In This Issue
• Team EFG Bank Wins Sailing Arabia - The Tour in Oman
• Omani Female Sailors Breaking New Ground
• Leaders domination at Primo Cup season opener in Monaco
• IDEC Sport at the Equator
• Long way to the top at Geelong
• Maloney and Meech forced out of world champs
• A good range of conditions forecast for first days of Laser Worlds
• New York Yacht Club and Cruising Club of America Form Safety Partnership
• Medemblik Regatta aims for leading role in Olympic Sailing
• Great Britain SailGP Team, presented by INEOS, line-up confirmed
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Beneteau First 50 Sport
• • G L WATSON 36 FT CUTTER 1894
• • Ker 56 - Varuna VI
• The Last Word: Douglas Adams
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
Team EFG Bank Wins Sailing Arabia - The Tour in Oman
Team EFG Bank, made up of Olympian Sofian Bouvet, fellow Frenchman Gaulthier Germain, and rising Omani star Ali al Balushi, has taken a resounding win in the 2020 edition of the EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour in Oman.
EFG Bank dominated from the very first stage in Salalah, with the team remaining unchallenged on top of the overall leaderboard as the tour made its way some 1,500KM along the Omani coastline, stopping in Duqm, Masirah Island, Sur and Muscat.
Muscat is home to two of Oman Sail's sailing schools and a number of the students came down to Al Mouj Marina to watch the championship-deciding day of racing. One of the big drawcards of the day for the kids was the young Omani team onboard Oman Airports. After finishing fourth in the coastal raid on day 1, Oman Airports continued to impress on day 2, finishing the tour strongly with three seconds and a third in the five stadium races held off the coast of Oman's capital city.
This is the first EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour for Oman Airport's Zakariya Al Wahhabi and the 19-year-old began his sailing career in the Oman Sail school system, just like the youngsters watching today.
The tenth edition of the EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour came to an official close with a presentation at Muscat International Airport, which was voted the Best Airport in the Middle East at the 2019 World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony.
Omani Female Sailors Breaking New Ground
Team DB Schenker - spearheaded by Oman's Ibtisam al Salmi and Marwa al Kaifi - has made history, becoming the first all-female team to finish on the podium in ten years of the EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour.
Along with teammates Audrey Ogereau of France and Lauranne Mettraux from Switzerland, Ibtisam and Marwa impressed from the get-go. The team never fell out of the overall top three and podiumed in at least one race in each of the five stages held in Salalah, Duqm, Masirah Island, Sur, and Muscat.
DB Schenker's was locked in a tight tussle for silver with French team Groupe Atlantic for much of the regatta. There were just five points between the two teams going into the fifth and final stage in Muscat, a gap that closed even further after DB Schenker claimed second place in the coastal raid on day one of racing in Muscat. Both sides were highly competitive during the five stadium races on day two, but Groupe Atlantic did just enough to remain in second place by two and a half points.
Oman Sail is a national initiative established in 2008 that uses the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people. The equal opportunity project runs sailing programmes for thousands of young Omani men and women, inspiring a new generation to discover sailing. It encompasses a national sailing squad and high achieving inshore and offshore racing teams, all of which benefit from world-class coaching and whose ultimate objective is to win an Olympic medal for Oman. -- Morgan Kasmarik
Leaders domination at Primo Cup season opener in Monaco
With a spring-like 14oC temperature, in 5-15 knots of wind on a flat sea with sunshine, the 36th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco lived up to its reputation as a classic winter regatta that opens the season in the Med. and always adds something new - this year the L30 and Onefly.
With 450 sailors on some 100 boats (J/70, Smeralda 888, Longtze Premier, Melges 20, L30 competing) four races sorted out the winners over the three days.
In the 65-strong J/70 fleet, the Russians on Elf dominated from the start with three 2nd places and a 6th. It was not a done deal behind them with Cer Aprotec - Ville de Geneve finally clinching 2nd and the YCM's Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G-Spottino) 3rd. In the Corinthians, the Brits on Brutus took 1st equal on points with Cesare Gabasio (Tinnj70), followed by Stefano Roberti (Piccinina), both YCM members.
In the L30 fleet of eight, here for the first time, the Belgian Jonas Gerckens fended off Anastasia Kolesnichenko and her crew to win, with YCM's Denis Lankin in 3rd, each separated by one point. It was another closely-fought battle in the all-Swiss Longztse Premier group with Shensu putting in a faultless performance to pip an equally impressive team on Qi to dislodge them and Outsider in 3rd.
For the ever loyal Smeralda 888 class in the first stage of their season's championship, Timofey Sukhotin (Beda) beat Botta Dritta and Black Star, a good start ahead of their Spring Challenge (20-22 March) in Monaco.
And finally, in the Melges 20, 2nd place Russian Alexander Mikhaylik (Alex Team) was sandwiched between two Monaco teams: Valentin Zavadnikov (Oleg Reps) and Anatoly Karachinsky (Path) in 1st and 3rd respectively.
Next event: fifth and final Act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series - 5-8 March 2020.
36th Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse final rankings
J/70:
1st: Mikhail Sheremetev (Elf) - RUS: 12 points
2nd: Nelson Mettraux (CER APROTEC-Ville de Geneve) - SUI: 26
3rd: Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio (G-Spottino) - MON: 32
J/70 Corinthian:
1st: Charles Thompson (Brutus- GBR: 60
2nd: Cesare Gabasio (Tinnj70) - MON: 60
3rd: Stefano Roberti (Piccinina) - MON: 67
Smeralda 888:
1st: Timofey Sukhotin (Beda) - MON: 8
2nd: Francesco Vauban (Botta Dritta) - MON: 10
3rd: Paolo Rotelli (Black Star) - MON: 14
Longtze Premier:
1st: Jarmo Wieland (Shensu) - SUI: 5
2nd: Franck Beat (Qi) - SUI: 7
3rd: Steffen Schneider (Outsider) - SUI: 13
L30:
1st: Jonas Gerckens (Jonas Gerckens) - BEL: 9
2nd: Anastasia Kolesnichenko (Humphreys Conrad) - GBR: 10
3rd: Denis Lankin (Maria Naboka) - MON: 11
Melges 20:
1st: Valentin Zavadnikov (Oleg Reps) - MON: 12
2nd: Alexander Mikhaylik (Alex Team) - RUS: 13
3rd: Anatoly Karachinsky (Path) - MON: 14
Onefly (not competing officially):
1st: Matisse Pacaud - FRA: 8
2nd: Nicolas Berenger - FRA: 15
3rd: Eliot Bourgeois - FRA: 15
IDEC Sport at the Equator
Francis Joyon and the IDEC SPORT crew crossed the Equator this Sunday morning around 11:00 am, after a slow progression and many difficulties to get out of the South Atlantic. In a light west wind of around 8 knots, the red giant is still progressing at low speed, heading north. The trimaran's very low speed averages have therefore considerably reduced the lead it had over its virtual opponent and holder of the Tea Route record.
With 750 miles ahead two weeks ago and more than 500 miles two days ago, the IDEC SPORT lead is reduced to just under 220 nautical miles this Sunday. The race against the clock is therefore revived.
The coming days will be interesting to follow because IDEC SPORT will continue its strategy in the west while Maserati had continued its way all along the African coast.
Long way to the top at Geelong
Half the contenders vying for an Olympic spot know they've made the cut and the other half are still aiming for selection, adding extra strain to the make-or-break 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship, the last major class title before Tokyo 2020.
Fresh winds are set to continue for at least the first of three qualifying race days beginning off Victoria's Royal Geelong Yacht Club on Monday February 10. The second three days for the skiffs constitute their final series while the Nacra 17s will race a single series. All up 160 teams will represent 32 nations.
Host nation Australia is fielding the biggest contingent of 25 teams across the three classes and neighbour New Zealand is second, with 14 teams. The largest team outside the locals is France, a sign of the country gearing up to stage Paris 2024.
Worlds host nation Australia has only named one Tokyo 2020 selection, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan in the 470 class. In the Nacra 17, cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, bronze medallists at the 2019 World Championship in Auckland two months ago, and siblings Nathan and Haylee Outteridge are front-runners for the prized country place.
The 49erFX fleet boasts four previous world champions plus the defending Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) and current two-time world-beaters, Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz who will represent The Netherlands in Tokyo.
First warning on Monday February 10 is at 1055hrs and the forecast for Western Port Phillip is easterly 15-25 knots reaching up to 30 knots early in the morning then winds turning south-easterly 15-20 knots in the evening. Tuesday's forecast indicates a winding back, variable 10 knot breezes becoming south-westerly 10 to 15 knots during the afternoon then decreasing to about 10 knots during the evening.
Royal Geelong Yacht Club is host of the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 2020 World Championship along with six other major events that fall under the club's 'Summer of Sailing' calendar rolling out between January and March.
Results will be posted race by race, as they happen
49er
49erFX
Nacra 17
Live Tracking will be available for all fleets each day
Maloney and Meech forced out of world champs
Olympic silver medallists Alex Maloney and Molly Meech have been forced out of the upcoming 49erFX sailing world championships in Melbourne after Maloney fractured her foot in training two days ago.
The duo were among the contenders to add to the title they won in 2013, but Maloney fell awkwardly when performing a tack during practice racing and hurt her foot.
"We didn't think it was too bad at first," coach Nathan Handley said.
"She came in and iced it and we thought it was just bruised, but later on as it was still hurting we got some x-rays and found out there's a fracture in the foot.
"The girls are devastated, obviously, being so close to the world championships and having this sort of injury. They were in really good shape. They were sailing well, the boat was going well and we definitely thought we had a good shot at the podium here in Geelong."
Maloney and Meech were second at last week's Oceania championships, the warm-up regatta for the world championships, and were expected to do well in the generally strong winds forecast for Geelong this week. Racing starts tomorrow.
A good range of conditions forecast for first days of Laser Worlds
Melbourne, Australia: Most champion sailors like a mixture of conditions at important regattas. If wind strengths vary from light through moderate to strong, then generally one of the best all-round sailors takes the title.
The leading contenders for the 2020 ILCA Laser Standard Men's World Championship crown will therefore be happy with the forecast for the first three days of the event, which is being run out of Sandringham Yacht Club on Melbourne's eastern shore.
According to the Seabreeze website, sailors can expect light winds for tomorrow's first race, in the region of 6 to 8 knots. The breeze should build during the afternoon, but may not get over 10 knots for the second race.
On Wednesday the first race could again start in light conditions, but the pressure is due to build more quickly than on Tuesday, culminating in around 14 knots by 5pm.
Seabreeze says Thursday will deliver much stronger winds of just under 25 knots all day, which is on the right side of the ILCA wind strength guidelines.
Sailors and race management had a warm-up today with a practice race scheduled for 2.30pm in strong winds of around 25 knots. As expected, most of the big guns chose to train rather than race and nothing can be read into the results.
Tomorrow the field will be split into three fleets for six qualifying races before another six races, weather permitting, of Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets.
Race reports will be posted to www.laserinternational.org and results can be found at sailingresults.net/?ID=80326
New York Yacht Club and Cruising Club of America Form Safety Partnership
The New York Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America announced today that they have joined forces in co-sponsoring an International Offshore Safety at Sea seminar sanctioned by US Sailing. The seminar will offer hands-on training for full certification in offshore ocean races, but is equally valuable for cruising and deliveries, power or sail.
The seminar consists of two parts: an online Offshore Safety at Sea video course followed by a one-day hands-on course. The hands-on portion will take place at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. A separate, optional component on boats will take place at New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, RI.
Dates for the one-day hands-on portion of the course at Roger Williams University are as follows:
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Monday, June 15, 2020 (Bermuda Race participants only)
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Sunday, March 28, 2021
Saturday, October 16, 2021
On boats at New York Yacht Club Harbour Court:
Sunday, May 16, 2020
Additional course details and registration can be found here.
Medemblik Regatta aims for leading role in Olympic Sailing
The Medemblik Regatta, formerly known as Spa, Holland or Delta Lloyd Regatta, can once again become a global event in Olympic Sailing. Thanks to the new plans of World Sailing, this spring classic regatta gets a prominent and protected position on the international calendar. As the most successful sailing country of 2018 and 2019, the Netherlands deserves a world-class home competition. TIG Sports, Royal Netherlands Yachting Union and Municipality Medemblik aim to have such a world class event again in 2021 with participants in all Olympic classes on their way to Paris 2024.
As the Olympic sailors are expected to be in Tokyo at the end of May 2020 in preparation for the Games, the organisation, has decided that the Medemblik Regatta in 2020 will be compact and innovative.
This means that in 2020 the Medemblik Regatta is already looking ahead to the World Championships in its own country in 2021 and2022 and to the Olympic Games of 2024. For example, the new foiling windsurf- and kite surfing class will be invited. In addition, the paralympic classes are invited and the talents in the high-performance classes who are already focusing on participating in the next Olympic Games in France in 2024.
In recent years, the Medemblik Regatta has been organised by Sportivents. TIG Sports is taking over this responsibility. The Amsterdam sports marketing company is no stranger to sailing. It has organised the hugely successful finish of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2018, for example. They also won the bid for the Sailing World Cup in 2022 and Youth Sailing World Cup in 2021. On behalf of TIG Sports, Frans Hin remains on board to organise the Medemblik Regatta.
Dates Medembik Regatta 2020 - 2024
2020: June 4 - June 7
2021: June 2 - June 6
2022: June 1 to June 5
2023: May 31 - June 4
2024: May 29 - June 2
Great Britain SailGP Team, presented by INEOS, line-up confirmed
The Great Britain SailGP Team, presented by INEOS, has revealed its full team line-up ahead of the SailGP Season 2 opener in Sydney on 28-29 February.
The new look race crew has a wealth of talent and experience on-board and is already a tight-knit team with five of the six members currently sailing together as part of INEOS TEAM UK's America's Cup challenge.
The world's most successful Olympic sailor, Ben Ainslie, will helm the F50 while fellow Olympic gold medallist Iain Jensen joins as wing trimmer and the flight controller role is filled by Luke Parkinson. Both Jensen and Parkinson have moved over to the Great Britain SailGP Team to join their America's Cup teammates after competing with Japan in SailGP Season 1.
Completing the line-up in the grinder roles are Matt Gotrel, an Olympic gold medal winning rower, and Neil Hunter - both of whom sailed together with the British SailGP Team last year and are also part of the British America's Cup challenge. They are joined by fellow returning teammate Richard Mason.
Full sailing team line-up for the Great Britain SailGP Team Presented by INEOS in Season 2:
Name | Position | Nationality | Age
Ben Ainslie | Helmsman | GBR | 42
Luke Parkinson | Flight Controller | GBR/AUS | 28
Iain Jensen | Wing Trimmer | AUS | 31
Matt Gotrel | Grinder | GBR | 30
Neil Hunter | Grinder | GBR | 24
Richard Mason | Grinder | GBR | 31
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1894 G L Watson 36 FT Cutter. 300,000 EUR, Located in United Kingdom.
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