In This Issue
• Around the Cans - British Classic Week
• Fresh upwind start forecast for 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Cup Spy : Emirates Team NZ start testing in Barcelona
• 100 days countdown to Hong Kong to Vietnam Race 2023
• 52 Super Series Is Back In The Usa In 2024
• Royal NZ Yacht Squadron in financial trouble
• Launchings
• Gus Henry RIP
• Featured Charter: ClubSwan 42 - Dralion
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Farr 280 - "Gweilo"
• • MC62 Multihull
• • YYachts Y7
• The Last Word: E.M. Forster

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

Around the Cans - British Classic Week
Andrew Gilmour aboard Timoa, Class 3. Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Classes 1 and 2 sailed the same course, setting off from the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) inner line with the tide in 5 knots of wind from the West. The first leg was arguably the most challenging of the whole race and tacticians were tested to find the strongest tide and avoid the wind holes.

Rounding West Ryde Middle to port in very little wind, the yachts gently hardened up and dropped spinnakers for the steady tight reach to South Bramble. As the breeze filled in, Classes 1 and 2 rounded South Bramble to port and broad reached to Royal London YC. Rounding the mark to port it was a reach up to the mainland coast and Royal Thames and a beat up the Solent to The Boss.

From the Boss, Classes 1 and 2 crossed the Solent in a now westerly running tide to Gurnard. From there, it was a spinnaker run down to the finish at the RYS with yachts tucking close inshore out of the oncoming tide.

Class 3 sailed the same, shorter course avoiding Royal London YC and Royal Thames.

Class 1 was won by the smallest yacht in the class, Spirit 37 Strega. Whooper and Timoa both made it two winds from two races, winning Class 2 and 3 respectively.

The 6mRs sailed two races around the cans, the first of which in the Classic Division was won by Nirvana and Erica took the second. In the Open Division, Oiva made it three wins from three races so far.

Before regatta racing started, sailors and spectators ashore watched the new Spirit BAR Technologies 35EF (electric foiling) yacht Moquai set off on a time trial around the Isle of Wight. The goal was to beat the time for the fastest electric drive yacht doing the same trip. The previous record was set at just under six hours, the Spirit 35EF smashed that record with a time of one hour 56 seconds. -- Helen Porter

britishclassicweek.co.uk

Fresh upwind start forecast for 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
Christopher Sheehan's Pac 52 Warrior Won en route to victory in the RORC Caribbean 600. Photo by Robert Hadjuk. Click on image to enlarge.

As competitors in this special anniversary edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 50th Rolex Fastnet Race arrive in the Solent, or Cherbourg in preparation for Saturday's start from Cowes, focus is turning to the weather forecast. Forecasts get increasingly accurate the more short term they are, but five days out from departure days, a few tentative observations can be made already.

In 2021 the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race was a dramatic one, taking place in breezy upwind conditions with gale-force gusts. At present the forecast shows this scenario may repeat on Saturday. Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator Jules Salter, who this year is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his winning the Rolex Fastnet Race outright on Charles Dunstone's maxi Nokia - Connecting People, is racing on the Maxi 72 Notorious, owned by another ex-Nokia crewman, Peter Morton.

Salter observes: "With the amount of heating we have got going on - it could easily be gusting over 30 knots by the time we start at 1520. It is really a day where you should be wind surfing or kite boarding!" This means that it may be a fraction less when the first starters set sail, beginning with the multihulls at 1300 BST and the IMOCAs at 1320. However, at that point the tide is still flooding in the western Solent and the water will be flatter. This year for safety reasons, the eight starts have been separated by 20 minute intervals so by the time the last, for IRC Zero and Super Zero, takes place, there should be a stronger sea breeze, but also a lumpy wind-against-tide chop, accentuated when the boats pass through Hurst Narrows at the western exit to the Solent.

rolexfastnetrace.com

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

A Drheam story
The Drheam-Cup is a class act from start to finish with interesting and testing courses designed for different types of boats - including a rapidly growing IRC fleet - and a festival atmosphere at both ends

He really was a Wizard
A courageous Carol Cronin takes on the challenge of sharing the life of Buddy Melges

Once is too often - Part I
Rich Du Moulin is one of the original pioneers of the Storm Trysail Club’s now well-established and internationally respected safety at sea programmes and seminars

Seahorse build table - Bora Bora
The R&D was hell. Brett Bakewell-White

RORC - Worth the effort
Jeremy Wilton

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Cup Spy : Emirates Team NZ start testing in Barcelona
Emirates Team New Zealand was the only team sailing at the 2024 America's Cup venue in Barcelona, on Saturday.

Although the real time wind observations recorded a strong breeze well in excess of 20kts at Port Olimpic, on the water it was reported to be a more benign 9-13kts.

On their second day of sailing at the venue, the team dropped into a standard routine - which is a mix of straight line sailing to work through their test routine, along with some race practice.

After the session, co-helmsman Nathan Outteridge - an Olympic Gold and Silver medalist, in the 49er class, who is on his third America's Cup campaign, explained their initial objectives in Barcelona.

"We're always looking to get better in every area. Sailing in a 10 to 12kt wind range is probably the easiest for these boats, because you've got more than enough power to keep it on the foil - but it's not so windy that you're at the top end, when you're on the edge of control.

Session Statistics - Emirates Team NZ - AC75 - Day 21 - July 15, 2023 - Barcelona

Total Tacks: 41 - Fully foiling: 39; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
Total Gybes: 32 - Fully foiling: 31; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 0
Crew: Nathan Outteridge, Peter Burling, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke

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

100 days countdown to Hong Kong to Vietnam Race 2023
The Hong Kong to Vietnam Race, Asia's longest Category One offshore race which takes competitors 673nm from Hong Kong to the Asian paradise of Nha Trang, Vietnam. Back after a hiatus of four years due to the pandemic, today marks 100 days until the 10th edition of the Race which starts on 24 and 25 October 2023.

Predominantly an epic downwind run in 25 to 30kts of breeze, tropical sunshine and 30-degree water temperature - the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race should be on every sailor's bucket list along with the Club's flagship offshore, the Rolex China Sea Race.

The Hong Kong to Vietnam Race is recognised as a qualifying race for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. It was first run in 1996 and then regularly since 2004. The 2019 edition had a slew of international entries hailing from Great Britain, Italy, Singapore and the United States. The focal point was the battle for Multihull Line Honours between two racing trimarans; Italian Maserati Multi70 and Hong Kong entry SHK Scallywag/Fuku.

Meitatsu Fukumoto and Seng Huang Lee's SHK Scallywag Fuku took the win and set a new Multihull Race Record of 30h 09m 27s - just under two hours ahead of Maserati.

The current Monohull Race Record of 41h 30m 20s was also set in 2019 by professionally crewed Lucky, a US based J/V Maxi 72 skippered by Bryon Ehrhart beating the previous race record of 42h 17m 24s set by Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin 100 in 2015

chinacoastraceweek.com

52 Super Series Is Back In The USA In 2024
New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court. Click on image to enlarge.

After three year spell confined to racing only in Europe, the 52 SUPER SERIES circuit expands its horizons once again for the 2024 season when it will return to race two key regattas in the USA.

While owners and teams have previously loved opening the 52 SUPER SERIES seasons of 2013, 2014 and 2017 in the Florida sunshine of Key West and Miami, in 2024 the world's leading grand prix monohull circuit will be hosted for the very first time by the historic New York Yacht Club for two events on the renowned race areas of Newport, Rhode Island, both coinciding with the club's main summer events.

The decision to go to Newport in 2024 reflects a long held desire of the 52 SUPER SERIES owners group, several of whom are members of the historic New York Yacht Club and under whose flag they compete on the circuit, while others have also loved racing at the club's annual summer regattas and want other 52 SUPER SERIES teams to come and share the experience. Also there is a strong fleet of TP52s on the Great Lakes and it is hoped that some of these teams will come and dip a toe in the waters of 52 SUPER SERIES racing.

Racing from Monday 10th June to Sunday 16th June the second 52 SUPER SERIES event of the season will be part of the 170th Annual Regatta. The 52 SUPER SERIES Newport Trophy fleet will have a lay day on the Friday which will give the teams the chance to compete in the Annual Regatta's Around-the-Island race.

52superseries.com

$2m loss for America's Cup sailing club: Royal NZ Yacht Squadron in financial trouble
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's estimated trading loss for the last financial year has risen to almost $2 million as the club hunts for savings in a bid to "achieve long term sustainability".

Auckland's blue ribbon sailing club - known for its links to the America's Cup - earlier this year reported it was looking at a between $1.4m and $1.6m loss.

It blamed the loss on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and stormy weather in early 2023 and immediately started a "Reset" journey to turns its finances around.

In an update to members yesterday, the club said its five-month Reset journey had made "considerable progress" but that the estimated loss had also climbed.

nzherald.co.nz

Launchings
Click on images to enlarge

McConaghy is delighted to announce its appointment as the exclusive build partner for the next generation of Infiniti 52 racing yachts.

The Infiniti 52 is designed and engineered to deliver next level offshore racing performance. Built around a highly efficient transverse DSS foil, the Infiniti 52 provides proven performance without the risk and cost of more complex class-driven foil solutions.

The 52ft yacht has proven to be an ideal size, performing successfully both inshore racing and offshore, regularly achieving 30-knot speeds. It is large enough to sail comfortably for an overnight, but light enough to exhilarate and excite. The DSS foil provides the Infiniti 52 significant righting moment allowing the yacht to be sailed with a smaller crew, sometimes half the number of a comparable yacht, increasing competitive efficiencies.

The Infiniti 52 provides owners with a highly competitive and comfortable yacht that can be raced without the need for a full professional crew of 10+.

mcconaghyboats.com/yachts/infiniti52/

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The SpiritBARTech35EF, the product of Spirit Yachts' partnership with BAR Technologies and its America's Cup simulation and design expertise, is set to become the first fully electric yacht capable of delivering a range of 100 nautical miles between charges.

Where previously, the average electric yacht of around 40ft has possessed a range between 25 to 70 miles at 5 knots (or more, dependent on battery pack options), the new SpiritBARTech35EF blows this out of the water with its 100-mile range at a cruising speed of 22 knots once it is flying.

This comes at a time when the demand for leisure vessels, that are both thrilling and yet have a more responsible footprint, is constantly rising in step with the developments in battery technology and electric drivetrain practicality. Combining Spirit Yachts' world-leading design and build of luxury yachts with BAR Technologies' holistically designed green vessel platforms, the SpiritBARTech35EF blends heritage with modernity to usher yachting into a new era.

* Editor's note: I spent many summers on the St. Lawrence River, where wooden powerboats by Gar Wood and Hacker Craft are the ultimate status symbol of summer river residents. Despite the maintenance headaches (and wallet drain) I've always preferred wood to fiberglass, in power and sail. The beautiful lines of this craft would nicely compliment a Gar Wood parked in a cedar shingled boathouse on Wellesley Island. A very tasteful take on the classic runabout. I'll bet Gar Wood would go slack-jawed... right before demanding to take it for a test drive. What a headturner...

bartechnologies.uk

spirityachts.com

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A cool, clean, carbon superyacht: have a look aboard Y-Yachts' €6m new 90ft Tripp design 'Bella'

The Y9 is a light, fast, contemporary cruising yacht that can be sailed easily and certainly has some wow factor.

Gus Henry RIP
Afloat.ie regrets to record the death on Friday (7 July) of Gus Henry of Sligo; a leading Sligo Yacht Club member, veteran race officer and sailing enthusiast.

In particular, Gus was a GP14 sailor of great energy and national status, and was also involved in developing many other interests and projects in his beloved area of the Northwest.

A full Afloat.ie appreciation will appear in due course. Meanwhile, our heartfelt condolences are with his loving family and very many friends.

https://afloat.ie/sail/sailing-classes/gp14/item/59649-gus-henry-rip

* Gus became one of Ireland's premier race officers, regularly handling national championships across various classes. Within the GP14 scene, he was PRO for the GP14 World Championship held in Sligo in 2006.

"Thanks to the visionary enthusiasm of Gus and his pioneering friends, Sligo had emerged as a great developer of Youth sailors, particularly in the Mirror Class. When the Mirror World Championships (1987) and Mirror Europeans (2010) came to the Club, he had a major role in ensuring these events were a success on the water.

From another Afloat piece on Sligo YC, Gus and the GP14 class:

afloat.ie/sail/sailing-classes/gp14/

Featured Charter
ClubSwan 42 - Dralion. Located in Mediterranean.

ClubSwan 42 is a light and extremely fast yacht and the first Swan to feature a retractable bow spirit. The boat is fast, fun to sail and rates well under the IRC Rule. Available in the Mediterranean.

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
2015 Farr 280. 75000 USD. Located in Cowes, UK.

PRICE DROP 05/23. "Gweilo" is a top level example of the popular Farr 280. Launched originally as a One Design boat, these pocket rockets have always offered a dual purpose yacht, thanks to their potential under handicap rules. Now IRC optimized, she was UK Season winner 2020 and 2021.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900
+442380 106582

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McConaghy MC62.

MC62 multihull - PERFORMANCE SAILING MEETS STYLISH LIVING

This range has been designed using a group of experienced owners and sailors (who between them have spent decades sailing and cruising multihulls), a highly experienced design and engineering team, and McConaghy’s 50 years of building yachts for the most demanding customers and conditions.

The MC62’s wide saloon offers a versatile and spacious living area that, with large windows running the full length of the hulls and retractable glass doors to aft, is exceptionally light and provides fantastic views. The galley is arranged open-plan to this area which creates an apartment-like feel and is particularly well suited to socialising.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Tel: +852 5501 6001
mcconaghyboats.com

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YYACHTS Y7. POA EUR.

The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.

In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.

All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
T. +49 3834 5858 77-0
E.
www.yyachts.de/en/y7

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

The Last Word
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. -- E.M. Forster

Editorial and letter submissions to

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