EuroSail News #5288 - 14 March
In This Issue
• Back to the grind
• Solo Maitre CoQ
• The Caribbean is calling, and the BSI Group is heading south
• Six Metre World Championships
• Some thoughts on U.S. Olympic sailing
• Zig Zag and Action celebrate in Antigua
• Charleston Race Week
• Etchells Victorian Championship
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Vismara 80' 'Luce Guida'
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Dufour 40 E Performance
• • Gunboat 72V
• • Outremer 5X
• The Last Word: Sinclair Lewis
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
Back to the grind
It's back to work Monday for the IMOCA sailors in The Ocean Race.
Following record breaking conditions on Saturday and the leg 3 scoring gate on Sunday, the workaday grind sets in again with Cape Horn still nearly two weeks away.
In case you missed it, on Saturday all four boats blasted past the existing 24 hour distance record for IMOCAs. Subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, the new mark is now held by Team Holcim-PRB, who topped out at 595.26 nautical miles, just a shade off the Race record of 602 nautical miles set by Team AkzoNobel in the last race.
The record-breaking runs were spurred on by highly motivated crews pushing each other hard towards the leg 3 scoring gate as well as near perfect winds and relatively flat sea state.
On Sunday evening UTC, Kevin Escoffier's Team Holcim-PRB would be first across the 143 degrees east longitude line, collecting another 5 points and expanding his lead on the points table.
A special leg 3 scoring gate show is available on Discovery+ and the Eurosport app in European/Asian viewing territories.
Solo Maitre CoQ plans two short coastal races before Thursday's long offshore
After Monday's severe gales which buffeted the French Vendee coast to keep Ireland's Tom Dolan and the 29 other solo skippers tied to the dockin Les Sables d'Olonne unable to race, a proposed new programme for the Solo Maitre CoQ has been announced by Race Direction.
The plan is to try and do a 16.5 nautical miles loop off Les Sables d'Olonne Tuesday if the winds and seas have dropped enough, planned starting time 1400hrs local time.
Dolan, skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan commented “The situation is quite complex. The wind is expected to ease tomorrow morning but a five meter swell is predicted and could make it difficult to get out of the channel out of Les Sables d'Olonne. We will know very soon though as we get out from the protection of the breakwaters."
He continues, “If it's not possible tomorrow I am sure it will be better Wednesday when Race Direction plan a coastal race of 15.2 miles at 1100hrs before the start of the big race scheduled for the next day at 1200hrs. It would be really nice to be able to get these two inshore courses away because that is what is different and important about this Solo Maitre CoQ, it tests coastal and offshore racing."
This 20th edition of Solo Maitre Coq has attracted 30 entries and is the first solo race of the season for the Beneteau Figaro 3 fleet on the French Elite Solo Ocean Racing Championship.
The Caribbean is calling, and the BSI Group is heading south
Like you, first and foremost we are sailors. That feeling of slipping the lines, heading out of the harbour, and hoisting the sails for a day on the water, is simply the best.
We set our bar high. Whether we sail to win or have fun, at the BSI Group, we understand things don’t always go to plan. Taking preventative measures will help.
BSI and OYS make up the rigging division of the BSI Group. As world leading manufacturers of rod rigging, Kevlar, and wire fittings we understand standing rigging. Our global Service Centres and Agents advise and keep your rig in its’ optimal condition. There can be no compromise. Set sail knowing your rig receives regular inspections by approved partners and genuine replacement parts.
With regattas in full swing, BSI and OYS are heading to warmer climates and are available to answer your questions at St Barths Bucket, 16-19 March. Ulf Josefsson, Worldwide Superyacht and Custom Sales is competing on Almyra II, with Axel Josefsson Project Manager and Sales on Sunleigh.
The BSI Group manufactures specialist marine equipment that gives sailors peace of mind that their equipment can handle anything the elements throw at them without compromise on control or speed. The BSI Group’s products are made by sailors for sailors at locations in Europe, the UK, and the USA, with rigging, hatches, portlights, blocks, steering systems, propulsions systems, controllable pitch propellers and folding propellers through BSI, OYS, Jefa Steering, Hundested Propeller and GORI Propeller.
Meet with us - bsi-rigging.com/contact-us/
Royal Yacht Squadron to Host International Six Metre World Championships 2023
With participation and interest in the International Six Metre Class currently running high, the International Six Metre Association (ISMA) is delighted to announce that the 2023 Six Metre World Championships will be hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), Cowes, UK from 31 August to 8 September.
As usual the boats will be divided into Open and Classic divisions with teams from across Europe and North America already confirming their participation. Several new Sixes have been built in recent years and it is anticipated that another new boat will be launched in time to join the fleet in Cowes.
Registration and measurement for the regatta will open on Tuesday 29 August, four practice races will take place on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 September (two each day), and World Championship racing will run from Monday 4 to Friday 8 August. A total of eight championship races are scheduled, with five races required to constitute the championship. Once six races have been completed a single discard will be introduced.
The Worlds will be the culmination of a summer of special Six Metre events in Cowes. For those who would like to train on the World Championship race area, there will be a series of warm up regattas, with events approximately every three to four weeks, including the British Open Championship (22-25 June) and a week of racing in July at British Classic Week (17-21 July). -- Fiona Brown
The Notice of Race and online entry for the regatta, together with a host of supporting information, are now available from 6metreworlds.com
Some thoughts on U.S. Olympic sailing
Caveat Emptor: If you're a fan of US Sailing, and specifically how the organization runs the U.S. Olympic sailing program, you're best advised to stop reading this editorial.
While crystal balls are in short supply, based on the events of the last two weeks, I'm assuming that the number of eyeballs on this electronic ink hasn't dropped.
Where to begin?
Let's start with the facts. Since the 1896 Athens Olympics, American-flagged sailors have collected 61 Olympic sailing medals, including 19 gold medals, 23 silver medals, and 19 bronze medals. This total medal count makes the USA the second-most successful Olympic sailing nation, one position astern of Great Britain, which has won 64 Olympic sailing medals (31 gold medals, 21 silver medals, and 12 bronze medals).
Looking good, right?
Not lately.
The reality is the USA's last trip to the podium at an Olympic medal ceremony was in 2016, when Finn sailor Caleb Paine earned a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
David Schmidt's full editorial in Sail-World.com
Zig Zag and Action celebrate in Antigua
The final race of the 2023 Superyacht Challenge Antigua was held off the South Coast of Antigua on Sunday 12 March. The weather this year was more Mediterranean than Caribbean but the spirit of regatta was unchanged.
The Gosnell Trophy is awarded as the overall prize. Each yacht competing yachts, and the race committee, cast one vote for the yacht that has competed in the Spirit of the Regatta, both afloat and ashore. This year’s winner was John McMonigall’s Oyster 82 Zig Zag. Racing for the seventh regatta in a row, Zig Zag has now won the Gosnell Trophy on two occasions.
Zig Zag was a big winner on the social scene, which all counts in respect of winning the Gosnell Trophy. Loudest Caribbean Ladies shirt was won by Zig Zag Bow, Grace Murray. Emma Abreu’s Banana Fritters from the Coal Pot got a special mention at The Famous Cook Off and by far the youngest crew at the regatta, Cameron Raynes, was awarded “Best Boat Captain”, a driftwood toy boat was donated by Catalina, much to his delight of the two year-old.
Scoring two race wins after ORCsy time correction, the Regatta Series Winner was the 121ft Dykstra sloop Action. The afterguard included two of Great Britain’s most decorated sailors Ian Walker and Shirley Robertson. Action also scored well at the social evening winning the Best Team Caribbean wear on the Caribbean Night and Action’s Chef Caroline Jörgenson, won best Caribbean Dish at the Famous Cook Off.
Overall Race Results for the 2023 Superyacht Challenge Antigua
superyachtchallengeantigua.com
Mount Pleasant, Patriots Point join forces to support Charleston Race Week
Sailboats race on Charleston Harbor with the USS Yorktown as the backdrop. Photo by Priscilla Parker. Click on image to enlarge.
The town of Mount Pleasant and City of Charleston are rightfully proud of the grand prix sailboat racing regatta that has become a fixture of the region.
Charleston Race Week has brought a huge economic boost to both municipalities for more than a quarter of a century.
When longtime event director Randy Draftz determined that Charleston Race Week needed a new venue, he reached out to Mount Pleasant mayor Will Haynie.
Mayor Haynie, an ardent supporter of the regatta, quickly sprung into action. He picked up the phone and dialed Mac Burdette, executive director of Patriots Point Development Authority.
"Will Haynie called and asked if there was anything Patriots Point could do so the regatta could remain at its traditional home," Burdette said.
"Charleston Race Week is very important to Patriots Point. We appreciate what this event does for our town and region," Burdette said. "Our goal is that the aircraft carrier will become the home of Charleston Race Week for many years to come."
So it was that a deal was struck for Charleston Race Week to move its Race Village onto the USS Yorktown, the historic World War II era aircraft carrier that is berthed at Patriots Point. Draftz is excited about the new venue and believes regatta participants will enjoy attending post-race parties aboard a floating museum that has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Etchells Victorian Championship
Mark Roberts and his team of Ben Lamb and Jake Newman on AUS1473 Fumanchu2 won the Etchells Victorian Championship today, Monday 13 March with an eight-point margin over the current National Champions, John Bertrand, Lewis Brake and George Richardson sailing AUS1478 Triad2020 to also take the Masters Championship. Third place, and first Corinthians just five points behind AUS1478, were immediate past Victorian Champions Robin Deussen, Jesse Mitton, David Snoad, AUS1395 Shoulda Gone Left.
With a 2, (21 UFD), 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, the scorecard of Fumanchu2 was tough to beat, and is just an indication of the calibre of competition to come for the Etchells class in Australia with two World Championships coming up on home soil in the next two years. - Nic Douglass
Overall Prizes
1st Mark Roberts, Ben Lamb and Jake Newman, AUS1473 Fumanchu2
2nd John Bertrand, Lewis Brake and George Richardson, AUS1478 Triad2020
3rd Robin Deussen, Jesse Mitton, David Snoad, AUS1395 Shoulda Gone Left
Corinthian
1st Robin Deussen, Jesse Mitton, David Snoad, AUS1395 Shoulda Gone Left
2nd Brendan Jukes, Nigel Jones, Brody Riley, Toby Conn, AUS882 Jukes of Hazzard
3rd Nick Chapman, Harrison Chapman, John Collings, AUS890 Menace XI
Masters
John Bertrand, AUS1478 Triad2020 at 76 years of age
Grand Masters
Chris Manton, AUS1488 Tiger
First Female Helm and Youngest Skipper Eliza Ewart, AUS1237 Black Knight
Results and further information on the Victorian State Championship at rbyc.org.au/etchells-states-2023
Industry News
Germany’s double TP52 World Champion Harm Müller-Spreer, owner-driver of Platoon, has become a new shareholder in the 52 SUPER SERIES. He has been an active passionate competitor on the world’s leading monohull grand prix circuit since 2015 and previously raced his Platoons on the MedCup circuit. A lifelong sailor who is renowned as one of the circuit’s best helms, Müller-Spreer seized the option when a number shares in the circuit became available.
“I am looking forwards to being an active board member and shareholder. I love competing on the circuit and like the idea of being able to play a role in shaping the future along with our other members of the board. We have a solid group of owners who love their sport like I do, we have new teams coming in and joining us last year and this. We are committed to spreading the word and sharing the love. I really believe in the circuit.”
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Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) organizers are pleased to announce the renewal of a multi-year sponsorship with Antigua Distillery Limited.
Counting over 3 decades of partnership with Antigua Distillery Limited, the renewal will ensure another 3 years of smooth sailing with English Harbour 5 year old Rum (EHR5) as the Official and Exclusive rum of the event, available to all who come to race, chase and celebrate at Antigua Sailing Week 2023, 2024 & 2025.
The sponsorship includes naming rights to the first day of racing for the 2023 regatta - English Harbour Rum Race day on Sunday April 30th. The winners of the days racing can look forward to receiving bottles of rum during activities at the English Harbour Rum Race Day prizegiving starting at 3pm at the Antigua Yacht Club.
The 54th edition of Antigua Sailing Week runs April 29th - May 5th, 2023 and entries are ongoing.
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Ocean Safety meets new 2023 MCA standard with Red Ensign approval
Marine safety specialist, Ocean Safety has announced that its range of commercial liferafts meet the new ‘Red Ensign’ standard for United Kingdom conformity assessment procedures for marine equipment and are now approved to carry the Red Ensign logo.
After the United Kingdom left the European Union, the UK implemented regulations to establish UK conformity assessment procedures. This ensures the UK can continue to comply with its international maritime obligations relating to safety at sea.
The new requirements apply to all SOLAS/MED approved lifesaving equipment manufactured after 1st January 2023 that is to be used on all commercially operated UK flagged vessels. This includes UK merchant ships, small commercial vessels, commercially operated leisure craft and fishing vessels.
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Dartside Quay, South Devon, has been sold to new owners
The agreement will see the expansion of the boatyard services on offer to MDL customers and the wider boating community.
The new owners, who currently own and operate the nearby Dolphin Haven boatyard and berthing services are planning to invest in the site to bring new developments to extend the services on offer.
Dartside Quay has space for more than 300 boats ashore in a seven-acre dry boat storage area that is serviced by a 65-tonne hoist operating from a purpose-built dock.
There is also a 20-tonne trailer hoist operating from a slipway and various onsite marine tenants provide specialist boat repairs and maintenance services.
There will be no changes to the tenants as on site.
Dartside Quay is situated at the head of Galmpton Creek, around three mile sup river from Dartmouth.
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The Haven Knox-Johnston crew are proud to announce that they will be partnering with sister Howden leisure marine team, A-Plan Commercial Marine, to become the joint-lead sponsors of a new RS21 Scottish youth sailing team.
The sponsorship will provide the youth team with an RS21 so they can participate in the RS21 2023 British Race season. It will also harness the expertise of Sailingfast, Marlow Ropes and Rooster Clothing as sub-sponsors to provide coaching, equipment and kit to the team.
This latest sponsorship project strengthens Haven Knox-Johnston’s and A-Plan’s ongoing commitment to youth sailing.
The crew is currently under selection and will be open to an equal mix of female and male sailors from Scottish youth programs who are looking to take that next step up into keel boat racing. The team will be managed by Duncan Hepplewhite from Sailingfast, Falkirk who brings his many years of coaching experience on the water, and will help administer all key logistics from pre to post-race prep.
Duncan Hepplewhite commented: “We are looking to develop the best of the best Scottish under-25 sailors and give them access to an RS21 to race in for a season, to help drive youth participation and remove the barriers to racing in the big events.”
Featured Charter
2011 Vismara 80 'Luce Guida' (refitted 2018/19). 33000 per week EUR. Located in France.
Extensively updated and refitted in 2018/2019, LUCE GUIDA is one of the most iconic performance cruisers to come out of Italy. Full carbon composite construction, telescopic keel, twin engines and all possible comforts are included in this ‘ready to go’ package.
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lisa Spiller
Charter Manager
Bernard-Gallay
Phone 1 : +33(0)6 33 42 45 09
Phone 2 : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail :
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
Dufour 40 E Performance. 175000 EUR.
2010-model, Spanish registered, stylish 3-cabin, 1-heads cruiser/racer, presented in very good order and with lots of useful updates including bowthruster and larger 55hp engine. Possibility to take over the berth in Ibiza.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Lucio Pellegrini
Tel: +34 675 236 174
Email:
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Gunboat 72V - NEW BOAT. POA EUR.
Introducing the Gunboat 72V, a new catamaran concept to complement the existing heritage series' currently in production (the Gunboat 68 and Gunboat 80) - the first catamaran with Gunboat performance and a flybridge. Design and engineering is the collaboration of Gunboat, VPLP, Christophe Chedal Anglay, and Patrick le Quément (the same team for the Gunboat 68) with a bespoke interior by Isabelle Racoupeau.
- Designed with the enjoyment and pleasure of cruising in mind, with the knowledge that even the most turbo Gunboats may spend >90% of their time in cruise mode. This new range invites clients whose cruising plans were just out of reach of full high-octane Gunboat capabilities at the performance end of the spectrum, with priorities for family and coastal cruising.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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OUTREMER 5X - NEW BOAT
The Outremer 5X is Outremer’s flagship. A unique sailboat, capable of outstanding speed with unmatched safety and unequaled comfort.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Outremer Yachting
+33.467 560 263
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
A country that tolerates evil means- evil manners, standards of ethics-for a generation, will be so poisoned that it never will have any good end. -- Sinclair Lewis
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see eurosailnews.com/advertise/
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