2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPEN WEEK Associaçao Naval do Guadiana - Vila Real de Santo António Algarve - Portugal June 30th - July 12th You will find Notice of Race and all the information at the regatta website: www.anguadiana.no.sapo.pt Contact by e-mail: anguadiana@mail.telepac.pt

NOTICE OF RACE III INTERNATIONAL TROPHY FLUVIA LA GOLA - GIRONA, SPAIN - 14-15.6.2008 III INTERNATIONAL TROPHY FLUVIÀ LA GOLA           EUROPE CLASS 2008 JUNE 14-15, 2008 Sant Pere Pescador - GIRONA ( SPAIN) www.fluvia-gola.com NOTICE   OF  RACE The  III International trophy Fluvià la Gola 2008 will be held  on waters of Sant Pere Pescador in Rosas Bay (Girona), organised by the CLUB VELA FLUVIA with the collaboration of the  FEDERACIÓ CATALANA DE VELA 1 Rules.              The event will be governed by: -          The rules as defined in the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS 2005-2008) -          Sailing instruction, class rules and  this notice  of race. -          In case of conflict between the Notice of Race and the Sailing Instructions, the Sailing instructions will prevail 2 Classes:                 The III International Trophy Fluvià la Gola is reserved for Europe Class 3 Races.                 6 races are scheduled, 1 race make the regatta valid.                 Warning signal to the first start June 14, 2008   12.00. pm. Warning signal to last race of the regatta will not be done after 16.00. pm. On June 15 , 2008 4 Entry.                 Entries can be made on-line through the  www.fluvia-gola.com, or                 using the entry form attached  before June 6, 2008 to:                                 CLUB  VELA FLUVIA                                 17470 Sant Pere Pescador                                 Spain                                 info@gola-fluvia.com The  Organising Committee has the right to accept  entries received after the entry deadline.                 Registration in the regatta office on June, 14 2008,  09.00.-11.00 h. The following documents are needed: Federation Licence valid for 2008, National Class membership 5 Prizes There will be prizes for the first three boats in each category, and the list will be hung on the Official Notice Board before 11 am of the June 14th 6 Social Events and more information                 The information on social events will be posted on the Official Notice Board and                 www.fluvia-gola.com 7 Accommodation                 Information : www.santpere.org

1/2008

FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Sailors and Friends, The last years there has been no ice in the harbours in Denmark, and it has been possible to sail the whole year. But in the middle of winter it is rather dark at daytime. The worst days it is not getting really light. That is in one way wonderful, because when it is springtime, it gets light at daytime and the temperature rises 10 degrees. One can hardly wait to come out sailing. The feeling is the same if it is a keelboat or a dinghy. It is very clear that the Europe now is sailed much in Europe, and very little outside Europe, and the average age of the sailors has gone down. I hope you all do what is possible to move the Optimist sailors into our great class when they have finished the Optimist. I believe the best way to do it is if you are willing to let them try your loved boat. The Europe is a strong boat, it will survive. I think this is a great help to let other join the class. You will have much more fun in your clubs the more Europe sailors you are. If you meet someone that shows interest I think it is a splendid idea if you help the new one to find good equipment. To have “wrong” equipment can easily kill the interest. It is much more fun if it fits you. You can handle the material and go “fast”. I hope a lot of you will show up to all the major events, including the Vintage Games in Holland. I wish a lot of fun and good winds for you all this season. Best regards. Jan Abrahamsen President IECU

FROM BELGIUM 2008 had a good start for the Europe sailors in Belgium. In the first place we have welcomed young people who came out of Optimist, Splash and Spirou classes. They choose the Europe because of the technical nature of the dinghy, the high level of competition, support and training, but most of all for the great atmosphere in the class. The squad of sailors, most of all young sailors, have trained the whole winter every Sunday. This group is enjoying the training and preparing themselves for the YEC ; Belgium hopes to be there with 7 sailors. Also the organization of the Worlds can count on good and ambitious Belgian participants. On the Belgian calendar there are a few regattas which are fantastic for foreign sailors to attend: Brouwersdam (Grevelingen lake, 12th and 13th April), Sailing for Ostend in Ostend (10th and 11th May), Nieuwpoortweek (for those who don’t go to the Worlds (June 28th to July 2nd), Aloïs Roland Trophy (Platte Taille, 22nd to 24th August), Open Belgian Championship on the North Sea (Nieuwpoort 13th and 14th September). Directly after the Sailing for Ostend Regatta (12th May) and just before the Aloïs Roland Trophy (19th to 21st August) we are organizing two training sessions under supervision of top trainers. Any foreign sailors who are interested can come and enjoy this training with us (Please let us know as soon as possible as places will be limited). More info on www.europeclass.be or by e-mail info@europeclass.be Mario Colombie Belgian Europe Class

FROM THE UK Europes at the Dinghy Show The Dinghy Sailing Show in London is always on the first weekend of March, and is one of the biggest shows in the world devoted entirely to dinghy sailing. It is a feature of the scene in the UK that we have many more active dinghy classes than in most other countries. There are more than a hundred different dinghy classes on show including, of course, the Europe! How do we make our boat stand out amongst so many? We know that the Europe is the best boat, but how do we persuade people that they should sail the Europe and not one of the many other classes they have to choose from? Of course we do not have the commercial backing of some of the competition, so we have to make the most of our enthusiasm and love for the boat.

One thing we love to do is to let a Laser sailor pick up a Europe dagger board, and they are always amazed at how light it is. Then we say the whole point of the Europe is the sensitivity and responsiveness. Not like some boats! Let’s hope they believe us. This year we are holding a special event at Burghfield, one of the clubs where Europes are sailed, to invite people to have a trial in a Europe, just to see how good the boat is. I expect we will see some swimming as well as some sailing! 2008 UK Programme We always hope that some Europe sailors will cross the sea to visit us. There has been an enquiry from Holland about coming to the UK Open National Championship. This is on Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th July, with a day’s training on offer on Friday 25th. The venue is Lancing Sailing Club, a small and very friendly club on the south coast of England near Brighton. The racing is on the open sea in front of the club, and we will launch straight off the beach. You can see pictures of the club at                                                  www.lancingsc.co.uk/europe.html There is a Notice of Race and Entry Form, and soon there will be up-to-date information on camping and accommodation. All visitors will be made very welcome – don’t forget it is the UK Open as well as the UK National Championships! We also have an event at Weymouth (WPNSA), the venue for the 2012 Olympic Sailing. This is on 7th and 8th June, and all Europe sailors are very welcome.

The Future When the UK sailors come to the World Championships people sometimes say “Why not have the Worlds in the UK? It is a nice idea, but it would be a very ambitious thing for the small UK Europe Association to undertake. However we have heard that the WPNSA at Weymouth would be prepared in some future year (not 2012!) to host the event and help with the organisation. So maybe there is a possibility, one day. Meanwhile, unfortunately there may be no UK Europe sailors at the 2008 World Championships, because of work and other commitments of our best sailors. So we need to know the venue and dates for 2009 as soon as possible! But we wish the class a successful event in Portugal 2008. Richard Eagleton Chairman IECA (UK)

FROM NEW ZEALAND Our summer sailing season closes down about mid April, except for the keen folk who carry on all winter. This season the 3 provincial championship regattas were held mainly in the 7-13 knot wind range in beautiful sailing conditions much to the disgust of the heavy weather experts. However, to their joy, the final regatta on the 23-24th February which was the NZ national championships was sailed in everything from 7 knots to 40 knots, I hasten to add lest you think we are expert sailors in NZ, the 40 knots thankfully was a one off one minute wonder. The forecast all weekend was for 30 knot winds, but we managed 2 races in the 18-25 knot range on Saturday before weather packed up. On Sunday we sailed 5 back to back races in surprisingly manageable wind strength of shifty, gusty conditions with a 2m swell running. On the last race a spume filled corridor of wind roared through the fleet flattening several who were unlucky enough to be in its path. Of all the classes I have sailed, I think the Europe is the most forgiving in those sorts of conditions. This Champ was a first for several of the sailors, many said they had never sailed so fast on reaches or runs before, and many of the harbour or lake sailors had never experienced swells that big. It was also, (much to my amusement); a first for one of our sailors who while capsized discovered that not only had his venture bailer been efficiently sucking out water but also a long length of mainsheet. It was no small feat to poke it back against the flap in high wind and seas, somewhat similar to pulling your arm out of a shark’s mouth. While browsing the IECU news, it is noticeable that many countries are looking to the very young sailors for growth; over here we have found a niche in the seemingly very old. Whereas Europes overseas seem to be a stepping stone from Optimists to other classes, in NZ they are a stepping stone to radio controlled model yachting. Of course, I am exaggerating but we have found that the class suits women and men approaching middle age and this also gives some stability within the class. Our age range is from 16 to 64, with the biggest group in the 30-50 age. Our NZ representative in the last two Olympics, Sarah Dunn (formerly Macky) and husband Cameron, are expecting their first child mid March. Although Sarah no longer sails Europes, she has been our lifeline in regularly passing on her knowledge of all aspects of Europe sailing to us newcomers, knowledge that probably would have been lost forever in NZ because of our isolation. We are grateful for Sarah and Cameron for sharing their knowledge amidst the hectic schedule of Cameron’s professional sailors life. We wish our fellows sailors around the world fair winds and lots of fun as your seasons either are close to the end or close to starting. NZ CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008 Pigeon Bay Boating Club – 23/24 February 1.             Tom Arthur                             9 2.             Ben Carrick                            13 3.             Tim Scott                                20 4.             Paul James                             21 5.             Ross Mc Gregor    23 Up to 16 sailors. Tom Arthur on behalf of the NZ fleet

FROM ARGENTINE SEMANA DE MAR DEL PLATA 2008 From 7th to 10th of that last February, took place in the Mar del Plata Balneary, situated in the South of the Buenos Aires Province, The Semana de Mar de Plata Championship organized by the Argentine Yacht Club. We had to face very strong winds. The first day of regatta we sailed two races with an East wind and a very nice wave. The second day we sailed inside the harbour, with windgusts over 30 knots. The third day we sailed three races at sea and the fourth day out of the harbour but in front of the beach, very near the coast, and we had three types of waves, the wind one, the sea  one and the bounce of the coast ; all of us went out for the first race but for the second one only could finish Ronnie and I ; a young fellow from the Misiones province, Juan Tesone, tried to finish the second race, the wind was blowing 30 knots already, but he couldn’t go on in spite of his courage, congratulations Juan. Then in the third race only Ronnie and I were there, like a match race, finally I won the championship after a big fight with Ronnie, from the local club, and Mariano Nazarov, who sailed a good championship, finished third. It has been a very hard championship where, most of all, the physical state of each sailor and the control of the boat were put to the test. I wish you the best winds from Argentine: RESULTS AFTER 10 RACES 1.             Alfredo Bafico Trench        10 2.             Ronnie Jenkins                  12 3.             Mariano A. Nasarov           28 4.             Constanza Vazquez           51 5.             Juan Tesone                     64 Up to 14 sailors. Alfredo Bafico Trench

FROM BRAZIL Here we have been training a lot, but no competition since January 20th. We are now training with a coach, so we’re enjoying it a lot before we start to race again. The January 20th race was part of a championship that will last the whole year. Soon the championships results will be in our web: www.classeeurope.tk Leo Almeida

TECHNICAL CORNER We kindly ask you to take contact with us if you have any ideas to suggest or problems to resolve. Niki Nocke IECU Class Measurer