In This Issue
• An open letter to Richard Brisius and Johan Salen - organisers of the Ocean Race
• Two further venues added to SailGP Season 3
• Robline SIRIUS - the product range for the performance-oriented cruising sailor
• Centenary Open Day - Saturday 26th March
• Change of the Watch at the CCA as Centennial Year Begins
• SPEED Special - OnCourse Ep 17
• 92 entries and counting... Antigua Sailing Week
• Puerto Vallarta Race
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Iceni 39 ‘Andrasta’
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 46-076 ‘Zaida’
• • Arcona 465 Carbon
• • Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300
• The Last Word: Saint Patrick

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

An open letter to Richard Brisius and Johan Salen - organisers of the Ocean Race
What is happening within the Ocean Race organisation? Your PR support for the media is appalling, the Ocean Race website is falling down and just this week your team issues a press release re-writing the history of the first Whitbread Round the World Race

Let's start with your PR support. I emailed your press office on 10th November asking for help compiling a definitive list of multi-crew circumnavigators, specifically those who completed all legs in the last two Volvo Ocean Races.

No response.

I persevered, but your press officer, clearly a graduate from the 'Don't know, Don't care, Don't bother me' school of PR, failed at every level despite having access to a comprehensive library of books covering all previous races that you inherited from Volvo. I know, because I co-wrote six of them, including Sailing Legends, a complete history of this once great event to mark its 40th Anniversary.

Perhaps she tried to access the information from the Ocean Race web site instead of walking over to the bookshelves. Fat chance. An analysis of the Ocean Race web site uncovers no less than 49 page breaks within the history pages alone.

This lack of interest stems from the top. I sent a request asking if both of you could at least confirm the circumnavigators within the crews you sailed with during previous Whitbread Races. Johan responded within 7 days, but four months on we still await the Brisius list of circumnavigators aboard the Whitbread 60 yacht Brooksfield!

The International Association of Cape Horners has now published an 1,850-strong list of multi-crew circumnavigators

The incomplete entries listed in red stand as a damning indictment to the lack of interest the Ocean Race organisers have in regard to the Race history. It can only be hoped that this critique will alert those forgotten Whitbread and Volvo Race veterans to register their well-earned achievements themselves.

And now to your press release issued on 11th March spotlighting the pioneers who organised and competed in the first Whitbread Race back in 1973.

Was this an attempt to re-write history or simply a reflection of the same sloppy understanding of the great race you have inherited? Here are a few misnomers

You accredit Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston as the ones who first thought of the idea of a multi-crew yacht race around the World.

Wrong.

That accolade goes to Anthony Churchill, the publisher of the British magazine Seahorse, and publicist Guy Pearce who first published a pamphlet about the proposed event during the 1971 Cowes Week. Unable to raise sponsorship, the two handed their race format and a list of potential entries to the Royal Naval Sailing Association which already had the Whitbread Brewery as an interested party. Chichester may well have been consulted - after all, he had been sponsored personally by Col. Sam Whitbread during his solo one-stop circumnavigation in 1977/8 - but your writer is confused between your race and the 1968/9 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race where Chichester became Chairman of the Race Jury. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston won that race - he was the sole finisher - becoming the first to sail solo non-stop around the world in his yacht Suhaili. Knox-Johnston did not become involved with the Whitbread race until the second event in 1977 when he co-skippered the British maxi yacht Heath's Condor.

Another major error concerns Eric Tabarly and his 73ft Andre Mauric designed maxi yacht Pen Duick VI. Yes, they competed in the 1973 Whitbread but not with a spent uranium keel. That issue occurred during the second Whitbread in 1977/8. Pen Duick was disqualified for not having a valid rating certificate (because of the keel) and was only allowed to continue the leg around Cape Horn to Rio after Knox-Johnston petitioned the Race Organisers to allow Tabarly to race as an unofficial entry. For the last leg back to Portsmouth Pen Duick competed for a private wager against Knox-Johnston's Heath Condor which won the bet by 100 miles.

It would be understandable if this slap-happy approach was down to a lack of money. It must be hard to operate without the many millions of Euros once provided by Volvo. But then again without a title sponsor in place and just 10 months to the start in January 2023 the question has to be asked: Will the Ocean Race happen at all?

I hope it does, but to many observers the two of you are looking increasingly like Emperors without clothes.

Barry Pickthall

* Barry Pickthall is the former yachting correspondent first to the Sunday Times and later The Times newspapers. He is one of the few journalists to have covered all the Whitbread Round the World Races since 1973 and has co-written 6 books about the event. He was also shore manager to Conny van Rietschoten's winning Flyer campaign in 1981/2 and Eric Tabarly's Cote d'Or entry during the 1985/6 event. He is Managing Director of PPL Photo Agency, the official Race photographers throughout the Whitbread Race years.

Two further venues added to SailGP Season 3
SailGP's Season 3 calendar has expanded into 2023 with the announcement of two further events including fan favourite destination San Francisco and a debut trip to Christchurch for the purpose-led, global championship.

The ten teams competing in Season 3 - new franchises Canada and Switzerland and returning nations Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States - will now be contesting at least nine events in an impressive array of iconic, global destinations.

SailGP heads to New Zealand on March 18-19, 2023, as part of a major four season partnership with New Zealand Major Events. Through the partnership - spanning Season 3 to Season 6 - Christchurch and Auckland will share hosting duties of SailGP, claiming a permanent fixture on the SailGP season calendar and the first home event for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's New Zealand SailGP Team.

The championship will then conclude in San Francisco with the Season 3 Grand Final taking place on May 6-7, 2023, in front of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge on one of the best stadium sail racing venues in the world.

These two new 2023 events join the seven already announced for Season 3, with the championship kicking-off in Bermuda on May 14-15, 2022. From there, the ten-nation fleet - comprising the sport's best athletes - will head to Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cadiz and Dubai, making it the biggest SailGP season to date.

Further 2023 dates and locations to complete Season 3 - expected to comprise up to 11 events - will be announced shortly.

SailGP Season 2 will conclude March 26-27 with the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco. Limited tickets are available at SailGP.com/SanFrancisco.

SailGP Season 3 Schedule // 2022-2023

2022
May 14-15 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
June 18-19 United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20 ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11 France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25 Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cadiz
November 12-13 Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas

2023*
March 18-19 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7 United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

*further events will be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.

sailgp.com

Robline SIRIUS - the product range for the performance-oriented cruising sailor
The Sirius range is extensive and offers the perfect line for every boat and the most diverse requirements.

Sirius XTS - holds even in the sharpest leverage cleat!

The Sirius XTS, developed for the frequently used Spinlock® XTS lever cleat, achieves the highest holding forces without premature wear. It is also suitable as a sheet for very aggressive winches. The hybrid fiber core with Dyneema also ensures low stretch.

Sirius 1000 - optimized stretch behavior at a reasonable price!

This line closes the performance gap between high-tech performance and previous cruising products. Sirius 1000 combines the advantages of performance products with a price-performance ratio that was previously only possible with polyester products. It achieves optimum elongation values for the usual working loads of cordage on performance cruising yachts.]

Sirius 500 - the versatile universal line with pre-stretched polyester!

A Robline classic in modern, motteld design, with the optimum properties of a polyester double braid - low elongation with maximum stability due to the 32-plait cover.

Sirius 300 - for the classic look!

The versatile all-purpose sheet with the best price-performance ratio in traditional colors.

Sirius Grip - feels great and works perfectly on a cruising winch.

A new sheet that is soft and comfortable to touch! Robline's well-known Sirius 500 received an upgrade. In addition to the popular advantages of compactness and durability, the Sirius Grip has been equipped with a grip fiber in the cover, which gives it more grip. It is still easy to splice and therefore versatile.

For more information on the SIRIUS range, please visit rblr.pe/Cruising and find a dealer near you rblr.pe/DealerLocator

Centenary Open Day - Saturday 26th March
Everyone is welcome and no prior boating experience is required to join the RLymYC and take part in the huge number of activities on offer.

During the Centenary Open Day, representatives from many areas of the club will be on hand to show visitors around, with a selection of members' boats available to view.

Whether your passion is powerboats, motor cruisers, yachts, dinghies or paddle boards you'll find a warm welcome, excellent facilities, first class training, expert waterside services and a thriving social programme for all ages both afloat and ashore at RLymYC!

This year Royal Lymington Yacht Club is celebrating its Centenary and there has never been a better time to join them out on the water!

Visit the Royal Lymington Yacht Club on Saturday 26th March between 10am and 4pm and get into boating!

For more information, contact the Sailing Manager at Royal Lymington Yacht Club on 01590 672677 or

rlymyc.org.uk

Change of the Watch at the CCA as Centennial Year Begins
The Cruising Club of America turned 100 years old and installed new flag officers and governors at its annual meeting, earlier this month. Chris Otorowski, of Seattle, took the helm as Commodore, succeeding Bob Medland, of Toronto.

During the two-year period marked by the global pandemic, Medland led the club with distinction. It was already a yacht club without a clubhouse that for 100 years has "steadfastly refused to have an onshore contingent," but Medland rallied the 1400 CCA members to hold effective, virtual gatherings and improve communications both socially and in the spirit of helping others learn about offshore sailing.

Typical of the 1400-member club, which is organized into 11 stations in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda, new members of its leadership group are drawn from the ranks of yacht and cruising clubs in all corners of the continent. Installed this year were 10 new officers and board governors affiliated with 22 other sailing organizations.

The Cruising Club of America was formed in 1922 by 34 charter members in New York City after the concept was initiated during a conversation in Maskells Harbour on Nova Scotia's Bras d'Or Lake between American small-boat cruiser William Washburn Nutting and Canadian hydrofoil and aviation pioneer Casey Baldwin. In the years since, members have voyaged extensively, and 19 of their stories have been collected into The Adventurous Use of the Sea: Formidable Stories of a Century of Sailing from The Cruising Club of America written by Tim Murphy, published by Seapoint Media. The book, made possible by Mystic Seaport Museum, is due out in the fall of 2022.

cruisingclub.org/about

SPEED Special - OnCourse Ep 17
There is a serious need for speed out there right now.

From state of the art super sleek foiling Moths that will go upwind at 20knots, to ice yachts that will hit 80mph and more - both of which we cover in this episode.

But what's really grabbed our attention recently are three fascinating record breaking campaigns. Two are focussed on the outright sailing speed record that look to flight as a large part of the answer. And yet the very team you might have thought was up for a record breaking blast along a 500m course is actually having a crack at being the fastest on dry land. Emirates Team New Zealand might have led the foiling agenda for over a decade and have two consecutive America's Cup wins to prove it, but they now want to set a speed record on land. We find out why…and how.

So, on the face of it, it's a mixed up world but the speed sailing scene is an exciting one, especially when you look at the radical machines that these teams are developing.

But there's more in this episode including why building a classic J-Class yacht is child's play. Then, there's a report on who shone at this year's Caribbean 600, an offshore modern classic that proved once again to be just as tough as it's reputation.

Plus, we have another double helping of Docktalk.

planetsail.co.uk

92 entries and counting... Antigua Sailing Week
Antigua Sailing Week is booming with 92 teams already chomping at the bit for action from 30th April to 6th May 2022. Antigua Sailing Week is the longest running premier regatta in the Caribbean. The 53rd edition has already attracted teams from 18 nations around the world with over a thousand sailors expected to enjoy thrilling sailing in the spectacular waters of Antigua. The racing programme remains the same with the stand-alone Peters & May Round Antigua Race kicking off the schedule, followed by five days of racing, punctuated by mid-regatta Lay Day on Pigeon Point Beach.

Antigua Sailing Week has always been blessed with a big boat bonanza and this year's entry already has 17 boats over 50ft. The latest boat to sign up for the CSA Racing Division is the VO65 Ambersail II (LTU), skippered by Raimundas Daubaras. Ambersail has competed many times at Antigua Sailing Week and was runner-up in CSA Racing 1 in 2019. The all-Lithuanian crew are looking to go one better this year. Strong competition will come from Seattle USA, Volvo 70 Ocean Breeze will be skippered by Antigua Sailing Week veteran Steve Travis with a team from the Corinthian Yacht Club. Nine Volvo Ocean racers are active in the Caribbean, more entries are expected for Antigua Sailing Week.

www.sailingweek.com

Puerto Vallarta Race
Pyewacket 70 Beats Rio100's 2016 Monohull Course Record By 64 Minutes

Like spectators peering over each other to get a glimpse of a racer approaching from far away, the Race Committee studied the YB tracker through the afternoon yesterday trying to anticipate when the first boat would cross the line. That honor went to Pyewacket 70! In fact, both Pyewacket 70 and Rio100 eclipsed the 2016 monohull course record (Rio100); Pyewacket 70 by an hour, Rio100 by 25 mins.

But, there was another race that evening - for the big boats that needed to med-tie at the PV Naval base for deep draft vessels. Pyewacket 70 finished with enough time to get to the harbor and tie up before the Carnival Panorama departed at 2200 local time. They won that race too. Rio100 waited briefly for the cruise ship to exit the harbor.

By press time, six out of seven Class 1 boats are finished (pending Artemis) with Fast Exit II holding on to their overall lead by 93 corrected time minutes. Both teams fought through the 'transition zone' of light winds that surrounded the finish area just 10 miles from the finish. Up to that point, there was enough breeze to defend a lead. But once in the zone, at night and unable to see the wind on the water, it is really a blind man's bluff game to connect the dots of breeze and get to the finish.

Results on YachtScoring.com

Industry News
Russia's leisure marine industry is facing the deepest crisis in its history as the country becomes increasingly isolated following its invasion of Ukraine.

Sales of new yachts in Russia, which had been climbing at a rapid rate, have stalled, impacting importers, dealers and local builders that had been expanding to meet growing domestic demand following a surge in boating interest in the Covid era. While Western firms reconsider their relationship with Russian businesses and buyers, the fact that most domestic built product is dependent on imported equipment from the West, means production lines are being forced to a halt.

There is the real threat of a significant number of distributor and dealer bankruptcies, as major Western builders and manufacturers pull the plug on what had been traditionally a lucrative, and growing market. At the time of going to press the Moscow Boat Show was still planned to go ahead from June 3-5, however it's almost certain that Western brands will be forced to boycott the event.

www.ibinews.com

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Europe extends Russian sanctions to luxury goods - including recreational boats - in coordination with the US

In a fourth round of sanctions against Russia in response to "its brutal aggression against Ukraine and its people," the European Commission announced an export ban on luxury goods - including "yachts and other vessels for pleasure or sports; rowing boats and canoes" as covered by the tariff code CN 8903 00 00.

"These sanctions will further contribute to ramping up economic pressure on the Kremlin and cripple its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine," continued today's statement. "They have been coordinated with international partners, notably the United States."

The EU also described this latest action as a ban on luxury goods "to directly hit Russian elites."

"Moreover, the list of sanctioned persons and entities has been further extended to include more oligarchs and business elites linked to the Kremlin, as well as companies active in military and defence areas, which are logistically and materially supporting the invasion. There are also new listings of actors active in disinformation."

The European Commision additionally announced its agreement with other World Trade Organisation members to deny Russian products and services 'most favoured nation treatment' in EU markets, following the same announcement by G7 members on 11 March.

The full EU statement is available here.

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British Marine, the UK trade association and organiser of the Southampton International Boat Show, has announced a new showcase event aimed at the discerning boat buyer.

London Luxury Afloat will be held from April 21-24 at St Katharine Docks in central London, and will feature more than 30 sail, motor and superyachts from leading brands such as Oyster, Sunseeker, Fairline, Pearl Yachts and Azimut.

Visitors can expect world launches of new classes and models, dedicated London Luxury Afloat VIP hospitality experiences, and landside displays featuring smaller craft, products and services that complement the impressive line-up of yachts on display.

"London Luxury Afloat promises to be a spectacular new showcase event, as well as a great day out," says Lesley Robinson, British Marine CEO. "It will provide the perfect opportunity for anyone serious about purchasing one of these luxury craft the chance to view different models side by side, as well as soaking up the atmosphere of the show.

www.ibinews.com

Featured Charter
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See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
1998 Swan 46-076 ‘ZAIDA’. 210,000 EUR. Located in Milna, Croatia.

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Arcona 465 Carbon. POA EUR.

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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Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300. 178,837 ex Vat EUR.

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

The Last Word
Never trust a dog to watch your food. -- Saint Patrick

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