In This Issue
• Thomson Stitching South
• Sean Langman's Wide World Of Sailing
• Nautical Light Charts by Latitude Kinsale
• Clipper Race 3 Day 8: South Atlantic Low
• Planning For On-Water Trouble
• Here come the big boys - Excess Catamarans
• Great Britain SailGP Team Announce New Team Member For Season 2
• Neck and neck going into 2019 GC32 Racing Tour's Oman finale
• Brest Atlantiques - start postponed
• Launchings
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • MAT 1180 - Gallivanter
• • Swan 56-011 Mensae
• • MTC28 - Carbon Trimaran
• The Last Word: Salvador Dali
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Thomson Stitching South
As he beats his way down the North Atlantic in an increasingly unfavourable position, Britain's Alex Thomson looked forward to England playing in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday morning with the good omen that he watched the last one in Salvador at the end of the Transat Jacque Vabre 16 years ago.
It was no Halloween horror show but Day 5 of the 14thedition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre may prove to have been a decisive upwind blow to the chances to the six - including two the latest generation foilers - who went west.
Given the worsening position for the IMOCA60s that chose the western option, Thomson would probably settle for the excellent second place he took in 2003 with Frenchman, Roland Jourdain, as his co-skipper (England's 2003 World Cup semi-final against France was a little more divisive).
There may also be pressure to share a half with his British co-skipper for this race, Neal McDonald, also Hugo Boss's performance manager. And both will at least be stitching as they watch the updates, trying to mend a torn reaching sail that they will need "in about 30 hours we reckon."
The sail was damaged while passing Ushant and Thomson is not sure what caused it. "No, not really, we'd have to speak to the sailmakers, but it shouldn't've happened that's for sure," said.
But the effect has been clearer; "any spare time is being taken up banging needles through what feels like concrete." And he says it forced them to take the western option rather than head south, where the current leaders were making their way through a ridge of high pressure off the coast of Morocco, that has been more benign than expected.
"Yes, the routing doesn't look very good now; it looks terrible actually," he said. "but with regard to what we're trying to do, things are going very well really, couldn't be happier. It's a bit of a shame that this western option doesn't look very nice anymore, but c'est la vie."
* The split in the Class40 is almost invisible by IMOCA standards, but it still could be significant for the fleet.
Kito de Pavant, racing in his 10thTransat Jacques Vabre, with co-skipper Achille Nebout, had taken the lead by the morning after tacking south while the overnight leaders.
But Aïna Enfance and Avenir (Aymeric Chappellier / Pierre Leboucher), and Britain's Sam Goodchild and Fabien Delahaye headed further west and are hoping the earlier hook into the low-pressure system brings greater dividends.
On paper they were 9 and 16 miles behind at the 15:00 UTC ranking.They are about 150 miles north-west of the Made in Midiand are in stronger, 20-knot south-westerlies. "We could not go further south, we had a wind hole, but those who were there (already south), they didn't not stop," Leboucher (Aïna) said. "We will see in 2-3 days. "We're expecting the wind from this famous depression to arrive soon."
But they in turn are watching, Credit Mutuel, a Lombard-design launched this year, and one of the favourites is 50 miles further north-west.
www.transatjacquesvabre.org/en/
Sean Langman's Wide World Of Sailing
Click on image for photo gallery.
Sean Langman, one of Australia's best-known and most versatile sailors, has set himself for another wide-ranging program in the 2019-2020 Australian summer with a season of 18ft Skiff Racing on Sydney Harbour, as skipper on Noakesailing, as well as skippering the 69ft Naval Group in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2019.
Langman's season has already tasted success with the Noakesailing team of Langman, Ed Powys and Nathan Edwards winning two of the first three races so far in the Australian 18 Footers League's Spring Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Powys is a highly credentialled sailor from the UK who has competed in the 49er class, the Extreme Sailing Series, British team for the 35th America's Cup and SailGP. Edwards is a young, local skiff sailor who is having his third season sailing in the League's 18ft Skiff fleet on Sydney Harbour.
Never one to sit back and watch the world go by, Sean has achieved many successes both on, and off, the water, and has always been prepared to put his money where his mouth is, and has assisted so many young and talented sailors along the way.
Sean, Noakes Group's Managing Director, claimed he primarily introduced Noakes Youth to assist young people make their way in the world, and once said "I called it opportunity and choice." Sean's daughter, Nicki, was the first youth co-ordinator.
Sean's original Noakes Youth involvement came in the 18s in 2007 when he supported Jacqui Bonnitcha with her campaign to contest the 2007 JJ Giltinan (world) Championship on Sydney Harbour. Ash Rooklyn later had similar support for two seasons in the 18s.
The 2019 journey south to Hobart on Naval Group, built as Money Penny, will be a different one to those in recent years when Sean skippered the 1932-built, 30ft gaff-rigger, named Maluka of Kermandie.
Sean says: "We are supported by the French company Naval Group, who are building submarines in Australia. The purpose of the Naval Group yacht is to facilitate Team building within the Australian-French Naval Group work force."
A real highlight of an incredible nautical career must be the Sydney to Auckland record set by Sean and his crew of the 60ft trimaran Team Australia (nicknamed 'Big Bird') in October 2013.
Sean predicted afterwards that he believed their elapsed time of 2 days 19 hours 2 minutes 45 seconds and 18.8 knot average speed for the Trans-Tasman ocean crossing would stand for decades.
"We had perfect conditions, essentially we beam reached on port to the tip of NZ, gybed, parked for a couple of hours then beam reached on starboard to the finish, a scenario that is basically unheard of."
It was Team Australia's second speed record in eight months. The 60ft trimaran had set a new fastest elapsed time of 29 hours 52 minutes 23 seconds for the passage from Sydney to Hobart in February 2013.
Nautical Light Charts by Latitude Kinsale
The winner of this year's Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar will receive a 3D map of their region of choice. See the one that our 2019 winner, Cloggy's of Falmouth Antigua, won here.
One of Bobby's offerings are Nautical Light Charts. One hell of a holiday gift idea here. Or treat yourself, provided you've been VERY good.
Latitude Kinsale designs unique Nautical Light Charts which always have a great attraction to anyone with an interest in the sea. The Coastal Light Chart transforms any chart into an active and decorative piece of art. A key piece of information you find on any chart is the correct flash sequence of the lighthouses and buoys.
Latitude Kinsale pioneered the technology that can display these flash sequences accurately so it adds a new dimension to the nautical chart thereby making it very attractive, eye catching and suitable to hang in any location from homes, holiday homes and commercial applications such as hotels, receptions, restaurants and bars.
Using fibre optics and a microprocessor, the features of a maritime chart are now brought to life. Each lighthouse and navigation buoy is programmed to flash in their prescribed colour and sequence. A familiar cruising area is now brought to life in an authentic quality product. The wall-mounted Light Chart is an ideal eye catcher in any location.
Every light chart is unique and hand-made.
The Chart is block-mounted and the face of the chart is protected with a 100 micron laminated protective film with UV properties. This is a glare-proof mounting that is made to last. No glass or acrylic is used, therefore making the lights clearly visible even in natural daylight.
The coastal Light Charts are made using any chart, anywhere in the world. A chart of your favourite cruising area can be made into a light chart. In addition, a chart can be personalised with a blue light at the location of your house or business. All charts are hand constructed in Ireland and come ready to go with a universal power adaptor and mounting hooks. All charts are guaranteed for one year. The electronic circuit use LEDs as a light source, which are guaranteed for 100,000 hours.
Download PDF Light Charts Technical Specification
Clipper Race 3 Day 8: South Atlantic Low
On Day 8 of Race 3: The Spinlock South Atlantic Showdown the fleet is in the throws of a South Atlantic low as it races towards Cape Town.
Seumas Kellock, Visit Sanya, China Skipper exclaimed: "Some more quick days like today ahead of us I hope. There are waves breaking over the deck and spray making sure no one comes out dry, now this is more like the South Atlantic!"
The fleet is grouped more or less in line, with each team attempting to position itself to make the most of the increased wind speeds and ride the edge of the low pressure system. Less than 20 nautical miles separates the top four; Seattle leads for a third consecutive day, with Punta del Este and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam moving up into second and third respectively.
Unicef Skipper Ian Wiggin explains: "All the boats are now in line, abreast in a drag race to the finish - still some 2000 miles away. We are in the middle of the line, with options to head slightly north or south, depending on how the systems evolve, so hopefully we are well placed. We just need to make the right call (it's so easy when you type it!) and we will fly towards the sights of Cape Town."
It has been a busy 24hrs on board all the yachts.
Planning For On-Water Trouble
"What could break?" This question haunts ocean racers of all kinds. But for solo ocean racers, it's the stuff of nightmares. When you are alone, in the middle of the ocean, with no help for hundreds of miles - answering this question before leaving the dock could be the difference between life and death.
We met with Sebastien Sainson, Project Manager of the Ultime trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and the Gitana Team, and we asked him how the team plans for equipment failure. What kind of spares do you bring? How do you communicate to the shore team? When do you decide to call it quits?
From the November issue of Harken's At The Front newsletter
Here come the big boys - Excess Catamarans
And the initial results have been every bit as well thought through as you'd expect
If you're the sort of sailor who has tried a cruising catamaran and loved the living space but found the actual sailing experience rather joyless and unrewarding - no feel in the helm, a lack of lines to tweak, no real sense of speed or acceleration - then it's time to take another look. For the first time in many years there's a new range of cats on the market that do have lightweight hulls and large, powerful rigs, but aren't skittish or fragile and don't cost millions. They're designed specifically to appeal to experienced sailors and engineered to deliver the same amount of pleasure, engagement and deep satisfaction that you get from sailing a well-tuned monohull. With its new Excess range of catamarans, Beneteau Groupe is on a mission to put the fun back into mainstream multihull cruising.
Two models, the Excess 12 and 15, are already in the water at the time of writing and set to make their debut at this year's autumn boat shows.
Full article in the November issue of Seahorse
Great Britain SailGP Team Announce New Team Member For Season 2
Following months of planning and gruelling trials, the Great Britain SailGP Team, led by CEO and wing trimmer Chris Draper, has announced its newest member for SailGP Season 2 with London-born Matthew Barber joining the highly decorated crew as a grinder.
Having competed across a variety of yacht racing circuits - including the GC32, TP52, Maxi72 and RC44 - Barber's experience compliments the close-knit team's Olympic backgrounds. Barber will step into the shoes of SailGP Season 1 grinder Neil Hunter as he returns to British America's Cup team duties.
The British team opted to run their crew trials in a very specific way, opening up the opportunity publicly to young sailors who may not otherwise have had the chance to compete in the world's fastest on-water sail racing league.
At 105 kilograms, Barber is now the heaviest member of the Great Britain SailGP Team, outweighing full time grinder and rowing Olympic gold medallist Matt Gotrel by three kilograms. Gym workouts and a strict eating regime are key to maintaining the correct weight as a professional SailGP grinder. Position 2 grinder Richard Mason knows only too well the dedication it takes, having to consume 5,000 calories a day on top of his training schedule, to reach his optimum weight going into SailGP Season 2.
The rest of the Great Britain SailGP Team will remain unchanged from the inaugural season in 2019 with Draper as CEO and wing trimmer and Olympian Dylan Fletcher at the helm, working closely with Olympic silver medallist, Stuart Bithell, the team's flight controller and tactician. The pair were recently selected to represent Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the 49er Class and will compete in both circuits in 2020.
Neck and neck going into 2019 GC32 Racing Tour's Oman finale
After 73 races, across four events in three countries, the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour's finale, taking place next week in Oman (6-10 Nov), could not be closer.
Ernesto Bertarelli's GC32 World Champions Alinghi team and Oman Air, skippered by New Zealander Adam Minoprio, have been at each other's throats for the entire season and with two event wins and two seconds apiece. They are tied at the top of the leaderboard going into the final event. Technically Alinghi is first, but only through having won last month's event in Riva del Garda. Even at that event the two teams finished tied, Alinghi winning through having won the final race.
When the high performance flying one design catamarans race out of Muscat's Al Mouj Marina the Oman Air crew will enjoy a home team advantage, having been racing on these waters for a decade, initially with the Extreme Sailing Series. However that was before Minoprio joined, although the New Zealander has competed here previously.
With Minoprio and Peter Greenhalgh is Omani crew Nasser Al Mashari, who today is one of the longest serving crew having started sailing on board the Extreme 40s a decade ago.
Having represented Oman at such a high level for so long, Al Mashari is something of a local legend in his country.
Looking in good shape to claim the GC32 Racing Tour's owner-driver championship for 2019 is Erik Maris' Zoulou team that leads Jason Carroll's Argo, having won the owner-driver trophy at all the events this year save for the GC32 World Championship in Lagos, Portugal.
If conditions off Muscat in November are an unknown, the person who should know most about it is full time resident Oman Air's Nasser Al Mashari. "November conditions are really good - 24-25°C, so not to hot and not too cold," he says. "And we'll see about the breeze. For us, we are ready for any conditions."
In fact the long range forecast looks excellent with 10-18 knot northeasterlies forecast for every day.
Brest Atlantiques - start postponed
Faced with stormy weather conditions, the organisers of the Brest Atlantiques race have decided to postpone the start, initially scheduled for Sunday, November 3 at 13:02.
After having studied the evolution of the weather situation over the past few days, the organisers of Brest Atlantiques, in agreement with the sailors and owners, have decided to make official this Thursday the postponement of the race, initially scheduled for Sunday, November 3 at 13:02 from Brest. "A strong gale is expected from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, generating very heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay with 8 metre waves forecast, it was not reasonable to launch the "Ultim" trimarans in these conditions", said race director Jacques Caraes.
The date of this departure will be announced as soon as possible by the organisers, who are closely following the evolution of the weather situation
Launchings
Click on images to enlarge
Baltic Yachts has recently delivered the 43.3-metre sailing yacht Canova to her owner, which has now departed the shipyard and is about to embark on a programme of global cruising after having undergone extensive sea trials in Finland over the summer season. The Baltic 142 has a volume of 190 GT and is the shipyard's largest delivery of 2019.
Canova features naval architecture by Farr Yacht Design, with both her exterior and interior design coming from the drawing boards of Lucio Micheletti. Constructed entirely out of carbon fibre, this also includes her Rondal rig with Carbo-link standing rigging.
Her interior stylings feature white bulkhead panelling and deckheads in a winning combination, with teak veneers used in order to capitalise on the abundance of natural light found throughout the yacht.
A hydrogeneration system allows for a large lithium ion bank to be charged and lets the yacht's hotel systems run in 'silent mode' for up to nine straight hours without the need to recharge.
Designing, engineering and constructing the DSS foil involved a large team which was coordinated by Baltic Yachts. Infiniti Yachts developed the foil, Ben Ainslie's America's Cup engineers BAR Technologies worked on the bearings and naval architects Farr Yacht Design worked with Gurit on the detail design and engineering and ISOTOP built the foil.
*|VIMEO:[$vid=367998030]|*
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HH Catamarans announces the initiation of production of the first full-custom, all-carbon HH88. The Morrelli & Melvin design will be built at Hudson Yacht Group's wholly owned yard in Xiamen, China.
HH Catamarans has begun mold construction for a new 'supercat' that will propel the brand into superyacht territory. Hudson Yacht Group, the award-winning builder of HH Catamarans, has established itself as a premier builder of luxury performance cruising catamarans in just a few short years. This new 88ft (26.8m) sailing catamaran represents an exciting new course for the company.
Designed by California-based naval architects Morrelli & Melvin, the new HH88 will offer up to ten guests and four crew a level of luxury reserved for the world's finest superyachts. All sail handling and helm controls will be managed from the fully-enclosed upper flybridge.
Using 100% carbon construction, carbon mast and rigging, and advanced engineering techniques, the HH88 will adhere to the strong performance parameters of her pedigree. Though not designed to fly a hull, the HH88 will cruise comfortably at a respectable 18kts under sail, with guests onboard never suffering more than a four degree heel angle, an essential requirement for keeping everyone comfortable and the champagne flowing.
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Cape 31 hull number 14 Privateer, recently brought to New Orleans by South African Francois Kuttel, started with a big win at the Lake Pontchartrain Racing Circuit. Billed as the premier racing circuit on the Gulf Coast combining the four major clubs, Privateer won the distance race by more than 9 minutes over a Melges 32 in second, in what turned out to be the only race of the event as the weather intervened. Rob Sharp has been appointed the Class sales agent as interest in the Cape 31 grows worldwide, with the the next boat being prepared for shipping to the UK.
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The Hallberg-Rassy 48 is a true blue water cruiser that offers more natural light, more comfort and more elegance than ever before. With three double cabins and a vast saloon, she offers great space for modern comfort aids. Known far and wide for sturdy construction, superb craftsmanship and signature seaworthiness, Hallberg-Rassy boats are globally respected for their elegant lines and spirited performance.
This new model has redesigned saloon portlights for greater window area, a slimmer design for the anchor windlass, the pushpits and pulpits have been refashioned, there are improved hatches for the aft deck lockers, a new design for the windscreen and more.
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Initiated in September 2018, the construction of the new Multi50 Arkema 4 is progressing on schedule, and the first components are taking shape in the new infrastructures of the Lalou Multi shipyard in Verdon-sur-Mer (33). Designed by Romaric Neyhousser in close cooperation with Lalou Roucayrol and the future skipper Quentin Vlamynck, this latest generation trimaran will have different architectural lines from its predecessor. It will be more versatile, and also benefit from ergonomics adapted to its skipper and focused on performance. Another major asset: just like the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3, it will incorporate innovative solutions drawn from collaboration between the Research & Development and Business hubs of the Arkema Group and Lalou Multi. This prototype is due to be launched in spring 2020.
Featured Brokerage
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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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1999 Swan 56. 440,000 EUR. Located in Izola, Slovenia.
Mensae, a superb Swan 56 is well known in the New England and West Indies area, can either cruise in comfort or head offshore both in cruising, and casual racing.
See listing details at Nautor Swan Brokerage
Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
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T. +377 97 97 95 07
Keith Yeoman
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T. +1 401 846 1090
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MTC28 - Carbon Trimaran. 68,000 GBP. Located in South Devon, UK.
For Sale. Custom Carbon trimaran. MTC28 By Nic Bailey. Outstanding, lightweight, inshore, minimalist flying machine.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Wiz (Stuart) Deas on 07973 951120
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad. -- Salvador Dali
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