In This Issue
Chinese Sailors Return For Dongfeng Race Team | Golden Globe: Another Woman And Host Port Decision | Tickets To The 35th America's Cup | Sail Racing Palmavela | Rolex Farr 40 World Championship NOR and Entry | A Race Like No Other | A Race Like No Other | Red Arrows Return To Cowes Week | MAIB Report Published Into Clipper Race Deaths | Featured Brokerage
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
Chinese Sailors Return For Dongfeng Race Team
Dongfeng Race Team have confirmed four more crew members for their 2017-18 campaign, including the returning Chinese trio of Black, Wolf and Horace.
The Chinese sailors are Jiru Yang, aged 26, who uses the English name Wolf; Liu Xue, 24, known as Black, and Chen Jinhao, 25, Horace.
They are joined by Australian/British sailor Jack Bouttell in a four-strong squad of Under-30s in Charles Caudrelier's Chinese-backed team.
Under race rules, all teams must have at least two Under-30s onboard on all 11 legs of the 46,000-nautical mile race, which starts from Alicante on October 22.
Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier says the three Chinese sailors have come a long way since their debut.
"Wolf, Black and Horace have one Volvo Ocean Race behind them and all of them sailed on at least two or three legs of the last race, so we are in quite a different position," the Frenchman said. "Last time we were selecting them in China and teaching them how to use a winch, this time we are only speaking about performance.
"As for Jack, he is a very good single-handed sailor and did a fantastic job for us on leg three in the last race. He is a strong guy and will be our bowman but also one of the best drivers in our crew."
Dongfeng Race Team's other announced crew members are French solo sailing star Jérémie Beyou, the New Zealand Volvo Ocean Race experts Daryl Wislang and Stu Bannatyne and the female sailors Marie Riou of France and Caroljin Brouwer of the Netherlands.
Golden Globe: Another Woman And Host Port Decision
Entries are open once again for the 2018 Golden Globe Race with no current Waitlist. More than a few sailors around the world are losing sleep while deciding whether to join the GGR Family and change their life forever. Even more are thinking about 2022.
At last we can announce another female entry into the 2018 Golden Globe Race and she is as excited as we are. Izabel Pimentel from Brazil, is a mini Transat veteran and in 2014 became the first Latin American female solo circumnavigator. She has more than 66,000 solo miles. She joins Susie Goodall as our 2nd woman entry.
There have been many women considering the GGR over the past two years. Most realise the magnitude of the challenge and do not commit. In 1988, Australian Kay Cottee sailing Blackmores First Lady became the first woman to solo circumnavigate non-stop without assistance.
Australian Shane Freeman lost his yacht while attempting to sail around Cape Horn enroute to the UK and the start of the GGR. He has now decided to withdraw from the Race. Shane spent nearly 18 months' full time preparing his yacht for the Race and simply does not have the heart to do it all again. We will certainly miss his blogs and videos. Now for the good news…. he has NOT said he will NOT do the 2022 Race..Yes double negative means positive, so just maybe he will be back in the years ahead.
We have reviewed proposals from both Plymouth and Falmouth bidding to be host port for the 50th Anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race. The decision will be announced to the world on April 22nd 48 years to the day that Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and SUHAILI completed their world first voyage.
If you are into around the world yacht racing you will know of the Volvo Race, originally the Whitbread race. An exciting fully crewed Race around the world, in Identical one design yachts. It is super High Tech and spectacular to watch and fun to follow.
The organisers are about to make an announcement next month about the future of Boats for the event. It may change from Monohulls to large racing Multihulls. This has started much debate in sailing circles about the pro's and con's of each, not to mention the relevance to grass roots sailing. Here is just one of those comments…
Perhaps the model we should follow is that of bike racing, which has the world's most popular annual sporting event in the Tour de France. The Tour pros use gear that is much slower than streamlined recumbent tricycles and (because of minimum weight restrictions) slower than the kit the weekend rider can buy at their local shop. It means that the gear is convenient to use, comparatively cheap and accessible to the weekend warrior, who can then empathise with the pros.
This reality is also true for the GGR.
Tickets To The 35th America's Cup 
The America's Cup is the competition for the oldest trophy in international sport and this summer it is coming to Bermuda for the 35th enactment of the greatest race on water.
From 26th May until 27th June the fastest yachts in the 166 year history of the "Auld Mug" will be raced by the greatest sailors in the world on the beautiful, crystal clear waters of Bermuda.
ORACLE TEAM USA are the Defenders and they are taking on teams from around the world. Great Britain is represented by Sir Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR; SoftBank Team Japan are lead by Dean Barker; Sweden's Artemis Racing are skippered by Nathan Outteridge; Franck Cammas and his Groupama Team France squad are flying the flag for France and Emirates Team New Zealand are helmed by Peter Burling, 2016 Olympic Champion.
The events in Bermuda will be one of the world's greatest sports events and will be watched by millions of people worldwide, on TV and live at the America's Cup Village in Bermuda.
To book your place at what many experts are predicting will be the best America's Cup yet go to www.americascup.com/tickets
Sail Racing Palmavela
Only a few weeks before the start of Palma's Sail Racing PalmaVela 2017 showcase regatta already over 140 teams from 18 different nationalities have registered. In fact over half the fleet will race under a non-Spanish flag.
Racing is scheduled to start on Thursday, May 4th, at midday on the famous Bay of Palma, widely considered one of the best racing arenas in the world.
The competition will be held on three race courses in the Bay of Palma and the fleet will be formed into these classes:
Six will compete in real time, the one designs ClubSwan 50, Swan 45, ClubSwan 42, J80, Dragon and Flying Fifteen, and seven under handicap on corrected time, the Wally, IMA / Maxi, Maxi 72, ORC, IRC, Vintage / Classic / Spirit of Tradition and Disabled Sailing.
The dock of the Real Club Náutico de Palma will host boats from Germany, Denmark, Spain, United States, France, Holland, British Virgin Islands, Italy, Antigua, Malta, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Russia, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland.
In addition to the host, the countries with the biggest presence on the race course of the Sail Racing PalmaVela 2017 will be the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Sail Racing PalmaVela will be held from May 3rd to the 7th.
Rolex Farr 40 World Championship NOR and Entry
The 2017 edition of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds returns to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo for the third time in the class' history from July 13 - 16 and the notice of race and entry are now available!
The 2017 edition of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds is a year of anniverserys, this year marks the 20th edition of the Farr 40 World Championship, including 17 years with our title sponsor Rolex. In 2017 the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Please go to farr40worlds.com for the most up to date information.
Casting A Wary Eye...
Dean Barker talked up the strength of Team New Zealand as the America's Cup syndicates cast a wary eye towards the late arrivals in Bermuda.
Team New Zealand have settled in to their tropical base after arriving last week and are busy preparing their pedal powered AC50 for its debut on the Great Sound.
There is one round of official practice racing left ahead of the May 27 start to the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
Team New Zealand's radical design approach and their contentment with their Auckland training away from the glare of the opponents has everyone guessing.
Barker, a part of Team New Zealand since 1995 before leaving the Kiwi syndicate in controversial circumstances for this cycle of the Cup to link with Team Japan, is eager to see his old outfit sailing firsthand.
Team New Zealand are yet to confirm if they will participate in the official practice racing. Their "lone wolf" approach in the boardroom and with their sailing buildup now appears to be a position of strength, though the opponents will quickly get the measure of them, even in testing and training in Bermuda.
"We've only seen one set of daggerboards [each challenger is allowed two sets] for each team and these have been for the heavier weather conditions we've experienced. It's really only part of the picture," he said.
"We expect in May and June a decent proportion of time when we sail will be in light air which we haven't seen much with any of the boats yet. It is a big unknown now. This winter and spring we've seen medium and heavy winds most of the days." said Barker.
A Race Like No Other
You could be chilling (literally) at one of Europe's mid-winter regattas or you could be enjoying sparkling and warm one-design racing... your call
Exhausted but still buzzing after racing 150nm down the stunning coastlines of Oman and the UAE, Caterina Nitto is enjoying some downtime at the halfway point of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour. With a day to spare before the action kicks off again, the Italian sailor finds herself at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Tranquil and serene, it's a world away from her busy life as a professional sailor - perfect place to reflect on the first few legs of a unique regatta.
'The best thing about this race is the mix of cultures and religions, and the adventure,' she says. 'We might all be from different backgrounds but we share the same passion for sailing.'
One week in and Nitto is fast discovering the ethos of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour: five offshore legs totalling 763 miles raced on identical Farr 30s around the Arabian Gulf, offering thrilling competition for the international crews while showcasing the very best of the region.
Nitto's Sardinian Adelasia di Torres team, owned by Renato Azara, was among a fleet of eight international teams that set out this year from Oman's capital city Muscat, heading north to pitstops in Sohar then Khasab on the stunning Musandam Peninsula. From there it was south to Abu Dhabi before the two longest legs to Doha in Qatar then returning to Dubai, with three rounds of inshore racing thrown in to spice up the mix.
The line-up was as diverse as the countries and cultures they experienced.
Full article in the May issue of Seahorse:
www.seahorsemagazine.com
Red Arrows Return To Cowes Week
Cowes Week Ltd, organisers of the world's best-known sailing regatta and highlight of the British Sporting Summer, is delighted to announce that Artemis Investment Management will once again be supporting Cowes Week in 2017, bringing an awe-inspiring aerial display by the Red Arrows which will significantly enhance the shore-side programme at this year's regatta.
The shoreside activities for this year's regatta will be available online shortly (www.cowesweek.co.uk) and will be continuously updated over the coming months as the entertainment schedule is confirmed, so anyone planning their trip to Cowes during the regatta should check back regularly.
This year's regatta takes place 29th July-5th August and those thinking about entering are reminded that the Early Bird entry fee ends on 30th May. Anyone who can't take part for the full week can pick whichever day - or days - are convenient to them. Entries are currently being accepted online.
RC44 Championship Tour
The RC44 Championship Tour enters its 11th season next week in Sotogrande, Spain 27 - 30 April, when eight teams representing five nations, and 64 of the world's finest sailors take to the water to compete in the opening regatta of the five-stop tour.
Hosted by Marina de Sotogrande for the third time the event title had previously been lifted by Vladimir Liubomirov's Bronenosec Sailing Team in 2014 and Igor Lah's Team CEEREF in 2016, with John Bassadone's 'home team' Peninsula Petroleum reaching the podium but never quite clinching the win on both occasions.
However, after the most competitive season to date last year you can rest assured that the RC44 fleet is not going to give the title away. Amongst the line-up for the 2017 season, a few strong contenders return. Terry Hutchinson is back on board Team Nika after last leading the team to victory at the 2014 Oman Cup. Morgan Reeser joins Nico Poons' Monaco-based team Charisma and an all new crew for Bronenosec Sailing Team sees Cameron Dunne take on tactician duties.
Racing kicks off on Thursday 27th April join us at www.rc44.com for all the action live.
MAIB Report Published Into Clipper Race Deaths
The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its final report into two fatal accidents in the 2015-16 edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The report finds that effective supervision would have provided opportunities to prevent both accidents and makes several recommendations including that Clipper Ventures plc should review and modify its onboard manning policy and shore-based management prodedures. -
"These two fatalities, resulting from two very different incidents, were the first in our long history and are tragic, especially as they were caused primarily through momentary lapses in applying basic safety training," said Clipper Race founder and chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. "Manning arrangements and shore-based management have been developed to ensure skippers are adequately supported and these will continue to be regularly reviewed.
"We have developed our current manning levels and qualifications in conjunction with the MCA, operating to MCA standards as a minimum and often well in excess. We frequently implement and develop safety procedures where there is no actual requirement; they are under constant review as a matter of course and we will continue to do so in light of the report's recommendations."
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