In This Issue
• 24th IRC National Championship
• Rolex Giraglia 2022
• Kite Foiling Presented by Robline
• Four Canadian Cities Shortlisted To Host SailGP Event
• IC37 Class Jumps into Most Competitive Season Yet
• What Does Steve Benjamin Look For In His Sunglass Lens Technology?
• Lisa Blair smashes Antarctica circumnavigation record
• How to Use Your Sails to Start Your Engine
• 37th America's Cup Rules Committee Announced
• Featured Charter: Iceni 39 'Andrasta'
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 77-006 'CALLISTO'
• • Grand Soleil 56
• • EXCESS 12 - Catamaran
• The Last Word: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
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
24th IRC National Championship
One of the pinnacle events of the IRC rating system in the UK, will take place over 10-12 June from Cowes. This year's edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC National Championship will be its 24th and as usual will feature a mixed line-up of yachts from across the size and age spectrum, allowing the IRC rating system to create a level playing field between them.
The fleet is divided into tightly-banded classes according to their IRC rating to provide the closest possible racing for competitors between yachts of similar performance. The unique format of the IRC National Championship enables any yacht from across the fleet - big or small, old or new - whose crew sails the best, to be crowned IRC National Champion.
The three day event also regularly attracts competitors from the opposite side of the English Channel: Gery Trentesaux's IMX40 Courrier Nord claimed the top prize in 2002, the first foreign yacht to do so, while the syndicate-owned A-35 Dunkerque - Les Dunes de Flandres was joint winner in 2016.
But the nation to have prised the IRC Nationals trophy from British hands the most often has been Ireland: David Dywer's Mills 39 marinerscove.it is only one of two teams ever to have won consecutive UK IRC National Championship titles when his team prevailed in both 2009 and 2010 (the first was Justin Slawson's X-362 the The Big Cheese over 2000-01).
In fact Irish IRC yachts have won the UK IRC National title on four other occasions too: Colm Barrington's Ker 39 Flying Glove in 2005; Tim Costello's all-conquering Mills 40 Tiamat in 2006 and Conor and Denise Phelan's Ker 37 Jump Juice two year later. The last Irish winner was Anthony O'Leary's Antix in 2014, whose grey Ker 40 returns this year in the hands of former Commodore and Admiral of the RORC Andrew McIrvine as his latest La Reponse). -- James Boyd
For further information and Notice of Race, please go to: rorc.org/racing/race-documents
Rolex Giraglia 2022
With just a few days left until the start of the 69th Rolex Giraglia, a total of 164 boats are registered. Sixty of the participants will take part in the first leg of the event on Friday 10 June, departing from Sanremo in Italy, headed for French. Everything is ready to welcome the crews for 3 days of inshore racing, before the 241-mile offshore race sets off at 12 noon on Wednesday 15 June.
The eyes of the world sailing community will be trained on the eagerly awaited racing debut of the 60' foiler FlyingNikka, owned by Roberto Lacorte and launched in Punta Ala last Saturday, which could be a serious contender for line honours and a course record. The current record has held firm since 2012, when Igor Simcic's 100' Esimit Europa 2 smashed the previous one, setting a time of 14 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds, which is still undefeated precisely 10 years on.
In addition to FlyingNikka, the line-up of the Rolex Giraglia sees many other top-level competitors, not least in the shape of the 100-footers such as Furio Benussi's ARCA SGR, which has had an excellent start to the season, the Wally yacht Magic Carpet Cubed, owned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Tango, the new Wally 98 Bullit, and 107-foot Spirit of Malouen X. While the Wallys represent the perfect racer-cruiser combination, the starting line will also feature pure racers - smaller and lighter boats - capable of great performances in all conditions.
Among these will be the J/V Northstar of London, owned by Peter Dubens, Jethou, owned by Sir Peter Ogden, Dario Ferrari's Cannonball and the acclaimed Capricorno, owned by Alessandro Del Bono. The diversity of the fleet is also represented by a number of Class 40 yachts taking part, as well as production yachts, those more oriented to cruising, and several vintage boats looking to claim the Giraglia Classic. The magnificent schooner Mariette of 1915, designed by the genius Nat Herreshoff, at 42.5 metres in length will be the flagship of the fleet, and has already set two records for the regatta as the oldest and the largest boat in the fleet.
Live streaming will be available every day on the Yacht Club Italiano's YouTube channel
www.rolexgiraglia.com/index.asp
Kite Foiling Presented by Robline
In Kitesurfing there have always been two disciplines, freestyle and racing. Whereas the former used to be more popular. However with the fact that kiteboards are now also able to fly while being on foils, this discipline even got the attention by the Olympic committee and is going to be a fix part of the Olympics in 2024.
Robline with its Garda Series, designed as performance flying lines, took a step into this direction. The Garda Series is designed for racing - thinner - lighter - stronger - having the creme de la creme like Daniela Moroz and Theo de Ramecourt on board in the Robline Racing team. These lines are not created to make compromises but to deliver. Garda lines are available in 1.1 or 1.4 mm and able to carry weight of around 300kg combined with the best raw material and coating on the market.
You want to know more about these kitelines?
Check out the Garda Series here
Four Canadian Cities Shortlisted To Host SailGP Event
Montreal, Canada: The most exciting racing on water could be coming to Canada in 2023/2024 as part of SailGP Season 4. Following a very competitive domestic bid process, with interest from over ten potential host cities, SailGP has announced that the following four cities are on the short list:
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Kingston, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
Victoria, British Columbia
The shortlisted host cities will attend the SailGP event in Chicago next weekend. The selection process will draw to a close in late October, giving the winning city time to prepare for the event in 2023/2024.
Following on from a podium finish in the team's inaugural event in Bermuda last month, the Canada SailGP Team will compete next in the United States Sail Grand Prix Chicago at Navy Pier on 18-19 June. Racing will be broadcast live on TSN in Canada and YouTube, with highlights also shown on RDS and TSN immediately following the event.
IC37 Class Jumps into Most Competitive Season Yet
Newport, Rhode Island, USA: The 2022 summer season for the IC37 class officially starts on Friday, with Day 1 of the New York Yacht Club's 168th Annual Regatta. But the half of the fleet that sat out last weekend's training session is already behind, according to IC37 class coach Moose McClintock.
"The guys that didn't sail last weekend, they're going to be at a disadvantage not having had a couple of days of going out and sailing around," says McClintock, a former America's Cup sailor who is currently the head coach of the University of Rhode Island Sailing Team. "Getting the kite up and down, there's a lot of technique to the maneuvers. Over the course of last weekend, each team did 20 to 30 sets and douses. You lose so much the corners in these boats, having that little bit of a boathandling edge will be a big advantage."
With 21 IC37s entered in the Annual Regatta, and 23 or more for events later in the summer, this fourth season of the class is expected to be the most competitive yet. The early form guide will favor the teams that did well last summer or in the winter series run by the Lauderdale Yacht Club.
The IC37 fleet will be back out on the water on Thursday for more practice led by McClintock, and he'll watch the fleet sail all weekend, offering individual tips to each boat when opportunity permits. The class coach is one of many IC37 class features designed to keep the playing field as even as possible and the costs manageable. Of the 21 boats entered this coming weekend, 13 are from the New York Yacht Club's charter fleet, which allows members to enjoy some of the finest one-design racing in the world for a reasonable fixed cost and then turn the boat back over to club staff for storage and maintenance. Conventional wisdom says that boat ownership is essential to winning in a top class. But the IC37 has disproven that maxim. At the class's North American championship last October, the winning boat and three of the top four were from the charter program.
Racing in the 168th Annual Regatta begins on Friday, June 10, with a race around Conanicut Island starting at 1100. Two days of buoy or navigator-course racing on Rhode Island Sound and in Narragansett Bay will follow on June 11 and 12.
* Editor's note.... the club has a dedicated website for the sale of certain Annual Regatta items to the public, payment via card or PayPal. See nyyc.store
What Does Steve Benjamin Look For In His Sunglass Lens Technology?
Tajima-Direct.com spoke to the former Rolex US Sailor of the Year, Olympic Silver Medalist and multiple world champion about why lens technology on the water matters to him.
American sailor Steve Benjamin needs no introduction. Always technical and known for his unwavering focus on speed development, Benj, as he's known around the sport, has done it all and has the hardware to prove it. From College Sailor of the Year to Rolex US Yachtsman of the Year, he's won Olympic Silver in the 470, multiple world championships in fast and technical boats such as the 505 and Fireball, along with his latest passion, the Etchells class, and amassing offshore titles most notably aboard his yachts named SPOOKIE. Benj's speed edge comes from hours of preparation, practice and knowledge earned over how he sets up his boats and adjustments made on and off the water. As he describes below, his lens technology preferences are as analytical as his hardware and software preferences. Tajima-Direct.com co-founder and polarized lens developer Steve Rosenberg, a champion sailor in his own right, recently sat down with Benj to find out why lens technology matters to him.
Tajima Direct: In almost every picture of you sailing you're wearing sunglasses. What do you look for and require in your lens technology?
Steve Benjamin: Yes, I prefer wearing the best lenses for a number of reasons. Most importantly, my eyes have always been sensitive to sunlight so I prefer a dark polarized lens most of the time so I don't squint and stay as relaxed as possible. I want protection from the elements and I want sharp, clear, crisp vision - I want details in vivid color and contrast! I also rely on the sunglasses to keep the salt spray out of my eyes. Just as irritating, draining and damaging as the bright sun is the wind and constant salt spray. Especially in boats like the 505 and 470, it was imperative I kept my eyes shielded from the elements as much as possible, and I find it's no different today in the Etchells.
TD: How important is superior polarized lens technology to you when it comes to Breeze Reading? Do you have specific lens tints or lens elements you look for?
SB: Superior polarized lenses are far better for reading the wind gusts and shifts on the water, so that's all I wear. I've found there's a big difference between all the various lenses on the market. And I want it all!
Lisa Blair smashes Antarctica circumnavigation record
Lisa Blair. Click on image to enlarge.
Australian solo sailing record holder Lisa Blair has made landfall in Albany, Western Australian on May 25, shaving 10 days off the record to claim the Antarctica Cup and the World Sailing Speed Record for the fastest circumnavigation of Antarctica to be ratified shortly by the world governing body.
The exhausted and ecstatic sailor completed the journey from Albany around Antarctica to Albany, a full circuit in 92 days, beating Russian Fedor Konyukhov's 102-day record from 2008 and her own attempt in 2017 when she was catastrophically de-masted in a horrific Southern Ocean storm.
She will hold the title for fastest solo non-stop and unassisted journey. Lisa, 37, is only the third person to ever succeed with this perilous journey, including navigating Iceberg Alley and the remotest place on the planet, Point Nemo, and she becomes the first woman to circumnavigate below 45 degrees non-stop and unassisted.
How to Use Your Sails to Start Your Engine
Vendee Globe champion Micheal Desjoyeaux broke his starter mid-race, but found a clever fix.
"It was the last day of 2000, and when I started the engine the previous day, I had heard a bad noise, but I didn't care. The day after, I wanted to start it again to charge the battery, and nothing happened when I switched on the contact and pushed on the start button…. So, my first job was to remove the starter to understand why it didn't switch on. I removed it from the engine, and then I opened it, and I found out all the brushes are more or less dust, nothing repairable."
The speaker was Michel Desjoyeaux. And on New Year's Eve 2000, he was leading the Vendee Globe—the nonstop solo circumnavigation, arguably the planet's toughest and biggest ocean race. If that weren't bad enough, Desjoyeaux was deep in the Southern Ocean on his way to Cape Horn.
Deep in the article ... this paragraph
"So, my red line [attached with the turns around the engine pulley] went to a pulley at the back of the boat, up to the boom, back to the mast foot, the mast base, back to the cockpit. When I needed to start the engine, I prepared my rope in the boat and on the engine with the five turns. Then I trimmed in the mainsail more than needed for the performance, pulled on the red line, pulled on the winch very strong, removed the mainsail sheet from the winch, put the contact on the engine, and burned the diesel arriving at the injector with a small spark to heat it just before the injectors. And then I came to the cockpit, opened the clutch of the mainsail, and then it pushed the main out. The first time I tried this, the engine started. It was incredible because it meant that I was able to continue the race."
Long form article by Mark Chisnell, a must-read, and one more reason why Desjoyeaux is known as "The Professor"
37th America's Cup Rules Committee Announced
The Rules Committee for the 37th America's Cup has been announced today with a trio of highly qualified members who will be in charge of maintaining the rules and regulations in relation to all AC37 race yachts. They are, Mark Ellis (UK), Marc Wintermantel (SUI) and Stan Honey (USA).
According to the Protocol of the 37th America's Cup the role of the Rules Committee is to be exclusively responsible for the interpretation of the AC75 and AC40 Class Rules and their rulings are final.
The Rules Committee is also responsible for the determination of whether or not any yacht constitutes a Surrogate Yacht, based on information provided by the Measurement Committee; and to resolve any other matter for which it is given jurisdiction under the Protocol and/or the Class Rules.
They are not responsible for the actual measurement of the yachts, this is the role of the Measurement Committee whose work will commence later.
Mark Ellis (UK)
Ellis has recently retired from F1 following a lifelong career in motorsport, culminating in a decade of World championships with Red Bull and latterly as Performance Director at MercedesF1, overseeing the performance programmes, development of simulation technologies, control systems and vehicle dynamics.
Since retiring from F1, Mark has acted as a consultant for a diverse array of industries such as F1, hyper-car constructors and Olympic track cycling.
Marc Wintermantel (SUI)
Wintermantel, holds a Masters and PhD degree in quantum electronics and computational physics, and is currently working as a corporate fellow at ANSYS, a market leader for CAE/multiphysics simulation software. He is an expert in structural engineering with a focus on numerical composite material analysis.
Wintermantel is also co-funder of the company EVEN which established itself prior to the acquisition through ANSYS as a software developer and engineering service provider in F1, MotoGP and America's Cup racing. While working within EVEN, Wintermantel served as structural engineer for United Internet Team Germany during the 32nd America's Cup and later became design coordinator for the team.
Stan Honey (USA)
Honey was a member of the 36th America's Cup Rules Committee. As professional sailing navigator, he has won the Volvo Ocean Race, set the Jules Verne record for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation of the world, and set multiple 24 hour, Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Sydney-Hobart, and Newport-Bermuda sailing records. In 2010, Honey was awarded the US Sailing Yachtsman of the Year Award and was nominated to the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2012.
Honey is a Yale/Stanford electrical engineer, three-time Emmy Winner for Technical Innovations in Sports TV, and an inventor on 30 patents in navigation and graphics. Honey was nominated to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2017 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2018. In earlier navigation related work, Honey co-founded ETAK Inc. in 1983. The company pioneered vehicle navigation systems with digital map databases, heading-up map display, and map-matching navigation.
Yacht Club House Drinks 2022
Sailing has its traditions, and for better or worse, the adult beverage is one of them. At some yacht clubs, this tradition goes so far as a designated house drink. In 2010, Scuttlebutt took on the task of creating a list of these house drinks.
The most popular? The Dark N Stormy...
Craig Leweck's put a lot of research into this one... well worth a read:
Featured Charter
Iceni 39 'Andrasta'. Located in UK, Ireland and Northern Europe.
Iceni 39 'Andrasta' - performance offshore racer available for single event, corporate hire or campaign charter
RORC, UNCL and ORC events plus other inshore regattas around UK, Ireland and Northern Europe
Launched in 2013 Andrasta is a one-off custom built racer that would suit experienced teams looking to compete in RORC / UNCL IRC Division 1
Designed and Built in Britain. MCA Coded to Cat.2 for Max 10 Crew
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
+44 7771 987075 or +33 750 345159
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
1995 Swan 77-006 ‘CALLISTO’. 950,000 EUR. Located in Cala Galera, Italy
The Swan 77 was a response from Nautor’s for the discerning owner who required a larger sailing yacht. The performance enjoyed by the racing yacht owner became accessible to those who required a very high degree of interior comfort and accommodation.
See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage
Contact
Stefano Leonardi nautorswanbrokerage.com/swan-77-callisto/
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2003 Grand Soleil 56. 315000 EUR. Located in Tuscany, Italy.
2004-launched and single-owner sparkling blue-hulled example of the Philippe Briand designed Grand Soleil 56 aft cockpit performance cruising yacht.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:
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Excess 12 - Catamaran. 323,484 TAX NOT PAID GBP. Located in Southampton UK.
The highly anticipated EXCESS 12 Catamaran from Group Beneteau has now arrived with Sea Ventures in Southampton. This boat is AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sea Ventures (UK) Ltd
Swanwick Marina
Swanwick Shore Road
Swanwick
Hampshire SO31 1ZL
+44 (0)1489 565444
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
The cafes bore me; going downstairs is a nuisance. Painting and sleeping - that's all there is. -- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
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