In This Issue
• The Ocean Race reboots with announcement of 10-year plan
• Newport and Marstrand for M32 Season Restart
• Junior Offshore Group Captain's Update
• North Aegean Cup and Greek National ORCi Cup
• RS Tera Nationals - Torbay 2020 cancelled
• Questions over Team NZ's $1.5m wage subsidy payments
• Sailing World on Water News
• Beneteau closing Marion SC USA Plant
• Tabor Boy - Celestial Video
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Maxi Dolphin MD62AB - 62FT Cruising Sloop
• • Gunboat 60 - Arethusa
• • Alfred Mylne 75 Bermudan Yawl
• The Last Word: Christopher Hitchens
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 Ocean Race reboots with announcement of 10-year plan
Organisers of The Ocean Race have confirmed the next edition of the Race will start from Alicante, Spain, in October 2022 and finish in Genova, Italy, in the summer of 2023 during the 50th jubilee anniversary year of the Race.
For the first time in race history, further event timings have also been confirmed through the next 10 years and a feasibility study is currently underway for a European race to take place next summer.
The change to the start date for the next edition of the round the world race follows a strategic planning process and consultations with stakeholders to determine the best path forward in a sporting landscape impacted by COVID19.
The next edition of the Race, as planned, will be open to fully-crewed entries in the V065 and IMOCA60 class.
The full, award-winning sustainability programme, a core pillar of the Race, will continue to grow under the banner of Racing with Purpose. The Ocean Race Summits, the Education and Science Programmes are all being enhanced and integrated into all facets of the organisation of the Race.
Previously announced host cities and partners for the next edition of the Race will be involved for the 2022-23 event. Volvo Cars, Premier Partner of The Ocean Race, offered its unqualified support.
The next three editions of The Ocean Race will be fully-crewed, around the world yacht races and will take place in 2022-23, in 2026-27 and in 2030-31.
Meaningful racing will be scheduled in between editions, and a European event in the summer of 2021, for IMOCA 60s and VO65s, and potentially other classes of fast racing yachts, is currently being considered for feasibility by the organisation along with registered teams and stakeholders.
Newport and Marstrand for M32 Season Restart
The starting point for the much delayed M32 2020 season will be Newport, RI, USA July 17-19 and Marstrand, Sweden August 7-9. Both venues are famous worldwide for their sail-racing heritage and incidentally also areas with a large local M32 presence.
Joining the fleet in a brand new boat is team Surge with Ryan McKillen who comments "I chartered an M32 for the February 2020 event in Miami where the class organizers conjured up a full weekend of 25 kts. Nice sales tactic. I'm excited to be joining the class and competing on the Surge #63 against a talented fleet this weekend in Newport."
"Many teams have an international crew. And with travel restrictions still in place, Newport and Marstrand both have an abundance of world class sailors with M32 experience. We can help the teams fill the gaps and get racing. It has opened up new opportunities to share knowledge through the class" says Dave Doucett of M32 North America.
Another addition to the M32 fleet is Yonder Racing with skipper Doug Newhouse, who was seen practicing in Newport waters the last few weeks. "As a new M32 sailor, I am excited to participate in the Midtown Oyster Cup! Last weekend we competed in the IYAC Newport Cup 2020 – an "Around the Island" race in Newport – and came in 2nd out of 26 boats! We missed first by 16 seconds over an 18 mile distance course. So far the boat is exhilarating and exciting to sail. I was a bit nervous in the beginning given the boat's speed and unique ability to "fly a hull". However, now that I have some experience I am looking forward to competing with seven boats on the line in a traditional short course M32 regatta." Editor's note: the boat winning, Team Argo, racing the MOD70 trimaran will step into their M32 for the Midtown Cup for some one design action!
Junior Offshore Group Captain's Update
The Lonely Tower race, on its rescheduled date, saw 120 boats out on the water on a classic sea breeze day and, if the feedback is anything to go by, was enjoyed by several hundred crew and race staff who have been champing at the bit to get back out there. JOG has led the way with a framework that does its best to keep everyone safe. For some, the crew restrictions imposed have not been as flexible as other clubs. However, you only have to look at how difficult the on-board social distancing was to achieve, to realise that multiple crew from non-family groups verges on irresponsible. We have taken, and considered, advice from all quarters, including our National sailing bodies, and are sticking behind our early stance that we would be "socially responsible" in our own prescriptions. We can see that others are choosing to interpret the guidelines in their own way but, if you assume that someone in the crew steps aboard with infection, our own policies offer some real chance of not passing it on to everyone. You only have to think about crew in normal times with a common cold to see why we continue to be massively concerned. We are monitoring outcomes and will continue to make changes as things settle down and the sport develops. In the meantime, the cooperation and support from you all is very much appreciated. The last thing we want is a further embargo on racing in the event that we see a spread of the virus as a direct result of our activities.
We have had a number of virtual committee and flag officer meetings and, to assist in your planning, we have taken the decision to announce that we will not be holding our annual Dinner and Prizegiving. We are, of course, disappointed but it is in line with our policy of prudence, even if there are further social relaxations which may make it possible.
Dougie Leacy full update: www.jog.org.uk
North Aegean Cup and Greek National ORCi Cup
The Nautical Club of Thessaloniki will host North Aegean Cup in memory of the Honorary President Stavros Konstantinidis, and at the same time the event will be the Greek National ORCi Cup. Konstantinidis has been a member of the Board for 23 years and President for 3 terms, and among his countless projects and his huge contribution was the establishment of numerous international regattas and the North Aegean Cup.
The North Aegean Cup is a regatta renowned in the Greek offshore sailing community, with longstanding traditions, and which was revived the last seven years in Marina Porto Carras. Being a difficult year, the Management Board with the consent of the Offshore Committee of the Hellenic Sailing Federation decided to hold the regatta in Thessaloniki for this season.
Other news is that for the first time the National ORCi Cup will also include an ORC Sportboat class. Boats that have IMS Division Sportboat on their ORCi certificate are eligible for entering the ORC Sportboat class. Such boats are Platu 25, J24, J80, Melges 24, Laser SB20, First class 8, Mini Transat, First 24 etc.
The races will take place from Sunday, August 2 to Saturday, August 8 2020, with ORCi and ORC Club classes racing inshore (windward-leeward, triangle) and coastal races in Thermaikos Gulf, which is considered an ideal venue for prestigious sailing events.
RS Tera Nationals - Torbay 2020 cancelled
It is with great regret that the UK RS Tera Class Association has had to take the sad, but perhaps inevitable, decision to cancel the RS Tera National Championship 2020, due to be held at Royal Torbay Yacht Club over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The Association's event organising committee has been working tirelessly over the past months to make the Nationals happen, but unfortunately, the obstacles put in our way due to the Covid-19 restrictions have become insurmountable.
Once we had the news that RTYC was unable to host the event, we thought we had an 11th-hour solution that would enable us to change venue, delivering an equally great sailing area and providing a significant boat park area and beach-style launching, but this too proved impossible.
Questions over Team NZ's $1.5m wage subsidy payments
Employees at Team New Zealand have been kept afloat by nearly $1.5 million in Government wage subsides through the Covid-19 crisis.
Businesses had to prove a 30 per cent revenue drop to secure the first round of wage subsidies and 40 per cent to qualify for the extension.
TNZ has secured both rounds, but questions are being raised over what revenue the syndicate actually lost as a result of the pandemic.
The $1.47m claimed is made up of just under $890,000 for 127 staff in the first round and over $588,000 for 126 employees through the wage subsidy extension. -- Nick Truebridge, www.rnz.co.nz
Sailing World on Water News
INEOS Boat Build, Vendee Arctique Ends, Luna Rossa Sails more
Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of Sailing in the last 7 days.
Carrington Yachts built INEOS Team UK's both boats and Jason Carrington talked to the RORC's Louay Habib about "Boat #1" Britannia.
We have two reports on the 2020 Vendee Arctique Las Sables d'Olonne which was won by Jeremy Beyou in CHARAL. Full coverage with footage. IN ENGLISH
Our two Italian correspondants Vittorio and Pietro from Quantum Sails Genoa lift the lid on Luna Rossa's sails.
Beneteau closing Marion SC USA Plant
Marion, SC, USA: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect businesses across South Carolina, another business announced it will be closing its doors for good. The Beneteau Boat plant has been a staple in Marion for over 30 years and in two months it will leave a number of people in Marion County out of work.
One of those people is Leroy Graves, who has been with the plant for 31 years.
"It's not about the money, it's not about the prestige, I had someplace where I can go to work," says Graves.
However, on Tuesday morning that all changed when the plant announced their last day will be on September 15th.
Graves looked back at the memories and what he was able to accomplish with the company.
"I don't want Beneteau to go away. It almost made me cry yesterday to hear them tell me because I know what it has done for me and my family," said Graves "They have raised four of my children, sent my wife to college, and I'm still doing good. I'm hurting, I am really hurting."
Tabor Boy - Celestial Video
The new documentary "Celestial," which tells the story of the student crew navigating celestially onboard S.S.V. Tabor Boy in the 2019 Marion to Bermuda Race has been released. See trailer below.
The Notice of Race for the 2021 Marion Bermuda Race has been posted and registration is now open. The Crew Finder pages are now active. See marionbermuda.com
Screening schedule (some are virtual) at www.celestialfilm.org
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The Last Word
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