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

ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART RACE
Bob Oatley's, Wild Oats XI, one of the fastest maxis in the world and current Rolex Sydney Hobart race record holder and defending Overall and line honours winner, began her defence preparations with an ominous line honours win in today's Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour.

As she sped towards the finish line off the Opera House on a cold and grey Sydney day, surrounded by a flotilla of spectator craft, the question hung in the air - was this a sign of things to come when in two weeks today, Wild Oats XI lines up for the Rolex Sydney Hobart?

Not too far behind Wild Oats XI however was Grant Wharington's overhauled Melbourne maxi Skandia which only arrived into Sydney at daybreak this morning. Skandia left Eden yesterday, where they sought shelter from a strong headwind encountered during the delivery from Melbourne, and sailed all night to make the start of today's race.

Sporting new livery, Skandia led the impressive 18 boat fleet around the first mark of the 14 mile course and again around Fort Denison but wasn't able to hold out Wild Oat's XI during the spinnaker run down the harbour to South Head. Skandia stayed in touch with the newer state-of-the-art maxi, finishing two minutes astern and showing good boat speed potential today, but wasn't able to peg them back.

After Ichi Ban's impressive start, the waterline length of the 30 metre maxis soon came into play as the modified Volvo 70 was relegated to third place which is where she stayed until the finish. Ichi Ban's impressive performance in its first match-up against boats of a similar size and larger was enough to give Matt Allen the IRC overall win, his second win in as many days.

On Sunday Allen sailed his Farr 40, also called Ichi Ban, into first place in the Rolex Trophy One Design Series.

The south sou'easter kept promising to fill in today with gusts up to 20 knots, particularly coming out of Rushcutters Bay and Rose Bay, but just as quickly dropped back to 10-12 knots slowing the big boat fleet and allowing the light air masters to show their stuff.

At this stage Ichi Ban and Wild Oats XI are due to go head to head as part of the four day Rolex Trophy Rating Series to be sailed off Sydney Heads starting Thursday 14 December however Allen hinted today he may not contest the entire series while he awaits a new set of sails from the United States. The Rolex Trophy Rating Series is the final regatta in the lead up to the Boxing Day start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. -- Lisa Ratcliff

Full results available from www.cyca.com.au/sysfile/downloads/bbc_06rr.htm

* The third supermaxi aiming for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart startline, 30 metre New Zealand maxi Maximus, owned by Bill Buckley and Charles St Clair Brown will be motoring through Sydney Heads late this afternoon after being unloaded off a container ship in Botany Bay today.

The clock is ticking for Maximus. She missed the CYCA's Big Boat Challenge yesterday, won by Bob Oatley's 2005 Hobart winner Wild Oats XI, ahead of Grant Wharington's Skandia.

At this stage Maximus is not due to be relaunched until 20 or 21 December, giving the crew just a week to recommission all the boat's systems and check and test sails before the Boxing Day start of the Rolex ocean classic.

History has been against boats that have not had a lot of time, off Sydney Heads before the Hobart race but skipper Max Brown is postive the second NZL contender will be on the line on time. -- Rob Kothe

Official event site: rolexsydneyhobart.com

LUNA ROSSA TRAVELS TO SPAIN
At 2.06 p.m. Wednesday Luna Rossa ITA 94 began her transfer towards the Team's base in Valencia, Spain. Here the mast and appendages will be fitted and after completing her configuration the first on the water fine tuning tests will take place.

The hull left from Nembro (Bergamo) and will travel to Livorno then reaching Tarragona (Spain) via ship. Luna Rossa's arrival at the Valencia base is expected by the 18th of December.

ITA 94's construction follows three years of research and executive planning carried out by the Luna Rossa Design Team, 22 people from 10 different nations. The boat was built at the Persico Nautical Division yard by the Luna Rossa Boat Builder Team supervised by Kiwi Director Richard Gillies. The Team consists of 27 people from 9 different nations.

Claudio Maletto, Yacht Designer, was present at the yard representing the Luna Rossa Design Team. He commented: "This boat represents the result of three years of work of Team Luna Rossa. She is radically different from the first ITA 86 and a very interesting aspect for us has been the full scale testing we carried out on ITA 86. The changes we made on 86 at the end of the last series of regattas allowed us to work on three boats. The ITA 86 that was launched was a transitional boat between those of the last Cup and ITA 94 which presents an extreme form. It makes no sense to ask oneself if ITA 94 is more beautiful aesthetically than ITA 86. From a structural point of view one can definitely appreciate the evolution of the hull lines."

The launching of Luna Rossa ITA 94 will take place in Valencia in January at the Team Base designed for PRADA and Telecom Italia by world re-known architect Renzo Piano.

ITA 94 is the sixth hull designed and built by the Team since 1999. To this date Luna Rossa's hulls have taken part in 154 match races: 46 for ITA 45, 9 for ITA 48, 74 for ITA 74 and 25 for ITA 86.

The official event which will open the 2007 program will be the Unveiling, in Valencia. It will be held on Sunday April 1st and on that day all Challengers will unveil their boats.

The first match of ACT 13, the preparatory races leading to the America's Cup, will take place on Tuesday April 3rd. The first Round Robin for the selection of the official Challenger to the America's Cup will be held beginning April 16th.

www.lunarossachallenge.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

ROLEX YACHTSMAN & YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS
In recognition of their outstanding on-the-water achievements in the calendar year that comes to a close later this month, US SAILING has announced the U.S. sailors who have been short listed for its 2006 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are widely regarded as the sport's ultimate recognition for U.S. sailors as evidenced by the notable sailors who have won the coveted awards multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Ken Read, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner.

Nominees for US SAILING's 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Bacardi Cup Champion John Dane (Gulfport, Miss.); Thistle National Champion Greg Fisher (Annapolis, Md./Columbus, Ohio); International-14 World Champion Howard Hamlin (Long Beach, Calif.); Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator aboard ABN Amro One Stan Honey (Palo Alto, Calif.); Star Kiel Week Champion Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.); and Audi Etchells World Champion Jud Smith (Marblehead, Mass.).

Nominees for US SAILING's 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: Semaine Olympique Francaise Yngling champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.); Laser Radial Youth World Champion Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.); U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Champion Sarah Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.); ISAF World Sailing Games Laser Radial Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); and US SAILING Rolex Miami OCR Laser Radial Champion Anna Tunnicliffe (Perrysburg, Ohio/Plantation, Fla.).

www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex

HARRY NYE TROPHY AWARDED TO JOHN M. MACCAUSLAND
The Harry Nye Trophy recognizes an individual's outstanding contributions to the ISCYRA. The trophy is named for Harry Nye (1908-1987), who was twice Star world champion (1942 and 1949) and served as commodore of the Star Class from 1955 to 1963. He also won the Bacardi Cup and the Cup of Cuba three times each. A graduate of Yale University, Nye was for many years the owner of Murphy & Nye Sailmakers, Chicago, USA.

The 2006 Harry Nye trophy has been awarded to John M. MacCausland. The Harry Nye Trophy is given to an individual who has made very significant contributions to the Class over a period of time. The award was announced during the 2006 North American Championship in Miami. Unfortunately, John was unable to be in Miami, so the trophy was presented in a very special ceremony to his son John Jr., by Star Class Commodore Sir Durward Knowles. Many of John's closest Star Class friends were there to help celebrate this prestigious award.

John began sailing Star boats in the mid 1970's, achieving great success in District 2 regattas and International events. He finished 3rd in the 1984 North Americans, and won race honors in the World's. He served as North American Class Vice President during the 1980's and 1990's. During this time, he organized many continental championships, and set a new standard for excellence for Silver Star events. He was instrumental in updating many of our class rules to modern standards.

John has also operated a Star Class supply store with his son John. Their supply van at major events resulted in many of us significantly downsizing our parts inventory. What made this business so special was the assistance John provided to us all. Frequently John could be found rigging new masts or fixing breakdowns, usually AFTER a day of sailing. I am sure John and John Jr. would have liked to relax and enjoy the evening, but they always cheerfully helped us get back on the course the next day, often with a useful tip on how to do something more efficiently.

I am sure I speak for many when I say that my experience in the Star Class has been very positively affected in many ways by John MacCausland. Congratulations John, on a well deserved award. -- Bill Allen, ISCYRA President

THE CHRISTMAS MIGRATION OF OPTIMISTS HAS STARTED
The Christmas school vacation will see upwards of 1,200 Optimist sailors taking part in Optimist regattas in almost every part of the world where it is warm enough to sail.

While the highlight for top national teams will be the IODA World Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay starting on 29th December and welcoming some 220 sailors from 50 countries, there is something for everyone in the Christmas calendar.

Already the first two regattas, the Trofeo Ciudad de Palma in Mallorca, Spain and the St. Nicholas Regatta in Pula, Croatia have together attracted over 630 sailors from 17 countries. The coming weekend will see the smaller but very welcoming island regattas in Malta and Bermuda.

Immediately after Christmas the traditional regattas are the Orange Bowl in Miami and the Trofeo Campobasso in Italy. As well as yet another island invitational, this one in Trinidad, a new event on the calendar is the Pacific Rim and Open Championship in Melbourne, Australia where entries from as far away as Norway are reported. -- Robert Wilkes

Further details and reports are on the International Optimist Class website at www.optiworld.org

TIME TO GO LONG!
The long sleeve Code Zero Shirt from CAMET. This high-performance technical shirt is great for Caribbean sailing or an under layer in cooler conditions. Double circular knit polyester is lightweight, breathable, dries quickly, and has a wicking finish to move moisture away from your body while still offering maximum UV protection. Teflon free! www.camet.com

LIFERAFT SAFETY WARNING NOTICE
If you purchased a "BFA Marine Pacific or Atlantic or Baltic" or "XM/BFA Offshore" Liferaft between August 1995 and June 2000, please read this warning carefully.

The manufacturer of these liferafts - "Nautiv Sicherheit fur Wassersport GmbH in Liquidation" and "Zodiac International S.A" have identified a possible defect concerning the valves on all liferafts made during this period that may lead to a complete failure of the functioning of the liferaft.

As this matter needs urgent attention, please have your liferaft serviced before further use. Your approved BFA service station will check the valves and if necessary replace them free of charge. To find out where your nearest station is please:

- For BFA liferafts, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
- For XM/BFA liferafts, call: 0870 751 4666 or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

If your liferaft has been serviced since 1st March 2003 by an approved service station then the valves have already been checked and no replacement of the valves is needed, your liferaft is safe.

BFA Marine / XM Yachting apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

INDUSTRY NEWS
* YachtWorld.com has announced a cooperative marketing agreement with the world's largest yacht and water sports show, boot-Düsseldorf. The deal will cover the next 5 years during which YachtWorld.com will provide online support for the German boat show market.

From December 2006, visitors will be able to access YachtWorld.com and its sister site Boats.com via the homepage of the Boat Show site. From here they will be able to research new and used power and sailing yachts and also charter offers. Conversely the international community of visitors to these two online boats markets will gain access to the vast information on offer at boote.de together with exhibitor information and visitor offers. -- www.yachtworld.com (from IBI News, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=1451 )

* BMW ORACLE Racing is set to launch the New Year in style with a unique visit to the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL from 5th-14th January, as the excitement of the world's premier sailing event, the America's Cup, gathers momentum for its first visit to European waters since the inaugural race around the Isle of Wight in 1851.

This is the first time an America's Cup yacht has exhibited at the London Boat Show at ExCeL. Visitors will be able to view the full-scale BMW ORACLE Racing yacht, USA-61, in close detail and enjoy a truly interactive America's Cup experience.

The stand will also play host to a selection of the team's sponsors and technology partners including leading manufacturer of specialist sailing clothing, Henri Lloyd and Swiss watchmakers, Girard-Perregaux, who will exhibit their BMW ORACLE Racing collection.

Aside from the spectacular full-scale replica hull, the stand will also feature two BMW cars, the M6 coupe and the X3, guest speakers from the team, and two virtual simulators offering yachting enthusiasts a taste of what it is like to helm these incredible machines.

* The UK's Strawberry Marketing has announced that Titch Blachford has joined the company's PR team, effective immediately. Blachford, who has organised a number of high-profile events within the marine industry, has considerable sailing skills, having recently won the Swan World Cup 2006 as navigator.

Based in Lymington, Hampshire, Strawberry Marketing specialises in the marine industry and offers a number of services ranging from press releases, design and print to exhibition design, displays and websites. -- IBI News, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20061111162015ibinews.html

* Sail Training International, the UK-based world body of sail training, today announced a new multi-year marketing alliance with Global Sportnet (GSN) the WPP-owned sports marketing agency with respect to the annual series of The Tall Ships' Races in Europe.

The Tall Ships' Races bring together a fleet of 80-100 vessels every summer from around the world, including many of the big and glamorous square-rigged ships. They are raced by crews of mainly young people from up to 50 countries and the fleet attracts millions of visitors to the host ports. This year Sail Training International celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first ever Tall Ships' Race and was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

* The Beneteau Group has announced that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with AXA Private Equity with a view to acquiring IRM, a French manufacturer of mobile homes. The acquisition, which is expected to complete by early 2007, would make Beneteau one of the leading manufacturers of mobile homes in Europe with sales of more than 150E million. The French boatbuilder already has its own line of prefabricated homes under the O'Hara brand name.

Beneteau, which is headquartered in St Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in the Vendee, designs, builds and sells recreational sail and powerboats, including the Beneteau, Jeanneau, CNB, Lagoon and Wauquiez boat brands. It also builds the O'Hara range of mobile homes, which generated sales of around 47.5E million from 1999-2002. The company employs some 255 people at two O'Hara facilities in France.

* Luhrs Marine Ltd, a subsidiary of Hunter Marine Corporation in the US, has announced that it is to shift the manufacture of Hunter and Legend sailing yachts to the US following a significant downturn in business.

The closure of the Luhrs factory, which is located in Portland, Dorset, is expected to help offset the softening demand for the company's yachts in several key markets, including the US. The UK site, which began operations in early 2001, includes 120,000sq ft of open space buildings set on 16 acres of land and is located alongside a deep-water harbour.

Hunter Marine says that it is now accelerating its new product development programme with a strong view towards European customer tastes to ensure continued acceptance in this region.

Further, Luhrs Marine says that it will retain a sales support, plus customer service and parts premises in the UK. -- IBI News, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20061111131406ibinews.html

* Henri-Lloyd has signed a further three year deal with Cowes Week Sponsorship Limited, the commercial arm of the world's largest sailing regatta, Skandia Cowes Week.

Henri-Lloyd has a long association with Cowes and 2007 will be the Manchester-based company's seventh consecutive year as a supporting sponsor of this key event on the sporting calendar. Henri-Lloyd has a successful retail outlet in Cowes High Street and Skandia Cowes Week gives the company an additional opportunity to meet sailors from all walks of life.

* Harken has announced the appointment of Bill Goggins as Commercial Manager of Harken Yacht Equipment. In his new position, Goggins will coordinate Harken's newly-formed global OEM, Aftermarket, Grand-Prix and Custom sales divisions. This new role includes his present responsibilities of managing Harken's international marketing team. With this change, Tim Kent has been made responsible for the US Sales team. Kent's title is the US Sales Manager.

Goggins is on the Board of Directors of Sail America and is vice president of the industry association's marketing committee. An active sailboat racer, Goggins competes in all types of boats from dinghies, to one-design and performance keelboats.

Harken, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of sailboat hardware and accessories. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken manufactures in the USA and Italy. Their network includes offices in Rhode Island, California, Florida, France, Italy, Japan, Slovenia, Sweden, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

* The winners of the second Laureat Nautique Franco-Britannique Award were announced during the Paris Boat Show last week. This year's overall winners were British company Formula Yacht Spars and French partner Black Flag Composite. The Franco-British award is supported by the UKTI and organised by the British Marine Federation (BMF) and Federation des Industries Nautiques (FIN) and recognises marine companies from France and the UK that have entered into successful partnerships.

Formula Yacht Spars, based in Lymington, Hampshire and Black Flag Composite of Mudaison, Montpellier were recognised for having shown a strong corporate drive to create strategic alliances, build expertise and knowledge across borders. The partnership has led to impressive growth in turnover, improved client service and enhanced credibility in the market place.

The partnerships between Performance Sailcraft (UK) and Direct Sailing (France) and Barton (UK) and Plastimo (France) also received highly commended recognition from the judges during the evening's celebrations. -- www.britishmarine.co.uk

FEATURED BROKERAGE
Farr Yacht Sales - An uncommon Brokerage for uncommon yachts

Farr Yacht Sales, in Annapolis Maryland, is an international yacht brokerage firm for grand-prix, racing and performance cruising yachts. The brokerage specializes in yachts designed by its parent company, Farr Yacht Design, but also yachts of other designs. Our design and building experience combined with years of industry knowledge establishes Farr Yacht Sales as the premier brokerage for grand-prix, racing and performance cruising yachts.

Owners and buyer of Farr designed yachts can benefit from a close working relationship with Farr Yacht Design. In most cases, design history, sailing performance, construction methods and racing prospects are available to assist owners in making informed choices.

With Links to Yachtworld.com we give your listing immediate exposure to over 2,000 brokers worldwide to ensure the listing has the best prospects of finding suitable buyers.

Visit Farr Yacht Sales at: www.FarrYachtSales.com

THE LAST WORD
In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. -- Bertrand 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

Over 80,000 boats for sale on www.boats.com

Scuttlebutt Europe is available via email:
To subscribe, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit scuttlebutteurope.com

Editorial and letter submissions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/content/view/7/6/