Alamitos Bay Yacht Club

In This Issue
• Josh Junior secures Finn Gold Cup
• A Milestone Year For The IMOCA Class
• Kostia Belkin and Viola winner of YCM Awards’ Credit Suisse trophy 2019
• Wind limits buffet Auckland 2021 America's Cup planning
• Going back to grassroots - 11th Hour Racing
• The Australian Coast-To-Coast Leg Begins
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Sir Peter Blake
• Alive boat tour
• John Bridges Tinker 1926-2019
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Custom Harry Dunning 42, Baby Bella
• • Alfred Mylne 75 Bermudan Yawl
• • Ker 41
• The Last Word: Claude de Villars

Brought to you by Seahorse magazine and YachtScoring.com EuroSail News 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 [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Josh Junior secures Finn Gold Cup
Josh Junior has become the first Kiwi to ever win the Finn Gold Cup after an epic medal race in Melbourne, Australia. Nick Heiner, from The Netherlands, took silver while 2018 world champion, Zsombor Berecz took bronze.

Earlier in the day, Ed Wright, from Britain, won the final race for the rest of the fleet, from Oskari Muhonen, from Finland and Jonathan Lobert, from France.

Even though he went into the medal race with a 16-point advantage over Heiner, Junior kept everyone guessing until the later stages of the race.

Apart from Friday’s tricky races Junior was never out of the top five, leading from Day 2 all the way to the nail-biting finale. He entered the class in 2013 and has threatened brilliance ever since. But the years of hard work with Andy Maloney and coach Andrew Murdoch has finally paid off.

Results after medal race (medal race results in brackets)
1. Josh Junior, NZL, 44 (7)
2. Nicholas Heiner, NED, 52 (3)
3. Zsombor Berecz, HUN, 53 (2)
4. Giles Scott, GBR, 67 (8)
5. Jake Lilley, AUS, 72 (1)
6. Andy Maloney, NZL, 79 (9)
7. Nenad Bugarin, CRO, 92 (5)
8. Tom Ramshaw, CAN, 95 (10)
9. Joan Cardona Endez, ESP, 98 (6)
10. Alican Kaynar, TUR, 100 (4)

2019.finngoldcup.org

A Milestone Year For The IMOCA Class
New and ever more efficient prototypes, high intensity races, a great partnership with Iridium Communications and Thales, the development of The Ocean Race program and above all a lot of emotions shared with all of you, thank you! Relive this rich season which announces an exceptional 2020 with a thrilling Vendée Globe!

Kostia Belkin and Viola winner of YCM Awards’ Credit Suisse trophy 2019
Held during the members winter cocktail at the Yacht Club de Monaco, the YCM Awards and Credit Suisse Trophy marked the end of another busy year for the Club’s sailors competing all over the world.

The coveted Credit Suisse Trophy went to Kostia Belkin who had an outstanding season on the classic yacht circuit on his 1908 Fife-design gaff cutter Viola, including 1st in the Cowes Nab Tower Race (all classes combined), 2nd in class at Monaco Classic Week and 2nd at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

Also recognised were Prince Charles de Bourbon-Siciles who won the Smeralda 888 International Championship 2019, and Ludovico Fassitelli for his consistency and results in the highly competitive one-design J/70 class.

The motivational YCM Youth Awards recognised Noah Garcia, 13, in the Optimists for his progress and contribution to 2nd place in the Monaco Optimist Team Race 2019; Jérémy Moutout, 21, in the Laser Standard; Logan Viciana and Mathieu Choquet in the under-17s Nacra 15 category; and kiteboarder Alexander Ehlen who showed remarkable consistency throughout the year to finish 4th in the under-19s on the IKA Gold Cup World Series circuit.

Celebrating its first year, the Monaco Sport Academy presented the second year class of 11 young athletes competing in six disciplines (Laser Standard, Laser Radial, Nacra 15, Optimist, Jet-Ski and Kiteboarding). The Academy provides 360o support to help these youngsters from the YCM Sports Section reach their full potential, the ambition being to field a team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home-en/

Wind limits buffet Auckland 2021 America's Cup planning
A row has blown up over wind limits for the America's Cup with defenders Team New Zealand and the challengers unable to agree on the upper limits for racing in the 2021 series in Auckland.

The wind range for the 75-foot monohulls was meant to be signed off last Friday, but with no agreement reached the issue will now go to an arbitration panel.

could take at least three months deliberation and if the syndicates cannot find common ground then the arbitration panel will make a final ruling.

The challengers want a 20 knot upper limit which is "unrealistic for Auckland," Team New Zealand legal advisor Russell Green told Stuff.

New Zealand want the upper limit set at 24 knots, the same as for the 50-foot catamarans that sailed in the last America's cup series in Bermuda in June 2017.

"We just think under 20 knots is ridiculous," Green said.

"We don't know what their game is ... Whether they are trying to develop specialist equipment for the lower wind limit, we don't know."

The challengers -- INEOS Team UK (Britain), American Magic (USA), Luna Rossa (Italy) and Stars and Stripes Team USA (USA) plan to use the 20 knots limit for their series to determine which yacht will compete against Team New Zealand for the Cup.

Team New Zealand argue the 2021 America's Cup should be sailed in conditions relevant to Auckland.

"We don't want a whole lot of races being cancelled in conditions that are normal in Auckland, solid 20 knots, that's what people expect to sail in here," Green said.

www.afp.com

Going back to grassroots - 11th Hour Racing
11th Hour Racing’s pro-sailing ambassadors are partnering with a variety of marine conservation groups... and already with impressive results

‘Think global, act local’ is the simple philosophy that underpins many effective campaigns. And it’s at the heart of one of 11th Hour Racing’s recent initiatives, which funds collaborative projects between its own high-profile ambassadors - top-level marine industry professionals who care deeply about ocean health - and grassroots marine conservation groups.

Last year, 11th Hour Racing’s ambassadors were all tasked with finding a grassroots organisation that deserved a $10,000 grant and working with them on a worthwhile project. ‘They encouraged us - in a good way - to go out and find new grantees to work with,’ says Tom Burnham, pro sailor and coach. ‘We weren’t allowed to just go back to the same old well.’

Full article in the January issue of Seahorse

The Australian Coast-To-Coast Leg Begins
The fourth stage of the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race, the 3,400 nautical mile long Australian Coast-to-Coast Leg, has got underway from Fremantle today (Sunday 22 December).

The fifth race of 15 races that forms the complete circumnavigation, named ‘The Whitsundays, Heart of the Great Barrier Reef’ race, saw eight teams slip lines from Fremantle Sailing Club at 1200 local time with friends, family and locals lining the breakwater to wave them off. The Clipper Race Office has confirmed that the remaining three teams, delayed during Race 4, will be racing on elapsed time against the rest of the fleet.

Allowing for adequate rest and preparation time, Unicef, Punta del Este and Visit Sanya, China will be departing on the 24 December, exactly 48 hours after the other eight teams, starting from the same line, and racing the exact same course as the rest of the fleet.

This race, expected to take around 20 days, will see the 180 crew members from all over the world celebrate Christmas and New year at sea. On Christmas Day, each of the eleven identical evenly-matched teams will be sailing down Western Australia back towards the Roaring Forties and dipping back into the Southern Ocean.

Getting underway from Fremantle Sailing Club, which has played host to the Clipper Race fleet since 7 December, the starting cannon sounded at 1500. As the teams competed for prime position to cross the start line, reigning champions Qingdao crossed first, shortly followed by Ha Long Bay Viet, Nam and Dare To Lead.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify." - Henry David Thoreau.

In age of mixology that often stipulates a half dozen or more ingredients (three of which are nearly impossible to find), it's refreshing to find an old standard that's dead simple. And that's by copyright law!

We're talking about the Dark and Stormy, Bermuda's national drink, and a favored drink of sailors all over the world. Your humble narrator once found pre-mixed Dark n Stormy's in a can, in a public vending machine at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, situated out next to the beached dinghy fleet. And wondered just how big a change that might have made to his youth sailing days.

I've downed countless rounds at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, and it's a frequently mentioned favorite at two other bars on our top ten: The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (BER) and the Clarke Cooke House (USA).

"The cocktail has been under the stewardship of Bermudan rum distributor Gosling Brothers Limited since its inception at the close of World War I. According to the company, British sailors on shore leave at the island were “big fans” of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and developed the cocktail by mixing the dark liquor with homemade ginger beer. The name allegedly came after a British soldier observing that the concoction resembled “the colour of a cloud that only a fool or a dead man would sail under.”

Using Gosling’s rum in the Dark 'N Stormy is no longer traditional: It’s the law. The New York Times reported in 2009 that the company filed two certificates with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after the cocktail enjoyed a “quiet resurgence” in New York City. The trademark dictates the exact ingredients in a legitimate Dark 'N Stormy: an ounce and a half of Black Seal rum and a dash of Gosling’s ginger beer in a highball glass. (Gosling's makes their own ginger beer now, it's common to mix with Barritt's ginger beer, also of Bermuda, and that's not subject to copyright...)

If you love the classic Dark 'N Stormy, you’re in luck: Bars are bound by law not to f**k with it. But there’s a little leeway in the recipe, according to Gosling marketing materials. “Run a lime slice around [the] glass rim and drop in (optional),” the pamphlet reads. -- www.maxim.com

Recipe:
1.5 oz Gosling’s Dark Rum
Top with Gosling’s ginger beer
Run lime around rim and drop in (optional)

Check out our top ten, vote for your favorite and keep the drink recipes coming: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Sir Peter Blake
We remember The Ocean Race legend - and his iconic clean sweep of 1989-90, thirty years on

It's 18 years since we sadly lost The Ocean Race legend, Sir Peter Blake.

Blake competed in a hat-trick of Races as skipper - finally achieving his dream of lifting The Ocean Race trophy at the fifth attempt, with Steinlager 2 in 1989-90.

That win made history as the first New Zealand-flagged boat to win The Ocean Race, and the manner of victory left an indelible mark on the Race.

Blake led Steinlager 2 to a clean sweep in the most dominant campaign in the Race's near-50 year history, winning every single one of the six legs - the first time that feat had been achieved since 1981-82, when the Race comprised four stages.

The journey to victory had been a long one for Blake, who first competed in the Race as a 24-year-old crew onboard Burton Cutter in the 1973-74 edition.

That experience proved the beginning of a 16-year obsession with the Race - he famously went on to describe the competition as something that 'gets in your blood... and you can't get rid of it' - and by the time the 1989-90 edition came around, Blake was ready to take a radical and risky step in search of victory.

His idea for Steinlager 2 was to build the biggest and heaviest yacht in the Race, carrying 20 percent more sail area than its rivals.

True to Blake's luck in the race up to that point, the initial yacht built had to be scrapped at the fitting-out stage after large areas of the high-tech carbon fibre-moulded hull were found to have delaminated. The delay cost two months of preparation, almost putting paid to Blake's campaign.

But once the Race began, there was no stopping Blake and his crew on Steinlager 2 as they swept all before them, culminating in a legendary battle into their home port of Auckland, against fellow NZ boat, Fisher & Paykel, led by Grant Dalton.

As the pair raced into the City of Sails, just a mile separated the boats, and a match race was underway. The battle that ensued was one of the most memorable in sailing history, as Blake got the better of his opponent to steal the honours in his hometown.

Blake's legends lives on through the Race today. Blake's son, James, was an Onboard Reporter in the 2017-18 edition - and on December 5th, The Ocean Race announced a return to Auckland in 2021-22 - a twelfth visit to New Zealand in 14 editions.

www.theoceanrace.com

Alive boat tour
You're invited onboard the 2018 Tattersall Cup-winning yacht Alive who are back to take on the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in its 75th year.

John Bridges Tinker 1926-2019
ohn Tinker, "Tinker'' as we always referred to him, was a dedicated volunteer to his chosen sport Sailing.

John first appeared at the top level of Canadian Sailing as President of the Int. Albacore Class.

During his tenure there were over 4000 in Canada alone. He was dedicated to ensuring that this class was administered to serve the one-design regulations and the sailors.

Being a very respected lawyer he was asked to represent Canada first at the IYRU and then ISAF where he Chaired both the Constitution Committee and Review Board with unquestioned integrity.

Tinker had a very sharp sense of humour which ensured that Competitive Sailing was well served.

A classic story which explains fully this characteristic was at his last meeting of the General Assembly in Copenhagen 2004.

The President asked him what he recommended be done on a certain issue: Tinker replied: "Well on one hand you should do this and on the other hand do this." The President retorted: "I wish I could find a one-handed lawyer." Tinker shot back: "You do not want a one-handed lawyer, you want a two-fisted lawyer." The assembled sailors broke out in great laughter.

ISAF honoured John Tinker awarding him the Beppe Croce Trophy, one of his proudest moments.

Well old friend I am sure you are now on Starboard Tack with spinnaker flying having rounded the weather mark. -- Paul Henderson

Featured Brokerage
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Offshore friendly 40 ft racing yacht, that does inshore and offshore with verve. Full planing hull and larger sail plan than her peers. Excellent option for the 2020 ORC and IRC worlds in Portsmouth, RI.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com

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1925 Alfred Mylne 75 Bermudan Yawl. 480000 EUR. Located in Barcelona,

Stunning Alfred Mylne Yawl-rigged classic. Completely refitted in 2011 with updated sail plan, new rig, decks, paint, varnish electronics and so on. Simply perfect for the Med’ classic regatta circuit.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucio Pellegrini – Grabau International (Spain)
Tel: +34 675 236 174
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

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2016 Ker 41. 430000 USD. Located in Turkey.

This is a full carbon pre-preg build that is based on the Ker 40+ design, but with a more offshore focus.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+442380 016582
+447759 424900
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
If it please God to give your enemies another such victory, they are ruined. -- French commander Claude de Villars to King Louis XIV, following the Battle of Malpaquet, in a nod to Pyrrhus of Epirus

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
• First indigenous owner/skipper to race in 75th year of Rolex Sydney Hobart
• Roll Up for Antigua Sailing Week
• 44th Christmas Race
• 600 mile offshore odyssey - Aegean 600
• Laurent Esquier: "The Cup Is Always A Question Of Characters Behind"
• FaceOcean again vandalized at the port of Toulon
• Sailing Champions League
• Industry News
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 60-010 Mandrake
• • Tore Holm 53 Ft Bermudan Cutter
• • Italia Yachts 15.98
• Back on Friday
• The Last Word: Ronald Reagan

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
The Sydney To Hobart is one of the landmark events in the Australian sporting calendar with fans lining Sydney Harbour and the surrounding vantage points to get a glimpse of the yachts as they make the treacherous trip down to Hobart.

The event celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2019 with the biggest and most expensive fleet since the 50th race back in1994.

More than 1000 sailors from Australian and overseas aboard the 157-strong fleet are preparing to tackle one of the toughest races in the world, with preparations for the big event not helped by the rampant smoke as a result of the damaging fires across Australia.

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race will again start in accordance with tradition with the firing of a starting cannon, with boats set to start the journey at 1.00 pm on Boxing Day, 26 December.

The current course record is held by LDV Comanche, who set the mark in 2017 with a blistering time of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

www.sportingnews.com

The gear-busting, boat breaking reputation of the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race could be far from reality when the 628-nautical mile classic starts on Boxing Day, according to Mark Richards, the skipper of the 30-metre long supermaxi, Wild Oats XI.

The three most reliable weather forecasts for the race all agree there will be a southerly change exiting Bass Strait and moving up the NSW south coast as the fleet heads towards Hobart. But, how strong it will be and from what precise direction remains unknown.

"At this stage it appears the race will be more like a game of chess than a hard slog south," Richards said today. "It will be a very tricky, tactical challenge in relatively light winds for much of the way. The hardest part will be to select the best course for your transition through the approaching system.

"Today's forecast indicates we will start in a light to moderate north-easterly, and then have a change out of the south during the first night. If you position your yacht in the right spot for that change, and your opposition doesn't get it right, then you might gain 50 or 60 miles over them. That's the big challenge."

On current projections it will also be a slow race. If the existing forecast prevails then the first yacht into Hobart is likely to be some 12 hours outside the race record time of one day, nine hours set by Jim Cooney's supermaxi, Comanche, two years ago.

A light weather race is expected to suit Wild Oats XI's new configuration. During the past 12 months the yacht's owners, the Oatley family, and Richards, have worked with the American-based yacht design company, Reichel/Pugh, to upgrade the yacht. The most significant modification was the removal of two retractable daggerboards forward of the mast, and the addition of a small retractable rudder in the same location. That change and the reduction in the number of crew from 21 to 18 have decreased the yacht's racing weight by 1200kgs.

The start will be televised by Channel 7. -- Rob Mundle

rolexsydneyhobart.com

First indigenous owner/skipper to race in 75th year of Rolex Sydney Hobart
At the 1pm start of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's (CYCA) 75th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day, history will be made when Rebecca Connor and her boat, Wonderland, take part in the race for the first time.

Connor, from Stockton on the NSW Central Coast, has been sailing for only two years, and is set to become the first indigenous owner/skipper to race in the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

"I sailed a little many years ago. A friend, Joe de Kock, came out from South Africa for the Sydney Olympics – he really introduced me to sailing. But I have six boys who keep me quite busy, so I didn't keep it up," Connor said.

A holiday in Greece reignited her interest. "I jumped on a 50-foot yacht with eight people I didn't know and went off for a week - and loved it. I said to my husband 'let's buy a boat'.

"My husband is a mad-keen fisherman, so he wasn't thinking 'yacht', he was thinking 'motor boat'. Nevertheless, he supported my dream, and we found Wonderland (a Beneteau Oceanis 473) in Yeppoon, Queensland.

"The boat was already called Wonderland. In our culture, Wonderland is related to The Dreamtime, which fits nicely.

And while Connor may be new to the race, she says, "Half the crew have done the race before; Kyle Hancock (her second in charge), Paul Flanagan and Oonagh O'Donovan all sailed on Freyja in 2017. Meika Wright has also done it before. I am the skipper and my primary aim is to finish with the crew and boat intact.

"My boys are all proud of me. My older boys think I'm a bit mad, but not surprised by it. I hope they are inspired by what I'm doing – that they learn when you put your mind to something, you do it. Through the race, I hope to inspire more people to get involved in the sport," Connor ended. -- Di Pearson, RSHYR media

rolexsydneyhobart.com

Roll Up for Antigua Sailing Week
The 53rd edition of Antigua Sailing Week is just over four months away with the early entry fee (up to 30% discount) expiring on January 3rd, 2020. Entries are approaching 50 boats for the Caribbean's most famous sailing regatta, and the event looks set to be a cracker not to be missed. The Class of 2020 is already shaping up to be a heady mix of sailors and boats of all shapes and sizes from North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.

The largest entry to date is Peter Harrison's British Farr 115 Sojana, which will be defending the Lord Nelson Trophy won for a second time last year. The smallest yacht currently entered in the CSA Division is the Beneteau First Class 10 Pepsi Max, entered by Sophie Langlois Squarcioni from Guadeloupe. A bevvy of round the world race boats is expected to be competing, the first entry of that ilk is Volvo 70 Green Dragon, sailed by Steve Travis from CYC Seattle. The first multihull entry is Stephen Cucchiaro's American Gunboat 60 Flow.

Carbon fibre flyers have been a regular sight and Antigua Sailing Week, and new to the regatta will be Christian Zugel's American FAST40+ Tschuss. Jules Mitchell's NSA Spirit has won class for the last two years and to score a hatrick will need to take victory against Joshua Daniels National Sailing Academy team and Ashley Rhodes' Whiplash in a newly created Sportsboat Class. Proven winners in the CSA Classes abound in the early entries including; Ross Applebey's British Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, Bernie Evan Wong's Antiguan RP37 Taz, Pamala Baldwin's Antiguan J/122 Liquid, and Chris Body's British J/122 El Ocaso, which will be sailed by Tony Mack's Team McFly.

Early entries in the Dream Yacht Charter Bareboat Division include over a dozen entries from German and Swiss teams organised by KH&P Yachtcharter including at least three former class winners; Gerd Eiermann, Alexander Pfeiffer, and Thomas Sparrer. Also competing in the Bareboat Division will be the the winners of The Road to 2020, the invitational challenge winners are Phil Walters - August Sky (USA), Stevie Beckett – Cobra (GBR) and Max Rieger – Mothership (GER).

To register for the discounted rate of US $11 per foot ending on January 3rd 2020 visit www.sailingweek.com/enter-2020/

www.sailingweek.com

44th Christmas Race
Palamos, Spain: Austrian team David Bargehr and Lukas Mahr are the absolute winners of the 44th Palamos Christmas Race. Spanish sailor Fátima Reyes has claimed victory in the Laser radial women and the Guido Depoorter special Trophy, tribute to the first president of Club Vela Palamos who passed away a few months ago, awarded to the team having participated in more editions in the Christmas Race is for Belorussian sailor Tatiana Drozdovskaya, who has participated 18 years in the regatta.

Top three by class:

420 Open
1. Tommaso Cilli / Bruno Mantero, ITA, 7 points
2. Alberto Morales Hernandez / Miguel Bethencourt Fuentes, ESP, 13
3. Demetrio Sposato / Gabriele Centrone, ITA, 13

470 Men
1. David Bargehr / Lukas Mahr, AUT, 6
2. Jess Lavery / Alex Hughes, GBR, 24
3. Nikolaus Kampelmuhler / Thomas Czajka, AUT, 26

Laser
1. Eliot Merceron, SUI, 7
2. Giovanni Coccoluto, ITA, 19
3. Marco Gallo, ITA, 21

Laser Radial Men
1. Theodor Middelthon, NOR, 16
2. James Foster, GBR, 18
3. Francesc Martinez Gorbig, ESP, 24

Laser Radial Women
1. Fatima Reyes, ESP, 13
2. Tatiana Drozdovskaya, BLR, 14
3. Carolina Joao, POR, 21

Full results

www.christmasrace.org

600 mile offshore Odyssey - Aegean 600
One of next season's most enticing IRC/ORC events has to be this brand new, non-stop grand tour of the Aegean Sea...

Ocean racing has a small number of famous 600-mile races: the Sydney- Hobart, the Fastnet, the Newport- Bermuda, the Caribbean 600 and the Middle Sea Race. Now there is a new member in this exclusive group of special races, presented by the Hellenic Offshore Race Club (HORC), to be sailed from 14 to 20 June 2020: the Aegean 600.

This new offshore racing event presents a significant sailing challenge as well as a unique opportunity to sail non-stop in one of the most windy, versatile and beautiful sailing venues of the world. This will be a demanding route where boats will sail 200nm downwind, 200 upwind zig-zaging through the Dodecanese and a last, rewarding reaching leg to the finish line off Cape Sounion. Technical highlights of the race include among others sailing through the Santorini Caldera, 70nm in the Sea of Karpathos and Rhodes, passing through Kos strait as well as the five nautical mile Delos-Mykonos channel, where tough upwind work is expected.

Full article in the January issue of Seahorse

Laurent Esquier: "The Cup Is Always A Question Of Characters Behind"
Although he is little known in France, Laurent Esquier is a well known figure in the rarefied world of the America's Cup. He has been involved in Cup World almost continuously since his first participation as a sailor in 1974 alongside Baron Bich. Now Esquier is at the helm of COR36 and as such responsible for organising the America's Cup World Series, for which the 2020 calendar was presented this week - Cagliari in April, Portsmouth in June, Auckland in December - and the Challenger Selection Series (The Prada Cup). These are among the topics he discusses with Tip & Shaft.

How did you find yourself as CEO of COR36 now and what is your role?
Simply because Prada's boss, Patrizio Bertelli, whom I had worked for already at Luna Rossa for seven years, made the phone call to me. At that moment I had just finished a project to build a skyscraper in the state of New York and so his proposal was well timed. I joined the team at the end of September 2017. As for my missions, the challenger of record has two operational divisions: one, the race team, Luna Rossa, I am not involved with them at all, and the other, COR36, the organisation responsible for selecting the best challenger to face the defender in the Match of the America's Cup. That means organizing the America's Cup World Series, and also the Prada Cup between the challengers. In essence that's the part I'm looking after.

There are only four challengers and still doubts about Stars Stripes. Is that not quite disappointing?
Is it surprising to have only three challengers at the moment? Not really. The America's Cup is, after all, a little bit of a special event. If we wanted to make it something more regular and structured with continuity over time, we would have to change the Deed of Gift [the "Constitution" of the Cup, Ed.], which would require everyone to agree, which is not easy, if not impossible. That is what makes the appearance of each Cup different. If the event were purely commercial, as the previous title holders wanted it to be, it would become SailGP. Would I have liked to have six challengers? Of course. But given the starting situation, it was quickly realized that this would not be possible, especially because of the technological aspects, the fact that there are only three challengers is partly due to the complexity of the boat.

Have you heard from Stars & Stripes? Can they be in Cagliari in April?
We have no more news than you. The last time we heard from Stars & Stripes, it was at a meeting with them in July in Newport, since absolutely nothing. Will they be in Cagliari with a boat? No. We have no news that they have started building... I can't tell you what will happen next. That is a question to ask the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron who accepted the challenge of Stars Stripes. But there is the problem of his eligibility: are they able to line up with a boat and pay what they owe at the time of the first regatta of the selection of challengers?

Full interview in Tip & Shaft

FaceOcean again vandalized at the port of Toulon
Sebastien Destremau made a routine visit to faceOcean today, December 23 in the afternoon.

The Toulon skipper immediately noticed that something was wrong. After a quick examination, he noted that the sailboat on which he finished the last Vendee Globe was again vandalized.

"Six months after the first incident, this time the damage is very serious. The damaged equipment costs several tens of thousands of euros" notes the bitter skipper.

All cables for satellite antennas, hydro generators and ultra-sophisticated positioning systems with which the ship is equipped have all been cut.

"They went on board and cut everything. What is the point of cutting such cables? These acts of free vandalism are driving me crazy. It is frankly lamentable."

The skipper immediately contacted the central police station.

www.faceocean.fr

Sailing Champions League
Royal Brighton Yacht Club first to sign-up for SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific qualifier

Two Royal Brighton Yacht Club youth teams are the first to register for the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Southern Qualifier to be staged on the Sunday and Monday of the Australia Day long weekend out of Royal Geelong Yacht Club in Victoria.

The first event of the 2020 SAILING Champions League southern chapter, January 26-27, will coincide with the longstanding MacGlide Festival of Sails regatta RGYC has hosted for 177 years, adding a new teams racing option to the plethora of classes and divisions the annual regatta already offers.

Both RBYC teams will be spearheaded by Victorian skiff sailors who wrapped up their Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship in Auckland recently, Laura Harding in the 49erFX skiff class and James Grogan in the 49ers.

The official boat for season two of the SCL Asia Pacific circuit is the RS21 keelboat, and a brand-new fleet of six RS21s recently arrived into Melbourne for owner/charterer New Tack Sailing. When the fleet isn't being used for an SCL event or chartered for other regattas along the eastern seaboard, it will be based at RBYC.

The Southern Qualifier is open to club-based entries from Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and West Australia. The Notice of Race and entry are available here. Entry includes umpired short-course round robin-racing on the supplied RS21 fleet, daily breakfast and afternoon BBQ, a great chance for sailors of all levels to mingle among the Festival of Sails offerings - live afternoon and evening bands, food trucks and stalls.

Both the Southern and Northern Qualifier, March 14-15 out of Hunters Hill Sailing Club, are open to mixed age, women's and youth teams; with the mixed age and youth teams requiring at least one female, a quota that led to outstanding female representation at the inaugural Southern Hemisphere league Final run by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in April.

With the announcement earlier this month of the expansion and first-ever SAILING Champions League – Asia Pacific series, Vuda Marina Yacht Club in Fiji acted quickly, taking up league membership paving the way for their team to travel to Sydney in April 2020 for the SCL - Asia Pacific Final on Sydney Harbour.

Up to six Pacific and New Zealand clubs plus up to six Asian sailing clubs will be invited to field entries for the culmination of the 2020 southern hemisphere league season, April 3-5.

nationalsailingleague.com.au

Industry News
The Pathway to Carbon Neutral Logistics

At GAC Pindar, our work takes us to many different locations across the globe; our team is on the ground at major sailing events whilst freight movements for those global events are managed from our control tower in the UK. Unlike our resilient Arctic Tern of GAC Pindar logo fame – we must give her a name some time – global travel and freight movements are having a massive negative effect on our planet and this bothers us a great deal. It has been reported that in 2016, 28.5% of US greenhouse gas emissions came from transportation alone.

The big players in freight forwarding appear to have the answers and can make some impressive carbon neutral claims, or will be able to by 2030. This, together with the new International Maritime Organization (IMO) Low Sulphur Regulation, effective from 1 January 2020, is all fantastic news for Planet Earth.

GAC Pindar works with GAC companies and trusted agents across the globe which share our commitment to the level of service we provide our customers. Often, our specialist services draw on the skills and like-minded business approach found within small independent logistics companies and we have charged ourselves with the task of taking us all on a journey to provide CO2 neutral freight forwarding solutions for our customers whilst still operating at a sustainable business level - that's the key.

Read on here.

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A variety of matters affecting the Discovery Yachts Group have now been progressed. Primarily action has been taken to secure the future of the overall business and to place it in a strong position to facilitate further investment and growth. Our shipyard is a specialist operation building world class luxury blue water yachts. Following a restructuring of the business the group has now been refinanced enabling it to continue and participate in that unique yacht building tradition with confidence.

Sean Langdon will now concentrate his efforts on developing other projects and consultancy work. John Burnie, previously Group Sales Director, has been appointed Managing Director of the new group with immediate effect. Normal day to day operations in the business, particularly at the shipyard, are otherwise completely unaffected - the restructured company will continue to fulfil all customer orders in the usual manner.

The new group is focused and now looking to the future - notably towards BOOT/2020 the Düsseldorf Boat Show in January where a new yacht will be exhibited.

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Composite Builders is shooting for the moon.

The Holland-based fabricator of advanced composite and carbon fiber structures for the mobility sector just signed a deal to become a supplier for Austin, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace Inc., an in-space vehicle company founded in 2017.

While further details of the partnership are confidential, Composite Builders will manufacture launch system parts for Firefly as it develops "a family of launch vehicles and in-space services" with affordability and convenience in mind.

Brian MacInnes, founder and CEO of Composite Builders, said the fabrication of composite parts for aerospace vehicles requires a high level of quality control, which meant Firefly performed rigorous inspections and testing of Composite's operations and carbon fiber products before greenlighting the company as a supplier.

MacInnes, a Nova Scotia native, has a 30-plus year background in high-performance watercraft racing. He competed in six America's Cup events, two Volvo Ocean races and numerous world championships and world record attempts.

Recognizing that lighter means faster and more fuel efficient, MacInnes started building pre-impregnated structures, molds and boats back in the late 1980s and was involved in the design and construction of yachts on which he raced. His efforts led him to two America's Cup victories during a 13-year career with Oracle Racing.

www.grbj.com

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Just 18 months after taking the helm of a flailing sailing-yacht company, its new owner has not only met every benchmark toward getting it back in the black; he's launched the first of a whole new line of boats in the brand's portfolio. The new 565 range, plus increased annual production and two new classes of yacht, should help to fully right the ship, says rescuer-in-chief Richard Hadida. In the past, Oyster Yachts built a mere 15 boats a year, and Hadida, who made his fortune in casino gaming software, is betting on bringing that number up to about 25. "The business will be very healthy if that happens," he says.

Though his three-year turnaround plan is on track, the details got more complicated than anticipated. For example, Oyster used to buy hulls from another company that also went under, so he bought that business as well. Bringing the hull construction in-house required a big investment of capital, but it also means the company will have the capacity to increase production. His plan to steer the company out of the red involves a two-pronged approach: Build the boats more efficiently, and eliminate discounts on boat sales. "We have to protect the margin," Hadida says. "It's the most fundamental thing."

robbreport.com

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Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and INEOS, in collaboration with Team INEOS cycling and INEOS TEAM UK sailing today announced a new partnership to help drive performance levels even higher on the track, road and sea.

The partnership will see the teams work together to develop and implement innovations in areas such as engineering, human science, simulation and data analysis.

INEOS TEAM UK are looking to win sports oldest international sporting trophy, the America's Cup. All three teams will work together through Mercedes-Benz Applied Science (MBAS), which was established to blend the pioneering spirit of racing with the best insights from science and technology.

The division leverages the human and technological capability that has underpinned an unprecedented series of six double world championships under the leadership of Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas and MBAS, explains: "The technological demands of Formula 1 mean we are well-placed to support with advanced technical challenges in specific areas of sailing and cycling, with a particular focus on aerodynamics and the manufacturing capability around key components.

"When Sir Jim Ratcliffe approached us with the concept of bringing together the three organisations, all with proven track records of excellence and high ambitions for the future, we immediately saw the opportunity to grow and diversify our business – and to learn from some of the most successful teams in world sport. We are very excited about this agreement's potential in the months and years ahead."

ineosteamuk.com

Letters To The Editor - editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] 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 Campbell Field:

The PR department of The Ocean Race should check their history books and properly honour Sir Peter Blake and the Steinlager II(b) crew by accurately referring to the trophy as the Whitbread Trophy and the race as the Whitbread Round The World Race.

Back on Friday Your humble narrator is taking some eggnog and figgy pudding time with friends and family. I'll be back for the Friday issue, out late night on Thursday.

My best wishes to one and all, and my thanks for your support of this broadsheet, now entering its 20th year (with my 70th not too far over the horizon). -- David McCreary

Featured Brokerage
1996 Swan 60-010 Mandrake. 900,000 EUR

The Swan 60 “Mandrake was delivered to the one owner so far in the shipyard in Pietaarsari in summer 1996, where they started its sailing adventure. This Swan has been taken care of, maintained upgraded, and sailed by the same Boat Captain for over twenty years now.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Giorgio Passarella
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
E:brokerage [AT] nautorswanbrokerage [DOT] com

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1937 Tore Holm 53 ft Bermudan Cutter. 650,000 EUR. Located in France

HAVSORNEN is a very fine example of Scandinavian design and boat building from Tore Holm at the peak of his powers with the build supervised by him in his family yard. Well maintained by her present owner, including a major winter refit 2016-2017, she has excelled on the Mediterranean regatta circuit and has also proven herself a very capable cruising yacht. Her seaworthy hull provides good headroom below, and the interior finish is a delight.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Barney Sandeman
info [AT] sandemanyachtcompany [DOT] co [DOT] uk
+44 (0)1202 330077
33 High Street
Poole, Dorset
BH15 1AB
United Kingdom

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2014 Italia Yachts 15.98. 580000 EUR. Located in Chioggia, Italy.

Unique available brokerage example of the award-winning Italia 15.98, the only built with 4-cabin, 2-heads layout, complete with B&G instrument pack, full optioned, lightly used, ready to sail.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

Back on Friday
Your humble narrator is taking some eggnog and figgy pudding time with friends and family. I'll be back for the Friday issue, out late night on Thursday.

My best wishes to one and all, and my thanks for your support of this broadsheet, now nearing its 20th year. -- David McCreary

The Last Word
There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit. -- Ronald Reagan

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
• Light air tango for the super maxis
• Robline in a nutshell...may we introduce the brand
• Defender And Challenger Of Record Request Mediation Of The Match Conditions
• A pivotal moment for the Pacific
• Italian showcase - Genoa International Boat Show
• Not just a random act of vandalism on FaceOcean
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• A Soft Monkey and a Stiff Grand Prix?
• Heart Of The Great Barrier Reef Race
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Custom Harry Dunning 42, Baby Bella
• • Ker 56 - Varuna VI
• • RIO 52
• The Last Word: Andy Rooney

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
Sydney, 26 December 2019: Today's start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was once again a spectacular sight. A north-easterly breeze provided the 157-strong international fleet, the biggest since the 50th race in 1994, with perfect conditions as they embarked on the 628-nautical mile race.

First held in 1945, the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the 75th edition of this legendary contest. Rolex has partnered the event, organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in conjunction with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, since 2002 and the annual race is at the very core of the Swiss Watchmaker's six-decade-long association with the sport of yachting.

rolexsydneyhobart.com

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=fxjL7tvsPKs, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Light air tango for the super maxis
This morning at 5.30am, the super maxis were dancing a close tango in a weak southerly east of Green Cape, and while Jim Cooney's Comanche might still be in front of the pack in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, anything could and probably will happen, as Seng Huang Lee's SHK Scallywag is just one mile adrift of the leader.

Behind the pair, Black Jack (Peter Harburg), InfoTrack (Christian Beck) and Wild Oats XI (the Oatley family) are only six miles astern of the leaders, with little more than 5 nautical miles between them in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's 75th running of the 628-nautical-mile race.

As the boat speeds vary between 5.5 knots and 10 knots, the famous five are sailing well off the coast, being chased by the newest addition to the race, URM, the Reichel/Pugh 72 owned by Anthony Johnston (formerly Neville Crichton's Shockwave), is dicing with Wild Oats XI – there is nothing between them.

Last year's winner, Alive (Phil Turner, Tas); Naval Group (Sean Langman, NSW), Maserati (Jacek Siwek/Jacek Piotrowski, Poland); Chinese Whisper (David Griffith, NSW); the 2017 winner Ichi Ban (Matt Allen's TP52, NSW); No Limit (David Gotze, Vic), and the 2008 and 2015 winner Quest (Bob Steel/Craig Neill's TP52, NSW) are all right on Wild Oats XI's transom this morning.

And while the tracker is indicating a finish on 29 December, this will change again as the next transition of wind comes through. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a north to north easterly wind of 10 to 20 knots down the south coast this morning, moving into the north-east this afternoon at 15 to 25 knots, reaching 30 knots at times.

rolexsydneyhobart.com/news/

Robline in a nutshell...may we introduce the brand:
R...like Rebellious
Breaking out of used habits. Breaking ground with innovative, pioneering Robline ropes. The colours of the new Robline logo illustrate and emphasise this spirit. We wanted to break out of the “Blue” in sailing and in general the watersports industry. We wanted to make a statement using cucuum and monsungrey as our new colours - Standing out of the mass with both our products and our spirit.

Read more soon!

www.roblineropes.com/en/

Defender And Challenger Of Record Request Mediation Of The Match Conditions
As the Defender and Challenger of Record were unable to agree and finalise the Match Conditions by the Protocol deadline of 20th December 2019, the two parties have agreed to engage in the official mediation process with a view to reaching agreement as soon as possible.

The mediation will be conducted by the America's Cup Arbitration Panel who will then decide the unresolved issues by 20 March 2020 if the mediation is unsuccessful.

Currently the differences involve the wind limits within which racing may be conducted and other issues governing the racing in Auckland.

www.americascup.com

A pivotal moment for the Pacific
In the lead up to the 2020 edition of the New Zealand Millennium Cup, the race committee has reported 'unprecedented interest' from the international superyacht market ahead of a plentiful series of superyacht events leading up to the 36th America's Cup. The Pacific region is increasingly becoming the focus of the industry's interest, marked by The Superyacht Group's inaugural edition of The Pacific Superyacht Forum.

The 2020 New Zealand Millennium Cup regatta will be raced from 29 January to 1 February, drawing some of the world's most impressive superyachts to the region, and presenting an opportunity for yachts to explore the South Pacific.

Joining Royal Huisman, which signed up to the competition last month, is Italian superyacht builder, Benetti.

Although this is yet to be fully divulged, the New Zealand Millennium Cup Committee has reported that a large American sponsor is due to join Benetti and Royal Huisman imminently, with more information to be released in January 2020.

The regatta will take place amongst the 144 islets of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand's Northland - a sub-tropical cruising ground that has been a home to sailors since the earliest Ma¯ori voyagers arrived in New Zealand.

New Zealand has a long-established marine industry, renowned for maintenance and refit. This is being enhanced by the development of berthing facilities in anticipation of the influx of yachts in 2020/21. Those visiting will be able to take advantage of New Zealand's yacht friendly regulations that allow foreign-flagged vessels temporary entry for up to 24 months and the ability to charter in its waters.

Full article by Georgia Boscawen in SuperYachtNews.com:

www.superyachtnews.com

Italian showcase - Genoa International Boat Show
With one thousand boats and approaching 200,000 visitors, the Genoa Boat Show is now among the most important in the world...

Towards the end of the European boating season, the ancient sailing city of Genoa hosts one of the Mediterranean's key in-water boat shows. Held every September, the Genoa International Boat Show, organised by Ucina, the Italian marine industry association, celebrates Italy's love affair with the water.

Set in eastern end of Genoa's well protected and busy commercial harbour, this six-day show is all about maximising the value of the "in water" concept. With the Mediterranean lapping on the other side of the harbour wall, the two marinas are filled with boats ready for sea trials. This, plus two floors of a large exhibition hall with a semi-covered external area allows Italy's most prestigious marine exhibition to showcase the very best of the industry. The boats are grouped into types, accessed by wide walkways. Yachts, RIBs and runabouts cluster near the main hall, while catamarans (now a major growth area) are in the west part of the marina. Beyond them, motor yachts dominate the western end of the show.

Full article in the January issue of Seahorse

Not just a random act of vandalism on FaceOcean
Sebastien Destremau discovered a few days before Christmas that his Imoca TechnoFirst-FaceOcean monohull had been vandalized in the port of Toulon. "After the passage of the storm Fabien I went to check that FaceOcean, which is moored inToulon and in front of the town hall, had not suffered. I then saw that the annex which usually has a couple, was not in its place. I thought that as the wind had blown very hard, it had come off, which still alerted me a little. But as I approached the transom, I noticed that all of the electronics cables at the back of the boat had been cut with the wire cutters. They had to climb into the annex, cut everything and then leave ... "

"We thought we were dealing with a bunch of idle idiots, in fact it is not at all the case. It is quite frightening to be the victim of such a deliberate act."

Security camera video shows: "December 19, 2020 at 4:20 pm: a single man approaches Faceocean and launches some tools on the rear deck. The individual undresses and it is in his underwear that he slides into the icy water. After a few strokes, he climbs aboard faceOcean, collects his tools and meticulously cuts all the electronic cables. Showing a cold-blooded proof, the thug gets back in the water and swims towards the bank before getting dressed. At 4:29 p.m., the thug leaves the scene of his crime after having accomplished his mission. "

And Sebastien Destremau, alarmist, to conclude his press release: "Thanks to these images, we are hopeful that the police can identify the thug. I had initially thought of an act of vandalism, but there, I am afraid that it is a kind of vendetta against us. "Vendetta" may be a bit strong but we are clearly dealing with banditry. I admit that it is frankly not reassuring. Indeed, not to mention the repair cost which he estimates at almost 30,000 euros ...

sport24.lefigaro.fr/voile/

Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
A very merry Christmas and Boxing Day to one and all. I hope this week has been as fun for you as it was for me. My first and only grandson has figured out how to crawl forwards, his previous scoots were all in reverse. My oldest son is well aware of the karmic payback due him. A fully mobile child under the age of one is both wonderful (from my vantage point) and terrifying (from his parents').

Son #2 is a very good mixologist, he came up with this one for us: the Mistletoe Martini (we had some Elderflower liqueur left over from trying to duplicate Cloggy's Delights, from last year's winner Cloggy's of Falmouth Antigua. )

1 1/2 ounce Wight vodka
1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur
1 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Cranberries
Mint leaves

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the vodka, elderberry liqueur, cran
berry juice and simple syrup.
Shake until chilled.
Strain into a martini glass.
Garnish by tossing in a few cranberries and floating mint leaves on top.

... and then wax nostalgic about Christmas past (the last 20 minutes of the best version of A Christmas Carol... with Alastair Sim... will do the trick). Sim declined a knighthood in the early 1970s. His acting in that role was worthy of immortality in this man's view.

Sip a few and then send us your vote and thoughts on our top ten... voting continues until mid January.

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

A Soft Monkey and a Stiff Grand Prix?
Entry for the the Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey this Friday is already maxed out at 100, while this Sunday's Grafham Grand Prix is rapidly hitting its 200-entry limit.....

Defending champions Colin and Oli Murray could be hard to stop in their massively-canvassed Norfolk Punt at this winter's Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey, the third event of the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series. With a soft easterly forecast, the Murrays will start as one of the favourites in a maxed-out entry that includes many big names and former winners of the Series.

The reigning champions of the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series, Simon Horsfield and Katie Burridge, will be ones to watch in their 2000. Other former Sailjuice winners include Nick Craig, who last year finished runner-up at the Brass Monkey in a D-Zero; this year Nick is trying his hand in the Hadron singlehander. Matt Mee won the Series in an RS200 a couple of seasons back but for the Monkey, Matt is joining a legion of stars who are competing in the GP14. Former GP14 World Champion Neil Marsden will be another one to watch in this competitive fleet.

The RS200s are fielding the biggest entry with nine boats on the start line, followed by seven Musto Skiffs including former champion Ian 'Bov' Turnbull. There are also six RS400s and five Contenders competing, although the singlehanded trapeze sailors would probably prefer a stiffer forecast for the Monkey.

Anyone looking for stronger breeze might want to get their entry in for the Grafham Grand Prix just two days later on Sunday 27 December. Last year the event was maxed out with a few days to go, and with already more than 150 entries with the best part of a week until the event, it would be wise to book sooner than later. There's a forecast of moderate to strong breeze which could suit a different bunch of boats compared with what's expected to be a soft Monkey.

www.sailjuiceseries.com

Heart Of The Great Barrier Reef Race
On the fourth day of Clipper Race 5: The Whitsundays, Heart of the Great Barrier Reef, spirits are high as the fleet reflects on the unique festive celebrations on board. Normal racing business has resumed as tactical decisions come into play with the first yachts in proximity of the scoring gate.

For most, calm conditions have allowed an array of gift-giving, festive-attire, nap-inducing feasts and games on board.

Jeronimo Santos Gonzalez, Skipper of Punta del Este commented: "It was lovely to see our loved ones wishing us "Merry Christmas" in the middle of the ocean."

On the racing side of proceedings, the teams have been split in their decision whether to head directly for the scoring gate, for bonus points, or push further north to make better time under the threat of the three teams racing on elapsed time.

Looking forward, the wind is forecast to pick up for the teams who have been experiencing the lighter winds at the front of the fleet.

Review the standings via the Race Tracker

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Featured Brokerage
2015 Custom Harry Dunning 42, BABY BELLA. 395000 USD. Located in Portsmouth, RI - USA.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com

-----------------------------------------

2015 KER 56 - VARUNA VI. POA EUR. Located in Hamburg Germany.

One of the most exciting IRC/ORC offshore boats ever built. Substantial optimization and development since new, led by some of the worlds best sailors, has pushed this boat a long way from its original performance and she is ready to challenge for trophies at the worlds biggest events!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+442380 016582
+447759 424900
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com

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2017 RIO 52. 1,200,000 USD. Located in West coast of the states.

RIO 52 is for sale. Built in 2017, she is a flat out IRC/ORC/Pac 52, race boat that can win anywhere in the world. Three sets of sails, ( North and Quantum) full safety gear, trailer, she has everything Contact us for the details

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410 267 9419
410 353 7862
Bill [AT] tysonline [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. -- Andy Rooney

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Ichi Ban declared overall and handicap winner of the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart
• Comanche powers to clear line honours victory
• Roll Up for Antigua Sailing Week
• Clipper Race 5
• Murrays Mint Another Monkey
• Sail into 2020 celebrating Cork300 and ‘where it all began’ at Volvo Cork Week
• Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
• Slow going in ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Race
• Season's greetings from The Ocean Race!
• Lord Nelson tall ship for disabled people may get Bristol home
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Bavaria C57
• • Carbon Ocean 82 AEGIR
• • Swan 68-004 Explotadot
• The Last Word: Ram Dass

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Ichi Ban declared overall and handicap winner of the 75th Rolex Sydney to Hobart
New South Wales yacht Ichi Ban has become both the overall and handicap winner of the 75th Sydney to Hobart race.

Ichi ban was at sea for more than three days, after becoming overall and handicap race winner

It was also the handicap title winner in 2017

On Saturday, supermaxi Comanche claimed line honours victory

Ichi Ban arrived in Hobart on Saturday evening, after three days, four hours, 11 minutes and five seconds at sea.

It is the second time the yacht has taken out the handicap crown, first winning in 2017, and narrowly missing out last year.

Skipper Matt Allen said the win was "a great thrill" for the whole crew

A fleet of 157 yachts left Sydney on Boxing Day. Some boats are still expected to arrive in Hobart today, but forecast storms this afternoon are expected to make conditions difficult for those at sea.

www.abc.net.au/news/

Comanche powers to clear line honours victory
Comanche’s line honours win in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this morning may not have fully erased the disappointment of her third place last year for co-owner and skipper Jim Cooney.

But the super maxi’s win over InfoTrack, Wild Oats XI, SHK Scallywag 100 and Black Jack – the four other super maxis this year – is helping Cooney to let go of some of the angst from 2018. At that time, Comanche finished behind the Oatley family’s Wild Oats XI (which claimed its record ninth victory) and was pipped for second by Peter Harburg’s Black Jack.

“I don't think it will ever erase the memory completely,” said Cooney after Comanche signed off on the 628-nautical-mile Cruising Yacht Club of Australia race in a time of 1 day 18 hours 30 minutes and 24 seconds – outside her 2017 record of 1 day 9hrs 15mins 24secs.

“Last year was very frustrating; having led all the way down the coast until we got to Tasman Island. You'll always remember that disappointment, but it’s faded a little bit after today.”

Built in 2014, Comanche first took line honours in 2015 under previous owners Jim and Kristy Clark, by beating Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin 100.

Under ownership of Cooney and wife Samantha Grant, the 100-footer’s line honours victory in 2017 came after Wild Oats XI was penalised over a port and starboard incident with her and lost line honours and the record.

rolexsydneyhobart.com

To register for the discounted rate of US $11 per foot ending on January 3rd 2020 visit www.sailingweek.com/enter-2020/

www.sailingweek.com

Clipper Race 5
Race 5: The Whitsundays, Heart of the Great Barrier Reef, is unfolding as a close race, with the majority of the fleet surfing their way east, towards Tasmania within close proximity of one another. The sixth day of racing has been backed by favourable conditions, whilst lighter winds have proved trying for some as the team's positions are continually changing in the race around the Australian coast line.

The smooth sailing conditions, whilst challenging, can provide the new crew with a good opportunity to gain some valuable technical sailing experience. On board Seattle, currently placed seventh, Skipper David Hartshorn has had the new crew members helming under a starry night, until the stars disappeared, he reported: “Within a few hours there was 8/8 cloud cover, not a single reference point to help guide. Then the wind began to veer, and continued to veer, so to ensure we didn’t head towards St Georgia, we need to gybe. In the dark, first Spinnaker gybe, what could possibly go wrong? Well nothing actually. ‘SeaHawks’ conducted it with textbook precision, and I was really impressed and then we making excellent progress to Tasmania and clear of the emerging high pressure to the north.”

Whilst the smooth conditions are favourable for a while, the light winds can prove frustrating.

Currently top of the leaderboard is Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam. Skipper Josh Stickland said: “a day or so ago, I said that I was very much looking forward to going surfing, well, unfortunately in order to surf we need waves and currently its a fairly flat sea state.”

Chris Brooks, Skipper of Qingdao has questioned their tactical race decisions, saying: “Hopefully we can close down some gaps with Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam and GoToBermuda. Trouble is, their early right-hander saw them in more pressure, and they are now flying along at well over 12 and 13 knots whilst we remain pushing 11.”

Race Viewer.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Murrays Mint Another Monkey
Colin and Oli Murray successfully defended their grip on the Yorkshire Dales Brass Monkey after sailing their Norfolk Punt to victory in the third event of the Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series.

It was a sold-out, hundred-boat entry for the Brass Monkey with lots of quality in the fleet, but the light airs and drizzly overcast conditions played to the strengths of the Murrays’ Norfolk Punt. Principal race officer Phil Whitehead made the best of the difficult southerly breeze and set a long, 1.7 mile course that made the best of Grimwith Reservoir, with lots of offwind sailing legs. Unfortunately the fickle breeze meant only one race could take place.

On Great Lakes corrected time, the team from Invergordon Boating Club won by 61 seconds ahead of Wimbleball’s Simon Hawkes who had travelled all the way from the west country to compete in his K1 singlehanded keelboat, with Arran Holman’s D-Zero coming in third place. Hayling Island’s Jack Hopkins raced his Solo to fourth place, just ahead of Burghfield’s Nick Craig who yet again proves his multi-class versatility by sailing his Hadron H2 to fifth overall. There were nine different classes in the top 10 overall, with the D-Zeros occupying 3rd and 10th spots. The Norfolk Punt aside, the only other trapeze boat to make the top 10 was Josh Moran’s Musto Skiff from Ullswater.

After three of the eight events of this year’s Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series, Laser sailor Olton Mere’s George Sunderland is not only top Youth but top dog in the overall rankings. Moving up to second overall are the defending champions from last season, Simon Horsfield and Katie Burridge’s 2000 representing the Army Sailing Association. Burton on Trent’s Andrew Spencer, sailing a D-Zero, is in third overall.

The next event takes place Sunday, 29 December, with the Grafham Grand Prix. The RS Aero 5 has the most entries with 17 boats, followed by the D-Zero with 12 on the start line.

www.sailjuiceseries.com

Sail into 2020 celebrating Cork300 and ‘where it all began’ at Volvo Cork Week
In 2020, the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland will celebrate its 300th anniversary with an exciting series of events across Cork harbour, titled Cork300, and everyone is invited to join in the action and fun!

Founded in 1720, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in the world and its tricentenary celebrations will take a look back at the origins of ‘where it all began’.

The Cork 300 events will centre around the world-renowned, biennial, Volvo Cork Week regatta which will see hundreds of boats and thousands of yachtsmen and women from around the globe compete on the waters around Cork Harbour from July 13th – 17th.

Volvo Cork Week 2020 is widely viewed as a ‘must attend’ regatta and is this year expected to attract a bumper fleet of entries due to its historic significance. It will incorporate The Irish Cruiser Racing Association National Championships, 1720 European Championships, the Beaufort Cup, a Classic Yacht regatta and the southern championships for the International Dragon Class.

Volvo The 2020 IRC European Championships, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), will also be hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club during Volvo Cork Week 2020.

In addition to the vast array of sailing events planned for Volvo Cork Week and Cork300, a huge variety of food and entertainment events will take place throughout the season, ensuring Cork will be the only place to be in Summer 2020.

For more see www.cork300.com

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
This month's nominees:

Iain Percy (GBR)
Finn gold medallist in 2000, gold medallist in the Star in 2008 then a silver medal in 2012, two-time Star world champion, now Artemis CEO, Percy has added the 2019 Star Sailors League Final to his glittering resume. Not surprisingly, Percy spent minimal time in the Star after the death of his close friend and Star crew Andrew Simpson in the Artemis capsize in 2013, so this result was all the more impressive against an extraordinary array of the world's greatest sailors

Pete Burling (NZL)
Where to begin... Pete Burling and partner Blair Tuke started the Olympic comeback proper at the 2019 49er Worlds with a race win before closing out their fifth title with just two finishes out of the top 10... in a pre-Olympic strength fleet of 88 boats and over 17 races. All while taking the minimum possible time out from their duties at Team New Zealand. A lot of the 49er crews flew home wondering what they'd all been doing since Rio 2016

Last Month's winner:
Andrew Pindar (GBR)
'A lot of people will say how much Andrew changed their life... well, without Andrew I wouldn't have met my wife!!! He knows how much he means to Emma and me but it's lovely to be able to say it here' - Mike Sanderson; 'Andrew supports so many people without ever needing to be in the limelight himself' - Emma Westmacott; 'An incredible supporter of women in sailing' - Tracy Parkes; 'This guy has done so much for sailing it's incredible' - Jon Roberson; 'A priceless asset to the sport' - Ingrid Abery; 'Short guy, lot of energy!!!' - Phil Lawrence; 'An amazing promoter of women's sailing' - Fiona Mills; 'One of the most humble, generous people I have ever known' - Ingela Berntson.

View past winners of Sailor of the Month

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!

Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month

Slow going in ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Race
The ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Race continues to be a fascinating affair, with the two leaders in sight of each other off the west coast of Tasmania. But it was another frustrating night for all competitors, with light winds making progress very slow.

At 8am, Lord Jiminy held a narrow lead over Soiree Bleu but both were showing just a couple of knots of boat speed with more than 260nm still to sail.

The situation shows no signs of improving, with light winds of less than 10 knots forecast until at least mid-morning on Monday.

Further back, third-placed Archie has just passed the north-west tip of Tasmania while Alien finally has the island in sight. Both were doing a mere 3.2 knots.

Lisa Blair and Jackie Parry on d'Albora's Climate Action Now had another frustrating night but they and the four-plus-autohelm crew on Saltair at least have some way on this morning, sailing at 4.3 knots in a light nor-wester.

www.sail-world.com

Race Tracker

Season's greetings from The Ocean Race!
Here's a gift for the holidays - 10 minutes of epic drone footage for your enjoyment...

Lord Nelson tall ship for disabled people may get Bristol home
A tall ship that is adapted to give people with physical impairments sailing experience may become a permanent attraction in Bristol.

Since 1986, the 55ft Lord Nelson has made more than 16,000 accessible voyages carrying 20,000 people.

It allows people with physical impairments, including wheelchair users, to sail side-by-side with people who do not have disabilities.

The Jubilee Trust, which owns the ship, has run into financial difficulties and is hoping to save it from being decommissioned.

In one week in June, the trust raised £1m in order to survive, but said to cut costs the ship would no longer sail and it is currently docked in Bristol Harbour.

www.bbc.com/news/

Featured Brokerage
The BAVARIA C57. New Boat. POA EUR.

Pioneering design meets exceptional performance. A new dimension of sailing pleasure.

The BAVARIA C57 is a pure expression of class, elegance and the finest craftsmanship. With the design and style of a mega yacht, it sets new trends and boasts a long waterline which guarantees high basic speeds.

The BAVARIA C57 isn’t just impressively large, it sails perfectly too. Standing at either helm stand you can enjoy an exceptional view of the sails and the whole yacht. All of the important navigating instruments are available at both steering pedestals, as is the electrical motor control system. All of the sheets and halyards are fed directly to the 2 x 2 winches right in front of the steering pedestals. A self-tacking jib, larger overlapping genoa, gennaker and Code 0 are all there to help make the sailing great, whatever the conditions.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Bavaria Yachts for a dealer near you

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2001 Carbon Ocean 82 AEGIR. 2,900,000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

Carbon Ocean AEGIR, exceptionnal cruiser-racer, regatta winner and great cruis

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com

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1993 Swan 68-004 Explotadot. 1,300,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Barcelona, Spain

Swan 68-004 Explotadot was originally launched in 1993 as ‘Solleone’ for the chairman of Nautor’s Swan. She was the first Swan 68 to feature four guest cabins with a galley forward arrangement, allowing greater separation from guests and crew.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Giorgio Passarella
brokerage [AT] nautorswan [DOT] com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
We are all just walking each other Home. -- Ram Dass

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Katwinchar wins Grand Veterans in Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
• Ten left at sea surviving tough conditions
• Cape2Rio 2020: First Start on 4 January 2020
• Antigua Sailing Week 2020
• Selden Sailjuice Winter Series: Four Grand Prix In A Row For White's F18
• CST Composites i14 2020 Perth Worlds
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• 52nd Semaine Olympique Francaise de Hyeres
• Archie wins tough 2019 ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race
• HISC Christmas Cracker Pursuit Race
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Farr 60 - Venomous
• • Chessie Racing
• • William Fife Iii 19 Metre Gaff Cutter - Mariquita
• The Last Word: Democritus

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Katwinchar wins Grand Veterans in Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
Bill Barry-Cotter's Katwinchar was not only the oldest boat in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet at 114 years of age, but also the oldest to have ever competed in the race.

However, by finishing the 628-nautical-mile race on Monday night in a time of 4 days 6 hours 27 minutes 47 seconds, the 32-foot ketch, owned by Barry Bill-Cotter and registered with the Southport Yacht Club in Queensland, proved that time is certainly not up for her.

Built in 1904 by coopers at the Watney Brewery in London, Katwinchar won the Grand Veterans class of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia event that is celebrating its 75th year. She beat five boats of whom three finished before her - Love & War, Kialoa II and Fidelis.

Katwinchar crossed the finish line on the Derwent River at 7.47 pm on Monday at the end of a day that tested those still on the water with myriad challenges, including frustrating lulls, bursts of belting winds and energy-sapping heat that saw temperatures soar above 40C.

However, not even Mother Nature was able to this year stop Katwinchar, that was initially sailed from England to Australia by E. J. Mossop for the 1951 Sydney Hobart where the boat went missing, until he reappeared in Hobart on January 3 having retired from the race.

The performance was a testimony to Katwinchar and her crew, and the commitment of Barry-Cotter, well known in the marine industry, to spend 10 years searching for her.

After Barry-Cotter found her in a dilapidated state on Gumtree, he had her shipped back to his Hope Island marina and spent another two years restoring her.

rolexsydneyhobart.com

Ten left at sea surviving tough conditions
There are 10 yachts left racing in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this morning, with the much followed Wayne Jones skippered Tribal Warrior the next yacht due into Hobart, currently estimated to arrive after 2pm this afternoon after a tough couple of nights at sea.

Jones and his crew are the first indigenous crew to tackle the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia race, and are joined by the race's first indigenous owner/skipper in Rebecca Connors, who is also still at sea with her Wonderland crew with an ETA of approximately 5.30pm tonight - in plenty of time to join the New Year revelries in Hobart tonight as the 75th running of the race comes towards a close.

This morning at 8.45am, while sailing 10 nautical miles north-west of Cape Raoul, Jones described what they have been through: "It was horrendous last night and a couple of nights ago. We went sideways late last night. We saw it coming and reefed down and put a small headsail on, but it was blowing 38-42 knots on rough seas. We got a full storm too.

"Bass Strait was horrendous too - a five metre swell running with us in a 38 plus knot breeze. We've had a bit of gear failure, but we're keen to finish. We've just overtaken Windrose (Ashok Mani, Tas)," he said, pleased with their handiwork.

Asked how they felt about becoming the first indigenous crew to start the race and be so close to finishing, Jones said: "It's absolutely enormous and we're very proud."

rolexsydneyhobart.com

Cape2Rio 2020: First Start on 4 January 2020
Click on image for photo gallery.

The Cape to Rio Yacht Race is South Africa's premier ocean sailing event and is the only transatlantic race to take place in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been held roughly every 3 years since 1971.

This famous yacht race connects the cities of Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro across the vast South Atlantic. With a course length of approximately 3600 nautical miles (6670 km), it is the longest single intercontinental race in the Southern Hemisphere, and attracts club and professional sailors alike. The race unites the iconic, exotic and historic in an incredible cocktail of deep blue water sailing, and has attracted 25 entries, ranging from hard-core racers, family cruisers, youth teams, to avid adventurers. Records will be broken and friendships made.

Now in its 16th edition, this race will have two start dates: the first start for the smaller boats on 4 January 2020, and the second start for larger boats on 11 January 2020. Both starts will provide an exciting spectacle and showcase of our city. By having two starts, the boats finish closer together in Rio. The prize giving will be held in Rio on 2 February 2020.

The grand prize is the "South Atlantic Trophy", which is awarded to the winner on handicap. In addition, there are prizes for the fastest participant, for a possible new record time and for the first on handicap in each of the sailing classes. The race is organised by the Royal Cape Yacht Club, in co-operation with Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro.

www.Cape2Rio2020.com

Antigua Sailing Week 2020
There are still 4 days to enter to get the best rates for the regatta. Fees increase on Jan 4th.

www.sailingweek.com/enter-2020/

Selden Sailjuice Winter Series: Four Grand Prix In A Row For White's F18
Spread across three race courses, for the second year running the Grafham Grand Prix hits its 200-boat entry limit, with victories for the Formula 18, D-Zero and 2000 classes...

The 39th edition of the Grafham Grand Prix produced some great midwinter sailing conditions as the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series reached the halfway point of the competition.

Unlike other events in the Series where everyone races on the same track, the Grand Prix divides the 200 entries into three fleets competing on three courses across Grafham Water near Huntingdon.

In the 42-boat Fast Handicap, it was Dave White and Jon Sweet from the home club who powered their Formula 18 catamaran to a fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory. In the Force 3 to 4 conditions for the first two heats, White and Sweet showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the fleet. However as the wind dropped slightly for the final race of the afternoon, the multihulls slowed down on handicap and it was Michael Sims and Mark Lunn who came in first ahead of RS400 rivals Steve and Sarah Cockerill. Overall with two from three races to count, White and Sweet were the clear winners of the Fast Handicap. John Tuckwell's Nacra Carbon 20 was second and the F18 of Paul and Mike Allen was third, making it a clean sweep for the multihulls. Highest finishing monohull in fourth place was an RS800 sailed by Robert Gullan and Mari Shepherd followed by Mark Barnes and Josh Wilce just a point behind in their B14.

The following events yet to come in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series 2019/20):
Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club - 11 January 2020
King George Gallop, King George Sailing Club - 26 January 2020
John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club - 1 & 2 February 2020
Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club - 15 February 2020
Prizegiving, RYA Dinghy Show, Alexandra Palace - 1015am Saturday 29 February 2020

www.SailJuiceSeries.com

CST Composites i14 2020 Perth Worlds
After 10 round robin team races it is AUS-1 leading with four wins, second GBR with three wins, and third AUS-2 with 2 wins.

The Team Semi-finals and finals are raced on Tuesday 31 December.

After a lay day on Wednesday racing for the 2020 I14 Worlds opens with a practice race on Thursday 2 January.

The first day of world championship racing is Friday 3 January continuing through to Friday 10 January.

Confirmed entries for the CST Composites I14 World Championships now at 67 entries. --
www.sailweb.co.uk

www.i14worlds2020.com/home/

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Here's a classic hangover fixer for Wednesday morning (make that mid-day, thank you). This one comes from NY City.

Zee Spotted Pig Bloody Mary. The Spotted Pig, New York City Bartender Anna Vanderzee suggests making the mix for this recipe one day in advance to allow the spices and horseradish to marry with the tomato juice.

What goes in:
1/2 cup finely grated peeled fresh horseradish
2 ounces Worcestershire sauce
2 ounces Sriracha chile sauce
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
32 ounces tomato juice
Ice
16 ounces Wight vodka
Lime wedges
Pickled or fresh vegetables (optional)

Steps:
In a pitcher, combine the horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha, lemon zest, celery salt, kosher salt and 2 teaspoons ground pepper. Add the tomato juice and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Pour the tomato juice mixture into 8 ice-filled rocks glasses. Add 2 ounces vodka to each glass and stir. Garnish each drink with a pinch of ground pepper, a lime wedge and pickled vegetables.

* One final ingredient, which your humble narrator stocks up on with every trip to Bermuda (lots of places sell it online): Outerbridge's Bloody Mary Fix. A combination of Bermuda Bird Peppers and Sherry Peppers. You only need a few drops. A bodacious eye opener / respiration enhancer.

Voting for the top 10 continues for another two weeks... our top two vote getters so far are Cronin's and Clarke Cooke House. Weigh in on your favorite! The winner gets, among other prizes, a custom made 3D map from Latitude Kinsale.

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

52nd Semaine Olympique Francaise de Hyeres
From April 18th to 25th 2020, just three months away from Tokyo Olympic Games, Hyeres will welcome once again the world's best Olympic sailors. A last test in France before the great summer rendezvous in Japan. 52 years after its first edition, the Semaine Olympique Francaise has become one of the unmissable events for Olympic sailing

Once again the Hyeres event will gather the best Olympic sailors, who will fine-tune ahead of Tokyo 2020. All the 10 Olympic classes will be represented: RS: X (men and women), Laser (men), Laser Radial (women), Finn, 49er (men), 49er FX (women), Nacra 17 (mixed), 470 (men and women). The international crews will compete on racing areas which are both technical and tactical, known for its strong east or west/north west (Mistral) winds, but also for its light and variable thermal breeze. The French Sailing Team will obviously be in the match to defend its colours on home waters. Last year Charline Picon won in the windsurf (RS : X) event, while Thomas Goyard was runner-up in the same class for men.

If Tokyo 2020 will be on everyone's mind next April, the French Sailing Federation (Federation Francaise de Voile) is already working for Paris 2024. So much that two new classes will be invited to Hyeres as special guests: wind-foilers and mixed 470's. These classes have been confirmed in Marseille for the 2024 Olympics, and therefore need to be integrated in the Olympic circuit as soon as possible. Besides the technical aspects, they will introduce a new dynamic show for the greatest delight of the fans and spectators in Hyeres, watching the racing or visiting the race village .

Unfortunately, we will not be able to welcome the Offshore Mixed Double class this year because the fleet will not be available, but the wind-foilers and the Mixed 470 will be in the spotlight., Spurred on by our country, Olympic sailing has moved forward, and we will be among the first one to showcase the new classes" Declared Nicolas Henard

evenements.ffvoile.fr/sof2020gbr/

Archie wins tough 2019 ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race
Hobart, Tasmania: Jeff Sloan's Archambault A35 Archie has been declared the provisional winner of a very challenging ORCV Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race, an event that takes the boats via the west coast of Tasmania's world heritage wilderness.

Archie arrived in Hobart at 11.12.59 on New Year's Eve during a night of rain and squalls.

Asked whether he would recommend the race to others, he pointed out that for all but two of the crew it was their first time in the Westcoaster.

"My advice is, don't fear it. Yes, it's a challenge but one that anyone can do.

Line honours winner was Guillaume Leroux's Class 40 Lord Jiminy, the first French entrant in the race. After arriving in Hobart at 3.30am, Leroux commented, "They were very challenging conditions after we rounded Maatsuyer Island at about 4pm yesterday. When the thunderstorms came through we were down to a staysail (with no mainsail up) but still had a top speed of 22.5 knots. It was tough, but we enjoyed the challenge."

The boat was entered in the four-plus-autohelm division, introduced by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria to encourage participation in offshore races. Joining Leroux on board were Patrick Conway, Michelle Zwagerman and Kim Rea.

Second across the line was Douglas Lithgow's Archambault 40 Soiree Bleu, arriving in Hobart at 6.43am.

The light conditions that had the fleet moving at less than four knots for the first two days took its toll, with two yachts withdrawing from the race.

The race will go down as one of the more difficult in recent years, with an unprecedented two days of calms followed by thunderstorms and strong winds. Ocean racers expect to be challenged by the conditions and all entrants are considering doing it again next year.

www.orcv.org.au/sailing/races/hobart-races

HISC Christmas Cracker Pursuit Race
34 boats of all shapes and sizes took part in the HISC Christmas Cracker Pursuit Race on Saturday 28 December 2019 in a light southerly breeze with an overcast sky.

The RS21 - the latest keelboat from RS Sailing - of Paul Fisk, Simon Childs and Kato snatched victory.

In a nail-biting finish, Paul Fisk's RS21, just managed to find a way past David Sayce and Nick Rees in their Fireball who had battled hard all the way up the final beat only to be agonisingly pipped at the final post.

Third to finish was Henry Jameson, Joe Bradley, Louis Johnson and Freddy in the another RS21 who somehow managed to hold off the fast finishing Ian Swann in his RS700. Rob Gullan and Mari Shepherd rounded off the top five in their RS800.

34 boats of all shapes and sizes took part in the HISC Christmas Cracker Pursuit Race on Saturday 28 December 2019 in a light southerly breeze with an overcast sky.

Full results: www.hisc.co.uk

www.sailweb.co.uk

Featured Brokerage
1998 Farr 60 - VENOMOUS. 199950 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.

A very comfortable and capable racing yacht. This Farr 60 excels offshore, with a simple and clean deck layout, bunks for 16 and comfortable saloon area. She has recently had new standing rigging, new mainsail and also generator. Running costs are minimised for the next few years.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] co [DOT] uk
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: +44(0)1590 679222

-----------------------------------------

Chessie Racing. 2,250,000 USD. Located in United States.

CHESSIE is equipped with a lifting keel and twin rudders – driven by the shoal-draft requirement Her owner chose a Hall Spar, deck-stepped, swept-spreader rig for simplicity and location (the rig sits above the lifting keel box, which offers a nice structural solution) She has a 75HP (the biggest Yanmar engine with a saildrive) which drives the boat at 10.5kt with a Gori three-blade folding prop (which is surprisingly low drag when folded) The boat has a Cariboni MagicTrim mainsheet, Harken electric winches, a Reckmann recessed furler headstay, a removable furling staysail, a self-tacking jib, a Hall furling boom and a square-top main plus runners for racing. Chessie is easy to steer and has good stability.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410 267 9419
410 353 7862
www.tysyacht.com

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1911 William Fife III 19 Metre Gaff Cutter - Mariquita. 2,750,000 EUR. Located in United Kingdom.

This is a chance to enter classic yacht racing at the highest level. Since her restoration in 2004 MARIQUITA’s results have kept improving such that she cannot now stop winning.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Barney Sandeman
info [AT] sandemanyachtcompany [DOT] co [DOT] uk
+44 (0)1202 330077
33 High Street
Poole, Dorset
BH15 1AB
United Kingdom

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Raising children is an uncertain thing; success is reached only after a life of battle and worry. -- Democritus

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Final boat finishes 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart
• The return of the Southern Cross Cup
• Atlantic Battle - Part 2 - Brest Atlantiques
• How the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race Will Catapult a Team Around the World
• Launceston to Hobart Race - Prize-giving
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• 2020 Round the Island Race
• RS Aero World Championship
• International14 World Team Racing - GBR take victory
• Happy New Year from the Finn Class
• Featured Charter: 1903 Gaff Rig Cutter 'Kelpie'
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Archambault A35R - "Chenapan 3"
• • Vismara V45 Fast Cruiser
• • Botin 65 - High Spirit
• The Last Word: Arnold H. Glasow

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Final boat finishes 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart
The final boat to finish the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, local Tasmanian boat Take Five, has arrived at Constitution Dock.

Skipper Ian Gannon said his crew endured storms and almost exhausted supplies but were elated to make it to the finish line in an elapsed time of five days, 23 hours and 41 minutes

"We spent New Year's Eve trying to get as far south as we could as quickly as we could," Gannon said.

"It handles [the storms] beautifully.

"I think everyone's special for getting here... my heart goes out to those competitors who didn't make it... I'm just happy we made it here with no damage and no breakages.

"Supplies were running low. I did plan for seven days' rations but we've gone through them all... Another day out there would have finished everything, including toilet paper."

Will they do it again?

"Let me have a few rums first, then I might answer that," Gannon said.

A total of 157 boats took to the start line for the historic 75th running of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's 628-nautical-mile bluewater classic - with 154 reaching the finish line. Only three boats were forced to retire.

rolexsydneyhobart.com

The return of the Southern Cross Cup
The Southern Cross Cup in conjunction with the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has seen victory go to the Australian Yellow team made up of Ichi Ban, Gweilo and St Jude.

With Matt Allen's Ichi Ban winning the race for a second time and Matt Donald and Chris Townsend's Gweilo finishing second overall, the team was always going to be hard to beat. But the win came down to CYCA Vice Commodore, Noel Cornish's finish with St Jude, which finished 39th overall to win Division 3.

Second was the Derwent Sailing Club team of Phillip Turner's Alive, Shaun Tiedemann's Willie Smith's Philosopher and Greg Prescott's 2 Unlimited). Third was the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Black team of Quest (Craig Neil/Bob Steel), Chinese Whisper (David Griffith) and Wots Next (Charles Cupit). There were 19 other teams vying for victory and the perpetual trophy.

Modelled on the Admiral's Cup in the United Kingdom, the inaugural Southern Cross Cup was in 1967 and discontinued in 2001, before a one-off return in 2013 when the team of Wild Rose (Roger Hickman), Victoire (Darryl Hodgkinson) and Patrice (Tony Kirby) won it.

The Southern Cross Cup is open to three-boat teams from Australia, Australian states and overseas, competing under IRC and representing a country, states or yacht clubs.

Teams this year represented Australia, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, along with five CYCA teams, three from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW) and two each from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (Qld) and Sandringham Yacht Club (Vic). Single teams also represented the Derwent Sailing Squadron (TAS), Middle Harbour Yacht Club (NSW), Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club (NSW); Royal Brighton Yacht Club (Vic) and Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (Tas). -- Rupert Guinness, RSHYR media

www.sail-world.com

Atlantic Battle - Part 2 - Brest Atlantiques
The 14,000 mile race around the Atlantic got off to a dramatic start with strong winds and big seas pushing the 100ft trimarans to their limits.

After rounding the first mark of Rio de Janeiro there was even more heavy weather, more gear failures and plenty more tactical conundrums to figure out.

A remarkable race brought to life by the superb footage from the onboard reporters and running commentary from the crews. -- Matt Sheahan, PlanetSail

How the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race Will Catapult a Team Around the World
For one team, San Diego Yacht Club’s 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race will be the first step towards a journey around the world.

Viva Mexico, a VOR 65 skippered by Erik Brockmann, will be making their racing debut during the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race as part of their campaign to compete in The Ocean Race 2021. Brockmann’s goal is to bring Mexico back into The Ocean Race almost 50 years after Mexico’s Sayula II competed and won the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74. Among the crew we will see Co-Owners Ricardo Brockmann, Loernzo Berho and Yon Belausteguigoitia who have been competing in the PV Race during the past decade in the Vincitore and Peligroso Racing programs. Also involved in supporting the Viva Mexico project is San Diego Yacht Club’s Malin Burnham.

The boat now named Viva Mexico, was previously Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing/Scallywag, and was the overall winner in the 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race. The boat was refitted and renamed Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag for the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race.

The 1973-74 Whitbread Round the World Race, the first edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race, started off from Portsmouth, England on 8 September 1973. Seventeen yachts of various sizes and rigs took part. The crew of the Mexican yacht Sayula II, a brand new at the time Swan 65 owned and skippered by Mexican Captain Ramón Carlin, won the overall race in 133 days and 13 hours. In 2016, this adventure was presented in a documentary film called The Weekend Sailor.

San Diego Yacht Club: sdyc.org

Launceston to Hobart Race - Prize-giving
It is official, Victorian sailor Tim Olding and his crew sailing the Summit 35, Vertigo, was this afternoon declared the overall winner of the Riversdale Estate Wines L2H 2019. Official results were announced at today's prize-giving at the Derwent Sailing Squadron with the trophy for overall winner and IRC divisional winner presented by Her Excellency Kate Warner, Governor of Tasmania.

Olding's crew consisted of a Victorian and Tasmanian contingent, which provided opportunity for critical local knowledge. Olding acknowledged the local experience of Tasmanian sailors Greg Rowling's and Stuart Addison was invaluable to their tactical race. Olding's 19 year old daughter, Clare Olding, was also instrumental in the boats success, with Olding saying that she challenged him to the title of captain Araldite.

Vertigo's success continued in the results with Greg Rowlings being awarded 1st Navigator on winning yacht on Overall IRC and Paulina Hryniewiecka 1st Female Competitor on Overall IRC Standings.

Overall:
Vertigo (Tim Olding, RYCV)

IRC:
1st Vertigo (Tim Olding, RYCV)
2nd Heatwave (Matthew Keal, BYC)
3rd Ambition (Michael Jones, PDYC).

AMS:
1st Vertigo (Tim Olding, RYCV)
2nd Talofa (Ron Cawthorn, KYC)
3rd Heatwave (Matthew Keal, BYC

PHS:
1st Ambition (Michael Jones, PDYC)
2nd Rad (Brent McKay, KYC)
3rd Frontline (Ian Snape, DSS)

Line Honours:
Fork in the Road (Gary Smith, RYCT)
First to Low Head: Dream (Robert Green, SYC)
First to Low Head IRC: Lawless (Stephen McElwee, PDYC)
First to Low Head AMS: Frontline (Ian Snape, DSS)
First to Low Head PHS: Frontline (Ian Snape, DSS)

This year's Riversdale Estate Wines Launceston to Hobart has again showcased why this race has become the icon of the Tasmanian summer racing series. Sailing conditions have provided opportunity for the fleet to enjoy champagne sailing, at its best, in the 13th year of the race.

www.sail-world.com

Seahorse January 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Reasons to race
No wonder the Oyster Palma Regatta is so often oversubscribed. A great learning experience, a brilliant party, a stepping stone to far horizons, an essential networking event and a whole lot more...

The end of the adventure
Racing around the world today is not even the same sport as it was when the cockamamie idea first began to take hold. Brian Hancock

Foiling for (almost) all
Widening the appeal... fast yes, but the 69F is also optimised for easy handling

What they're made of
Wessex Resins’ epoxy pushes the performance boundaries even further... just in time for the next America’s Cup

Offshore odyssey
One of next season’s most enticing IRC/ORC events has to be this brand new, non-stop grand tour of the Aegean Sea...

IRC - Behave
On the whole you guys are pretty good but now and again teacher just has to get firm with you. Jason Smithwick

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Be the first to enter the 2020 Round the Island Race and win a bottle of Mermaid Gin
Entries for the world-famous Round the Island Race open at 00.01 on Friday 3 January (#RIR20). The first competitor to sign-up on opening day will win a bottle of Mermaid Gin, and the next 20 will be placed in a draw to win one of four additional bottles of the highly regarded spirit, hand-crafted on the Isle of Wight. Last year there was a record first-day entry total of 151 competitors taking advantage of the early-bird discount to register their entry.

The 2020 edition of the Round the Island Race takes place on Saturday 30 May, a few weeks earlier than usual to accommodate tidal conditions. It truly lives up to its reputation as a Race for All - welcoming sailors from all over the world, with professional sailors, families and first-time racers competing next to one another around the stunning coastline of the Isle of Wight.

This year, organisers are offering Gift Vouchers for the race which are redeemable against the race entry fee, a perfect gift for a skipper. The vouchers, in printed or electronic form, are available to purchase online at giftpro.roundtheisland.org.uk

Early Bird entries are available online until 1st February and competitors are encouraged to get their entries in early to take advantage of the discounts on offer.

For more details and how to register to take part in Round the Island Race 2020, visit roundtheisland.org.uk

RS Aero World Championship
Photo by Lynn Billowes. Click on image for photo gallery.

The 3rd RS Aero World Championship kicks off in Melbourne Australia this weekend at Black Rock YC on the waters of Port Phillip Bay, supported by Rooster Sailing and Sailing Raceboats of Australia.

Eighty RS Aeros from around the world are signed up for the championship over New Year. The Australian summer is now in full swing with their most recent heat wave topping 40’C. However Melbourne is known to be changeable and as the saying goes locally, “if you don’t like the weather in Melbourne, wait ten minutes”. Over the week competitors are likely to see a wide range of conditions. If the sea breeze does come in hard, the Bay is famous for its challenging sea state and there will be a few roos loose in the top paddock as the large chop builds up over the shallow water.

The championships have boosted interest in the Class in Australia and nearly 50 Aussie RS Aeros are signed up from five states to compete, including quite a few new boats. This interest will be further boosted with a good supply of ex charter RS Aeros available after the Worlds as the local dealer, Sailing Raceboats will be selling the charter fleet following the event.

Over 20 Brits are making the long trip down under, happy to escape for a blast of mid-winter sun! The Japanese team are set to make their first international appearance with four sailors signed up in the RS Aero 5 fleet.

www.facebook.com/groups/rsaeroclass

www.rsaerosailing.org

International14 World Team Racing - GBR take victory
Brief reports available have the British team, GBR, winning the CST Composites i14 Worlds Team Racing Finals on Tuesday.

Four teams made it to the semi-final round on Tuesday - GBR, AUS1, AUS2 and AUS3.

AUS2 and AUS3 went out in the semi-finals, leaving GBR and AUS1 to contest the final.

GBR won the first flight in the best of 3 race final.

AUS1 took the second flight, GBR then won the 3rd and final flight to win the i14 Worlds Team Racing Final.

www.sailweb.co.uk

www.i14worlds2020.com

Happy New Year from the Finn Class
Here is a New Year treat for Finn sailors everywhere. The 2019 Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne delivered fantastic imagery and close competition. The conditions for the medal race were everything every Finn sailor dreams about, big wind, wind waves, sunshine and a huge battle between giants. It was an epic end to an epic year of racing.

A new year and a new decade bring a fresh approach and new opportunities. An Olympic year brings new challenges and new battles - as well as some of the same old ones. We will see many battles in Tokyo later this year, but before that there is the North America, European and African continental places to be decided in Miami and Genoa.

Also before Tokyo there is the 50th Anniversary Finn World Masters in Port Zelande, The Netherlands, the Finn Gold Cup and Silver Cup in Palma, and there is the European Championship in Gdynia, Poland. Everything is set for another classic Finn year.

To everyone who takes an interest in Finn sailing; to everyone who follows or helps these heroes of the sailing world; to everyone who has worked with the class throughout the year; or those just enjoys the stories and images of one of the toughest, most challenging, contemporary, popular, physical and most Olympic of all classes, thank you for your support in 2019 and we look forward to making even more great content and even greater stories in 2020.

The video below brings together some of the best footage from the Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne, so sit back, relax and enjoy some great Finn sailing.

Happy New Year. -- Robert Deaves

Featured Charter
1903 Gaff Rig Cutter 'Kelpie'

Kelpie is one of the most beautiful and elegant classic yachts racing today.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email: info [AT] lvyachting [DOT] com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2014 Archambault A35R - "Chenapan 3". 170000 EUR. Located in France.

"Chenapan 3" is an A35R, or "mk 2" version of the very successful Archambault 35 design. Built and launched in 2014 she is the only epoxy build to date. Many upgrades. New carbon mast and boom, foil changes, deck layout changes, interior upgrades and construction changes make her the boat to have

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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2003 Vismara V45 Fast Cruiser. 150000 EUR. Located in Genoa, Italy

Italian E-Glass rocket ship with carbon wing mast for effortless short-handed sailing. 3-cabin, 2-heads layout for versatile cruising comfort.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

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2015 Botin 65 'High Spirit'. 1850000 EUR. Located in Spain.

There were no costs spared in building this magnificent racer, from her design and construction to the addition of high tech equipment. During the winter of 2016, she was intensively prepared for racing. She now has a stable heading in any wind and easily hydroplanes in 10 knots.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
/www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time. -- Arnold H. Glasow

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• International 14 Worlds
• International14 World Team Racing - GBR take victory
• Are You Doing The Double in May 2020?
• Cape 2 Rio First Start 4 January
• World on Water
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Red diesel use ends in Ireland
• Royal Cork Yacht Club's Tricentenary Year
• The Fundamental Mystery of Knots
• Industry News
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Baltic Yachts 73 Pilothouse
• • Swan 56-011 Mensae
• • JPK 1180 - "YES!"
• The Last Word: Thomas Paine

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

International 14 Worlds
Opening day of the CST Composites International 14 World Championship at Perth Dinghy SC, Australia.

Results for Thursday show just five finishers in the practice, with all other competitors retired or DNC.

Brad Devine and Ian Furlong of Australia took the win ahead of Neale Jones and Edward FitzGerald of Britain.

First championship racing is scheduled for Friday 3 January.

International 14 - World Championship practice race
1. B.Devine / I.Furlong, AUS
2. N.Jones / E.Fitzgerald, GBR
3. A.Massey / H.Hillary, GBR
4. A.Fitzgerald / R.Dobson, GBR
5. G.Everett / A.Wilson, AUS

Full results

www.sailweb.co.uk

International14 World Team Racing - GBR take victory
Latest news from the International 14, Worlds Team Racing on Tuesday 31 December at Perth Dinghy SC, Australia.

Brief reports available have the British team, GBR, winning the CST Composites i14 Worlds Team Racing Finals on Tuesday.

Four teams made it to the semi-final round on Tuesday - GBR, AUS1, AUS2 and AUS3.

AUS2 and AUS3 went out in the semi-finals, leaving GBR and AUS1 to contest the final.

GBR won the first flight in the best of 3 race final.

AUS1 took the second flight, GBR then won the 3rd and final flight to win the i14 Worlds Team Racing Final.

www.sailweb.co.uk

Are You Doing The Double in May 2020?
In 2020 only five days separate the much loved International Paint Poole Regatta and the world famous Round the Island Race. For yachts participating in both events, exclusive special benefits have been arranged in Poole to provide a seamless experience.

The International Paint Poole Regatta 2020 takes place from the 23rd to the 25th May and the Round the Island Race on the 30th May. The Poole Regatta provides competitive racing across a variety of racing classes and in 2020 will host six class championships and three high profile race circuits. Coupled with its renowned evening socials it is a weekend not to be missed.

Competitors doing the double can take advantage of either a free swinging mooring in Poole harbour (subject to availability) or a discounted marina berth at Poole Quay Boat Haven for the four nights following Poole Regatta.

Poole Quay Boat Haven is a five gold anchor marina with superb facilities in the heart of Poole town. With the picturesque Jurassic Coast right outside the harbour and a multitude of bars, restaurants and shops only minutes away, it is the perfect place to prepare for your Round the Island Race following a fun weekend at The Poole Regatta. The swinging moorings are located overlooking Brownsea Island and offer privacy, peace and tranquility. They are serviced by launch for straightforward access to shore.

Alongside the berthing provisions, Poole Yacht Racing Association (PYRA) are offering visiting yachts free of charge entry to its feeder race from Poole to Cowes for IRC and VPRS classes on the 29th May. Any yachts wishing to return to Poole on Sunday 31st May can also enter the return race without charge.

Download the Notice of Race now at pooleregatta.co.uk. Entries are now open.

Cape 2 Rio First Start 4 January
The Cape to Rio Yacht Race is South Africa's premier ocean sailing event and is the only transatlantic race to take place in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been held roughly every 3 years since 1971.

www.Cape2Rio2020.com

World on Water
Sailing World on Water December 27 19 Rolex Sydney Hobart, Riley Whitelum, Bank Pop XI, Finns more

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=8XWZZpLN1vA, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Seahorse January 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

View from the top
North Sails’ director of design and engineering JB Braun explains an innovative engineering solution that brings top-down furling to Load Sharing Sails

RORC news - Making an impact
The arrival of the Melges IC37 is creating ripples far beyond what was expected. Good ripples, too. Eddie Warden-Owen

Seahorse build table - No limit
But why has everyone been sleepwalking around the blindingly obvious? Juliette Beaufort

Sailor of the Month
You asked about great contributors to the sport

Yachting showcase
With one thousand boats and approaching 200,000 visitors, the Genoa Boat Show is now among the most important in the world...

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Red diesel use ends in Ireland
The use of red diesel for the propulsion of leisure craft will become unlawful in the Republic of Ireland from 1 January 2020. As a result, most marina fuel pumps in Ireland will only deliver fully-taxed white diesel and/or petroleum.

Below is the official Notice:

Marine Notice No. 52 of 2019
Notice to all Masters, Owners and Users of Pleasure and Recreational Craft. Prohibition on the use of marked gas oil in private pleasure craft. The [Ireland] Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport wishes to inform the public of the Department of Finance's intention to change the law regarding the use of Marked Gas Oil for Private Pleasure Navigation from 1 January 2020.

The requirement to amend the relevant legislation arises from a ruling made by the Court of Justice of the European Union in October 2018. Section 40 of the Finance Bill 2019 proposes an amendment to Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Finance Act 1999 in order to implement the Court decision and ensure compatibility with the Energy Tax Directive (Directive 2003/96/EC) and the Fiscal Marking Directive (Directive 95/60/EC) on a legislative basis. The proposed amendment will take effect from 1 January. From that date, the use of marked gas fuel as a propellant by private pleasure craft will be prohibited.

Full notice: www.marineindustrynews.co.uk

Royal Cork Yacht Club's Tricentenary Year
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of Yacht Club de Monaco, hosted a special event on 19 October for organisers of Cork300 to show his support for the upcoming events series taking place in Cork in 2020.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club, which is the oldest yacht club in the world, will celebrate its 300th anniversary with an exciting series of events on and off the water across Cork harbour next summer, looking back at the origins of where sailing began. The historic celebrations will shine a light on the heritage of sailing and will serve as a significant milestone for the sailing community worldwide.

Yacht Club de Monaco, which is the only club in the world twinned with the Royal Cork Yacht Club, will help promote the Cork300 event series both within Monaco and internationally. It will also participate in a number of events in Cork next year.

Sailors from Monaco are also expected to attend the Royal Cork Fleet Review and Parade of Sail in Cobh, which will take place on July 12th, and will participate in a Wild Atlantic Way cruise along the West coast of Cork and Kerry, also in July. Many Yacht Club de Monaco sailors will also stay on for the famous Volvo Cork Week and the Three Championship Weeks in August.

www.royalcork.com

The Fundamental Mystery of Knots
Color-changing fibers and mathematical theory combine to disclose the simple rules that govern the strength and stability of commonly used knots, researchers report. The new study addresses a centuries-old mystery - what makes knots work?

Fibers tied into knots and tangles remain one of humanity's most ancient and enduring technologies and play a ubiquitous, fundamental role in our daily lives. From ships' sails and shoes to micro-sutures and turbulent quantum liquids, it's well known that some knots are better suited than others for specific purposes - a fact that's given rise to a great variety of knotted structures.

It's known that the subtle interaction between topology (how a knot is tied), elasticity and friction give knots their inherent mechanical properties and strength. However, there remains no comprehensive mathematical theory capable of fully explaining how knots "work." Thus, the ability to understand why some knots hold fast while others easily slip currently evades explanation.

To address these long-enduring questions, Vishal Patil and colleagues developed an experimental and theoretical analysis that reveals the key rules underlying the mechanical stability of "bend knots," which are commonly used in both sailing and climbing activities. Combining optomechanical experiments using recently developed color-changing photonic fibers, which show stress differences in different parts of a knot and theoretical knot modeling, Patil et al. were able to quantifiably predict the strain distribution in a knotted structure and reveal several key topological factors that determine a knot's stability.

According to the authors, the framework could be used to design and explore new classes of knots with specific behaviors.

science.sciencemag.org

www.aaas.org

Industry News
UK Sailmakers has expanded its worldwide group of lofts by adding a new sales office in Budapest, Hungary. Tamas Bakos, who has more than 20 years of experience as a sailmaker, is bringing his expertise to UK Sailmakers group. Tamas is one of the leading racing sailors in Hungary and campaigned Solings and Flying Dutchman in the 60s, 70s and 80s. On the other end of the sailing spectrum, he also sailed on IOR maxi boats.

Grand prix racing has waned in Hungary as in most sailing markets and has been replaced by performance cruising sailors. Those with production boats who primarily daysail and cruise may also race a few times a year. According to Tamas, even cruising sailors need well-shaped yet durable sails. "You don't want to scare your crew by having the boat heel over too much, which is what happens with blown-out sails," said Tamas.

UK Sailmakers' X-Drive sails are the perfect solution for 90% of the sailors in Hungary. The sails are durable enough for daysailing and cruising, while holding their shape well for several races each year. The biggest race in Hungary is the Kekszalag (Blue Ribbon Grand Prix) that is a 155 km race on Lake Balaton in mid-July. In 2019, 562 boats were registered - making it the regatta with the most competitors in Europe and many were Tomas' cruising customers.

Tamas joined UK Sailmakers knowing of the group's solid reputation for building performance sails that are also affordable. "The knowledge-base of the UK Sailmakers group is extensive, and the guys in the group freely share their experience, which makes it easy for a local loft owner to deliver world class sails," said Tamas.

Tamas' company, Klipper Marina Kft, is the exclusive distributor of Selden, Liros, Rutgerson and Nautix in Hungary. To welcome Tamas to the group, you can e-mail him at: hungary [AT] uksailmakers [DOT] com

www.uksailmakers.com

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After a year long cruising sabbatical, lead boat builder Paul Hakes is back to work at Hudson Yachts

It was a sad day for Hudson Yachts when Paul departed on sabbatical in January 2018. After 32 years in the industry building high end yachts and the last seven in China a break was needed for personal reasons. He spent the last year and a half refurbishing a yacht and cruising around Thailand and Malaysia.

We are delighted that Paul has recently returned and is back to work heading production operations at Hudson Yachts. As co-founder of HH Catamarans Paul has returned to the role of chief of operations China, but don't let that title fool you as he can also often be found happily chatting on the phone with a client about their latest ideas, or giving a sanding lesson to a new employee.

hhcatamarans.com

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Dubai Harbour announced today that it has assigned D-Marin Dubai to operate Dubai Harbour's marina, the first and largest yachting community hub in the Middle East with 1,100 berths, scheduled to open October 2020.

D-Marin Dubai, a joint venture between Meraas, Dubai Holding and D-Marin, was established at the end of 2018 to meet the growing demand for the development and management of marinas in the Gulf and Middle East regions and to create a regional maritime hub in Dubai. By managing 11 unique marinas in the lonian, Aegean and Adriatic seas, D-Marin has created one of the largest international chains of marinas in the Eastern Mediterranean, promoting recreational yachting and developing sustainable businesses encouraging local employment and growth within the economy.

Located right in the heart of Dubai, in the vibrant area between Bluewaters and Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Harbour's integrated infrastructure is built over an area of 20 million square feet and will include a purpose built cruise terminal, retail, restaurants, cafés, luxury residences and hotels.

www.zawya.com

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UK Sailmakers International (UKI) is pleased to announce that MAURIPRO Sailing has become part of UK Sailmakers. With over 50 lofts around the world, the addition of MAURIPRO is one more indication of UK Sailmakers continued growth.

UKI and MAURIPRO have entered a strategic alliance that will enhance both entities' ability to support sailors. MAURIPRO will be operating out of a service loft in St. Petersburg, FL, servicing the Gulf Coast from Tampa to New Orleans. That loft will work in concert with UK Sailmakers Texas in the Houston area. In addition, MAURIPRO will include South America in its coverage area with emphasis on Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay. As part of this effort, UK Sailmakers Texas will produce the high-end racing sails and one-design sold by the MAURIPRO and other UK Sailmakers' lofts will produce cruising sails they will sell.

www.uksailmakers.com

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Cowes Week Limited is delighted to announce that the Official Charity for the 2020 edition of the regatta will be Greig City Academy's, Scaramouche Sailing Trust. This six year old school sailing club, which became a charity last year, is an amazing initiative which gets young people from North London into the sport which everyone at Cowes Week, be they organisers, spectators, volunteers or competitors, loves so much.

Like a lot of charities, this one requires the driving force of a single-minded leader, and Jon Holt, having got the charity to this point with his incredible hard work and commitment, deserves every pound of support that we can muster. I can't wait for Cowes Week 2020 to be able to present these great young people to everybody. Please give generously!"

Jon Holt on behalf of Greig City Academy commented: "It's wonderful for our charity to have the support of Cowes Week but it's also a great opportunity for all of our sailors to meet thousands of other passionate enthusiasts for this great sport. The sailing community have really taken us into their hearts and we really appreciate the support we receive and we look forward to making many new friends during Cowes Week 2020. Our sailors will be on hand racing a variety of boats and will be giving talks throughout the week about the Academy, our adventures and what it means to them as individuals."

Cowes Week entry opens on Monday 16 December.

www.cowesweek.co.uk

Featured Brokerage
1999 Baltic Yachts 73 Pilothouse 73. 1,160,000 EUR. Located in Viareggio, Italy.

Stunning pilothouse Baltic from Judel Vrolijk & R&J Designs. Maintained regardless of cost and updated/refitted in recent seasons. A very special custom yacht at a very appealing price.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

-----------------------------------------

1999 Swan 56. 440,000 EUR. Located in Izola, Slovenia.

Mensae, a superb Swan 56 is well known in the New England and West Indies area, can either cruise in comfort or head offshore both in cruising, and casual racing.

See listing details at Nautor Swan Brokerage

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07
Keith Yeoman
Nautor's Swan USA East
T. +1 401 846 1090

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2018 JPK 1180 - "YES!" 300000 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.

YES! the upgraded JPK 1180 is now for sale. This boat represents an outstanding opportunity for someone wanting the chance to win the worlds most iconic races, both inshore and offshore. Available immediately and offering large savings compared to building new. This is the 1180 to have!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -- Thomas Paine

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• 3rd RS Aero World Championship
• Australian 29er Nationals
• International14 Worlds
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Zen crowned King of the Derwent
• 5.5 Metre Scandinavian Gold Cup
• Australian Yachting Championships
• Royal Cork Yacht Club is Mitsubishi Motors 'Sailing Club of the Year 2020'
• Dusseldorf Boat Show 2020: New layout for 50th anniversary event
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Maxi Dolphin MD65
• • Reichel Pugh 60 - Wild Joe
• • Swan 68-002 Defiance
• The Last Word: Oscar Wilde

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

3rd RS Aero World Championship
Black Rock YC, Melbourne, Australia: After a cracking day with four races yesterday the forecast for today proved correct with the southerly wind smashing in at lunchtime curtailed play.

The fleet launched on schedule to the increasing wind but by start time 33kns of wind was recorded on the Committee boat and with it still increasing the race officer sent the fleet back ashore. They fleet enjoyed getting on the water though and every one returned jubilant for having had a blast out in the Port Phillip Bay waves in the fresh breeze.

After waiting ashore for an hour to see if a break in the weather may occur the RO called off any further racing for the day as gusts exceeded 40kn. So the results from the end of Day 4 stood and with 11 races completed and great championship was concluded over a variety of conditions.

The medallists are;

RS Aero 5
1st - Sophie Jackson AUS
2nd - David Ellis GBR
3rd - Megan Ridgway AUS

RS Aero 7
1st - Rhett Gowans AUS
2nd - Marc Jacobi USA
3rd - Noah Rees GBR

RS Aero 9
1st - Liam Willis GBR
2nd - Derek Bottles USA
3rd - Keith Willis GBR

It has been an awesome Worlds in Australia with fantastic racing in a mix of conditions. The fleet is already looking forward to the 4th RS Aero World Championship in August 2020 at the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA. Charter RS Aeros are available to book now at a discount rate until the end of January and online entry is already open. A Pre-Worlds and Coaching Clinic precede the World Championships for those who fancy an extended stay at one of the Worlds most iconic venues. Event Page; https://www.rsaerosailing.org/index.asp?p=event&eid=1693

Full results

www.facebook.com/groups/rsaeroclass

Slow start for sailors at 2020 Australian 29er Nationals at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron
Sailors in the 2020 Australian 29er Nationals have had a slower than expected start to their regattas after strong southerly winds forced the race committee to abandon the first day of racing yesterday.

The event was scheduled to have five straight days of sailing without any lay days, which means the race committee will now be working hard to put the event back on track with a solid day of racing today.

The host club, Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, has pulled out all the stops to set up a great event and while the weather gods didn't play the game on the opening day, the forecast for the rest of the event is looking good.

The event also gave sailors from around the country a closer look into the effects of the bushfires currently ravaging across eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales, with smoke haze blanketing the event during the registration day.

Amanda said the fires that were effecting the club's close neighbours in Gippsland in eastern Victoria made it "a really emotional time to be holding an event".

"Contributing factors to a regatta that normally wouldn't be on the run sheet are now having to be talked about in the planning stages," she said.

"For us to be down here and hosting a regatta while so many people around the country are struggling is challenging, but there are small things we can do."

She said the club was gathering donations at the event that would help go towards those that had been affected.

With four days of racing now left for the event, sailors are eager to get on the water today and get a few races on the board. -- Harry Fisher

www.downundersail.com

International14 Worlds - Massey and Hillary consolidate lead
One race completed for the CST Composites International 14 World Championship at Perth Dinghy SC, Australia, on Sunday.

Britain's Archie Massey and Harvey Hillary were the winners ahead of Dan Holman and Alex Knight with Australia's Lindsay Irwin and Andrew Perry in third place.

Upset of the day was the retirement of defending champions Andy and Tom Partington from race 3.

The race 3 win consolidates the overall lead of Massey and Hillary (1,2,1) as Holman and Knight (3,5,2) move into second place, with Neale Jones and Ed Fitzgerald (9,1,4) now in third.

Top ten
1. Archie Massey-Harvey Hillary, GBR, 4 points
2. Daniel Holman-Alex Knight, GBR, 10
3. Neale Jones-Edward Fitzgerald, GBR, 14
4. David Hayter-Trent Neighbour, AUS, 15
5. Lindsay Irwin-Andrew Perry, AUS, 22
6. Brad Devine-Ian Furlong, AUS, 27
7. Roger Blasse-Andrew Gilligan, AUS, 28
8. Mark Krstic-James Lanati, AUS, 30
9. Ben Strong-Daniel Farthing, AUS, 34
10. Stuart Sloss-Cam Elliott, AUS, 38

www.i14worlds2020.com/home/

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
While we don't have any nominees this year from Cuba, every yachtie bar in the world has been influenced by iconic cuban drinks: the daiquiri, Cuba Libre, presidente.

But the mojito is perhaps the most iconic. Today it's made with white rum, club soda, sugar, lime and muddled mint, but the drink traces its origins to 16th-century Havana. And, like most drinks, its history is murky.

One legend traces its origin to the cocktail El Draque, named after explorer Sir Frances Drake, who possibly carried the key ingredients of mint and lime on his ship. Another legend theorizes that slaves who worked in sugar cane fields would doctor unrefined rum with sugar cane juice, lime and mint.

Either way, this combination eventually made its way into bars, gaining popularity during Prohibition among the likes of Ernest Hemingway.

10 fresh mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
1 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum
1/2 cup club soda

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

While you're enjoying your Cuban getaway from northern hemisphere sleet storms... visit us and vote for the winner from our top ten list. Voting continues for one more week. The winning bar will receive a custom made 3D map from Latitude Kinsale.

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Zen crowned King of the Derwent
The NSW yacht Zen has been crowned overall winner of this years Harcourt Hobart King of the Derwent. The TP52, owned and skippered by Gordon Ketelbey, sailed a perfect tactical race to finish third over the line and win IRC on handicap.

Zen has recently been acquired by Ketelbey after racing on the TP52 Super Series for many years and has undergone modifications to make sure it is up to the challenge of offshore racing.

Today's conditions, of a 15-20 knot sea breeze on the River Derwent, saw Phillip Turner's yacht Alive take line honours to claim the Derwent Sailing Squadron, City of Hobart Trophy. Purchased at the start of 2014 by Turner, a Tasmanian businessman, Alive has broken several long-standing race records and filled the trophy cabinet from east coast Australia races before heading to Southeast Asia mid 2016 for the Asian Series.

Greg Prescott's, modified Farr 40 2Unlimited won AMS division and was fourth in IRC. Prescott will now be concentrating on tomorrow's Australian Yachting Championships commencing in Hobart.

This years PHS was won by NSW yacht Veteran yacht Katwinchar. Bill Barry-Cotter's Katwinchar was the oldest boat in 75th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet at 114 years of age, but also the oldest to have ever competed in the race. Built in 1904 by coopers at the Watney Brewery in London, Katwinchar won the Grand Veterans class. Katwinchar will also be competing in the Australian Yachting Championships. -- Colleen Darcey

www.mysailing.com.au

Defenders snatch opening race of 5.5 Metre Scandinavian Gold Cup in Pittwater
Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen) opened their defence of the 5.5 Metre Scandinavian Gold Cup with a last minute win in the first race sailed on Saturday in Newport, Australia, overtaking Beta Crucis (AUS 63, Martin Cross, Bob Stoddard, Martin Bunch) in the final stages.

The forecast predicted some spectacular conditions with 37 degrees and 20-25 knots from the north-west - an onshore breeze in the Palma Beach Circle. It is a long way from the host club, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, but was worth every mile with an amazing race in perfect conditions. However it soon turned into a race of attrition with only three of the six boats finishing and most suffering some damage during the day.

The Scandinavian Gold Cup continues Sunday with two races scheduled. The forecast is for 20 knots from the south. The fleet will also be joined on the water by the rest of the 5.5 Metre here in Pittwater as they race for the Class Cups for Classics, Evolutions and Moderns. -- Robert Deaves

Results after Race 1
1 Artemis XIV NOR57 Kristian Nergaard 1.0
2 Beta Crucis AUS63 Martin Cross 2.0
3 New Moon BAH24 Mark Holowesko 3.0
4 Otto SUI209 Bent Christian Wilhe DNF
4 Girls On Film GBR40 Peter DNF
4 Shaolin SUI226 Cyrus Golchan DNF

Full results

Full gallery here

www.rpayc.com.au/sailing/5-5m-world-champ-2020

Australian Yachting Championships 2020: Winners decided
Click on image for photo gallery.

Matt Allen has claimed a third successive Australian Yachting Championship title today in Hobart, with Ichi Ban claiming victory in four races and finishing third in Race 5, with Race 6 abandoned for Division A.

Hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania over three days, Allen, who won Division A with his TP52 from another TP52, Zen (Gordon Ketelbey) and the RP66, Alive (Phillip Turner), arrived at the Championships having won the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart.

"Our aim for the last six months was the Sydney Hobart, Blue Water Pointscore and this event," he said, having won all three. "It was also nice to be part of the winning Southern Cross Cup team (sailed in conjunction with the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart) with Gweilo (Matt Donald/Chris Townsend's TP52) and St Jude (Noel Cornish's Sydney 47) too."

"We couldn't be happier. To defend the Championships successfully is a real thrill. It was the best fleet in some years. And to sail in the challenging conditions on the Derwent, you had to be on your game all the time. It was great to see support by Sydney Hobart boats and the locals."

In Division B, two Farr 40's fought throughout for the overall win. The local favourite, Greg Prescott with 2 Unlimited, and Western Australia's Enterprise, owned by Anthony Kirke, stayed within three points of each other throughout. Keiran Mulcahy's Soozal (NSW) was always in the mix too.

Following today's two races, 2 Unlimited prevailed by two points with a drop in place. So close were the two, they finished equal second in Race 5, and then Enterprise won the final race from 2 Unlimited. Soozal came in third overall, two and a half points behind Enterprise.

A similar situation occurred in Division C, between John Warlow's Beneteau First 40.7, Ocean Crusaders (Qld) and the local boat, Drew Nathan's MDB Whistler, which finished one and a half points apart in first and second place respectively.

The Queenslanders prevailed over Whistler, with another Tasmanian boat, Shaun Tiedemann's Sydney 36 C/R, Philosopher (Tas), rounding out the top three with a drop in place. -- Di Pearson

Full results

www.yachtingchamps.org.au

Royal Cork Yacht Club is Mitsubishi Motors 'Sailing Club of the Year 2020'
The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the new Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year, both in honour of its Tricentenary in 2020, and in celebration of a busy and successful season in 2019. The hospitable club faces this unprecedented new year with an inspiring serenity, strengthened in awareness of experience gained and achievements attained in the many years of its existence and supported by the global sailing community in its outstanding world status.

Yet even as the special events for the season of 2020 were being planned during 2019 and earlier, 2019 itself has seen some notable sailing achievements by Royal Cork members of all age groups, both at home and abroad. But when a club is operating in the unique timeframe which is the story of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, perhaps we should think in terms of measurable decades of successful club activity to get a more accurate picture of RCYC life afloat and ashore.

when Mitsubishi Motors Ireland took over what is now the longest-running sponsorship in Irish sailing - the competition was extended to all Ireland, and the Royal Cork became pace-setters, a benchmark of multiple sailing and sports social activities against which other clubs are inevitably measured. -- WM Nixon in Afloat

afloat.ie/blogs

Dusseldorf Boat Show 2020: New layout for 50th anniversary event
Numerous exciting new features and changes are being introduced at the coming boot Dusseldorf in January 2020. What is already obvious and has almost been completed is the construction of the bright, new and spacious Hall 1 right next to the Messe Dusseldorf tower.

The new layout for the various exhibition areas at boot 2020 has only been apparent on the hall plan so far. The biggest water sports trade fair in the world will be taking place with a new layout, providing visitors with an attractive routing system and direct access to their specific areas of interest.

Discover sailing in three halls: 15, 16 and 17. See the list of Sailing Center Topics

www.boot.com

Featured Brokerage
2003 Maxi Dolphin MD65. 690,000 EUR. Located in South of France.

Form, function and outright performance from the legendary Maxi Dolphin and Luca Brenta. About as Italian as Ferrari or parmesan, but with a higher carbon content.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini – Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

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2002/2018 Reichel Pugh 60 - Wild Joe. 630000 EUR.

Wild Joe was originally built as Wild Oats IX with full carbon/nomex construction. As times move on so has Wild Joe which is now fitted with a new DSS foil system installed early 2018. That coupled with her new Doyle Sails package and upgrades across the board, the boat is bang up to date once again.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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1992 Swan 98 'Defiance'. 650,000 VAT Paid. Located in Gaeta, Italy.

Her classic lines and cruising capabilities are the emblem of this ever lasting Swan model. Winner of the Swan Cup in 2000 and Antigua Race Week in 2001, 'Defiance' is a sea-kindly and fast performance cruiser that has a regatta winning pedigree. A safe and well equipped cockpit, together with a spacious interior give “Defiance” the faculty to sail her guests anywhere in the world. Lewmar electric winches, Condaria air conditioning, Searecovery water-maker, New Westerbeke 12 KW generator, Hydra electronics, 2006 Banks cruising sails.

See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage

Contact
Giorgio Passarella
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. -- Oscar Wilde

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• World Match Racing Tour Announces 20th Anniversary Season
• Cape2Rio2020 First Start - 4th January 2020
• Keep Your New Year's Resolution! Sail in the St. Thomas International Regatta
• Ken Read talks sailing, business and more
• Ku-Ring-Gai and Carabella lead 5.5 Metre Class Cups in Pittwater
• New Beneteau 'First 40' Arrival on Dublin Bay is Former French Winning Yacht
• 3D Maps from Latitude Kinsale... for the Wight Vodka Best Bar
• Clipper Race Five: Heart Of The Great Barrier Reef Race
• Black flags galore on a tough day at the Australian Laser Championships
• 80 Seconds with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Mighty Merloe - Orma 60
• • Johan Anker 49Ft Q-Class Sloop - Leonore
• • Sly 53 - Steve Wonder 2
• The Last Word: George Whitman

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

World Match Racing Tour Announces 20th Anniversary Season and New Championship Format
The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) today announced its 20th anniversary season with an 18 event schedule across 13 countries, including a new championship format awarding points from all events towards the annual match racing world title. GKSS Match Cup Sweden also re-joins the tour as the third World Championship event of the series, alongside Long Beach Yacht Club's Congressional Cup Regatta, and the Argo Group Gold Cup hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Under new ownership since last year, WMRT returns to its 'event host' model, bringing together a series of independent match racing events around the world as part of the annual world tour. Competing teams will accumulate points from events on to the WMRT annual championship leader-board - the skipper with the highest points at the end of the season will be crowned Match Racing World Champion, officially sanctioned by World Sailing, the governing body of the sport. The defending Match Racing World Champion is Phil Robertson (NZL), two-time winner of the title in 2016 and 2018/19.

The 2020 WMRT season will comprise two levels of events - 'World Tour' events and 'World Championship' events. All events will be organised under World Sailing rules as 'Open' match racing events allowing both men and women teams, as well as mixed teams to enter. The 'World Championship' level events will award higher points and prize money of at least USD75,000.

Skippers will count their best four results from events to the WMRT leader-board. The top twelve skippers on the leader-board at 1 October 2020 will qualify for the WMRT Grand Final to be announced soon. The WMRT Grand Final will carry a points multiplier of x1.5 points.

New events joining WMRT for 2020 are 'World Tour' level events in Montenegro, Germany, Slovenia, Finland, Poland, France, Estonia, New Caledonia, Singapore and the US Grand Slam events event in Chicago, Detroit and Oakcliff New York. The events were previously part of the Match Racing Super League which the Tour acquired last year to merge the League events into a single world tour.

2020 World Match Racing Tour Schedule

The Ficker Cup, Long Beach CA, USA, 24-26 April
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Event - The Congressional Cup Regatta, Long Beach, California, USA 29 April - 3 May
Porto Montenegro Match Race, Montenegro, 8-10 May
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Event - Argo Gold Cup, Bermuda 11-16 May
Slovenia Match Race Cup, Portoroz, Slovenija, 14-17 May
NJK Open Spring Cup, Finland, 22-24 May
Match Race Germany, Langenargen, Germany 27 May - 1 June
Świnoujscie Match Race - Polish Match Tour, Poland, 18-21 June
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Event - GKSS Match Cup Sweden, 1-5 July
Internationaux de France de Match Racing, France, 23-26 July
Baltic Match Race, Estonia, 29 July - 1 August
AIRCALIN Match Race, Noumea, New Caledonia, 8-11 Aug
Chicago Grand Slam, Chicago, USA 14-16 Aug
International Match Race for the Detroit Cup, USA, 19-23 Aug
Oakcliff International, Oyster Bay, USA, 27-31 Aug
Thompson Cup, Oyster Bay, USA, 2-5 Sept
DBS Marina Bay Cup, Singapore, 17-20 Sept
WMRT FINAL - TBA Nov/Dec

wmrt.com

Cape2Rio2020 First Start - 4th January 2020
Click on image for photo gallery.

Years of preparation, dreaming and hard work came to fruition for 13 of the participating Cape2Rio2020 teams, as they took to the blue and rather calm waters of Table Bay, hoisting their sails and embarking on Start One of this adventure of a lifetime, at 14h00 local time on Saturday 4th January 2020.

This is the 16th edition of the premier ocean sailing event that has been held roughly every 3 years since 1971, with competitors aged between 15 and 75 years among those taking part this year.

An underlying theme among the 2020 competitors is their desire to give back as they go, with many adopting their own cause or fundraising project in a Sail4Good commitment to the ocean, the environment and their chosen sport.

At 13h50 the horn signalled the final countdown to the race. At 14h00 the time had come to set sail and they were off, with Mojie, San Salvador, Umoya, Argonaut and JM Busha 54 the first yachts around the inshore marker - before running down parallel to the promenade past the waterfront, across the bay to Milnerton Lighthouse, and then heading up the Cape west coast with destination: Rio.

For these racing teams the wait might be over, but the long voyage and work has just begun, as has the course length of approximately 3600 nautical miles. For this fleet, the South Atlantic crossing is estimated to take about 3 weeks with arrival in Rio de Janeiro towards the end of the month.

cape2rio2020.com

Keep Your New Year's Resolution! Sail in the St. Thomas International Regatta
Start the year off heathy and bright by registering now for the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), March 27-29, 2020. There's no better way to keep in shape mentally and physically than sailing on the U.S. Virgin Islands' warm turquoise seas, under a tropical sun with plenty of tradewinds.

Early entry discount! Pay only US $150, or 50% off the regular entry fee until January 31, 2020. STIR boasts the most classes in the Caribbean. Register in CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association-handicap) Racing or Cruising; IRC; ORC; Multihull; Beach Cat or One Design classes with a minimum length of 20-feet. Plus, there's a new PHRF class this year!

Get an extra day of racing! Register for the Round the Rocks Race, a circumnavigation of neighboring St. John, on March 26: yachtscoring.com.

Bring Your Boat or Charter! Several companies offer charters:
Or, crew, find crew or a charter for STIR through Tendrr: Or, charter an IC24 from the St. Thomas Sailing Center

Getting Here & Staying is Easy! These airlines fly direct from major U.S. cities: American (Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, Philadelphia), Delta (Atlanta, New York), JetBlue (Boston, San Juan), Spirit (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando) and United (Chicago, Houston, Newark, Washington Dulles). Airlines connecting St. Thomas to the Caribbean include Air Sunshine, Cape Air, LIAT and Seaborne Airlines. Accommodations include hotels, B&B's, resorts, villas, condos, VRBO rentals and Airbnb's. Visit: www.visitusvi.com and

'We Love It Here!, You Will Too!' www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com, Email: stycisv [AT] gmail [DOT] com, Call (340) 775-6320.

Ken Read talks sailing, business and more
Shirley Robertson's podcast series of indepth interviews continues this month with a two part edition, as North Sails President Ken Read talks to the British double Olympic gold medallist about his long and accomplished career at the cutting edge of the sport.

Currently in the top executive role at North Sails, Read's sailing history includes helming two America's Cup campaigns, two Volvo Ocean Race campaigns, two US Sailor of the Year Awards and a trophy cabinet stacked with National and World Championship wins.

Read's early perseverance has been sailing's significant gain, he's a key figure in the sport, and has been on the other side of Robertson's interview microphone on countless occasions. This results in a candid and honest exchange, as the pair chat through Read's early career and move into the corporate world at North Sails, through his early America's Cup exploits and onto his Volvo Ocean Race campaigns as skipper of Puma, before discussing the future of the sport and Read's involvement in the record breaking 100ft maxi 'Comanche'.

Listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including iTunes, Spotify, aCast and Google Podcast.

Ku-Ring-Gai and Carabella lead 5.5 Metre Class Cups in Pittwater
At the International 5.5 Metre Class Cups events in Newport, Australia, preceding next week's world championship, Ku-Ring-Gai (AUS62, John Bacon, Terry Wetton, James Mayjor) continue to run away with the Hanko Evolution Cup, while Carabella (ITA 73, Alfredo Delli, Gianluca Marolli, Claudio Mazzanti) has taken over the lead of the Royal Kaag Classic Cup. The Alfred's Gold Cup also started on Monday, with Ali Baba (BAH 23, Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway) winning both races.

After the Scandinavian Gold Cup concluded on Sunday, these three events are great warm up regattas ahead of the World Championship, which begins on Thursday. While the Hanko Evolution Cup and the Royal Kaag Classic Cup are highly sought after Class Cups, the Royal Prince Prince Alfred International 5.5 Metre World Championship Jug has been deeded to the class this year by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and is being raced for for the first time.

The Hanko Evolution Cup, the Royal Kaag Classic Cup and the Alfred's Gold Cup conclude on Tuesday with two more races scheduled. The World Championship begins on Thursday.

Hanko Evolution Cup (after 4 races)
1. Ku-Ring-Gai - John Bacon, Terry Wetton, James Mayjor, ITA, 4
2 Black Magic - Andy Macphail, AUS, 15
3 Skagerak - Steve Brajkovich, Phil Smidmore, Tim Ellis, AUS, 18

Royal Kaag Classic Cup (after 4 races)
1. Carabella - Alfredo Delli, Gianluca Marolli, Claudio Mazzanti, ITA, 6
2. Baragoola - Jason Antill, Damian Macey, Larry Eastwood, AUS, 8
3. Kings Cross - Scott O'Connor, AUS,11

Alfred's Gold Cup (after 2 races)
1. Ali Baba - Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway, BAH, 2
2. Ku-Ring-Gai II - Matt Crawford, Rob Crawford, Matt Visser, AUS, 7
3. Beta Crucis - Martin Cross, Bob Stoddard, Martin Bunch, AUS, 7

Full results

www.rpayc.com.au

New Beneteau 'First 40' Arrival on Dublin Bay is Former French Winning Yacht
The Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Cruiser Zero fleet will get a boost this week when its latest addition drops anchor in Dun Laoghaire Harbour at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

The First 40 La Response, formerly known as Courier Zen and a veteran of several Commodore's Cup teams is Dublin Bay bound according to its former owner Andrew McIrvine, an ex Admiral and Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

McIrvine wrote on social media: 'End of an era. Have been packing up Larry [La Response] to sail off to her new home in Dublin this weekend. Quite a decade. We took her over from Géry T in April 2010'.

Among other results, McIrvine was second in the 2016 RORC IRC National Championship in the cruiser-racer design.

McIrvine bought the boat from French offshore supremo Gery Trentesaux where she was previously known as Courier Zen.

Afloat understands that the new 40-footer is currently on its way from Cowes to new Dublin owners and will be based at the Royal Irish Yacht Club from Tuesday.

It will be a fillip to a seven-boat or more DBSC Cruiser Zero class racing that was in question only a couple of years ago.

According to insiders, the Trentesaux owned Beneteau's are all specially prepared. This particular boat has a twin skinned sandwich hull as against a standard single skin hull. It also has an IRC friendly fin keel rather than a fin and bulb. It also has a high spec carbon mast and keel.

afloat.ie

3D Maps from Latitude Kinsale... for the Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
One more week of voting open for our top ten, and still accepting drink recipes and stories about your favourite.

A serious set of prizes for the winner... a wall plaque, bottle of Wight Vodka, fame and fortune, and the grand prize:

The winning bar gets a custom made 3D map from Latitude Kinsale.

Latitude Kinsale specialises in applying the art of decoupage to marine charts for any location in the world. The process involves precision hand-cutting of nautical marine charts on the depth contour lines, assembling onto mount board where they are re-cut and then assembled to create a wonderful 3 dimensional piece of art that is timeless.

If you wanted a map for someone special, or yourself, it's too late for the holidays, Bobby Nash is all booked up until mid January. But he's headed to BOOT Dusseldorf. You can catch him there at Hall 7 D09. The display will include pieces from the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Holland, the Baltic and the gorgeous piece of the Maldives. Also on display will be a selection of the new Gold coast charts and a chart table.

You can see the one made for last year's winner, Cloggy's of Antigua, view the pie chart of votes (the purple section in the graphic represents the Clarke Cooke House, a bit of a runaway on the voting to date...) all at eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Clipper Race Five: Heart Of The Great Barrier Reef Race
On Day 15 of Race 5: The Heart of The Whitsundays, it's a time for tactical decisions as the race develops with currently just around 730 nautical miles to go to for the front-runners.

Skipper of Imagine your Korea, currently in fifth place, Rob Graham reports: "Imagine your Korea and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam have gambled on going offshore and short-tacking northwards through a band of favourable current, whilst the other boats have gone inshore for better wind, whilst picking their way through adverse current. The next day or two will show who was right."

Having lost out a little in the race to The Whitsundays, WTC Logistics Skipper, Rich Gould remarked: "After the team had pushed so hard, working our way up the leaderboard from 8th to 4th, to find ourselves sitting back in 7th is tough to swallow. With less than 1000 miles to go the opportunities to make up miles on the boats ahead of us reduces. With the previous few days being snake days, here's to hoping the next couple are ladder days."

It is a closely fought race, with routing decisions being made and changed as quickly as the currents change, the last few days of the racing will likely have an exciting finale.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Black flags galore on a tough day at the Australian Laser Championships
It was another frustrating day for sailors and race officials alike at the 2020 Australian Laser Championships. Sandringham Yacht Club was shrouded in smoke, with the gentle southerly breeze not strong enough to blow it away - or allow racing to commence on time.

Finally, a light westerly materialised earlier than forecast and the PRO sent all three fleets out on to the course. But the dramas were just beginning.

The Laser Radials, now split into Gold and Silver fleet, were the first to attempt a start.

With the bushfire smoke becoming thicker and the wind continuing to fluctuate in both direction and velocity, it was a real test of the sailor's instincts and nerve.

There were a number of general recalls as the wind swung by as much as 30 degrees during the pre-start, causing the race committee to eventually start the Gold fleet under Black Flag.

Rio Olympic Champion Marit Bouwmeester (NED) holds on to her overall lead by a single point over Karachaliou and her Dutch team mate Jonker.

The men sailing the Standard rig were not exempt from the problems besetting the Radials and there were six black flags in that fleet also.

The race was won by Luke Elliott of Australia, with Karl-Martin Rammo of Estonia second.

The result moved Elliott into the top 10, but there was little change at the top. Wearn increased his overall lead to nine points over New Zealander Sam Meech, giving him a healthy buffer with only two days left to sail. Another Aussie, Mitch Kennedy, holds third place, six points behind Meech.

The young sailors in the 4.7 fleet showed their older counterparts how it should be done, with just two competitors black flagged.

Singaporean sailors took five of the top six places. Victorian Hamish Cowell was in second place, splitting winner Joelle Lio, a female in the Under 18 category, and third-placed Russell Yom.

Yom now leads the overall standings by a single point from compatriot Jonathan Lio, while Australian Toby Coote is in third.

Race officials will try to get three races sailed tomorrow, when conditions are forecast to be better, with slightly stronger winds and better visibility.

Full results are available at http://sailingresults.net/?ID=80313

laser2020.com

80 Seconds with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a household name in the world of sailing and beyond, but did he ever have a driving ambition to become one of the world's most recognised and accomplished sailors? Also, what have his achievements meant to the sport as a whole since his non-stop solo circumnavigation in 1969?

In what is the penultimate episode of the 80 seconds with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston video series we focus on why sailing has such appeal to him and what it is that keeps him pointing Suhaili's bow to the horizon, heading out to sea. This episode is a must watch for anyone thinking about giving boating a try, as understanding what impact sailing has on such a legendary sailor should provide that final inspiration you need to get out on the water.

Featured Brokerage
2014 ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe. 1,500,000 USD. Located in San Diego, CA

Mighty Merloe is turn-key and race ready. Not only did she win the Transpac in July 2017 but she crossed the finish line in only 4 days, 6 hours and 33 minutes, shattering a 20 year old record by more than a day. A complete refit of the boat was completed in the winter of 2018 including a full structural ultrasound inspection of the boat and appendages.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Kurt Jerman 619-571-3513 kurt [AT] denisonyachtsales [DOT] com

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1925 Johan Anker 49Ft Q-Class Sloop - Leonore. 600000 EUR. Located in France.

This thoroughbred sailing yacht continues to turn heads and offer only transom views. Q-Class yachts offer fun racing for a bunch of friends in boats that look gorgeous - at the dock or on the water - with performance that lives up to looks.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Barney Sandeman
info [AT] sandemanyachtcompany [DOT] co [DOT] uk
+44 (0)1202 330077
33 High Street
Poole, Dorset
BH15 1AB
United Kingdom

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2008 Sly 53 - STEVE WONDER 2. 295000 EUR. Located in Marmaris, Turkey.

The Sly 53 is a very, very good option for both regatta sailing, and family sailing. Fast and strong due to her carbon construction, she is available at a fraction of the price of a Swan, Solaris, etc.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] co [DOT] uk

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise. -- George Whitman

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Wearn closes on fifth Australian Laser title
• Jimmy Spithill is making moves at America's Cup challenger Luna Rossa
• Marlow Expert Shares Sustainable Rigging & Ropecare Lessons at BOOT 2020
• America's Cup Teams begin base construction
• The Ocean Cleanup Completes Mission One In Great Pacific Garbage Patch
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• World Sailing invites Host Cities to bid for 2021 Annual Conference
• World Cup Clash leaves Miami looking light on entries
• A Breezy Bloody Mary In Store For Saturday
• Zane Gills dies in accident at Spanish marina
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Botin IRC 52 “Fox”
• • INTUITION for sale
• • Custom 42 - "Kuka Light"
• The Last Word: George Washington

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Wearn closes on fifth Australian Laser title
With one day left to sail, Matt Wearn, who will be Australia's representative in the Laser class at the Tokyo Olympics, has an unbeatable lead in this year's National Championship.

After three races in almost ideal conditions at Sandringham today, Wearn holds a 29 point lead over his nearest Australian competitor, Luke Elliott.

Wearn won the title in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 but was runner up to Rio Olympic Champion Tom Burton last year.

The past two days have been something of a lottery, with wind strength and direction shifting wildly. But today the wind gods sent steadier breeze, in the 10 to 15 knot range, with only slight shifts in direction that were easily read by the more experienced sailors.

Wearn has put together a very solid regatta, with scores to date of 2, 6, 1, (12), 2, 3, 6, 1, 4. The second discard comes in to play after the first race tomorrow, and with so many low scores, Wearn can afford to have two 'shockers" and still win the title.

Today's race winners were Kiwi Tom Saunders, Wearn and Charlie Buckingham (USA). Wearn leads second-placed Sam Meech (NZL) by 15 points overall, but internationals are not eligible for the title.

Wearn said the conditions were much improved today. "There was a lot less smoke so it was easier to see where the breeze was. (I had) three solid results today, which makes tomorrow a lot easier," he said.

Full results

laser2020.com

Jimmy Spithill is making moves at America's Cup challenger Luna Rossa
Spithill joined the Italian syndicate from Oracle Team USA where he won the 2010 and 2013 Cups before losing the Auld Mug to Emirates Team New Zealand in Bermuda in 2017.

Originally listed as a tactician with Luna Rossa, the Australian has been spotted on the wheel of their new 75-foot foiling monohull as they step up testing and training at their base in Cagliari, Sardinia.

Luna Rossa have long-serving Fancesco Bruni as a helmsman but they would be foolish to ignore the steering claims of the vastly experienced Spithill, one of the best sailors in the foiling game.

Spithill's role at the helm was revealed in video by SardiniaSailing.it as Luna Rossa continued testing in some heavy seas just before their Christmas break.

Luna Rossa, as Challenger of Record and head of the small fleet trying to sort out a winner to take on the Kiwis in March 2021 in Auckland, want the upper-wind limit set at 20 knots.

As revealed by Stuff, Team New Zealand have labelled that "ridiculous" for Auckland conditions and they want a 24 knot limit.

The first of three America's Cup world series regattas will be sailed in Sardinia in April.

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/

Marlow Expert Shares Sustainable Rigging & Ropecare Lessons at BOOT 2020
Marlow Ropes are delighted to offer visitors attending BOOT Dusseldorf 2020, the opportunity to enhance their seamanship skills with an interactive rope-care workshop in the Re-fit Centre Hall 10, Stand D21.

"Sustainability in rigging: Why choosing better quality rope is good for both your pocket and the environment." Will be delivered by Marlow Ropes expert Graham O'Connor who will provide tips on rope maintenance to make your lines last longer. The workshops will be held at the following times and will be followed by splicing workshops on the Marlow stand D21.

19th January, 17:00 - 17:15, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 17:30

20th January, 12:00 - 12:15, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops 11D21 from 12.30

21st January, 17:00 - 17:15, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 17:30

22nd January, 12:45 - 13:00, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 13.15

23rd January, 15:15 - 15:30, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 15:45

24th January, 13:30 - 13:45, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 14.00

25th January, 13:00 - 13:15, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 13.30

26th January, 11:30 - 11:45, Stage - H10 boot Refit Center
Splicing workshops on 11D21 from 12.00

Marlow's Technical and Innovation zone on Stand 10D21, opposite German Distributor Gotthardt. will offer visitors an education in rope and, in addition to splicing, visitors can try various knots, test which ropes work best in cleats, spot rope fatigue and lifetime indicators and learn about Marlow's technical innovations included in their Grand Prix range.

Marlow will also be showcasing their award-winning Blue Ocean Dockline - a sustainable mooring line that is made from 100% waste plastic bottles. The pioneering product, a first in the industry is currently in use by a number of high profile race teams (including the 2019-20 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, 2020 Vendee Globe sustainability campaigner Conrad Colman, the 11th Hr Racing Team and Marine plastic conservationists XXPedition) and continues to gain popularity with a Special Mention awarded at the DAME Awards in 2019.

To find out more visit www.marlowropes.com

America's Cup Teams begin base construction
Progress continues to be on or slightly ahead of time and under budget for the America's Cup base construction in downtown Auckland.

At least two teams have begun construction of their bases in the lead up to the 2021 America's Cup.

On November 30, 2019, the largest new structure in the project, the Hobson Wharf extension, was handed over to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the team of the Challenger of Record.

Some work has now begun on foundations for the teams base. The berthing area for the teams chase boats, and AC75's appears to be complete.

On Wynyard Wharf the demolition of the silos is largely complete. The concrete platforms for INEOS Team UK and NYYC American Magic are complete and have been handed over. INEOS Team UK has started base construction.

The base allocated to Stars + Stripes Team USA is due for completion later in 2020.

The remaining base area on Wynyard Wharf not required for the 2021 America's Cup will be utilised in a public, Cup-related facility.

www.sail-world.com

The Ocean Cleanup Completes Mission One In Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Vancouver BC, Canada: The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic, has brought the first batch of ocean plastic to shore following their first mission in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, announced that this plastic trash will be transformed into sustainable products, that will be sold to help fund the continuation of the cleanup operations. To confirm the origin of these future plastic products, The Ocean Cleanup has worked with DNV GL, an international classification society, to verify plastic that is removed from the ocean.

The purpose of The Ocean Cleanup's first mission in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was to confirm the concept of passive plastic collection by means of the natural forces of the ocean. After several ups and downs, in October 2019 The Ocean Cleanup announced that the system is capturing and collecting plastic debris, from massive ghost nets down to microplastics one millimeter in size.

As this will be the first time it will be attempted to produce products fully made from plastic taken out of the ocean, the road ahead for the catch is likely going to be a challenging. If all goes well, the organization expects to launch this premier product made from material collected in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in September 2020. Details of the product, pricing, and quantity are also set to be announced at this time.

theoceancleanup.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Featured tonight is a famous one that's finish port of the Newport to Bermuda Race: The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Hamilton Bermuda (RHADC, aka the Red Hole Arguing and Drinking Club)

From a native Bermudan reader:

"The views of Hamilton Harbour all are spectacular, as are the sunsets. Warm, inviting, friendly.... just like Bermuda!"

Is there a special drink they make?

"The local Bermuda specialty, Rum Swizzle, but known by our special name.... 'Loud-Mouth Soup'! Nothing beats a fruity rum drink with a generous float of Goslings!"

The Royal Gazette has referred to it as "the legendary Sam swizzle...perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and tourists alike". In addition to providing the "swizzle" portion of the 1933 swizzle stick product name, it has been said that this potent cocktail is "as much a part of Bermuda Island culture and cuisine as is the Bermuda onion, the vibrant hibiscus, or the graceful Bermuda Longtail."

This version comes from the Goslings site;

Makes 6 (!)
4 oz Gosling's Black Seal Rum
4 oz Gosling's Gold Rum
5 oz Pineapple Juice
5 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Grenadine or 2 oz Bermuda Falernum
6 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Into a pitcher 1/3 full of crushed ice add Gosling's Black Seal Rum, Gosling's Gold Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, Grenadine or Bermuda Falernum and Angostura bitters. Churn vigorously until a frothing appears or mix in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass.

Sip, savor, gulp... and then vote for this year's Best Bar: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

World Sailing invites Host Cities to bid for 2021 Annual Conference
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, is inviting Member National Authorities (MNAs) and Host Cities to bid for the 2021 Annual Conference.

The Annual Conference is the central meeting point where the strategy of sailing is reviewed, discussed and celebrated.

The 2021 Annual Conference will be held from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 October 2021 and will be made up of formal meetings, forums, celebrations and tourism activities. The conference creates significant local spend including approximately 1,500 hotel nights, local transport use, spend at restaurants and tourist activities.

A Host City wishing to apply to host and organise World Sailing's 2021 Annual Conference should submit their initial bid no later than 17:00 (UK time) on 30 March 2020.

World Sailing's Board of Directors will review proposals in April 2020 before site visits of shortlisted cities by World Sailing's Business Operations Manager in May 2020.

Information for Bidders.

www.sailing.org

World Cup Clash leaves Miami looking light on entries
A clash of dates has left the Hempel World Cup Series event, 20 to 25 January in Miami, USA, looking light on entries.

With the Nacra 17, 49er, 49erFX, Laser, Radial and RS:X Olympic classes all having their 2020 Worlds take place in Australia in February, and the warm-up events already underway, few top competitors can find the time to attend the Miami event.

The British Sailing Team has only one entry at the USA World Cup event, Luke Patience and Chris Grube in the men's 470, where they will face a top quality fleet including the world champions, Australia's Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan.

The 470 Worlds are slightly later, in March in Spain, so they have plenty of time to fit in the Miami trip.

Although the top British 470 women, the 2019 world champions Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre, are skipping Miami to head straight for the 2020 Worlds warm-up events.

www.sailweb.co.uk/2020/

A Breezy Bloody Mary In Store For Saturday
It's set to be a breezy south-westerly for this Saturday's GJW Direct Bloody Mary, the legendary single-race pursuit race near Heathrow which is also the fifth leg of this season's Selden Sailjuice Winter Series.

With almost 250 boats already entered, it's going to be a tough contest with a lot of the big names and usual suspects vying to get their hands on the coveted trophy. Queen Mary Sailing Club has turned this mammoth event into a smoothly oiled machine, thanks to a legion of club volunteers.

The largest entry is the RS Aero 5 class with more than 30 boats, followed by RS Aero 7 with 24 and the Topper with 21. Overall there are more than 50 different classes signed up. Make sure your class is there too!

Online entry will close at midnight Wednesday 8th January. Get your entry in ASAP at: www.sailjuiceseries.com

Entries will be accepted on the day until the entry limit is reached. The Entry desk will open at 8:00am on Saturday 11th and close at 12:00pm, please arrive early and head to the clubhouse to complete the forms.

As with all events in this season's Selden Sailjuice Winter Series, boats will be provided with SailRacer's GPS tracker units with the action streamed live via the internet and available to analyse after racing. On the day head to Training Room 5 to collect and return your trackers, this is the big room on the ground floor.

As we reach the half way stage, the various overall rankings are still wide open, with four events to count and four events to go.

Results after four events

Zane Gills dies in accident at Spanish marina
Zane Gills, 37, mysterious disappeared from a sailing boat a short time after he and his brother sailed into Port Vell ahead of New Year's Eve. It's thought his brother left him on board to run an errand but when he returned a few hours later there was no sign of the Australian sailor. He was reported missing, prompting a major search by the Guardia Civil before his body was found under the yacht hours later.

Mr Gills was from Australia but lived in Lymington, Hampshire, with his wife Sarah Gills, the daughter of former Domino's pizza chairman Stephen Hemsley.

Mr Gills previously competed in the Ocean Race around the world sailing challenge. A tribute from his sailing team Desafio MAPFRE said: 'Our deepest condolences to all your family and friends and for the whole sailing community.

metro.co.uk

Featured Charter
Emily of Cowes (ex Hurricane)

45ft Humphreys design. Still available for Barbados, BVI, St Thomas, St. Barts and Antigua.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
emilyofcowes [AT] icloud [DOT] com
07990 875563 (mid-Atlantic and incommunicado 24 Nov-8 Dec)
emilyofcowes.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Botin IRC 52 “Fox”. $1,395,000 USD.

FOX now available for sale The current IRC rating of 1.415 makes FOX a highly optimized 52 to race anywhere.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Keiran Searle
Email: KS [DOT] Sailing [AT] gmail [DOT] com
Cell: +1 949 423 8432

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1940 60ft Classic Sailing Yacht "LASSE". 230000 EUR. Located in West cost of France

LASSE was launched in August 1940 in Stubbekobing, when her hull was registered. Her story has not been fully reconstructed, but "Eva" (her original name) was given to Eva Braun by the King of Denmark during a visit before the war.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
+33 (0) 467 66 39 93

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2012 Custom 42 - "Kuka Light". 350000 EUR. Located in La Spezia, Italy.

Less fat, more speed" was the ethos taken when designing and building KUKA LIGHT. This is a special machine, crafted by a very talented and passionate team, with a pure focus on creating a boat that delivers performance and enjoyment in equal measures, thriving in offshore conditions.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter. -- George Washington

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Wearn, Stransky, Riley, Coote and Wadley are 2020 Australian Laser Champions
• RORC Caribbean 600 - Big boat theory
• 80 sailors from 4 continents set for Monaco Optimist Team Race
• 18ft Skiffs: 'The Ocean Challenge'
• Windfoiling debut at 2020 RYA Youth Nationals
• Cowes Week: Radical Changes for Cruiser Classes
• America's Cup: Team New Zealand resume training with modification
• 2019, an important year for the IMOCA class
• America's Cup: Stoush over wind limits escalates
• Correction
• Featured Brokerage:
• • 60ft Classic Sailing Yacht "LASSE"
• • Young 65 Custom Catamaram
• • Black Pearl - Carkeek 47
• The Last Word: Buck Henry

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Wearn, Stransky, Riley, Coote and Wadley are 2020 Australian Laser Champions
With the regatta already won before the final two races, Matt Wearn finished the week with a third and a seventh (which became his second discard) to wrap up his fifth Australian Laser Championship.

Conditions were testing, with strong 18-25 knot south-westerlies kicking up some choppy waves under a sunny sky but the leading sailors all managed the course well. Other winners were Mara Stransky, Brody Riley, Toby Coote and Kirsten Wadley.

Final top five Standard Rig
1. Matt Wearn, AUS, 28
2. Sam Meech, NZL, 39
3. George Gautry, NZL, 52
4. Thomas Saunders, NZL, 53
5. Nick Thompson, GBR, 55

Laser Radial
The Women's Laser Radial class came down to a battle between two Dutch women. Maxime Yonker led the fleet after 10 races but her vastly experienced team mate, the Rio 2016 gold and London 2012 silver medallist Marit Bouwmeester, found something extra, winning the final race and the regatta.

Final top five
1. Marit Bouweester, NED, 37
2. Maxime Jonker, NED, 41
3. Brody Riley, AUS, 52
4. Mirthe Akkerman, NED, 64
5. Mara Stransky, AUS, 69

Laser 4.7
The strong Singapore squad dominated the youth class, taking three of the four top places. Jonathan Lio had an amazing regatta, recording seven bullets from the 11 races.

Toby Coote was third overall and therefore won the boy's title as first Australian. It was his first major win and he said he said he was very pleased, especially considering the high quality of the fleet.

Coote improved as the regatta went on and he put that down to getting in tune with his new boat. He said he's not sure of his future plans but expects he'll soon be too big for the 4.7 and will have to move up to the men's Radial.

Kristen Wadley was first in the girl's with a very creditable seventh overall to take her fourth title in a row.

Final top five
1. Jonathan Lio, SGP, 16
2. Russell Yom, SGP, 29
3. Toby Coote, AUS, 40
4. Isaac Schotte, AUS, 66
5. Darius Lee, SGP, 71

Full results

RORC Caribbean 600 - Big boat theory
For the 12th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600, 21 teams - racing yachts of 50ft (15.24m) or over - have already signed up for the 600-mile blast around 11 Caribbean Islands. The competition in all the classes will be as fierce as ever. However, history has shown that the best performer in the big boat class is likely to be rewarded with the overall win. Since the first race in 2009 overall victory under IRC for the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy has been dominated by big boats.

Peter and David Askew (USA) racing Volvo 70 Wizard will be defending last year's overall win. Wizard's crew will include stars from the Volvo Ocean Race: Charlie Enright (USA), Robert Greenhalgh (GBR), Phil Harmer (AUS), Will Oxley (AUS), Mark Towill (USA), Curtis Blewett (CAN) and Richard Clarke (CAN).

Four examples of Nautor's Swan have already entered the 2020 RORC Caribbean 600, including 2009 winning skipper Adrian Lee (IRL) who will be racing his Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners II. Swan 95 Lot 99, sailed by Jeroen Van Dooren (NED) is the largest Maxi entered to date. Race founder and long-standing RORC member John Burnie (GBR) will be taking part in his tenth race on board Lot 99. Burnie has raced on board a number of Maxis and superyachts in the race. In 2009, Burnie skippered Claude Telier's Orma 60 Region Guadeloupe to victory in the Multihull Class, setting a record that was not bettered until 2015.

Lee Overlay Partners II will be racing in IRC One and similar rivals include the classic 1974 restored Swan 65 Libelula, sailed by Francisco de Borja Pella (ESP) and OnDeck's Paul Jackson racing Antiguan Farr 65 Spirit of Juno. Proven winners in IRC One include: Giles Redpath (GBR) racing Lombard 46 Pata Negra, Philippe Frantz's (FRA) NM43 Albator and RP37 Taz, raced by Bernie Evan Wong (ANT) who has competed in every edition of the race.

New to this year's race will be GP42 Phan which has been chartered by Patrick and Catherine Keohane (GBR). The couple have raced before, but this is the first time in IRC One. The pocket rocket will be co-skippered by Catherine Keohane and performance coach Nigel King.

The 12th edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's RORC Caribbean 600 will start on Monday 24th February 2020 from Antigua. -- Louay Habib

caribbean600.rorc.org

80 sailors from 4 continents set for Monaco Optimist Team Race
The team racing elite in the Optimist class will battle it out for supremacy at the Yacht Club de Monaco in the 11th Monaco Optimist Team Race (MOTR 9-12 Jan). This year, for the first time since its launch, there are 20 teams from 20 countries in competition.

An original format involving teams of 4 (4 sailors on 4 Opis) competing on equal terms in the form of duels, the round-robin phase when all teams meet each other is followed by the quarter- then semi- then finals. For all the youngsters the goal is to help their team win as many matches as possible.

Organised by the YCM with support from FxPro, Eventica, Fon, SLAM and Erplast, this year's event has teams from Russia (Kaliningrad Yacht Club), South Africa (Royal Cape Yacht Club), Uruguay (Yacht Club Punta del Este) and China (Visun Royal Yacht Club).

Last year, four heats were organised at four venues in Xiamen, Shenzen, Suzhou and Sanya attracting 200 Chinese youngsters. At the end of each regatta, the first 12 went through to the final regatta heat held August 2019 in Sanya at the Visun Royal Yacht Club, which determined who would be heading to the Principality.

They are: Lu Saiya, Chen Nan (Ironrock Sailing Club - Xiamen), Liang Yanbo, Chen Qiyun (Fuzhou DH Yo Sailing Club - Fuzhou) and Chen Jiahan (Shenzhen Vanhang Sailing & Yachting Sports Culture Dev Co Ltd - Shenzhen). The winning team for this 11th edition will be invited to the Visun Royal Yacht Club in August 2020 as guests to take part in the Chinese national heats for 2021 MOTR.

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/

18ft Skiffs: 'The Ocean Challenge'
Chesty Bond's crew flying high on the wings. Click on image for photo gallery.

When the Australian 18 Footers League's 2019-2020 Season resumes racing on Sunday, January 12, it will be 35 years since the club celebrated its 50th Anniversary in January 1985 by staging a unique event, which produced, as it's finale, one of the most spectacular 18ft Skiff races in the sport's more than 125-year history.

The regatta, 'The State Bank Gold Cup', was conducted over the weekends of January 5 & 6, and 12 & 13, and carried total prizemoney of $7,500 as well as a gold cup to the winner.

There were seven races in the event. The first six races were sailed over specially designed courses on Sydney Harbour. Prizemoney for the top six placegetters in those races was $5,500.

The final race, The Ocean Challenge, was undoubtedly the highlight of the series.

With $2,000 prizemoney up-for-grabs, 19 boats lined up for the Le Mans-style start on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach.

Skippers had to run to their boats, which were being held ready by the other two crew members, sail around the Palm Beach headland, go to sea, then head south along the shoreline to the 'Heads' at the opening to Sydney Harbour.

Once inside the harbour, the 18s had to race to the finish line, which was positioned east of the Sydney Opera House.

It was the first ocean-going 18ft Skiff race ever staged and came with all the fanfare expected from such a unique contest.

The fleet included some of the greatest names in the history of 18ft Skiff Racing in Australia, including six JJ Giltinan (world) champions: Trevor Barnabas (Chesty Bond), Julian Bethwaite (Prime Computer), Peter Sorensen (Tia Maria), Robert Brown Bradmill), John Winning (Flora Margarine) and Michael Walsh (Stubbies).

Bradmill, Chesty Bond and Tia Maria were the three top skiffs of that season. Along with Anthony Scali's Nick Scali Furniture, they were the leaders as the fleet cleared Barrenjoey headland, set their spinnakers and headed south towards Sydney Harbour.

Once clear of the headland, Bradmill stayed close to the shore, Chesty Bond was further away from the shore, and Tia Maria was even further out to sea.

Incredibly, after 1hr43m15s and 26 miles of top speed ocean racing down the coast, followed by a spinnaker match race down Sydney Harbour, Chesty Bond's crew of Trevor Barnabas, Phil Barnett and Adam South grabbed the honours by just 1s. from Tia Maria's team of Peter Sorensen, David 'Big Kite' Stephens and Mark Peelgrane. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com

Windfoiling debut at 2020 RYA Youth Nationals
The RYA Youth National Championships will enter an exciting new era in 2020 with the latest Olympic discipline of windfoiling set to make its debut.

Windfoiling, an evolution of windsurfing, will replace the RS:X at the Paris 2024 Olympics and will be the third class to 'fly' alongside the Nacra 17 and Formula Kite.

To ensure that youth racing in the UK remains at the cutting edge of the sport, the RYA Youth Nationals will feature three foiling windsurfing fleets racing Starboard IQFoil boards.

It follows the introduction of kitefoiling, another new Olympic discipline, at the 2019 regatta, the UK's premier youth racing event.

Kitefoiling returns to the Youth Nationals in 2020 alongside the highly-contested Laser, Laser Radial, 420, Nacra 15 and 29er - all British Youth Sailing Recognised classes.

Entries are now open to the Youth Nationals, which will be hosted at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, from April 3 to 10.

To enter the 2020 RYA Youth Nationals and download the Notice of Race

Cowes Week: Radical Changes for Cruiser Classes
Here's what you can look forward to at Cowes Week 2020

Firstly, we will be running nine IRC classes, up from eight last year, as splitting class five into two classes (which we called A and B) worked really well. It enabled us to separate out lighter-weight asymmetric boats, and the feedback from competitors on this was excellent. Knowing that in advance means it makes sense to rename the classes Zero through Nine, but it won't make a huge difference to the IRC class splits in reality.

Secondly, we are splitting the cruiser division into two entirely separate entities, to be called Performance Cruisers (4 divisions as in 2019) and Club Cruisers (2 divisions). With luck the class names give the game away! We will be making racing available for what, in essence, are two entirely different types of boats and will be encouraging people to enter the right division based on their boat type. Modern cruising boats with bulb keels and epoxy construction deserve a class of their own, as do some of the more genuine cruisers, and the two will now be able to race separately.

The new Club Cruiser division will also enable people who have not entered Cowes Week in the past to be able to do so, even if their boats really are set up for cruising most of the time.

www.cowesweek.co.uk

America's Cup: Team New Zealand resume training with modification
Team New Zealand have returned to testing and training with modifications made or still under way to their new America's Cup boat.

The defenders began a crucial phase of their preparations on Wednesday, fresh off a short Christmas break.

Their 75-foot monohull has been in the shed with some work being done by the shore crew over the break with the most obvious difference being the absence of the bowsprit.

www.stuff.co.nz

2019, an important year for the IMOCA class
New and more efficient monohulls, high intensity racing, beautiful partnerships with Iridium Communications and Thales, new program with The Ocean Race and a lot of emotions shared with all of you, thank you! Relive this season full of emotions and new things, which announce an exceptional new year with an exciting Vendee Globe!

America's Cup: Stoush over wind limits escalates
Earlier this morning (Thursday NZT), Emirates Team New Zealand posted a clarification of the next steps in the wind limits/match conditions dispute with Luna Rossa (ITA) the Challenger of Record.

"Emirates Team New Zealand was therefore very surprised to learn that the current stance of the Challenger of Record in relation to wind limits does not reflect the collective position of all Challengers." the statement said.

Overnight another of the so-called "Super teams", in the 36th America's Cup, Team INEOS UK, confirmed to Sail-World NZ that the comments made by NYYC American Magic CEO/Skipper, Terry Hutchinson in an interview published in The Washington Post were "factually correct".

In the interview published on Tuesday (NZT) the CEO/Skipper of the New York Yacht Club team told AP's Bernie Wilson that NYYC American Magic was unhappy to read various reports that said it and INEOS Team UK had any say in the matter of Match Conditions.

"To be crystal clear, these decisions are between the Challenger of Record and defender, and we have zero say in it,' Hutchinson told AP.

Emirates Team New Zealand appears to be claiming to have been misled by the Challenger of Record, in that the CoR have not presented a position, supported by the majority of challengers regarding wind limits.

Richard Gladwell's full report in Sail-World: www.sail-world.com/news/

Correction
The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club is finish line port for the Marion to Bermuda race. Note the Newport to Bermuda Race. The finish port for Newport to Bermuda race is the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

My error is particularly egregious because I'm the webmaster for Marion to Bermuda and have done decades of website work for RBYC events. I have had family members with dementia, it's nothing to scoff at. But I don't think I've hit that milestone yet. Just aging and prone to error. Old man (kinda) yellling at clouds, etc...

Featured Brokerage
1940 60ft Classic Sailing Yacht "LASSE". 230000 EUR. Located in West cost of France

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
+33 (0) 467 66 39 93

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2017 Young 65 Custom Catamaran. 1,695,000 EUR. Located in La Spezia, Italy

2017-launched carbon fibre performance bluewater catamaran, based on the Greg Young designed TAG 60 but with full custom construction. A very special yacht!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - James McNeil
Tel: +44 (0)7979 907210
Email: james [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

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Black Pearl - Carkeek 47. 750,000 EUR.

BlackPearl is frequently seen at the front of her class in the Caribbean 600, Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex MiddleSea race to name but a few.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Marc Lagesse
+34 662 510 597
marc [DOT] lagesse [AT] gmail [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
I do believe that a lot of directors, and writers, and sometimes producers just lose their edge because they haven't seen anybody or talked to anybody or been with anybody who isn't a kind of replica of themselves for a long period of time. -- Buck Henry

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Artemis XIV takes first race as 2020 5.5 Metre World Championship opens
• Dragon Grand Prix Spain & European Cup
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Record Fleet at M32 Miami Winter Series
• WASZP Nationals - Strong fleet and international flavour
• How Phil Sharp set an impressive new solo record around the Isle of Wight
• Etchells: Ensuring and enshrining singularity and uniformity
• Joel Beashel crowned 2020 Musto Australian Optimist Champion
• Industry News
• Johnson Wooderson (Woody)
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 82 'Grey Goose'
• • Cookson 50 - Endless Game
• • SWAN 40-148 Solenia
• The Last Word: Henry Kissinger

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Artemis XIV takes first race as 2020 5.5 Metre World Championship opens
Newport, Australia: The opening race of the 2020 International 5.5 Metre World Championship, hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Newport, Australia, was sailed in a moderate southerly on the Palm Beach Circle. Winner of last week's Scandinavian Gold Cup and defending world champions, Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen), led the race from start to finish.

Girls on Film (GBR 40, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Andrew Mills) was second with New Moon II (BAH 24, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov) crossing in third. There are 24 boats from seven nations taking part including 12 Moderns (built after 1993), nine Evolutions (built between 1970 and 1993) and three Classics (built before 1970).

At the Class AGM on Wednesday evening the members were encouraged to hear about the first new boats being built in recent years. Two were built in 2019, including, New Moon II, and at least two more are under construction for launching in early 2020. Many boats are changing hands and it is hoped this growth will bring some new owners into the class.

The meeting also heard about the new event strategy proposed by the Committee, including putting together a major championship plan four to five years in advance and also managing the annual calendar better so that travel between events is minimised and that non-European competitors can do the maximum events with minimal time in Europe.

There were also lively and constructive discussions on various technical issues including use of electronic devices and the age-old dialogue on separate rudders and classic boats.

Finally, the meeting voted to have the 2021 Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship in Hankø, Norway, a return to one of the class's favourite venues. The world championship has been held there seven times previously, the last time in 2009. A call was also made for proposals for events from 2022 to 2025 to build an event programme for the coming years.

The world championship continues Friday with two more races scheduled. A series of nine races concludes on Monday.

Results after first race
1. Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen)
2. Girls on Film (GBR 40, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Andrew Mills)
3. New Moon II (BAH 24, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov)
4. Ali Baba (BAH 23, Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway)
5. Clark Kent (NOR 64, Petter Fjeld, Christen Horn Johannson, Thomas Borgan)

Full results

Event website: www.rpayc.com.au

Dragon Grand Prix Spain & European Cup
Hugo Stenbeck's Sophie Racing, helmed by Bernardo Freitas and crewed by Martin Westerdahl and Lars Linger, has won the Dragon Grand Prix European Cup Finals after a day of intense competition on the Bay of Palma.

The opening day's four qualifying fleet races saw ten teams move forward into the final day of competition. Overnight leader Evgenii Braslavets of Italy received a bye into the Final and second placed Nicola Friesen of Germany a bye into the Semifinal, so at 13:30 the remaining eight teams came to the line to contest the Quarterfinal and decide which five boats would join Friesen in the Semi.

Four teams lined up for one last showdown to decide the winner of the Dragon Grand Prix European Cup Finals; Italy's Evgenii Braslavets sailing Bunker Prince with Sergey Pugachev and Sergey Timorkhov; Russia's Dmitry Samokhin sailing Rocknrolla with Kasper Harsberg and Andrey Kirilyuk; Germany's Nicola Friesen, sailing Khaleesi with Vincent Hoesch and Aleksey Bushuev; and the Swiss Sophie Racing team of Hugo Stenbeck, being helmed for this event by Bernardo Freitas after Stenbeck had been called away unexpectedly. Freitas and regular crew Martin Westerdahl were joined in the boat by Lars Linger who normally coaches the team.

The Race Committee shortened both the start line and leg length and with around six knots from 020 degrees the race was underway. While Freitas cruised to the line for victory Samokhin did all he could to pass Braslavets and the two boats virtually match raced into the finish, but Braslavets hung on for the silver medal by inches from Samokhin with Friesen fourth.

This first year of the new Dragon Grand Prix Cup Series has been a resounding success and already the programme for the 2020 Series has been confirmed. The competition will open with the Dragon Grand Prix Spain, which will be run in conjunction with the Trofeo Princess Sofia in Palma from 26-29 March. Scarlino will host the Dragon Grand Prix Italy from 27 to 30 May and then from 19 to 22 August the teams will gather in Douarnenez for the Dragon Grand Prix France. The season will close with the Dragon Grand Prix Portugal followed by the Dragon Grand Prix European Cup Finals in Vilamoura from 2 to 7 November.

Dragon Grand Prix European Cup Finals Results

1. SUI311 - Sophie Racing - Hugo Stenbeck/Bernardo Freitas
2. ITA77 - Bunker Prince - Evegenii Braslavets
3. RUS76 - Rocknrolla - Dmitry Samokhin
4. GER1207 - Khaleesi - Nicola Friesen

Final Results

Spanish Report

www.internationaldragonsailing.net

Seahorse January 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
Busier than you think, but a huge amount to go, Mule to Defiant, a (pleasingly) smooth transition, speaking to le homme himself, keeping the Hobart fleet safe and Juan Kouyoumdjian's little rocket really starts to rumble. Plus Guillaume Verdier's secret green weapon. Rob Kothe, Dave Kellet, Terry Hutchinson, Jack Griffin, David Raison, Axel Capron

Just plain wet
Ainhoa Sanchez

Thinking big
... but it's still about working with what you have. Rob Weiland

Missed opportunity
When World Sailing gathered in Bermuda in November it looked as if many of those prayers were about to be answered... Ian Walker

Thrillingly close
The second edition of The Nations Trophy attracted teams from 14 countries... and an impressive turn-out of the world’s best sailors

Paul Cayard - Right again
Young and dumb vs old and smart

Special rates for EuroSail News subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

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Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Record Fleet at M32 Miami Winter Series
More than 15 teams have signed up for the series this winter. The American fleet is growing steadily, and several teams are using the M32 Demo Boat to get into the class. Meanwhile, European teams will take advantage of Miami's warm weather to keep their form during winter.

The team to beat is Convexity helmed by Don Wilson. Convexity is both the reigning World Champion and is holding the Rooster Trophy for winning last year's Miami Winter Series. There is no lack of challengers and plenty of teams are aiming for the top spot. Pieter Taselaar's Bliksem and Jennifer Wilson's Convergence, both podium placed at the Worlds have shown before that Convexity is beatable in a regatta series.

The January event marks the start of the road to the 2020 World Championship. Globally there will be more than 15 events this year before the season ends, with the major event of the class, the World Championship in November, also in Miami. The racing this year will be in Miami, Newport, Chicago, and in classic sailing venues across Europe.

Team List M32 Miami Winter Series
NED - Bliksem - Pieter Taselaar
USA - Bronco - Michael Dominguez
USA - Convergence - Jennifer Wilson
USA - Convexity - Donald Wilson
USA - Gravedigger - James Prendergast
BER - Hedgehog - Alec Cutler
SWE - Inga from Sweden - Richard Goransson
NED - LeeLoo - Harold Vermulen
USA - Midtown - Larry Philips
USA - REV - Rick DeVos
SUI - Section 16 - Richard Davies
AUT - Stella Maris - August Schram
USA - Surge - Ryan McKillen
USA - XS Energy - Ryan DeVos
USA - Youth American M32 - Carina Becker

M32 Racing 2020

Europe
March 13-15 - Warm-up event Sanremo
April 17-19 - Warm-up event Sanremo
May 22-24 - Euro1 Sanremo
June 12-14 - Euro 2 Amsterdam
July 10-12 Euro 3 Marstrand
Aug 7-9 - Euro 4 TBD
Sep 4-6 Euro 5 and European Championship Lake Garda

North America
Jan 10-12 - Miami Winter Series 1
Feb 7-9 - Miami Winter Series 2
Mar 20-22 - Miami Winter Series 3
April 24-26 - Sandbar Cup Miami
Jun 5-7 - Midtown Cup Newport
Jul 17-19 - Midtown Cup Newport
Aug 21-23 - M32 Regatta TDC
Sept 18-20 - NA Championship Chicago
Nov 16-22 - M32 World Championship Miami

www.m32world.com

WASZP Nationals - Strong fleet and international flavour
The 2020 Australian WASZP National Championships set to be hosted by Port Stephens Aquatic Sailing Club from the 24-27th of January is set to assemble a strong fleet of 40-45 boats for the first ever nationals held in NSW.

The class is booming worldwide since production began in 2016 and has now introduced 1000s of people to foiling. Australia is taking the lead and has some of the best sailors in the country as well as some quality visitors from around the world.

Locally Sydney has really taken off in 2019 with 25 boats being sold into the greater Sydney region in 2019 with strong fleets now racing regularly on Pittwater and out of Woolhara Sailing Club. This contingent will be met by a force of sailors from Victoria and WA. Some of the names coming from interstate are last years Australian Champion Tom Trotman who recently placed 23rd at the Moth Worlds in Perth, Brad Devine from Perth is fresh off a strong showing at the I14 Worlds also in Perth and if the breeze is up look out. Jack Felsenthal from Victoria has taken all before him in 2019 being undefeated in Victoria during the 2019 season while also showing strong form with a 4th place at the WASZP European Championships.

www.revolutionise.com.au/pssac/events/57949/

How Phil Sharp set an impressive new solo record around the Isle of Wight
Some people shave seconds off a record, others smash them to bits. Phil Sharp's latest quest in his Class 40 'Oceans Lab' saw him slip into the smash and grab category as he set an impressive new time for a solo lap of the Isle of Wight that will take some beating in the future. As always, Phil recorded his trip with some superb footage. Shortly after he had finished PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan stepped aboard to hear about his latest record run.

Etchells: Ensuring and enshrining singularity and uniformity
Over the course of their exemplary 50-year history, the Etchells Class has regularly taken the opportunity to review itself. The mission is to ensure that the singularity of focus remains on delivering the best One Design racing, and that there is uniformity of vessels from across the decades, and from the three different builders.

All items that require a modification to the Class Rules, like say the electric bilge pumps, go through the Technical Committee for analysis before being voted on by the Governors. The Class Measurer also undertakes reviews at World Championships, and liaises with the builders throughout the year, including factory visits.

In 2011, the Australian Association produced a new mould from scans of boats produced by all three existing moulds. This was subsequently approved after being re-measured on completion, and it has been creating new Etchells ever since from its home at Innovation Composites in Nowra on the NSW South Coast.

Queries regarding the symmetry of this mould and therefore its boats, along with the laminating schedule used to create said vessels have been received. This has prompted the Governors to approve scans of two boats from each of the three builders to form the basis of an audit of the fleet as produced by all three builders.

This will include the Chief Measurer, Bill Abbott, attending the Australian manufacturer using a single set of templates across the selected elements to establish if any variances exist, in addition to investigating the laminate issue.

Mark Roberts, President of the International Etchells Class of Australia said, "The review has commenced, and the results are to be delivered to the Governors once the review has been completed. At that time, any rectification works that may be required will be evaluated, put into place, and announced to the sailing public." -- John Curnow

www.sail-world.com/news/

Joel Beashel crowned 2020 Musto Australian Optimist Champion
11-year-old Aussie Joel Beashel has jumped up the leaderboard on the final day of the 2020 Musto Optimist Nationals to be crowned Australian champion and first overall in the regatta against a string of talented international entrants.

The final day of the event started with little optimism about the forecast, with almost no wind at 11am for the scheduled start time and a hazy cloud build up.

The fleet was held ashore until 12.30pm when a light sea breeze started to filter in, blowing the haze away and allowing the fleet to get their final two races of the series underway.

In the Gold fleet it was super tight at the top and sailors were also preparing for the second drop to come into play after the first race of the day, which was set to create a huge shuffle in the leaders.

French sailor Zou Schemmel took the overall lead after the first race of the day with a win, while the 11-year-old Beashel slipped through to a second place to really shake things up at the top.

The first-placed female sailor Samara Walshe from the United States was also very much in the hunt for the overall title going into the last race, as was Rocco Wright from Ireland, while the overnight leader, Australia's Matty Goss, was still sailing consistently, all creating a great tussle for the final race.

Full results

Industry News
Discovery Yachts Group restructures under newly formed holding company

In an exclusive insight into the current and future situation of the UK-based Discovery Yachts Group Ltd (DYGL), IBI has learnt that a new ownership structure has been put in place that will save all the employee jobs and give the company a strong basis for going forward.

This major change has been introduced in response to DYGL entering administration and its associated company, Discovery Yacht Sales Ltd (DYSL) being placed in voluntary liquidation. As part of the restructuring, the DYGL yacht model range has been simplified.

In a statement, John Burnie, Discovery's managing director, told IBI: "As of now (January 9, 2020) all our business interests will be conducted through one entity - the solid foundation of the Discovery Shipyard which is now the principal operating subsidiary of Binti Marine Holdings Ltd. In addition, the range of yachts offered by the Discovery Shipyard will be simplified."

www.ibinews.com

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The RYA Dinghy Show in association with Yachts & Yachting returns to Alexandra Palace, London, over the weekend of 29 February- 01 March. The 2020 show theme is 'a world of opportunity- see where dinghy sailing can take you.'

As well as over 170 exhibitors showcasing everything you need to get out on the water, the show will feature a brand new line up of talks and coaching sessions from world-class experts.

Double Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton (OBE) will be joining forces with the British Sailing Team's Sam Whaley and Olympic sailor Annie Lush to host expert speakers across the Great Hall Stage, West Hall Stage and the Knowledge Zone.

Great Hall Stage
If adventure cruising is your thing then you won't want to miss record breaking adventure sailors Rich and Will who will be sharing their story of their non-stop British circumnavigation in their Wayfarer Nipegegi (12.30).

Members of the British Sailing Team who'll be taking on the world at this summer's Games in Tokyo take to the stage at 11.45am and we also hear how environmental campaigns from The Green Blue, The Big Plastic Pledge and the Final Straw are protecting the waters we sail at 14.15.

West Hall Stage
Over in the West Hall, Neil Peters, alter ego Stick Daring, shares his incredible tale of sailing the wrong way around Britain in his 13ft Laser Dinghy (3.00pm) and for our youth and junior sailors, Jonny McGovern uses a 420 dinghy to demonstrate how to get more speed out of your double-handed boat (13.00).

Knowledge Zone
Over in the Knowledge Zone don't miss Olympic Silver Medallist Luke Patience who will be joined by British Sailing Team's Eilidh McIntyre to share expertise on how to communicate in the boat when the pressure is on (16.00 Saturday only).

All ages are welcome to join Alex Hopson (trainer to the British Sailing Team) for a fitness session which will get you race ready (13.00). We also welcome the return of dinghy show favourites including Meteorologist Simon Rowell who will be sharing his top tips on how to get a good forecast and apply it to your sailing whether you're a racer or a cruiser.

For the all the latest speaker and schedule updates visit www.dinghyshow.org.uk

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The Valencia Boat Show will be held from the 28th of October to the 1st of November in La Marina de Valencia. 40% of 2019 exhibitors have already confirmed their presence in 2020.

The organising team of the Valencia Boat Show, directed by Nacho Gomez - Zarzuela, will continue at the helm of the event in its 2020 edition, which will be held from the 28th of October to the 1st of November in La Marina de Valencia, as confirmed yesterday by the of the Union de Empresas Náuticas the organising body of the event.

The success of 2019, with over 22.000 visitors during the five days of the show and 10.000 attendees to the concerts celebrating the anniversary of La Marina de Valencia, together with the large number of operations underway or already closed by exhibitors, have been the best seal of approval for the event, which in its 11th edition held this November, made a strategic shift to commit to combining the professional space for exhibition and sale of boats, engines, accessories and marine services and an open area with free access to the public with a wide offer of activities related to the sea.

Another point of value of the Valencian exhibition is without doubt the involvement of Feria Valencia as strategic partner, contributing its extensive experience and know-how in organising events.

www.valenciaboat.com

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The Sun Odyssey 410 wins the "British Yachting Awards" in the category of "Cruiser of the Year" 2019.

The Sun Odyssey 410 received the honors last Monday during the British Yachting Awards celebration at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London.

This prestigious award from Sailing Today and Yachts and Yachting magazines honors each year the sailing world, from cruising to regattas.

For the second year in succession, Internet users had the privilege of voting for and electing their favourite boats in a range of categories.

This prize highlights the significant collaborative work between the Jeanneau crew, Marc Lombard and Jean-Marc Piaton, respectively the architect and designer of the Sun Odyssey 410.

www.jeanneau.com

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UK Sailmakers has expanded its worldwide group of lofts by adding a new sales office in Budapest, Hungary. Tamas Bakos, who has more than 20 years of experience as a sailmaker, is bringing his expertise to UK Sailmakers group. Tamas is one of the leading racing sailors in Hungary and campaigned Solings and Flying Dutchman in the 60s, 70s and 80s. On the other end of the sailing spectrum, he also sailed on IOR maxi boats.

www.uksailmakers.com

Johnson Wooderson (Woody)
On Saturday morning, with a 9 knot breeze from wsw, our mate Woody headed out to sea.

Woody meant so much to so many people. To me, he was the tactician/navigator on Cambria, old school and thoroughly reliable, no fancy electronics, just well prepared with chart, pencil and binoculars in hand. Conversations between our captain Chris Barkham and Woody went like this: Woody would mumble: Chris? Answer: Yeah, Woody: yes, Chris: yeah yeah, no worries; Tacking! And in-between there was the Woody wittering, endless stories filled with sense and the all-important nonsense. Whether what he said mattered or didn't, there was always something about the way he spoke that made it worth listening too; the sheer joy of listening to his voice.

And Woody raced with the best of the best, top tier Flying Dutchman in the Sixties, Admirals Cup, Transat, Fastnets, the mighty schooners Elena, Adix, Altair and of course Int. 15-Metre The Lady Anne. For decades he was on the sailing world's "most wanted list", you see, everyone knew that going out to sea with Woody meant you stood a better chance, that you would never be lost, not for position, not for stories, not for laughs, not for the finest of company. Try walking down the dock with him, the stories would come out as of course, he knew everyone and often to his own surprise, even more people knew him.

Over the past 16 years Cambria was his home away from home, and, over all those years he missed just two regattas, such was his love for sailing with her. And for us on board: we all loved him to bits, of course we did, as a friend, a seaman and a legend. He was as complete a gentlemen as they get; confident yet humble, a man who always treated everyone around him with equal admiration and respect.

What a joy to have raced with him, what a privilege it was to have him as a friend.
Sail on dear Woody, sail on -- John Lammerts van Bueren

* From Jason Ker, kerdesign.com

I’d like to make clear that the keel lost by the Ker 40 ‘Showtime’ was not designed by Ker Yacht Design. The yacht had a retrofit keel fitted, designed by its owner’s local design office near Sydney and built by a local fabricator.

We have designed a great many keels over the last 23 years which have been constructed by many different builders around the world, none have ever failed. To the best of our knowledge, Showtime is the only yacht designed by us to have had a keel fitted that was not designed by us.

The keel, designed by the owner’s local Naval Architect, was configured as a vertical hollow strut welded to a horizontal mounting plate, which in turn was sitting in a shallow recess in the boat’s hull and bolted to the boat’s structure. This is not a design approach we would ever endorse as the high stress point at the junction is coincident with the horizontal welded joint.

The skipper of the delivery voyage Rob Buchanan and his crew only survived through extremely calm thinking and bravery under stressful circumstances. Rob woke hearing a metallic ‘Ping’ just before he was thrown across the boat from his windward bunk as they capsized.

While they made their plans to escape it was apparent to Rob that the inverted boat was holding air pressure in the hull, so the top plate of the keel can only have remained fully bolted to the yacht. When the crew swam down out of the boat, they saw that the vertical part of the keel was missing, revealing that the keel had failed at the welded joint between the exposed vertical and the recessed horizontal parts.

Ker Design would support any World Sailing move to ban this low cost but high risk style of ‘welded T’ keel construction.

Featured Brokerage
2006 Swan 82 'Grey Goose'. 2,950,000 EUR VAT Paid. Located in Valencia, Spain

This Nautor's Swan 82 FD "Grey Goose" has been built for two defined missions. One is luxurious and short handed family cruising with performance but without any stress on deck. The second mission is competitive racing in all conditions inshore as well as offshore and even transatlantic racing. She is not a pure race boat even more she demonstrates the real Swan DNA by accomplishing both missions in a perfect manner beeing comfortable, sea worthy and very fast. She has proven her outstanding performance in several racing events and in numerous family holidays cruises.

See listing details in Nautors Swan brokerage

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07

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2004 Cookson 50 - Endless Game. 625000 EUR. Located in Naples, Italy.

The quite incredible Cookson 50 yachts do not come on the market very often, and when they do, they are rarely as good as ENDLESS GAME. Amazing specification and maintained as well as a yacht can be. Please do call for her full specification and for more

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com

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1999 Swan 40 'Solenia'. 230,000 EUR VAT Paid. Located in Argentario - Tuscany, IT

Beautiful model of Swan 40.

The hull n. 48 launched in 1999 and finally on the market!

40-148 was built with very special specifications by the first owner and then excellently maintained that probably one of the most Swan 40s in the world.

See listing details in Nautors Swan Brokerage

Contact
Stefano Leonardi
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +39 0766 20602

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
The illegal we can do right now; the unconstitutional will take a little longer. -- Henry Kissinger

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Cape to Rio Race Second Start
• Team New Zealand release remarkable new AC75 sailing footage
• USA triumph ahead of Sweden & Monaco in Monaco Optimist Team Race
• 18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 5
• Wins for Shaolin and Ali Baba, but Artemis XIV extends at 5.5 Metre Worlds
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar -- Voting ends 2399 GMT Tuesday
• ORC 2020 VPP and Rules now available
• Etchells Australian Championship
• Clipper Race: Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam secures line honours in race to the Whitsundays
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 105 RS Child of Lir
• • Marten 67 - "Caol Ila"
• • Baltic Yachts 43
• The Last Word: Elizabeth Holmes

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Cape to Rio Race Second Start
Start 2: Saturday 11 January 2020 in Table Bay, Cape Town
1400B:Monohulls with an ORC GPH of 600 or less.
1430B:Multihulls with a Texel/OMR TR (calculated) 140 or less.

They're off! At 14.30 local time (12.30 UTC, 13.30 Italian time) Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70's Team crossed the starting line of the 16th edition of the Cape2Rio, the 3.600-mile-long historical transoceanic race from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro.

In Table Bay's waters, before the South African city, Maserati Multi 70 and the competitor LoveWater set sail with 10/12 knots of Westerly wind. After a few minutes Maserati Multi 70's Team, on the wake of their competitor, reached the second turning mark, to the North, where the wind dropped abruptly to 3 knots, making the manoeuvres very slow and difficult. Having cleared the obstacle, the Italian trimaran was forced to sail with just the main sail to solve a technical problem: after twenty minutes Soldini's Team was able to unfurl the headsail and started chasing their competitor, a few miles ahead, at top speed.

The weather conditions expected are typical of this region, with a high pressure zone situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean: for the first 36 hours there will be a Southerly wind, that will then get lighter and turn more South-Easterly first, and more Easterly later. The Italian Team will have to find the ideal route to pass the high pressure without sailing in the middle of it and without extending the course too much.

Aboard Maserati Multi 70 the skipper Giovanni Soldini is sailing with a 7-man crew: the Italians Guido Broggi (mainsail trimmer), John Elkann (helmsman and trimmer), Nico Malingri and Matteo Soldini (both grinders and trimmers), the Spanish Carlos Hernandez Robayna (trimmer) and Oliver Herrera Perez (bowman) and the French Pierre-Laurent Boullais.

LoveWater, direct competitor of Maserati Multi 70, is a 80-foot-long ULTIM trimaran, with a very skilled crew, including the skipper Craig Sutherland and the English Brian Thompson. The trimarans' start was the last one of the race: thirteen smaller boats set sail on January 4th and the big monohulls started Saturday at 14.00 local time.

cape2rio2020.com

Team New Zealand release remarkable new AC75 sailing footage
Team New Zealand haven't wasted any time since returning the to water this week, and have released a video providing a glimpse at how fast the AC75 can fly.

In the footage, Team New Zealand sail 'Te Aihe' over a camera in the water, which can be heard zooming over the top of it as they sail on past.

Team New Zealand continue training ahead of the opening leg of the America's Cup World Series in Cagliari, Italy in April, but have struggled to come to an agreement on wind limits with the other syndicates.

Team new Zealand and Challenger of Record Luna Rossa are entering arbitration over the wind range to be enforced for the 36th edition of America's Cup - a dispute set to significantly impact the design for the boats to be sailed in Auckland.

www.nzherald.co.nz

USA triumph ahead of Sweden & Monaco in Monaco Optimist Team Race
From start to finish the 11th Monaco Optimist Team Race fulfilled its promise with 20 teams from 19 nations represented by 80 sailors in competition over four days of ideal 6-15 knot conditions on a flat sea, allowing 207 matches to be completed without a pause.

Third last year and equal on points with the Swedes from KSSS, the American national team arrived determined to dominate the podium. In the lead throughout the three-day qualifying round robin, they lost only two of their 19 matches, one to Yacht Club Italiano and the other to the Ukrainians from the Odessa Black Sea Yacht Club.

It was musical chairs for the Monaco team, comprising Noah Garcia, Leonardo Bonelli, and Alessandro and Matteo Asscher, who from lying 4th behind the Finns from Helsingfors Segelklubb on day one, climbed to 3rd on Friday then were over-taken by the Ukrainians on day three.

But a suspenseful day of quarter- and semi- finals saw final victory go to the USA, despite fierce competition from the Swedes and Monaco snatching 3rd place from the Ukrainians to make the podium.

Organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco with support from FxPro, Eventica, Fon, SLAM and Erplast, the first three teams from this MOTR will be heading to Sanya, China, in August 2020 as guest participants for the finals of the Monaco Optimist Team Race China Regional Qualification Trail, organised by the Visun Royal Sanya Club, which decides who will make up the Chinese team for the following year's MOTR.

Next on the sports calendar at the YCM: Act III of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series (16-19 January) for the J/70 and Melges 20 fleets in the run-up to the 36th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse (6-9 February).

Monaco Optimist Team Race 2020 podium:
1st: USA Optimist National Team (USA)
2nd: KSSS - Royal Swedish Yacht Club (SUE)
3rd: Yacht Club de Monaco (MON)

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home-en/

18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 5
Rag & Famish Hotel outruns the Many Ferry in the 15-knot Southerly. Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The Winning Group team of John Winning Jr., Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton didn't start in today's final race of the NSW Championship as the team had already won the title title but today's winner Tech2 showed that the Winning Group may have a tougher battle on their hands when they line up in next week's Australian Championship on Sydney Harbour.

Jack Macartney, Charlie Wyatt and Trent Barnabas handled the 10-15 knots SSE wind brilliantly in Tech2 to score an easy 2m25s win over the very consistent The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines team of Aron Everett, Courtney Mahar and Charlie Gundy.

Noakesailing (Steven Thomas, Ed Powys, Nathan Edwards) was with the leading group throughout the race and finished a further 31s back in third place.

Birkenhead Point Marina (Tom Anderson) held the lead midway through the first lap of the long Southerly course but faded over the final leg of the course to finish in fourth place, ahead of Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster) and Shaw & Partners Financial Services (Harry Bethwaite).

Final pointscores in the NSW Championship showed that Winning Group finished with a score of five points, ahead of The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines on 12, Shaw & Partners Financial Services on 15, Appliancesonline.com.au 17, Tech2 on 18 and Smeg (Micah Lane) on 21.

The Oak team continued to show very consistent form and held a narrow lead over Noakesailing, Smeg and Dal Zotto (Jack Sprague) at the first windward mark off Clark Island, but the experience of Jack Macartney and his team proved a winner when they elected to reach with just two sails before setting their spinnaker on the long run to Obelisk Bay.

The Australian 18 Footer League's 2019-2020 Season continues next Sunday when the club will stage Races 1 and 2 of the Australian Championship.

AeroMedia Live Broadcast team will be out on Sydney Harbour to capture all the action. For those who can't make it onto the water, livestreaming is available at www.18footers.com and clicking on the '18 Footers TV' link. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com

Wins for Shaolin and Ali Baba, but Artemis XIV extends at 5.5 Metre Worlds
Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen) has extended their lead to nine points with just two races to sail at the 2020 5.5 Metre World Championship, at the Royal Prince Alfred YC, in Newport, Australia.

New Moon II (BAH 24, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov) is up to second while Girls on Film (GBR 40, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Andrew Mills) is up to third. The race wins on the fourth day went to Shaolin (SUI 226, Cyrus Golchan, Andreas Kindlimann, Hans von Werdt) and Ali Baba (BAH 23, Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway).

Despite some forecasts predicting good conditions all day it turned into a largely bumpy, sloppy day with more rain than most Australians have seen in the last three months. The southerly also brought lots of smoke to Pittwater again, one of the worst days of the past few weeks. Combined with the low cloud and rain fronts, it was a gloomy and dark day, with bad visibility for much of the day.

There is just one more day to go in Newport. While Artemis XIV has a good lead, there is only five points between the next four boats, so there is still a lot of racig to be done. Racing concludes on Monday with two more races scheduled to decide the 2020 5.5 Metre World Champion.

Results after 5 races
1 Artemis XIV - Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen, NOR, 10
2 New Moon II - Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov, BAH, 19
2 Girls on Film - Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Andrew Mills, GBR, 20
4 Ali Baba - Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway, BAH, 21
5 John B - Gavin McKinney, Mathias Dahlman, Lars Horn Johannessen, BAH, 24

Full results

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar -- Voting ends 2399 GMT Tuesday
We're off to the races with a huge late surge from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club of Hamilton Bermuda. The club has racked up over a thousand votes in 4 days to move ahead of long time leader Clarke Cooke House of Newport Rhode Island USA. Two wonderful watering holes with VERY loyal clientele.

Here's another great cocktail from RHADC, a twist on two famed drinks:

Good Ol' Fashioned Storm
1/2 Oz Falernum
3 Dashes Ginger Bitters
Squeeze of Fresh Lime Juice
3 Oz Gosling's Old Rum
Serve with Lime Twist

About our sponsor: Wight Vodka is distilled 7 times, hand-crafted in small batches, blended & bottled in London. 42% abv, potato-based luxury vodka. wightvodka.com / instagram.com/wightvodka/

Voting continues for just two more days, the winner announced on Thursday.

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

ORC 2020 VPP and Rules now available
London, UK: With numerous improvements prompted by user input and internal research over the past year, the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to announce its new 2020 VPP and 2020 Rules books are available now for download from the ORC's website at www.orc.org/rules.

The VPP and the new 2020 version of the ORC Manager software has been distributed to the 35 Rating Offices that issue ORC International and ORC Club certificates around the world. This update will allow these offices to start issuing their new 2020 certificates according to their own needs and timelines, which for some is immediate: the first regatta of the year to use 2020 ratings is the Rolex Circuito Atlantico Sur 2020 in Argentina and Uruguay being held over 12-18 January, followed by the Ft Lauderdale - Key West Race one week later in Florida, USA.

The race to Key West will be the first of the year to use the new ORC Double Handed Certificate, specially developed to meet the demand for this growing trend in offshore racing. Double Handed certificates feature lower crew weights, a simple one-page layout, and a variety of simple scoring options available to race managers to better match the ratings with the course type.

The 2020 VPP has resulted in small changes - 85% of the fleet has +/- 0.5% GPH change and 96.5% is within +/- 1% - in rated speed for most of the >2000 boats in the ORCi test fleet, so CDL definitions of class divisions in the Continental and World Championships have also changed for 2020 to:

Class A: 16.40 >= CDL > 11.59
Class B: 11.59 >= CDL > 9.77
Class C: 9.77 >= CDL > 8.56

The 2020 ORC European Championship in Capri will use not only CDL limits for the ORCi fleet, but will also feature an ORC DH Class in the Tres Golfi Race - photo courtesy Rolex Capri Sailing Week

Among the many 1000's of boat types that receive ORCi or ORC Club certificates, ORC also offers standard certificates for boats from one-design classes that are in their class trim. This year the list of these classes has expanded to 45 one-designs eligible for these certificates.

Access to the 2020 ORC VPP is also now available in the ORC's public portal to the rating system, ORC Sailor Services, where free certificate copies, test certificates, polar performance Speed Guides and Target Speed outputs are all available after obtaining a free login credential at orc.org/sailorservices.

Etchells Australian Championship
Two races in good wind with improving skies closed out the 2020 Etchells Australian Championship from the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

Certainly the shifts were there for the astute crews to use, and a sailing lesson was certainly delivered by the great John Bertrand, with Noel Drennan and Jake Lilley as crew, when on the last work to windward of the day they nearly came away with the win. As always, it is a delight to watch this crew at work.

The full roster of seven races were completed in the typically for Melbourne whole range of conditions. This year it was all even more eerie when the smoke from the bushfires came in, went, and then returned once more. Many thanks to all those who have donated through the page, and you can still do so now if you are so inclined, all the way up to the end of the Victorian State Championship 6-8 March, 2020. Presently we are at $6500.

Final top five
1. Magpie - Graeme Taylor / James Mayo / Tom Slingsby, AUS, 13 points
2. Havoc - Iain Murray / Colin Beashel / Richard Allanson, AUS, 22 (Masters - Grand Masters)
3. Triad 2020 - John Bertrand / Noel Drennan / Jake Lilley, AUS, 22 (Masters)
4. Fumanchu - Mark Roberts / Jake Newman / Matthew Johnston, AUS, 28
5. Adam Magpie - Peter Merrington / Steve Jarvin / Ian McKillop, AUS, 31

Full results

etchellsmelbourne.com

Clipper Race: Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam secures line honours in race to the Whitsundays
After 19 tough days at sea racing around the coast of Australia, the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team, skippered by Josh Stickland, has secured line honours in the fifth race of the global circumnavigation. The team, crewed by 16 non-professionals, crossed the finish line in the Whitsundays at 09:23:49 UTC.

Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam took the lead on Christmas Eve and had held on since.

Race 5: the Whitsundays, Heart of the Great Barrier Reef, has seen thrilling competition with crew battling a full variety of conditions on the 3,415 nautical mile race. The teams have experienced the rolling swells, infamous huge waves and freezing temperatures of the Southern Ocean to the upwind beat, rising temperatures and variable weather systems heading north from Tasmania. The leaderboard has consistently shifted as different tactics have played out and the East Australian Current played its part in making this one of the most strategic races of the circumnavigation to date.

Despite claiming line honours, the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team will have a nail-biting wait over the next two days to find out its placing. Race 5 is being run on elapsed time, following three teams; Punta del Este, Visit Sanya, China and Unicef departing Fremantle exactly 48h hours after the first eight. If 48 hours passes, and these teams are still racing then Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam's first race victory in the 2019-20 edition will be secured. All race points will be critical as the team currently sits in second place on the overall leaderboard.

The fleet will be berthed in Coral Sea Marina Resort, Airlie Beach for the duration of the stopover and awaiting the crew is a relaxing stopover in Whitsundays on the beautiful tropical coast of Queensland, Australia.

This, the third time the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race route has stopped in the Whitsundays, will see the return of the Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival with public events taking place throughout the stopover from the return of the White on Whitehaven, in addition to wine and dine Events, crocodile safaris to Rodeo by the Reef.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Featured Brokerage
2014 Swan 105 RS Child of Lir. 7,900,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Calpe, Spain.

Swan 105 CHILD OF LIR was commissioned by an experienced owner who sought a modern performance cruiser utilizing the very latest technology while maintaining a high level of comfort and the ability to sail with minimal crew. Nautor’s Swan was chosen as the builder and the design is a unique collaboration of Frers Naval Architecture and Beiderbeck Design. Drawing on a long and successful experience, Frers developed a hull form and sail plan that allowed for excellent performance and sea keeping abilities while Beiderbeck implemented their forward-thinking expertise to create an innovative arrangement that maximizes volume and comfort on deck and throughout the interior. Special attention was paid to the low noise level throughout the Yacht. There is a special night mode generator to guarantee restful sleep.

See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Thomas Perry
brokerage [AT] nautorswan [DOT] com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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2009 Marten 67 - "Caol Ila" 1,500,000 EUR. Located in Sardinia.

Occasionally a jewel of a yacht is built. Coal Ila should be seen and sailed to truly appreciate her exquisite detail and thrilling performance. Simplistic arrangement allows for short handed sailing, as well as competitive fully crewed racing. Lifting keel arrangement, really ticks the boxes.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com

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Baltic Yachts 43. 140,000 EUR.

The Baltic 43 was the second serial production model where Baltic co-operated with Judel/Vrolik as Naval Architects. Judel/Vrolik had at this time been successful on the racing scene with similar yachts including Admirals Cup contenders like 'Container'.

The Baltic 43 was developed using experience from these successful racing projects combined with Baltic Yachts known capability in building light constructions. Detailed weight studies were carried out in order to establish a light but still realistic and achievable displacement.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: alex [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
I think the minute you have a backup plan, you’ve admitted you’re not going to succeed. -- Elizabeth Holmes

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Artemis XIV secures 5.5 world title
• 10th World ARC Sets Sail from Saint Lucia
• Harken® Battcars: Nothing So Easy to Install Adds So Much Safety
• McPherson & Lewis blast their 420 to Bloody Mary glory
• Nominate young people for the trip of a lifetime
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar - Last Day for Voting
• Cape 2 Rio Race
• Miami and Melbourne open the Olympic 2020 Championship season
• Hugo Boss Status And Repair
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Ker 39 - Vencom
• • Pogo Class 40 "Ocean's Eleven"
• • MTC28 - Carbon Trimaran
• The Last Word: Winston Churchill

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... VOTING IS OPEN FOR THE TOP TEN

Artemis XIV secures 5.5 world title
Photo by Robert Deaves. Click on image for photo gallery.

Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen) have won the 2020 5.5 Metre World Championship at the Royal Prince Alfred YC, in Newport, Australia, after a thrilling final day of racing. New Moon II (BAH 24, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov) ends up second on equal points with Ali Baba (BAH 23, Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway).

On a day in which everyone had their chances, and the left side kept on giving, the race wins went to Prettynama (GER 79, Max Müller, Mark Dangel, Wiebe de Witte) and John B (BAH 22, Gavin McKinney, Mathias Dahlman, Lars Horn Johannessen).

While the forecast was not far off, the day promised more than it delivered with clearing skies, rising temperatures and a north-easterly breeze. However in contrast to previous days the nor’eastlerly never rose above 8-10 knots and spent most of the day struggling to build to more than 6-7 knots. However it was a great day on the water, more so after Sunday’s cold and wet conditions and was a great end to a fabulous championship.

In the whole 76-year history of the 5.5 Metre, only one skipper has ever won back to back titles in both the Scandinavian Gold Cup and the world championship - Kristian Neergard. Now he has repeated that feat and a word of warning for those looking to take over his mantle - next year’s events will be at his home club in Hanko, Norway.

Final results (after 7 races)
1. Artemis XIV - Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen, NOR, 15
2. New Moon II - Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov, BAH, 19
3. Ali Baba - Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway, BAH, 19
4. John B - Gavin McKinney, Mathias Dahlman, Lars Horn Johannessen, BAH, 22
5. Girls on Film - Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Andrew Mills, GBR, 22

Full results

www.rpayc.com.au/sailing/5-5m-world-champ-2020

10th World ARC Sets Sail from Saint Lucia
Saturday 11th January marked a special day in World ARC history as the 10th edition of World Cruising Club's round-the-world rally set sail from Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. 33 yachts assembled at IGY Rodney Bay Marina, marking an end to years of planning and the start of an epic 26,000nm circumnavigation, with crews from 23 different countries sailing their own yachts to some of the world's best cruising grounds. It is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity for the crews to cross the world's oceans, explore some amazing islands and experience a range of different cultures.

There was a strong 20-25kt breeze over the bay at the start with the ENE gusty wind providing a good run down to the first mark at Barrel of Beef Island.

First over the line was Finnish boat Marja II, a Malo 46 Classic, followed by the Swan 46, Milanto. Tightly grouped together, next over the line was Amel 55 Zarya and Next Step, a Bavaria 46. Despite being a rally not a race, skippers and crews were certainly enthusiastic to cross the start line with the remaining boats quickly following on behind.

In total, 41 boats will sail with the rally in the next 15 months; some sailing the full 26,000 miles, others joining for the Panama Transit, or sailing to Australia before taking a year out to further explore the Pacific.

Next stop for the fleet will be Marina Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The stopover is one of the most popular on the World ARC route, with plenty of good food, exceptional beaches and warm hospitality awaiting their arrival. The boats should make landfall from Thursday 16 January. Their progress can be followed online via the Fleet Tracker on the World Cruising Club website.

Tracker

www.worldcruising.com

Harken® Battcars: Nothing So Easy to Install Adds So Much Safety
Harken® Battcar Systems make quick and safe mainsail reefing and unreefing possible, at any wind angle…even while broad reaching... even with just one or two crewmembers…even in a gale. Installing Battcars can make the difference between an uneventful late-night reef from the cockpit and having to get sea boots on and get out on deck. Harken slug track makes retrofitting your grooved extrusion a realistic DIY project that can be completed with the mast up. Battcar systems cost a fraction of in-boom or in-mast furling prices. The process is easy: Select the correct system size, determine track type and length you’ll need. Then all that remains is choosing an endstop kit and specifying battcar quantity and models.

Recently one member of the Harken Tech Team and three members of a 40' boat crew started a retrofit at 9 a.m. and were out sail testing the system by 4:00 p.m. the same afternoon. Watch the installation.

Step-by-step how to order your own Battcar system

McPherson & Lewis blast their 420 to Bloody Mary glory
Dylan McPherson and Jack Lewis followed in the footsteps of some great names to sail their 420 to victory at last weekend’s GJW Direct Bloody Mary, the fifth leg of this season’s Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series.

The breeze sometimes gusted up to 30 knots, with some wondering whether they would be able to handle the conditions. Unfortunately for Nick Craig, the multiple Endeavour Trophy winner, the jib halyard on his GP14 snapped as he was preparing to launch off the busy slipway. He busied himself with helping others launch, whilst cursing his bad luck at not being able to compete at an event which he is yet to win.

Hatty Cage hadn’t sailed for four years, having previously won the RS Feva Worlds and been one of the top 29er sailors in the country. It was a very windy return to the sport for Hatty, crewing for her dad Rob in a Merlin Rocket that hadn’t been out of the garage for a few seasons. While the Cages headed into the fray, a few of the 287 entrants took the wise decision not to launch, although Queen Mary Reservoir in south-west London was still a sea of colour and thrills and spills as sailors battled with the gusty field of play.

Behind the battle for line honours were some interclass contests such as a close match race between two top-class 505s, with Paul Brotherton/ Russ Clark eventually prevailing over reigning National and European Champions and former Bloody Mary winners Roger Gilbert/ Ben McGrane. While the strong breeze made the event a benefit for the faster trapeze boats, two 2000s and one Laser, sailed by Ben Flower, made it into the top 10 under the Great Lakes handicap system.

Here’s a rundown of some of the other category and class winners from the day:

First Lady Helm: 420 (56383) Megan FARRER, Emsworth SC
First Queen Mary Helm: Laser, Chris Ellyatt, QMSC
Grand Master: Contender (2706) Stuart JONES, Datchet Water SC
First Junior Helm: 420 (54487) Dylan MCPHERSON and Jack LEWIS, RYA
First Sailability: Megan Pascoe, Frensham Ponds

Class prizes:
RS Aero 5 (2325) Ned Stattersfield, Wells-Next-The-Sea SC
RS Aero 7 (2439) Tim Hire, Lymington Town SC
RS 200 (1657) Geoff CARVETH and Emma HIVEY, Warsash SC
RS 400 (1488) Michael SIMS and Mark LUNN, Carsington SC
Topper (47902) Henry KOE, South Bank SC
Laser Radial (213563) Joe SCURRAH, Carsington SC
Laser (214415) Christopher ELLYATT, Queen Mary SC
420 (54487) Dylan MCPHERSON and Jack LEWIS, RYA

www.SailJuiceSeries.com

Nominate young people for the trip of a lifetime
For the past 40 years MDL Marinas has developed a close relationship with Ocean Youth Trust South, recognising the charity’s fantastic work with young people and the life changing experience that sailing can offer.

MDL annually sponsors a five-day trip aboard Prolific for inspirational young people, which forms the basis of MDL’s Sail Training Awards.

MDL is looking for nominations for those who are 12 to 18 and who have overcome adverse personal circumstances, or shown other exceptional accomplishments and achievements. Third party nominations from people who are in contact with young people, including teachers, guide or scout leaders, youth group leaders, friends and employers are welcome, as are those from within the marine trade.

This year’s voyage takes place in April 2020 and the winners will become involved in all aspects of life on board, including hoisting sails, helping with maintenance, sailing the boat at night and cooking and cleaning with the rest of the crew.

It’s straightforward to make a nomination online. You’ll need to provide some basic contact details and write a couple of paragraphs (no more than 200 words) on why you’re making the nomination. Go to www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/sta-nominate.

You have until Friday January 24th to make your nomination.

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar - Last Day for Voting
Voting ends at midnight GMT tonight, the winner to be announced on Thursday. Huge surges of votes and notes in the past week, our thanks to one and all for making this 11th Annual contest so heated... and fun.

Our sponsor Wight Vodka will call the winner and get an award placque and bottle of Wight Vodka for the winner, Bobby Nash of Latitude Kinsale will, after his return from BOOT Dusseldorf, contact the winner and arrange for a made-to-order custom 3D map, a seriously beautiful prize that will grace the wall of the winning bar for years to come.

So what's Wight Vodka? Well known to sailors in the south of England, it's a full-on premium vodka.

The planning behind Wight Vodka was ‘born on the Isle of Wight,’ one of the world’s premier yachting havens.

Wight Vodka, uniquely distilled seven times in small batches, blended and bottled in London under the watchful eyes and direction of a seventh generation master distiller with over 300 years of family experience. Wight Vodka is the only 42% abv, potato-based luxury vodka, hand-crafted in the United Kingdom today.

Wight Vodka’s slightest scents of beach plum and honeysuckle pay tribute to island life and warm holidays spent with great company by the ocean. Contact them at wightvodka.com/contact-wight-vodka/ or email info [AT] 50degreesnorth [DOT] co [DOT] uk to find where you can purchase by the glass or the bottle.

Vote! eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Cape 2 Rio Race
Like greyhounds, the moment they were set free they were off at breakneck speeds for Rio, with the record books looking like they might well be re-written. Almost shadowing each other up the West Coast in the early stages, this looked like a match race made in heaven, but during the night they have shown they have different strategies as their paths have crossed - twice now.

‘Maserati’ is heading northwards, with ‘Love Water’ taking a more westerly course, and both doing over 20 knots of boat speed. This move is interesting as it looks as if ‘Love Water’ is sailing towards lighter wind pressure, and ‘Maserati’ into stronger pressure - but that was all in the 06h00 tracker info this morning. The 10h00 tracker detail shows that they are now back sailing parallel courses and closing Luderitz at 25-plus knots. ‘Maserati’ has covered 198nm in less than 20 hours since the start, and ‘Love Water’ 229nm. As always it’s a waiting game - and an intriguing one too.

For the monohulls that started in the second start, they have had good winds and are making good progress, unlike their counterparts who started a week earlier and were plagued with light winds for several days.

Provisional Standings - 13/01/2020 14:00:00B are available here:
cape2rio2020.com/leaderboard-13012020/

Miami and Melbourne open the Olympic 2020 Championship season
Two major International events for the Olympic classes kick-off at the end of the week . . . The Miami World Cup and Sail Melbourne.

For British interests the Miami event, the 2nd round of the Hempel World Cup Series will only have the Team GB Olympic pair Luke Patience and Chris Grube in the men’s 470. And they will face a quality fleet including all the teams that finished ahead of them at the 2019 Worlds, where they were seventh.

The men’s 470 event is one of the better attended events and will include the top three from the 2019 worlds: Australia’s Mathew Belcher/Will Ryan, Spain’s Jordi Xammar/Nicolas Rodrgiuez and Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg/Fredrik Bergström.

In addition to the regular events Hempel World Cup Series Miami is hosting two events that are to be included in the Paris 2024 Games, a mixed 470 event, and a doublehanded offshore event within the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race.

More Olympic class action will be taking place in Australia, which has captured a star-studded series of world championships in what they are calling the Melbourne Summer of Sailing 2020. -- Gerald New in Sailweb

www.sailweb.co.uk

miami.ussailing.org

www.sailmelbourne.com.au/home/

Hugo Boss Status And Repair
Upon arrival from the Cape Verde Islands, HUGO BOSS was moved to Southampton. There, a full NDT (non-destructive testing) of the boat was carried out in order to assess the damage sustained during the Transat Jacques Vabre.

We can now confirm that, as suspected, the damage is contained to the keel area. The rest of the hull, the foils and rudders are undamaged.

Following the NDT, our Composite team began working to cut away the damaged parts of the hull and structure. Together, our Structural Engineers, Gurit; Naval Architects, VPLP; Design Manager, Pete Hobson; and in-house team have been working to construct a full repair plan. This plan will allow our boat builders to move swiftly forwards with the work required throughout the Christmas period.

Our in-house technical team, meanwhile, has been focused on the remainder of the keel area, in order to identify the parts that require replacement. These include the keel, keel hydraulics and bearings, some of which have significant lead times and so it was imperative that we moved quickly.

We have appointed additional specialist resource in order to deliver the repairs as quickly as possible. This includes Pro Build Composites, who will continue to lead the repair programme, and Carrington Boats Ltd, the team who built HUGO BOSS and therefore know the boat very well.

www.imoca.org

Featured Brokerage
2008 Ker 39 - VENCOM. 130000 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.

The evergreen Ker 39 is a staple of the 40 ft racing scene. VENCOM has had continued maintenance to keep her up together and racing at the top end of the scene. Further investment in a new rudder design, and reshaping of the transom by Kneierim and Ker themselves. A very strong contender.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com

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2006 Pogo Class 40 "OCEAN'S ELEVEN". 90000 EUR. Located in Barcelona, Spain

The OCEAN'S ELEVEN Class 40 is a Pogo 40 signed by Finot-Conq and built by Structures in France. Previously known as PICOTY with skipper Jean-Edouard Criquioche, he has always had good racing results. This sailboat is at the same time reliable, marine, well maintained and equipped. OCEAN'S ELEVEN also has a comfortable interior and is suitable for long-distance cruises with reduced crew.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
+33 (0)467 66 39 93

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MTC28 - Carbon Trimaran. 68,000 GBP. Located in South Devon, UK.

For Sale. Custom Carbon trimaran. MTC28 By Nic Bailey. Outstanding, lightweight, inshore, minimalist flying machine.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Wiz (Stuart) Deas on 07973 951120

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. -- Winston Churchill

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• The IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is in China
• RORC Transatlantic Race moves to January from 2021
• Apply for your Spinlock IRC rating for 2020
• Bruno Dubois joins France SailGP Team as team manager
• Hempel World Cup Series to heat up in Miami
• IMOCA: The Boatyards Are Ringing In The Changes For The Vendee Globe
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2020, a record year!
• Industry News
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Dazcat 1295
• • Beneteau First 40.7- Philosophie IV.
• • Clarion of Wight
• The Last Word: Samuel Johnson

The IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is in China
After her recent record attempt and new reference time set between Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Hong Kong, the crew of the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran took advantage of the festive season to get some well-deserved rest. After arriving back in Hong Kong late last week, the crew headed for Shenzhen, where the boat is currently taking part in promotional operations organised by the IDEC Group. The maxi-trimaran will be heading for Hong Kong on Thursday morning to go on stand-by for her attempt at the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London, the fourth and final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, which may well start late this week.

The IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran and her crew have been present for several days in the port of Shenzhen, a key location in China for the IDEC GROUP, which invited around 150 guests including the French Consul in Guangzhou, Mrs. Siv Leng Chhuor, as well as some of their clients, Chinese partners and other French firms based in China. This stopover was organised with the support of the China Cup, with whom the IDEC GROUP has signed an agreement to promote sailing in China.

The fourth and final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London is the most important in terms of racing and is due to start late this week. The crew of IDEC SPORT includes her skipper Francis Joyon and four crewmen, Bertrand Delesne, Christophe Houdet, Corentin Joyon and Antoine Blouet, who will set sail from Hong Kong where the boat will be moored off the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Ahead of them a long voyage of 15,000 miles (around 28,000 km) starting with a crossing of the China Sea, a passage through the Sunda Strait, a crossing of the Indian Ocean, the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and the climb back up the South and North Atlantic, before they enter the English Channel and sail up the Thames to finish under the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in London.

36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes...
The time they will be aiming to beat in this Tea Route record has been held since 23rd February 2018 by the Multi70, Maserati skippered by the Italian, Giovanni Soldini with a time of 36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes, sailing at an average speed of 17.4 knots (source: WSSRC).

www.idecsport.com/en/idec-sport-asian-tour/

RORC Transatlantic Race moves to January from 2021
London 14 January 2020: The Royal Ocean Racing Club have announced a new start date for the 7th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race. Traditionally held in November each year from Lanzarote to Grenada, the next edition will start from Calero Marinas Puerto Calero on the 9th January 2021 and once again finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada. This date change is the most significant of a number of subtle changes the RORC is making to its Season Points Championships, which includes making the Rolex Middle Sea Race the first points race in the Championships, not the last, and also changes to the points factors for certain offshore races.

"The RORC Committee felt that having the Rolex Middle Sea Race as the first race in the Championship would encourage more owners to use the Autumn/Winter season for adventure sailing and include in their programme the RORC Transatlantic Race and RORC Caribbean 600 before returning to the UK in the Spring," comments RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone. "We also felt that starting the RORC Transatlantic Race in January provides more time for boats to get from Malta to Lanzarote, and we also know that the trade winds are further north and more consistent at that time."

The 7th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race also welcomes a new supporter - Silversands Grenada which will host the prize-giving. This breathtaking brand new 5 Star Hotel is on the northern end of the famous Grand Anse Beach with a perfect view of the race finish. Silversands Grenada features 43 luxury rooms, a world-class spa and upscale award-winning local cuisine. -- Louay Habib

2020-2021 RORC Race Programme

Notice of Race

www.rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Apply for your Spinlock IRC rating for 2020
Holding an IRC rating certificate allows owners to race in hundreds of local, national and international events around the world, from evening club racing to Continental and World Championships.

This year there is the IRC European Championships in July in Cork, Ireland and the 2020 World Championships in September in Newport, RI, USA. There is also an extensive programme of offshore races with the major offshore events using the IRC Rating System including the RORC Transatlantic Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race, RORC Caribbean 600, Rolex Giraglia Race, Spi Ouest France, SNIM and the Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

The IRC Rating System is aimed at a very wide range of keelboats of all sizes and shapes including modern production cruisers and cruiser/racers through dedicated one-off race boats, older cruisers and racers to classic yachts and superyachts. IRC is continually developed to encompass new developments while at the same time protecting the interests of the current fleet.

Spinlock IRC certificates for the 2020 season are now available and owners are invited to revalidate your expired certificate, or apply for a new application for a boat not previously IRC rated.

British-based owners can apply for their IRC rating online through the RORC Rating Office's MyIRC online portal at myirc.rorcrating.com, and France-based owners through uncl.com

Owners of boats based in other countries around the world should contact their local IRC Rule Authority - contact details can be found on ircrating.org

Bruno Dubois joins France SailGP Team as team manager
With the second season of the highly successful SailGP championship starting in Sydney in less than 50 days, Bruno Dubois has been named manager of the France SailGP Team, and will help the team maximize its performance on the water and commercial development.

In 2019, the Belgian-Canadian led the China SailGP Team to a podium placing as team manager. However, with China no longer competing in the 2020 season and two new nations - Denmark and Spain - joining the league, the French team was quick to select Dubois as its new team manager.

The former director of North Sails France for almost 20 years, Dubois brings a considerable wealth of experience to the role. As well as his recent management of the China SailGP Team, Dubois led Team France in the 35th America's Cup and also managed the Franco-Chinese Dongfeng Race Team in two iterations of the Volvo Ocean, including the team's winning 2017/18 campaign.

France SailGP Team helm Billy Besson said: "We are delighted to welcome Bruno to our team. His arrival will help us to achieve greater success and support the team's objectives for 2020."

Launched last season by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts, the global championship brings together the world's best sailors, including Olympians and America's Cup experts, to compete in the fastest sail racing in the world.

To date, four events have been announced for 2020: Sydney (28-29 February), San Francisco (2-3 May), New York (12-13 June) and Cowes (14-15 August). The final two grand prix events to close out the season will be announced in due course.

sailgp.com

Hempel World Cup Series to heat up in Miami
The Hempel World Cup Series rolls into Miami, in the sunshine state of Florida, USA from 19 - 25 January 2020 for the second instalment of the 2020 Series.

205 sailors from 50 nations will race across seven fleets in Miami and the stakes are high for North American competitors. The event is the final opportunity for nations to qualify to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition across the 470 and RS:X fleets, Laser, Laser Radial and Finn.

Racing commences on Monday 20 January and will conclude with seven Medal Races on Saturday 25 January, which will be broadcast live on World Sailing's YouTube Channel.

The Laser will be the largest fleet in Miami with 49 registered sailors. A single North American spot remains available to sailors and competitors from Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago will be on the start line.

Canada will have 12 Laser representatives all capable of qualifying the nation in Miami. Mexico will have four and Antigua two. The higher number of sailors, the better the chance but arguably the favourite to book his nations spot in Tokyo 2020 will be Trinidad and Tobago's Andrew Lewis.

Lewis, a two-time Olympian after racing at London 2012 and Rio 2016, secured his first ever Hempel World Cup Series medal in Genoa, Italy last season in a tough fleet. Robert Davis of Canada will also strongly fancy his chances of qualifying after beating Lewis by two points to sixth place at the 2019 Pan Games, but with a high number of nations on the startline, the competition will be tense.

Racing will commence at 11:00 local time on Monday 20 January 2020 and run through to Saturday 25 January where seven Medal Races will decide the 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Miami Champions. -- Daniel Smith - World Sailing

miami.ussailing.org

sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

IMOCA: The Boatyards Are Ringing In The Changes For The Vendee Globe
Ten months before the start of the Vendee Globe and a very intense build up season which will open with The Transat CIC (starts May 10) and rolls straight into the New York-Vendee (June 16), almost all of the IMOCAs are fully engaged in their winter refits. For some the job list is more comprehensive and may include new foils, for others constrained by budgets it is more about maximising reliability and small incremental performance gains.

A few teams have decided to fit new foils for the Vendee Globe. Charal, as announced several months ago by skipper Jeremie Beyou are fitting a new set of Vendee Globe specific foils so therefore more orientated to downwind VMG. They are designed, like the first set, by VPLP using new tools which come from the modelling package developed by Emirates Team New Zealand and now available on the open market. Nicolas Andrieu, in charge of performance at the Charal Sailing Team, says: "This tool has been very useful and we are fairly confident that this new design methodology can bring us a step up in performance".

At Arkea Paprec where two foils failed in the fall - the first just before the Jacques Vabre and the second during the race, the construction of a new pair foils to Juan Kouyoumdjian plans starts at Lorima "from here in fifteen days", according to Vincent Riou who oversees Sebastien Simon's project. "We had planned to make a V2 pair for the summer, so what has obviously changed is the timing. We are running up a race against the clock because these are parts that take a long time to produce, and the planned program is to do the two Transats". Do we know the reasons for the breakage of the first two? "It is still under review we are awaiting confirmation of what we think before we start definitive construction", replies Riou the former skipper of PRB.

A new pair of foils for Thomas Ruyant's Advens for Cybersecurity is being built at Persico to a design by Verdier studio under the direction of Antoine Koch from Thomas Ruyant Racing. "It was planned and budgeted." Ruyant told Tip & Shaft. "Both for the question of the project's viability in the event of breakage and for performance. Our first pair is great, but we will try to have more foils for solo racing and for the Vendee".

Alex Thomson Racing team told us that it was going to "build another set of foils before the Vendee Globe" for Hugo Boss and the same is true for Nicolas Troussel on the new Corum, expected to launch in early March.

www.tipandshaft.com/en/

Seahorse February 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
The black hole that is the 36th America's Cup, the mule delivers value for money, a new force to be reckoned with in singlehanded ocean racing. Plus Don Mcintyre's latest round the world venture could do wonders for the brokerage market in raceboats. Rob Kothe, Giuliano Luzzatto, Ambrogio Beccaria, Terry Hutchinson, Jack Griffin

Balance of power
William Jelbert explains how a pragmatic but scientific approach allowed a fast breed of weight-sensitive big cats to take practical gains from new ideas in the field of fossil-free power

Keep it sane
Get it right and there is another way to keep your pre-owned TP52 plenty busy. Rob Weiland

The revolutionary
No better way to describe David Raison who talks scows, foils... and obsolescence with Fred Augendre

ORC - Looking good
Dobbs Davis is pleasantly surprised how many 'non-Anglos' plan to join him in Rhode Island...

Special rates for EuroSail News subscribers:
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Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2020, a record year!
At the time of going online, registrations to the forthcoming Rolex Capri Sailing Week already total 135 yachts: 110 to the ORC European Championship and over 20 to the Maxi Yacht Capri Trophy. And there are still five months to the start.

"The event is going to be a major success, with the largest fleet ever gathered for a continental ORC Championship. The maximum of 70 entries stated in the NoR, as imposed by the limitation of mooring spaces available in Capri, will be shortly released - says Maurizio Pavesi, Vicepresident of Circolo Remo e Vela Italia - as we intend to welcome all entrants. Yachts over the limit will be hosted in the nearby Sorrento Marina, almost as close as the port of Capri to the racing course. We are working hard to properly accommodate all owners and crews wishing to join such a remarkable event".

www.rolexcaprisailingweek.com

Industry News
Oyster Yachts has announced that the company's founder Richard Matthews has accepted an invitation to join its board. This is a testament to Matthews' faith in the future of the company he founded almost 50 years ago, and the direction in which it is heading under Richard Hadida's ownership.

A highly respected figure in the sailing community Richard founded Oyster in 1973; the company has since been owned by two private equity entities before being bought by Hadida in 2018. He continues to be a keen yachtsman whose activities in 2019 included winning the East Coast Offshore Championship and participating in his 23rd Fastnet Race.

Oyster enters the new decade with a healthy order book and increasing worldwide demand for its yachts. As a result the company has vacancies at both its Wroxham and Southampton build yards to add to an existing workforce of skilled craftsmen and management.

allatsea.co.uk

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Musto has signed on with 11th Hour Racing Team as an official supplier for the next three years. Musto will provide 11th Hour Racing with high performance clothing on and off the water for the team's campaign focused on the next edition of The Ocean Race in 2021.

Musto's partnership with Mark Towill and Charlie Enright dates back more than five years to the duo's first round-the-world race in 2014-15. They also wore Musto during the 2017-18 campaign with Vestas 11th Hour Racing, while Enright was outfitted in Musto's offshore performance gear during the team's fourth place finish in the Transat Jacques Vabre in November. For the next Ocean Race, the entire 11th Hour Racing Team will wear Musto, including the crew, staff and shore team.

As part of the partnership, Musto will collaborate with 11th Hour Racing Team to innovate and develop the next generation of HPX, Musto's top industry-leading ocean sailing collection. Technical developments in foiling are moving at an unprecedented rate and the demands on sailors and their kit is changing just as fast. This partnership provides Musto with on-going and prompt feedback on key performance products.

11thHourRacingTeam.org

www.musto.com

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Emirates has reaffirmed commitment to Emirates Team New Zealand through the renewal of their contract for the 36th America's Cup.

The award-winning airline will also be the 'Official Airline' partner of the 36th America's Cup presented by Prada which includes the America's Cup World Series (ACWS), sponsoring all preliminary regattas leading up to the main event in 2021. In addition, Emirates has signed up to be the 'Presenting Partner' of the ACWS event in Portsmouth, United Kingdom.

Emirates joined the team as its naming sponsor in 2004 when it began its quest to bring the America's Cup back to New Zealand. It remained a stoic supporter through two close Challenges in 2007 in Valencia and 2013 in San Francisco before Emirates Team New Zealand proudly lifted the 'Auld Mug' again in Bermuda in 2017. Now, as The Defender again they have returned the 36th edition of the America's Cup back to Auckland where it will be raced in March 2021.

www.voxy.co.nz/business/5/356215

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The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) has named Safe Harbor Marinas, the largest owner and operator of marinas in the world, as Official Yacht Preparation Resource for the next edition of the Newport Bermuda Race. Safe Harbor's premier network now includes several full-service locations on Narragansett Bay, further amplifying the same sponsorship role they filled in 2018.

The Safe Harbor Marinas network now includes an impressive collection of well-known locations ranging from Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard and Safe Harbor New England Boatworks to Safe Harbor Pilot's Point. In addition, several more locations around Narragansett Bay provide top service for local boaters as well as knowledgeable service for those heading offshore. In the last decade, the team at Safe Harbor Marinas has prepared more than a hundred yachts for the Bermuda Race, advising owners on gear selection, vessel construction, inspection requirements, and speed optimization.

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New Bill brings Australian foreign-flag charter licence a step closer

Superyacht Australia will be hoping that it will be a case of third time lucky with regards to securing a licence deal that will enable foreign-flagged superyachts to perform charters while in Australia. Over recent years two previous attempts have not made it through the smallest of margins.

www.ibinews.com

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Boats Group has purchased Annonces du Bateau and all its assets from CarBoat Media.

Boats Group is an online marketplace for boats and yachts and comprises the Boat Trader, YachtWorld, boats.com, Cosas De Barcos and iNautia brands. Annonces du Bateau is one of France's leading boat sales marketplaces.

"France is an enormously important market in the global leisure marine industry, and the acquisition of Annonces du Bateau - a business with a long tradition of delivering digital excellence in France - will accelerate our growth in Europe," commented Sam Fulton, chief executive of Boats Group.

Boats Group says it will now substantially invest in Annonces du Bateau, starting with a new platform that will debut later this year. For the boating industry professionals who currently use Annonces du Bateau, the acquisition will provide new access to the international marketplace.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

www.boatingbusiness.com

* From Malcolm McKeag:

The letter from Jason Ker regarding the keel failure on Showtime brings an uncomfortable deja vu. Both the design of the keel and its attachment to the hull and the method and circumstances of its construction bear an uncanny resemblance to what happened to us aboard Drum on the 1985 Fastnet.

The top end of Drum's keel was an aluminium diagonally-braced lattice-work cage with the individual bars of the lattice-work toe-welded to an upper plate bolted to the hull. For reasons that need not detain construction of the boat was halted and the re-started but with completion no longer supervised by the orginal design office.

The keel was manufactured by a small company with little or no experience of welding alumium. Once the boat was sailing, the welds were not up to the loads and progressively failed (with no one noticing) until it all became too much for the remaining welds and they failed together, catestrophically, off the coast of Cornwall on that fateful Sunday morning. Everyone noticed then. Interestingly the subsequent investigation, by Cranfield Institue among others, if I recall correctly, placed no fault or blame on the design but majored on the shortcomings of the manufacture.

Featured Charter
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Barbados Sailing Week / 16th - 24th January
Grenada Sailing Week / 26th - 31st January
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta / 5th - 8th March
St. Thomas International Regatta / 25th - 29th March
BVI Spring Regatta / 30th March - 5th April
Bequia Easter Regatta / 9th- 13th April
Antigua Sailing Week / 26th April - 1st May

Join us on board the beautifully-maintained Sigma 38 for the 2020 Caribbean Racing Season.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
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email: budgenandy [AT] me [DOT] com
Tel:+44( 0) 7866 589824
monstermarine.co.uk

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Dazcat 1295. PO£650k GBP.

The D1295 is a real performance choice for inshore and offshore events. As with all our Dazcats, having the self-tacking jib option and all the lines running back to the cockpit makes her easy and safe to manage even when shorthanded. The D1295, our fastest tacking Dazcat, has us awed by her super slick moves and stunning lines. She’s an ideal boat for racing and has already proven herself in RORC events coming 1st in multihulls in this year’s RORC Myth of Malham. She’ll also be one to watch in this year’s RORC Fastnet as she races against 4 of her Dazcat sisters, including two 1495s.

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info [AT] dazcat [DOT] com
www.dazcat.com/d1295.html

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2001 Beneteau First 40.7- Philosophie IV. 89,950 GBP. Located in Hamble, UK.

Superbly maintained and analytically optimised, race winning Beneteau 40.7 now available for s

Philosophie IV only had three outings last season, posting two bullets and a third in three of the RORC Channel Races: Myth of Malham, Cowes to Dinard & Morgan Cup. With a comprehensive inventory of equipment and sails, this boat will deliver some great results and a huge amount of enjoyment for the next team.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
FYS Europe: +447774 138777
info [AT] farryachtsales [DOT] com

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1963 Sparkman & Stephens 43 Ft Sloop - Clarion Of Wight. 150000 EUR. Located in France.

CLARION was launched as a state of the art offshore racer, at time when beautiful boats were still a by-product of the designer's quest for speed - she remains much loved by her owners and certainly fast enough to hold her own in a modern or classic fleet.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Barney Sandeman
info [AT] sandemanyachtcompany [DOT] co [DOT] uk
+44 (0)1202 330077
33 High Street
Poole, Dorset
BH15 1AB
United Kingdom

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
The triumph of hope over experience. -- Samuel Johnson
The occasion was Johnson's hearing of a man who had remarried soon after the death of a wife to whom he had been unhappily married.

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club wins Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• America’s Cup - Britannia takes flight in Cagliari
• Something for Everyone! Sail in the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR)
• Entries Open for Cowes Spring Classics 2020
• Australian 5O5 Championship
• Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
• Industry News -- BOOT Dusseldorf
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • AURORA
• • Black Pepper Code 2.1
• • JPK 11.80 - Courrier Recommande
• The Last Word: Jon Stewart

Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club wins Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Congratulations to Bermuda's RHADC for an amazing come-from-behind victory in this 11th annual competition. The final vote tally was 1632, up from just 260 (and third place) at Christmas. That club has a seriously loyal membership!

Among the hundreds of letters received, these were some of our favorite comments:

- Staff and general ambiance of the bar/club. Very welcoming to all sailors.

- Great place to sit out a hurricane

- Great, relaxed sailors hangout after day of the water, or multiple days on the ocean.

- Fabulous atmosphere, amazing view., great hospitality and excellent food and drink!

- New manager Mr. Cassius Fevriere is terrific and it is clear his he is eager to pass on his extensive knowledge of mixology.

www.rhadc.bm

The owners of Wight Vodka, Dan Hiza and Ritu Manocha, will be in touch with the club to arrange for delivery of a prize bottle of their premium vodka and the winner's award plaque.

Latitude Kinsale will design, build and deliver a made-to-order custom 3D map; a beautiful addition to the club's walls.

More specialty drink recipes coming soon from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club...

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

America’s Cup - Britannia takes flight in Cagliari
INEOS Team UK have settled in at their new base in Cagliari, Sardinia and have carried out their first flights.

The first America’s Cup World Series event takes place in Cagliari, Sardinia, from 23 to 26 April 2020.

This will be the first time that the defender and the three challengers have raced together (or any AC75 have raced) and will reveal who, if anyone, has designed and built a Cup winner.

Emirates Team New Zealand are expected to ship their AC75 to Europe in early March.

No news has been received on the shipping date for the New York Yacht Club American Magic AC75, while the possible fourth challenger, Stars & Stripes, now seems unlikely to compete at Cagliari. -- Gerald New, Sailweb

www.sailweb.co.uk

Something for Everyone! Sail in the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR)
The ‘Friendliest Regatta in the Caribbean’, STIR 2020 set for March 27-29, is the most welcoming too! There’s something for everyone. This year, organizers are adding a PHRF-rated class with racing on March 28 and 29. “We are excited about giving local working sailors a chance to compete in an international event in their home waters via a less competitive and friendly class,” says regatta organizer, Bill Canfield.

Beyond this, STIR offers CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association-handicap) Racing and Cruising; IRC; ORC; Multihull; Beach Cat and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20-feet. There’s also a one-design Hobie Wave class.

Bring Your Boat or Charter! Several companies offer charters: Or, crew, find crew or a charter for STIR through Tendrr: Or, charter an IC24 from the St. Thomas Sailing Center stthomassailingcenter.com

Getting Here & Staying is Easy! These airlines fly direct from major U.S. cities: American (Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, Philadelphia), Delta (Atlanta, New York), JetBlue (Boston, San Juan), Spirit (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando) and United (Chicago, Houston, Newark, Washington Dulles). Airlines connecting St. Thomas to the Caribbean include Air Sunshine, Cape Air, LIAT and Seaborne Airlines. Accommodations include hotels, B&B’s, resorts, villas, condos, VRBO rentals and Airbnb’s. Visit: www.visitusvi.com and usvihta.com

‘We Love It Here!, You Will Too!’ www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com, Email: stycisv [AT] gmail [DOT] com, Call (340) 775-6320.

Entries Open for Cowes Spring Classics 2020
Cowes Spring Classics organisers are delighted to announce that entries for the 2020 edition of the regatta are open. Taking place taking place over the weekend of 15 - 17 May, organisers Mary Scott-Jackson of MSJ Events and Martin Nott, a wooden boat builder, are expecting a wide range of participating yachts in 2020 with many new interested owners already making contact about how they can enter.

Due to a calendar clash (and the opportunity to race on neap tides), the racing is being organised by the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club in 2020. CCYC have the experience and expertise and we look forward to working with them. Also new for 2020, two new classes are being introduced - a Non-Spinnaker Cruising Class racing with the main fleet but aimed at those boats with fewer crew. The other class is “racing for people who don’t like racing” with timed races - no handicaps, no stress, challenge friends with similar yachts, perfect for class associations wanting to join the regatta for fun.

The regatta will once again be based at Shepards Marina, using the historic Sugar Store as its social hub. Entries are encouraged from Cruisers and Cruiser racers, Gaff Rigged yachts and Pilot Cutters, Day Boats and Raters, Classic Metre yachts, affordable Classic Cruisers plus modern Spirit of Tradition yachts.

Co-organiser Martin Nott said: “The 2020 regatta will benefit from neap tides, making life easier for everyone, particularly the smaller boats. Cowes Spring Classics has separate classes and starts for Bermudan and Gaff rigged boats, with Bermudan yachts racing to IRC handicap and Gaffers using OGA handicap. We are really pleased that our original inclusive concept for all types and sizes of classic yachts has proved so popular. With the help of all our sponsors we look forward to widening the appeal of Cowes Spring Classics even further.”

For more information please contact Mary Scott-Jackson on 01983 245100 or mary [AT] msjevents [DOT] co [DOT] uk or visit the website www.cowesspringclassics.com

Australian 5O5 Championship
Royal Brighton Yacht Club. Melbourne, Australia - The International 505 Class has announced that the 2020 Australian Championship will be held as part of the annual Sail Melbourne Regatta. In what is the first of many international 5O5 open events around the world in the coming year, the 2020 505 Australian Open Championship will take place January 16-21, 2020.

The 5O5 competition will be fierce and includes the multiple world champions Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel traveling across from the USA. " With an exciting season of racing all around the world coming up, the Australian Championship is a great way of escaping from our northern winter and getting great racing against the highly competitive Australian fleet"

"Its great to see overseas boats attending the Australian Nationals" said International President Michael Quirk (AUS). "Many of the Australians will also travel to Europe for other country's open events, the Euro Cup series held across France, Italy, Germany and the UK and culminating in the World Championship in Torekov Sweden."

For Australian Champioship results, daily race reports, photos, video keep an eye on the event site at www.int505.org/au-2020-australian-championship/

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Our Notice of Race is now published. We welcome you to register if you haven't already done so here, note the fees are reduced prior to March 1st. Dragon charters are still available as first come first serve. Firm up your plans to attend this spirited and friendly event.

We are pleased to announce two new silver sponsors to the regatta - Paul & Shark for yachting clothing, synonymous with Italian elegance and style, and Zaoli Sails for aerodynamic performance sails with strength and style for any type of boat.

We have a great group of yachts planning to attend, the vintage and classic schooners Mary Rose and Columbia, spirit of tradition yachts Chloe-Giselle and Freya of Midgard, training vessels Ocean Star, Ruth and New Moon to name a few.

The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Perpetual Dragon Trophy was delivered back to Antigua this month from the 2018 Champion Mike Toppa of Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club to the 2019 Champion and 2020 defending competitor Rocco Falcone of Antigua Yacht Club. Other competitors for 2020 are Paul Hoj-Jensen of the Royal Yacht Squadron, a two time gold medal and multiple world champion, and Andreas Zaoli of San Remo. Dragon charters are still available as first come first served.

Check out our expected entries list here and follow us on social media https://www.facebook.com/antiguaclassics/

www.antiguaclassics.com

Industry News -- BOOT Dusseldorf
BOOT Dusseldorf is the biggest boat and water sports trade fair in the world and is the place where all of the industry meets in January every year. About 1,900 exhibitors from 71 different countries are presenting their interesting innovations, attractive new developments and maritime equipment from 18. to 26. January 2020. More than 2,100 journalists from almost 50 countries around the world will be there to report about BOOT.

Maritime art for enthusiasts in Hall 7
Following their tour of the luxury worlds, visitors can take it down a notch in Hall 7 and relax while contemplating maritime art. Large portrayals of ocean scenes, photographs of maritime motifs or creative sculptures invite visitors to linger and enjoy the works of art. One of the exhibitors is, for example, Heinke Boehnert with her artistic depiction of the Malizia Team skippered by Boris Herrmann from Hamburg, who will be on the artist’s stand to sign autographs at 16:00 on 19. January.

Hall 8a: board sport as its best in the surfing hall
Anyone who thought that board sport peaked a long time ago should take a look at Hall 8a at boot 2020. Everyone who is anyone in the boarding community is exhibiting here. Nowhere else in the world will so many boards and the athletes who use them be at one place at the same time as at the forthcoming board sports summit to kick off the twenty-twenties at the boot Dusseldorf home port.

Recreational sailing in Halls 15 to 17: sailing is the original water sport
Sailing is the original water sport! The first known picture of a ship with sails is on an Egyptian drawing from Luxor that goes back to the period around 5000 BC! Christopher Columbus would not have discovered the “New World” without sails. There is no doubt about it: sailing was the first way that people travelled along rivers and across oceans. A popular water sport that has something to offer everyone developed out of people’s passion for sailing.

From 2020 onwards, three halls in Dusseldorf are being devoted to sailing. It goes without saying that the major players in this sector will be there too: Hanse, Bavaria, Hallberg Rassy or tall ship suppliers like Oyster, CNB and Nautors Swan are coming back. Together with the manufacturers of innovative new boats, they will paint a diverse picture of a progressive sailing community with plenty of international flair. Spiced by the appearances of globally renowned sailing figures like Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, such up-and-coming young sailors as Laura Dekker with her new sailing project for young people and experts or blue water sailing experts like Sönke Roever in the “Sailing Center”, the sailing halls reflect a lively and very emotional community. In co-operation with its media partner, the German publisher SVG Verlag, boot is launching the “start sailing” campaign (Hall 15). Newcomers and anyone else who is interested can benefit from the know-how provided by the experts here. In a casual atmosphere, young people and those who have stayed young at heart can make tremendous progress in fulfilling their dream of becoming a sailor.

For the first time, the original cup - that dates back to 1851 - from the America’s Cup presented by Prada is coming to Dusseldorf. This means that the trophy presented in the oldest sailing regatta that is still held today is travelling 18,538 kilometres from New Zealand to the city on the Rhine and will be publicising the impressive contest it represents.

www.boot.com

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The 2020 edition of the annual International Breakfast meeting (IBM) will feature the topic of sustainable boating with a focus on alternative fuels and engine systems.

The European Commission, as well as innovators from the fields of electric, hybrid and hydrogen will contribute to an exciting discussion on a key topic for the recreational boating industry.

IBM is organised by boot Dusseldorf, the world’s largest boat show and EBI, the voice of Europe’s recreational boating industry. Now in its fourth edition and growing to over 150 participants in 2019, the theme follows the cross-sectoral developments towards decarbonisation. It brings together high-level experts to provide thought leadership on a key issue for industry, governments and the wider public. It will take place on Tuesday, 21 January 2020 from 8:30 until 10:30 in the Congress Center East at boot Dusseldorf.

Topics taking centre-stage will be the European Union’s strategy towards decarbonising Europe’s industry and the ambition to develop a carbon-neutral continent in the coming decades. The alternative solutions that will be presented and discussed in IBM’s interactive format are expected to be hydrogen, hybrid and electric engines.

www.boot.com

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Culminating 2 years of development, RS is proud to announce the Boot Dusseldorf debut of an industry disrupting start to a new genre of motorboat. Pulse58 is a brand new, entirely bespoke design RIB, with ground-breaking, full integral electric drive.

Constructed with sustainability as its primary focus alongside zero emissions, Pulse58 is destined to challenge habits, spark passion amongst its users and redefine the standard.

RS warmly invite you to the launch of the Pulse58.

Boot Dusseldorf - 18 January - 16:30 - Hall 15 - E24

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Committed to continuously pushing back the boundaries of safety at sea, Ocean Safety is once again bringing innovation to boot Dusseldorf when the show opens on 18th January.

Hosted by Ocean Safety’s leisure German distributor SOSTECHNIC, the company will be introducing the next generation of night time ultra-high-viz products, the brand new Glo Lite option for the Jon Buoy man overboard recovery systems. The Glo Lite versions of the Jon Buoy recovery module, horseshoe, danbuoy and rescue sling will be on show alongside other products from Ocean Safety’s new product range for 2020, including the latest design of the Ocean ISO liferaft, with an all-new container that is lighter to handle and easier to launch.

A choice of three new safety lines from Ocean Safety will be revealed at boot Dusseldorf for the first time. The Standard, ADV (advanced) and PRO Safety Lines, each featuring the latest hooks and tethers are available in two or three hook options. CE approved, they are tested to EN ISO 12401 certification.

Visit Ocean Safety’s stand in Hall 11/B21 to speak to our team of safety experts. As well as giving product advice Ocean Safety’s team of marine safety experts are there to provide advice on servicing schedules, winterisation and coding.

During the show, Ocean Safety will also be working with their long-time sponsorship partner, World Cruising Club at their annual seminar to present the latest in safety innovation and preparation to WCC’s members.

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Harken announces the availability of its award-winning CLR™ (Compact, Light, Retractable) mooring and docking assist winch in five sizes appropriate for power and sailboats from 13 to 76 m. The products offer incrementally increasing holding power from 600 to 8000 kg.

Harken CLR stows flush, mounts under-deck and features unprecedented physical and mechanical characteristics.

“We developed the CLR to provide a docking winch solution that was lighter and more compact than what has been previously available,” said Emanuele Cecchini, Commercial Director of Harken's Italian factory where the CLRs are designed and built. “We think the product's unique form factor has enabled us to meet those challenges.”

The CLR stows completely below deck and occupies less horizontal and vertical space required by the previous market leaders. This is important to naval architects and deck designers looking for a very compact solution that makes mooring easier for owners and crew, while freeing up room for other equipment belowdeck. The CLR also weighs significantly less than its competition while delivering comparable mechanical advantage.

Manufacturers interested in more information about the CLR can see a live presentation of the full range at boot Dusseldorf 2020, Tuesday, 21 January from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Harken distributor Peter Frisch GMBH Stand, Hall 10, Stand H21 - H39. CLR will also be on display at the Frisch stand throughout the show.

www.harken.com

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Clipper Ventures is set to return to boot Dusseldorf from 18-26 January 2020 for the second consecutive year and, alongside showcasing the best of the action and stories from the Clipper 2019-20 Race and sister company Hamble School of Yachting, will be focusing attention on its important and innovative collaborations with UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) ocean data research initiatives.

This citizen-science driven project, which empowers Clipper Race Crew from all walks of life to contribute to important global scientific research, has seen four Clipper Race teams deploy data-transmitting buoys along some of the most remote latitudes of the global race route during the third, fourth and upcoming fifth leg of the competition. Gathered data will be used in two ways; to instantly generate significantly improved accuracy in weather modelling at Earth’s most remote latitudes and to generate data for long-term climate studies.

Clipper Race Commercial Director Alex Smith and Toste Tanhua, Chief Scientist and Chair of UNESCO-IOC/WMO will be discussing the project in detail on Monday 20 January - 11:30- 11:45 on the Sailing Stage in Hall 15 in a talk called CITIZEN SCIENCE: The Clipper Race and ocean health.

Clipper Race Recruitment Director and twice-circumnavigator Della Parsons and a team of former Clipper Race Crew will be sharing their stories and experiences on the Clipper Ventures stand (Hall 15/B24) and will be joined by Chris Rushton and Luke Aspden, two experts from Hamble School of Yachting - a leading UK sailing school which has over 35 years of experience in delivering the highest quality RYA tuition.

pressenquiries [AT] clipper-ventures [DOT] com

* From Philip Crebbin:

re: the passing of Johnson Wooderson

So sorry to hear about the passing of Woody. Our main sailing together was back in the Admiral's Cup in 1981 when he was my tactician, and also co-helmsman offshore. He was a major contributor to our great success that year, including winning the Admiral's Cup as part of the British team, being top boat inshore and 2nd individual boat overall, as well as RORC Yacht of the Year and Solent Points winner.

In the Fastnet Race that year, in a near flat calm finish, we had the major achievement of getting a finishing gun in Plymouth - then only given to the first two finishers on the water - in a 43 footer, beating all the maxis (then 80ft) and larger yachts across the line except for Kialoa, which was first boat home. Woody was a major force in this, both with his carefully thought out contribution to the tactics, as well as helping to keep the crew focussed and in good spirits in very difficult conditions, which made a big difference in the final phases when we were picking off larger yachts and maxis one by one in the last few miles to the finish.

We used to meet up regularly in recent years in the Classic Yacht series in the Med, and it was wonderful seeing him still performing on Cambria, as well as our enjoying frequent reminiscing!

RIP, Woody - you will always be remembered.

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2003 R/P built at King Marine. 525,000 USD. Located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

AURORA is now for sale with an incredible asking price. Formally known as BLUE YANKEE, AURORA still possesses all that is needed to win anywhere in the world. Many new upgrades, along with the simple design aspects that has made this boat a winner year in and year out. Call for her details

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410 267 9419
410 353 7862

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2016 Black Pepper Code 2. 1,290,000 EUR. Located in Caribbean - enroute E.Coast USA

Awesome Marc Lombard IMOCA 60-inspired offshore speed machine in full carbon with centreboard, water ballast, easily-managed rig-plan and benefit of comprehensive 2018/19 winter refit.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: alex [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

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2018 JPK 11.80 - Courrier Recommande. 333,000 VAT Paid EUR. Lying: La Trinite-sur-Mer, 56470, FRANCE

Awards, prepared boat, ready to sail.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
courrier11 [DOT] 80 [AT] gmail [DOT] com
or +33 651342 195

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
I've been to Canada, and I've always gotten the impression that I could take the country over in about two days. -- Jon Stewart

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Francis Joyon to tackle the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London
• Cape 2 Rio
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Oxley eyeing another lap of the planet
• Romain Attanasio: "When You Do It For The Second Time, You Are Not As Reckless As The First Time"
• Sperry Charleston Race Week Celebrates 25 Years!
• Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL roster confirmed
• Bigger brighter and faster - A&T Instruments
• Australian Sailing and Kiteboarding Australia announce joint intentions
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • J/122 - El Ocaso
• • Volvo Open 70 - Ocean Breeze
• • CNB 76 - New Boat
• The Last Word: Ross Perot

Francis Joyon to tackle the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London
Francis Joyon will begin the final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR at around 0900hrs UTC on Saturday morning with an attempt at the Tea Route record. On this legendary route between Hong Kong and London, the reference time has been held since 2018 by the Italian, Giovanni Soldini. Once again with his small crew of four, including the boat captain Bertrand Delesne, the assistants and crewmen, Antoine Blouet and Corentin Joyon and his faithful friend, Christophe Houdet, Francis will be sailing on the route he sailed to get to the Far East at the end of last year, but this time in the opposite direction and without stopping.

During his outward voyage he set a new record for the Mauritius Route between Brittany and Mauritius and two new reference times for the trips between Mauritius and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), and then between Vietnam and Shenzhen in China. His latest goal is to complete the voyage back to Europe in a time below that set by the 70-foot trimaran, Maserati and Giovanni Soldini's crew of 36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes, when they averaged 17.4 knots.

The route is largely characterised by the trade winds that the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran is looking forward to. "We shall be setting off in some decent conditions," explained Francis. "They are nothing special, but it does mean sailing downwind in the NE'ly trade winds as we head towards the Sunda Strait and the awesome calms that punished us so much on the way out here. It looks like it is going to be particularly calm around the Equator. Once into the Indian Ocean, there is the risk of a cyclone, where we could face average winds of 35 knots, but we will continue to sail downwind."

www.idecsport.com

Cape 2 Rio
In the northern fleet the big dogs, 'Maserati' and 'Love Water', continue at great speed, pointing almost at the finish line and plotting their way through a potentially tricky period where the wind pressure may well drop, before they can break through to new wind, put on the afterburners and rocket towards the finish line, which is now less than 1800nm away.

'Sulanga', who had led the way since the first start until the trimarans passed her today, has done well and sailed fast since the start, and has been a moving target for the monohulls chasing her.

The trio of 'JM Busha 54′, 'Mojie 1′ and 'Umoya' continue to look good in terms of line honours position and boatspeed, but only for now, and will have to box clever so as not to fall into a windless hole that may trip them up in a few days time.

Down south in the southern fleet 'Mussulo 40′ still wears the monohull leaders crown, although 'Saravah' has had a good last 24 hours. 'Mussulo' is the most northern boat of this fleet, and looks to be in a handy position with good wind prospects for the next 24 hours. As stated yesterday, 'Zulu Girl' may well be ploughing blindly along on a westward course towards light wind. Her fall from a top position on line honours has been dramatic of late, although she still hangs on to a podium place on handicap.

'Mussulo 40′ and 'Ballyhoo Too' are being sailed just two-up, and are doing exceptionally well. The purists may point out that they have less weight on board in terms of victuals, water, crew gear and crew weight making them lighter than their competitors, but just two people are doing all the work that six and more are doing on other boats.

While the whole northern fleet has crossed the meridian and is now in the west, the southern fleet have that as their next milestone - approximately 150nm away.

Fleet Tracking

cape2rio2020.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Your humble narrator called the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club yesterday to inform them of their victory, and spoke with the club's interim manager Cassius Fevriere:

"It was great speaking with you yesterday and I am excited that we have won the competition!!!!

"I am also very pleased that I have been mentioned several times in the comments. However, this would not have been possible without the support of my team here at the club as well as the great stories and comments from our members and guests, they are the ones who make RHADC what it is.

"Here is the competition drink which was recommended and made by one of our AMAZING bartenders Valisa (Lisa) Furbert:

Dinghy Martini
2 oz Wight Vodka
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2oz Grapefruit Juice

"All ingredients into shaker with ice and shake for 2 minutes and strain into a chilled Martini Glass

"I have seen some of the comments from members and their guests and I am flattered to be mentioned. On behalf of my team here at the RHADC and its members. I would like to say a big thank you to you and Wight Vodka for organizing this competition. I can assure you that we at the club will definitely showcase our winning with pride!"

Thanks to Wight Vodka and Latitude Kinsale for their sponsorship.

eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Oxley eyeing another lap of the planet
Three-time The Ocean Race veteran Will Oxley has confirmed that he's eyeing at least one more lap around the planet, as the 2021-22 edition of the round-the-world race continues to take shape.

The experienced Aussie navigator - who has logged almost 300,000 circumnavigation miles in a long career - most recently sailed as navigator onboard Team Alvimedica in the 2014-15 edition, alongside 11th Hour Racing Team's Charlie Enright and Mark Towill.

"I'd like to feel I'm not yet done with round the world racing, I'd like to be involved with at least one more," Oxley told Tip & Shaft, the online magazine.

"The IMOCA's offer a chance to get back into more of the sailing so that part of it is very appealing. The best sailing I've done in my life has been on the IMOCA 60's with the doublehanded race to Brazil and around Britain and Ireland (Oxley was co-skipper with Brian Thompson in 2007 on Team Pindar before Thompson's Vendee Globe).

He added: "More and more as you spend time as a navigator you get pigeon-holed into being a navigator and I am a sailor as well."

www.theoceanrace.com

Romain Attanasio: "When You Do It For The Second Time, You Are Not As Reckless As The First Time"
In early January, Port-la-Forêt is more or less asleep. Most of the IMOCAs are sheltered in the warmth of the sheds, where they are undergoing their winter refit before they tackle the final two races to prepare for the Vendee Globe. Romain Attanasio's boat is no exception to the rule. Meanwhile, the skipper is trying to make the most of the time to convince new partners to join the adventure.

Vendee Globe: Romain, how is your project going?
Romain Attanasio: the boat went into the yard this week. I'll be taking advantage of the month of January to try to win over some potential partners. I have got two thirds of the budget. One third is from Pure, my headline partner and the second from the business club that we set up with around fifty partners. So we are still missing the final third, which could come from a joint sponsor.

VG: Are you carrying out any major work this winter?
RA: Not really. The main thing is to slim the boat down by 600 kilos. We decided that was vital if we wanted to be up there with the best classic IMOCAs without foils. In general we can say that any weight savings lead to a cut in the elements offering comfort. We'll be going towards something that is fairly spartan.

VG: That is a radical choice...
RA: It is the only way for us to rejuvenate the boat for so little money. I haven't forgotten that during my first Vendee Globe, I was aboard Le Pingouin, a boat that was known for being far from comfortable. In some ways, you could say it was a good learning process. We decided to stick with a fairly traditional configuration and not go down the road of fitting foils. Apart from the fact that it costs a lot of money, I'm not convinced that adding foils will really change much in terms of the performance of the boat. It is going to be more efficient to slim her down.

Full interview: www.vendeeglobe.org

Sperry Charleston Race Week Celebrates 25 Years!
It's the beginning of a New Year, and we wish you all the best in 2020! We also invite you to join us for our 25th anniversary celebration April 23-26.

This year, we expect a record number of boats - upwards of 300 - to be on the line. The event will serve double duty as the ORC North American Trophy regatta, which we expect will bolster the large boat turnout. What's more, the Melges 24 World Championship, held a week later, is pulling in many international boats for training. All this adds up to epic competition and fun! You can also expect better than ever post-race events, live reports on the races, post-race debriefs aided by aerial videos and graphics on the beachfront jumbotron, great parties, a Pro-Am event, and an engaging multimedia presentation on the upcoming America's Cup.

Once again, we are planning on four inshore courses, a Pursuit offshore course, and a Hybrid Pursuit course. We also strive to make the logistics easier and attendance as affordable as possible. Make sure to get your reservations in for dockage at the marina and make sure to get your launch and haul organized. There are plenty of resources available on the website under logistics.

We appreciate your past support of this event and want you to know that every year our steering committee examines trends in the sport and listens to your comments and then works hard to make good on our tagline "a regatta unlike any other."

We truly appreciate our sponsors and volunteers who are really stepping up to make sure the 25th edition of Sperry Charleston Race Week is the one not to miss - all at the "best venue in the sport" in America's No. 1 destination city! Stay tuned to our Facebook page and this website for updates. And, be sure to register by January 31st to save $100.00 on your entry fee. As always, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns - we are here to serve you!

We look forward to seeing you in April!

charlestonraceweek.com

Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL roster confirmed
With just over a month until the start of SailGP Season 2, the roster for the Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL was confirmed for its debut campaign in the global championship. Helmsman Nicolai Sehested determined the six-man team following a two-week training and selection camp in New Zealand's Northland region, where the group got its first taste of the world's fastest sail race boat on Bream Bay.

The Danish team consists of Sehested, 30, of Copenhagen (helm); Tom Johnson, 28, of Mandurah, Western Australia (wing trimmer); Rasmus Køstner, 41, of Middelfart (flight controller); Martin Kirketerp, 37, of Aarhus (grinder); Hans-Christian Rosendahl, 23, of Copenhagen (grinder); and Lars-Peter Rosendahl, 23, of Copenhagen (grinder).

The Danes will have additional support from Olympic silver medalist Jonas Høgh-Christensen - who is serving as team manager - as they compete against six other national teams, including reigning champion Australia, for the sport's largest monetary prize of US$1 million starting February 28-29 in Sydney.

The new team hit its stride early in New Zealand, achieving 48.7 knots of speed (90 kph) within the first hour of sailing.

Following Sydney, SailGP returns to San Francisco (May 2-3) and New York (June 12-13), ahead of the first European event of the year in Cowes on the Isle of Wight (August 14-15). The final season schedule will be announced on February 3.

SailGP.com

Bigger brighter and faster - A&T Instruments
Even the best calibrated and most accurate performance instruments in the world are of little use if you can't see what they are saying...

Those of us lucky enough to cross an ocean or race offshore for any length of time will have an innate sense of appreciation and wonder at the beauty and power of the sea - it's this very primal urge within us that binds us all together as sailors. And yet, as we know, some of the most important features of the sea and its ecosystems are under threat from human interference - most likely for the first time in the planet's history. Consequences now include measurable effects and influence on not just our aesthetic values as sailors but also the lives and well-being of those who depend on being on and around the sea.

Being clear on what you are watching has never been more important. Modern instrument displays now play a crucial role and the A+T Big Format Display (BFD) is a game changer. Larger and brighter than any other display on the market, the BFD has the same footprint as a 40/40 display and yet its digits can be configured to be 50 per cent larger than these. But there's far more to this new display.

Full article in the February issue of Seahorse

Australian Sailing and Kiteboarding Australia announce joint intentions
Australian Sailing and Kiteboarding Australia have today announced their intentions to work together to develop the next generation of Australian Olympic sailing champions.

With the Mixed Kite event (IKA Formula Kite) to make its debut as an Olympic discipline at the Paris 2024 games, the two organisations have announced that joint planning has begun on how to best nurture an Australian gold medallist in the event.

The two organisations are now working together to deliver the best athletes to be medal ready when racing starts on the waters of Marseilles in four years' time.

"Kiteboarding Australia (KA) is excited by the inclusion of Kite Foil racing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. We look forward to actively continuing to develop Kite Foil racing in Australia. It's an exciting prospect and we hope that we can create an Olympic pathway together that sees kiteboarders standing on the podium at the 2024 Olympics," said Kiteboarding Australia General Manger Declan McCarthy.

The announcement comes on the first day of the Australian Kitefoiling National Championships, which will be held in conjunction with Sail Melbourne, Australian Sailing's flagship annual Olympic Class event. The Championships will take place at Brighton Beach in Melbourne from 17-21 January.

Australian Sailing recently called for those interested in campaigning in the kite foiling event for 2024 to register their details with the organisation to ensure they are kept up to date with all the latest news and information in regard to the process.

Please click here to register your details today.

RORC to host 2020 J/111 World Championship
The Royal Ocean Racing Club are delighted to have been asked to organise the 2020 J/111 World Championship to be held in Cowes during September next year.

Up to 20 of these highly competitive one design boats will compete, firstly in a pre-worlds regatta over the 30th and 31st August, and then four days of championship racing from the 2nd to the 5th September before the winner is crowned at the prizegiving dinner on the Saturday night.

The Notice of Race is now available.

* From Malcolm McKeag

re: the passing of Johnson Wooderson

Those of us who had the privilege of knowing him and pleasure of sailing with him will each have a favourite Johnson Wooderson story... here's mine.

There we all were, sitting on top of Drum's upturned hull a mile or so off the coast of Cornwall, like seagulls waiting for a herring boat. Helicopter and all-weather Lifeboat in attendance, a little D-class inflatable ferrying between Drum and the lifeboat which is standing half-a-cable off, the helo hovering overhead, winchman at the door, diver on the end of the wire, lifting people off. Quite a few of the crew already taken off and I do a quick count of those still left, working from fwd to aft (at the back John Irving, Woody, then me) to see who is left and who will go with whom. The D-class is just coming alongside again. And I think - bother it, either Irv or Woody will go in the helo - and I'll have to go in the boring old lifeboat.

"You for the lifeboat or the helicopter, Woody?" says Irv.

"Blow [or words to that effect] the helicopter" says Woody "... that's the Navy and it'll be a dry ship. The RNLI's got rum - and I'm a survivor..."

And off the two of them slid, down the side of Drum and into the D-class. And that's how I got my first ride in a helicopter. As so many will say: a great guy.

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El Ocaso has been living in the Caribbean for the last 10 years and is very well known on the Spring race circuit, with many wins in the competitive 40’ class. Typically only in the water between March – May each year and then laid up ashore for the other 9 months. Ready made charter business als

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+44 7759424900
+44 2380 016582
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com

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2008 Volvo Open 70 - OCEAN BREEZE. 495000 EUR. Located in Amsterdam, Holland.

Ex - TELEFONICA BLUE and SANYA LAN. Now subject to a huge refit, including a set of 7 unused sails, new generator, batteries, wiring, NDT tested and all recommendations undertaken. She really is ready to go, with spare rig, 2 x 40 ft containers, high and low cradles and a support trailer. Results recently for the Volvo 70 class yachts in the major offshore races are very strong. Please do call for full details of this very real opportunity.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com

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CNB 76 - New Boat.

Inaugurating a new-generation coachroof when she was launched, the CNB 76 revolutionised the relationship with space and the sea.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
CNB
162, quai de Brazza
CS 81217
33072 Bordeaux cedex
E-mail : cnb [AT] cnb [DOT] fr
Tel. : +33 (0)5 57 80 85 50
Fax : +33 (0)5 57 80 85 51

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Life is like a cobweb, not an organization chart. -- Ross Perot

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini cross the finish line of the Cape2Rio 2020
• Francis Joyon set sail on the Tea Route
• Brutus on target at 7th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series
• Australian 5O5 Championship
• 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 1 & 2
• Farr 40 One Design Trophy: Edake wins third in a row
• Persistence required - Banks Sails
• Entry now open for the 2020 Finn Gold Cup in Palma
• Juan Kouyoumdjian Interview
• Patrick Pym: 6th September 1936 - 4th December 2019
• Featured Brokerage:
• • SW100RS Cape Arrow
• • Frers 57 Day Sailer - SASKIA TOO
• • Ice Yachts ICE 52
• The Last Word: Sam Ervin

Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini cross the finish line of the Cape2Rio 2020
The Italian Team concludes the race with an elapsed time of 8 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes and 34 seconds

At 12.39 34" local time (15.39 34" UTC, 16.39 34" Italian time) on Sunday January 19th, Maserati Multi 70 crossed the finish line of the Cape2Rio 2020 off Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Giovanni Soldini and his crew conclude the race with an elapsed time of 8 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes and 34 seconds.

The Italian Team's direct competitor, the 80' trimaran LoveWater, arrived in Rio de Janeiro at 5.54 2" local time (8.54 2" UTC, 9.54 2" Italian time), with an elapsed time of 7 days, 20 hours, 24 minutes and 2 seconds.

Aboard Maserati Multi 70, the skipper Giovanni Soldini raced with a 7-man crew: the Italians Guido Broggi (mainsail trimmer), John Elkann (helmsman and trimmer), Nico Malingri and Matteo Soldini (both grinders and trimmers), the Spanish Carlos Hernandez Robayna (trimmer) and Oliver Herrera Perez (bowman) and the French Pierre-Laurent Boullais.

Maserati Multi 70 and LoveWater set sail for the 16th edition of the historical transoceanic regatta from Table Bay, before Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday January 11th at 14.30 local time (12.30 UTC, 13.30 Italian time).

The official times will be ratified later by the organizers of the race.

cape2rio2020.com

Francis Joyon set sail on the Tea Route
The IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran is back racing. Francis Joyon left Hong Kong this morning at 08:00:47 hrs UTC and is on his way to London in the framework of another record attempt: the Tea Route, for which the reference time has been held since 2018 by the Italian, Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the Maserati trimaran, who completed the voyage in 36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes. To beat the record, Joyon and his crew have to finish in London by 11:36:58 on Sunday 23rd February.

The fourth Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, the Tea Route is without doubt the longest and hardest of the races. A voyage of around 17,500 miles lies ahead of the IDEC SPORT red maxi-trimaran, which won the last Route du Rhum when sailed solo and is still holder of the Jules Verne Trophy for the crewed round the world record.

Soon after returning to China by plane last week and following on from some pleasant PR operations with the Chinese in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Francis and his crew of four, Antoine Blouet, Christophe Houdet, Bertrand Delesne and his son, Corentin, decided to cast off on Saturday morning and cross the start line for this new adventure in the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, an attempt to beat the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London. The start took place in moderate conditions, with the monsoon generating 15-knot NE'ly winds along the coast of China. More than 13,000 miles separate the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran from the finish in London. This is a huge voyage that the big clippers completed in several months. Francis and his men will have to complete the voyage in less than 36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes to add this record to their list of achievements and finish their Asian tour in style.

www.idecsport.com

Brutus on target at 7th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series
It took one point to clinch victory as Act 3 of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series went down to the wire. Organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco, in collaboration with SLAM, these monthly regattas continue to thrive.

The 45 teams of 13 nationalities who made the trip were not disappointed, with five races completed in a 5-12 knot westerly ending on a 10-14 knot easterly. For the 180 sailors it was another chance to build experience on the race area that will host the J/70 World Championship in October 2021. They included a Corinthian team from the Seattle Yacht Club and 11 Nordic boats.

The Russians on Arttube led by Valeriya Kovalenko pulled out all the stops in an attempt to snatch victory, but two race wins and a 2nd were not enough to dethrone Charles Thompson's men on Brutus. They may be in the Corinthian category but proved they have what it takes at the highest level. Impeccable from start to finish the Royal Southern Yacht Club crew kept up the pressure showing remarkable consistency: 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd and 5th.

The Danes on Upupup clinched 3rd, equal on points with the YCM's Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G Spottino). Among Monegasque entrants Ludovico Fassitelli's Junda fought hard, but was foiled by a 19th place to finish 6th overall.

After three Acts, Brutus now tops the series' provisional ranking with 43 points after 15 races with Junda in 2nd and two-time-winners of the Series, Arttube, in 3rd.

Next up: the one-design 36th Primo Cup-Trophee Credit Suisse (6-9 February 2020) with six classes in contention: L30, Longtze Premier, H22, Smeralda 888, Melges 20 and J/70.

www.yacht-club-monaco.mc

Australian 5O5 Championship
Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Melbourne: Sunday was a typical Melbourne day. Some cloud, some sunshine, some warm and some cold, hail storms and some lightning. Above all bloody good wind and near perfect 5O5 sailing.

Results, great photos and video from Christophe Favreau at www.int505.org/au-2020-australian-championship/

Top five after six races, one throwout:

1. Mike Holt / Rob Woelfel, USA, 6
2. Robin Deussen / David Snoad, AUS, 10
3. Christopher Paterson / Thor Schoenhoff, AUS, 19
4. Sandy Higgins / Paul Marsh, AUS, 20
5. Michael Babbage / James Mcallister, AUS, 20

Full results

18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Races 1 & 2
Finport Finance cruises to victory in Race 1 of the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship. Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: The Finport Finance team of Keagan York, Matt Stenta and David Ewings totally dominated the racing in a 8-12 knots SSE wind to lead the fleet after the two-race opening day of the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

York and his team won the start with a risky port hand start at the pin end of the line in Race 1 and were rarely challenged as they led at every mark of the three-lap windward-return course set in Rose Bay.

Finport Finance increased her led at every mark before crossing the finish line 2m27s ahead of Tech2 (Jack Macartney, Charlie Wyatt, Trent Barnabas), with Shaw & Partners Financial Services (James Dorron, Harry Bethwaite, Tim Westwood) a further 25s back in third place.

Brett Van Munster's appliancesonline.com.au was near the leaders throughout the race to finish in fourth place, ahead of Noakesailing (Sean Langman), R Marine Pittwater (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and the NSW Champion Winning Group, sailed by Seve Jarvin.

It was an outstanding performance by the winner and onlookers were left to wonder could the Finport Finance team repeat the effort in the latter race.

The results have now set a challenge for the Winning Group, Shaw & Partners Financial Services and Smeg teams over the following seven races of the championship.

There is no club racing next Sunday as the fleet will contest the Lord Mayor's Cup as part of the Australia Day Regatta.

It will be back to normal on Sunday, 2 February when Australian 18 Footers League club racing resumes with Races 3 & 4 of the Australian Championship being contested. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com

Farr 40 One Design Trophy: Edake wins third in a row
The final day of the Farr 40 One Design Trophy was sailed on Sydney Harbour and PRO Phil Yeomans got four races away resulting in Jeff Carter's Edake winning their third Farr 40 regatta in a row.

Competition between the top three; Edake, Outlaw and Double Black was tighter than ever and it was right down to the last race where Edake secured the regatta win. The team are on a roll and peaking right on schedule as the hot favourite for the upcoming NSW State Title and National Championships.

The father and son team of Tom and Alan Quick divided and very nearly conquered today with Alan taking over the helm and Tom spectating. When Quick (Snr) quickly punched out the first win of the day, there was cheering from Tom on the support boat, which was quickly backed up with banter from his fellow rivals retorting, "He's better than you are."

PRO Phil Yeomans and the race management team did a great job getting the fourth race away, just before the final warning signal of 1500hrs. "Excellent sailing conditions compared to yesterday and it was great to watch. We had two races at a course of 200 with a little shift and two with the breeze shifting left, which allowed for four races." Yeomans said.

Third place went to Rob Pitts and Double Black, who had a really consistent regatta, except for just one race. They were unlucky being caught on the wrong side of one ferry, forcing them to tack away, only to be caught by another ferry passing in the other direction.

The strong Australian fleet of ten boats are prepped and more competitive than ever for the pièce de resistance, the NSW State Title held at Middle Harbour on 22 & 23 February followed by the National Championships, John Calvert-Jones Cup held at RSYS in March.

Results: www.farr40.asn.au/results

Persistence required - Banks Sails
There is a modern fibre that is less than easy to use but if you can eventually pull it off the results can be spectacular

'You wouldn't use anything other than Dyneema for your halyards or sheets,' says Banks Sails' boss Paolo Semeraro. 'So why accept anything less in your sails?' There are good reasons why most sailmakers don't offer sails reinforced with Dyneema despite its well-known strength, durability and toughness. Instead, they tend to use sailcloth made with carbon or aramid fibre. Dyneema may be stronger than carbon, much less brittle and three times lighter for the same diameter, but it's slippery, which makes it awkward to laminate into the body of a sail – and you really don't want a sail with load-bearing filaments that are liable to slip around when it flogs. 'Nobody else is using it,' Semeraro says. 'But we have found a way to make it work.'

After five years making Dyneema-reinforced sails with no problems, there is no longer any doubt that they have indeed cracked it. Banks Sails is also very unusual in keeping a film inside its membrane sails while almost all other sail lofts and sailcloth manufacturers have abandoned that method and moved on to filmless membranes following an embarrassing spate of problems, including some high-profile incidents in which state-of-the-art sails suffered sudden, disastrous delamination failures during major races and regattas, sometimes after very little use.

Full story in the February issue of Seahorse

Entry now open for the 2020 Finn Gold Cup in Palma
The 2020 Finn Gold Cup will be organised by the Club Nàutic S'Arenal from 8-16 May in the Bay of Palma, Mallorca. Entry for sailors and coach registration is now open through the event website at http://2020.finngoldcup.org.

The Notice of Race has been published here.

The Real Club Nautico de Palma is also organising the Palma Finn Cup from 12-15 February for those sailors arriving on Mallorca early to train for the Finn Gold Cup and the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, which runs from March 27 to April 3. -- Robert Deaves

www.rcnp.es/finncup2020/

Juan Kouyoumdjian: "It Is Very Difficult, If Not Impossible, To Design Boats And Foils That Work Well At All Speeds"
With the design of the new Arkea Paprec and Corum L'Epargne, Juan Yacht Design returned to the IMOCA class during 2019, coming back to a class which has not yet really yielded the big successes that Juan K enjoyed in the Volvo Ocean Race. 48-year-old Juan Kouyoumdjian remains one of the most interesting architects of this generation. His spectrum of interest spans everything from Olympic class optimisations (Finn and previously the Star) to the America's Cup, including record breaking monohulls and production yachts (including the latest ClubSwan 50 and ClubSwan 36). Speaking to Tip & Shaft, he majors this time on the IMOCA and the America's Cup.

You hadn't designed a 60 footer since Cheminees Poujoulat in 2011. What precipitated your comeback to the Imoca?
Sebastien Simon's project (Arkea Paprec) was the trigger. They asked me to work with them at the end of 2017 with very specific conditions. I had a second offer soon after that which I had to decline because I had signed a non-competition agreement. Before we launched last summer, a third project was proposed to us for Corum l'Epargne. I got authorization to embark on this new boat due to different reasons and it will be launched at the end of next month. It shares the same hull mould as Arkea Paprec.

Was your collaboration with Vincent Riou on the PRB foils also decisive?
Yes, I started there. We have been working with Vincent since 2014. We optimized the old boat quite a bit, not only the foils which are the most visible part. We had adapted PRB to the new rule, working on the evolution of ballasts and we made a lot of progress on the boat which had been very well designed by Guillaume Verdier and VPLP.

How do you assess the first season of your new IMOCA?
The season is positive in general because we always learn things and we include the excellent performance of PRB, I don't think we can really separate the two. In sporting terms, Arkea Paprec's season was obviously very disappointing. All these boats are so technical and pushed by the skippers that damage does occurs. I hope that for Sebastien Simon and his team the problems came at the right time and are now behind us. That said the boat has shown great potential. If they hadn't broken the second foil, Sebastien and Vincent would probably have finished on the podium of the Jacques Vabre, which with a single foil would have been a remarkable performance. But from the start, we had to face a lot of technical problems, especially in the foil control system. From the start, these appendages did not have the desired efficiency at all speeds.

Full interview in Tip & Shaft

Patrick Pym: 6th September 1936 - 4th December 2019
Patrick's funeral took place on 30th December 2019 and was attended by an eclectic mix of people from the world of sailing, from international and Olympic sailors to those who had regularly competed with or against him in HRSC Wednesday evening races. He was a long time National 12 competitor with half a dozen boats to his name, starting his career in Sidmouth back in about '58 and then culminating in the 1965 'Lucky Number' in which he won both the Burton Cup and the overall week at Thorpe Bay. That boat was particularly notable as the first of the wide breed of 12's that we see today – a joint design and build effort together with Martin Jones.

Patrick was a long standing member of Hamble River Sailing Club and one of the six HRSC members selected for the 1972 Great Britain Olympic sailing team, competing in the Finn single-handed class. Hugh Welbourn, who describes Patrick as "the one that welcomed an awestruck young (National) 12 sailor to the Club", has written a full obituary, describing Patrick's multi-faceted life, which focused throughout on boats and sailing. Heartfelt condolences go to Patrick's family from HRSC members and many others. -- Steph Merry, Commodore HRSC.

www.hrsc.org.uk/article/patrick-pym-obituary-

Featured Brokerage
2011 SW100RS Cape Arrow. 4,600,000 EUR. Located in La Spezia, Italy

Beautifully maintained Southern Wind 100 with Raised Saloon configuration, Cape Arrow was delivered in 2011 and is presented in excellent condition

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Southern Wind Shipyard (Pty) Ltd
Salita Dinegro 7/1
16123 Genoa Italy
sales [AT] sws-yachts [DOT] eu
Tel. +39 010 570 4035

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2005 Frers 57 Day Sailer - SASKIA TOO. Located in South Coast, France.

Drop dead gorgeous day sailor, a mini Wally in every sense.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
+44 (0) 1590 679 222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] co [DOT] uk

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2015 Ice Yachts ICE 52. 850000 EUR. Located in Stockholm, Sweden.

Used sparingly as a demonstrator, SKIDBLADNER II is an ‘as new’ example of the ultra-modern Felci-designed 52ft performance cruiser from the renowned Ice Yachts (formerly CN Yacht 2000). Boasting a huge cruising spec plus 2.55m keel for practical sailing in Scandinavian waters. Available ex VAT.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email: enquiries [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Divine right went out with the American Revolution and doesn't belong to the White House aides. What meat do they eat that makes them grow so great? -- Sam Ervin

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Wet and Wild Penultimate Day of Sail Melbourne International
• The Tea Route : 180 miles ahead after two days of racing
• Nimble, cool and perfectly formed - Excess Catamarans
• Free Berthing at Landsail Tyres J-Cup
• Day 1 at Hempel World Cup Series Miami
• PlanetSail: Cup Talk with Martin Fischer
• European Yacht of the Year 2020
• Launchings at BOOT
• Featured Brokerage:
• • YYachts Y7
• • Farr 400
• • Vismara 54 - B5
• The Last Word: Mark Twain

Wet and Wild Penultimate Day of Sail Melbourne International
It was a challenging day for sailors and race management alike with multiple storm fronts passing through Melbourne on the penultimate day of Sail Melbourne International making for another wild and fun day for the majority of the classes.

Despite the weather challenges several of the fleets managed to get all races in, while some were cancelled for the day due to high winds and sea stage.

Amongst those abandoned were the para-sailing classes 2.4mR and Liberty, as well as the Laser 4.7 which were cancelled for the day before going out. The International 505 class did venture out, but with winds increasing, racing had to be abandoned and subsequently cancelled for the day.

Tuesday will be the final day of Sail Melbourne International 2020 with another two races scheduled in most classes from 12:00 p.m.

Over 300 competitors from 25 countries are competing at Sail Melbourne International with racing to continue on Tuesday for the fifth and final day of the day of the event and with racing scheduled to commence from 12:00 p.m. at both Sail Melbourne International race venues Royal Brighton Yacht Club and Sandringham Yacht Club (Laser fleets).

See all results here

See updated race schedule here

www.sailmelbourne.com.au

The Tea Route : 180 miles ahead after two days of racing
It is clear that in spite of the demanding conditions, everyone is enjoying being back sailing on the high seas, as they tackle their latest record attempt between Hong Kong and London. This morning, this has led to the crew of IDEC SPORT achieving a decent lead of more than 180 miles after the first days of racing over the time set by the holder of the Tea Route record, the 70-foot trimaran, Maserati.

Francis Joyon and his crew of four have been making the most of a steady NE'ly wind offering them downwind sailing since Saturday. IDEC SPORT has carried out a series of gybes to get around the countless islands in the South of China Sea and is due to cross the Equator once again later today. This will mark the symbolic entry into the Southern Hemisphere and will coincide with the wind dropping right off for the giant trimaran. The way through to the Indian Ocean via the Sunda Strait will require a lot of patience and concentration.

In the next few hours, the situation will change drastically in this race. After averaging more than 27 knots out on the water in the first 1300 miles, later today, they will find conditions that are increasingly calm. "Now, we only have sixteen knots of wind," said Joyon. "We are approaching the Natuna Regency in the hope of benefiting from a bit more wind. The seas have calmed down somewhat and there is not as much shipping around. We deliberately avoided the Vietnamese peninsula to get way from all the fishing boats. But as we approach Malaysia, we will once again encounter lots of cargo vessels and all sorts of shipping."

www.idecsport.com

Nimble, cool and perfectly formed - Excess Catamarans
Good taste, first class naval architecture and excellent construction combined with the resources of the world's biggest boatbuilder... the results were always going to be hard to beat

Most cruising catamarans are stodgy to sail, but Bénéteau's new Excess brand aims to bring back the fun. Excess cats are lighter and faster, more nimble and powerful, with a sail area : displacement ratio 10 per cent higher. How much difference does 10 per cent make? We sailed the first two models in Mallorca to find out.

First impressions
Walking along a dock towards an Excess cat, the first thing you'll notice is the exceptionally tall mast. The Excess 12 has a bridge clearance of 18.3m (59ft 11in), while the Excess 15's masthead is 27.9m (91ft 6in) above the waterline. And that's just the standard rig. The sportier Pulse Line rig adds another metre or two.

Full article in the February issue of Seahorse

Free Berthing at Landsail Tyres J-Cup
Key Yachting is delighted to announce that Landsail Tyres will once again be the title sponsor for the 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup, hosted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club 2-4 July 2020.

Landsail Tyres have supported the regatta since 2015, their continued support allows FREE berthing at Cowes Yacht Haven for the 2020 regatta. Free berthing is only available for a limited number of boats, so get your entry in now!

"Landsail Tyres is proud to continue our partnership with the J-Cup in 2020," said Peter Cross, Landsail's uK Commercial Manager. "This will be the sixth year we have supported the event, making it the longest sponsorship association Landsail has.

"Over those six years Landsail has grown into a brand that is trusted by millions in the uK and the J-Cup has grown too, driven on by race host Key Yachting."

Hosted by Key Yachting, the Landsail Tyres J-Cup is an annual regatta exclusively for racing yachts of the J/Boats brand, and all J/Boats models are invited to compete. The 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup entails three days of exciting and competitive racing, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the Central Solent. up to nine races will be held on two separate courses for one-design classes and racing under IRC for mixed divisions.

To reserve one of the limited free berths at Cowes Yacht Haven, early entry to the Landsail Tyres J-Cup is strongly recommended. Online entry and the Notice of Race is available here on YachtScoring.com

www.keyyachting.com

Day 1 at Hempel World Cup Series Miami
On Monday, the 182 sailors from 45 nations demonstrated their skills on spectacular Biscayne Bay in the first of six days of racing at 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, uSA.

This event marks the second instalment of the 2020 Series and the only stop in North America.

The competition this week consists of fleet racing for all seven classes on Monday through Friday and Medal Races on Saturday, January 25 featuring the week's top teams. Medal Races will be broadcast live on World Sailing's YouTube Channel.

As the racing heats up in Miami this week, the sailors here also have their sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition, only six months away. This event is the final opportunity for North American nations to qualify for the 2020 Games across the 470, RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial and Finn fleets.

Olympic qualification is paramount for the 23-boat Laser Radial fleet. Aruba's Philipine van Aanholt, St. Lucia's Stephanie Devaux-Lovell, Mexico's Elena Oetling and Sofia Ximena Palacios, Puerto Rico's Sylvette Perez Figueroa and Trinidad and Tobago's Kelly-Ann Arrindell are all aiming for Tokyo 2020.

Racing resumes on Tuesday 21st January at 11:00 (uTC-5) on Biscayne Bay.

Results

PlanetSail: Cup Talk with Martin Fischer
Design, wind limits and capsize, Luna Rossa's design coordinator Martin Fischer talks to Matt Sheahan about the state of play in the America's Cup world as the clock counts down towards the first AC World Series event in Cagliari in April.

See it on the PlanetSail youtube channel

European Yacht of the Year 2020
Every year, around 60 new sailing boats are launched on the European market. But only five shipyards can celebrate the title "European Yacht of the Year 2020". The tests took the jury members of the twelve sailing magazines from all over Europe to Port Ginesta, south of Barcelona, in October. All 16 candidates were thoroughly tested and evaluated. In total, the specialised journalists covered almost 2,500 nautical miles with the nominated yachts.

The respective yacht of the year reflects what's happening on the market in general. On the one hand, the latest trend is going towards increasingly larger yachts with customised interiors and numerous extras, and on the other, sport yachts are enjoying a surge not seen in a long time. Quite remarkable is the overwhelming dominance of French candidates. Since 2004, French boatbuilders have earned the title of "European Yacht of the Year" 31 times. For comparison: Germany and Italy, the second and third most successful countries, won only 16 titles between them in the same time.

The winners were announced at BOOT Dusseldorf:

Winners Family Cruiser & Performance Cruiser
Beneteau Oceanis 30.1
X-Yachts X4.0

Winner Innovation Award
ClubSwan 36

Winners Luxury Cruiser & Regatta Yachts
Amel 60
Dehler 30 OD

Details here

Launchings at BOOT
Click on images to enlarge.

Discovery Yachts are very pleased to announce the signing of a Purchase Agreement on the very first day of BOOT - the Dusseldorf Boat Show 2020.

A customer has ordered the immediate construction of a S480, an iconic and stylish model which is offered in our range. This sailing yacht will be our twelfth build of a 48ft Discovery / Southerly (Variable Draft Keel) Vessel as Hull No #0012. This exquisite yacht, a world leader in its style and design, is scheduled for launch and delivery in late December 2020. The customer is represented by our Italian Agent Luigi Coretti of Adria Ship, Italy.

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ALUBAT OVNI 400
The OVNI 400 is part of a new generation of boats, which is in line with the OVNI 450 and combines innovation, elegance and ergonomics. With the OVNI 400, safety at sea goes hand in hand with performance and comfort. A hull with a strong and narrow stem that gives the boat a great length at the waterline, a square-top mainsail, a lifting keel of more than 1 tonne that allows great rigidity when sailing, and a shallow draught for easy mooring anywhere.

More information

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Amel 60
The Amel 60 is fully suitable for single-handed use and offers maximum comfort. It has a very high safety factor and is virtually unsinkable due to several watertight collision bulkheads. In its completely covered cockpit there is a protected steering position from which the Amel can be kept on course even in heavy weather. The large engine room is centrally accessible. Of course there is also enough storage space below deck.

More information

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Astus 22.5
Following the great success of the Astus 16.5 and Astus 20.5, Astus is expanding its product range, designed by VPLP Design, with the introduction of a new model, the Astus 22.5, which will replace the Astus 22.1 at the end of 2020.

True to the successful concept of the Astus trimarans, the Astus 22.5 will also have excellent transportability. This will allow you to explore many different areas that might have been inaccessible with a larger boat.

Another new feature of the Astus 22.5 is the option to mount foils (sold separately), which is now possible for the first time on the Astus trimarans. Foils give the boat more buoyancy, allowing it to glide even at lower speeds.

More information

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Bavaria C42
The Bavaria C42 is the logical progression of the Bavaria C-Line, with its own character. A modern innovative hull shape with chines and a V-bow developed by BAVARIA YACHTS guarantee best sailing characteristics and an unusually large amount of space below deck.

More stability, a longer waterline and therefore more performance as well as a more direct feeling when steering, thanks to the chines. The prominent angle at the stern has another advantage: the aft cabins offer more space and therefore more comfort. Narrow at the waterline, the V-bow widens towards the deck, like a V. Additional volume in the bow ensures less trim when heeling and thus more safety in rough seas.

More information

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Dehler 30 OD
As one of the world market leaders for performance cruisers, DEHLER begins a new chapter in its over 50-year history - the Dehler 30 od. In the tradition of Sprinta Sport and DB1, DEHLER presents a new offshore design class focusing on two-hand long distance racing.

An optimized hull design, equipment and sails developed by the world-renowned judel / vrolijk & co designers allow maximum speeds and safe navigation at wind speeds from 4 to 40 knots. The concept stands for highest safety of the crew according to the CE-directives category A - without regard to a handicap system.

More information

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Dragonfly 40
Both the Touring and ultimate versions have a carbon mast and a batten traveller system for easy and safe control of the fully battened mainsail. Code-0 and gennaker are optionally available.

All cabins have plenty of light from the cabin sides and the hull windows, the 6 skylights on the roof of the main cabin provide optimal lighting and ventilation throughout the boat. The two large trampolines offer plenty of space on the deck, ideal for relaxing and sunbathing. The floats each contain 2 deck hatches and offer ample storage space for bicycles, kayaks, extra sails, SuPs, inflatable boats, etc.

More information

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Excess 15
Thanks to its sporty rigging with a super advantageous aspect ratio and the optional Pulse Line Rigg - which offers more than 10% of the sail area / displacement ratio - thrills are guaranteed. Manoeuvring is simplified by titanium-style aluminium struts and cleats and Dyneema steering cables to improve the responsiveness and sensitivity of the rudder feel.

From one helm position to the other, the Excess 15 offers an ideal view of the sails, the sea and the bows. This double steering position is also a guarantee of comfort and efficiency. The steering is direct, you are connected to the boat and the sail trim is right there, within reach of your fingertips.

More information

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Hallberg-Rassy 40C
When the Hallberg-Rassy 44 was introduced, it was a bold step forward in terms of both interior comfort, sailing performance and looks. The new 40C is equivalent when it comes to saloon, aft cabin and galley. Combined with a cockpit that has exactly the same measurements as on the 44.

There are two generous galley layouts to choose from: the larger version has a larger work surface and more storage space, and there is also room for an extra refrigerator. You can also accommodate a microwave and dishwasher. If you choose the other option, you get more storage space in the cockpit locker.

More information

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Sailart 18
The new SAILART 18 is a performance-oriented daysailer, which is suitable as a one-handed daysailer as well as an uncompromising regatta boat for small crews, due to the different versions.

The fitting configuration is designed for one-handed operation, but sporty sailing in a crew of two is the most common and optimal crew size. The low weight and the large sail area are key prerequisites for good sailing performance.

More information

Featured Brokerage
YYACHTS Y7. Tripp Design. POA EUR.

The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.

In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.

All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
T. +49 3834 5858 77-0
E. info [AT] yyachts [DOT] de

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2011 Farr 400. 199,000 USD. Located in Annapolis MD.

The Farr 400 JEROBEAM is now seriously for sale. All North sails, and all set up for offshore, the boat and design are very much state of the art

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410-267 9419
410-353 7862

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2010 Vismara 54 - B5. 450000 EUR. Located in Malta

"B5" is an absolutely stunning carbon-hulled, fast cruiser from Vismara, built in 2010 and refitted extensively in 2017. Designed and commissioned with a view to going sailing with the family for extended cruising periods, but also enough performance and weight-saving, to be competitive racing!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson
Ancasta Yachts
+447759 424900
+442380 016582
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
All political parties eventually die, choking on their own lies. -- Mark Twain

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

In This Issue
• Leaderboards take shape on Day 2 at Hempel World Cup Series Miami
• Te Kahu Revealed
• Stonking Debut - Sea Ventures
• New venue announced for 2020 44Cup season
• Clipper Race 6 Further Delay
• Reflections of a Reeds editor
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Eighty Seconds with Sir Robin
• Industry News
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Powerplay
• • SW100DS L'Ondine
• • VPLP 72ft Trimaran TRITIUM
• The Last Word: Jack Kerouac

Leaderboards take shape on Day 2 at Hempel World Cup Series Miami
Sailors were greeted with cooler temperatures, sunny skies, and plenty of breeze on the second day of the 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, USA.

On Tuesday, the 470 Men and Women, Laser, Laser Radial, and Finn fleets completed two races, while the RS:X Men and Women finished three. Tuesday marked the second of five days of fleet racing leading up to Saturday's all-important Medal Races

World Cup Miami, the second stop on the 2020 Series, is the final opportunity for North American nations to qualify for the 2020 Games in all seven classes and the 182 sailors from 45 nations are also competing this week for advancement in the World Cup standings.

Tuesday's weather was mostly sunny with temperatures in the early 20s. Wind speeds this morning were 12-16 knots, including gusts up to 20 knots. Conditions in the afternoon were more shifty and puffy with an increase in breeze.

Racing resumes on Wednesday, January 22 on Biscayne Bay.

Top three

470 Men
1. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 8
2. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 11
3. Kazuto Doi / Naoya Kimura, JPN, 12

470 Women
1. Camille Lecointre / Aloise Retornaz, FRA, 3
2. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Jolanta Ogar, POL, 9
3. Frederike Loewe / Anna Markfort, GER, 14

Finn
1. Caleb Paine, USA, 3
2. Luke Muller, USA, 7
3. Kyle Martin, CAN, 10

Laser
1. Joaquin Blanco, ESP, 7
2. Francisco Guaragna Rigonat, ARG, 7
3. Andrew Lewis, TTO, 9

Laser Radial
1. Erika Reineke, USA, 6
2. Viktorija Andrulyte, LTU, 9
3. Nethra Kumanan, IND, 9

RS:X Men
1. Pedro Pascual, USA, 7
2. Ignacio Berenguer, MEX, 13
3. David Mier y Teran, MEX, 16

RS:X Women
1. Demita Vega de Lille, MEX, 10
2. Mariana Aguilar, MEX, 11
3. Farrah Hall, USA, 13

Full results

miami.ussailing.org

Te Kahu Revealed
Emirates Team New Zealand revealed their new custom designed and built test boat Te Kahu today in Auckland.

Te Kahu meaning 'The Hawk' was rolled out of the shed on Wednesday and was christened by Ngati Whatua Orakei.

Te Kahu fits within the rules on test yachts according to the 36th America's Cup Protocol which says they must not exceed 12 metres length overall (LOA), and will be used by the team to continue design development for a large proportion of 2020 while their AC75 'Te Aihe' is being shipped and raced offshore for the America's Cup World Series events in Cagliari, Sardinia (April 23-26) and Portsmouth (June 4-7).

"We are really excited about launching Te Kahu today. There has been a lot of work gone into the design and build of this boat internally, which is amazing really as it has all taken place between the design and build of our first AC75 and the ongoing work on our next AC75 race boat." said Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton.

To outside spectators it likely seems that Emirates Team New Zealand are a bit late to the party with the launch of their test boat, considering the Challengers test boats started hitting the water all the way back in September 2018, to which Dalton explains:

"It might seem like the launch of our test boat is a bit overdue, but early in any campaign decisions have to be made that ultimately will only be judged at the end.

As a team, we decided that a test boat was indeed a really key necessity but believed it needed to have as much design input as our first AC75 to give it meaningful ongoing development possibilities."

Emirates Team New Zealand are now in the process of packing up and preparing Te Aihe for shipping to Cagliari in preparation for the first ACWS event in April which is the next time the AC75 will be sailed, and the first time it will line up to race against the other AC75's.

Dalton directly concluded: "In Te Kahu we have a very legitimate test boat which will provide us the platform to hopefully make some significant gains in our developments for 2021. Who is right in their overall plans and strategy we have no idea. I guess we will find out next year."

emirates-team-new-zealand.americascup.com

Stonking Debut - Sea Ventures
Dramatic looking, precisely tailored to its target market, well executed and winning as soon as it hit the water...

There can be few tougher tests for a new 33-footer than being thrown into the fiercely competitive Rolex Fastnet Race. To pile on the pressure, Fastrak XII, one of the new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300s, had only been launched 10 days before the start.

While Fastrak XII was in the capable hands of experienced offshore sailors Henry Bomby and Hannah Diamond, they were as new a partnership as the boat. And yet 80 hours later Bomby and Diamond had delivered an impressive performance finishing second overall in the 61-boat doublehanded fleet. But that was just the start. They were also second overall out of 84 boats in IRC3, a fleet that included fully crewed and doublehanded entries.

Full article in the February issue of Seahorse

New venue announced for 2020 44Cup season
The 2020 season is set for the 44Cup and for the first time the ultra-competitive one design owner-driver RC44 fleet will join one of the oldest and most respected regattas in the world, Cowes Week.

As they did in 2019, the 44Cup will start its 2020 season on the Adriatic Sea with the 44Cup Portoroz, Slovenia, over 22 - 26 April. Portoroz holds a special place in RC44 history having been the location of the first sea trials for the Russell Coutts conceived one design in 2006 and was where the class' first regatta was held in 2007.

For the 2020 edition, the event will be hosted for the first time in Portoroz town centre with the RC44s moored on the main town pier and the race course set against the backdrop of the walled historic town of Piran.

Defending their 2019 44Cup tour champions title, local heroes Igor Lah's Team CEEREF will be looking to add their first event win to the scoreboard on home waters

From Slovenia, the fleet will move to Scandinavia for the 44Cup Marstrand over the 24 - 28 June. A favourite for the RC44 fleet racing over the midsummer period the Swedish island comes alive ashore with sailing fans lining the dock and thrilling big wave racing for the teams.

For the third event of the 2020 season, the 44Cup will make its debut at Cowes Week

44Cup 2020 events schedule
44Cup Portoroz, Slovenia - 22 - 26 April 2020
44Cup Marstrand, Sweden - 24 - 28 June 2020
44Cup Cowes, UK - 11 - 15 August 2020
44Cup World Championship Sotogrande, Spain - 23 - 27 September 2020
44Cup Calero Marinas - Lanzarote, Spain - 11-15 November 2020

www.44cup.org

Clipper Race 6 Further Delay
Due to lack of wind, the fleet has continued to motor-sail before they start Race 6: The Sanya Tropical Paradise Race, with a Le Mans Race Start.

This is planned to take place at 2100 UTC today/ 0700 LT 22 January.

19 January

The Clipper Race fleet will depart Coral Sea Marina Resort at 1200 LT on Monday 20 January. All teams will then motor-sail through the stunning Whitsundays and out through the Hydrographers Passage directly to the Le Mans start area, just outside the Great Barrier Reef. The Le Mans start for Race 6 The Sanya Tropical Paradise Race will be at 1600 LT (0600 UTC) on Tuesday 21 January 2020.

Each yacht will have a fully functioning watermaker and given the tropical conditions on the next race, they will all carry exactly the same amount of freshwater across the fleet as a back-up supply.

As a result of the 48 hour delay in the Whitsundays, the crew enjoyed an afternoon of fantastic sailing conditions in Pioneer Bay, training and honing their skills and were able to relax with an additional rest day.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Reflections of a Reeds editor
As we enter 2020 and a new decade the team at Reeds is working to encompass the changes that are happening to the familiar infrastructure on which we all rely.

In the leisure boating environment, the emphasis continues to move toward motor boats, the sales of which far exceed the sailing equivalents. Sailing yachts are generally larger and the generation of boat-owning family sailors from the boom years of the 70s, 80s and 90s have given way to a more charter orientated market.

To this end we are seeing renewed investment in marinas and harbour facilities with new, longer pontoons and better access. Along the south coast the regeneration of Dover Western Docks is approaching fruition; Brighton has invested in facilities and access; both Lymington and Beaulieu have embarked on re-modelling of the pontoons for visitors. Investment is growing in Ireland and West Coast Islands of Scotland with ever-growing visitor numbers. To the east, Whitby and the Wash ports are renewing facilities too. The harbour entries reflect these.

Reeds Nautical Almanac 2020

The tapestry continues to change. The expansion of offshore wind farms continues apace as installation costs fall. This is married by a reduction in the older oil and gas platforms which are becoming obsolete. We have yet to see a 'green' revolution in the marine leisure sector and reliance on diesel engines and petrol outboards is legion. The changes in car production have yet to be reflected afloat, but given the sparsity of charging points at sea, sail is likely to regain prominence. We cannot ignore the increasing regulation and pressure on domestic facilities and the unknown complications of sailing to Europe – so simple for so long.

adlardcolesnautical.wordpress.com

Seahorse February 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

The greatest sailor you've never heard of - Part I
All that infrastructure and organisation didn't get there by chance. Clare Mccomb looks at the life, times and extraordinarily far-reaching achievements of a little-known sailing influencer

Solving the conundrum
Someone had to take the initiative and it is the Superyacht Cup in Palma that grasped the nettle with the introduction of a new dedicated Performance Class at its next edition in June 2020

Persistence required
There is a modern fibre that is less than easy to use but if you can eventually pull it off the results can be spectacular

Perfectly formed
Good taste, first class naval architecture and excellent construction combined with the resources of the world's biggest boatbuilder... the results were always going to be hard to beat

RORC news - On the move
And of course everyone's got an opinion... Eddie Warden-Owen

Special rates for EuroSail News subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

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Eighty Seconds with Sir Robin
As a sailing legend and arguably the world's most famous sailor, who has provided inspiration to Sir Robin to push him on to achieve everything that he has over the years? What drives him to challenge himself and push his boundaries?

Industry News
boot Dusseldorf 2020 has a superyacht tender hall for the first time making it the first boat show worldwide to dedicate a separate hall to luxury tenders, chase and shadow boats.

The topic of luxury tenders has become increasingly prominent in previous boot Dusseldorf editions, enabling a separate segment at this year's show in Hall 5.

"Luxury tenders and 'shadowboats' from exclusive brands such as Sacs, Wally, Blue Game, DeAntonio, Boesch, Fjord, Frauscher and Windy as well as from large serial production shipyards will be presented in this segment," said a spokesman from boot Dusseldorf.

www.boatingbusiness.com

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Pardo Yachts, world leader in open walkaround luxury boats, is delighted to announce the partnership with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, as official supplier.

Pardo Yachts will support the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, the Italian challenger in the 36th America's Cup, with three boats; one Pardo 38 will provide technical support to the AC75 and two Pardo 43 will be used as official guest cruisers in the base of Cagliari and in Auckland, New Zealand. The city of Cagliari will give way to the first regattas from 23rd to 26th April 2020, hosting the first stage of the America's World Cup Series. The subsequent regattas will take place in Portsmouth, England, from 4th to 7th June and will end in Auckland, New Zealand, from 17th to 20th December. The Prada Cup, the series of regattas that will see the participation of all teams to select the Challenger, is set to take place in Auckland in early 2021. The Prada Cup will decree the winner who will take on the Defender in the 36th America's Cup presented by Prada, scheduled from 6th to 21st March 2021 in the gulf of Hauraki, Auckland. Pardo Yachts will follow the team's path for the entire duration of the event.

The Pardo 38 will be one of the technical boats to provide support and assistance to the AC75 Luna Rossa. The version equipped with three Mercury 300 hp outboard engines has been chosen for its ability to reach a speed of up to 50 knots to follow the navigation of the AC75 close up.

The two Pardo 43 will be used as official guest cruisers.

pardoyachts.com

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Groupe Beneteau today reported year-end sales of $1.44 (€1.33 billion) for its fiscal year 2018-19, up 3.8 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Income from ordinary operations fell 6.4 percent, the company said in a statement, to $91 million (€82 million). Groupe Beneteau is made up of a boating and manufactured housing division.

Boat sales were up 4.6 percent to $1.26 billion (€1.14 billion), with net income down 5.8 percent to $76.45 million (€68.9 million). The group said in the statement that its Boat Division is "reporting good performance," thanks to "robust development of sales" on its monohull and multihull sailboat brands, as well as outboard powerboats.

It reported a sales decline in motoryachts larger than 60 feet and "contraction" for its U.S. brands, largely due to tariffs on U.S.-built boats exported to Canada and the European Union. The group's acquisition of Seascape and Delphia in 2018 added $30.6 million (€27.6 million) to 2019 sales.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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The GAC Group's marine leisure, sports and event specialist GAC Pindar has teamed up with BBC Yacht Transport to provide additional professional transport solutions for the sailing sector. BBC Yacht Transport is a division of the market-leading provider of ocean transport solutions, BBC Chartering.

The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which combines BBC Yacht Transport's commitment to competitive pricing with GAC Pindar's solid suite of logistics services to provide a one-stop-shop solution for the sailing industry. The agreement brings together BBC's fleet of 160 multipurpose vessels with GAC Pindar's first-hand knowledge of the sector to offer a door-to-door service to meet customer requirements and timelines.

The agreement strengthens the existing relationship between the GAC Group and BBC Chartering, who worked together during the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2018

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European Boating Industry President Jean-Pierre Goudant outlines the future direction of EBI's efforts to position the boating sector at the heart of EU policy making. In conversation with IBI Publisher Nick Hopkinson, Goudant passionatly advocates the need to have a 'seat at the table' to tackle industry's future challenges.

NH What were the main reasons behind the establishment of the EBI in 2009 and who were the principle people and marine industry associations (MIAs) involved with its foundation?

There were two organisations prior to 2006, which united to form EBI in 2009. The members taking the first initiative to form the European Confederation of Nautical Industries (ECNI), later leading to EBI, were the Fédération des Industries Nautiques (FIN) from France and NAUTIBEL from Belgium, followed by Bundesverband Wassersportwirtschaft (BVWW) from Germany and then Confindustria Nautica (UCINA) from Italy. The first president of ECNI was Annette Roux from FIN.

The first elected President of EBI was the Dutch boatbuilder Fritz Conyn followed by Robert Marx from Germany. The founding MIAs were ANEN (Spain), BMF (UK), BVWW, FIN, FINNBOAT (Finland), HISWA (Netherlands), NAUTIBEL, NORBOAT (Norway), SWEBOAT (Sweden) and UCINA. It was then formed as an international non-profit organisation in Belgium (AISBL). At that time, Mirna Cieniewicz joined EBI as our first Secretary-General and developed our current structure and an efficient organisation.

The aim of EBI then and now is to represent the interests of the European industry at the EU level. A good example of how we do this was our recent anniversary event in Brussels where we brought together several Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the World Wildlife Fund and more key people to discuss how the EU institutions can shape our sector in a positive manner. However, just as much daily work goes into these lobbying efforts and takes place via meetings at the European Parliament and European Commission along with many other activities to make our voice heard.

NH Who are the current members of the EBI and what is its management structure?

We currently have representation from many of the major associations in Europe. These are currently NAUTIBEL, CEA representing Croation, the Association of Estonian Marine Industries (AEMI), FINNBOAT, FIN, the BVWW, UCINA , POLBOAT from Poland and Spain's Asociacion Nacional de Empresas Nauticas (ANEN).

In addition, we are proud to also have individual companies as sustaining members: RACEIX, Enaviga and boot Dusseldorf.

Full interview in IBI News www.ibinews.com

Featured Charter
VOR 65

The Volvo Ocean 65’s are built for speed and extremely well known for superb performance, in a very strong and durable hull, they offer exhilarating acceleration for thrill seeking sailors.

The Volvo Ocean 65 one-design boat was the brainchild of Farr Yacht Design. The Volvo Ocean 65 offers superb performance in a very strong and durable hull. Having sailing twice around the world, with no structural issues – they are a testament to the excellent build quality and ongoing maintenance management to keep them in top condition ahead of the third lap of the planet in 2021. With speeds recorded in excess of 30knots the boats are capable of blistering quick exhilarating sailing.

For full details please go to bit.ly/30jvA0o

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
MAIL [AT] MAIL [DOT] COM

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2012 CDK Built MOD70. 1,500,000 USD.

Newest MOD70 available Highly optimized Turn-key package

Available July 2020- Europe

Turn Key - Race ready
- Extensive sail wardrobe
- New tramps 2019
- New lifting foils 2019
- Spare set of foils
- Osprey installed H500 electronics
- Spare rudder
- Wheely and static Cradles
- 1 x 40ft workshop container
- 1 x 40ft storage container
- Foldable Pusher Rib Boat

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Please contact: Ned Collier Wakefield ned [AT] powerplay [DOT] ky +447809212039

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2008 Southern Wind SW100DS L'Ondine. 4,650,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

L’Ondine is the eighth example of the hugely successful SW100 series and has been maintained with exceptional care by her original owners since delivery in December 2008.

Used only for private family cruising with occasional regatta appearances, L’Ondine is a tried and tested bluewater performance cruiser that has carried her owners on adventures throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean and North Atlantic.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Southern Wind Shipyard (Pty) Ltd
Salita Dinegro 7/1
16123 Genoa Italy
sales [AT] sws-yachts [DOT] eu
Tel. +39 010 570 4035

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2002 VPLP 72ft Trimaran Tritium. 395000 USD. Located in San Francisco, USA.

TRITIUM is a modified Orma 60 Trimaran - stretched to 72 feet. Originally built by offshore veteran, Jean Le Cam, the boat was updated by Artemis Racing for testing of AC wing and dagger foils. The boat was modified - with floats lengthened to 72 feet - and cross beams reinforced, for the new loads.

TRITIUM competed in the 2013 Transpac, where it was First-to-Finish and had the fastest elapsed time. It remains one of the fastest offshore vessels in the Pacific and is ready for new record attempts. She is very well built and seaworthy.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
+33 (0)467 66 39 93

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
Two piercing eyes glancing into two piercing eyes- the holy con-man with the shining mind, and the sorrowful poetic con-man with the dark mind. -- Jack Kerouac on the night Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady met

Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

EuroSail News #4494 - 23 December

EuroSail News #4495 - 24 December

EuroSail News #4496 - 27 December

EuroSail News #4497 - 30 December

EuroSail News #4498 - 31 December

EuroSail News #4499 - 2 January

EuroSail News #4500 - 3 January

EuroSail News #4501 - 6 January

EuroSail News #4502 - 7 January

EuroSail News #4503 - 8 January

EuroSail News #4504 - 9 January

EuroSail News #4505 - 10 January

EuroSail News #4506 - 13 January

EuroSail News #4507 - 14 January

EuroSail News #4508 - 15 January

EuroSail News #4509 - 16 January

EuroSail News #4510 - 17 January

EuroSail News #4511 - 20 January

EuroSail News #4512 - 21 January

EuroSail News #4513 - 22 January