In This Issue
• 18ft Skiffs JJ Giltinan Championship, Race 2
• Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Youth Foiling Gold Cup - Gaeta
• Clouds always on Team NZ's horizon
• Italian media slam Team New Zealand's 'arrogance' against Luna Rossa
• Bullseye
• The New Transat Jacques Vabre, Bound For Martinique
• 2021 Finn Europeans moves to Vilamoura after Hyeres cancellation
• Wally Record Monaco - Saint-Tropez
• Featured Brokerage:
• • SY SOJANA
• • Baltic Yachts 51
• • Custom 42 - Kuka Light
• The Last Word: Alan Watts

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

18ft Skiffs JJ Giltinan Championship, Race 2
Battle for the lead down the first run. Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: tech2's team overcame an epic, race long battle with her arch rival Yandoo Winning Group to score a sensational, and possibly controversial, win in Race 2 of the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

As the fleet passed the finish line, tech2 (Jack Macartney, Charlie Wyatt and Lewis Brake) defeated Yandoo Winning Group,(John Winning Jr., Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton) by 33s, with Noakesailing (Sean Langman, Ed Powys and Josh Porebski) a further 1m16s back in third place.

Finport Finance (Keagan York) finished in fourth place, followed by Andoo (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Bird and Bear (James Dorron).

Provisional overall points, after the two races sailed so far, have tech2 leading on two points, followed by Yandoo Winning Group on five points, Finport Finance on seven points, Smeg (Michael Coxon) and Andoo together on nine points and Noakesailing on 12 points.

After Finport Finance won the start in a 13-knots North-East breeze, the race to the first windward mark was gripping as the two champion teams elected to sail entirely different courses. tech2, along with most of the fleet, sailed a course on the left hand side of the harbour while Yandoo Winning Group chose a course on the right hand side near Steel Point.

When the two skiffs met at the Beashel Buoy, only one boat length separated the two skiffs as the pair set their spinnakers for the long spinnaker run back to the bottom mark off Clark Island.

What followed was an incredible two-boat race as both tech2 and Yandoo Winning Group fought the conditions and each other for the entire length of the run., with Noakesailing trailing just behind them in third place.

As the fleet approached the bottom mark in heavy harbour traffic, the Yandoo Winning Group team believes there was an incident involving tech2 and lodged a protest against today's race winner.

Over the final lap of the course, tech2 edged slightly away from her challengers and headed for home with a 30s lead from Yandoo Winning Group and maintained her advantage to the finish line off Clark Island.

It was a sensational exhibition by the teams and has set the scene for the seven more great races to be sailed in the regatta.

Races 3 and 4 of the championship will be sailed Tuesday, March 9 on Sydney Harbour . -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.

JJ Giltinan Championship, Race Dates:
Tuesday - March 9, 2021 - Races 3 and 4
Wednesday - March 10, 2021 - Races 5 and 6
Thursday - March 11, 2021 - Race 7
Saturday - March 13, 2021 - Race 8
Sunday - March 14, 2021 - Race 9

www.18footers.com

Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta
For 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced a scaled down regatta, with local restrictions on entry levels and fleet quotas limiting racing to the Star Class, J/70 and Melges 24. The Viper 640 and VX One fleets have stepped back and will re-join the racing in 2022.

Current travel restrictions and limits on fleet size have kept many at home, so we have a new look entry line up featuring only a few international faces who have been able to travel to join the mainly USA based teams.

As always plenty have their eyes on the main prizes and returning to defend their 2020 titles are Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA) in the Star Class and Bora Gulari (USA) and his team in the Melges 24 Class.

In the J/70 fleet, multiple teams hold impressive pedigrees in this well-honed pack who know each other well. Reigning J/70 World Champion Joel Ronning on 'Catapult' has to be a front runner with back to back wins in 2019 and 2018, although he dropped to 4th last year. In 2020 and 2019, Ryan McKillen and his team on 'Surge' had to settle for second place and will want the top step! Their target is firmly in sight, with a win at the recent Bacardi Winter Series 2, with new crew on board in the form of Olympian Lucas Calabrese, who may be the component to secure an upgrade. Always sitting high up the leader board is Brian Keane, although he posted an errant 22nd last year, but previously placed 7th and 3rd and well as securing top five finishes at the J/70 Worlds. Pamela Rose and her team on Rosebud have been steadily advancing up the leader board, rounding out Bacardi Winter Series 2 in 3rd place, and clearly have the skill to stake their claim on the podium.

During the Bacardi Cup there will be a special tribute to honor the life and legacy of James 'Ding' Schoonmaker who passed away on 19 January 2021. We owe it to the special friendship between Ding, Tito Argamasilla Bacardi and Frank Zagarino who in 1962 brought the Bacardi Cup to Miami from Cuba, thus saving our unique and special regatta.

The Star Class challenge for the 94th Bacardi Cup kicks off on Monday 8 March, with a 6-race series of one traditional endurance race per day through until Saturday 13 March. Racing for the J/70 and Melges 24 gets underway from 11-13 March with 3 races scheduled per day for a total of 9 races. Race activities are managed by Coral Reef Yacht Club, in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, US Sailing Center and Shake-a-Leg Miami.

bacardiinvitational.com

Seahorse March 2021
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Getting it down on paper
Francois Chevalier and Jean Sans look at the first era of the AC75 and at how some of the details have been playing out in Auckland

Instant recognition
Nautor’s Swan has a unique reputation and its current offering is truly extraordinary, ranging from the most luxurious of world cruising yachts to some of today’s most advanced and sophisticated one design racers

Protecting us from ourselves
This is surely among the most intelligent marine applications of wireless technology yet seen?

Paul Cayard - Disclaimer issued
And calling it early is never easy!

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £37.50: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Youth Foiling Gold Cup - Gaeta
Photo by Marta Rovatti Studihrad. Click on image to enlarge.

The light, shifty wind brought the flying Persico 69Fs back down to earth, but the unstable conditions allowed for plenty of opportunities for wily opportunists to move up through the fleet, or for others to slip down.

In the first race of the day, a last-second wind shift before the start meant that only the Kingdom Team and Young Azzura were able to make it over the line one time and they quickly built a strong lead. It was far from unassailable however as Team DutchSail- Janssen de Jong broke away from the chasing back to hunt down the leaders. By the end of the second leg, they were on the Italians' stern. Foiling high and fast in the marginal conditions the Dutch team overhauled both leaders and covered them upwind to secure victory.

Following two races to wrap up the qualification series, the day concluded with one race of the knockout series before the wind died.

All scores reset to zero, but with elimination on the line the nervous fleet jockeyed for position before charging the startline. Kingdom Team, Southern Challenge and One Switzerland were over the line early and Kingdom Team capitalized on their advantage to comfortably lead the fleet around the racecourse, finishing first. The sharp-eyed umpires were waiting for them and handed out a 4 point penalty that sent them tumbling down the rankings.

Qualifying Results
50.0 NED Team DutchSail-Janssen de Jong
41.5 HKG RHKYC Team Agiplast
40.5 ITA Young Azzura
31.0 EUR Kingdom Team
28.5 USA Southern Challenge
18.0 ESP Youth Brava Espana
16.5 SUI One Switzerland
15.0 NOR Xela Racing

Knockout Series (after one race)
3.5 ITA Young Azzura
3.0 ESP Youth Brava Espana
2.0 EUR Kingdom Team
2.0 USA Southern Challenge
1.0 SUI One Switzerland
0.5 NOR Xela Racing

"Going into the next rounds of the race, we're working hard to copy the top teams as they've each got something to offer. Everybody's back on equal points so there are lots of opportunities left"
- Riley Gibbs, Southern Challenge (USA)

69fsailing.com

Clouds always on Team NZ's horizon
When Te Rehutai first glides into the America's Cup start box on Wednesday, Clouds will be sitting on a hill somewhere overlooking the Hauraki Gulf, looking at, well, clouds.

Roger 'Clouds' Badham, Emirates Team New Zealand's trusted weatherman for 21 years, prefers not to go out on the water.

From his vantage point up high, he can see a much bigger picture - reading the water and the sky to help Team NZ's brains trust out on the racecourse make the crucial right decisions off the start-line.

Predicting what Auckland's ever-changing weather will do next, Badham relays what he sees to Team NZ's back-up helmsman and coach, Ray Davies, who's on a chase boat right next to Te Rehutai. Up until five minutes before the pre-start dance begins, Davies can pass that knowledge on to Team NZ skipper Peter Burling and his afterguard.

"In Bermuda [in 2017], I had a favourite hill I went to every day, because there was only one racecourse. The trouble here is there are five bloody racecourses," Badham says.

(A straight-talking kind of guy, he was given his nickname early in his 38-year Cup career, when he told sailors "Look at the bloody clouds, you idiots!")

From North Head, Orakei or Castor Bay, Badham tries to co-ordinate 'the big picture' - taking what he sees, relating it to the wind observations on his computer and the guidance of the long-term weather models.

"You're looking at a short-term forecast of how things are going to pan out for the first 30 minutes of the race," he says. "It's amazing how different it is on every one of the five racecourses."

www.livesaildie.com

Italian media slam Team New Zealand's 'arrogance' against Luna Rossa
Italian media have lashed out at Team New Zealand's "arrogance" and "psychological warfare" on the eve of the America's Cup.

Luna Rossa will take on Team New Zealand in the best of 13 America's Cup match starting on Wednesday.

Most have picked Team New Zealand to successfully defend the Auld Mug thanks to rumours of the team hitting record-breaking speed in practice - stirring anger amongst Italian fans.

With the headline: "New Zealand arrogance and disrespect, Luna Rossa responds with silence," Italian news outlet OA Sport slammed the Kiwi syndicate.

"For days now, the New Zealand media have been repeating that the defenders are superior and will have an easy time with Luna Rossa, to the point that the contest should be a mere formality.

"It is difficult to think of other sports where there is a tendency to belittle the opponent in this way even before an event begins.

"The goal is to launch these digs at the opponent with the declared intent to insinuate the worm of doubt and undermine their beliefs. It is subtle as well as banal psychological warfare."

www.nzherald.co.nz

www.oasport.it

Bullseye
Watching the post-Prada Cup wash-up interviews with the Ineos management and there's a very decent argument around the World Series events being cancelled which dis-allowed the team to check in on their speed. The logic here being that if they had known at say, Cagliari in April 2020 or Portsmouth in June 2020 that they had speed deficiencies then the development curve that the team could have enacted due to the syndicate's massive resources would have meant that by the time they got to Auckland in December, they would have avoided the horror show they endured. I'll buy that. Luna Rossa also looked pretty shaky when they arrived at that regatta and got absolutely schooled by Team New Zealand on both the opening and closing days, scored one win on American Magic and thumped Ineos twice. They didn't look in it but in fighting parlance they were down but not out. Their development path was set. For Ineos it was panic stations and a race against the clock.

Looking at what could happen post the conclusion of this series and it's hard to see where the change will come for Ainslie. A Kiwi win would be the best shot. Money is going to be the deciding factor with Team New Zealand run on a commercial basis and the coffers running dry almost the moment they cross the finish line. The New Zealand government are being understandably slower to join the party, sipping prosecco, chatting and flirting on the sidelines of the dancefloor whilst the brash syndicate heads are on the tables swirling their shirts above their heads saying "come to me." A delay or a piecemeal offering, as is the sticking-plaster way with government funding, and a Jim-Ratcliffe-with-a-vision option is a tantalising prospect. The Kiwis can dance with Ben. They can waltz with Ratcliffe.

But if Luna Rossa pulls this off then the door shuts firmly on the British. Good night. All over. It's no secret that there's no love lost between the two teams and the chances of these two doing the last tango in Mondello at the Circolo della Vela are remote.

Magnus Wheatley's editorial in Rule69blog

The New Transat Jacques Vabre, Bound For Martinique
For its 15th edition, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre is injecting fresh impetus into the race, bound for Martinique! For the first time in its history, the Transat Jacques Vabre is heading out to explore the West Indies. Indeed, it's Fort-de-France Bay, which will host the finish of the longest and most demanding double-handed transatlantic race, in what promises to be a sensational spectacle.

The historic starting point remains the same: the Bassin Paul Vatine in Le Havre. In 2021, the founding members of the race, namely the City of Le Havre and JDE group, will be assisted with the organisation of the event by the Normandy region. Today, above and beyond being a race, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre aspires to become an event. As such, it is eager to make the most of its considerable renown and turn it to good account, to inspire, to encourage and to pass on a message.

At the forefront of these new ambitions is the desire to break new ground in terms of environmental issues. This commitment to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is evidenced by the fact that the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre will launch two innovative programmes: a competition (open to start-ups and students) to showcase projects promoting a reduction in our carbon footprint, together with a conference on good environmental practice.

Moreover, the fresh impetus championed by the new Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre team will be used to support the feminisation of offshore racing, by encouraging a project helmed by a female sailor, who would like to participate in her first transatlantic race. Finally, the Coffee Route 2021 version also intends to strengthen the links between real sailing and virtual racing, by officially integrating a fifth Virtual Regatta class.

www.transatjacquesvabre.org

2021 Finn Europeans moves to Vilamoura after Hyeres cancellation
Following this week's cancellation of the French Olympic Week, in Hyeres, of which the Finn Open and U23 European Championships was included, the International Finn Class is delighted to accept an offer from the Vilamoura Sailing Center to host the event over the same dates, which remain 10-16 April.

The event is a crucial competition ahead of the all-important Finn Gold Cup, three weeks later in Porto in northern Portugal, which is the final continental qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where the last places for Africa and Europe will be decided.

With many sailors training over the winter in Lanzarote or Cadiz, Vilamoura was a logical option to limit further travel around Europe in these uncertain times. Vilamoura will also provide excellent preparation for the many sailors still trying to qualify their country for Tokyo, with similar conditions and the same format.

The Finn class feels very fortunate to have had a number of high quality offers to help out and stage the championship at such short notice, including the Andalusian Sailing Federation Training Centre in Cádiz, Spain, which also held the 2018 European Championship.

The class is eagerly looking forward to its first visit to Vilamoura since the highly successful European Championship in 1998.

The event website remains as 2021.finneuropeans.org, with entry already open and a provisional Notice of Race published.

Wally Record Monaco - Saint-Tropez
Click on image to enlarge.

Saturday 6th March 2021. It was at 12:56:34 precisely that the Multi 70 Maserati helmed by Giovanni Soldini left Monaco along with five other crew, including Yacht Club de Monaco Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi, heading for Saint-Tropez for the Wally Record.

This 48 nautical mile challenge was launched in 1999 by the Monegasque Wally yard in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco and Societe Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Speed freaks can also have a crack at the Monaco-Porto Cervo record.

After 2 hours 55 minutes 44 seconds sailing at an average speed of 19.76 knots, Maserati crossed the finish in front of the Portalet tower in Saint-Tropez at 15:22:18, where the record was registered by Georges Korhel, Race Director at the Societe Nautique de Saint-Tropez.

With a length of 21.2m and a 16.8m beam, Maserati can top speeds up to 40 knots and enjoyed ideal weather conditions throughout the challenge with a 15-knot easterly, gusting 25 knots at the start, before backing north-east.

"I am delighted to see Giovanni again. It's always a pleasure to sail with him and test this 70-foot trimaran which has just come out of the yard. We registered speeds over 30 knots during the course, it's just a pity the wind dropped after Cannes. I'm sure Giovanni will smash many records in the future," said Pierre Casiraghi who was welcomed on arrival by the Mayor of Saint-Tropez, Sylvie Siri.

The Multi 70 has set a new record for multi-hulls, previously reserved for monohulls and held by Norwegian Knut Frostad who did it in 3 hours 4 minutes 30 seconds on the 32m ketch Nariida on 20th October 1999.

The record is part of a 500nm tour of tests and trials in the Mediterranean since Maserati left the yard Friday 5th March from La Spezia. "After four months of works, we made so many improvements and innovations and are now beginning a series of tests and adjustments," said Giovanni Soldini.

ycm.org

Featured Brokerage
SY SOJANA. Built in 2003. Complete refit in 2016.

115' (35m) Sojana is now for sale and offered in exceptional condition for the 2021 sailing season. Maintained fastidiously this Farr designed performance carbon ketch has excellent accommodation for 6-8 guests. If you have a passion for sailing this yacht offers you a perfect blend of exhilarating cruising, fast ocean passage making and regatta winning pedigree

See listing details in Carrswood Yachts Brokerage

Contact
Carrswood Yachts Limited, UK

Tel: +44 (0)7476 888639

-----------------------------------------

1982 Baltic Yachts 51. 185000 EUR. Located in Athens, Greece.

Supreme C&C Baltic 51 from 1982 capable of blue water adventures. True to the Baltic concept in every respect and offering fantastic performance combined with ease of handling and a centreboard keel.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

-----------------------------------------

2012 Custom 42 - "Kuka Light". 299,950 EUR. Located in La Spezia, Italy.

Less fat, more speed" was the ethos taken when designing and building KUKA LIGHT. This is a special machine, crafted by a very talented and passionate team, with a pure focus on creating a boat that delivers performance and enjoyment in equal measures, thriving in offshore conditions.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats

+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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

The Last Word
Normally we do not so much look at things as overlook them. -- Alan Watts

Editorial and letter submissions to

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