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Brought to you by Yachtworld.com Europe and boats.com Europe, 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
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BMW Oracle Racing Announces Core Sailing Team
Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW ORACLE Racing
Valencia, Spain: BMW ORACLE Racing today announced its core sailing team for the 33rd America's Cup. The team also confirmed the start of a comprehensive 2008 training and racing program that includes both monohulls and multihulls.
Joining skipper Russell Coutts in the accomplished afterguard are American John Kostecki and Australian James Spithill. Among the crew roster are nine sailors returning from BMW ORACLE Racing and 11 from Luna Rossa's 2007 Italian challenge.
Spithill will share helming duties with Coutts, and Kostecki has been named tactician. In addition to Spithill, there are 10 other recruits from the 2007 Luna Rossa challenge. Jonathan Macbeth joins from 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup winner Emirates Team New Zealand. Among the crew are Hamish Pepper, strategist, and Carl Williams, grinder, the 2006 Star World champions representing New Zealand in the 2008 Olympics in the Star class.
The team's on-the-water training program began last week in Valencia with sailing in two Extreme 40 catamarans. This summer the team will compete in the Extreme 40 European tour. Team members will also be competing in the TP 52 Med Cup Series, a European grand prix sailing tour in monohulls, Additional details about the 2008 program will be announced soon.
The BMW ORACLE Racing core sailing team for the 33rd America's Cup includes (in alphabetical order name, country and position): Alberto Barovier, Italy, foredeck; Russell Coutts, New Zealand, skipper; Simone de Mari, Italy, pit; Dirk de Ridder, The Netherlands, mainsail trimmer; Noel Drennan, Ireland; mainsail trimmer; Larry Ellison, USA, afterguard; Shannon Falcone, United Kingdom, mast; Daniel Fong, New Zealand, trimmer; Ross Halcrow, New Zealand, trimmer; Jared Henderson, New Zealand, pit; John Kostecki, USA, tactician; Michele Ivaldi, Italy, navigator; Jonathan Macbeth, New Zealand, grinder; Brian MacInnes, Canada, grinder; Gilberto Nobili, Italy, grinder; Joe Newton, Australia, trimmer; Hamish Pepper, New Zealand, strategist; Matteo Plazzi, Italy, navigator; Max Sirena, Italy, foredeck; Alan Smith, New Zealand, foredeck; James Spithill, Australia, helmsman; Joe Spooner, New Zealand, grinder; Andrew Taylor, New Zealand, grinder; Simeon Tienpont, The Netherlands, grinder; Brad Webb, New Zealand, foredeck; Carl Williams, New Zealand, grinder. Julien di Biase, Switzerland, is sailing team coordinator.
Sailing team biographies are online at www.bmworacleracing.com
* The best legal commentary, bar none, on this ongoing saga has been written by New York lawyer Cory Friedman in our sister publication Scuttlebutt...
"First the news. Justice Cahn, in a decision dated March 17, 2008, has denied Societe Nautique de Geneve's (SNG) motion to renew and reargue his November 27, 2007 decision declaring CNEV's challenge invalid and Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) the Challenger of Record. Justice Cahn also denied SNG's twin motion to declare GGYC's Challenge invalid. Although we have two outstanding decisions, it is not clear whether Justice Cahn's recent decision technically is an order, or whether he still needs to enter an order on the original November 27, 2007 decision, starting the time to appeal. Regardless, SNG has announced it will not appeal. Importantly, Justice Cahn ruled that, if the parties cannot resolve that dates for the Deed of Gift Match, they can either come back to him for a ruling, or, citing the New York Court of Appeals' Mercury Bay decision, have it arbitrated by "a neutral associated with the yachting community."
"Now the real news. After Justice Cahn's decision was handed down, Ernesto Bertarelli called me. He confirmed that SNG will not appeal, he wants to decide the Cup on the water, rather than in court, and that the next match will be a Deed of Gift Match in multi-hulls. When questioned about the date for the Dead of Gift Match, he said that SNG would not be ready to race in October 2008 if that turns out to be the date. He further confirmed that, if pressed to race in October 2008, SNG will forfeit.
"I called GGYC to ask for their comment and spoke to Tom Ehman. His position is that GGYC, as challenger, has the right under the Deed to chose the Match date and, if SNG does not want to accept October 2008, SNG has to take the initiative to get it changed. He expressed great respect for Team Alinghi's abilities, expects them to be ready to race at the highest level whenever the Match is scheduled, and does not believe they will forfeit." -- More at: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p18
Little Wind, Little Changes
Photo by Richard Langdon / Ocean Images
Racing in all classes didn't bring much change to the results in the 39th Trofeo Princesa Sofia MAPFRE in Mallorca. The light conditions that have been prevailing since the start of the event were present again today. The strong breeze expected for tomorrow could finally see some upsets in the rankings and some different faces moving into the top ten and a last chance to qualify for the medal race.
Team Skandia GBR sailors, Ben Ainslie and Paul Goodison are increasing their lead in the Finn and Laser classes. They both have a proven record in Palma.
Both sailors have excelled in the last two Olympic test events in Qingdao and their current results in the bay of Palma is an extra proof that they have already mastered these tricky conditions. Ainslie is increasing his lead to 28 points from second placed Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO).
The top 4 places are unchanged in the Laser, 49er and 470 Men. Gabrio Zandona and Andrea Trani (ITA) have dominated the fleet with a third in the first race today and a third victory in the second.
Surely not a day to remember for Sydney Bronze medallists, Javier Conte and Juan de la Fuente (ARG) who lose 2 places after collecting 49 points over 2 races.
The top 3 keep their standing in the Laser Radial. Petra Niemann concedes a victory to Ascension Togores (ESP) who climbs to 4th overall.
In the RS:X men division, Nick Dempsey who has scored higher places today is being threatened by Italian Fabian Heidegger now on equal point with the World #3. Shahar Zubari (ISR) is only 1 point behind in 3rd position.
In the Tornado class, the tight is continuing between Xavier Revil/Christophe Espagnon (FRA) and Polgar/Spalteholz (GER).
The rankings in the RS:X and 470 Women, and Yngling have been claimed back by early leaders. Alessandra Sensini (ITA) enjoys a 7 points lead over Marina Alabau (ESP). Athens Gold medallist Faustine Merret (FRA) is progressing to 3rd position after a 4th place and her first victory in the event. She is on equal points with the Spanish.
The Russian teams have once again swapped their place in the overall ranking in the Yngling regatta. Disqualifications at the start have upset the classification. American boat helmed by Sally Barkow is dropping from 3rd to 5th overall. The second race of the day has been cancelled by lack of wind and three races will be programmed for the last day of the finals.
Giulia Conti and Giovanni Micol (ITA) have recovered from an average day on Tuesday (broken tiller before the start) to claim back the top of the rankings. The World#1 are just one point from Natalia Via Dufresne and Laia Tutzo in second place. Today's best improvers are the British Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark who gain 5 places to 5th overall and Camille Lecointre and Gwendolyn Lemaitre from France who reached the 9th position after brilliantly winning both races. A second disqualification sent the German team of Stefanie Rothweiler and Vivien Kussatz from 2nd to 11th. While the Germans are only a point away from the Medal Race top 10 target, their chance for a podium is jeopardised.
Thursday's final races will decide on the Medal Race contenders. -- Corinne McKenzie
www.trofeoprincesasofia.org
IMX-45 Charter Available for the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race
Xcelsior, an X-Yacht, is sister ship to IMX-45s Temptress & Cybele, winners of 2006 Bermuda Race.
The boat is in excellent condition with race bottom. The boat will be delivered inspected and ready to sail. Included is a large and up to date sail inventory. New for 2008 are 2 new spinnakers, 1 staysail and 3 new head sails. The rating can be optimized for Bermuda Race conditions. Bermuda Race entry deadline is April 1st.
Price $45,000 USD includes boat and Watch Captain. For more on the boat, please visit www.yrcpartners.com or contact Todd @ (914) 777-3615 or email
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20 Years of Pendennis: Marine Museum at Cornwall
Over the past 20 years, Falmouth has been treated to a flotilla of stunningly beautiful yachts, sailing out of Pendennis stable like highly trained race horses facing the Grand National.
Established in 1988, the shipyard has achieved two decades of enormous activity, handling over 100 projects, growing the workforce to a base of 280 and building a reputation as a world leader in refit, restoration and new build. This achievement is being celebrated with an anniversary exhibition from 1 April to 27 July.
The world renowned shipyard was initially developed by Peter de Savary as a base for his Blue Arrow project - a challenge to the Americas Cup. De Savary soon recognised the employees and Falmouth's potential for boat building excellence and Pendennis Shipyard was born.
Near disaster struck in 1994, when the yard suffered a horrific fire which consumed three hulls, including the well know classic Adela, the Dubois designed Mamamouchi and the composite sloop Ocean 23 - later called Ocean Phoenix after her rise from the ashes.
Adela's beauty now could not have been imagined when she lay on mudbanks near Brightlingsea in the early 1990s. However, an American owner fell in love with her rotting timber schooner frame, knew that she had the potential to be one of the world's greatest classic yachts and had her floated and towed from Lowestoft to Falmouth.
He clearly recognised the excellence of the shipyard's work and despite the fire in 1994, Adela has become one of the world's most respected superyachts. As a consequence of her rise from the mudflats of the East Coast to the blue waters of the best sailing oceans in the world, her story is told within the new exhibition.
www.nmmc.co.uk
Dismasted Durban 2010 and Beyond Arrives in Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii: Durban 2010 and Beyond one of two yachts dismasted during the 4,400-mile Race 7 from Qingdao, China, to Hawaii in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race, has arrived in Honolulu. Shortly before the 1600 on Tuesday 18 March (0200 GMT Wednesday 19 March) she entered the Ala Wai harbour next to the famous Waikiki Beach, having been accompanied for the last 12 hours by three other Clipper yachts, Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, Liverpool 08 and Qingdao.
Earlier today Race 7 winners, Hull & Humber, and second placed New York arrived in the Ala Wai. Until all the skippers hand in their declarations the positions are provisional, but if they stand Hull & Humber will move into the overall lead, just two points ahead of Durban 2010 and Beyond who slip back into second place, level on points with Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper.
* westernaustralia2011.com (pictured), one of the ten internationally-backed yachts competing in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race, is heading back to Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean due to gearbox failure on Tuesday. The team representing Western Australia reported to the Race Office that at approximately 2300 GMT on Tuesday the gearbox on the 68-foot yacht had sheared after one of their lines became caught around the propeller.
The crew of twelve, including professional skipper Martin Silk, constructed a jury rig after losing half of their 81-foot mast two weeks ago. The team has made good progress towards Hawaii approximately 970 miles to the east of their position at 0600 GMT on Wednesday but will now turn back towards Midway.
"A line around the propeller today whilst re-engaging the drive has turned our race around once again. The line marking 1,000 miles to Hawaii will now need to be crossed two more times as we return to Midway refuge," Martin Silk said following the gearbox failure.
The Race Team is currently assessing the options for getting a replacement gearbox to Midway so that the Western Australian team can proceed to Hawaii as soon as possible.
westernaustralia2011.com, the winning boat in Clipper 05-06, is expected to arrive in Midway on Thursday.
www.clipperroundtheworld.com
Skipper on Course to Set a World First
Round-The-World yacht race skipper Bob Beggs is on course for the start of the toughest sailing challenge left - a polar circumnavigation of the North American continent, and transit of the North West Passage from Atlantic to Pacific under sail power alone.
Bob, skipper of the victorious Bristol Clipper in the 2001 Times Clipper round-the-world race, unveiled his plans at a media launch in Plymouth Wednesday March 19 together with the first hull of the 8.4m (29ft) catamaran in which he will set out from the Devon city in early June.
While several small craft have completed the dangerous passage through ice floes and fierce storms, they have all relied on engine power. Bob regards the light but immensely strong and well-tried catamaran design as ideal for the 20,000-mile voyage.
The project is being supported by several major British marine companies and has been titled "Against The Floe" as the transit through the North West Passage will be against the prevailing currents.
Bob, together with his two-man crew, will have a weather and ice window of less than 12 weeks to sail from Plymouth to Greenland and onwards to transit the North West Passage into the Beaufort Sea.
www.againstthefloe.com
Lombardini Marine 1000-Mile Doublehanded Race
In search of an even more challenging and international race than last year's premiere, the committee of the Lombarini Marine 1000-mile Doublehanded Race has extended the race with two more legs. Due to the extension the doublehanded sailors will enter Newcastle for a stopover after the first leg that will start in Holland on June 8th. From Newcastle the race will head to Bergen, Norway and from there be part of the Bergen-Shetland races (leg 3 and 4). The final and fifth leg will return to Newcastle from Bergen. Competitors must sail at least four legs to compete for the overall victory.
The route of the race will tracked between three countries and is anything but a Dutch clique. In last year's edition fifteen crews from Norway, Great Britain, Holland, Belgium and Germany participated. This year the race committee will aim for at least 20 entries.
Who can participate? All experienced sailors seeking serious short-handed sailing competition. Your boat must be 27 ft LOA or more, and manned by two people. At least one crewmember must complete the entire race. The only exception to the minimum LOA is the Open650 class, which will be held if sufficient registrations are received. For all boats: To qualify a non-stop cruise of at least 100 NM in open sea must be made.
Entering the race is possible until May 1st on the website www.1000mile.org
Irish Teams for Rolex Commodore's Cup 2008
Preparations are intensifying and are well under way for the 2008 Rolex Commodore's Cup. The Red Funnel Easter Challenge at Cowes from March 21st to 23rd will see the first outing of the members of the Irish Commodore's Cup White Team entry. The three members of the team, all sailing Jason Ker designed boats, will take part in the Challenge. Anthony O'Leary is due to take over his new charter a Ker 39ft designed "Antix Eile" on April 1st and with six of his crew from Cork will sail aboard her in the big boat category during the Red Funnel Challenge prior to this date. Both Conor and Denise Phelan's 37 foot Ker "Jump Juice" and Eamon Crosbie's Ker 32 foot "Voodoo Chile" have been modified over the winter and will fill the middle and small boat categories respectively. Both these boats are renowned for their successful campaigns.
The members of the Green team will all compete for the Commodores' Cup on new Mills designed boats. However, for the Red Funnel Challenge there is only one definite participant from the Green team.
Filling the small boat category for the Green Team is Andrew Allen's 37ft "No Naked Flames", currently deck cargo on a ship bound for the Solent having had quite a good series in Key West on her first outing, and hoping to make at least some of the races in Cowes. Eamon Rohans's new King 40, "Blondie 1V" is in the water in the Solent. Her mast has been stepped and the boat has been measured for her IRC certificate and she is ready to compete. However, Tim Costello's new Mills 43 "Tiamat" is still in build and is likely to make her first appearance in the April League in Kinsale along with other members of the team.
During the Easter Challenge the RYA Team GBR will have their two nominated teams competing and are hoping to select a further two teams from this and subsequent events. The Red Funnel Challenge will give the Irish teams their first indication of how their boats will perform against the competition provided by the British Teams. -- Claire Bateman, Irish Cruiser Racing Association
Letters To The Editor
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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 Andy Rice, SailJuiceBlog.com: In response to John Forbes's letter to Scuttlebutt Europe #1465, it's not clear to me that John has drawn a distinction between the comments I made and the comments made by Richard Gladwell of Sail World NZ, whom I quoted in my SailJuice article. I encourage him to read the original article at sailjuiceblog.com/2008/03/03/biting-the-hand/ , so he understands exactly who said what, and where I'm coming from.
John might be surprised to find that I share the same views as he does about the travesty of the multihull being ejected from the Olympics. If he wants to mention my name to either Darren Bundock or Carolijn Brouwer, the new President of the International Tornado Association, he will find that I have been one of the most vocal and consistent critics of the decisions made in Estoril last November, and that I have been campaigning hard to get these decisions reconsidered.
Indeed, the irony of John reading out that leaked internal memo from Yachting New Zealand is that it was SailJuice who leaked it into the public domain in the first place. When I published this confidential email on 30 November 2007, it was political dynamite. You can read the original article here: sailjuiceblog.com/
Who knows? Perhaps the publication of that memo was part of what convinced YNZ to change its stance so dramatically. But in the context of this political issue, 30 November is a long time ago.
Even though John and I want the same thing - the reinstatement of the multihull - this is where we differ. A lot of water had passed under the bridge by the time John read out that YNZ document in early March. If YNZ had not admitted the error of its original vote in Estoril, then I would have strongly supported John's decision to read from the memo.
But when a former enemy (if that's not too strong a word) switches to your side, it doesn't seem to make much political sense to keep on whacking them about the head with their past misdemeanours. Better to thank them for the change of heart, and then work together to get the change you're looking for. The fact that YNZ has made a submission in support of the multihull is one of the strongest cards in the multihull lobby's hand.
Meanwhile, John will be encouraged to hear that things have moved on a good deal further since the Tornado Worlds. In the past week it appears that ISAF has received a high number of submissions from national authorities (including YNZ) on getting the Olympic Events for 2012 reconsidered. So for those of us who want to see the multihull reinstated, things are looking a little brighter than they have done for some time.
* From Richard Gladwell, sail-world.com: I have just read John Forbes comments in Scuttlebutt-Europe.
He puts a very nice spin on what he would like to have reported.
Forbes hasn't responded directly to myself or Andy, however I do have an audio recording of his speech, which is not as he would like to have it remembered/reported.
Unfortunately I don't have the Booing or Ooohing recorded (as this incident came 15 minutes after Forbes' speech and dessert had been served). However it did happen, Forbes would have had to possess very poor hearing to miss it. The YNZ President had to be persuaded not to walk out of the function, and several YNZ Directors would have followed her - or beaten her to it.
The first part of his speech was fine about the Tornado class having an excellent "product", however then second was well wide of the mark. At present the class needs all the friends it can get, not be slinging off at those who are prepared to stick their head above the ISAF parapet to support the Multihull Event in 2012.
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The Last Word
If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run - and often in the short one - the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative. -- Arthur C. Clarke
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