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SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1456 - WEEKEND EDITION 8-9 MARCH

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

EDiTORIALS, OPINIONS AND THE RUMOUR MILL

MORE TO TEAM NZ COURT FORAY THAN COLD CASH Team New Zealand's foray into the US court system seems sure to spark some unfavourable comment about more money being spent on lawyers in the world's most litigious sport.

The America's Cup has tacked and gybed its way into the courts before - notably Sir Michael Fay's 'Big Boat' challenge of the 1980s. At first glance, Emirates Team NZ's efforts to recoup what is thought to be $50m will look to many like just another line lashing the Cup to a legal pontoon, helping to keep this event tied to the dock.

It runs a wee bit deeper than that this time. The legal stoush currently delaying the 2009 regatta (which could be called, in newspaper headline terms 'Billionaires Butt Heads', with its double meaning...) sees Ernesto Bertarelli of Alinghi and Larry Ellison of Oracle locked together in a legal battle for power.

But New Zealand is a small country. We produce many of the best sailors in the world but don't have the Bertarellis and the Ellisons to bankroll our syndicates. 'Rich man's plaything' is not a factor when it comes to Team NZ, in spite of the background benefactor presence of another billionaire, Matteo de Nora.

No, our team has public money invested in it and a huge dollop of public interest and investment of an emotional nature - even if Team NZ are at pains to point out that neither taxpayers' nor sponsors' money is being used for the court action.

Pound for pound, the public interest in Team New Zealand here outweighs that by the public of Switzerland or the US in their America's Cup teams.

So, 'the mouse that roared' has to rear up on its hind legs when it thinks it is being disadvantaged otherwise we become simply that mouse that got floored.

Much more in this must-read by Paul Lewis in the New Zealand Herald (one can make a solid argument that the Kiwis also produce many of the best journos in the world as well...): http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=106&objectid=10496972&ref=rss

TAKING THE CONTRARIAN POSITION... You probably never thought that I would say this but I'm on the side of Alinghi following this ridiculous court case action by Grant Dalton and his mystery backers. It's so stupid that it actually makes my blood boil and I just can't see that a small team like TNZ going to court is going to help them in the long run. And there again, just because it's been open season on Ernie for the last six months (led by myself, I admit) doesn't allow for everyone to pile in and think that they're going to have the support of the media. Oracle are absolutely on the right side of the argument regarding their legal challenege and I reckon even Ernie would admit that, but Dalton just looks ridiculous, money-grabbing and attention seeking. Furthermore, I think he will lose this case and cast TNZ backwards all the while losing a lot of goodwill in the process.

Here's the Alinghi counter and I can't really disagree with any of it: Dalton does, indeed, have a very selective memory:

Following the press release issued yesterday by Emirates Team New Zealand regarding the filing of two law suits, one with the New York Supreme Court and one with the United States District Court, Alinghi has prepared the following insights into the issues raised.

"...Alinghi wants to crush competition..." Dalton appears to have a selective memory. Facts show that Alinghi and ACM have supported other teams over the course of the 32nd America's Cup, especially ETNZ:

1. In 2004, Ernesto Bertarelli allowed ETNZ to launch their challenge by granting them a multi million euro loan. Without this cash injection, it is likely that ETNZ would not be in the form they are today and able to complain about the so-called Alinghi lack of sporting spirit. 2. When ETNZ's boat was damaged in the Marseille Act in September 2004, ACM helped them financially to fly a second boat from New Zealand so that they could race in the following Act in Valencia in October 2004, which resulted in them winning the 2004 season. 3. ACM worked with ETNZ to secure the sponsorship of Estrella Damm. 4. The model developed by ACM for the 32AC made possible a profitable event that ended for the first time ever with millions of euro's being distributed to all teams, including 9 million euro's for ETNZ.

The facts prove that crushing competition has never been one of Alinghi's objectives.

More from Magnus Wheatley at http://www.rule69blog.com

PETITIONING THE ISAF To date more than 5,700 petitioners including ISAF Sailors of the Year and Olympic medallists have signed the IOC petition asking that multihulls be included in the Sailing Regatta for the 2012 Olympics.

This petition is probably the largest ever grass roots expression of concern at the management of our sport.

Goran Petersson, ISAF President,'s statement after that November decision was that the selection of Events demonstrated the modern nature and "the wide range and diversity of sailing". Excluding a large part of the sport makes this patently untrue.

The multihull class was voted out at a meeting of the ISAF Council in November last year. As organisers of the petition, we have been waiting to see if its Executive Committee would respond by taking the initiative in reconsidering the selection of Olympic Events.

However, now that the minutes of ISAF's February Executive Meeting have been published, not only does it appear that they have decided not to take the initiative, but it also seems that they may reject submissions to re-open the debate at the current mid year meeting, as not urgent, or at the annual meeting in November, since they see the matter as closed.

This is in spite of a right of appeal specifically and exclusively for this matter in Regulation 16.1.3 (a). The Executive received letters of concern about the selection of Events from several Member National Authorities, but decided these were not urgent, even before receiving formal submissions.

Furthermore in those Minutes it appears that the Executive will nevertheless be asking Council to treat as urgent a matter of retrospectively extending the deadline for Equipment submissions in the Women's Match Racing Event, even though Regulation 16.1.2 states that no submission for Equipment shall be made after 15th March.

It seems thus the decision-making process is being applied unequally to the disadvantage of one sizeable part of the sailing community, while exceptions are made in favour of another.

We have prepared a detailed Report on the subject to help people understand better how such a widely unpopular decision was made in the first place. ISAF was offered an opportunity to discuss it before publication, but declined. You can download this Report click here

As the initiative has now passed from the Executive to Member National Authorities, and there are deadlines of March 13th for Events and March 15th for Equipment, our MNA, the Royal Yachting Association, has asked us to encourage supporters to lobby their own MNA urgently.

Please email the relevant people at your MNA and your ISAF Councillor with your views.

Before the November ISAF meeting the multihull community was unaware what was at stake or what to do to about it. Now that we know, we need to gather whatever submissions we can, however short the notice.

Please contact the people you know in your MNA to make the multihull case in general and ask them specifically to make submissions, especially given the constitutional issues involved. Australia, Denmark, France and the UK have already done so in the last few days.

Please do it urgently. -- Nick Dewhirst

>From Sail-World.com: http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=42474

And finally, your humble narrator's submission for Best Headline of the Week (regrettably, there was no accompanying photo):

LAP-DANCE PLAN FOR COWES WEEK The Waterside pub in Cowes could become a lap-dancing bar for the duration of Cowes Week, if controversial plans for the establishment go ahead.

Although no application has been formally submitted, the Waterside's manager, Keith Lunn, has approached licensing PC Adrian Cleightonhills with initial plans.

At a meeting of Cowes Town Council, Sgt Julie Cocks, of Cowes Police Station, said: "We can't say no to the plans outright because there has to be due process, but we can add conditions.

"For example, we can agree to the Waterside becoming a lap-dancing bar, but we can insist on CCTV, or a certain number of people on the door.

"I'm concerned about the type of clientele a lap-dancing bar would attract and the public order problems it could cause." -- Emily Pearce in the Isle of Wight County Press, http://www.iwcp.co.uk/News/LAP-DANCE_PLAN_FOR_COWES_WEEK.aspx

TALLEST ALUMINIUM RIG IN THE WORLD The largest aluminium rig in the world, at 75m in length, has just been stepped in Viareggio, Italy, with Ocean Yacht Systems' Project Manager, Ben Porteous, in attendance.

The 56m cutter, named 'S/Y Salute', is just about to start sea trials with her new rig, which incorporates OYS Nitronic custom rigging and a complete hydraulics package for rig and sail control.

Ocean Yacht Systems worked closely with Perini Navi to produce the exact specification required for the boat. In addition, OYS provided, among other custom parts, a unique solution for the deck to rig interface, which is completely flush with the deck.

For further information please visit: http://www.oceanyachtsystems.co.uk http://www.perininavi.it/schedanews.cfm?IDF=192

OLIN STEPHENS CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY IN APRIL The full-service yacht design, naval architecture, yacht management and brokerage firm of Sparkman & Stephens is celebrating its storied past and looking ahead to its future with in a series of milestone events this summer.

The company, founded in 1929, has been a veritable breeding ground for some of the best-known yacht designers and naval architects in the world. None among them though, holds the stature of company co-founder Olin J. Stephens II. Stephens, who turns 100 in April, is the subject of several celebrations in his honor.

By any measure, a man who has lived a hundred years has lived a full life. But some centenarians live fuller lives than others. Stephens is a case in point. The soon-to-be-centenarian is still building on a legacy that began in the 1920s with seminal early offshore racing yachts such as Dorade and Stormy Weather, and carried through countless small-boat designs, the influential J-Class America's Cup yacht Ranger and a number of the most revered early 12-Meters including Columbia, Constellation and Intrepid.

S&S, the New York Yacht Club and several other entities have planned a number of events this summer on the East Coast and in Europe to recognize the man whose life and work has so deeply impacted the worlds of yacht racing and cruising for eight decades. The first of these events will be in Holland May 30-June 2 with the Annual General Meeting of the Sparkman & Stephens Association. The group, which comprises owners of S&S boats, will compete in the Olin Stephens Regatta and participate in a long weekend of festivities saluting the designer's centennial birthday.

The New York Yacht Club, which has weighed so heavily in Stephens's success and that of S&S, is hosting a classic yacht regatta in his honor in Newport, Rhode Island, July 19-20. The club is planning an elaborate birthday party celebration for him at its Harbour Court facility. In another tribute to Stephens, S&S in conjunction with Doyle Sailmakers and the Castine Yacht Club will host a birthday party for Stephens at Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Following the party, a number of S&S designs will join the fleet racing from Marblehead to Castine, Maine. The race will lead into Down East Race Week in August. Last year, the S&S-designed Anna - an updated version of Stephens's famous Stormy Weather - won her class and placed first in elapsed time in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, which is part of the Down East event.

Given Olin's centennial celebration, more S&S yachts are expected to participate in the Down East Race Week this year than ever before.

Other happenings not directly related to Stephens's birthday are also on the company's calendar. S&S has long been a sponsor of Newport's International Yacht Restoration School. IYRS not long ago acquired the Museum of Yachting, also of Newport. The museum this summer will host an exhibit called "Excellence in Design," which will focus on the career of Olin and his brother Rod and will span the history of S&S from its beginnings to current projects underway at their Fifth Avenue office. Following its run in Newport, the exhibit will take to the road to yacht clubs and boutique museums along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

As part of the Newport exhibit, Maine's Boothbay Harbor Shipyard will oversee construction in the museum's main hall of a replica of the 6-Meter Cherokee, S&S design number 10. S&S designed some forty 6-Meters over the years. Construction is to be complete by fall of 2008, and in plenty of time for a buyer to purchase the yacht for the upcoming 6-Meter World Championships in Newport in 2009.

http://www.sparkmanstephens.com

HENRI LLOYD AND BEN AINSLIE LAUNCH NEW JUNIOR MARINE RANGE Specialist marine clothing brand Henri Lloyd and double gold medallist and TEAMORIGIN skipper Ben Ainslie are delighted to announce the launch of the Ben Ainslie Collection.

Ben worked in conjunction with the Henri Lloyd marine team to design this bespoke junior marine range which includes spray tops, hiking pants, rash vests and a selection of accessories, the collection all has a unique design and carries the Ben Ainslie signature.

The collection has been inspired by Ben's sailing career, which ranges from Optimists to Lasers to Finn's and more recently America's Cup sailing.

"It was a pleasure to work with Ben on the development of this range and the combination of our technical manufacturing experience and the valuable input from Ben has resulted in a great range of technical clothing and accessories for young sailors". Paul Strzelecki; Henri Lloyd Joint Chief Executive

Henri Lloyd and Ben have a long history together; he has been supported by Henri Lloyd since 1996 which has included both his Sydney and Athens gold medal winning successes and other big boat campaigns. At the Collins Stewart London Boat Show 2007, Henri Lloyd announced the sponsorship of Ben until after the 2012 London Olympics.

http://www.henrilloyd.co.uk

GLAMOROUS TWELVES AT KIELER WOCHE A brilliant re-union of the wooden Twelve Metre "veterans" will be the highlight of the 126th Kieler Woche (June 21st to June 29th, 2008).

Several majestic Twelves will be present at Kiel and take part in the race programme: On the opening day (June 21) the 12er-fleet will be part of the "Rendezvous of Classical Yachts" and there after the Twelves' legends will have their own race series from June 26 to June 29 within their Baltic Circuit (which will be part of the World Championship in Flensburg beginning of July). "Beauties" like Twelves will perform in the heart of Sailing City Kiel, (on the inner Kiel Fjord), and can be admired by the public and their fans when being moored in front of the famous Kiel Yacht Club along the shore line Hindenburgufer.

Kieler Woche 2008 precedes the Twelve Metre Worlds in Flensburg from July 5 to July 11, 2008, thus offering perfect tune-up races to the 15 entries already received end of 2007. Famous legend's boat names like HETI (Max Oertz, built in 1912), THEA (Johan Anker/1918) and ANITA (Abeking & Rasmussen/1938) cause excitement and high expectations with the lovers and fans of these classic majestic Twelves.

The legendary SPHINX will also be part of the "rendezvous" of the Twelves, - she was built in 1939, however, the international construction of this Twelve Metre dates back 100 years ago. Up from 1950 SPHINX became OSTWIND and served as German Navy training yacht until 2006 when the Navy sold the "elderly lady" to her 3 latest owners Oliver Berkin/Jochen Frank/Gorm Iver Gondesen, all from Flensburg who restored and refitted her completely.

ANITA (Abeking & Rasmussen/William S. Burgess/USA), built in 1928, experienced a unique "lifting" at the Martin Shipyard, Lake Constance.

KATE (Alfred Myline/1908) experienced a general refit in 2006 and will arrive in Kiel coming from the Caribbean, her home waters. -- Hermann Hell

http://www.kieler-woche.de

Sphinx restoration site: http://www.sphinx-12mr.de/en/ 1906 Rule site: http://www.1906-twelvemetre.com

WAISTCOAT-STYLE LIFEJACKET WITH SPRAYHOOD and HARNESS Latest addition to the range of Kru lifejackets is the Kru Sport Pro waistcoat-style lifejacket, now incorporating an integral sprayhood, as well as a harness. The sprayhood is designed to unfold from within the lifejacket, over the user's face once the lifejacket has fully inflated.

This new design is in line with current recommendations for a lifejacket to feature an integral sprayhood to reduce the risk of secondary drowning and a crutch strap to prevent the lifejacket from riding up when inflated in the water. It also features a fitting patch for a lifejacket light to make the user more visible in the water in poor conditions or at night.

For further information please visit http://www.oceansafety.com

LAUNCHINGS * A couple more of the old warriors are enjoying some tlc in their old age....!

You'll have seen France 2 and 3 tearing up the solent on behalf of many corporate guests over the years - but no more...

They have been sold on to Logan Hotels who have commissioned Goodacre Boat Repairs and refits http://www.gys.co.uk / Ron Holland to give the old dames a full makeover and then move them down to Mexico where they will be available for joy riders from their new six star hotel at Los Cabas.

Goodacre's are handling the refit that involves repair, faring, spray topsides, deck masts and booms, servicing/replacement of winches, engine work, electrics, new toilets. Boats are black topsides with silver style line, black antifoul and all else white Awlcraft.

* Impressed by the Nahema 120 (to be launched end of 2009), Fenomen, a company specialized in the design and the distribution of rare and exclusive products to ultra-rich individuals, approached Nahema's CEO Pierre Lacagne to reserve a limited series of 150-footers.

Nahema's team, together with naval architect Gilles Vaton and interior designer Franck Darnet welcomed the challenge and came up with a unique, sleek, refined, powerful mega-catamaran offering an amazing living space topped with supreme performance.

- The salon/dining room/bar with sliding windows (opened, they disappear in the bulkheads) to the cockpit makes one huge entertaining space of more than 200 square meters.

- The aft deck offers a Spa pool and a 30 square meters multifunction hydraulic platform. Up, it hosts a custom designed tender and can be used as a drop & go platform for a helicopter. Down, it becomes a bathing platform with a submersible swimming pool fitted out with side nets for the kids.

- The owners' penthouse comes with a fully equipped office at deck level, and down the stairs in the hull, a king size bed suite with a spectacular view on the sea.

The Fenomen will be the fastest cruising catamaran in the World.

A model and a 3D virtual visit simulation program will be available for the visitors to see at the Shanghai and Moscow boat shows. -- MegaYachts.ru, http://megayachts.ru/en/news/10/439/

* After working at length with Storm Trysail Transpac 65 (STP65) class participants, designers and Chief Measurer Andrew Williams, the STP65 Board of Directors has released the "box" rule and bylaws by which the class will be governed. The two documents, which Williams says are "beneficial in both understanding the rule and class management," are posted in their final versions at http://www.stp-65.org

"Many of the questions raised recently have been regarding the accommodation requirements, so the answers to those are included in the rule," said Williams, also Chief Measurer for the Farr 40 class. In addition, the bylaws include an update to incorporate the move to an Owner/Category 1 Driver Class that, according to Jim Swartz (San Francisco, Calif.), "will be attractive to a number of owners." Swartz, well known for campaigning his successful Swan 601 Moneypenny, is currently building a Reichel/Pugh-designed STP65 at McConaghy's Boat Yard in Australia. Another owner, Udo Schutz (Selters, Germany), also has begun construction of a Judel/Vrolijk-designed STP65 at Premier Yachts in Dubai, UAE, while a third STP65 -- launched in June and making waves in the yachting world ever since -- is Rosebud, designed by Farr Yacht Design for owner Roger Sturgeon of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

According to the class web site, the STP65 box rule, jointly developed by the Storm Trysail Club and the Transpacific Yacht Club, is "intended to produce a class of fast, centerline keel, yachts that are capable of racing inshore and offshore," both as a Box Rule and an IRC or ORR performer. "The speed producing facets, such as construction, length, displacement, draft, VCG and sail area, are controlled," which means that as the class grows, the STP65s can begin racing within the box without time allowance, effectively as one-designs.

Ken Read, a professional sailor and member of the STP65 Board of Directors (once there are five owners in the class, an Owners Association will replace the Board in governing the class), has called the STP65 "a TP52 on steroids," referring to another box-rule boat that has been highly successful. "Like the TP52 rule," said Read, "the tight parameters within the STP65 box rule will insure highly competitive racing while minimizing quick obsolescence."

The STP65 rule, bylaws and other supporting information is accessible at http://www.stp-65.org

For more information on the STP65 Class Association, contact Eric Kreuter, stp65@stormtrysail.org

* The inaugural Royal Thames Mansura Trophy competition has been won by the Lagoon 420 hybrid-powered catamaran from French shipyard, Chantier Navale de Bordeaux. The ecological innovation and practicability of their design was recognised in a ceremony at London's Royal Thames Yacht Club when the trophy was presented to M. Loic Lagrange by HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The inspiration for this competition was Mansura, a cabin-cruiser built in 1912 and driven by a petrol-electric hybrid propulsion system developed by her owner, Jack Delmar-Morgan, electrical engineer and member of the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

* The new Moody 45 DS, the first vessel of a completely new yacht generation of Moody was formally unveiled at the weekend. Several hundred sailors from all across Europe made their way to the Moody headquarters in Swanwick. There were also many members of the Moody Owners Association.

"Moody is an old, traditional English brand. Members of the English Royalty have had their vessels built here. Today we have injected new life into the Moody brand. Thus the continuation of a 150 year old yacht-building tradition with a completely new generation of vessels. THe Moody brand has always been synonymous with innovation, quality and solid craft - and it shall continue like that in the future, says Michael Schmidt of Hanse Yachts AG that took over the brand last year.

Yachting Monthly: Inevitably there will be some who look at the open transom and saloon French windows and see 'a poopin' from a followin' sea!' That's a bit like asking where you put the shopping in an F1 car. She's not designed to go round Cape Horn and you'd be daft to try it. If, however, you're a couple that likes uncomplicated sailing in pleasant weather, the odd Channel or Irish Sea crossing, or a home from home in the Med, and you like entertaining a few friends in no little style, she's yours for (ouch!) 328,885 GBP, ready to sail away. And there were two solid prospects at the press briefing. -- http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20080129184303ymnews.html

FEATURED BROKERAGE 70' VIM Sparkman & Stephens 12 Metre, 2,500,000 EUR, Located in Punta Ala, Italy.

Builder Henry B. Nevis, Inc. Designer Sparkman & Stephens Naval Arch : Sparkman & Stephens Flag : Itallian Year: 1939 L.O.A. : 21.33 mt. / 70' L.W.L. : 13.72 mt. / 45' Beam : 3.67 mt. / 12' Draft : 2.71 mt. / 8'9'' Displacement : 25.3/4 Tons. Refit: Completely in 2003

Brokerage through Nauta Yachts Srl: http://www.yachtworld.com/nautayachts/

Complete listing details and seller contact information at http://uk.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatFullDetails.jsp?boat_id=1839042

THE LAST WORD Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth. -- Benjamin Disraeli

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

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