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
Figaro Leg 2 Is Paused Due To Heavy Weather
Due to heavy conditions and the subsequent dismasting of Corentin Horeau's Figaro this afternoon, La Solitaire du Figaro Race Director Gilles Chiorri has paused Leg 2 and sent the 39 Solitaire skippers to safety in La Corogne. The wind is currently blowing 25 knots, with gusts up to 30 knots and is only set to strengthen through tonight. For the Solitaire organisers, safety is a priority and they will take no risks that may harm the skippers or their boats. The fleet are now gathering in the port, waiting for the official word on what happens next.
From the Artemis Offshore Academy
www.artemisoffshoreacademy.com
Team SCA Set The Pace For Lorient
Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) found themselves leading the fleet after a night of thunderstorms and fluctuations as the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 8 entered the first full day in the Atlantic on Monday
so far on the 647-nautical mile (nm) stage from Lisbon to Lorient, France, they have sailed impeccably.
There is still a long way to go on a leg that is expected to conclude in Brittany in the early hours of Thursday, but the women were certainly enjoying the unaccustomed feeling of being at the head of the competition on Monday.
At the 0645 UTC position report, Team SCA led by 5.5nm from overall race leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker), having taken the route nearest to the coast of Portugal, where the wind was at its strongest
Overnight leaders Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) were caught in a large thunderstorm around 0500 UTC and dropped from first to fifth.
Dee Caffari Comments On Keeping Safe At Night Offshore
"The Volvo Ocean Race covers some of the most difficult waters in the world. Leg three from Abu Dhabi to Sanya is through the notorious Malacca and Singapore Straits, some of the World's busiest waterways with lots of debris in the water. This debris is often hazardous to our yacht and with no moon light sailing here is dangerous.
To have the 1300 lumens available from Exposure Marine's MOB Searchlight makes preventing collisions much easier. It gives us confidence to continue to sail fast without the risk of an impact stopping us racing. Leg five had us racing through the hostile and remote Southern Ocean. Down there rescue can only be provided by our rivals. A man overboard has an extremely low survival rate due to the cold (see video). Having a strobe light instantly available by simply throwing Exposure's MOB Searchlight into the water is very reassuring.
No need to press buttons or open pockets, just simply throw the torch after the person. It's the difference between being lost or being rescued.
I wouldn't go offshore again without one of these lightweight and versatile torches."
Dee Caffari MBE, Team SCA.
Contact Ocean Safety for dealers or visit exposuremarine.co.uk/mob
Melges 32 Audi-Tron Sailing Series
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com Click on image for photo gallery.
Riva del Garda, Italy - Congratulations to Roberto Tomasini Grinover aboard Robertissima with tactician Vasco Vascotto and crew consisting of Federico Michetti, Giovanni Cassinari, Gunnar Bahr, Simone Spangaro, Stefano Nicolussi and Armin Raderbauer. Together, they are champions in Riva Del Garda, now crowned 'King of the Lake' at the 2015 Audi-Tron Sailing Series.
Tomasini Grinover is no stranger to winning on the waters of Lake Garda, and in the final two races held on this final day in Riva, he had no problems showing that he could win again. His sixth place finish in Race Seven was enough to keep him in the running. His big win in Race Eight helped him dismiss Dalton DeVos on Delta from his first overall position.
The next destination for the Melges 32 Class is Porto Ercole. Happening on July 10-12, the fourth edition of the Audi-Tron Sailing Series shall complete before heading to Trapani for the World Championship on August 24-30.
Final top ten:
1. Roberto Tomasini Grinover/Vasco Vascotto, Robertissima, 28 points
2. Dalton DeVos/Jonathan McKee, Delta, 38
3. Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, Argo, 42
4. Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio/Branko Brcin, G-SPOT, 47
5. Alessandro Rombelli/Francesco Bruni, STIG, 54
6. Alec Cutler/Chris Rast, hedgehog, 54
7. Valentin Zavadnikov/Andy Horton, Synergy GT, 57
8. Edoardo Lupi/Massimo Pessina/Lorenzo Bressani, Torpyone, 59
9. Ryan DeVos/Mark Mendelblatt, Volpe, 65
10. Keisuke Suzuki/Chris Draper, Swing, 66
SYRF Receives Major New Donation To Support The Science Of Sailing
The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) is pleased to announce a major new donation from Mr. Terry Kohler of Sheboygan, WI, which will provide significant assistance in SYRF's mission to support the science of sailing. Mr. Kohler's donation is his latest in a long history of support for the sport of offshore sailing.
"Terry's donation is a new milestone for SYRF," says Chairman Steve Benjamin. "It represents Terry's strong belief in the role that science and technology should play in the improvement and development of offshore sailing. Specifically, these funds will help SYRF support continuing research on improving the ability of VPP's to more accurately predict the performance of offshore yachts. This is an important field of study, and we're very pleased Terry has expressed his ongoing support for this and other SYRF scientific research projects."
Among SYRF's recent studies has been the Wide Light Project, a study that examined the hydrodynamics of modern offshore racing yacht hulls using both tank testing and CFD validations. A report on the Wide Light project from principal researcher Andy Claughton at the Wolfson Unit of the University of Southampton will be published soon.
SYRF has also funded the development of the SYRF Online Library, where published works in the aero- and hydrodynamics of sailing are collated into a searchable database. Both new and old published works are continually being added to this library, with hundreds of papers and datasets currently in the collection.
Chris Draper Joins Softbank Team Japan
Chris Draper, an Olympic medalist, multiple European and World champion, and America's Cup helmsman, is joining SoftBank Team Japan.
In addition to his sailing duties, Draper will take up the role of Sailing Director and will race with SoftBank Team Japan CEO and skipper Dean Barker as well as General Manager Kazuhiko Sofuku at the first Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series event in Portsmouth, UK next month.
Draper is a world champion in the Olympic 49er class and won a Bronze Medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
He was recruited to join Team Korea during the America's Cup World Series in 2011 and made an immediate impact, driving the rookie team to solid results against experienced Cup crews. Before long he had been pulled across to Luna Rossa Challenge, who he led to the challenger finals, before falling to Barker's New Zealand team.
Draper says Barker will be on the helm when racing starts at the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth. Draper will be in a tactics/wing trimmer role.
Royal Yacht Squadron Fleet Review
The Redwing Fleet in the Review. Photo by Lloyd Images. Click on image to enlarge.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, as Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron, was joined by other members of the British Royal Family and European Royal families yesterday to conduct a Review of 180 yachts belonging to members of the Royal Yacht Squadron, off Cowes, Isle of Wight. The event was held to commemorate the bicentenary of the historic club which was inaugurated on 1st June 1815 at the Club's first meeting in St James's, London.
In excess of 180 private sailing and motor boats of all sizes belonging to Royal Yacht Squadron members provided a real spectacle dressed overall, from the smallest RIB to sailing superyachts and the two royal yachts, from Norway the Norge (built in 1947) and from Denmark the Dannebrog (built in 1932). Also present were the 75m motor yacht Leander and recently restored 1938 built Shemara. Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland and Galitea were in attendance.
The Duke of Edinburgh was joined during the day by other members of the British Royal Family including HRH The Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and HRH Prince Michael of Kent. The Fleet Review was part of a varied programme of celebrations by the Royal Yacht Squadron both on and off the water taking place during 2015.
J/24 Europeans
Crouesty de Arzon, France: Following their famous spring regatta held this past weekend, the YC Crouesty de Arzon will have had more than enough practice to look after the aggressive European J/24 fleet that is just about to setup camp on their docks for the next edition of the J/24 European Championship being hosted from June 6th to 13th.
Forty boats from seven European countries (France, Ireland, Hungary, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Greece) will be participating, including representatives from the USA and Brazil. What is all the more remarkable is that this year's fleet will be one of the strongest fields in a number of years
A top USA J/24 team from Rochester, New York- Mike Ingham and gang- will be hopping across the North Atlantic to reinforce the strong European field. Topping it all off with regards to talent and experience will surely be multiple World and South American Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz sailing Bruschetta with partners King and Revore.
Top ten after 3 races
1. Mike Ingham, USA, 5 points
2. Duncan McCarthy, GBR, 6
3. Ignazio Bonanno, ITA, 19
4. Frank Schonfeldt, GER, 19
5. Anthimos Nicolaidis, GRE, 23
6. TIll Pomarius, GER, 24
7. Johann Huhn, GER, 26
8. Tom Stryi, GER, 27
9. Mark Karsunke, GER, 27
10. Francois De Herce, FRA, 27
Seahorse July 2015
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Update
Mini escalation, plus Terry Hutchinson has a very special regatta in Annapolis, Julian Everitt wonders about the current obsession with one-design and Jack Griffin unravels the mystery of the ever-changing America's Cup Class
Counterpoint
Are we chasing the America's Cup spectacle in the best direction and why a foiler Moth (really) could be the solution... Dave Hollom
(Very) big business
Building and then testing a 70-ton captive reel winch is not something for the faint of heart
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Hannah White English Channel Record
Whitley, UK: Hannah White, Land Rover Global Ambassador, has become the fastest person to cross the Channel in a single-handed dinghy. She completed the gruelling task in a sailing hydrofoil, a small boat which lifts above the water on two hydrofoils as it gathers speed. Starting from Cap de Gris in France, she landed in Dover, England, after crossing the 24 mile English channel in a record time of 3 hours, 44 minutes and 39 seconds.
Hannah, a relative beginner in hydrofoil sailing, only started to learn how to master this unique boat in February. Training for this Channel crossing challenge is a precursor to her ultimate quest: to break the Women's Speed Sailing World Record over one nautical mile next year in a unique, purpose-built sailing hydrofoil.
Hannah has previously sailed the Atlantic solo three times, participated in the gruelling Haute Route Cycle Race across the French Alps and kayaked 205 miles across the rivers of England. She has been a Land Rover Global Ambassador since 2013.
Hannah will be attempting to break the Women's Speed Sailing Record over one nautical mile in the first quarter of 2016 in Speedbird, her state-of-the-art, unique hydrofoil sailboat.
Hannah will be exhibiting the Speedbird boat at the Cardiff Act of the Extreme Sailing Series on the 18-21 June 2015.
Make Bart's Bash The World's Largest Sailing Event
Bart's Bash, the global sailing event in aid of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, has launched participant sign up with the help of some of the world's best in the sport of sailing.
Sailors including Sir Robin- Knox-Johnston, Sir Ben Ainslie, Tom Slingsby and Shirley Robertson OBE feature in a short film which aims to encourage sailors and non-sailors from across the world to take to the water on 20 September 2015.
This is the second time the remarkable sailing event will take place. Bart's Bash was conceived in 2014 as a participation event in memory of Andrew "Bart" Simpson. It grew beyond all expectations with over 30700 people taking part in the event across more than 50 countries and raised over £360,000 for the charity started in Bart's name. In January 2015 Bart's Bash was named officially the largest sailing race in the world by Guinness World Records.
The aim of the 2015 campaign is to increase participation even further across the world with the ultimate goal of becoming the world's biggest sporting event. Any sailing clubs, community sailing programmes, sail training centres, yacht clubs, scout groups, sea cadets and even groups of sailors globally can hold a Bart's Bash race.
Platoon Take The Gun
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
As they do more often than not Azzurra yielded to superstition and bypassed the finish line of today's official practice race for the second regatta of the 52 Super Series, Costa Smeralda's Settimana delle Bocche. Instead of taking the gun Azzurra passed the line and with that delivered the practice race win to Harm Muller-Spreer German flagged team on Platoon who, predictably, marched across the line to take the win.
Beliefs of good luck, bad luck or just indifference may be important in different ways to different teams, but with the pressure is on Azzurra, the home team favourites, racing on their own waters where they have yet to win a 52 Super Series regatta.
Azzurra are out to overturn Quantum Racing's perfect record here on the Costa Smeralda. The 2014 52 Super Series champions have won three from three since 2012. But owner-helm Doug DeVos only set eyes on his new 2015 boat for the first time today and had his first two hours helm time prior to and during the practice race.
Racing starts Tuesday June 9.
Taylor Canfield Gets First Wild Card To Stena Match Cup Sweden
2013 ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Taylor Canfield of US One Sailing Team has received the first of four Wild Card invitations to the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), World Championship Event - Stena Match Cup Sweden. The team won the first World Championship Event of the season in Long Beach, California.
Canfield and his US One sailing team competed in Stena Match Cup Sweden for the first time in 2013. They didn't make it to the Quarter Finals in their premier at Marstrand but their first year as Tour Card Holders was a complete success and at the final event in Malaysia, US One sailing team secured their first ISAF World Championship title. Last year, the team performed a lot better at Marstrand and finished in third place, but later that season they were forced to hand over the championship title to Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar.
Entry List
1. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
2. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
3. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
4. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Sailing Team
5. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
6. Phil Robertson (NZL) with Team TREFOR (DEN)
7. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Sailbox
8. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbet Racing
9. Rasmus Viltoft (DEN) - Volvo Spring Cup
10. Anna Ostling (SWE) - Volvo Spring Cup
11. Taylor Canfield (ISV) - US One
12. TBC
13. TBC
14. TBC
Event Schedule June 29th - July 4th.
www.stenamatchcupsweden.com
wmrt.com
Schengen Area Cruiser's Survey Needs Your Input
Dartmouth, UK: OCC Member Kingsley Ross has created a survey to help quantify the economic impact on cruising areas caused by restrictions on visa terms for cruisers from outside the Schengen agreement area who visit by yacht. We urge cruisers who have any experience with this matter to please take a few moments to supply input to this important survey.
The information will be collated and analysed to support a case for easing visa restrictions on visiting yachtsmen by the EU and Schengen countries. Legislation to establish a touring visa has already been proposed but not acted upon. It is hoped that providing tangible figures on economic impact can help move the new proposed European legislation forward.
Featured Brokerage
SPOOKIE FOR SALE!
For immediate release, Steve & Heidi Benjamin's Carkeek HP 40 SPOOKIE is for sale! One of the worlds fastest and most successful 40' racing yachts is now available for immediate purchase.
The complete turnkey and race proven package ready to race and win in every way.
- 2012 McConaghy Pre-Preg epoxy all carbon hull and deck with Nomex core• McConaghy retractable propulsion system with spare parts
- 2015 TPT Southern Spar with Gen 2 configuration and EC-6 carbon rigging
- 2013 Custom Mayville/CSI carbon & steel fin and lead bulb keel
- 2014 Custom Al Fresco rudder and spare rudder
- 33 North Sails - complete inshore and offshore inventories with several generations of spares including 5 mains, 12 genoas, 13 asyms, & 3 staysails
Current and valid certificates: IRC, HPR, ORR, ORCi, CSA, & PHRF
Available 1-Jul-15: US $ 800,000.
Post sale race support and pro crew optional. Serious inquiries only.
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The Last Word
I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy. -- Richard P. Feynman
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