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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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One In, One Out In Artemis Transat
Photo from www.whiteoceanracing.com
The big news today certainly is the official entry of Steve White aboard Spirit of Weymouth in the IMOCA Class taking the number of IMOCA skippers to thirteen. Having completed his qualifying passage, the young Brit takes his place amongst a very impressive lineup of all the greatest names in singlehanded sailing with only four days remaining until the start on Sunday, 11th May at 1400 BST.
On the other hand, Patrice Carpentier will finally not be at the start in Plymouth on Sunday in the Class40 category which leaves the Class40 with 11 skippers on the start line.
"90% of the fleet is ready at 95%", says Emmanuel Guedon, responsible for the safety checks. It has been another busy day under glorious sunshine here in Plymouth, where the boats are safely docked in Sutton Harbour. A stark contrast to what the skippers will face on the other side of the Atlantic where they will encounter extreme cold, fog and the threat of ice.
The Class40 boats definitely raise the public's interest, proving how open and accessible ocean racing has remained since the beginnings - the adventurous and pioneering spirit is clearly still alive, embodied by this class of boats which mixes seasoned professionals and enlightened amateurs, some taking on their first solo crossing.
And even if a few drops of rain can be expected on Friday, these exceptional conditions are here to stay, and it looks like the start of the race on Sunday will be spectacular: more than 25 degrees C, and a gentle easterly breeze to exit Plymouth harbour under gennaker! It will then be vital to escape the English Channel's local effects as soon as possible, and to catch the expected northerlies - what lies ahead of that first phase is still somewhat hard to foresee, but it looks like this 13th edition of the 'original' of all transats will require a lot of concentration in its early stages.
The Professor's opinion.
Having won the Vendee Globe, the Route du Rhum and The Transat in 2004, Michel Desjoyeaux boasts an unrivaled singlehander's track record. Today in Plymouth, the "Professor" shared his views:
"The Artemis Transat is tougher than the Route du Rhum! It's an important event in terms of sporting results, and a difficult one since the course takes us against the prevailing winds - it's cold, and the risk of drifting ice is important. The waters around the Labrador current are only 2 to 5 degrees, almost the same conditions as in the Southern Ocean."
"This edition's lineup is again an impressive one, and we won't have any time to waste while crossing the Atlantic! I'll have to watch out for Sebastien Josse, whose boat is very close to Gitana Eighty in her concept, but of course people like Loick Peyron, Marc Guillemot, Yann Elies, Vincent Riou and Armel Le Cleac'h are very serious rivals. Samatha Davies has also optimized her boat with more ballast capacity, new daggerboards, new winches. and that boat, my ex-PRB, was already quite at ease upwind."
www.theartemistransat.com
Fedor Konyukhov Sets Inaugural Record for Antarctica Cup
Albany, Western Australia: Russian solo circumnavigator Fedor Konyukhov returned to Albany, Western Australia, a hero today, throwing down the gauntlet to yachtsmen around the world to break his 102 day record around the Antarctica Cup Racetrack.
For the bearded 56 year old sailor, this was his 4th solo circumnavigation. 'Will it be his last?', Fedor was asked "Having just spent 95 days in the Roaring Forty and Furious Fifty latitudes, I'm not planning to go back in the near future. But the Southern Ocean provides the most spectacular sailing conditions in the world. If I go again, it will be with a crew to make the most of the wild surfing rides you get down there."
Setting out from Albany with his Open 85ft monohull Trading Network Alye Parusa at 18:21:40 UTC (10:21:40 WST) on Australia Day - 26th January to take on yachting's last great frontier. He braved a succession of storms, freezing temperatures, the ever present threat of icebergs and collisions with wales. Konyukhov came through it all unscathed, returning to King George Sound at 02: 56:50 UTC (10:56:50 WST) today to record a time of 102 days 00 hours 56 minutes 50secs for this 16,400 mile circuit of Antarctica.
He had set out from Falmouth England on 12th October 2007, and discounting a 5 day stop in Cape Town and 2 weeks in Albany prior to the start, his 85ft yacht has been 'home' for the past 6 months. "We have done 30,000 miles together and now have the greatest respect for her. But I am looking forward now to a nice thick steak, a shower, clean sheets, and 12 hours of sleep. It sounds basic, but that is exactly what I need."
To commemorate this inaugural voyage, Bob Williams, Chairman of the Antarctica Cup Race Management announced that they will name Gate 12 within the Racetrack as the Konyukhov Gate.
www.antarcticacup.com
The Perfect Nautical Gift
Click for a larger image.
Latitude Kinsale's 3D charts are proving very popular as gifts for special occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or simply treating yourself, made to commission- they are truly unique and personal. A new feature is surround lighting built into the frame, adding a whole new dimension to 3D charts. Have a look at the website and you will see examples including Newport & Hawaii. "Story board" charts are popular for capturing an event and are great mementos of that lifetime cruise or racing campaign... "From all the crew, thank you skipper!!!"
Check out the website today and talk to Latitude Kinsale about your commission.
www.latitudekinsale.com
Flying Out of Sydney on a Mission
Sydney maxi yacht owner, Andrew Short, flies out of Sydney today on a mission that could lead to his campaign at this year's 25th Anniversary Edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week starting 15,000 kilometres away in America.
He's heading to the famous yachting town of Newport, Rhode Island - the scene of Australia II's historic America's Cup victory in 1983 - with a view to buying a well-known 24.5 metre long maxi as a replacement for his equally well-known Australian big boat, Brindabella. If the negotiations are successful then the race will be on to have his new offshore racer at Hamilton Island in time for Race Week, which begins on August 23.
The yacht that Short is pursuing is the 2000 vintage Shockwave, which was built for kiwi Neville Crichton by McConaghy Boats in Sydney. She made her successful international racing debut in impressive fashion at Hamilton Island Race Week that same year. Currently named Rambler, she was very competitive on the Mediterranean circuit last summer.
Short said that if his negotiations were successful then the purchase would be finalised within two weeks. After that he would need to decide if the yacht would be sailed on her own bottom, or shipped, back to Australia: "The sole aim is to have her ready for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. I'd also like to have her back in Australia in time for us to make some modifications, in particular to fit a long bowsprit so we can set larger spinnakers."
Twenty additional entries have been registered for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in the past week. This takes the fleet number to the impressive figure of 70 three months prior to the series. Current projections are that last year's record fleet of 216 will be exceeded this year.
The latest entry received was from West Australian yachtsman Peter Briggs for his 41-footer Hitchhiker, the outright winner of the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984. The yacht will be trucked across Australia especially for what is Race Week's Silver Jubilee event. -- Rob Mundle
www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Yngling For Match Racing
The Yngling will be a good match racing boat. With the tight mark roundings in fleet racing it has proved to be a very speed equal boat. It is a small keelboat, but the overhanging transom will provide for classical match racing with ability to lock and control your opponent. Olympic Gold Medallist and current Yngling sailor Sofia Bekatorou (GRE) comments "..its performance depends more on crew work and not so much on speed. It is a very tactical boat.."
The request to supply equipment for the women keelboat event at the Olympic Games and ISAF qualifiers will also present challenges for existing major event organisers. The IYA has the financial, organisational and logistic strength to be a strong partner and equipment expert to any regatta organiser wishing to supply Ynglings.
The Yngling is spread worldwide and has been an International Class since 1979. The latest Yngling Women World Championships have attracted sailors from all six continents. Worldwide availability is guaranteed by six Yngling builders around the world, all independent and licensed by ISAF, which ensures quality and a sound market competition.
The Yngling has shown, with televised medal races and match racing, that it is truly media friendly and gives the audience an opportunity to follow the tactical game of sailing and the excitement of close mark roundings and spinnaker manoeuvres.
A recommendation for a simple layout has been presented to make it easier for any crew to get quickly comfortable in the boat. Replacing hobbles and harnesses with normal hiking straps, and limiting the rigg trimming possibilities are some of the recommendations. The simple layout in combination with multiple orders will also help bring down the price of the boat.
The International Yngling Class website at yngling.org has dedicated a special section to information about the Yngling for Match Racing. In it you can read about the advantages of the Yngling, see images and movies from match racing test events, find interviews of sailors and more. -- Mattias Dahlstrom, International Yngling Association
www.yngling.org
A Feast of 6 Metre Sailing Now Possible
Universal Marina are offering their fleet of 6 Metre yachts for charter in the Universal Summer Challenge over six weekends as part of the Red Funnel Cowes Keelboat Championship Series. The cost is 6,500.00 GBP per boat (plus VAT) and each yacht can carry sponsor logos and flags. For those lacking experience in Metre boat racing, an experienced helmsman, tactician or responsible sailor can be supplied. It will also prove to be an ideal team building opportunity for groups or friends. The summer series is a great opportunity to become involved at the very start of a growing programme of Metre racing that will extend to weekends throughout the Winter.
Plans are well advanced for a Universal 6 Metre Mediterranean Challenge. This will be a series of six long sailing weekends between September 2008 and March 2009. Fly out Thursday night to Cannes, comprehensive training on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are racing days, returning to the UK Sunday evening. Venues include Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco. Participation at other regattas during theis period is also possible.
Details from:
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www.universalmarina.co.uk
Yachting's Next Revolution?
Over the last decades keels have got deeper, their weight concentrated in a lead bulb at their extremity. Water ballast systems have since allowed sea water to be pumped into tanks up to weather, at times adding more than 50% to the displacement of the boat. This allowed bulbs to get smaller and overall displacement to be reduced when unballasted, but has the downside of requiring displacement to increase substantially (as the water ballast is pumped on board) when additional righting moment is required - not the best solution off the wind or in a moderate sea state.
Canting keels, where the bulb is cranked up to weather (first introduced in the Mini class in the early 1980s and adopted by the Open 60s over the course of the 1990s) neatly solved this inherent weakness of water ballast... There are several aspects of a canting keel/centreline water ballast set-up that are plain inefficient. For example the canting foil in this set-up should perhaps be more accurately described as a 'strut', as all it does is hold the bulb out to weather. Its function of providing lift and preventing leeway, as it would on a fixed keel boat, is vastly diminished when canted and so something must be fitted to compensate - and in the majority of cases this means the addition of two long asymmetric daggerboards fitted either side or just ahead of the mast. The result is that compared to a fixed keel arrangement there is the additional weight of the canting keel mechanism and two extra appendages, plus additional drag of the extra foil/daggerboard that is in the water...
It is with these limitations of the canting keel in mind that British yacht designer and foil specialist Hugh Welbourn has come up with the Dynamic Stability System, that achieves everything a canting keel can, outstripping the performance of a canting keel almost all of the time and achieving this in a manner that is significantly more reliable.
Much more (including part two to this very long article) in TheDailySail.com for subscribers. This one alone is well worth the annual subscription fee...
www.thedailysail.com
The Aussies Want the Record Back
The countdown to Australia's attempt to reclaim the 500m world speed sailing record last held in 1993 will begin this week with a Wot Rocket crew safety drill before on-water trials commence on Botany Bay next week. Wot Rocket is half sailboat and half sailplane; a nine metre long canoe style hull with two tiny foils, each about a sixth of the size of a Moth foil and a nine metre rigid sail, then a transverse beam out to an aerodynamic twin pod crew compartment. It is built entirely from carbon fibre and weighs approximately 400 kilos.
With a diver on hand, pilot Sean Langman and co-pilot Martin Thompson will practice an emergency evacuation from the upside down pod of Wot Rocket in the Qantas Jet Base pool (Sydney) this Thursday 8 May at 10am.
Then, from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 May, Wot Rocket will be launched at the seaside suburb of Kurnell to attempt to break the current world speed sailing record of 49.09 knots (90.9 kilometres per hour) set by French sail boarder Antoine Albeau in France in March this year.
Should the record be broken unofficially, a bona fide World Sailing Speed Record Council timekeeper will be called in to ratify the time during an official attempt to put Australia back on top of the list of the fastest speeds ever achieved on water. The last time Australia held the record was when the trimaran Yellow Pages Endeavour set a then fastest time of 46.52 knots back in 1993.
The difference between this sailboat/sail plane and any that have come before it is that it will be attempting to break through the water speed barrier using a technology as yet untried on any sailing craft - supercavitation - to reduce the drag which is around 1,000 times greater in the water than in air.
Supercavitation will in effect mean Wot Rocket flies in a gas bubble created by the outward deflection of water by a specially shaped nose cone and the expansion of gases from its fin and foil design. By keeping water from contacting the surface of the body of Wot Rocket, this will significantly reduce drag and allow extremely high speeds.
The concept behind the Wot Rocket approach is to induce supercavitation at lower speeds where control can still be maintained and from there push through to the top speeds.
Supercavitation means Wot Rocket should only require a fraction of the 45-50 knot winds that Albeau needed to go 0.39 knots better than the previous record. A moderate 18-20 knots should do the trick believes Langman.
Source: www.sail-world.com
More information about the speedsailing world record attempts can be found at www.speedworldcup.com
High Performance Clothing
There are many variables that go into performing well at a regatta. Some are controllable, some are not. Clothing is a controllable variable. Therefore, when looking for high performance clothing, the Code Zero quick dry shirt from Camet is a perfect choice! Made with a double circular knit lightweight fabric that is designed to wick away moisture, dry fast, be comfortable, and have maximum UV protection. This high performing shirt is perfect as a single warm weather layer or as an under layer for cold weather. Camet is the source for Padded Sailing Shorts, Pants, Vests, and so much more...
www.camet.com
Fat Face RS Anniversary Regatta
Fourteen years, fours months and three days since the launch of RS Racing seemed to the RS Association like a good enough excuse for a party! The Fat Face sponsored 10th Anniversary multi class event, also brilliantly run by Hayling Island SC, had been such a popular success that everyone wanted to do it again - and the May Bank Holiday in 2008 was the first opportunity when such a big event was feasible.
Saturday kicked off in Hayling Bay with three class races on three courses in Champagne conditions. That would have been enough to make most events seem good, but it was just the beginning.
Back ashore ten Fat Face RS Tera dinghies were rigged and ready on the beach for the Champion of Champions showdown. The Le Mans start and finish were on the balcony steps below crowds of spectators who bet on their favourite in a Sail for Cancer sweepstake. The course was a maximum of 20 yards from the beach and commentary was provided by the inimitable Pete Vincent.
On Sunday the weather let us down a bit. Four classes were scheduled to sail short course, Sprint racing in the Bay, with the others competing in a Harbour Dash. The wind shut down and the Dash boats fared best as the course was shortened and a chilled afternoon on the beach followed. The classes in the Bay had a long trip back but all bar the 400s completed their series.
Black ties and posh frocks came out as hundreds of sailors scrubbed up. Speeches by some key RS sailors and the directors of RS resulted in more Champagne awarded before another top band kicked off.
Monday's giant RS pursuit race in the Bay was postponed an hour so the 400s could determine their Sprint final winner and then was again sailed in…wait for it…Champagne conditions. OK the breeze shifted but it built to a flat-out reaching finish under warm blue skies. The perfect finale to another top RS weekend.
800 sailor Giles Bradford summed it up "..huge well done RS and all the personalities who choreographed last weekend so bloody well. Awesome. Exactly the way sailing events should be. My body hurts, I have booked in for a liver dialysis session at the local clinic and my voice makes me sound huskier than the female cast of Dynasty..."
Massive thanks to Fat Face, Hayling Island SC and the RS Assoc team.
Who won? Well for anyone who cares the results are all at www.hisc.co.uk
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 John Harwood-Bee: Ref: The debate about the AC Deed of Gift terms.
1: CONSTRUCTION. Putting together, building, assembling of components. ( Middle English)
2: MANUFACTURE. The making of goods or wares from raw material by labour or machinery.(Late Latin)
Is Alinghi in breach of the DoG? The deed specifically states that vessels be CONSTRUCTED not MANUFACTURED in the home country of the contenders. I argue from a modern legal standpoint that the vessels can be made from parts sourced anywhere as long as the CONSTRUCTION of the vessel is on nation soil. It is my considered opinion that Construction and Manufacture have two entirely different meanings in 2008. The argument comes if a court were asked to interpret the INTENTION of the DoG regarding the word CONSTRUCTION 100 years ago. Possibly then the intention was for all components to be manufactured in the home country. 100 years ago this would have been entirely reasonable with shipyards having local access to rope makers, sail makers, forges etc. In the 21st century I think we would be pedantic to expect this to be adhered to. You and your readers are well aware that I have little sympathy for the way that Alinghi and EB have behaved over this cup but to attempt to disqualify them on spurious grounds would be disingenuous. If any semblance of respect is to be retained for the AC ( a difficult enough prospect anyway) perhaps we should all use whatever persuasive powers we have left to get the damn thing decided on the water as soon as possible.
The Last Word
We tried not to age, but time had its rage. -- Pete Townshend
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