In This Issue
• All in at Transpac 50
• Alan Roura (La Fabrique) Sets A New North Atlantic Record
• All Aboard for the 21st Jersey Regatta!
• Passion and power: IRC Three and Four in the build up to the Fastnet
• BMW ORC, the largest fleet of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE
• When you’ve got to do a lot more than just make stuff - Future Fibres
• New fees added to all Olympic boats
• Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
• The new boats are coming
• Featured Brokerage:
• • J/122 - "El Ocaso"
• • Vismara V43 Open
• • High SPIRIT
• The Last Word: Deke Slayton
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
All in at Transpac 50
Click on image to enlarge.
Honolulu, Hawaii - With Jason Seibert's Schock 40 Gamble making it across the finish line this morning after a long passage of almost 11 days, the Transpacific Yacht Club can declare all boats have finished this year's 50th edition to the LA-Honolulu Race. The final tally of boats completing the course successfully is 81, with 678 sailors aboard. Nine yachts retired from this year's race: seven returned to the mainland, one continued to Hawaii, and one sank at sea.
Nearly without exception, all were glad they came, with plenty of tales of adventure and challenge running the gamut of topics common to ocean racing: high speeds and low speeds, gourmet cooking to freeze dried mush, perfect moonlit nights to scary squalls, freezing cold to baking in the sun with no relief. For some the trip was without incident, while others ran into one problem after another and the trip was spent troubleshooting these to get them to Hawaii in one piece.
The skipper of the last finisher had a lot of this onboard, but admitted often the boat was less an issue than the team being able to adapt to this high-speed, low-freeboard canting-keeled rocket ship. Seibert, from Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas, also had other challenges ahead of the race: he had his boat measured in accordance to race requirements, but due to the boat's canting keel needed more assurance presented to the event's technical committee that the boat could comply with other safety and stability rules. So he knew modifications were needed.
For the next several days, Ala Wai Harbor will be abuzz with activity as the Aloha welcome parties shift to seeing newly showered and shaved race crews rinse, dry, and fold sails and gear for storage or shipping, while the delivery crews start coming in to make their lists, fix the systems that broke, and make ready for the deliveries back to the mainland. The Australians are preparing for a longer trip headed west and south for the South Seas en route back to Oz. Others are readying their boats for delivery back to California on one of the Pasha Hawaii roll-on roll-off ships on their regular service to and from Hawaii.
2019.transpacyc.com/news/boat-blogs
Alan Roura (La Fabrique) Sets A New North Atlantic Record
Click on image to enlarge.
The Swiss sailor Alan Roura has set a new provisional monohull solo record time of 7 days, 16 hours and 55 minutes on the classic New York to the Lizard course. Subject to ratification he breaks the existing record which was held held by Marc Guillemot by more than 12 hours
Things lined up nicely for the 26 year old Swiss skipper who memorably finished 12th on the last Vendee Globe on his previous IMOCA, also La Fabrique.
According to Villon the technical team of La Fabrique ensured that not only was the boat immaculately prepared after her winter refit, but the logistics and planning were carefully detailed and executed. Roura and the team planned the attempt well. The delivery to New York was done by some of the technical team along with Sebastien Audigane who he will compete with Alan on the 2019 two handed races.
When they assembled there they did not hang about in New York waiting, but instead Roura jumped at the first opportunity
The choice was made to start and get well ahead of a low-pressure system that was leaving the east coast of North America and to start off sailing as far and as fast as possible ahead of the front.
After that there was a small high pressure ridge to cross before being spurred on by a second depression which took him past the finish line which is the transit between Ushant and Lizard Point.
All Aboard for the 21st Jersey Regatta!
With the summer in full swing and the Island’s sailing programme progressing at a rate of knots, the scene is set for the 21st edition of the Jersey Regatta, the Island’s ‘flagship’ sailing event. Slated for 6th to 8th September, the Island’s combined clubs’ ‘jamboree’ will be held, as ever, in the beautiful arena of St Aubin’s Bay and adjacent coastal waters.
Key to the ongoing success of this most popular of events is the warm regatta community atmosphere in which competitors of all ages and experience compete in sportsboat, cruiser/racer, Quarter Ton, dayboat, dinghy, sport catamaran and windsurfer classes. The organisers’ guiding principle is to ensure a great welcome and three days of camaraderie, fun and keen racing for all. Visiting boats, especially, provide that added ingredient that puts the local sailors on their mettle whilst, often, winning many of the prizes and coveted silverware.
The Regatta gets underway on Thursday 5th September with the traditional welcoming reception in St Helier YC. The racing programme opens on Friday morning with a long race for the sportsboat and cruiser/racer classes, the ‘small boat’ classes racing later that afternoon. Friday’s races are ‘standalone’ whilst races held on Saturday and Sunday count towards the Jersey Regatta class championships, in each class, and the IRC Channel Islands Championships that are the major feature of the cruiser/racer programme. All IRC-rated boats will be competing for the Championship titles and, additionally, the great prizes provided by Spinlock, the IRC Sponsors. This year sees a change in the Sportsboat and Class 1 programme with two longer races replacing the traditional three ‘round the cans’ races on both days.
However, this sailing extravaganza is not only about competing, winning and having a good time on the water, it is complimented by a lively social programme ashore that is intended to provide everyone with plenty of opportunity to unwind and enjoy the camaraderie and ever-warm welcome that awaits them in the Clubs.
For local and visiting boats alike, Jersey Marinas, supporters from the first edition in 1999, will be providing complimentary berthing and will be available to provide such other assistance as may be needed to help things run smoothly.
Condor Ferries, also long-time supporters, are providing discounted fares for those Regatta entrants wishing to transport their boats to the Island; this kind offer covers accompanied boats on trailers
For further information, please contact the Regatta office, , or call 00 44 (0)1534 732229.
Passion and power: IRC Three and Four in the build up to the Fastnet
In the 2013 and 2015 editions of the 605 nautical mile offshore race, the top three boats overall came from IRC Three and Four. This year, currently 340 teams will race under IRC for the overall win and over half of them will be competing in IRC Three and Four. The vast majority of the 3,000-strong competitors in the 400-boat fleet are passionate amateurs, racing on a huge variety of boats, with 88 different designs found in these two classes.
Eighty-five yachts have entered IRC Three; 46 from Great Britain, 18 from France and also Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, and the USA.
Eighty-nine yachts have entered IRC Four; 52 from Great Britain, 16 from France and also entries from Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the USA.
The oldest boat in the race this year is Paul Moxon's 1939 Amokura. The Shepherd-designed classic yawl was built as 'a speedy vessel, suitable for both cruising and ocean racing' and designed for Major Ernest Harston, ADC to Lord Mountbatten. She will be joined in IRC Four by Sir Francis Chichester's famed 53ft ketch, Gipsy Moth IV which is run as a charity to maintain her sailing heritage.
Another classic yacht with a strong connection to the 1979 race is the Contessa 32 Assent, which was originally named Tessa of Worth and the only yacht in Class 5 to complete the 1979 Fastnet Race. Assent is now owned by Kit Rogers and skippered by Simon Rogers. Their Father Jeremy Rogers set up Contessa Yachts in 1961. "This is a pilgrimage to show respect for the '79 race, now 40 years ago," commented Simon. "Our crew will be my oldest child Hattie, and Kit's oldest Jonah, who are both 19, and this will be in their first Fastnet." Assent has the shortest waterline length (24ft) in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race. -- Louis Habib
BMW ORC, the largest fleet of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE
The four divisions of the BMW ORC class include 70 boats and 20 nationalities, constituting over half of the total fleet at the 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE. In both numbers of registered participants and their traditional history at the event, it is the one of the most closely observed fleets of the Real Club Náutico de Palma’s regatta.
Since 2007, the involvement of one-designs, has created an even more diverse fleet, and includes impressive boats such as the GC32s or ClubSwan 50s.
However, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE was originally established as a corrected time handicap classes regatta, and despite its continual evolution and the inclusion of new formulas, it remains loyal to its origins.
The best example is the hugely successful BMW ORC classes, that have participated in every single edition of the event since it began, and this year continue to show impressive statistics.
As such, this year the BMW ORC is distributed into the BMW ORC 0, BMW ORC 1, BMW ORC 2 and BMW ORC 3. It is a truly heterogeneous combination of boats ranging from under 10 to up to 16 metres, and in this 38th edition of the regatta brings together 70 boats from 20 nationalities. Racing under the ORC formula there are teams from Germany, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Estonia, France, Holland, England, British Virgin Islands, Italy, Monaco, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Czech Republic, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey and the Ukraine. BMW has named the ORC in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE since 2014.
The competition programme for the four classes of the BMW ORC is made up of 11 windward-leeward races from Monday 29th July to Saturday 3rd August.
When you’ve got to do a lot more than just make stuff - Future Fibres
Future Fibres recently tripled the scale of its composite rigging service and manufacturing facility in Valencia
Size matters... at least it does when you are in the business of manufacturing and servicing hightech rigging for a large percentage of the of the world’s grand prix race boats and superyachts. That’s why, after facing increased demand yearon- year from new and existing clients, Future Fibres – a part of the North Technology Group since 2015 – have upgraded their service function to a much larger new facility.
At 60,000 square feet the new premises located on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain is three times the size of the company’s previous service centre in the city’s 2007 America’s Cup village.
Full article in the August issue of Seahorse
New fees added to all Olympic boats
The World Sailing Board is implementing significant new fees on Olympic sailors without a vote of council. The new Olympic contracts, which each Olympic class for 2024 must sign by August 1st, includes a new 1% fee on all equipment sales that will pull an estimated $300,000 annually from the pockets of Olympic and non-Olympic sailors.
Each sailing class currently pays fees that are set in World Sailing regulation of roughly 0.4% of the cost of a new hull, down to smaller percentages of the hull costs for more expensive boats. By adding an additional 1% fee and applying it to all Olympic equipment, not just the hulls, the fees on Olympic sailors will nearly treble.
The normal fees, called ‘hull plaques’ have all details of the fee schedule set out in regulation. Changes to these fees and any others must be debated by the World Sailing Council to be implemented. In order to bypass the normal system of debate and discussion, the World Sailing Board of Directors has instead added this new fee to the Olympic contracts which include confidentiality clauses once signed.
The Olympic sailors already bring in $4 million USD per year via the IOC for World Sailing. This is over 60% of World Sailing revenue and another 20% of World Sailing revenue comes more indirectly from the sailors via the sponsorships raised off their regattas. In this situation, the 1% fee will not only concern equipment bought by Olympic campaigners but will also impact all level of sailors from youth to masters and clubs. In some popular classes like the Laser where 2% are Olympic campaigners, the gains made through non-Olympic campaigners will be many times more.
Charging the Olympic sailors is an easy way for World Sailing to add revenue, since in order to pursue the Olympic dreams the sailors must buy the equipment used in the Olympics. In bypassing the normal system of debate on all Olympic matters, the World Sailing Board is side stepping the transparency, safeguards, and debate that normally occurs. Using the Olympic contract as a vehicle to add fees to sailors via the class associations and manufacturers is not democratic and should not be how World Sailing operates.
All of the stakeholders within Olympic sailing should be debating this new fee, and council should ultimately decide if it is in the best interest of the sport.
The Olympic Classes presented this argument to the board in protest over the proposed contract since the 2017 November conference in Puerto Vallarta, but the board is holding firm knowing that the drive to be Olympic will force classes and builders to all sign the contract.
The Olympic Classes will be jointly proposing a submission for debate in November to explicitly disallow the addition of fees via the Olympic contracts and impact over the whole sport spectrum. -- Ben Remocker in the 49er class site
The Olympic Classes Sub Committee
49er.org/blog/new-fees-added-to-all-olympic-boats/
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:
James Lyne (USA)
‘Whitby’s finest!’ - Jim Turner; ‘I’m proud to have sailed with him’ - Alexis Petter; ‘Big Jim brings another level to post-race analysis’ - Paul Goodison; ‘Great to see the credit that is long overdue for coach James’ - Terry Hutchinson; ‘James has quietly carried teams to the podium then lets them stand in the limelight’ - Ray Wulff; ‘Absolute guru, wonderful human’ - Phil Armstrong; ‘The super coach and a super guy’ - Adrian Stead; ‘You are our American promise’ - Brooke Cunningham; ‘Best coach ever’ - Dave Jarvis; ‘He’s also an amazing gentleman’ - Carol Tillman. ‘Lad’s done well since he got that first Topper...’ - Nick Lyne.
This month's nominees:
Bruno Prada (BRA)
It was with impeccable timing that Bruno Prada became only the second ever five-time Star World Champion on the day that the life of the other five-time winner Lowell North was being celebrated by friends and family in San Diego. Prada brings a touch of magic to every boat he sails on... three titles with Robert Scheidt, one world title crewing for Augie Diaz and his latest success in Porto Cervo with Poland’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz. Hire this man
Roy P Disney (USA)
Compared to many the rescue was not all that dramatic, especially with the almost ridiculous level of ocean racing experience Roy Disney pulled together for the 50th Transpac. But that is also why Pyewacket’s rescue of the crew of the sinking OEX should be recognised - there were other less fancied yachts a similar distance from the stricken boat but it was an instant call to abandon his own race and do the right thing... sadly not everyone is always quite so selfless
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & 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
View past winners of Sailor of the Month
The new boats are coming
ARKEA-PAPREC. Click on image to enlarge.
The summer news is rolling in off the presses for the IMOCA skippers, some of whom are preparing to switch to race mode for the Rolex Fastnet Race, which will set sail at the end of next week.
For others, it’s time for their latest-generation IMOCA to leave the yard, as is the case for ARKEA-PAPREC skippered by Sebastien Simon, which was revealed last Thursday, and that of Thomas Ruyant, which arrived in Lorient from the Italian Persico yard on Wednesday, not to mention Charlie Dalin’s new APIVIA set for launch imminently. Among the British contingent, the assembly of the new Hugo Boss is coming to an end, as shown in a photo teaser posted yesterday by her skipper Alex Thomson.
Following on from Jeremie Beyou’s Charal, ARKEA-PAPREC is the second latest-generation IMOCA to be launched with a view to the IMOCA Globe Series and the Vendee Globe 2020. Following a 7-month assembly in Port-La-Forêt, the red and blue monohull left her shed on Thursday to the great delight of her architect Juan Kouyoumdjian: "She’s a foiler we designed to the new IMOCA rule. The hull we’ve created means the true potential of the foils can be better exploited". As such, the initial sea trials can now begin for Sebastien Simon, who will be participating in the Rolex Fastnet Race with Vincent Riou in less than two weeks’ time: “It was important for me to be one of the first to launch the boat as the race start is imminent,” explains Sebastien. “This is a real confidence boost. The Rolex Fastnet Race will be a great trial run. There will doubtless be a few elements to tweak on the boat but at least this gives us a chance to get out on the water.”
Meantime, on the south coast of England in the Carrington Boats yard, where assembly of the new Hugo Boss is reaching completion in the utmost secrecy, British skipper Alex Thomson yesterday teased us with the first photo from the cuddy of the new boat, in his own unique style...
The duos are continuing to get in some training for the next Transat Jacques Vabre and Stephane Le Diraison (Time For Oceans) will apparently be relying on the skills of his boat captain François Guiffant in the Fastnet Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre. "For the past 15 years, François has amassed a vast amount of IMOCA experience preparing the boats for skippers like Jeremie Beyou, Vincent Riou and Jean-Pierre Dick. He’s also done a lot of sailing. His talents as a technician and skipper are a real bonus".
The first Scandinavian skipper signed up in Imoca, Ari Huusela (Finland) will be teaming up with the Irish sailor Michael Ferguson for the transatlantic race aboard Ariel 2, the former Aviva skippered by Dee Caffari.
www.imoca.org (new website comes online July 30)
Featured Brokerage
2008 J/122 - "El Ocaso". 199000 USD. Located in Antigua.
El Ocaso has been living in the Caribbean for the last 10 years and is very well known on the Spring race circuit, with many wins in the competitive 40’ class. Typically only in the water between March – May each year and then laid up ashore for the other 9 months. Ready made charter business als
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+44 7759424900
+44 2380 016582
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1998 Vismara V43 Open. 90000 EUR. Located in Fano, Italy.
Ultra-slippery Italian 43ft custom performance cruiser/racer with hull lines derived from the Volvo 60 class. Retractable t-keel gives 2.4-3.4m draft range while her 3-cabin interior gives plenty of scope for comfortable cruising.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email:
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2015 Botin 65 'High Spirit'. 2900000 EUR. Located in Spain.
There were no costs spared in building this magnificent racer, from her design and construction to the addition of high tech equipment. During the winter of 2016, she was intensively prepared for racing. She now has a stable heading in any wind and easily hydroplanes in 10 knots.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage
www.bernard-gallay.com
Tel +33 (0) 467 66 39 93
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
I feel that I'm in on the ground floor of something that human beings will be concentrating on for the next 1,000 years-if we don't destroy ourselves in the meantime. It's possible that 50 years from now we're going to end up out of this solar system, batting around the universe, at least within our galaxy, investigating other stars and other systems. -- Deke Slayton
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html