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
Magyars On The March
Photo by Alan Henderson, www.fotoboat.com. Click on image to enlarge.
After a wet and windy first day, a light second day, the third day brought four seasons all in one day to sailors at the Flying Dutchman (FD) World Championships in Largs, Scotland.
The day started with a postponement due to high winds gusting to 28 knots, backed by low visibility under the dark skies and heavy rain showers. But a couple of hours later, winds dropped to 15 knots to allow the first start.
Hungary's Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos navigated today's slings and arrows just as well as they had enjoyed the windy start to the Championship, to take another pair of wins to stretch their lead at the top of the 42 competitors.
Among competitors from other continents, the best sailors include respectively Edward Cox and Peter Bevis from Australia, the host country of next year's FD Worlds, Paul Hemker and Richard Phillips from USA, and Javier and Pablo Valdes from Mexico.
A number of ladies are competing in this Championship, and are having to work hard in these powerful boats and brisk winds. Top female sailor is Elisa Koenig of Germany who with crewman Alexander Schmidt, lies in 20th position.
Overall leaders
1. Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos, HUN, 7 points
2. Enno Kramer and Ard Geelkerken, NED, 13
Landsailing Worlds
Photo by Louis Kruk. Click on image for photo gallery.
Smith Creek Playa, near Austin, Nevada, USAL John Eisenlohr, from tiny Lakeside, Montana prevailed in the intensely competitive 5.6 Mini Yacht class that comprised the first phase of the 14th Landsailing World Championship being held at this remote site in Northern Nevada.
Eisenlohr's win was a popular one, as he sailed a clean, uncontroversial race in a home-built land yacht of his own design against formidable international competition. Moreover, he temporarily disproved this reporter's claim, made yesterday, that the Mini yacht class was evolving into an expensive arms race. Eisenlohr's yacht features parts he found at local home supply stores, not purpose-built marine hardware. He is doing a great job of showing that a home builder with innovative ideas and excellent sailing skills can still do well against exotic professionally-developed machinery sailed by highly skilled international sailors.
Meanwhile, in the late afternoon following the conclusion of the Mini Yacht regatta, the many other classes in the World Championship started their racing. Results of some of these initial races are available at the event website. The regatta for these other classes will continue through Saturday, 19 July.
www.nalsa.org/Worlds2014Splash.html
Marinepool Revolution NX Line - The New Generation Of Racing Gear
What if there was a racing top light weight like a shirt, ultra comfortable, made from highly flexible fabric, waterproof like the best offshore sailing gear and more breathable than anything you have ever seen or worn? Impossible? Too good to be true? Well, not any longer!
The new "Revolution" NX top by Marinepool combines all the above mentioned highly regarded qualities in one new innovative garment with Dermizax® NX technology. This high-tech and high-end racing top is one of the stars in the Marinepool 2014 collection. The Marinepool design team and Toray, the producers of the Dermizax® NX fabrics, have been working behind the scenes to bring this new product to market, while the world-class athletes on Extreme Sailing Series Champion "The Wave, Muscat" put it through it´s gears in a thorough testing programme.
The feedback was inspiring the name of this racing top: Revolutionary
Never before has a racing top ticked off the boxes like "Revolution NX" with unrivaled comfort, ease of movement and a breathability at 30,000+ g/m2/24h - 50% higher than most other top of the range products on the market today.
"Revolution NX" features highly flexible neoprene neck and sleeve cuffs, a 3D designed shape, printed reinforcements and an adjustable neoprene hem. Reflective prints provide increased safety. The top is complemented by light-weight and ultra-flexible trousers and bermuda shorts. Both are made from the same high-tech ultra breathable 3-layer fabric with Dermizax NX membrane and feature abrasion resistant Cordura® reinforcements at the knees and bottom, adjustable elastic waistbands, belt loops and a bulky leg pocket with water resistant zipper. The trousers have got pre-shaped knees for increased wearing comfort and mobility and adjustable leg cuffs.
Dermizax® membrane is a nonporous membrane, highly waterproof and breathable. Its smooth and soft texture, super light weight and elasticity significantly increase wearing comfort. Athletes who turn every stone to reduce weight and who always are in pursuit of a competitive advantage will look no further.
"Revolution" NX by Marinepool. Design. Technology. Passion.
ISAF Match Race Rankings
Ian Williams (GBR) hangs on to World #1 in the ISAF World Open Match Race Rankings whilst in the Women's Rankings Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) stays solid at the top.
Open Rankings
For the top ranked sailors there has been just the one regatta to add to their points tally since the last ranking release. Williams remains at World #1 by a whisker, just 12 points ahead of Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin Islands.
The second event of the 2014 Alpari Match Racing Tour, the ISAF Grade W Stena Match Cup in Sweden was an historic affair with Bjorn Hansen (SWE) taking his third consecutive regatta win. Hansen defeated World #1 Williams in the final and he remains at #5 on the World Rankings.
There is just one ISAF Grade 2 event adding points to this ranking release, the O.M International Ledro in Italy. Nicolai Sehested (DEN) picked up the win and, with a tenth place finish in Sweden, moves up one place to World # 6.
Women's Rankings
With just one regatta adding points to the Women's rankings, there is no change to the top five positions. Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) has a solid 1635 point lead ahead of World #2 Anna Kjellberg (SWE).
Top ten, open rankings
1. Ian Williams, GBR
2. Taylor Canfield, ISV
3. Keith Swinton, AUS
4. Mathieu Richard, FRA
5. Bjorn Hansen, SWE
6. Philip Robertson, NZL
7. Nicolai Sehested, DEN
8. Pierre-Antoine Morvan, FRA
9. Eric Monnin, SUI
10. Staffan Lindberg, FIN
Top ten, women's rankings
1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
2. Anna Kjellberg, SWE
3. Stephanie Roble, USA
4. Lucy Macgregor, GBR
5. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE
7. Milly Bennett, AUS
8. Alexa Bezel, SUI
9. Claudia Pierce, NZL
10. Anne-claire Le Berre, FRA
Designed To Take Transpac's Barn Door Trophy
After being based in Australia since 2008, Bakewell-White Yacht Design's 30m Supermaxi 'Lahana' (nee Konica Minolta, nee Zana) has returned to New Zealand for what the designer called 'a major refit'.
The rebuild is taking place at the highly regarded Cookson Boats yard in Auckland's North Shore.
Renamed 'Rio', her new US owners wanted a boat that would be able to have a serious crack at the Barn Door Trophy in the Transpac Race, which runs from Los Angeles to Hawaii.
The Barn Door Trophy is a slab of carved koa wood traditionally awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time, but can't be won by a yacht that uses stored power to operate a canting keel or power winches.
Built in Wellington in 2003, by Hakes Marine for owner Stewart Thwaites, she used water ballast to provide righting moment instead of a canting keel. Zana, later renamed after the Konica Minolta sponsorship, took line honours and many race records on the SW Pacific racing circuits.
She was purchased in Europe by Australian owners and renamed Lahana, competing in several major offshore races.
Under the upgraded design, Rio has been lengthened from 98 to 100ft overall, and had beam added along with more draft, and her pverall weight has been reduced. -- Richard Gladwell
Talk Farr 280 One Design : Talk Bang For Your Buck
To find out more about this exciting race boat, book your place at the Farr 280 Presentation meeting to be held during Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week*.
The Farr 280 One Design is a new production racing sailboat by Farr Yacht Design that delivers exciting grand prix racing in a boat that is under 30' long. As a modern one design, the Farr 280 delivers dynamic grand prix features and style in an affordable, smaller boat package. The boat displays ultra high performance on all points of sail, with a focus on inshore racing for moderate crew sizes of between five and six people.
With substantial UK and European interest in this high performance class, the time has come for potential owners to meet the designers and builders, to discuss the boat, race circuit and the future. If you want to sail fast, in large one design fleets and participate in events throughout the UK and Europe, then the Farr 280 is for you.
To book your space email harmen@farrdesign.com
*date to be advised
2015 Class Schedule:
January 18-23 - Key West Race Week
February/March - Miami
April 16-19 - Charleston Race Week
UK Circuit:
May 22-24 - Farr 280 Open Regatta
June 25-27 - Farr 280 Regatta and J.P. Morgan Round the Island Race
July 25-27 - Farr 280 Class Regatta, Cowes
August 8-15 - Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
September 4-6 - UK Open Championship
Convincing Victory For Ngoni at Soto 40 Worlds
Valencia, Spain: After five days of intense racing, the British boat Ngoni, owned by Tony Buckingham was crowned 2014 Soto 40 International Class champion, after achieving a second place in the last race in Valencia.
After ten races, the British boat finished top of the leaderboard with just 27 points. Noticia IV - Burriana Nova, property of Luis Martín Cabiedes finished second position seven points behind, followed by Pedro Mendonca's Bigamist.
The last and decisive race started with 11 knots, the Chilean boat Santander made a great start and was the first to cross the finish line, achieving its first victory of the championship after a week in which the South American crew showed that they are good and they can get used to Valencia's racing conditions. Ngoni finished in second position, while Glen Ellen XXII overcame Earlybird in the last part of the race, proving that the boats are truly evenly matched.
The Portuguese Jose Caldeira on Uon won the Owner Driver trophy.
Forty Five Years Ago
Wednesday marks the 45th anniversary of the July 16, 1969 launch of Apollo 11, the NASA mission that first landed human beings on the Moon. Years of effort, dangerous experiments, and bold missions led up to the Moon landing, an event watched on live television by millions around the world.
Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin left the Earth on a Wednesday, landed on the Moon on that Sunday, spent a bit more than two hours walking on its surface, deploying experiments and collecting samples, then splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean the following Thursday, after 8 days off-planet.
See a collection of photos that astonish to this day:
Record Turnout Expected At The J-Cup
Hamble, Hampshire, UK: This year the J-Cup returns to the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble and includes the Lombard-sponsored J/97 Championships and incorporates the J/109 UK National Championships. A record turnout is expected with over 60 boats already entered and organisers are looking forward to seeing some new, as well as some of the more familiar sailors, racing in this competitive annual regatta.
Registration and the Regatta briefing will take place at the Royal Southern on Wednesday 23rd July and then follows three days of racing under the supervision of the Royal Southern's PRO Tony Lovell
The majority of the individual class numbers are up on last year's regatta held in Plymouth and as the Cup itself is awarded to the most deserving team in the regatta (which is not necessarily the team with the most bullets), this prestigious trophy is up for grabs to any owner who has entered.
The biggest-ever fleet of the four year-old J/97 class will compete in this year's J-Cup featuring some top runners & riders including a previous J-Cup winner Chas Ivill, ETB Tyres. The father and son pairing, the Mundays, pulled out all the stops on the race course last year, achieving the best overall results for the year with their J/97 Induljence. -- Peta Stuart-Hunt
https://www.facebook.com/TheJCup?fref=ts
'Fastest Man On Water' Eyes New Record
The Hampshire-based "world's fastest sailor" has revealed plans for a ground-breaking boat capable of reaching speeds of 75mph on the world's oceans powered just by wind, the Daily Echo can reveal.
Paul Larsen sailed into the record books in 2012 when he steered his state-of-the-art boat Sailrocket 2 to a speed of 65.45 knots, making it the fastest wind-powered boat in the world.
Now, after a two-year break, Larsen and his team have revealed they are in the early stages of designing and building a boat that would be capable of the same speeds but across oceans rather than still water.
The boat would be a scaled up version of the futuristic Sailrocket 2, which in turn was a modified model of the team's original boat designed by a team in Southampton and launched in 2008.
The project is still in its infancy and Larsen is now on the hunt for funding to make the dream a reality.
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The Last Word
So I'm at the wailing wall, standing there like a moron, with my harpoon. -- Emo Phillips
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