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

HISTORIC VICTORY FOR STAMM IN NORFOLK
Bernard Stamm, onboard his Open 60 Cheminees Poujoulat, crossed the finish line of leg 2 in the Velux 5 Oceans at 22:59:25 local time (3:59:45 UTC) Saturday night. After 48 days, 22 hours and 59 minutes 45 seconds and 15,725 miles of racing, the defending champion arrived in Norfolk (Virginia, USA). With a monumental lead of over 3,000 miles over second-placed Kojiro Shiraishi of Japan, Stamm has surely sealed overall victory in the Velux 5 Oceans, with only a sprint leg back to the start-finish port of Bilbao (Basque Country) left to complete the circumnavigation of the planet.

Speaking on the dockside, Stamm commented, "I am very happy to win and I am very happy to be able to do what I planned to do with the weather. It was always quite right. I had a lot of time to do it and there was no pressure from the other competitors. It was easier than if there was ten boats in ten miles. It meant that I could concentrate on analysing the weather."

"Cape Horn was very rough. I don't like Cape Horn and after that the most difficult place in the leg was the Doldrums. The Doldrums is a very difficult place to navigate. I hate the Doldrums. It's a long leg. Everyone focused on the watermaker but it's not a problem - there is rain. It's a big problem when you are in the Sahara but not when you are in the Doldrums there is rain there everyday. I had lot of problems with the auto-pilot, with cars, with sails. When you lose your autopilot that is like losing your crew. "

"I am still motivated because it's still navigation and I have to be careful to sail properly because I could sink. There may not be lots of competition but I still have to finish to win."

The victory in leg two confirms Stamm as one of the greatest competitors to have participated in this historic leg. Having emphatically won the last race, the Swiss skipper again proved his talent and seamanship in his victory in leg one, where he finished over three days ahead of Shiraishi after the two main British contenders had withdrawn. Leg two, from Fremantle to Norfolk, was set to be even tougher and longer, taking the fleet deep into the Southern Ocean, round Cape Horn, up the Atlantic through the Doldrums and up to the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay.

On arrival into Norfolk, Bernard will enjoy a much deserved celebration of his achievement before heading back to France to see his brand new Open 60 for the first time since acquiring the former yacht of Jean Pierre Dick. Norfolk will play host to the Velux 5 Oceans throughout March as the other skippers arrive, with the yachts moored in downtown Norfolk at the waterfront marina in the heart of the city. The yachts will set off on the final leg of the round the world race to Bilbao on April 15, with a spectacular send off in Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay ahead of the start of the Azalea Festival (NATO festival) and the 400 year celebrations of the Jamestown landings.

Leg 2 positions
1. Cheminees Poujoulat, Bernard Stamm, Finished
2. Spirit of Yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 2757 nm to leg finish
3. PAKEA, Unai Basurko, 4277
4. A Southern Man-AGD, Graham Dalton, 4921
5. SAGA Insurance, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, 5028

www.velux5oceans.com

SEAHORSE SAILOR OF THE MONTH
Last month's winner: Grant Dalton
Sorry Michael (Perham) but Kiwis get up early when there are prizes about. But the young skipper achieved some very credible support: "I vote for Michael Perham. The question of proximity of assistance is interesting. People knock Michael's achievement because he was shadowed, but how quickly is help on hand for all the big tris that overturn and then get picked up in short order due to all their support? Few knocked Ellen MacArthur's solo trip around the British Isles just because the RNLI were only ever a few hours away. Every adventurer sets their own comfort levels and then progresses further away from assistance as confidence grows. This trip will encourage Michael to step into a greater adventure in the future. Good luck to him' - Gerard Morris.

This month's nominees:

Anna Mackenzie and Holly Scott (GBR)
Two words, Ian Walker... among many other former Mirror champions who have gone on to great things in bigger boats and bigger competitions. However it is particularly notable that in winning the 2007 Mirror worlds in South Africa, this talented young pair of sailors also become the first all-woman crew to win a world title in a two-handed ISAF Open Dinghy Class.

Lindsay May (AUS)
We thought long and hard about this last month, but we will now happily succumb to the pressure and nominate Lindsay May for his bravura performance winning the recent Hobart Race on the late Peter Kurts' beautiful Love & War. In fact we had considered nominating Kurtsie himself posthumously, but we actually found that too tough a call. Hopefully all you CYCA boys and girls will now rise to this worthy invitation.

Cast your vote at seahorsemagazine.com

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Harken McLube, Dubarry & Henri Lloyd

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Professional sailors use the smooth surfaces on Spinnakers, Luff Tapes, Spinnaker socks and launchers.

More on www.holmenkol.com/bilder/download/Haendler_Aquatic_weltweit.pdf

ST. MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA
The 27th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta concluded Sunday in spectacular fashion as more than 200 boats in 20 divisions enjoyed classic Caribbean sailing conditions to wrap up a most memorable running of the annual event. Highlights of the regatta included the dominating performance of the Volvo 70, abn-reach-finish-big ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson's world-beating yacht, which put on a sailing clinic while regularly registering speeds of better than 20-knots; the addition of a first-ever fourth day of racing for the top race boats, which turned out to be a resounding success; and a Boat of the Regatta award to a design that was first introduced some 40 years ago.

With three straight wins to capture the Non-Spinnaker 2 class, veteran campaigner Bernie Evans-Wong's Cal 40, Huey Too, was named Boat of the Regatta for the 2007 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Evans-Wong, from Antigua, was sailing the venerable design first introduced by designer Bill Lapworth in 1967. The boat was an immediate success in the classic Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, and four decades along, Evans-Wong sailed it to perfection to win his class, and the prestigious prize for 2007.

Unlike the 2006 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, when Sunday's racing was cancelled for the extremely rare occurrence of no wind, this year's edition of the event was blessed with plenty of breeze for all four days of competition, including Thursday's running of the inaugural Commodore's Cup sponsored by Budget Marine, a first in the regatta's long history.

In Bigboats 1, Moose Sanderson's ABN AMRO ONE-sailing with a stellar crew of professional sailors including Sanderson's fellow Volvo Ocean Race and America's Cup veteran, John Kostecki-submitted its fifth straight "horizon job" in the 5-boat class to take top honors in the division. Jim Swartz's Moneypenny, a Swan 601, sailed a fine series to finish second in the class, in so doing relegating Tom Hill's 75-footer, Titan 12, to a disappointing third. Full report and results of all classes at www.heinekenregatta.com

WHY FLOAT WHEN YOU CAN FLY?
The RS600FF takes a great boat - the popular RS600 singlehander - and with the addition of some carbon/epoxy hydrofoils turns it into a flying machine capable of travelling at twice the speed of the wind.

After two years of development, drawing on his extensive experience building foiling International Moths, Weymouth hi-tech boatbuilder Linton Jenkins and his company Full Force Boats have produced a set of foils designed specifically for the RS600. The result is one of the most radical - and yet very sailable - boats in the world. "The idea for developing the RS600FF came out of speaking to all the sailors who rang me up about buying an International Moth but who were just too heavy for the boat," explains Jenkins. "If you weigh much more than 75kg then you're going to be too heavy to be competitive in the Moth. So this left a lot of disappointed people who wanted to go foiling but didn't have anywhere to go.

"So we started developing the RS600 and seeing how it would convert to being used for foils, and I have to say Clive Everest [the original designer of the RS600] designed virtually the perfect boat for foiling, although he probably didn't realise it at the time, Now with the RS600FF, we have a foiling boat that works for people weighing between 70 to 95kg, it's one-design, and with the original RS600 reefable rig you can sail the boat a long way up the wind range."

With around 350 RS600s in existence throughout the UK, Linton expects most sailors will probably want to buy a secondhand hull and convert it for hydrofoiling. This offers a very cost-effective option which will appeal to most people. However, boats can be supplied brand new

Included in the purchase price is a compulsory lesson in how to sail the boat. This will take place at Weymouth under the instruction of 2006 International Moth British Champion Sam Pascoe who has been the RS600FF test pilot during the boat's development.

www.RS600FF.com

* Some amazing photos in the Scuttlebutt Europe Photo Gallery (look in the Launching section): scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

VOLVO OCEAN RACE PODCAST
Portsmouth, England: The Volvo Ocean Race today breaks new ground with the global launch of the first weekly sailing podcast.

The podcast will carry all the latest news and views from a broad range of sailing competitions including the America's Cup, the TP52 series, Olympic and international regattas. In addition, it will of course carry regular stories and updates on the build-up to the 2008-09 Volvo event.

In the launch edition there is an exclusive interview with Noel (Nitro) Drennan, helmsman/trimmer on the Spanish entry movistar in the last Volvo Ocean Race and trimmer on this year's America's Cup U.S. entry, BMW Oracle Racing .

We also talk to fellow Irishman Justin Slattery about his sailing exploits following the last Volvo in which he crewed as bowman for the victorious ABN AMRO ONE.

The podcast will be available to download at www.volvooceanrace.org/podcast, iTunes, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and other leading sailing websites.

volvooceanrace.org

BLACKBEARD'S SHIP
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA: A shipwreck off the North Carolina coast believed to be that of notorious pirate Blackbeard could be fully excavated in three years, officials working on the project said Friday.

The ship ran aground in 1718, and some researchers believe it was the French slave ship Blackbeard captured in 1717 and renamed Queen Anne's Revenge.

Several officials said historical data and coral-covered artifacts recovered from the site - including 25 cannons, which experts said was a large number for the area in the early 18th century - remove any doubt the wreckage belonged to Blackbeard.

"Historians have really looked at it thoroughly and don't feel that there's any possibility anything else is in there that was not recorded," said Mark Wilde-Ramsing, director of the Queen Anne's Revenge Project. "And the artifacts continue to support it."

So far, about 15 percent of the shipwreck has been recovered including jewelry, dishes and thousands of other artifacts. The items are being preserved and studied at a lab at East Carolina University, and eventually more will become available for the public to view, Claggett said.

Blackbeard, whose real name was widely believed to be Edward Teach or Thatch, settled in Bath and received a governor's pardon. Some experts believe he grew bored with land life and returned to piracy.

He was killed by volunteers from the Royal Navy in November 1718 - five months after the ship thought to be Queen Anne's Revenge sank. -- Steve Hartsoe, Associated Press

Ship's archaeological site: www.qaronline.org

MATCH RACE GERMANY
The timing is just right, the entries of high caliber. When the first gun for Germany's one and only Grand Prix Match Race will be fired on 24th of May, more then a little bit of America's Cup air will be blowing as 12 of the world's best match racers assemble on the waters of Lake Constance/Southern Germany. The event will be held just between the semifinal and the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

The organisors expect at least 6-8 skippers oft he top ten in the ISAF rankings, and also 5 out of the top 8 of the World Match Racing Tour leaderboard. Amongst them the world number 1, Frenchmen Sebastian Col. The 29 year old helmsman of Areva Challenge is looking forward to compete and strengthen his number 1 spot, as well to improve in the tour rankings as well. Defending Champion and also recently the new Alinghi Match Racing Coach Peter Gilmour (3 times Match Racing World Champion/3 times Match Race German winner) will also return to Lake Constance to defend his title. The 2 German entries through qualifiers are Carsten Kemmling and a well known name in international Match Racing: Markus Wieser, who is planning a comeback to Match Racing in 2007.

Match Race Germany is the only German stop of the World match racing tour. The yachts used will be Bavaria 35 Match, with 8 yachts available. 20.000 Euros prizemoney are waiting for the competitors, and on top of that the tour's purse is 100.000 Euros plus a bonus prize from the tour partner BMW, a brand new BMW X 3.

www.matchrace.de
www.worldmatchracingtour.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. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Cam Lewis: I am not sure where this letters origins are from and and what Vincent Delaney is on about- but.....

I am not the class historian for the North Haven Dinghy, but it is the boat that I first learned to sail and race in, and one I still race in during summers here in Maine.

Starting out when I was very young- 5 or 6. We had midget races on Saturday and Monday mornings, where the helm was for kids- 12 years old max age and the crew if older than 12 could not touch the tiller- great fun and I had my Father and others crew for me- winning races by my 8th year with crew and later on solo when when I was 10. Learning was push-pull or follow my finger!!! Dad took the main sheet, adjusted the throat and peak to control sail shape and raised and lowered the centerboard.

Lots of history to this class. My Dad and his cousin kept the class alive by having a mold built about 30 years ago so that fiberglass hulls, with wooden gunwales and interiors, could be built to replace the aging fleet of wooden ones that were suffering from age. Typically built with cedar planking and steam bent oak frames, with a good size sail plan on a gaff rigged cat boat, the rig loads only supported by a head stay would twist the hulls, creating big loads, especially in breeze when we learned to hike hard, opening up seams and requiring lots of maintenance and pumping of sea water in big breeze. Internal lead ballast is used as well - a few wooden boats still sail too!

Still going strong- On a good August day we can still get over a dozen boats out racing. There are July and August series on Mondays and Saturdays and many special races, The classic Mill River race, takes us by Kevin Burnham's "Olympian Gold Medallist" parents' summer house and another end of the season thriller has us race 10 miles out into Penobscot Bay around the island to Pulpit Harbor.

I always thought the class's claim to fame was the oldest one design class in North America, not the world. There are many people who have more information than I.

Great boats, great fun, come for a sail sometime.

THE LAST WORD
Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something. -- Henry David Thoreau

OC Events, www.ocevents.org , 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) plus the Extreme 40 Sailing Series for The iShares Cup.

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