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
Line Honours Win For Bella Mente
Line Honours win for Bella Mente pictured here at Redonda - Photo by Tim Wright / photoaction.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Hap Fauth's JV72, Bella Mente crossed the finish line in Antigua to take Monohull Line Honours for the 2014 RORC Caribbean 600 on Wednesday 26th February, in an elapsed time of 48 hours, 5 mins, 44 seconds. George David's RP90, Rambler crossed the finish line in second place, just 10 minutes later and was followed by George Sakellaris's RP72, Shockwave which finished third on the water and just over two minutes after Rambler.
Bella Mente, Rambler and Shockwave had an intense battle for 48 hours, with the lead changing on numerous occasions around the 600 mile course. After time correction, Shockwave leads the race overall with Bella Mente second and Rambler third. Shockwave must wait for more yachts to finish the race before an overall winner can be announced.
Hap Fauth was all smiles on the dock even though Shockwave had beaten Bella Mente after time correction. Bella Mente was first IRC Yacht to finish that is wholly manually powered (without either variable or moveable ballast) and will be awarded the Bella Mente Trophy as well as the Line Honours award.
"Oh yeah, we had lots of funky wind and, you know, all kinds of stuff: a lot of storms, a lot of thunder cells going through, crazy shifts," commented Hap Fauth dockside. "We got caught under a couple of thunder cells and sat for 45 minutes, if you can believe that, until the breeze came back in. But the back of Guadeloupe - Bella Mente was 100% out of 100%. We studied it and the result was perfect. I will have to think about it, but I don't think that we've had a closer offshore race than this. It was back and forth, back and forth - obviously you guys watched that on the tracker. But it's a hell of a race! Those guys, (Shockwave and Rambler) they can get up and go and cover a lot of ground. The last beat coming in, we just basically sat in front of them and made sure they never got away from us. So, it was a classic match race, they tack, we tack - tack and pick up and go." -- Louay Habib
An Emirates Team New Zealand's Entry In The Volvo Ocean Race?
Pierre Orphanidis on the latest VOR entry:
Grant Dalton barely had any time to step into the Emirates Team New Zealand base in Auckland, freshly arrived from Madrid, and had to face the cameras of New Zealand's TV3 News that were following up on the story we broke yesterday, thanks to the tip by one of Spain's most important and influential sailing journalists, Nicolas Terry.
In the 3-minute video, Dalton confirmed he had arrived from Madrid where he signed a partnership with Pedros Campos and Team Campos in order to file a joint Kiwi-Spanish entry in the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race. The team will be dual-flagged, similarly to the previous arrangement with Camper, it will be run by Emirates Team New Zealand and skippered by Chris Nicholson.
Dalton stressed that our story was "speculative" and although it held some truth, the deal was far from being concluded. He stated the target budget of the team was NZ$30 million, approximately €18 million, which is close to the €16 million reported by Nicolas Terry in his initial tweet. Dalton didn't mention what part of that budget the two parts would provide but our Spanish sources insist the split would be approximately €10 million from the Kiwi side and €6 million from the Spanish side, coming mainly from Spanish insurance group Mapfre.
Nevertheless, one should always take Dalton's comments with a pinch of salt. In the previous edition of the round-the-world race he was denying there was any deal with Camper the same moment the Palma Yacht Club was sending a press release, inviting local media to the official presentation.
We have also contacted the Team Campos communication department and their reply was along the same lines. They confirmed there were discussions between them and Grant Dalton but stressed again the fact it was far from being a done deal.
Interview video: www.3news.co.nz
Seahorse March 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
The Tour
Like the Tour Voile only somewhat warmer... EFG Bank Sailing Arabia
Ruling the waves
Jocelyn Bleriot paid a visit to Franck Cammas at the headquarters of his Groupama Racing Team in Lorient
Update
Terry Hutchinson heads south, things begin to evolve at Team New Zealand, a plea for simplification, a stylish new offshore regatta sees IRC making inroads into the Adriatic, Scheidt really is the king (in Nassau as well as Oman). Plus the reality of that San Francisco weather...
IRC column
It comes down to the racecourse - James Dadd
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Barclays Become Naming Rights Partner For The 2014 52 Super Series
The four regattas in Europe which constitute the series, Capri, Costa Smeralda Sardinia, Palma and Ibiza will be known as the " Barclays 52 Super Series ".
Barclays and the 52 Super Series have signed an agreement which will see the bank become the naming rights sponsors for the 2014 season in Europe.
The alliance was confirmed at a press conference in Madrid, Spain this morning (Wednesday 26th Feb) hosted by Agustin Zulueta, CEO of the 52 Super Series, Benedek Vasy, Director of Marketing Strategy of Retail Banking for Barclays in Europe.
Since the 52 Super Series was launched at the start of the 2012 season, it has gone from strength to strength. It continues to represent the best grand prix monohull racing series in the world drawing some of the best professional sailors in the world including America's Cup winners, Olympic medallists, round the world race victors.
Through this sponsorship, and reward their Premier customers in Europe.
The Barclays 52 Super Series 2014 is a calendar of four European regattas. They complement the US 52 Super Series which comprise Quantum Key West regatta which took place January in Key West ( USA) and is followed by a regatta in Miami 5th to 9th March. After the Miami regatta , which begins on March 5 , the competition will move to Europe , where four regattas are contested, two in Italy and two in Spain:
- Rolex Capri Sailing Week , Capri , Italy , 20-24 May
- TP 52 World Championship , Porto Cervo , Italy, 10-14 June
- Copa del Rey, Palma, Spain , August 4-9
- Royal Cup Marina Ibiza , Ibiza, Spain , 17-21 September
Solo Beats 835 In The GJW Direct Sailjuice Winter Series
Photos by Paul Williamson, Tim Olin, Malcolm Lewin. Click on image for photo gallery.
Michael Sims prevailed in the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series, the Carsington sailor racing his Solo to the narrowest of victories over Datchet Water's Ben Schooling in his Musto Skiff. In total there 95 different types of boat competing in this handicap racing series.
The final of the eight events, the John Merricks Tiger Trophy, saw gusts of up to 35 knots which made life all but impossible for Schooling in his bid to regain his lead from earlier in the Series. The big winds played into the hands of the Fireballs, and if Nathan Batchelor had won the Tiger he would have just pipped Sims to the post. As it was, the Tynemouth sailor was 5th at the Tiger, crewed on this occasion by James Clark, which put Batchelor 3rd overall.
Just out of the top three were former winners of the SailJuice Winter Series, Peter Gray and Rachael Rhodes in their Scorpion followed by steady performer Craig Williamson in his Laser. Last year's Series victor in a Fireball, the world champion Tom Gillard, switched to a Solo this year and finished 6th overall. Not bad for a lightweight sailor in what has been a predominantly very windy series.
This was the fifth season of the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series which has become a focal point of handicap racing in the UK during the cold months. It has grown year on year. For this season, a total of 835 boats competed across the eight events which started with the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash back in November. That represents a 15% rise on last year's entries, with 85% of boats entering online in advance via the SailRacer entry system.
The prizegiving takes place at 1.30pm, Saturday 1 March at the Dinghy Show on the Main Stage. Series sponsor GJW Direct has provided a crystal trophy for the winner.
Overall Results from the Series: events.sailracer.org
Ready For The Frozen North
After two years of hard work, legendary ocean sailor Roger Taylor is close to completing his new pocket cruiser Mingming II. Although she was launched for sea trials last autumn (see YM March 2014), there was still a considerable amount of interior finishing work to do. Roger reports that the work is well on track, and that he is now planning his maiden voyage for the new boat.
As ever, this will be to the high Arctic, this time to the Barents Sea and the east of Spitsbergen. If ice conditions allow his favoured route will be an anticlockwise circumnavigation of the Svalbard group. If possible he would like to have a look at Victoria Island, the most easterly of the Franz Josef Land islands.
Previous Yachting Monthly article: www.yachtingmonthly.com
James J. Giltinan and 'The League'
Click on image for photo gallery.
The sporting legacy of Mr. James J. Giltinan will be experienced in Sydney next week when two of his long standing creations are featured and linked.
From 1 March the Australian 18 Footers League will conduct the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship for the James J. Giltinan trophy and on 6 March the Australian Rugby League will begin its 2014 season, which has the Giltinan Shield as its trophy for the minor premiership.
Mr. Giltinan is regarded as one of Australia's greatest sports promoters and was a man with a magnificent vision for the future.
In the early 1900s, Mr. Giltinan took the little known English sport of Rugby League and promoted it to the eastern states of Australia.
Rugby League is now a multi million dollar a year sport with huge supporter bases throughout Australia. Massive TV audiences also make the major Rugby League matches amongst the top rating television programs in Australia each year.
When the 18 Footer sailors of the early 1930s decided to form a new club to cater for the new style boats, James J. Giltinan was again at the forefront of promotion.
The newly formed sailing club had a close relationship with Rugby League. As well as having Mr. Giltinan as its Secretary, a number of sailors were also Rugby League players during the winter months.
This link between the two sports was such that the new sailing club was called 'NSW 18 Footers League' (now known as Australian 18 Footers League) in recognition of the association.
With that established, James J. Giltinan was soon at his promotional best and was determined to create a 'world championship' for the 18 Footers.
The 'James J. Giltinan Trophy for the World Championship' was created and the initial regatta staged on Sydney Harbour in January 1938.
Over the 75 years since that regatta, the association between the Rugby League and the Australian 18 Footers League has remained. In 1992, the Rugby League actually sponsored the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship.
The www.18footerstv.com site will provide full information, race reports and progress point scores throughout the championship. Racing starts this Friday. -- Frank Quealey Australian 18 Footers League
Gill Commodore's Cup
Simpson Bay, St. Maarten: In just over a week's time, dozens of yachts and hundreds of competitors will assemble in the waters off St. Maarten for the 34th annual running of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
To kick off the action on March 6, over 40 spinnaker-flying race boats will set sail in the Gill Commodore's Cup, the traditional warm-up series sponsored by Gill, the regatta's official technical apparel supplier. Then, on March 7, the main event - the three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta - will commence.
Measuring in at nearly 90-feet, the largest boat in this year's fleet is British magnate Sir Frank Chapman's Oyster 885, Clare, representing the Royal Thames Yacht Club. Another formidable entrant from the United Kingdom, the 72-foot ketch-rigged Zenara, designed by Robert Clark and built in 1972, will join Clare on the starting line, as will countryman John Wilson and Idea of London, a 78-footer designed by Reichel/Pugh.
Another powerful offshore racer is Cuba Libre - coincidentally, when she competed in the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race with an all-female crew, her name was Heineken. The Bruce Farr-designed 64-footer is now under the command of another British team who are veterans of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and they hope to make their mark beginning with the Gill Commodore's Cup.
Speaking of all-women crews, this year's St. Maarten Heineken Regatta will feature at least one: Sophie Olivaud's J/109, Albacor IV, from nearby St. Barths. And the popular J-Boat brand is well represented in the fleet, with Robert Armstrong's J/100, Bad Girl; Richard Wesslund's J/120, El Ocaso; Jim Madden's J/125, Stark Raving Mad IV; and Peter Lewis's J/105, Whistler, all slated to race in St. Maarten this year.
Royal Southern Match Cup
Hamble, Hampshire, UK: The first ISAF Grade 2 Match Race event in the UK for six years, equivalent to a European Championship, has attracted a top quality field to the Royal Southern Match Cup to be held in Hamble, 12-15 June 2014.
Led by Britain's Ian Williams, who has been in the top three of the ISAF Open rankings for the last three years, entry requests have come from Keith Swinton (AUS - ranked 6), Staffan Lindberg (FIN - 11), Dave Gilmour (AUS - 12), Viktor Ogeman (SWE - 18), Antti Luhta (FIN - 26), Vladimir Lipavsky (RUS - 34), Arthur Herreman (FRA - 36), Lorenz Mueller (SWI - 40), Lucas Lier (DEN - 45), and Philip Bendon (IRL - 47).
With ten Teams to take part and entry requests from ten overseas teams, the Royal Southern Match Cup has already succeeded in one of its aims - to put GBR back on the map for top match racing events. Arthur Herreman won last year's Match Cup and Philip Bendon is a Member of the Royal Southern Academy, while all the others are new to the event.
Ian Williams has been in the top three of the ISAF Open rankings for the last three years.
The international team entries are backed up with international umpires from Croatia, Germany and Australia as well as the UK, and a Race Officer team headed up by Simon Hand, who was a Race Officer at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Now that the event itself is secured, the Royal Southern is turning its attention to finding a sponsor for this significant event. Further information can be obtained from the Sailing Secretary at the Club: sailing@royal-southern.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)23 8045 0302.
Inspirational Speaker - Bob Fisher - Mr America's Cup
Bob Fisher was born to the America's Cup - raised on the foreshore at Brightlingsea UK where the local watermen wore Guernsey jumpers with the names Shamrock and Endeavour emblazoned across their chests. It was from them that he first learned about the Cup.
His own sailing on these East Coast waters led him to international racing around the globe, and a determination to communicate these stories in print, radio and on screen.
Winner of the Fireball and Hornet dinghy world and national championships, the Little America's Cup, and navigator on record breaking challenges across the Atlantic, there is not much that Bob has not experienced first-hand in the world of yachting.
A hugely engaging speaker, he can regale audiences with the dastardly deeds that some have pulled in their efforts to win and defend yachting's 'Holy Grail', speak about racing around the world, as well as motivate the next generation of Olympic champions.
Now back from commentating on the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco, Bob tells the inside story of how Oracle Team USA recovered from 1:8 down to achieve the greatest come-back in sporting history in defeating Team New Zealand's catamaran 9:8.
Bob Fisher is available to speak at dinners, conferences and corporate events, and is represented by PPL Inspirational Speakers.
Other PPL speakers include round the world sailors Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Sir Chay Blyth, Dee Caffari MBE, Tony Bullimore and Mike Perham, America's Cup skipper Harold Cudmore, international sailing coach Jim Saltonstall, Atlantic adventurers Tom McClean and Geoff Holt MBE, Captain Williams Wells, powerboat record breaker Dag Pike, and sailing journalists Barry Pickthall and Rob Salvidge.
See www.pplmedia.com/speakers/
120 Crews For F18 World Championships At Ballyholme Yacht Club
Ballyholme Yacht Club is the host for this summer's prestigious F18 catamaran World Championships as Afloat first reported last July. The event will be sailed on Belfast Lough and is one of the largest in Ireland this year and runs from 4th till 11th July.
The Worlds will attract 120 multihulls and crew and this contingent, together with their managers, trainers, friends and family will bring over 500 visitors to North Down. Local competitors include Adrian Allen and Richard Swanston.
The F18 is a fast catamaran with a spinnaker and double trapeze crewed by two people and is a fully International Sailing Federation (ISAF) recognised class with large fleets all over the world. The class is made up of over 50% professional and semi-professional sailors including World Champions, Olympians and major event winners.
Ballyholme Yacht Club is highly experienced in running events of this magnitude and is delighted to have club member Bill O'Hara as Principal Race Officer. Bill is an Independent Sports Professional and an Olympian, who is currently Rules Coach for the Irish Sailing Association and Principal Race Officer for the Volvo Ocean Race. The club has among its members three World Champions and 11 Olympic sailors.
For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record
Record : Singlehanded Cadiz to San Salvador (The Discovery Route)
Yacht: Banque Populaire 7. 103 ft Trimaran
Name: Armel Le Cleac'h FRA
Dates:. 23rd to the 30th January 2014.
Start time: 18;56;59 UTC on 23/01/14
Finish time: 18;39;17 UTC on 30/01/14
Elapsed time: 6 days 23 hours 42 minutes and 18 seconds.
Distance: 3884 M
Average speed: 23.16 kts
Comments: Previous record: "Idec", Francis Joyon FRA, Feb 13, 8d 16h 7m 5s
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
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The Last Word
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