In This Issue
• Record win for Jason and the Argonauts
• Record Pace in the RORC Caribbean 600
• A new name but a formidable heritage - Arcona Yachts
• First Tracks claim Etchells NSW State Championship with race to spare
• Clipper Restart
• A New Beach Bar at Bitter End
• Black Swan - Western Australia's Challenge for the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
• M32 Winter Training Starts in Europe
• Allianz 2022 Youth Sailing World Championships
• Featured Charter
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Reichel Pugh 60 - Wild Joe
• • Moondoggie - Gunboat 66#3
• • CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht
• The Last Word: Raoul Duke

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

Record win for Jason and the Argonauts
Antigua, Tuesday 22 February 2022: Jason Carroll's MOD 70 Argo (USA) crossed the finish line of the RORC Caribbean 600 to take Multihull Line Honours and set a new Multihull Race Record of 29 hours, 38 mins, 44 secs.

Giovanni Soldini's Multi70 Maserati (ITA) was just 2 minutes and 13 seconds behind Argo. Peter Cunningham's PowerPlay (CAY) led in the early part of the race but finished third. This was the first Line Honours win for Argo having come runner-up on two previous occasions. Multihull Line Honours was decided in the final few miles of the 600-mile race.

MOD 70 Argo Crew: Jason Carroll, Brian Thompson, Richard Bardwell, Chad Corning, Pete Cumming, Thierry Fouchier, Charlie Ogletree, Alister Richardson.

Jason Carroll's Argo has come runner-up on the two previous races, so to win on the third attempt was a sweet victory for Argo.

Race Tracker

caribbean600.rorc.org

Record Pace in the RORC Caribbean 600
Tropical heat, moderate trade winds and ocean swell provided superb racing conditions for the first day and night of action in the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600. In the deep south a battle is raging between the three foremost multihulls, with Giovanni Soldini's Maserati (ITA) and Jason Carroll's Argo (USA) less than a mile apart. The 70ft trimarans have been recording boat speeds in excess of 35 knots at times. Peter Cunningham's PowerPlay (CAY) led the fleet to Barbuda, but is now 20 miles behind the leaders at Guadeloupe. Maserati and Argo are on course to beat the Multihull Race Record (30 hours 49 mins 00 secs) and are expected to finish the race at around sunset tonight.

Skorpios leads in the race for Monohull Line Honours and are on record pace to break the Monohull Race Record (37 hours 41 mins 45 secs). Comanche is an hour behind Skorpios, but after IRC time correction is the overall race leader. With a north-easterly wind of 13-18 knots the RORC fleet have been making excellent progress. The bulk of the boats are in the vicinity of St Maarten at the top of the 600-mile course. Class leaders at dawn on Day Two include, Maserati, Warrior Won, Sunrise, Scarlet Oyster and Guidi.

IRC Super Zero
Dmitry Rybolovlev's ClubSwan 125 Skorpios (MON), skippered by Fernando Echavarri, leads the monohull fleet at Montserrat. They are 12 miles ahead of the VPLP/Verdier 100 Comanche (CAY) skippered by Mitch Booth. The Farr 100 Leopard (MON), skippered by Chris Sherlock, with Joost Schuijff at the helm is third on the water, 45 miles behind Comanche. After IRC time correction Comanche leads the class. Volvo 70 I Love Poland (POL), skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski is estimated to be two hours behind on IRC with Skorpios third. The leaders are about to negotiate the wind shadow of Guadeloupe, which could be a decisive moment in the race.

caribbean600.rorc.org

A new name but a formidable heritage - Arcona Yachts
The Arcona 435 has been racking up silverware since its launch in 2018 but the recent addition of One Ton Cup-winning designer Niels Jeppesen has elevated a prestigious 40-year-old brand to another level entirely

There’s a chance that you won’t have heard of Arcona Yachts and even if you have, you still might struggle to describe them. After all, this is a company that has enjoyed 40 years of success, but where much of it has been conducted away from the international spotlight. It is a company that has never set its primary goal as winning races and yet has delivered some impressive results nonetheless. It’s also a company that has produced nearly 1,000 boats in 40 years and has achieved cult status among those who have discovered the marque.

But the focus of attention right now is the news that the co-founder of one of the biggest names in performance production boatbuilding and a former competitor has joined forces with Arcona.

Full article in the March issue of Seahorse

First Tracks claim Etchells NSW State Championship with race to spare
Winners - First Tracks secure the win after Race 7. Photo by Nic Douglass. Click on image for photo gallery.

First Tracks AUS1485 skippered by Peter Merrington with Ian McKillop and Steve Jarvin (David Gilmour day 1 and 2) have won the Etchells NSW State Championship from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) with a race to spare in the eight race series which included one drop.

Second after a strong close to the regatta was Tango AUS1466 (also first in the Masters division) helmed by Chris Hampton with Samuel Haines & Cameron Miles, and in third Yandoo XX AUS868 skippered by Neville Wittey with RSYS youth squad members Kyra Early, Zac West & Jameson Prescott.

Corinthian and Youth Division winners Flirtation AUS1026 finished in fourth overall. Rob Crawford, who sails with his brother Matt Crawford on the helm and Karl Bromfield, said "Etchells are a great class, kind of reminds us of our 470 days... super technical, great racing... 30 boats here this weekend, everyone is super close".

The first Grand Master was Karabos AUS932 skippered by Ron Jacobs who has returned to the class after an absence, sailing with Simon Reffold and Andrew Cutler.

The next event for the Etchells class will be the National Championship sailed from the Metung Yacht Club in Victoria from 2-6 March. -- Nic Douglass

More information

List of Prizes

Overall (30)
1. First Tracks AUS1485 Peter Merrington (S), Steve Jarvin (David Gilmour) & Ian McKillop
2. Tango AUS1466 Chris Hampton (S), Samuel Haines & Cameron Miles
3. Yandoo XX AUS868 Neville Wittey (S), Kyra Early, Zac West & Jameson Prescott

Corinthian (16)
1. Flirtation AUS1026 Matt Crawford (S), Rob Crawford & Karl Bromfield
2. Dawn Raid AUS1361 Matt Whitnall (S), Rob Bishop, Adrian Dunphy
3. Ciao AUS1244 Doug McGain (S), Michael O'Brien & Mark Dagworthy

Youth (3)
1. Flirtation AUS1026 Matt Crawford (S), Rob Crawford & Karl Bromfield
2. Adam Magpie AUS1187 Cole Tapper (S), George Richardson, Ruby Scholten & Jake Erson
3. Vivienne AUS945 Jed Cruickshank (S), Aiden Mansley, Tiana Wittey & Charlotte Alexander

Masters (15)
1. Tango AUS1466 Chris Hampton (S), Samuel Haines & Cameron Miles
2. Yandoo AUS868 Neville Wittey (S), Kyra Early, Zac West & Jameson Prescott
3. Flying High 2 AUS1435 Jeanne-Claude Strong (S), Seve Jarvin & Sam Newton

Grandmasters (9)
1. Karabos AUS932 Ron Jacobs (S), Matt Visser, Simon Reffold & Andrew Cutler
2. Vincero AUS1343 Peter Gardner (S), Nick Kingsmill & Rob Woodman
3. Tranquillity Base AUS1377 Rob Weir (S), Mike Tyquin & Paul Thackray

Full results

Clipper Restart
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is set to resume its 2019-20 edition after an almost two year delay caused by the pandemic. The sailing event, which trains people from all walks of life to become ocean racers, was suspended in March 2020 after sailing halfway around the world but is restarting from Subic Bay, Philippines in just three weeks time.

Race Crew from 21 different countries who are competing on this stage of the edition will take part in an intensive week of training from 7 March, before the first point scoring race begins. Once the fleet departs the Philippines, the sailors' next big challenge will be tackling the mighty North Pacific Ocean, which is known as 'the big one'. The teams will be racing towards Seattle and expected to arrive in the US city in mid April 2022.

The fleet will then race down the West Coast of America to Panama, where it will transit the Panama Canal, sail through the Caribbean and up to first time Host Port Bermuda. After some much needed R&R, the eleven ocean racing yachts will head to New York, before racing across the North Atlantic to Derry~Londonderry for the city's Maritime Festival running from 20 July 20 –24 July of which the sailing fleet is the centre piece. Then there's one final sprint, with London's Royal Docks hosting Race Finish.

Prior to the event being put on hold, the teams had left London in September 2019, then raced over 20,000 nautical miles (nm) with stops in Portimão (Portugal), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and The Whitsundays (Australia). The Clipper Race fleet has remained in Subic Bay Yacht Club since March 2020 after organisers and Race Crew had to return home.

clipper-ventures.com

A New Beach Bar at Bitter End
Reef Sampler, freshly varnished and painted in its original hue, has pride of place on Marina Beach at Bitter End 2.0. Bitter End Yacht Club. Click on image to enlarge.

When Irma hit, Reef Sampler was approaching its 50th birthday. In need of a platform for fishing, diving, exploring and picnicking, the Hokin family commissioned the 34-foot downeast fiberglass hull from Webber's Cove in Blue Hill, Maine, to be finished at Essex Boat Works in Connecticut. Named for the family's favorite pastime in the vibrant Virgin Islands waters, Reef Sampler was delivered in 1969.

Reef Sampler rode out Irma holding on to the heftiest mooring. As it turned out, it never let go. In early 2018, the UK Hydrographic Office, conducting its first BVI survey in nearly a century, discovered an anomaly in its soundings. Further investigation by Sunchaser Scuba revealed Reef Sampler's hull, sitting neatly upright on the bottom of North Sound, still tied to the sunken mooring.

Abandoning the boat in this watery grave was never an option. "Next to me, she's the oldest member of the Bitter End crew," Hokin says as he readies for his 82nd birthday. "I wasn't going to walk away from her - we've been together for over 50 years. How do you walk away from someone or something that's been important to your life? And not just to my life but to the whole Bitter End lifestyle, which is what defines us."

Using air bags, it was floated and dragged onto the beach. Then, Hokin had an idea.

"I have always had a bee in my bonnet about a beach bar - and that a boat would make a really cool beach bar. This was the opportunity.

Full story by Kate Lardy, in Yachting Magazine

Black Swan - Western Australia's Challenge for the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
Richard Court, introduced the sliding frame to the 18s on his skiff, Court Yachts, in the 1979-80 Australian Championship. Click on image for photo gallery.

Western Australia's return to the pinnacle of world 18ft Skiff racing received a tremendous boost with the announcement that a strong team of champion WA sailors will contest the 2022 JJ Giltinan Championship in the well-named, Black Swan skiff.

The JJ Giltinan Championship, regarded as the world championship of 18ft skiff racing, will be sailed on Sydney Harbour from March 5-13, and has brought together a top-class fleet of 24 of the world's best skiff teams vying for the coveted title.

Local Sydney teams in contention are the defending champion Smeg team, led by Michael Coxon, the recently-crowned Australian champion Andoo, led by Seve Jarvin, and the NSW champion Tech2 team, led by Jack Macartney.

Despite the ability and experience of the locals, the WA challenge should not be underrated as Grant Rollerson and his team of Luke Parkinson and Luke Payne are three talented campaigners in a variety of high-end, high speed international racing.

Grant also has the experience of skippering an 18ft Skiff on Sydney Harbour over a number of seasons and holds the record of having the best record of any WA skipper in the JJ Giltinan (world) Championship when his team finished third in the 2011 championship.

Only two multiple Giltinan Championship-winning skippers, Seve Jarvin and Michael Coxon, and their experienced teams got the better of Grant and his Slam team of Jack Young and Pete Nicholson.

Although this will be the first 18 footer regatta for both Luke Parkinson and Luke Payne, each has had some experience in the 18s when they have been asked to 'fill in' at times on many of the top Sydney boats, and both have the talent to produce the best possible results under pressure.

Racing 18 footers in WA disappeared in 1928 because it was claimed they had become too expensive to build and maintain and it took another fifty years before WA resumed racing 18s when the Mounts Bay Sailing Club (MBSC) supported the fledgling fleet to race their skiffs on the Swan River.

Within two years, the club hosted the 1979-80 Australian Championship and twelve teams crossed 'the Nullabor' to join seven locals in a 19-boat fleet. The memorable moment from this regatta was the introduction of the sliding frame 'wing extensions' by WA's Richard Court on his Court Yachts skiff. It became the fore-runner of the wing extensions still used on the present skiffs.

It wasn't until the 2000s that Western Australia had another representative at the Giltinan world Championship, namely Grant Rollerson, who skippered SLAM in three consecutive championships - 2009, 2010 and 2011. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.

www.18footers.com

M32 Winter Training Starts in Europe
La Spezia, Italy, was the host of the first of three winter training sessions for the European M32 fleet. 4 boats took to the water, both established teams and new skippers testing the boat. "Getting a full run down with a coach on board is the best way to quickly get comfortable with the boat and this type of racing" says Jakob Wilson, M32 Product Manager, being on site with teams considering to join the racing.

The next opportunity will be March 11-13 when the fleet is again meeting up in La Spezia. The April 22-24 training will be held on Lake Garda in preparation for the European Series first event in Riva del Garda in May.

Meanwhile in America the Miami Winter Series is in full swing with the 2nd event starting next week. 10 boats have entered and the Bay of Biscayne is ready to welcome the teams. The fleet will be rejoined by several teams having had a break after the Worlds and we will again see Pursuit with Skipper Bill Ruh, Midtown with Larry Phillips and Gravedigger with James Prendergast. The final of the 3 event series is in April on which the much sought after "Rooster Trophy" will be awarded to the top team.

The M32 Demo Boat is the perfect way to get introduced to M32 racing in a way that is tailored to your background in racing and other classes. Maybe you have your own racing team and just need a few hints on M32 specifics, or maybe you need help with setting up an M32 experienced crew and start from the beginning with multihull racing. During the 2022 Spring there will be demo boats available both in Miami, Newport and Europe.

m32world.com/calendar/

m32world.com/demoboat/

Allianz 2022 Youth Sailing World Championships
Over 450 of the world's very best youth sailors from 69 countries have confirmed their participation in the Allianz Youth World Sailing Championships 2022. Taking place off the coast of Scheveningen in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 8-15 July 2022, the Championships are open to young sailing stars up to the age of 19.

Kiteboarding has been included for the second time, reflecting the growth of the Kite class in recent years. The discipline will make its long-awaited debut as an Olympic event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and many of the young sailors competing in The Hague will have an eye on making the transition to the Formula Kite class ahead of the forthcoming Olympics.

The Hague will also host the Sailing World Cup over two weeks in August 2023, also from the port of Scheveningen. The event is expected to see 1,400 sailors from 90 countries compete for the world titles in the ten Olympic and three Paralympic sailing classes.

sailing.org

Featured Charter
GP42 - Phan.

The GP42 was designed to be a fast, truly competitive performance racing yacht and has had much success globally

Phan was designed by Botin & Carkeek and built by King Marine. The GP42 was designed to be a fast, truly competitive performance racing yacht and has had much success globally. Phan is in immaculate condition having been meticulously maintained her whole life. In 2018 she had some exciting modifications, including a new rudder and deeper keel. The new keel gives greater righting moment and more upwind power, and the new rudder will be larger and with different balance, to give more low speed manoeuvrability and lower load when high speed reaching.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2002/2018 Reichel Pugh 60 - Wild Joe. 490,000 EUR.

Wild Joe was originally built as Wild Oats IX with full carbon/nomex construction. As times move on so has Wild Joe which is now fitted with a new DSS foil system installed early 2018. That coupled with her new Doyle Sails package and upgrades across the board, the boat is bang up to date once again.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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Moondoggie - Gunboat 66 #3 4,490,000 USD.

Gunboat 66 #3 - Moondoggie presents a rare opportunity to own an elite performance cruising catamaran, immediately

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
McCollough Yachts:
+ (401)-314-9503 Ext. 1

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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

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

The Last Word
In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. -- Raoul Duke

Editorial and letter submissions to

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