Scuttlebutt Europe #3791 - 8 March
Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, 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
Platoon Lead Royal Cup Miami After Dramatic Opener
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Just as they led after the first day of racing in Key West in January, Harm Muller-Spreer's Platoon crew top the early leaderboard at the 52 SUPER SERIES Miami Royal Cup for after a dramatic first day of TP52 racing in brisk SE'ly winds and big, disorderly waves off Miami Beach.
Platoon's victory in the second race, gained in the closing stages of a fast final run, credits them with the overall lead on tie break from the Roemmers family's Azzurra, which posted two consistent second places.
The 16-20kts winds and the unruly swell kicked up by the strong winds of the last few days punished small errors and placed a real premium on well-coordinated crew work. Azzurra in second place lead Quantum Racing who are one point behind in third. With Bora Gulari steering his first 52 SUPER SERIES races Quantum Racing won the first race but did not get the start they wanted in the second contest, taking fourth.
But the toughest challenge at this second regatta of the 52 SUPER SERIES is that facing the Gladiator crew. Their new boat was hit by Sled during the second beat of Race 2, only the second race for Tony Langley's team with their latest Gladiator, suffering a significant gash to their port topsides which eliminates the boat from further competition at the regatta.
The shore team and crew now aim to re-dress and step the mast on their previous Gladiator, which they aim to bring from West Palm Beach which is some 70 miles away, aiming to be ready for racing on Thursday. Sled suffered damage to the forefoot of their bow but hope to be back in action Wednesday.
After Day 1, Two Races
1. Platoon (GER) (Harm Muller-Spreer, GER) 3,1 - 4 points
2. Azzurra (ITA) (Roemmers Family, ARG) 2,2 - 4
3. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos, USA) 1,4 - 5
4. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre, TUR) 5,3 - 8
5. Ran Racing (SWE) (Niklas Zennstrom, SWE) 4,8 - 12
6. Alegre (GBR) (Andy Soriano, USA) 8,6 - 14
7. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley, GBR) 7, RDG (7) - 14
8. Bronenosec (RUS) (Vladimir Liubomirov, RUS) 10,5 - 15
9. Sorcha (GBR) (Peter Harrison, GBR) 9,7 - 16
10. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura, USA) 6, 12 (DSQ) - 18
11. Paprec (FRA) (Jean Luc Petithuguenin, FRA) DNC 12, DNC 12 - 24
Bacardi Cup
Miami, Florida: Miami delivered a breezy day on the first day of racing following yesterday's cancellation. With rain clouds over the fleet with steady 20 knots from the east, most of the fleet was over and RC had to call two general recalls. With a black flag waiving, the third start was the charm with Mendelblatt/Liljedal (USA) who took the lead over Jennings/Kleen and VanderMolen/Belco (USA), all fighting for that left side near the pin.
The top two boats at the first leg mark were Vessella/Trinter (USA) followed by Mendelblatt/Liljedal (USA) with Rohart/Ponsot (FRA) who had a great downwind leg and rounded the third mark in first followed by Mendelblatt/Liljedal (USA) who kept fighting for their lead along with Vessella/Trinter (USA).
"We won this race on the first downwind leg which was great and we've been practicing a lot in Nassau. On the last leg and towards the end we engaged in an old style match race, but as they (Mendelblatt/Liljedal) were getting closer we stopped and focused on the finish line." said Rohart.
Racing will resume Wednesay with an 11:00AM EST start with two slightly shorter races that you can follow live on live.starsailors.com with great commentating and analysis thanks to Virtual Eye 3D graphics.
Full results are available at www.starsailors.com
www.MiamiSailingWeek.com
www.BacardiCup.com
Sharepoint Developer
The RYA is primarily a National Governing Body and membership organisation, delivering services to members, clubs, training centres and other associated groups. We are looking for an enthusiastic Developer to assist in the development of RYA websites and business applications.
Working as part of a small friendly team, under the supervision of the Lead Developer, the successful candidate will complete development work to agreed timescales. They will assist in the development and support of a wide range of web based systems.
The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated with excellent communication skills and have practical skills and experience based around Microsoft technologies specifically; .NET, SharePoint (with C#) and IIS. An understanding and practical experience any of the following would be an advantage, but not essential:
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV
- BizTalk Server
- Agile project management
- Commerce Server
- Team Foundation Server (TFS)
The role offers an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge and skill set working in a highly experienced and motivated team.
Salary: DOE 35 hours per week.
Range of benefits including free parking, pension scheme, free life insurance, 25 days annual leave plus public holidays.
Closing date for applications: 2 April 2017
To apply please visit http://www.rya.org.uk/go/jobs to review the job description and complete an application form and equal opportunities monitoring form.
All applicants should hold valid permission to live and work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.
The RYA is committed to equality of opportunity
Lexus Flying Fifteen World Championship
Napier, New Zealand: The last day of the 21st Lexus Flying Fifteen World Championship turned out to be a real cliff hanger. To finish on a high, Napier delivered on the weather with a warm sunny day and 9 - 11 knots of breeze.
The final race was delayed for about an hour as the NE/E breeze kept shifting from side to side causing two general recalls. On the third attempt the PRO got racing started with a 1.1nm beat into a sloppy chop in Hawke's Bay.
The two title contenders were at each other from the 5 minute gun with the Brits, Steve Goacher & Tim Harper playing cat and mouse with Nick & Janet Jerwood (AUS) never losing sight of each other.
The Jerwood's crossed in 4th and Goacher & Harper in 21st but sadly the final result of the championship would have to be decided in the protest room.
After a lengthy hearing Nick & Janet Jerwood were disqualified from the final race handing the title to the British team.
Steve Goacher was a very happy man winning his 4th world title nearly 20 years after his last win in 1999. However he was even more pleased for Tim his crew of the last two years as it was Tim's first world title. He claimed it was one of the tougher championships he had raced in 25 years or more of Flying Fifteen sailing.
By finishing the last race in 6th, the kiwis Gilbert & Burgess rose to 3rd on the overall podium overtaking Percy & Pedersen as first kiwis. Aaron Goodman-son & crew Alister Rowlands made up the third kiwi boat in the top ten.
Hayden Percy & Scott Pedersen however have the honour of being first Silver boat with an impressive 6th place overall in the Open rankings. First Classic division boat was Nicholas Heath & Philippa Noon from the UK.
Results (Top 10 of 57 entries, after 7 races with 1 discard)
1. Steve Goacher / Tim Harper, GBR, 32 points
2. Nick Jerwood / Janet Jerwood, AUS, 38
3. Murray Gilbert / Jonathan Burgess, NZL, 44
4. Charles Apthorp / Alan Green, GBR, 47
5. Matthew Owen / Andrew Reed, AUS, 47
6. Hayden Percy / Scott Pedersen, NZL, 48
7. Jeremy Davy / Martin Huett, GBR, 48
8. Greg Wells / Richard Rigg, GBR, 50
9. Ashley Smith / Adam Kingston, HKG, 55
10. Aaron Goodmanson / Alister Rowlands, NZL, 57
23 Confirmed For Half Ton Classic Cup At Kinsale Yacht Club
23 boats confirmed so far and target is to get to 28-30 for the Kinsale Yacht Club staging of the Half Ton Classic Cup this August. As no French boats are declared yet, it looks likely that the West Cork club will meet or exceed its target.
Windsor Laudan and Stephanie Ennis' stalwart Demelza will lead the Irish hopes for the production series which is open to all boats that were eligible to be half tonners and were production boats and the hope is more Shamrocks will join them.
On the international front, nthe news is that Swuzzlebubble has been bought in Cowes and is being ramped up to defend her title by a pro team. Nigel Biggs returns to the circuit with a newly optimised Checkmate XVIII (ex Dick Dastardly) that is currently receiving surgery. Paul Wayte from Swansea is also working up a refurb of a HB31 called Headhunter that is also being totally revamped so the fleet will be split in two between fully optimised half tonners and more original halfs. Paul Pullen's Miss Whiplash also has some unfinished business and will definitely be vying for the title with her and some other Half-tonners coming over earlier in the summer to participate in some other Irish regattas.
The Half Ton Classic Cup series consist of daily races between Monday 14th August 2016 and Friday 18th August and will include a mix of both coastal and round-the-cans races.
NEB Built Boats Take 3 of Top 4 at RORC Caribbean 600!
Composite race boats built by the talented boat builders at New England Boatworks (NEB) finished 1, 3, 4 in the overall IRC Results at the RORC Caribbean 600. Bella Mente, built by NEB and launched in April 2012 took IRC and CSA First overall after an exceedingly close race with second place finisher, Proteus. Rambler 88, launched by NEB in December 2014, took Monohull line honors, first in IRC Canting Keel, and third in IRC overall. SFS II built as Puma for the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race took 2nd in IRC Canting keel and 4th in IRC Overall.
All of us at NEB send our congratulations to these great teams!
Our next winning boat should be yours.
Second Kiwi Challenger Enters Extreme Sailing Series Muscat Act Line-Up
OC Sport the owner and organiser of the Extreme Sailing Series has today confirmed a ninth entry for Act one of the 2017 circuit which starts off in Muscat in Oman tomorrow.
NZL Sailing Team is to join the fast-paced world of Stadium Racing as a wildcard for Act 1. The second of two youth Kiwi teams alongside Tawera Racing, the NZL Sailing Team crew is using the Series to gain experience in the high-performance world of foiling multihull sailing.
Yachting New Zealand's Aon Fast Track Programme played a large part in putting together the NZL Sailing Team squad, who all hail from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Other talented sailors from RNZYS competing this season include the Kiwis on board Tawera Racing, Oman Air's Phil Robertson, SAP Extreme Sailing Team's Adam Minoprio and Red Bull Sailing Team's Stewart Dodson and Will Tiller.
The young sailors, whose ages range from 19-23, are headed up by Logan Dunning Beck, 2016 Weymouth Sailing World Cup champion in the 49er. Dunning Beck returns to the Series having competed on board wildcard team RNZYS Performance Programme in Sydney last season alongside the co-skippers of Tawera Racing, Chris Steele and Graeme Sutherland.
In a similar set-up to Land Rover BAR Academy, NZL Sailing Team trimmers Isaac McHardie and Harry Hull will rotate roles throughout the Act. Hull, who holds several national championship titles in multihulls and match racing, also competed on board RNZYS Performance Programme alongside Dunning Beck, as did Luca Brown who will be on foil trim.
The youngest member of the crew, McHardie holds one world record in the SL16 while bowman Matthew Kempkers is an experienced Laser sailor. Rounding off the roster is Brown, who has competed in a range of classes including, most recently the TP52.
The team will take its place on the start line Wednesday as the 2017 season opener gets underway. The event is due to begin at 13:00 (UTC+4) with open water racing in front of Muscat's Old Town.
Fans can follow the action via the official social media platforms and website and can watch racing live on the official Facebook and YouTube channels from 14:00-17:30 (UTC+4) Friday 10 March and 13:30-17:00 (UTC+4) Saturday 11 March.
NZL Sailing Team (NZL) crew line-up for Act 1, Muscat
Skipper/helm: Logan Dunning Beck (NZL)
Mainsail trimmer: Harry Hull (NZL)/Isaac McHardie (NZL)
Trimmer: Isaac McHardie (NZL)/Harry Hull (NZL)
Bowman: Matthew Kempkers (NZL)
Foil trimmer: Luca Brown (NZL)
Coach: Stuart Mackinven (NZL)
Team New Zealand's 'Lone Wolf' America's Cup Fears
Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton has described his syndicate as "a lone wolf" and expressed fears operating against their five America's Cup rivals.
Team New Zealand, upset at having the qualifying regatta hosting rights stripped off them by Cup bosses that ultimately cost them New Zealand government funding, have persistently kept outside the tight circle of their rivals who have rewritten the rules book to allow changes by majority consent.
That is believed to include arbitration against the Cup bosses over the loss of the leadup regatta in Auckland. There has been speculation the Kiwis have won major monetary compensation though the strict new rules prevent anyone from discussing the matter publicly.
"We are very much the lone wolf," Dalton told the New York Times as the buildup to America's Cup racing in Bermuda in May intensifies.
"The danger of being a lone wolf, of course, is that there's a lot of people, not just Oracle, that don't want us to win this time.
"One would hope we don't get sent to the bottom of the ocean by a boat - 'Oh, that was a mistake; sorry about that' - one day with no form of redress in the rule. And that's a very big concern for us. There are five teams that want us dead now, not one, only because we've ruined their little parade."
Team New Zealand's five rivals recently agreed to a long-term vision for the Cup, with racing in the current 50-foot foiling catamarans to be continued for the 2019 and 2021 editions.
The Kiwis, it is understood, prefer a return to the old rules where the defender and challenger of record sort out the direction of the next regatta.
Letters To The Editor -
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 Adrian Morgan: What is this North American obsession with beer and sailing? On Scuttlebutt's sister publication there was (yet another) example recently in a story suggesting that rounding the windward mark is not the time for beer (and sandwiches). Europeans, especially Brits brought up in the dying days of Empire, know that in hot climes cold beer, let alone iced beer, serves only to raise the body temperature as it tries vainly to warm its core. The Indians have a much better solution: tea, a far more gentlemanly, and effective drink when trying to cool down on the water. Hot tea encourages the body to cool itself in response, whereas iced beer has the opposite effect.
Besides (and this may cause controversy) American tinned beer, as opposed to warm British beer, hardly warrants the name. Cracking a cold tinnie in no way matches the ritual whereby a refreshing mug of Darjeeling, or Lapsang brewed in a porcelain tea pot (warmed beforehand), is handed out to thirsty crew as they line the rail...
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