In This Issue
• Big boat race on the cards as the Plymouth deluge begins
• Franco-Brit Luke Berry claims Rolex Fastnet Race Class40 honours
• Harken® Tech Team Offering Service and Support at Cowes Week
• Lysekil Women's Match
• YAMAHA 470 Class World Championships
• RS Tera World Challenge Trophy
• B&G® releases the first VHF radio with the capability to send and receive AIS position data
• Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, Announced As New Team Entry In Clipper 2019-20 Race
• Etchells South Coast Championship
• Industry News
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Custom 42 - "Kuka Light"
• • Class 40 - Concise 8
• • JPK 1080 - Blue Note
• The Last Word: Sonny Barger
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
Big boat race on the cards as the Plymouth deluge begins
The crew on Tonnerre de Glen celebrate dockside in Plymouth Yacht Haven. Photo by Paul Wyeth/RORC. Click on image to enlarge.
Like a tap slowly being turned on, the quantity of Rolex Fastnet Race boats arriving in Plymouth has been steadily increasing since yesterday afternoon, with crews clambering off boats into the welcoming arms of the race office before heading off for a beer in the race village.
Overnight some of the hottest boats in IRC Zero reached Plymouth and it is these which are looking like they may be main contenders in their own class, and also for the main prize overall this year.
Currently holding second overall in IRC Overall, after finishing at 21:49 last night, was Nicolas Groleau's Bretagne Telecom. This is the canting keel Mach 45's sixth consecutive Rolex Fastnet Race and although she has previously won the now defunct IRC Canting Keel class, this is the nearest she has come to overall honours.
First of the Cookson 50 canting keel boats to reach Plymouth last night was American Ron O'Hanley's Privateer, racing for the first time without her owner on board (O'Hanley recently sustained a knee injury and is recovering from surgery). Privateer was hoping this year to do one better than 2017 when they finished second overall under IRC.
Privateer had led the group of Cookson 50s (plus Bretagne Telecom and American Clarke Murphy's 82ft Aegir) past the Scilly Isles and out into the Celtic Sea. Prior to the Fastnet rock, like others, they too expected the significant right hand shift as a squall came through bringing with it 27 knots.
They rounded the Fastnet Rock shortly before 0400 yesterday and as Dawson said "from there you couldn't have asked for better conditions. It was beautiful sailing, surfing down the waves in a consistent 18-23 knots."
Unfortunately on the leg to the Scilly Isles they were unable to prevent Bretagne Telecom screaming past before the two boats split at the TSS to the west of the Scilly Isles. Ultimately Privateer trailed the French boat across the finish line by 14 minutes on the water.
The Ker 46 Tonnerre de Glen crossed the finished line at 03:20:40, first home in IRC One but another currently looking strong within the top 10 overall under IRC.
This morning owner Dominique Tian and his crew were focused on getting warm again (Tian's from Marseille and not well acquainted with British summers) before resuming his watch on the YB tracker to follow how the race unfolds under IRC corrected time. The boat looking most likely to steal Tonnerre de Glen's thunder is L'Ange de Milon, Jacques Pelletier's Milon 41 which was about 70 miles behind as Tonnerre finished, and is expected to cross the line herself at around midday.
Franco-Brit Luke Berry claims Rolex Fastnet Race Class40 honours
One of the tightest competitions in the 48th Rolex Fastnet Race was between the 18 Class40s. While they, like the IMOCA 60s, are due to be competing in this autumn's Transat Jacques Vabre these box rule based fliers, the most successful 40ft racing yachts of all time (with hulls 158 and 159 soon to launch), were being sailed fully crewed (ie four up) to class rules, boat-on-boat, independent of the IRC fleet.
At the front of the fleet the competition was tight between the three Sam Manuard-designed Mach 40.3s - Luke Berry's Lamotte-Module Creation, Catherine Pourre's Earendil and Leyton, being campaigned by Rodrigue Cabaz, with the Owen Clarke-designed Imagine sailed by German Jorg Reichers and Beijaflore, the Marc Lombard-designed Lift 40 of William Mathelin Moreaux also in the mix.
For the outbound crossing to the Fastnet Rock, Berry and his crew hoisted a gennaker, enabling them to brazenly blast past Earendil. Meanwhile Beijaflore was doing well further west, benefitting, Luke Berry reckoned, from her sail selection.
Once again VMG downwind to the finish, they continued east on a starboard gybe before Lamotte-Module Creation was the first to gybe for the Plymouth finish line while, perhaps hoping to recreate the Ultim finish, Beijaflore left it a little later. Unlike the Ultim finish, Berry and his crew put in a hitch east to cover her rival and finished at 23:43:22, with Beijaflore less than three minutes behind.
Among the 18 starters, three were women - veteran Class40 campaigner Catherine Pourre, who ultimately finished third, plus Ursault Poupon, daughter of French offshore sailing legend Philippe Poupon, and British Paralympic sailor Hannah Stodel.
Poupon finished 12th, despite sailing the oldest boat in the fleet and having only been racing for a couple of seasons
Harken® Tech Team Offering Service and Support at Cowes Week
The Harken® Tech Team will once again be on the Isle of Wight for this year's Cowes Week.
Harken technicians will be providing sailors with service and support, including upgrades and system tweaks, advice on winch servicing, plus pre-race booked inspections.
Head for Cowes Yacht Haven from 9-17 August, look for the bright red Harken flag, and you'll find the Tech Team van. Harken technicians will be offering support and service, and will get sailors with last-minute needs back on the water so they can get to the starting line.
Don't let a deck equipment failure cost you the regatta. If you would like to pre-book an inspection, please contact the Harken Tech Team on 07791 300 379 or TechServiceVan [AT] harken [DOT] co [DOT] uk.
Cowes Week information can be found here.
Lysekil Women's Match
After the first day of competition we have four teams on equal points at the top of the leader board in Lysekil Women's Match, the 2019 World Championship: Johanna Bergqvist, Pauline Courtois, Anna Ostling and Claire Leroy all counting four wins and one loss.
Behind the leading four teams Lucy Macgregor has won three out of four matches (one match in the seventh flight was postponed due to a boat break down).
Results for Lysekil Women's Match: (skipper, country, matches won-lost)
Pauline Courtois FRA 4-1
Johanna Bergqvist SWE 4-1
Claire Leroy FRA 4-1
Anna Ostling SWE 4-1
Nicole Breault USA 3-2
Lucy Macgregor GBR 3-1
Trine Palludan DEN 2-3
Renee Groeneveld NED 2-3
Marie Bjorling SWE 2-2
Marinella Laaksonen FIN 1-4
Margot Vennin FRA 0-5
Alexa Bezel SUI 0-5
YAMAHA 470 Class World Championships
All change on race day 3, Tuesday 6 August 2019, at the 2019 470 World Championships and Olympic Qualification in Enoshima, Tokyo as the breeze kicked in and the waves picked up for teams to face off in three back to back races in challenging conditions.
A change in leader board standings for the 182 competing athletes from 29 nations reflected the change in weather conditions, as new faces made their assault on the race track.
When the time came, Jordi Xammar / Nicolas Rodriguez (ESP) put their foot on the pedal, with some impressive downwind speed in the men's fleet, winning every race and shifting up to take the overall lead. Second to multiple world champions Mathew Belcher / Will Ryan (AUS), with Giacomo Ferrari / Giulio Calabrò (ITA) in third. The Men's Qualification Series wrapped up today and the heavy hitters now advance to face off in gold fleet racing, with the rest of the pack in silver. Every single point counts even more, as the gold fleet now features the final line-up of nine nations fighting for one, of only four, nation qualification places for Tokyo 2020 on offer here at the 470 Worlds.
Control at the front of the 470 Women fleet changed race by race with nine different teams stepping up to a top-three finish across the three races. Consistency pays and Japan's defending world champions took their first race win of the series to edge them into the lead on a one-point advantage over Poland's Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Jolanta Ogar. Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Hannah Mills (GBR) and crew Eilidh McIntyre scored 1, 9, 9 to sit just 4 points off pole position.
Racing continues on Wednesday 7 August 2019 at 12:00 hours local time with three races scheduled for the Men and Women fleets. -- Georgia Arvaniti, Icarus Sports
RS Tera World Challenge Trophy
After the first day of the RS Tera World Challenge Trophy at Ljungskile, Sweden, Alice Davis leads the Pro fleet and Jac Bailey the Sport fleet.
In the Tera Pro fleet Britain's Alice Davis, on 4 points, has an eight point lead ahead of Max Steele and Peter Cope who are tied on 12 points, with Oliver Rayner in fourth place with 17 points.
In the Tera Sport fleet, Jac Bailey of Britain has 5 points and a six point lead ahead of Oliver Thompson of Switzerland, in third place is Freddie MacLaverty.
Why World Challenge Trophy? In Sweden, the word championship can only be used for children aged 13 or over.
Racing finishes on Friday 9 August. -- Gerald New, Sailweb.co.uk
B&G® releases the first VHF radio with the capability to send and receive AIS position data
B&G® have just released the V60-B mid-level VHF radio, the first B&G VHF radio with the capability to send and receive AIS position data. The V60-B has a large screen, intuitive interface, built-in AIS Class B Transceiver, a front-mountable, mechanical design for easy installation and optional H60 wireless handsets with inductive charging.
The AIS transceiver built into the V60-B can receive position data from other vessels, but it is also capable of sharing its position with nearby AIS-equipped vessels, improving situational awareness and collision avoidance. Position data is clearly viewable on the screen and can be overlaid on top of a chart or radar through a compatible chartplotter. Share location details and keep track of up to five friends using Track Buddy, which requests the location of another VHF radio when the MMSI is entered into the VHF contact list.
With its integrated GPS receiver, the V60-B has four ways to ensure GPS reliability in the event of an emergency. A GPS antenna in the face of the radio is perfect for open-air installations and the SMA connector can be coupled with a GPS-500 antenna. NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 connections allow the user to get GPS data from a chartplotter or from another antenna already in the system. The V60-B radio can be paired with up to two H60 wireless handsets, making VHF functionality available anywhere onboard.
Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, Announced As New Team Entry In Clipper 2019-20 Race
Click on image to enlarge.
Following a high profile signing ceremony this morning, it has been revealed that the Quang Ninh Province, in northeast Vietnam, has signed a two edition deal with the Clipper Race. The Quang Ninh Province is home to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site Ha Long Bay and it's this natural wonder that will be a team entry, named "Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam", in the Clipper 2019-20 Race and then return as both a Team and Host Port Partner in 2021-22.
Clipper Race CEO, William Ward OBE, visited Ha Long City to meet with the senior members of the Quang Ninh People's Committee and its Tourism Department with the partnership agreed at a ceremony in the city. This will be the first time the Clipper Race has had a team entry from Ha Long Bay and the global sailing event will be making its debut visit in 2022.
Recognised twice as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO, Ha Long Bay is a stunning destination and, unsurprisingly, northern Vietnam's number one-tourism hub. Towering limestone pillars and tiny islets topped by forest rise from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. These are what attract millions of tourists every year to take to the water and discover the region by taking overnight boat trips.
The name "Ha Long" means "descending dragons". For the upcoming edition, the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team will be skippered by 31 year old British Skipper, Josh Stickland. Fifteen nationalities will be represented on the Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam team with crew ranging from 27 to 73 years old. There will be eight circumnavigators onboard, taking part in the full 40,000 nautical mile adventure.
Etchells South Coast Championship
Over the weekend 26/27th July, the 2019 Etchells South Coast Championships were held in Cowes and organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club
Saturday morning's racing started in a 12 to 14 knot breeze from the north and, while it was forecast to increase, that didn't happen. Unfortunately, as the wind was shifting so much, it took 45 minutes before the first start could actually happen, as the committee struggled to lay a fair line.
Sunday brought a slightly more consistent breeze pressure, but still with the wind shifting with every cloud formation that moved through the Solent
Rob Goddard's Rocketman took their first series win.
Final top five
1. Rocketman (Corinthian), Rob Goddard / Edd Haynes / Joe Burns / Christine Shrimpton, 12.0 points
2. Royal Thames YC Youths (Corinthian), Ollie Grogono / Thea Crawshaw / Robbie Hooper / Charlotte Hooper, 13.0
3. Escape (Corinthian) , Matt Hannaby / Julian smith / Dicken Maclean, 13.0
4. Colin, David Heritage / Sophie Heritage / Will Heritage, 14.0
5. Exabyte 7, Shaun Frohlich / David Bedford / Duncan Truswell, 20.0
Full results on YachtScoring.com
Industry News
The Moorings, Sunsail and Footloose have announced a $130m investment in new charter products by parent company Travelopia Yachts. Jenneau, Beneteau, Lagoon and Robertson & Caine are among the brands which will be receiving orders according to the charter operator
Travelopia Yachts, a global leader in the yacht charter business and parent company to charter brands The Moorings, Sunsail and Footloose, has announced a US$130m investment into its charter operations in 2020.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Irma in the fall of 2017, Travelopia quickly reestablished operations in its flagship Caribbean destinations, reopening in the British Virgin Islands in December of 2017 and in St Martin in February of 2018.
The company said the investment will fund new fleet additions, including monohulls by long-time partners Jeanneau and Beneteau. Among models the company said it intends to buy are 25 new Sunsail Match First-40 monohulls for the UK sailing fleet over the next two years; new sailing and power catamarans built by Robertson & Caine, such as the award-winning Moorings 5000, as well as the purchase of new Lagoon catamarans to go into the Sunsail fleet in select destinations worldwide. The company's statement called the investment "an unparalleled injection of quality and variety into these charter fleets at a time when the financial stability of some operators in the broader yacht charter market remains uncertain."
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Winchburgh Developments and Scottish Canals have agreed a contract for a new marina in Winchburgh.
The marina, which will be built on the Union Canal, will include 20 marina berths plus 29 canal moorings, as well as new leisure and commercial spaces.
It will be located at the heart of the new town centre and will provide access to the Union Canal towpath.
Winchburgh village is set to be developed into a new town with 3,450 homes and school buildings, improved transport links, a 75-acre park and 35 acres of employment land plus the new marina.
The detailed planning application for the marina will be made later this year and it is expected to open by the end of 2021.
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In two recent actions, the UK's Isle of Wight (IOW) Council has taken steps to buy key buildings related to the island's important marine industry and released the latest masterplan for Newport harbour.
Within the IOW's marine sector, yachts play an important role, with Cowes being a very historical location for yachting. Furthermore, Wight Shipyard based in Cowes will be the yard building the new Arksen yachts with the construction of the first, an Arksen 85, just started.
The IOW Council plans to buy Venture Quays, which is sited on the Solent waterfront at East Cowes. The purchase will involve four buildings which are collectively important to the IOW's marine sector and the acquisition will be funded by regeneration funds approved by the council in its budget for 2019/20. The purchases will be made from the Homes England agency but a price still has to be agreed.
The buildings include the large Columbine Building, well-known for the big Union Jack flag depicted on its front. It is located right at the entrance to Cowes and it has both marine industry history and current manufacturing going on within it.
The group of buildings in this planned purchase also includes the Victoria Barracks building, the Albany warehouse, and a Maresfield Road site currently used for car parking. Approval to continue negotiations on the purchase was given at the latest council meeting. What the purchase of this group of buildings will mean is that the council will be able to continue the marine and associated industries at Columbine as well as developing employment opportunities for the marine sector both in East Cowes and across the island.
This whole area was previously part of a major development project that would have also included a 400-berth marina to add much needed capacity for the island's marine leisure market both for locally-based and visiting yachts. The contract to develop the site and the marina was awarded to a company associated with Camper & Nicholsons Marinas but due to disagreements this partnership has now ended. It is not known whether the council still plans to develop the proposed marina or if they are talking with any potential parties to move forward on its construction.
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Hyundai New Zealand have come on board as a principal sponsor of the 2019 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships.
This year's 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships is to be held at the Hyundai Marine Sports Centre at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland, New Zealand, the first time a world class event has been held at this venue.
As many as 400 sailors from around the world are expected to compete at the regatta from November 29-December 8, with a large number expected to start training in Auckland as early as October.
49er.org/event/2019-world-championship/
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The Hamble Classics Regatta is pleased to announce that Rick Tomlinson will be the official photographer for the 2019 event hosted by the RAF Yacht Club, 20th-22nd September. Rick will be out on the water on all three days of the regatta including 'Big Classic Friday' sponsored by OneSails and is offering competitors a 25% discount on any photographs they would like to buy from his website: http://www.rick-tomlinson.com
Rick Tomlinson is an internationally recognised yachting photographer who has competed in four Round the World races and published by all the leading yachting magazines and National Geographic. His signature yachting calendar has been a favourite for over 30 years.
For more details about the Hamble Classics Regatta, Notice of Race, online entry, current entry list and links to each of the event partners go to: rafyc.org.uk/hamble-classics-regatta/
Letters To The Editor - editor [AT] scuttlebutteurope [DOT] com
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* From Brent Isaacson:
Hugo Boss - the secret is out: No tiller, no wheel, no windows in the coachhouse, no protection for the crew in the cockpit and secret Nokia Bell Labs gear - Alex is going to sail the boat remotely from his living room.
Featured Charter
Gran Soleil 50 - Sidney II
Available for:
Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) - Individual Berths Available
Caribbean 2020
Sidney II was designed by Judel and Vrolik and built by Cantiere del Pardo in Italy. She is a true thoroughbred yacht and eats up ocean miles with ease, thanks to a good selection of sails including asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers. A joy to sail, Sidney II is fast, manageable & comfortable with plenty of space below deck.
The deck layout offers a spacious cockpit and with sporty twin steering wheels and a closed transom offering plenty of room behind the wheel for easy crew movement during racing and abundant space above and below deck.
For full details please go to...http://bit.ly/LVY-sydneyII
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email: info [AT] lvyachting [DOT] com
bit.ly/LVY-sydneyII
Featured Brokerage
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
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Class 40 - Concise 8. 300,000 GBP.
One of the fastest boats in the fleet, extensive sail wardrobe. Race ready!
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
ned [AT] teamconcise [DOT] com
+44 7809 212 039
http://www.teamconcise.com
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JPK 1080 - Blue Note. 195,000 GBP. Located in
Professionally maintained and race ready.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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Stephen Hopson
stephopson [AT] me [DOT] com
tel: +44 7789 117415
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
My most basic credo is: I never said freedom was cheap. And it ain't. Never will be. It's been the highest priced and most precious commodity in my life. -- Sonny Barger
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