In This Issue
• Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship
• Merlin's Magical Cosmic Tour Rolls Into SF Bay
• The annual B2B conference for anyone involved in yacht racing
• The Clipper Race Surfs into Portimao
• Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2020 from 2 to 6 June
• Two Years Of The Start, Who Are The Possible Teams For The Ocean Race?
• Ocean Safety's Daily Expert programme unveils for Southampton Boat Show
• Jeanne Socrates sails into the record books again!
• SAILGP Grand Final In Marseille
• Helsinki, Finland To Host 2020 12 Metre World Championship
• Featured Brokerage:
• • William Fife Iii 19 Metre Gaff Cutter - Mariquita
• • M.A.T. 12 - Night Owl 2
• • Chessie Racing
• The Last Word: Dr. Ishiro Seriwaza
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
Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship
The Eastern Hemisphere Championship has just dropped the curtains on Attersee, Austria, after staging a wonderful show with different conditions every day, so that the sailors had to adjust again and again to the wind, weather and waves and could not lower their attention. Wednesday was the "last summer day"; Thursday is the day between the seasons and Friday is called the "first autumn day" here in Attersee: winds from the north, up to 17 knots, 30 km / h, with big waves and the water almost ink black, proved the saying right.
The final ranking was decided only on the last day. The fleet was extremely nervous for the first start and as a result there were two general recalls before the committee hoisted the Black Flag that put the fleet in order. Third time was the charm and the last day was on.
Alexey Zhivotovskiy from Russia was the best at mastering the conditions on this last day. He was in the lead at the first windward mark, and kept the lead until the very end to win the race. Second place went to Peter O'Leary from Ireland, who kept improving over the week. The third place went to Christian Paucksch from Germany with his crew Vera Geck from Austria. She was the first woman on the podium in this series. The overall leader Augie Diaz closed the race with a 4th place and that was enough to ensure him the Eastern Hemisphere Championship title and he decided to not compete in the seventh race. Star Class President, Hubert Merkelbach from Germany, lost his last small chance to win the title with a 17th place finish.
The second Silver Star at stake for September is the North American Championship, beginning Tuesday, the 10th, at Toms River Yacht Club, New Jersey USA, with the official Opening Ceremony.
Final top ten:
1. Augie Diaz / Christian Nehammer, USA, 19
2. Peter O'Leary / Joost Houweling, IRL, 27
3. Haico de Boer / Pedro Trouche, NED, 27
4. Hubert Merkelbach / Markus Koy GER, 33
5. Piet Eckert / Frederico Melo, SUI, 38
6. Werner Fritz / Uli Seeberger, GER, 39
7. Alexey Zhivotovskiy / Lev Shnyr, RUS, 40
8. Vasyl Gureyev / Andriy Shafranyuk, UKR, 65
9. Christian Paucksch / Vera Geck, GER, 66
10. Calle Schroder / Henrik Glimstedt, SWE, 68
Merlin's Magical Cosmic Tour Rolls Into SF Bay
Photos by Erik Simonson, www.h2oshots.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
The finely revamped Bill Lee Custom sailed into San Francisco in the wee hours of Saturday morning one the next leg of her ongoing tour du force. This stop includes some good will rides and viewing opportunities for sailing fans and friends alike with 4 days of racing in the Big Boat Series for only the 2nd time, the last being some 3 decades ago.
Her latest surgery took place earlier this year at Dennis Choate's Advanced Composites in Long Beach prior to this year's Transpac. Essentially, the new owner, Chip Merlin asked Bill Lee what 10 things he would change if he could. Chip then took that list to Brian Malone and that list was performed with the assist of Alan Andrews, Jimmy Slaughter and Trevor Baylis in a concerted effort to make he the best she could be.
One of the biggest was losing 300 lbs in the standing rigging and mast from Offshore Spars in Michigan: "The next chapter for the boat was the replacement of an aging existing spar with an optimized high modulus Offshore Spars carbon spar, EC6 composite rigging and a modern composite boom. The optimizations will include sail plan alterations and weight reductions. The addition of halyard locks will reduce tube compression and line stretch. The new boom will be lighter and designed to complement the spar and the crew sailing style."
Owner Chip Merlin is all in on the project and sharing the legendary vessel's magic is all part of the game plan. The Big Boat Series on his bucket list, but a scheduling conflict left him out for this year's regatta, but having her there and represented is high on the priority list. Boat manager Brian Malone has been working his tail off assisting in the recovery of The Bahama's after Dorian's destruction, and will also be absent. But the show goes on.
"Sailing Merlin in iconic races is Chip's desire, sharing the boat with as many people as he can. Carrying on the open tradition Bill Lee started long ago."
After the BBS, Merlin heads to KKMI were she will get some maintenance before packing her up for another ride across the states to the East Coast. The Miami to Key West Race, then Newport Bermuda will be next before packing up again and heading the Great Lakes for another shot at the Chicago Mackinac Race and the Ugotta Regatta in Harbor Springs. From there its back to the West Coast where hopes are for a full compliment of offshore events, perhaps a Mexican race or two, the Cal Offshore Race Week and the SoCal 300, The Islands Race and ready for the Transpac. The Big Boat Series in 2021 is possible and then the Sydney Hobart, another bucket list item to be checked off.
Merlin will be stationed at the guest dock of the St Francis this week, feel free to have a look see, but things are going to be a bit hectic from Wednesday on and those fingers get a bit crowded during the regatta, so prudence is recommended when timing a dockside chat. -- Eric Simonson
The annual B2B conference for anyone involved in yacht racing
The Yacht Racing Forum is an event you shouldn't miss if you work in the yacht racing industry. It is the only B2B conference where you will meet potential clients and partners, discuss and learn about the evolution of the sport, meet potential clients, suppliers or sponsors.
Just check the list of speakers on the event website (http://www.yachtracingforum.com/forum/speakers-2019/): it is spectacular, with no less than 52 confirmed speakers three months prior to the event, including senior management from production boats such as Beneteau or Gunboat, top sailing events including the Ocean Race or the America's Cup, the world's leading classes (IMOCA, Class 40, Ultime, Solitaire du Figaro, Minis…), technical suppliers (North Sails, Gurit, Protect Tapes), Insurance companies (Pantaenius), amateur and pro sailors and so many more.
To keep it short: every company serious about yacht racing and caring about the future of the sport needs to attend; most of them have already confirmed their participation.
Have you?
Registration: www.yachtracingforum.com
The Clipper Race Surfs into Portimao
The winners of the first stage of the Clipper 2019-20 Race (Race 1) have crossed the finish line into Portimao. Punta del Este took line honours, after racing 1,200 nautical miles from London, arriving into the Algarvian city at 00:45:22 UTC.
Dare To Lead finished in second place, with Qingdao following closely behind, crossing the line in third at 0:26:00 UTC.
Punta del Este, skippered by Jeronimo from Spain, has a crew ranging in age from 20 to 76 years old and with 19 nationalities including Uruguay, Finland, Australia and Canada. Scooping the top spot in the first race was what every boat strived for, setting the standard for other teams to chase.
Despite only taking six days, the eleven teams in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race have faced tough sailing conditions. Crew had to get used to life on an angle straight away as they faced an upwind slog as they raced along the south coast of the UK. And famous for its rough and stormy conditions, the Bay of Biscay did not disappoint, especially when rounding the southern point, Cape Finisterre. Teams faced squally conditions and gusts up to 30 knots with their intensive four week training coming into its own.
The Clipper Race teams will spend a week in Portimao. Marina de Portimao is hosting a rally on Thursday 12 September, with four Clipper Race teams racing from the city to Lagos and back. Yachts will be visible from the shoreline along the coast, providing a spectacle for spectators to enjoy. The Clipper Race will be departing Marina de Portimao on Sunday 15 September,
The second race of the circumnavigation will see the first ocean crossing for crew. Teams will be racing 5,195 nautical miles to Host Port Punta del Este in Uruguay. -- Sarah Lacey
Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2020 from 2 to 6 June
Porto Cervo, 30 August 2019. The dates of the 13th edition of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta have been confirmed. One of the key events on the YCCS sporting calendar, the regatta will as usual take place in the first week of June with the official dates being 2 to 6 June 2020.
In the 2019 edition 20 superyachts gathered in Porto Cervo for the event, divided into three categories. In the Cruising division the Perini Navi "Silencio" triumphed, in the Performance division the WallyCento "Magic Carpet 3" took the top spot and the SW82 "Grande Orazio" claimed the Southern Wind Trophy with these last two being owned by YCCS members Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones and Massimiliano Florio respectively.
Exclusive social events complemented the racing including the owners' dinner, the traditional after race drinks for crews and the Sunset Party, organised this year on Quay A in the marina.
The event, which combines coastal racing in the stunning setting of the La Maddalena archipelago with social gatherings ashore, is one of the primary regattas on the Mediterranean racing calendar for superyachts.
The Notice of Race with information and details of how to enter will be distributed during the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup which will get underway on 1 September.
The Notice of Race is available here
Two Years Of The Start, Who Are The Possible Teams For The Ocean Race?
This week 11th Hour Racing confirmed their participation in The Ocean Race 2021-2022 with Charlie Enright and Mark Towill co-skippering the project. This actually makes the US team the first officially entered and funded team for this new iteration of the crewed race around the world. On the back of that news Tip & Shaft take stock of the other projects, IMOCAs and the VO65.
After two campaigns in the colors first of Alvimedica and then Vestas 11th Hour Racing, Charlie Enright / Mark Towil who are partners in the company 1 Degree, will compete for the third time in a raw on The Ocean Race (formerly the Volvo). They are to be supported by the US 11th Hour Racing sustainability group. The project is already in the starting blocks, as they have Alex Thomson's former Hugo Boss, the VPLP-Verdier design which finished second on the last Vendée Globe. The boat will compete on the Azimut Challenge and then the Transat Jacques Vabre with Charlie Enright partnered by Pascal Bidégorry (see the list of entries for the Azimut Challenge). The official announcement for the TJV pairing is expected soon.
Damian Foxall, Irish round the world ace, is on the team also serving as 'Sustainability Manager' as he was with the team last time, and the news is expected soon that they will build an IMOCA specially designed for The Ocean Race to a Guillaume Verdier design. It will be built at CDK under the supervision of François Gabart's MerConcept team. None of the parties who were contacted by Tip & Shaft would officially confirm but announcements are scheduled for next Thursday.
11th Hour Racing will be the first Imoca designed and built specifically for The Ocean Race. For Verdier, this is not the only project in progress for the 2021-2022 edition of the race: according to our information, he is also working on another Imoca on behalf of a project called "Switchback" in the offing for New Zealander Daryl Wislang, who won the last Volvo with Dongfeng Race Team, partnered by two Volvo Ocean Race winning navigators, Jules Salter (ex Ericsson/4/Abu Dhabi Team AkzoNobel), Pablo Arrante (ex Mapfre) and Simon Fisher (ex Abu Dhabi/Vestas 11th Hour). The project will be financed by the American businessman David Leuschen, founder of Riverstone, an investment fund specializing in energy, who also owns the Wally 100 Galateia, on which Daryl Wislang regularly sails. Asked by mail he told us, "I am keen on doing the next race but I can't talk about what is happening at the moment."
As for the other IMOCA projects, the most advanced to date is the one run by the Spaniard Xabi Fernandez, who is hoping for the green light from Mapfre (for a budget that his team estimated at the end of last year to be between 20 and 25 million euros) to launch the build of a boat to be designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian.
The full analysis in Tip & Shaft
Ocean Safety's Daily Expert programme unveils for Southampton Boat Show
Ocean Safety will host an expert product focus themed each day from Monday to Friday at the Southampton Boat Show which opens on 13th September. Alongside the company's newest and most popular live-saving products on stand J265 will be specialists from the company who can advise customers on a number of safety topics. An Ocean Safety expert will be present on Monday: Lifejackets, Tuesday: Electronics, Wednesday: Servicing, Thursday: Man Overboard, Friday: Liferafts
The themed days will give visitors the opportunity of ensuring they can get the best possible advice from the right Ocean Safety team specialist on a given day. At the same time, of course, any questions can be answered at any time since the company's team will always be on hand to deliver key information and advice on everything marine safety-related.
Ocean Safety will also be launching their Early Service Offer with a free Ocean Signal EDF1 flare to anyone who books in their liferafts for winter servicing before the end of September.
Visitors to Ocean Safety can buy their range of products from their partner retailers at the show, Andark Diving, Force 4 Chandlery, Marine Superstore and YouBoat.
Jeanne Socrates sails into the record books again!
The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) is pleased to announce that member Jeanne Socrates has sailed into Victoria BC harbour on 7th September after successfully completing another single-handed unassisted nonstop circumnavigation. Jeanne set sail from Victoria on the 3 October 2018 on NEREIDA with the intent of becoming the oldest person to sail alone around the world. She is 77 years old.
NEREIDA had severe mainsail damage in the Cape Horn area which took a long time to repair, suffered a knock down SW of New Zealand after which she had to enter Timaru Bay in NZ to make repairs, and later lost her headsail in the North Pacific.
Jeanne's single-mindedness and determination to complete this voyage has culminated in a successful conclusion and she received a warm welcome back from many of her local supporters. All OCC members offer Jeanne their congratulations and Bravo Zulu!
According to Marine Traffic, NEREIDA arrived at Port VICTORIA on 2019-09-07 at 16:22 Local Time (2019-09-07 23:22 UTC).
SAILGP Grand Final In Marseille
On 20-22 September 2019, the Mediterranean city of Marseille will host the Grand Final of SailGP Season 1 - the new global championship aiming to redefine sailing. For the first time ever in France, the world's fastest flying catamarans and top athletes will take centre stage, offering a unique and high speed maritime show in Marseille for the spectators expected.
This new annual event, launched at the end of 2018 by Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, pits nation versus nation in a series of short format racing in some of the most iconic harbours in the world.
Following four events in Sydney, San Francisco, New York and Cowes, UK, the six teams representing France, Australia, China, Great Britain, Japan and the United States will go head to head in Marseille for the season finale.
The penultimate event in Cowes saw a new F50 speed record broken, with Dylan Fletcher's British team hitting 50 knots (nearly 60 mph / 100 kph) in training on the revolutionary catamaran, before overall leader Tom Slingsby and his Australian team went one better, to hit the incredible speed during racing for the first time. Marseille promises to be an equally intense and spectacular event.
Currently Australia's Tom Slingsby is leading the charge at the top of the leaderboard but will have to fight off strong competition from fellow Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge of Japan, Rome Kirby's young United States team and the British team helmed by Dylan Fletcher. After two days racing in Marseille, the top two ranked teams from the whole season will do battle for glory and the $1 million prize.
Helsinki, Finland To Host 2020 12 Metre World Championship
After a phenomenal 12 Metre World Championship in Newport, RI (USA), the NJK yacht club in Helsinki and the International Twelve Metre Association (ITMA) are moving at full speed to organize the next 12mR Worlds in Helsinki from August 16-23, 2020.
Approximately 15-20 12mR yachts raced by teams from a dozen countries are expected to compete. The European vintage fleet will be well represented and the organizers have high hopes for representatives for Modern and Grand Prix division boats well.
Blue Marlin (FIN-1) and the 2017 European champion Wings (K-15) raced by a Danish-Finnish syndicate, will both sail under the flag of the event host NJK- the oldest yacht club in Finland, founded in 1863.
It has been more than 30 years since the memorable 1988 12mR Worlds at Lulea - the last 12 Metre World Championship to be sailed in the Northern Baltic.
The fleet will include the 2019 European Champion, Howaldt's famous Sparkman & Stephens design Vim (US-15), The recently rebuilt Jenetta (K-1) and Wilfried Beeck's Trivia (K-10), both representing Germany, will also face off against the reigning 12mR Vintage Champion, Patrizio Bertelli's Nyala (US-12) representing Italy and the Southern Europe 12mR fleet.
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The Last Word
The arrogance of men is thinking that nature is in our control, and not the other way around. -- Dr. Ishiro Seriwaza
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