In This Issue
• Warrior Won announced overall winner of the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600
• Gone in 61 seconds: Class40 division winner decided
• Strong start to the IMA Caribbean Maxi Challenge
• 21st Century solution - Gunboat
• Dramatic Reactions At Early 18 Footer Worlds
• Lofty Lineup For Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup
• Switzerland strengthens SailGP team with Olympic recruits
• IOC announces tender process for the sale of media rights in Europe
• Die Young, as late as possibl
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • JND 39 - 'Lann Ael' 2
• • Seaquest SQ46
• • Infiniti 46 - "Maverick"
• The Last Word: Zak Starkey

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

Warrior Won announced overall winner of the 2022 RORC Caribbean 600
The overall winner of the 13th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 is Christopher Sheehan’s Pac52 Warrior One (USA). None of the teams still racing under IRC has any realistic chance of beating Warrior Won after time correction. Christopher Sheehan and his team will be presented with the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy at the Prize Giving on Friday 25th February.

Christopher Sheehan, owner & skipper of Warrior Won is from the Larchmont Yacht Club, USA. Sheehan’s Warrior Won was taking part in its first RORC Caribbean 600, having won the 2022 Transpac Race overall.

“I feel so much joy right now. It is very humbling when I think about all of the competitors that have worked so hard in this race, I am overwhelmed. We have been preparing for this race for the last eight months and when I think of the great teams that have won this race, it is just extraordinary. The mantra of Warrior Won is humility and extreme confidence in what we are doing, which results in positive energy on board, hard work and collaboration. Every member of the Warrior Won team has put in an outstanding performance.”

Richard Clarke, Tactician on Warrior Won is a four-time Olympian for Canada and a Volvo Ocean Race winner: “A race like the Caribbean 600 is short but complicated, it’s short enough that you can push really, really hard, but you have to manage fatigue. On Warrior Won with a fixed keel you have to keep as many bodies on the rail as you can. The basic aspects are keeping the boat at maximum speed with the right combination of sails up. As a tactical race the ‘600 rates as one the hardest in the world because there are so many islands to round and the tactics vary according to the time of day. Add fickle trade winds and squally clouds into the mix, I equate this to going ten rounds in a boxing match, where the left and the right and the combinations just keep coming at you. Sometimes you have to play offence or defence, because at any moment you can park-up, so no lead is safe until you finish.”

Fleet Tracker

caribbean600.rorc.org

Gone in 61 seconds: Class40 division winner decided
The winner of the nine-strong Class40 division was decided on the fourth day of the RORC Caribbean 600 with a dramatic finish between two teams. Charles-Louis Mourruau's Guidi (FRA), which had led for most of the race, stalled as the breeze faded with the finish line beckoning. Finimmo took the lead in the last few miles to win by just 61 seconds after racing for well over three days and nights. The spirit in the Class40 division shone through with the Finimmo team going to greet Guidi into English Harbour, consoling their adversaries.

The Owen Clarke designed Finimmo was sailed by a team of four co-skippers; Herve Thomas, Benoit de Froidmont, Gerald Veniard and four-time Vendée Globe sailor Kito de Pavant.

The Sam Manuard designed Mach40.3 Guidi was sailed by a team of three. Charles-Louis Mourruau was taking part in his third race and was joined by Andrea Fantini and Mikael Ryking.

Strong start to the IMA Caribbean Maxi Challenge
The RORC Caribbean 600, the opening event of the International Maxi Association's Caribbean Maxi Challenge, was coming to a light air conclusion this afternoon with three of the 18 maxi yacht starters (from a total fleet of 74) still to finish.

The first event of the IMA's new Caribbean series, which includes the RORC race followed by three race weeks - St Maarten Heineken Regatta, Les Voiles de Saint Barths and Antigua Sailing Week - was roundly won by the 100ft VPLP-Verdier design Comanche, followed by two former Volvo Ocean Race yachts, both by coincidence of Polish origin - the VO65 Groovederci Racing - Sailing Poland and the VO70 I Love Poland, which arrived on Wednesday.

The second place in the IMA Caribbean Maxi Challenge's first event of Groovederci Racing - Sailing Poland was especially surprising given that she was chartered for this event. However the charterer was well known Californian three time Farr 30 World Champion and ISAF Sailor of the Year nominee, Deneen Demourkas. Sailing with her were several A-listers including South African navigator Marc Lagesse, former Volvo Ocean Race sailor George Peet plus Match Racing and M32 World Champion and America's Cup skipper-in-waiting Taylor Canfield.

I Love Poland, followed by Groovederci, extended away from the chasing pack on the long leg from St Maarten down to Guadeloupe, with the California team only managing to wriggle ahead in the lee of Guadeloupe. The Poles were then held behind their rivals until the finish where they arrived 21 minutes astern.

The Dutch owner of Leopard enjoyed his first RORC Caribbean 600. Even though the sleek Farr 100 was outpaced by the faster maxis, she had kept in contact with them under IRC corrected time until Redonda, when the wind gods had stopped smiling on them. Nonetheless she holds fourth place after the Caribbean Maxi Challenge's first event, with more points to come when she moves on to the St Maarten Heineken Regatta.

The smaller maxis arriving today found themselves sailing in decreasing wind and as a result were lower down the leaderboard. -- James Boyd

www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

21st Century solution - Gunboat
Combining the expertise of Fibre Mechanics and Multiplast with that of VPLP, under Gunboat's reputation for design, build quality and finish... it's no wonder that the new Gunboat 80 offers such a breathtaking package

Imagine sailing faster than the wind while cruising with your family in just six knots of breeze, when all other yachts are motoring. Now imagine racing that same boat with your team, with boatspeeds reaching 30kts. Welcome aboard the Gunboat 80.

After the success of the Gunboat 68, the next step was to go bigger - and a lot more hi-tech. More than ever before, this new flagship model brings Gunboat into the world of grand prix sailing technology. The CFD modelling, structural engineering, prepreg carbon construction and rig optimisation of the Gunboat 80 are on the same level of sophistication as an Imoca or Ultime build project, with the same fanatical focus on weight reduction.

Full article in the March issue of Seahorse

Dramatic Reactions At Early 18 Footer Worlds
Hugh Treharne's The Fox chasing Schemer at the 1963 worlds in Auckland. Click on image for photo gallery.

Two Australian skippers from the earlier years of world 18 footer championships (aka JJ Giltinan Championship) were totally unimpressed at actions which they each believed deserved very strong reactions. The first in 1939, involved the defending champion Bert Swinbourne and his Taree skiff. The second, twenty-five years later in 1963, was Ken Beashel and his Schemer skiff.

In 1939, Swinbourne led a three-boat Australian team to contest the world Championship in Auckland against a large group of M-class and V-class boats.

After a last-minute charge for the lead in the opening race of the three-race regatta, New Zealand's Manu grabbed the lead to defeat another NZ boat, Jeanette, by just 8s.

Australia's St George and NZ's Jeanette then led for most of the second race before Jeanette took the lead at the last mark and went on to victory from St George and Taree. First race winner, Manu finished four minutes back in seventh place.

Following the race, a protest lodged against Jeanette, for a breach at the first mark, saw the boat disqualified. It was the first of many protests that would ultimately mar the championship for many years to come.

The final race drew enormous spectator support for the local teams but it was the 1938 champion Taree that led from the start and crossed the finish line nearly two minutes ahead of Jeanette and Manu.

It appeared that Taree's skipper, Bert Swinbourne had won his second title, but a late protest by a NZ skipper for a breach by Taree prior to the start, was upheld and the championship was awarded to Gordon Chamberlin's Manu.

When the protest was upheld and Taree disqualified, the recalculated points gave the championship to Chamberlin and Manu while Swinbourne was relegated to fourth overall.

Swinbourne appealed the decision but there was no time to hear his appeal so Swinbourne and the Australian team, together with the trophy, returned to Sydney.

Five months after the regatta, the League received a letter from the Australian Board of Control advising that the Auckland decision had been upheld and Manu was confirmed as the winner. The League then agreed to send the trophy to New Zealand for presentation.

Swinbourne refused to accept the result, because his appeal was with the New Zealand authorities and would not hand over the trophy "until it is properly won" and remained in his possession for several years

Finally, in 1945, Swinbourne returned the trophy back to the League and explained that Taree's owner Bill Scahill had told him to hang onto the trophy if his appeal wasn't heard, and "that's just what I did."

He claimed: "There was no glamour about holding it. It went straight into the pantry (under the kitchen sink) without even the New Zealand wrappings being removed." The League accepted Swinbourne's apology, and sent the trophy to Auckland for an official presentation to Gordon Chamberlin.

18footers.com

Lofty Lineup For Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup
Long Beach Yacht Club is ramping up for Congressional Cup 2022 with an all-star lineup including more than half of the world's top-ranked match racing skippers! Kicking off the 2022 World Match Racing Tour, this legendary Grade 1 sailing event will take place April 18 to 23, 2022 in the waters of Long Beach, Calif.

Ten teams from five different nations will be vying for the Cup, in five days of heated match racing that begin April 19, after a practice day April 18.

Taylor Canfield (USA) returns with Team Stars+StripesUSA to defend their championship title. Canfield's five-win record (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021) makes him the most triumphant skipper in Congressional Cup history.

Eager to knock him off his throne will be Ian Williams (GBR), returning after sitting out last year due to pandemic travel complications.

But the rivalries don't stop there. Last year's runner-up Johnnie Berntsson (SWE) - 2009 champion - is eager to contend in his 14th Congressional Cup. Harry Price (AUS), Chris Poole (USA) and Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL) join the roster; plus two sailors making their Congressional Cup debuts, although they couldn't be more dissimilar.

Pearson Potts (USA) steps up after two appearances at the Ficker Cup qualifier. The 29-year-old from New Orleans shares first-timer distinction with LBYC's own Staff Commodore Dave Hood (USA), 64, who has two decades of racing on the Catalina 37 fleet: yet will vie for the Congressional Cup for the first time. The final two contestants will advance from the Ficker Cup - a challenging Grade 2 match race series in its own right and a WMRT event, to be held April 13 to 16, 2022 at LBYC.

Congressional Cup Chair Meier will be assisted by Principal Race Officer John Busch (USA); LBYC Yachting Director Cameron MacLaren, International Chief Umpire Russell Green (NZL), and nearly 300 volunteers from among the membership of LBYC.

thecongressionalcup.com

Switzerland strengthens SailGP team with Olympic recruits
In less than three months, the Switzerland SailGP Team will make its debut in the world's most exciting racing on-water, SailGP. The team will first race its cutting-edge, hydro-foiling F50 in Bermuda, the first event of SailGP's third season, with an all-star line-up which was announced today.

The Switzerland SailGP Team was launched back in September 2021 and since then has been building a brand-new, young team from the ground-up. To accelerate the team's progression and development in the league - which features the sports best athletes - the team has recruited top Olympic talent including Olympic gold and silver medalist, Stuart Bithell and fellow two-time Olympian Jason Saunders.

At 26, Sébastien Schneiter - from Geneva - will be the youngest ever driver to take part in SailGP. Strengthening his SailGP team for Season 3 is double Olympic medalist, Stuart Bithell MBE (GBR) and Olympian, Jason Saunders (NZL).

Until late, Schneiter and Bithell were training partners - and rivals - in the high-performance Olympic 49er class. Schneiter has represented Switzerland twice at consecutive Olympic Games, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020; where Bithell claimed his second Olympic medal - gold. Saunders is also a double-Olympian, competing in the 470 class at London 2012 and the Nacra in Rio 2016. Saunders raced alongside Schneiter in the 2021 GC32 World Championship where they finished on the podium. The trio recently competed together for the first time, winning the Bacardi 69F Cup in Miami.

The new recruits bring prior SailGP racing knowledge and experience. Bithell raced in 2019 as part of the Great Britain SailGP Team, finishing fourth in the league's inaugural season. Throughout Season 2, Saunders has stepped in as interim wing trimmer for both the New Zealand and United States SailGP Teams, competing at events in Taranto, Plymouth and Aarhus.

Both will assume new roles onboard the Swiss F50, Bithell as wing trimmer and Saunders as flight controller - key roles in the high-speed boat's performance.

The team will be supported by Italian Coach Jacopo Plazzi, a young but experienced high-performance racer. Among his many accolades is the 36th America's Cup where he was coach to the Italian Prada Luna Rossa team.

sailgp.com

IOC announces tender process for the sale of media rights in Europe
IOC announces tender process for the sale of media rights in Europe The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it will open the tender process for the sale of media rights in Europe* of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Italy, and the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, USA.

The invitation to tender (ITT) will be issued by the IOC on 10 March 2022, and parties interested in receiving the ITT will be asked to sign a Confidentiality Undertaking that can be requested from today, 24 February, at:

The IOC will consider bids for multiple territories or a single territory and will offer various packages across media platforms. Bidders will also have the opportunity to submit an offer for an additional Olympiad to include the Olympic Winter Games 2030 (not yet allocated) and the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 (note that bids for the period 2030/2032 only will not be accepted). Further information about the rights being offered, the bid process and submission of bids will be provided in the ITT.

The IOC will ask for bids to be submitted on 25 April 2022, and will assess bids on their ability to meet the highest standards in broadcast quality, their capacity to reach the widest possible audience, their commitment to promoting the Olympic Games and the values of the Olympic Movement, and on the financial offer.

The IOC has appointed IMG for consultancy services related to this tender.

www.thenewsmarket.com

Die Young, as late as possible
Hat tip to Scuttlebutt for noting and posting this gem. God bless Bob Mattox, seen here riding his triple Valveless jet kart with injected propane and diesel that reaches 90 mph.

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 Harold Cudmore: A Celebration for the life of Lou Varney, taken too early (67), will be live streamed from St Mary's Church, Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, 14.30hrs. Tuesday March 1st.

Lou had an exceptional racing career being one of the early professionals in parallel with building Diverse Yacht Services a high end technical sailing business.

Video Stream on Youtube

Featured Brokerage
JND 39 - LANN AEL 2. 350,000 EUR. Located in Lorient, France.

This JND 39 is a sure fire winner for offshore and coastal racing. Designed solely with the intent on winning these races, she already has the Fastnet and other events under her belt. She has a very full inventory and some unused sails. A very good option for anyone serious about offshore.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:

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

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

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

2016 INFINITI 46 - "Maverick". 650,000 USD Located in Sydney.

"Maverick" is an INFINITI 46 built purely in carbon and launched in 2016. She is a boat with high performance and new technology in her DNA, most prevalently shown in her DSS foil system, which the boat was ultimately designed around. A serious offshore racer, ready to challenge again in 2022.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats

+442380 016582
+447759 424900

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

The Last Word
Playing with the Who is the biggest rush there is. At eleven years old I used to go to bed dreaming about what I'm doing now. I don't know how many people can say that. -- Zak Starkey

Editorial and letter submissions to

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