In This Issue
• GC32 Lagos Cup
• Global interest and a strong start awaits the inaugural Aegean 600
• The Best Product Peter Harken Has Ever Designed
• Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville 2021 Concludes
• RS Aero European Championships - Malcesine, Garda, Italy, 31 July - 6 Aug
• Not all sails are created equal - North Sails
• Jean Luc Van Den Heede retires
• Bail Sail Or Swim
• 36th America's Cup Is The Most Viewed Ever
• New season, new outlook for Melges IC37
• Featured Charter: Garcia 85 Sloop FANI
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Cantiere del Pardo Grand Soleil 42 LC FELI
• • TP52 - Rockall
• • Jeanneau 64
• The Last Word: Daniel Berrigan

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

GC32 Lagos Cup
Competition on the GC32 Racing Tour resumes for the first time since the GC32 Oman Cup in November 2019.

For next week's GC32 Lagos Cup 1, the first of two GC32 Racing Tour events the historic Algarve port will host this summer, six teams will be competing. Favourite is certainly Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi team, winner of the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour, the Swiss former America's Cup champions also having secured the World Championship title on these waters. However they will receive a stiff challenge from Red Bull Sailing Team, Austrian double Olympic champions Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher wishing to make a strong impression in what will be their final season of GC32 racing.

French owner-driver Erik Maris will continue to raise his game on Zoulou, having finished second in the final event of 2019. New to the GC32 Racing Tour will be the Swiss Foiling Academy with Julien Monnier and helmsman Loic Forestier as co-skippers, while on the steepest ascent is likely to be Christian Zuerrer's Black Star Sailing Team. Zuerrer's team has managed to put in the most training during the pandemic. They have added to their crew Pierluigi de Felice, who recently competed in the 36th America's Cup with Luna Rossa. The Italian trimmer also has past GC32 experience with SAP Extreme Sailing Team.

The dark horse of this year's GC32 Racing Tour is likely to be Team Rockwool Racing; the Danish team skippered by former match racer and Volvo Ocean Race competitor Nicolai Sehested. While skipper and team are competing for the first time on the GC32 Racing Tour, the boat knows the way around the track (previously it was SAP Extreme Sailing Team).

Rasmus Køstner, who at one time co-skippered this boat with Jes Gram-Hansen, is also back on board and this season will be Team Rockwool Racing's flight controller/bowman.

In Portugal the GC32 Lagos Cup will follow its normal schedule of practice racing on the Wednesday followed by four days of racing proper (over 1st-4th July).

2021 GC32 Racing Tour

30 June - 4 July: Lagos (POR)
28 July - 1 August: Lagos (POR)
15-19 September: Villasimius Worlds (ITA)
3-7 November: Mar Menor (ESP)

www.gc32racingtour.com

Global interest and a strong start awaits the inaugural Aegean 600
https://mcusercontent.com/c29f6dab419ffad4fdfba5b97/images/e91e2fa9-bb90-912a-b74d-1b25311abea4.jpg Cape Sounion, Greece: In less than a week on Sunday, 4 July in front of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, an international fleet of 43 monohull and multihull entries hailing from 16 countries will cross the start line in the Aegean 600. This 600 nautical mile non-stop race tour of the Aegean is being organized by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC) and the Region of Attica and in its inaugural edition is already shaping up to be one of the world's classic 600-mile ocean races. With an interesting course that has the fleet passing 15 islands, it is the famous Aegean itself that draws participants from around the world to enjoy the same superb sailing conditions and stunning scenery that has been inspiring mariners near and far for millennia.

Initial registrations for this race exceeded 70 entries, but due to the pandemic closings and travel restrictions many have opted to postpone their participation to the next edition. The Organizing Committee received, for example, messages from sailors from as far as the United States, New Zealand and Australia who asked for details of the next event in order to schedule their participation in a timely manner.

The route has been designed by a team of sailors from HORC who know the expectations of their fellow athletes in a race of this level. Thus, the competitors will enjoy a wide array of scenic passages and crossings, such as that through the Caldera of Santorini, but also some quite difficult routes through the straits of Kos and Mykonos - Delos where the prevailing Meltemi can be strong.

The race's Principal Race Officer is one of the best in the world, Athanasios (Soulis) Papantoniou, with experience from four Olympic sailing events. "600-mile ocean races are taking place all over the world," he said, "and it's too bad that we as a country have let so much time pass before forming our own. Fortunately, HORC has helped with making a great promotion and international interest in the race, but this alone is not enough. This race must become an institution. In Greece we have ideal weather conditions and a beautiful track. The images that will accompany the competitors from the moment they leave Sounio will be unique," said Papantoniou.

Sponsors of AEGEAN 600 are the Hellenic Tourism Organization, Olympic Marine and D. KORONAKIS SA. The event is supported by HELMEPA, SEABORNE Shipbrokers, Palirria, X-Yachting, NISSOS beer and NAUTILUS. The suppliers of the race are KosmoRide, Gregory's and KORRES providing products to the competitors as well as services necessary for the organization of the event. Health Supporter is Athens Medical Group. Communication sponsors are ERT and ERA SPORT, the newspaper KATHIMERINI, the sports newspaper SPORtime, the magazines SEAHORSE, SAILING WORLD and BOATS & YACHTING Guide as well as the HELLENIC DAILY NEWS NY.

aegean600.com
Information for journalists: aegean600.com/media-services/

The Best Product Peter Harken Has Ever Designed
In Pewaukee, that's what Harken engineers call the Cam-Matic. Since Peter designed this cam cleat in 1979, there have been at least 69 secrets to why it works so well. First are the 33 ball bearings in each cam. They're triple stacked to balance and start them moving so easily.

Next, there's that unique flared shape he chose for each cam top. This allows even a line so heavily loaded you can't budge it to drop in from above. The cams open. The line is cleated. With common cam cleats, if you can't pull line... cleat won't open.

Topping it off is the radius of the cams themselves. This enables Cam-Matics to secure an incredibly wide range of line diameters while still being kind to their covers.

You see Cam-Matics on everything from Optis to AC75s. There are about 30 on one Ultime alone. Why? Maybe it's because they do their jobs so reliably with almost zero maintenance or hassle. When a product has worked so well - for so long - and is so well respected in our design office, it's logical we might move onto other things. Nope. Around here, the best product Peter ever designed remains a target.

harkenblockheads.com

Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville 2021 Concludes
Thick fog and light winds greeted sailors on the final morning of Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville. After an hour-long postponement, the Race Committee ultimately decided to abandon racing on Margaritaville Race Day due to the low visibility and lack of wind.

Cheers and a few groans could be heard around the dock as Dick Neville, On-Water director, made the VHF announcement at 11am because it was now a certain outcome on which teams would be crowned champions of Block Island Race Week.

Before the cancellation, one of the races to watch today was between two service academies in the J/44s. The US Merchant Marine Academy and the Coast Guard Academy were in a standoff tie after the Regatta Craft Mixers Round the Island Race with USMMA ultimately ending up on top due to the rule that "who beats who" in the last race wins.

The winner of the J/109 East Coast Championships was Jonathan Rechtschaffer's EMOTICON. The crew not only won the class but also a bit more silver: the A. Justin Wasley Memorial Trophy as the winner of the largest one-design class and the Island Sailing Club Of Cowes Perpetual Trophy for the overall winner of the Regatta Craft Mixers Round the Island Race.

New for 2021, the Isbrandtsen Overall Perpetual Trophy has been rededicated to the best overall performance for a Corinthian team at Block Island Race Week. John Krediet with his J/97 Participant II was crowned this year's deserving winner.

Lastly, the Everett B. Morris Perpetual Trophy, also known as boat of the week, is the most coveted of the the awards. Since 1967 this has been awarded for the best performance for the Block Island Race Week as judged by the Race Committee and the Commodore.

This year goes to Jack McGuire his J/29, DIRTY HARRY.

Full results and trophy list

RS Aero European Championships - Malcesine, Garda, Italy, 31 July - 6 Aug
Photo by Angela Trawoeger. Click on image to enlarge.

Online entry is now open for the RS Aero European Championship of 2021 at Malcesine on the shores of Lake Garda. Fraglia Vela Malcesine look forward to welcoming the RS Aero Class back to their World Class venue, this will be the fourth visit for an international event at Malcesine for the young RS Aero Class.

Already eight nations are signed up to compete at the legendary venue. Racing will be held over 5 days from 2-6th August on their spectacular Garda race course enjoying the mountain thermal breezes under the shear cliff backdrop.

The 2019 Europeans at Garda saw over 100 RS Aeros competing and since then the Italian Class has continued to grow significantly with over 30 RS Aeros regularly competing in the their Nationale Italiano series events already this season.

A large fleet of Charter RS Aeros is available for booking for those unable to transport their own RS Aeros or keen to try-out an RS Aero at a major event.

The premier RS Aero Garda 2021 event was initial planned as the RS Aero Class' 4th World Championship and was amended to the 'European Championship' after consideration and consultation. That way the RS Aero Class can look forward to a successful European Championship instead of what was set to be a reduced World Championship. This feels an appropriate and fair action in the current environment, when for so much of the World the trip is impossible, unviable or discouraged due to their local covid restriction policies. With the Class strong now throughout Europe overall entry numbers will be little affected by the new title.

www.rsaerosailing.org

Not all sails are created equal - North Sails
North 3Di is an indispensable building block of championship projects. JB Braun and the senior North sail designers team up to explain how they deliver custom solutions using 3Di technology

North Sails 3Di made its America's Cup debut in the 2010 Deed of Gift Match, with Alinghi as the first team to fly "black sails." A year later, 3Di proved worthy of "Life at the Extreme" in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race. Two iconic moments in sailing history that forever changed the way we think about sail materials and construction.

To the sailing world, 3Di is a toptier range of products. But to the North Sails design team, 3Di is much more than a product range; it is a vast menu of materials with different properties, coupled with a unique manufacturing system that allows the flexibility needed to customise sails to precisely fit the specific requirements of any type of sailing.

Full article in the July issue of Seahorse

Jean Luc Van Den Heede retires
I am going to cease my activities as a professional skipper and close my company on June 30th. Sending a message will therefore no longer be necessary and this will be my last. However, if an opportunity to communicate arises, I will do so on my Facebook page .

I take advantage of my retirement from a runner to thank all those who have followed me for so long and of which you are naturally a part.

However, I am not abandoning the sea which is, as you well know, my other living space. I will continue to sail aboard my "After 8" and we may have the opportunity to meet each other on a stopover here and there!

Thank you once again for your loyalty and good luck to all! -- Jean Luc v an Den Heede

www.vdh.fr

Bail Sail Or Swim
St Kilda 8 KEITH from the stern. Click on image to enlarge.

From a superb article in Southern Woodenboat Sailing

Some of these early boats were pretty unusual and difficult to sail but that's how you sort out design and the kids who want to sail or swim.

SWS would like to acknowledge the generous information shared by Mark Rimington of Gale & Rimington Sailmakers, John Fairfax of the Classic Dinghy Network and Chris Davey who is still in "draft" updating the Albert Park Yacht Club history for the sesquicentennial in 2022.

St. Kilda 8 Footers
When these designs developed as St Kilda 8 footers, tackling the unpredictable conditions on Port Phillip Bay was a challenging proposition. There's no sure lineage but this little boat is clearly a variation of the Albert Park 8ft dinghy. The story can be followed in John Fairfax's notes and Robb Legg's personal recollections on the Classic Dinghy Network website. John Fairfax writes:

"The St Kilda 8 ft was the junior class of the St. Kilda 14 Foot Sailing Club. It evolved from the Albert Park 8 footers and was not related to the much earlier 8ft Skiffs that sailed on Sydney Harbour at the end of the 19th century (see SHE SAILED SWS 24 June). Later versions had a round-bilged hull, were cat-rigged and carried a single sail of 70sq ft on a 17ft. mast. It had a small bowsprit which gave the forestay a better angle to support the mast.

Early hulls built just after the war were built out of planks and weighed around 150 pounds. In the early 1950's both the 14 footers and the 8 footers started using the newly available waterproof ply reducing the hull weight by half. Later boats had a more flattened aft section, a finer bow and fewer frames reducing the hull weight even further. The first plywood hulls had a 2" x 1" frame every foot because it was thought that the plywood was so thin and flimsy it would fall apart".

Full article, with many boats you've never heard of ...

36th America's Cup Is The Most Viewed Ever
The 36th America's Cup presented by PRADA achieved its clear broadcast and viewership objectives to be the most watched America's Cup ever with the dedicated viewership audience 3.2 x the size of that from the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda in 2017.

An in-depth broadcast and media analysis undertaken by Nielsen revealed the AC36 events (ACWS Auckland, PRADA CUP & America's Cup Match) between November 2020- March 2021 reached a total global TV and live streaming audience of 941 million people globally.

Audiences delivered significant value for the sponsors and hosts of the 36th America's Cup. The measurement and evaluation analysis shows a Total Gross Media Value of over NZD$1.4 billion for the event, teams, hosts and sponsors.

The TV graphics by Animation Research Ltd in Dunedin continued to lead the innovation through the implementation of on water augmented reality graphics which helped to tell the story of the dramatic racing in the AC75's, as well as providing additional highly effective exposure to the event sponsors.

Social media was a further area of strong growth across all the America's Cup channels. Followers more than doubled from 491k to 1.09m between the 35th and 36th America's Cups.

The America's Cup YouTube live streamed every race and press conference from the opening of the ACWS through to the prize giving of the 36th America's Cup leading to 7.9 million viewers watching 7.7 million hours of America's Cup content over 36 million sessions. Simply put, on average, each user consumed just under an hour of America's Cup racing while the event was on.

americascup.com

New season, new outlook for Melges IC37
With the relaxation of any class rules, the IC37 now allows owners more freedom when it comes to crew make-up and fettling of on-board systems, which with this size of boat has always been appealing to owners.

Previously, this has been done on the heavy displacement lead mines, but with so much time away from the water due to the restrictions brought by Covid-19, it finally feels like there is an appetite for change.

"As the sailing fraternity finally awakes from the depth of Covid-19 hibernation, the yacht racing future looks bright in both the short and long term," says Sam Pearson, from Ancasta Race Boats. "Owners and crews have all taken stock whilst away from their racing campaigns and are now looking for a yacht that is not only exciting to sail but cost effective and very competitive under IRC. The Melges IC37 fits the bill perfectly."

Rear Commodore of Yachting at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Robert "Bertie" Bicket is a prime example of an experienced sailor knowing just how much the IC37 has to offer, having competed on Fargo his new IC37 for the first-time recently at the IRC nationals.

With Fargo joining Ian Atkins' ICY, the season is now underway with two IC37s being campaigned in the Solent, and with the crews made up of both older and younger sailors its clear to see that these boats cater for a broad market segment.

www.melgesic37class.com

Featured Charter
Garcia 85 Sloop FANI. 18 000 - 22 000 / week EUR. Located in Saint-Malo.

A Berret-Racoupeau design, FANI is a Garcia 85 aluminum sloop with a lifting keel. She is exceptionally well built and maintained, as proven by her round the world tour. She had a major refit in 2014 and 2020/21 and is now ready to undertake similar cruising trips.

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 :

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2019 Cantiere del Pardo Grand Soleil 42 LC FELI. 445000 EUR. Located in Porto Cervo.

The offered Grand Soleil 42 Long Cruise named FELI comes from a very experienced and demanding owner with no costs spared to keep the boat in better than new condition. FELI is in fully optimized and debugged condition with many improvements.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

+33 467 66 39 93

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2007 TP52 - Rockall. POA EUR. Located in Hamburg, Germany

One of the most offshore prepared TP's we have seen in a long time.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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Jeanneau 64. 895,000 TAX PAID EUR Located in Hampshire, UK

PRICE REDUCED FROM 995,000 EUROS

The Jeanneau 64 is a proven and highly regarded design, she truly leads the way in the market with her innovative design features, comfort and sailing performance.

This is a rare opportunity to purchase a Jeanneau 64 with an outstanding specification, including upgraded generator, air conditioning and water maker.

She is an absolutely stunning yacht and is seriously for sale. Option to continue current berthing contract.

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

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

The Last Word
The Jesuits I know who have died and all their lives were great teachers, they're the least remembered people. -- Daniel Berrigan

Editorial and letter submissions to

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