In This Issue
Olaf Harken
George David's American Maxi Rambler takes Monohull Line Honours
Stylish (or what) - Neo 570C
Vote now for your 2019 female and male Rolex World Sailor of the Year
Italy's Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to host 2020 YCCS Global Team Racing Regatta
Entries Open Friday for 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship
Antibes welcomes International IRC Congress
Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2019
Three Way Tie at Opening Day of J/24 World Championship
Featured Charter: The Project - Sigma 38
Featured Brokerage:
• • Mylius 14E55
• • Reichel Pugh 45 - 'Katsu'
• • Wally 60 'Good Job Guys'
The Last Word: Aristophanes

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

Olaf Harken
Olaf Harken Olaf, the vice president and co-owner of Pewaukee-based Harken Inc., died early Oct. 21 at the age of 80 after complications from Parkinson's disease.

He is survived by his Wife of 47 years Ruth, 3 daughters, 4 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

Preliminary plans include a visitation and service Saturday morning, October 26 at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, followed immediately by a celebration at Harken corporate headquarters. For overseas friends, another celebration of Olaf's life will be held during the annual METS show in Amsterdam in November.

Olaf Harken and his older brother, Peter, created the hugely successful rope handling business that bears their name, by working hard, delivering excellence, and having fun every day.

Harken, Inc. makes marine hardware, hydraulics and winch systems for racing and cruising sailboats of all types and sizes. Industrial hardware applications include the commercial marine, architectural, and rope access and rescue industries.

The brothers took a lot of chances over the years - and employees are encouraged to do the same.

When Olaf Harken was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Peter, he explained the brothers' business philosophy: "When trying new stuff our rule is to ask, 'if it all goes bad, can we survive?' Then we go to the bar and forget what we just said and do it anyway!"

Olaf and Peter quickly learned that the real fuel behind a company's success is its people.

"Peter and I were not very smart," Olaf said in his 2015 memoir Fun Times in Boats, Blocks & Business, "but we did know that success is linked directly to trust and treating people with dignity, and maybe a little sprinkling of humor."

The Harken story has been full of twists, turns, successes, and reinventions, but through it all the goal of challenging the status quo and commitment to being at the front remains.

Today at Harken, Peter Harken told an assembly of Harken members:

"My Brother did all the hard work so I could have all the fun. During the days when the company was just getting going, Olaf was in charge of the money. He kept us in business. If I had been in charge of that we would have been in big trouble."

"His legacy is in this culture. So, let's just keep doing what we do. Just keep getting better. You are a great family. Thanks a lot. He'll be watching you, so no sloughing off!"

harken.com

George David's American Maxi Rambler takes Monohull Line Honours
Rambler crossed the finish line of the 40th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race at 08:13:00 CEST on Tuesday, 22 October, completing the 606nm course in a time of 2 days 19 hours 43minutes

Rambler Crew: George David, Brad Butterworth, Andrea Visintini, Rodney Ardern, Will McCarthy, Dean Phipps, Stuart Wilson, Mark Newbrook, Jan Dekker, Brian Giorgio, Scott Beavis, Simon Daubney, Peter van Niekerk, Joca Signorini, Curtis Blewett, Antonio Cuervas Mons, Jerry Kirby, Anthony Nossiter

As the 40th Rolex Middle Sea Race entered its fourth day, the south-easterly breeze that has filled the western half of the course has started to play a part in determining the outcome of the 606nm offshore classic.

The gates opened late last night for the portion of the fleet previously held up to the east of Palermo; those yachts on the fast track towards Lampedusa, at the southernmost corner of the course. For the remainder, over half of the 113 boats that set off last Saturday from Grand Harbour, the situation north of Sicily is improving slowly, but light winds persist. With Rambler tied up on the dock, the clock is ticking for those with aspirations for the overall win, but the race is far from over.

Yachts now in the south-easterly will be pushing hard all the way to the finish. With the wind expected to increase over the next 24 hours, the yachts will be in for an uncomfortable ride. Once they turn left at Lampedusa, onto the return leg to Malta, they will no longer be on the wind, but the reach home will be a wild one.

The light airs north of Sicily continue to slow the progress of more than half the fleet. Only 46 of the 113-boat fleet have rounded Favignana and started the leg south to Pantelleria and Lampedusa. Spirits remains good. Only a handful of yachts have retired despite the slow going. Blackwater (AUS) lost its mast shortly after passing Trapani, all the crew are safe and well, and the little catamaran has put in at Marsala on the northwestern end of Sicily. The forecast shows the southeasterly that is dominating the Sicily channel to be building over the next 24 hours, while the winds north of Sicily will remain frustratingly light and inconsistent.

Six yachts have officially retired: Ad Maiora, Fidanzata, Escapado, Apollo, Blackwater and Jeanne.

IRC 1 (all distances are from finish)
George David's Maxi Rambler (USA) finished.
Fabio Cannavale's Baltic 78 Lupa of the Sea (ITA) 137nm
Przemyslaw Tarnacki's Marten 72 Aragon (POL) 132nm

IRC 2
Stefan Jentzsch's Carkeek 47 Black Pearl (GER) 146nm
Eric de Turckheim's NMYD54 Teasing Machine (FRA) 150nm
Gerard Logel's IRC52 Arobas² (FRA) 146nm

IRC 3
Pietro D'Ali ICE52 PrimaVista-Lauria (ITA) 158nm
Frederic Puzin's Mylius 15 Corum Daguet2 (FRA) 160nm
Lee Satariano's HH42 Artie III (MLT) 167nm

IRC 4
Renzo Grottesi's ClubSwan 42 BeWild (ITA) 174nm
Podesta Family First 45 Elusive 2 (MLT) 209nm
Sean Borg Xp-44 Xpresso (MLT) 211nm

IRC 5
Gery Trentesaux's JPK 11.80 Courrier Recommande (FRA) 209nm
Peter Gustafsson's J/111 Blur (SWE) 215nm
Tom Kneen's JPK 11.80 Sunrise (GBR) 225nm

IRC 6
Jaques Pelletier's Milon 41 L'Ange de Milon (FRA) 254nm
Ludovic Gerard's JPK 10.80 Solenn (FRA) 289nm
Timofey Zhbankov's JPK 10.80 Rossko (RUS) 287nm

IRC DH
Martin Hartl's J/109 2Hard (AUT) 328nm
Daniel Martín's Figaro II Inteman (ESP) 316nm
Marco Paolucci's Comet 45 Libertine (ITA) 320nm

Yacht Tracker

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Stylish (or what) - Neo 570C
Neo 570C The design studio behind the unbearably foxy Fast40 Rán 7 has teamed up with an Italian shipyard which is already legendary when it comes to good looks...

Is there a production monohull under 60ft LOA with a full cruising interior and all mod-cons that can match the pace and performance of a TP52? Not yet, but there probably will be. Paolo Semeraro, the former Olympian, America's Cup sailor, master sailmaker and now owner-director of the Neo Yachts shipyard in Bari, Italy, is on a mission to make it happen.

The design brief for the Neo 570, already in build and due to launch next year, reads like a yachtsman's quest for the Holy Grail. It calls for a boat that can keep up with Quantum and Azzura on most points of sail and in any wind conditions but has shallow enough draught to get in and out of normal yacht harbours. Not only that, it must be competitive in both short-handed and fully crewed racing, yet easy enough to handle that an experienced amateur sailor can use it for family cruising. It must have a fully fitted interior, air conditioning, a big fridge-freezer, water maker, anchor-handling system and tender garage. Other requirements include RCD Category A (Ocean) certification and the ability to convert from cruising mode to stripped-out racer in few hours, removing some of the furniture, swapping a pinhead mainsail for a fathead one and a fixed backstay for a pair of runners, without a dedicated shore crew or special tools.

Full article in the November issue of Seahorse

Vote now for your 2019 female and male Rolex World Sailor of the Year
Public voting closes at 1200 UTC on Tuesday 29 October

Female Nominees:
Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA)
Violeta del Reino (ESP)
Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN)

Male Nominees:
Antoine Albeau (FRA)
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS)
Marco Gradoni (ITA)
Francis Joyon (FRA)

Vote Here

Italy's Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to host 2020 YCCS Global Team Racing Regatta
Porto Cervo, Italy: The third edition of the Global Team Racing Regatta will be held in the magnificent setting of the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia. The Yacht Club Cost Smeralda will host the prestigious event which was launched and first run by the New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI in 2018 with teams from ten nations across 5 continents. The inaugural event, sailed in Sonars, was won by the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

The second edition, which has just been won by the St. Francis Yacht Club of San Francisco, was hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, England. Using J70s for the first time the event, in extreme conditions, saw team racing and tight boat handling at its very best. With teams from Japan and Argentina as well as Europe and the United States, the global nature of the event was extended with the inclusion of a new entry from India.

The "Global" uses the 2 vs 2 format that was pioneered by the 2K Association in Europe. Races are run on a windward-leeward course with a downwind finish, giving the trailing team the opportunity to catch-up right to the finish. Unique rules changes combined with the skills of highly talented sailors, including Olympic and World Sailing medallists, makes for fantastic boat-on-boat action, totally understandable tactics and clear winning combinations where "last loses" and nothing is over until the final whistle.

The 2020 event will be hosted by the YCCS from 25th to 27th June. The regatta will be sailed again on a fleet of twelve matched J70s. The regatta is overseen by Trustees from the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Yacht Squadron, Bayerischer Yacht Club and the 2K Association, and is by invitation. Interested countries should refer to the YCCS website for more information about the event.

The Notice of Race is available here.

For a video of the first event - click here

www.yccs.it

Entries Open Friday for 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship
The 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship will bring top sailing teams from around the globe to battle on Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay for one of three coveted world titles. It's the first time in two decades this regatta, which will be held out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court from September 25 to October 3, 2020, has been held in North America. Entries will open on Friday, October 25.

Because each of the three divisions is limited to 50 boats, there is a strong incentive to sign up early. The first 30 boats that register for each class will be guaranteed a spot in the regatta. Beyond that initial group, a selection process may be required if there are more than 50 total entries for any class. The division of classes is determined by CDL (Class Division Length) limits defined in the Notice of Race.

Class A will have the fastest boats in the fleet, from about 45 to 55 feet in length, with TP52s being among the fastest boats allowed to enter. Already there are preparation plans amongst boats in this fleet to optimize for the 2020 Worlds, and at least one new boat is being built now to compete in this class.

Class B is typically composed of mid-sized boats from 39 to 44 feet in length. A ClubSwan 42, a class created by the New York Yacht Club in 2006, won Class B at the D-Marin ORC World Championship in Croatia in June.

Class C has been the most popular and competitive class at world championship events held in Europe the past few years. Boat types that compete in this class are typically production racer/cruisers, such as the J/112E from the Netherlands that won Class B at the 2018 ORC/IRC World Championship in The Hague and Class 3 at the IRC Europeans in Cowes, U.K. Small fast sportboats, such as GP26s, C&C 30s and other nimble designs, may also enter this class.

Besides 2020 world champion titles, the event will also award for each class trophies for the top Corinthian team and the top team competing in a boat designed before 2010.

The 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship will include a mix of buoy racing and offshore courses, and use two of the world's most popular systems for rating boats, IRC and ORC. The exact scoring methodology will be confirmed shortly, but both rating systems will play a significant role.

The Notice of Race for the 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship can be found on the event website. Entries will open on Friday, October 25.

orcirc2020.orc.org/en/default/races/race

Antibes welcomes International IRC Congress
Representatives of the International Rating Certificate (IRC) from around the world met in France for two days of debate and discussion at the beginning of October. The 2019 Congress was hosted by l'Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) and the Societe des Regates d'Antibes, and delegates arriving into Nice airport enjoyed an aerial view of the racing at Les Voiles de St Tropez.

Congress 2019 was chaired for the first time by Irishman and former Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Commodore Michael Boyd, supported by Vice Chairs Malcolm Runnalls, and Carl Sabbe (BEL). Delegates gathered from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Turkey and the USA; and from organisations including RORC, UNCL, the Royal Yachting Association and the International Maxi Association.

The annual conference provides a good forum for IRC owners' representatives and administrators from many countries to share experiences and ideas from different perspectives and racing cultures; this year was no exception with both formal and informal discussions taking place over the weekend. In additional meetings, the IRC Congress agreed on a number of developments for 2020 as a result of research by the Technical Committee throughout the year, while the IRC Policy Steering Group reinforced the good relations between RORC and UNCL, joint owners of the IRC Rule.

All at Congress agreed that great events drive participation, and it was interesting to hear of initiatives aimed at increasing IRC fleets, particularly amongst cruiser-racers. For those aspiring to IRC Champion status two events confirmed for 2020 are the IRC European Championship in Ireland in July, hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club as part of the club's 300th anniversary year, and the ORC/IRC World Championship hosted in Newport by the New York Yacht Club in September.

IRC rule changes approved for 2020 include rules relating to whisker poles, the input of list angle for water ballasted boats, the definition of bulb weight and several housekeeping items. The Technical Committee have agreed an enhanced formulation for 2020 to improve the treatment of different fin keel types and water ballasted boats and the rating of whisker poles. In addition, research on flying headsails (also referred to as 'code zero' headsails) has made excellent process and the intention is to publish a definition early in 2020 and offer trial certificates later in the year.

The Congress Minutes and associated documents including IRC 2020 Rule changes are online at ircrating.org/about/irc-congress/

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2019
Ingrid Abery's submission for 2019. Click on image to enlarge.

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image The best yacht racing photos taken this year are now available online. The public is invited to vote for their favourite image. Click here to discover our international jurys' selection. The winning images, as well as the best yacht racing photographers, will be celebrated at the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao, Spain, on November 26.

No less than 133 professional photographers, representing 29 nations (including Afghanistan, China, Brazil or Finland) submitted their best photograph. The competition promises to be tight once again, with fantastic pictures taken during our sports' main events.

The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award is open to professional photographers from all over the world. Its objective is to honour their work, provide them with a promotional platform and help promote sailing as a competitive sport to a wider audience.

Three prizes will be awarded on 26 November in Bilbao, Spain, during the Yacht Racing Forum:

The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image (main prize), awarded by our international and independent jury: Rob Hodgetts, international sports journalist for CNN, Ricardo Pinto, professional sailing photographer and winner of the 2018 edition, Cliff Webb, President of the Yachting Journalists' Association, Magda Makowska, professional sailor and organiser of the Sopot Match Race, Helena de la Gandara, press officer of The Ocean Race, and Nicolas Mirabaud, member of the Mirabaud & Cie SA Executive Committee.

The Yacht Racing Forum Award, selected by the 300+ delegates of the Yacht Racing Forum.

The Public Award, based on the number of public votes on Internet. This is a fun competition, mainly aimed at increasing the photographers and the events' visibility. Participants are encouraged to promote their images through the social networks. This prize will certainly reward a beautiful image, but also the network of each photographer and his / her ability to reach out to their personal network.

The top 80 images are now available on the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image website. Public votes are open from today until November 15.

The 20 best images, chosen by the international jury, will be exhibited at the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao (ESP) on 25 and 26 November.

The winner of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image will be celebrated in public during the Forum. Two "secondary" prizes will also be awarded on this occasion: the Yacht Racing Forum Award (selected by the Forum delegates), as well as the Public Award (based on public votes).

www.yachtracingimage.com/gallery.html

Three Way Tie at Opening Day of J/24 World Championship
Miami, Florida USA: Racing got underway Tuesday in hot and sunny Miami, Florida. The 80 teams had to wait out a two-hour onshore postponement while the seabreeze kicked in at 8-10 knots. After two races, three teams are tied at 7 points: Rossi Milev's Clear Air (1,6 on the day), Chris Stone's Velocidad (5,2) and Keith Whittemore's Furio (4,3). Eighty teams from 19 nations (Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Grenada, Hungary, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States) are scheduled for 10 races through Saturday.

Milev, 2017 J/24 World Champion and winner of the first contest, summarized his starting strategy, "We started just above the mid-line boat. There were a couple of boats we barely lived with, and then we saw something on the left. It was nice pressure, and more about the wind than the five-degree shift." Milev and Mike Ingham's Nautalytics traded the lead until Clear Air passed them on the second downwind for the victory. Todd Fedyszyn's Spoony Tactics followed in third. Tony Parker's Bangor Packet and Stone were launched on the fleet in race two, when winds decreased slightly. Whittemore placed third, lining up the three-way knot for first.

Top ten after 2 races
1. Rossi Milev / Mark Goodyear / Victor Diaz de Leon / Vince Somosa / Jerry Edwards, CAN, 7.0 points
2. Christopher Stone / Mike Marshall / Pat O'Connor / Billy Parkins / Brian Kamilar, USA, 7.0
3. Keith Whittemore / Shelby Milne / Willem Van Waay / Mark Rodgerd / Brian Thomas, USA, 7.0
4. Mike Ingham / Quin Schwenker / Justin Coplan / Max Holzer / Marianna Schoke, USA, 16.0
5. Tony Parker / William Bomar / James Niblock / Zeke Horowitcz / Ross Deedoff, USA, 17.0
6. Carter White / Molly WHite / Ted Widele / Michael McCallister / Chris Lombardo, USA, 17.0
7. Robby Brown / Mark Liebel / Martin Koleman / Steve Liebel / Ron Hyatt, USA, 19.0
8. Edmond Rees / Rakesh Patel / Paul Chinord / Paul Rees / Daniel Sheedy, USA, 25.0
9. Daniel Frost / Timo Chorrosch / Felix Leupold / Jeronimo Landauer / Daniel Schwarze, USA, 27.0
10. Evan Petley-Jones / Peter Soosalu / Matt Soosalu / Ben Maloney / Shawn Kaiser, USA, 28.0

Full results

www.facebook.com/ij24ca/

Featured Charter
Raceboats Only The Project - Sigma 38. A racer-cruiser with a brand new suit of racing sails and a highly experienced skipper: Andy Budgen. Available for full-boat charter (max 8 ppl) and ideal for everyone from sailing enthusiasts to complete beginners.
Barbados Sailing Week / 16th - 24th January
Grenada Sailing Week / 26th - 31st January
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta / 5th - 8th March
St. Thomas International Regatta / 25th - 29th March
BVI Spring Regatta / 30th March - 5th April
Bequia Easter Regatta / 9th- 13th April
Antigua Sailing Week / 26th April - 1st May

Join us on board the beautifully-maintained Sigma 38 for the 2020 Caribbean Racing Season.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Andy Budgen
email:
Tel:+44( 0) 7866 589824
monstermarine.co.uk

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only 2009 Mylius 14E55. 220,000 VAT paid EUR. Located in Sicily, Italy.

Absolutely amazing carbon fibre, push-button variable-draft rocket ship from Mylius in 2009. Ultra-stylish, yet ultra-practical and set up for effortless short-handed fast cruising.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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Raceboats Only 2011 Reichel Pugh 45 - "Katsu". 215000 EUR. Located in Italy

KATSU offers a huge amount of potential on the race track, whilst not overly-compromising on comfort below decks. Great successes under ORC and IRC, she is a potent weapon offshore and is a much more forgiving platform, that is far more manageable compared to the newest breed of flyers.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+64 277733717
+44 2380 016582

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Raceboats Only 1993 Wally 60 'Good Job Guys'. 349000 USD. Located in Antigua.

Good Job Guys is a wonderful cruiser racer, built by the world famous Wally brand Comfortable, but still plenty fast, call us for the details

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Jenkins
410 267 9419
410 353 7862

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

The Last Word
Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever. -- Aristophanes

Editorial and letter submissions to

Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

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