In This Issue
A Tie At The Top After Day 3 of Farr 40 Worlds
2018 Star World Championship Racing delayed until day two
Book Flights & Accommodations Now! St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) - March 22-24, 2019
The Rhum Multi class and the sailing superstar in its midst
French Nacra 15 duo win opening race at the Youth Olympic Games
North Sails Seasonal Savings
Details revealed about the crewed round the world race aboard IMOCAs
Will Irish Cruiser-Racing Find Fresh Vitality in the RC35 Class?
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
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 [AT] scuttlebutteurope [DOT] com
A Tie At The Top After Day 3 of Farr 40 Worlds
Chicago, IL, USA: Competitors at the Farr 40 World Championship have emphasized that consistency is key and that is what Alex Roeper's Plenty had going for them today. Day Three's racing has both Plenty and Wolfgang Schaefer's Struntje light tied at the top with 27 points. Chicago's weather swung 180 degrees overnight to a shifty southerly breeze bringing unseasonably warm temperatures and flat seas. Unfortunately, the oscillating air refused to settle, bringing an early end to the day after only two races.
The first race dethroned and derailed Alberto Rossi's Enfant Terrible when they tacked within the three boat lengths circle at the first windward mark trying to shoot the mark and edge out Plenty. Plenty protested, and Rossi's team went into their penalty turns just outside the windward mark. The Italian team couldn't regain their ground as the rest of the fleet slipped past for the remainder of the day.
While the leaderboard suffered in Race One, Jeff Carter's Edake from Australia had a moment of glory resulting in a bullet and the first Corinthian boat to earn that placement at this year's World Championship. Carter's team had a clean start and was able to keep with the pack into the top mark, but it wasn't until they went right on the downwind that they shifted into gear.
Racing concludes Tuesday, October 9 at 10:30AM CDT with prevailing winds from the south at 12-15knots, flat water and warm temperatures.
Standings after day 3:
1. Plenty, Alex Roepers - 27 points
2. Struntje light, Wolfgang Schaefer - 27
3. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi - 34
4. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn - 39
5. Norboy, Leif Sigmond & Marcus Thymian - 45.4
6. ZEN, Gordon Ketelbey - 49
7. Edake, Jeff Carter - 59
8. Hot Lips, Christopher Whitford - 61
9. Eagles Wings, John Gottwald - 65
10. Inferno, Phillip Dowd - 74
11. Asterisk, Hasip Gencer - 77
12. Blade 2, Mick Shlens - 79
13. Taipan, Lloyd Karzen - 95
14. Hooligan, Joel Carroll - 110
2018 Star World Championship Racing delayed until day two
Racing for the iconic and coveted Star World Championship trophy has been delayed until day two of the event, the starting time has been adjusted to 11am and the PRO will attempt for two races. Sailors arrived at the venue anticipating a lighter day and were unfortunately met with glassy waters on the Choptank River. All sixty-two teams remained on shore all afternoon rehashing strategies on dealing with the current and watching weather forecast for the week.
The 2018 Star World Championship proudly features one of the most diverse yet well rounded fleet of sailors in its recent history. In total, sixty-two teams from twelve countries represent 13 out of the total 15 districts of the International Star Class and 41 out of its 79 total fleets. The youngest member of the fleet is Max Hetherington-Young at a mere 16 years old, a total of 65 years younger than the oldest sailor in the fleet, John Chiarella at 81.
2018worlds.starchampionships.org
Book Flights & Accommodations Now! St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) - March 22-24, 2019
t's easy to reach St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, host destination for STIR. By air, several major airlines fly direct from U.S. mainland cities easily accessible on flights originating from across the U.S., Canada and Europe. These include:
American Airlines: Miami to St. Thomas twice daily. Charlotte to St. Thomas daily from November 4, 2018. Philadelphia to St. Thomas daily starting on December 19. New York to St. Thomas daily starting December 22.
United Airlines: Daily nonstop service between Washington Dulles International Airport and St. Thomas this winter.
JetBlue Airways: Daily Boston-St. Thomas route between February 14, 2019 and April 22, 2019
Delta Air Lines: Continues serving St. Thomas with flights from New York and Atlanta.
On accommodations, there are some 1,050 rooms available on St. Thomas, including hotels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, timeshares, etc. Plus, there are approximately 600 villa units and 200 charter yachts available on St. Thomas/St. John. Currently, there are 830 Airbnb listings in St. Thomas.
Register now at www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com and receive a 50% discount! Pay in full for only US $150 between now and 1700 AST January 31, 2019. Entry fees increase to US $300 between February 1 and March 19, 2019. Registration for IC24s: US $200, Beach Cats: $200
World-class racing, the chance to trade tacks with America's Cup, Volvo Ocean and Olympic crews on the water and off is what earns STIR its motto, 'We Love It Here' You will too! For information, Email: stycmanager [AT] gmail [DOT] com, Call (340) 775-6320.
www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
The Rhum Multi class and the sailing superstar in its midst
The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe "Rhum" multihull division is made up of 21 catamarans and trimarans that range in size from 39-59ft and are sailed by skippers who are almost all amateurs.
The fleet includes sisterships of the first winner of the Route du Rhum in 1978, Mike Birch's Olympus. One of those sisterships - now named Happy - is being raced by the French solo sailing star and current Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe outright record-holder, Loïck Peyron.
The Frenchman says of his choice of boat for the solo transatlantic race that sets sail from St Malo fort Guadeloupe on November 4th: "Though this Rhum will be no picnic, it will obviously be a homage to all the pioneers and those naval architects, thanks to whom we are here now."
Peyron has achieved it all in sailing - race wins, world records, remarkable feats of seamanship, but these days he loves nothing more than to honour the sport's history and traditions both in the way he sails and what he sails.
After entering the single-handed The Transat Bakerly in 2016 from Plymouth to New York in Eric Tabarly's 1964 race-winning wooden ketch Pen Duick II, he is trying something similar in the Route Du Rhum with Happy, an historic old boat he found is a dreadful state five years ago in England.
Having spotted her for sale by chance on the Internet, Peyron hopped on a ferry and bought her there and then. "I came face-to-face with a boat that looks absolutely nothing like she does today," remembers Peyron. "There were hatches and portholes everywhere, tracks, furlers, an outboard off the back, a cut-away bow…I looked at the hull number, it was No.2. No.1 is that of Mike Birch, winner of the first edition of the Route du Rhum, which was unfortunately lost in the Atlantic in late 1978."
So this year Peyron is finally back, ready to complete the voyage he was dreaming of four years ago in a small yellow trimaran which will take quite a bit longer than his last trip to Guadeloupe.
And will this be his last Route du Rhum? Possibly. "Yes, at some point you need to call it quits with the silliness don't you?" he says laughing. "I believe it's my last sip. Finishing off the Rhum like this isn't a bad idea. Finishing in the slowest way possible and racing a symbolic boat, that rounds off 40 years of offshore racing.
"I was at the start of the first one at 18 years of age but I didn't do it and now I'm on the startline 40 years later, so it's all good," he added.
French Nacra 15 duo win opening race at the Youth Olympic Games
Titouan Petard and Kenza Coutard (FRA) struck the first win in the solitary Mixed Multihull (Nacra 15) race at the Youth Olympic Sailing Competition at Club Nautico San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A frustrating day epitomised by light winds meant that Girl's and Boy's Windsurfing (Techno 293+) could also only sail one race each, while Girl's and Boy's Kiteboarding (IKA Twin Tip) were able to sail two heats each.
Racing began on time for all three events and initial wind conditions looked promising, but Kiteboarding was subsequently postponed, and the Nacra 15s' second race was abandoned.
After initially returning to shore, the Techno 293+ and the Nacra 15s returned to the water for a second attempt, before Race 4 of the Boy's Techno 293_ was abandoned. Racing was then called off for the day at approximately 16:30.
In the first ever Nacra 15 race at the Youth Olympic Games, the French team of Petard and Coutard managed the shifty conditions well to claim the first victory.
Racing continues at 12:00 local time on Tuesday 9 October, starting with Girl's Windsurfing, Girl's Kiteboarding and the Mixed Nacra 15s.
Full results buenosaires2018.sailing.org/results
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Details revealed about the crewed round the world race aboard IMOCAs
Accessible to interested teams since 1st October, the preliminary version of the Sailing Instructions for the next crewed round the world race with stopovers (previously known as the Volvo Ocean Race) has given us an insight into this event, which will take place in 2021-2022. The race will include two types of boat: IMOCAs with foils (launched after 2010 and which will be sailed by five or six people) for the overall title and one-design VO65s competing for the Youth Challenge Trophy, which will reward the top youngsters.
"The Fully Crewed Around the World Race (FCAWR) is the working name for the event, which will take over from the Volvo Ocean Race (the former Whitbread Round the World Race)." This is how the preliminary version of the Sailing Instructions begins for the next crewed round the world race with stopovers, which will be raced both on IMOCAs with foils and one-design VO65s.
"This draft document marks the first stage of many. It will allow us to open discussions with the interested teams," explained Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA class. "We can't wait to continue our work with the organisers of the race to create a fantastic event. In the coming weeks and months, we will in particular be working on controlling costs, which is a key problem that needs to be discussed,"
While we are going to have to wait a while to find out all the details concerning the dates of the various legs and where the stopovers will take place, the preliminary Notice of Race presents the general outline. The first thing we learn is that registrations open on 11th December 2018. As for the race calendar itself, we have learnt that the first in-port races and the start of the first leg will take place in Alicante (Spain) in late autumn 2021. The race will include a maximum of nine legs. Up to eight intermediate stopovers may be organised with at least one stopover in the following countries: South America, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, the United States and Europe (where the event will finish early in the autumn of 2022).
The teams racing aboard the IMOCAs will be competing for the overall title. Only boats launched after 2010 will be admitted and they will have to be fitted with foils and a standard wing mast. "In a race with stopovers, because of the constraints imposed by the schedule, it is necessary to ensure the boats in the fleet are similar to each other to avoid large gaps developing at the finish. That is why we have published this rule concerning the launch date On top of that, thanks to that limit, all of the teams will be in with a chance of performing well," explained Antoine Mermod.
For the in-port races, as for the offshore legs, the crew (excluding the media man) will be comprised of five people, including at least one woman. It will be possible to take six aboard, as long as there are at least four women on board. "Here too, we had to find the right balance," stressed Antoine Mermod. "Sailors from the Volvo Ocean Race wanted larger crews, while those from IMOCA racing would have liked to see fewer people on board. We think we have found the perfect compromise."
Looking at the existing IMOCAs and those currently being built, between sixteen and eighteen boats will meet the conditions to be able to compete in the 2021-2022 edition of the crewed race around the world. "Our aim is to bring together a fleet of between ten and fifteen IMOCAs for this event," announced Antoine Mermod. "We are working hand in hand with the various teams. Everyone is getting very excited and that should pay off."
Will Irish Cruiser-Racing Find Fresh Vitality in the RC35 Class?
Sailing in Scotland doesn't have quite the same rich vein of One Design history which continues to inform much of Dublin Bay racing, and nor does it have the same total single focus which Dun Laoghaire Harbour provides south of the River Liffey, thereby providing continuous interaction among boat-owners.
But in recent years, when the Scottish fleets have got together to race, shrewd and observant participants have noticed that the sport among boats around the 35ft level seemed to have generated its own special popularity, with a sense of community and a high level of competition to match, encouraged by the fact that all boats finished within a reasonably similar time frame.
This was so abundantly evident at 2016's Scottish Series that by May 2017, folk like John Stamp, Christine Murray, Kevin Aitken and Craig Latimer had hoisted the flag - with the support of Harken and other sponsors - for a new RC35 class for all boats in a tight IRC rating band between 1.015 and 1.040, but with more flexibility on overall length - your pride-and-joy can be anything from 32ft to 38ft in overall length.
Like many successful organisational ideas, it wasn't revolutionary - rather, it rationalised an existing situation to give it a much more attractive and user-friendly structure. Suddenly, lone owners with boats like Beneteau First 36.7s, First 35s, Archambault 35s, Corby 33s, and several Elans and X Boats, found that they were being brought in from the cold to become part of a real warm class with a nascent class association, run by owners for owners with a growing sense of camaraderie. And they'd their own developing programme, where the really keen could commit to the entire season, while others knew they'd have good racing with a welcome guaranteed even if they went to only one regatta.
The J/109s fit very neatly indeed into the lower sector of that tight RC 35 rating band, so by 2017's Scottish Series, the Irish J/109s found that the IRC 2 Class had also become the RC35 Class, and it fitted them like a glove. Then, by the 2018 Scottish Series, IRC 2 was no more. It was now clearly named the RC35 Class. And the new setup was the best show in town, with the Irish making hay and Storm winning overall by four points from John Hall's J/109 Something Else from the National YC.
WM Nixon's full Sailing Saturday blog in Afloat afloat.ie/blogs/sailing-saturday-with-wm-nixon
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
On the invitation of the Societe Nautique de Saint-Tropez, nearly 4,000 sailors stocked up to the brim with the images, emotions and memories that coloured the packed week of extraordinary, timeless racing. It will certainly be enough to keep them going for the rest of the year, until they can return to the gulf of Saint Tropez once more in late summer.
The Fife Jubilee for the Rolex Trophy This was surely the highlight of this 20th edition of Les Voiles, the 130th anniversary of the Dragons, a legendary signature of the Fife family saga, which gave rise to an exceptional jubilee rewarded by the prestigious Rolex Trophy. Competing altogether for the first time in the Mediterranean, 20 sumptuous yachts designed by the Scottish genius from the golden age of yachting, gathered together this year in the port of Saint Tropez. And on this very special occasion: gaff and Bermudan schooners and cutters benefited from their own start, resulting in a truly unforgettable spectacle. Ultimately, it was the gaff cutter Viola, which masterfully took the win, adding her name to the long list of Rolex Trophy winners on her 110th anniversary, the yacht having been launched in 1908.
The Trophies:
Rolex Trophy - Fife Jubilee: Viola (1908) - Fabien Despres
BMW Trophy: Wally 77 Lyra - Terry Hui
Edmond de Rothschild Trophy (IRC C): Gladiator - Tony Langley
Yacht Club de France Trophy: Tilly XV - Joerg Moessnang
Tropheminin (Female Trophy): Moogli - Caroline Petit
Town of Saint-Tropez Trophy: Cannonball - Dario Ferrarri
Crew procession: Imagine - Vikings theme
Bowling competition: Lady Jo
Loro Piana Trophy: Topaz - Peter Holmberg
Kappa Trophy: Flo D' Orient - Bernard Coquelet
Marines de Cogolin Trophy: Alice - Simon Henning
Le Byblos Trophy: Kelpie - Olive Pelham
Pommery Trophy: Tilly XV - Joeri Moessnang
SNSM Trophy: Rowdy - Timothy Goodboy
Esprit Village Trophy: Santana- Wendy Schmidt
Air France Trophy: Elena of London - Steven McLaren
Mercantour Trophy: St Christopher - Daria Cabai
Tropez Trophy: Sagittarius - Frederic Lafitte
Suzuki Trophy: Creme Anglaise - John Rainger
Yacht Club de France's Coupe d'automne: Ellad - Stephane Richer
Full results for all classes: www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
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The Last Word
I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to. -- J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] scuttlebutteurope [DOT] com
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html
It is with sadness and yet real gratitude for his life that we report that Colin Smith, sailor, Olympian and coach extraordinaire, passed away in late September shortly after reaching his 90th birthday. He retained his great spirits all the way, and no doubt reported as usual that he is "delightful" when he arrived wherever he is now.
Tony Lawson (GBR)
Steph Bridge (GBR)
The Cruising Association (CA) is organising a one-day North-West Roadshow for members and non-members on Saturday 10th November at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire UK. Topping the bill and rounding off a packed and informative line-up of talks is sailing journalist, author and broadcaster, Tom Cunliffe.
Oh what a tough way to start the day, with the news that our lovely friend Christine Belanger is no longer with us. What a truly special lady, the grace, the elegance, the style, but most of all the smile, the fun and the laughter.
Fred Espey of Dun Laoghaire, who has died aged 85, was best-known in sailing as Commodore of the Royal Irish Yacht Club from 2001 to 2004, the culmination of many years of service to the club in a variety of roles. Yet while his quiet-spoken charm and ready hospitality enabled him to fulfil the demanding role of Commodore with the complete support of his wife Eileen, these official duties only temporarily obscured the fact he was very much a man of the Dun Laoghaire waterfront, enjoying the company of others who, like himself, were proficient in the ways of boats and their equipment, and in the skills of the sea.
David Christensen, founder of Christensen Shipyards in the US, passed away on Monday from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 87.
Robert Richardson, founder of Richardson's Boating Holidays in the UK, passed away on Saturday after suffering a stroke. He was 95.
Jud Smith (USA)
Hunt Lawrence (USA)
On 1st November 2018, the leisure marine consultancy PR Works celebrates 25 years since opening its doors. Its founder, Peta Stuart-Hunt, says it has been a sometimes challenging but always a fascinating and rewarding journey. "I have been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the nicest clients, the most iconic events and a vast array of industry media contacts that have been an absolute pleasure to keep fed with news."
