In This Issue
• Williams wins second Argo Group Gold Cup championship
• Line Honours for SHK Scallywag in Antigua Bermuda Race
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• NZL's George Lee Rush Wins RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup
• 470 Europeans, Sanremo at its best
• Regata dei Tre Golfi
• Perfect Finale Seals Titles At 16th Sail Racing Palmavela
• Panerai British Classic Week
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Doomernik Yachts BV Wallynano MkII
• • TP/IRC 52 - "Ambition"
• • Grand Soleil 50 - CYRENE
• The Last Word: Thomas Jefferson
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
Williams wins second Argo Group Gold Cup championship
Hamilton, Bermuda: Just when it looked like Sweden's Johnie Berntsson was going to even the score in the final of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup and send the match to a fifth and deciding race, Ian Williams of Great Britain sailed across his bow and snatched away the victory.
In streaky wind conditions on Hamilton Harbour, Williams and his Team GAC Pindar crew rode a heading puff down on starboard tack and turned a three or four boatlength deficit into a half-length victory in the final 100 yards of the run to the finish.
The Team GAC Pindar crew, including Gerry Mitchell, Tom Powrie and Richard Sydenham won the final 3-1 as well as $30,000 of the $100,000 prize purse in the regatta hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
For Williams it was his second victory in Bermuda, and he becomes the 12th multiple winning skipper of the King Edward VII Gold Cup, joining the likes of Ben Ainslie of Great Britain, Taylor Canfield of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chris Dickson of New Zealand and Berntsson himself.
Five-time America's Cup champion Russell Coutts of New Zealand is the all-time winner of the Gold Cup with seven championships. Williams won his first Gold Cup in 2006 and he's waited a long 13 years for the second.
Final Standings
1. Ian Williams (42, Lymington, England, GBR) - 18-4
2. Johnie Berntsson (48, Stennungsund, Sweden) - 14-7
3. Harry Price (23, Sydney, Australia) - 13-9
4. Lucy Macgregor (32, Poole, England, GBR) - 14-13
5. Torvar Mirsky (32, Sydney, Australia) - 10-6
6. Chris Poole (30, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA) - 12-9
7. Ettore Botticini (23, Porto Santo Stefano, Italy) - 7-15
8. Eric Monnin (43, Immensee, Switzerland) - 9-12
Line Honours for SHK Scallywag in Antigua Bermuda Race
Supermaxi SHK Scallywag (HKG), skippered by David Witt, crossed the finish line outside St David's Lighthouse, Bermuda just before 10pm local time on Saturday 11 May, taking Line Honours in the 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race in an elapsed time of 3 days 08 hours 54 mins 21 seconds.
Antigua Bermuda Race Chairman, Les Crane gave the Scallywag's a warm welcome, motoring out to meet the boat before their finish, and was on hand to provide the Goslings Dark 'n Stormys after the 17 Scallywag crew cleared customs.
SHK Scallywag crew: Skipper David Witt, Anemike Bes, Harry Bethwaite, Tom Clout, James Crampton, Nick Crones, Ferdinand Galetta, Kris Mark Galetta, Alex Gough, Phil Harmer, Jack Macartney, Matt Pearce, Ben Piggott, Trystan Seal, Miles Seddon, Lindsey Stead and Charlie Wyatt.
Scallywag was outside the record set last year by Stephen Murray Jr.'s Volvo 70 Warrior (2 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes and 48 seconds). SHK Scallywag's Australian skipper David Witt spoke about the 935 mile race dockside at the Customs House, shortly after finishing.
Several yachts are expected to finish the Antigua Bermuda Race over the next 24 hours. At 0900 AST on Sunday 12 May, Afansay Isaev Maxi Weddell (RUS) was 223 miles from the finish line. Gilles Barbot's Volvo 60 Esprit de Corps IV (CAN) are just 14 miles astern of Weddell, 237miles from the finish.
In the race for the win after IRC time correction, Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR), skippered by Andy Liss is estimated to be leading by eight hours, with 261 miles to go. Three yachts are having a very close battle for the podium after time correction. Kevin McLaughlin's x-55 Rye (USA) is 300 miles from the finish and estimated to be second under IRC. Just one hour behind Rye on corrected time is Peter Grueterich's xP-44 Xpatriate (USA), which has 323 mile to go. Morgan Watson and Meg Reilly's Pogo 12.50 Hermes II (CAN) is fourth after IRC time correction, with 304 miles to go and very much challenging for the podium.
In CSA Cruising, Carlo Falcone's 1938 79ft Alfred Mylne ketch Mariella (ANT) continues to impress. Mariella is estimated to be leading after time correction by five hours from Pata Negra and Hermes II.
Seahorse June 2019
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
World news
Massive Macif, getting it together in Ultim world, Gabart's little 'sprint', Tony Rae's determination not to go sailing, taking it (very) seriously with Blue Robinson. Plus Charleston rocks (yet again). Patrice Carpentier, Ivor Wilkins, Bianca Cook, Dobbs Davis, Charlie Dalin
Taming the talent
It takes time but eventually the full picture emerges of most of the great sporting heroes. And so we learn that Charlie Barr was not an easy man to manage. John Rousmaniere
One hundred years later
Let's focus on what can be achieved and then leave people to do their jobs. Rob Weiland
Too good to refuse?
Rhode Island's long love affair with the America's Cup shows no sign of easing up. Eric Hall
Seahorse build table - Crowdfunding
We're in if you guys are. Umberto Felci
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NZL's George Lee Rush Wins RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup
George Lee Rush of New Zealand has won the 2019 RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup. Leading from the first race, George took four first place finishes, across the 12 races, double the number of 4th place finisher Yanne Broers of the Netherlands.
George placed eighth in today's final race, his lowest place of the regatta, taking that as his single discard; his win was assured before today's final race.
Second place went to Bermuda native Sebastian Kempe. First female was Yanne Broers.
Final top ten:
1. George Lee Rush, NZL, 32.0
2. Sebastian Kempe, BER, 52.0
3. Matheo Capasso , CAY, 62.0
4. Yanne Broers, NED, 71.0
5. Maria Gracia Vegas Trivelli, PER, 75.0
6. Christian Ebbin, BER, 78.0
7. Tadeo Funes de Rioja, ARG, 85.0
8. Ma'ayan Shemesh, ISR, 98.0
9. Magnus Ringsted, BER, 99.0
10. Eddie Reid, AUS, 103.0
Full results: juniorgoldcup.com/results
470 Europeans, Sanremo at its best
The gulf of Sanremo has lived up to its fame, delivering perfect conditions for the opening day of the 470 Europeans, organised by local Yacht Club Sanremo and Marina degli Aregai, in co-operation with the national and international 470 class. Blue skies, a warm sun and an easterly exceeding 15 knots have welcomed the participating teams in a sailing location that confirms to be among the world's best.
The crews, 70 men split in two groups and 40 women, reached the race area on time for a noon start, but were forced to wait a bit longer offshore for the wind to set in direction and intensity. After nearly two hours, the international Race Committee was able to fire the Europeans' first signal for the women's fleet, shortly followed by the two men's groups. The first start was given under black flag for everyone, and unfortunately several crews were found over the line and disqualified.
The ideal sailing conditions enabled to wrap three races, shaping a first, very preliminary scoreboard for both the Europeans and the Open Championship.
UK'a Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre, scored two wins that put them on top of the Women's table, in front of Israel's Gil Cohen and Non Lasry, that grabbed a victory in the second race, with Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz close the day in third overall. It's interesting to note that the first ten female crews all come from Europe, whilst the first non-European team is Australia's Nia Jeerwood and Monique Devries. The usually strong duo from China, Mengxi Wei and Haiyan Gao, didn't look particularly at ease in today's strong wind and are in fifteenth position.
In the Men's fleet, Australian stars Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan bagged a clean score, with three bullets. But behind them the Europeans were in the spotlight with Austria's David Bargher and Lukas Mahr leading on Spaniards Jordi Xammar and Nicolas Rodriguez and Panagiotis Mantis teaming with Pavlos Kagialis from Greece. The reigning European champions Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom from Sweden close the day in sixth place overall.
The weather forecast for Day 2 is for a south-westerly wind of around 8 to 10 knots in the morning, progressively increasing in the pm hours. First starting signal is scheduled for 11:00, and the Race Committee intends to have up to three races for the women and two races for the men.
Regata dei Tre Golfi
In addition to the usual spectacular midnight start from off Naples' magnificent Castel dell'Ovo, following Friday night's dinner at the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRV Italia) clubhouse in the Santa Lucia Marina, the 65th Regata dei Tre Golfi will be remembered for being an especially light wind affair favouring the smaller boats.
Second oldest in the Italian yachting calendar to the Rolex Giraglia, this 155 mile offshore race has incorporated into Rolex Capri Sailing Week since 2017, forming a prologue and feeder race to the inshore races that start on Wednesday for the maxi boats.
Organised by the CRV Italia, the course takes the boats northwest from Naples, around the island of Ponza before returning southeast, where the boats can leave Capri to port or starboard before rounding the Li Galli islands off the Amalfi coast, then returning clockwise around the south side of Capri to the finish off Marina Grande.
Regata dei Tre Golfi also forms the second event in the International Maxi Association's Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC) which began with last October's Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Nine 60+ft yachts competed in the Regata dei Tre Golfi's Maxi class and there was a particularly competitive fight from the outset between the longest boats - Vesper, the maxZ86 chartered by American Jim Swartz, the Maxi 72 Caol Ila R and Jethou, Sir Peter Ogden's elongated Maxi 72, now 77ft LOA. Following the midnight start this trio escaped the busy start area the fastest with Vesper leading Caol Ila R and Jethou out of theGulf of Naples. Their advantage swiftly grew to around nine miles when the chasing pack was becalmed just north of Ischia.
Caol Ila R rounded the Li Galli mark at midnight, followed around an hour later by Jethou, Vesper and Wild Joe. Aside from a small stop off the northwest corner of Capri, Caol Ila R secured her second consecutive line honours victory, finishing at 02:36:25 on Sunday morning, followed by Vesper at 03:04, Jethou at 03:09 and Wild Joe at 03:28.
Like most of the boats, Caol Ila R raced 'light' with only 14 crew rather than 20 on board and leaving heavy weather sails behind. While they saw 12 knots briefly, the average was around six and there were prolonged periods of less than three. Schaerer reckoned around eight were ideal - less or more and their larger canting keel opponent Vesper would have seen them off.
Ultimately overall victory in the 65th Regata dei Tre Golfi went to one of its smallest boats - the Este 31 Globulo Rosso of Alessandro Burzi.
www.internationalmaxiassociation.com
Perfect Finale Seals Titles At 16th Sail Racing Palmavela
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Not surprisingly the biggest smiles were shared by the winners across the 15 classes, but as the long standing curtain raiser event is designed to shake off the winter rust and set teams up for the season ahead, the range of light to moderately fresh conditions gave the 110 teams a highly competitive work out.
With just over one week before the TP52 class starts racing on nearby Menorca for the first points races of the 2019 52 Super Series, the 16thSail Racing PalmaVela has been an intense, no compromise warm-up for the highly competitive, very evenly matched fleet of 10 boats.
Quantum Racing, the 2018 circuit champions, have made five changes to their title winning line-up but proved they are adapting fast and are in much better shape to defend the five regatta series than some might have expected.
With America's Cup winner Ed Baird back in the skipper-helm role they never finished worse than a couple of fifths to win by six points ahead of Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon. The German flagged team struggled with an ill timed port tack approach to the top mark in the second race which resulted in a seventh.
In the big boat IRC fleet the overall win was handed to Vera, the Reichel Pugh 83 footer of Miguel Galuccio, as their only rival Magic Carpet 3 did not race today. The pair were all square going in to today and so the crew lead by Volvo Race veteran Bouwe Bekking took the overall win.
The Dragon class produced a close finish too, Welsh helm Eddie Owen, the RORC CEO, having to settle for second place, also by a single point, behind Otto Pohlmann's German crew of Meerblick
After four great days of racing the champions of the 16thSail Racing PalmaVela are:
Quantum Racing (TP52)
Vera (IRC)
Arobas2 (Mallorca Sotheby's ORC 0)
Dralion (Mallorca Sotheby's ORC 1)
Shazam (Mallorca Sotheby's ORC 2)
Vertigo Dos Texia (Mallorca Sotheby's ORC 3)
Just the Job (Mallorca Sotheby's ORC 4-5)
Atila (J80)
Meerblick (Dragon)
Puffin (Flying Fifteen)
Team RCNP (Viper)
Marigan (Classic/Vintage)
January Sails (Spirit of Tradition)
Fundacion Alex (Hansa 303 Individual)
Team RCNP 1 (Hansa 303 Double)
Panerai British Classic Week
Organised by the British Classic Yacht Club and sponsored by luxury watchmaker Panerai, the UK's premier classic yacht regatta will take place in Cowes from 13th to 20th July 2019
The British Classic Yacht Club (BCYC) has announced entry applications are open for its annual Panerai British Classic Week regatta in Cowes. Sponsored by Panerai, the event attracts classic yachts and enthusiasts from across the UK and Europe.
The six-race series organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron will once again include a schedule of varied and quality courses, including the popular Nab Tower race from last year. Criteria for entry is IRC classic yachts of 24ft and over or modern classic, Spirit of Tradition yachts. Fast-paced racing for classes 1-4, an 8mR and a 6mR class will take place in the challenging tidal waters of the Solent against the historic, picturesque backdrop of the Isle of Wight.
This year's event will have two elements to the prizes. All yachts will race towards the primary IRC overall and class winner prizes, which will be awarded solely on race results. Building on last year's emphasis on authenticity, race results will also go towards a second set of prizes to be won by yachts deemed as authentic by a panel of independent judges. The experienced judges comprise Classic Boat group editor Rob Peake (as lead judge), classic yacht builder Martin Nott, marine writer and photographer Nigel Sharp and yacht designer Paul Spooner.
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The Last Word
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