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
Sebastien Simon Wins Figaro Leg 2
At 2145 on Friday 12th June, Sebastien Simon (Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Espoir) was first to cross the finish line of Leg 2 of the Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard Cachemire. The shortened leg (330 miles) from La Coruña, Spain to La Cornouaille, France, took him 2 days 8 hours and 45 mins, and leaves him 11th overall on the leaderboard.
Second was Xavier Macaire (Skipper Herault), who moves up to second overall, and third place was Yann Elies (Groupe Queguiner - Leucemie Espoir), who now takes the overall race lead - after the two legs - by 4 minutes and 23 seconds.
British sailor Henry Bomby (Rockfish Red) was 4th - a personal best as well as the highest ranking ever achieved by a British sailor in any Solitaire leg since 1975. Henry finished in a time of 2 days 9 hours exactly, now sitting in 13th place overall after the two legs.
Robin Elsey (Artemis 43) lost his place atop of the Rookie podium, finishing 4th in the rookie division on Leg 2. Despite this, he is only 2 minutes and 13 seconds behind his main competition - Benoit Mariette (Entrepose), so there's all to play for in the remaining legs.
Jack Bouttell (GAC Concise) is currently the top British sailor on the overall leaderboard after another strong performance, finishing 14th. After two legs, he sits 2 hours and 56 minutes behind overall race leader Yann Elies.
Top three Solitaire du Figaro overall results after Leg 2:
Position/Skipper/Boat name/Time at sea
1. Yann Elies/Groupe Queguiner - Leucemie Espoir/5 days, 18 hours, 20', 15"
2. Xavier Macaire/Skipper Herault/5 days, 18 hours, 24', 38"
3. Alexis Loison/Groupe Fiva/5 days, 18 hours, 34', 14"
Solitaire du Figaro overall Rookie positions after Leg 2
1. Benoit Mariette/Entrepose/5 days, 22 hours, 13', 58"
2. Robin Elsey/Artemis 43/5 days, 22 hours, 16', 11"
3. Benjamin Dutreux/Team Vendee/5 days, 23 hours, 4', 38"
www.artemisoffshoreacademy.com www.lasolitaire.com
* Leg three has started: After a general recall it was Corentin Horeau (Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Performance ) who crossed first buoy line side in perfect timing, followed by Robin Elsey (Artemis 43) and Adrien Hardy (Agir recovery). Two skippers have been recalled back to cross the line: Jeremie Beyou (Maître Coq) and Jackson Bouttel (GAC Concise).
Leg three takes the fleet from La Cornouaille France, around the Fastnet Rock, with a finish in Torbay, UK, a total of 602 nautical miles.
With a third of the leg completed for the leader, top five rankings for the leg at 7 PM Local time:
1. Corentin Horeau
2. Alan Roberts
3. Charlie Dalin
4. Corentin Douguet
5. Yoann Richomme
Young Guns Show The Way
Charlie Enright's champagne will have tasted so satisfying on Sunday night.
His Team Alvimedica crew served up a perfectly constructed victory in the SCA In-Port Race Lorient, their second of the series, following a delayed start.
The victory, which follows their triumph in the opening in-port race in Alicante eight months ago, bolsters the hopes of Charlie's crew to claim a much-coveted final podium finish in the series.
It will also bolster their hopes of a top-three finish in the overall standings since the series also acts as a tie-breaker for the tightly contest second and third places in the offshore competition that concludes later in June in Gothenburg, Sweden.
SCA In-Port Race Lorient
1. Team Alvimedica 15:33:51 - 1pt
2. MAPFRE 15:35:28 - 2pts
3. Dongfeng Race Team 15:35:57 - 3pts
4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 15:36:16 - 4pts
5. Team SCA 15:36:38 - 5pts
6. Team Brunel 15:36:39 - 6pts
7. Team Vestas Wind 15:36:40 - 7pts
In-Port race overall standings
1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - 25pts
2. Team Brunel - 31pts
3. Team Alvimedica - 32pts
4. Team SCA - 33pts
5. MAPFRE - 34pts
6. Dongfeng Race Team - 36pts
7. Team Vestas Wind - 66pts
The final leg from Lorient to Gothenburg (960 nm) starts Tuesday June 16.
Sail Racing Introduce The New 50 Kts Race Edition
After three years of product development, Sail Racing International AB now introduce the new 50 KTS Race Edition, the result of a close collaboration between developers and professional sailing athletes.
The products are made in GORE-TEX stretch, mixes of light weight fabrics and provided with features such as carbon fibre loops, shin gards and moulded neoprene.
Henric Vikestam, head of Sail Racing Design and Production says " To create the new 50 KTS collection, we collaborated with some of the best high-speed sailors in the world. In order to satisfy their needs, we worked with a designer, industrial designer, 3D animator, and a carbon fiber specialist. In addition, we contracted with a medical tape expert, the GORE-TEX® development team, best trim suppliers available, and the world's leading state-of-the-art factory.
With these resources at hand, we invested three years in product development and testing. We are very proud to present our new 50 KTS collection." The new Sail Racing 50 KTS collection will be used by Oracle Team USA as they defend the America's Cup in Bermuda during 2017.
The products are availabe at Sail Racing Club House in Stockholm and online at www.sailracing.com
Watch the video with Henric Vikestam, head of Sail Racing Design and production, explaining the new 50 KTS Race Edition at www.sailracing.com
Weymouth and Portland World Cup Wraps Up
ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland wrapped up on Sunday with ten Medal Races deciding the podium finishers, Abu Dhabi World Cup Final qualifiers and prize money recipients.
The day started off light from a northern direction with the Nacra 17 fleet getting the first racing in. Following a short postponement whilst the wind shifted the race action got going again and culminated in some tense Medal Race action.
Top Three Overall Results
2.4 Metre
1. Helena Lucas, GBR, 5 points
2. Antonio Squizzato, ITA, 10
3. John Brooker, GBR, 19
470 Men
1. Stuart Mcnay / David Hughes, USA, 22
2. Mathew Belcher / William Ryan, AUS, 43
3. Pangiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 55
470 Women
1. Hannah Mills / Saskia Clark, GBR, 21
2. Jo Aleh / Polly Powrie, NZL, 21
3. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 24
49er Men
1. Peter Burling / Blair TUke, NZL, 48
2. Marcus Hansen / Josh Porebski, NZL, 68
3. John Pink / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 72
49erFX Women
1. Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA, 32
2. Alexandra Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL, 43
3. Tamara Echegoyen / Berta Betanzos Moro, ESP, 48
Finn Men
1. Giles Scott, GBR, 28
2. Josh Junior, NZL, 32
3. Andrew Murdoch, NZL, 35
IKA - Open
1. Florian Trittel, ESP, 10
2. Blazej Ozog, POL, 7
3. Oliver Bridge, GBR, 5
Laser Men
1. Philipp Buhl, GER, 39
2. Matthew Wearn, AUS, 40
3. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 43
Laser Radial Women
1. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, 15
2. Evi Van Acker, BEL, 24
3. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 41
Nacra 17
1. Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS, 47
2. Matías Buhler Matías / Nathalie Brugger, SUI, 56
3. Darren Bundock / Nina Curtis, AUS, 57
RS:X Men
1. Nick Dempsey, GBR, 11
2. Tom Squires, GBR, 10
3. Wonwoo Cho, KOR, 56
RS:X Women
1. Flavia Tartaglini, ITA, 26
2. Bryony Shaw, GBR, 32
4. Tuuli Petaja-Siren, FIN, 32
SKUD 18
1. Alexandra Rickham / Niki Birrell, GBR, 6
2. Marco Gualandris / Marta Zanetti, ITA, 8
3. Will Street / Megan Pascoe, GBR, 14
Sonar
1. Colin Harrison / Jonathan Harris / Russell Boaden, AUS, 6
2. Hannah Stodel / John Robertson / Steve Thomas, GBR, 11
3. John C Twomey / Austin O'Carroll / Ian Costelloe, IRL, 15
www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php
Brava Azzurra!
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Winning in the breeze on their own home Costa Smeralda, Sardinia waters capped a remarkable Settimana delle Bocche regatta week for Azzurra, the Roemmers family team which races for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
Skippered by Guillermo Parada (ARG) with Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto calling shots and owner Alberto Roemmers Jr (ARG) sharing the helming duties, Azzurra won the final windy race of the Settimana delle Bocche with nearest rivals Quantum Racing in sixth to clinch the second regatta of the 2015 52 SUPER SERIES and take the overall circuit lead.
It is the second time in four years that Azzurra have won on their own home turf, adding to their 2013 triumph at this regatta.
Azzurra trailed Quantum Racing by two points when the nine boat TP52 fleet went afloat from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda early this morning, seeking to outrun the 35 knots forecast for the afternoon. Even at that it proved the breeziest and most exciting race of the season, a 25 knots foam up which saw the Azzurra team keeping tight control, showing off their big winds prowess which has been their passport to success many times.
Settimana Delle Bocche - Porto Cervo
1. Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) 20 points
2. Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) 23
3. Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) 29
4. Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) 29
5. Sled, USA (Takashi Okura USA 33
6. Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) 36
7. Platoon, GER (Harm Muller-Spreer GER) 43
8. Alegre, GBR (Andres Soriano USA) 51
9. Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) 52
Season Rankings Overall after 2 Regattas
1. Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) 74
2. Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) 83
3. Sled, USA (Takashi Okura JPN) 86
4. Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) 91
5. Alegre, GBR (Andres Soriano USA) 99
6. Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) 105
7. Rán Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennström SWE) 115
8. Platoon, GER (Harm Muller-Spreer GER) 118
9. Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) 138
10. Interlodge, USA (Austin/Gwen Fragoman USA) 149
11. Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) 153
12. Xio/Hurakan, ITA (Guiseppe Parodi ITA) 173
13. Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) 213
14. Vesper, USA (Jim Swartz USA) 213
Sailing Schooner Martha To Compete In Transpac
Photo by Cameron Robert, Courtesy Of Robert DArcy. Click on image to enlarge.
The sailing schooner Martha will be participating in the eighth annual Great San Francisco Schooner Race on San Francisco Bay. The Martha, in the Bay Area for a series of races, will sail in the Transpacific race to Hawaii in July.
The classic sailing schooner Martha is sailing once again on San Francisco Bay, racing and getting ready for a rendezvous with yachting history.
If all goes well, the Martha, which was built in San Francisco 108 years ago, will sail from San Francisco on the Fourth of July for Long Beach, then head for Hawaii in the famous Transpac race.
The Martha will be the oldest vessel ever to compete in the race, which starts at Point Fermin, off Long Beach, and ends 2,225 miles later in Honolulu.
The Martha is usually based at Port Townsend, Wash., a town that appreciates old wooden sailing vessels. But d'Arcy brought it down the coast last month for sentimental and practical reasons.
The Martha is no museum boat. It sails, and this summer's race to Hawaii will be its longest test.
It was built at the W.F. Stone Yard in what is now San Francisco's Marina district and launched in spring 1907. Hanify, who made a fortune in redwood timber, owned it and named it for his wife. The yacht was the work of B.F. Crowninshield, one of America's most famous yacht designers. Hanify was the commodore of the San Francisco Yacht Club, and the Martha was the flagship of the club's fleet until he was killed on another boat in an accident off Hunters Point in 1922.
Event site: transpacyc.com
New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta
If on Friday it looked unusually busy just off Newport Harbor, it was because 135 of the 167 boats signed up for the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex had gathered in Narragansett Bay's East Passage, just south of Pell Bridge, to begin the 161-year-old regatta's traditional sprint around Conanicut Island.
With the wind struggling to fill from the southwest, race officials prudently postponed the noon start for an hour before successfully sending off 14 classes in a northerly direction, under the bridge for a counter-clockwise circumnavigation. It was shortened to finish off Beavertail Light in Jamestown, and the overall IRC awards at stake - the much coveted Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date timepiece given for best corrected time and a first-time Sentient Jet Trophy for best elapsed time - were won, respectively, by Austin and Gwen Fragomen's (Bayhead, N.J.) Botin 44 Interlodge and Michael Dominguez's (Newport, R.I.) Marstrom 32 catamaran Bronco.
Interlodge is new for the Fragomens, who have sailed a TP52 of the same name successfully for many years; it was splashed only a week ago and christened last night at Newport Shipyard where many of the Annual Regattas are docked.
Fragomen said he also wanted the right size of boat to race with others in the 40-foot range, as he thinks this is the growing group of boats on the east coast. He believes the two Carkeek 40s in his IRC 1 class here - Spookie and Decision, which finished second and third today behind Interlodge - will be his toughest competition throughout the weekend.
The "NYYC Red" team comprised of Paul Jeka's Custom 41 After Midnight and Steve/Heidi Benjamin's Carkeek 40 Spookie won the Rolex Trophy for best two-boat IRC team.
Giraglia Rolex Cup
The 63rd Giraglia Rolex Cup is well underway.
Action officially commenced at midnight on Friday 12 June, with a 90-strong international fleet embarking on the 60-nautical mile race from Sanremo, Italy to Saint-Tropez. Unsurprisingly, it was Igor Simcic's Esimit Europa 2 which arrived first in Saint-Tropez, the 100-ft Maxi underlying its status as the fleet's fastest boat. Esimit Europa 2 completed the course in 4 hours, 51 minutes some two and a half hours ahead of Lionel Pean's Volvo Open 70 SFS the second arrival. For the second year in a row Richard Burton's J109 Jet Lag (FRA) claimed handicap victory on IRC.
For some 160 crews today marked the first of three days of racing on the Cote d'Azur. As overnight rain subsided this morning, a building breeze heralded the start of the highly competitive inshore series, offering crews the opportunity to sharpen teamwork and tactics ahead of Wednesday's offshore race start. A south-easterly ranging from 15-20 knots kept today's races challenging. Following three separate starts shortly after 13:00 CEST, the fleet embarked on two different courses (31.5-nm for IRC 0, IRC A and ORC A, and 16.6-nm for IRC B and ORC B).
Making a strong early impression were the class winners: Alex Schaerer's Maxi 72 Caol Ila R (USA) in IRC 0; Michele Galli's B2 (ITA) in IRC A; Christophe Bru's Dare Dare (FRA) in IRC B; Roberto Bruno and Paolo Bonomo's Aurora (ITA) in ORC A; Giorgio Gobbo's Lima Golf 3.1 (ITA) in ORC B.
Esimit Europa 2 proved the fastest on the water (finishing in 2 hours, 25 minutes).
The main event - the 243-nm offshore race from Saint-Tropez to Genoa -commences on Wednesday 17 June with a fleet close to 250 yachts set to take part, a figure which will comfortably surpass the record of 220 participants in 2010.
Team Tilt Wins The Bol D'Or Mirabaud
Geneva, Switzerland: Team Tilt won Switzerland's celebrated Bol d'Or Mirabaud on Saturday after 12 hours 5 minutes and 58 seconds of racing in conditions that varied from light at the start to hair raising in the final hours with storms sweeping the fleet back to the Societe Nautique de Genève. The closing moments of the race saw Alinghi and Team Tilt locked into a fierce gybing dual, but the young crew on Team Tilt, with 19-year-old Sebastien Schneiter at the helm, held their nerve and their lead to finish ahead.
Ladycat led off the start line at 1000, but Team Tilt reeled them in and by Versoix were sitting in second place. With the French side of the lake favoured, Team Tilt and Realteam found themselves locked in a battle all the way to the halfway mark in Le Bouveret where Team Tilt rounded in second place. The French side was also favoured on the way back to Geneva and conditions turned stormy with 30-knot gusts battering the fleet. Sebastien Schneiter and his young crew kept their heads and passed Okalys just off Yvoire to take the lead, holding it all the way to the finish.
The team was made up of Sebastien Schneiter, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Tanguy Cariou, Lucien Cujean, Bryan Mettraux and Alex Schneiter.
Bol d'Or Mirabaud results - Decision 35
1. Team Tilt
2. Alinghi
3. Ladycat powered by Spindrift
4. Veltigroup
5. Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier
6. Okalys
7. Realteam
8. Racing Django
9. Mobimo
10. Zen Too
11. Oryx
Paul 'Whale' Weakley
The international sailing community has lost another great one. The Whale (aka Paul Weakley to the government and his family) passed today. A true legend. A competitor in just about every major sailing race in the world, he had friends everywhere.
I first met Whale in the mid 70's during the SORC days. Back then, few people got paid for sailing so all the boat workers would hang out together between races and find all sorts of entertainment to keep them occupied. Whale would be down from Canada and I was coming in from California (as he called it the left coast where the tree huggers lived), but we formed a friendship that lasted through the ages.
Anybody that did the SORC in those days will remember the famous trashcan parties at Miamarina, the blue Jeep, and other escapades that bonded everyone together. We have Whale to thank for these memories and friendships that have lasted the test of time.
Whale had a heart bigger than a whale. He was a true friend that if you needed help, he was your "go to guy." He would drop everything and help solve any problem. He had a gift for that and I was proud to be one of his oldest friends.
Two services being planned, one soonish, and the other for the fall when more folks in the sailing crowd are likely to be on the Fort Lauderdale side of the planet.
Eight bells. It's the end of your watch my friend. You will be missed. -- Captain Don Anderson
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.
Please contact - stevebenj5@gmail.com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
I always think of space-time as being the real substance of space, and the galaxies and the stars just like the foam on the ocean. -- George Smoot
Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb@beesonstone.com or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html