Scuttlebutt Europe #3834

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

Antigua Sailing Week's 50th Edition Comes To A Close
The Grand Awards Ceremony for Antigua Sailing Week was held in Nelson's Dockyard and the UNESCO World Heritage Site was a fitting venue for the 50th edition of this historic occasion. Thousands of sailors attended the ceremony and whilst all of the respective class winners had been posted, there were special awards that were still to be announced, including the biggest prize in Caribbean sailing, the Lord Nelson Trophy.

The stage was glittering with dozens of trophies, many of which have been sought after for decades of Caribbean racing. Winners took to the stage to receive their appreciation from the crowd, and finally there was just one trophy left. You could feel the tension as MC Tommy Paterson announced the winner of The Lord Nelson Trophy as Sergio Sagramoso's Puerto Rican Melges 32, Lazy Dog.

Sergio Sagramoso and his team took to the stage to tumultuous applause and then crowded around the historic Lord Nelson Trophy after the prize giving, scanning the list of names etched upon it over the years. The last Puerto Rican boat to win the trophy was Tom Hill's Titan XII in 2005.

Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster had been in impressive form all week, however the British charter boat was once again just short of winning the Lord Nelson Trophy. Ross and his crew didn't leave empty handed though, as the team left the stage with a huge haul of silverware for their efforts including: The Governor General's Cup for first overall in CSA 5, Best British Race Charter Yacht, Royal Southern Yacht Club Shield Trophy for the Inter-Yacht Club Challenge and the Peter Deeth Trophy for 2nd overall in CSA 1-6.

Sir Peter Harrison's Super Maxi Sojana racing in CSA 1 was close to winning the Lord Nelson Trophy for the second time and the crew where in good spirits as they took to the stage to receive multiple awards. -- Louay Habib

Full results at www.sailingweek.com

Sail Racing PalmaVela's Tales of the Unexpected
Palma, Spain: Several key victories went against expectation to provide an exciting finale to Sail Racing PalmaVela, the showcase regatta which for 14 years has lifted the curtain on the Mediterranean competition season.

Dario Ferrari's new Botín Partners Pepe Cannonball triumphed at her debut regatta, emerging from an impossibly close three-way points deadlock in the white hot Maxi72 class. Nahita with Croatia's 2016 Olympic gold medallist Sime Fantela calling tactics supported by talismanic coach Santi Lange, won the Wally fleet and so registered their first ever regatta victory as a crew. And the inaugural ClubSwan 50 regatta in Europe saw Morten H Kielland winning on tiebreak thanks to a final race victory.

Surprise and elation were evident in equal measure aboard these, and many other winning boats among the more than 130 representing 19 different nations which competed in 20 different classes at the four day regatta on the Bay of Palma.

At the first European racing event for the ClubSwan 50 there was, of course, no form book. But the chartered Earlybird, with Karol Jablonski on tactics, was two points ahead going into the last day. But Morten H Kielland's crew - lead by French former 470 helm Sacha Pelisson - engineered an upset when they won the final race with Earlybird third.

The 12 boat Wally Class start their race season with a new winner topping the leaderboard at Sail Racing PalmaVela. A new rig, new sails including a more powerful square top mainsail and a reduction in overall weight - changes made through the winter - may have given Nahita a competitive edge among the eighty footers

In the ORC Classes the winners were Audax Energía (ORC 0-A), Porron IX (ORC 0-B), Airlan Aermec (ORC 1), Just the Job (ORC 2), Yabadaba (ORC 3), Diafreo Mallorca (ORC 4). And in the One Designs, Code Zero (AICO J80), Speedy Gonzales (Flying Fifteen), Mr. (Sotheby's Dragon), the classics Spartan (Cangreja), Sonata (Bermudiano) and Calima (Espíritu de Tradicion), and the Hansa 303 Fundacion Alex (both in Individual and in Double).

Full results at www.palmavela.com

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

Close to 50 knots
More America's Cup Class (ACC) practice racing has been taking place on Bermuda's Great Sound, now with all six America's Cup teams taking part for the first time on the racecourse that will be used in the 35th America's Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand were the last team to arrive in the home of the 35th America's Cup but quickly had their ACC boat re-commissioned and out on the crystal clear waters of Bermuda. Their first bout of unofficial practice racing with other America's Cup teams was on Friday 28th April when they lined up against Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France with the Kiwis winning against the Swedes, albeit with Artemis Racing not engaging in the pre-start, and then failing to finish their first race against the French team but winning their second.

Notably, Artemis Racing continued their strong form, but over the four days of racing all six teams recorded victories.

" It's too early to predict who's going to be strong in this America's Cup but the performance of the boats is incredibly impressive. We've certainly seen speeds of 47 knots, some even at 48 knots, so we're getting close to that 50 knot (93kph) speed barrier." said Russell Coutts

www.americascup.com

On the Grind with Louis Sinclair
Sinclair is a grinder - one of ORACLE TEAM USA's top grinders, to be exact. It's a position three other team-mates share while aboard the AC50 foiling catamaran. Their job is to provide the skipper and wing trimmer enough power to be able to manoeuvre and fly the carbon-fibre boat close to airbourne for the entire 20-minute race.

Since Sinclair's position on the flying catamaran is synonymous with being 'the muscle,' he needs to be strong. He can bench 150kg and dead squat 200. But that alone isn't good enough.

He must be quick and efficient. During a manoeuvre, like a tack, the crew sprints across a slippery trampoline and hops back into place to start yet another 90-second grind. During a typical 25-minute race, a grinder burns more than 550 calories. His heart rate will be operating above 85 percent max for about 94 percent of the race.

Sinclair must eat between 4,000 and 5,000 calories a day to sustain all his efforts. Two breakfasts and two dinners filled with lean protein and carbs fuel the ultimate machine he's become. With a lean eight percent body fat and an incredible lung capacity, Sinclair is a cross between Aquaman and George of the Jungle.

www.redbull.com/

Perfect For The Task
When Emirates Team New Zealand were placing the order for their latest America's Cup challenger where could be better than a 'local' company with a worldwide reputation for delivering long, thin carbon structures...

Building an AC50 Southern Spars have been building some of the best masts in the world for more than a quarter of a century, and for their first few challenges outside the realms of masts and rigging they haven't lowered their sights even a fraction.

Equipped with some of the best minds and hands in the world of composites, in mid-2016 the company set out to flex their design and manufacturing muscle outside the world of carbon spars. The first challenge they took on was revolutionising track cycling wheels for the New Zealand Olympic Track Cycling Team. Southern's R&D and production teams produced a set of 32 wheels, which helped the NZ team set the fastest opening lap of a velodrome ever recorded at sea level and take home a silver at Rio.

Even before the wheels had been delivered the second challenge appeared on the horizon. Southern Spars' co-founder and head of sales, Mark Hauser, got a call from Kevin Shoebridge, Emirates Team New Zealand's COO. The contract for building Emirates Team New Zealand's yacht for the 35th America's Cup was up for grabs...

Full article in the May issue of Seahorse:
https://www.seahorsemagazine.com

Industry News
Henri Lloyd, are delighted to announce their partnership with the Charles Stanley Direct Cowes Classics Week.

Henri Lloyd will join the family of day sponsors and also become the Official Technical Clothing Partner to this prestigious event.

As part of the sponsorship, Henri Lloyd will be working alongside the regatta organisers to provide a bespoke crew kit package of Henri Lloyd's latest inshore race apparel to all entrants. In addition crews will benefit from a Henri Lloyd 'pop up' shop which will be located daily within the Royal London Yacht Club where a bespoke personalisation service will be on offer.

Tuesday 18th July will be known as the Henri Lloyd Race Day, and as part of the day's celebrations, the Henri Lloyd trophy will be awarded to the overall winner.

henrilloyd.com
cowesclassicsweek.org

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BWA Yachting, a leading worldwide provider of marine agency services to superyacht owners and their crews, has renewed its partnership with The International SeaKeepers Society. The aim of the partnership is to increase participation from yachts in assisting with ocean research, conservation and education.

The partnership enters its second year with an emphasis on the DISCOVERY Yachts Program, which utilizes private vessels for marine research, educational outreach, and to deploy oceanographic instruments.

The partnership benefits from BWA Yachting's global network that spans over 370 international ports and marinas through BWA's owned and operated offices in Spain, France, Monaco, Corsica, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Turkey, Malta, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Florida and New England.

www.facebook.com/bwayachting
www.seakeepers.org

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Crewsaver has been selected to be the Official Safety Provider to the 35th America's Cup, which will take place in Bermuda from 26th May to 27th June 2017.

Crewsaver will be providing the America's Cup with all of the safety equipment needed for their chase boats including lifejackets, helmets, first aid kits, knifes, pyrotechnics and man-overboard rescue equipment, along with a number of marker buoys to help with shepherding boats to the race course.

With help from Crewsaver, the America's Cup will very shortly be launching a number of safety videos, providing viewers with a number of top tips to help them stay safe when out on the water.

In addition, the partnership will provide America's Cup viewers with the opportunity to win a limited edition, and not on general sale (or not available to the public), America's Cup branded Crewfit 180N Pro lifejacket through a competition being run by Crewsaver, details of which will be announced soon.

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Beneteau announces the appointment of Luca Brancaleon as Sales Director as of 20 March 2017. He will manage the brand's international commercial strategy.

Luca, who qualified in Law at the University of Parma in 1996, has solid sales management experience in international multi-brand positions. He worked in the mechanical and pharmaceutical industries, before entering the nautical industry 13 years ago, initially with the Sessa brand, and then for the Brunswick Group to develop brands such as Boston Whaler, Hatteras, Cabo Yacht, Sea Ray and the L class internationally.

Luca Brancaleon succeeds Francois Rodrigues, who will move to a newly created role of Sales Development for the Beneteau Group Boats Division.

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The Limassol Boat Show which is running May 5-7 at Limassol Marina will be the biggest such event held in Cyprus so far. While the 2017 event will have a limited international participation IBI has been told by the marina's marketing team that the show plans to go fully international in 2018.

According to Cyprus Mail report, the show this year will have over 100 exhibitors and that exhibitors from Cyprus, Russia, Greece and Switzerland will participate. There will be a range of craft on show from small boats up to a 50m(164ft) superyacht.

The show was first held in 2008 but during the financial downturn in 2013 and 2014 was stopped and resumed in 2015. Limassol Marina is sharing in the organising role for the second time this year. The proceeds from the show are to be put towards building a new slipway.

plus.ibinews.com

Letters To The Editor - editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Alistair Skinner: I was reading the latest Seahorse (June 2017) which has just dropped into my inbox and noticed Luca Devoti's article and while I agree with 99.9% of what he is saying, however Victor Kovalenko "probably the greatest sailing coach of all time"? Doing a rough head count I am sure that Jim Saltonstall's ferrets at least matched Victors guys, at least in terms of Olympic medal count. Ainslie, Robertson & Percy alone count 10 and that does not include the other stars he developed towards the Olympic podium. Paul Goodison I think was one of his, as was Andrew Simpson and maybe even the crop that included Walker, Charles, Merricks & Covell. Nick Rogers was another of his and don't forget the likes of Sally Cuthbert who won 4 youth worlds in succession.

Certainly on Olympic medal count Jim outdoes Victor. He may have been known as a youth coach but his work inspired (isn't that what coaches are supposed to do?) Team GBR's relative domination in Olympic Sailing over almost 2 decades.

I'm not saying Victor's a poor coach, just that in my opinion Jim record is better (plus I love to get discussions going)

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