In This Issue
• Macaire Stays Cool To Secure Figaro Stage 1 Victory
• Spanish take control of Finn Europeans in Gdynia
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Thrilling Start for Landsail Tyres J-Cup
• IMOCA General Meeting
• The 100th Anniversary of RESOLUTE's Defense and the 13th Challenge
• RS Aero UK Open & Nationals Championship - Overall
• America's Cup Race 1930
• 33 Solo Sailors At The Start, Record Broken
• Christophe Simian
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Pilot Classic 83
• • Outremer 4X - New Boat
• • TP52 - Gladiator
• The Last Word: Carl Sagan
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
Macaire Stays Cool To Secure Figaro Stage 1 Victory
Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) crossed the finish line on the Baie-de-Saint Brieuc at 06:17:55hrs French time this Thursday morning to win the 642 nautical miles first stage of the 51st La Solitaire du Figaro. His elapsed time is 3 days 17hrs 55mins, finishing only 1 min 35 seconds ahead of second placed Lois Berrehar (Bretagne CMB Performance). Alexis Loison (Region Normandie) completed the podium 7mins and 3 seconds after Macaire.
It is the first ever stage win for 39 year old Macaire on a Figaro solo racing career which spans ten years and which includes two overall podiums, second in 2013 and third in 2016.
Macaire was denied a stage win on the last leg in 2015. After finishing first across the line into Dieppe he was judged to have sailed inside a forbidden zone some 18 miles from the finish and was penalised an hour by the jury.
Macaire is based out of Les Sables d'Olonne and races with the Team Vendee Formation. He took the lead of the 35 boat Figaro Beneteau fleet of solo racers during a very challenging first night in very light and unstable winds.
On the quick spinnaker return from the Fastnet lighthouse, the midpoint of the stage which was rounded on Tuesday evening, Macaire retained almost metronomic consistency when under constant pressure from the chasing pack he held his ground to secure the narrowest of victories this morning.
The final miles into the finish line of Saint Quay Portrieux had all the intensity of an inshore championship finale, Macaire covered young pretender Lois Bennehar, 27, through a dogged match race in a lightening breeze but the older sailor prevailed by just one minute and 35 seconds.
Stage 2, a 497nm course between Baie de Saint-Brieuc to Dunkerkerque, starts Sunday 6 September and is expected to take 3 days to complete. Victory in the Figaro is for total accumulated time over four legs.
Top ten, leg 1
1. Xavier Macaire - Groupe SNEF - Time on water: 3D 17H 17M 55S
2. Lois Berrehar - Bretagne CMB Performance - Time on water: 3D 17H 19M 30S
3. Alexis Loison - Region Normandie - Time on water: 3D 17H 24M 58S
4. Armel Le Cleac'h - Banque Populaire Finish - Time on water: 3D 17H 28M 15S
5. Fabien Delahaye - Laboratoires Gilbert - Time on water: 3D 17H 30M 50S
6. Tom Laperche - Bretagne CMB Espoir - Time on water: 3D 17H 31M 26S
7. Pierre Quiroga - Skipper MACIF 2019 - Time on water: 3D 17H 33M 15S
8. Tanguy Le Turquais - Groupe Queguiner - Innoveo - Time on water: 3D 17H 36M 48S
9. Corentin Douguet - NF Habitat - Time on water: 3D 17H 37M 4S
10. Frederic Duthil - Technique Voile - Cabinet Bourhis Generali - Time on water: 3D 17H 37M 36S
Spanish take control of Finn Europeans in Gdynia
Spain's, Alejandro Muscat has taken the lead at the 2020 U23, Open and Masters Finn European Championship after two more races in Gdynia, Poland. Giles Scott, from Britain drops to second, while Zsombor Berecz, from Hungary, moves up to third. The race wins went to Joan Cardona, from Spain, and Nils Theuninck, from Switzerland.
There are 70 Finns from 27 nations taking part. Cardona is also the leading U23 while Milan Vujasinovic, from Croatia, is the leading Master.
The day was sailed in 10-13 knots, with low cloud, the occasional glimpse of blue sky and ended with a rain shower that affected the end of Race 4. The points at the top are very close, but with one more race the discard comes into effect.
Racing continues Friday with a 10 race series scheduled. The championship concludes on Sunday 6 September.
Top Ten Results after four races
1. Alejandro Muscat, ESP, 20
2. Giles Scott, GBR, 23
3. Zsombor Berecz, HUN, 23
4. Nils Theuninck, SUI, 25
5. Joan Cardona Mendez, ESP, 27
6. Henry Wetherell, GBR, 29
7. Nenad Bugarin, CRO, 31
8. Facundo Olezza Bazan, ARG, 33
9. Alican Kaynar, TUR, 50
10. Nicholas Heiner, NED, 51
Seahorse September 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Blend of all the talents
The marriage of the champion young Italian yacht designer Matteo Polli and the strong, successful and well-proven technical team at Grand Soleil really is now delivering some remarkable yachts
Overstepping the mark
Andrew Mccirvine is not impressed when the sport’s governing body tries to stop owners enjoying their boats; and scares race organisers
Prolific
It all started with the little Ragtime... Carol Cronin sits down with J/Boats founder Rod Johnstone
Knife, gunfight
The new Bieker Moth is a thing of beauty; this we know already. And now we know it’s fast, too. Paul Bieker, Leopold Fricke and Thomas Hahn
Nature’s genius
Timber is still perhaps the ultimate composite material... when used with the best of modern technology
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Thrilling Start for Landsail Tyres J-Cup
50 J Boats have entered the Landsail Tyres J-Cup and the sizeable fleet had a thrilling start to the three-day regatta with a fresh south-westerly breeze gusting over 25 knots. The RORC Race Team, led by PRO Stuart Childerley, completed one race for all classes before the tide changed, stirring up an already agitated Solent. Class winners on the opening day were Gavin Howe's J/88 Tigris, David Greenhalgh's J/92 J'ronimo, Tony & Sally Mack's J/111 McFly, Simon Perry's J/109 Jiraffe and Paul Ward's J/70 Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat.
In IRC One, three former J-Cup winners filled the podium for the first race of the regatta. Gavin Howe's J/88 Tigris won by just 22 seconds on corrected time from David & Kirsty Apthorp's J/88 J-Dream. Chaz Ivill's J/112E Davanti Tyres was third.
In IRC Two, David Greenhalgh's J/92 J'ronimo revelled in the conditions to take line honours and the race win after time correction by nearly three minutes. Nick Munday's J/97 Induljence was second and Becky Walford's J/92 Brenda's J was third.
In the J/111 Class, Tony & Sally Mack's McFly opened their defence of the J/111 UK National Championship with a solid performance taking the race win. Chris Jones' Journeymaker II was second and Tim Tolcher's Raging Bull 2 was third.
In the J/109 Class, also their UK National Championship, Simon Perry's Jiraffe was today's race winner. Mike & Susie Yates' Jago was second and David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish was third.
Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat won a high-speed encounter in the J/70 Class. Nick Phillips racing RTYC Charter boat Chaotic, only racing in a J/70 for the second time, was runner up. Tim Collins racing EV Experts was third.
The daily prize givings were held at the RORC Clubhouse. Dividing the fleet for social distancing, the J Boat family enjoyed complimentary pasta and a bottle beer and applauded today's prize winners. Racing continues tomorrow, Friday 4th September, with lighter winds forecast for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup. -- Louay Habib
IMOCA General Meeting
The IMOCA Class meeting marking the end of the summer holidays was held on Thursday 27th August using virtual technology. This meeting enabled the members of the Class to carry out an early appraisal of what has happened in 2020, to vote on the next cycle (2021-2025) of the IMOCA Globe Series and to plan the route for what lies ahead. A very thorough, international race programme with two round the world races - the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race - was approved, as were the overall ideas for the new class rules. Today, we look at some of the key elements.
2020 Vendee Globe, 65 days to go: the clock is ticking for the IMOCA skippers
Registration for the Vendee Globe has just been completed, thus concluding four seasons of preparation and qualification for the round-the-world race through the IMOCA Globe Series Championship. The skippers are now in the final stages of sailing and training before the start on November 8. Many of them will be present in Lorient from 9th to 13th September for the 10th Defi Azimut with four days of racing, switching between speed runs, an offshore race and the race around the Island of Groix.
2021-2025: 18 races, 2 round the world races, 14 countries visited
There was a vote in favour of the IMOCA Globe Series race programme for the 2021-2025 period. "We are proud to be able to announce a packed, high quality schedule with wide support from our teams," explained Antoine Mermod. "It seemed essential for us to come up with a solid programme for the competitors and current and future partners. That confirms the robustness of our model, which brings together the world's leading ocean races." No fewer than eighteen solo, double-handed and crewed races feature in the programme with in particular the two big round the world races: The 2022-2023 edition of The Ocean Race and the 2024-2025 Vendee Globe. We will also see once again some prestigious races that the IMOCA skippers already know: the Transat Jacques Vabre (in 2021 and 2023), the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe (in 2022), The Transat CIC (in 2024), the New York-Vendee-Les Sables d'Olonne (in 2024). The Azimut Challenge officially becomes part of the championship and the Vendee-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne race will take place again in 2022.
In June 2021, a new race linking Brittany to the Mediterranean will be organised called The Ocean Race Europe, which will take place with crewed racing and with stopovers, a concept that won over the IMOCA members. Several towns have already signed up and applications are now open for the start location in Brittany and a stopover in the South of France.
The 100th Anniversary of RESOLUTE's Defense and the 13th Challenge
Part Three: Captain Nat's Last Campaign (1913 - 1920)
The 1920 Cup campaign was unlike any other Capt. Nat had experienced. There was no new boat to design and build; no Herreshoff boats from a previous Cup to refurbish to challenge the new defender. Older brother John Brown Herreshoff (J.B.H.) was gone. Sorely missing was J.B.'s firm hand directing a profitable partnership. Nat was now the president of a stock company, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (HMCo.), accountable to a board of directors. There were few competing projects - never before in a Cup year had the workload been so low. If not for completing the schooner OHONKARA (HMCo. #827) and the new 1919 S Boats in production, the shops would have been empty. Before the year was out the board would decide to indefinitely close the shops, except for small boats and the sail loft.
In 1915 Cornelius Vanderbilt chartered VANITIE to race against RESOLUTE (HMCo. #725), adding Butler Duncan (DEFENDER (HMCo. #452) and CONSTITUTION (HMCo. #551) syndicates) to the afterguard and stealing Capt. Christensen from RESOLUTE. Capt. Nat experimented with rigs adding more sail area to increase RESOLUTE's rating. In the summer's races VANITIE made some gains, winning four out of sixteen starts. For their part the English considered it extremely unfair of the Americans to race the Cup boats while England was engaged in the "war to end all wars''.
Within a month of the Armistice the Royal Ulster Yacht Club (RUYC) challenged for a race in 1919. On Dec. 19, 1918 the NYYC declined, "...with peace not yet concluded, and with a long list of casualties still to be reported, with returning transports bringing home our wounded...it is not appropriate or fitting for us to arrange a ...sporting event of such importance as the America's Cup." They offered, if challenged to race SHAMROCK IV in 1920 they would defend with one of the boats built in 1914.[3]
On Aug 2, 1919 RUYC proposed conditions for a race to start the next June. NYYC's Oct. 20th response proposed a July start and to move the race to Newport. -- John Palmieri, Curator Emeritus
RS Aero UK Open & Nationals Championship - Overall
The RS Aero UK Nationals was the Class' first event in a racing deprived 2020 and over 100 RS Aero sailors were ready for it with many more disappointed to not be able to join the championship this year.
Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club is not a large club but they had mobilised a small army of enthusiastic volunteers, passionate to support racing activity and create a wonderfully welcoming environment to their guests in difficult circumstances. An incredible amount of thought and planning had gone in to the creation of a socially distanced and hygienic environment from which a 100+ RS Aero championship was able to take place. No stone was left unturned in their efforts with detailed risk assessments, split meal & launch groupings, face coverings, regular sanitisation, portaloos cleaned after every visit, one way systems, generously proportioned boat berths, an online notice board, pre recorded briefing and a 'hands off' tally system!
Over the 4 days Eastbourne's open water venue provided a variety of racing conditions to suit everyone at some point. Strong & light breezes, wonderful Eastbourne waves and flat water, both clear cross-shore winds and a challenging off-shore breeze too. There were opportunities for all weight ranges, coastal wave specialists and inland shift sniffers too!
With a stiff breeze forecast from the outset the small RS Aero 9 fleet opted to join the RS Aero 7s which made two good near equal fleets of 57 and 47 competitors, much to the race officers pleasure. The RS Aero 9 fleet is set to make its comeback whenever conditions suit.
www.facebook.com/groups/rsaeroclass/
www.rsaerosailing.org
America's Cup Race 1930
Watch historic footage of SHAMROCK V and ENTERPRISE duking it out during the 1930 America's Cup off of Newport, RI. The press and radio boats and preparation footage make it particularly fun to spectate from the future. Spoiler alert: Lipton doesn't win.
33 Solo Sailors At The Start, Record Broken
Never has a Vendee Globe aroused so much enthusiasm: 33 solo sailors will leave the pontoons at Les Sables d'Olonne on Sunday 8 November for the circumnavigation of the world. An amazing record for this 9 th edition.
Six women will be in the race. It can also be noted that the proportion of rookies - repeat offenders is practically in balance. The Vendee Globe has become a race that has been competed more than once, a sign that the event has reached full maturity in all its dimensions.
To be finally registered in the Vendee Globe , it was necessary that the contenders have completed their registration file at 1 st September, responding on paperwork and medical, have validated a qualification course, not to produce a measurement certificate valid before October 15th. The time allowed for this certificate is intended to allow the teams to work on the last modifications before freezing the configuration of the boat for the race.
A few competitors have validated their qualification for the Vendee - Arctic - Les Sables d'Olonne , run in July, by completing a solo course equivalent to the distance of a transatlantic race. So Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) , Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori) saw their horizon to clear through the finish line near the buoy Nouch South in July. They were joined by Clement Giraud who, blessed with his participation in the Vendee - Arctic - Les Sables d'Olonne, will be able to participate in the Vendee Globe on Erik Nigon's boat who was unable to raise the necessary funds to be at the departure.
Other competitors skipped the qualifying race in July, reserving their efforts for the 2000-mile solo course (called the complementary course, or substitute course for those who experienced technical setbacks during the last race. qualifying) required by the race director.
- On September 17, at the Palais Brongniart in Paris, there will be a press conference to present the event with all the sailors (subject to the rules imposed by health conditions).
- On Friday October 16, the entire fleet must have reached Port Olona for the inauguration of the Vendee Globe village and the start of the gauge checks. There will be three weeks left before the big departure.
Christophe Simian
It is with the greatest sadness that we report the death of Christophe Simian. He had been unwell for some time and had been lately unable to carry out his work in support of Speed Sailing in the South of France. He always wrote cheerful positive messages to us but, after a long courageous fight, he finally succumbed to cancer.
Christophe was closely involved with the historically important speed sailing event at St Marie de la Mer, where originally he was the chief timekeeper (building up and improving much of the timing equipment) before taking over as the developer and organiser of the whole event. As a result of his expertise he became the senior WSSR Commissioner in France and was appointed as a WSSR Council Member in 2010. He was a huge asset to the WSSRC and, among other things, was responsible for training a number of other Commissioners so that the sport in France could continue in the event of his untimely death.
Christophe, who died at the much too young age of 61, will be much missed.
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
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* From Ken Smith, Brisbane Queensland Australia. re: 12 Footer I used to sail the Australian 12 dinghy back to the 1960`s clinker built. Vendatta was the boat's name at Largs Bay sailing Club, it was one of the best times I had in my Life. It was a junior class back then 16 to 18. The boat had a jib and bow Sprit. I am now 74 and have cancer but seeing this litte boat brings tears to my eyes.
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