In This Issue
Lendy Cowes Week Day 6 Round up Report
Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
Quarter-finals has kicked off in Lysekil Women's Match
A day of shocks and Swedish heartbreak at World Sailing Championships
Mass start to kick off Airlie Beach Race Week
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
What I Missed on June 29 - AC75 Class Rule Changes
ORC Produces New Measurement Video Series
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Gerald Ford
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 [AT] scuttlebutteurope [DOT] com
Lendy Cowes Week Day 6 Round up Report
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
A combination of light, shifty north-westerly winds of 6-12 knots and strong tides provided a day of close racing and gave navigators plenty of challenging tactical decisions on day six of Lendy Cowes Week.
The White Group dayboats started to the east from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, on a spinnaker reach against a building ebb tide. There was a benefit at the inshore end of the line to gain relief from the stream, but not if this led to sailing in disturbed air downwind of the rest of your fleet.
The Sportsboat class had a close race, with the entire fleet finishing within three minutes of each other. Malcolm Roberts' Ker 9m Sunshine started closest to the shore, but could not escape from the lee of the pack and was therefore slow to accelerate. Boss Hog's modified Cork 1720 Spider Pig was first away at the outer end of the line, followed by David and Kirsty Apthorp's J/88 J-Dream and Tom Richardson's Cork 1720 Premier Cru. J-Dream took line honours in the 12.5 mile race, but slipped to fourth place after time correction, behind SpiderPig, Paul Lewis's Rum n Cork, and Sunshine.
Richard Jordan's Dragon Sankher was the first boat in the class to close the line, but was early and had to slow down, stemming the strong tide. Oliver Morgan's Christianna made a perfectly timed start at full speed at the inshore end of the line, popping out a length ahead of Eric Williams' Ecstatic and Martin Payne's Full Speed. At the end of the two hour race Sankher took the winning gun, 21 seconds ahead of Christianna, with Ecstatic finishing third 27 seconds later.
The Squib fleet, racing on a predominately windward-leeward course from a committee boat produced arguably the tightest racing of the day. The leaders - Graham and Julia Bailey's Alchemy and Micky Wright's Spoof - crossed the finish line only three seconds apart. The next two - Chris and Ben Gibson's Wizard and Joe Henry's Bacchante Vll - were just two seconds apart. Further down the 100 strong fleet six boats crossed the line in just 14 seconds.
The Black Group yachts starting on the Bramble line headed to the west, with the increasing tidal stream tending to carry them over the line. IRC Class 0 raced for the Triple Crown of some of the sailing world's most prestigious trophies. Today Peter Morton's Fast40+ Girls on Filmw on the King George trophy ahead of Igor Yakunin's Ker 46 Lady Mariposa and Tony Langley's TP52 Gladiator.
In the HP30 class Jacques Blanc's Swiss Farr 280 Buzz was clearly a couple of lengths over at the gun and had a painfully slow creep back to start correctly. The overall class leader after the first five days of racing, Malcolm Wootton's Farr 30 Pegasus Dekmarx, started closest to the southern end of the line under spinnaker and also responded to the recall signal.
This left a pair of Farr 280s, Jamie Rankin's Pandemonium, and Glyn Locke's Toucan, leading the fleet in the early stages. However, Pegasus climbed back up through the fleet to take line honours ahead of the higher-rated Farr 280s and claim her third seventh win in the 10 races the class has sailed to date.
Today's Lendy Cowes Week results
Overall Lendy Cowes Week results
Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race
Start: Noon on Sunday 12th August - RYS line, Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK
The 2018 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race has a record entry of Two Handed and Class40 teams. 29 teams in total will line up for the start on the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes at noon on Sunday 12th August, which will be streamed live on Facebook. 10-15 knots from the south is forecast, giving fast reaching conditions as the fleet head east out of the Solent. Later in the day, the wind is due to shift to the southwest and freshen to 20 knots, pressing the teams into upwind mode as they head along the southern headlands of Great Britain.
Well over 100 intrepid sailors from all over the world will race non-stop around the notorious 1,805 nautical mile route. Just finishing the race is a massive achievement; winning class will be monumental. The yacht with the best corrected time under the IRC rating rule will be awarded the John Illingworth Trophy. The organising authority, the Royal Ocean Racing Club are all set for the race and a hero's welcome for the multi-national teams at the finish back in Cowes.
Eleven pocket-rocket Class40s will be racing; the 40ft Monohull World Record for the race was set in 2014 by Roderick Knowles' Swish (8 days 19:06:49). In the right conditions, all of the Class40 teams competing this year are capable of breaking that milestone. The Class40 Line Honours winner will receive the Lekeitio Cup.
Paralympic sailor Hannah Stodel is hoping to becoming the first disabled sailor to take on and complete the Vendee Globe. She has chosen Region Normandie, the Class40 as her training for this and the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race represents an early test on her journey www.hannahstodelracing.com
Briton Phil Sharp racing Imerys Clean Energy is amongst the favourites, ranked third in the world for 2018, the skipper is aiming to become the first Class40 sailor to win the Route du Rhum for a second time. However he is not the only Class40 sailor with big ambitions. Hannah Stodel has won three paralympic sailing world titles and this race represents an early test on her long term ambition to race in the Vendee Globe. Sam Goodchild is also in preparations for an assault on the Route du Rhum and will be skipper on Peter Harding's Phor-ty, alongside two-time Vendee Globe sailor, Mike Golding.
The most experienced team will be Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron's Campagne de France, this will be Miranda's sixth race, including setting a world record with Sam Davies in 2006. Oman Sail will also be racing and French skipper Sandrine Pelletier will lead an Omani crew. The husband and wife team of Chris Frost and Elin Haf Davis will be racing Aparito with Pip Hare. Chris says the most challenging part of the race will be managing Elin's unrealistic expectations!
All competing yachts are fitted with YB Trackers and a freely available race tracker will allow fans to follow their progress 24-7. Regular race updates will bring you all the news as the teams battle around the course. For Armchair Admirals, there is also a Virtual Game. A dedicated mini-site is the hub for all information about the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. -- Louay Habib
roundbritainandireland.rorc.org
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is four amazing days of world-class racing in idyllic conditions appealing to a broad range of tastes. The Event, set in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean and powered by the cooling northeast trade winds is powered by an experienced, innovative and friendly race team. Our professional Race Committee provides custom-tailored racing for the thousands of sailors originating from the 32+ countries that come to race: from Olympic medalists and World Champions sailing Maxis and Performance Multihulls to holiday-makers on chartered Bareboats.
For the 2019 edition, there will be four days of Serious Racing, counting towards the overall result. Participants will be offered a mixture of races with a combination of windward-leeward and coastal races, blended together into an irresistible cocktail of racing chosen to suit each class. The all-out racing monohulls will savor the prospect of eight races over four days with windward-leeward races on two days and two longer coastal races testing both boat handling and tactics. It's easy to understand why the regatta attracts a large competitive class of 40ft and 50ft cruiser-racers.
With Heineken as a long-standing sponsor, the event's shore side parties are exceptional! Sample the local cuisine, offered by several famous, local restaurants at the Regatta Village before you make your way to the center stage and take in the sweet tunes of international & Caribbean artists. The St Maarten Heineken Regatta parties are legendary and make for everlasting memories on the "Friendly Island"!
Quarter-finals has kicked off in Lysekil Women's Match
On Thursday, the round-robin ended with the last quarter-final spot not decided until the last flight and the quarter-finals kicked off. Eight teams moved on including the Swedish teams of Anna Ostling and Johanna Bergqvist.
The quarter-finals began on Thursday afternoon with a best-of-five format. Henriette Koch (DEN), won the round-robin with ten victories, and chose Antonia Degerlund (FIN) as her opponent. Degerlund made it into the quarter finals with the least possible margin through a victory in their last round-robin match againt Swiss Bezel. A matchin which they were counted out, but fortunes changed.
In the evening the winds faded. Swedish team Anna Ostling and French team Pauline Courtois both won their two quarter-final matches and are also in a good position for the semi-finals as they raced in light and shifty breeze. Decisions regarding tomorrows competiton have not yet been made.
For Sanna Mattsson (SWE), Octavia Owen (GBR), Ekaterina Kochkina (RUS) and Margot Vennin (FRA), Lysekil Women's Match 2018 is over.
Racing will continue through Saturday.
Results in the quarter-finals in Lysekil Women's Match after Thursday:
Claire Leroy, FRA - Johanna Bergqvist, SWE 0 - 2
Pauline Courtois, FRA - Marinella Laaksonen, FIN 2 - 0
Anna Ostling, SWE - Alexa Bezel, SUI 2 - 0
Henriette Koch, DEN - Antonia Degerlund, FIN 2 - 0
Standings in Lysekil Women's Match after round-robin (skipper, team, nationality, wins - losses):
1. Henriette Koch, Women On Water / Team Kattnakken, DEN, 10-1
2. Anna Ostling, Team Anna, SWE, 9-2
3. Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 9-2
4. Claire Leroy, New Sweden Match Racing Team, FRA, 8-3
5. Marinella Laaksonen , L2 Match Racing Team, FIN, 8-3
6. Johanna Bergqvist, Team Bergqvist Match Racing, SWE, 6-5
7. Alexa Bezel, Swiss Women Match Racing Team, SUI, 5-6
8. Antonia Degerlund, Team SkOna Vibbisar, FIN, 3-8
9. Ekaterina Kochkina, ProKaTeam Sailing Team, RUS, 3-8
10. Margot Vennin, Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 3-8
11. Sanna Mattsson, Swedish Women's Match Racing Team, SWE, 1-10 12. Octavia Owen, Athena Racing, GBR, 1-10
A day of shocks and Swedish heartbreak at World Sailing Championships
Zsombor Berecz became the first Hungarian to win the Finn class at a World Sailing Championships after he usurped Olympic gold medallist Max Salminen of Sweden in a dramatic finish in Aarhus.
Salminen was the strong favourite to seal the world title in the Danish city as he led by eight points going into the final day of competition in the class.
The Swede, winner of the Olympic gold medal in the star class at London 2012, needed only to finish fourth to top the podium.
He could only manage seventh place, allowing Berecz to steal the crown after the 32-year-old Hungarian crossed the line in second.
Pieter-Jan Postma of The Netherlands also enjoyed a successful day as he moved from sixth to third to take the bronze medal.
There was further Swedish heartbreak in the men's 470 as European champions and overnight leaders Anton Dahlberg and Frederik BergstrOm endured a nightmare day.
The Swedish duo were in pole position for gold but failed to even clinch a podium finish after they were last today.
France's Kevin Peponnet and Jermie Mion were the beneficiaries of the Swedish collapse as they moved from third to first on the leaderboard to claim gold.
Japan's Tetsuya Isosaki and Akira Takayanagi held on to second place to earn the silver medal following a fifth-place result, while bronze went to Spaniards, Jordi Xammar Hernandez and Nicolás Rodriguez Garcia-Paz.
"That was the hardest race I've ever sailed in my life," Peponnet said.
"The hardest bit of the race for me was to catch the other guy.
"To focus on your speed, with all the waves and chaos around you, it's very hard."
Japan's Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka underlined their country's strength in the 470 class and sent out a signal of their intent for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo by sealing the gold medal.
The Japanese duo finished ahead of Silvia Mas Depares and Patricia Cantero Reina of Spain, who ended with the silver medal, and the British pairing of Hannah Mills, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion and new team-mate Eilidh McIntyre won bronze.
The Championships are due to continue tomorrow.
Mass start to kick off Airlie Beach Race Week
For the first time in the history of Airlie Beach Race Week, Race Director Denis Thompson and his race management team have organised a mass start for the 119 entries on the opening day, a fine start to the 30th anniversary celebrations.
The plan for the Whitsunday Sailing Club hosted event is to start the field in the eight classes across multiple divisions simultaneously from two start lines near the scenic Double Cones Islands. Some might say it's like herding cats, but Thompson says no.
"It'll be like a Sydney Hobart or Melbourne Geelong start - and I've done a few of those. And like the Hobart, we won't be advising anyone who is over the line early until five minutes after the start," Thompson said.
"It's something different, but we've been planning it for a while."
And the wind gods are playing ball. A light breeze was already in evidence at 7.30am and Thompson said: "There'll be plenty of breeze - around 18 knots from the south-east and a nice sunny day."
At the first morning's briefing with the on-water team, Thompson said of Airlie Beach Race Week Festival of Sailing, "It's good to see so many entries and the regatta being supported so well."
The fleet will be split onto two courses - a shorter course for the smaller yachts, while the larger variety will do a longer windward reaching course, making for spectacular viewing.
The most anticipated clash between two TP52s, Matt Allen's Ichi Ban and Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan starts today in the IRC Racing division. The two are renowned for taking no prisoners so spectators are guaranteed to see some America's Cup style match racing during the week.
Whether their fellow Sydneysider Ray Roberts can get between the two overall with his Botin 40, Team Hollywood, remains to be seen. -- Di Pearson
Seahorse August 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
World news
That six-second victory, on a very complicated racetrack, foils lose out again in Nice, Alex Thomson goes public (at last), 50 years ahead of the game... from one America’s Cup to ‘40’ and Class40 holds its ground over there... Ian Burns, Patrice Carpentier, Blue Robinson, Ivor Wilkins, Dobbs Davis
In good hands?
Probably none better in fact... Rob Kothe talks to the new owners of the Volvo Ocean Race Richard Brisius and Johan Salen
Update
Quite the new (TP52) toys, Cup ‘foundations’ and is there (finally) some light at the end of the USA Olympic tunnel. Jack Griffin, Terry Hutchinson, Bernardo Sanchez
Sailor of the Month
Helluva tough choice this month (for us too)
Massive pedigree
A calm, simple and positive approach characterises the international sailmaking business that has carried the Ullman name for over 50 years...
Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2
1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/
1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital
Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.
World news
That six-second victory, on a very complicated racetrack, foils lose out again in Nice, Alex Thomson goes public (at last), 50 years ahead of the game... from one America’s Cup to ‘40’ and Class40 holds its ground over there... Ian Burns, Patrice Carpentier, Blue Robinson, Ivor Wilkins, Dobbs Davis
In good hands?
Probably none better in fact... Rob Kothe talks to the new owners of the Volvo Ocean Race Richard Brisius and Johan Salen
Update
Quite the new (TP52) toys, Cup ‘foundations’ and is there (finally) some light at the end of the USA Olympic tunnel. Jack Griffin, Terry Hutchinson, Bernardo Sanchez
Sailor of the Month
Helluva tough choice this month (for us too)
Massive pedigree
A calm, simple and positive approach characterises the international sailmaking business that has carried the Ullman name for over 50 years...
Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2
1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/
1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital
Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.
What I Missed on June 29 - AC75 Class Rule Changes
If there was an announcement, I missed it: The AC75 Class Rule was updated on June 29th. The Protocol allowed ETNZ and Luna Rossa, aka "COR/D," until June 30th to make any changes without consulting the other competitors, and they did. The new version of the rule notes that COR/D released to competitors (but not to the public) the crucial specifications for the Foil Cant System (FCS). The class rule itself has some significant changes about the FCS. More on this below... All of the dates that were previously "TBA" have now been set. I've noted two of them in my calendar and added them to the list at the end of this issue:
The mast drawing package will be released by the end of this month.
COR/D may require all competitors to install "updates" to the FCS at any time up to 31 August 2020.
The AC75 Class Rule refers to a "Rules Committee" whose job it is to interpret the rule and who may amend the rule without approval by any competitors other than ETNZ and Luna Rossa. Neither the Protocol nor the AC75 Class Rule explains who selects the Rules Committee. Conspiracy theory fans will see this as an opportunity for skullduggery, but I think the committee will be fair to all competitors. -- Jack Griffin, Cup Experience
31-Aug'18: Drawings & Specs for AC75 one design mast
31-Aug'18: Specific race course area confirmed
30-Nov'18: Late entries deadline ($1M late fee)
31-Mar'19: Boat 1 can be launched
31Mar'19: Venues (and dates) of 2019 AC World Series
2nd half of 2019: 2 x America's Cup World Series Preliminary Events
30-Nov'19: Venues (and dates) of 2020 AC World Series
1-Feb'20: Boat 2 can be launched
31-Aug'20: Foil Cant System updates frozen
During 2020: 3 x America's Cup World Series Preliminary Events
December 10-20, 2020: America's Cup Christmas Race
January and February 2021: PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series
March 2021: The America's Cup Match
ORC Produces New Measurement Video Series
As part of its ongoing commitment to support offshore sailing around the world, members of the technical team of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) have been working with T2P Productions to produce a series of instructional videos on measurement of boats, sails and spars. These videos provide step-by-step guidance on the techniques of collecting the measurement data outlined in the International Measurement System rules that are needed by rule authorities to produce certificates for ORC and other rating systems as well.
The first in the series are three short videos each on the measurement of Mainsails, Headsails and Spinnakers. Other videos in final production now and to be made available soon are on Boats, Propellers, Rigs, and Stability.
The videos are intended to supplement, not replace, the rules of the International Measurement System available at www.orc.org/rules
The Mainsail, Headsail and Spinnaker videos have been made searchable, or "Public", on YouTube with the following titles and descriptions:
"How to Properly Measure Sailboats - Mainsails"
In an effort to standardize the way measurers around the world are measuring sails, this is an instructional video on how to properly measure a mainsail.
"How to Properly Measure Sailboats - Headsails"
In an effort to standardize the way measurers around the world are measuring sails, this is an instructional video on how to properly measure a headsail, whether on the headstay or set flying.
"How to Properly Measure Sailboats - Spinnakers"
In an effort to standardize the way measurers around the world are measuring sails, this is an instructional video on how to properly measure a spinnaker, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical.
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The Last Word
I know I will go to hell, because I pardoned Richard Nixon. -- Gerald Ford
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