In This Issue
• Williams Captures Fourth Congressional Cup Win
• Trofeo Sofia Iberostar Finishes With Medal Blast
• The Science of Sailing
• Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz
• STIG claims the 2019 Melges 20 World Championship title
• Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
• Dragon Grand Prix Cannes
• WASZP European Championships
• Foiling 50 Foot Ocean Racer
• lan Roura and La Fabrique
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: Paul Rudd
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
Williams Captures Fourth Congressional Cup Win
Ian Williams (GBR) and Team GAC Pindar have captured their fourth Congressional Cup win, over Scott Dickson (USA) in final races of the five day series, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club, here today. Taylor Canfield (USA) defeated Johnie Berntsson (SWE) in petit finals for third place.
After warming up in the California sunshine, Team GAC Pindar began stealthily climbing up the leaderboard, securing a spot in the semi-finals by Day Three. “I’ve got a fantastic team, but we are new together, and hadn’t sailed as a group, so it took a few days to get the team gelling.” Their final 11-match winning streak included swiftly eliminating Canfield in the semis, and striking Dickson out in the finals.
His victory over rival Canfield was particularly sweet.“ Taylor and I have dominated the Congressional Cup since 2011; He’d won four, we’d only won three. So we wanted to catch up.”
His fourth Crimson blazer puts him in an elite league with Canfield, Rod Davis, Gavin Brady and Peter Holmberg. No-one has won more than four ... yet.
Finals:
Williams 3 - Dickson 0
Petit Finals:
Canfield 2 - Berntsson 0
Trofeo Sofia Iberostar Finishes With Medal Blast
Olympic champions won in just two of the ten classes competing at Mallorca's biggest ever Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar Olympic classes which finished in a blast of strong winds today.
As the overall trophy for this 50th anniversary edition went to China's up and coming Yue Tan in a light RS:X Women's fleet in which there were no medallists competing - it goes to the sailor with the lowest points average over their race series - Britain's gold medal winning helm Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre won today's blustery medal race to secure the 470 Women title by 27 points. Brasil's Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze prevailed in the FX.
At 15 months out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic regatta the first major Olympic classes regatta this season in Europe drew a record 869 boats sailed by 1224 sailors from 67 different nations. For many countries it was a key event for selection, some for a place at this year's test event, for other Olympic nations whose strategy is to select as early as possible, this was an actual Olympic selection event.
If the six days of racing, contested across a wide range of wind conditions - from 5 knots at the start to more than 25 today - are a measure of current strength and depth of Olympic potential, Great Britain proved they are in good shape, winning eight medals, more than twice the three medals tally of the next most successful countries, New Zealand and USA who won three apiece.
The hugely popular annual event came started in light winds Monday but saw Medal Races for the Nacra 17, FX and 49ers thwarted by strong winds and big seas. Although the forecast was for the 20-25kts breezes to ease in the afternoon, if anything they strengthened and only the Finn, Lasers and RS:X classes completed spectacular, muscular medal races.
With no racing for the Nacra 17 or the FX the titles went to Australia's Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin and Brasil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze. 470 winners Anton Dahlberg and Frederik Bergstrom of Sweden, and Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell in the 49ers had already secure their overall wins yesterday.
Final Podium Positions:
470 Men
1. Anton Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 47
2. Jordi Xammar / Nicolas Rodriguez, ESP, 84
3. Luke Patience / Chris Grube, GBR, 86
470 Women
1. Hannah Mills / Eilidh Mcintyre, GBR, 39
2. Camille Lecointre / Aloise Retornaz, FRA, 56
3. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 67
49er
1. Dylan Fletcher / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 40
2. Diego Botín Le Chever / Iago Lopez Marra, ESP, 64
3. Yago Lange / Klaus Lange, ARG, 70
49er FX
1. Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA, 64
2. Alexandra Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL, 81
3. Charlotte Dobson / Saskia Tidey, GBR, 82
Finn
1. Andrew Maloney, NZL, 41
2. Giles Scott, GBR, 43
3. Josh Junior, NZL, 68
Laser
1. Christopher Barnard, USA, 67
2. Elliot Hanson, GBR, 69
2. Nick Thompson, GBR, 79
Laser Radial
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 75
2. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, 79
3. Erika Reineke, USA, 85
NACRA 17
1. Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS, 69
2. Vittorio Bissaro / Maelle Frascari, ITA, 83
3. John Gimson / Anna Burnet , GBR, 84
RS:X Men
1. Michael Cheng, HKG, 53
2. Hao Chen, CHN, 66
3. Pedro Pascual Suitt, USA, 113
RS:X Women
1. Yue Tan, CHN, 30
2. Hei Man Chan, HKG, 52
3. Laerke Buhl-Hansen, DEN, 74
Full results: www.trofeoprincesasofia.org
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
Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz
Portoroz, Slovenia - The third day of the Marina Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta, the season opener of the 2019 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, concluded the winner and shuffled the cards among Top Five. Estonian Lenny, taking early lead since the first day, confirmed its victory with eleven point margin ahead of Italian Taki 4 and Arkanoe by Montura completing the podium - both in overall and Corinthian rankings. Thirty boats from all over the Europe were representing ten countries in the first event of the season.
The morning in Portoroz was nice and sunny, but not very windy. However, the wind picked up as much as necessary to start the Race Five at 12.05 with South-Westerly wind of 6 knots. The Race Committee was signalling the wind shift to the left in the first gate, but the wind remained stable and steady enough to complete the race. Completion the race five was very much expected since the discard of the worse result came into play after this race.
With a score of 1-3-2-(8)-3 and 9 points in total past multi-time Melges 24 Corinthian European and World Champion Lenny EST790 with Tonu Toniste, Toomas Toniste, Maiki Saaring, Tammo Otsasoo and Ants Haavel confirmed the solid victory of the Marina Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta, which is also their first ever victory in the Melges 24 European Sailing Series in overall ranking.
The competition was really tight in Top 8 so that from the second to eighth classified teams were within six points in the results. Very content racing of Miles Quinton's Gill Race Team GBR694 with Geoff Carveth in helm with 22 points in total resulted to the fourth place, followed by Akos Csolto's Seven Five Nine HUN759 completing Top 5, one point behind.
Top 8 after 5 races:
1. Lenny - Corinthian - Tonu Toniste, EST, 9 points
2. Taki 4 - Corinthian - Niccolo Bertola, ITA, 20
3. Arkanoe By Montura - Corinthian - Sergio Caramel, ITA, 21
4. Gill Race Team - Corinthian - Geoff Carveth, GBR, 22
5. Seven Five Nine - Corinthian - Akos Csolto, HUN, 23
6. Fgf Sailing Team - Robert Bakoczy, HUN, 25
7. White Room - Corinthian - Luis Tarabochia, GER, 26
8. Arctur - Corinthian - Vazyl Gureyev, UKR, 26
Full results: www.melges24.ycmp.eu/results/
STIG claims the 2019 Melges 20 World Championship title
Alessandro Rombelli and the Italian STIG team of Francesco Bruni, Giorgio Tortarolo, and Tea Faoro are the winners of the 2019 Melges 20 World Championship hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami, Florida. Rhonda Joyce and the GRINNING STREAK team of Jeremy Edwards and Tony Bowman earn the Corinthian World Championship title. Tight competition characterized the championship; the top four teams were only a few points apart, locked in a tight battle throughout the final day.
HEARTBREAKER by Bob Hughes with Federico Michetti and Manu Weiller finished in second place, giving a warm, happy embrace to the Stig team after the finish. RUSSIAN BOGATYRS by Igor Rytov with Konstantin Besputin and Anton Sergeev, always a tough team to beat, finished in third place. Daniel Thielman's KUAI and Vladimir Prosikhin's NIKA rounded out the podium.
Onward and upward - The Melges 20 Class and the Melges World League now look to Europe and Asia for racing, then back to North America for next winter's Miami Winter Series. The 2020 World Championship will be in Europe, and the 2021 World Championship will be back in North America.
Top five:
1. Alessandro Rombelli / Francesco Bruni / Giorgio Tortarolo / Tea Faoro , ITA, 34.0
2. Robert Hughes / Manu Weiller / Federico Michetti, USA, 41.0
3. Igor Rytov / Besputin Konstantin / Sergeev Anton, RUS, 44.0
4. Daniel Thielman / Jeremy Wilmot / Alec Anderson / Rayleen Thielman, USA, 46.0
5. Vladimir Prosikhin / Morgan Reeser / Charlie Smythe, RUS, 58.0
Full results in YachtScoring.com
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:
Rod Davis (NZL)
'His innovations in the OK have taken the boat to a new level' - Brett Daniel; 'He's not getting paid for this, he just loves sailing... pro sailors take note' - Dan Slater; 'Plenty of runway left, Rod' - David Ross; 'It's the help he gives us off the water that's almost more impressive. In Rod we trust!' - Matt Butterfield; 'I've gotta support a fellow scribe' - Blue Robinson; 'Rod Davis, there is no substitute!' - Michele Henderson; 'Every evening he'd switch from competitor to coach to help all of us... and with the BBQ' - Simon Probert; 'One of the best sailors on the planet, period' - Robin Morgan; 'He just sailed superbly' - Tony Bierre.
This month's nominees:
Stacey Jackson (AUS)
Jeez... where to start. This must be what they mean by 'going viral', the whole world was banging on our door to make this (deserved) nomination. A Volvo racer with SCA and a veteran of most things from skiffs to maxis, Stacey pulled together a really excellent all-woman crew for the last Hobart and then finished second overall. Big at raising awareness of ocean health and women in sport - we were not brave enough to ignore the mob...
Martin Atilla (LAT)
There's lots of talent coming through the Oppis right now but we really respect young Latvian sailor Atilla's big OptiOrange regatta win in Valencia in an almost entirely Spanish fleet and as the only non-Spanish sailor to make the top 10. Closed it out with two wins in the last two races which shows a bit of cool under pressure. OptiOrange was first conceived as a winter training event for Russian Opti sailors. Watch out, world
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
View past winners of Sailor of the Month
Dragon Grand Prix Cannes
The 2019 Dragon Grand Prix Cannes concluded in style at the Yacht Club de Cannes with one final race in superb conditions to decide the winner. Going into the day just ten points separated the top six teams so the scene was set for a nail-biting showdown and the fleet did not disappoint.
With the final points calculated Dragon European Champion Pedro Andrade and his team of top dinghy sailors Goncalo Ribeiro and Joao Vidinha da Costa plus youngster Kacey Marfo claimed the Dragon Grand Prix Cannes and first blood in the 2019 Dragon European Cup series by three points from Thomas Muller. Grant Gordon's second place was enough to secure him third overall, a single point behind Muller.
In the Corinthian Division for all amateur crews Germany's Tanja Jacobsohn, a former 470 World Champion, sailing with husband Bernard Jacobsohn and Jan Scharrfesser, put in another great performance to finish eleventh in the race and take the Corinthian overall title from fellow German Maximillian Dohse with Sweden's Karl-Gustaf Löhr third.
To qualify for the final teams must compete in three of the four regattas including the Grand Prix Spain. Twenty teams will qualify for the final and there will be a quota for non-Corinthian and Corinthian sailors, based on the proportion of non-Corinthians/Corinthians participating in all four qualifying events.
Remaining Dragon European Cup events:
May 1-4 - HM King Juan Carlos Trophy, Cascais, Portugal
July 3-6 - Dragon Grand Prix Germany, Kuhlungsborn, Germany
November 11-14 - Dragon Grand Prix Spain, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
November 15-16 - Dragon European Cup Grand Final, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Dragon Grand Prix Cannes 2019 Final Top Ten
1. Pedro Rebelo de Andrade, POR, 14
2. Thomas Muller, GER, 17
3. Grant Gordon, GBR, 18
4. Marcus Brennecke, GER, 20
5. Hugo Stenbeck, SUI, 26
6. Dmitry Samokhin, RUS, 27
7. Stephan Link, GER, 29
8. Pieter Heerema, NED, 33
9. Yvgeny Braslavets, RUS, 35
10. Anatoly Loginov, RUS, 6
WASZP European Championships
The 2019 WASZP European Championships will be set on the iconic foiling venue Lake Garda Italy for the 2nd time. Fraglia Vela Malcesine will again host the event from the 15th - 20th July, with expectations of 100+ boats from 15 nations for the first time since the class began production in August 2016.
Strong teams from the UK, Norway, Spain, France, Germany and Italy are expected, with teams from further abroad expected from Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Smaller teams from other European countries will make up the remainder of the competition, with the total number of nations sailing WASZPs now at 42 worldwide.
The event kicks off on the 15th/16th of July with registration and the European Slalom event, following on from the successful international slalom event at the Perth WASZP Games, this event is expected to be bigger and more exciting than anything seen before. With Malcesine providing the perfect location for a slalom event, with ideal viewing and racing conditions.
From the 17th - 20th of July the Championship racing commences with 2 days of qualifying and 2 days of finals with 100 boats creating a split 2 fleet event for the first time in the class. This will also be the first official event on the new racing foil. By the first event of the European Season over Easter at Campione Lake Garda, most of the world will have access to the new foil. This improvement has been widely accepted and congratulated, with it proving a real game changer for the fleet opening the wind range up to 6-25 knots. We have already raced 2 events in Australia and New Zealand on this foil, with the sailors commenting on how it has made the racing incredibly close and much more tactical, the ability to foil tack and sail higher upwind, while sailing lower downwind has meant for more passing lanes. Also being highlighted is the more forgiving nature of manoeuvres, sailors who were originally nailing 2 out of 5 gybes are now nailing consistent gybes due to the more stable platform.
Entries and NOR are now available on-line as well as accommodation and entertainment details. fragliavela.sailti.com
Foiling 50 Foot Ocean Racer
BoatsOn.tv conducted an interview with Andrew Buckland on his concept 50 Foot Foiling Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht. Faster than the Maxis under 24 hours.
lan Roura and La Fabrique
Alan Roura's second campaign for the Vendee Globe is characterised by a huge leap forward. Twelfth in the 2016-2017 race aboard one of the oldest IMOCAs in the fleet, the Swiss sailor has been sailing since then with a foiler allowing him to develop his skills and improve his performance. After finishing seventh in the 2018 Route du Rhum, Alan has chosen Sebastien Audigane as his co-skipper for the 2019 season, which includes a lot of double-handed sailing. The skipper of La Fabrique is expecting a lot from this joint effort.
A winter refit in the spring is not that common. But that is what Alan Roura and his team have chosen to do, going about things in a different order from the others in the IMOCA class. On Tuesday 19th March, La Fabrique was taken out of the water to spend two and a half months in the yard in Lorient. "Since finishing the Route du Rhum (19th November), we have spent all our time sailing and the boat has certainly covered a lot of miles," Alan was pleased to tell us. "Firstly, we delivered her back home from Guadeloupe with my little team. The Rhum was the first major offshore test with the foils and in spite of that, my IMOCA arrived in Lorient in very good condition. We then took advantage of the winter weather and some rough conditions off Brittany to test her, pushing her hard and carrying out various trials. We don't have any regrets about the schedule."
"Be careful not to go too far in 2020"
Everything will happen very quickly after the Transat Jacques Vabre. 2020 looks like being a busy year coming to a climax with the start of the Vendee Globe on 8th November. "The calendar is packed with in particular two solo transatlantic races close to each other, The Transat and the New York-Vendee," explained Alan Roura. "We will sail between ten and fifteen thousand miles before the Vendee Globe. We're going to have to be careful not to push the boat too far before the round the world race."
The Ocean Race on the back of his mind...
It is hard to look further ahead and the period after the Vendee Globe, as this race is so big. Alan does however have one thing on the back of his mind and that is the possibility of launching a project for The Ocean Race, the crewed round the world race with stopovers, which will begin in October 2021. "That is not our priority for now, but it is very tempting, of course," he admitted.
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The Last Word
Humor is the most important thing in life. It trumps everything else, and it's the only thing that helps me deal with everything else. -- Paul Rudd
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