In This Issue
• Nominees for World Sailing Awards revealed
• Second IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge victory for Wallyno
• Slam Expands Its Sales Network In Europe
• Spirit of Helsinki trumps Pen Duick VI
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Round Ireland Record: Tom Dolan is ready to go
• Class40 Trophies
• Vote Now For 'The Spirit Of Jog'
• Brits in IMOCA:
• Featured Charter: J122 - Noisy Oyster
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Comar comet 41 S
• • Farr X2 Racing Yacht
• • ClubSwan 50
• The Last Word: James Laughlin

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

Nominees for World Sailing Awards revealed
Click on image to enlarge.

World Sailing is proud to announce the nominees in this year's Rolex World Sailor of the Year, 11th Hour Racing Sustainability and Team of the Year awards.

The nominees for each award represent the very highest achievement in the sport over the past year. From Allianz Sailing World Championships gold-medallists and World Sailing Special Event winners to world record holders, as well as those making huge strides to modernise the sport at every level.

Voting for all three awards opens today and everyone who loves sailing is invited to help decide the winners. You can vote here. Voting closes at midnight UTC on Monday 30 October.

This year's awards will be presented during the live World Sailing Awards on Tuesday 14 November in Malaga, Spain.

The 2023 Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominees:

Female:
Betsy Alison
Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler
Kristen Neuschafer
Lauriane Nolot

Male:
Charlie Enright
Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken
Max Maeder
Tom Slingsby

The 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award nominees:
Biotherm Sailing Team
Club de Vela la Ballena de Alegre
Ecoracer Sailing
The Magenta Project

Team of the Year nominees:
11th Hour Racing Team
Australia SailGP
Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken
Match In Pink Normandy Elite Team

sailing.org/world-sailing-awards-2023/

Second IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge victory for Wallyno
Benoit de Froidmont, wife Aurelie, tactician Cedric Pouligny (far right) and the crew of Wallyno celebrate winning the 2023 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge. Photo: Gianfranco Forza. Click on image to enlarge.

While it was close when International Maxi Association President Benoît de Froidmont's Wallyno won the first ever edition of the IMA's Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge (MMIC) in 2019, this year it wasn't. The silver 60 footer was leading the 2023 MMIC by nine points going into the final regatta of the season, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Her class win in this could not have been more emphatic: unbeaten across the 39 boat fleet; the only maxi to achieve a perfect scoreline. This sealed the 2023 MMIC title for her.

With discards applied - only the best three results count in the MMIC - Peter Dubens' 72ft North Star finished second, closely followed by Chris Flowers and David M. Leuschen's 100ft Galateia completing the podium.

Following the victory of Alessandro Del Bono's Capricorno last year, Wallyno won the MMIC's third edition after a magnificent 2023 season.

The IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge comprises six events, starting with the Real Club Nautico de Palma's Palmavela continuing on to the inshore races at the IMA Maxi Europeans, held this year out of Sorrento with racing held on the Bay of Naples and around Capri. The first visit to Saint-Tropez takes place with the inshore racing immediately preceding the offshore race of Rolex Giraglia. The MMIC then returns to Palma for Spain's leading regatta, Copa del Rey MAPFRE held at the height of summer. The season ends with what are currently maxi racing's two biggest events: the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, both of which attract 40-50 yachts. Open to IMA Members, the MMIC fulfils one of the Association's remits of enticing maxi yacht owners to use their boats more.

In 2024 the IMA's MMIC will again kick off with the inshore racing at PalmaVela over 1-5 May. -- James Boyd / International Maxi Association

internationalmaxiassociation.com

Slam Expands Its Sales Network In Europe
Clement Machetel appointed SLAM's Sales Director and Head of Partnerships for France.

Breton Clement Machetel, 45, has honed key technical skills over the course of a life devoted to his intense passion for the sea and sailing, leading him to compete in and successfully complete a Mini Transat in 2019. With more than 15 years of experience gained directly in the field, Clement has also earned a name for himself as a reliable professional in the area of technical sailing clothing.

"I have known Clement for many years, we have already worked together in the past," commented Marco Perazzo - SLAM's Global Sales Manager. "I have always appreciated him both as a person and as a professional and I know for a fact that he is the best choice for the role. This is why I wanted him by my side in the project to implement the sales network I manage in key European markets. Thanks to Clement's involvement, we will soon be opening a Lorient showroom in Brittany."

About SLAM
SLAM, the iconic Italian brand renowned for its technical sailing sportswear, was founded in 1979 in Genoa, Italy, where the company's headquarters are still located to this day. As of 2021, the company is controlled by VAM Investment Group. Enrico Chieffi, a sailing world champion and successful manager, is the company's CEO, having set its course with the creation of a new Italian-designed collection of technical and sportswear garments, inspired by the authenticity and traditions of the Genoese seafaring. At the same time, SLAM has also intercepted the game-changing shift that has taken the sport of sailing by storm, foiling technology, taking on a pioneering role in the market thanks to its innovative choices in terms of technical decisions, design and communication and thanks to training programs aimed at a team of champion athletes, with whom SLAM has partnered to encourage and vitalize research and innovation in technical clothing, set to be tested across a multitude of race courses in all sea and wind conditions.

Thus came SLAM's partnership with the Italian Sailing Federation and with the MAXI 100' ARCA SGR, along with Tommaso Chieffi, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti - Olympic Champions in Tokyo 2020 in the Nacra 17 class. Adding to these as of 2023 are partnerships with Alberto Riva, an Italian ocean sailing talent, French skippers Sebastien Simon, Erwan Le Draoulec and Luke Berry, Alexia Barrier's The Famous Project, the all-female team with a sensational line-up of sailors including Dee Caffari and Marie Tabarly. Essential opportunities that remain consistent with SLAM's core philosophy: to always be present at the highest profile international sporting challenges, standing side by side with those who take them on, such as our partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand for the 37th edition of the America's Cup.

slam.com

Spirit of Helsinki trumps Pen Duick VI just days from OGR Cape Town finish
In a dramatic turn of events overnight, the Finnish yacht Spirit of Helsinki skippered by Jussi Paavoseppä grabbed the number one spot for the first time from the legendary Pen Duick VI. With just 450 nm to Cape Town, the OGR finish is too close to call. With the four yachts, Spirit of Helsinki, Pen Duick VI, Translated 9 and Maiden all within one hundred miles of each other it's all to play for.

Skipper Marie Tabarly and her crew onboard the 73ft Bermudan Ketch have dominated line honours position since the race start on September 10th in Southampton UK, but have come under increasing pressure in recent days. The decision to turn east towards Cape Town earlier than the traditional route of heading south to 40 degrees and then approaching Cape Town from the south west, may prove a costly decision for the much-loved French yacht that raced in the 1973 Whitbread by Marie's father, Eric Tabarly.

Spirit of Helsinki, a Swan 651, competed in the 1986 Whitbread under the name Fazer Finland finishing third. Jussi kept pushing a little further south and that move is now paying off. She's now 100 nm to the windward of Pen Duick VI and better able to make Cape Town from the expected strong SE winds in the coming days.

oceangloberace.com

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

Ideas to reality
Super simple and super efficient, the ACCWing holds great promise for a wide range of watercraft. There have been many attempts at popularising wing sails but few are as simple or efficient as this design. The ACCWing system consists of a fixed, free standing carbon mast around which a soft wingsail rotates.

A question of balance
Patrice Carpentier counts the many lives of offshore champion Corinne Migraine

Update
When it's good it's good, but when it's not it's bad (very bad), on top in Porto Cervo (finally) plus solid steel... Santi Lange. Jack Griffin, Terry Hutchinson, Carlos Pich

My 'favourite' topic
When is a sheet not a sheet? Rob Weiland

Sailor of the Month
And a definite flavour of persistence this month

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Round Ireland Record: Tom Dolan is ready to go
Irish sailor Tom Dolan is back in Ireland with his Figaro Beneteau 3 Smurfit Kappa Kingspan and is set up ready for a good weather window to take on the single handed Round Ireland sailing record which eluded him in the early summer.

Unlike in May when there was the requirement to have his boat back in France to continue with the racing season there, Dolan is under no time pressure this time and can afford to wait for an ideal weather sequence which will give him the best chance of breaking the 2005 mark of 4 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes and 29 seconds) established over the 688 miles of the course by the Belgian Michel Kleinjans aboard a Class40.

The long hours of darkness and cold will be much more unpleasant than his summer attempt but he admits he is well used to the late Autumn, early winter conditions on the ocean. "I delivered my boat back from Ireland in December a few years back, I delivered a Class40 in November a while ago and so it does not bother me. It is not like in La Solitaire du Figaro where weight is super critical, so I can make sure I have a good supply of hot food and drinks and can carry more sails." He notes.

"The boat is less than seven miles from the record starting line which is located between Dun Laoghaire and the Kish Bank lighthouse, and everything is all ready ready to go," says Dolan for whom the 688 miles of the course are similar to a stage of Solitaire du Figaro. "If the weather window is good, we believe that it is possible to complete the course in three and a half days." He concludes.

tomdolanracing.com

Class40 Trophies: Ivica Kostelic takes the title in the Mediterranean, Nicolas d'Estais triumphs in the English Channel -Atlantic area!
The Class40 Trophies are designed to reward performance and participation.

Two winners of this year's contest are Ivica Kostelic (ACI) in the Mediterranean and Nicolas d'Estais (Cafe Joyeux) in the English Channel - Atlantic area.

The Mediterranean Sea - a new playground
The wealth of races in the Class40 calendar allows its members to build their own race programme. Having spent the 2022 season in the Atlantic in preparation for his first Route du Rhum, the Croatian sailor "decided to stay closer to home, in familiar waters" this year, in territory that is perhaps a little more favourable for making an impact at the front of the fleet on his Mach40.2. "I thoroughly enjoy sailing in the Mediterranean. The natural beauty, the highly varied conditions which are more advantageous for the older generation boats which make up the bulk of the fleet for this trophy, and the tight racing make this competition very interesting." It's true that the difference in performance between different generations of boats is less marked in the Mediterranean conditions. "In light airs, for example, first and second generation boats perform just as well, if not better, than newer boats!

The English Channel - Atlantic area - a high-octane playground
"We spend a lot of time preparing our boats, but being out on the water as much as possible is important for me. The race calendar is very well put together, and so it was obvious that we should be on the start line of as many races as possible when these are not far from home. I need to accrue as much experience as possible", Nicolas d'Estais explains. "I was disappointed not to finish the CIC Normandy Channel Race, but we were lucky that it didn't penalise us for this Trophy. It was a real pleasure to race in the Atlantic, but also in the English Channel, which I don't know as well. It is a varied and challenging playground, with its tidal currents and significant local effects. We learn a lot by sailing there."

Mediterranean Trophy
1. Ivica Kostelic (ACI)
2. Kito de Pavant (Made in midi)
3. Marco Guerra (Imagin'act Socomec)
Full results (PDF)

European trophy
1. Nicolas D'Estais (Cafe Joyeux)
2. Aurelien Ducroz (Crosscall)
3. Fabien Delahaye (Legallais)
Full results(PDF)

class40.com

Vote Now For 'The Spirit Of Jog'
We are excited to announce that the time has come for our members to vote for "The Spirit of JOG Award" for 2023. Our committee has worked diligently to shortlist the following outstanding teams that have showcased the spirit, passion, and dedication JOG Yacht Racing stands for:

Xtract
Sailfish
Sheevra
Boracic
Mardy Gras

Each member is entitled to one vote only. Your choice should reflect which team you believe has truly embodied the spirit of JOG this year.

Voting Details:
Deadline: 0900 on 29th October 2023
Click HERE to vote

The winner of this award will be unveiled at our annual awards dinner, a night of celebration and recognition, on 18th November 2023.

It is imperative that as members, you contribute to this decision and have your say in honoring a team that has made a mark in 2023.

Brits in IMOCA: An experienced and talented group with the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race in their sights
If you look through the list of skippers and co-skippers for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre 2023, you will discover that the biggest representation of any nation in the race, apart from France, is from Britain.

Eight British sailors will take part in the biennial double-handed classic which starts from Le Havre on October 29th while, on the IMOCA website, there are 10 skippers from Britain listed as currently active in the Class.

It underlines that despite the almost complete lack of British-based commercial sponsors in IMOCA, British sailors are still managing to make the grade in the most exciting and demanding short-handed offshore racing class in world sailing.

Among them right now is the veteran Mike Golding and Sam Davies, a key figure in the IMOCA circuit and a sailor who will be aiming for a top-five finish in the next Vendee Globe on her new Initiatives-Coeur 4.

Then there are a group of sailors who learned their trade at the Isle of Wight-based Artemis Offshore Academy - Sam Goodchild, Alan Roberts, Will Harris and the Australian-Brit Jack Bouttell. And finally there's Pip Hare and newcomer Nick Bubb.

Two other skippers are not taking part in the Transat Jacques Vabre this year - James Harayda, whose boat is undergoing repairs, and Phil Sharp who is launching his new IMOCA (OceansLab) these days. -- Ed Gorman

imoca.org

transatjacquesvabre.org/en

Featured Charter
J122 - Noisy Oyster. POA. Located in Mediterranean.

Noisy Oyster is a great example of the all round performance you expect for J boat's; easy to handle, quick and responsive, powerful and stable with race winning potential. Available to charter in the Mediterranean.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Comar comet 41 S. 120,000 GBP. Located in Central South Coast UK.

Beautifully constructed, Italian designed and built performance cruiser racer from Studio Vallicelli and Comar Yachts. Rare to the UK market, and ideally suited for club racing, offshore duties or simply family cruising. Lots of recent updates & maintenance. Located Central South Coast, ready to go!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
James McNeil
Tel: +44 (0)7979907210
Email:

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This design embodies Farr Yacht Design’s deep understanding of race winning crewed, single and double handed offshore racing yachts

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sea Ventures (UK) Ltd
Swanwick Marina
Swanwick Shore Road
Swanwick
Hampshire SO31 1ZL
+44 (0)1489 565444

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Swan 50 in excellent condition. Professionally maintained, always kept in perfect conditions. Full offshore inventory. IRC optimized. Proven winner in OD and offshore races. Ready for OD and IRC/Offshore

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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

The Last Word
Of course a poem is a two-way street. No poem is any good if it doesn't suggest to the reader things from his own mind and recollection that he will read into it, and will add to what the poet has suggested. But I do think poetry readings are very important. -- James Laughlin

Editorial and letter submissions to

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