EuroSail News #4896 - 9 August
In This Issue
• Lumpy Solent takes its toll as 49th Rolex Fastnet Race sets sail
• Alex Thomson and Ollie Heer start the Rolex Fastnet Race
• 450 Entries. 600+miles. Cherbourg
• Alexela ORC World Championship
• Seawanhaka Corinthian Cruises to Hinman Trophy
• Cowes Week Final Report
• Cowes Week - What Happened
• Sam Goodchild skippers Leyton to success
• Sir Chay Blyth returns to the Hamble to celebrate the 50th anniversary
• Cadet World Championship
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 53 Lucia
• • Infiniti 52R
• • Dazcat 1495
• The Last Word: Leonard Gardner
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
Issues only Monday and Friday this week... on vacation!
Lumpy Solent takes its toll as 49th Rolex Fastnet Race sets sail
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
The Rolex Fastnet Race has a reputation for the severe weather that it can throw at its competitors. Still strongly remembered is the 1979 race that cost 19 lives. Today the 49th edition of the 96-year-old offshore racing classic lived up to its fame as the first of seven starts got underway at 15 minute intervals starting at 1100 BST. Over the last three days strong southwesterly winds have been blowing up the Channel and competitors in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s premier event were treated to these same headwinds gusting into the 30s and, as the tide turned off the Needles and in the western Solent, a building wind-against-tide sea state developed.
COVID, international travel restrictions due to COVID, plus Brexit have resulted in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race being a unique affair. This along with a lively forecast for the race’s first 24 hours caused entries to drop as start day approached. Nonetheless crossing line today off Cowes was still a highly impressive turn-out of 337 boats from 24 nations including Japan, Mexico and eight from the USA, but the majority from Europe, including the largest ever turn-out from France.
Despite winds gusting to 35 knots, the starts got away well. Among the multihulls, it was the favourites and defending champions, Volvo Ocean Race winners Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on the Ultime trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild that pulled the trigger most rapidly. They were followed by Thomas Coville’s Sodebo Ultim 3 and the Yves le Blevec-skippered Actual, but with the two MOD70s Maserati and Argo of Giovanni Soldini and Jason Carroll respectively, leading the charge in the MOCRA fleet. Incredibly just three hours after starting the Ultimes had already crossed the Channel and were putting in a tack to the west of Cape de la Hague, setting themselves up unusually to pass south of the Casquets TSS.
Competitors are expecting a breezy night but for conditions to slowly abate over the next 24 hours.
Alex Thomson and Ollie Heer start the Rolex Fastnet Race
Earlier today Alex Thomson and co-skipper Ollie Heer started the 49th Rolex Fastnet Race, the double-handed 695mile race which started from The Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, Isle of Wight. The course sees the yachts race to the Fastnet Rock in the Irish Sea and sprint back to the finish line in Cherbourg, France, where the race finishes for the first time.
Alex and Ollie are also joined by Onboard Reporter Paddy Condy, who is capturing all the action first hand, giving fans an insight into life onboard whilst HUGO BOSS is in full race mode!
Watch the action captured by Paddy from onboard HUGO BOSS at the start!
www.alexthomsonracing.com/the-hub/
450 Entries. 600+miles. Cherbourg.
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Alexela ORC World Championship
Tallinn, Estonia: Despite today’s light and fluky air in Tallinn Bay, most of the 104 registered teams went out to participate in today’s practice racing of the Alexela ORC World Championship 2021. And while the wind was low, spirits are high here in the Pirita Marina with the assembly of this large fleet of boats returning to serious big boat racing.
The event opened with a moving opening ceremony where dozens of teams marched in a promenade to the stage venue behind their national flags, where Estonian 1988 Olympic 470 Silver medalists and 1992 Bronze medallists Tonu and Toomas Toniste lit the massive Olympic torch built here for when Tallinn hosted the 1980 Olympic sailing events.
The Championship starts Monday with a Skippers Briefing at 0830 for the Long Offshore Race powered by Tactical Foodpack, with the Warning Signal scheduled for 10:00 local time. Class A entries will be sent on a course of 200 or 216 miles in length, depending on the wind direction, the Class B course will be either 181 or 167 miles, and the Class C course will be either 147 or 143 miles in length. This course lengths were chosen to anticipate a race of at least 24 hours length to fulfill the ORC “Green Book” championship rules requirements. The remainder of the week will feature windward-leeward races and a short Coastal race.
Seawanhaka Corinthian Cruises to Hinman Trophy
A lack of wind cut short the final day of the 20th running of the Hinman Masters Team Race, but the results to that point in the three-day regatta left no doubt which team deserved to be on top of the podium. With 17 wins in 18 races, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was the dominant team on Narragansett Bay this weekend, winning the trophy for the second time, but the first time in more than a decade.
The entry requirements for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy stipulate that all skippers must be at least 45 and all crew at least 40. While many of the teams feature a trio of skippers who have just recently become eligible, Seawanhaka went with a more generationally diverse line-up, including team captain Al Constants, who was on the SCYC team when it first won the trophy in 2008, and 1992 America's Cup-winning tactician David Dellenbaugh.
Each August the New York Yacht Club hosts three team-race regattas on consecutive weekends: the New York Yacht Club Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Morgan Cup (July 30 to August 1), the New York Yacht Club Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy (August 6 to 8) and the New York Yacht Club Grandmasters Team Race Regatta (August 13 to 15). Each event utilizes the Club's fleet of 22 Sonars (designed by member Bruce Kirby, who recently passed away). The latter two have age minimums for skippers and crew to encourage team racing as a life-long pursuit. Founded in 2003, 2000 and 2010, respectively, the three regattas are among the most competitive adult team-racing competitions in the world, annually attracting top sailors from across the country and abroad.
Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club Team: Al Constants (skipper/captain), Dave Constants, Nick Ewenson, Kyle Shattuck, Dave Dellenbaugh (skipper), David Kellogg, Greg Stevens, Peter Troxler, Tim Fallon (skipper), Karen Fallon, Martha Glenn and Ned Glenn. -- Stuart Streuli
Final Standings
1. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) 15 points
2. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club-Doyle, 12
3. Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans), 10
4. Eastport (Md.) Yacht Club, 8
5. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club-Fallon, 7
6. Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, Conn.), 6
7. St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco), 5
8. Larchmont (N.Y.) Yacht Club, 5
9. St. Petersburg (Fla.) Yacht Club, 4
Cowes Week Final Report
Cowes Week 2021 delivered a mix of interesting and exciting racing, with up to 40 races per day across 30 classes.
Giles Peckham's Daring Dauntless won the regatta overall for a record fourth time, having notched up five race wins and one second place. "It's been a very classic Cowes Week, with light and strong winds, everything in between and challenging decision making," says Peckham.
He was sailing with his wife Jane and co-owner Richard Romer-Lee. Milo Carver the fourth member of Peckham's usual team couldn't make it because of travel restrictions, so Mark Harrison and Richard Acland stepped in on different days. "They all did a tremendous job in keeping us at the front," says Peckham. "We love the team work on board - everyone has their eyes out of the boat and we all contribute to tactics.
"We also recognise the huge amount of effort the Cowes Week organising committee and the hundreds of volunteers have put into making this event happen over the last two years. They have demonstrated flexibility, innovation and have given us a fantastic week."
The new Cape 31 class delivered five different winners across six races and all but two boats scored at least one podium result. Russell Peters' Squirt became more consistent as the regatta progressed, scoring 1, 2, 1 in the final three races. Peters won overall three points ahead of Lance Adam's Katabatic, with Roger Bowden's Nifty five points adrift in third.
In contrast to the ultra-modern design of the Cape 31s, a traditionally built wooden boat won the Dragon class for the first time in decades. Bluebottle, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's former boat, raced for the first time in 60 years after a comprehensive restoration by Cowes boat builder David Heritage.
Raced this week by Graham and Julia Bailey, with Heritage also on board, Bluebottle won her first three races, discarded fourth on Tuesday, then finished with a pair of second places to win the class with a day to spare. Eric Williams' Ecstatic took second overall, two points ahead of Gavia Wilkinson-Cox's Jerboa.
In the Etchells fleet, Nick Stagg's China White started with a fifth place, but followed it with an impressive unbroken string of firsts and seconds to end the week 9.5 points ahead of Rob Goddard's Rocketman. -- Rupert Holmes
Cowes Week 2022 will take place from July 30-August 6. www.cowesweek.co.uk
Cowes Week - What Happened
From flat calm to flat out, Cowes Week had it all this year and few were complaining. After the cancellation of last year's event and the lack of competitive sailing in 2020, most were simply pleased to get back out on the water. And for those that did, the variety of conditions was matched by the huge range of boats that Cowes Week has always been famous for. In short, it was great to be back. Here's my take on what happened. -- Matthew Sheahan
Sam Goodchild skippers Leyton to success
The first season of the Pro Sailing Tour ended yesterday evening after a five-and-a-half day sail in the closing offshore leg of the race, the ‘Final Rush’. Having skippered their yacht from Brest to La Rochelle followed by Las Palmas de Grand Canaria, Sam Goodchild and his crew are crowned winners of this series of the Tour, adding yet another accolade to their already impressive tally.
They came out on top after finishing the final leg of the race - a 1650-mile-long stretch of water from Toulon to Brest, in which they underwent several re-groupings and a final exhilarating sprint across the Bay of Biscay.
In the end, it was Leyton, skippered by Goodchild, which prevailed over Arkema 4. These two crews, who have been consistent front runners in the offshore racing world, rightfully stand side-by-side on the podium at the end of this first season of the Pro Sailing Tour.
Final Rush - Provisional Rankings 8/08/21 - 17:30
1. Leyton (Sam Goodchild), 5d 10h 19' 38"
2. Arkema 4 (Quentin Vlamynck), +49' 22"
3. Solidaires en Peloton - ARSEP (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus), +49' 39"
4. Primonial (Sebastien Rogues), +49' 39"
5. Ciela Village (Erwan Le Roux), a 354 millas de Brest
6. The Arch (Armel Tripon/Benoît Marie), retirado
Overall Provisional Pro Sailing Tour 2021 rankings
1. Leyton (Sam Goodchild), 43 points
2. Arkema 4 (Quentin Vlamynck), 36 points
3. Solidaires en Peloton - ARSEP (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus), 26 points
Sir Chay Blyth returns to the Hamble to celebrate the 50th anniversary
Royal Southern Yacht Club Commodore Robert Vose (left) with Sir Chay Blyth and fellow pioneering solo circumnavigator Sir Rob Knox-Johnston. Photo by Barry Pickthall. Click on image to enlarge.
British yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth returned to the Hamble today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his victorious return to the UK at the end of a pioneering 292-day solo non-stop west-about circumnavigation against the prevailing winds and currents aboard his 59ft ketch rigged yacht British Steel.
A large crowd gathered at the Royal Southern Yacht Club to welcome his return, including fellow pioneer solo circumnavigator Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and Mike Golding who was the first to break Sir Chay's record 23 years later. The fact that only 5 sailors have managed to complete the same 'wrong way' voyage in the 50 years, against the 140 who have sailed East-about with the prevailing winds, underlines the enormity of Blyth's feat 50 years ago when yachts were not equipped with roller furling, GPS navigation, poor communications and only rudimentary self-steering. Blyth's wind vane self steering was smashed in a storm off Cape Horn, and Blyth had to steer his 59ft yacht by hand for the remaining 20,000 miles.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said today: "Francis Chichester, Alec Rose, myself and Chay were the pathfinders when the Brits dominated this form of ocean sailing, which led to a lot of people taking up the sport."
Click here to read an account of Sir Chay's historic voyage published in Classic Boat magazine. -- Barry Pickthall
Cadet World Championship
Riva del Garda, Italy: With two wonderful days of sun and wind, the Cadet Youth Double World Championship ended in Riva del Garda with the overall victory of Argentina and the rest of the podium conquered by Poland. It was an intense week at Fraglia Vela Riva, the club organising the event by delegation of the Sailing Federation, with the Race Committee struggling in the first few days to hold races due to unstable weather and little wind. However, it was a great end to the Championship with clear and perfect days for the wind, especially from the north, which allowed the last two days to recover well, with 6 exciting and spectacular races. After the heavy storms on Wednesday evening, the following morning Lake Garda was magnificent.
For the 60 crews from 8 nations it was wonderful to be able to race in such conditions, although on Thursday morning it was necessary to slalom because of the numerous logs that flowed into the lake from the mouth of the River Sarca between Riva and Torbole.
The final ranking confirmed the trend of the last 2-3 days with Finstebusch-Barone from Argentina as Cadet World Champions after 11 races and winners of the last race. Second and third place went to Poland with silver to the female crew Ostrowska-Labanowska and bronze to their compatriots Krysiak-Sienkiewicz.
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The Last Word
Hoping never done nothing. It wanting that do it. You got to want to win so bad you can taste it. If you want to win bad enough you win. -- Leonard Gardner, Fat City
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