In This Issue
• Cowes Town Regatta - Round Up Report
• Noroton Reclaims Top Spot at Hinman Team Race
• Neo 570c
• Pyefleet Week 2019 Goes Out With A Roar!
• Hamilton Island Race Week: day one appetiser
• Fresh start, long heritage - Oyster Yachts
• M32 European Series Stenungsund: Last gasp before Garda
• A huge delivery is spotted at the Camber
• Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
• Iolaire Lost on the Northeast Coast of Ibiza
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Botin-40- Black
• • Johan Anker Flush Deck Cutter - Bojar
• • Swan-115-02-Shamanna
• The Last Word: Ralph J. Gleason
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 Town Regatta - Round Up Report
The final day of Cowes Week racing is for the Cowes Town Regatta. The historic and prestigious trophies available include the George Oliver Challenge Cup, Royal Cowes Town Regatta Challenge Cup, Sir Godfrey Baring Bowl and Culpan Challenge Cup.
A brisk 18-20 knot west-southwesterly breeze with occasional stronger gusts delivered a great day of Solent racing on classic Cowes Week courses. A theme common to many of today's starts was overly enthusiastic competitors who appeared to have neither noticed the inner distance mark was on the course side of the line, nor negotiated the change between the east-going tidal stream further offshore and the west-going eddy close under the Royal Yacht Squadron.
The first premature starter was in the start for IRC Classes 3 and 4, when James Chalmers' J/112E Happy Daize marginally misjudged the speed of the eddy and was almost a length over at the inshore end of the line. Chalmers span around quickly and made a better job of short tacking in the favourable stream to take a lead on the water within three minutes of the gun. He went on to take victory in the three hour race by a considerable margin.
Initially it looked as though surprisingly few competitors were set up to fight for the favoured inner end of the line in the start for IRC Classes 5, 6 and 7, which may have led to some complacency. Ian Handley's Mustang 30 GR8 Banter and Charles Hindson's Trapper 950 Hooligan both attempted an inshore start on port, but James and John Owen's J/99 Jet nailed the start perfectly, having sailed down the line on starboard tack, just above the layline, arriving at the inner distance mark just before the gun. The smallest boat in these classes, Grieg City Academy's 22ft E-Boat Eros, finished with the lowest corrected time, ahead of GR8 Banter.
The final Black Group start was for Cruising B, C and D divisions. The Dufour 460 Freshfield's Oarsome Dream initially looked as though she would be best placed on the line and powered up at full speed, but was marginally early. This left Keith Harding's Sun Odyssey 35 Reach 4 the Wind as the sole well-placed boat inshore.
Nevertheless, the big Dufour scored the lowest corrected time, ahead of Simon and Julia Bowes' Sun Fast 37 Chatterbox (who won Cruiser Division C) and Reach 4 the Wind. Mark Attrill's Gibert Marine 7.7 Arun Rockall took victory in Division D.
The start for the Sportsboat classes saw some of the most successful boats during the regatta coming out to play - a good illustration of the old adage that the more time you spend on the water the more chance you have to improve your sailing and get better results.
The final start of the regatta was for the Mermaid class's passage race. They joined the other dayboats in a first beat into Gurnard Bay, before a long downwind leg to finish at their SeaView Yacht Club home. John Sandisford Haigh's Halluf was first back, in an hour and 47 minutes, ahead of Richard Ambler's Rosemary and Kate Broxham's Adastra. -- Rupert Holmes
Noroton Reclaims Top Spot at Hinman Team Race
Photo by Stuart Streuli / New York Yacht Club. Click on image to enlarge.
Newport, R.I.: Winning its final four races in the Hinman Masters Team Race put the crew from Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, Conn.) in a strong position for the overall title, but it didn't quite seal the deal. With Noroton done for the day and resting on 14 wins from 21 races, the outcome of the regatta hung on a race featuring the squad representing the host New York Yacht Club and the defending champion Southern Yacht Club from New Orleans. The Southern team had lead the regatta almost from the first race and would clinch the championship with one more win. But the New York Yacht Club team, after a slow start, had found its rhythm toward the second half of the regatta.
The New York Yacht Club Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy is one of the most coveted trophies in masters team racing. Skippers for each team must be at least 45 years of age while each crew must be 40 or older. The regatta is sailed out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., using the Club's fleet of identical Sonar sailboats.
The New York team couldn't win the regatta in that deciding race, but it could secure third and prevent Southern from repeating as the champion. That was incentive enough for the New York team to record a solid win, leaving Southern and Noroton tied on points, and the tie breaker, based on who beat whom during that final round robin, falling the way of the Connecticut team.
The New York Yacht Club's trio of highly regarded team races will come to a close next weekend with the Grandmasters Team Race.
Final results
1. Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, Conn.) 10-6 Round Robin 1 & 2, 4-1 Gold Round Robin, 14 points
2. Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans) 11-5 , 3-2, 14
3. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club Leonard, 9-7, 4-1, 13
4. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) 9-7, 3-2, 12
5. Eastport Yacht Club (Annapolis, Md.) 8-8, 1-4, 9
6. St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco) 9-7, 0-5, 9
7. Texas Corinthian Yacht Club (Kemah, Texas) 6-10, 4-0 Silver Round Robin, 9
8. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club Singsen 6-10, 2-2, 8
9. Larchmont (N.Y.) Yacht Club 4-12, 0-4, 4
Neo 570c
Bari based Neo Yachts has followed the success of the 400 and 350 with it's most audacious reach yet for the edge of the racer cruiser envelope. The Carkeek designed Neo 570c is targeting the performance of a modern TP52 with the comforts of a cruising design. Neo Yachts Principal Paolo Semeraro explains: "We spent some time researching the outcomes of major IRC/ORC racing events and found that in more than 80 per cent of those regattas, the winning boat was a TP52"
Modern hulls are so wide that it's easy to fit two very big aft cabins into the hull, with plenty of space for a technical area and tanks between them.' So why not go as close as you possibly can to the formula that delivers the optimal solution for the race part of the racer cruiser paradigm?
Pyefleet Week 2019 Goes Out With A Roar!
Pyefleet Week 2019 went out with a roar as competitors faced two final days of strong winds and spectacular fast sailing. Sadly the conditions meant that only three of the planned five races could be completed for Red Group, but for Blue Group all five were successfully run.
In the Blue Group there was another opportunity for youngsters to gain experience sailing with an adult in the Mirror fleet. 1995 Mirror World Champion Clive Goodwin was out on the water again, but this time with daughter Anna as crew, and claimed four firsts and discarded a third to win the series by three points from young Louis Hisocks, who this time was helming for mum Melissa Heppell, who was the Ladies Mirror World Champion crew in 1995. Third place in the Mirrors could only be decided on count back with Stephen Heppell and granddaughter Josie, whose mum Letty had helmed Melissa to victory in that '95 Ladies Mirror Worlds, taking the final step on the podium by a whisker from nine year old Willow Cross crewed by dad Stephen.
Some of the most spectacular sailing of the week came from the fast boats of Class 1 who were regularly hitting 20 knots plus as they scorched their way around the courses. The final race in particular saw them hitting high speeds and they made a spectacular sight flying up Brightlingsea Creek to the finish line. Overall victory by just half a point went to the RS800 or Ben Clegg and Abi Kay with fellow 800 sailors Dave Conlon and Ed Gibbons second and the Tornado of Paul Mines and Stuart Smith third. -- Fiona Brown
Pyefleet Week 2020 will take place from 2 to 7 August. Further information about Pyefleet Week and full 2019 results are available from
Full results of all classes at www.pyefleetweek.com
Hamilton Island Race Week: day one appetiser
Photo by Salty Dingo. Click on image for photo gallery.
Two hundred and thirty-four crews enjoyed a gentle entree to racing in the annual Whitsundays series, light trade winds and winter sunshine bathing the second largest Hamilton Island Race Week fleet in event history.
All divisions completed round-the-island courses in patchy light sou'east breezes that created a few park-ups, and opportunities to break away from those caught in a wind shadow, eddy, or up against an unfavourable tide. Similar conditions are forecast for Monday then Tuesday morning the effects of a fast-moving trough will be felt in north Queensland waters, dialling up significant breeze for Race Week day three.
Three hulls proved less sticky than two in the lights airs with Karl Kwok's MOD70 trimaran, helmed by Gavin Brady, winning race one on corrected time ahead of Alex Toomey's Extreme 40 Deepwater Collective, one of four Extreme 40s in the division.
IRC divisions
First ace served in division 1 went to Marcus Blackmore's TP52 Hooligan from David Griffith's JV72 Chinese Whisper and the Oatley family's RP66 Wild Oats X, which was third overall on handicap scores.
This year is Hooligan navigator Will Oxley's 22nd Hamilton Island Race Week, and the international yachtsman still appreciates the beauty. "It's wonderful to be in the Whitsundays for my 22nd Race Week, and the pretty horrendous weather down south emphasises how good it is here," Oxley said. Looking ahead, he expects Tuesday to be the regatta's windiest day, up to 30 knots before conditions ease over the second half of the six-day pointscore that wraps-up on Saturday August 24.
Hooligan's crack crew includes Ben Lamb as tactician, Joe Turner as strategist and alternate helm, two-time round-the-world sailor Stacey Jackson as mid-bow and Ky Hurst on the pumps, straight off winning the latest SailGP event at Cowes as part of the Australian team led by Tom Slingsby.
Daily results available at www.topyacht.net.au
www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Fresh start, long heritage - Oyster Yachts
Under its new ownership a famous British yacht builder is taking a step up in the world
It's not often that rules and regulations lead to more freedom and choice. Yet sometimes, technical changes behind the scenes can trigger an effect that goes further than expected. Such has been the case with Oyster Yachts.
The start of the chain reaction came with Oyster's new ownership in March 2018 after Richard Hadida bought the company. With a healthy order book and a strong global reputation, the task of reinvigorating the famous British brand began with improving production efficiency along with a careful look at the entire model range.
There was also the issue of restoring confidence in the market and that message started with the clear statement that all new Oysters would be built under the supervision of Lloyds Register. Achieving a hull and deck moulding certificate meant a great deal of work behind the scenes in the design and production areas of the business. This in turn had resulted in greater flexibility that now allows a better link between the sales and engineering sides of the company.
Full article in the September issue of Seahorse
M32 European Series Stenungsund: Last gasp before Garda
Stenungsund, Sweden: With the pace of events accelerating going into the M32 World Championship at the end of this month, so racing resumed this weekend for the penultimate event of the 2019 M32 European Series and its second in Sweden.
From the outset the M32 European Series Stenungsund was designed to take in the Tjorn Runt. Organised by the Stenungsunds Segelsallskap, this annual 27 mile lap of Tjorn is one of Sweden's most popular regattas, the equivalent of Britain's Round the Island Race. The island of Tjorn lies immediately north of Marstrand. Significantly its race record is held by an M32 catamaran.
Preceding Saturday's Tjorn Runt were two days of inshore racing for the M32s. The first of these was held in tricky, shifty conditions with winds ranging from five to 15 knots and with 20-30° shifts beneath the clouds. This was followed on Friday with more breeze - typically 12 knots gusting to 18-20, requiring the nimble M32s to sail reefed, but the wind more steady in direction.
In the six races on day one, Ian Williams' GAC Pindar came close to a perfect scoreline, finishing second in the sixth and final race of the day to LSGY Racing Team from the Sailing College of Lerum, one of two sport colleges in Sweden to specialise in sailing. Helming the LSGY Racing Team boat was 17-year-old Stenungsund resident, Oscar Anderssen, who despite his young age had already previously sailed the Tjorn Runt on board an M32. Something of a local hero, Anderssen also won the shorter dinghy version of the race four times on board an RS Feva. Of his crew only one was over 20-years-old.
Sadly come Saturday it was quickly evident that the big breeze forecast would be too much for the M32s to compete in the Tjorn Runt and an early call was made by PRO Mattias Dahlstrom. "At the southern end of the course near Marstrand it is 25-26 knots gusting 30. With the World Championship coming up no one wants to risk serious damage, so we've taken the decision not to race," he explained.
Meanwhile the M32's Tjorn Rund race record of 2h 05m 24s still stands. Despite the big conditions, the fastest monohull, skippered by Johnie Berntsson, finished in 2h 37m 01s.
Results for the M32s
1. GAC Pindar, Ian Williams, 16
2. KNOTS Racing, Dave Hazard , 33
3. Oscar Andersson LSGY Racing Team, 38
4. Karlsson Racing Team, Anton Karlsson, 43
The regatta "Tjorn Runt" was sailed for the first time in 1963 after a crayfish party behind Lindqvist pastry in Stenungsund. During the party, someone came with the suggestion that "shall we sail around Tjorn?" What a great idea! Each year nearly 1000 boats round the island.
idrottonline.se/StenungsundsSS-Segling/tjornrunt
A huge delivery is spotted at the Camber
A sailor gearing up to help Team Ineos UK challenge for the America's Cup has said its 'amazing' new race boat is 'coming to a head'. It comes after a large delivery was recently spotted being unloaded from a barge at the Camber, in Old Portsmouth, into Team Ineos UK's East Street headquarters.
The equipment is thought to be the monohull for the squad's new race boat for the 2021 America's Cup.
David Carr, a sailor on Team Ineos UK, told The News: 'I can't confirm or deny what it is, but it's part of the boat.
'Everything is arriving now and from a sailing point of view - from an America's Cup point of view - it's all coming to a head in terms of our first race boat of these amazing new foiling monohulls.
'There's a lot going on in this building, there's a lot of energy in this building to get our race boat launched and soon enough you'll see a boat that the world's never seen before launching out of Portsmouth.'
The America's Cup will take place from Saturday, March 6 to Sunday, March 21 in Auckland, NZ.
Warren Jones International Youth Regatta
The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta will be celebrating its' 18th Birthday in 2020!
Hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, 2020's Warren Jones Regatta will be sailed from Monday, 27th through to Friday, 31st January as part of the 2020 City of Perth Festival of Sail.
Applications are open to males and females under 25 years of age as at Friday, 7th February 2020, from any nation, as long as they are members of a yacht club. Local skippers will be selected through qualifying events - interest must be expressed in order to be eligible. Full eligibility requirements are featured in the Notice of Race.
Event Organisers are currently accepting Expressions of Interest to fill the twelve entry positions for the event's eighteenth year. All Expressions of Interest are to be completed online via the Swan River Sailing website.
The Expression of Interest period will close at 5pm WST on Friday, 14th September 2019.
Iolaire Lost on the Northeast Coast of Ibiza
Click on image to enlarge.
One hundred years and seven months later on July 26, 2019... my birthday... Iolaire was lost on the NE coast of Ibiza because of bad seamanship, running downwind in heavy weather, close to shore, no main boom preventer rigged, inadvertent jibe, she drove ashore sank, crew ashore in life raft. Thus ended Iolaire's 114 years of taking care of crew thru thick and thin.
For historic vessel specifications: Classic Yacht Register of Heritage IOLAIRE:
When Don Street purchased Iolaire in St. Thomas in March 1957 he realized that the big heavy main boom, left over from her gaff rigged days, could be a real widow maker in an inadvertent jibe. From the earliest days whenever sailing broad off, a main boom fore guy/peventer was rigged. This was often a difficult job.
Thru the years Street worked out various better methods of rigging the main boom foreguy By the early 80s, he developed the rig where by the main boom foreguy running from the end of the main boom to the bowsprit end and back to a midship winch or cleat, could be rigged with no one going FORWARD of the mast. It was ALWAYS rigged when sailing broad off or dead down wind.
This was obviously not rigged on July 26. About 0200 Iolaire was sailing dead downwind along the NE coast of Ibiza, an inadvertent jibe, she headed in shore hit rocks and sank ending a 114 year career of carrying sailors safely thru thick and thin. Owner/skipper, and partner got ashore in a liferaft.
Iolaire for 52 years carried Don Street, his family, friends and various Grenadian crew safely throughout the entire Eastern Caribbean and seven times across the Atlantic, eight times up and down the Thames or St. Kathrine or Lime House basins, all with no engine. Don cruised, chartered, raced, explored, and wrote about the Eastern Caribbean and the Atlantic islands. The explorations resulted in the Imray Iolaire charts of the Eastern Caribbean and the Atlantic island. The writing resulted in hundreds of articles, three books and his all inclusive Guides to the Eastern Caribbean and the Cape Verdes.
Featured Brokerage
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1937 Johan Anker Flush Deck Cutter - Bojar. 650000 EUR. Located in United Kingdom.
BOJAR is a boat of breathtaking and effortless beauty. She is also an extremely effective sailing boat: rarely off the podium at any classic regatta.
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info [AT] sandemanyachtcompany [DOT] co [DOT] uk
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2015 Swan 115 'Shamanna' 12,500,000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca, ES.
SHAMANNA, the first Swan 115 FD, is the ultimate in pedigree sailing yachts. The true sailor’s choice, the level of comfort found on this Swan 115 is seldom encountered on a sailing yacht of this ability.
The new hull shape designed by German Frers, with its plumb bow, wide stern and twin rudders to increase responsiveness, puts a priority on high-performance. Shamanna was built for a demanding owner, paying special attention to custom appointments and comfort. She has a luxurious 4-cabin layout. Sporting an appealing flush deck, with a full carbon hull and deck.
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for anybody’s damn sermon. -- Ralph J. Gleason
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