In This Issue
• Ran wins 2022 IRC National Championship by 0.005 of a point
• SSL Group 4: Portugal and Bulgaria fight back
• Rolex Giraglia Inshore Races
• An Air Of Vendee Globe In Summer
• Pip Hare flies the flag for Britain on Arctic challenge
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing for the America's Cup
• Ossie Stewart Wins Brewin Dolphin Regatta
• Etchells Southern Area Championship
• Jon Gifford OBE
• Featured Brokerage:
• • RM 890+
• • SY SOJANA
• • YYachts Y7
• The Last Word: Maverick

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

Ran wins 2022 IRC National Championship by 0.005 of a point
An outstanding long weekend of yacht racing, where the full program was sailed under brilliant sunshine in 10-20+ knot winds and a mix of tidal states on one of the world's most challenging stretches of water - the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 2022 IRC National Championship was a resounding success.

On the Solent, the fleet was divided into three classes with the fastest in IRC One being the Ker 46 Van Uden, skippered by Volvo Ocean Race veteran Gerd-Jan Poortman, while lowest rated in IRC Three was Kevin Downer's modified Fun 23 Ziggy. All were in with a chance as witnessed in today's marginally lighter 10-15 knots conditions. Van Uden won a race in IRC One, while at the opposite end of the fleet, the teenage Greig City Academy crew on the Quarter Tonner Cote, the second slowest boat in the fleet, impressed everyone by scoring their first race win of the series against substantially more experienced competition. There could not have been a better advertisement how a diverse fleet is turned into level playing by IRC, the RORC-UNCL run rating rule.

Oddly this year, each of the three classes individually had a stand-out winner, but ultimately it went to the wire for the overall prize. Niklas Zennstrom's FAST40+ Ran nearly lost it when she posted a third in today's first race, the only blemish on her otherwise perfect scoreline. However in IRC Three, Ran's rival for the overall title, Adam Gosling's JPK 10.80 Yes! scored a fourth in this same race. In the longer round the cans racing that concluded the event, both scored bullets. The calculation then used to determine the overall IRC National Championship winner resolved with the 2022 IRC National Championship title going to Ran by the tiniest amount - 0.005 of a point - from Yes!

In IRC Two, the Cape 31 majority prevailed, claiming the top four spots but with John Cooper's Fanatic winning by 12 points from Tony Dickin's Jubilee, in turn five ahead of Lance Adams' Katabatic.

Adam Gosling and the crew of JPK 1080 Yes! won IRC Three by seven points from John Smart's J/109 Jukebox, in turn four in front of James Chalmers' J/112e Happy Daize. -- James Boyd

Full results

rorc.org

SSL Group 4: Portugal and Bulgaria fight back
Grandson, Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland: SSL Team Czech Republic threw down the gauntlet to their European rivals yesterday, and today that challenge was firmly met. SSL Team Portugal and SSL Team Bulgaria both posted victories to smash Group 4 wide open.

With only two places available for Bahrain, Group 5 is finely poised with only two points separating the top three. With double points available on the final 'Golden Day' tomorrow, we're set for a thrilling South American showdown.

starsailors.com

Rolex Giraglia Inshore Races
And they're off! At 12:30 p.m. the inaugural cannon shot sounded over the regatta courses of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. For the first day of inshore racing, an initial breeze of around 6 knots from the east increased during the day up to 10-12 knots from 180 degrees. The fleet completed coastal courses (Groups A and B) and windward-leewards in front of the beaches (Group 0)

Conditions in the Gulf were optimal, with the wind increasing over the course of the day. The start was on schedule for Groups A and B (boats from 9 to 18 metres), who raced on a coastal course of 19 miles, while the larger boats (over 18 metres) completed two races around the marks just off the beach at Pampelonne. Here the big maxi yachts of Class 0 did battle in rapid windward-leeward races, covering approximately 3.5 miles per leg.

Results of the day: In the IRC division, victory of the day for the A40 Vito 2m owned by Gianmarco Magrini in Group 1 and JPK 10.10 Raging Bee, owned by Jean Luc Hamon, in the second group. In the ORC group, the day went to two historic boats as the Frers 50 Matrero took the lead in its group and the One-Tonner Resolute Salmon, owned by Andrea Zaoli, topped the classification in Group 2.

Remaining on the Pampelonne race course, leaders of their respective groupings at the end of the two races today are:
IRC 1: Jethou - Sir Peter Ogden (1,1)
IRC 2: Capricorno - Alessandro Del Bono (1,1)
ORC 0: Leaps & Bound 2 - Jean Philippe Blanpain (1,1)

Full results here

Tracking

rolexgiraglia.com

An Air Of Vendee Globe In Summer
The party was beautiful this Sunday in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Happy to be back with the IMOCA skippers, the public responded, turning out in large numbers in the mythical channel for the first qualifying race for the Vendee Globe 2024. the start in weather conditions conducive to speed. The skippers are now committed to a complex and intense 3,500-mile course, including a highly anticipated round of Iceland. First pitfall: an anticyclonic ridge to cross from Monday evening.

At 5 p.m., the 25 solo sailors got off to a good start, in a fairly irregular northerly wind. No skipper cut the line too soon. It must be said that the 5-hour penalty provided for any sailor "stealing" the start was rather dissuasive.

In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the pace should frankly slow down due to a ridge of high pressure which will block the way. The skippers are going to be tearing their hair out trying to negotiate this zone of light, if not non-existent, wind as best they can.

vendeearctique.org

Pip Hare flies the flag for Britain on Arctic challenge
Pip Hare (48) is the sole British sailor competing in the Vendee Arctique, which started from Les Sables d'Olonne

Hare who finished 19th in the 2020/21 Vendee Globe (and 8th woman to ever finish the race) in a 1999-built IMOCA 60, is now sailing Medallia, a third generation foiling IMOCA (ex-Banque Populaire VIII, Bureau Vallee II) in this, the first of five qualifying races for the next Vendee Globe 2024/25.

This Vendee Globe qualifier around Iceland and into the Arctic Circle is the second edition of the 3,500 nautical miles, solo sprint, and should take the 25-strong fleet around 12 days complete. The idea of the race to the North is to give the IMOCA Class skippers a chance to test their boats in conditions similar to those expected on the Vendee Globe.

For Hare this is the race that really kick starts her 2024 Vendee Globe campaign. Chatting aboard Medallia just before she left dock, it was clear how important the race is particularly in terms of qualification with just 40 places available for 2024 Vendee Globe: Hare commented: "If there are more boats that qualify than there are places, it will go down to accumulative mileage, so basically it is important to start racing now and finish every race until the start of the Vendee if you want a place.

"Of those 40 places available, 13 of them go to new builds and there is one wild card. I don't want to bank on a wild card, so effectively there are 26 places available. Theoretically to qualify for a place you have to do a qualification race, one in 2022 or 2023 and 2024 but if more than 26 boats complete those qualification races, and the chances are they will because there are currently over 50 teams interested."

Thanks to Medallia and her other sponsors, which includes Helly Hansen, Hare's support team gives her the chance to really make the most of the time available on what is now the countdown to the start of the 2024 Vendee Globe.

Chatting about the gear she's taking on this race, Hare says that given the conditions expected over the next 12 days or so, it is a very similar choice to her Vendee Globe wardrobe. "One of the massive challenges for this sort of racing, and particularly in this boat, is being able to move around freely, and being able to wiggle though tiny holes in the bulkhead. Wearing anything too bulky therefore is a real no, no. The kit also needs to be exceptionally hard wearing particularly in the knee and seat areas. -- Sue Pelling

suepelling-journalist.com/pip-hare-2022

After 29,000 miles alone many might be tempted to say never again or at least tick the, 'Non-stop around the world' box, when Pip Hare finished the 2020/21 Vendee Globe she knew that she wanted to do another solo lap of the planet. But getting to the start of a race that doesn't start until 2024 is harder than ever before. In an exclusive one to one chat with Matt Sheahan, solo sailor Pip Hare explains why racing around Iceland is a crucial yet daunting part of her campaign. 24 hours ahead of the start to the Vendee Arctique Matt spoke to Pip on board her IMOCA60 Medallia in the famous French town of Les Sables d'Olonne, host to the start and finish of the Vendee Globe.

planetsail.co.uk

Alinghi Red Bull Racing for the America's Cup
Fourteen sailors have been selected to join the Alinghi Red Bull Racing crew and represent the Societe Nautique de Genève during the 37th America's Cup. While some are new to the sport, these talented athletes will be backed by several of the industry's biggest names. With an average age of 30, eleven years younger than the last crew that took Switzerland to victory, in Valencia, this team represents the youth factor.

According to the rules of the 37th edition, eight of them will board the AC75 foiling monohull, classified in two groups: the driving group and the power group. For the sailors in the first group, called afterguard, selections started last summer with interviews, followed by physical and sailing tests.

Besides announcing the new Swiss crew members, Arrivabene presented some of the key members in the team, including principal designer Marcelino Botin, who's in charge of hydro and aerodynamics

Alinghi Red Bull Racing - sailing crew
Maxime Bachelin, age 24 - driving group
Matias Buhler, age 39 - driving group
Arthur Cevey, age 26 - power group
Nicolas Charbonnier, age 40 - driving group
Lucien Cujean, age 32 - driving group
Barnabe Delarze, age 27 - power group
Yves Detrey, age 43 - driving group
Augustin Maillefer, age 29 - power group
Bryan Mettraux, age 31 - driving group
Arnaud Psarofaghis, age 33 - driving group
Nicolas Rolaz, age 22 - power group
Thery Schir, age 29 - power group
Nils Theuninck, age 25 - power group
Florian Trub, age 28 - power group

Design team
Marcelino Botin (ESP) - principal designer
Adolfo Carrau (URU) - design coordinator
Steven Robert (FRA) - structural engineer lead
Gautier Sergent (FRA) - sail designer
Joseph Ozanne (FRA) - simulator lead

Next dates
11 June - Bol d'Or Mirabaud (TF35), Geneva (SUI)
23-26 June - GC32 Racing Tour, Lagos (POR)

alinghiredbullracing.com

Ossie Stewart Wins Brewin Dolphin Regatta
Left to right: Tom Stewart, Ossie Stewart, Geoff Carveth. Photo by Paul Wyeth / RYS / RS Elite. Click on image to enlarge.

Cowes, Isle of Wight: Olympic medallist Ossie Stewart has won the Brewin Dolphin RS Elite International Grand Prix, beating rival Russell Peters by just one point after a cliff-hanger final race of the series. Stewart, sailing More T Vicar, was crewed in the regatta by his son Tom and renowned sailor Geoff Carveth.

The most consistent sailor of the event, Ossie Stewart went into the final showdown two points behind Russell Peters, having to either beat Peters by three places or have his rival finish 17th or worse. In the end it was the second option that won him the event, with Peters finishing 17th and Stewart scoring 18th that he was able to discard from his final total.

For Ossie Stewart, who is 68, this is his first national championship win as a helmsman. In the past he has won more than 30 championships as a crew, and finished second 12 times as a helm, including three times in the RS Elite. "It makes me feel quite young", he commented, "this is a big win for me".

The Solent laid on slightly less robust conditions than for the first three days of the series, with a west, south westerly breeze of 10 to 12 knots, against a strong west going ebb tide. While the rest of the fleet sailed a tight and exciting race, Stewart and Peters engaged in a tactical match race, both well back in the fleet at the first mark. Though Peters managed to beat Stewart across the finishing line by one place, he was not far enough up the pecking order to take the overall win. -- John Roberson

Results:
1. Ossie Stewart - Hayling Island S.C. - 33pts
2. Russell Peters - Royal Yacht Squadron - 34pts
3. Tom Hewitson - Hayling Island S.C. - 41pts
4. Martin Jones - Royal Yacht Squadron - 42pts
5. Simon Brien - Royal North of Ireland Y.C. - 54pts
6. Paul Fisk - Emsworth S.C. - 56pts

rssailing.com

Etchells Southern Area Championship
A brilliant weekend 4/5 June of racing with a variety of conditions and competition even with our friends from the USA and Australia getting involved in the mix as the Worlds are coming up in September. The UK Etchells fleet gathered for the two-day Southern Area Champs, hosted by The Royal London Yacht Club with Bob Milner as PRO.

Saturday brought moderate breeze coming from the East as the 21 boat lined up for day one of racing. Tide was running against the course for most of the day which lead to some interesting racing. For the most part leaders came out of the left corner however a right shift in race 2 lead to a lee bow effect by the tide giving an early lead to those who had gone out right. The leaders from Race 2 where as follows: Exabyte, Oatmeal and Mila with No Dramas (Corinthian) in a close 4th. Race 3 showed Exabyte on excellent form again taking 1st place but Louise Racing now jumping up to 2nd with Mila in 3rd.

With the forecast looking light for day two, the Race committee pushed for a 4th race while we had some of the best conditions of the weekend. Race 4 saw a shake up with the results being Oatmeal in 1st, Mila in 2nd and Gelert in 3rd. This lead to Mila securing the overnight lead by 7 points, which with the forecast could have meant an event win. 2nd and 3rd where not as set with only 1 point between Oatmeal and Louise Racing.

Sunday presented, as expected, light winds, AP 1 was displayed at 10:00 with an expectation for the gradient breeze to build as the day went on. Postponements continued for the rest of the morning with the committee and competitors hopeful. At 13:15 AP was removed and the fleet proceeded north to the race area. Racing began in what had now become a comfortable 10 knots from the west, but with no start allowed after 15:00 only the one race was sailed and that was it for the regatta. The final standings where:

1st Mila sailed by Lawrie Smith on 9pts
2nd Oatmeal (USA) sailed by Peter Duncan on 10pts
3rd Lousie Racing sailed by Grant Gordon on 13pts

Full results at Yachtscoring.com

Jon Gifford OBE
Former chairman and president of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), Jon Gifford OBE, has died.

Jon Gifford OBE was a former president of the National Coastwatch Institution

Jon was born in Gibraltar in 1929 and was educated in Winchester. He served with the Royal Tank regiment for 15 years and retired as a Captain but remained in the Territorial Army with the Yeomanry.

A career in engineering followed, working as an export manager gaining two Queens Awards for Export, and he then formed his own export company supplying heavy equipment.

He retired to Devon in 1997 and joined the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) as a watchkeeper at NCI Prawle Point in 1999.

His abilities were immediately recognised, and he was soon elected as the Station Manager, followed shortly afterwards by election to the Board of Trustees.

In 2002 he was elected as Chairman of NCI and as such, he oversaw the opening of around 25 NCI lookout stations resulting in a significant expansion of the Charity to many parts of England and Wales

His hard work resulted in a group of Cornish Stations being the first to gain the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, and in 2006 he received a personal Nationwide Award for Voluntary Endeavour.

In 2011 Jon was appointed Honorary President of NCI and the following year he was awarded the Order of the British Empire.

boatingbusiness.com/news/obit-jon-gifford-obe

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The Last Word
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