EuroSail News #4598 - 21 May
In This Issue
• Puerto Portals to Host the Rolex TP52 World Championship in September
• Team New Zealand challengers want assurances over getting into country
• Robline Product News 2020: Sirius Grip
• Trying to break the 40-day barrier: Thomas Coville and the most radical Ultime yet
• 2020 J/70 North American Championship Cancelled
• Bayview Mackinac: Standardized Data, More Competitive Racing
• World Sailing cancels the 2020 Offshore World Championship
• Gotland Runt 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19
• Industry News
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Auction; 66' S&S 12 Metre 1977 - 'Enterprise'
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Maxi Botin Partners 72
• • Farr 60 - 'Venomous'
• • Ker 40 - 'Keronimo'
• The Last Word: Justice Louis Brandeis
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
Puerto Portals to Host the Rolex TP52 World Championship in September
As the 52 SUPER SERIES racing fleet of TP52 grand-prix racing yachts returned today from Cape Town, South Africa, aboard the cargo ship BBC Dolphin in Valencia, Spain, circuit organisers have put plans in place to run the prestigious Rolex TP52 World Championship at the ever-popular Mallorcan venue of Puerto Portals from 15-19 September. Time and circumstances have conspired against July’s Valencia regatta, which has had to be cancelled.
The return of the racing yachts to their usual home in the Mediterranean is a significant step forward, opening up the possibility that the Rolex TP52 World Championship can return to the chic, upmarket destination of Puerto Portals, which has hosted the world title event twice, in 2015 and last year - 2019. All teams are capable of winning events but defending world champions Platoon seem to have a special relationship with the worlds, Harm Muller-Spreer’s German-flagged team will be seeking to win the title for the third time in four years. No team has ever won the world championship twice in consecutive years.
It will be a great challenge to host the Rolex TP52 World Championship again for the second consecutive year. After six years working hand-in-hand with the 52 SUPER SERIES team, it feels like a family,” says Corinna Graf, CEO of Puerto Portals.
Recently the directors, organisers and team owners of the 52 SUPER SERIES took the decision to cancel what was to have been the fifth event of the 2020 season, the 52 SUPER SERIES Valencia Sailing Week. While many of the pieces would be in place to run the regatta that was scheduled to take place from 18-22 July - and with a bubbling undercurrent of enthusiasm among owners and sailors to return racing at the highly popular Spanish America’s Cup city - there remains too much uncertainty about the ongoing medium-term global health situation, and international travel limitations are likely to remain problematic for a global circuit.
Team New Zealand challengers want assurances over getting into country
Two of Team New Zealand's rivals have expressed a growing frustration at the lack of information from the Government on an issue which could put New Zealand's hosting of the 2021 America's Cup in jeopardy.
D-day is fast looming for America's Cup syndicates wanting to get their foreign nationals into New Zealand ahead of the 36th battle for the Auld Mug next March. For now, only New Zealand citizens and permanent residents can enter, and must undergo 14 days of quarantine on arrival.
Some America's Cup challengers claim they have had no indication from Government as to when they might be able to get their foreign nationals into the country, and there is a growing feeling that if Cup personnel cannot be on the ground by early July, the challengers will push for a delay of the America's Cup for up to a year, or even worse, lobby for the regatta to be moved offshore.
American Magic syndicate head Terry Hutchinson has praised the Government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic but believes the next few weeks are critical, telling the Herald their first boat needs to be sailing in Auckland by July. -- Matt Brown
Robline Product News 2020: Sirius Grip
The well-known Robline Sirius line is definitely one of the high runners among the Robline assortment. Our best-seller Sirius 500 even got an upgrade this year - the Sirius Grip. As the name already promises, this rope is like the Sirius 500, with an even better grip due to some staplefiber used in the cover. Besides this, the overall construction stayed the same and therefore the beloved advantages of its compactness and longevity are unchanged. When using the Sirius Grip as a sheet, your hands will just love it while the use of a cruising halyard is unaffected by this new material mix.
This Sirius Grip is available in 3 colours: red-white, blue-white and black white and in the diameters of 8, 10, 12 and 14 millimeters.
For further information please visit www.roblineropes.com
Or contact your local dealer.
Trying to break the 40-day barrier: Thomas Coville and the most radical Ultime yet
This week solo yachtsman Thomas Coville opened the doors to the build of his Sodebo Ultim 3, the newest Ultime trimaran and a conceptually very different design to those seen in the class so far. Before the unveiling, I was lucky enough to spend time with Coville at a special event in Norway for Helly Hansen, talk to him about the new design, and get a little insight into the equally extraordinary man who will be skippering it.
Thomas Coville spent nearly a decade of his life pursuing the solo around the world record, finally smashing it on Christmas Day 2016, when he sailed back into Brest having completed his circumnavigation in 49d 3h 7m 38s.
Coville had demolished Francis Joyon’s record of 57 days, which had stood since 2008. But record chasing is a cruel sport and Coville’s hard-fought accolade of being the fastest man around the world was snatched out of his hands within the year, when Francois Gabart raised the bar to an incredible 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds in December 2017.
Coville’s new Ultime is designed, like all the trimarans in this space-race class, to push the boundaries of what is possible yet further. And to achieve this, Coville took a unique approach. -- Helen Fretter
2020 J/70 North American Championship Cancelled
The International J/70 Class Association (IJ70CA) and the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada have determined, because of the varying levels of infection and disruption across the world, that the 2020 J/70 North American Championship scheduled for September 20-27 is cancelled. The Executive Committee has been closely monitoring the worldwide developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand the huge commitment of time and money it takes to participate in a major Championship, as well as the enormous resources that our host clubs dedicate to such events.
The 2021 J/70 North American Championship will remain as planned from May 12-15 at the Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD. The Class intends to hold the 2022 J/70 North American Championship at the Port Credit Yacht Club, meaning the 2023 J/70 North American Championship will be hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida (originally scheduled for 2022). In the meantime, the Class wishes all J/70 sailors and their families the best in these difficult times. We look forward to resuming sailing as soon as we can.
Bayview Mackinac: Standardized Data, More Competitive Racing
Members of Bayview Yacht Club and other Great Lakes clubs have been racing from Port Huron to Mackinac Island since 1925. The Bayview Mackinac Race is an institution in the region, ranking as a pilgrimage for racing sailors, many of whom are proud members of the Old Goats Society, a distinction reserved for sailors who have completed the race 25 times or more.
At first the racecourse was almost always a straight shot, 235 statute miles up the eastern Michigan shoreline, but in the ‘70s, a 290-mile, two-legged course was introduced, sending the fleet across the lake to the Canadian shore before turning northwest towards Mackinac Island. There were variations on the two themes over the years, but in the early ‘90s, Bayview decided to use both courses, with the smaller, slower boats generally assigned to the Shore Course.
The race has used many different rating rules to handicap its fleets, ranging from the Universal Rule, NAYRU, and CCA, to the IOR, IMS, IRC, and PHRF. In 2016, the Bayview Yacht Club Mackinac Race Authority selected the ORR rule for use by the larger boats on the Cove Island Course and, in 2017, chose ORR-Ez for the Shore Course. ORR requires boat and sail measurements by an independent measurer, with certificates issued by US Sailing, while ORR-Ez uses owner-supplied data and therefore costs less to obtain a certificate
The chairman of the 2020 Bayview Mackinac Race, Chris Clark, says, “We use ORR for the Cove Island Course, which has the higher-performance boats sailed by people who are more likely to work to increase the performance of their boats. We believe ORR fits that model very well. For example, there was always optimization occurring between some of the Santa Cruz 70s—all with different rigs, keels and rudders—and ORR provided stability for that game.
“We use ORR-Ez on the shorter course,” Clark says, “and we put a ‘speed bump’ in, so if your boat rates slower, you sail the short course and if it’s faster, you sail the Cove Island course.”
Clark says for the Shore Course, the organizers are generally trying to attract those who want to do the race in boats like Catalina 30s, S2s, or Nonsuch 30s. These owners aren’t likely to spend lots of time and money optimizing and reconfiguring their boats. -- John Burnham
World Sailing cancels the 2020 Offshore World Championship
World Sailing has cancelled the 2020 Offshore World Championship, due to be held alongside October’s Rolex Middle Sea Race in Valletta, Malta, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The many uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the postponement of the one-design L30 charter boat production and distribution across Europe, and have disrupted the ability of Member National Authorities (MNAs) to run qualification events to decide who may enter the event. In light of these difficult circumstances, World Sailing’s Board of Directors decided it is prudent and fairer to cancel the 2020 edition of the Offshore Worlds. The event was expecting to feature teams of mixed sailors from 20 nations from each continent. The inaugural edition of the Offshore World Championship will now take place in 2021.
In the meantime, the Royal Malta Yacht Club is continuing its preparations for the 2020 Rolex Middle Sea Race, while closely monitoring developments with COVID-19 and following the advice and guidance from the World Health Organisation and the Maltese government. At this point, the club has every intention to run the 606nm offshore race should circumstances permit. World Sailing and the Royal Malta Yacht Club are also in discussion about holding the 2021 Championship alongside the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Further information on the Rolex Middle Sea Race
Gotland Runt 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19
Gotland Runt, organized by The Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS), was sailed for the first time in 1937. Today it is considered one of the truly classic international offshore sail races. It is the world’s largest annual offshore race with more than 200 sailboats and thousands of sailors participating. Due to the situation regarding the corona pandemic the 2020 edition of Gotland Runt is now cancelled.
For the last ten years the race has started at Stockholm Ström and attracted tens of thousands of spectators to Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm. Gotland Runt is much more than a race. It is a social festival and meeting place at Skeppsholmen before the start and at the finish in Sandhamn. An event where sailors, families, spectators and partners come together.
As such, it was important to weigh the desire to continue with long tradition against the potential public health impacts of continuing towards our planned start date of June 28, 2020, given the sustained presence of Covid-19 in the world community.
Throughout the spring we’ve explored different options and solutions that would allow us to carry out the race. Those discussions included, among others: the Public Health Authority, the Police, the International Sailing Association (World Sailing), the Swedish Sailing Association and KSSS partners.
After considering all available options, the KSSS Board concluded that the uncertainty about how the pandemic is evolving and its effects on society are too great for a large event like Gotland Runt to proceed.
Industry News
Milano Finanza today reported that Sanlorenzo, one of Italy’s largest yacht builders, is acquiring another Italian builder, Perini Navi. The acquisition would give Sanlorenzo one of the world’s strongest sailing superyacht brands, while providing financial stability for Perini Navi.
The paper reported that Perini Navi will restructure its debts under article 182 of Italian law. Once that happens, a new parent company will be established.
Sanlorenzo will control about 70 percent of the shares, according to the paper, while contributing $33 million (30 million euros) to financing the operation. The Tabacchi family, which signed an agreement in 2018 to acquire a 49.9 percent stake in Perini Navi, will hold a 30 percent stake in the new company, while contributing $11 million (10 million euros) to operations.
Perini Navi, which has built famous sailing superyachts like the 289-foot Maltese Falcon and 197-foot Seven, has had publicized financial problems since the Great Recession. Despite that, the brand continued to attract many followers. At last September’s Monaco Yacht Show, the company reported an order book valued at $176 million (€160 million), with seven yachts under construction.
Sanlorenzo has been aggressively expanding over the last decade, having delivered 103 superyacht projects during that time. Before Covid-19, it was scheduled to deliver another 24 yachts this year. The Italian builder went public in 2019. For last year, it reported its strongest financial year ever, with net sales of $500 million (€455 million), up 39.3 percent from 2018.
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Some boating activities along France’s coasts and in Monaco are beginning to resume amidst a tangle of unclear and sometimes contradictory rules
Despite a speech by France’s Prime Minister on 7 May that French citizens would enjoy renewed freedoms as of 13 May, pleasure boating on many of the country’s waterways remains prohibited.
In a disappointing turn of expectations, the decree underlying the Prime Minister’s speech specifically prohibited access to beaches, bodies of water and lakes and nautical and pleasure activities on a national basis - but left room for local authorities to determine usage rules.
The result is that boating and nautical activities can only be authorised locally by the prefect (a government representative) for each of France’s administrative departments, at the request of the mayor.
France has 96 ‘mainland’ departments including Corsica, plus five departments for overseas territories. In addition to France’s regional departments, there are also three maritime prefects with authority over for the Mediterranean, Atlantic and English Channel coasts.
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As the 36th edition of the “Auld Mug” approaches, the Swiss watchmaker OMEGA is announcing its role as the event’s Official Timekeeper.
This will mark the third time in history that OMEGA has served in the prestigious sailing role, having already timed the America’s Cup in 2000 and 2003. Returning to the iconic competition in 2021, OMEGA’s timekeeping excellence and long experience in sailing is sure to be highlighted through new technologies and never-seen-before equipment that will enhance every second of racing.
The moment will also provide another chance for OMEGA to celebrate its long-standing partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand. This special relationship began alongside the legendary sailor Sir Peter Blake in 1995, and has continued for 25 years, with a shared passion for innovation, technology, speed and accuracy.
With this announcement comes the release of the brand new OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 36th America’s Cup Limited Edition. Presented on a structured rubber strap, the 43.50 mm timepiece is crafted from stainless steel and is limited to just 2,021 pieces. Most notable is the blue ceramic diving bezel, which incorporates white and red liquid ceramic to create a 5-minute countdown for racing.
The polished white ceramic dial of the watch includes a special America’s Cup logo on the central seconds hand, as well as the competition’s name transferred at 6 o’clock. On the reverse side, the America’s Cup logo is transferred on the caseback’s sapphire crystal, through which you can see the OMEGA Master Chronometer Calibre 8900.
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Recreational boating is now permissible under physical distancing criteria in States and Territories across Australia
Australia’s Boating Industry Association (BIA) today welcomed the relaxation of restrictions on recreational boating in New South Wales following encouraging signs of containment of COVID-19.
The BIA worked hard to support the easing of restrictions, with members of the same household now permitted to use their recreational vessel for all on-water activities even if the vessel does not allow for 4sq m of space per person.
Commercial and charter vessels may operate but must ensure they are operating with the restrictions associated with their category of business and the required social distancing requirements.
“Recreational boating in NSW is on the road to recovery,” says BIA president Darren Vaux. “The State Government today confirmed that members of a household can go out boating in all forms of recreational craft which importantly includes the most popular type of boat… the family runabout.
“This means a typical family household can go out together as there does not need to be 4 square metres of space for each person onboard. Meanwhile, people who are not from the same household can also go recreational boating but should maintain a physical distance of 1.5m from others, as is reasonably practicable.”
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In cooperation with the main Tuvalu Ship Registry office in Singapore, the Tuvalu Yacht Registry claims to have devised a simple, fast, and low cost scheme for yachts to dramatically reduce their costs and statutory date windows for surveys etc.
The scheme is open to all yachts of any flag and size, private or commercial.
It offers a fast registration service, and the yacht is immediately classified as ‘Laid Up’.
No surveys are required, and the yacht can remain in this classification for any period of time until this present situation improves.
The main benefit is that the clock stops on all the usual statutory requirements, including ISM, ISPS and MLC, as well as Classification Society survey windows.
Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Chris Brown:
Good to see the positive reception of the Melges 15 in the USA. Looks like an older fashion version of the RS400 which we love and sail over here in the UK. There are plenty of fabulous second hand RS400 around for adventurous US buyers to buy in the meantime. RS please note !!
Featured Auction
66' S&S 12 Metre 1977 - ENTERPRISE
Bidding Opens: June 19, 2020 3:30 PM
Bidding Closes: June 25, 2020 3:30 PM
BIDDING for the ONLINE AUCTION of ENTERPRISE, the fully restored S&S DESIGNED 12 METRE, begins on June 19th. NO RESERVE AUCTION, SELLING TO THE HIGHEST
See auction details at Boathouse Auctions
Contact
Paul Buttrose, tel +1 (954) 294-6962
Boathouse Auctions
Featured Brokerage
2017 Maxi Botin Partners 72. 3700000 EUR. Located in Spain
CANNONBALL is a racing yacht which was built in 2017 by Premier Composites and designed by Botin and Partners. 2019 World Champion, CANNONBALL is the state-of- the-art for top performances thanks to its fully optimized structure for minimum weight and maximum stiffness
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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1998 Farr 60 - VENOMOUS. 199950 GBP. Located in Cowes, UK.
A very comfortable and capable racing yacht. This Farr 60 excels offshore, with a simple and clean deck layout, bunks for 16 and comfortable saloon area. She has recently had new standing rigging, new mainsail and also generator. Running costs are minimised for the next few years.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: +44(0)1590 679222
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2010 Ker 40 - "Keronimo". 185000 GBP. Located in UK.
Highly competitive under IRC and ORCi gives widespread appeal. With "Keronimo" under your wing you know you have the chance to win any regatta you enter, whether it be inshore or offshore. This boat gives you the chance to experience planing performance, at sensible costs. Zero year 1 expendit
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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