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SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1477 - 3 APRIL

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

ISAF WOMEN'S MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Auckland, New Zealand: Finland's Silja Lehtinen lies in first place after eight matches on the first day of racing at the BSPORT ISAF Women's Match Racing Worlds in Auckland.

Silja Lehtinen (FIN), aged just 22 and the youngest of the 14 competing skippers, won five of her six opening matches to top the round robin leaderboard. She is closely followed on the scoreboard by Australia's Nicky Souter and Liz Baylis from the USA, who each have four wins after five races. With just a very narrow range of scores separating the top six skippers, the quarter-finals spots will be very closely fought tomorrow.

Lehtinen is well known as a versatile sailor in skiff, dinghy and keelboat classes. She is ranked #8 in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, won the 29er World Championship in 2006 and is also a contender at the Beijing Olympic Games in the Yngling women's keelboat event.

Conditions on the Waitemata Harbour this morning started out on the light side, but the prevailing southwesterly developed to a steady 15-18 knots, gusty and shifty at times.

Defending World Champion and world #1 Claire Leroy (FRA) won her opening match against fellow French skipper Christelle Philippe, but then was on the receiving end of two losses against Silke Hahlbrock (GER) and Souter. >From their she was able to bounce back, winning her next three matches to end the day in the top half of the round robin standings.

Racing starts at approximately 10:00 each day on the inner Waitemata Harbour, concluding on Sunday 6 April.

Round Robin Leaderboard (After flight 8)

1. Silja Lehtinen (FIN), 5 Wins-1 Loss 2. Nicky Souter (AUS), 4-1 3. Liz Baylis (USA), 4-1 4. Jessica Smyth (NZL), 4-2 5. Josie Gibson (GBR), 4-2 6. Claire Leroy (FRA), 4-2 7. Katie Spithill AUS, 3-3 8. Silke Hahlbrock (GER), 3-3 9. Christelle Philippe (FRA), 3-3 10. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN), 2-3 11. Gemma Farrell (GBR), 2-3 12. Sabrina Gurioli (ITA), 2-4 13. Jan Dawson (NZL), 0-6 14. Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN), 0-6

http://www.rnzys.org.nz/Sailing/Regattas/ISAFWomensWorlds/tabid/251/Default.aspx

STILL IN LEGAL LIMBO The date and venue of the next America's Cup remained in limbo yesterday after Judge Herman Cahn of the New York Supreme Court said he would take further time to consider his ruling. He was responding to a renewed claim by Ernesto Bertarelli's Swiss defender Alinghi that it would not be ready to race this year.

The judge appeared to have ruled out a July defence against Larry Ellison's San Francisco-based BMW Oracle, which is now the sole challenger. But he could order a match in October, 10 months after the court cases at the end of November last year. Or he could start the 10-month notice clock on the date of either his judgment, expected in about 10 to 14 days or his last judgment last month.

This could mean January next year but that would imply an event in the Southern Hemisphere. A Northern Hemisphere match, under the terms of the 1887 Deed of Gift, which the judge must apply, can only be held from 1 May to 31 October.

Judge Cahn added that it was not the business of the court to rule on matters of fairness. The Alinghi lawyers are considering "all options" which could mean recourse to the Appellate Division even before Judge Cahn hands down any new ruling. -- Stuart Alexander in the Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/sailing/americas-cup-remains-in-limbo-803914.html

* The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) said today that it was pleased that the New York State Supreme Court will soon fix the timing for the next America's Cup match, allowing the whole event to move forward.

"It was apparent that Justice Cahn understands that the Deed only provides for the defender to have ten-months notice to prepare for the match," said Tom Ehman, the San Francisco club's spokesman. "We were very pleased with the hearing. We continue to look forward to a match in October 2008."

Recent claims by Ernesto Bertarelli, head of SNG's Team Alinghi, to have been surprised by a 2008 date were at odds with statements he made to the media late last year that Alinghi was getting ready for a match in 2008, Ehman said.

During the hearing, the court asked SNG's lawyer to disclose the location of the match. He declined to do so.

In recent days other leading syndicates have called on the defender to stop delaying tactics so the Cup can move forward.

Grant Dalton, Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director, has called Alinghi's demands for a 2009 event a "smokescreen."

Vincenzo Onorato, President of the Italian syndicate Mascalzone Latino, said last week: "The best solution now would be to hold the multihull challenge between Oracle and Alinghi, even if, yet again, the latter try to delay the event using every possible tactic."

"The sooner we race the Deed of Gift match the sooner we can get back to a conventional, multiple challenger America's Cup," Ehman said.

http://www.ggyc.com

* At a New York Supreme Court hearing, Justice Herman Cahn heard arguments from both the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) and the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) regarding dates for the 33rd America's Cup. SNG requested that he set a date allowing for the 10-month notice period as stipulated in the Deed of Gift that starts when the court order was entered. Justice Cahn indicated that he would issue a new court order that sets the dates for a Deed of Gift Match.

Lucien Masmejan, SNG lead counsel, issued the following statement: "We believe Justice Cahn was receptive to our arguments that there is a tolling period during the legal process that suspends preparations towards an America's Cup Match until a court order is issued. The Deed of Gift stipulates a 10-month notice period which should be suspended during the legal procedure, therefore the only feasible date for this competition is after 1 May 2009 due to the restrictions for racing in the Northern Hemisphere imposed by the Deed. It is unfortunate that we do not yet have a date for the 33rd America's Cup as this means we are still not in a position to properly prepare our defence. Justice Cahn agreed that the fight for the America's Cup must be on the water in a proper sporting competition and not in court. We hope for a favorable outcome shortly."

http://www.alinghi.com

* Editor: A decision is expected from Judge Cahn in 10 - 14 days' time.

QINGDAO CONDITIONS AT YNGLING EUROPEANS Many of the teams in the Yngling fleet have for some time tried to train especially for the conditions they are likely to have at the Olympic regatta in Qingdao. Of course no one can tell for sure what the wheather will be like during the games but light winds, currents and swell is what many teams predict.

A high cloud cover prevented the land from heating up enough to create the same kind of breeze that yesterday. The wind was seldom over 6 knots and as often in light conditions it was shifty and puffyf conditions.

The most succesful team in the light and tricky conditions were Renee Groenveld, Annenieke BES and Merel Witteveen (NED). With 1-4 of todays races they move into the top position on the leaderboard. The American Team of Sally Barkow move down to 2nd after a disspointing 22 in the 4th race.

Regatta results, images and reports will be posted at http://yngling.org and at the Event web site http://cvblanes.esportcatala.com

* Interesting article on the Yngling's qualifications as a match racing boat: http://www.yngling.org/ynglingformatchracing/

VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2008-9 SEA SURVIVAL COURSE from OCEAN SAFETY To ensure that all the competitors are properly prepared for the Volvo Ocean Race, Ocean Safety has undertaken to repeat the extremely successful, specific to Volvo, compulsory sea survival course for all crews.

This year, there will be changes providing considerably more extreme simulated conditions.

Jim Allen at Volvo Ocean Race Headquarters said, "We take the safety of the boats and crews extremely seriously at Volvo and it is compulsory that every competitor in the race takes part in the Ocean Safety Sea Survival Course. The teams will undergo a two day intensive course."

Charlie Mill at Ocean Safety said, "We are always delighted to work with such experienced sailors. We can teach them how to use the equipment we supply and in return we gain from the feedback we receive from the teams. We have worked on the course detail to ensure that the simulations come as close as possible to the conditions that they are likely to experience. They could be in for a few surprises!"

For further information visit: http://www.oceansafety.com http://www.volvooceanrace.org

2008 NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED As of the April 1 close of the Application for Entry in the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race, 224 boats had met the race entry application deadline. Of these, 214 boats have been cleared to enter the race. Another 10 applications are still under consideration.

This will be the second-largest fleet in the 102-year history of the race, surpassed only by the fleet of 263 boats that sailed in the 2006 Centennial Race. The 2008 fleet is more than 40 boats larger than the previous non-Centennial entry record.

Additional Applications for Entry may be considered after this date solely at the discretion of the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee. Skippers wishing to be considered for late entry should contact Race Chairman Nick Nicholson directly at (772) 584-1055, or by email to chairman@bermudarace.com.

For more details, go to http://www.bermudarace.com

SAM DAVIES GEARING UP FOR SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RACE After a three month winter refit in Lorient, France, Sam Davies' Open 60 boat 'Roxy' is now finally back in the water. After a busy year of racing in 2007, 'Roxy' went into the shed in January in France in preparation for 'The Artemis Transat' and looking ahead to Sam's Vendee Globe challenge at the end of the year.

2007 was a really good first year for Sam and 'Roxy' on the water. Sam was the skipper of the only all female crew in the two-handed transatlantic 'Transat Jacques Vabre' race last October and finished the race in a successful tenth place out of a fleet of 17. Sam went on to compete in her first solo race aboard 'Roxy' on the return trip to Europe in the 'Transat Ecover B to B' race and finished in an impressive 7th place. This was a tremendous achievement as Sam battled a food poisoning during the first few days of the voyage and was one of the only skippers to finish the race without any damage. In completing the race, she became the first British skipper to qualify and the fifth confirmed entry for the 'Vendee Globe' 2008.

Prior to the 'Vendee Globe', Sam will compete in the world's oldest solo race, 'The Artemis Transat'. Dating back to 1960, the single-handed transatlantic race from the UK to USA sets the stage for one of the most exiting offshore races in history. Sam will leave French waters at the end of April to deliver 'Roxy' to Plymouth before she sets sail for the 2,800 mile trip to Boston on Sunday 11th May.

http://www.roxysailing.com

EIGHT TEAMS SIGNED-UP FOR 2008 ISHARES CUP With the Extreme 40 catamaran fleet now numbering 14 boats, there is potential that even more will make the start line of the five iShares Cup events, which begin in Lugano, Switzerland, on May 30.

With the next America's Cup looking set to take place in multi-hulls, the Swiss ! Defender Alinghi will be putting their cat-sailing skills to the test in this year's iShares Cup. America's Cup-winning helmsman Ed Baird has been putting in plenty of training in the Extreme 40 with the Alinghi crew in Valencia.

TEAMORIGIN, the British Challenger for the next multi-challenger America's Cup, will also be lining up in the series. Current iShares Cup champion Robert Greenhalgh, who skippered the winning boat on last year's circuit, leads the team. Rob is joined by his brother Peter, a top skiff sailor and part of the 2007 winning Extreme 40 crew, as well as other key members of the British Cup squad.

This year's series has also drawn double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson back to the Extreme 40, having competed in two events at last year's iShares Cup.

Also making a return to the circuit following a successful season in 2007 is the Dutch Holmatro team, who finished runners-up last year. Austrian multiple cat racing champion Andreas Hagara will helm the distinctive orange boat, while their mastman Gerd Habermuller is a former Olympic bobsleigh crew.

Another largely Dutch crew looking for a big finish at the series finale in Amsterdam is the Volvo Ocean Race team. Crew Gerd-Jan Poortman, Simeon Tienpont and Arend van Bergeijk have plenty of miles under their belts while skipper Herbert Dercksen is a three-times catamaran world champion.

The BT Extreme 40, which is skippered by solo and record-breaking round the world sailor Nick Moloney. The Aussie helm will be joined by a top-quality crew including British Olympian Steve Mitchell, who competed at the Games in the Star class.

There's a strong Kiwi conti ngent on board Team Aqua, with former Team New Zealand America's Cup sailor Cameron Appleton taking on the role of skipper and joined by fellow countryman Andrew Estcourt.

This season will also see title partner iShares host a team in the iShares Cup for the first time. iShares will be skippered by British former Olympic Tornado sailor Hugh Styles.

2008 iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series venues: Switzerland, Lugano: 30 May-1 June France, venue tbc: 13-15 June UK at Skandia Cowes Week: 2-4 August Germany, venue tbc: 29-31 August Netherlands, Amsterdam: 19-21 September

http://www.iSharesCup.com

IMOCA 60 WORK SPEEDING UP The winter refits are coming to an end for the majority of the thirty IMOCA monohulls taking part in the forthcoming Vendee Globe. In particular, the English Transat is coming up for those, who have decided to take part.

With a little over seven months to go to the start, preparations are speeding up for the thirty sailors registered for the Vendee Globe. Between those busy recovering from damage suffered in the Barcelona World Race, like Vincent Riou's PRB, Jeremie Beyou's Delta Dore and Roland Jourdain's Veolia Environnement, those preparing for The Artemis Transat, which starts on 11th May and then the few, who are still in the construction phase in the yard, like Marc Thiercelin's DCNS, they are busy at work in the sheds, in the harbours and on the pontoons.

While Roland Jourdain and Jeremie Beyou have announced their decision not to take part in The Transat, as they had initially planned in their programme - due to a lack of time - others have already relaunched their boats over the past few days. That is the case for Marc Guillemot's Safran, which was so impressive in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

The same goes for Yann Elies's Generali, which was relaunched last Thursday in Lorient, after being in the yard for three months to undergo substantial modifications, including the removal of the double helm, which has been replaced by a central tiller. "That has given us a lot of room, including inside to move things around" explained Yann Elies. As for Mike Golding, he has been dealing with some problems with his keel on Ecover.

http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/5439/Work-on-the-60-foot-boats-is-speeding-up.html

HATS OFF TO THE BEST APRIL FOOL STORY... For those of us who wish that life was considerably more like a series of Monty Python skits, here is your humble narrator's submission for Best April Fools Story Ever, courtesy of the BBC and ex-Python Terry Jones: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/01/npenguin101.xml

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - editor@scuttlebutteurope.com 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 David Brookes: I would like to raise some of the comments by Henry L. Menin

He says that "To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a women's 2 person HP dinghy regatta (again, excluding the 470)..."

If we can accept Wikipedia definition of a dinghy "A dinghy is a often utility boat carried by a larger boat, the term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor but they could also be rigged for sailing. They are used for off-ship excursions from larger boats, outside of docking at suitably-sized ports or marinas. A small vehicle towed behind a motorhome is colloquially referred to as a dinghy."

The definition doesn't say how many hulls a dinghy has. So if we can accept that a dinghy may have more than one hull, then I can enlighten his knowledge.

The Hobie 16 Class has been running separate Women's World Championships for over 10 years. ISAF have used the Hobie 16 at their ISAF World Sailing Games going back to the IYRU 1994 World Sailing Championships and always had a separate Women's event.

To enlighten some of my colleagues in ISAF. Yes there is a Class organising women's 2 person dinghy racing. Yes there is a Class promoting and assisting women's 2 person dinghy racing.

Sometimes it is too easy to forget there is a big world out there that has more than one hull.

* From Tom Sperrey: What a cracking response from Henry Menin to (the excellent) Tim Jeffery's comments. And what a shame ISAF doesn't communicate with us all like this on a regular basis.

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