In This Issue
• Emirates Team New Zealand Win The Prada ACWS Auckland
• PRADA Christmas Race
• Season's Greetings from Robline
• Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Cancelled
• When the best team up with the best - Moore Brothers
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• An All Too Peaceful Pacific
• Team New Zealand's time in the practice arena might not be over just yet.
• New Sailjuice Event At Alton Water, Burghfield Postponed
• St. Thomas Yacht Club announces its 2021 international regatta schedule
• Featured Charter: Tiga Belas - 81ft Sailing Yacht
• Featured Brokerage:
• • X-Yachts X-41 One Design
• • Swan 60 -012 Ulysses
• • NEEL 43- Trimaran
• The Last Word: Luis Bunuel

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

Emirates Team New Zealand Win The Prada ACWS Auckland
the final race was the one that mattered when it came to who would take the PRADA America's Cup World Series Auckland trophy. With Emirates Team New Zealand and American Magic on even points, a win against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli would give the Kiwis the point that they needed to take the trophy.

And that's what happened. Emirates Team New Zealand won the last race by 0:16 seconds over Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and opened the bottle of Mumm Champagne on the Race Village main stage in front of their fans.

The Kiwis got the top seeding in the PRADA ACWS Auckland with 5 wins and only 1 loss. Second ahead of tomorrow's PRADA Christmas Race come New York Yacht Club American Magic (4 wins - 2 loss), third come Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (3 wins - 3 losses) and fourth INEOS TEAM UK (0 win - 6 losses).

Four match races have been held on the third and last day of the PRADA ACWS Auckland on the Race Course B, off the East Coast Bays, between Devonport and Takapuna with moderate to very light winds (8-15 knots). Top speed of the day was reached by Britannia (UK) with 43.3 kts, then Te Rehutai (NZL) with 42.6 knots, Luna Rossa (ITA) 41.2 kts and PATRIOT (USA) 37.5 kts.

www.americascup.com/en/

PRADA Christmas Race
Auckland: On the fourth and final day of these 2020 regattas all attempts to race come to nothing. The PRADA Christmas Race represented the last opportunity for the defender to race against the challengers before the start of the America's Cup event from March 6-21. However, with just one regatta started and cancelled, for absence of necessary conditions, the hopes for some extra practice finally dwindled.

Despite the forecasts for light north-easterly winds, these failed to build on the designated Alfa racecourse in front of Takapuna. The committee gave start to the first match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Ineos Team UK but as the wind began to drop on the first upwind leg, the race committee announced a course shortening to the second downwind gate. At the end of the time limit however neither team had reached the finish line, at which point the racing was abandoned.

From a wider perspective, this long weekend of racing closes positively for the team. After the cancellation of the races in Cagliari and Portsmouth, this testing ground was highly awaited and this was the first opportunity for all four teams to finally meet together on the water.

www.lunarossachallenge.com/en/home

Season's Greetings from Robline
Robline wishes all business partners and friends of the industry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Cancelled
Australian Sailing shares the sadness of the sailing community at today's announcement of the cancellation of the 76th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The 2020 ROLEX Sydney Hobart has been cancelled amid COVID-19 concerns following the ongoing outbreak on Sydney's Northern Beaches and the resulting 14 days isolation required for anyone from Greater Sydney arriving in Tasmania.

"The race is an Australian institution, and one that the nation has looked forward to every Boxing Day since 1945. It was our hope that this year's race would be able to proceed but Australian Sailing supports the decision made by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA)," said Australian Sailing President Daniel Belcher at the announcement.

"While we are all disappointed that this iconic race has been cancelled, Noel Cornish and the CYCA need to be commended for putting the health and safety of the sailors and the community at the forefront of this difficult decision."

Australian Sailing would like to acknowledge those who put a tremendous amount of work into this year's event, including those from the CYCA, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, New South Wales and Tasmanian governments as well as the club members, competitors and volunteers.

"The sailing community is strong. We have no doubt that next year's Great Race will be one of the best as we celebrate both a return to racing out of the heads and a victory over the pandemic," Belcher ended.

Full statement from the CYCA regarding the cancellation.

When the best team up with the best - Moore Brothers
From Mules to Maxis, Moore Brothers now does it all (and rather well)

Young and nimble, or experienced and established? Composite fabricators Moore Brothers might just be the best of both worlds.

When Sam and Oliver Moore first set up their own composite shop in 2014, they'd already learned from the best and quickly attracted high-end clients. Three years later they acquired Composite Solutions Inc (CSI) from their mentor Jeff Kent. Since then they've established several other strategic partnerships with designers and fabricators, thanks to a fast-growing reputation for repeatable accuracy and a willingness to take on the more challenging jobs. From designing and fabricating America's Cup components and Grand Prix foils to high-end drones for aerospace start-ups, they will do whatever it takes to make each project a success, on time and at a competitive price.

Full article in the January issue of Seahorse

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
We've extended the nomination period until after the New Year... plenty of notes and submissions but all for just a handful of bars (and their VERY dedicated patrons). A reminder that given this year's tough times on drinking establishments, nominations are open to bars both open and closed, present and past.

While you consider your favoriate... enjoy this delightful drink. It contains three major food groups!

How to Make Sparkling Vodka Cranberry
Prep glasses - Add Wight Vodka, cranberry juice and lime juice into a shaker with ice. Shake to combine.

Pour & enjoy - Pour mixture over ice and top off with sparkling water. Toss a few cranberries into the glass, garnish with a lime slice and enjoy!

We will accept nominations for any bar, including our esteemeed past winners, until Tuesday January 5. We will then select the top ten based on:

1. Best story about the bar.
2. Number of reader comments about the bar.
3. Drink recipes from the bar.

Voting (with more stories and recipes accepted from the Top Ten) continues through Friday January 29 with the winner annouced on Tuesday February 2.

Nominations: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

An All Too Peaceful Pacific
Caught up in the lighter winds at the back of a front during the hours of the European night, daytime for the leaders, has seen second placed Charlie Dalin concede handful of miles to leader Yannick Bestaven. Looking briefly at comparisons with the 2016-17 race - this edition is more than six days slower - Dalin observed this morning, "I am I'm looking at Armel's track of four years ago and, yes, he's way ahead of us. So we are not going fast, are we? I would prefer it to be a little more 'sporty' and a bit less comfortable ".

The solo skipper who originates from Normandy might not exactly be feeling short changed in the south Pacific Ocean racing at 55 degrees south - the so called Furious Fifties -yesterday seeing 15 degrees in the boat, blue skies and sunshine and moderate winds but the gybes between the lighter winds to the north and the ice barrier to the south become wearing and there is little strategy involved.

"Yes I am knitting a bit, pure New Zealand wool!" joked Dalin of the zig zag gybing path he is constrained to slide eastwards on.

"Last night the front passed over me, we had been racing with it for a long time, it was a really slow moving front and unfortunately for me I had a fairly light breeze after the front, so I have lost a bit of ground on Yannick and also a bit of ground on Thomas. And now my wind is a bit different from Yannick and so that is why I cannot make the same course and yes, another front is arriving towards me and I will gybe as the wind turns and we will start a long series of gybes between the ice zone and the high pressure. Unfortunately the high pressure is moving east at roughly the same pace as us and so it gonna be the same scenario for a few days, stuck between the ice zone and the high pressure and so we will have to do a lot of gybes to stay in the wind. After that then we could be upwind for a while. For now I am focusing on my short term strategy and everything is good on board, my repair seems to be holding. I am still in the process of learning still how to use the boat without the foil it is a new way to trim the boat on starboard, the main thing is my repair seems to be holding. That is good news and so I will probably gybe fairly soon." Said the Apivia skipper.

Top ten at 21 Dec 2020 - 04h (UTC)

1. Yannick Bestaven - Maitre CoQ IV, 10675.9 nm to finish
2. Charlie Dalin - APIVIA, 126.11 nm nm to leader
3. Thomas Ruyant - LinkedOut, 156.34
4. Boris Herrmann - SEAEXPLORER - YACHT CLUB DE MONACO, 393.92 nm
5. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 422.47 nm
6. Benjamin Dutreux - OMIA - WATER FAMILY, 458.95 nm
7. Damien Seguin - GROUPE APICIL, 538.42 nm
8. Isabelle Joschke - MACSF, 585.43 nm
9. Giancarlo Pedote - PRYSMIAN GROUP, 608.27 nm
10. Maxime Sorel - V and B-MAYENNE, 783.12 nm

www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking

Team New Zealand's time in the practice arena might not be over just yet.
As the Defender of the America's Cup, last week's World Series and Christmas Race events represented the only time Team New Zealand would have the chance to sail against the other teams until the America's Cup match in March.

However, with Christmas Cup ultimately abandoned after one attempted race due to a lack of wind on Sunday, there have been suggestions from officials that the Christmas Cup could be held at a later date, or more practices races could be held instead - with dates in early January penciled in before the start of the Prada Cup Challengers' Series on January 15.

So, for Team New Zealand, Sunday's lack of wind may have created further opportunity for development before the main event.

"If there's official practice, we'll be involved," helmsman Peter Burling said. "I was a bit surprised when they were saying they were happy enough to do it.

"I haven't spoken to the rest of the team but I'm sure we'd be happy to race again. But even if we don't, we've got a pretty good plan going through and we feel we're in pretty good shape."

But while Team New Zealand would welcome the unexpected opportunity for more competitive sailing, the challenging fleet may have different thoughts on the matter. -- Christopher Reive

www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/

New Sailjuice Event At Alton Water, Burghfield Postponed
Due to the latest COVID situation, the Burghfield Brass Monkey in Berkshire has been postponed to 20th February 2021. Meanwhile a new event is coming in for the Selden SailJuice Winter Series, due to take place at Alton Water in Suffolk on the weekend of 27 & 28 March 2021. While this is getting late in the winter for another event, the organisers have taken the view of keeping as much sailing as possible in this season's Series.

With his Restart Sailing initiative, co-organiser Simon Lovesey has stayed abreast of latest developments in the sport since March earlier this year. "We have taken the best practice that we've heard about and wherever possible have applied it to the events in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series.

"We have had high numbers of registrations for all the events, which shows that there is still an appetite for racing even if it means changing by the car, bringing your own food and drink, and having virtual briefings and prizegivings. We're delighted to have Alton Water on board as an example of another venue that's looking to make things happen whenever Covid regulations allow."

The Selden SailJuice Winter Series is always dedicated to making something happen on the weekend when sailing was due to take place, so we'll be doing a Facebook Live session on the Selden SailJuice Winter Series Facebook Page at 5pm on the 27 December.

The following events are in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series 2020/21:

Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club - 5 & 6 December 2020
CANCELLED - Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water SC - 3 January 2021
CANCELLED - Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club - 9 January 2021
King George Gallop, King George Sailing Club - 23 January 2021
John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club - 6 & 7 February 2021
Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club - 13 February 2021
RESCHEDULED - Burghfield Brass Monkey, Burghfield SC - 20 February 2021
RESCHEDULED - Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water SC - 6 & 7 March 2021
NEW EVENT - Alton Water Sports Centre, 27 & 28 March 2021

www.SailJuiceSeries.com

St. Thomas Yacht Club announces its 2021 international regatta schedule
Competitive and COVID-safe yacht racing returns in a new normal way to St. Thomas in 2021. The St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce next year's dates for two of the Caribbean's favorite regattas and the second annual of a soon-to-be major international regatta.

Specifically, the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) will be held March 26-28; the STYC Invitational, May 14-16; and the International Optimist Regatta (IOR), June 14-20.

Over the last several months as the COVID-19 pandemic led to a cancellation of both the 2020 STIR and the IOR, as well as many major regattas in the Caribbean and around the World, the St. Thomas Yacht Club Board of Directors and its regatta organizers took a strategic look at what sailors want and how to provide it within the territory's COVID-19 safety protocols, which are designed to assure the well-being of visitors and island residents alike.

"In June, the Club held its first STYC Invitational, proving it was possible to run a competitive and COVID-safe regatta. With this success under our belts, plus continuing to work diligently with the VI Department of Tourism and the VI Department of Health, we are looking forward to hosting our three major regattas in 2021. These regattas collectively are deliberately designed to appeal to a wide range of sailors, from round the island fleet racing for racers and cruisers and highly competitive one-design racing to youth racing featuring the Optimist dinghy. That said, we look forward to welcoming sailors to our regattas in 2021 and showing them why 'We Love It Here!'" says Tony Coffelt, the Club's commodore.

St. Thomas International Regatta - March 26-28, 2021

The three-day STIR is preceded by the one-day Round the Rocks Regatta on March 25, which features a circumnavigation of the 19-square-mile island of St. John. -- Carol Bareuther

More at stthomasyachtclub.org

Featured Charter
Tiga Belas - 81ft Sailing Yacht. From 22,000 per week EUR. Located in France

TIGA BELAS is a very comfortable, easy to handle, safe and well performing sailing sloop. Designed by Bill Dixon Yacht Design Studio, built by Austral Yachts in 2001, the beautiful 24 metre deck-saloon sailing yacht TIGA BELAS features a classic appearance and beautiful sheer lines.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lisa Spiller
Charter Manager
Bernard-Gallay
Phone 1 : +33(0)6 33 42 45 09
Phone 2 : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail :
bernard-gallay.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2008 X-Yachts X-41 One Design. 180000 EUR. Located in Naples, Italy

Arguably one of THE most competitive X-41 OD’s out there. Top finishes in countless regattas with some of the world’s best sailors in her crew. Maintained and upgraded regardless of cost and perfectly suited to serious regatta campaigns, competitive club racing, or just fast family cruising. A very

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Vittorio Papa - Grabau International (Palma)
Tel +34 634 339009
Email:

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Swan 60 -012 Ulysses. 1100000 EUR.

Swan 60 Ulysses is an elegant yacht, genuinely fast on the water and yet seaworthy, comfortable, well-balanced and enjoyable to sail.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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NEEL 43- Trimaran. POA EUR Located in

The NEEL 43, surprising and innovative. The latest Lombard-designed addition to the range is even more innovative and impressive and with a marked move towards the use of bio-sourced and recyclable materials, NEEL-TRIMARANS has confirmed its determined commitment to respecting the environment.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
4 rue Virginie Heriot - Plateau nautique
BP 23085 - 17032
La Rochelle Cedex - France
Tel. : +33 546 290 871

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

The Last Word
Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese. -- Luis Bunuel

Editorial and letter submissions to

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