In This Issue
• Johnie Berntsson Clings to Lead on Day Two of 55th Congressional Cup at LBYC
• Selection Pressures Telling at the Sofia Iberostar
• The Science of Sailing
• The RYA and RORC go doublehanded
• Nations Trophy Mediterranean League
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Melges 20 World Championship
• Industry News
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Richard Feynmann
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
Johnie Berntsson Clings to Lead on Day Two of 55th Congressional Cup at LBYC
Long Beach, CA, USA: Johnie Berntsson (SWE) and his orange-clad Berntsson Sailing Team continued to dominate Congressional Cup racing at Long Beach Yacht Club today, winning all but one race - which went to Ian Williams (GBR).
At the end of Day Two, with the first Round Robins complete and solid headway into round two, Berntsson was 11-1, with Taylor Canfield (USA) putting on the squeeze at 9-2. Ian Williams (GBR) and Scott Dickson (USA) each trailed by one point.
The Congressional Cup is recognized as the grandfather of modern world-class match racing. Founded by LBYC in 1965, it set the standard for top-level match racing worldwide, pioneering the concept of on-the-water umpiring in a spectator-friendly venue. Racing for the 55th Congressional Cup trophy, and the esteemed Crimson Blazer, continues through Sunday. Berntsson, 46, isn't a professional fulltime sailor, like many of his rivals. Competing on the match racing circuit since 2006 just a half-dozen weeks a year, he said, "We know if we do our best, we can beat them - but it's hard to be at that level all the time." In that time he's done "about 14 Congressional Cups" - admitting he's lost count over the years. He qualified for last year's Congressional Cup through the Ficker Cup, going on to semi-finals, where he finished fourth, and in 2017, he was runner up to Williams. But he hasn't donned the Crimson Blazer since 2009.
Berntsson's one loss today was to Williams, who has a history - as does Canfield - of ramping up throughout the event. Both ended Day One mid-fleet, but turned on the heat today, wrapping up at 9-3 for Canfield; with Williams and Scott Dickson (USA) tied at 8-4. Dickson, a long-time member of LBYC, has competed in 20 Congressional Cups, and is the winningest skipper in Ficker Cup history. He said his team is made up of "purely locals, from the local sailing scene."
Selection Pressures Telling at the Sofia Iberostar
A brisk, NW'ly mistral wind, blowing offshore required contenders at Mallorca's 50th anniversary Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar to do their best to deal with big changes in wind direction and strength.
Such unpredictable conditions added further stress for sailors for whom this annual European season curtain-raiser is an observed event counting towards selection for the Olympic Test regatta. Wind speeds varied from 6 to 26 knots during the same race for the Laser and Nacra 17 classes. And with one day of racing left to determine which sailors will make the cut to Saturday's medal races, there were already a few disappointed faces when the fleets came ashore from the Bay of Palma.
Sweden's Anton Dahlberg and Frederik Bergstrom maintain a comfortable margin in the 470 Men with a 3,3, today ahead of GBR's Luke Patience and Chris Grube. Aussies Mat Belcher and Will Ryan are on the prowl, climbing to fourth with a seven-point day. There is no change at the top of the Women's fleet either where Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz of France lead Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre of the British Sailing Team.
Top three by class:
470 Men
1. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 29
2. Luke Patience / Chris Grube, GBR, 43
3. Paul Snow-Hansen / Daaniel Willcox, NZL, 49
470 Women
1. Camille Lecointre / Aloise Retornaz, FRA, 32
2. Hannah Mills / Eilidh Mcintyre, GBR, 35
3. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 44
49er
1. Dylan Fletcher / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 25
2. Yago Lange / Klaus Lange, ARG, 33
3. Diego Botín Le Chever / Iago Lopez Marra, ESP, 39
49er FX
1. Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA, 47
2. Alexandra Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL, 66
3. Charlotte Dobson / Saskia Tidey, GBR, 68
Finn
1. Andrew Maloney, NZL, 28
2. Giles Scott, GBR, 39
3. Josh Junior, NZL, 39
Laser
1. Christopher Barnard, USA, 41
2. Finn Lynch, IRL, 43
3. Elliot Hanson, GBR, 48
Laser Radial
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 29
2. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, 48
3. Erika Reineke, USA, 51
NACRA 17
1. Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS, 52
2. John Gimson / Anna Burnet , GBR, 62
3. Vittorio Bissaro / Maelle Frascari, ITA, 63
RS:X Men
1. Hao Chen, CHN, 30
2. Michael Cheng, HKG, 46
3. Mateo Sanz Lanz, SUI, 53
RS:X Women
1. Yue Tan, CHN, 26
2. Hei Man Chan, HKG, 41
3. Jie Du, CHN, 46
The Science of Sailing
A 10-part complete guide to the physics of sailing & the Naval Architecture governing the performance of sailing yachts.
Since handing over the daily running of the 'Van Oossanen' group of companies to Perry van Oossanen and Niels Moerke, founder Peter van Oossanen has committed himself to the writing of a book on his favourite subject: "The Science of Sailing"
Ships that are partly or wholly dependent on the wind for their propulsion are unique in the sense that fluid dynamics plays a vital role in their design. Both aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, the science of the motion of air and water around bodies, determine the speed potential of a sailing craft. The flow of the wind around the sails, together with sail area, sail disposition and sail shape, determine the level of the propulsive force while the flow of water around the hull and the hull appendages, together with their size and shape, determine the level of the force resisting forward motion, and the force resisting sideways drift caused by the wind on the sails.
The elements of aero- and hydrodynamics involved in the design of wind-driven boats, yachts, and ships, and the associated naval architectural aspects, form the subject matter of the book. All of the important aspects pertaining to the behaviour and performance of sailing craft are described. The arrangement of this material has been chosen so as to offer a logical order, an order that steadily expands the subject matter, chapter by chapter, so that by the time specific designs and design features are presented all of the science required to understand and follow the reasoning that lies at the base of how specific designs evolved has been explained. The subject matter has been arranged into different parts, each covering a specific topic or theme. Each of these parts constitutes separate publications.
Part 1, 2 and 3, of "The Science of Sailing" are available for order. Part 3 has just been published and defines a new methodology for a reliable prediction of viscous- and wave drag.
More details of " The Science of Sailing " and ordering details may be found at: www.vanoossanenacademy.nl
The RYA and RORC go doublehanded
World Sailing's landmark decision to select a Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat event for the 2024 Olympics and the recent announcement to hold an Offshore World Championship for mixed double-handed sailing in October 2020 has encouraged the RYA and Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) to combine their efforts to develop double-handed offshore sailing in the UK.
Double-handed entries for RORC's iconic Rolex Fastnet Race have increased from 36 boats in 2017 to over 90 entries in 2019, with 63 of those entries racing under IRC rating system, demonstrating a strong desire by people to sail double-handed offshore.
Initial indications from World Sailing is that for the Olympics they will not be selecting one particular class of boat until late in the Olympic cycle and that the intention is to focus on the discipline rather than the equipment.
The RORC's Season Points Championship provides the perfect playground to develop the skills required to sail double-handed in existing boats of approximately 10m LOA.
All of the RORC races have double-handed divisions and an overall series prize in addition to the IRC Two-Handed National Championship in September which consists of the Cherbourg Race one weekend followed by a weekend of inshore racing. There will also be awards for the top mixed double-handed team to encourage mixed entries.
The RYA currently support keelboat activity through support of the British Keelboat League in addition to the National Match Racing Series and the British Keelboat Academy. Keelboat Manager Jack Fenwick is looking into how to further support double-handed offshore sailing in the UK. -- Will Carson
Nations Trophy Mediterranean League
Some 16 Swans drawn from eight nations, are set to contest the second running of the Monaco Swan One Design due to begin next week. Scheduled from 9 to 13 April, and hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco, the regatta will witness the opening salvoes of The Nations Trophy Mediterranean League 2019.
With eight ClubSwan 50s, four Swan 45s and four ClubSwan 42s expected at the Monaco Swan One Design, Enrico Chieffi, Vice-President of Nautor's Swan, expressed the Finnish boat-builder's delight at the continuing enthusiasm for regular one design competition among Swan owners.
Crews that led the way at 2018 event are slated to return to the Monaco in 2019, including the three individual class winners: Leonardo Ferragamo's Cuordileone (ClubSwan 50, Italy), Luís Senís Porron IX (Swan 45, Spain) and Lorenzo Mondo's Far Star (ClubSwan 42, Italy). It will not be plain sailing, particularly in the ClubSwan 50 class, where Swiss entry Mathilde, owned by Morten Kielland, lost out to Cuordileone by a mere, single point at the same event a year ago. Stefan Heidenreich's German crew on Onegroup will be looking to continue the run of form that secured the ClubSwan 50 World Championship in Porto Cervo, in September.
Porron IX, with back-to-back Swan 45 World Championship wins, looks a tough opponent to crack, but Valter Pizzoli's Ange Transparent (Switzerland), which finished second in the in Monaco in 2018, proved herself capable of beating her Spanish rival on more than one occasion. The ClubSwan 42 class is probably the most open. With Far Star the only entry to have competed in either Monaco or at the Europeans last year.
The countries represented in Monaco will be Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Aside from the racing, 2019 is special year for Swan One Design in the design and production arena too., The hugely anticipated first appearance of the brand new ClubSwan 36 is planned during Scarlino Swan One Design. The occasion will be a first opportunity to see the prototype ClubSwan 36 and to gain a closer look at the rig and foil innovations that make this project so significant.
The ClubSwan 36 is the second one Swan One Design collaboration between Nautor and Juan K. Come October, five will be present in race trim competing for their country at The Nations Trophy and the inaugural class European Championship.
The Nations Trophy Mediterranean League 2019 comprises four events:
Monaco Swan One Design (April 9th to 13th)
Scarlino Swan One Design (April 30th to May 4th)
Rolex Giraglia (Inshore races, June 9th to 15th)
Copa del Rey Mapfre (July 27th to August 3rd)
Seahorse April 2019
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Vision
When Baltic Yachts and the Farr office agreed to throw their weight behind the biggest DSS project yet they did not hold back. The result is certainly going to be watched unusually closely. Gordon Kay, Soren Jansson, Simon Everest, Ken Read, Bas Peute, Bill Faude, James Wilkinson, Britt Ward and Dominique Pedron
Second life
Or more accurately Act Two? Either way the new 44Cup takes a great boat that is already acknowledged as perfect for the task and fires in a whole heap of fresh energy...
All going to plan
Speed, reliability, skipper comfort... so far it's all going the right way for Sam Davies' third Vendee Globe programme
Seahorse build table - Italian Magic
Designer Mark Mills is pretty happy with what just came out of the shed at Maxi Dolphin
Fun (aka value for money)
Maybe it's time at last? Rob Weiland
Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2
1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/
1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital
Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.
Melges 20 World Championship
Melges 20 sailors are dancing tonight after a lively first day at the 2019 Melges 20 World Championship. Daniel Thielman's KUAI (USA) and Cesar Gomes Neto's PORTOBELLO (BRA) each won a race today.
After last night's dancing and celebrations, sailors were greeted in this morning with fog and rain. After a period of postponement, the first race began at 1530. With cloud cover persisting throughout the day, there was a breeze of 9-14 knots and waves on Biscayne Bay. Melges 20 Worlds is hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club with support from Shake-A-Leg and Melges Performance Sailboats.
With ten races scheduled, it's still anyone's game. But Daniel Thielman's KUAI along with Rayleen Thielman, Jeremy Wilmot and Alec Anderson had a strong start, earning second place in the first race and winning the second race. Following Thielman after the first day are Igor Rytov, Robert Hughes, Cesar Gomes Neto, and Robert Wilber. Rhonda Joyce, an absolute staple and great supporter of the Melges 20 Class, leads in the Corinthian Division; she sponsored the Opening Ceremony along with Rob Wilber to kick off with a great celebration and live music. Racing continues the next three days.
Top five
1. Daniel Thielman / Jeremy Wilmot / Alec Anderson / Rayleen Thielman, USA, 3 points
2. Igor Rytov / Besputin Konstantin / Sergeev Anton, RUS, 7
3. Robert Hughes / Manu Weiller / Federico Michetti, USA, 8
4. Cesar Gomes Neto / Cesar Gomes / Thiago Fett / John Bowden, BRA, 11
5. Robert Wilber / Charlie McKee / Matt Woodworth, USA, 12
Full results: yachtscoring.com
Industry News
Charter firms with foreign-flagged vessels will be allowed to operate in Turkey this season after all - but at a cost
The ban on foreign-flagged yachts operating as charter vessels in Turkey this season has been overturned, thanks to the efforts of local yacht associations and charter firms. But while negotiations with officials at the Ministry of Tourism have been successful, disappointingly high rates have been imposed.
The Turkish Tourism Ministry said on Friday that foreign-flagged yachts will be allowed to operate in Turkey during the 2019 summer season, and is urging charter firms not to abandon clients with early bookings. However, the Ministry's new rates for the operation of foreign-flagged boats are now 10 times higher than last year.
Charter companies claim that the high rates are forcing them to cancel bookings or pay the rates themselves so as not to upset clients. The deadline is also too close to the upcoming season, and many charter companies feel constrained to pay. Application and payments need to be made by 19 April 2019.
Several charter firms have already started to cancel their bookings, stating that they simply can't afford the rates. Rates are particularly high for bareboat companies.
Bahar Uzturk in IBI: www.ibinews.com
----------------------------------------------
Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has renewed its partnership with British Sailmaker Hyde Sails. The two race deal will see the partnership enter a new decade as it extends into its sixth and seventh consecutive editions of the global endurance challenge for the 2019-20 and 2021-22 races.
Since its debut as Official Sails Supplier for the Clipper 2009-10 Race, Hyde Sails, which prides itself on being at the forefront of sail technology, has designed, developed and produced bespoke blue water sail wardrobes for the Clipper Race fleet.
Each edition has seen continual improvements and modifications to the sails and this edition is no different. The biggest improvement in the new 2019-20 edition sails is the development of the flyaway spinnaker containment tabs fitted of the luff of the downwind sails as a sustainable alternative to wool. This system is reusable consisting of shock cord and Velcro that is used to 'wool' the sail for hoists that remains permanently attached to the sail.
Subtle changes on fore and aft sails and small construction changes on spinnakers will help aid performance and longevity.
The Clipper 2019-20 Race will commence summer of 2019 from the UK with the global route stopping in South America, South Africa, Australia, China and the USA, before returning to the UK 11 months later.
clipperroundtheworld.com HydeSails.co.uk
----------------------------------------------
The Cruising Association (CA), Britain's leading organisation for cruising sailors with over 6,300 members worldwide, is delighted to announce the appointment of Sian Cantellow as Personal Assistant/Marketing Officer based at CA House in London's Limehouse Basin.
Sian joins from the Canal & River Trust where she has worked as a Business Support Administrator for the last three years. She has over 25 years of experience in fast-paced positions in the public and private sectors and amongst her responsibilities, her role at the CA involves supporting the CA's many and varied range of events by attending in person and producing branded materials. Sian is also looking after discounts for the members, supporting the General Manager and assisting the rest of the team with administrative duties.
----------------------------------------------
Aon and Nautor's Swan announce that they have entered into a partnership to offer Swan yacht owners Aon's advice on identifying the major risks to which these iconic yachts are exposed and the best insurance solutions to mitigate and cover the risks identified as most likely and most damaging.
Aon will also provide a 24-hour service to shipowners, 365 days a year, with the assistance of specialised experts. The insurance covers a multitude of accidents, including: those in the course of navigation/racing, during storage in the water and on land, from impact/collision/incandlement/sinking, fire/robbery, earthquakes/lightness/natural disasters, malicious or vandalism acts/theft, hidden defects, assistance and rescue/removal of the wreck.
----------------------------------------------
By now you've probably heard the big news: Cruising Outpost is being renamed Latitudes & Attitudes! It's a LONG story but the readers digest version is Bob sold the old Lats & Atts back in January 2012, and the new "owners" scammed everyone - subscribers, advertisers and employees - closed the company, took everything and went underground less than six months later. Just like that, the extremely popular magazine of 16 years was gone. As you know, later that summer more than 700 readers got together and helped Bob found Cruising Outpost, which quickly became the top selling marine title nationally at West Marine, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. And our Best Seller status is only going to get better with the new/old name (and freshly redesigned logo)!
Bob got the Lats & Atts trademark back a little over a year ago, and we've been wondering what to do with it. Well, we asked our readers/fans what they thought. They were overwhelmingly in favor of changing the name to what they basically think of as a trusted old friend: Latitudes & Attitudes.
You should be excited, too! All this excitement is going to lead to a spike in exposure and readership. Bob has even acquired an extra 200 newsstand locations for the upcoming "premiere" issue and we think it'll become a collector's edition. If you're already in for the next issue, congratulations! Your company will benefit from all the publicity and excitement.
----------------------------------------------
Russian businesses may invest up to US$1bn in the development of yachting infrastructure on the Red Sea over the next several years, according to officials in the Russian government and representatives of large, local businesses. This is due to the high yachting potential of the region and the ever-growing popularity of its resorts among Russian yacht owners.
In recent years, the number of rich Russians interested in yachting in the Red Sea has significantly increased, which is reflected by a significant rise in the number of Russian-owned yachts that are calling at local seaports and marinas. One reason could be that ongoing EU sanctions against many rich Russians prevents them from entering some EU territorial waters due to the threat of arrest.
In the case of the Red Sea, yacht development to date has been prevented by a lack of necessary infrastructure. However, this could change in the coming years, thanks to recently announced large-scale investment projects from both domestic and foreign investors. One such project is expected to be implemented by a large Russian business and will be funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), one of Russia's largest investment funds.
In addition to Saudi Arabian Red Sea resorts, Russian businesses are also looking at the development of yachting in Egypt - a country that is extremely popular among Russian tourists and yacht owners. -- Eugene Gerden
Letters To The Editor - editor [AT] scuttlebutteurope [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 Adrian Morgan:
Whether the three late entry America's Cup challenges have paid their deposits or not, based on the money spent, and efforts by the Brits, Americans and Italians, not forgetting the Kiwis, all of whom have been beavering behind closed doors (and computer screens) for many months, to make these things fly, the Dutch, Maltese and Stars& Stripes teams don't stand a prayer. Anyone volunteer to eat their hats if any of them do come to the starting line, or surely the gastronomically riskier bet perhaps, don't turn up...?
Featured Brokerage
Finot Conq IMOCA 60. Come in Vendee. 139000 EUR.
All systems have been renewed or serviced for the last Route du Rhum 2014 entry. The boat has been hauled out and the hull anti-fouled in spring 2015 in Grenada, Caribbean.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
assistant [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
-----------------------------------------
2004 Grand Soleil 50. 139,500 EUR. Located in Torrevieja, Spain
Extremely well-equipped and upgraded example of the Judel Vrolijk designed Grand Soleil 50 aft cockpit performance cruising yacht. Recent hull paint, new generator and cockpit canvas make her a great turn-key option.
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
-----------------------------------------
2016 Hitchhiker Fast40+ MK III. 695000 EUR. Located in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
One of the most succesfull Fast40+ boats in the fleet. During the last three years this boat always had a podium place in the Fast40+ series and One Ton Cup. Highly optimized and professionally maintained. Major refit in 2018, fully kitted out and ready to race in IRC, ORC or Fast40+ series. Perfect opportunity to race in the Fast40+ class in 2019.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Mika Eid
mika [AT] sailsupply [DOT] nl
+31 85 2100 830
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
I thought one should have the attitude of 'What do you care what other people think!' -- Richard P. Feynman
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