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SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1579 - 4 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

COPA DEL REY AUDI MAPFRE: DESAFiO CROWNED DOUBLE WINNER Palma de Majorca, Spain: The 27th Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE came to an end with a bang for the America’s Cup challenger Desafio. Not only did they manage to win in both the GP42 and TP52 classes, they also set a premiere by being the first team ever in the 27 years of the Med’s top event that gets the title in two classes.

In addition to Desafio, the new “kings” of Palma are Aifos in IRC 1, Ngoni in IRC 2, icaro and Navantia in ORC 570 and 670, Cool Runnings in X-35 and DSK-Comifin en Swan 45.

The closing day of the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE took place under challenging wind conditions, both in intensity and direction. After a long postponement, initially ashore and then on water, races started under 10 knots of wind that gradually shifted and died down, forcing the race committee to shorten the race course of the IRC and ORC classes.

With Terry Hutchinson at the helm, Desafio won the title in the TP52 class by two points over Bribon, helmed by Dean Barker. Showing a clear improvement in the second half of the week, Hutchinson gave Barker no options and also won the closing race of the event. Third overall was Platoon, helmed by Jochen Schuemann that on the contrary threw their chances away in the last three races of the Copa, always crossing the finish line in the bottom half of the fleet.

Final standings

TP 52 (1 discard) 1. Desafio, Terry Hutchinson, 21 points 2. Bribon, Dean Barker, 23 3. Platoon, Jochen Schuemann, 28

GP 42 (1 discard) 1. Desafio, Laureano Wizner, 28 2. Near Miss, Bertrand Pace, 29 3. Roma GP42.2, Paolo Cian, 30

IRC 1 (1 discard) 1 Aifos, Jaime Rodriguez Toubes, 9 2 Spirit of Jethou, Sir Peter Ogden, 21 3 Moana, Philippe Mecklenburg, 32

IRC 2 (1 discard) 1. Ngoni, Tony Buckingham, 16 2. Give me five, Arya Yatchs Venezia, 25 3. Sercotel Hotels, Román Turro, 33

ORC 570 (1 discard) 1. icaro, Carles Rodriguez, 23 2. Minnic, Eiken Albers, 32 3. Hempel-Power Plate, Gustavo Martinez Doreste, 33

ORC 670 (1 discard) 1. Navantia, Jesús Pintos, 27 2. Vell Mari, Teo Matheu, 28 3. Cometal-Ferrobeton, Daniele Augusti, 34

X-35 (1 discard) 1. Cool Runnings, Thorkild Juncker, 36 2. Quantum Racing, Nic Bol, 45 3. Tixelio, 51

Swan 45 (1 discard) 1. DSK-Comifin, Danilo Salsi, 39 2. No Limits-Bolidt, RW BOL, 48 3. Blue Nights, Tea Ekengren-Sauren, 57

http://www.copadelreyaudimapfre.com

SKANDIA COWES WEEK Yachtsmen from across the world are drawn to the Solent for the testing conditions and the second day of Skandia Cowes Week proved more challenging than most as stiff winds converged with strong spring tides to make for some highly eventful and exciting racing.

By early afternoon Sunday, the wind instruments were showing 20 knots of breeze, gusting 26 but there were also rain squalls, poor visibility and lumpy seas to contend with, which resulted in a series of collisions and breakages.

3 Sad Old Blokes lost the right to fly the coveted pink spinnaker tomorrow after they were beaten into second place by Ian Williams' Team Pindar who enjoyed one of the most dramatic overnight improvements in performance, rising from 30th place on Saturday to first on Sunday by a margin of one minute and 17 secs.

Aimee, Julia Bailey's Dragon has made a stonkingly good start to her 10th Skandia Cowes Week, posting two wins in two races and shaving ten seconds off the winning margin in the stronger breezes thanks to secret weapon Joe Bailey, Julia's nine year-old nephew who is proving to be a highly mobile and versatile 32 kg package. Len Jones' Rumours, which was second overall in 2007 were runners up.

John Mander and his 'ace' helmsman son Rupert have become a real tour de force in the Flying 15 class over the 20 years and 2008 is no exception with two wins in two races already under their belt on their 2003 built Men Behaving Badly.

In 2007, they managed five wins in seven races and on the evidence of their performances this week, which resulted in a victory by more than three minutes over Gavin Tappenden's Fflux today, the rest of the 14 strong field may already be feeling a little dispirited.

The Brighton medics on board Joe 90, the J/90 racing in the J-Sprit class, also made it two in two, relishing the stronger winds to record a whopping 17 minute win over second placed Trion.

Duncan MacDonald, Phil Thomas and Charlie Wise bought their boat, formerly Moose on the Loose, in October last year and have won every club race they have competed in. Although they posted a tenth at Cork, they could be well placed to pick up their first Skandia Cowes Week trophy if the winds continue to blow.

Duncan's brother Neal, the veteran Volvo racer who is competing with his wife Lisa on Stuart Robinson's TP52 Stay Calm, had a disappointing day by their standards coming fifth in IRC Class Zero though the diem horribilus belonged to Andy Soriano who rounded the mark the wrong way in his Mills 68 Alegre and retired.

By contrast, Niklas Zennstrom, winner of yesterday Queen's Cup had another resounding win in his TP52 Ran, this time with a ten minute advantage over Henri-Lloyd Cutting Edge who finished a minute ahead of Charles Dunstone's TP52 Rio on corrected time.

The 39-strong J/109 class were given a committee boat start but struggled to locate it prompting the race committee to signal a general recall. A restart under the ‘Black Flag' rule found the fleet in less unruly form and Michael Jones raced to victory in Joyride with one of the favourites for the 2008 title Shiva, campaigned by Matt Boyle in second place.

Contender for the brand new Liz Earle "Close Shave Trophy" which at the end of the week will be awarded to the overall winner across all classes who grasps victory by the closest margin, is Nick Woolgar's Goose who snatched a ten secs win over second placed Lady Laetitia, campaigned by Willie Clegg, Rory James-Duff and Billy Clegg. -- Kate Laven

http://www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk

* One of the biggest casualties at Skandia Cowes Week today has to be the Quarter Tonner Runaway Bus that was holed during the race.

Peter Williams's beautiful Red 1977, Paul Whiting-designed yacht broached just before the finish and collided with Sgt Pepper in the same class. Fortunately there doesn't seem to be much damage to Sgt Pepper but Runaway Bus has a foot hole on her starboard side just above the waterline.

Victoria Scott who does bow on Runaway Bus commented: "We were going at full speed downwind towards the line and had a bit of a broach. Unfortunately Sgt Pepper was on our windward side and we went straight up into them. There was nothing they could do really. They dragged our pulpit, couldn't get off and eventually the side of the boat gave way. We got back in by keeping the boat heeled over and we're very optimistic about getting on the water again tomorrow."

* Cowes Online is publishing daily video reports on Skandia Cowes Week at http://www.cowes.co.uk

As well as providing the online daily reports, TKZ, publishers of Cowes Online is also providing daily video content to the big screen in Cowes Yacht Haven, the event organisers' Event TV channel, and TKZ's own new iZone network of digital screens placed throughout Cowes.

So whether you're in Cowes or elsewhere you can keep up to date with all the action from the world's oldest and largest regatta.

Saturday's report also includes footage from the dramatic first day of the iShares Cup where four boats capsized and one was dismasted.

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LIKE BEING IN A PINBALL MACHINE The America’s Cup teams stole the show on the first day of the iShares Cup, but with mixed fortunes in a full-on day at Skandia Cowes Week.

Franck Cammas, the offshore multihull specialist, got things off to a flying start by winning his very first iShares Cup race from America’s Cup defenders Alinghi after he got a great lift up the first mark, and took a lead which he held all the way around.

Cammas followed up to make it a double victory in race two, followed home by his BMW ORACLE Racing team mate James Spithill. Current series leaders TEAMORIGIN were right on the pace in the first race, but had a slow top mark rounding in the second, recovering well to take fifth.

In between races two and three the skies over Southampton darkened and a large squall came through the fleet, sending yachts competing in the Skandia Cowes Week spinning across the Solent as they broached. Team Aqua pitchpoled as they tried to bear away, spinning over on one hull and smashing their rig.

TEAMORIGIN came to the fore in the third race, leading BMW ORACLE Racing Cammas out into the Solent while Alinghi ducked closer to the shore - but their tactic couldn’t outwit the local TEAMORIGIN crew, who won from Franck Cammas. But Cammas’ run of luck was to come to an end in the next. After a fantastic start which saw all 11 Extreme 40s charging down the course abreast, the entire fleet arrived at the first mark with just millimetres separating the boats, and BMW ORACLE Racing crunched into the side of BT, leaving Cammas’ boat with a smashed bowsprint and crumpled front beam, and Nick Moloney’s BT boat with a gaping hole in the port side.

“There was an almighty bang as BMW ORACLE smashed into our stern,’ recalls BT skipper Nick Moloney. “They exploded their pole, snapped their boat in half, spun us around and then they peeled away from us but they were completely out of control, because the boat was basically broken in half - and Shirley and JP Morgan swung to avoid them and smashed in to our stern. It was like being in a pinball machine! Two very, very big fast collisions, and big explosions of breaking carbon fibre - it was really, really loud.

http://www.isharescup.com

POGO STRUCTURES CLASS 40 WINNER IN QUEBEC-SAINT MALO At 04 h 50 minutes and 43 seconds (GMT), today (Sunday) 3rd August 2008, Halvard Mabire, on board Pogo Structure crossed the finish line of the seventh Transat Quebec-Saint Malo, off the Breton city. After 13 days, 13 hours, 50 minutes and 43 seconds of racing at an average speed of 8.76 knots, the skipper from the Cherbourg Peninsula and his two crewmen, Antoine Carpentier and Didier Le Vourch, achieved a great victory in the 2855-mile east to west transatlantic crossing. They experienced a wide range of conditions as they made their way out of the Saint Lawrence and crossed the ocean via the North Face.

Halvard Mabire, who grabbed the lead in the race two days ago, was able to fend off the attacks from the young guns on Mistral Loisirs - Pôle Elior Sante. He had feared a closing up of the gaps between the leaders, as they made their way along the Channel coast, but in the end his worries were unfounded. A few hours before crossing the line, he wrote these lines: "A host of feelings are going through our minds, as is only normal at the end of a great adventure like the one we have just experienced. The pleasure of meeting up with family and friends is, of course, the highlight of the "landing" and the most joyful moment you can imagine. However, at the same time as this joy, there are feelings of nostalgia that overwhelm you. Reaching land, means you fall back to Earth."

The crew:

Halvard Mabire: 52 years old. Lives in Lower Normandy. A sailor with a wonderful list of achievements, a talented manager, he has been involved in ocean racing for many years and has been through a range of jobs: skipper, project leader, designer... A great yachtsman, Halvard is also an excellent racing driver back on dry land, as he has completed two Paris-Dakar rallies (in 1988 and 1989).

Antoine Carpentier: 32 years old. Lives in Southern Brittany. A professional sailor, he has done particularly well in some of the top regattas. Going from J80 to Mumm 30, via the 7.50 one design, as well as three seasons with Gitana Team on the 60' Orma multihull.

Didier le Vourch: 35 years old. Lives in Western Brittany. He made his name in the Mini circuit after preparing a number of boats, from Figaros to Mumm 30s, as well as 60-foot Open boats for Jean-Pierre Dick and Thierry Dubois.

The top three Open 50 multihulls

Pierre Antoine’s 50-foot multihull, Imagine finished in Saint-Malo at 01h 43 minutes and 10 seconds GMT this morning (Sunday) after 13 days, 10 hours, 13 minutes and 10 seconds of racing. He took second place behind Franck-Yves Escoffier.

At 04 h, 32 minutes and 41 seconds GMT, it was Prince de Bretagne’s turn to arrive in Saint-Malo. Herve Cleris had warned us: "The Channel crossing is going to be a game of poker. We could pull off some strokes." After finding himself 64 miles behind Imagine yesterday afternoon, he climbed back to complete the transatlantic race in third place after 13 days, 13 hours, 02 minutes and 41 seconds, a little less than three hours after Imagine.

http://www.quebecsaintmalo.com

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It is the system that champion sailors rely upon, and until January 2009 the forecasts are free of charge: http://www.PredictWind.com

LINDA RAHM WINS LYSEKIL WOMEN’S MATCH Lysekil, Sweden: Reigning world champion Claire Leroy has performed excellent through Lysekil Women’s Match, but in the final against Swede Linda Rahm, the defending champion, the French woman wasn’t good enough. Linda started with two victories, Claire broke back taking two matches, and then Linda in the fifth match could secure her second straight title:

In the petit final experienced Dane Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen defeated the young Lucy Macgregor from Great Britain in two straight matches:

Semifinal results: Claire Leroy, FRA, 3 - Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 0 Linda Rahm, SWE, 3 - Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 2

Matches for 3rd prize: Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 2 - Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 0

Final results 1. Linda Rahm, SWE 2. Claire Leroy, FRA 3. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN 4. Lucy Macgregor, GBR 5. Jenny Axhede, SWE 6. Katie Spithill, AUS 7. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN 8. Anna Kjellberg, SWE 9. Silke Hahlbrock, GER 10. Elisabeth Baylis, USA 11. Sabrina Gurioli, ITA 12. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA

Following her victory in Match Cup Sweden on Marstrand and ending second in Lysekil Women’s Match, Claire Leroy also won the Marstrand Lysekil Women’s Double trophy

http://www.lysekilwomensmatch.se

FIGARO: LENZE DISMASTS IN THE BAY OF BISCAY Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) continues to lead forty-eight hours into the 2nd leg of La Solitaire du Figaro race in 15 knots of southwesterly wind and big seas and is just over 200 miles from the finish. Lenze dismasts in the early hours of the morning following a collision with a cargo ship; safe and sound, the skipper heads for his home port in Trinite-sur-Mer under motor, forced to abandon the race. The leaders are expected to pass Ushant from 10 p.m. this evening, just as the tide will to turn and Jean-Philippe Le Meitour (La Voix de l’Enfant) trails alone, 40 miles behind Elodie Riou on KPMG and over 90 miles from the leader.

Jean-Paul Mouren (M@rseillEntreprises) was able to relay the unfortunate news of Lenze’s dismasting to the Race Office boat in the early hours of the morning. A cargo ship collided with Franck Le Gal in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, 275 miles west of La Rochelle. Under the impact, Lenze dismasted, safe and sound Franck was able to cut away the rig and heads towards La Trinite-sur-Mer. “We have been able to join Franck Le Gal over the VHF, he is obviously upset about having to abandon the race, but he sounds well and he has the situation under control. He no longer has the mast, but has kept the boom and spinnaker pole in order to be able to build a jury rig,” explained Patrick Eliès from the Race Security boat.

The skippers have all been doubly vigilant whilst crossing the Bay of Biscay and underlying the fact that despite the technical surveillance equipment they all have installed, such as AIS and Activ’Echo (Automatic Identification System), this rare and unfortunate situation can still arise.

British sailor, Andy Greenwood on Imtech, has gradually inched his way up the rankings and lies in 36th place ahead of Liz Wardley on Sojasun and fellow rookie sailor Adrien Hardy on Agir Recouvrement. 203.6 miles remained at 15:30 today to reach the finish in Cherbourg-Octeville and although it is early to predict the ETA with two headlands to round and strong tides and currents to contend with, the first can be expected to arrive from 17:00 local time tomorrow on what Erwan Tabarly (Athema) predicts to be “a coastal race from tonight onwards.” -- Sabina Mollart-Rogerson

http://www.lasolitaire.com

CAPRI T-SHIRT BY DUBARRY: BREATHABLE - AND NOT JUST FOR YOU Ever wondered why no-one’s interested in hearing your post-race analysis? Sailing’s about working hard and playing hard. Unfortunately, with most anti-microbial T-shirts, your hard work can leave you playing on your own, or at least downwind of everyone else. Dubarry’s new Capri T-shirt is breathable, fast-drying SPF40 anti-microbial fabric that actually does what it’s supposed to. So if you find your circle of friends widening rapidly, to the point where you have to shout, perhaps it’s time you got yourself a new top?

Dubarry’s New Capri T-Shirt: Same Rules. New Collection.

http://www.dubarry.com

4TH BALTIC SPRINT CUP FINISHED IN RONNE, BORNHOLM/DENMARK The overall winners of the Baltic Sprint Cup 2008 are from Sweden and the United Kingdom. The four legs of the fourth edition that led 61 offshore yachts to five Baltic rim countries saw a thrilling final in the cruising division. On the way from Gdansk, Poland to Ronne, Denmark, Stefan Qviberg’s Summer Wine beat her German adversaries Chaos quarante from Thomas Nielsen and Wolfgang Uecker’s Flying Circus. The racing division saw a British double victory with Danebury, skippered by Mike Castania from the USA in front of David Aisher’s Yeoman XXXII. The best German yacht was Christopher Wuttke’s guts ’n glory as third overall.

Thomas Nielsen and his “Chaos 40 team”, who had scored two victories and two seconds before the final, had seen their defeat coming. “We were still leading after the first 60 miles”, reported the skipper, “but then the dying wind and the old swell robbed us of our chances, because we had been measured and rated with a small jib.” In the end, they won the regatta in cruising division 2 at one point ahead of Flying Circus. Nielsen: “We did miss our big goal of winning the race overall, but at least we managed to keep the ‘flying circus’ at bay, which is a small relief.”

US-American Mike Castania, too, has taken a great liking to the two-week regatta he had been leading from day one. “We snatched the lead in a 32-knot squall on the way to Sweden”, explained the skipper of a professional and international crew who sailed the Danebury to winning the first leg.

“We kept to sailing conservatively, but fully exploited the speed potential of this excellent boat”, explained Castania, who shed himself very content with his crew’s perfect choice of sails. The yacht was out of reach of her two sister boats, but the three Rogers 46 all raced to podium places. So for yacht designer Simon Rogers, who had come to Ronne to celebrate his victorious trio, the Baltic Sprint Cup was a success through and through.

It was as if a bomb had hit them, when the latest provisional results came in at 2 a.m. while Christopher Wuttke’s guts ’n glory crew was in full swing celebrating with Tilmar Hansen’s Outsider team. An unforeseen evening breeze off the island of Bornholm had sped up many boats close to the finish, and caused the Outsider to drop down to rank 14 on corrected time. And as the final leg could not be discarded, Hansen had to step down from the podium and finished only sixth overall.

After the regatta’s debut in 2005, SAIL & RACE had taken charge of the organization of this Baltic regatta, the aim of which is to foster the pan-Baltic trade traditions. All in all, 166 yachts from 13 nations have visited 18 different Baltic port cities in nine countries in the four editions so far. The course and time schedule of the fifth Baltic Sprint Cup are to be announced in autumn this year.

Top three by class:

Racing Division 1. Danebury (Mike Castania/Great Britain) 6 points 2. Yeoman XXXII (David Aisher/Great Britain) 12 3. guts ’n glory (Christopher Wuttke/Germany) 21

Crusing Division 1. Summer Wine (Stefan Qviberg/Sweden) 7 points 2. Chaos quarante (Thomas Nielsen/Germany) 8 3. Flying Circus (Wolfgang Uecker/Germany) 9

Racing Class 1 1. Danebury (Mike Castania/Great Britain) 6 points 2. Yeoman XXXII (David Aisher/Great Britain) 12 3. guts ’n glory (Christopher Wuttke/Germany) 21

Racing Class 2 1. Emil Reiseschwein (Stefan Hummelt/Germany) 10 points 2. Schueddelfrost (Friedrich Boehnert/Germany) 12 3. Inschallah VI (Volker Andreae/Germany) 13

Cruising Class 1 1. Summer Wine (Stefan Qviberg/Sweden) 4 points 2. Meltemi (Harald Graf von Saurma-Jeltsch/Germany) 8 3. Philomena (Eggert Schuett/Germany) 14

Cruising Class 2 1. Chaos quarante (Thomas Nielsen/Germany) 5 points 2. Flying Circus (Wolfgang Uecker/Germany) 6 3. Conte (Rudolf Schubert/Germany) 13

Team Award Racer: Danebury/Essex Girl Cruiser: Conte/Avanti (Norbert Hoessermann/Germany)

Youth Award Racer: Schueddelfrost Cruiser: Philomena

Baltic Sprint Cuup Award (Best overall 2007 and 2008) Schueddelfrost

Speed Award (Fastest time overall) Calypso (Gerhard Clausen/Germany) 75:48.45 hours

http://BalticSprintCup.com http://www.SailRace.org

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THE LAST WORD I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. -- Forrest Gump

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