In This Issue
• Charlie Can Surf.....Three leaders cross Cape Leeuwin within 3hrs 20 mins
• Time to recognize the real leader of the Vendee Globe...
• The Ingrid Abery Sailing Calendar 2021 is now available!
• Sodebo Abandons Jules Verne
• Blow for Team New Zealand as light breeze scuppers first practice race
• Changes to the shore-side aspects of the Rolex Sydney Hobart
• Highland Cowes, a History of Scottish Sailing
• New York to San Francisco
• Jessica Watson's boat left to rot
• Winners of The Ocean Race prominent in French 'sailor of the decade' nominations
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Jeanneau 60
• • Grand Soleil 43 - 'Jua Kali'
• • SW110 - 'Thalima'
• The Last Word: Casey Stengel

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

Charlie Can Surf.....Three leaders cross Cape Leeuwin within 3hrs 20 mins
Dalin Leads Across Cape Leeuwin then hits 24kts, Three leaders pass within 3 hours and 20 minutes. Peyron Pays Tributes to Joschke, Le Cam, Seguin, Redress for Herrmann, Le Cam, Bestaven to be published Wednesday.

As if to prove to that his slow speeds were indeed down to a prolonged dose of light winds and not any technical problems, Vendee Globe race leader Charlie Dalin lit the afterburners on APIVIA this afternoon and enjoyed his fastest spell of his time in the last 1000 miles of the Indian Ocean, making sustained averages of more than 24 knots

Dalin crossed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin at 1125hrs UTC this morning, leading at the second of the solo round the world race's three great capes as he also did at the Cape of Good Hope 12 days and 7 hours previously. Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) crossed Leeuwin some 3 hours and 9 minutes later with Yannick Bestaven (Maitre CoQ) only nine minutes after second placed Ruyant.

The top ten solo racers may be closer than in any previous Vendee Globe but this ninth edition is substantially slower than the 2016-17 edition. Dalin's elapsed time from Les Sables d'Olonne is 34 days and 20hrs which is 6 days 1 hour and 53 minutes slower than Armel Le Cleac'h;s race record pace set en-route to winning the last Vendee Globe four years ago.

In fact, even with the leap in foiling technology, Dalin's time to Cape Leeuwin today is the same elapsed time as Alex Thomson made in 2012 when he was in third position on his Farr designed former HUGO BOSS, then chasing Le Cleac'h and Francois Gabart.

Top ten 14 Dec 2020 - 04h (UTC)
1. Charlie Dalin - APIVIA, 13078.2 nm to finish
2. Thomas Ruyant - LinkedOut, 54.93 nm to leader
3. Yannick Bestaven - Maitre CoQ IV, 77.39 nm
4. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 279.46 nm
5. Damien Seguin - GROUPE APICIL, 281.81 nm
6. Benjamin Dutreux - OMIA - WATER FAMILY, 297.86 nm
7. Louis Burton - BUREAU VALLEE 2, 319.51 nm
8. Isabelle Joschke - MACSF, 379.63 nm
9. Boris Herrmann - SEAEXPLORER - YACHT CLUB DE MONACO, 380.88 nm
10. Giancarlo Pedote - PRYSMIAN GROUP, 451.17 nm

www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking

Time to recognize the real leader of the Vendee Globe...
The Vendee Globe organization still gives Dalin as leader of the race but that is absurd because, with the time allowance and the miles that correspond to it, he is the one leading and with some advantage.

There is no reason for not having already attributed to him, and the others, the time they lost when they, at the request of the organization, stopped the race for looking for Kevin Escoffier.

Yannick Bestaven was the only one that had to invert course to go to the area and he lost at least 8 or 9 hours or more, due to having inverted course to the accident location.

In fact it would make more sense and it would be more than just that instead of hours they would attribute them miles, not hours because depending on the sea and wind conditions those hours can be translated into very different miles.

What they should do was to transform that time in miles considering the speed they had been making on the last for hours before being diverted by the organization or the miles Ruyant, the one that was sailing closer to them had made in those hours.

That would have the advantage of, regarding these sailors, allowing to show his real position but also with a ghost image in the tracker, the position where they really are regarding the race classification.

This would allow to end this ridicule situation, with the organization showing a leader that is not in fact the leader anymore. We are talking here about a lot of miles: when Bestaven was diverted by the organization to help with the searches he was the only one who had to sail backwards. -- Paulo Pernao

http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com

The Ingrid Abery Sailing Calendar 2021 is now available!
Recently awarded a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society, photographer Ingrid has hand-picked twenty five artistic, dramatic, modern and classic regatta images. Popular events featured include the 35th America's Cup, J-Class, Classics at Les Voiles de St Tropez, IRC Championship Cowes, TP52, J70 World Championship, St Barths Bucket, SailGP, Superyacht Cup, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup plus a smidgen of carnage.

Opening up to A2 each month boasts two striking images. Every page has a direct QR code link to the image on Ingrid's site and date boxes to note regattas. All calendar pages are displayed online. £20 + p/p.

Click here to order.

And for corporate logo print runs please contact here.

Sodebo Abandons Jules Verne
Thomas Coville and his crew aboard Sodebo have been forced to abandon their attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy after suffering damage to the starboard rudder. After 16 days at a blistering pace that has taken them to the bottom of the world the team is being forced to return.

planetsail.org

Blow for Team New Zealand as light breeze scuppers first practice race
Team New Zealand will have to wait for an opportunity to test themselves against opposition in the first official practice racing ahead of this week's America's Cup World Series - after light winds forced the Kiwi syndicate's race against INEOS Team UK to be cancelled.

Team NZ were set to take on the British boat after official practice racing was called off on Friday following the decision by the three challengers to stay off the water, but the practice race had to be axed when the time limit expired in breeze of only about 8kn.

Each team is meant to race twice today off Rangitoto Island - with US syndicate American Magic and Luna Rossa getting under way shortly after 4pm.

Defender TNZ has been the most impressive since launching its second generation AC75 Te Rehutai three weeks ago.

www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/

Changes to the shore-side aspects of the Rolex Sydney Hobart
After what has been a difficult year for us all, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) is overjoyed to be able to conduct the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

CYCA's utmost priority remains the safety of our Competitors, Members, Guests, Volunteers and People. As such, there are a number of necessary changes this year to the shore-side aspects of the race which are listed below.

These changes have been made after detailed and ongoing consultation with all stakeholders including Governments, Health departments, Councils, Competitors, agencies, industry and more.

Happily, other than Competitors applying COVIDSafe protocols, there are no changes to the water-side aspect of the race. Competitors will once again line up across four start lines in spectacular Sydney Harbour, tussle for position as they race to the Heads, then turn south and hunker down for their 628-nautical-mile adventure to Hobart. We are very pleased to report the integrity and rich history of the Great Race remains intact for this 76th edition.

How To Watch The Race

Seven Network broadcast - live coverage of the start of the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race will once again be broadcast on Boxing Day through the Seven Network and will be available Live and On Demand via the 7plus app.

Live stream - a live stream of the event will be available from 1245hrs Saturday 26 December:

On rolexsydneyhobart.com
via Facebook @RolexSydneyHobart; or
From the CYCA Clubhouse (COVIDSafe capacity limits will be in force).

rolexsydneyhobart.com/news/

Highland Cowes, a History of Scottish Sailing
If 'Highland Cowes, a History of Scottish Sailing', features in your Christmas plans as a potential gift to be given or received, order early as you might be caught on the wrong side of the next print batch. More generally, while 'Highland Cowes' has been made available to marooned sailors 'at cost' (£15.99) since publication in May, the book will default to normal retail pricing (£19.53) after the New Year so that proper, old-fashioned, rabbit warren bookshops can afford to stock it.

May I take this opportunity to thank the legion of 'gotong royong' collaborators and contributors who supported the production of the book. I am also grateful to those knowledgeable readers who have subsequently provided enough additional information to seed a 'second edition' - perish the thought. Finally, I might also thank my friends in the business who have flattered 'Highland Cowes' with generous reviews in both digital and print media. And for those who haven't, there is still time! Merry Christmas and let's hope for a happier New Year.

To purchase contact Euan Ross:

New York to San Francisco
On January 1st, 2021, 42-year-old Ryan Finn will depart New York City to set sail for San Francisco as he attempts to establish the first world record for a non-stop singlehanded sail. Ryan's journey will include a 60-day journey, covering 14,000 nautical miles heading south through Bermuda, onto Brazil, and around Cape Horn in Chile; some of the most treacherous sailing terrain in the world, before passing the Galapagos Islands on his way up to San Francisco. Montreal-based Sailor Productions will capture footage of Ryan's journey to produce a 60-minute documentary film, 2Oceans1Rock.

Ryan will be sailing a Russel Brown designed and built 36-foot Proa Jzerro. The design of the boat is modelled on the ancient technology used by Pacific Islanders and it is known for its efficiency, speed and reliability. He is well aware of the dangers that await him as he navigates remote parts of the globe, battles physical exhaustion and mental fatigue, as well as extreme weather conditions including those expected around the legendary hazards of a Cape Horn transit. Throughout the duration of his expedition, Ryan will be in constant contact with his crew stationed in New Orleans.

A devoted sailor, Ryan has sailed more than 100,000 nautical miles, including three Trans-Atlantic and five Trans-Pacific crossings. He completed several other expeditions using 21 to 60-foot ocean racing vessels as well as other cruising and racing boats. In 2016, he sailed from Los Angeles to the Panama Canal, completing what is considered the longest solo sailing expedition in only 18 days on a Pacific Proa.

www.mysailing.com.au

www.sailorproductions.com

Jessica Watson's boat left to rot
The pink yacht used by Jessica Watson to become the youngest person to sail solo and nonstop around the world ten years ago has been abandoned and left to rot.

Ella's Pink Lady, the yacht the then-16-year-old used to complete the 210-day journey in 2009, was sold to the Queensland Maritime Museum for $300,000.

It is now worth a fraction of the price paid by the State and Federal Governments as it is covered in mould and has started leaking.

Director of Marine Auctions and Valuations Adrian Seiffert said the Pink Lady was no longer worth $300,000 as it had been out of the water for years.

'I believe the vessel could be in poor condition, and not worth a lot of money in its present condition,' he said.

'I do not think that there would be any potential buyers, even as the vessel was sailed around the world by Jessica Watson, who would be prepared to pay a premium for the yacht.'

Ms Watson famously became the youngest person to sail around the world completely alone at age 16.

The now-27-year-old management consultant spent a total of 210 days - or close to seven months - alone when she circumnavigated the globe on a boat, using all sorts of coping mechanisms to get through her day-to-day life.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Winners of The Ocean Race prominent in French 'sailor of the decade' nominations
Four of the 11 sailors nominated for 'French sailor of the decade' are winners of The Ocean Race.

Skipper Charles Caudrelier and Marie Riou won the 2017-18 race with Dongfeng Race Team, with Riou jointly becoming the first woman to win the event.

Franck Cammas (skipper) and Thomas Coville both won the 2011-12 edition of the race (along with Charles Caudrelier) on board Groupama.

Of course, in a country with as strong a nautical tradition as France, it is no surprise that all the nominees are exceptional sailors, with Olympic medals, round the world records, and solo offshore exploits featuring prominently.

You can participate by nominating your French sailor of the decade at marindecennie.fr

Featured Brokerage
Jeanneau 64. 895,000 Tax Paid EUR, Located in Swanwick, Southampton UK.

Jeanneau 64 - Jeanneau's flagship luxury yacht can be now viewed at Sea Ventures UK marina.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sea Ventures (UK) Ltd
Swanwick Marina
Swanwick Shore Road
Swanwick
Hampshire SO31 1ZL
+44 (0)1489 565444

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2008 Grand Soleil 43 - JUA KALI. 95000 GBP. Located in Lymington, UK.

A very successful IRC racing yacht, the Grand Soleil 43 is also a comfortable family cruising yacht, well-mannered and simple to sail. Only a few have the carbon rig and optimised for racing as well as cruising, and JUA KALI is one of these.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:

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2010 SW110 Thalima. 5,900,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Barcelona, Spain.

SW110 Thalima is Southern Wind flagship. This yacht is the perfect blend of a high-performance and nimble yacht, fun to steer, aesthetically linear and a bluewater yacht to sail around the world in safety and comfort.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Southern Wind Shipyard (Pty) Ltd
Salita Dinegro 7/1,
16123 Genoa, Italy

Tel. +39010 570 4035

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

The Last Word
All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height. -- Casey Stengel

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