In This Issue
• Troussel Dismasts
• Week 1 Vendee Globe Special with Conrad Colman
• Beyou and Charal arrives back in Les Sables-d'Olonne
• Re-writing the rules - Nautor Swan
• INEOS Team UK: Britannia - 15th Nov 2020
• 18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 7
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• Bluetack wins first Farr 40 one design trophy
• Countdown to the ARC start
• Electric Power Adds a New Element to Kilrush-Built Traditional Galway Bay Gleoiteog
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: Noisy Oyster
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 40-115 Mataran
• • PAC/TP52 - "Rio"
• • YYachts Y7
• The Last Word: Harvey Pekar
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
Troussel Dismasts
This morning came the first dismasting of this Vendee Globe when Nicolas Troussel called in to say he had lost the rig on board his brand new Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed CORUM L'Epargne. He was racing in seventh place at the time, a few miles to leeward of Louis Burton's Bureau Vallee 2.
The 46-year-old Troussel, who led in the early stages of the race, was reported to be uninjured and was securing his boat prior to - almost certainly - diverting to the nearby Cape Verde Islands which were about 260 nautical miles southeast of him.
This is a big loss to the race and a huge disappointment to a much-fancied team led by the former two-time Solitaire du Figaro winner who was sailing one of only two "Juan K" boats in the fleet (the other being Sebastien Simon's ARKEA PAPREC in 13th position) and whose campaign is project-managed by Greg Evrard with Michel Desjoyeaux who built the boat in Port-La-Foret.
Week 1 Vendee Globe Special with Conrad Colman
Justin and Conrad pay due respect to the wily skills of French veteran Vendee Globe campaigner Jean Le Cam who aboard his daggerboard IMOCA 60 has been duking it out for the lead with the modern foilers
We find out just how Alex Thomson managed to wriggle his way from mid-fleet to leading the race - and it was not all about raw boat speed
Conrad answers a listener question about how the solo skippers generate the electrical power they need to run all their instruments aboard their IMOCA 60s as they race around the world
We find out from Conrad what all the fuss is about Tropical Storm Theta, how it might impact the race, and what route he expects the skippers to take when they get close to it
Beyou and Charal arrives back in Les Sables-d'Olonne
Jeremie Beyou arrived in the early afternoon in Les Sables-d'Olonne, a difficult U-turn to undertake after 4 years of preparation. Now, a race against the clock is underway to carry out repairs in time to allow him to set sail again on this 9th edition of the Vendee Globe.
Re-writing the rules - Nautor Swan
Conventional wisdom suggests that promoting a maxi-sized one design will always be a challenge. But then who cares about convention when a boat like this pops up on your radar?
Despite the continued growth and success of one-design classes around the world, there's a reason why there has not been an 80ft onedesign since the Grand Mistral Maxi class of 1999. For many owners, winning at this size has frequently been as much about smart thinking and engineering their own private advantage, as it has been about success on the racecourse. Onedesign takes all that away. The big guns at Nautor's Swan know this, some of them have been a part of those very circuits, but they also believe that the landscape is different today and that their recently announced ClubSwan 80 one-design will succeed.
The announcement of this striking, all-out 80ft racer marks another bold step forward for a builder that has reinvented itself once again
Full article in the December issue of Seahorse
INEOS Team UK: Britannia - 15th Nov 2020
This is Britannia coming in from her day out sailing, mainly out of view from North Head, around Race Course E. I wasn't able to see them sailing during the day but they were looking really good as they sailed back in.
As they approach you can see they go to tack and then hold it back...there were a couple of boats in the area at the time so probably just wanting to stay clear. Great to see the crew close up hard at work in their side facing stations.
Wind at time of filming:
12-15kts SW (from bottom right corner of screen, camera POV)
Filmed from:
North Head -- Justin Mitchell
18ft Skiffs Spring Championship, Race 7
Click on image for photo gallery.
Sydney Harbour: A great all-the-way win to the Smeg 18ft Skiff team in today's final race of the Australian 18 Footer League's Spring Championship series wasn't enough to take the overall title from today's second placed Yandoo team, which finished four points ahead of its nearest rival.
After the seven races, Yandoo (John Winning, Mike Kennedy, Jasper Warren) finished with a total of 29 points, followed by Australian champion tech2 (Jack Macartney, Charlie Wyatt, Lewis Brake) on 33, and today's winning Smeg team (Michael Coxon, Ricky Bridge, Trent Barnabas) in third place on 40 points.
Winning Group (John Winning Jr.) finished fourth on 50 points followed by Bird and Bear (Tom Clout) on 58 and Finport Finance (Keagan York) on 62 points.
The 'threat' of a freshening north east wind convinced most teams to go for their smaller #2 rigs and the race to the first set of 3-buoy windward marks was both exciting and close as the fleet was spread wide across the harbour.
Andoo (Marcus Ashley-Jones), Finport Finance, Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Jim Colley) and Smeg were prominent along with tech2 and Bird and Bear.
Race 1 of the NSW Championship will be conducted next Sunday, November 22. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
The 12th annual contest this year follows the formula of recent years... the winner is a combination of best stories, most votes... and best drink.
Any bar would be hard pressed to top this one, from 2018 winner Cloggy's in Falmouth Antigua: the Cloggy's Delight:
Wight Vodka
Elderflower liqueur
Prosecco
Fresh mint
Raspberries
And a dash of soda water
Tell us about YOUR favorite bar: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars
Bluetack wins first Farr 40 one design trophy
With four bullets from eight races and winning consecutive boat of the day flags, the newest team to the Farr 40 Class Bluetack took out their first one design trophy.
There was absolutely no stopping the Bluetack crew from holding onto their substantial lead from day one
PRO Denis Thompson set a course for the final four races from Clark Island to Nielsen Park in light to moderate breeze from the north east averaging 10-14 knots. It was a busy day on Sydney Harbour and after close starts, all boats tried to make gains using the lift off Bradley's Head, creating close quarter combat.
Tacticians had their hands full with many port and starboard calls creating plenty of action.
While Nutcracker owner Rob Davis was stuck in Melbourne, his newly appointed substitute helmsman Jamie Wilmot, along with a few other Wilmot's, scored consistently over the two days placing them second overall.
Gordon Ketelbey's Zen took some time to find their groove and after a fairly ordinary first day came out of the blocks and smashed out a stunning win in race 6. Ketelbey laughed in his casual gracious way, "Well, yeah we left our run a bit late but it was great to get a win and some better scores today. There were some good teams out there and we are really happy for the Bluetack guys. It was a brilliant weekend with awesome tight racing and the whole fleet performed superbly."
That's a wrap for 2020 and the Class will next reconvene on 30th & 31st January 2021 at Middle Harbour Yacht Club. -- Jennie Hughes, Farr 40 Australian Class Administrator
Countdown to the ARC start
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: With just one week to go until the start of the 35th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, almost all of the boats have arrived in Las Palmas and preparations continue in the final week before the start on Sunday 22 November.
The pre-departure programme in Gran Canaria has been adapted this year to see the popular ARC seminars move online covering a myriad of topics for cruising sailors to assist with their final preparations. Focusing on the safety of the crews, a live demonstration of an air-sea rescue was staged off the marina on Thursday. The ARC safety team have been busy around the docks, visiting every boat and running through the safety equipment and boat checks as part of the requirement for entering the rally.
Although the bulk of the fleet, including the 13 family boats, sail across in the cruising division which allows engines to be used and an element of fun competition, five boats will race over to Saint Lucia under IRC Ratings. These include the largest yacht in the fleet at 27m, Nordsee 88, Songbird of London. Competitive skippers, including JP Dick on The Kid and Peter Perenyi on Cassiopeia 68, will be keeping the current record of 8 days 6 hours set by Rambler 88 in 2016, in mind. The multihulls have also come marching in the ARC 2020, with 18 catamarans lining up, half of which are new builds in 2020, putting their first ocean miles under their keels this year. Of the 60 boats taking part, the German Pogo 30 Yuna at 9.14m is the smallest.
Although the bulk of the fleet, including the 13 family boats, sail across in the cruising division which allows engines to be used and an element of fun competition, five boats will race over to Saint Lucia under IRC Ratings. These include the largest yacht in the fleet at 27m, Nordsee 88, Songbird of London. Competitive skippers, including JP Dick on The Kid and Peter Perenyi on Cassiopeia 68, will be keeping the current record of 8 days 6 hours set by Rambler 88 in 2016, in mind. The multihulls have also come marching in the ARC 2020, with 18 catamarans lining up, half of which are new builds in 2020, putting their first ocean miles under their keels this year. Of the 60 boats taking part, the German Pogo 30 Yuna at 9.14m is the smallest.
Electric Power Adds a New Element to Kilrush-Built Traditional Galway Bay Gleoiteog
Photo by Steve Morris. Click on image to enlarge.
Steve Morris of Kilrush Boatyard and his lead boat-builder Dan Mill are busy these days, as their team have two further Dublin Bay 21s under construction for the Hal Sisk/Fionan de Barra project, and this week they launched the new "Gleoiteog with a difference" for a local couple who sought a traditional sailing boat with impeccable ecological credentials. Thus while they realised auxiliary power was a requirement, the clients insisted on an electric auxiliary unit, and this has been achieved with a Torqueedo turbine incorporated in the rudder, which suggests there's quite a bit of Antipodean savvy and ingenuity being applied to the boat-building scene down in West Clare.
From ahead, the new boat looks like an interesting refinement to the traditional concept for a 23ft gleoiteog, in which the length is 23ft from the aft side of the stem to the transom, meaning that under other jurisdictions she'd be regarded as a 24-footer.
WM Nixon's article in Afloat magazine
Letters To The Editor - editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Peter Nicholson:
I am one of the signatories to the letter which has led to the RORC EGM about the Fastnet. I have set out my concerns which are as follows.
My principle concerns about the new course relate to the fairness of the race. The Fastnet is the World`s best and most popular of the three oldest and best known offshore races. This is because it has the most interesting course and it is the fairest test of yachts and crews. In the Fastnet the yachts remain in touch with the fleet because the course takes them round a number of points which keep them together, Portland Bill, Start Point, the Lizard, Lands End, the Rock, The Bishop and the Lizard again. In the Bermuda and Sydney/Hobart races the courses are point to point across open water and the fleets fan out after the start and do not come together again until very close to the finish.
In the Fastnet tide plays an important part on the first leg to the Lizard but all the boats face roughly the same problems and the same conditions. Tidal timing is not critical. If the finish is at Cherbourg the longest single leg of the course is the last one, the 190 miles from the Bishop Rock to the finish. By this time the fleet will be well spread out and will have a huge choice as to which course to take. Some will hug the English coast for part of the way to avoid a foul tide, others may well go to the French coast for the same reason. It is even possible that some boats will leave Alderney to port and come up the Alderney race if timing is right for the tide. However, for the last 20 miles or so all boats will be sailing in some of the strongest tides in the English channel which will be running at over 5knots at times.
A boat`s finishing position will, more often than not, depend entirely on its time of arrival at this tidal stretch. Some will carry a strong fair tide for the last 6 hours of their race, others will face an even stronger foul tide. A boat may have sailed brillianly to this point, but this will count for nothing if it arrives at the wrong stage of the tide.
This proposed change of course will completely ruin one of the main attractions of the Fastnet course, it`s fairness. This would be a tragedy and I sincerely hope that the RORC will reconsider it`s decision which seems to have been based solely on the quality of the post race social events and the associated financial advantages for the club
Featured Charter
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The J122 has an upwind sail area of 97 square metres, thanks to her 110% headsail, and a 150 square metre downwind sail area. She also benefits from a carbon fibre bow sprit and asymmetric spinnaker, which makes her easier to race for most teams, especially those with fewer crew.
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See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
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See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
Swan 40-115 Mataran. 195,000 EUR. Located in Pescara, Italy.
MATARAN has his homeport in Pescara (Adriatic, Italy) and has been sailed between the Adriatic and Croatia coast. The first owner had this boat from 1993 to 2018. The second owner is the current one.
See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Contact
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Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +39 0766 20602
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2017 PAC/TP52 - "Rio". 750000 USD. Located in Newport Beach, USA
Designed by J/V and built by Premier composites. Rio has a taller rig (+600mm) and deeper keel to conform to the PAC 52 rule. Successfully campaigned on the W Coast, USA and professionally maintained from new. Offshore potential for these beasts is high, as is IRC/ORCi/ORR rating credibility.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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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/
The Last Word
You can find heroism everyday, like guys working terrible jobs because they've got to support their families. Or as far as humor, the things I see on the job, on the street, are far funnier than anything you'll ever see on TV. -- Harvey Pekar
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