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

HSBC TORNADO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
San Isidro, Argentina: 7 of the 48 Tornados that started the light SE 6-8 knots wind race were OCSs including Olympic Medalists USA John Lovell & Charlie Ogletree and NZL Aaron McIntosh & Bruce Kendall.

Double Olympic Medalists AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher lead from the start followed by number 1 ranked FRA Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon. The Austrian team opened a comfortable distance to cross the line in first followed by the French.

The clean right side of the gate in the second upwind paid off for PUR Enrique Figueroa & Jorge Hernandez and NED Mitch Booth & Pim Nieuwenhis who finished 3rd and 4th consecutively.

The SE picked up and the Tornados started race 2 with a 10-12 knots breeze and gusts reaching 14 knots. After a clean start the fleet divided itself to both sides of the course.

Once again, the leader, AUS Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby, opened a good distance. Behind them the GRE team of Iordanis Paschaladis & Constantinos Trigonis and GER Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz were closely fighting for the 2nd position

On the second downwind the jib of the Ozzies came down and the lead they had wasn't enough to keep them ahead of the second, GER Johannes Polgar & Florian Spalteholz. The Germans took the bullet, followed by the Ozzies.

The Greek team of Paschaladis & Trigonis crossed the line in 3rd, followed by ESP Javier Padron & Antonio Cuevas Mons in 4th and FRA Xavier Revil & Christophe Espagnon in 5th.

Winners of Race 1, AUT Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher, crossed the line in 8th. -- report from Darren Bundock

Top 5 after 2 races

1. Xavier Revil / Christophe Espagnon, FRA 7 points
2. Darren Bundock / Glenn Ashby, AUS, 8
3. Roman Hagara / Hans Peter Steinacher, AUT, 9
4. Johannes Polgar / Florian Spalteholz, GER, 16
5. Mitch Booth / Pim Nieuwenhis, NED, 16

Full results and pictures at tornado2006.cnsi.org.ar

SIR ROBIN GOES FOR A SWIM IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN
"The fishing net that got caught round the keel yesterday morning is not the last straw, its just yet another piece of misfortune just as I was getting moving. The trouble is that it was 4.5 metres below the surface and so very hard to get at. I tried for 6 hours yesterday but to no avail. Admittedly the seas were still big so trying to get a knife down on the end of some pieces of lashed together battens was almost impossible. I eventually gave up as I realised I would have to wait for calmer conditions. I was just hoping the rope was not damaging the fin too much. I could see where it had sawed into the fairing.

But today Saga Insurance and I are on our way again. I spent the night thinking but knew that there was only one way I could really get at the problem and that was by going swimming. I put on a sailing dry suit, then a harness, attached it to a nice long line, and went over the transom. I swam out as far as my safety line but could not get down to the main anchor line. I got its partner though and brought it back on board. Interesting watching the boat from maybe 100 feet away. She was rolling horribly. I was also not too excited about the sudden attention of 3 Albatross who clearly saw my floundering as some sign of potential dinner in an hour or two! Back aboard Saga Insurance I winched in the line I had and because it was twisted round the main line, it brought that close to the surface. Using an empty cooking propane container as a float, I attached a line to it, and then pushed it down with a batten to the up tide side of the line and then let go. It floated nicely up the other side of the line. Now it was just down to brute force, hauling in on my messenger until the main anchor line was at the surface at which point I was able to reach down and cut it with a hacksaw. I then spent 20 minutes slowly removing the turns between the two lines with the aid of a batten, and was able eventually to pull it clear of the keel. We are now sailing again but not very aggressively at the moment as I am tired and still feel very cold.

The problem with the sailing dry suit is that although it did keep me dry, it did not insulate me, and I did not want too many clothes underneath as they would have given buoyancy and made it even harder to dive, so by the time I got back to the boat, my hands were very cold and blue but still able to grip fortunately. Hot breakfast this morning, hamburger and beans, to try and get rid of the chill in my stomach."

velux5oceans.com

RICK TOMLINSON CALENDARS
The 2007 Rick Tomlinson Calendars are now available. Rick Tomlinson is one of the world's foremost marine photographers and is responsible for some of the most memorable yachting images ever captured. He has chronicled his experiences over the years through his signature calendar range.

The Portfolio Calendar features the best of Rick's recent work and contains stunning images from around the world. The Desk Calendar is free-standing and is ideal for the home or office.

Both calendars are available for company overprinting or individually - ideal Christmas gifts. All the photographs can be viewed on www.rick-tomlinson.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SPEEDSAILING WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT WALVIS BAY 2006
Walvis Bay, Namibia: It was again a great month for speedsailing in Walvis Bay, with three world records and 17 national records broken.

Following the famous Walvis Bay Speedweek, which serverd again as the final event of the ISA Speedsurfing Grand Prix Tour, the courses over 500m and the nautical mile were re-opened for 20 competitors from 12 nations. Alongside breaking new records, the big goal was the chase for the 50 knots barrier, which is THE magical number in speedsailing all around the world.

Although this big goal was not reached, nearly everybody went back home with a new record or at least a new personal best.

During the first days, the new 500m strip in the "salinas", a big saltwater pond belonging to the Walvis Bay Salt Refiners, one of the worlds biggest sea salt producers, was inspected and some additional adjustments on the course were made. Due to the fact that this course is only intended to work in strong winds with southerly directions, the hope to use this course during the next days was only marginal, as the weather forecast only predicted winds between 20 and 25 knots.

So the focus of the competitors was turned to the natural sandbar again, to attack the existing nautical mile records.

The 500m course was opened then from the 2nd to the 4th of November, with the best day on the 3rd. The wind again averaging 25 knots, gusting 35, which means normally a "normal day" in Walvis bay. Unfortunately, this year it was one of the strongest days in the whole record attempt period.

On the 500m course, the wind was never strong enough to endanger the existing records, but perfect for training and several national records. Zara Davis, Nigel Bowley (with 41.38 knots the second fastest kite speed ever, and close to the world record) and Morten Knutsen were able to improve the national records, and several personal best speeds were reached by the other competitors.

The top speed of this period was set by Dave White, who was able to beat both of his biggest opponents in this event, Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Hennie Bredenkamp. 42.91 knots is the fastest speed ever achieved on a production board in open water and quite impressive for the prevailing wind conditions.

(All record claims are subject to WSSRC ratification)

Full story at www.50-knots.com

Photos in the Scuttlebutt Europe gallery (look in the 'Other Events' category): scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

AMERICA'S CUP
* The 32nd America's Cup has always been the place to see the stars of sailing today. Now, it is also developing the top talent of tomorrow, with its own sailing school. People from nine years old and up will have the opportunity to learn how to sail and how to race in the same environment as the America's Cup sailors.

The sailing school began operating on Tuesday from Port America's Cup with dozens of kids who took the opportunity to see first hand the newest attraction in the Port. Whilst the school is open to all ages, it is expected that the majority of students will be children and teenagers.

The school is organised by the Comunidad Valenciana Sailing Federation which has developed a curriculum to suit people of different abilities, from those who haven't ever sailed before to those who want to improve their skills. For more advanced sailors there is a racing school. A disabled sailing programme is also being developed. There are over 25 boats, of different classes, in use at the school.

The sailing school is a joint venture between the 32nd America's Cup and the Ayuntamiento de Valencia, with the collaboration of Valencia's region government. -- www.americascup.com

* Victory Challenge announced today that the Swedish America's Cup challenge is situating its winter training in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

"We have been given a unique opportunity to site our training there in January. Due to the sailing conditions in Dubai being equal to those in Valencia during April and May, we are counting on considerably more high-quality training days on the water", says Magnus Holmberg.

It is not only a unique opportunity; it is also a great challenge to transport the team, boats, containers and other equipment from Valencia to Dubai.

Orn (SWE 63) and Orm (SWE 73), which weigh 24 tons each must, for reasons of time, be transported by air between Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

This will take place in less than ten days, using two Antonovs - enormous Russian transport planes. For a while now, Victory Challenge has had a smaller team in place in Dubai in order to prepare this logistically complicated operation.

in asociation with the boat transport this will be reinforced with parts of the sailing team, boat builders and sailmakers, in order to prepare for winter training. A temporary base with a sail loft, necessary workshops and offices, is being established at Jumeirah Beach. -- www.victorychallenge.com

A PIECE OF YACHTING HISTORY TO OWN
At age 16 all Jon Nash knew was that he wanted to become a professional photographer. Armed with nothing more than a camera he started out his photographic journey to become one of the world's most renowned yachting photographers. His signed prints of the Volvo Ocean Race winners ABN AMRO as well as the iconic 60 ft HUGO BOSS campaign, which appeared on front covers world wide are now available on high quality art paper ready for framing. These exclusive pieces of art are the ideal X-MAS gift for the avid sailor.

www.jonnashphotography.co.uk/shop/

LIONEL LEMONCHOIS CROWNED SAILOR OF THE YEAR
On Monday 4 December, the French Sailing Federation paid tribute to Lionel Lemonchois at the Theatre Edouard VII in Paris by naming him Sailor of the Year for 2006 following his stunning success in the 8th Route du Rhum, the legendary transatlantic solo race between Saint-Malo and Pointe-a-Pitre. On 6 November last, at the helm of Gitana 11 and after only 7 days 17 hours 19 minutes and 6 seconds' racing, the skipper shattered the former record set by Laurent Bourgnon by more than 4 days. Lionel Lemonchois was keen to share the credit for this victory with his boat's owner, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, his two routers, Sylvain Mondon (Meteo France) and Yann Guichard, along with the entire Gitana Team, "without whom it would not have been possible."

Lionel Lemonchois was picked out from an elite group of competitors who have distinguished themselves throughout the season in various formats: Antoine Albeau (Funboarder, Formula 42 world champion), Franck Cammas and his crew (1st in the 60' Multi Cup), Sydney Gavignet (Volvo Ocean Race), Sebastien Josse (Volvo Ocean Race), Roland Jourdain (1st 60' monohull – Route du Rhum / La Banque Postale 2006), Bruno Peyron and his crew (Atlantic crossing record) and Nicolas Troussel (1st in the Solitaire Afflelou-Le Figaro ).

A jury made up of 13 personalities and chaired by Georges Pernoud deliberated long and hard before deciding on the recipient of this hotly contested title. For the first year, web surfers were also able to have their say, with their combined votes forming the 14th member of the jury.

"It's like Christmas everyday at the moment! But I have to say again that, if it wasn't for the owner, I wouldn't even be here. He has shown faith in me and I am grateful to him for that. And I'd also like to thank the entire team managed by Loick Peyron and especially the pairing of Sylvain Mondon and Yann Guichard, who gave me the support I needed throughout the crossing! I am very happy to receive this honour, especially as the other candidates would also have been worthy winners. And it's also partly down to people such as Pascal Bidegorry, Franck Cammas and Bruno Peyron, to name but a few, that I am here today! I've learned so much sailing alongside them. It's a really nice feeling, even though I wasn't after any particular form of recognition. But I have to say that it's very nice... In fact, I think I could get used to it (laughs)!" the skipper concluded.

www.gitana-team.com

THE "9ER" WORLDS COMING TO SAIL MELBOURNE IN 2008
In a major coup for the event, the Sail Melbourne International Regatta has been selected to host the 49er and 29er World Championships in 2008, adding to its already impressive 2008 line-up of the Finn Gold Cup, 470 Mens and Womens World Championships as well as being chosen as the first event for the inaugural ISAF World Cup Series.

These events will all be sailed as part of the Olympic & Invited Classes hosted by Sail Melbourne each year since its inauguration in 1994, and are sure to bring back memories of 1999, when Sail Melbourne hosted nine World Championships just prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"These will be amazing events and will showcase some of the most exiting sailing in one of the best sailing venues in the world," commented new Sail Melbourne Chairman Mark Turnbull OAM, a Sydney Olympic gold medallist in the 470 class and 49er sailor

"The world's best skiff sailors will be descending on Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club (SSCBC) on the Mornington Peninsula for the Olympic 49er and 29er class World Championships," added Turnbull,

The venue, SSCBC, features flat water, beach launching, unrestricted racing areas, excellent prevailing sea breezes and a perfect climate, which will make it the ideal location for what is certain to be two superb Championships.

In fact, the race area at Sorrento is large enough for four separate race courses to be set predominately in front of the clubhouse with no obstructions and no shipping traffic, making racing equable for competitors and user-friendly for spectators.

For further details and to view the facilities and the location of Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club visit www.sscbc.com.au

For all Sail Melbourne information go to: www.sailmelbourne.com.au

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF YACHT DESIGNERS
Edited by Lucia del Sol Knight & Daniel Bruce. This massive 528 page tome weighing 3.6kg, profiles the work and influence of 500 of the world's greatest yacht designers from the 1800s to the present day. These include such luminaries as William Fife, Francis Herreshoff, Olin Stephens, German Frers, John Alden, Ron Holland and other superyacht supremos like Jon Bannenberg. These fascinating entries have been written by 80 experts and are illustrated with 650 photographs and drawings. A must-have reference book for all who share a love for beautiful vessels power and sail, as well as students of yacht design.

Priced 150.00 Pounds Sterling from www.southatlanticpublishing.com

PITSTOP FOR MIKE
Mike Perham and his Dad Peter have reached Lanzarote despite some bad weather on their way down from Gibraltar. Mike, who is just 14, is trying to become the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic, and is being accompanied by his Dad in an identical Tide 28 trailer-sailer.

The two are at Rubicon Marina making some repairs, the most serious of which is to Peter's rudder pintle. Due perhaps to this problem, he was beaten by his son on the first leg of the voyage. Not that it's a race…

To the cynic, adventures such as this are stunts. Yet against the hubbub and urgency of professional ocean races and challenges, Mike Perham's venture is something refreshingly different. His boyish excitement is intoxicatingly innocent -- 'Sailing was brilliant today… Saw some whales, they were about 12ft long with big tails', he reported last week. Mike perfectly captures what it feels like to go out into a world brimming with newness and adventure.

He's a lucky guy to have the opportunity to do something so intrepid at this age. Good luck, Mike -- and Mike's Dad.

From Elaine Bunting's blog at www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting.html

Two other new blogs from YBW worth a bookmark:
Yachting World Editor Andrew Bray: www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/andrew_bray.html Supersail World Editor David Glenn: www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/david_glenn.html

MARY ETCHELLS
Mary Etchells, the only woman to win the Star Class Worlds, has died in Easton, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. She sailed with her husband, Skip Etchells, winning the Star Worlds in 1951. -- Melinda Berge

Excerpt from an obituary that appeared in the Easton, Maryland Star Democrat:

Mary O'Toole Etchells, a world champion sailor who founded a successful women's sportswear manufacturing company, died Nov. 28, 2006 at her home in Easton. She was 85.

Born Jan. 30, 1921 in Baltimore, Mary graduated from the College of New Rochelle in New York. In 1941, she married E.W. "Skip" Etchells, a naval architect, boat builder and world-class sailor. They sailed together as skipper and crew, and Mary handled the business side of things at the company Skip founded, Old Greenwich Boat Co., in Old Greenwich, Conn. In 1951 at Gibson Island, Skip and Mary captured the world championship in the Star class of racing sailboats. Mary became, and remains, the only woman to win a Star class world championship.

With her friend and neighbor Barbara Reynes, Mary later founded Meadowbank Inc., a manufacturer of women's sportswear. Mary's husband Skip, after retiring from the boat building business, became a regular at Meadowbank, continuing their partnership. They eventually sold Meadowbank and retired, moving to a home on Shipshead Creek in Easton. Skip died in December 1998 at 87. They were married for 57 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Mary's name to the Tred Avon Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program, P.O. Box 337, Oxford, MD USA 21654.

www.stardem.com/paper.asp?paper=1

THE LAST WORD
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. -- Leo J. Burke

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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