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
Platoon Tops Leaderboard at TP52 Worlds
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Harm Muller-Spreer's German flagged Platoon team sit on top of the leaderboard after the first day of racing on the Bay of Palma for the TP52 World Championship Porto Portals. A gun to gun win in the opening race of the five days regatta, the first race win so far for the Platoon, was paired with a solid fifth in the second contest to leave them just one point up on the second placed Sled.
Takashi Okura's Sled crew matched sixth to their victory in Race 2, their third win of the season, to sit two points clear of a trio of boats = Azzurra, Alegre and Ran Racing which all aggregated nine points today.
The mid fleet battles are intensely tough. There are no easy passes, no automatic right of recovery and it is very, very easy to end up right back in the cheap seats when the closing titles roll and the finishing guns sound.
And, with 12 boats racing, a double digits score is heavy ballast to go forwards with. World Champions Quantum Racing and Porto Cervo winners Azzurra both had rollercoaster days – Azzurra marginally better with a 2,7 but Quantum Racing's 3,11 opening salvo is not the start to their title defence they wanted. And there are other high quality teams feeling the pain of a double dip day.
TP52 World Championship Puerto Portals, Mallorca, After 2 races
1. Platoon, GER (Harm Muller-Spreer GER) (1,5) 6pts
2. Sled, USA (Takashi Okura USA) (6,1) 7pts
3. Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (2,7) 9pts
4. Ran Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennstrom SWE) (5,4) 9pts
5. Alegre, GBR (Andres Soriano USA) (7,2) 9pts
6. Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (9,3) 12pts
7. Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (3,11) 14pts
8. Phoenix, BRA, (Eduardo de Souza Ramos BRA) (4,12) 16pts
9. Xio/Hurakan, ITA (Guiseppe Parodi ITA) (8,8) 16pts
10. Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (11,6) 17pts
11. Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (10,9) 19pts
12. Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (DNF/13,10) 23pts
60 Knot Winds, Record Boat Speeds and an Outstanding Classic
George David's Rambler 88 was roughly 120 miles astern when her rival, Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark's 100' Comanche, crossed the finish line at The Lizard off the south coast of England on Monday, 13 July, at 1:49 EDT. Rambler 88 eventually followed at 04:46 EDT, for an elapsed time of 7 days 14 hours 32 minutes - and, on corrected time, a massive 7 hours and 11 minutes win over her larger opponent.
A boat that did a fine job of hanging on to Rambler 88, finishing just four hours after her on the water, was another of the final four starters, Peter Aschenbrenner's 66' Irens-Cabaret designed trimaran, Paradox. She is unusual in being ostensibly a fully-fledged racer, like Lloyd Thornburg's MOD70 Phaedo³, but down below hides a proper owner's cabin, a refrigerator, running hot water and even the ultimate luxury of a flushing toilet. And yet this ultimate racer cruiser is capable of daily runs which only a couple of decades ago would have made her the world's fastest offshore race boat.
Also finishing yesterday, at 08:49 UTC (04:49 EDT), was former New York Yacht Club Commodore Larry Huntington and his much travelled Ker 50 Snow Lion.
This is Huntington's eighth transatlantic race and he says it was exceptional: "Never have I seen the pattern of us catching a southwesterly all the way across the ocean; it never let up, we never had any soft spots. This is the fastest passage I have done; usually it takes around 20 days, but we have done this in eleven and a half. I could not have imagined that we would have done that."
One of the greatest stories of this Transatlantic Race 2015 is the participation of Dorade, the 53' yacht that a young Olin Stephens, of S&S design house fame, campaigned in this same race 84 years ago. Today the restored boat is being raced by Matt Brooks who won the 2013 Transpac with her to repeat Dorade's 1936 victory in that race. He hoped to repeat the boat's 1931 Transatlantic Race victory this year.
Dorade did not manage to repeat her success, as conditions favored newer, more powerful boats. Dorade was unable to beat the biggest boat in the fleet, Mariette of 1915, to victory in the Classic division and IRC Class 4, but finished a respectable second in both. Most importantly Dorade finished in just under 14 days 23 hours to take more than a day off Olin Stephens' 1931 time.
Fastnet Bundle - Only 2 Days Left To Check It Out
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New Navigator Appointed For Wild Oats XI
The bid by Australian supermaxi yacht Wild Oats XI to establish a race record time for the 2225 nautical mile Transpac race from Los Angeles to Hawaii is back on course after a new navigator was signed on today.
New Zealander Nick White, who has vast experience in around-the-world and international competition, took up the opportunity to replace Stan Honey as the yacht's navigator after Honey withdrew due to injuries he suffered in the Trans-Atlantic race, which finished earlier this week.
Honey, arguably the world's best ocean racing navigator, was injured when he had a fall aboard Kristy and Jim Clark's 100-footer, Comanche, when the yacht was on her way to establishing a remarkable new world sailing record of 620 nautical miles in 24 hours.
A doctor who checked on Honey's condition after Comanche finished the race advised him to rest for the next two weeks. This meant he could not be aboard Wild Oats XI when she started in the Transpac race next Saturday.
Wild Oats XI, which is recognised as Australia's most successful ocean racing yacht, is out to break the race's monohull record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds, a mark set by Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo II in 2009. Her average speed then was 16.6 knots.
With that in mind, the combined Australian and American crew aboard Wild Oats XI returned to the dock after the training run today exceedingly encouraged by what they had experienced. Wild Oats XI had averaged near 22 knots in 17 knots of wind with only her smallest headsail set.
* From Comanche Sailing Team Comanche Sailing has been made aware of an exaggerated release made by an un-associated third party concerning Stan Honey, navigator on Comanche during her recent Transatlantic Race run to England. This strange release was posted without anyone contacting the boat, the crew or any party related to the accident.
To set the facts straight and ease the minds of Stan's many fans and friends in the sailing world, Stan did slip and take a fall inside Comanche on day 5 of the 7 day race, literally within minutes of the end of Comanche's record 24 hour run. He was never unconscious. He did immediately show some signs of concussion and the on board medics contacted the race duty officer and emergency medical facility, and consulted with doctors about the accident. Stan rested for approximately six hours and then resumed his navigational duties for the rest of the race.
Stan was met by his wife Sally and boat owner Jim Clark at the finish and went to the local Falmouth hospital for a CAT scan which proved to show nothing abnormal, but it has been suggested that Stan lay low for a couple weeks to fully recover from the accident. The trip to hospital was purely precautionary and is good practice in cases like these.
Stan and Sally were at the crew party last night in Southampton and are flying back home today as planned and would like to thank all for their support. -- Camilla Green
RORC IRC National Championship
The Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC National Championship kicks off this weekend with the hottest racing fleet since six TP52s took part in 2008. The inshore regatta features three days of intense racing on tight Solent courses, with top competition from Belgium, Britain, Ireland, Germany and The Netherlands. Right through the 46 yacht fleet there are National, European, World and Olympic medallists racing.
At least 13 yachts will contest IRC One, including a bevy of downwind flyers. Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 51, Tonnerre 4 will have multiple world champion, Jeremy Robinson as tactician and Volvo Ocean Race sailor, Paul Wilcox on the helm. The brand new one-off design, Spectre, built by Persico in Milan and designed by Mani Frers, is led by two-time Olympic Silver medallist, Nick Rogers and includes America's Cup sailor, Jeremy Elliott amongst the crew. Christoph Avenarius and Gorm Gondesen German Ker 46, Shakti will have a young all-German crew.
Reigning IRC National Champion, Antix, returns from Ireland with a new boat. Captain of the victorious Irish Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup team, Anthony O'Leary will be at the helm of his turboed Ker 40, Antix, which blew away the opposition at this year's RORC Easter Challenge. IRC One features a significant number of yachts capable of planing at ballistic speeds downwind; Carkeek 40 Rebellion, GP42 Tokoloshe II, HH 42 Oystercatcher XXX, three Ker 40s: Antix, Hooligan VII and Baraka and Sir Keith Mills' Ker 40+, Invictus.
Racing for the 12th edition of the RORC IRC National Championship will commence on Friday 17th July, with up to nine races scheduled over three days. The RORC Facebook page and the official web site will have daily reports, pictures and more. This will be the first IRC National Championship hosted at the new RORC Cowes Clubhouse.
Seahorse August 2015
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Update
A very special Australian (though reclaimed by London for all the good bits), Tim Jefferey remembers Alan Bond and the events leading up to the 1983 Cup Match. Plus the 2017 Cup format just grew again and Bob Fisher is all in favour of San Francisco's 12 Metre contest
Design - Cracking effort
Stephan Boden and Alex Vrolijk have come up with something extremely special
Seahorse build table - Moving (swiftly) on
Foil-innovator Ian Ward continues on the trail of the fast, manageable and affordable foiler
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Industry News
At the OSAF Congress held in Port Moresby last week, Yachting Australia Board member, competitive sailor and Olympian Karyn Gojnich was elected one of four Vice-Presidents of the Oceania Sailing Federation (OSAF).
Members of OSAF, the federation of National Sailing Organisations responsible for the development and promotion of sailing in Oceania, gathered for their bi-annual meeting in Port Moresby to coincide with the 2015 Pacific Games.
The Congress, attended by Yachting Australia CEO Matt Carroll and representatives from more than ten countries, discussed opportunities and shared plans for the ongoing development and co-ordination of local sailing programmes in the region.
During the Congress, held at the Royal Papua Yacht Club, Yachting Australia Board Member Karyn Gojnich was elected Vice-President of OSAF. One of four Vice Presidents, Karyn has a long and distinguished sailing career including Olympic campaigns spanning more than 20 years, member of Yachting Australia's Athletes Committee and High Performance Advisory Group while continuing to compete in the International Yngling and International Etchells classes.
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Boat insurance specialists Haven Knox-Johnston have received a 5 star rating of "Excellent" on their "All Risks Boat Insurance Policy" after an independent review by a panel of Brokers as reported through the Insurance Age Magazine.
The "All Risks Boat Insurance Policy" was commended for its customer driven approach and the range of additional benefits. It was also noted that the policy had eliminated any 'grey areas' and 'complicated phrasing'.
Overall the independent review reported that the cover was designed to keep the consumer protected without any concerns, which maintains Haven Knox-Johnston as one of the market leaders in an increasingly competitive industry.
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Bermuda's national drink, the Dark 'n Stormy, will be introduced to America's Cup fans everywhere during two years of international events.
Gosling's has been named the Official Rum and Official Ginger Beer of the 35th America's Cup, which includes two years of Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series events, building up to the final races to be staged in Bermuda in 2017.
As an Official Partner of the America's Cup, all of Gosling's unique products will be available at official America's Cup events and functions around the world, beginning with the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Portsmouth, on the south coast of England, later this month.
Long a Bermuda institution, Gosling's has a history that even pre-dates the America's Cup competition
americascup.com
goslingsrum.com
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"TV and Public Host of the 35th America's Cup!" As a sailing TV announcer, when the America's Cup gives you that title you've arrived. That's exactly Tucker Thompson's new role. For the next two years he'll host all public delivery of the event from live TV, to press conferences, public events, video features, and perhaps most importantly he'll host the AC Tour delivering live, multi-media presentations at yacht clubs and other venues around the world.
Thompson, a champion sailor, got into international match racing while still competing in college sailing. After graduating, he raced professionally and was picked up to sail with America True in the 2000 America's Cup trials. From there a career in sailing shifted to one covering the sport. He and then partner, Bruce Nairn, started T2P.TV and after almost 15 years and two more America's Cups as an announcer with longtime friend Andy Green Thompson now sits in the lead role.
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The 58.4m luxury world class sailing yacht Kokomo is to undergo a complete inspection in accordance with a five year service plan. Marine Results will carry out the work which includes unstepping the mast and inspecting all components using advanced NDT techniques, and replacing any wearing or faulty components. The team will also remove all the fittings ready for the mast to be painted.
He comments "This is a very tall mast and we believe that it is in fact the tallest ever to be unstepped in Palma. We are bringing in a special crane from mainland Spain to unstep and restep the rig as there is none suitable on the island of Mallorca."
The work will be carried out at STP Boatyard in Palma, Mallorca in September by a team from Marine Results led by Ed Danby.
Kokomo's mast was built by Southern Spars in carbon fibre, and is stayed with Nitronic 50 rod and EC6 carbon stays.
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Cowes Week Ltd, organisers of the world's best-known sailing regatta and highlight of the British Sporting Summer are delighted to announce another addition to their family of supporting sponsors as Nyetimber comes on board as the Official Sparkling Wine.
For over 25 years Nyetimber has had a single aim: to make the finest English sparkling wine, one to rival the very best in the world, including Champagne.
As part of its sponsorship, Nyetimber will welcome Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week participants and spectators to enjoy a celebratory (or commiseratory!) glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine at its stunning bar, 'The Nyetimber' situated at Cowes Yacht Haven. 'The Nyetimber' is a beautifully reimagined 1968 Routemaster bus stopping at some of the UK's most sought-after events this summer. The bus offers a luxurious, quintessentially British setting for passengers.
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2015 takes place from the 8-15 August.
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Dutch superyacht builder Jongert says it is for sale and "actively looking for a partner." The company speaks of uneasy times, but discounts a recently published report that it has closed its doors.
The company tells SB that it is in conversation with several parties it did not identify. It said it "remains hopeful of a takeover to secure a future for Jongert."
Jongert has built 325 yachts since 1953. Today it specialises in semi-custom and custom sailing and motoryachts of up to 60 metres.
Located 25 miles north of Amsterdam, the yard has been part of the Dutch VEKA shipbuilding group since 2009.
Featured Brokerage
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Twice Centomiglia and Gorla Winner, Bol ' 7th, Blaues Band Bondensee 4th.
Sailed only on Lakes
It comes with everything except a road trailer.
Contact
Gregor Stimpfl
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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