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
Roble & Sylvan Looking Strong In Lysekil
American Stephanie Roble is on fire at Lysekil Women's Match, the 2nd stage of the 2015 WIM Series. An intense Wednesday with eight matches and as many victories, puts her at the very top of the leader board.
Wednesday offered the race committee and the sailors steady winds that lasted for the whole day, which made it possible to catch up in the programme after a Tuesday afternoon with no wind on the Swedish West Coast waters/
Lysekil Women's Match continues Thursday with the round-robin, before Friday's quarter finals and Saturday's semi finals and final.
Standings in Lysekil Women's Match, the 2nd stage of the 2015 WIM Series, after day 2 of the round-robin (name, nationality, wins - losses):
1. Stephanie Roble, USA, 8 - 0
1. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 5 - 0
3. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 7 - 1
4. Anna Ostling, SWE, 4 - 1
5. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 5 - 3
6. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 2.5 - 2
7. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 2 - 3
7. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 2 - 3
9. Annabel Vose, GBR, 2 - 6
10. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 1 - 7
11. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 0 - 5
11. Sanna Hager, SWE, 0 - 8
34 Copa Del Rey MAPFRE
Palma de Mallorca: The 34 Copa del Rey MAPFRE crossed today the half-way stage of its intense competition program. And it did with the addition of H.R.H. King Felipe VI at the helm of "Aifos" in the BMW ORC 1 class. Don Felipe arrived to the Real Club Nautico de Palma at 11h00 in the morning, boarding the Spanish Armada's Corel 45 to head towards race course. This was his second appearance in this event since his coronation.
The third day of racing confirmed once again the reputation of the Bay of Palma, with a generous southerly wind (between 13 and 16 knots of wind speed) which allowed to complete the 30-mile coastal race scheduled for the classes Gaastra IRC 0, Rias Baixas IRC 1 and TP52 Super Series, as well as two windward/leeward races in the other five classes.
With the first half of the championship completed North-American "Ran V" (Gaastra IRC 0), Japanese "Mamma Aiuto" (Rias Baixas IRC 1), Italian "Azzurra" (TP52 Super Series), German "Elena Nova "(BMW ORC 1), and Spaniards "Red Electrica de Espana" (Air Europa X-35) and "Ono Polaroid Tressis" (Herbalife J80) are defending their lead. For the first time Spanish "Noticia IV" (Singular Kitchen Soto 40) and "L'Immens" (BMW ORC 2) climb to the top of the provisional scoreboard.
While Vladimir Liubomirov's Bronenosec ran away with the 30 miles coastal race today, extending their polished record on the coastal tracks of the 2015 52 SUPER SERIES to three wins and a second place, fifth place for Azzurra to Quantum Racing's second sees the overall lead of the Azzurra team cut to two points.
52 SUPER SERIES at 34th Copa del Rey Mapfre, Palma de Mallorca, Standings after Day 2
1. Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (1,1,5) 7 points
2. Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (3,4,2) 9
3. Alegre, GBR (Andres Soriano USA) (2,2,6) 10
4. Platoon, GER (Harm Muller-Spreer GER) (6,3,3) 12
5. Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (10,5,1) 16
6. Sled, USA (Takashi Okura USA) (5,7,8) 20
7. Spookie, USA (Steve Benjamin USA) (7,10,4) 21
8. Xio/Hurakan, ITA (Guiseppe Parodi ITA) (9,8,7) 24
9. Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (4,11,10) 25
10. Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (11,6,9) 26
11. Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (8,9,11) 28
Back By Popular Demand #Gillmostwanted At Cowes Week
Gill is pleased to announce that #gillmostwanted will be back for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2015. During the week, our Gill man, dressed in full sailing gear including a distinctive sailing hood that disguises his face, will be amongst the crew and spectators in and around the Yacht Haven.
To take part in the competition, you have to spot the Gill man and take a selfie with him. Then post that selfie on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #gillmostwanted to be entered into the draw to win. For each selfie that is submitted £1 will go in to the prize pot to be spent on Gill gear - you could win up to £1000. A further £1 will be donated to the event's official charity; UKSA.
Check out this film to help with your search youtu.be/lG77bI9LekU
Happy snapping!
Mitchell Sues Oracle
Matthew Mitchell, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand, sued Oracle Team USA in federal court in San Francisco on Monday. He contends his reputation was damaged after he was implicated by crewmate Simeon Tienpont for adding illegal ballast to a boat used in warmup regattas.
Although Tienpont admitted altering a catamaran, he was allowed to sail in the 2013 America's Cup match against Emirates Team New Zealand. Mitchell was suspended for the first four races by an international jury. He was unable to crack the crew list for the remaining races. Oracle rallied from an 8-1 deficit to win the final eight races and defeat Emirates Team New Zealand in one of the biggest comebacks in sports.
Mitchell's suit says Oracle Team USA "willfully and with malice" allowed Mitchell to take the blame so it could have Tienpont - "the indispensable sailor" - help OTUSA to victory.
Mitchell, a grinder who's been on three cup-winning teams, was cleared by the International Sailing Federation's Disciplinary Commission on Jan. 8. He repairs boats in Auckland and hasn't caught on with another team.
THE Ocean Cleanup Prepares For Pacific Cleanup, Embarks On Largest Research Expedition In History
This past weekend The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation developing technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, set sail on the Mega Expedition. The fleet of around 30 vessels departed Honolulu, gathering data to find out how much plastic is floating in the Pacific Ocean. This operation is in preparation of the large-scale cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is scheduled to begin by 2020.
The fleet will be covering a 1.4 million square mile area between Hawaii and the US West Coast, creating the first high-resolution map of plastic in the Pacific. If successful, the Mega Expedition will collect more data in three weeks' time than was gathered in the last 40 years combined.
During the expedition, vessels will make approximately 50 crossings to conduct surveys on the amount of plastic they encounter. The crews will be using a trawling net to sample small debris, and 'The Ocean Cleanup survey app' which will be used on smart phones to count larger debris.
Serving as the fleet's mothership is the 171ft R/V Ocean Starr. A former NOAA research vessel, the Ocean Starr has been especially fitted with an aerial camera system and giant nets to study large objects, such as ghost nets and tsunami debris.
Financial Tech Leader To Debut In Clipper Race
The UK's leading financial technology firm is set to continue its extreme sporting prowess by sponsoring a team in the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. LMAX Exchange will be making its global ocean-racing debut at the end of the month when the 40,000 nautical mile race begins in London.
CEO of LMAX Exchange David Mercer is aiming to join the LMAX Exchange team for part of the race, which will be led by skipper Olivier Cardin, 45. Cardin, who was an IT Project Manager before becoming a professional sailor, is the first Frenchman to ever skipper a team in the race.
The Clipper 2015-16 Race starts on 30 August 2015 at St Katharine Docks, London and will return eleven months later on 30 July 2016.
* Dutch port of Den Helder to host Clipper 2015-16 Race crew
For the third time in the Clipper Race's history, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race crew will receive a warm Dutch welcome in Den Helder in the penultimate race of the Atlantic Homecoming Leg 8.
Twelve teams of international crew will race into the north of The Netherlands on Race 13 of the leg from New York to London via Derry-Londonderry and Den Helder in July 2016. The boats will moor at the Host Port, Willemsoord, which is the former marine and maintenance yard for the Dutch Royal Navy and has a rich history.
The final race to London will start off the Den Helder coast on July 28 2016, in the presence of a Dutch Navy ship on the start line.
Winter Sun And Wind
EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour is proving increasingly attractive as a well-packaged winter warm-up for the northern hemisphere season
When EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (SATT) was launched in 2011 it was hoped that in time it would turn into a yacht racing classic for the Middle East with the bonus of offering European and American sailors first-class conditions for extended winter training. Five years on, and after a few changes stemming from sailor and sponsor feedback, SATT has climbed the priority list in the global sailing calendar, the annual title becoming more prized with each edition and an increasing number of professional and amateur teams coming from further afield to compete.
The event was conceived along the lines of the famous Tour de France à la Voile, with a tempting mix of inshore and offshore legs that challenge the full range of sailing skills, tactical knowledge, physical preparation and endurance. With a course extending more than 760 miles around the Arabian Sea, visiting six different cities, it also offers valuable opportunities for the various tourist boards representing the hosting ports to showcase their attractions on an international stage.
Full article in the September issue of Seahorse magazine: www.seahorsemagazine.com
€25m Picasso And Superyacht Collide With Spanish Export Ban
When French customs officers boarded a yacht docked off the town of Calvi in northern Corsica, they knew exactly what they were looking for: a €25m Picasso belonging to a Spanish banking tycoon, banned from export from Spain, allegedly en route for Switzerland.
Island officials had been tipped off on Thursday that an attempt was being made to export the painting, Head of a Young Woman, declared a "historical heritage asset of exceptional importance" by a Spanish judge, and that it was in French territory.
The owner was named as Jaime Botin, whose family was involved in setting up the Santander bank. Botin, 79, was not on the boat, believed to be the three-masted, 370-tonne "superyacht", the Adix, which customs officials said was owned by the company and flying a British flag.
Officials said that an export demand registered at Bastia, also on Corsica, was found on the vessel but was not in Botin's name. The yacht's captain could only produce a document in Spanish, found to be a legal judgment declaring the painting a "national treasure" and banning it from leaving Spain.
In May, a Spanish court upheld a 2013 ban preventing Botin from taking the work, kept on the Adix moored in the port of Valencia, to Britain, where it was reportedly to be sold by auctioneer Christie's.
Jorg Beiderbeck: A Great Yacht Designer Has Died
Without question, he was considered as one of the great designers in the megayacht world, and enjoyed world-wide respect and recognition from owners, shipyards and among his colleagues. On the evening of Sunday, 2nd August, Jorg Beiderbeck passed away aged 69 at his home in Bremen-Vegesack, after a long illness. He leaves behind his long-term partner as well as a son and a daughter. beiderbeck designs GmbH has lost not only the man who gave it its name, but one of its four partners.
"It's not only beiderbeck designs that is grieving. We will all miss his advice and his expertise. We will honour Jorg Beiderbeck's memory and continue along the same road, so that his aspirations in design and ideas will follow on behind him", declared the three remaining partners, Immo Ludeling, Tim Ulrich and Marcus Lowinski in unison. Back in 2010, Jorg Beiderbeck had relinquished the leadership of the renowned design studios in Bremen.
With the founding of beiderbeck designs GmbH and Tim Ulrich joining the company in March 2010, the planned re-structuring was complete. Immo Ludeling and Ulrich became the directors and "makers" of the company and in 2014 they recruited Marcus Lowinski as a further partner.
Today, they can be proud of a number of successful design projects, some of which have won awards, such as the recent Bd80 "Bliss" sailing yacht and the Swan 105 RS "Ti Coyo". With the successful continuation of the design office the Beiderbeck name will also live on.
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* From John Burnie: Where art thou?
Where is this going? (I comment yet again on IRC).
Copa Del Rey Entries:
ORC 1 - 44 boats
ORC 2 - 31 boats
IRC 0 - 4 boats
IRC 1 - 10 boats
Surely there should be deep concern when there are more X 35 boats in a class / or more Super TP 52's in a class than the whole of the entry of an IRC class? Are we looking at a dying rule here? I am informed that the RCNP only allow IRC classes for yachts 50ft and over - to me that is a worry in itself as the majority of the fleet racing under IRC in the UK are under 50 ft.
Any prevarication or lack of action by the RORC and IRC on these falling entries could ultimately damage the interest in international IRC races such as the RORC Caribbean 600.
Am I alone in my belief that there is a real problem here regarding the future of IRC - and is the rule not in danger of becoming merely a parochial (UK domestic) measurement system?
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The Last Word
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