In This Issue
• Eric Peron finishes fifth and completes the circle
• Hetairos wins the Round Antigua Race
• Procrastination loses races!
• Dolan's first offshore challenge of 2024 today
• Cup Spy : Big seas test American Magic
• 2024 ORC World Championship
• SailGP returns to Bermuda's Great Sound
• Autopilots for the Transatlantic Race 2025
• 2024 Melges 24 Worlds NoR Published
• Featured Charter: Mane Et Nocte
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Nauta 65
• • Reichal/Pugh 69 - Moneypenny
• • Volvo 70 - Ocean Breeze
• • Dazcat 1295
• • Savannah
• The Last Word: Ted Hughes

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

Eric Peron finishes fifth and completes the circle
Photo by Alexis Courcoux, alexiscourcoux.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Eric Peron sailing ULTIM ADAGIO crossed the finish line of the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest at 14 h 44 27" to finish in fifth position, the final skipper to complete the 22, 460 nautical miles course which started on Sunday 7th January. His elapsed time is 66 days 01 hour, 14 minutes 27" and he finishes 15j 6h 6mn 45s after winner Charles Caudrelier.

Finishing the course is a major triumph for Peron who worked very hard to pull together the resources to build a small team, take on the Ultim which is the only non-foiler of the six which started the race.

A former Olympic classes campaigner turned Figaro racer, the 42 year old who also counts The Ocean Race, Ocean Fifty and IMOCA on his extensive CV, wanted to test himself and set a new high level challenge.

He only validated his qualification in November whilst his rivals were sailing back from the Transat Jacques Vabre. So Peron beat the odds to be at the start. In the final pre-start days his mantra was "I just want to finish the race".

Because of his fast passage of the Pacific he catches hundreds of miles on fourth placed Anthony Marchand and the former Figaro class rivals tussle on the ascent of the South Atlantic. But 'Antho', is positioned closer to the coast, manages to escape first. Peron holds on patiently in the light airs but not really happy when he escapes from the doldrums as the light winds are replaced by strong trade winds and slamming seas.

A few days ago he remarked "I am proud to be one of those who dared". Throughout his race it was not only his abilities as a sailor and his ability to push himself which was most impressive.

arkeaultimchallengebrest.com

Hetairos wins the Round Antigua Race
The 218ft (66.45m) Dykstra/Reichel Pugh ketch Hetairos, Photo by Claire Matches, clairematches.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua,: The stand-alone Round Antigua Race marked the start of racing at the Superyacht Challenge Antigua. 15 knots from the east, with a relatively smooth sea state, provided glorious sailing conditions. Brilliant tropical sunshine sustained for the circular course of 46.8 nautical miles.

The 218ft (66.45m) Dykstra/Reichel Pugh ketch Hetairos was the first to start in the pursuit race. Skippered by Graham Newton, Hetairos took Line Honours, completing the Round Antigua Race in an elapsed time of 03 Hours 49 Mins and 30 Secs. Hetairos narrowly missed breaking their own race record by just three minutes and 22 seconds.

The overall winner of the Round Antigua Race was calculated using the new ORC Time Over Distance Weather Routing scoring method. Hetairos was the winner by eight minutes and 12 seconds after time correction from Hummingbird.

"This year we had lighter winds than 2022 when we set the record so we moded the boat differently," explained Hetairos Skipper Graham Newton. "On the record run, in over 18 knots of wind, we were preserving the assets a little bit. This year with lighter winds, we thought the only way to have a crack at the record was to run Code Sails rather than our Jib Top. Before the start, our prediction was we would be 15-20 minutes outside record pace. Half way around we were six minutes inside the target time. However, the last few miles was a close beat and as Hetairos draws nine metres, going close inshore to get lifted was not an option. The owner was on the helm for the whole race and the crew performed really well, it's hard to say where we might have made up three minutes."

The first race day for the series to decide the 13th edition of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua starts Thursday 14th March with racing off the South Coast of Antigua. -- Louay Habib

superyachtchallengeantigua.com

Procrastination loses races!
Things you never got around to that can cost you the race: fairing the bottom, tuning the rig, ordering new sails from UK Sailmakers. The bottom and rig issues can be corrected relatively quickly, but it takes time to measure, build, and deliver new sails.

If you order a new set of UK Sailmakers' Titanium® grand-prix sails or our price-performing X-Drive® sails today, you can be racing with them before you know it. Don't procrastinate any longer...the podium is waiting for you!

Ask UK Sailmakers why Titanium and X-Drive loadpath sails hold their shape longer and are more durable than comparable laminate sails. And don't forget to ask about replacing your worn-out A2.

Sailmaking is what we do, sharing our passion for sailing is why we do it.

Sail with confidence. uksailmakers.com

Dolan's first offshore challenge of 2024 today
Ireland's leading solo sailor Tom Dolan goes into his first offshore race of the 2024 season this afternoon knowing the pressure will be on from before the start gun as the 370 miles, 48 hours long course of the Solo Guy Cotten-Concarneau looks set to mostly be a speed course with few tactical opportunities to make gains. The offshore starts at 1200hrs UTC today.

Counting a 14th and an 18th from the first two short, two hours long inshore races which were contested on Monday and Tuesday out of Concarneau, Dolan – skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan – is looking to establish himself in the leading peloton from the start gun. The course will take the 35 boat fleet north through the notoriously tidal Raz de Sein to turning marks beside Ushant before a long 160 miles straight line reach to the Rochebonnne Plateau SSW of Les Sables d'Olonne where the race turns north again to finish off Concarneau, expected to be very early Friday morning.

"The start will be very, very, very important." Dolan emphasizes, " After that it is all reaching. We go out to the west and there is more wind in the west and so the elastic will stretch, it'll be the boats at the front getting richer and then it is nearly all straight line reaching. Thursday evening there may be some compression at Rochebonne as there is a front coming into Biscay the fleet might close up there again. No matter what on this race it is better to be in front." It is a course which Dolan knows well and this edition it might prove to be more straightforward with 15-25kts of wind forecast over the period of the race.

tomdolanracing.com

https://www.guycotten.com/en/solo-guy-cotten-2024

Cup Spy : Big seas test American Magic in an impressive sailing session
American Magic was the only team to sail off Barcelona, today, with the forecast of fresh winds and swells of over 1metre keeping some teams ashore. The US team had to chase the breeze which came in around 1100hrs. America sailed for an hour before calling an end to the session.

What happened in the Cup - March 8, 2024:

- American Magic - sailed today in just one AC40. Finding a strong breeze and extreme seastate which is usually a challenge for the AC40's. From the Highlights video below - supported by comments from the AC37 Joint Recon team, America performed impressively in the 1.0 - 1.2mtrs seastate.

- INEOS Britannia - No AC37 Joint Recon Team report. They have their AC40 Athena back in action after a lithium battery fire.

- Alinghi Red Bull Racing - No AC37 Joint Recon Team report. They missed a planned sailing day yesterday due to light winds.

- Emirates Team New Zealand - No AC37 Joint Recon Team report. The Kiwi team have not been particularly active on the water. It is not known if their second AC40 has arrived back from the Preliminary Event in Jeddah, in the beginning of December.

- Orient Express Racing Team - Sailed for the fourth successive day on Thursday. But not today, Friday. The French team has been working with three times America's Cup winner, Glenn Ashby (ETNZ).

- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - The Italian team have retired their LEQ12 test boat, which has served the team well. They have notified an April launch date for their AC75 raceboat.

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

2024 ORC World Championship incorporating the Maxi North American Championship
The 2024 ORC World Championship will bring top sailing teams from around the globe to battle on Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay for one of four coveted world titles. It is the first time in over two decades this regatta, which will be held out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court from September 27 to October 5, 2024. The event will include the standard ORC A, ORC B and ORC C divisions, but will also include Class 0 for the first time opening up the event to boats with CDL values up to 17.400.

The 2024 ORC World Championship will include a mix of buoy racing and offshore courses testing the mettle of all competitors. Stay tuned for more information, the Notice of Race and opening of registration. Contact the NYYC Sailing Office with any questions.

Interested in the event and want to stay informed? https://form.jotform.com/232205734982054

SailGP returns to Bermuda's Great Sound with Apex Group named as Official Title Partner of the event
Hamilton, Bermuda: SailGP and the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) return with the world's most exciting racing on water set to take place on Bermuda's Great Sound on May 4-5, 2024. In a new addition to this year's event, Apex Group will be the Title Sponsor and Official Financial Solutions Partner of the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix.

This will be the third time that SailGP will bring its fast-paced, high-jeopardy racing to Bermuda's shores, and the timing will coincide with the start of the island's high season. Fans will have a variety of ticket options to choose from with racing taking place over the course of two days. Both land-based, and on-water options will be available. Giant screens, race commentary, live music, entertainment, and food and beverage are all part of what promises to create an exhilarating weekend with a great family-friendly, onshore party vibe. Tickets will go on sale later this month but fans are being encouraged to sign up to SailGP.com/Bermuda to be first in line as soon as the tickets go on sale.

Bermuda will mark the tenth event of SailGP Season 4 and it will be the biggest fleet of F50s the island has seen, with 10 teams on the start line – including newcomers Germany – and some new faces in the driver line up. Alongside island favorites including Australia's Tom Slingsby, who leads the season, and New Zealand's Peter Burling.

Apex Group will join the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix's established partners; Appleby, BF&M, Bank of Butterfield, RenaissanceRe, Everen and Clarien who are all supporting the SailGP event return.

SailGP.com/Bermuda

Use of Autopilots Aims to Ease Crew Concerns for Transatlantic Race 2025
To date, one of the maxims of fully crewed American offshore racing has been that there must be, at all times, a human hand on the helm. For the Transatlantic Race 2025 this will not be the case as a new amendment to the Notice of Race for the ocean-crossing adventure will allow for autopilots throughout the fleet.

"The Transatlantic Race 2025 is a bucket-list race for many experienced racers and racer-cruisers and this decision targets that second group," says Dan Litchfield, co-chair for the race. "We are keenly aware of the planning and logistics that go into supporting a crew, and this difficulty scales up with crew size. The main motivation for allowing autopilots is to encourage participation by enabling boats, especially in the racer-cruiser division, to compete safely and effectively with fewer team members."

The Transatlantic Race 2025 is organized by the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club, with support from the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Storm Trysail Club. The race will start from Newport, R.I., on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, and finish off Cowes, England, one to three weeks later. The competitors will cover a distance of approximately 3,000 miles. IRC handicap scoring will determine the winners in each division. The 2025 edition will be the 32nd Transatlantic sailing competition organized by the New York Yacht Club. The race is sponsored by Peters & May, Helly Hansen and Safe Harbor Marinas.

nyyc.org/2025-transatlantic-race

2024 Melges 24 Worlds NoR Published and Online Registration Now Open
The International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA), in partnership with The San Francisco Yacht Club and the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USM24CA), is excited to announce the opening of registration for the 2024 Melges 24 World Championship, which will take place August 17-24.

Leading up to the Worlds is a host of California-based regattas that will ramp-up the excitement and warm-up the fleet: The 2024 U.S. National Championship, which will be held July 12-14, will be hosted by Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) in Santa Barbara, California. Online registration is open, and 13 teams have already signed up and are ready to go.

2024 Pacific Coast Championship will serve as the perfect warm up for the Worlds happening just a couple of weeks in advance on August 3-4 hosted by the Richmond Yacht Club in Richmond, CA.

The Class is pleased to inform of affordable storage options before and after the U.S. National Championship. Additional storage options are available in between the Pacific Coast Championship and Worlds. For more information regarding storage on the West Coast, please contact U.S. Melges 24 Class Secretary Geoff Fargo by email at

There is also a high demand for charter boats. If you are a Melges 24 owner and cannot attend the Worlds, perhaps consider making your boat available. You can place an ad here for free.

The SFYC website: sfyc.org IM24CA website: melges24.com USM24CA website: usmelges24.com

Featured Charter
Mane Et Nocte. From 70,000 per week EUR.

A 23.84m Lagoon Seventy 7 sailing catamaran, MANE ET NOCTE is available for year-round charters in the Seychelles with luxurious facilties and excellent sailing performance.

Charter Rates:
High season: 70 000 EUR / week + VAT + APA
Low season: 65 000 EUR / week + VAT + APA

(The charter rates quoted does not include the VAT and APA)

SUMMER destination: Indian Ocean
The Seychelles

WINTER destination: Indian Ocean
The Seychelles

Cabins: 4 | Guests: 10

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Charter Department
Bernard-Gallay
Phone : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail : or

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Nauta 65. 395000 EUR. Located in Leros, Greece.

One of four Nauta 65’s built in by the Italian CNB Fano builder at N.Y.T.E.C.O. yard, to designs by Bruce Farr and with interiors by Cantieri Mostes in Genoa, SOUTH WIND (originally named LADY O) was conceived as a stylish luxury bluewater cruiser to take her first owner in comfort, safety and at speed. Easy to manoeuvre thanks to her well carefully considered winch layout, she has a comfortable centre cockpit that guests can enjoy while under sail and a custom easy to access engine room designed by Nauta as requested from the first owner.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucio Pellegrini
Tel: +34 675 236 174
Email:

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Reichel/Pugh 69 - Moneypenny. 750,000 EUR.

Moneypenny has been maintained to the highest standards by Noakes Group and dry sailed from its Sydney yard.

She has a significant sail wardrobe from Doyle. Recent modifications and improvements to water ballast systems and keel have been carried out.

Moneypenny finished 3rd in IRC overall, 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and was the CYCA’s 2022-23 blue water champion. This is an exciting and rewarding yacht for sailing at the highest levels on the world’s yacht racing circuits.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
For more information, please contact Sean Langman by email:

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Volvo 70 - Ocean Breeze. 370,000 EUR. Located in Caribbean, Mediterranean, USA.

Volvo 70 Ocean Breeze, formerly Telefonica Blue and Sanya Lan, competed in the 2008-2009 and 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race Round the World.

At the launch the Volvo Open 70 was not a singular yacht design but a set of design rules to which competing boats must adhere. Competing teams design and build boats within the scope of this rule to try and come up with the fastest boat . The Volvo 70 repeatedly broke monohull speed record and Volvo 70’s held the record for over 10 years. The Volvo 70 was replaced in the Ocean race in 2014/15 by the Volvo 65 but the Volvo 70 live on and are regular seen on the race course competition at the highest level around the world.

Ocean Breeze is a Volvo 70 designed and built for high performance, long distance offshore racing at the highest level. Ocean Breeze is a great example of a pure-bred racing machine, ready to endure the toughest of conditions. Ocean Breeze had a comprehensive refit in 2018 and is continually maintained.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
lvyachting.com lvyachting.com/yachts/volvo-70-ocean-breeze-sale/

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Dazcat 1295. From 530,000 ex VAT GBP

The Dazcat 1295 has it all. Hand-engineered to an exceptional quality for stunning good looks, outstanding sailing performance, comfort and ease of ride for coastal and blue water cruising and racing.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

www.dazcat.com/d1295.html

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90' Savannah

Savannah’s all carbon kevlar construction ensures thrilling performance & impeccable balance thanks to her deep fin keel. In truth this Modern Classic Legend has never really been matched since her launch in 1997. Achieving a particularly good rating, it is no wonder Savannah continues to turn heads on the racecourse where she has achieved podium results in Antigua, Newport RI, St Tropez and Cowes. With hydraulic winches & furling genoa, SAVANNAH can be easily sailed by 2-3 pers. and is an ideal purists cruising yacht in which to cruise the Mediterranean or US coastline. This is a fine yacht not to be missed!

In 1997 the classic design of SAVANNAH set new standards of grandeur and elegance under sail. Her long overhangs and low freeboard were inspired by the magnificent J-Class yachts of the 1930's.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Carrswood Yachts Limited, UK
email:
Tel: +44 (0)7476 888639

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

The Last Word
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. -- Ted Hughes

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