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Alcatel J/70 Worlds
Photos by Erik Simonson, www.h2oshots.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

J70 "You're not going to win the regatta in the first race but you could lose it," said Paul Cayard, a Volvo Ocean Race winner, who is serving as tactician aboard Carlo Alberini's Calvi Network. "[At first] you're just trying to get a couple of good races in. [Then], as the regatta proceeds...you may [eventually] have to start making a more aggressive game plan."

"We nailed the start," said Kostanecki, three minutes after crossing the line in this talent-rife class, which includes both former J/70 World Champions Tim Healy (2014) and Julian Fernandez Neckelmann (2015), as well as former America's Cup winners and Olympic champions. "The weather end of the line was favored, and we went left. It was our game plan and we [stuck with] it."

Unfortunately for Jennifer, the Race Committee deemed that Kostanecki and 15 other skippers were on course side before the start, resulting in 16 disqualifications. After the Race Committee sorted out black-flag rulings, Jud Smith's Africa (USA 179) took first place, followed by Joel Ronning's Catapult (USA 187) and Julian Fernandez Neckelmann's Flojito y Cooperando (MEX 384).

While Cayard wisely predicted that a new world champion wouldn't be minted in the first race, this didn't stop Calvi Network (ITA 456) from dropping the hammer on race two.

Racing continues on Wednesday and runs through Saturday, with the Race Committee hoping to rifle off ten more races in the next four days.

Top five after two races:
1. Jud Smith, USA, 6 points
2. Joel Ronning, USA, 6
3. Julian Fernandez Neckelmann, MEX, 15
4. Claudia Rossi, ITA, 17
5. Jack Franco, USA, 19

Full results

www.stfyc.com/j70worlds2016

Les Voiles De Saint-Tropez - Show Time
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez With the much anticipated opening match for the 120 Classic yachts today, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2016 is certainly living up to expectations with a dazzling spectacle right across the bay.

The arrival of a light E'ly wind enabled the beautiful classic sails to parade around in the shadow of Le Bailli de Suffren, whilst the Modern yachts and giant Wallys languished offshore of Pampelonne.

As was the case for the fleet of Classic yachts, you needed to be sailing within the bay of Saint Tropez today to gain favour with the wind gods. In this way, the start procedures for the 10 competing groups were able to be launched from noon without encountering any opposition and with these came the first race in the Rolex Trophy for the "Grand Tradition" yachts.

In a light breeze settled comfortably in the eastern sector, the Marconi and gaff rigs made for the open water in a great whirl of tack changes and crossing of tacks, before being caught up down the edge of the bay by the flat calm served up between Cavalaire and Saint Raphael. This prompted a course reduction off Seche a Huile with the order of passage denoting the ranking for each class.

Meantime, the Wallys also managed to validate a race along a specially-built course rendered all the more technical due to a very shifty breeze both in terms of strength and direction.

Decidedly, the Modern yachts were the least spoilt of all the fleets today. After several fruitless attempts to launch a start in a rather wheezy breeze, Race Management called all five IRC groups back into port.

For its tenth anniversary, the Rolex Trophy is honouring a class of yacht that it is impossible to remain indifferent to during Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. From Tuesday 27 September to Saturday 1 October, the "Grand Tradition" yachts will challenge one another within their own fleet and with their own starts, along coastal courses. They'll have to bring all their power into play to stand a chance of winning this highly coveted trophy. Ten of these fabulous yachts are entered in the Rolex Trophy.

The Rolex Trophy yachts:
Aschanti IV, Bermudan schooner (Henry Gruber 1954)
Cambria, 23m Bermudan cutter (Fife 1928)
Elena of London, Gaff rig schooner (Herreshoff 2009)
Gladoris II, Bermudan yawl (A.R. Luke 1928)
Halloween, Bermudan cutter (Fife 1926)
Iduna, Bermudan ketch (H.W De Voogt 1939)
Moonbeam IV, gaff cutter (Fife1914)
Moonbeam III, gaff cutter (Fife 1903)
Puritan, gaff schooner (John Alden 1930)
Sincerity, Bermudan ketch (Baglietto 1928)

www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr

All Routes Lead to the St. Thomas International Regatta - March 24-26, 2017
St. Thomas International Regatta Perfect sailing conditions, perpetually warm weather and a pleasingly laidback vibe make St. Thomas seem like it's a world apart from everyday life. Yet, it's one of the easier destinations in the Caribbean to travel to from anywhere in the world - especially from Europe.

By Air: American Airlines, Delta, jetBlue, Spirit and US Airways offer direct flights from major U.S. cities for easy connections. Iberia and Air Europe fly direct to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as does Condor from Frankfurt, requiring less than a 30-minute inter-island flight to arrive in St. Thomas. Norwegian Air Shuttle flies weekly from Copenhagen to St. Croix, a 15-minute flight from St. Thomas.

By Boat, St. Thomas is 70 miles east of Puerto Rico, 5 miles west of the British Virgin Islands and 100 miles northwest of St. Maarten; no cruising permit required.

By Yacht Transport, services such as DYT make regularly scheduled trips to St. Thomas. St. Thomas-based Caribbean Racing Logistics offers full-service logistics operations for Grand and large deep draft race boats ( Onshore, Island Way Services ( provides concierge services for STIR sailors.

World-class racing, the chance to trade tacks with America's Cup, Volvo Ocean and Olympic crews on the water and nightly parties, day-time beach games and live music, food and drink ashore is what earns STIR its motto, 'We Love It Here' You will too.

Discount for Early Entry. Register now!

www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Email:
Call (340) 642-3204

Endeavour Trophy
Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex: The organisers of the Endeavour Championship can confirm that Olympian Ben Saxton and Paralympian Niki Birrell will be competing as wild card entries in this year's Endeavour Trophy to be held from 7-9 October 2016 on the River Crouch, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.

The host, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, will once again be the base from which the competitors will leave in their RS200 class boats to compete in the ultimate challenge of champions.

Even though most of the competitors have sailed RS200s before, a morning of training and an afternoon of on-the-water sail training will be provided to refresh memories and bring all competitors up to speed with the finer nuances of this highly competitive class.

A total of 27 invites - a new record number - will include Nick Craig (DZero champion), Hannah and Nick Smith (Miracle champions), Archie and Freddie, (Aero 5 champions) and Luke and Emma McEwen (RS800 champions).

As always, to ensure the racing for this Champion of Champions event remains as fair as possible, RS Sailing will supply each boat with identical suits of new sails and spinnakers, which will be offered at a significant discount to the owner of the boat following the event.

Although the Endeavour Championship is by invitation only for the national champions of the UK's most popular dinghy classes, the organisers are keen to hear from any class association that would like to be considered for entry. -- Sue Pelling

royalcorinthian.co.uk/endeavour

Sailing Champions League
Porto Cervo. Italy: The final of the SAILING Champions League (23rd to 25th September) in Porto Cervo challenged the 32 qualified European clubs from 13 nations with light winds and choppy waves.

After 34 races in total, the reigning German league champions from the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club won the regatta at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Sardinia and were awarded with the Robbe & Berking Trophy for the "Best Sailing Club". Swiss clubs the Regattaclub Bodensee and the Regattaclub Oberhofen took second and third place respectively.

The constant light wind conditions may have been advantageous for the winners from Southern Germany and the Swiss who claimed the final two spots on the podium. The clubs around the Alps are used to sailing on lakes with less than gusting winds, so this unusual breeze for Sardinia in September suited them perfectly and their lower crew weights added to the advantage.

www.yccs.com
sailing-championsleague.com

Rolex Middle Sea Race, With Five Star Sailing
Click on image to enlarge.

Five Star Sailing Onboard our Corel Farr 45 'Werewolf' (pictured at right)

You will join our skipper, John, and first mate Sam onboard our Corel Farr 45 for on the water training and preparation .You will be fully involved in the racing throughout, making you an important and valued member of the race team.

2016 Dates:

Arrive in Malta: Monday 17 October
Training starts: Tuesday 18 October
Coastal Race: Wednesday 19 October
Race starts: Saturday 22 October
Prize Giving: Saturday 29 October
Depart Malta: Sunday 30 October

Cost: £1,595 per person.

What's included?

All race entry and mooring fees, 3 days training and preparation, training in the Coastal Race and the Middle Sea Race, racing skipper, and first mate, food aboard the yacht whilst racing and training and team shirts to keep.

These crew places are for experienced racers and are not available to beginners. All crew members are expected to have medical insurance for the duration of the trip.

We are very keen for more helmsmen, trimmers, foredeck and mast.

For more information please contact John on 0034 618 406 747 or email

fivestarsailing.eu
www.facebook.com/fivestarsailing/

Industry News
The 2016 Professional Sailing Resource Guide is available for free from SailAmerica.com

The guide is updated annually to include new products and services available to the industry.

The Professional Sailing Resource Guide was updated to include more than 200 companies with 30 different categories.

The Professional Sailing Resource Guide serves as a resource to those who desire access to professionals and companies that provide products or services to the sailing industry.

www.sailamerica.com/resources/
or
flash-pub.com/pub/ebooks/e6bb737c3f/

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Specialist French plywood and panel producer Malvaux Industries has recently increased its portfolio of complimentary companies with the acquisition of ST Bois, Barbeau and Amoris. As well as its well-known subsidiary Naviline Industries SAS which produces lightweight and specialist boat interiors for many of Europe's leading boat builders, ST Bois brings extra wood-working capacity with another 115 employees and know-how which can also be used in general architecture such as furniture units in hotels as well as motor homes.

Barbeau is one of the few remaining companies with specialised skills in applying marquetry and fine veneers to doors, tables or any other veneered face, so much so that group CEO Philippe Denavit remarked that "it was a skill that should not be allowed to disappear".

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The Barclays Jersey Boat Show will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2017.

Organised by Ports of Jersey the three-day show will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend of Saturday 29 April to Monday 01 May 2017.

The show continues to grow in terms of size and reputation, remaining the largest free-entry public event in the Channel Islands, consistently attracting in excess of 30,000 visitors over the three days.

Next year it's expected to attract in excess of 80 participants and once again will have an extensive entertainment programme both on and off the water.

www.boatingbusiness.com

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Southampton 2016 will be remembered as the boat show that posed worrying but as yet unanswered questions writes Peter Poland. How will Brexit affect the British marine industry (let alone the rest of the economy)?

Some told me they'd face whatever difficulties cropped up as and when they did. Others adopted a 'head in the sand' position. A few said all would be OK once the dust had settled and some said they had no worries. While several feared imminent problems of unknown proportions.

British builders are doing ever better in the sailing dinghy market. Rob White told me that this was the best year ever for Topper. Its rotomoulded Topaz catamarans are selling particularly well to overseas sailing schools. The Brittany coast - my summer haunt - is infested with them.

RS also had a great year, selling over 1,000 of the new rotomoulded 14' Quest dinghy, designed by Joe Richards with practical input from the Sea Cadets. 250 have already been delivered to the Sea Cadets, with more on order. While the top selling GRP Aero singlehander dinghy has now topped 1,300, dominating its market sector.

If 'out' remains 'on', businesses need a definite Brexit time line and details of what will (and won't) be negotiated with our disaffected ex-partners. Uncertainty stifles trade. We've had the misinformation and snake oil peddled so successfully by Boris, Nigel and friends. Now let's have the truth (nasty though it may be) to find out where we stand. Then decide what to do next. But I very much doubt that this will be forthcoming before the London Boat Show.

Peter Poland's full report in Boating Business:
www.boatingbusiness.com

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The Monaco Yacht Show opens Wednesday in Nice, France, and runs through Monday with 34,000 participants expected from around the world.

The 2016 edition of the Monaco Yacht Show will occupy an exhibition area totaling 20,000 square meters, presenting 580 exhibiting companies and MYS partners, 125 superyachts including some 40 new vessels making their world premiere.

Three years ago, the show reoriented its development strategy to meet and even anticipate the needs of its participants - private clients, high-level visitors, managers of large brokerage or shipyard companies and all the sectors directly linked to yachting or complementary to the luxury industry.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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BWA Yachting, is delighted to announce that they will be the Official Show Sponsor of the MYBA Charter Show for 2017. BWA Yachting will play a key role in promoting the well-known Mediterranean charter show taking place at OneOcean Port Vell in Barcelona between 24th and 27th of April 2017.

BWA Yachting's sponsorship on MYBA follows the company´s recent announcement that the company is expanding into Puerto Rico.

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Media Accreditation for Yacht Racing Forum 2016 open

The Yacht Racing Forum 2016 will take place on 28 - 29 November in Malta. This is a must attend event for media representatives from all over the world, where the present and future of yacht racing will be debated by the sports key personalities.

The two-day conference will be held alongside the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium, dedicated to professional designers, builders and suppliers of racing yachts.

The Risk Management & Safety conference will focus on the legal and risk issues around team operations, event organiser liability, construction, sponsor requirements, intellectual property, logistics, surveys and team member contracts.

The conference will be preceded by a welcome drink provided on Sunday evening by the sports' governing body World Sailing.

Register and obtain your complimentary media accreditation.

www.yachtracingforum.com

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Architect Steven Beckers, president of the Implementation Centre for Circular Economy in Brussels, is to present the keynote speech at the 2016 Breakfast Briefing on the first morning of the METSTRADE Show in Amsterdam.

Beckers will address the topic of 'Circular Economy: Towards a positive impact on the recreational marine industry'.

This year's Breakfast Briefing will take place on Tuesday, November 15.

As president of the Implementation Centre for Circular Economy in Brussels, Beckers has had a distinguished career in the field of sustainability. As an accredited cradle-to-cradle architect/consultant since 2007, he has a broad knowledge of this biometric approach to the design of products and systems.

plus.ibinews.com

Featured Brokerage
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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
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Elliott Marine Ltd
+64 21780597
www.elliott-marine.com

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One of our latest Central Listing, a top drawer IRC rocket, with lifting keel, retractable prop, and all the mods for regatta competition

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679222

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Raceboats Only Tan 66 - NEW BOAT

The latest entrant into the large performance cat market comes from an all-French design and build team working under the management of Dubai-based Tan Yachts – which was founded by entrepreneur Xavier Bouin.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Xavier Bouin +971(0)55 602 53 86

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
The Earth reminded us of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness of space. As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine. -- James Irwin

Editorial and letter submissions to

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.scuttlebutteurope.com/advertise.html

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