In This Issue
• Dalin and Meilhat Are Crowned IMOCA Class Champions
• First Conclusions Drawn From The Transat Jacques Vabre
• Ingrid Abery's 2022 Sailing Calendar
• Mark Dunphy serves legal letters on Grant Dalton and Team NZ
• Punching above its weight - RWYC
• Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
• Vortex Escaping
• Sailing in Ireland Has Thrived in 2021
• Switch to code yellow for Sails of Change
• Melges 24 Croatian Champions
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: Whitefin - 90ft Classic Yacht
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Grand Soleil 50
• • Cannonball M72 Custom Maxi Racer
• • YYACHTS Y7
• The Last Word: Lenny Bruce

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

The 13th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... Send us your stories and drink recipes...

Dalin and Meilhat Are Crowned IMOCA Class Champions
They may have finished in second place in the Transat Jacques Vabre to LinkedOut, but no one can doubt that Charlie Dalin and Paul Meilhat on Apivia have been the dominant force in the IMOCA Class this year and today they were crowned IMOCA champions for 2021.

Dalin and Meilhat took part in three of the four races in the 2021 championship. They skipped the Ocean Race Europe but won the Rolex Fastnet Race in August, repeated that feat in the Defi Azimut 48-Hours a month later and then followed up with a highly competitive performance in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

For Dalin, 37 and originally from Le Havre, this has been an impressively consistent season after taking line honours in the Vendee Globe when it is easy for teams to go off the boil as the double-handed calendar begins. But he and Meilhat, 39, got together early on and built a formidable partnership based on a warm friendship and a shared competitive intensity.

Perhaps the standout feature of the Apivia year was the dominant performance by Dalin, Meilhat and their boat in the Fastnet Race. They came out of the Solent to windward and then produced a flawless strategy all the way to the Fastnet Rock and back to the new finish at Cherbourg. Dalin chose this almost perfect race as his own high point of the 2021 season.

Meilhat, who won the Route du Rhum in 2018 on SMA, reckoned they could have broken records on a different course. "My only regret is that we had to turn right after Fernando because we could have broken the 24-hour record. These boats are magical - sometimes 12/13 knots of wind is enough to reach incredible speeds,"he said.

imoca.org

First Conclusions Drawn From The Transat Jacques Vabre
The 2021 edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre has proven a tough, challenging racing contested amidst an improbable weather scenario. The Class40 fleet, still led by Redman, is not expected until the night of November 28-29 but otherwise the finishes for the Ocean Fifty, Ultimes and Imoca have followed one after another since Monday. Here is an opportunity for Tip & Shaft to take stock, looking at the three finished classes, even if to date only the first two Imoca have crossed the finish line of this edition of the Route du Cafe.

"It was a scenario more akin to the Solitaire du Figaro in the middle of August": summer weather but very intense race, so Frederic Duthil (Solidaires en Peloton-Arsep) summarised this Transat cques Vabre 2021 on his arrival in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Recall that in Le Havre, the routings also suggested a western route bit in the end no crew among the four classes attempted this choice. "This option was null and void by the tip of Brittany. It would have been upwind in a lot of sea and we did not see how to come down from there," said Christian Dumard the weather consultant for the organization.

There were no big strategic plays then, but a very tactical game of positioning and timing, requiring countless number of gybes in a light to moderate and uncertain weather environment right to the finish. Of the 79 starters, only four dropped out, two in Class40, two in Imoca, Bureau Vallee 3 and 11th Hour Racing Team-Alaka'i, victims of surprising dismasting, for which "the technical data are being analyzed for further details with first conclusions mid-December", confirms Antoine Mermod, president of the class.

Ocean Fifty: A beautiful Primonial surprise win

On the various courses with different geometries and a weather pattern which played to their agility, the Ocean Fifty took line honours. Beyond the symbolism of this honour, the Ocean Fifty class comes out of this transatlantic race from high level, close match with less than four hours between the first three teams on the finish line and all the boats crossing the Atlantic.

Full editorial in Tip & Shaft

Ingrid Abery's 2022 Sailing Calendar
Ingrid Abery has hand-picked twenty five dramatic J-Class, modern and classic regatta images for your pleasure.

Popular events featured include the Sail GP, Cowes Week, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Les Voies de St Tropez, J-Class championships from Falmouth, Cornwall to Newport, RI via Bermuda, the 8M World Championship, British Classic Week, St Barths Bucket and more.

Opening up to A2 each, month boasts two striking photos giving double the value.

All calendar pages are displayed online at: www.ingridabery.com/calendar

Also included is a 25% discount on all Ingrid Abery Open Edition prints. Enjoy!

Mark Dunphy serves legal letters on Grant Dalton and Team NZ
Mark Dunphy, the businessman behind a bid to have the America's Cup defended in Auckland, has served legal letters on Team New Zealand and its boss Grant Dalton.

This comes as Cork in Ireland ramps up its bid to host the 2024 regatta, while Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and a multi-city Spanish bid are also on the table, along with a possibly "mystery" candidate, and Auckland's ever-present status.

A spokesman for Dunphy, the rich-lister who heads the Kiwi Home Defence campaign, confirmed to Stuff that Dunphy's lawyers "have written to each of Team New Zealand and Mr Dalton requesting certain inaccurate statements be corrected and that apologies be given". -- Duncan Johnstone

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/

Punching above its weight - RWYC
In a picturesque and quiet corner of south west England there is a yacht club whose part in the development of the sport of top level ocean racing over the last 60 years deservedly earned it worldwide prominence

The role that the Royal Western Yacht Club has played in the development of shorthanded offshore sailing speaks for itself. From founding the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) in 1960 to the doublehanded Round Britain and Ireland Race that kicked off six years later and then the TwoStar transtlantic, three key events that not only shaped the racing world but provided the catalyst for a wide and far-reaching range of events elsewhere. Yet at times, success has brought its own challenges for this West Country club.

'The OSTAR simply got too big for the club,' says Rear Commodore Oceanic, Adrian Gray. 'We might have 700 members, but aside from a handful of full and part-time employees we're run by enthusiastic and experienced volunteers. And while we have all loved seeing successful events draw in the professionals and their impressive machines, we also know that the club is and has always been about providing offshore challenges for grassroots sailors.'

Full article in the December issue of Seahorse

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
This month's nominees:

Tom Kneen (GBR)
Well, that wasn't very funny... Tom Kneen and his Plymouth team on their JPK 1180 Sunrise did a terrific job winning the Fastnet this year, with the bonus of breaking away from the fleet in light air on the way to Cherbourg and finishing 10 hours ahead of their nearest class rival, joy of joys. They did a nice job winning the Middle Sea Race too, or they thought they had. After that, well, a bunch of novice boys scouts would have made a better fist of sorting out the results

Don Macintyre (AUS)
Veteran singlehanded round the world racer, professional adventurer, with a fondness for the coldest places on earth and passionate about breaking down the elite image of ocean racing for those who'd never considered it. No records were broken but his Golden Globe round the world race made a lot of people happy and got a lot of column inches; the next is well on track. Now for the ultimate home-builders' extravaganza... And as we write Don's out there proving it

Last Month's winner:
Melwin Fink (GER)
'Cool sailor! Does his own thing instead of following the herd' - Rainer Buge; 'Melwin was the youngest, fastest and the most fearless sailor in the Mini Transat, at the same time very modest and careful with his equipment' - Wilko Meinhold; 'A great young offshore sailor' - Thomas Jungblut; 'I'm sorry but the choice is too hard; they both deserve it!' - Udo Heuser; 'A courageous and reflective young man who deserves support' - Gabriele Ritter.

View past winners of Sailor of the Month

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!

Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month

Vortex Escaping
This year has been SailGP's year. The Cup in March in Auckland was out of this world but the crashing full-stop that the format elicits means the enthusiasm drains quickly away - the passion whirls into the gurgler replaced by delay, confusion and politics. It's a shame really.

But arriving bang on cue and seeping quickly into our conscious is the Formula 1 of yachting that has claimed the pinnacle like Hilary and Tenzing on Everest. The SailGP flag has been planted on the peak of global grand prix yachting and you get a strong sense that it's just the start.

Russell Coutts must wake up every morning wondering quite how things got so good. It was a risk and it's been hard in Covid times to get the series away but with almost statesmanlike determination, SailGP has prospered and thundered ahead from Bermuda to Plymouth, from Denmark to St Tropez, from Italy to Spain and now ahead of the $1m finale in San Francisco its the turn of that made-for-television amphitheatre, Sydney, to provide us all with Christmas cheer.

The sailors have been brilliant. The racing has been top drawer. The boats are on the zeitgeist and the ambition has been monumental. Female athletes changed everything. The Inspire pathway programme has been enlightening and the Impact League has been spot on.

Let's be clear here, it isn't stopping there. The platform that's been created and the sponsors that are lining up to take an ever bigger share plus the buy-outs of teams by the likes of Ben Ainslie are serious markers of where this is going. Larry Ellison is, by all accounts, super-happy with what he's seeing and the announcement of Series 3 is going to show a scaling up of the ambition to almost unfathomable heights. -- Magnus Wheatley

Full editorial in Rule69Blog

Sailing in Ireland Has Thrived in 2021 Despite Pandemic Limitations
The 2021 programme for Irish sailors is still in action with winter series underway at several centres, while next Wednesday a junior squad departs for Oman and the Youth Sailing Worlds which get fully underway on December 11th. But nevertheless, the final weekend of November is a traditional time to take stock, and as we bounce along on what everyone had hoped would be the final major wave of the pandemic, but unfortunately is no longer so certain with the New Variant Out Of Africa, it's intriguing to assess how sailing has coped with providing meaningful sport in a continually changing environment of altering regulations and mixed weather.

In fact, once the first major lifting of restrictions was permitted from Monday, June 7th, the pace afloat was increasingly hectic until far into September, with quality sailing which was well beyond the modest ambitions of "meaningful sport". Thus in what is essentially a broad-brush overview of the 2021 season, we cannot hope to mention everything, let alone detail all boat classes, but we do hope to go beyond a tasting menu.

To succeed, the 2021 sailing programme had to develop a sort of split personality. The healthiest place to be was afloat and sailing full-on. If anyone contracted COVID-19 from doing this, we have yet to hear of it. But ashore afterwards, the traditionally boisterous après sailing was sometimes no more than a memory.

Ireland has so many people living within easy reach of their boats and the local sailing programme that many developed the habit of going straight aboard, getting into the race, and then returning home immediately afterwards with their only-brief socializing being within the crew bubble.

We're not claiming this was universally the case - all clubs energetically provided the means of social and hospitality interaction within the Social Distancing guidelines, and many sailors made the best of it to provide some semblance of post-regatta happenings. But far from being disdainful of those who went sailing but otherwise completely kept their distance ashore, their careful attitude was treated with respect by the more convivial competitors in a sense of shared agreement. Getting worthwhile numbers actually sailing was much more important than traditional post-race rituals. -- W M Nixon in Sailing on Saturdays in Afloat magazine:

afloat.ie/blogs/

Switch to code yellow for Sails of Change
Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and all the team of the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change announced a switch to code yellow this morning within the scope of their Jules Verne Trophy record attempt.

A potential weather window looks likely to open in the South Atlantic. If this window is confirmed, it would enable a good arrival time at the Cape of Good Hope.

In this case, the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change could cross the start line off the island of Ushant between Wednesday and Thursday.

Given the NW'ly winds and heavy seas forecast, the team is planning to deliver the boat to Brest on Tuesday morning and tie up to the dock outside the harbour town through until the start.

Confirmation of the delivery trip will be given this evening upon receipt and analysis of the latest weather files.

2021 crew on the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change:

Yann Guichard - Skipper
Dona Bertarelli - On-board reporter
Benjamin Schwartz - Navigator
Jacques Guichard - Watch leader
Xavier Revil - Watch leader
Duncan Spath - Helm / Trimmer
Gregory Gendron - Helm / Trimmer
Julien Villion - Helm / Trimmer
Thierry Chabagny - Helm / Trimmer
Jackson Bouttell - Bowman
Yann Jauvin - Bowman

Jean-Yves Bernot - Onshore router

spindrift-racing.com

Sime Fantela & Tutta Forza Melges 24 Croatian Champions 2021
On November 19-21, 2021 the inaugural Melges 24 Croatian National Championship was held in Split, organized by the JK Mornar.

Top 3:
1. Tutta Forza CRO643 - Sime Fantela, Jakov Sokota, Mihovil Fantela and Antonio Arapovic
2. Panjic CRO739 - Luka Sangulin, Noa Sangulin, Tonko Ramesa, Tomislav Basic and Duje Frzop
3. Iggy CRO385 - Karlo Kuret, Zlatko Vodanovic, Denis Stanojevic and Bruno Gaspic

Full results

www.melges24.com/news/

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Russ Saunders
Ashland, Oregon and San Francisco, California
Former office volunteer with Dawn Riley’s America True Campaigns in 2000 and 2003 from San Francisco

re: Brazilian Olympic Scandal

Thank You for such interesting information but the real question to me is, who received the money or valuables on the IOC committee and what punishment is being meted out to them....it is one thing to be offered a bribe, but rejection of the bribe should be celebrated but the acceptance of the bribe should be condemned for a sport dedicated to individual achievement with no artificial enhancements...drugs and hidden cheating...

Featured Charter
Whitefin - 90ft Classic Yacht. From 25,000 per week EUR. Located in West Mediterranean.

WHITEFIN was designed by Californian Bruce King. The result is an exquisitely proportioned mix of agility, lightness and grace.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lisa Spiller
Charter Manager
Bernard-Gallay
Phone 1 : +33(0)6 33 42 45 09
Phone 2 : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail :

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2005 Grand Soleil 50. 194,950 EUR. Located in Solent, UK.

Fantastically well-equipped and upgraded example of the Judel Vrolijk designed Grand Soleil 50 aft cockpit performance cruising yacht. Presented in great condition inside and out with over £70k in recent expenditure to make her 100% turnkey.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
James McNeil - Grabau International (South Coast)
Tel: +44 (0)7979 907210
Email:

-----------------------------------------

2017 Cannonball M72 Custom Maxi Racer. POA TAX PAID EUR. Located in Palma.

The 2019 & 2021 Maxi World, Champion, Cannonball, is for sale.

Built in 2017 by Premiere Composites, 2019 & 2021 World Champion are simply the state- of-the-art for top performances thanks to its fully optimized structure for minimum weight and maximum stiffness.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

tel +39 335 467234

-----------------------------------------

YYACHTS Y7. POA EUR.

The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.

In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.

All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
T. +49 3834 5858 77-0
E.
www.yyachts.de/en/y7

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

The Last Word
Communism is like one big phone company. -- Lenny Bruce

Editorial and letter submissions to

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