In This Issue
• RORC Transatlantic Race underway
• ARC 2019 sets sail from Gran Canaria
• Notice Of Race Published For The Peters & May Round Antigua Race
• Visit Sanya, China Disqualified from Clipper Race 4 for Collision
• Brest Atlantiques - Early December arrival predicted
• Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
• New Zealand successfully defends Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship title
• The cutting cutting edge - UBI Maior
• 18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 1
• Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship winners declared
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Beneteau First 40.7- Philosophie IV
• • Vismara Buzzi V60 Open
• • Swan 100-103 'Hoppetosse'
• The Last Word: Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene 2

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

The 11th annual Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar search is on... Send us your thoughts and drink recipes...

RORC Transatlantic Race underway
A 240 nautical mile run in the first 24 hours of the RORC Transatlantic Race for Wally 100 Dark Shadow. Photo by Joaquin Vera/Calero Marinas/RORC. Click on image to enlarge.

The 6th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race got underway on time with the fleet starting from outside Marina Lanzarote at 1100 UTC on Saturday 23 November, 2019. After months of preparation, the international fleet have started one of the most iconic offshore races with a stiff breeze gusting up to 25 knots.

After the start, the fleet passed a turning mark at Puerto Calero Marina before leaving Fuerteventura and Tenerife to port and then heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. The first 125nm of the course are both strategic and tactical, with land effects providing both snakes and ladders.

The 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race is now into the second day with the entire fleet anticipated to leave the Canary Islands and head into the remote Atlantic Ocean on Sunday 24 November. As expected, Swedish VO65 Childhood 1, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, is firmly in front having raced 251nm in the first 24 hours. The fleet are currently experiencing downwind conditions, however the nor'easterly gradient wind is far from stable as frequent rain squalls, combined with land effects, have dramatically changed both the wind speed and direction.

Childhood 1 gybed south of the rhumb line shortly after sunrise this morning, indicating that the team may well be turning south after negotiating the wind shadow of El Hierro - the last sight of land that they are likely to see for many days.

After noon on day two of the race, the Wally 100 Dark Shadow also gybed south having raced 240nm in the first 24 hours.

Giles Redpath's Lombard 46 Pata Negra, skippered by Andy Lis has made a strong start to the race, covering 193nm in the first 24 hours. The conditions are highly suitable for their Code Zero which has been the main weapon of choice for the young team.

The World Sailing Category 1 offshore race requires all boats to have satellite communications. However, today will be the last connection to the outside world via the land-based cellular network. Competitors will be downloading as much weather data as possible and also contacting friends and family before racing out into the vast Atlantic Ocean. -- Louay Habib

Race Tracker

www.rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

ARC 2019 sets sail from Gran Canaria
A great adventure has now begun for over a thousand sailors from fifty-three nations who departed Las Palmas de Gran Canaria today to cross the Atlantic to Saint Lucia as part of ARC 2019, the world's largest transocean sailing rally. Following years of planning, months of preparations, and days of final checks crews were eager to start their 2,700nm sail to the Caribbean. Around Las Palmas Marina this morning, excitement and anticipation echoed as the pontoons were lined with crews wishing one another well for the crossing.

The ARC brings together one of the most diverse fleets of any sailing event, evident as the yachts processioned out of the marina. From the smallest boat in the fleet, Duffy, to the big-daddy Ulisses, one after another classic cruising monohulls and state of the art catamarans steadily made their way to the starting area. Friends and families of the sailors as well as local well-wishers and staff from the businesses around the marina lined the dock, cheering and dancing to the loud music blaring out in celebration of the start. To the delight of the spectators, several crews dressed up for their departure, danced on the foredeck as the gathered their fenders and lines and waved their nations flags to bid farewell to the Canarian hosts.

ARC meteorologist Chris Tibbs had promised the crews a classic ARC start, and the weather lived up to his expectations, with a pleasant NE breeze around 10-12 knots allowing boats to set asymmetric spinnakers on the start line. During the afternoon and evening, winds are expected to increase to around 15-20 knots, with stronger winds likely in the acceleration zone that lays to south of Gran Canaria.

While the ARC is a cruising rally, there is a start and finish line, and the boats are split into divisions according to size, type and competition. At 12:00 UTC the sound-signal for the first start was given by Sir Chay Blyth, from the Spanish Navy boat Meteor, as boats from the multihull and open divisions set off. Sir Chay has been in Las Palmas this week to meet crews and show support for friends sailing on Nizuc raising money for Parkinsons Research. First over the line mile-long line, leading the group of forty catamarans and two yachts sailing outside of competition, was Pierre Caouette's Outremer 5X Bio Trek.

Twenty six boats in this year's Racing Division were led across the start line by Ross Applebey's Oyster Lightwave 48 Scarlet Oyster followed by fellow British flagged charter boat Rocket Dog. Both are regular ocean crossers with the ARC, sailing with crews of mixed abilities led by a professional skipper. Third across the line was Volvo 65 Austrian Ocean Racing Project, crewed by a group of ambitious young sailors hoping to take on Ocean Race 2021/22 as the first Austrian team in history.

Fleet Viewer

www.worldcruising.com

Notice Of Race Published For The Peters & May Round Antigua Race
Kicking off the 53rd Antigua Sailing Week on Saturday, April 25, this separately scored race is open to spinnaker only classes of CSA, Multihull and Double-handed. Trophies will be awarded for line honours and best corrected time for overall CSA and Multi-hull around the 53 nautical mile course. For the fifth consecutive year, the Peters & May trophy will be awarded to the CSA yacht with the best corrected time. The trophies will be presented at the award ceremony the evening of the race in UNESCO Heritage site, Nelson's Dockyard.

Details of the one day event can found in the Notice of Race -

To enter the Peters & May Round Antigua Race please visit our website . - www.sailingweek.com/enter-2020/

As the official shipping and logistics partner to Antigua Sailing Week, Peters & May once again look forward to working alongside new and regular clients shipping their yachts to and from the Caribbean on regular Transatlantic Sailings. Peters & May offer discounted shipping for any boat fully entered into Antigua Sailing Week with a further discount for a round-trip transatlantic shipment. With a selection of Westbound and Eastbound Sailings, the experienced team are able to provide a sailing to suit you - whether that be shipping your yacht to the Caribbean ahead of ASW or shipping her back to Europe or the US following the race. Peters & May are renowned for record breaking sailings, 2018 saw a popular 52 Yacht Sailing from Antigua to Southampton! View sailings below and contact the team for a quote:

See the Peters & May TransAtlantic Sailing Schedule on our website

Visit Sanya, China Disqualified from Clipper Race 4 for Collision
Regarding the incident which occurred during Race 4 Start in Cape Town, the Clipper Race Committee has agreed upon the following

After investigating the Port / Starboard incident between CV25 Punta del Este and CV29 Visit Sanya, China, at the beginning of Race 4, the Clipper Race Committee has adjudged that CV29 Visit Sanya, China to be at fault after a clear breach of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 10 'On Opposite Tacks'.

As a result of this ruling CV29 Visit Sanya, China has been disqualified from Race 4. The team will officially receive a zero points score and is prohibited from entering into any Scoring Gate and Ocean Sprint for Race 4.

CV25 Punta del Este is exonerated from any breach of RRS 14 'Avoiding Contact' and has been awarded redress as follows. The team will receive an average points score of 9 points and this has been based on its finishing points to date over the three races completed so far and includes any Scoring Gate bonus points, as well as points gained from its Joker. The team will be entitled to enter the Ocean Sprint for Race 4 as per normal.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Brest Atlantiques - Early December arrival predicted
From Ronan Gladu, media man on Actual Leader.

"A nice day to eat up the miles ", straight to Brest, via the island of St. Helena .. As Yves says," we must enjoy it, because it will not last! "Indeed, we are moving inexorably to the "soft", the weak wind, with many transitions, until the Doldrums, which also looks very broad.The fleet is tightening so it's not over with a Macif ambush behind us !

The first "crystal ball" routes have fallen. And it's not easy in the North Atlantic. Either we bypass the Azores anticyclone almost to Newfoundland, to hang a depression to the point Brittany (estimate: 15 days!). Or we cross the Azores anticyclone to the east, upwind for days (estimate: 13 days). We predict an arrival between December 6 and 9 in Brest itself.

Morale is good on board: to have fun, Yves & Alex take turns at the helm.Yves had a mini-shower installed on the deck (a salt water pipe).

www.brestatlantiques.com

Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar
Click on image for a larger view of the famed machine

From our friends at Harken comes this wonderful story. One more reason to treasure the memory of Olaf Harken and to celebrate life with Peter Harken at this week's Yacht Racing Forum where he is Monday's Guest of Honour at the evening reception.

For consideration for the Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar Competition: The Harken Factory Beer Machine.

For portions of the past five decades, this unassuming self-service electric steel and plastic refrigerated box has quietly stood watch, ready to refresh. Still around Harken's Pewaukee factory are some folks who remember when the Pepsi machine was repurposed to serve beer for after-hours consumption, originally by employees building the world's fastest '70s and '80s vintage Vanguard Olympic 470s and Finns.

The grand prix Olympic-aspiring customers often showed up and slept in their vans for weeks while their future gold medal-winning rocket ships were releasing from molds and getting rigged. In the intervening years, this functional blue beauty has continued to take the edge off many a Block Assembler or Custom Gear Machinist's day.

With all of Harken's mission-critical sophisticated machinery, in 2010 it was carefully moved from the vintage Wisconsin Avenue Pewaukee facility to its current World Headquarters location, all the while never missing a beat and never passing through a price increase.

12-ounce longneck bottles of domestic suds still cost a now corporately-subsidized 50¢.

Do you have a favorite bar? It could win this year's Wight Vodka Best Sailor's Bar and receive fame, fortune, a wall plaque, bottle of Wight Vodka and, courtesy of Latitude Kinsale, a custom made to order 3D map of anywhere in the world.

Send us your stories, drink recipes and the name of the best bar: eurosailnews.com/sailors-bars

New Zealand successfully defends Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship title
Click on image for photo gallery.

A Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) team skippered by Alastair Gifford has won the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's (RPAYC) Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship on Pittwater this weekend, successfully defending the title won by fellow club member Jordon Stevenson last year.

In the final, Gifford's team of Henry Angus, Chester Duffett, Hunter Gardyne and Seb Lardies defeated the world ranked No. 20 team from Wales, skippered by Matthew Whitfield from Penarth Yacht Club. It means that Gifford pockets the $1200 winner's cheque, with $800 going to Wales as runner-up.

It did not go all Gifford's way. He had to fight back from a deficit of two down in the final, but the Kiwis fought back to win the next three matches in the best of five, to take the title.

Throughout the event, the winners lost only four matches, two in the round robin, and two in the final. In the semi-finals, they took on the RPAYC all-female team skippered by Juliet Costanzo and beat them 3-0, while Whitfield's Welsh team sailed against the other RPAYC team skippered by Alistair Read. The Welsh team won 3-1.

Ten international teams took part in the 27th Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship. Clubs represented were: RPAYC, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (Jed Cruickshank), Darwin Sailing Club (Finn Niemeier) and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, (Hugo Stoner).

The international line-up was completed by Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in New Zealand (Jonathon Barnett) and Ireland's Royal Irish Yacht Club (Niall Malone).

Special thanks to Harken, a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sailboat hardware and accessories, which continues to support this event for a 22nd year. -- Di Pearson/RPAYC media

Full results: www.intyouthmatchracingchampionship.com.au

The cutting cutting edge - UBI Maior
For this driven team of Italian engineers the Hugo Boss project now added dramatic compactness to a long list of performance criteria

Over several cycles of gruelling and competitive ocean races like the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabres and others, the Alex Thomson Racing team has demonstrated a continued focus on technical innovation. With this team’s ambitious and innovative approach, it’s not surprising they chose UBI Maior Italia as their primary provider of blocks and associated deck hardware.

The innovations seen in the new Hugo Boss, which launched in September, are no exception and the ocean racing world is abuzz as the team prepares to race the boat for the first time in the Transat Jacques Vabre. The new boat features a distinctive new hull shape and centralised, enclosed cockpit design, from which Thomson will be managing the boat’s sailing systems while staying dry.

The punishing environment the elements produce in these races presents an extreme challenge to equipment reliability, and along with the phenomenally high competitive drive of the teams to push their limits to make gains, the result is a highdemand setting that would scare off most suppliers

Full article in the December issue of Seahorse

18ft Skiffs NSW Championship, Race 1
Click on image for photo gallery.

Sydney Harbour: A last minute crew change brought the 2010 JJ Giltinan Championship-winning team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Tom Clout back together again and the combination showed they had lost none of their 18ft Skiff handling skills when they brought Winning Group home an easy winner of Race 1 of the NSW Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

With the skiff's regular skipper John Winning Jr. unable to return to Sydney in time to compete, and Tom Clout's new skiff not ready to contest today's race, regular sheet hand Jarvin moved to skipper while Clout took his place on the sheet.

After trailing the leader Shaw and Partners Financial Services (James Dorron, Harry Bethwaite, Tim Westwood) over the first two legs of the course, Winning Group gradually edged away from the fleet before clearing out to cross the finish line 2m35s ahead of Shaw and Partners Financial Services.

The race behind the winner was close with six teams battling for second place.

In another impressive performance, following a second place overall in the Spring Championship, The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Aron Everett, Charlie Gundy, Ryan Wilmot) came back from seventh place at the first windward mark to finish in third place, 32s behind Shaw and Partners.

Finport Finance (Keagan York) finished fourth, ahead of Appliancesonline.com.au (Brett Van Munster), Smeg (Michael Coxon) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards).

The race, which was sailed in a 8-10 knot SE wind, saw the fleet split into two separate groups on the windward leg from the start in Taylor Bay, across the harbour to Rose Bay.

In true champions form, the Winning Group's crew continued to dominate as they powered away for the easy victory.

Shaw and Partners, The Oak and Finport were together at Rose Bay before The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines headed for home in second place, but Shaw and Partners was just a little stronger over the final windward leg to the finish

A special mention has to go to Yvette Heritage and her team on Noakes Blue, which finished in eighth place, ahead of R Marine Pittwater, Yandoo (John Winning) and The Kitchen Maker-Caesarstone.

The Australian 18 Footer League's 2019-2020 Season continues next Sunday when the club will stage Race 2 of the NSW Championship. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League

www.18footers.com

Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship winners declared
Despite the rather melancholy weather, the competition was as stiff as ever in the 42nd running of the Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC), hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC) over the weekend.

Gerry Hatton's Bushranger crew came down from 'The Alfreds' on Pittwater and conquered in IRC Division 1. Hatton is away, so Michael Fountain was left in charge of the Mat 1245, and after finishing third in the passage race yesterday, pulled out all stops with 1-2-1 results to beat nearest rival, Bob Cox's DK46, Nine Dragons by three points. Darryl Hodgkinson's Carkeek 40, Victoire, was third on countback after winning the passage race.

Competitors at the SSORC were put through their paces in a very shifty and light 6 to 10 knots of breeze for yesterday's passage race, followed by a soft 10-knot south-easterly on bumpy seas for the three windward/leeward races

Division 2 went to newcomer, Soozal, the King 40 skippered by Keiran Mulcahy who with his wife, recently imported the boat from California. He could not have been more pleased with the outcome of Soozal's Australian offshore debut.

Mulcahy, who next month takes on the 628 nautical mile 75th Sydney Hobart, said: "It turned out to be the right decision to bring the boat from California. Twelve years old and it races like a rabbit. It's proved itself over the last weekend."

In her first outing, Soozal cleaned up, scoring three wins from four races to defeat nearest competitor and local, Jack Stening and Colin Gunn's Sydney 36, Stormaway, which also finished bridesmaid last year. Stormaway won Race 2, to finish three points in arrears, while Chris Heraghty's Sydney 38, Risk, was third, a further two points behind.

MHYC, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, expresses its thanks to sponsors: Helly Hansen, Club Marine, Oatley Wines, Short Marine, Vittoria Coffee and Key Sun Zinke for their support.

www.ssorc.mhyc.com.au

Featured Brokerage
2001 Beneteau First 40.7- Philosophie IV. 89,950 GBP. Located in Hamble, UK.

Superbly maintained and analytically optimised, race winning Beneteau 40.7 now available for s

Philosophie IV only had three outings last season, posting two bullets and a third in three of the RORC Channel Races: Myth of Malham, Cowes to Dinard & Morgan Cup. With a comprehensive inventory of equipment and sails, this boat will deliver some great results and a huge amount of enjoyment for the next team.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
FYS Europe: +447774 138777

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1996 Vismara Buzzi V60 Open. 150,000 EUR, Located in Sicily, Italy.

Quite possibly the most innovative and ground-breaking yacht ever to be launched. Employing much of the design and technology now regarded as cutting edge, but 20yrs ahead of her time. A totally unique opportunity.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
GRABAU INTERNATIONAL
Lead broker - Alex Grabau
Tel: +44 (0)1590 673715
Email:

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2006 Swan 100-103 'Hoppetosse'. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

Hoppetosse is a superyacht and masterpiece built by Nautor’s Swan and launched in 2006. She combines the performance of a racing yacht with world-class comfort and opulence. The Swan 100 FD's deck lines give the yacht a very impressive sleek and racing oriented look. The cockpit concept features two spacious L-shaped sofas with large cockpit tables on either side of the centre-line companionway. In addition the helmsman seats are extended aft to form another seating area on the aft deck. The coaming continues aft of the L-shaped helmsman seats awarding a sleek and elegant profile.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti
Nautor's Swan Brokerage
T. +377 97 97 95 07

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

The Last Word
Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once. -- Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene 2

Editorial and letter submissions to

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