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
Sleds & TP52's Lead Results In 48th Transpac
RIo 100. Photo by Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Honolulu, Hawaii: Boats from the two classes that symbolize Transpac more than any other have taken the top of the leaderboard in the 48th edition of this biennial ocean racing classic. Local-based James McDowell on his Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion has taken the top of the leaderboard in overall ORR scoring, followed by Chuck Nichols racing the Andrews 70 Pyewacket, with Craig Reynolds's TP52 Bolt in third place.
Grand Illusion, Pyewacket and the other entries in Division 3 are older designs from the ULDB Sled era of the 1980's and '90's when these boats were the designed, developed, and built to be the fastest in the race. Sleds raced as a level class in the Pacific for years throughout the 1990's, then evolved towards getting faster (the so-called 'turbo-Sleds'), migrated to the Great Lakes, and then more recently have migrated back to their roots to enjoy great racing once again.
Time and technology overtook Sled design at the end of the millenium, so in 2001 the Transpac YC commissioned a new fast offshore-capable design to take its place: the Transpac 52. This design concept has produced dozens of boats built around the world, and as such has proven to be the most versatile and popular race boat design of its size of all time.
Finishers last night had to exert their patience, because the Race Committee was not offering an escort service into the Ala Wai harbor due to the high surf warnings for Hawaii's south coast: 10-15 foot waves were closing out the harbor and the approach deemed too dangerous to attempt at dark. So, at 0530 this morning several boats waiting on hold made the run in between sets, and the Aloha parties were in full force not long after.
There are still about a dozen boats left to complete the course, including the Division 5 and Division 6 class leaders: Eric Gray's SC 50 Allure and John Chamberlain and Dean Fargo's Swan 651 Second Wind. Allure will finish sometime tonight and Second Wind late tomorrow, if the tradewinds hold as forecasted.
Provisional results are available at
www.yachtscoring.com
Tracker: yb.tl/transpac2015
www.transpacyc.com
Topper World Championships
Riva, Lake Garda, Italy: A red letter day for Fraglia Vela Riva and the Gallinaro family as Guido (younger brother of Vittorio), wins the World Laser 4.7 Championships in Poland.
This was a much anticipated day at Fraglia Vela Riva for the conclusion of the Topper World Championships which started on Monday with over 160 competitors, most of them British. After waiting in vain for the northerly wind this morning , everything was put on hold until early afternoon when thankfully after the "no-show" of yesterday the southerly wind decided to make an appearance, and then some.
With 14 steady knots the Fraglia Vela Riva organisational machine revved into action for the last and decisive races which would decide who would take home the title of champion of the 5.3 category.
And so it was, the Regatta Committee was able to complete 3 regattas within the time scheduled.
FInal top ten, Topper 5.3:
1. Vittorio Gallinaro, ITA, 15 points
2. Geoff Power, IRL, 18
3. Niamh Harper, GBR, 21
4. Bella Fellows, GBR, 23
5. Joseph Drake, GBR, 44
6. Billy Vennis-Ozanne, GBR, 46
7. Luke Gribbin, GBR, 46
8. Eleanor Poole, GBR, 49
9. Elliott Kuzyk, GBR, 54
10. Tom Renny, GBR, 60
A Change Of Gear From Hudson Wight With This Season's Performance Jacket
Hudson Wight has upgraded its popular Performance Jacket for this season, adding some small but nonetheless important refinements to the overall design. Although based on the original Performance Jacket in terms of fabric, waterproofness, breathability and flexibility, the main changes to the 2015 Performance Jacket are to its styling and fit :
- HW lime garage detail on pocket zips
- 3rd pocket added at chest height with YKK Aquaguard zip
- Revised roomier collar design
- Better overall fit and sizing
- Sizes: S, M, L and XL
- Colours: Blue and Grey
- Price: £149.00 inc. VAT
More features and further details are available on our website.
If you're ever in the market to try something new and innovative on the clothing front, your first port of call should always be Hudson Wight - check out our excellent prices either online www.hudsonwight.com or pop into our showroom at One The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 7QJ.
Your branding requirements are also safe in our hands and we would be delighted to quote when we receive your order. Just email: info@hudsonwight.com or phone: +44 (0)1983 300144.
EUROSAF Youth Sailing, European Championship
Brest, France: The Moulin Blanc marina is starting to fill up: Laser, 420, SL16, 29er or RSX, the best European young sailors in these classes are gathering for the Eurosaf Youth championship 2015.
Altogether, it's 17 nations, 199 competitors, 136 boats that are expected in Brest by tomorrow.
For the competitors already on site, today was dedicated to final preparations, registration, inspection and training in order to familiarise with the sailing conditions in the Rade de Brest.
Tomorrow will see the practice race take place at 14:00 followed by the Opening Ceremony at 18:00, marking the beginning of this 2015 edition of the competition.
www.youth-eurosaf-2015.eu/youth-eurosaf-2015/
America's Cup and ISAF to Invest in Youth Sailing
The International Sailing Federation and the America's Cup Events Authority have kissed and made up just before the start of the America's Cup World Series Portsmouth.
The ISAF have announced that they have sanctioned the America's Cup Regattas and in lieu of a fee that there will be two youth sailing programs established in Bermuda and internationally.
The scope of the international program is yet to be announced but the announcement says the beneficiary will be the ISAF's international youth sailing charity the World Youth Sailing Trust.
The last America's Cup was notable for a massive split between the world body and the parties associated with the America's Cup Defender, where the ISAF appointed International Jury made several adverse findings against the Defender for breach or reconnaissance rules, and the much publicized boat and measurement tampering incidents which resulted in several members of Oracle Team USA being suspended, the team fined $250,000 and one of the suspensions being the subject of an acrimonious hearing in the Court for Arbitration in Sport. The decision of the five person International Jury was upheld by CAS, although there was some comment on the process used.
ISAF World Sailing Rankings
The ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 27 July 2015 have been released.
Finn
It's as you were in the Finn with the top three of Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic at World #1 sitting above the British pair of Edward Wright at World #2, and Giles Scott World #3.
49er FX
Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA) remain in the World #1 position helped by a second place finish in the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
49er
John Pink & Stuart Bithell (GBR) retain World #1 ranking sitting ahead of New Zealand's Peter Turling & Blair Tuke.
Men's 470
Third place in the European Championships help Australia's Mathew Belcher & William Ryan retain their World #1 ranking ahead of an unchanged top six.
Women's 470
A first place finish at the European Championships cements Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie (NZL) World #1 ranking with no movement within the top ten.
Laser
The World Championships have impacted the Laser rankings with winner Nick Thompson (GBR) moving up to World #3 and Pavlos Kontides up to World #4 with a ninth place finish.
Laser Radial
There is no change in the Laser Radial until you hit the World #15 ranking where Croatia's Tina Mihelic moves up from World #19 due to a second place in Kieler Woche.
Women's RS:X
Winning the European Championships has helped Great Britain's Bryony Shaw retain the World #1 spot ahead of Lilian De Geus (NED) who stays in World #2.
Men's RS:X
Taking a first place in the Pan American Games saw Brazil's Ricardo Santos climb from World #7 to World #2, pushing Russia's Max Oberemko down into World #3.
Nacra17
The top five remains the same with Australia's Jason Waterhouse & Lisa Darmanin World #1, helped by a second place finish in the World Championships.
Men's and Women's Formula Kite
The World Championships reflected the top three for the Women as World #1 Elena Kalinina (RUS) came first, World #2 Stephanie Bridge (GBR) came second and World #3 Anastasia Akopova came third.
North Sails Regatta Services In Cowes
Photo credit: Ian Roman 
What a great way to kick off the historic Bicentennial Regatta in Cowes. Hosted by North Sails President Ken Read, last night saw a fantastic panel discussion with Sir Ben Ainslie, Sam Davies and James Spithill talking about everything from high-tech performance through to where sailing is going next. Read more about the event here: www.northsails.com
North Sails is also hosting its Regatta Services programme in Cowes. Using photography and video content taken on the race course each day, experienced North Sails professionals will offer competitors free racing analysis and insights to help hone skills and enhance what sailors can take away from the event. Ruairidh Scott will also be offering "Ask the Expert" feedback for the J/70 class. Please come down and join the North Sails family at the Yacht Haven to register your interest and participate in the daily briefings after racing.
And we hope to see you all at the Official Crew Party hosted by North Sails on Friday July 31st from 8 PM in the Yacht Haven to celebrate the end of what we expect to be a fantastic week.
Stay informed through www.facebook.com/NorthSailsWorldwide
or
twitter.com/northsails
#north sails
#200years
RC44: Team Aqua Aiming To Defend Lead With Swedish Skipper
Racing resumes on the 2015 RC44 Championship Tour with the third event of the season starting tomorrow on the picturesque holiday hotspot island of Marstrand on Sweden's west coast.
Attracted to Scandinavia by Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis Racing, that fields two boats on the RC44 Championship Tour, this will be the fifth consecutive year that the RC44 Marstrand Cup has been held here. Once again hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS) and with the support of Stena, the event begins tomorrow with a day of match racing preceding four days of fleet racing.
This year Artemis Racing is not the only Swedish element of the competition. Standing in for Chris Bake on Team Aqua for the second time this season is Richard Goransson, best known in recent years for his 'Inga from Sweden' campaigns on the Melges 20 and 32 circuits.
But surprisingly his local knowledge won't help Team Aqua as this will be the first occasion Goransson has raced here. "It's not that I have anything against Marstrand - it's just never happened," he admits.
The RC44 Marstrand Cup, coming in the middle of the season, always provides a welcome alternative to the Mediterranean regattas, both culturally and climactically with the short nights and a greater potential for strong winds.
The RC44 Marstrand Cup will take place from 28 July to 1 August.
Follow the racing on the live blog and tracking at www.rc44.com
Jorgen Lindhardtsen Wins Practice Race Ahead of OK Dinghy Worlds
Puck, Poland: Racing at the OK Dinghy World Championship begins on Tuesday, but on Monday the practice race was held in a moderate to strong southerly. 93 sailors are now entered for the week.
The race was started after one general recall in 14-16 knots and increased to 18-20 knots with great downwind sailing keeping everyone busy. Many sailors went out intending to do just one lap and come ashore, but most were having so much fun they carried on despite it just being a practice race.
The early leader was former world champion Thomas Hansson-Mild (SWE) who opened up a nice lead before peeling off and heading in. The race ended in a very tight finish with another former world champion Jorgen Lindhardtsen (DEN) crossing just ahead of Henrik Kofoed (DEN) and Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL). Some 54 boats finished the race.
Lindhardtsen, always a strong challenger in strong winds throughout his career, has been looking for a second world title ever since he won the first one way back in 1978. Has he now jinxed his challenge this year by winning the practice race – always a supposedly unlucky omen?
The forecast is still showing pretty strong winds for most of the week. Racing for the 2015 OK Dinghy World title is scheduled to start at 11.30 on Tuesday morning. -- Robert Deaves
Event website: www.okworlds.org
Class website: www.okdia.org
Expressions Of Interests - Possible Sydney Noumea Yacht Race 2018
As part of the CYCA Sailing Committee approach to continuously review the annual sailing calendar and seek feedback from stakeholders, the Committee is seeking feedback about a possible reintroduction of a race to Noumea that might be conducted in June 2018 concurrently with the Brisbane to Noumea and Auckland Noumea Yacht Races.
Last conducted in the 1990's the race length would be approximately 1,064nm. The existing race record was set in 1991 by Brindabella (G.Snow) is 5d 21h 35m 00s
The event would be a Category 1 Yacht Race for monohulls.
If you intend on entering we ask that you complete the Expression of Interest by 31st July 2015 through this link:
https://cycaforms.seamlessdocs.com/f/6Acj9V
The reintroduction of the race will then be considered at the August Sailing Committee meeting.
470 Junior World Championships
From 26th till 31st of July, the gulf of Thermaikos will be inundated by top young guns. 102 teams from all over the world are registered.
The thermal breeze made its appearance around 12, giving the chance to the sailors to compete in 2 races with winds between 7 and 12 knots.
First to compete were the women with 3 teams from Spain finishing in top.
The mens fleet was divided in blue and yellow and the pressure was high from the 1st start
The weather conditions were good with the wind strength range 8 to 10 knots.
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The Last Word
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