In This Issue
• Pen Duick VI Triumphs in McIntyre Ocean Globe Race
• Swiss Launch A Beauty Of Detail
• Less than 90 days to the AEGEAN 600
• Crosshaven Cadet Becomes California Commodore
• When the flag drops the BS stops - 52 Super Series
• Kiwis reveal innovative mainsheet system
• The Boat to Beat
• The Globe40 Bound For Valparaiso
• The Golden Age of the Mighty J-Class
• Featured Charter: Beneteau First 36 #42
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Dragonfly 28 Performance - Ragdoll
• • Imoca 60 MERCI
• • Fujin - 2015 Custom Bieker 53’ Catamaran
• • Selena
• • Advanced A44
• The Last Word: Neil Armstrong

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

Pen Duick VI Triumphs in McIntyre Ocean Globe Race
The French legend Pen Duick VI FR (14), skippered by the indomitable Marie Tabarly, has taken provisional line honours in the final leg of the inaugural McIntyre Ocean Globe Race - and in the days ahead could potentially win the OGR Overall! At 22:52 UTC, 11th April the stunning black-hulled, 73-foot Bermudan Ketch, revered amongst sailors around-the-world sailed gracefully across the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line in Cowes, UK. With Marie at the helm, leading her loyal troops, it was fitting that this yacht, sailed by her father Eric Tabarly in the 1973 Whitbread Round-the-World Race, should take line honours in such style. With almost a two-day lead on nearest rival L'Esprit d'equipe FR (85) for line honours, Pen Duick VI's dominance on the final leg is unquestionable.

Arriving in 12 knots of wind and strong tidal currents Marie, first mate Tom Napper and the ten determined crew onboard looked both relieved and immensely proud of their epic achievement. Maire had stated from the very beginning that once there was wind Pen Duick VI would shine and she was correct. For the final leg Marie's strategy was "to go fast, fast, fast and we accelerate at the end". Clearly a winning strategy!

A second former Whitbread yacht and winner of the 1985 race, L'Esprit d'equipe FR (85) 360 nm miles behind is due to take second-in-line honours, arriving in Cowes within 48 hours. Third place in line honours another 100 miles back and gaining fast is Spirit of Helsinki FI (71) followed by Neptune FR (56) 200 miles further back and then Maiden UK (03).

The remainder of the fleet are once again heading into light winds which will complicate progress. The next 48 hours are going to prove extremely challenging for crews already frustrated with the slow progress.

oceangloberace.com

Swiss Launch A Beauty Of Detail
Click on image to enlarge.

Today was the official launch at the team's beautiful base in the heart of the Port Vell with Chiara Bertarelli, daughter of Ernesto, cracking the bottle on the foredeck and naming the boat that the whole of Switzerland hopes will regain old glories and win the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup in Barcelona later this year.

Be in no doubt, this is a beauty from Marcelino Botin and his design team, working with many facets of the Red Bull sporting stable, including Red Bull Advanced Technologies, to achieve an overall package that looks racy fast and a slightly different direction from the progressive designs we have seen from Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The eye is drawn to detailing all over the boat, yet tricked by the cut away cockpit that has the distinct effect of shortening the length and making it feel light and nimble. This looks like a boat that deserves to be pushed hard around a racetrack - and that's certainly its fate over the coming months.

Detail is everywhere from stem to stern. The pronounced spray chine, the likes of which we have seen before on IMOCA and VO70 designs, runs immediately and pointedly off the bow and kicks off an in-the-water profile that screams fast flight with the fine-entry bustle/skeg broadening to a considerable radius by the transom being the only intersection whilst in displacement under sail. On the foredeck, the bumps that will form a tunnel or perhaps even a 'Venturi' effect for the jib are remarkably noticeable in the light of the day and lead logically to a low-profile bow leading back to the super-aero cockpit.

americascup.com

Less than 90 days to the AEGEAN 600
Click on image to enlarge.

It is now less than 90 days to the 7 July start of the 2024 AEGEAN 600, the annual offshore race organized by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club in conjunction with Olympic Marine. This spectacular 605-mile race starts at Cape Sounio under the watchful gaze of the ancient Temple of Poseidon for a scenic tour of 23 islands of the Aegean archipelago before finishing back at Cape Sounio.

Among the offshore racing world's classic 600-mile races, this is the newest, with the first edition held in 2021. Since then the event's popularity has grown every year, with already 60 monohull and multihull entries from 18 nations planning to participate in this year's 4th edition, a figure that is on its way to a new record turnout with the entry deadline still a few weeks away on 30 April.

These entries represent a large cross-section of the offshore sailing world, ranging in size from Jerry Petratos and Evi Delidou's double-handed Dehler 30 AETHER to George Procopiou's Volvo Open 70, ex-I LOVE POLAND, last year's runner-up elapsed time champion. Teams also range from amateur crews racing for fun to all-pro squads in search of elapsed time course records and corrected time victories in IRC and/or ORC scoring.

In this latter category are two successful international teams making their AEGEAN 600 debut: Austrian Stefan Jentzsch's Botin water-ballasted Botin 56 BLACK PEARL and American Jason Carroll's MOD 70 trimaran ARGO. Both have proven track records and highly-experienced crews that are regular competitors in the world's most competitive ocean races.

"The challenge of this course is precisely why we are coming," said ARGO project manager Chad Corning. "That and we have heard this is a fantastic race, a very cool course and a must-do on the global circuit."

Notice of Race

aegean600.com/the_race/

Crosshaven Cadet Becomes California Commodore
Ken Corry, Commodore of the Los Angeles YC (founded 1901). He learned his sailing in the Royal Cork at Crosshaven but left Ireland (as did many others) in 1985 and is now so into America’s West Coast sailing scene that he owns a classic Cal 40. Click on image to enlarge.

The 1980s tend to get a bad press as a time when young people left the country in droves, searching for jobs that matched their potential and training. Those of us who stayed at home to battle on, but now find ourselves living in one of the allegedly richest countries in Europe, survived the bad times by generally not keeping overly close tabs on those who had made the Great Escape. For indeed, some had more or less vanished without trace, while others were rumoured to have made some sort of determinedly-sought breakthrough to become household names in their own household, or even better.

One such is Ken Corry, now Commodore of the highly-regarded 1901-founded Los Angeles Yacht Club. Yet when he departed the intense Cork sailing scene in 1985, boats and sailing in his new life in California were barely even on the to-do list as he worked with increasing success on the lively West Coast, where the multi-opportunity California is nearly 15% of the entire US total economy, while New York state is only 8%.

Yet back in Crosshaven he'd been completely invested in the junior sailing programme, having joined the Royal Cork YC as a kid in 1970, then moving up the ranks to race in the Mirrors and be a helm in the RCYC Team which beat Sutton Dinghy Club for the historic Book Trophy by a cool 17.5 points in 1976.

WM Nixon's full article in Afloat

When the flag drops the BS stops - 52 Super Series
The 2024 52 Super Series season will start with two new boats, a new Alegre and a new Platoon, both recently launched and set to debut at PalmaVela. Meanwhile, a brand new Provezza is in build for launch in the summer.

All three new boats are from Valencia-based King Marine. Andy Soriano's new Alegre and 2023 champion Harm Müller Spreer's new Platoon Aviation are hull sisters to a new Botín design, while Ergin Imre stays with Judel-Vrolijk who also have a new hull design.

In March the shiny new Alegre was being readied for sea trials out of Valencia followed by a training week early April with the 2023 runner-up Provezza. The first 52 Super Series event of the new season, 52 Super Series PalmaVela from 27 April to 2 May, will be the final regatta for the outgoing Provezza under its current owner.

Full article in the May issue of Seahorse

Kiwis up close on Sunday sail reveal innovative mainsheet system
Emirates Team New Zealand sailed a three hour plus session today, Sunday, putting in a solid session after their launch and test sail last Friday.

It was the first chance to see the America's Cup Defender sailing in good light, and get a close up of the new mainsheet and traveller system.

The three hour session was conducted in fresh offshore winds and flat water sailing on Course E, or the "Back Paddock" off Eastern Beach.

It was just the second day of sailing, with 16 tacks gybes performed - all without touchdown. The images and videos in this report give a much better view of the as yet unnamed AC75s hull shape - particularly at the after end of the hull.

Read Richard Gladwell's Cup Spy in Sail-World.com

The Boat to Beat
This is the boat you need to beat if you want to win the America's Cup.

It's hard to over emphasise the importance of Emirates Team New Zealand's AC75. This is the one boat that is guaranteed to be at the America's Cup Match in October this year. This is the target for all five of the Challengers. And this is a boat that doesn't push at the extremes, at least not when it comes to her appearance on the outside.

Emirates Team New Zealand's decision to wheel their new AC75 out of the shed at their home base in Auckland caught even the locals off guard.

Following just days after Alinghi Red Bull Racing wheeled their new machine out into the open, the Kiwis went one better and went sailing shortly afterwards. They might have been second to open their doors but they were first on the water and while they might not say it publicly, it's highly likely that this meant a lot to a team that tries hard to think of themselves as Challengers.

Matt Sheahan takes a look at the Kiwi launch and considers how it might fit into the new fleet of AC75s.

planetsail.co.uk
Matt Sheahan's blog

The Globe40 Bound For Valparaiso
After several months of exchanges and a recent week on site, the Globe40 is thrilled to add a stopover in Valparaiso in Chile to its provisional schedule. With an ETA of February 2026, it will round off course 4, which sets sail from Australia. Assuming the relevant administrative permits and agreements are confirmed, all the local public and private forces welcome the prospect of this project with open arms.

Valparaiso built its prosperity as a major port by embracing European commerce and the famous clippers in the 19th century after the tough sea passages synonymous with the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn. Though the opening of the Panama canal in 1913 slowed its expansion, Valparaiso remains the main port on South America's western seaboard open to the Pacific vastness. The whole of the maritime universe is represented there as a result, making it the home of the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile), a commercial port and its container terminal, the hosting of cruise ships and cruising boats, the port of registry for the superb 4-masted schooner and academy vessel Esmeralda, the 3rd largest yacht in the world, as well as its renowned Yacht Club at the far end of Concon Bay in Higuerillas.

Offering the Globe40 skippers a clean, relaxing atmosphere after a Pacific passage stretching over 6,000 miles from Australia, this stopover has been timed to arrive during the warmth of the peak season by cannily shifting the race start in Europe by 2 months in relation to the 1st edition.

globe40.com

The Golden Age of the Mighty J-Class
The America's Cup Hall of Fame cordially invites you to join us for an evening of celebration at The Sailing Museum in honor of the Golden Age of the J Class in the America's Cup.

On June 13th, we will gather to relive the excitement and glamour of one of the most exhilarating periods in America's Cup history - the J-Boat Era. We'll be joined by a group of modern-day J-Class sailors who, with a little prompting from Hall of Famer Gary Jobson, will share their experiences on board these mighty racing monsters! A combination of vintage and current video will play on the big screens as we kick off the sailing season, so purchase your tickets and join us!

The celebration will take place at The Sailing Museum in Newport Rhode Island, and doors will open at 6:00p. The reception will include an open bar with all your favorites, passed hors d'oeuvres, and a fully-stocked raw bar courtesy of McGrath's Catering.

Purchase your ticket to the event here.

Featured Charter
Beneteau First 36 #42. From 3150 Euros/week. Located in Marina Pirovac, Adriatic Sea, Croatia.

One of the most awarded boats in history is now available for bareboat charter in Croatia. Experience the thrill of high-performance racing boats on your family holidays without sacrificing onboard comfort. She is brand new and fully equipped for cruising and racing.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Portuss d.o.o., Tit Plevnik
Email:
Phone: +386 31 212 432
Booking Code: Seahorse First 36

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Dragonfly 28 Performance. 210000 GBP. Located in Beaulieu, UK.

A very lightly used Dragonfly 28 Performance, in spectacular condition and gleaming in her Porsche-inspired Gulf racing livery. Interior immaculate, never slept on.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon UK
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:

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2005 Imoca 60 MERCI. 390,000 EUR. Located in Toulon, France.

Built and launched by Artech do Brasil in June 2005, GALILEO, as she was known, was built for South American Walter Antunes.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage
+33 (0)467 66 39 93

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Fujin - 2015 Custom Bieker 53’ Catamaran. POA USD.

Professionally maintained and in excellent sail-away condition, FUJIN is a custom 53’ all-carbon catamaran designed for the thrill-seeking adventurer or regatta winning owner.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Nils Erickson
SOMA Sailing LLC
+1 619-430-8935

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Swan 105-002 'Selena' 7,950,000. EUR VAT Paid. Located in Badalona, Spain.

Commissioned by an experienced owner using Nautor Swan, Frers Naval Architecture and Beiderbeck Design has made this yacht one of the most unique builds in Nautor Swan history. Not only does Selena have excellent sailing performance, her design maximises space both on deck and in the interiors, special attention was paid to keeping a low noise level throughout the yacht.

On deck, SELENA features a bright and spacious cockpit area with mahogany finished seating and dining area adjacent to the twin helm positions. A fixed carbon cockpit bimini provides protection from the elements with retractable sun shade, removable side curtains and a forward glass panel, able to slide continuously from closed to completely open, while the integrated mainsheet point allows a walkthrough cockpit arrangement.

See listing details in Nautor Swan Brokerage

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti

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Advanced A44. POA EUR.

A unique experience in pleasure and performance The Advanced Yacht concept has produced a sporty cruiser inspired by light, modern and open performance boats. Powerful waterlines and sailplan guarantee effortless planning and generous onboard space.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Advanced Yachts
Via Brera 6, Milan - 20121 - Italy
Tel: +39 02 433507224
Mobile: +39 335 7055966

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

The Last Word
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. -- Neil Armstrong

Editorial and letter submissions to

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