|
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
TRANSAT AG2R
Squid for breakfast! Photo from PhilSharpRacing.com
White bread in the North, black bread elsewhere... Only those who chose the northern course from Madeira to Saint Barthelmy have fared well this week. A zone of calm has hit those in the middle of the fleet. Those who chose the southern route are still searching for the elusive trade winds and are headed even further south... and further behind. Some in the south are now more than 500 miles behind the leaders in the north.
A quick review of the fleet standings shows a nearly direct correlation between place and latitude. The farther south a boat is positioned, the farther away from the finish line.
From Phil Sharp now in 5th place with David Krizek on Atlantik F:
"You know you've been offshore for a while when you start to forget what day of the week it is. A bit like when you're on holiday, but where we are now is actually far from a holiday. We are pushing really hard all the time in power reaching conditions and staying focused is crucial at a time like this and not ourselves get too relaxed and into the swing of things as it were. Since the day before yesterday, for the first time in the race we've made big gains on the leader, 'Financo', having reduced his lead from over 80 miles to 36 from this mornings positions, and now in 6th place!"
"We are polling just ahead of Gildas Morvan and Jean le Cam now, racing 'Circle Vert', who have taken a more southerly option and have ended up in lighter winds than us. Obviously with Morvan being my big rival in the Route du Rhum it would be great to keep him behind us again until the finish but this is going to be far from easy since there is still around 2000 miles left to go and anything can happen in this crazy sport dictated by what forces nature throws at us." -- www.philsharpracing.com
Top ten at 05:00 22/04/2008:
1. Financo - Nicolas Troussel / Christopher Pratt, 1844.76.7 to finish
2. Gedimat - Armel Tripon / Dominic Vitttet, 6.2 nm to leader
3. Athema - Erwan Tabarly / Vincent Biarnes, 9.3
4. Defi Mousquetaires - Thomas Rouxel / Erwan Israel, 10.4
5. Atlantik F - David Krizek / Phil Sharp, 31.5
6. Les Mousquetaires - Bertrand de Broc / Gwen Riou, 33.5
7. Suzuki Automobiles - Thierry Cabagny / Corentin Douguet, 45.8
8. Groupe Celeos - Ronan Treussart / Anthony Marchand, 53.3
9. Degremon Suez Source De Talent - Jean Charles Monnet / Alexandre Toulorge, 56.7
10. Cercle Vert - Gildas Morvan / Jean Le Cam, 77.1
www.transat-ag2r.com
Decision 35 Season Launch
Photo by Loris Von Siebenthal - Myimage
The 10-strong fleet of D35s is set to race the Julius Baer Challenge on Lake Geneva and the season was announced today at a press conference at the Societe Nautique de Genève (SNG).
Alinghi (SUI1), representing the SNG, will compete in the series with Ernesto Bertarelli helming onboard with fellow Alinghi team mates; Pierre-Yves Jorand (mainsail trimmer), Murray Jones (mainsail/strategy), Yves Detrey (bow) and Nils Frei (headsail trimmer). Christian Wahl (tactics), Andrew Graham (trimmer/bow), Tanguy Cariou (performance/coach), Coraline Jonet (trimmer), Claudy Dewarrat (coach) and Nicolas Rossier (boat preparations) will complete the race crew.
The D35 Class, an owner sailor arrangement, was founded in 2004 by Swiss sailors for friendly competition on Swiss lakes. The Julius Baer Challenge, organised by the 'Association des Multicoques de Competition', is an annual competition consisting of a series of events (see calendar below). Competitors are among the cream of lake sailors and this one design class gives them the opportunity to meet on equal terms in high performance speedsters.
Julius Baer Challenge 2008 programme
2-4 May - Grand Prix Chopard
24-25 - May Rolle Open
7 June - Geneva-Rolle-Geneva
14 June - Bol d'Or Mirabaud
30-31 August - HP Cup, la Reserve
5-7 September - Versoix Open
20-21 September - Yacht Club Open
3-5 October - GP Beau Rivage Palace
www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=15545
www.challengejuliusbaer.ch/en/
Take A Look At The New Ullman Sails Website
Ullman Sails has launched a brand new website! The group's 22 international sail lofts collaborated on the project, making sure that every section has current, comprehensive information on all Ullman Sails products and services. The new homepage has clean, modern graphics; easy navigation; and an awesome image from Ultimate Sailing's Sharon Green. And it's worth taking a look at the updated tuning guides and articles written by the group's top designers and experienced sailmakers. Started in 1968, Ullman Sails has always focused on providing the best sails and service to every customer.
Visit our new website at www.ullmansails.com
Brady Leads Kiwi Contingent to Top of the Fleet
Long Beach, California, USA: For a day that opened with what his opponent called "a big crash," Gavin Brady's Wednesday turned out fine in the Long Beach Yacht Club's 44th Congressional Cup presented by Acura.
In fact, the three New Zealand sailors in the fleet have no complaints after the first of two round-robins leading to Saturday's championship sailoffs. Brady, rolling with eight consecutive wins after an opening loss, leads the Kiwi clan at 8-1, followed by local resident Scott Dickson (6-3) alone in second place and Simon Minoprio in a three-way tie for third at 5-4.
But Brady's win against Antoine-Pierre Morvan wasn't pretty. In the pre-start sequence he rammed the Frenchman's transom and his spinnaker pole hooked onto the rival's luff line, leaving the boats temporarily inseparable. Brady drew a penalty, but built enough of a lead to erase it with a turn at the end of the race.
It was a lively day with unusually strong southeast winds of 15 knots that shifted 60 degrees right and faded to 6 in mid-afternoon---the opposite pattern of normal Long Beach sea breezes.
Dickson, the leader coming in at 5-0, lost three of his four races, although he was in position to win two of them. Dickson saved a lead when Morvan carried him a couple of hundred yards past the windward mark, but then lost it---and the race---when he momentarily lost control while leading Morvan downwind.
Standings*
(After 9 of 18 rounds)
1. Brady, 7-1
2. Dickson, 6-3
3. tie among Berntsson, Minoprio and Perry, 5-4
6. tie among Presti, Morvan and Iehl, 4-5
9. Arbuzov, 3-6; 10. VanTol, 1-7.
* From Wednesday, due to time difference Thursday results not available at press time
www.lbyc.org/html/content.cfm?CID=1170
300 Optis From China To Finland
The biggest overseas Optimist deal in 60 years brings 300 Optimists from China to Finland
The Finnish Optimist Association has coordinated an innovative deal between 62 Finnish sailing clubs & their member families and the biggest builder of Optimists in the world, Far East Boats of Shanghai, China.
The young Finnish sailors are being supplied with the top of the range boats with hulls of biaxial cloth, epoxy fins, stiff racing rigs, top of the range Harken blocks and radial cut sails designed by the Finnish WB-sails made in China with three alternative designs for sailors of different weight. The fully equipped boats have padded top & bottom covers, rig & foil bags & trolleys with big wheels and they are supplied with IODA measurement certificates for hulls, blades, rig and sails. Also the sail numbers given by the Finnish Sailing Federation are already in place. "Our aim has been to supply the clubs and families with highest quality, ready to race, plug and play –opti packages", says Tapio Lehtinen of the Finnish Optimist Association.
Through a deal without any middle men, buyers paying directly to the builder through the accounts of the Finnish Opti Association, logistics sponsored by Itella, Audi & Wartsila, the final price of the boat packages with the Finnish VAT & customs paid will be less than 1500 Euros. The price is roughly a third of similar top of the range fully equipped racing optimist packages made in Norhern Europe.
At the same time, the families were offered a full opti sailors gear bag with a fully breathing drysuit, a fleece overall, PFD, hiking pants, gloves, start watch, Opti DVD and book delivered anywhere in Finland by courier at a very competitive price by the British company Trident-UK. "Our aim is to get the entry barrier as low as possible for the beginners in the sport. In slightly longer run this will benefit also the Finnish dealers as we get more people to the sport", says Lehtinen.
Weekly Mediterranean Shipping Service
Complete Freight continues to offer excellent shipping services to the Mediterranean for sail and motorboats. With the summer just around the corner Complete Freight is busy shipping many yachts to numerous ports around the Med. Complete Freight offer a weekly service from Southampton to Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey. For further information and photos visit www.completefreight.com or call 0044 (0) 1489575763
For your free limited edition AVIVA "Dee Caffari" mouse mat, contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sailing With the Treleavens - Antigua
Classic Ketch 'Lions Welp'. Photo by Ian and Andrea Treleaven
What a wonderful treat to be in Antigua for the Classic Yacht Regatta 2008, with over 60 vessels competing from 148ft down to 30ft. Our favourites ones are the vintage gaff rigged yachts built from 1890 to 1915. Some of course were only built 5 years ago but to the original drawings, construction and rig. It seems to be that vintage is the new toy for those that have everything.
Of particular interest was the dog fight between the old Americas cup J class 'Ranger' and 'Velsheda' both at over 130ft with close match racing around the course. 'Eleonora', a 120ft gaff rigged schooner, is an exact replica of the Schooner Westward designed and built by Herreshoff in the early 1900's and successfully raced with the famous Charlie Barr as skipper. She looks stunning under sail and was even more amazing to go onboard.
The regatta only competed 3 of the 4 races as the last day was abandoned due to no wind, a first for us in the Caribbean since arriving 4 1/2 months ago.
Antigua Sailing Week starts tomorrow and should be a lot of fun. Not too much preparation as we are in the cruising division with no spinnaker so plan to enjoy as the big maxis 'Leopard' and
'Rambler' fight it out. There are nearly 200 entries with about half the fleet in cruising divisions. -- Andrea and Ian Treleaven
Some terrific photos and more on Sail-World.com:
www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=43886
'Can I Come Down Now?'
Sometimes technical t-shirts can kick up a bit of a fuss, even after washing, and it's not something that goes down too well with your crew mates. You might even find yourself in a bosun's chair for extended periods, doing 'important' jobs at the masthead. Dubarry's new Genoa T-shirt has fast-drying anti-microbial fabric that works better than the rest - keeping you dry, fresh and friendly, sparing your blushes. And because it's SPF40, your shoulders won't be red either. Flat, cover-stitched seams mean it's pretty much the perfect inner layer.
Dubarry's Genoa T-Shirt: Same Rules. New Collection.
www.dubarry.com
Trofeo Pirelli: IRC - IMS - Maxi - Wally Mini Maxi - One Design
Photo of Midva by Stefania Pilan
The Spanish teams stole the spotlight on the opening day of the GP42 Quebramar Cup 2008 in Santa Margherita Ligure, on the Italian coast. Thanks to two second places the crew of El Desafio, coming all from the Iberian America's Cup challenger with helmsman Laureano Wizner and Santiago López-Vasquez calling tactics, are leading the provisional standings of the international GP42 circuit opening event.
Yet if the Spanish started attacking, the Italians reacted counterattacking, namely the team of Roma 42.2, led by the couple Paolo Cian and Sebastien Col, who promptly reacted after a mediocre first race and won the second one.
Third place is held by Canarias Puerto Calero, led by Jose Maria Ponce with the only woman sailor of the fleet Alicia Ageno in navigator role that showed an excellent consistency.
Yesterday weather forecasts were not rosy, but the day opened with a bright sun and a breeze that was unable to go over 8/9 knots and progressively died down, allowing the eight GPs to finish two windward/leeward races of about 10 miles each. Racing was extremely close and even offered a thrilling Spanish photo finish when in the first race EL DESAFIO and Canarias Puerto Calero crossed the finish line a mere 15/20 centimetres apart!
Tomorrow's schedule calls for two or three upwind/downwind race that as will count towards the Quebramar Cup general standing, after a unanimous decision by the boat owners.
Standings after 2 races
1. El Desafio, 4 points, (2+2)
2. Roma GP 42.2, 6 points, (5+1)
3. Canarias Puerto Calero, 7 points, (2+5)
4. Madrid, 8 points, (1+7)
5. AIRIS, 9 points, (6+3)
6. Near Miss, 9 points, (4+5)
7. Seawonder 007, 13 points, (7+6)
8. Roma GP 42.1, 16 points, (8+8)
* Mauro Pelaschier is crew tactician on Midva - Palazzo Cicala at this week's Trofeo Pirelli, from 1st to 4th of may
Stepping into the tactician's role on Midva - Palazzo Cicala for the upcoming Trofeo Pirelli is Mauro Pelaschier, who should have no trouble carrying the weight of the race on his shoulders. Midva - Palazzo Cicala, Pozzi, Besana e Sirena's three quarter tonner, last year won a podium place, finishing second in its class and sixth in division B.
Mauro accepted to lead because he believes he will enjoy racing on one of the smallest and oldest sailboat of the racing fleet, directing a crew of feisty and passionate amateurs with cartoonist and owner Davide Besana at the helm.
Designed by Ron Holland, Midva was built in laminated wood in 1982.
For twenty years it has been a cruise sailboat.
After a extensive refitting by Mauro Ugge, Midva started to race in ORC class, ended up second at the XIX Mariperman Trophy in 2006, finished the day in third of its class at the Giraglia Cup in 2007 and took first of its class and second in division B at the Alassio International Sailing Week in 2008.
Midva's deck hardware is by Harken, the carbon and kevlar sails by Olimpic.
www.gp42.it/News/Pirelli_2008_Day_1.htm
Long Haul For Legend Of The Seas
A side-effect of the debate on a suitable memorial for Sir Edmund Hillary was a reminder that nothing had been done to commemorate the life of one of this country's other great adventurers, Sir Peter Blake. Children born at the time of his murder on the Amazon in 2001 were well into primary school yet still there was only planning and proposal. It had become a disgrace. Thankfully, that situation has now been resolved with the announcement of approval for an $8.9 million tribute to be housed in the National Maritime Museum, at the northern end of Auckland's Hobson Wharf.
It has been almost two years since this project emerged from a more extravagant memorial that would have encased Black Magic, the America's Cup-winning yacht given to Te Papa by Sir Peter, in a glass building next to the museum. This $10 million concept failed to win popular backing. Many Aucklanders believed that buying and renaming Kaikoura Island in the Hauraki Gulf would be a more fitting tribute to the champion yachtsman and environmentalist. The glass case plan did, however, gain the approval of Lady Pippa Blake and her family, albeit with a caveat about the cost. That paved the way for a more modest project centred on Black Magic. The boat will be suspended in the museum's Hall of Yachting and surrounded on three levels by an exhibition detailing Sir Peter's life and exploits, and the broader story of New Zealand yachting.
Tenders for "Blue Water Black Magic - A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake" are due to be called this month, and work is expected to begin around July. Resource consents have been obtained. The saga appears to be nearing its end. Happily, the final plans look good. There will continue to be quibbles, as there always are in matters of design. But the overwhelming sentiment is surely that this tribute must be completed without further delay. The memory of a great New Zealander has already been poorly served for far too long. -- New Zealand Herald,
www.nzherald.co.nz/event/story.cfm?c_id=531&objectid=10507262&ref=rss
Champagne Mumm Launches the Cordon Rouge Club
Bear Grylls inducted some of the UK's best-loved explorers and adventurers as members of the new Cordon Rouge Club at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Tuesday 29th April. Launched by Champagne G.H. Mumm, the Club is set to be a unique forum for celebrating extraordinary human achievements within the realms of exploration, sailing, adventure and discovery.
Club members will meet on an annual basis to celebrate with Champagne G.H. Mumm and approve and induct other like-minded, inspiring individuals. Chairman Bear Grylls presented a commemorative engraved Champagne Sabrage* Sword to each of the 17 members.
Explaining the reasoning behind the launch, Head of Champagnes at Pernod Ricard UK Chris Seale said: "Since the House was founded in 1827, Champagne G.H. Mumm has consistently encouraged and supported extraordinary individuals. This spirit is perhaps best summed up by a photograph showing French explorer Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot, a friend of founding father Georges H Mumm, celebrating reaching the South Pole with a bottle of G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge in 1904.
"We wanted to create an official forum to bring together and recognise these outstanding achievers and we're delighted to have had such an outstanding turnout for our inaugural Cordon Rouge Club event." -- Sophy Williams
Cordon Rouge Club 2008 Founding Members:
Bear Grylls - adventurer, and Club Chairman for 2008
Tom Avery - Polar adventurer
Charley Boorman - Motorcyclist and adventurer
Dee Caffari MBE - Round-the-world yachtswoman
Ben Fogle - Trans-Atlantic rower and adventurer
Mike Golding OBE- Round-the-world yachtsman
David Hempleman-Adams MBE OBE - Polar balloonist and adventurer
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston - Round-the-world yachtsman
Neil Laughton - Everest mountaineer and adventurer
Dame Ellen MacArthur - Round-the-world yachtswoman
Ewan McGregor - Motorcyclist and adventurer
Olly and Suzi - Expedition adventurer artists
Ben Saunders - Polar adventurer
Oliver Steeds - Tribal expert and adventurer
Brian Thompson - Round-the-world yachtsman
Patrick Woodhead - Antarctic adventurer
The Last Word
If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. -- George Orwell
|
