In This Issue
• First medals decided at Allianz Sailing World Championships
• 210 Boats Confirmed For The 'Pati Catala De Vela' Regatta In Vilanova I La Geltru
• Don’t Miss The Annapolis Sailboat Show - October 12-15, 2023
• Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix
• 12 Finn sailors and 12 #FINNTALKS
• State of Play | Barcelona Begins
• St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival
• Ocean Globe Race one month out
• Humpback Whale "Tail Sailing"
• Featured Charter: NOMAD IV - Maxi Dolphin 100
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Elliott 44 - "Matador"
• • Farr 40 OD Warpath
• • J Boats J/121
• The Last Word: Lemony Snicket
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
First medals decided at Allianz Sailing World Championships
Heiko Kroger. Click on image to enlarge.
Heiko Kroger sealed gold in the 2.4m Norlin OD with a day to spare at the Allianz Sailing World Championships, while Olivier Ducruix and Ange Margaron also secured top spot in the RS Venture Connect.
Kroger has won all but two races so far in The Hague, with the German ensuring he will finish top of the podium with a bullet and two second-place finishes on Monday.
It means he cannot be surpassed heading into the final day of competition in the Netherlands, with closest competitor Davide Di Maria (ITA) seven points behind.
There was also gold for French duo Ducruix and Margaron, who sealed victory with a bullet in the final race of the day having come second in Monday's opening two races.
The pair had won all six races up to that point, and now have an unassailable lead heading into the competition's final race.
They were the only medals decided on a day of difficult conditions, with no racing taking place in the iQFOiL Women and ILCA 7.
However, there was still plenty of action elsewhere as Formula Kite Men and Women and iQFOiL Men competitions got under way while the battle for medals intensified in the 470 Mixed, Nacra 17 and ILCA 6 competitions.
But the day belonged to the Para Sailing events, being held alongside the Olympic sailing classes for the first time at the Allianz Sailing World Championships.
210 Boats Confirmed For The 'Pati Catala De Vela' Regatta In Vilanova I La Geltru
Click on image to enlarge.
It's rare for professional sailors to look at a boat and go: "how does that work?" But down in Barcelona there is such a craft - the Patin de Vela, or more commonly the Patin Catalan - a hugely popular 18-foot-long, beach-launched catamaran with a 5.24-foot beam that has no rudder, no centreboard, no boom and is controlled by minute adjustments on the dovetail mainsail and exquisite use of body weight to steer.
When the sailors arrive in Vilanova i La Geltru in September for the first Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America's Cup, the fast-foiling AC40s will have plenty of company on the water as 210 of these fabulous dinghies are confirmed for the 'Pati Catala de Vela' regatta - an historic record number, all gathered at the seaside port, launching off the nearby beaches, for what promises to be a remarkable spectacle. The 210 registered sailors at the regatta that runs on the 16th and 17th September 2023 will be representing a total of 27 clubs with sailors from Andalucia, Catalonia, Valencia, as well as from Germany, Austria and Belgium. A strong female representation will be at the regatta with 17 women confirmed - again a record number for the Pati Catala de Vela.
For Gerard Esteva, himself a Patin de Vela sailor, former president of the International Association of Sailing Skate Owners (ADIPAV) and President of the Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (UFEC), this is a momentous moment for the class as they launch to a worldwide audience, saying: "The opportunity offered by the direction of the 37th America's Cup will mark a before-and-after in the history of the Patin de Vela with promotion of the class on a world scale. All the sailors are very excited about this exhibition of the Patin de Vela and that is why, I believe, there has been this historic record of registration. We hope to put on a very good show to the world."
Don’t Miss The Annapolis Sailboat Show - October 12-15, 2023
The Annapolis Sailboat Show is setting up to be amazing! Tour over 50 multihulls from 25 different manufacturers from around the world. Nowhere else are so many multihulls showcased side by side at an all-sailboat show that also features over 50 monohulls along with dinghies, sailmakers, riggers, electronics, foul weather gear, and more!
Again this year, Cruisers Creating Content will host a rotating schedule of cruisers who share their adventures through video. Stop in and hear their stories, snap your photo with them, and pick their brains about sailing away from it all. Book your flights now and add a few extra days to explore the beautiful sailing town of Annapolis.
Learn more at annapolisboatshows.com/sailboat-show/
Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix
A delightful Opening Ceremony and Cocktail Party sponsored by Yanmar at the Royal Yacht Squadron Pavilion marked the official start of the 75th Edinburgh Cup and UK Dragon Grand Prix sponsored by Clear Solutions International Ltd. The sailors and their guests enjoyed champagne and canapes as Regatta Chair Gavia Wilkinson-Cox welcomed the competitors and thanked everyone involved in making the regatta possible and the many sponsors for their generous support.
Special guests in attendance included Ireland's Tony O'Gorman, winner of four Edinburgh Cup's between 1978 and 1984, and Martin Parry, who won the Edinburgh Cup in 1963 and came fourth in the Dragon Class at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Defending 2022 Edinburgh Cup Champion Andy Beadsworth, who will be racing with his Turkish Provezza Dragon team of Simon Fry and Enes Çaylak, was particularly delighted to meet Martin Parry, with the pair being the most recent and the longest standing Edinburgh Cup winners present.
41 teams from 12 nations and 4 continents will race for the honour of having their name engraved on the historic Edinburgh Cup, which has been awarded to the winner of the Dragon Open British Championship since it was presented by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1949. With the event also incorporating the UK Dragon Grand Prix, one of just four European Grand Prix Circuit events in 2023, it has attracted an exceptionally high calibre entry.
britishdragons.org/edinburgh-cup/
12 Finn sailors and 12 #FINNTALKS
Over the past year, 12 #FINNTALKS have been published, conversations with Finn sailors around the world. The latest one is with Simon Percival the Secretary of the British Finn Association talking about the recent Finn World Masters, Finn sailing in the UK and what attracts him to sail the boat.
The 12 sailors to date have been wide and varied from Olympians to youth sailors and from experienced hands to coaches, but all have a huge enthusiasm for the boat and the class, and all are well worth a watch.
They are all available on the Finn Class YouTube Channel - @TheFinnChannel - and also on FINN TV here: finnclass.org/finn-tv/finntalks
#FINNTALKS 12 - Simon Percival (GBR)
State of Play | Barcelona Begins
Chief Operating Officer Dave Endean reflects on the first few weeks in Barcelona, the 37th America's Cup Venue for 2024, as the Team begin a fresh testing period with their T6 Test Boat and AC40 Athena (One-design Race Boat).
"Our first impressions of Barcelona are that it's a great place. Good weather with lots of tourism, it's a very busy place but for us that really adds to the excitement of getting here. There are glimpses of five other teams here at the moment and that heightens the competition for the team, so things are starting to really drop into place and you realise what we're doing here and what it's all about.
St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival
Click on image to enlarge.
This September, the annual boating extravaganza that is St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival will see over 40 beautiful vintage and exquisitely preserved vessels assemble in the historic central basin of the marina in London. The 14th edition of the festival will be open to the public 9th-10th September and, decked out and dressed overall with signal flags, this year the array of vessels will include the war heroes, the Dunkirk Little Ships, Sir Alec Rose's famous sailing yacht Lively Lady, the favourite yacht of 'Swallows and Amazons' author Arthur Ransome the Nancy Blackett, and the 200-year-old Thames sailing barge Gladys.
Visitors will be able to view the vessels at water level and meet their caring owners, with each day marked with an opening and closing salute of horns. Talks include marine broadcaster, Tom Cunliffe (at midday on Sunday). Onshore at Marble Quay, musicians from the Thames Youth Jazz Orchestra will be entertaining visitors, whilst the marine collectables and antiques seller, David Worthington of The Motorboat Gallery will be displaying his wares. On the water, Paddleboarding London will be offering free stand-up paddleboarding taster sessions.
There will be no less than 19 Dunkirk Little Ships at this year's festival.
On display will also be several examples from the Bates Star Craft and Rampart motorboat ranges, alongside impressive ex-working vessels, such as ex-Port of London Authority flagship and Winston Churchill funeral barge Havengore and the steam tugs Kent and Barking. Impressive modern vessels will join the lineup of vessels, with 20-metre Navy P2000 ship HMS Dasher and one of London's MET Marine Police Unit Targa motorboats.
This free-entry event will be open to the public on Saturday 11am-6pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.
Ocean Globe Race one month out
As 14 teams sail their yachts toward MDL's Ocean Village Marina in Southampton, it's time to step back 50 years! Dust off those denim flares, buckle up your platforms and get those cassette players rocking. The Ocean Globe Race is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Whitbread Race the best way possible, by sailing around the world like it's 1973. Get ready to follow the adventure.
At 13:00hr, 10th September, the yachts will set sail from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line, Cowes, UK to circumnavigate the globe. The Ocean Globe Race is like no other as it's a race in keeping with the spirit of the original Whitbread races. 'Ordinary' sailors compete with sextants and paper charts, but without phenomenal budgets, foils and computers. Amateurs young and old are chasing dreams.
A return to slower times without satellites, non-GPS days with ordinary people sailing classic yachts on life defining adventures around Cape Horn. A simple display of what courage, passion and the human spirit can achieve.
Fourteen yachts, hailing from eight different countries, including seven former Whitbread yachts, have accepted the challenge with 22 nations represented. They'll sail on production yachts, or ex-Whitbread yachts, split into three classes. Adventure Class 46-55ft, Sayula Class 56-65ft and Flyer Class, comprising ex-Whitbread yachts from the first three editions.
Split into four legs and sailing around the three great Capes, Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Australia's Cape Leeuwin, and South America's notorious Cape Horn, it's an epic challenge.
Leg 1: September 10th - UK to Cape Town, South Africa.
Leg 2: November 5th - Cape Town to Auckland.
Leg 3: January 14th - Auckland to Punta Del Este
Leg 4: March 5th - Punta Del Este to UK
Finish: April 5th - 15th
Humpback Whale "Tail Sailing"
Imagine gliding smoothly across the surface of the ocean in a beautiful transparent kayak when you come across the tail of a humpback whale perfectly poised above the surface of the water. That is exactly what happened to Brodie Moss when he came across a phenomenon known as "tail sailing".
Whales have all kinds of fun behaviors, from launching themselves out of the sea to carefully planned whale spa visits. This behavior of tail sailing is extremely rare to witness and scientists don't fully understand the reasons for it. Tail sailing has been observed in southern right whales and humpbacks in multiple locations, so what could be an explanation for this behavior? While Moss doesn't say where the video was filmed, he shared the encounter on his Youtube and Tiktok channels.
Some whales are known to sleep in the unusual position of totally upright in the water, so this unusual upright tail behavior could be related to different resting behaviors.
Another alternative explanation for tail sailing is that the whale is simply cooling down. Whales have been known to carry out this behavior for around 15 minutes, though reports suggest it can last many hours. Whale tails contain high levels of blood vessels, which could benefit from evaporative cooling when held above the water.
Featured Charter
NOMAD IV - Maxi Dolphin 100. From 56,000 per week EUR.
NOMAD IV is a fabulous sailing yacht that functions superbly for either racing or cruising.
Charter destinations
SUMMER : West Mediterranean French Riviera | Corsica | Sicily | Sardinia | Marseille to Saint Tropez | Tuscany & Elba
WINTER : West Mediterranean French Riviera | Corsica | Sicily | Sardinia | Marseille to Saint Tropez | Tuscany & Elba
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
2009/2019 Elliott 44 - 'Matador'. 330,000 EUR. Located in France.
"Matador" is a competitive and exciting racer designed by Greg Elliott. With proven performance under both ORCi and IRC, she is a yacht that offers crews both inshore and offshore potential, on a well laid out platform that has more comfort than other GP racers with similar performance.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 4242900
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2004 Farr 40 OD Warpath. 74000 ex VAT EuR.
Well proven racer, with very good results in ORCi and SRS.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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2020 J Boats J/121. 425,000 USD. Located in Mamaroneck, New York.
Fully equipped Racer/Cruiser in pristine condition. Meticulously maintained and boasts exceptional race record.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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