In This Issue
Delta Lloyd Regatta: Tricky winds, postponed races and new leaders | Crystal ball-gazing for the Rolex Fastnet Race winner | £200 off Premier Kru Elite Racer Package from Ocean Safety for limited period | Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Trophy and Trunk | Inaugural One-Design Regatta Kick Starts Summer of Big Dreams | New Offshore Multihull Association Takes Shape | What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine | 10th Anniversary Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta | Volvo Ocean Race unveils leadership programme | Letters to the Editor | 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
Delta Lloyd Regatta: Tricky winds, postponed races and new leaders
Medemblik, Netherlands: There were tricky winds for the sailors and the race committee. The day started with a delay, and only once the Laser Radial had set off at noon, could the racing start. Due to the shifting winds, a lot of overall results have changed since the first day. The race committees had a long day on the water, however, they still managed to finish all planned races. Although there was a lot of waiting in the morning due to the shifting wind, the races still managed to go really well.
Top three by class:
Laser
1. Elliot Hanson, GBR, 12 points
2. Matthew Wearn, AUS, 12
3. Luke Elliott, AUS, 13
Laser Radial
1. Emma Plasschaert, BEL, 13
2. Tatiana Drozdovskaya, BLR, 14
3. Michon Pernelle, FRA, 19
470 Men and Women
1. Afrodite Kyranakou / Anneloes Van Veen, NED, 13
2. Nikolaus Kampelmuhler / Thomas Czajka, AUT, 14
3. Pavel Sozykin / Denis Gribanov, RUS, 15
49er
1. Jorge Lima / Jose Luis Costa, POR, 21
2. Yannick Lefebvre / Tom Pelsmaekers, BEL, 32
3. Erik Heil / Thomas Ploessel, GER, 53
49er FX
1. Enia Nincevic / Peiar Cupac, CRO, 28
2. John Pink / Sophie Ainsworth, GBR, 44
3. Dewi Couvert / Annette Duetz, NED, 33
RS:X Men
1. Dorian Van Rysselberghe, NED, 8
2. Kiran Badloe, NED, 10
3. Oel Pouliquen, FRA, 20
2.4 Metre
1. Megan Pascoe, GBR, 4
2. Carol Dugdale, GBR, 13
3. Nev Millard, GBR, 14
Results for RS: X Women, NACRA 17 and Finn were not available from the event site at press time.
Crystal ball-gazing for the Rolex Fastnet Race winner
Second-guessing the winner under IRC among the 340 boats competing in August's Rolex Fastnet Race is tough. The outcome of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's biennial flagship event will depend on the weather: A brisk start should favour the big boats; a light start and lively finish the smaller ones, but it is not simple given the race's complexity with headlands and tidal gates to negotiate, shipping and Traffic Separation Schemes to avoid, the mix of coastal and oceanic sailing, amid the largest fleet of any offshore race in the world.
There is one unifying factor: the winner will be one of the smartest and most talented crews, sailing the best prepared boat, courtesy of the IRC rating system that aims to create a level playing field for all types of boats competing.
Historically, boat size doesn't seem to matter. Over the last 20 years 70 footers have claimed three races in Niklas Zennstrom's Ran II and Charles Dunstone's Enigma, but 30 footers have also won three, including the last two races - Gery Trentesaux's JPK 10.80, Courrier Du Leon, in 2015 and Pascal and in 2013 Alexis Loison's JPK 10.10 Night & Day - the race's only doublehanded overall winners. 50 footers have also won in Ger O'Rourke Cookson 50 Chieftain in 2007 and perennial competitor Piet Vroon on his Lutra 52 Tonnerre in 2001. A 40 footer hasn't won the Rolex Fastnet Race in at least 30 years and a line honours winner also claiming the handicap trophy is an even greater rarity.
One team trying to repeat the doublehanded success of Night & Day, is Sun Fast 36, Redshift Reloaded of Ed Fishwick and Figaro sailor Nick Cherry. Their main goal is a good result in the ever-growing Two-Handed class.
But will they threaten the dominant JPKs, winners of the last two races and which occupied half of the top 10 in 2015? With Gery Trentesaux not campaigning his own boat, Arnaud Delamare and Eric Mordret's team is looking good on their JPK 10.80 sistership, Dream Pearls. In their first ever Rolex Fastnet Race in 2015, they finished second overall while this season they recently won the RORC's De Guingand Bowl.
Fortunately there is a JPK 10.80 entered in English hands - Tom Kneen's Sunrise, while facing other French race favourites in JPK 10.10s - Noel Racine's Foggy Dew, as well as the Loisins on Night & Day, will face Richard Palmer's Jangada and Stephen Hills' Just Plain Krazy.
Another British favourite is Nick and Suzi Jones with RORC Commodore Michael Boyd on the First 44.7, Lisa winner of the 2016 RORC IRC Points Championship, podiuming in five events.
The Rolex Fastnet Race will set off from the Solent on Sunday 6 August bound for Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock.
£200 off Premier Kru Elite Racer Package from Ocean Safety for limited period
Ocean Safety are offering massive savings on the ultimate racing lifejacket, the Premier Kru Elite, packaged together with the rescueME MOB1 AIS personal recovery unit and the tiny yet powerful AQ40 lifejacket light. The fully integrated set is normally priced at £499 but now available for just £299 inc. VAT. Offer only available until 30th June so pick up a bargain before you head off on the Fastnet.
The Premier Kru Elite is tailored for instant fit, with a quick burst zip for fast inflation, a sprayhood, twin harness loops for line attachment and integral crotch strap. It has 195N of buoyancy giving complete support. The rescueME MOB1 is automatically triggered the moment the lifejacket is inflated, transmitting an alert to all AIS receivers and AIS-enabled plotters in the vicinity. 66-channel GPS sends accurate position data back to all the vessels for at least 24 hours. The MOB1 will activate the DSC alarm on the vessel's VHF radio to alert fellow crew members. Finally the AQ40 light will make sure the man overboard is easily spotted in poor light.
This complete lifesaving solution gives you the best possible chance of survival and being recovered fast. Available at Yachtmail Lymington, You-boat Gosport, Crew-Safe Southampton, Mylor Chandlery Falmouth.
Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Trophy and Trunk
Louis Vuitton is proud to present the brand new trophy, and its trunk, to be awarded to the winning team of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs, taking place from Sunday June 4th to Monday June 12th 2017 in Bermuda.
The path to the 35th America's Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton in Bermuda has taken its five challengers - Land Rover BAR, Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing, SoftBank Team Japan, Groupama Team France - and Defender, ORACLE TEAM USA, winner of the 34th America's Cup, around the world. They have competed in a grueling cycle of intensely competitive regattas. However, only one team can win the right to go forward as the Challenger and compete for the America's Cup itself against the Defender ORACLE TEAM USA.
That is why Louis Vuitton has commissioned a new trophy and trunk to mark that achievement. The Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs trophy will be awarded to whichever team emerges victorious as Challenger on June 11th or 12th on the Great Sound.
The trophy is a modern ode to this richly storied sport. Crafted in 10kg of sterling silver, standing a majestic 70cm high, highly polished and satin-finished precious metal trophy depicts a vivid clash of passing sails. It also echoes Louis Vuitton's famous Gaston 'V' mark - a symbol drafted by Gaston Vuitton in the 1930's to encapsulate the House's values Volez, Voguez,Voyagez - or Fly, Sail, Travel.
The trophy was commissioned by Louis Vuitton from Thomas Lyte. This British goldsmith and silversmith, holder of a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II, uses time-honoured techniques of exquisite craft and expertise. Yet it is also determinedly modern in outlook.
Inaugural One-Design Regatta Kick Starts Summer of Big Dreams
Newport, RI: A typical world championship regatta takes the better part of a week to complete. But for those aiming at the top step on the podium, the full journey can take months, if not years. After finishing second in the 2016 Melges 20 World Championship in Scarlino, Italy, last August, Drew Freides started planning for this year's championship, which will be held out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., October 3 to 7.
The first Newport event for Freides and his teammates, including 1992 Olympic silver medalist Morgan Reeser, is the New York Yacht Club One-Design Regatta, June 2 to 4, also sailed out of the historic Harbour Court clubhouse on Newport Harbor.
This new event will feature racing for three of sailing's most competitive keelboat classes. In addition to the Melges 20, the venerable Etchells class will be contesting its 2017 National Championship while the J/70 fleet will gather for an early season event that will see many teams shaking off the rust and aiming toward national and world championship events later this summer.
Among those expected to vie for the class's U.S. crown is 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and 1984 Olympic silver medalist Steve Benjamin, who is fresh off an overall win in the class's very competitive winter circuit on Biscayne Bay, Florida.
In 2014, the J/70 class held its first world championship out of Harbour Court, with 86 boats.
nyyc.org/yachting/racing/nyyc-one-design
New Offshore Multihull Association Takes Shape
The Offshore Multihull Association (OMA) was formed last year by the owners of performance- oriented Multihulls with the goal of promoting the growth of this exciting category of performance cruising yachts. The OMA's mission is to encourage fun, safe, close multihull racing in regattas around the world. These multihulls initially included Gunboats, HH Catamarans, Outremer as well as custom designs built for their unique ability to cruise in comfort while still being able to race at speeds rivaling many of the fastest monohull racing yachts. The Association is open to owners of offshore capable multihulls 45' and greater.
The OMA was officially launched in February of this year with the support of our inaugural sponsors, Gunboat, Morelli and Melvin, VPLP Designs, Nigel Irens Design, North Sails, HH Catamarans and Southern Spars
"The performance cruising multihull segment is one of the fastest growing segments in yachting and we are excited to launch an organization founded to support and encourage this growth," said Phil Lotz, President of the OMA, Commodore of the NYYC and Gunboat owner.
More information on the Offshore Multihull Association can be found on the new website offshoremultihull.org and on the Offshore Multihull Association page on Facebook. Offshore Multihull Association Contact: Grant Mathews, Director.
Seahorse June 2017
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Founding father - Part I
Traditional boatbuilder Adrian Morgan was glad to have lost his press badge before sitting down with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
Wow!
With just a few weeks to go the AC technical teams are still getting surprises. Ken Read
Rod Davis - Looking ahead
Quite a long way ahead as it happens
Design - Old school fast
Crafty Paul Bieker has been blending very old technologies with spankers new applications of seemingly quite mundane modern composites
RORC - In the chocolates
Eddie Warden-Owen
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10th Anniversary Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the South Coast's most popular yacht club regatta and the number of early competitor entries to the Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta (Friday 14th July - Sunday 16th July) held in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, suggests last year's entry of 178 boats will be exceeded.
In 2017, the regatta is open to an eclectic mix of boats for a weekend of close racing in the Western Solent including IRC, IRC Swan and the Gaffer Association Handicap Class. The event remains a magnet for One Design classes including X One Design (XOD); Yarmouth One Design (YOD); International Folkboat; Contessa 32; J24; J109; J80 and Sigma 38.
This year's regatta is open to multihulls and the Diam 24 One Design trimaran fleet is guaranteed to provide some acrobatic sailing.
Taittinger RSYC Regatta online registration
Taittinger RSYC Regatta Notice of Race
Volvo Ocean Race unveils leadership programme
The Volvo Ocean Race will embed a comprehensive Leadership Development and Team Performance Programme in future editions, based on the hard-earned experience of the pro sailors and including a 'Global Team Challenge' race to provide the ultimate team development opportunity for stakeholders.
Sponsors have often asked skippers and crew to provide insights into the way they handle high-stress issues of leadership and teamwork during the Volvo Ocean Race. In response to the clear demand, the race will formalise these learnings and make them available to businesses with on-land and on-water elements.
Launching in the edition after 2017-18, the Global Team Challenge will form the centerpiece of the on-water part of this HR focused programme. This will also act as a new entry point for future sponsors of teams in the race.
This race will provide the ultimate challenge for amateur sailors, including those with no prior experience, giving employees a unique experience of offshore and ocean racing, under the highest standards of training and management, but nonetheless in conditions close to those faced by the professionals.
There will be a significant pre-race programme of individual days to complement the on-land training, as well as pre-race training for crews.
It will then shadow part of the Volvo Ocean Race route, and sponsors will be able to switch out their crew at every stopover to give more people an experience - and a challenge - of a lifetime.
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 Andrew Hurst, Editor, Seahorse International Sailing
re: AC Non-viewing
What a shame that here in the UK the only TV channel showing the 35th America's Cup is football channel BT. Sky is the broadcaster for every major technical sport and so was the only channel to consider if the aim really is to encourage more fans of sailing.
I guess BT was free...
Try getting your pub with BT to switch over from the footie. I'd rather go into the ring with Anthony Joshua.
I guess there's always the newspaper.
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The Last Word
We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.
We've got our own way of doing things, and it doesn't involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.
And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.
So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the F*** out of our city. -- Excerpts from Michael J. Totten's "Open Letter to Terrorists" written after the London bombings of 2005.
Editorial and letter submissions to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com
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