In This Issue
• Route du Rhum Class40: battles at all level
• 35th Pineapple Cup
• When efficiency matters sailors choose GORI Propeller
• Luna Rossa Prototype Has Been Launched
• American Magic leaps straight to an AC75 Version 2
• Courtois Champion In Corfu
• Why Race At All?
• Andoo Comanche wins Line Honours in Tollgate Islands Race
• EUROSAF L30 European Championship
• Jeremy Rogers 1937-2022
• Featured Charter: OLA - San Lorenzo 82
• Featured Brokerage:
• • IMAGINE
• • Infiniti 52R
• • Gunboat 68
• The Last Word: Martha Wells

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

Route du Rhum Class40: battles at all level
With no fewer than 55 entries Class40 is the biggest fleet of the 12th Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe. And within this big, competitive fleet there are a group of brand new, latest generation boats from renowned designers sailed by some of the best, up and coming stars of the future and established former Figaro racers. Most keen observers consider that there are a dozen skippers and boats with the potential to win the division. For sure this will be a hard fought, close race of high intensity right to the finish line.

Class40s, as a fleet, have grown on each edition. In 2006 25 boats took part in a contest which included renowned British offshore racer Phil Sharp who won Class40 ahead of French Figarist ace Gildas Morvan. And the class has continued to serve as something of a proving ground leading into the IMOCA fleet. In 2014 it was Thomas Ruyant who triumphed ahead of Nicolas Troussel – both going on to compete on the last Vendee Globe – whilst 2018's Class40 winner Yoann Richomme has a brand new IMOCA in build for the next Vendee Globe and indeed returns to defend his title with a new boat.

Douguet, winner of the the 1000 Milles des Sables last April, expects to be in the mix but alongside he and Richomme are Ian Lipinski (Credit Mutuel), winner of the 2019 Transat Jacques-Vabre and the CIC Normandy Channel Race this year, Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF, winner of the Dhream Cup ), Amelie Grassi (La Boulangère Bio), Luke Berry (Lamotte Module Creation), Axel Trehin (Project Rescue Ocean), Simon Koster (Banque du Leman) and Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Pirelli).

Koster and Ambrogio, Swiss and Italian, are not the only ones coming from outside of France. There is also the Australian Rupert Henry (Eora), the Americans Greg Leonard (Kite) and Alex Mehran (Polka Dot), South African Donald Alexander (Conscious Planet) returns, the Croatian world cup and Olympic ski champion Ivica Kostelic (ACI), the Belgian Jonas Gerkens (Volvo) and the Italians Alberto Bona (IBSA) and Andrea Fornaro (In Fluence). Eyes will also be on Guadeloupean Keni Piperol (Captain Alternance) who is trained by Lalou Roucayrol.

The departure of the fleet is November 6.

www.routedurhum.com/en

Roy Disney's Pyewacket 70 set to compete in the 35th Pineapple Cup
As preparations heat up for the 35th Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay race, we're excited to announce that Roy Disney's turbo charged Volvo70 Pyewacket has entered the race!

This team and boat are ready for the 811-nm race and they have their eyes on not only the coveted Pineapple Cup, but also the monohull course record. The current monohull record was set in 2005 by Titan 12 with an elapsed time of 2 days 10 hours 24 minutes and 42 seconds.

Thinking about racing? There's still time to register! This year the Pineapple Cup offers ORC, PHRF, Multihull and double-handed classes, so no matter what you sail or how you sail it, there is challenge and adventure to be had. And new for this year, the Pineapple Cup will be awarded to 1st overall on corrected of the most competitive fleet.

In addition to being a fantastic on water race, the social functions are a highlight of the race. This year the Montego Bay Yacht Club social events will gain the support of Appleton Estate who will no doubt make these must attend events upon arrival into Jamaica!

The Pineapple Cup is once again open to multihulls and monohulls over 30 feet and will be scored under ORC and PHRF. In order to increase the overall enjoyment and reward of competing in this classic tropical ocean race, we have made one big enhancement for the 2023 edition.

This year we are adjusting how we award the most coveted trophy, the Silver Perpetual Pineapple Cup. 1st overall on corrected time will be awarded to the winner of the most competitive fleet. The most competitive fleet will be calculated by averaging the corrected time deltas of the first 80% of the fleet. The fleet with the lowest average deltas will be eligible to win the Pineapple Cup.

Registration on YachtScoring.com

When efficiency matters sailors choose GORI Propeller
6th November. Save the date for the start of the Route du Rhum 2022 where 138 sailors within Six classes will meet on one startline, and the race from St. Malo to Guadeloupe will begin.

What's great about this race and sailing is, it's where amateur sailors line up against professional ones and sometimes beat them! Sailing is a sport of finesse, it's where multiple elements combine for peace, tranquillity, precision, speed, and manoeuvrability. If one element is missing or not aligned, then the pieces of the puzzle simply will not work.

Sailors and particularly those who race to compete for records focus on the most intricate detail to achieve their optimum VMG. They are looking for minimal drag and this is where a GORI Racing Propeller comes into its own.

The GORI Racing Propeller is a 2-blade propeller designed and built for speed and has an impressive track record on both non-foiling and foiling boats. ] Its intricate design, aqua dynamic shape and ingenious folding mechanism provide absolute minimal drag below the waterline whilst having maximum effect when under power.

"At GORI Propeller and Jefa Steering, also within the BSI Group of companies, we are proud to work with boats across all fleets in this edition of the race," comments Lars Ostergaard, Vice President Sales for GORI Propeller. "We look forward to following their progress."

Find out more on the BSI Group of companies - www.bsidk.com

Luna Rossa Prototype Has Been Launched
The futuristic Luna Rossa Prototype, that will showcase the team's return to on-water training, was launched today at 2 pm local time at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli base. The sailing sessions with this boat will be essential for the crew but even more so for the research and development program that will lead to the design of the new AC75 with which the team will compete in the 37th America's Cup in 2024 in Barcelona (Spain).

Miuccia Prada, godmother of the launch, smashed the traditional bottle on the bow of the boat, christening her Luna Rossa. Alongside her, Patrizio Bertelli (President of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team), Marco Tronchetti Provera (Executive Vice President and CEO of Pirelli), Max Sirena (Team Director and Skipper) and Agostino Randazzo (President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia).

Manufactured with carbon composites, the building process required nearly 10 months and over 30.000 work hours of over 25 people and 40 members of the design team. For the construction of the hull and composite components, 5.000 square meters of carbon fiber were used in the different materials that make up the structural core.

The crew will start training on the water in the next few days, with a rotation that will allow all sailors to gain confidence with the new boat.

American Magic leaps straight to an AC75 Version 2
US Challenger NYYC American Magic has thrown down the gauntlet to other 2024 America's Cup teams, with the relaunch and sailing of their turbo'd AC75 Patriot.

They are the first team to sail an AC75 to the latest version of the America's Cup Class Rule, and potentially have stolen a march on the other four Cup teams.

The US team were the first to be eliminated from the 2021 America's Cup and was the last to enter the 2024 America's Cup. They will also be the last team to receive their first AC40 One Design from builders McConaghy Boats.

But despite appearing, on paper, to be well behind the other three America's Cup Challengers and the Defender, the New York Yacht Club's team showed they have turned adversity into positivity. They are the first of the 2021 Cup teams to sail an AC75 boat to the Version 2 of the class rule, which is operative for the 2024 America's Cup.

From the AC37 Joint Recon photos, it is clear that American Magic have used the last six months to turbo-charge a boat that was regarded by most as a very fast package in Auckland. It holds the record speed mark for an AC75, in 2021 Prada/America's Cup racing, of 53.31knots.

Patriot was designed by a team led by Marcelino Botín, who has since joined Alinghi Red Bull Racing. -- Richard Gladwell in Sail-World.com

Read more...

Courtois Champion In Corfu
Corfu, Greece: Pauline Courtois and her 'Match in Pink' Normandie team from France have won the 2022 EUROSAF Women's European Match Racing Championship in Corfu, Greece. The event is stage 3 of the 2022 Women's World Match Racing Tour.

Courtois and team beat Dutch skipper Renee Groeneveld 2-0 in a close first-to-two-points final in light winds.

After a wait ashore yesterday morning at the Corfu Sailing Club, the race committee doubted if there would be any breeze at all for the final day. Fortunately a light 2-4 knot southerly filled over the bay under the Old Fortress of Corfu to start the final and a shortened first-to-one-point Petit-Final.

Meeting in the Petit-Final were New Zealand's Celia Willison/ Edge Racing and Margot Vennin/ Match Moiselles from France. After a near photo finish, Margot Vennin held the lead to clinch the single point, and 3rd place for the regatta.

As the quarter-finals and semi-finals had to be cut from the format due to the typically light winds on Saturday, the final standings for 5th -12th position were taken from the round robin qualifying stage;

EUROSAF Women's European Championship 2022 - Final Standings
1. Pauline Courtois (FRA) - Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
2. Renee Groenevel (NED) - Dutch Match Racing Team
3. Margot Vennin (FRA) - Matchmoiselles
4. Celia Willison (NZL) - Edge Womens Match
5. Lea Vogelius (DEN) - Team Kattnakken
6. Sophie Otter (GBR) - Otter Racing
7. Juliet Costanzo (AUS) - Easy Tiger Racing
8. Ali Morrish (GBR) - Five by Five
9. Margot Riou (FRA) - APCC Women's Sailing Team
10. Laurane Mettraux (SUI) - CER - Ville de Geneve
11. Sofia Matsikidou (GRE)
12. Sara Edholm (SWE) - Team Sparkling Unicorns

Complete results details

womenswmrt.com

Why Race At All?
Many wooden yacht owners reading this, will be completely disinterested in racing.
And I understand why...

Yacht racing, in many ways runs in direct opposition to the values of wooden boat custodianship. A deep appreciation of the history, function and aesthetics of a timber boat has little to do with trying to come first. And placing an old vessel under the unnecessary strain of competition, might be seen as potentially damaging to an important piece of history. However, I would like to suggest, perhaps counterintuitively, that the opposite is true.

Firstly, a scheduled race makes us get out of bed. If there are other crew involved, we feel obliged to show up at the yacht club and leave the pen or mooring. Without that diary entry, there's a good chance that the warm bed sheets are more appealing than a frosty morning sail, and procrastination is so much easier when plans are undefined. And ultimately, all wooden boat owners know that the best way to preserve your boat is to sail it regularly.

Secondly, trying to sail your boat well... and travel fast and efficiently, teaches us to understand the way the design is meant to function. And that depth of understanding feeds into the pool of knowledge around wooden boats.

Finally, the competitive urge, if harnessed properly can act as the catalyst for good maintenance and restoration. As long as an original design is not bastardized in the pursuit of speed, then the quest for racing glory will only enhance the condition of a yacht.

So, if we assume for a minute that racing is a helpful mechanism for improving the number and quality of wooden boats out on the water then what might be the most equitable and effective way to run these races.

The Search For An Equitable System.
There are basically two ways we can handicap a disparate fleet of sailing boats. Neither is perfect and each has its own problems and advantages.

Read more in one of your humble narrator's favorite websites .... SouthernWoodenboatSailing.com

Andoo Comanche wins Line Honours in Tollgate Islands Race
Andoo Comanche continues to make advances ahead of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, winning Line Honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Tollgate Islands Race.

The 260 nautical mile race is the third of six races in the 2022/23 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, in which the Rolex Sydney Hobart is the finale.

This was a second Line Honours win in three Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore races for Andoo Comanche, the famous VPLP 100 chartered and skippered by John Winning Jr, which saw off rival maxis Hamilton Island Wild Oats and Black Jack in the 2022 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

Despite being the only 100-foot maxi in the Tollgate Islands Race - with URM Group (Anthony Johnston's Reichel/Pugh 72, skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Moneypenny (Sean Langman's Reichel/Pugh 69) the next biggest boats in the fleet - Winning Jr saw plenty of benefits to getting more race miles under the belt.

"The weather forecast suited us and we got the better of it," Winning Jr said. "It's rare this boat will win on handicap, we're very much a Line Honours boat.

"But if we can take out the overall win and we've set the record in the inaugural race as well, even better.

Andoo Comanche looks in a strong position to claim overall victory in the Tollgate Islands Race, leading the standings on IRC handicap.

Follow the fleet via the tracker and view the live standings.

EUROSAF L30 European Championship
Four days of racing, nine races scheduled and nine race courses.

The EUROSAF L30 European Championship was managed by the Yacht Club Sanremo whilst the wind conditions varied throughout the whole event, with light wind, medium wind and a little bit stronger wind at times.

The championship was completed with a triumph for the Hungarian teams, Tranquilo and Present Perfect, that managed to claim the first and second place respectively. The podium was completed with Ukranian team Daari in the third place.

Full results

Jeremy Rogers 1937-2022
Boat builder and celebrated sailor, Jeremy Rogers, who co-designed and built the hugely successful Contessa 32, has died at the age of 85.

During his decades-long career, he became known for designing and building exceptionally seaworthy boats, and also using new techniques. He was one of the first to embrace the use of GRP in the 1960s, and later developed the use of vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding, which was used on the OOD 34.

He opened Jeremy Rogers boatyard in 1961, aged just 23, initially producing dinghies in a shed behind his house in Lymington before moving into a factory.

He sold cold-moulded Finn and OK dinghies as well as Folkboats, and soon acquired a reputation for his good workmanship.

Rogers was always a yacht racer, and yearned to build a lighter, faster boat. GRP was the new material of the age and he soon began building dinghies out of the spun glass fibres and polyester resin. It was only a matter of time before he took it one step further, and the Contessa 26 was born.

It was hugely successful, and was quickly followed by the Contessa 32, which Rogers co-designed with David Sadler.

The boat was launched in 1971, was voted the London Boat of the Show the following year, and its popularity has never diminished, and is considered by many to be one of the best cruisers ever built.

In 2012, he handed over the management of the business to his son, Kit, but remained a firm part of the team, on hand to offer advice.

It also allowed him to oversee the refurbishment of his own Contessa 26, Rosina of Beaulieu, which has won the Gold Roman Bowl for overall winner of the Round the Island Race in 2002, 2003 and 2006.

Jeremy Rogers leaves behind his wife, Fiona and his three sons, Simon, Kit and David. -- Katy Stickland in Yachting Monthly

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
Sydney 43 GTS - "Imagine". 350000 EUR. Located in La Grande Motte, South of France.

Fast, easy to handle, stable and spacious, the Sydney GTS43 serves as a comfortable cruiser, short- handed family weekender and competitive IRC racer. The Sydney GTS43 seamlessly combines a performance orientated yacht with spacious cruising comforts.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Phone : +33 (0) 467 66 39 93

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Infiniti 52 R POA EUR.

The Infiniti 52 R is a custom-designed Grand Prix racing yacht developed to take full advantage of the performance benefits of DSS. Ideally suited to race coastal and offshore in locations all over the world and competitive under all rating systems, the Infiniti 52 R changes the game in this size range. Developed in conjunction with 4-time Whitbread/Volvo winner Stu Bannatyne, the Infiniti 52 R was developed to fulfil the wishes of a number of clients who were looking for a yacht that would provide a significant performance increase over current options but able to sail and race with 50-60% of the crew traditionally required for yachts of this size.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Infiniti Yachts
Tel: +44 7920 395397
Email:

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Gunboat 68. POA EUR.

A dream team of designers have developed the platform to make the Gunboat 68 the greatest Gunboat ever built.

Fast, technologically advanced, and elegantly designed, The Gunboat 68 is the culmination of development within the fleet since the first Gunboat launched in 2002. Incorporating the best of what has come before with experienced boatbuilding and valuable industry partnerships, the Gunboat 68 is a step-change in the evolution of the brand.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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

The Last Word
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