In This Issue
• Champions dominant in Hyeres day of building pressure
• Scarlino delivers ideal conditions
• Step by step - Dimension Polyant
• Air Hyeres
• Half Ton Classics Cup
• Early Bird Discount for Cowes Classics Week Ends Soon
• Get Offshore with SoCal 300
• SailGP's 'Racing on the Edge' goes behind the scenes
• Fin1racing wins both 69F Cup - Valencia Mar Sailing Week Events
• Featured Charter: OLA - San Lorenzo 82
• Featured Brokerage:
• • ClubSwan 36-019 ‘Skorpidi’
• • Aeolos P30
• • HH44 - NEW BOAT
• The Last Word: Andre Norton

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

Champions dominant in Hyeres day of building pressure
The wind might have dropped on day 2 of the 53rd Semaine Olympique Française de Hyeres - TPM, but the pressure kept rising for the sailors either getting to know their new crews or crafts.

You can feel it in the boat parks here in Hyeres, with an Olympic cycle of just three years before the Paris 2024 Olympic sailing event takes place in Marseilles, a fine morning's sail west along the coast.

On a day that started light and built steadily from shifty 6s in the late morning to steady 17-19-knot south-westerlies by the late afternoon, the classes that set off in the morning were tested in a range of conditions.

49er sail split

The clear leaders in the two 49er men's fleets are both running old rigs in Hyeres, for some different reasons, and one major one that's the same; reliability. Last year the 49er class announced a change from Mylar sails to North Sails 3di, and the accompanying new rig means a shallower spinnaker too. Time will tell if performance gains have been overblown.

Poland's Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki, the overall leaders, have gone back to their old mast and sails after broken spreaders on the new mast in the first race in Palma at the beginning of April cost them a place in the gold fleet.

They had another strong day, that included a third race win and a lowest of fourth in six races over two days.

49er FX

Norway's Helene Noess & Marie Ronningen took the overall lead in style after winning the first three of the four races yesterday.

Full results of all classes

Scarlino delivers ideal conditions
Practice race photos by Maxi Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

The Swan Tuscany Challenge has seen a highly competitive fleet of 20 ClubSwan 36s and ClubSwan 50s representing 11 nations assemble in the Tuscan home of Swan in the Mediterranean, the Marina di Scarlino.

Racing got underway in ideal conditions and a southerly breeze of 12 to 15 knots with a practice start sequence and then a practice race out on the picturesque Gulf of Follonica, both expertly directed by the race management teams of Yacht Club Isole di Toscana and ClubSwan Racing.

While no points were awarded to either the Swan Tuscany Challenge or the Nations League scoreboards the competitive outing allowed the race crews - a mix of Corinthian sailors and professional racers - to hone their skills, with a number of boats offering an early indication of their potential.

In the brief first contest involving the 13-strong ClubSwan 50 class, Ross Warburton's British-flagged Perhonen won the practice start and led the way up the beat ahead of Alberto Franchi's Giuliana and Swedish entry Regina 2.0, co-owned by Jacob Wallenberg and Gutta Johansson.

Then in the main event Leonardo Ferragamo's Cuordileone started on the left of the line and edged her way into the lead on the first beat ahead of Balthasar and August Schram's Stella Maris - flying the flag for Belgium and Austria respectively - with the three contesting the lead around the course.

At the finish Ferragamo, Nautor Group's chairman, took the win with the hard charging Stella Maris and Balthasar finishing just a second apart close astern.

Race results on Yachtscoring.com

Step by step - Dimension Polyant
There are so many areas which demand our attention to make sailing as a whole more sustainable. However why not start in the most obvious place... by simply looking up?

We like to assume that sailing is inherently sustainable, powered by renewable energy. Sails themselves, however, are the elephant in the room when it comes to sustainability. It takes a lot of energy to make sailcloth and the raw materials required to achieve the extreme levels of stretch resistance, strength and durability that we rely on for efficient sailing are inherently unsustainable. Or rather, they were. Last November Dimension- Polyant's Hydra Net radial was the first sailcloth on the market to become 100 per cent climate neutral. And the even better news for sailors and sailmakers is that there's no change at all in its performance.

So what has changed? First, Dimension-Polyant has worked hard over many years to get its own house in order and those efforts have come to fruition. Both of its factories, at Kempen in Germany and Putnam in Connecticut, USA were certified as climate neutral production plants in 2021. That isn't just greenwash.

Full article in the May issue of Seahorse

Air Hyeres
There's many different theories on racing in big, Olympic standard fleets. Some coaches insist on a fast start – get a couple of top fives on the board and the regatta becomes something akin to a bird on a perch. You look down on the chasers. It's a bit easier. Others demand consistency – nothing wrong with a couple of top tens, after all you can't win the regatta on the first day but you can certainly lose it. The most entertaining of tactics though is the Ainslie method. Get disqualified in about race two, right when it matters at the actual Olympic Games itself, get angry and then trounce everyone with a masterclass. But that genius only comes around once every five to ten generations.

Or does it? There's a very reasoned argument to be made in this Olympic cycle for three, possibly four athletes who have elevated themselves to God-like status in the mould of Big Ben. Look at the peak of the Nacra 17's, the Women's KiteFoil or the Men's Laser class and there are very special things happening before our eyes.

The fast start is where these athletes are at and down on the Cote d'Azur, Italy's Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti, America's darling Daniela Moroz and the thunder from Down Under, Matt Wearn are proving their favourite status for the shiniest of metal at Marseille 2024.

-- An excerpt from Magnus Wheatley's editorial in Rule69blog.com

Half Ton Classics Cup
Photo by Fiona Brown. Click on image to enlarge.

On Monday 15th August the 12th Half Ton Classics Cup will start on the Solent, organized by RORC Cowes and the Half Ton Class Europe (HTCE). The halftonners will have been waiting nearly 3 years for that moment. The HTCE and RORC Cowes will do all that is within their possibilities to make it a great event, like it was in 2011 when the halftonner fleet last visited the Solent, when 38 halftonners took part in a great event, with the local Berret 1978 Chimp finally taking the much coveted Half Ton Classics Trophy.

The Notice of Race has been published:

All interested teams are welcomed to enter their halftonner via the RORC here

Way back in the Seventies and the Eighties the IOR racing rule produced exciting racing in various classes, with the Half Ton Class as very probably one of the most emblematic ones. With many hundreds of prototypes built in that era, and the thousands of series boats like f.i. the Arpege, Armagnac, Super Arlequin, Rush, Hustler SJ30 & 32 and the First Evolution, it is unlikely that one will ever be able to count the exact number of halftonners built.

In the IOR era the boats sailed in Real Time. All the big names in yacht design like f.i. Sparkman & Stephens, Laurie Davidson, Bruce Farr, Nils Jeppesen, Paul Whiting, Jean Berret, Rob Humphreys, Ed Dubois, Joubert/Nivelt, Daniel Andrieu, Jean-Marie Finot, Philippe Briand, Philippe Harlé, Ron Holland, Doug Peterson, Peter Norlin, Julian Everitt, Stephen Jones, Bruce King, Gilles Gahinet, Scott Kauffman, Tony Castro, Andrea Ceccarelli, Georg Nissen, Jac. De Ridder, Hugh Welbourne, Fontana-Maletto-Navone, Judel-Vrolijk or Gary Mull (just to name a few…) have had their go at this IOR rating rule. Many of them had their moment of glory and made their name producing one or more winning Half Ton designs. In those times the Half Ton Cups were "the place to be" for both crews and designers in quest of international fame.

halftonclassicscup.com

Early Bird Discount for Cowes Classics Week Ends Soon
Charm of Rhu is an International 8 metre cruiser/racer built in 1963. Click on image to enlarge.

Those wishing to benefit from a discount when they enter for Cowes Classics Week 2022 may still do so, but time is running out. The discount ends at midnight on Friday 6th May.

The world's biggest classic yacht regatta of its kind is open to classic yachts built in wood or steel before 1975, or GRP yachts designed at least 50 years ago. All classic S&S-designed yachts including Swans and S&S 34s, regardless of design date, are invited. Spirit of Tradition yachts designed to classic lines are also welcomed. There will be a non-spinnaker division for classic yachts above 30' in length. Racing is run from 27th June to 1st July.

Entries are already in from fleets of classic dayboats, GRP classics such as Contessa 32s and Twisters, and some beautiful wooden yachts from a bygone era. Fleets of Darings, XODs, Solent Sunbeams, Swallows, Seaview Mermaids and others will compete on windward/leeward courses while individual yachts will compete on classic round-the-cans courses around the Solent.

With the Round The Island Race and Cowes Classics Day to start the week and a full program of social events at the Cowes yacht clubs, there's a whole week of racing, entertainment and fun to be enjoyed.

To enter, please go to cowesclassicsweek.org/enter-online or contact the organisers, the Royal London Yacht Club at .

Get Offshore with SoCal 300
The U. S. offshore racing season continues this summer with the West Coast favorite California Offshore Race Week. The week-long journey down the California coast is broken into three separate races and is hosted by Encinal Yacht Club, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, Santa Barbara Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club. Skippers and crews are encouraged to add the entirety of the CORW to their bucket list, but have the option to opt into any of the individual legs.

- Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco to Monterey): May 28-29

- Coastal Cup (Monterey to Santa Barbara): May 30-May 31

- SoCal 300 (Santa Barbara to San Diego): June 2-4

San Diego Yacht Club's hosted leg of the race with Santa Barbara Yacht Club, the SoCal 300, started as a stand alone event. In 2016, the race synced up with the Spinnaker Cup and the Coastal Cup, resulting in the California Offshore Race Week. As of late April, about 20 boats have registered for the SoCal 300 and 10 of them signed up for the full-week adventure. Those that have sailed in the SoCal 300 in the past can expect to see a similar race format from previous years.

The entry deadline for the SoCal 300 is May 28 and all registrations must hold a valid 2022 ORR or ORR-ez certificate.

offshoreraceweek.com

SailGP's 'Racing on the Edge' goes behind the scenes
The final Season 2 episode of SailGP's docuseries 'Racing on the Edge' covers the Grand Final weekend in San Francisco that had everything, from dramatic collisions to challenging conditions, to a whale interrupting the winner-take-all race for $1million. The drivers of the three teams in that Final Championship race, Australia's Tom Slingsby, Japan's Nathan Outteridge and USA's Jimmy Spithill, give viewers an exclusive insight into their mindset, tactics and emotions from an unprecedented Grand Prix weekend at the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix.

Slingsby's Australia team ultimately prevailed in the shadows of the Golden Gate Bridge to claim back to back SailGP Championships. Slingsby speaks of his immense pride in the episode at once again beating the best field in world sailing.

"To have Australia on the top step of the podium, it's huge, we've shown time and time again that Australia is the strongest sporting sailing team in the world. And it's the glory that's more important than any prize money,'' Slingsby said.

sailgp.com

Fin1racing wins both 69F Cup - Valencia Mar Sailing Week Events
Click on image for photo gallery.

The 69F Cup held in Valencia Mar, first event of the European circuit of the 69F Cup, ended one day early, on Friday April 22nd, due to the strong wind on Saturday 23rd. 12 races were sailed in the two day competition by the nine teams with sailors coming from as nine countries, for a very balanced and heterogeneous fleet, made up of young and not-so-young sailors, some professionals and others amateurs, for a very intense and close competition.

Three teams took part in both Grand Prix, among them the winners of GP1.1, Fin1Racing, who reconfirmed themselves the best of the week winning also GP1.2.

Fin1Racing has a nice background story. They bought a slot at the last three GPs of the 2021 European season, in Torbole and Puntaldia, thanks to the easy Pay-Per-Play option they just had to show up at the location a few days in advance, follow the training session with one of the Team 69F coaches to get ready to compete in the regatta. After those events came the decision to participate in the entire 2022 season, which began with two consecutive wins for them.

In second place was another confirmation from last weekend, the French of Groupe Atlantic, while in third place were the Swiss of CER Ville de Geneve.

The 69F Cup Europe will resume in less than two months in Puntaldia, Sardinia. The location that hosted the last successful event in 2021, returns with GP 2.1 from June 14-19, and GP 2.2 to be held from June 20-25. The conditions in this corner of paradise a little south of Olbia and looking at the island of Tavolara, are perfect. The thermic breeze is not too strong, and the sea is generally flat, they are ideal for foiling beginners, who can take the chance of some slots still available for these events, including three days of pre-race training.

69fsailing.com

Featured Charter
OLA - San Lorenzo 82. From 22,000 per week EUR. Located in West Mediterranean.

Boasting a host of fabulous amenties and a classic interior, OLA is tailor made for elegant charters. Relax on her sunpads, dine beneath the shade of the canvas bimini or hop aboard her tender for a ride, and let your cares slip away.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Charter Department
Bernard-Gallay
Phone : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail : or

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2021 ClubSwan 36-019 ‘SKORPIDI’. 600,000 EUR. Located in Culpe, Spain

The new ClubSwan 36 is an innovative high performance yacht that has been developed using all the experience of Nautor’s ClubSwan Division and the detailed hydrodynamic and CFD studies of Juan Kouyoumdjian in a timeless authentic design. Working with the most qualified experts available and following a deep dedication to finding the edge between an incredibly fast hull, thanks to the latest available technology, and impeccable handling in every condition.

See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage

Contact
Jerome Mainemare

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AEOLOS P30. From 94.000* EUR. * introduction offer, without sails and tax, depending on the exchange rates/raw material prices EUR.

The AEOLOS Performance 30“ (P30) is optimal for single and double-handed sailing and works in a wide range of offshore conditions up to category A. This boat is not only a fast carbon boat, but also a concept for racing at low costs. Easy transport, launching, low maintenance and a lot more keep running cost to a minimum and you can concentrate on what makes you successful: training and racing.

Hundreds of hours went into the development of the Aeolos P30: An international team through the entire regatta process and optimised every step: Speed, handling, rating, maintenance, transfers. The boat is very well optimized under ORC handicap rule, but without compromizing performance.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Aeolos Yachts
Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates

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HH44 - NEW BOAT

The HH44 includes all the features that set HH Catamarans apart, excellent sailing performance, robust carbon fiber construction, exquisite interior fit and finish, and state-of-the-art marine equipment. Every line and curve has been carefully considered and executed to create the most beautiful 44ft cruising catamaran on the planet.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Hudson Yacht & Marine

+1 864-324-7825
+1 401-924-4566

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

The Last Word
A life that has been bought by the blood of friends must not be thrown away. -- Andre Norton, Wraiths of Time

Editorial and letter submissions to

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