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
In This Issue
Discards Reshuffle The Pack | Sail Racing PalmaVela Dividends | M32 Project Manager | European J/70 Sailing Leagues | Watch Free New Rules Lessons | Olympic Spirit Blows Over Monaco Race Area | 505 Training Clinic May 11-13 | Bottom To Top: Musto | Replicas of Two of Christopher Columbus' Ships Are Coming to Newport This June | Featured Brokerage
Discards Reshuffle The Pack
The penultimate day of racing at the 50th edition of Antigua Sailing Week was held in near perfect conditions off the south coast of Antigua. The Caribbean surf and sea state had moderated in comparison to the start of the regatta, but the strength of the competition was undiminished. Apart from the Club Class, all classes have now completed six races or more, kicking in the discard rule which has caused yet another shuffle in the overall standings. The intensity of the racing at Antigua Sailing Week is confirmed by a single fact; after four days of competition only the Polish R-Six Multihull, skippered by Robert Janecki remains unbeaten out of 150 yachts.
It was all on in CSA 1 in Race 6. Stuart Robinson's Stay Calm and Peter Harrison's Farr 115, Sojana were involved in an aggressive start resulting in Stay Calm taking penalty turns and Sojana re-starting correctly having been over the line at the start. Stay Calm took the race win and was only 27 seconds off winning Race 7. Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster fell prey to Jonty Layfield's Swan 48, Sleeper X in Race 7 by just three seconds, the closest victory of the day.
In CSA 6, St. Maarten's Frits Bus and his young crew on Melges 24, Team Island Water World hold a two point advantage over the youth team from the Antiguan National Sailing Academy racing 1720, Spirit skippered by Jules Mitchell. With the discard now counting, Island Water World cannot be defeated regardless of tomorrow's result.
In CSA 7, Sir Bobby Velasquez's L'Esperance and Byerley & Ferron's J/39 Micron 99, Lord Jim, both from St.Maarten, will settle the duel tomorrow.
In CSA 8, Steve Carson's Dehler 33, Hightide leads the class by two points from Raymond Magras' St. Barths team racing Speedy Nemo. Geoffrey Pidduck's Modified 6 Metre, Biwi Magic is still in with a chance of victory; four points off the lead. In CSA 9 Rodney Dodd's Jeanneau 54, Blue Fin holds a three point cushion over second place Oyster 49, Porthmeor skippered by Neil Styler. In Bareboat 4, Cannon & Harvey's KHS&S Contractors leads the class just three points ahead of Martin Sager's KH+P Cayenne.
Racing at the 50th edition of Antigua Sailing Week concludes tomorrow, Friday May 5 when one final race will reveal the winners in each class.
Sail Racing PalmaVela Dividends
Palma de Mallorca, Spain: Optimisation decisions made and executed during the winter contributed to Day 1 race wins in the Maxi72 Class and the Wally Class but both winning teams made fewer mistakes than their rivals and lead their respective fleets after the first day of Sail Racing PalmaVela.
In the Maxi72 fleet the gains that Dieter Schon's Momo team were seeking from their winter changes seem to have been realised, winning both races in today's 14-16kts Bay of Palma. In the first contest they finished one minute and 40 seconds ahead of 2016 Copa del Rey MAPFRE champions Bella Mente on corrected time.
Momo's winning margin was only 13 seconds less in the second race, holding off Dario Ferrarri's new Botin designed Pepe Cannonball. On their maiden race outing the Italian flagged crew lost their mid-bowman overboard during their first race and had to finish with no spinnaker, but came away with a third and second to finish their first day's racing tied with Bella Mente.
Additional righting moment gained through their new keel, new Quantum sails and new crew, all made a winning difference today according to tactician and project manager Markus Wieser.
He paid tribute to New Zealand's five times America's Cup winner Murray Jones who has helped a lot with the mast programme and the Momo set up.
While all the other divisions raced Windward-Leeward courses, the 12 strong Wally class raced a 31 NM coastal race out to the west, passing the Illetas mark to the west of Palma city and then out round to turn off Santa Ponsa. There was some confusion about the start timing and a big wind shift as the race leader, Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' Magic Carpet 3, approached the finish line but the blue hulled Wallycento coasted across the line, scarcely denting their comprehensive winning margin of two minutes and 49 seconds ahead of Philippe Ligier's Ryokan 2. The 2016 circuit champions Open Season suffered a technical problem early in the race and struggled to ninth.
Ian Walker, the Volvo Ocean Race winning tactician on the victorious Magic Carpet 3, pointed to five days of pre-regatta training as one of their main assets today also the changes made to their boat through the winter.
Over 100 more boats join the SailRacing PalmaVela regatta on Friday as the ORC fleet, the Classics, AICO J80, Sotheby's Dragon and Flying 15s start their event.
M32 Project Manager
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, will provide a unique experience for over 70,000 VIP guests and entertainment for over 2m public visitors.
The next edition of the Race will include a fleet of M32 catamarans in most Host Cities enhancing both the on-the-water guest experience and the public spectacle.
The role of M32 Project Manager is to manage the operations of the fleet of M32 yachts within the scope of the VOR. You will work closely with the specialists in the VOR management team who will support you in the functions, which require their area of expertise, such as logistics, guest experience, and race management.
Primary duties including but not limited to the following areas:
- Work with the VOR Commercial players and Operations Head of Host City on the commercial opportunities for Host City and Delivery partner managed events.
- Identify the Host Cities where it is possible to host events the weekend before the main events week at the VOR stopovers. Liaise with the Host Cities, via the Head of Host City, to offer and customize events and set the level of technical and on the water support that is required, and the associated costs
- Work closely with the Guest On-Board Manager to assist planning and delivering the M32 Catamaran Guest On-Board Program
- Undertake regular inspections and manage the maintenance and repair program, to keep the boats in peak condition
Requirements to apply:
EU national or ability to acquire necessary EU working permits.
Fluent in spoken and written English. Proficiency in other languages will be beneficial Your CV/resume must be in English, and confirm your nationality/work permit status.
Email your application to careers@volvooceanrace.com
European J/70 Sailing Leagues
Hamburg, Germany: The sailing league concept first pioneered by Oliver Schwall and the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga continues to gain momentum and roll across the European continent. In 2017, no less than thirteen sailing leagues are starting their seasons in April and May, from as far east as Sochi, Russia to the west in Cowes, England and from the north in Helsinki, Finland down to Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
Those nations include Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. From May to November, these national sailing leagues will be conducting sixty-one events with a projected 1,500+ races for 732 sailing clubs and at least 8,000 sailors; all of them will be sailing the one-design J/70 sportboat on virtually every major body of water across Europe- from lakes, to bays, to open ocean. Imagine that, from mid-April to the first weekend in November, fleets of J/70s are sailing every single weekend across Europe!
The Russian Sailing League, organized and managed by the Russian Sailing Federation, have already hosted events in Sochi, Russia and Sevastopol, Crimea on the Black Sea. Next up for them is their June 2nd to 4th event in Moscow, hosted by the Royal YC Moscow on the northwest side of city. Simultaneously, the Royal Yachting Association in the United Kingdom hosted their first qualifiers for their UK Sailing League for Youth Under 25 Teams in Southampton, England; the Swiss Sailing League held their first event in Ronco, Switzerland on Lake Ascona; and the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga held their first event in Prien, Germany on the Chiemsee.
Schedule of all sailing league dates
Watch Free New Rules Lessons
Catch up with the changes in the Racing Rules of Sailing by watching these free videos UK Sailmakers has been posting to its Facebook page. There are currently five videos, which are segments from seminars Butch Ulmer has given on the changes in the rules that took effect on January 1, 2017. Many of these videos deal with the different sections of Rule 18, which is the Mark Room rule. Most protests result from situations at turning marks because that is where boats come together on the race course.
3. Tactical Considerations of Rule 18.3
4. Tricks for Taking a One-Turn Penalty Fastest
5. New Appendix T (Arbitration and Post Race Pentalty)
6. Preview of the UK Sailmakers Animated Rules Quiz Program
All these videos were posted previously on the UK Sailmakers Facebook page. To be notified of future posts, "like" UK's Facebook page
Olympic Spirit Blows Over Monaco Race Area
Excitement is building with just a few days to go before the 2017 Open European Championship kicks off for the 470 class.
The provisional entry list features 90 teams representing 25 nations, 14 of the teams having competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics. This is an unprecedented gathering in the Principality, as expressed by YCM General Secretary Bernard d'Alessandri who commented that "after organising the first J/70 European Championship in October 2015, then the Monaco Europa Cup in December 2016, this regatta is a perfect illustration of the competitive sailing policy our President HSH Prince Albert II wants to see in action."
Since it moved into its new building to host regattas, the YCM is fast establishing itself as an instigator of high level events, organising an international meeting with World Sailing at least once a year. Members are involved as volunteers in the running of these events within the club's "Flotte des Commissaires".
Among the women's teams competing at this Open are Dutch duo, Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes van Veen, 4th at the last Olympics, and Bàrbara Cornudella Ravetllat - Sara Lopez Ravetllat from Spain, 12th in Brazil but ranked 4th in the World Rankings.
In the men's it's impossible to make any predictions, with duos like Australians Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan, Olympic Vice-Champions, facing the Greek Rio bronze medallists, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis. With six days of racing ahead and a medium wind forecast, competitors will have plenty of time to get to grips with the Monegasque race area, renowned for testing strategy and tactics to the limit.
It all starts Monday 8th May at 12 noon with the closing ceremony on Saturday 13th.
www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home-en/
505 Training Clinic May 11-13
Sailors considering competing in the 2017 SAP 505 World Championship in Annapolis should mark their calenders for the weekend of May 11-13.
Local organizers of the SAP 505 World Championship will conduct a training clinic that weekend that will help competitors of all levels to prepare for the regatta and venue.
Severn Sailing Association will host a two-day training clinic on May 11 and 12 with a day of racing following on May 13. This weekend session, being sponsored by the 5O5 American Section, will feature on-water coaching from veteran 505 sailor Steve Sparkman.
Sparkman, a former collegiate sailing coach, will lead drills, offer observations on trim and boat-handling, and help sailors of every level to improve their performance. Collaborative off- water debriefings will discuss performance differences between teams and crucial observations will be offered by Coach Sparkman and top sailors.
Two-time 5O5 world champions Mike Holt and Carl Smit will be in attendance and have graciously agreed to provide attendees with expert analysis about rig setup, sail trim and crew responsibilities. Other top teams participating and offering assistance include reigning East Coast champions Chris Behm and Jesse Falsone along with reigning Midwinter champs Mark Zagol and Drew Buttner.
Cost to participate in the three-day training session is $75. Interested sailors should contact Bryan Richardson at Bryan.Richardson@gmail.com. To register for the 2017 SAP World Championships
Bottom To Top
Not the obvious choice, recruiting a swimming champion to help keep your clients' feet dry... but it all seems to have worked out rather well
Chris McGrath feels as if he has landed on his feet at Musto. He has been tasked with elevating Musto's footwear range to a new level of technical performance, and finds himself right back in his element. 'Working closely with athletes at the top of their game, taking feedback from high-calibre professional sailors, passionate people like Ian Walker and Pete Cumming, and trying to solve the challenges of creating what they want in order to perform at a higher level - that's the stuff that I love.'
In his youth McGrath was no mean athlete in his own right, winning a bronze medal for Great Britain in the Open Water Swimming World Championships in 1994. But since then he has forged a career with an enviable CV in the global sporting arena. 'I started out working at the McLaren Formula One team for three years, working in 3D design creating gloves, helmets and so on. That's when I really began to work closely with athletes, listening carefully to what they want. Often you find sports people are frustrated designers; they have some amazing ideas, but you're the link between that creative spark and bringing it to reality.'
Full article in the May issue of Seahorse: seahorsemagazine.com
Replicas of Two of Christopher Columbus' Ships Are Coming to Newport This June
The Columbus Foundation is sailing the two vessels from Florida to Newport as a new and enhanced 'sailing museum', for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the 'caravel'.
The replica ships started their journey in Perdido Key, Florida on March 1st. Currently, in Beaufort, South Carolina, the ships will next head to Charleston, South Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; Cape May, New Jersey; Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Hartford, Connecticut before arriving in Newport on June 16th.
The ships will dock at Fort Adams State Park from June 16th - 25th and will be open for tours from 9 am to 6 pm daily.
The Niña is a 65-foot replica of the ship on which Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on his three voyages of discovery to the new world beginning in 1492. Columbus sailed the tiny ship over 25,000 miles. That ship was last heard of in 1501, but the new Niña has a different mission. The Niña is an exact replica of the original, she is regarded as the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus Ship ever built.
Pinta was recently built in Brazil to accompany the Nina on all of her travels. At 85 feet long, she is a larger version of the archetypal caravel and offers larger deck space for walk-aboard tours and has a 40 ft air conditioned main cabin down below with seating. The Pinta was built 15 feet longer and 8 feet wider than the original, so she can accommodate more people, and be used for dockside charters/events.
Featured Brokerage
1993 Whitbread 60 - BLUEPRINT. 70000 GBP. Located in South Coast, UK.
An excellent opportunity to buy into an established charter Whitbread 60. strong and well looked after, with regular maintenance and recent rigging and engine.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222
ben.cooper@berthon.co.uk
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2016 Club Swan 50-003 'Cuordileone'. 1,240,000 EUR. Located in the Caribbean.
ClubSwan50: A yacht that is a small revolution in performance and pure sailing pleasure.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Lorenzo Bortolotti
brokerage@nautorswan.com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com
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Outremer 5X - NEW BOAT
At just under 60ft the flagship of this successful and well-established multihull supplier also offers a step-up in performance with naval architecture by VPLP
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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Outremer Yachting
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
No great movement designed to change the world can bear to be laughed at or belittled. Mockery is a rust that corrodes all it touches. -- Milan Kundera
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