In This Issue
• In the violence of the Indian Ocean
• Resolute Cup Returns to Dual-Fleet Format With Addition of RS21 Keelboat
• Subscribe to Harken's Newsletter
• Strong International Field for Tenth Edition of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour
• Luna Rossa Dismasts at Caliari
• Read and Leech win ORC Doublehanded Class in Key West Race
• Weak winds at Bacardi Winter Series #2
• Two (invaluable) days in Spain - Yacht Race Forum
• Entries open for Cowes Spring Classics 2020
• Vale Ronnie McCracken
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Dazcat 1495
• • SW110 Thalima
• • VPLP 72ft Trimaran TRITIUM
• The Last Word: George Bernard Shaw
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
In the violence of the Indian Ocean
Over the past five days or so, the Indian Ocean has offered a series of contrasts to Francis Joyon and his crew of four aboard the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran. While the boat which has won the Route du Rhum three times has maintained a record pace averaging 23 knots over the 5000 miles they have sailed out on the water, it has been an uncomfortable ride and that has been increasingly the case over the weekend, as they passed to the south of two very active low-pressure systems gradually moving to the east of Madagascar. Rain, reduced visibility, violent winds and a heavy swell from the north have shaken up the crew and punished the trimaran.
IDEC SPORT has managed to stay more than 600 miles ahead of the boat that holds the record for the Tea Route, the 70-foot trimaran, Maserati, which was very fast in this part of the course. There are still some huge difficulties ahead for Francis and his men, before they pass the Cape of Good Hope and return to the South Atlantic with a number of transition zones, involving a number of strategic gybes that they are going to have to deal with in extremely variable conditions with low pressure systems moving in from the West and some areas of high pressure.
A broken mainsail halyard...
"We are not at our full potential for the moment," explained Francis Joyon this morning. "The seas are still rough and slowing us down and since yesterday we have been sailing with two reefs in the main after our mainsail halyard broke. The seas are still too heavy for us to work safely up the mast and we are going to wait until tomorrow morning for things to calm down. Unfortunately the wind is set to ease off in the coming hours and under reduced sail, it will affect our speed." Joyon and his men are not however particularly worried. It has been nine days now since they left Hong Kong and they have a comfortable lead over the record of around the equivalent of a day's sailing at the speed at which their rival Maserati was achieving at this point back in 2018.
At the Cape of Good Hope in 5 or 6 days
The Indian Ocean continues to show its wild side with active low-pressure systems and vast areas of high pressure in the far South. Joyon has to find his way through and gybe at the right moment as the approach the transition zone. The maxi trimaran is set to continue her route southwards for a few more hours as they wait for some NW'ly winds before gybing on seas that will finally start to calm down. Joyon and his men are going to have to repeat that action several times before reaching the ever so tricky tip of South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. They should be able to maintain their lead of a full day's worth of sailing at a decent speed.
Resolute Cup Returns to Dual-Fleet Format With Addition of RS21 Keelboat
Newport, R.I. - The Resolute Cup, a Corinthian championship for U.S. yacht clubs, will return to its original format in 2020, utilizing two fleets of keelboats for the sixth edition of this signature biennial competition. The 2020 Resolute Cup will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., September 14 to 19. A two-day qualifying series will see teams of amateur sailors representing yacht clubs from around the United States split their races between fleets of 23-foot Sonars and 21-foot RS21s, built by RS Sailing, based in England. The championship fleet will sail exclusively in the RS21s while the silver fleet will sail the Sonars over the final two days of the event.
The Resolute Cup was first run in 2010 as the U.S. Qualifying Series for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. The biennial regatta, which is sailed out of the New York Yacht Club Harbor Court, has since developed an identity of its own as yacht clubs from around the United States send their best amateur sailors to Newport, R.I., to compete for national bragging rights in addition to a trip to the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, sailing's premiere international Corinthian big-boat regatta. The 2020 Resolute Cup will be sailed in the New York Yacht Club's fleet of 23-foot Sonars and a fleet of RS21s provided by RS Sailing. With provided sails, equalized rig tune and a regular boat rotation, it's a true one-design event. The regatta takes place September 14 to 19.
The RS21, a keelboat specifically designed to be universally used by clubs and for one-design racing, will be a new challenge for most, if not all, of the 24 teams expected to compete in the 2020 Resolute Cup.
The request for invitation process has been extended until Friday, February 7. The form can be found here. The NOR for the regatta can be found here.
At The Front - C'mon Along. Subscribe to Harken's Newsletter
Subscribe to Harken's Newsletter
Olaf and Peter Harken didn't set out to transform our sport. They just wanted to make some equipment that would help the best sailors extend what is possible in sailing. In many ways, that's what we still do. We never stop asking: Could this be lighter? Does it add line speed? How can that design thrive under ever-higher loads? Once in a while, these discussions become entertaining - even if you don't work here.
What's more, in fueling new products we collaborate with sailors all over the world. Back at the dock, we pick up insights that, where appropriate, we share in our social media. At month end, we combine the best of that with video and sometimes brand-new stuff and deliver it in a digital newsletter: "Harken At The Front." In a recent issue, we highlighted how Oakcliff and the British Keelboat Academy turn youth sailors into tomorrow's rock stars. The best of every month—all in one email per month. Subscribe—it's free. Give it a try. If you don't like it, unsubscribe immediately.
Strong International Field for Tenth Edition of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour
Speed and skill will be the order of the day for the tenth edition of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour, which runs from 26 January to 8 February in Oman.
The vast and beautiful Omani coastline will be on show when the tenth edition of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour which began in Salalah on Sunday 26 January.
Over 15 days, a strong international and local contingent will use the prime winter conditions in the Sultanate to push both speed and heartrates to the max in thrilling close-quarter racing in five diverse locations along the coast of Oman.
Eight teams, made up of sailors from France, Switzerland, Spain, and Oman, will race on board the matched fleet of DIAM24, the same boats used in the Tour de France à la voile.
The 2020 EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour, which is organised by Oman Sail, will feature three in-port races, five coastal raids, and one offshore leg. In a route reversal from 2019, the 2020 edition will begin in Salalah, a lush sub-tropical city in Oman's south. The origins of the Sultanate's second largest city dates back to 100BC and it has a rich maritime history, being an important port for the frankincense and silk trades.
Following a coastal raid and in-port race along the coastline of Salalah, the teams will make their way up the coast, with stopovers in Duqm, Masirah Island, Sur and Ras Al Hadd, before a two-day title decider between 8-9 February in Muscat.
For the first time in the ten-year history of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour, there are two all-female teams, DB Schenker and Helvetia Purple, which is one of two teams representing Normandy Elite Team.
Two teams, Oman Airport and Renaissance, will be comprised solely of Omani sailors, emphasising the talent being developed in the Sultanate. -- Argiro Darvira, Icarus-sports.com
The full teams and skippers are:
Group Atlantic - Clement Cron (France)
Helvetia Purple - Pauline Courtois (France)
Helvetia Blue - Pierrick Letouze (France)
Team Royan Atlantique - Thimothé Polet and Gautier Tallieu (France) [co-skippers]
Oman Airport - Hussein al Jabri (Oman)
EFG - Sofian Bouvet (France)
Renaissance - Akram Al Wahaibi (Oman)
DB Schenker - Audrey Ogereau (France)
Luna Rossa Dismasts at Caliari
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi. Click on image to enlarge.
Cagliari, Italy: This afternoon, during a sea trial, the AC75 "Luna Rossa" dismasted at just a few miles off the coast from Marina di Capitana.
No team member was injured in the incident. Mast, sails and rig were immediately recovered by the sailors onboard, with the help of the shore crew on the support ribs.
The whole team is already at work to return on the water as soon as possible and resume the training sessions in preparation for the America's Cup World Series that will take place from April 23 to 26.
Windstrength was reported by a weather station at Cape Carbonara, the nearest station to the incident showing winds increased in the morning to average 25kts from the SW around noon before easing slightly later in the afternoon. The elevation of the station is not known - which can be a factor in windstrength readings. It does explain the difference in sea state in some images as the breeze moderated during the afternoon.
Sail-World understands, confirmed by Italian sources said to be in contact with the team, and it would also appear also to be confirmed by the images, that the D-section spar did not break and that there was no damage to the rigging. The spar is to a shape restricted by the AC75 with a minimum laminate specified, however teams can add to this specification if they wish. The rigging is a one-design supplied package and it will vital for that package to be cleared of any blame for the incident.
Currently the issue has been identified by a forestay chainplate failure - which is feature that is unique to the Italian boat and was designed and manufactured by the team or a supplier.
If the spar is not broken the team is expected to be back sailing well before the America's Cup World Series in Cagliari in two and a half months. -- Richard Gladwell
Read and Leech win ORC Doublehanded Class in Key West Race
After a long night of fast sailing for some and start-stop action for others, the fleet on the Ft Lauderdale-Key West Race is finished now and enjoying the laid-back ambience of this touristic island once heralded as "The Southernmost Point in the US."
In the ORC Double Handed Class, Ken Read and Suzy Leech endured a long night of squall after squall to finish at 09:19 on their Jeanneau 3600 Alchemist to still defeat their rivals in corrected time, Mike Hennessy and Katie Pettibone on their Class 40 Dragon who finished two hours earlier at 07:05.
"This was a long night, and it really mattered where you were in relation to the squalls," said Read after a daytime nap to get his batteries re-charged for the evening's awards celebrations. "We were keeping close to the course boundary to stay out of the current and minimize distance, which gave us only a very narrow track. So as the winds shifted in the squalls we had to meet each shift with a sail change. This is not easy with a full crew, much less two people."
Nonetheless Read was upbeat about the discipline and the promise it holds for testing the caliber of offshore sailors. "There are so many elements needed to succeed - keeping the boat fast in knowing your sail options, making the sail changes needed, developing and executing a game plan, and physically pacing yourself - all this is important. This was a great test of all that and more."
Weak winds at Bacardi Winter Series #2
Miami, Florida: After a big blow in the Bacardi Winter Series Event One in December, light air skills were tested at Event Number Two this past weekend in Miami. A patient Biscayne Bay Yacht Club Race Committee managed six races for the J70 and Melges 24 fleets in very light northerly and northeasterly breezes. Oivind Lorentzen and his team NINE, dominated the J70 Class on day one with a second and two bullets. They managed all top ten finishes on day two to win their fleet. But it was Boral Gulari and his Melges 24 team who put on a light air show winning three of the six races, only dropping a sixth to take top honors in the Melges 24 class. Steve Suddath with 3 ½ men were the top placing Corinthian boat in the Melges 24 fleet in seventh place overall and Zach Segal was the top Corinthian J70 team.
Teams return to Miami again for the Bacardi Invitational Regatta, a multi-class event being held in conjunction with the Star Class Bacardi Cup, March 2 - 7.
Top five, Melges 24
1. Bora Gulari / Scott Nixon / Mallory Gulari / Ian Liberty / Nick Marcolini, USA, 11.0
2. Travis Weisleder / John Bowden / Collin Leon / Chandler Self / Jeremy Wilmot, USA, 19.0
3. Richard Reid / Richard Clark / Ben Lamb / Matthew Chew / Billy Gooderham, CAN, 26.0
4. Rob Gullan / Nigel Young / Mike Claxton / Catherine Alton / William Goldsmith, USA, 27.0
5. Michael Goldfarb / Johnny Goldsberry / David Brink / Emory Williams / Michael Menninger, USA, 34.0
Top five J/70
1. Oivind Lorentzen / Ian Coleman / David Shreiner / Lucas Calabrese, USA, 18.0
2. Joel Ronning / Victor Diaz de Leon / Patrick Wilson / Chris Storke, USA, 23.0
3. John Heaton / Will Felder / Zeke Horowitz / Zach Mason, USA, 25.0
4. Pamela Rose / Goncalo Ribeiro / Willem Van Waay / Bernardo Freitas, USA, 25.0
5. Bruno Pasquinelli / Jonathan McKee / Charlie McKee / Orrin Star, USA, 28.0
Two (invaluable) days in Spain - Yacht Race Forum
The latest Yacht Race Forum in Bilbao was another chance to catch up with as well as influence every possible aspect of international competitive sailing
Around 365 delegates from all over the world joined the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao, Spain, for two days of conferences, presentations, networking and business. The leading classes and regattas, teams, brands and venues contributed to the event, designated by many attendees as "the best YRF ever".
"The pace of change in the sport of sailing is moving quicker than ever'. This is one of the key messages that came out of this year's Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao. One of the sport's brightest minds, Stan Honey, opened the two-day conference with an inspiring keynote speech that made a few predictions for the next decade. A winning navigator of the Volvo Ocean Race among many other sailing accolades, the multi-Emmy Award winner has been even more successful in developing technology for sports broadcasting including the Liveline technology that has revolutionised coverage of the America's Cup.
Full article in the February issue of Seahorse
Entries open for Cowes Spring Classics 2020
Whooper (A 1937 Laurent Giles One-Off). Chris Brown Photography. Click on image to enlarge.
Cowes Spring Classics organisers are delighted to announce that entries for the 2020 edition of the regatta are open.
Taking place taking place over the weekend of 15 - 17 May, organisers Mary Scott-Jackson of MSJ Events and Martin Nott, a wooden boat builder, are expecting a wide range of participating yachts in 2020 with many new interested owners already making contact about how they can enter.
Due to a calendar clash (and the opportunity to race on neap tides), the racing is being organised by the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club in 2020. CCYC have the experience and expertise and we look forward to working with them. Also new for 2020, two new classes are being introduced - a Non-Spinnaker Cruising Class racing with the main fleet but aimed at those boats with fewer crew. The other class is "racing for people who don't like racing" with timed races - no handicaps, no stress, challenge friends with similar yachts, perfect for class associations wanting to join the regatta for fun.
The regatta will once again be based at Shepards Marina, using the historic Sugar Store as its social hub. Entries are encouraged from Cruisers and Cruiser racers, Gaff Rigged yachts and Pilot Cutters, Day Boats and Raters, Classic Metre yachts, affordable Classic Cruisers plus modern Spirit of Tradition yachts. -- Mary Scott-Jackson
Vale Ronnie McCracken
It is with great sadness that World Sailing reports the passing of Ronnie McCracken of Great Britain.
Appointed as an International Judge in 1996, McCracken served at many sailing events internationally as well as his native Great Britain and former Hong Kong residence.
Described as the soul of the Judges Manual for many year's, McCracken served on the International Judges Sub-committee from 2005 to 2015 as well as the Race Officials Committee from 2009 to 2015.
World Sailing's condolences go out to Ronnie's family and friends.
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The Last Word
I can't forgive my friends for dying I don't find these vanishing acts of theirs at all amusing. -- George Bernard Shaw
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