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
The Final Weather Hurdles For Cheminees Poujoulat?
Less than 400 miles from the finish line now, Cheminees Poujoulat are passed Cabo de Gata, east of Almeria, and are starting the final ascent of the Mediterannean out of the Alboran sea to Barcelona. Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam are forecast to finish some time between 1000hrs and midday on Wednesday, but still have some complicated final transitions standing between them and a well earned victory, which may make that ETA ambitious.
They may have been granted a relatively quick passage of the Doldrums but the final miles to Barcelona on Wednesday might extract a payback as the last morning might resemble Doldrums-like conditions. Forecasts today put the Catalan city in an area of very light winds Wednesday making the actual ETA quite difficult to to judge.
Stamm and Le Cam are expected to run out of breeze this evening as a transition zone between the NE'ly Tramontana and the SW'ly in the south Mediterranean creates a no-go zone of very light airs.
According to the weather models, unfortunately for the Cheminees Poujoulat duo this no go area seems set to follow them north to the Balearics. They should be just west of Ibiza tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon before they get into a more defined NE'ly. Strangely, the weather picture resembles start day, with the strong NE'ly blowing offshore well to the east of Barcelona, and NW'ly to the west and in between: not very much.
Rankings Monday 23rd March at 1400hrs UTC
1. Cheminees Poujoulat (B Stamm - J Le Cam) 337 miles to finish
2. Neutrogena (G Altadill - J Munoz) + 1172 miles to leader
3. GAES Centros Auditivos (A Corbella - G Marin) + 1362
4. We Are Water (B Garcia - W Garcia) + 2560
5. One Planet One Ocean & Pharmaton (A Gelabert - D Costa) + 2650
6. Renault Captur (J Riechers - S Audigane) + 3791
7. Spirit of Hungary (N Fa - C Colman) + 4576
ABD : Hugo Boss (A. Thomson - P. Ribes)
World Match Racing Tour Starts Record 16th Season
London, UK: The world's longest running professional sailing series - the ISAF sanctioned World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) - today announced a new and expanded sixteen event schedule for the 2015/16 world championship. The full schedule is expected to exceed 20 events by the first Tour event in May at the 51st Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California.
For the first time since the World Tour was founded in 2000, the series will award championship points to all events on the schedule divided into two categories - World Tour Events and World Championship Events. Skippers will count their highest five results towards the World Championship title.
WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance explains, the new format provides a valuable pathway for up and coming match racing skippers to compete on the world stage;
"The Tour has always focused on growing sailing and match racing around the world. By increasing the number of events that award points to the championship leaderboard, more sailors will have the opportunity to participate on the Tour and work their way towards the World Championship."
2015/16 World Match Racing Tour Calendar
Ficker Cup, Long Beach, United States, 8 - 10 May 2015
Volvo Spring Cup, Langedrag, Sweden, 9 - 10 May 2015
* Congressional Cup, Long Beach, United States, 13 - 17 May 2015
* Match Race Germany, Langenargen, Germany, 21 - 25 May 2015
Szezecin Match Race, Szczecin, Poland, 29 - 31 May 2015
* Stena Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden, 29 June - 4 July 2015
Dziwnow Match Race, Dziwnow, Poland, 17 - 19 July 2015
* Sopot Match Race, Sopot, Poland, 29 July - 1 August 2015
Knickerbocker Cup, New York, United States, 5 - 9 August 2015
Dutch Match Cup Qualifier, Lelystad, Netherlands, 21 - 23 August 2015
Bermuda National Match Racing Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda, 18 - 20 September 2015
* Dutch Match Cup, Lelystad, Netherlands 23 - 27 September 2015
* Argo Group Gold Cup, Hamilton, Bermuda 6 - 11 October 2015
Monsoon Cup Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, 20 - 22 November 2015 (TBA)
Liga Layar Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 18 - 20 December 2015 (TBA)
* Monsoon Cup, Malaysia, 26 - 30 January 2016
* World Championship stages
2015/6 Tour Card Holders
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBot
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) TREFOR Racing
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing
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.
2015 Bucket Regatta: A Fine Ending To A Grand Event
St Barths, French West Indies: Perseverance was the key to victory in four classes (Gazelles, Elegantes, Mademoiselles, Grande Dames) sailing their last and final race at the 2015 St Barths Bucket Regatta. Sailing the "wrong way around" course meant the 35 competing superyachts launched their massive spinnakers at the start and took a clockwise tour of the island, testing sailing skills with a particularly lengthy beat up the backside. And though the superyachts, for safety's sake, sail by rules that keep them at least 40 metres apart at all times, the competition was as close as anyone could wish for.
Winning the day in Gazelles was the 44.9-metre sloop Visione, which also took overall regatta honors to win the coveted "Bucket," which was held high with victor's pride by owner Hasso Plattner at the final awards ceremony.
Visione's first Bucket was in 2004, and the yacht has competed in half a dozen or so Buckets since. Built in 2003, well before many others here, she is still the boat to beat on principle. "We are the fastest, and we always start last. With the old rating, however, we always had to sail more than a perfect race to be able to win. We've been close by finishing second overall once or twice, but never winning. Now with the new rating system (captured within the new ORCsy rule), we can win."
P2 took a sixth in the race to fall behind Visione and runner-up Inoui (which finished second today), in the overall standings.
The 30.2-metre sloop Cape Arrow, chartered by Pier Luigi Loro Piana, turned in all second-place finishes to top the Mademoiselles.
As for the ORCsy rule that is in its infancy and was being closely analyzed here, Elfje's tactician Mike Sanderson said, "It's going to be brilliant. It's going to take superyacht racing from being pure entertainment to something where we can compete properly and know how to change things each year to perform better."
Taking overall victory in Grand Dames, the 37.6 metre ketch Axia was spot-on with its timing at today's start and went on to turn in an equally brilliant performance over the course of the day to beat out yesterday's leader, the 55.9-metre Perini Navi ketch Rosehearty.
In addition to the ORCsy rule being used here for the first time, the 2015 Bucket Regatta this year featured new stewards in ownership: Perini Navi, Royal Huisman, Vitters Shipyard and Rybovich. -- Jeanne Kleene
Results: bucketregattas.com/stbarths/results.html
Vince Brun Wins First Installment Of Etchells West Coast Series
San Diego, CA, USA: This past weekend, champion Vince Brun is walking away from the Bill Bennett Cup with a lot more than just his first place finish. Brun and Bennett sailed together to win the Etchells World Championship in 2000, and for Brun, this regatta is a sentimental one.
"I won Worlds with Billy. He was really the glue of the Etchells program," said Brun. "He was always extremely competitive in sports, he was just good. But he was also the one who would pick you up when you were down. He was the one who was always paying attention and could keep you on track."
Named in the honor of the beloved Etchells sailor, the Bill Bennett Cup is the first in a four-part West Coast Series.
With San Diego's year-round racing conditions, the West Coast Series is an opportunity for many Etchells sailors to gain experience sailing in some lighter winds than Miami.
The final scores of the regatta were Vince Bun with 23 points, Carruthers with 26 points and Sinks with 35 points.
The West Coast Series will continue next weekend at the Etchells Midwinter Championship, with racing taking place from March 27th to 29th. Land Rover of San Diego and North Sails are sponsoring the West Coast Series, which is hosted at the San Diego Yacht Club.
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:
Ian Williams (GBR)
'(Another) brilliant result' - Skip Lissiman; 'Just keeps delivering' - John Roberson; 'What a result, the kid's (Gannon Troutman) cute but he's got time' - Linda Harris; 'Peter Holmberg pointed Ian out to me 9 years ago as the next big thing... he may well have been right!' - Andrew Pindar; 'He gives up a good job as a solicitor then becomes the world's best match racer... outstanding!' - Tony Ruffell; 'He's probably got enough kit but Ian's been at the top for years and that 19-1 score was mighty' - Ian Holtedahl-Finley.
This month's nominees:
Karol Jablonski (POL)
The former Star sailor, successful match racing helmsman and one-time helmsman in ACC boats for the Spanish America's Cup challenger Iberdrola, most recently won his ninth DN iceboating world title. Jablonski has been racing iceboats almost as long as he has been on the water and with his ninth world championship victory becomes the most successful DN one design skipper of all time. Adaptable!
Lloyd Thornburg (USA)
We have always encouraged private owners to get into the offshore multihull scene and often wonder why so few have followed the lead of Steve Fossett and a few others. One who has embraced really fast offshore boats is Thornburg, who, while continuing to campaign his turbo'ed Gunboat is also thriving at the helm of his new MOD70 tri - with which he recently smashed the outright Caribbean 600 course record
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!
Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month
To subscribe to Seahorse Digital £30 for one year with discount promo code SB2 click www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital
AC72 "Luna Rossa" Catamaran On Exhibition
Photo by Giuliano Luzzatto. Click on image to enlarge.
Milan, Italy: "When I was child, I visited this Aero -Naval Pavillion and I remember how much I was impressed" said skipper Max Sirena to journalists literally under the huge plattform of the AC72 Luna Rossa. The unveiling of the exhibit was at the National Museum of Science and Technology of Milan, dedicated to the genius of Leonardo da Vinci who lived and worked for many years in Milan.
"I really hope that someone from the new generation could be inspired as I am looking at our flying cat now suspended on display, exactly in between the boats at the ground floor and the aircraft in the gallery. We don't believe that a piece of technology like Luna Rossa should be closed up in a shed, collecting dust. She is much more useful here at the Museum, whose prestige is renowned internationally, particularly for its Aero-Naval Pavilion."
Luna Rossa AC72, which raced in the final of the Challenger Selection Series in San Francisco, will be on display to the public until the next America's Cup in 2017
Milan is where Prada was founded in 1913 and where its headquarters is still located. In the coming months an additional exhibition will be set up that will feature, with interactive media, the design complexity of this unique boat; the show will display the details of all the components as well as the history of the America's Cup and the Luna Rossa team.
The catamaran was transported from its base in Cagliari, Sardinia, to Milan where she was once again reassembled. The boat was then lifted and suspended at a height of 5 meters to allow full observation and unobstructed view of all the boat's details, both from the ground and from the gallery of the Pavilion.
"I also like to congratulate and thank Engineer Bruno Finzi, Luigi Maffioli, who produced the cables on which the boat is suspended, and the Luna Rossa shore crew. Their contribution has been essential for the outcome of this project: the assembly and suspension of Luna Rossa inside the Pavilion has been, unto itself, quite an achievement!" skipper Max Sirena stated. -- Giuliano Luzzatto, @gluzzatto
luna-rossa-challenge.americascup.com
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.
2012 Ker 40 - Hooligan VII. 285,000 GBP. Located in the UK.
"Hooligan VII" was built for a very experienced owner by McConaghy Boats and launched in February 2012. Light displacement, high performance, the Ker 40 is for top level racing in local and international regattas. She is a wonderful, fast and competitive boat and is built to the highest standards using the latest techniques. 1st in class/1st overall Myth of Malham 2013. Fantastic sail wardrobe including delivery, training and race sails. Tiller steering. Full B&G instrument and computer system.
Contact
info@arconayachts.com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
Featured Brokerage
2012 Ker 40 - Hooligan VII. 285,000 GBP. Located in the UK.
"Hooligan VII" was built for a very experienced owner by McConaghy Boats and launched in February 2012. Light displacement, high performance, the Ker 40 is for top level racing in local and international regattas. She is a wonderful, fast and competitive boat and is built to the highest standards using the latest techniques. 1st in class/1st overall Myth of Malham 2013. Fantastic sail wardrobe including delivery, training and race sails. Tiller steering. Full B&G instrument and computer system.
Contact
info@arconayachts.com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the expression "As pretty as an airport." -- Douglas Adams
Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html