In This Issue
• Spectacular start day for The Ocean Race in Alicante
• Maserati set new Multihull Race Record
• Sizzling competition in the RORC Transatlantic Race
• Croatia triumphs in Monaco Optimist Team Race
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Cup Spy Jan 11 : American Magic makes new move
• Francesca Clapcich, our interview on the eve of The Ocean Race
• Q&A Call with Ivan Bulaja
• Gearing up for the Gallop in North London
• The Oceanview Effect
• Featured Brokerage:
• • X-Yachts X-46 Modern
• • L30 One Design
• • Ichi Ban TP52 from Botin 2017
• The Last Word: Emile Zola

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

Spectacular start day for The Ocean Race in Alicante
Five IMOCA class yachts - the high-tech, foiling, flying race boats that are in The Ocean Race for the first time - started in glamour conditions on the waters off Alicante’s Ocean Live Park just after 16:00 local time.

Two hours earlier, a fleet of six VO65 one-design yachts set off on the first stage of their shorter, European-focussed event, The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint, which features three stages of competition.

While both fleets are now racing to Cabo Verde, some 1900 nautical miles away, the IMOCAs continue their race around the world, while the VO65s will pause in Cabo Verde, before rejoining the IMOCA fleet in Europe in the spring for the final two legs of their race.

All the sailors were farewelled by over 110,000 exuberant fans who visited the park this weekend to enjoy The Ocean Race experience, which included activations around the event’s award-winning Racing with Purpose sustainability programme, developed in collaboration with founding partner 11th Hour Racing.

With the weak weather front having passed through the race area earlier in the afternoon, the wind conditions settled at WNW 12-14 knots for the start of the five IMOCAs.

Nevertheless, as the race got under way two hours after the start of the VO65s, it was clear from the aerial view that there were still some shifts and puffs to be had.

Fleet tracker

theoceanrace.com

Maserati set new Multihull Race Record
On Friday 13th January 2023 at 19:46:26 UTC, Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 took Multihull Line Honours in the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race. Maserati’s elapsed time sets a new Multihull Race Record for the RORC Transatlantic Race of 5 days 5 hours 46 mins 26 secs, smashing the previous record by just under 17 hours.

Maserati Multi70 Crew: Giovanni Soldini, Guido Broggi, Matteo Soldini, Oliver Herrera Perez, Francesco Pedol, Lucas Valenza-Troubat and Francesco Malingri.

For Maserati the victory and new race record did not come easily in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Strong winds and a big sea state took its toll on the boat, but the crew battled through the troubles and strife to smash the previous record by 16 hrs 59mins 37 secs.

this was the fourth RORC Transatlantic Race for Maserati Multi70. Last year Maserati came from behind to take Line Honours in a photo-finish. This year’s win was even sweeter; Soldini has raced across the Atlantic over 40 times and he believes this race was as close to perfect as possible.-- Louay Habib/RORC

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Sizzling competition in the RORC Transatlantic Race
At 0800 UTC on the eighth day of the RORC Transatlantic Race, 17 boats are still racing in the Atlantic, with the first finishers in the monohull fleet expected on the 17th and 18th of January. The battle for the overall win under IRC and the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy is beginning to sizzle. There is a clear leader on the water, vying for the IMA Transatlantic Trophy; Volvo 70 I Love Poland (POL), skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski.

IRC Super Zero
I Love Poland leads the big boat class on the water and corrected time, but the all-Polish team have sailed 400 miles from the rhumb line with their bow pointing at Guyana in South America. IMOCA Canada Ocean Racing (CAN) raced Two-Handed by Scott Shawyer and Alan Roberts is 144 miles behind I Love Poland. The Swan 115 Jasi (SWE), skippered by Toby Clark is to the north of the rhumb line to Grenada. Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon has just over 1000 miles to go to finish the race.

IRC Zero
The top three teams for the overall win after IRC are all in IRC Zero. Eric de Turckheim’s NMYD Teasing Machine (FRA) is 845nm from the finish and leading after corrected time. Botin 56 Black Pearl (GER), sailed by Stefan Jentzsch leads on the water, 806nm from the finish. Black Pearl is way south and Teasing Machine are covering from astern. As IRC is a fixed time correction rule, Teasing Machine know that if they can keep up with Black Pearl overall victory is a strong possibility. However, 47 miles away on Teasing Machine’s starboard quarter is Henri de Bokay’s Elliott 52 Rafale (GER). Rafale is very much in the hunt for Class and Overall Honours with 892 miles to the finish. -- Louay Habib/RORC

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Croatia triumphs in Monaco Optimist Team Race
After four days, 120 round robin matches and nail-biting quarter-semi- and finals on Sunday, Croatia emerged victorious at the 13th Monaco Optimist Team race (11-15 January) organised by Yacht Club de Monaco.

For the 16 teams of four, representing 16 nations among the elite in this class, conditions were ideal ranging from 5 to 10 knots in Monaco’s bay. Having topped the ranking from day one, the American national team – two-time winners of this event - found themselves up against Croatia’s JKU Deep Blue team’s outstanding control and consistency and nudged down into 2nd. Meanwhile, the Spanish team from Club Náutico de Cambrils made a superb comeback to clinch a well-deserved 3rd place just ahead of the Swedes from KSSS.

Always a team to watch the Monegasques finished 6th overall, which augurs well for next year’s event and the Team Race European Championship that YCM will be organising in October 2024, as all four YCM sailors will still be right age. There’s no let up for YCM with Act III of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series coming up, 2-5 February, with around 30 J/70s already registered. This fleet then returns to the Principality for the fourth and final act of that circuit, 2-5 March, at the same time as the 39th Primo Cup-Trophee Credit Suisse when the J/70s join the Smeralda 888, Longtze Premier and RS21 one design classes.

Monaco Optimist Team Race 2023 podium:
1st: JKU Deep Blue (Croatia)
2nd: US National Team (USA)
3rd: Club Nautic Cambrils (Spain)

yacht-club-monaco.mc/en/home/

Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
This issue we herald a frequent nominee and once again a top ten club for this year's voting... Gladstone’s Long Beach, USA. Tucked into one of the many bays in the area (Q ueensway Bay / Los Angeles River), it's dead center in the shoreline tourism sector. Easy walking distance from the superb Aquarium of the Pacific, Marina Green and Shoreline Aquatic park. Food selection is huge, seafood a specialty. And LOTS of festive cocktails to accompany. Some important clubs in the area: Long Beach YC, Alamitos Bay YC, Seal Beach YC, Navy YC...

Stuck in a snowy situation... their Virtual Tour will help you find a way to get there.

Cast your vote for the world's best yachtie bar: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

Cup Spy Jan 11 : American Magic makes new move
INEOS Britannia had their fourth and easily the best sail to date in their LEQ12 sailing out of Mallorca, with the prototype boat being able to self launch in the conditions 12-13kt breeze, however this aspect of their performance is not quick or crisp. There was a mild sea state, which appeared to cause some grief, compounded by the Brits trying to fly as close to the sea surface as possible, while others seem to prefer a higher flight height.

American Magic managed to get offshore, and onto the Gulf of Mexico, and covered about 60nm. There was a more substantial sea state, which caused some pitching during setup, however there was insufficient video available to be able to assess performance. Patriot fitted a new, secondary track on the cockpit floor, at least a day earlier, which just appears to be carrying an upgraded mainsheet/outhaul system aimed at tidying the air flows off the lower metre or so of the mainsail. The centre ram has been removed, and a new system deployed.

Emirates Team New Zealand are not expected to sail until January 16, debris permitting after a couple of weeks of stormy weather.

Luna Rossa had a good day off Cagliari, foiling fast and easily in relatively flat water.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing emerged from the shed, rigged up and was launched. Although they towed out onto the testing area and the mainsail was hoisted for 30 minutes, in calm windless conditions before being dropped after 30 minutes, and the swiss towed home.

No further developments from the late entry French K-Challenge

Richard Gladwell's full report in Sail-World.com

Francesca Clapcich, our interview on the eve of The Ocean Race
Giuliano Luzzatto interviewed Francesca Clapcich for PressMare. Clapcich is one of the two Italian sailors taking part in The Ocean Race.

PressMare: We know that racing in the ocean will be quite different from the first In-Port Race held on January 8 in Alicante with a light and very unstable breeze. So, what are your feelings after meeting the other teams at sea for the first time?

Francesca Clapcich: Certainly the In-Port Race is an invaluable exercise. It is a chance for us to check and prepare ourselves and the boat for what might occur during the start of a leg, until at least the first disengagement. We have, therefore, tried to bring the race as real as possible, by recreating all the maneuvers we might find ourselves performing, even in the most complex ocean conditions, from course changes to peelings. It was, in addition, very interesting to see the performance of the other boats. On paper, everyone may have their own ideas and visions, but only once you are at sea, side by side, can you truly understand the potential of the opponent. Obviously, the In-Port Race is only a 45-minute race, which is very different from an ocean leg of a week or more, but the fact that we were able to get off to a good start despite having a few problems and manage to finish second makes us feel very positive and confident towards the start of the first leg.

This is your second experience at The Ocean Race. Are you having new and different feelings before the start?

F C: For sure it is a quite different edition than the last one, both as boats and as a course. Also, I have also changed, I have a family, here among the docks there is my wife with our little girl, and I have learned to handle emotions in a different way than a few years ago. But The Ocean Race is always a very important event, so many months away from home and the hazards are very high, so there is a lot of concentration and a lot of work behind it. It is important to be able to deliver a good regatta, not only for us, but also for the whole shore team (technical, sustainability, and communication) behind it

Full interview

pressmare.it/en

Q&A Call with Ivan Bulaja, Olympic sailor and coach on using data to help you win
As an ex-Olympic sailor who represented Croatia in the 470 at Sydney 2000, Ivan Bulaja knows what it takes to go fast. He has been an in-demand Olympic coach ever since, and was looking for a low-hassle data analysis tool to help speed up the performance curve of his sailors.

Unable to find exactly what he was looking for, Ivan developed his own data tool, SailViewer. Although it’s not yet well known in the wider market, a few top level medallists are already keen enthusiasts for the user-friendly nature of SailViewer, and the vital feedback it provides.

Join the Road To Gold Q&A call with Ivan to find out just how this affordable technology can help you speed up the learning curve with minimal technical hassle.

Road To Gold Q&A calls are free to join live, and offer a rare opportunity to speak directly with some of the best sailors in the world. If you’ve got questions about training, teamwork, attitude, technical challenges, anything related to making your boat go faster, join these calls live. Road To Gold’s Andy Rice and Hamish Willcox will be fielding live questions throughout each 60-minute session.

Tuesday, 17 January, 1900 hours UTC
Join Zoom Meeting with Ivan Bulaja

Meeting ID: 831 2215 9123
Passcode: 127745

Make sure you’re signed up to the Road To Gold Facebook Group to get further info on the call.
facebook.com/groups/roadtogoldsquad

For more about the 12-step blueprint for a World Class Campaign: roadtogold.net

Gearing up for the Gallop in North London
From the windy Bloody Mary in south-west London, it’s off to the King George Gallop in north-east London, the seventh leg of the Selden SailJuice Winter Series...

Here’s how things stand overall and in the sub-categories after six events, most recently the GJW Direct Bloody Mary won by teenagers James Crossley and Noah Fitzgerald in their 29er skiff. On a day when a simple hiking boat like the Laser just shouldn’t have been able to compete against the trapeze boats, Ben Flower sailed an incredible Bloody Mary to finish in 7th place. His success has had an impact on the overall standings...

Overall
After six events and all 17 possible races completed, 260 teams have achieved an overall ranking and still have time to meet the four events to qualify. Datchet Flyer winner Ben Flower (Laser (ILCA 7) - Paignton SC) moves up three places to top spot, with fellow class mate Jamie Blake (Great Moor SC), up four to second, and RS Aero 6 sailor Sam Mettam (Papercourt SC), up five to third.

A total of 62 different classes have gained Craftinsure Top Class rankings. RS800s were top class at GJW Direct Bloody Mary, and one of the biggest fleets with 11 entries with the class also running a training day on Sunday at Queen Mary SC. Second were the 29ers and third, Laser (ILCA 7s), who still lead the overall Craftinsure Top Class rankings after 17 races, with the RS200s second and Laser Radial (ILCA 6s) third. Based on the best three results for each class across every race.

Sailors from 88 different clubs have now competed, with HISC top club at the Bloody Mary, from hosts QMSC and previous winners Lymington Town in third. Overall Staunton Harold SC hold onto top spot, with Great Moor SC moving up to second and Draycote Water SC dropping to third. Based on the best three results for each club across every race.

Facebook Live - 6pm Monday 16 January
Simon Lovesey and Andy Rice, series organisers, will be looking back through the events so far, and looking forward to the next, on Facebook Live.The winner of another Selden R60 ratchet block will also be announced, based on which sailor’s photo by series photographer Tim Olin has featured prominently in social media. Join the live show this Monday...

facebook.com/SeldenSailJuiceWinterSeries

The Oceanview Effect
The phenomenon astronauts experience when they look down on planet Earth from space is known as The Overview Effect. Coined by author Frank White, who described it as: "... a message from the universe to humanity. The message is that the Earth, when seen from orbit or the moon, is a whole system, where borders and boundaries disappear, and everything is interconnected."

There is another way to understand the true nature of the planet, and it can be encountered here on earth: The Oceanview Effect. This is what sailors experience when they sail out of sight of land and head into the open ocean.

Charlie Enright (USA), skipper of professional offshore sailing outfit, 11th Hour Racing Team said, "As we race around the world and look out of a window, or the back of our boat, we see the natural fragility of our blue planet. But we also experience something else - we get to see firsthand the strength and power of the ocean that dominates and controls our world - the source of life on our planet. As human beings, to survive and succeed, we have to respect the ocean, understand it, and work with it. This is the Oceanview Effect.

"The ocean is the source of life on Earth; what we do to it, we do to ourselves. We need to all work together for positive action for the health of our planet and our people," he concluded.

Richard Vevers, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Agency, produced this short film to help share with others The Oceanview Experience.

Vevers said, "Very few people ever get a chance to escape our terrestrial world and witness the true nature of our ocean planet. We hope that by sharing the Oceanview Effect we can help change that and make people see the fundamental importance of the ocean."

Featured Brokerage
2005 X-Yachts X-46 Modern. 235000 EUR. Located in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Italy.

One owner, X-46 Modern with carbon fibre rig, updated electronics and versatile 3-cabin, 2-heads interior layout.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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L30 One Design - NEW BOAT

The L30 boat concept was developed by Rodion Luka – Olympic medalist (2004), Worlds Champion (2005) in 49er Class and Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 participant. Rodion has a 35 years’ experience in One Design racing, being a European and Worlds medalist in Laser Radial, JOD35, SB20 and 49er as well as well experience in Platu25, Melges24, J70 and RC44. He joined up together with Andrej Justin, designer of RC44 to make outstanding boat which combines good all round offshore performance, easy logistic, strict one design and is affordable for wide range of sailors all around the World with the price ready to race around 100k euro.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

+380 67 467 4949

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Ichi Ban TP52 from Botin 2017. POA GBP. Located in Sydney.

Ichi Ban is the most successful IRC yacht in Australian History having won three Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht races (2017, 2019 and 2021), three Australian IRC Championships and three CYCA Blue Water Pointscores.

RORC yacht of the year in 2018.

Built in 2017 to compete in offshore, coastal and inshore races this yacht is in immaculate condition and comes with two masts (Southern Spars), two booms, three rudders, water ballast and many spares and sails. Many upgrades have been made to her during 2022. Ready to race.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
For specifications and inventory please email Matt Allen at

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

The Last Word
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