In This Issue
• Breakaway 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar for Rambler 88 and Vera
• La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro leaves France for Kinsale
• Malta Altus Challenge Withdraws From AC36
• Under the radar (but doing very nicely thank you) - A&T
• ArMen Race Uship
• Aleph Racing: 44Cup winner finally after nine years of trying
• The World Sailing Show
• Baraka wins North Sea Race
• The Focus: 5 Keys to Getting from Here to There
• The Cool Route
• Featured Charter: Laurie Davidson One Off 69 - Pendragon VI
• Featured Brokerage:
• • X-Yachts X-41 One Design
• • CHESSEA
• • Ker 40 - "Hooligan VII"
• The Last Word: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Good Omens
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
Breakaway 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar for Rambler 88 and Vera
One of the biggest 'door closing on those behind' moments in offshore sailing occurred on Thursday night and through the next 24 hours for competitors racing in the special 10th anniversary edition of the 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar, between Livorno and Punta Ala, Italy.
The 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar is organised by Yacht Club Punta Ala, Yacht Club Livorno and Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa, in collaboration with Marina di Punta Ala, Marina di Pisa and the International Maxi Association (IMA). It is also the third event of the 2018-19 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC).
The record-sized fleet of 220, in what has become the Mediterranean's largest offshore race, left Livorno in around 10-12 knots at 1600 on Thursday, but that night parked at the Giraglia Rock, off northeast Corsica. First to arrive at around dusk, Rambler 88 saw her lead evaporate as the fleet compressed. The American maxi had to carry out almost a complete lap of Giraglia before escaping its clutches at around 2230. The Reichel-Pugh 86 Vera (ex-My Song) followed half an hour behind.
From there the two boats were able to sail almost straight towards the final turning mark at Formiche di Grosseto where Rambler 88 arrived here just after 0400, followed by Vera at 0540. They made equally fine progress north to the Punta Ala finish line where Rambler 88 arrived at 05:55:43, Vera at 07:15:03.
Significantly Rambler 88 achieved not only line honours but set a new race record, with an elapsed time of 13 hours, 50 minutes and 43 seconds, 1 hour and 40 minute less than the previous record set in 2018 by Nicola Paoleschi's Davidson 69 Pendragon VI.
Sadly for the American team, they were unable to clinch 'the triple', with corrected time victory in the maxi class going to the 2 hours 10 minutes faster Vera.
Vera's crew included several A-listers like Volvo Ocean Race veteran Bouwe Bekking and Norwegian navigator Aksel Magdahl. "We had a good plan and executed it well," explained Bekking. "We all parked up at the Giraglia Rock for something like one and a half hours. We could hear Wild Joe. We were really aggressive, sometimes pointing <100° from the course to get back into the old breeze. We wiggled ourselves through nicely."
According to Bekking the most wind they saw was 15 knots rounding Formiche di Grosseto.
Such double digit wind speeds were unimaginable for the other 218 competitors in the 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar, even for the 13 other maxis in the IRC > 60 maxi class behind them. For after Rambler 88 and Vera had departed Giraglia, the door closed firmly shut behind them.
www.internationalmaxiassociation.com
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro leaves France for Kinsale
Under grey skies on the Bay of La Baule, at the mouth of the Loire river in the west of France, Morgan Lagraviere (Voile d'engagement) lead an early breakaway trio at the head of the 47-strong La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro fleet during a showcase first hour of the 553 nautical mile, three day first stage across the Celtic Sea to Kinsale, Ireland.
Lagraviere, who has twice finished on the overall podium for the Solitaire, the annual multi-stage solo classic offshore series, and sailed on the 2016 Vendee Globe in the colours of Safran, races this 50th edition of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro with no major sponsor.
He sailed smartly on the first two-mile sprint leg to round the first mark and forge a small escape accompanied by Gildas Mahe (Breizh Cola) and Adrien Hardy (Sans Nature Pas de Future) who also competes without a major partner.
Thousands of spectators lined headlands, seawalls and beaches around fashionable Pornichet and the bay itself to watch the 11 mile opening circuit unfold in 10-13knots of south-westerly wind, seeking their first glimpse of the new foil assisted Figaro Beneteau 3s in full La Solitaire race mode and some of France's best known, most successful offshore sailors going head to head.
While the little breakaway trio held their early advance to pass the Radio France Buoy in the lead, wily fox Michel Desjoyeaux (Lumibird) did not disappoint onlookers as he climbed through the fleet to pass the Radio France ranking buoy in fourth.
Britain's Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) was in the middle of a big pack of boats in 19th at the first ranking mark.
At 553 nautical miles this first leg is the longest yet to be sailed in the new Figaro Beneteau 3s and the gaps through the fleet are expected to become quite large on this, the most open stage of the four legs which comprise this long awaited 50th edition.
Fans can follow the race on the official website, and through the English language Twitter account, here. (https://twitter.com/SolitaireEng)
Official Rankings at the Radio France Bouy, 2nd June:
1. Morgan Lagraviere (Voile d'engagement)
2. Adrien Hardy ((Sans Nature Pas de Future)
3. Gildas Mahe (Breizh Cola)
4. Michel Desjoyeaux (Lumibird)
5. Alexis Loison (Region Normandie)
6. Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019)
7. Yoann Richomme (Helloworld - Groupe Telegramme)
8. Armel Le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire)
9. Alain Gautier (Merci Pur Ces 30 Ans)
10. Jeremie Beyou (Charal)
Malta Altus Challenge Withdraws From AC36
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has advised that today they received a notice from the Royal Malta Yacht Club officially withdrawing the Malta Altus Challenge from the 36th America's Cup.
"This is a disappointing outcome." said Grant Dalton, "The Malta Altus Challenge had a strong foundation with some highly experienced and reputable America's Cup personnel linked to the team. So, for them to pull out is not just a shame for the event but also for those people that have worked so hard trying to get this challenge to the start line. We hope they will continue to build on their foundation over the next 18 months with a view to the future and challenging for the 37th America's Cup."
"We are wanting the Prada Cup to include as many teams as possible." Said Laurent Esquier CEO of the Challenger of Record. "While we have done all we can to support the Malta Altus Challenge, they haven't been able to bring together all the layers of complexity that are needed to continue with an America's Cup challenge. We are still guaranteed to have an exciting and highly competitive Prada Cup to select the final challenger to race against Emirates Team New Zealand in the Match."
The two remaining late challengers, Stars + Stripes USA and DutchSail will confirm their ongoing commitment to the 36th America's Cup presented by Prada by July 1st.
Under the radar (but doing very nicely thank you) - A&T
Look aboard some of the world's fastest and largest yachts and you may not immediately identify the logo on the instrument displays...
On the face of it there's little to separate many of the sailing instruments that are currently on the market once they are fastened to a bulkhead. Be they bold digital displays or colourful analogue dials, the way most of us assess their fitness for purpose is rather binary. If they turn on and deliver accurate data, they're fine.
Breather holes and flimsy rubber waterproof plugs on the back face of a display unit are typical examples of a potential vulnerability in the harsh marine environment. Units that are sealed and have no means of being separated are often just not made to allow servicing nowadays. Details like these were at the heart of A+T Instruments' mission to up the instrument game and create the best systems on the market.
With a combined total of more than 60 years in the business and having worked with some of the biggest brands on the market, there is little that company founders Hugh Agnew and Richard Tinley don't know about how instruments should work and almost more importantly, how instruments fail. As a result, all A+T instrument displays are CNC machined from PA66, a high-spec nylon material which is not only robust and fully sealed to withstand 0.5bar over or under pressure, but ensures that there is no corrosion when mounted in carbon or aluminium.
Full article in the June issue of Seahorse
ArMen Race Uship
Armen Race - 210 milles : La Trinité-sur-Mer - Chaussée de Sein - La Trinité-sur-Mer
The start of the ArMen Race Uship 2019 was given Thursday, May 30 at 14:00 in the bay of Quiberon. Seven starts were given for the twelve categories in the running. 191 crews set off on 210 miles of the ArMen Race Uship, or 100 miles of the ArMen Night in 10 to 12 knots of wind. Line honours goes to Thomas Coville in the Ultim Team Sodebo.
Final podium positions:
Osiris Habitable
1. Mer Forte Design - Joseph Maguet
2. Mayero - J. Passini
3. Atrox - H. Baseden
IRC A
1. CODIAM - Nicolas Loday
2. Leclerc Hennebont - R. Fromentin
3. Amanjiwo - S. Harinkouck
IRC B
1. Musix - Philippe Baetz
2. Hey Jude - P. Girardin
3. Delnic - B. Rousselin
IRC C
1. Menuiserie-Fenêtre.fr - Alain Guelennoc
2. Navarchsoft - M. Visbecq
3. Arcane - T. Demazancourt
IRC Double
1. Ciao Ciao - Paolo et Mattéo Mangione
2. Vaimiti - F. et Y. Level
3.TIP - B. Mallaret et F. Goyat
Class 40
1. Edenred - Emmanuel le Roch
2. Cabinet Z Grizzly Barber Shop - C. de Kervenoael
3. Esprit Scout - M. Dubos
Multi 2000
1. Acapella Proludic - Charlie Capelle
2. No Limit BMP - Y. Marilley
3. Jess - Gilles Buekenhout
Pogo 8.50
1. Porteneuve Avocats - Renaud Mary
2. Le P'tit Troisième - N. Strube
3. Kiiro - J.P. Robin
Osiris Habitable
1. Groupe ESPI - Oscar Delhumeau
2. Atair II - F. Dore
3. Joke - S. Blevin
Multi 2000
1. F40 IRVI - Christophe Boucault
2. Akila - E. Lavasier
First 31.7
1. Gauvain - Patrick Roussel
2. Pendragon - T. Mech
3. Alhea - B. Albe
Multi 50 Osiris Habitable
1. Solidaires en Peloton ARSEP - Thibaut Vauchel-Camus
Ultim
1. Team Sodebo - Thomas Coville
2. Team Gitana - F. Cammas et C. Caudrelier
3. Team Actual Leader - Y. le Blevec
Imoca
1. Initiatives Coeur - Samantha Davies
2. Groupe Apicil - D. Seguin
3. Pure - R. Attanasio
Aleph Racing: 44Cup winner finally after nine years of trying
This morning Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing scored their third bullet out of four races, increasing their five point lead at the day's start to a massive 10. Ultimately a fourth place in today's second and final race handed the French team victory at the Adris 44Cup Rovinj.
This was a considerable step up from their third to last place at the first 44Cup event of the season in Montenegro in April. But more spectacular was it being the first time since joining the class nine years ago that Aleph Racing has ever won an event on the high performance one design circuit.
The team, which has Italian maestro Michele Ivaldi calling tactics, was top scorer on Friday, won two races from three yesterday and one from two today. Ivaldi has said over the previous days that getting the boat set up well for light conditions and practicing starts helped.
Anticipating a difficult forecast, Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio sent the boats out an hour earlier and ultimately managed to lay on two races in a light northwesterly, albeit with a long intermission between the two and having to finish the second prematurely after the second upwind leg.
After their soaring performance yesterday, Peninsula Petroleum had an indifferent Sunday, while as Aleph Racing was on the ascent Team CEEREF, leader at the half way stage of the Adris 44Cup Rovinj, was heading the opposite way.
Chris Bake on Team Aqua did enough to keep Bronenosec Sailing Team astern of them, but was unable to beat Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika which posted an improved 2-5 today.
Next event is the 44Cup World Championship in Marstrand, Sweden over 9-13 July.
The World Sailing Show
Learning to fly a foiling monohull that will travel at multihull speeds yet with no keel is to master a balancing act that has never been tried in sailing. But as the 36th America's Cup draws closer, teams need to learn how to fly on two foils in preparation for the launch of their 75ft Cup boats. The British and American Cup teams give us an insight into how this has been going and what crashes look like. Plus, we take a look at SailGP in San Francisco, we preview the 52 SuperSeries fleet and check in with the new names on the podium at the Hempel World Cup Series in Genoa.
But if you watch just one feature this month, make sure you see our feature on Thomas Coville, one of the world's exceptional solo sailors, as he takes us inside his mind and reveals the huge emotional pressure of racing around the world alone.
Learning to Fly - AC team training
52 SuperSeries preview
SailGP in San Francisco
Inside the mind of a solo sailor
Hempel World Cup Series
Baraka wins North Sea Race
The 2019 Royal Ocean Racing Club's North Sea Race was won by Ker 43 Baraka GP sailed by Harmen De Graaf (NED). However, victory in the 180nm race from Harwich UK to Scheveningen Netherlands was mighty close. Ker 46 Van Uden, sailed by Wouter Verbaak, was under two minutes behind after IRC time correction. Ker 51 Oystercatcher XXXIII sailed by Richard Matthews (GBR) took Line Honours and corrected out to finish third overall.
Overall winner of the 2019 North Sea Race was Baraka GP skippered by Harmen De Graaf with crew: Lennard Bal, Douwe Broekens, Olivier De Graaf, Dirk De Graaf, Amy Prime, Piers Tyler, Arianne van de Loosdrecht, Bart Van Pelt, Steve Aiken, Mees De Graaf, and Lily Lower.
Fine weather and solid breeze provided fast downwind and reaching conditions for the fifth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship.
In IRC One, Grand Soleil 43 Il Corvo, sailed by Astrid De Vin (NED), won class for the second year in a row. IRC Two and IRC Double Handed was won by J/122 Ajeto, sailed by Robin Verhoef (NED) & John Van Der Starre (NED). In IRC Three, W36 Hubo was the winner.
In IRC Four, the podium was all teams from the Netherlands, X-362 Extra Djinn, sailed by Michel Dorsman, took class line honours and was the winner after IRC time correction.
The 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship continues Saturday 8th June with the De Guingand Bowl Race. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, rounding marks and waypoints, and taking in the headlands of the central English Channel, before returning to the Solent to finish. -- Louay Habib
The Focus: 5 Keys to Getting from Here to There
My friend Bob Hunte and I sailed a 33.5-foot wooden boat from Connecticut to Massachusetts last weekend, a distance of 131 nautical miles. It took just shy of 24 hours, which is quite fast for Norwegian Wood, our engine-less International One-Design, built in 1959.
Our rate of speed aside, the defining aspect of the voyage was its lack of drama. (Not counting those few exciting minutes when the towline fouled around the back of the keel in the Cape Cod Canal.) Did the trip go well because I put so much mental effort into it, or could I have taken a more relaxed approach?
I'll never know, but I'm left with five takeaways that surely made a difference - and would likely do so in any project you or I might tackle. If you are not a sailor, envision any big project, be it outdoor adventure or crucial professional initiative. -- John Burnham
Read the full article at johnsburnham.com
The Cool Route
The Cool Route Cruising Ground, described in the International Yachting Press as the World's Most Adventurous Cruising Ground, is one of the most attractive coastlines globally and stretches from Cork, in the South of Ireland to Western and Northern Ireland, on to Western Scotland and then to the Faroe Islands and to Tromso, in Western Norway.
A route brochure and invitation to visit is available as a booklet
The objective of the Cool Route Project , co-financed by the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme was to strengthen the market reach and customer base for SMEs in remote communities, develop an exclusive product package to attract high end customers, develop a joint marketing strategy and ICT solution and design a marketing model focusing on "place based" development opportunities for a very wide range of tourism, activity holidays, cultural and heritage attractions, local produce, crafts, restaurants and marine services.
Featured Charter
2010 Laurie Davidson One Off 69 - Pendragon VI
Available for:
Rolex Capri Week
Palma Vela
Rolex Giraglia Cup
Copa del Rey
Palermo – Monte Carlo
Les Voiles de St Tropez
Barcolana
Rolex Middle Sea Race
Pendragon VI is a Laurie Davidson 69, designed to excel in both offshore and inshore racing. This all carbon mini maxi features a hydraulic lifting keel, retracting prop and twin rudders. Off the wind, in the right conditions, she can sail at 30+ knots!
In 2018 she set a new race record for the 151 Miglia of 15 hours, 30 minutes and 45 seconds taking off 55 minutes!
For full details please go to....http://bit.ly/LVY-pendragon-VI
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
2007 X-41 One Design. 178000 EUR. Located in Zadar, Croatia.
A highly specified cruiser/racer from the renowned Danish Yard, combining highly regarded build quality with great performance, huge race sail wardrobe, professionally maintained and many great race results – must be sold!
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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1997 CHESSEA Volvo 60. 390,000 EUR. Located in Sete, South of France.
Ex CHESSIE RACING, ex ASSA ABLOY, ex BIG ONE, this Volvo 60 was refitted with new deck giving a higher headroom of 1.93m. She has fantastic performances (up to 30 knots). She successfully entered the 1997-1998 Whitbread Race and came second at the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
info [AT] bernard-gallay [DOT] com
www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93
-----------------------------------------
2011 Ker 40 - "Hooligan VII". 260,000 GBP Located in Hamble, UK
Want an IRC or ORC winning boat, capable of Inshore and Offshore success?... Look no further Hooligan VII is now available at a fraction of the new boat cost and with recent optimization is back at the front of the rating game! Very strong inventory and recent cosmetic improvements too.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide. -- Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Good Omens
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