In This Issue
• Emirates Team New Zealand Launch Their First Boat
• Big Finale Expected for J/70 Worlds
• Historic Prizes at Royal St George Yacht Club on Offer for 12 Foot Dinghies
• Interesting times
• Royal Canadian Yacht Club to compete at Invitational Cup
• RORC Cherbourg Race Starts Friday 06 September 1900 BST
• Start Of The Clipper 2019-20 Race
• Five new IMOCAs launched in the space of six week
• Record breaking fifth European Sharpie Championship win for Gibbs brothers
• HRSC Centenary Challenge Trophy in Oppies - Sunday 1st September
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Comar Comet 41s
• • Arksen 70
• • Class 40 - Concise 8
• The Last Word: Seneca
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
Emirates Team New Zealand Launch Their First Boat
Click on image for photo gallery.
Emirates Team New Zealand christened their first AC75 at their team base in the heart of the America's Cup village in Auckland today.
The significant milestone was celebrated with the team, their families, sponsors and suppliers. The boat was christened "Te Aihe" (Dolphin) by Marcus Gerbich - member of the MND Foundation - and blessed by Ngati Whatua.
Emirates Team New Zealand COO Kevin Shoebridge, who has overseen the development and launch of plenty of boats over the years, was especially proud to be witnessing the Kiwi AC75 emerge for the first time.
"This is a significant occasion for the team, not just because it is another new boat, but really because when we won the America's Cup in 2017 we very quickly had to come up with a new concept of boat that would really continue to push the boundaries of innovation and technology in the America's Cup. So in the relatively short timeframe since November in 2017 when we published the concept, to seeing it in the flesh today is an amazing testament to the entire team willing to push things all the way from concept to design to build and fit out" said Shoebridge.
It has taken over 100,000 man-hours to design and build the boat with a group of about 65 people between designers and boat builders who have been working quietly throughout the past year.
Sean Regan has led the set up of the team's bespoke production facility on Auckland's North Shore from a blank factory floor to producing the first AC75.
"We have had the pressure on since the moment we decided to establish our own production facility very early on in this campaign. We have built up a really great team of 42 fully committed people at the yard who have been working full-on to get this boat out the door," said Regan.
"Even for the most experienced boat builders on the team, this has been a very unique build because it is such a sophisticated boat. But it is really encouraging that for a number of our junior and apprentice boat builders their first build has been on a boat that is really on the cutting edge of complexity in build, design and performance."
Emirates Team New Zealand Head of Design Dan Bernasconi was a central figure in the development of the AC75 Class Rule before turning his team of designers' attention to the specific design of the Emirates Team New Zealand boat.
"There's a huge amount of innovation in the design and build of the AC75 - more than we saw in the AC50's in Bermuda" said Bernasconi. "The AC75 is a completely new concept and has presented plenty of challenges across many areas - but this is precisely what the Rule was designed to do - to push development to the extreme. We haven't been conservative in any aspect of our design; it's not long until we need to commit to the design of our second boat, which we will ultimately race in the 2021 America's Cup, so we need to test as many of our ideas as possible in the yacht we're launching today."
The AC75 supplied parts - identical for all the teams - are the foil arms, the foil cant system and the rigging. The shape and base laminate of the mast is also controlled by the Class Rule.
The AC75 rotating mast is a 26.5 meter long one-design 'D' shaped section that weighs about 300kg and serves as the leading edge of the double skinned mainsail.
Emirates Team New Zealand's mast has been built at Southern Spars in Auckland whereas the rigging package was built at Future Fibres in Valencia.
emirates-team-new-zealand.americascup.com
Big Finale Expected for J/70 Worlds
The penultimate day of the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships was blessed with beautiful conditions in Tor Bay.With the breeze coming from the land once again, shifts and puffs of breeze made for tricky conditions with snakes and ladders right across the race course. Three windward leeward races were held in a shifting northerly breeze oscillating 45 degrees, the mean wind speed was about 12 knots with occasional 20 knot gusts.
In the Open Class, Paul Ward (GBR) Eat,Sleep,J,Repeat retains the lead having scored a 6-8-30 today. However, Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia, has shortened their odds on winning the worlds posting an 11-9-11, finishing the day just four points off the lead. Realistically these two teams will battle for the Open World Championship in a double-header of racing tomorrow. Still in with a chance of winning the title are Alberto Rossi (ITA) Enfant Terrible, Joel Ronning (USA) Catapult, and Claudia Rossi (ITA).
In the Corinthian Class, Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP has regained the lead but only just, Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing Joyfull had a great day on the water and move up to second just 4 points off the lead. Yesterday's leader King & Wilson Soak Racing (IRL) drop to third after three mid-fleet finishes. There were race wins today for Reg Lord (AUS) racing Juno, Enfant Terrible, and Luis Bugallo (ESP) Mar Naturna.
Historic Prizes at Royal St George Yacht Club on Offer for 12 Foot Dinghies
Photo by Vincent Delany courtesy Afloat magazine. Click on image to enlarge.
This 12-foot class was designed in 1913 by George Cockshott, an English yacht designer, as the British Racing Association 'A' Class. The class was adopted by the International Yacht Racing Union on 1st. January 1920 and thus it became the International 12 Foot Class. The class was the only dinghy class to compete at the 1920 Antwerp (Belgium) Olympic Games, at Oostende. This event will be celebrated in 2020 with a re-enactment regatta on 11-12 July with entries expected from Holland, Turkey, France, England, Uganda and Ireland.
The class grew in popularity in Ireland in the 1920s and 1930s with fleets of professionally and amateur-built boats in Baltimore, Crosshaven, Howth, Sutton, Clontarf and Seapoint (Monkstown, Co. Dublin).
What is the international 12 Foot like? She is a traditional wooden clinker-built one-design with a single standing lugsail, hung off a mast located near the bow. The 3.66m x 1.43m. hull is open decked and is spacious enough for either single-handed sailing or a crew of two.
Today, many 12 Foot Dinghies still exist in Ireland, having been in the same families for many years. Some are unused and located in barns while others are used as yacht tenders.
In July this year, a Friendship Regatta was held on Rutland Water, which was well supported by Irish, English Dutch and Ugandan boats.
An Irish championship for historic prizes will be held in Royal St George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire on Sunday 15th September in which the modified Dublin Bay boats with a mainsail and jib will sail against the International 12 foot Dinghies on equal terms. The organizers would like to hear from any Irish owners of 12 Footers. In 2020 the12 foot Dinghies will compete at CLINKERFEST the 250 anniversary of Lough Ree Yacht Club on the June bank holiday weekend.
Interesting times
As this is written the RORC Morgan Cup offshore race has just been won overall by a two-handed crew, and the growth and enthusiasm for shorthanded racing reflect one of the real success stories of a rating rule encouraging a desirable outcome for the sport as a whole.
Most success stories are due to a combination of circumstances and this one has been no exception - difficulty in finding regular crew due to conflicting time demands has been a major factor, too many crew expecting to be paid is another. But on the positive side boats are now available off the shelf that are well suited to the demands of shorthanded sailing, along with a rating system that is specifically tuned to this market under IRC.
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Royal Canadian Yacht Club to compete at Invitational Cup
The Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Since the event was first run in 2009, it has attracted top amateur sailors from 43 of the world's most prestigious yacht clubs from 21 countries. After five editions in the Swan 42 class, the 2019 event will be sailed in the IC37, designed by Mark Mills and built by Westerly Marine in Santa Ana, Calif., and FIBRE Mechanics in the United Kingdom.
The strict one-design nature of this new, purpose-built class combined with the fact that all 20 boats are owned and maintained by the New York Yacht Club, will ensure a level playing field never before seen in amateur big-boat sailing. The regatta will run from September 7 to 14, with racing taking place September 10 to 14. A broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube will allow fellow club members, friends, family and sailing fans from around the world follow the action as it happens. Twenty teams from 14 countries and five continents will compete in the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, which will be held at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, September 7 to 14.
Led by Terry McLaughlin, an Olympic and Pan Am Games silver medalist and former America's Cup skipper, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club was as close to a dynasty as the Invitational Cup has seen in the first five editions. The team from Toronto finished second to the host New York Yacht Club in the inaugural event in 2009 and then won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2013. After a 10th-place finish in 2015, the RCYC stepped away from the competition for a cycle. With the introduction of the IC37, which will also be used for the RCYC's signature event, the Canada's Cup, in 2020, the club is back on the water in Newport and looking to replicate past glories.
As the event has evolved, so too have the methods used by yacht clubs to select their representatives. For 2019, the RCYC opened up the selection process to all members knowing that the in-house competition would only make for a stronger team.
Racing for the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup will start on Tuesday, September 10, with a live broadcast of each race starting on Wednesday, September 11, via Facebook and YouTube. The regatta will run through Saturday, September 14.
RORC Cherbourg Race Starts Friday 06 September 1900 BST
The penultimate race of the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line this weekend bound for Cherbourg. Whilst the 73-mile dash across the English Channel, via the Wester Solent, maybe the shortest of the 14 race series, the quest for championship points and perhaps the thirst for French produce before the Brexit, has attracted 66 teams.
Trevor Middleton's Sun Fast 3600 Black Sheep leads the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship overall by a narrow margin. Rob Craigie & Deb Fish, racing Sun Fast 3600 Bellino Two-Handed is within striking distance of pole position. At present, neither team is entered for the last race of the series (Rolex Middle Sea Race), suggesting that the RORC Cherbourg Race will decide who has won overall in the world's largest offshore racing series.
In IRC Zero, Lance Shepherd's Volvo 70 Telefonica Black and Windward Sailing's CM60 Venomous are likely to contest for monohull line honours. However, several pocket rockets in IRC One may take the prize, including two FAST40+'s James Neville's Ino XXX and Ed Fishwick's Redshift. Ino XXX leads IRC One for the season by just three points from Mark Emerson's A13 Phosphorus II.
The season's leader in IRC Two, Gery Trentesaux JPK 11.80 Courrier Recommande will be racing. Thomas Kneen's JPK 11.80 Sunrise will be on the start line, as will Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine J/133 Pintia, and Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster. Sunrise and Scarlet Oyster have a chance of taking over the lead from Courrier Recommande. -- Louay Habib
Start Of The Clipper 2019-20 Race
Following the spectacle and ceremony of the fleet's departure from St. Katharine Docks, London, the first stage of the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race officially started on Monday 2 September, at 1000 BST, in the Thames Estuary.
Dare To Lead was the first team to hoist its spinnaker and had it flying as they charged for the line in the closing minutes leading up to Race Start which took place very close to Southend Pier. A treat for the many spectators who had come out to watch on the pier.
Taking the honour of being the first to cross the start line of Race 1 was Qingdao, Skippered by Southend local Chris Brooks, who maximised home waters to his advantage. Dare To Lead crossed in second position, narrowly followed by Unicef in third.
The conditions were as expected, with 10 - 12 knots (Force 3-4), from the west-south-west, a flat sea and beautiful sunshine warming the day. The breeze was stable giving a great downwind start and increased very steadily as time went on. Lessening the effect of the beginnings of the spring flood tide against the fleet at the start this, however, would only strengthen as they headed out into the Thames Estuary towards the east horizon.
Keep an eye on the Race Viewer to see what happens to the leaderboard.
Five new IMOCAs launched in the space of six week
DMG Mori, Kojiro Shiraishi’s new IMOCA 60. Click on image to enlarge.
Over the past month and a half, on average one brand new IMOCA was launched each week. In chronological order, Sebastien Simon's Arkea-Paprec on 20th July; Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss on 4th August; Charlie Dalin's Apivia on 5th August and Kojiro Shiraishi's DMG Mori on 2nd September. On Saturday 7th September, it will be Thomas Ruyant's turn to unveil his new Advens for cybersecurity. Two other brand new IMOCAs are also currently being built, Corum l'Epargne for Nicolas Troussel and L'Occitane for Armel Tripon.
Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori): "See what I am capable of achieving"
Launched very recently (on 2nd September), DMG Mori, Kojiro Shiraishi's new IMOCA was designed by VPLP and built using the moulds from Charal. "I have been dreaming of a new boat for thirty years," said the Japanese skipper. "I was unable to complete the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe after dismasting, but I found a new sponsor, who agreed to build a brand new IMOCA." While waiting for his new boat to be launched, he was able to try out a foiler, thanks to training sessions in Cascais aboard Yannick Bestaven's Maître CoQ under the leadership of Roland Jourdain. After the naming ceremony for DMG Mori, planned for 11th September in Lorient, Kojiro Shiraishi and his team will be able to carry out their first trips and start work on setting up the boat. The Japanese sailor will be competing in the Transat Jacques Vabre, with a co-skipper at his side, whose name has not yet been announced. "I can't wait to race against the other competitors to see what I am capable of achieving, in particular against the other new IMOCAs, which seem to be excellent," added Kojiro.
Record breaking fifth European Sharpie Championship win for Gibbs brothers
Click on image for photo gallery.
A forty strong International fleet of Sharpies arrived at Itchenor SC for the European Championships.
The classic gaffers designed in 1931, are a former 1956 Olympic class. They still have an enthusiastic following in Europe, and the event is held in the UK every four years. Other participating nations are Holland, Germany, & Portugal.
The excellent Itchenor SC race team delivered a faultless championship, coping with winds of force 6, sailed within the safety of Chichester harbour on Monday, to compact courses in light airs sailed in the Solent off Hayling Island on Friday.
The hotly contested event, delivered an exciting battle at the top of the fleet, between three previous Euros winners.
Mondays strong winds suited Chris & Tim Gibbs in Windspiel GBR125, posting two first places. Race 1 saw them complete a late overhaul of Daan Versteeg & Arnold Mulderij NED14 on the final leg. Race 2 had the three leading contenders in close company throughout, with the Gibbs coming home just in front of GER377, Klaus Eisenblatter & Sven Ove Baumgartner.
These three leading contenders sailed consistently well all week in the ten race series, with all 3 still having a shot at the title by the final day.
GBR125 eventually secured the title by winning the last race on Friday in very light airs, despite their preference for strong wind conditions.
Apart from the leading three, NED8 Jan Pieter Braam & Patrick Neal deserve a special mention. A first day capsize whilst well placed, and an unfortunate collision on day 4, added 3 high scoring DNF`s to their scorecard, wrecking their series overall. Despite scoring three impressive first places, the DNF`s dropped them down to 7th overall.
NED181 Geep, Frank Steeneken & Cees van Dijk, also spoilt the top boats domination, by winning race 8.
The overall result means that the Gibbs brothers now have a peerless record, winning the last five European Sharpie Championships hosted in the UK, dating back to 2003.
The Gibbs brothers may now aspire to a win, outside of the UK, when the Championship is hosted in Portugal in 2020. -- James Case
HRSC Centenary Challenge Trophy in Oppies - Sunday 1st September
Click on image to enlarge.
The penultimate event in Hamble River Sailing Club's Centenary celebrations featured team racing in miniature Optimist dinghies, not for children but for adults! The HRSC Centenary Challenge for the Joint Services trophy owned the River Hamble Combined Clubs, invited all the river based sailing clubs to field teams of three flag officers, present or past.
As it turned out and despite a perfect forecast of a light breeze and sunshine plus a brimming high tide there was some reluctance at the thought of risking a ducking and worse still, humiliation after years of dignified service. Various excuses were proffered including a cricket match on the Brambles Bank but after a motivating email the night before, by Sunday morning three teams were raring to go even if it took some last minute relaxation of the eligibility requirements to get things rolling.
The approach of each team varied, with the youthful Warsash Sailing Club trio arriving bedecked in wetsuits while others chose shorts and t-shirts, and one member of the HRSC team donned a survival suit in anticipation of helicopter rescue!
In the presence of the ever enthusiastic HRSC Commodore Steph Merry (without doubt the perfect selection for the centenary year) the PRO Kathy Smalley assisted by husband Rupert anchored the club's committee boat in the lagoon just down river of the club and set a windward-leeward course of 150 metres top to bottom. It looked ideal but the light and fluky north-westerly breeze was swirling around the clubhouse just upwind of the race area and would make tactical decisions tricky with big gains to be made and lost.
It soon became clear that the Warsash team was better prepared for the challenge and with only 3 square metres of sail some other heavier skippers found themselves languishing way behind. Nonetheless there was some close combat at mark roundings that the sport's rule makers might wish to reflect on, for example is Rule 21(b) intended to be self-adminstered as a carte blanche to touch a mark and press on without a penalty turn?!
Good humour prevailed throughout and with no capsizes as had been predicted all participants returned safely to the dinghy park. -- Jonty Sherwill
Results:
Warsash SC 22 points (Kate Cumming, Andy Le Grice, Roger Cerrato)
HRSC 55 points (Katie Bewes, Mike James, Jonty Sherwill)
Royal Southern YC 58 points (Maggie Widdop, Pat North, Ken Munro)
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The Last Word
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