In This Issue
Temporary Tandem Top 49erFX
Alexander and Stipanovic lead Laser Worlds after an up-and-down first day
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
MailASail is the New Title Sponsor for OSTAR/TWOSTAR 2020
Flying Fifteen Tally Hobbs Memorial Regatta
Sailing Champions League for the First Time in Germany and Finland
Industry News
Featured Charter
Featured Brokerage:
• • Judel Vrolijk 36
• • Farr 400
• • IMOCA 60 Austria One
The Last Word: Ralph Steadman

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

Temporary Tandem Top 49erFX
Former German 49erFX teammates combine beautifully to lead on the first day of racing - much to their surprise.

Tina Lutz's regular crew Susann Beucke injured herself soon after the 2019 World Championship in Auckland and Lotta Wiemers agreed to step back into the boat to crew for the second half of the Down Under series of back-to-back world championships.

The decision to bring the pair together delivered the German sailing team early fortunes in the six days series hosted by Royal Geelong Yacht Club. "I don't know what happened today, we somehow went always in the right direction," said a genuinely surprised and delighted Lutz.

"It felt always very good out there. Today was just crazy….we are super happy with our first day of racing," Wiemers added. "I haven't sailed for two-and-a-half years but I think we are doing a good job of finding the middle of pushing it, but [being relaxed too]."

A condensed qualification round got underway at the 2020 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship at Geelong. There will be at least one more day of qualification before the two skiff fleets are divided into Gold Fleets for the final three days. All racing finishes on Saturday February 15.

Results 49er
49erFX
Nacra 17

49er.org/event/2020-world-championship
Nacra17.org/events/2020-world-championship

Alexander and Stipanovic lead Laser Worlds after an up-and-down first day
Melbourne Australia: There is an Australian on top of the ILCA Laser Standard World Championship leader board, but it is not one of the pre-event favourites. Finn Alexander, ranked just 36th in the world, finished the day with a first and second place, to be tied with Rio Olympic silver medalist Tonci Stipanovic (CRO).

The first day started slowly, with all three fleets held onshore while the race committee waited for an almost non-existent westerly to back to the south-east and freshen. This it duly did, and the first race got underway at 3.30pm in 8-10 knots from the SSE.

By the time the second race started at around 5pm, the wind had freshened to 15 knots and was relatively steady from the south.

Many of the sailors have more at stake than a medal at these Worlds. They are also competing for a place at the Tokyo Olympics. So far, the task for the New Zealand selectors has not become any easier. Rio bronze medalist Sam Meech is two points ahead of his close rival, Thomas Saunders.

However, at this early stage things are looking good for British sailor Elliott Hanson, who holds 8th place on 10 points, well ahead of former world champion and Rio Olympian Nick Thompson, who languishes in 44th, 19 points behind.

With two more days of qualifying, there is plenty of time for those who had a bad day to improve their placings. Tomorrow's forecast is for stronger winds which could increase to just under 25 knots by Thursday. -- Roger McMillan/Laser 2020 Media

Results can be found at sailingresults.net/?ID=80326

Seahorse February 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Seahorse Magazine

The greatest sailor you've never heard of - Part I
All that infrastructure and organisation didn't get there by chance. Clare Mccomb looks at the life, times and extraordinarily far-reaching achievements of a little-known sailing influencer

Solving the conundrum
Someone had to take the initiative and it is the Superyacht Cup in Palma that grasped the nettle with the introduction of a new dedicated Performance Class at its next edition in June 2020

Persistence required
There is a modern fibre that is less than easy to use but if you can eventually pull it off the results can be spectacular

Perfectly formed
Good taste, first class naval architecture and excellent construction combined with the resources of the world's biggest boatbuilder... the results were always going to be hard to beat

RORC news - On the move
And of course everyone's got an opinion... Eddie Warden-Owen

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MailASail is the New Title Sponsor for OSTAR/TWOSTAR 2020
The Royal Western Yacht Club of England will run its major transatlantic races, the Original Single-handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) and the Two-handed Transatlantic Race (TWOSTAR), again in 2020.

The OSTAR/TWOSTAR Committee is delighted to announce MailASail as the title sponsor for the 2020 editions of these two races. This means that the next race will be called the MailASail OSTAR/TWOSTAR Race 2020. The OSTAR/TWOSTAR is a challenging 3,000 mile shorthanded trans-oceanic yacht race, taking place every four years. The start of the OSTAR has been brought in one year to mark the 60th anniversary of the first race run in 1960. The TWOSTAR will again sail in conjunction with the OSTAR. With the two races, we celebrate 60 years of shorthanded trans-oceanic racing.

The MailASail OSTAR/TWOSTAR 2020 will start on 10th May 2020 from Plymouth and will see the fleet race to Newport, RI.

The OSTAR and TWOSTAR have been the proving ground for many internationally famous yachtsmen and women. A race against the ocean as much as against other boats, this is a Corinthian event in which seamanship and the development of new techniques and equipment are paramount. The races are open to all: aspiring sponsored professionals in their highly tuned machines out to break records, family skippers in cruisers/racers intending to complete the Everest of sailing, and the 'more experienced' skippers in their blue-water boats just to get there again (preferably ahead of their rivals).

MailASail are specialists in coastal and offshore communications including WiFi, 4G and satellite connectivity. The company also supplies specialist communications equipment, including a range of iridium satellite phones, commonly used offshore to enable easy communication.

rwyc.org/OSTAR/

www.mailasail.com

Flying Fifteen Tally Hobbs Memorial Regatta
Click on image for photo gallery.

Tally Hobbs Memorial Regatta The Tally Hobbs Memorial Regatta is named after a family of pioneers who introduced the class to Western Australia. The regatta this year was sailed on the open ocean off Fremantle, the venue for the 2021 Flying Fifteen World Championship which is scheduled to be sailed in exactly one years time.

Over the course of the weekend 6 races were sailed in glorious sailing conditions ranging from 12 to 20 knots. 19 boats competed from as far away as Esperance in the south west and Geraldton further up the WA coast. The majority of the fleet came from South of Perth YC and the host club of the 2021 Flying Fifteen Worlds, the Royal Freshwater Bay YC.

On Saturday three windward/leeward races were held in typical Fremantle conditions, cloudless blue skies and 12 - 14 knots of S/SW breeze. The course used was the same that will be used for the 2021 Worlds, called the Owen Anchorage course which is protected by offshore islands to the West forming a tropical lagoon, a sailors paradise!.

Day two on Sunday had an earlier scheduled start time of 1000 hrs with a forecast for the sea breeze (Fremantle Doctor) to fill in by lunchtime. The breeze was a solid 16 - 18 knots at the start from 165 degrees.

The last race started at 1225 hrs as the dial again clicked up a couple of knots to a steady 20 - 22 knots with gusts of more. The PRO John Taylor shorted up the legs a little to please the weary sailors. There were a few retirements but at the front of the fleet it was a familiar story. Nick Jerwood and Brad Sheridan completed a master class with a start to finish win of several boat lengths with Grant Alderson and Luke Patterson taking 2nd and David Yu and Chris Nelson in third.

Nick Jerwood and Brad Sheridon ended up clear overall winners on 7 points but second went down to the wire with Hamish Carnachan and Peter Mudford just holding onto 2nd overall with a 6th in the final race. This pushed Grant Alderson and Luke Patterson into 3rd overall by a single point.

Full Results

The Tally Hobbs Memorial Regatta provided a superb opportunity for the West Australian fleet to practice racing on the course where the 2021 Flying Fifteen Worlds will take place. -- Jonny Fullerton

www.flying15worlds2021.com

Sailing Champions League for the First Time in Germany and Finland
The SAILING Champions League (SCL) dates and venues for the seventh SCL season are set. In three qualifier events the participants for the final in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, will be determined from the best five sailing clubs of all the National Sailing Leagues in Europe. For the first time the SAILING Champions League will be held in Germany and Finland. The draw that took place on Thursday evening determined in which of the three rounds the clubs will sail for a ticket to the final.

Qualifier 1: Mariehamn, Finland - 11 to 14 June
Qualifier 2: Travemunde, Germany - 23 to 26 July
Qualifier 3: St. Petersburg, Russia - 13 to 16 August
Final: Porto Cervo, Italy - 1 to 4 October

The reigning national champion from Finland, Alandska Segelsallskapet, will be the first-ever Finnish host of the SAILING Champions League from 11 to 14 June in Mariehamn. The second qualifier will follow from 23 to 26 July in Germany as part of Travemunde Week. The third and last qualifier will be held from 13 to 16 August at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, in Russia, as in previous years. For the first time in the history of the SAILING Champions League boats of the type RS21 will be sailed in Travemunde. Michiel Geerling from RS Sailing proudly announces the new partnership with SAILING Champions League: KRS Sailing have specifically developed the RS21 for the purpose of league racing, an affordable boat designed for real teamwork and close one-design racing. The International Sailing League Association has created a racing formula that we believe ups the game for sailing events now and in the future. We are thrilled to be contributing to the forward-thinking racing concept by supplying a fleet of RS21's for the SAILING Champions League qualifier in Travemunde"

For the other regattas of the season J/70 boats will be used as in previous years.

Per qualifier 32 clubs will compete against each other. The best nine will qualify for the season final at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. In the final they will meet the best three clubs of the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific. In the region of the defending champion Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, the qualification for the SAILING Champions League final already started in January at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. The three clubs from the Asia Pacific region that will make it to the final in Porto Cervo will be decided in April during the season final in Sydney, Australia..

The list of the qualified sailing clubs of the SAILING Champions League season 2020 can be found on www.sailing-championsleague.com.

Announcement of Dates

Industry News
To help international competitors travel to the 2020 ORC/IRC World Championship, which is expected to be one of the most competitive big-boat regattas of 2020, the New York Yacht Club Regatta Association is proud to announce a three-year partnership with Sevenstar Yacht Transport.

"Our theme for 2020 is 'The World Comes to Newport,' which, when it comes to 30- to 60-foot sailboats, is a lot easier said than done," says Christopher Culver, Vice Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. "The entry list for the 2020 ORC/IRC World Championships already includes 41 boats from seven countries. There's no better partner than Sevenstar Yacht Transport to help us deliver all these international boats to Newport for this spectacular summer of sailing."

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. The regatta will be scored using a combination of the two most popular rating rules in the sport, ORC and IRC, and racing will be a mix of around-the-buoys racing and longer, offshore courses. The competition will be held out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court from September 25 to October 3.

Sevenstar Yacht Transport was founded in 1985 to serve the North European market. Acquired by Dutch worldwide shipping company the Spliethoff Group in 2000, it expanded to become a worldwide network with offices in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Turkey, and agents in Monaco, Germany, Russia and New Zealand.

Today Sevenstar is the world's leading provider of yacht transportation services on a lift-on, lift-off basis, arranging the transport of around 2,000 yachts annually. Sevenstar Yacht Transport is expanding in the growing economies of Asia, South America and Africa.

or more information on how Sevenstar Yacht Transport can help you get your boat to Newport for this summer—or anywhere else in the world—sevenstar-yacht-transport.com. For additional details on the 202 ORC/IRC World Championship.

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Back for its third year, Chichester Marina Boat Show will be held on 25th and 26th April from 10.00 - 16.00 in association with show sponsors, Classic Boat and Sailing Today magazines.

Alongside an array of new and pre-owned sailing and power boats it will include a dedicated watersports area for those who are keen to embrace all aspects of being out on the water. Plus, on the Sunday, there will be a Flares Disposal Service, facilitated by Ramora UK - free to Premier berth holders* and £2 per flare for visitors.

With superb on-water and onshore displays this will be a great opportunity for visitors to get up close and personal with the boats, and talk to experts who have a real passion for their brands.

The RNLI will be on hand to conduct life-jacket clinics and own boat checks (by appointment) on both days, and there will be a 'Meet the Experts' tent hosting talks from professionals from the marine industry.

*First three flares are free to dispose of and additional will be charged at £2 each.

www.premiermarinas.com

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Finnboat, the Finnish marine industries association, has announced that its member companies generated nearly €600m in sales last year - a 10% increase over the previous 12-month period. Employment improved and exports are growing strongly.

The Finnish boating industry is particularly pleased, however, with its success in global markets: exports accounted for 77% of the total euro-denominated sales value of boats manufactured in Finland last year.

According to preliminary customs statistics, the value of boats exported from Finland increased by 20% and amounted to €253m for the period January-November 2019. Altogether nearly 9,000 boats were exported from Finland to a total of 37 countries. The export invoices reported for the whole boating industry and trade by member companies for the full year amounted to €290m.

The most important export markets for the Finnish boating industry are still Sweden and Norway, although exports to both countries decreased from the previous year. Sweden remained the number one trading partner in terms of the total number of boats sold, accounting for 4,151 boats - almost half of total exports - from January-November 2019. The total value of exports to Sweden was €55m, while Norway accounted for exports of 2,700 boats and sales of approximately €49m. Most were small open boats and day cruisers with bow cabins. Finnish R&D and manufacturing is particularly strong in this sector.

Another very strong sector is represented by Finnish manufacturers of luxury boats based in the Ostrobothnia region. Their exceptional level of quality on a worldwide scale is reflected in the export statistics for luxury yachts: the UK rose to third place in Finnish export statistics in 2019, when five exclusive boats were delivered from Finland with a combined value of €30m. The British Virgin Islands was in fourth place in the export statistics with a single delivery worth €25m.

Other important export markets for Finnish luxury yachts in 2019 included Italy (three boats, €12m) and the Cayman Islands (two boats, €6.3m). Germany accounted for total boat exports of €11.4m, of which yachts accounted for €4m. Exports to Russia increased by more than 30% to €9.2m.

Other export markets that accounted for sales of more than €1m each included Denmark, France, Greenland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hong Kong, Croatia, Spain, Poland and Belgium.

ibinews.com

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Tickets are now available for the South Coast Boat Show, via http://southcoastboatshow.com. Entry to this exclusive event is free. Plus, those attending can book appointments to spend time onboard their favourite brands, via the website.

With headline sponsor Raymarine, this year's show - 15th-17th May - offers a unique opportunity to experience the finest brands in the global power and sail market. Located at the stunning yet intimate environment of Ocean Village Marina, there will be more than fifty 20-60 foot new boats on display for serious buyers to explore.

Over 29 top brands are already confirmed, with more to come. Visitors will see: Arcona, Azimut Yachts, Bayliner, Beneteau (sail and power), Dragonfly Trimarans, Dehler, Dufour, Excess Catamarans, Grand RIBS, Hanse, Jeanneau (sail and power), Lagoon, Najad, Nautitech Catamarans, Parker Boats, Sea Ray, X-Yachts and more.

New for 2020 is a land-based exhibition. At the entrance to the MDL marina, a vibrant area is designed for serious boaters and includes exhibitions from Raymarine, GN Espace Galley Solutions, SGB finance, the Association of Sail Training Organisations, Clean to Gleam, JDK marine valeting, Wilder Solent and Jeckells the Sailmakers.

The ticketing process is straightforward. From the South Coast Boat Show home page, use the Get Tickets button. Once you've filled in your email address, your name and the date(s) you wish to attend, you'll be asked to confirm your email address. You'll then be sent a pdf ticket, valid for up to four people. You'll also be asked if you want to make an exclusive appointment with the brands of your choice.

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At the 2020 RYA Dinghy Show Weatherfile.com, developed by Richard Paul Russell Ltd, will be showcasing its range of WeatherFile wind and weather monitoring equipment (stand C9).

Weatherfile.com has been supplying coaches, yacht clubs, watersports centres and events with wind and weather monitoring systems for over 20 years, as well as delivering solutions to the British Sailing Team, professional sailing coaches and numerous sailing and yacht clubs.

On display at the Show will be their full range of system solutions including:
The (PRO) Principal Race Officer system which has been developed from a direct requirement of elite regatta management teams to assist in delivering the highest quality racing. The system delivers extremely accurate wind speed and direction measurements with a built-in compass that automatically calculates north regardless of the committee boat movement.

The OWS-5 is the ultimate solution for racing coaches delivering unrivalled accuracy of wind speed and direction relative to the ground from a moving coach boat (RIB). A bespoke App gathers the data with live and historical graphs for pre and post training and event analysis. A great advantage of OWS-5 is it requires no calibration when in use.

WeatherFile yacht club solutions that can be developed to meet individual club requirements allowing members to view live and historical data via the WeatherFile cloud solution, presented in graph format showing wind speed and direction changes over racing periods. Bespoke clubhouse displays can also be supplied and examples will be viewable at the show.

Richard Paul Russell Ltd are also announcing a distribution agreement for Calypso Instruments, an innovative range of ultrasonic wind sensors offering a highly accurate and cost-effective solution for wind speed and direction monitoring. On display will be a small yacht solution that links directly to NMEA wind speed and direction displays, plus the solar powered portable option with Calypso Instruments Sailing Anemotracker App delivering live wind speed and direction data with no cables.

"We are really looking forward to this years' show, it's the perfect place to showcase our range of products and chat with coaches, yacht clubs and dinghy sailors about their needs and requirements and see how our technology can assist them out on the water", commented David Ellis, Sales and Marketing Manager for Weatherfile.com

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Groupe Beneteau has presented its full-year outlook for 2019/20 showing that the European boat and fleet markets are successfully offsetting the slowdown seen elsewhere in the world.

The robust trends on the European and fleet markets are making it possible to offset the slowdown, already seen in 2019, on the North American and Rest of the World markets.

The order book as at 31 January 2020, deliverable during the year, is up 2.1% on a reported basis compared with the previous year. This increase reflects the growth observed on the sailing segment, mitigating the slowdown on the motorboat segment in North America.

The Boat Division's full-year revenue growth, with 2% to 4% expected on a reported basis, will be driven by the good level of the European market, the development of sales with charter companies and the healthy position of Beneteau's multihull business (Lagoon and Excess).

www.boatingbusiness.com

Featured Charter
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See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
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Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
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The Farr 400 JEROBEAM is now seriously for sale. All North sails, and all set up for offshore, the boat and design are very much state of the art

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The Last Word
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