In This Issue
HYS One Ton Cup |
2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year Nominees |
Wide Open, Going to the Wire! |
Most satisfactory |
Evan Petley-Jones' Lifted Rewarded for Patience on Middle Day of J/24 World Championship |
Sanya Serenity Coast Claims Line Honours In Longest Ever Clipper Race Stage |
2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship |
Transat Jacques Vabre |
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
HYS One Ton Cup
Cowes, Isle of Wight: Three Windward Leeward races were fired off in quick succession by PRO Stuart Childerley and his team. Racing was held in the central and eastern Solent, with a southwesterly breeze averaging 15 knots, and gusting over 20 knots. Subtle wind shifts, and influential extra pressure in the gusts, kept tacticians on their toes. Six of the 12 strong fleet made the podium during the course of TT Rigging Race Day, with exceptionally tight racing- the DNA of the FAST40+ Class.
Peter Morton's British CF40+ Girls on Film, took two race wins to lead after the first day. Stewart Whitehead's British Carkeek MkIII Rebellion, finished the day in second place, just a point ahead of Steve Cowie's Scottish GP42 Zephyr, who scored podium finishes in every race.
Tony Dickin's British Farr 42 Jubilee, and Bas de Voogd's Dutch Carkeek MkIII Hitchhiker, both made the podium to finish the day fourth and fifth respectively. Heinz Peter Schmidt's German Felci 42 Silva Neo, won Race 1, but unfortunately broke a tack fitting forcing their retirement from Race 3.
Racing at the HYS One Ton Cup continues tomorrow, Friday 22nd September with two longer races in the Solent.
HYS One Ton Cup day 1 from Ocean Images on Vimeo.
2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year Nominees
The 2017 nominees feature sailors drawn from the America's Cup, Vendee Globe, Windsurfing, Offshore and Olympic Class racing, highlighting the breadth and depth of the sport.
The names vying for the coveted and prestigious 2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are:
Female
Marit Bouwmeester (NED)
2017 Laser Radial World Champion
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA)
49erFX World Cup Series Champions
Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU)
Pro Windsurfers Association World Tour Freestyle and Slalom World Champion
Tara Pacheco (helmed by Fernando Echavarri) (ESP)
Nacra 17 World Cup Series Champions
Male
Glenn Ashby (AUS)
America's Cup winning Skipper
Peter Burling (NZL)
America's Cup winning Helmsman
Thomas Coville (FRA)
Singlehanded Round the World Record holder
Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA)
2016-2017 Vendee Globe winner
The male and female winners will be announced on Tuesday 7 November 2017 at the World Sailing Awards Ceremony in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Further details on the voting process will follow.
Each winner will be presented with the unique marble and silver trophy depicting the globe, crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents, together with a Rolex timepiece.
Wide Open, Going to the Wire!
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Menorca, Spain: With the wind moving round today into a more reliable, dependable southerly direction, defending 2016 52 Super Series champions Quantum Racing bounced back from a modest, frustrating start to the season's final regatta - the Menorca 52 Super Series Sailing Week - to return two second place finishes today and restore their pressure on title rivals Platoon and Azzurra.
While Quantum Racing's four points aggregate for the day was the best, most consistent scoreline of the day, nemesis Azzurra were always in fightback mode, albeit relatively successfully, while Harm Muller-Spreer's Platoon won the first race, but could only make a sixth from the second windward-leeward contest.
The net gain for the day was to the current champions Quantum Racing who have now closed back to be nine points behind Azzurra.
With two days of the 2017 season left, Azzurra still lead the overall table on 185pts, Platoon are very much in touch on 190pts and Quantum Racing are on 194pts. The title race is still wide open.
The win for Bronenosec is a morale boost for the Russian-flagged crew, taking them to fourth overall for the event.
Standings Menorca 52 Super Series Sailing Week
1. Azzurra, Family Roemmers, ITA/ARG, 14 points
2. Platoon, Harm Muller-Spreer, GER, 15
3. Quantum Racing, Doug DeVos, USA, 15
4. Bronenosec, Vladimir Liubomirov, RUS, 16
5. Gladiator, Tony Langley, GBR, 16
6. Provezza, Ergin Imre, TUR, 21
7. Sled, Takashi Okura, USA, 29
8. Paprec Recyclage, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, FRA, 30
9. Ran Racing, Niklas Zennstrom, SWE, 34
10. Sorcha, Peter Harrison GBR, 37
11. Alegre, Andres Soriano GBR/USA, 38
Most satisfactory
Good enough in fact that several new boats are into final planning for 2018.
Looking back on two hot and steamy weeks in Mallorca where we held the Puerto Portals 52 Super Series and the Copa del Rey, there is every reason to be pleased. In Puerto Portals we saw the fifth different winner from the five 2017 Super Series events we have completed so far: Quantum in Key West, Azzurra in Miami, Platoon in Scarlino, Ran in Porto Cervo and Provezza in Puerto Portals. Three owner-driver and two pro-driver wins.
The Provezza win was special, not just because it was the first time Ergin Imre and his pro-am team took the highest stage at a Super Series event, but also because they had been close to a win twice before this year and seemed to have developed a depressing talent for sailing themselves off the podium on the final day.
Not this time, however, much to their own delight of course but noticeably also to the delight of all the other teams. This was very visible at an emotional prizegiving ceremony; Ergin is the archetypal passionate boat owner as well as a strong believer in creating time for the social aspects of our sport, like bringing family and friends to events, good crew and owners dinners, or just a decent conversation. And as such he is truly liked. Let's say if anybody had to win this one and it is not to be 'us' then it should be him
Rob Weiland's full editorial in the October issue of Seahorse: www.seahorsemagazine.com
Evan Petley-Jones' Lifted Rewarded for Patience on Middle Day of J/24 World Championship
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: If good things come to those who wait, then Evan Petley-Jones' Lifted is the perfect example on day three of the driveHG.ca J/24 World Championship in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Sixty-three teams waited out multiple hours of an on-water postponement, hoping for enough breeze to get a start off. Finally around 3:30 p.m., light winds allowed two more races to be completed, which brought into effect the discard. Petley-Jones' Lifted tallied a 7,1 on Thursday to leap into first place overall, able to drop a 39 from race 1. Tony Parker's Bangor Packet fell to second place with 32 points. John Mollicone's Helly Hansen launched up to the third spot with 33 net points after tossing a 52 from Tuesday. Six races are now finalized.
The competitors from Argentina, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru and the USA started race 5 in about 5 knots, when Nobuyuki Imai's Siesta collected the win. Mollicone and Ted Bartlewski's Drivers Wanted followed. Looking at Petley-Jones cross the finish line first in the next meeting were David Klatt's Jaded and Travis Odenbach's HoneyBadger when winds increased slightly.
Racing continues through Saturday from Port Credit Yacht Club. Complete results may be found at yachtscoring.com
Sanya Serenity Coast Claims Line Honours In Longest Ever Clipper Race Stage
Photo by onEdition. Click on image to enlarge.
Sanya Serenity Coast claimed line honours today into Punta del Este, Uruguay, in the longest ever individual race of the Clipper Race's eleven edition history.
The team crossed the finish line at 13:46:46 local Uruguayan time (16:46:46 UTC), 6,400 nM and 32 days after setting off from Liverpool, UK, on 20 August.
This is the second consecutive Clipper Race for Sanya skipper Wendy Tuck, a veteran of ten Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races and the 2016 Jane Tate Memorial Trophy winner.
Wendy and her team also secured one bonus point during the race crossing the inaugural Scoring Gate in third position. However, the official winner of Race 1 is still to be confirmed as redress will be applied to two teams still competing.
The 6,400 nM route, which is the equivalent distance of ten Fastnet races, was eventful, including three medevacs, and a varied mix of fickle winds in the Doldrums, challenging seas states, and champagne sailing conditions in the Trade Winds, which contributed to frequent changes on the leader board, and a closely fought battle amongst the fleet.
Nine further teams are expected to join Sanya Serenity Coast into port in the next 24 hours.
They will be joined by Greenings and Nasdaq in the next few days to complete the twelve-strong fleet.
This is the first time the Clipper Race has visited Uruguay in its eleven-edition history. The teams will now enjoy a well-deserved break from the relentless conditions of ocean racing and will perform much needed maintenance on their yachts as well as enjoy local hospitality amidst the region's stunning coastline location.
Race 2 of the Clipper 2017-18 Race starts on 4 October, departing Punta del Este and heading back into the Southern Atlantic as teams take on the 3,560 nM mile journey to Cape Town, South Africa.
www.clipperroundtheworld.com/raceviewer
2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship
Severn Sailing Association was a flurry of activity on Wednesday evening as competitors prepared for the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship. Skippers and crews were busy performing last-minute adjustments to their boats, tuning the rig and working on other gear.
SSA members considerately cleared every other dinghy off the lot to accommodate the influx of 89 5O5s, which came from 12 different countries. Action got underway Thursday with the pre-worlds, which provide the sailors an opportunity to practice and study the venue.
Racing in the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship will be held Sunday through Friday on the Chesapeake Bay with organizers hoping to complete at least 10 races. Annapolis resident Sandy Grosvenor - a World Sailing and US Sailing International race officer, judge and umpire - is leading the on-water management along with a top-notch committee from co-host Eastport Yacht Club.
There are eight past 5O5 world champions in attendance and all rate among the pre-regatta favorites. Mike Martin and Adam Lowry are the defending champs after capturing their first title together last year in Weymouth, England. Martin, who previously won worlds in 2009 off San Francisco with Jeff Nelson, is considered a heavy air specialist.
In analyzing the 2017 SAP 5O5 World Championship, class president Pip Pearson estimated that as many as 20 boats had the ability to win a race. Pearson listed nine very viable candidates, including the aforementioned Martin/Lowry, Holt/Smit and Hamlin/Zinn.
Also likely to be in the mix are Mike Quirk and Curtiss Hartmann, the six-time Australian national champions. Californians Ian Pinnell and Dave Shelton also have quite a track record of success separately with the former winning the 2008 world championship and the latter posting a pair of podium placements.
Pearson also mentioned Australia's Malcolm Higgins and Marcus Cooper, Britain's Andy Smith and Roger Gilbert and San Francisco-based stalwarts Ted Conrads and Brian Haines as teams that certainly could make some noise.
Transat Jacques Vabre
The calibre of the 39 crew and 78 sailors registered for the 13th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre promises a high-flying competition, with a race of rare quality and depth. From Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, the four classes of offshore sailing boats (Class40, Multi 50, IMOCA60 and Ultime) will compete over a 4,350-mile course full of hurdles, squalls and excitement. Thursday, at the Pavillon Champs-Elysees in Paris, they were all present, eager to head out to sea, boots and oilies ready to cross the start line on Sunday, November 5.
There will be a keen edge to this Transat Jacques Vabre. From the abundance of Class40 duos (17), to the IMOCA60 sailors in a hurry to get back out to sea, with some exciting marriages of crews, all with different outlooks (13 crews), to the Multi 50, where they are champing at the bit to show what the foils can do (6 crews), to the 3 Ultime competitors, for whom this racetrack is the beginning a round the world voyage. From the suits in Paris to the boots on the pontoons of Le Havre, the hunger and smiles will be evident on faces of the skippers, who have started the countdown to the Transat jacques Vabre. D - 46 before the start.
* Lalou Roucayrol and Alex Pella on board Arkema for the Transat Jacques Vabre
For his ninth participation in the Transat Jacques Vabre and third at the helm of the Multi50 Arkema, Lalou Roucayrol has high sporting hopes. To fulfil this desire for performance, he has recruited a top grade co-skipper, the Spanish all-rounder Alex Pella.
Between Le Havre and Salvador de Bahia, Lalou and Alex, assisted from land by Karine Fauconnier, will give it their all to excel on board their trimaran bursting with innovations and now fitted with foils.
www.transatjacquesvabre.org/en/
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 David Cones:
I rather think Mr Dalton is missing the point, grinders or cyclors, it's the same difference. What people want to see is a crew actually sailing the boat, not two thirds of the crew merely providing hydraulic pressure so the two at the back can drive it!
* From Karen Kelly Shea, president of Nicholson Yachts:
We have just completed the Newport International Boat Show and I must say that the mood was very upbeat and supportive. There were vendors from all over the USVI and BVI as well as St. Martin and they assured us that the clean-up has begun and they are eager to rebuild.
There was a lot of interest in charter and Caribbean travel in general. We participated in a fundraiser organized by Cay Electronics during the show, a move to convert to solar as the rebuilding commences (www.powerupbvi.com). Show attendees were happy to support the drive and Nicholson Yachts has also committed 10% of our yacht charter and yacht sales from the show to the fund.
You may have also heard that Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island Resort was destroyed in Irma. Nicholson Yachts is the central agent for charters on Mr. Branson's catamaran NECKER BELLE. Her captain sailed the catamaran south to Grenada prior to the hurricane, where it escaped any damage and Mr. Branson had the yacht stop in Barbados on the way back to the BVI to load up on humanitarian supplies.
He also immediately mobilized cleanup of the BVI and organized rebuilding plans for his properties. In addition, Richard Branson is leading a campaign with the British government to quickly begin rebuilding all of the British Virgin Islands.
You may know that Richard has annually hosted the Necker Cup world class Pro-Am Tennis Event on Necker Island, and the Necker Open exclusive Pro-Am Golf event. Since the news broke of Hurricane Irma's damage to the BVI, Richard shared that he and the Virgin Limited team have received an overwhelming number of phone calls and emails from past guests of Necker Island, as well as tennis and golf professionals and celebrity friends, with offers of help and support in rebuilding the BVI and to help assure that the Pro-Am "show" will go on!
This year, Richard Branson will dedicate the two simultaneous events to rebuilding the BVI with the theme - "Rebuilding Lives After Irma - Disaster Relief in the British Virgin Islands." All proceeds from this year's event will go to the relief fund. The event dates are 27th November to 2nd December 2017.
Together, our industry will help rebuild the BVI, as well as the other islands of the Caribbean damaged in this year's hurricanes. As the island communities have always been there for us and our clients, I know we will be there to help them in every way.
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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Contact Andrew Sheriff, CPYB
Dion's Yacht Yard, Salem MA
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andrew@ecys.com
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Ker 40+ - PACE. 575,000 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.
PACE is an incredibly well sorted and maintained modified Ker 40+. She has many modifications to the original design making her significantly faster, but without incurring a large handicap increase. National Champion in the Fast 40+ fleet, she wants for nothing, with a fresh wardrobe of sails and turnkey. Perfect yacht for the Fast 40+ fleet or any IRC / ORC regatta.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
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2007 TP52 - RKO. 440,000 EUR. Located in Sydney, Australia
RKO is a hugely optimised example of these designs, benefiting from a very high spec North 3Di sail package, which caters for both inshore and offshore racing alike. Additional upgrades include a complete cosmetic overhaul and the addition of standing carbon rigging - this is a race winning machine
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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