In This Issue
• Opening day at Finn Europeans in Vilamoura
• UK Law to Protect Sailing in Polar Regions
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Flying Fifteen World and Australian Championships postponed to March 2023
• Bermuda in Lockdown in advance of SailGP
• Mexico en route for historic return to The Ocean Race
• New Cowes Weather Station Goes Live
• Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup
• Conn Findlay
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: Club Swan 50
• Featured Brokerage:
• • CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht
• • Grand Soleil 34
• • Pilot Classic 47
• The Last Word: Douglas Adams

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

Opening day at Finn Europeans in Vilamoura
Hungary's Zsombor Berecz opened his title defence at the 2021 Open and U23 Finn European Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, wit h steady fourth and fifth places on a day when many favourites were hitting high scores. He leads overall after the first day from Canada's Tom Ramshaw and Britain's Henry Wetherell. The race wins went to Wetherell and Nicholas Heiner, from The Netherlands, on a tricky day of light and patchy winds.

After a slight delay to the start, the earlier cloudy skies gradually gave way to a sunny afternoon and a breeze that built from six knots at the start of Race 1, through to about 10 knots with Oscar raised for free pumping on the final downwind. However it then dropped for the second race with lots of ups and downs.

The U23 European Championship is currently led by the defending champion, Cardona, who sits in fourth place. While low on numbers here the young sailors have a huge depth of talent. In the second race of the day he was one of three U23s in the top five at the top mark

Racing in Vilamoura is scheduled to continue at 12.00 on Tuesday.

Results after 2 races
1. Zsombor Berecz, HUN, 5
2. Thomas Ramshaw, CAN, 2
3. Henry Wetherell, GBR, 16
4. Joan Cardona, ESP, 4
5. Alican Kaynar, TUR, 3
6. Milan Vujasinovic, CRO, 6
7. Ondrej Teply, CZE, 15
8. Max Salminen, SWE, 12
9. Deniss Karpak, EST, 24
10. Egor Terpigorev, RUS, 19

Full results

UK Law to Protect Sailing in Polar Regions
Eurosail News 4810 under the above heading re-published a notice from boatingbusiness.com. Eurosail readers might like to note that here, the word "sailing" does not specifically mean "sailing vessels" but rather "ships operating in polar waters" included in the IMO Polar Code.

The Polar Code was drafted more than 10 years ago to improve standards of equipment, design, construction, operation and manning of ships and their safety and security in polar waters following increased concern for cruise ships and others in remote, environmentally sensitive and potentially dangerous locations. Interestingly, the Polar Code covers areas greater than those within the Arctic and Antarctic circles (latitudes of 66 degrees 30 minutes): the Polar Code southern region is limited by latitude 60 degrees and the northern region by a line along 60 degrees north with diversions to the south of Greenland (58 north) and north of Norway (73 north).

Codes and other instruments adopted by IMO are given legal force by implementation by the 174 member government legislatures. Often this is done by a particular act, but may be done by a country having a standing arrangement to automatically transfer an IMO instrument into domestic law. This is what, inter alia, the UK is considering in regard to IMO Polar Code regulations.

In 2020 IMO set up a correspondence group (including World Sailing, one of IMO's permanent non-governmental delegations) to consider revision of Polar Code chapters 9 and 11 - Safety of Navigation and Voyage Planning. After some consideration the group agreed to recommend to its parent committee NCSR (Navigation, Communications, Search and Rescue, meeting on 19-23 April 2021) that amongst other conclusions, Polar Code chapters 9 and 11 should remain as at present, applicable to pleasure yachts above 300 gross tonnage not engaged in trade (therefore not to smaller yachts sailed in polar regions only for pleasure) - a position strongly supported by World Sailing. Whilst the Polar Code was being considered, World Sailing in cooperation with representatives of the Royal Cruising Club, Cruising Club of America, the Ocean Cruising Club and other highly experienced polar sailors took the opportunity to independently prepare a Polar Yacht Guide intended to give yacht sailors a comprehensive and authoritative reference for safe and responsible sailing in polar waters.

The Polar Yacht Guide is carried on the web sites of World Sailing and the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation and is easily discoverable by Google search.

Alan Green
World Sailing delegate at IMO

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

Update
A brutal way to leave, VPLP regroup, the four solutions to the AC75 riddle, understanding (and dodging) the big Imoca catastrophes and are we looking at a fleet of obsolete solo oceanic racers? Terry Hutchinson, Jack Griffin, Patrice Carpentier, Robert Laine

ORC - Responding to the market
Which means consolidating the rule structure to race under. Stan Honey and Dobbs Davis

Seahorse build table - Something special(ised)
Dobbs Davis looks at a tempting and accessible new shorthanded offering from Hans Genthe

Rod Davis - Carpe diem for all
We have an opportunity - now we need to grab it

Only the best will do
SailGP is one element of the latest inroads Doyle Sails is making in the field of ultra-high sailing performance

The easier the better
And the latest Nemesis data display system from B&G is as easy to operate as it is to read... (and in all conditions)

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Flying Fifteen World and Australian Championships postponed to March 2023
Flying Fifteen International in conjunction with Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club announced today that the 2022 Flying Fifteen World and Australian Championships would be postponed to 9th to 23rd March 2023.

The event will remain in the same format as the proposed 2022 event but delayed by a year due to the uncertainty surrounding the global COVID 19 pandemic. The event will be sailed out of Fremantle Sailing Club ("FSC") with Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club ("RFBYC") being the Organising Authority. South of Perth Yacht Club ("SoPYC) is also supporting the regattas.

The World's Committee recommended that RFBYC requested a further postponement of the World Championship event from FFI, as there was no clear understanding as to how international visitors would be able to attend the event, due to the continued travel restrictions imposed by the Australian and State Governments at the present time, and the unknown global regulations regarding travel with the rollout of COVID vaccines.

RFBYC would like to thank Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) for agreeing to postpone the Worlds they were due to host in 2023 to the UK Summer of 2025.

RFBYC looks forward to welcoming competitors to Fremantle, and in particular, the many visitors expected from Overseas and the East Coast. The facilities at FSC are world class and that Fremantle is renowned throughout the World for its unique sailing conditions. The proposed course area at Owen Anchorage is a location that has been used for numerous World Championship events, including the Perth 2011 ISAF World Championships and a host of other National and International Sailing events.

www.sail-world.com

www.flying15.org

Bermuda in Lockdown in advance of SailGP
As eight international teams prepare for the second season for SailGP to kick off in Bermuda on April 24-25, The Royal Gazette reports how Premier David Burt announced that Bermuda will return to a shelter at home policy from 5am on April 13 for at least seven days.

Premier David Burt announced that Bermuda will return to a shelter at home policy from 5am on Tuesday for at least seven days.

He said all businesses apart from grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations would be closed. Limited banking services would also be permitted. These businesses would be open from 11am to 7pm.

Grocery stores will return to alphabetised days for customers. Mr Burt emphasised that there was no need for panic buying.

Household mixing is prohibited by law, he said.

Mr Burt, who also revealed he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was isolating, said: "It is clear that the rate of spread is far more advanced than believed and the regulations put in place have not been enough to slow it down. We must act now as continued household mixing is leading to increased transmissions."

He added: "I know this is not the news many people wanted to hear. What is important is to remember the importance of staying at home and do not mix households."

He said Cabinet would meet on Tuesday to review other regulations, including border controls and to consider what steps would be taken after the initial seven day stay at home order.

www.sailingscuttlebutt.com

www.royalgazette.com

Mexico en route for historic return to The Ocean Race
The Viva Mexico team has left its home port of Acapulco, for a transatlantic voyage ahead of The Ocean Race Europe

It was on this day in 1974 that Sayula II, skippered by Ramón Carlin, and representing Mexico, stunned the world by winning the inaugural Whitbread Round the World Race.

Since then, no Mexican team has entered the race. Until now. The Viva Mexico team has acquired a VO65 boat and is aiming to enter the 2022-23 edition of The Ocean Race.

But first, there is The Ocean Race Europe. So the Mexican team is now en route from its home port of Acapulco to Europe, with its eyes on a new challenge.

"It was an emotional day, leaving our home at the Acapulco Yacht Club where we have so much support," said skipper Erik Brockmann.

"It is a special feeling as we don't know when Viva Mexico be back, probably not until after The Ocean Race!! With the pandemic, many things have changed and we have had to make the best decisions about how to get the project a step closer to having Mexico back in The Ocean Race.

"Today that step is a 6,500 mile training delivery from Acapulco to A Coruña both to practice and test crew as well as getting the boat there for The Ocean Race Europe. We believe that will be a great event for all the teams both on the water as well as commercially as we work to engage sponsors for our team.

www.theoceanrace.com

New Cowes Weather Station Goes Live
Environmental monitoring stations deliver tide and weather data for harbour users

Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) and OceanWise Ltd. have completed a Stakeholder Benefit project to install two environmental monitoring stations on the River Medina to provide harbour users with tide and weather data allowing commercial and leisure vessels to make timely safety related navigational decisions.

A fixed weather station at Shepards Marina provides tide height and visibility information, whilst a floating weather station in the main harbour provides information on harbour wind speed and direction, temperature, and barometric pressure. The tide and weather sensors feed data to the online Cowes Weather Station that has just been launched on CHC's mobile enabled website:

cowesharbourcommission.co.uk

Hampshire-based OceanWise, specialists in marine environmental data management, have installed similar systems at other ports in the UK, including ABP Southampton, London, Dover and Liverpool. For Cowes, OceanWise has used a range of monitoring instruments including the Valeport Tide Gauge and Biral Visibility Sensor. Data from all the sensors is collected and transmitted using OceanWise's smart telemetry service and data management and display system (Port-Log), for use by Cowes Pilots and commercial vessels, and publication online.

cowes.co.uk

Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup
Dun Laoghaire and Greystones Mixed Offshore Keelboat campaigners Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee lie 18th after the first night at sea of the Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup, the second stage of the Sardinha Cup in France.

The fleet of 21 Figaro Beneteau 3 left for 775 miles and about five days at sea, with a one-way trip to the Scilly's that promises to be strategic with a return leg that should mainly boil down to a speed race.

Offshore or coastal was the big question of the day. Damien Cloarec, co-skipper of Englishman David Paul on G-Alok said: "There is an anticyclone that will block us on Monday on the Breton tip, we must choose from the first buoy between bypassing it from the west or staying ashore to take thermal breezes. Marc Mallaret (sailing with Sébastien Marsset on Mercyships.org) adds: "There are those who will cut straight to make less road, at the risk of having less wind, and those who will go around this bubble by doing more miles but certainly going faster. We scratch our heads".

Tracker here

After 24 hours of racing, the fleet of the second stage of the Sardinha Cup split into three groups, with the advantage for the moment to the supporters of the northernmost route, Quéguiner-Innoveo (Tanguy Le Turquais / Corentin Douguet ) and Cybèle Vacances-Team Play to B (Pep Costa / Will Harris). But nothing is settled before the passage of Scilly, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

If the bulk of the fleet chose just after the start of the Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup, Sunday at 5:12 p.m., to head out to sea to bypass a high pressure area expected this Monday on the tip of Brittany, they are four to have "optioned" on land, with for the moment an advantage to the daring: Tanguy Le Turquais and Corentin Douguet indeed lead the debates when it comes to parrying the West-West cardinal of Sein, followed a mile by the tandem made up of the young Spaniard Pep Costa and the Briton Will Harris. Between these two duos and the seventeen parties in the west, another Englishman, David Paul, associated with Damien Clarec (G-Alok), and the young people of Team Vendée Formation, Charlotte Yven and Pierre Daniellot, bet on a intermediate placement.

sardinhacup.com

Conn Findlay
Conn Findlay, a medalist in rowing and sailing at four Olympics who is regarded as USC's greatest rower, died on Thursday April 8. He was 90.

At the time of his passing, he was USC's oldest surviving Olympic medalist and gold medalist. He also was USC's third oldest surviving Olympian, behind swimmer Iris Cummings Critchell (100) and water poloist William Ross (92).

Findlay won gold medals in the coxed pair rowing event at the 1956 Melbourne and 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which sandwiched a bronze in the event at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Then, at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he competed in sailing and captured a bronze medal in the tempest two-man keelboat class event, crewing for Dennis Conner.

He is one of six Trojans to have competed in the Olympics in two different sports.

In rowing, Findlay also won a gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games in coxed pair and placed fifth in the event at the 1962 World Championships. He was named USRowing's Man of the Year in 2007.

In sailing, he also was part of the winning America's Cup sailing crews in 1974 and 1977.

usctrojans.com

* Sad to say, Conn Findlay has crossed the bar, on Thursday at the age of 90. While he was better known as an oarsman, with 2 golds and a bronze at the Olympics, he was also a superb sailor. He won a bronze with Dennis Conner, in the Tempest, at the '76 Olympics, and defended America's Cup in 1977, with Ted Turner on COURAGEOUS.

He was about the strongest, nicest, and most modest person I have ever had the pleasure to know. -- Dick Enersen

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 John Burnie:

Further to Don Street’s article on Mount Gay Rum - the UK also played a small part in its development as an international brand.

Many years ago (’79 - ‘80) there was a (and still is) a very good pub next to Wandsworth Bridge, in London, called the Ship. The Youngs Brewery landlord at the time was Charles Gotto - a wonderful landlord who was taken from this life far too early. His main clientele at that time were bus drivers from the large, adjacent bus depot. Many of the drivers were from the Caribbean and they continually “dissed” the rum brands on sale. Ever the entrepreneur Charles arranged for a huge bottle of their preferred Mount Gay Rum to be purchased and placed on the bar - which was then served in measures using a “dipping stick”. This peculiar story filtered back to the Mount Gay Rum business who eventually offered Youngs Brewery the rights to distribute in the UK. Youngs Brewery (under the incorrigible guidance of Chris Troup) at that time also catered for all the beer tents during Cowes Week - so followed a rum bar, the red hats and eventually the legendary Mount Gay Rum Parties that used to happen during the UK sailing week.

Mount Gay as a brand was barely known outside the Caribbean in ‘79 - ‘80, particularly in the UK. So to promote it Charles held a Mount Gay party event for my local company in the pub (commonly known as my boardroom). This entailed filling the entire pub with sand, beach chairs and umbrellas - and of course he organised a steel band, the signature hats / flag bunting. The bus drivers were all there, giving lessons in “Worry” (a Caribbean board game), and everyone succeeded in getting spectacularly “bladdered”. Charles and I liked to believe that this was the first ever Mount Gay Rum corporate event held in the UK. The only negative aspect was that the slightly damp sand destroyed a large number of expensive Louboutin high heel shoes - something a certain body of people still hold against me - and some of the sand was still there many years later.

Featured Charter
Club Swan 50. Located in EUR.

The ClubSwan 50 is a yacht by Nautor Swan, that pushes the boundaries by being a small revolution in performance and pure sailing pleasure. She is an extremely fast boat that would also be easy to take to the limit. Available to Charter in the UK, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
lvyachting.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht. POA GBP. Located in

FIBRE Mechanics and Carkeek Design announce the CF-520, a new 52ft IRC racing yacht. The yacht is built in IM carbon pre-preg and Nomex honeycomb from full production tooling, and incorporates the latest thinking from the innovative Carkeek Design office. A high-end racing yacht without the cost of one-off yacht design and tooling. Boat one is due to launch in early May 2021, with build slots available for deliveries in the second half of 2021 and March 2022.

The first of the series is principally for offshore racing and will feature a water ballast tank system designed to reduce the crew numbers to 8. However, Carkeek Design Partners and FIBRE Mechanics are making a wide range of equipment options available allowing subsequent boats to be configured to suit different racing programmes.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
FIBRE MECHANICS
18 Waterloo Road
Lymington, SO41 9DB, UK
+44 (0)1590 427007

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2018 Grand Soleil 34. 175000 GBP. Located in Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK.

ALAMARA IV provides a fantastic opportunity to purchase a very lightly used and beautifully presented latest-generation Grand Soleil 34 with a great specification at a considerable saving of almost £50,000 over list price.

A very sleek modern design, the GS34 is ideal for either shorthanded fast cruising and/or competitive racing. ALAMARA IV in particular benefits from having the optional extra composite helm wheels and main sheet track just forward of the helm positions making her easy to handle whilst providing exhilarating performance potential. She has a fixed carbon bowsprit with her North Sails wardrobe controlled via her upgraded Harken Performa winches, German mainsheet system recessed under the deck for improved safety and cleaner lines, Code-0 tweakers and Profurl genoa furler.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lead Broker: James McNeil - Grabau International (South Coast)
Tel: +44 (0)7979 907210
Email:

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Pilot Classic 47. 575,000 EUR.

Designed by Hoek Design with the first hull in build and due to be delivered in mid-2021. The PC47 is a scaled-down version of the PC 55, designed for weekending and daysailing with exceptional sailing performance. A winning combination of style, timeless elegance with a very high end build both in materials and finish.

Construction is in full composites with a Coracell M foam core, epoxy glass skins and a carbon grid system creating a light and very strong yacht. Safety features include watertight bulkheads fore and aft with alarms and a crash bow in the lower forward bow are standard.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Mark Speirs

+44 7818 119 656

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

The Last Word
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