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
Garda Trentino Sailing Week
The Garda Trentino Week has started and is the only Italian leg of the 'Eurosaf Champions Sailing Cup' organised by Vela Garda Trentino in collaboration with the sailing clubs of the Alto Garda.
It was a particularly gloomy day for the start of the week of racing but luckily enough wind for some action came through.
The South wind was most consistent in the areas where the 49er and 49erFX were racing in the early stages of the afternoon (maximum 12 - 14knots).
In contrast the other classes were experiencing a bit less wind until later in the afternoon when the wind built to a fairly consistent 14 knots. The 49er, Laser Standard, RS:X and Nacra 17 managed to complete three races whereas the Laser Radial, 470 male and female and Paralympic classes managed two.
The Laser fleet is the biggest with 79 competitors and is the only one divided into two fleets. The wind was fairly light in the first two races but built up to 14 knots for the third and final race at the end of the day.
Brazil's Robert Scheidt, who has chosen Lake Garda as his preferred training ground and home, started in his usual emphatic fashion by taking the lead with a (2,1,4) and has a five point advantage over the Britain's Nick Thompson. Third is the Italian Alessio Spadoni on equal points.
ISAF: http://www.sailing.org/news/37831.php
Full results: www.velagardatrentino.com
Scott Unstoppable
Giles Scott (GBR) again produced a superlative performance on the fourth day of the Finn Europeans in La Rochelle, with two more race wins giving him a 36 point lead with just three races to sail. Though Ed Wright (GBR) won the opening race, he has dropped back to fourth overall. Defending Champion Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) is back up to second, while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) had a great day to climb to third.
It was another great day's sailing with the wind in place from the beginning and peaking at 12-14 knots, with some nice waves and Oscar flag for free pumping flying for most of the day. For many it was moving day. Lots of sailors moved up, some moved down, but Giles Scott (GBR) moved even further clear at the top of the leader board. The great racing also brought the sun out for a while which made everything seem much better.
A lot of tired sailors came ashore at the end of a third day on the water in a row exceeding six hours. But it was time well spent and none of them were complaining. Today there were a lot of new faces at the front and but for Scott's devastating downwind speed there could have been some different winners.
Race 6 started in 9-10 knots after four boats were pulled out on a black flag.
There were more black flagged sailors for race 8, including a second one for Deniss Karpak (EST).
The opening series concludes on Friday, with two more races scheduled from 11.00.
Top ten after eight races
1. Giles Scott, GBR, 8 points
2. Vasilij Zbogar, SLO, 44
3. Jonathan Lobert, FRA, 48
4. Edward Wright, GBR, 52
5. Pieter-Jan Postma, NED, 66
6. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, CRO, 75
7. Josh Junior, NZL, 82
8. Zsombor Berecz, HUN, 82
9. Andrew Mills, GBR, 84
10. Max Salminen, SWE, 84
Melges 24 European Title Up For Grabs
Balatonfured, Hungary: The MKB Bank Melges 24 European Championship 2014 hangs in the balance tonight after light winds meant only one race could be sailed on the penultimate day.
Just four points now separate the top two teams with two more races scheduled for tomorrow's final day.
Despite a promising morning breeze which greeted the competitors when they arrived at the pontoons today, only one race was possible on the fourth day of the championship.
That race started in a shifty 10 knots breeze which faded and became increasingly unstable throughout.
Andrea Racchelli on ITA 735 'Altea' made the best of the tricky conditions - leading at the windward mark and never being seriously challenged from there on.
With just two races of the scheduled 10-race series to go the overall title looks likely to come down to a two-boat battle between the 'Blu Moon'and 'Giogi'.
However, with this pair currently discarding a 12 and an 11 respectively neither can afford a deep result tomorrow, particularly with Ian Ainslie on HUN 392 'Strange Brew'in third place and ready to pounce on any signs of stage fright from the top two.
With light winds forecast for the final day and a cut off for racing at 1400, the race committee have moved tomorrow's first race start time forward an hour to 1000 local time.
Top five after 8 races, 1 throwout
1. Blu Moon, Matteo Ivaldi, SUI, 23 points
2. Giogi, Matteo Balestrero, ITA, 27
3. Strange Brew, Ian Ainslie, HUN, 51
4. AUDI, Riccardo Simoneschi, ITA, 56
5. Gill Race Team, Geoff Carveth, GBR, 68
Henri Lloyd - Sales Support Assistant
With the restructuring of the UK Marine Sales Team a new and exciting opportunity has been created at Henri Lloyd Ltd. The role is Uk Marine Sales Support Assistant designed to assist both with corporate and wholesale marine sales, based in Lymington Hampshire.
This is a full time position, with an element of week end work along with boat show and event cover.
The successful candidate would need to have a good knowledge of the Marine Industry, from a Corporate, wholesale and/ or retail base. Also due to the variety of tasks, excellent time management and organisational skills will be required, along with a good ability to communicate at all levels. An expectation of being able to supply exceptional customer service with professionalism and integrity will also be required.
Knowledge of Illustrator would also be advantageous and a clean driving licence a necessity. Good remuneration package for the right candidate.
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UK Marine Sales Manager
pnolan@henrilloyd.co.uk
NYYC Wins Cumberland Cup
Yacht Clubs from around the world were invited to the Royal Thames bi-ennial inter-club team racing challenge; the only international yachting event held in the Capital.
The final day of racing for one of the oldest trophies in the Royal Thames Yacht Club collection, proved to be another testing day for competitors and Race Officials, with the wind rolling right through 360 degree shifts, and the schedule showing that 12 races needed to be completed in order for a fair result to be established, the pressure was on.
When races did get underway, competitors' power of concentration was tested to the limit with the breeze barely strong enough to fill a spinnaker.
However, PRO Gill Smith was determined to ensure that a fair result was achieved and that teams were given as much racing as possible. In their final battle, New York were able to use the fickle breeze to their advantage and seized Race 37. This meant that New York and Costa Smeralda were tied on points.
With RTYC just 2 race wins behind both these teams, the top 3 teams were all vying for first place, and all would have been very worthy winners. However, with the wind and the mark layer moving in endless circles, sadly, there was no time for a final to be sailed, and the overall results were taken from the first 40 races, with two ties having to be broken on count back.
Cumulative scores after 40 races
Final results:
1. New York Yacht Club
2. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda
3. Royal Thames Yacht Club
4. Yale Corinthian Yacht Club
5. Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead)
6. Cumberland
7. Royal Perth Yacht Club
8. Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans)
Rutland, Great Britain Named as 2015 ISAF Team Racing World Championship Venue
Located in central England near Leicester and Peterborough, the 2015 ISAF Team Racing Worlds will be held at Rutland Sailing Club on Rutland Water.
Following a bid process, the ISAF Team Racing Sub-committee made a recommendation to the ISAF Executive Committee who approved the choice of Rutland.
ISAF Competitions Manager Jon Napier said "Rutland Sailing Club has a strong team racing heritage and passion for the discipline. With an exceptional infrastructure in place we look forward to working with the Organising Authority to deliver a successful event."
The 2015 ISAF Team Racing Worlds are provisionally scheduled for July 2015.
Menorca Maxi
For five days, from May 21st to May 25th, the waters off Menorca's capital city Mahon will play host to twelve of the most spectacular yachts in the Mediterranean. Nine Wallys and three J Class yachts will take part in the inaugural Menorca Maxi.
The event is an initiative of the Island Council of Menorca and is organized by Club Marítimo de Mahon, with the support of Port of Mahon, one of the Mediterranean's biggest and most beautiful ports.
Of the nine Wallys in Menorca, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' Magic Carpet 3, a WallyCento, will hit the water as the favorite, having dominated the season's opening event in Palma last week with three bullets and two second places in six races. She will be lining up against another WallyCento, Thomas Bscher's Open Season (the former Hamilton), that features a crew of Olympic and America's Cup champions.
Italian owner Antonio Cacace will battle it out on Magic Blue (Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' former Magic Carpet 2) with an all-Italian top-notch crew. France's Philippe Ligier and his French-Italian crew will race with an iconic Wally, Ryokan 2, winner of the 2008 Compasso d'Oro for quality and design.
Three J Class yachts will race in Menorca; Hanuman, Lionheart and Ranger. Launched in 2009, Hanuman is the reincarnation of the 1937 Endeavour II and won the 2013 Superyacht Cup. Lionheart is based on Harold Vanderbilt's project in the 1930's as is Ranger, a copy of the 1934 America's Cup winner.
The inaugural Menorca Maxi kicks off on Wednesday, May 21st with the usual practice starts and races while racing in full earnest starts on Thursday. The schedule calls for three days of windward/leeward races and one coastal race to the north of the island, until Sunday, May 25th. -- Pierre Orphanidis
Seahorse June 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Creme de la creme
Rob Weiland watches as the wraps come off the first TP52 to be built to the new 2015 class rule
RORC news
Eddie Warden Owen
Seahorse build table - Sharpening up
When does a Farr 400 OD become a Farr 440?
Sailor of the Month
Two largely unsung heroes...
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New Look Rolex Capri Sailing Week
The Italian big boat racing season fires up over 19th-24th May with a new look Rolex Capri Sailing Week. This year, for the first time, the Maxi yacht fleet is joined by the international grand prix 52 fleet with Rolex Capri Sailing Week being the opening event of the class' 2014 European circuit - the Barclays 52 Super Series.
Organised by the International Maxi Association (IMA) in collaboration with the Yacht Club Capri (YCC), the event will comprise separate courses for the Maxis and 52 Super Series over the first three days. While the 52s will be racing windward-leewards on the waters off Capri, the Maxis will be competing on the Volcano Race. Provided conditions allow, this will take the Maxis some 130 miles south to the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily, famous for their active volcanoes such as Stromboli, before returning to Capri. For the second half of Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the Maxis will join the 52 Super Series sailing windward-leewards.
The prize fight in the Maxi fleet will be between the racing Mini Maxis, in particular the Judel Vrolijk 72 near sisterships, Jethou and Robertissima III.
Also competing in the Mini Maxi class is the former Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing VO70, recently acquired by Frenchman Hubert Wargny and renamed Villa Saxe Eiffel, with a crew including Whitbread Round the World Race winner Lionel Pean.
If conditions are strong, the French VO70 could well be nipping at the heels of the biggest boat in the Maxi fleet, Igor Simcic's European-flagged 100ft maxi Esimit Europa II, where multiple Olympic medallist and America's Cup winner Jochen Schümann will be calling the shots tactically.
The racing fleet is joined by a number of cruiser racers including the classic Swan 65 and 651, Giuseppe Puttini's Shirlaf and Austrian Marietta Strasoldo's Luz Am Meer and Jeremy Pilkington's much travelled Baltic 78, Lupa of London.
The Maxi fleet will be divided up into Mini Maxi (18.29 - 24.08m) Racing and Racing/Cruising and Maxi, for yachts of 24.09 - 30.50m.
Castex Cup Regatta
This weekend will see, held in Cowes for the first time, an international regatta, the Castex Cup, between teams from the French Ecole de Guerre (War College) and its British counterpart, the Joint Services Command and Staff College.
The Castex Cup (named after the famous French strategist, Raoul Castex*) was first contested in 2012, on the initiative of two French Frigate Captains, Celerier and Pilfert, of the French Ecole de Guerre's 19th Promotion.
The two colleges are linked by a sound and traditional spirit of competition, which is also found in an annual Rugby match between them, called the Lerwill Cup.
This year sees the third regatta in the series of the Castex Cup, the two previous events having been contested in Le Havre, with the active support of the Societe des Regates du Havre yacht club. The boats used for those races were J80s. The French crews largely dominated both times, and the events took on a very competitive character, but in a true spirit of camaraderie.
It was agreed that from 2014 the two cups should be competed for alternately in England and France. Thus, this year, the Ecole de Guerre will host its British counterpart's rugby team, whilst the French crews will race in England.
The Joint Service Command and Staff College has chosen as the competition boat a typically English one, the Sonar, one generally unknown in France, but used by the Paralympics sailing teams at the last Paralympics Games.
* Raoul Victor Patrice Castex was born in Saint-Omer in 1878 and died in Villeneuve-de-Riviere in 1968. He was a French officer and military theorist, originator of a French geopolitical doctrine, when most of the papers in this area at the time were of Anglo-Saxon or German origin. His notoriety is due in part to the creation of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes etudes de Defense Nationale).
Letters To The Editor - editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
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* From Euan Ross: AC35, here we go again: "In the past, teams have gotten together and established the schedule, which was a mistake. A more sensible way is to work with the broadcaster and determine the optimum schedule for the event. ...This will be difficult to finalize until we commit to a broadcaster and see where we can best fit in their schedule, and amid the sporting landscape." Well Russell, we all know where sailing fits into the broadcasters' sporting landscape - and it's not on the high ground. AC34 alienated informed observers by eliminating almost everything that fascinates and delights in the sport of yacht racing. Each drag-race was like a rerun of Groundhog Day. What remaining tenets of proper yacht racing can they compromise this time round to tempt a few channel-surfing NASCAR fans to pause momentarily between slurps of Budweiser?
Moreover, it seems now that both the Defender and the Challenger of Record don't really want to return to the successful multi-challenger events of the TNZ/Alinghi era. The lack of a Protocol at this stage must be hurting those groups seeking to mount commercially funded challenges. Then, only a select few will be invited to the final party, wherever that may be. It's not encouraging.
And now we have two generations of difficult-to-recycle carbon fibre scrap, with the AC33 90s and now the AC34 72s beyond the pale. To quote Harold S Vanderbilt from the 'Enterprise' campaign: "The thing that gave us most food for thought ... was the sense of responsibility which came with the spending of large sums of other people's money and the desire to produce for them something worthwhile, something which, when the final whistle blew, would not be thrown into the discard and comparative oblivion."
With all the dour half-truths, lies and evasions, say nothing of the complete lack of charm and joy in any aspect of this business, the event needs an Edward Snowden to emerge so that we can find out what's happening. It's no more than the sport deserves. To again quote Vanderbilt: "Public interest in The America's Cup is such that when a yacht is chosen to defend it she loses her private character and becomes for the time being the property of the American people; she is their representative, their defender."
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