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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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Editorials, Opinions and the Rumour Mill
Sailing With Alinghi
I went racing with Alinghi today aboard one of their Extreme 40 catamarans in Valencia. Ed Baird was steering on my boat (and before you ask, no, he didn't capsize), with Rodney Ardern, Lorenzo Mazza and Pieter van Nieuwenhuizen doing the hard work up front.
On the black boat, Murray Jones was steering with Brad Butterworth on mainsheet. Ed and crew blitzed the starts and won today's informal series 5-0.
This was all part of a media day run by Alinghi, branded 'Back to Sailing'. Although the dark cloud of legal uncertainty continues to hang over the 33rd America's Cup, the sailing and design teams at Alinghi are full bore into learning and researching the weird and wonderful possibilities of a multi race in boats measuring 90ft by 90ft.
Now, I had thought those dimensions were maximum limits, but apparently not, according to Alinghi's legal counsel Lucien Masmejean. 90ft by 90ft is what it says on BMW Oracle Racing's challenge certificate, so you couldn't build something smaller even if you wanted to!
The sailors and designers are genuinely excited by the challenge ahead of them. The predicted loads are mind boggling, quite terrifying in fact. Upwind speeds are likely to be in the region of 20 knots, downwind they could exceed 40 knots. The dynamic duo in the offshore multi world, Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret, have been wheeled in to make sure Grant Simmer, Rolf Vrolijk, Dirk Kramers and all the established monohull experts at Alinghi don't get completely carried away. Irens and Cabaret are the monumentally successful double act behind Ellen MacArthur's B&Q Castorama, and more recently Francis Joyon's IDEC 2 and Thomas Coville's Sodeb'O. Note that all these boats are trimarans, by the way.
Although Alinghi - and BMW Oracle for that matter - remain tight lipped as to whether their beast will float on two hulls or three, most seem to be expecting a trimaran of some form. -- read the rest of Andy Rice's posting on his blog, sailjuiceblog.com
That Other Problem Child
2012 Olympic Events is sailing's other problem child, and ISAF will have the chance to right its wrongs of last November at the Mid Year meeting in May.
We have talked before of the sleight of hand that appears to be embedded in the Agenda's for the meeting - with submissions being categorised as non-Urgent, but one from the Executive Committee on the same topic gets a self-pat on its 'Urgent' head, and will be considered.
Those against any change from November will pay the old game of divide and rule to get their way in the votes.
The way around this is for there to be a unified position the FFV (FRA) submission for the Five Disciplines as the backbone of the Olympic Events is one to which everyone can probably subscribe.
This would mean that the Womens Events would consist of Keelboat, Singlehanded Monohull, Two-handed Monohull and Windsurfer. The Mens Events would comprise the above plus Multihull (probably as an Open Event), with the option to decide which Discipline will have the second event, to create six Events from Five Disciplines. Next decision is which classes should be the equipment for the Events - with plenty of room for creative options if this is required.
Under the French submission, an event eg Womens Keelboat can still be Match or Fleet racing. Maybe there is also room for Teams Racing in one of the Events given the backbone of the Five Disciplines.
The gains are that the Five Disciplines set a strategy for ISAF in that all major sailing disciplines are represented at the Olympics; it gives some symmetry to the sport outside the Olympics ie is compatible with the events at the ISAF Youth.
Five Disciplines also means that sailors can plan for development beyond a four year Olympic cycle as it is relatively easy to switch between classes within a discipline, but a lot less easy to switch between disciplines.
If the 2012 Events issue is to be progressed then there has to be some commonality in thinking, and the Five Disciplines approach is very hard to argue against. By not adopting it as a principle, one is by definition subscribing to the exclusion of one discipline of the sport from the Olympics for the sake of another being over-represented. -- Richard Gladwell, see more on the 'non-urgent' submissions on Sail-World: www.sail-world.com
Team GB Kit Fails To Stand Out
Colour is an emotive issue. No more so than in sport. Why else do teams cherish their kit? Market value? Identity?
Except when it comes from Olympic sailors it seems. At the Hyeres Olympic Week most sailors were in national kit as the countdown to Beijing continues.
Yet it's all but impossible to tell the Brits from any one of 10 other teams because they wore uniform black. Half the sailing world has half-hitched the Kiwis' dress code neutralising their identity in the process... The last America's Cup in Valencia was instructive. Again grunge grey and boring black was in vogue for rather too many teams but some kit really said something about the values of the team a person sailed for.
Prada's team white with red accent was stylish, smart and carefully tied-into the sporting lines on sale in Prada shops around the world. Fellow Italians Mascalzone Latino utilised great graphic design so that their hand-drawn logo of the team name encapsulated a stylish look and the team's fun ethos all at once.
BMW Oracle's white and navy blue was understated and unfussy. It didn't need shout its message and it reflected the team's American and German roots. All three carried the subliminal message "we're distinctive and proud of who we are."
The current preoccupation with black has seen the mostly Dutch ditch their orange, the Italians their royal blue, the Danes their scarlet and so on. The French are not so much Les Bleus and Les Flouro Pink et Noir.
Mind you, there are many who would say that the black is better than the 1992 British shore gear. Then the team really did stand out. Thank mauve for that. -- Tim Jeffery in his blog, full article and plenty more at
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/timjeffery/may2008/teamgbkitfailstostandout.htm
Star Boat Controversy In Ireland
Peter O'Leary & Stephen Milne have been recommended to the OCI as Ireland's representatives in the Star class at the 2008 Olympics.
On 1st May the ISA board unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Olympic Sailing Group (OSG) to nominate O'Leary & Milne following their exceptional campaign.
The OSG met on 30th April to select a crew for the Star class following the recent successful Star World Championships in Miami USA at which Ireland secured a nation place at the 2008 Olympics.
Colm Barrington, Chairman of the OSG, commented "The three crews in contention for the place demonstrated enormous skill and great determination in their campaigns. While it is very disappointing for the 2 crews who miss out, the OSG unanimously selected O'Leary & Milne. They have demonstrated that they have the best chance of success in the Olympic regatta in 2008".
James O'Callaghan, ISA Performance Director, stated "Obviously we were delighted with the performances of all three crews throughout the campaign. They all knew the selection process in advance and the competition between them drove them all to strong performances."
* This is a very controversial decision by the ISA and we are going to appeal it because we truly believe that our record stands for itself.
Without reflecting on any other sailors, Anthony and I won outright on the water, we alone qualified the country, we are the highest placed Irish Star sailors in the World Rankings, we won the nominated events by an indisputable margin, we were 4th in the Grade 1 Spring Europeans last year against virtually all of the current nominated countries for the 2008 Olympics, we are the only Irish sailing team this year across all classes to have attained the status of 'World Class Athletes' with the Irish Sports Council.
We are still in shock and cannot believe that the ISA could make this decision.
Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks
Artemis Ocean Racing Runs Out Of Time
Jonny Malbon today confirmed that Artemis Ocean Racing II has withdrawn from The Artemis Transat, starting on Sunday May 11 in Plymouth. The team has been working tirelessly to get the state of the art IMOCA Open 60 ready for her qualifier, and ultimately The Artemis Transat, but it has not been possible to complete the extensive list of checks and sea trials in time.
Skipper Jonny Malbon commented: "Our initial sailing has shown that the boat has huge potential but we simply have not had the time to complete the necessary workup to compete safely in The Artemis Transat. This has been a terrible decision to have to make, but I believe that it is the only decision that will ensure the team has a successful season and a well prepared Vendee campaign."
Lack of time to complete the final stages of preparation and sea trials with the boat have meant that it was not possible for Malbon to qualify and compete safely in the race, which would see him face the cream of the IMOCA racing fleet in a sprint across the treacherous north Atlantic.
Malbon and the Artemis Ocean Racing team will now focus their attention and energy on the Vendee Globe in November 2008. With a strong British team of shore crew and supporters, Jonny will begin training and preparations in earnest. The current schedule is that Jonny and the team will finish the boat and start rigorous testing to get ready for offshore sailing and ultimately the 3,000 mile solo qualification passage that he must complete before the end of June.
www.artemisoceanracing.com
Launchings
* Mirabaud LX was presented to the media at Societe Nautique de Geneve, in Switzerland. Supported by the Banque Mirabaud & Cie banquiers prives, this project is the result of Thomas Jundt's creativity and experience with highly competitive sailing boats. Aimed at flying on its hydrofoils, this prototype has a very special characteristic: it has no hulls, although a marginal floatability remains, aimed at preventing the boat from sinking until it reaches flying speeds (approx 8 knots).
Conceived around a structure of carbon fiber tubes, this boat is a concentrate of high technology. Every single element has been optimized in order to reduce the overall weight and allow it to fly on its foils as quickly as possible.
Mirabaud LX's crew is made out of Antoine Ravonel, helmsman and boat captain, Thomas Jundt, project manager and crew member, and Eric Gobet, no1. Other members of the project include the coach and former Olympic sailor Jean-Pierre Ziegert, sail designer Jean-Marc Monnard, boat designer Sebastien Schmidt and French engineer Hugues De Turkheim, consultant for the foils.
LOA : 10m
Width (structure, without the ladders) : 1.8m
Weight : 150 kg ( 25 kg for the foils)
Surface of sails (upwind) : 32m2
Surface of sails (downwind) : 62m2
* In December 2007 Moondance Yachts in Cape Town, South Africa splashed their first Van Gorkom designed production Open30, "OverProof". The boat is presently undergoing a full range of sea trials and will soon be ready for offshore competition.
Here's the latest report from Moondance Yachts and so far they're very encouraging.......... "We went sailing on "OverProof" for 4 hours this morning and tested all the systems. The wind was 7-8 knts picking up to 12 knts later in the day. We sailed with the full main and jib. The pole was retracted and the water was flat. I am new to these type of boats, but was very taken with the following:
1. Speed - on a reach (wind 90 degrees true @ 8 knots) she accelerated very quickly to 6.9 knts on the GPS. It reminded me of my sailing on a hobie, the apparent wind picked up and we had to tighten up on the sheets. In 12 knots we reached a boat speed of 9.5 knots. We chased an Atlantic 48 (catamaran), the same as the one we are building now, and were at least a half knot faster.
2. Tracking and balance - the boat tracks like a 40ft boat. The rudders seem to keep her on a steady course and she is perfectly balanced (light helm). You can leave the tiller and she stays on course. She turns sharply when tacking (despite the tillers being constrained somewhat by the box and the sailtrack).
3. Trim. Although she appears slightly stern down on her moorings, she trimmed well once sailing. The bow does not seem to trim down when she heels and the water breaks smoothly off the transom.
* Morris 4806 Barra was launched earlier this month at Morris Yachts Bass Harbor yard. The owner of Barra and his family plan to cruise and participate in offshore racing. The first event is the Newport Bermuda Race. From there the boat will sail to Scotland then travel down to the Canary Islands for the 2008 ARC race to the Caribbean.
The deck of his 48 was also customized for racing while the interior in the Herreshoff style of cherry and white bulkheads will be a haven of comfort and easy onboard living. The three-cabin layout: v-berth forward, portside aft guest cabin and starboard crew cabin quarterberth will accommodate the family for weeks at sea. The crew of Barra will eat well, too, Morris built in a deep freezer under the main salon settee in addition to the standard freezer in the galley for long distance provisioning.
* The Beneteau First 45 made its world premiere at the Paris Boat Show in December and its American debut at Strictly Sail Pacific.
Designed in close cooperation between Beneteau and Philippe Briand Yacht Design, the First 45 is offered with extensive cruising equipment as standard. In the Sport version, the key words are Seduction and Comfort, while a Regatta version is focused on performance for a program geared more toward racing. There's a choice of keel (shallow-draft cast iron as standard and lead deep-draft in option) for all versions, to suit everyone's needs and all geographical areas.
The First 45 participated in its first races at La Trinite Sur Mer in February immediately following its launch straight from the factory. "Lady Courier" was delivered from Lorient to La Trinite the day before the start of the Spring regattas.
Gery Trentesaux, the Skipper and previous owner of a First 44.7 said. "Compared with my previous First 44.7, I have been impressed during this first sailing."
* This six meter sportboat built in plywood-epoxy is the Velivolo, the new boat by Paolo Bua and Diego Moretti. From Paolo:
The hull shape leaves the paths beaten before, her bow is inverse and very thin to cut the waves, the bottom is plane to glide, the sides flared, two wings to improvethe righting moment, a plate deck and an enormous cockpit to make easier the work of the crew, a bulb made of lead to lower the centre of gravity, all pushed by a powerful but easy to control rig: square head full batten mainsail, full batten jib, the gennaker on bowsprit: Velivolo is a little bomb!
It has been studied for a crew of 3 people to compete in open class with success. It's very powerful: weight is less than 400kg ready to sail, it has a big righting moment because of the crew on the wings and because the bulb made of lead situated in the end of the blade of sliding keel made of carbon. The sail area is generous and it's guaranteed of angle and speed upwind and easy planing downwind. The hull of plywood made of okume is covered by thin transparent glass cloth and reinforcedby some ingot of iroko and it's solid and light.
The wood fashioned with passion and precision from Diego Moretti has driven him to build this arrow like none, characterized by sporty lines in the extreme and a very reduced weight.It is all topped off by the beauty of wood. -- from Sailing Anarchy, www.sailinganarchy.com and www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2006/italy_newboats.htm
However.. a writer at eboats.it finds some fault with the boat's construction (loose translation from the Italian by your humble narrator):
This is a beautiful boat, and while wood very much appeals to me, I have the difficult task of stating that the chosen wood here is not ideal for the conditions underwhich a boat is submitted... Okume suffers horribly from humidity. In order to deal with this problem the builder has sealed it with transparent resin, but wood needs to breathe and if there is an infiltration (from a rivet or screw) maintenance will become a problem. Mahogany would have been a much better choice. -- www.e-boat.it
Videos of the Velivolo prototype:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47tw246M5w&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzfN0Gp9z_I&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTKk-FovNQw&feature=related
* Melges Performance Sailboats is proud to release images of very first Melges 20 hull - fresh out of the package and well on its way to the next step in production. As seen, the Melges 20 already delivers a sleek, sophisticated hull shape that has speed embedded from bow to stern. Sharp, clean and modern the Melges 20 looks fast and engineered to the highest performance standards - the epitome of less is more. we have teamed up with Reichel Pugh ensuring that this boat will be advanced in every respect, high quality, innovative, designed to the very core and fun. It will be beautiful, a cinch to sail, rig and comfortable. The Melges 20 will ultimately appeal to a wide range of skill level, age and gender groups. It will bring encouragement to youth sailors, women and day sailors alike.
Photos of the boat in build at www.melges20.com
Featured Brokerage
2004 Beneteau First 44.7, AUS$ 479,000, Lying Gold Coast, Australia.
Brokerage through Vicsail International: www.yachtworld.com/vsiyachting/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at
uk.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatFullDetails.jsp?boat_id=1903292
Photo Galleries
Click on the image for the photo gallery.
From left to right:
- Mumm 30 Italian Circuit Photos by Stefania Pilan
- Testing the new Artemis Open 60
- Van Gorkum Open30 "OverProof"
The Last Word
Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah... didn't miss the boat. -- Mark Twain
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