Brought to you by Boats and Outboards 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

SKANDIA COWES WEEK
It was a case of 'Gone with the Wind' as Champagne G.H Mumm Ladies Day at Skandia Cowes Week was marked by shiny flat seas and gentle whispering breezes.

Mike Slade's 100ft super maxi ICAP Leopard was despatched in around two and a half knots of wind at 1030 as the only entrant in Class Zero IRC but for the next four and a half hours, the guns of the Royal Yacht Squadron remained silent, the frustration increasing with every lowering of the AP (Answering Penant) flag.

Some of the most famous female faces in sailing joined in the celebration from 89 year-old Betty Moore from Horsham in West Sussex, who has attended every Skandia Cowes Week regatta since 1947, racing her Solent Sunbeam Why to Dame Ellen Macarthur, who needs no introduction.

Postponements lasted until 2.35pm when a north-westerly which had been blowing in Chichester in the east and Hurst Castle in the west finally arrived in the Central Solent.

Charles Dunstone's TP52 picked up the pace to take the New York YC Challenge Cup with a resounding five minute win over Colm Barrington's Flash Glove.

The sporting rivalry that has characterised racing in Class 3 IRC is fast developing into full blown hostilities as the starting sequence today illustrated, with Holmatro engaged in a luffing match with Runaway and Eclectic to gain the advantage.

By the end, it was Kees Kaan's Roark, lying third overall who took came in first while Holmatro, Eclectic and the other title contender, Ed Leask's Swan 42 Uxorious III were all OCS (On Course Side) which could prove extremely costly.

Adam Gosling's half-tonner Earls Court Boat Show, one of three boats with the same name at this year's Skandia Cowes Week, is now unbeatable in Class 7 IRC after his sixth podium place in six races.

Julia Bailey was one of three winning female skippers today, scoring her first win of the week in the Dragon class in Aimee. Liz Savage took the Savage Sailing Team to victory in the J80s and Colette Blair won the IRM class in John Merricks.

A collision at the Committee Vessel start of J109 racing, involving Jumping Jellyfish and Perseverance thankfully claimed no casualties and Michael and Sarah Wallis' Jahmali left the rest of the fleet in their wake and crossed the finish line with a 13 minute lead ahead of Matt Boyle's Shiva and remarkably, Perseverance

Ian Andrew has dominated the RS Elite class in Eclipse all week and today was no exception as he posted his fifth victory in six races, this time by the smallest winning margin of the day of 17 seconds over Mike Tong's Caio Bella. -- Mary Scott-Jackson

www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk

SIMRAD ONESTAR: GAME PLAN PAYS OFF
Local dark horse Vidar Moe finished off the competition in big style when he hung on to his game plan on the last leg in Simrad OneStar. He won the gruelling solo regatta in his uncles boat.

No one expected Vidar Moe to win the Simrad OneStar this year. He registered for the race just a couple of days before the start after a long search for a suitable boat. He ended up with his uncles Cayenne 42. It's a great sailing boat, but not necessarily a boat that stands out as a winner alongside X-43, Elan 410, X-50, Mini Transats and a Whitbread 30.

But Moe showed them all wrong. In the coastal race last Saturday he surprised the competition by winning both his class and over all. A broken auto pilot on the long offshore race from Fredrikstad to Arendal on the Norwegian south coast messed up his potential podium place on that leg.

But on the final 80 nautical mile stretch from Arendal to Fredrikstad he crushed them all - again.

Jokerman, an X-50 with Per Ottar Skaaret behind the wheels, took an early lead position from Arendal. But he could only watch when Kjetil Bakke on the IMX 45 Maline sailed pass him and the others gained big time half way in the leg. Bakke took line honours.

The final plans for Simrad OneStar 2008 are not yet finalized, but the idea is to make the regatta even tougher and attract more foreign solo sailors. -- Jon Amtrup

See www.simrad-onestar.com for more information and www.seilmagasinet.no/id/24524 for WebTV footage.

OPEN 60 SHIPMENTS
Complete Freight has recently been involved in a number of new OPEN 60 shipments. Ecover III together with Tenemos's spare rig were loaded this week in Auckland whilst simultaneously Pindar was discharged in Zeebrugge.

Complete Freight once again went beyond the normal call of duty and arranged for Pindar to perform their 180 and 90 degree tests in Zeebrugge docks. All cranes, divers and slings where arranged and provided by Complete Freight.

For any enquiries relating to the shipment of spares, masts, containers for the Barcelona World Race please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 0044 1489575763

Photos can be found www.completefreight.com/cms_news.html

WIESER UNSTOPPABLE IN HANKO
The easterly wind piped down a little on Thursday, for the sixth race of the Volvo Dragon European Championship in Hanko. But the swell was left, creating a bumpy ride for the 48 dragons. Very choppee, very trickee, as the French would say. Fortunately the wind increased a bit on the second lap, causing some serious hiking on quite a few boats.

The Dane Valdemar Bandolowski pulled out an early lead and managed to defend his position to the finish line. But instead of the winning gun, he was met by a stony silence. He had been black-flagged at the start. Two hours of sailing down the drain.

Instead, the winner's salute was enjoyed by the unstoppable Markus Wieser, top dog of the Transbunker team of Ukraina. He has certainly put up a splendid performance this week, to match his adequate compensation package.

The following podium places went to Sweden and Finland. After an all-night session by the crew to exchange the broken stick on the Swedish dragon Ming, Jacob Wallenberg could step aboard, enjoy a speed as good as ever, and pick up a second place. Finnish six-time champion "Jungle-Tom" Jungell climbed from eighth to third place in the race. - No screw-ups this time, quite a change from yesterday, noted a satisfied Jungell.

With only one race left to sail of the Volvo Dragon European Championship, Markus Wieser has already won the championships. But the silver and bronze medals are still up for grabs, as the weather gods prepare to throw their dice for the final on Friday. -- Henry Ericsson

Top ten:
1. Bunker Queen, Markus Wieser - Sergei Pujachev - Thomas Auracher, Germany, 16.7 points
2. Little Wolfi, Wolfgang Rappel - Hans Jurgen Benze - Michael Lipp, Germany, 53
3. Ming, Jacob Wallenberg - Henrik Baltscheffsky - Vincent Hoesch, Sweden, 63.5
4. Valery, Dmitry Vokhmitzev - Vyacheslav Katyukhin - Viktor Fogelson, Russia, 71
5. Alisa, Alexander Ezhkov - Vladimir Krutskih - Alexey Grigorjev, Russia, 72
6. Rat Pack, Henrik Dahlman - Lars Henriksen - Oscar Dannstrom, aland, 73
7. Convergence, Konstantin Emilianov - Alexandr Prohorov - Mihail Senatorov, 76.7
8. Munegu, Christian Boillot - Jean Sebastian Ponce - Lionel Pean, Monaco, 77
9. Lilla Vagen, Tom Jungell - Markus Mannstrom - Jaakko Rantala, Finland, 77.7
10. Sweet Alice, Hans Liljeblad - Fredrik Heine - Robert Carenfelt, Sweden, 62.7

www.hsf.fi/emdragons2007/index.htm

AUDI HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK
Records continue to fall as the fleet begins to assemble in Australia's tropical north for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

For the first time in the 24-year history of the series there are more than 100 entries in the Cruising division, and that does not include the 12 lining up for the Non-Spinnaker Cruising section.

There are now 216 entries across the seven classifications, 11 more than the record set two years ago. And with late entries still being accepted it is possible that the fleet will have grown to a very impressive 220 when racing starts on August 18.

Race Week will also see one of the most competitive fleets of Grand Prix level ocean racers ever assembled in Australia. The IRC Racing division boasts 24 starters, the vast majority being from the upper echelon of the sport. A glance through the starting list leaves no doubt that defending champion Wild Joe (Steven David) will have a tough task going for back-to-back victories.

Much interest here will centre on two new boats, Karl Kwok's 13.8 metre long Reichel/Pugh designed Beau Geste, out of Hong Kong, and Rob Hanna's new Rogers 46, Shogun, which made a very impressive debut in last week's Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race. She finished second in the IRC section behind Wild Joe and took her class prize by an amazing 3.5 hours on corrected time. During the hard running experienced in the first 24 hours Shogun hit a top speed of 29.8 knots.

While the hottest competition might be in the IRC Racing category the division winners in all classes will have an equal chance of claiming Race Week's ultimate prize, an Audi A4 Avant. Two crew from the winning yacht in each division will do a specially created driving test, and the yacht that finishes with the most points from this competition will be awarded Audi.

This year all crews will be encouraged to compete for the prestigious Prix d'Elegance Trophy, an award for the best presented yacht and crew. All yachts and crews will be judged as they exit Hamilton Island Harbour for racing on Friday, August 24. -- Rob Mundle

www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

DUTCH J/22 TEAMS KEEP WINNING WITH ULLMAN SAILS
Ullman Sails customers are dominating the J/22 Dutch season, winning six 2007 regattas to date. Jeroen den Boer's Team Branche Bureau won the 2007 European Championships 5-8 July in the Netherlands, where four of the top five competitors raced with full inventories of Ullman Sails. Team Branche Bureau has two other wins including Van Uden Reco in Stellendam and the North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen. Tjarco Timmermans' Team Roark follows with two wins at the J/22 Warming Up in Roelofarendsveen and the Spring Cup in Medemblick. Want to dominate too? Contact your local Ullman Sails loft or visit www.ullmansails.com

CHRISTOPHER JOHN LAW
Passed away suddenly near Lake Constance, Germany. Loving Son, Father and Grandfather.

A Service in Celebration of his life will be held at St.Mary's & St. Gabriel's Church, South Harting, Nr Petersfield, Hampshire on the 17th August 2007 at 2.45pm. All are welcome.

Family flowers only but donations if desired to R Y A on-board fund, c/o Michael Miller and Partners Ltd, 27A High Street, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3JR. Tel: 01730 233244

Church Website - www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=4952

There have been many requests to send messages of condolence and remembrance to the family.

Simply send an email to this address and the family will see it: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SHORT TACKS
* Jean-Pierre Dick's team have confirmed that the efforts made to find a quick solution to the defective keel are already paying off: "Good news: the production of the new keel is ahead of schedule. It will be moulded this Tuesday August 7th. in Thames, SE of Auckland, a few days before the planned date. The steel part will then be machined. Then it will be transported to the SOM yard in Tauranga, where composite works will be carried out, and finally it will board a plane and is due to arrive in Lorient on 25th September. Only the fin keel will be sent, since we're keeping the bulb.

* 101 boats have spent the last two days racing in shifty and tricky conditions. The qualification series has now been completed and the fleet is now in to the finals sailing in Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets.

James Peters and Olle Spensley-Corfield from Great Britain head up the leader board going into the finals with the Danish Youth World Champions Sogaard & Krisensen in Second.

Full results on the event site: 29er2007ec.onsala.org

* This week the Volvo Podcast crew are at Cowes with Mike Sanderson and Rob Greenhalgh, and also look forward to the Fastnet race with Ken Read. We hear from Team Shosholoza's syndicate head Captain Salvatore Sarno as he talks about continuing cup intrigue and his immediate plans for the team.

As ever, live Thurs eve/Fri morning at www.volvooceanrace.org/podcast/

* Last night Champagne G.H. Mumm hosted the party of all parties attended by an impressive array of sporting achievers and G.H. Mumm ambassadors onboard a beautiful old Tall Ship. The party was in honour of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and his recent round-the-world voyage achievement and guests were treated to a gourmet evening paired with a selection of champagnes from the G.H. Mumm range.

The guest list comprised a host of extraordinary G.H. Mumm Ambassadors including round the world sailors, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari, Nick Moloney, Alex Thomson, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and adventurers, Neil Laughton, Tom Avery.

Ellen MacArthur commented on Sir Robin's achievement "It is typical of Sir Robin that he should take on the Velux 5 Oceans, one of the toughest sporting challenges in the world, showing his usual endurance, resilience and determination - in spite of being the oldest competitor in the race! I think whenever someone challenges themselves and strives to achieve their dreams then that is inspiring and reading about Sir Robin's circumnavigation of the world in Suhaili as a kid certainly inspired me to follow my own dreams to one day take to the sea. Congratulations, Sir Robin, on yet another fantastic achievement!"

* Quadriplegic sailor, Geoff Holt, sailed from to Berwick upon Tweed to Amble, Scotland today on the latest leg of his attempt to be the first disabled person to sail around Great Britain.

Geoff left arrived in Berwick Upon Tweed on Wednesday evening and, after spending the night in his specially converted motor home, he set sail this morning for Amble, arriving at 1930 hrs this evening.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, Geoff will set sail for Hartlepool. -- www.personaleverest.com

LAUNCHINGS
* The new Safran, aboard which Marc Guillemot will be sailing in the 2008-09 Vendee Globe has just been launched at the Larros boatyard. She then made her way to Arcachon harbour, where her keel was fitted and the obligatory IMOCA 180 degree righting test carried out.

Safran is the result of a collaboration between the Van Peteghem-Lauriot Prevost and Guillaume Verdier design teams, in conjunction with the Safran group. This is the first time a sponsor has been so heavily involved in the design and build of a boat. The Safran monohull claims to be lighter and easier to handle. Trying to find ways of reducing the weight was one of the main tasks during the thousands of man-hours spent on her. With her upright sides above the chine, a moderate sail surface, and a lot of work on her electronics, the aim was to offer performance to the single-handed yachtsman rather than sheer power.

The christening of the Safran monohull will take place in Le Havre at 14h30 on 1st September.

www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/5305/The-new-Safran-launched-in-Arcachon.html

* International yachtsman Alex Bennett has announced that the first competitive outing for his new 40 foot racing yacht Fujifilm will be in Torbay on September 8th when the boat is entered in the 17th annual Michelmores Challenge, a corporate sailing event involving some 60 boats and 400 crew.

Designed by the Owen Clarke Design Group specifically to conform to the new French Class 40 Rule and built in South Devon under Bennett's personal supervision, FujiFilm has now been taken to Totnes for final fitting out before launch in August.

With main sponsorship from the Graphic Systems division of Fujifilm UK Ltd, Bennett is now putting the final touches to the boat including laying the keel, completing the Harken deck gear installation as well as the final preparations to the Raymarine electronic systems and onboard satellite communication systems.

He will then commence serious sea trials with Fujifilm in preparation for a campaign involving major oceanic shorthanded races such as the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre and Single-handed Transatlantic race in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Torquay born yachtsman will be repaying Michelmores, another long-standing sponsor, by competing in the firm's race on his home water. The "Michelmores" is a highly regarded invitation corporate event and the biggest of its king in the South West. It is raced in two divisions and an IRC class.

Michelmores LLP is a 30+ partner law firm with offices in Exeter, London and Sidmouth and a total of over 250 staff. The firm has been identified by the Lawyer Magazine as one of the country's "Rising 50" legal practices.

The firm's Business team has a strong track record of advising ocean racing teams including Alex Bennet and Conrad Humphries.

www.alexbennett.co.uk

* At 1400 on Friday 3 August, at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, Miranda Merron and Peter Harding's new Class 40 was officially baptised and named '40 Degrees'. Fellow sailor Emma Sanderson did the honours by splashing some quality champagne on the deck of the boat in the traditional manner before festivities began.

After a build programme in South Africa, overseen by Alex Sizer and Miranda herself, the team are now ready to compete in several offshore races. As part of their return journey to the UK, Miranda and Peter sailed the obligatory double-handed 1,000 miles to qualify for this November's Transat Jacques Vabre. With the official qualification under their belt and having finished 2nd in the recent Worlds, the team are looking forward to more racing.

The racing programme is:
2007 The Rolex Fastnet, Brittany Ferries 1,000 Milles, The Transat Jacques Vabre
2008 The Transat, Quebec St Malo, European racing.

www.40-degrees.co.uk

* After five months of work, Roland Jourdain's monohull, Veolia Environnement has been relaunched in her home port of Concarneau and the mast stepped afterwards in Port-la-Forêt. One of the previous generation of 60-foot Imoca boats, the monohull needed to be rejuvenated to be able to compete against boats from the latest generation. So, it is almost a new boat that Roland Jourdain has in his hands today.

Because the aim of this refit was to bring the boat up to date to contend with the newer ones, Veolia is being fitted with a new mast, redesigned appendages and an increased sail surface.

* Another major milestone for Rich Wilson's Great American III (GA III), as a 10 month refit project on the Open 60 is completed. The GAIII was launched at Maine Yacht Center in Portland Maine last week, putting Skipper Rich Wilson a step closer in his quest to be the only American to race the 2008 Vendee Globe.

Maine Yacht Center crews hauled the GAIII out of Portland Harbor Thursday. With Rich Wilson and project manager Brian Wilson, the keel was fitted and mast stepped. The ten-month refit project at Maine Yacht Center included substantial stem repairs; removal and modification of the canting keel; rehab of the engine; total replacement of the electrical system as well as a new deck layout with a new pedestal.

The next step for the GAIII: certification by IMOCA for the Vendee Globe race. Later this month, the boat will be hoisted out of Portland Harbor for its mandatory measurements and tests for certification.

Then, in November, Wilson, along with co-skipper Mike Birch, will race the GAIII in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=13370

* After the sale of the Wally 101 last April and the Wally 100.3 two weeks ago, the largest Wally so far is signed: the Wally 50m, a blue-water sloop combining all the comforts and amenities of a mega yacht with the Wally performance and ease of handling as requested by the owner.

The Wally 50m is the first mega yacht of this size completely built in advanced composites and to improve even further the performance, she will feature PBO rigging, the water tanks will be used as water ballast as well, and the lifting keel increasing the draft to 6 m when sailing, from 4.2 meter when motoring, anchoring and entering ports.

As a result, this Mega Sailer features a light displacement (only 230 tons - 485,017 lbs) combined with the accommodation and comforts of a yacht of this size.

On deck, the Wally 50m is characterised by large lounge areas including the forward cockpit, the flying bridge, the aft deck, and the terrace on the sea.

The construction of the MCA classified Wally 50m uses the latest advanced composite technology with pre-preg carbon. The yacht is being built at WallyEurope facility in Fano, Italy, and the delivery is scheduled for spring 2010.

www.wally.com/jumpch.asp?idChannel=26&idUser=0&attivo=9

* Photos of Safran, Miranda's Class 40 and Alex Bennett's Class 40 in the Eurobutt Gallery Launchings section: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/index.php?cat=5

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 Owen Sharpe: I am very grateful to the Golden Gate Yacht Club for its legal challenge to Alinghi's apparent manipulation of the America's Cup. For me the cup is worse than nothing if it is not a transparently fair contest. Alinghi seems to be designing anything but that.

FEATURED BROKERAGE
ZANA (also known as KONICA MINOLTA), the Brett Bakewell-White designed 98' Supermaxi is for sale by tender. Closing date is the 12th of October. She was designed to be a no compromise record breaker, with an eye towards being converted to a canting keel yacht; she has all the potential that is needed to be a future record breaker, and available now!

Please contact Berthon International Yacht Brokers for tender instructions and more details. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or +44 1590 679222

THE LAST WORD
Men show their characters in nothing more clearly than in what they think laughable. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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.

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/