In This Issue
• Mini Transat Leg 2 Start
• PalmaVela Finale
• Information - Innovation - Conversation
• Comanche Confirmed As Overall Winner Of Rolex Middle Sea Race
• 18ft Skiffs Club Championship, Race 1
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• McIntyre Adventure Globe 5.80 Transat start delayed
• A half-century on longitude 96° W
• 35th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race Postponed To 2023
• Los Angeles or Bust
• Featured Brokerage:
• • CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht
• • Baltic Yachts 52
• • Seaquest SQ46
• The Last Word: Elizabeth Holmes

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

23rd Mini Transat EuroChef Leg 2 start - Bound for the West Indies
As planned, the second leg of the 23rd Mini Transat EuroChef kicked off Friday at 14:00 UTC. Propelled along by a light NE'ly breeze, the 86 participants still competing in the event left Santa Cruz de La Palma bound for Saint-Francois with a hefty 2,700-mile sprint ahead of them as well as a great many unknowns.

Unknowns associated with the exercise itself which, for the vast majority of sailors, will be their transatlantic debut, but also unknowns linked to the weather. Indeed, in addition to the wind shadows created by the Canary Islands, the solo sailors will also have to deal with some lacklustre trade wind and the great many uncertainties caused by this scenario.

As predicted, very light airs (between 4 and 5 knots of NE'ly breeze) set the tone for the start of the second leg of the 23rd edition of the Mini Transat EuroChef this Friday afternoon, offshore of Santa Cruz de La Palma. For the next 24-36 hours then, the solo sailors will have to be patient and opportunistic in their bid to escape the Canaries archipelago.

* This Sunday, whilst making headway offshore of the coast fringing the Western Sahara, the fleet competing in the 23rd Mini Transat EuroChef has scattered every which way. Indeed, it now spans over 180 miles in latitude and 130 miles in longitude, evidence that the 84 competitors still out on the racetrack are each sailing their own race. Some of them have clearly placed the emphasis on heading due south where they can rack up good speeds, whilst others are opting for a compromise by zigzagging their way down the Atlantic so as to gradually reposition themselves over to the west. One other, Australian Christiaan Durrant (1015 - Little Rippa), has clearly targeted the shortest route by sticking as closely as possible to the great circle route, which should logically give him pride of place on the leader board in the near future. A position report which, at this stage of the race, doesn't really give a true indication of which competitors are best placed to hook onto favourable conditions going forward.

www.minitransat.fr

www.sail-world.com

PalmaVela Finale
Winds on the Bay of Palma proved just a little too fresh and the racing schedule was cut accordingly on the third and final day of the 17th edition of the 80 boat PalmaVela regatta. But most classes enjoyed at least one breezy contest, and some managed two, so providing a spirited finale to an all too short and sweet regatta which serves this year as the Mediterranean racing season's finale.

With a second place in the brisk 16-20kts SW'ly winds and choppy, wavy conditions Vladimir Liubomirov's Bronenenosec won the highly competitive, ten boat TP52 class which used the regatta as a perfect warm up for the Rolex TP52 World Championships which start on Tuesday on these same waters. Hasso Plattner's Phoenix team, with Tom Slingsby calling tactics and Cameron Dunn as strategist, took today's winning gun to finish third overall just behind Quantum Racing.

With the right side of the course favoured it was Code Zero, steered by Marc Blees, which led up the first beat after identifying the gain to be made on this side. But, on their first race in the fleet together, they could not hold off Phoenix and Bronenosec but the Dutch flagged team still managed a good third, an auspicious debut for a crew comprising Blees' sailing friends on the chartered Xio.

With a first, a second and third Bronenosec won the class ahead of Doug DeVos' Quantum Racing which finished fifth today, Harm Muller Spreer's Platoon - sixth today - took third step on the podium.

ORC Class Zero sailed two races today in winds topping 25 knots in the gusts. The Spanish Navy's evergreen TP52 Aifos 500, one of the very first MedFleet Farr boats dating back to 2005, won twice today to clinch the class overall.

In ORC Class 3 a win in the final race gives Nicolas Gonzalez' Dufour 40 Lady the overall class win by a single point, while regular campaigner Scott Beattie and his crew won Class 4 on the J/97 Just the Job with three consecutive wins from three starts.

Zachary Lamb and crew won the J/80 class by a single point taking the three final races back to back on Mikaku while in the Dragons, which also sailed five races, it is Javier Scherk's Gunter which win the Spanish Cup on tie break.

Dr. Tim Leisenhoff and crew on the majestic Marigan, the 1898 Charles Livingstone 50 foot gaff cutter, who have won many of the Mediterranean's classic yacht honours, triumphed with two wins in the Vintage Classics fleet, just ahead of Sir Keith Mills' and his crew on his freshly restored 78 foot 1929 Frank C Paine schooner Viveka.

PalmaVela regatta returns to its more usual schedule on the racing calendar in May 2022.

Full Results

palmavela.com

Information - Innovation - Conversation
After two years, it is time to meet again in person! The global leisure marine industry finally comes together from 16 to 18 November 2021 in Amsterdam - Robline will exhibit in Hall 1, booth 265!

Robline has focused on sustainability and performance both in kiting and sailing, and is thrilled to introduce several new products to the portfolio. This includes

- a fully recycled line,
- new packaging material, and
- an award-winning product!

The trade show will take place in compliance with the current COVID19 measures that apply to B2B events in the Netherlands. For country-specific requirements, please refer to relevant resources!

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

www.roblineropes.com/en/

Comanche Confirmed As Overall Winner Of Rolex Middle Sea Race
The 30.48m/100ft Maxi Comanche (CAY) has been confirmed as the overall winner of the 42nd Rolex Middle Sea Race. Skippered by Mitch Booth, the exceptional crew of 23 included in its ranks the likes of Will Oxley, as navigator, Tom Slingsby, Kyle Langford, Shannon Falcone, Hugo Rocha, Justin Slattery, Willy Altadill and Luke Molloy. Victory under IRC time correction is added to the monohull line honours and monohull race record secured in a contest dominated, initially at least, by what many have described as a once in a lifetime weather system.

Comanche finished the race on the morning of Monday 25 October and was in pole position until the arrival of the JPK 1180 Sunrise on the afternoon of Tuesday 26 October. The race narrative then altered in the early hours of Wednesday 27 October, with some 23 boats still on the racecourse. A serious and adverse change to the weather forecast led the Royal Malta Yacht Club Race Committee to invoke the alternative finish line, as per the sailing instructions.

According to available records, this is the first time in the 53-year history of the Rolex Middle Sea Race that the alternative finish line has had to be used. 19 yachts have been able to finish the race using this line.

As a consequence of the decision, all yachts taking part have been scored for the purposes of time correction using the alternative finish line. Competing in IRC Class One, Comanche's corrected time to the alternative finish line of three days six hours 30 minutes and 20 seconds has proved just over an hour faster than second placed Sunrise (IRC Class Five) and almost four hours ahead of Daguet 3 - Corum in third (IRC Class Two). No one left racing is able to meet the time required to change this result.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

18ft Skiffs Club Championship, Race 1
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbor, NSW, AUS: Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League's Club Championship produced an amazing finish when the current national champion Tech2 team, Jack Macartney, Lewis Brake and Luke Parkinson, grabbed victory just metres from the finish line on Sydney Harbour today.

When John Winning's Yandoo capsized, after hitting the wake of a power boat, on the run to the finish, Finport Finance (Keagan York, Bryce Edwards, Phil Marshall) headed for the finish line narrowly ahead of Tech2 and still looked likely to grab the honours as the two skiffs set for the final gybe.

Tech2 gybed first while the Finport Finance team elected to carry on further. It was a costly move as Tech2 sailed straight for the finish line and won by 13s.

Smeg (Michael Coxon, Ricky Bridge, Zac Barnabas) finished a further 39s further back in third place, followed by Yandoo (John Winning), Lazarus Capital Partners (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis).

Prior to the dramas on the final leg of the course, the shifting, gusty ENE breeze produced difficult conditions for the fleet.

While today's conditions weren't a true guide to form, there is every indication that this could be one of the closest races at the top end of the fleet for several seasons. -- Frank Quealey

Races 4 and 5 of the Spring Championship will be conducted next Sunday.

www.18footers.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Our 13th annual competition is now open, accepting tall tales and drink recipes until mid December. While your humble narrator thinks that there are FAR too many pumpkin spiced items purveyed this time of year, he's not developed a full rant and refusal stance yet.

Which allows for this lovely concoction: the Pumpkin Martini

The Pumpkin Martini is an autumnal spin on the flavored vodka martini using pumpkin flavors. There are many ways to achieve the flavors of the season, like pumpkin spice syrup or pumpkin liqueur. But for our recipe, we wanted to use the natural flavors: real pumpkin and pumpkin spice! It's an ideal drink for Halloween or Thanksgiving, or any fall gathering. -- acouplecooks.com/pumpkin-martini/

Here's what you'll need for this Pumpkin Martini recipe:

Wight Vodka
Heavy cream (or coconut milk)
Pure maple syrup
Canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Pumpkin pie spice (purchased or homemade)
Vanilla extract
Graham crackers, for the rim

Pour maple syrup onto a plate.. invert the glass and coat the rim. This is the cracker glue. Crush some graham crackers onto another plate. Invert again and encrust the rim.

Combine all the other ingredients in a blender. Experiment to taste... Chill. Pour and enjoy.

Then... tell us about your favorite bar at eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

The prize for the best recipe sent is a signed limited edition copy of Eileen Ramsay - the Queen of Yachting Photography from South Atlantic Publishing (including shipping and handling)

McIntyre Adventure Globe 5.80 Transat start delayed
The Race Director of the G580T Lutz Kohne, has delayed the start of the McIntyre Adventure Globe 5.80 Transat 24hrs to Monday 1st NOV. at 1200 hrs UTC. While the weather was acceptable for Sunday 31st, the entrants all agreed it would be best to await the arrival of Irish entrant Jim Schofield, who has been towing his yacht 'Molly Claire" from Ireland by car and is not due to arrive in Marina de Lagos on Sunday night. He will then launch, rig and prepare to sail in the following days. Jim has made a huge effort to be with the fleet and join the race and is now not expected to start until Thursday, catching up with the fleet officially in Marina Rubicon Lanzarote.

All entrants want to have a drink with him before they set off! That is how the Globe 5.80 family works.

"Our fleet is the same size as the VOLVO Race fleet, so that is cool and the entrants are one big family and this is all for them!" Said Don McIntyre, Founder of the 5.80 class and skipper of TREKKA.

Follow the live Tracker on www.Globe580Transat.com and live coverage of the start on Globe 5.80 Transat Facebook Page.

globe580transat.com/

A half-century on longitude 96° W
WANDERER III, a Laurent Giles-designed 30' sloop, had been commissioned by Eric and Susan Hiscock, who made their first circumnavigation in her in 1952-55. Their subsequent writing and photography had inspired a whole generation of sailors to get out there and sail far. The boat, Eric, and Susan had planted the seed for all of us who followed. Now, a decade into owning and sailing this legendary boat, my first article in English saw WANDERER III not only revitalized on the oceans, but also on the seascape of written words.

That early article focused mainly on repairs I had done in Denmark in the early 1980s to address problems created by the once-common English practice of connecting wrought-iron floors, via copper rivets, to a copper-sheathed hull. With this mix of metals immersed in warm, salty, tropical waters, WANDERER III had been a virtual battery.

Twelve years later, in another WoodenBoat article (WB No. 182), I dwelt upon the same legacy. During a more extensive second restoration, this time in New Zealand, I had reframed and refastened her, and replaced all remaining iron with bronze.

Text and photographs by Thies Matzen in WoodenBoat magazine:
woodenboat.com/wanderer-iii

35th Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race Postponed To 2023
Montego Bay, Jamaica - It is with great regret that the Montego Bay Yacht Club announce the unavoidable postponement of the 2022 Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay Race. The race was scheduled to take place January 22-29, 2022. The new race dates will be January 21-28, 2023.

With this postponement the Pineapple Cup will resume its traditional place on the winter racing calendar in the odd years and we are already looking ahead to January of 2023.

Past winners and records on YachtScoring.com

Established in 1961, the Pineapple Cup is a classic 811-mile "beat, reach and run" ocean race that has been dubbed "the best ocean race in the world" by its devotees, including three-time winner and media mogul Ted Turner. The race is hosted at the start in Miami by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and at the finish in Montego Bay by the Montego Bay Yacht Club. The course record is 2 days, 0 hours, 7 minutes and 44 seconds set in 2019 by Argo a Mod70.

pineapplecup.com

Los Angeles or Bust
The Olympics is congratulating itself on the introduction of youth sports into the heavily delayed Tokyo Games and is drunk on a mythical, be-tattooed urban culture. Boxes were ticked, engagement scores went through the roof, youth ruled and sports that were previously the domain of the disaffected went mainstream.

The Olympic platform is formulaic but beautifully televisual and sports now have to capture far more than the human element of endeavour on the pathway to success - they must operate effectively in a doom-scrolling world alongside serving up sporting excellence and back-stories.

Our sport, sailing, is being forced to adapt into these Olympic tramlines and the high-profile, crazy political exit of the Finn is, most likely, the tip of the iceberg. Personally I'm fairly enthused by the IQFOiL windsurfers having seen one up close recently (my goodness the windsurfing discipline was in desperate need of a re-boot) and whilst I think World Sailing and the IOC panicked and backed the wrong horse with the kiteboards over the wingfoils, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - their recent world championship was entertaining to watch although the athletes do look a bit constipated with that optimum body position as they truck at break-neck speed to windward. Will they attract the doom-scrollers? Who am I to say they won't.

Magnus' full grenade at Rule69Blog

Featured Brokerage
CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht. POA GBP

FIBRE Mechanics and Carkeek Design announce a new 52ft IRC racing yacht for 2021. Full production tooling for the new boat, to be known as the CF-520 is now under construction at FIBRE Mechanics in Lymington UK. We plan to build a short series of CF-520s, with boat one already scheduled for launching in early March 2021. A second build slot is available for delivery in May 2021.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
FIBRE MECHANICS
18 Waterloo Road
Lymington, SO41 9DB, UK
+44 (0)1590 427007

www.fibremechanics.com/yachts/cf-520

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1992 Baltic Yachts 52. 225000 EUR. Located in Tuscany, Italy

S&S design Baltic 52 with shallow draft keel and fantastic cruising specification. ADIDI is equipped with a four cabins three heads layout and is a perfect combination of beauty and safety at sea.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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Seaquest SQ46. POA USD.

Introducing the innovative SeaQuest 46 Catamaran. In a collaboration between Carkeek Design Partners and builder Eaton Marine, the SeaQuest Catamaran has arrived. Renowned racing yacht designer, Shaun Carkeek, delivers signature hull forms and sleek lines, currently proving themselves in races around the world including America‘s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, and Grand Prix Yachting.

Eaton Marine has manufactured award-winning sailing vessels for nearly three decades. This new venture is based in Dubai, UAE, the construction and manufacturing epicenter of the world where cutting-edge technology is utilized in all aspects of building and design.

The synergy between elite design, build excellence, and progressive technology achieves a completely new level of combined performance, style, and capability. Advanced hull design, semi carbon-fibre construction, and acute attention to weight throughout, deliver performance without compromising an ounce of comfort.

This listing is for a brand new catamaran, currently under construction. Launching in 12/2021. Commission, Sea Trial, Delivery 1/2022.

Contact

UAE: +971 5 8511 3400
USA: +1 312 772 0948
seaquestcatamarans.com

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

The Last Word
The worst possible thing in the world is to have someone who doesn't believe in you. -- Elizabeth Holmes

Editorial and letter submissions to

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