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LA SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO
It was with a sense of release that many of skippers finally got to the start line of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro. The morning of the start was spent checking over the latest weather files, double and triple checking equipment and fittings and tweaking the routing for the first leg that lies ahead: 415 miles from Caen to Cork.

At 15h20 today 49 skippers competing in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro crossed the start line to set off round the 15.3-mile inshore course to the Radio France Bouy in ideal sailing conditions: clear skies, a flat sea and 10 knots of northerly breeze. Three individual recalls were given to Jeanne Gregoire (Banque Populaire), Pietro D'Ali (Kappa) and Nicolas Lunven (Bostik). At the outset, five-time world champion windsurfer, Robert Nagy (Theolia) was leading by some 10 boat lengths over Frederic Duthil (Distinxion).

The fleet face a 35 mile reach west along the Cotentin coastline to Barfleur, before they head across the Channel to the Fairway marker buoy off the Needles this evening.

There was all round disappointment for James Bird sailing GFI Group before the start. Upon leaving the canal to join the race area, Bird hit something whilst preparing to tack. "I was just about to tack with 2.5 metres of depth when suddenly I stopped dead. From 7 knots to nothing, which just threw me down the hatch. I am going to go back to Caen and see what is the situation is and try fix it tonight, but not sure if I can rejoin tomorrow." Explained the your 24 year old rookie sailor from London upon returning to Ouistreham.

This morning, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) foresaw the weather conditions being slightly better than predicted yesterday: the "wind should be more established today and a little less complicated for tomorrow. We are going to have to make the most of any opportunities that that come our way and there should be quite a lot at play along the south coast of England." The general thought is that there will not be much sleep for the sailors on the first part of the race.

For this leg it is likely the fleet will remain quite bunched and play more with tactics and not making important strategic moves for the initial part of this leg. The current however, which can be very strong at key headlands such as Start Point and the Lizard, together with the forecast wind shift on Wednesday may see some large gaps develop between the competitors.

First 10 at the Radio France Buoy:

1. Frederic Duthil - Distinxion
2. Nicolas Trousell - Financo
3. Robert Nagy - Theolia
4. Marc Emig - A.ST Groupe
5. Gerald Veniard - Scutum
6. Michel Desjoyeaux - Foncia
7. Nicolas Berenger - Kone
8. Gildas Mahe - Le Comptoir Inmobilier
9. Frederic Rivet - Novotel Caen
10. Laurent Pellecuer - Cliptol Sport

www.lasolitaire.com

HIGH DRAMA HITS THE FLEET
The second day of the Archipelago Raid begun today with a dismasting, near sinking and broken boats. But overall the competition is hotting up as the wind, and landscape, gives competitors an action packed second day on the water.

Despite two general recalls at the beginning of the day the fleet finally left in the early hours of this morning heading South to Huvudskar before turning north again towards Sandhamn. As the sun came up and the wind filled in it was the Nissan teams that took an early lead at checkpoint one - all three of the leading places were Nissan boats, the French led from the Germans and then the Swedish.

At checkpoint two the three Nissan teams were still leading but by the one hour checkpoint, on the picturesque island of Sandhamn where they say the sea meets the horizon, the leaderboard was changing. Whilst the French Nissan team still led, it was the F18 European Champions on the Dutch Yamaha Red team that came in second and Team Catella (SWE) in third.

But the stories from this first day of real action were not of the front-runners but those that had experienced exactly what the Archipelago Raid is famous for - the extreme and unique waters of the region. It was before the working day had even begun that White Knuckles Express hit a submerged log and started taking on water. By 9.30am the team and the boat were safe but for the Swedish crew of Fredrik Karlssen and Magnus Groth it was seemingly the end of their 2007 Archipelago Raid. However in the spirit of the Raid and the desire to finish the event they have since found another boat and plan to re-join the fleet in Fejan this evening. Voltaren, another Swedish crew dismasted at 10.45am this morning, are also fighting to remain in this extreme endurance event and are currently fixing the rigging issue that caused the mast to come down and are planning on sailing to Fejan this afternoon.

The teams will navigate a number of further checkpoints throughout the day will finish on the island of Fejan in the Northern end of the Swedish Archipelago having sailed around 80 nautical miles.

www.archipelagoraid.com

* Two photo albums today: from Thierry Martinez, www.thmartinez.com , and Oskar Kihlborg, http://www.kihlborg.se , in the Eurobutt Gallery:
scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=192
scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=193

BE QUICK! THE SCORPION "SPORTS V" DEMO BOAT IS UP FOR GRABS
She's the fastest RIB on the Solent right now. The Scorpion "Sports V" was first shown at RIBEX 2007 and features many of the latest Scorpion innovations and designs. Built to Graham Jelley's exacting requirements, the 8.75m LOA "Sports V" undertook her maiden voyage to Cherbourg in under two hours and has proved to be fast and economical.

Full details log onto: scorpion-ribs.co.uk/demo_boat_for_sale or contact Scorpion RIBs on +44 (0) 1590 677080.

COPA DEL REY CAMPER AUDI
Vasco Vascotto's team on Mutua Madrilena had a confidence boosting first day of the 26th Copa del Rey Camper Audi on the Bay of Palma.

After winning the first race in a modest 8-10knots of sea breeze, the 2005 Breitling MedCup overall title winners' first race victory this season, the Chilean owned, Spanish sponsored boat took a narrow second place in the second race, chasing Alberto Roemmers' Siemens across the finish.

Siemens, with Paul Cayard calling tactics, lies a provisional second overall with a third and first place today.

After a lacklustre, inconsistent first two regattas - including one black day in Puerto Portals when they were disqualified from the coastal race and collected a massive 50point penalty - Vascotto and his crew started smartly in both races today. They only lost out on their second win when they let Siemens slip through on the final stages of the last ru! n to the finish. New jibs for this regatta may have boosted Mutua Madrilena's speed, and certainly they were well able to convert their early positions on the first windward legs to good finishing results.

After two races:
1. Mutua Madrilena (ESP) 1, 2 - 3 points
2. Siemens (ESP) 3, 1 - 4 points
3. Platoon (GER) 4, 4 - 8 points
4. Bribon (ESP) 9, 3 - 12 points
5. Stay Calm (GBR) - 7, 6 - 13 points

www.medcup.org
www.regatacopadelrey.com

* Photos by Gilles Martin-Raget, www.martin-raget.com in the Eurobutt Gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=194

18 FOOT SKIFF GRAND PRIX: DENMARK
As with the rest of the event, the last day of the European 18ft Skiff Grand Prix here in Sonderborg dawned cloudy with rain showers. However the day promised much better conditions, with a breeze not forecasted to get above 20knots and sunshine even making an appearance later on. After the previous day's cancellation due to 30knot+ breeze, all the teams were eager to get out and finish the series.

The first two races were sailed with the big rigs in the building 12-14 knot breeze. By the time race 6 got underway a steady 22-24 knots was across the course, with fairly flat water as the swell had yet to gather pace.

By the time the last race of the day was signalled, the fleet had been cut by half with various breakages and some of the teams deciding the breeze was too much for them. The remaining teams were treated to a spectacular race, at times just a fight for survival, as the breeze touched over 30 knots in some of the rain squalls.

In the end, the last race capsize for series leaders Gill / Wet and Wild Graphics was academic - they had already sewn up the event with a race to spare. A great result for a team who had struggled in earlier rounds with various rig and sails issues. Pindar Radii came in second overall after a consistent series, and their overall series lead continued to be challenged by GE Commercial who finished third. A great event was had by all with challenging conditions expertly managed by the Sonderborg YC team. -- Andy Richards

Final Results (after 7races, 1 discard, 15 starters)
1. Gill / Wet and Wild Graphics, GBR, 12 points
2. Pindar / Radii, GBR, 15
3. GE Commercial Finance, GBR, 22
4. UTI, SUI, 25
5. PICA, GBR, 28
6. G18, SUI, 39

* Photos by Christophe Favreau, www.christophefavreau.book.fr in the Eurobutt Gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=196

CORK WEEK 2008 - 1ST ENTRY RECEIVED
The Numbers program has been in existence since the early 90's. The owner is Dan Meyers from Boston. A new 65 footer from Rolf Vrolijk and built at Eric Goetz's shop in Bristol RI will be launched in August. The project manager for the build is John Barnitt, who sailed on Stars and Stripes in Fremantle and Alinghi in New Zealand. They will be campaigning the boat next year at Cork Week.

Several of the crew from Team Alinghi have been regulars on board Numbers since the late nineties. Dan has recently launched at Royal Huisman the 170ft Schooner "Meteor", designed by Gerard Dykstra. The Meteor will be attending all the events as their mothership. www.corkweek.ie

iSHARES CUP AT SKANDIA COWES WEEK
For the first time in its class history eight Extreme 40s, the biggest fleet to date, will gather to compete in the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week from 3-5 August on the Solent waters just off the Isle of Wight, UK. In addition to three days of racing, teams will also put on some exhibition racing from 1730-1900hrs on 7-9 July off The Green by the Royal Yacht Squadron. British powerhouse team Basilica, skippered by Rob Greenhalgh, currently leads the four event series, winning 10 of 15 races at each of the previous two events and is fast becoming the favourite for the overall iShares Cup title.

Sailing superstars competing in the event include double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE helming JPMorgan Asset Management, world number one in the Olympic class Tornado, Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby onboard BT skippered by Round the World sailor Nick Moloney, Volvo Ocean Race winners Rob Greenhalgh and Justin Slattery racing Basilica and America's Cup sailors Andrew McLean on Volvo Ocean Race and David Carr on JPMorgan Asset Management and Holmatro skipper Carolijn Brouwer, the world's best female Olympic class Tornado sailor.

The iShares Cup kicked off in Munich between 25-27 May with Rob Greenhalgh helming Basilica to an early lead in the series. Six weeks later on French water in Marseille (7-9 July), the British team was knocked off pole position by French sailor Franck Cammas. Basilica refused to be held down by Cammas who put in a one-off appearance with his team Groupama. By day two Basilica was back in the lead finally taking the title in Marseille.

Current iShares Cup Standing/ Team Name / Crew / Overall Points
1. Basilica Rob Greenhalgh, Pete Greenhalgh, James Grant, Justin Slattery 20 pts
2. Holmatro Carolijn Brouwer, Sebbe Goddefroid, Greg Homann, Aren van Bergeijk 16 pts
3. Tommy Hilfiger Stan Schreyer, Jonathon Farrar, Mark van Gelderen, Richard Feeney 13 pts
4. BT Nick Moloney, Darren Bundock, Glen Ashby, Hugh Styles 13 pts
5. Volvo Ocean Race Aaron McIntosh, Mark Kennedy, Ryan Houston, Andrew McLean 13 pts
6. Team SLAM Denmark Erik Pedersen, Michael Svensson, Lars Orun Nielsen, Peter Baeksted, Henrik Boje 10 pts
7. ABN AMRO Jonnie Hutchcroft, Sam Chaddar, TBC, TBC 0 pts
8. JPMorgan Asset Management Shirley Robertson, David Carr, Fraser Brown, Nick Hutton 0 pts

www.iSharesCup.com

HOBIE YOUTH EUROPEANS
Gravenzande, Netherlands: On Monday July 30, the race committee of the Hobie 16 & Hobie Dragoon Europeans 2007 cancelled all races for that third day. A wild surf, strong onshore wind and huge waves made safe sailing on the North Sea off the coast of 's Gravenzande (NED) impossible.

On Tuesday July 31, the British Adam Butler and Gilly Sutcliffe won the Hobie Dragoon Europeans 2007. Although they dominated the competition, their victory was not taken for granted this morning. After a day and night of strong onshore wind, the surf was huge with a light north-westerly breeze. All boats experienced difficulties sailing through the breakers, but eight out of nine Dragoon-teams succeeded. James Henson and Oliver Amphlett (GBR) performed strongly with three seconds, which pushed them to the second place overall. The French boys Antoine Bezile and Quintin le Tallec won bronze. -- Diana Bogaards

* On Tuesday July 31 2007, the French team of Antoine Lauriot-Prevost and Alix Previer won the Hobie 16 with spinnaker Youth Europeans. After a tough conclusion of this year's championship, the Frenchmen turned out to be the strongest. The combination of a wild surf and a light onshore wind caused some difficulties. During the day, the northwester breeze dropped from eight to about four knots. Three more races were sailed, but the last one was abandoned due to the time limit. Former leaders Thomas Richards and Olivier Kersuzan won silver, followed by the Italians Vittorio Bissaro and Lamberto Cesari. The Dutchmen Rob Sprij and Sam Frank just missed the podium. The ISAF Youth World Champions Glover/Glover climbed with two bullets to a fifth position on the leader board.

Top five final ranking Youth Europeans Hobie 16 with spi 2007:

1. FRA - Lauriot-Prevost/Pervier, 27 points
2. FRA - Richards/Kersuzan, 28 points
3. ITA - Bissaro/Cesari, 28 points
4. NED - Sprij/Frank, 33 points
5. GBR - Glover/Glover, 41 points

www.hobiecateuropeans.com

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Ian Atkins has been appointed group general manager at boats.com and YachtWorld.com taking over the position from Jim Nolan, who will move to a consultancy role for the Dominion Enterprises group.

Previously manager of the group's Boats International division, Atkins was instrumental in formulating the overall strategic direction along with Nolan and the company founders.

Simultaneously, he managed the start up and development of the company's operations outside North America. -- Boating Business, www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/august/news/atkins_and_nolan_in_boats.com_change

* James Gower, Director of Marketing at the British Marine Federation and National Boat Shows, is to leave the organisation after seven years in the post.

Gower's departure means the BMF will advance its current restructuring plans aligned to its Federation, London and Southampton brands. Instead of replacing James directly the BMF aims to strengthen its resources below director level in the marketing department.

James leaves the federation and NBS on 17 August 2007 to take up a senior position at EMAP in their construction division. At its heart is Interbuild, the UK's building show, which will come under James' management. -- IBI, www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=12237

* Clothing and footwear company Musto is set to sell a majority stake to private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners in a deal that will net the family owners about 10m pounds in cash. The Musto family will be left with around 30% of the new company, which is valued at about 40m pounds.

Nigel Musto currently runs the family firm

Former Rothschild investment banker Peter Byrom, who is a non-executive director at Rolls Royce and owns 30% of Musto, is also in line for a large cash windfall.

The sale to Phoenix is a surprise to the market, which had been expecting the deal to be done rival private equity firm Inflexion, but talks broke down a couple of weeks ago. -- Boating Business, www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/august/news/musto_sells_majority_stake_to_phoenix

* Wels, Austria-based Teufelberger has completed the acquisition of New England Ropes as of July 1, 2007. Teufelberger operates five plants in Austria, the Czech Republic and the US and has three distinct business units: Fibers & Plastics; Wire Rope, and Fiber Rope.

Besides its commercial products made for different industries, Teufelberger also manufactures performance yacht braids under the brand name FSE Robline, as well as plastic strapping and yarns, personal safety devices, steel wire ropes and related products under the Teufelberger brand.

With the New England Ropes acquisition, Teufelberger employs over 700 employees and exports to over 90 countries including Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. -- IBI, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070623161521ibinews.html

* Gypsy Moth IV and Michael Perham are the latest feature attractions to be named for Whyte and Mackay's December maritime event at Earls Court. Perham: needs over 1m pounds to become the youngest person to sail around the world

The historic yacht will be a central attraction for the duration of the nine day event and several lucky winners will be given an opportunity to sail on her.

Gipsy Moth IV completed her second circumnavigation and docked in Portsmouth on May 28, 2007, exactly 40 years to the day she completed her first. She was welcomed home by Giles Chichester, son of Sir Francis.

Michael Perham became the youngest man to sail the Atlantic solo aged 14 earlier this year. He and his father Peter are raising funds for Perham Junior's quest to become the youngest person to sail around the world.

They reckon he'll need more than 1m pounds to buy a larger boat, the proper equipment, the proper support team and train to tackle this record when he's 16. -- Boating Business, www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/august/news/gypsy_moth_to_star_at_ecbs

* An exact replica of the ship 'Discovery,' in which colonists set sail to the New World four hundred years ago, is touring the UK this year with the help of leading global yacht transportation specialists Peters & May.

The Discovery was one of three ships that sailed from London in 1606 on the voyage which led to the founding of Jamestown in the new British colony of Virginia. The ship remained in Jamestown for use by the colonists when the other two ships returned to England. A replica has been docked in the James River at the Jamestown Settlement since 1984 where it has been visited by over nine million people. This first replica of the Discovery has now been gifted to the Jamestown UK Foundation in the UK and was transported across the Atlantic by the Royal Navy in 2006.

The ship is currently touring the UK during 2007 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the first English-speaking settlement in America. Peters & May is handling all the specialist logistics on behalf of the Jamestown UK Foundation, the organisers of the UK tour. The 48ft ship, which weighs 28 tons will be transported by low-loader lorry to the numerous display venues around the country. -- www.petersandmay.com

THE LAST WORD
He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day... needs to reorganize his life. -- George M. Adams

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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