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TROPHEE BPE COMPETITORS STILL SURFING AT UP TO 16 KNOTS
Having spent their first night in perfect conditions the Figaros are still bowling along at more than 10 knots, sometimes surfing at up to 16 knots, pushed by a north-easterly wind of between 20 and 25 knots. They should be at Cap Finisterre tomorrow morning.

"Conditions are perfect and one must take advantage to push the boat and get the maximum of miles under your belt, which will stand you in good stead in the future. You need to be among the front runners at Finisterre, if you don't want to get left behind." said Yannnick Bestaven (Aquarelle.com).

Everyone is agreed, these conditions are not going to last and they still have to find the right balance between keeping on the pace and their well being, because there is still a long way to go.

"I'm hoping to be able to take naps as soon as possible" said Eric Peron (France Soir) "but for the next few hours I need to be alert." Bestaven agreed, saying "I keep trying to rest, but right now there's a fair swell and letting go of the helm is not on, I tried the autopilot twice but it wasn't coping."

The sailors are now coping with a wind shift to the north and making more decision about the route, like the ones they made at the start, which split them into north and south packs. One of the most northerly, Franck Le Gal (Lenze), said earlier that he was hoping to get this freshening breeze sooner than the rest and it looks like he did, because he is now in the lead, though it's still very little between the top ten. -- translation by BYM news, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=5360

Top ten places at 26/03/2007 at 1800 GMT:
Place - Boat - Skipper - Distance to finish - Distance to Leader
1. Lenze, Franck Le Gal, 3208.8, 0.0
2. Defi Transat 1, Yannig Livory, 3209.3, 0.5
3. Groupe Celeos, Ronan Treussart, 3209.5, 0.7
4. Les Mousquetaires, Bertrand de Broc, 3210.1, 1.3
5. Bostik, Charles Caudrelier, 3210.2, 1.4
6. Financo, Nicolas Troussel, 3210.3, 1.4
7. A.ST Groupe, Marc Emig, 3211.1, 2.3
8. Banque Populaire, Jeanne Gregoire, 3211.6, 2.8
9. Le Comptoir Immobilier, Gildas Mahe, 3211.8, 3.0
10. Defi Mousquetaires,Thomas Rouxel, 3212.3, 3.5

www.tropheebpe.com

COLUMBUS ROUTE - RECORD: GROUPAMA 3 ON STANDBY
Franck Cammas and his crew members are from today - March 26th - and until April 23rd, standing by in Cadiz, ready to set sail for their first record attempt, the Columbus Route (Cadiz / San Salvador). The ten sailors are waiting for the best weather conditions, the "good weather window", to embark on this 3,884 mile record. The current record time is 9 days, 13 hours, 30 minutes and 18 seconds, held by the American Steve Fossett since February 24th 2003 on board maxi catamaran PlayStation.

A "good weather window" clarified by Jean-Yves Bernot, Groupama 3 router:
"This record is rather complicated weather-wise as it is hard to have good conditions for the start and for the finishing at the same time. The best situation for Groupama 3 will be to sail on one tack all the way to the Canaries, where Franck and his crew will have to leave Gran Canaria Island to starboard, the only obligation of the course. We are thus waiting for a strong northern wind, between 25 to 30 knots to leave Cadiz. This flow should remain with them until mid-Atlantic, in order to reach the trade winds. The landing on the Bahamas is often characterized by a rupture of the trade winds on the West Indies side. We have to be extremely careful not to get caught in theses low wind systems."

Franck Proffit, Groupama 3 shore manager:
"We have to be patient and wait for the best weather window. For Groupama 3, we agreed on standing by in Cadiz from March 26th and April 23rd. After this period, if the proper weather window has not showed up, we will leave for Miami on delivery. The team members live all over France, so we had to put in place an efficient communication structure so that everyone can be there on time for the start."

Groupama 3 Sailing team
Franck Cammas (Skipper / Watch Captain / Helmsman)
Franck Proffit (Watch Captain / Helmsman / Shore manager and responsible for sails)
Steve Ravussin (Watch Captain / Helmsman / Responsible for video, food and stratification)
Pascal Blouin (Boat Captain / Bowman / Responsible for security and mechanics)
Loic Le Mignon (Second Helmsman / Responsible for deck equipment, mast and filming)
Bruno Jeanjean (Bowman)
Sebastien Audigane (Second Helmsman / Responsible for medicals and filming)
Frederic Le Peutrec (Second Helmsman)
Ronan Le Goff (Bowman / Responsible for video and rigging)
Marcel Van Triest (Navigator)
Onshore: Jean-Yves Bernot (Router)

www.cammas-groupama.com

NEXUS NX - THE NATURAL CHOICE FOR SPORTSBOATS
The new NX instrumentation system introduced for the 2007 season by Nexus Marine is the natural choice for the sportsboat racer. Created with the ethos of 'wireless where it makes sense', the NX features an ultra accurate wireless wind transducer complete with integral solar panel giving the batteries a life of up to four years, while the WSI connection box down below receives the data and transmits it via cable to the rugged, hi-visibility Sea Data and Wind displays. You choose your ideal transducer / display configuration from the wide range of packages available. To find out more contact exclusive UK distributor Silva Ltd on 01506 406277

http:/silva.ltd.uk

INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA
St. Thomas, USVI: A third day of perfect trade winds and pleasant sunshine helped wrap up the International Rolex Regatta, where sailors on 87 boats have been competing in seven classes.

Today's race, a navigator's delight, totaled 21 miles and took about three hours for Crescendo to complete. Straight bullets marked the overall regatta performances of three winning teams, whose skippers were awarded with Rolex Steel Submariner timepieces as prizes.

The IC-24s, a fleet indigenous to the area, completed 13 races in their series, using this final day to complete five windward-leeward races on a separate racecourse instead of participating in the Pillsbury Sound race. Tieing on point scores were Mio Broadband's Robby and Michael Hirst (Tortola, BVI) and Orion's Fraito Lugo (Ponce, PR), with the tie-breaker going to Mio Broadband.

Enrique Figueroa and crew Jorge Hernandez, two names synonymous with Olympic sailing, easily won the race today and the Beach Cats class overall with their 20-foot Tornado Suzuki/Red Bull. The duo, which represented Puerto Rico in the Tornado class at the Athens Games and hopes to do so again at Quingdao in 2008, blew away their competition, but it was expected.

The International Rolex Regatta is part of the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series 2007.

Top three by class:
IC-24 (One Design - 19 Boats)
1. Mio Broadband, IC-24, Robby & Michael Hirst, BVI, 47
2. Orion, IC-24, Fraito Lugo, Puerto Rico, 47
3. Bambooshay, IC_24, Chris Rosenberg, USVI, 61

Spinnaker Racing 1 (CSA - 6 Boats)
1. Caccia Alla Volpe, Vallicelli 44, Carlo Falcone, Antigua, 11
2. Mad IV, Grand Soleil 48, Clive Llewellyn, France, 13
3. Yeoman XXXII, Rogers 46, Barry Lewis, USA, 17

Spinnaker Racing 2 (CSA - 9 Boats)
1. Devil 3, Melges 24, Chris Stanton, USVI, 6
2. Crash Test Dummies, Melges 32, Tim Kimpton, Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago, 17
3. Expensive Habit, J/100, Robert Armstrong, USVI, 19

Spinnaker Racing 3 (CSA - 17 Boats)
1. J Bird 4, Olson 30, Doug Baker, USA, 6
2. The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Kirby 25, John Foster, USVI, 22
3. SP MRI & CT Center/Tax Return, J/24, Carlos Feliciano, Puerto Rico, 25

Non-spinnaker Racing 1 (CSA - 17 Boats)
1. Three Harkoms, Modified Beneteau 442, Christopher Lloyd, BVI, 4
2. Affinity, Frers 49, Jack Desmond, USA, 11
3. El Presidente, Thomas 35, Jeffrey Fangmann, USVI, 13

Spinnaker Racing Cruising (CSA - 9 Boats)
1. Crescendo, Swan 44, Martin Jacobson, USA, 8
2. Team Paul Mitchell, Beneteau First 40.7, Mark Palermo, USA, 16
3. Shamrock V, J/120, Thomas Mullen, USA, 17

Beach Cats (Portsmouth - 12 Boats)
1. DRD/Suzuki/Red Bull, Tornado 20, Enrique Figeroa, Puerto Rico, 6
2. Heineken, Hobie 16, Francisco Figueroa, Puerto Rico, 12
3. Fitness Warehouse, Hobie 16, Dennys Junco, Puerto Rico, 23

www.regattanews.com

THE COUNTDOWN TO RACING ADVANCES
With just one week to go - racing begins in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 on Tuesday next week - life is continually getting busier at Port America's Cup. Some teams took the opportunity to enjoy a few days off last week (maybe the last they'll have for months), but now, everyone is back to the business at hand; getting ready to race in the ultimate season of the 32nd America's Cup.

After a glorious sunny spring weekend in Valencia, which spurred thousands of visitors to come down and check out the new and improved Port America's Cup, Monday dawned cloudy and cooler with hints of rain in the sky. That didn't stop the teams from training however. The cooler, wetter weather is expected to linger for a few days more this week.

And it didn't stop the parade of Superyachts arriving in Port America's Cup in anticipation of the decisive season of Cup racing. Alinghi head of syndicate Ernesto Bertarelli's Vava has arrived, joining a fleet of Superyachts that will steadily grow over the coming weeks.

The venue itself, after the official handover ceremony last week, is undergoing 'finishing touches' but is essentially ready to welcome the millions of visitors expected to come to Valencia over the next three and half months for the 32nd America's Cup.

americascup.com/en/news/detail.php?idIndex=&idContent=14208

OPPORTUNITY FOR SAIL LOFT PRODUCTION MANAGER
Doyle Sails (Europe) Ltd have an opening for a sailmaker with organisational skills and selling ability working with an International Group based in Southampton. The candidate must be computer literate and familiar with the latest technology and construction techniques for racing and cruising manufacture and repair.

He or She should have a strong sailing background, clean driving license, be willing to undertake foreign travel and ideally would have held a similar position. An attractive salary plus benefits based upon experience is available.

Please submit CV on-line to Philip Bennett,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.doylesails.co.uk

DEAD BEFORE THE LIFEBOAT IS LAUNCHED!
If one of your crew falls overboard this weekend he may be dead within five minutes of hitting the cold water. Your well planned and frequently rehearsed man over board drill (joke) may have him along side your boat in ten or fifteen minutes but getting him back over the side without further injury is an exercise that you certainly have never practiced. He may be dead before the lifeboat is launched but at least they can recover the corpse for you.

Cold Shock is the killer in water below 15 degrees Celsius; Bramble Bank is reporting a sea temperature of 9 degrees today! (March 25th). Thousands of keen sailors will be afloat this weekend blissfully unaware of the risks they are taking in the coldest sea water of the year, some will have sea survival certificates stuffed in their knickers as good luck charms, cycling proficiency certificates would be as much use. The biggest selling sea survival manual in the UK devotes just 47 words to cold shock whereas drinking warm turtle blood before it congeals and catching a fish in your sock warrants 70 words!

Cold Shock is about gasping, panic, hyperventilation, inhaling seawater, heart attack, stroke and rapid drowning. This is not Hypothermia, the favourite topic of sea survival instructors and scout leaders since Noah shivered in the Arc, hypothermia kills over a time scale of hours, cold shock kills in the first few minutes of immersion. A fit young crewman wearing a lifejacket may survive the sudden immersion but an 85-kilo sub-prime athlete in his fifties with an undiagnosed dickey ticker probably will not survive, and when did you last have an ECG?

Race committees fly the flag Y to require the wearing of lifejackets when the wind exceeds force 5, it would make more sense to hoist flag Y when the sea temperature is below 15 degrees and in many places that would be to end of May. The best reference for survival in cold water is the Essentials of Sea Survival by Prof. Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, but much of his wisdom has yet to become common knowledge and cold-water hazards are not a hot topic of conversation in the post-race animated bar chat.

Skippers can set an example by wearing their own lifejackets from dock out to dock back, and by ensuring that the newest and hence poorest equipped crew members are properly briefed, clothed and wearing lifejackets all the time. A quick survey in any marina when the fleet returns from even a very short race reveals dozens of seriously chilled crewmen who have endured a couple of hours on the weather rail while the better equipped and more experienced after-guard skulk in the relative shelter of the cockpit. Should any of this pre-chilled rail ballast, chosen for its gravitas, fall over the side the prospects are pretty grim. There is little hope of reform for our more experienced and black suited heroes, their macho image would not allow for the wearing of a lifejacket in the Hamble or even the Atlantic!

Yotties going afloat in Spring sailing conditions would be wise to dress in the best of modern sailing kit, three layers is standard, no one wears denim jeans under their oilies these days do they? But the top layer should be an 'over the head' smock top with neck seal and wrist seals, this will reduce the rate of inflow of cold seawater around the torso and may mitigate the severe pain of cold shock. Crowned with a fleece beanie hat that provides some insulation when wet and there may be half a chance of surviving the immediate immersion. An auto-inflating lifejacket with integral harness and spray hood is essential, not the separate spray hood worn in the dainty pack on the belt.

And by the way, sun sailer, it is impossible to blow a whistle when gasping let alone inflate an oral lifejacket.

The lifejacket debate is currently at the same stage as was car seat belt discussion in the '80's, freedom of choice being the main argument, but once the decision has been made to wear one it feels strangely uncomfortable to be without it, who would drive now without a seat belt, Machismo or moron? Motor cyclists in the1960's protested about crash helmets, Sikhs requested dispensation while 16 year olds could ride a road bike at 100mph on tarmac in a flat cap but had to wear a crash helmet for Moto-Cross on grass! Trust the legislators to get it right,' 8 shrink-wrapped lifejackets ready for inspection Sir, still in date - tick'. This is not a plea for legislation but for information and a step change in the attitude of early season sailors in their understanding of the hazards they unwittingly face.

The man overboard situation is vitally urgent and requires a MAYDAY call immediately by anyone who witnesses the event, it is not the sole responsibility of the boat involved. Two handed racing faces an even bigger challenge as the boat involved is suddenly single handed and may have spinnaker handling issues to overcome before a classic rescue is attempted, with extreme the panic if close family are in the water, without a life jacket of course. Obviously the pursuing fleet is best placed to recover the casualty, but is this understood by the skippers or will they race on by like rubber-neckers on the M25, in ignorance of their maritime obligations? -- Jerry Freeman, Racing at Petit Bateau Ltd.

The author learnt to sail in the Dark Ages, has twice crossed the Atlantic solo in the Ostar and sailed with charter guests to Iceland and Greenland.

RAYMARINE WARSASH SPRING SERIES BACK ON SCHEDULE
There might not have been a great deal of sun in evidence for the third week of the Raymarine Warsash Spring Series on 26th March 2007, but the breeze held in the 11-20 knot range with a moderate sea state. This enabled the race management team to set extra races and get half the classes right back on schedule with the remainder catching up next weekend.

The wind, initially in the north-east, swung east and then south-east by lunchtime. Three races were scheduled for the White Group sportsboats starting off Hill Head. Having shown perfect manners earlier in the series, the Laser SB3s needed two general recalls and a black flag to get them away successfully.

Kevin Sproul's "Jane" joined the competition this week and took up the challenge in the J/80s. He led for most of the race but was overhauled on the last beat by Marie-Claude Heys in "Jenga Trois" which, at this halfway stage in the series, has the enviable score of five firsts. In the Hunter 707 class Simon Law and Chris Eddy had a good day in "Sword" with a 1,9,2 score line giving them a small lead overall. Just behind them, three other teams are also putting together consistent scores. The 1720s, having been combined with other sportsboats, are the dominating factor in the class. Tom Clay's "Finn McCoul" won the first two races, but Huw Alban Davies in "Go Ferret" finished second both times and then went on to win the third to top the class.

Next weekend is another busy one when the Big Boat Series take to the water on Saturday 31st March with the Spring Series continuing the following day. Full details of all racing is available on www.warsashsc.org.uk -- Flavia Bateson

* Editor: photos from last weekend's racing, courtesty Eddie Mays, at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos - look for Warsash Weekend Three

A BIT OF A SCUFFLE IN THE USA...
* Editor: see sailingscuttlebutt.com, the original Scuttlebutt for the referenced article. Background on this is US Sailing's 2012 Olympic Equipment submission that drops multihulls and boardsailing. Not quite cricket, that...

Scuttlebutt's lead article on Jim Capron's response to the complaint action of unprecedented size that is being taken against US SAILING states that "there are some big-time campaigns going on behind-the-scenes". The complaints filed by US multihull sailors are not "behind the scenes" actions. These complaints are entirely in the open, and above board.

In response to the actions of the US SAILING Board of Directors, nearly 550 US multihull sailors (from Olympic competitors to recreational families) have submitted Complaints against US SAILING to US Olympic Committee Chair, Peter Ueberroth.

This is the largest number of Complaints ever filed against a national governing body; indeed it is the largest many times over. The sailors, whose views the US SAILING Board of Directors is required to represent, reject the position put forward by Jim Capron that the '2012 Olympic Equipment' submission protects the interests of US Olympic sailing. The Olympic Regatta Medal results do not support Jim Capron's claim; and the Complaints challenge whether US SAILING has complied with the requirements of the USOC Bylaws the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.

The process that has been initiated by the Complaint filings is laid out in the USOC ByLaws, and the hearings and the record of the proceedings will be open to the public.

Some of the central elements of the process that will now begin include:

- The USOC will convene a Hearing Panel, consisting of a panel of five (5) persons appointed by the USOC Chair.
- Hearings shall be open to the public; and the proceedings shall be recorded and a verbatim transcript made available to each interested party upon request and payment of costs associated with providing the transcript.
- At the request of a party, the hearing panel may adjourn the proceeding to allow for mediation of the complaint.
- The USOC shall appoint a mediator, after consultation with the parties.
- The mediator shall not be a member of the hearing panel associated with the mediation.
- If the hearing panel determines that US SAILING is not in compliance, the USOC Board then shall

- place US SAILING on probation for a specified period of time not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days, which it considers necessary to enable US SAILING to comply with such requirements;
- or, revoke the recognition of US SAILING as a national governing body.

It has not been established that the submission protects the interests of US Olympic sailing or that the action of the Board was not out of order. Scuttlebutt should report the case for the complaint as well as Jim Capron's response.

The complaint is publicly available in its entirety at: www.usmultihull.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. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Damian Foxall ( www.damianfoxall.com ): Am I missing something......it has been a few months since I opened the rule book, but there must been have a fundamental change to the sport, because that is the only explanation I can find for the actions of the Figaro sailor during the start of BPE Transat Race ...

He collided with another boat (on starboard) so hard that it dislocated the other skippers shoulder ! , and the guy continues racing ! while the injured one returns to port .!

Now the Figaro class includes some of the world's best offshore/one-design sailors so maybe I misread, or maybe its because I'm currently in the Southern hemisphere that all the blood has just rushed to my head!

* From Euan Ross: Yes, what's happening with Virtual Spectator? Web searches all lead back to Auckland 2003. I have e-mailed the official AC site but so far no reply. In the last Cup Virtual Spectator transformed the event for the armchair enthusiast. For me, it was a stunning technical insight into relative performance and specific tactical options and much more informative and engrossing than the fragmented live coverage on cable. In fact, I felt I'd learned so much about what makes boats tick that I was even tempted (for a short while) to get back into yacht racing.

THE LAST WORD
It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. -- Dave Barry

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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