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SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1581 - 6 AUGUST

Brought to you by Boats.com Europe ( http://www.boats.com ) and Yachtworld.com Europe ( http://www.yachtworld.com ) 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@scuttlebutteurope.com

FIGARO: MORVAN WINS SECOND LEG BUT TROUSSEL EXTENDS OVERALL TIME LEAD Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) is the worthy winner of the second leg, however Nicolas Troussel (Financo) has been masterful in the way he has managed to further extend his lead in the overall time ranking. The 2nd and 3rd spots change; Gildas Morvan knocks Christian Bos out of second and is 6 hours and 18 minutes behind with Erwan Tabarly (Athema) pinching third from Frederic Duthil (Distinxion Automobiles), 7 hours and 33 minutes from the leader.

The big loser on the day is Christian Bos (Region Midi Pyrenees) who finishes forty third on the second leg and is delegated to 32nd overall, effectively loosing a further 8 hours to the leader. The big time-lead Troussel has secured gives little room for the remaining 47 competitors to have a come back on the last leg. The fight for second and third spots on the podium however, will be fierce. The top and most experienced, up to sixteenth placed Pietro D'Alì (McLouis) are within four hours of each other and all eyeing the 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium. The usual suspects are all there, Frederic Duthil, Christopher Pratt, Jeanne Gregoire, Nicolas Berenger... and so the list goes on. Interestingly this year, the leads are very extensive, each year a win comes down to a matter of minutes or seconds (Armel le Cleac'h famously beat Alain Gautier by just 13 seconds in 2003), however this year we can look at it in terms of hours.

It is a reverse situation for the rookie sailors. The competition in terms of time difference is much closer, both Francois Gabart (Espoir Region Bretagne) and Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement) finished within 4 minutes of each other on the first leg and just 5 on the second. The race from Vigo to Cherbourg was tough on the fleet of rookies, Maiko Szekely (Region Basse Normandie) secured the top spot, but was 28th to port followed by Briton Andy Greenwood on Imtech. The current standings show Francois Gabart holding a 9 minute, 33 second lead over Adrien Hardy and a 2 hour 35 minute and 53 second lead over Andy Greenwood. The game is open in this class and the third decisive leg will produce the Beneteau Rookie winner of this, the 39th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro.

The third and final leg will settle all accounts and produce the 39th Solitaire champion. Next up is the 825 miles from Cherbourg, Normandy to l'Aber Wrac'h, Brittany, with one major mark to round, the Isle of Man up in the Irish Sea. The start is on Friday 8th of August at 14:00 local French time. The fleet is expected to arrive in Brittany on August 14th. -- Sabina Mollart-Rogerson

Top ten: 1. Nicolas Troussel, Financo, 151h 05min 33s total time over two legs 2. Gildas Morvan, Cercle Vert, 06h18'52'' additional time over leader 3. Erwan Tabarly, Athema, 07h30'45'' 4. Frederic Duthil, Distinxion Automobile, 07h38'26'' 5. Christopher Pratt, DCNS 97, 07h49'23'' 6. Jeanne Gregoire, Banque Populaire, 07h53'26'' 7. Nicolas Berenger, KONE Ascenseurs, 08h21'50'' 8. Thomas Rouxel, Defi Mousquetaires, 09h20'27'' 9. Gildas Mahe, Le Comptoir Immobillier, 09h22'30'' 10. Thierry Chabagny, SUZUKI Automobiles, 09h35'37''

http://www.lasolitaire.com

PINDAR WINS THE ARTEMIS CHALLENGE Team Pindar today won the Artemis Challenge at Skandia Cowes Week, returning to competitive sailing in spectacular style. Skippered by Vendee Globe entrant, Brian Thompson, the Pindar Open 60 won the race comfortably, finishing five minutes ahead of second placed BT and almost 10 minutes ahead of Ecover in third place.

Now in its second year, the 2008 Artemis Challenge, attracts some of the world's leading offshore sailors, who were joined by a celebrity line up of TV and sport stars including Davina McCall, Georgie Thompson, James Haskell and Dean Macey. The 50 mile race around the Island, saw the best of the IMOCA Open 60 fleet set off from the Squadron Line at 10am. Despite some challenging conditions during the race, including gusts of up to 20 knots, Team Pindar lead from the outset and completed the race in 4 hours, 13 mins, 48 secs. In addition to winning the coveted trophy, Pindar will also donate the 10,000 GBP prize fund to nominated charity Earthwatch, a leading environmental charity which funds scientists, researchers and volunteers to undertake environmental, research and education programmes. Among the crew on board the Open 60 were former Pindar ambassador and Team Origin Director, Mike Sanderson, and injured soldiers Jono Lee and Chris Herbert, who have been taking part in a new 'Toe in the Water' sailing initiative. The scheme aims to encourage and motivate British servicemen and woman who have sustained traumatic injuries and are currently being treated at Headley Court, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre.

http://www.teampindar.com http://skandialifecowesweek.co.uk

DAILY VIDEO COVERAGE FROM SKANDIA COWES WEEK For daily video reports from Skandia Cowes Week, and the Cowes round of the iShares Cup, visit Cowes Online at http://www.cowes.co.uk

You can also watch starts live every morning from 0945 on Cowes Online's Squadron Cam, on the start line of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and watch all the harbour action on Trinity Cam.

And if you're in Cowes, check out the new iZone network of HD screens in Cowes Yacht Haven and the town's most popular pubs showing daily action from the event.

http://www.cowes.co.uk

ELEVEN TEAMS NOW ASHORE The pace in the Breton city is still being set by the boats finishing the seventh Transat Quebec-Saint Malo. After the trio aboard Prevoir Vie (Benoit Parnaudeau), finished early in the day and were happy to see some sunshine, taking fifth place in the Class 40 rankings, this Tuesday afternoon saw the arrival of Cervin ENR, the 60-foot ocean racer sailed by Yannick Bestaven and his crew of three. We then awaited the mixed doubles aboard 40 Degrees, held up a short distance from the finish in light airs and an adverse current.

At daybreak on this sixteenth day of sailing, Benoit Parnaudeau's arrived with the weather forecast announcing fine weather ashore. With his two colleagues, each complementing each other (Laurent Nevo at the helm, Quentin Monegier carrying out odd jobs), the skipper from La Rochelle, more used to solo yachting, could not hide his enjoyment at the end of this great adventure across the North Atlantic swell. At 06h28 GMT, Prevoir Vie crossed the finish after sailing some 3165 miles. The sun was out and the sailors were uplifted after an Atlantic crossing in the drizzle or the fog.

Later, it was time for the British team on 40 Degrees to complete their transatlantic crossing from west to east via the North face from the Saint Lawrence with all its hurdles and traps. At 15 h GMT, Peter Harding and his mixed crew (Miranda Merron, Freddie Hall and Alex Sizer) were just ten miles from the finish, but the wind refused to help them. Sailing at two knots against the current, 40 Degrees will have to wait a few more hours before crossing the finish line to take 6th place.

In their wake, a group of other competitors taking part in a close contact race after 3000 miles of racing with under their belts a lot of exciting tales to bring to the pontoons in Saint-Malo.

In the 15h rankings, four 40-foot boats were seen to have entered the Channel. Welcome to Beluga Shipping (Boris Herrmann), Rev'86 (Alain Grinda), Appart City (Yvan Noblet) and L'Esprit Large-Talmont Saint Hilaire (Jean-Edouard Criquioche), who continue to sail in a south westerly flow, which is affected further east by a little low forming in the Bay of Biscay. The unfavourable winds are likely to slow them down towards the finish, adding to the stress they feel as they make their way to Saint-Malo.

Tonight and during the day tomorrow, we are likely to see a lot of people reaching the line. Some Class 40 boats, of course, will be finishing their adventure, which was just as enjoyable as it was a sporting challenge. That is the case for Laiterie de Saint-Malo, Victorien Erussard's fifty-foot boat, which more or less covered the North Atlantic without a rudder. Victorien and his young mates are expected to finish sometime tomorrow afternoon. It is likely that their finish will be much appreciated in their homeport of Saint-Malo.

http://www.quebecsaintmalo.com

PEGASUS SETS NEW DOUBLE-HANDED SAN FRANCISCO TO HAWAII RECORD The Waikiki Yacht Club announced that Skipper Philippe Kahn, with co-skipper Richard Clarke of Canada, set a new record for the 2008 Pacific Cup race of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds. The prior record was set by Volvo Ocean Race winner Stan Honey in 1992.

Pegasus Open 50 was the first to finish ahead of all 61 boats, including fully crewed racing machines that ranged from 45 feet to 73 feet in length, including TP-52s and SC-70s. The Pegasus 50 is an Owen Clarke designed Open 50 (formerly Artforms) acquired by Pegasus Racing in 2007. After an extensive refit which included new mast, sails, keel and an extended bowpsrit, it was christened as Pegasus and launched in San Francisco in 2007.

http://www.owenclarkedesign.com/da/84789 http://www.pegasus.com

PRB SAILS AGAIN Only two and a half months after being abandoned in the North Atlantic, Vincent Riou's Open 60 PRB has left Halifax under sail.

Riou was forced to abandon the yacht during the Artemis Transat race earlier this year after a collision with a whale damaged the keel. After she was later recovered, her shore team have made several trips to Canada to assemble a new keel, the bulb of which came from the USA and the fin from France.

The skipper intends to head for Port la Foret, which he should reach in twelve days or so after completing the compulsory 3500 miles of solo sailing which should see him qualify for the Vendee Globe. -- Yachting Monthly, http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20080705132158ymnews.html

TRAVELLING LIGHT? TRAVEL RIGHT If you want a cheap cabin, bag, there are plenty out there - and you'll buy several of them as they gradually fall apart. If value, quality, style and heritage are important to you, take a look at the Shannon cabin bag. Inspired by the classic Shamrock boot that has been endorsed by professional and amateur sailors the world over, it's durable, practical and designed for every eventuality. It does its job stylishly and it says you're serious about what you do.

Dubarry's New Shannon Cabin Bag: Get Onboard.

http://www.dubarry.com

2009 AUDI MEDCUP CIRCUIT DATES AND TP52 CLASS CHANGES ANNOUNCED Five events and their dates, a freeze on the TP52 Class Rule for two years, introduction of cost containment initiatives and a revamped Corinthian Class are amongst the first elements announced for the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit.

With four successful regattas sailed and two left to sail in the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit, already eyes and thoughts are on the the 2009 season with many current teams and interested newcomers beginning to firm up their future plans. The Event Organisers and the TP52 Class Association have today jointly announced the regatta schedule for 2009 and a series of changes for the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit.

Following a series of the meetings of the owners of the TP52 Class a decision has been made to freeze the class rule for two years.

Several small "housekeeping" rule modifications will be made to the current rule to help contain costs and save time with topics such as no more inclining tests but keel and bulb weighing, adopting an ISO construction standard for hull laminate scantlings and plan approval, using a more logical set of metric dimension roundings and a separation of the internal headroom restrictions the class had adopted from the obsolete IMS Rule to something simpler and more relevant.

The fundamentals of the class rule and the type of boats it is likely to produce in the future are completely frozen for the next two seasons whilst the sailing world is put on notice of a total revamp and evolution of the TP52 Class which will manifest itself in a new rule book available in time for new boats to be built for the 2011 season. Work will be carried out over the next 12 months by the TP52 Class Technical Committee, comprised of the class measurers, technical director and the design groups currently active in the class, to propose a new rule to help keep the class at the forefront of coastal keelboat racing.

The Audi MedCup Circuit event organisers in association with the TP52 Class Owners' Association have also proposed a series of cost containment initiatives. Chief amongst these are a reduction of the number of events that make up the circuit from six to five, a reduction in the permitted number of sails and their materials, and the introduction of a new Corinthian Class with a limited number of professionals allowed onboard.

The details of these three major cost containment initiatives are still to be finalised but are likely to specify a reduction in sails allowed to be used in competition from 26 new and three grandfathered (ie from the previous season) to 19 new and two grandfathered. Limitations on the permitted materials for sails will effectively outlaw expensive under-used sails made of Cuben Fibre and Spectra.

The Cornthian Class will be for ISAF Category 1 or 2 helmsman with maybe as many as half the crew with the same ISAF Categories. The Audi MedCup Corinthian prize will be awarded to the Corinthian Team with the best results from four of the five scheduled events for 2009, effectively allowing one event to be discarded, something that is not the case for the professional category.

The five regatta 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit will follow a similar format to the six regatta 2008 circuit. The provisional dates for the five events are as follows:

2009 Audi MedCup Circuit

Event 1 19th - 24th May Event 2 16th - 21st June Event 3 21st - 26th July Event 4 18th - 23rd August Event 5 15th - 20th September

Racing for the fifth and penultimate leg of the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit will commence in three weeks time on Monday 25th August in the Spanish Naval Port of Carthagina. Sixteen boats from 10 countries are expected to race over the five day regatta.

http://medcup.org

INDUSTRY NEWS * Informa Yacht Group (IYG), owner of the Monaco and Abu Dhabi yacht shows, has acquired the Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) in Thailand for an undisclosed sum.

Launched in 2003, PIMEX is said to be the largest boat show in South East Asia. This year's event will take place from December 4-7 at the new Royal Phuket Marina Exhibition and Conference Centre, which now covers some 2,500sq m of space in a purpose-built exhibition hall alongside the water.

As the yachting events division of Informa PLC, IYG owns a number of leading superyacht and other marine events, including the Monaco Yacht Show, Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, the Superyacht Cup, the Beijing Boat Show, The World Yacht Racing Forum Monaco, and the Mediterranean Workboat Show. -- International Boat Industry news, http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080705114159ibinews.html

* The Earls Court Boat Show returns this year as the Sail, Power & Watersports Show, running from November 26-30.

The event has been scaled down to five days from the original 10 and no doubt organisers will be doing their best to advertise more widely than last year, when the visitor count was far lower than expected.

The show took place for the first time last year, in the same venue that used to host the British Marine Federation (BMF)'s London Boat Show until it moved to ExCeL in Docklands. -- IBI, http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080705145138ibinews.html

* From 1st August 2008, Danish sailmaker Elvstrom Sobstad will be re-named as Elvstrom Sails, the original name of the company started by Olympic Veteran Paul Elvstrom in 1954. The re-naming of the company follows the completion of the acquisition in Europe between Elvstrom Sails and US company Sobstad in 2002. Since then, the company has used the joint name of Elvstrom Sobstad. Elvstrom Sobstad dealers and agents throughout Europe will change to the new branding including a fresh look new logo, with all sail products carrying the name and logo from 1st August.

* Hermes and Wally announce the signing of a partnership agreement through the creation of a joint venture, combining their creativity and know-how to conceive and develop innovative projects in the yachting world.

Hermes and Wally will closely work together in the design, development and construction of products based on state-of-the-art technologies in the nautical and luxury industries.

The content of these projects will be unveiled during the course of 2009.

* Jon Eads and Paul Strzelecki assumed the respective roles of president of the British Marine Federation (BMF) and chairman of National Boat Shows (NBS) on 1 July 2008. Mr Eads CMM is managing director of MDL's Marina Division, responsible for all of the company's mooring, retail and boatyard operations.

He's been involved in the marine industry for 30 years and has always taken an active role, having previously been chairman of both the BMF Wessex regional committee and the BMF Environment and Boating Facilities Committee. With a passion for all things to do with boating, Mr Eads is a keen sailor and enjoys spending time afloat with his family in Poole Harbour.

Mr Strzelecki has worked in the marine industry for over 25 years and, as joint chief executive of Henri Lloyd, is responsible for international business, product design and the marketing of the brand in the marine and fashion markets worldwide.

A keen sailor who jointly set up the BMF group association British Sailing and was its first chairman, Mr Strzelecki is also an executive member of the International Sailing Summit and was previously chairman of the BMF's Marketing Strategy Group.

* Ovington Boats are pleased to announce the acquisition of the 'Solution' Dinghy. The Solution hull has been built at Ovington Boats since its outset in 2005, and it seemed like a natural progression for Ovington Boats to complete the 'Solution' by fitting out and marketing the boat.

The Solution was developed by Kevin Clark and Andrew Elliott to cater for sailors who wanted a quality high performance single hander but were too light for the Phantom.

All of the spares and components for the Solution are currently being catalogued and will soon be available online at http://www.OvingtonBoats.com

FEATURED BROKERAGE 1987 Santa Cruz 50, $197,500 USD, Located in Ventura, California USA.

Hull #29 The last of the SC 50's built. The carbon deck is 800 lbs. lighter and the keel 800 lbs heavier. The mast is moved 9" forward, a shorter "J" and longer boom, for better upwind performance. Open transom and modified interior.

Brokerage through Wizard Yachts Ltd.: http://www.yachtworld.com/wizard/

Complete listing details and seller contact information at http://uk.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatFullDetails.jsp?boat_id=1951826

THE LAST WORD Every man has a right to be conceited until he is successful. -- Benjamin Disraeli

The opinions expressed in Scuttlebutt Europe do not necessarily reflect those of its editors or sponsors.

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