In This Issue
• D-Marin ORC World Championship
• Glorious Second Day In Costa Smeralda
• Humbling - Sailing Arabia The tour
• J/70 Southern Area Championship
• An Ultra Marathon Not A Sprint?
• 505 Euro Cup Riva Del Garda
• Trophee MAP and Mini Fastnet
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: 2016 Sunfast 3600 - Red Eye
• Featured Brokerage:
• • 2013 Botin 40 - Black
• • 1993 Whitbread 60 - TOKIO II
• • 2016 Hitchhiker Fast40+ MK III
• The Last Word: Diane di Prima
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
Perfect conditions make for close inshore racing in all classes at D-Marin ORC World Championship
Sibenik, Croatia: In postcard-perfect 13-17 knot southerly winds under sunny Croatian skies, the three classes of the 2019 D-Marin ORC World Championship today enjoyed close competition in two races now added to the series scoreboard. And in three races - yesterday's long offshore and today's two inshores - new leaders have emerged in the series.
Racing on the northern Bravo course area due west of the harbor at Sibenik, Class A's fastest-rated boat - Marco Serafini's 2011 Botin-designed TP 52 XIO - made it look easy with wins scored in both races. But a closer look at the detailed results tells a different story: their margins of victory were extremely close in the 1 hour of racing time, only 33 seconds in the first race over yesterday's race winner, Roberto Monti's Judel/Vrolik-designed TP 52 Air is Blue, and only 40 seconds in the second race over Giovanni Labini's GS 46R Luduan Reloaded.
Class B on course area Alpha to the south of Sibenik had what course area PRO Denis Marinov said were two "perfect" races. As in Class A, there was one team winning both races in Class B too: Andrea Rossi's Swan 42 Mela. And like XIO in Class A, the margins were tight...in fact, very tight in the first race, with the runner-up - yesterday's long race winner Massimo De Campo's Swan 42 Selene-Alifax - overlapped at the finish and losing by a mere 9 seconds in corrected time.
Class C on course area Alpha was not nearly as well-behaved as Class B, with race manager Ariane Mainemarie having to pull out the Black Flag to tame this largest crowd in the regatta with 50 boats. Former Olympian Lorenzo Bodini, tactician on Aivar Tuulberg's custom Cossutti-designed 37-footer Katariina II, the reigning ORC European Champion, said the starts are really tough.
"If someone messes you up, you can protest, but what's the point, you just need to get off the line clean because if you are not, the race is impossible to catch up," he said.
Today's leader in the class seemed to avoid this problem by having clean lanes to let the boat do the work and good tactical calls to emerge with an impressive score of 1-2 on the day. Zdenek Jakoubek's red-orange M37 Hebe V may be hard to miss on the crowded start lines, but skipper Petr Fiala would also credit the windy conditions today for their success, which nonetheless was by a small 28-second margin in Race 1. In contrast, their loss to yesterday's long race winner Ott Kikkas's Italia 11.98 Sugar 3 in the second race was by 1:12 in over an hour of racing.
Tomorrow's forecast suggests even windier southerlies of up to 20 knots, so race organizers have opted to schedule three inshore races for the day and push the next short coastal race to Friday, whose forecast at this stage is not so promising with very light wind predicted. A final buoy race will conclude the series on Saturday when the new World Champions will be crowned.
Glorious Second Day In Costa Smeralda
Porto Cervo, Italy: The second day of racing at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, an event organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, was characterised by ideal wind conditions for big boat racing. Winds of 18 to 23 knots from the southeast allowed the fleet to give their best on a regatta course that was nothing short of spectacular.
For the first time in a superyacht regatta, the boats in the Performance division tested - with resounding success and a lot of adrenaline - a fleet start with a windward offset mark, instead of the usual staggered start which remained in place for the Cruising division.
The choice of the course by the Race Committee was indeed perfect, sending the Performance fleet to circumnavigate the islands of Caprera and La Maddalena counter clockwise, leaving a mark to port off the island of Barettinelli di Fuori before returning to Porto Cervo via Bomb Alley and the Bisce pass, covering a total distance of 30.5 miles.
The Cruising division sailed around Caprera and La Maddalena clockwise, leaving the islet of Barettini to port, a route of 24.3 miles. The spectacle of the two divisions coming together at the island of Spargi was unique, a dream scenario for anyone passionate about sailing. While the 50-metre Silencio, at the head of the Cruising fleet, rounded Punta Marginetto on La Maddalena, the gaff-rigged schooner Mariette of 1915, sailed with great skill ahead of Meteor and Q, met with the ultra-modern WallyCento Magic Carpet 3 leading the Performance fleet. On that section of the course the wind was blowing at 23 knots with gusts of 29 recorded at the top of the masts of the superyachts - a height of more than 50 metres.
Magic Carpet 3 repeated yesterday's success, chalking up another convincing victory, this time in front of Switzerland's 33-metre Inoui.
In the Cruising division the Perini Navi Silencio also gained her second win ahead of Mariette in second place. The 50-metre yachts Meteor and Q, who crossed the finish line in third and fourth place, treated spectators to an exciting battle of the giants throughout the race.
A rest day is scheduled for Thursday for the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, while the yachts from the Southern Wind shipyard will compete for their dedicated trophy with a fresh westerly wind forecast. The first warning signal is scheduled for 11.30 a.m.
Humbling - Sailing Arabia The Tour
If you want to know how competitive the revamped EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour was this year ask Volvo Ocean Race champion Franck Cammas... who has just experienced life 'below the fold'
The new-look EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour came fully of age in 2019, again delivering early season racing in near ideal conditions for a fleet of highly competitive Diam 24 teams.
'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.
After seven successful years racing in the southern Gulf region, the Tour underwent a radical reboot in 2018. The long-serving Farr 30 fleet was replaced by the rapid Diam trimaran and the course was reconfigured to focus on the charms and challenges of Oman's striking coastline.
Full article in the June issue of Seahorse
J/70 Southern Area Championship
Eight races were held in champagne conditions for 18 J/70 teams in The Solent. Bright sunshine and a huge range of wind conditions provided spectacular racing with fun-filled social events all organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club. 2017 UK National Champions, Ian Wilson & Marshall King's Soak Racing scored all podium finishes including five bullets to win the regatta and lift the Myosotis Cutter Cup.
In second place was John Greenland's Jdog, flying the colours of the Royal Thames, the team was racing one of the J/70s owned by the RTYC, four of which are available for charter. Despite not winning a race, Greenland's team was only out of the top five in one race during the eight race series.
Graham Clapp's Jeepster representing the Royal Southern YC started the regatta with a bullet and went on to score two more podium finishes, and no worse than eighth in the series resulted in third for the regatta.
In addition to the top three teams, six more teams made the race podium during the regatta: Niklas Zennstrom's Rán, Joshua Flack's Elizabeth, Patrick Liardet's Cosmic, Simon Cavey's Just4Play, Tara Gill-Taylor's RTYC Academy, and Phil Rys' Bryn.
The 2019 J/70 UK Grand Slam Series continues 18-20 July with Round 5,the J/70 UK Class Training Event, organised by the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Early entry fee applies until July 15, 2019. -- Louay Habib
For more information: yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=9454
An Ultra Marathon Not A Sprint?
Race direction of the 50th anniversary La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro have made it their clear policy to make each stage as open as possible by minimising the number of marks of each course. They have rewarded avid followers of the demanding French multi stage solo offshore race with a suspenseful opening act, from Nantes across the Celtic Sea to Kinsale which promises a finish on Thursday. Increasingly it looks like the winner will not be decided until the slow final miles set to be raced in light winds.
Three days in to the 553 nautical miles opening leg from Nantes, at 110 miles from the turn at the Fastnet Rock this afternoon the 46 strong fleet has a lateral separation - west to east - of more than 60. Already the unsettled winds in the early stages of this course means the stage is 24 hours slower than expected.
After a welcome interlude of fast surfing under gennaker and code Zero yesterday afternoon, last night another cold front passed over the fleet to make for a wet, bumpy and unpleasant beat across the approaches to the Channel.
So changeable have been the conditions that there has been little time to rest - the new Figaro Beneteau 3s are more demanding on the helm and sail changing and trimming - that solo skippers are increasingly sleep deprived and exhausted.
The official rankings have now recorded nine different leaders, Morgan Lagraviere (Voile Engagement ), Michel Desjoyeaux (Lumibird), Henri Lemenicier (Eureka), Adrien Hardy (Sans Nature Pas de Future), Yann Elies (St Michel) Thomas Ruyant (Advens-Fondation de la mer) Alain Gautier and Pierre Leboucher (Guyot environnement)
As for The Jackal, twice overall winner and Vendee Globe victor Armel Le Cleac'h, who was in 45th place yesterday afternoon, he may still profit from his routing in the extreme east. He is up to 18th at eight miles from the lead.
505 Euro Cup Riva Del Garda
Riva Del Garda, Italy: The team of Mike Holt (USA) and Carl Smit (USA) have won the 2019 505 Euro Cup Riva del Garda, the second leg of the Euro Cup series.
Sailed at Fraglia della Vela Riva, the regatta came down to the last leg of the last race in a duel between Holt/Smit (USA) & Higgins/Johnson (AUS).
Lake Garda lived up to its reputation and delivered a fantastic event, great breeze, stunning scenery, food and racing. "No wonder people keep coming back" said winning helm Mike Holt
In what has become one of the highlights on the annual 505 calendar, the Euro Cup is a four-event series that takes place across France, Italy, Germany and the UK. There is a winner determined at each event as well as an overall series winner based on cumulative scores from three of the four regattas.
Overall top five:
1. Mike Holt & Carl Smit (USA)
2. Malcolm Higgins & Nick Johnson ( AUS)
3. Bob Tennant & Steve Bourdon (CAN)
4. Ian Pinnell & Tim Needham (GBR)
5. Penny & Russ Clark (GBR)
This coming weekend 7th to 9th June the 5o5 Class is holding an exhibition event in Barcelona, Spain. The first ever 5o5 Regatta in Spain.
For Euro Cup Riva full reports & results, please visit our Riva event page
For more information on the Barcelona event visit the Barcelona event page.
Trophee MAP and Mini Fastnet
Exciting program on the horizon for Raphael Lutard, the skipper of the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3, who will soon be taking part in two races in which 70 to 80 boats will be competing. On 6 June he will be setting off from Douarnenez, Britanny, for the Trophee Marie-Agnes Peron, a 220-mile solo race. Ten days later, on 16 June, again from Douarnenez, Raphael will be off in the Mini Fastnet, a 600-mile iconic two-handed event. He will be accompanied by Quentin Vlamynck, the former skipper of Arkema 3, who will readily give him valuable advice to further optimize his preparation in the run-up to the season's main event, the Mini-Transat La Boulangere.
At midday on 6 June, Raphael will cross the departure line in Douarnenez for the Trophee MAP, the first time he will have taken part in this race. The 220-mile course in the Iroise Sea and Southern Brittany promises to be a highly tactical race. "
On 16 June Raphael will be on the starting line of the most prestigious two-handed races, the Mini Fastnet. The course comprises a 600-mile round-trip between Douarnenez and the Fastnet lighthouse in the Irish Sea. For this two-handed race, Raphael Lutard naturally has chosen Quentin Vlamynck to accompany him in this fine course
Meanwhile, Quentin, while closely following the construction of his future Multi 50 Arkema 4, is looking forward to going back to the Mini 6.50. "The Mini-Fastnet is a super race that I have already taken part in on two occasions, in 2014 and in 2015", he says. "We'll be spending four or five days at sea, the idea being passing on my experience to Raphael. It will be the longest time I will have spent on board this boat since the Mini-Transat. I'll be able to see how familiar Raphael now is with Arkema 3, and give him small bits of advice. Let's hope the weather conditions will allow us to go on the attack as this Mini is perfectly at ease above 15 knots. If we can get good cross-winds, it'll be magical!"
map.winchesclub.org/en/
Tracking for Trophee MAP: yb.tl/mapt2019
Mini Fastnet: minifastnet.winchesclub.org/en/
Industry News
After an 18 month break Louise Morton has returned as Secretary to the J Class and is charged with helping the fleet rebuild towards a pinnacle invitational event in early 2021 in New Zealand during the 36th America's Cup.
There has been a period of flux since a series of exciting back-to-back events in 2017 which coincided with the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda, followed by the J Class World Championship which attracted a fleet of six boats to Newport RI in September of that year.
Reflecting an upsurge of interest after owners took some downtime to cruise and/or pursue other sailing projects, the J Class will convene in Antigua in March 2020 for the Superyacht Challenge there, followed by participation as a class in the popular St Barths Bucket.
At least five J's are expected to then sail to New Zealand through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific.
"I am pleased to be back on board with the Class." Commented Louise Morton, "Hopefully the experience I accumulated during the 6 years to 2017 will provide some stability and renewed impetus and I look forward to working closely with the J Class owners and crews to ensure we can deliver a diet of good, fair racing according to a common goal."
Bill O'Hara (IRL) has been confirmed as Chief Umpire and will work closely with the Class.
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The 59th Genoa International Boat Show was officially announced yesterday in Milan
The official announcement of the 2019 Genoa International Boat Show, organised by Italian marine industry association UCINA, was held in Milan yesterday at the headquarters of Italy's national business newspaper, Il Sole 24 Ore.
Now in its 59th year, the 2019 Genoa show is shaping up to be a successful edition. Preliminary figures have forced the organisers to find new ways of fitting in a surplus in applications. "Confirming last year's trend of companies already stating they would be back again this year, in view of the event's undeniable importance for business development, preparations are 26% earlier than for the previous edition," said Alessandro Campagna, commercial director of the Genoa show. "We can safely say we have already reached 100% of our target."
Acting on widespread requests for more display space, the yachts and superyachts area will be 28% bigger this year, with a particularly tendency towards open and flybridge models. There will also be a 48% increase in sail, including both entry-level vessels and yachts of up to 70ft-80ft.
A 73% increase can be seen for the outboard sector, mirroring the market segment's excellent performance. And requests from accessories firms are up by 35%. Overall, 48% of this growth comes from overseas operators, says UCINA.
The 2019 Genoa International Boat Show will be held from September 19-24.
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The Yacht Racing Forum is delighted to announce an extension of its partnership with The Ocean Race for three more years. The leading annual conference for the business of sailing and yacht racing will next take place in Bilbao, Spain, on November 25-26.
June 4, 2019 - The Yacht Racing Forum and The Ocean Race have announced their partnership, first initiated in 2015, will continue through the next edition of the race, in 2021-22.
"The Yacht Racing Forum has established itself as an important event for the international yacht racing community as an occasion where the leaders of the sport can network and conclude business," said Richard Brisius, the co-President of The Ocean Race. "We are proud to extend our agreement as supporters of the Forum."
Over its 11 editions, the Yacht Racing Forum has facilitated business development by providing quality networking opportunities with decision-makers from all areas within the industry. As it takes place away from the context of a race event and at a time of the year when people are more relaxed and accessible, it has proven to be an efficient format to examine the issues facing the sport and to share best practices.
"We are delighted to extend our partnership with the Ocean Race," said Bernard Schopfer, the event organiser. "The Yacht Racing Forum has become a must-attend event for everyone involved in the sailing and yacht racing industry and the support of the world's premiere ocean race is a strong mark of confidence in our event."
The Yacht Racing Forum 2019 will take place in Bilbao, Spain, on November 25-26. The event will attract some 300 delegates from all over the world in one place, at one time, to do business and meet future collaborators: athletes and teams, Yacht Clubs, sponsors, event organisers, designers and engineers, technical suppliers and anyone involved or just interested in yacht racing.
For more information: www.yachtracingforum.com
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Swedish charter operator Navigare Yachting has added Annapolis Yacht Sales (AYS) in the US to its network of partner dealers. Sailing enthusiasts from the Mid-Atlantic region will now benefit from more charter placement opportunities in the Caribbean and Bahamas, as well as the Mediterranean and Thailand.
AYS is one of the largest yacht dealers on the Chesapeake Bay, with offices in Annapolis, Kent Island, Deltaville and Virginia Beach. The company represents new Beneteau sailing yachts, Lagoon Catamarans, as well as new power yachts from EdgeWater, FourWinns, Steiger Craft, and Cruisers Yachts.
Navigare Yachting is a leading charter operator of sailing yachts, with over 300 units worldwide. With managing offices in Sweden, Croatia and the US, the company offers charters onboard brands such as Jeanneau, Beneteau, Bavaria, Hanse, Dufour, Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot and Nautitech.
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Two of the UK's biggest marina operators - Quay Marinas Ltd and Dean & Reddyhoff Ltd - have agreed to merge. Once finalised later this year, the new combined company will operate the widest network of coastal marinas in the UK.
The Quay Marinas network stretches from Portishead and Penarth in the Severn Estuary to Conwy in North Wales, Bangor in Northern Ireland, Rhu near Glasgow and Royal Quays on the River Tyne.
With 11 marinas in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the new business will now offer home ports in all the key boating destinations of the Solent (including Cowes, Hamble and Portsmouth Harbour), Dorset, the Bristol Channel, the Irish Sea, and the Clyde.
More details will be available at the Southampton Boat Show in September.
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The Trump Administration on Tuesday banned most US travel to Cuba under the so-called 'group people-to-people educational travel,' to pressure the Communist island over its support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The US will also no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships, yachts and other private boats, as well as private and corporate aircraft, according to the Administration and Reuters news service.
"The Administration has advanced the President's Cuba policy by ending 'veiled tourism' to Cuba and imposing restrictions on vessels," said a tweet from Trump's national security adviser John Bolton*, who has led the US campaign against what he has called the "troika of tyranny" of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
"We will continue to take actions to restrict the Cuban regime's access to US dollars."
The tightening of the decades-old US embargo on the Caribbean's largest island will further wound its crippled economy as well as hurt US travel companies that had built up business with Cuba during a brief 2014-2016 detente under former President Barack Obama.
US travel to Cuba had boomed in recent years after Obama loosened restrictions, allowing regular commercial flights and cruise services.
* AKA the "moustache of munch" at Plato's Retreat
Featured Charter
2016 Sunfast 3600 - Red Eye
Available for:
UK Inshore Season
UK Offshore Season
Redeye is a race ready and proven winning example of the very successful Daniel Andrieu designed Sun Fast 3600, built by Chantiers Jeanneau in 2016.
Wherever you look, Sun Fast 3600’s are winning IRC and ORC races around the World. With a competitive 2018 IRC Rating of 1.042, Redeye is no exception and is, amongst others, the 2018 RORC Double Handed and Class 3 overall Champion.
She has a “straight all lead” low drag keel ,which was newly fitted, faired and polished in 2017.
For full details please go to.....bit.ly/LVY-redeye
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
2013 Botin 40 - Black. 380000 USD. Located in Kobe, Japan.
BLACK is one of the most competitive, 40 footers on the market today. Included in the package is a new 2016 rig from Hall Spars and a full 2018/19 North sails inventory. Lost of nice design features make this boat more offshore friendly than typical FAST 40 designs out there.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582
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1993 Whitbread 60 - TOKIO II. 100000 EUR. Located in Helsinki, Finland
Built for the 1993/4 Whitbread race - she is a yacht with a rich history. In her current ownership, she has been based out of Helsinki and used as a successful charter business. She also competed in the Volvo Legends Race in 2018. She has benefited from ongoing refits and preventative maintenance. It is now time for her next chapter.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Please Contact: Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222
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2016 Hitchhiker Fast40+ MK III. 649,000 EUR. Located in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
One of the most succesfull Fast40+ boats in the fleet. During the last three years this boat always had a podium place in the Fast40+ series and One Ton Cup. Highly optimized and professionally maintained. Major refit in 2018, fully kitted out and ready to race in IRC, ORC or Fast40+ series. Perfect opportunity to race in the Fast40+ class in 2019. Please check our website for more details: www.sailsupply.nl/blog/fast40-hitchhiker/
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Mika Eid
+31 85 2100 830
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
In the fifties... we were so busy being cool that we didn’t know how to say the word love. -- Diane di Prima
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html