In This Issue
• Marina Militare Nastro Rosa - Female Offshore Mediterranean Championship
• Joint statement from RORC and UNCL regards IRC concerning the Ukraine conflict
• No problems - no competition - Contender Sailcloth
• Alan Roura and Hublot: On The Way To The Vendee Globe
• Eric Bellion is creating the first Vendee Globe "team"
• New Horizons for Marcus Hutchinson
• Maxi yachting returns to picturesque Portofino
• Making Complex Simple
• Trevor Geldard
• Featured Charter: HYPR - Volvo 70
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Baltic Yachts 43
• • CF 520 IRC Racing Yacht
• • Swan 90-703 FD 'Berenice Cube'
• The Last Word: Andy Zaltzman
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
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa - Female Offshore Mediterranean Championship
The great Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour sailing event is back and it's an absolute first: the Female Offshore Mediterranean Championship will start on 11 April from Genoa. Ten female crews will compete aboard ten Benetau Figaro 3 managed by Sailing Series International, the creator of the event which will be organized together with the Lega Navale Italiana of Sestri Ponente and La Maddalena. Destined to end in La Maddalena around April 15, the race will touch France and sees its uniqueness in the fact that never before the class Benetau Figaro 3 has reserved a race only for women's teams.
Among the sure protagonists of the regatta will be Claudia Rossi, reigning Double Mixed Offshore World Champion together with Pietro D'Alì and winner of three J/70 European titles, Cecilia Zorzi, winner of the European title in the same category together with Alberto Bona.
As a counterpart to the all-female regatta, the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa - Il giro, the regatta in stages around the Italian coasts starting on June 12th, opens its doors to double crews made up of two male or female sailors or mixed."
Registrations Open Until April 5: www.nastrorosatour.it
Joint statement from RORC and UNCL regards IRC concerning the Ukraine conflict
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Union Nationale Pour La Course Au Large (UNCL), who jointly own the International Rating Certificate (IRC) rule, abhor the invasion of Ukraine and extend their wholehearted support to the Ukrainian nation.
We endorse the positions taken by World Sailing and the IOC. Until this situation is resolved, we will not admit Russian or Belarussian owned yachts to events that we organise; we are asking our Rule Authorities around the world not to issue IRC certificates to such vessels; and we will be asking each Rule Authority not to accept such an entry to an event sailed under IRC.
We will continue to assess the situation and work with Member National Authorities whilst respecting their national policies and those of World Sailing
No problems - no competition - Contender Sailcloth
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. The stand-out result in these challenging conditions was achieved by a two-man crew sailing the smallest boat in the fleet, the J/99 Disko Trooper-Contender Sailcloth.
Sailed by Jules Hall and Contender Sailcloth’s director for Australia, Jan Scholten, they not only won the new two-handed division in all three handicap systems – IRC, ORCi and PHS – but if they’d been counted in the fully crewed category, they’d also have won overall in ORCi and come fourth in IRC. How did they do it?
Full article in the April issue of Seahorse
Alan Roura and Hublot: On The Way To The Vendee Globe
For his third consecutive participation, the Geneva sailor will be able to count on the Swiss watch manufacturer Hublot as title partner, with a major objective: to try to win the 2024 edition of the Everest of the Seas, the most difficult sailing race in the world
Alan Roura, 29, has been on the water for 27 years, including 9 already in competition (he took part in the Mini Transat at just 20 years old), two solo round the world races and thousands of nautical miles on the clock. The sea is his freedom! The youngest finisher in the Vendee Globe in 2016 and current holder of the North Atlantic single-handed sailing record, the Swiss sailor, who has been putting down his boots and oilskin in Brittany since 2012, has his bow more than ever pointed towards his next challenge: to become the first foreigner to win the Vendee Globe. Aboard the IMOCA 60 HUBLOT, he will take part in all the races on the calendar for the next three seasons, with in particular 4 transatlantic races on the program, before setting off again for a round the world trip in 2024.
Eric Bellion is creating the first Vendee Globe "team"
Now, just these past days having turned 46, Eric Bellion - who was one of the best rookies of the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe - is is off and running again. Always a skipper to champion diversity and inclusion, the indefatigable Bellion intends this new programme for the 2024 race to be more collective than ever. His ideal is to gather together several skippers, to pool and share resources across the team and to "contest the most solitary of sporting events" with a mutually supportive collective, getting several sailors to the start line.
He is starting out with a boat rented from Jean Le Cam for this season. But he has a new IMOCA in build with 'King Jean'. eric Bellion talks about his roadmap and the visceral and emotional link with the Vendee Globe, the race whose spirit has never left him even although he has completed it once.
"The idea is to create the first collaborative team, the first collective of the Vendee Globe. While respecting the rules of the Vendee Globe, the calendar and the requirements of the IMOCA, we wish to have several boats and several skippers, all very competitive all looking to race in three years time. The goal is to share everything: the development and reliability of the boats, training, physical preparation, the search for sponsors. A collective allows us to support each other during difficult times, to work on our weaknesses, to help increase everyone's abilities and, ultimately, to enhance their objectives. In addition, this will reduce costs but also to have one new boat project that will have the lowest carbon emissions. It's quite extraordinary to think of competing in the most solitary event while at the same time demonstrating the power of the collective, of collaboration.
To launch the project, you rented Jean Le Cam's boat and commissioned the build of a new IMOCA...
"Yes, Jean rented it to us for the year 2022 in order to do all the season, to fine tune our skills and accumulate miles and gain experience. At the same time, we are going to build new boat, co-designed with Jean and with the full support of Altavia. This monohull with straight foils, which will be launched in the spring of 2023, is the result of our shared reflections. It will be practical, efficient and durable. We will reveal who the architect is soon and what yard will be builders.
New Horizons for Marcus Hutchinson
Marcus Hutchinson of Howth and Kinsale is leaving France's TR Racing, where he was team manager for Thomas Ruyant during the last Vendee Globe campaign.
Hutchinson took on the role in January 2018 and is credited by solo skipper Ruyant as being one of the linchpins of the team's performance.
As regular Afloat readers will know, the Hutchinson-managed Vendee Globe-entered IMOCA 60 provided major publicity for the not-for-profit social organisation LinkedOut.
Hutchinson has worked on five America's Cup events during his career, and has been coach and mentor for major solo ocean racing campaigns including the Figaro and Vendee Globe and spoke to Afloat's Lorna Siggins in a podcast here in 2021 about Ireland's prospects of hosting the America's Cup.
Maxi yachting returns to picturesque Portofino
Maxi yacht racing re-ignites in Italy in one month’s time with the Regate di Primavera held out of one of the nation’s most idyllic hamlets, Portofino.
Organised by the Yacht Club Italiano, in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, Portofino has long been a favourite destination with maxi yacht owners, who have previously raced there in major events such as the Zegna Trophy, the Regate Pirelli and the Nespresso Cup for the Wally class. Last year the Yacht Club Italiano, who have their summer base in Portofino, re-introduced their spring regatta there, exclusively for maxi yachts. That event was a great success with a strong turn-out of maxis, whose owners and crews were keen to get back out on the water after being locked up for so long due to the pandemic. This year’s event is expected to bounce back ever stronger thanks to support from Rolex Italia, the main partner and with Rolex being official timepiece of the event, plus the Italian sailing federation (FIV) and official hospitality partner, the Splendido Mare Hotel and technical partner Banca Passadore & C.
Racing will take place for the maxi fleet (yachts of 18.29+m) over four days (22-25 April) in three classes - Class Racer, Class Cruiser-Racer and Mylius Yachts. The former will race a mix of windward-leeward and coastal courses while the Cruiser-Racers will sail coastal races exclusively and may have a special dispensation for racing with guests on board. The Mylius Yachts class will solely be for craft emanating form the Podenzano-based yard and will include Twin Soul B of Mylius Yachts President Luciano Gandini, which last year finished second to an all-conquering Alessandro del Bono and his rejuvenated ILC maxi Capricorno.
Among the prizes will be trophies for the highest placed IMA members in the two classes. -- James Boyd / International Maxi Association
www.internationalmaxiassociation.com
Making Complex Simple - article for Sailing World Magazine
Click on image to enlarge.
Originally written for Sailing World Magazine by Sailing.Dog's Andrew Palfrey
In this web series of technical articles highlighting some of the major controls generic to most keelboats, we’ll use the 5.5 Metre as a platform to explore various key controls, what they do, and how and why they’re set up as they are.
I had been speaking with Sailing World’s Dave Powlison about a potential series of articles highlighting the major generic controls on most keel-boats to control the rig and sails, when it suddenly occurred to both of us that we could do this series in parallel to my involvement in the creation of two 5.5 Metre class yacht builds taking place in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight in England.
Why the 5.5 as a platform for this discussion? For starters, there are no fewer than 46 control points. This is where a control line is directed to a crewmember. Believe me, I have “simplicity” going through my mind at every moment—we are doing all we can to minimize complication. At every step of the way, we debate what we do and don’t need and where it needs to be led.
To read the rest of the article check out the Sailing World website.
Trevor Geldard, one of the great helmsmen of New Zealand sailing passes away
Geldard being interviewed by Peter Montgomery. Click on image to enlarge.
Trevor Geldard is being remembered as a visionary who played a leading role in the rise and rise of New Zealand sailing from the 1970s.
Geldard passed away peacefully at his home last week.
New Zealand's first tilt at the America's Cup in 1987 might not have happened without Geldard. The idea was faltering in the mid-1980s when a small group met at a function in Auckland and the subject of New Zealand's challenge was brought up.
"Among the group were some prominent people who were concerned about the difficulty of fundraising and, without money, the idea would remain a dream," said sailing broadcaster Peter Montgomery who was in attendance that day. "I was witness to Trevor Geldard saying, 'we will start things rolling with $1 million'. That was the start of what became an illustrious time for New Zealand sport.
"Trevor Geldard’s vision and courage was well known and appreciated among the sailing community."
Along with John Street and Sir Tom Clark, Trevor was honoured in 2004 with the long overdue award of the Sir Bernard Fergusson Sailor of the Year trophy, as the "Godfathers of New Zealand sailing".
During his time as chief executive of Consolidated Chemicals and then Healing Industries, Geldard instigated some substantial sponsorship from Epiglass, one of the products his company manufactured.
He was a strong advocate of supporting the market his company served and insisted on sponsorship for events and programmes ranging from junior sailing through to the One Ton Cup, Admiral's Cup, Southern Cross Cup, Kenwood Cup, America's Cup and New Zealand-flagged yachts in the round the world race. -- Michael Brown/Yachting NZ
www.sail-world.com/news/247306/
Featured Charter
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See listing details in Seahorse Charters
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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
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The Last Word
Politicians are like God. No one believes in them, they haven't done anything for ages, and they give jobs to their immediate family. -- Andy Zaltzman
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