In This Issue
• 'Queen Of The Harbour' Race History
• Notice of Race for the "Vendee Arctique- Les Sables d'Olonne 2022
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Bucket Loads of Promise as J Class Fleet Lines Up in Saint Barth's
• Racing On The Edge Episode 8 'The Contenders'
• The 1946 Sydney Hobart Start By A.D.Blake
• What is AIS & How Does It Work?
• Catalan News - Barcelona will bid to host 2024 America's Cup sailing race
• Am Cup yacht skippered by Sir Russell Coutts to get heave-ho
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Sly Yachts SLY 47
• • Outremer 45 - New Boat
• • SW100 Blues
• The Last Word: Sam Rayburn

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

'Queen Of The Harbour' Race History
The Kitchen Maker-Caesarstone team before the 2021 race. Photo by Stephen Quigley. Click on image for photo gallery.

The Australian 18 Footers League's 2021-22 season comes to a close on Sunday when the club will conduct the time-honoured Queen of the Harbour race on Sydney Harbour, when each of the 21-boat fleet will include a female crew member as part of the team.

While the race still acknowledges the support of the supporters and families, it is vastly different to the original activities associated with the event during the 1930s-1940s.

The League was formed in 1935 and first conducted the race (originally known as Queen of the Waves) in 1936 and early in 1937 incorporated a Queen of the Waves competition with the race to raise funds for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Camperdown.

The aim was to use the proceeds from the competition "to build a school at the hospital to have crippled children transported from their homes to the hospital, receive treatment and education, and then taken back home each day."

With the co-operation of individuals and businesses, the scheme, to get off to a successful start when candidates for the honour of being named the 'Queen' raised more than $6,000, and plans were made to build the school on the Booth Street frontage of the hospital.

"The total amount donated to the hospital from 1937 to the present (1972) has reached $58,434. Add to this, the amount to the sum of $6,560 raised from the Ladies' Committee by competitions on the Official Ferry and other ferries, and donated to the hospital, making the grand total of $64,994." -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.

www.18footers.com

Notice of Race for the "Vendee Arctique- Les Sables d'Olonne 2022
The President of SAEM Vendee, the organisers of the Vendee Arctique and the Vendee Globe, publish the Notice of Race detailing the rules for participation in the Vendee Arctique - the first qualifying race for the Vendee Globe 2024.

The skippers will have to qualify on the Guyader - Bermudes 1000 Race or on a course of at least 800 miles.

Entry registrations open on Thursday, March 31, 2022 with the number of potential entrants growing all the time The 2022 Vendee Arctique will leave from Port Olona on June 12, 2022

The Vendee Arctique is a non-stop solo offshore race with no outside assistance allowed following in the pure tradition of the Vendee Globe. Now approaching its second edition it is a very unique and demanding event, an extreme adventure very much in keeping with the ethos of the Vendee Globe and the IMOCA class. The solo racers set off northwards the direction of the Arctic Circle, circumnavigating Iceland, before returning to Les Sables d'Olonne, following a demanding 3,500-mile course.

Each skipper must qualify solo on the boat that will do the Vendee Arctique, finishing before May 14, 2022 choosing between

- The Guyader to Bermudes 1000 Race (1,200 nautical miles)
- A qualification course of at least 800 nautical miles
- Two qualifying courses, the sum of which will be greater than 1,000 nautical miles

In the event that the skipper elects to do a qualifying course rather than the race, at least one of the two must enable them to sail at least 100 miles in wind and sea conditions of at least force 5 on the Beaufort scale.

Notice of Race download

www.vendeeglobe.org

Seahorse April 2022
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Secret sauce
The further your racing takes you from land the harder it is becoming to succeed without mastery of and access to the latest onboard routeing tools. Fred Augendre, Jean-Luc Nelias, Alexis Loison and Jean-Yves Bernot

A welcome addition
Autopilots are an absolute hotbed of performance development - the news that a market leader in superyacht electronics is joining the party will raise the bar even further. A+T has built a well-established reputation for high performance instruments, with beautiful engineering and second-to-none support. Their products are now being used on over 400 of the world's largest and fastest superyachts.

No problems!
Two-handed racers Jules Hall and Jan Scholten left all of their Sydney Hobart Race rivals trailing and many of them quite literally speechless. The product was pretty good, too...The 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race was a particularly challenging one with a near gale on the nose, blowing against the current for the first few days, creating a brutal sea state, and a painstaking, tactical drift to the finish.

Seahorse build table - Cart and horse... chicken and egg?
We have no idea about the main event but the first of the training-wheel models is nearly ready to go

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Bucket Loads of Promise as J Class Fleet Lines Up in Saint Barth's
As the perennially popular Saint Barth's Bucket superyacht regatta returns from the 18-20 March, bringing 30 boats to the tiny French island in the Caribbean, the J Class fleet resumes for the first time since 2019, naturally taking centre stage with two key yachts coming back to top level competition for the first time since 2017.

Ranger has an enthusiastic new American owner for whom the Bucket will be their first major regatta, sailing with a hand-picked team that is rich in America's Cup experience under helm Ed Baird, tactician John Kostecki, navigator Jules Salter and strategist Jordi Calafat. Jim and Kirsty Clark's well sailed Hanuman - which won the hotly contested 2017 Bucket regatta from a record fleet of six J Class yachts - are also stepping back into the ring after a spell cruising Hanuman.

Both these 'returnees' will face a stiff challenge from the benchmark programme of recent years, the original, beautifully prepared Velsheda which has continued to race wherever safe and possible while the class activity ebbed slightly in recent years.

It is widely expected that this Saint Barth's Bucket fleet of three beautiful J's will herald an upturn in class racing activity this season. It seems likely that four J Class Yachts will race at the Palma Superyacht Cup in June and four or five at the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup in Porto Cervo, Sardinia in September.

The three J Class yachts will contest two windward-leeward races on their own on Thursday 17 March before they join the 30 strong fleet of Superyachts to take on a diet of three days of round the island or 25-mile buoy races. The exact choice and composition of the courses is to be decided according to the wind conditions, with particular consideration being given to the very brisk tradewinds and big choppy seas which seem to have prevailed for recent weeks at the preliminary warm up Caribbean regattas.

www.jclassyachts.com

bucketregatta.com

Racing On The Edge Episode 8 'The Contenders'
SailGP invites you to enjoy Episode 8 of Racing on the Edge "The Contenders", as we speak to the key players ahead of the Season 2 Grand Final race for $1million.

The mind games have begun ahead of a showdown in San Francisco Bay between Tom Slingsby's Australian team, Jimmy Spithill's USA and Nathan Outteridge's Japan.

And all the action from the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix San Francisco and Season 2 Grand Final is on March 26 and 27. You can find all the information you need here.

The 1946 Sydney Hobart Start By A.D.Blake
Click on image to enlarge.

Last Week I Received An Email From The Renowned Auckland Marine Artist A.D. Blake. I Have Known Tony For Around 20 Years, As We Were Both Heavily Involved In The Respective Classic Yacht Associations On Either Side Of The Tasman. Tony sent me (purely for my own interest) a photograph of his latest painting.

Tony's historical marine oil paintings range from gaff-rigged classic yachts, square-sailed sailing ships, to historical America's Cup races and contemporary sailing scenes. His historical maritime art is painted in a traditional style showing the intricate details of the yachts and their rigging. The paintings are often historic yachting harbour scenes, including Newport, Nantucket, New York, Martha's Vineyard, Marblehead, Boston, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Auckland and Venice. His painting style is traditional, using the time honoured approach of building the painting up in a series of layers from thin transparent layers through to thicker layers of impasto paint and finally the application of some brilliant glazes.

It is vital to him that his art is dynamic, creating an impression of life and movement. He concentrates on the interplay of light, especially on the water and on the boats and sails.

And what is almost as impressive as the aesthetic, is the historical accuracy of the paintings.

Read more in Southern Woodenboat Sailing

What is AIS & How Does It Work?
For the past couple of weeks there has been talk in the news regarding the superyachts of Russian oligarchs and how they can 'disappear'. How do you make a yacht that is well over 100 feet disappear? The yacht doesn't vanish, it just turns off its AIS (Automatic Identification System).

ICOM, a manufacturer of AIS explains that AIS works by taking your position and movements via the vessels' GPS system or an internal sensor built into an AIS unit. -- from George Day's Cruising Compass newsletter

With more and more leisure boats venturing further from their local shores, safety is paramount. Leisure boat users may be sailing in the same waters as large commercial vessels and will need to have their position and information noted to avoid any collision. This is what AIS (Automatic Identification System) does.

AIS works by taking your position and movements via the vessels' GPS system or an internal sensor built into an AIS unit. That information is then collated along with programmable information from the AIS unit (e.g. Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, vessel name, destination, cargo type) and is transmitted in the background at regular intervals whilst also receiving other vessels AIS information. The AIS unit can have its own separate antenna or an antenna splitter can be used from the antenna the VHF radio transmits from. If an antenna splitter is used, it must be an active splitter suitable for a VHF radio and AIS transponder.

AIS information provides an overview of every large and potential hazard transmitting via AIS relative to your own vessels' position. This will be displayed either on a chart plotter showing the positions of the other vessels or on a radar display. Depending on the type of chart plotter or display you are using, you can have the option to select the other vessels information to view their MMSI number and call them directly through the VHF radio.

Shore based stations also have equipment that receive AIS transmitted information and display it on an electronic chart showing 'traffic' within the waters near them. These stations can monitor the vessels and provide added safety as they have the ability to call ships directly and warn them of potential hazards.

Read more at ICOM's website

Catalan News - Barcelona will bid to host 2024 America's Cup sailing race
Barcelona will bid to host the 2024 America's Cup sailing race, the oldest sport trophy in international sport, established in 1851.

The Catalan capital wants to be the venue of the pinnacle of yachting, as was first published by 'La Vanguardia' newspaper on Friday and confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

Barcelona has already informed officially to the organization that it is ready to host the event, and the initiative is the result of joint efforts by various Catalan public administrations and the private sector.

The city council, the Catalan government, and the Barcelona region authority (Diputació de Barcelona) are working together with Barcelona Global, a private and non-profit association that is trying to get the engagement of businesses.

The city will not have to wait much time in order to know whether it will be picked, since America's Cup will announce its venue for 2024 by March 31, 2022, that is, at the end of this month.

According to media specializing in sailing, other cities bidding to host the event include Malaga, in southern Spain; Cork, in Ireland; and Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.

www.catalannews.com

Am Cup yacht skippered by Sir Russell Coutts to get heave-ho
NZL14 sailed as part of the New Zealand challenge at the 1992 edition of the race in San Diego and continued racing in San Francisco before returning to New Zealand sailing tourists around Lake Whakatipu for several years.

Now the 23m yacht, which has a 35m mast and a lead keel weight of 16.5 tonnes, has been deemed surplus to requirements.

Moored at Queenstown Bay in Lake Whakatipu, it has been classed as abandoned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council under the Maritime Transport Act and the council are calling for expressions of interest for its removal.

www.1news.co.nz

-- Hat tip for the two stories above to Justin Chisholm's Yacht Racing World

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 John 'Robo' Roberson:

A standing ovation please for Barry Pickthall. I wish the Ocean Race organisers were the only culprits in this sad reflection of the state of journalism and PR within our sport, they are but one of many organisations falling well short of the required standard.

Inaccuracies and lack of information are rife throughout the major event websites, press releases are blatantly inaccurate and badly written.

In normal times when the Covid pandemic is not disrupting our sport, I receive upward of a hundred press releases per day. If there are three that are readable it is a big day. Of those that have some semblance of use, finding a phone number or other contact details is rare.

A few months ago I received a press release from Emirates Team New Zealand, which I thought was worth a story, but needed to check some facts. There was no phone number provided, so I e-mailed the address given at the bottom, I'm still waiting for a reply.

Press releases where the winner of the event is buried somewhere in the fourth or fifth paragraph, are a waste of time. Press releases that tell you what a difficult day it was for the race officer, are a waste of time.

So often people complain how difficult it is to get sponsors for sailing, well that's not surprising for a sport that does it's publicity so badly. We are an introverted sport that writes and reports, in all forms, for those who are participating, preaching to the converted.

Even the people within our sport have lost interest in many of the major events, they can't be bothered to read a thousand word story to find out who won. You can't blame them, in today's world of big work and family commitments they want the news fed to them in small doses.

To those who write press releases I would say, you should not be trying to emulate Shakespeare, you are just imparting information to people in a useable format, whether it is a race report, a product launch to any other event.

Featured Brokerage
2006 Sly Yachts SLY 47. 270000 EUR. Located in Imperia, Italy.

Lightweight semi-custom carbon epoxy vacuum-infused performance cruiser from Sly Yachts in 2005. Launched 2006 and with just two owners since new. ROCKET 1 is a very special example of her type and is offered for sale in sparkling condition.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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Outremer 45 - New Boat. POA EUR.

The Outremer shipyard took up the challenge to create a new Outremer 45 that would meet and surpass the success of its earlier version. The new design won the challenge!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Tel : +33.467 560 263

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SW100 Blues. 4,400,000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Blues is the eleventh example of the acclaimed SW100 mini-series and the second to feature the raised saloon deck. Delivered in 2010, she has been built with performance in mind and is a regular on the superyacht racing circuits in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Jeremy Peek
Southern Wind Shipyard (Pty) Ltd
Salita Dinegro 7/1
16123 Genoa Italy

Tel. +39 010 570 4035

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

The Last Word
Son, if you can't take their money, drink their whiskey, and then vote against 'em, you don't deserve to be here. -- Sam Rayburn

Editorial and letter submissions to

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