In This Issue
New Zealand takes top places for Zhik 29er Worlds | Jules Verne Trophy - Code Green, Departure Imminent For Spindrift | Marlow Ropes Announces BST Award Winners January 2018 | Ted Albert Trophy - Warm up event for the Prince Philip Cup | Santiago Lange and Grant Loretz return to Azzura TP52 campaign | St. Thomas International Regatta, | Industry News | Featured Brokerage
Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
New Zealand takes top places for Zhik 29er Worlds
New Zealand's Francesco Kayrouz and Jackson Keon (NZL12) took the title of the 2018 Zhik 29er World Champions today with top 4 results in all races and a 9 point cushion separating them from their closest competition. New Zealand got the edge in the last two races today with an early gybe allowing them to take advantage of a big right-hand shift.
Today racers were met with no breeze and a heavy fog as they descended on the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Middle Island Clubhouse. Racers were initially held onshore with Race Officer Charlie Manzoni commented "We couldn't launch you into nowhere with no wind and no visibility."
However, by around 1130hrs, a cold northerly had started to fill in and steadily built, compressing the fog into a more wet but transparent light drizzle. The gold fleet was sent to their race course in Stanley Bay where four races were sailed. The breeze for the beginning of the first two races race was at the top of the 29er wind limit however changing gears was critical as the breeze tapered off in the second lap of both the first two races. The breeze moderated for the remaining two races of the day and crossing the line first in the final race of the championship was the first Hong Kong team and winners of the 2017 Hong Kong Open Calum Gregor and Jon Crawford (HKG2532) who took 6th overall with 26 points. The results from the Silver fleet remain the same from yesterday as the race committee decided to hold them onshore due to the breeze being in the upper class limit.
Final top ten, Gold Fleet:
1. Francesco Kayrouz / Jackson Keon, NZL, 11.0 points
2. Lachie Brewer / Max Paul, AUS, 20.0
3. Benjamin Jaffrezic / Leo Chauvel, FRA, 25.0
4. Theo Revil / Gautier Guevel, FRA, 25.0
5. Sebastian Lardies / Scott Mckenzie, NZL, 26.0
6. Calum Gregor / Jon Crawford, HKG, 26.0
7. David Eastwood / Samuel Merson, USA, 35.0
8. Rok Verderber / Klemen Semelbauer, SLO, 40.0
9. Lewis Anderson / Pat Morgan, NZL, 41.0
10. Vasilii Andreev / Leonid Pushev, RUS, 46.0
Full results: www.rhkyc.org.hk
Jules Verne Trophy - Code Green, Departure Imminent For Spindrift
After a long stand-by, in the main due to a very active North Atlantic, Spindrift racing is planning to start their Jules Verne Trophy attempt late tonight (Monday). The crew has all now arrived in Brest to make the final preparations ahead of leaving for the start line late this afternoon. This more favourable weather window comes after a series of depressions and extreme conditions similar to those seen with Carmen and Eleanor in Western Europe at the start of this year.
While the North Atlantic still remains complicated, a more favourable weather window is emerging with the arrival of a succession of fronts off the Azores: after an upwind start, a wind shift in the Northwest will allow the team to quickly join the trade winds at the Canaries.
"We have not had an opening since the start of our stand-by mid-November! This is the first opportunity that is emerging but we will start by joining the front to the West that will then allow us to go downwind from Northwest to the Canaries. With the exception of this start, the route looks pretty classic towards rounding the Azores." says the skipper of Spindrift 2, Yann Guichard.
It is anticipated that the team will cross the equator in a little over five days, slightly longer than the time achieved by Spindrift 2 during its first attempt in November 2015 (4d 21h 29 '), but it should set a good benchmark against the current crewed record (IDEC Sport 2017: 5d 18h 59 '). The aim is to enter the Indian Ocean with a small margin compared to the current Jules Verne Trophy, but also to pull together a favorable meteorological configuration in the Southern Ocean.
Jules Verne Trophy Crew:
Yann Guichard (skipper)
Erwan Israel (navigator)
Jacques Guichard (watch captain / helm / trimmer)
Christophe Espagnon (watch captain / helm / bow)
Xavier Revil (watch captain / helm / trimmer)
François Morvan (helm / trimmer)
Antoine Carraz (helm / trimmer)
Thierry Chabagny (helm / bow)
Ewen Le Clech (helm / trimmer)
Sam Goodchild (helm / bow)
Thomas Le Breton (helm / trimmer)
Erwan Le Roux (helm / trimmer)
Router: Jean-Yves Bernot
www.spindrift-racing.com/jules-verne
Marlow Ropes Announces BST Award Winners January 2018
At the start of an exciting year for both the British Sailing Team and Marlow Ropes, the leading rope manufacturer is pleased to announce that the first 2018 winners of the Marlow Ropes P3 Quarterly Award are 49er sailors Morgan Peach and Rhos Hawes.
Marlow Ropes works closely with the British Sailing Team as official supplier and is committed to helping develop new talent coming through by distributing this Award every quarter. For this quarter, Marlow asked the sailors to apply by submitting a film to demonstrate two of the BST's core values of collaboration and honesty that they measure themselves against when competing. Morgan and Rhos demonstrated a mature, realistic and honest approach whilst conveying true grit and determination and we are delighted to announce them as our Award winners.
Both Morgan and Rhos have progressed through the RYA squads from Fevas and Cadets to 29ers then 49ers. Both have medalled at the Youth Nationals and Morgan has progressed to compete in the ISAF Youth Worlds and Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final.
After joining forces in 2016 and joining the British Sailing Team's Podium Potential Pathway group, the pair made strong progress in 2017 finishing second at both the 49er Nationals and the 49er Junior European Championships.
Rhos Hawes, 49er commented:
"It is a huge honour to win the Marlow Rope Award and, given our progression into full time sailing this summer, it is definitely a factor that will transform our Olympic Campaign."
Marlow Ropes is proud to be the official supplier to the British Sailing Team, find out more about the work they are involved in at marlowropes.com
Ted Albert Trophy - Warm up event for the Prince Philip Cup
Metung Yacht Club is located in the picturesque Gippsland Lakes on the South East coast of Victoria and is the venue for the Prince Philip Cup, the 2018 Australian Dragon National Championship. The event is set to be a great regatta with 25 boats entered.
A heat wave served up 40 degrees of heat to melt competitors on Saturday as they rigged and launched ready for sailing. Very, very hot conditions but with the promise of a cooler change the next day. Sunday saw several Dragons out testing the course in much more pleasant conditions. Of the 25 entries there are 5 from Royal Freshwater Bay YC in Perth, Western Australia, 3 from Sydney, a few from Royal Brighton YC in Victoria, 1 from Norway!, sailing in a chartered boat and the rest of the fleet are local sailors.
The Prince Philip Cup starts in earnest with 2 heats on Tuesday afternoon.
Ted Albert Trophy Results, Top Three:
1. Penny Farthing - Rob Campbell, Tim Cummings, Trish Ford, GBR
2. Whimsical - Gordon Ingate, David Giles, Amy Walsh, AUS
3. Magic - Matt Whitnall, Clive Jones, Phil Blinn, AUS
For full results visit: www.metungyachtclub.com.au
Santiago Lange and Grant Loretz return to Azzura TP52 campaign
While the latest version of Azzurra is under construction in Valencia to defend this team's title as 52 Super Series champions, Azzurra's skipper Guillermo Parada has announced the arrival, or rather the return, of two new team members: Santiago Lange and Grant Loretz.
After two bronze medals won in the Tornado catamaran class at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, the Argentinian Santiago Lange finally won a gold medal at 54 years old, during the 2016 Rio Games where he sailed with Cecilia Carranza aboard a Nacra 17 catamaran. Their coach was Mariano "Cole" Parada, strategist and trimmer aboard Azzurra.
Santiago Lange's feat has become a part of Olympic and not just sailing history because his victory came after a bout with cancer in 2015 that cost him his left lung. Following this victory in 2016 Lange won the World Sailing Sailor of the Year award. During his acceptance speech he called his crew Cecilia Carranza to the stage to highlight that the win was the result of teamwork. Aboard Azzurra Santiago will be sailing with a group that he knows from the past having been tactician aboard Matador in 2010.
Grant Loretz, a key member of Team New Zealand up to 2013, will also be a welcomed returner to Azzurra having raced with the team from 2014 to 2016. Loretz will be trimmer again in the upcoming season.
The latest version of Azzurra, the fourth TP52 version of this famous yacht, will debut during PalmaVela in the first week of May. The 2018 edition of the 52 Super Series circuit will kick off on May 23 in Sibenik, Croatia.
www.azzurra.it/en/azzurra.html
Visit Wight Vodka's Favorite Yachting Bar in the Caribbean @ 45th St. Thomas International Regatta, March 23-25, 2018
Have a drink at the 2017 Wight Vodka's Favorite Yachting Bar in the Caribbean, when you race at the St. Thomas International Regatta, March 23 to 25. On January 3, 50° North, creators of Wight Vodka and Scuttlebutt Europe announced that the STIR-host St. Thomas Yacht Club won its annual contest in a special Caribbean category to honor bars that were hard hit by the hurricanes last fall.
Register Now! STIR 2018 offers classes for CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association-handicap rule) Racing, Cruising and Bareboats; Large Multihulls; Beach Cats and One-Design over 20-foot LOA. Over 20 entries are expected for the one-design IC 24's, which may be the largest one-design fleet of any Caribbean regatta!
Charter! A number of IC24s are available for charter from the St. Thomas Sailing Center (stsc.styc.club), which is based at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. The STIR charter package fee is $2100 with decent sails and $2800 with new sails, and includes a ready-to-race IC24 for the three-day STIR, a practice day the Thursday before and a 30-day Bluewater Membership in the St. Thomas Yacht Club. For more charter opportunities, visit: stthomasinternationalregatta.com/regatta/charter-companies
Need help with finding on-island accommodations? Contact Adam: stychousing@gmail.com
Save Money! In keeping with STIR's simpler old-time theme, even the entry fees have been rolled back to $150 before January 31, 2018. Updated NOR: yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4422. For more information, contact regatta director, Bill Canfield, at stycisv@gmail.com
stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Industry News
As the London Boat Show opens this week (10-14 January) the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) warned that two of the biggest exhibitors have been building yachts for the luxury market with illegitimate teak from Myanmar.
EIA research reveals that Burmese teak entering the supply chains of the UK's two largest yacht builders, Sunseeker International and Princess Yachts International, was traded in breach of the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR).
The EUTR has been in force since 2013 to combat illegal logging and the associated trade in stolen timber.
UK authorities have confirmed that NHG Timber has been found in breach of the EUTR for the trading of Burmese teak, a decision meaning that all firms known to be placing Burmese teak on the UK market have now been found in breach. -- Paul Newman, Press and Communications Officer, EIA. eia-international.org
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Princess and Sunseeker respond to EIA
"Sunseeker International has been aware of a press statement issued the charity EIA which suggests Sunseeker is using teak in its boat production which is known to be in breach of the EUTR," reads the Sunseeker press statement. "Sunseeker International is not aware of any breach of the EUTR nor is it regulated by them. Sunseeker has not received a notice from any recognised enforcement authority of a breach of the EUTR within the company's direct or indirect supply chain, relating to the procurement of teak of any other products. Sunseeker is a socially responsible manufacturer and committed to ethical business practice. We regularly undertake supply audits of our teak supply chain to ensure it is responsibly sourced and would never knowingly use teak which is not". Sunseeker further explains that it will be investigating the procurement of its teak through the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in due course to obtain the facts.
Princess Yachts explains that, "We are extremely careful in sourcing raw materials for our products and take all reasonable steps to ensure that these are provided to us by reputable licensed suppliers, in accordance with all relevant international laws, including those of the United Kingdom and the European Union. To that end, we only purchase materials from those specific companies who have been approved and are committed to, and comply with, the relevant and applicable regulations. In light of the claims by the Environmental Investigation Agency, we are working with British Marine to gain further understanding of the alleged supply chain issues that have been highlighted, as these were entirely unknown to us at the time of publication and have not been independently confirmed as accurate." -- Rory Jackson, SuperyachtNews.com
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Germany's three-time Paralympic medallist, Jens Kroker, has been elected to World Sailing's Athletes' Commission, becoming the first Para World Sailing representative in the commission.
Since its inception, World Sailing's Athletes' Commission was open only to sailors who had competed at an Olympic Sailing Competition.
At the 2017 Annual Conference, World Sailing's Council approved the inclusion of a Para World Sailing representative into the Athletes' Commission as many issues considered by the Commission affect Olympians and Paralympians.
Sailors who competed at the 2017 World Championships were able to vote for a representative who competed at the worlds.
Kroker was voted in by his peers ahead of Neil Patterson (AUS), Tomas Saez Raffaeli (BRA) and Shinya Yamamoto (JPN).The German joins the following members of the Athletes' Commission:
Yann Rocherieux (FRA) - Chair
Sofia Bekatorou (GRE) - Vice-Chair
Jo Aleh (NZL)
Maayan Davidovich (ISR)
Juan Ignacio Maegli (GUA)
Vasilij Zbogar (SLO)
Sarah Gosling (GBR)
Lijia Xu (CHN)
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Nautor's Swan of Finland has expanded its presence in the German and Austrian markets with the appointment of Thorsten Flack as area sales director and Britta Bunkenburg as market development director.
The Hamburg-based brother and sister team will be responsible for sales and regional marketing of Nautor's three lines - Swan Yachts, ClubSwan Yachts and Maxi Swans - and will report to Northern European director Barry Ashmore.
They join the company after seven years in senior commercial roles at Oyster Yachts before joining custom superyacht yard Royal Huisman.
Nautor's Swan closed 2017 with the sale of the second Swan 65 and hulls 3 and 4 of the new Swan 78 in December alone. 2018 is therefore set to be a very busy year with the new high-performance racing ClubSwan 125 build well underway, two Swan 78s planned for launch in the spring, and the latest Swan 54s and ClubSwan 50 to be completed.
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beiderbeck designs, based in the Vegesack district of Bremen, is continuing to develop the international direction of its business by opening a second office in Antibes, France. Eight years after it was first founded, the prestigious creative studio has become one of the leading European design offices for megayachts. Having completed 162 projects around the world - from futuristic tenders through to many new-builds and conversions in the >100m-yacht class - expansion to foreign shores had become long overdue.
Owners Tim Ulrich and Immo Ludeling explain the design office's move to the Mediterranean as a logical development: "A glance at our calendar and our list of clients gave us a clear indication of where demand for our services exists and where we are expected to be". Alongside the Vegesack district of Bremen - Germany's Superyacht Valley - the choice of Antibes on the Cote d'Azur was both an inevitable and self-evident one. This city, where owners and guests from around the world come to enjoy the mild Mediterranean climate and sophisticated southern French way of life, stands out as the logistical mecca for water sports on the Bay of Angels. Many well-known players, from brokers through to chandlers, are located directly in Port Vauban, one of Europe's largest yachting harbours located across the water from Nice and close to the town of Cannes.
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Beneteau has announced the appointment of Denis Ricard as director of export sales. In his new role, Ricard will be responsible for the Beneteau business in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and African English-speaking countries.
Ricard has many years' experience in the marine industry. He brings knowledge of different cultures and markets, he has lead several teams and developed different markets in Europe and Asia.
After spending more than 15 years at Yamaha, Ricard has run sales for nearly a decade at Zodiac, before integrating the consulting business.
"I am extremely happy to have Denis in our team," says Luca Brancaleon, general manager of Beneteau. "His experience, knowledge of the markets, motivation and method will be great contribution to our sales team."
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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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
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