In This Issue
• 24 Challenging Hours For Leader Dalin
• Weather and climate forecasting on the Vendee Globe
• Eileen Ramsay - the Queen of Yachting Photography
• Jimmy Spithill to join United States SailGP Team
• The Yacht Racing Podcast: Episode 25 - Torvar Mirsky
• Entry open for 2021 Finn Europeans in Hyeres
• YJA MS Amlin 'International Sailor of the Decade' Winner Announced
• America's Cup challenger breaks silence
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Figaro 3 - Raw
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Aquarius Alfa - Swan 100S
• • Ker 56 - Varuna VI
• • ecoracer769
• The Last Word: John Lennon
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
24 Challenging Hours For Leader Dalin
The next 24 hours will be the most challenging so far for Vendee Globe race leader Charlie Dalin (Apivia), especially through this evening and tonight as he will pass as close as he dare to the centre of a Southern Ocean low pressure system which is forecast to bring him gusts over 55kts and big seas. He told his team yesterday 'this is the biggest, most powerful storm I have had through since the start'. So today will mostly be about pushing on and preparing himself and his Apivia
Meantime the problems seem to be mounting up for Louis Burton (Bureau Vallee 2) and Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil) who both have remained slowed, losing hard earned places as they try to get back on terms, fighting technical problems with their pilots and in the case of Burton other problems he has not specified.
"Yesterday was a terrible day for me because I had many problems with my autopilot, so I decided to stop the boat many times to try to fix the problem so it really was not easy to do something on the boat because it was moving. In fact I decided to sleep because I was so tired. And so this morning I have fixed 50 per cent of the problem so we have to work again today to find a solution but I am still in the game and today is another day so I hope we will get there." Said Seguin this morning on the 0400hrs UTC radio call. He explained, "During Sunday night the problems started just after a gybe. I could not leave the cockpit, the boat was doing all kinds of things. I worked at the whole thing all day and I got the emergency pilot working".
And Louis Burton is clearly continuing to struggle on Bureau Vallee 2, seeming to be in difficulty with surprising course angles (North, East, South-East, North) at less than ten knots last night.
Top ten at 08 Dec 2020 - 21h (UTC)
1. Charlie Dalin - APIVIA, 14879.8 nm to finish
2. Thomas Ruyant - LinkedOut, 253.09 nm to leader
3. Yannick Bestaven - Maitre CoQ IV, 362.16 nm
4. Louis Burton - BUREAU VALLEE 2, 362.77 nm
5. Benjamin Dutreux - OMIA - WATER FAMILY, 431.3 nm
6. Boris Herrmann - SEAEXPLORER - YACHT CLUB DE MONACO, 478.47 nm
7. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 491.04 nm
8. Damien Seguin - GROUPE APICIL, 500.86 nm
9. Isabelle Joschke - MACSF, 589.18 nm
10. Giancarlo Pedote - PRYSMIAN GROUP, 687.99 nm
www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking
IMOCA skippers make a lasting contribution to weather and climate forecasting on the Vendee Globe
Apart from racing single-handed around the world, more than a third of the skippers in the 2020-21 Vendee Globe are making an important contribution to global weather forecasting and the understanding of the health of our oceans.
Thirteen of the 33 skippers who set sail in early November took with them on board their IMOCA yachts either drifting buoys that gather climatological information or Argo floats that analyse sea water, or other scientific instruments.
After one month at sea, the skippers have now deployed all the drifting buoys and almost all the Argo floats at agreed co-ordinates in the Atlantic.
The final drifter will be deployed by the French skipper Alexia Barrier from her boat, TSE-4MYPLANET, when she reaches a set point in the southern Indian Ocean in the next 10 days or so, near the Kerguelen Islands.
Martin Kramp, the Ship Coordinator at OceanOPS, which works under the auspices of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the World Meteorological Organization to implement a Global Ocean Observing System, says the skippers have made an important contribution.
"These instruments will help us in areas where we have little means to gather the data which goes into the day-to-day global weather forecast," he said. "This improves the safety of life at sea and helps us understand ocean currents.
He added: "The information from the Argo floats is used for climatology and is also used in short term predictions for weather phenomena like El Niño and La Niña, events that have immediate impact on humanity with droughts and floods."
Full story on imoca.org
Eileen Ramsay - the Queen of Yachting Photography
Eileen Ramsay was at the centre of a unique period in yachting history, and this wonderful book, featuring her classic photography, celebrates an extraordinary woman and her extraordinary subjects. Eileen's heyday was between 1950 and 1970 - a time when eccentrics ruled, records were there for the setting, and women weren't often to be found behind the lens. But Eileen established herself as one of the greatest yachting photographers of her time, taking famous portraits of sailing icons like Francis Chichester and Eric Tabarly, Olympians, including Rodney Pattisson and Keith Musto, and historic pictures from the first Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic (OSTAR) Races. She was the only photographer Chichester allowed on his Gipsy Moth yachts, and commissioned to photograph notorious charmers like Uffa Fox and Max Aitken, learned to stave off their amorous advances.
Eileen, now into her 90s can remember just about every photograph she has taken and relate an anecdote or story about each one. Many of these memories are also recorded in the book.
Eileen Ramsay - the Queen of Yachting Photography, is a spectacular celebration of a pioneering photographer and a fascinating time in yachting history.
Order from South Atlantic Publishing
Jimmy Spithill to join United States SailGP Team
SailGP today announced champion sailor Jimmy Spithill has signed on to become CEO and helm of the United States SailGP Team. Spithill will lead the U.S. team as it fights to claim the sport's largest monetary prize of US$1 million when the global league returns for the start of its second season, April 24-25, 2021, at the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess.
Rome Kirby, who previously led the team from inception as helm, will shift to the flight controller position, making the U.S. the only team to have a former F50 helm flying the boat. The remainder of the U.S. team roster will be announced in the coming months.
Spithill is the latest high-profile signee for SailGP, joining Season 1 frontrunners and Olympic champions Tom Slingsby (AUS) and Nathan Outteridge (JPN), as well as 2020 additions Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR/four-time Olympic champion), and Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL/Olympic and America's Cup champions). There are four Olympic champions among the league's eight helms, who have combined for 10 medals in 14 Olympic appearances.
Additional updates from the United States SailGP Team will be announced after the first of the year. The team is currently slated to begin pre-season training in April 2021 on Bermuda's Great Sound prior to the start of SailGP Season 2 at the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess (April 24-25).
Following the opener, the global championship will then travel to Taranto, Italy (June 5-6); Plymouth, UK (July 17-18); and Aarhus, Denmark (August 20-21), with four additional events yet to be announced that will be staged prior to the Season 2 Grand Final at the United States Grand Prix in San Francisco in April 2022.
sailgp.com/teams/united-states/
The Yacht Racing Podcast: Episode 25 - Torvar Mirsky
Australian World Match Racing Tour skipper Torvar Mirsky is the guest on the latest episode of The Yacht Racing Podcast.
Now 34, Torvar has been competing on the World Match Racing Tour on and off since 2006 and was crowned champion in 2017.
He has been based in Europe for the last several years and happily that meant Yacht Racing Life editor Justin Chisholm was able to record this interview with him in person in Palma, Mallorca
Justin sat down with Torvar a few weeks after he had returned from the 2020 Match Racing World Championship at the Bermuda Gold Cup, and as you will hear it's a really insightful interview in which there is plenty of chat about the art of Match Racing - but also lots more besides.
Entry open for 2021 Finn Europeans in Hyeres
The Notice of Race for the 2021 Open and U23 Finn European Championship has been published and registration is also now open. The 66th Finn Europeans will take place in Hyeres, France from 16-23 April.
The championship is part of a carefully planned event strategy for the class that leads from the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, in Palma, in March, through to the Finn Gold Cup in Porto, Portugal in May, after which many sailors will head back to Tokyo to prepare for the Olympics.
Links to the entry and Notice of Race can be found through the event website at 2021.finneuropeans.org
IFA President Balazs Hajdu commented:
"Following this week's announcement from the IOC that they have postponed taking a decision on whether to replace the Finn with the Mixed Offshore Keelboat, for the Paris 2024 Olympics, because of the costs and the need for a complex safety plan associated with that event, we remain hopeful that this will not be the last year for the Finns on the Olympic circuit."
The first round of registration runs from December 4 to January 31. The second round runs from February 15 to March 15. The schedule includes three days of measurement followed by a 10 race series from Monday 19 to Friday 23 April.
YJA MS Amlin 'International Sailor of the Decade' Winner Announced
In a year that truly needs good news stories, the winner of the YJA MS Amlin 'International Sailor of the Decade' Award has been announced as Jon Holt, founder of the Scaramouche Sailing Trust.
The aim of the YJA MS Amlin 'International Sailor of the Decade' is to recognise the achievements of those who have had the greatest positive impact on sailing.
Jon Holt, the Head of Outdoor Education at the Greig City Academy secondary school in Hornsey, London, has broken down barriers, providing opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to sail and race successfully. He started the sailing programme at Greig City Academy in 2014. When there wasn't an obvious route into sailing, they bought an old 22ft yacht on eBay which was rotting in a field, spending the summer making it seaworthy and then sailing and racing the yacht. Then formed the ambition to be the first state school to complete the Rolex Fastnet Race.
The next step towards this goal was the purchase of 'Scaramouche', a 45ft Admiral's Cup yacht built in 1981, which they set to work on, made race-worthy, finishing 14th in class in the 2016 Round the Island Race, completed the Fastnet qualification races and then completed the iconic Rolex Fastnet Race itself in 2017, placing 144th out of the 362 starters. Following this achievement Scaramouche sailor, Montel Fagan-Jordan, won the YJA 'Young Sailor of the Year' Award.
The Scaramouche Sailing Trust has since gone from strength to strength, with sailors competing regularly in Etchells, 420s, competing in the Fastnet Race again in 2019, combined with the students refurbishing more yachts and dinghies.
America's Cup challenger breaks silence
As four AC75 crews sailed out to test the boats this week ahead of the America's Cup World Series in Auckland, potential challenger Stars + Stripes Team USA finally conceded defeat.
The Stars + Stripes team representing the Long Beach Yacht Club and co-founded by world champion sailors Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield wanted to be the first all-American entry in over 15 years to challenge for the Auld Mug.
But they never made it to Auckland.
After announcing their challenger entry in December 2018, Stars + Stripes said their AC75 was already being built in Michigan.
The Arbitration Panel ruled out the Americans making use of Team New Zealand's first boat but Stars + Stripes still did not make an official announcement about their status as a challenger.
According to sailing magazine Latitude 38 the Long Beach Yacht Club sent club members a letter this week which informed them Stars + Stripes have formally withdrawn from the America's Cup.
Industry News
Connectivity on Board: IBI TechTalk at METSTRADE Connect
Tune in for IBI's 'TechTalk' panel discussion on how boatbuilders are responding to consumer demand for sophisticated Connectivity onboard - online this Thursday at 2:30pm CET
What: Panel discussion on Connectivity
When: Thursday, 10 December 2020, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM (CET)
Where: METSTRADE Connect Stage
Registration required (no charge): www.metstrade.com/connect
Registration also includes participation in special editions of the DAME Design Award and Boat Builder Awards 2020, both presented virtually, as well as a 'State of the Industry' presentation and a full afternoon of TechTalks in three tracks, plus three sessions on Sustainability.
METSTRADE Connect is a new event organised by the METSTRADE team and sponsored by Raymarine, taking advantage of a new virtual platform offering networking with industry participants and suggested matches based on shared product and business interests.
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NextStage (Paris: NEXTS), investment company listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0012789386, Ticker: NEXTS), specialist in equity and long-term investment in medium-sized companies (ETM ), announces the sale of its entire stake in the Fountaine Pajot Group (through its controlling holding company La Compagnie du Catamaran, of which NextStage held 38%).
Fountaine Pajot, emblematic brand created by Jean-François Fountaine and Yves Pajot in 1976, has been developing a unique expertise in the design and manufacture of marine and elegant catamarans for nearly 40 years which has enabled it to sell more than 3,000 boats around the world. whole. With the support of NextStage since 2015, Fountaine Pajot has been able to develop and strengthen its leadership position, becoming one of the two flagships of French industrial know-how in the nautical market around the world.
Led by a team of complementary entrepreneurs, the Group has changed dimension thanks to strong growth driven by significant commercial success, in particular internationally (82% of turnover) and strategic external growth which has enabled it to rise to 2 nd rank in Europe in the manufacture of pleasure boats. In 5 years, the turnover has multiplied by 4, going from 49M € in 2014 to 207M € in 2019 and the gross operating surplus has experienced the same increase, thus amounting to 30M € over the year 2019, compared to 6.5 M € in 2014.
www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201129005413/fr/
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The 52nd edition of the UK's largest boating event will take place from September 10-19
British Marine, organiser of the Southampton International Boat Show, has confirmed that the 52nd edition of the UK's largest watersports festival will take place from September 10-19, 2021. The 10-day show, which attracts over 100,000 visitors annually, will showcase sail and power boats, products and services from over 450 marine brands, making it the number one event for serious boat buyers and enthusiasts in the UK.
With the latest encouraging government announcements on the Covid-19 vaccine, British Marine is planning for absolutely every eventuality. The safety of visitors, exhibitors and staff remain a number one priority. British Marine says it will continue to lobby the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and also work closely with event industry associations in the lead up to the Southampton show. This includes taking the learnings from 2020 and guidance from larger events like Royal Ascot and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that are due to take place before next September.
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Held instead of the cancelled Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) which was scheduled for May 2020, the inaugural Sanctuary Cove Boating Festival was held over three days last weekend.
The festival had approaching 120 exhibitors and a reported 20,000 attendees who were allowed complimentary access. The annual Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is been held at the same location and in 2019 had 330 exhibitors and attracted some 45,000 visitors.
The Festival was again organised by Australian real estate company Mulpha, which acquired Sanctuary Cove in 2002. The marina has recently benefited from a $12m expansion project which is now complete.
Next year's Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is scheduled to take place in May, but the dates have yet to be announced.
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New England Ropes, part of the TEUFELBERGER corporate family, has the largest portfolio of marine ropes worldwide, welcomes Chris Doyle of Tideline Marketing to join their Pleasure Marine sales team.
Residing in Pompano Beach, FL for the past 10-years, Chris Doyle is the newest addition to the expanding Tideline Marketing team now covering the Florida territory for New England Ropes. Born and raised on the Connecticut River and surrounding Long Island Sound shoreline Chris grew an early love for the water and sharpened his skills racing sailboats and teaching sailing. He received his bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Vermont in 2005. He was a lead member of the University's sailing team from 2001-2005.
Since relocating to the sunshine state Chris has also added offshore fishing, scuba diving, and a USCG captain's license to his repertoire of on the water skills. Chris is excited to be part of the Tideline Marketing team representing leading brands in the marine industry where he can bring his experience and talents in adding value to OEMs, Boat Yards, Riggers, Distributors, Dealers, and ultimately the people getting out on the water!
New England Ropes is part of the TEUFELBERGER corporate family. When the Austrian family-owned and operated rope manufacturer, TEUFELBERGER, acquired New England Ropes 13 years ago, it was clear, that we would benefit from such a reputable and valuable brand in the marine industry.
The NER brand continues to thrive through its commitment to producing high quality products. TEUFELBERGER is built on three solid pillars that form the basis for the company's success: steel wire ropes, fiber ropes and strapping.
For over 225 years, TEUFELBERGER has been, and still is, a family owned and operated company.
teufelberger.com
www.neropes.com
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The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) has released the latest edition of its Recreational Boating Industry Statistics.
The 2019 ICOMIA Statistics Book provides a wealth of industry intelligence in one useful reference document. This year has been unprecedented, and although the book features data from 2019, extensive work has been put into the market overview to highlight the impact of Covid-19 on the industry in 15 countries following interviews conducted with leading Marine Industry Associations around the world.
This of course is a snapshot (as of October 2020), with the industry sentiment changing and adapting to customer demand, state of lockdowns (and the ability to manufacture) per country, as well as the ability to hold much-needed boat shows.
Highlights this year also include new data on the number of charter businesses across different countries and more detailed data on boating facilities provided by members of the ICOMIA Marinas Group, including the number of berths, slips, moorings and any other boat storage alternatives present in marinas in 24 countries.
The ICOMIA Statistics Book 2019 is available from the ICOMIA website for €830. ICOMIA members and their members receive a 50% discount. Contributing ICOMIA members can also purchase the distribution rights - contact stani [AT] icomia [DOT] com for more information.
To view sample pages or order your electronic copy, go to the ICOMIA Library section of the website.
Featured Charter
Figaro 3 - Raw. POA.
The Figaro 3 is the first production foiling one-design monohull. Resulting from a collaboration between Beneteau’s best experts and the Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prevost (VPLP) office, the architects of the two last boats to win the Vendee Globe, this boat is fast, powerful and very exciting to sail. It is equipped with foils, a slender and deeper keel, a setback mast and an extensive and large sail plan.
The Figaro 3 has recently been awarded Sailing Worlds “Boat of the Year” for 2019, with judges praising its sailing on all points of sail! Chartering the Figaro 3 will be the experience of a lifetime. A truly awesome racing machine, you are bound to have an exhilarating time on the water putting the boat through its paces.
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email: info [AT] lvyachting [DOT] com
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
Aquarius Alfa - Swan 100 S.
Aquarius Alfa - the perfect fast cruiser to explore the oceans in style.
See listing details at Carrswood Yachts
Contact
Alastair for further details +44747 6888639
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2015 KER 56 - VARUNA VI. POA EUR. Located in Hamburg Germany.
One of the most exciting IRC/ORC offshore boats ever built. Substantial optimization and development since new, led by some of the worlds best sailors, has pushed this boat a long way from its original performance and she is ready to challenge for trophies at the worlds biggest events!
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+442380 016582
+447759 424900
sampearson [AT] ancasta [DOT] com
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ecoracer769. POA EUR.
Northern Light Composites is proudly presenting ecoracer769, their first full natural fibers sportboat, combining innovative design and new construction technologies in order to win races in green, sustainable way.
The sailing boat is built from 100% flax fibre, with a recyclable core, and is introducing a new concept resin, which makes her completely recyclable. The mast, the keel and the rudder structures are made of aluminium and steel, and also the engine is electric - all chosen in the name of sustainability.
Length mt 7.69
Beam Max mt 2.80
Depth mt 1.80
Displacement kg 1.100
Upwind sail area m2 42
Downwind sail area m2 100
ORC rating 615 (preliminary)
Yacht Design Matteo Polli YD
Structural Enginnering
Alessandro Pera, Mattia Sconocchia
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
email info [AT] nlcomp [DOT] it
phone 0039 346 4944171
northernlightcomposites.com
The Last Word
The more I see the less I know for sure. -- John Lennon
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