In This Issue
• RORC Transatlantic Race
• 2021-22 Red Pumps 16ft Skiff Australian Nationals
• Back-to-back international regattas at Yacht Club de Monaco
• RYA Launches Support Framework After Change to Offshore Special Regulations
• Job/Role Title: World Sailing Technical Specialist
• Expedition bids to locate lost ship of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton
• This Glassfibre Lapstrake 12-footer Is A Classic In Her Own Way
• An Enigmatic Map
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: SW 100 Freebird
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Arcona 465 Carbon
• • ClubSwan 36-010 Lucky
• • Gunboat 80
• The Last Word: Sylvia Beach

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

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RORC Transatlantic Race
The 100ft Maxi Comanche (CAY) skippered by Mitch Booth gybed southwest shortly after dawn on day two and has stayed on the same gybe all day. On a broad reach, Comanche has been unstoppable, achieving over 20 knots of boat speed hour after hour. If Comanche continues at this pace, the race record will be smashed by over three days. Volvo 70 L4 Trifork (DEN) is the most northerly boat of the RORC fleet and aptly the majority of the crew come from Scandinavia.

Max Klink's Botin 52 Caro (CH) is still leading IRC Zero, but only just. Botin 56 Black Pearl (GER), helmed by Stefan Jentsch, and David Collins' Botin 52 Tala (GBR) have all gybed west and are continuing their close battle. In reality, all three boats are vying for the class and overall lead, after IRC time correction.

In IRC One, leaving Tenerife to port initially worked out well for Richard Palmer's JPK 10.10 Jangada (GBR), Jacques Pelletier's Milon 41 L'Ange De Milon (FRA) and Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster (GBR). However, Andrew Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR), which went south of Tenerife, is now through the lee of the island and starting to increase in speed due to the good pressure.

Race Tracker

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

2021-22 Red Pumps 16ft Skiff Australian Nationals
A regatta like this deserved an exciting climax, not an 'anti' one, yet the wind gods could blow no more yesterday after giving their all during the 2022 Red Pumps 13ft and 16ft Skiff Australian Championships held by Belmont 16s on Lake Macquarie.

Thus, the final race was abandoned midstream and the overnight scores carried, leaving the Ronstan crew of Nathan Wilmot, Malcolm Page and Brett Davis as worthy national champions.

Manly sailors Max Downey and Thomas Mountstephens were crowned 13ft Skiff champions after posting seven wins from as many starts aboard Cheeky. It wasn't always as easy as that score suggests.

Next on the 16s' calendar is the 2022 Australian Sprint Championships, also to be hosted by Belmont, on February 5. -- Mark Rothfield

16ft Skiff Overall Results:

Top Five
1. Ronstan, Nathan Wilmot, Brett Davis, Malcolm Page, 17 points
2. IMEI , David Gilmour, Trent Barnabas, Rob Napper, 18
3. Moonen Yachts, Daniel Turner, Angus Williams, Matt Stenta, 19
4. Brydens Lawyers , Lee Knapton, Peter Mackie, Ricky Bridge, 26
5. Fluid Building, Nathan Outteridge, Tom Slingsby, Iain Jenson, 27

www.sail-world.com/news/245368/

Back-to-back international regattas at Yacht Club de Monaco
The new year sees a busy program of international regattas at YCM, kicking off this week with the hotly contested 12th Monaco Optimist Team Race (12-16 Jan) which attracts the Optimist team racing elite. The 15 nations represented include Uruguay, USA, Finland, Turkey and for the first time Chile - a total of 60 young sailors under 14 will be in Monaco.

Teams of four compete on equal terms in duels in a round robin phase, followed by the quarter- then semi-finals before the highly anticipated grand finale. Those from Ukraine, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Monaco and France are taking part in a training clinic (10-12 Jan) run by Philippe Gomez, jury and big name in team racing responsible for the regulatory aspect in France. The focus will be on teamwork, communication and consistency.

A reminder that the previous edition was won by USA's national team, with the Swedish KSSS in 2nd and the Monegasques completing the podium.

Next up, 3-6 February, J/70s will be out in force for Act III of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series with 40+ international teams (12 nations) expected. The series takes on a whole new meaning for the class ahead of the J/70 World Championship (14-22 October 2022), organised for the first time by YCM in partnership with FxPro. For Monegasque teams, this season's Winter Series is a qualifying event to secure their place in the Worlds. This Act also marks the start of the Russian J/70 circuit with the Tenzor International Cup.

Last up, the J/70 fleet returns to Monaco 3-6 March for the 38th Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (counts as the fourth and final Act of the Winter Series). As the top European winter one design meeting in the Mediterranean, the Primo Cup looks set to be a spectacle with some 100 teams expected in five classes: J/70, Smeralda 888, Longtze Premier, RS 21 and Dragon.

yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home/

RYA Launches Support Framework After Change to Offshore Special Regulations
The UK's Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has launched a new framework of support for yacht racers and owners following a change in World Sailing's Offshore Special Regulations (OSR).

Since 1 January this year, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, yachts competing in OSR category 0 to 3 races must have been inspected by a qualified person within 24 months of the start of the race or after a grounding, whichever is later.

Following numerous enquiries from members and clubs about how best to comply with the new rules, the RYA has launched a dedicated page on its website to allow owners to demonstrate to organising authorities that they are compliant in a manner which is simple and cost-effective to owners, and which can be readily understood by organising authorities.

www.rya.org.uk/racing/technical/osr-inspections

afloat.ie/sail/offshore/

Job/Role Title: World Sailing Technical Specialist
World Sailing is accepting resumes for the position of Technical Specialist.

Main responsibilities:

The Technical Specialist is responsible for the application of quality standards, regulations and procedures which ensure the integrity of our sport, specially focused on servicing World Sailing classes and their manufacturers.

Key responsibilities:

- Provide technical support to Equipment Manufacturers, World Sailing Classes,
- Control world-wide production of equipment tracking plaques and certification, managing equipment databases,
- Manage the approval process of new manufacturers, new production tooling and changes to building specifications,
- Manage approval processes for licensed manufacturers,
- Perform equipment and documentation reviews at manufacturing sites internationally,
- Manage Class Rule Changes,
- Conduct reviews of class rules to evaluate if they continue to support the objectives of each Class and provide a reasonable framework for technical control of the class,
- Liaise with World Sailing Classes and International Measurers regarding rules, regulations and associated control processes,

- Provide full support to the following;
- - Equipment Committee
- - Oceanic and Offshore Committee
- - World Sailing Classes Committee
- - International Measurer's Sub-Committee
- - Equipment Rules Sub-Committee

Knowledge and Technical Skills

Knowledge:
- Knowledge of sailing's equipment key performance factors.
- Knowledge of equipment manufacturing processes and materials.
- Quality control procedures and tools.
- Knowledge of the Equipment Rules of Sailing, Racing Rules of Sailing and World Sailing Regulations.
- Experience around sailing events.

Skills:
- Previous involvement in sailing through any technical capacity. (i.e. coaching, naval architecture, performance optimization, manufacture, measurement)
- Excellent written and verbal English language skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- High computer literacy. Database experience a plus.
- Good communication ability, both verbal and in writing (technical and non-technical)
- Interest and involvement in the sport of sailing.
- Completely comfortable working irregular hours and traveling internationally.
- Ambitious with a 'can do' attitude.
- Organized, methodical and thorough individual.
- Constant improvement driven.
- A willingness to learn new skills and develop existing competencies.
- Second international language encouraged.

Relationships & Interfaces

Strategic reporting to:
- Technical and Offshore Manager

Support & Guidance to:
- Equipment Manufacturers
- International Measurers and Event equipment inspectors
- World Sailing Classes
- World Sailing Committees (listed above)
- World Sailing staff

Travel and Other requirements
- Flexibility to work irregular hours and traveling internationally.

Applications should be sent to . Applicants should provide a current CV and covering letter.

The closing date for all vacancies is 14 January 2022.

Expedition bids to locate lost ship of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton
An expedition to locate the lost ship of renowned polar explorer and Kildare native Sir Ernest Shackleton will set sail 100 years after his death.

The Endurance22 Expedition aims to find, survey and film the wreck of Endurance, which sank during Shackleton's quest to Antarctica in 1915, and now lies somewhere at the bottom of the Weddell Sea.

The trip gained notoriety due to icy conditions which caused the boat and crew to be trapped in sea ice for more than 10 months, before the crew successfully escaped in lifeboats and on foot.

The expedition to find the ship will set off for Antarctica from Cape Town, South Africa, on February 5 th — one month after the 100th anniversary of Shackleton's death.

www.irishtimes.

This Glassfibre Lapstrake 12-footer Is A Classic In Her Own Way
Click on image to enlarge.

The recent announcement that Nordic Clinker or Clench Timber Construction - as practised by several classic boat-builders in Ireland - is now receiving UNESCO Heritage Recognition has caused understandable pride among those who own one of those beauties, craft such as the Mermaids, Shannon One Designs, Castlehaven Ettes, and Dublin Bay Water Wags, to name only four.

But the new recognition has also led to added interest in other boats such as the Rankins which are undergoing a steady revival in Cork Harbour, and were built by the Rankin brothers in Cobh using the edge-glued plywood plank lapstrake technique. To a casual observer, they may look to be clinker built. But they're not, as the essence of clinker is the clenching or clinking of the athwartships steam-bent timbers, tensioned home using copper rivets.

Yet the Rankins are handsome and very effective boats, so in fairness to them it would surely be more appropriate to use the American term "lapstrake" to describe their build method.

WM Nixon's full article in Afloat magazine:

afloat.ie

An Enigmatic Map
Sailing the southern Pacific Ocean in 1769, two of history's greatest navigators drafted a remarkable map. One was the British explorer Captain James Cook. The other was Tupaia, an aristocratic high priest from the island of Ra'iatea, who had joined Cook's expedition in Tahiti. Tupaia was a master navigator who had long voyaged through regions still blank on Cook's charts.

At some point during the voyage, the British set up a chart on which Tupaia drew more than 70 islands scattered across the sea and dictated their names. Although the original has been lost, three copies survive in European archives, showing an ocean crowded with islands that don't match modern charts. Embellished with drawings of ships and enigmatic fragments of the Tahitian language, Tupaia's map has become an object of fascination for generations of scholars and sailors.

Recently, a vigorous debate has centered on an analysis published in 2019 by Lars Eckstein and Anja Schwarz, literary and cultural studies scholars at the University of Potsdam in Germany. They suggest that Tupaia had invented a unique mapping convention that was an ingenious attempt to convey his own geographic knowledge in a form the British would understand. "It's a translation device that he invented," says Schwarz.

"You have to forget anything that you know about maps," says Eckstein. For Cook, a chart was a bird's-eye view of the curved world stretched onto a two-dimensional plane. Tupaia instead took a canoe's-eye view, a perspective that shifts depending on where you start from. And while Europeans usually fixed north at the top of the page, Tupaia may have placed north in the center.

Full article: www.inverse.com

Industry News
The RYA is delighted to welcome Richard Moxey as its new Keelboat Development Manager.

He will oversee all aspects of the RYA's British Keelboat Sailing programme, from the ground-breaking British Keelboat Academy to the RYA Match Racing circuit.

Richard is a familiar face on the Solent yacht racing scene, and joins the RYA Racing team with a packed sailing CV.

Richard has first-hand experience of many RYA events including the British Keelboat League and match racing championships.

He has raced offshore in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the RORC race programme, and in classic events like Les Voiles de St Tropez and Regates Royal Cannes.

Most recently Richard has competed in the Performance 40 class with Cobra, a King 40, winning the Royal Southern Series Championships, RTYC Invitational, Cowes Week Queen's Cup and RORC Easter Challenge.

Richard takes the helm from Jack Fenwick, who after six years at the RYA has moved to a new role with RS Sailing.

www.rya.org.uk/racing/keelboat-racer

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The El Alamein International Boat Show will be held in the El Alamein Marina complex called Porto Marina Resort June 2-6th 2022.

Elamhrosa CEO Ayman Seif stated "The Marina lake could accommodate over 1000 vessels, including some of the largest mega-yachts at anchor.

The first year will open with 126 berths and 3000 square metres of covered exhibition space as well as quayside hard-standing areas."

egyptboatshow.com

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West Marine, Inc. announces the appointment of Cheryl Miller as Chief Financial Officer. She joins the company's senior leadership team and reports to Eric Kufel, CEO.

Miller is a highly experienced and successful executive with over 25 years of experience in financial and operating leadership in large scale public and private growth companies. Most recently, Miller served as CFO at JM Family Enterprises, Inc, an $18 billion diversified automotive company ranked No. 20 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies.

www.westmarine.com

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The rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus leads to closures of one boat exhibition after another.

Today it became known that the Helsinki Boat Show is also throwing in the towel for 2022. The exhibition should normally have been arranged from 11 to 20 February, but will now be postponed until next year.

- The boat exhibition is a ten-day event with hundreds of boats. With today's restrictions, we can not carry out an event with so many people, and choose to cancel before incurring transport costs and other expenses for the exhibitors, says CEO Jarkko Pajusalo of the Finnish Boating Association Finnboat, which together with Messukeskus organizes the traditional Finnish boat show. The organizers regret that they can not offer an exhibition with good experiences for the public this year either, but are now focusing on Vene 23 next year from 10 to 19 February.

www.seilmagasinet.no

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Sailing World Magazine's annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year's fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans.

Out yonder in the vast cornfields of Wisconsin, boatbuilders in Tyvek suits are infusing polyester glass hulls as fast as they can, buffing out one gleaming white dinghy nearly every 66 hours in a full-tilt routine to place the latest American-made dinghy into the hands of sailors clamoring to get a piece of the new great thing in small-craft sailing: the remarkably versatile Melges 15, our 2022 Boat of the Year. No longer shall youth and adult sailors be cast to their individual dinghy classes, and our judges agree. This one allows all ages to play together in one remarkable 15-footer.

"It's stable, forgiving and accessible to a wide swath of physiques, a platform where you can learn to sail it and then transition quickly to racing," says Eddie Cox, the youngster of Melges Performance Sailboats who's been involved with the Melges 15's development from inception to launch. "The boat fits a wide variety of sailors, and that's what our goal was. It's family-orientated sailing, which is important to us because that's how Melges boats are."

www.sailingworld.com

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Australian Sailing has welcomed the news of Kieren Perkins OAM's appointment as CEO of Sport Australia.

Perkins, a three-time Olympian and two-time Gold Medallist, will join the organisation from Swimming Australia where he is the current President. Prior to that he had and an extensive career in the banking sector, most notably with the National Australia Bank.

Australian Sailing CEO credited outgoing Interim CEO Rob Dalton, who is scheduled to see out his contract to 31 December.

"Rob helped navigate Sport Australia through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on participation, but also the successes of our high performance teams at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."

sailing.org.au

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Featured Brokerage
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Built wholly in carbon, the Arcona 465 is a masterpiece. Designed for sailors to enjoy both cruising and racing.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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Odelbergs Vag 2
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Sweden
+46 8 519 410 40

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2020 ClubSwan 36-010 Lucky. 490,000 EUR. Located in Vodice, Croatia.

The new ClubSwan 36 is an innovative high performance yacht that has been developed using all the experience of Nautor’s ClubSwan Division and the detailed hydrodynamic and CFD studies of Juan Kouyoumdjian in a timeless authentic design. Working with the most qualified experts available and following a deep dedication to finding the edge between an incredibly fast hull, thanks to the latest available technology, and impeccable handling in every condition.

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The Last Word
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