In This Issue
• Ho'okolohe passes halfway point in Transpac
• Champagne Sailing At British Classic Week
• Harken Marine Grip
• Diversity in IRC Three for the Rolex Fastnet Race
• Marlow Pioneers in using Recycled-based Dyneema for 11th Hour Racing Team Grand Prix Ropes
• Scheidt to roll back the years in 35-boat Olympic Laser fleet
• EUROSAF L30 Europeans
• Italian architect Alessadro Tosetti from Turin is the 26th entry in the GSC
• O'pen Skiff World Championships
• Young Azzurra Claims Victory Again In Persico 69F Cup Grand Prix 2.2
• Featured Charter: Andrasta i39-OS
• Featured Brokerage:
• • X-Yachts X-55
• • THEMARA GL Watson 81 ft Twin Screw Motor Yacht
• • NEEL 65 EVOLUTION - Trimaran
• The Last Word: Winston Churchill

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

Ho'okolohe passes halfway point in Transpac
With less than 1000 miles to go at 0800 Hawaii Standard Time today, Cecil and Alyson Rossi's Farr 57 Ho'okolohe is the first in the 40-boat fleet to pass the halfway point in this year's 2225-mile Transpac race from LA to Honolulu. At their tracker position of 27deg 08' North, 140deg 44' West they were speeding towards the finish at Diamond Head on Oahu at 11.8 knots, having traversed 227 miles in the past 24 hours.

The team on board is a mix of nine old and young offshore sailors from both California and Hawaii, with skipper Cecil being one of the most experienced.

The reason Ho'okolohe is out in front of the pack is not that she is the fastest boat on the course, but the fastest among the first wave of starters that left California 6 days ago. The leader in the next wave of starters who left last Friday is Bob Pethick's Rogers 46 Bretwalda from Palos Verdes, CA and his crew of eight. They too are speeding along at 11.8 knots and have 1500 miles left to sail.

And only a few miles close behind Bretwalda and in front of the Saturday starting group is Roy Disney's turbo Volvo 70 Pyewacket, who is sailing a whopping 50% faster at 17.6 knots, and will be where Ho'okolohe is now in 28 hours. At current speeds Pyewacket would pass the Hawaiian team only on the final approach into the finish, probably some time on Friday off of Molokai.

Pyewacket navigator Peter Isler's early prediction of this being a "classic" Transpac in the wind patterns and route choices seems to be holding true: boat tracks show an initial sag - but not a deep dive - to the south off the start to get across the ridge of pressure extending south east from the center of the Pacific High. Then the teams are lining up to be on straight tracks parallel and not too far south of the rhumb line, since the wind pressure seems solid in the course area without the light air of the High threatening to move south. Eventually the wind will shift further aft and they will be in full running mode to Hawaii, planning their next moves on where to be on final approach to Oahu.

YB tracker

transpacyc.com

Champagne Sailing At British Classic Week
Photo by Chris Brown. Click on image for photo gallery.

After a short postponement, Classes 1-4 set off for round the cans racing in blazing sunshine on day two at British Classic Week.

With the tide having just turned and a steady 8knot breeze in the air, all classes set off upwind from the outer Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line.

Classes 1 and 2 snuck in close to the mainland shore for the beat up to Dolphin before rounding the mark to port and reaching across the Solent, allowing for the now strong tide to take East Lepe to starboard. It was then a long beat across to the mainland shore towards West Lepe in the west. With the flooding tide taking the yachts down the channel, and the wind steadily fading, precision sailing was required to make the final mark.

Sailing a shorter course to allow for the ripping tide, Classes 3 and 4 also set off on the upwind leg close into the mainland shore to Lepe Spit. With a watchful eye on the depth close inshore, it then took some yachts a couple of extra tacks to beat the tide and creep around Lepe Spit to port, before some hoisted kites for the reach across to Gurnard and downwind onto RORC. The penultimate leg saw a beat back up against the tide to N.E Gurnard and a reach across back to Gurnard, all the while judging the infamously challenging Solent tides.

The final leg for all classes saw the yachts gliding eastwards back down the Solent under spinnaker to finish on the RYS line.

Spirit 52 Happy Forever placed first in Class 1 and 8mR Helen took her second win from two races. Regatta overall winner from 2019, Whooper won Class 3 and Suvretta made it two from two to wins in Class 4.

www.britishclassicweek.co.uk

After More Than 50 Years of Fighting Friction, We Know What Sticks!
Who better than we in Pewaukee, obsessed with making things slide, to know how to keep things from sliding? Test results prove Harken Marine Grip sticks at least 40% more effectively than competitive products whether you’re wearing leather shoes, boat shoes, or no shoes.

Originally designed by a surfer to mimic the feel of surf wax while outlasting it, Marine Grip is easy to clean and install. It’s cost-effective and works well anywhere you don’t want to slip: decks, docks, and ladder steps. It’s available in gray, black, and white that’s translucent for hatches or deck prisms. And it comes in rolls, strips, and hexagons you can assemble to cover irregular cockpit or foredecks.

But make no mistake: there are some things Harken Marine Grip simply does not do. It doesn’t rip up your hands and knees. It doesn’t chafe your board shorts or foul weather gear. It doesn’t hold onto dirt, change color, or get slick in cold weather or after months in the UVs and salt. And it doesn’t take all day to remove.

That’s Harken Marine Grip. If you try it, we believe you’ll stick with it.

harken.com

Diversity in IRC Three for the Rolex Fastnet Race
With less than a month before the start of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, IRC Three boasts the largest class competing with 88 teams entered from at least 10 different countries. IRC Three has a cornucopia of boat designs, mainly raced by amateur crews. However, amongst these Corinthian sailors is a rich vein of world class professionals, especially racing in the Two-Handed discipline. In recent editions, IRC Three has produced two overall winners of the Rolex Fastnet Race - Pascal and Alexis Loison racing Two-Handed with Night and Day (2013) and Gery Trentesaux's fully-crewed Courrier Du Leon (2015).

The vast majority of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race's IRC Two-Handed teams will be racing in IRC Three. The doublehanded discipline has become hugely popular, almost doubling in the number of entries over the last decade. The 49th edition is set to eclipse the 64 entries in the 2019 race.

2013 was a golden edition for the father and son duo, Pascal and Alexis Loison, racing JPK 1010 Night and Day to overall victory. Alexis Loison's success continued in 2019 with JPK 1030 Léon. Racing with the boat's builder Jean Pierre Kelbert, Léon was the winner of IRC Three and IRC Two-Handed. Léon was leading the Two-Handed Class by 17 minutes at the Fastnet Rock but won the class by nearly five hours by the finish. "After the Rock we had strong reaching conditions with big seas," recalls Alexis Loison. "With the A5 spinnaker up we were surfing at 19 knots and by the time we reached the Scilly Isles we were with IRC One!"

For the 2021 edition, Alexis will race Léon with a rising star. Guillaume Pirouelle has excelled in the 470 Class, won the Tour de France a la voile and has been selected to skipper Region Normandie in the Figaro Class. Should the pair taste success in this year's race, the two Normans will undoubtedly receive a hero's welcome in Alexis' home port of Cherbourg.

Over half of the teams racing in IRC Three for the Rolex Fastnet Race will be competing with a full crew. With team rotation and all hands on deck for manoeuvres, these teams can push their boats harder for longer than their doublehanded adversaries. Whilst the Two-Handed favourites come from France and Great Britain, there is a rich diversity of nationalities racing fully crewed with British and French teams joined by crews from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and the United States.

Fifteen J/109 teams have entered the Rolex Fastnet Race for the J/109 Trophy, 12 will be racing in IRC Three.

Six classic design yachts have entered the Rolex Fastnet Race in IRC Three, including Robert Nichols' Swan 48 Snow Wolf, Ben Morris' Swan 55 yawl Lulotte and Swan 48 Dantes sailed by Michael Orgzey. Hiroshi Nakajima's American S&S 49 Hiro Maru is a one-off aluminium yacht designed in 1969 for the original owner Chuck Kirsch. In 2019, Hiro, with his all-amateur Corinthian crew, sailed to victory in the Transatlantic Race, taking first in class for the 3,200nm race.

www.rolexfastnetrace.com

Marlow Pioneers in using Recycled-based Dyneema for 11th Hour Racing Team Grand Prix Ropes
Marlow Ropes have announced a new collaboration with DSM Dyneema to integrate their latest sustainable innovation, Recycled-based Dyneema within their products.

To demonstrate the material's feasibility and pilot the new product Marlow have teamed up with the 11th Hour Racing Team, substituting standard Dyneema fibre for Recycled-based Dyneema in their high performance Marlow Grand Prix ropes.

If you've read the latest Seahorse Magazine and Marlow's feature about how Marlow produces its world-renowned Grand Prix ropes, you'll know that this method of manufacturing allows them to offer bespoke features, innovations and customisations on short runs for various boat and rigging projects all around the world. The bespoke nature of the manufacturing allows Marlow to be more sustainable with less waste in the production process.

For further information about this new sustainable Dyneema fibre and Marlow's collaboration with DSM Dyneema & CirculariTeam visit www.marlowropes.com

Scheidt to roll back the years in 35-boat Olympic Laser fleet
The simplest of all dinghies, and barely changed since it surfaced 50 years ago, the Laser made its first Olympic appearance at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.

A 23-year-old Brazilian called Robert Scheidt narrowly won the gold medal in Atlanta ahead of Great Britain's 19-year-old Ben Ainslie. Somehow, a quarter of a century and seven Games appearances later, the Brazilian magician will be vying for the podium yet again.

Winner of five Olympic medals and narrowly missing out five years ago on home waters at Rio 2016 where he finished an agonising fourth place, Scheidt is defying his age and setting out to prove that a 48-year-old can conquer athletes half his age.

Even the dedicated Brazilian would admit that he is no longer considered the favourite for gold, however. Back in his heyday, the nine-time Laser World Champion started every regatta as the stand-out favourite. Then along came Australia's Tom Slingsby who dominated for a few years, culminating in a straightforward cruise to Olympic gold at London 2012. Four years later in Rio, Tom Burton continued Australia's winning ways, narrowly beating Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) in his bid to become Croatia's first ever Olympic Champion in sailing.

Racing in the Laser fleet will commence at 14:30 on the Kamakura racing area on Sunday 25 July. The 35-boat fleet will sail ten races ahead of their Medal Race on Sunday 1 August.

A full list of competitors is available HERE. -- Andy Rice

tokyo2020.sailing.org

EUROSAF L30 Europeans
Fourteen crews representing eight nations have been registered for the EUROSAF L30 Class European Championship hosted by Spartacus Club at Lake Balaton, Hungary. After the first two races held on 18 July, the local HUN8 "Present Perfect Team" emerged as an early leader.

For its fifth continental championship, the L30 Class continues its growth with several new teams joining for the 2021 edition. Given that the Rodion Luka and Anrej Justin-designed L30 yacht is easily trailerable, it is no wonder that the class spreads to even more countries. Now among the 14 crews that officially entered the event, there are eight nations and most of the crews are a mix of pro and amateur sailors.

The first race went to Peter Tenke's HUN308 "Present Perfect" team. Using the skills of the experienced crew and strong local knowledge, the Hungarian accomplished sailor managed to maintain his lead. In the second race, Tenke's team finished third and reassured the competitors that his crew is among the favorites. With this, the HUN308 topped the results after the first racing day, followed by the HUN307.

www.eurosaf.org

Italian architect Alessadro Tosetti from Turin is the 26th entry in the GSC
Italian architect Alessandro Tosetti from Turin has been sailing since childhood.

Where does your passion for sailing come from?
I was ten when I started going alone along the beach, to the Lega Navale of Albisola. Can I help? My usual question. Launch, hoist, prepare and wash, many dinghies.

A fly Junior that looked like a violin, built by Galetti with precious wood and a 470 white outside and greenish inside, were the first boats I conquered. In a few years, as a skipper without a license, I sailed for several owners in the Mediterranean and the ocean. The salary? The keys to the boat first, a salary later.

At the age of 22, my first piece of paper enabled me to transport passengers with boats up to 100 tons, issued in Miami by the US Coast Guard.

What prompted you to sign up for this event?
I was not pushed, but attracted by the greatest dream that this event finally offered me. Thank you.

How do you plan to prepare for this event?
With training. A challenge of around 3000 miles in difficult conditions. It's certainly a double challenge! I will leave alone from Imperia, to sail to Lisbon passing through the Azores next winter. Only after this experience, will I be able to say that I am ready.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge?
Getting permission from my daughters.

globalsolochallenge.com/alessandro-tosetti-news/

O'pen Skiff World Championships
Sardinia: Like many other events, the O'pen Skiff World Championships could not take place in 2020. One year later, happily the event has just found its way back to the scheduled 2020 destination, the fantastic spot at Calasetta, southern Sardinia, where 205 eager young sailors from 6 countries had signed up to compete for the O'pen Skiff World Champion titles at stake.

The only disappointment? The absence of major players such as New Zealand, Australia, India, Thailand and Japan, due to the ongoing Covid restrictions still in place in those countries. We hope to be back next year, with all of them at racing.

All the same, all 205 sailors had to wait one day to test themselves on the water, the first day of competition abandoned due to excessive (over 35 knots!) wind blast.

The final day's racing saw an excellent late surge from Poland's Daria Pedowska in the U13 category, making her the only girl to make a podium finish, in 3rd place. At the end of four days of hard racing in varied conditions, the new O'pen Skiff World Champions were crowned, although everyone here was a winner, making the effort to be present, and giving their all to enjoy great racing and great fun on and off the water.

Results
U13
1st : Josef Krasowski (Poland) 14pts
2nd : Matteo Attolico (Italy) 49pts
3rd : Daria Pedowska (Poland) 61pts

U17
1st : Manuel de Felice (Italy) 23pts
2nd : Leonardo Nonnis (Italy) 57pts
3rd : Alessandro Guernieri (Italy) 64pts

Full results

worlds2021.openskiff.org

Young Azzurra Claims Victory Again In Persico 69F Cup Grand Prix 2.2
Porto Cervo, Italy: With the final day of the Grand Prix 2.2, two weeks of racing on foiling Persico 69F boats in Costa Smeralda drew to a close. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda together with the team 69F, victory in the Grand Prix 2.2 went, with a comfortable margin, to the home team Young Azzurra, leaving Groupe My Ambition in second place and Sailing Performance in third overall.

On this conclusive day of the event racing started at approximately 10.30 a.m. on the regatta course off Porto Cervo. In winds of 14 to 17 knots, four more races were completed, bringing the total number of races held over the 3 days of the event to 12.

The Young Azzurra team kept their performances consistent, always crossing the finish line towards the top of the fleet, and today's results - two third places, a second and a first - secured a clear victory in the Grand Prix 2.2 of the Persico 69F Cup circuit. There was no shortage of battles on the water, and the penultimate race of the day, saw a spectacular duel between Young Azzurra and Group My Ambition on the approach to the finish, with the home team crossing the line first by just a few seconds. Groupe My Ambition claimed second place overall, leaving the Swiss team on Sailing Performance in third, with today's scoreline of a win, two-fifths and a fourth-place finish.

The next sporting event for the YCCS is the Coppa Europa Smeralda 888, scheduled from 23 to 25 July.

www.yccs.com

Featured Charter
Andrasta - i39-OS

British built and designed specifically for longer offshore events, providing a safe yet exciting ride for the eight crew.

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
2007 X-Yachts X-55. 370000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucio Pellegrini
Tel: +34 675 236 174
Email:

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1962 THEMARA GL Watson 81 ft Twin Screw Motor Yacht. 950000 EUR. Located in France.

THEMARA’s sound provenance - designed by masters of ocean-going seaworthiness and efficiency in powered yachts, G.L. Watson & Co., and built by one of their favourite Scottish yards - combined with an astonishing record of voyaging for a motor yacht of this size, and recent restoration and refit by

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NEEL 65 EVOLUTION - Trimaran. POA EUR.

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The Last Word
It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. -- Winston Churchill

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