In This Issue
• Spain triumphs in Lanzarote
• Bruno Troublé: "There Will Be No Going Back"
• Shirley Robertson Reviews the Thirty Sixth America's Cup
• Jean-Luc Denechau elected FFV President
• OSTAR & TWOSTAR 60th Anniversary Race Postponed to May 2022
• Alan Roberts wins Silver in first Figaro Race of the 2021 Season
• Mission Accomplished: Olympic 49er Sailors Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove Are Tokyo Bound
• IMOCA Class prepares for fully-crewed racing in The Ocean Race Europe
• St. Thomas International Regatta
• NZ Millennium Cup begins, with an innovative ratings system
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Blue Note - JPK 1080
• • Gunboat 68
• • Nautor Swan 601 - FLOW
• The Last Word: Julian Jaynes

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

Spain triumphs in Lanzarote
The Spanish team proves to be more than ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, taking 3 podiums with two golds and a bronze: Diego Botín and Iago Lopez topping the 49er, Canary Islands favourite Tara Pacheco and Catalan Florian Trittel leading in Nacra 17 and Tamara Echegoyen with Paula Barcelo surprising with 49er FX bronze.

From the Canary Islands to Tokyo: Ireland secured the Olympic berth in the 49er, Belgium in the women's 49er FX class and Finland the Nacra 17 Olympic ticket.

Lanzarote had very tough conditions during the last day of racing, with lots of short but very big waves, with a high probability of capsizing the boats, as well as 14-16 knots with an easterly, southerly, easterly component. This Friday was the last qualifying race before the Medal Race for the gold groups of the men's 49er and the women's 49er FX, as well as the mixed group of the Nacra 17. This last regatta was lived with intense emotion in the Lanzarote racecourses, as they finally put names to the places for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020: Ireland (49er), Belgium (49er FX) and Finland (Nacra 17). However, it was the entire Spanish team that excelled in the pre-Olympics that took place in the Canary Islands, managing to celebrate in record time all the daily scheduled races, with perfect weather and sailing conditions according to the sailors, which they describe as "champagne conditions."

Full results

http://www.lanzarotewinterseries.com

Bruno Troublé: "There Will Be No Going Back"
Consultant to Prada during the 36th America's Cup, the former helmsman for Baron Bich and organizer of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Bruno Troublé speaks with Tip & Shaft about this 2021 Cup, an event which he is clearly a fan of and robustly defends.

So Bruno was this 36th America's Cup a success?
Yes it was great. When we speak to sailors like Ben Ainslie, Jimmy Spithill, or indeed anyone who watched the racing here everyone was universally enthusiastic about these boats which have proven to be less dangerous than we maybe previously thought. We were very scared at the start because these are all machines which are doing 44kts boatspeed in 12kts of wind but for all that we saw them capsize more slowly compared to a catamaran. The only risks we really feared were head on collisions or clashing foils, but they have on-board system that allows them a kind of zone of virtual security on their screens to see if the foils are too close to each other. That was also used by the umpires to decide the fouls. So apart from the accident with the Americans, which in itself was very dangerous, Terry Hutchinson himself told me that he would drown as he was stuck under the sail, there was not a single really serious incident. There was proper match-racing between boats which lose next to nothing when they tack or gybe. We had racing in 12-13 knots of wind when the average speed during manoeuvres was 37 knots!

Do you think this AC75 Class has a bright future ahead of it?
Yes, there will be no going back, but however there will undoubtedly be modifications to the boat. There are suggestions we could reduce the number of grinders - eight is a bit much - that would reduce costs a bit, because what is expensive in these programmes are salaries. And on board, there are three or four sailors who are only producing energy to run the systems, and so maybe there is a way to replace them with battery power,

How do you feel about Emirates Team New Zealand victory?
I think it was expected even if the Italians have sailed better, at least at first. It was all about that day when they were in the lead twice and finally lost both races. They could have gone 5-3 or 4-4 but going to 3-5, and then as is often the case when a boat starts winning, it's hard to stop them. Especially since at the end the speed advantage was to the New Zealanders. Their boat was heading lower but it had a good VMG by around 2 knots. When you are behind that was often the case with the Kiwis you have to really go fast to get through, they managed to do that.

Full interview in Tip & Shaft

Shirley Robertson Reviews the Thirty Sixth America's Cup
As the sailing world comes to terms with the withdrawal symptoms brought about by the conclusion of AC36, Shirley Robertson takes one final look back at the three months of Cup action with co-commentator Kenny Read. Throughout this single episode extra edition of the podcast, there are also appearances from Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Pete Burling, Luna Rossa's co-helm pair of Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni, and an exclusive chat with INEOS TEAM UK front man, now representing the AC37 official Challenger of Record, Sir Ben Ainslie.

Commentating at his third America's Cup, North Sails President Kenny Read joins Robertson to talk through their experiences from three months in New Zealand, including some insight into the broadcasting of AC36. They discuss the winning differences between the Defender and the Challenger, but also reveal some of the more amusing moments from three months spent living in the sailing obsessed city of Auckland...:

Robertson ends the podcast by talking to INEOS TEAM UK skipper Sir Ben Ainslie, fresh from the announcement that the team will be the Challenger of Record for the next edition. Amongst other things, Ainslie reveals his thoughts on the declared intention to commit to the retention of the fully foiling mono hull, the AC75, for AC37 and beyond...:

Ainslie's interview with Robertson concludes this edition, which marks the end of Season Two of the successful Sailing Podcast. After a short one month break, Season Three will see the podcast return with a host of new interviews lined up from some of the biggest names in the sport.

This edition of the podcast is in one part and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast.

The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact

Jean-Luc Denechau elected FFV President
Jean-Luc Denechau (59 years old) is the new president of the French Sailing Federation (FFV). He was elected on Saturday with 56.68% of the vote, against Nicolas Henard, the outgoing president , who was running for a second term.

Four years ago, Denechau, business manager and president of the Ile-de-France League, bowed to Henard (56), double Olympic champion (in 1988 and 1992 in tornado).

The defeat of Nicolas Henard has serious consequences for the outgoing, because he had indicated that he would be a candidate for the presidency of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), if he was reelected at the head of the FFV. He must therefore renounce this candidacy.

Four candidates are in the running to succeed Denis Masseglia at the head of the CNOSF, on June 29: Patrice Martin , former world champion and president of the French Water Ski Federation, Emmanuelle Bonnet-Ouladj , president of the Sports and Gymnastics Federation of work (FSGT), Brigitte Henriques , vice-president of the French Football Federation (FFF), and Thierry Rey , Olympic judo champion in 1980.

www.lequipe.fr/Voile/

OSTAR & TWOSTAR 60th Anniversary Race Postponed to May 2022
Following an update on COVID-19 compliance and revised restrictions from the Newport Yacht Club, the Royal Western Yacht Club have made the very reluctant decision to postpone the OSTAR & TWOSTAR races once again.

Rear Commodore Oceanic and Race Director, Adrian Gray, said, "CV-19 rules for entering both the UK and USA have led to a last-minute reduction of entries due to them being unable to comply with these measures. This in turn as made the running of OSTAR and TWOSTAR physically and financially unviable for 2021. Therefore, we have no alternative but to postpone the running of the 60th anniversary race again, now to a new date of May 15th, 2022."

He continued, "COVID is still a threat to us all and we must remain cognisant of all this means. However, the vaccine is being rolled out now and so we see this as a very positive thing from the summer onwards. Unfortunately, Atlantic weather systems prevent us from looking at a start later this year, but we are sure that the OSTAR will return with a much bigger fleet and a world in a much healthier position in June, 2022"

The 60th Anniversary Race Entry List will officially re-open on May 9th. However, expression of interest can be sent now to

We are very pleased to confirm that the OSTAR2022 will remain as a recognised mile builder and qualifier for the Global Solo Challenge. More news will be released on this partnership over the coming days.

rwyc.org

Alan Roberts wins Silver in first Figaro Race of the 2021 Season
Click on image for photo gallery.

Roberts wins a podium finish in the first 2021 Figaro race, the Solo Maitre Coq starting and finishing in the Bay Les Sables d'Olonne, France.

Talking from the dock at the end of the Race 3, the final race, he said "Pleasantly pleased with my result. Happy that it validates all the work I have put in this winter and a really good confidence boost at the start of the season."

Roberts was on joint points with Tom Laperche (FRA) heading into Race 3, a 340 mile coastal race, which started on Thursday 25th March. Roberts said at the finish "I am pretty happy all round with my result although I made a small mistake that maybe let Tom win the event."

All the competitors are suffering from sore eyes after the downwind leg from Belle Ile.

Roberts said "The blast back from Belle-ile was full on, doing 15-20 knots with the boat under water most of the time. No time for sleep or food and permanently sore eyes."

Alan Roberts (31), Hampshire offshore solo sailor has started his Figaro season as he means to go on after finishing second overall in the 18th Edition of Solo Maitre Coq. Starting in the Bay of Les Sables d'Olonne, recently the scene of the Vendee Globe finish, Roberts completed two inshore races and a 340m offshore leg, with two nights at sea on Saturday, 27th March.

Roberts opened the 2021 Figaro season winning Race 1 of the Solo Maitre Coq, a 32 mile coastal race between Les Sables d'Olonne, Bourgenay and Brem-sur-Mer on Monday, 22nd March.

After some rest and recuperation Roberts will be heading back out on the water for the double handed Sardinha Cup, starting on Wednesday, 7th April with co-skipper Violette D'Orange (FRA) also competing in the Solo Maitre Coq her second year in the Figaro. The duo also plan take on the double handed transatlantic race, from Conarneau, France to St. Barts starting on Sunday, 9th May.

Solo Maitre Coq overall results after three races
1. Tom Laperche - Bretagne CMB Performance
2. Alan Roberts - Seacat Services
3. Gildas Mahe - Breizh Cola

alanrobertsracing.com

Mission Accomplished: Olympic 49er Sailors Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove Are Tokyo Bound
Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove's mission for Tokyo 2021 was accomplished yesterday when they took the last Olympic berth in the men's skiff class but the way it was achieved has been revelatory not only to the 49er fleet itself but to the Irish sailing community too.

Sheer hard work paid off in the Canary Islands as the Howth and Skerries pair sailed a solid series to win their Olympic dream at the last throw of the dice.

Now the place on the Enoshima startline is secured with such a standout performance, the tantalising question is what else might we expect from the Olympic debutantes this July?

afloat.ie/sail/

IMOCA Class prepares for fully-crewed racing in The Ocean Race Europe
For the first time the IMOCAs will race at their full potential on a tough three-stage round-Europe ocean course, starting from Lorient in Brittany and finishing in Genoa in Italy, via stopovers at Cascais in Portugal with a third stopover in Spain expected to be announced imminently.

Each boat will be sailed by up to five crew, including at least one female sailor and a media crew. In this configuration we will see IMOCAs pushed to the very limits, 24 hours-a-day in an event which is a key part of the new IMOCA Globe Series championship.

The race starts on the last weekend in May with the opening stage from Lorient to Cascais, a challenging leg that crosses the Bay of Biscay, with up to seven IMOCAs expected to be racing alongside up to seven VO65 one-design yachts but in separate classes and with separate winners.

The Ocean Race Europe has already attracted some of the best boats and skippers in the IMOCA ranks and is sure to capture the imagination of the sailing public in another season affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. -- Ed Gorman

imoca.org

St. Thomas International Regatta
Sailors in some classes solidified their lead in this second day of racing in the 47th annual St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). Others lost the top spot they held yesterday to fellow competitors, while those in the 8-boat Hobie Wave class landed on the scoreboard for the first time. Either way, competition proved keen in the 15 to 20 knots of breeze on the round-the-buoy and round-the-islands courses set off and between St. Thomas and St. John.

San Diego, CA-based Victor Wild's Botin 52, FOX, lengthened its lead in CSA Spinnaker Racing, with St. Thomas' Peter Corr's King 40, Blitz, two points behind in second. A mere 1.5 points behind in third is St. Croix's Chris Stanton driving the Melges 24, Brew STX Crew.

In the CSA Non-Spinnaker Class, St. Thomas' Lawrence Aqui on his Dufour 40, lengthened his lead over Puerto Rico's Fernando Montilla's Tartan 10, Timon 2, from 2 points to five.

Social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand sanitization stations are among COVID-19 protocols in place for STIR 2021. On the water, crews in boats such as the one-design IC24 were limited to three this year, and bigger boat classes have remained in social bubbles throughout the regatta. Onshore, there have been staggered class finishes and staggered Happy Hours daily.

The STYC and STIR organizers thank the USVI Department of Tourism; Michelob Ultra, Stoli, Bacardi, and Milagro distributed by West Indies Company; Cardow Jewelers; and The Moorings for strong sponsor support.

Results for the Round the Rocks Race are available at YachtScoring.com

Results for STIR are also on YachtScoring.com

stthomasinternationalregatta.com

NZ Millennium Cup begins, with an innovative ratings system
The NZ Millennium Cup is under way, with an innovative handicapping system new to superyacht regattas.

This year's regatta promises to be particularly exciting with the introduction of a different handicap scoring method developed for superyacht racing by the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC). This is the first time it will be used in a superyacht regatta, though it's used by ORC for non-superyacht regattas, and uses an average wind speed experienced on the race course and computed on the elapsed time around the course of the winning boat in corrected time.

The new system; Performance Curve Scoring was adopted by the race's handicappers (ORC) and competitors specifically for the NZ Millennium Cup regatta, with representatives of each yacht expressing excitement about the new method to be used in the coming week.

The regatta was first held alongside the 2000 America's Cup and is now in its 15th year. It's the longest running superyacht regatta in the South Pacific and has built a reputation for its camaraderie and fierce competition.

The regatta will be available to watch live at www.millenniumcup.com

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Roland Whitehead

I wonder what Warwick Collins would have had to say about the Pegasus 50's keel. Whilst there isn't really anything new, sometimes things just aren't quite right...

On the subject of things not being new, Chris Gould should check out what the Italian C Class team were up to between '77 and '82. Double skinned mainsails set off a D section mast is nothing new even if today's control systems have a lot less string. Strange that it keeps taking the America's Cup so long to catch up with ideas originated in the C Class.

*From Mikel Emaldi:

I read that "the Challenger of Record for AC37 will be Royal Yacht Squadron Racing, a corporate vehicle created by the Royal Yacht Squadron to protect the UK club's members from liability if any financial disasters flow from their challenge."

I thought that the challengers in AC HAD to be a club, when Royal Yacht Squadron Racing is certainly something else.

Does not seem legal ...

* From Owen Sharpe:

If Ineos was successful in winning AC37 in their well funded third attempt held at Cowes the cup would not get back to Auckland. I do rate Burling et al highly but not against the Privy Council. The cup may be "at home" to challengers for centuries.

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The Last Word
The mind is still haunted with its old unconscious ways; it broods on lost authorities; and the yearning, the deep and hollowing yearning for divine volition and service is with us still. -- Julian Jaynes

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