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
Taylor Canfield The Standout On Day 1
Perth, Australia: In front of a packed lawn at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Taylor Canfield and his US One team are the standout performers of Qualifying Session 1 of Match Cup Australia. This is the first event of the 2017 World Match Racing Tour. Canfield, from the US Virgin Islands, chalked up three wins and a second place to dominate his group.
The Swan River's Freshwater Bay sparkled in the sunshine through the morning, with a good easterly breeze making for a great spectacle in the early races.
Also at the top of the scoreboard in their respective groups of six teams were Kiwi Chris Steele in Group 1, and Frenchman Yann Guichard in group three.
Steele and his 36 Below Racing team also scored three first places, with a third place their other score, but they were penalized a further point for a collision. As a measure of the aggressive tactics on the racecourse, a number of penalty points were issued, with local wild card entry Matt Jerwood receiving two.
Match Cup Australia
Results Day 1: Qualifying
Group 1
1. Chris Steele (NZL), 36 Below Racing - 7 points
2. Phil Robertson (NZL), Robertson Racing - 9
3. Matt Jerwood (AUS), Redline Racing - 14
4. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), Sailing Team NL - 17
5. Sam Gilmour (AUS), Neptune Racing - 20
6. Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE), ESSIQ Racing - 20
Group 2
1. Taylor Canfield (ISV), US One - 5
2. David Gilmour (AUS), Team Gilmour - 11
3. Steven Thomas (AUS), RPM Racing - 11
4. Sally Barkow (USA), Team Magenta 32 - 18
5. Jonas Warrer (DEN), Warrer Racing - 18
6. Nicolai Sehested (DEN), EWII Racing - 21
Group 3
1. Yann Guichard (FRA), Spindrift Racing - 11
2. Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar - 12
3. Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing Team - 12
4. Evan Walker (AUS), KA Match - 14
5. Mans Holmberg (SWE), CFA Sports - 15
5. George Anyon (NZL), RNZYS Performance Program - 20
Ten Women Registered For The Mini Transat
Decidedly, the Mini Transat is not an event like any other. In the offshore racing world, where women often struggle to carve out a niche for themselves, the Mini wrong-foots accepted ideas. For this 2017 edition, ten women will be at the start and have no intention of letting their tickets go to waste.
Is it the size of the boats where manœuvres remain on a human scale, the diversity of the applicants' profiles at the start or the Mini Transat's function as a rite of passage? The fact remains that where a number of the major offshore races battle to attract the female sex, the Mini Transat appears to be flourishing in this domain.
One might well imagine that the list of fine ladies from the offshore racing circuit have careers coloured by the Mini Transat. Isabelle Autissier, Catherine Chabaud and Samantha Davies made their debut in the race before setting sail on the Vendee Globe adventure. Before finishing second in the Vendee Globe then beating the solo round the world record, Ellen MacArthur also spent time in the 'Mini school'. More recently, Justine Mettraux, second in the 2013 edition, has been considered to be a rising star in the Figaro Beneteau class after a foray into the crewed round the world Volvo Ocean Race. Isabelle Joschke is another face that shone in the Mini Transat before she went on to join the Figaro circuit and then the Class40, where she has constantly ranked among the front runners.
List of female participants in the Mini Transat 2017
Marine Andre, Pogo 2
Nolwenn Caze, Pogo 2
Elodie Pedron, Pogo 2
Clarisse Cremer, Pogo 3
Agnes Menut, Pogo 2
Marta Guemes, Pogo 2
Anna Corbella, Pogo 3
Estelle Greck, Pogo 2
Lina Rixens, Pogo 2
Charlotte Mery, Prototype
www.classemini.com
minitransat-ilesdeguadeloupe.fr
Harken Aboard TP52s In Super Series
TP52s are AT THE FRONT of the sport, and the front of the sport is heading to the Med for the final four races in this iconic series. Harken V blocks continue to appear on more boats.
Reviews of their performance have been so strong we've gotten requests for more sizes -and they're coming. Harken hydraulics and winches are also well represented.
That includes the brand new, hollow-centered, 250 Air® winch with interchangeable gears.
Aboard these innovative go-fast machines: it's where we must be.
No compromises. No end to the commitment.
Duels A-Plenty
Eleonora E, Gaff Rigged Schooner, 5. Skippered by Brendan McCoy. Class IRC Z. Photo by Emma Louise Wyn Jones, www.elwjphotography.com. Click on image to enlarge.
The Antigua to Bermuda Race starting on Friday 12th May is proving highly popular with a huge variety of competitors eager to take on the challenge of a true ocean race to Bermuda; the home of the 35th America's Cup.
The fascinating array of yachts, as rich in history as the America's Cup, has been boasted by the addition of the magnificent 162ft schooner, Eleonora, an exact replica of the 1910 Herreshoff-designed Westward, one of the most famous and best known racing schooners in the world.
Spectators will enjoy the spectacular start from the iconic Pillars of Hercules outside Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua and the sight of the majestic racing schooner, Eleonora who will be joined in the CSA Classic class by the 87ft Tall Ship, Spirit of Bermuda, a replica of a 19th century Bermuda Dispatch Sloop and a national icon which symbolizes Bermuda's maritime Heritage.
American Swan 90, Freya and British Swan 82, Stay Calm should have a close battle during the race, as will the two CNB 76s; the Irish flagged Lilla owned by Nancy and Simon De Pietro and the American flagged Sapphire, owned by John O'Connor.
Among the many 60ft yachts taking part is likely to be a interesting contest between two equally matched Canadian yachts; from Nova Scotia, Chris Stanmore Major's Whitbread 60, Challenger (Spartan Ocean racing) and from Quebec, Maxime Grimard's Volvo 60, Esprit de Corps IV.
Two of the smallest yachts competing will most certainly be locked in a close battle on the water: Morgen Watson's Canadian yacht Hermes and Mikael Ryking's Swedish entry, Talanta, are both Pogo40s.
The Antigua Bermuda Race is open to yachts and multihulls with a minimum length of 40ft (12m) holding a valid IRC,CSA, PCS MultiRule or Superyacht ORCsy rating. Dual scoring will be provided and a provision of a Motor Sailing Handicap will be overlaid for CSA Racers.
The Antigua Bermuda Race starts on Friday 12th May 2017 and is supported by the Bermuda Tourism Authority and Goslings Rum.
The Crossing Of The Century Aboard The Queen Mary 2
On June 23rd in Cherbourg, 2,500 privileged passengers will board the most prestigious ocean liner in the world: the Queen Mary 2, flagship of THE BRIDGE 2017. Specially chartered to mark a century of the American landing in 1917, the superb ocean liner which is the vessel of the British company, Cunard, will race the worlds multihulls from Saint-Nazaire to New York, retracing the course taken by the Sammie's.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in a historical crossing. There are still cabins available for the public to purchase. Individuals and entrepreneurs wishing to take part in this six day long Atlantic crossing can book tickets on the website at www.thebridge2017.com.
Four carbon maxi trimarans, will take on the steel ship, including new solo sailors Thomas Colville (Sobedo) and round the world record holders Francis Joyon (Idec). This race will be an intense "duel" and a breathtaking adventure that can be experienced onboard the legendary liner which has now been transformed into race HQ.
The Queen Mary 2 will be escorted from Brest by the Centennial Armada, an international fleet which will fly the flag of the twelve nations involved in the First World War. The first stop will be Saint-Nazaire on the 24th June, its port of origin.
The Cunard Company flagship was named in 2003 by Elizabeth II, Queen of England and will be the main attraction of the festivities in Sant Nazaire where she was built. On Sunday 25th June the horn of the Queen Mary 2 will sound under the bridge of Saint-Nazaire. Aboard, passengers will salute the hundreds of thousands of spectators expected ashore to share the excitement of the start.
Sharepoint Developer
The RYA is primarily a National Governing Body and membership organisation, delivering services to members, clubs, training centres and other associated groups. We are looking for an enthusiastic Developer to assist in the development of RYA websites and business applications.
Working as part of a small friendly team, under the supervision of the Lead Developer, the successful candidate will complete development work to agreed timescales. They will assist in the development and support of a wide range of web based systems.
The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated with excellent communication skills and have practical skills and experience based around Microsoft technologies specifically; .NET, SharePoint (with C#) and IIS. An understanding and practical experience any of the following would be an advantage, but not essential:
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV
- BizTalk Server
- Agile project management
- Commerce Server
- Team Foundation Server (TFS)
The role offers an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge and skill set working in a highly experienced and motivated team.
Salary: DOE 35 hours per week.
Range of benefits including free parking, pension scheme, free life insurance, 25 days annual leave plus public holidays.
Closing date for applications: 2 April 2017
To apply please visit www.rya.org.uk/go/jobs to review the job description and complete an application form and equal opportunities monitoring form.
All applicants should hold valid permission to live and work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.
The RYA is committed to equality of opportunity
Emily Nagel Signs On With Softbank Team Japan
Team BDA may have to reach into its reserves for a new sailor after Emily Nagel accepted a full-time position with SoftBank Team Japan, The Royal Gazette can confirm.
The America's Cup challenger offered the 22-year-old star a full-time position with the team, which she has grasped with both hands, ruling her out of the Red Bull Youth America's Cup.
"Emily Nagel has been offered a full-time position with us and accepted," Matt Knighton, the Team Japan spokesman, confirmed in response to queries from The Royal Gazette on the matter.
"Unfortunately, it puts an end to her Team Bermuda participation, but a great accomplishment."
Nagel was one of Team BDA's most experienced sailors, having competed in the 2015 ISAF Team Racing World Championships as well as other world and European championships. -- Colin Thompson, Sailing Correspondent
www.royalgazette.com/americas-cup
Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series
If patience was the key factor in Race 1 then endurance and good waterproofs were the key factors in Race 2 of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series (Sunday 20 March).
The forecast for the Solent was SW 20 knots gusting 30 knots, and when the committee boats arrived on station the wind was varying around 20. During the morning, however the wind increased to 25 knots with gusts of 29/30 so after one successful race the decision was taken to send the White Group back in.
With a lee going tide you might have expected the sea to be fairly flat, but this wasn't the case - it was lumpy making the foul tide beats a struggle to keep the boats in the groove when both wind and sea were determined to knock them out of it.
The J/70 Soak Racing (Marshall King and Ian Wilson) leads the J/70s and the combined White Group
In IRC4 Silver Shamrock (Shamrock Prototype - Stuart Greenfield) led the fleet round the course to win, with Erik the Red (Mustang 30 MkII - Bernard Fyans) only getting past her once on a surfing downwind spinnaker leg.
IRC3 was won by J'Ronimo (J/92 - David Greenhaigh) with Quokka (Half Tonner - James Crew and Peter Rutter) second and Jumblesail2 (J/97 - Rachel and Robert Hunt) third.
In IRC2 Sailplane (Beneteau First 40 - Rob Bottomley) was first with Dusty P (Beneteau First 40 - Richard Patrick second and Malice (HOD 35 - Mike Moxley) third.
IRC1 was won by Night Owl II (MAT12 - Julie Fawcett) with Jitterbug (J/111 - Cornel Riklin) second and Kestrel (J/111 - Simon Banford) in third.
In the J/88's fleet Tigris (Gavin Howe) won with Jongleur (Richard Cooper) second and J-Dream (David and Kirsty Apthorp) in third.
Leading the Series by class:
IRC1 Jitterbug - Cornel Riklin
IRC2 Sailplane - Rob Bottomley
IRC3 Quokka - James Crew and Peter Rutter
IRC4 Erik the Red - Bernard Fyans
J/109 Jynnan Tonnyx - Owain Franks
J/88 Jongleur - Richard Cooper
Combined White Group - Soak Racing (Marshall King and Ian Wilson)
J/70 - Soak Racing (Marshall King and Ian Wilson)
J/80 - Betty (Jon Powell)
SB20 - Bluejay (John Reekie)
For the full results:
warsashspringseries.org.uk
Former Metropolitan Police Superintendent Selected As Clipper Skipper
David Hartshorn, 52, has been named among the twelve professionals who will lead teams in the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race.
The former Metropolitan Police Superintendent will be one of twelve professional sailors who will each lead a crew of amateur sailors through Mother Nature's toughest environments in the 40,000 nautical mile challenge, which sets sail from the UK this August, involves around 700 crew, and will take almost a year to complete.
On his appointment, David, who spent the majority of his 30 year police career in London, said: "It's a tremendous honour as leading a team in the Clipper Race has been my goal for a long time. Certainly feeling a bit emotional and I've finally been given cool status from my son which is a real added bonus!"
The former police officer's love of sailing began during his gap year in Israel and led him to found Operation Fitzroy, a passion-project designed to allow disadvantaged young people from Inner London Boroughs the chance to experience sailing and learn crucial life skills.
As well as being a highly-experienced sailor with more than 40,000 nautical miles in his logbook, David has a unique insight into the Clipper Race. He has been a training Skipper and Mate since 2015, and also took part in the Mighty Pacific Leg as a crew member in the 2015-16 edition of the race.
The next major event in the race preparations is Crew Allocation, at Portsmouth Guildhall, May 20, where all Skippers and crew will be assigned to their teams for the first time.
The Clipper 2017-18 Race will begin in the UK this summer and return almost a year later. The team with the highest total points at the finish wins the Clipper Race Trophy.
Featured Brokerage
2000 Reichel Pugh, Lupa of London. 1,770,000 VAT paid GBP.
Lupa of London is a remarkable Reichel Pugh designed Carbon composite cruiser racer with an outstanding Baltic build pedigree and enviable trophy cupboard.
Built to combine the ultimate in luxury and performance, Lupa of London offers all of the comforts for cruising in a high tech package, She is built for speed and provides a highly rewarding sail.
Built using advanced carbon composite materials in order to reduce weight and enhance performance, Lupa of London boats a canting keel to improve sailing stability. Her flush deck and sleek lines will excite the most moderate of sailor, yet performance will excite the most qualified.
She is the ideal boat to combine enjoyable cruising with exciting racing events - Lupa remains a fast and winning yacht on the regatta circuit.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
brokerage@carrswoodyachts.com
+44 (0)7476 888639
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2002 Grand Soleil 44 - ELEUTHERA. 129950 EUR. Located in Lymington, United Kingdom.
Top drawer IRC weapon with recent rig and sails, fully faired hull and recent performer at the Commodores Cup. Available at a very very low price.
Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk
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2008 Mills 41 - Ambush. 185000 USD. Located in Hong Kong.
Ambush is a Mark Mills Designed IRC/ORC 41’ built by McConaghy Boats China in 2008. The design concept of this boat was simple...... create the strongest IRC boat possible in the light to medium wind range, with the occasional desire to stretch the boats legs offshore.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Port Hamble
sampearson@ancasta.com
+442380 016582
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
It only takes a room of Americans for the English and Australians to realise how much we have in common. -- Stephen Fry
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