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

FIGHTING SETBACKS IN CHASE OF THE RECORD
The determined Sailrocket team are not ones to let a major crash get them down from their dream of shattering sailing's ultimate speed record, and true to form the team has returned to the Walvis Bay speed strip for the next round of the battle having spent two weeks repairing the spidery craft after a big wipeout on their first outing.

"The first run was pretty intense," reports pilot Paul Larsen of that baptism of fire. "It was an amazing feeling to point our incredible craft down that gorgeous stretch of immaculate water for the first time. There was only 16.5 knots of wind but when she hooked into it she accelerated like never before and quickly beat her previous top speed by hitting 33 knots.

"I lost steerage and Sailrocket slewed towards the beach where I made a split second decision to bail out of the run. I eased the wing sail a fraction and then it was over in a split second. The wing came crashing down and chopped across the beam. The wing had backwinded slightly and generated a huge compressive load which caused a secondary component to fail. These solid wings don't just feather and flap like a soft sail. The wing slammed into the water hard. There was a lot of damage. I couldn't believe it was all over so quick. We had only progressed 250 meters down the course and the rig had done the unmentionable.

"Two weeks later we are back in action and as pretty as ever. We went sailing again yesterday in light winds of 14 knots or less as we try and get to grips with the handling. Sailrocket hit 28.8 knots in the fading light and could have done more but top-speed was not our objective. We need to work up to that. We checked out some handling issues and got back in one piece.

"The boat is becoming increasingly intimidating as it starts to reveal its potential. I know if I send it down this course in 20 knots of wind that it will go ballistic. I just need to make sure that I can control it. Malcolm (Sailrocket's designer) is over here at the moment and we are working through a number of sailing profiles. We need to make the boat perform in a safe manner at very high speeds where even a slight turn to windward would spell disaster.

"I am confident that with a bit more practice and tweaking that we can begin to see the sort of 'locked-in' stability that the model demonstrated time and time again. For now this is what we are here for, to develop the boat and understand what we have created. Ultimately we want a craft which is incredibly powerful AND stable. That is the craft that will be king. Numbers are great but now my backside is starting to translate them into reality and it is pretty exciting to say the least. -- from CowesOnline.com, www.cowes.co.uk/cb/zone?p=story;story_id=2498

www.sailrocket.com

JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUND THE ISLAND RACE
The 2007 JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is attracting a variety of entries for this year's event - from 100 year old classic yachts to brand new racing machines, with boats ranging in size from 21 to 100 feet.

Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year Katie Miller (20) will be racing a small boat, but one that has already completed a successful voyage around Britain. Katie, a student at Southampton Solent University, will be joined on her 21 foot Corribee 'Elektra' by Daniel Monk (18) and together the pair will be raising further funds for The Ellen MacArthur Trust. Daniel was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2002 but nonetheless has completed the race twice for the Trust. Following a relapse after the 2005 race Daniel underwent another bone marrow transplant. During his treatment, a major inspiration was to return and compete again the next year.

Mike Slade is a regular competitor in the event. Over a ten year span he has broken the monohull record three times, in three different boats. Most recently he set the mark at 4 hours 5 minutes and 40 seconds sailing 'Skandia Life Leopard' in 2001. This year he will be entering his brand new Farr 30 metre maxi 'Leopard'. The canting keel gives a stability boost equal to 200 crew members sitting on the rail, but without the added weight! The rig towers 154 feet above the water, capable of carrying up to 15,000 square feet of sail. The yacht is currently nearing completion in Sydney ready for launching in the Solent early June. The JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race will see her debut on the racing circuit here. Volvo Ocean Race winner and ISAF Sailor of the Year Mike Sanderson will skipper the 20-strong crew.

Online entries for the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race can be made via the dedicated website www.roundtheisland.org.uk

This year the ISC and JPMorgan Asset Management will be expanding the charitable dimension of the Round the Island Race by encouraging all entrants to make their race count for charity. A bespoke website has been set up to facilitate this. To register, simply go to justgiving.com/roundtheisland.

Competitors can choose any charity although some may want to help fight cancer by supporting Macmillan, Breast Cancer Care, Prostate Research Campaign UK and The Ellen MacArthur Trust

DO YOU WANT WATER REPELLENCE AND FRICTION REDUCTION ON YOUR SAIL?
SEALnGLIDE from HOLMENKOL is the first and only sail protection coating worldwide!

Advanced nanotechnology supplies a durable protection to all types of sailcloths. Professionals like sailcloth manufacturer Contender, leading sail producers and sail makers, sail laundries, already use it!

Germany's coating expert HOLMENKOL launches with SEALnGLIDE+glaze, a highly water repellent sail coating, strengthening new and even aged sails surfaces in the struggle against dirt, water and mildew. It refreshes colours and increases tear resistance.

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

NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S DAY JOKE. I WISH!
In a ruling that will affect thousands of boatowners the European Commission has decided that any aftersales modifications to any part of a boat after manufacture, such as fitting an autopilot or self-steering gear, will invalidate the yacht's RCD code. This is a massive blow to owners of new yachts who choose to have extras fitted at a later date and is effectively a licence to print money for manufacturers supplying all those pricey extras.

And what about the rest of us with older boats we are continually pampering and upgrading? Where does that leave us?

The ruling came about because of the case of Megawat, the Irish Hanse 371 that lost her rudder and quickly sank in the Irish Sea in 2005 after the incorrect retrofitting of an autopilot ram to the alloy rudder stock. As a result of the same case, the European Commision is also advising against using copper antifouling anywhere near an alloy rudder stock.

The Commission has penalised many owners and marine trades by drawing sweeping conclusions from one case. If they had wanted to be helpful, why did they not point out that perhaps alloy is not the best material from which to make a rudder stock and/or that standards for the design and manufacture of rudders should ensure that if they do fail they do not rip out completely and lead to a sinking? Answers on a postcard, please.

I'll be investigating this in the June issue of Yachting World.

From Elaine Bunting's blog: www.ybw.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting

HOBART EXTREME
Camet International Clothing expands their line of technical gear with the new Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts. Designed to be the lightest shorts on the market, they weigh in at only 9 ounces, and are designed with offset side seams to reduce chafing. The improved design provides extreme flexibility, while the Titanium silver nylon fabric has a durable water repellent finish that dries quickly, and has a UV rating of 40+. Features include two back pockets with Velcro closures, adjustable Velcro waist, two deep side-pockets, and a Cordura-reinforced seat for added protection from abrasive surfaces. View all the Camet products: www.camet.com

IODA SOUTH AMERICANS OPENS THE OPTIMIST EASTER MIGRATION
The IODA South American Championship starting on 29 March opens the Easter regatta season which is expected to see over 1,400 Optimist sailors participating in major international regattas.

South Americans
Word from Niterpi is that the Brasilian hosts have received entries from 18 countries and reached the prescribed limit of 180 sailors. All South American countries, which are allowed 15 sailors each with a double team from the hosts, are represented except Paraguay, with Colombia entering a full team for the first time from its fast-growing fleet. North America is represented by full teams from Bermuda, Mexico and the USA and smaller teams from Puerto Rico, Trinidad and USVI, while nine discretionary places have been allocated to visitors from Singapore, Greece and Norway.

Last year Singapore who are currently ranked world No. 1 in Optimists shocked the event by placing first and second. The Americas will be seeking revenge!

www.cncharitas.com.br/sulamericano.html

Europe
In Europe the calendar has been enhanced by a new Trofeo Internacional Grumete Pescanova www.nauticopuntalagoa.com/op_index.htm at Punta Lagoa, Vigo in northern Spain where 131 worldwide entries are reported.

The following week sees the three big ones:

- Easter Meeting http://lakegardameeting.fragliavelariva.it, Riva del Garda, Italy. Over 600 entrants are already registered and over 700 have participated in the past!
- Magic Marine Easter Regatta http://www.braassemermeer.nl/easter2007/, Braassemermeer, Holland. Limited to 270 sailors, last year from 14 countries.
- Nokia Easter Regatta www.klub-pirat.si//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=78, Protoroz, Slovenia. The favourite for Austrians and other east-European sailors, again with nearly 250 entries in 2006.

Finally for those still on vacation there is the Optispring Regatta www.optispring.be on 14-15 April in Stellendam, Holland but organised by the Belgian Optimist Association.

2008 ROLEX FARR 40 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
2008 will mark the return of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship to Miami Beach, site of the class' first World Championship in 1998. The regatta will take place in the spring, with a pre Worlds regatta scheduled for April 11, 12 and the World Championship scheduled for April 16 - 19. The Farr 40 Class Association and the Storm Trysail Club will serve as the Organizing Authorities for the events.

The timing of this event will make the winter Farr 40 circuit extremely competitive next year, as many boats are already making plans to travel straight from the Copenhagen Worlds to South Florida. Large, high level fleets are expected in Key West and Miami leading up to the worlds and the class is considering hosting an additional event in late November of 2007.

With new boats being delivered as fast as they can be built, the 2008 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is expected to set a record for attendance. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of an historic event.

For more information visit farr40.org

SWAN 601 ARTEMIS IS AVAILABLE FOR CHARTER FOR THE 2007 SEASON
This is a rare opportunity to charter this 2005 stunning high performance German Frers-designed Swan. Sporting full carbon composite construction and renowned Nautor Styling, Artemis will provide you with the ultimate racing experience. She is fully race-prepared to the highest standard and raring to go.

Racing with a maximum crew of 16, Artemis is available for Caribbean and UK based race charters and corporate entertainment. She will also be available in the Mediterranean for America's Cup 2007 series viewing.

Please contact Peter Bresnan on +44799097081 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

AMERICA'S CUP
With an onshore breeze of 12-14 knots and a surprisingly lumpy sea, there were 16 boats out on the water, either two-boat speed testing or doing battle in practice starts. Furthest out to sea were the big teams such as Emirates Team New Zealand, BMW ORACLE and Luna Rossa, sailing as far away from prying eyes as possible.

Closer into shore, some of the smaller teams were engaged in 'friendly races'; Desafío Español against Victory Challenge, the German team against +39 Challenge, and Shosholoza appeared to be sailing with Areva.

It would be tempting to draw conclusions from watching the practice racing, but it is a fool's game. The teams are often testing new equipment, trying out new crew, or working to get their settings right for new conditions. The results are often less meaningful than the process and the debrief at the end of the day.

For example, +39 won the pin end of the line with United Internet Team Germany splitting to the right. When they came back together, +39 appeared to be comfortably ahead. Does it mean anything? Who knows? It is fun to speculate but we're not going to know anything until Alinghi and the 11 challengers start racing in anger a week from today.

* Stephane Kandler is the Syndicate Head and initiator of the French team, Areva Challenge. With the start of racing in the decisive 2007 season less than two weeks away, he speaks about his team and its prospects:

How is the new boat, FRA 93?

"The feeling is that the boat is a solid boat. We tried to be innovative in places where people don't really see it, because that's the way the ACC Rule is written now. We are quite happy. We're still working on the development. After it is built you've got maybe 70% of its potential. Now we are trying to get the rest of it."

It's no secret that there were times when money was tight for the team. Are you satisfied now?

"I'm convinced that most of the big teams are throwing money out of the window. It's like 'I have an idea this morning, let's try it'. It's easy to say that all the time when you have a lot of money. When it's tough on budget you have to be smarter. I mean you need money for sure, but we compensated by the people we have on the team. The payroll is the biggest expense you have on any team. Others have a big budget because they were hiring people the day after the last Cup; that makes it expensive. I think if you compare people to people now, there isn't that big a difference between the teams. It's the same in other sports. There are football clubs who go, year after year to the owner and say, 'we need 50 million more'. For me, it cannot work this way."

What is the future beyond the 32nd America's Cup for Areva Challenge?

"Apart from getting good results, we want people in France to learn more about the America's Cup, to understand what it really is. In France we are in competition with offshore sailing. People don't always understand what we are doing, which is the most competitive competition in the world, in sailing. If we can do that, and get good results, then we can talk about the future. But now, I'm concentrating mostly on this one...France is a country which has been in all the America's Cups since 1970, so I don't see why that wouldn't continue. But it's linked to how the next America's Cup will be. If it's like before, sponsors will go away. Now, we have gold in our hands, but let's not spoil it. If we don't have Louis Vuitton Acts, if we go back to billionaires just playing around, if everyone has to spend 100 million to be competitive, it's hard. We have a lot of potential here. I think there is a future for France, and I think we've convinced people it's a good thing."

Full interview at: www.americascup.com

* With this Sunday's "Unveiling Day" (1 April), a crucial stage in the battle for the America's Cup will finally be underway. From then on, the yachts will no longer be kept under wraps.

Under the rules of the 32nd America's Cup, all the teams must stop using keel skirts to hide the underwater shapes and appendages of their yachts from 1 April. It is tradition for the teams to open their bases for the day and allow the public and the media to see the yachts close up.

From 9.30am, skirting will no longer be permitted until the end of the America's Cup Match; and each team's one or two declared yachts must be available for viewing. The BMW ORACLE Racing Team Base will be open to the general public from 11:30 am until 2 pm.

To mark the unveiling of the team's race yachts USA 87 and USA 98, the Challenger of Record will hold a Design Team Press Conference in the afternoon. Design Coordinator Ian Burns will chair the event featuring design team members: Paul Bieker, Gerald Braun, Bruce Farr, Thomas Hahn, Michel Kermarec, Juan Kouyoumdjian and Steve Wilson.

Barely 48 hours later, on 3 April, the first start gun will sound on the water marking the start of Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 fleet racing regatta.

bmworacleracing.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 Daniel Charles: The US Multihulls action to maintain a multihulls representation in the Olympics is to be applauded. Still, if they were to win, it wouldn't change the scandalous lack of representativity of the Olympic sailing events. Since the appearance of sailing at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, never in history olympic sailing has excluded such a large part of the sport. By limiting the events to inshore sailing on boats smaller than 6.9m, the Olympics exclude all the bigger boats sailing, which in developed countries often represents the majority of the activity. In France, they sell much less dinghies and light keelboats than 40 years ago. This is a very unhealthy trend when most of a sport is not represented in the Olympics, and when the Federations get most of their budget, and concentrate most of their activity, on a fringe section of the sport.

* From R Barland: Re: the ancient mariner's item: "Dead before the lifeboat is launched".

When I drive a car without a seatbelt (I go to countries where many cars don't have them), I actually find myself driving more slowly and cautiously as I feel exposed. Conversely there was some evidence that seatbelt laws didn't reduce total road casualties as there was a compensatory increase in vehicle speeds as drivers felt safer. This phenomenon is often called 'risk compensation' and has been observed in many risk-management scenarios.

The lesson is that it is vitally important to make sure that safety related legislation (and advice) is focussed on achieving a reduction in the number of accidents, which is the issue after all. A simple way of looking at the problem is that the 'expected number of accidents' is the product of the 'risk' (probability of a potential incident converting to an accident) and the 'exposure' (number of incidents that occur in a time frame). To focus purely on 'risk' ignores the potential for risk compensation (increase in exposure to incidents as people feel safer).

I have sailed and raced over 100,000 miles of ocean and I have to accept that I do adjust my behaviour according to the preventative and safety infrastructure I have around me. To some extent my experience helps me to make risk adjustments so that I can work efficiently without exceeding my acceptable outcome of zero accidents!

When I brief a crew I believe that giving a set of 'rules' to obey does not properly address the safety situation. In some cases it might even provide a false sense of security. I have found that a crew who is made fully aware (and regularly reminded) of the actual risks and when they are exposed to them will voluntarily follow the spirit of the rules and will be safer sailors.

THE LAST WORD
In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that he did not also limit his stupidity. -- Konrad Adenauer

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.

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/