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OVERTIME FOR THE +39 TEAM
Valencia, Spain: The hard work continues at the base of the Italian Challenger +39. Easter holidays are over, they have been celebrated with "carbon fibre spaghetti" as an Italian daily titled.

The bottom part of the profile has already reached already "phase two", that is to say to the lamination process. "Positioning from 50 to 100 skins of unidirectional fibre - explains the team's shore manager Sebastiano Morassutti- is the second step. Before there was gluing, layering and laminating. The third phase is the curing, that will be done in the oven that was given us by the Shosholoza team and which is ready to work. For superstition too, I'm not making any definitive programme. Let's say that we are hoping to substitute the mast during the first Round Robin. There are 12 to 14 people working now, some from the Soleri and Sicilcraft shipyards, some from the mast builder Marstrom, the whole shore team, 2 technicians and, in shifts the whole sailing crew and the design team." On +39 is already stepped a generation 4 mast, that will be tested over the next days by the crew led by Iain Percy before the start of Round Robin 1.

On Monday 16th Percy, Walker, Bruni, Trujillo and Co. will then find themselves face to face with the competitors from Areva Challenge and the Spanish hosts of Desafio Espanol.

piu39challenge.it

TRANSBUNKER DRAGON GOLD CUP
Palma de Mallorca, Spain: German sailor Thomas MUller lost his big advantage today in favour of Danish competitor Lars Hendriksen, the helmsman of Eva, new leader of the Transbunker Dragon Gold Cup.

The Bay of Palma rose with sunshine but the possibility of wind Embat disappeared when a group of clouds set over the racing area. The Race Committee had to postpone the start half an hour until an East breeze, 10 knots, made it possible to find the correct place to lay the windward mark. The weather conditions were almost identical to those of the previous racing days: light winds that dropped throughout the day and wind shifts of around 20 degrees.

In these circumstances, in which the selection of the correct side of the course becomes crucial, it is not surprising to face important setbacks. And this happened to the great favourite, Sinewave, owned by Thomas Muller, that had been unbeatable until the third day of competition and that today crossed the line 30, at big distance from Eva, that was third, but in front a priori of the main candidate to lift the Gold Cup, Ukrainian boat Bunker Queen, undisputable winner of the last del Princesa Sofía.

The decision to shorten the course in the third beat to windward when there were still 2 legs to complete the course was due to a sudden wind drop and for the "warning of heavy showers", in accordance with the Race Committee. Despite the changing weather conditions of these days, the organisation has completed the scheduled programme, with four races sailed and being aware that the two races left can be sailed until Friday.

The start of tomorrow's race (Thursday) is scheduled at 12.00 hours, with a similar forecast: E winds changing to SE not over 15 knots and overcast skies.

Top ten: 1. Lars Hendriksen / L.Stenfeldt / P.Skafte-Holm, DEN, 46.70 points
2. Thomas Muller / V.Hoesch / M.Schehmais, GER, 50.00
3. Markus Wieser / T.Anracher / S.Pugatchev, UKR, 81.00
4. Philipp Ocker / F.Grosser / M.Brather, GER, 83.70
5. Valentin Uvarkin / D.Sapronov / V.Varnachkin, RUS, 84.70
6. Poul Richard Hoj / T.Palm / C.Brittain, GBR, 88.70
7. David Palmer / K.Harsberg / H.Bagnall, GBR, 92.00
8. Peter Froschl / S.Smuda / C.Rusitschka, GER, 93.70
9. Vladimir Ikonnikou / A.Shalagin / A.Mikhaylin, RUS, 104.00
10. Alexey Krylov / V.Karitonov / A.Karachinsky, RUS, 105.70

www.dragongoldcup2007.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.

PORT AMERICA'S CUP - HOME OF THE DUEL
On Monday, April 16th, the first matches of the Louis Vuitton Cup are scheduled to begin and for the first time in the 32nd America's Cup, the teams are fighting for their lives. By May 7th, only four of the 11 challengers will remain, seven having been eliminated from further competition.

To mark the significance of the dueling nature of the America's Cup, on Wednesday, Port America's Cup hosted a series of other duels, involving some of the top sportsmen in the world.

American track and field legend Carl Lewis faced rival American Mike Marsh on a 100 metre track alongside the canal leading from Port America's Cup to the race area. Both sprinters reconvened at the track later in the afternoon to hold a clinic with youth from a local athletics academy.

Spanish golfing hero Sergio Garcia had a 'hole in one' duel with compatriot José Manuel Lara. Each teed off from a pontoon snaking out into the Port near the Alinghi team base. The green was on a pontoon moored in the middle of the Port.

Then Valencian Football Club goalkeeper Santiago Canizares faced penalty shots from Pedja Mijatovic, a former Champions League hero and currently the Sporting Director of Real Madrid.

www.americascup.com

32nd AMERICA'S CUP LOGBOOK BY LLADRO
The 32nd America's Cup and Valencia's most famous company, Lladro, have joined forces to create some memorable items for the big event.

Now available at the 32nd America's Cup webstore, the Lladro collection is not what you would expect. All products feature a high-tech, modern look and make excellent and timely gifts.

Of most interest to Scuttlebutt Europe readers will be the two sizes of logbook which feature plenty of bonus content about the event and its host city, as well as a number of accessories. A letter opener and clip round out the range.

www.americascupstore.com/cart/lladro.asp?id=286&style_id=0&catid=286&view_cat_id=286

BAYLIS WINS 2007 ROLEX WOMEN'S MATCH
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA: Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.) and her San Francisco Women's Match Racing Team won the 2007 Rolex Women's Match, hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) from April 5-9. Sailing with Baylis were crew members Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.), Karina Shelton (Watsonville, Calif.) and Suzy Leech (Simsbury, Conn.). A total of 10 teams competed in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 3 match-racing regatta, where world match racing champion and five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) conducted the two-day match-racing clinic that preceded competition in Sonar keelboats. With the win, Baylis, along with second-place finisher Rachel Silverstein (St. Petersburg, Fla.), gained an automatic invitation into the Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 regatta, to be held October 18-22, at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

The race committee, led by Principal Race Officer Pat Seidenspinner, held 17 flights of matches, for a total of 85 matches. The last day of racing was shortened slightly with the cancellation of the last flight of matches by Seidenspinner with co-organizer Tom Farquhar, who also served as an Umpire.

Final results 2007 Rolex Women's Match
1. Liz Baylis, USA, Lee Icyda, Karina Shelton, Suzy Leech
2. Rachel Silverstein, USA, Jee Lee, Kristen Herman, Becca Thomas
3. Sandy Hayes, USA, Nancy Haberland, Cindy Olsen, Kiki Zainea
4. Rossana Ramos, BRA, Raquel Aimone, Mariana Lacerda, Sandra Branchine
5. JoAnn Fisher , USA, Linda Hiller, Emma Jones, Lindsay Bartel
6. Arabella Denvir, USA, Jessamine Lewis, Lisa Denvir, Saskia Van Rijt
7. Maegan Ruhlman , USA, Martha Fisher, Amy Linton, Ashley Jerman
8. Louise Bienvenu , USA, Sarah Paisley, Jenn Millar
9. Verian Aguilar, USVI, Kelly O'Brien, Christine Thompson, Jessica Rosenberg
10. Karen Park , USA, Trisha Birkenstock, Liz Laborde, Merrill Varn

www.spyc.org
www.rolexwomensmatch.org

NORFOLK SEND-OFF
The skippers of the Velux 5 Oceans, the solo round the world yacht race, are making final preparations to their yachts down at the Waterside Marina in Norfolk (Virginia, USA), ahead of the final sprint back across the Atlantic to Bilbao (Basque Country).

The yachts will leave Norfolk at 13:00 on Sunday April 15 and the City of Norfolk is preparing a farewell that none of the skippers will soon forget. The programme kicks off with the official race exhibition, which opens on Thursday April 12 at 10:00. Entry is free and there will be shops selling race clothing and official merchandise. A race showcase will feature the highlights and low points of the race thus far, including the dramatic abandonment of HUGO BOSS (Alex Thomson) in the Southern Ocean and the rescue by his fellow competitor, British skipper Mike Golding, who was then forced to retire with a broken mast on ECOVER.

On Friday, April 13, from 16:00 - 15:00, there will be the Velux 5 Oceans "Party in the Park", sponsored by Sinclair Communications, to officially celebrate the Norfolk stopover. The public is welcome and encouraged to come on down and enjoy the festivities.

The race restart will be from a point just south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. At precisely 13:00, the starting gun will release the sailors on their final journey. But not without a send-off that involves a British aircraft carrier, a helicopter journey out to the start line for the skippers from downtown Norfolk, as well as music and festivities for the crowds of Norfolk well-wishers waving goodbye to the sailors from the Waterside Marina.

HMS OCEAN, the largest ship in the Royal Navy's fleet, has agreed to offer its world class services to the Velux 5 Oceans. She will provide facilities for media and the skippers alike, as helicopters from HMS OCEAN will take the skippers straight from downtown Norfolk out to the start area, before delivering them to their yachts via military power boat. HMS OCEAN will host journalists, guests and VIPs, providing one of the best views of the start at the mouth of the Chesapeake.

www.velux5oceans.com

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK
Falmouth Harbour, Antigua: With a new sponsor onboard and with a fresh injection of energy and spirit into what was already one of yacht racing's most anticipated annual events, the countdown to the 40th running of Antigua's classic week of sailing and partying has begun. Preparations for the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week festivities, scheduled for April 29-May 4, are already in full swing.

At the top of the list of changes for the venerable regatta is a new title sponsor: Stanford International Bank Ltd.

With three weeks still to go, 137 boats have thus far registered for the 2007 event. At the very top of that list is ABN AMRO ONE, the radical Volvo 70 that demolished the fleet in the recent running of the Volvo Round-the-World Race. Fresh from convincing victories in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and the BVI Spring Regatta, ABN AMRO ONE is in prime position to take overall honors in the 2007 Caribbean Big Boat Series. Skipper Mike Sanderson and his all-star crew will be looking to complete their trifecta of perfect scores during Stanford Antigua Sailing Week.

But ABN AMRO ONE is hardly the only boat with long-distance credentials. Andrew Pindar's Open 60 Pindar Alphagraphics is also a veteran of the marathon round-the-world circuit. Pindar and his crew will face staunch competition from local favorite Johnny Malbon on another Open 60, Artemis Ocean Racing. Both 60-footers will hope to hold off the charge of the 67-foot Adventure, a yacht that competed in Chay Blyth's Global Challenge race. Now crewed by a team of British Army soldiers, it's on a 10-leg tour around the planet with Antigua a welcome stop on the voyage.

In other Grand Prix action, the racing is expected to be close and up for grabs amongst three well-sailed, 60-foot Swans: Sir Peter Ogden's Spirit of Jethou, Leonardo Ferragamo's Cuordileone and Jim Swartz's Moneypenny. The Big Boat Racing division boasts another trio of top-flight yachts: Rivet Gaeton's turbo Andrews 70 Renegade, Clay Deutsch's Swan 68 Chippewa and Andrew Recordati's Wally 80 Indio. This year, multihulls will also be back in the Antigua mix, with John Winter's 80-foot catamaran Fat Cat topping the field thus far.

Visit the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week website at www.sailingweek.com

BURSARIES AVAILABLE FOR PRINCE WILLIAM'S AMERICAN VOYAGES
The Tall Ships Youth Trust are pleased to announce that special bursaries are now available for young people aged 16-25 to take part in the ASTA Tall Ships Challenge Atlantic Coast Series along the east coast of the USA.

Giles Pritchard Gordon, Tall Ships Youth Trust Trustee, has generously donated a limited number of bursaries of up to 500 pounds (USD1,000) per person for young people aged 16-25 to take part in the Voyages detailed below.

This means that on some voyages, young people may only need to find the cost of the flight! What a great opportunity to take part in the American Tall Ships Challenge.

Application instrucctions and list of voyages at
www.tallships.org/documentNews.asp?cat=520&doc=7208

BALTIC SPRINT CUP
Start: Copenhagen 20th July - Final prizegiving 3rd August.

Following entries confirmed so far:

Yacht LoA ft
GUNVOR XL - 46.0
Schuddelfrost - 36.1
TUI - 41.0
Xtra fun - 37.2
deep blue - 39.4
MELTEMI - 42.2
Tiger - 38.0
Solair - 60.0
Philomena - 46.0
Lille Bee - 42.0
Reiseschwein - 44.0
Haspa Hamburg - 47.5
Anna v Braun - 38.9
UNIVERSITAS - 39.6
TUULE - 44.7
Vakare - 44.7
Calypso - 82.0
CHAOS 40 - 39.6
XXL - 52.0
SINFONIE SYLT - 69.9

6 countries, 7 ports, 624 miles, 2 weeks and 2 days, 7 great parties - don't miss it!

The Baltic Sprint Cup 2007 is sponsored by Bank DnB NORD, Copenhagen.
www.balticsprintcup.com email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

MADDER THAN CUT SNAKES
"You see that boat with the sails up? Don't anchor near him; he's crazy". As some eagle-eyed forumites have spotted, a bizarre report entitled ' The Crazy Frenchman of Portobelo', relates the true story of a sailor who has recently been ramming other boats in an anchorage at night and setting fire to them.

Joshua Coxwell and Cheyenne Weil's fascinating cruising blog recounts one of the most bizarre stories of mental unravelling I've heard. This guy is madder than a junkyard dog! -- from Elaine Bunting's blog, www.ybw.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting.html

To read the full story with updates, go to sv-timemachine.net/?p=234

PRIDE OF BILBAO INCIDENT SANK OUZO
When three bodies were discovered floating south of the Isle of Wight on 22 and 23 August last year, a maritime tragedy unfolded that has stunned the sailing community in the UK. The arrest and subsequent charges against a Second Officer of the Pride of Bilbao, a P&O ferry heading for Bilbao from Portsmouth, seemed to confirm everyone's fears about the mysterious disappearance of the 25ft yacht, Ouzo.

Now, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published a full report into the disaster including these important findings:
1. The Pride of Bilbao reacted to a close encounter with a yacht on 21 August but thought the yacht had passed clear astern and did not stop to ensure she was safe
2. At no time did the yacht show up on the ferry's radar screens
3. The ferry reached a waypoint and slowly altered course towards Ouzo, without seeing her, only 4 to 7 minutes before the incident.
4. The lookout did not see the yacht's lights until it was about 300m away
5. The lack of an EPIRB, liferaft or waterproof VHF aboard Ouzo meant the crew in the water were less likely to survive
6. Had help been called, it's likely at least one of the yachtsmen would have been rescued

Full story on Practical Boat Owner:
www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070311234157pbogeneral.html

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 Ron Holland: I am sorry to inform you that Michelle Dunne, my long time assistant passed away last Thursday evening April 5th after a short illness. As a significant member of Ron Holland Design for over twenty years, I know our friends and clients will miss her as we all will.

CORRECTION
The link used in the Louis Vuitton Cup Pairing List story last night was wrong. It should be: blog.bmworacleracing.com/files/070407_pairing_lists-1

THE LAST WORD
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. -- Andy Warhol

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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