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Tenth Annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar competition is OPEN. Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse Magazine.
VOTING NOW OPEN
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In This Issue
• World Sailing Olympic Class Voting.... What Happened
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• Tradition, Innovation Anchor New York Yacht Club's 2019 Sailing Schedule
• Ronstan Australian Finn Championship
• We’re getting smarter - Med 40
• Rolex China Sea Race 2020
• Documentary: 2018 West Marine J/70 World Championships
• The Magnificant Sixes
• Launchings
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Roy L. Smith
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
World Sailing Olympic Class Voting.... What Happened
Guest editorial by Paul Henderson, past ISAF President
IOC put forward an Agenda2020 Working Groups paper that is still a work in progress. Andersen operated as it being finalized and used this to make the dramatic changes he envisioned aided by Andy Hunt. They went as far as saying Sailing would be deleted from the Olympic Games unless major changes were made to the Olympic Sailing Events.
Andersen for personal reasons had a fixation on Mixed Events and demanded that 4 out of 10 Olympic Sailing Events be Mixed when only 18 of 300 Olympic Games Events are Mixed. Designated Mixed Events are not a normal competition of competitive Sailing,
The first major equipment change was to allow, never seen before, to add foils to the NACRA17 which meant that for TOKYO2020 a totally new monopoly equipment would be used for which WS has no idea who the copyright holders are or the investors.
Next maneuver was to insert Kites which was done by using only 1 event as 2 were not available which is to be an “experiment” event never competed in by Kites before. It is proposed to be a Mixed, Off-the-Beach, Relay Race with Obstacles in unspecified equipment or Racing Rules.
Events Committee is the committee that is charged with doing the research to recommend Olympic Policies to the Board and then to the Council for final approval at the AGM.
Events Working Party was formed and they, influenced by the desire of Andersen to change as many events as possible, recommended that all Olympic Classes be under review except 3 classes: Nacra17, 49er, 49erFX.
Julian Bethwaite is the designer and copyright holder of the 49er and 49erFX. Owners and copyright holders of the NACRA17 are unknown.
Recommendation to replace or change 7 of 10 Olympic Sailing equipment proposed by the Events Committee allowed Andersen/Hunt to move ahead with their revolutionary concepts.
They proposed at the May 2018 Mid-Year Council Meeting that not only 4 Mixed Events but that there be the following never been competed in be inserted for PARIS2024: - RSX Windsurfer to be replaced by Foiling Equipment in a Slalom format. - Laser Men to be replaced by new equipment. - Laser Radial Women to be replaced by new equipment. - A new Mixed Single-handed event with the Finn and another class for women. - Two 470 Events combined into one Mixed Event which does not work for Single-Trapeze.
May 2018, there was properly proposed a Mixed Offshore Event. Council voted against it.
The next move that Andersen and his cabal orchestrated was at the November 2018 AGM with a “President’s urgent Submission 37”. Council had no idea that this was to be an issue. It is World Sailing Regulation that all submissions must be tabled by August 1st. Council delegates do not represent themselves but Groups of MNA’s and they must have time to discuss with their constituents what is best for the sailors. Submission 37 was illegally allowed by Constitution Committee as it was not “urgent” as it had already been turned down.
A contrived Mixed 50 hour Offshore Event in unspecified equipment Mixed has never been raced in before was presented deleting the Finn from the Olympics. The defense that it will be cheaper because the boats are supplied is nonsense. The wealthy nations will buy 2 or 3 of these $300,000.00 boats to train in at home and a month before will ship them to a marina close by the Marseille Olympic Marina so as to train. Only 12 entries allowed so it is only for the wealthy nations in the most expensive class ever.
It was essential that 75% of the Council vote to allow Submission 37 to go forward to the AGM. The vote was taken electronically with faulty equipment as declared before the vote as seen in the discussion between Hunt and Andersen recorded in the meeting video. Results of the vote were not shown until 1 month later when at least 4 of Council have declared that their votes were recorded wrongly which means that Submission 37 was defeated.
It is essential that concerned sailors, delegates and all involved re-address what happened at the 2018 AGM and act responsible negating what happened and openly and transparently have open debate at the 2019 Mid-year Meeting. It should be noted that the IOC does not finalize all these issues for PARIS2024 till after TOKYO2020 and that the IOC Agenda2020 Working Group proposals do not become mandatory till L.A. 2028.
Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse magazine
From our 2012 winner... the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke... perhaps the Caribbean's most famous drink. The Painkiller.
It may be made with either two, three or four ounces of Pusser's dark rum. The original Painkiller was created in the 1970s by Daphne Henderson at the Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. The bar got its name from wet currency in the pockets of sailors who'd swim to shore from anchored yachts.
1-4 part(s) Pusser's Rum
4 parts pineapple juice
1 part cream of coconut
1 part orange juice
Sprinkle with nutmeg
This year's winning bar will receive a handmade, custom cut 3D map of their location from Latitude Kinsale.
scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars
wightvodka.com
latitudekinsale.com
Tradition, Innovation Anchor New York Yacht Club's 2019 Sailing Schedule
The New York Yacht Club's 2019 sailing season kicks off with a regatta that can trace its roots back to before Lincoln was president and ends with a one that will take place for the first time. In between those two events are three months of sailing covering a broad swath of the sport. From team racing to ocean racing, 2019 is a year that will embrace and showcase the Club's 175 years of yachting innovation and leadership.
The IC37 is a Mark Mills design that is being built by Westerly Marine in California and FIBRE Mechanics in the United Kingdom. North Sails supplies the required one-design sails, while class rules mandate an all-amateur, coed crew. The Club's fleet of 20 boats, which will be used for member charter and for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, will be ready this coming spring. Between five and ten privately-owned boats are anticipated to join the Club's fleet for the nationals in late September.
Other highlights include the Leukemia Cup, the One-Design Regatta, which is gaining recognition as a must-do event for keelboat and sportboat aficionados, the historic Queen's Cup and the trio of nationally-recognized team races the Club hosts every August.
Race documents and event information for the 2019 regattas are being posted as they become available to NYYC.org. The full 2019 sailing schedule is below.
New York Yacht Club 2019 Racing Calendar
June 8 - Leukemia Cup
June 14 to 16 - 165th Annual Regatta & Swan American Regatta
June 25 - Transatlantic Race 2019 Start
June 29 to 30 - One-Design Regatta
July 10 to 13 - Cornerstone Cup (by invitation only)
July 14 to 20 - 175th Anniversary Regatta (by invitation only)
July 21 - Queen's Cup
August 9 to 11 - Morgan Cup Team Race
August 16 to 18 - Hinman Masters Team Race
August 23 to 25 - Grandmasters Team Race
September 7 to 14 - Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup
September 27 to 29 - Melges IC37 U.S. National Championship
Ronstan Australian Finn Championship
With just four weeks to go to the Ronstan 2019 International Finn Australian Championship (7th - 12th January 2019), at Black Rock Yacht Club, many Finn sailors from Australia and overseas are taking part in a series of events that ends with the national championship in the second week of January.
Around 40 Finns are expected to take part with a large contingent of overseas sailors joining the ever-growing Australian fleet, which is looking forward to hosting the 2019 Finn Gold Cup in December next year. That event will take place at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, home of the annual Sail Melbourne event, which last week attracted 32 entries from eight countries.
In fact the fleet at Sail Melbourne contained 14 visitors from overseas, including the 2018 European Champion Ed Wright, from Britain, the 2018 Tokyo World Cup winner, Nicholas Heiner, from The Netherlands, and the 2016 Olympic champion, Giles Scott, from Britain. Most of the top sailors are staying on for the Nationals at Black Rock.
At Sail Melbourne, World No 1. Heiner took the win from Lilley, with Andy Maloney, from New Zealand, in third. Just before Sail Melbourne, Heiner also took a close win at Sail Sydney from Josh Junior, from New Zealand and Wright. -- Robert Deaves
The Notice of Race, Entry Form and current Entry List can be found here: www.bryc.com.au/news/11046/
We’re getting smarter - Med 40
As the gap between grand prix racers and mainstream racer-cruisers continues to widen, moves are finally afoot to fill it. The new Med40 Series based in Palma is designed to satisfy the many teams who sit somewhere in between...
At the beginning of this century there was a proliferation of new designs and new classes, all trying to find their niche in the growing competitive world of inshore big-boat racing. The last generation of offshore boats were no longer interesting to a new culture of inshore racers. They now wanted the athletic and tactical skills required to excel in multiple short races held on the same day in sailing venues where good weather during the day at sea and at night onshore made for a positive experience for all.
Coupled with increasingly generous support from sponsors, there was a strong appetite for competitive onedesigns like the Soto 40s and, at higher prices, box rule boats such as the GP 42 and TP 52 classes. The boats were racing in well-managed and organised circuits like the MedCup, which eventually evolved into the only racing these boats did, losing their connection to racing under handicap in other races and regattas. Except for the one-designs, the pace of development was fast, with the newest designs inevitably having an edge over anyone in the existing fleet.
Full technical article in the January issue of Seahorse
Rolex China Sea Race 2020
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has released the Notice of Race (in both English and Chinese) and opened entry for the 58th Anniversary of the Rolex China Sea Race. The Race will start on 8 April 2020 in Hong Kong’s iconic harbour and take competitors 565nm across the South China Sea to Subic Bay in the Philippines.
2020 marks the 30th edition of this biennial Offshore Category 1 Race organised by the multi-faceted and cosmopolitan Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Hong Kong. Rolex has partnered with the Club since 2007, as well as its flagship Race, the Rolex China Sea Race, since 2008.
29 yachts from seven territories raced in the 2018 edition, with 266 sailors hailing from 22 territories including, Australia, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Germany, Philippines, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns’ GTS 43 Mandrake III took the IRC Overall win in the 2018 edition; this was the second overall win (2006) for the longtime competitor. Karl Kwok’s MOD Beau Geste 70 took Line Honours and broke the race record which now stands at an impressive 38h 30m 07s. 2018 also marked Kwok’s third Line Honours win and record-breaking race, having sailed his way to victory in both the 1996 and 2000 editions.
The Notice of Race can be found on the official Rolex China Sea Race website at the following link www.rolexchinasearace.com/competitors
Documentary: 2018 West Marine J/70 World Championships
The glitterati from the world of sailing came to Marblehead for the 2018 West Marine J/70 World Championships. Ninety-one teams from 18 different countries battled out 11 highly competitive races. The depth of talent in the fleet was unprecedented with Olympic Gold Medallist, America's Cup winners, and world champions vying for one of the biggest world championship is the modern era.
There was a fairy tale ending for Jud Smith, born and bred in Marblehead, winning the J/70 World Championship with his team racing J/70 Africa, and representing the Eastern Yacht Club, hosts for the event. The intensity of the battle was such that Jud Smith succeeded without winning a single race, and only making the top three on one occasion. In the end Jud Smith's Africa (Eastern YC) won the world title by a single point.
The Magnificant Sixes
Since 1907, the Metre Boats have both fascinated and challenged the very best designers of each age to produce boats for the very best helmsmen and crews to compete in the most prestigious international events. As a development class, the Six Metres have been the test-bed for innovative designs embracing new materials and technologies, all within the constraints of a rule that is more than 100 years old and stood the test of time. This book tells their story and introduces the characters that have driven competition and preserved these beautiful boats, lavishly illustrated with contemporary images of surviving boats. Appendix of all known boats built and a note from Ian Howlett about the origins of the Rule.
Tim Street has been the leading light in the class for many years. A past-President, he was responsible for the resurgence of interest in the class, tracking down lost boats and encouraging restorations and competition. No-one knows more about these boats than Tim. He has owned and restored several boats himself and instigated the concept of separate “Classics” divisions which has since been widely adopted elsewhere. -- Peter Nash
Tim Street’s new book is now in print and orders may be placed at www.bnya.org.uk/publications/p_sixes.html
Launchings
The new Elan Yachts E3 performance cruiser was developed for racing performance and optimized for comfortable cruising. This new 30 ft crossover yacht is ideal for pure-sailing aficionados who want to compete in a regatta or two, but also don't want to compromise on comfort when sailing with their families and friends.
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Over the last 2 years since the WASZP class began production it has grown to a worldwide class with over 700 boats in 42 countries. During that time there has been multiple National Championships, a European Championships, a Pacific Championships and of course an International WASZP Games.
We are now on the eve of the 2nd ever WASZP Games in Perth which is expected to draw the highest quality fleet of WASZPs ever assembled. The event will be on the Swan River which is a foiling mecca. This will be the final WASZP sanctioned event run on the old racing foil.
There has been many discussions between the sailors and an open flow of communication between the manufacturer and the customer/sailor. This culminated in a decision at the recent European Championships for the class to explore options to make the boat better in marginal conditions as well as making manoeuvres more accessible to make the racing tighter and offer more passing lanes. This left WASZP with the opportunity to look at a bigger foil and the pros and cons. During the 4 month testing period the results have been outstanding.
- Regular foil tacking up-wind to allow more competitive racing and ability to tack on shifts
- Better VMG upwind with the boats sailing higher and similar speeds through the water
- Earlier take-off time (7knots)
- Downwind the glide time allows much more stable foil gybing platform, this allows mid-fleet competitors to build their skills faster and a more enjoyable overall experience.
- Sail deeper downwind in flat water
- Similar performance albeit different technique downwind in waves.
Sail Melbourne over the weekend was the first test event for the foil with 12 high quality sailors competing on the foil for the first time. waszp.com
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The Arcona 435 is the latest model to be released by Arcona Yachts and has created the sort of reaction to say she’ll become a favourite for the discerning sailor within the performance cruiser yachts sector.
Building on the success of the Arcona 430, the A435 has been nominated and shortlisted for the European Yacht of the Year 2019. She continues to uphold Arcona’s strong heritage of innovation and design excellence, using the finest materials and best workmanship. The Arcona 435 is a quick, modern and easy-to-manage 43-foot performance cruiser.
The sail plan will be with a 106% overlapping headsail and a relatively larger mainsail than previous models. The 435 is easy-to-handle no matter if you are sailing shorthanded or fully crewed. Compared to the Arcona 430, the Arcona 435 is more modern in many aspects. She has a wider stern which gives her a more spacious saloon and a larger cockpit without compromising on her sailing ability on all angles. An efficient sail design in combination with optimised weight will ensure that the Arcona 435 performs superbly. She is a boat that will win regattas one weekend and then take the family for a comfortable and safe sail the next.
The side decks are wide and the cockpit is spacious with plenty of room for crew, family and friends. There are twin carbon wheels and the cockpit table will recess into the cockpit floor. There is a choice between an open transom or semi-closed. With her plumb bow and wide stern she will offer plenty of speed and comfortable sailing.
The Arcona 435 reflects the quality expected from Swedish boat builders using the latest materials, advanced techniques and handpicked suppliers. Her lay-up, which incorporates a 20mm Divinycell foam core, employs the latest vacuum infusion technology. All bulkheads are bonded to the hull and deck for added strength.
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On the first bitterly cold day of winter, in the darkness pre-dawn, the elegant Eagle Class 53 catamaran gracefully left Fast Forward Composites in Bristol, Rhode Island. Taking up the full width of the road, she passed mailboxes, street lamps and trees with very little spare room on the 2-mile trek to Mount Hope Boat Ramp.
At high tide, with boards fitted and engines checked, she was lowered into the water. Grateful and inspirational words were said by Tommy Gonzalez, the man behind this project. The build team and their families came out to celebrate the culmination of their hard work. Gonzalez blessed the catamaran with Champagne as she floated off the trailer.
The next leg of her journey is on a ship to warmer waters for sailing with her C- foils and getting used to her Hybrid Wing, before the T-foils are filled for flight!
Instagram movie of the launch
www.instagram.com/p/BqKf41Ehuhe/
Featured Brokerage
2018 JPK 1180 - "SUNRISE". 350000 GBP. Located in the UK.
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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 106582
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
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2008/2011 World famous R/P 74. 975000 USD. Located in Michigan USA.
INTUITION was formally known as WIZARD and BELLE MENTE. Under her past two owners, she did nothing but win sailboat races from Jamaica to Hawaii with two barn doors to Hawaii as well as countless races won and every now again a course record.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
William Jenkins
Thoroughbred Yacht Sales
410 267 9419
410 353 7862
bill [AT] tysonline [DOT] com
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2015 Vismara V62 RC Mills. POA EUR. Located in Tuscany, Italy.
Without doubt, one of the most competitive yachts in the Mediterranean today. SUPERNIKKA is the ultimate cruiser/racer from Vismara and Mills Design.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead Broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: alex [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. - Roy L. Smith
Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] scuttlebutteurope [DOT] com
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html