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

AMERICA'S CUP
Light, unstable winds forced the Race Committee to postpone racing for the day on Sunday at the 32nd America's Cup Match. The Defender, Alinghi was looking to win its fourth match in a row, to successfully defend the America's Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand, the challenger, was in a 'must win' position.

But the wind gods didn't cooperate. High cloud started to form near noon, inhibiting the development of a sea breeze. Whenever a clear patch opened up over the land, the wind would pick up, only to ease when the cloud returned. And it was always very shifty today, both in pressure and direction.

At 16:10, Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio signalled there would be no racing for the day. Monday is a scheduled 'off day' at the America's Cup, so racing won't resume until Tuesday afternoon, when the forecast is for a strong, steady, 15 knot sea breeze. -- www.americascup.com

* The destination of the America's Cup is close to being decided and it has never been this close.

Six races have been held and the biggest winning margin has been 35 seconds. Every race could have gone either way and the forecast superiority of the defender has been proved to be a myth.

Not since 1983, when the racing was anything but close and should have been over in five races (in those days it was first to win four) but for breakdowns, has there been anything like this. Flight bookings are being altered daily and there will be a huge crowd at Valencia airport when the Cup is won, but will that be on Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday?

Emirates Team New Zealand has left itself the equivalent of the North Face of the Eiger to climb - win three races in a row and stop Alinghi from winning a single race. It's not impossible - John Bertrand and his crew on Australia II did just that, as did Harold Vanderbilt with Rainbow in 1934, from match point including a come back from 6:39 down at the halfway turn in the third race. So too did Charles Francis Adams with Resolute over Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock IV in 1920.

This time however, there is nothing between the boats - they appear to be the same speed in a wide range of conditions - and it will be a battle of wills and wits. It is sailor against sailor, team against team, which is exactly what it should be. Neither design team has progressed any further than the other; what we are seeing is match racing of the highest order. -- Bob Fisher in his nightly Sail-World.com column, see www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=35258

MILLS BID SUFFERS IN POLITICAL TURBULENCE
Sir Keith Mills, the businessman who hopes to lead an English challenge for the America's Cup, is happy that Alinghi have taken a 4-2 lead over Emirates Team New Zealand after their victory on Saturday.

Mills does not wish to see the event depart to Auckland, but his prospects of being the "challenger of record" if Alinghi win disappeared yesterday when politics took over from racing in the 32nd America's Cup.

The scheduled race was abandoned in winds considered too light and unstable for a contest, so all eyes turned to Vava, the private superyacht of Ernesto Bertarelli, the president of Alinghi, where the great and the good of Spanish sailing and Valencian politics were to be seen on board.

Their presence laid bare the plans of Alinghi, the holders from Switzerland, for the 33rd cup should they retain the trophy after the rescheduled race on Tuesday, in which a win would give them a 5-2 triumph in the best-of-nine series. Related Links

The challengers have already signed the document in a process that has to take place immediately because the defenders are bound by the "Deed of Gift" - the rules of the cup laid down in 1887 - to accept the first challenge it receives. No defender wants to risk another challenger butting in.

That the deal was done could be gleaned from the way that Francisco Camps, the President of the Valencia region, waved to the crowds from Vava. ignacio Sanchez Galan, the president of Desafio Espanol, who is head of iberdrola, the Spanish energy giant and the main sponsor of Desafio, was also on board. Galan was accompanied by Manuel Chirivella, the vice-president of the Royal Spanish Yachting Federation, who is from Valencia, and Jose Maria alvarez, Desafio Espanol's legal adviser.

It would seem that Bertarelli has come to an agreement with the Valencia region for his fee for the 33rd America's Cup. He received an estimated 50 million Euros for bringing the 32nd cup to the city, but was seeking an increase to 85 million.

A further issue is Bertarelli's dream of linking the cup to the Formula One circuit by taking the Louis Vuitton Cup qualifying races round to its venues as part of a deal to be struck with Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's ringmaster. -- Matthew Pryor, full article in the Times: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/sailing/article2013378.ece

RORC IRC CHAMPIONSHIP
The last day of the RORC IRC Championship and the big breeze was back from the south west; 25 knots gusting up to 30 knots. Sunday proved to be a dramatic conclusion to the event.

PRO Jamie Wilkinson opted for windward leeward courses in the eastern Solent between Burgess Salmon and Peel Bank. The shorter courses were selected to get the scheduled two races in before four metres of tide would churn up the course into a confused sea.

Janet Grosvenor, RORC Racing Manager commented after racing: "The 2007 RORC IRC Championship has been a truly international affair with competitors from literally all over the world taking part. The event has been published in the sailing press across six continents all of which now use IRC as their rule of choice for handicap racing. We have been delighted to welcome Katsumi Shibanuma, an International Jury member from Japan, where IRC has just been adopted." -- Louay Habib

Provisional Overall Results:

IRC SZ
1. Panthera, TP52, Benny Kelly (13 series points)
2. Island Fling, TP52, Paul Winklemann (14 points)
3. Flash Glove, TP52, Colm Barrington (15 points)

IRC 0
1. Courrier Du Coeur, Beneteau 44.7, Gery Trentesaux (7 points)
2. Fair Do's VII, Kerr 46, John Shepherd (12 points)
3. Pacific Interiors Sailplane, Beneteau First 47.7, Rob Bottomley (18.5 points)

IRC 1
1. Love Shack, Beneteau 40.7, Love Shack (6 points) (+ Overall Championship winner)
2. Incognito, Beneteau First 40.7, Paul McNamara & Tony Lowe (15 points)
3. STS Antilope, Rogers 36, Willem Wester (23.5 points)

IRC 2
1. Teng Tools (Voodoo Chile), Ker 32, Eamon Crosbie (9 points)
2. Spirit of Juniper, Seaquest RP36, Mike Eaton (16 points)
3. Rosetta from the Rocks, Dehler 36 JV, Radboud Crul (19.5 points)

IRC 3
1. Xcellent, X99, John Pollard (11 points)
2. Elusive, Elan 333, Jackie Welch (18 points)
3. Esprit, Elan 333, Neil Vardy (22 points)

Swan 45
1. WISC, Glynn Williams, (10 points)
2. Vixen, Dick Weisman, (29 points)
3. Goombay Smash, William Douglass, (35 points)

Full results on www.rorc.org

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: http://www.camet.com

GRYPHON SOLO WINS COMBINED BERMUDA 1-2
The Bermuda 1-2 certainly was a fantastic three weeks for Joe Harris and the big red Open 50 Gryphon Solo. First, Joe broke the record in Leg 1, won Class 5 on corrected time and elapsed time and had a fun week in St George's Bermuda. Next, he and sailing partner Dobbs Davis won all they could in Leg 2, taking line honors in the 635 mile slog beating the next boat, the Open 40 Wildeyes, by 28 hours and 19 minutes, winning first in class 5 and first overall on corrected time. Finally, Gryphon Solo won the Combined Leg 1 and 2 prizes for both combined elapsed time and combined corrected time.

Sailing solo, Joe smashed the old course record for the solo leg of Bermuda 1-2 earlier this month. His elapse time sailing south was 62:37 from his start on June 9th. He beat the old record by 4 hours and 20 minutes .The old Bermuda 1-2 solo course record was set in 2005 by Kip Stone aboard the Open 50 Artforms.

Then Joe and sailing partner Dobbs Davis clawed their way to line honors in the double-handed leg of the Bermuda 1-2. They drove Gryphon Solo across the finish line at marker R2 off of Newport at 23:41:30 on Monday night. Their elapse time from the Friday start from St George's Bermuda was 82 hrs 41 min 30 seconds. The next closest boat when Joe finished was Wildeyes sailed by Michael Millard and Jim Fauci was almost 200 miles southeast of Newport.

Gryphon Solo shore team Hugh Piggin and Jamie Haines are now setting up the boat with a new suite of Doyle sails to test in the 360-mile Marblehead to Halifax Race starting July 8th. These sails will be used in the around the world Portimao Global Ocean Race beginning in September 2008. -- Talbot Wilson

www.gryphonsolo.com
www.bermuda1-2.org
Review the race on iboattrack at www.iboattrack.com

ROHAN VEAL IS THE NEW WORLD MOTH CHAMPION
Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy: Eight races of the ten scheduled already done and the Australian Rohan Veal, known as "The King of the foiling Moth" is already the sure winner on the World Championship, which he had lost last year in Denmark to Brit Simon Payne. Payne (eighth at the moment) had a bad day the first day when he broke his rudder and could not race. Payne had some good races yesterday and today, but they were not enough to win the championship.

Raimondo Tonelli has some enthusiastic comments on the regatta: "Beautiful, exiting, extreme. Today I was able to finish all the three races. In the first I never capsized, in the second, "Ora" was stronger so I tasted the water of the lake. In the third all went well, even if I capsized sometimes, I could arrive at the end. I felt really tired."

Top ten final results:
1. Rohan Veal, AUS, 8 points
2. Sccott Babbage, AUS, 15
3. Simon Payne, GBR, 28
4. Sam Pascoe, GBR, 37
5. Graham Vials, GBR, 40
6. Andrew McDougall, AUS, 52
7. Jason Belben, GBR, 56
8. Adam May, GBR, 63
9. John Harris, AUS, 64
10. Les Thorpe, AUS, 65

Event site: www.circolovelatorbole.com

FOR SALE:
Offshore Challenges currently have a set of direct built female moulds for a Farr designed Open 60. The hull and deck moulds are situated in Cowes (UK) and available for immediate shipping. Offers for the moulds need to be placed by July 13th 2007. The moulds will be destroyed if no offers are received or none accepted. For further information please contact Kevin Bennetts at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ETCHELLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Despite constant rain and poor visibility the final race of the Etchells World Championship in Cowes was an absolute stunner. At last the wind had moderated although conditions were still extremely testing with constant shifts in the south westerly breeze which varied from 8 to 15 knots as the bands of rain came through.

2006 World Champion Jud Smith, sailing USA1361 with David McClintock and Steve Girling, bowed out of his tenure as World Champion in true style by giving the rest of the fleet a master class in Etchells sailing to win the final race and take second overall. But the day belonged to Andy Beadsworth, Oscar Strugstad and Simon Fry, sailing GBR1361, as they took on and ultimately trounced Ante Razmilovic, Jez Fanstone and Stuart Flinn sailing GBR1333, in a stunning final show down for the championship.

Final top ten:

1. Andy Beadsworth, GBR, 18 points
2. Jud Smith, USA, 25
3. Ante Razmilovic, GBR, 29
4. James Howells, GBR, 31
5. Tom Hughes, USA, 38
6. Noel Drennan, AUS, 43
7. Jon Andrews, NZL, 51
8. Nils Razmilovic, GBR, 54
9. Peter Duncan, USA, 56
10. Jake Gunther, AUS, 64

www.etchellsworlds2007.org

COOL NEW E-NEWSLETTER FOR CRUISERS
The cruising community has a new weekly way to keep up with the world of cruising and it's free! Blue Water Sailing magazine has launched Cruising Compass. It comes out every Thursday and is full of good and useful information for cruisers around North America, Europe and the world. Each edition has sailing news you can use, highlights of fun sailing and cruising events, tips for boat owners and a weekly mindbender quiz. If you're into the cruising lifestyle, you can check it out and sign up at www.cruisingcompass.com

TOUR DE FRANCE A LA VOILE: VIGOROUS FIRST OFFSHORE LEG
The fleet of Mumm 30s, which sailed upwind along the Cote d'Opale this afternoon in a 25 knots wind with strong gusts, is expected tonight in Dieppe. Hard weather conditions for the sailors and the boats; they left the harbour of Dunkerque at 6am. After sailing inshore to avoid the current, the crews are sailing back to the open sea to find the wind which starts to calm down… It is going to be a long night!

The quiet breeze of the early morning quickly turned into a strong wind for the thirty competitors of the Tour de France A la Voile. Nicolas Radot, reported in that the current, which faced the wind until 3pm created a big swell with waves up to two meters high. According to the skipper of Espoirs Aquitains, "it is exhausting for the boat which bangs in the waves. But it will be better once the current has changed". The current changed indeed, the Mumm 30s sailed along the coast at 3pm in order not to undergo the facing current.

"The weather conditions are very hard and require a lot of concentration for the crews and the helmsman", says Benoit Petit, tactician on Ile de France (Victor Lanier, Nicolas Pauchet), first in the race at the first buoy Calais Approche. The defender and current leader of the race says that "the game is still very open, nothing is decided yet". Almost four hours after the departure of the race, the team of Ile de France was only thirty seconds in front of Toulon Provence Mediterranee - COYCHyeres.

The leaders were 45 nautical miles away from the arrival at 6.30pm. Toulon Provence Mediterranee - COYCHyeres and Ile de France were still neck and neck, followed by Manche Basse-Normandie (Benoit Charon, Nicolas Jossier), Dimitri Deruelle on Elcimai - Ville de Marseille, Ville du Port - La Reunion and Cotes d'Armor. 15 knots abating and the fleet goes back to the open sea to seek some wind.... the nightfall is very likely to bring some new developments. -- Anatole Lucet

www.tourvoile.fr

ISA SPEEDSURFING GRAND PRIX KARPATHOS
The 1st round of the ISA speed world cup kicked of on the idyllic island of Karpathos in Greece. The event was run last year for the 1st time and proved to be very popular with the racers for being the most welcoming on the tour. It was not surprising then for 2007, a record 75 entrants turned up from 22 countries including Australia, Brazil and Hawaii. The line up was extremely strong including PWA sailors Antoine Albeau, Bjorn Dunkerbeck and all the Moussilmani brothers, speed stars Finian Maynard the world 500m record holder and David White production world record holder. The women's line up was also formidable with Karin Jaggi the women's 500m world record holder and Zara Davis the world mile record holder all in attendance. It was set to be a very high standard competition.

The Maltemi wind unfortunately failed to materialise for this normally very windy site. The thermal winds did provide enough wind for two more rounds with the usual suspects Finian Maynard, Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Patrick Diethelm the F2 shaper coming into the frame and giving Jose a run for his money. With the places changing with every heat and the top ten only separated by less than a knot it was going to be a tough one to call. The men's fleets finally drew to a close with Antoine Albeau, third, Finian Maynard second and the ever consistent Jose winning the overall and the production title.

The women's result was also not a forgone conclusion, with Karin and Valerie swapping 1st place two times and Zara Davis a consistent third and taking 1st place in the final round and top speed for the week threatening an upset. The final result Zara Davis 3rd Karin Jaggi 2nd (and 1st production) and a well deserved 1st place for Valerie Ghibaudo.

Final Results:

Men:
1. Jose Bahadour (GOU, Fanatic)
2. Finian Maynard (BVI, F2)
3. Antoine Albeau (FRA)

Women:
1. Valerie Ghibaudo (FRA, Loft)
2. Karin Jaggi (SUI, F2, North)
3. Zara Davis (GBR)

www.speedsurfing.org

MOCKED OLYMPIC LOGO 'EVOLVES'
The organisers of the London Olympics have responded to the outcry over their "meaningless" logo by revamping it to carry images of competing athletes.

The clunky, graffiti-style logo for the 2012 Games was criticised for its garish colours, its failure to reflect the character of London, the ideals of the Olympic movement or elite sport.

Now, after a month of protests, designers have devised a less controversial version of the logo. One image, featuring a child taking part in martial arts, is already being used on the side of an Olympics bus touring Britain to promote the Games.

Officials deny that this is a climbdown and claim instead that it is an attempt to "populate" an evolving brand. They will also continue to produce fluorescent pink and Day-Glo orange versions, will retain the shape - which some have likened to a broken swastika - and insist that they will not change it to make the Olympic rings more visible.

However, Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog), is understood to have been shocked by the extent of the backlash that followed the launch of the logo last month.

Even teenagers, the intended target audience for the trendy design, have railed against it, according to one insider.

Wolff Olins, a brand consultant, was awarded a 400,000 pound contract to produce the 2012 logo even though it was not required to submit preliminary images to Locog.

The logo, which was launched in four core colours (pink, orange, green and electric blue), was met with derision by the public, with almost 50,000 people signing an online petition calling for it to be scrapped.

Although the logo will be shown in 3-D in films and on the internet, it is believed that 2012 officials failed to take into account that most people would see it only as a flat image in newspapers and magazines. -- Dipesh Gadher and Ian Pocock in the Times: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/london_2012/article2010120.ece

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 David Pelly: Let's not forget that the Soling was just one of a vast number of designs, from warships to rowing dinghies, that flowed from the drawing board of Jan Linge. All were nice looking and good seaboats. Among my favourites is the Fjordling, one of the best little runabouts ever.

THE LAST WORD
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. -- Aldous Huxley

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/