In This Issue
TeamBDA Light Up Bermuda | America's Cup Superyacht Regatta | J Class at the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta | Accomplished Yachtsman's Private Collection To Be Sold By Online Auction | Gladiator Outduels Spookie for Around the Island Honors | Figaro: Homeward Bound | Alex Roepers wins Farr 40 Gaeta Open, Worlds Precursor | Bosun | Giraglia Rolex Cup: From Inshore To Offshore | 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
TeamBDA Light Up Bermuda
Light winds again greeted the six international Red Bull Youth America's Cup Pool B teams who returned to day two of Qualifiers fleet racing action on 13th June on Bermuda's Great Sound. However, the wind speed did not stop the day producing huge tension, real drama and a fantastic story for Bermuda, home of the 35th America's Cup with TeamBDA, the local favourites, booking their place in the Finals of the 2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup by securing the points they needed to progress in the second race of the day.
TeamBDA's progression also means that, at the end of day two, the 2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup says goodbye to the Austrian Candidate Sailing Team and Carson Crain's Next Generation USA.
On the water, in action on day two of the Qualifiers with TeamBDA was Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR), Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR (ESP), Candidate Sailing Team (AUT), Next Generation USA and NZL Sailing Team. The teams, all aged between 18 - 24 years, were racing on the final day of the Pool B 2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup Qualifiers, the precursor to the Finals which take place on the Great Sound on 20th / 21st June.
2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup Pool B Qualifiers - Final Standings
1. NZL Sailing Team, 51points 2. Land Rover BAR Academy, 51
3. Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR, 51
4. TeamBDA, 45
5. Next Generation USA, 36
6. Candidate Sailing Team, 36
Watch the 2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup Finals, live on Red Bull TV on June 20 and 21 at 2:00pm local Bermuda time/5:00pm UTC.
America's Cup Superyacht Regatta
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
If the turquoise waters off Bermuda's north coast offered a gentle, benign start to the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta 2017 there were few complaints from the 19 crews who enjoyed a relatively straightforward Race Day One, in association with Rego Sotheby's International Realty, a coastal round the buoys passage contest of between 13 and 16 miles.
In breezes which rose and fell between 5 and 11kts there was little by way of tactical upwind or downwind sailing and so the keys to success were sail selection, trimming, smooth crew work and reading how the cloud patterns were influencing the patchy, shifty winds as they blew down off the island.
In the competitive five strong J Class fleet, racing in association with Bermuda Business Development Agency, Hanuman came back from a premature start to recover quickly and take the race victory ahead of Ranger. The biggest Superyacht in the fleet, the iconic 88m Maltese Falcon scored the biggest win in the regatta's biggest division Class C. 44.8m Visione, the Reichel Pugh design laid down a marker by winning Class A, Hyperion the 48m Frers design with Harold Cudmore calling tactics, triumphed in Class B.
The triangle shaped courses (to be expected in Bermuda?), passing Kitchen Shoals, placed the biggest premium on reaching speeds. The first reach which became progressively broader saw a variety of reaching sails set but there was a seemingly high proportion of two sail reaching, opening up few passing opportunities.
Sail selection and use was key in Class A where Visione triumphed, as boat captain Garth Brewer recalled: "We sailed pretty well, the crew work was good all the way through. We made an important peel from the A1 to a reacher and that kept us fast on the first downwind. It was nice and clean. But the boat is well set up. We made the right sail choices at the right time."
The same key factors were fundamental to Hyperion's win, holding on to their spinnaker when the reaches got tight. Hyperion, with veteran Cudmore aboard, sailed smoothly to hold off Action which has Shirley Robertson and Ian Walker as a formidable afterguard along with navigator Marcel van Trieste.
J Class at the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Hanuman bounced back quickly from starting too early to win the first race of the America's Cup Superyacht Regatta in Bermuda.
Although they had to return and recross the line Hanuman were able to recover as the breeze filled from the right side of the first upwind leg. Already positioned on the favoured side, they chased Velsheda around the first windward mark, capitalised when the leaders set a kite which they almost immediately had to douse and then extended away to take first gun ahead of second placed Ranger.
The crew which won the six J Class yacht fleet at the Saint Barths Bucket in March win the first of the three scheduled races at the America's Cup Superyacht regatta. Optimised for the light conditions expected in Bermuda, Hanuman looked quick in the 5-9kts patchy breeze which was affected by the cloud patterns over the island to windward of the race course.
They were pushed in the final seconds pre start by Topaz, but all three boats which started closest to the committee boat, windward end of the line - Hanuman, Topaz and Velsheda - were able to climb away from the fleet as the wind swung right and strengthened slightly.
Conversely Lionheart, which started to the left, struggled initially and were forced to watch as their rivals sailed away. But, just as the first windward leg proved fickle and shifty, so was the final short beat. Lionheart was able to pass Topaz for fourth and Ranger stole second of the five J Class yachts which raced today. It is understood Svea will join the regatta from Wednesday.
Accomplished Yachtsman's Private Collection To Be Sold By Online Auction
Click on image for photo gallery.
Due to his relocation abroad, Marriott & Co. are instructed by their client to offer for sale by online auction his collection of yachts, masts, sails, dinghies, RIBS, a DAF flat bed truck and various marine ancillaries.
Items for sale in this rare opportunity include a Modern 6m racing yacht 'Thisbe', a Vintage Modern 6m racing yacht 'St Francis V1', a YW Seahorse 28ft 'Rocinante', a Freedom 21ft designed by Gary Hoyt 'Codling', a 2.4 m R Norlin, a never used Mcnulty 9ft sailing tender, a Flying 15 sailing yacht, a Tornado catamaran, a Guy Thompson T31 hull, a Valiant 450 RIB, various mast sections, mainsails, headsails, spinnakers, rigging and other marine equipment and eclectic items of interest.
The online auction closes from 3pm Wednesday 21 June 2017.
Viewing of the items is available near Lymington, Hampshire on Tuesday 20 June strictly by appointment.
Please telephone 01252 712083 or email sales@marriottco.co.uk for an appointment to view.
To view the full catalogue and for further details please visit www.marriottco-auctions.co.uk
Gladiator Outduels Spookie for Around the Island Honors
Newport, R.I.: On the water, the father-and-son team of Tony and Bernard Langley, sailing Gladiator, suffered the narrowest of defeats to Steve and Heidi Benjamin's Spookie on Day 1 of the 163rd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, and sponsored by Porsche and AIG. The two yachts raced neck and neck for 19 miles around Conanicut Island and were separated by just three seconds at the finish line, with Spookie crossing just ahead of Gladiator.
But when the handicaps were applied--while both boats are the same length and style of raceboat, there are slight differences and hence a tiny disparity in their respective ratings--the results were reversed with the Langleys winning by two seconds and claiming the Rolex timepiece awarded to the top overall finisher under IRC.
The race started--at 1100 hours with the slowest classes going first--in the remnants of an offshore breeze, with many of the teams setting spinnakers as they sailed south from the starting line off Newport toward the first turning mark at Beavertail Point on the south end of Conanicut Island. But the downwind run was short lived as each fleet had to negotiate a tricky convergence zone between the incoming southerly seabreeze and the fading gradient flow. The zone was particularly hazardous for the five speedsters in IRC1, which started last.
While the battle for IRC overall was the most watched, there was plenty of other storylines to follow for the Around the Island Race. In her first race in Newport in more than 30 years, the 12-Metre Defender took the early lead off the line and took first place in the Modern Division of the 12 Metre class. Dennis Williams, who normally sails Victory '83, recently finished a restoration of Defender and showed today that it was worth the effort. Kip Curran's Laura won the Grand Prix Division and American Eagle won the Traditional Division.
Other one-design class winners included John Hele's Swan 42 Daring, Harold Bruning's C&C30 Topas, Jim Bishop's J/44 Gold Digger, and the Pieter Taselaar's M32 catamaran Bliksem. -- Stuart Streuli
Full results: nyyc.org/yachting/racing/163rd-annual-regatta
Figaro: Homeward Bound
Tuesday afternoon the fleet of La Solitaire URGO le Figaro sailors have been negotiating the final landmark of Belle Ile island before heading back northwest for a slow motion dash to the finish line in Concarneau. Coming into their fourth night at sea many of the sailors will be feeling the effects of fatigue with the super light conditions not allowing for much rest as the boats requiring constant attention.
Following a major shuffle of the pack early this morning during a 'shut down' in the wind at the westerly turning mark of Chasusee de Sein, the leader board has started to settle down. Pierre Quirogas (Espoir CEM) 1st place ranking was short lived this after his bold manoeuvre taking the most offshore route did not pay off, seeing him slip back to 10th as the fleet rounded Belle Ile. Leading at the front Charlie Dalin (Macif 2015) will fight all the way to the finish with Erwan Tabarly (Armor Lux) alongside, the two currently level at the 17:00 standings with Tabarly .2kt faster.
In the pack of the eight skippers at the 1700h standings their are only five soloists who had finished in the Top Ten in Spain: Charlie Dalin (Macif 2015), Sebastien Simon (Brittany CMB Performance), the "Rookie" Julien Pulve (Team Vendee Formation), who made a nearly perfect race from Bordeaux, Nicolas Lunven (Generali) Winner in Gijon and Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement), the gentleman of Gijon.
Update 0700 FR time:
First ten to finish leg 2:
1. AGIR Recouvrement, Adrien Hardy
2. Armor Lux, Erwan Tabarly
3. Generali, Nicolas Lunven
4. Skipper Macif 2015, Charlie Dalin
5. Ovimpex - Secours Populaire, Anthony Marchand
6. Team Vendee Formation , Julien Pulve
7. Bretagne - Credit Mutuel Performance, Sebastien Simon
8. Skipper Macif 2017, Martin Le Pape
9. Action Contre La Faim, Gildas Mahe
10. SATECO, Benjamin Dutreux
Alex Roepers wins Farr 40 Gaeta Open, Worlds Precursor
Gaeta, Italy: On the surface, it would appear that skipper Alex Roepers and the Plenty team posted a commanding victory in the Farr 40 Gaeta Open. The American boat won seven of nine races and finished with a low score of 11 points, nine better than runner-up Enfant Terrible.
Terry Hutchinson, veteran tactician aboard Plenty, cautioned to not read too much into the scores. "I would say the results are a bit misleading and the gap between Plenty and Enfant Terrible is very small," the Annapolis-based professional said. "The difference in this regatta was slightly better upwind speed supported by superb teamwork."
This marks the fourth season that Roepers has sailed with virtually the same team that is led by Hutchinson, the two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. Trimmers Morgan Trubovich (headsails) and Skip Baxter (main) along with bowman Greg Gendell are the other professionals in the program. Mark Langford (offside trimmer), Dimitri Simons (pit), Fletcher Sims (strategist), Emil Wester (mast) and Jennifer Wulff (floater) complete the crew.
The Gaeta Open was the last regatta before the 2017 Rolex Farr 40 World Championships, being held July 13-16 in Porto Cervo. Roepers said the victory off this ancient city was a confidence-boost for the Plenty team.
Visit yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4154 for more details on the regatta.
Bosun
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Giraglia Rolex Cup: From Inshore To Offshore
Saint-Tropez, France: An exciting inshore series at the 2017 Giraglia Rolex Cup concluded Tuesday with competition going down to the wire across all classes. However, there is no respite for the majority of the crews as attention now turns to the start of Wednesdays's 241-nm offshore race to Genoa, Italy. This historic Mediterranean challenge, whose emblematic symbol is the rugged Giraglia rock located on the northern tip of Corsica, has run each and every year since 1953. The 2017 race, the 65th edition, is set to welcome a fleet in the region of 220 international yachts on the start line. With light conditions forecast a record breaking line honours time appears unlikely.
Constant sunshine, calm conditions and close competition characterized the three-day inshore series of the Giraglia Rolex Cup in Saint-Tropez. The larger yachts competed on 32-nm courses and the smaller classes typically on courses ranging from 13-nm to 19-nm.
Fastest yacht on the water for the three days of racing was Alex Schaerer's Maxi 72 Caol Ila R also winner of the IRC 0 division on handicap. ClubSwan 50 and 42 one-design classes contested their own windward/leeward races with Earlybird and Natalia emerging respectively as the leading performers across the week.
Given her excellent form in the inshore series, Caol Ila R will be expected to feature among the offshore race frontrunners
One of the rival Maxi 72s is Sir Peter Ogden's Jethou, second to Caol Ila R on the water during the inshore series. "The current forecast is very light," admits Ogden, a regular Giraglia Rolex Cup campaigner. "There may be some good wind on the leg to the rock but it looks very light after that. In normal wind conditions it should be one of the 72s coming first. If it's lighter, you never know..."
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* From Fiona Hicks - Royal Ulster Yacht Club
RUYC then Vice Commodore Stanton Adair (left) presenting the trophy to RNZYS then Commodore Steven Burrett - Sept 2013. Click on image to enlarge.
Royal Ulster Yacht Club would like to congratulate the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on their victory in the Challenger Series earning their place in the America's Cup final against Oracle Team USA. Beside all the hype of the Louis Vuitton Series there is another trophy that has just been won - the Sir Thomas Lipton Memorial Trophy. This trophy, presented by Royal Ulster YC since 1970, is presented to the yacht club which wins the right to challenge. It is presented in memory of Sir Thomas Lipton who challenged five times for the America's Cup under the burgee of Royal Ulster YC. At a reception this week in Bermuda, the Vice Commodore of RUYC, Nigel Hamilton, will present the Lipton trophy to representatives of the RNZYS who are as it happens the current holders. The Challenger Series has made for some very exciting viewing and it is great credit to the Emirates Team NZ team that they managed the comeback after the pitchpole incident and went on to win the series. We wish them well in their bid for America's Cup victory.
* From Malcolm McKeag
My sometime and still I hope good friend Ado was doing alright with his observations on Land-Rover BAR overhype until he got to his final sentence (I nearly said 'last sentence' - but your esteemed organ would be much the poorer if that really were the last sentence we saw from the Adzeman of Lochalsh). I mean of course: "But the truth is a lot of money was spent on a yacht race that a lot of hospitals would have benefited from." The truth is that there be any number of worthy causes and activities that might benefit from having more money but that is no reason not to spend money in sporting endeavour - or indeed any number of other life-affirming pursuits, from having a birthday party to staying in the European Union (forget I said that, please). But Adrian is right in his dismay over the amount of uniformed media coverage there has been of Saint Ben's campaign, from the myth in the British press that it was Ben's arrival on board Oracle in 2013 that turned that campaign around to the expectation that the America's Cup would be 'coming home' in 2017. No one assumes that Andy Murray, Rory McIlroy or Lewis Hamilton will win every competition they enter and it was perhaps foolish of the Land-Rover BAR PR effort to allow expectations to run quite so far ahead of reality. And in fairness to Sir Ben Ainslie and others the plan that this was a double iteration campaign was always out there. Now, if only we could get that media to hoist on board the fact, the truth, that the first race for the America's Cup was held not in 1851 around the Isle of Wight but in 1870, in New York harbour...
* From Derek Paterson, Auckland NZ
I generally enjoy Adrian Morgans comments but his one that the BAR money would be better spent on "hospitals" is codswallop. Sure BAR raised a lot of money, but that would never otherwise have been spent on "hospitals". It was spent on keeping a large number of people employed, directly and indirectly, who paid tax, some of which may go to "hospitals". Also the "non-cash" benefits that BAR have produced last far longer than the loss in one regatta.
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