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Tenth Annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar competition is OPEN. Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse Magazine.
Tell us about your favourite bar!
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In This Issue
• Boat Breaking Final Race On Day Two Of The Star Sailors League Finals
• My Song set the bar, Kuka3 count the minutes
• St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
• Susie Goodall dismasted 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• Foil wing design. And, what is anhedral?
• IMOCA class: positive appraisal of the Route du Rhum
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Live Webinar 3 - Hear how other sailing clubs boosted activity and membership with alternative activity.
• Eight Bells
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Voltaire
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
Boat Breaking Final Race On Day Two Of The Star Sailors League Finals
Racing at this sixth edition of the Star Sailors League Finals got off to a dramatic first day of competition in Nassau, with four races held, four different winners and a last race in which a squall brought driving rain and 25 knot gusts that claimed one rig and caused one man overboard.
In a 10-12 knot northerly Brazil started strongly with Olympic legends Robert Scheidt and Henry Boening claiming the first race and Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves the second.
Mark Mendelblatt, historically the Star Sailors League Finals’ most successful helm, sailing with his regular crew Brian Fatih, relieved Poland’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki of the lead in race three.
A front had been forecast to arrive in the afternoon and this finally stuck half way through the final race, when the skies darkened, rain began plummeting and breeze kicking up a sharp chop.
On the last run the rig broke on Hamish Pepper and Steve Mitchell’s boat, meanwhile one of the race favourites fell out of his boat at the top mark: Diego Negri, sailing here with defending champion Frithjof Kleen as crew, received a penalty at the top mark and while carrying out their turn coincided a gust hit, causing Negri to be ejected from the cockpit. Fortunately the Italian Olympic veteran managed to hang to first the rudder and then the main, but by the time he had been hauled back on board, they had dropped to last place. Despite this they ended the day third overall.
After four races and with one discard applied, Robert Scheidt and Henry Boening lead the Star Sailors League Finals by two points, the Brazilians having won the first race.
Racing for the full fleet runs through the Qualifiers until Friday, followed on Saturday with the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final Races. Winner of the Qualifiers fast tracks directly to the Final Race, while second place heads directly to the Semi Final. Those that finish the Qualifiers in third to tenth places, get to race in the Quarter Finals. The top five Quarter Finallists progress through to the Semi Final. The top three from the Semi Finals join the winner of the Qualifiers in the Finals.
Winner of the Star Sailors League Finals receives US$ 40,000 from a prize pot of US$ 200,000.
Top ten
1. Robert Scheidt (BRA) Henry Boening (BRA) 6
2. Mark Mendelblatt (USA) Brian Fatih (USA) 8
3. Diego Negri (ITA) Frithjof Kleen (GER) 13
4. Augie Diaz (USA) Bruno Prada (BRA) 15
5. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) Dominik Zycki (POL) 15
6. Eivind Melleby (NOR) Joshua Revkin (USA) 20
7. Lars Grael (BRA) Samuel Goncalves (BRA) 22
8. Jorge Zarif (BRA) Pedro Trouche (BRA) 24
9. Fredrik Loof (SWE) Edoardo Natucci (ITA) 25
10. George Szabo (USA) Roger Cheer (CAN) 29
My Song set the bar, Kuka3 count the minutes
Pier Luigi Loro Piana's Supermaxi My Song has not only set a new monohull race record for the RORC Transatlantic Race, but also the benchmark for the remaining boats to beat racing under the IRC Rating Rule. The best corrected time will win the race outright and lift the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy.
Franco Niggeler's Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka3, skippered by Roberto 'Chuny' Bermudez de Castro was 287 miles from the finish at 1200 UTC on 5 December. Kuka3 was showing an impressive turn of speed on the YB Tracker, averaging over 14 knots, and presumably surfing down Atlantic rollers at some pace. Kuka3 must cross the finish line by 18:58:08 UTC tomorrow (06 December). At their current pace, Kuka3 is expected to be well inside the required time.
Trevor Middleton's British Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep, skippered by Jake Carter is having a tremendous race. The smallest yacht in the RORC Transatlantic Race had over 1,000 miles to go, but is in with a fighting chance of winning the race overall. Arto Linnervuo's Finnish Xp-44 Xtra Staerk was also approaching the '1,000-mile barrier', just eight miles behind Black Sheep. Benedikt Clauberg's Swiss First 47.7 Kali, skippered by Corinne Wirth is on course to complete the race in 18 days or less, which is fast-going for the all-amateur crew.
In the Class40 Division, Catherine Pourre's French-flagged Eärendil had a 300 mile lead, and was 706 miles from the finish. "We are on direct route for Grenada. Since yesterday, we have encountered a lot of weed - les sargasses. They are everywhere; a little bit more year after year it seems! We already had to make a reverse manoeuvre to free the keel of them and we will have to make it again soon. Our ETA is now Dec 07 at 2200 UTC. We currently have more clouds and gusts, with an average wind speed of 24 knots, but gusts up to 29 knots. We run with two reefs and the mainsail and have kept our little spinnaker flying (the A5)," reports Catherine Pourre.
Henrik Bergesen's Norwegian Class40 Hydra, skippered by Tristan Kinloch has shown great pace after their earlier pit stop, to catch up with Stephane Bry's French-Finnish team racing Sirius. -- Louay Habib
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"!
Susie Goodall dismasted 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn
British yachtswoman Susie Goodall was pitchpoled and dismasted in the Southern Ocean some 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn today. A distress signal was first picked up from her yacht by Falmouth Coastguard at 11:00 UTC, who then alerted Race Control and the Chilean Maritime Search and Rescue authorities responsible for this sector of the South Pacific.
Goodall, (29) from Falmouth UK, and the youngest competitor in the Golden Globe Race, was lying in 4th place at the time, riding out a ferocious storm with 60 knot winds and massive seas aboard her Rustler 36 yacht DHL Starlight.
In her last text message to Race Control received before the dismastig at 08:29 UTC,, she reported' TAKING A HAMMERING! WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH I'M DOING OUT HERE
In a subsequent message, received at 12:23 UTC, she wrote: DISMASTED. HULL OK. NO FORM OF JURY RIG, TOTAL LOSS Position: 45' 27.787 S 122' 23.537 W.
After 3 attempts, Race HQ was able to raise Goodall on her emergency satellite phone when she confirmed: "I have been dismasted. Thought I had holed the hull because the boat filled with water, but the hull is NOT holed. The hull is OK.
The boat is destroyed. I can't make up a jury rig. The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact.
We were pitchpoled [rolled end over end] and I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while. "
The nearest GGR competitor is Estonion Uku Randmaa 400 miles ahead of Goodall and about to face the same storm conditions, so it is impractical for him to turn about. It is far safer for American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar, 780 miles to the west to continue his downwind course and intercept DHL Starlight. The GGR fleet have now been alerted to Susie's situation and Kopar expects to reach her position in six days time.
Subsequently, the Chilean Authorities have contacted a ship 480 miles SW of Goodall's position and requested assistance. Her Captain expects to take 2 days to reach the area.
www.facebook.com/goldengloberace/
Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse magazine
Today we toast our host... Wight Vodka, sponsor of the Best Sailor Bar compeition for 10 years. Uniquely distilled seven times in small batches, blended and bottled in London under the watchful eyes and direction of a seventh generation master distiller with over 300 years of family experience. Wight Vodka is the only 42% abv, potato-based luxury vodka, hand-crafted in the United Kingdom today.
Here’s one for you to enjoy on a cold winter’s evening when throwing a holiday party. It tastes fantastic and looks completely delicious, and is particularly effective when your guests are streaming in from the cold. Depending on how fast you want to get your party rolling, you can adjust the amount of Wight Vodka per cocktail, but the mixologists at 50 North believe anything over a full shot constitutes a martini, and as such, you need to heed the warning “One martini, two martini, three martini…floor!”
The ingredients you’ll need to mix the perfect Northern Wight are:
1/2 shot of chilled Wight Vodka
1 shot of Cranberry Juice
1 shot of Pomegranate Juice
Champagne
Chambord
Combine your Wight Vodka, the cranberry and pomegranate juices in a shaker with ice and mix it for a minute or two to really chill it. Strain into your favourite champagne flutes, top up with champagne and a splash of Chambord. Beware that your guests will definitely ask for more…so have a well stocked bar!
Have a few... and then put pen to paper, as it were, and tell us YOUR favorite bar.
scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars
wightvodka.com
latitudekinsale.com
Foil wing design. And, what is anhedral?
Click on image to enlarge.
In the early days of AC72 design we saw teams experiment with a wide range of foil shapes: L, J, S, C ... Foil shape design was also a major focus for the AC50's we saw in Bermuda. The AC75 foils are completely different - they have variable flaps and cannot be raked to change angle of attack. The AC75 design rule limits the foil wings to about 30° of anhedral. Anhedral and dihedral mean that the wingtip is lower/higher than the root, as this diagram shows.
INEOS Team UK has been experimenting with different configurations on their test boat. In the photo below you can see more anhedral on the port foil than on starboard. The flaps are easy to see - painted gray. You can also see the hinge for canting the foil up and down.
American Magic has sailed their test boat with straight wings. Teams will probably have different foil wings for light or heavy air conditions. In stronger winds, with higher speeds, anhedral will keep the wingtip further from the surface of the water. This will reduce the risk of the wingtip breaking the surface, which could lead to "ventilation," where air flows along the wing to the low pressure side of the wing, losing lift and adding drag.
From Jack Griffin's Cup Experience: cupexperience.com
IMOCA class: positive appraisal of the Route du Rhum
The twenty sailors competing in the eleventh edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe put on a remarkable show, at the end of which Paul Meilhat (SMA) came out on top ahead of Yann Eliès (Ucar-StMichel) and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss). Out of the twenty sailors that set sail from Saint-Malo, fifteen made it to Pointe-à-Pitre. Antoine Mermod, President of the class and Guillaume Evrard, delegate general and assistant Race Director for the Route du Rhum give us their appraisal of the event in terms of the outcome and the technical aspects.
The picture they paint indicates we can look forward to an exceptional 2019 season with a new race on the programme and between 25 and 30 IMOCAs expected to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre next November.
Looking beyond the race itself, the Route du Rhum is also a very popular, festive event. “The enthusiasm of the public was incredible, both in Saint-Malo and in Pointe-à-Pitre,” declared a pleased Antoine Mermod. “It was an exceptional welcome and the cities lived up to the event. This edition of the Route du Rhum confirmed that this ocean racing event is one we really have to take part in. We can only be pleased to be involved in such an event.” Once the race was underway, the IMOCA skippers enthusiastically shared their adventures with no fewer than 115 videos being made available during the race.
- A retirement rate of 25 %, no rescue operations
- Unprecedented excitement during the race
- Alex Thomson dominating, Paul Meilhat winning
- A high calibre top five
- A crazy pace for those chasing the frontrunners
- Very respectable performances from the amateurs
The next date for the IMOCAs will be in July 2019 with the Valencia Globe Series, a new double-handed event (1000 miles) and solo race (3000 miles). In November there will be the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the climax of the season, where we can reasonably hope to see a line-up of between 25 and 30 IMOCAs, including seven from the latest generation.
Seahorse December 2018
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Front foot
UBI Maior Italia supply some of the world's most advanced custom hardware to the most demanding performance racers on the planet... looking back is not an option
Not just racing
The 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in Texas established a number of significant new benchmarks for the sport as a whole...
Stiff competition
Plenty of research, plenty of testing... Hall Spars is strengthening its position in the fast-moving world of the composite sail batten
It's a gift
Philippe Briand explains how you can combine sleek, minimalist contemporary lines with a massive interior volume
Moose on the loose
Volvo Ocean Race winner Mike Sanderson has been racking up the air miles (again) in his new role at the helm of Doyle Sails International
Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
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Live Webinar 3 - Hear how other sailing clubs boosted activity and membership with alternative activity.
Following on from the recent webinar focusing on pay and play activity, the next in the series will focus on alternative club activity; be it introducing other watersports, mixing up the traditional racing fomats or introducing non-competitive activity such as cruises and ‘fun’ training days.
Hosted by Andy Rice, respected sailing journalist, the webinar will include short presentations and a Q&A session with a selection of clubs that have launched innovative initiatives to meet changing demands. The aim is to share their insights on their challenges and successes with the wider sailing club community and watersports sector.
Webinar length - max 1 hour long.
With opportunities to ask questions and interact with the panel.
Webinar is going to be recorded and will be available to view afterwards
Background:
Following their Dinghy Show talks, in May we broadcast a webinar covering Liz Rushall’s and Mark Jardine’s respective talks. These considered the future of dinghy sailing and some recommendations for the dinghy industry to implement.
Subsequently we have received numerous requests to further explore some of the recommendations in more detail. This is the third webinar in the series, the first being the original ‘future of dinghy sailing’ webinar aired in May. The second being the ‘Pay on demand’ webinar which was broadcast in November.
The trends highlight some people being ‘turned off’ by competitive activity, looking for activities which are easier to access and for unique experiences; all of which create challenges and opportunities for sailing clubs.
We’ll hear from three clubs who have experimented with different forms of activity. We’ll hear about the successes and also the challenges along the way.
Tue, Dec 11, 2018 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT
Eight Bells for Kirk Cooper
Edmund Kirkland “Kirk” Cooper, a champion sailor and three-times Olympian, has died, aged 86.
Mr Cooper founded the accounting firm Cooper and Lines in 1959 with his friend and business partner, David Lines. The company later became a member firm of Coopers & Lybrand, now PwC Bermuda. Mr Cooper, an auditor and financial adviser, retired as a managing partner of PwC. Mr Cooper served on a variety of boards and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1986 for his service to the island.
As well as sitting on the Civil Aviation Board and Airport Licensing Board in the 1960s and 1970s, Mr Cooper was chairman at the Department of Tourism from 1983 to 1993. He served on the Bermuda Economic Council from 1984 to 1990 and the Bermuda International Business Association, where he was president from 1974 to 1975.
Mr Cooper was a founding member as well as president of the Bermuda Yachting Association, and served as commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in 1972. He was also chairman on the board of department store AS Cooper & Sons.
His widow, Helen, said Mr Cooper was “a great guy who loved Bermuda — he was a man of endless energy”. Ms Cooper added: “There were a lot of young people that Kirk helped along the way and his many international clients also became good friends. “His personality was just tireless and he was very competitive.”
His sailing career included three trips to the Olympic Games — Tokyo 1964, where he came close to a bronze medal, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972, where Mr Cooper was the flag bearer for Bermuda at the opening ceremony. Mr Cooper was also a regular participant in the Newport to Bermuda race.
Mr Cooper said after the 1994 race: “Each time we go out it’s a different challenge. You never stop learning. It must be like chess.”
One of Mr Cooper’s proudest moments was his selection as the first Bermudian juror for the America’s Cup in 1983 — when the challenger Australia II won the trophy. Mr Cooper was inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to sailing in 2005.
Mr Cooper is also survived by two other daughters, Dana and Helen, and nine grandchildren.
His family said last night that his life would be celebrated with a private family service at Hamilton’s Anglican Cathedral.
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The Last Word
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -- Voltaire
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