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
Morvan Grinning And Winning In Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Pierre-Antoine Morvan's Vannes Agglo Sailing Team are making the most of their Wild Card entry to the Monsoon Cup Malaysia, winning all three of their matches on day one of the concluding event of the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour. Reigning World Champion Taylor Canfield and US One also took three wins from three, but Morvan's performance is the greater surprise.
Although Morvan and Canfield have perfect scores after day one, top of the leaderboard - due to having raced more matches - is Ian Williams, so often the winner of the Qualifying stage of these Tour events. "Very happy to have got five wins on the board," said the GAC PIndar skipper in search of a record fifth world title. "Disappointed with the loss against Phil Robertson, but if we can keep those ratios we'll do well here."
Winner of the last Monsoon Cup, Robertson said the nature of the wind shifts made it likely for big splits to develop between boats on the race course.
Qualifying continues at 1000 local time (UTC +8) on Wednesday and can be watched live via the Tour's Livestream page new.livestream.com/WorldMRT/mcm-15-qr2
Results of Qualifying after Flight 6
1. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 5-1
2. Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX 4-2
3. Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 3-0
4. Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One 3-0
5. Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets 2-1
6. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 2-1
7. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team 2-4
8. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 2-4
9. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 1-2
10. David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour 1-2
11. Jeremy Koo (MAS) Sime Darby Foundation / 1 Malaysia Match Racing Team 0-3
12. Maximilian Soh (SIN) Team Red Dot 0-6
Extreme Conditions Leave Sailors Seasick & Sleep-Deprived
It's been a difficult adjustment back into offshore living for the six boats in the Volvo Ocean Race, which still have over 4,800nm of their journey from Sanya, China to Auckland, New Zealand to complete.
Huge waves and furious winds in excess of 25 knots have battered, bashed and bruised the fleet as it voyages upwind through the South China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean.
And a lack of sleep since they left the tropical Chinese destination certainly isn't helping stress levels amongst the sailors.
Team Brunel's Lithuanian sailor Rokas Milevicius was frank as he was asked why the crew choose to sleep feet-to-bow by curious Onboard Reporter Stefan Coppers (NED).
"It's in case we hit something - a whale, a container ship, another boat," he explained.
Dongfeng and Abu Dhabi sit some 5nm ahead of third-placed MAPFRE, but the fleet is still relatively compact as night falls on Day 2 - just 12.8nm separates the leaders from sixth-placed Team SCA.
New Website Helps Connect Sailing Schools With Students
The Boating Hub have launched a new website to help sailing schools advertise their courses, and to make life easier for those looking to take courses around the World.
The Boating Hub is the first and only online portal which collects sailing, motorboat, dinghy, kayak and keelboat course information from operators and presents them to boating enthusiasts of all levels through an easy to use search function.
Whether an amateur looking to pilot their first boat to seasoned professionals looking to sharpen their skills, visitors to The Boating Hub can browse a list of local, national, and international boating and sailing courses.
Training centres and individual instructors around the world that offer boating courses can sign up for free to advertise their offers to a targeted audience of people passionate about learning to sail and other boating disciplines.
To encourage sailing schools to sig up, for a limited time advertisers can add their courses for FREE with unlimited dates, whilst still enjoying the benefits of features such as automatic social sharing and dedicated profile pages.
To find out more about The Boating Hub and advertise your courses for FREE please CLICK HERE
Kids These Days
Some of the world's greatest sailors were competing in the J/70 class at Quantum Key West Race Week 2015. Most of them got beaten by a 12-year-old - Gannon Troutman managed to post scores of a 1-2-3 during the 11 race series!
Gannon has gone from racing Optimist dinghies to skippering an entry in the largest class at one of the greatest regattas in North America. And the kid is doing pretty well, steering PIED PIPER to a fifth place overall finish in the talent-laden, 54-boat class.
Troutman, a resident of Gloucester, Virginia, is believed to be the youngest skipper in the 28-year history of Key West Race Week. Previously, that honor belonged to Samuel "Shark" Kahn, who was 14 when he skippered a Melges 24 entry here.
One of the perks of coming to Key West is that a youngster such as Gannon gets an opportunity to meet some of the big stars of the sport. Gannon was a very interested spectator at Sunday evening's Panel Discussion that was presented by title sponsor Quantum Sail Design Group and afterward got to meet such world-renowned professionals as Terry Hutchinson, Jonathan McKee and Ed Baird.
jboats.com
www.premiere-racing.com
* A Cumbrian sailor has recently become a professional yacht master at the tender age of 18, making him one of the youngest ever to do so.
Dominic Jackson, described as a natural sailor by his family, is celebrating the achievement after completing a gruelling 18-week course on the island of Cumbrae in Scotland.
Dominic, who is registered disabled, having been born with only one hand, sailed throughout the night up the east coast of the Isle of Bute with two others to achieve the title.
While on board, Dominic had to rely purely on his own skill and calculation as no technical assistance was allowed.
Having sailed since the age of 10, the youngster is now set for a life on the seas after qualifying as a skipper.
Canadian Ocean Racing Team Launched
Fresh from being crowned 2014 Rolex Sailor of the Year at the Sail Canada Awards over the weekend, Clipper 2013-14 Race winning skipper Eric Holden (34) has revealed plans to launch his own team, Canadian Ocean Racing, with some of his former crew members.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston added his congratulations. He said: "Eric is a worthy recipient of Sail Canada's Rolex Sailor of the Year following his outstanding performance leading the winning team aboard Henri Lloyd in the 2013-14 edition; his performance was outstanding.
"His decision to form a professional team with former crew demonstrates how the Clipper Race develops crew and skippers alike to take on new competitive sailing challenges."
The Canadian Ocean Racing team has been founded by Eric and includes former Henri Lloyd crew member Morgen Watson who will work with Wind Athletes Canada and Sail Canada to promote offshore racing and offer opportunities for Canadian sailors.
The team has ambitious plans and intends to take on its first Ocean Masters race challenge with the Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2015. Eric has also announced his aim to enter the 2016 Vendee Globe campaign; he will be only the fourth Canadian in history to enter the world-renowned solo offshore racing competition.
Seahorse March 2015
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Design - Three hulls or two...
French multihull designer Renaud Banuls interrupts his recent series of catamaran launches in order to try something a little bit different...
RORC news
How fast was the Fastnet entry filled up... 300 boats in 24 minutes! Eddie Warden-Owen
Seahorse build table - A Spanish artisan
Masters of the TP52s... Longitud Cero founder Ximo Lopez tells Carlos Pich about the development of one of the most prolific and sophisticated raceboat builders in Europe...
Sailor of the Month
Champion sailor vs champion yacht designer
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Launchings
Brandspot are proud to take another big step in the launch of a new one-design class designed for match racing at any place and on any level, from the World Match Racing Tour to club sailing. Fresh from the Boatyard in Hungary, the first B38 Match will be presented for the first time at The Gothenburg Boat Show.
"The launch of the B38 Match is exciting news for sailors and big events on the international match racing circuit as well as for fans of the sport around the world. It is a very welcome initiative that aims at making match racing even more exciting while maintaining its principles as a fair and easily accessible sport", says James Pleasance, CEO of the World Match Racing Tour.
The project is a joint venture between Brandspot AB, Sailfish Sports Yachts, Danish Marine Desing and Hong Kong First Pacific Ltd. The Hungarian boatyard Pauger, which has also built the RC44 fleet, has built the moulds and prototype for the B38 Match.
LOA: 11.50 m
LWL: 10.56 m
BOA: 3.24 m
Draft: 2.20 m
Displacement: 3,800 kg
Keel weight: 1,700 kg
Sail area: 73.25 m2
Rig and deck hardware are provided by Selden Mast AB
Sails are provided by North Sails Gothenburg
Running rigging is provided by Liros
Rope clutches are provided by Spinlock
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The new 2015 version of the TP52 Azzurra is rapidly nearing completion at the King Marine shipyard in Valencia. In preparation for the next TP52 Super Series, the deck has been mounted on the hull and sea trials are expected to begin in 50 days.
The new Azzurra is the third YCCS TP52 and is heir to the previous Azzurra's series of victories: circuit champion in 2012 and currently first runner up. Like the version before her, the new Azzurra has been designed by the Spaniard Marcelino Botin and is under construction at King Marine in Valencia. Miguel Costa is project manager.
LOA: 15.85 m
Beam max: 4.42 m
Draft: 3.50 m
Displacement: 7000 kg
Mainsail area: max 98m2
Headsail area: max 66m2
Gennaker area : max 270m2
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Spirit Yachts have launched a new 65 foot yacht into Ipswich Haven Marina
Later this month, the new handsome yacht will be shipped to Singapore where the Spirit team will fly out to put on her mast and sails before it goes on display at the Singapore Yacht Show from April 23.
The new Spirit 65', named Chloe Giselle, is designed as a performance orientated sailing sloop to combine elegance with lightweight construction, excellent engineering, the finest equipment and a well-fitted interior.
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This new 80ft carbon cruiser by Brenta Design marks Hanse founder Michael Schmidt's return to boatbuilding and Sir David Chipperfield's first input into yacht design
The Brenta 80 has an innovative multi-tiered deck, designed by Brenta's Lorenzo Argento. It was created for a veteran of boatbuilding, Michael Schmidt, who sold Hanse Yachts in 2011. He decided he needed a larger yacht than his Hanse 630, aboard which he has extensively cruised for the last three years, but couldn't find one that met his exacting requirements. He should be behind the wheel of this new carbon fibre 80-footer by early summer.
Schmidt decided to build his own yacht and new yard for luxury semi-custom carbon cruisers in Greifswald, the same town as Hanse. And a certain client and friend of Lorenzo Argento's was impressed enough to want to come in on the project-- this is the first boat that Sir David Chipperfield has worked on. Chipperfield is a keen sailor and owner of a Brenta 42 daysailer and he has designed an understated interior that highlights structural elements and is marked by practical round edges throughout.
See Yachting World March isue for more - and www.msyachtbau.com
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The latest Philippe Briand/Perini Navi Group collaboration - a 39m Briand designed performance sloop due be launched in July 2015, is on schedule, according to the design studio. She has been developed as a sistership to the highly successful 38m P2 launched in 2008.
P2 has placed consistently well at superyacht regattas around the globe, with over 10 podium finishes to date. Subsequently, the new owner has ordered this first 39m on the back of the resounding success of P2.
Briand has modified a few of the characteristics of the original design to better adapt the design to a full performance/cruising programme. There is now a furling boom and the water ballast has been neutralised, giving more usable space inside. The aesthetic roof design accentuates the yacht's dynamic character.
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Knierim Yachtbau, from the DEUTSCHE YACHTEN working group, is now building a FC3 53 designed by the successful IMOCA Open 60 designers Finot-Conq at Kiel. The boat, 17.33 metres long, looks like a racer, but for extended two-handed sailing and racing is still luxurious enough for its crew to dispense with packet soups. The Kiel-based shipyard is presenting the plans on the boat in Düsseldorf from 17th to 25th January in Exhibition Hall 7a on stand F02.
"The client wanted a fast cruising yacht, comfortable and safe, but also easy to handle. And the boat had to be very stylish both inside and outside" was how designer Pascal Conq from France summarized the wishes of the German owner. Not by chance was speed in first place on the wish list. "Consequently, the yacht is built using state-of-the art technology with carbon fibre pre-preg skin and Nomex sandwich for the deck and structures, as well as a Corecell foam core for the hull", explains Knierim's managing director, Steffen Muller. This is how the super-light 53-footer comes out at a weight of only 10.5 tonnes.
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The Last Word
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool. -- Richard Feynman
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