In This Issue
• 49th Rolex Fastnet Race - one year to go!
• Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup to relaunch big boat racing in the Med
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Royal Southern YC Charity Cup Regatta
• Shirley Robertson talks to Six Olympic Gold Medallists
• 2020 World Sailing AGM and General Assembly to be held electronically
• What is the Fastest Dinghy?
• Three OCC Challenge Grants Awarded for 2020
• Mirabaud Sailing Video of the Century Jury
• Carlo Rolandi passes at age 94
• Featured Charter: Sciomachen 56
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Outremer 55 - New Boat
• • Prospector
• • Nautor Swan 65 - Eden
• The Last Word: Gandhi

Intermittent issues continue this week, as your humble narrator is on vacation. One more issue this week on Friday...
The usual weekday postings begin on Monday.

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

49th Rolex Fastnet Race - one year to go!
Click to enlarge to view race course map.

On 8 August 2021, the Rolex Fastnet Race will set sail from Cowes bound for the Fastnet Rock as usual, but then, once the boats have rounded Bishop Rock, they will, for the first time in the race's 96 year history, point their bows towards Cherbourg, the new finish for the Royal Ocean Racing Club's premier event.

Announced last November, the change in finish venue to Cherbourg comes thanks to the joint co-operation of the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, the Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin, the Conseil départemental de la Manche and Région Normandie with the event's organiser, the RORC. The Rolex Fastnet Race's giant fleet will face no berthing shortage when they reach Cherbourg where they will be moored in Port Chantereyne and the Bassin du Commerce.

Well used to hosting large sailing and other sports events, the historic naval port at the top of the Cotentin Peninsula, will provide shoreside spectacle and razzamatazz on an unprecedented scale for Rolex Fastnet Race finishers. Most unexpected for competitors from outside of France will be the degree of interest taken in yacht racing by the local community. Thanks to events such as the Vendée Globe and the Route du Rhum professional sailing is a top tier sport in France and its top players, many of whom will be competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race, are household names. In addition to its long history and its massive fleet, one of the attractions of the race, that draws competitors from across the globe, is the opportunity for not just the general offshore racing community, but also Corinthian family, friends and sailing school entries to be on the same start line as legends of our sport.

Among the stars will again be Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The massive 32m long 23m wide flying trimaran is one of the world's fastest offshore race boats and famously in the last race overtook Francois Gabart's MACIF on the last gybe to win by less than a minute.

It remains unconfirmed if 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race overall winner David and Peter Askew's VO70 Wizard will return to defend their title, however their sailing master, Volvo Ocean Race skipper Charlie Enright will be back, this time as skipper of 11th Hour Racing Team aboard his new generation IMOCA 60, that will be competing in The Ocean Race in 2022-23.

www.rolexfastnetrace.com

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup to relaunch big boat racing in the Med
While the 2020 season of maxi yacht racing has been largely wiped out thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first steps back to normality are soon to be taken with the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup set to go ahead in Porto Cervo over 30 August to 4 September.

Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association and supported from the outset by Rolex, this will be 31st running of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. The annual highlight of the maxi yachting season, this is an international congregation of all maxi yachts (ie of 60+ft LH) from grand prix racers to cruisers; from brand new launches to classics, all lured by the supreme racing off Sardinia's Costa Smeralda, one of the world's best yacht racing arenas. In non-pandemic years the event has an excellent social program from the regatta's opening cocktail party within the YCCS clubhouse to the traditional Rolex party held at the Cala Di Volpe hotel. However due to the measures designed to prevent any resurgence in the pandemic, the 2020 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will be a very different regatta.

This year's Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup fleet will be smaller than usual. Unsurprisingly, absent will be many of the grand prix maxis, especially the 100s and Maxi 72s, whose crew usually fly in from across the globe but who this year have found that travelling to Europe has either been prohibited or is just impractical due to quarantine restrictions.

However with more than 20 yachts entered, the line-up has surpassed expectations given the present difficulties attending. Competitors range from the new Farr-designed, Baltic Yachts-built and DSS foil-equipped 142 footer Canova to the 100 footers Leopard 3 and Adalberto and Guido Miani's A Family Affair (ex-Skandia Wild Thing) to the highly competitive 60 footers, like International Maxi Association President Benoît de Froidmont's Wally 60 Wallyño, Peter Dubens' Frers 60 Spectre and Gerard Logel's Swan 601 @robas.

Back again is the Mylius 18E35 Fra' Diavolo of Vincenzo Addessi. Last year the Gaeta Yacht Club President's team finished tied at the top of the Mini Maxi class 2, losing only on countback. -- James Boyd / International Maxi Association

A full list of entries can be found on the YCCS' website here (PDF)

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

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

Adapt and thrive
An ironic spin-off from the Covid crisis is the inevitable big boost we are already beginning to see for shorthanded inshore and offshore racing. Of course to do it well - and enjoy it - means getting the right tools...

Unobtanium no more
Whisper it... one of the most perfect materials for demanding marine applications is no longer the exclusive preserve of elite racing programmes

Update
Better still (for us!), the (sheer) joy of it, better (Cup) times ahead, fingers on (voting) buzzers and around we (will) go again. Luca Devoti, Terry Hutchinson (And Family), Bob Fisher, Jack Griffin, Jeremie Beyou, Rob Kothe, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede

World news
Masters of the Vendee Globe (or so they hope), how it all began for Mich Desj, of Tony Rae and kangaroos... facing up to Cup defeat. Plus some clever (and overdue) race directing. Alex Thomson, Ky Hurst, Jeremie Beyou, Patrice Carpentier, Ivor Wilkins, Blue Robinson, Dobbs Davis

Rod Davis - Decisions decisions
Yes, they will shortly have to be made. But how?

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Royal Southern YC Charity Cup Regatta
A surprise breeze of approximately 15 knots defied the weather forecast to provide a magic Monday of racing. Day Three of the Royal Southern Yacht Club August Charity Cup was held in 30ºC of air temperature, with the fleet enjoying full-power upwind conditions and exhilarating downwind sailing. The wind speed reduced during the afternoon but remained fairly stable in direction. Once again, the Royal Southern YC Race Committee were roundly applauded for making full use of the perfect conditions. Racing at the regatta concludes tomorrow Tuesday 11th August, and many of the classes are still undecided.

Race winners for the Day Three in the IRC Classes were: David Bartholomew's Cape 31 Tokoloshe III, Tony Mack's J/111 McFly, Simon Perry's J/109 Jiraffe, Mike & Susie Yates J/109 Jago, and Sam Laidlaw's Quarter Tonner BLT.

In IRC One, McFly still leads after six races, but Tokoloshe III is now just a point behind.

In IRC Two, overnight leader David Franks' J/112E Leon was absent today. Two J/109s are now battling at the front of the class. Jiraffe leads by two points from Jago and the two family sailed boats have plenty of previous rivalry. James Harayda's Sun Fast 3300 Gentoo is in third, only by virtue of countback.

In IRC Three, Sam Laidlaw's BLT has scored five straight bullets, and is hot favourite to win the class tomorrow. David Greenhalgh's J/92 J'ronimo scored two podiums today and moves up to second place. Wrestling for third, and just a point behind J'ronimo, are Ian Handley & Tim James' Mustang 30 Gr8 Banter and Olly & Sam Love's SJ320 Frank 3. -- Louay Habib

www.royal-southern.co.uk

Shirley Robertson talks to Six Olympic Gold Medallists
Shirley Robertson talks to Six Olympic Gold Medallists about winning and losing out on the Olympic Racecourse This month double Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson goes back to her sailing roots as she talks about success and failure with six very different multiple Olympic medallists. The interviews span fifty two years of Olympic competition, feature a total of twelve medals, seven gold, and include some of the biggest names in Olympic Sailing.

From the amateur Olympic era of the 1960s and 70s Robertson interviews British Olympic sailing legend Rodney Pattisson, a double Olympic gold medallist from Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972 and a silver medallist from Montreal 1976. Pattisson sailed the Flying Dutchman Class, was a submarine officer in the Royal Navy, and is widely known as being one of the forefathers of the 'no stone unturned' approach to modern Olympic sailing. His tales of fine tuning and optimisation while simultaneously duping his opposition are not just amusing, but also show a ruthless and dogged approach to competition

Three of Robertson's interviewees have had their Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaigns completely disrupted by the postponement of the Games to 2021. Defending 49er Olympic Champion Blair Tuke discusses how the postponement allows full concentration on the defence of the America's Cup, and talks about the logistics of running simultaneous Cup and Games campaigns. Reigning NACRA 17 Olympic champion Santiago Lange of Argentina also discuses the delay in the Games, before delving into his remarkable Olympic history. Lange has competed at six Olympics, Tokyo will be his seventh campaign, but it was his gold medal win in Rio that is perhaps the most remarkable of Olympic success stories. Just a year before the Olympic Regatta, Lange was diagnosed with lung cancer, and underwent surgery that put his Olympic dreams in severe doubt, but still managed to sail to victory in what was one of the most popular medal wins of all time.

British 470 Women's Olympic Champion Hannah Mills also reveals how disruptive a postponed Olympics has been, having decided to return to defend her crown after her win in Rio 2016...

Hear the podcast here.

2020 World Sailing AGM and General Assembly to be held electronically
World Sailing will hold its 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and General Assembly electronically, due to the global challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abu Dhabi, UAE was scheduled to host World Sailing's 2020 Annual Conference from 24 October, with the AGM and General Assembly concluding the meeting on 1 November.

Due to ongoing travel restrictions, World Sailing's Board of Directors resolved to hold the AGM and General Assembly electronically, in accordance with a written special resolution approved by World Sailing's Member National Authorities in June.

World Sailing's Annual Conference comprises a number of Commission, Sub-committee, Committee and Council meetings. These meetings will also be hosted electronically.

Subject to approval by World Sailing's Council, the main decision-making body of World Sailing, Abu Dhabi will now host the 2021 Annual Conference and AGM from 20-31 October.

2020 General Assembly

The election of the World Sailing President and Vice-Presidents takes place every four years at the General Assembly. All full World Sailing MNAs in good standing are entitled to be represented and vote for the President and seven Vice-Presidents.

World Sailing's Election Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2020 election of the World Sailing President and Vice-Presidents.

The deadline for the close of nominations is Sunday 6 September 2020 (eight weeks prior to the General Assembly). A candidate must have five or more nominations to be put forward for election.

Further information is available here.

What is the Fastest Dinghy?
Hannah Diamond checks out a selection of High Performance Dinghies at the 2020 RYA Dinghy Show. We have a look at offerings from four different classes including International 14, Waszp, Musto Skiff and the GP14.

Three OCC Challenge Grants Awarded for 2020
Devon, UK, 10 August 2020 – In 2019, the Ocean Cruising Club began to support challenging ocean endeavours and is proud to stand behind the individuals and their projects which seek the betterment of the sailing community and maritime environment. The first recipients, Jon Sanders and Bert terHart, were both OCC members. In 2020, the OCC General Committee is pleased to announce extension of the grant programme to non-members who can satisfy the OCC requirements for membership.

Philippe Jamotte

Philippe is planning a west-about solo non-stop circumnavigation in a Class40 sailboat, a feat which would be the first to be completed from the West Coast of the Americas. He won the 2018 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race, and that experience spurred him to pursue this challenge. He is fully self-funded with very minimal in-kind sponsorship. His plan is well thought out and ambitious and merits our support. pjsails.com

The subcommittee recommended awarding Philippe a grant towards the cost of a trade wind workhorse spinnaker.

Dustin Reynolds

Many of you are familiar with Dustin, a double amputee preparing to complete his six-year solo circumnavigation. Dustin is an OCC member who has overcome incredible challenges to get where he is today. Although he does have visiting crew from time to time, he always backtracks to his starting point to make sure every mile sailed has been logged by himself alone. To date, he has visited over 30 countries and covered 25,000+ miles at sea. He has received minimal in-kind sponsorship. www.thesinglehandedsailor.com

The subcommittee voted to recommend awarding Dustin a grant to cover the Panama Canal fees as well as the Galapagos clearance and agent fees.

Greg Landreth and Keri Pashuk

Keri and Greg have 30 years of sailing experience, mostly undertaking "adventurous" sailing expeditions to the Antarctic Peninsula. They describe their voyages as having been "extreme adventure for its own sake," but in the past decade they have pivoted to conservation science in an effort to contribute to the preservation of the extreme environments in which they have done most of their sailing.

They are currently undertaking research in the Golfo de Penas on baleen whales. They have requested a grant towards the purchase of a Torqeedo Cruise 10TS engine for a new dinghy currently under construction. They hope that by pioneering the use of this engine they can minimize their noise pollution as well as influence the next generation of sailors to make use of this electric technology by sharing their experiences. www.patagoniaprojects.org

news.oceancruisingclub.org/Challenge-Grant

Mirabaud Sailing Video of the Century Jury
Two women and four men make up the international jury of the Mirabaud Sailing Video of the Century : Ludovica Anti, Martina Orsini, Rob Peake, Gary Jobson, Nicolas Mirabaud and Rob Faris. This special edition will reward the best sailing videos filmed from 2000 to today!

A prestigious international jury has been elected to select the best videos. It comprises Ludovica Anti, Martina Orsini, Rob Peake, Gary Jobson, Nicolas Mirabaud and Rob Faris. They will have to vote for each videos between 22 October and 2 November 2020, according to the following criteria: general appreciation, quality of the production and originality of the videos.

Participants can submit their videos here until midnight on October 20, 2020.

Carlo Rolandi passes at age 94
ORC joins the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) in mourning for Carlo Rolandi, who passed away on August 7th at the age of 94.

Carlo Rolandi was a very important Italian personality in the international sailing world. He started racing very young in his hometown, Naples, and participated in 9 Olympic games, from 1948 to 1992, the first 6 as a competitor, the other 3 as a Jury member.

He entered the FIV Council in 1965, became Vice-Chairman in 1977, and in 1981 succeeded Beppe Croce as Chairman for 8 years. After that he remained in the organization as Honorary President, and delegate for the annual International meetings, continuing his passionate contribution to the management of the sport until very recently.

After competing in several Olympic Classes, he also raced on offshore boats, and owned a Nicholson 33 for many years.

As an International Judge, many sailors will remember him at major Offshore events. He followed the Italian Team at the Admiral's Cup, and had been in the International Jury many times.

His vision for offshore sailing when he was FIV chairman was very important in the establishment of the ORC rating rules in Italy, starting with the IOR and later evolving to the IMS and current ORC rules, and this has allowed Italy to become a leading country for use of ORC.

His elegant presence, smiling face and friendly attitude will be remembered by all sailors who had the chance to meet him.

Our condolences go to son Giggi, daughter Adele, and the several grand children, who were very close to him especially after his beloved wife Laura left us a few years ago. -- Dobbs Davis

Featured Charter
Sciomachen 56 for charter. POA EUR. Berthed in Alicante.

Available for Mediterranean, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands crossings. Berthed in Alicante.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Skipper: Jorge
E-mail:
Mobile: +34 693756352
http://www.barquitos.es

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Outremer 51 - New Boat. POA EUR.

The Outremer 51 is THE reference blue water catamaran for families sailing around the world. This best seller was awarded European Yacht Of the Year and Boat Of the Year.

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Contact

Tel : +33.467 560 263

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2008 Prospector - 69' IRC Racer. 1,250,000 USD. Located in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States.

Arguably one of the most successful IRC race boats in modern history!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
William Titus CPYB
T-401-849-0120
M-401-935-3058

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1977 Nautor Swan 65 'Eden'. 590000 USD. Located in St. Martin, Caribbean

This Swan 65 has been extremely well cared for throughout her life. Her list of upgrades is endless and her previous owners have all treated her incredibly well. In recent years she has had sails, bow thruster, generator and rebuilt engine.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Telephone: +44(0) 1590 679222

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The Last Word
Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always. -- Gandhi

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