EuroSail News #5280

In This Issue
• GUYOT environnement turns back to Cape Town
• Cup Spy : Emirates Team NZ match race amongst the thunderstorms
• Elbows out - Arcona Yachts
• 44Cup Teams Set Sail With Female Crew
• Cape Horn Race
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Alex Thomson On Teaching His Kids To Sail
• Oakcliff's Race Admin Boot Camp
• Big numbers for 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
• Lost Shipwreck Ironton Discovered
• Featured Charter: First 53 - Yagiza
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Class 40 n 149 HYDRA
• • Vismara Farr Custom 72
• • The Makara Series
• The Last Word: Michio Kaku

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

Holcim PRB leads fleet east while GUYOT environnement turns back to Cape Town
Two teams suffered setbacks over the past 24 hours with GUYOT environnement electing to return to Cape Town while Team Malizia is down a sail...

It's been a busy 24 hours in The Ocean Race, with the fleet pushing east at pace, trying to hold on to the strong winds of a southern latitude low pressure system.

Team Holcim - PRB is making the best of it, but the news of the day centres around GUYOT environnement - Team Europe who have elected to turn back towards Cape Town after suffering what the team and its technicians are calling a 'hull sandwich failure' - essentially a structural problem with the boat.

Cape Town is nearly 600 miles to the northwest of the GUYOT crew's current position. An ETA over the weekend seems possible, but could shift depending on conditions.

Earlier, on Tuesday evening, Team Malizia saw a failure on the locking mechanism for its headsail result in the sail falling into the water. The crew had to work quickly to cut it away to avoid damage to the foils and keel.

theoceanrace.com

Cup Spy : Emirates Team NZ match race amongst the thunderstorms
What happened in the Cup

- Emirates Team New Zealand continued with their two boat AC40 program, chasing the breeze, and eventually finding it on the inner harbour, where they match raced/did hookups for about an hour before heading east, where they continued until thunderstorms curtailed the session. Live Ocean racing, the SailGP and ETF26 team co-founded by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke announced the induction of three new sailors Serena Woodall, Seb Menzies and reserve sailor George Lee Rush, who will work alongside Liv Mackay and Alex Maloney on the ETF26 program, which will compete in five events in Europe this year.

- INEOS Britannia sailed in the AC-40 in One Design configuration. The early morning session was called to give the crew experience in sailing the AC40-OD in 20kt winds. Their LEQ12 test boat went into the shed on February 8, for repairs after a capsize and battery fire, but what was also planned as a three-week upgrade block - due to be complete around the beginning of March.

- Alinghi Red Bull Racing did not sail their AC40-OD, and last sailed their remodelled AC75 on February 12.

- American Magic have decommissioned their AC75 and will not start training again until the beginning of March - later this week.

- Orient Express Team (formerly French K-Challenge) - no update.

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

Elbows out - Arcona Yachts
The Swedish Arcona yard invested heavily in design and development and have been fastidious in the execution to ensure that they enter the busy 50-footer market right at the very top

When she launches this spring, the new Arcona 50 will be the perfect flagship for the Swedish builder. The company's quiet confidence stems from their approach to the design and build of a range of high quality, good looking cruisers that deliver far more performance than the modern yet modest looks suggest. Their style of production also sits well with the location of their yard which itself has a long-held reputation for producing some of the world's strongest and most respected brands. But make no mistake, confident they may be, but the 50 is still a big deal for Arcona Yachts.

The 50ft market has become extremely competitive thanks in part to the ease with which large boats can be handled shorthanded with sophisticated modern hardware and systems.

Full article in the March issue of Seahorse

44Cup Teams Set Sail With Female Crew
In another step towards re-energising the 44Cup, the rules for the International RC44 One Design class have been revised for 2023 so that going into the 44Cup Oman, which starts out of Muscat's Al Mouj marina tomorrow, all nine teams will race with at least one female crew.

While not a completely new development, like so many professional sailing circuits it is possible to count on one hand the number of female crew that have competed during the 44Cup's 16 year existence. This will change for 2023.

To date 44Cup crews have only been permitted to race with four World Sailing Category 3 'pro' sailors on board. Now this has been amended so that the remaining positions on board, can now not only be filled with WS Cat 1 'amateur' sailors, but also each team's boat captain, plus women and under 30-year-olds - even if they are pro sailors under World Sailing's classification.

Racing with female crew is not mandatory, but the maximum weight limit rules have been altered making it beneficial to do so.

44cup.org

Cape Horn Race
Cape Horn Race 2026 is the first race round Cape Horn Island, Chile, and back to the Atlantic Ocean ; without assistance for yachts and crews ; without a port of call; a non-stop race with a start and finish at an European port, to be selected early in 2023.

This mythic marathon of 16,000 nautical miles is a sailing spectacle and human story for fully-crewed monohull yachts between 12m and 24m racing under IRC. handicap rules.

Cape Horn Race attracts a wide range of yacht entries from towns and yacht clubs... for ANY racing, cruising, or production-built monohull sailing yacht of length between 12m and 24m, subject of course to security regulations. Selecting a compatible crew is a key race-winning factor. The skipper may select his own crew with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 persons onboard. The Cape Horn Race gives both professional and Corinthian sailors an equal chance of winning under IRC. handicap rules.

Safety will be assured by strict adherence to international race rules, organisational expertise, and a recognised national Race Director. The Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy has kindly agreed to the surveillance of safe-passage in Cape Horn waters.

capehornrace.org

Seahorse March 2023
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World News
A popular win amid more Hobart controversy, Yoann Richomme has the Vendée bookies guessing, speedy bonus for Beyou, Jules Verne... around they go, Crichton takes his foot off the gas for a change (well, sort of), Fletcher's Cup claim becomes unanswerable. Plus some serious recycling USA-style. Dobbs Davis, Patrice Carpentier, Ivorwilkins, Adrienne Cahalan, Blue Robinson, Magnus Wheatley, Charles Caudrelier

Update
Good news from la belle France, a deeper dive into AC75 mainsail management, Southernmost stakes a strong claim, Magic and Alinghi still racking up mileage, the end for winch handles? Plus a new level of armchair grumbling... Jack Griffin, Sean Langman, Terry Hutchinson

Paul Cayard - A life well lived
The passing of a Bay Area icon. Plus The Ocean Race... it's certainly different but is it working?

ORC - Peak VPP!
Where to go from here? Andy Claughton

Faster, lighter AND more reliable
Most of us take traveller cars and tracks for granted but the extreme sail trimming and roll stability requirements of AC75s and AC40s required Harken to redevelop its hardware for a whole new performance level

Keep feeding him
Suellen Hurling

Special rates for EuroSail News subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code ESN23

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £37.50: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Alex Thomson On Teaching His Kids To Sail
Alex recently retired from offshore sailing to spend time with wife Kate and their children, Oscar and Georgia. Click on image to enlarge.

Alex Thomson sailed into the spotlight in 1999 when, at the age of 25, he became the youngest skipper to win an around the world yacht race, mentored by yachting legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. From there, the charismatic up-and-coming sailor gained support from one of the biggest names in the sport, Hugo Boss. He began an offshore campaign in the IMOCA 60 class that would go on to span 20 years and include five campaigns for the Vendée Globe - a notoriously tough 26,000nm solo circumnavigation.

During that time, he broke numerous world records and became the fastest Briton to sail solo non-stop around the world in just 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes and claiming an impressive second place in the Vendée Globe. Throughout his 20-year career, he also captivated global audiences with uniquely daring stunts, including the MastWalk.

Home for the Thomson family is Jersey, where an idyllic beach-front set-up enables them to spend any spare time they have on the water, as Alex describes: "For us as a family, pretty much all activities take place on the water, whether we are fishing, wakeboarding, kitesurfing and or hydrofoiling. We've also got a sailing dinghy on the beach, a couple of kayaks, stand up paddleboards, kite surfers..."

His dream, he says, has always been to "have my own little mini watersports centre just outside the house" - he's not far off! -- Georgie Corlett-Pitt

Full article in the new site AfloatWithTheKids.com

Oakcliff's Race Admin Boot Camp
This custom program deserves its own article! From writing NORs to catering, from scoring to housing, this week-long program is a fully immersive session cramming years of experience into one week of training.

While all are welcome, this intense week was designed at the request of Yacht Clubs and NGBs. They can send their Race Program or Waterfront Directors to Oakcliff in the spring and gain new tools for a busy summer season. Those considering a first or second career (retirement) as a traveling PRO or Event Manager will also benefit. Whether you aspire to serve as an OA, Pro PRO, International Umpire or a Mark Boat Operator there is something here for you.

Reserve Your Spot at the Boot Camp

Big numbers for 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca
More than 950 boats from 63 countries are pre-registered for the 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca highlighting the excellent health of the Balearics' showcase Olympic class event which is the first regatta of the Sailing World Cup 2023.

Preparations for the 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca are firmly on course and on schedule. The regatta will muster all ten Olympic classes which will compete in Paris 2024, on the Bay of Palma from the 29th of March to the 8th of April. The high level of pre-registrations means an historic edition is expected.

With just one month to go until the start of the competition, 952 teams and more than 1,200 sailors of 63 nationalities have already completed their pre-registration, an exceptional entry which confirms the return to pre-Pandemic levels, as the head or results management Pepe Cazador points out. After more than two decades in the hot seat as head of results for the huge Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca, Cazador is certainly an authoritative voice when it comes to the statistics of the event: "The usual thing is that between the number of pre-registrations and the number of actual entries which turn up on the race courses there is a drop of around five per cent because of injuries, visa problems and so on. So I figure we can expect a final entry figure of around 900 boats."

trofeoprincesasofia.org

National Marine Sanctuary Researchers Discover Lost Shipwreck Ironton
Click on image to enlarge.

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing.

In September 1894, Ironton sank in a collision that took the lives of five of the ship's crew. Accounts from the wreck's two survivors provide details about the loss of the vessel in "Shipwreck Alley"—an area of Lake Huron known for its treacherous waters that have claimed the lives of many sailors.

The three-masted Ironton represents the fleet of wooden schooner barges that once traversed the Great Lakes as the workhorses of the region's wheat, coal, corn, lumber, and iron ore trades. The Niagara River Transportation Company built Ironton in 1873 as a towed schooner barge.

Conducting ROV operations aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay, the research team partnered with the University of North Carolina's Undersea Vehicle Program to collect high-resolution video and further document the wreck. Resting upright and incredibly well preserved by Lake Huron's cold freshwater, Ironton looks almost ready to load cargo.

EuroSail News #5280 - 2 March

Search the Archives

{{{_source.title}}} {{#_source.showPrice}} {{{_source.displayPrice}}} {{/_source.showPrice}}

Our Partners

Translate