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

ROLEX FASTNET RACE
At 08h 58m 53sec local time, Mike Slade's new 100-foot super maxi crossed the finish line off the Plymouth breakwater under spinnaker, breaking the Rolex Fastnet Race monohull race record that has stood since 1999.

With an elapsed time of 1 day, 20 hours, 18 minutes, the Bruce Farr-designed ICAP Leopard (GBR) chopped just under 9 hours off the record set by Ross Field on the 80-foot RF Yachting. Wind was southwest at 10-15 knots as the boat finished in a light rain and reduced visibility.

Only 10 miles behind was George David's 90-foot Rambler (USA), finishing at 09h 43m 21sec and also well within the previous record time. She currently leads the fleet overall on corrected time.

ICAP Leopard was launched in June 2007 and was sailing in only its first proper offshore race. Slade recounted a great race with the first day match-racing out of the Solent and along the coast with Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo (NZL) in 25 - 30 knots (with Alfa later retiring from the race). Recalling the awaited match-up between the two similar length super maxis, Slade said, "You're always looking over your shoulder. The race against Neville would have been a heck of a struggle, even though the conditions and point of sail favoured us...But to have his old boat (Rambler is the former Shockwave/Alfa Romeo) come and pip us would have been hard to forgive."

Leopard will be shipped to Australia/New Zealand in September in preparation for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Before that time the boat will undergo some modifications to lighten up the boat - built as a charter boat capable of racing competitively, the boat is 40 tons, considerably heavier than a straight-out race boat such as Alfa Romeo at 28 tons.

As of the latest OC Tracker position update at 1130 BST, leading on corrected time are Rambler (USA) in IRC Super Zero and Overall; Chieftain (IRL) in IRC SZ Canting Keel; Desperado of Cowes (GBR) in IRC Zero; Scarlet Oyster (GBR) in IRC 1; Foggy Dew (FRA) in IRC 2; Tigo IV (GBR) in IRC 3, and PRB, in the Open 60 class, which was due over the finish line at approximately 1300 BST.

As of Wednesday at 1200 BST, 191 yachts have retired from the race, and 80 yachts are still racing. Current weather conditions at the Fastnet Rock are northwesterly winds at 25 knots and rough seas.

* The 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race that also doubled up as the official prologue to the non-stop, two-handed Barcelona World Race, proved to be a tough proposition for the duos onboard their IMOCA 60-foot monohulls. It was the French pairing of Vincent Riou (winner of the solo 2004 Vendee Globe) and Seb Josse (skipper of ABN AMRO2) who dominated the 608-mile race to bring PRB across the line first in a time of 2 days, 2 hours, 17 minutes and 44 seconds, compounding their position as race favourites for the two-handed, non-stop Barcelona World Race that starts on 11th November. A total of 15 IMOCA 60s started the race - eight of them are entered to compete in the Barcelona World Race - but in these tough conditions not all finished, including the Spanish entries of Estrella Damm and Educacion sin Fronteras plus Roland Jourdain's Veolia Environnement.

Strong south-westerly winds, often gale force, made it a challenging race but also made it a fast race. PRB has established a new record for the IMOCA 60 class beating the time set by Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool in 1999 by 3 hours, 1 minute and 16 seconds (to be ratified). Also, Alex Thompson and Andrew Cape onboard Hugo Boss who crossed the finish line off Plymouth at 14:48:01 GMT swiftly followed four minutes later by Jeremie Beyou and Signey Gavignet Delta Dore at 14:52:07 have broken Chabaud's record.

fastnet.rorc.org

* Photos of PRB's Riou and Josse receiving the Artemis Trophy in Plymouth at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=212

FIGARO FLEET CONTINUE IN TOUGH CONDITIONS
The low depression that has swept over the fleet of Figaro solo sailors competing in La Solitaire continues to influence conditions on the racecourse. Strong winds of up to 50 knots, last night, together with rough crossed seas and breaking waves has made life on board the Figaro Beneteau II boat tough, and whilst some can continue to race to a strategy, others have been operating on survival mode. The lateral separation has reduced to 80 miles with Nicolas Lunven (Bostik) at 66.7 miles from the finish at 3 pm holding a narrow 0.3-mile lead over Corentin Douguet (E.Leclerc / Bouygues Telecom) who gets payback from northern option.

Strong winds and rough seas have battered the fleet of 45 competing Figaro sailors on the final stages of the third leg of La Solitaire. The wind gradually built in force to reach 45 knots, even 50 for some, at the height of the depression last night. Conditions stabilised slightly but continue tough throughout today.

Patrick Elies, winner of all four stages in the 1979 edition of the race is skippering the Medical Boat, on situated towards the head of the fleet. The final leg of that race in "1979 from Kinsale in Ireland to Concarneau in Brittany, was sailed in similar conditions" explains Elies, "we has a violent wind storm, we had 50 knots then, I was a bit younger so it was different. The conditions are not particularly easy for the fleet. We have had quite violent wind gusts we also have a very confused sea with breaking waves which means you can't make up much ground. We get 34 knots so think the wind is going to ease and suddenly it is back up to 45 knots. Having seen Fred Duthil sailing yesterday, I was really surprised at just how seaworthy the boats are how safe the competitors sail. The skippers are good and the boats are wonderful."

* British yachtsman Nigel King has made the reluctant decision to retire from the third leg of the Solitaire race for top solo sailors. Having rounded the mark off the Ile d'Oleron, to head for the finish at Corunna, he was well placed but then his autopilot failed. In a 40 knot headwind, in rough seas and with the forecast of heavier weather to come, Nigel called Race Control on the evening of 14th August with his decision to turn round and head for La Rochelle, France. Nigel's shore team is on its way from Corunna to La Rochelle and will meet him there to assess the damage.

The fleet of 50 has now been reduced by five retirements, including the only other British entry, James Bird. -- Flavia Bateson, nigelkingyachting.com

www.lasolitaire.com

LINE 7 MARINE SEEKING EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTOR(S)
To assist with Line 7 marine's expansion world-wide, Line 7 now seeks European distribution partner(s) to distribute the Line 7 Marine range throughout Europe.

The ideal distribution partner will have the following characteristics:

- Established distribution networks throughout Europe (or significant parts of), particularly in the Marine retail channel
- Ability to service the European marine retail market from a sales and after sales service point of view
- Resources available to assist growth for the Line 7 brand in Europe
- Previous experience in the clothing industry will be looked on favourably, but not mandatory.
- Experience and connections in the European sailing arena would also be advantageous.

If your business has the above characteristics and you would like to discuss this opportunity further, please forward an expression of interest and contact details to Pat Langley- Line 7 Marine Manager; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or + 61 406 384 170

Further information at: www.line7.com/Line7/marine.aspx

OLYMPIC TEST EVENT SEES A WINDLESS FIRST DAY
The infamous Qingdao light winds prevailed on the opening day of sailing's Olympic Test Event, with only the 49er and 470 women's classes seeing any action at the 2007 Qingdao International Regatta on Wednesday (15th August).

With the weather buoys out in Fushan Bay hovering around 4 knots, it was a frustrating day for the sailors who were eager to get their regatta underway. The Finn, Tornado, 49er and the 470 men's and women's classes made it out to their respective race courses, but the Star and RS:X men's and women's fleets were confined to shore as race officials waited to see if the wind would eventually appear.

Racing for Skandia Team GBR's Ben Ainslie and the rest of the heavyweight Finn fleet was abandoned first at 1430.

"We waited out on the water for about three hours," Ainslie explained. "I think the race officer wanted to see what would happen when the tide turned. It was the right decision to send us back in, so we'll just have to hope and try again tomorrow.

Newly crowned World Champions and world number ones Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes did get racing in the 49er class, posting a sixth from their only race after recovering from 14th at the second mark.

In the 470 women's fleet, world bronze medallists Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark had a disappointing first race, as they were called over the start line early in their only race of the day.

The Star, Tornado, 470 men and RS:X fleets all had their racing abandoned for the day.

With all 11 classes scheduled to race on Thursday, event organisers and sailors will be hoping that the forecasted 6-8 knot winds materialise to get the regatta back on track.

Racing at the 2007 Qingdao International Regatta is scheduled through until Thursday 23 August.

Results

49er
1. Iker Martinez-Xavier Fernandez, Esp (1pt)
2. Andre Fonseca-Rodrigo Duarte, Bra (2pts)
3. Athanasios Pachoumas-Athanasios Siouzios, Gre (3pts)

470 Women
1. Elsie Rechichi-Tessa Parkinson, Aus (1pt)
2. Marcelien de Koning-Lobke Berkhout (2pts)
3. Stefanie Rothweiler-Vivien Kussatz, Ger (3pts)

www.skandiateamgbr.com/events/olytest/olytest.htm

Event site: www.2007qdregatta.com

WORLD MATCH TOUR: ST. MORITZ MATCH RACE
Ian Williams (GBR) and Paolo Cian (ITA) showed the way at the St. Moritz Match Race on Wednesday. Williams sailed to a perfect 5-0 record in winning his group Round Robin while Cian was close behind, claiming his group with a 4-1 scoreline.

It was an ideal day for racing in St. Moritz, with bright, sunny skies, warm temperatures and a tricky, gusty breeze, making for challenging racing. A large crowd gathered along the shoreline of Lake St. Moritz, congregating at the grandstand built over the water, just meters from the starting line, enjoying live commentary about the racing. The 12 teams were split into two groups of six, with each group scheduled to sail a full Round Robin on Wednesday.

Group A was first on the water, and following a short postponement racing was soon underway in a building, shifty breeze. Williams, who said before racing began that it was important not to take any single result too seriously, due to the vagaries of the conditions, showed he needn't have worried. He sailed all but flawlessly, demonstrating good boat speed and handling and strong match racing skills en route to his perfect day.

Also performing well in Group A was Sebastien Col (FRA), who sits on a 4-1 record, his only blemish being a close loss to Williams. And just behind was Peter Evans (NZL) at 3-2, filling in admirably for the injured Jochen Schuemann. Those top three teams in Group A qualify directly for the Quarter Final.

Qualifying in Group B, along with winner Paolo Cian, was another substitute sailor, Cameron Dunn, who is replacing Mark Mendelblatt. Dunn and Eric Monnin (SUI) sailed to 3-2 records in the Round Robin in Group B, to move into the Quarter Final.

The bottom half of each group, the remaining six teams, will now try their luck in the Repechage tomorrow. These six will say a further Round Robin, with the top two advancing to the Quarter Finals.

Sailors in the Repechage Round from Group A include Evgeny Neugodnikov (RUS) on a 2-3 record, Michael Hestbaek (GER) at 1-4 and Matteo Simoncelli (ITA) with no wins and five losses. Group B is contributing Staffan Lindberg (FIN) and Matthias Renker (SUI), both on 2-3 records along with Mathieu Richard (FRA) at 1-4.

Along with a full day for the sailors, the Umpires were certainly kept busy on Wednesday, with over a dozen penalties handed out over the 30 matches - just about one in every other race.

Racing is scheduled to resume on Thursday at 11:00.

Results after Group Round Robin

Group A
Ian Williams 5-0
Sebastien Col 4-1
Jochen Schuemann 3-2
Evgeny Neugodnikow 2-3
Michael Hestbaek 1-4
Matteo Simoncelli 0-5

Group B
Paolo Cian 4-1
Eric Monnin 3-2
Mark Mendelblatt 3-2
Staffan Lindberg 2-3
Matthias Renker 2-3
Mathieu Richard 1-4

www.worldmatchracingtour.com
www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch

LIGHTWEIGHT CODE ZERO SHORTS
These shorts are perfect for everyone...from the yacht racer to the day sailor, from the kayaker to the mountain climber. The new nylon fabric is lightweight, yet made for the abuse. It has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish that dries quickly and has a UV rating of 40+. The Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts are the lightest shorts on the market weighing in at a mere 9 ounces. Offset side seams reduce chafing and the improved design, with a clean relaxed profile, gives you extreme flexibility. Lightweight Code Zero shirts, pants, etc. So go and get some at www.camet.com

IMS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
King Haralds "Fram XV", the German "Unique" and Norwegian "Obnoxious Too", the three front boats at the turning mark off the Norwegian south coast town of Krageroe were all given a 20% penalty for rounding the wrong mark in yesterdays offshore race of the IMS World Championship currently going on at Hanko, Norway. The international jury headed by Dane Ted Graeslund had been deliberating all day over the protest and counter protest filed by the three claiming the racing instructions had been less than clear about this point. The latter being thrown out, the jury stuck to rule 28.1 of the International Racing Rules (not having sailed the course) and reached their verdict accordingly. This will have some bearing on the over all results and may cost the King a world championship medal. He is now in 6th place overall, down from 4th. "Unique" is down from 9th to 11th and "Too Obnoxious" is down from 13th to 16th.

The jury also penalized four boats for not turning in their declaration papers, or for turning them in too late. Consequently the two Swedish First 36.7s "Surfer Girl" and "Lucky Lady" dropped two ranking points for the race, while the German "Sixty 4" and Norwegian "Ille Moro" dropped one point.

The championship continues tomorrow with short course races off Hanko. -- Mikkel Thommessen

ANTARCTICA CUP YACHT RACE
Albany, Western Australia, has been selected as the start and finish port for the Antarctica Cup Yacht Race. The historic port, 150 nautical miles east of Cape Leeuwin, sits on the very edge of the 'Roaring Forty' latitudes and provides crews with a natural springboard to attack the challenging 360 degree race track around Antarctica.

The event has weathered five years of perseverance to arrive on the doorstep of realisation this coming Southern summer with the first entry expected to set out around the course in December.

Albany, a former whaling station, is one of the oldest ports in Australia. Site of the initial European settlement in Western Australia, it became the first safe port beyond Cape Town for sailing ships bound for Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and New Zealand. The advent of steamship traffic during the 1850's expanded port activities with a coal bunkering service and the first rail link to the State's Capital, Perth, to speed up the increasing trade in mail, goods and people rushing to the rich Kalgoorlie goldfields.

King George Sound, the gateway into Princess Royal Harbour where the City is located, rivals Sydney Harbour as one of the most beautiful waterways in Australia. The deep-water harbour is the regional centre of the Great Southern region, and a regular port of call for cruise ships. The Princess Royal Sailing Club, which celebrates its Centenary in 2009 and has hosted the 'Albany Race' from Fremantle around Cape Leeuwin for the past 40 years, will also host the Antarctica Cup racers and attendant spectator fleet.

The 'Roaring Forty' and 'Furious Fifty' latitudes provide the pinnacle conditions that all ocean racing sailors aspire to compete in at some point in their lives, and with 18 'gates' including Cape Horn within the racetrack, all named after famous explorers in the region, the world at large will be able to follow every mile of this down-wind sleigh ride around the Southern ice via TV and the Web.

www.antarcticacup.com

SHORT TACKS
* The 29er Open European Championships was concluded on Saturday in Gottskar. Following approximately 70 starts during the championships the past week, the all women's team Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha from USA were the winners of this open championship.

Happily receiving their gold medals and prizes from the well-known yachtsman, Pelle Petterson.
Gold medallists Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha, USA
Silver medallists Austen Anderson and Christoffer Price, USA
Bronze medallists Lukasz Przybytek and Mongird, Poland

* Brazilian Mario Tinoco returned to the 2007 Snipe Jr. Worlds to defend his title; this time as a skipper. Tinoco and fellow Brazilian Matheus Goncalves sailed so well they didn't need to sail the last 2 races of the event, securing the title before the last day. Held in San Remo, Italy, the sailors had predominantly light to medium conditions with one over-the-limit day with puffs to 30 which caused a few broken and bent masts. 2nd place was decided in the last race with Nicolas Zerbino and Alejo Morales of Uruguay edging out Tyler Sinks and Nick Kaschak of the US. Nick Voss and Tom Fink also of the US, finished 4th overall out of the 20 boat fleet. 12 countries were represented with each country allowed to send 2 entries. Held every 2 years, previous Snipe Jr. World champions include Torben Grael, Torkel Borgstom, Horacio Carabelli, Andre Fonseca, Mikee Anderson and Graham Biehl. For complete results and information on the International Snipe Class: www.snipe.org

* ART Marine, one of the largest yacht distributors in the Middle East, has teamed up with Laser Middle East and Volvo Cars Middle East to host a six-round sailing Grand Prix on the Laser SB3 class of sailing boat. The new Volvo Laser SB3 Middle East Grand Prix will begin in October, culminating six months later at the 2008 Dubai International Boat Show in March. First prize will be a trip to the 2008 European Championships in Cork, Ireland.

Having already secured a number of entries for the first event in October, ART Marine, the sole Laser dealer in the UAE, is now trying to entice some more corporate sailors to get involved with a new and innovative way of corporate hospitality. Volvo Cars Middle East, which is already involved in a number of high-profile international sailing events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, is sponsoring the event, in addition to providing full logistical support. -- IBI News, www.ibinews.com

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 Alistair Skinner: Seems Miss Fitzpatrick has been talking to different people in Qingdao. According to most sources the top Chinese Yingling crew has been on the water for months learning the local conditions and is currently ranked 34th in the world having achieved 22nd in the worlds.

It will be interesting to see if local knowledge elevates them up the leaderboard.

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
Science has not yet mastered prophecy. We predict too much for the next year and yet far too little for the next 10. -- Neil Armstrong

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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