In This Issue
• 40 skippers unveiled
• Marstrand delivers
• Relive the AEGEAN 600 2023
• ROLEX TP52 Worlds
• Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
• America's Cup - "We just want to be fast"
• New Speed Record
• Cadiz completes GLOBE40
• RS Feva Europeans
• Eight Bells for Bob Ross
• Featured Charter: MYSTIC
• Featured Brokerage:
• • ClubSwan 36-011 'Blue Sease'
• • Aston Harald M32 - GAC PINDAR
• • 2 2 Tango - Schionning 'G Force 1500'
• • Sun Fast 30 One Design
• • Balance 442
• The Last Word: Dag Hammarskjold
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
The list of 40 skippers unveiled
The 2020 edition of the Vendee Globe has generated unprecedented interest. As a result, the organisers decided to increase the number of places at the start to 40 for the 2024 edition. 44 skippers applied for this 10th edition. At the end of the New York Vendee - Les Sables d'Olonne, 42 skippers managed to qualify, but there will be only 40 at the start on 10 November 2024.
For safety reasons and to preserve the unique and exceptional characteristics of this race, the number of competitors at the start has been set at 40, as will be the case for the 2028 edition.
The qualification rules have been strengthened since 2020: the sailors had to take the start of 2 solo races and finish at least one of them between 2022 and 2024, in a time that does not exceed the winner's time plus 50%. Among the 44 projects, 42 skippers managed to qualify.
With the aim of encouraging innovation, the 13 new boats were automatically selected. The 26 other projects were selected on the basis of the number of miles raced since the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021.
This left three projects to choose from for the 40th place, the "wild card" given out by the organisers.
View the full qualification table vendeeglobe.org
Marstrand delivers on opening day of Anniversary Match Cup Sweden
The 30th anniversary of GKSS Match Cup Sweden got underway today in picture postcard conditions for the eighteen match racing teams competing at the six-day event including ten open teams, and eight all-female teams racing in the 2024 Nordea Women's Trophy. It is the first time the event has hosted both the World Match Racing Tour and Women's World Match Racing Tour in the same week.
As the fresh SW breeze grew during the today with 18-20 knots and clear blue skies, teams from both events were tested to their limits with the nimble Far East 28 yachts finding their pace in the downwind swell.
First to the course in the morning was the eight women's teams competing for the 2024 Nordea Women's Trophy including Team WINGS (world rank #1) skippered by Anna Ostling, and former women's match racing world champion Pauline Courtois (world rank #2) with her Match in Pink team from Normandy, France. Both teams started the event with a strong start, posting two wins from their first two races.
Relive the AEGEAN 600 2023 and get ready for 2024!
Congratulations to Filippo Bergami from Bologna, Italy, our 2023 virtual race winner! Filippo won an exclusive invitation to attend the 2024 race start in person.
The Hellenic Offshore Racing Club is excited to announce that the AEGEAN 600 will return to Virtual Regatta on July 7, 2024. This exceptional partnership allows sailing enthusiasts, whether seasoned skippers or novices, to experience the magic of the Aegean Sea without getting wet!
The race course begins in front of Homer's sanctuary and the columns of Poseidon's temple, passing through mythical places like Milos, Santorini, Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos, Mykonos, Delos, Giaros, and Kea. These legendary locations, steeped in the tales of gods, goddesses, and heroes, invite sailors to explore their waters virtually.
Join us on Virtual Regatta and be part of this epic adventure. Challenge the winds, currents, and your competitors on this 600-mile odyssey through one of the world's most beautiful and legendary seas.
Mark your calendars for July 7, 2024, and get ready to set sail for the AEGEAN 600!
Join the fleetvirtualregatta.com
ROLEX TP52 World Championship: An unprecedented occasion
For the first time, the pinnacle event in grand prix monohull sailing – the Rolex TP52 World Championship – will be held outside European waters. The 2024 edition of this prestigious annual competition will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) in Newport, Rhode Island (US) from 15–20 July. For Rolex it unites two major relationships. First, the NYYC, its oldest partner in the sport of yachting, dating back to 1958, and second, the world championship of which it has been the Title Sponsor since 2017.
The five-day, 10-race regatta, the highlight of the annual 52 SUPER SERIES for which Rolex is also the Official Timepiece, is one of the most keenly contested and competitive in sailing. The rewards are highly coveted: the world championship title and Rolex timepiece for the triumphant crew.
The NYYC will be an exceptional host. Established in 1844, this prestigious club founded the America's Cup, the international challenge race series whose roots date back to 1851 when the famous Auld Mug was awarded to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. It hosted the first transatlantic race in 1866, and had an influential role in establishing the rules for yachting as a sport. Rolex's seminal partnership with the club is the brand's longest in yachting, spanning almost 70 years. Today, the club organizes major regattas and has two imposing clubhouses; one in New York City, opened in 1901, the other on the water in Newport.
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
August's nominees:
Well, we couldn't nominate the RORC Commodore yet? Rob Craigie and Deb Fish have done an impressive job of protecting their space as the dominant two-handed team on the UK shorthanded scene. As well as winning an unreasonable share of the shorthanded silver, the steady refinement of their boat plus Fish's well-honed scientific approach to strategy make them an equal threat in the fully crewed divisions as well - 2023 RORC overall Season's Points Champions... Bellino
Stanford University sailing team's Lahrkamp is racking them up. The first and only freshman to win Women's Sailor of the Year, first freshman to win the Open Fleet US Nationals, back-to-back Women's Nationals and an eight-time All American, three times in the mixed fleet and five in the women's category. If only US College sailing exposed these great talents to a few more modern classes... that would put USA back into those Olympic headlines
Heather Thomas (GBR)
'At a time when we need more role models for up-and-coming girl sailors they don't come any better than this' - Steve Heppell; 'Not only winning but doing it all by sextant!' - Deb Carter; 'Heather 1st, Tabarly 2nd... that says it all. Classy pair' - Amy Bridge; 'Surprised, nope, Heather has always been special' - Ashia Mahmood; 'You can't imagine just how many women Heather has now inspired' - Lara Embry. 'And she won with all the other chicks... brilliant!' - Tracy Pattison!!
View past winners of Sailor of the Month
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Harken Derm, Musto and Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!
Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month
America's Cup: Dan Bernasconi - "We just want to be fast"
Emirates Team New Zealand have just started training off Barcelona, with less than 60 days left until the start of the 2024 Louis Vuitton America's Cup.
The Defending champions, looking for a three-peat, were the first to launch and sail one of the new-generation AC75s.
After four America's Cup campaigns, Dan Bernasconi says it feels weird to be writing a class rule rather than pushing against it. Before they left New Zealand, the Kiwis had sailed for 14 days out of the 18 available. However, the Kiwis have been overtaken by three teams with 30-34 days each sailing on the Mediterranean, and the fourth (American Magic) has 25 days in its logbook.
Before they left Auckland, Sail-World caught up with ETNZ design chief Dan Bernasconi.
The Brit, formerly with McLaren Racing, holds a PhD in Mathematical Modeling and Aerodynamics. Bernasconi has been involved in the design development at ETNZ since leaving the Alinghi America's Cup team in 2010 following their unsuccessful defence of the Deed of Gift Match.
Read Richard Gladwell's full interview at sail-world.com
New Speed Record at Gotland Runt Offshore Race
At 15:27:35 on Monday, VO70 Tschuss II crossed the finish line and broke the old speed record around Gotland. The race took 24 hours, 27 minutes, and 35 seconds, resulting in an impressive new average speed of 14.12 knots.
The previous record of 13.01 knots was set in 2019 by VO65 HiQ, but it has now been surpassed by Tschuss II.
VO70 Tschuss II sailed under the American flag, with a highly experienced crew, many of whom have sailed around the world multiple times. The skipper for the race was Johnny Mordaunt and one of the crew members where the renowned local Swedish sailor Magnus Woxen. "Being part of this team during the race has been really good, as the majority of the crew are professional sailors. Everyone has done a fantastic job, and we had great conditions apart from the rain at the start," commented Magnus Woxen when the crew came ashore.
To follow the race go to ksss.se
Cadiz completes the circle as the official start venue for the GLOBE40
In the latest big reveal, the official start of the 2nd edition of the GLOBE40 in September 2025 is set to enjoy Andalusian vibes. Cadiz, the oldest city in Western Europe, with a history spanning some 3,000 years, has traversed multiple civilisations and boasts a remarkable historical and cultural heritage. Navigating its ramparts, its narrow, colourful streets and its beaches, warmth, vibrancy and hospitality seem to permeate every pore of this Spanish city. With contracts currently being drawn up, Cadiz is the port that has been chosen to complete the circle in this round the world race 2025/2026. Once again it is shaping up to be a massive sporting challenge with its 30,000-mile course spread as well as a cherished invitation to set sail on an epic journey.
LORIENT AGGLOMERATION with the support of LORIENT GRAND LARGE will once again host the event prologue in late August 2025. The primary base for a number of Class40 teams, Lorient provides the perfect setting for all the competitors to come together for the first time with all the necessary technical support close to hand. A 900-mile course will lead the fleet away from the French coast and down to Andalusian shores. A small coefficient will be awarded by way of a warm-up for the main event. A 10-day presence in Cadiz will be structured around a dense programme, the details of which will be unveiled at a later date.
Due to set sail from Cadiz on 14 September 2025, a journey of 1,500 miles awaits the skippers en route to the Cape Verde archipelago. This downwind sprint in the trade wind should take a week to complete.
Slovakia take the win at the RS Feva European Championship 2024
Click on image to enlarge.
"It feels amazing. It was my goal, so now it feels really good. This last day of racing was biggest challenge for our team, because all week we had more lake-like conditions, but the last day the wind was stronger and the waves were really challenging", said the new champion Oliver Brestovsky, after he finished the last race.
This Slovakian team dominated the RS Feva International Class championship from the beginning. On final results they had the advantage of almost ten points from the closest competitors. According to Oliver Brestovsky, there were a few aspects that helped their team to compete that well: "Firstly, the trim on the shore, you need to make sure that everything is in its place. Then you need to be attentive to the wind shifts on water. You also need to have a good coach, like mine, that gives you important information. And then you need to have a good start. Because the start is where everything starts, but it can also end right there too."
Competition for the second and third places was extremely tough on the last day of racing.
Full results at lt.regattas.eu
Eight Bells for Bob Ross
Bob stood head and shoulders above all in our profession, hailed the most respected sailing writer in Australia and ranked among the best in the world. To the point, honest and always giving boating enthusiasts an enjoyable read, he lived and breathed sailing. Wherever he went, to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, where he was a member since 1970, to other clubs and to social occasions, Bob arrived pad, pen and camera, ready to record the next good story. All it took was a few conversations with other guests…
A New Zealander by birth (but we claimed him as our own), Bob spent his early years in the Finn dinghy, competing for Olympic selection in 1964 and 1968. Moving to Australia, he raced competitively and with success in J24s and offshore events, winning the 1986 Sydney-Mooloolaba race as co-helmsman on Bill Dodds' Nuzulu.
Written by Di Pearson, photo by Evie Ross
Read in full at cyca.com.au
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A 22m YYacht, Y7 MYSTIC is now available with her crew for charters in the Mediterranean for up to 6 guests.
Charter Destinations:
West Mediterranean: French Riviera | Corsica | Marseille to Saint Tropez
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Charter Department
Bernard-Gallay
Phone : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail : or
bernard-gallay.com/yacht-charter/mystic
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The Last Word
Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top. -- Dag Hammarskjold
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