In This Issue
• Cowes Week Daily Round Up Day 3
• O'Higgins' Rockabill VI Claims GAS Calves Week Title on Final Day
• Pick your lighthouse - Newport Bermuda
• 470 World Championship Gold Medals to Australia in Men and Great Britain in Women
• Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championship
• World Sailing launch Challenge 2024
• Not a Genoa. Not a Spinnaker. It's a Tweener!
• Ocean Cruising Club Challenge Grant is Now Accepting Applications
• Industry News
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Outremer 5X
• • X41 - British Soldier
• • Gambler 40 - Fast Foot Sally
• The Last Word: Paul Krassner
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
Cowes Week Daily Round Up Day 3
The hard men of Cowes. Stewart Reed, Matthew Gray, John 'Robo' Roberson. Photo by Di Roberson. Click on image to enlarge.
A tricky day on the Solent threw up challenges of a different kind on the third day of Cowes Week. As showers moved across the race area winds from every point of the compass were experienced at some point during the day, while wind speed varied from less than 5 knots to up to 15.
Nevertheless, the day produced some tantalisingly close racing. In the Etchells class, for instance, the first four boats - Rob Goddard's Rocketman, Eddie Warden Owen and Andrew Cooper's Colin, Tom Abrey's Jolly Roger, and Shaun and Emily Frohlich's Exabyte - all crossed the line in just 21 seconds.
When the first starts were scheduled to get underway heavy showers, had stalled to the east of the Isle of Wight, temporarily blocking the light gradient north-westerly breeze. After a postponement of just over two hours, the first start was for the 70ft yachts competing over three days for the prestigious Triple Crown trophies.
Sir Peter Ogden's Mini Maxi Jethou led away from the line, heading eastwards under Code 0 and rapidly opening up a big lead on Johannes Schwarz's Volvo 70 E1. Jethou continued to extend around the course, finishing the 20-mile race in a little under two and a half hours.
The leaders in the 35-strong J/70 class showed no caution in approaching the start line for the first of their three scheduled races, despite a strong stream carrying the fleet onto the course side of the line. Their exuberance was less extreme than many spectators onshore assumed, as the outer distance mark was a couple of boat lengths behind the line. Nevertheless, there was little response to the individual recall and three boats were scored OCS.
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery. 
By the time of the Daring class start at 1255 the breeze had increased to 13-15 knots. The first three boats having to bear away on the final approach to the line to avoid being premature. There was also much excitement, with many competitors approaching the outer distance mark simultaneously. James Sumsion's Debutante bailed out to the north of the buoy, but Roger Marwood and Helen Bulbeck's Audax and John and James Hackman's Double Knot collided and became briefly tangled together.
A shower was passing through the race area at the time of the Sportsboat start. One boat started prematurely, leaving Alastair Ley and Thomas Reed's J/80 Jackaroo leading the fleet away a few lengths ahead of Rob Mclean's modified Cork 1720 Spider Pig and Malcolm Thorpe's J/80 King Louie.
Multihulls returned to Cowes Week this year after a hiatus of a few seasons. Theirs was also a slow-motion start, with Phil Cotton's Diam 24 Buzz initially leading the fleet, before another Diam, French entry Hugo Vallerie's Sofia 3, picked up a gust and quickly opened up a 5-6 length advantage that she continued to extend over the next few minutes in the progressively stronger winds further offshore. Sofia 3 went on to take a decisive win by more than two minutes, but competition for second place remained intense, with William Sunnucks' Adh Inotec finishing just nine seconds ahead of Buzz. -- Rupert Holmes
O'Higgins' Rockabill VI Claims GAS Calves Week Title on Final Day
The violent overnight thunderstorms certainly cleared the air in Schull for the start of day four of Calves Week writes Michael Murphy.
Unfortunately, it also cleared the wind, leaving race officer Alan Crosbie starting his fleets in a falling southeasterly from a line well inside the harbour.
As the breeze continued to drop, most of the fleets drifted aimlessly off the harbour mouth, for up to an hour and a half. Then the forecasted weather front arrived, first came the torrential rain and then the strong southwesterly, sweeping all the backmarkers safely home after up to four hours of racing.
In class 1 it was a clean sweep for Paul O'Higgins' "Rockabill VI, whose victory in both divisions, also clinched him the overall title, from event sponsor Frank Whelan's "Eleuthera" in IRC and Dennis O'Sullivan's "Aris" in Echo.
In class two, IRC Jonny Swan's "Harmony" finished the week in style to claim both the daily prize and the overall from Frank Desmond's "Bad Company".
In Echo, it was a dead heat between Rob Allen's "Smile" and Kevin Daly's "Jamaro", while George Radley's" Cortegada" took the overall trophy.
Class three IRC also finished in a tie with David Buckley's "Jaguar "winning the overall by reason of a victory over " Dave Doyle's "Musketeer" in the final race.
In Echo, the overall went to another Tralee Bay boat, with Diarmuid Dineen's "Growler" finishing one point ahead of the Dwyer family in "Sally in Stitches", while the Kerry club finished off a great week with Paul Taylor winning class four Echo in "Sea Psalm". The IRC trophy was claimed by Rob O Reily in "Bonjourno".
In White sail one IRC Michael O'Leary in "Act Two" was able to discard the final day's race to secure overall victory by one point from Aiden Heffernans "Indulgence", while Tom McCarthy's "Bateleur 88" won Echo.
Local Schull boats dominated White Sail Two, with Don Buckley's "Zeezwan" winning the tiebreaker from Frank Murphy in "Dreamcatcher"
afloat.ie/sail/events/calves-week
Pick your lighthouse - Newport Bermuda
Your own style of boat, your own style of crew and to some extent your own style of sailing, the Newport-Bermuda classic is not your typical ocean race
Whether in light winds or a gear buster, 160 to 200 boats depart Castle Hill, Newport every two years and take aim at Bermuda's northeast tip across 635 miles of open ocean. Seeking competition, camaraderie and personal challenge, skippers race for lighthouse trophies and other silverware bearing names of 114 years of previous winners.
The water warms, the history grows richer
Ranging from 33ft to 112ft LOA, the fleet flies a mix of Dacron and carbon sails as it crosses the chilly late-spring waters of the continental shelf, slices across the thermal engine of the northeast-flowing Gulf Stream and sails down "happy valley" on the final miles to Bermuda. The first boats usually finish in two to three days; smaller boats may take five or six.
The sailing is not always comfortable, but when you finish, you feel you've earned a place in the race's extraordinary history. At age 20, Olin Stephens sailed this race aboard John Alden's Malabar IX in 1928, then designed Dorade to shake up the ocean-racing status quo. Legendary racers have been winning ever since, from Carleton Mitchell's three-timewinning yawl, Finisterre, to Dick Nye's series of sloops named Carina, Ted Hood's Robin, and maxis from Bolero to Boomerang, Kialoa to Comanche.
Full article in the August issue of Seahorse
470 World Championship Gold Medals to Australia in Men and Great Britain in Women
Enoshima, Japan: In a race battle to the end, stepping away victorious from the medal race with 2019 470 World Championship Gold medals are Mathew Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS) and Hannah Mills/Eilidh McIntyre (GBR).
Eleven races over the five preceding days of intensely physical and mentally demanding racing today culminated in today's double-points medal race. The air was thick with expectation as teams prepared their boats under the eyes of hordes of Japanese media gathered around the medal race quarantine zone at Enoshima Yacht Harbour, the venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.
In the 470 men, the gold and silver medal contenders were clear cut, as series leaders Jordi Xammar/Nicolas Rodriguez (ESP) and second placed Mathew Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS) were guaranteed medals, with only the colour to be decided. Behind, the three teams in the mix to make their assault on bronze were Panagiotis Mantis/Pavlos Kagialis (GRE), Sweden's Anton Dahlberg/Fredrik Bergstrom and 2018 World Champions Kevin Peponnet/Jeremie Mion (FRA).
Virtually the same scenario in the 470 Women, with Hannah Mills/Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) one point ahead of Japan's defending World Champions Ai Kondo Yoshida/Miho Yoshioka, but the medal permutations were not as clear cut as the men. Whilst the stage seemed set for a gold/silver medal battle between the British and Japanese, there was an outside chance of France's Camille Lecointre/Aloïse Retornaz stepping up to gold if the leading two teams finished at the back of the pack. Behind the French, Italy's Elena Berta/Bianca Caruso and Spain's Silvia Mas/Patricia Cantero also had a points window to seize bronze. -- Luissa Smith
Men - Final Top 10 Results
1. Mathew Belcher / Will Ryan, AUS, 30 points
2. Jordi Xammar / Nicolas Rodriguez, ESP, 45
3. Anton Dahlberg Dahlberg / Fredrik Bergstrom, SWE, 54
4. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 56
5. Kevin Peponnet / Jeremie Mion, FRA, 58
6. Giacomo Ferrari / Giulio Calabro, ITA, 93
7. Luke Patience / Chris Grube, GBR, 95
8. Paul Snow-Hansen / Daniel Willcox, NZL, 96
9. Keiju Okada / Jumpei Hokazono, JPN, 97
10. Hippolyte Machetti / Sidoine Dantes, FRA, 101
Women - Final Top 10 Results
1. Hannah Mills / Eilidh Mcintyre, GBR, 62 points
2. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 65
3. Camille Lecointre / Aloïse Retornaz, FRA, 72
4. Elena Berta / Bianca Caruso, ITA, 80
5. Silvia Mas Depares / Patricia Cantero Reina, ESP, 94
6. Tina Mrak / Veronika Macarol, SLO, 98
7. Agnieszka Skrzypulec / Jolanta Ogar, POL, 99
8. Fernanda Oliveira / Ana Barbachan, BRA, 113
9. Nia Jerwood / Monique Devries, AUS, 117
10. Mengxi Wei / Haiyan Gao, CHN, 118
Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championship
Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club in conjunction with the Royal Dee Yacht Club, were once again delighted to have the opportunity to host the Spinlock IRC Welsh National Championships, as part of our 2019 Celtic Regatta, and Welsh leg of the RC35 class Celtic Cup. We welcomed boats from all the Celtic nations, and the event started with a reception in Plas Heli on Thursday evening hosted by the Commodore of Pwllheli Sailing Club, Jane Butterworth, in glorious sunshine on the Plas Heli deck.
Race day 1 - with 20 kt winds and showers forecast, the race management team layed a simple windward leeward course, and racing got underway as scheduled. For the first race the weather held with a steady 20kts of breeze from the south west giving a choppy sea, but fine racing conditions, allowing our Celtic visitors to put their stamp on the event very early in IRC 1, with First 35 Triple Elf (Christine and Robin Murray) taking first by 3 seconds corrected from J133 Spirit of Jacana (Alan Bruce and James Douglas) with J109 Jings (Robin Young) taking third. It was clear at this early stage that these well drilled regatta boats were going to dominate IRC 1 and push the top IRC 2 boats for the overall title.
In IRC 2 J97 Injenious (Mike Crompton and Graham Hallsworth) took the first race ahead of 2018 Welsh IRC champion Ian McMillan, sailing Impala Checkmate with Andrew Miles J35 Sidetrack third.
IRC 4 sailed one round the cans race with some close racing, with the win going to Mark Willis in Rodmar, with Alan Barton, Induna just behind.
The second race in IRC 1 and 2 started as scheduled with darkening sky's to the South West and with most of the fleet on the beat, a very intense squall whipped up, with winds up to 37kts and torrential rain in zero visibility
Race Day 3 dawned brightly with North Westerly winds of 10-15 kts giving flat water and excellent racing conditions, and glorious views of the stunning Llyn peninsula and Snowdonia.
The results in IRC 1 and 2 took a little bit of time to clarify with ratings having to be double checked, but finally the results could be announced. The daily prize giving was sponsored by Rowlands Marine Electronics, with jugs of beer and glassware presented to day 3's race winners.
In IRC 1 the overall winner was confirmed as J133 Spirit of Jacana (Alan Bruce and James Douglas) on count back from First 35 Triple Elf (Christine and Robin Murray) with fellow RC35 class member J109 Jings third.
In IRC 2 local boat J97 Injenious (Mike Crompton and Graham Hallsworth) took first ahead of 2018 champion Checkmate (Ian McMillan) with Sidetrack (Andrew Miles) third.
IRC 4 results were as above with Rodmar (Mark Willis) presented with the Royal Dee cruiser class trophy
World Sailing launch Challenge 2024
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, have set an ambitious challenge to the marine industry to push the boundaries of low carbon innovation for support boats at international events.
Titled Challenge 2024 and announced at Monaco Yacht Club's Solar and Energy Boat Challenge, it is closely linked to World Sailing's Sustainability Agenda 2030 targets.
The targets are linked to the use of coach and support boats with the aim to:
- Reduce the number of coach boats with combustion engines by 50% (vs 2017) that are allowed at World Sailing organized Olympic Class events by 2024. This will be safety dependent;
- Specify that all official boats (safety dependent) used at World Sailing organized Olympic Class events will not be solely reliant on fossil fuels for propulsion by 2025.
Scott Over, World Sailing's Commercial Director, presented at the Solar and Energy Boat event, presenting a business and environmental case for a shift from traditional combustion engines on support boats.
Research has shown that the emissions from fuel used at World Sailing's events accounted for almost 30% of its overall carbon footprint.
Over presented alongside Formula E who have accelerated investment from the automotive sector in electric technologies. The aim is that this model can be applied to the wider marine industry, not just World Sailing events so similar boats can be utilised for rescue and recreational activities.
Challenge 2024 parameters are based on data collected by World Sailing and its partners along with research from leading marine institutions such as Southampton University and TU Delft.
www.sailing.org/about/Sustainability.php
Not a Genoa. Not a Spinnaker. It's a Tweener!
In 2018, when the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) introduced ratings for boats carrying Large Roach Headsails (LRH), some sailors thought the sails were unnecessary. A year later, consensus is building among sailors that the ORR made a good move. The LRH sails, also known as tweeners, are so good that jib tops and some Code Zeros are being left on the dock.
"A tweener can turn a white-knuckle reach into a fun sail," says Al Declerq of Doyle Sails Detroit. "And it can sail surprisingly fast at deeper angles than expected. In 10 years, every boat will have one."
By definition, the size and shape of a tweener falls between that of a jib and a spinnaker, and a fuller definition is available in last year's announcement that the ORR and ORR-Ez rules would rate such sails. The rules measure the sails as both a jib and a spinnaker using the ratio of the half-width measurement to the foot (see diagram); tweeners must have half-width measurements greater than 50% of the foot but less than 75% when measured as a spinnaker. One LRH sail is allowed aboard in place of one of five large headsails, and currently the typical sail is being built at 60 to 62%.
Full article by John Burnham at the Offshore Racing Rule site
Ocean Cruising Club Challenge Grant is Now Accepting Applications
Devon, UK: The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has established a Challenge Grant to encourage ambitious expeditions for environmental conservation or challenging oceangoing adventures and is now accepting applications for the 2020 season. The OCC Challenge Grant programme consists of two categories, the Conservation/ Environmental Grant and the Adventure Grant.
The OCC Challenge Grant encompasses two categories: the Conservation or Environmental Grant and the Adventure Grant. Grants are intended to help with project costs and range from £250 to £3,000, depending on the size and scope of the project.
Project lead, Baxter Gillespie notes, "The applications will be reviewed and judged by members of OCC who have experience in planning and executing major expeditions and projects such as high latitude firsts, mid-ocean scientific research, and remote island refuse reclamation. Their assessment of candidates' goals and qualifications will be based in an extraordinary depth of expertise. I encourage candidates to apply as early as possible to secure consideration as we have a limited number of grants each year."
For details on how to apply, please visit the OCC Challenge Grant page on the website.
Industry
World renowned for its market leading production techniques and product design, Topper International will now be bringing its expertise to the RYA by offering exclusive discounts and supplying RYA OnBoard venues with 4.2 Topper Sails for the next three years, through an annual competition run by the RYA.
Building upon its already successful relationship with the RYA's OnBoard initiative, Topper International has already helped hundreds of thousands of young people try sailing through the RYA's national programme, which introduces young people to sailing and windsurfing up and down the country.
Jon Manners from Topper International: "One of the joys of working for Topper International is getting to see at first-hand how sailing can transform the lives of young people in so many positive ways. The Topper sailing dinghy inspires confidence in young or novice sailors like no other boat. We see so many young sailors self-belief sky-rocket the more time they spend on the water sailing."
Jon concludes: "The RYA OnBoard programme is a fantastic initiative which gets more and more young sailors out on the water offering a fantastic way to learn a new activity, have fun, and make new friends and pick-up valuable life-skills along the way."
For more information on the discounts available to RYA OnBoard recognised clubs and training centres, and for details on how to apply please email RYA OnBoard Operations Officer, Hannah Cockle by email: hannah [DOT] cockle [AT] rya [DOT] org [DOT] uk
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Poland's law on the registration of yachts and other craft of up to 24m (79ft) is set to enter into force on 1 January 2020, introducing new fees for local yacht owners and capping them based on a percentage of the country's minimum wage.
Poland's law on the registration of yachts and other craft of up to 24m (79ft) is set to enter into force on 1 January 2020, introducing new fees for local yacht owners and capping them based on a percentage of the country's minimum wage.
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The Greek island of Leros in the eastern Aegean Sea is to host a new marina. A concession agreement to construct a marina in Ormos Alindon was signed by ex-Tourism Minister Thanassis Theocharopoulos just before the start of the recent Greek elections.
The project is part of the Greek Tourism Ministry's strategy of upgrading the sea tourism product, developing sea tourism and modernising the existing infrastructure.
In addition, the tender for a private-public partnership project concerning the construction and operation of Nafplion Marina has been officially launched by the Region of Peloponnese. The tender includes two phases - an expression of interest, followed by the submission of binding offers.
Indicative costs are not yet available, but interested parties will be invited to express their interest on September 17, 2019.
The contract duration will be 40 years, while the period for the studies, licensing and construction is estimated to be around three years.
The goal of the tender is to designate a private party which, through the partnership agreement, will have the responsibility to conduct all required studies, licensing and construction of the project, as well secure its financing and operation, with modern and quality terms, security and thoroughness of the services provided.
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Antigua Sailing Week is delighted to announce a new three-year agreement with Dream Yacht Charter to continue as the Official Exclusive Bareboat and by the Cabin Charter Sponsor of Antigua Sailing Week through May, 2022.
The Dream Yacht Charter fleet consists of 1000+ yachts in 50+ locations worldwide, many of which have actively participated in Antigua Sailing Week and won in respective classes over a number of years. Dream Yacht Charter has called Antigua home with a charter base for the past 6 years.
The announcement is perfectly timed as the Antigua Sailing Week team is currently engaged in a summer marketing activation - The Road to 2020 which consists of three world wide events, offering the trip of a lifetime to race at Antigua Sailing Week 2020. The events are being held in Hamble UK, Hamptons, USA & Lake Constance, Germany and one winning crew in each market will win the coveted prize which includes access to a Dream Yacht Charter Bareboat to participate in the 53rd edition of the event.
Sailors wishing to participate in the 53rd Antigua Sailing Week from April 25 to May 1 on a Dream Yacht Charter can check specifications and availability on our site at www.sailingweek.com/bareboat-charter/
For more information about Dream Yacht Charter and its charter packages visit www.dreamyachtcharter.com or call 866-469-0912 to talk in more detail about your requirements.
For more on the Road to 2020 visit www.sailingweek.com/asw2020/
Featured Brokerage
2012 Outremer 5X. 1,190,000 EUR. Located in Enroute Italy.
MOANA is hull No.2 of the 5x semi-custom series and built for an experienced blue sailors owner as THE performance cruising catamaran. She perfectly fits the DNA of the Outremer shipyard with a great 4 cabins version layout.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Michele Antonini
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email: michele [AT] grabauinternational [DOT] com
*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=xjKQzvfBEQE, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*
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British Soldier, the 2018 RORC IRC Overall winner is for sale. POA EUR. Located in Gosport, UK..
British Soldier, the 2018 RORC IRC Overall winner is for sale
Dry sailed and professionally maintained. Refit in 2019 including professional rigging check, hull coated with Nautix T-Speed, internal woodwork varnished and electrical overhaul. Fitted with carbon mast and IRC optimised A-Sails setup from a fixed bowsprit, enhanced with a furling Jib Top, IRC Code Zero and Genoa Staysail to increase reaching / light airs performance. Comes with symmetric spinnaker pole & spinnakers, ORC optimised Code Zero, training, delivery and cruising sails with furling head foil and full cruising inventory kept ashore in climate controlled store.
Available after the Fastnet Race 2019. Lying Gosport, UK.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
racing [AT] sailarmy [DOT] co [DOT] uk
07747 606391
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Fast Foot Sally - Gambler 40. 350,000 SKR.
Fantastic yacht with excellent racing results. Perfect also fo cruising with 8 full length berths. Interior handcrafted mahogany. Top condition. Professionally maintained. Extremely well equipped.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact owner:
carl [DOT] marnell [AT] gmail [DOT] com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
As long as the government can arbitrarily decide which substances are legal and which are illegal, then those who remain behind bars for illegal substances are political prisoners. -- Paul Krassner
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