Brought to you by YachtsandCruisers.com 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

COURT RULES AGAINST ALINGHI
The Supreme Court of the State of New York yesterday ruled against Alinghi, the Swiss defenders of the America's Cup, upholding the legal challenge of BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) and making the American team the official challengers for the trophy.

Justice Herman Cahn's 18-page judgment in the case of the Golden Gate Yacht Club v Societe Nautique de Geneve (the teams' representative yacht clubs) was damning of Alinghi and agreed with BOR's central contention that Club Nautico Espanol de Vela's (CNEV) status as official challenger - which allowed it to negotiate the much disputed parameters of the next America's Cup with Alinghi - is illegal.

BOR argued that the Spanish syndicate was an invalid challenger since it has never held a regatta as required in the regulations. Yesterday's ruling means that BOR have the right to a head-to-head, best-of-three race against Alinghi, with ten months' notice, in a type of yacht and a location of their choice. That is the scenario laid out in the Deed of Gift, the 19th-century document in which the rules of the America's Cup are enshrined.

The simplest solution for both teams, and the seven other challengers (at least two others are also waiting in the wings), will be for Alinghi and BOR to agree to the original schedule of the 2009 America's Cup in Valencia, but with a new protocol that hands some power back to the challengers. Six dark months after what was arguably the best America's Cup staged, there is finally the opportunity for peace. -- Matthew Pryor in The Times, www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/sailing/article2957752.ece

* Statement from the Golden Gate Yacht Club:

The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) today welcomed a ruling by the New York State Supreme Court that its challenge for the 33rd America's Cup was valid.

"We are very pleased by the decision as it enables everyone to focus on getting the Cup back on track quickly," said Russell Coutts, CEO of the club's BMW ORACLE Racing team.

He said GGYC wanted to see a conventional America's Cup regatta in Valencia and is planning to speak with Alinghi as soon as possible to organize a meeting seeking a mutual consent challenge.

GGYC's first preferences would be to:

1. Seek to agree rules with all competitors along the lines of the October 17 "nine points" compromise proposal and race a conventional America's Cup competition in Valencia in 2009.

2. If a Deed of Gift challenge went ahead, the club would seek to race under the AC90 monohull rule already published. If Alinghi did not agree to that, in multi-hulls.

3. In all scenarios, GGYC would seek by mutual consent to have a Challenger Selection Series with as many challengers as possible.

"We will immediately endeavour to meet with the other challengers to mutually agree a fair set of rules negotiated with all the other teams," Coutts said.

"We will be very happy if we can put the last few months behind us and get on with sailing." -- www.ggyc.org

* Statement from Alinghi, SNG and AC Management

Today's decision against the validity of the Club Nautico Espanol de Vela (CNEV), the Challenger of Record, is a disappointment to the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG), AC Management (ACM), Alinghi and the seven entered Challengers affected by the outcome.

There will now be a thorough review of the Judge's decision and an analysis of the various options offered by the Deed of Gift.

Ernesto Bertarelli, President of Alinghi, says: "We are disappointed that a technicality made the CNEV invalid and we are now looking forward to discussions with the Golden Gate Yacht Club to keep the America's Cup functioning." -- www.alinghi.com

* The entire decision from the Judge is online at the Golden Gate Yacht Club site: www.ggyc.org/071127_CourtDecision.pdf

The money quote (one of many):

The court construes the phrase at issue -- "having for its annual regatta on the sea or arm of the sea" - by affording it its plain and natural meaning. That phrase is plainly understood to mean that it is an on-going activity; the activity has taken placce and is continuing. It implies that the organization has had one or more regattas in the past, and will continue to have them in the future. SnG's and CNEV's interpretation strains the language of the Deed beyond its reasonable and ordinary meaning.

2008 COMMODORES' CUP DOOR STILL OPEN FOR GBR CREWS
The door is still wide open for two teams to win the right to represent Great Britain in the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup after the RYA announced selection trials next spring.

A tough mix of inshore and offshore racing, the Commodores' Cup is an intense seven-day racing programme that will take place on the testing waters of the Solent from Sunday 29 June to Sunday 6 July 2008.

And as in 2006 RYA Team GBR is hoping to enter four teams in the event, with each team comprising one boat in three specified class bands.

One team has already been selected to contest the Cup with one of the other Team GBR berths to be filled by a team selected by RYA Scotland.

That means two further teams have the chance to stake their claim for a place to race in one of the most esteemed events on the yachting calendar.

Trials for the small Class 3 boats will take place at the RORC Red Funnel Easter Challenge from 21-23 March and during the Raymarine Warsash Spring Series on 6 and 20 April.

Meanwhile, trials for the other two classifications will take place during the Series' big boat Spring Championships on the weekends of 5-6 April and 19-20 April.

In addition all three classes must also then compete in a one-off offshore event from Cowes on 26-27 April.

Entries are sought from both ready-made teams of three boats as well as individual boats and all teams wishing to enter must submit an expression of interest and campaign plan to the RYA Services Manager, David Atkinson.

The first team to be selected for Team GBR's 2008 Commodore's Cup squad comprises the John Shepherd-owned Kerr 46 Fair Dos VII in Class 1, the Kerr 39 Erivale, run by Jerry Otter and chartered from Mike Greville, in Class 2 and Peter Rutter's Corby 36 Quokka in Class 3. All three boats still have to compete in the trials and subsequent Team GBR training.

Iain MacDonald-Smith, chairman of the RYA's Commodores' Cup Selection Committee, said: "We have received a much higher standard of entry this year, better quality and a greater number so we are anticipating very competitive trials.

To express an interest in the 2008 Commodores' Cup or for further information, contact David Atkinson at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 023 80 604166. The Notice of Race can be viewed at the RORC website at www.rorc.org/pdf/RCC2008NoR.pdf

THE LOWEST DRAG OF ALL SAILBOAT PROPELLERS
Gori propeller is the chosen brand of propeller for high performance multi hulls and grand prix yachts, including GROUPAMA III, which broke the record crossing the Atlantic in less than 4 days, with an average speed of 28.1 knots.

Gori propeller when folded does not auto rotate, and has the lowest drag of all sailboat propellers. Find out more at www.gori-propeller.com

MONSTER WAVES LESS OF A THREAT WITH SMART RADAR
Waves the size of 10-storey buildings that rear up suddenly from an apparently benign sea are the stuff of sailor's nightmares. Such "rogue waves" can sink a ship or damage an off-shore platform, but a new radar early warning system could give crews a fighting chance to either evade the waves, or at least batten down the hatches.

Ocean Waves, a German maritime radar company, and radar expert Jose Nieto of the University of Alcala in Spain, have developed a technology that promises to identify large waves. Details of the system were presented at a conference on wave forecasting held in Oahu, Hawaii, last week.

They developed software that makes sense of the radar measurements of a tumbling, frothy ocean surface, from an instrument fixed to the deck of a ship or the side of a platform.

"The reflected radar picture from the wave does not depend entirely on the wave's height, but also on other factors like the local wind speed, sea-surface roughness, and the wave inclination," Nieto says.

The new algorithm filters out these noisy parameters and produces a more accurate video image of ocean surface elevations across a broad area.

Tests carried out so far on ships in the North Sea and off the Spanish coast are promising, says Nieto. The algorithm detected groups of waves between 8 and 15 metres high up to 3 kilometres away. And, with changes to radar signal wavelengths, he thinks it should do even better.

Proving that the technology will spot rogue waves will be tricky, though. "A giant wave is a special case of the groups of waves we are successfully detecting now - but it would be a single mountain of water," says Jens Dannenberg, a physicist at Ocean Waves.

"It should do the job - but it's hard to prove when you do not have such a monster wave to test it on," he adds.

technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn12945-monster-waves-less-of-a-threat-with-smart-radar.html

SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL EVACUATION OF CLIPPER CREW MEMBER
The successful medical evacuation of Clipper crew member Tony Peters took place this evening at 18:35 GMT from New York to a National Sea Rescue Institue Durban rescue craft and then via ambulance to a Durban city hospital.

The 47-year-old paramedic from Hanworth, Berkshire in the UK sustained a head injury on the second day of Race 4 from Durban to Fremantle when a large wave swept him across the cockpit.

Clipper staff member Anna Wardley accompanied Tony to hospital where he was examined and x-rayed. Relevant treatment for the head injury and a broken nose was administered and arrangements are currently being made to repatriate him back to the UK. Tony hopes to be able to rejoin the race at a later stage.

Clipper Ventures would like to thank the South African Navy, the NSRI, Cape Town MRCC, Falmouth Coastguard and the Point Yacht Club all of whom worked tirelessly to ensure a successful medical evacuation.

New York left Durban harbour at 18:45 GMT to continue Race 4 to Fremantle. Skipper Duggie Gillespie said, "New York would very much like to thank all persons and organisations involved in this medical incident, as there were many. All their help and assistance was very much appreciated by all of us onboard."

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

CORK WEEK ONLINE ENTRY
Drawing on years of experience, both as a competitor at and organiser of events, Dave Meagher, Chairman of the Cork Week Race Committee, has designed an on-line entry system for next year's event, which takes place from July 12th to 18th 2008. "Effectively, all you need is your Sail Number and a credit card and you're on your way to competing at the world's friendliest Regatta," says Meagher. The on-line system automatically picks up boat details from the IRC Database.

For those entering before February 1st 2008 , the Organising Committee have decided to maintain the 2006 Entry Fee. "Many of our competitors have been coming to Cork Week for many years and we see this as a way of recognising their loyalty to the event," Dave continued, "as a Committee, we are always looking for ways to facilitate our visitors and as an added bonus this year, we have decided to offer FREE entry to the 100th on-line entrant. "

Check out www.corkweek.ie for on-line entry and we also invite you to register to the Cork Week 2008 Newsletter in order to receive future updates.

IC24 INTAC WINS PUSSER'S ROUND TORTOLA RACE
Tortola, British Virgin Islands: The 38th Pusser's Round Tortola Race took place on Saturday (November 24) and the smallest boat in the fleet - INTAC, an IC24 - won the racing class. Besting much larger boats in a race which saw it battling big seas and winds gusting in the 20-25 knot range, INTAC won this annual circumnavigation of Tortola after corrected time was calculated. Second Nature, the Hughes 38 skippered by Bill Bailey, won the cruising class.

INTAC, owned by Mark Plaxton and skippered by 16-year old Alec Anderson, was tenacious as it hung on to the bigger boats that desperately tried to shake them off. "Annoyingly close the whole time," said one competitor.

Trimaran Triple Jack, a 29-year old Kellsall One-Off skippered by George Lane, took line honours and was expected to considerably improve on its time of 4 hours and 8 minutes from last year but finished seventeen minutes slower. However, there was good reason. The owner, Steve Davis, went overboard on the spinnaker run on the north side of Tortola and then the daggerboard broke on the last beat of the race. In the end, Triple Jack placed third behind the Sirena 38 Pipe Dream. Having survived the man overboard incident, Steve was awarded the Pusser's Survival Kit. -- Alastair Abrehart

Final Results

Racing Class
1 - INTAC, IC24 - Alec Anderson/Mark Plaxton
2 - Pipe Dream, Sirena 38 - Peter Haycraft
3 - Triple Jack, Kelsall One-Off - George Lane
4 - Gryphon, J/40 - Jeff Williams
5 - CCT KATS, IC24 - Chris Watters
6 - Luxury Girl, Beneteau First 10R - Guy Eldridge
7 - Rhumb Squall, Antrim 30 - Alison Knights
8 - Diva, Modified 30 sq mtr - Robin Tattersall

Cruising Class
1 - Second Nature, Hughes 38 - Bill Bailey
2 - Rascal, Cal 40 - Adrian Sinton
3 - Stella Di Mare, Grand Soleil 39 - Eric & Sheryl Groenenberg
4 - Mystery, Pearson 53 - Simon Wood

MET OFFICE WEATHER WIDGETS
Gadgets or widgets are a category of mini-application designed to provide information, useful lookup, or enhance an application or service on your PC. The Met Office has developed weather gadgets for Windows Vista and Mozilla Firefox.

Information avaialble:

- Latest observation for your preferred location
- Forecast for today and tomorrow for your preferred region
- Latest radar image for the UK
- Latest infrared satellite image for the UK
- Areas coloured red in your preferred region when severe weather is expected today
- In addition, a warning symbol on the header when severe weather is expected in any region in the next 5 days
- Sea areas coloured red when gale warnings in force
- Coastal waters coloured red when strong wind warnings in force

Your humble narrator can attest to how cool this is, and how well it works even on Mac OSX with Firefox (you have to be running version 2.0.0.7 or higher, version 2.0.0.10 was released today). I haven't tried in on Firefox on my PC running XP yet but I'm sure it will work fine there. Thus you don't need (shudder) Vista to get this to work. The icon for starting it is as unobtrusive as possible... far right corner, bottom bar. It then loads as a sidebar. Absolutely brilliant.

Get it at www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/gadgets/index.html

EARLS COURT: PUTTING THE 'SHOW' BACK INTO BOAT SHOW
From 1-9 December, the revamped Earls Court opens its doors to sailors, Christmas shoppers and show-goers visiting London. There's music and fashion shows, Riva, a spa for the footsore, the original special events Guinness bar, the Earls Court Boat Show Hall of Fame in Association with Yachting World, dozens of drams from the Whyte & Mackay family, acres of chandlery and boats! From a 'boat in a bag' to Gipsy Moth IV, a display of yachts on the pool and headline musical entertainment!

The all-new Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show: you can't beat boating in the heart of London!

www.earlscourtboatshow.com

* The Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show is delighted to reveal a very special celebrity line-up.

On stage to open the show will be Prince's Trust Ambassadors Gabby and Kenny Logan, currently competing in BBC 1's Strictly Come Dancing. Kenny and Gabby are both keen sailors and supporters of the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show. They will be joined by Rod Stewart's wife model Penny Lancaster. Penny, Kenny and Gabby will be cutting the ribbon to open the show.

Alongside them on stage will be Guests of Honour including the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton - Great-Granddaughter of legendary Arctic Explorer Earnest Shackleton and three girls known as 'Blondes in a Boat' the Team Mirabaud Sailors who are our next Olympic hopefuls.

Sarah Webb MBE - Olympic Gold Medallist
Sarah Ayton MBE - Olympic Gold Medallist
Pippa Wilson - former Junior World champion

Collectively they are the current nominated team to the BOA to represent Team GB in Beijing. They are also the current World No. 1 in the Yngling Class.

FAMILY WANT FOSSETT DECLARED DEAD
The wife of American adventurer Steve Fossett has filed a court petition to get him declared legally dead.

Mr Fossett has been missing for three months since his single-engine plane disappeared over the Nevada desert.

In a written statement Peggy Fossett said that it was a difficult day for her family, but that they now "must accept that Steve did not survive".

There has been no trace of the 63-year-old aviator since he took off from Yerington, NV, on 3 September.

The flight had been expected to last about three hours and Mr Fossett was not required to, and did not, file a flight plan.

"As painful as it is for Mrs Fossett, other members of the family and his many friends, it is time to initiate this process," lawyer Michael A LoVallo, who filed the petition in Cook County Circuit Court, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

The move is a step towards taking control of Mr Fossett's estate. The court papers said Mr Fossett's "wealth is vast, surpassing eight figures in liquid assets, various entities and real estate".

The petition said there was no chance that he could have survived in the soaring desert temperatures, even if he lived through a crash.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7115468.stm

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 Barrow: Well done Butch! If men and women are capable of sailing together just think of how much more variety of sailing we would have in the Olympics, or would we then be put under more pressure to reduce classes again, and do the girls really want to race against the boys, I hope so. The girls have already proved that they can win at many levels given the chance.

With regard to AC stuff, and who can call it more than stuff. Move on, leave them to sort it out in court, syndicates will come and go, which is sad, but whoever said the Cup was fair, if you do not look back to see how it has been operated, for over a century, before you enter then more fool you. Half the appeal of the Cup is the intrigue, dirty deals, subterfuge, bit like Dallas on water. You could even imagine which one is JR and which one is Bobby.

Whatever happens we will all be there, whenever this is sorted, peering from behind our computerised net curtains and revelling in every minute.

FEATURED BROKERAGE
Fountaine Pajot catamaran, 249,000 Euros, Lying Seychelles.

Pajot's masterpiece associated with the architectes Joubert Nivelt and with Olivier Flahault. This catamaran has always been rented and maintained by Sunsail. She will receive a complete maintenance and service before delivery to the new owner.

Brokerage through YachtsAndCruisers.com: www.yachtsandcruisers.com

Complete listing details and seller contact information at
www.yachtsandcruisers.com/boat/Fountaine_Pajot/25220/R

THE LAST WORD
We do not stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing. -- Anon.

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 Artemis Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) plus the Extreme 40 Sailing Series for The iShares Cup.

www.YachtsandCruisers.com the new place to buy and sell prestige boats, the website has been designed to showcase high-end boats. People looking to buy prestige boats will be able to easily navigate their way around the site quickly. The portfolio of thousands of boats can be viewed by category, make, location and price. Alternatively the 'Advanced Search' facility will benefit those buyers who have a specific boat in mind.

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/