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

BEPPE CROCE TROPHY TO JACQUES ROGGE
Rogge, who has competed in three Olympic Sailing Competitions, is an outstanding recipient for the 2007 award presented in the Centenary year of ISAF. Rogge, elected as the eighth IOC President in July 2001, has a long and distinguished history in sailing.

He started sailing at an early age as his family lived close to the sea, and soon started competing, before moving onto represent Belgium at the Mexico 1968, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 Olympic Games in the Finn dinghy. He won the Yachting World Cadet Trophy and was runner up in the 3/4 Ton Cup . He went on to serve as President for the International Finn Association from 1979-81 and was also a member of the ISAF Medical Commission from 1990-2000.

He joins a distinguished list of past winners of the ISAF Beppe Croce Trophy including His Majesties King Olav V of Norway and King Juan Carlos of Spain and four-time Olympic gold medallist Paul Elvstrom (DEN).

Rogge has dedicated much of his life to sport, and been involved in the Olympic movement since 1976, initially with the Belgian Olympic Committee, before joining the International Olympic Committee.

Rogge will be presented with the ISAF Beppe Croce Trophy by ISAF President Goran Petersson (SWE) at a dinner hosted by San Pellegrino in Paris, France on 4 May 2007, where ISAF will be holding its Mid-Year Meetings. Paris is an especially significant venue in ISAF's centenary year, as the French capital is where the International Yacht Racing Union, which became ISAF in 1996, was formed in 1907.

sailing.org

DIABETES DISMASTED OFF SYDNEY HEADS
At around 2.45pm Wednesday 20 December, the mast on Ludde Ingvall's 90 foot maxi Diabetes, an entrant in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart, compressed and fell down during a training sail off Sydney Heads.

A disappointed Ingvall reported the boat was conducting some sail testing in a 16-17 knots easterly breeze with a reefed main and small jib when the incident occurred.

The mast appeared to compress, according to Ludde, before falling overboard. Immediately the crew set about cutting it away from the boat, a process which took approximately 15 minutes. The rig was not recovered.

Ingvall praised the efforts of his crew during the incident.

Ingvall said, "This is very disappointing but I intend to continue doing whatever I can to raise awareness of the diabetes epidemic. I have received an overwhelming amount of support from all over the world in the week since announcing I would take on this new challenge. I would like to thank the crew and everyone involved so far.

With little to no chance of finding another mast for a boat that size with only six days to the race start, a fleet of 79 will now line up on Tuesday 26 December for the Boxing Day start of the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Ingvall was planning to race south this year to raise awareness about diabetes, which he was diagnosed with this year.

rolexsydneyhobart.com

LIFE AT THE EXTREME
Life At The Extreme, the official book of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, chronicles over eight months of relentless competition in the world's most menacing of oceans.

Author and broadcaster Rob Mundle together with the world's best sailing photographers have captured every angle of the world's top offshore sailors doing battle over 31,500 nautical miles. The highs, the lows, the hardships in the quest for the overall prize - the Fighting Finish Trophy.

With over 150 pages of words and pictures, Life At The Extreme is available to buy online at www.volvooceanrace.org/booksanddvds or from leading high street book stores.

INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE
The 20th edition of North America's premiere regatta is loaded with international sailing talent and new designs, promising intense competition on all four courses.

54 foreign entries, representing a record breaking 23 different countries, and a domestic contingent from more that 30 U.S. states are sending their best to Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica.

The list of new boats includes 3 IRC designs: Michael Brennan's R/P45 Sjambok, the Ker 50 Magic Glove (IRL) and Rogers 46 Yeoman 32 (UK). Three other designs that will likely be one design classes in Key West beginning in 2008 include the Club Swan 42 (Esmeralda - hull #2), and the J/92 S and Beneteau 10R, both boasting 5 entries this year.

International competition will be at it fiercest in the IRC fleet and the perennially hot Farr 40 class. 27 IRC boats (11 foreign), hailing from nine different countries, will race in three classes.

The IRC 1 class will feature a Porto Cervo Swan 601 re-match with Moneypenny, Artemis, Spirit of Jethou and Cuordileone going head to head. Russell Coutts, back with Artemis, is looking to turn the tables on Swan Rolex Cup winner Moneypenny. The biggest Key West entry on record - the R/P 81 foot BonBon (former Carrera) - joins Newport-Bermuda winner Bella Mente and two Farr 60's Numbers and Hissar.

The lighter displacement boats in IRC 2 have 4 TP52s including the Russian entry Rusal Synergy. David Aisher's Rogers 46 Yeoman 32, the R/P 45 Sjambok, and Ireland's swing keel Cookson 50 Chieftain and Ker 50 Magic Glove round out this competitive class. Makoto Uematsu's Club Swan 42 Esmeralda will have last year's PHRF 2 champion Peter Conrad's Sister Golden Hair to contend with along with 9 other entries from Canada, France, the UK, and the U.S. East Coast and Mid West.

The Farr 40s come with their usual hallmark of talented owner-drivers and all star afterguards. America's Cup winners and class champions take on royalty with Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik making his first trip to Key West. America's Cup defender Alinghi with Ernesto Bertarelli and Brad Butterworth, 2006 World Champion Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino and 2006 Mumm 30 World Champion Erik Maris will ensure an intense week of competition.

Eight one design classes will make up two thirds of the 2007 fleet. In addition to Key West class championships, many will be vying for additional class honors. The Corsair 28R National Championship and the Melges 32 and Melges 24 Mid Winter Championships are at stake.

The Melges 32 class, which debuted in 2006 with 8 boats, will feature an astonishing 20 boats in 2007. The Melges 24s are again the largest and one of the most competitive one design classes wit. 5 of last year's top 6 returning (Dave Ullman - US, Franco Rossini . SUI, John Pollard - UK, Riccardo Simoneschi - ITA, Philippe Ligot - FRA). www.Premiere-Racing.com

THIS YEAR THE FOILING GYBE, NEXT YEAR THE FOILING TACK
Excerpts from TheDailySail's feature article:

Now that Moths are clocking peak speeds in the mid to high 20s (reports of a record 30+ knot boat speed, turned out to be false thanks to a GPS error), a lot is being asked of the foils to make them perform efficiently over a 6-25 knot range.

Once the basics of Moth sailing (ie keeping the boat upright) have been mastered, then winning seems to be down to a combination of who can remain foiling longest and who can sail upwind highest - and downwind the lowest.

Hence we have the 'Veal heel' where Moth foilers sail upwind with the whole boat heeled over to weather much like a sailboard.

The manoeuvre that even the likes of [World Champion Simon Payne and National champion Sam Pascoe] have yet to master is the airborne tack. Payne claims to have achieved this twice, but by accident. "If I knew how to do it I would do more!" quips Payne. "I think it was about keeping the boat flat and steering it through the tack. I didn't do it quickly. I was going pretty quick and steered through it and was able to keep the boat dead flat and then get forward and crack the main on."

Full article at www.thedailysail.com

FUTURE TACTICIANS !!!!!!!
Camet clothing line keeps growing, they have now added T-shirts for kids, with sailing graphics for all ages, perfect gifts for young and future sailors, a variety of colors and designs.

Now the Cargo shorts are available in Navy Blue, same style, fast drying breathable fabric, reinforced seat to inser. foam pads, two Cargo pockets, phone pocket, adjustable waist, and belt loops. Code Zero shirts, Mylar bags, Coolmax, shirts, Rash guards, Neoprene shirts and Hiking pants, Padded vests. Visit our web page at www.camet.com

UPGRADE YOUR EPIRB!!
If you're still lugging around the most common and least expensive type of Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, which broadcast in the 121.5/243 MHz range, it's time to replace them. These Class A, B, and S EPIRBs, also called Category B or Mini B, are inexpensive, but you get what you pay for. Their signal has no identification component, and can take up to three or four satellite passes before they can even begin to pinpoint where the distress call is coming from. Frequency congestion in the band used by these devices also causes a high satellite false-alert rate, which means that confirmation of the distress call is required before search and rescue forces can be deployed. Due to these and other drawbacks, it was decided in 2000 that the globe-covering constellation of COSPAS-SARSAT (COSPAS is an acronym for the Russian words Cosmicheskaya Sistyema Poiska Avariynich Sudov which translate to Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress. SARSAT is an acronym for Search And Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking) satellites would cease listening for 121/243 MHz signals in 2009.

In the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard is getting the public ready for the 2009 deadline by outlawing use of 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs as of the end of December, 2006.

Full article by Tony Bessinger in SailingWorld.com: www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=48473&typeID=483&catID=719

VELUX 5 OCEANS
Graham Dalton, sailing his Open 50, A Southern Man AGD, has resumed racing in the Velux 5 Oceans after leaving the Kerguelen Islands at 09:30 UTC yesterday, December 19. He was forced to make a pit stop at the remote islands to re-fuel and sort out his torn headsail. Having made the necessary repairs, Dalton headed straight out onto the race track to chase Knox-Johnston and hopefully arrive in Fremantle (Western Australia) before the year ends. Dalton suspended racing for more than 48 hours, so he has already served the necessary penalty for receiving outside assistance. His pit stop lasted 56 hours in total, after he stopped at 01:00 UTC on Sunday, December 17.

At the latest position report, A Southern Man AGD still had 2,087 miles to go until the finish of leg one. Graham will be met by his wife Robbie on the docks. It was 12 months ago that Graham and Robbie's son Tony sadly died of an incurable cancer. Graham had promised Tony that he would complete the Velux 5 Oceans and now sails in his memory, naming the boat in his honour and carrying an image of his son of the bow of the boat. There are few other skippers in solo ocean racing more determined to complete the global circumnavigation that Graham Dalton and the other skippers look forward to welcoming him in Fremantle.

Meanwhile, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, now lying in third overall, is only 1,259 miles from the finish in Western Australia. The last 24 hours has seen the sailing legend pick up some breeze and higher speeds, eating up over 250 miles a day as he closes in on the target. However, a large high pressure system lies in his way that will cause the experienced seaman to loose pace. Although his current speeds would see Sir Robin arrive on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, it may be a struggle to make it to shore for these celebrations. But the grandfather of two is determined to do his best, spurred on by a call from his family back in the UK yesterday, wishing him a Merry Christmas.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston:
"The gale forecast for just south of our position decided to expand and caught Saga Insurance for most of yesterday. Although I moved north to avoid it, it obviously likes me and has moved up with me. We also did some almost alarming surges, 27.6 knots on one occasion. That's very exciting, but it's alarming because you are totally out of control and have to rely on the common sense of the boat to keep hurtling in a straight line and not decide to sheer off."

"So now we are onto the tactics for finding Fremantle. It was straightforward, just sail for it, but the weather has thrown its dice unfavourably yet again. Not only do we have this high between us and Fremantle, it is moving east and just when I ought to be within fast striking distance of that port the high is going to create quite strong easterly winds along the Australian west coast. The magic computer programme has just predicted our arrival on Christmas Day, but I note it has us doing 15 knots to windward for 2 days so it has obviously got our polar diagram confused with something else. All this probably means I am going to have to sail the two side of the triangle, not the hypotenuse, and there will be a period of light winds in there as well. So arrival on the 27th December now looks a bit unlikely I am afraid. I think it is the Australians trying to keep an avid England cricket supporter away from the ashes series, but as they have won the thing anyway, this seems a bit vindictive!"

www.velux5oceans.com

SILVA LTD AT LIBS 2007
If you are visiting the London Boat Show next month then the Silva Ltd stand (S087) should be your first stop. As the leading specialist in navigation related products Silva Ltd will be displaying the very latest in marine electronics including the 2007 range of chartplotters and echo sounders from Lowrance, the brand-new NXR and NX instrumentation systems from Nexus Marine, and state-of-the-art VHF radios and NMEA2000 engine management systems. Also on display will be examples of the widely respected range of Silva binoculars, compasses, handheld weather stations and much more. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to answer all your queries, so drop by the Silva Ltd stand and see what 2007 has in store for you.

www.silva.ltd.uk

MIRANDA MERRON JOINS THE CLASS 40 CIRCUIT
Miranda Merron has today announced that she and Peter Harding are currently building an Owen Clarke Class 40 at Jaz Marine in Cape Town with the aim of campaigning the boat on a diverse race circuit. Whilst the team and boat is funded by Peter, they are also seeking team sponsorship to make the most of the promotional opportunities on offer. The campaign will also promote a charity yet to be decided.

Hamble-based Miranda will partner with Peter, who is more used to racing round-the-cans and competing in shorter offshore races with larger crews on his DK 46 Fidessafastwave .

The 2007 race programme will include the Rolex Fastnet Race, the 1040 St Malo Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre. The Transat Jacques Vabre will be their first double-handed transatlantic race together.

As seen in the recent Route Du Rhum, the Class 40 is a growing and dynamic Class with a mix of solo, double-handed and fully crewed races. There are over 25 boats on the water, so there is already a sizeable competitive fleet.

Miranda's offshore career to date has included races such as the Jules Verne attempt on Royal SunAlliance, the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Volvo Ocean Race and the single-handed Route Du Rhum.

For further information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please email Miranda on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

GETTING STARTED IN BOATS
Courtesy of Carl Cramer, Editor of Wooden Boat magazine, comes a special electronic version of the publication "Getting Started In Boats" which was launched as a challenge to readers to pass along to their friends, associates, and neighbors -- to get more people into boating.

It's FREE. It may be read online, downloaded, printed, and/or forwarded.

Here is the URL:
www.gettingstarted-digital.com/gettingstarted/2006_vol1/

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Boat International has been sold in a 29m pound management buyout.

Directors of the magazine's parent company, Boat International Group, including Tony Harris, the chief executive, are being backed in the deal by August Equity, a private-equity firm, and are themselves investing in the buyout.

August is acquiring the business from Henderson Equity Partners, a rival investment firm.

It obtained the business in the summer of 2004 from publisher Christian Chalmin, and merged it with rival titles Sailing Today and Coast Living.

As well as the British edition of Boat International, the company produces sister titles in the US, France and Germany. A Russian edition of the magazine has also recently been launched. In addition to the magazines, Boat publishes Superyachts, a reference guide. -- Times Online, business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9071-2508208,00.html

* Chemring Group PLC announced that it has agreed a conditional sale of its McMurdo electronics business to Signature Industries Limited, manufacturers of the SARBE Emergency Location Beacons.

McMurdo manufactures and supplies Emergency Location Beacon and Navtex products for commercial and leisure marine and aviation markets. Additionally, McMurdo is the UK distributor for the Davis range of weather stations.

Completion, which is conditional upon the transfer of certain product approvals, is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2007.

* Dun Laoghaire Marina are sponsoring the Irish Disabled Sailing Association (IDSA) through the provision of a berth at their marina.

This new modern marina is situated in Dun Laoghaire Harbour within close proximity of the yacht clubs and public transport. The complex is wheelchair accessible and has shower and toilet facilities for sailors with disabilities. A hoist is due to be fitted on the marina early next year.

This is a tremendous boost to the IDSA, a voluntary organisation affiliated to the Irish Sailing Association. The IDSA are undertaking a campaign called Sailforce.ie to encourage fully inclusive sailing activities amongst sailing clubs throughout the country. The association is very active in Cork, and is developing programmes in Dublin, Galway and Lough Derg. -- www.sailforce.ie and www.dlmarina.com

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 Grant Wharington: I read with interest the sarcasm of Mike Sharp yesterday re canting keels. Clearly he has not sailed aboard a yacht with the latest technology and is ill informed of the costs and attributes of a canting keel. Canting keels are clearly here to stay as the fastest and most exciting boats in the world such as Open 60s, Volvo 70s, Super maxis and dozens of performance cruising boats like Wallys have been using them for many years. You only need to ask the world's best ocean sailers such as Mike Sanderson and Paul Cayard of the merits of this technology. The majority of canting keel boat owners would prefer to sail in one combined division with all boats together so there can be one overall winner of a yacht race, it is usually the smaller boat owners who prefer split divisions. Yachting has always and will always be an expensive sport, one thing is for sure yachting does not need people criticizing evolutionary design for if we were still only allowed to sail old clunkers most young sailers would have already taken up another sport. Here's to the future... a 600 mile day in a monohull is just around the corner!

THE LAST WORD
My parents only had one argument in forty-five years. It lasted forty-three years. -- Cathy Ladman

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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