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

ALMOST TOTAL DOMINATION
Vincent Riou and his crew have just completed a virtually faultless race, at the head of the fleet since two days after the start on Sunday 3rd June: crossing the finish line in Calais at 21 hours 37 minutes 36 seconds on Tuesday 12th June, PRB (II) wins its first race since its launch in September 2006.

Whilst virtually the whole Calais Round Britain Race has been coloured by breezes of less than 18 knots and a good dose of fog over the past 1,815 miles, the last few tacks were devoured at high speed in a W'ly air flow, building dramatically over the course of the afternoon to reach in excess of 25 knots on the approach to Pas de Calais. Accompanied by Sebastien Josse, Hugues Destremau, Eric Carret and Jean-Marc Failler, Vincent Riou has taken 9 days 07 hours 7 minutes 36 at an average speed of 8.13 kts to circumnavigate the British Isles, racking up his second victory in this event after that of 2003 (9d 9h 48' 51).

The winner of the last Vendee Globe has perfectly controlled his ten competitors, only leaving Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) the leadership for a day and a half as the fleet hot-footed it out of the Channel (from 4/06 at 0800 to 5/06 to 1600 hours)… And though the two crews shadowed each other around the coast of Ireland, it was during the tacking frenzy offshore of the Hebrides that PRB really managed to break away: whilst Jean Le Cam persevered right the way along the coastline of the Isle of Lewis. Vincent Riou broke the tactical control to concentrate on strategy, by making as much Northing as possible so as to be the first to reap the benefits of a wind shift expected over Shetland. And with a ten mile lead at Saint Kilda (8th June at 1200 hours), they stretched their lead to twenty miles as they passed Muckle Flugga at the Northern tip of the archipelago, at 61 degrees North (9th June at 2000 hours).

Unfortunate during the last Route du Rhum following a dismasting the day after the start, the skipper of PRB can be satisfied with his effective winter programme of work in Port la Foret, NW France, where his latest generation Farr design was built. An excellent taster of the kind of performance that is in view for the Fastnet Race (August) and the double-handed circumnavigation with Sebastien Josse in the Barcelona World Race (November).

Behind this unrivalled winner, Jeremie Beyou (Delta Dore) is likely to finish in the early hours of Wednesday after a pretty little E'ly offshore option in the North Sea, closely followed by Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) and a little further back, Dominique Wavre (Temenos).

Behind, the battle for fifth place is still very much on. Four monohulls are still very bunched with a last stretch of tacking still ahead for Generali (Yann Elies), Artemis Ocean Racing (Jonny Malbon), Roxy (Samantha Davies) and Akena Verandas (Arnaud Boissieres). Dee Caffari (Aviva) is bringing up the rear, with a finish expected on Wednesday night.

All of these crew will be keen to beat the record for the Dover-Calais crossing, held by Charles Heidrich in 2003, in a time of 1 hour 18 minutes and 50 seconds. A time which Vincent Riou and his four crew have just beaten in a time of 1hr 8 minutes and 57 secs at an average speed of 7.35 kts.

calaisroundbritainrace.com

INSHORE RACING COMPLETED AT GIRAGLIA ROLEX CUP
St.Tropez, France / Genoa, Italy: The third day of inshore races drew to a close here today in St. Tropez with very light winds and a race that reaffirmed the positions of yesterday's leaders. In the IRC class, Alfa Romeo's lead never faltered as she finished the race in 1st position, 12 minutes ahead of Wild Oats XI who ended up finishing 3rd in the race after Magic Carpet Squared took 2nd place on corrected time. The Overall standings see Alfa Romeo in the top position, followed by Magic Carpet Squared in 2nd and Wild Oats XI in 3rd. In the IMS Class Group A, Edimetra VI came 1st overall, followed by Atalanta II and Nikimar who took 2nd and 3rd overall respectively. Group B saw Calima take 1st overall, followed by Citta' Di Genova in 2nd and Lima Golf 3 in 3rd.

It was the last day of the 2007 Giraglia Rolex Cup inshore races here in Saint Tropez and tensions were high as the leaders of each class set out on the water.

Today's races saw the first part of this weeklong regatta come to a close as the focus now shifts towards the second part of the Giraglia Rolex Cup. Tomorrow will see the start of the offshore race that is known as the "The Fastnet of the Mediterranean", a race that is well into her 55th year and that is one of the most popular regattas in Southern Europe. The Giraglia Race is a famous 243-mile course that takes the boats from the Gulf of St Tropez, South West along the French coast, around the island of Levant, across the Ligurian Sea and to the Giraglia Rock just North of Corsica before finishing in front of the Italian Port of Genoa. The Giraglia Rock is one of yacht racing's most famous landmarks, lending her name and serving as the turn mark for this now classic regatta.

At the end of the offshore race trophies and prizes are will be awarded to the top three yachts in each class based on corrected time. The first boat to round the Giraglia Rock will be awarded the Beppe Croce Trophy, the Rolex Trophy and the Rene Levainville Trophy are awarded to the yacht that wins line honours, and the Giraglia Rolex Cup will be awarded to the boat with the best corrected time overall for the long race.

The weather forecasts remain as varied and as unpredictable as ever, with very light breezes of 4-6 knots forecasted for tomorrow from east south-easterly directions in the morning that shift to south-westerly winds in the afternoon. One never knows what the weather will do for the Giraglia Race but the start is tentatively scheduled for 12 noon tomorrow. www.yci.it , www.snst.org , www.regattanews.com

B&G TALKS INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION
Accurate calibration of your chosen instrument system is essential to make informed decisions when racing or cruising.

To start you must have the measured functions correct. For obvious safety reasons depth should be calibrated first from either the waterline or bottom of the keel. To eliminate compass deviation, heading calibration should be carried out. Target speeds and angles go to waste if boat speed is inaccurate, even by a few tenths of a knot. Finally proper calibration of the wind function is vital to assess the performance.

Join us for the first B&G tutorial focused on Depth Calibration on June 21st in Scuttlebutt Europe.

www.bandg.com - Committed to performance sailing.

LEARNING FROM PRACTICE?
The 23 crews making their final preparations for the Trofeo Alicante, the curtain raiser for the 2007 Breitling MedCup TP52 season, will be hoping for a more solid, settled breeze than they had for today's practice race.

For the record it was the brand new Judel Vrolijk pair, Alberto Roemmers' Siemens Matador and Stuart Robinson's Stay Calm which broke the finish line first and second today, but there is very little to be inked into the form book based on today's race.

While the two new Rolf Vrolijk designs were able to pace each other around the track, the reigning champion Peter de Ridder and Mean Machine Valle Romano became stuck in traffic early in the first leg, but they have consistently proven over the last few days that they will still be the team to beat while the nine crews with new boats get to grips with their craft.

The first of five 2007 Breitling MedCup regattas, the Trofeo Alicante starts with two or three windward leeward races Wednesday and runs through until Sunday.

Friday and Saturday will be coastal race days, according to the regatta schedule.

Top five finish order, practice race:

1. Siemens Matador (Judel Vrolijk 2007, Alberto Rommers)
2. Stay Calm (Judel Vroljk 2007, Stuart Robinson)
3. Balearia (Botin Carkeek 2005, Adolfo Udor)
4. Platoon (Judel Vrolijk 2006, Harm Muller Spreer)
5. CXG Corporation (Botin Carkeek 2007, Vicente Tirado)

www.medcup.org

* Photos of the practice race, courtesy Thierry Martinez, www.thmartinez.com , in the Scuttlebutt Europe gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

ART IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND
A fraction of a second. It is the difference between a magnificent and a mediocre sailing photograph according to Carlo Borlenghi, the official "eye" of the 32nd America's Cup.

"We are all at the same mark, in the same position, waiting for the same boat to arrive at the same moment, but there will be one who manages by one fraction of a second to achieve something more than the others."

Born in Bellano (Italy), Borlenghi grew up on Lago de Como. He studied hydraulic engineering and started taking photographs as a hobby. He would sell them to boat owners just to earn a few extra lira on Saturday afternoons in Milan. Suddenly the world of photography began to change, sponsors and commission services appeared. So began the career of the magician behind the lens who has never stopped studying, experimenting with new angles and ideas, and more importantly never stopped feeling excited about his work.

As well as collaborating with the world's best magazines and running an important photographic agency, Borlenghi has been involved with the America's Cup for over 20 years. He started in 1983 with the first Italian challenger Azzurra. He has not missed an edition since then, and has worked for several Italian teams: Italia (1987), Moro di Venezia (1992), Luna Rossa (2000 and 2003). In 1995 there was no Italian challenger but Carlo was there.

After so many years taking the photographs of one single team, Borlenghi has gone over "to the other side", and is today the official photographer for the 32nd edition of the America's Cup.

How has the work of a photographer changed in the digital era?

It has changed tremendously. The digital era is about quantity rather than quality. In the 32nd America's Cup races, my assistants and I might take around 1200 photographs a day. It is impossible to prepare them so carefully and that goes for all photographers. Web sites are updated very quickly and want the images immediately. We usually have very little time.

Does a digital photograph allow you to get away with everything?

You can get away with a lot. I was a lot more conservative before, because I couldn't throw films away but I can now take a lot more risks. Before the digital era, twenty years ago I would use about 10 or 20 films a day. Today I might use 200 photographs of the 1200 in a day's work.

Is it true that you can't swim?

Very true! And it means I have to be really careful. If you can't swim you are always alert, keeping the right distance and having full respect for the sea.

Full interview at www.americascup.com/en/acmag/votre_interview/index.php?idIndex=0&idContent=23543

QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST WAY TO SEE THE CUP RACES IN VALENCIA.
Our Shosholoza team spectator boat has a reserved place in the front row of the VIP zone closest to the start box and laylines. And, our rooftop terrace overlooks Alinghi, so you‚ll be up close both on land and sea. We have live TV and expert commentators on board. Shaded upper deck. Full buffet lunch with drinks. All the fun you would expect from "The Soul of Sailing". Many hotels available, we can help book rooms.GROUPS WELCOME.

Reserve tickets online at www.cupexperience.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

MINI LIONS
At 21h15 on Friday June 8, 2007 the last competitor of the Mini-Lions crossed the finishing line of the Mini-Lions 2007 organized by the SNGRPC. OK Baby closed this edition which had very little wind on most of the course. Psychological suffering for most sailors, who prefer normal winds.

The podium of Mini the Lions 2007 sees a complete internationalization, as much in series that out of prototype. The big winners (in the general classification) are Andrea Caracci and Enrico Podesta on Speedy Bonsaï 431 (proto Manuard 2003). In the series fleet, the victory is also Italian with Daniela Klein and Ernesto Moresino on Jolly Roger (Pogo 2).

The first boat in real time was Vecteur more, crewed by Claquin and Douguet, but following a protest of the race committee for not following obligatory VHF checkins, they were displaced to fourth by a penalty of 135 minutes lodged against them by committee.

Top five series boats:
1. Jolly Roger, Daniela Klein
2. Mutenroy, Gerard Marin
3. Felibre, Sophie Gueroult
4. Bahia Aque, C. Brice
5. Consom Miro, Joel Garcia

Top five prototypes:
1. Speedy Bonsai, Andrea Caracci
2. Adrenaline, Laurent Bourgues
3. www.Akali.cat, Jordi Garriga
4. Vecteur Plus, Aloys Le Claquin
5. Zygomar, Mathieu Verrier

mini-lions2007.blogspot.com
seasailsurf.com

OYSTER: DOUBLE QUEENS AWARD YACHT BUILDERS
Due to expansion, Oyster Marine, the UK's leading yacht builder, has vacancies for Design Office staff.

We are currently looking for new people, ideally with an interest in yachts, to fill the following roles:

CAD Designer
Ideally with experience in developing production yacht interiors.

CATIA Designer/Draughtsperson
Experienced in CATIA v5.

Office Assistant
To take over the day-to-day tasks needed to keep the office running smoothly.

Please apply in confidence, in writing to: Alan Boswell,
Oyster Marine Ltd, Fox's Marina, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8SA,
or Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
No agencies thanks.

470 CLASS OPEN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thessaloniki, Greece: The ISAF Grade C1 470 Class Open European Championships for Men/Mixed and Women Crews were concluded Sunday by the final Medal Races. The Title of 470 Class European Champion Men goes to Alvaro Marinho and Miguel Nunes representing Portugal, the Women's Title to Stefanie Rothweiler and Vivien Kussatz representing Germany. The German Women win the Title for the second time. Both teams have been leading the Championship from the first day in their separate 470 Men and Women's Fleets.

After five days of racing and two days at the boat park because of bad weather, sailors and organizers can look back on a very well organized, challenging and successful event.

Medals - 470 Class European Championship Men (Overall top three the same)
Gold: Alvaro Marinho, Miguel Nunes, POR
SILVER: Nicolas Charbonnier, Olivier Bausset, FRA
Bronze: Gabrio Zandona, Andrea Trani, ITA

Medals - 470 Class European Championship Women
Gold: Stefanie Rottweiler, Vivien Kussatz, GER
Silver: Giulia Conti, Giovanna Micol, ITA
Bronze: Elisabetta Saccheggiani, Elisa Cecconi, ITA

Top 3 - 470 Class Open European Championship Women
1. Stefanie Rottweiler, Vivien Kussatz, GER
2. Giulia Conti, Giovanna Micol, ITA
3. Elise Rechichi, Tessa Parkinson, AUS

Event site: www.ncth.gr/470/
470 Class site www.470.org

LASER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Hyeres, France: Tom Slingsby (AUS) wrapped up victory at the ISAF Grade C1 Laser European Championship as the wind filled in for the final day of racing in Hyeres, France. Two bullets on the last day lifted Paul Goodson (GBR) up to second and top European, making him Laser European Champion for the third year in succession.

The sea breeze finally arrived in Hyeres on Friday for the end of a regatta otherwise dominated by light winds. The first race of the day began in seven knots, with world #1 Goodison posting his second consecutive bullet to put the pressure on Slingsby, who could only cross the line in 21st. However the Aussie world #2 was let off the hook by his closest challengers Nick Thompson (GBR) and Michael Leigh (CAN), who could only finish 31st and 14th respectively. In the final race another finish in the 30s put paid to any medal hopes for Thompson, whilst Goodison again found the winning formula. However this time Slingsby responded, crossing the line in third to take overall victory by 11 points. Leigh came in 15th to place third overall.

In the Laser Youth Europeans, Philipp Buhl (GER) had a great final day to claim the title ahead of Igor Lisovenko (RUS) and Emil Cedergardh (SWE). -- ISAF, sailing.org

Top five:
1. Tom Slingsby, AUS, 22 points
2. Paul Goodison, GBR, 33
3. Michael Leigh, CAN, 44
4. Jean Baptiste Bernaz, FRA, 52
5. Bernard Luttmer, CAN, 54

Event site: events.laserinternational.org/en/events/overview/100z1

BERMUDA 1-2
Saturday morning Newport Rhode Island was a good place to leave. It was foggy and wet. Forty-one single-handed boats started the 16th biennial Bermuda 1-2 Race and headed south on their 635-mile crossing to Bermuda.

The fog that shrouded harbour lifted shortly before the start and a light south-westerly breeze gave the boats a spinnaker or code zero starboard start against a foul tide. As the boats sailed past an incoming ship in the East Passage, a light rain began to fall. These solo sailors were really looking forward to Bermuda even though it was still a wet lumpy ride across the ocean to the finish off St. Georges.

Racing got started with Class 5 that had just two boats, an Open 40 called Wild Eyes sailed by Michael Millard and the Open 50 sailed by Joe Harris. Wild Eyes is the former Velocity that Bermudian Alan Paris sailed in the Around Alone Race in 2002-03. Gryphon Solo is on her second trip to Bermuda in a month.

Harris took line honours in the Charleston to Bermuda Race on May 24th, and he won the Demonstration division in the 2006 Newport Bermuda Race. The two class 5 boats led by Gryphon Solo reached off into the Rhode Island Sound some 30 minutes after their start off of Goat Island. Joe gave a wave as he turned his attention to sailing and settling into the solo mode.

Six classes started with ten minutes between each start. The final start was for a group of eight Open 6.5 Minis sailing as a demonstration class. These are open 6.5 meter designs that are small, but meet strict safety requirements and must be self righting from 90 degrees with 100lbs on the masthead. They look somewhat like a mini Gryphon Solo

The race is sailed under PHRF handicapping and the boats range from Gryphon Solo at 69 to Robin, a Westsail 32 with a rating of 234. This means that Gryphon Solo gives them 305 seconds for each mile of the race. Harris has to beat Robin, Doug Campbell's Westsail by almost 54 hours.

* Dateline St. George's Bermuda: While Bermuda slept, Joe Harris celebrated. Joe sailed his Open 50 Gryphon Solo across the finish line off St Georges setting a new solo record for the Bermuda 1-2. Taking his own time, he finished at 1:37 EDT. His unofficial elapse time was 62 hours and 37 minutes from his 11:00 AM EDT start on Saturday June 9th. The old Bermuda 1-2 solo course record of 66h:57m was set in 2005 by Kip Stone aboard the Open 50 Artforms. The results are unofficial until verified by the race committee.

Winds held through the evening after Joe's last report to keep him on the record setting pace. As he approached Bermuda he attempted to radio the race committee on VHF, but apparently they were not awake to catch him breaking the record. Joe talked with Bermuda Harbour Radio to advise them of his position as he approached and notified them of his finish. He has now anchored in the harbour to sleep and wait for customs to open in the morning.

He called his winning time to his shore team at about 2:15AM EDT. "I'm sorry to wake you," he shouted. "I've finished, got my sails down and I'm motoring through the cut into St. George's. I tried to rouse the RC, but nobody would anchor. I'm totally stoked about setting this record. I'll have a solo spot of Jamison to toast my finish and then rack out for some real rest." -- Talbot Wilson

You can get more information at www.gryphonsolo.com/page or at www.bermuda1-2.org and follow the race on iBoatTrack at charthorizon.com/races/2007_newport_bermuda1/htdocs/.

THE LAST WORD
Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. -- Robert Anthony

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 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/