In This Issue
• Double handed Offshore Sailing section available on sailing.org
• RORC Lockdown Live Series | Time Over Distance
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• 2020 Governor's Cup Cancelled
• Tame the tradewinds from home
• Farr 40 Australia News
• How Do You Sleep When Sailing Solo for 4,000 Miles?
• Marks Laid in Anticipation of July 20 Start for Dublin Bay Sailing Season
• How Macif Ended Francois Gabart's Ultim Programme
• British Youth Sailing unveils Diploma in Sporting Excellence
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Maxi Dolphin MD62AB - 62ft Cruising Sloop
• • Botin 56 - Fling 16
• • 12 Metre Victory 83
• The Last Word: Martin Luther King
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
Double handed Offshore Sailing section available on sailing.org
World Sailing has established a dedicated section of sailing.org to the fastest growing discipline in sailing, double handed offshore sailing.
Offshore sailing is a universal discipline that every World Sailing Member National Authority (MNA) can participate in. Following the selection of a Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event at Paris 2024, event numbers for double handed offshore events in One Design boats and handicap racing have increased.
The dedicated section on sailing.org, available here, provides information on Paris 2024 as well as a list of double handed offshore events that will be regularly updated. A section on equipment is also included.
To encourage focus on the discipline of offshore sailing itself rather than on specific equipment, the Paris 2024 Olympic Equipment will be selected relatively close to the event.
The broad discipline of doublehanded offshore sailing, which includes all doublehanded events over 50 miles in length, with no gender restrictions, and sailed one-design or under any rating system (e.g. ORC, IRC, or regional systems) can guide sailors and MNAs to focus their preparation efforts on the required skills to succeed. Skills such as seamanship, navigation, weather prediction, route selection, boat-handling and of course fast sailing, common to the discipline, can be refined rather than optimising the performance of a particular boat.
The 2024 Mixed Keelboat Offshore Event will be a representation of this discipline. A very specific, one-race, mixed-gender, one-design, supplied-equipment, event with a specified duration.
RORC Lockdown Live Series | Time Over Distance
Vol. 11 - Harold Cudmore
Harold Cudmore who hails from Cork, Ireland spoke with Louay Habib for an hour-long show focusing on the Admiral's Cup for the 11th edition of the RORC Time Over Distance Series.
In the 1970s Cudmore was one of the first sailors to travel the world to compete at international yachting events, especially match racing. In 1986 he became the first non-American to win the Congressional Cup. In the America's Cup Cudmore was heavily involved in several British campaigns during the 1980s. He was also head coach of the 1992 winning campaign America3 and coach for the all-women's campaign in 1995.
Between 1977 and 1993 Cudmore took part in seven editions of the Admiral's Cup - Racing for Ireland, Great Britain, Australia and Germany. In 1989 he was the mastermind ashore for the victorious British team. To this day, Harold Cudmore travels the world, racing in a wide variety of inshore and offshore events. His amazing abilities as a yachtsman are only matched by his talent for storytelling!
Seahorse July 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
A step up (in every sense)
In Italy, Seahorse previewed the new Mylius 60 Canting Keel, which made its world premiere at the Genoa Boat Show in September 2019. It is a yacht that redefines the genre of performance cruisers and it is currently the only canting keel production model of that size on the market.
Proof of the pudding
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After several years in development the most eagerly awaited superyacht of 2019, the 142ft Canova, was launched late in the season by Baltic Yachts with the minimum of fuss.
Vanishing act
It's not just the widespread introduction of hydraulically powered winches that led to the sweeping clean of once cluttered big boat deck layouts... it's also down to the elegant systems which they are a part of\
Seahorse build table - Contrasts
Mark Mills has used lockdown to advance very different but actually quite similar concepts
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2020 Governor's Cup Cancelled
Newport Beach, California, USA: Balboa Yacht Club today regretfully announced the cancellation of the Governor's Cup Youth International Match Race Championship that had been scheduled for July 20-25. The Governor's Cup is the oldest youth match racing event in the world, only two years younger than the renown Congressional Cup which last week cancelled its 56th running.
"We will be back next year to make the 2021 Cup the best ever," said event Chair Christine Robertson Gribben. "Happily, none of this year's invited skippers will reach their 23rd birthday by the end of next year's "GovCup" to be held July 19-24, 2021, so all will again be age-eligible if they continue their match racing success. Although, we sadly presume we won't see three-time runner-up Leonard Takahashi who will represent Japan in the 49er class in next year's Olympic Games.
BYC cancelled the event based on the unanimous vote of the Governor's Cup Steering Committee. Committee Chair Andy Rose noted that "It was a very tough vote for all of us. But, after a thorough briefing by BYC Fleet Surgeon and internationally prominent neurosurgeon, Dr. Rob Bray, on the COVID-19 situation, and extensive communication with invitees and coaches, we determined that holding or postponing the Cup until later in the year was not feasible". Dr. Bray's Disc Sports and Spine Center is also the presenting sponsor of the Governor's Cup.
"Even if the eight international teams could have made it to California, most would have faced fourteen-day quarantine and perhaps other restrictions upon returning home," Rose continued and summed up the decision, "While Dr. Bray had designed an extensive testing protocol for the event he agreed that recent developments in the spread of the virus make it impossible to host the Cup in the manner in which teams, coaches, and BYC members expect of us and in fact, it became highly unlikely that all or even most of invited skippers would ultimately be able to attend."
The Notice of Race, the event brochure and information on requesting an invitation for the 2021 Governor's Cup will be posted on the Cup's website govcupracing.com in January, 2021.
Tame the tradewinds from home - Virtual Groupama Race starts June 21st
Tame the tradewinds and overcome the pitfalls of a tough offshore race around the largest UNESCO recognised lagoon in the world as planned - almost.
The virtual start of the seventh edition of the New Caledonia Groupama Race will take place on June 21, 2020 and as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands will be on the start line without a sailing jacket or bag in sight.
Turtles and warm South Pacific sea spray will be there for international sailors in a year's time, in July 2021.
June 2020: Groupama Race Virtual
June 2021: Groupama Race Real
Experience the Groupama Race as if you were there and challenge players from around the world at the following start times - 6pm in Noumea, 7pm in Auckland, 5pm in Sydney and 9am in Paris. A virtual race with very real tactical options. While waiting for the warm water on deck and the wind in your ears in a year's time, sail 654 nautical miles virtually around the largest lagoon in the world aboard a Class 40. Take three to five days choosing your course, concentrating hard and putting nerves to the test. Challenge yourself to the physical and psychological effort that will keep you at the front of the pack.
Back in March, 100 days before the start, host club Cercle Nautique Calédonien and the residents of Noumea were ready to host the 7th Groupama Race fleet. Confronted with an unprecedented global health situation, organisers postponed the biennial race in paradise to June 2021.
The period of confinement has been, for many, an opportunity to train and sail virtually. eSport has been a surprising hit with growth 50% higher than market forecasts, attracting players and spectators. At the end of March, an e-Nascar race brought together 1.3 million fans.
If you haven't done so yet, it's time to jump in to virtual sailing virtualregatta.com/en/offshore-game
Farr 40 Australia News
The Farr 40 Australian Class is excited to publish the 2020/21 series schedule, including new dates for the Pre Worlds and Worlds.
Due to Covid-19 and restrictions on large gatherings, it was most unfortunate we had to postpone the 2020 National Championships and World Championships. Fortunately, the situation appears to be improving in relation to travel restrictions and social gatherings and we are confident this season will surge ahead as planned.
We are receiving positive communications with our international teams, whom at this stage, are still very much planning to participate. It is anticipated we could have 18 boats for the Worlds with teams from the US, Germany, Mexico and Uruguay.
Calendar:
Date - Regatta - Venue
18 September 2020 - Farr 40 Season Launch & AGM - RSYS
19 & 20 September 2020 - MHYC One Design Trophy - MHYC
17 & 18 October 2020 - NCYC One Design Trophy - NCYC
14 & 15 November 2020 - 2020 National Championships - CYCA
28 & 29 November 2020 - SSORC - MHYC
30 & 31 January 2021 - NSW State Title - MHYC
27 & 28 February 2021 - 2021 National Championships - RSYS
6 & 7 March 2021 - Sydney Harbour Regatta - MHYC
8 & 9 March 2021 - Pre Worlds - CYCA
11-14 March 2021 - World Championships - CYCA
How Do You Sleep When Sailing Solo for 4,000 Miles?
Every odd year since 1977, sailors from around the world have gathered in France for an insanely arduous race - the Mini Transat 6.50. They hop into their Mini 6.50 yachts (tiny boats at a maximum of 21 feet or 6.5 meters long) and then head west as fast as they can, hoping to be the first to reach Le Marin Bay, Martinique, in the Caribbean, some 4,000 watery miles (6,437 kilometers) away. The race has two legs: France to the Canary Islands, and the Canary Islands to Martinique.
And the biggest catch? The 80-odd sailors must do this journey alone. But how do sailors complete an endurance race that lasts three to four weeks without sleeping more than 20 minutes at a time?
That's the question behind a study conducted by researchers of the University of Bologna in Italy. Scientists wanted to better understand how sailors managed their sleep cycles, and whether certain people have inherent biological advantages that aid them during this physically demanding race. The results were published on May 4, 2020, in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep.
Marks Laid in Anticipation of July 20 Start for Dublin Bay Sailing Season
Dublin Bay Sailing Club Club (DBSC) has laid some of its race marks on Dublin Bay in anticipation of the Summer Series getting underway next month.
As Afloat previously reported, DBSC aims to race from July 20th.
Outer guard marks and seven conical marks in the 'Northern circle area' are now laid in the Bay so, when the go-ahead for racing is given, the marks will already be in place.
This could see DBSC's first Thursday race of the season start on July 23rd and Saturday racing from July 25th, some three months later than originally scheduled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The club is the largest yacht racing club in the country and provides yacht racing for all of Dun Laoghaire Harbour's yacht clubs, a combined fleet of over 200 boats and some 2,000 sailors or more.
How Macif Ended Francois Gabart's Ultim Programme
The announcement came as a bombshell this week, a bolt from the blue because it was so unexpected. French insurance giants Macif ended their Ultim programme when the new trimaran which they own is due to sail in a year's time. So, why this decision? Why this timing? And what are the consequences for Francois Gabart and for his company MerConcept? Tip & Shaft investigate.
It was by means of a press release issued on Wednesday at 11:30am French time that the Macif group announced that they are withdrawing from the Ultim circuit in the midst of building a new trimaran. A press videoconference was organized during which Fred Vianas, the group's corporate strategy and performance director, and Jean-Bernard Le Boucher, director of the marine activity, spoke of a "reorientation", and of the need to "refocus", with a "new strategic plan to write". That plan clearly does not fit with an Ultim programme. On his part Francois Gabart spoke of "a terrible moment, a hard blow without any possible comparison to those I've experienced as a sailor."
No one saw this decision coming, especially after their February 2018 announcement, Macif then saying they would "continue their commitment to ocean sailing over the period 2020-2024 alongside Francois Gabart", and the key was to build a new trimaran.
Speaking on Thursday, Jean-Bernard Le Boucher responded: "We have been thinking about this from the start of the year as part of a more global review of the strategic reorientation of the company. There's a lot of (business) changes this year. We are a multi-brand group that will develop further, with an ongoing merger with the Aésio group. Francois reiterated on Wednesday that is takes more than two years to build and campaign a boat on this circuit and our pace of business is a bit different. This strategic matter is the reason for closing down the Ultim. "
How is the Ultim program no longer consistent with this new group strategy?" The strategy is not completely settled, we are building it now and it will be known at the end of the year. We will make announcements at that time", continues the director of the insurance group's marine activities.
On Wednesday when he was asked about the possible influence of the Covid crisis on the decision, Fred Vianas replied, "The reason for this decision is not related to Covid from the financial point of view. It's not about saving money because we will invest it elsewhere. But we can't say that it didn't have no impact at all. If we don't take it into account we would not be taken seriously, it would mean we are not connected to what's happening."
By putting a trimaran that they funded entirely up for sale the insurance company will be losing money on paper. The current Ultim has seen its price fall from 6.7 million to 5 million euros.
Full article in TipandShaft.com
British Youth Sailing unveils Diploma in Sporting Excellence
British Youth Sailing is launching its new Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) supporting talented and committed young athletes with the potential to be high achievers in sailing.
The Level 3 diploma, worth 64 UCAS points, combines sailing and full-time education so participants have the skills, knowledge and competence to pursue sporting excellence alongside education and a future career in sport.
A first for sailing in the UK, the course will be delivered by British Youth Sailing and Loughborough College. The pilot scheme will feature 12 places, beginning in September 2020.
DiSE is funded by the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) as a dual career pathway for athletes who have been recognised and nominated by their National Governing Body as having high potential for excellence.
The programme is delivered over two years, with sailors able to choose their further education studies, such as A levels, BTEC or other vocational qualifications alongside DiSE.
Sailors must be in full time education for the duration of the DiSE programme.
Applicants must have five GCSEs of minimum grade 4 (or C), preferably including maths and English, and be starting year 12 in September 2020.
To register your interest for the course, please fill out the form here. The deadline for applications is midday on June 19.
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 Laurence Mead, Cowes Week Regatta Director:
Keith Jamieson is of course right that Ingrid Abery's piece on Cowes Week mis-identifies the 505 class for the Flying 15 class. I just wanted to write and reassure Keith - and everybody else - that no matter what size boat they sail the ethos of Cowes Week is very much built around a fabulous weeks regatta racing for boats of all shapes and sizes and for family crews as much as the more battle hardened group with their carbon sails. I did Cowes Week 2008 on a Flying 15 with my then 14-year -old daughter crewing and had an absolutely fantastic week. The highlight of which was being rolled 20 feet to windward by a Reichel Pugh 72 footer going at what seemed about a hundred times faster than us! Happy days!
Whilst writing I also take the opportunity to correct the date of the first ever Cowes Week. Although there was racing from the early 1800's from the Royal Yacht Squadron the historians have identified 1826 as the date of the first Cowes Week proper so we will be celebrating our 200th anniversary in 2026 when we look forward to welcoming everybody for a fabulous, double-centenary birthday party.
Cowes Week 2021 regatta July 31st to August 7th
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The Last Word
In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies... but the silence of our friends. -- Martin Luther King
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