In This Issue
• Four Ultims in the Indian
• How to sleep well on a solo, Ultim race?
• Exciting Opportunities At Fox’s Marina & Boatyard
• A speedster for all seasons - Elan Yachts
• 37th America's Cup Barcelona racing schedule
• North South Divide | Cocody vs Dawn Treader
• Martinique Cata Raid
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• This week: Emma Plasschaert, 2x ILCA 6 World Champion
• Featured Charter: MG5 - Windrift
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 78-007 'Nina II'
• • Cape 31 - Hull #44
• • Balance 580
• • 2012 Riptide 41
• • 2008 Ker 39 - Tiger 3
• The Last Word: Sylvia Plath

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

Four Ultims in the Indian
After Armel Le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire XI) crossed at 09:29hrs UTC yesterday morning and Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim) at 1825hrs UTC last night there are now four Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest skippers passed the Cape of Good Hope and then, some hours later, Cape Agulhas and into the Indian Ocean.

By comparison the leader, Charles Caudrelier on Edmond de Rothschild has had a relatively problem free passage in the Indian. He rode the same low pressure weather system since South America. And tonight a new depression will arrive from the west which will take him past Tasmania and into the Pacific before the weekend. He has had an active period, slowed between the two systems and gybing regularly to stay in the best breeze and avoid the AEZ ice exclusion zone.

Thomas Coville is with a depression on a northerly course making 25kts and is making good progress, pretty much half way between the leader Caudrelier and Armel Le Cleac'h who is now getting into the changeable moods of the Indian Ocean. Yesterday he said, "It's always better to be ahead of a depression, it's more complicated when it has passed and the sea is crossed. Right now I am still moving between the anticyclone and this big depression which is passing to the South but which should take us as far as Cape Leeuwin."

This morning, Actual Ultim 3 is sailing in a zone of light winds and a modest swell. He gybed yesterday evening and has been going north, his speed falling back to 16kts. Has he sought an area of lighter winds to further investigate his damaged port foil?

And still in a fortuitous N'ly breeze Eric Peron on the oldest, least powerful ULTIM in the the fleet is progressing at a good pace. He has passed close to the island of Tristan da Cunha, a British territory which is part of the Saint Helena archipelago the most isolated inhabited archipelago in the world. He still has 1500 miles to make to the Cape of Good Hope.

Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) will now make a technical stop in Cape Town after a collision yesterday, Tuesday. The impact seriously damaged the port foil of the Ultim multihull.

The skipper and Team Actual had initially chosen to continue racing after a first diagnosis and attempted repair. But at the end of last night, in view of the evolution of the situation, it has been decided that he will head for the nearest port, Cape Town (South Africa), some 400 miles away. He should reach the port during the day on Friday. -- Andi Robertson

arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

How to sleep well on a solo, Ultim race?
"To last the distance, long term you have to eat well and sleep well," reiterates Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest Charles Caudrelier. Last week we talked food, this week it is sleep which is the topic for discussion. It is impossible to sleep eight hours straight every night. Sleeping well is a battle in itself. Like many other things it requires preparation both technically and psychologically. That can be specific equipment, alarms, working with freedivers. Sleep management has long since become a performance issue.

This information could also help all the insomniacs out there, those who get up in the night and cant get back to sleep, all those who struggle to get through a full night in one go. Solo sailors have no choice. When they left two Sundays ago, on January 7, they switched to a snatched naps of durations ranging from a few minutes to 90 minutes.

Armel Le Cleac'h explains. "What we try to do is to sleep as regularly as possible five, six, maybe seven times cumulatively over any 24 hours in increments of 30 to minutes to 1 hour 30".

Exciting Opportunities At Fox’s Marina & Boatyard
Located on the River Orwell in Ipswich, Fox's Marina & Boatyard is one of the UK's leading yacht refit and repair centres and a hub of marine expertise and passion. They are proud of their team of highly knowledgeable craftsmen, engineers, boat handlers, riggers, electricians and fabricators, most of whom have been part of the team for many years.

With the boatyard at its busiest ever and a line-up of exciting projects ahead, Fox's are seeking individuals for a range of workshop positions to suit varying skill sets. Openings cater to juniors keen to explore various fields as well as seasoned professionals looking for new challenges.

Are you passionate about precision and quality? Do you enjoy working in a multiskilled team environment? If so, Fox's wants to hear from you!

Fox's seek individuals for their busy workshops who:
- Possess proven experience in the marine industry
- Have an understanding of yacht refit and repair
- Have good time management
- Demonstrate teamwork skills with the ability to work independently when needed
- Are physically fit - able to work inside and out on vessels ashore and afloat

Flexible working hours considered.

If you are ready to embark on an exciting career with a great team visit foxsmarina.com/career-opportunities

A speedster for all seasons - Elan Yachts
Elan Yachts made a big splash two years ago with its GT6 performance cruiser. Soon there will be a new version optimised for ocean cruising

If you are the type of person who likes to go off the beaten track, or have a desire to venture into the wild- well, here's a tool for your dreams. As the name implies, the Elan GT6 X is still a GT6, which means a stylish, Porsche-designed sport cruiser just below 50ft overall, with the power to go fast, even in lighter conditions. Launched in 2021 as the new Elan flagship, the GT6 is a goodlooking boat that will turn heads in any harbour- actually it was the first sub-50ft yacht of its kind to feature a flush deck. The low-profile deck house is another central feature.

But the new Explorer version is a special kind, that addresses a deep longing in a lot of sailors today. Think of it as a four-by-four model- a go anywhere vessel. Almost any boat can do the ARC. But this one is built to do more than that.

Full article in the February issue of Seahorse

37th America's Cup Barcelona racing schedule confirmed
An official notice to competitors issued jointly today by the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, and the Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia, sets out the entire AC37 Barcelona Racing Schedule.

Preliminary Regatta 3
First up will be the third and final Preliminary Regatta for this 37th America's Cup cycle. After a free practice day on Tuesday August 20 the race committee will run an official practice day under race conditions on Wednesday August 21.The event itself will see four days of match racing between the six teams with four matches staged each day and culminating in a match race final between the top two teams.

Louis Vuitton Challenger Series
The overall standings from the three preliminary regattas will be used to determine the seeding for the first round robin racing in the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series.

Following three days of boat measurement and scrutineering on Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday August 26 - 28 - the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series begins on Thursday August 29 and runs for four days to Sunday September 1 with four match races per day (The final race on September 1 will be the first match of RR2). Monday September 2 is a reserve day)

The second round robin stage (four races per day) takes place on September 3 - 4 and over the weekend of September 7 - 8 when there will be three match races on each day.

Louis Vuitton Challenger Series Semi Finals
The top four Challengers will go on to contest the first-to-five points Louis Vuitton Challenger Series Semi Final taking place over five days on Saturday / Sunday / Monday September 14 - 16 and Wednesday / Thursday September 18 - 19. (Tuesday September 17 and Friday / Saturday / Sunday September 20 - 22 are reserve days)

Louis Vuitton Challenger Series Final
The two semi final winning teams will go through to the first-to-seven points Louis Vuitton Challenger Series Final taking place on Thursday September 26, the weekend of September 28 - 29, Tuesday / Wednesday October 1 - 2, Friday / Saturday October 4 - 5. (Friday September 27, Monday September 30, Thursday October 3, and Sunday / Monday October 5 - 6 are reserve days.)

As well as receiving the Louis Vuitton Cup, the winner of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series will then have one week to prepare to meet the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand to contest the first-to-seven points Match for the 37th America's Cup.

The 37th America's Cup Match
The Match will see two scheduled races per day with the first two days of racing taking place over the weekend of October 12 - 13.

After reserve days on Monday / Tuesday October 14 - 15, the finalists will race again Wednesday October 16.

Following another reserve day on Thursday October 17 the final scheduled races are scheduled to take place over four consecutive days from Friday October 18 to Monday October 21. (Tuesday October 22 to Sunday October 27 are reserve days.) -- Justin Chisholm

cupinsider.com

North South Divide | Cocody vs Dawn Treader
One of the fascinating duels in the RORC Transatlantic Race was between two JPK 1180s; Richard Fromentin's Cocody (FRA) and Dawn Treader (GBR) skippered by Ed Bell. Cocody was the only boat in the fleet to brave the northern route knowing that they would encounter brutal conditions from two depressions. Meanwhile, Dawn Treader took a southerly route to Camper & Nicholson's Port Louis Marina Grenada. The lead after IRC time correction swung in the balance many times during the 3,000 mile RORC Transatlantic Race.

First to finish in the battle were Fromentin's battling Bretons on Cocody in an elapsed time of 15 Days 21 Hrs 24 Mins 26 Secs. After IRC time correction Cocody was second overall and the winner of IRC One. Owner of Cocody, Richard Fromentin also scored the best IRC corrected time for an owner from Yacht Club de France, winning the special trophy from the famous club which supports the RORC Transatlantic Race.

"We only decided to go north 10 minutes before the start," commented Richard Fromentin. "We spoke with weather experts and they all agreed that north would be very hard but potentially much quicker. We had six metre waves; it was not a comfortable sail but we powered through the big waves with our small jib and one reef in the main; we changed the watch every two hours. On Cocody we have trained in these conditions and it was very tough, especially at night when driving the boat was very difficult.

Dawn Treader is ranked second to Cocody in IRC One and third overall under IRC. This was Ed Bell's first Transatlantic Race. The skipper was in charge of five prodigies, all in their 20s, except for Ed's son George who is just 18 and the youngest competitor in the race. -- Louay Habib

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking

Martinique Cata Raid
Opening ceremony, presentation of the crews yesterday, and training regatta this Sunday, the Martinique Cata Raid is well and truly launched. This 9th edition marks a turning point in the history of the two-title race. On the one hand, it is the first time that it brings together so many different nations (7 nations represented).

On the French side, the best crews from mainland France are there: Durand, Marfaing, Bontemps, Boulogne and Champanhac have all made the trip. The Martinique Cata Raid also welcomes 4 Belgian boats, 2 Dutch boats, 1 Finnish crew and 8 from the West Indies, including 7 from Martinique! An international reputation that bodes well for this event labeled Terre de Jeux 2024.

On the other hand, and this is an unprecedented fact, the Martinique Cata Raid will not tour the island of flowers due to the severe weather conditions forecast for the week.

This decision will undoubtedly mark the history of the competition. Completely unprecedented, due to the weather, the Cata Raid will not tour Martinique . "We have been examining the files for several days and the trend has unfortunately been confirmed," explains Bruno Lecomte, race director. The trade winds will clearly strengthen over the course of the week with heavy seas of up to 3 meters of swell: conditions that are too touchy for catamarans, even for seasoned crews. The decision not to race around the island this year was therefore taken in consultation with Meteo France and the Maritime Affairs services. The idea is for everyone to have fun on the water, so we are going to offer a series of regattas around and in the Robert area; a playground large enough to hold a very good competition. We keep the initial format, namely the alternation of long distances and constructed courses, between 20 and 30 nautical miles.

In terms of racing regulations, something new could radically change the situation. The Martinique Cata Raid will be run this year on point and a long distance round will be allocated a multiplier coefficient of 1.5. This format is quite exciting because it often causes many twists and turns in the rankings and allows the suspense to be maintained until the last day.

martiniquecataraid.com

Seahorse February 2024
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

World News
Marco and Rugerro make quite the 'splash' in Jeddah, Xabi Fernandez would like to see more time on the water, four years late but the solo Ultims are about to take off, a great British yachtsman, Kiwis put it out there and another sale at SailGP. Ivor Wilkins, Carlos Pich, Patrice Carpentier, Pete Burling, Dobbs Davis, Magnus Wheatley, Blue Robinson, Francois Gabart

Sensible targets
We all want 'sustainability' but aim too high and your feet get stuck in the mud. Rob Weiland

Driven by data
How the French Orient Express Cup challengers got up to speed in the AC40s in no time at all... Bruno Dubois

A speedster for all seasons
Elan Yachts made a big splash two years ago with its GT6 performance cruiser. Soon there will be a new version optimised for ocean cruising

Rewriting the playbook
Technology and design tools from the America's Cup, Ultime trimarans and Imocas have been combined to phenomenal effect in the Gunboat 80

Special rates for EuroSail News subscribers:
Seahorse Print or Digital Subscription Use Discount Promo Code ESN23

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £37.50: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

This week: Emma Plasschaert, 2x ILCA 6 World Champion
Not long returned from the 2024 ILCA 6 Worlds in Argentina, bronze medallist Emma Plasschaert joins Road To Gold for another in-depth Q&A.

We all gain experience as we progress through our sailing career, but some of us make the experience count more than others. So how do you make it work to maximum advantage? That's what we'll be exploring with Emma this Thursday.

It's less than six months to the Olympic Regatta and Emma - a two-time World Champion in the Laser Radial/ ILCA 6 - will be massively motivated to improve upon her 4th place at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

So, with the help of guest interviewer and Olympic gold medal winning coach Jon Emmett, we'll be exploring how she'll make the most of her time between now and Paris 2024.

When: Thurs 25 January, 1930 UTC

Check how that time zone relates to where you are in the world. Thursday evening in Europe means Friday morning if you're in Asia or Australasia, for example.

Join Zoom Meeting with Road To Gold + Emma Plasschaert
Click for ZOOM meeting login
Meeting ID: 814 3715 7750
Passcode: 514553

Whether you're a dedicated weekend warrior or full-time professional racer, I guarantee there will be a bucket load of valuable info for you on this week's call.-- Andy Rice

roadtogold.net

Featured Charter
MG5 - Windrift. Location: Caribbean, Pacific

The MG5 catamaran was built with ethical approach to sustainable development, aiming to achieve as close to zéro négative impact as possible through innovation and recycling. In collaboration with the architectural firm BARREAU NEUMAN, Marc GUILLEMOT designed a 52-foot catamaran combining performance, integrating high quality parts from racing boats such as IMOCAs and innovation through the handling of the nacelle on silent blocks and the solar main sail MG5 prototype is an atypical support for thrilling races

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

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

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Swan 78-007 'Nina II'. 7,800,000 EUR. Located in Badalona, Spain.

The Swan 78-007 ‘NINA II’ was delivered in the summer of 2023. This is a unique opportunity to purchase one of these highly sought after models without the need for a two year wait.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nautor Swan Brokerage

+377 97979507

-----------------------------------------

Cape 31 - Hull #44. 250000 GBP. Located in Hamble, UK.

FARGO (hull #44) is possibly the newest Cape 31 to hit the second-hand market. Launched April 2023 she lacks for nothing and is a stunning fully race prepared example of the successful Cape 31. Without doubt the best option for getting straight to the front of this exciting fleet in 2024.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats
+447759 424900

-----------------------------------------

Balance 580. POA USD.

The Balance 580 was designed for sailors with speed in their hearts but luxury on their minds.

With her powerful 2,255-square foot-sail plan the 580 ghosts along in 5 knots of wind while others are burning diesel. But when It’s blowing, furl in her headsails, reef her down, and fly. She is built to withstand the worst weather.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

+1 484-413-2132

-----------------------------------------

2012 Riptide 41. Price Reduction 439,000 USD.

Blue- is an exceptional, turn key, offshore racing sailboat designed by Paul Bieker. Built using Carbon Fiber and Divinycell core by Jim Betts in Anacortes Washington.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Fraser Yacht Sales Ltd.
Brian Huse-BCYBA

Tel: +1 250 516 4393

-----------------------------------------

2008 KER 39 - Tiger 3. POA.

Tiger 3 was the last of the very successful Ker 39 design, built. She was finished as a bespoke project by the owner with no expense spared and considered by many to be the finest example of the design

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Chris Noble:

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

The Last Word
I desire the things that will destroy me in the end. -- Sylvia Plath

Editorial and letter submissions to

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