EuroSail News #4879 - 14 July
In This Issue
• First wave heads to Hawaii in 51st Transpac
• Tour Voile
• North Performance
• Finn UK Nationals
• Push each other on - Powerplay
• Trophee Bailli de Suffren - Final Leg from Gozo to Malta
• Foiling Future - A new generation in build
• Star & Star Junior World Championships
• How to avoid the common pitfalls of Championship Failure
• Winners of the 2021 Ian Atkins Keelboat Award announced
• Featured Charter: Kali - First 47.7
• Featured Brokerage:
• • ClubSwan 50-026-Django
• • ClubSwan 42-057
• • ClubSwan 50-004 Mathilde M
• The Last Word: Charles de Gaulle
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
First wave heads to Hawaii in 51st Transpac
Los Angeles, California: After over a year of careful planning, tremendous uncertainty, yet dogged determination to run this race, the Transpacific Yacht Club today unleashed the first wave of entries on their long westward journey to Honolulu in the 51st running of the Transpac. This biennial 2225-mile race from LA-Honolulu, first run in 1906, is an ocean racing classic.
Seven entries ranging from 37 to 57 feet in length were on the start line today, set one mile south of San Pedro's Point Fermin lighthouse. Weather conditions early this morning were uncertain, with local thunderstorms in the area, but this stabilized by midday to provide an 11-knot thermal westerly breeze. Even in this initial upwind leg towards the first of only two marks of the course - the West End of Catalina, 25 miles away - the fleet seemed to split with some opting to head north and others choosing to take the closer tack towards Catalina.
As explained at the virtual Skipper's Briefing last Saturday afternoon by veteran NOAA weather forecaster Joe Sienkiewicz, the large scale position and shape of the North Pacific High seems to be setting up favorably for a good race. The split High is due to merge and strengthen the classic northeast tradewinds that are a typical feature of the middle portion of the race track, while the normal coastal northerlies also seem to be in place to propel all the teams away from the coast quickly.
Today's starters are the first of three waves, with the second group of 15 teams in three divisions starting at 1:00 PM PDT on Friday, July 16th at Point Fermin, while the final group of the fastest 19 boats in four divisions will start at the same time and place on Saturday, July 17th.
YB trackers are on board all entries, with positions indicated on the YB website at this link: https://yb.tl/transpac2021. The positions have been delayed by 4 hours, except when within 200 miles of the finish, where they revert to real-time tracking. -- Dobbs Davis
Tour Voile
Things went very quickly this Tuesday for the ten Tour Voile crews who took part in a 44-mile raid in the bay of Saint-Brieuc, at the start and finish of Erquy. The very fast Groupe Atlantic clinched its sixth victory in eleven days of racing, ahead of BE Brussels - Kidibul Powered by Flying Frogs. Helvetia Blue by Normandy Elite Team, third today, remains in the driver's seat in the overall standings, but the Groupe Atlantic threat looms. Tomorrow, sailors will enjoy a well-deserved day of rest! The races will resume on Thursday at Chatelaillon-Plage.
The crews first passed near an exceptional site, the majestic Cap Frehel, whose cliffs peak at more than 70 meters. They then tacked a mark positioned near Fort la Latte. Also called Château de la Roche Goyon, this emblematic fort, listed as a Historic Monument, is regularly used as a backdrop for films, such as the famous The Vikings (1957) with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis or even Chouans! (1987), with Philippe Noiret, Sophie Marceau and Lambert Wilson in the cast. In today's race scenario, Groupe Atlantic was in the lead at Fort la Latte, ahead of BEBrussels - Kidibul Powered by Flying Frogs, Royan Atlantique and Helvetia Blue by Normandy Elite Team. The crews then set their course towards the west, passed again in front of Cap Frehel and made a long tack towards the point of Pordic, before returning to Erquy. All this at very high speed.
Top five teams after 11 races:
1. Helvetia Blue By Normandy Elite
Clement Michel / Jules Ducelier / Theau Guilcher / Louise Acker / Pierrick Letouze
2. Groupe Atlantic Etud
Clement Cron / Valentin Sipan / Aristide Gasquet / Aurelien Pierroz
3. Royan Atlantique
Gaultier Tallieu / Luc Guimbertaud / Romen Richard / Pierre Boulbin / Thimote Polet
4. Be.Brussels - Kidibul
Arnaud Vasseur / Yannick Lefebvre / Tom Pelsmaekers / Thomas Menou / Nicolas Ferellec / Pierre Le Clainche / Hugo Feydit / Lucas Chatonnier
5. Helvetia Purple By Normandy Elite
Pauline Courtois / Lola Billy / Maelenn Lemaitre / Elise Leconte / Jennifer Poret / Audrey Ogereau / Jeanne Courtois
North Performance
The singular goal of North Sails Performance is to produce the best foul weather gear in the world.
In designing the new kit North Sails wanted to solve the age-old issue of latex seals. Sailors love them because they keep them dry. But they also hate them because they are uncomfortable to wear, they get badly hit by UV and degrade after 30 days of constant use, they tear and some people are allergic to them - coming out in sores and rashes.
A blown latex seal can turn a drysuit into a cold, wet suit very quickly. This has significant performance and health ramifications if it happens at the wrong moment - 24 hours into a three-week Ocean leg, or the first night of a Fastnet race.
To solve these issues North Sails Performance created DuraSeal. A super thin, 1.2mm neoprene - incredibly stretchy; forms a completely watertight seal at the neck and wrist. It has a protective external layer of nylon making DuraSeal much tougher, stopping UV degradation. No allergic, irritant properties - so you won't come off the water looking like you've had a brush with the hangman's noose!
Kevin Escoffier reported during the 2020-21 Vendee Globe "It's very light, drying very fast. Using it all the first month of the Vendee Globe and it's definitely great. Very easy to put on, very easy to take off - no chaffing at all. So, it's a great one!"
Visit www.northsails.com/Performance now to view the full range of North Sails Performance foulies.
Finn UK Nationals
The British Finn Championships attracted a strong entry of 43 boats, across every age category from U 23 to Super Legend, proving the universal appeal of this iconic boat. A typical Torbay shifty south easterly greeted competitors on the Friday, with the course area nearer to the Paignton shoreline than ideal due to the presence of the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner parked in the middle of the bay!
Saturday evening saw a strong attendance at the British Finn AGM, where members discussed some great ideas for growing the class both in the UK and internationally in the light of the loss of Olympic status. New member Don Francis explained why he chose the Finn when returning to sailing after a break. After looking at many single handed options he found the Finn offered the best value for a competitive boat plus the added value of a great UK & international Masters circuit. It was great to see more than 7 new faces in the Nationals fleet, testament to the growing popularity of the Finn in UK club racing.
Sunday's forecast of 12-14 knots for the final two races of the championship did not disappoint with the leaders positively drooling at the prospect of a final showdown with a decent breeze! Mast positions were moved and sails changed as the fleet head out in the lumpy sea to the south side of the bay, where a race track was laid between the two anchored cruise liners.
On Sunday the rain came down and the fleet returned satisfied from the testing race course, the overall winner was confirmed as long time Finnster and previous Olympic campaigner John Greenwood, ahead of Lawrence Crispin and Simon Percival – interestingly making it a 1,2,3 for the British built Petticrows Finn. Despite his many years of Finn sailing and Nationals attendance, this was Greenwood's first Finn National title and you could see it meant a lot to finally hold the coveted Sunday Times Gold Cup and join the illustrious list of names already inscribed on the trophy.
Sailed: 8, Discards: 1, To count: 7, Entries: 43
1. GGM - John Greenwood, West Kirby Sailing Club, 31.0
2. GM - Lawrence Crispin, Stone SC & Thorpe Bay YC, 36.0
3. Master - Simon Percival, Christchurch Sailing Club, 38.0
4. GM - Allen Burrell, Thorpe Bay YC, 48.0
5. Open - James Downer, Gurnard Sailing Club, 53.0
6. GM - Fergus Allan, Loch Earn sc, 54.0
7. GM - Julian Smith, MRSC, 57.0
8. Open - Ben Flower, Paignton SC, 69.0
9. GGM - Martin Hughes, Warsash SC, 69.0
10. GM - Richard Sharp, Bough Beech SC, 71.0
Push each other on - Powerplay
Within the space of just a few weeks two of the most aggressively campaigned big trimarans had between them broken and re-broken two great ocean racing records no less than four times
The MOD 70 trimaran class has history and form, plenty of both. In total, seven boats have been built, all are still sailing and some are still setting records. Peter Cunningham's distinctive blue PowerPlay (formerly Concise), and now actively for sale as a turnkey package, is among those that continue to lead the charge, having recently set new records over the Fastnet racecourse and the classic Cowes to St Malo route.
But in a clear indication of just how competitive this unique fleet of oceangoing trimarans continues to be, it took little time for a sistership to up the ante. In the case of the Cowes-St Malo route, it was just minutes before Maserati had broken PowerPlay's new record after the pair had set out on the same morning from the Solent in a cross-Channel duel.
Cunningham and his crew, led by longtime MOD70 skipper Ned Collier- Wakefield, set an extraordinary pace around the traditional Fastnet racecourse. A month later Maserati did the double and raised the bar even further, beating PowerPlay's time by over an hour, completing the 605nm-course in a staggering 23 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds at an average speed of 24.94kts.
Full article in the August issue of Seahorse
Trophee Bailli de Suffren - Final Leg from Gozo to Malta
The participants in the Trophee Bailli de Suffren completed their journey after starting the final leg from Gozo to Malta just outside Mgarr harbour known as ix-Xatt L-Ahmar.
In a race characterized by light winds not exceeding seven knots, the fleet enjoyed some of Malta's most scenic points.
As they prepared to pass through the South Comino Channel, the Santa Maria Tower (in Maltese: Torri ta' Santa Marija), also known as the Comino Tower, provided one of the many scenic backdrops the race offers.
The tower, a large bastioned watchtower, was built in 1618, the fifth of six Wignacourt towers which were built by the Order of Saint John between 1610 and 1620. To date, only four of these towers survive.
The route took the fleet past the Coral Lagoon and towards the northern coast of Malta before finishing in Marsamxett Harbour, incidentally, the Trophee Bailli de Suffren fleet finished the race in the same location as the iconic Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Results Overall, 4 Legs, St. Tropez to Malta
Group IRC
Cachou
Lady Jo
Jobic IV
Group CIM
Ratafia
Hilaria
Moonbeam III
www.tropheebaillidesuffren.com
Foiling Future - A new generation in build
It may look like an America's Cup boat, but this is the first of what could be the next generation of inshore/offshore foiling machines. Designed for racing in offshore and coastal races in the Mediterranean 'Flying Nikka' is no pipe dream - she's already in build for a private owner and due to be launched Spring 2022. We talk to her designer Mark Mills.
How many is too many aboard an IMOCA60? Having raced fully crewed aboard Offshore Team Germany and won the IMOCA60 class in The Ocean Race Europe, Olympic and round the world sailor Annie Lush explains. We take a look at the Round the Island Race as well as looking back at what happened in the third and final offshore leg of The Ocean Race Europe.
Plus, the link between superyachts and McDonalds and plenty more in Docktalk.
Star & Star Junior World Championships
The Star Class World Championship returns to Kiel. After 1939, 1966, 1977 and 1993, the world's best keelboat sailors will compete in the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein to crown their world champions. Due to the postponement of Kiel Week to September 4-12, the World Championships (September 4-11) have been integrated into it and the Junior World Championships (August 31-September 3) have been docked in the run-up to it.
"We are very pleased to host the Star Class World Championship with us," said Head of Organization of the Kiel Week regattas and the Kiel Yacht-Club, Dirk Ramhorst. Most recently, former Star World President, DSV President and KYC Commodore Dierk Thomsen, who passed away in 2020, had brought a Star European Championship to Kiel. "It was his boat, his class, we will remember him at the event," Ramhorst said.
And Thomsen, who has repeatedly advocated the star boat as an Olympic class, would have been delighted with this world championship, because the participating sailors demonstrate the unique importance of the almost seven-meter-long two-handed keelboat: A touch of the America's Cup, Ocean Race and Olympics will blow through Schilksee when the currently registered 50 crews from 13 nations compete in Kiel.
In the Junior World Championship, the helmsman must be under 30 years old. The program only works through sponsorship. "This includes boat, support and coaching opportunities," says Merkelbach, who emphasizes the North German commitment based in Flensburg around Robert Stanjek, but he also looks to Austria. There, ten junior crews have already been found through the non-profit campaign "Future-Stars". Star owners provide their keelboats and support the juniors with knowledge and manpower. The former Olympic boat class (since 1932 with interruptions until 2016) shows possible ways in the development of young sailors, which also includes Junior Championships such as the World Championships in Kiel. -- Hermann Hell
How to avoid the common pitfalls of Championship Failure
Q&A Live Call with Hamish Willcox on 14 July
Whatever the scale of your ambitions, whether it's local, national or international, how do you make sure you're in the right space - mentally and physically - to give your best when it matters the most?
On a live Q&A Zoom call, we'll be asking three-time 470 World Champion Hamish Willcox for the keys to success under pressure, along with many other go-faster questions just hours before he's due to get on the plane from New Zealand to Japan. WHEN?
The Q&A kicks off on Zoom at 9am UK time/ 10am Central European Time on Wednesday morning 14 July. That's 8pm in Auckland.
How To Join In (For Free)
Meeting ID: 884 6703 3413 Passcode: 008181
Can't Make The Call?
You can still ask questions by posting them before we go live:
facebook.com/groups/roadtogoldsquad
Remember it's free to join the calls Live. Or you can subscribe to get the full recording afterwards.
To subscribe to Live Coaching Calls roadtogold.net/p/calls
Winners of the 2021 Ian Atkins Keelboat Award announced
1st place Youth Boat - Team L-R: Gerard Cloke-Brown; Patrick Whelan; Annabel Whelan; Dylan Collingbourne. Far right: Liam Pardy, Sales Manager, SportsBoatWorld - Credit: SportsBoatWorld. Click on image for photo gallery.
The John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST), the charity set up in memory of 1996 Olympic Silver medallist John Merricks, is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 Ian Atkins Keelboat Award.
This Award is open to any sailors, aged between 18 and 22, who seek to transition their sailing ambitions from dinghies to small keelboats. For 2021, the award was a sponsored and supported entry to compete at the World's most famous regatta - Cowes Week.
JMST teamed up with SportsBoatWorld, the SB20 UK Class and the Royal Southern Yacht Club to run a free-to-enter selection event at the Royal Southern's July regatta, held over the weekend of the 10 and 11 July. Applications were invited from mixed gender teams of three or four young dinghy sailors wishing to take part. Applications were judged on track record; commitment; future potential; as well as the scope and ambition of future sailing plans.
The top youth team at the event consisted of Patrick Whelan, Annabel Whelan, Dylan Collingbourne and Gerard Cloke-Brown. Our huge congratulations to Patrick and the team who now go forward to a fully funded participation in Cowes Week, where we wish them every success!
Many thanks to the Royal Southern for their help and hospitality and we are enormously grateful to SportsBoat World for providing the boat and wholeheartedly supporting the awards this year.
Featured Charter
Kali - First 47.7. Located in Caribbean, Mediterranean
The Beneteau First 47.7 a racer/cruiser, is a very versatile yacht, offering racing performance with the comfort of a cruiser. Beneteau built two versions of the First 47.7 – and Kali is a mixture of the two, making her an exceptional yacht. Kali has the shorter keel but the racing rigging and will enable some thrilling performances, especially going downwind. She has a great symmetrical spinnaker with a classic carbon spi pole. She is a great choice to take part in the Caribbean Season, with individual spaces available.
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
http://lvyachting.com
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
2019 ClubSwan 50-026 Django. 1,350,000 EUR. Located in Marina de Cogolin, France.
The new ClubSwan 50 is at the cutting edge of contemporary yacht design. The brief was clear and simple: an extremely fast boat that would also be easy to take to the limit, convertible into a sports cruiser with limited crew, with captivating looks and the natural elegance of a Swan. It had to be both competitive in class racing and conceived as a One Design.
In one word, this yacht had to be cool. Naval architecture has been developed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, the Argentinean designer who also penned the winning Volvo 70’s Groupama 4, Ericsson 4, ABN Amro and the maxi Rambler 88.
See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
T. +377 97 97 95 07
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2011 ClubSwan 42-057. 250,000 VAT Paid EUR. Located in Badalona, ES.
The Club Swan 42 was designed by German Frers and built by Nautor's Swan and first launched in 2006. It was initially launched and referred to as New York Yacht Club 42 as the design was commissioned by the club following a tendering process.
The boat has had significant racing success, both as a one-design and under rating rules such as IRC and ORC, and was used for the biennial Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup from the event's inception in 2009 through 2017.
See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Contact
Giorgio Passarella
T. +377 97 97 95 07
-----------------------------------------
2017 ClubSwan 50-004 Mathilde M. 980,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.
The Club Swan 50 was developed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Nautor's Swan shipyard and celebrate everything that has made this cutting-edge boat builder one of the most widely recognized and trusted brands in yachting.
The result is an eye-catching machine, fully constructed in carbon fiber and utilizing the very latest technology and all the finest materials. The interior is a pleasant surprise and completely unexpected on a performance yacht of this caliber. Two cabins accommodate four guests and a comfortable saloon features bench seating and a dining table. Galley on the aft starboard side of saloon and head and shower forward.
See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Contact
Jean-Marie Vidal
T. +33 (0)760540606
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
How can anyone govern a nation that has 240 different kinds of cheese? -- Charles de Gaulle
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html
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