.

Visitors will need to book a time slot for their liferaft inspection and demonstration by calling Emily at Ocean Safety on 02380 720800 or emailing ebatchelor@3sisafety.com. The open day runs from 10am- 4pm. For details of how to get there visit www.oceansafety.com

Gold Medalist ponders a comeback
The sparkling athletic career of American Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias, which includes a gold medal in the singlehanded Laser Radial class, a world match racing championship, an appearance au naturel in ESPN the Magazine's The Body Issue and a transition to an elite-level Crossfit career, bears the hallmarks of someone in full control of her destiny.

But if the next phase is to be successful, Tunnicliffe Tobias (Pittsburgh, Pa.) must come to grips with having someone else at the helm, at least on the race course. After a five-year layoff, she is contemplating a return to Olympic-level sailing, but not as a skipper.

This week, she will test out a new partnership by crewing for 2016 Olympian Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) in the 49erFX class in 2018 World Cup Series Miami, the second of four events that comprise an annual circuit of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Middle Harbour Yacht Club One Design Trophy
Edake's winning streak continued at the Farr 40 Middle Harbour Yacht Club One Design Trophy in sublime summer conditions.

Two consecutive pointscore wins gives owner Jeff Carter some confidence rolling towards the season climax, but he's well aware that facing the full complement of 10 boats reduces the odds of a trifecta for the longstanding Sydney crew.

Over eight races on Sydney Harbour in 12 knot nor'easters on Saturday and up to 20 knots on Sunday January 21, Carter and his crew finished the MHYC series seven points clear of Rob Pitts' Melbourne boat Double Black, with guest tactician Joe Turner fulfilling the pressure-cooker role.

The one design fleet is working towards their state and national titles, which signal the end of the 2017-18 racing season. The NSW State Title will be hosted by MHYC over two days, February 3-4, then a month later the final non-pointscore hit-out at MHYC's Sydney Harbour Regatta before the finale, the Australian championship.

The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is the traditional home of the class' pinnacle event and this year the National Championship: John Calvert-Jones Trophy will be staged over three days, March 17-19 to fit in with the Property Industry Foundation Charity Regatta on the Friday.

farr40.org

For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record:

Record: Outright South Pacific Ocean Intermediate Record
Yacht: "MACIF" 30 metre Trimaran
Name: Francois Gabart. FRA
Dates:. 25th November to the 3rd December 2017.
Start time: 21;00;00 on 25/11/17
Finish time: 12;20;00 on 03/12/17
Elapsed time: 7 days 15 hours and 20 minutes.
Comments: Previous record: IDEC. Frances Joyon. FRA. 12/01/17. 7d 21h 13m 21s

John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
sailspeedrecords.com

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The Last Word
In science, there are no universal truths, just views of the world that have yet to be shown to be false. -- Brian Cox

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
Hong Kong to London: Maserati Enters the Indian Ocean | Miami Breeze Plays Hide and Seek on Day 1 of World Cup Series Miami | MAIB Report on Clipper Death | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | NZ Government close to securing new site for America's Cup bases in Auckland | Contractors will have to work around the clock | Superfoiler Grand Prix: Newcastle leg delayed until 2019 | 2018 iSail Whitsundays Contender World Championships - Day Three | EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour | Vasco Vascotto Joins Team Luna Rossa | Lewmar's 'Mr Winch', Tony Jones, has died while travelling in France. | Featured Brokerage

Hong Kong to London: Maserati Enters the Indian Ocean
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi70's crew crossed the Sunda Strait and entered the Indian Ocean.

At 19 UTC they were at 9° South and 103° East, 593 miles ahead Lionel Lemonchois.

Leaving the China Sea, the crew leaves behind many hazards: fishing ships with no lights, debris and nets scattered all around the first 2000 miles of the Hong Kong to London route.

Maserati Multi70 is now headed towards the South-East trade wind, flowing around the sixteenth parallel South.

The trimaran Maserati Multi70 left Hong Kong crossing the starting line positioned between the Tai Long Pai and Nga Ying Pal lights, at the exit of the Tathoong canal, at 10: 43′ 24" UTC (18:43 in China, 11:43 in Italy) on January 18.

To beat the record Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the trimaran - Guido Broggi, Oliver Herrera Perez, Alex Pella and Sébastien Audigane - have to complete the course and cross the finish line under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Thames before the 1st of March at 8: 9′ 47" UTC.

Along the 13,000 miles course (about 24,000 kilometers) following the shortest orthododromic route passing by the Cape of Good Hope, the Hong Kong-London route begins with a run down the South China Sea. "The weather situation has been very unstable in these last days", explains Pierre Lasnier, the routeur who will follow the record on land. "According to the latest models, it's getting clearer. Starting today, Maserati Multi70 is almost certain to find an average wind of NE between 17 and 18 knots of speed for the next three days, enough to get down to 5°N, under the southern point of Vietnam. But, they will not be able to sail on the direct route, they will have to make several gybes downwind to go towards South."

maserati.soldini.it

Miami Breeze Plays Hide and Seek on Day 1 of World Cup Series Miami
For athletes looking to burst out of the blocks and vigorously shake off any holiday rust at the 2018 World Cup Series Miami, USA, the opening day was a struggle.

The wind played hide and seek for all of the morning - tempting at least one race officer into starting a race that would eventually be abandoned - before filling in the afternoon and allowing six of the 10 fleets to get in at least one race.

Miami is welcoming 543 sailors from 50 nations and when the wind did fill it, it remained light and fickle, and the challenge on Biscayne Bay was more mental than physical. But the mantra was still the same for any first day of a big regatta: minimize risk and avoid the big mistakes.

With very light winds and a compact race schedule, the Laser Radial didn't get a chance to race. The Finn and Men's RS:X fleets were also unable to compete.

The Race Committee will look to catch up on races missed on Wednesday, in a bid to get back on schedule. Competition is due to commence at 11:00 local time.

miami.ussailing.org

MAIB Report on Clipper Death
The MAIB has published its initial report into the drowning of Simon Speirs in November 2017 while taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Mr Speirs was on board the yacht GREAT Britain (CV30) during the third leg of the race when he fell overboard during a headsail change.

He was attached to the yacht by his safety harness tether however the hook at the end of the tether that was clipped to a jack-line, deformed and released resulting in him becoming separated from the yacht.

He was recovered unconscious onto the yacht however other crew members were not able to resuscitate him.

The MAIB's initial findings state Mr Speirs was using a three-point webbing tether attached to the integral harness of his lifejacket that allowed him to clip on to the yacht with a short or long tether.

The investigation found the hook on the end of Mr Speirs' tether had become caught under a deck cleat resulting in a lateral loading that was sufficient to cause the hook to distort and release.

Although the harness tether complied with international safety standards, the standard contains detailed testing requirements that assume the tether and its hooks will be loaded longitudinally rather than laterally.

The investigation is continuing.

www.boatingbusiness.com

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
(Very) uncomfortable boats, soft wings, America's conundrum and Australia cranks it up (even more). Patrice Carpentier, Carlos Pich, Blue Robinson, Dobbs Davis, Ivor Wilkins

Update
The clock is ticking for Cup teams and there is way more to the Star Sailors League than meets the eye. Plus stretching the entente with the Golden Globe

Rod Davis - Jumping the (development) curve
You just gotta remember to listen with your eyes…

Sailor of the Month
Determination plus persistence equal delivery

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/

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NZ Government close to securing new site for America's Cup bases in Auckland
The location of the America's Cup bases in Auckland is up in the air with a Government plan to house the syndicates on the old Tank Farm at Wynyard Point.

Economic Development Minister David Parker says he has received an in-principle letter from Stolthaven to move its hazardous facilities off its southern Tank Farm site by the end of the year.

Parker's persistence at investigating a land-based option at Wynyard Point is at odds with Auckland Council and Team New Zealand, which agreed last month to go with the Wynyard Basin option for a cluster of bases on a 75m extension to Halsey Wharf, a 75m extension to Hobson wharf, and on the existing Wynyard Point wharf.

Last Monday, a resource consent application for Wynyard Basin was lodged with Auckland Council. The consent, a huge document with more than 50 supporting reports, is due to be publicly notified on January 30.

Parker said the cost of Wynyard Point would be a "very small fraction" of the $118 million figure the council's development arm, Panuku Development Auckland, said it would cost to move and relocate the hazardous facilities.

Panuku have costed the Wynyard Basin option at $124m plus $18m to relocated tenants and landlords. This does not include $28.4m to build eight syndicate bases. Panuku costed Wynyard Point at $112m (exclusive of bases) plus relocation costs of about $118m.

Parker is confident the Wynyard Point option can be achieved within the tight time frame to gain consent and build the base in time for the first team's arrival at the back end of 2019.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Contractors will have to work around the clock
Contractors will have to work 24 hours a day, six or seven days a week to build the America's Cup bases in time for the start of the 36th cup defence, say experts.

Engineering firm Beca says the 18-month time frame to build eight bases for the arrival in Auckland of the first syndicates at the back end of next year is a challenging job.

The challenges are outlined in technical reports from Beca, which form part of the resource consent application to build the bases.

The consent is for Auckland Council's favoured Wynyard Basin option for a cluster of bases on a 75m extension to Halsey Wharf, a 75m extension to Hobson Wharf, and on the existing Wynyard Wharf.

"Due to the short construction period of 18 months, use of precast concrete is expected to be maximised and a 24 hours/day, 6-7 days/week construction period will be required," says one infrastructure report by Beca.

A second report by the engineering firm says there are only likely to be three or four New Zealand-based main contractors capable of building the bases within the time frame and it may require a joint venture to pool resources and expertise.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Superfoiler Grand Prix: Newcastle leg delayed until 2019
The Superfoiler Grand Prix will not swoop through Newcastle in 2018, organisers have confirmed.

The event, which the Newcastle Herald revealed in July last year was slated to head to the Hunter, is now likely to arrive in 2019 instead.

Superfoiler Grand Prix managing director Bill Macartney confirmed that a date switch for a potential leg in the harbour from December last year to Australia Day had made a race in Newcastle impossible this year.

"It's probably my fault more than anyone," Mr Macartney said.

"I failed to keep Newcastle City Council properly up to speed with discussions with other supporting bodies and by the time I finally went back to them, they'd switched power boats from the Supercars event ... to Australia Day weekend. That ruled us out."

"All parties seem keen to make it happen next summer."

The Superfoiler Grand Prix will visit Adelaide, Geelong, the Gold Coast, Busselton in Western Australia as well as Sydney in February and March.

www.theherald.com.au

www.superfoiler.com

2018 iSail Whitsundays Contender World Championships - Day Three
It's official! It's a two horse race - everyone expected the duel between Bulka and Beebe - well they have it!

Two points separating them after the discard came into play after Day Three of the Contender Worlds hosted by McCrae Yacht Club, Australia. Local sailor, Mark Bulka, had a blistering day on the water with a 1st and 2nd whilst Jason picked a 5th and 1st with only a half boat length between them both on the final race.

Similar 'champagne sailing' weather tomorrow - two races planned for Day Four - keep up to date with all of the action via Race Tracker Live: contenders.sailracer.org

Results available at www.mccraeyc.com.au and videos by VR Sport Media.

Results

*|VIMEO:[$vid=252337867]|*

EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour
The all-new 2018 EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (3-17 February) has attracted a high-class international fleet of Diam 24 racers eager to test themselves against the competition and the challenges of the course along Oman's dramatic coastline.

Though the revised route - as well as the switch to the high-speed Diam trimaran - was only revealed in October last year, eight top teams have signed-up for the Gulf region's premier yacht racing event.

The international fleet offers a high-powered mix of Sailing Arabia veterans combined with newcomers bringing a wealth of Diam experience, much of it gained on the legendary Tour de France à la Voile which also uses the modern one-design multihull.

Among the leading contenders are Daniel Souben, a former winner of both EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour and the Tour de France à la Voile, who will be managing and coaching the Vivacar team which will have the experienced hands of his multihull-racing son Matthieu on the helm. "EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2018 is looking set to be a great competition which will also provide us with perfect preparation for the French circuit and the Tour de France later in the year," he said.

Another French team out to make its mark on the new-look EFG Sailing Arabia event is Beijaflore, fresh from a highly competitive third-place finish on last year's Tour de France a la Voile. Valentin Bellet, a former F18 European and Hobie 16 world youth champion, will be leading a young five-strong squad that will rotate as the demanding 14-day event unfolds.

Renowned yachtsman Pierre Mas is project director for the go-getting team who are ready to take full advantage of Oman's near-idyllic sailing conditions and aim to make a winning start to the new season.

They will face stiff competition along the way however. Swiss racing legend Bernard Stamm will lead his Poujoulat team, while his compatriot Elodie-Jane Mettraux will skipper the all-female DB Schenker entry.

Further French opposition will come from the Lorina Youth team led by Solune Robert, and Cedric Pouligny's Renaissance squad.

Then there are the two hometown teams - defending EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour champion Thierry Douillard skippering EFG Bank Monaco and British Olympic sailor Stevie Morrison helming Averda, with both boats featuring Omani crewmembers as part of Oman Sail's ongoing development programme.

Action kicks off on 3 February.

sailingarabiathetour.com

Vasco Vascotto Joins Team Luna Rossa
The Italian sailor Vasco Vascotto - winner in different classes of 25 World, 15 European and 25 National titles - joined team Luna Rossa and the crew who will sail the 2018 TP 52' Super Series. On the TP 52' Luna Rossa Vascotto will partner as tactician with helmsman Francesco Bruni.

Both Bruni and Vascotto are already in Cagliari, together with the team, to participate in the training and observation sessions of over 40 young sailors from all over Italy, selected as possible future crew members. This project aims to widen the team's scope of action by involving the most qualified and promising Italian young racing sailors in Luna Rossa's preparation to the 36th America's Cup.

www.lunarossachallenge.com

Lewmar's 'Mr Winch', Tony Jones, has died while travelling in France.
Mr Jones began his career with Lewmar in 1979 as product manager of the sailboat winch product line and was heavily involved with the design and development of the company's winches throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Mr Jones was particularly involved with Lewmar's OEM and racing winch product platforms working with the design team to develop the Ocean series of winches, an early form of the company's current Evo winch range.

"Tony was instrumental in the conception and design of Lewmar's highly successful Ocean winch range," said Matt Johnston, Lewmar sales and marketing director. "During his time within the business, he was a great source of knowledge for many of our employees and will be sorely missed."

Ian Stevenson, currently the Osculati North Europe representative, who sat opposite Mr Jones at Lewmar for many years, added: "Tony travelled the world talking 'Lewmar Winch' he was respected by boat builders and competitors for his vast knowledge and experience.

"He approached work with a great sense of humour and enthusiasm and he will be greatly missed."

Mr Jones retired from Lewmar in 2007 to spend more time travelling with his wife Pauline and enjoy their French holiday home.

www.boatingbusiness.com

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2009 Oyster 82 Magrathea. 2,285,000 USD. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, USA>

Magrathea is absolutely stunning inside and out with Hall Spars black carbon rig and carbon Vee Boom with slab reefing and North Sails for fast passage making and fun around the buoys too.

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1992 Swan 68-002 Defiance. 650,000 EUR. Located in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Italy.

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The Last Word
The dirty little secret of genomics is that we still know next to nothing about how a genome translates into the particularities of a living and breathing individual. -- Svante Paabo

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

A physically demanding Miami day
Contrary to the other seven boats that are currently used for Olympic sailing, the RS:X Windsurfer is at its most physically demanding in lighter air.

In the Men's RS:X fleet, the Swiss, Mateo Sanz Lanz finished first on the leaderboard followed by close rival, Pawel Tarnowski (POL) and Ivan Pastor Lafuente (ESP) in third.

After not even leaving the dock yesterday, the 26 competitors in the Men's Heavyweight Dinghy division, a.k.a. the Finn class, were happy to get in three races today. This regatta marks the return to World Cup Series competition for two medalists from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, gold medalist Giles Scott (GBR) and bronze medalist Caleb Paine (USA).

However it was Ioannis Mitakis (GRE) who ruled the day, climbing the ladder with an eighth in the first race, a third in the second and finally a first to close things out.

With six races down, the 49erFX fleet is halfway to Saturday's Medal Race. But as well as they've sailed to this point, Jurzcok and Lorenz are not taking anything for granted, especially with the forecast calling for significantly more breeze over the next few days.

In the 49er, Croatians brothers, Sime and Mihovil Fantela continue to hold their lead on day two whilst Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell (GBR) are in second but equal on points with Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT).

It is all to play for in the Laser Radial fleet as the top three sailors are locked on equal points. Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU), champion of the 2017 Laser Europa Cup held in Lithuania, is first followed by Valentina Balbi (ITA) and Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) in second and third.

The Laser finished the day with Tom Burton (AUS) in first place on the leaderboard. Nick Thompson (GBR) progressed to second and Thomas Saunders (NZL) is in third.

Australian Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist Nacra 17 sailors, Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, dominated today's races winning all three. They hold a nine-point lead over the Great Britain's, John Gimson and Anna Burnet.

The Japanese maintained their dominance in the Men's and Women's 470. -- Stuart Streuli & Aadil Seedat - World Sailing

Full results: sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

Congressional Cup returns to its roots
The Congressional Cup, recognized as the 'granddaddy' of modern world-class match racing, will present the 54th edition on April 18-22 in Long Beach, CA. Breaking away from the World Match Racing Tour, the 2018 event returns to the exciting 10-boat format favored by spectators and competitors alike.

Founded by Long Beach Yacht Club in 1965, it has set the standard for top-level match racing worldwide, pioneering the concept of on-the-water umpiring, in a spectator-friendly venue.

Five of the world's top 10 ranked match racing skippers will compete this year, including three-time Congressional Cup winner Taylor Canfield (ISV), Harry Price (AUS), Sam Gilmour (AUS) and Chris Steele (NZL). Swiss sailor Eric Monnin will also return, plus Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) and hometown favorite Scott Dickson.

Reigning Congressional Cup champion Ian Williams (GBR) will be back, to defend his 2017 title. In last year's edition, Williams went from rags to riches: scrapping his way to victory after a shocking last-place finish in 2016.

The 10-boat, double round-robin format will give competitors twice the chance to familiarize with the boats and conditions and sharpen their skills, making for more rousing competition, which delights racers and fans alike.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

And so the dam breaks
It's taken a while but the Mini fleet has woken up. Joe Lacey and Fred Augendre sit down in Lorient with scowman David Raison

Some journey
Today the company that bears his name covers everything from iceboating to America's Cup racing - and a lot more besides. But that's a very, very long way from where it all began. Peter Harken

To boldly go
That AC75 - Franck Cammas, Grant Simmer and Dean Barker talk to James Boyd

Design - The master of (multihull) intuition
Very tough - Ian Farrier

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
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Court case throws new twist into Amercia's Cup base row
The America's Cup base row has taken a new twist with a claim that a court case could trip up a plan by Economic Development Minister David Parker to house the syndicates on Wynyard Point.

Sail-Word.com reported yesterday that Parker's claim of saving several million dollars from the Wynyard Point option appeared to fly in the face of a Supreme Court decision.

The 2016 decision found that Panuku Development Auckland was responsible for remediation costs of $50 million on a Mobil site at Wynyard Point, said Sail-Word.com.

"The decision covered only the Mobil NZ leased site but is clearly relevant to all other leaseholders in the Tank Farm area now known as Wynyard Point.

"It is hard to believe that Parker, who is also Attorney General, would be unaware of an 18-month-old decision handed down by the Supreme Court," the article said. -- Bernard Orsman in the NZ Herald

Cited in Radiosport NZ www.radiosport.co.nz/

Storm Trysail Club and Foundation are making available WOMEN OFFSHORE video
Storm Trysail is working on an initiative to encourage more women sailors to experience sailing offshore. Recognizing that the number of women who race or cruise offshore is disappointingly low, Storm Trysail has created WOMEN OFFSHORE, a new video produced by STC member Gary Jobson, in which 10 highly experienced women sailors share helpful ways to get more women on the water.

WOMEN OFFSHORE is being offered to yacht clubs and sailing organizations wishing to present this important video to their memberships. Free downloads of WOMEN OFFSHORE can be requested by contacting Storm Trysail Club member Charles "Butch" Ulmer at butch@uksailmakers.com.

WOMEN OFFSHORE is the latest addition to the Storm Trysail Video Library. In addition to this new program, this collection offers a range of videos covering specific safety-at-sea best practices. Organizations and individuals can purchase subscriptions to the Safety-at-Sea Video Library.

By making these informative videos available, Storm Trysail seeks to encourage more people to safely participate in offshore sailing. See the preview below:

Romain Attanasio: "A more competitive project"
After finishing fifteenth in the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe aboard a legendary IMOCA launched back in 1998, Romain Attanasio has since then acquired a more modern boat, Fabrice Amedeo's former Newrest-Matmut, a Farr design from 2007. So, now he's begun a new IMOCA cycle leading up to the 2020 Vendee Globe. On his new boat, Romain will be able once again to make the most of his racing instinct.

Romain, your new boat has now been handed over in Port-la-Forêt. This one is ten years younger than Famille Mary-Etamine du Lys, your previous IMOCA. We can imagine that changes a lot of things for you...

"They're reallylike chalk and cheese. The rules and standards of performance moved so fast over that ten year period. I know what this type of boat is like having taken part in the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre sailing double-handed with Louis Burton on another Farr design from the same generation (the pair finished in ninth place, editor's note). My current boat performs much better and is lighter, but the basic philosophy is the same as on Louis's old boat, so I know what to expect when sailing on her. She will be going into the yard next week. The two major goals will be to look at all the systems and to slim the boat down as much as possible. We won't be doing any major work on her this year. She is due to be relaunched in April."

So the goal for you is to be that much more competitive?

"Exactly. I completed my first Vendee Globe aboard an older boat where my main aim was to make it all the way around the world. I deliberately went for reliability. I knew that if I completed that race, it would open doors for me to return in 2020 with a boat that would perform better and that is exactly what has happened. I'm always aiming to move forward, but remain humble. I don't have a brand new boat, but nevertheless one that should allow me to go on the attack more. Whether when I'm out training in Port-la-Foret or racing, I should be able to fight it out with boats from the same generation as mine."

www.imoca.org

Industry News
The Toronto International Boat Show (TIBS) closed on Sunday on a strong note, with an attendance jump over 2017 and exhibitors reporting steady sales of boats and marine equipment.

Final attendance for the 10-day event, which was held at the Enercare Centre on the Toronto waterfront from January 12-21, was announced as 77,493 people representing an approximate 1% increase over the 77,105 who visited in 2017.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the Toronto International Boat Show is Canada's largest consumer boat show and the largest indoor boat show in North America with more than 550 exhibitors and 1,200 boats on display. Home to the world's largest indoor lake, it also presents an extensive program of feature attractions including wakeboard and waterski shows, public boat rides, paddleboard demonstrations and nearly 300 informative seminars.

plus.ibinews.com

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The 113th annual Progressive New York Boat Show, which started today at the Javits Center in Manhattan, will run through Sunday.

The New York Boat Show will feature 400 new boats and marine accessories.

All-Star New York Mets pitcher and boating enthusiast Jacob deGrom will meet fans at the Mercury Marine booth on Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

The new Touch-a-Boat Tour gives children an opportunity to climb aboard a working fireboat from the New York Fire Department and meet firefighters who work on the water.

It also will allow kids to see what is billed as the world's fastest catamaran and talk to the race team, meet the New York Police Department marine unit, take the helm of a boat from the Progressive Boat Club's new Oculus Rift virtual reality experience and win prizes.

The show is holding its first New York Boating Career Day from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday in an effort to address the industry's growing workforce shortage. After the morning sessions, students will tour the show to talk to exhibitors and learn more about innovations in boating. More than 300 exhibitors are expected to be at the show.

At the Progressive Boat Club, mariners from the Annapolis School of Seamanship will teach hands-on boating courses for all levels of experience.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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The German Boat and Shipbuilding Association (DBSV) is to host a new boat show in Hamburg this year and has formed a 'North-South Alliance' with event organisers Messe Friedrichshafen and Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) to pool their experiences together.

The inaugural 2018 Hamburg Boat Show will be held from October 17-21 at the Hamburg exhibition complex. Almost 300 companies have already expressed an interest in attending.

The new exhibition concept is also a starting point for the North-South Alliance formed by the association and the shows in Friedrichshafen and Hamburg. This should impact positively on the Interboot show in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany. The DBSV is therefore not only playing a leading role in Hamburg, but its presence at the watersports exhibition on Lake Constance will also be increasing.

plus.ibinews.com

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Sailing instrument specialist A+T Instruments has launched its new ATP1 processor to complement the company's established range of instruments and displays for superyachts and 'Grand Prix' race yachts. The new product is aimed at the refit market, allowing yachts with B&G H2000 and H3000 systems to upgrade processors while keeping existing wiring, displays and sensors.

This is a big selling point, as it means there is no need for yachts to fit a completely new system if only one or more displays have failed and any mixture of legacy B&G and new A+T replacement displays can be supported and then changed over time. The company has reported high initial interest from larger sailing yachts, where high specification and service is required and the cost of a complete 'take out and start again' would be prohibitive.

Now in its third year of operation, A+T has been well received by the large sailing yacht market, crucially for offering choice in a sector that was previously dominated by one major player. The demand for greater choice in the sailing instruments market is evident: at the 2017 St Barths Bucket, over a third of entries feature some A+T equipment on board.

A development of the ATP1 processor is also underway for the new build market and 2018 will see a Grand Prix version released with higher level performance and enhanced sensors. The company also provide spares, repairs and replacements for all existing B&G instrument systems.

www.superyachtnews.com

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Word premieres at BOOT Dusseldorf

Several world premieres were slated for the show, including the Cranchi XT 36; Jeanneau Cap Camarat 7.5 bowrider; Axopar Brabus Shadow 800; the Southerly 480; the Ferretti 920; and the Nimbus W9.

Bavaria Yachts debuted the C65, the C50 and three versions of the new C45, as well as the motoryachts R55 and Bavaria E34 Fly.

Attractions such as "The Wave" and the new Dive Center attract visitors, organizers said. Young water-sports enthusiasts are drawn to "The Wave" because of the surfing challenge it presents. Surfers that include Airton Cozzolino, Zane Schweitzer, Bernd Rosiger and Fiona Wylde were coming to the show from their Hawaiian hot spots.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

Eight Bells: David Walters
David Walters, the founder of David Walters Yachts, designer and builder of the Cambria series of popular cruising yachts, and co-founder of Shannon Yachts, passed away January 17 at the age of 75 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The impact that David had on the marine industry is profound and will endure for many years to come. For David, his career was more than a profession: it was a lifelong passion, and one he was always eager to share. He touched many lives both professionally and personally.

Hundreds of boats of his design are sailing the waters today, pridefully cared for and as elegant as the day he commissioned them. Countless sailors are scattered around the world on boats David helped them purchase. Every client, fellow broker, or anyone who has worked with him, will attest to his character, dedication, and devotion.

In September of 2016, David asked Amanda Noon and Josh McLean to continue the legacy he'd spent a lifetime building. His company, bearing his name which carried so much importance and meaning to him, was left to their trust.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.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 Don Street: When are we going to hear of the results of the MAIB investigation of the grounding and loss of the Clipper shortly after the departure of the fleet from Cape Town also where were the other two grounding where the boats were saved???

Electronic navigation is not the be all end all, it must be backed up by common sense and seamanship.

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2008 Oyster 655 Rocas. 1,250,000 GBP. Located in the UK.

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2007 Oyster 655 Proteus. 1,550,000 USD. Located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

One of the most luxuriously appointed Oysters ever built, she has custom Harken deck gear and carbon spars by Hall. Beautiful teak joinery below decks, where she sleeps eight in four cabins. Shoal keel reduces her draft to 2.2m.

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

The Last Word
I'd love to sell out completely. It's just that nobody has been willing to buy. -- John Waters

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 to miss weekend race action | Volvo Ocean Race partners with Twitter to live stream eight In-Port Races | Change of conditions shifts the leaderboard on Day three in Miami | 2018 iSail Whitsundays Contender World Championships - Final Day | J/70 Class Suspensions | Mobile is EVERYTHING | Miami Melges 24 Tune-Up/Midwinter Regatta | Peter Duncan, Erika Reineke Selected as US Sailing’s 2017 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year | Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race | Another UK entry for the Golden Globe Race | For the Record | Featured Brokerage

Vestas 11th Hour Racing to miss weekend race action
Vestas 11th Hour Racing has informed Volvo Ocean Race that the team will not be participating in inshore racing in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, as well as Leg 5 from Hong Kong to Guangzhou.

The team is currently coordinating necessary repairs to the boat caused by the collision with a non-racing vessel on Saturday 20 January.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and condolences are with the families affected by this tragic incident," said Mark Towill from Hong Kong.

"At this time, we are still assessing all of our options to return to the race," said Charlie Enright. "We once again thank everyone for their continued support."

Practice racing on Thursday, followed by the In-Port Race and Around Hong Kong Race this weekend as well as Pro-Am Racing at the start of next week, are all programmed to take place in Hong Kong.

The fleet of Volvo Ocean 65s will then depart in Leg 5 for Guangzhou on Wednesday 31 January for the next stopover in mainland China.

www.volvooceanrace.com

Volvo Ocean Race partners with Twitter to live stream eight In-Port Races
The Volvo Ocean Race will live stream on Twitter the eight remaining In-Port Races from the 2017-18 edition, beginning on Saturday 27 January in Hong Kong.

Fans from all around the world will be able to watch the exciting live races and join the real-time conversation via @volvooceanrace on Twitter.

In addition to the live In-Port Races, @volvooceanrace will also broadcast premium video content from the seven participating boats.

The collaboration sees the 83,000 kilometre ocean race – dubbed the toughest test of a team in professional sport – further expand its digital presence, and means that fans on Twitter can look forward to a mix of live action, expert analysis and best-of highlights. Partnering with Twitter is the latest in a series of evolutions which have seen the four-decade old event put digital at the forefront of its storytelling strategy.

In May 2015, the Volvo Ocean Race broadcasted live from the field of play using Periscope, Twitter’s live streaming video app.

Change of conditions shifts the leaderboard on Day three in Miami
With nine full-fleet races in the books, and just three remaining, for the Nacra 17 at the 2018 World Cup Series Miami, USA, this much is clear: anyone hoping for a place on the podium in the Mixed Multihull is going to have to knock a defending Olympic medalist down a peg.

Five of the six sailors that won medals in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games are sailing in the class this week, and showing little willingness to share the wealth, so to speak.

Rio 2016 silver medalists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) have done their homework when it comes to the lifting foils that were introduced to the class less than a year ago. Whether in near-drifting conditions on the opening two days or the full-on breeze on the third, they have been extremely hard to beat, winning five races and posting just one finish outside the top four.

All of the fleets enjoyed big winds on the third day of competition in Miami as a north eastern breeze brought 17-20 knots ensuring plenty of high flying action in the Nacra 17 and the remaining nine Olympic events.

543 sailors from 50 nations are racing on Biscayne Bay, just off Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida, USA. Three more days of competition remain with Medal Races on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 bringing the first major event of 2018 to a close.

Top three:

470 Men
1. Luke Patience / Chris Grube, GBR, 16 points
2. Kevin Peponnet / Jeremie Mlon, FRA, 22
3. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 26

470 Women
1. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 21
2. Afrodite Zegers / Anneloes van Veen, NED, 27
3. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Irmina Mrózek Gliszczynska, POL, 28

49er Men
1. Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 46
2. Diego Botín le Chever / Iago Lopez Marra, ESP, 49
3. Federico Alonso Tellechea / Arturo Alonso Tellechea, ESP, 53

49erFX Women
1. Victoria Jurczok / Anika Lorenz, GER, 10
2. Ragna Agerup / Maia Agerup, NOR, 20
3. Tanja Frank / Lorena Abicht, AUT, 30

Finn Men
1. GIles Scott, GBR, 12
2. Alican Kaynar, TUR, 13
3. Caleb Paine, USA, 23

Laser Men
1. Tom Burton, AUS, 25
2. Philipp Buhl, GER, 35
3. Nick Thompson, GBR, 38

Laser Radial Women
1. Emma Plasschaert, BEL, 20
2. Mannami Dol, JPN, 42
3. Annne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 43

Nacra 17
1. Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS, 14
2. Santiago Lange / Cecilia Carranza Saroli, ARG, 33
3. John Gimson / Anna Burnet, GBR, 35

RSX Men
1. Louis Giard, FRA, 15
2. Pierre Le Coq, FRA, 27
3. Kiran Badloe, NED, 30

RS:X Women
1. Stefania Elfutina, RUS, 33
2. BIanca Manchon, ESP, 36
3. Flavia Tartaglini, ITA, 37

Full results: sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

2018 iSail Whitsundays Contender World Championships - Final Day
The 'Grand Finale' between the two mighty Contenders - Mark Bulka and Jason Beebe.

Two races were planned but light winds hampered the format so only one was held leaving Jason requiring at least five places to retain the title.

Beebe came off the start line like a bullet but close behind shadowing was Mark Bulka. By the gybe mark Mark was second and closing the gap fast.

Criss-crossing each over the beat, local McCrae Yacht Club sailor took the lead and never looked back until crossing the finish line. The new 2018 Contender World Champion, Mark Bulka, was crowned by his fellow club member and New Zealand Team Emirates Americas Cup skipper Glenn Ashby.

Results

Video: player.vimeo.com/video/252649828

J/70 Class Suspensions
The International J/70 Class Association (IJ70CA) Executive Committee (EC) has unanimously agreed to the J/70 Class membership suspensions listed below. The IJ70CA EC authority and process to suspend a membership is described in Section 6 MEMBER SUSPENSION of the IJ70CA Constitution, a copy of which is available on the International J/70 Class website. The J/70 EC has found that the individuals below have been involved, to different degrees, in the "Intentional violation of the Class Rules" and/or "unsportsmanlike conduct" at the 2017 World Championship and/or some extended period prior to the World Championship.

Carlo Alberini owner of hull #949, Class membership is suspended for 12 (twelve) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Claudio Dutto owner of hull #922, has been warned that although the EC did not suspend his membership, he needs to be more diligent that his boat is in compliance with the Rules at all times

Mauro Mocchegiani owner of hull #1088, Class membership is suspended for 4 (four) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Alessandro Molla owner of hull #570, Class membership is suspended for 4 (four) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Achille Onorato owner of hull #1269, Class membership is suspended for 4 (four) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Alessio Querin former owner of hull #922, Class membership is suspended for 24 (twenty four) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Marco Salvi owner of hull #910, Class membership is suspended for 12 (twelve) months commencing on 1 December 2017

Alexey Semenov owner of hull #667, has been warned that although the EC did not suspend his membership, he needs to be more diligent that his boat is in compliance with the Rules at all times

In addition to the suspensions, the following boats have had their Manufacturers Declarations withdrawn and are not permitted to sail in J/70 events until the boats are inspected and corrected by the Licensed Manufacturer.

Hull/sail #949 owned by Carlo Alberini
Hull/sail #1269 owned by Achille Onorato
Hull/sail #570 owned by Alessandro Molla
Hull/sail #910 owned by Marco Salvi
Hull/sail #667 owned by Alexey Semenov

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

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* FAST web access to daily Scuttlebutt Europe... Android phone, use Chrome for best experience. Visit scuttlebutteurope.com and follow the prompt to "Add to Screen". App icon on your phone will launch the daily update in seconds.

Miami Melges 24 Tune-Up/Midwinter Regatta
Miami, Florida: Seventeen Melges 24 teams spanning the globe converged on Miami's famous Biscayne Bay for three days of great racing (January 19-21) and midwinter tune-up action, taking a much desired break from the deep freeze of winter.

Getting the absolute most from this event was of course was the all-amateur teams. Topping the results was Russia's Vasyl Gureyev's Barmaley in first place. Newly appointed USMCA Midwest District Governor Megan Ratliff's Decorum finished second, then reigning Corinthian National Champ KC Shannon's Shaka came third. These teams went home very happy each being awarded a bottle of Gosling's Rum.

The U.S. Melges 24 Class is just getting started in 2018. Teams are now looking to compete at the St. Pete's NOOD on February16-18 (18 Melges 24s are registered), traveling to Coconut Grove for Miami Sailing Week on March 7-10 (15 teams signed up), and onward to Charleston Race Week on April 12-15 (19 teams registered). Get with it and get registered!

Overall Top Five Results (After Eight Races, One Discard)
1. Bruce Ayres, Monsoon, USA, 21
2. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, USA, 24
3. Alan Field, WTF, USA, 25
4. Travis Weisleder, Lucky Dog Racing, USA, 26
5. Kevin Welch, MIKEY, USA, 28

Full Corinthian Results (After Eight Races, One Discard)
1.) (UKR) Vasyl Gureyev, Bramaley, UKR, 55
2. Megan Ratliff, Decorum, USA, 57
3. KC Shannon, Shaka, USA, 66
4. Laura Grondin, Dark Energy, USA, 72
5. Scott Foxman, Relentless, USA, 81
6. George Haynie, Firewater, USA, 93
7. Kent Picknell, APEX, USA, 95

Full Results www.yachtscoring.com

Peter Duncan, Erika Reineke Selected as US Sailing’s 2017 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year
J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan (Rye, New York) and Enoshima Olympic Week Laser Radial Gold Medalist Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) today were selected as Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year for their remarkable sailing performances in 2017.

The selection follows the announcement in December of the six men and eight women who were shortlisted for these prestigious awards and recognized as sailing's top performers of the year by US Sailing.

Placing second in the award voting for Yachtsman of the Year was Etchells World Champion Steve Benjamin (Coconut Grove, Florida), who won the award in 2015. World Cup Series Miami Champion Dave Hughes (Miami, Florida) finished third in the voting.

Finishing second in the voting for Yachtswoman of the Year was IKA Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, California), who won this award in 2016. Placing third was Youth World Champion Laser Radial sailor Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas).

Reineke and Duncan will be honored on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, where they will be celebrated by family and friends, teammates and crew, past winners, sailing dignitaries, and representatives from US Sailing and Rolex. They will also be presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces

www.ussailing.org/rolexyofy2017-award_winners/

Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race
The Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race 2018, run by Wicklow Sailing Club, is a little over 5 months away and is expecting a strong turn out with very positive interest from the off-shore sailing community in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.

2018 marks the 40th year anniversary of the biennial race, renowned for being one of the most gruelling offshore races in the global calendar. The race starts on Saturday June 30th at 14.00 from Wicklow and leaves 'Ireland and all its islands, excluding Rockall to starboard', and is approximately 704 nautical miles.

It is the second longest race in the Royal Ocean Racing Club calendar and has grown strongly since the first race took place in 1980 with only thirteen boats. This sustained development and growth of the race is largely due to the passion of Wicklow Sailing Club, supported by the continued investment of Volvo in sailing in Ireland.

As part of Volvo's sponsorship of the race, they are rewarding the registered entrant who accumulates the best overall points result across the three Volvo Round Ireland races 2016, 2018 and 2020, with a brand new Volvo V40!

The current monohull race record is held by George David in Rambler 88 who completed the course in 50 hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds in 2016. And the course record is held by the Sultanate of Oman's flagship trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail of 38 hours 37 minutes and 7 seconds in that same 2016 race.

www.roundireland.ie

Another UK entry for the Golden Globe Race
A third British sailor has now signed up to compete in the Golden Globe Race.

Ertan Beskardes, 56, is currently refitting his Rustler 36, Lazy Otter, in Fertilia Marina in Sardinia, ahead of the race start in Les Sables-D'Olonne, France on 1 July 2018.

The Turkish-born British national, who is originally from Istanbul, was initially planning to enter the second Golden Globe Race in 2022.

'I have always been self-employed and always wanted to do something special like sail around the world. I first learned about the Golden Globe Race on Facebook in 2017 and thought to enter the second race in 2022, but then learned that there were places available for the 2018 event,' he said.

'I quickly found a Rustler 36 in Sardinia and have just started to prepare her for the race,' added Beskardes, who has been cruising regularly since 1998.

All race competitors must show prior ocean sailing experience of at least 8,000 miles and another 2,000 miles solo in any boat, by 30 April, 2018.

Beskardes is planning to set out on his qualifying solo trip from Sardinia to Falmouth in February.

With 6 months to go until the start of race, organisers have announced that 23 skippers are at advance stages for the start, with six others hopeful of finding a boat and sponsor in time.

www.pbo.co.uk/news/

For the Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record:

Record: Singlehanded Equator to Equator Intermediate Record
Yacht: "MACIF" 30 metre Trimaran
Name: Francois Gabart. FRA
Dates: 10th November to the 10th December 2017.
Start time: 05;45;00 on 10/11/17
Finish time: 10;35;00 on 10/12/17
Elapsed time: 30 days 4 hours and 50 minutes .
Comments: Previous record: Sodebo4. Thomas Coville. FRA. 18/12/16. 35d 21h 38m 49s

John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
sailspeedrecords.com

Featured Brokerage
Extreme 40. 65000 each GBP.

2 EXTREME 40s For Sale
Between the 2 boats have an amazing race track record!
Both boats had a major refit at the start of 2015 .

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Contact
Peter Greenhalgh
Tel: (+44) 07515 635669
Skype: peterngreenhalgh
Email: peterngreenhalgh@googlemail.com

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

2011 Reichel Pugh 42. 389000 EUR. Located in New Zealand.

A custom built machine with a real focus on Offshore sailing.. Very high-tech specification throughout, in particular her lifting propeller system and deflector controlled running backstay systems. She is a serious contender whether it be IRC/ORC/PHRF..... she covers them all well.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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

K36 - Samurai. Located in Japan.

The K36-SAMURAI is an all carbon light-weight high performance boat suitable for both inshore around-the-buoys and offshore long distance races. ACT, SDK structures and Pauger carbon have teamed up. 5 boats has been sold.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
+81 (0) 46 884 4141
+81 (0) 46 884 4142
info@actechnology.co.jp

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

The Last Word
We have witnessed the most educated, successful, and monied professionals in the country put their companies - not to mention their own liberty - at risk by engaging in flagrant and foolhardy illegal conduct. -- 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

MAPFRE wins the Around Hong Kong Island Race
It was a challenging day for the Volvo Ocean Race teams as they tackled the Around Hong Kong Island Race on Sunday with a generously sized spectator fleet on hand to cheer them on. Light and variable wind shortly after the start allowed the leading boats to break away as they found new wind pressure first. But it didn't mean opportunities for passing later in the afternoon were completely closed off.

MAPFRE had the best start in the fleet and eked out ahead in light winds. Three teams broke the line early and needed to restart, with Team Brunel, Turn the Tide on Plastic and Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag all turning back.

It put them at an immediate disadvantage, but while Brunel had the best re-start, it was Turn the Tide on Plastic who moved up the fleet to challenge the leading pack over the next 20 minutes.

However as the race progressed, MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team found the new favourable wind first and built a commanding lead over the others.

Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series Leaderboard

Dongfeng Race Team - 25 points
MAPFRE - 25 points
Team Brunel - 17 points
team AkzoNobel - 16 points
Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 12 points
Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - 9 points
Turn the Tide on Plastic - 7 points

*** Note: The results of the Around Hong Kong Island Race have been combined with Saturday's HGC In-Port Race to rank the teams after the two weekend races. The overall leader from this weekend's racing win the maximum seven points from Hong Kong.

volvooceanrace.com

Miami 2018 World Cup Series
Miami, USA: If there was a common thread to the five Medal Races on the final day of the 2018 World Cup Series Miami, USA, it was that the hard work put in earlier in the regatta proved the decisive component in determining the champion.

In three of the five classes, the leader coming into the day was assured or all but assured of the gold medal due to the advantage built up during the full-fleet portion of the regatta.

The leaders in the other two classes had solid, if not invincible, cushions over second place.

Final podium positions:

470 Men
1. Luke Patience / Chris Grube, GBR, 24
2. Kevin Peponnet / Jeremie Mion, FRA, 51
3. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergström, SWE, 57

470 Women
1. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 37
2. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Irmina Mrozek Gliszczynska, POL, 54
3. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 63

49er Men
1. Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 50
2. Diego Boton le Chever / Iago Lopez Marra, ESP, 51
3. Federico Alonso Tellechea / Arturo Alonso Tellechea, 65

Finn
1. Giles Scott, GBR, 19
2. Caleb Paine, USA, 51
3. Alican Kaynar, TUR, 54

Laser Men
1. Tom Burton, AUS, 51
2. Philipp Bihl, GER, 68
3. Nick Thompson, GBR, 69

Laser Radial Women
1. Alison Young, GBR, 71
2. Emma Plasschaert, BEL, 80
3. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 87

Nacra 17
1. Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS, 16
2. Santiago Lange / Cecilia Carranza Saroli, ARG, 39
3. Thomas Zajac / Barbara Matz, AUT, 49

RS:X Men
1. Louis Giard, FRA, 21
2. Kiran Badloe, NED, 34
3. Pierre Le Coq, FRA, 39

RS:X Women
1. Helene Noesmoen, FRA, 42
2. Flavia Tartaglini, ITA, 43
3. Blanca Manchon, ESP, 44

Full results: www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/

The king is back
Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott confirmed he is still the king of the Finn class with an emphatic win in the medal race at the World Cup Series event in Miami today to take the gold by 32 points. Rio bronze medalist, Caleb Paine, from the USA, went into the day in third place, but sailed a blinding final downwind to steal the silver medal away from Alican Kaynar, from Turkey, who had to settle for the bronze.

While Scott had already technically done enough to secure gold, the real interest was the fight for silver and bronze and it turned into something of a thriller. Sailed in 16-20 knots the medal race produced some fantastic sailing and close racing. The line up included eight Olympians from Rio, including two medalists. No one was along for the ride. It was a very high-calibre fleet.

After nearly a year and a half away from mainstream Finn competition, the four-time world champion and Olympic champion Giles Scott, is well and truly back. The fleet in Miami was world class, so to secure the gold with a day to spare is a remarkable performance after so long away from Finn competition. Scott's performance on the final two days was enough proof that he is still the king of Finn sailing. The target remains on his back.

Looking ahead, the 2018 season is geared around the 2018 Sailing World Championships in Aarhus in Denmark, in August, the first qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Before then there is a lot of sailing to be done, with most of the fleet now heading back to Europe to prepare for the first major event of the year, the 2018 Open Europeans in Càdiz, Spain, where there are almost 100 Finns on the entry list. It begins in just over six weeks.

Full results, live tracking and much more: wcs2018-miami.sapsailing.com

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
(Very) uncomfortable boats, soft wings, America's conundrum and Australia cranks it up (even more). Patrice Carpentier, Carlos Pich, Blue Robinson, Dobbs Davis, Ivor Wilkins

Update
The clock is ticking for Cup teams and there is way more to the Star Sailors League than meets the eye. Plus stretching the entente with the Golden Globe

Rod Davis - Jumping the (development) curve
You just gotta remember to listen with your eyes…

Sailor of the Month
Determination plus persistence equal delivery

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.

Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta takes place on City of Perth waters from 29 January to 2 February, 2018 and is open to the world's best youth sailors under the age of 25 years and offers driven young sailors a pathway to reach their match racing goals on the international circuit.

Many competing sailors at past Warren Jones International Youth Regattas have fulfilled their dreams of going on to compete at the highest level in all types of yachting regattas from Americas Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Match Racing Tour events to Olympic sailing competition. Several of the competing skippers at last years event went on to compete in the World Match Race Tour last season.

Mark Spearman is one of three skippers representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club. He spent 2017 competing in the entire World Match Racing Tour as tactician for Neptune Racing. The highlight of the team's year was being ranked number 1 in the World Sailing rankings and also finishing in the top 5 at 3 world tour level events. Mark and hist team won the JESS Match Cup which acted as a training warm up event a few days ago.

Also representing local host club Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club is Will Boulden. Over the past 12 months, Alpha Racing Team with skipper Will, has been competing hard around the world in open and youth monohull match racing events.

This included winning the Harken International Youth Match Racing Regatta, and also the OM International Grade 2 Event held in Italy. Alpha Racing Team has also been competing in the USA, where they finished 3rd in the US Grand Slam Series and 5th at the prestigious Governors Cup.

Ethan Prieto-Low and his team, Calypso Racing, also from (RFBYC), are back competing for a third year. Calypso Racing is a young crew with an average age of 19 years who have all progressed through from the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club dinghy club and have now been sailing together for a couple years.

Ethan is an experienced keelboat sailor, and over the past 5 years has competed in a number of classes including campaigning an Etchells for the 2018 Nationals and a Dragon leading up to the World Championships in Fremantle in January 2019

The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta is part of The City of Perth Festival of Sail which includes a packed programme of sailing activities for all ages and levels of experience.

For a full programme of activities visit: www.swanriversailing.com/warrenjonesregatta-eventprogram/

www.facebook.com/WarrenJonesRegatta

18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 1 & 2
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The first day's racing in the 2017-2018 Australian 18ft Skiff Championship was sailed on Sydney Harbour today in a 15-knots East-North-East wind and produced some close racing and a variety of placings in the 17-boat fleet.

In Race 1, Smeg (Michael Coxon, Ricky Bridge, Mike McKensey) cruised to a comfortable 18s win over Yandoo (John Winning Jr., Cam McDonald, Mike Kennedy) with Asko Appliances (James Dorron, Paul Montague, Trent Barnabas) just 2s further back in third place.

A capsize by Smeg during the lead up period to the start of Race 2 was disasterous to the first race winner when Smeg missed the start by several minutes.

After a strong finish in Race 1, the Asko Appliances team were quick to grab the lead in Race 2 and gave no other team a chance of victory as they powered to a massive 58s win over the short ENE course.

Yandoo backed up her first race runner-up placing with a similar result in Race 2 and shares the lead with Asko Appliances on four points after the first day's racing.

Smeg recovered from her horror start in Race 2 to finish that race in seventh place to be tied overall with Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster, Phil Marshall, Nick Hord) on eight points.

The young Rag & Famish Hotel team of Bryce Edwards, Jacob Broome, Rory Cox elected to sail with their smaller #2 rig and sailed brilliantly to grab third place in Race 2 for an overall total of 10 points, and fifth place on the leader board.

Races 3 & 4 of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday, 4 February

The Australian 18 Footers League's Spectator Ferry will follow the race.

www.18footers.com

Match Race Super League 2018
With plenty of tailwind from the America's Cup, Match Race Germany towards it's 21st edition and the Match Race Super League in the second season are sailing into a bright future - on one hull. Both, the leading German duel classic and the international Match Race Super League gain an increasing popularity after the co,eback of monohulls fort he 36th America's Cup. "For sailing, the best news is that the America's Cup has returned returned to monhully," says Finland's Mati Sepp, not only number six in the matchrace world ranking list but also the organizer of the Matchrace European Championship this year in Estonia. Says Sepp, „Match Race Germany is a landmark of European Sailing and it is a great example of organising a high level sailing event!".

More than 15 match race regattas in range of Grade 1 to Grade 3 in 15 countries on four continents have already joined the Match Race Super League. "And we expect further growth this year", says Match Race Germany's Sports Director and the Match Race Super League's coordinator Eberhard Magg, „some organizers are still in promising negotiations with their partners. In addition, we have inquiries from the fifth continent, Africa."

2018 Match Race Super League regattas are scheduled in Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Poland (2), Germany, Finland, Montenegro, France, Estonia, New Caledonia, USA (2), Singapore, New Zealand and Bahrain. More will be added in the coming weeks. The Super League season's opener ist the Porto Alegre Match Cup in Brazil from 23 to 25 March.

www.mrsuperleague.org

World Saililng Show
How fast can one person sail around the world? Last year we thought we knew, but 12 months later when Francois Gabart smashed the previous record, the sailing world drew breath. Was this the ultimate limit to the ultimate challenge?

To find out, we looked at the history of round the world record breaking and talked exclusively to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop, around the world about how times have tumbled and what lies ahead.

In addition, we go to Nassau in the Bahamas to witness an extraordinary victory as the world's best compete in a champion of champions showdown.

We also re-visit the grueling Volvo Ocean Race as the fleet careers though the Southern Ocean before parking up in the Pacific.

Plus, we take a look at the controversy in the Rolex Sydney Hobart race.

The World Sailing Show You Tube Channel www.youtube.com/c/theworldsailingshow

Weather cancels Conch Republic Cup
The 10th edition of the Conch Republic Cup has been canceled due to extreme weather condition. The three leg event between Florida and Cuba was to leave Key West on January 27 for Varadero, followed by races from Varadero to Havana, and then finally leaving Havana to arrive in Key West on February 3.

The high pressure that sat over the race area caused high winds and seas for the week up to the start and a review of weather forecasts did not offer sufficient relief. The existing unstable weather preceding the strong front coming January 29 will close Hemingway Marina and the potential for thunderstorms and squalls in the Florida straights will make a crossing hazardous.

"We do not want to risk anyone's well being for this event," said a statement on the race website. "We wish all participants the best and appreciate your understanding in our decision to keep everyone safe. Hope to see you in future."

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Featured Brokerage
2004 Swan 62-103 Vega. 875,000 EUR. Located in Mallorca, Spain.

Named “Vega” since she was launched, delivered July 2004, second owner who has maintained her in very good condition by a full-time captain.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jaap Havenga
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

1997 Volvo 60 (modified) - Bou Dragon. 230000 EUR. Located in The Hague, Netherlands.

Launched originally as "Silk Cut", she quickly established herself as the fastest ocean racer on the water and held the 24hr record for a number of years. In more recent times, she was known as “SEB" and now "Bou Dragon", where she has been meticulously maintained and modernised by her current owner.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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

1973 Tartan 41 - AURORA. 65000 USD. Located in Jamestown, RI - USA.

Classic S&S Tartan 41, from 1973, with experienced owners who have shown her to be a competitive offshore racer. With many recent upgrades, she has been well loved and family cruised, as well as hitting the race circuit. Now seriously for sale.

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
I cherished my hate as a badge of moral superiority. -- Mark Rudd

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Hong Kong-London
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi70's crew have successfully completed the replacement of the starboard rudder which broke yesterday morning following a collision with an unidentified floating object. To be able to carry out this hard operation, they had to enter a zone of high pressure with little wind and a calm sea.

"The assembly of the spare rudder went well", explains Giovanni Soldini. "We managed to install it on the first try and we didn't lose much time. Maserati Multi 70 is back at 100% and we are happy. Now, we are on our way to Cape Town."

In the coming days, the crew expects to face tough weather conditions. Soldini explains: "For the day 2 February we are waiting for the passage of a cold front associated with a depression that could be violent, with winds of 40 knots and more. We will try to position ourselves as well as possible to take favorable but not too strong winds."

At today's ranking (13.32 UTC), beginning of the twelfth day of navigation, Maserati is about 2000 miles east of Cape of Good Hope.

On January 26, Day 8... Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi70's crew record a 730 miles advantage over Lionel Lemonchois' previous record.

maserati.soldini.it

Committing Heresy
Not too long ago at all, if you happened to mention the demise of the Laser, you would have been found instantly guilty of heinous treason. You would have faced the firing squad, and been summarily dispatched to have a long chat with Poseidon himself.

'The Weekender', as it was originally known before it adopted its much cooler 'new' name back in the day, has done well with the best part of 300k units delivered. However, poor construction techniques meant new ones always did better than old ones. Its rig was also distinctly outdated with the long boom and zero roach making it look all the more 12m-esque.

Still, the dinosaur kept going, and despite many new wanfangelled and naff machines appearing in the intervening years, the Laser's popularity continued. Great craft like Jim Close's X3 showed the way forward, with self-draining cockpits, asymmetric kites and swinging centreboards, but could not totally crack the power of diffracted light, as it were

That in itself was an interesting point, for normally Olympic Classes have zero commercial success. Lesser rigs (Radial and 4.7) made it more approachable for smaller and less powerful athletes, but it could not hide the fact that technology had moved on, and the Laser was left with no more mustard to offer the various blades.

The announcement of the 2019 RS Aero World Championships heading to the delightful waters of Port Stephens offers a very good counterpoint. This is a class that is on its own meteoric rise, and with voting for the 2024 Olympic Classes to be concluded soon ('ish' in the grand scheme of things), are we actually seeing the proverbial ducks line up?

John Curnow's full article in Sail-World.com:
www.sail-world.com/news/201570/

Rambler 88 confirms entry for Atlantic Anniversary Regatta
The Atlantic Anniversary Regatta is the first ever regatta series with two Atlantic Ocean races in both directions. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV), based in Hamburg, Germany. The first part of this extraordinary series was completed in December 2017 with the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada. The final part of the race series will see the fleet race 3500 nautical miles from Bermuda to Hamburg, starting on 8th July 2018.

For the Bermuda to Hamburg race, George David's American Maxi Rambler 88, is the hot favourite for line honours.

"The great attraction is to be racing on the ocean for so many days, and we have had good results rewarding our efforts, including two records and three fleet firsts." Commented George David. "The NRV was the host club for Rambler 90s first transatlantic in 2007, and the club set a high bar for organization and hospitality, and we are confident of the same in 2018. The big challenge is keeping the boat together while still going fast. The best advice I can give newcomers to the race; be totally prepared for anything that may happen and sail safely."

In three different yachts, all called Rambler, George David has raced west to east across the Atlantic on three occasions. In 2007, Rambler 90 took line honours in the HSH Nordbank Transatlantic (11d 16h 13m 59s). In 2011, Rambler 100 took line honours in the Transatlantic Race, establishing a race record (6d 22h 08m 2s). In 2015 Rambler 88 completed the Transatlantic Race winning IRC One (7d 16h 54m 46s). This will be George David's sixth transatlantic race in both directions.

Over 30 teams have expressed their interest to race from Bermuda to Hamburg, competing for Line Honours and under the IRC, ORC and ORCsy rating systems as well as one design Classes like IMOCA and Class 40. Confirmed entries include top performers from the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race: Overall winner, Eric de Turckheim's Teasing Machine. Winner of the ORC Division, Outsider skippered by Dr. Harald Bruning. Winner of IRC One, Hamburgische Verein Seefahrt's Broader View Hamburg, and winner of the Class40 Division, Mathias Muller von Blumencron's Red.

For more information, including the Notice of Race and how to enter: www.anniversary-regatta.com

World Sailing Fleet Rankings
The World Sailing Rankings rate skippers based on their performances at World Sailing Graded events over a 24 month period prior to the release date of the Rankings.

Top three rankings from the latest release 29 January:

470 Men
1. Mathew Belcher / WIlliam Ryan, AUS
2. Pangagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE
3. Carl-Fredrik FOck / Marcus Dackhammar, SWE

470 Women
1. Afrodite Zegers / Anneloes van Veen, NED
2. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Irming Mrozek Gliszczynska, POL
3. Silvia Mas Deportes / Patricia Contero Reina - Paul Parcelo Martin, ESP

49er Men
1. Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell, GBR
2. James Peters / Flynn Sterritt, GBR
3. Diego Botin le Chever / Iago Lopez Marra, ESP

49er FX Women
1. Victoria Jurczok / Anika Lorenz, GER
2. Charlotte Dobson / Sophie Ainsworth - Saskia TIdey, GBR
3. Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA

Laser Men
1. Pavlos Kontides, CYP
2. Nick Thompson, GBR
3. Tom Burton, AUS

Laser Radial Women
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN
2. Mathilde de Kerangat, FRA
3. Evi Van Acker, BEL

Finn Men
1. Ben Cornish, GBR
2. Alican Kaynar, TUR
3. Anders Pedersen, NOR

Nacra 17 - Mixed
1. Fernando Echavarri Erasun / Tara Pacheco - Tara Pacheco van Rijnsoever, ESP
2. Ben Saxton / Stephanie Orton - Katie Dobson, GBR
3. John Gimson / Anna Burnet, GBR

RS:X Men
1. Kiran Badloe, NED
2. Pawel Tarnowski, POL
3. Shahar Zubari, ISR

RS:X Women
1. Zofia Noceti-Klepacka, POL
2. Stefania Elfutina, RUS
3. Hei Man H V Chan, HKG

Kiteboarding Men
1. Nicolas Parlier, FRA
2. Axel Mazella, FRA
3. Oliver Bridge, GBR

Kiteboarding Women
1. Daniela Moroz, USA
2. Alexia Fancelli, FRA
3. Stephanie Bridge, GBR

www.sailing.org/rankings_table.php

World Match Race Rankings
The World Sailing Match Race Rankings were introduced in 1989 and measure the performance of over 2000 skippers to identify the world's most consistent performers. There are two divisions - Open and Women. To gain women's match racing ranking poinst all crew members shall be women.

The Rankings rate skippers based on their performances at World Sailing Graded events over the 24 month period prior to the release date of the Rankings. Skippers score points by competing a Graded Events with the highest points awarded to the event winner and decreasing down. The most points are up for grabs at the World Match Racing Tour, followed by World Sailing Grade 1 events, Grade 2 through to Grade 5.

Top ten Open - January 17 release date
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. Maxime Mesnil, FRA
8. Chris Steele, NZL
9. Yann Guichard, FRA
10. Matthew Jerwood, AUS

Top ten Women - January 17 release date
1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE
2. Pauline Courtois, FRA
3. Renee Groeneveld, NED
4. Trine Palludan, DEN
5. Marinella Laaksonen, FIN
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE
7. Antonia Degerlund, FIN
8. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE
9. Clare Costanza, AUS
10. Sanna Hager, SWE

www.sailing.org/rankings/match/index.php

Hong Kong Yacht Club seeks Boatyard Manager
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is looking for a high caliber individual to fill the post of Boatyard Manager which will become vacant in May 2018.

This is a Head of Department position reporting directly to the General Manager. The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating, overseeing and managing the day-to-day repair and maintenance activities of what is a very busy yard. Whilst technical knowledge, leadership skills and management experience are all very important criteria, it will be equally important that the successful candidate has a positive, proactive attitude and shows good interpersonal and communication skills with members and staff alike.

- Review current practices, procedures and policies and make recommendations for any improvements that are required in the short, medium and long terms.

- Ensure the appropriate resources are in place to support and facilitate the yard activities in a safe, cost effective, professional, environmental and sustainable way.
- Lead a team of workers and sub-contractors to handle the day-to-day boat repair and maintenance works for both large and small racing and cruising yachts, and the club's fleet of race management and support boats.
- Set up, implement and review maintenance programs for the boat fleet under repair.
- Provide technical advice and recommendations and prepare quotations on repairs and improvement works for members on their yachts.
- Proactively update members on the progress of any work being carried out in the yard.
- Prepare forecasts and budgets for the yard operation and report on monthly performance.
- Perform ad-hoc duties as assigned.

We look for an experienced professional with:
- Vocational/Technical School Certificate in related disciplines.
- Minimum 10 years' experience in managing a yard or in a similar yachting environment.
- Practical and proven knowledge in repair and maintenance of modern racing and cruising yachts.
- Excellent time-management and facilitation skills with the ability to supervise work in the agreed order of priorities.
- Sound management skills with an ability to manage, motivate and lead the whole boatyard team (including workers and sub-contractors) to achieve the desired result.
- Strong communication, interpersonal and customer service skills.
- Problem solving skills along with experience in costing, quality control, health and safety and environmental aspects.
- A natural commitment to achieving customer satisfaction from all work carried out by the yard.
- Proficiency in MS Office applications.
- Good command of written and spoken English.

We offer an attractive remuneration and excellent fringe benefits package to the right candidate. Interested parties should submit a comprehensive CV together with expected salary to the Human Resources Manager, RHKYC, Kellett Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong or email hrm@rhkyc.org.hk

More than a hundred entries for the Finn World Masters at CN El Balis
Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, 23th of January 2018.- The CN El Balis has already received over a hundred entries for the 2018 Finn World Masters in just two months' time. It will take place from the 18th to the 25th of May in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Spain). 110 skippers from around the world have already registered for the competition so far, for which the participation of more than 400 athletes in the Master category (40-49), Grand Master (50-59), Grand Grand Master (60-69), Legend (70-79) and Super Legend (80+) is expected.

Four months before the sailing competition, skippers from nineteen different nationalities have confirmed their participation. From Europe there will be representation from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and Ukraine. In addition, the Americas will have participants from Bahamas, Brazil, Chile and the United States, and the list is completed with Oceania, Australia and New Zealand.

Other athletes that have so far confirmed their entry in Catalonia will be the French Laurent Hay, who was runner-up in last year's edition, or the British Allen Burrell, who won the silver in the Worlds in 2012 and 2011. Also, there will be the Swiss Piet Eckert, who was fourth in the 2017 Masters and sailed the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona in the Flying Dutchman class; the Dutch Thierry van Vierssen, sixth at the 2016 Masters; and the Swiss Christoph Burger, who ended up seventh during the last season's competition.

www.finnworldmaster.com

2018 ORC Superyacht Rule Now Available
Milan, Italy: The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to announce that the 2018 ORC Superyacht Rule (ORCsy) is now available and can be viewed online on the ORC's Superyacht website. Like the main ORC rating system, the rule and its formulation is accessible in the Rules section of the ORCsy webpage, supporting the general principles of science and transparency advocated by ORC.

The latest edition of ORCsy has several new features:

- the new online application for an ORCsy certificate is now more easily completed by its users, where separate areas of the application may be completed and saved as more information becomes available. This new application style is still in development, with a working prototype to be tested in Antigua by experienced users for their inputs on improvements;

- based on user input and observations from the 2017 racing season, small amendments and improvements have been made to the 2018 version of the ORCsy Velocity Prediction Program (VPP), and wind ranges for scoring have altered slightly so that the Light wind range now tops out at 8 knots rather than 9, along with some re-wording to be more clear on use of these ranges;

- the VPP Documentation and Measurement Guidance books have been re-worded to improve their clarity, as has the ORCsy Sailor Services system for self-serve copies of existing valid certificates, self-service running of test certificates, etc.

- a complete list of the improvements made to the ORCsy rule formulations can be found on the ORCsy Designer VPP webpage.

www.orc.org

Stalin's Yacht for Sale
Moscow River Shipping Company (MRP), one of Russia's largest shipping firms, has put the country's oldest and rarest yacht up for sale. Known as the 'Yacht of Stalin', it was built in 1934 and was reportedly owned by Joseph Stalin. High operating costs mean it has been used solely as a restaurant since 2014.

The yacht will likely sell through auction with a starting price of around US$2-3m. Much interest has already been expressed by well-known collectors and philanthropists from the UK, US and some Arabian states.

The auction will be held in Moscow at the end of February.

Built in 1934 by Krasnoe Sormovo, a shipyard based in Nizhny Novgorod, the yacht was built for Stalin according to the military technical department of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Its length is around 69m and its width is 13m. The ship is designed for speeds over 30km/h.

The 'Yacht of Stalin' was also used by Maxim Gorky, a well-known Soviet writer who was one Stalin's minions. In the 2000s, the ship underwent an interior restoration that involved the replacement of its engine and navigation systems. -- Eugene Gerden

plus.ibinews.com

Bridie Keating, heart and soul of Derrynane, remembered
Keating's of Derrynane has a long association with sailing, as Conor O'Brien's signature in the guest book bears evidence today. And for the past five decades its owner's hospitality to wandering voyagers made her name synonymous not just with the bar and B&B but with the Co Kerry harbour too. Following her recent death at the age of 83, Winkie Nixon looks at how Bridie Keating touched the lives of so many sailors from these shores and beyond in his tribute here.

Derrynane in the far southwest of Kerry is of sublime beauty, set within a sea of myriad islands, rocks and beaches intertwining into a steep coastline where hills soon become mountains in a benign climate which, combined with its seeming remoteness, make it seem a place apart, a place where you feel more relaxed yet much more alive at the same time.

That renowned Cork Harbour sailing family, the Dwyers, were likewise enchanted by Derrynane and spent long happy summers there, while more recently a Derrynane sailing name which has acquired international note is Foxall. Roger Foxall sailed from Derrynane to Russia many years ago in a 32ft sloop, and his son Damian acquired the deep-sea sailing enthusiasm from a very young age through sailing from Derrynane, which he still regards as his home port. Bridie Keating proudly displays a Foxall information feature at the heart of the family hostelry which she ran for more than fifty years.

For those arriving by sea, it comes as a sweet surprise to amble up the little road and find this oasis of hospitality where Bridie was welcoming to all, cheerfully tolerating heaps of wet foul weather gear - indeed, providing facilities to dry it - and happily providing simple but nourishing food to go with the excellent pints.

This was how it was in Bridie's at Derrynane. You might drop in thinking first of refreshment and one of your hostess's legendary Kerry lamb sandwiches, and soon find yourself as likely talking with her to a voyager from a distant land or a mountaineer just down from some remote peak. Yet among such people the locals could more than hold their own, for they were a specially sagacious assembly, every one of them of special interest. And at their heart was kindly, wise, hospitable and occasionally very witty Bridie Keating, the soul of the place, genuinely interested in people, and in her quiet way, the very perfection of hospitality. She will be much missed.

afloat.ie

Featured Brokerage
2000 Swan 60-017 Betsy. 950,000 EUR. Located in Napoli, Italy.

Hull number 17 of the world famous Swan 60 model range, Betsy has recently returned to the brokerage market.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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Swan 62-106 Acamar. 1,200,000 EUR. Located in Liguria, Italy.

'Acamar' is a highly customized Swan 62. As a cruiser, she has everything needed for a round the world trip and can be easily managed short-handed.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com

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2015 FB35 - "Young Guns". 300000 USD. Located in Auckland NZ

"Young Guns" started exceeding expectations from the very outset and with a no-expense-spared attitude towards her specification, the end result has been nothing short of epic! Consistently beating boats bigger in size and budget, there is not much this pocket rocket cant do!

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
It is always easy for those living in the present to feel superior to those who lived in the past. -- Charles C. Mann

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
Clipper Race Departs For China With 'Home' Teams Leading The Standings | Warren Jones International Youth Regatta | Scottish Series 2018 open for Entries | Australia Day Honours for Sailors | Land Rover BAR: Getting Ahead of the Game | Ocean Safety's Volvo safety inspections leave nothing to chance | Benefits of govt's America's Cup plan evaporating | Seahorse Sailor Of The Month | Donald Crowhurst biopic The Mercy trailer | Industry News | Featured Brokerage

Clipper Race Departs For China With 'Home' Teams Leading The Standings
After a relaxing break in the Whitsundays, the Clipper Race fleet bid farewell to Australia today to race to China; and fittingly at this halfway stage in the 2017-18 edition, it is the destination's two team entries, Sanya Serenity Coast and Qingdao, which lead the overall race standings.

Going into the seventh of thirteen individual races, Sanya Serenity Coast leads the Clipper 2017-18 Race overall standings with 65 points, just head of Qingdao (63), which has already played its Joker Card (which doubles its points for one chosen race), and Visit Seattle (60), which won Race 6 into Airlie Beach.

The start line for Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race to Sanya, is positioned 150 nautical miles off the coast on the other side of the Great Barrier Reef.

The first of two races which form Leg 5, the Asia-Pacific Leg, Race 7 is predicted to offer some of the most varied conditions of the entire circumnavigation. At 4,280 nautical miles long, teams will be tested mentally as well as physically as they adapt to a host of changing sailing and climatic conditions.

Whilst the fleet settles in for the long-haul, Clipper Race Meteorologist Simon Rowell explains that the light conditions that are currently challenging the fleet should remain for the rest of the day but looking ahead, the fleet is likely to encounter some squally conditions over the next 26-48 hours, and should expect to see wind speeds in the 40 knots bracket.

Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race will finish in Sanya Serenity Marina in Sanya, and the fleet is expected to arrive between 21 - 25 February after roughly 23-27 days at sea.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
Click on image for photo gallery.

Blustery and very close racing at the first day of the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta held in Perth waters right in front of the city skyline. A gusty E/SE breeze meant a very tight race track with 250 m legs due to the tight constraints of the busy Perth foreshore.

12 youth teams had to negotiate a number of obstacles around the course including ferries, barges, sand banks, mooring buoys and each other! There were plenty of umpire calls as teams used the boundaries and race management boats to their advantage.

The two teams that did come out best on day 1 of the Round Robins were returning to compete in Perth for a second time. Harry Price and his Down Under Racing Team from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, was the highest ranked skipper coming in to this regatta and polished off 4 wins with no losses with some comfort. Will Boulden and his Alpha Racing Team from local host club Royal Freshwater Bay YC also finished with a clean sheet of 4 wins and no losses.

Of the visiting international teams, a semi-finalist last year, George Anyon from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, started his regatta strongly with only one loss from 4 matches, going down to James Hodgson and his team from CYCA in Sydney.

Day two of Round Robin racing continues on Tuesday 30 January with a 1230 hrs start time (local Perth time). The forecast is again for E/SE breezes promising some more fast and furious match racing. -- Jonny Fullerton on behalf of Swan River Sailing

Full Standings: www.swanriversailing.com

www.facebook.com/WarrenJonesRegatta/

Scottish Series 2018 open for Entries
The 44th Clyde Cruising Club Scottish Series (25-28 May) is now open for entries with the announcement at the London Boatshow. Set in the magnificent backdrop of Tarbert, Loch Fyne this event makes best use of the end of May Bank Holiday to provide four days of great sailing.

Scottish Series is the largest keelboat regatta in Scotland with 120 entrants in 2017, and for 2018 it will again incorporate the IRC Scottish Championships for which there were 43 entrants last year, making it a significant event in the IRC calendar. And, for those with other interests there are the One Design Classes, Clyde Handicap and White Sail Fleets, so there is definitely something for everyone.

Traditionally the One Design Classes are Sigma 33, Hunter 707 and Sonatas, but any class that can get enough entries will also have their own start. An early-bird discount for entry is available until 11 March (Mothers' Day).

www.scottishseries.com

Australia Day Honours for Sailors
The annual Australia Day Honours have recognised members of the sailing community for their contribution and achievements and Australian Sailing congratulates them on their Awards. Life member and former Australian Sailing President, Andrew Plympton has been acknowledged as a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to sports administration through governance roles, particularly to sailing and Australian Rules Football.

A passionate sailor, Andrew has been involved with Yachting Australia, now Australian Sailing, for many years including President from 2004-2011 and Director 2003-2011. His unashamed focus on high performance sailing during that time resulted in the establishment of the Australian Sailing Team and he has had a lengthy involvement with the High Performance Advisory Group resulting in success at consecutive Olympic Games. His personal achievements include a World Championship and numerous national and States titles. Andrew received Australian Sailing's President's Award for his contribution to sailing in 2011 and Life Membership in 2016.

Awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division (OAM) for service to environmental management and planning, and to the community is Angus Gordon from North Narrabeen. Angus is a former Vice-President and Member, Advisory Committee of Yachting New South Wales; served on Australian Sailing's National Safety Committee from 2012-2016 and member of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club since 1989 including Commodore (2005-2008) and Board Director (2003-2008).

Recognised as a Member (AM) in the General Division is Professor Norman Saunders for 'significant services to Medicine in the field of neuroscience through research into spinal cord injuries and mechanisms protecting the developing brain, and to sailing'.

sailing.org.au

Land Rover BAR: Getting Ahead of the Game
Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing, who will be competing this season in the 52 SUPER SERIES, are stepping up their TP52 preparation and training programme as they seek to take full advantage of their proven, successful boat and aim to steal an early-season march on the nine teams that will be launching brand new boats this season.

But while the Land Rover BAR team's alliance with Tony Langley's Gladiator team means that Ainslie and crew will be equipped with the late 2016 launched Botín Partners design, which highlighted its potential by finishing second, tied on points with Azzurra, at 2017's last regatta in Menorca, their challenge is much more about catching up on the finer points of crew work that are so critical in this white-hot grand prix fleet.

Unfortunately, the team have just missed a training period due to bad weather in the UK, but, as Ainslie explains, the foundations of their pre-season prep will be warm-weather racing and training at San Diego Yacht club on Langley's US-based TP52, one of three that the British businessman owns and campaigns.

Land Rover BAR will bring in some of their same core sailing team as competed in Bermuda at the 35th America's Cup, rotating sailors in and out as necessary, mixing with Gladiator regulars like main trimmer Andrew Estcourt and trimmer Jono Swain, who will be paired with Joey Newton. Joe Spooner is named as grinder. Tom Wilson will do pit and run the boat.

While Langley will steer with Ainslie as tactician, Olympic gold medallist Giles Scott supports Ben as strategist, Andy McLean will be navigator, Matt Cornwell is on the bow, and the vastly experienced three-times Cup winner, Jono McBeth will play a key role.

52 Super Series 2018 Calendar:

Sibenik 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week
May 23rd - 27th, Sibenik, Croatia

52 SUPER SERIES Zadar Royal Cup
June 20th - 24th, Zadar, Croatia

ROLEX TP52 World Championship Cascais 2018
July 17th - 21st, Cascais, Portugal

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week
August 21st - 25th, Mallorca, Spain

52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week
September 18th - 22nd, Valencia, Spain

http://www.52superseries.com

Ocean Safety's Volvo safety inspections leave nothing to chance
The Volvo fleet is pushing to the limits and that means kit is getting tested, knocked, wet. The safety equipment provided by Ocean Safety is no exception and, although most of it is hopefully never called into use, it needs to be ready to go at a second's notice.

That's why two safety experts from Ocean Safety, Alistair Hackett and Steve Bockett, will be at the dockside at the Auckland half way stage after leg 6 to welcome the boats in and check over the all-important deck mounted Ultralite liferafts, Jonbuoy recovery modules and flares to make sure that all the components are still in top condition. They'll carry out servicing to any piece of safety equipment that needs it or any items that have been used.

Ocean Safety has provided the inventory of safety equipment to the Volvo Race for the fifth consecutive time. The new SOLAS Ultralite liferafts were developed especially for the race to reduce weight by over 20%.

Alistair Hackett of Ocean Safety comments "Our Auckland Servicing programme complements the strong relationship that we have developed over the years, supplying safety training programmes and quality products."

The yachts are expected to arrive in Auckland around 27th February 2018.

www.3sisafety.com

Benefits of govt's America's Cup plan evaporating
Design changes to the government's alternative plan for an America's Cup village in Auckland appear to be eroding the "point of difference" it originally had.

Auckland Council on Tuesday starts the planning process for its preferred village option, with the clock ticking on cabinet minister David Parker's determined bid to find an alternative.

Mr Parker wears two hats: as the Minister for Economic Development and Minister for the Environment, with the latter being the hat that seems to fit best in this pressured scenario.

He is mostly unhappy that the council proposal involves extending Halsey Street wharf by 75m, Hobson Wharf by 74m, and a narrow extension on Wynyard Wharf.

Mr Parker opposes the encroachment of piled-wharf construction over the open water of the inner port area to accommodate the sailing regatta planned for the summer of 2020/2021.

Over the summer however, the wharf extensions in government's own plan have grown: on Halsey Street Wharf from 15 to 25 metres, with Hobson Wharf as large as in the council option, and with some bases on Wynyard Point.

Mr Parker continues to argue that the Wynyard Point plan, which puts more bases on existing land, would be cheaper but updated costings have not been released.

Wynyard Point was originally costed at $16 million less that the council option's $128 million, and that was before government officials found that their Halsey Street wharf extension would have to grow by two-thirds.

www.radionz.co.nz

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:

Jorg Riechers (GER)
'What a big honour to be nominated. When I was young Seahorse was my bible; so come on, guys, vote for me if you like me and if you do not like me then you are welcome to vote for me too' - Jorg Riechers! 'Give him a good budget and he will bring fresh air into every singlehanded class' - Patrik Mas; 'Bravo, Jorg, be successful with your rebuilt Imoca' - Sylvie Viant; 'Wunderbar, wunderbar' - Pierre Louis Attwell; 'Passion and love for sailing plus that belief that things can always happen!' - Doerte Dahm.

This month's nominees:

Montel Fagan -Jordan (GBR)
Seventy three per cent of pupils at London's Greig City Academy are categorised as 'disadvantaged' so when sixth form head Jon Holt started a sailing programme in 2013 it was a brave move. Last year Montel's young crew completed the Fastnet Race on the IOR racer Scaramouche. To get there Montel had delivered more than 50 fundraising talks... receiving support and mentoring along the way from his own sailing hero Lawrie Smith

Morten Brandt Rasmussen (DEN)
This year will see the fourth Silverrudder solo race in Denmark, launched by Rasmussen back in 2015. Every year the event's escalating fleet limit has been reached within hours of entries opening - this year 452 boats confirmed before noon on the first day of registration. Now Rasmussen has launched a new event, the Vegvisir Race, which in year one is outperforming the Silverrudder at a similar stage - before the end of January

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

Donald Crowhurst biopic The Mercy trailer
The much awaited film, The Mercy, which stars Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz as Donald and Clare Crowhurst, opens nationwide on 9 February. -- Katy Stickland

www.ybw.com

Industry News
A record 247,000 visitors from 94 countries attended boot Dusseldorf this year - a 2.1% increase over last year's edition and proof that the German trade show is the biggest event of its kind. Held from January 20-28 in 16 halls at the Messe Dusseldorf exhibition centre, the show attracted 1,923 exhibitors spread over a 220,000sq m area of space.

There was an increase in the number of international visitors too. The countries from which most visitors came were the Netherlands, followed by Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and France. Most of the trade visitors from overseas came from the US, China and Australia.

plus.ibinews.com

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Danish boating magazines merge

Denmark's Badmagasinet has acquired BadNyt from parent company Nordjyske Medier and is planning to merge the two publications to form one printed boating magazine.

The first issue of the newly merged magazine will be published before Easter. BadNyt and Badmagasinet will then co-produce one issue monthly.

"We will take the best from two good magazines," editor-in-chief Soren Overup told baadmagasinet.dk. "That gives us the possibility to focus on high quality and good variation.

"Together with a good mix of content the readers will get the best of the best from our magazines," he adds.

All subscribers of the two magazines will receive the new, merged version. -- Lars-ake Redéen

plus.ibinews.com

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North Sails today announced that Quinten ("Quinny") Houry has resigned from Doyle Palma and has joined North Sails. Furthermore, Doyle Palma informed North Sails that they have given notice to Doyle Sails International LTD to terminate their license agreement. The former Doyle Palma business will become a wholly owned loft within the North Sails Group once the 90 days notice period has been completed.

Quinny is part of dynamic team of experts including Fiona Bruce and Russell Thom, all of whom are amongst the leaders in their fields within the Superyacht community. The consolidation of operations, personnel, and expertise in Palma strengthens North Sails presence in the heart of the European Superyacht community.

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Peters & May Group has acquired Worldwide Yacht Shipping and Transport Partners as it expands across the Middle East, Far East and US.

Worldwide Yacht Shipping is already a strong player across the Middle East, while Transport Partners and its subsidiaries is thought to be the second largest shipper of boats worldwide from the US.

Transport Partners is headed up by Wim Spinhoven and specialises in yacht and boat shipping and any other oversized cargo delivery. It is headquartered in the Netherlands, with an affiliated office in Charleston, South Carolina, US and a further seven Asia offices through Transport Partners (Asia).

Royal Marine Packing, a subsidiary of Transport Partners, is located in Charleston and specialises in the packing and transportation of boats. The acquisition will offer Peters & May freight packing and cradling facilities, alongside safe warehousing for cargo.

www.boatingbusiness.com

Featured Brokerage
2011 AkilariaRC2 GryphonSolo2. 240,000 USD Located in Portland, Maine, USA

GryphonSolo2 Designed by Marc Lombard, this 2014 Atlantic Cup winner is a great all-around performer with exceptionally fast reaching capabilities.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Contact Andrew Sheriff, CPYB
Dion's Yacht Yard, Salem MA
978-985-7077 mobile
andrew@ecys.com

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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

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

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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

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

The Last Word
We were young, we were foolish, we were arrogant, but we were right. -- Daniel Ellsberg

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
Clipper Race 7 Day 1: Light Wind Lottery Brings Leaderboard Changes | Ocean Cruising Club Announces Awards for 2017 | "Dasher" The World's First Fully Electric Luxury Motor Yacht from Hinckley Yachts | Fun Forecast for the Tiger Trophy | Tricks for a Better Yacht Race Start | Hardy Cup Sydney International set to illuminate the harbour | Southern Spars at the Caribbean Regatta Season | The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta | The Mercy | World premiere at Sandringham for designer Ron Holland memoir | Featured Brokerage

Clipper Race 7 Day 1: Light Wind Lottery Brings Leaderboard Changes
A testing first 24 hours of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race has seen the Clipper Race fleet make slow progress whilst at the mercy of a light wind lottery. With soaring temperatures to contend with and only a light breeze to fill the sails, teams have been working hard to try and break away from the main pack in patches of breeze.

The lack of wind, which has burdened the fleet since the race officially started yesterday, has kept teams closely together and has also brought about changes across the leaderboard.

Sanya Serenity Coast has pipped Dare To Lead to take first place today and whilst the leading team is beginning to make some progress towards the yacht's home port of Sanya, the light wind conditions remain testing for the crew. Skipper Wendy Tuck explains: "It's hot, the competition is even hotter with yachts all around us, the big Code 1 (lightweight spinnaker) is up, although it had a little rest last night as the breeze was really light and the Windseeker made an appearance for a few hours."

Second placed Dare To Lead is being chased by PSP Logistics, now in third place, for the second consecutive day

Looking ahead, the next 24 hours should provide the teams with some cooler and faster conditions but Clipper Race Weather Guru Simon Rowell explains that the tropical depression which was due to bring big winds has moved further East of the course and is bringing less wind than initially forecast.

Team positions were correct at the time of reporting but are changing regularly so, keep up to date with how the changeable weather conditions affect the fleet as it completes the final 200 nautical miles via the Clipper Race Viewer and hear more from the Skippers and crew on the Team Pages.

Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race will finish in Sanya Serenity Marina in Sanya, and the fleet is expected to arrive between 21 - 25 February after roughly 23-27 days at sea.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Ocean Cruising Club Announces Awards for 2017
The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has announced the recipients of awards that recognize achievements in blue water sailing over the past 18 months. The recipients of these awards were selected from among those nominated by OCC members.

The Club's premier award, the OCC Barton Cup, named after Humphrey Barton, founder of the OCC, goes to Germany's Susanne Huber-Curphey, the first woman to navigate the Northwest Passage singlehanded (west to east 6).

The OCC Lifetime Cruising Award, a new award for 2017, goes to British sailor David Scott Cowper, for tackling the world's most difficult sea routes while completing six circumnavigations.

The OCC Seamanship Award, which recognizes acts of bravery or extraordinary seamanship, goes to Lisa Blair for her solo circumnavigation of Antarctica, which included a dismasting.

The OCC Award, which recognizes valuable service to the OCC or the ocean cruising community as a whole, goes to David Register, lead developer of the OpenCPN navigation software.

The OCC Jester Award goes to Josh Ghyselincks for sailing solo 2900 miles in 24 days from Mexico to the Marquesas in Maistral, an Arpege 29, built by Michael Dufour in 1967 (29 foot LOA).

Details on the awards and recipients:

www.oceancruisingclub.org

First launched at Newport International Boat Show, September 2017, it has won several prestigious awards including "Best Powerboat under 35ft" and "Best Green Yacht in Show".

For European Sales contact Innes McGowan : imcgowan@hinckleyyachts.com

Fun Forecast for the Tiger Trophy
It looks like it's going to be a good breeze for this weekend's Tiger Trophy, with a lot of big names signed up already...

With a few days to go, almost a hundred boats are entered for the penultimate event in this season's GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series. The forecast suggests it's going to be moderate to breezy for both days at Rutland Water for the Tiger Trophy in aid of the John Merricks Sailing Trust.

If the breeze is at the upper end then the youth sailors competing in the 420s and 29ers could fare well, although there's a strong contingent of senior sailors taking part in a big fleet of Fireballs that includes a number of champions. Most notably the evergreen duo of Dave Hall and Paul Constable continue their unbroken run of competing at every Tiger Trophy since it began over 20 years ago. Penny Clark, fresh back from Miami where she coached double Olympian Alison Young to a World Cup gold medal in the Laser Radial, will be steering a Fireball crewed by husband Russ.

As usual the entry list is chock full of champions, including Andy Couch in the Phantom, Charlie Cumbley in the Solo, Sam and Megan Pascoe (respectively International 14 and 2.4mR World Champions) in the Merlin, and also in the Merlin, multiple Endeavour Champions Nick Craig and Alan Roberts. 49er double Olympic medallist Simon Hiscocks could be dangerous in the International Moth if the breeze works out right for the high-speed foiler.

Other classes homing in on the Tiger include a trio of Challenger trimarans and a trio of National 18s including Peter Gray's team who won the Datchet Flyer at the end of last year.

www.sailjuiceseries.com

Tricks for a Better Yacht Race Start
In the video below, North Sails expert Mike Marshall talks us through a ten-boat start where one boat, in particular, had the opportunity to contain the fleet and have a low-risk start with just one small decision change. Instead, because they were too early, they had to sail down the line which then forced them into a high-risk starting situation that gave them no control of the race, or their competition.

afloat.ie

Hardy Cup Sydney International set to illuminate the harbour
Some of the best Trans-Tasman youth match racing teams will traverse the continent to be part of two hotly contested Australian match racing regattas, one of those the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's longstanding Hardy Cup Sydney International Match Racing Regatta.

Perth is hosting the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta January 29 to February 2 then a coast-to-coast flight later some of those teams will arrive in Sydney to join the rest of the field preparing for the Hardy Cup, to be sailed February 4 - 8 on Sydney Harbour.

The competition then switches to New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, home of the Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup, February 9 - 13.

Twelve youth teams of males and females aged 18 to 25 will represent two nations, three Australian states plus the Northern Territory and eight different yacht clubs in Australia and New Zealand at the Grade 3 Hardy Cup the RSYS first hosted back in 2001.

America's Cup and Olympic sailor Sir James Hardy put his name to the prestigious trophy at the outset and he's still Patron, saying "It is a tremendous pleasure to watch Australia's future champions developing their skills on Sydney Harbour."

George Anyon from the RNZYS placed fourth at the 2017 Warren Jones and the world ranked number 14 is now in Perth with his team endeavouring to better that result. His crew will start the Hardy Cup as favourites.

The five-stage Hardy Cup competition is as follows: stage 1 - a single round robin, stage 2 - a single round robin, stage 3 - quarter final knockout & semi-final knockout, stage 4 - petit final knockout and lastly, stage 5 - the final knockout.

www.rsys.com.au/sailing/hardy-cup
www.facebook.com/hardycup/

Southern Spars at the Caribbean Regatta Season
The Caribbean superyacht regattas begin this month and Southern Spars is excited to once again be a part of one of the most exhilarating racing periods of the year.

The upcoming regattas include the RORC Caribbean 600, the St Barths Bucket Regatta, with Southern Spars proud to be an official Friend of the Bucket, and also Les Voiles de St Barths. During which some of the world's elite racing yachts and high performance superyachts will be showcased, sporting Southern Spars rigs.

The RORC Caribbean 600 already has over 80 entries for the 10th edition of this Caribbean classic, including Southern Spars rigged Proteus, the Maxi72 who scored a second overall last year, and Rambler 88 who won Monohull line honours also carrying a full set of Southern Spars rig and ECsix rigging. Superyachts that will be competing include the Dixon 100 Danneskjold and the Southern Wind 102 Farfalla, who both also sport a Southern Spars package.

As well as witnessing first-class racing, at all three of these regattas you will be able to receive first-class service with Rig Pro, Southern Spars' service division. They will be present for any yacht that needs professional and comprehensive repair or maintenance.

southernspars.com

The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
A really tough day for Race Management on day 3 of the Warren Jones Interna-tional Youth Regatta with shifting light winds all day on Perth Waters. PRO Kim Laurence and his team were fully tested as the faint breeze flicked around from East to South and back playing havoc with course setting. This coupled with high and low tides due to the new full moon provided a new test for the 12 teams.

The crews have been bashed by two days of medium to strong breezes which ben-efitted the bigger stronger teams however the lighter crew combinations added a new dynamic to racing today. A number of teams have mixed male / female crews and two teams have very young tacticians learning from the best of youth skippers.

Will Boulden and his Alpha Racing Team from Royal Freshwater Bay YC continues to tick off the wins in Round 2 with 14 year old Will Drew riding as after-guard. The two Will's stand at 4 wins and no losses in Round 2.

Jelmer van Beek and Team Dutch Wave have Arienne van de Loosdrecht working the pit and 13 year old Jared Clark on the back of the boat. Jelmer's team won all three matches raced today to be in the mix for a semi-final spot.

Round Robin 2 matches continue on Thursday with a start time of 1230hrs (local time). -- Jonny Fullerton

1. Will Boulden, AUS, 10-1
2. Harry Price, AUS, 8.5-2
3. Jelmer van Beek, NED, 8-3
4. Mark Spearman, AUS, 7-4
5. James Hodgson, AUS, 6-5
6. George Anyon, NZL, 5-6
7. James Wilson, NZL, 5-6
8. Nick Egnot-Johnson, NZL, 4-7
9. Conor Nicholas, AUS, 4-7
10. Ethan Prieto-Low , AUS, 3-8
11. Clare Costanzo, AUS, 2.5-8
12. Marcello Torre, AUS, 1-10

Full Standings:
www.swanriversailing.com/warrenjonesregatta-results/

www.facebook.com/WarrenJonesRegatta/

The Mercy
The latest sailing movie hitting the screens around the world is a well-known and ever-intriguing story with deep undertones relevant to society in general.

'The Mercy' takes its title from the last words written by Donald Crowhurst before he disappeared off his yacht Teignmouth Electron while competing in the first ever single-handed, non-stop race around the world. Starring Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz these two actors bring to life a tragic story that had its beginnings well before Crowhurst decided to fake his circumnavigation that slowly led to his mania and probable suicide.

Using this movie launch as a backdrop, Australian sailing magazine Cruising Helmsman has commissioned a psychologist and long-term cruiser to pen an article for its March issue discussing the causes and path taken by Crowhurst during his life and that final, tragic sail. Also included are the mental health danger signs all sailors should keep a weather eye out in themselves and fellow crewmembers when out at sea.

As a collaboration the producers have kindly offered Cruising Helmsman 10 double passes to see the movie in Australia when it launches on March 8. All you have to do is 'like' the magazine's Facebook page and post in 25 words or less: what keeps you sane when at sea?

Following that article is an account of possibly the polar opposite of Crowhurst, Bernard Moitessier who also competed in the same race but famously pulled out to continue his trek back to the beloved French Pacific.

The subject of mental health holds a special place for Cruising Helmsman editor Phillip Ross. He regularly attends a social game of touch football in his neighbourhood, the members of which have recently been touched by the loss of two players to suicide from mental illness. He and his fellow players, deciding to try and do something to assist, set up a 12 hour marathon touch football match. Named The Hope Challenge in honour of the last player to suicide, Dr Rick Hope.

The idea is that players register and gather sponsorships for each hour they manage to play the game during the 12 hour period. The first game in 2016 had an objective of raising AU$10000 for the Australian Black Dog Institute, a research and educational charity for mental health disorders.

They thought this would be a good target. What occurred was 210 players raising over $45000 in just 12 hours. Such a fantastic result that they decided to make it an annual event and Ross would like everyone to know it is on again on the 25th March.

Its website, where anybody can sponsor a player or make a donation, is about to go live in next week: www.thehopechallenge.com.au

The Hope Challenge logo is designed to highlight one of its major philosophies: the black dog is dwarfed by its white dog 'shadow' in the hope that all mental health disorder sufferers come to realise that the disease they suffer is but one part of what makes them human. The white dog also symbolises the support that is readily available from medical to loved ones, family, friends and the wider community.

Always strive for Hope, that is the Challenge. If you or someone you know suffers then contact your local GP or helplines for support and treatment.

World premiere at Sandringham for designer Ron Holland memoir
Celebrated yacht designer Ron Holland drew his first yacht at 19 years of age and rapidly made a name for himself as one of the most successful and sought-after designers in the highly competitive world of international ocean racing, before advancing to bigger things.

Holland's seminal influence on the then-new category of superyachts, those toys of the rich and super-rich, brought him fresh success, and an introduction to a world of fascinating personalities: business tycoons, royalty and rock stars. For over 50 years Ron's innovative designs have repeatedly shaken up the world of sailing.

His memoir 'All The Oceans - designing by the seat of my pants' is being launched in Australia in February 2018.

Join us for the world premiere book launch at Sandringham Yacht Club where Holland will share tales from his new book and give insights into being one of the world's leading yacht designers.

The book will be available to purchase ($75 RRP) on the evening and you will have the opportunity to have your book signed after the presentation.

Event Details:
Guest Speaker: Ron Holland - world premiere book launch
Venue: Port Phillip Room, Sandringham Yacht Club, Jetty Road, Sandringham Victoria
Date: Wednesday 21 February 2018 No RSVP required, all welcome
Time: 7:30pm

Alternatively:

Night with Special Guest Ron Holland
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, 120 Nelson Place, Williamstown
Tickets: $55 includes dinner - phone: (03) 9397 1277
Date: Thursday 22nd February
Time: 7pm

www.mysailing.com.au

Featured Brokerage
Donovan 26 OD. $77,474 CIF. Annapolis MD, USA USD.

The Donovan 26 OD is an evolution of the successful GP26 built by Wrace Boats

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Tink Chambers
Stagg Yachts
tink@staggyachts.com
+1.410.268.1001

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

2005 Nautor Swan 62 - GLISSE. 995,000 USD. Located in West Palm Beach, FL - USA

Extremely practical modern-generation cruising Swan from German Frers. Twin wheels, easily-handled rig and a fantastic interior layout combine to offer effortless and powerful ocean cruising. GLISSE is now in Palm Harbor Marina in West Palm Beach for the winter. Great location, easy access in and out to see the yacht.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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2010 Swan 60-903 'Vertical Smile'. 2,200,000 EUR. Located in Italy.

Vertical Smile is the third Swan 60 to be delivered and was launched in 2010. Currently lying in the Nautor's Swan Service Center in Scarlino, Italy. She is available to visit by appointment.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

The Last Word
Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others. -- 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
Guangzhou welcomes the Volvo Ocean Race | A Glorious Start: 8th Superyacht Challenge Antigua | Harken Products Debut at Miami World Cup Series | Push-back on Wynyard Point bases | Regular rivals and new contenders are heading for The Superyacht Cup Palma | Newly formed Land Rover BAR Gladiator make TP52 racing debut | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour | Launchings | Featured Brokerage

Guangzhou welcomes the Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet was treated to a warm welcome in Guangzhou, China on Thursday afternoon, after arriving 70 miles up the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong.

The Chinese Dongfeng Race Team was in the spotlight for the festivities upon arrival. Sitting in second place on the overall leaderboard, behind race leaders MAPFRE, Dongfeng was feted by the local fans.

After proceeding with the public arrival festivities, the skippers then met the local media:

David Witt, skipper, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, on raising the profile of sailing in the region: "Let's not forget we had two Asian teams running first and second in Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race and I think that's a great indication of the interest and the growth of the sport here in Asia and I think you'll see more of that in the future."

volvooceanrace.com

A Glorious Start: 8th Superyacht Challenge Antigua
Superb conditions and close racing were the order of the day for Race One of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua. In the Corsairs Class, Elfje took the first gun, and after ORCsy time correction won the class, just 16 seconds ahead of Rebecca, with Spiip third. In the Buccaneers Class, Acadia was the victor with Zig Zag taking second place, just 37 seconds ahead on corrected time from Maramar.

Principal Race Officer John Coveney commented on the 21 nautical mile race, lasting just over two and a half hours. "The course was designed to test the fleet evenly at every point of sail, and I have to say, with a moderate to strong breeze from the east, coupled with a slight sea state, it was just a glorious day to go racing."

After a two mile beat, the fleet eased sheets heading offshore in anticipation of setting downwind sails onto a broad reach. A tactically and physically demanding downwind leg followed, with gybes-a-plenty. The penultimate leg was a beat, playing the stunning bays along the rugged Antiguan coastline, before a short and sharp power reach to the finish.

In the Buccaneers Class, the 90ft Hoek designed sloop Acadia executed a text book start, just one second shy of the line. Acadia was launched in late 2016, and has beautiful classic lines, twin cockpits and a deckhouse leading to a rich mahogany interior. Acadia's traditional appearance is complimented by a lightweight aluminium hull and fin keel. The carbon rig flies a full main, cutter-rigged foresails and a top-down furling asymmetrical headsail.

In the Corsairs Class, two magnificent sloops enjoyed an epic battle with the 112ft German Frers designed sloop Spiip getting the better of the duel in the latter part of the race. The Bill Dixon designed 105ft Danneskjold was originally launched in 2009, and was the first Superyacht to use a telescopic keel. Danneskjold's hull is made from advanced composites contributing to an impressive displacement of just 70 tonnes, and a minimalist deck layout enables slick manoeuvres. America's Cup and multiple world champion Mike Toppa is part of an impressive crew.

www.superyachtchallengeantigua.com

Harken Products Debut at Miami World Cup Series
The 2018 World Cup Series Miami is in the record books. 543 sailors from 50 nations competed for 50 medals in this pre-Olympic run-up to the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan. Teams raced in light to brutal breeze-on conditions, a comprehensive test of boat handling and tactical skills against peers.

Harken hardware was spotted onboard boats throughout. New products in the Nacra fleet included Harken's high-efficiency ceramic mainsheet systems. They feature insert-molded ceramic bearings that almost eliminate rolling resistance, making it easier and less fatiguing for crew to trim powerfully and precisely. Under test was a new 29 mm soft attach with an amazing MWL of 300 kg (551 lb).

It is specifically designed for high-tech line and features a titanium outer race and sheave, stainless ball bearings and inner race, and composite sideplates—ideal for use in vang cascades and backstay systems.

The 29 mm joins Harken's 18 mm high-load block and will be formally introduced to the public at London's IRA Dinghy Show, March 3-4. Harken At The Front.

www.harken.com

Push-back on Wynyard Point bases
If there are America's Cup teams located on Wynyard Point either on the current plan lodged on January 30, 2018, as part of the Resource Consent process, or in the so-called Wynyard Point proposal favoured by the Minister, then they will be close to some existing oil and other flammable substances storage facilities.

The US-based correspondent writes: "As an American who plans to attend the Cup, I think I can speak for many other potential attendees (read: tourists spending money in NZ) in saying that the Minister's preferred option is horrendous in terms of locating the bases in attractive surroundings that people will want to visit and patronize.

"I expect the teams will feel the same way. With apologies for the likely too-American reference, it's like asking people to spend their vacation at a Superfund site in the middle of a refinery complex. That can't really be what NZ wants to show to the world, both in person and on TV."

Sail-World NZ has long railed against siting teams in proximity to the tanks. It was not a pretty situation in Bermuda and is much worse in Auckland.

The issue was side-lined by the initial proposal for an extension to the Halsey Street Wharf favoured by Team New Zealand and Panuku Developments.

Yesterday we took a camera around the Wynyard Point area and took in some of the sites and scenes - not a great look.

www.sail-world.com/news

Regular rivals and new contenders are heading for The Superyacht Cup Palma
Old battles will be rejoined and new rivalries forged when the 22nd Superyacht Cup gets underway this coming June in what is one of the most hotly anticipated yacht racing events of the year.

No fewer than 19 of the most impressive yachts on the planet have already signed-up, including four of the illustrious J-Class yachts who will be making their first appearance since 2014 at Europe's longest running and largest superyacht regatta.

After a relatively smaller if no less classy 2017 when the event coincided with the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta in Bermuda, the Palma-based Superyacht Cup will see old friends and old rivals mixed in with new competitors across four days of racing.

When this gathering gets to lock horns out on Palma Bay, it is the evocative J-Class yachts that will initiate proceedings on 20 June.

Pushed hard by international crews boasting America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race pedigrees, the J-Class will see the classic 1933-launched Velsheda go up against Svea, the newest addition to the fleet and - at 43.6m - the longest. Meanwhile, Ranger - built in 2003 and the first of the 'new age' Js - and Topaz, another newbie, will also be competing, with another likely contender currently waiting in the wings.

Out in the superyacht classes there will be plenty looking to dislodge the overall 2017 defending champion Bolero, whose crew kept cool and consistent last time out when the pressure was on.

Class A winners in 2017, the Baltic-built flyer Win Win is a regular at the Superyacht Cup and will be looking for the overall title this year, as will the lightweight carbon and very fast Ribelle - second in 2017 - and the lean and very lime green Inoui.

Other regulars at the Palma regatta include the 45m Wally yacht Saudade, placed third in class last year and with three back-to-back Loro Piana Super Yacht Regatta wins in Porto Cervo to their credit, and Atalante, one of three distinctive Hoek Design entries.

Then there are the newcomers to the Superyacht Cup - Aquarius, Kealoha, Take Five, Highland Fling and Leopard 3, the latter two in particular with formidable racing credentials.

The Superyacht Cup runs in Palma, Mallorca, from 19-23 June.

www.thesuperyachtcup.com

Newly formed Land Rover BAR Gladiator make TP52 racing debut
The newly formed team is gearing up for its racing debut, the SCYA Midwinter Regatta in San Diego on the 10th - 11th February. They will spend the week training on the race course ahead of the weekend's racing.

Sir Ben Ainslie and Tony Langley will lead the team with Langley at the helm. Many of the crew that represented Land Rover BAR at the 35th America's Cup competition in Bermuda last summer will be racing, including Sailing Team Manager Jono Macbeth and the British Olympic Finn gold medallist from Rio 2016, Giles Scott.

Giles Scott recently returned to the Finn class, winning the 2018 World Cup Series Miami, USA with a day to spare. David Carr (grinder), Matt Cornwell (bow), Nick Hutton (mid-bow), and Andy McLean (navigator) will also be aboard from the AC35 crew.

Geoff Povey will return as grinder from last season's Gladiator crew, alongside Andrew Escourt (main) and Tom Wilson (pit); with Jono Swain (downwind trim) and two times America's Cup winner Joey Newton (trim) joining the team for the circuit.

Land Rover BAR Gladiator will return to San Diego for the NOOD Regatta on the 16 - 18th March before going on to race in the 52 Super Series - the leading high performance monohull racing circuit - with the opener taking place 23 - 27th May in Sibenik, Croatia. While two events in the UK, the Round the Island Race (7th July) and Lendy Cowes Week (4 - 11th August) will offer the British team an opportunity to race on home waters.

landroverbar.com

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World news
(Very) uncomfortable boats, soft wings, America's conundrum and Australia cranks it up (even more). Patrice Carpentier, Carlos Pich, Blue Robinson, Dobbs Davis, Ivor Wilkins

Update
The clock is ticking for Cup teams and there is way more to the Star Sailors League than meets the eye. Plus stretching the entente with the Golden Globe

Rod Davis - Jumping the (development) curve
You just gotta remember to listen with your eyes…

Sailor of the Month
Determination plus persistence equal delivery

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.

EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour
Sunday, February 4, will see the opening skirmishes in a highly competitive fleet of eight Diam 24 teams with a series of stadium races at Salalah in the south of Oman.

It marks the start of an intensive 14-day campaign which will take the international fleet along hundreds of miles of Oman's striking coastline before the final, deciding encounters in the capital Muscat.

The teams face a demanding schedule of intense inshore stadium racing and challenging coastal raid courses, interspersed with road trips between some of the six coastal venues:

4 February - Salalah - Stadium Racing
5 February - Salalah - Coastal Raid
7 February - Duqm - Stadium Racing
8 February - Duqm - Coastal Raid
10 February - Masirah - Coastal Raid
11 February - Masirah - Stadium Racing
13 February - Ras Al Hadd - Coastal Raid
14 February - Sur - Stadium Racing
16 February - Mutrah - Coastal Raid
17 February - Mutrah - Stadium Racing

The fleet includes several of the multihull's leading exponents keen to get their season off to an early start.

Boat name TBC (OMA) - Skipper: Stevie Morrison (GBR) - Crew: Abdulrahman Al Mashari, Quentin Ponroy

Beijaflore (FRA) - Skipper: Valentin Bellet (FRA) - Crew: Julien Villion, Guillaume Piroulle, Valentin Sipan, Jason Saunders

DB Schenker (GER) - Skipper: Elodie-Jane Mettraux (SUI) - Crew: Sophie de Turckheim, Mathilde Geron, Marwa Al Khaifi

EFG Bank Monaco (MON) - Skipper: Thierry Douillard (FRA) - Crew: Mathieu Richard, Ali Al Balushi

Team Lorina Golfe du Morbihan (FRA) - Skipper: Solune Robert (FRA) - Crew: Louis Flament, Riwan Perron, Charles Dorange

Poujoulat (FRA) - Skipper: Bernard Stamm (SUI) - Crew: Jean-Christophe Mourniac, Gwen Riou

Renaissance (OMA) - Skipper: Cedric Pouligny (FRA) - Crew: Yasser Al Rhabi, Sami Al Shukaili, Haitham Al Wahaibi, Hussein Al Mansoori

VIVACAR (FRA) - Skipper: Matthieu Souben (FRA) - Crew: Didier Le Vourch, Fred Moreau

sailingarabiathetour.com

Launchings
Last week YF alerted you to the build progress of the new Baltic Yachts 112 Custom Yacht and now we can let you know bout the Baltic 85 Custom that is also under construction.

This yacht started build in Summer of 2017 and since then the hull is more-or-less completed. The yacht will feature a grey hull with white superstructure and mast/boom. The design is by Dixon Yacht Design while the interior is by Mark Whiteley Design

Onboard you will find room for just two cabins, one for the owner and the other for guest, therefore up to four will be accommodated. Two crew members can also be slept onboard. She is being built with a composite structure that features E-Glass on the outer skin, Divinycell foam core and pre-preg carbon on the inner skin. The keel features a telescopic lifting keel system that the owner chose. This will allow for the draft to be reduced from 4.3-meters down to 2.95-meters. This yacht is on course for delivery later this year.

www.yachtforums.com

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The brand new RS21 keelboat responds to the need for a progressive, simple and affordable solution for keelboat clubs that increasingly see the opportunity for fleet ownership, league competition and training.

Development of the boat was inspired by direct approach to RS Sailing by several leading keelboat programmes.

The design puts close racing over ultimate performance - convenient ownership over complexity - it maximises low maintenance and value. This is the boat to bring wider availability, enjoyment and popularity back to keelboat racing.

The RS21 is both high quality and a sound financial proposition. Realistic costs allow appealing club charter fees - or affordable investment by syndicates of sailing friends.

Key Features:
- LOA 6.34m - Beam 2.2m - Draft 1.38m
- No-hiking rule
- 2-part carbon fibre mast - for convenient storage and transport
- Retractable carbon composite bowsprit
- One Design and Club sails specification options
- Optional symmetrical spinnaker
- Optional integrated, rechargeable & retractable electric sail-drive propulsion
- Stowage aboard for all equipment to improve operational speed & efficiency
- Integrated data logger & innovative, cost efficient electronics option

www.RSsailing.com

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The Truly Classic 127 series of Hoek Design sailing yachts has expanded once again after TC127-3 was given a technical launch in the Netherlands earlier this month.

Built at Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw and due to be fitted out in Turkey at SES Yachts, this 38.8 metre aluminium-hulled yacht is based on Atalante, which was launched by Claasen in 2015 as the first Truly Classic 127 yacht. A second hull is currently nearing completion at British yard Pendennis.

TC127-3 will differ from her sisterships in having a single deckhouse and a steering position set well aft. Likewise, the sailplan and interior layout has been tweaked without affecting the exterior lines and dramatic overhangs.

Hoek Design explains that an unusual fractional sailplan should provide "sparkling performance in light winds". Ease of sail handling was a key priority, and for this reason, the owner has chosen a Park Avenue-style boom and swept-back spreaders, meaning that only one set of runners and checkstays are required.

Due for completion in 2019, TC127-3 will offer accommodation for up to six guests split between a master suite, double cabin and a twin room, while the crew quarters will allow for a staff of up to six people.

www.boatinternational.com

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With the new Sun 440 boat, Jeanneau has introduced a new style and new features that may have redefined what we'll expect from cruising yachts in years to come. Why should we leap over coamings, wedge ourselves into an odd shaped berths or scale the mast to reach the head of the stack pack? We don't. Jeanneau aimed to make sailing more comfortable, and it has succeeded. She's comfortable and easy to sail – in fact, she sails well.

She has three layouts available, only one has reduced berth shapes and sizes to those normally found on yachts – the two double forward cabin layout. All the other layouts have large rectangular berths giving the 440 a feeling of space not normally found on yachts this size.

On deck, she's got plenty of storage for sails and cruising clobber and moving around deck is a doddle. She could be easily handled by a couple, or with family and friends. Down below, she's light, spacious and well laid out. Who could want more from this style of boat?

If you enjoy coastal cruising and a few longer passages thrown in, there are many features on the 440 that you won't find on other yachts in her class: the full-length volume giving chine, fold down coamings, central galley, the rectangular berth and the innovative walkway from the helm to the deck.

Facts and Figures:

Price as tested £301,856
LOA 13.39m (43ft 11in)
Hull Length 12.64m (41ft 5in)
LWL 12.00m (39ft 4in)
Beam 4.29m (14ft)
Draught 1.6m (5ft 2in) (Shoal version)
Displacement 8,561kg (18,874 lb)
Ballast 2,670kg (5,886 lb)
Ballast ratio 31.2%
Displacement / Length 137.8
Sail area 90.30m2 (972sq ft)
SA/D ratio 22

www.yachtingmonthly.com

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Since the production of our Finn moulds in 2014, Petticrows have been steadily building Finns and to date have built 40 boats.

Work has been taking place on a project inspired by the the Legend - Howard Sellars to build a maintenance free wooden decked boat.

Petticrows have been perfecting a new advanced technique to encapsulate extremely thin wood veneer within a GRP laminate using a new infusion process.

This has proved interesting but extremely challenging at times as boats built by this method must be suitable for high level racing and therefore have the weight, stiffness and weight distribution comparable to standard GRP boats. We have to date built 2 'wooden decked' boats that you may have seen out on the water.

The new style infusion process has now been rolled out for the production of all Finn foredecks. The laminate achieved with this new technique is superb, both light and flexible, GRP boats built with these new style laminate foredecks are showing excellent boat speed and all boats built from now on will incorporate these new style decks.

For further information, contact Kay Tavinor
www.petticrows.co.uk/

Featured Brokerage
Outremer 5X - NEW BOAT

At just under 60ft the flagship of this successful and well-established multihull supplier also offers a step-up in performance with naval architecture by VPLP

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Outremer Yachting
+33.467 560 263
Contact@Catamaran-Outremer.com

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Club Swan 50-003 'Cuordileone. 1,100,000 EUR.

ClubSwan50: A yacht that is a small revolution in performance and pure sailing pleasure.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Lorenzo Bortolotti
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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1998 Swan 48-123 'E2'. 395,000 EUR. Located in Valdivia, Chile.

Swan 48-123 E2 is a beautifully presented yacht and currently moored in Chile. Sold to her current owner in 2014, she underwent a refit and maintenance period in Italy before starting her voyage to South America.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Lorenzo Bortolotti
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

The Last Word
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit . . . . if we appear to seek the unattainable, then let it be known that we do so to avoid the unimaginable. -- Port Huron Statement, 1962

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
MAPFRE claims top spot in China | Vestas 11th Hour Racing will not compete in Leg 6; boat shipped to New Zealand for repairs | Zag Masters | Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March | 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 3 & 4 | Farr 40 NSW State Title | Superfoiler Grand Prix | Scottish Group Calls for Help to Save Historic Ship | Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy | West Cork's Famous Gaff - Cutter Lady Min is Being Saved for Future Generations | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

MAPFRE claims top spot in China
The Spanish MAPFRE team takes victory in Guangzhou to open a five-point lead lead at the top of the In-Port Race Series leaderboard

There is a new leader in the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series, after MAPFRE won the Dongfeng In-Port Race in Guangzhou, China on Saturday afternoon.

The win puts the Spanish race leader alone at the top of the In-Port Race Series leaderboard, after a wire to wire win.

While MAPFRE started well and extended away for the win, there was a real battle for second place between Team Brunel, with America's Cup winner Peter Burling on the helm, and team AkzoNobel.

The pair switched places time and again on the first three laps of the course, before Burling and Brunel extended slightly on the last upwind leg to gain some comfort on the final run to the finish.

The fleet will depart Guangzhou on Monday for Auckland, with a short stop scheduled in Hong Kong before a re-start on Wednesday February 7 at 1300 local time (0500 UTC).

Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series Leaderboard
MAPFRE - 32 points
Dongfeng Race Team - 27 points
Team Brunel - 23 points
team AkzoNobel - 21 points
Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag - 13 points
Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 12 points
Turn the Tide on Plastic - 10 points

volvooceanrace.com

Vestas 11th Hour Racing will not compete in Leg 6; boat shipped to New Zealand for repairs
Vestas 11th Hour Racing has undertaken steps to repair their Volvo Ocean 65 yacht, which was involved in a collision with a non-racing vessel at the end of Leg 4 near Hong Kong. The time required for repairs means the team will not be rejoining the race in time for Leg 6 from Hong Kong to Auckland, New Zealand. The shore crew has loaded the yacht onto a freight vessel in Hong Kong for transportation to Auckland.

The challenge of the damage, the exacting standards set by the Volvo Ocean 65 One Design rule, and the timing of the race provided limited choices, and it was concluded that the repair could not be carried out in Hong Kong. The only viable option was to ship the boat and equipment to New Zealand ahead of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet and carry out the necessary repairs there. This includes having a new bow section built at Persico Marine in Italy, in compliance with the Volvo Ocean 65 class rule, which will then be shipped to New Zealand.

The team aims to have repairs completed during the stopover in Auckland, in time for inshore racing and the start of Leg 7 to Itajaí, Brazil, which is scheduled for March 18.

The Vestas 11th Hour Racing team will regroup in Auckland to monitor the boat repairs and commence training on and off the water ahead of Leg 7.

11thhourracing.org

Zag Masters
Coconut Grove, FL, USA: The Star Masters fleet, 32 strong, was treated to beautiful Miami conditions today with southeasterly winds in the 7-9 knot range and sunshine.

In the first race, Magnus and I had a good battle with our old friends Mark Reynolds and Hal Haenel. We traded the lead twice but Mag and I prevailed. Augie Diaz had a tough start and was back in the fleet on the first leg. He and his crew Bruno Prada made a good comeback to finish 5th and stay in the hunt for the overall.

In race two, Augie and Bruno got off to a good start and never looked back. Mag and I battled Reynolds again and Loftstedt of Sweden. In the end we finished 4th while Diaz won. In the finally tally, Magnus and I managed to win over Diaz/Prada and Reynolds/Haenel rounded out the top three for the Zag Masters.

We have three days off before the Walker Cup starts on Thursday. I am going to Nassau tomorrow to visit Star legend Durward Knowles. -- Paul Cayard

FInal top five:
1. Paul Cayard / Magnus Liljedahl, USA, 6 points
2. Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada, USA, 8
3. Mark Reynolds / Hal Hagnel, USA, 9
4. Tom Lofstedt / Joost Houweling, SWE, 13
5. Vasyl Gureyev / Andkeg Shafranugu, UKR, 18

Full results

cayardsailing.com
starclass.org

Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March
Come and join us at the premier early season event. Easy online entry.

Great racing and prizes including 50 trophies - 100 bottles of champagne - valuable goodies from Helly Hansen and Crewsaver.

The Spring Series is on six Sundays: 18 March to 29 April (excluding Easter).

There are 4 IRC classes + J/109, J/88 in Black group. White Group comprises Sportsboats (J/70 - SB20 - J/80 - Mixed). Other one design classes or extracted results are possible on request.

Crewsaver Spring Championship starts on 21 April

The Spring Championship is on the last two weekends of the Spring Series: Saturdays & Sundays 21-22 + 28-29 April. Up to 14 races over the four days.

Black group has 4 IRC classes + J/109, with the Performance 40 class racing within IRC 1. White Group is for J/70 - SB20 - J/80 Mixed Sportsboats -Quarter Ton Class.

Warsash Sailing Club - The first place to race in 2018.

www.warsashspringseries.org.uk

admin@warsashspringseries.org.uk

Warsash Sailing Club, Shore House, Shore Road, Warsash SO31 9FS. 01489 583575

18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 3 & 4
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour" The Australian 18ft Skiff Championship is wide open after another which produced two different winners in Races 3 and 4 on Sydney Harbour today.

Smeg's team of Lee Knapton, Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge dominated Race 3 in the 10-knot East-South-East breeze when they led at every mark before going on to a brilliant 1m29s win.

Finport Trade Finance (Keagan York, Matt Stenta, Ed Chapman) recovered fro 9th place at the first windward mark to finish in second place, just 2s ahead of The Kitchen Maker (Scott Babbage, Sam Ellis, Kurt Warner).

Race 4 followed soon after,and it looked as though wew would have another Smeg victory when the champion team led the fleet over the first lap of the course.

Typical 'fluky' Easterly conditions, however, began to play a part on the final windward leg of the course and Smeg's lead soon disappeared.

Yandoo's crew were superb and went to a 40s victory over Appliancesonline, while Finport Trade Finance completed a consistently good day.

The championship has produced three different winners in the four races and the overall point reflect the closeness of the racing.

Yandoo's win has given the team a total of 13 points from the four races and a one point lead over Smeg (the only two times winner), which has a total of 14 points.

Finport Trade Finance and Appliancesonline share the next placing on 14 points, followed by Asko Appliances (James Dorron) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards) on 20 points

Races 5 & 6 of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday, 11 February -- Frank Quealey

www.18footers.com

Farr 40 NSW State Title
At the end of two long days and seven races in mixed conditions, a countback cliff-hanger split first and second at the Farr 40 NSW State Title which wrapped up on Sydney Harbour on Sunday February 4, 2018.

Martin Hill and team HillPDA Racing beat the nine-strong Farr 40 fleet four times and Tom and Alan Quick's Outlaw managed it twice, the extra firsts breaking the equal points deadlock and delivering Hill the class state title for the second consecutive year.

On a shifty lighter air day Hill's crew soon learned it was less risky to take a transom or two and stay in the middle of the course between Obelisk at Mosman and Watsons Bay, race officer Phil Yeomans' plan B following an earlier extended postponement at The Sound, between North, South and Middle Head.

Third overall was Sam Hill's Forty crewed by some of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's youth match racing team who arrived at 6am Saturday morning off the red-eye from Perth, the day after finishing up at the Warren Jones Regatta.

Australian Sailing's Youth Sailor of the Year and 2016 Laser youth world champ, 18-year-old Finn Alexander and Sasha Ryan, sister of Forty's tactician, Olympic silver medallist Will Ryan, also added their respective skill sets.

The NSW State Title is the prelude to the season-ending Farr 40 National Championships: John Calvert-Jones Trophy the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron will conduct over three days, March 17-19, 2018.

www.farr40.asn.au
farr40.org

Superfoiler Grand Prix
Photo by Andrea Francolini, www.afrancolini.com
The first ever leg of the SuperFoiler Grand Prix has been claimed in emphatic fashion by Euroflex, with iD Intranet and Pavement on the podium.

The star-studded Euroflex crew of Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen and Glenn Ashby showed their superiority by claiming victory in all seven races on Adelaide's Outer Harbor - taking the maximum points into the next regatta.

Euroflex netted six points from the Grand Prix regatta, iD five, Pavement four, Kleenmaid three, Record Point two and tech2 one heading into the second leg in Geelong.

Intranet's Paul Campbell-James was recovered from a man-overboard during the final race of Day 2 of the SuperFoiler Grand Prix's opening regatta in Adelaide.

The trio were pushing series leader Euroflex all day and pressed a little too hard on the fourth race of the regatta and iD's skipper was tossed overboard.

The second placed machine continued racing - with Fang Warren commandeering the vessel as the safety jet ski raced to get the British skipper back on board.

The America's Cup sailor Campbell-James returned to his iD machine unscathed and resumed steering duties - crossing the line just behind Euroflex.

Live-streaming will continue next week on Saturday and Sunday when the racing heads to Geelong at www.superfoiler.com this Sunday.

Scottish Group Calls for Help to Save Historic Ship
Click on image to enlarge.

An international appeal is underway to save the Falls of Clyde, a four-mast sailing ship built in Glasgow 140 years ago. International Save The Falls of Clyde Campaign is working in conjunction with the Hawaiian group Friends of Falls of Clyde to get her transported from Hawaii back to Scotland and rebuilt.

The 285-foot long and 40-foot wide vessel built by shipbuilders Russell & Co. in 1878 has a wrought-iron hull. She entered service as part of the Falls Line fleet - all of which were named after Scottish waterfalls - and she sailed to ports on all continents except Antarctica.

The Save Falls of Clyde International Campaign was launched in August 2016 when Honolulu Harbour impounded her. Their aim is to now return her to Scotland.

The group has secured free passage for the vessel through the Panama Canal, and tug services have been volunteered. "We are seeking one or many brands to help us reach part of our costs to complete the lift operation," says O'Neill. "We are asking for pledges, by email to savefallsofclyde@gmail.com or to the Facebook page."

www.facebook.com/savefallsofclyde/

maritime-executive.com

Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy
Newport, RI, USA: In recognition of her years of dedication and commitment to sailors with disabilities and adaptive sailing, President and Co-Founder of the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta, Judy McLennan, was awarded the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy at the U.S. Sailing Leadership Forum on February 1.

This award recognizes the 16 years of commitment McLennan has invested in The Clagett and its mission "to assist sailors in realizing their potential on the water by providing them both the knowledge and tools to improve their skills and the opportunity to use these skills in competition", and to make her father Tom Clagett's motto, to "Reach for Success" a reality for adaptive sailors.

It was in 2002 when the seed was planted; Judy and Stephanie McLennan met with Robie Pierce to discuss creating a sailing regatta and clinic for disabled sailors, which had a strong coaching component to it. A year later, in 2003, the first C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta was held in Newport, R.I.

Over the 16 years that The Clagett has been held, it has gone from strength to strength and in 2016 expanded its scope to partner with Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, N.Y. to create the Clagett/Oakcliff Match Race Regatta. This regatta provides an opportunity for adaptive sailors to learn a new racing format and benefit from the match racing coaching.

www.clagettregatta.org

West Cork's Famous Gaff - Cutter Lady Min is Being Saved for Future Generations
Click on image to enlarge.

When the 30 - ft gaff - cutter Lady Min was newly-launched in Schull in 1902, she was something of a sensation writes W M Nixon. Designed by local sailing enthusiast Maurice O'Keeffe and built to his requirements by local shipwrights under his own direction such that Lloyds Register lists him as both designer and builder, she had a hull which was seen by traditionalist as being of the fast but fragile skimming dish type.

Thus while everyone acknowledged the Lady Min's undoubted speed, nobody thought that she would last very long. Yet although many of the supposedly more rugged boat types which were her contemporaries have long since disappeared, the Lady Min still survives 116 years later.

Admittedly her condition has had its ups and downs during those long years. But there's something special about the Lady Min which has seen key owners at certain times lavishing the care and attention which has been needed to keep this remarkable and much-loved boat in existence. And now, after many years during which Lady Min has been preserved under cover, Simon O'Keeffe of Schull - a grandson of the original designer and builder - has commissioned noted Ballydehob boat-builder Tiernan Roe to do all the necessary work required to keep Lady Min as a viable proposition.

afloat.ie/sail/

* From Marcus Spillane, President, International Nacra 17 Class Association

We have been made aware of an incident that occurred while racing in New Zealand yesterday. Danish crew member, CP Lubeck fell overboard and was struck by the rudder foil of his Nacra 17. The injury required surgery. Thankfully CP is recovering well and will be back in action soon.

We have been in contact with World Sailing and Nacra Sailing and are investigating the facts. This is a priority for the Class and as find out more we will keep you informed.

Featured Brokerage
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This Swan 70 combines the exhilaration of performance sailing with the comfort and security of a blue water cruiser. Under her former name 'Fastnet', she won the Swan Cup in 2002 proving to be unstoppable on the race course.

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Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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TP 52 Constellation. 199,000 USD. Located in Annapolis, MD United States.

CONSTELLATION is a well known TP 52 that was formally called RIO Very little use the last year, she was 4th overall in the 2014 Newport to Bermuda Race. She is in good condition and is ready for more fun racing under IRC or ORC as many of her sister ships have proven time and time again

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins 410 267 9419 or 410 353 7862 ( cell)

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2000 Farr 52 One Design. 179000 EUR. Located in Greece.

Absolutely ready to go! She was built in 2000 by Carroll Marine in the USA and very well maintained. Current owner is second owner. She is perfect for serious handicap offshore or inshore racing in both ORCi & IRC.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info@bachyachting.nl

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

The Last Word
The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing. -- Douglas Engelbart

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 departs Guangzhou
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet slipped lines at the Nansha Marina in Guangzhou, China on Monday morning in preparation for Leg 6 to Auckland, New Zealand, which will start this Wednesday following a short stop in Hong Kong.

The Guangzhou stopover marked the fourth time the Volvo Ocean Race has stopped in China over the past 10 years, beginning with the Olympic sailing venue of Qingdao in the 2008-09 edition. Subsequent races have visited Sanya (2011-12 and 2014-15) and now the current race is in the Hong Kong SAR and Guangzhou, China for the first time.

Six teams in the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are scheduled to cross the starting line off Hong Kong for Leg 6 to Auckland on Wednesday February 7 at 1300 local time (0500 UTC), although strong winds are forecast which may push the start time earlier to get the fleet away ahead of the big breeze. Race Management will confirm the start time within the next 24 hours.

The seventh team, Vestas 11th Hour Racing, has announced it will miss Leg 6, following a collision with a non-racing vessel at the end of Leg 4. The team has already missed the Leg to Guangzhou.

www.volvooceanrace.com

Hong Kong-London: Maserati Multi 70 Off The Coast Of Namibia
This morning Maserati Multi 70 is sailing 250 miles off the coast of Namibia at 22° S, the latitude of Walvis Bay, whose lagoon is a worldwide famous spot for sailing speed records on flat waters.

Always with the wind astern, the crew had to make a couple of jibes to gain ground towards north. After the beautiful breezes of the last 48 hours, this morning, end of the eighteenth day of navigation, they had to pass through a lighter wind bubble.

At 8.48 UTC, Maserati Multi 70 is 2,000 miles from the Equator if it were to pass it at longitude 15° W, but 2.400 miles considering meridian 25° W. It's always the same question: where to cross the doldrums zone?

The lead on the record holder has grown up to 1,200 miles.

Remember that Lionel Lemonchois had to stop 48 hours in Port Elisabeth before passing Good Hope, to let a winter depression pass.

There are less than 5,250 miles on the theoretical route.

maserati.soldini.it

Harken Exhibits at Helsinki Boat Show February 9 - 18
Come see what's new at Harken at Sail Tech OY, booth 5659.

Showcased will be Element, a line of quality forged-aluminum blocks that are value-priced, a high-efficiency ceramic mainsheet system for one-handed trimming on Grand-Prix catamarans, the Small Boat Continuous Line Drive furler that harnesses the power of free-flying sails on sport boats and performance cats, 57 mm Power3 ratchet blocks with three holding-power options for one-design sailors, the Reflex 3 top-down furler for boats 14 - 18 m (46 - 60′), and the Flatwinder, a low-profile powered block for mainsheet traveler adjustment on monohulls and catamarans.

The knowledgeable staff will be happy to answer all your technical questions and show you around. Harken AT THE FRONT.

www.harken.com

Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
Harry Price and his Down Under Racing Team crew of Murray Jones, Corey Hamilton, Matt Stenta and Cam Seagreen won the 2018 Warren Jones Inter-national Youth Regatta in fairly convincing fashion in the fading light on Perth Waters.

Finals day begun in the same pattern as the whole week with light and flukey Easterly's delaying any action until mid afternoon on a hot and humid Perth day. The semi-final heats were shortened accordingly to the best of 2 match-es.

Before the final matches the breeze took a big shift to the S/SW and increased to a more acceptable 8 - 10 knots, much to the relief of a big fleet of spectators and support boats surrounding the short stadium type course in Perth Waters. The Finals were also shortened to the first to 2 points as the light started to fade in the late afternoon.

In the Petit-Final George Anyon (RNZYS) faced Mark Spearman (RFBYC) which turned out to be a bit one sided in favour of the local team skippered by Mark Spearman.

The Grand Final was set up for a race off between the highest ranked teams at this years Warren Jones International Youth Regatta. In the short two lap course Price extended on each leg and was easily able to off load his penalty and go on to win by three boat lengths.

On match point Harry Price again got penalised in the pre-start giving Will Boulden a glimpse of a come-back. However as before Price won the start and led away upwind through the traffic, which included the heavily laden vessel 'Dampier' full of the non-competing teams and their friends.

Price appeared to have much better speed upwind and was able to control his opponent to open up a good lead at the final top mark. Gliding down to the finish on the final run, Will Boulden did manage to close the gap but Harry Price was able to drop his kite and off load his penalty just before the finish line and cross to win the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta for the first time. -- Jonny Fullerton on behalf of Swan River Sailing

Final Standings:

1. Harry Price, Murray Jones, Corey Hamilton, Matt Stenta, Cam Seagreen Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

2. Will Boulden, Alister Young, Alex Negri, Emerson Carlberg, Peron Pearce, Will Drew Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

3. Mark Spearman, Luke Elliot, Rome Featherstone, Damien Garbowski, James Stewart Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

4. George Anyon, Taylor Balough, Tim Snedden, Connor Mashlan, Bradley McLaughlin Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

Full Standings:

www.facebook.com/WarrenJonesRegatta/

Dobson Bags Another Tiger
Click on image for photo gallery.

Ian Dobson and Richard Wagstaff rumbled their way to victory in their Fireball at the Tiger Trophy, the sixth event in this season's GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series. The forecast for Rutland Water was changing by the day during the build-up to the weekend, with Saturday looking unsailable due to too much breeze. Come the day, however, and a lack of breeze halted any prospect of racing.

Instead principal race officer David Wilkins, having canvassed the views of the sailors on Saturday, canned Sunday's usual pursuit race in favour of the three back-to-back handicap races around a trapezoid course which had originally been scheduled for the Saturday.

The breeze dropped off to a more steady 10 to 15 knots for the final heat, and this proved to be the deciding battle for overall honours. Indeed the top three in this race took the top three places overall. Dobson and Wagstaff won the race and won the Tiger Trophy by a single point ahead of the next two who were tied for second overall. It's exactly five years ago that Dobson last won the Tiger, when he raced a Fireball in 2013, crewed on that occasion by Sam Brearey.

Trophy Winners

John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Ian Dobson and Richard Wagstaff ( Fireball, Burwain SMVC)

Tony Everard Trophy (Lowest score over 3 races without discard) Ralph and Sophie Singleton (RS 800, Datchet SC)

Shere Khan Trophy (Oldest Helm over 60) Dave Hall (Fireball, Blackwater SC)

Lady Tiger Trophy (First finishing all girl crew) Megan Ferguson and Bettine Harris (420, Frensham Pond Sailing Club)

John Merricks Junior Trophy (Under 16 on first day of event) Dylan McPherson and Andrew Stuart (420, Burnham SC)

John Merricks Youth Trophy (Under 19 on 31st Dec 2017) Nick Robins and Bill Vennis-Ozanne, 29er, Hayling Island SC)

Tiger Club Trophy (Sailing Club with the most entries other than Host ) Grafham SC

Class Prizes (highest finishing from classes with 6 or more entries:
Laser - Alistair Goodwin (12th, Haversham SC)
Solo - Charlie Cumbley (23rd, Warsash SC)
420 - Alex Colquitt and Rebecca Coles (15th, West Kirby SC)

There's just one event to go in this season's GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series. The Oxford Blue takes place on Saturday 17 February at Farmoor Reservoir. With almost 80 boats already entered, the event is filling up quickly.

Hong Kong Yacht Club seeks Boatyard Manager
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is looking for a high caliber individual to fill the post of Boatyard Manager which will become vacant in May 2018.

- Review current practices, procedures and policies and make recommendations for any improvements that are required in the short, medium and long terms.

Industry News
Gill North America Ltd, the US leader in technical marine clothing, has been acquired by the worldwide brand Gill, as the business pursues ambitious expansion plans.

Gill today announced that the British parent company has acquired Gill North America Ltd. The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, is part of Gill's ambitious growth strategy, developed since the company was purchased from Nick Gill by YFM Equity Partners in late 2013. The move is also part of the wider plans designed to strengthen its brand position in the marine apparel market and continue the significant growth seen in 2017.

Gill North America Ltd is the leading marine brand in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, with annual revenues in excess of US$8 million. The deal will see the company's combined annual turnover increase to more than GBP £20 million, with the US making up 33% of the Gill worldwide portfolio.

Gill North America Ltd previously operated independently under a distribution agreement but will now be an integrated part of the Gill global brand, delivering benefits through expansive markets, new product development, cost synergies, centralized digital platforms, shared operations and customer service.

David Pritchard will continue as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Gill North America, reporting directly to Jamie Tunnicliffe

www.gillmarine.com

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The Cruising Association (CA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Peta Stuart-Hunt as its new Press & PR Manager with immediate effect. Peta joins the CA team with an impressive track record having served for many years as Press Officer for Cowes Week and the last seven years as Press Officer for the Round the Island Race.

Over her 30+ years working in PR and Marketing in the leisure marine arena, Peta has worked with most of the best known brands and events in the business and also on behalf of sailing charities including RYA Sailability and the Even Keel Project. More recently, Peta has been involved with the Andrew Simpson Foundation and Bart's Bash and now, as a founding Trustee, handles PR & Marketing for the Charity Sail Aid UK, that is helping to fund regeneration projects in the wake of the 2017 hurricanes that devastated so many of the Caribbean islands.

Peta's role for the CA includes day-to-day responsibility for all media enquiries, news and features and managing the CA's social media campaign. She will also look after media and PR requirements in support of the CA's presence at boat shows and contribute to in-house communications including the quarterly magazine Cruising.

publicity@theca.org.uk

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On the occasion of the opening of the Gothenburg boat show, Pelle P and Alinghi are pleased to announce that they have entered into a collaborative partnership. The agreement covers a first period of minimum three years.

As official supplier to the Team, Pelle P will provide Alinghi with sailing and leisure wear and will be in charge of producing a replica range of Alinghi merchandising products.

Full collection to be released in Spring 2018.

pellepetterson.com
alinghi.com

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The Iowa-based Meredith Corporation, through its purchase of Time Inc, has returned to the boating publishing market after an absence of 28 years.

Meredith previously published the world's largest yachting title, Sail magazine, which at that time had a monthly circulation in excess of 170,000 copies but was divested as a "non-core" title in 1990.

Sail was subsequently acquired by the Cahners division of Reed International, which already owned Power & Motoryacht magazine.

Times have changed at Meredith, which has diversified from its traditional focus on US women and home interest titles to owning TV stations and now, with its latest acquisition, to an involvement in the international publishing scene across numerous sectors. The newly enlarged Meredith Corporation will have annual revenues in excess of US$5bn.

The US$2.8bn deal to purchase Time Inc, which completed on Tuesday, means that the four British marine magazine titles Yachting World, Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and Motor Boat and Yachting will now come under Meredith's imprint as will another 45 of Time Inc's British-based publications and websites covering a wide variety of subject matter.

plus.ibinews.com

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Tuesday, January 30, 2018 (Miami, FL): YachtWorld, the world's largest network for brokers and buyers of luxury vessels and yachts, has launched a partnership with Marinalife, the most extensive web directory of marina information, to power a membership-based program that connects boaters to a North American community of experts and resources to enhance their yacht ownership.

Partnering with Marinalife allows YachtWorld to serve its captivated audience in a capacity beyond searching for the boats of their dreams. Called the YachtWorld Ensign Society, users can join the largest marina services provider in North America with a discounted membership fee and receive year-round benefits that complement the needs of their yachting lifestyle.

YachtWorld, the world's largest network for brokers and buyers of luxury vessels and yachts With an average of 110,000 listings, offers customers websites in 13 different languages, boats in 140 different countries, and the world's largest broker-to-broker MLS with over 60,000 boats available for co-brokerage.

www.yachtworld.com
www.marinalife.com/ensignsociety

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North Sails today announced that Quinten (Quinny) Houry has resigned from Doyle Palma and has joined North Sails. Furthermore, Doyle Palma informed North Sails that they have given notice to Doyle Sails International LTD to terminate their license agreement. The former Doyle Palma business will become a wholly owned loft within the North Sails Group once the 90 days notice period has been completed.

* From Guy Knowell:

Nonsense.

Scallywag consists of Aussies, a Cloggie (don't we know it!), some Poms and a Portuguese. Nobody remotely Asian and definitely nobody 'Hong Kong'.

Dongfeng has one Chinese on board, a platoon of Frenchmen, some Kiwis, Aussies, Cloggies and one Swiss.

Presumably 'nationality' these days is determined by bank accounts and not by crew. Sad.

Sailing is becoming more and more like horse racing - buy a horse, pay a trainer and a jockey to do the actual work, collect the trophy, and take the credit. Madness.

Featured Brokerage
1999 Swan 56. 445,000 EUR. Located in Izola, Slovenia.

Mensae, a superb Swan 56 is well known in the New England and West Indies area, can either cruise in comfort or head offshore both in cruising, and casual racing.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

2008 GP42 - SILVA NEO. 310000 EUR. Located in Hamble, UK.

Extremely competitive 40 ft IRC and ORC contender. Full inventories for both rule and has had extensive refits over the past two years.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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

1992 Swan 68-002 Defiance. 650,000 EUR. Located in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Italy.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Giorgio Passarella
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

The Last Word
The problem with today's world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. -- Brian Cox

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Team AkzoNobel leads fleet out of Hong Kong towards Auckland
Skipper Simeon Tienpont's team AkzoNobel led the Volvo Ocean Race fleet away from the Hong Kong start line on Monday morning as Leg 6 got underway.

Racing started in a light, 8-10 knot easterly with AkzoNobel, SHK/Scallywag, and Team Brunel the first across the line, slipping upwind under full sail, with the spectator fleet in tow.

But shortly after clearing land, the wind started to increase to 15-20 knots, and the enormous Code 0 sails were furled in favour of smaller headsails. Conditions are forecast to deteriorate further over the next 24 hours.

With a Tropical Cyclone forecast to produce heavy sea conditions, race officials have added a Tropical Storm Exclusion Zone, extending across 20 degrees of longitude to the east of the Philippines.

Most weather routing software suggests the fastest route is to the north and east of the exclusion zone but this will ensure the fleet avoids the worst of the sea conditions.

Leg of the Volvo Ocean Race will take the fleet through the Luzon Strait and then on an easterly heading before the boats dive south through the Doldrums and then southeast to the northern tip of New Zealand.

Leg 6 - Position Report - Wednesday 7 February (Day 1) - 06:00 UTC
1. Team Brunel -- distance to finish - 5433.7 nautical miles
2. team AkzoNobel +0.0
3. Dongfeng Race Team +0.2
4. Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag +0.4
5. MAPFRE +0.5
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic +1.1
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - DID NOT START

volvooceanrace.com

Time for Transparency is Now
As the Volvo Ocean Race teams were on the final approach to the Leg 4 finish line in Hong Kong, the race organizers knew the peril they would face. These chaotic waters were well documented, filled with all forms of fishing boats that don't show up on navigational tools.

The race has had stops in China since the 2008-9 contest, and while no collisions had previously occurred, tearing through fishing gear had proven to be a problem. But now returning for the fourth time, this accident waiting to happen... happened.

At 1:23am local time, fire-hose reaching at 20 knots, limiting visibility aboard the groaning 65-foot vessel, with only 30 nm to the finish, Vestas 11th Hour Racing collided with a fishing boat, sinking the boat, tossing the 10 onboard into the ocean, resulting in nine rescues and one fatality.

Sadly, this kind of incident is not uncommon. On the same day as the Vestas incident, a collision between a cargo vessel and a fishing boat sank the boat and led to one confirmed fatality and seven missing people.

Regardless of how frequent these types of events are in Asia, they are not common in our sport. It is vital for information to be shared so that gains can be made. However, both race organizers and the team have not been forthcoming. Oddly, little mention has even been made about the significant damage to the race boat.

Craig Leweck's editorial in our beloved sister publication:
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2018/02/05/time-transparency-now/

Seahorse February 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Single-purpose tightly focused mile muncher
The demand for dual-purpose yachts suitable for small crews is growing. The demand for fast yachts is always growing

A suitable new home
The Gunboat brand helped invent a new genre of multihull sailing. Now that brand has found its perfect spiritual home

Seahorse build table - Busy times
And Finot-Conq are back in the raceboat business

ORC - Late to the party
Tom Humphreys

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.

Oyster Yachts in liquidation
Leading UK sailing yacht brand Oyster Yachts has gone into liquidation. The reasons for the crash are not yet known but around 150 jobs are thought to be at risk.

A statement on the yacht builders website from CEO David Tydeman says: 'It is with sincere regret that we advise that the Company has been unable to secure financial support to enable it to continue to trade at this time and it is looking at all opportunities available. Further information will be issued as soon as we can'.

afloat.ie

'T1' berths for the final time at the Classic Boat Museum in Cowes
Land Rover BAR, the British America's Cup Challenger and team to bring the Cup home, have donated their first test boat 'T1', a foiling AC45 catamaran helmed by Team Principal and Skipper, Ben Ainslie, to the Classic Boat Museum in Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The museum took delivery of the platform last week, with a view to make the boat part of a display at the new museum in West Cowes, which is due to open in April.

T1 was the first of five foiling catamarans to be launched by the team - in October 2014 - and was used as a test boat for training sessions on the Solent, in the build-up to the team's campaign for the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda. The boat originally raced under BAR colours during the America's Cup World Series in 2012-13 and was used to break the Round the Island race record in 2013, before being modified by the team to fly on hydrofoils the following year.

Land Rover BAR have a dedicated end of life programme to repurpose and recycle all the team's test and race boats. Alongside donating T1 to the museum, one hull of T2's platform is on display at the team's HQ, within the interactive Tech Deck and the team are working with ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd (ELG) and other partners to recycle/reuse the two final test boats, T3 and T4.

www.classicboatmuseum.com

IRC certificates show positive start for 2018
The Spinlock International Rating Certificate (IRC) has made a flying start to 2018 with increased numbers of rating applications in the first month of the year and nearly 1000 certificates issued in January. This is very positive for IRC as certificates are not automatically renewed. Owners must apply for a new certificate through their local IRC Rule Authority and advise any changes to the boat's configuration before the certificate is issued by the RORC Rating Office or UNCL Centre de Calcul, joint owners and administrators of IRC.

Changes to the IRC rating calculations are implemented every January to cater for technical innovations in yacht design, a practice implemented by the IRC Technical Committee to foster close racing and protect the main fleet while remaining progressive. Over the last 12 months the Technical Committee has been studying the effects of foils and how they are rated. Boats such as Infiniti 46 Maverick using the Dynamic Stability System will see a change in her rating from which she will benefit for the upcoming RORC Caribbean 600. Other developments for Spinlock IRC 2018 include changes to the calculations affecting: the rating of spinnaker area, sports boats, and boats that set headsails from bowsprits and do not carry spinnakers. The 'dayboat' classification has also been removed from the Rule, leaving assessment of boats' Offshore Special Regulations compliance to event organisers.

For more details on the changes to IRC for 2018 please see www.ircrating.org

2018 Changes Explanation (PDF)

Questions with... Olivier Racoupeau
Though the superyacht business is a relatively small industry, it is packed with international professionals from all walks of life, and it can certainly be easy to get lost in the sea of faces we're presented with at boat shows, yachting events and beyond. In this series of articles, we take a step back from rushed business meetings and hurried networking and sit down with professionals from across the wide spectrum of the superyacht business to learn more about who they are and what they do for the industry. In this week's episode, we get to know Olivier Racoupeau, the owner and head designer of the French design studio, Berret Racoupeau.

How did you get into the field of yacht design?

I came to yacht design because I am a sailor, starting early in regatta boats, dinghies, catamarans and large monohulls. I graduated from Toulouse University in mechanics and aeronautic technologies and joined Jean Berret Yacht Design in 1983, where we mainly did racing yachts. We became partners in 1993, and since then, the company has really grown and we are now up to 12 people. Jean Berret decided to retire in 2007, and since then we have been involved in two main activities: one is production boat design, mainly for bigger French and European boat builders, and the other is designing larger custom yachts.

Tell me about your current projects which you have underway.

At the moment we have a few very nice projects underway. First, we have a 110-foot catamaran in construction in China for a Chinese client. We have also started designing a 55-metre monohull which will be a charter yacht, and we have recently received confirmation to start on a new 110-foot catamaran as well as an 85-foot monohull.

Full interview: www.superyachttimes.com

Not sailing but... wow... just wow...
Take 9 minutes and watch this video of Tuesday's Falcon Heavy test flight... taking Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster into space... and both side engines making a successful return, and landing. Side by side. It's surreal. That's at 6 min 47 seconds.

Starman (the Tesla) is headed for an orbit around the sun for the next million years or so.

This is the heaviest payload since Saturn V's Apollo lunar misssions. Live video from aboard Starman at Youtube.com / SpaceX.com

This is one of mankind's greatest engineering feats. To say nothing of the greatest car advert ever.

Vale John Channon
John Channon, sailmaker and yachtsman, formerly MD of Hood Sails UK, passed away on 12th January aged 66. Generations of yachties will remember him as an unfailingly cheerful and helpful man with a winning smile and a huge reservoir of knowledge about sail technology.

I remember John as one of the nicest guys I ever sailed with. We first met on Peter Whipp's Panda in 1983, on which he was the principal genoa and spinnaker trimmer. Also on Panda was John's great friend Mike Stone (aka "Stumpy"), and the two of them bought for a song a J24 which had sunk off Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour. For two years we campaigned Jitterbug with considerable success, winning the Round the Island race in 1984 (a nose in front of a young Jim Macgregor), coming 3rd in the UK Nationals and 15th in the Worlds in Poole Bay in 1985. It was one of the happiest crews I have ever been a member of, and much of the credit for this must go to John.

John started as an apprentice sailmaker at Hood Sails in Lymington in 1967, and learnt his trade the traditional way, working his way up to become Sales Manager in 1983 and then Managing Director of the Hood Lymington loft in 1990. On this journey John was involved in building all types of different sails from dinghies to super yachts, from cruising to racing sails.

In 2009 John suffered a catastrophic stroke leaving him paralysed down his right side and unable to talk, which meant he was unable to be involved in his two businesses. But to his huge credit John never lost his sense of humour. Despite it all, he still enjoyed getting outdoors and making trips to the cliff tops in his electric wheel chair with Jill, making the most of his days.

He leaves his wife Jill, who was also his endlessly loving and patient carer after his stroke, and his two daughters Jeneen and Joanne.

Crispin Read Wilson's full obituary in Sail-World www.sail-world.com

* From Bruno Dubois, Team manager, Dongfeng Race Team:

Comments about Dongfeng Race Team are totally off the pace.

Our Chinese content is as below :

- Sailors 3 who are rotating every leg. When they are not sailing on the VO65 they are training on a Figaro Beneteau in France with the objective to sail the Figaro race next August.
- Account manager : 1
- Comms/media : 3
- Team reporter : 1
- Hospitality assistant : 1
- Shore team members : 2

This is a total of eleven Chinese team members who for most of them have been with us since 2013. This is about 25% of the total team.

And this is way more than what have been done before our involvement in the last edition.

Rome has not be done in one day... and it is no different when it comes to offshore sailing.

The Volvo Ocean Race sailing is not something you learn in books !

We go step by step and I hope soon we will enable to put a full Chinese team on the starting line.

So… next time instead of writing fake news to create the buzz... do not hesitate to visit our website : www.dongfengraceteam.cn to learn more about our program.
Or simply call me...

I don't think we can call all the above "nonsense or madness".

* From Alistair Skinner:

Dongfeng Race Team is funded by a Chinese company and is therefore Chinese and Scallywag by a Hong Kong company and therefore HongKongese. Is not the 'flag' of most vessels determined by ownership?

In addition to being Chinese funded there are 3 Chinese Nationals on the sailing side of the team, include the shore team and the figure jumps to 25%.

Scallywag, while having no Hong Kong sailors on board is in actual fact owned by an Asian businessman with his business based in Hong Kong.

Pro-sailors sailing under different flags are nothing new.

One of the greatest of them all, Charlie Barr was born in Scotland in 1864, sailed on the Scottish America's Cup challenger in 1887 and went on to skipper (obviously) successful American Defenders (having changed citizenship) in 1899, 1901 & 1903. He also set a transatlantic record in 1905, a monohull record that stood for an incredible 92 years.

* From Robert Hughes re: Canada's Cup

If you had an interest in big boat sailing and grew up near the Great lakes you were likely fascinated with the Mac races and Canada's Cup. Both are marquee sailing events with history behind them. I have had the privilege of participating in four of them. Many of the great lakes and nation's highly regarded sailors have raced for the Cup over the years including, Bill Martin, Terry Kohler, Larry Klein, Don Wilson, Hans Fough, Terry McLaughlin, Terry Hutchinson, John Kostecki and Andy Horton to name a few. I am pleased that the owners of the Canada's Cup, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, have come up with a proposal to get the Cup on the water and try to restore it's relevance and past glory. The Cup has been sitting on the shelf for too long and has not had the proper stage its history deserves.

The new proposal addresses many of the issues that have held up the Cup racing in the past. The Melges 37 is a good boat for this purpose. It is a one design that balances the right size, cost, performance and established class to race in. Committing to the M37 for three cycles provides consistency and stability for the teams. Another positive is that the Cup be raced every two years. The two primary factors that have held the Cup back in the past have been agreeing on a boat and getting RCYC to commit to racing on a regular basis. RCYC is also proposing an all-amateur crew that have been members of the participating Club for at least 18 months. This reasoning is to reduce costs and give smaller clubs a chance. While this sounds good in theory it is far easier for a big club like RCYC who has a lineup of past and present Olympic sailors to stock a boat with high caliber amateur sailors.

This is a good start until you get to the next proposed condition. Regardless of the winner, the cup stays in Toronto. Seriously. The Cup has always been about the winner hosting the next event. Besides Toronto it has been hosted in Detroit, Chicago, Holland etc. It takes a lot of time, money and club support to win a Canada's Cup. The payoff and excitement for the challenging club has always been the prospect of bringing the Cup back to your club to hold the defense. Bayview Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club and Macatawa Bay Yacht Club have all hosted first class Cup defenses. How could you justify removing the key component of the Cup? Disrespect the legacy of the Canada's Cup by turning it into the RCYC invitational cup? Why would an owner spend thousands of dollars, weeks away from home, and encourage fellow club members to support the team when the Cup stays at RCYC if you win? The Canada's Cup is often called the Great Lakes version of the America's Cup. How many teams would challenge for the AC if the Cup stayed in NZ?

There are a handful of past participants that are interested in challenging for the Cup but not under these circumstances. Why spend the time and money and if upon winning, the champions must go back to RCYC two years later and provide entertainment? I hope that RCYC revises their proposal to restore this key component. RCYC originally won the Cup in the States and brought it back to Canada. Give the Great Lakes clubs a reason to challenge.

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Swan 60-909 'Windward'. 3,300,000 EUR. Located in Hong Kong.

‘Windward’ was launched in May 2014 and is ready for racing or cruising. Currently lying in Hong Kong, she is available for immediate delivery.

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brokerage@nautorswan.com
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-----------------------------------------

1996 Eric Goetz Maxi 80. 320,000 EUR. Located in Kiel, Germany

One of the original Iconic Maxi yachts is now available. She was originally built as the world famous 'Boomerang' under an IMS rating rule. Then converted to life in the Maxi fleet where she achieved first class honours for many years on the circuit.

Still maintained to the highest of quality, this is a really attractive all round proposition and offers a truly huge amount of bang for your buck!!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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The Last Word
You make your incompetence sound like an achievement! -- Dalek Supreme

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
Team AkzoNobel leads fleet out of Hong Kong towards Auckland | One Great Challenge, One Great Start for Transatlantic Race 2019 | Five fleets, 100 boats set for 34th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse | 8th Superyacht Challenge Antigua | Oyster holding company en-route to administration | Toulon chosen for 2018 GC32 Racing Tour showdown | Hong Kong Yacht Club seeks Boatyard Manager | Valencia Match Cup | Monaco Globe Series: a new 1,400 nautical mile sprint in the Mediterranean | Plans underway to restore Bitter End | Featured Brokerage

Racing started in a light, 8-10 knot easterly with AkzoNobel, SHK/Scallywag, and Team Brunel the first across the line, slipping upwind under full sail, with the spectator fleet in tow.

With a Tropical Cyclone forecast to produce heavy sea conditions, race officials have added a Tropical Storm Exclusion Zone, extending across 20 degrees of longitude to the east of the Philippines.

Most weather routing software suggests the fastest route is to the north and east of the exclusion zone but this will ensure the fleet avoids the worst of the sea conditions.

www.volvooceanrace.com

One Great Challenge, One Great Start for Transatlantic Race 2019
Sailing's greatest Corinthian challenge has confirmed the start date for its next edition; and this time, every competitor will depart Newport, R.I., on the same day. The entire Transatlantic Race 2019 fleet will cross the starting line on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, bound for the southern coast of England. A virtual gate off Lizard Point will enable teams to challenge the course record for this historic passage, but the official finish will take place off the Royal Yacht Squadron's waterfront castle in Cowes, England.

The Transatlantic Race 2019, which is organized jointly by the Royal Yacht Squadron, New York Yacht Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club, is a direct descendant of the first great transatlantic ocean race (at right), which started from New York Harbor on December 11, 1866. In the years since, this course has been plied with less frequency than other, shorter offshore race tracks; the 2019 edition will be just the 31st transatlantic race organized by the New York Yacht Club. Because of that, and the fact that a race from the United States to Europe (or the return) is virtually guaranteed at least one significant storm, simply finishing a transatlantic race remains one of sailing's most coveted accomplishments.

The Notice of Race is now available:
transatlanticrace.com

Five fleets, 100 boats set for 34th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse
As the Yacht Club de Monaco continues to ramp-up its sailing policy, the Club is set to host an armada of one-design elites for the 34th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse, 9-11 February. With 400+ sailors from 12 countries, the event gathers top European teams and enthusiastic amateurs from five classes: Star, Smeralda 888, Melges 20, J/70 and Longtze Premier.

The Monaco Club has certainly established itself as a winter base for one-designs, particularly for Melges 20 and J/70 which have been competing in the monthly Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series of high-level regattas since October.

With 40+ teams, the J/70 is the biggest fleet with some experienced teams competing like Italian Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino). In the former Olympic class, Star, the Primo Cup is the second stage of their European winter circuit. Former World Champion, Italian Robert Benamati is a serious contender for the podium.

Not only does the Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse kick-start the racing season, it is also a platform for meeting people and exchanging ideas. In this spirit, on Thursday at 5.30pm celebrated Nice sailor Jean-Pierre Dick will be presenting his new project, Easy to fly, a one-design foiling catamaran.

Another special feature of the Primo is that it rewards team-work. All crew members in the first three boats in each class receive clothing from SLAM's Advanced Technology Sportswear. It all starts Thursday with a warm-up race at 2.30pm. The first official races kick-off Friday at 11.00am.

ycm.org

8th Superyacht Challenge Antigua
The Caribbean superyacht season kicked off in fine style with the 2018 Superyacht Challenge Antigua. Now its 8th year, the Superyacht Challenge Antigua is free from commercial endorsements, and has one clear objective; to provide all the facilities to stage an ideal event for an exclusive selection of yachts, where fair racing and good companionship are valued above all else.

The regatta once again attracted a magnificent fleet, including five previous winners. Five races were scored using the new 2018 ORCsy Superyacht rule. The 90ft Hoek designed sloop Acadia was second in 2017 and made no mistake this year winning the Buccaneers Class with straight bullets.The 112ft German Frers designed sloop Spiip, successfully defended their Corsairs class win from 2017.

Over five highly competitive races, Spiip won the class in the last race, and was voted by competitors and the race committee, as having competed in the Spirit of the Regatta, both afloat and ashore, winning The Gosnell Trophy.

The Corsairs Class featured examples of the world's most outstanding performance superyachts including the 172ft Hoek designed Elfje, which placed second on countback from the 140ft German Frers Rebecca. The 105ft Bill Dixon designed sloop, Danneskjold was the best starting yacht of the regatta, and will go on to compete in the gruelling RORC Caribbean 600 later in February. The Corsairs Class was incredibly competitive with the overall lead changing hands at the end of every race, many races were decided by just a few seconds.

The Superyacht Challenge Antigua uses the ORCsy Rule to decide race winners.

www.superyachtchallengeantigua.com

Oyster holding company en-route to administration
Oyster Marine Holdings, the group's master company, is en-route to enter administration later today or early tomorrow. David Tydeman, Oyster Group CEO, confirmed this to IBI today and said: "The name of the administrator will be announced very soon. I am not able to give the name of the administrator yet.

"At present it is only the holding company that is entering administration," he added. "Oyster Marine, Oyster Brokerage and Oyster Palma are still operating. I wish to make it very clear that Oyster Palma is still active because the management team are very concerned that they are receiving reports that they are in administration."

Tydeman indicated that it is likely the UK companies will follow and in total about 330 people in the UK and US have been laid off. "We are operating with a skeleton team of about half a dozen here but we have at least a dozen volunteers who we have had to pay off but have come in to help.

"There is a huge loyalty out there and many Oyster owners have been ringing up to offer help and support," Tydeman told IBI. "There are many wealthy Oyster owners who are giving such offers and some of these made a bid on the company in 2012 when HTP Investments bought control."

He pointed out that a rush of orders in the second half of 2017 had resulted in the record order book of £83m with work stretching to 2019 and 2010. "We had some gaps in the order book we were looking to fill such as for the 835 and 895 plus the considerable interest generated by the 745 at boot Dusseldorf. We also have a couple of parties interested in the third Oyster 118." The first two Oyster 118s were in build with deliveries set for 2019 and 2020.

HTP Investments, the Dutch company that bought Oyster in 2012, is understood to have withdrawn its support for the company in late January, leaving the Oyster management team only a few days to undertake a rescue.

plus.ibinews.com

Toulon chosen for 2018 GC32 Racing Tour showdown
Traditionally the GC32 Racing Tour always concludes in the south of France and for the 2018 season, its grand finale will take place in Toulon. Running over 10-14th October, the GC32 TPM Med Cup will be held on the Rade de Toulon, just off France's third biggest Mediterranean port and capital of the Var department.

While nearby Hyères is the better known sailing venue thanks to its annual Olympic classes events, Toulon is fast gaining notoriety in yacht racing circles having hosted the high profile French stop of the America's Cup World Series in September 2016.

Racing at that event with Groupama Team France was Thierry Fouchier, who will return to Toulon this season sailing in the GC32 Racing Tour aboard Erik Maris' Zoulou.

A French grand finale also bodes well as at present two highly competitive French teams are signed up to compete on the GC32 Racing Tour in 2018. In addition to Franck Cammas' NORAUTO powered by Team France, the 2016 champion, there will be Erik Maris' Zoulou. Interestingly both boats are sailed by former members of Cammas' America's Cup challenge, Team France. Given that either or both of these top teams is expected to be on the podium, or even leading the GC32 Racing Tour once they reach Toulon, this season's French grande finale is already lining up to be a thrilling one.

www.gc32racingtour.com

Hong Kong Yacht Club seeks Boatyard Manager
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is looking for a high caliber individual to fill the post of Boatyard Manager which will become vacant in May 2018.

- Review current practices, procedures and policies and make recommendations for any improvements that are required in the short, medium and long terms.

Valencia Match Cup
The World Match Racing Tour starts 2018 with the Valencia Match Cup - the Tour's debut in the Spanish city as part of an east-coast double header. Teams have already been enjoying sailing M32 catamarans as part of M32 Word's Valencia Winter Series, and the venue has delivered on stunning conditions ideally suited to M32 sailing - a mixture of moderate winds and shifty conditions it will be a playground for WMRT skippers new and old.

Racing takes place in front of Veles e Vents, just inside Valencia's popular beach strip, in Port America's Cup. As the name suggests, competitors will enjoy match racing on the same waters as the great matches of the 32nd and 33rd America's Cup.

Some familiar young Tour faces will be joined by multihull experts at this event which will certainly stir up close competition on the race course. Keep watching to see who will finish in those top two qualifying positions to secure an invite to the first Championship level event of the 2018 World Match Racing Tour season.

The dates for the Valencia Match Cup are Feb 20-28.

wmrt.com/events/valenciamatchcup-2018/

Monaco Globe Series: a new 1,400 nautical mile sprint in the Mediterranean
At the beginning of June, a dozen teams are set to stopover in the Principality for the first time to take the start of a double-hander offshore race on a course that embraces some of the most emblematic marks in the western Mediterranean.

On the programme: 1,400 nautical miles, four days and three nights of racing. After the start in Monaco, the fleet races down Corsica's west coast before being propelled through the Strait of Bonifacio, towards the Aeolian Islands, where they tack in front of Stromboli and head for Palermo in Sicily. The fleet then sets course for the Balearic Islands before returning to Monaco.

The Monaco event marks the start of the new IMOCA 2018-2020 championship, renamed the Globe Series, with a system of points and weightings over a four-year period. The goal for sailors is to rack-up a maximum number of points to qualify for the big offshore races, with the Vendee Globe as the holy grail.

Competitors who decide to come to the Mediterranean can look forward to a challenging first stage.

The Monegasque boat Malizia II, former Gitana 16 that belonged to Sebastien Josse, is a newcomer to the YCM fleet and embodies the new generation which is considered one of the best mono-hulls competing in the last Vendee Globe. Fitted with a standardised keel and mast, the hull's voluminous bow improves performance, not forgetting foils in place of the straight daggerboard of previous IMOCAs.

ycm.org

Plans underway to restore Bitter End
The Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda was devastated by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, leaving over 64 acres, one mile of shoreline and over 50 structures destroyed in its path. The task at hand for restoration of the iconic destination is extraordinary, but the Bitter End community is steadfast in its mission to restore Bitter End's legacy.

To accomplish this, Bitter End's ownership family confirmed a temporary closure of the property with plans to announce a reopening date in the coming months.

BEYC's ownership and team have been passionately involved in relief efforts to support their employees and the recovery of the territory. Their immediate focus has been on fundraising to support the recovery, with $800,000 raised to date. This effort has been overwhelmingly supported by individual donations from Bitter End's impassioned guests and a community of kindred spirits across the maritime and travel sectors.

The fund also received two major gifts; one gift most generously donated from an anonymous long-standing Bitter End guest in addition to a gift from the David Hokin Foundation. 100% of the funds are being directed to the Virgin Gorda community focused on healthcare and education in addition to direct aid to Bitter End's 178 employees who were employed at the time of the storm.

BEYC now undertakes the task of restoring Bitter End to the iconic Caribbean destination it has been for the past fifty years and is excited to announce it has engaged world-renowned architectural firm Simplemente Madera, led by Matthew Falkiner, to assist in developing the resort's next chapter. -- John A. Glynn

Relief Fund for Bitter End Community

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2007 Swan 78 Custom Valkyrie. 1,850,000 EUR. Located in Genoa, Italy.

Delivered in 2007, Valkyrie is a 78 ft custom yacht built by Nautor’s Swan. VALKYRIE fills the role of Bill Tripp’s concept of a Café Racer, a fast, sleek and comfortable yacht.

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Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

2016 Modified Ker 40+ - "PACE". 550,000 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.

"PACE", the highly upgraded and modified Ker 40+ is now available. Featuring the latest and greatest technology, as developed for the FAST 40 class rules, she is a step above her rivals in the pursuit of those performance gains. FAST 40 Class National champion in 2017. Wants for nothing....

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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Sam Pearson
+44 2380 016582
+64 277733717
sampearson@ancasta.com

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

1998 Swan 48-123 'E2'. 395,000 EUR. Located in Valdivia, Chile.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Lorenzo Bortolotti
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

The Last Word
You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists. -- 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

Brunel leads into the Luzon Strait
Team Brunel has been leading the Volvo Ocean Race fleet into the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The six boats are tucked towards the southern tip of Taiwan, anticipating a turn to the north after leaving Taiwan to port. On the 0700 UTC position report on Thursday, Brunel had eked out a narrow lead, but most of the teams will be in sight of one another.

“We’ve been bouncing upwind. Everyone is still pretty close. Whoever puts their bow down for a little while goes a little bit faster than the other,” said team AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont. “Brunel is a little bit ahead, we lost a few miles with a sail change.

“It’s been straight into it. Everyone is quiet and efficient. We were happy with the start and we’re back in fighting mode.” The fight is for every mile. Any mistake or misfortune is costly. For Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastic, it came in the form of plastic bags stuck to appendages, slowing the boat down.

“It’s not slowing us down too much,” said Turn the Tide on Plastic sailor Henry Bomby. “It’s a big deal to do a back down to get rid of it, so we’re going to wait.”

“At the moment, we can’t afford to go backwards, so we’re carrying this plastic on our keel, sadly,” said skipper Dee Caffari.

After passing to the south of Taiwan, the fleet is expected to head to the north, further away from the direct route to New Zealand, in an effort to avoid a developing area of light wind and to pick up favourable conditions before diving south. It means more upwind sailing, so progress towards the finish looks to be slow and hard-earned for the early stages of Leg 6.

volvooceanrace.com

Star Walker Series
Coconut Grove, FL, USA: Today was the first day of both the Walker Series and the Star Midwinter Series. 44 Stars showed up for a one hour delayed start to race 1, on Biscayne Bay. The delay was due to very light easterly winds which only ever got up to 7 knots today. It was sunny and beautiful, just not very windy.

In race 1, Luca Modena and Sergio Lambertenghi of Italy led wire to wire, sailing smart and fast. I am sailing with World Champion crew Josh Revkin this week. Josh and I got off to a great start in race one but unfortunately went the wrong way on 3 out of the 4 legs. We weren’t terribly fast either and this coupled to put us into 20th at the finish line. Augie Diaz, one of our main rivals was just behind us at the finish.

In race two, I got a horrible start and then fouled Andy Mac and had to do a circle. This put us pretty much in last place, two minutes after the start. And with the wind being so light, this was not going to be an easy race for us. Nevertheless, Josh and I fought our way back to 11th at the finish line due to better speed after some rig changes and we went the correct way most of the time. The team from Denmark, Jorgen Schonherr / Jan Eli Gravad, won race two with Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada close in second. The Danes finished 4th in race 1 and are leading the regatta at this point.

So it wasn’t a great first day for Josh and I but there are three more days, and 6 more races, to go. The forecast for rest of the weekend is in the 12 knot range which, I for one, will be looking forward to. -- Paul Cayard, CayardSailing.com

For complete scores go to YachtScoring.com

Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March
Come and join us at the premier early season event. Easy online entry.

Great racing and prizes including 50 trophies - 100 bottles of champagne - valuable goodies from Helly Hansen and Crewsaver.

The Spring Series is on six Sundays: 18 March to 29 April (excluding Easter).

There are 4 IRC classes + J/109, J/88 in Black group. White Group comprises Sportsboats (J/70 - SB20 - J/80 - Mixed). Other one design classes or extracted results are possible on request.

Crewsaver Spring Championship starts on 21 April

The Spring Championship is on the last two weekends of the Spring Series: Saturdays & Sundays 21-22 + 28-29 April. Up to 14 races over the four days.

Black group has 4 IRC classes + J/109, with the Performance 40 class racing within IRC 1. White Group is for J/70 - SB20 - J/80 Mixed Sportsboats -Quarter Ton Class.

Warsash Sailing Club - The first place to race in 2018.

www.warsashspringseries.org.uk

admin@warsashspringseries.org.uk

Warsash Sailing Club, Shore House, Shore Road, Warsash SO31 9FS. 01489 583575

Landmark Hardy Cup win to Clare Costanzo
For the first time since its inauguration in 2001, a female led all-women crew brilliantly captured the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's longstanding Hardy Cup Sydney International Match Racing Regatta trophy at the end of four days of intense competition on Sydney Harbour.

Last year Clare Costanzo and her Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club teammates finished bridesmaids at the same event. On Thursday February 8, 2018 the RPAYC's five-strong youth team beat George Anyon's Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron team 3-0 in the finals, sailed in 20+ knot nor'easters off the host club at Kirribilli.

In doing so Costanzo broke an 18-year run of gun male skippers taking out the grade 3 youth event, and with an all-female crew.

Costanzo, Jess Angus, Hannah Lanz, Ruby Scholten and Celia Willison celebrated with a swim and some champagne then official photos before three of the five dashed to the airport for a 7.30pm flight to New Zealand, where training for the final youth match racing regatta ( Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup rnzys.org.nz/youth-international-match-racing-cup/ ) in the series of three begins today, Friday 9 February.

www.rsys.com.au/sailing/hardy-cup

95th anniversary celebrations for the Solent Sunbeam class in 2018
Click on image to enlarge.

2018 will see the Solent Sunbeam class celebrate 95 years on the water with a weekend of back to back races at Itchenor Sailing Club on 26-27 May and an anniversary party on Sunday 27 May.

This pretty, classic, three-man keelboat which was designed by Alfred Westmacott in 1923 has been continuously sailing in the Solent for 95 years and has its base at Itchenor Sailing Club. The very first Sunbeam – Dainty, No. 1 – is still actively raced today as are several boats that were built in the early 1920’s.

A traditionally trained naval architect from the Victorian era, Westmacott responded to a commission from three Hamble-based yachtsmen to design a racing dayboat by producing a boat that was not only pretty but one that could handle the boisterous conditions of the Solent.

32 Sunbeams sail from Itchenor ranging from 95 years of age to new all-GRP and newly epoxied yachts, yet all racing on level terms in a one-design fleet. Regular racing is highly competitive with no restrictions for tides on most weekends and Thursday evenings from March to October.

The celebrations will take place at Itchenor Sailing Club, PO20 7AG. On each of Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May taster sessions will be available from 3pm and the anniversary party will be held at the Club on 27 May from 7.30pm. Please use the contact details below if you would like further info.

Simon O’Hea – Publicity Officer
07767 230389 simon@ohea.org.uk
www.solentsunbeam.co.uk

Industry News
Groupe Beneteau revealed yesterday that the value of company-wide boat orders was up more than 23% through the end of 2017 compared to the same period last year, with a 25% increase in sailboat orders and 22% in motorboats.

Speaking at an investors meeting in Paris at the close of business last evening, Beneteau projected revenue gains for its Boat Division of between 5.5% and 7.5% for the 2017-18 fiscal year, outpacing the global recreational boat market which the company estimated was growing at about 3% in revenues and 2% in units. Beneteau’s boat business posted revenues of €1.20bn during its last fiscal year, ending 31 July 2017.

For the 2017-18 season, the Group’s 10 boat brands are launching a total of 38 new models (vs 29 new models last season) to capture the strong upturn in demand, especially in multihull sailboat, outboard, and larger motorboat segments.

The Beneteau Group will hold its Annual Shareholder Meeting at its headquarters in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, France tomorrow morning, 9 February 2018.

In mid-day trading, Beneteau shares were priced at approximately €19.90, down slightly from a five-year peak of €23.20 reached on 15 January 2018. Over the past 52 weeks, Beneteau’s share price has gained more than 72%.

ibinews.com

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KPMG has confirmed Oyster Yachts, the company’s main trading business, is currently considering its options having failed to secure financial support.

A statement from David Tydeman, Oyster CEO, confirmed the company did not have the finances to continue.

“It is with sincere regret that we advise that the company has been unable to secure financial support to enable it to continue at this time and it is looking at all opportunities available,” he said. “Further information will be issued as soon as we can.”

The Oyster group comprises Oyster Marine Ltd, Oyster Brokerage Ltd and Southampton Yacht Services Ltd.

The group has bases in Ipswich, Wroxam in Norfolk, Mallorca and Rhode Island and employs around 400 staff across all its sites.

In January Oyster reported 2017 was a record year for the boatbuilder and it had a forward order book of more than £80m.

Interested parties can contact William Lewis in the administration team on 07771 555540 or william.lewis@kpmg.co.uk

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Marlow Ropes, the world’s leading leisure marine rope manufacturer, is pleased to announce its official supplier partnership with 2018 Golden Globe Race skipper, Susie Goodall - the only female competitor and also one of the youngest.

Susie Goodall’s Rustler 36 boat, ‘Starlight’, has been entirely rigged by the leading British rope manufacturer. The rigging has been custom made at Marlow’s factory in the UK using the same materials as those used by the winner of the first Golden Globe Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, in 1968.

Marlow produced the replica ropes and rigging using only polyester, instead of modern Dyneema and Vectran fibres that are the usual rope of choice for offshore races such as this.

Paul Honess, Leisure Marine Sales Director, of Marlow Ropes said: “Marlow Rope has been used many, many times on boats circumnavigating the globe, including the current Clipper Round The World Race, The Vendee Globe, Velux 5 Oceans and previous editions of the Volvo Ocean Race so has a pedigree in this area. Circumnavigating the globe solo and non-stop using the same equipment that was available in 1968 is an immense challenge and we wish Susie a safe and speedy voyage.“

www.marlowropes.com

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The RYA Dinghy Show presented by Suzuki in association with Yachts & Yachting and Gill is the only show in the world dedicated exclusively to dinghies! Returning to Alexandra Palace, London over the weekend of 03-04 March, this year the theme is #dinghysailingforlife – celebrating a lifetime sport for all.

As well as the hundreds of exhibitors showcasing everything you need to get out on the water, the show will feature a brand new line up of talks and coaching sessions from world-class experts, as well as keeping in some of the firm favourites.

Olympic gold and silver medallist Saskia Clark and Olympic sailor and sports presenter Stevie Morrison will be joining forces to host on the Suzuki Main stage and the RYA Knowledge Zone throughout the weekend.

As well as a brand new line up of speakers there will also be two brand new stages.

Women’s sailing is thriving in the UK like never before and for the first time at the show there’s an area dedicated to solely to this. The Women’s Sailing Hub will showcase inspirational female sailors including Paralympic Gold Medallist Helena Lucas, British Sailing Team’s Penny Clark and Hannah Mills plus the sailors from the Magenta Project.

Also new for 2018 is the Class Association Stage located in the Great Hall where you can find out everything you need know about your favourite class including what events are coming up in the season ahead and how to get involved.

You can buy tickets here or by calling the ticket hotline on 0844 858 9069

www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/join-us-at-the-rya-dinghy-show-2018-.aspx

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In the new exhibit Wind & Water: Sailing in San Diego, images from international yachting and nautical sport photographer, Bobby Grieser, are paired with photographs from his close sailing and photography master friend Mark Albertazzi. Dr. Raymond Ashley, Ph.D., K.C.I., President/CEO of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, describes Wind & Water: Sailing in San Diego as “a passionate example for both sailing and photography fostered by a deep friendship with two of the industry’s most renowned nautical photographers.”

The collection features scenes of classic yachts and historic sailboats captured on the waters of San Diego. Bobby Grieser is well known in yachting circles as one of the elite nautical photographers.

Grieser passed away January 31, 2017 in San Diego, California at the age of 70. A flotilla of friends from Bobby’s youth, media and sailing communities attended a celebration of life ceremony and spreading of ashes from aboard the schooner America in San Diego, as well as on his beloved Chesapeake Bay.

With family roots deeply entrenched on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Mark Albertazzi is an avid waterman with a passion for photography. Mark has been making images of ocean scenes since his parents bought him his first 35mm camera at the age of 13.

sdmaritime.org/visit/exhibits/wind-and-water/

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Cabot Lyman has plenty of reasons to be proud. The company he founded has launched more than 110 yachts into the St. George River and has delivered everything from carbon fiber catamarans and traditional sloops to canting-keel monohulls, stately motor yachts, sportfishing powerboats, daysailers, and sporty jet boats to customers around the world. Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding has prospered and diversified in a challenging marine industry that has been hit hard by recessions and changing lifestyles. Through this diversification, its 120-plus employees have introduced their work into new markets, their craftsmanship now finding its way into fine homes, colleges, and institutions worldwide.

And yet of all the accolades Lyman-Morse has received over the past 40 years, there’s one that this businessman cherishes most: Family owned and operated. Cabot and Heidi Lyman ran the company for more than three decades and their sons, Zach, Alex, and Drew, have each had a role in the business along the way. In 2013, Drew took over as president.

In 2015 Lyman-Morse acquired Wayfarer Marine in Camden, a full-service marina located in one of the most scenic harbors in New England and a destination for yachtsmen worldwide. The company’s presence in Camden gives Lyman-Morse increased visibility and the opportunity to return the Camden yard to its former glory as New England’s go-to marine service center. Under Drew’s leadership the sales team has also expanded to include five brokers in three locations: Camden and Southwest Harbor, Maine, and Newport, Rhode Island. “Having a team of experienced bluewater mariners who understand what proper maintenance is all about is the reason discerning and demanding yachtsmen deliver their yachts to Lyman-Morse,” Drew said.

From this new Camden location, Drew founded the Camden Classics Cup, a two-day sailing regatta that is augmented with community events and is held at the end of July, on the weekend before the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. In 2018, the Camden Classics Cup enters its third year and plans to have even more than last year’s 52 registered boats jockeying for position on the starting line. -- Marnie Read

www.lymanmorse.com

Featured Brokerage
2013 Oyster 885 'Karibu'. 5,750,000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Karibu – Made to Measure Launched in 2013, Oyster 885-02 Karibu is now offered for sale exclusively through Oyster Brokerage and can be inspected through the Palma office. She is in exceptional condition. Extensively detailed for an owner intent on both high performance and high level comfort.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Jamie Collins
Oyster Palma
Edificio Moll Vell, Locales 6-7
Calle Muelle Viejo, 6, 07012
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
T: +34 677 429 116
F: +34 971 737 425

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2007 Swan 78 Custom Valkyrie. 1,850,000 EUR. Located in Genoa, Italy.

Delivered in 2007, Valkyrie is a 78 ft custom yacht built by Nautor’s Swan. VALKYRIE fills the role of Bill Tripp’s concept of a Café Racer, a fast, sleek and comfortable yacht.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com

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2005 Cookson 50 - "Lee Overlay Partners". 350000 EUR. Located in Antigua.

This Cookson 50 has an enviable race record, as do her sister ships and she is ready to challenge for yet more silverware on the upcoming 2018 circuit. Extensive overhaul in 2016/17, with a new, larger headed North 3Di mainsail and refurbished canting keel system. Turn-key offering.

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
The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind. -- Norman Borlaug

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
Fast sailing towards the finish | Clipper Race 7 Day 12: Relief As Trade Winds Bring Gear Shift | 34th Primo Cup-Trophee Credit Suisse one of the best in lovely conditions | Freides Captures Melges 20 Miami Winter Series Regatta Win | 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 5 &and 6 | Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Championships | O'Leary brothers win Star Midwinters | Offshore racing and bravery honoured at Volvo Irish Sailing Awards | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage

Fast sailing towards the finish
Conditions are fast, wet and wild for the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Sunday as they charge to the southeast, finally heading in a direction where miles sailed translate into miles towards the finish in New Zealand, still more than 4,000 nautical miles away.

With the passage of a front, the wind has shifted to the north and the boats are on a tight reach in 18 to 25 knots of wind, making 20 to 25 knots of boatspeed. It's not comfortable. But it's fast.

The fleet is still largely in two groups, with MAPFRE holding the narrowest of leads over Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team, and Turn the Tide on Plastic is just 13 miles behind.

The second group had consisted of team AkzoNobel and Scallywag, but their paths are beginning to diverge, with Scallywag charting a southern route and cutting the corner. It was a strategy that worked on Leg 4… we'll see over the coming hours if it is successful again.

Positions at: 13:00 UTC
1. MAPFRE, 3977 nm to to leg finish
2. Dongfeng Race Team, .14 nm to leader
3. Team Brunel, 2.90
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic, 8.14
5. Team AkzoNobel, 41.51
6. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, 42.07
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, Did not start

www.volvooceanrace.com

Clipper Race 7 Day 12: Relief As Trade Winds Bring Gear Shift
Relief is the overriding emotion amongst the Clipper Race fleet on Day 12 of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race as the Trade Winds which continue to boost progress at the front have now also kicked in for the western positioned teams, bringing a change of gear and mentality boost in this hot, testing race.

PSP Logistics came out of Stealth Mode overnight in the lead position, positioned furthest north in the fleet.

Qingdao, positioned in the centre of the fleet is now second, and Sanya Serenity Coast is third. Skipper Wendy Tuck explains that it's not only the Trade Winds progress that has brought relief over the past 24 hours as she reports: "Yesterday after the blog was sent off, we started to get into squally land. The first one didn't bring much, the second one bought a heap of rain, a little increase in wind but rain, glorious rain, the deck was awash with soapy suds and general splashing around, it was truly glorious. It got to the point that I was a little cold, never thought I would say that on this leg, and it was a treat."

The best progress continues to be made by the teams in the central and eastern positions of the fleet where boast speeds are currently averaging 11 knots, with Unicef in fourth, Liverpool 2018 in fifth, and Dare To Lead in sixth. However, the three teams that went west to get the Scoring Gate points have now finally joined in the Trade Wind party.

With the reefs and islands north of Papua New Guinea now out of the way, teams are aiming for the next waypoint of this race, north of the Philippines, some 1,600 nm ahead of the leading team, and will pass over the Mariana Trench.

Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race will finish in Sanya Serenity Marina in Sanya, and the fleet is expected to arrive between 21 – 25 February after roughly 23-27 days at sea.

clipperroundtheworld.com

34th Primo Cup-Trophee Credit Suisse one of the best in lovely conditions
Some 300 sailors in five classes descended on Monaco to compete in eight races with 12 nations represented on 80 boats for the Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco.

In the 40-strong fleet of J/70s, the competition redoubled its efforts to overtake the season's leader, Valeria Kovalenko on Art Tube who was absent this weekend. Three boats managed to widen the gap with the Swiss on CDE.CH helmed by Guillaume Girod in 1st ahead of the YCM's Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino) and last year's winners the Brazilians on Mandachuva, in 3rd. There was also a fine win in the Corinthian category for Nicolas Bouchet, coached by the YCM's Sports Section, on Ponante who finished 4th in the final ranking.

For the Melges 20 it was their final Act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series. At the end of four Acts and 28 races, the Russians on Alex Team won both this Primo Cup and the season, pipping the YCM's Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda) to the post. He finished 2nd for the season and 4th this weekend.

In the Smeralda 888, the YCM's Timofey Sukhotin came out top, with class president Charles de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles winning a fierce battle with Marco Favale (Smeralda 6) to come 2nd, equal on points. For the Star class, this was the third stage of their European winter circuit and was won by class World Champion Roberto Benamati who beat Christian Nehammer into 2nd. And finally, the Longtze Premiers made a welcome return to Monaco notably for the winner Steffen Schneider on Outsider who won four of the seven races.

In recognition of team-work, all crew members in the first three boats in each class won clothing from SLAM's Advanced Technology Sportswear.

The next regatta is the final Act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, 9-11 March.

Final rankings

J/70 - Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Guillaume Girod (CDE.CH) - (SUI) - 24 points
2nd: Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino) - (ITA) - 38 points
3rd: Mario Garcia Soerensen (Mandachuva) - (BRA) - 42 points

J/70 - Corinthians - Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Nicolas Bouchet (Ponante) - (MON) - 45 points
2nd: Emanuel Muller (Attaque) - (SUI) - 47 points
3rd: Amaury Berger (Sirocco) - (MON) - 52 points

Melges 20 - Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series - Final after 4 Acts
1st: Alexander Mikhaylik (Alex Team) - (RUS) - 47 points
2nd: Ludovico Fassitelli (Junda) - (MON) - 59 points
3rd: Maxim Titarenko (Leviathan) - (RUS) - 83 points

Melges 20 - Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Alexander Mikhaylik (Alex Team) - (RUS) - 12 points
2nd: Manfredi Vianini Tolomei (Maolca) - (ITA) - 17 points
3rd: Pavel Grachev (Medyza) - (RUS) - 17 points

Longzte Premier- Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Steffen Schneider (Outsider) - (SUI) - 8 points
2nd: Jarmo Wieland (Shensu) - (SUI) - 14 points
3rd: Thomas Begher (Corvus) - (GER) - 18 points

Smeralda 888 - Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Timofey Sukhotin (Beda) - (MON) - 12 points
2nd: Charles de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles (Vamos mi Amor) - (MON) - 17 points
3rd: Marco Favale (Smeralda 6) - (MON) - 17 points

Star - Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse
1st: Roberto Benamati (BestWind) - (ITA) - 9 points
2nd: Christian Nehammer (8423) - (AUT) - 15 points
3rd: Steffen Rutz (Squalo Bianco VII) - (SUI) - 19 points

ycm.org

Freides Captures Melges 20 Miami Winter Series Regatta Win
Sunshine and big breeze ushered in the final day of competition at the 2017-18 Miami Winter Series hosted by Coconut Grove Sailing Club (GCSC). With idyllic, simply spectacular racing conditions in place for a third day in a row, it's no surprise Drew Freides' PACIFIC YANKEE took the overall win alongside of team members Morgan Reeser as tactician and Charlie Smythe.

Confirming the final podium positions are Russia's Vladimir Prosikhin's NIKA in second, and following in third, flying high with the Monaquese flag, was Achille Onorato's MASCALZONE LATINO, JR.

With two rounds of 2017-18 Miami Winter Series racing complete, the ranking is well on its way to being defined. Freides officially commands the lead by a slim margin. Prosikin and Igor Rytov's RUSSIAN BOGATYRS round out the podium spots. Onorato and Alexis Michas' MIDNIGHT SUN completes the top five.

After a difficult Day Two in Miami, Matteo Marenghi Vaselli aboard RAYA reconfirmed the speed of his Melges 20 by rounding the first mark of Race Seven in first place, followed by Jason Michas' MIDNIGHT BLUE, Daniel Thielman's KUAI and a hard-charging Alexis Michas. Marenghi Vaselli capitalized on the breezy conditions to take the win, followed by Jason Michas in second. Freides sealed the deal with a third place finish. Thielman and Paul Reilly's RED SKY SAILING TEAM rounded out the top five.

With Freides taking his discard as Race Eight, Prosikhin had room to breathe, advance and excel for the win, followed by Wes Whitmyer's SlingSHOT in second, Rytov finished third.

Top Five Results (FINAL - After Eight Races, One Discard)
1. Drew Freides, Pacific Yankee, USA, 7
2. Vladimir Prosikhin, Nika, RUS, 15
3. Achille Onorato, Mascalzone Latino, Jr., MON, 25
4. Alexis Michas, Midnight Sun, USA, 26
5. Daniel Thielman, Kuai, USA, 31

Top Five Miami Winter Series Ranking (After Two Events)
1. Drew Freides, Pacific Yankee, 2 points
2. Vladimir Prosikhin, Nika, 5
3. Igor Rytov, Russian Bogatyrs, 8
4. Achille Onorato, Mascalzone Latino, Jr., 8
5. Alexis Michas, Midnight Sun, 11

Full results
melges20.com/pdf/Ranking-Miami-Winter-Series-2018.pdf

melges20.com

18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 5 &and 6
Sydney Harbour: A 22-knot SSE wind provided fantastic conditions for the flying 18ft Skiffs today when the Australian 18 Footers League conducted Races 5 and 6 of the Auustralian Championship on Sydney Harbour.

Once again, the two races produced two different winners and the overall scores suggest that we are in for a great finish in the final four races.

Race 5 produced a wonderful win for the Smeg team of Lee Knapton, Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge, as they powered away from the opposition over the final lap of the course.

Ilve (Ollie Hartas, Pedro Vozone, Charlie Gundy) were strong challengers over the first two legs of the course but could.t match the pace of the Smeg team in the closing stages.

Smeg's final margin was 1m13s from Ilve, with Finport Trade Finance (Keagan York, Matt Stenta, Dan Phillips) a further 1m7s back in third place.

Appliancesonline (Brett Van Munster, Phil Marshall, Nick Hord) finished fourth, followed by Yandoo (John Winning, Bameron McDonald, Mike Kennedy) and Asko Appliances (James Dorron, Paul Montague, Harry Bethwaite).

The conditions tested the entire fleet and there were a number of capsizes as the skiffs raced around the course.

The present points in the championship are: Smeg 18 points, Finport Trade Finance 21 points, Appliancesonline 22 points, Yandoo 23 points, with Asko Appliances and Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards,, Rory Cox, Jacob Broom) equal on 39 points.

www.18footers.com

Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Championships
James Wilson from the RNZYS Youth Training Programme is wielding the best record after two days of Round Robin racing at the 2018 Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup.

It was an even wetter day than yesterday on the water outside the RNZYS with limited visibility and gusty winds between 15-25 knots but this didn't affect the RNZYS YTP skipper. Wilson, who set the pace on day one, continued where he left off by notching up six more wins and finishing the day with an impressive 12-2 scorecard to complete his round robin campaign, handing him the top seed heading into the finals.

Finn Tapper from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is the next best skipper in the fleet after claiming four more wins today to finish the round robin with an 11-3 scorecard. It has been an impressive performance by Tapper in trying conditions, and he and his crew have placed themselves nicely before the business end of the regatta.

With five teams all but guaranteed a finals spot after today's racing, the remaining three spots are still anyone's to claim, setting up a mouth-watering finish to the round robin racing tomorrow.

Skippers, umpires and race management will be happy to see the forecast for Auckland tomorrow is clear of rain and we should enjoy a nice solid breeze similar to todays, perfect for match racing.

The remaining round robin races will begin at 10am local time before we head into the top eight do-or-die knockout rounds.

www.rnzys.org.nz

O'Leary brothers win Star Midwinters
Irish brothers Peter and Robert O'Leary closed a consistent scoreline at the Star Midwinter Championship, held February 8-11 on Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL. Posting all top ten scores in the 8-race series, the O'Learys fended off the surges of Paul Cayard / Josh Revkin (USA) and Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA) as both teams worked their way up the standings to finish second and third, respectively.

The final day was another episode of chutes and ladders at the top of the fleet. The Californian team of Doyle and Infelise won the day with a pair of bullets. They were fast upwind and even faster downwind. It was enough to move them onto the podium after slowing climbing up the fleet throughout the event. Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada went into the last race solidly in second place, but hit the windward mark, and couldn't recover enough in such a deep fleet to keep them on the podium. Cayard and Revkin continued to shine in the breeze. Their second and fifth places today, were enough to put them back into second place overall.

Final Results (Top 10 of 44; 8 races)
1. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary, IRL, 46 points
2. Paul Cayard / Josh Revkin, USA, 60
3. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise, USA, 62
4. Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada, USA, 64
5. Peter Vessella / Phil Trinter, USA, 64
6. Luca Modena / Sergio Lambertenghi, ITA, 70
7. Arthur Anosov / David Caesar, USA, 75
8. Jack Jennings / Frithjof Kleen, USA, 80
9. Tom Lofstedt / Joost Houweling, SWE, 96
10. Jim Buckingham / Mark Strube, USA, 99

Full results

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Offshore racing and bravery honoured at Volvo Irish Sailing Awards
Conor Fogerty was named tonight as Volvo Sailor of the Year at the Volvo Irish Sailing Awards. Hosted by Irish Sailing, the annual event drew a record crowd of over 400 people from across the sailing community to celebrate an eventful year of sailing. Conor won for his battle to win the Single-Handed East-West Transatlantic race. The Howth sailor showed skill and determination sailing his Sunfast 36000 Bam through ferocious weather, which felled other international competitors - the race was no joyride, and he thoroughly deserved his win and the prestigious Gipsy Moth Trophy.

The Irish Sailing President's Awards were given to Simon Hoffmann, Santiago Alegre, Jay Stacy and Cian Mollen for their bravery and heroism in rescuing fellow sailors Johnny Durcan and Colin Byrne. Also recognised was Carmel Winkelmann, a nonagenarian who has been at the forefront of junior sail training since the 1960s.

Dan McGaughey of Donaghadee Sailing Club in NI took home the Volvo Youth Sailor of the year for his performance internationally in the Topper class, culminating in placing 3rd at the Topper World Championships in Loctudy, France.

Crookhaven Harbour Sailing Club took home the Volvo Irish Sailing Training Centre of the Year award, having been nominated as winners of the South Region. The two other nominees on the shortlist were Galway City Sailing Club (West & North Region winners) and Bray Sailing Club (winner of the East Region).

Volvo Irish Sailing Senior Instructor of the Year Award went to Kate Caldwell of Mullaghmore Sailing Club in Sligo. She received the award for exceptional services to instructing and training.

sailing.ie

* From Berthon Group:

The sad news of the failure of Oyster this week has been widely reported and is a tragedy for the yachting business internationally.

Oyster have been building and delivering outstanding cruising yachts for 45 years and the fleet of Oysters sailing the planet's oceans are world class yachts of the first quality.

Pre-owned Oysters will continue to enjoy good residual values based on their core quality and good design. They are superb yachts for crossing oceans. This week's news does nothing to change this.

Here at Berthon we are full of admiration for the work that has been done by the men and women who have worked at Oyster down the years. Numerous Oysters have passed through our big blue sheds or overnighted in our marina and we consider ourselves part of the family. There will always be a warm welcome here for members of the Oyster community and the very beautiful yachts that they build, operate and sail. Our thoughts are with all Oyster staff at this difficult time.

Featured Brokerage
Donovan 26 OD. $77,474 CIF. Annapolis MD, USA USD.

The Donovan 26 OD is an evolution of the successful GP26 built by Wrace Boats

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Tink Chambers
Stagg Yachts
tink@staggyachts.com
+1.410.268.1001

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2007 Swan 78 Custom Valkyrie. 1,850,000 EUR. Located in Genoa, Italy.

Delivered in 2007, Valkyrie is a 78 ft custom yacht built by Nautor’s Swan. VALKYRIE fills the role of Bill Tripp’s concept of a Café Racer, a fast, sleek and comfortable yacht.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
http://nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

2005 Cookson 50 - "Lee Overlay Partners". 350000 EUR. Located in Antigua.

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
Fact is a reason. Courage is a decision. -- Winston Churchill

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

In This Issue
Hong Kong-London / Last Difficult Day Before The Trade Winds | Scottish Series 2018 open for Entries | America's Cup faces cost blowout, says Auckland councillor | Repairs start for Vestas 11th Hour Racing | Brian Keane’s Savasana Wins 2017-2018 Quantum J/70 Winter Series | Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March | Noakes Youth 18 Footers Team | 38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta | Viper 640 Worlds | Emirates Team New Zealand Win Supreme at the 55th Halberg Awards | Extreme Sailing Series Confirms Eight-Stop Global Tour In 2018 | Featured Brokerage

Hong Kong-London / Last Difficult Day Before The Trade Winds
The twenty-sixth day of navigation begins about 40 miles off Guinea for Maserati Multi 70, still struggling with the very light winds of the tropical depression which is slowing down its progression towards North. Reached this morning, Giovanni Soldini explains: ”The center of the depression moves quickly. This night it stopped us again for a few hours. Right now it’s heading West and we have only 5 knots from South East that should stabilize later around 10 knots. We are going through the last difficult passage before conquering the north eastern trade winds we should reach next night at about 10°30’N and 17°W”. The waypoint indicated by Soldini is located at SW of Guinea Bissau, about 150 miles of the trimaran position at 10.26 UTC.

At the same rankings, the advantage of Maserati Multi 70 is still 1.625 nautical miles with 2.861 nm remaining to London.

maserati.soldini.it

www.scottishseries.com

America's Cup faces cost blowout, says Auckland councillor
A senior politician says the $178.5 million cost to provide the America's Cup in Auckland is a "crude estimate" and could rise significantly.

Chris Darby, chair of Auckland Council's planning committee, is concerned about the cost of building the bases in Auckland, which will involve contractors working 24 hours a day to meet a tight timeframe.

"There is not a lot of accuracy in the costings to date. They are a very crude estimate and don't be surprised if there are significant upsides on those costs," he said.

The council has estimated it will cost $160.5m to build the infrastructure for eight cup bases and superyachts, plus $18m to relocate the local fishing fleet and Sealink ferry.

A resource consent application to build the bases says the work covers a large area over deep water and will require working round the clock six or seven days a week. It warns about the need to obtain price certainty for the Government and council, saying the financial risk is unlikely to be accepted by the contractor.

The council is also planning to spend $260m on projects around the waterfront for the Cup and Apec meeting of world leaders in 2021, of which about $80m is currently funded. The projects include new public open spaces, upgrading Quay St and ferry terminal improvements. -- Bernard Orsman in the New Zealand Herald

www.nzherald.co.nz

Repairs start for Vestas 11th Hour Racing
Only six of the seven teams are competing now in Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Hong Kong to Australia as Vestas 11th Hour Racing is on a mission to repair their boat following the collision with a fishing boat as they neared the finish line of Leg 4 in Hong Kong.

After revealing on February 5 they were loading the boat onto a freight vessel in Hong Kong for transportation to Auckland, they report today the yacht was offloaded from the transport ship in Tauranga, New Zealand, and was then transported that evening by truck 200 kilometers to a shipyard in Auckland where repairs will begin.

Due to the strict one-design nature of the Volvo Ocean 65, a bow section was fabricated from existing molds at Persico Marine in Italy and transported to Auckland. The plan is to remove the damaged parts of the hull and attach the new section under the supervision of an independent surveyor to adhere to the class rules.

The goal is to re-launch in time for Leg 7 to Itajaí, Brazil, on March 18th.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

Brian Keane’s Savasana Wins 2017-2018 Quantum J/70 Winter Series
Tampa, Florida, USA: Fifty-nine J/70 teams qualified to win the 2017-2018 Quantum J/70 Winter Series at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida by competing in at least two of the three weekends with the same boat and skipper. Brian Keane’s Savasana placed third overall on the final weekend to earn the Series victory. Following Keane are Bennet Greenwald’s Perseverance and Bruno Pasquinelli’s Stampede. The Corinthian division was won by Sarah Renz’s Berteau Group.   Following two breezy weekends accompanying cold fronts, conditions this Saturday and Sunday were characterized by sunshine, record high temperatures and light winds on Tampa Bay. Four races were completed, and Jack Franco’s Flojito 3JT won the final segment of the Series.

The popular Quantum J/70 Winter Series spans three weekends of racing between early December and February, allowing participants to store their boats onsite for a reasonable fee. Additionally, on each Friday of the Series, SAIL22 and North U combined forces for the Porch Series to offer practice races and coaching.

Full results yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4361

Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March
Come and join us at the premier early season event. Easy online entry.

Great racing and prizes including 50 trophies - 100 bottles of champagne - valuable goodies from Helly Hansen and Crewsaver.

The Spring Series is on six Sundays: 18 March to 29 April (excluding Easter).

There are 4 IRC classes + J/109, J/88 in Black group. White Group comprises Sportsboats (J/70 - SB20 - J/80 - Mixed). Other one design classes or extracted results are possible on request.

Crewsaver Spring Championship starts on 21 April

The Spring Championship is on the last two weekends of the Spring Series: Saturdays & Sundays 21-22 + 28-29 April. Up to 14 races over the four days.

Black group has 4 IRC classes + J/109, with the Performance 40 class racing within IRC 1. White Group is for J/70 - SB20 - J/80 Mixed Sportsboats -Quarter Ton Class.

Warsash Sailing Club - The first place to race in 2018.

www.warsashspringseries.org.uk

admin@warsashspringseries.org.uk

Warsash Sailing Club, Shore House, Shore Road, Warsash SO31 9FS. 01489 583575

Noakes Youth 18 Footers Team
Click on image for photo gallery.

While it is only their first season sailing together in the 18 Footers, the rookie team of Kirk Mitchell, Tim Westwood and Daniel Barnett has shown they have what it takes to challenge the front runners.

They all began their sailing careers in junior classes at their respective clubs, then made their way into the 18ft skiff on similar paths, the 29ers and 16ft skiffs.

After winning the Cherub Nationals in 2013/14 - and another three seasons on the podium - skipper Kirk Mitchell had his sights set on the 18ft Skiff. After a season in the 16ft skiff, he made his debut this year steering Noakes Youth.

Sheet hand Daniel Barnett was destined to become an 18 sailor. He is a fifth generation 18 Footers sailor and both his father, Phil Barnett (Chesty Bond), and grandfather, Don Barnett (Associated Motor Club), have won the JJ Giltinan Trophy over the years.

The final member of the team, bowman Tim Westwood, returns to the class after a season off racing with the Team Japan Youth America’s Cup Team. He made his debut in the 18 with Pedro Vozone on Haier in 2015 and now returns to sail on Noakes Youth.

The team has plenty of talent among them and they have put it to practice on the water mixing among the more experienced teams throughout the season. They finished the Spring Championship on a high winning the final race and they were fifth overall in the NSW Championship.

The Noakes Youth team will compete in their first JJ Giltinan Championship from March 3 to 11, 2018. -- Kimberley Montague, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com.au

38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
St. Maarten: The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has been a Caribbean favorite for almost four decades, and this year’s 38th edition, scheduled for March 1-4, will prove no exception to the rule. Already, 75 boats representing 22 countries have registered to race in the island of St. Maarten’s first major event since Hurricane Irma passed through in September. With three weeks to go, organizers have ensured that the parties and entertainment will continue to be legendary as they complement four days of serious on-the-water competition.

The world-class St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is known for attracting a largely international fleet of maxi, monohull and multihull boats. This year’s roster is comprised of teams coming mostly from North America, South America, Europe and Australia.

Sir Richard Matthews will skipper his 42-foot Judel Vrolijk designed Power of Love to represent one of ten UK-based teams competing.

“People keep coming back to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, because it’s good competition and a great place to race,” said Matthews who first raced in the event over 25 years ago. His team won its class last year, racing his Humphreys 39 Oystercatcher XXX1. “We’ve done quite a lot of sailing in the Caribbean, and I have had 31 race boats under the Oystercatcher name, but this year we will be racing a new boat coming down from America, which is slightly larger than what we competed in last year. We’re very competitive, but at the same time we sail for fun.”

The regatta, kicks off Thursday, March 1 with the separately scored Gill’s Commodores Cup. On Friday, the fleet embarks on the event’s 26-nautical mile Around the Island Race before taking on a series of windward-leeward races on Saturday and a single coastal race on Sunday. Each day of racing is rounded out with shoreside entertainment from the “Regatta Village” located at Princess Port de Plaisance Resort and Casino and the Yacht Club at Port de Plaisance (across from race host St. Maarten Yacht Club.

heinekenregatta.com

Viper 640 Worlds
The International Viper 640 Class 2018 World Championship will take place at the South of Perth Yacht Club, Western Australia. A fleet of 26 boats from Australia, Canada, England, South Africa and the USA are expected to contest the series.

Two teams from Britain are competing: former Laser world champion Lawrence Crispin of Stone Sailing Club and David Hitchcock of Hayling Island SC.

Australia has the largest contingent with sailors, coming from as far as Queensland and New South Wales. Western Australia will field a strong team, with boats from Perth and Albany.

SoPYC is one of the largest yacht clubs in Australia with more the 2,300 members and truly magnificent world class facilities.

www.sailweb.co.uk

www.viper640.org/

Emirates Team New Zealand Win Supreme at the 55th Halberg Awards
Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup victory in Bermuda in 2017 was recognised with both the Sports Team of the Year and the Halberg Supreme Award at last nights 55th Halberg Awards, the country's pre-eminent event to honour and celebrate sporting excellence and raise funds for the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation.

Emirates Team New Zealand received the Sports Team of the year award, decided by a panel of kiwi sporting personalities and journalists, ahead of a strong line up of significant kiwi team sporting success: The Black Sox (Men’s Softball), Womens K2 Canoe Racing (Lisa Carrington and Caitlin Ryan), and the Rugby World Cup winning Black Ferns (Womens Rugby Team).

Long time Emirates Team New Zealand sailor Ray Davies accepted the award on behalf of the entire team: “Obviously this award is about ‘team’ so I am accepting the award on behalf of the 90 team members and their families that came together against so many more odds than people realise but believed in each other to work so relentlessly for three years to win back the America’s Cup.”

The Halberg Supreme award was decided from the winners of the four main categories, Sportsman of the Year (Tom Walsh), Sportswoman of the Year (Lisa Carrington), Disabled Sportsperson of the year (Sophie Pascoe) and Sports Team of the Year.

Extreme Sailing Series Confirms Eight-Stop Global Tour In 2018
The 2018 Extreme Sailing Series is ready to fly for the 12th consecutive year, with the announcement today by Series organisers OC Sport of a global tour that will visit eight major cities on three continents. The Middle East, Europe and the Americas are all on the line up for what promises to be another year of foiling action, as the Series continues to provide a guaranteed annual proposition to teams and partners on a global scale.

The grand finale will take place in Los Cabos, Mexico, following a hugely successful debut last year for both the sailors – where the Zhik speed machine record for the year, with insights from SAP, was hit at 33.7 knots - and the Series commercial partners.

2018 Calendar of Acts:
14 - 17 March - Act 1, Muscat, Oman
24 – 27 May - GC32 World Championship, Lake Garda, Italy
14 - 17 June - Act 2, Barcelona, Spain
5 - 8 July - Act 3, Portugal
9 - 12 August - Act 4, St Petersburg, Russia
24 - 27 August - Act 5, Cardiff, UK
18 - 21 October - Act 6, San Diego, USA
9 November - 2 December Act 7, Los Cabos, Mexico

www.extremesailingseries.com

Featured Brokerage
Platoon TP52. 850,000 Euros. Located in Valencia.

TP52 Platoon for sale. World Champion 2017 2nd overall 2017 TP 52 superseries. Fully updated for 2017 season new solid Carbon rigging, new keel. Plenty of spares, 1 x 40’ shop/sails container

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
platoontp52@gmail.com

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2007 ClubSwan 42-032 Affair. 295,000 EUR. Located in Lithuania.

Affair is a ClubSwan 42 built in 2007. The ClubSwan 42 proved herself on the race course winning the ORC World Championship 2015 in Barcelona with other CS 42s in 2nd and 4th place.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Art Hiddinga
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

2014 ClubSwan 42-058 Regina 2.0. 350,000 Euros. Located in Newport, RI USA.

The final Club Swan 42 to be delivered, Regina 2.0 is hull number 58 and has been highly optimized for competitive racing.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jeremy Peek & Klabbe Nylof
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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

The Last Word
Conspiracy theorists of the world, believers in the hidden hands of the Rothschilds and the Masons and the Illuminati, we skeptics owe you an apology. You were right. The players may be a little different, but your basic premise is correct: The world is a rigged game. -- Matt Taibbi

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
Takahashi Takes Out 2018 Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup | Etchells NSW Championship - the path to the Worlds | Yacht Club de Monaco to host first big race qualifier for Vendee Globe | Match racing south | Easter Challenge Entries now open | Howth newcomer is feline quite American | South African sailors celebrated at annual awards | Featured Brokerage

Takahashi Takes Out 2018 Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup
Leonard Takahashi and his RNZYS Performance Programme Pacific Racing Team crew of Josh Wijohn, Taylor Balogh, Ibuki Koizumi and George Lee Rush have taken out the 2018 Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Skippers were greeted by another rainy Auckland day this morning, which was fitting seeing as the majority of the regatta was sailed in wet weather, but this didn't stop our four keen semi-finalists from taking to the water.

James Wilson from the RNZYS Youth Training Programme was the top seed heading into the finals so it was his choice on who he would sail against in the Semi-Finals. Wilson selected Finn Tapper from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which left Takahashi taking on Jordan Stevenson (RNZYS YTP) in the other semi-final.

This is another big win for Takahashi who is on a rich vein of form at the minute after winning his last four match racing regattas, including the Youth Nationals in Wellington, the Musto and Harken Youth Internationals in Sydney, and can now add the Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup to his collection of titles. Asked whether the team can make it five in a row in the capital, Takahashi was coy not to get too excited "yeah hopefully, I mean that's not the end goal but we're all here to improve and we just want to go out there and have good racing."

Overall placings
1. JPN Leo Takahashi, Joshua Wijohn, Ibuki Koizumi, Taylor Balogh, George Rush - RNZYS
2. NZL James Wilson, Marco Hull, Max South, Harry Milne - RNZYS
3. AUS Finn Tapper, Tom Grimes, Jess Grimes, Eric Sparkes, India Howard - CYCA
4. NZL Jordan Stevenson, Bradley McLaughlin, James Jennings, Niall Malone - RNZYS
5. NZL Nick Egnot-Johnson, Sam Barnett, Zak Merton, Logan McAllister - RNZYS
6. USA Frankie Dair, Mitch Jackson, Jake Erson, Celia Willison, Maeve White - KKCC
7. AUS James Farquharson, Niall Powers, Ruby Scholten, Harley Spreadbury Key, Cam Whiteside - RPAYC
8. AUS Clare Costanzo, Hannah Lanz, Jess Angus, Juliet Costanzo, Emma Rankin - RPAYC
9. AUS John Lynch, Pierre Harrison, Jed Cruiskshank, Finn Niemier, Ash Edwards - DSC
10. FRA Tom Picot, Owen Nicaise, Valentin Alakiletoa, Robin Chantrelle, Eliott Quintin - CNC
11. USA Trent Turigliatto, Sidney Gathrid, Kyle Collins, Cameron Feves, Hunter Gardyne - LBYC
12. AUS Charlotte Griffin, Madi Kornman, Charlotte Alexander, Charlotte Porter, Marlena Berzins - RSYS
13. NZL Lachlan Grimwade, Angus Adamson, Marina Comesky, Cameron Wright, Thomas Durkin - RPNYC
14. AUS Nicholas Rozenauers, Henry Rochford, Angus Olding, Mitchell Evans, Sam Cornfoot - RSYS
15. NZL Alastair Gifford, Iolo Adams, Toby Gregory, George Gautrey - QCYC

www.rnzys.org.nz/youth-international-match-racing-cup

Etchells NSW Championship - the path to the Worlds
The Australian Etchells fleet is edging towards a world championship in Brisbane and the NSW title regatta on Sydney Harbour this weekend is an important opportunity for those crews with a worlds challenge brewing to test their mettle against some of the class' best.

Four Queensland entries plus one each from Victoria and Western Australia are making the journey to join the majority NSW contingent in the three-day regatta, February 16-18, hosted by the Sydney Etchells fleet out of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

A strong fleet of 41 Etchells will commence their NSW title contest on Friday, among them many former national champions and a number of world-beaters, in the popular one design class that's been around since the 1960s and according to Queenslander Matt Chew "has always been cool".

For Gen XY skipper Chew and his crew Ashley Deeks, Ben Vercoe and Brian Donovan, the NSW title marks the start of their run towards a home world championship at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in October.

Winner of the RSYS Milson's Silver Goblets last November, Jeanne-Claude Strong's Yandoo XX, is just one of the notable entries. Other ranked sailors include past world champions Iain Murray (Northern Havoc), Peter Merrington (Top 40) and Olympic gold medallist Tom King skippering the 2012 Etchells Worlds victor Iron Lotus he co-owns with David Edwards and Ivan Wheen.

An eight-race schedule is planned over three days and each afternoon the 'Maillot Jaune', or in this case a yellow North Sails flag, will be awarded to the 'boat of the day' with the best set of scores.

The weekend forecast indicates strongest winds on Friday - up to 19kts of SSE breeze, SE to 8kts on Saturday and even lighter sou'easters on Sunday.

On Friday 16 February the first warning signal is at 1230hrs, on Saturday the program commences at 1330hrs and on Sunday it reverts back to first warning at 1230hrs with the presentation ceremony conducted at the host club immediately after racing.

sydneyetchells.org.au

Yacht Club de Monaco to host first big race qualifier for Vendee Globe
Now established as a one-design winter base with the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series which attracts some 100 international teams, the Yacht Club de Monaco continues to ramp up its sailing policy.

Taking full advantage of a Clubhouse designed by Lord Foster and facilities ideal for regattas, crews and sponsors, the Club has added two new events to its calendar in 2018: Monaco Swan One Design (27-31 March) for ClubSwan 42, Swan 45 and ClubSwan 50; and the Monaco Globe Series (1-8 June), the first ever offshore Mediterranean race for IMOCA 60' and a qualifier for the Vendee Globe 2020.

For the Monaco Globe Series, a dozen teams are set to stopover in the Principality for the first time for a 1,400nm double-handed race that embraces the most emblematic marks in the western Mediterranean.

From the start in Monaco, the fleet races down Corsica's west coast before being propelled through the Strait of Bonifacio to the Aeolian Islands, where they tack in front of Stromboli and head for Palermo in Sicily. It then sets course for the Balearic Islands and from there back to Monaco.

The race was an obvious one for YCM Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi: "The arrival last year of Malizia II, the YCM's offshore flagship, is part of the Club's sailing policy. Our ambition is to encourage our young sailors to dream and think about new vocations. Following our participation with Boris Herrmann last year in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2017, then the Transat Jacques Vabre, we were keen to host these 60' mono-hulls for the first time in Monaco. We want to offer them a course that showcases the beauty of the Mediterranean and its enormous potential for sailing."

Racers who decide to come to the Mediterranean can look forward to a challenging first stage.

Provisional programme Monaco Globe Series:

Friday 1st June 2018
Exhibition day for teams and their sponsors
Runs and courses in Monaco Bay
Globe Series Opening Ceremony
Gala Dinner

Saturday 2nd June 2018
Exhibition day
Runs and courses in Monaco Bay

Sunday 3rd June 2018
Start of 1,400 nautical mile race

Friday 8th June 2018
Prize-giving ceremony

https://ycm.mc

Match racing south
Every boat in the fleet in Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race is back up to speed and enjoying trade wind sailing conditions as they push south towards the doldrums some 1000 miles away.

The boats are on a tight reach, with wind and boat speeds in the mid to high teens.

Team AkzoNobel heads the leaderboard at 1300 UTC, positioned south and slightly west of the bulk of the fleet, while Scallywag is alone, 30 miles further south and positioned well out to the west of the fleet. The leading pair is separated by less than five miles on distance to finish.

At one point overnight (local time), MAPFRE, Dongfeng, Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastic were within about two miles of each other. In fact, Brunel and MAPFRE were much closer than that.

"We had a good bit of fun last night," explained Brunel's Peter Burling. "We kind of got stuck about a boatlength behind MAPFRE and we had a good little battle there for about half an hour. Eventually we managed to get over the top of them, so it was good."

But that wasn't the end of the story.

MAPFRE and Dongfeng made a decisive turn to the west, trying to minimise their time in the unstable conditions. Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastic weren't able to follow them and a split developed.

"They both speared off doing 12 knots to the west and we just couldn't get over there and that was bloody annoying," said Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking. "And then Turn the Tide on Plastic came up underneath us. We slowly but surely got the breeze but MAPFRE and Dongfeng found it first and they've made a massive jump on us."

As the top boats on the leaderboard, it is clear MAPFRE and Dongfeng want to stay within sight of each other at this stage of the leg. On Tuesday afternoon, the 1300 UTC update shows the pair tied together, separated by only a few hundred metres.

www.volvooceanrace.com

Easter Challenge Entries now open
The Easter Challenge, RORC's popular training regatta will take place from the 30th March - 1st April this year. As usual boats can request coaching from the array of talent available as well as sail trim tips from the experts at North Sails.

As an extra incentive this year all entries to the RORC Easter Challenge made before 28th February will go into a draw to win 2x VIP Tickets to the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Cardiff.

After racing on Friday and Saturday there is a fun and informative debrief session held in the RORC Cowes clubhouse, with videos shown of starts, mark rounding's and a question and answer session with the coaches and sailmakers. During this regatta there will also be a prize draw for the Performance 40's at the Easter Challenge, for a day's onboard coaching during the Warsash Spring Championships.

For more information and to enter please go to www.rorc.org

Performance 40 Class at Vice Admirals Cup!

As part of the Performance 40 series for 2018 there will be a class start at the Vice Admirals Cup in May.

North Sails, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Warsash Sailing Club, Royal Southern Yacht Club and Hamble River Sailing Club have teamed up to create the 'Performance 40' series for 2018 which will consist of seven events with five to count for the Overall Trophies.

1. Easter Challenge 30th March - 1st April RORC
2.Warsash Spring Champs April 21-22nd Warsash
3.Warsash Spring Champs April 28th-29th April Warsash
4.May Royal Southern Regatta 12th-13th Royal Southern
5.Vice Admiral's Cup** May 18th-20th RORC
6.September Royal Southern Regatta 8th -9th (Performance 40 Nationals 1.5 points)
7.Hamble River Sailing Club 6th and 7th October (Final Event Double Points)

(**Vice Admiral's Cup will not be part of the overall series due to J111's having a Class Start, however P40's will have their own Class Start and VAC Trophy!)

A 'Performance 40 is a Cruiser/Racer around 40ft and will be defined by the below limitations, which utilises information from her IRC Certificate.

IRC Band 1.075-1.145
LH 11.15m-14.1m
DLR 130-200
Max Draft 2.65m

For reference a First 40 is at the bottom of the band and an XP44 is at the top of the band. This includes but is not limited to; J111's, J122's, J133's, IMX40's, Grand Soleil 43's, Arcona 41's, JND 39's, Corby 41's, Mills 39's, Matt 12's, King 40's, Azuree 46's etc.

For further information on the Vice Admirals Cup please visit www.rorc.org or mail racing @rorc.org

Howth newcomer is feline quite American
Click on image to enlarge.

Evolved in the 'thin' waters of New England, the distinctive cat boat - shallow draft, wide-beam and bow mast - is something of an American phenomenon, with more than 4,000 of the 12ft 4in Beetle variety having been built since 1920. Winkie Nixon tells how Howth sailor Judith Malcolm fell for its easy handling charms, and embarked on a newbuild journey that took in Brittany's famous Skol Ar Mor boatyard, in his story in Afloat.

On America's East Coast around Cape Cod, there's plenty of sea. But as the locals say, it tends to be thin - sometimes very thin - in the places where you might want to go sailing.

So in the days when most sailing was being done by working fishermen, they developed commercially viable boats which were wide and shallow, with pivoting centreboards which were able to pop up unimpeded into their casings when ordinary thin water suddenly became very thin water indeed.

They were a very distinctive type, and as recreational sailing developed in America - the New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844 - inevitably some amateur sailors developed refined versions of the fishermen's catboat, and they became something of a cult.

In 1852, a wealthy American-by-adoption amateur sailor of Scottish origins, William Buller Duncan, was so taken up with this enthusiasm that he sent a cat boat to a sailing friend in London, the Earl of Mount Charles, whose father happened to be the Marquis of Conyngham, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club on Dublin Bay.

WM Nixon's full article:
afloat.ie/sail/historic-boats/

South African sailors celebrated at annual awards
It's been a great last 12 months for South African sailing. This was celebrated as the winners of the annual SA Sailing awards were announced at Victoria Lake Club in Germiston last week.

Leading the way were the pair of Benji Daniel and Alex Burger who were awarded the Owen Aisher Trophy as the 2017 SA Sailors of the Year.

The young pair made their mark in winning the 29er World Championships in California last August. This followed a podium position in the USA National Championships and was achieved in a world class fleet of over 100 boats.

There were no surprises when the David Butler Trophy for the SA Youth Sailor of the Year went to Calvin Gibbs.

The 18-year-old achieved a fourth-place finish in the Laser class at the Youth World Championships in China in December. This was the best result by a South African at the Youth Worlds since the event was held on home waters in 1998.

Meanwhile, the Gordon Burnwood Trophy for the most meritorious ocean race or passage sailed during 2017 went to Hylton Hale.

Hale served as skipper, helmsman and campaign manager for Lion of Africa Vulcan in the 2017 Cape 2 Rio race. The team finished as third boat overall, third in their IRC division, were the first South African boat to finish the race and they broke the South African record in the process. Hale also drafted in the only female bowman on a high performance sports boat in the race.

Finally, the Stan Jeffrey Trophy for outstanding administration in the sport was awarded to Rob Wilcox.

Wilcox has served on the SA Sailing national council and notched up countless years of contribution to the sport of sailing as an administrator, event organiser, and sailor. He is regularly involved behind the scenes and has been a passionate supporter of the sport while also remaining an active sailor in the dinghy and keelboat classes.

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1998 Swan 48-123 'E2'. 395,000 EUR. Located in Valdivia, Chile.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

The Last Word
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. -- Charles M. Schulz

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
Hong Kong-London / Tacking Off Dakar | Averda move up EFG Sailing Arabia - the Tour rankings with Sur stadium win | Southern Spars awaits the anticipated VOR arrival in Auckland | History in the making: Record entry for the 10th RORC Caribbean 600 | Match Race Super League | Industry News | Featured Brokerage

Hong Kong-London / Tacking Off Dakar
Finally trade winds for Maserati Multi 70, skipper Giovanni Soldini and his crew (Guido Broggi, Sébastien Audigane, Oliver Herrera Perez and Alex Pella). After struggling for two days to pass through a tropical depression, this night just before dawn, the trimaran entered the range of north eastern trade winds, meaning constant winds. It's the beginning of a long starboard tack that will allow the Maserati Multi 70 to head north maintaining good speeds.

In the coming days, the strategy and the route will largely depend on the evolution of the Azores high. Often centered on the Portuguese archipelago, from which the name comes, this high pressure separates the trade winds zone that blow further south at the tropical latitudes from the area of the powerful westerlies winds determined by the depressions that cross the North Atlantic from West to East in our latitudes above 40° N.

Last night, Maserati Multi 70 tacked and headed towards the coastline, before tacking again just 30 miles off Dakar. Always upwind, the route followed this morning (335° i.e NNW) is more favorable than the NW route followed yesterday afternoon because it's more directly towards North. It remains the unknown factor of the passage of the high pressure very unstable these days. Will it be necessary to make a detour up to the Azores archipelago or will it open a shorter passage passing further East, near Madeira islands?

After 26 days of navigation, at the 10.46 UTC rankings, the advantage of the Maserati Multi 70 on the record holder's roadmap is 1.515 miles. There are 2.684 miles left (of the initial 13.000 nm) to the finish line in London.

maserati.soldini.it

Averda move up EFG Sailing Arabia - the Tour rankings with Sur stadium win
British two-time Olympian Stevie Morrison made amends for missing out on the top spot in yesterday's EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour coastal raid by leading his Averda team to victory in the penultimate round of stadium racing in Sur.

Averda won two individual races as the eight international teams vying for the 2018 title exchanged blows as they fought one another over six short, intense races held just off the beach of the historic city in perfect conditions.

The fact that the top four teams finished just five points apart indicates just how tight the racing was, with EFG Bank Monaco taking second and overall leaders Beijaflore third.

French team Vivacar picked up two race wins, while Lorina Golfe du Morbihan and Cheminees Poujalat scored one apiece

After 11 days of thrilling racing at four stunning locations in Oman, and with just two days of the regatta remaining, the teams' eagerness to win points was evident.

The finale of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour will consist of a coastal raid from Bandar Al Rowdha to Muscat's beatiful old town of Muttrah on February 16, followed by a day of stadium racing there the following day.

Results of six Stadium Races - Sur:
1- Averda (Stevie Morrison) - 20 pts
2- EFG Bank (Thierry Douillard) - 22 pts
3- Beijaflore (Valentin Bellet) - 23 pts
4- Lorina Golfe du Morbihan (Solune Robert)- 25 pts
5- Vivacar.fr (Matthieu Souben) - 29 pts
6- Poujoulat (Bernard Stamm) - 30 pts
7- Renaissance (Cedric Pouligny) - 39 pts
8- DB Schenker (Elodie Mettraux) - 40 pts

Overall Results:
1- Beijaflore (Valentin Bellet) - 13 pts
2- EFG Bank (Thierry Douillard) - 23 pts
3- Averda (Stevie Morrison) - 25 pts
4- Poujoulat (Bernard Stamm) - 34.4 pts
5- Vivacar.fr (Matthieu Souben) - 35 pts
6- Lorina Golfe du Morbihan (Solune Robert) - 36 pts
7- Renaissance (Cedric Pouligny) - 57 pts
8- DB Schenker (Elodie Mettraux) - 62 pts

sailingarabiathetour.com

Southern Spars awaits the anticipated VOR arrival in Auckland
Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race is already underway, with the fleet heading for Auckland, home of Southern Spars, on their 6100 nm trip.

Auckland has a long sailing history and maintains a heavy prominence in the yachting calendar to this day. The City of Sails has a proud heritage in the sport of sailing, and has been a key stopover in every edition of the VOR, and what was previously the Whitbread Race, since 1977-78, with the exception of two editions.

With the city also holding the highly anticipated 2021 America's Cup, its importance on the sailing scene is paramount.

In this edition, the Auckland Viaduct has been transformed into a vibrant Race Village for the Stopover, which will open on February 24th.

Southern Spars, as the official rig supplier to the VOR, will have an on-site rep for assistance at the dock in Auckland. We have already provided support at previous stopovers including Lisbon, Alicante and Cape Town and our rep will be on hand to assist in any necessary maintenance or repairs.

It is the second time that the company has provided the full rig package for the Volvo Ocean 65 One-Design, although we have been supplying spars to the podium finishers since Sir Peter Blake's commanding victory in 1989-90. Now, 38 Volvo teams throughout the years have sported our spars, from the previous alloy rigs to our innovative carbon Southern Spars rigs used today.

With less than one week to go, the countdown is on once again to welcome the fleet in our hometown.

southernspars.com

History in the making: Record entry for the 10th RORC Caribbean 600
A spectacular start in Antigua is expected on Monday 19th February as the record-breaking fleet of 88 boats sets off on the 10th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 © ELWJ Photography

A record entry of 88 yachts has entered the tenth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 which has grown both in stature and entries since the race was first contested in 2009. For the 10th anniversary, in excess of 800 sailors from six continents and over 22 nations, will compete in the thrilling race around 11 Caribbean islands. Winners from the Olympic Games, America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and multiple world champions have gathered in Antigua and will be competing alongside passionate corinthian sailors, both young and old.

In its ten year history, American yachts have dominated the race, winning the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy on six occasions, setting both the current monohull and multihull records. For the 2018 race, 13 American teams will be competing including, George David's Rambler 88, George Sakellaris' Proteus, and Peter Aschenbrenner's Paradox. The trio are amongst the favourites for the top prizes. However there is strong competition from Australia, France, Great Britain, Germany and Ireland.

American Maxi Rambler 88 is back and skipper George David will be taking part in his sixth race. David has taken line honours on three occasions and with Rambler 100, won overall under IRC in 2011, setting the monohull race record (40 hours 20 minutes 2 seconds). Rambler 88 is the hot favourite to be the first monohull home this year and has world class crew in every department, including three time America's Cup winner, Brad Butterworth. Ludde Ingvall's Australian Maxi CQS will make its debut in the race after successfully taking line honours in the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race. Philip Rann's British Maxi La Bête poses a threat to Rambler 88 and CQS. Race founder and long-standing RORC member John Burnie will be taking part in his ninth race on board La Bête.

George Sakellaris American Maxi 72 Proteus is one of the favourites for the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy, won by the yacht with the best time after IRC time correction. Should Proteus win, Sakellaris will lift the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy for an unprecedented third time. Proteus has an all-star cast, including Stu Bannatyne who is on leave from Dongfeng Race Team in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race. Bannatyne has competed in eight round the world races, winning on three occasions.

In IRC One, Olympian Per Arne Nilsen's Norwegian Swan 66 Enigma VIII is the largest yacht. Philippe Frantz's Nivelt-Muratet 43 Albator has a mixture of highly experienced veteran and young talented Figaro and Tour Voile sailors, all from France. German Swan 56 Latona will have three generations of the von Eicken family on board and representing the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

In IRC Two, the largest yacht will be Oceanis 55 Julia, skippered by Louie Neocleous who is just 20 years old and sailing with his father Richard.

Three boats will be racing Two Handed and include Richard Palmer's British JPK 10.10 Jangada competing in IRC Three /

The 10th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 starts on Monday 19th February from Fort Charlotte, outside Nelson's Dockyard. The first start is at 1100. There are plenty of ways to follow the race:

caribbean600.rorc.org

Match Race Super League
After a break of several years, a revived Match Race Grand Prix will take place again in Switzerland.

Match Race Switzerland ranks as a new event of the Match Race Super League between renowned events such as Match Race Germany, the Internationaux de France, the Oakcliff International Match Race (USA), and the Kingdom Match Race in Bahrain.

With the return of the America's Cup to monohulls, the exciting sailing duel-discipline, boat against boat, is enjoying strong tailwind again. This boost has also helped the relaunch of match race sailing by the Swiss Sailing League Association. A high-caliber field of participants from seven nations brings enough world ranking points to raise Match Race Switzerland to Grand Prix level. With the partnership between the Swiss Sailing League Association and the Match Race Super League, Switzerland once again belongs to the venues of the Global Series of 17 events spanning over 4 continents.

Eric Monnin and his Albert Riele Swiss Match Race Team will be coming to Locarno as the defending champion of the inaugural season of the Match Race Super League. He is also looking forward to starting again in Switzerland: "In the second year of its existence, the Match Race Super League is experiencing a pleasing development with a strong increase in regattas. The fact that Switzerland is also running a Match Race Super League Level 1 Grand Prix is a very gratifying development. We are glad that after a few years of absence, Switzerland has another world-class matchrace. "

In the wake of the Swiss Grand Prix, further match race regattas and a Swiss Sailing Match Race series are to be created in Switzerland, which will enable young teams to gain experience in the competition and qualify for a starting slot at Match Race Switzerland and eaqually will recommend the team for Match Race Super League events.

Match Race Super League 2018 Schedule (Details to be found on the MRSL Website):

Porto Alegre Match Cup (BRA-23.-25.March)
Match Race Switzerland (SUI-22.-25.March)
Szczecin-Polish Match Tour(POL-28.April-1.May)
Match Race Germany (GER-16.-21.May)
NJK Open Spring Cup (FIN-24.-27.May)
Porto Montenegro Match Race (MNE-1.-3.June)
Poland tba. (POL-6.-10.June)
Portugese Open (POR-15.-17.June)
Internationaux de France (FRA-26.-29.July)
Argentina (ARG-July)
Match Racing Open European Chapionships (EST-8.-12.August)
New Caledonia tba. (NCL-August)
Oakcliff International (USA-5.-9.September)
Thompson Cup (USA-13.-16.September)
Marina Bay Cup (SIN-13.-16.September)
New Zealand tba, (NZL-December)
The Kingdom Match Race (BHR-13.-17.December)
Chile tba. (CHL-December)

www.mrsuperleague.org

Industry News
KPMG, the administrator for Oyster Marine Holdings in the UK, has received 45 expressions of interest in purchasing the Oyster Yachts brand. This was confirmed to IBI yesterday by CEO David Tydeman. He has also confirmed that the main cause of the group's collapse was the insurance claims that followed the sinking of Polina Star III in 2015.

"There has been a good response to the administration, with KPMG receiving some 45 expressions showing interest in possibly buying Oyster," Tydeman said. "KPMG will start the process of working through these next week with NDAs and bids and it will likely take several weeks to complete."

Polina Star III sank off Spain in July 2015, generating a claim and counter claims of £7.2m. To date only £400,000 has been paid, leaving a £6.8m amount to settled.

"Payment of the claim against Oyster and our counter claims against Bridgland Moulders (a Norwich-based subcontractor) have been delayed and delayed and our shareholder, HTP Investment, became inpatient over the delays so withdrew their support. They feared that our claim would be unpaid by the time they had to pay the claim against us."

The claim against Bridgland alleges improper moulding of the Polina Star 111 and three other yachts - Albatross, Meagan and Reina, which have since been repaired.

The delays to the claim have lasted over two years and had been due to be heard late last year, but a further delay has now moved this to May or June this year.

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Warsash Sailing Club (WSC) is delighted to welcome Doyle Sails as a race partner for the 2018 Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

The Spring Series kicks off on Sunday 18 March with race starts from 10am in the central Solent. Race dates from then on are Sunday 25 March and Sunday 8, 15, 22, 29 April 2018 with a week's break over Easter.

The classes offered in the Spring Series include four IRC divisions, J/109, J/70, SB20 and J/80. For Black Group there will be one race a day around the cans for the first four Sundays, then two races a day on the last two dates. White Group sports boats will enjoy three races on laid courses each week.

Doyle Sails design and development origins lie in the competitive world of the Americas Cup and today the likes of Hugo Boss and the current J/70 World Champion 'Relative Obscurity' are being powered to success with Doyle sails. The same high level of performance is brought to its cruising sails, combined with a personal service that aims to enable each Doyle customer to get the best from their sails.

Series Chairman, Peter Bateson said: "It's fantastic to have Doyle Sails onboard and we thank them for supporting the 2018 Spring Series. We're really looking forward to working with them when the racing gets underway on 18 March".

www.warsashspringseries.org.uk
www.doylesails.co.uk

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Freedom Boat Club and Jeanneau are partnering to develop Freedom franchises among Jeanneau's European dealer network.

The franchise model is being offered to European Jeanneau retailers that can develop FBC locations in their local markets using Jeanneau outboard boats.

"International expansion has been a focus of our long-term strategy the past year, and we are very pleased to be working in cooperation with Jeanneau and their dealers in our European launch," FBC president and CEO John Giglio told Trade Only Today in an email.

Giglio said he expects to announce multiple Freedom Boat Clubs in France this spring, with additional expansion throughout Europe.

A group of Jeanneau dealers attending the Miami International Boat Show will meet with FBC executives to tour a large Florida-based franchise.

www.tradeonlytoday.com/dealers/

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

The forthcoming Moscow Boat Show, to be held from March 7-11, will occupy approximately 20,000sq m of the extensive Crocus Exhibition Centre on the northwest outskirts of the city.

According to show manager Andrey Kovalev, the domestic market within Russia - which had seen a sharp slowdown after 2010 - has been strengthening in the past two years, helped to some extent by a government decree in 2014 that allocated over 96 billion roubles to the improvement of coastal leisure boating facilities as part of a broader initiative to encourage tourism.

With over 200 exhibitors expected this year, and upwards of 15,000 visitors, the show is the largest in Russia, followed by smaller exhibitions in St Petersburg in September and on the Volga near Samara in June.

plus.ibinews.com

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

Gurit (SIX Swiss Exchange: GUR) today announced that it will further strengthen its innovative capacity by enlarging its technology and innovation management resources.

Dr. Emiliano Frulloni will join Gurit as CTO and member of the Executive Committee by November 1, 2018, the latest. He has many years of technology and leadership experience in the advanced composites industry and holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a PhD in Materials Science and Technology from University of Perugia. Dr. Emiliano Frulloni joins Gurit from Solvay where he holds the position of Global R&D Director Composite Product Development. He will report to Rudolf Hadorn, Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Damian Bannister, CTO of Gurit, will take on the position of Director Innovation Composite Materials. In his new position, he will focus on the further development and enhancement of the Company`s base formulations as well as new material technologies for the Company`s prepreg and formulated products ranges. Dr. Damian Bannister will withdraw from the Gurit Executive Committee and his position as CTO of Gurit once Dr. Emiliano Frulloni has assumed his role.

www.gurit.com

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Gill has extended its partnership with Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) for the 2018 and 2019 events to provide the official Merchandise range exclusively for ASW crew members.

According to ASW Merchandise Manager, Jenny Hadeed, this partnership represents exciting developments as the event moves into the next decade. "We are very proud to be working with Gill again as their UV merchandise provides excellent cover for the participating crews. We continue to build a strong brand association between ASW and Gill that enhances not only the look of the crews but the event as a whole."

The existing line has some new and exciting additions for 2018, including micro fleeces in new colours and two new technical tops, the quarter zip and long sleeve both in black.

Since its initial partnership with ASW, Gill recently announced that the British parent company has acquired Gill North America Ltd. Gill's CEO Jamie Tunnicliffe, explains that this acquisition will be beneficial to all. "We are delighted to have finalized a deal which benefits our customers, stakeholders and staff. With this brand consolidation, turnover growth will now exceed GBP£20 million in 2018 and we can ensure that we have a consistent brand message and product offering across the world."

www.sailingweek.com/store/

Featured Brokerage
2009 Wally 80 NAHITA. 3,500,000 EUR. Located in Barcelona.

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jukka@kk-superyachts.com
Mobile: + 33 6 78 63 43 15
KK Superyachts
Les Caravelles, 25 Bd Albert 1er
MC 98000 Monte Carlo - Monaco

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

Wally 80 Tonemai. 2.5M Euros. Located in Tuscany Italy

Stylish and ship-shape, Tonemai is an iconic Wally ready for the starting line of the Wally Class season 2018 as well as for the family cruising!

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2008 Oyster 72 Solitaire of Bosham. 1,485,000 GBP. Located in Palma.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

The Last Word
You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. -- Winston Churchill

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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

Opportunity and Jeopardy
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet is about to bump up against another transition zone, a patch of very light and unstable winds that will be slow and painful to cross.

This is the first sign of what appears to be a fairly untraditional doldrums crossing. As ever, the transition to the southern hemisphere offers opportunity for some and jeopardy for others.

On the jeopardy side, it is the crew on SHK/Scallywag, still furthest to the west, who are currently suffering. They’ve been dropping miles for the past 24 hours and have slid from second to fifth place, nearly 50 miles behind the leader, team AkzoNobel.

Alarmingly for Scallywag, while they’ve once again given back miles to the leader on the 1300 UTC position report on Thursday, every other boat in the fleet is making gains as AkzoNobel is first to hit the transition zone.

On Team Brunel, Kyle Langford says the speed comes at a cost - the living conditions are brutal.

“It’s pretty horrible down below. It’s very bouncy and very difficult to sleep. The water temperature is nearly 30-degrees, so it’s quite warm inside,” he says. “It’s hard to stay cool. And on top of that the boat is getting thrown around in 30 knots of wind. It’s very uncomfortable.

“Outside is better, but not by a lot. The worst thing is the salt water, which burns your eyes. We’re all wearing ski goggles. But the good thing is we’re making miles quickly. It’s tough conditions, but fast.

Positions at: 13:00 UTC 15 February
1. Team AkzoNobel, 2687.05 nm to leg finish
2. MAPFRE, 23.77 nm to leader
3. Team Brunel, 25.46
4. Dongfeng Race Team, 27.64
5. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, 47.41
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic, 51.01
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, Did not start

www.volvooceanrace.com

The Courage to Chart Your Own Course
Racing sailboats is like playing chess and like chess you need to be thinking five steps ahead to stay in front of your competition. It is, however, much more complicated than chess. With chess you have a static board and an even number of players. The board for the Volvo Ocean Race is a vast and dynamic ocean that is a minefield of traps. Low pressure systems swirl and loop. They bump up against high pressure systems and it’s hard to predict precisely what will happen. Navigators and skippers constantly run routing models to help them with their navigation decisions but in the end it’s gut instinct; and a tad bit of luck.

This week two boats saw something in that mass of swirling isobars that the rest of the fleet didn’t see. The Dutch team AkzoNobel and Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag decided to tack away from the rest and head to the north at times actually sailing away from the finish. They had spotted a trough of low pressure and while the distance between them and the leaders increased alarmingly they both stayed the course. Their gutsy move and nerves of steel paid dividends. Forty eight hours later both boats had rocketed to the front of the fleet. Was it tactical brilliance, or luck?

One things is for sure that it takes courage to chart your own course and this time courage paid off. For the crew on Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag it might just have been their lucky Dubarry Crosshaven boots that gave the crew the grit to stick with their decision even when things started to look a little bleak. The payoff is being at the front of the pack as the fleet hurtle south in a building breeze.

www.dubarry.com

Four-Horse Boat Race In Oxford To Decide The Series
Farmoor is set to host a four-way fight to determine who will be crowned Champion of the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series. The Oxford Blue is the seventh and final event in the Series which started last November and has seen hundreds of competitors contending with the coldest British winter of recent times. However this Saturday’s forecast suggests both the air temperature and wind strength will be fairly mild, with 6-8 knots of breeze forecast from the south-west.

Ben Schooling has been the bridesmaid before in the Series, and would probably be hoping for a bit more breeze to get his Musto Skiff really motoring against the three slower singlehanders that he’s up against for the title. However the Stokes Bay sailor is known for getting the best out of the Skiff in the lighter conditions and is a past winner of the Oxford Blue.

If Alistair Goodwin can hold on to his lead he would become the first Laser sailor to win the Series, although he’s got a battle on his hands to keep Andrew Snell’s K1 keelboat at bay. Both the K1 and Andy Couch’s Phantom are slippery in light airs and will be looking forward to the light forecast. On the other hand, with a huge entry of RS Aeros who are using the Oxford Blue as their class winter championship, traffic will be a problem for the hiking singlehanders. With around 130 boats already entered, and the entry limit of 150 almost reached, congestion around the marks will certainly play a factor in the outcome. If Schooling can find some clear air and get his Musto Skiff on the plane, his speed advantage could prove decisive. Phil Meakins, crewed by Tommo Tomson in his Osprey, currently lies in third overall and is also looking for a strong finish in the Series.

www.sailjuiceseries.com

Walk the course for the 2018 RORC Caribbean 600 with Wouter Verbraak
The weather forecast for the 2018 RORC Caribbean 600 is predicting winds in excess of 20 knots for the duration of the 600 mile race, producing record-breaking conditions. Wouter Verbraak, Head of Sevenstar Racing Yacht Logistics walks the course with an in-depth video on the nuances of the race around 11 Caribbean islands. Wouter has competed in the race on many occasions, racing Maxis and Multihulls. The 10th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 starts on Monday 19th February from Fort Charlotte, outside Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua.

caribbean600.rorc.org

Finn battling to retain Olympic status
The Finn - the classic power dinghy - was designed to test the best individual sailor at the Olympic Games. This thoroughly modern, but endearingly classic dinghy has been successfully doing that through 17 Olympics and is heading towards its 18th in Tokyo 2020.

However, it could also be its last Games too.

With the push by the International Olympic Committee to have equal medal events for men and women, World Sailing must determine how to get to that status for the 2024 Olympics. Currently the 10 events are tilted toward the men… because of the Finn.

To balance participation at Tokyo 2020, the number of Finns competing in the Games has been reduced from the 23 competitors at Rio 2016. With only 19 spots now available in Tokyo, competition will be intense. Fifteen of the 23 sailors who took part in Rio are now on the campaign trail and have their sights set on the land of the rising sun in two years time.

Of one thing we can be sure, it is going to be a gruesome battle to determine those places, and Finn sailors are not pretty when their backs are against the wall. Think fist meets wall.

From Robert Deaves and Craig Leweck in Scuttlebutt:
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/

Seahorse March 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
It’s not an easy time to be a wannabe America’s Cup challenger, the extraordinary CV of that Mapfre navigator and the complexities of modern campaigning. Plus modern real-time performance analysis... think again. Jack Griffin, Joan Vila, Carlos Pich, Terry Hutchinson

Design - Plenty (more) to come
Bernard Nivelt And Alexis Muratet have no intention of turning back the clock...

The game of life
Blue Robinson talks America’s Cup and an extraordinary career with Tom Whidden

What does it take...
A big picture hunt for the commonalities of a successful Olympian. Carol Cronin

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/

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

Sprit Sails & Clinker Boats on Lough Erne
Click on image to enlarge.

In the 1800s and into the 1930s, double ended Clinker built boats, yawls, were seen and used on Lower Lough Erne. These historic boats were about 17 or 18 feet in length and about 5 feet wide and were propelled by oars or a Sprit sail writes Fred Ternan of Lough Erne Heritage.

They were very similar to the Drontheim used around the North coast and as far south as Donegal Bay. Drontheims would have been seen by the people from Lough Erne when trading with Ballyshannon and this may have brought about the introduction of a similar boat to Lower Lough Erne, albeit on a smaller scale than the 27-footers used on the sea.

Gradually the shape of the yawl changed to a boat with a transom which was a better load carrier and was also a little simpler to build. The Sprit sail continued to be used and clinker boats continued to be built on and around Lough Erne into the 1960s and 1970s when wood was replaced by GRP. The Sprit sail was occasionally used into the 1960s by which time outboard engines had become more reliable. Another reason for its use on the long journeys on Lower Lough Erne was economy.

The moulds he used were retained and recently the first clinker boat built to those moulds since the 1960s, approximately 50 years ago has been built by George and Fred Ternan, cousins of Douglas Tiernan and members of Lough Erne Heritage. Using memories of the build and use of those wooden boats and the moulds, this boat when completed and launched will hopefully be as capable in the waves of the large expanse of Lower Lough Erne as the boats built by Douglas.

afloat.ie/sail/historic-boats

OCC Azores Pursuit Rally
At least 36 vessels have signed up to sail to Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores this coming June to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Peter Cafe Sport. The Ocean Cruising Club and Peter Cafe Sport are working together to organize this exciting event.

Participants may start from anywhere, a minimum of 500 miles away, at any time, but the aim is to cross the finishing line as close as possible to 12 noon on 18 June 2018. This will be a light-hearted and fun event, but a major one in the 2018 OCC calendar with many land based activities scheduled for the following six days, culminating in a formal dinner and prize-giving. Members of other cruising clubs are welcome, but registration will be closed as soon as the maximum nu mber of participants is reached. Participants must have applied and paid their fees by the cut-off date for entry (30th April 2018).

A rally description is available from the Rally Organisers John Franklin & Tony Brighton. Participants are required to register, and a small rally fee will be charged. A registration form is available from the rally organisers via email. Send your request to: AzoresRally2018@oceancruisingclub.org .

Upon arrival in Horta there will be a celebratory event and a programme of social activities. “Jose Henrique Azevedo is preparing to welcome yachtsmen with great enthusiasm, as his father Peter and grandfather Ernesto did before him. Sponsored events include a pig roast at the Castle Fort on the shore,” said Past OCC Commodore John Franklin.

The Ocean Cruising Club exists to encourage long-distance sailing in small boats. A Full Member of the OCC must have completed a qualifying voyage of a non-stop port-to-port ocean passage, where the distance between the two ports is not less than 1,000 nautical miles as measured by the shortest practical Great Circle route, as skipper or member of the crew in a vessel of not more than 70ft (21.36 m) LOA; associate members are committed to the achievement of that goal. This standard distinguishes the OCC from all other sailing clubs. It’s not about what you are or who you know, but simply what you have done that matters. Our awards seek to bring to light the accomplishments of ordinary people doing extraordinary things on the world’s oceans.

www.oceancruisingclub.org

Normandy Channel Race
With a little more than three months until the start of festivities for the 9th edition of the Normandy Channel Race, the Class40 skippers are now jostling to be included on the entry list. 21 boats are already signed up for this great Anglo-Norman classic and its promise of full-on, close-contact racing both offshore and hugging the coasts of Normandy, England and Ireland. With nearly a dozen more projects being finalised as we go to press, the 2018 vintage is shaping up to be particularly promising. As has been the case since the creation in 2010 of this fine event setting sail from and finishing in Caen, it’s impossible to even attempt a wager on the podium given how evenly matched this Class40 fleet is from one edition to the next. Though the most recent boats are naturally showing great promise, the complexity and the diversity of the weather conditions encountered in the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea mean that the cards are constantly being reshuffled for all the participants, guaranteeing an action-packed race, laced with upset and drama.

The 2017 edition saw Jersey-based sailor Phil Sharp (Imerys) ultimately take the crown. Since that time he has been on the search for new craft but the brilliant runner-up, Jean Galfione (Serenis Consulting), is delighted to be back to confirm his status and will this year be supported by the master sailmaker Alan Pennaneac’h.

The last edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre back in the autumn revealed the Class40’s new star players of course. Naturally our thoughts go out here to the two driving forces in the transatlantic race, V and B skippered by Maxime Sorel and Aina Enfance et Avenir skippered by Aymeric Chappelier. The two men will continue their mano a mano here in the English Channel and the Irish Sea but we’ll have to wait till the race finish to see whether the young sailor from Saint Malo will once again have the edge.

François Lassort, winner in the Vintage category, is overjoyed at the prospect of racing aboard his venerable No.42, an Akilaria built in 2006

Another much awaited return is that of Nicolas Troussel. The 2015 winner will take the start in Caen at the helm of his brand new Manuard design Corum.

In this Route du Rhum year, Guadeloupe will also be represented in style in Normandy by a fireman from nearby Les Abymes, Carl Chipotel, who will be seconded by one Sidney Gavignet, who naturally needs no introduction.

Leaving Caen on Sunday 27 May. Race Village Quai Vendeuvre.

A course spanning around 1,000 miles and taking in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea, this double-handed race starts and finishes in the City of Caen. It boasts a varied course, half of which involves a coastal course off France, England and Ireland, and the other half an offshore course in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea.

www.normandy-race.com

* From Eric Peltosalo:

Do the boats not have radar--that is on and watched 24/7? Why didn't VESTAS pick up the fishing boat or PLASTICS pick up SEA NYMPH? If they only use AIS, they are taking a huge chance that EVERY other vessel will be so equipped. That is rarely the case. Radar use should be mandatory when offshore at night and in limited visibility.

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The Last Word
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In This Issue
Volvo Ocean Race fleet compressing as Scallywag grabs pole position | Maserati Multi 70 Avoiding The Light Winds Of Madeira | Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March | 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 7 & 8 | RORC Caribbean 600 10th Edition | AAR Crews lining up for Caribbean 600 | High Profile Yachts Sign Up for Howth's Wave Regatta | Storm Trysail Club Celebrates 80th Anniversary | Hamilton Island Race Week - anew era in August | Plans to dim Fastnet Lighthouse cause upset in west Cork | Featured Brokerage

Volvo Ocean Race fleet compressing as Scallywag grabs pole position
While SHK/Scallywag has made good on its westerly route to grab an impressive lead over the past 24 hours, the fleet is compressing, and as of Sunday afternoon, it’s the chasing pack enjoying stronger winds.

The Scallywags have to be pleased with last 24 hours as they’ve gone from trailing team AkzoNobel by 55 miles to sailing around them to a 10 mile lead.

“You’re always pretty pleased when a sked comes in and you’ve rolled over the lead boat,” said Scallywag navigator Libby Greenhalgh this morning.“It was a little bit of a surprise. We had seen there was a big cloud they might be in and we might make a few miles, but to punch into the lead is nice.

“The cloud activity has been huge as we saw on Leg 4. We had a bit of a blackout on satellite imagery for a couple of days which I’m sure saw some people in different positions in the fleet struggle in order to work out the best way out of the position they were in. But we’ve been pretty good and we’re trying to avoid the clouds as best we can.”

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Just hours after that conversation, at 1300 UTC on Sunday, wind and boat speed for Scallywag was down to 5 knots. The rest of the fleet is now posting closer to 15 knots on both counts meaning the fleet is compressing. This is good news for those at the back, including overall race leader MAPFRE, and Dongfeng Race Team who is second placed on the leaderboard. The power couple had trailed by as much as 280 miles on this leg.

Leg 6
Hong Kong to Auckland 18 February 2018
Positions at: 13:00 UTC

Positions at: 13:00 UTC 15 February
1. Team Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag, 1874.62 to leg finish
2. Team AkzoNobel, 3.58 nm to leader
3. Team Brunel, 49.81
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic, 55.18
5. MAPFRE, 94.22
6. Dongfeng Race Team, 94.31
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, Did not start

www.volvooceanrace.com

Maserati Multi 70 Avoiding The Light Winds Of Madeira
Maserati Multi 70 has passed through the Canary Islands Frioday night and is approaching Madeira, a little bit more than 200 miles to the North. According to forecasts, around the Portuguese islands, there will be another zone with light winds to negotiate before entering into NE winds zone to climb upwind until the English Channel. Not really a favorable situation as the skipper Giovanni Soldini explained yesterday.

From Sunday:
The thirty-second day of sailing begins at the latitude of Madeira (33° N) and at 140 miles to the East of the Portuguese island because as Giovanni Soldini explains: ”There is a bubble with light wind right on Madeira, we are avoiding this zone to the East, even a little bit more than what the routages recommended, so we should not feel too much the light breeze. Then we will have to sail upwind with medium strong winds up to the English Channel. In the meanwhile, here the cold has arrived”.

At the 9.57 UTC rankings, Maserati Multi 70 has still 1.373 miles to travel up to London with a 1.313 miles advantage on the record holder’s roadmap.

maserati.soldini.it

Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series starts on 18 March
Come and join us at the premier early season event. Easy online entry.

Great racing and prizes including 50 trophies - 100 bottles of champagne - valuable goodies from Helly Hansen and Crewsaver.

The Spring Series is on six Sundays: 18 March to 29 April (excluding Easter).

There are 4 IRC classes + J/109, J/88 in Black group. White Group comprises Sportsboats (J/70 - SB20 - J/80 - Mixed). Other one design classes or extracted results are possible on request.

Crewsaver Spring Championship starts on 21 April

The Spring Championship is on the last two weekends of the Spring Series: Saturdays & Sundays 21-22 + 28-29 April. Up to 14 races over the four days.

Black group has 4 IRC classes + J/109, with the Performance 40 class racing within IRC 1. White Group is for J/70 - SB20 - J/80 Mixed Sportsboats -Quarter Ton Class.

Warsash Sailing Club - The first place to race in 2018.

www.warsashspringseries.org.uk

admin@warsashspringseries.org.uk

Warsash Sailing Club, Shore House, Shore Road, Warsash SO31 9FS. 01489 583575

18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 7 & 8
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The Smeg team of Lee Knapton, Ricky Bridge, Mike McKensey scored a double victory in the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today, and go into next Sunday's final day with a 14 points lead over their nearest rival.

Smeg's crew was faultless as the skiff powered around the North-East course in the 20-25 knot wind.

The day took a very heavy toll on the fleet with only eight skiffs able to finish in Race 8.

Problems began when Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster) was forced to stay ashore after gear breakage during the rigging prevented the team from competing.

Race 8 was a far tougher contest for the flying red machine as The Kitchen Maker pushed Smeg to the limits over the first lap of the course.

The young NSW champions on The Kitchen Maker lead at the windward mark and held on down wind as Smeg challenged strongly.

Smeg proved too strong and recorded a well-deserved double, while the Ilve team also deserves great praise for two consistent performances in the testing conditions.

Races & 10 Final two races of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday, 25 February The Australian 18 Footers League's Spectator Ferry will follow the races.

The JJ Giltinan International Championship will be sailed from 3-11 March. 25 teams from six countries will contest the championship

www.18footers.com

RORC Caribbean 600 10th Edition
The 10th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 is likely to be the fastest and possibly toughest race in the ten year history of the Caribbean 600-mile classic. Over 20 knots is predicted for the first three days, with gusts in excess of 30 knots. A moderate to rough sea state is also forecast, which will add to the exhilarating conditions.

A weather update was presented by world class navigator Wouter Verbraak, Head of Sevenstar Racing Yacht Logistics. He confirmed that weather models predict that the first three days of the race will see strong trade winds:

"Strong high pressure over the North West Atlantic is squeezing the trade winds and accelerating the wind speed," explained Verbraak. "We could see 22-26 knots of gradient winds for three days with a slight decrease forecast on Thursday 22nd February. Competitors should be aware of the potential for squall activity during the race. On Monday evening, squalls could bring 30 knots of wind down to the surface. A significant wave height is predicted with two metres at the start of the race, building to three metres by Wednesday."

At the welcome party Eddie Warden Owen, RORC Chief Executive Officer introduced RORC Commodore Steven Anderson who will be competing in the race for the first time in his own yacht Gemervescence.

The RORC Caribbean 600 starts on Monday 19th February.

caribbean600.rorc.org

AAR Crews lining up for Caribbean 600
Hamburg, Germany: Monday 19th of February will bring thAtlantic Anniversary Regattae start of the 10th edition of the iconic RORC Caribbean 600. A record fleet will embark on a 600-nautical mile journey through the Caribbean Sea. Among the 88 competitors are numerous crews that will also compete in the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta (AAR) in celebration of the Norddeutscher Regatta Vereins 150th anniversary. Leading the yachts from Bermuda via Cuxhaven to the city of Hamburg, the AAR will provide challenging racing and great hospitality for the crews facing the North Atlantic this summer. For now, the crews who entered the RORC Caribbean 600 will enjoy a perfect preparation as the regatta features just the right ingredients: crystal clear waters, astonishing landscapes and relentless racing. This year’s edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 sees both AAR-Veterans and runner ups of the upcoming Atlantic Anniversary Regatta in July 2018. At the start it will be all eyes on American Maxi Rambler 88. The grey canting-keel rocket-ship by George David looks like a sharp contender for Line Honors and – depending on weather-scenario – overall handicap victory.

The selection of AAR-Veterans in the RORC Caribbean 600 also includes the three youth training yachts, Andrews 56 Broader View Hamburg and J/V 52 Haspa Hamburg, by the HVS and the J/V 53 Bank von Bremen by the SKWB. The von Eicken Family is back with their Swan 56R Latona, as well as Class40 “Red” skippered by Mathias Müller von Blumencron who will be racing against a total of seven Class40s. Overall-Winner of AAR-Westbound in ORC, Tilmar Hansen is back on track with Elliott 52ss Outsider. The Team will revive the battle against French NMD 54 Teasing Machine, who was victorious in the IRC-overall during AAR-Westbound. Jens Kellinghusen’s Varuna VI has arrived safely in Antigua and will be right in the mix among the top contenders of this race. For crews like the Class40 Iskareen or Swan 48 Dantes, the RORC Caribbean 600 marks the start into the Transatlantic racing season.

For more information about the AAR click here: anniversary-regatta.com

High Profile Yachts Sign Up for Howth's Wave Regatta
The Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Winner, a top Dublin Bay J109 as well as a leading overseas entry have signe up for Howth Yacht Club's June Bank Holiday Wave Regatta.

As entries for the inaugural event continue to build, Jamie McWilliam’s Signal 8 from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has been confirmed for the three-day series in Howth. The Ker 40 is one of four high-profile entries received over the past weeks.

Also entered is Conor Phelan’s Jump Juice from the Royal Cork YC, D2D victor, Paul O’Higgins Rockabill VI and Ronan Harris on Jigamaree, the first of the Dublin Bay J109 fleet to enter from the Royal Irish YC.

The Wave Regatta offers competitors a choice between a three-day series from Friday to Sunday or a single day event that is the traditional Lambay Race fixture.

From Afloat magazine

www.waveregatta.com

Storm Trysail Club Celebrates 80th Anniversary
February 18th, 2018 marks the 80th Anniversary of the Storm Trysail Club. The founding of the club began during the 1936 Bermuda Race when a group of sailors set off on the schooner Salee. The ’36 race was bad, one of the worst in the history of the event. Many boats withdrew, but others elected to challenge themselves and tough it out. During that horribly rough storm, one sailor on another boat was ejected from his windward bunk, smashed face-first into the leeward bunk, spat out his freshly dislodged teeth, got his foulies on, and at 4 a.m., took his trick at the helm. As the storm built in intensity, Salee’s mainsail blew out, and the crew was forced to set the storm trysail - a small, triangular and heavily constructed sail generally used in only the direst of conditions.

That winter, as the crew of Salee gathered around a bottle of rum (and possibly more than one) and talked about their shared memories of the race, this hardy group was inspired to form a new club - The Storm Trysail Club - open only to those sailors who had proved capable of handling themselves offshore in the worst weather imaginable. Dues were initially set at a bottle of rum a year.

From these rough and tumble beginnings (literally) The Storm Trysail Club has grown to over 1,000 members. Each member, from the first to the latest, has been selected for their experience offshore, their willingness to share their experience and knowledge with others, to be a good shipmate and a tough competitor, as well as being someone who knows how to have fun.

While many sailors are familiar with rum, very few know that the Storm Trysail Club helped introduce Mt. Gay Rum to the United States in the early 1950’s. Back then, many of those who sailed in the Bermuda Race would bring bottles of booze back in their bilges as it cost only 25¢ to 50¢ a bottle. Frequent and informal tastings proved that a Barbados rum nobody ever heard (except racing crews) won the Best-Tasting prize, so from about '52 on, all the bilges were loaded with Mt. Gay.

Oftentimes the stores of rum were raided during the delivery home, but suffice it to say that any remaining bottles that made it to shore were rapidly depleted, thus leaving a thirst for more. A number of members (who will remain nameless to protect the tattered remnants of their reputations!) conspired to find an importer and distributor to bring Mt. Gay to our shores. As it turned out, one of the Storm Trysail members at the time had a father who was a Director of McKesson Liquor - a big importer, and the then-owners of the “21 Club” in NY agreed to be the distributor. All that was needed at that point was to develop and prove consumer demand.

stormtrysail.org

Hamilton Island Race Week - anew era in August
Australia's premier offshore regatta, Hamilton Island Race Week, will enter an exciting new era with the staging of the 35th edition of the event in August this year.

A wider range of courses around the tropical Whitsunday islands and a full spectrum of outstanding social activities will form the foundation for this year's regatta which will be staged from August 18 to 25, 2018.

Also, it has been jointly announced that after twelve outstanding years as the principal partner for Hamilton Island Race Week, Audi Australia will not be returning as the naming rights sponsor this year.

In recognising Audi's lengthy involvement with Race Week, Hamilton Island's CEO, world champion and Olympic yachtsman Glenn Bourke, said: "Hamilton Island would like to thank Audi Australia for their immense contribution to the success of Race Week over the years. It has been a long and valuable association for both sides."

The regatta's race director Denis Thompson has also announced a change to the racing format on the basis of a competitor review. This year participants will enjoy more passage racing around islands. The announcement coincides with the posting of the Notice of Race and entry form on the regatta website .

No one will be surprised if long-time Race Week supporter, Dave Molloy of the Whitsunday based yacht charter company Prosail, is the first to enter this year with the famous 37-yearold maxi yacht Condor. Molloy has already declared Condor will return for its 11th Race Week with a crew of 17 amateur sailors. When launched in Europe in 1981, Condor was the world's most technologically advanced ocean racing yacht and went on to win every one of the world's major offshore races.

The largest Race Week fleet came in 2016 with 252 entries and the strength of early interest from yacht owners points to a similar number in 2018. -- Rob Mundle

www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

Plans to dim Fastnet Lighthouse cause upset in west Cork
The Fastnet Rock and its lighthouse - the most southerly part of Ireland - make up one of the best-recognised maritime structures in the world writes W M Nixon. Symbol, icon, emblem, signpost of the ocean - you name it, the Fastnet is all of these things. And the slender, beautifully-engineered lighthouse itself is central to the rock’s significance.

Since 1904 - after several previous attempts at placing a light on the rock - the glow of its beam has been moving every night along the glorious coast of West Cork. It is a familiar and much-loved part of that unique region’s heritage. It is impossible to imagine the area without it. And not surprisingly, many people want it to stay totally as it is, an unchanging constant in a changing world, a part of their lives as it was part of their parents’ and grandparents’ world before them

Yet with technology always advancing, inevitably the power source for the Fastnet Rock was becoming long out-dated, and increasingly costly to run. At the Irish Lights base in Dun Laoghaire, a new LED bulb has been developed which will provide a light in a much more economical way.

Yet if the new system is introduced, while it will still be a very powerful light, it will be one third less powerful than the present antiquated system. Naturally it is causing concern in West Cork. -- WM Nixon in Afloat

The Irish Times:

The Independent Cork South-West TD Michael Collins, who lives near Schull, called on the lighthouse authority to start “immediate consultations” with the local community. He said tourism interests were very concerned about the loss of illumination at night, particularly on the landward side.

“Communities in Goleen, Schull, Baltimore and the islands of Roaringwater Bay are also worried about the visual impact of a shorter and narrower beam, given that this light is so important for safety at sea,” said Mr Collins, who added: “Just like president Mary Robinson had a light in her window for emigrants, so this Fastnet light represents something for Irish people everywhere.”

www.irishtimes.com

Featured Brokerage
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2004 Marten 49 - "Vineta" 345,000 EUR. Located in Hong Kong

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Reichel-Pugh design, McConaghy carbon construction, Sydney Hobart and Cape Town-Rio winner as Morning Glory.

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The Last Word
Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go. -- Fred Rogers

Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

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