In This Issue
• Star World Championship
• Emirates GBR Triumphs In SailGP Italy
• Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award
• Bosphorus Cup's final day
• Jean Genie Wins 2 Scandinavian Gold Cup
• Sailing "World on Water" September 22.23
• Black Jack is Maxi Offshore Challenge champion
• Cup Spy : Questions asked of Cup Challengers
• Platoon wins 52 SUPER SERIES season title
• Featured Brokerage:
• • C&C 66 Classic Cruiser / Racer - Phantom
• • HH42 by Judel Vrolijk
• • Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300
• The Last Word: Kurt Vonnegut

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

Star World Championship
A grand finale at Yacht Club Isole di Toscana's 2023 Star Worlds, after a hectic week, weather-wise.

With two windless days (day 1 and day 2), it was finally time to get going on the third day, where two races could be finally disputed -thanks to a 10 kts southerly wind- by the nearly 100 teams, representing 25 different countries. Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo's consistency paid off, taking a preliminary lead in the overall ranking. However, the winner of the last two Star World titles, Diego Negri, was only one point behind them, and US sailor Scott Barnard, with World Champion crew Phil Trinter not too far behind in 3rd place.

Day Five of the 2023 Star World Championship started with a couple of hours' wait ashore, but, as foreseen, the light north-easterly breeze blowing in the morning shifted to allow the anticipated and more reliable north-westerly breeze on the racecourse.

Swiss Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo got a 5-4, and their solid scorecard allowed them to be the overall leader before the final two races and the discard. Max Kohlhoff with Ole Burzinski faced the final day in second place, while Diego Negri with Alessandro Sodano fell to third with a 15th place in the 4th.

With actually four teams able to achieve the World title, the final day was a hectic one, as the Northern breeze was gusting and shifting a bit, thus challenging the sailors.

With a bullet in race n.5, the German team of Max Kohlhoff and Ole Burzinski secured their win, followed in the overall results by Piet Eckert - Frederico Melo in second place, and the former world champion Diego Negri (this time with Alessandro Sodano) in third place.

Full Results

worlds.starchampionships.org

Emirates GBR Triumphs In SailGP Italy
Emirates GBR has picked up its second consecutive event win after Taranto's three-boat Final against Australia and the United States was terminated due to light winds.

The three top teams were unable to reach the third gate in the 16 minute race time limit - with winds dropping to just 7 km/h - resulting in the termination of the Final.

This meant the top team from the fifth fleet race - Emirates GBR - picked up the overall event win, while Australia and the United States finished in second and third respectively.

Despite this, Emirates GBR was the highest performing team all weekend - never finishing below 3rd throughout all five fleet races.

SailGP fans don't have long to wait until the F50 fleet meet again - the Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía Cadiz takes place on October 14-15.

sailgp.com

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award: It's that time of the year!
The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award 2023 looks more promising than ever, thanks to splendid and visually exciting events such as the Rolex Fastnet Race, The Ocean Race, the Maxi Yachts series, pre-Olympic events or the preliminary America's Cup regattas.

Our sport is rich and varied, and the images from the best marine photographers reflect this.

There are two weeks left to submit your best photograph on: yachtracingimage.com

The twenty best images will be exhibited at METSTRADE, where the prize-giving ceremony will also take place. An exceptional platform for the world's best yacht racing photographers.

Three races beneath Hagia Sophia on the Bosphorus Cup's final day
The ultimate day of competition at the Bosphorus Cup looked set to be light for the 80 competing yachts. However through a combination of local knowledge from event organiser Orhan Gorbon and smart race management from PRO Nino Shmueli, the race area was shifted to the European side of the Sea of Marmara, off Istanbul's suburb of Zeytinburnu. Here the wind was stronger, ultimately building to almost 20 knots as the afternoon wore on. After starting on time, the race schedule was recovered with three windward-leewards sailed for the bigger IRC classes and two coastal courses for the smaller slower yachts.

Making the most of Istanbul's magnificent historic landmarks, the weather mark today was located a stone's throw from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Being close to the southern exit of the Bosphorus meant there was still at times up to four knots of foul tide on the upwinds, but also the potential for beneficial back eddies when playing the shore. The tide being with the wind and the course so close to the shore meant the races were sailed in flat water.

Today's races followed Saturday's event highlight, the famous passage up and down the Bosphorus, Istanbul's ancient strait that provides a maritime corridor from the Black Sea into the Sea of Marmara and then into the Mediterranean.

For this year the Bosphorus Cup enjoyed a number of new developments, including a regatta for young Optimist sailors and a new PRO, Nino Shmueli, who comes with past experience from the Olympic Games down. -- James Boyd

Results

bosphoruscup.org

Jean Genie Wins 2 Scandinavian Gold Cup
Jean Genie, winner of the 2023 edition of the Scandinavian Gold Cup. Photo by Robert Deaves. Click on image to enlarge.

As the Scandinavian Gold Cup concludes, the International 5.5 Metre Class World Championship begins

Porto Cervo, Italy: After three days of racing and four races held in total, the British team on Jean Genie (GBR 43, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Ruairidh Scott) claimed the prestigious trophy at the end of a hard-fought final clash with New Moon III (BAH 25, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov).

The fleet of nine participating boats faced three challenging days. Day one was characterised by light air and saw the team on New Moon III take victory. The following day, after a long wait and a cancelled first race, the teams competed in a Mistral wind of 16-18 knots. Winner of that second day was the crew on Jean Genie, with Peter Morton at the helm, and Ruairidh Scott on board alongside Olympic sailor Andrew Palfrey.

Yesterday, 23rd September, racing proved to be impossible due to a Mistral wind blowing at 25 knots, which is the limit set for the 5.5 Metre Class.

The remaining races required to determine the winner of the Scandinavian Gold Cup were held Sunday 24th September.

Jean Genie, with two first places, and New Moon III, with one win, went on to meet in the final, with the Scandinavian Gold Cup going to the first team to claim three victories.

As the Scandinavian Gold Cup concluded, the final prize-giving ceremony was followed by the opening ceremony for the International 5.5 Metre Class World Championship, which is set to run until 29th September.

yccs.com

5.5class.org

Sailing "World on Water" September 22.23
This is your weekly Global Sailing Highlights show, The World on Water, September 22, 2023.

Continuing our coverage of the New York Yacht Club's Invitational Cup, Day 3 saw the wind shifts as much as 40 degrees with lanes of pressure next to little-to-no wind, the San Diego Yacht Club, led by helmsman Tyler Sinks, moved into the overall lead on the penultimate day of the eighth Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, with the low score of 42 points.

This is the third appearance for the San Diego Yacht Club at the Invitational Cup, previously placing third in 2021 and second in 2019, at the past two editions.

During the 45th anniversary of the J 24 Class, 10 nations were on hand to open the 2023 World Championship. This year's edition is hosted by the Nautical Club of Thessaloniki in Greece with 35 boats representing Argentina, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and the United States. After three races under blue skies and breeze of 8-10 knots, American Keith Whittemore's Furio leads the pack with scores of 2, 2, and 1, for just 5 points. Italian Ignazio Bonanno's, La Superba, holds second place with 11 points.

The San Diego Yacht Club dominated the windy final race of the New York Yacht Club's Invitational Cup, to stamp their authority on the eighth edition of the world's premiere Corinthian regatta.

Led by 34-year-old helmsman, Tyler Sinks, the San Diego's victory in the final race was their only top-four finish of the regatta, and gave them the low score of 43 points, good for an 11-point win over first-time entrant, Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead, Mass. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron was placed third with 55 points.

boatson.tv

Black Jack crowned 2022/23 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge champion
IMA Secretary General Andrew McIrvine presents Black Jack's owner Peter Harburg with the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge trophy. Photo: IMA / Michelangelo Forza. Click on image to enlarge.

Despite his team being new to the racing in Mediterranean, Peter Harburg's Black Jack team arrived from Australia with their 100ft maxi this spring and on their first attempt secured victory in the International Maxi Association's annual Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC). Black Jack joins a prestigious list of past winners including Rambler 88 (2015-16), Atalanta II (2017-18), Vera (2018-19) and Spirit of Lorina (2021-22).

The seven-event MMOC began in October 2022 with the Royal Malta Yacht Club's Rolex Middle Sea Race. It resumed in 2023 with La Larga, the offshore race of the Real Club Nautico de Palma's Palmavela season opener in the Balearics followed by the Regata dei Tre Golfi, the offshore component of the IMA's Maxi European Championship, from Naples to Sorrento.

Freshly arrived from Australia, Black Jack joined the MMOC series for its fourth event, the 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar from Livorno to Punta Ala via the Giraglia Rock, in which she won line honours.

She rounded the famous rock off northern Corsica for a second time soon after in June's Rolex Giraglia race, again securing line honours but with perennial winner, the 100ft Magic Carpet Cubed, close behind, just over nine minutes astern of her.

Missing the breezy Aegean 600, Black Jack rounded out her MMOC campaign again winning line honours in August's Palermo-Montecarlo.

Peter Harburg was presented with the silver trophy for the MMOC at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda during the recent Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.

The present crew of Black Jack is led by Mark Bradford, with an afterguard comprising tactician Adam Beashel and navigator Alex Nolan, sailing with a crew often including as many as 20 including ex-Team New Zealand/Alinghi legends Brad Butterworth, Dean Phipps and Simon Daubney plus numerous other world champions and Volvo Ocean Race sailors.

Next up for the Black Jack team is the Rolex Middle Sea Race starting on Saturday 21 October. -- James Boyd / International Maxi Association

internationalmaxiassociation.com

Cup Spy : Questions asked of Cup Challengers
What happened in the Cup - September 18-20, 2023:

Alinghi Red Bull Racing - towed back from Vilanova, on Monday, and then started sail testing their one-design sails against some interesting custom builds. They rounded out the session with a spectacular nose dive. Alinghi Red Bull Racing are predicted to start sailing their upgraded AC75 in the near future.

American Magic - sailed out of Barcelona, on Tuesday and Wednesday, with their latest AC40 set up for testing. On Tuesday they hit a "solid" 38kts of boatspeed. However an increasing sea state made water-starts more difficult, triggering several nose-dives. On Wednesday they struck light winds initially and then did a long 17nm sail into a freshening breeze most of the way back to Vilanova. American Magic are also predicted to commission their upgraded AC75 in the near future.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - No report, meaning either they did not sail, or sailed only in their AC40-One Design and were not accompanied by the AC37 Joint Recon program team.

Orient Express Racing Team - No report, meaning either they did not sail, or sailed only in their AC40-One Design and were not accompanied by the AC37 Joint Recon program team. The team are participating in this weekend's Italy SailGP regatta in Taranto.

INEOS Britannia - No report, meaning either they did not sail, or sailed only in their AC40-One Design and were not accompanied by the AC37 Joint Recon program team. Team members are participating in this weekend's Italy SailGP regatta in Taranto.

Emirates Team New Zealand - No report, meaning either they did not sail, or sailed only in their AC40-One Design and were not accompanied by the AC37 Joint Recon program team. Due to being without a wingsail for this weekend's Italy SailGP, the sailing team will not participate. There may be a change to ETNZ's sailing program to utilise this unexpected time.

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

Platoon win 2023 52 SUPER SERIES season title on tiebreak
After finishing on the end of season overall podium five times, Harm Müller-Spreer and his German flagged Platoon crew finally clinched the 2023 52 SUPER SERIES title after a one race light winds showdown on the Bay of Palma, the concluding decider of the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week. But their 2023 championship title win could not be closer, finally eclipsing Ergin Imre's Turkish flagged rivals Provezza only on tie break.

After 45 races at five regattas the two rival crews finish on the same 198 points aggregate. But as Platoon beat Provezza in this final event - fourth to their eighth - Müller-Spreer finally adds the 2023 season championship to the Rolex TP52 World Championship that Platoon won last month by a single point over Provezza.

Even so until the final finish gun today it was incredibly close. Platoon carried a three points overall lead into today's one and only race and though both crews were ahead at different points - at one stage Provezza momentarily had three boat advantage they needed - but with just two separating Provezza in sixth and Platoon in ninth, the title slipped away.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week
1. PHOENIX (RSA) Hasso Plattner, 5+3+1+1+1+5+6+6+1 = 29
2. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 6+5,5(RDG)+5,5(RDG)+3+2+4+3+4+7 = 40
3. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 2+7+6+9+4+8+2+1+2 = 41
4. PLATOON (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 3+5,5(RDG)+5,5(RDG)+5,5(RDG)+5,5(RDG)+3+4+2+9 = 43
5. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos, 4+4+3+5+9+2+9+5+3 = 44
6. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 1+10(DNF)+7+2+5+1+5+7+5+4(PEN) = 42
7. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin y Gwen Fragomen, 8+2+8+4+3+6+8+8+11 = 58
8. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 9+6+2+11(DNF)+11(DNS)+12(DNS)+1+3+6 = 61
9. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn and Tina Kang, 7+1+9+6+7+9+10+11+4+1(PEN) = 65
10. VAYU (THA), Family Whitcraft, 11+5+5+7+6+10+7+9+8 = 68
11. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 10+8+4+8+8+7+11+10+10+1(PEN) = 77

52 SUPER SERIES 2023 FINAL STANDINGS
1. PLATOON (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 45+51+34+25+43 = 198
2. PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, 34+42+35+26+61 = 198
3. QUANTUM RACING POWERED BY AMERICAN MAGIC (USA), Doug DeVos,40+43+54+43+44 = 224
4. GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 40+66+41+34+47 = 228
5. SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 45+52+46,5+51+40 = 234,5
6. ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 43+64+46+44+41= 238
7. VAYU (THA), Familia Whitcraft, 58+48+65+54+68 = 293
8. PHOENIX (RSA) Hasso Plattner, 57+71+100+39+29 = 296
9. INTERLODGE (USA), Austin y Gwen Fragomen, 45+54+100+58+58 = 315
10. ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn y Tina Kang, 65+91+72+66+65 = 359
11. PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 56+81+58+88+77 = 360

52superseries.com

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The Last Word
The America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries. -- Kurt Vonnegut

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