In This Issue
• RORC Caribbean 600
• Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini
• Laser Radial Worlds
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Annie Lush strengthens German Ocean Race Campaign
• Round Martinique Regatta
• 18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Race 8
• Selden Sailjuice Winter Series
• New ORR Class and New Team-Racing Trophies
• Flying Fifteen Europeans
• Featured Brokerage:
• • CNB Bordeaux 60
• • GC32 Team France
• • Beneteau First 40.7- Philosophie IV.
• The Last Word: Thomas Paine
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
RORC Caribbean 600
The 12th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 starts on Monday 24th February at 1100 local time (1500 GMT), Antigua. The diverse fleet will be competing in four classes, with 74 entries sailed by over 700 crew members representing 37 nations. Antigua has been buzzing with sailors preparing for the 600nm race around 11 islands. The diversity of competing yachts is matched by the variety of sailors taking part.
The sport of sailing is like no other - world famous sailors compete with and against passionate corinthian sailors. On the docks in Antigua this eclectic mix share their thoughts prior to the start of the spectacular race.
24 hours to the start of the RORC Caribbean 600 for Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini
Everything is ready in Antigua for the start of the 12th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600: the multihulls will set sail tomorrow at 11.30 local time (15.30 UTC, 16.30 Italian time) from Fort Charlotte, half an hour after the other classes.
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70 will race against 7 other multihulls, among which are their direct competitors, the American Argo and the English PowerPlay. Aboard both MOD 70s will be two strong and experienced crews: Briand Thompson and Franck Cammas will sail aboard Argo, Loick Peyron on PowerPlay. On the starting line will be three more trimarans - the 80' Ultim'Emotion 2, the 63' Shockwave and the 60' Ineffable - and two catamarans - the 53' Fujin and the 78' Allegra.
The weather expected for this edition of this race is not the most favourable: the models show an unstable trade wind, with light breeze especially for the first 12 hours of racing. Giovanni Soldini commented: "Maserati Multi 70 with the flying foils gives its best with around 15 knots of wind, so these conditions are not ideal, but we will fight tooth and nail as always!"
This year on the starting line there will be a total of 74 boats from more than 20 different countries, divided in 8 classes.
The speed record was set in 2019 by Giovanni Soldini who, aboard Maserati Multi 70, crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 1 day, 6 hours and 49 minutes.
The course of the race, 600 miles long, goes around 11 islands in the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea, including Barbuda, Saint Barth, Guadeloupe and Saint Martin. The course is diverse, it requires many manoeuvres and it features variable winds and currents that make the regatta particularly interesting and challenging.
Changes to Maserati Multi 70's Team: for the RORC Caribbean 600, John Elkann and Vittorio Bissaro won't be aboard the trimaran. Ronan Cointo (tactician) will participate in the race in their place.
Rindom starts defence of Laser Radial World crown with a bullet
Melbourne, Australia: After a day of light and fluky conditions in which only one race could be sailed at the ILCA Laser Radial Women's World Championship, defending titleholder Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) took first place in Yellow Fleet while Marie Barrue (FRA) won Blue Fleet.
"It was a bit light," Anne-Marie said of the conditions. "The change didn't really come through."
"It's early days," she said of the scheduled 12 race regatta. "But it's a good way to start."
Yellow Fleet had the better of the weather, getting away shortly after the scheduled start time in 6 knots of breeze and managing to finish before the wind began swinging wildly.
Those in Blue fleet had a frustrating day, with race one starting almost on time but being abandoned at the first mark owing to a 30 degree shift. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good and Australian Olympic hopeful, Mara Stransky, said she was caught too far left in a poor position when the abandonment came. She regrouped and finished the re-started race in fifth position. "I'm happy after such a whacky day," she said.
Men's Radial The ILCA Laser Radial Men's World Championship is being sailed at the same venue, with the fleet dominated by Australians.
But it was a Russian, Daniil Krutskikh, who won the only race of the day, from locals Michael Compton and Jordan Makin.
Like the women's Blue Fleet, the men endured re-starts and abandonments before finally getting a result.
With light winds forecast for tomorrow morning, the race committee has announced that first signal will be at 2pm, as scheduled, but if the winds settle as forecast, they will try to get three races sailed so the regatta is back on schedule.
Provisional Top 10 Women
1. Marie Barrue, FRA
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN
3. Maud Jayet, SUI
3. Vasileia Karachaliou, GRE
5. Marit Bouwmeester, NED
5. Svenja Weger, GER
7. Mirthe Akkerman, NED
7. Marie Bolou, FRA
9. Sarah Douglas, CAN
9. Mara Stransky, AUS
Provisional Top 5 Men
1. Daniil Krutskikh, RUS
2. Michael Compton, AUS
3. Jordan Makin, AUS
4. Zac West, AUS
5. Caleb Armit, NZL
Seahorse March 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Update
Early Cup words from Sardinia, the Cup mist refuses to lift, a complex Cup task, (good) wood is good and Kenny's on the money. Plus why the French are ahead from the start, Jack Griffin, Terry Hutchinson, Adrian Morgan, Andrew Sinclair, Mike Gillum
Upscale upmarket
Elan's new flagship is the first sailing yacht styled by Studio F. A. Porsche
No limits at all
The benefits of Doyle Sails's structured luff technology have already migrated from 18-foot skiffs blasting around Sydney Harbour to the latest high performance superyachts crossing oceans...
(Don't) shake it about
The theory of vortex shedding is well known to golfers with their little dimples (the balls, that is!) It was also toyed with in the past by 12 Metre sparmakers... so why not extend the benefits to the rigging itself?
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Annie Lush strengthens German Ocean Race Campaign
The IMOCA Open 60 "Einstein" will be prepared in the south of England for installation of the newest generation of foils. With the purchase of a Dehler 30 OD a strong training platform will be created in Germany, and with the formation of the team, Offshore Team Germany has occupied a central position on board for The Ocean Race 2021/22: Annie Lush, one of the most experienced female offshore sailors worldwide, has given her firm commitment to OTG.
Lush used the stage of the German Offshore Awards in Hamburg to promote more women in offshore sailing and to get involved in the German sailing sport: She is in agreement with the OTG team leadership: in 2021/22 she is to contest her third Ocean Race on board the "Einstein". "After participating twice in 2014/15 and 2017/18 I had closed the chapter for the time being and wanted to concentrate on my role as a mother. But with this team I'm happy to attack again. Great people have come together here and it's a great task to be able to help build up the team from scratch," said the 39-year-old.
For Annie Lush, the door to the Ocean Race opened quickly after the 2012 Games, with sponsor SCA from Sweden building an all-women team for the 2014/15 race. And Lush, Match Race World Champion of 2010, was part of the selected squad immediately after the trials.
Annie Lush has got the fire again for her own third participation in the Ocean Race and the first of Offshore Team Germany: "I am very excited to be part of the OTG. We are in a great situation: We have a boat, a team and time to prepare. We are ready to put Germany back on the map of the Ocean Race after 20 years!"
Round Martinique Regatta
Two days before the start of the competition, the weather forecast left the organisers little hope for the first round, the Round Raid, the grand tour of Martinique by the Atlantic coast. The wise decision to cancel this round was compensated by the setting up of two regattas in the bay of Fort de France before the departure for Le Marin by the leeward coast. Less exposed, the boats nevertheless had to face a strong wind and rough seas, but nothing compared to the 3-metre high waves on the other side of the island.
The twenty boats registered all had to battle it out upwind to reach the bay of the Marin. A nautical match of changes of tack that was followed by an evening on the beach of the Marin.
"The decision to cancel the grand tour was not an easy one to take, but good sense outweighed," said Paul Constantin, the race organiser. "We did not want to risk sending the crews out into difficult conditions, so we amended the Sailing Instructions to allow all the crews to sail together."
The following day, Saturday, the sailors enjoyed one of the finest days of the competition with the famous Round Rock. With two coastal regattas in the bay of Saint-Anne as a warm-up, the crews then set off under spinnaker in a force 5 to 6 wind towards Diamond Rock to finish with a tough upwind sail towards Fort de France and the marina of l'etang Z'abricot. Whitened by salt and sun-cream, the happily exhausted crews enjoyed post-racing drinks.
On Sunday, the last day of racing, the race committee decided to step-up the competition with six "banana" courses in the bay of Fort de France for the Surprise category. The Racing category followed a slightly longer coastal course. A breath-taking sight that was visible from the ground, to the delight of spectators and tourists. The last round was also an opportunity to discover the potential of Rodolphe Sepho's trimaran Diam 24, racing along at 25 knots in the bay.
Overall ranking of the Round Martinique Regatta 2020:
Miaw (Roberto Maxera) - Cruising
Sang Neuf (Jean-Francois Terrien) - Racing
La Morrigane (Tristan Marmousez) - Surprise
Reve De Large (Rodolphe Sepho) - Multihull
www.theroundmartinique.com/en/home.html
18ft Skiffs Australian Championship, Race 8
Click on image for photo gallery.
Sydney Harbour: The defending champion Shaw & Partners Financial Services team of James Dorron, Harry Bethwaite and Steve Thomas (replacing Tim Westwood on the day) led all the way against a strong fleet to score a clear victory in Race 8 of the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship on an incredibly busy Sydney Harbour today.
Shaw & Partners easily won the start and kept her chances alive to retain the title when the team scored a 1m13s win over a determined Finport Finance team (Keagan York, Angus Williams and Dan Phillips) which challenged for the entire length of the course.
Smeg (Micah Lane, Ricky Bridge, Peter Harris) was a further 3m44s further back in third place, followed by championship leader Tech2 (Jack Macartney), Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards) and Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster).
With two short-course races scheduled for next Sunday's final day of the Australian Championship, Tech2 (after each team discards her worst performance to date) leads the points table on 15 points, followed by Finport Finance and Shaw & Partners on 23, Smeg and Appliancesonline.com.au on 28 and The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines on 31.
Over the final lap of the course, spectators on the League's spectator ferry were treated to a close up look at the GP50 boats as they practiced for next week's event on Sydney Harbour.
The final two races of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
Selden Sailjuice Winter Series: Horsfield And Burridge Retain The Winter Crown
Click on image for photo gallery.
Simon Horsfield and Katie Burridge put together another consistent performance in their 2000 dinghy to become the first ever double winners in the 11-year history of the Selden SailJuice Winter Series.
The Series has become the de facto winter handicap championship of dinghy racing in the UK, and it caps off a stunning 12 months after Horsfield and Burridge won last year's winter season, followed by victory at the inaugural Grand Final of the Great British Sailing Challenge last September at Rutland Water, and now a repeat Sailjuice victory.
Although there were eight events scheduled this year, Storm Dennis put paid to the final event - the Oxford Blue - last weekend. There could have been some further shuffling of the leaderboard although Horsfield and Burridge's lead was already secure after a podium place at the phenomenally breezy Tiger Trophy at Rutland a few weeks ago.
Exactly 10 years ago, Peter Barton finished runner-up in the first ever edition of the series, then known as the Sailjuice Global Warm-up. On that occasion the Lymington was trapezing around the circuit in a Cherub doublehander. This time Barton took second place in an RS Aero 7, demonstrating his prowess in a range of dinghies. Last year's runner-up was Pete Gray at the helm of a National 18. Gray - overall winner of the SailJuice Winter Series in 2012 at the helm of a Scorpion - switched to a GP14 which was a popular choice among many big names in the dinghy scene. Sailing with Richard Pepperdine, Gray emerged once again with a great score from this ever-challenging Series.
Horsfield and Burridge, who competed in all seven events, will be the stars of the show at the Selden SailJuice Winter Series prizegiving, due to be held at the RYA Dinghy Show, Saturday 29 February, 1015am.
There are many other category winners in the many Series within the Series, so please come along and support them at the prizegiving.
New ORR Class and New Team-Racing Trophies Announced for 2020 Newport to Ensenada Race
The Newport Ocean Sailing Association (NOSA) is pleased to announce a new class scored using the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) and, in partnership with the Storm Trysail Club (STC), a new set of team-racing trophies for the 2020 Newport to Ensenada Race, which starts on April 24, 2020.
This is the first time in many years that a measurement-based rating system has been used for monohull entries in the 125-mile race; only PHRF scoring has been used for monohulls in the past. Establishing a class for boats using the ORR is intended to encourage high-level racers to enter what is the largest international yacht race in North America.
The new trophies offered by Storm Trysail Club in partnership with NOSA aim squarely at increasing the fun factor, which has always been important in the Newport to Ensenada Race.
An amendment to the Notice of Race has been published that states prizes will be awarded to the 3-boat team skippers who compile the best team score, as determined by using the total of each team member's percentage placement in its respective class. There is no limitation on the criteria to form a team: it may be composed of members of the same club, alumni from the same school, old shipmates now racing different boats, etc.—any social, recreational, geographic or cultural affiliation that three entries may have in common is acceptable.
There will be numerous classes of monohulls and multihulls racing in the 2020 N2E including PHRF, ORR, ORCA and an Unlimited class for first-to-finish contenders. Teams may be formed from any three-boat combination of entries from any of these classes provided no more than two are from the same start class. The list of start classes is available after the close of regular entry registration, on or about April 1st, but teams may be registered starting now.
Team entries are accepted up until one week prior to the start, with the deadline set at 1700 April 17th, 2020.
Entries open for 2020 Flying Fifteen Europeans at Morgat in Brest
The 2020 Flying Fifteen European Championship will be held in conjunction with the Flying Fifteen National Championship of France.
The event runs from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 May, 2020.
The regatta will be held within a larger multi-class regatta, the Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale (GPEN) which is traditionally held at the Ascension weekend (Ascension Thursday being a holiday in France),
The GPEN is organised by the French Naval Officers School, based in the bay of Brest, at Lanveoc-Poulmic, in the south shore of the bay.
The 2019 Flying Fifteen Nationals were sailed on the same race course as the Open 5.70, the First 18 and the First 24 in Morgat Bay, with different starts for each class, while other classes raced in Roscanvel, Camaret and Lanveoc-Poulmic (4 racing locations altogether).
This season the 2020 Flying Fifteen Europeans and French Nationals expect 40 boats and GPEN plans to dedicate the Morgat Bay course just to the Flying Fifteen fleet and the Open 5.70 class.
Morgat Bay is an excellent racing area, and Crozon a wonderful holiday spot.
The scheduled format is for 3 days of racing (Thursday - Saturday), with 3 races a day.
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The Last Word
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