In This Issue
• Leader 200 miles east of the Falklands
• 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Registration is open for Charleston Race Week 2021
• What can INEOS Team UK do to improve?
• Melbourne To Devonport - Rudder Cup
• The Yacht Racing Podcast: Episode 31
• An Ideal 18ft Skiff Racing Partnership
• The Cruising Association announces online Spring Promo Week
• Royal Western Yacht Club Launches the Plymouth Lonely Rock Race 2021
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: Ichtus - Futuna 70 Sailing Yacht
• Featured Brokerage:
• • TP52 - "Macchia Mediterranea"
• • Black Pepper Code 2.1
• • Gunboat 68
• The Last Word: Suchitra Vijayan
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
Leader 200 miles east of the Falklands
With Benjamin Dutreux, the young Les Sables d'Olonne skipper passing Cape Horn this afternoon at 1452hrs UTC there are now five Vendée Globe skippers back in the Atlantic Ocean on the 7000 miles climb back to Les Sables d'Olonne where the winner could finish in the last week of January.
The 30 year old Dutreux passed the Cape in breezy conditions on his OMIA-Water Family this afternoon. Formerly Alex Thomson's Farr designed HUGO BOSS which finished third on the 2012-13 race, Dutreux's boat is the second non-foiler in sucession to round the infamous rock after Damien Seguin on Groupe APICIL passed at 0240hrs this morning.
But as a clear reminder of how close the race up the Atlantic will be in the coming days and weeks, and indeed how busy the finishes are likely to be, no fewer than five more solo skippers should round Cape Horn in the coming hours, all within 150 nautical miles of each other this Monday afternoon.
Deliverance from the 'big south' came for Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut very early this morning as he made third place at the Cape at 0040hrs UTC followed exactly two hours later by 42 year old twice Paralympic gold medallist Seguin. Both skippers were overjoyed on their release from the Southern Oceans, not least Ruyant who had to retire in 2016-17 when his boat nearly broke in half after hitting something south of New Zealand.
Top ten at 04 Jan. 2021 - 21h (UTC)
1. Yannick Bestaven - Maitre CoQ IV, 6362.05 nm to finish
2. Charlie Dalin - APIVIA, 218.45 nm to leader
3. Thomas Ruyant - LinkedOut, 333.4 nm
4. Damien Seguin - GROUPE APICIL, 436.04 nm
5. Benjamin Dutreux - OMIA - WATER FAMILY, 623.37 nm
6. Louis Burton - Valley 2 Office, 639.74 nm
7. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 728.01 nm
8. Maxime Sorel - V and B-MAYENNE, 739.39 nm
9. Boris Herrmann - SEAEXPLORER - YACHT CLUB DE MONACO, 740.25 nm
10. Giancarlo Pedote - Prysmian Group, 768.67 nm
2021 RORC Transatlantic Race
Start: Saturday 9 January 2021 - Calero Marinas Puerto Calero - Lanzarote
The 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race - in association with the International Maxi Association - is scheduled to start from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote on January 9th, 2021. Ten teams have sailed from European destinations to take part in the 2,735-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean. Due to travel restrictions from the UK, the Royal Ocean Racing Club is operating remotely, relying on the expert abilities of the Calero Marinas' team and the race officers of Real Club Náutico de Arrecife in Lanzarote.
The RORC Transatlantic Race is a World Sailing Category 1 offshore event with RORC Prescriptions. All competing boats will undergo compliance checks and, in addition, all crew will be required to produce a negative test result for COVID-19 prior to departure.
The monohull line honours favourite is Johannes Schwarz's Volvo 70 Green Dragon, whilst the multihull line honours will be contested by just one entry, Oren Nataf's Multi50 Rayon Vert, skippered by Alex Pella. The overall victory under IRC for the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy is difficult to predict. However, Stefan Jentzsch's new Botin 56 Black Pearl, skippered by Marc Lagesse, will be difficult to beat. Three teams will contest the IMA Trophy for Maxi Yacht line honours: Green Dragon, Richard Tolkien's IMOCA 60 Rosalba and Open60 Somewhere London, skippered by Gunther de Ceulaerde. An exciting duel is expected between two of the latest Class40s from the design board of Sam Manuard; Antoine Carpentier's Redman and Olivier Magré's Palanad 3.
Corinthian teams racing under IRC include Benedikt Clauberg's First 47.7 Kali, which will be talking part in their third RORC Transatlantic Race. Two other teams will be taking on the race Two-handed: Tim & Mayumi Knight's Pogo 12.50 Kai and Sébastien Saulnier & Christophe Affolter's Sun Fast 3300 Moshimoshi.
After lengthy consultation with Camper and Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada Tourism and the competing teams, it was agreed that the safest option was to move the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race finish to Antigua. It remains the intention of the RORC to finish the 2022 edition in Grenada, as it has done since the first race in 2014. -- Louay Habib
www.rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Ten miles west southwest of the RORC Transatlantic Race start location at Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Canary Islands is the Marina Rubicon at Playa Blanca. Located out on its own arm of the marina is our 2013 Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar winner, the One Bar Playa Blanca.
One Bar's presence is marked by the red and white lighthouse and is the number one choice from local and worldwide sailors alike, boasting more than 300 types of Gin, Rum & Whiskey. No other bar has this quantity and quality in Playa Blanca. For more information on the One Bar please visit them on Facebook!
The view from the terrace overlooks the very busy marina. A great spot to enjoy one of Lanzarote's signature drinks, Clara con Limon. This is a refreshing shandy, but instead of being made with 7UP or clear lemonade, it's made with Fanta limón, so it looks cloudy but tastes delicious! As with a traditional British shandy, the split of beer and limon is 50/50.
Given its hot climate, you won't find many large cans of beer... smaller cans (caña) stay cool while you're drinking and holding them.
The RORC fleet will pass right by Playa Blanca and the One Bar on their way to Antigua. Accessorize your terrace viewing table with binoculars and Limon!
Tell us about YOUR favorite bar... submissions end Tuesday at midnight GMT.
eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars or email editor [AT] eurosailnews [DOT] com
Registration is open for Charleston Race Week 2021
2020 saw most events canceled, but Charleston Race Week will be back April 8-11, 2021. Organizers are offering reassurance that the event will be run safely while still delivering a professional, competitive, and fun event that Race Week is known for.
What's more, given the levels of uncertainty, the entry fees will be fully refundable. The Registration link and NOR are posted on the event's Yacht Scoring site. Early registration is encouraged, prior to January 31st, to save $100 and to aid organizers in finalizing plans.
Spring 2021 can't come soon enough to get back to the "Regatta Unlike Any Other."
What can INEOS Team UK do to improve?
One of the answers may lie in the rig, the powerplant of an AC75. The double skinned 'soft' sails that are used on these boats may look like a compromise between traditional sails and the solid wings of the previous three America's Cups, but they are proving to be far more potent.
Capable of creating asymmetric sections shapes that are believed in some cases to change gear automatically with varying boat speeds, double America's Cup helmsman and North Sails president Ken Read explains why they are much faster upwind than the wings of the previous Cup boats.
In our 1:1 chat he outlines why these sails work and how they might affect the rest of us in the future, plus he sets out the options that may be open to the British team in their quest to achieve more speed in time for the Challengers' Series, the Prada Cup.
Melbourne To Devonport - Rudder Cup
Guillaume Leroux's Class 40 Lord Jiminy took line honours in the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's "Rudder Cup" Melbourne to Devonport Race, crossing the finish line at 10.45.55 this morning. That gave the boat an elapsed time of 23 hours 29 minutes and 5 seconds for the 195nm race.
Paul Buchholz's Cookson 50 Extasea was the early leader, following on from their line honours win in the ORCV Cock of the Bay Race on Boxing Day. But during the night, they went east of the rhumbline while Lord Jiminy stayed to the west, and the smaller boat's tactics paid off.
"We wanted to stay west of the rhumbline to have a bit of leeway when the wind started picking up, and also in case it went more southerly than west," Guillaume Leroux explained.
"We didn't know where Extasea was during the night but we saw them on our AIS early this morning and we were surprised to see them behind us.
"It was a close race. The wind went from south-west to west then to north-west at around 9am. The last couple of miles we had the northerly sea breeze, and we managed to win, so that is good."
This is the boat's third major victory in ORCV races, having taken line honours in the Melbourne to Stanley Race and the Melbourne to Hobart last year.
The Yacht Racing Podcast: Episode 31
Yacht Racing Life editor Justin Chisholm and Vendee Globe skipper Conrad Colman begin with new year with a round-up of the eighth week at sea for the fleet of intrepid solo skippers - including the milestone moment after 55 days at sea as the leading duo Yannick Bestaven and Charlie Dalin round the notorious Cape Horn and turn their bows north towards home.
An Ideal 18Ft Skiff Racing Partnership
Two of reasons for the incredible 128-year success of 18ft Skiff Racing on Sydney Harbour are the competitors' attitude towards the sport and the clubs which have conducted the racing, together with the ability to uphold the tradition of producing the most spectacular racing for supporters.
From the early 1970s, sponsorship also became just as critical to the future of the class as a high-performance racing sport.
By the early-1990s, the escalating costs had put so much pressure on individuals wanting to get into the class that the Australian 18 Footers League made a decision to introduce rules which would change the direction of the sport.
Basically, the club would own the only mould and appoint a class boat builder to produce the only hulls permitted to contest the events. The club would own every boat and depend on the income from the licensed club as well as the support from naming rights sponsors on the skiffs to help cover the costs.
The League has since spent at least $15-million on the production and maintenance of its fleet as well as the promotion of the 18 Footers at regular regattas in Europe, USA and New Zealand.
During this time, the traditional spirit of the competitors has continued. The League has also been fortunate to have many generous and loyal sponsors, who have assisted the club to pursue its policy of maintaining the high standards of competition throughout its fleet.
One of the present partnerships that reflects the long-standing tradition of the sport is the 10-year sponsorship of The Kitchen Maker, through Darren McKavanagh and his family, along with the attitude and ability of the 2020-2021 racing team members, Jordan Girdis, Lachlan Doyle and Tom Quigley.
In 2017-2018, it was a fitting reward for Darren's efforts when four-time JJ Giltinan Champion Scott Babbage, together with his young teammates Tom Quigley and Sam Ellis won the NSW Championship in The Kitchen Maker.
The Kitchen Maker-Caesarstone, along with the other 17 teams in the Australian 18 Footers League fleet, will resume racing next Sunday (10 January) when the club will conduct the fourth race of the 2020-2021 NSW Championship on Sydney Harbour. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
The Cruising Association announces online Spring Promo Week
The CA ran a very successful Open Weekend in Feb 2020 with big brand exhibitors supporting the format.
The CA is still engaging with members and non-members using virtual tools such as Live Chat & Zoom.
With the challenges of COVID-19 still likely to curtail face-to-face events being staged in the first few months of 2021, the Cruising Association (CA) is putting in place plans to stage an online Spring Promotions Week to coincide with the fitting out season, from 22-26 March.
The CA held a welcome and successful online Promo Week in September 2020, in place of exhibiting at the Southampton Boat Show. Originally there were plans to hold an Open Weekend at CA House in Limehouse Basin London in March, but that option simply isn't feasible in these uncertain times, especially when involving exhibitors needing to commit now.
In March, and alongside the use of Live Chat and Zoom 1-2-1 engagement, the CA will be running discounts on CA Shop orders, a variety of discount deals through the excellent relationships the CA has with a wide range of suppliers, and there will be a series of specialist webinars open to members and non-members.
CA General Manager Lucy Gray says: "We're really looking forward to everyone getting on board for this in a virtual sense pending us getting back to the real thing as soon as we can."
Royal Western Yacht Club Launches the Plymouth Lonely Rock Race 2021
The Original Lonely Rock Race (OLR) 2020 successfully took place in the most adverse conditions. The race was put together to continue the legacy of the 'Fastnet Race' course, the original classic 600-mile offshore race, which was formed by members of the RWYC in 1925. The RWYC have had overwhelming support for the race from all over the world and are happy to announce that the RWYC will be running the race again in 2022 and 2025, the centenary year of the Original Fastnet Racecourse. The 'Plymouth Lonely Rock Race' (PLR) will run in alternate years to the OLR.
Following numerous requests for this race to be formed, the PLR will start and finish in Plymouth, rounding the Fastnet Rock to port and leaving the Isles of Scilly to port on the return. The 508-mile course, 100 miles shorter than the original Fastnet Racecourse will also be the highest ranking points race for the new, Southwest offshore group series. Classes will be offered for IRC, MOCRA, cruiser and one design classes can be accepted. Options on crew numbers are solo, double handed, 1/2 IRC crew number as well as full crew.
Entry will be limited to the first 70 boats.
rwyc.org/plymouth-lonely-rock-race/
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 Scott Murray:
I am sure Alastair Skinner is well aware that Scottish athletes in all cases remain Scottish until they win, at which time they immediately become British. If they continue their winning ways, over time they earn the ultimate accolade (in England’s eyes) of becoming English. In the case of Andy Murray, or other’s whose talents have ebbed over time, the Empire may return their original nationality, but only after attaching a title, which may entitle their Britishness to be invoked in discussions about Britain’s athletic ability. Much the same in times of conflict where Scottish battalions were fierce combatants in British wars, hence the old expression, there’ll always be an England so long as Scotland’s there!
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Featured Brokerage
2008 TP52 - "Macchia Mediterranea". 360000 EUR. Located in Gaeta, Italy.
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2016 Black Pepper Code 2. 995000 EUR. Located in La Spezia, Italy
The flagship of the Black Pepper fleet, the Code 2 is the result of a design collaboration between Marc Lombard and Armel Tripon (winner of Route de Rhum multihull and an IMOCA 60 racer) to design an IMOCA 60 inspired offshore speed machine equally at home racing as she is to very fast cruising. Constructed in full carbon fibre with Axxon carbon rig, twin rudders, centreboard and water ballast, she is perfectly configured for racing and cruising duties on both sides of the Atlantic.
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The Last Word
Silence in the face of fascism is treason. -- Suchitra Vijayan
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