EuroSail News #4933 - 6 October
In This Issue
• 45 Maxis in the Mistral
• 50th Finn World Masters
• Introducing: a Bunch of New Gizmos from Harken
• J/70 UK National Championships
• Shirley Robertson delves deep into British Sailing's Olympic Medal Factory
• Q&A Live Call with America's Cup veteran Cameron Dunn
• Next generation of JOG sailors
• For the Record
• Impressive Entry For 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race
• 2021 ART OF RACING Euro Series
• Featured Charter: Hermes - Pogo 12.50
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Elan GT6
• • Baltic 43 Ice
• • Johan Anker 49Ft Q-Class Sloop - Leonore
• The Last Word: Samuel Johnson
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
45 Maxis in the Mistral
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
4 groups of Maxis set sail shortly after midday at regular 10-minute intervals from Le Portalet, within sight of the large crowds. The 'big boats' of the IR1 fleet led the way towards the far end of the bay and a windward mark and it came as no surprise that record hunters Comanche, Rambler88 and Leopard 3 were straightaway embroiled in an almighty tussle.
On a beat towards Le Lavandou making over 17 knots, the wind picking up considerably in the gusts and creating foamy seas, the three large prototypes clashed horns in the spray. However, they didn't have the racetrack to themselves as there were a number of other protagonists keen for a share of the action and honed in the exercise of racing in the breeze, starting with a very familiar presence on the podiums, Magic Carpet Cubed, as well as Deep Blue, the Botin 85 and Odin, the large Swan 115 which was really firing on all cylinders today.
Geared up for downwind sailing, Comanche literally flew past the mark at La Fourmigue in a Mistral that increased to nearly 30 knots at times. Boasting a peak speed of over 26 knots, the VPLP/Verdier design managed to steal a bit of a march on Magic Carpet Cubed, which was very at ease in the breeze and on pretty much every point of sail.
Rambler 88 posted a great race, in contact with Comanche for a long while but she too was somewhat powerless against the blistering pace of the Comanche 'sleigh', which is seemingly unstoppable as she flies along downwind… Leading by a sizeable margin at the finish, Comanche was however unable to make up for her terrible rating.
As such, it was Deep Blue, which secured the race win ahead of Magic Carpet Cubed and Rambler. It's worth noting here that several Trophies will be up for grabs this week, together with 5 rather than 4 official rankings, the 72-footers (21.90 m) eager for their own chance at the podium! Indeed, at the request of the owners of the latter, the IRC3 group has been split into two subdivisions, IRC A and IRC B. Within the daily rankings will be 4 yachts, Ambersail, the VOR 65, and the three 72-footers North Star, Jethou and Vesper. A fight within a fight then between four yachts with very similar ratings and hence a guarantee of a cut-throat battle throughout the week.
www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
50th Finn World Masters
After nearly two and a half years of waiting, the 50th Finn World Masters will finally take place next week at Los Alcazares on the Mar Menor in Murcia, Spain. Despite the challenges of travelling, around 120 entries from 27 countries, as well as some more late entries, are expected to travel to Spain.
Traditionally held in May/June, both the 2020 and 2021 Finn World Masters in The Netherlands were cancelled due to COVID restrictions, so the class gratefully accepted the offer to host the event in October in Spain, the first time the championship has been sailed this late in the year.
The fleet is the smallest for some time, but packed full of top sailors and it should be a fascinating week of competition.
The fleet includes many past Olympians and top sailors, but the only former World Masters champion is John Greenwood from Britain.
Three-time Olympian Anthony Nossiter, from Australia, is back for his second Masters, going up against former Olympic rival Paul McKenzie. From France, former Grand Masters champion Laurent Hay is sure to be challenging the front, while Valerian Lebrun will be taking part in his first Masters event.
Other names to watch include the new European Masters champion Akos Lukats, from Hungary and runner up Bas de Waal, from the Netherlands, Lawrence Crispin and Allen Burrell, from Britain, 2019 European Masters champion Filipe Silva from Portugal, and Christoph Burger, from Switzerland.
This year there are also nine Legends – 70 years and older
Introducing: a Bunch of New Gizmos from Harken
That's right - Gizmos. A new line of soft-attach and through-deck pieces that live in the rigging space between blocks and heavy deck terminations. The first of these are through-deck bushings and water-tight padeye kits. Gizmos respond to riggers' desire to minimize weight and eliminate as much heavy metal as possible.
New single-sided through-deck bushing Gizmos chafeproof decks and lines when used in through-deck applications. Double-sided through-deck bushings are also available and are perfect for leading soft-attach loops, keeping lines separate, and preventing wear.
Our padeye kits include a cross pin, waterproof cap, and O-ring to convert a double-sided bushing into a through-deck, watertight padeye. The cross pin attaches the rope/loop and the cap snaps over the top to keep water out. The bushing and loop are sold separately.
Harken's reputation for precise manufacturing assures all these Gizmos will be precision-sized and fit together perfectly when assembled. And Harken distribution makes sure Gizmos are available in the quantities you need-when you need them. The bushings and padeye kits are just the beginning. We predict there will be a lot more Gizmos showing up as customers ask for them.
J/70 UK National Championships
The 2021 J/70 UK National Championships, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, will take place in The Solent, 8-10 October, with nine windward leeward races scheduled over three days. Full Entry List and Documents
The J/70 UK National Championships has added emphasis as a non-discardable regatta for the UK Grand Slam Series. The results of the 2021 season will decide who will win the right to compete at the 2022 Worlds at the Yacht Club de Monaco.
The 2021 J/70 UK National Open Champion, Graham Clapp's Jeepster, will be defending their title. As will the reigning Corinthian Champions, Charles Thompson's Brutus. The competition is set to be as fierce as ever, with a number of teams showing top form in 2021.
Nick Phillips' Chaotic leads the Open 2021 Grand Slam Series after five rounds having won both the Cowes Week mini-series and the Royal Southern YC July Regatta.
Charles Thompson's Brutus is the top Corinthian team for the 2021 Grand Slam Series and is defending their Corinthian National title.
Shirley Robertson delves deep into British Sailing's Olympic Medal Factory
In this month's edition of the podcast, Shirley Robertson talks to a host of Olympic sailing stars as she delves deep into the world of British Sailing, and asks just why the team has become such a dominant force in Olympic Sailing.
Robertson, a former Team GB member herself of course, a four time Olympian and double Olympic gold medallist, talks to three of Team GB's Tokyo 2020 gold medallists, discussing their own personal routes to victory, but also delving into life as a member of the most successful Olympic sailing team of all time. She also talks to the Team's Head of Performance, Mark Robinson, she discusses the rigours of back to back Olympic campaigning with Team GB's Luke Patience, and she gets the outside viewpoint from US Sailing's Paul Cayard.
This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact .
www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast
Q&A Live Call with America's Cup veteran Cameron Dunn
One of New Zealand's most in-demand keelboat sailors, Cameron Dunn works with the very best, either as part of the crew or team coach. A former America's Cup helmsman, Cameron has operated across every major series on the big boat calendar including the RC44, TP52 and Maxi yacht circuits.
Whether you're talking about a team of 2 or a team of 22, it's easy for the wrong kind of politics to get a hold of the crew and have a negative impact on crew morale - and ultimately the results.
Crew Cohesion: Cameron's seen what hurts this critical factor and he's also seen what can really help create the glue that binds a crew together into a winning unit.
Cameron will be sharing his best advice with the Road To Gold team this Wednesday evening/ Thursday morning (depending on your timezone). Join this week's Live Q&A call with Hamish Willcox, Andy Rice and the rest of the Road To Gold audience.
If you've not been to one of these calls before, give it a try. For free. Most of the people who join the call are repeat customers, because they've got so much out of these 60 minutes of gold nuggets of wisdom and sailing experience.
Join our Live Q&A call with Cameron this Thursday
Here's the Zoom link to join the call FREE
Meeting ID: 825 6106 4060
Passcode: 810165
WHEN?
The Q&A kicks off on Zoom at 2000 hours UK time Wednesday evening 6 October/ 0800 hours NZ time on Thursday morning 7 October.
Make sure you're signed up to the Road To Gold Facebook Group to get further info on the call. facebook.com/groups/roadtogoldsquad
Pip Hare and Shirley Robertson OBE join a raft of sailing superstars confirmed to inspire the next generation of JOG sailors
JOG (Junior Offshore Group) launches the Sailing Legend Series as part of their new youth programme, Generation JOG, aimed at those aged 25 years and under. Throughout the Autumn and Winter months of 2021/22, Generation JOG members will have the unique opportunity to attend a series of exclusive webinars, where they will have the opportunity to ask prominent sailing legends questions about their experiences, tips, and upcoming plans.
The lineup includes Pip Hare, Shirley Robertson OBE, Henry Bomby, Dee Caffari MBE and Tapio Lehtinen. Some of whom are regular JOG participants.
If you are 25 years old and under or you know of anyone that is, you can register and sign up at myjog.jog.org.uk/sign-in .
For the Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record:
Record: Chicago to Mackinac
Yacht: "Arete" ORMA 60 ft Tri
Name: Rick Warner. USA and a crew of 10.v Dates:.20th to the 21st September 2021.
Start time: 15; 38; 05 UTC on the 20/09/21
Finish time: 04; 08; 12 UTC on the 21/09/21
Elapsed time: 12 hours 30 minutes and 7 seconds
Course length: 289 NM
Average speed: 23.12 kts
Comments: Previous Record: "Il Mostro". Peter Thornton. USA. Oct 17. 17h 59m 49s
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
sailspeedrecords.com
Impressive Entry For 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race
With three weeks to go to the start of the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race, the entry list augurs the possibility of a fabulous and fascinating race. 125 yachts are currently entered, just shy of the 130-boat record set in 2018. Not bad, given the circumstances surrounding this year's event and proof positive of the enduring popularity of offshore racing and this classic of the Mediterranean in particular.
The fleet assembling ranges in scope from mighty Maxi Monohulls and Maxi Multihulls to plucky double-handed crews. The largest yacht registered is the Monegasque flagged 42.56m/140ft Skorpios, the smallest is the 9.45m/31ft Hanse 311, Gabriele Spaggiari's Catina 4 from Italy.
Given the right conditions, the race record of 47 hours, 55 minutes and 3 seconds will be under serious threat with the likes of Skorpios, the 30.48m/100ft Comanche (CAY), the 27m/88ft Rambler (USA) on the line, and not forgetting the multihulls, whose own record is nearly nine hours slower than the race/monohull time. Maserati Multi70 (ITA), the two MOD 70s: Mana (ITA) and Argo (USA), and the 24m/80ft Ultim'Emotion (FRA) must all have the aspiration, if circumstances lend themselves to a fast run. The current benchmark time has stood since 2007, or 13 editions, itself a record with the previous longest run being eight races.
All eyes, though, will be on the main prize: the overall win under IRC time correction and the magnificent Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy commissioned in 1968 by the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Malta Tourism Authority (then, the Malta Government Tourist Board) and created by noted local artist Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona.
The host nation, Malta, has been the most successful in recent years, winning the trophy on four occasions since 2010. For the past two editions, the Podesta family, racing the First 45 Elusive 2, has won the ultimate prize. Aaron, Christoph, and Maya with their crew of friends are on a hattrick of victories for 2021, a feat last achieved over 40 years ago by Nita IV from 1978 to 1980.
2021 ART OF RACING Euro Series
Bo Petersen has won the 2021 ART OF RACING Euro Series, which came to a windy conclusion at the German Championship at Wismar over the long weekend of 30 September to 3 October.
Sixty-six sailors came to the start line of what was a very windy event, with two days lost due to high winds. However six races were managed with one day of strong winds and one day of moderate winds. Andre Budzien won the title again, from Jan Kurfeld, with Petersen third, which was easily enough to win the 2021 ART OF RACING Euro Series by 47 points from Greg Wilcox and Andreas Pich.
Stage 3 of the Euro Series also includes results from the Autumn Trophy in Bandol, won by Nick Craig from Wilcox and Laurent Hay, as well as the Belgian and Polish Nationals. The Belgian Nationas was won by Pieter Van Laer from Stephan Veldman and Jørgen Holm, while the Polish Nationals was won by Tomasz Gaj from Michał Strumnik and Przemyslaw Drozdzik.
Going into the final event in Wismar only Petersen or Wilcox could realistically win the series, which has consisted of the international events in Garda, Kiel and Bandol, along with seven national championships in Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France Germany, Poland, Sweden and The Netherlands.
New Zealand based Art of Racing is a supplier of specialised dinghy racing equipment, including booms for OK Dinghies and Finns and has become the boom of choice for the majority of the fleets since first entering the market eight years ago.
Featured Charter
Hermes - Pogo 12.50. Located in USA and Caribbean 2022.
The Pogo 12.50 is a racing cruiser equipped for circumnavigation. Modelled after the round the world race boat open 60, the Pogo 12.50 is packed with speed and stability, not sacrificing comfort for performance. Available to charter on the East Coast of the USA and Caribbean 2022.
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
Elan GT6. POA EUR
Our flagship GT6 is a next-generation Grand Tourer that delivers the perfect balance of speed and power, comfort and luxury, good handling and precise control.
Stiff, stable and weatherly, the high-performance hull and sailplan by Humphreys Yacht Design are optimised for short-handed, medium-range cruising. Three generations of Humphreys/Elan design evolution and extensive CFD modelling produce a refined yacht that handles like a thoroughbred and delivers exhilarating performance on all points of sail, across the full range of wind and sea conditions.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Elan, d.o.o.
Begunje 1,
4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem,
Slovenia
+386 4 53 51 109
-----------------------------------------
2007 Baltic 43 Ice. 490,000 VAT PAID EUR. Located in Italy.
It is not uncommon for owners of larger yachts to commission smaller sailing boats for easy, shorthanded day sailing. ICE is such a yacht, a fully custom, high performance day-boat. Her simplicity and stunning looks set her apart. Her large, open-transom cockpit provides a perfect working area for two and with no backstays or runners, a single point mainsheet, powerful rig, high aspect ratio appendages and a hydraulically-powered lift mechanism for the keel she was designed for really easy handling. Built in carbon vacuum bagged sandwich with nano-epoxy to increase laminating properties. The accommodation provides shelter with a clean, modern, minimalist design touch.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
-----------------------------------------
Johan Anker 49Ft Q-Class Sloop - Leonore. 600000 EUR. Located in France.
This thoroughbred sailing yacht continues to turn heads and offer only transom views. Q-Class yachts offer fun racing for a bunch of friends in boats that look gorgeous - at the dock or on the water - with performance that lives up to looks.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sandeman Yacht Company
22 Market Street
Poole, BH15 1NF
Email:
Tel: 01202 330077
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others. -- Samuel Johnson
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html
Search the Archives
SEARCH
Search
[{{{type}}}] {{{reason}}}
{{/data.error.root_cause}}{{texts.summary}} {{#options.result.rssIcon}} RSS {{/options.result.rssIcon}}
{{/texts.summary}} {{#data.hits.hits}}
{{{_source.title}}} {{#_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayPrice}}} {{/_source.showPrice}}
{{#_source.showLink}} {{/_source.showLink}} {{#_source.showDate}}{{{_source.displayDate}}}
{{/_source.showDate}}{{{_source.description}}}
{{#_source.additionalInfo}}{{#_source.additionalFields}} {{#title}} {{{label}}}: {{{title}}} {{/title}} {{/_source.additionalFields}}
{{/_source.additionalInfo}}
