In This Issue
• New Name for the Laser
• Newport to Ensenada Race
• Immaculate pedigree - Evolution Sails
• SailGP: Brits open their account on San Francisco Bay
• Irish Youth Sailors Medal at RYA Youth Nationals 2019
• Melges 20 World League
• Met Office issues wind and rain warnings
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Industry News
• Featured Brokerage
• The Last Word: U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

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

New Name for the Laser
The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) has announced that, beginning today, all new, class-approved boats will be sold and raced under the "ILCA Dinghy" name. This change will have no impact on existing ILCA-authorized boats and equipment, which will be able to race alongside ILCA Dinghies in all class sanctioned events.

This action follows the move by the ILCA last month to terminate longtime builder of the class dinghy, LaserPerformance (LP), which the ILCA said had breached the terms of the Laser Construction Manual Agreement, which seeks to ensure the identical nature of all Laser class boats, regardless of where they are built.

The ILCA needed to change the boat name as LP held the rights to the Laser Trademark.

The boat has been the Olympic equipment used for the One Person Dinghy event since the Atlanta 1996 Games, and while its use will continue through to the Tokyo 2020 Games, no decision has yet been made on equipment for the events at the Paris 2024 Games.

Usher pointed out that the name change will apply to all three rig sizes allowed by the ILCA Class Rules (Standard, Radial and 4.7 rigs) and the new class-legal sails for each rig will carry the updated ILCA logo.

Eric Faust, ILCA's Executive Secretary, said his team is close to issuing a formal application form to help narrow down the large number of prospective new builders he's heard from since the class's March announcement.

"After recent discussions with World Sailing leadership, we're assured that we have their full support with this changeover, especially since we now have the opportunity to comply fully with World Sailing's fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing requirements for Olympic equipment," said Faust.

"We've already had serious interest from well-funded and highly respected builders who are committed to building to the exacting one-design standards of our construction manual and the ILCA Rules."

Prior to the termination, the ILCA had three approved builders with specific territories:

- Performance Sailcraft Japan (PSJ) for Japan, North Korea, and South Korea.
- Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) for Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, and New Caledonia.
- LaserPerformance (LP) for Europe, Central America, South America, North America, Far East and Asia (excluding Japan, North Korea, and South Korea), Middle East, Africa, Russia, and all other territories not covered by other builders.

From Scuttlebutt:
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

FAQ from ILCA:
www.laserinternational.org

Newport to Ensenada Race
Sailing enthusiasts are converging on Newport Beach in final preparation for Friday's 72nd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race. Slips are filling, mooring balls are being grabbed and racers and guests will mix and mingle at the pre-race party this evening. At yesterday's Yachtsman's Luncheon, one attendee reported sailing the race 43 times. Speaker Keith Magnusson, of Ullman sails, said the race is a great opportunity to put cell phones down, to get away from daily distractions and do a little star gazing. But the race is. On.

Class breaks include ULBD or non-ULDB boats to create more competitive classes.

A trio of races will hit the start line off the Balboa Pier. In addition to the classic N2E, racers on the N2SD course will be San Diego bound and N2DP is the sprint course to Dana Point.

A drone, capturing live footage of the start will air with commentary on the race's official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NewportToEnsenada starting about 10:30 a.m

LOOK FOR: Alive, a Reichel Pugh 66 is making its race debut. Formerly Stark Raving Mad, this boat has the lowest rating at –147. Remember, the current record-holder for fastest elapsed time in a monohull belongs to Aszhou, a R/P 63. These Australian-built boats are fast. Conversely, Sir Tuffy, a 38-Alberg, has a rating of +235. Handicap wise, that's like giving Sir Tuffy a 14-hour head start.

nosa.org

Immaculate pedigree - Evolution Sails
Ten years and seven international sail lofts later, Evolution Sails is no longer such a small story...

In the last decade Evolution Sails has grown from a small go-it-alone loft in New Zealand to an internationallyrecognised brand with an expanding network of franchise lofts in major markets, a proprietary membrane plant supplying an extensive list of independent lofts and a healthy stronghold in its target market.

‘It has been a phenomenal ride,’ says founder and owner Rodney Keenan, who began sailmaking in 1991 with Lidgard Sails and then worked with Doyle and Qantum.

Full article in the May issue of Seahorse

SailGP: Brits open their account on San Francisco Bay
Great Britain SailGP are the second team to sail their F50 on San Francisco Bay ahead of the second round of the SailGP series which gets underway in less than ten days.

All teams are working out of the SailGP base - the old sea plane base in Alemada which was used by Sweden's Artemis Racing in the 2013 America's Cup regatta.

Earlier the Rome Kirby led US SailGP team, were the first to launch.

After the first Round in Sydney, the Great Britain SailGP put in several hours training and learning on the Artemis Technologies simulator at Heathrow, London.

www.sail-world.com

Irish Youth Sailors Medal at RYA Youth Nationals 2019
The RYA were issuing invitations to visiting sailors for the 2019 event in Weymouth so it gave the opportunity for a few Irish boats to compete at the premier British Youth Sailing event of the year writes Thomas Chaix

The RYA Youth Nationals 2019 produced seven days of great competition on the water of Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour.

The Irish contingent was composed by eight 29er partnerships (showing once more that the fastest growing class in Ireland is also keen to show its competitiveness against the well established UK class), two 420 partnerships, three Laser radials and two laser 4.7s. For the 29ers and the 420s, the event was also part of the trials process to earn selection into the Youth Worlds 2019 Irish team.

afloat.ie/sail/

Full results: www.rya.org.uk

Melges 20 World League
After the seasonal debut of the Melges 32 fleet, Italy and Villasimius will be again the hosts of the inaugural act of the European division of the 2019 Melges 20 World League.

Four out of fifteen Melges 20 World League events have already been competed worldwide (including the World Championship of Miami, won by the Italian crew of Stig by Alessandro Rombelli), but it's time to start racing also in Europe.

The challenge now shifts to the Mediterranean, for an edition that promises to be one of the most spectacular and uncertain of all times, with the very high technical rate due to the presence of titled crews, all with the same and only objective.

With plenty of World and European Champions getting on the water, drawing up predictions on who's going to win an event has never been so difficult so far: racing will start on Friday 26 April, for three consecutive days of regattas, on the spectacular race course of Villasimius.

On the starting line we will find the reigning World Champion Stig and the winner of the 2018 Melges World League, the Russian Nika of Vladimir Prosikhin. The presence of the winner of the European series and vice-champion of the 2018 Worlds Brontolo of the Italian Filippo Pacinotti is confirmed, as well as that of of the multi-awarded (Melges World League winner and Melges 20 European Champion) Russian Bogatyrs of Igor Rytov, and Fremito d'Arja (winner of the Gold Cup in 2012 and constantly at the top of the Class).

The list of candidates for the first stage and for the European circuit victory is wide and includes also the names, in example, of Raya by Matteo Marenghi Vaselli and Synergy by Valentin Zavadnikov (both bearing the colors of the Yacht Club de Monaco), as well as those of the Giannattasio family with father (Luigi) and son (Pierluigi) who will try to bring Boogie and Mendieta respectively to the top positions in the rankings. Another "family-duel" will be the one between Pietro Loro Piana (at the helm of Gone Squatching) and Franco Loro Piana (with Sease).

The Melges 20 World League European Division will see the fleet engaged over the next six months in six events: after Villasimius, the sailors will move to Puntaldia (24 - 26 May), to reach then Marina di Scarlino (24 - 26 June), Riva del Garda (12 - 14 July) and Malcesine, location of the double event with the Russian Open (7-8 September) and with the Melges 20 European Championship 2019 (10-14 September)

melges20.com

Met Office issues wind and rain warnings
he sunny weather that people across the UK enjoyed during the Easter Bank Holiday is about to come to an abrupt end as Storm Hannah pummels the country.

Weather forecasters have warned of gusts of up to 80mph and low temperatures "more like January" this weekend.

The low-pressure weather system, which was named by Met Eireann on Thursday, is expected to bring strong winds to Ireland and southern parts of the UK from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning.

The Irish weather service has issued a status orange advisory for Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick, warning of the weather "becoming stormy on Friday evening and overnight as Storm Hannah moves in", bringing gusts of 110-130km/h.

The warning is due to start at 4pm on Friday and expire at 5am on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has moved to issue a yellow warning for winds in southern Wales, as well parts of the south and south-west of England, warning of gusts up to 70mph on coasts.

The warning is due to last from 9pm on Friday until 3pm on Saturday, with forecasters predicting "a risk of disruption to travel".

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/

Seahorse May 2019
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

(Truly) something else
Certain special boats can float quietly under the radar (see here page 57). We doubt this one will stay silent for long. Paul Bieker and Andres Suar

Throw it out there
That was the design philosophy that won the last America's Cup and the exact same approach is driving Nautor's Swan's spectacular new Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed ClubSwan 36

Immaculate pedigree
Ten years and seven international sail lofts later, Evolution Sails is no longer such a small story...

The new norm - Part I
Renaud Banuls tells the story of the birth of a new attitude to offshore multihull design

Paul Cayard - crash pad to launch pad
Or from the South Pole to South Beach

RORC news - Digital takeover
Eddie Warden-Owen

Special rates for Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code SB2

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £30: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Industry News
The Finnish boating industry is forecasting a buoyant summer with boat registrations rocketing by more than 40 per cent over the previous year, while exhibitors sign up to the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show at a record rate. "Spring has kicked off on a great note," says Jarkko Pajusalo, managing director of the Finnish Marine Industries Federation Finnboat, visibly pleased about the development. "The early onset of spring and last year's splendid boating season are two underlying factors enabling the success. Although consumer confidence has deteriorated from the peak level of 2018, it nevertheless remains high, and also the current extended period of economic growth has bolstered the boating industry outlook in Finland," Pajusalo explains.

Organisers expect this year's Boat-Afloat to feature almost 300 boats and the number of exhibitors to exceed 150

One indicator of the boating industry's favourable trend is the popularity of the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show, a culmination of the Finnish boating season. By Easter, more than one hundred businesses had signed up for this year's show, compared with 47 the same time a year ago.

www.ibinews.com

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Extensive use of solar power and hydroponics add to eco crendentials of new 640-berth Port St. George

Renderings of what will be the largest marina in The Bahamas, Port St. George have just been released along with more details about the 640-berth marina. Located just minutes from Stella Maris International Airport, Port St. George will accommodate vessels up to 100 feet in length and will provide enhanced storm protection due to the size, enabling vessels to dock year-round, a rare advantage in this region. The marina will also offer a full range of services including customs, immigration, boat cleaning and repair facilities, fuel, supplies and chandlery. It will form the hub of a complex that will include 276 luxury condominiums, 82 townhouses, five single-family homes and five branded residences, all of which will be positioned at most a few hundred yards from the waterfront. There will also be a 50-room five-star hotel, a 40-room inn and a wide variety of retail shops, restaurants and bars and a yacht club. Construction of the development is slated to begin this year, and expected to last four to five years.

www.ibinews.com

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The GAC Group's sailing logistics specialist GAC Pindar has been appointed the official shipping and logistics provider for the GC32 Racing Tour 2019 season which kicks off in Italy at the end of next month.

2019 is the sixth year of the GC32 Racing Tour. It features fast GC32 catamarans allowing regular sailors, both pros and keen amateurs, to experience competitive sailing at speeds of 30+ knots at venues across Southern Europe. This year's GC32 Racing Tour five-venue circuit is stronger than ever, following its consolidation with the GC32 teams from the Extreme Sailing Series. At least ten teams will compete in some of the best sailing venues in Italy, Spain and Portugal.

GAC Pindar is charged with handling the transportation of yachts, equipment and other cargo for the events and will draw on its wealth of experience with its previous involvement moving the infrastructure for the GC32 Racing Tour since 2015, as well as for the Volvo Ocean Race and other high profile sailing events.

Headquartered in the UK sailing hub of Southampton, GAC Pindar is a division of GAC Services (UK) Ltd and part of the GAC Group.

www.gac.com

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A+T Instruments have stand RR10 (close to the bar) in the Refit & Repair area of Palma Superyacht Show with our technical team on hand to discuss your upgrade or new system.

If you would like tickets, a specific appointment at our stand or onboard your yacht please contact our office or call the onsite mobile +44 (0)7860 181277.

For those who don't know, the Palma Superyacht Show (Saturday 27th April to Wednesday 1st May) is well worth visiting. It is one of the largest sailing superyacht shows worldwide and a real hub of influential equipment and service companies.

www.aandtinstruments.com
www.palmasuperyachtshow.com

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An inaugural Seafood Festival is being held at Hythe Marina Village on 8th June 2019. With a wide range of local produce and live music the event is certain to become a firm favourite in the local calendar.

As well as fishy favourites like fish and chips and seafood pizza, visitors will enjoy the delights of companies selling local produce such as fudge, ice cream, cakes, gin and wine. In addition to all these tasty morsels will be Classics on the Quay, a collection of over 100 amazing classic and supercars. A Griffon Hovercraft will also be landing in Hythe on the day.

MDL prides itself on its marinas' interactions with local communities.

"We really do enjoy these types of events," says Kerry Marriott, Head of Operations. "Many of our marinas hold exciting days for members and the community. We're particularly excited about the Seafood Festival and can't wait to taste all the stunning goodies on offer."

The Seafood Festival runs from 9am-5pm, on 8 June 2019. More information is available from www.lovehytheandwaterside.co.uk/, www.facebook.com/hythemarinavillage/ and twitter.com/MDLHytheMarina

Featured Brokerage
2013 Infiniti 36GT - Skazka. 175,000 EUR. Located in Southampton, UK.

Perfect for adrenaline junkies. Superbly finished. Very little used.XT

See listing details in YachtZoo

Contact

+33 620 87 67 04

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2002 Swan 45-007 'Eala of Rhu'. 295,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Barcelona, Spain.

Swan 45 EALA of RHU is an excellent example of this hugely successful one design fleet, built as a Two Cabin version with twin heads and a large sail locker accessed from the cockpit.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor's Swan Brokerage - Jerome Mainemare

Tel. +377 97 97 95 07
nautorswanbrokerage.com

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1982 Pocock One Tonner. 19,500 GBP Located in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Greased Lighting is a racing One Tonner. If you're wanting to get into racing or you're an old hand wanting to keep your skills well oiled, Greased Lightning is the yacht for you.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Call Nick on 07900 191 326

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
If the jury feels the law is unjust, we recognize the undisputed power of the jury to acquit, even if its verdict is contrary to the law as given by a judge, and contrary to the evidence. -- 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, US v Moylan, 1969

Editorial and letter submissions to

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