In This Issue
• Caudrelier and Gabart closing in on Guadeloupe
• Croatian skipper Ivica Kostelic (ACI) retires
• AEGEAN 600 2023 to be held between 7-15 July
• Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship
• 2.4mR World Championship
• Porter Claims 9th Melges 24 Nationals
• Ostar, Twostar and RB&I update
• 2023 Finn Gold Cup - Miami
• Industry News
• Eight Bells Mervyn Cook
• Featured Charter: Aragon - Maarten 72
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Vismara Momi M80
• • HH66 - NEW BOAT
• • Swan 82-010 Grey Goose
• The Last Word: Robert Cruickshank

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

Caudrelier and Gabart closing in on Guadeloupe
In the last edition, long-time race leader Francois Gabart, - French sailing's golden boy who had previously won the Vendee Globe, the IMOCA Class in the Route du Rhum and who held the solo round the world record - looked set to add the Route du Rhum line honours to his long list of achievements.

But during the hours of darkness when the wind, inevitably, drops to a handful of knots and sometimes nothing, the audacious 61-year-old Francis Joyon came back from a deficit of 150 miles and ghosted past Gabart to steal the title from under his nose.

This year, Gabart is the underdog. He and his SVR Lazartigue team have spent months fighting a ruling that put his boat out of class, in essence because his sails are trimmed from inside his hub. And so, this is his first full on ocean race with his new VPLP designed Ultim 32/23.

In contrast, the highly optimised Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, skippered by Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper Charles Caudrelier, has dominated every Ultim ocean racing event since 2019.

Currently, the top-three Ultim 32/23 multihulls are flying at an average speed of thirty knots towards Guadeloupe, and it's leader Caudrelier who looks well placed to win. But he remains under threat from Gabart and Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) who have remained hot on his heels since leaving Saint-Malo. This afternoon, with less than 400 miles to the finish line, Caudrelier has just 64 miles in hand over Gabart.

Live Tracker

Croatian skipper Ivica Kostelic (ACI) retires
Croatian sailor, Ivica Kostelic (ACI), who was racing in the Class40 division in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe transatlantic race, is heading for Cascais in Portugal, suffering from many technical problems, including the loss of his wind gear.

After a brief pit stop in La Coruña on Saturday and considering the difficulties he is now facing, the Olympic and World Cup ski champion has taken the painful decision to retire from the race.

A top class sportsman, who worked hard to compete in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, Ivica is clearly very disappointed. At 1000hrs on Tuesday morning, the Class40 ACI was sailing at 7.5 knots 120 miles West of Porto.

AEGEAN 600 2023 to be held between 7-15 July
Dates have been set for the 3rd AEGEAN 600 edition.

The sea of myths and legends. The sea of Homer, Seferis and Elytis. The sea of painters and philosophers. The sea of sailors. 600 miles of sailing in this sea.

An offshore race designed by sailors for sailors. A race where the wind god, Aeolus, will make his own game to control sailors' seamanship. A race where the dolphins will accompany the boats to drive them faster to the finish. A race with enchanting sunrises and sunsets. A race where mythology rewards sport in a unique water track. All this and much more is the "Aegean 600". A non-stop race.

The Start is given by Homer's sanctuary, in front of the columns of Poseidon's temple, and with the wishes of the mythical god of the sea the boats sail for Milos, the home of the Venus of Milos, the prize of the Louvre de Paris. Surrounded by Cycladic white, they reach the scenic Caldera of Santorini, where the white of the houses blends with the volcanic rock creating unique contrasts and images. They continue towards the southernmost island of the Aegean Sea, Kassos, and leaving Karpathos on the left, the nativity island of Athena, and the residence of Prometheus, reach the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes. The course continues towards scenic Kos and Kalymnos, the island of sponge divers, while on the way they meet, besides dolphins, beautiful small islands, each with its own history.

The fleet sails next to the full color islands of Pharmakonisi and Agathonisi, and continue to Ikario Pelagos, a sea that offers strong sailing excitement. The sailors meet Patmos, the island of Saint John and the Cave of the Apocalypse, and head to cosmopolitan Mykonos and Delos, the birthplace of Apollo. The last islands of the route are Giaros and Kea. Slowly Finally the contestants face the Temple of Poseidon that will mark the end of the sailing adventure and the race.

aegean600.com

Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship
The 2022 Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship will host the World's best youth match racing talent, with competitors coming from across the globe including America, New Zealand, New Caledonia and a strong representation from across Australia. After a two-year absence from the International racing circuit, the Championship is shaping up to be the most hotly contested youth match racing event this year.

The event commences with official proceedings on Wednesday 16th November with racing to start November 17-20th at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Newport, Australia in the club's freshly rejuvenated fleet of Elliott 7's.

Full Competitor List in World Sailing ranking order:

- Ethan Prieto-Low (AUS)
- Marcello Torre (AUS)
- Josh Hyde (NZL)
- Chelsea Williams (AUS)
- Max Paul (AUS)
- Brayden Hamilton (NZL)
- Max Brennan (USA)
- D'Arcy Kemp (AUS)
- Kevin le dreau (FRA)
- Daniel Kemp (AUS)

www.intyouthmatchracingchampionship.com.au

2.4mR World Championship
Davis Islands Yacht Club, Tampa, Florida: The 2022 2.4mR World Championship Para Sailing International Championship Regatta concluded after a week when, as Principal Race Officer Eric Robbins put it, "Mother Nature toyed with us."

The racing began in earnest on Tuesday, with four races in increasing breeze as Hurricane Nicole sauntered across the Caribbean. The 40-boat fleet, which includes both able-bodied and para sailors from 10 countries, pulled boats out of the water early on Wednesday morning, as it became clear that conditions were worsening.

No races were held on Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane Nicole brought sustained winds well into the 30-knot ranges, along with the higher gusts and an agitated sea-state.

At the finish of Race 6, racers were permitted to discard their worst finish, which the overall and para class winner, Dee Smith of the United States did not need. His throw-out was a third, permitting him to keep five bullets for the win.

The regatta is scheduled to for Finland next year.

Full results can be found at YachtScoring.com.

Top Female: Megan Pascale, UK
Master: Dee Smith, USA
Grandmaster: Marko Dahlberg, Finland
Top Rookie: Jeff Linton, USA
Top Youth: Delani Hume-Lawrence, Canada
Tuesday Sailor of the Day: Tony Pocklington, USA, for going above and beyond the call of duty
Friday Sailor of the Day: Tom Ripley, USA, The Landlubber, for being last into the water and last off the dock but getting to the start on time.

diyc.org

Porter Claims 9th Melges 24 Nationals
Pensacola, Florida: After 10 races completed over three days in beautiful Pensacola, Florida, the U.S. Melges 24 Class has crowned Brian Porter, owner and helm of Full Throttle along with 'his boys' - RJ Porter, Bri Porter and Matt Woodworth as 2022 National Champions.

Brian's results all weekend long never dipped below the top ten, eight of which finished him in the top five. "It feels good," said Porter when asked about how it felt to win at such a level in the Melges 24 Class.

Steve Suddath, equal the Class stalwart won the Corinthian division for a second time. Suddath helmed 3 1/2 Men with tactician Dave Chapin and crew members Steve and Shawn Burke.

he 2023 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship will take place on October 6-8, hosted by the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - home of the Melges 24! In 2023, the Melges 24 turns 30, so get ready to party! Stay close to all U.S. Melges 24 Class channels as big news and announcements are coming soon.

Top Five Results (Final - After 10 Races)
1. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, 33
2. Taylor Canfield, Dark Energy B Team, 35
3. Bruce Ayres, Monsoon, 42
4. Drew Freides, Pacific Yankee, 43
5. Victor Diaz de Leon, Raza Mixta, 49

Top Five Corinthian Results (Final - After 10 Races)
1. Steve Suddath, 3 1/2 Men, 126
2. Megan Ratliff, Decorum, 127
3. Dan Berezin, Surprise, 152
4. Fred Rozelle, Rustler, 163
5. John Alden Meade, Dansoux, 178

Full Results at YachtScoring.com

www.melges24.com

Ostar, Twostar and RB&I update
Following the success of this year's races, the Royal Western Yacht Club is very pleased to announce that the next editions for both courses will be in 2024.

The MailASail OSTAR and TWOSTAR races finally got away in May this year. Initially the race saw in excess of 20 entries, but the fleet was depleted due to issues in obtaining B1B2 visas to enter the finish port of Newport RI. Many of those who did not make the start line have un-finished business and are expected to be early entries for the next OSTAR and TWOSTAR races, which will start in May 2024.

More news on a new addition to the OSTAR will be announced very soon.

The 2 Handed RB&I was a resounding success this year. Although running in parallel with the Oceanic races which started 2 weeks earlier, numbers were strong and the fleet enjoyed the new look of 3, 48 hour stop overs allowing for crew changes, repairs or even just for some fun and social interaction with other competitors. To make use of the momentum this race is seeing, the Royal Western Yacht Club is pleased to announce that it shall be running the race Biennially and will also go again in May 2024. The new stop overs in Galway hosted by the Galway Bay Sailing Club and Blyth hosted by the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club were a great addition to the regular stopover in Lerwick hosted once again by the Lerwick Boating Club, along with the teams from tourism and the harbour commissioners.

The new Fully Crewed RB&I race will run as before in a supporting role. This allows for more boats to enter the race as each boat are able to change up to 50% of the crew at each stop over. This allows for more people to take part without the issue of taking several weeks away for just one race. There are also opportunities for classes within the race provided enough entries allow.

Boats from 27 and up to 60ft are invited to enter either of the 4 races on offer.

Qualifying miles can be gained by entering the RWYC Plymouth Fastnet 500 race in August 2023.

Further information on all these races can be found on rwyc.org/oceanic-racing/

2023 Finn Gold Cup - Miami
Entries continue to come in for the 2023 Finn Gold Cup in just over two months time with 56 registered and more to come. There are still options for containers from Europe available but time is running out to book a space.

Please check here for the latest information and contacts.

Those who are going and have not yet entered please do enter the event here as soon as possible: www.fgcmiami2023.com/registration

Industry News
The Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon was announced as the Overall Winner of the DAME Awards at METSTRADE 2022.

The award was presented by Andre Hoek, Jury Chair of the DAME Award. This is the 31st anniversary of the DAME award, presented this morning during the METSTRADE Breakfast Briefing held in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.

The RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon is said to represent a significant step forward in the evolution of PLBs. The impressive and compact PLB3 combines an AIS man overboard device and GPS with a Cospas-Sarsat personal locator beacon, Galileo Return Link Service and incorporation of visible and infrared signal lights.

The product provides the very best chance of survival through its blend of long and short-range detection technologies. The RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon stood out to the Jury, who recognised the impressive harnessing of multiple technologies in such a small unit and attention to design in every detail.

www.superyachttimes.com

www.metstrade.com

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The Ocean Race, the round-the-world sailing competition known as the toughest test of a team in sport, and Mission Blue, an NGO dedicated to exploring the ocean and driving its protection, are coming together to accelerate action to safeguard the seas.

At the heart of the new collaboration are two ambitious goals for a healthy ocean: establishing a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights and protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Through its Racing with Purpose programme, established in collaboration with Founding Partner 11th Hour Racing, The Ocean Race has been working for over 18 months to build support with decision-makers and governments across the world for a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights, which would establish the ocean as a legal entity and put in place a global framework for protecting the seas. The Race is also getting the public onboard through the One Blue Voice campaign, with a petition for a Declaration that will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023. As an Impact Collaborator of The Ocean Race, Mission Blue will help to drive support for ocean rights and highlight how this could play a crucial role in protecting the seas.

The collaboration will also shine a spotlight on Hope Spots, vital parts of the ocean that have been scientifically identified as critical to the health of the marine environment.

www.theoceanrace.com

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Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is pleased to announce that PharmaNutra S.p.A. will be the team's Human Performance Partner for the 37th America's Cup. The nutraceutical and pharmaceutical company, already committed to the world of sport through a series of major medical partnerships, will support the Italian challenger with its Cetilar® brand and its know-how in the field of nutritional supplements and medical devices for muscles and joints.

The partnership was made official today in Pisa at the Musei delle Navi Antiche, during the presentation of the innovative Human Performance project, tailored for the sailors of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team.

The Human Performance project is coordinated by a medical-scientific group of excellence that will follow the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team with the goal of assessing, monitoring and optimising the psychophysical condition of the sailors involved in the 37th America's Cup, by means of a customised program focused on training, injury prevention, nutrition and mental preparation.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and PharmaNutra share their professional and scientific approach to the world of sport, the passion for innovation and research, and their common Italian heritage.

www.lunarossachallenge.com

Eight Bells Mervyn Cook
It gives me great sadness to report the passing, early on the morning of Monday the 14th November, after a long illness, of Mervyn Cook the legendary low rider Moth sailor and designer and a great friend.

I only knew him later on in his life when his involvement in sailing was expressed by his love of sailing 7ft model "A" class racing boats at Gosport. He gave me the greatest of compliments that any designer can give to another, by asking me to design him an "A" boat to win the Nationals and the Yachting Monthly Cup which I was most happy to do. The resulting boat "Reference Point", sailed for him by Peter Fothergill and Paul Edwards did manage to win the Yachting Monthly Cup but winning the Nationals, although he came close, was still a work in progress. Indeed, we were still discussing improvements up until a few weeks ago. I'm sure that Peter and Paul will continue to try to achieve his dream.

Mervyn's claim to fame, however, occurred in the Moth class long before I met him.

He first started sailing Moths in the late fifties on the Thames at Twickenham. His first boat was an uncompetitive home build with cotton sails but he soon acquired a competitive down to weight boat with Terylene sails, one of three built by the legendary Rockall brothers from Essex.and he was soon started on that addictive slippery slope. Winning!

Having sampled different types of Moth during team races with the French and a dabble with National Twelve's, it wasn't long before he was designing his own Moths. The first, "Chelsea Morning", but for a broken mast in the final race, would have won the 72 Nationals.

In 1973 his brother-in-law, John Claridge, had just set up a business building racing dinghies and so Mervyn designed a new boat for him, a new departure for the class, which would utilise the full spectrum of Johns building skills. This became the first of his famous "Magnum" line of designs however, he had to wait until 1979 to win his first World Championship with a "Magnum 3" sailed by David Iszatt. The Magnum line continued up to the 9b and year on year the boats got narrower and narrower as people learnt to sail them. He once described sailing the very narrow Moths as like trying to stay balanced on a stationary Vespa Scooter.

Ultimately, the Magnum line won 19 UK Nationals plus many more championships Worldwide, including 10 Europeans and 8 Worlds. Of all these his most memorable event was the Worlds in New Zealand in 1980 when a British team of Magnum sailors led by Dave Iszatt and sailed in strong conditions against the best of the Southern Hemisphere scows, finally made the point that top, narrow skiffs could perform well in all conditions. Quite a moment in Moth history!

Mervyn is survived by his wife Jacque. He will be greatly missed by a great many people. Sail on Mervyn and may the winds be fair and the oceans calm. -- Dave Hollom

Featured Charter
Aragon - Maarten 72. Located in the Mediterranean.

Sailing yacht Aragon is the perfect choice for competitively sailing in offshore/inshore racing while retaining comfort to go cruising or day sailing. The Reichel Pugh 72 was commissioned by a performance-oriented owner with a remarkable family history of racing lineage.

Aragon was the overall winner of the 2016 RORC TransAtlantic Race.

Yachting Developments completed the yacht in February 2006, and the boat was then shipped to Europe. She has been racing competitively ever since. The owners who have maintained and upgraded her to the highest levels.

Available for charter in the Mediterranean.

For full details please visit bit.ly/3Rk5WTd

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
http://lvyachting.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2021 Vismara Momi M80. POA EUR. Located in Viareggio, Italy.

Newly launched carbon fibre Maxi cruiser racer from Vismara Marine Concepts with variable draft keel, full cruising interior by Giacomo Facchini and rocket-ship performance.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini – Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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HH66 - NEW BOAT

An alluring range of dual purpose yachts for an expanding sector. "A race boat in disguise" by design, the 66 has been turning heads and collecting accolades and silver around the world. Boat no 6 is set to launch later this year, the lightest and fastest to-date.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Hudson Yacht & Marine

www.hhcatamarans.com

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2006 Swan 82 'Grey Goose'. 2,750,000 EUR VAT Paid. Located in Valencia, Spain

This Nautor's Swan 82 FD "Grey Goose" has been built for two defined missions. One is luxurious and short handed family cruising with performance but without any stress on deck. The second mission is competitive racing in all conditions inshore as well as offshore and even transatlantic racing. She is not a pure race boat even more she demonstrates the real Swan DNA by accomplishing both missions in a perfect manner beeing comfortable, sea worthy and very fast. She has proven her outstanding performance in several racing events and in numerous family holidays cruises.

See listing details in Nautors Swan brokerage

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07

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

The Last Word
You don’t just get a body like mine overnight. It takes years of moderate neglect......and bacon. -- Robert Cruickshank

Editorial and letter submissions to

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