In This Issue
Rolex Middle Sea Race 2020: The Results Are In
70th Bermuda Gold Cup, 2020 Open Match Racing Worlds
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Election Committee Statement following end of Round 2 Voting
Britannia takes flight in Auckland
Optimist European Championships
Yacht Racing Podcast - Episode 17: Simon Fisher
SAILGP Launches Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Initiative
Sebastien Destremau
Oman Sail to host the 2021 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championships
Featured Brokerage:
• • Germania Nova - Classic schooner replica
• • Swan 48-122 Chaos
• • Marten 49 - 'Summer Storm'
The Last Word: Paul McCartney

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 2020: The Results Are In
The 41st Rolex Middle Sea Race is virtually done and dusted. Only one boat is left at sea, her crew clearly set on completing the course despite the likelihood that they will finish outside the race time limit. Kudos is due to Luigi Paolotti and the team of the Dufour 405 Tattoo (ITA) for their fortitude and perseverance. Otherwise, with this morning's arrivals, the full list of class and other prize winners has been established, ready for tomorrow's final prize giving being held subject to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. The ceremony will provide a final opportunity for the Royal Malta Yacht Club to recognise the achievements of the past week.

In terms of fleet winners, there were six principal classes racing under IRC for the Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy and the Rolex Chronometer.

IRC 1
In third place it was the VO70, I Love Poland, entered by the Polish National Federation and featuring a team of primarily under-30s led by Grzegorz Baranowski. The Polish entry also took home the RLR Line Honours Trophy and a Rolex Chronometer for being first monohull to finish on the water. In second place, the Hungarian R/P60 Wild Joe of Marton Jozsa had taken the fight to I Love Poland throughout the race. In first place, though, it was the Dutch Marten 72, Aragon.

IRC 2
Third in IRC 2 was Eric de Turkheim's polished crew, featuring Laurent Pages, on the NMYD 54 Teasing Machine. The French entry has a good record at the Rolex Middle Sea Race having won its class previously. The Russian TP52 Freccia Rossa, a former winner at the Rolex Giraglia and owned by Vadim Yakimenko, came second. In first place, fourth overall, and winner of the Swan Mediterranean Challenge Trophy, was the ClubSwan 50 Balthasar, entered by ocean-racing sailor, Louis Balcaen from Belgium.

IRC 3
Ramon Sant Hill's Farr 45 Ben Estates Comanche Raider III from Malta put in a great effort to finish third in class. Carl Peter Forster's Aquila 45, Katsu (GER), was equally determined and finished second behind the outstanding French entry Tonnerre de Glen, skippered by Dominique Tian, which won in class for the third year in a row and came second overall in the IRC standings.

IRC 4
Competing his first ever race, Luigi Stoppani will have been thrilled to take back to Italy the prize for third in class with the Swan 48 Mia. Impressively, second in IRC 4 was the Italian double handed entry of Marco Paolucci and Andrea Fornaro with the Comet 45s Libertine. In first place and overall winner of the 2020 Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy, a Rolex Chronometer and a plethora of other prizes including the Transport Malta Trophy for being first Maltese boat home was Elusive 2, the Maltese Beneteau First 45, entered by Aaron, Christoph and Maya Podesta

IRC 5
In third came the German yacht Luffe 4004 Prettynama 2 entered by Dr Max Muller. Second place was secured by Alexey Moskvin's J/122 Buran, while Jonathan Gambin, skipper of the Dufour 44R Ton Ton Laferla, was delighted to have won the class and finished the race in third overall.

IRC 6
Jean Luc Hamon's French entry, the JPK1010 Raging Bee, finished third with Leonardo Petti and the Italian J/109 Chestress in second, good reward for returning to the race for a second assault on the famous course. Class winner was Timofey Zhbankov with the JPK1080 Rossko from Russia

The Double Handed Class prizes went to Zenhea Takesha (ITA) for finishing first on the water (Andrea Vattani Trophy) while Gerald Boess and Jonathan Bordas' J/109 Jubilee took home the John Illingworth Trophy for first on corrected time.

MOCRA (Multihulls)
Christian Durant and Shockwave (AUS) finished third after time correction, with Giovanni Soldini's line honours winning Maserati Muti70 (ITA) in second. Riccardo Pavoncelli's MOD70 Mana, skippered by Brian Thompson, was first overall.

Full results on rolexmiddlesearace.com

Rolex Middle Sea Race

70th Bermuda Gold Cup, 2020 Open Match Racing Worlds Set For Competition
Hamilton, Bermuda: After a year in which too many regattas were postponed or cancelled due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the specter of International One-Design (IOD) sloops thrashing about Hamilton Harbour is welcomed by all associated with the 70th Bermuda Gold Cup and 2020 Open Match Racing Worlds, which begin tomorrow with gold and silver awaiting the winner at week's end.

The first warning signal is scheduled for 1030 Monday morning with Monnin's Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team taking on Bermuda's son, 26-year-old Kelsey Durham and his Triangle Racing Team. Sweden's Berntsson Racing Team, led by Johnie Berntsson, a six-time finalist at the Bermuda Gold Cup, races top-ranked American Chris Poole's Riptide Racing in Match 2.

Match 3 sees young Matthew Whitfield's Dragon Racing Team of Great Britain racing Nicklas Dackhammar's Essiq Racing Team of Sweden while New Zealander Phil Robertson and his China One Ningbao Team, the reigning world match racing champion, races Sweden's Anna Ostling's Team WINGS, a two-time winner of the Women's Match Racing Worlds, in Match 4.

In afternoon racing, the Bermuda Gold Cup reigning champion Ian Williams's Team GAC Pindar of Great Britain races France's Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, the women's World No. 1-ranked match racer, in Match 1. Match 2 sees Denmark's Borch Racing Team, led by Jeppe Borch, square off against Jelmer van Beek's Team Dutch Wave of the Netherlands.

In Match 3 the Mirksy Racing Team, led by Australian Torvar Mirsky, a past event and world champion, races Mati Sepp's Gleam Energy Sailing Team of Estonia. The final match pits the Stars+Stripes Team, led by Taylor Canfield of the U.S., also a past event and world champion, against Lance Fraser of Canada in Match 4.

bermudagoldcup.com

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

Seahorse Magazine

And now? With the Mini Maxi class at a crossroads Tobias Kohl of Judel Vrolijk proposes a workable-looking solution to the seemingly impossible challenge of trying to satisfy everybody Fractious Is a rather charitable description of a damaging row that exploded between RORC founder George Martin and Wind in the Willows creator Arthur Ransome. Historian Clare Mccomb unravels a sad story Paul Cayard - Working through it Flying level with Imoca (ideally), a tough time to be running a large yacht club. Plus go the Patriot! IRC - Are you looking in the right place? French IRC designs win (a lot), French IRC sailors win (a lot). So there must be a magic bullet, right? Wrong, says Jason Smithwick Sailor of the Month Anything we say will get us into serious trouble

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Election Committee Statement following end of Round 2 Voting
128 Member National Authorities submitted a verified vote to the Independent Scrutineer by the deadline of 1500hrs UTC on Friday 23 October. No discrepancies or irregularities in the votes have been reported by the Independent Scrutineer. The Independent Scrutineer has informed the Election Committee that one candidate has clearly obtained more than 50% of the votes and therefore no further rounds of voting are necessary.

The Election Committee will count and verify the result prior to the General Assembly and as required by Article C.4(g) of the Constitution, the results will be notified to the General Assembly during its meeting on Sunday 1 November, and afterwards on the website and by written notice to all World Sailing Members.

Phil Cotton, Melanie Willmore & David Kellett
World Sailing Election Committee

www.sailing.org

Britannia takes flight in Auckland
Click on image to enlarge.

Britannia On Friday 23rd October, Britannia, INEOS TEAM UK's new race boat for the 36th America's Cup, took flight on her first sail out of the Waitemata Harbour.

After a full on week for the systems and shore team completing the final fit out, the British team was met by a 165 strong fleet of racing boats about to start New Zealand's largest coastal regatta 'The Coastal Classic' as they exited the Viaduct for their maiden sail.

Britannia is a significant evolution from the team's first AC75 with noticeable changes to hull shape and deck layout. Each of the grinders now has their own individual forward facing fixed position, increasing the overall power output significantly from the RB1 set-up.

With 55 days until racing begins in the America's Cup World Series warm up regatta (Auckland, 17-20 December), INEOS TEAM UK need to make every second count out on the water.

www.ineosteamuk.com

Optimist European Championships
After eight races sailed in both fleets we have new European Champions - Rebecca Geiger in girls' and Adriano Cardi Quan in boys' fleet. The best nation is Italy.

Although we all hoped to bring this championship all the way to its official end tomorrow, we already had more than enough races completed to be valid. Today's racing course in Piran bay was foggy and not too windy, yet two races for both gold and silver fleets were sailed. Unfortunately, the wind died completely before the bronze boys' start.

Unfortunately, again to comply with the protocols, we had to skip the prize-giving ceremony and settle for the declaration of results. The winning young sailors were called separately, one by one, to pick their prizes. We believe their victories are sweet nevertheless.

Susan Elliot Beatty, Regatta Secretary, IODA: "We have created a small bubble here, we were very conscious about all protocols and everyone is being very respectful. We felt very safe here, as safe as possible in this situation."

Final top ten
1. Weka Bhanubandh, THA, 13 points
2. Adriano Cardi Quan, ITA, 13
3. David Rhode, AUT, 27
4. Santiago Sesto Cosby, GBR, 38
5. Xavier Garcia Olle, ESP, 39
6. Jaime Ayarza Montenegro, ESP, 41
7. Konstantinos Portosalte, GRE, 41
8. Damian Berther, SUI, 43
9. Simon Mille, SUI, 45
10. Ikke Huber, SUI, 45

Full results 2020europeans.optiworld.org

Optimist European Championships

Yacht Racing Podcast - Episode 17: Simon Fisher
Justin Chisholm's latest guest on The Yacht Racing Podcast is British yachtsman Simon Fisher who recently signed up with 11th Hour Racing Team for his sixth campaign to win The Ocean Race. SiFi - as he is universally known - is one of the world's most well respected and best liked professional sailors and is...

The post Yacht Racing Podcast - Episode 17: Simon Fisher appeared first on Yacht Racing Life.

Simon Fisher

SAILGP Launches Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Initiative
Following the announcement of its Race for the Future purpose-led agenda aimed at accelerating change to a cleaner and more inclusive future, SailGP today rolled out its first major diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. The global championship has launched an extensive program to fast-track the training and development of female athletes for participation in SailGP.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: "We acknowledge that there is work to be done in order to make our organization and this sport more inclusive, and we are fully committed to addressing the need to accelerate change. As we have quickly progressed to become the pinnacle global league for the sport, it has also become abundantly clear that this opportunity should be afforded to as wide a group of athletes as possible.

"Fast, foiling boats - including our F50 catamarans - are now rightfully at the center of high-performance sail racing, however, the majority of that racing has been predominantly male-driven, resulting in an experience gap among genders. All genders can, and should, be equal in this sport, and we must therefore provide the opportunity necessary to close that gap. It is imperative that we break existing boundaries in the sport to create a more inclusive environment overall."

SailGP's immediate focus is the advancement of gender equity and racial diversity, with the longer-term goal to ensure the league is more accessible for all underrepresented groups.

To guide the process, SailGP has been working with diversity and inclusion consultancy the Clear Company throughout the last four months, while also establishing two working committees. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - which includes 75 percent membership from underrepresented groups - is driving the holistic inclusion of women and racially diverse individuals across the organization, while the Women's Committee - made up of a cross-section of internal and external expertise, including more than 80 percent women - is supporting the initial female athlete integration process.

sailgp.com

Sebastien Destremau: "Fortunately For Me, The Vendee Globe Does Not Start From Cape Town"
Last to finish the last 2016 Vendee Globe, Sebastien Destremau, 56, will set off on November 8 for a second round-the-world race, this time at the helm of Merci, the boat with which Conrad Colman raced four years ago. The former America's Cup specialist, also a former journalist, spoke to Tip & Shaft from Les Sables d'Olonne at two weeks before the start.

Was this project for the second Vendee Globe difficult to set up?
Yes and no. On the one hand, it was much simpler because we knew how to do it, whereas the last time, we started from scratch. On the other hand, it was more complicated because I did a lot of other side projects things that took me a long time, but that I wanted to do because it was an extension of my Vendee Globe : a book, comics, audio books, a play, conferences, a line of jewelry with my key to the oceans. In essence I did not focus on preparing the boat and getting the sponsors, I wasn't 100% focused like the last time. Suddenly, I found myself in complicated situations, like the one last week. I should be a lot more ready. But it's my fault. Three weeks ago, I took nine days off to go and perform my play. At one month before the start of the Vendee Globe, that should not be happening, but I did. It's not negligence, that's just how I want to experience the Vendee Globe.

Has the boat changed since Conrad Colman's Vendee Globe?
Conrad finished without a mast, so we put in a new one that had to be adapted and cut, but it's a super mast, built at Southern Spars for Dominique Wavre. It is taller than Conrad's, more than 2 meters, we added 104 kilos in the keel. As for the sails, I only kept two gennaks and a Conrad spinnaker, the mainsail only did the Route du Rhum with my old boat, we altered it, only the upwind sails are new. I will tell you something I have not mentioned. I had to do my qualifying passage on August 15, we launched the boat on the 13th in Saint-Malo and on the morning of the 14th, three of my sails were stolen! A new J1, a super J2 and a J3 that I had to change anyway! So we have we replaced everything with new sails that we tested this morning, it made a bit of a hole in the old pockets I can tell you.

Full interview in Tip & Shaft

Oman Sail to host the 2021 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championships
Oman Sail will host a 400-strong fleet of the world's best sailors when the World Championships for three Olympic classes kick off in November 2021. Taking place in Asia for the first time in its history, sailors in the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 class will kickstart their path to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games during the six-day event.

The championship will run from 16-21 November 2021 at Al Mussanah Sports City, driving tourism in the governorate and further enhancing Oman's pedigree as a world class host of major international events. It is anticipated that Olympians continuing their racing careers will take part at the Championship alongside the next generation of high-performance doubles sailors, all looking to start their 2024 Olympic campaign in good form.

Oman Sail's professional race management team will welcome the competitors and introduce many to the country. Opportunities for visitors to stay longer in the Sultanate and explore further, experiencing everything that makes the country so special, will also be available, including personalised city tours, cultural visits and adventuring into the mountains, the sea and the desert.

omansail.com

Featured Brokerage
Raceboats Only Germania Nova - Classic schooner replica. 4,950,000 EUR. Located in Genoa, Italy.

GERMANIA NOVA is a replica of the schooner ‘Germania’ launched in 1908. She was built at Factoria Naval de Marin, located in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. As opposed to Germania, which did not include a motor or generators or air conditioning, GERMANIA NOVA has been outfitted with these important features for a charter yacht of her kind. In fact GERMANIA NOVA has full charter class under LY2. Her external decks and sail plan are equally impressive.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

+33 (0) 467 66 39 93

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Raceboats Only Swan 48-122 Chaos. 400,000 EUR. Located in Norway,

Swan 48-122 is a beautiful 3 cabins vessel with overall length of 15.09m (49.51' ft) were her hull color is covered in Midnight Blue. She is currently lying in Norway. Her designer is German Frers and builder Nautor Swan. The main entrance ladder have 3mm untreated teak veneer on step

See listing details in Nautors Swan Brokerage

Contact
Giorgio Passarella
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07
email:

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Raceboats Only 2009 Marten 49 - Summer Storm. 665000 USD. Located in Antigua, Caribbean.

Marten 49 SUMMER STORM is about the best sub 50ft cruiser/racer that money can buy. Full recent refit and a number of regatta successes in the past few years keep her current and a very comfortable yacht to cruise. The benefit of the lifting keel really does come into its own.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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

The Last Word
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