In This Issue
• Back up to speed
• Classics head for 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Vilanova i la Geltru to host first AC40 regatta
• More Speed Less Plastic
• March episode of the World Sailing Show
• BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festiva
• Warsash Spring Series Starts
• Te Rehutai Returns
• World Champions win in Abu Dhabi
• Featured Charter: Grand Soleil 46 - Belladonna
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Kinetic Catamarans - KC62
• • Elizabethan 30 - Moonshot
• • Elan GT6
• The Last Word: Tyler Durden

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 up to speed
The four IMOCAs pushing east through the southern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean are seeing better speeds today, following a weekend of light winds.

Racing along the ice exclusion limit at 52-degrees south, the teams are in 15 to 25 knots of wind, and average speeds are back up near 20 knots.

And it is still incredibly, impossibly close racing - at 1500 UTC on Monday, the four boats are separated by just 2 nautical miles on the tracker leaderboard, and 3.5 miles north to south.

"It's crazy," said skipper Charlie Enright. "Despite the fact that there are these boats right here (beside us), we are just trying to race ourselves, not change our philosophy. There is a lot of race left and paticularly before Cape Horn we know that there is going to be some big weather. So we really want to keep this boat in one piece and we'll go from there."

The longer range forecast is for more 'southern ocean' type conditions on the approach to Cape Horn next weekend, when the fleet will be squeezed between an ice exclusion zone that is unusually far north due to confirmed ice sightings and perhaps the most infamous rocky outcropping in the world, which will force them to dive far to the south, dipping as far as 57-degrees south.

Very strong westerly winds - and an accompanying sea state upwards of six metres - is the current prediction for Cape Horn, so the sailors have enjoyed their last days of relative calm with two weeks of racing left to Itajaí, Brazil.

The latest positions are on the Race Tracker and the leaderboard

theoceanrace.com

Classics head for 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
The oldest yacht in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race is the beautiful 1903 Fife gaff yawl Moonbeam . Photo by Benoit Couturier. Click on image to enlarge.

Appropriately, given the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race will be the 50th edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's premier event, a significant number of classic yachts are entered, competing for the Dorade Cup.

In 2021, Paul Moxon's Amokura was the oldest boat in the race and returns again. The Fred Shepherd 50ft Bermudan yawl was built by A. H. Moody and Son Ltd, Swanwick in 1939, originally for Lord Mountbatten's Aide de Camp, Ernest Harston. For Amokura, the Fastnet has been a case of 'third time lucky': she competed in 1959 and in 2019 but only finished for the first time in 2021. Perhaps it was the change of course to Cherbourg which helped - Amokura was the first British yacht to visit Cherbourg following WW2. Amokura's recent Rolex Fastnet Races have been all the more remarkable since Paul Moxon has raced his heavyweight classic doublehanded.

This year's oldest entry pre-dates the first Fastnet Race by 22 years and is even 10 years older than the first race's winner, Jolie Brise. Among classic yachts, Moonbeam (ex-Moonbeam III/Moonbeam of Fife) is famous - a 1903 gaff yawl Fife, the third of four Moonbeams for British lawyer Charles Plumtree Johnson. In 1988 she was 'saved' in Cyprus and underwent a thorough refit in the UK, including a change to her present cutter rig. Since then, she has been a regular star of La Nioulargue/Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, where she has often raced against Moonbeam IV and Tuiga.

A classic making one of the longest journeys to the Rolex Fastnet Race's 22nd July start will be Maluka. Well known in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, this 9m long 1932 vintage gaff-rigged classic was restored in 2006 by Sean Langman, a Hobart race veteran and industry figure (he owns Noakes Group, which operates boat/shipyards in North Sydney and Port Huon, Tasmania). Ironically Langman, a keen 18ft skiff sailor, is better known for competing in the fastest maxis, so racing Maluka, usually the oldest and smallest boat in the race, was an unusual step.

However, she is part of Hobart race folklore having been sailed by an amateur crew from Sydney to Port Huon nine years prior the first Hobart Race. Langman restored her in time to compete in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart in order to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this voyage. In the 2022 race she was campaigned to a class win by Langman's son Peter (while he raced his present maxi, the former STP65 Moneypenny).

Post-WW2 'modern classics' are also well represented. -- Trish Jenkins

Read more...

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

Rather a good start
New designers, a brand new boatyard and a brilliant skipper who is at last getting the recognition he deserves. Giuliano Luzzatto

A life on the ocean wave
Good to meet a world-class sailor who is just as interested in passing it on and bringing on the next generation. Will Oxley talks to Blue Robinson

Towards (ever) better data
The masthead is the most dynamically vigorous point on a sailing boat... without factoring that movement into your instruments all that wonderful masthead data will only ever be one part of the story

Clear as day
Ainhoa Sanchez

Two to tango
Those grumbling about the Sydney Hobart results again should put up or shut up. Rob Weiland

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.

Catalonia's Vilanova i la Geltru to host first AC40 regatta of 37th America's Cup
Geltru. Photo by Stuart Pearce / YachtShots. Click on image to enlarge.

The Catalonian port of Vilanova i la Geltrú, has today been announced as the Host Venue for the first Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America's Cup to take place in September this year.

The event will take place over four days between September 14 -17 when the six international America's Cup syndicates - Emirates Team New Zealand (Defender), INEOS Britannia (Challenger of Record), Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI), American Magic, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA), and Orient Express Team (FRA) - will race each other in AC40 one-designs.

Vilanova i la Geltrú is situated 45 kilometres southwest of the America's Cup host city, Barcelona, in Spain's Catalonia region and the event marks the official start of racing in the 37th America's Cup cycle.

The opening event will feature a mix of both fleet and match racing on a racecourse right outside the port's entrance and will be the first time the current crop of America's Cup teams will race against each other - albeit racing in identical 40-foot one-design AC40s rather than in the full-sized custom designed AC75s to be used to contest the 37th America's Cup in 2024.

Currently, four of the six America's Cup teams have received their AC40s. Emirates Team New Zealand have two, with the British, American, and Swiss squads currently with one apiece. -- Justin Chisholm in Cup Insider

cupinsider.com

More Speed Less Plastic
Despite the underwhelming result in New Zealand, Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL did take the third highest speed in Lyttelton Harbour as it clocked 85.9 km/hr - converting to 859 kilograms of ocean-bound waste diverted as part of its More Speed Less Plastic initiative with ROCKWOOL and One Ocean Foundation.

Event winners Canada SailGP Team took the top speed of the weekend, hitting 88.2 km/hr, which means that One Ocean Foundation will divert 882 kilograms of ocean-bound waste on behalf of the team and its sponsor OceanWise.

That makes more than five tonnes of waste diverted since the team launched the More Speed Less Plastic initiative in Singapore two months ago, in collaboration with three teams - New Zealand SailGP Team, Switzerland SailGP Team and Canada SailGP Team.

"It's really pleasing that we've hit this landmark with More Speed Less Plastic so soon, and great that a collection of our competitors have helped us towards an impressive target. SailGP is all about rivalry on the water and collaboration off it - and with the help of ROCKWOOL and One Ocean Foundation we're making a big impact together as we go racing."

https://www.1ocean.org

March episode of the World Sailing Show
Six classes take to the water for the Lanzarote International Regatta

Stormy weather cuts SailGP Sydney short

Rio de Janeiro hosts Brazil's first all-female coaching course

70 boats line up for the RORC Caribbean 600

A look at the action from across the sport

The main feature of the March episode of the World Sailing Show returns to the Canary Islands for the Lanzarote International Regatta where 360 sailors from six classes took to the water for eight days of races. Big winds, even bigger waves and constant rolling ocean swell made for interesting conditions, and if that wasn't enough of a challenge then dust storms from the Sahara took it to the next level just in time for the medal races.

Countdown to the 50th edition BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festiva
Competitors from across the Caribbean are heading for the BVI, including Bernie Evan Wong's RP37 from Antigua. Photo by Ingrid Abery, ingridabery.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Tortola, BVI: With just one week to go, local Caribbean boats are preparing to join the 70 strong fleet for this year's special edition - the 50th anniversary - of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. The J/130 Bad Decisions, owned and skippered by Fuzzy Stoddard from Christiansted, US Virgin Islands, has been busy over the past fourteen months refitting the boat and is ready to race. Formerly known as Annick II, the boat has been around the USVI and surrounding areas since 1980, often sailing with youth programs and junior sailors on board.

Long-time BVI Spring Regatta competitor Peter Corr, owner and skipper of Blitz, a Summit/King 40' designed by Mark Mills, lives part-time in the USVI, in St Thomas. He has been racing in the Caribbean for many years and loves Spring Regatta for its great water, great winds, competition and racing with good friends. "It is a great team that's been together for a long time and we race very hard," Corr smiled. "Last year we won St Thomas, Voiles de St Barts, and Antigua Sailing Week including the Lord Nelson Trophy for best race boat across all classes."

Corr's special memories of past BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival events include holding the record for the fastest Round Tortola race on his sailing yacht Aiyana, a record he held for several years.

Among the usual cast of sailing characters from the local Caribbean racing circuit who will be returning to celebrate the 50th Anniversary edition of the BVI Spring Regatta will be Bernie Evan Wong from Antigua, racing his RP 37 Taz, Sam Talbot from the BVI racing on the J111 Spike, and Richard Wooldridge racing on Triple Jack, a Kelsall 47. A fleet of local sport multihulls will round out the competition, owned and skippered by sailors from nearby Caribbean islands. -- Trish Jenkins

bvispringregatta.org

Warsash Spring Series Starts
Day 1 of the 2023 Warsash Spring Series for IRC boats started with sunny intervals in about 10 degrees which seemed quite warm after the snow of a few days earlier. With a satisfactory force 4 breeze from the WSW, Race officer Peter Bateson and his team got racing underway on time at 1030 on an east-going tide on Sunday morning. Two races were scheduled.

In IRC class 3, Jon Powell and Betty again headed the results, this time by a satisfying 2½ minutes on corrected time. Quokka was again second, with third place taken by David Greenhalgh and J/92 J'ronimo after a last-leg struggle with her spinnaker that cost her a place. Triarchy come to the fore in IRC class 2 with a 4 1/2 minute win over another Arcona, Neville Askew's 34' Argo, ahead of Jybe Talkin' third, just under a minute further back. The Bodfather was first home in IRC1 and it would be churlish to mention that as the only boat yet racing in the class, she nonetheless found it a useful training day.

The series continues on Sundays through to the end of April, with a break for Easter, and the Spring Championship with multiple races over 2 weekends is on 15-16th and 22nd-23rd April. -- Peter Bateson

warsashsc.org.uk

Te Rehutai Returns
Te Rehutai, Emirates Team New Zealand's 36th America's Cup winning yacht is set to return to the waters of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf just over 2 years since the last time it was sailed for the final race of AC36.

The team's AC75 emerged from the shed after a long hibernation on Monday for a series of rig and dock checks encompassing a mix of old and new. Visually sporting fresh new livery and technically presenting a valuable bridge between the 36th and 37th America's Cup AC75 class rules.

World Champions win in Abu Dhabi
After three intense days of competition, the Ad Ports Group Wingfoil Racing World Cup Abu Dhabi concluded with no racing on the final day due to a lack of wind.

So the wearers of the yellow bibs, Paula Novotna (CZE) and Mathis Ghio (FRA), won the women's and men's titles respectively. The 2022 World Champions continue to set the pace in this rapidly developing sport, although both riders know that their advantage is diminishing. The performance gap is closing as the rest of the fleet continues to make rapid improvements.

After three days of great racing out of Al Mirfa beach, the fleet of international riders have learned a lot about what it takes to complete around a variety of race courses in light winds. It was a spectacular way for this new sport to make its competitive debut in the UAE.

The next time the wingfoil fleet meets for a World Cup will be in Campione, Lake Garda, in early June. The event is also a qualifier for the ANOC Beach Games, which takes place in Bali later this summer. Wingfoil racing continues to go from strength to strength as its appeal goes increasingly global.

Men
1. Mathis Ghio - FRA - 13.5 points
2. Luca Franchi - ITA - 23
3. Mateo Dussarps - FRA - 23

Women
1. Paula Novotna - CZE - 16
2. Karolina Kluszczynska - POL - 22
3. Orane Ceris - FRA - 32

wingfoilracing.com/2023worldcupabudhabi

Featured Charter
Grand Soleil 46 - Belladonna. Located in the United Kingdom.

This incredible Grand Soleil 46 is a very special Racer Cruiser, with her sporty lines and stylish Italian design. Belladonna has a comprehensive sail inventory, a great electronics package and has been professionally maintained her whole life. She is in fantastic condition and ready to race!

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

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

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Kinetic Catamarans - KC62. Price: POA USD.

Pioneered for pleasure, Kinetic sets a new standard for luxury performance cruisers. Meticulously built and fully equipped to take you around the world, in comfort and style.

Each of our semi-custom catamarans is made to your exacting standards, combining comfortable, spacious living with power and grace. Even use your personal handheld device to monitor or control any number of functions on your vessel.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Kinetic Catamarans
USA Tel: +1 954 732 2836

Kinetic Catamarans
SA. Tel:+27 44 382 0439

-----------------------------------------

1973 Elizabethan 30 - Moonshot. 24,750 GBP. Located in Lymington, UK

MOONSHOT is a lovely example of an Elizabethan 30 cruiser-racer - designed by David Thomas. These yachts are regarded as fast and excellent cruising vessels that stand the test of time.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon UK
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:

-----------------------------------------

Elan GT6. POA EUR

Our flagship GT6 is a next-generation Grand Tourer that delivers the perfect balance of speed and power, comfort and luxury, good handling and precise control.

Stiff, stable and weatherly, the high-performance hull and sailplan by Humphreys Yacht Design are optimised for short-handed, medium-range cruising. Three generations of Humphreys/Elan design evolution and extensive CFD modelling produce a refined yacht that handles like a thoroughbred and delivers exhilarating performance on all points of sail, across the full range of wind and sea conditions.

For full details

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Elan, d.o.o.
Begunje 1,
4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem,
Slovenia
+386 4 53 51 109

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

The Last Word
We buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like. -- Tyler Durden

Editorial and letter submissions to

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