In This Issue
• Price is right in shifty conditions at Argo Group Gold Cup
• RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup Back for 17th Edition
• FSE Robline becomes Robline
• RORC Vice Admiral's Cup: Round One 2019 FAST40+ Race Circuit
• The start of the Bermuda 1000 Race Douarnenez - Brest shifted to Thursday 17h
• 21st Jersey Regatta
• Inaugural Lendlease Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race
• Idyllic Opening to J/24 European Championship
• Whitstable Bay Endurance and Forts Race (18/19 May)
• Struggling Dutch reaffirm commitment to America's Cup
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan-115-02-Shamanna
• • IRC Maxi - LA BETE
• • Arksen 85
• The Last Word: Alan Watts
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
Price is right in shifty conditions at Argo Group Gold Cup
An active first day of racing at the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup saw 36 matches completed across nine flights of racing and led to a first-timer holding the Day 1 lead.
Harry Price of Australia, the 23-year-old debutante who was the 2017 Youth match racing world champion, leads the regatta with 5 points from six races. He stands tied with grizzled veteran Ian Williams of the U.K., the 42-year-old six-time match racing world champion, but beat Williams head-to-head in Flight 6 to hold the tiebreak advantage.
"I'm really impressed with Harry," said Williams, who won the Argo Group Gold Cup in 2006 when Price was 11 years old. "The boats are difficult and there's a lot to get your head around. So good on him."
"Bermuda gave us an interesting day," said Price. "It was quite shifty and with the windward mark being tucked underneath the buildings, that made it anyone's race. We struggled to win the pre-starts but managed to get off the line even. Then we sailed our own race and did well to pick the shifts and get the lead."
Racing resumes tomorrow at 1000 hours with 30 matches scheduled to complete the round robin. The Bermuda Weather Service is forecasting winds from the northeast at 8 to 12 knots, meaning another head-scratching day for everyone involved. -- Sean McNeill
Preliminary Round Robin Standings
1. Harry Price (23, Sydney, Australia) - 5 points
2. Ian Williams (42, Lymington, England, U.K.) - 5
3. Chris Poole (30, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA) - 4.33
4. Johnie Berntsson (48, Stennungsund, Sweden) - 4
5. Torvar Mirsky (32, Sydney, Australia) - 4
6. Eric Monnin (43, Immensee, Switzerland) - 3
7. Maxime Mesnil (30, Le Havre, France) - 3
8. Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) - 2
9. Lucy Macgregor (32, Poole, England, U.K.) - 2
10. Ettore Botticini (23, Porto Santo Stefano, Italy) - 1.67
11. Pauline Courtois (30, Brest, France) - 1
12. Kelsey Durham (25, Smiths, Bermuda) - 0
argogroupgoldcup.com/results/2019-results
RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup Back for 17th Edition
Hamilton, Bermuda: The RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup returns for the 17th year of forging friendships and testing seamanship for youth sailors around the world.
The goal of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club organizers and sponsor RenaissanceRe was to create a world class youth regatta in Bermuda to give local sailors the opportunity to race against some of the best in the world on their home waters alongside the world's best match racers sailing the Argo Group Gold Cup.
The entry criteria mirrors that of the Olympics where only one entry per nation is permitted to race, making the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup more select than even the Optimist World Championship.
Due to this format the young sailors make new friendships that might not otherwise happen when travelling with a team of compatriots.
This year Kelsey Durham is representing the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in the Argo Group Gold Cup as the 2019 Bermuda National Match Racing champion. And Emily Nagel, also a past Junior Gold Cup competitor, will crew for Chris Poole.
"As far as I know, there's no other Optimist regatta or even youth regatta like this in the world," Cooper continued. "We owe huge thanks to our sponsor, RenaissanceRe, who has supported the regatta from Day 1. Without their support, we wouldn't be able to bring the world together on our tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."
This year's RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup features a total of 34 sailors, including 20 Bermudians and 14 international sailors from five different continents. More than 30 percent of the fleet is female, a trend that began last year, and there are four first-time entries from the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Israel and Peru.
Racing for the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup begins tomorrow on Great Sound and runs through Saturday. The final race is scheduled for Hamilton Harbour on Saturday afternoon.
FSE Robline becomes Robline
For those who did not realize it yet, there is a new brand name at the market - Robline. Having its heritage in the 1990s where company TEUFELBERGER acquired FSE, the German yachting brand, and the yachting line segment of Roblon, the Danish rope manufacturer. Together they became FSE Robline back in the days.
To not stop moving forward TEUFELBERGER decided to give this brand a new appealing look - Robline features now the colours monsun grey and cucuum instead of red and blue. Why? Because we want to be forerunners and stand out from the crowd!
www.roblineropes.com/en/
www.teufelberger.com/en/
RORC Vice Admiral's Cup: Round One 2019 FAST40+ Race Circuit
After an highly successful training regatta, the gloves are off for Round One of the FAST40+ Race Circuit with eight FAST40+ teams expected in the combat zone for the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 2019 Vice Admiral's Cup. 2019 FAST40+ Class Race Circuit kicks off Friday 10th - Sunday 12th May. Eight races are scheduled in the Solent on fast and furious windward leeward courses, and round the cans style races.
Niklas Zennstrom's Carkeek designed FAST40+ Rán will be the boat to beat, having joined the class last year and winning the 2018 FAST40+ Race Circuit. Rán's Tim Powell has confirmed the crew squad, which continues to feature young talented amateurs, eager to learn the dark arts from world class sailors. The core of the team have been racing together for many years in the 52 Super Series and on the Maxi72 Circuit; Niklas Zennstrom on helm, Tim Powell on main, Justin Slattery in the Pit, and Steve Hayles on Runners. Double 470 World Champion Nic Asher will be racing as tactician.
2017 FAST40+ Race Circuit Champion skipper Peter Morton will be racing CF40+ Girls on Film with his Cowes based team. The Girls on Film Boat Captain Nick Butt, confirms that Team Ineos' Ben Cornish will be racing, as an early season stand in for World Match Racing Champion Gerry Mitchell. Multiple world champion Will Beavis will be joining the team, sharing roles with round the world sailor Jason Carrington. Chris Dorey joins the team on the sharp end of Girls on Film.
Mike Bartholomew's South African flagged Tokoloshe II has been campaigning his GP42 since 2016, David Bartholomew is the Boat Captain and occasional helm. Scotland's Steve Cowie racing GP42 Zephyr will be taking part in his fourth FAST40+ Race Circuit, as will James Neville's South Coast of England team, racing Ino XXX.
Last year, impressive debutants Olivia & Niall Dowling, will be racing in the 2019 FAST40+ Race Circuit with their Ker40+ renamed as Arabella. Kiwi Jared Henderson will be sailing Arabella, bringing experience from two around-the-world races, four America's cups, and the 52 Super Series.
The RORC Vice Admiral's Cup is Round One of the 2019 FAST40+ Race Circuit. The six regatta 2019 FAST40+ Race Circuit promises thrilling high speed action for the owner-driver class. A total of 50 races are scheduled with six discards available for the total points score for the season.
www.facebook.com/FAST40UK/
www.fast40class.com
The start of the Bermuda 1000 Race Douarnenez - Brest shifted to Thursday 17h
Initially scheduled Wednesday, May 8 at 13h, the departure of Bermuda 1000 Race Douarnenez-Brest will finally be given the next day at 17h. This decision of the race management, validated by the organizers, is dictated by the difficult weather conditions announced Wednesday. Listed in the IMOCA Globe Series calendar in 2019 and selective for the Vendée Globe 2020, the event will offer a 2000-mile course between Douarnenez and Brest with passages to the Fastnet (Irish Sea) and off the Azores lighthouse. The race should last about a week.
"An active low pressure system arrives on the tip of Brittany and in the Bay of Biscay Wednesday. Most of the depression will affect the Vendée and we will be a little less affected by the strong winds in Douarnenez. The main problem is that the sea will be very formed, "says Jacques Caraës. " The idea is to shift the departure so that the loners rush behind the passage front. The state of the sea improved and the swell will rise from 6-7 meters to 3-4 meters from Thursday evening. We want to make runners leave in more serene conditions. The Bermuda 1000 Race Douarnenez-Brest is the inaugural race of the season in IMOCA, some boats have been released very recently and for seven sailors it will be the very first event alone in IMOCA."
21st Jersey Regatta
Scheduled for 6th to 8th September, this year sees the 21st edition of the renowned Jersey Regatta, the Island's 'flagship' sailing event.
As ever, the Regatta is open to local and visiting boats, alike, with racing for sportsboat, cruiser/racer, Quarter Ton, dayboat, dinghy, sport catamaran and windsurfer classes. The 6th Spinlock IRC CI Regional Championship is included in the programme and will, undoubtedly, be a major attraction for the cruiser/racer fleet.
The Regatta gets under way on the Thursday evening with an ice-breaking reception and skippers' briefing. A distance race for the sportsboat and cruiser/racer classes opens the programme on Friday whilst Saturday and Sunday feature back-to-back racing with boats competing over distance, round-the-cans and/or Olympic-type courses. The 'small boat' classes race separately over Olympic-type courses in the beautiful confines of St Aubin's Bay. Trophies and prizes are awarded for each day and overall prizes are awarded for the best boats in each class.
Jersey Marinas will be providing complimentary berthing whilst Condor Ferries is offering discounted fares for those wishing to transport their boats to the Island for the event.
The closing date for entries is 29th August but why not take advantage of the attractively low entry fees that are made even more enticing with an 'early bird' fee for those entering no later than 12th August. The Notice of Race and entry form are available on the Regatta website, jerseyregatta.com
For further information, please contact the Regatta office, info [AT] jerseyregatta [DOT] com, or call 00 44 (0)1534 732229.
Inaugural Lendlease Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race
The inaugural Lendlease Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race is drawing interest from a multitude of boat owners and the TP52 owner group is backing the concept with two entered and more planning to be part of the first ever 530 nautical mile challenge starting at 11am on August 2, 2019 from Morton Bay and finishing off the beautiful Whitsunday island which has a strong tradition of welcoming sailors.
Barry Cuneo's Queensland TP52 Envy Scooters can expect a heavy-weight class contest from the south in the form of Matt Allen's pedigree Ichi Ban and Matt Donald and Chris Townsend's Gweilo, now in its second year of bluewater campaigning and marching towards this year's 75th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Ichi Ban dismasted during the recent Brisbane Gladstone Race, but this won't slow Allen's campaign of major east coast events down. The offshore rig will be deployed so the team remain on track for the opening event of the northern circuit, the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race starting July 27 from Sydney Harbour.
For the co-owners of the TP52 Gweilo, the distance is attractive given their main goal this year is the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Bluewater Series, including the 75th Hobart race. "Last year we did the Brisbane to Keppel and now we have the option of the longer race, hopefully with a good fleet of TP52s making it even more exciting," Donald said. "We began our 2018 season in April-May, so nine months capped off with the Hobart race. A year on and we've cemented the majority of the crew plus added Wade Morgan as skipper and Billy Merrington as tactician, which holds us in better stead to be more competitive."
Distance-wise, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron's latest initiative is the second longest Australian bluewater race behind the Rolex Sydney Hobart at 628 nautical miles. So far the entry list represents three states – NSW, Victoria and Queensland – plus overseas. And unless another big multihull appears out of Asia, Karl Kwok's MOD70 Beau Geste (HKG) will be unmatched when the time comes to set the multihull record for the debut bluewater event.
Early bird entry for the Lendlease Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race closes May 31 and the standard entry fee will apply until 1700hrs on July 19. Thereafter a late fee may apply. -- Lisa Ratcliff
www.rqys.com.au/brisbane-to-hamilton-island-yacht-race
www.facebook.com/pg/B2HIYR
Idyllic Opening to J/24 European Championship
Patras, Greece: Thirty J/24s vied in three races in winds of 15-25 knots to open to 2019 J/24 European Championship, hosted by the Sailing Club of Patras in Greece. Four different nations comprise the top four: Stefan Karsunke's Schwere Jungs of Germany (5 points), Ignazio Bonanno's La Superba of Italy (8 points), Miklos Rauschenberger's El Nino of Hungary and Anthimos Nikolaidis' Evniki of Greece (17 points).
Bonanno's La Superba opened the Championship successfully as the breeze started in the mid-teens. Karsunke's Schwere Jungs and Rauschenberger's El Nino followed. Nikolaidis' Evniki won race two when the winds began piping up, and both Karsunke and Bonanno kept their claim at the front end of the fleet. Karsunke capped a nearly perfect day with a bullet, ahead of Panagiotis Kampouridis' JMania and Alexandros Tagaropoulos' Hellenic Police in Tuesday's last contest.
Racing continues through Friday. Complete results may be found at j24europeans2019.gr, and photos are available on the International J/24 Class Facebook page.
Whitstable Bay Endurance and Forts Race (18/19 May)
Over the last 24 years, this long-distance race has evolved into a well-balanced test of sailing and racing skills, attracting top national helms as well as experienced club racers and international entries. Now part of the Allen Endurance Series, the Forts Race has been opened to a wider range of boats and sailors, including catamarans and monohulls.
Laid out in hub and spoke format, with each leg returning through a gate near the club, the full course (fast cats) covers up to 85 kilometres in estuary, coastal and open sea conditions, and provides racing at all points of sailing. The Whitstable Bay Endurance and Forts Race Weekend is open to all dinghies and sports catamarans with a PY rating of 1270 and lower.
Entry information on SailRacer: enter.sailracer.org
Struggling Dutch reaffirm commitment to America's Cup
The DutchSail syndicate have reaffirmed their commitment to the America's Cup despite time and funding being huge enemies in their hopes to make Auckland 2021.
The Netherlands team are one of three late entries along with Stars & Stripes from the United States and Malta Altus that are trying to bolster the challenging fleet to six.
They desperately need to start the build of their 75-foot foiling monohull or risk not being able to sail the first world series event in Italy next April, a prerequisite to contesting the America's Cup in New Zealand.
Skipper Simeon Tienpont and managing director Eelco Blok say progress is being made in the crucial finance department that has included crowd funding and they have found widespread support for their dream across the respected marine industry in their homeland.
The Dutch say they have received a handful of firm corporate commitments and "discussions with a main sponsor are promising".
Tienpont is adamant the bold challenge must go ahead to lay a foundation for the future.
"Now is the chance for the Netherlands to get a Dutch challenger on the water for the first time in history. The design of the AC75 and the technical specifications are right for the Dutch maritime and aviation industry," he said. -- Duncan Johnstone in Stuff.Co.Nz
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nautorswanbrokerage.com
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2002 IRC Maxi - LA BETE. 600,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.
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The Last Word
The yin-yang view of the world is serenely cyclic. Fortune and misfortune, life and death, whether on small scale or vast, come and go everlastingly without beginning or end, and the whole system is protected from monotony by the fact that, in just the same way, remembering alternates with forgetting. -- Alan W. Watts
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