In This Issue
• Champions make the golden cut in the Hyeres chop
• Four races, four different winners
• Fewer parts fewer troubles - Alpha Locks
• Finn Gold Cup / Silver Cup
• 50 Years Of Olympics In Kiel
• NACRA 15 European Championships
• RORC Cervantes Trophy Race
• Bol d'Or Mirabaud 2022: the great lake festival is back!
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Swan 68 - Defiance
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Zeydon Z60 - Regulus
• • Dazcat 1495
• • Bavaria C45
• The Last Word: Kazuo Ishiguro
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 make the golden cut in the Hyeres chop
After three days of racing in the 53rd Semaine Olympique Française de Hyeres - TPM we have the first qualification cut - let the gold fleets begin.
If the watchword has been consistency for the first half of the week, it will now blur with speed over the second half, as the best from the separated fleets now face off in each of the 10 Olympic classes containing 751 of the world's best sailors from over 50 countries.
The Olympic champions and favourites across the fleets have done their job and, by and large, kept their scores low - or low enough. Although there are some big names in unfamiliar positions who have not made the cut, among them Tom Burton, the Australian gold medallist in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the Laser. It was not entirely a surprise as it was his first major event in the 49er with his crew mate Simon Hoffman.
Wednesday brought onshore easterlies and chop into the bay of Hyeres rather the Mistral westerlies and flat lake foiling conditions of the first two days. But rather than building from 6 knots to 15-18 as forecast, conditions eased off, unsettling some plans.
Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed hydrofoil catamaran)
Italy's Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti showed their class on Wednesday, opening up a significant lead on a spreading Nacra fleet, with 1, 1, 1, 2 finishes in the four races. As in Palma, only the British and Finnish, 9 and 15 points behind respectively, have been consistently competitive. Britain's John Gimson & Anna Burnet won the last race to put on some pressure, but the Italians were second and are the only ones with a discard up their sleeve, having not finished lower than 5th in the nine races.
ILCA 6
In contrast to the men's leaderboard, the women's looks wide open after Poland's Agata Barwinska finished 19th in light winds in the second race at the end of the day. Such is the state of the other huge discards in the top 10, that she still leads, just. Belgium's Emma Plaaschaert, 4th at the Tokyo Olympics, lies in second despite being 38th in the final race and Canada's Sarah Douglas, who won in Palma, is 10th after finishing 48th.
ILCA 7
Germany's 2020 World Champion, Philipp Buhl took the lead and a discard advantage after Australia's Olympic champion, Matt Wearn, was UFD in the starting sequence of the second and final race of the day. They will now face each other for the first time in gold fleet, and Wearn cannot afford a slip up with Buhl's consistency in finishing 1, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1 in the six races so far.
Just behind them lies Pavlos Kontides, the first Cypriot to ever win an Olympic medal (silver at London 2012). But his 10th place in the last race also leaves him more vulnerable.
Monday 25 to Friday April 29: qualifying phase
Saturday April 30: Medal Races
Saturday April 30: Prize giving and closing ceremony
Four races, four different winners
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Preparations finished, practice completed, The Swan Tuscany Challenge got serious today - and with four different winners in each of the four races held the competition looks like it will be wide open across the two one-design fleets.
On a day of varied conditions out on the Gulf of Follonica results on the water confounded some of the expectations generated in the practice race, as well as the form book from previous seasons.
In the 13-strong ClubSwan 50 class the first race saw a nail-biting finish, with Hendrik Brandis' Earlybird leading the fleet around most of the course before holding off a last-ditch challenge from Andrea Bianchedi's Drifter Sail to take the win by just three seconds, with Stella Maris completing the podium.
In the second race the Austrian-flagged Stella Maris further lifted her game, with August Schram's team taking a well-deserved victory to lead the ClubSwan 50 class on countback, level on points with Drifter Sail who placed second again.
It was also a close-run affair in the ClubSwan 36 class with the top five boats in the seven strong fleet each taking at least one podium place apiece. John-Christian de Champs' Cuordileone finished the day top of the table after taking a third spot followed by a win in the second race.
Full results in YachtScoring.com
Fewer parts fewer troubles - Alpha Locks
And there is nothing out there to keep your sails up that boasts fewer moving parts than Eric Hall's superbly reliable Alphalock system...
Minimise what can go wrong to maximise reliability. Based on that principle, Alphalock's high reliability comes from utter simplicity. There is only one moving part: the locking flipper itself. No springs, latches, ball detents or anything else that can corrode or wear out during service.
The key to Alphalock's simplicity is a patented "solid state" combination of shape and magnetism that precisely and consistently guides the locking flipper into its locking (cocked) and unlocking (neutral) positions, season after season. Unlike springs that tend to wear out in a season or two, the strength of Alphalock's magnetic componentry does not diminish with age. The Alphalock automatic action is simple: hoist to lock, hoist again to unlock. The Alphalock product line covers all halyard and reefing lock applications.
The range includes Block Locks, a multihull favourite. Stropped to masts externally, Block Locks simplify locking on rotating masts and are also used on code zero tack lines.
Full article in the May issue of Seahorse
Finn Gold Cup / Silver Cup
May 15-21, Malcesine, ITA: The entry list shows 128 entries with 109 having paid entry fees so far. Entries are still possible at the higher entry fee.
Entry lists and all further details can be found on the event website here: 2022.finngoldcup.org
The Provisional Notice of Race can be found found here
The Finn Silver Cup has been combined with the Finn Gold Cup this year.
The 2022 U23 World Championship for the Finn Silver Cup will be held alongside the 2022 Finn Gold Cup with the results extracts from the overall score.
50 Years Of Olympics In Kiel
50 years after the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Augsburg & Kiel, the Schleswig-Holstein state capital will once again host a festival of sailing: Various championship formats of the 1972 Olympic boat classes and the Combined International German Youth Championships (GIDJM) will take place as part of the anniversary celebration.
The joint international German youth championships and the revival of the Olympic sailing regattas of 1972, bundled in the Olympic area in Kiel, will combine the future of sailing with history in August 2022. The 13 junior classes of the German Sailing Association will start off with the 6th joint IDJM from August 10th to 16th. From August 17th to 21st, the regattas of the six Olympic boat classes from 1972 follow - Dragon, FD, Finn, Soling, Star and Tempest. Two months after the Kiel Week (June 18th to 26th), the second major sailing event will take place off Kiel-Schilksee.
Together with the two other former Olympic venues Munich and Augsburg (canoe racing), Kiel would like to bring the memories of the 1972 Olympic Games to life again after 50 years. The city of Kiel and the Kiel Yacht Club presented their concept for this. Aim: A top-class sailing festival with a focus on the world of sailing, youth and international understanding.
In 1972 there were still two German teams at the start in Kiel. The GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany competed separately for the medals. In total, three crews won medals for all of Germany:
In the dragon , Paul Borowski/Karl-Heinz Thun/Konrad Weichert won silver for the GDR.
In the Star , Willi Kuhweide/Karsten Meyer won bronze for the Federal Republic of Germany.
In the FD , Ullrich Libor/Peter Naumann won bronze for the Federal Republic of Germany. -- Herman Hell
http://50jahreolympiakiel.de/zukunft-trifft-auf-historie
NACRA 15 European Championships
The 2022 European Championships ar being sailed in Carnac France from 25-29 April. Carnac is wellknown as the venue of the yearly l'Eurocat Event and has a lot of experience with multhull events. Directly after the European Championships the Nacra 15 sailors can participate in the Grand Raid de l'Eurocat Event (at Saturday 30 April).
There are a total of 53 entries from 9 nations.
Top five after 8 races:
1. Matteo Chaboud / Ambre Sebrechts, FRA, 35 points
2. Clement Martineau / Lou Mourniac, FRA, 39
3. Thomas Proust / Eloise Clabon, FRA, 44v 4. Axel Grandjean / Noemie Fehlmann, SUI, 45
5. Manolo Geslin Grimaud / Marion Declef, FRA, 48
Follow the races at the SailRacer tracking page
RORC Cervantes Trophy Race
RORC Commodore James Neville will be racing his HH42 INO XXX. Photo by Rick Tomlinson, rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Offshore racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club returns to Europe on the 30th of April with the Cervantes Trophy Race, the traditional opening domestic race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. Starting from the Royal Squadron Line Cowes, boats will race across the English Channel bound for Le Havre. Well over 50 teams are expected with a warm welcome waiting at the oldest yacht club in France, Societe des Regates du Havre, established in 1838.
RORC Commodore James Neville will be racing his HH42 INO XXX, this will be the first offshore race for Neville's team, since the 2021 Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Gilles Fournier will skipper French J/133 Pintia, which will be racing to their home club, the Societe des Regates du Havre. In 2018, Pintia was the overall winner of the race, an impressive third victory in a row. Pintia's crew includes the creator of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Bruno Trouble.
At least 25 teams will be racing in IRC Two-Handed, including Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 Jangada, racing with Jeremy Waitt. Jangada has taken maximum points so far in the 2022 RORC Season's Points Championship with class wins in the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, and the RORC Caribbean 600. Seven Sun Fast 3300s are entered in IRC Two-handed for the Cervantes Trophy, including a debut race for Dee Caffari and Shirley Robertson racing Rockit. Sun Fast 3200 Cora, raced by Tim Goodhew and Kelvin Matthews, was second in IRC Two-Handed for the 2021 season. Cora will start their 2022 RORC campaign with the Cervantes Trophy Race. -- Louay Habib
Bol d'Or Mirabaud 2022: the great lake festival is back!
The presentation of the 83rd Bol d'Or Mirabaud edition took place this morning at the Societe Nautique de Geneve in the presence of organizers, the media and race partners. After the unfortunate cancellation of the 2020 edition followed by a year void of festivities, the great lake festival is back in 2022 with - in addition to a rich regatta from a competition standpoint - a great social and festive program for all competitors and spectators, who are welcome to the SNG during the event.
This year, the brand-new sports pavilion will host the BOM village for the first time and will serve as the gathering place for the opening ceremony, celebration of the winners and the prize ceremony. The race office as well as the press room and TV studio will also be in this new, modern, and pleasant space.
the race start scheduled for Saturday at 10:00. The racecourse is Geneva to Le Bouveret and back, on a theoretical 123 kilometer (66.5 nautical mile) course, the record for which has been held since 1994 by the trimaran Triga IV in 5:01. Several records are at stake, including the total number of victories per sailor, to which Pierre-Yves Jorand, Christian Wahl, Ernesto Bertarelli and Alex Schneiter can all lay claim. The TF35 hydrofoil catamaran regatta will also be of particular interest, especially the performance of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, now officially a challenger for the next America's Cup under SNG colors.
Industry News
Freedom Boat Club, the world's largest boat club operator, today announced its 350th location, more than doubling of the number of bases in the Freedom network since the company was acquired by Brunswick in May 2019.
The new location will be in Silkeborg, Denmark - Freedom's first base in Scandinavia and a further demonstration of Freedom's successful European growth strategy. In less than a year, Freedom has increased its European presence from three locations in France to more than 28 locations (including Fanautic Boat Club) across the UK, France, Spain, and now Scandinavia.
Freedom's rapid growth is supported by both corporate and franchise expansion across North America, Canada, and Europe. Over the past 12 months, the company has acquired six corporate locations generating operational efficiencies across four newly formed "super territories" in some of the most desirable boating locations worldwide, such as Chicago, New York, Spain and most recently Atlanta.
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France's Beneteau Group has announced this evening that Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer Jerôme de Metz is to step down, to be replaced by Bruno Thivoyon as Group CEO.
De Metz's departure will coincide with Jean-Paul Chapeleau, current Deputy CEO, Industrial Operations and Development, reaching the age limit set by the company's bylaws. He has agreed to continue working with the Group as an Advisor to the Executive Leadership Team. Chapeleau was also named new president of France's marine industry association, Federation des industries Nautique, last month.
The management changes are being made in advance of the company's General Meeting on 17 June, when De Metz' term of office expires. The positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO, were combined when Jerôme de Metz came on board in June 2019 and will now return to separate roles.
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Progressing its program of continuous refinement, METSTRADE 2022 announced it will feature significant improvements to its layout for 2022. Following a one-off adjusted pandemic edition last year, METSTRADE 2022 said it will be strengthening its position as the must-not-miss world's largest leisure marine B2B exhibition and global networking hub on November 15-17 at RAI Amsterdam.
Organizers said early indicators for 2022 are very positive, with 96% of visitors and 90% of exhibitors declaring their intention to return. Marine industry associations are experiencing significant uptake for national pavilions, and METSTRADE is receiving many first-time applications, particularly from electric propulsion and electronics companies.
The dedicated SuperYacht Pavilion (SYP) is resuming its residency in Halls 9-11 - providing a more spacious layout to accommodate its comprehensive array of dedicated premier stands and networking spaces.
Hall 12 will have more focus on equipment for large production yachts with the Construction Material Pavilion (CMP) and the Italian pavilion, in co-operation with Confindustria Nautica. By doing this, it becomes the go-to hall to showcase the most advanced technologies for innovative yacht builders, naval architects, and interior designers.
Recognising the rapid growth in electronic propulsion and related equipment, METSTRADE will accommodate the return of the I-nnovation Lab with a special focus on alternative propulsion. Its Elicium Ballroom location will symbolically place this vital growth area for the marine sector at the show's heart, the very same location where the DAME product entries will be on display.
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Robert Courts MP, Minister of Maritime, Aviation and Security, will be giving the opening address at the upcoming British Marine National Conference. Setting the tone for the packed two-day event programme, the Minister will be addressing conference attendees on Maritime 2050, challenges and opportunities arising from Covid-19 and the Government's decarbonisation plans, before spending time meeting with delegates and exhibitors.
We can also confirm that Allan Lambert, CEO of Habitat First Group (HFG) will be heading up day two of the Conference in a special CEO breakfast briefing, where he will be discussing the future of staycations in a post-pandemic world. Sharing insights and thoughts on tourism as a force for good, delegates will also be able to draw on Allan's 25 years of experience.
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The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) welcomes Discover Newport as an Official Sponsor of the historic 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race. Newport, located at the entrance to Narragansett Bay, boasts one of the world's greatest natural harbors welcoming sailors and mariners from around the world for centuries.
The very first Bermuda Race was an act of rebellion. In 1906, it was considered insane for amateur sailors to race offshore in boats under 80 feet. The smallest entry then (and in Bermuda Race history) was the 28-foot sloop Gauntlet. She was notorious for her size, and also for her crew because it included a woman, 20-year-old Thora Lund Robinson. A collection of stories from Bermuda Race historian John Rousmaniere spans historic highlights of the event.
These days the shortest length overall is 33 feet, and the Race attracts mid-size cruising and racing boats on up to 60 and even 100 feet, many designed and built in Rhode Island. Of the 210 boats currently entered, there's a maxi-multihull, two dozen double-handed monohulls, and a tall ship.
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The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to announce GAASTRA as its Official Apparel Partner for the 2022 season.
This premium brand in marine and lifestyle apparel has deep roots in performance sailing. Founder Douwe Gaastra established his sailmaking business in Sneek in 1897 on the age-old Dutch principles of producing world-class products of superb quality and craftsmanship. His focus on producing fast durable sails turned towards sailing clothing where the same principles were applied using optimum functionality and distinctive styling.
GAASTRA continues this tradition today with additional core principles relevant for our modern era: Innovation in use of new material technologies to enhance comfort and protection in all weather conditions, and Sustainability in production of clothing that earn environmentally sustainable certifications.
gaastrastore.com/en/service/orc
Featured Charter
Swan 68 - Defiance. Located in Mediterranean
Defiance is a German Friers designed Swan 68 built for competitive racing and fast luxury cruising. Defiance has a phenomenal racing pedigree, winning the Swan Cup overall in 2000 and she is capable of performing on the race course. Available to Charter in the Mediterranean 2021.
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
lvyachting.com
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
2008 Zeydon Z60. 650,000 EUR. Located in Marmaris, Turkey.
Super cool Zeydon Z60 - fresh from a large refit including new carbon sails. Her design has been very carefully thought-out, especially how the space flows from on deck to down below. Built in Belgium to a very high standard with an impressive strength to weight ratio meaning she sails like a dream.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:
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Dazcat 1495. 935,000 ex VAT GBP.
The D1495 is designed and built by sailors for sailors, whether cruising or racing. Astounding performance proven by repeat RORC and MOCRA wins inshore and offshore; the 1495 is set up for ease of shorthanded sailing and comfort of ride above and below decks, we also like our home essentials!
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
multihullcentre.com
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Bavaria C45
Perfect sailing performance - nice and fast, nice and safe.
When we designed the BAVARIA C45, we wanted to create a yacht which people would feel completely at home on – with features like the huge bathing platform, big cockpit and bright saloon – and also a yacht of the utmost flexibility. There are two versions available: ‘Holiday’ and ‘Style’.
Furthermore, this is the only yacht in its class available in a five-cabin version as well as three and four cabins, and which has a dinghy garage for a tender. The new BAVARIA C45 is an absolute all-rounder.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
bavariayachts.com/sailing-yachts/c45
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
We all live inside bodies that will deteriorate. But when you look at human beings, they're capable of very decent things: love, loyalty. When time is running out, they don't care about possessions or status. They want to put things right if they've done wrong. -- Kazuo Ishiguro
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html