In This Issue
• Chess Match At Finisterre
• Spain's Joan Cardona clinches 2020 eSailing World Championship title
• Harken Battcars: Nothing You Can Add, Adds So Much Safety
• Luna Rossa Challenge On The Water
• Postponed Draycote Dash And Cancelled Bloody Mary
• Statement from World Sailing CEO David Graham
• A black pearl indeed - King Marine
• Who Will Win The Vendee Globe?
• Mariner's Museum Evening Lecture Series
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: AESOP - 80ft Sailing Yacht
• Featured Brokerage:
• • J/109 - BOO
• • Pilot Classic 55
• • LM46 Performance Cruiser
• The Last Word: Stephane Dion
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
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Chess Match At Finisterre
Cape Finisterre on the north west tip of Spain looks set to lure the leaders of the Vendée Globe into a very light and unsettled wind zone. Routings tonight certainly seem to bring the top daggerboard boats inside the TSS Traffic Separation Zone zone on this notorious corner. But a lot will depend on how and when the new SW’ly breeze arrives which will allow them to tack west and start to set up for the front which will come through tomorrow night.
It is looking like an extremely complicated weather pattern not least because there are several secondary low pressure systems which need careful watching. All the way to Friday there is not just this tough front with gusts to 40 knots and five metre seas, but after the fast downwind sailing for the foilers more to the west there is then another high pressure ridge to slow them before trying to pick the right spot and timing to get over the top and the west of the next low.
Top ten rankings at 10 Nov 2020 - 04h (GMT)
1. Jeremie Beyou - Charal, 23938.7 nm to finish
2. Nicolas Troussel - Corum L'epargne, 2.55 nm to leader
3. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 6.56
4. Charlie Dalin - Apivia, 10.43
5. Maxime Sorel - V And B-Mayenne, 11.01
6. Benjamin Dutreux - Omia - Water Family, 12.14
7. Kevin Escoffier - PRB, 12.38
8. Damien Seguin - Groupe Apicil, 12.44
9. Romain Attanasio - Pure - Best Western, 20.1
10. Sam Davies - Initiatives-Coeur, 20.9
Spain's Joan Cardona clinches 2020 eSailing World Championship title
An exhilarating eSailing World Championship final, contested by nine eSailors over an eight-race series, was won by professional sailor Joan Cardona (ESP).
Cardona, an Olympic Finn sailor and real-life member of Spain SailGP Team, held his nerve to win the Medal Race and take the title by a solitary point.
His compatriot ramon732@541TOP, who sailed alongside him in the eSailing Nations Cup Final on Friday 6 November, had led going into the Medal Race, but finished second overall.
British eSailor @dejavusailing, a double champion in 2020 with both the eSailGP Championship and Nations Cup titles, placed third, another point behind.
The third ever eSailing World Championship final was held virtually for the first time, following last year’s final in Bermuda and the first ever final in 2018, which took place in Sarasota, USA.
Eight of the finalists qualified through the three-day PlayOffs in early October, with inaugural eSailGP champion Dejà Vu joining them in the grand finale.
Completing the line-up was Donnie Gillies, also part of the Great Britain side which won the Nations Cup on 6 November; previous finalists Kaan Mazlumca (TUR) and Miguel Cruz (ESP); French duo MCES valentinelisa and MCES pepitõ; and number one PlayOff qualifier StipecoachCROATIA (CRO).
Seven qualifying races were held, with one discard available for the eSailors. Ahead of the double-points Medal Race, five sailors could mathematically all win the title.
Going into the final race in third place, Cardona knew a strong finish would give him the best chance of clinching the title - and with nearest rival Ramon only able to place sixth, Cardona stormed to a dramatic victory.
The next edition of eSailing World Championship will commence in 2021.
Harken Battcars: Nothing You Can Add, Adds So Much Safety
For years, Harken Battcars have been so low in friction, sailors reef easily even while blast reaching--even in a blow. Shortening the sail so safely can be the difference between an uneventful reef and having to get extra crewmembers out of the cockpit. Battcars add a factor of safety we want for more sailors.
These days, there are more Harken Battcar options than ever. The split track switch system option safely shrinks mainsail stack height by cueing each car to take an alternate path as the halyard is lowered. This system has an option for a trysail that allows crews to hoist and douse from below the boom around that stack.
And the now-available Harken slug track makes a mast-up retrofit a realistic DIY project. Recently, we began retrofitting a 40-footer in the morning and went sailing that evening! Watch that project.
And Battcar systems cost a fraction of in-boom or in-mast furling systems for which you need a whole new spar.
If you’re doing more short-handed sailing…or you’d like to. Or if you’re dreading a decision to downsize, Harken Battcars can be the solution. So much safety, so simply added.
Luna Rossa Challenge On The Water
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa was the only team to venture on the water today. They were out on Saturday along with American Magic. The British team INEOS Team UK sailed alone yesterday, Sunday - and mostly out of sight.
Today was a mixed bag of breeze with a NW blowing up to 15kts around midday, before dropping away to almost nothing. In the first phase of the breeze, the Italians made a fast foiling run up the Rangitoto Channel and return, before the breeze dropped for the first time (see video below).
They dropped their main and waited on the end of a towline off the stern of their tender before the breeze returned in sufficient strength to enable the black hulled AC75 to make a short run down the Rangitoto Channel and across to Motuihe and return, before the breeze crumped out for a second time, and for the day.
Looming over the City and west Auckland was a massive slowly advancing rain and thunderstorm, which sucked the wind out of the America's Cup courses - a very unusual set of conditions for Auckland.
Rather than have the breeze come in at 4.00pm ready for racing as planned for the America's Cup and Prada Cup, the breeze vanished .
Luna Rossa made the right decision to tow in, hauling out around 4.00pm - with thunderstorm hitting less than an hour later.
This was the third time we have had a good look at Luna Rossa. On the first chasing American Magic around Course E between Eastern Beach/Maraetai and Waiheke Island, the Italians didn't look like they were at race pace - just testing the boat after a week in the hangar. Last Friday, sailing with all three - but in a much less coordinated manner than their serendipitous encounter with American Magic - they didn't stand out from the bunch. But neither did anyone else. -- Richard Gladwell
Postponed Draycote Dash And Cancelled Bloody Mary
The Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash was set to be the opening event of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2020/21 but the Covid lockdown now sees the Dash move to the weekend of 6 & 7 March 2021.
Also the Bloody Mary has been cancelled and will not take place on its scheduled date which had been for 9 January 2021.
Despite the unfortunate impact on the traditional events which have proven so popular with dinghy sailors in recent years, the organisers of Seldén SailJuice Winter Series 2020/21 are planning for alternative activities on the weekend that the events had been set to take place.
Co-organiser Simon Lovesey, who has been busy throughout 2020 with his Restart Sailing initiative to maintain the sport’s momentum, said: “For the original Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash weekend, we will be running a Facebook live session on Saturday 21st November with the chance to relive some of the great past moments of this popular event. For those who have pre-registered for the original dates will be contacted shortly to see if they want to transfer their interest to the new dates 6 & 7 March.
Despite the original event’s postponement, the promotional code DASH continues to entitle all entrants to the series to 25% off all Fernhurst Books’ titles purchased from the Fernhurst website (www.fernhurstbooks.com) between now and 31 December.
Queen Mary Sailing Club has made the reluctant decision to cancel the Bloody Mary that was due to take place on 9 January 2021. It’s only the second time in its long history that this Pursuit Race classic has had to be called off, but there will be a remote race in its place.
However, co-organiser of the Winter Series, Simon Lovesey, has proposed an alternative format so that sailors can still enjoy competing against others around the country. “When we launched this winter's series last month we made a commitment to organise something on each of the dates whilst acknowledging that events may not happen in the usual manner. One of the options is to run a remote event, where people compete at their own clubs and we use GPS tracking data to merge results together.
“Over the summer we have successfully run over 100 races in this manner, including some class championship replacements. One of the key benefits of the format keeps people engaged with sailing and events. For the 9th January we hope to be able to offer a remote event as a substitute for the Bloody Mary, Covid guidelines at the time permitting.”
Meanwhile, plans continue for the other events in the Series to go ahead as originally announced, always with the proviso that things can change at any time, which is why the criteria for pre-registration have been designed to be as flexible and fair as possible.
Pre-registration for the events is now open at https://www.sailjuiceseries.com
Event Schedule
Datchet Flyer, Datchet Water Sailing Club
5 & 6 December 2020
Burghfield Brass Monkey, Burghfield Sailing Club
27 December 2020
Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing Club
3 January 2021
CANCELLED - Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club
9 January 2021
King George Gallop, King George Sailing Club
23 January 2021
John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club
6 & 7 February 2021
Oxford Blue, Oxford Sailing Club
13 February 2021
RESCHEDULED - Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing Club
6 & 7 March 2021
Statement from World Sailing CEO David Graham
The World Sailing Board is disappointed to learn that over recent days, confidential information related to an ongoing case before the Ethics Commission has been published by a number of media outlets.
It is particularly disappointing to learn of these breaches as very clear statements were given during recent Council meetings that the Board has been advised by an independent barrister, the Chair of the Constitution Committee and the Director of Legal and Governance that the Regulations do not permit the disclosure of confidential information related to an ongoing case. World Sailing's Regulations and Code of Ethics are very clear on this matter.
The Ethics Commission is tasked with upholding honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship in our sport, and it is important that principles such as confidentiality are respected. It is a key principle of natural justice and procedural fairness that confidentiality must be maintained while an investigation is ongoing and, only when a matter has been determined, can the details of a case be disclosed.
* One of the media outlets in question is InsideTheGames.biz, which your humble narrator has found to be a well sourced outlet for some years...
A black pearl indeed - King Marine
Ordering a new boat for a full offshore race programme narrows the field when it comes to selecting a builder who will ensure that you receive a boat that is both reliable enough as well as fast enough to do the job
In ocean racing the name Black Pearl is synonymous with excellence. This is a mature team led by owner Stefan Jentzsch whose racing interest is almost exclusively offshore. He and team manager, Marc Lagesse, bring together an impressive veteran crew whose CVs are littered with multiple Volvo Ocean races, even Whitbreads, not to mention dozens of Fastnets, Transatlantics even a few America’s Cups. It's a small and tight group who enjoy their racing at a high level. It’s therefore unsurprising the team’s choice of boatbuilder for the latest Black Pearl was going to be a builder who shares the same dedication, passion and fastidious attention to detail that this team has while on the water. For Black Pearl the obvious choice was King Marine.
Full article in the December issue of Seahorse
Who Will Win The Vendee Globe?
As in every big ocean race, Tip & Shaft puts together a panel of experts to canvas opinions as to who will be on the podium at the finish. And so for this Vendee Globe 2020 ten experts have agreed to contribute their thoughts this week: race director Jacques Caraes, the president of Imoca, Antoine Mermod, double winner Michel Desjoyeaux, Roland Jourdain and Kito de Pavant, who all have three participations each. Morgan Lagraviere, forced out in 2016, the Figarists Sam Goodchild and Eric Peron (both of whom who have sailed IMOCAs), as well as the journalists Pascal Sidoine (L'Equipe) and Helene Cougoule (Canal +).
Four Who Stand Out
When we ask them to give us their podium there are no real surprises. Four skippers share almost all of the votes from our ten pundits. All have reservations, but in order, Jeremie Beyou (cited by all, 3 times on the highest step), Charlie Dalin (9 mentions, 2 times as winner), Thomas Ruyant (5 mentions, 3 times first) and Alex Thomson (5 quotes, 1 time winner).
Mariner's Museum Evening Lecture Series
Thursday, November 19 at 6 PM (EST)
Chasing the Cup: Sailing’s Highest Prize
Hosted by Tucker Thompson, America's Cup commentator
Join award-winning TV commentator, producer, and America’s Cup host, Tucker Thompson, for an online sneak peek into the next America’s Cup, sailing’s highest prize. On a nationwide speaking tour featuring New York Yacht Club American Magic, Thompson will share the storied history of the oldest international trophy in sports. He will give an insider’s look at the Cup’s new class of boat - AC75, foiling monohulls - considered to be the future of Cup racing. Sailors and fans of the Museum's Speed and Innovation gallery will hear about NYYC American Magic, and have insight on what to expect in New Zealand in March 2021 when all eyes will be following the 36th America’s Cup.
This America's Cup Yacht Club Tour program is hosted by Tucker Thompson and is being made exclusively for friends and family of The Mariners' Museum and Park. This free program will not be re-broadcast so be sure to register in advance.
Viewers are welcome to send Tucker comments or questions about his upcoming lecture, including registration and connection matters, to his email at: .
The America’s Cup Yacht Club Tour is sponsored in part by The Moorings®, Quantum Sails, Regatta Craft Mixers, and SeaDek.
AC-75 photograph courtesy of Team American Magic.
Lecture is FREE • Registration is required
Industry News
Qatar Boat Show to go ahead next week
The only boat show to be held in the Middle East this year opens next Monday
Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar, the boat show will run from 16-20 November. It will feature mutiple entrances and new registration process, as well as enhanced security and health arrangements in addition to observing the national Covid-19 precautions.
The announcement was made at a press conference held yesterday by Khalid Bin Issa Al Mannai, the chairman of Al Mannai Plus Events, the sole organiser of the show, in The Oyster at The Pearl-Qatar.
Al Mannai added that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the show had been postponed from its original dates in March this year.
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The company behind the sailing’s first robotic marker is launching a new tool that promises to be a “game changer” for race management.
RaceOS by MarkSetBot aims to simplify the process of running a sailing race by bringing “elite-level race technology” to club racecourses.
The system pairs MarkSetBots with tracking sensors, a horn system and a wind instrument to self-set and run all aspects of the race, from signals and OCS detection to course changes to scoring.
“This is incredible technology,” said Russell Coutts, CEO of SailGP. “It will go a long way towards making our sport environmentally friendly by using less race officials and race committee vessels. It should also eliminate unnecessary general recalls, disqualifications, and speed up race operations.
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Sustainability and business experts, Alexis Eyre and Ceri Hurford-Jones, launch the global marine industry’s first podcast
Alexis Eyre (Green Eyre) and Ceri Hurford-Jones (Business on Board) have launched a new podcast entitled Future Blue, anchor.fm/future-blue , which will tackle key sustainability issues with a view to inspiring behaviour change in the global marine industry. It is geared towards those employed in the marine industry worldwide, from shop floor to board level.
Each episode will focus on a different topic related to sustainability including circular economy, design, biodiversity, social justice and brand purpose and will feature a relevant expert to set the scene. This will be followed by interviews with key opinion leaders who will discuss leading sustainable case studies from the marine industry.
The podcast so far includes insights from Dee Caffari MBE, Amnesty International, The Ocean Race, 11th Hour Racing, British Marine and Marlow Ropes.
Future Blue is always on the search for inspirational topics, guest speakers and case studies to feature and interested parties can email for consideration.
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Yacht charter company Sunsail pulls out of Palma over expensive moorings fees
Leading American global yacht charter company Sunsail, which has operated in Palma since 2013, has announced that it is closing down its base in Palma because the mooring fees are far too expensive.
The company has concluded that it is no longer financially viable to maintain its base in Palma.
Sunsail has 30 moorings for its Palma fleet and was having to pay 1,300 euros plus 21 percent IVA (VAT) per months for each one, taking mooring expenditure alone to over 80,000 euros per month.
The President of the APEAM Yacht Charter Association, Jose Maria Jimenez, said mooring rates in Palma are around 500 percent higher than in marinas in countries such as Croatia, Greece or Italy, countries which reported a marked increase in yacht charter business this summer while Spain experienced a near 25 percent fall in the number of large charter and super yachts.
Jimenez said that Sunsail’s decision is extremely worrying and could set a precedent. He said the port and marina authorities should address the issue and take proactive action to help the nautical industry in general by starting with the reduction of mooring fees.
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This morning’s Dusseldorf Messe press conference brought together the heads of Europe’s leading boat builders in a frank discussion about market conditions, how they are responding to increased demand, the challenges presented by Covid, new product launches, the benefit of being a public company, and the need to maintain physical boat shows.
boot Dusseldorf Project Director Petros Michelidakis hosted a press conference on the event’s status in light of increased Covid infections in Germany
Giovanna Vitelli, Massimo Perotti, Alberto Galassi, Antony Sheriff, Michael Mϋller, Jens Gerhardt, and Luca Brancaleon all joined in the discussions which - without playing down the consequences of the pandemic - would have certainly given encouragement to anyone in the industry. The participants all said their companies - Azimut|Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Ferretti, Sunseeker, Bavaria, Hanse and the Beneteau Group - are looking at growth in the coming year while acknowledging that conditions related to the pandemic could get tougher before improving again. Fanis Kiriacoulis, as the head of one of the largest charter operators in the Mediterranean, provided input on the yacht charter market, how it has been affected and its prospects for 2021.
There was a unanimous endorsement for boot Dusseldorf with all the companies represented confirming their commitment to exhibiting in January assuming restrictions on events are lifted by then.
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The Last Word
Canada is a country that works better in practice than in theory. -- Stephane Dion
Editorial and letter submissions to
Advertising inquiries to Graeme Beeson: or see www.eurosailnews.com/advertise.html