In This Issue
• Tide Turning at last for the 2020 sailing season?
• New Zealand's 18ft Skiff Racing Record
• A step up (in every sense)- Mylius
• Moving Parts | INEOS Team UK Head Chef Nick Holt
• World Sailing President welcomes third ASOIF governance review
• Giving Cynara a New Life
• 2020 J/88 North American Championship to be Sailed in 2021
• Steam Launch Blog #24
• Lesson Learned: Stay In The Wind
• Launchings
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Nautor Swan 65 - EDEN
• • Swan 115-003 Highland Fling 15
• • YYachts Y7
• The Last Word: Muhammad Ali
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
Tide Turning at last for the 2020 sailing season?
There has been a definite turn of the tide as the covoid-19 pandemic recedes.
The flood of sailing event postponements and cancellations has beome a trickle, while event organisers are now pushing out information of events that they hope to run this year.
The traditional high summer sailing weeks are studying the ever-changing government restrictions and can now see the opportunity to run events, which while not an easy task, could provide a basis for the sport to regain momentum.
Parkstone YC broke the gloom with their bold announcement that Poole Week would run on its original dates, Sunday 23 to Friday 28 August.
This will provide one design racing over six days for a wide variety of dinghy and small keelboat classes.
The racing will have to be run in a manner that takes into account any restrictions and 'social-distancing' measures that may be in place at the time, but they have put down a marker ... others are sure to follow. -- Gerald New in Sailweb.co.uk
Listing of updates and events at: www.sailweb.co.uk
New Zealand's 18ft Skiff Racing Record
Three consecutive victories by the Honda Marine team of David McDiarmid, Brad Collins and Matt Steven in the world's premier JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship over the past three seasons, gives New Zealanders every right to boast at the moment.
It's not the first time the kiwis have tasted success. It's just the latest chapter of an 82-year-old story of New Zealand's 18ft Skiff Racing determination, innovation and championship success.
The story began at the inaugural JJ Giltinan regatta on Sydney Harbour in 1938, when New Zealand sent three boats to race against the might of the Australian 18s, and has continued throughout the championship's long history.
Australian administrators were so impressed by the challenge that they awarded the 1939 championship to Auckland. While the result was controversial, the regatta was a huge success as spectators along the foreshore were estimated at 25,000 people. When a local boat named Manu, won the title a great tradition of 18ft Skiff Racing was born in New Zealand.
Innovators who were prepared to experiment in their quest for victory have been wonderful contributors to the evolution of the 18s, particularly between the 1950s and 1970s.
New Zealand's designers and sailors had become great innovators and it wasn't a surprise that their innovations immediately changed the style of 18 Footers in Australia.
Despite the lack of success in the 60s, there were signs of a revival early in the 70s when Bruce Farr-designed boats began to compete strongly against the top Australian teams. In 1971, only the consistency of the experienced TraveLodge team prevented a victory for Miss UEB.
When the 1972 championship was contested on Brisbane's Waterloo Bay, the next era of New Zealand success in the 18s became a reality when Don Lidgard's Smirnoff totally dominated the fleet.
Once again, this quickly led to a general move by most of the leading Australian teams to this new design, and in 1973 Bob Holmes won his fifth title when he skippered TraveLodge to victory on Sydney Harbour.
The following year was another victory for the TraveLodge hotel group, but this time it was an outstanding victory for Terry McDell's TraveLodge New Zealand team with a dominant performance on Waitemata Harbour, Auckland.
Unfortunately for New Zealand 18ft Skiff Racing, McDell's 1974 victory was the last for the kiwis until David McDiarmid won the first of his three consecutive victories with Honda Marine in 2018. The Honda Marine team has since proved itself to be an outstanding champion outfit against the best of the Australian 18s teams. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League
A step up (in every sense)- Mylius
The new Mylius 60CK is the largest production canting-keeler ever. 'Fast and sweet' does not begin to describe the latest Italian beauty
In Italy, Seahorse previewed the new Mylius 60 Canting Keel, which made its world première at the Genoa Boat Show in September 2019. It is a yacht that redefines the genre of performance cruisers and it is currently the only canting keel production model of that size on the market. The Mylius 60CK is a refined, luxurious cruiser but it's conceived and structurally built around the Cariboni canting keel, directly derived from the Volvo Ocean 65.
The experienced owner has had nine previous boats - the famous Cippa Lippa series - with which he has won countless offshore races. In particular he owned a Cookson 50 so he knows about canting keels (Seahorse Dec 2019).
The new Cippa Lippa Mylius 60CK came from Guido Paolo Gamucci's desire to sail a larger and more comfortable yacht that is suited to long summer Mediterranean cruises with a large family including lots of grandchildren on board. The "conditio sine qua non" of having a canting keel is dictated above all by his previous experience of much better cruising comfort obtained by a lower angle of heel. The yacht's interior is carefully designed around the canting keel arrangement without compromising the level of comfort on board. One of the eight Mylius 60s, Fra' Diavolo, recently won the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta in its category.
Full article in the July issue of Seahorse
Moving Parts | INEOS Team UK Head Chef Nick Holt
Nick Holt is living out his dream. As a lifelong chef with a love of sailing, he could not have found himself a better suited job. Nick joined the team in August 2019 and has not looked back since.
World Sailing President welcomes third ASOIF governance review
World Sailing President, Kim Andersen, has welcomed the publication of the third ASOIF Governance Review and sailing's positioning as one of the leading International Federation promoting a culture of good governance with continued progress.
World Sailing has been ranked top of the A2 category, with A1 being the highest followed by A2, B and C. World Sailing were ranked top of the A2 category in the last report (2018) and were amongst the International Federations to record an improved score in 2020.
Read the full review document here.
On the publication of the report, Andersen commented, "Since the publication of the 2018 ASOIF report, World Sailing has strived to uphold a culture of integrity, good governance and transparency in our operations. Whilst we remain in A2, we did not want to become complacent with our position and our increased score highlights that we have not rested on our laurels during this period. I'm delighted that we have improved our score and remain in a strong position."
"Operating under a good governance structure is crucial for an International Federation to thrive and we will continue to look to evolve and uphold the integrity of our beautiful sport. It brings me great pleasure to see World Sailing's work, such as our electoral procedures, efforts in sustainability and auditing recognised by ASOIF.
Giving Cynara a New Life
The beautiful wooden yacht Cynara has been the symbolic flagship of the Riviera Group, a great treasure that the world has bestowed upon us. Our dream is to once again launch this boat in a condition as close to the original as possible, into the waters of Sagami Bay, the location of the sailing competition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This dream has been with us since we began the restoration project in January, 2017, when Cynara turned 90 years of age.
Cynara, unlike many yachts of her age in Europe and the Americas, had never undergone a serious restoration, having spent 45 of her 90 years in and around Miura, Japan. In December 2014, a plan was first devised to send Cynara to Europe to be restored and find a new life in the waters of her birth, and representatives from the UK's Royal Yacht Squadron brought a marine surveyor over.
It was an unexpected struggle just to raise the Cynara from its mooring in the harbour onto the dock. Lifting it out of the water wasn't easy, but moving it to where it could be studied-some 50 meters away-required a technique used for relocating old private houses. She made her way across the dock only a few centimeters at a time, on a journey which lasted several weeks.
The results of the survey suggested that some 70 percent of the materials used in the boat's original construction could be reused after restoration. Meanwhile, in January 2015, the location of the restoration was changed. it was decided to keep the project of the Cynara in Japan, an unthinkable idea when it was first floated.
Restoration photos at cynara.jp/restoration/
2020 J/88 North American Championship to be Sailed in 2021
The J/88 Class Association and St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA have determined, because of the varying levels of infection and disruption across the world, that the 2020 J/88 North American Championship scheduled for September 17-20 will be raced in 2021 as part of the 2021 Rolex Big Boat Series. The regional J/88 Fleet still plans to race at the 2020 Rolex Big Boat Series, however their Championship will now be the West Coast Championship.
The J/88 Class Officers have been closely monitoring the worldwide developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand the commitment of time and money required to participate in a Continental Championship, as well as the enormous resources that our hosts dedicate to such events.
Steam Launch Blog #24
More progress is made in the Steam Launch Project in Building 28. This week, we look into the planking process.
You may have noticed our planks were not long enough, so we use butt blocks (rather than scarf joints) to reinforce the joints. They fit between ribs, so the joint must be in the middle, and there's a little overlap for the next strake. Joint locations are spaced apart in the rows of strakes so that joints don't run vertically and weaken the boat. Had to look at plans to make sure these wouldn't interfere with internal organs - I was learning.
I was certain that HMCo would have had long enough stock so this wouldn't be required on the original but #240 certainly had its fair share. And I've seen blogs about other HMCo restorations where they found a number of these joints. So need to remember that production speed and profitability were paramount at HMCo!
#199 is double planked. Garboard, broad and sheer are single thickness planks of oak, but remainder of strakes are laminated 1/4" thick mahogany over 1/4" cedar. Per Herreshoff "Rules" strakes were glued together with thick shellac, or with white lead if long drying time was OK, Of course they both were screwed together at the ribs. Since they run parallel to each other they are overlapped. Hence, you'll note the rabbet in broad and sheer strakes.
Lesson Learned: Stay In The Wind
Last Thursday, we took the lead in a race by taking a few extra tacks sailing beyond the layline in order to stay in the wind. Here's what happened:
Our first Thursday night race of the 2020 season was sailed in a southwestly, which is the predominant breeze on western Long Island Sound. On top of the normal breeze, we were faced with an outgoing tide. That meant the first leg was a beat against the current. In these conditions, there are two schools of thought on how to get to the windward mark. The first is to play the left side of the beat, sailing off on starboard until you get close enough to the Long Island shore to get knocked. That's when you tack to port and, hopefully, get the lift as the wind squares up coming off the land. The second approach is to tack to port soon after starting and play the right side of the course between the Westchester shore and Execution Rocks lighthouse. The right side of the course has less adverse current. Playing the middle of the beat is not an option since there is an island, a lighthouse, and a reef in the middle of the beat! It's a "pick your poison" decision.
We saw more wind to the left and headed to the Long Island Shore right off the line with the J/112e REVIVER. They were pointing well and worked out to a position 5-6 boatlengths to windward of use. When we thought that we had crossed the shipping channel and its strong adverse current, we tacked earlier than normal. That way, if REVIVER tacked on us, we would have room to take away. When it was clear that we tacked early and were not getting the shore lift, we tacked back to starboard. Once we got as close to the shore as close as we dared, we tacked back to port. At this point we had lost a bit of ground to REVIVER, which had only tacked once, but we were up on their windward hip.
Full article from UK Sailmakers
Launchings
Following the success of the lounge version of the award-winning Leopard 50, Leopard Catamarans is excited to announce the Leopard 45 with Lounge. Like her big sister, the lounge on the Leopard 45 includes a seating area, a sunbed, and a table. The helm station remains well protected and integrated into the cockpit and the rest of the boat.
The Leopard 45 Sailing Catamaran delivers uncompromised, exceptional build quality throughout, new, sleek styling, a sensible and practical layout, sailing comfort across all sea states, and features innovative technologies and multiple entertainment areas. Follow the link below to learn more about this yacht and be sure to use the "Build Your Boat Tool" to build the boat to your specs and to receive pricing."
From Cruising Compass www.bwsailing.com/cc/
www.leopardcatamarans.com/catamarans/leopard-45
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Melges has signed on as the North American dealer for Skeeta Foiling Craft based in Australia. The singlehanded foiling scows represent the latest developments in foiling technology.
The Skeeta and Nikki are singlehanded foiling crafts built by Jim and David French in Melbourne, AUS. The design's stability and ease are further enhanced by the performance and durability of the wings and aluminum foils.
Harry Melges III traveled to Lake Garda to test sail the Skeeta himself before agreeing to become a dealer. "We've always believed there's a lot of merit to the scow shape as a foiling platform," said Melges. "As the sailing world sets its sights on the future of foiling, it has become increasingly important to offer a craft that makes this new form of sailing more accessible for the masses."
"Our mission is to create more sailors who get hooked on the sport with sailboats that evoke passion and create lifelong sailors. The Skeeta and Nikki are great platforms to do just that. Big kudos to Jim and David French for developing such amazing craft at affordable price points."
The Skeeta and Nikki come pre-assembled and ready to hit the water out of the box. All foiling systems are pre-set. Rig up in 15 minutes and go sailing! Introductory pricing is available for the first shipment of boats.
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X2: The newest fast 30, by Farr
The Mumm 30 as it was originally known, was designed by Farr. This is another crackerjack 30-footer from Farr Yacht Design (FYD); this time in conjunction with Bret Perry's Hyperform Yachting (HY). This is significant, because Perry has completed a lot of short-handed events, as well as winning a race in the mini transit tour in Europe (a qualifying series in the Mediterranean and Atlantic).
Perry spent five years in the Mini Transat class. During that time he co-designed a mini 6.5, which to this day is the only non-French boat accepted into the series class. They ended up building 14 of the RG650, and it was on one of these that Perry won a 500nm Mini 6.5 qualification two-handed event.
Short handed, and especially double-handed is undisputedly on the rise the world over, and the Paris 2024 event at the Olympics both serves as a marker for this, and yet another stimulus to kick the whole thing along. FYD and HY have focused on this market with the development of the new X2 you can see here, making them very much part of this new and exciting market.
"The X2 is built for in and offshore categories, including events such as the Sydney to Hobart Race, and the Fastnet Race. The design brief has the X2 able to compete in all short-handed events globally. Yet it can also be sailed at club level with crew in fleets such as the Super 30s in Australia, or HP 30s in the UK, by way of example", said Perry reflecting on the X2's ability to race in standard rating events as either a short, or fully crewed vessel. FYI, the target IRC Rating is 1.025.
John Curnow has a four part series on the X2 in Sail-World.com
www.sail-world.com/news/227860
Featured Brokerage
1977 Nautor Swan 65 'Eden'. 590000 USD. Located in St. Martin, Caribbean
This Swan 65 has been extremely well cared for throughout her life. Her list of upgrades is endless and her previous owners have all treated her incredibly well. In recent years she has had sails, bow thruster, generator and rebuilt engine.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
ben [DOT] cooper [AT] berthon [DOT] com
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Swan 115-003 Highland Fling 15. 7,950,000 VAT Paid. Located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Highland Fling 15 is Germán Frers design along with the demanding requirements of a highly experienced, serial Swan yacht owner.
See listing details in Nautors Swan Brokerage
Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Thomas Perry
brokerage [AT] nautorswan [DOT] com
Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com
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YYACHTS Y7. POA EUR.
The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.
In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.
All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
T. +49 3834 5858 77-0
E. info [AT] yyachts [DOT] de
www.yyachts.de/en/y7
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
Back on Tuesday
A Father's Day gathering and a bit of travel means no issue on Monday. Back on Tuesday.
The Last Word
Get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me. -- Muhammad Ali
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