Scuttlebutt Europe #4227

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In This Issue
• Kuka3 pitstop for running repairs
• The Prada Cup unveiled in Monaco
• Not Just about the Racing - Youth Sailing World Championships
• Carlos Aguilar Match Race
• Phil Sharp Crowned Class40 Champion
• The Offshore Academy is GREAT...
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• Hat-trick for Hagara and Steinacher at Extreme Sailing Series Los Cabos opener
• UK Sailmakers J109 Class 'Fluid Structure Interaction' Test Report
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Leonardo da Vinci

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

Kuka3 pitstop for running repairs
At 1200 UTC on 29 November, Giovanni Soldini's Multi70 Maserati and Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay were into the sixth day of their high-speed duel in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Both teams were just under 1,000 miles from the finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada. The latest position report showed that Maserati was just 13 miles further from the finish than PowerPlay with both multihulls hitting well over 20 knots of boat speed.

Franco Niggeler's Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka3 was estimated to be in pole position for the overall win under IRC. However, Kuka3 developed an engine problem, believed to be an issue with the starter motor. Whilst engines cannot be used for propulsion, it generates electricity for essential systems on board.

"We understand that Kuka3 made a short (approx. 4 hour) stop in the Cape Verdes to fix a problem with their engine," commented RORC Deputy Race Manager, Tim Thubron. "They are allowed to do this under the rules of the race and on the assumption that they adhered to this (which we believe they did) it is unlikely that any penalty would be imposed. We will of course need to see the full facts on their declaration form before any final decision is made."

Kuka3 have resumed racing and on Day 6 1200 UTC, the team was making 14 knots with just over 2,000 miles to the finish.

In the Class40 division, Henrik Bergesen's Hydra has also reported a problem on board. Skipper Tristan Kinloch contacted the RORC Race Team on Thursday morning to say they have some rudder issues which are not serious. However, they are also heading to the Cape Verde Islands to try and resolve the problem, and expect to arrive in the Cape Verde Islands on Friday morning (29 November) and will send an update with any further information.

The Italian Supermaxi My Song, sailed by International Maxi Association member Pier Luigi Loro Piana, was 1,657 miles from the finish, just two hours behind course record pace and estimated to be leading the fleet after IRC time correction.

Race Tracker

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

The Prada Cup unveiled in Monaco
Prada Cup at YC Monaco. Click on image to enlarge.

Over 200 guests from the America’s Cup community from around the world gathered at the Yacht Club de Monaco this evening to celebrate the launch of the Prada Cup - the Challenger Selection Series for the 36th America's Cup presented by Prada.

The Prada Cup will commence in January 2021 in Auckland and see the Challenger teams race in a round robin format to determine which Challenger will line up against the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the quest for oldest trophy in sport, the America's Cup.

Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman of Luna Rossa Challenge and CEO of the Prada Group, unveiled the stunning, silver Prada Cup trophy created by world renowned designer Marc Newson (AUS). Handcrafted by Florentine silversmiths, the Prada Cup is destined to become a new icon in the sport of sailing.

As the entry period draws to a close tomorrow, the America's Cup teams are focused on designing and building their AC75's, 75 foot flying monohulls, which will hit the water mid 2019.

The first opportunity for all of the teams to race, and for spectators to see these amazing boats, will be at the first America's Cup World Series event which will take place in Cagliari, Sardinia in October 2019.

Marking the occasion as a new event partner was Maison Mumm which returns to the America's Cup after 35 years as Official Champagne Partner.

Technology and innovation have always been an integral part of the America's Cup and this edition is no exception. For the 36th America's Cup, Circle-O has been appointed as the host broadcast production partner and to develop the race management system. A joint venture between Riedel Communications (GER) and West4Media (AUT), the team from Circle-O are renowned for their work in Formula One, German Touring Cars and the Red Bull Air Race combined with America’s Cup broadcasting veterans. New Zealand's Animation Research Limited, the company behind Virtual Eye and Igtimi are an integral part of the Circle-O joint venture and will deliver the graphics and tracking solutions.

americascup.com

Not Just about the Racing - Youth Sailing World Championships
The 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in Texas established a number of significant new benchmarks for the sport as a whole…

You might not expect oil-rich Texas to blaze a trail in marine conservation but that’s what happened when Corpus Christi Yacht Club - which shares its home waters with some of the largest petrochemical plants on the planet - scored a world first by hosting a Youth Sailing World Championship that was genuinely sustainable, engaged hundreds of local people in marine conservation, left a lasting legacy in the community and established an important new benchmark for international sailing.

Any top-level sporting event on the scale of the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships (YSWC), with 500 attendees and 350 helpers, can generate a huge amount of waste. Many regattas do, unfortunately, but they don’t have to - and this one didn’t, thanks to inspired leadership and an army of volunteers. ‘Young sailors, I hope you start to wonder what is underneath your boat, as 97 per cent of the Earth’s water is ocean’ - with these words, legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle opened the event in Corpus Christi, which featured sustainability and ocean conversation as key themes.

Full article in the December issue of Seahorse

Carlos Aguilar Match Race
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The sea-filled volcanic crater that is today the Charlotte Amalie harbour is picture postcard famous for its lush green mountains rising to over 1500-feet high. It is this topography that created a continual curve ball of wind shifts that challenged every one of the 12 international teams competing on the first day of racing in the 2018 Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) Finale hosted at the Carlos Aguilar Match Race (CAMR), today through Sunday. Combined with light 5 to 10 knots of breeze, it was a day where even the smallest mistake or break could mean the difference between winning and losing. By day’s end, with 8 flights in the first full round robin completed, three teams emerged undefeated.

The IC24, used for the CAMR, is a modification of a J24 innovated by two members of the St. Thomas Yacht Club.

The two other undefeated teams for the day are Sweden’s Team Anna, with skipper Anna Ostling, and the Dutch Match Racing Team helmed by Renee Groeneveld. Groeneveld won the 2016 WIM Series Finals at the CAMR.

The CAMR is a World Sailing (WS)-provisional Grade One event. The format will feature a full round robin of all teams followed by knockout quarterfinals for the top 8, then knockout semi-finals, petit-finals and finals. Racing continues Friday at 9 a.m. local time.

Standings after 8 Flights in the First Full Round Robin

1. Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 5-0
2. Anna Ostling, Team Anna, SWE, 3-0
2. Renee Groeneveld, Dutch Match Racing Team, NED, 3-0
4. Margot Vennin, Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 4-1
5. Johanna Bergqvist, Team Bergqvist Match Racing, SWE, 2-1
6. Octavia Owen, Athena Racing, GBR, 3-2
7. Margot Riou, APCC Women Sailing Team , FRA, 1-2
8. Linnea Floser, Peregrine Racing, SWE, 1-4
8. Helena Nielsen, Team Nielsen, SWE, 1-4
8. Morgan Collins, Caribbean Wind Racing, USA, 1-4
11. Sanna Mattsson, Swedish Women’s Match Racing Team, SWE, 0-3
11. Janel Zarkowsky, Team As One, USA, 0-3

www.carlosmatchrace.com

www.wimseries.com

Phil Sharp Crowned Class40 Champion
Phil Sharp racing aboard Imerys Clean Energy finished the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe with a remarkable 3rd place, earning him the outright Class 40 Championship title for the second consecutive year.

Securing a podium spot in each of the four championship races he contested, Phil utterly dominated what is an increasingly selective championship thanks to the arrival this year of new boats and new racers. The talent of the skipper is widely recognised, together with his temperament as a tenacious and resolute fighter, which has earned him the amicable nickname of the “Bulldog” amongst competitors.

The final of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe for the Class40 was a true reflection of the fiercely contested season of 2018. Indeed, no fewer than fifteen or so solo sailors, aboard latest generation or fully-honed 40-foot monohulls were in contention for victory on 4 November 2018.

The Class40 championship is points ranking, which rewards the teams on the Class40 circuit at the end of the season. The Class40 schedule comprises transatlantic races and shorter sprints or coastal courses. This schedule is drawn up each year by the Executive Committee and can be viewed on the website www.class40.com.

2018 Championship Races:
- Grand Prix Guyader
- Normandy Channel Race
- The Atlantic Cup
- Drheam Cup Destination Cotentin
- Sevenstar Round Britain And Ireland Race
- Route Du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe

2018 Ranking:
Phil Sharp - Imerys Clean Energy: 858 points
Aymeric Chappellier - Aïna Enfance et Avenir: 722 points
Luke Berry- Lamotte-Module Creation: 719 points

Full list

The Offshore Academy is GREAT...
The Offshore Academy, Britain’s only centre of excellence for single and shorthanded yacht racing has been recognised by the National GREAT Britain campaign for its expertise in providing pathways to professional sailing.

Joining the campaign under the ‘Sport is GREAT’ message The Offshore Academy will sit alongside other British sporting Greats such as; Wimbledon, The Premier League, Lewis Hamilton and Wembley Stadium.

The Academy has helped promote and launch the careers of numerous sailors, Academy Alumni who have gone on to compete internationally in the professional sport, from; Jack Bouttell and Henry Bomby competing in the last Volvo Ocean Race - Jack winning onboard Dongfeng Race Team. Rob Bunce winning the Youth America’s Cup with Land Rover BAR, Sam Goodchild competing on Netflix Narcos in the Route du Rhum to Richard Mason competing & winning with SAP Extreme Sailing Team and selected for the British Sail GP Team. Whilst the focus of the Academy is in short handed offshore sailing, the skills learnt are applicable to any professional sailing team.

With the recent inclusion of a mixed crew, double handed offshore event in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the experience and knowledge of The Offshore Academy is well placed to keep Britain at the forefront of offshore sailing and supporting a potential Olympic medal winner.

Get in touch to find out more about the Academy’s partnership programme, you too can join something GREAT!

www.theoffshoreacademy.org

greatbritaincampaign.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Supported by Latitude Kinsale and Seahorse magazine

Our featured bar today is from the northern end of Europe's greatest natural venturi...

The Pub all'Oca in Riva del Garda, Italy... noted by a number of readers. Riva and nearby Torbole host thousands of sailors and dozens of top flight events each year. You can rub elbows with every skill level and age group of sailor here.

What makes this such a special place?
I really can't remember. Must have been the un-labelled grappa. The Tom Collins and Vodka Collins here are superb. Not the usual "bug juice" mixer for the Collins. Definitely not a normal lemon in the mix. I suspect they're using Sorrento lemons... which are used to create Italy's famous Limoncello (they have quite a few varieties of that in stock as well.) After an exhausting day of sailing (this is Lago di Garda after all), there is nothing better, more invigorating than a vodka Collins here. Just perfect.

Tell us about YOUR favorite bar.

scuttlebutteurope.com/sailors-bars

wightvodka.com
latitudekinsale.com

Hat-trick for Hagara and Steinacher at Extreme Sailing Series Los Cabos opener
Having saved their best moves for the final Act of the season, Red Bull Sailing Team stole the show on the first day of Extreme Sailing Series Los Cabos, scoring a pole position hat-trick in the event's opening races.

Under the red hot rays of the Mexican sunshine, the fight for the day one win raged, only for the Austrians to rule in their rampage through the ranks – the first time they've led the fleet straight off the mark since the Act 3 battle in Barcelona, Spain.

Despite a turbulent year, the team seems to have finally found the secret to success. With double Olympic gold medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher back onboard, and bolstered by newcomer and Tokyo 2020 hopeful Micah Wilkinson, the squad has seen significant improvements, climbing the ranks in San Diego, USA, and now securing their position as frontrunners in Los Cabos.

Fellow Tokyo 2020 campaigner, Yanic Gentry, also saw some promising results. One of only three Mexican sailors to make it to the Rio Olympics in 2016, Gentry is no stranger to tough competition. His first day sailing competitively with home crew Team Mexico saw a great mid-fleet finish in race two, demonstrating real potential for the remaining three days of double-points racing as the team gels further.

For the fleet of foiling GC32 catamarans, today was tough. Light winds whispered into the sails, creating a game of tactics for the sailors.

With hopes of more wind for the remaining three days of competition, the teams now return to the shores of Los Cabos to debrief, ready for round two in the ring from 14:00 local time (UTC-7) tomorrow.

On days three and four (Saturday 1 December and Sunday 2 December) racing will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube.\

Extreme Sailing Series 2018 Los Cabos, standings after Day 1, 3 races

1. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Dan Morris, Rhys Mara, Micah Wilkinson: 36 points
2. Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Stewart Dodson, Nasser Al Mashari: 31 pts
3. Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothe Lapauw, Bryan Mettraux, Yves Detrey: 31 pts
4. INEOS Rebels UK (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, Oli Greber, Mark Spearman, Joey Newton: 26 pts
5. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Kostner, Adam Minoprio, Julius Hallstrom, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason: 25 pts
6. Team Mexico (MEX) Erik Brockmann, Tom Buggy, Alex Higby, Tom Phipps, Yanic Gentry: 20 pts
7. US Team Extreme (USA) Taylor Canfield, Riley Gibbs, Matt Woodworth, Scott Ewing, Brian Porter: 20 pts

www.extremesailingseries.com

UK Sailmakers J109 Class 'Fluid Structure Interaction' Test Report
In Grand Prix classes throughout the sport of sailing, it is well known that sheeting angles are becoming tighter and tighter – modern TP52s have jib sheeting angles as close as 4 degrees off the centreline. The J109 class in Ireland is a growing and competitive fleet so we felt it necessary to take a fresh look at the sail plan and systems aboard the now nearly fifteen-year-old design with an aim to improving performance.

The J109 have evolved significantly over the past fourteen years. The most visible change has been the shift to a non-overlapping jib setup for optimum IRC performance. This shift in sailplan has a significant effect on the boat’s light air performance due the headsail area reduction.

To compensate for this reduction in power the class uses an inhauling system – this narrows the slot between the mainsail and headsail, in turn increasing the power of the entire sail plan. Up until now the common inhaul point has been the edge of the coach roof – approximately 9° sheeting angle. This is effective in true wind speeds of 15 knots and above – but below this the boat is still relatively starved for power when compared to their genoa flying predecessors – we believe further performance is attainable.

During the winter of 2018 UK Sailmakers Ireland, in conjunction with Pat Considine of UK Sailmakers Chicago, carried out a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) test cycle to determine the effectiveness of jib inhauling to a sheeting angle of 6 degrees - just inside the halyard turning blocks on a standard J109.

Details: afloat.ie

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Stunning semi-custom modern-generation Baltic with beautifully executed classic teak interior and manageable 3.2m draft. Great owner’s layout version. Perfect for the family sailor who appreciates true performance, engineering, design and build quality.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email:

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Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
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+44 2380 016582

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