Brought to you by YachtsandCruisers.com, 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

AINSLIE GETS THE NOD FOR BEIJING GAMES
Double Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie will have the chance to defend his Olympic crown in Beijing, as the 30-year-old is one of nine sailors to have today been officially selected by the British Olympic Association to compete at the 2008 Games.

Ainslie, along with Yngling World Champions Sarah Ayton-Sarah Webb-Pippa Wilson, 49er World Champions Stevie Morrison-Ben Rhodes, Star world bronze medallists Iain Percy-Andrew Simpson, and three-time Laser European Champion Paul Goodison, have all been named today as the first official members of 'Team GB' - the BOA's team for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, which could ultimately comprise 300 athletes competing across 22 sports at the Games in August.

Ainslie earned the nod from Royal Yachting Association selectors for the single berth in the heavyweight Finn class following his impressive showing at the Sydney International Regatta last month, where his dominant performance, coupled with back to back wins at the two Olympic Test Regattas at Qingdao in 2006 and 2007, sealed his nomination to compete at a fourth Olympic Games.

Already the owner of a silver medal from Atlanta 1996 as well as golds from the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Games, Ainslie looks set to be one of Great Britain's most decorated Olympians to be competing in Beijing, and he's relishing the challenge of going for his third straight Olympic gold.

Sailors selected for Team GB:
Finn class (heavyweight dinghy)
Ben Ainslie

Yngling class (women's keelboat)
Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson

49er class (skiff)
Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes

Laser class (men's one person dinghy)
Paul Goodison

Star class (men's keelboat)
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson

www.rya.org.uk

THE NEW 1000 MILES SOLO IS APPROVED AS OSTAR QUALIFIER
The 1000 Miles Solo race has been approved as an official qualifying race for the 2009 OSTAR; the second leg from Kinsale to Santander being 525 miles meets the OSTAR qualifying distance.

Race director Paul Peggs already has 21 boats pre-registered and he anticipates at least 30 boats will be on the start line at Mylor on June 29th 2008. Paul says 'Ostar remains one of the biggest names in solo ocean racing and is accessible to owner-drivers with modest budgets. The key to success in Ostar is early preparation and plenty of solo racing experience before the big Atlantic Ocean opens beckons on that fateful day in May 2009. Qualifying a year early much improves your chances of a successful Transat, as we demonstrated when we first organised this race in 2004 and produced three class winners in Ostar '05.

'We have several Ostar veterans already signed up; meeting them and all the other skippers is a valuable added benefit for prospective soloists as strong bonds of comradeship are always formed in these single-handed events.'

The '1000 Miles Solo' comprises 3 testing legs; the first from Falmouth to Kinsale is 185 miles and will take about 30 hours to complete. The longest leg is from Kinsale to Santander, a distance of 520 miles and will take 3 to 4 days across Biscay and off the Continental Shelf. The final leg is to Camaret Sur Mer near Brest, which is 290 miles from Santander.

Registration and the Welcome supper will take place at Mylor Yacht Club on Saturday 28th June; MYC has been the traditional host club for our races since 2004 when the first edition of this race was held.

This exciting race will appeal to skippers wishing to extend their experience in open waters and is a step up from our 2007 race of 600 miles. An international fleet of about 30 boats is anticipated to set off from Black Rock in Falmouth harbour, racing around the Lizard and Lands End before passing North of the Scillies and setting course for Kinsale.

The schedule has been planned to fit into two weeks holiday with ample time for refreshment and rest in the very hospitable ports en route. The restarts at Kinsale and Santander are timed for Wednesdays and the prize giving will be held at Camaret on Saturday 12th July

The race follows our traditional format and is open to both mono-hull and multi- hull yachts from 28 feet to 50 feet racing in Open classes and IRC. On-line entry and the Notice of Race will be available in January but in the mean time pre-registrations are welcome by contacting Race Director Paul Peggs at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Solo skippers with less time to race have not been overlooked, Petit Bateau will also be running their very popular Solo Channel Week that starts with supper at Lymington on Saturday July 26th, visiting Alderney, Jersey, Dinard, Guernsey and finishes at Hamble on Saturday August 2nd.

www.petitbateau.org.uk

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES WITH BAINBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL
A vacancy has arisen within our International Sales division. Working with our full range of Sailcloth and Sailmaking Hardware, the ideal candidate will have experience of worldwide export sales both direct to end users and through distribution. An active interest in sailing is desirable, more important is experience of international sales and the ability to work successfully in an overseas environment. Bainbridge also seeks a Marketing Assistant to work within their busy marketing department in an interesting and varied role.

To apply for either position, please email CV and covering letter to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

6TH ROYAL LANGKAWI INTERNATIONAL REGATTA
Langkawi, Malaysia: Racing got underway on Bass Harbour with a brisk 15 knot North Easterly driving the yachts along. PRO Mark Pryke selected harbour courses for all classes that took them upwind to a turning mark, then on a swift downwind ride almost the length of Bass Harbour before returning for a long upwind slog and short run to the finish. Mast head symmetrical spinnakers, asymmetrical chutes, bow sprits, inner reaching sails and conventional spinnaker poles became the order of the day. In fact anything that fly's downwind was hoisted to get the boats up and planning that produced a spectacular sight and profusion of colour for any spectators on the shore.

Racing Class
Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik showed the racing fleet a clean pair heels by claiming first and fastest bullets on the two races held today. Despite a spinnaker wrap which lead to further damage and eventual replacement Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing stayed on the pace to secure two second places in front of a hungry chasing pack. Third places were shared between Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket only 26 seconds behind Quantum and Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 by a little over a minute in race two. The first race served as a good opening warm up and the second race got that little bit more serious with only 5 minutes separating the first 6 boats and only 14 minutes separating the first and last boat on corrected time. Usually a good sign of things to come.

Racing continues tomorrow with two more races scheduled in Bass Harbour or known by the locals as Kuah Harbour after the main town situated at the top of the bay.

Asian Yachting Race Reports (there are a lot of classes racing here..) at: asianyachting.com/news/RLIR08.htm

Event site: www.langkawiregatta.com

ROUGH SEAS UNCOVER POSSIBLE MISSING VESSEL
Recent big seas may have helped uncover the wreck of a yacht lost almost 30 years ago during a race in New Zealand.

Kaipara tour operator Anthony Taylor, who operates Big Foot Tours on Ripiro Beach, found a cockpit grating just north of the monument on Omamari Beach.

Maritime historian Noel Hilliam believes it could belong to the yacht Smackwater Jack, The New Zealand Herald reported today.

The yacht and its four crew disappeared during a race from Hobart to Auckland in 1980.

Mr Hilliam said the crew reported difficult and heavy seas on January 9 but were not heard from again.

He believes the craftsmanship and teak timber of the wreckage link it to Smackwater Jack.

Mr Hilliam said the lack of any growth on the grating would suggest the boat had been covered in deep sand, probably south of Omamari.

Skipper Paul Whiting, wife Alison, John Sugden and Scott Coombes were on board when it disappeared.

www.tv3.co.nz/News/Roughseasuncoverpossiblemissingvessel/

ROGERS YACHT DESIGN REQUIRES FULL TIME DESIGNER
An immediate vacancy has arisen for a full time Designer based at Rogers Yacht Design, Lymington, UK. The successful candidate must have at least 5 years experience in design offices and boat yards and be familiar with standard marine software packages and preferably with Catia.

Rogers Yacht Design projects include grand prix race boats, power and commercial projects, ultimately offering our design team varied briefs and exciting challenges.

To apply, please e.mail CV and any relevant references to Rebeca Rogers: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Website: www.rogersyachtdesign.com

SAVE OUR TIDES
Petition for British Citizens only, wherever you are.

The UK is one of the only countries in the world where the harmonic variables used to calculate tide tables are deemed to be a copyright of the Crown. Currently Her Majesty's Government is requiring payment by any who wish to use and publish this data. As an aid to the safety of all shipping around the coast of Great Britain it is requested that this data be made available to any who require it, and who wish to publish the results either on paper or electronically.

Use this link to go to a UK Government petition: petitions.pm.gov.uk/Tidetable-data

The timescale is short (11 Jan) but if you think it important enough, please sign up to the petition and forward it to others who might be interested.

Thank you to Tony Allen at Hill Dickinson LLP for bringing this to our attention.

PETER O'DONNELL
Australian yachting legend and Olympic gold medallist Peter O'Donnell has passed away after a long battle with cancer.

The 68-year-old, who was Australia's inaugural yachting Olympic champion at the 1964 Tokyo Games, became one of the country's most decorated sailors collecting several national and international titles throughout a long and illustrious career.

O'Donnell's achievements included sailing aboard 'Gretel' in Australia's first challenge for the America's Cup in 1962 and being awarded the prestigious title of 'Australian Yachtsman of the Year' in 1980.

"POD", as he was affectionately known, also sailed in the first of his many Sydney to Hobart races aboard the winning yacht 'Siandra' in 1958, and in 1987 skippered 'Sovereign' for the ultimate double winning both line and handicap honours.

O'Donnell is survived by his wife Barbara, children Lisa, Michelle and David and their families including his six grandchildren.

sportal.com.au/other-sports-news-display/yachting-legend-loses-battle-41357

PERFORM TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS!
All over the world you'll find Camet Padded Sailing Shorts. The leading teams are using the shorts in combination with our Code Zero shirts, made from a breathable fast drying fabric with a UVA certification (97.5%) for sun protection. With our closed cell foam inserts available for a variety of different styles of shorts, we've redesigned comfort, giving you the ability to hike hard without losing feeling in your legs. This will allow you to go longer and not suffer from fatigue, helping you to think clearly and perform to your expectations!

www.camet.com

FIRST THREE BOATS TO REGISTER FOR THE VENDEE GLOBE 2008-2009
Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), Jeremie Beyou (Delta Dore) and Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac) have become in order the first three competitors to officially register for the Vendee Globe 2008-2009. We should add that official registration for the Vendee Globe requires the entrants to carry out a qualifying run, which is generally the equivalent to a single-handed transatlantic race, and to have filed all the necessary papers. That has been accomplished by the three skippers, who all set out on the Barcelona World Race, although only Jean-Pierre Dick remains in the race. He is currently leading the fleet, which has been decimated by a series of incidents.

* A great New Year's present for Dee Caffari!

15-25 knots southerlies and brilliant sunshine off Wellington (New Zealand) - ideal conditions to carry out the first sea trials on the new 60-foot Open Aviva, aboard which the British yachtswoman Dee Caffari will be setting sail in the next Vendee Globe.

"It will be the biggest challenge of my career," she stated. Hardly had she had time to recover from the Transat B to B, and Dee Caffari was flying off to New Zealand to take a look at her new Aviva, which was being completed in Wellington. A great New Year's present for Dee, who was able to take her out to sea for the first time. We shall be seeing them both in Les Sables d´Olonne in early November...

www.vendeeglobe.org

INDUSTRY NEWS
* Henri Lloyd will be launching their 2008 ranges at the London Boat Show @ Excel.

Henri Lloyd have also designed a range of clothing that can also be used by the more recreational sailor, where the high level of technicality, functionality and design is maintained and additional features added.

Henri Lloyd will also be launching a number of new 'Hero' products within each range at the London Boat Show, in particular the Atmosphere Jacket - which received a special mention at the DAME Awards in 2007.

London Boat Show - stand Number N039A. -- www.henrilloyd.com

* Swedish sailboat builder Malo Yachts has been sold to Bob Erixon of Elgudden Invest for an undisclosed sum. Malo, which is based in Kungsviken on the island of Orust, was founded by the Olsson family in 1939. Its most recent owner was Lars Olsson, grandson of company founder Johannes Olsson. Lars, who has headed up the company since 1999, will continue as the group's managing director.

Malo's new owner, Bob Erixon, is best known for having started and then sold mobile phone company GEAB The Phone House in the mid-1990s. Since then, he has invested heavily in the marine business and today runs several companies such as Erixon Yachts, TechnoYachts and Farr Cruising Yachts (former BSI Marin) in Lysekil. The group has a total of around 100 employees and a steady production of quality cruising boats.

According to Lars Olsson: "The deal was ready after several months of discussions. The most important thing for me has been the future of Malo Yachts and a secure hull production as well as product development. -- International Boat Industry (IBI) news: www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080004144420ibinews.html

* British sailmaker Hyde Sails has expanded its UK operations with a new 3300sq ft sail repair facility.

Located close to the river Hamble, the new loft replaces Hyde's previous sail repair facility at the company's Eastlands Boatyard, which remains the sailmaker's headquarters.

All Hyde's sail repair and warranty work will be carried out at the new facility. The move means that Hyde will also offer services such as sail valeting. After being checked and serviced, sails can be stored for the winter in the new loft.

Based in Swanwick, Hampshire, Hyde Sails produces over 40,000 sails each year for vessels from dinghies to cruising yachts, and for OEMs such as PSE and Topper. -- IBI, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080004113545ibinews.html

* Funds managed by the growth investor Buchanan Capital Partners have acquired a minority stake via capital increase in the sailing boat manufacturer Dehler, with a view to accelerating the German boatbuilder's growth.

Wilan van den Berg will continue to be the majority shareholder of Dehler. Van den Berg, who took over the company three years ago, is credited with repositioning the Dehler brand by taking the company into the 'high-end' segment of the performance cruising yachts sector.

Sales are reported to have increased from about 10m to 30m Euros this year. The number of employees has surged from 80 in 2005 to above 150 today. -- IBI, www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20071027101349ibinews.html

* The London Boat Show starts on Friday 11 January and, for the first time, you can see the show build up.

Four webcams have been installed, each streaming live video.

Witness the arse scratching of electricians, pencil sucking of chippies and constant mobile phone use of chino-wearing salesmen as the two vast halls are transformed into a Mecca of marine merchandise.

See how they're doing here: www.londonboatshow.com/livecam/

* The winner of the prestigious 2007 Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year award will be announced on Saturday 12 January at the Collins Stewart London Boat Show.

Finalists in the young sailor category include Alistair Masters, an RYA Youth Squad 15 year old who has dominated domestic and international competition in the Techno 293 junior windsurfing class, and has won two gold medals and one silver at the last three world championships; Holly Scott, winning crew member of Mirror World Championship 2007, who with her skipper (Anna Mackenzie), was the first all-girl team to win the title; Topper World Champion Michael Wood, who devotes hours of his private time to train other youngsters in the RYA West Zone Squad; Tom Gillard, the first RYA Team GBR sailor to win the 420 European Championships in Medemblik; and Laurence Greenough, who has overcome adversity - after losing a leg in a boating accident - to enter the RYA South West Topper Zone Squad.

Taking place at 4.00pm on the Main Stage, the award will be presented by Steve Curtis MBE, who is considered to be one of the best international powerboat racers of all time - holding the record for the most Grand Prix (36) and Pole Position (38) wins. Steve has also won the Class 1 Powerboat Championship an unbelievable eight times and is a past winner of the Raymarine/YJA (Yachting Journalists' Association) Yachtsman of the Year Award. He will also present awards to all of the RYA Regional Winners.

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 Rob Goddard: Now that RORC have dropped and not replaced their IRM rating system, are any of the UK sailing clubs going to be brave enough to organise racing under the new ORC International rule that is supposed to allow modern race boats to compete fairly?

FEATURED BROKERAGE
Humphreys One Design 35 (HOD 35) 71,000 GBP, Lying Portsmouth, England

The HOD 35 is one of the most successful cruiser racers on the circuit with wins at many major regattas. She offers a fast and stable platform and will perform well in all sailing conditions. One of the most successful built, she has a professionally faired hull, top quality sails and instruments and is ready to win races as soon as you collect her!

Brokerage through YachtsAndCruisers.com: www.yachtsandcruisers.com

Complete listing details and seller contact information at www.yachtsandcruisers.com/boat/Bowman_Yachts/22417/

THE LAST WORD
When things go wrong don't go with them. -- Elvis Presley

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/