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
AC62 Class Rule Released
Fast, foiling, wing-sailed catamarans will race in the next America's Cup as the new class rule for the AC62 yacht has been released.
The AC62 is 10 feet shorter than its predecessor, but is expected to be just as fast and challenging to race for the crews, and will produce the same heart-pounding action for spectators.
"This new boat is going to be significantly lighter and under much less load than what we raced last time, which makes for a big cost-saving when it comes to how it gets built," said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill.
"At the same time, as designers, boat-builders, and sailors, we're all starting to come to grips with how to get the most out of foiling, wing-sailed multihulls, so I think we'll see similar, if not greater performance this time around."
The mandate was to get similar performance from a slightly smaller boat, but one that would be significantly less expensive to design, build and campaign. Initial calculations by the designers have the cost of the AC62 at about half that of the AC72.
Pete Melvin, a designer with Emirates Team New Zealand in the last America's Cup, and his firm Morrelli and Melvin, were commissioned by ORACLE TEAM USA (the Defender) and Team Australia (the Challenger of Record) to oversee the writing of the AC62 class rule.
Venue Delay Could Sink Team NZ
Team New Zealand concede the failure of America's Cup organisers to settle on a venue for the next match may make it impossible to secure the funding needed to compete.
Nearly eight months on from Oracle Team USA's spectacular defence, the US syndicate yesterday finally released the protocol for the next event. While the 78-page document laid out the rules and structure of the 35th Cup match and lead-up regattas, the question of venue remains unanswered as authorities negotiate with San Francisco, San Diego, Bermuda and Chicago.
Organisers have given themselves until November to make a final decision on venue, well after the August 8 deadline for the challengers to sign up and pay the US$2 million entry fee (in two US$1 million instalments).
Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton said the delay in naming a venue would virtually rule out commercially funded teams, with sponsors unwilling to commit to funding until a host city was confirmed. -- Dana Johannsen in the New Zealand Herald
Five Bullets Puts Williams In The Lead
Langenargen, Germany: Last year's winner is on fire again, with GAC Pindar the only team to keep a clean sheet
After narrowly losing the world title at the end of last season's Alpari World Match Racing Tour, Ian Williams threw down the gauntlet today at the start of Match Race Germany. In very light and shifty conditions, the GAC Pindar skipper somehow navigated his way through the pitholes and hidden traps to win all five of his matches on the first day of Qualifying.
Williams was the only one to keep his nose clean today. Bjorn Hansen and Keith Swinton were next best, each on 3-1 scores.
Francesco Bruni and Mathieu Richard are both fancied to do well on this year's Tour, but today was not the best start to their 2014 campaigns, with the Italian and French crews only winning two of their five matches.
Stage 1 Match Race Germany, Alpari World Match Racing Tour
Results after Flight 9
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 5-0
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team 3-1
Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX 3-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing 3-2
David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour 3-2
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 2-2
Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Race Team 2-3
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa 2-3
Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets 2-3
Carsten Kemling (GER) SegelReporter 1-3
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) TRE-For Match Racing 1-3
Karol Jablonski (POL) Jablonski Sailing Team 1-4
Race Round Britain & Ireland On A Volvo 70 - Are You Up To The Challenge?
Record-breaking Volvo 70 racing charter yacht Monster Project is offering amateur sailors a rare opportunity to join our team for the epic Round Britain & Ireland Race, held only once every four years. Racing on a 70 foot carbon fibre sailing machine with a huge square-topped mainsail, twin daggerboards and a canting keel, you'll be lining up against the professionals on Volvo 65s Abu Dhabi, Dongfeng and SCA and competing for line honours on a boat that circumnavigated the British Isles in 2008 in near-record time.
One of the world's most challenging offshore races, the RBI Race is an 1,800 nautical mile circumnavigation that stretches from the iconic Fastnet Rock in the south to the beautiful Shetland Isles in the north.
On Monster Project you can experience the thrill of sailing a high performance racing yacht as an integral part of the crew, pitting yourself against the elements and testing your mettle against some of the world's best professional yacht racers.
Our RBI Race package includes two qualifying races (11-14 and 26-27 July) where you'll be trained by our Professional Crew and Racing Skipper Andy Budgen, before we cross the start line on 10 August and the real adventure begins… Will you be there?
andy@volvo70charter.co.uk
www.volvo70charter.co.uk
Le Berre Goes Undefeated On Thursday In Cork
French Match Racing Champion Anne-Claire Le Berre had a great Thursday on the Irish waters of Cork, winning all of her matches to finish the round-robin stage of the 2014 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship with a 10 - 2 record.
Like the French sailor, World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) and compatriot Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen finished with a 10-2 record as they came out first and runner-up when the three-way-tie was broken.
The racing conditions on the second day continued with shifty winds and strong current, but with a lighter wind than on the opening day of the first event of the 2014 Women's International Match Racing Series (WIM Series).
The first eight skippers advance to the quarter-finals:
1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 10 - 2
2. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 10 - 2
3. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 10 - 2
4. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 9 - 3
5. Stephanie Roble, USA, 9 - 3
6. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 7 - 5
7. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 6 - 6
8. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 5 - 7
9. Annabel Vose, GBR, 4 - 8
10. Mary O'Loughlin, IRL, 3 - 9
11. Laura Dillon, IRL, 2 - 10
12. Lucie Scheiwiller, FRA, 2 - 10
13. Anne-Christianne Kentgens, NED, 1 - 11
"Bronenosec" Wins Nord Stream Race 2014
Photo by onEdition. Click on image for photo gallery.
On 5th of June at 03:35am (CEST) Team Russia with skipper Igor Frolov crossed the finish line right at the entrance of the Warnemunde harbour. With this result the crew of "Bronenosec" not only claimed victory for the final leg but also for the overall ranking of the Swan 60 class in Nord Stream Race 2014. Runner-up at in the long distance race from Helsinki to Warnemunde was the Chinese "Windward" of Yeliang Fan with skipper Lorenzo Bortolotti. For Team China this meant an improvement in their overall ranking from fourth to second place. The German sailing professional Tim Kroger with his "Spirit of Europe" crew came in third place in the long distance race as well as in the overall ranking.
Final standings:
Bronenosec / Team Russia
Windward / Team China
Spirit of Europe / Team Europe
SGM / Team Germany
Tsaar Peter / Team Russia Youth
Petite Flamme / Team Estonia
No Change At The Top In Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Porto Cervo, Italy: Despite a second thrilling day of racing in near perfect conditions at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Porto Cervo, the leaders of each of the three participating divisions remained unchanged. However with two more days of racing left and lighter conditions forecast for the rest of the week, all is yet to play for.
With a 17 knot Mistral breeze on the starting line, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda's Race Committee today set a course of approximately 20 miles that took the fleet north to the Monaci Islands before heading back towards the coast and along the channel between the mainland and the islands. The 19-strong superyacht fleet rounded a mark off the south-east corner of Spargi and then set their gennakers for the downwind run to the finish at the Secca Tre Monti rock as the wind died out somewhat.
Racing is scheduled to continue at 12 midday tomorrow with East South-Easterly breezes of around 10 knots forecast.
Provisional Results at 05/06/2014
Division A
1. Firefly
2. Magic Carpet 3
3. Ghost
Division B
1. Moonbird
2. Cape Arrow
3. Unfurled
Division C
1. Grande Orazio
2. Selene
3. Karibu
SWS Trophy
1. Grande Orazio
2. Cape Arrow
3. Whisper
www.loropianasuperyachtregatta.com
Bosphorus Cup 2014 Starts Today
Photo by Nico Martinez, www.martinezstudio.es. Click on image to enlarge.
Now in its 12th year of providing competitive racing to the spectacular waterfront at the edge of Europe and Asia, the 2014 edition of the Bosphorus Cup will start today with 80 teams split into six classes, ranging from sport boats to casual cruisers to serious offshore racers. Sailors from several nations and three continents have converged on Istanbul to participate in this yearly event produced by ORG SPORTS, the Turkish Sailing Federation and IMM Sports Inc.
Five races are planned, starting today with two inshore races at Caddebostan, one race tomorrow up the length of the Bosphorus Straits from Dolmabahce to Anadolu Hisan, with inshore racing resuming on Sunday back at Caddebostan. Yesterday's Practice Race attracted some of the fleet to come out and test the conditions in one of the most famous and scenic bodies of water in the world.
The largest and most competitive class will likely be Class 1, which among its 26 entries includes several boat types ranging from racing designs such as Farr 30's, Melges 32's, Farr 40's and the new Jason Ker-designed Bolt 37, to several cruiser/racers. This class has also attracted the most talent, with several high-level international and Olympic sailors among the teams.
"We are very happy to have such a strong turnout this year for the event," said Orhan Gorbon, principal organizer of the Bosphorus Cup. "And more impressed to have a growing international interest and presence here. This is truly one of the world's most unique venues for sailing, and we hope even more will come to enjoy the racing and our world-famous Turkish hospitality."
More information on the Bosphorus Cup and photos from Martinez Studio can be found at www.bosphoruscup.org
Seahorse July 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Fast and fun
Dobbs Davis takes a close look at the Bolt 37
Fair?
Rob Weiland has his own slant on the Oracle Team USA cheating scandal and its repercussions
Seahorse build table - Beaujolais nouveau
Torbjorn Linderson has had his (multihull) pencil out once again
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470 And Finn Sail For Gold Titles Decided With Day To Spare
The fourth day of racing at the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth and Portland brought perfect sailing conditions from the outset, with Great Britain's Finn sailor Giles Scott and 470 sailors Luke Patience and Elliot Willis clinching event honours on the penultimate day of the regatta.
The eight Olympic and two Paralympic classes, at this third leg of the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup series, enjoyed superb sunshine and a south westerly 12-16 knots as the full complement of races was completed on the two course areas used in Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour.
The British Sailing Team's Giles Scott sealed the deal in the heavyweight Finn class with another impressive display of racing. Scott, who similarly bagged the Finn European Championship title with a day to spare in La Rochelle, France, last month, has dominated these championships with ten race wins from his fourteen races so far.
Scott will still sail in Friday's medal race, but takes an unassailable 13 point led into the finale, despite retiring from today's third and final race.
Another dominant display across today's three races by Luke Patience and Elliott Willis has handed them their second consecutive EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup medal, this time upgrading their Delta Lloyd silver to gold at this week's regatta.
The pair clinched the top spot on the podium with a clean sweep of race wins, and enter the final medal race with a 23 point cushion over Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre in second. Anna Burnett and Flora Stewart, bronze medallists at the Delta Lloyd event, are third.
Target Speeds Now Available In ORC Sailor Services
Milan, Italy: The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to offer an important new feature to its range of products available to racing sailors in the Sailor Services web portal: Target Speeds. This is available now at www.orc.org/sailorservices
For any boat in the ORC database of nearly 75,000 measurement records that has had either a valid certificate or a test certificate issued in the ORC Club or ORC International rating system, that boat's Target Speeds sheet will now be available in addition to an ORC Speed Guide. And while the Speed Guide gives a complete performance data report on the boat at all wind angles over a range of 6 to 20 knots of true wind, the Target Speed sheet will provide specific performance predictions based on that boat's optimal Velocity Made Good (VMG) on a windward-leeward race course.
The Target Speed sheet therefore represents a customized prediction of performance targets for that boat on one of the most common type of courses used in competitive offshore sailing.
Using the ORC's powerful Velocity Prediction Program (VPP), the data provided from the boat's measurement file is used to calculate the specific boat speed and wind angle at which the boat will be at its optimum VMG performance on the Upwind and Downwind legs of a windward-leeward course. For Upwind legs, the Apparent Wind Angle (AWA) is shown, and for Downwind the True Wind Angle (TWA) is shown, since these are the parameters most often used by teams as steering guides. The data in the Target Speed sheet is given for True Wind Speeds (TWS) of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 20 knots of wind, with Boat Speed (BS) shown in knots.
The data shown on the Target Speeds sheet makes no assumption on the calibration accuracy of the wind and boat sensors used in the boat's instrumentation system, so actual figures may vary for each boat.
A Target Speed sheet for any boat in the ORC database is available for 20€, or 10€ if an ORC Club or ORC International test certificate has already been generated for that boat. The ORC Speed Guide is also discounted from €50 to €40 if a test certificate has been run. Both products are generated in PDF format and automatically sent to the user's email address, where it can be readily retrieved for printing and then laminated for on-board use.
For more information, visit the ORC Sailor Services at www.orc.org/sailorservices
Letters To The Editor - editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Bryan Stewart, Sales & Marketing Director, Gill: I'd like to add to the words written by Frank Newton in Thursday's Scuttlebutt supporting a fun entry in to sailing for kids.
Goodness knows what a busy life our kids seem to have, with many parents working full time, breakfast clubs, afterschool club, homework at primary school age, great stuff like cubs , brownies, youth club, swimming, cricket and goodness knows what else on a weekly basis, can't they just have a bit of fun out on the water with their family or mates at the weekend as start in sailing.
I don't discourage supporting talent and encouraging development of a chosen sport in the least, but at an early stage with the right level of encouragement, enthusiasm and a little time their ability and desire to take their racing more seriously will come.
My own children are starting out on their sailing journey and we are trying to take the "fun" approach. Even with that as an attitude there are still days that are cold, unexpectedly gusty or just simply when the kids are a bit knackered from the weeks frenzy. Sadly for them one risk is that they inherit their parents mid-lower fleet sailing ability, but I also hope that they inherit their love of the sport that has brought some of their greatest friendships and certainly some of the most "fun" moments over the years.
* From Alistair Skinner: I completely agree with Frank Newton and offer eveidence from my own experience. My daughter started with 'stuff' like 'follow the leader (round the harbour not in a race) and such like with the 'gang' at Port Edgar Yacht Club. Started to really love the sport, stopped sailing with me (not cool to sail with dad) and became "Shorty" on one of the club's top boats. I did a bit of coaching - but only when she wanted and she - now in her late 20's - still loves sailing. Along the way she has been part of National winning teams both in Scotland and now in Australia and picked up a runner up slot with Rob Greenhalgh a couple of SB20 Worlds ago but it is HER success NOT mine. Parents should encourage their children for their children's sake not their own. "Be proud but not too loud"
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