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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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Tricky Conditions In Langenargen
The first day of Match Race Germany in Langenargen on Lake Constance saw a picture perfect landscape with only one slight problem…the wind, or lack of it. After the opening ceremony hosted by the Langenargen Yacht Club in the striking Montfort Castle last night the first 2 races of flight one were started this morning, and while the left looked to be favoured the wind soon died away from both sides leaving the races abandoned. The course was moved West in an effort to find more wind
It seemed that finding wind was the biggest challenge of the day. With the teams split into 2 groups for Stage 1 of the competition. Group A made up of Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team, Sebastien Col (FRA) K Challenge/French Match Racing Team, Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team, Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Search.ch, and Jes Gram Hansen (DEN) Trifock Racing. Teams completed 3 out of 5 of scheduled flights.
Group B consisting of Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza, Damien Iehl (FRA) Team Sinbad, Peter Wibroe (DEN) Wibroe Sailing Team, Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing/Emirates Team New Zealand and Markus Wieser (GER) Team Sea Dubai took to the water in the afternoon.
By the end of flight 3, no team in round robin A had come through undefeated with one of the regatta favourites Mathieu Richard conceding all 3 races.
In Group B, local knowledge paid off for Markus Wieser, as he defeated defending Match race Germany Champion and Tour stage 1 winner, Paolo Cian.
With all the Group B matches completed, apart from match 3 of flight 2 which was postponed until tomorrow due to lack of wind the first Quarter Finalists have emerged. Ian Williams, Peter Wibroe and Markus Wieser are through to the next round. The teams that join them will be decided tomorrow when Group A is finished and with a little luck the repechage completed.
Group A Results
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team 3-0
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team 2-1
Sebastien Col (FRA) K Challenge/Freanch Match Racing Team 2-1
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Serch.ch 1-2
Jes Gram Hansen (DEN) Trifork Racing 1-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 0-3
Group B Results
Peter Wibroe (DEN) Wibroe Sailing Team 4-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 4-0
Markus Wieser (GER) Team Sea Dubai 2-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 2-3
Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza 1-4
Damien Iehl (FRA) Team Sinbad 1-4
www.worldmatchracingtour.com
An Ice Gate for the Artemis Transat
Having kept a careful eye on the ice reports, the Race Direction team decided to put an ice gate in place on the course. The gate is a virtual horizontal line, a point of which must be left to starboard. "Given the number of ice blocks and their presence very far South this year", explained Sylvie Viant (race Director), "we felt, after having consulted the skippers that it was a necessary move, because safety is our first concern." The gate, a 130-mile wide line located between 47degrees and 50degrees W at 40degrees N (below the Grand Banks), will imply the course is now longer by approximately 210 miles, for a total of 2955 miles. The risk of collision with an iceberg is obviously one of the singlehander's worst nightmares, and a major hazard at this time of year on the North Atlantic.
Ice detector aboard Safran
Developed by Sagem (part of the Safran Group), a unidentified object detector is currently being set up aboard Marc Guillemot's IMOCA 60. The prototype, which will be tested during The Artemis Transat, consists of a miniature thermo-sensitive camera fitted on the masthead. The camera detects all objects which show a significant temperature difference with their environment - the system is essentially developed to spot icebergs and growlers, and originates from the special binoculars used by sea rescuers to catch a "thermal signal", like the emerged head of a man who has fallen overboard.
www.thetransat.com
Plymouth, Fabulous Plymouth
Last year I wrote a pean of praise to Ellen MacArthur's and Mark Turner's OC Events for their organisation and the facilities that had been set up for the Barcelona World Race. As an appendix to that, however, I added that I thought that the Artemis Transat start in Plymouth this weekend would be a harder proposition altogether.
Could anyone possibly give Cap'n Jaspers, chip wrappers and billowing, damp sou'westerlies a rosy and exotic Mediterreanean lustre? Nah.
So forthwith I retract this with apologies and heartfelt, if faintly sychophantic-sounding, congratulations. OC has done it again.
What would once have been a draughty marquee in the middle of a car park strung with Cat 5 cables is now a two-storey marquee in the centre of the Barbican with a champagne bar, cafe and balcony looking out across at the yachts in Sutton Harbour. Again, a perfect Formula 1 style venue for bluechip sponsors and city worthies.
So, yes, very impressive but not quite as much as the curious absence of those predicted billowing, damp sou'westerlies. After a bone-chilling spring, OC have suddenly flicked the switch over to Mediterranean style weather, and are bringing in balmy easterlies for the start of what may turn out to be lightest and most benign Transat for many years. Mark Turner's powers are becoming spookily omnipotent. -- Elaine Bunting in her blog, www.ybw.com/yw/blog/elaine_bunting.html (great article with video on the new Open 60s there as well...)
Sliding Into First in the 9th Transat AG2R
The Concarneau-St. Barth team sailed into first place yesterday in the 18th day of the 9th Transat AG2R. Skippers Eric Peron and Miguel Danet, competing with Ullman Sails, now lead the remaining 21-boat fleet into the final 915 miles to St. Barths. The team has been awarded the trophy for best progress in 24 hours for five days straight, covering 267 miles yesterday. Ullman Sails is committed to providing the 'Fastest Sails on the Planet,' with one goal in mind - success on the water.
Contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit our new website at www.ullmansails.com
Mixed Fortunes for Ainslie, but Florent Still Leads
Photo by James Robinson Taylor, www.jrtphoto.com
Club Nautico Scarlino, Italy: How do you respond to someone who is proving reliably consistent and not making any mistakes? Simple. You go out and win the next two races. And that is exactly what Ben Ainslie (GBR) did today at the 2008 Finn Open and Junior Championship in Scarlino, Italy. However, it got complicated as Ainslie was protested for a start line incident and was disqualified from race seven.
It was all change in Scarlino this morning. The strong offshore wind that has been a feature of the past two days had given way to a light onshore wind. By 11.00 this had started to kick in so the fleet was sent out for a first start at 12.45 in 10-12 knots from the west and gloriously brilliant blue skies.
Yesterday's overnight leader Guillaume Florent (FRA), who placed 12th and 8th today holds a 10 point lead over Ainslie. Yesterday's second placed, Chris Cook (CAN) also had a bad day scoring a 11th and a DSQ, and is placed third on 34 points.
Meanwhile, the battle for the Junior title is hotting up with Jan Kurfeld (GER) reducing the points gap to the current leader Piotr Kula (POL) to just 11 points. Third placed Tomas Vika (CZE) is some 77 points off the lead so will be looking to maintain his 31 points lead over fourth placed Junior Andriy Gusenko (UKR).
Tomorrow will be a crucial day as the final qualification race will be sailed to decide who will sail in the medal race on Saturday. There will also a 9th race for the rest of the fleet. -- Robert Deaves
www.eurofinn2008.it
www.finnclass.org
Cervantes Trophy Race: Cowes to Le Havre
The Cervantes Trophy was won by Phillipe Delaporte's, J/122, Pen Azen but only just, after correction, an agonising 4 seconds separating them from John Shepherd's Ker 46, Fair Do's VII.
Pen Azen had a fantastic 2007 with their new boat, winning the Myth of Malham and the Eddystone Race and best overseas yacht in IRC overall. Francois Delaporte, the owner's son was the primary trimmer on board for the Cervantes Trophy and was delighted to get their season off to such a good start.
IRC Super Zero
Peter Harrison's Farr 52, Chernikeeff 2 won by beating the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programmes TP52, John Merricks II by over 20 minutes on corrected time. The UK Sailing Academy are running Chernikeeff 2 and they are made up of non-professional sailors, aged 18-25.
IRC Zero
John Shepherd's Ker 46, Fair Do's VII, came out on top with Mike Greville's Ker 39, Erivale III, second by over 27 minutes on corrected time. Erivale III was also third in IRC overall.
IRC One
Philippe Delaporte's J/122, Pen Azen, won the class by a healthy margin but there was a close race for second place. Shortly after midnight, Sailing Logic's Reflex 38, Puma Logic, beat the Army Sailing Association's, A40, British Soldier by a mere 41 seconds on corrected time.
IRC Two
Noel Racine's JPK 9.6, Foggy Dew, won the class and once again their was a close battle for second place, Peter Hodgkinson's X-362, Xcitable, beating Adrian Lower's J/109, Jaguar of Burnham, into third place by less than five minutes, after correction.
IRC Three
David Lees won the class in his High Tension 36, Hephzibah, with a veteran race boat, Paul March's S&S Clarionet second and David Crawforth's well campaigned Sigma 33 Sigrees was third.
Two Handed Division
Michael Boyd & Niall Dowling's J105, Slingshot won the two handed race with John Loden's HOD 35, Psipsina in second place. -- Trish Jenkins
Full results can be found on www.rorc.org
Mistral By Dubarry: Sailing-Proof Trousers
No environment presents as big a challenge to technical trousers as that of a sailing boat. So Dubarry designed Mistral trousers to survive seasons of sailing in style. They're built from quick-drying, SPF 40 UV-resistant fabric with articulated knees for easy movement. Hard-wearing areas are reinforced with tough, high-twist fabric and there are practical features like a flip-up multitool pouch so it doesn't dig into your leg on the rail, splashproof zipped pocket and tough button fly that won't let you down. The results look good, and last longer.
Dubarry's Mistral Trousers: Same Rules. New Collection.
www.dubarry.com
59th Wilson Trophy to be Contested on Marine Lake
West Kirby Sailing Club, Wirral, will this weekend host the 59th Wilson Trophy, the world's premier Team Racing sailing event. 32 teams, including teams from the USA, Canada and Ireland as well as all over Great Britain will descend on the Marine Lake for the weekend, over which a staggering 300 races will take place.
The competition, known as the British Open Team Racing Championships, has long attracted the best team racing teams in the world to travel hundreds of miles to compete. Five of the world-class teams who competed at last year's biannual World Team Racing Championships will be racing, as will the current World Champions, Silver Panda, who will also be defending the 2007 Wilson Trophy.
The annual event, which first took place in 1947 is sailed in two-man Firefly dinghies, provided by West Kirby Sailing Club. The boats, which are matched trios of colour-coded dinghies, make spectating from the grandstand beside the Marine Lake easy, with expert commentary provided. Each of the boats are kindly sponsored by several locally-based companies, such as Buckley Industrial, as well as global companies such as Carlsberg and Musto. After a round robin in which all of the teams will race against one another, the weekend culminates in the top eight teams taking part in the quarter finals, with winners going through to semis, followed by finals. The identical boats, sails and equipment make team racing a true test of the sailors skills. Team racing has been likened to playing chess on the water, with crews using tactics and the rules of sailing to gain advantages over the opposing team.
www.wksc.net/wilsontrophy
New Quantum Racing TP52 Is Ready To Race
Alicante, Spain: The new Botin Carkeek-designed TP 52 Quantum Racing completed its sea trials and initial sail tuning program last week and is ready to race in Alicante in the first regatta of the six-race 2008 Audi Med-Cup Circuit. Racing starts Monday, April 12. The new boat is owned and campaigned by partners Fred Howe and Doug DeVos.
"This new boat represents the distillation of four years MedCup and Breitling Cup experience, including two championship second places, with the Quantum-powered TP52s Warpath, Windquest and Quantum Lexus," said Terry Hutchinson, skipper of the new Quantum Racing.
Botin Carkeek worked with closely with Quantum, the builder Longitude Zero, Hall Spars, and other key suppliers to deliver a boat that reflects the latest advances in America's Cup-level design, analysis, structures, engineering and construction.
The Quantum Racing crew is long on America's Cup and MedCup experience. Afterguard members, in addition to Hutchinson, are Morgan Larson (USA), tactician, and Ian Moore (IRL), navigator. Jeremy Lomas (NZL) is on the bow and Greg Gendell (USA) is mid-bow. Chris Kam (USA) is mast man while Jim Cannon (USA) is doing sewer. Tommie Burnham (USA) and Andrew Scott (USA) are grinders. Morgan Trubovich (NZL) trims upwind while Quantum's head designer Dave Armitage (USA) is the downwind trimmer. Skip Baxter (NZL) is on the mainsail, Steve Howe (USA) is main caddy, and Sean Clarkson (NZL) handles the backstay. -- Keith Taylor
Gitana 13 Bound for China
Having already racked up two fine records - La Route de l'Or, between New York and San Francisco via Cape Horn, and the North Pacific Crossing, between San Francisco and Yokohama - the crew of Gitana Team are today beginning a five leg tour of Asia: on the programme are over 2,500 miles between Yokohama (Japan), Dalian, Qingdao (China), Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong and Macao, with a few days sailing on zone in each city.
Virtually a month to the day after its arrival in Yokohama in Japan, the maxi-catamaran in the colours of the LCF Rothschild Group has set sail for Dalian, the first of two Chinese stopovers for Lionel Lemonchois' crew.
Gitana 13 crossed the start line, situated in Tokyo Bay, this Thursday at 05h55'45''UT and, according to the latest weather forecasts from Sylvain Mondon (Meteo France), is set to make Dalian in around four days: "Gitana 13's departure is set to take place in rather light upwind conditions. However, Lionel Lemonchois and his crew will hit some steady downwind conditions (20-25 knot NE'ly), level with Osaka Bay. They will remain in this system after rounding Cape Sata, to the extreme SW of Japan, in order to make the climb towards Korea. Forced to tackle the Kuro-Shivo (the second greatest marine current in the world, which runs along the Japanese coast), they will be subject to short seas which will build progressively. A zone of high pressure positioned at the entrance to the Yellow Sea, may cause Gitana 13's progress to slow."
In 2006, the English navigator, Ellen MacArthur, and her crew sailed this same course aboard their trimaran B&Q (23 metres) in a little over 7 days.
The crew of Gitana 13 between Yokohama and Dalian
Lionel Lemonchois (Skipper / helmsman / watch leader)
Ludovic Aglaor (helmsman/ watch leader)
Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (helmsman/ watch leader)
Olivier Wroczynski (trimmer /computer manager)
Nicolas Raynaud (trimmer / video manager)
Antoine Mermod (trimmer)
David Boileau (N0.2 / trimmer/ head of deck fittings)
Leopold Lucet (N0.1 /head of supplies and medical needs)
www.gitana-team.com
9 Boats, 5 Venues For 2008 iShares Cup
The final pieces of the jigsaw are now in place for the 2008 iShares Cup Sailing Series. The venue for the German leg of the European tour has been confirmed as Kiel, on the Baltic Sea, and Tommy Hilfiger has been announced as the ninth entry in the series.
Kiel, in northern Germany, is the third new venue for the 2008 iShares Cup and home to the fourth event on the circuit - the Extreme 40 fleet will race there from 29-31 August.
The bustling city has a strong maritime history, and lies on the busiest artificial waterway in the world, the Kiel Canal. Every June the city holds Kiel Week, the largest sailing event in Europe, which combines dinghy and yacht racing with a festival of ships, music and fireworks. The event welcomes about three million visitors annually, who perch on the sea walls and rocky coastal defences to watch around 2,000 boats ranging from massive tall ships to racing yachts and Olympic dinghy classes. The iShares Cup racecourses will be held in the same fantastic sailing amphitheatre.
Another new entry has also been confirmed, bringing the 2008 iShares Cup fleet to nine boats so far. The latest team to line up for this year's contest are Tommy Hilfiger, who will be returning to the circuit after finishing fourth in last year's iShares Cup.
Tommy Hilfiger reunites three of last year's crew with skipper Randy Smyth. The American helmsman took part in the Amsterdam leg of the 2007 iShares Cup as well as racing at the front of the fleet the previous year. Randy counts an astonishing 58 national and world championship wins in one-design multihulls, as well as taking a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics and winning the America's Cup in '88. He will be joined by fellow Americans Jonathan Farrar, Tommy Hilfiger's tactician, and trimmer Stan Schreyer. Dutch bowman Mark van Gelderen brings a European touch to this trans-Atlantic team - he is an experienced Extreme 40 crew, having sailed in the class since its launch three years ago.
www.iSharesCup.com
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 Mick Harvey, Project ManagerYacht "Rambler": With regard to your story in this mornings edition of European Scuttlebutt.
I believe you have most of the story correct, however, I believe you have the name incorrect. The RP 24.5m, built in 2000, ex Shockwave, is not named Rambler, she is "Bon Bon". Previously named Carrera, and Morning Glory.
Rambler, RP 27.5m, built 2002, and currently plans to compete in Block Island Race, Bermuda Race, Cork Race Week, Maxi Worlds, St Tropez, Middle Sea Race and Capetown to Salavador Race in 09.
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Editor's Note
There will be no weekend edition as your humble narrator will be travelling many miles to surprise his sainted Mother on her 80th birthday. Back on Monday.
The Last Word
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. -- Bill Gates
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