In This Issue
• The Indian Strikes
• Vendee Globe - Atlantic To The Southern Ocean
• Superdocious! Racing Insights and Revelations from Legendary Olympic Sailor Rodney Pattisson
• Rolex Middle Sea Race Film
• EU tariffs on US-origin boats being removed from 1 January 2021
• WASZP Nationals - Green Light Australian
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• 2021 RORC Caribbean 600 - Race Update
• Black Jack returns from a spell in Europe for the Rolex Sydney Hobart
• Dave Irish
• Featured Charter: Ker 40 - Keronimo
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Grand Soleil Maxi One
• • SW100DS L'Ondine
• • Luna Mist
• The Last Word: Robert De Niro
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 Indian Strikes
Given that the Vendee Globe fleet started on Sunday 8th November in Les Sables d’Olonne with a record sized fleet of 33 IMOCAs and there are still, technically, 31 tracked on the race course it is not entirely unexpected to have no fewer than nine boats (and ten skippers) cross the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope today. But this is a unique, unprecedented statistic for a unique and ever more engaging edition of the solo non-stop round the world race.
For all that the latest generation of high speed foiling IMOCAs are designed for top speeds of more than 30kts, now racing in the steep, short seas of the Indian Ocean, race leader Charlie Dalin has been through his biggest storm to date and today said he is having to learn how to slow his boat and manage it.
“I am discovering something I have never had to do before.” Said Dalin, “I have to un-trim, detune my boat. I feel now 50% of the time I am trying to trim the sails and the foils and keel to go faster, and 50% of the time I am de-tune the boat. I find myself looking for the brake pedal. The sea state in the Indian Ocean is really what is limiting my speed. Sometimes the boat accelerates in the surf and we go to 28-30kts and you don’t know how it is going to end. It is a really weird to way to think, ‘I have this wind strength, this wind angle is this and I have these sails up, and I have the foil set like this, but if I change all these setting I should slow the boat down, and slow the boat down. I never had to do this before in my racing career.”
* Sam Davies' Initiatives Coeur Has Hit A Floating Object And Is Heading North
British skipper Sam Davies informed her team that her IMOCA Initiatives Coeur had struck a floating object at around 1900hrs UTC this evening. She is heading north at reduced speed and will inspect her boat to assess the damage and discuss actions with her team. Sam Davies is unhurt.
* Sebastien Simon has his race on hold as he heads north
Since hitting an object and damaging his starboard foil and the casing Sebastien Simon has put his race on hold. He has been under a deep reefed mainsail and the storm jib. His safety and that of the boat is now the most important thing.
Given the tough sailing conditions forecast (more than 30-35 knots of wind with five metre waves), Simon, in agreement with his team, has decided to head north to get away from the worst of the winda nd the sea. Tonight he is looking only to secure the boat as much as possible and reduce any stress on the damged starboard foil. The objective is to limite ARKEA PAPREC's speed during the passage of the front this evening and to escape the main depression during tonight. Tomorrow, in an area which should be calmer for the IMOCA 60-footer the 30 year old from Les Sables d'Olonne will be able to study the repair possibilities more calmly and hopefully execute the repair plans as discussed with his team
Passage times across Cape of Good Hope Longitude
Monday, November 30
1- Charlie Dalin, Apivia at 11:11 pm UTC (December 1, 12:11 am HF): after 22d 09h 51min of race
Tuesday December 1
2- Thomas Ruyant, LinkedOut at 13:41 UTC (14:41 HF): 14h 30min after the leader
3- Louis Burton, Bureau Vallee 2 at 5:51 p.m. UTC (6:51 p.m. HF): 18hrs 40 min after the leader
Wednesday 2 December
4- Sebastien Simon, ARKEA PAPREC at 02:30 UTC (03:30 HF): 1d 03h 19min after the leader
5- Boris Herrmann, Seaexplorer - Yacht Club De Monaco at 03:35 UTC (04:35 HF): 1d 04h 24min after the leader
6- Jean Le Cam, Yes We Cam! at 04:52 UTC (05:52 HF): 1d 05h 41min after the leader
Vendee Globe - Atlantic To The Southern Ocean
The trip south through the Atlantic to the start of the Southern Ocean was anything but straightforward for the opening stages of the Vendee Globe. Complex weather systems, a tropical storm along with large light patches spread liberally across the race track proved taxing for all. But there was drama to come and a terrifying ordeal for one skipper
Superdocious! Racing Insights and Revelations from Legendary Olympic Sailor Rodney Pattisson
SIGNED LIMITED EDITION - GREAT XMAS GIFT for any aspiring sailor
What makes an Olympic Champion tick?
This controversial autobiography is a must read for any aspiring champion - a warts and all account of one man's drive to reach the top and the fair and foul methods employed by rivals and established figures within the sport to undermine his continued dominance and influence.
With a foreword by Sir Ben Ainslie and introduction by Admiral Lord Boyce, the former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff who graduated from Dartmouth Naval College with Rodney, and crewed for him in his first Flying Dutchman campaign, the book sets out to determine what makes an Olympic champion.
The winner of fourteen world and European championships in dinghies, multihulls and offshore, Pattisson also dominated the Olympic Flying Dutchman Class for more than a decade during which he won two Gold and a Silver medals
He's a perfectionist when it comes to preparation, and passionate about speed on the water, Rodney's successes stem from a selfless focus on the end goal, a ruthless desire to win and an unquenchable thirst to succeed in everything he does.
An intensely private individual, Rodney has always kept the media at arm's length, viewing press attention as an unwanted distraction from winning. His previously untold story not only charts his own trials and tribulations in becoming one of the best sailors in the world, but also reveals the double standards, deceit, political and sporting interference and outright cheating he had to overcome along the way. Superdocious! is an explosive commentary, on a lifetime of remarkable achievements in an international sport that Rodney made his own. His story will shock, amaze and inspire not just today's young sailors looking to realise their own dreams, but every sportsman and woman around the world.
Special limited edition signed by Rodney Pattisson is available only from South Atlantic Publishing southatlanticpublishing.com/ priced £20.00 + P&P
“‘Loved this book - a 'tell all' classic from one of sailing’s true greats, well written and wonderfully story rich. I was always impressed by Rodney's talent and approach and now even more so”. -- Double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson
Last posting days for holiday orders:
Friday 4 December: Australia, New Zealand
Saturday 12 December: USA
Wednesday 16 December: Europe
Friday 18 December: UK
Rolex Middle Sea Race Film
For anyone wishing to relive the 2020 Rolex Middle Sea Race or understand what brings sailors to the Mediterranean island state each October, the Royal Malta Yacht Club is delighted to advise that the 26-minute Rolex Spirit of Yachting film: Depleted not Defeated is now available on YouTube
Experience some of the highs and lows of the 41st edition 606 nautical mile race and, in particular, this year’s battle for the overall win and line honours among the competing multihull and monohull fleets.
EU tariffs on US-origin boats being removed from 1 January 2021
The final implementation of Brexit at the end of the transition period is clearly making cruising for UK yachtsmen much more complicated, but there is one potential piece of good news for UK-based yachtsmen.
The Cruising Association’s Regulatory and Technical Services group (RATS) has been advising its members on the consequences of Brexit and has identified that, by the start of the New Year, the EU’s tariffs on the import of US yachts will have been removed.
These tariffs have not been well publicised but they have had a significant impact on the purchase of US-origin yachts and boats in the EU. They were introduced by the EU in the summer of 2018 in retaliation for the tariffs introduced by the US on the import of EU steel and aluminium products. Included is a 25% tariff on the import into the EU of US-origin new and second-hand yachts and boats, and a wide range of other products, although not all marine products. Goods such as marine electronic and electrical products, marine safety products and sailcloth fall outside their scope. Sailcloth is probably one of the main recreational marine imports from the US.
Good news...
The good news for UK-based yachtsmen is that from the end of the Brexit Transition Period on 31 December 2020, the EU retaliatory tariffs no longer apply to imports into the UK. In the absence of a trade agreement between the UK and the USA, the UK Global Tariff scheme will apply and this removes the 25% duty on yachts and boats.
Full report on the Cruising Society site:
www.theca.org.uk/news/rats/eu_tariffs_us_origin_boats
WASZP Nationals - Green Light Australian
After an uncertain period during 2020 the Australian WASZP Class has held its nerve and it is paying dividends with the 2021 Australian WASZP Nationals set to go ahead in a big way, held from 23-26th of January. The recent announcement of the borders opening to WA and competitors now freely able to move around most of Australia we are set for a great event at Paynesville, Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club.
Gippsland lakes is one of the best locations for foiling in Australia, with solid summer breezes and dead flat water it will provide a fantastic racetrack for the 2021 WASZP Nationals. The relaxed country vibe is perfect for the WASZP class with its strong off-water culture and engaging on water formats outside of the championship racing. One of those formats is Slalom racing and once the allotted amount of Championship races are completed a Slalom championship will round out the event. This exciting short format has now been adopted for the SailGP WASZP Youth Racing Program INSPIRE and we are looking forward to more action during season 2 of SailGP.
It will be an incredibly competitive event with expectations of strong numbers out of Victoria and NSW, there are big numbers in WA and expectations that a few will make the trip and smaller enthusiastic fleets out of Tassie and Queensland to make it a truly Australia wide event
Seahorse December 2020
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Sleek and purposeful
Not so long ago the idea of employing composite rigging on an 81-metre world girdling schooner would have earned you a medical referral. Today it's the obvious choice, even for Royal Huisman's biggest sailing vessel
Setback or opportunity?
The disruptions of 2020 have only increased the opportunities, appetite and scope for the brilliant young Italian engineers at UBI Maior to dream up ever more seductive ways to speed up your yacht...
A black pearl indeed
Ordering a new boat for a full offshore race programme narrows the field when it comes to selecting a builder who will ensure that you receive a boat that is both reliable enough as well as fast enough to do the job
Bringing it home
Both the stories and the sailors... powerful and reliable comms has never been so important as in the era of the oceanic 'speedboat'
Sailor of the Month
Big tasks expertly accomplished
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2021 RORC Caribbean 600 - Race Update
The 13th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 is scheduled to start off Fort Charlotte, Antigua on Monday 22nd February 2021.
“The RORC Flag Officers meet regularly and since July the overall commitment from the Club has been to provide safe racing when there is sufficient demand and when restrictions allow us to do so,” commented RORC Racing Manager, Chris Stone. “The early entries for the RORC Caribbean 600 and the enquiries we are receiving show that there is a real desire for the race to take place.”
International travel is subject to change in the current climate. However the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority has published a useful page for entry protocols which is regularly updated: https://visitantiguabarbuda.com/travel-advisory/
Entries for the 2021 RORC Caribbean 600 include a diverse fleet of boats including some of the world’s fastest monohull and multihull yachts. The overall winner, decided on IRC rating will feature world famous sailors competing with, and against, passionate Corinthian sailors. Early entries boast teams from over a dozen different nations from the Caribbean, Europe, North America and from Australia.
Black Jack returns from a spell in Europe for the Rolex Sydney Hobart
Peter Harburg had not planned on Black Jack’s return to Australia when he put the 100-foot super maxi on a ship bound for her new home in Monaco, but COVID-19 arrived, with Europe hit extremely hard.
Harburg’s skipper Mark Bradford says, “We weren’t planning on coming back to do the race. We thought last year was to be the last one."
However, just after the ship left Australia, the virus struck.
“We had a squad of five ready to go to Europe to take care of the boat. But then the virus risk increased, so got we got a team to unload it and put it on a ship back to Australia.
"It’s a bonus we got to come back and have another go.”
Bradford concedes they are also missing some of their key crew. “Of the Kiwi guys who usually sail with us, Scott Beavis was the only one who could join us.”
The replacements include America’s Cup-winning Olympic gold medallist and world champion sailor, Tom Slingsby. Slingsby was in the afterguard of Perpetual LOYAL (now Christian Beck’s InfoTrack) when it took line honours and broke the race record in 2016.
And if the conditions are right, Black Jack, which took line honours as Alfa Romeo in 2009, could make it a second victory in a year where there is just one other super maxi entered: InfoTrack.
The two boats haven’t much in common. Black Jack is a 2005 Reichel/Pugh design, while InfoTrack was built in 2008 and comes from the drawing board of Juan Kouyoumdjian. Regular updates keep the boats fast and interesting. -- Di Pearson, RSHYR media
Dave Irish
It is with great sadness that World Sailing reports the passing of David Irish (USA), World Sailing Vice-President 2004-2012, at the age of 83-years-old.
David served US Sailing, for 25 years, and spent 16 years on the Offshore Racing Council and the then International Sailing Federation (ISAF), now World Sailing, where he served in numerous capacities.
From 1999 to 2004, he was a member of the Offshore One Design Committee and acted as Chair from 1999 to 2000. In 2000 he joined the Keelboat Committee and represented Group P on the ISAF Council. He held both positions through to 2004 before he was voted to serve on the Executive, now Board of Directors, where he acted in the capacity of Vice-President.
He stepped down in 2012 and received the World Sailing Gold Medal for long service to the world governing body of the sport.
David dedicated his life to sailing and was in his element on the water. At a young age, he taught sailing and worked on boats as part of the family business. He later attended Michigan Technological University and Michigan State University, where he raced on the sailing team.
He founded the Irish Boat Shop in 1961 and expanded this successful business to three locations in the Northern Michigan area.
His dedication to growing the sport in Michigan and the USA was unprecedented and he was brought into the ORC Council in the early 1990s, where he became Vice Chairman until 2001 when ORC merged for a short time into the structure of ISAF. At the same time, he was also US Sailing President from 1995-1997.
World Sailing sends its condolences to his wife Ann, sister Ann Wilderom, daughters Tracy, Susan, Perry, and son Colin, 11 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Featured Charter
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This boat has an impeccable race record and is instantly recognisable everywhere. She is an offshore capable, truly competitive, performance racing yacht
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Contact
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Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:
See the the Seahorse charter collection
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2008 SW100DS L'Ondine. 4,650,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Deck Saloon version of the popular SW100 series, L'Ondine has been optimised and improved to keep her looking like new while the modernised systems have increased efficiency and reliability
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1992 LUNA MIST - 104ft sloop. 950,000 VAT PAID GBP. Located in Southampton, UK.
Here is a unique opportunity to acquire a 104 ft four cabin sloop at an attractive price.
Lunar Mist (Ex Cinderella II) is a Bill Tripp designed sloop which was built by Windship Trident Shipworks, USA in 1992. The yacht is ideally suited for extended world cruising and has particularly good ‘large yacht’ features. LM has 4 x dedicated double guest cabins (each with their own bathrooms), a very large crew accommodation and a central cockpit midships for guest socialising and dining. She has all of the credentials to be a very desirable and active charter yacht should you wish to offset some running costs. Lunar Mist would benefit from a good winter refit to give the yacht a fresh lease of life.
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The Last Word
Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome. -- Robert De Niro
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