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NO BLOW... NO GO...
It's painful having to report that for the third consecutive day Valencia was windless and races had to be cancelled, once again. The weather was practically a repeat of Monday's and Tuesday's conditions and the breeze never went over 6 knots. As a result, the race committee decided to send everybody back to the Port at 4pm.

According to Chris Bedford, BMW Oracle meteorologist, this phenomenon is unusual but not atypical. In fact his team started collecting meteorological data on Valencia's water since 2004 and in that year there was a 5-day period early in May with extremely light winds, similar to the conditions we are experiencing since Monday. It's an unfortunate coincidence to have this period right at the beginning of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Concerning Thursday his forecast is for light winds, much similar to today's conditions. He isn't "horribly" optimistic and if we are lucky we might have one race. Friday isn't extremely promising either but the weekend there will be some improvement.

The main reason behind phenomenon is the still small temperature differential between land and sea. Despite the seemingly summer conditions with blue and sunny skies, the land doesn't heat up sufficiently in order to create the thermal breeze. During the night the minimum temperature drops into single digits and sunshine isn't strong enough to raise land temperature to the desired level.

Today's races have been rescheduled, with Flight 5 taking place next Tuesday, 23 April. Since all reserve space has already been allocated in Round Robin 1, Flight 6 will now be the second flight of the first day of Round robin 2, exactly a week from now. -- Valencia Sailing, valenciasailing.blogspot.com

* Bob Fisher: The race schedule is now well off the pace and it will certainly mean that Round Robin 1 will be completed after the inviolate rest day next Tuesday, the day on which mode alterations can be made to any boat, or other boats substituted. So, some of Round Robin 1 races (and there is the threat of an increasing number) may take place with quite different boats to the earlier part of the round.

Then, the completion of Round Robin Two may necessitate more than one race being held each day, and if the round is not completed by May 7th, only those races that can affect the outcome of which four go into the semi-finals will be held. I can almost guarantee that one or other of the lawyers of a team that loses a race because of this crying 'Foul.'

Tomorrow morning that we should learn more about Public Interpretation number 22, the one concerning the possibility of canting keels. Ken McAlpine, the Technical Director of the America's Cup Class, who issued the interpretation last June, has agreed to meet the press. We live in hope that he will explain the interpretation fully, but understand that he cannot reveal the name of the team posing the questions. -- Bob's full article in Sail-World.com: www.sail-world.com/nz/index.cfm?nid=32730

* We have the first winner of this week's America's Cup quiz, still waiting for #32... see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/index.php?option=com_philaform&form_id=5&Itemid=1

This week's question (it's multiple choice):
When did a yacht that finished first lose the race on handicap?

All entries get a shot at winning a 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup print.

VELUX 5 OCEANS
At 12:20 PM (16:20 GMT) on Wednesday April 18, the start gun for the final leg of The Ultimate Solo Challenge fired in the waters off the Virginian coastline. After a postponed start in Norfolk due to severe weather conditions created by the large storm on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, the fleet of four Open 60 yachts began the final sprint back to Bilbao, the start and finish port of the Velux 5 Oceans.

The start, originally re-scheduled for 10:00 AM today, was delayed by just over two hours to allow an American Aircraft carrier to leave, accompanied by numerous support craft, a regular occurrence in this part of the world. Leaving from the protected Hamptons Road Bay, Unai Basurko's PAKEA was first across the line, after both Bernard Stamm (Cheminees Poujoulat) and Kojiro Shiraishi (Spirit Of Yukoh) went too early and were forced to power down so as not to cross the line before the gun. This left the young Basque skipper to charge from behind and be the first to cross the line and lead the charge for his home town across the Atlantic.

Basurko was quickly followed by Stamm and then Shiraishi, and finally Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on Saga Insurance only a short distance behind. However, within ten minutes of the start, PAKEA had dropped to the back of the fleet, with Cheminees Poujoulat and Spirit Of Yukoh already building a healthy lead as the yachts tacked to pass through the huge Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The start, which took place in sheltered waters, saw a northerly wind of around 15 knots power the Open 60s through calm waters. However, the conditions the other side of the Bridge-Tunnel should be much tougher, with stronger winds and large seas.

Back on the course, the most interesting battle will be between Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the British sailing legend, and Unai Basurko, the Basque hero. Basurko holds a 42 hour lead over the iconic solo sailor and will surely want to be one of the first to arrive back in his home town of Bilbao. The young skipper is counting the days until he sails under the famous 'Puente de Vizcaya' bridge, an important spiritual and emotional landmark for Basurko.

www.velux5oceans.com

OFFSHORE CHALLENGES IS HIRING
The Offshore Challenges Sailing Team, part of the OC Group owned by Mark Turner and Ellen MacArthur, are looking to employ a Media/Sponsor Account Manager for their IMOCA Open 60 sailing team, and a Senior Account Director to manage the new Title Sponsor to the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team.

Media/Sponsor Account Manager
Candidates must have a full range of skills covering both project management and media & communications. On the project management side the candidate will be required to develop feasible sporting and sponsorship plans in consultation with the sponsor and sailing team - and then will need to oversee delivery of these plans. On the media side the candidate will be required to manage a European media and race communications programme in its entirety to meet the objectives of the sponsors, competitors, public and media. In both respects, a knowledge of ocean racing will be very valuable.

Candidates must speak fluent Spanish and English (French also useful), be of senior management level, be willing to be based initially in Cowes, Isle of Wight and then in Barcelona in Spain between October 2007 to February 2008.

Please email letter of application and CV to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it stating "Media Account Manager Job Application" in subject title of email.

Senior Account Director
The key aspect of this role will be servicing a new major account, working closely with the client and the sailing team to ensure sponsorship strategies are developed and implemented effectively to meet and exceed objectives - and to ultimately grow the account over time. At the same time the role will involve working closely with the wider Commercial Team on maintaining existing smaller relationships and on developing new business - pitching for new accounts, promoting the company to potential clients and negotiating at a senior level. The nature of this role is such that the candidate will need to work predominantly from the company HQ in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, plus be willing to travel to London and beyond where necessary.

We are looking for someone with marketing / sponsorship experience within the sports field (knowledge of sailing would be an advantage) or related industries in the UK and Europe. A broad contact base with brands, rights holders and media owners would be an advantage, as would a good working knowledge of French. The successful candidate will also have a proven track-record of business development, client services and negotiation skills at a senior level, staff management experience plus general business planning skills.

This is a great opportunity to join a growing company as well as the chance to be instrumental in the company's continuing development in the UK and Europe.

Please email letter of application and CV to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it stating "Senior Account Manager Job Application" in subject title of email.

CHINA CONFIRMED AS VOR STOPOVER
Portsmouth (England: China was officially confirmed as a stopover host for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 at a press conference in Beijing today. A number of Chinese coastal cities will now vie for the right to be selected as host port for the race stopover in February 2009.

Glenn Bourke, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, was joined by representatives of the China Water Sports Administration Centre (CWSA), China Yachting Association (CYA) in making the announcement.

The Volvo Ocean Race and the CYA have also entered into a co-operation agreement to promote sailing in China. The deal will include a Chinese entry in the race.

The fleet will arrive in China at the time of the local spring festival in 2009. The stopover will include an in-port race. A number of events are planned for the three-week duration of the stopover.

The 2008-09 event will be the 10th running of this iconic ocean marathon.

volvooceanrace.org

GLYN CHARLES MEMORIAL PURSUIT RACE
Competing in (or simply watching!) the race is an enjoyable way to honour Glyn, sail around his beloved Chichester harbour, raise money for the John Merricks Trust - Glyn's favourite charity - and, of course, have a great chance to win one of many generous prizes.

Last year the Rushalls missed out: we were stuck on a slow boat between Newport and Bermuda. We hear that the 2006 GCMPR was another great race, with an amazing array of prizes distributed throughout the fleet. But we aim to be back at Hayling Island Sailing Club for this year's race on 19th May. We hope to see you there.

If you think you might help with prizes this year, we'll be glad to hear from you: please e mail Mark Rushall: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This years race is on Saturday 19th May
The first start will not be before 12 noon.

The notice of race is on:
www.hisc.co.uk/nor/GlynCharlesPursuitNOR07v1.pdf

Full start sequence will be on the HISC website soon, as soon as I have it I will put a copy on
www.rushall.demon.co.uk/mark/glyn_charles_pursuit_race.htm

READY TO SEE SOME FAST AMERICA'S CUP ACTION?
Seahorse readers will shortly be mailed copies of 'There is no Second' - the Seahorse guide to the 32nd America's Cup.

Scuttlebutt and her sister title Scuttlebutt Europe have been given exclusive access to 20,000 free digital preview copies of this title - download it fast, when the meter hits 20K the shutters will come down!

The address will be posted here next week.

LAUNCHINGS
* The historic sailing schooner C.A. Thayer was rechristened on Thursday 12 April at the Maritime National Park in San Francisco, marking the completion of a $14 million, three-year rebuilding job on the 112-year-old vessel.

The Thayer is one of only two survivors of a fleet of hundreds of sailing vessels that carried lumber along the West Coast in the heyday of coastal shipping.

The Thayer itself was built at Fairhaven, a small town near Eureka in Humboldt County. After years as a lumber ship and a later career as a cod fishing vessel in Alaska, the Thayer became a museum ship in 1957. The ship was designed to last only 20 years, and was well over a century old when a massive rebuilding job became necessary. The ship was towed to Bay Ship and Yacht Co. in Alameda in 2004 and almost completely rebuilt by the National Park Service. The cost was $14 million.

The Thayer was taken out of the water and rebuilt at a former airplane hangar in Alameda. The project, said historian Steve Canright, "is a piece of wooden shipbuilding that has not been seen in this country since ... World War I." Canright is the historian for the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, which owns the ship.

Visitors can see the Thayer alongside the Hyde Street Pier. The vessel is not yet open to the public.

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/12/BAGUMP7HEA5.DTL

* A new epoxy FRP version of Jack Holt's classic Solo design brings a sense of reality and quality that is a world away from the early plastic horrors that now crumble away in dinghy parks across the country.

With the freedom to produce freeform shapes in grp, designers or at least builders churned out a veritable armada of dubious plastic bathtubs to fill each new perceived niche.

Many of these products were intended to replace the old racing classes that were considered past their sell date. Classes that had been conceived in the era of clinker construction and bronze fittings and the later plywood designs - all sharp edges and flat surfaces - did suffer from poor techniques in the early years of conversion to grp construction.

But, quality will out, and several racing classes designed in the 1950s have had remarkable staying power. The designs of Jack Holt have shown that a well designed little'n will beat a bodged big'n.

One, the Solo, recently celebrated 50 years since Jack Holt produced the snub-nosed single hander that continues to confound the modern throwaway school of boat design. With several 'modern' dinghy designs looking decidedly shoddy round the edges and crumbling away in dinghy parks across the country, the Solo goes from strength to strength.

Now something of a restoration favourite, the Solo is still available in wood, frp or frp/wood versions from a number of specialist boat builders. Alongside the 'furniture' finished customised specials, a number of 'plastic' hulls have been produced that are a world away from the early horrors, and these have driven the resurgence of the class.

The two main manufactures, Winder and Speedsail, have now been joined by an all new epoxy FRP hull from Steve Boon. Steve has been producing top class wooden Solos for 15 years but decided that rather than deck competitors FRP hulls, when he could get them, he would produce a complete new hull incorporating his own ideas.

Complete article and photos at
www.sail-world.com/uk/index.cfm?nid=32641&rid=3

* The O'pen BIC has been officially approved by the Federation Francaise de Voile (FFV) for the 2007 season and beyond. Together with the FFV's outside sponsor, Orange (telecommunications company), small fleets of complete boats will be delivered to 20-25 French Sailing Schools nationwide.

This deal was made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Orange, and their interest in promoting sailing with kids. Their support allowed us to make a very attractive offer to clubs to get the O'pen BIC kick started in France. Of interest, was that the FFV sold the O'pen BIC to their clubs by stating that: "In 2006, 9-14 year olds represented by far the biggest proportion of participants in our Sailing Schools (more than 70% of participants were less than 14 years old). However, their commitment to sailing is a major problem for both the Federation and its clubs (15-20 year olds represent only 13% of participants in our Sailing Schools). The quality and attractiveness of children's participation in our Sailing Schools determines their participation later. It is therefore essential that we propose at this young age, equipment and practice that correspond to their wishes."

* Alex Bennett's new FujiFilm Class 40 hull was taken out from the female moulds this weekend. A real milestone event for the project ! See the campaign website www.alexbennett.co.uk for the latest pictures and info.

* Broadblue Catamarans has announced its first new design for 2007, the Broadblue 415, positioned squarely between the company's Broadblue 385 and the Broadblue 435..

Featuring the same intrinsic standards of her sister yachts, the Broadblue 415 is based on the proven and very successful design of the 435 model at a considerable cost saving. The 415 will boast more accommodation than the Broadblue 385 and less complexity than the Broadblue 435.

Broadblue has selected the Ossa Powerlite propulsion system as an option on its forthcoming range of boats and the 415 will be the first in the line to be available with this diesel electric drive system. While other electric motor drives are available, the Ossa Powerlite offers a host of advantages such as providing a generator without added cost, sufficient to run a full DC/AC system including air conditioning.

* JG Boats, based on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia, has started work on a five-boat order of "Miri Magic's" for Troy Yaw in Sarawak. According to a company statement, the boat is an 8m (26ft) long performance racing sailboat designed by Perth-based naval Architect, Malcolm Runnalls. It is also known as the Runnalls 8 in Australia.

The statement noted that the company intends to build a fleet of one-class racing keelboats to give Malaysia "access to this popular sport and an opportunity to train local sailors to become valuable crew members or form racing teams to contest future match and fleet racing events in SE Asian waters."

Australian Paul Scholten is overseeing the project with 25 employees. AG boats has built a number of high-tech composite yachts in Malaysia over the last 7 years. The company has manufactured over 50 yachts from 8 to 30 meters in length.

The Miri Magic's composite construction consists of a vacuum bagged DIAB foam core, with E glass laminate bonded together using Vinyl Ester resin that produces high strength and light weight construction ratios. Each vessel will be identical since Yaw intends to use these boats for match racing events planned later this year. That includes the Borneo Challenge in September. -- International Boat Industry news, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070312163840ibinews.html

* The construction of the first OVNI 495 is underway at the French shipyard Alubat. Alubat is getting organized with a view to dealing with the strong increase in sales volumes which it expects on the segment of 50 footers.

Three units are already sold. The launching and tests at sea are planned to take place in mid-June. The OVNI 495, which has been designed by Philippe Briand, will be the flagship of the line and will be presented in a preview showing on the occasion of the next "Grand Pavois" boat show of La Rochelle.

Like all centerboarders of the OVNI line, the 495 will permit, thanks to its low draught, to have access to the most remote areas. -- voilesnews.fr/en/info_14_8204.html?nid=38000239

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 Tom Hayhoe: If the punters and media rights owners in Valencia in mid April 2007 are disappointed about lack of wind, spare a thought for competitors and supporters (and media rights owners) in Quingdao in August 2008!

FEATURED BROKERAGE
1997 Santa Cruz 72' DONNYBROOK, $650,000 usd Located in Simson Bay, St Maarten

A World-Class Offshore Racer / Cruiser, modified Bill Lee designed Santa Cruz 70. Custom built by NEB, Donnybrook is 2.5' longer to include a stern scoop/swim platform. DONNYBROOK also features a wider beam that carries well aft adding form stability for greater upwind and offshore performance. DONNYBROOK is an effective offshore racing yacht capable of exciting performance and includes a comfortable and complete interior capable of extended cruising. This is a fast, safe, and exciting yacht race ready to compete in the HSH Nordbank Blue Race.

Brokerage through Farr Yacht Sales: www.FarrYachtSales.com

Complete listing details and seller contact information at:
www.farrdesign.com/brokerage/Donnybrook.htm

THE LAST WORD
Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance? -- Charlie McCarthy

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

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