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
Rolex Swan Cup
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi, http://carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Porto Cervo, Italy: After a short wait as the Race Committee waited for the light breeze to fill in as predicted, the six divisions competing in the Rolex Swan Cup were able to get underway in the first day of racing at the event organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda together with Nautor's Swan and title sponsor Rolex. Early division leaders are Elena Nova (Swan 45), Cuor di Leone (Swan 42), Whope (Swan 60), Berenice Bis (Maxi), Best Buddies (Grand Prix) and Mascalzone Latino (Classic).
The Swan 60 and Maxi fleets, the first two divisions off the starting line, completed a custom course that took them south to round the islands of Mortorio and Soffi before proceeding north past Porto Cervo to round the Isola delle Bisce and head for the finish just off the harbour. The Grand Prix and Classic Sparkman and Stephens divisions completed a shorter version of the same course finishing directly off Porto Cervo after rounding the southerly isles.
The Swan 42 and Swan 45 one-design fleets each completed two windward-leeward races in a light breeze of around 7-9 knots which shifted gradually from westerly to a south-easterly sirocco over the course of the afternoon.
The eight-boat Swan 45 fleet, competing in the Swan 45 World Championship, saw Christian Plump's Elena Nova and three-time division winner Earlybird vying for the top spot today.
Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, Wednesday 10th September at 11.30 a.m. A light westerly breeze is predicted.
Final Event Of The Farr 40 International Circuit
San Francisco, California, USA: The Farr 40 International Circuit will be decided during the Rolex Big Boat Series, being held this Thursday through Sunday out of St. Francis Yacht Club.
Factoring in one drop regatta, New York skipper Alex Roepers and the Plenty team lead the International Circuit standings with a low score of 103. Lurking not too far behind are Flash Gordon 6 (Helmut Jahn, Chicago) and Enfant Terrible (Alberto Rossi, Ancona, Italy) with 123 and 124 points, respectively. Things could change dramatically during the final regatta of the season as the Rolex Big Boat Series is a mandatory event and thus must be counted toward the final point total.
"Basically, it's all on between Plenty, Flash and Enfant. Certainly, Alex and the boys aboard Plenty are in the driver's seat as the championship is theirs to lose, but they better be really careful and not slip up because Flash and Enfant are very much within striking distance," said Geoff Stagg, manager of the Farr 40 class.
"On another note, it will be great to have Wolfgang Schaefer and the Struntje Light team back in action for this regatta. We are also pleased to welcome back Hasip Gencer and our friends from Istanbul aboard Asterisk."
"The Rolex Big Boat Regatta is one of the most iconic events on the international racing scene and San Francisco Bay is a fantastic body of water to sail on," Stagg said. "There will be strong winds and significant tidal currents to deal with."
Marinepool - Clothing Partner of the Extreme Sailing Series™
Marinepool is widely regarded as one of the leading sailing clothing and maritime lifestyle brands and is the "Official Clothing Partner" of the Extreme Sailing Series™.
We have built a reputation for outstanding quality, excellent service and quick and reliable deliveries. These are only a few of the reasons why no less than 4 of this year´s teams in the Extreme Sailing Series™, among them 2012 and 2013 Champions The Wave, Muscat, are racing in Marinepool kit.
Using only the best materials and state of the art production technologies, no detail is omitted to ensure every product is optimized before it reaches the market. More than 23 years of experience and design excellence, plus the invaluable input of the world class athletes proudly wearing Marinepool garments, guarantee the products are at the cutting edge of technology.
Uncompromising, highly functional and extremely light weight; Tested and approved by many of the world's finest sailors.
As a group of companies with German roots and head quarters, operating in 43 countries, with product lines ranging from performance sailing clothing and a test winning life jacket range to maritime fashion, Marinepool is uniquely qualified and the perfect match for the clothing requirements of YOUR sailing team or company.
Purchase the Extreme Sailing Series™ Collection by Marinepool directly from the official online store: http://www.extreme-sailing-series-store.com or contact us for your customized team wear on info@marinepool.com
Marinepool | Design. Technology. Passion.
Survey For Scottish Series Participants
At the Clyde Cruising Club we are very proud of our headline annual event Scottish Series. We are however very aware that times keep changing as do the desires and requirements of our "customers" especially given greater demands on peoples time.
We would like to gather as much feedback on our event as possible therefore we have created a small survey and ask that as many Scottish Series participants past and present (or potential participants) complete it. We have deliberately not prepared a tick box questionnaire so as to not have leading questions. So that it will not take long to complete and as we also only have limited time in which to read them all we would ask that you keep responses short and succinct....
All the questions refer to a specific part of the regatta; venue, social, racing etc.
Please give feedback on what could be done to improve each aspect, why it would improve it and what do you not like about the current set up. We will try and take it all on board and do what we can to take the best of the suggestions to improve the experience for all competitors on aspects that are within our control i.e. please dont ask us for more sunshine!!! Please feel free to forward the survey to other interested parties.
We look forward to seeing you all on 22nd May 2015. -- Scottish Series Organising Team
Survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/V28TGPJ
Binoculars Taken From Lymington Town Sailing Club
It is with great sadness we report that Lymington Town Sailing Club's binoculars have been taken from the Club on Tuesday 2nd September.
Located in the Club's Solent Room, the binoculars meant members and their guests could admire the stunning view of the Solent. They were an added safety feature for Race Officers to monitor the dinghy race area and they provided a visual check for competitors to asses wind and tidal conditions out in the Solent.
They were German Carl Zeiss Binoculars used by the German Military in WW2, and the earliest recollection of them being in the Solent Room at Lymington Town Sailing Club dates back to 1957. With a matt green/grey finish, they are large, heavy and a specialist tool was needed to remove them, this was not a task for the faint hearted.
As you can imagine the members of LTSC are devastated and we ask if anyone has any information about the whereabouts of the binoculars or is approached by anyone selling any, please can you contact the Club directly on 01590 674514, or Lymington Police on 101 quoting the crime number 44140317195.
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
America's Cup Press Conference
Get things right in the early stages, and it will be easier later.
That's the position the sailors representing the six America's Cup teams were taking on Tuesday during a press conference in London as they assessed how they've played the opening gambits in their campaigns for sailing's oldest prize.
With the entry deadline just one month behind him, Franck Cammas is leading a new team for this America's Cup, Team France, which hopes to unite the talent and expertise in the country to build a team capable of taking on the best in the world.
"We have the sailors, we have the technology and we have the engineers to do well in the America's Cup, but we need to join everything together under one flag," he said. "We have a good start now to launch the team but we need to keep pushing to find everything we need to be strong as we move towards the future."
Speaking to a home audience, Ben Ainslie told the media his team would draw on a combination of youth and experience in building a British challenger.
"We're putting together a predominantly British sailing team, a mix of experience with guys who have been there and won the Cup a few times as well as some younger, homegrown talent that is coming through. If we were going racing tomorrow, I would be steering the boat, but that might not be the same answer in a few years time."
For Kiwi skipper Dean Barker, this America's Cup is about finding that final one-percent his team needs to get over the hump, after coming agonizingly close to victory last time.
Teams were to have an initial meeting with the Commercial Commissioner later on Tuesday in London.
RORC Cherbourg Race
The penultimate race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, and the last of the domestic season, to Cherbourg was a light winds affair, as RORC Racing Manager Nick Elliott explains: "The fleet had just enough pressure to get out of the Solent but the light breeze faded during the night. The breeze did not materialise until the morning and this year's race definitely favoured the smaller yachts. The best performers were those that used the tide to their advantage and although it was a long and at times frustrating race, most of the fleet finished."
Winning the Cherbourg Race overall on corrected time was Blair Forsyth's J/97 High Jinks.
This is High Jinks' first RORC offshore season during which the boat had been principally sailed two-handed. The Cherbourg Race was their first fully crewed RORC race of 2014.
Throughout the season IRC One has been host to a hotly contested duel between RORC Commodore Mike Greville's Ker 39, Erivale III, and Steven Anderson's Corby 40, Cracklin Rosie. After the last rubber of the domestic season, Mike Greville and his crew onboard Erivale III could celebrate having won the class after correction, and beaten their close rival into second place for both the race and the season. Erivale III and Cracklin Rosie are currently placed second and third in class in the RORC Season's Points Championship, behind Tonnerre de Breskens 3 in first place.
As ever the winning boats were treated to a warm reception by the Yacht Club de Cherbourg who have been a long time supporter of the race. -- Louay Habib
South Coast Excitement Builds For Farr 280
With the first UK boat set to arrive on the 21st September, Activate, the UK Sales agent, is ready for a busy programme of boat testing and demonstrations.
The inaugural viewing of this exciting Grand Prix racer will be at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge, on the 25th September. This will be the first chance for prospective owners to see the quality and craftsmanship of this Premier Composite Technologies, built race boat.
With more than 100 guests attending, spaces are however, short and further enquiries should be directed to John Taylor in the Activate office, to confirm attendance at this reception (john@activateswitch.com).
Group test sailing weekends
For groups of people keen to test the boat and develop their local fleets, the Farr 280 will be sailing regularly on the South Coast and in the Solent, as follows:
Poole - 4th and 5th October
Lymington - 11th October
Hamble - 18th October
Cowes - 25th and 26th October
Andrew Palfrey, multiple world champion to sail the Farr 280
Activate is delighted to announce that it has brought multiple world champion, AC Coach and former Olympic sailor Andrew Palfrey on-board, to help with the demo days. Andrew, who specialises in one-design tuning and coaching, is excited about this boat and he will also be available to help owners develop and sail their own boats to maximum effect. "Having looked at the polars for this boat, I am excited about the prospect of tuning and sailing it," comments Andrew. "From what I have seen, the boat should perform very well in UK conditions, with upwind speeds touching 7 knots and downwind well in excess of 20. Irrespective of the type of racing undertaken; one design or IRC, I will expect to see everyone getting off the water with a big smile and I look forward to seeing the class grow rapidly in the UK."
To book to attend the Royal Thames Reception or to discuss a test sail, please contact Activate on +44 1983 200901.
Industry News
The Ancasta Group has re-‐branded and re-‐launched HYS Rigging as ADVANCED RIGGING & HYDRAULICS. Dennis Fisher and Neil Brinsdon, who have spearheaded the changes, felt it had become necessary due to the unprecedented demands for rigging expertise required outside of the marine industry.
Advanced Rigging now boasts a brand new dedicated and completely focused website, www.advancedrigging.co.uk and will take their place next to Hamble Yacht Services at this year's PSP Southampton Boat Show on their newly located stand GO71.
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McMurdo Group has announced the appointment of Randel Maestre as Vice President of Sales for the Americas to lead the company's expansion into one of the world's major search and rescue regions.
Maestre will be responsible for implementing a coordinated sales and marketing strategy for McMurdo's broad product portfolio including emergency distress beacons, search and rescue infrastructure products and fleet management/tracking software. This will include building the sales teams, recruiting new partners and developing new channel programs for the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Maestre brings nearly 25 years of global sales and marketing experience to his expanded role at McMurdo Group, where he has been Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing for over a year.
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Latitude Kinsale will be exhibiting at the Southampton Boat show starting this Friday 12th until Sunday 21st. The gallery will be in Ocean Hall stand G003. They will be displaying a selection of their 3D maps from the British Isles , the Mediterranean and the Pacific. Lovely stuff!
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Sevenstar Yacht Transport has announced its new West Coast Representative Kris Caren. A leader in the industry of yacht transport, Sevenstar partners with sister company DYT Yacht Transport to specialize in both lift-on/lift-off (LO/LO) and float-on/float-off (FLO/FLO) services offered by a fleet of over 120 ships wholly owned and operated by Amsterdam-based parent company Spliethoff Group. Caren will be responsible for serving clients on the western coast of British Columbia, the United States and Central America.
Over the last eight years, Caren has worked with Spliethoff Group to develop new roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) shipping lines that carry break bulk and heavy lift cargo in the European and transatlantic trade. He also has helped the company consolidate its regular lines that service the Mediterranean, U.S. and Caribbean markets. Prior to joining Spliethoff Group, Caren established RO/RO shipping lines in Spain for the European shipping company Transfennica.
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IPC Media, the UK publisher of IBI and seven other leading consumer marine titles, has changed its name to Time Inc. (UK) Ltd as part of a rebranding exercise by its US owner. The changes come just three months after Time Inc was spun-off from Time Warner.
Time Inc. (UK) Ltd is the UK's leading publisher of print and digital magazine content. With more than 60 iconic brands - including Horse & Hound, Wallpaper, Country Life, Livingetc., What's on TV and Woman - it creates content for multiple platforms across print, web, mobile, tablets and consumer experiences.
The company's UK marine portfolio includes International Boat Industry (IBI) magazine and the ibi-plus.com website, Superyacht Business, SuperYacht World, ybw.com, Practical Boat Owner, Motor Boat & Yachting, Yachting Monthly and Yachting World.
IBI: plus.ibinews.com
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Following on from a hugely successful first edition in 2013, the 2nd Qatar International Boat Show is returning to Lusail City Marina in Doha this year where more than 100 companies will be exhibiting over a 25,000sq m area of space.
The new upgraded exhibition area in Lusail Marina, located just north of Doha's downtown area, comprises shows both on land and in the water with 25,000sq m of water basin surface and over 60 boats afloat. There will also be more than 10,000sq m of pavilions and outdoor areas.
Furthermore, the entire marina promenade will be used for the first time, together with a bigger dock area situated right at the centre of the exhibition, as opposed to one of the side docks used last year. There will also be a new section this year devoted to luxury products and services.
The 1st Qatar International Boat Show, held last year in Doha, covered 15,000sq m across land and water. Of the 40 vessels on display, 10 boats valued at over $27m were sold by local and regional boatbuilders and dealers, with another four prospective orders for boats valued at $700,000 and three prospective orders for yachts valued at $2.5m.
The 2nd Qatar International Boat Show will be held from November 11-15, 2014.
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A film-maker with a background of making hit documentaries and dramas, but zero experience in sports programmes, is the surprise choice of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 to direct their flagship half-hour weekly show.
Frenchman Francois Gandolfi admits he knows "absolutely nothing" about sailing but his glittering list of credits in British TV over the last two decades includes Hairy Bikers, The Gadget Show, Embarrassing Bodies, A Place in the Sun and many, many others.
"We looked at a large number of respected directors to make our 39-part weekly show Life at the Extreme but Francois stood out as someone who could help us reach new audiences," says Volvo Ocean Race Communications and Marketing Director, Bjorn Alberts.
Andrew Preece, joint managing director of Sunset+Vine|APP, Sunset+Vine's specialist sailing unit, says: "The decision taken to appoint Francois Gandolfi is designed to bring viewers close to the reality of life as a participant in one of the most extreme events in world sport. This is just one of a number of innovations - including running a 24-hour production unit at Race HQ in Alicante - that will bring viewers closer to the action and the jeopardy team's experience on a 24/7 basis. It a theme that will lie at the heart of our coverage."
More than 75 broadcasters around the world have already commissioned Life at the Extreme, which will start the week before the Race's first leg begins on October 11 from Alicante to Cape Town.
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adidas sailing has signed a deal to supply the SAP Extreme Sailing Team with its cutting-edge technical footwear. Now in its third season, the Danish-led crew is edging closer to the podium in the Extreme Sailing Series, arguably the toughest global circuit in grand prix sailing today.
Co-skippered by Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Kostner from Denmark, the SAP Extreme Sailing Team are set to go into battle later this week in the Istanbul, Act 6 of the Extreme Sailing Series, where the crew will be racing with their new adidas gr01 Grinder shoes for the first time.
www.terrathree.com
www.sapextremesailing.com
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
It's easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you. -- Bertrand Russell
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