Brought to you by boats.com Europe with the support of OC Events, 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ROUTE DU RHUM: SHARP IS OUT OF REACH
The weather conditions could definitely give the victory to Phil Sharp who has now significantly increased his lead on Morvan. The Briton should not be worried by his pursuer even if the rounding of Guadeloupe could be as painful as for Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Anne Liardet (Roxy) who finally finished their frustrating racing today. For the moment Phil Sharp's ETA has been pushed to Friday rather than tomorrow.

IMOCA 60
Finally ! Marc Guillemot (Safran) touched the finish line today after 16 d 17 h 57' 26 at sea, taking the 7th place after a long battle with Anne Liardet in tricky weak winds. The gap with winner in IMOCA, Roland Jourdain is 4 d 5h58' while his average speed on the distance is 8.81 knots.

Anne Liardet was welcomed a few hours later after 17 d 00h 52' 44 " at sea and 8.66 knots of average. She was exhausted after 36 hours without sleep and upset about her ranking.

40-Footers
Phil Sharp (philsharpracing.com) sailed in 8 to 10 knots of winds overnight while Gildas Morvan was fighting in no wind. As a consequence, Phil's lead has - once again - increased: 132.3 miles ahead of Morvan with less that 200 miles to run now. Morvan has conceded that barring some catastrophic equipment failure, Sharp is now out of reach.

For the 3rd step on the podium, all the options are open providing that the wind rebuilds somewhere at sea. And this can happen anywhere on the stretch of water. The 3rd also has to count on the 20 hours to be given to Philippe Legros (Cotes d'Armor) as he diverted his road to go to Charlie Capelle's rescue.

www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com

ERICSSON RACING TEAM: KOSTECKI AND KOUYOUMDJIAN
Two months ago, the Ericsson Racing Team was the first entry to officially announce its participation in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Today, the team is proud to announce the names of its new skipper and principal designer. John Kostecki (USA) will lead the sailing team, whilst Juan Kouyoumdjian (ARG) will design a boat to be built in Sweden next year.

Winner of the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race as skipper onboard Illbruck, Kostecki was part of the Ericsson Racing Team in 2005-06, competing as inshore races tactician before stepping in as skipper between Rio de Janeiro and Baltimore. He now joins the team as skipper and will play a key role in the team build up, its preparation, training and development throughout the race.

Juan Kouyoumdjian has achieved his greatest success in the last Volvo Ocean Race, designing the winning and fourth placed boat. Juan's yachts have won six out of nine offshore legs, and dominated the fleet in five out of seven in-port races. Born in 1971 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, "Juan K" has been involved in all sorts of projects during his career: the Admiral's Cup, TP 52's, IRC, the America's Cup. He will design the Ericsson yacht, and supervise its construction in Sweden, in a location yet to be determined.

www.ericsson.com/press

AFFORDABLE WIRELESS CONTROL
Introducing the new Ockam Lynx, an affordable wireless remote controller for the Ockam system. Each of the 5 key fob control buttons is capable of being easily programmed to output any Ockam command. Scroll through the pages on any display, operate the stopwatch or control the lighting to name a few of the possibilities. It's pre-programmed with a MOB function that switches the displays to back range and bearing to the point of activation. Like all Ockam components, the Lynx is compatible with any Ockam system. Just simply connect it to the existing bus, no additional wiring required. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.ockam.com

PIECE = PEACE
Sail-World understands that the second missing piece of the America's Cup has been returned.

The two missing pieces of the America's Cup damaged in the sledge hammer attack almost ten years ago are now in the possession of the current holder of the America's Cup - the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG).

The second piece was held by a person at Whangaparoa, whose identity is well known around the Auckland waterfront.

The matter of the two damaged pieces of the original America's Cup first came to the public notice when the Spirit of Adventure Trust announced that it had obtained one piece of the damaged trophy, which it wanted to auction to raise fund for its Youth training program.

The London jeweller Garrard, who was charged with the repair of the America's Cup advised the pieces had been unlawfully removed from their premises.

After reflection, the Spirit of Adventure returned the piece they had. However the return of the second piece said to be smaller was a more protracted affair and was returned aftre a deadline imposed by SNG had passed.

The ultimate fate of the two pieces is unknown at this stage, however it is exopected that they will rejoin the trophy in some way.

A fuller story on the Cup pieces, a letter from Garrard's along with a picture of the piece that was held briefly by Spirit of Adventure Trust can be seen at: www.challengercommission.com/2006/11/silvergate.html

From Sail-World.com:
www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=28801

MONSOON CUP BRINGS WINDS OF CHANGE TO RESIDENTS
Pulau Duyong has seen many changes since the first Monsoon Cup a year ago brought the world to its doorstep.

The marina, managed by the Terengganu Heritage Bay Club, has been completed. It is a world-class facility, the likes of which the residents have only seen on television.

The villagers have seen a parade of famous faces in the past year, such as Jackie Chan, the Hong Kong movie star and director, and Ferrari boss Jean Todt. Todt even gave a motivational talk to students there, telling them there was no easy road to success.

And Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is expected at this year's Monsoon Cup from Nov 29 to Dec 3. However, the biggest change is in the minds of the villagers.

Initially put off by the exclusivity of the yacht race, talks by local leaders have shown the villagers the benefits it can bring to their fishing community.

Now, they no longer shy away from visitors, especially foreigners. They welcome them warmly and are proud their island at the mouth of Sungai Terengganu is host to an event watched by a billion viewers on television.

Residents were also critical because they felt shut out from the economic benefits of hosting the event.

"This year, however, there will be opportunities for them to do business. Stalls will be set up for them to sell items," said Nasir, a member of the committee overseeing development in Pulau Duyong.

The villagers, especially those involved in cottage industries, fishing and traditional boat-building, are talking about opportunities.

Full story in the New Straits Times: www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Saturday/National/20061111083954/Article index_html

HIGH PERFORMERS
There are many variables that go into performing well at a regatta. Some are controllable some are not. Clothing is a controllable variable. So when looking for high performance clothing check out the Code Zero quick dry shirt from Camet. The double circular knit, lightweight fabric is designed to wick away moisture, dry fast, be comfortable and, have maximum UV protection. This high performing shirt is perfect as a single warm weather layer or as an under layer for cold weather. Padded Shorts, Vest, Mylar bags etc.

www.camet.com

SEAMASTER SAILING SERIES
On Seamaster Sailing this month we spend two weeks in Bilbao for the build-up and start of a race that has been described as the Everest of sailing: the VELUX 5Oceans.

This solo race around the world is the longest race for any individual in any sport and Seamaster Sailing was inside the lives of an eclectic group of sailors as the eight entries left Bilbao and headed into ferocious storms in the Bay of Biscay; the Seamaster Sailing helicopter was over the fleet as more than 60-knots battered the competitors.

And Larry Ellison - CEO of Oracle and one of richest men in the world - took on the biggest names in the world of sailing when he went match racing on his home waters of San Francisco at the Allianz Cup.

In Valencia, Spain, there's a new contender for the big time in the world of the America's Cup as the Swedish Victory Challenge has signed a new sponsor and is furiously recruiting sailors: Seamaster Sailing spent a day with a team that is expanding its personnel... and it's performance goals.

And the most successful America's Cup skipper of all time has a new thing growing: the RC44 is a thoroughbred racing machine that reflects all that Russell Coutts has learned in an unparalleled career at the top of the sport. And with six boats already sailing and ten planned for 2007, is this the next big thing in sailing?

Plus news of the record-breaking Route du Rhum (France's biggest sailing race and a rival for the Tour de France); in Auckland Emirates Team New Zealand launch their new boat - NZL92, the first of the latest generation of boats for the 2007 America's Cup; and nearly 2000 boats off one start line at the Barcolana in Northern Italy.

Global television schedules and DVD ordering information at seamastersailing.com

PINDAR DOWNUNDER
New Zealand office solutions company Egan Reid has launched an innovative new partnership with successful British based print and electronic media company, Pindar. The news comes soon after Pindar, a major sponsor of international sailing, announced the build of a new cutting-edge Open 60 in Auckland led by Kiwi sailor Mike Sanderson, winner of the Volvo Ocean Race. The start of Pindar's long term investment in Australasia was celebrated during a launch event the evening of 14 November at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland, attended by Mike Sanderson, Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar, and his new business partner Gerard Reid.

The partnership with Egan Reid will involve the launch of the world's most successful multi-channel publishing software 'AgilityCMS' (Content Management System). AgilityCMS is used by catalogue businesses for managing their product information and publishing it in print, on-line and in-store, because this is what customers are demanding. The new business will go by the name of Egan Reid.

Pindar already has a strong affiliation with New Zealand, with members of its sailing team coming to the country for many years. Emma Sanderson (née Emma Richards), sailed into Tauranga, New Zealand, in Pindar's colours during 'Around Alone 2002/03', when she became the first woman and youngest person ever to complete the solo round-the-world yacht race. Pindar went on to sponsor a team in the amateur round-the-world yacht race, the Global Challenge, which came to Wellington in 2005.

Pindar is now set to stay in New Zealand, not only launching a new business, but building a new state-of-the-art Open 60 at Cookson's boat yard, Auckland. The yacht will be built under the expertise of Mike Sanderson, with the ambition to be the fastest on the international sailing circuit. -- Kate Fairclough

www.pindar.com

ROLEX MIAMI OCR
Miami, Florida, USA: From January 21 to 27, 2007, the world's top Olympic and Paralympic class sailors will be sailing on the waters of Biscayne Bay at US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR. For Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, the 18th annual event is one of the world's top competitions that will help the sailors prepare for the competition in China in 2008. The event is ranked by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as a Grade 1 event and features competition in all 14 Olympic and Paralympic classes. In 2006, more than 610 sailors representing 40 countries competed.

The 2007 US SAILING Rolex Miami OCR marks five days of fleet racing and one day of medal racing, which is one extra day compared to previous years. Saturday's medal races follow the new Olympic and Paralympic format lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.

The competition will be raced in all events selected for the next Olympic Games: 49er, 470 (Men & Women), Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Neil Pryde RS:X (Men & Women), Star, Tornado, and Yngling. In addition, racing will be held for all the classes selected for the 2008 Paralympic Games: 2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar.

On-line registration is now open for competitors. Early registration is recommended and encouraged by discounted fees for entries received by January 15, 2007. Registrations received after January 15, 2007 will be subject to late fees.

Online registration and regatta information, including the Notice of Race, can be found at www.RolexMiamiOCR.org

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Letters are limited to 350 words, and you may only write a single letter on a topic. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published.

* From Tim Sewell: Well said Eero Lehtinen, it's time to move on from the Optimist.

In today's communications era our children are bombarded with choice and imagery, and the optimist can't compete. While I'm sure there will be a backlash from Optimist owners and associations around the world telling us how buoyant the class is, is this because it's what the kids want or because it's what the parents want the kids to want?

Put yourself in the shoes of a 10 year old. There's skateboarding, mountain biking and bmx. Having the latest blue, red or white football boots bearing the right brand will make you play football like Rooney or Ronaldo (in my day I had one choice of colour - black.) Playstation is fast, furious and all my mates play it. I can go surfing or body boarding and my kit looks just like the pros. And there is sailing. The VO70s and Open 60s look exciting and skiff sailing is cool. I'll give sailing a go.

Oh - I've got to sail an Optimist. Isn't quite what I was expecting, this white box doesn't make sailing look quite so fun after all. And it doesn't look anything like what the guys I aspire to are doing.

Eero is absolutely right, sailing needs a youth boat that can compete with the competition. We need a boat that is colourful, looks like what the pros are sailing, has street cred, is cool to sail and which more people can afford. Take a look at the new Open BIC, which is a step in the direction sailing should be going. This is the boat my son keeps asking me to by him and he's only 4 yrs old.

* From Paul Moreton: In your guest editorial Eero Lehtinen was looking for someone come up with an idea on how we make the changeover from Optimists to a new dynamic, simple but fast and fun to sail international junior class?

Look no further than the Topper sailboat for the step up from Optimist. My son, now 12 is now campaigning the Topper after a very successful and enjoyable 7 years in an Optimist. Weight (48Kg) and height (5 '2") made the move to a Topper necessary. The Topper fills the gap superbly, no longer a beach boat, it has centre main, new downhaul and kicker system which makes it a competitive and responsive racing machine. Numbers in the UK attending Championships is second to the Optimist.

* From Chris Sutton: I have tried following the Velux race on the official website and find this to be most frustrating. Previous events such as the Vendee had far superior sites. To date I have not been able to find a way to access a map of the yachts current positions. I suppose I could pay the GBP 20 to sign up; however I live in South Africa where this represents quite a sizeable sum when converted to our local currency !

Mike Golding's comments made the situation a bit more clear to me - seems the organizers have a lot of work to do!

THE LAST WORD
Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting. -- John Russell

OC Events, organisers of two major IMOCA 60 oceanic events, the new double-handed Barcelona World Race 2007, and the original solo transocean race, The Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) www.ocevents.org

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