In This Issue
Clipper Race 13 Day 3: Too Close To Call
GC32s at 37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE
UBS 20th Jersey Regatta
INEOS America's Cup test-boat takes flight
VHF Radio Checks - who should you call?
No Stone Unturned - Advanced Yachts
For the Record
Industry News
John McConnell
Letters to the Editor
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Buster Keaton
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
Clipper Race 13 Day 3: Too Close To Call
The thirteenth and final race of the Clipper 2017-18 Race remains anyone's, with the fleet still tightly packed as the upwind beat down the western Irish coast continues.
And with now less than 36 hours left until the teams reach Liverpool, the battle for the overall win and illustrious Clipper Race Trophy between Visit Seattle and Sanya Serenity Coast is starting to heat up, with the two boats still virtually neck-and-neck on Day 3 of Race 13.
After dropping in the standings yesterday, Visit Seattle worked hard overnight to move back in touch with the main chasing pack. Skipper Nikki Henderson explains: "Life feels brighter today. We have been thinking and trimming and driving this boat like we have never done before and bit by bit yesterday we managed to make up some ground back to the fleet. We are now joined by Sanya Serenity Coast, Dare To Lead, and PSP Logistics in the middle pack - so it's a fight to stay in fifth at the moment."
Despite veering away from the main pack yesterday after being hit by a wind-shift whilst tacking, Liverpool 2018 is right back in the thick of things leading the pack. But with less than ten nautical miles between the first nine boats, Skipper Lance Shepherd isn't getting carried away, saying: "It is so tight I think the positions will be contently changing right up until the finish line."
The currently third placed Unicef is eyeing up a podium position, with Skipper Bob Beggs reporting: "We are now about a third of our way between Virtual Mark Siraut and Virtual Mark Fastnet and we are engaged in a great battle out here heading for Liverpool in this, our final race. The fleet is very tight and really any boat may have a chance of winning.
"The weather has been kind in this latter part of the race and after tonight's blow passes through, the weather forecast is promising some great light wind spinnaker action via St Georges Channel and the Irish Sea."
Can't make it to Liverpool for the Race Finish? You'll be able to watch the conclusion of the Sprint Finish, Parade of Sail and the final Prize Giving live on our website at www.clipperroundtheworld.com/livestream.
GC32s at 37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE
For the third event of the 2018 GC32 Racing Tour, the flying catamarans will return to the Mediterranean’s premier multi-class regatta, 37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE, run by Real Club Nautico de Palma. Racing for the eight GC32s begins in one week’s time on the Bay of Palma, where other premier racing yachts such as Maxi 72s, TP52s, Melges 40s and Club Swan 50s will also be competing.
Leading the charge on the water is likely to be French former Volvo Ocean Race winner and America’s Cup skipper Franck Cammas and his NORAUTO powered by Team France. This season Cammas holds a perfect scoreline - top GC32 Racing Tour boat at the World Championship at Riva del Garda in May and in June’s GC32 Lagos Cup.
Unusually for someone with so huge a sailing CV, Cammas hasn’t raced much in Palma. NORAUTO won here, en route to overall GC32 Racing Tour victory in 2016, but on that occasion was helmed by Adam Minoprio. Cammas did compete here when he was campaigning his Nacra 17 for Rio 2016
Biggest riser at the GC32 Lagos Cup was INEOS Team UK, led by Ben Ainslie. As part of a crew rotation program, the British America’s Cup team at 37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE will be skippered by three time Extreme Sailing Series winner Leigh McMillan. Neil Hunter and Rio 2016 Finn Gold medallist Giles Scott return, but are joined this time by America’s Cup veteran Joey Newton and Luke Parkinson.
GC32 Racing Tour competition at 37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE takes place over 1-4th August with practice racing on 31st July culminating in a prizegiving on the Saturday night, where winner’s trophies will be presented by King Felipe VI of Spain.
UBS 20th Jersey Regatta
Scheduled for 14th to 16th September and sponsored for the sixth year running by UBS AG Jersey, this year sees the 20th edition of the combined clubs' Jersey Regatta, the Island's 'flagship' sailing event.
The Regatta schedule provides racing for sportsboat, IRC and NHC cruiser/racer, Quarter Ton, dayboat, dinghy, sport catamaran and windsurfer classes, a veritable 'catch-all for both local and visiting sailors alike. In this special year, the fifth Spinlock IRC Channel Islands Regional Championships for IRC-rated Classes 1 & 2 cruiser/racers will be a major feature of the programme.
The event opens on the Thursday evening with a welcoming reception followed by a distance race for the sportsboat and cruiser/racer classes on Friday morning. Saturday and Sunday sees these classes racing in and off St Aubin's Bay over round-the-cans and Olympic-type courses. The 'small boat' classes race over Olympic-type courses entirely within this beautiful Bay.
As ever, Jersey Marinas will be providing complimentary berthing for competitors during the lead-up to the Regatta whilst Condor Ferries is offering discounted fares for those competitors wishing to ship their boats to the Island to join in the event.
The Regatta is an open event to which visiting boats are assured of a very warm welcome.
The Notice of Race is available on the website, www.jerseyregatta.com. Enticingly low entry fees are made even more attractive with an 'early bird' fee for those entering no later than 6th August. The definitive closing date is 7th September.
For further information, e-mail info@jerseyregatta.com.
INEOS America's Cup test-boat takes flight
The first video of the INEOS test-boat foiling in the Solent off Portsmouth UK - where Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team are based. The video appeared on the Facebook page of the London Corinthian Sailing Club, posted by Harry Aitchison.
The foiling test boat is a modified Quant 28 design adapted to incorporate AC75 style foils as a test-bed for the team's prototype foil designs.
Rolled out a couple of weeks ago the INEOS Test Boat has been undergoing safety testing in the Solent outside Portsmouth Harbour.
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.
See the video on SailWeb:
VHF Radio Checks - who should you call?
The Cruising Association's RATS (Regulations and Technical Services) Committee has been in discussion with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) about the use of calls to HMCG on Channel 16 requesting radio checks.
RATS has anecdotal evidence of a proliferation of such requests and that these seemed to have spread from the Solent to other areas and Falmouth in particular.
Speaking on behalf of RATS, Robin Baron said, "It seems to us that this is not best use of HMCG resources at a time when we know that they are hard pressed with other more important issues including particularly Search and Rescue."
Robin continues, "The MCA have confirmed that radio checks should primarily be conducted with local marinas and nearby vessels. Radio checks with HMCG should not be a first resort as it ties up the air and increases operator workload."
RATS' own research has confirmed that radio checks with other vessels or shore stations at 1W power and at a distance of around 8 miles provide a much better test of antenna and radio set performance.
Their recommendation is that radio checks should be carried out primarily with marinas and other shore stations or with other vessels. National Coastwatch Institute (NCI) shore stations are usually well placed for such calls which should be made on Channel 65 (e.g. Rame Head NCI. This is vessel Hanson. Radio check please. Over.). -- Peta Stuart-Hunt
Further information about VHF and the NCI available here:
www.theca.org.uk/rats/Ch_65_NCI
No Stone Unturned - Advanced Yachts
The sea trials of the first Advanced 80 from Italian shipyard Advanced Yachts can only be described as rigorous… three years in and counting
'After the launch in summer 2015 she crossed the Atlantic and won the ARC’s Cruising A category on elapsed time, then cruised in the BVI before coming back to the Med for summer 2016,’ explains Luca Pedol of the A80 stylists Nauta Yachts. Then she sailed across the Atlantic again in 2016 and cruised in Brazil, South Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Thailand. She’s now in the Philippines, where she won the Commodore’s Regatta in April.
Three years in and her sea trials continue. Her itinerary for 2018 is Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. From there she will cross the South Pacific to Chile, then cruise up the Pacific coast to Vancouver, southwest to Hawaii, on to the Marshall Islands and Japan before finally reaching her home port of Hong Kong.
‘Several ocean passages and hard-fought regattas have proved the stiffness and reliability of the construction,’ says Pedol. ‘The yacht is still in mint condition and the owner is completely satisfied.’
Full story in the August issue of Seahorse
For the Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new record time by a 20 ft catamaran.
Route sailed: Marseilles to Carthage.
Yacht: 20ft catamaran.
Names: Yvan and Mathis Bourgnon
Dates: 9th to the 11th July 2018
Start time: 12;34;52 on 09/07/18
Finish time: 07;31;06 0n 11/07/18
Elapsed time: 1 day 18 hours 56 minutes and 14 seconds
Distance: 455NM
Average Speed: 10.59 kts
Comments: The previous record time was 1d 18h 58m 19s by Vittorio and Nico Malingri ITA on 06/08/16
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
Industry News
Amsterdam RAI, organiser of the METSTRADE Show in Amsterdam, has announced the opening of entries for the 2018 DAME Design Awards.
Interested exhibitors are invited to submit their most innovative designs by September 18 to be judged by an independent international jury of experts. All submissions are made using the METSTRADE Exhibitor Portal.
The DAME Awards are arranged every year as part of the METSTRADE Show, the world’s largest marine equipment event and only truly international B2B exhibition for the leisure marine industry.
For 28 years, the DAME has focused attention on the art and science of design in all aspects, from styling, functionality and innovation, through to ease of implementation, practicality of use – and even packaging. It is judged by a panel of top naval architects, boat, interior and industrial designers, plus user experts.
To be nominated and then to win a DAME category and attain the ultimate prize of DAME Award Overall Winner marks a product as being at the pinnacle of design practice in the industry. Last year’s overall winner was Scanstrut for its sailing enabling RS Venture Connect Conversion Kit.
DAME Award participation is open to manufacturers and authorised suppliers who are registered as exhibitors or co-exhibitors at the METSTRADE Show. For more information, visit the METSTRADE Exhibitor Portal or contact METSTRADE at dame@rai.nl
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Getting the weather forecasting you need from Met Eireann Good news from Met Eireann ! Their new weather forecasting site now allows you to get 3 hour, 5 day and even 7 day forecasting.
The new weather forecast map for the next seven days can be run on the website homepage (www.met.ie) and mobile app by pressing play at the bottom of the map screen.
Users can choose between map screen displays to run the rainfall radar as well as forecasts for different weather types e.g. air temperature, wind speed/direction and forecasted rainfall in hourly intervals for the first 48 hours, before changing to 6 hour intervals for up to 7 days. Weather forecast data for your local area can similarly be accessed by dragging the scroll bar at the bottom of the meteogram below the maps. You can set your local area by searching it on the box at the top right hand corner of the homepage.
It is important that mobile device users download the Met Eireann app on their smartphones to best view the homepage forecast information rather than opening the full website on their mobiles.
The old site will remain available for a short time only: archive.met.ie
For more reading, get the inside facts from Met Eireann’s latest "Recent Warm Weather Report"
www.sailing.ie/News/id/1314/met-eireann-s-new-platform
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Paul Blanc has been named managing director of Groupe Beneteau’s Asia-Pacific regional office following Thibaut de Montvalon’s move to new professional challenges. Blanc will remain in charge of sales development for the Jeanneau, Prestige, Glastron and Wellcraft brands.
All 11 staff members of Groupe Beneteau's Asia-Pacific regional office are now based in an office in Hong Kong, with Vianney Guezenec taking the role of Asia-Pacific director for the Beneteau, Lagoon and Four Winns brands. Managed from Europe, the Monte Carlo Yachts and CNB luxury brands will receive full support from the Asia-Pacific office in the region.
Groupe Beneteau Asia Pacific’s new office is located in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island. “By gathering together all staff members, the objective is to gain more efficiency and continue strengthening our market presence in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Hong-Kong’s international hub, a strategic location to oversee the business for the group,” says Blanc.
According to a statement issued by the Hong Kong office, all of the brands are actively present and engaged with local boating communities. Beneteau has participated in all major trade shows, has partnered with the China Cup for 12 consecutive years, and is also a sponsor of Hong Kong’s iconic Four Peaks Race. Its Beneteau Cup series is prolific in the Pacific area.
The Jeanneau brand, partnering with the Dongfeng team from the Volvo Ocean Race, successfully completed the China Sailing Tour two years ago. Besides exhibiting at all key boat shows, a series of events are organised to promote the sailing culture in the relatively young yachting market in Asia. These include the Prestige Elite Nights, the Lagoon Escapade and local launches for Monte Carlo Yachts.
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West Marine, the world’s premier retailer of boating, fishing, sailing and paddling gear, has announced their title sponsorship of the 2018 J/70 World Championship, taking place between Monday, September 24 and Saturday, September 29 at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA. More than 100 boats from around the world have qualified for this prestigious and highly competitive event.
The J/70 International Class Association is recognized by World Sailing with active fleets in 20 countries and over 1,300 boats worldwide attracting some of the most talented sailors in the world
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An international maritime charity has been shortlisted for charity of the year.
Sailors’ Society, which has its head office in Southampton, will compete against six other organisations at the Charity Times Awards in London on 3 October.
The awards recognise leadership and professionalism in charitable organisations and celebrate best practice across the sector.
Sailors’ Society was founded in London in 1818 to support destitute seafarers returning home from the Napoleonic Wars.
The charity supported seafarers through both world wars, global depression, natural and man-made disasters and huge changes in technology and the shipping industry.
Stuart added: “In the past five years, Sailors’ Society has transformed into a forward-thinking charity, which effectively cares for seafarers not just in port, but from cradle to grave.
“We can uniquely describe ourselves as a 200-year-old start-up: with a combination of experience and innovation, legacy and agility which is having a demonstrable impact on the lives of the often-overlooked men and women who bring us the goods we rely on every day.”
The charity works internationally to provide practical, emotional and spiritual welfare support to the world’s 1.6m seafarers, regardless of background or faith. Sailors’ Society chaplains and ship visitors have a presence in 91 global ports, with wider projects and services covering 30 countries.
Earlier this year it celebrated its bicentenary with an anniversary service at Southwark Cathedral, where His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent spoke about the royal family’s longstanding links with the charity.
www.sailors-society.org/200-years/
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The Rolex TP52 World Championship may be the most recent addition to the Rolex yachting portfolio, but it feels just as much a natural fit as any of the events that have featured during the brand’s six-decade-long association with the sport.
Rolex has always sought to associate with activities that are motivated by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. Rolex naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting, forming an alliance that dates back to the late 1950s. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events; from leading offshore races, such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, through to the highest-level grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. The Swiss watchmaker’s close relationships with the most prestigious yacht clubs around the world, including the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Italy), New York Yacht Club (United States), and the Royal Yacht Squadron (Cowes, United Kingdom) are the foundation of Rolex’s enduring relationship with the pinnacle of this spectacular sport.
John McConnell
John Hay McConnell passed away quickly and quietly in Dublin, Ireland on July 16 en route home to Southbury, CT following a vacation. His wife, Diana, was by his side. He was 78.
Born in New York City, John moved shortly thereafter to Manhasset, NY. An Admiralty Lawyer, he graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover in ’57, the University of Pennsylvania in ’62, St. John’s University ’70 (J.D.), were he was proud to make the Law Review, and NYU ’75 with a LLM in International Legal Studies.
He had a passion for the water and served in the US Coast Guard for 3½ years on active duty and 26 years in the reserves. While active he was assigned to the USCHGC SAGEBRUSH (WLB-399), Operations & Navigator; and Senior Controller COMIGANTS Sector Rescue Coordination Center in San Juan, PR. As a reservist he had 5 Unit commands and 3 Group commands. He retired as a Captain (0-6).
An avid sailor, he was Honorary Secretary/Treasurer of the International Etchells Class for over 25 years and was named a Life Member of the Class in 2001. He was named a Life Member of the Class in 2001. John was an active member for over 30 years at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT where he sailed his Etchells and headed race committees for numerous years.
John is survived by his wife, Diana Wallace McConnell; his cherished daughter, Barnet Wallace Sinclair; son-in-law, Richard Christian Sinclair; and his brother, Edward Charles Sinclair. John was the proud host father of two AFS Exchange students, Raphaele Lancelot Lemaire (FRA) and Roberto Pozzi (ITA).
John’s remains will be interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA in a private service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (CT), CT Lyric Opera , or Opera Theater of Connecticut.
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2018/07/25/eight-bells-john-mcconnell/
Featured Brokerage
1998 AKRON AOTON ORMA 60 Trimaran. 450,000 EUR. Located in Greece.
Originally launched as GROUPAMA 1 and renamed HIQ later on Winner Orma Cup 2000, 2001, 2003 & 2004 as GROUPAMA 1
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
info@bernard-gallay.com
www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93
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2007 BOOGALOO Open 50. 295,000 EUR. Located in Brittany, France
Originally built for a round world race, she was conceived by renowned architect and sailors. Perfectly suited for solo and double handed race, she is in good condition and ready to race the next Route du Rhum. Fast and reliable, clear deck layout, sleek lines, all is thought to sail her easily.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
info@bernard-gallay.com
www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93
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1997 CHESSEA Volvo 60. 390,000 EUR. Located in Sete, South of France.
Ex CHESSIE RACING, ex ASSA ABLOY, ex BIG ONE, this Volvo 60 was refitted with new deck giving a higher headroom of 1.93m. She has fantastic performances (up to 30 knots). She successfully entered the 1997-1998 Whitbread Race and came second at the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
info@bernard-gallay.com
www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
Silence is of the gods; only monkeys chatter. -- Buster Keaton
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