In This Issue
Bernard Moitessier’s yacht Joshua and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili unite in Les Sables d'Olonne
Quarter Ton Cup off to a Flying Start
The Harken Tech Team: 10 months, 12 stops and more than 45,000 miles At The Front with the VOR
J Class duo put on a spectacular show to launch
Wednesday Sunrise Welcomes Bermuda-Bound Racers
Pronto!
Henri Lloyd returns with new Swedish investors
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Edmund Burke
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
Bernard Moitessier’s yacht Joshua and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili unite in Les Sables d'Olonne
Photo by Barry Pickthall, pplmedia.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Two great men of the sea, Britain’s Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and French hero Bernard Moitessier never met or communicated with each other during the first Golden Globe solo round the world Race 50 years go, but their equally famous yachts, Suhaili and Joshua finally came together for the only the second time in history today.
In an historic moment, the two classic yachts will mark opposite ends of the start line when Sir Robin fires a canon from the deck of Suhaili at Noon on Sunday July 1st to start the 2018 Golden Globe Race.
18 sailors representing 13 Countries will then set out from Les Sables d’Olonne on a great adventure to recreate the golden age of sailing, navigating their way around the globe just as Knox-Johnston and Moitessier did in 1968/9 using sextants, paper charts wind-up chronometers and a weather eye on their barometers.
Recalling that pioneering race back in 1968/9 which led to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston becoming the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world and Bernard Moitessier to famously turn east after rounding Cape Horn to ‘save his soul’ and make a second loop of the Southern Ocean, Sir Robin said: We never met because we started from different ports 6 weeks apart. I set out from Falmouth on June 14 1968 and Bernard started from Plymouth UK on August 22.”
Nor could they communicate by radio because Moitessier refused to carry one, saying that any intrusion from the outside world would taint his voyage. In fact, he was against the whole idea of the Race, seeing sponsorship from the Sunday Times newspaper as a violation of the spiritual ideal to be first to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation.
“Moitessier rounded Cape Horn on February 5, 19 days behind Suhaili and had he continued Bernard would undoubtedly have set a faster time around the world, but would not have beaten me back to the UK.” Sir Robin added.
“We finally met many years later at a press conference in Paris. Bernard was very generous but suggested to me that he thought the race was lost as far back as Australia – his last contact with the outside world. I believe he continued on for a second lap of the globe after rounding Cape Horn because by then, he was at one with the sea and had no wish to return to an increasingly commercial world.” One person who got to know Moitessier well is catamaran designer James Wharram who, many years later, built a boat with the Frenchman. “Bernard told me that he decided to continue on for a second circuit of the Southern Ocean because he said “I couldn’t bear the thought of President de Gaulle kissing me”!
Moitessier and Joshua finally pitched up in Papeete, Tahiti on 21 June, 1969 after 300 days at sea. He then stayed away from France and his wife Françoise for another 17 years and fathered a child, Stephan, with new partner Ileana in 1971. He continued cruising on Joshua until the yacht was wrecked in 1982 during a hurricane while at anchor in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She was one of 26 vessels to be blown ashore that night.
Dismasted, stanchions and pulpit flattened, hatches shattered, rudder gone, she finished up full of sand and seawater, dug deep into the beach.
That might have been the end of the story, but a team that included local lad Reto Filli, saw that the hull was still intact and spent the week digging a trench to pull Joshua up the beach. Once this was achieved, Moitessier gave his yacht to Filli, telling him to use what money he had to put Joshua back in shape. By all accounts, Filli rebuilt the yacht beautifully and sailed her to Seattle where American Johanna Slee, a professional mariner, bought her. In 1989, Virginia Connor spotted the distinctive red ketch in Seattle and sent a picture to Voiles et Voiliers magazine. Once authenticated, Patrick Schnepp, director of the French National Maritime Museum in La Rochelle, flew across to buy her and arranged for Joshua to be shipped back to France. There, a team of Moitessier disciples painstakingly restored the yacht to near-original condition. She has a new engine and the aft cabin is now fitted out with bunks to give more people the opportunity to sail on her.
Unlike Suhaili which is not listed on Britain’s Historic Ships registry because she is 18cm short of their minimum length requirements, Joshua is listed as a French treasure, and lovingly maintained as a 'living artefact' by the ‘Friends of Joshua’ Association to give the public the opportunity to experience sailing on her.
Quarter Ton Cup off to a Flying Start
Cowes, UK - The opening day of the 2018 Revival Quarter Ton Cup Regatta, being held off Cowes from 20 to 22 June, got off to a flying start with four cracking races in a steady west-south-westerly breeze of 12-18 knots. Although initially overcast, by the start of race three the sun had broken through and the second half of the day produced classic champagne sailing conditions for the 21 strong fleet. With short windward leeward courses in the Central Solent, Race Officer Rob Lamb kept the pace on to give his customers plenty of fast, furious and fun competition.
There’s something of a ballistics theme to the overall standings at the end of day one, with Louise Morton’s 1978 Fauroux designed Bullet taking three race wins and a seventh to give her a three-point overall lead from Julian Metherell’s 1979 Fauroux designed Bullit, which was victorious in the final race of the day. Bullit is on equal points with Sam Laidlaw’s Rolf Vrolik designed Aquila, who sits third overall on countback alone.
The final race of the day brought slightly lighter conditions and saw Bullet miss her step for the first time in the series. Bullet’s Kate Macgregor explained, “We just missed a few small shifts up the first beat. We managed to gain some places, but it’s so close that it’s hard to fight your way back.” Bullit took full advantage of Bullet’s misfortunes and stormed home to victory from Blackfun with Aquila third, just one second ahead of Pierre Paris’s 1979 Fauroux designed Penguin Playboy.
In the Corinthian Competition for all amateur crews six teams are vying for the victor’s laurels. Pinquin Playboy currently leads Robbie Stewart’s Hellaby, which was designed by Laurie Davidson and finished second to Bullit in the 1980 Quarter Ton Cup in Auckland, by five points with Edward White’s 1979 Jezequel designed Joker in third.
The forecast for the second day of competition anticipates plenty of sunshine and a north-north-westerly breeze in the mid-teens. However, for Friday’s final day conditions are expected to be very light. The Race Committee has confirmed that it hopes to run four more races on day two in case Friday’s light winds limit the number of races possible
The Harken Tech Team: 10 months, 12 stops and more than 45,000 miles At The Front with the VOR
Since the start from Alicante last October, across four oceans, through stops at cities on six continents, the Harken Tech Team has been deep inside the Volvo Ocean Race. Working as part of the dedicated team from the race’s Boat Yard, they’ve worked hard to assure the safety of the sailors and the absolute one-design integrity of the Volvo Ocean 65s. They’ve been there to assure the Harken winches and pedestals, Battcar systems, traveler equipment, blocks and deck hardware that have been aboard the Volvo Ocean-65s since day one, function perfectly.
As the race ticks down to an unforgettable finish in The Hague, Harken is happy to have played its role as a Volvo Ocean Race Official Race Supplier. We’re in this race for the long haul. At the same time, we’re just plain proud of our Harken Tech Team colleagues. We salute their commitment and welcome them back for the challenges to come.
If you’ve missed the commitment, the professionalism and the grit Harken’s Tech Team has brought to its work, there’s still time to check it out right now: www.Harkenatthefront.com
J Class duo put on a spectacular show to launch
As a curtain raiser to the 22nd Superyacht Cup, it does not get much better than the sight of two superb J Class yachts strutting their stuff out on the vibrant blue waters of Palma Bay.
The opening races of the Mediterranean's largest and longest running superyacht festival pitched Velsheda and Svea head to head against each other, a vivid reminder perhaps of the class's distinguished match racing heritage.
The contest, which set the scene for a further three days of full-on Superyacht Cup fleet action, saw near ideal wind conditions under blue skies, only punctuated by the white clouds over Mallorca's mountain backdrop.
And as perhaps an indicator of the open, even handed racing that lies ahead, the day finished honours' even with each boat putting a victory on the board.
The fact that two yachts representing the full diversity of the J Class - from refitted original vessels like the 1933-built Velsheda to the new generation represented by Svea - can race and win is a testimony to the sophisticated handicapping system used by the J Class Association, which was used in the opening act.
Race one saw the two yachts dramatically split tacks from the start, with Svea's choice of the right side of the course paying off with a 30 second lead at the gate at the top of the course. It was an advantage they were able to maintain to the finish.
The tables were turned in the second contest, with Velsheda leading the way from the start and holding her advantage with some no doubt match racing inspired covering tactics both upwind and down on both circuits.
The friendly rivalry will be continued for the remainder of the Superyacht Cup, with Svea and Velsheda starting together as part of the timed starting sequence used by the whole fleet.
Racing continues until June 23rd, alongside a full social programme in the Superyacht Cup event village.
Wednesday Sunrise Welcomes Bermuda-Bound Racers
The majority of the 2018 Newport Bermuda Fleet crossed the St. David’s Lighthouse finish line either just before or after sunrise on Wednesday, June 20. Between 0400 and 0500 local time, the finish-line team stationed at St. David’s Lighthouse logged 38 finishers. Nearly the entire fleet of 168 boats were expected to finish by the end of the day and the race scoreboard rapidly became populated with provisional winners.
The race officials on station at the finish are a Royal Bermuda Yacht Club team led by past commodore Leatrice Oatley, standing rotating four-hour watches from Sunday through Thursday. When we visited their trailer this morning before dawn, the B Watch was on duty, and there were dozens of boats a mile or two offshore; green lights were the boats hard on the wind approaching the finish, red lights were the boats reversing course to head back around the island for Hamilton Harbour
The results remained provisional, but what quickly became clear is that the smaller boats in most classes did best, and the smaller classes in each division. In the St. David’s Lighthouse Division, the provisional leader on corrected time was an entry in the smallest class, the Columbia 50, Grundoon, owned by James Grundy, three minutes ahead of Thomas Campbell’s Cal 40, Nicole. In the Finisterre Division, the smaller boats leading in Class 11 were correcting ahead of the bigger boats in Class 12 and 13. Peter Torosian’s Tartan 4100 Pinnacle was the provisional leader but with several boats still to finish.
Of the 169 boats that started, two had retired. Ruse, a Swan 44, dropped out early and began motoring and arrived in Bermuda this morning. Balliwick, a Blue Jacket 40, suffered damage to its steering system. At noon EDT, the boat was proceeding at about five knots under jury-rigged steering with 65 miles to go.
Pronto!
ClubSwan Yachts, the high-performance division of Nautor’s Swan, are celebrating the ClubSwan 50’s selection as European Yacht of the Year 2018 in the Performance Cruiser category by announcing that she’s soon to have a new, much bigger sister.
The ClubSwan 50 encapsulates high-performance sailing developed by Nautor’s Swan after 50 years of success in the boatbuilding business. The ClubSwan concept is high-performance yachts that can also be cruised, that focus on speed, technological innovation and competitive sailing potential, without compromising comfort and style.
An award-winning yacht created by the team at Nautor’s Swan, and designed by Juan Yacht Design, has proved the concept has enormous appeal to owners who want fast, close racing on beautifully finished, cutting-edge yachts - with over 20 ClubSwan 50s sold.
Now the concept is about to be implemented on a completely different scale. Currently in build at the Nautor’s Swan yard in Finland is the ClubSwan 125, a 125ft full carbon racing supermaxi. Aiming to repeat the success enjoyed by the ClubSwan 50, Nautor’s Swan commissioned Juan Yacht Design to help them create a boat without limits: the fastest supermaxi ever launched.
Full story in Seahorse magazine: bit.ly/Nautor-Apr18-TB
Henri Lloyd returns with new Swedish investors
After being placed into administration on the 8th of June, Henri Lloyd's brand name and certain assets of the UK based company have been acquired by Swedish investors, the Aligro Group. The business will be led by a management team with experience in both branding and sales of top quality products in the yachting segment.
“We will heavily invest in the marine clothing segment and our aim is to be the largest supplier on the market. That includes all markets,” said Magnus Liljeblad at Aligro Group when speaking to IBI earlier today.
“It's a little bit too soon to fully talk about our exciting vision for Henri Lloyd. We want to make a total turnaround with the brand, which is well-known and respected globally but has not been as effective as it might have been in recent years. We will put major resources into product development and a relaunch, but there will be no news on this commitment until next year.”
Liljeblad also told IBI that Henri Lloyd will continue as a British company, but with its headquarters based in Sweden. Aligro Group owns a factory in Poland where it plans to produce “team sails” with a very short production time of just a couple of days.
Magnus Liljeblad is an experienced manager within the sporting goods and outdoors industry. His previous positions include CEO of Sportmanship AB (previous distributor of Henri Lloyd in Sweden), Peak Performance AB, Stadium AB and most recently founder and CEO of Wacay.
Aligro Group was founded and is managed by Swede Hans Eckerstrom.
Martin and Paul Strzelecki, sons of Henri Lloyd founder Henri Strzelecki MBE, will act as advisors to the new Henri Lloyd. -- Lars Ake Redeen
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The Last Word
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. -- Edmund Burke
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