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

BREAKAWAY TACTICS SEE LUNA ROSSA TOPPLE BMW ORACLE
Two more contrasting styles in match racing you could not have hoped to see today. With the wind blowing off the city for the opening matches of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals, the fluky, shifty conditions made it a tough call as to whether afterguards should be chasing the best breeze or defending position on the race course.

Luna Rossa and BMW Oracle Racing seemed to favour the former – chasing the breeze at the expense of tactical positioning – while Emirates Team New Zealand never allowed Desafio Espanol room to breathe. The Kiwis were all over the Spanish like a rash, and while it never meant Dean Barker could put any sort of comfortable distance between him and Karol Jablonski, at least it meant he won the race.

The Italians and Americans, on the other hand, were playing a much faster and looser game, rolling the dice for a six and hoping for the best. Luna Rossa tactician Torben Grael is notorious for going for the big gamble, and quite often makes it pay... The American team put their faith in the right, and it didn't pay off, as they trailed Italy by 52 seconds at the top mark, an immense delta at this level.

The pressure must be beginning to tell on the American camp. After all, this is not a one-off. BMW Oracle could have played a tighter match to the Kiwis last Wednesday in the final decisive match of the Round Robins. By opting for a big split they lost out to Emirates Team New Zealand then, and they have done it again today against Italy.

In shifty conditions it's a tough call knowing how to juggle priorities between best breeze and best tactical position. However, for a team with so well equipped for close quarters combat, it's surprising to see BMW Oracle try to fight their battles with inaccurate long-range weapons rather than getting stuck in to some hand-to-hand fighting. It will be interesting to see if Dickson, Brady and Isler decide to fix bayonets next time. -- Andy Rice in the SailJuice blog: sailjuice.blogspot.com

32ND AMERICA'S CUP - THE GAME
Just released to universal acclaim, 32nd America's Cup - The Game is the latest installment from the producers that brought you Virtual Skipper. Using a brand new Virtual Skipper 5 graphic engine, 32nd America's Cup puts you in Port America's Cup helming any of the 12 teams currently in Valencia. It's as close to reality as it is possible to be - unless you are expecting a call-up for helming duty any time soon.

Designed for PC, the game features many different modes of game play as well as a tutorial functions teaching sailing basics, networked gaming capability and a film-making function. Playable from ages 3-103.

boutique.gamesplanet.com/campagne/promo.html?partenaire=9&jeu=VSK5&affilie=23

43RD CON CUP STARTS TUESDAY, WITH ANOTHER GAME IN SPAIN
Long Beach, California, USA: It's a rare spring when the Congressional Cup comes around and most of the world's famous match-racing sailors aren't competing in Long Beach. This week several are sailing in another event in Spain, including the older brother of Long Beach resident Scott Dickson and also a sailor of some notoriety.

The Long Beach Yacht Club's 43rd Congressional Cup, presented by Acura, runs Tuesday through Saturday, but Scott Dickson was up early Monday morning watching Chris Dickson sail U.S. entry BMW Oracle in the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger semifinals for the America's Cup (regrettably losing to Italy's Luna Rossa in an upset).

Dickson represents the host club in his 11th Con Cup, which also has France's Mathieu Richard---currently ranked second by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF)-and Eugeniy Neugodnikov (No. 6) and Andrew Arbuzov (No. 24), the event's first Russian competitors since Andrei Nikolayev in 1998.

The field is completed by France's Damien Iehl (10), Sweden's Johnie Berntsson (13), New Zealand's Simon Minoprio (17), Sweden's Martin Angsell (22), the U.S.'s Brian Angel of nearby Redondo Beach (35) and Poland's Przemek Tarnacki (51).

The event will be managed by about 300 LBYC volunteers, including hostess teams for each crew. The competitors, six to a crew, will sail 10 Catalina 37s, rotating boats each day. Each team will race every other team twice. The six that fail to reach Saturday's semifinals will sail a 10-mile fleet race on the final championship day.

The total purse will be $41,000, including $10,000 to the winner. -- Rich Roberts

Video highlights produced by t2p.tv will be available nightly on the event website www.lbyc.org/concup/

REGATTA DEBUT FOR THE MEAN MACHINE VO70
It's been five month since Peter de Ridder's team acquired the VO 70 currently used for training in preparation for the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

The moment has arrived for the Mean Machine Volvo Ocean Race team to take to the water and compete in their first regatta. The 70-footer with the characteristic flames on the bow of its black hull is heading home to Holland, to take part in the North Sea Regatta.

This is the first race date for the Mean Machine round the world team. Peter de Ridder, Ray Davies, and Dirk de Ridder's project will hit the starting line in the Dutch waters of Scheveningen on May 15th, where they will then head for the English coast.

The first offshore leg is between Scheveringen and Harwich, and covers a distance of 110 miles. Arrival on UK shores is forecasted for the daybreak of the next day, but the Mean Machine crew will have to wait until the 18th of May to take part in the second of the long distance legs.

For that leg, racing will be in the opposite direction, as the teams complete the Harwich - Scheveningen offshore leg also rounding some marks and with 180 nautical miles in length.

As well as the official crew, the powerful VO 70 Mean Machine will also welcome a special guests aboard, who've definitely earned the privilege of joining the crew for this regatta. He is the winner of the Volvo Ocean Race Grinding Competition held at the 2007 London Boat Show.

During the winter months the team worked hard on many of the core aspects relating to the design of the future VO 70 that they will take to the Volvo Ocean Race. Much investigation and research has gone into areas such as sail development, where tests were carried out in wind tunnels in New Zealand; and also load tests, using the VO 70 test boat.

www.mean-machine.nl

SKANDIA COWES WEEK WELCOMES THE EXTREME 40S
The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series is coming to Skandia Cowes Week, this summer. The third and penultimate event of the iShares Cup will run over three days from the 3-5 August as part of the World's longest-running and largest sailing regatta (3-11 August).

The iShares Cup comprises four premier regattas and showcases some of the world's most exciting racing at Europe's leading sailing venues. The seven high-performance 40-foot catamarans will do battle on race courses set as close to the shore as possible, providing continuous high-octane action for spectators. OC Events racing manager, Alan Hillman, commented: "At the iShares Cup event in Cowes the crews with be making sure they have as much 'local knowledge' as possible to deal with the tricky tidal and weather conditions of The Solent. Being the penultimate event, the competition amongst the seven boats will be fierce as they go head to head in a battle of speed, endurance, teamwork and quick thinking."

Following the three days of iShares Cup racing, Skandia Cowes Week spectators will also have the added bonus of some exhibition sailing as the Extreme 40s put on a sailing display every day from the 7-9 August in front of The Green, West Cowes.

During Skandia Cowes Week, the Extreme 40 fleet will be based at the iShares race village at Shepards Wharf allowing the public to get close up to these twin-hull speed machines. Crewed by four sailors, these boats also compete with a VIP or media guest who will get to experience all of the thrills of these boats first-hand.

www.iSharesCup.com
www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk

THE 32ND AMERICA'S CUP FROM YOUR BOAT
The America's Cup is in Europe for the first time in 156 years. And you can see it with your own eyes. Be on the front row and moor your boat in one of the 636 berths at Port America's Cup Marina.

Not only will you be able to watch the ACC boats passing along the canal, but you will also be at the heart of this unique nautical event.

Enjoy the regattas, parties, restaurants, bars. Enjoy the 32nd America's Cup continuous show!

Port America's Cup: at the heart of the passion.
Tariffs and booking are available on www.portamericascup.com

ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP
The ISAF Sailing World Cup has been in the planning for several years, and in November 2006, ISAF approved the initial six events and the overview event concept, with the ISAF Executive Committee charged to finalize details.

The objective of the ISAF Sailing World Cup is to provide a clear competition structure for Olympic sailing and enhance Olympic sailing for the competitors, provide a media and marketing tool to benefit sponsors, event organizers, the sailors and the sport, and to promote and educate people about sailing.

In November 2006, ISAF approved that a series of events will combine under the umbrella of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, with the subject to contract the initial events being:

- Sail Melbourne
- Rolex Miami OCR
- Princess Sofia Trophy
- Semaine Olympique Francaise
- Holland Regatta
- Kiel Week

The ISAF Sailing World Cup will kick off in 2008 and ISAF has been working in partnership with the event organizers to finalize details of the concept and calendar scheduling.

A consistent approach will be taken not only on the competition format across the World Cup events, but also on media activities, marketing and the event brand. As part of their commitment to the World Cup, each event organizer will be required to contribute towards TV production, to an amount which will be matched by ISAF and put in entirety towards the television production and distribution.

From 2009 onwards, the scheduling of Sail Melbourne and Rolex Miami OCR will be moved to enable competitors to compete in both events, with Sail Melbourne during the second week of January and Rolex Miami OCR during the second week of February.

A sailor's finishing place at each individual event in the World Cup series will count towards his ISAF Sailing World Cup score, using a high point scoring system and no discard. The intention is to also count results from the individual Olympic Class World Championships within the World Cup scoring. However, as at the moment Kiel Week is the last event in the World Cup series, World Championships will need to have concluded prior to Kiel in order to be included.

From 2010 onwards, ISAF plans to introduce a Grand Final which will take place in the months after Kiel Week and see the top sailors from the series in a 'head to head' Grand Final at a venue which will be moved around the world each year.

ISAF also intends to add additional non-European events to the World Cup series in the coming years, with an initial focus on an event in Asia.

sailing.org

OPEN 60 NEWS
* Roland Jourdain has announced Jean-Luc Nélias as his co-skipper onboard his IMOCA open 60 Veolia Environnement for the Barcelona World Race, the doublehanded, non-stop around the world race, starting from Barcelona on 11th November. Their first race together will be in August for the Rolex Fastnet Race, the prologue for the Barcelona World Race.

* Air Liquide have announced their new deal with Yannick Bestaven and his Open 60 Aquitaine Innovations as a technical partner. The company will bring to the project all their know-how in hydrogen and fuel cells. Their contribution will also give the already innovative project an environmentally friendly side. www.yannickbestaven.com

* Artemis Ocean Racing skipper, Jonny Malbon and his co-skipper Graham Tourell left Antigua on Saturday 5th May heading for Southampton, UK. The crossing should take around 12 days and will serve as the duo's qualifier for the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre race starting from Le Havre in November.

From their site, 14 May, 1450 miles to go and surfing at 25 knots:

Awesome day yesterday, absolutely flying with full main and A6 (fractional spinnaker) and then 1 reef and A6? We were 'smoking'! Breeze up to 29 knots for a while with a great sea state allowing some lovely long surfs of 25, 26, 27 knots for minutes at a time. Speed topped out at 28.5, and we were averaging 19, so all in all the best day on the water you could hope for. Pretty grey and miserable but who cares!

Just after dark the breeze dropped for a while, and then it came back; Up to 25 knots again! It was incredibly dark and we were flying blind down big seas at 25 knots. Pretty full on when one of you is on deck and the other is trying to sleep. It is an amazing feeling sending yourself down a wave at pace, with no idea of where you are going to steer, how deep the trough is, and whether or not you are just going to slam in the one in front and turn the boat into a white wash. The utter darkness was enhanced by incredible phosphorescence in the water. -- www.artemisoceanracing.com

PETERS & MAY FRANCE FULLY OPERATIONAL
Peters & May's new logistics operation in La Ciotat, France is now fully operational providing a full range of services for businesses in the shipyard and yachts based there. There is also a bonded warehouse facility which could prove an important benefit for superyachts.

Contact can be made through the three experienced staff, Alain Rigaud (Mob: +33 (0) 6 80 44 57 23, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Antoine Pinson (Mob: +33(0) 6 377 822 18, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), and Jean Claude Verany (Mob: +33 (0) 6 37 78 23 52, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

The French office can also manage marine cargo movements throughout France and is already working closely with the other Peters & May offices in Palma, Valencia and around the world.

www.petersandmay.com

INDUSTRY NEWS
Statement from the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show today:

A group of large yacht manufacturers have been brought together by the BMF to express their full support for the London Boat Show at Excel. We the organisers of the Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show fully understand their position and would have been surprised had they felt otherwise, as these companies were prime movers in taking the show to Excel from Earls Court.

As we have previously stated, we remain fully supportive of the BMF and recognise the importance of the many contributions they make on behalf of their members. We have also made it clear we are not in anyway trying to replicate the current boat show at ExCel.

Whyte and Mackay's generous sponsorship of the Earls Court Boat Show should however also be recognised as a new and substantial contribution to the boating fraternity and to the benefit of the industry. In addition, we will be raising money for The Princes Trust, one of our main charities, which will help many young people get the training they need to find work through the maritime industry. We very much wish to work alongside the BMF for the greater good and have no intention whatsoever of taking part in any confrontation.

We have the luxury of developing our show specifically for the benefit of the customer, the heartland of the boating community. We will continue to develop the show in response to requests for new product, inter-action, entertainment, education and hospitality.

Customers have specifically asked to see new product in London, and we are delighted to launch our "New Product Showcase." Every week we will release details of innovative products to be exhibited at the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show.

This week we are pleased to announce an exclusive appearance in London of an exciting new product from the U.S.

Prosser Marine will be exhibiting seven "Cruisers Yachts" at Earls Court; these motor yachts provide great performance and exceptional value for potential buyers. We‟re looking forward to seeing more familiar UK manufactures alongside the many international exhibitors at the show.

This is great news for customers that will have the opportunity to view a diverse range of new product, and I'm sure we will see a lot of these new products in UK marinas around the coast in 2008.

We continue to consider the interests of the customer and believe there is much to be gained for the industry as a whole by the peaceful coexistence of both events.

* Fareham-based Premier Shipping and Packing is now in talks with Cowes Week to take on the 1.25m pound regatta sponsorship.

The bid, described by Echo Business as audacious, goes against the grain for Cowes Week, which had been widely tipped to attract backing from luxury brands such as Hugo Boss or Henri Lloyd.

PSP - which would call the event PSP Cowes Week - is thought to be competing with three other companies for the prestige sponsorship.

Southampton-based financial services firm Skandia pulled the plug on its Cowes Week sponsorship in March, making next year its 14th and last event.

PSP's move to take Cowes Week on from 2009 is underpinned by a multi-million-pound buyout of the firm by an American rival, which aims to expand on PSP's toehold in the lucrative boat transportation market.

Although he refused to name the US suitor, PSP owner Frank Dixie said they had identified Cowes Week as the perfect profile builder and have the money to pull off the deal. -- Full story in Boating Business, www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/june/news/fareham_freight_firm_in_cowes_week_bid

* Top US Superyacht builder Palmer Johnson is set to move into East Cowes, initially creating 70 jobs, writes Iain Sutherland.

The design and engineering team of the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, based company is behind some of the fastest, most luxurious and expensive Superyachts in the world.

The Isle of Wight Economic Partnership (IWEP)and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) have been working with Palmer Johnson since 2006 and the Cowes Waterfront partners have planning permission for a temporary production facility at Venture Quays, best known for its giant Union Flag hangar.

The move is part of a European expansion for Palmer Johnson that will see the company produce 120ft+ Superyachts at East Cowes. 'Cowes Harbour is considered a prestigious location in the yachting world,' said a company spokesman. 'In our area of luxury yachts, image and quality are major selling points. The Isle of Wight also gives us excellent connections to our growing European customer base.'

The company also feels it will be able to recruit the right workforce, possibly attracting skilled workers back to the Island. -- Full article at www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/june/news/palmer_johnson_sets_up_in_cowes

THE LAST WORD
Scientists announced today that they have discovered a cure for apathy. However, they claim no one has shown the slightest interest in it. -- George Carlin

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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