In This Issue
• Mini Transat: Cape Finisterre true to its reputation?
• Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
• Just the job - Harken
• Olympic sailing places
• IRC proposal to rate number of headsails from 2024
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• M32 World Championship
• Sailing World on Water
• Pam Lee looks forward to first TJV
• International Etchells Class National Championship
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Vismara V67 Custom
• • Arcona 435
• • Kialoa II S & S Classic Racing Yacht
• 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

Mini Transat: Cape Finisterre true to its reputation?
After experiencing a relatively invigorating few hours last night, the competitors of the 24th edition of La Boulangere Mini Transat enjoyed a little respite this morning, but as they approach Cape Finisterre, they are preparing again to deal with rather tough conditions. The challenge of this Thursday, beyond preserving the equipment which promises to be put to the test, upwind, on a chaotic sea, with gusts of 30 knots, will be to grab as many miles as possible on the road before the passage of a ridge which will significantly slow down the troops, tomorrow and Saturday.

* Federico Sampei victim of dismasting
This Thursday, around 4:30 p.m., while it was moving about fifteen miles northwest of Cape Ortegal in a southwesterly flow blowing between 20 and 25 knots and up to 30 in gusts on heavy seas. , and was in 26th position in the Proto fleet, Federico Sampei (1046 - DMG MORI Sailing Academy 1) dismasted. The Japanese skipper, safe and sound, should be joined by one of the race's support boats, Namiko, around 5 p.m. The latter, in conjunction with the Race Direction of La Boulangere Mini Transat, is studying the different possible options.

* Tracker failure for Jean-Baptiste de Sansonetti
The tracker of Jean-Baptiste de Sansonetti (335 - Atlantique Solutions) is acting up. The latter will therefore not be geolocated during the next tally, at 12 p.m., this Thursday. Race Management is doing everything possible to resolve the problem. In the meantime, no worries. The navigator continues his route, positioned between the Anne Liardet Series (903 - Cancer@Work) and Alexis Rochet (962 - Esperance Banlieues).

Top five as of 2000hr French time

Protos:
1. Reoremar - Shipping Agency Uruguay, Federico Waksman, URU, 942.5 nm to leg finish
2. Xucla, Carlos Manera pascual, ESP, 1.3 nm to leader
3. Lea Nature, Marie Gendron, FRA, 5.1 nm
4. Maximum, Gaby Bucau, FRA, 9.5
5. Celeris Informatique, Victor Mathieu, FRA, 8.5

Series:
1. Race=Care, Luca Rosetti, ITA, 961.4 nm to leg finish
2. Mingulay, Felix Oberle, SUI, 0.8 nm to leader
3. Les Optiministres - Secours Populaire 17, FRA, Leo Bothorel, 2.0 nm
4. Equans, Ulysse David, FRA, 2.3 nm
5. Antistene, Djemila Tassin, ROM, 2.7

minitransat.fr

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
Click on image to enlarge.

Brimming with new features in celebration of the 25th edition of Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, festivities will kick off on Friday 29 September, and draw to a close late afternoon on Sunday 8 October. First to take centre stage, the Maxi Yachts will be welcomed into the port in France's Var region for confirmation of their registration. Designed for performance, over 40 of these boats are expected and they'll begin jousting in the Gulf of Saint Tropez on Sunday, just as the majestic Classic yachts make their grand entrance. A particularly special vintage this year, Les Voiles extends a warm welcome to all those who relish wonderful racing and sumptuous sailboats for a week full of surprises, magic and conviviality, both on land and on the water.

Though the Maxi Yachts will be lucky enough to have the gulf to themselves on Sunday, together with a race start off Portalet, from Monday onwards the number of registered boats out on the water and racing together will gradually plump up to reach 250 Modern or Classic sailboats. Always mindful of safety, Race Management, masterfully led by Georges Korhel, has this year elected to modify the starting order. As such, in another event first, from 11:00 hours each day the Classic yachts (Tradition group) will open play out on the water. 12:30 hours will herald the start of racing for the Modern yachts, under IRC rules, this time with the largest boats foremost (IRC B). From Tuesday onwards, the Maxi Yachts will then be invited to grace the waters off Pampelonne. "The problem we had last year," explains Georges Korhel, "one that was echoed in the Rolex Giraglia, was that when you release the Modern yachts onto short courses because there's no breeze and then the breeze picks up, the boats approaching the finish cross tacks with the boats just setting sail. In order to prevent the Modern yachts finishing quickly and crossing tacks with the slower Classic yachts, we're getting the Classics to set sail first, followed by the Modern craft."

lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr

Just the job - Harken
Harken AirWinch 180: Born out of a long love affair with the RC44 class

The RC44 class has always had a particularly strong collaboration with Harken. 'Back when the boat was launched, the RC44 came with the best winch gear that was on the market at the time', says Mark Wiss, director of global grand-prix and custom yacht sales at Harken. The RC44 class has been up and running since 2007 - it might be surprising to many, but that's more than 15 years already!

Back then, the one design class was conceived by Russell Coutts as a high-performance owner-driver keelboat with a professional crew and an international circuit. Today, the 2023 edition shows that the 44Cup is very much alive, with 11 active boats and on top of that, two new boats just being built.

Full article in the October issue of Seahorse

Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Thailand claim Olympic sailing places at 19th Asian Games
The sailing competition at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou saw six more places claimed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The men's dinghy qualification spot went to Singapore while Malaysia made sure they will be on the startline of the women's dinghy event. China earned a men's windsurfing berth and Hong Kong took up a women's windsurfing place. Thailand secured entry to the men's and women's kite events. All places are subject to official confirmation by World Sailing.

There was no sailing on the final day of the Asian Games at the end of what was otherwise a successful regatta in an excellent venue in Ningbo meaning all of the qualification places were settled on results earlier in the week.

For more information on sailing at the 19th Asian Games click here. For more information on qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games click here.

IRC proposal to rate number of headsails from 2024
The globally popular IRC international rating system issues certificates for a huge variety of boat designs from grand prix racers to cruising boats and its development always looks at how the rating calculation across this diverse fleet might be improved. A major rule change for 2024 seeks to ensure fair competition among IRC rated boats with varying sail configurations as well as addressing issues of sustainability and costs to owners.

At the annual International IRC Congress at the end of 2022 the IRC Technical Committee proposed rating the number of headsails from 2024, this was agreed in principle and during 2023 the Technical Committee has been working on the details and implementation of a new rule. IRC does not currently rate the number of headsails carried on board, but simply considers the largest headsail area and longest headsail luff length. However, carrying multiple headsails can give distinct advantages with flexibility in sail wardrobe for varying conditions and the ability to increase headsail area by multiple headsails set flying, particularly in a reaching configuration. In recognition of these advantages, from 2024 the number of headsails carried aboard will be counted and rated, subject to IRC Congress approval.

In recognition of safety requirements, Offshore Special Regulation compliant heavy weather jibs and storm jibs will not be included in the rated headsail count. Owners may still apply for an additional allowance for using a single furling headsail and this rule will be simplified.

The IRC Technical Committee has now published the proposed rule changes for 2024 and Notice 2023-01 which gives more information and includes an indication of the rating effects for various number of headsails on a range of different size and type yachts.

More information:

Notice 2023-01

IRC Congress papers and proposed rule changes for 2024

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

World News
The New Kid's Just A Kid, Two-Handed Magic, A Transat At Last, Bonkers Minis, Stand Clear Please - The Cape 31 Invasion, Young Brilliance In Spain, American Magic Win Them Over. Plus Anything But Normal... Transpac 2023. Carlos Pich, Blanca Ferrando, Chris Bouzaid, Ivor Wilkins, Dobbs Davis, Patrice Carpentier, Tony Mutter, Magnus Wheatley

When Upscaling Works
Southern Wind Shipyard has been developing and evolving its own innovative construction techniques over the last 20 years, with 42 boats built (and counting) since the turn of the millennium…

What happens when the forensically detailed weight study for a grand prix racing yacht is scaled up and applied with equal rigour to a 100ft superyacht? You get a spreadsheet with more than 900 rows and 140 columns, with about 2,700 cells of live data that update in real time as the boat is designed, engineered and built, fitted out and rigged. Most superyacht builders don't actually go to that level of detail in weight calculations, but at Southern Wind Shipyard they do.

Paul Cayard - The Best
The Olympics, The Ocean Race And Of Life Just Being Pretty Darned Good

Raising The (Performance) Bar
Balance Catamarans is a fast-growing brand of comfortable ocean cruising cats, built to a strict ethos, that sail remarkably well. Here's how they achieve that elusive balance…

The stand-out performer in this year's Cape to Rio Race was the Balance 526 Norhi, which took line honours and finished more than 24 hours ahead of a close rival that was widely assumed to be faster. It was a remarkable result for a comfortable 16-metre cruising cat, not far off the pace of the 2014 winner, the VOR70 Maserati.

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M32 World Championship
Newport, Rhode Island: The climax of the season is about to begin. Tomorrow, the World Championship kicks off on Narragansett Bay.

Four or five thrilling races are on the docket each day. The M32 racecourse features a full speed reaching start, followed by 17 minutes of wet, action-packed multihull racing. The Newport home of the fleet is the Midtown Race Club located in the heart of downtown. Every evening, the class hosts unfussy social events for teams and friends

This premier event promises four days of high-velocity competition showcasing some of the world's top sailors and owner-drivers. 12 teams will take the stage Thursday, including three-time back-to-back defending champion Don Wilson and his Convexity roster of Taylor Canfield, Kinley Fowler, Ricky McGarvie, Jake Lilley, and Ted Hackney. Spectators are eager to see Convexity face off with Dan Cheresh's Extreme² in a rematch. Last year's Worlds hosted a final race faceoff with Convexity topping Extreme² by a single point, only secured in the final minute, with Larry Phillips's Midtown Racing also in play.

m32world.com

Sailing World on Water
Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of sailing in the last 7 days.

The Defi Azimut speed runs in Lorient were breathtaking.

The IMOCA boats put on a show, reaching speeds of up to 30 knots! These spectacular speed runs were in conjunction with the 48 hour two handed race along the coast of France starting in Lorient. You can see our Defi coverage of the Start and Finish on our World on Water YouTUbe Channel. It's fantastic.

Alex Thomson yesterday was at the Lorient La Base, during the Defi Azimut. He was asked what he thought of the Imoca Class today, and his answer was, PHENOMENAL. Alex is working with the L'Occitane Sailing Team. The Defi race, which combines tactical decision-making, navigational prowess, and physical endurance, will undoubtedly test the team of Clarisse Cremer and Alan Roberts skills. With this being Clarisse's first race with her newly launched team and having such a strong Co-skipper sets the duo up for a strong start to their season.

After only 45 races at five regattas, the two rival leading crews finished on the same 198 points aggregate. But as Platoon beat Provezza in this final event, - fourth to their eighth, - Harm 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. It's a top level series and these results prove the close competition on the water. Bring on the 2024 season.

boatson.tv

Irish sailor Pam Lee looks forward to first Transat Jacques Vabres
Irish sailor Pam Lee is preparing for her first Transat Jacques Vabre in October, racing the Class40 yacht ENGIE - DFDS - BRITTANY FERRIES with French co-skipper Tiphane Ragueneau from Le Havre to Martinique.

Lee and Ragueneau were selected ahead of some of the leading up-and-coming teams for the 'Cap pour Elles' scheme, which provides support for a pair of young female sailors to take part in the race.

The project gives them €40,000, the entry fees to the race and mentoring from Anne Combier (Team Manager of the 2020 winner of the Vendee Globe, with +35 years of experience in the industry).

The Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre starts on October 29.

Lee, 34, originally from Wicklow and now resident in France, was previously a Class40 preparateur but Ragueneau, 30, had never sailed a Class40 before they met, so their preparation for the event has been "pretty wild", alongside finding key sponsors to ensure they actually get to the start line.

Full interview with Rob Peake in Yachts & Yachting

International Etchells Class National Championship
Photo by Rick Tomlinson, rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

3 days of glamour racing with 17 boats for the UK National Championship organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron with Rupert Erskin-Crum as PRO.

Day 1 began at Cowes Yacht Haven with registration and weigh ins, where one particular youth team came in heavier than expected, thus requiring a morning run donning as many layers as they could find. All the teams made it out into the Solent for the first race in 8-13knts and sunny conditions.

Day 2 showed the aftermath of the previous night's champagne, racing was postponed on the water whilst waiting for the wind to fill in, providing the perfect opportunity for some hangovers to be nursed. Racing began once the breeze started building, Jolly Roger winning race 4, followed by Exabyte in race 5 and then No Dramas in race 6. It seems this top 3 don't want to share any of the race bullets with the rest of the fleet.

Day 3 was a big one, with 20-26knts it was a day for big hikes and some soggy bowmen. The conditions tested the boats with numerous breakages, thank you to the race committee for holding racing and allowing teams to fix their boats. Current leaders Jolly Roger began their day with an OCS, whilst No Dramas provided and impressive 1,1,2 score line to take the overall National title with 19 pts, Jolly Roger was 2nd with 20pts followed by Exabyte with 33pts. Well done to Andrew Lawson, Graham Vials and Billy Russell for taking the National title as well as first Corinthian. 2nd Corinthian was Mans Best Friend (Ewan Wilson), 3rd Rocketman (Rob Goddard) and finishing the results first youth boat was Alison (Vita Heathcote).

Full results on Yachtscoring.com

Featured Brokerage
2010 Vismara V67 Custom. 795000 EUR. Located in Sardinia.

Ultra-cool carbon fibre flying machine from Vismara Marine. Refitted by Vismara in 2017 complete with new extended stern profile and with benefit of further refits in 2021 and 2022.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Michele Antonini - Grabau International (Italia)
Tel: +39 333 74 89 281
Email:

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Arcona 435. POA EUR.

The Arcona 435 illustrates the evolution of design and innovation for Arcona Yachts. She is a boat that will win regattas one weekend and then take the family for a comfortable and safe sail the next.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Arcona Yachts AB
Odelbergs Vag 2
134 40 Gustavsberg
Sweden

+46 8 519 410 40

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1964 Kialoa II S & S Classic Racing Yacht. 920,000 ex Vat EUR. Located in Hamble, UK.

A rare opportunity to purchase a classic boat with huge provenance.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Owen Clarke Performance Yacht Brokerage Services
Unit 21, Hamble Yacht Services
Port Hamble
Hants
SO31 4NN
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 2380 174 134

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

The Last Word
If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. -- Kurt Vonnegut

Editorial and letter submissions to

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