In This Issue
Farewell From Gdynia - See You In Australia
Atlantic Anniversary Regatta Prizegiving and Farewell Parade
New Double-Handed Class to Feature at Antigua Sailing Week
Phil Sharp takes second in the solo Drheam Cup
29er Class UK Nationals
Well that was rather good - Wessex Resins
National 18 British & Irish Championships
Industry News
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Leonardo da Vinci
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
Farewell From Gdynia - See You In Australia
The SAP 505 World Championship 2018 is over. But the excitement possibly not yet. And then, there's Australia to look forward to. Last Friday, during the Closing Ceremony Lutz Stengel and Holger Jess have officially become the 505 Class World Champions 2018.
The last two days of racing were certainly good ones. Good in the sense of a vast range of possibilities. Some were more than happy with 10 knots, others enjoyed the challenge of some choppy waves. There were moments of glory sliding and some new holes in the boats, broken helms or even a mast. But it was all worth it. The last five races - three on Thursday and two on Friday, still with beautiful sun and medium-strength wind ended up with a Birthday party of Michał Olko, one of the organizers, on Thursday and the grand Closing Ceremony on Friday when we officially called it a day. Lutz Stengel and Holger Jess - the 505 Class World Champions 2018 have received the beautiful blue globe - the symbol of the best of the best.
With cheers, laughter and some good music we bade goodbye to the 505 sailors and welcomed Australia as the host of the 505Worlds2019, coming soon indeed!
So, get ready for Jan, 2019!
Final top ten:
1. Lutz Stengel / Holger Jess, GER, 16 points
2. Mike Holt / Rob Woelfel, USA, 29
3. Jan-Philipp Hofmann / Felix Björn Brockerhoff, GER, 39
4. Nathan Batchelor / Sam Pascoe, GBR, 45
5. Philippe Boite / Fountaine, FRA, 58
6. Thomas Gillard / Harry Briddon, GBR, 67
7. Michael Quirk / Reeve Dunn, AUS, 68
8. Sandy Higgins /; Paul Marsh, AUS, 69
9. Tyler Moore / Andrew Buttner, USA, 80
10. Ian Pinnell / Alex Davies, GBR, 81
Full results: sap505worlds2018.com/results/worlds
Atlantic Anniversary Regatta Prizegiving and Farewell Parade
It was a spectacular scene when the legendary luxury ship EUROPA 2 positioned herself in front of the iconic Elbphilharmonie on July 29, 2018. About 30 yachts passed her as part of the farewell parade of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta (AAR). Leading the fleet: Malizia - Yacht Club Monaco with German skipper Boris Herrmann, who was first ship home at the AAR as well. Just a few boat lengths behind: Varuna, the fastest yacht after corrected time, and thereby winner of the Bermuda Hamburg leg of the regatta. In the days prior, participating crews were celebrated during festive receptions with prominent attendees from the world of politics and society. A 'grande finale' for this unique transatlantic regatta, which was initiated to honour the 150th jubilee of the Norddeutschen Regatta Verein.
"The maritime hotspot Hamburg, and the German coastline in general, are a surprisingly rare destination for the international offshore elite and transatlantic races", comments Arne Hirsch, CEO of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta. "The birthday of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein provided the ideal platform to set up this regatta, honouring the local yacht club, and approaching Hamburg's HafenCity with a high-quality fleet."
Among the guests: several professional athletes and celebrities, such as Pierre Casiraghi, son to Princess Caroline of Monaco, representing Yacht Club de Monaco as Vice President, and founder of Team Malizia. Senator Frank Horch (Department of Economics, Transport and Innovation) was a guest of honour at the prize giving ceremony on Cap San Diego. Andrew McIrvine, Admiral at the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) from London, who organized the RORC Transatlantic Race in November 2017 from Lanzarote to Grenada as the first out of two AAR races in total, also joined the celebrations.
The night before, the AAR prize giving ceremony took place in front of this ambient backdrop on the Cap San Diego.
Following a 3.500 nautical miles long battle from Bermuda in the West of the Atlantic to the German North Sea coast, Ker 56 Varuna reached the finish line in the early morning hours of July 18, not even an hour behind the bigger IMOCA 60 Malizia. While Boris Herrmann's Malizia and his four crew members were first ship home, the 14 professional crew members of Varuna succeeded in the Bermuda-Hamburg leg after corrected time.
New Double-Handed Class to Feature at Antigua Sailing Week
In view of the ever growing demand for double-handed racing, the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) are pleased to announce 2019 will benefit from the addition of a new double-handed class. Double-handed racing by its nature is all about crew stamina and how to pace yourself. With only two crew on board, both must be good all-rounders and understand the trade-off between pace, performance and physical demands.
Race manager Lorna Saunders says, "This will add an exciting new dimension to ASW. Safety being paramount, the double handed class will have its own start and courses will be carefully planned to accommodate double handed participants. The courses will be a mix of round the cans, with slightly longer legs and some days a coastal race. We look forward to thrilling, competitive sailing."
Antigua Sailing Week takes place from 28 April to 3 May and the Notice of Race is now available. An optional Round Antigua Race takes place on the 27 April, which will also offer a double handed class, and is the perfect warm up event prior to the five challenging days of Antigua Sailing Week where everyone is invited to race, chase and celebrate.
The professional race management team will continue to offer exciting racing for participants who range from fully professional campaigns to crews of family and friends.
Bareboat and mothership charters can all be arranged through our sponsor Dream Yacht Charter plus numerous race charter options are available from reputable partners.
Post-race daily prize-givings and an exciting week-long social calendar including the 10th edition of Reggae in the Park, the mid-week Lay Day Beach Party and the prestigious Final Awards Ceremony are key events on the must do list during the week.
Register to join us for 2019 or get more information at www.sailingweek.com .
Phil Sharp takes second in the solo Drheam Cup
Click on image to enlarge.
At 17:57 local time Friday Phil Sharp Skipper of Imerys Clean Energy crossed the finish line of the Drheam Cup after 4 days, 2 hours and 49 minutes, no more than 43 minutes behind 1st place, and 13 minutes ahead of 3rd.
A race of extremes. From light to strong winds the fleet were tested on most sailing angles, their endurance pushed to the limit of exhaustion and their level of patience burnt through a series of frustrating windless zones. What started out as a level playing field for Phil racing a 2013 Manuard Mach2 design, soon changed after rounding Fastnet Rock and the mode of sail altered to a reaching angle, better suited to both the new Mach3s and Lombard Lift designs.
As the fleet sailed further into the Channel the wind angle changed and the drag race turned into a game of tactics. Racing neck and neck Phil went from 4th to 2nd place gaining 4 miles on the leader in a matter of hours, he comments on his experience racing amongst the latest generation Class40s:
As the final test in race mode before November's big Atlantic crossing, the race has enabled skippers to identify areas of improvement in both themselves and their boat.
Of his experience of racing the latest generation Class 40s, he said: 'I couldn't believe the speeds of the Lombard. I was literally just a few hundred metres behind Yoann [Richomme] as we rounded the Fastnet, and then he was gone. The conditions were reaching, which are hugely advantageous to the newer boats, so I knew it would be a hard fight, but I didn't expect his rocket speeds. That boat is an absolute weapon!
Next up Phil will be racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland crewed race starting 12 August. He will be joined by both previous Normandy Channel Race co-skippers Pablo Santurde and Julien Pulve for the race.
29er Class UK Nationals
Peters and Wells of the host club, Hayling Island SC, won both their flight races to take a one point lead at the Zhik UK 2018 29er Class Nationals.
They lead from Ewan Wilson and Fin Armstrong (2,1), and Luke and Ewan Gribbin (1,2) who are tied on three points for second place.
Ewan Luke and Zac Blomeley (2,2) are in fourth place with four points and fifth are Henry Jameson and Toby Atherton (3,3) with six points.
After the cancellation of Sunday's racing, conditions Monday eased to give 20+ knots for the young competitors, with more than 20 of the 68 strong fleet not competing.
Sea conditions were still rough and five masts were broken/damaged.
Top five after 2 races (68 entries)
1. Freddie Peters / Elliott Wells, GBR, 2 points
2. Ewan Wilson / Fin Armstrong, GBR, 3
3. Luke Gribbin / Ewan Gribbin, GBR, 3
4. Ewan Luke / Zac Blomeley, GBR, 4
5. Henry Jameson / Toby Atherton, GBR, 6
Well that was rather good
After many years' dominance by a 'well-known Australian design' the Kevin Ellway-designed and Simon Maguire-built Exocet Moth took the top 17 (sic) places at the 2018 Moth Worlds in Bermuda…
Simon Maguire is a perfectionist. Every Exocet Moth he and his team of eight build in their UK facility is the result of almost obsessive attention to detail. From the moment the hydrofoils start life as strips of ultra-high modulus (UHM) carbon fibre to the time the 10kg hull section is released from its mould tool, every aspect of these high-speed racing dinghies is honed to minimise weight and maximise performance. As we toured the modern building in Hampshire and saw four new hulls under construction, we asked Simon why his boats have become so sought after that they cost more to buy second-hand than to build new.
Despite a waiting list of owners impatient to get hold of a brand new £29,000 Maguire Exocet there are no plans to boost production, and the logic is reinforced by the results.
Each Exocet Moth is built to a design by Kevin Ellway and made by using PRO-SET LAM 125 epoxy resin and LAM 226 hardener to laminate a very thin lay-up of carbon fibre. PRO-SET epoxy has been formulated to completely saturate advanced fabrics with a minimal amount of epoxy to create mouldings that are exceptionally light and strong.
Full article in the August issue of Seahorse
National 18 British & Irish Championships
West Mersea, UKL: The National 18s were out in force on the wide Blackwater estuary during the week of 15th to 20th July. Winds were in the south and were reinforced by sea breezes to a steady force 3 to 5. Add plenty of sunshine and this was the recipe for great sailing each day. Hosted in splendid style by West Mersea Yacht Club and Dabchicks Sailing Club with local expert Paul Jackson as Race Officer, some were saying it was the best event ever.
Entries came from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and France. Predominantly they were Morrison 'Ultras', but there were also a number of 'Ultimates' which raced in a separate fleet. Noticeable this year was an increase in family crews.
On the water there were three back-to-back races a day over four days, making 12 good races in all. Courses were windward/leeward leading to much close and tactical sailing and place changing both upwind and downwind. Early on and with several first places, it seemed that 'Shark Too' (Charlo Dwyer) would come out on top. However, 'Second Wife' (Tom Crosbie) took charge in the latter races. They ended equal on points overall, but the Crosbies took the major trophy by two points when the worst two results were discarded. Third was another Irish boat 'Fifty Shades' (Nick Walsh) and fourth a Scottish entry 'Two and half men' (Richard and Stuart Urquhart).
It was noticeable that the English are closing the gap with two boats taking several top three places and 'Hurricane' (Ollie Houseman) taking sixth place overall.
The 'Ultimate' prize was won by Crossfire (Antony Ellis) from the Isle of Man in fine style crewed by his son Nickolas who, at 11 years old, was much the youngest competitor.
Results Ultra Class:
1. Second Wife (Tom, Chloe & Patrick Crosbie) Royal Cork Yacht Club
2. Shark Eleven (Charlo Dwyer, Johnny Durcan, Robbie English) Royal Cork Yacht Club
3. Fifty Shades (Nick Walsh, Rob Brownlow, Eddie Rice) Royal Cork Yacht Club
4. Two and Half Men ( Stuart & Richard Urquhart, Martin Cruden) Royal Findhorn Yacht Club
5. Aquadisiacs (Colin Chapman, Morgan O'Sullivan, James McCann) Royal Cork Yacht Club
6. Hurricane (Ollie Houseman, Jeremy Vines, Steve Watton) Tamesis/ Chew Valley Lake SC
Results Ultimate Class:
1. Crossfire (Antony & Nickolas Ellis, Stuart Brew) Isle of Man Yacht Club
2. Muc Dhoo (Trevor & William Chanter, Lucy Smith) Bough Beech Sailing Club
3. Raffles (Mathieu, Stephan & Laura Peretti) Centre Nautique de St Pol
Full results and information on the class's 80th Anniversary celebrations can be found at www.national18.com
Industry News
Insolvent German shipyard Bavaria Yachtbau announced on Wednesday that the planned sale of the company will not take place by the end of July, as originally announced.
Tobias Brinkmann, interim managing director of the over-indebted yard, told float magazine in an exclusive interview that it would take a few more weeks to successfully complete the sales process after the Bavaria insolvency.
Brinkmann, a restructuring expert from law firm Brinkmann & Partners, joined Bavaria's management board in April following CEO Lutz Henkel's departure from the company.
"The investor process for the sale of Bavaria Yachtbau, started in May, is at an advanced stage. We are negotiating with several interested bidders and want to reach a conclusion as soon as possible in August," says Bavaria in a statement.
In a remarkable spurt, Bavaria says it completed numerous orders at the start of the season and delivered a three-digit number of new boats to customers in the past three months. The aim was to maintain the trust of customers and dealers.
And while the German Employment Agency paid the salaries of around 600 employees at the Giebelstadt plant in the past three months, the money now comes from the company itself – namely from the insolvency estate. According to Brinkmann, there were no more layoffs than usual for the season.
The strategy of the new management to present the potential buyer of the shipyard with a full order book seems to have been successful. According to Brinkmann, there are customer purchase announcements "in clear three-digit numbers" for new sailing yachts and motorboats from Bavaria.
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South African builder DB Marine Services has launched a semi-custom catamaran brand, Kaos Catamarans, following the acquisition of moulds from Admiral Yachts.
The new range has an extended sugar scoop, turning the old Admiral 50ft design into a 53ft catamaran. The company is offering a 40 PAX charter version, 12 sleeper guest version, or full owner layout, with both a sailing or power option.
DB Marine managing director Dylan Banwell said the company had already received its first order for a modified power cat version. "The 53ft has had vast modifications to change it from the original sailing vessel to cater as a charter catamaran," Banwell said.
In a statement released this week, the company said it aimed to produce robust boats based on a tried-and-tested design: "We know the demands of the sea, we understand the forces that the ocean can exert on a boat," the statement said. "Fundamentally, our boats are designed and built to withstand the worst weather nature can dish out.
DB Marine Services started life as a chandlery service and marine consultancy, later moving on to refits and rebuilds. The business has expanded quickly in the wake of acquiring Z Craft and its range of popular ski-boats. Banwell says the aim is now to expand into other market segments.
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The United States Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration has awarded a $667,028 grant to Front Street Shipyard of Belfast, Maine, as part of the 2018 (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grants program. Front Street Shipyard will use the funds toward its purchase of a Flow Mach 700 Waterjet Cutting Machine. The equipment will streamline the construction of custom and production vessels, reducing costs and improving quality of the end-products.
Front Street Shipyard's new waterjet cutting machine will be the largest of its kind in the State of Maine. Capable of cutting nearly any material including stainless steel and titanium, it will machine very large parts such as wooden frames for recreational boat molds and carbon fiber panels for commercial ferry construction. Shipwrights will cut parts directly from electronic data drawn by engineers, reducing production time while also improving quality and accuracy. "With a machine of this size and capability we hope to attract diverse projects, including non-marine applications," said JB Turner, president of Front Street Shipyard.
The waterjet cutting machine will be installed in Front Street Shipyard's new addition to its facility, currently under construction on a lot adjacent to its existing yard. The 22,500-square foot building will accommodate large yacht refits and commercial vessel construction projects while adding dozens more full-time jobs at Front Street Shipyard.
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With less than two months to go, the 2018 Cannes Yacht Festival (CYF), now in its 41st edition, is on course to present its usual strong start to the autumn show season in Europe and the US. The CYF, Europe's largest in-water event, will run from September 11-16 in the two port areas of Cannes.
The CYF will see the world premieres of 100 or more craft, as well as some 600 boats, including 100-plus sailing vessels. The anticipated visitor number is in excess of 50,000.
Following a study of the show layout launched last year, the entire tenders and toys display will move to Port Pierre Canto. This will allow more space for both sailing and motor yachts which, with the growth in the number of craft being exhibited, has put pressure in the Vieux Port. Port Canto as usual will be the base for brokerage yachts from 22m-65m (72ft-213ft).
The show will include the following world and European premieres:
Aquila - Aquila 44 world launch
Arcadia - World debut of A105
Baglietto - 48 displacement yacht
Baltic Yachts - Baltic 67 PC launch
CCN - Fuoriserie 40 launch
Conrad Yachts - Showing of first C133 model
Euphoria - Launch of 54 new version
Ferretti Group - Navetta 42 and Custom Line 38
Fontaine Pajot - Astrea 42 world debut and new 69 launch
Invictus Yachts - 320GT world launch
Jeanneau - Global launch of Sun Odyssey 410
Mazu Yachts - 52HT world launch
Nautor Swan - Launch of Swan 78
Numarine - World launch of 26XP and European debut of 32XP
Pearl Yachts - Pearl 95 world launch
Prestige - Global launch of 590 Flybridge
Princess Yachts - F70, V60, and R35 global debuts plus in-water launches of V50 and S78
Sessa Yachts - Launch of restyled models Cruiser Line C54 and C68 and Ley Largo KL24 models
Sirena Yachts - European launch of Sirena 58 three-cabin version
Southern Wind - SW96 launch
Sunreef - Sunreef 80 launch
Sunseeker International - Global launch of Sunseeker 74
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Five yachts berthed at Ramsgate Marina in southeast England were damaged after one caught fire early this morning.
The yacht on which the fire started led to an explosion, resulting in the craft eventually sinking. The owner of the yacht managed to scramble to safety before the explosion.
The fire resulted in flames reaching four other craft and one was left seriously damaged and listing.
The Kent Fire and Rescue Service were quickly on the scene and at the height of the outbreak some 20 firemen were fighting the fire.
The blaze was brought under control in about two hours and as far is understood only one person had to be treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics.
An investigation into the fire is now underway by Kent Police.
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The Last Word
Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets. -- Leonardo da Vinci
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