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
Sweden's Artemis Confirms America's Cup Challenge
Artemis Racing officially launched its challenge to win the 35th America's Cup at an inspirational event in Sweden's capital. Guests were treated to a rare chance of seeing the America's Cup trophy first hand at the Moderna Museet, on Skeppsholmen Island at the heart of Stockholm's proud maritime history.
Artemis Racing will again challenge alongside Kungliga Svenska Segel Sallskapet (KSSS), the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, for what will be their second campaign together in the pursuit of winning the oldest competition in sport.
New team members were announced, including Swedish Olympic champions, Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen, as well as America's Cup veteran Rod Davis.
One of the most promising talents in Swedish sailing, Max Salminen, still just 24, struck gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games alongside Fredrik Loof in the Star class.
Artemis Racing also welcomed Sailing Coach Rod Davis. In his extraordinary America's Cup career -now his 9th campaign - Davis brings an unparalleled wealth of experience to the team, having covered a variety of roles from bowman to mainsail trimmer, skipper, and more recently coach of Emirates Team New Zealand. Rod won a gold medal in the Soling class at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, and Olympic silver in the Finn class in Barcelona 1992. His track record also includes winning the Admiral's Cup and the Sardinia Cup several times, as well as seven World Champion titles.
The Team has already amassed an incredible 61 America's Cup Campaigns between its members, including 14 victories. Team members (including two designers) have competed in 21 Olympic Games, winning 11 medals, including seven Gold medals.
Big Comeback for Maxi Ragamuffin at Hamilton Island Race Week
The 27 ton bullet-proof aluminium built Maxi Ragamuffin is making its racing comeback at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week following a 21 year lull when the old girl toiled as a charter workhorse.
Maxi Ragamuffin is a German Frers design built in Mona Vale in Sydney in 1979, the same year when racing as Bumblebee IV for John Kahlbetzer the boat took line honours in the Sydney to Hobart. Under Syd Fischer's charge another two line honours triumphs would belong to the famous maxi and Ragamuffin moniker, in 1988 and 1990.
The boat joined the 93-boat fleet at the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984 and at least one part of the boat has been a permanent fixture at the island since 2009. The 30m aluminium flagpole on the flagdeck at Hamilton Island Yacht Club used for starting and finishing races at Race Week is the mast off Bumblebee IV which was lost overboard in Sydney Harbour then salvaged.
Ragamuffin's new owner Keith Batt has grand plans for the 80-footer he purchased less than a year ago starting with Race Week August 16 to 23, then the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race in December. -- Lisa Ratcliff
SK2. Welcome To The New.
Click on image for SK2 Videos
The fast and fun sportsboat with a canting keel. Developed by Swing Keel Sailing Ltd and built by Ovington boats.
The SK2 will be shown at Southampton Boat Show 2014 and will be available for test sails at the show. The boat will be in the marina in berth M010. Book your test sail early by e-mailing us at info@sk2sailing.com or come to see us on our shore based stand at E032.
For more information on the SK2 and what it has to offer visit www.sk2sailing.com
Eight New TP52s For Next Years 52 Super Series
Eight newly built TP52s will compete on the 2015 52 SUPER SERIES circuit in fleet which is expected to comprise 12 to 14 boats, including three teams who will be new to the series in Europe, over a five regatta circuit at venues which are presently being finalised.
Ten years after the TP52s were first adopted into Europe the class remains true to a box rule concept which has been well managed to racing remains tight but there are still sufficient design opportunities to develop and design performance differences.
The new 2015 generation boats will be faster still and more challenging to sail. Sail area increases - mainsails, jibs and gennakers all get bigger - overall displacement reduces but draft and hence righting moment or power increases - carbon rigging is adopted, bowsprits are longer, new generation carbon rigs will be stiffer and deflectors are allowed and cockpit volume is opened up.
The eight new boats include those for existing 52 SUPER SERIES teams, Quantum Racing (Doug DeVos USA), Azzurra (Roemmers family ARG), Sled (Takashi Okura, USA/JPN), Ran Racing (Niklas Zennstrom, SWE), Provezza (Ergin Imre, TUR), Gladiator (Tony Langley, GBR). Two teams are choosing to remain anonymous but have boats already commissioned.
Interestingly the new boats which have been ordered are split 50:50, four apiece between the two established design houses Botin Partners and Judel/Vrolijk.
Build Table for 2015 at 18th August 2014:
- TBA (sistership Quantum)
- Quantum Racing USA- Botin - Longitud Cero (ESP)
- Azzurra ITA - Botin - King Marine (ESP)
- Sled USA/JPN - Botin - Cookson (NZ)
- Ran Racing SWE - Vrolijk - Persico (ITA)
- Gladiator GBR (sistership Ran)
- Provezza TUR - Vrolijk - Cookson (NZ)
- TBA, Vrolijk - Premier (Dubai)
2015 52 Super Series Dates (Provisional)
- May, 18th - 23rd
- June, 08th - 13th
- July, 13th - 18th
- August, 03rd - 08th
- September 15th - 20th
Snipe European Championship
Kamien Pomorski, Poland: The Snipe Class is experiencing an Open European Championship, set to begin in Poland tomorrow. For the past 64 years, the championship has been restricted to European residents. With the opening of the event, 61 teams representing 14 nations are on the starting line with teams from the US and Brazil also in attendance.
This is also the first time for the event to be held in Poland, with a growing fleet of Snipes typically sailed on an inland lake. The practice race was won by the Brazilian team of Alexandre Tinoco and Bernardo Low Beer - Tinoco holding many titles including World and South American Snipe Champion promises to make the event exciting. Returning to defend his title is Raul de Valenzuela of Spain.
Racing begins on Wednesday, August 20 and runs through Saturday with the prizegiving on August 23rd.
Swish On Record Pace
At 0800 BST on Tuesday 19th August nine yachts were still racing in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. Ifan James, skipper of Stimpson 42 Palpatine, contacted the Royal Ocean Racing Club yesterday to retire from the race with all crew well. Palpatine left the Isle of Lewis in the early hours of Tuesday morning and is currently passing the Isle of Skye, east of the Outer Hebrides. A scenic sail past the stunning lochs of the West Coast of Scotland in good weather and dry clothes will be a dream compared to the rough conditions experienced over the last few days.
Roderick Knowles' Class40, Swish, rounded The Lizard just before dawn this morning. They are 150 miles from the finish and speeding along at over 8 knots, well inside world record pace for a yacht of 40ft or less. Swish is expected to finish the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race in the early hours of Wednesday morning (20th August).
J/122 Relentless on Jellyfish, skippered by James George, was positioned 30 miles off the west coast of Ireland last night, so far in the race only the Spanish Volvo Ocean 65, Team Campos, decided to go that far offshore. However, the move looks to be paying off. At St. Kilda, Relentless on Jellyfish was behind Hanse 53, Saga, skippered by Peter Hopps, and British Soldier, sailed by the Army Sailing Association. Relentless on Jellyfish seems to have benefited from more wind during the night and this morning has passed both Saga and British Soldier, moving into first position in IRC Two, just under two hours ahead of British Soldier.
roundbritainandireland.rorc.org
Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge
New York City, USA: Congratulations to Royal Cape Yacht Club of South Africa for winning. Denmark was second, Switzerland third, Bermuda fourth and Ireland fifth.
Final top ten:
1. Royal Cape Yacht Club, South Africa, 15
2. Royal Danish Yacht Club, Denmark, 20
3. Cercle de la Voile de la Societe Nautique de Geneve, Switzerland, 38
4. Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Bermuda, 39
5. Howth Yacht Club Team 1, Ireland, 43
6. Manhattan Yacht Club Team 2, United States, 45
7. Societe Nautique de la Baie de Saint-Malo, France, 45
8. Club Universitario de Buenos Aires Team 2, Argentina, 61
9. Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Team 2, Australia, 67
10. Howth Yacht Club Team 2, Ireland, 67
Linda Merkle Receives ISAF Silver Medal
The ISAF Silver Medal, one of the highest honours of the International Sailing Federation, recognizes long term service to the sport of sailing and is presented to those who have contributed in a signifcant way.
Merkle spent more than fifteen years in various roles with the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS). She was recruited to help the sport as director of the Paralympic regatta in Atlanta prior to the 1996 Paralympic Games and went on to serve as technical chair of IFDS and later President until stepping down in Noveber 2012.
The medal was presented by Vice-President Gary Jobson during the opening ceremony of the High Liner Foods IFDS Worlds in Halifax, Canada. Racing in the three Paralympic classes, 2.4mR (One Person Keelboat), SKUD18 (Two Person Keelboat) and Sonar (Three Person Keelboat) starts on Tuesday 19 August and runs until Sunday 24 August.
420 Open European Championship
Having led the Championship all week, Hippolyte Machetti/Sidoine Dantes (FRA) lost out to Switzerland's Kilian Wagen/Gregoire Siegwart on the penultimate day of racing as they slipped to 2nd on the leaderboard.
Things were not looking good for the French after their 16th place finish in the penultimate race 11 positioned them 7 points behind the Swiss. Their target was to put 7 boats between themselves and the Swiss in the final race to get back into gold medal position.
With Wagen/Gregoire Siegwart finishing back in 14th - it was a gold to France, silver to Switzerland.
Silver Fleet victory went to Ireland's Robert Dickson/Sean Waddilove, second to Salome Rouiller/Louise Thilo (SUI) and third to Maxime Bachelin/Philippe Pittet (SUI).
A team tally of 108 boats representing 20 nations competed at the 2014 420 Junior European Championships, with teams from the Hong Kong, New Zealand and USA joining the European line-up.
420 - Top 10 Overall
1. Hippolyte Machetti/Sidoine Dantes, FRA, 86 points
2. Kilian Wagen/Gregoire Siegwart, SUI, 92
3. Max Clapp/Joseph Burns, GBR, 110
4. Ewa Romaniuk/Katarzyna Goralska, POL, 128
5. Russell Clarida/Henry Fernberger, USA, 131
6. Max Clapp/Joseph Burns, GBR, 140
7. Thomas Ponthieu/Quentin Paturle, FRA, 151
8. Paula Barcelo/Margarita Alba, ESP, 157
9. Nitai Hasson/Yoav Shpilman, ISR, 160
10. Jan Borbet/Lea Borbet, GER, 170
AUDI Melges 20 Worlds
Riva Del Garda, Italy - In less than two weeks, the commencement of the second Audi Melges 20 World Championship will take place with a record-breaking entry of 55 teams expected to participate in the four-day racing affair. The Italian fleet is the largest in attendance with additional representation from Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Monaco, Russia and the United States.
As of late, Riva del Garda has been the center of International Melges Class racing. The Audi Melges 20 held its fourth act of the 2014 Audi-Tron Sailing Series in Riva during late July. The World Championship is organized by B.Plan Sports&Events and Fraglia Vela Riva, with the full support and coordination of Melges Europe and the International Audi Melges 20 Class Association (IAM20CA). It will serve as the fifth and final event of the Melges 20 Audi-Tron Sailing Series in 2014.
A notable entry is 11-year-old Liam Kilroy. Earlier in 2014, the North American fleet welcomed the young son of 2013 U.S. National Champion John Kilroy, to the competitive ring. He will race his Audi Melges 20 Wildman in his first World Championship ever.
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The Last Word
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