In This Issue
• Sixth Gear Argo takes Multihull Line Honours
• Le Cleac'h is stopped in Brasil for repairs
• Swan 56 Skipper required based in Hamble
• 14th Monaco Optimist Team Race
• New Zealand SailGP Team crowned champions
• Bloody Mary triumph propels Pascoe back into the overall Series lead
• 2024 on The Solent
• MG Motor "Sailing Club of the Year 2024" Award
• Cup Spy: Alinghi Red Bull Racing trains in the Big Chill
• Featured Charter: Caribbean Racing with "The Project"
• Featured Brokerage:
• • TP 52 Georgia
• • J99 Calypso
• • TP / IRC / ORC 52 - "GWEILO"
• • JPK 10.30 JUZZY - Winner of Fastnet 2023 (IRC 2)
• • Bavaria C46
• The Last Word: Dwight Eisenhower

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

RORC Transatlantic Race - Sixth Gear Argo takes Multihull Line Honours
Jason Carroll's MOD70 Argo (USA) crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Saturday 13th January 2024 to take Multihull Line Honours in the 10th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race in 6 Days, 10 Hours, 34 Mins and 30 Secs.

Jason Carroll has been racing MOD70 Argo for about six years with much the same team, and has won prestigious races such as the RORC Caribbean 600 and the Transpac, but this is the first time that his MOD70 Argo has taken Multihull Line Honours for the RORC Transatlantic Race. Argo last competed in the RORC Transatlantic Race in 2022, and this year Argo was over 10 hours quicker.

"Two years ago we chose a northern route; it was very windy for the first half and pretty light for the second half. This year we went south, but we still did about the same amount of miles as in 2022. The difference was we had pretty consistent wind this year and that made the difference," commented Jason Carroll.

"Sailing a MOD70 is very difficult to replicate in any other setting; it is a really exhilarating experience to travel that fast across the water, so getting to do that for 3,000 miles across the Atlantic is a thrill the whole time. When you get up on the foils, we call it sixth gear, you are humming along and the challenge is how long can you stay in that sixth gear.

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Le Cleac'h is stopped in Brasil for repairs
Since the middle of last week, the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest fleet may have dispersed significantly, but the leading duo Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) and Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) are still less than 50 miles apart, making around 34-35.5kts, sailing SSE of Salvador de Bahia, Brasil and starting to slant on to a favourable angle - east of south - charging towards the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope which they should pass Friday.

About 430 nautical miles behind Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) is working round the Saint Helena high alone now that his pacing partner Armel Le Cleac'h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) has been stopped in Recife since this morning.

Le Cleac'h should leave again tomorrow, expected to time his departure from the Brasilian port at the required 24 hours minimum stipulated by the rules for a skipper who accepts help for a pitstop. Meantime in fifth Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) passed the Equator at 10:57:43hrs UTC this morning while Éric Peron (Ultim Adagio) has finally passed Cape Verde and found strong winds.

The Maxi Banque Populaire XI arrived in the port of Recife just before 0740hrs UTC. A team from Banque Populaire was waiting for her so that they could begin repairs as soon as the boat was docked. The team had communicated during Sunday evening that Le Cleac'h would stop, and he is the first competitor on the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest to do so.

Tom Laperche (SRV-Lazartigue) and Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) are only separated by around 45 miles at the head of the fleet. "Being so close forces to keep the rhythm up, it is quite exhilarating and fascinating," Laperche said this morning. "It is very intense and it pushes us really hard, but it's a good fight."

"There may be a slight slowdown in the evening but otherwise, the conditions are ideal," enthuses Guillaume Rottee, the race director. "They are both looking to have a good timing to hook into a depression, probably from Wednesday, which will take them at least to the Kerguelens."

That low promises downwind conditions, the winds averaging 25 to 35 knots which will take them to the first of the three Great Capes, Good Hope, probably on Friday.

arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

Swan 56 Skipper required based in Hamble
Family owned since 1999, meticulously and professionally maintained.

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Two generations of experienced racing sailors now using the Swan as support for grandchildren sailing and windsurfing.

Main activities May to August, 100 days minimum guaranteed.

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Turkey sweeps the board at 14th Monaco Optimist Team Race
A record participation of 18 teams from 17 nations with 72 young sailors marked the 14th Monaco Optimist Team Race that concluded at the weekend with Turkey's National Team as convincing winners followed by the Spanish and Croatian teams in 2nd and 3rd.

Organised by Yacht Club de Monaco with support from Monaco Marine, FxPro, SLAM, the Erplast boatyard and Peace and Sport, this international regatta tests mastery of match racing rules where coordination and communication between team members are crucial to success.

Rising above this intense tactical battle, the Turkish team emerged victorious, winning all their races thanks to pin-sharp manoeuvres, excellent strategy and total understanding of the rules.

The Monegasque team of Ludovica Bonelli, Alexandra Santelli, Océane Schroeder and 11-year-old Facundo Rubinelli (youngest in this event) did their country proud and like the others proved "a pro from start to finish" according to team coach, Margaux Meslin.

Well over 100 match duels between two teams were held over four days in the round robin, quarters, semis and finals, with teams from USA, Sweden, Uruguay, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, France and UK also represented.

The format returns 15-20 October 2024 when YCM organises the Optimist European Team Racing Championship. Meanwhile, one designs continue to take centre stage with Act 3 of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series (8-11 February) then the final act coinciding with the 40th Primo Cup-Trophée UBS (7-10 March). Launched 1985, the Primo has established itself as a season opener in the Mediterranean for the European one design elite.

Full results and information on the YCM Monaco Optimist Team Race page

New Zealand SailGP Team crowned champions
New Zealand did the double in the UAE to secure back-to-back victories after winning the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Mastering the light conditions and its nemesis - the 29 meter wing - New Zealand beat Spain and the United States in front of a sold out crowd. In a change of favor, overall leaders Australia missed out on its first event final of the season to finish seventh.

The new-look US team - with Taylor Canfield in the driving seat - sailed well to secure a fourth and third, to make it into the first final since the team was sold, with the final spot secured by the Burling's Kiwi's.

In the three-boat event final, the Kiwis had the strongest start, crossing the line first and leading round the first mark from Spain and the United States.

The results from this weekend closes the gap between the Aussies - who still remain first overall on the leaderboard - ahead of New Zealand who have bumped their way up to second place - with only a six point gap between first and second. The Kiwis now hold the record for the most event wins across Season 4. A podium result for the US, sees them move up the leaderboard from fifth to third.

The SailGP fleet packs up and leaves the UAE and arrives at its first stop in APAC for the eighth event of Season 4 in the heart of Sydney, Australia. Fans don't have long to wait for their next fix of SailGP as the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney takes place on February 24-25. For details and tickets head to SailGP.com/Australia .

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Presented By Abu Dhabi Sports Council // Final Standings //
1 // New Zealand 10 points
2 // Spain 9 points
3 // United States 8 points
4 // France 7 points
5 // Germany 6 points
6 // Canada 5 points
7 // Australia 4 points
8 // Emirates GBR 3 points
9 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 2 points
10 // Switzerland 1 point

sailgp.com

Bloody Mary triumph propels Pascoe back into the overall Series lead
Sam Pascoe. Click on image to enlarge.

It's incredibly hard to win the GJW Direct Bloody Mary, let alone get alone get close twice in a row. After finishing runner-up last year, Sam Pascoe defied the light winds at this year's 185-boat pursuit race to win yet another event of this season's Selden Sailjuice Winter Series...

Sam Pascoe went one better than last year to take the winner's gun in his Musto Skiff ahead of 185 boats at the GJW Direct Bloody Mary. After finishing runner-up in 2023, matching the feat of his dad in a 2.4m keelboat more than 15 years earlier, Pascoe continued his winning streak in one of the most dominant performances ever seen in the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series.

The light winds weren't looking particularly good for the trapeze boats including the singlehanded Musto Skiff, but as Pascoe said after getting ashore: "We seem to do OK provided we can trapeze upwind and there was just enough for us to do that."

The Bloody Mary is one of the pinnacles of dinghy racing across the whole year, and 185 boats from 52 classes representing 84 sailing clubs is proof that this race continues to matter. Youth numbers in the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series are up this year, and of the 280 sailors at Queen Mary, a quarter of them were of youth age.

There were numerous national and world champions and even some Olympic medallists including Ian Walker, winner of the Bloody Mary in a Mirror back in the late 80s but this time racing an RS400 crewed by Anna Warren.

Overall Results

Overall Standings in the Series after five events
The first discard has now kicked in, so quite a few changes in the overall rankings. In total, 387 boats have now gained ranking points, already 10% more than across all events last winter, and still three events to go. With four wins from the first five events, Sam Pascoe (Musto Skiff - Castle Cove SC), jumps back to the top spot after the discard. The Musto Skiff class now has three boats in the top ten, with Sam Barker and Dan Vincent both making big gains.

Next up is the King George Gallop on 20 January. To sign up for this and the other events in the Series...

https://www.sailjuiceseries.com

YachtsandYachting.com's Mark Jardine's interview with the winner:

2024 on The Solent
15th June
Round the Island Race - the annual 50 nautical miles race, regularly attracting over 1200 boats, is truly a "Race for All".

8th - 12th July
Cowes Classics Week - Cowes Classics Week is all about racing traditional yachts on the water and enjoying fabulous social events ashore.

12th - 14th July
Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta - one day of "race training", followed by two days of fast paced racing on the Western Solent.

15th - 20th July
British Classic Week - is seeing a relaunch this year, incorporating a race around the Isle of Wight and a more relaxed approach.

27th July - 2nd August
Cowes Week - The longest running and largest annual sailing regatta in the world - plenty to see and do, on and off the water.

solent-events.co.uk

National Yacht Club and Ruffian Association Share MG Motor "Sailing Club of the Year 2024" Award
The Ruffian 23s in sparkling form at their NYC-hosted Nationals in Dublin Bay in July. Photo: Afloat.ie. Click on image to enlarge.

It is not unprecedented for leading clubs and one of the key class organisations within their ambit to share the MG Motor Sailing Club of the Year Award. It began with an added convention (the informal contest has been based on convention and precedent rather than rigid rules since it began 45 years ago) back in 1990, when class associations were first included. And while the contest's gaining of traction resulted in another convention - that the same club could not receive the award two years running - it also emerged that Class Associations could better carry the venerable ship's wheel trophy when the award was shared with the club with which they had most actively interacted during the year in question.

The most recent example of this was in 2022, when the 250-year-old-plus Lough Ree Yacht Club became a hotbed of activity with the Centenary-celebrating Shannon One Design Association, neatly acronymed SODA.

That was the first time MG Motor were comprehensively on board as sponsors, and since then the pioneering all-electric brand has become part of the motoring scene in Ireland, attracting a host of accolades and awards while going well with this appropriate "sail-powered" sponsorship. The core of the range is in a comprehensive selection of saloons, but those who associate the MG brand with sports cars are well aware that the new MG Cyberster is coming down the line.

For 2024's award, we're dealing with organisations that emerged turbo-powered in 2023 from the lingering sense of restriction left by the pandemic. This has meant that the National YC (already a frequent former winner) would have been in the front line for the title regardless of the classes with which they were having dynamic interactions at different times during the past year.

But equally, while the Ruffian 23s were celebrating their Golden Jubilee on an all-Ireland and global scale involving several clubs, it was when they interacted with the National YC (both as their main home base, and also as the host club for their Golden Jubilee 2023 National Championship) that something akin to nuclear fusion took place.

mg.ie/

This provided an event and setting that was sailing in Ireland at its very best for sport, camaraderie, and a sense of something special, with visiting skipper Stephen Penney of Carrickfergus emerging as champion with his team on Hot Orange, thereby providing a result which was as healthy as the spirit of the class itself, and of the club hosting it too.

RM Nixon's full editorial in Afloat.ie

Cup Spy: Alinghi Red Bull Racing trains in the Big Chill
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was the only team to train on Wednesday in development boat, sailing an early morning session off Barcelona in air temperatures of 5° C - with the wind chill likely to be -2°C, assuming the AC75 was sailing in apparent wind of 40kts or more.

What happened in the Cup - January 10, 2024:

- American Magic - The US team had a previously signalled Wednesday as a no-sailing day

- Alinghi Red Bull Racing - Sailed their AC75 today for the second time in 2024, out of Barcelona. They stopped sailing their AC75 in mid-December, 2023. Today's interview is with Interview - Joseph Ozanne - Simulation and AI Team Lead at Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - Sailed their LEQ12, for the first time in 2024 yesterday, out of Cagliari. They last sailed on December 20 and 21 after having a compression crack in its hull following an incident on December 4, 2023 in Cagliari. According to AC.com the Italians had planned to sail on Wednesday but cancelled due to an adverse weather forecast.

- Emirates Team New Zealand - last sailed their LEQ12 out of Auckland on December 21, completing a pre-Xmas test block. They are sailing in the SailGP Abu Dhabi this weekend. Their shed door was wide open today, but there was no activity in the yard and their chase boat was hauled. They are expected to resume sailing in the LEQ12/AC40 next week.

- INEOS Britannia - Last week INEOS Britannia Skipper, Co-helm and CEO Ben Ainslie announced he was stepping away from sailing duties on the Emirates SailGP team to focus on the America's Cup effort. The team only sailed their AC40 in One Design mode today. Planetsail released an interview today with Ben Ainslie who explained the thinking behind his move off sailing the F50 on the SailGP circuit and why Hannah Mills did not take over the SailGP program as many had hoped/expected.

- Orient Express Racing Team - No report, however they were on the water off Barcelona today.

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

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Contact
Andy Budgen
Email:
Tel: +44 (0) 7866 589824

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Featured Brokerage
TP52 Georgia. POA.

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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Expressions of interest for this exceptional boat, along with POA to

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J/99 - Calypso. 180000 (+VAT) EUR. Located in Malta.

The J/99 'Calypso,' which was launched in 2020, stands as the latest addition to the J Sport range, seamlessly blending headroom and comfortable interior accommodations with the agility of a racing boat. This presents a great opportunity to acquire a fully equipped and striking J/99, complete with an extensive array of options. Notably, in the 2023 Rolex Middle Sea Race ‘Calypso’ achieved an impressive 2nd overall in ORC (13 minutes and 19 seconds of 1st after 4 days of intense racing) and 5th overall in IRC in a very competitive fleet beating many professional fully crewed yachts.

This J/99 shares the same DNA as the J/112E and J/121 and designed to meet the needs of owners who wish to sail with a small crew, or a double handed campaign.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:

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TP / IRC / ORC 52 - "Gweilo". 750,000 USD. Located in Sydney Australia.

"Gweilo" is one of the most optimized IRC/ORCi 52 footers in the World today. This J/V design has always been at the forefront of racing in both NZ and AUS where she has been campaigned by her last two owners. Completely prepared for offshore racing - New low-drag keel - A real weapon of a yacht.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
Email:
Tel: +447759 424900

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
RM Yachts
Zone Industrielle des 4 chevaliers, Rond-Point de la Republique, 17180 Perigny, France

+33 5 46 44 73 00

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JPK 10.30 JUZZY - Winner of Fastnet 2023 (IRC 2). 245000 TVA paid EUR. Located in Lorient, France.

JUZZY: JPK 10.30 first-hand, launched in June 2019 (FRA 53162) - N° FR JPK OJ C 03 D 9 19 The boat has been gradually optimized for simplicity, lightness and performance.

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Visible at the BSM of Lorient

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Bavaria C46. POA EUR.

With the new BAVARIA C46, BAVARIA YACHTS announce an impressive addition to their C‐LINE sailing yachts for 2023.

The BAVARIA C46 sets new standards in the combination of ample room, excellent sailing characteristics and innovative solutions, as the C‐LINE concept has been further developed and re‐interpreted in all areas.

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See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Find a dealer:
bavariayachts.com/service/dealer-locator

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

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