In This Issue
• Elusive Two Wins Rolex Middle Sea Race
• Luna Rossa Challenge responds to ETNZ
• Superdocious! Racing Insights and Revelations from Rodney Pattisson
• Updated race management resources for IRC race organisers
• Jon Sanders makes landfall in Australia
• Mirabaud Sailing Video of the Century
• Slingsby and Darmanin reprise top honours at Australian Sailing Awards
• 11th Hour Racing Team to Return to Europe
• Industry News
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Beneteau First 47.7
• • FarEast 28R - New Boat
• • Soto 48 - 'Kuankun'
• The Last Word: Christopher Hitchens
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
Elusive Two Wins Rolex Middle Sea Race
Photo by Rolex / Kurt Arrigo. Click on image to enlarge.
By midnight on Wednesday, 15 of the 50-boat fleet had completed the course. Ten of those were competing under IRC for the overall Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy and the French yacht, Tonnerre de Glen, was the 'clubhouse leader', facing a tense wait to see if their corrected time could be overhauled. With more than 30 boats still on the course, there were plenty with the opportunity, if conditions conspired in their favour. At 0350 CEST, this morning (Thursday), it was all over for Dominique Tian's Tonnerre. The Maltese yacht, Elusive 2, slipped across the line in a fading breeze to take the lead by just over one and a half hours. The burden of waiting had transferred.
That wait was close to 12 hours but, at 1500 CEST, the Royal Malta Yacht Club were satisfied no one out on the course could surpass Elusive 2. As winners of last year's Rolex Middle Sea Race, by winning the 41st edition, the crew of the Beneteau First 45, jointly skippered by Maya, Christoph and Aaron Podesta, had achieved something no boat had managed since 1980 - winning back to back races. The Podesta family chapter in the legend of the race, began by father Arthur back in 1968, continues to grow.
It has taken 40 years for a boat to repeat success in consecutive years. Who would bet against next year being a three-peat.
By 1700 CEST, 25 yachts had completed the course with five yachts retired. In the battle for overall honours in the monohull fleet, the ClubSwan 50 Balthasar (BEL) holds second place and the Maltese yacht, Ton Ton Laferla, skippered by Jonathan Gambin lies in third.
Luna Rossa Challenge responds to ETNZ
Auckland, October 22nd, 2020 - We are disappointed to acknowledge ETNZ's press release. We would therefore like to point out some of the key elements that explain why the Arbitration Panel made the decision to exclude racecourses B and C from the 36th America's Cup.
The America's Cup is governed by a set of rules accepted by all Challengers and the Defender: the Protocol, which guarantees the sporting fairness of the event.
A fundamental rule of the Protocol, art. 3.1, specifically provides that all the PRADA Cup Challengers Selection Series races must be sailed "...within the course areas of the Match...".
In early September, the Challenger of Record discovered, without having been previously involved nor informed by the Defender, that the Round Robins and the Semi-Finals of the Challengers Selection Series - the PRADA Cup - could not be sailed on courses B and C, designated as preferred courses for the Final Match. A situation that the Defender had kept hidden since the end of January/beginning of February.
Upon learning of the situation, the Challenger of Record COR36, supported by all the Challengers, requested that the above-mentioned rule 3.1 be enforced.
With the aim to restore sporting fairness and equity, the Arbitration Panel ruled that either racecourses B and C could be used for all the regattas of the PRADA Cup, or they could not be used at all.
The attacks by Emirates Team New Zealand are intended solely at discrediting the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team with populist pretexts that tend to mask the attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the Challengers who, we repeat, unanimously supported COR 36 by each lodging their own independent submission.
The Arbitration Panel decision - CASE NO. ACAP36/12
The Protocol of the 36th America's Cup
Superdocious! Racing Insights and Revelations from Legendary Olympic Sailor Rodney Pattisson
SIGNED LIMITED EDITION - GREAT XMAS GIFT for any aspiring sailor
What makes an Olympic Champion tick?
This controversial autobiography is a must read for any aspiring champion - a warts and all account of one man's drive to reach the top and the fair and foul methods employed by rivals and established figures within the sport to undermine his continued dominance and influence.
With a foreword by Sir Ben Ainslie and introduction by Admiral Lord Boyce, the former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff who graduated from Dartmouth Naval College with Rodney, and crewed for him in his first Flying Dutchman campaign, the book sets out to determine what makes an Olympic champion.
The winner of fourteen world and European championships in dinghies, multihulls and offshore, Pattisson also dominated the Olympic Flying Dutchman Class for more than a decade during which he won two Gold and a Silver medals
He's a perfectionist when it comes to preparation, and passionate about speed on the water, Rodney's successes stem from a selfless focus on the end goal, a ruthless desire to win and an unquenchable thirst to succeed in everything he does.
An intensely private individual, Rodney has always kept the media at arm's length, viewing press attention as an unwanted distraction from winning. His previously untold story not only charts his own trials and tribulations in becoming one of the best sailors in the world, but also reveals the double standards, deceit, political and sporting interference and outright cheating he had to overcome along the way. Superdocious! is an explosive commentary, on a lifetime of remarkable achievements in an international sport that Rodney made his own. His story will shock, amaze and inspire not just today's young sailors looking to realise their own dreams, but every sportsman and woman around the world.
Special limited edition signed by Rodney Pattisson is available only from South Atlantic Publishing southatlanticpublishing.com/ priced £20.00 + P&P
“‘Loved this book - a 'tell all' classic from one of sailing’s true greats, well written and wonderfully story rich. I was always impressed by Rodney's talent and approach and now even more so”. -- Double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson
Updated race management resources for IRC race organisers
Clubs running yacht racing using the International Rating Certificate (IRC) rating rule can find a myriad of useful resources on the IRC website, including the Race Management Guidelines which have recently been updated with some useful tips picked up from clubs running racing during the Coronavirus pandemic. These updates include ideas for reducing crew numbers and highlighting the benefits for club racing. Race format suggestions have been added that can reduce the number of race support personnel required. There is also an additional section on ways of encouraging youth and mixed gender to IRC racing using the crew number limits.
The Race Management Guidelines range from the basics of how to invoke IRC rules to advice for clubs who would like to tailor the rules in more detail in their Notice of Race, where permitted. Subjects include class split ideas, rating change deadlines, crew limits, endorsed certificates, non-spinnaker and short-handed racing, protests, and safety and stability screening. There are also recommendations on course setting, dual scoring with performance handicap, policing and equipment inspection.
A very useful tool for clubs is the online list of boats holding a current IRC certificate; boats must hold a current certificate to race and these expire on 31st December (or 31st May in some countries) each year. The online list is updated every evening and has a search facility as well as the option to download the full list.
As part of its Racing Rules Guidance the Royal Yachting Association in the UK publishes guidance on protests concerning alleged breaches of IRC rules and these can also be found on the IRC website.
To access all this information see the IRC Racing section
The RORC Rating Office will be more than happy to help with questions or further advice, please contact the team at info [AT] rorcrating [DOT] com.
Jon Sanders makes landfall in Australia
Photo by Stephen Davis. Click on image to enlarge.
A global pandemic and some of the worst ocean conditions experienced in decades have not stopped world renowned Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders AO OBE from reaching home soil on his record 11th solo circumnavigation of the world.
The 81-year-old sailing legend docked in the Queensland town of Bundaberg this morning after battling three huge storm systems on the latest leg of his journey.
The veteran sailor stared down some of the worst conditions he had seen in decades, with winds exceeding 120km/hour battering his boat and causing damage to key navigation equipment.
The ferocity of the storms forced Sanders to sail with a bare mast, dragging a tyre as a sea-anchor, in an attempt to keep the boat facing into the wind and waves. Despite his heroic efforts, his vessel Perie Banou II took on so much water that the engine was flooded and couldn't generate backup power or be used in an emergency.
As a result, Sanders completed his journey much like Captain James Cook - using only a paper chart and sextant for navigation.
Sanders has sailed more than 40,000km since leaving Fremantle almost a year ago on his journey to raise awareness of plastic pollution - one of the greatest health and environmental threats facing our planet. -- Jean Perkins in Sail-World.com
Mirabaud Sailing Video of the Century
The 2020 edition of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award is officially launched and the votes are open! The public is invited to vote online for their favourite video of this special edition, rewarding the best videos produced since 2000. The votes are open until 12 November.
40 videos were submitted. The 2020 edition of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award rewards the best videos produced between 2000 and 2020, allowing directors, editors, cameramen and producers to enter the competition despite a complicated year.
17 nationalities are represented for the fourth edition of the competition, with videos that perfectly illustrate the world of sailing. From dinghy to the Ultimes multihulls, from training to racing, with of course several videos of the Vendee Globe which will start in a few days. Emotions, thrills and adrenaline guaranteed!
The public is invited to vote online from today until 12 November in order to determine the winners of the Public Award.
In parallel, the six members of the international jury are currently selecting the main winners of the competition, based on three criteria: general appreciation, quality of the production and originality.
The winners will be announced on Monday 23 November, by press release and on the social networks.
Vote: www.sailingvideoaward.com/videos.html
Slingsby and Darmanin reprise top honours at Australian Sailing Awards
Tom Slingsby and Lisa Darmanin have taken out top honours at the 2020 Australian Sailing Awards, with the Olympic-medal winning athletes being crowned Male Sailor of the Year for the fourth time and Female Sailor of the Year for the third time respectively.
London 2012 gold medallist Slingsby had a stand-out year, helming the victorious Australia SailGP Team and winning the 2019 Moth World Championships in Perth. "I'm extremely humbled by this," Slingsby said. "I'm fortunate that I got some great sailing in at the end of 2019. I love sailing. I do the moths purely because I love the sport of sailing."
Tokyo Olympic selection Darmanin is still focussed on the tough year of training ahead despite the challenges of the past year. "2020 is not the year I had planned, but I am sure that is the same for many out there," Darmanin said. "It has been a pretty good twelve months with back-to-back worlds and qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics which we are going to have to wait another year for. We are training hard and we hope to bring home gold for Australia next year."
Darmanin, along with cousin and skipper Jason Waterhouse, claimed back-to-back bronze medals at the two Nacra 17 World championships held during the awards nomination period.
This has been an unusual year for sailing, and the world, and due to CODIV-19 a physical award ceremony was unable to be held. To honour the past year's top achievers, winners have been announced online throughout this week with videos recognising each winner's accomplishments. -- Michael Martin, Head of Commercial and Communications, Australian Sailin
Full list of Award Winners:
Male Sailor of the Year
Tom Slingsby OAM - Gosford Sailing Club
Female Sailor of the Year
Lisa Darmanin - Manly 16' Skiff Sailing Club
Para Sailor of the Year
Chris Symonds - Wynyard Yacht Club
Youth Sailor of the Year
Scott Whitehead - Townsville Yacht Club
Offshore Sailor of the Year
Matt Allen AM - Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
Sport Promotion Award
Royal Geelong Yacht Club
Sports Professional Award
Jack Buchan - Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
Sustainability Award
Ocean Crusaders - Ian Thomson & Annika Thomson
SheSails Award
Clare Alexander - Double Bay Sailing Club
Volunteer Award
James & Chris Mitchell - Sandringham Yacht Club
Club of the Year
Royal Geelong Yacht Club
Official of the Year
Stephen Aulich - Sandringham Yacht Club
Coach of the Year
Michael Blackburn - Australian Sailing Team
Instructor of the Year
Diane Kelsey- Townsville Sailing Club
SOLAS Trust Bravery Award
Christian Charalambous
President's Award
David Tillett AM
Lifetime Achievement Award
Gordon Ingate
11th Hour Racing Team to Return to Europe
Newport, Rhode Island: After seven weeks of training in Newport, Rhode Island, 11th Hour Racing Team has unveiled its winter 2020 plans, starting with a Transatlantic crossing from the USA to Concarneau, France, at the end of October. The team sailed the reverse trip at the beginning of August 2020, bringing the boat to the USA for the first time.
The 11th Hour Racing Team IMOCA 60 (the former Hugo Boss 6 which came second in the 2016 Vendée Globe) will undergo a winter refit before the crew reconvenes in Europe in early 2021 for more training.
Joining skipper Charlie Enright (USA), Simon Fisher, Rob Greenghalgh (GBR), Kyle Langford (AUS) and media crew member Amory Ross (USA) for the Atlantic crossing will be Swiss offshore sailor, Justine Mettraux (SUI). Mettraux has spent the past seven years competing at the very top of offshore sailing, despite starting her sailing career on the lakes of landlocked Switzerland. She came second in the Mini Transat in 2013 and raced for four seasons in the Figaro solo offshore circuit. Mettraux has previous experience in The Ocean Race having sailed two legs onboard Dongfeng Race Team, the overall winner of the 2017-18 edition and on Team SCA in the 2014-15 race.
Being in Europe also allows the Team the opportunity to take part in some of the French-run IMOCA 60 racing next year, including the Défi Azimut in September 2021, and the Transat Jacques Vabre double-handed race to Brazil in October, as well as the RORC organized Rolex Fastnet Race in August which will finish for the first time in Cherbourg, France.
Industry News
How best to manage London's busy waterways is to be discussed with boaters and other stakeholders.
Against the backdrop of a record high and growing boat numbers in the capital, the Canal & River Trust is asking what approach should be taken for managing very congested areas, and how respondents can help.
Over the past decade the number of boats using the London waterways has more than doubled to a record high.
Without additional measures to manage the areas of highest demand, the Trust says it is likely that the ever-growing number of boats will impact on everyone's enjoyment of the waterways.
In parts of central and inner London, mooring space and boater facilities are already under pressure; the Trust has no legal powers to stop or restrict the number of licensed boats on the water, so it says creative solutions to help manage growing boat numbers are necessary.
Waterways users are invited to share their views in writing, via an online survey, or virtual meetings on the Trust website until early January 2021.
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WASZP is very pleased to announce another monumental step forward in the development of a unique class administration pathway. WASZP is pleased to welcome Martin Evans as its Global Class manager. This is a pivotal moment in the evolution of the WASZP class, which has never been afraid to do things its own way to cater directly for its sailors needs, no matter who they are or where they're based.
Martin has in-depth experience of the sailing industry from a number of angles. He is a former member of the British Sailing Team campaigning the Laser class and has since raced and coached professionally across a range of classes. His working background includes an integral role in the commercial department of the Extreme Sailing Series as well as overall manager of the Flying Phantom Series, which was run as part of the ESS and took teams to events in Oman, Europe and China. Since, Martin has had a taste of life in the slow lane, having renovated his own cruising boat and sailed 12,000 miles, including two Atlantic crossings, on an extended honeymoon. WASZP is looking forward to benefitting from Martin's commercial and events acumen as well as his rounded knowledge of the sport as a whole.
Martin will be reporting directly to Marc Ablett, Head of Product and Sales/Marketing at WASZP
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Next year's Poole Harbour Boat Show has been cancelled as a result of continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic.
The show is the largest, free to attend boat show in the UK and attracts more than 32,000 visitors each year. After cancelling the 2020 show which was due to take place in June, event organisers Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) have confirmed that the show will not go ahead in 2021 either, but that they hope to see it return in 2022.
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Dear Yacht Racing Forum partners and stakeholders,
We have decided to drop the project of online Yacht Racing Forum.
The response from the industry has been slow; I guess it reflects the current state of the world and perhaps people are also getting tired of online conferences.
We always said that we would only organise this event if we could stage it professionally, which isn't the case in the current context. We will therefore concentrate on the real conference next year in Portsmouth and look forward to working with you on this occasion.
Thank you for your support and kind regards
Bernard Schopfer
http://www.yachtracingforum.com/forum/
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IBI and METSTRADE, in association with Raymarine, have announced a special one-off virtual edition of the Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement in 2020 to take place on December 10. It will acknowledge the challenges, ingenuity and resolve of our industry in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
Headline sponsored once again by Raymarine, this year's Awards will be held virtually on December 10, from 4pm-5pm (CET) with five key awards - two of which will be entirely new categories spotlighting the industry's response to the Covid-19 crisis. The online Boat Builder Awards ceremony will be available to watch via the METSTRADE Connect web based interactive platform, which will be released shortly. To gain access to this online platform, a free of charge registration is required. More details will be available on METSTRADE.com from November 12.
The two new special awards for 2020 will be:
Exceptional Commercial Achievement In An Unprecedented Year, sponsored by Kohler
This award is for boatbuilders or shipyards that have implemented strategies or protocols that not only protected their business and team but also enabled them to emerge strongly from lockdown.
Community Support Initiative, sponsored by Fusion
This award is for a boatbuilder or shipyard and its employees who showed great social awareness by channelling resources, expertise or manufacturing capabilities to aid wider community Covid-19 crisis support.
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boot Dusseldorf to hold digital pre-show conference
With 13 weeks to go before the world's largest boat show is due to open, project director Petros Michelidakis announced today that he will be leading a digital press conference on the 4th of November to report on the status of preparations for the show and the industry's upcoming prospects.
Supported by representatives from leading European trade and water sports associations who will also participate, the conference will be live streamed and available on the press section of boot.com
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FarEast 28R - NEW BOAT
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Soto 48 KUANKUN TOO
After building a first custom Soto 48 carbon boat cruiser-racer KUANKUN, the owner decided to build a new full racer custom Soto 48 KUAN KUN TOO. Perfectly maintained by a professional crew from launching, with a complete set of sails, she is ready to go racing and optimized for ORC.
KUANKUN TOO is a full racer boat built in carbon and Nomex, Pre-peg. Designed by Javier Soto-Acebak and built by Mboat (Argentina) with objective to race ORC. Won several years the Peruvian championship and participate to several international races. Mast Southern Spars with carbon Future Fibers rig, B&G H3000 electronic and large set of NS sails.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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Please email for full details rgindre [AT] globe-sailing [DOT] com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
To the dumb question "Why me?" the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply: why not? -- Christopher Hitchens
Editorial and letter submissions to editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: gb [AT] beesonstone [DOT] com or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html