In This Issue
Rolex Middle Sea Race: Line Honours
Emirates Team New Zealand Outraged Over Arb Decision
Rebellious - The new Robline T-shirt design
More Classic Finns discovered
18 Foot Skiffs: Marcus Ashley-Jones is Back for the Challenge
Optimist European Championships
RYA Shines Spotlight On Boating's Unsung Heroes
Modern Wooden Mast: A Photo Essay
Launchings
Letters to the Editor
Featured Charter: Grand Soleil 50 - Sidney II
Featured Brokerage:
• • Reichel/Pugh 52 Custom - CAPE FLING II
• • SB20
• • Powerplay
The Last Word: James Randi

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

Rolex Middle Sea Race: Line Honours
Click on image to enlarge.

Rolex Middle Sea Race Valletta, Malta: The line honours titles, awarded to the fastest multihull and monohull yachts, have been decided at the 2020 Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Celebrating its 41st edition this year, the 606-nautical mile Rolex Middle Sea Race is one of the world's most renowned and challenging offshore races. The race and its organizer, the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC), have been partnered by Rolex, a longstanding and committed supporter of yachting, since 2002.

Monohull Line Honours: I Love Poland
Crossing the finish line off the RMYC at 11:58:05 CEST on Wednesday 21 October, the Polish VO70 I Love Poland, skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski, claimed a dramatic line honours title following the closest finish in recent race history. She arrived a little over three minutes ahead of rival entry E1, also from Poland and another VO70. The two crews enjoyed a memorable duel over the final ten miles, effectively match racing towards the finish line.

I Love Poland's elapsed time was three days, 23 hours, 58 minutes and five seconds. The race record remains the time of one day, 23 hours, 55 minutes and three seconds set by the American yacht Rambler in 2007.

Multihull Line Honours: Maserati Multi70
The first multihull - Maserati Multi70 from Italy - arrived at 20:41:31 CEST on Monday 19 October in an elapsed time of two days, eight hours, 31 minutes and 31 seconds. The multihull contest was equally as engaging as the monohull competition - Giovanni Soldini's crew finished 15 minutes ahead of fellow Italian entry Mana following an epic race-long head-to-head. Mana has since been crowned winner of the class on time correction.

The focus now turns to who from the fifty-strong international fleet will prevail on handicap and be crowned the overall Rolex Middle Sea Race winner.

As of 13:00 CEST on Wednesday 21 October, eight yachts had completed the race, three had officially retired and 39 were still racing. The majority of the fleet has now turned the northwest corner of Sicily and were dispersed across three different legs of the race - from Favignana down to the island of Pantelleria, from Pantelleria to the island of Lampedusa and from Lampedusa to the finish in Malta.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Emirates Team New Zealand Outraged Over Arb Decision
Auckland, New Zealand: Emirates Team New Zealand are outraged that after three years of planning a land-based stadium event, the Challenger of Record Luna Rossa has led a campaign through the Arbitration Panel which has destroyed one of the most exciting benefits of the America's Cup event for the people of Auckland and visitors from throughout New Zealand.

The America's Cup Arbitration Panel have issued a ruling overnight that effectively cancels the use of the inner harbour stadium race courses for all racing of the Prada Cup and America's Cup Match.

This decision has considerable and negative repercussions to the accessibility of the event for the public of Auckland and New Zealand, the safety of the event and the reliability of the racing. All of which are elements that have been fundamental to Emirates Team New Zealand since we won the America's Cup in 2017.

The images with Auckland City as a backdrop during racing have always been a critical part of showcasing Auckland and New Zealand to the world in an event with a significant global audience, and another reason for the original race course designs.

"Quite frankly we are outraged by this decision, it has gone against everything we have been trying to achieve over the last three years, with no consideration to the effect this has on the public of New Zealand and the city of Auckland." Said CEO Grant Dalton.

Emirates Team New Zealand are now considering if there are any options that are available to remedy this unbelievable decision.

Read the decision (PDF)

emirates-team-new-zealand.americascup.com/

Rebellious - The new Robline T-shirt design
Robline Approximately two years ago at METSTRADE Robline re-invented itself towards a more modern and sporty appearance and being at the people approach without forgetting its roots of FSE and Roblon.

Especially this year the world is facing a hard time starting with the bushfires in Australia and an apparently not so soon ending COVID-19 pandemic.

Robline took those two aspects to bring the brand towards a next level and bring some happiness and joy into our business and sports during those difficult times.

Water, Wind, Waves - this all is Robline, as well as our new T-Shirt design. You might say rebellious, out of the norm in this business. Stroncton - for all the rebels and romantics with heart over bucks.

Sounds like two brands that found their common denominator. Being extraordinary - in quality, in customer service, in people and in general as unique as possible.

Robline proudly presents the Stroncton x Robline T-Shirt cooperation. 100% Bio-Cotton. You will get immediately a good feeling and a smile when you have it in your hands.

Curious?

Go and check it out here: www.stroncton.com

www.roblineropes.com/en/

More Classic Finns discovered
Click on image for photo gallery.

Finn British Finn K17 Allegretto has recently re-emerged after being kept in a barn for around 40 years! This Finn was originally bought by Chris Heywood with his brother and sailed in the 1956 Olympic trials after which she was little used. Chris was a good friend of Charles Curry and spent many summers being mentored, camping in Charles' garden and sailing in Chichester Harbour. Allegretto was sailed a few times in the 1990's on Kielder Water by his daughter Viola and her Uncle but subsequently has spent the rest of the time in a barn in Scotland, until it was recently decided it was time to find her a new home.

K17 was one of a batch of 10 Finns that were commissioned by Tiny Mitchell for the 1956 Olympic Trials. The hulls were built by Fairey Marine and decked and finished by Wootens off Maidenhead. In the trials Chris surprised many well known dinghy racers by lying in second place after the first day and creditably finishing 5th OA in the event which was won by Richard Creagh-Osborne, but Chris then started sailing a Jollyboat and put Allegretto into storage.

Allegretto is probably unique in not having been modernised or updated since 1952 and so represents a rare insight into the early development of the Finn. She has no kicker and sports a wire halyard winch. The controls are very basic (mainsheet, traveller and centreboard up haul) and so sailing the boat, particularly in stronger winds must have been extremely difficult. British Finn Association Secretary Martin Hughes has brought her down to Warsash and is going to try sailing her pretty much as she is, which will be interesting to see!

Then, having had one long lost Finn turn up, in August a familiar shaped boat appeared on eBay being advertised as a 'potential fishing dinghy'! A little bit of record checking showed her to be K19, Elfinn, a Fairey Finn that hadn't been known of since 1970. She is also in remarkable condition, with 2 wooden masts and what looks like the original sail, and again no modernised controls. She also now has a new owner who is intending to restore her then sail her in original state of tune.

Many Classic Finns race in the Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghy Association (CVRDA) events where they are given a handicap appropriate to their age and condition, so Finns with older rigs which are uncompetitive in modern fleets can race on an even basis. The British Finn Association also make sure older Finns aren't left out. They run two classes for older Finns; Classic Finns which sail with traditional rigs and Classics with Carbon, which sail with a modern rig on a pre - 1985 boat. This has been introduced because the older masts, and the Dacron sails to suit them are becoming scarcer, whereas there is a plentiful supply of modern second-hand sails and older carbon masts at reasonable prices. -- John Heyes

finnuk.org.uk/the-boat/classic-finns-2/

18 Foot Skiffs: Marcus Ashley-Jones is Back for the Challenge
When Marcus Ashley-Jones, Jeronimo Harrison and Cam Gundy sailed Andoo to victory in last Sunday's Race 1 of the Spring 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour they showed that the team will be a force in the JJ Giltinan and Australian championships later in this season.

Next Sunday (October 25) the Andoo team will get its first big test when it contests Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship against a strong 18-boat fleet.

Major contenders for the club championship include the current Australian champion tech2 (Jack Macartney), 2019 NSW champion Winning Group (John Winning Jr.) and Smeg, skippered by three-time JJ Giltinan champion Michael Coxon.

Other top teams include The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Aron Everett), Finport Finance (Keagan York), Noakesailing (Sean Langman), Bird & Bear (Tom Clout), The Kitchen Maker-Caesarstone (Jordan Girdis) and Yandoo (John Winning).

Four brand new rookie teams will also get their first taste of 18ft Skiff championship racing on Sunday.

Marcus Ashley-Jones returned to the 18s in 2019-2020 following a two-season break after the 2016-2017 season, when he skippered Asko Appliances to sixth placing at the 2017 JJ Giltinan world Championship.

Prior to that, Marcus began his career in the 18s in the 2009-2010 season when he skippered Club Marine. Along with his teammates Stewart Wells and Bert Schandevyl, he won Race one of the 2010 JJ Giltinan world Championship - the first race he had ever sailed in the world's most important 18ft Skiff championship.

The performance was enough to earn him a move to the strong Asko Appliances team in 2010-2011. Stewart Wells remained in the team while a newcomer to the 18s, Aron Everett replaced Bert Schandevyl.

Aron Everett has progressed to become one of the 18s top skippers in the fleet (The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines) and will be one of Marcus' biggest competitors at the 2021 JJs.

Marcus remained as skipper of the Asko Appliances-sponsored skiffs from 2010-2011 until he left the 18s at the end of 2016-2017. The Ashley-Jones Asko teams were always competitive at the JJs and produced several top-10 placings. The best was a fourth place overall in 2015.

He spent the next two seasons sailing with his good mate and 18 Footer star David Witt aboard the 100ft maxi SHK Scallywag in four Sydney-Hobarts, and the Volvo Ocean Race in the VO65 SHK Scallywag. In 2020 Marcus skippered the 72-foot URM to rack up his 16th Sydney-Hobart race, before he returned to the 18s last season in a skiff sponsored by URM. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.

www.18footers.com

Optimist European Championships
Today was the first racing day of the qualifying series of the 2020 Optimist European Championship in Portorož, Slovenia. A low breeze of up to 7 knots and shifty wind conditions were challenging a fleet of 113 girls and 156 boys, sailing in 5 different groups.

The first start was scheduled for 11 am, but the young sailors had to wait for almost an hour for the wind to stabilize enough for the first warning signal. They sailed in five different groups; three for boys (yellow, blue and red, all with 52 sailors each), and two for the girls (yellow and blue, with 57 and 56 sailors). Two races for all three boys' fleets were completed, and one race for both of the girls' fleets.

Yellow boys group started first, followed by the blue boys group who had a course change in the downwind leg. The red boys group had to abandon the race before the first upwind mark - all due to huge wind shifts to the right.

The race committee had to repeat the race 1 start for the red boys' fleet a couple of times until finally succeeding. The race 2 for all three boys fleets went smoothly.

Top ten after four races
1. Adriano Cardi Quan, ITA, 8 points
2. Weka Bhanubandh, THA, 10
3. Santiago Sesto Cosby, GBR, 17
4. Alex Demurtas, ITA, 24
5. Giuseppe Montesano, ITA, 25
6. David Rhode, AUT, 25
7. Xavier Garcia Olle, ESP, 27
8. Sviatoslav Madonich, UKR, 31
9. Simon Mille, SUI, 32
10. Francisco Uva Sancho, POR, 34

Full results

www.optiworld.org

www.klub-pirat.si

RYA Shines Spotlight On Boating's Unsung Heroes
Some 44 volunteers are being celebrated across the UK for their exceptional dedication in boating.

Traditionally taking place at an awards ceremony in London, the RYA Volunteer Awards recognise and say 'thank you' to volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport with recipients nominated by their sailing clubs, class associations and members of the boating community.

The RYA Volunteer Awards are divided into four categories: RYA Awards, RYA Community Awards, The Francis Elkin Award and new for 2020 the RYA Honor Preston Award. This year due to the ongoing pandemic, some winners will be presented with their awards at small presentations held at their sailing venues whilst others receive them from the safety of their homes.

Read all about each winner or find more information about the RYA Volunteer Awards.

Modern Wooden Mast: A Photo Essay
Click on image to enlarge.

Modern Wooden Mast Yachts that combine the very latest technology and engineering with the soul and aesthetic of the classic yacht era.

In August we did just that, sharing with you the launch of s/y Italmas, a collaboration with Michigan-based Van Dam Custom Boats. But Italmas was more than a Spirit of Tradition yacht and more than a combination of classic lines and contemporary materials. What made Italmas truly special was the lengths we, as designers, and Van Dam, as our collaborators, were able to go to achieve the owner's vision.

As they say, "It always comes down to the details." Well, the attention to detail on Italmas is second to none - so we thought we'd go one step further here, revealing to you the lengths all of us went to in crafting a truly one-of-a-kind yacht. We hope you enjoy reading about her, as much as we enjoyed designing her!

Read the Full Article: stephenswaring.com

Launchings
Click on images to enlarge.

Solaris Yachts Solaris Yachts 2020 Latest - Solaris 40 and 60
These two new performance cruisers are close to launch. Thanks to the many innovations, they are going to redefine once more the standards in their category.

If you want to share with us the emotion of seeing the boats in their final phases of construction, take advantage of the Solaris Days and make an appointment to come to the yard for a guided tour.

It will also be an occasion to discover all the secrets of the unique construction technique of Solaris, that makes the boats so strong, safe and free from any creaking while sailing, even in rough conditions.

Solaris 40 Specs:

LOA - 12.36m
LWL - 11.70m
Beam - 4.10m
Draft 2.40m (2.00 optional)
Displacement - 9.850kg
Ballast - 3.050kg
Sail Area - 100m2 - std
Genoa - 43m2 - std
Mainsail - 57m2 - std

www.solarisyachts.com

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La Bella Verde (LBV), a Spanish developer of eco-friendly catamarans, is to launch what it describes as "the world's most sustainable boat" in 2021.

LBV35

The LBV35 is a collaboration between La Bella Verde and boating experts Norbert Sedlacek and Marion Koch from Innovation Yachts. Having previously focused on reducing emissions by implementing solar-electric propulsion technology, the LBV35 instead pivots towards the materials, construction and lifespan. It is a truly 100% recyclable composite boat, built from the ground up - where even the moulds are made of fully recyclable material.

In addition to this, La Bella Verde has committed to a sustainable 'loop' recycling model. In simple terms, LBV will buy back the composite materials of your LBV35 and reuse them for future builds. Demonstrating how a full circle economy approach can be applied to the boating industry.

The LBV35 will be produced in Les Sables d'Olonne, France - home to Norbert Sedlacek's Innovation Yachts. The collaboration sees Sedlacek's 30-plus years of experience in extreme sailing inform his creation of the rig, sails and overall boat architecture. This, in turn, provides the LBV35 with a powerful sailing performance; fast and safe, as well as easy handling for single-handed sailing with a cruising speed of 8kt-12kt and a top speed of 22kt.

www.ibinews.com

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MCM, Tripp Design and Rockport Marine to take a wood-composite 45 footer sailing yacht innovation to the next level

Tripp  45

This 45 footer sailing yacht is a carefully engineered wood-composite cruising yacht that will deliver excellent sailing capabilities. Carbon and foam core layups are the standard with a lot of attention given to matching laminate wood species with performance requirements.

The owner is an experienced sailor with a clear mandate: "I want a yacht that is notable in this size range. It should have some classical elements, but the design should also convey speed and the ability to move well through the water, much like a Ferrari on land. I would like to sail this boat for a long time, so ease of sailing, both short-handed and single-handed, means that simplicity and ergonomics are important. Finally, although we will do a lot of day-sailing, the yacht is to be beautifully appointed with comfortable weekend cruising accommodations for two couples.

So what kind of team do you need to make this a reality? Well, it begins with a talented and innovative naval architect and yacht designer. Bill Tripp and his team at Tripp Design Naval Architecture, Norwalk, CT.

The next step is to choose a boatbuilder who understands the concept and has all the requisite experience and skills to build such a vessel. Sam Temple - Rockport Marine - Rockport, ME

Finally, there's the project manager / owner's representative who keeps his arms around the boundaries of the project. Peter Wilson, MCM Newport, RI ".

All parties involved in the project expect to conducting sailing trials in early 2021.

Principal dimensions:
LOA - 45' / 13.71m
Beam- 13' 2" / 4.01m
Draft keel down- 9' 2" / 2.79m

www.mcmnewport.com

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Pajot Custom Yachts has released a spectacular concept for 'The Eco Yacht' Catamaran 110', an innovative easy-sailing cat without a boom. Features include forward helm stations integrated into the side decks, supported by an interior navigation and monitoring station.

Eco Yacht

The boomless yacht - a design as old as the first Dart 16 and more recently used on the AC75 yachts for the 36th America's Cup - incorporates a narrow, square-topped mainsail (180sqm), which can be hoisted or lowered in less than four minutes and stored in a locker on the expansive flybridge.

"The absence of a boom allows for very simple, safe trimming," says company founder Marc Pajot, the legendary French sailor who has been designing racing multihulls since 1980 and involved in the brokerage of luxury yachts since 2001.

Pajot, 67, created the 110-footer with Nicolas Fauroux, an engineer and naval architect whose designs include the 40m sloop Vaimiti, as well as Franck de Rivoyre and Christophe Larose, structural and rigging engineers who have worked on the majority of sailing catamarans over 18m (59ft) including round-the-world record breakers Foncia and Groupama.

The Catamaran 110' has aluminium hulls and bridge deck, composite coachroof and flybridge superstructures, and a carbon rig, which includes a 110sqm jib, a 264sqm genoa and a gennaker up to 790sqm, all mounted on electric furlers. The mast is set slightly aft of centre.

Trimming and manoeuvres are carried out on captive winches with electric controls, with automated deck hardware allowing fingertip manoeuvres from the helm stations or anywhere on board using the remote control.

The interior space also covers more than 200sqm and includes a large saloon to starboard and a dining table and bar to port.

www.pajot-yachts catamaran.com

www.marc-pajot.com

yachtstyle.co/marc-pajot-designs-boomless-eco-yacht/

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 Tony Leech: As the underwater profile of the latest GB AC75 is a direct copy of that of Foiling Moths, with the substitution of solid wings, how many thousands of hours of designers and engineers time did it take to arrive at this format ?

Featured Charter
Raceboats Only Grand Soleil 50 - Sidney II. POA.

Sidney II was designed by Judel and Vrolik and built by Cantiere del Pardo in Italy. She is a true thoroughbred yacht and eats up ocean miles with ease, thanks to a good selection of sails including asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers. A joy to sail, Sidney II is fast, manageable & comfortable with plenty of space below deck.

The deck layout offers a spacious cockpit and with sporty twin steering wheels and a closed transom offering plenty of room behind the wheel for easy crew movement during racing and abundant space above and below deck.

For full details please go to...bit.ly/LVY-sydneyII

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only 2011 Reichel/Pugh 52 Custom - CAPE FLING II. 395,000 USD. Located in Cape Town, South Africa.

This Reichel/Pugh 52 Custom is a unique yacht - she has twin rudders and wheels, making her easy to sail inshore and for coastal racing. The majority of her controls are hydraulically powered allowing her to be sailed more effectively.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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Raceboats Only SB20 - ready to sail. 30,000. EUR.

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Tel: +44 (0) 23 8045 4722
Mob: +44 (0) 7836 322 443

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Raceboats Only 2012 CDK Built MOD70. 1,500,000 USD.

Newest MOD70 available Highly optimized Turn-key package

Available July 2020- Europe

Turn Key - Race ready
- Extensive sail wardrobe
- New tramps 2019
- New lifting foils 2019
- Spare set of foils
- Osprey installed H500 electronics
- Spare rudder
- Wheely and static Cradles
- 1 x 40ft workshop container
- 1 x 40ft storage container
- Foldable Pusher Rib Boat

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Please contact: Ned Collier Wakefield

+447809212039

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
There is a distinct difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head from which your brain leaks out. -- James Randi

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Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html

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