SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1318 – 19 SEPTEMBER 2007
Brought to you by YachtsandCruisers.com ( http://www.YachtsandCruisers
) with the support of OC Events ( http://www.ocevents.org ), 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 editor [Email address: editor #AT# scuttlebutteurope.com - replace #AT# with @ ]
TRANSAT 6.50 CHARENTE-MARITIME / BAHIA 2007
After 48 hours of being locked in La Rochelle harbour after the start was
postponed last Sunday, the 89 skippers started the race at 12h38 Tuesday
for a 1,100 miles first leg to the Madeira archipelago.
The cold font wind that had provoked the postponement of the race’s start
has stabilised to 15 knots (North – North/East). The 89 skippers could then
escape to South West after having gone round the turning buoy first. The
turning buoy, located 1.5 nautical miles from the start line was the only
mark of the coastal route.
As planned, the wind started moderating, obliging the skippers to put a
reef again, with the spinnakers flying. The Minis were then still at the
top of their form, gliding harmoniously… The fleet started then to spread
out… A couple of hours after the start the gap between the firsts and the
lasts were already several nautical miles long. The 16th Transat
Charente-Maritime/Bahia has started with the best conditions possible to
get through the Gascoigne gulf as quickly possible; with a fast run to
Madeira some sailors could finish the first leg in less than 6 days.
Only noteworthy incident at the start, Slovenian Andraz Mihelin (Adria
Mobil Too) was hit by a spectator boat. Andraz is one of the favourites of
the race; the collision seems to have seriously damaged his boat (one of
the centreboards). The Slovenian has chosen to continue racing. No other
incidents have been reported at press time.
RYA UNVEILS ITS FIRST BEIJING NOMINATIONS
Following the first phase of its Olympic trials process, the Royal Yachting
Association has today (Tuesday 18 September) named the first phase of
sailors it will recommend to the British Olympic Association to compete at
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Tim Hancock, Chairman of the RYA’s Olympic Steering Group and a member of
the RYA selection committee, unveiled the sailors at a reception held at
the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy – home of the 2012
Olympic sailing competition – where international Olympic Classes sailors
have gathered prior to the start of the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta on
Wednesday (19 September).
The following sailors have been selected by the RYA’s Olympic Selection
Committee, and will be nominated to the British Olympic Association at the
earliest available opportunity:
Yngling – women’s keelboat
Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson
49er – skiff
Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes
Laser – men’s one person dinghy
Paul Goodison
The following sailors have been selected by the RYA’s Olympic Selection
Committee, and will be nominated to the British Olympic Association subject
to the agreement of, and delivery against, certain performance targets:
RS:X – men’s windsurfer
Nick Dempsey
RS:X – women’s windsurfer
Bryony Shaw
470 – men’s two person dinghy
Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield
470 – women’s two person dinghy
Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark
Tornado – multihull
Leigh McMillan and Will Howden
In the Laser Radial class (women’s one person dinghy) the trials process
will continue for a shortlist of four sailors – namely Charlotte Dobson,
Penny Clark, Andrea Brewster and Lizzie Vickers – whose performances will
be assessed at a number of regattas in the spring of 2008.
In the Finn (heavyweight dinghy) and Star (men’s keelboat) classes, the
RYA’s selectors have deferred their selection decisions, pending further
discussions with the sailors concerned.
* Statement from Shirley Robertson: “I am very sad and disappointed
following today’s decision by the RYA not continue the Olympic trials for
the Yngling’s. Whilst Sarah Ayton and her team have had an excellent year,
we were the only British class where the top two teams were so close, with
both teams finishing on the podium at the ISAF World Championships in July.
Having had just 8 months preparation for the World Championships I truly
believe we haven’t had the chance to prove ourselves in the crucial Olympic
year.
In not extending the trials today I believe the RYA has taken the easy
decision. Anything less than a gold medal in the Yngling class at next
years Olympics will leave questions unanswered about the RYA’s selection
proce! ss.
I have no regrets about our campaign in the last year; I enjoyed it and
feel humbled by the support I was given by my family and sponsors Volvo,
JPMorgan Asset Management, Isle of Wight Economic Partnership and BT.
Lots of people will view this as my retirement, however sailing is one of
the few sports that rewards age and experience. Sailing with Annie Lush and
Lucy Macgregor has been one of the best experiences of my 16 year Olympic
sailing career and we are left feeling like there is unfinished business.
Who knows where my future lies, but for now I will continue to race
professionally away from the Olympic circuit at selected events on the
JPMorgan Asset Management Extreme 40 catamaran, present CNN’s monthly
sailing TV programme and enjoy spending more time with my one-year old
twins.
I would like to add my congratulations to Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa
Wilson and hope they continue their current form and bring home gold next
year.”
* Overnight (NZT) there has been controversy over the announcement of the
first nominations for the British Olympic team, with only three of the
eight crews/classes unconditionally nominated.
A further five are subject to various conditions, with two – the Finn and
the Star being subject to further discussion – after the announcement of
Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy in the British America’s Cup Challenge in the
weekend.
Whether these professionals can do both is a matter of discussion – and
based on the New Zealand America’s Cup experience, you probably can’t.
For the British, the options with the Finn and the Star are to either
select second string sailors, or send the top sailors and hope. In
Ainslie’s case there is some merit in the nominate and hope approach – as
he stepped into the Finn for the first time in 2006, sailed in the Qingdao
Pre-pre Olympics and won hands down. He repeated the feat this year -
albeit with a little more boat time.
Four of those nominated were Gold medallists at the 2007 pre-Olympic event
- where Britain won five gold medals and a silver out of the 11 events
sailed.
There was further controversy in the early closing out of the Olympic Trial
process in the Yngling class with 2004 Olympic Gold medallist in the class,
Shirley Robertson not being selected, in spite of her record of two Olympic
Gold medals and a bronze medal in the Yngling at the 2007 World
Championships.
Early closing of trials is a vexed issue, with the trade-off of the
benefits of early selection of the nominated crew being traded off against
a possible loss of form where the selection options are close. In the case
of the Yngling, Robertson and her crew demonstrated the other downside of
early nomination, by announcing the immediate shutdown of her 2008 Olympic
campaign, leaving the nominated crew without a top domestic training
partner for the next 11 months.
Robertson’s situation also underlines the difficulties of late developing
campaigns under the British system – where she took time out after 2004 to
have a family. She really only started back on the Olympic program eight
months ago, with some very good results – sufficient to have her as an
automatic choice in most other nation’s line-up for Qingdao. — Richard
Gladwell in http://www.Sail-world.com
CORK WEEK ANNOUNCES CARROLL CHALLENGE CUP FOR TP52
Planning for the TP52 2008 Season is well underway and a new trophy is up
for grabs.
The Organisers of Cork Week 2008 have announced that The Carroll Challenge
Cup will be awarded to the best TP52 racing under IRC next July at Cork
Week which takes place from July 12th to July 18th next.
The Trophy was presented to the Royal Cork Yacht Club in the summer of 1858
and it was a prize in Club Races during the 1850s and 1860s. It has pride
of place in the Club Trophy Cabinet and the decision to award it to the
prestigious TP52 is sure to attract interest from across the class which is
set to grow by the addition of 10 new boats this year.
The first entries for Cork Week 2008 have already been received and
organisers are looking forward to the most successful event yet
Full details of the event, can be found at http://www.corkweek.ie or +353
21 483 1179 or email info [Email address: info #AT# corkweek.ie - replace #AT# with @ ]
THE FASTNET QUIZ…
Last week’s question:
Who was the youngest person to sail in a Fastnet? He was so young, in fact,
that when his father applied for a cadet membership for him four years
after sailing the Fastnet, the application was rejected for he was still
under the cadet membership minimum age of 15?
Answer: Russell Long, son of Huey Long, who owned a series of boats named
“Ondine.” Huey filed for a RORC cadet membership for his son who had sailed
with him in the 1963 race. His application was rejected, as the minimum age
for cadet memberships in 1967 was 15.
From Ian Dear’s history of the RORC: “By way of recompense the committee
had a gilt RORC plaque engraved and sent to the boy. It read ‘Russell Long.
Aged seven. Fastnet race 1963″.
Two correct answer winners this week: one has won a copy of the new Fastnet
book “Beyond Endurance” ( see
http://www.randomhouse.com
Another lucky sailor has won the famous Dubes T-shirt. This soft texture
100 per cent cotton T-shirt reveals the secret of the famous Knot Ur Dubes
deck shoe knot.
As this was the final week of our contest, one entrant will be chosen at
random to receive a free pair of Dubarry Fastnet boots. The winner to be
announced later this week.
Thank you to all the hundreds of sailors who submitted answers over the
past 3 months.
Watch this space for another contest starting soon!
CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANCK CAMMAS & CREW ON “GROUPAMA III”
Gori propeller is the chosen brand of propeller for high performance multi
hulls and grand prix yachts, including GROUPAMA III, which broke the record
crossing the Atlantic in less than 4 days, with an average speed of 28.1
knots.
Gori propeller when folded does not auto rotate, and has the lowest drag of
all sailboat propellers. Find out more at http://www.gori-propeller.com
SHORT TACKS
* The 99-year-old yacht designer luminary Olin Stephens was admitted to
hospital in late July suffering from an infection. Doctors also found that
he was suffering from a dangerous build up of pressure in his skull. The
details are unclear, but Olin has now left the hospital and is back to
normal life.
Doctors have pronounced a 100 per cent recovery, something that surprised
them – but it’s not quite such a surprise to those who know of Stephens’s
extraordinary vitality. He will be 100 next April. — Steffan Meyric
Hughes, Classic Boat, http://www.classicboat.co.uk
* British ocean racing yachtsman Mike Golding has been awarded the Royal
Humane Society’s Silver Medal for bravery in recognition of his outstanding
rescue of fellow British sailor, Alex Thomson, from his stricken Open 60
yacht during the 2005/6 Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race.
On the 24th of November 2006, while racing from Bilbao, Spain to Fremantle,
Australia the two yachts were battling for position deep in the! Southern
Ocean between Antarctica and South Africa, more than 1000 miles from shore.
In the grip of a Southern Ocean storm the two were clocking extraordinary
daily averages when Alex had a major structural failure on his yacht Hugo
Boss. Alex called for assistance as the yacht was in danger of sinking.
Golding immediately suspended racing when he realised that his fellow
competitor was in trouble. He turned his Open 60 yacht ECOVER around and
battled upwind for 90 miles to find and locate Hugo Boss in the millions of
square miles of the Southern Ocean. The rendezvous and transfer of Alex
from his stricken boat to ECOVER was not made easy by the large Southe! rn
Ocean swell and mechanical problems onboard ECOVER which affected the drive
system, normally only called upon to manoeuvre the boat into harbour.
Thomson had to take to his liferaft to avoid the risk of the two yachts
smashing against each together. The rescue itself took over two hours.
* Gipsy Moth IV sailed into Southampton Boat Show on Saturday 15th
September for her first public engagement since returning from her round
the world voyage.
The 54ft ketch, famously sailed around the world in 1966-67 by Sir Francis
Chichester will be open to the public, who will be able to get onboard and
speak to UKSA staff about her 28,000 mile second circumnavigation and find
out about the yacht’s future.
Since her return to UK waters Gipsy Moth IV has been hard at work taking
groups of young people, including children from the Ellen MacArthur Trust,
out on adventurous sailing experiences in the Solent. Members of the public
have also taken advantage of the range of Gipsy Moth IV sailing experiences
now available via UKSA and taken to the water aboard the classic yacht.
Gipsy Moth IV will be on the features berth at the Southampton Boat Show on
Saturday 15th September. To make a donation or to book a Gipsy Moth IV
Sailing Experience visit http://www.uksa.org/gipsymoth
* Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, officially launched the Royal
Southern Yacht Club’s charitable trust at the Southampton Boat Show today.
Formed in 1837, The Royal Southern Yacht Club is based at Hamble, near
Southampton.
Mrs Annette Newton, Commodore of the Club, explained that historically the
Royal Southern has supported a number of charities, including taking
disabled people out on the water through RYA Sailability. Following a
recent bequest by a member of the Club, the late Sir Michael Cobham, it was
decided to establish The Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust to continue to
promote the advancement of amateur sport and, in particular, the provision
of facilities and assistance to enable and encourage participation in
sailing and yachting.
SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW
The Southampton Boat Show in association with ITV Meridian returns to
Mayflower Park this September. Celebrating its 39th year the Show, which
has Europe’s largest purpose built on-water marina, takes place from 14-23
September 2007. This year, the Show will see an exciting line up of famous
boats on the feature berth of the Hydropool Marina. Not only will Sir Robin
Knox-Johnston be there with his Open 60 “Lombard Marine Finance:, along
with Mike Golding and the Open 60 ECOVER but TEAMORIGIN, Official
Challenger for the 33rd America’s Cup, will bring the newly liveried GBR 75
race training America’s Cup boat to the Show.
http://www.southamptonboatshow
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – editor [Email address: editor #AT# scuttlebutteurope.com - replace #AT# with @ ]
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 Paul Bryans: You have carried letters from various correspondents
concerning Warrants for special ensigns still being in existance for non
British yacht clubs.
In fact there are many overseas clubs which still hold warrants for special
ensigns, not all of them in commonwealth countries. In particular there
are two Irish clubs which still have that right, as well as clubs in: Fiji,
New Zealand, Australia, Bermuda, India, Jamaica, Malta, Bahamas, Gibraltar
and Hong Kong but none in South Africa. This year I saw a yacht wearing a
“British” Royal Irish YC ensign.
The full list is in the Navy List and the 2006 list can be seen at
http://www.rncom.mod.uk
Neither the Royal Natal Yacht Club nor the Royal Cape Yacht Club appear on
the list although the Royal Bombay Yacht Club does.
Does anybody have a real explanation for this and could new names be added
to the “foreign list” or is it just an historic hang over?
* From Luuk Clercq: re: question from Hugh Loewenthal: Here in the
Netherlands most boats fly the national flag at the stern. About one
third of the flag poles are bent in the upper third; why? Nobody I have
asked here seems to know the answer – can your community help a puzzled
Australian?”
And here is my reply:
The shape of the flag pole in the Netherlands is historically dictated by
the shape of the gaff in the original rig design. The different “platbodems
(flatbottom designs)” (according to historians the first boats to be used
for pleasure and called jacht, the basis for yacht) had either a curved or
straight gaff, the flag pole is supposed to be in the same shape. Today the
decision to have either a curved or a straight flag pole is for most of the
people a matter of taste. I hope this answer is sufficient.
* From John Rousmaniere: Hal Sisk is absolutely correct that British and
Irish clubs furthered the then-radical notion of Corinthianism, which is
that amateurs not only can but should manage a tiller. In 1871 some New
York small-boat sailors who were fervent readers of the cousins’ sporting
magazines founded the first U.S. yacht club requiring non-professional
helmsmen. This was the Seawanhaka Yacht Club, which carries the Native
American name for Long Island, where the club is based at Oyster Bay. When
the founders later added the revolutionary word itself to the club’s name,
making it the Seawanhaka Corinthian, according to the yachting journalist
and historian W. P. Stephens they were widely ridiculed “on the grounds of
snobbery and the aping of English ideas.”
But this idea was not just English. Back in 1846, the two-year-old New York
Yacht Club ran a race for amateur helmsmen in schooners and big sloops. It
turned out that the sailors were not quite ready to handle those large
craft comfortably, and the idea was shelved for the time being.
* From Neville Crichton: Once again Scuttlebutt has repeated the statement
that Volvo Open 70 is “the fastest world’s fastest monohull racing yacht”
in your report on the new end point for the Volvo Ocean Race.
I am afraid that this statement is simply not true.
‘Alfa Romeo’ has on several occasions raced against ‘ABN Amro’, the Volvo
Open 70 generally agreed to be the fastest of the Volvos, and on every
occasion has ‘Alfa Romeo’ not only beaten ‘ABN Amro’, the victory has been
comprehensive, with ‘Alfa Romeo’ heading ‘ABN Amro’ by hours, not minutes.
On race tracks, one-make championships, which effectively the Volvo Ocean
Race is, are the preserve of cars that are not competitive in events open
to all cars. Far be from me to suggest that the same is true for the Volvo
Open 70s, but just because a Volvo Open 70 wins a race in which only Volvo
Open 70s may compete, does not make it the fastest yacht in the world!
FEATURED BROKERAGE
ZANA (also known as KONICA MINOLTA), the Brett Bakewell-White designed 98′
Supermaxi is for sale by tender. Closing date is the 12th of October. She
was designed to be a no compromise record breaker, with an eye towards
being converted to a canting keel yacht; she has all the potential that is
needed to be a future record breaker, and available now!
Please contact Berthon International Yacht Brokers for tender
instructions and more details. brokers [Email address: brokers #AT# berthon.co.uk - replace #AT# with @ ] or +44 1590 679222
THE LAST WORD
Vote for the man who promises least. He’ll be the least disappointing. –
Bernard Baruch
==============================
The opinions expressed in Scuttlebutt Europe do not necessarily
reflect those of its editors or OC Events
OC Events, http://ocevents.org , organisers of two major IMOCA 60 oceanic
events, the new double-handed Barcelona World Race 2007, and the original
solo transocean race, The Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) plus the Extreme 40
Sailing Series for The iShares Cup.
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buy and sell prestige boats, the website has been designed to showcase
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boats can be viewed by category, make, location and price. Alternatively
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