In This Issue
Dongfeng Race Team win the Volvo Ocean Race with late pass on final day
Buhl wins his fifth Kieler Woche title by a single point
New Cat 2 Special Regulations requires personal MOB AIS beacons for every crew member
Velsheda takes victory at The Superyacht Cup Palma
Aguila and Pinguin Playboy Victorious at 2018 Quarter Ton Cup
This should be good!
World Sailing Show
INEOS Team UK Test Boat
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Thomas Aquinas
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
Dongfeng Race Team win the Volvo Ocean Race with late pass on final day
Dongfeng Race Team has won the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 in the closest finish in race history.
Skipper Charles Caudrelier led his team to victory on the final leg of the race, a 970-mile sprint from Gothenburg, Sweden to The Hague.
Incredibly, it marked the first leg win for the team -- it couldn't have come at a better time.
Three teams started Leg 11 of the race on Thursday in a dead heat on the overall leaderboard. The finishing order between MAPFRE, Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team at The Hague would determine their place on the overall race podium.
Each of those three teams led at various points on the leg and had their opportunities to grab the prize.
But it was Caudrelier and his crew who made a bold call on Saturday evening to take a coastal route to the finish, which squeezed them tight against the shoreline and separated from the other leaders by a series of Exclusion Zones.
As the teams finally converged again on Sunday afternoon, just a few miles from the finish, it was Dongfeng Race Team, flying down the coast from the north sliding in front of the offshore group, to earn their first leg win, propelling Caudrelier’s team to overall victory.
The overall results make this the closest finish in the 45-year history of the race and marks the first win for a Chinese-flagged team. It also means Carolijn Brouwer and Marie Riou were on board as the first women sailors to win the Volvo Ocean Race.
Xabi Fernandez’s MAPFRE was third on the leg, which put the team into second overall.
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 11 Final Leaderboard -- Saturday 23 June
1. Dongfeng Race Team - 3 days, 3 hours, 22 minutes, 32 seconds
2. team AkzoNobel - 3 days, 3 hours, 38 minutes, 31 seconds
3. MAPFRE - 3 days, 3 hours, 39 minutes, 25 seconds
4. Team Brunel - 3 days, 3 hours, 45 minutes, 52 seconds
5. Turn the Tide on Plastic - 3 days, 3 hours, 56 minutes, 56 seconds
6. SHK / Scallywag - 3 days, 4 hours, 01 minutes, 32 seconds
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 3 days, 4 hours, 05 minutes, 36 seconds
Volvo Ocean Race Overall Points Leaderboard after Leg 11
1. Dongfeng Race Team - 73 points
2. MAPFRE - 70 points
3. Team Brunel - 69 points
4. team AkzoNobel - 59 points
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing - 39 points
6. SHK / Scallywag - 32 points
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic - 32 points
Buhl wins his fifth Kieler Woche title by a single point
Kiel’s own top talent, Laser sailor Philipp Buhl won gold at the Sailing World Cup in Marseille two weeks ago by less than a metre. Today Buhl beat his British rival by a single point after a nailbiting race to the finish.
The final day of Kieler Woche brought plenty of drama as multiple Medal Races played out across the Olympic classes.
Laser Men
Elliot Hanson of Great Britain let gold slip through his fingers as he finished 9th in the Medal Race. Arch rival Philipp Buhl wasn’t having a great race either but was gifted a vital place just before the finish when Estonia’s Karl-Martin Rammo was made to do a 360 penalty for a Rule 42 kinetics infringement. Buhl overtook the Estonian and crossed the finish in 7th place, the German from Kiel taking his fifth Kieler Woche gold by a single point from Hanson. Bronze went to Croatia’s Filip Jurišić.
Laser Radial
After dominating qualification with a perfect string of bullets, the wheels fell off Maxime Jonker’s campaign in the latter stages. Today the Dutch sailor finished last in the Medal Race, leaving her the wrong side of a tie-break for bronze which went in favour of Sweden’s Josefin Olsson. The Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Anne Marie Rindom won the Medal Race and secured gold for Denmark. Norway’s Line Flem Host took silver.
Nacra 17
John Gimson and Anna Burnet clung on to gold by the skin of their teeth as the Brits raced to 6th across the line in the Medal Race. Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin finished ahead in 3rd but needed another place between themselves the Brits if they were to take the win. Instead the Aussies had to settle for silver just 1 point behind Gimson and Burnet. It was also a tight tussle for bronze with Thomas Zajac and Barbara Matz doing just enough to get third place by a point from Gemma Jones and Jason Waterhouse of New Zealand.
Finn
Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Caleb Paine won the Finn Medal Race but the American wasn’t in the hunt for a medal today. A fourth place for Josh Junior was sufficient to seal gold for the New Zealander while a second place lifted Norway’s Anders Pedersen to silver. Great Britain’s Ed Wright could only manage eighth in the race, dropping the European Champion to bronze; New Zealander Andy Maloney just missed out on a medal, finishing four points behind Wright.
470 Men
Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom have made their mark on the 470 fleet this season with victories at the European Championships and the Sailing World Cup in Hyeres. Today the Swedes went into the Medal Race with a small three-point advantage over the all-conquering Australians, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan. However, the Swedes had a poor race, finishing in 8th place, their worst score of the week. Meanwhile the Aussies rose to the occasion, winning the Medal Race and taking the gold. The Swedes had to settle for silver while in the battle for bronze, France’s Kevin Peponnet and Jeremie Mion just got the better of Luke Patience and Chris Grube of Great Britain.
470 Women
Maria Bozi and Rafailina Klonaridou of Greece were in the driving seat going into the 470 Women’s Medal Race but the experience of Silvia Mas and Patricia Cantero shone through, with the Spanish team winning the race and taking the gold. The Greeks had to be satisfied with silver while bronze went to the best of the German crews, Nadine Bohm and Ann- Christin Goliab
49er Men
Olympic Champion of 2008, Jonas Warrer crewed by Jakob Jensen, sailed a solid week and wrapped up gold, with the Spanish brothers and class veterans, Federico/ Arturo Alonso taking the silver..
49erFX Women
Victory in the Medal Race very nearly brought Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth a 49erFX medal, but the Brits missed out on bronze by a single point. Sweden’s Julia Gross and Hanna Klinga finished 3rd and were not far off the silver medal won by Germany’s Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke. A second place in the Medal Race brought a comfortable gold for Alex Maloney and Molly Meech, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists.
New Cat 2 Special Regulations requires personal MOB AIS beacons for every crew member
If you are just about to embark with your crew on one of the major offshore races this summer like next week’s Volvo Round Ireland Race, the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, or the Rolex Middle Sea Race you’ll have studied World Sailing’s 2018-2019 Offshore Special Regulations and found some new rules. One notable change is the need for every crew member sailing a Category 2 event or above to carry a personal AIS man overboard device.
The Ocean Signal rescueME MOB1 exclusively supplied in the UK by Ocean Safety is exactly designed for this purpose. The award-winning MOB1 has integrated AIS and DSC and can be fitted to the latest racing lifejackets like Ocean Safey’s Kru range. Equally it can be kept in a pocket or fitted to a growing number of foul weather jackets that feature personal MOB pockets.
The rescueME MOB1 is automatically triggered providing two methods of communicating the person’s location, plus strobe light for visual indication. Firstly an alert goes to all DSC receivers in the vicinity, and then an AIS target appears on the chart plotter, giving an accurate course and distance to the casualty.
More information www.oceansafety.com
World Sailing/RORC Special Regulations www.rorc.org/racing/race-documents
Velsheda takes victory at The Superyacht Cup Palma
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
A dramatic day on Palma Bay saw the final outcome of the 22nd Superyacht Cup hanging in the balance until the final moments of competition.
Once the spray had settled at the end of the deciding St. Regis Mardavall Race the overall trophy went narrowly but deservedly to the famous J Class yacht Velsheda after an inspiring performance over the three days of Europe’s largest and longest-running superyacht regatta.
The venerable Velsheda, built in 1933 and since lovingly restored and regularly optimised, took two wins from three races in Class B to finish level on overall points with the superketch Mari-Cha III, taking the class and the overall Superyacht Cup title on countback. Another well sailed ketch Sojana finished third overall.
Win Win repeated her Class A winning performance of last year - which itself followed an overall Superyacht Cup win in 2016 - after holding off strong challenges from both Saudade and Highland Fling 15.
Going into the finale with all three boats tied on points, the closest Class A race of the regatta saw Win Win eke out a narrow advantage to take the victory, immaculate boat handling and crisp manoeuvres perhaps the deciding factor. Saudade finished second overall with Highland Fling third.
Bolero won the final race in Class C, but Silencio’s second place to add to her earlier first and second saw her take the overall class win ahead of Bolero and Athos.
While the Corinthian Class D - making its first appearance at the regatta - were not in contention for the overall Superyacht Cup trophy, the two yachts involved raced hard, with Q taking the win ahead of Scorpione of London.
Aguila and Pinguin Playboy Victorious at 2018 Quarter Ton Cup
Photo by Fiona Brown, www.fionabrown.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Cowes, UK - Sadly, the wind gods refused to smile on the final day of the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup off Cowes and no racing was possible. The race committee went afloat early to monitor conditions but held the fleet ashore at Cowes Yacht Haven. Sadly by 13.15 it was clear that there was no hope of wind before the 14.30 final start cut off time and so Race Officer Rob Lamb made the inevitable decision.
Despite the lack of a final race the regatta was declared a resounding success by the competitors with eight exceptionally close races being run over two days. By a six-point margin the 2018 Quarter Ton Cup winner if confirmed as reigning champion Aquila, designed by Rolf Vrolik, owned and helmed by Sam Laidlaw and crewed by Brett Aarons, Gareth Fowler, Tom Forrester-Coles and Robbie Southwell.
In accepting the Quarter Ton Cup Sam Laidlaw paid tribute to his crew and to his fellow competitors, and in particular thanked Class Secretary Louise Morton for not only organising a fantastic regatta, but for also providing them with such great competition. He also thanked Rob Gray who had played a pivotal role in encouraging him into the Quarter Tonners.
Second place overall went to Kieran Hayward and his team of Mark Lees, Duncan Yeadlsey, Ben Cooper and Sam Richmond sailing the 1978 Fauroux designed Blackfun. This team also won the Rigit UK Low Rating Division Trophy.
Louise Morton and her all girl crew of Lucy Macgregor, Kate Macgregor, Susie Russell, Vicky Lenz and Bethan Carden aboard the 1978 Fauroux designed Bullet took third place overall and also claimed the Coutts Trophy for the boat with the most race wins, thanks to their three conquests on the opening day.
In the Corinthian Division for all amateur crews Pierre Paris’s Pinguin Playboy, designed in 1979 by Fauroux and crewed this week by Jerome Herbert, Rodolphe Deschamps, Benoit Duchemin and Baptiste Touzard, claimed the Corinthian Quarter Ton Cup Trophy for an incredible fifth time. This wonderful group of friends sail over from Le Havre each year to compete and are terrific international ambassadors for the class.
Full results at www.quartertoncup.org
This should be good!
Doyle Sails’ design head Richard Bouzaid is looking forward to the sail making challenges of America’s Cup 36… but perhaps even more so to the trickledown to follow
Predictably the return of soft sails to the America’s Cup under the new New Zealand-led regime has sailmakers rubbing their hands - not so much for the commercial prospects as for the potential design and technology leaps that will probably ensue. Having been forced to the sidelines by the hardwing technology of the past two Cup cycles, sailmakers are once again at the forefront of delivering the driving force for the 2021 iteration.
Richard Bouzaid, design chief at Doyle Sails, has long years of experience in America’s Cup, Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race, Vendee Globe and other grand prix campaigns. He knows first-hand that nothing propels the game forward quite like the America’s Cup. ‘It will be very interesting to see what evolves in terms of the rules around soft sails. It will undoubtedly be good for our industry as a whole. It will allow the whole game to progress and introduce new ideas.’
Early concept drawings of the radical new foiling monohull for the 36th America’s Cup have shown a double luff mainsail, which is effectively an effort to create a smooth, wing-like transition from the mast to the sail.
Full story in the July issue of Seahorse
World Sailing Show
A new record, a new top dog and an overall scoreboard that was shaken up once again, the Volvo Ocean Race was hogging the headlines. But there was even more in store as the race lined up for the closest finish in its 45 year history.
At the other end of the speed scale, a group of intrepid solo sailors aboard their small production cruisers prepare to head off around the world in the 50th anniversary of Golden Globe Race.
We head to Croatia to take a look at the new wave of the world’s most advanced monohulls as the 52 Super Series gets under way.
Plus, a double billing for the GC32 fleet of foiling cats and part two of our preview for the world’s biggest Worlds in Aarhus.
- Volvo Ocean Race - The closest and the fastest
- The GC32s double bill - Lake Garda & Barcelona
- Golden Globe preparations
- The 2018 52 SuperSeries gets underway
- Aarhus Sailing World Championships preview Pt2
INEOS Team UK Test Boat
Ben Ainslie's team splashed their test boat in the past few days.
Here is INEO's yacht rigged and ready to go in the water for capsize tests. Notice the flotation attached to the top of the mast. My sources tell me they did indeed run capsize and righting tests.
The INEOS test yacht is a modified Quant 28. The Quant 28 was designed by Hugh Wellbourn, developer of the "Dynamic Stability System" - a horizontal foil that can be extended to leeward to give a monohull more righting moment. -- Jack Griffin, CupExperience.com
Featured Brokerage
2015 HH42 Power of Love. Located in Ipswich UK.
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Contact
Contact: Sally Morton
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2003 Cookson RIO 100. 1995000 USD. Located in California.
RIO 100 is for sale for a fraction of her build costs. Stunning success's the last few years include two barn doors in the transpac race, the race record in the Pac cup ( beating the 143 foot MARI CHA's record) race record to Puerta Vallarta, the list goes on and on.
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2005 J/80 HUSH. 2950 GBP Located in Lymington, UK
Ready for the 2018 season with brand new North Sails and polished hull and bottom. She has been used for local racing and dry sailed by past and current owners.
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ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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