In This Issue
• Alex Thomson Racing update: Transat Jacques Vabre
• Class40: Who can beat Credit Mutuel?
• Where's the Finn?
• Antigua Saililng Week Notice of Race Released
• Offshore with celebrated British sailor Sam Davies
• Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2019: Top 20 disclosed!
• Early Entry Discount! St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) - March 27-29, 2020
• Bolt on Speed - Cyclops Smart Fittings
• The Dolphin has an early morning play on the Waitemata
• 34th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers prepares to set sail
• Industry News
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Reichel Pugh 60 - Wild Joe
• • Dazcat 1495
• • Come In Vendee
• The Last Word: Groucho Marx
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
The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... Send us your thoughts and drink recipes...
The winner awards include fame, fortune, an award plaque and bottle of Wight Vodka, and a 3D light map from Latitude Kinsale
Alex Thomson Racing update: Transat Jacques Vabre
Ross Daniel, Technical Director at Alex Thomson Racing, said:
“Last night Alex and Neal were both able to get some rest onboard HUGO BOSS. In the early hours of this morning the skippers resumed their attempts to stabilise the keel.
“Despite their very best efforts, it became clear that keeping the keel attached would put the boat at great risk. With the keel attached only by the hydraulic ram, and in an unstable position, there was a serious risk of significant damage to the hull.
“We did everything that we could to preserve the keel but collectively we determined that it was far too dangerous to keep it in place.
“Therefore, with guidance from our team shore-side, Alex and Neal set about cutting the hydraulic ram to free the keel from the boat. After many hours, they were successful in their efforts and the keel is now no longer attached to the boat.
“Alex and Neal have filled the ballast tanks onboard and fully extended the foils in order to keep the boat as stable as possible. They are currently in light winds and a slight sea state, and we are comfortable that there is no immediate risk to the boat or the skippers.
“The next step is for us to put together the best possible strategy to bring the boat slowly and safely to port. We are currently exploring various options and will provide an update in due course”.
Class40: Who can beat Credit Mutuel?
After entering the trade winds overnight, the four boats at the front of the Class 40 TJV fleet have lengthened their stride and taken significant advantage over the rest of the fleet. It is advantage which grew significantly during the day as the newer boats sped away under spinnaker. After a tough first week, they should now accelearate all the way to the Cape Verde islands. For all the efforts of Britain’s Sam Goodchild and his French co-skipper Fabien Delahaye on Leytonin second, the newly-launched Credit Mutuel (Ian Lipinski and Adrien Hardy), clearly has the edge at the moment, and has shown it in a variety of different conditions over the past few days.
At the 15:00 UTC ranking, Credit Mutuel had extended the lead over Leyton to 30 miles, after covering 20 more miles (290) in the last 24 hours. Aïna Enfance and Avenir was a further seven miles behind in third.
"We have 15 -18 knots and an easy sea,” Lipinski said this morning “This is the third idyllic night since the start. We haven’t touched the helm since Ushant (after the first night).
“The passage through the ridge went well, without any particular complication, and we’re as happy looking at our track on Adrena, as a skier looking back at his track after descending a slope.”
A little like in the IMOCA, small Class40 groups have formed and they are having their own races-within-the race. We will have to wait until the entire fleet has passed the Canaries to establish a reliable hierarchy within the fleet of 22 duos still en route to Salvador de Bahia.
Earendil left Madeira this morning at the same time as Equipe Voile Parkinsonwas approaching the island to also make repairs.
Where's the Finn?
Statement from the Finn Class following 2019 World Sailing Conference
The International Finn Association delegation to the 2019 World Sailing Annual Conference in Bermuda has returned empty handed. The eight submissions to reinstate the Finn in the slate for the 2024 Olympic Games were rejected by both the committees and the Council.
The IFA is disappointed that it did not get the support of the World Sailing Council to debate and vote on its submissions. The submissions were very complex but that was necessary because of the complex World Sailing processes.
This complexity allowed people that didn’t support the Finn within World Sailing to influence the process and spread disinformation. All of this may have been resolved through the new governance reforms so it is disappointing that this was also rejected.
However, despite the rejections, the Finn class did receive a lot of advice and support from board members, councillors and committee members throughout the week, though unfortunately that support did not translate into votes around the table. What the Finn delegation did take from away the conference was that there is hope for a return, even if not at the current juncture. The overwhelming response from other delegates was that the Finn was an essential element of the Olympic Games and many hoped that it would return.
British sailor Hector Simpson made a heartfelt plea to the Equipment and Events Committees, speaking on behalf of the Finn Class submissions. As one of the many young Finn hopefuls that have lost their hope of sailing at the Olympics, he made a passionate and emotional case that struck a chord with many in the room. The Finn Class would like to thank him, as well as, Hungarian Finn sailor Doma Nemeth, for their time and energy over the past week.
The Finn Class looks forward to continue working with World Sailing as an Olympic Class over the coming months to make sure the 2020 Olympic Games is a huge success that showcases sailing and the Finn’s amazing athletes to the full.
World Sailing has a lot of questions to answer after this week’s conference and the class will carefully watch what happens next to find any opportunity it can to create opportunities for Finn sailors to compete at the 2024 Olympics.
Antigua Saililng Week Notice of Race Released
The 52nd edition of the race in 2019 boasted a slew of international entries from more than 20 countries Great Britain, USA, Germany, Lithuania, Australia, Hong Kong, and islands across the Caribbean. Over 100 yachts in 12 classes gathered for a week-long spectacle of competitive racing and incredible shoreside events that take place in UNESCO designated Nelson’s Dockyard National Park and its environs.
The 2020 Antigua Sailing Week Event takes place 25 April - 1 May
Antigua Sailing Week attracts a large variety of boats, including performance racing and cruising boats, multihulls, bareboats, race charter boats, small cruisers, and sport boats so that there is competitive racing no matter what you ride. The island of Antigua also offers convenient yacht transport, allowing hassle-free return of vessels post race to the UK and Mediterranean.
Newly appointed Race Manager, Jaime Torres, says: “50 years of experience hosting the World’s premier racing yachts has cemented Antigua Sailing Week as a Must Do event in the Caribbean sailing calendar. This year we are going all out be as inclusive as possible. Our newly refined Club Class is specially designed to bring the podium experience to the cruising sailor that never expected to participate in such a high-level event. Club Class is about who has the coldest beer, not the coolest gear! ”
He went on to say: “So many in our racing fleet have black or dark grey sails. For 2020 we will be implementing a mandatory proof of sail numbers legibility, so boat managers, get on the ball with this.”
With entry fees now at their lowest per square foot and increasing at the end of the year, organisers suggest participants go for the savings and enter early.
View and download the Notice of Race.
ENTER NOW Peters and May Round Antigua Antigua Sailing Week
Offshore with celebrated British sailor Sam Davies
With a submarine commander as one grandfather and a boat builder as the other, it should be no surprise that Cambridge engineering graduate Sam Davies pursued a career that sees her racing around the planet. But as she reveals in this illuminating chat, offshore sailing’s loss was very nearly synchronised swimming’s gain, after an early passion for life in the pool almost saw her follow a very different career path.
Davies reveals how a determined but nervous start to her sailing career soon saw her running the bow for the ground breaking British yachtswoman Tracy Edwards. It was in those early days, chasing the illusive around the world record the Jules Verne Trophy that Sam glimpsed the potential, inspired by the pro-active spirit and determination of Edwards, as she realised that if she really dug in, anything could be possible.
Sam’s sponsors each donate to the cause as her social media following grows - so get clicking - details of the very simple process of getting involved can be found at…:
www.initiatives-coeur.fr/en/operation-1-click-1-heart
Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley’s own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast.
Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2019: Top 20 disclosed!
No less than 133 professional photographers, representing 29 countries have submitted a picture for the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award 2019. The top eighty pictures have been selected last month by the international jury and published on the event website, allowing the public to vote for their favorite pictures.
Today, we are pleased to disclose the top 20 pictures selected by the international jury. The winner of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award - who will be announced and celebrated during the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao (Spain) on November 26 - is one of them!
Top twenty photographers (in alphabetical order):
Jöran Bubke (DEU)
Thomas Campion (FRA)
Matias Capizzano (ARG)
Michael Chittenden (NZL)
Craig Greenhill (AUS)
Sharon Green (USA)
Robert Hajduk (POL)
Maxime Horlaville (FRA)
Pierick Jeannoutot (FRA)
Sam Kurtul (GBR)
Martina Orsini (ITA)
Ian Roman (GBR)
Marta Rovatti Studihrad (ITA)
Eike Schurr (DEU)
Graham Snook (GBR)
Eloi Stichelbaut (FRA)
Fabio Taccola (ITA)
James Tomlinson (SWE)
Loris Von Siebenthal (CHE)
Bo Wang (CHN)
View the images here: www.yachtracingimage.com
Early Entry Discount! St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) - March 27-29, 2020
Secondly, there’s an early entry discount. Pay only US $150, or 50% off the regular entry fee, between now and January 31, 2020. Compete in CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker; IRC; Multihull; CSA Bareboat; Beach Cat or in One Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. Sign up too for the March 26 Round the Rocks (RTR) Race (yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=9665).
The course is a circumnavigation of the neighboring 19.6-square mile island of St. John. Entry $50 per boat. Of course, Bill Canfield, who co-directs STIR 2020 with Pat Bailey, gives the best reason to race: “STIR offers the best of Caribbean racing and it is all done out of STYC in Cowpet Bay.
We are known as the ‘friendly regatta’ as we cater to your needs before and during the event. Join us in March and find out why ‘We Love It Here’.”
www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com, Email: , Call (340) 775-6320.
Bolt on Speed - Cyclops Smart Fittings
Getting the best performance out of a racing yacht is tough, with lots of controlled and uncontrolled variables in the equation to success. Accurate sensors are essential to provide the valid data on which crews can make decisions, and confidently repeat optimum settings for performance. Sensors for wind speed and angle, boatspeed and heading have evolved over the decades, and accurate calibration of these is (or should be) standard practice on every race yacht.
Rigging loads, mast shapes and sail shapes are much harder to measure accurately in real time, so all too often are not part of the performance game for most yachts, leaving much speed potential untapped. This is an issue particularly for the key measurement and control of forestay “sag”. Stu Bannatyne, winner of the Whitbread/ Volvo four times, says that ‘matching forestay tension to the wind and sails is key to upwind performance.’
Full article in the November issue of Seahorse
The Dolphin has an early morning play on the Waitemata
Photo by Richard Gladwell. Click on image to enlarge.
While there is a lot of emphasis put on foiling tacks and gybes, pundits and trolls, and whether the AC75 actually stays "dry" it seems to be a moot point with Te Aihe. On some tacks and gybes she doesn't actually stay flying throughout, but the touchdown is more of a kiss or slide on the water, as her bustle makes contact and does its job. If it does happen the water contact is brief, and there is no noticeable drop in speed. There is no doubt that the AC75 gets onto her foils quickly.
The choreography of a gybe or tack is still a work in progress, with some spectacular splash and high speed spray as the windward wing first makes knife-like contact with the water. As with the AC50 the tack and gybe is made with both foils in the water, but with the AC75 doing a rather neat roll to leeward at the end of the tack/gybe to lift the new windward foil quickly out of the water, without using the foil control system to do all the work. The manoeuvre has the effect of reducing foil drag much more quickly and the acceleration is noticeable.
Counting the time, we didn't even get to two seconds from fully immersed to flying clear - hard to say if the AC75 is faster onto her foils than the AC50 - there is no perceptible difference - watching on the water, rather than on video.
Richard Gladwell's full article and photos in Sail-World www.sail-world.com/news/
34th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers prepares to set sail
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) will bring together a diverse group of boats and crews to sail with the historic ocean rally celebrating its 34th edition in 2019. As the rally preparations commence, start dates for the two routes are scheduled for Sunday 10th November for ARC+ and Sunday 24th November for the ARC. As the largest transocean rally, the ARC is also the most eclectic; Sailors on all sizes of budget, of all ages and on all types of boat join in to cross the Atlantic on the trade-winds together, benefiting from the safe and social framework that the rally provides.
ARC sailors have a choice of routes for 2019:
Sailing via the Cape Verdes: ARC+ will depart Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday 10 November, sailing to Mindelo, Sao Vincente, Cape Verde for a 3 to 5 day stopover before the restart to Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia on 21 November. A maximum of 75 yachts sail with the ARC+ route. Full dates and route information
ARC+ St. Vincent will depart from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday 10 November after sharing a pre-departure programme with the ARC+ fleet. They sail to to Mindelo, Sao Vincente, Cape Verde for a 3 to 5 day stopover before crossing the Atlantic bound for Blue Lagoon Marina, St. Vincent restarting on 21 November 2019 Full dates and route information
Sailing directly to Saint Lucia: The ARC fleet of approximately 200 boats will start their Atlantic adventure on Sunday 24 November sailing directly to Saint Lucia, spending 18-21 days at sea on the classic trade wind route. The ARC offers a two week pre-departure programme, fun competition for cruising sailors, or competitive racing, and a spectacular welcome in Rodney Bay. Full dates and route information
Industry News
Click on images to enlarge.
Big Blue was created by founders Matt Cornwell and Suzanne Coop who worked together in the last America’s Cup, developing the most expansive audio coms system ever produced for yacht racing. With the experience gained there and the need for high quality, reliable coms systems for a marine environment ever growing, it was a natural step to branch out and create a company specifically aimed at that market.
As well as our continuing America’s Cup work, we are now supplying all SailGP teams with their audio coms systems, which are also being used by the SailGP TV for the broadcast onboard audio.
We welcome you to visit our stand, 09.402, where the Big Blue team will be available to talk through our services and demonstrate our latest audio communication products.
----------------------------------------------
On the third and last day of their official visit to Ireland, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Cork where they they attended the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Port of Cork and the Port of Amsterdam. As is customary they were presented with a gift to mark the occasion.
Latitude Kinsale was commissioned to create a hand made classic 3D chart of Cork Harbour! It had an inscription below the chart with the Cork Port logo their names and the date of the visit.
latitudekinsale.com/portfolio/crete-to-rhodes-greece/
----------------------------------------------
There’s no ‘off the shelf’ aero body armour for the America's Cup team members, it needs to be custom made and incorporate a range of factors - and for INEOS TEAM UK there was only one supplier to work with, Spinlock. The team have been working closely with Spinlock since 2014 and both sides have carried product learnings from AC35 to AC36.
The sailors still need to carry comms equipment, air supply and a personal safety knife, all need to be located on the PFD for efficiency, performance and comfort. Sweat-inducing bursts of activity mean breathability is also high on the list of requirements. The vests need to allow for hot air to escape quickly and efficiently from between the layers of foam surrounding the body. New materials and ‘venting’ will allow the sailors to perform knowing they are not going to ‘overheat’ during a race.
It’s been constant development and Spinlock have been trialling different materials, choosing fabric for minimum weight and maximum sports performance. Spinlock have developed a new spine protector using ‘Skydex’, which is built into a greater area of the back panelling, giving body protection to the motorcycle crash protection standard and passing the 50N standard for flotation.
----------------------------------------------
Germany’s largest production boatbuilder increased turnover to €150m and achieved its highest profits since 2008
German boatbuilder Hanse Yachts AG, reported annual results for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2019 with the company’s highest ever revenues of €150m - a gain of 8% over 2018.
The company said the results confirm its position as Germany’s largest series boatbuilder and attributed the significant increase to growing market share in the motorboat segment.
----------------------------------------------
TI Media (the former IPC Media Group and later Time Inc UK) has been sold by the Epiris private equity company to Future PLC, a UK-based publisher of consumer magazines and websites.
Epiris bought TI Media, then called Time Inc UK, from US media group Meredith in February 2018 in a deal thought to be worth around £130m.
Under Epiris, TI Media undertook a cost-cutting drive during which it sold several titles, including music site NME.com and its portfolio of comics.
Alex Fortescue, managing partner of Epiris, said: “We acquired TI Media in a complex corporate carve-out and have since focused on implementing a transformation plan based on the Epiris toolkit of strategic focus, operational improvement and M&A.
“This has allowed us to achieve a strong return in less than two years.”
Featured Brokerage
Wild Joe was originally built as Wild Oats IX with full carbon/nomex construction. As times move on so has Wild Joe which is now fitted with a new DSS foil system installed early 2018. That coupled with her new Doyle Sails package and upgrades across the board, the boat is bang up to date once aga
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582
-----------------------------------------
The Dazcat 1495 really is our champion. Not only has she won numerous RORC and MOCRA races, including her class in the Fastnet 2017 and the 2-handed Round Britain & Ireland 2018 as well as twice MOCRA Nationals Champion (2017 & 2019), she’s also the perfect yacht for long distance cruising or family weekends, ensuring comfort and safety wherever you are.
You’ll be able to follow two of our D1495s in this year’s Rolex Fastnet as they race against three of their smaller sister Dazcats, including the 1295. We’ll be posting live to our Facebook page from on board one of the 1495s.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
www.dazcat.com/d1495.html
-----------------------------------------
All systems have been renewed or serviced for the last Route du Rhum 2014 entry. The boat has been hauled out and the hull anti-fouled in spring 2015 in Grenada, Caribbean.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
No man goes before his time - unless the boss leaves early. -- Groucho Marx
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html