In This Issue
Johnnie Walker Race Day 3: Antigua Sailing Week | Vestas 11th Hour Racing completes transatlantic crossing | Race Expert/Watch Officer | Alinghi Reign Supreme In Qingdao | Dorade to Compete at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2017 | Grand Prix Guyader | Trickledown and Up: UBI Maior Italia | Land Rover help steer British America's Cup Challenge | 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
Johnnie Walker Race Day 3: Antigua Sailing Week
The third day of racing at the 50th edition of Antigua Sailing Week was once again blessed with glorious conditions. Squally pewter skies cleared shortly after the first warning gun and the breeze slowly woke up as the skies cleared, touching 17 knots at times. Ten teams went out to the race course unbeaten, but only three returned with their perfect score intact after some intense racing; hotter than jerk chicken! The big boat CSA classes were treated to long windward leeward courses off the spectacular cliffs on the south coast of Antigua. The bareboats and smaller CSA classes raced in more sheltered conditions off Rendezvous Beach with short sharp legs testing boat handling skills and boat-on-boat tactics. Two races were held for the majority of the 150 yachts racing at Antigua Sailing Week.
A shuffle in the results today meant that the leaders have changed in several classes, but not amongst the undefeated teams: Peter Harrison's Sojana in CSA1, Ross Applebey's Scarlet Oyster in CSA 5 and Robert Szustkowski R-Six in Offshore Multihull. Race winners today included Kialoa III; Conviction; Rebel-B, Dingo; Perseverare Diabolicum; Spirit (Antigua National Sailing Academy); L'Esperance and Hightide.
The closest race today was Race 4 in CSA 4. Mark Chapman's Trini Ker 11.3, Dingo was the winner by just 5 seconds from Ian Hope-Ross' St. Maarten team racing Melges 32, Kick 'em Jenny 2. Dingo now leads the class with Douglas Ayres' American J/122, Team Skylark/El Ocaso in second, just a point ahead of Sergio Sagramoso's Puerto Rican Melges 32, Lazy Dog
"We got holed on the first day and the whole team stayed up on the first night to get us back in the game," said Dingo's Mark Chapman. "Today we really clicked together and we had great boat speed which is a real weapon in a close class. After the terrible first day we are just delighted, but this regatta is far from over."
Wednesday 3rd May is President Lay Day Beach Party featuring the Nonsuch Bay RS Elite Challenge. Eight teams will race for the top prize of a week's all-inclusive accommodation for two people in a deluxe suite at the fantastic Nonsuch Bay Resort.
Vestas 11th Hour Racing Completes Transatlantic Crossing
After a first offshore test of nearly 3,000 miles, Vestas 11th Hour Racing arrived in Newport, Rhode Island at around 1200 UTC on Friday.
The boat, which left the Boatyard facility in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday 19 April, completed its transatlantic crossing in front of a large, welcoming crowd, withstanding the fog and rain in Newport Harbour to see their heroes return to the States.
"We've got a great group and it's exciting to be back on the water," said co-founder and team director, Mark Towill.
It marks a couple of major landmarks for the team in their 2017-18 race preparations - the first real sailing test of their boat, which underwent a one million euro refit at the Boatyard after the 2014-15 edition, and an invaluable opportunity to test out potential crewmembers.
The team will now remain in skipper Charlie Enright's home town before a return transatlantic in just over a fortnight, where, according to the skipper, they'll be looking to push the boat a little harder to replicate race mode conditions.
Race Expert/Watch Officer
The Volvo Ocean Race is sailing's toughest race to win and the ultimate test of a team in professional sport. The 2017-18 edition, starting in October, will see the teams compete over 46,000 nautical miles in a race around the world like no other.
The nerve centre of the offshore operation is the Race Control room at our HQ in Alicante and Race Expert/Watch Officers will be crucial to its operation - in both safety but also race communication terms to fans.
The role of Race Expert/Watch Officer is the perfect opportunity either for very experienced sailors who want to be back in the heart of the Volvo Ocean Race or young sailors determined to compete in the race in the future. Key aspects of the role include, in a phased watch-keeping mode whilst the boats are racing:
- Build relationships with each team, via constant communication with the sailing teams at sea and our Onboard Reporters.
- Monitoring of the fleet with the best navigation and weather tools available.
- Analysis and communication of team strategy, supporting our wider media and comms team with their high quality content, and direct and immediate explanations of tactics to our online audience as a Race Expert via various digital channels 24/7 (Race Expert whats app etc).
- Being a first point of contact for emergency incident management, supporting the Crisis Management Team.
Requirements to apply:
EU national or ability to acquire necessary EU working permits.
Fluent English (written and spoken). Other languages are a plus.
Your CV/resume must be in English, and confirm your nationality/work permit status.
Email your application to careers@volvooceanrace.com
Deadline: 21 May 2017
Alinghi Reign Supreme In Qingdao
Swiss sailing team Alinghi were crowned Kings of Qingdao for a second year running as they swept to glory in the second Act of the Extreme Sailing Series.
The 2016 Extreme Sailing Series champions saw off their six international rivals with pinpoint accuracy to win Act 2, Qingdao "Mazarin" Cup in Qingdao, China.
With a welcome breeze ranging from eight to 18 knots blowing through Fushan Bay, Alinghi co-skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis led his men to an impressive 11 podium finishes in 17 races, notching up four victories along the way to retain their winning record in Qingdao.
Alinghi's dominance was summed up in the fifth race of the day when they were penalised for being over the line at the start but came back to win it.
Meanwhile the young guns of Land Rover BAR Academy completed their ascendancy from promising talent to serious threat taking the runners-up spot despite having to sit the last two races out due to boat damage.
The impressive result is the British outfit's best since they joined the Extreme Sailing Series at the start of 2016, and gives them a timely boost as they turn their attention to the Red Bull Youth America's Cup in Bermuda next month.
The Act 2 podium was completed by Oman Air who pulled off a sensational comeback on the waters of Fushan Bay with three race wins today including the vital final double-pointer to jump from sixth overall to third.
Extreme Sailing Series Act 2, Qingdao "Mazarin" Cup standings after Day 4, 17 races
1. Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Bryan Mettraux, Yves Detrey, 184 points
2. Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Chris Taylor, Will Alloway, Adam Kay, Sam Batten, 173
3. Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari, 168
4. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason, 168
5. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller, 166
6. NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Chris Steele, Graeme Sutherland, Shane Diviney, Leonard Takahashi Fry, Josh Salthouse, 164
7. Team Extreme (CHN) Liu Xue (Black), Bernardo Freitas, Martin Evans, Rob Partridge, Tom Buggy, 121
Extreme Sailing Series 2017 overall standings
1. Alinghi (SUI) 23 points
2. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 21
3. Oman Air (OMA) 20
4. Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 18
5. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 17
6. NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) 15
Dorade to Compete at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2017
Click on image to enlarge.
The world's most successful ocean racing yacht over the past nine decades; the famous 16-metre long American yawl, Dorade, is to compete at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2017.
No yacht in the long history of the sport has won more of the world's major races, nor covered more offshore racing miles, than Dorade. She has collected first place trophies for the Fastnet Race out of England, the Bermuda race, the Transpacific Race between Los Angeles and Hawaii plus many more.
All success, spanning more than eight decades, has come in the northern hemisphere, so Dorade's owners, Matt Brooks and Pam Rorke Levy, have now decided it is time to give their yacht the chance to be a winner in southern hemisphere events.
Dorade was designed in 1929 by 21-year-old Olin Stephens and built at a cost of $28,000 under the supervision of his younger brother, Rod, at Minneford Yacht Yard in New York. When she emerged from the shed for her launching in 1930 observers were shocked by what they saw. The hull shape had her looking more like a day-sailing 6-metre class yacht rather than an ocean racer: she was certainly a far cry from the traditional American schooners of the day.
The design featured a deep keel with external ballast, a remarkably narrow beam of 3.1 metres, and a generous sail plan spread across a yawl rig. The method of construction was also different: the hull frames were steam-bent rather than sawn. Rod Stephens also received additional acclaim at the time when he unveiled the unique on-deck ventilators on the yacht. This concept, still used today, became known as a Dorade Box. It permits the passage of air into and out of a cabin while keeping rain, spray and sea water out.
Just months after being launched, Dorade was acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic following wins in the TranAtlantic and Fastnet races. This remarkable achievement resulted in the Stephens brothers and the Dorade crew being treated like heroes when they returned to New York. They were even given a ticker-tape parade along Broadway.
The entry list for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2017 continues to grow at a record rate. The 100th entry should be lodged within a week.
www.audihamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Grand Prix Guyader
Imerys, skippered by Phil Sharp, won the first Class 40 Championship event of the season, the Grand Prix Guyader Armor Lux Trophy. A three day series of races in the bay of Douarnenez.
After three races, including one win and two 2nd places, the team left the pontoon for their final race on equal 1st points with Team Serenis.
Only the Class 40 fleet were able to race on Monday due to the rather muscular conditions at sea with 25-30 knots average and gusts of over 30 knots. Loss of race mark buoys during the night in turn altered the routing to a small boat course forcing additional manoeuvers, another challenge for the fleet:
Winner of the Route du Rhum back in 2006, and with a new Championship event win under his belt, Phil is in good stead for the 2017 season.
The Energy Challenge is an offshore racing project that aims to help accelerate a transition of the marine sector to clean technologies, as well as competing at a high level in the most challenging oceanic races in the world. The project aims to demonstrate an innovative hydrogen-electric energy system that will capture solar energy, and provide a practical replacement for current marine diesel systems.
The Energy Challenge's clean development is part of a long-term objective to enter the Vendee Globe 2020 with a highly competitive project, but importantly with zero fossil fuels aboard.
2017 Class 40 Championship Race Programme
April 29th - May 1st: Grand Prix Guyader
May 14th - May 21st: Normandy Channel Race
July 2nd - July 20th: Les Sables - Horta - Les Sables
6th - 11th August: Rolex Fastnet Race
5th - 30th November 2017: Transat Jacques Vabre
www.philsharpracing.com
www.grandprixguyader.com
Trickledown and up
UBI Maior Italia are bringing innovation to (and from) this America's Cup
For those on the cutting edge of technology the shift in platform choice to wing-sail catamarans in the America's Cup may have reduced the number of sail-handling systems to develop, but it has created new opportunities for innovation in hardware solutions across a multitude of entirely new applications. Foil and wing-control systems, for example, have been designed, fabricated and evaluated for the past two years and more, with this year's start of competition being the final test for their efficiency, reliability and ultimate contribution to performance.
The Emirates Team New Zealand squad are famously uncompromising on demanding the best from their equipment, so it's no surprise that their relationship with UBI Maior Italia has evolved to be an even tighter fit. Development is more than just a process at Maior Italia, it is an inherent part of the culture at this small producer of custom and semi-custom hardware - focused exclusively on meeting the high demands of highperformance yachts.
The process starts with describing the system and its load parameters, and from here the company's technical team go to work developing 3D models of the new product through the use of specialised CAD software to use a finite element method (FEM) approach to optimise dimensioning, well before the production of the first prototype. This helps define the parameter space and all the material choices for the job at hand.
Full article in the May issue of Seahorse
www.seahorsemagazine.com
Land Rover Help Steer British America's Cup Challenge
It's the direct link between Sir Ben Ainslie and the boat built to bring the America's Cup home; the steering wheel that Ainslie will be holding as he strives to drive Land Rover BAR's America's Cup Class boat to success this summer in Bermuda. And the wheel is a direct result of a long partnership with the team's title and exclusive innovation partner, Land Rover.
This remarkable piece of technology has been in development for the past 18 months within the Technical Innovation Group (TIG), chaired by the management and technology consultancy PA Consulting Group, and is now being revealed ahead of the start of racing on 26th May.
The Human Machine Interface (or HMI) is an area in which Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have considerable experience, technical expertise and a reputation for innovation in their cars - as anyone who has driven the latest Discovery will know. No one with an interest in safety wants to take their eyes off the road for any longer than they absolutely have to, and good HMI can allow you to complete a task without looking, with the minimum of mental effort.
Ben Ainslie required exactly the same of the hydrofoil control on the wheel of the ACC boat.
There were many possible ways it could be done; from switches to dials, gear shifts to twist grips. Some could be quickly discarded, others were tried, developed, prototyped for testing and simulation. The best of the ideas went forward with working prototypes built that could be tested on the boat. Of these, there was a clear winner - the paddle shift.
land-rover-bar.americascup.com
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2007 Maxi 100 LEOPARD 3. 4,000,000 GBP. Located in Antigua
LEOPARD 3 is fully prepared and ready to sail away. She is arguably the most high profile racer cruiser yacht in existence. This speed machine has a history around the world for trophy-hunting and record-breaking and represents a pinnacle in the evolutionary timeline of super maxi development.
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2002 IRC Maxi LA BETE. 600,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.
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The Last Word
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