--b1_950c36a52a52b83d62bb16855f4bdbc2

SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1557 - 9 JULY

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

CANADIAN MIKE LEIGH WINS LASER EUROPA CUP On day five of the Warnemuender Woche the sailors experienced showers and sunshine in turns. Increasing west winds up to six Beaufort challenged not only the Laser Europa Cup fleets. Canadian Mike Leigh snatched the title from leading Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernaz. Jon Emmet (GBR) sailed to a clear victory in the Laser Radial class, with Sarah Steyaert from France winning the women's competition. Karl Purdie (New Zealand) scored two bullets to take the lead in the offbeat of the OK-worlds.

Up to two races in heavy winds and waves demanded a lot of the athletes on Tuesday and forced the race officers to quit early.

In the Laser Europa Cup two races where sailed on the last day before Mike Leigh had secured the title. He scored a bullet and a second to overtake leading Jean-Baptiste Bernaz from France in the overall standing after seven races.

Jon Emmet from Great Britain crowned his comeback in the Laser Radial class with a victory at the Warnemuender Woche. The 31-year old restarted sailing in May after suffering a serious spine operation and sailed an impressive series to win the class of 156 boats.

The Laser 4.7 class had a tough day as the young sailors needed all their power in the increasing winds and high waves. After seven races the Italian Giovanni Coccoluto was overall winner, followed by Sam Vandormael from Belgium and Jaroslaw Gozdzik from Poland.

The conditions for the 90 starters in the highly competitive OK class could not have been better. Strong winds and long waves brought a great start on the first day of the world championship.

Defending world champion Nick Craig from Great Britain finished seventh and third to take second place overall, tied in points with Mark Perrow (NZL) on third.

The record of the long distance race will not be beaten, because the fleet of 62 remaining yachts has to tack on their way back home after rounding the island of Bornholm and will not finish in time.

http://www.warnemuender-woche.com

FOG HALTS WORK ON ALGAE BARRIER AT OLYMPIC SAILING VENUE Construction of a sea barrier off eastern China to keep algae out of the Olympic sailing venue here was hindered by heavy fog on Tuesday.

As of mid-day, 19,000 meters of the 32,000-meter enclosure had been finished, but workers had to return to shore in the afternoon after fog reduced visibility to about 20 meters, according to Zhao Han, vice head of the Qingdao Maritime Affairs Bureau.

The fog persisted into the evening, preventing work from resuming.

The government planned to complete the enclosure on Tuesday, according to a press conference by the Qingdao city government on Monday.

About 100 ships have been working to build the enclosure every day.

The Qingdao government has vowed to clear up the venue before July 15.

In the past two weeks, more than 130,000 soldiers and volunteers have been working to remove the algae, and the coverage of the green weed has shrunk to 1.37 percent from 32 percent over the past 10 days.

http://www.chinaview.cn http://cnews.xinhuanet.com

NAVAL ARCHITECT REQUIRED FOR SOUTH COAST YACHT DESIGN OFFICE SPECIALISING IN THE DESIGN OF SUPERYACHTS, BOTH SAIL AND POWER - The successful applicant will have a relevant qualification and good working experience within a superyacht/ship design office.

- A minimum of five years' design office experience is considered essential for this position, with at least two years' continual work using CAD.

- Experience with yacht structures and work with 3D modelling is a requirement.

- The salary is negotiable.

Please apply in writing to: Helen Erdbeer design@duboisyachts.com http://www.duboisyachts.com

SOLO NORTH ATLANTIC RECORD ATTEMPT IN A MULTIHULL FOR THOMAS COVILLE Thomas should cross the start line off Ambrose Light tomorrow morning, Wednesday 9th July, between 0600 and 1200 UT.

On stand-by in New York since 19th May, the maxi Sodeb'O skippered by Thomas Coville, will leave Brooklyn Harbour this evening, Tuesday, prior to nightfall (local New York time) in order to position himself on the start line off Ambrose Light.

Today's objective for the skipper of Sodeb'O is what he refers to as "a heavy week's work" since he'll have to reach Lizard Point (south-west tip of England) in less than 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds. This record was previously set by Francis Joyon aboard the trimaran Idec I in July 2005.

View the video of Thomas recorded a few hours before leaving Brooklyn Harbour on the website http://www.sodebo-voile.com

CST COMPOSITES MOTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS The third day of the CST Composites 2008 Moth World Championships has been cancelled due to too much wind with gusts between 20 and 32 knots continuing.

Sailors are now getting disappointed after four days now of not being able to get on the water, and the forecast for tomorrow is not looking good. The race committee is more hopeful for Thursday and Friday, however, the number of races for the championship is rapidly diminishing.

At the sailor's briefing at 9.30am, the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy race committee indicated that the sailing instructions have been amended to reduce the number of qualifying races to four with one drop. However, with the end of the race period closing in fast, they will be more willing to send sailors out in the upper limits of the wind spectrum of 25 knots.

International Moth Class Association: http://www.moth-sailing.org

DRAGON SOUTH COAST CHAMPIONSHIP Despite some wet and windy conditions, twenty-one Dragon crews from the UK, France, the USA and Ireland enjoyed three days of incredibly close racing at the Dragon South Coast Championship, hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club, Plymouth, Devon, from 6-8 July. Although winds at times gusted to over 30 knots and the race committee were forced to sail inside the breakwater for two of the three days, all five of the scheduled races were completed and the fleet enjoyed a spectacular, challenging and extremely closely fought regatta.

Racing was so close that there were four different winning boats over the five races and the championship was only decided in the closing moments of the last race. Ultimately, International Dragon Class Chairman Rob Campbell from Burnham-on-Crouch, crewed by Mark Ellis and Matt Walker, the only team to win two races, took the regatta by just two points from Len Jones of the Medway, crewed by Henry Bagnall and Jamie Lea. Third place went to Louis Urvois of France with Eric Williams from the Solent in fourth.

The regatta opened with winds gusting over 30 knots and regular heavy rain squalls, but despite this the Race Committee was able to complete three good races on the first day.

Going into the final day and with just one more race to sail, three boats were still firmly in contention.

Alongside the overall competition there has also been a fierce battle for the Classics Trophy, which is open to wooden boats built prior to 1972. Again the result was only decided in the last race with David Jephcott taking victory from Matthew Ratsey with David Dale in third place.

The quality of the competition at this event bodes well for the forthcoming Edinburgh Cup, the Dragon Open British Championship, which is also being hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club and runs from 9-12 July. This is the 60th time the class has raced for the Edinburgh Cup which was presented to the class by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1948. -- Fiona Brown

Reports, full results and photographs will be posted at http://www.edinburghcup08.co.uk

HIGH PERFORMANCE CLOTHING There are many variables that go into performing well at a regatta. Some are controllable, some are not. Clothing is a controllable variable. Therefore, when looking for high performance clothing, the Code Zero quick dry shirt from Camet is a perfect choice! Made with a double circular knit lightweight fabric that is designed to wick away moisture, dry fast, be comfortable, and have maximum UV protection. This high performing shirt is perfect as a single warm weather layer or as an under layer for cold weather. Camet is the source for Padded Sailing Shorts, Pants, Vests, and so much more...

http://www.camet.com

SETH IFDS MULTIHULL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Seth Cascais Worlds 2008 - World Championship IFDS Challenger Class, which takes place between Wednesday and Saturday, started Tuesday with the Practice Race . The strong wind was the dominant factor, and Bento Amaral, the first Portuguese Sailor to qualify for the Paralympics Games Sailing event, classified in 9th position.

It was a special day for the 28th sailors from 12 countries who are in Cascais. The first day was difficult due to strong winds, but all the sailors were happy with the event.

Bento Amaral, who with Antonio Santos and Bruno Pereira, defends the Portuguese colours, was happy with the Challenger Trimaran: the boat is spectacular and is very demanding for of the sailors physically. There are several controls which I can't manage correctly, but we are working on some modifications."

Diana Campbell is the person behind the Challeger trimaran. This Englishwoman, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was confined to a wheelchair from the age of seven, loved sailing. In the sixties, Diana purchased a catamaran and from that concept, asked Rod Macalpine Downey to design a boat specifically for handicapped sailors that would be fast fun and safe to sail. The first Challenger was built in 1980 by Cheesman Rollo & Co and sponsored by the RYA Seamanship Foundation.

The Seth Cascais Worlds 2008 is a continuation of the successful programme for disabled sailing called Vela Sem Limites which started in 2005 and is a joint programme between the Clube Naval de Cascais, the Camara Municipal de Cascais and Cercica. It provides continuous sailing throughout the year for the disabled of Cascais council, providing an open air activity with therapeutic benefits for all.

http://www.sethcascaisworlds.com

ACCBANK CORK WEEK.... THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS The final countdown to the start of one of Europe's premiere regattas, ACCBank Cork Week, has begun. The arrival of three of the world's most competitive yachts into Cork Harbour signals the real beginning of the highlight of Ireland's Sailing Calendar. "Rambler" a 90 footer, skippered by George David from the US, "Moneypenny" & "Numbers" both 52 feet long, also from the US and skippered by James Swartz and Dan Myers respectively will be seen in the harbour this week, gearing up for the event, in advance of their first race on Monday 14th July.

Piet Vroon on "Formidable III", from Holland is a former Fastnet Winner and he is returning to compete, yet again. He first raced in Cork Harbour thirty-five years ago in 1973. Newcomers to Cork this year are "Escaped Aussies" led by their skippers, Daren (Daz) Shipard and James Kennedy. They promise to bring their unique brand of sailing, friendship and charity work to Cork. "We're not just about sailing. Through our charity, Sailstrong, we have raised money for a variety of charities in the regions where we sail," says Skipper Daz Shipard.

ACCBank Cork Week will be Officially Launched by Damian Foxall, Winner of the Barcelona World Race, at 6pm on Sunday, July 13th. This will be preceded by a Family Fun Day, which is free and open to the public. For full details of ACCBank Cork Week, visit, http://accbankcorkweek.ie

POWERBAR THREE PEAKS YACHT RACE In the 31 year history of the Three Peaks Yacht Race, there have been few more dramatic, competitive and faster races than the 2008 race, sponsored by sports nutrition experts PowerBar.

The race overall record didn't fall, but there were new fastest times on the run/ride to Scafell Pike and back, and for the sail from Whitehaven to Fort William, and the top 7 yachts finished within 3 days, which has never happened before.

The new overall winner was the J105 JourneyMaker 5, skippered by Chris Jones, with Louise Makin and Andrew Hayward on the crew for the sail from Barmouth to Caernarfon, Whitehaven and Fort William; and Greg Marsh and Gordon Baxter the two runners who raced up Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. The race was so competitive the winners did not set the fastest times on any of the sailing legs or the runs, and it was only on the final run on Ben Nevis their victory was secured.

The race website ( http://www.3peaksyachtrace.co.uk ) has profiles on all the competing teams and there there are reports, picture galleries and results on the adventure racing website http://www.SleepMonsters.co.uk

SEARCH IS ON FOR 'SPICE GIRLS' The hunt is on for an all girls crew to take part in the Spice Race. The selected girls team will race 'Concise' against other Class 40's and IRC yachts in the inaugural event which starts on the 15th November 2008 from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line and covers a distance of 4321 nautical miles to Grenada. WI.

Tony Lawson, CEO of the Spice race and owner of the Class 40 Concise, announced. "I want a British, all girl crew, to race Concise, which I will fund and I am inviting candidates to apply for the selection process. There is also interest from a Dutch girls team and hopefully a French girls team can be put together to form a 'race within a race."

Lawson is very keen to help young sailors gain experience, and break into the offshore circuit. In the TJV, his boat was raced by Dan Gohl and Tom Gall, who were the youngest team in the race. 'Concise', is an Akilaria 40 designed my Mark Lombard. Launched in 2007, Concise competed in the 2007 Trans Jacques Vabre, coming 2nd in the prologue, and was the first Class 40 to finish the Round the Island this year. Akilaria 40's are popular boats, having won the Class 40 Worlds 2007, and was the first production boat to finish the Artemis Transat and TJV. There are now over 20 Akilarias racing, all over the world.

Any girls who are interested in the opportunity should: explain why they would like to take part in the race, detail what they would bring to the team and send their sailing CV to info@spicerace.com

The Spice Race is a "not for profit event", the entry fees are being kept as low as possible to make it accessible to as many people as possible. To register your interest visit: http://www.spicerace.com

SHORT TACKS * The Speed:World:Cup has to announce some important date changes for the Speed Windsurfing World Tour and the Kitespeed World Tour.

Due to unforeseeable organizational problems, the events in Tarifa and Namibia are on hold for the moment, with the intention to organize smaller grade events in Walvis Bay, Namibia and a replacement speedworldcup in Luderitz, Namibia, in connection to the speed sailing world record attempt scheduled there for mid of september.

The ISWC production worlds have been moved now to Dungarvan, Ireland, a new and exciting venue with good wind and perfect water conditions. The event will be held from 29.11.-06.12.2008. -- Markus Schwendtner, Tour Manager

* A rescue crew called out to assist a yachtsman who had lost his bearings off the Western Isles got a surprise when they discovered a coffin strapped to the deck.

RNLI volunteers from Barra were assured by the skipper, an American en route to Norway, that the unusual cargo was empty, but as Angus MacNeil, Mechanic of Barra RNLI lifeboat commented: 'Seeing a coffin aboard a boat is not your normal everyday occurrence.'

Skipper Jeffrey Kane, from Florida, said: 'The coffin is bound for a bar in Oslo. I ended up near Barra as poor weather forced me to choose between heading south or west, which I wasn't going to do. I wasn't sure of where was best to head for and so contacted the Coastguard for assistance. The Barra RNLI lifeboat crew are great, incredible, real good people who towed me to the nearest harbour. I am in Barra for another day and will head off tomorrow. -- Practical Boat Owner, http://www.pbo.co.uk/auto/newsdesk/20080608111606pbogeneral.html

* Videos from the recently concluded Rolex Commodores' Cup: http://www.cowes.co.uk/zonexml/story?story_id=4734;cp=0 and http://www.malcolmdonald.com

* This afternoon "Telefonica blue" and "Telefonica black", the two Spanish Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 entries set off on a 2,000-mile (3,704 km) journey which will take them out of the Mediterranean for the first time and into Atlantic waters.

Completing the 2,000-mile offshore voyage is a requirement laid out by the race organizers, but it is also a great opportunity for the Telefonica team to test out the boats and prepare for the upcoming race, which opens on the 4th of October with the first in-shore race on the schedule. The fleet will then depart from Alicante a week later, bound for 11 different ports across Europe, Africa, Asia and America.

It's expected that "Telefonica blue" and "Telefonica black" will be sailing for some seven days http://www.equipotelefonica.es

* The Notice of Race for the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship, taking place in Perth, Australia from 31 January-8 February, has been published.

The eighth edition of the ISAF Team Racing World Championship will be sailed on Swan River, just 10 minutes from Perth's CBD and jointly hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and South of Perth Yacht Club. Following the successful launch of an Under 21 competition at the 2007 Team Worlds, the 2009 championship will again feature racing in both the open competition, for the ISAF Team Racing World Championship Trophy, and in an Under 21 competition for the Ciudad de Gandia Trophy.

Together with the Notice of Race, the event website for the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship - http://www.worldteamracing.org - has also been launched. The ISAF appointed Race Officials Team (16 umpires from four continents) has also been named. Alfredo Ricci from Italy will act as Chief Umpire, assisted by Chris Atkins (GBR) as his Deputy.

* noonsite.com - the global website for cruising sailors - has joined forces with marine environmental group MEER (www.m-e-e-r.org ) to launch a worldwide survey of collisions and near misses between cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and sailing yachts.

Collisions between ships and cetaceans are increasing around the world and several whale populations are under massive threat owing to a high collision risk in some areas such as the US East Coast, the Mediterranean and around the Canary Islands. However, information on collisions involving sailing vessels is scarce.

The MEER research project will run on noonsite.com until the end of 2008. To log a report, visit http://www.noonsite.com

THE LAST WORD History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. -- Winston Churchill

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

About Boats.com Boats.com provides marketing and Web services to boat builders, dealers, brokers and service companies throughout the global recreational marine industry. The Boats.com Website provides consumer access to information, boat listings and financial and insurance products. With more than 143,000 new and used boat listings from more than 5,500 brokers, dealers and manufacturers, Boats.com is the largest concentration of recreational marine industry marketing in the world.

About YachtWorld.com Formed in 1995, YachtWorld.com is the premier online sales channel for yacht brokers around the world. The site lists more than 110,000 boats for sale in 115 countries by some 2,500 brokers in 60 countries. The total value of boats listed is over $40 billion. Headquartered in Seattle, YachtWorld.com has its European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales offices in Germany, Italy and Russia and sales representation in Dubai, Australia and China.

http://www.scuttlebutteurope.com

To set or change your email delivery for either HTML or Text go to http://www.scuttlebutteurope.com/htmlortext.html

Letters and submissions to: editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

For advertising rates and information: Graeme Beeson gb@beesonstone.com

-- Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --

--b1_950c36a52a52b83d62bb16855f4bdbc2