In This Issue
• Dalin Leads. Escoffier In Light Winds.
• Alex Thomson "sailing once again" onboard HUGO BOSS
• It's about confidence as much as chemistry - Wessex Resins
• ORC World Championship 2021 open for entry
• America's Cup: Living life at 80 RPM
• Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
• Bermuda And Italy Selected To Host First SailGP Events Of Second Season
• 2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award finalists announced
• Launchings
• Letters to the Editor
• Featured Charter: TS5 - Addictive Sailing
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Kinetic Catamarans - KC54
• • Bill Tripp 54 - 'Anthem'
• • Tofinou
• The Last Word: Robert F. Kennedy
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
Dalin Leads. Escoffier In Light Winds.
On a sequence of gybes stepping downwind underneath the Saint Helena high pressure system in the South Atlantic Charlie Dalin (Apivia) became the new leader of the Vendee Globe this morning. He outmanoeuvred his close rival Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) and went on to build a 20 mile lead as they slalom towards an area of lighter and variable winds which bar the breakaway duo's passage to the roaring forties which are still some 600 nautical miles to their south.
Charlie Dalin topped the standings on one position report earlier in the race, but he is one of ten different leaders since the solo non-stop race round the world started on Sunday 8th November. As the duo lead at the latitude of Itajai, Brazil they have more than 250 miles in hand over third placed Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam), although the wily, persistent veteran Le Cam is more than holding his own.
Dalin and Ruyant, who both originate from the north, from theChannel coast of France, may yet see two areas of high pressure join together to make the course south extremely tricky.
From his position 120 miles off the African coast, Jeremie Beyou offered his British counterpart his support today. The French sailor should have been Thomson's main rival on this race but while Thomson repairs, Beyou is chasing the fleet still 600 miles behind back marker Kojiro Shiraishi and 3000 miles behind Dalin. Their Vendee Globes are now massively different to what they hoped for.
Damage to his Charal means Beyou had to return to Les Sables d'Olonne and restart nine days after the original departure. So just as Thomson acknowledged yesterday repairing can be part and parcel of the Vendee Globe, so Beyou's race to catch up has become a different Vendee Globe too, one of self discovery and a test of motivation.
Top ten at 24 Nov 2020 - 04h (UTC)
1. Charlie Dalin - APIVIA, 19246.5 nm to finish
2. Thomas Ruyant - Linkedout, 41.71 nm to leader
3. Jean Le Cam - Yes We Cam!, 297.2 nm
4. Kevin Escoffier - PRB, 347.85 nm
5. Boris Herrmann - Seaexplorer - Yacht Club De Monaco, 428.5 nm
6. Yannick Bestaven - Maitre Coq IV, 436.19 nm
7. Alex Thomson - Hugo Boss, 456.44 nm
8. Sebastien Simon - Arkea Paprec, 470.24 nm
9. Louis Burton - Bureau Vallee 2, 509.74 nm
10. Sam Davies - Initiatives-Coeur, 535.58 nm
Alex Thomson "sailing once again" onboard HUGO BOSS
Just 48 hours after he unearthed structural damage to his HUGO BOSS boat - on day 13 of the Vendee Globe round-the-world yacht race - British sailor Alex Thomson has confirmed that he is sailing once again.
Thomson discovered damage to the bow area of his IMOCA yacht on Saturday evening UTC and, after alerting his team on shore, was forced to bring the boat to a stop while he carried out a complex repair at sea to reinforce the structure inside the boat.
With the help of his team, led by Design Manager Pete Hobson - together with naval architects, VPLP and structural engineers, Gurit - the 46-year-old skipper was able to stabilise HUGO BOSS, undertake the repairs, and has now begun sailing once again.
Having led the fleet for much of the race prior to discovering the damage, the Brit has since dropped into fifth place, around 400nm behind the race leader, Frenchman Charlie Dalin. However, with the race only around a fifth of the way through, and more than 19,500 miles still to go, the opportunity to re-join the leaders is still very much alive.
Repairing the damage:
And back sailing again:
It's about confidence as much as chemistry - Wessex Resins
Like many previous advances progress towards greener boatbuilding requires changing the established mindset
The quest to go green continues to gather momentum. From construction to propulsion, the incentive to look for alternative ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our sport is spreading rapidly and discussions around more eco-friendly construction techniques are also gathering pace. However, the underlying development of green epoxies is not new. Composite experts Gougeon Brothers Inc, with whom Wessex Resins formulate and manufacture various products under licence, have been working in this field for some time.
'We have a very well established bio brand, Entropy Resins, which has been around in the US and Europe for roughly about nine years,' explains Wessex Resins' sales director Dave Johnson. 'It was developed by two scientists who were also surfers and what struck them was that the majority of surfboards were being made out of polyester resin and would have a limited lifespan. There was little they could do to recycle them either.
Full article in the December issue of Seahorse
ORC World Championship 2021 open for entry
Tallinn, Estonia: Organizers from Kalev Yacht Club and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) are pleased to announce the opening of entries to the ORC World Championship 2021 to be held over 6-14 August 2021 in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Tallinn, Estonia. Enthusiasm for this event is running high: already there are an astounding 86 entries from 9 countries pre-registered for the event.
As with all ORC Continental and World Championships, racing will be conducted in three classes based on the size and speed of the boats, with medals awarded in each of three classes: Class A, Class B and Class C. The racing itself will be a scored combination of short windward-leeward races as well as short and long distance racing held in the Bay of Tallinn and the Gulf of Finland, the eastern extremity of the Baltic Sea.
Teams with all-amateur crews are eligible for Corinthian prizes in each class, and for the first time there will be a National Team Trophy awarded to the top-scoring team of entries from each class that represent their country - eligible national teams must have at least one entry in each of three classes.
The ORC World Championship 2021 will be organized by the Kalev Yacht Club in cooperation with Pärnu Yacht Club, Tallinn Yacht Club and Tallinn Olympic Centre TOPCity under the authority of Estonian Yachting Union and under the overall authority of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC).
America's Cup: Living life at 80 RPM
Smooth and consistent power delivery from the grinders is the key to keeping your AC75 aloft - and that took a bit of a Harken rethink.
Have you noticed something different about the way the AC75 grinders are working their pedestals? It's not what you see in the videos (if you catch a glimpse of them at all as they now practice their art low in their cockpits well out of the airstream); it's what you don't.
You'll never see any of the grinders pause, shake their handles or reverse direction when changing gear. Instead they just keep going at a constant cadence, maintaining the optimal 80rpm. The new technology that enables them to do this - a game-changing innovation by Harken called True-Clutch - has been on the AC75s for more than a year but until now it's been kept strictly secret.
For a very long time, pedestal systems on sailing yachts have relied on 'dog clutches' that activate by manually engaging sets of teeth to shift from one gear or function to another. The dog clutch mechanism can be activated in various ways with a button, lever or switch, or with the grinder handles themselves, but whichever way it's done the whole team of grinders has to stop working while the clutch is engaged, which inevitably results in a loss of efficiency.
Generations of sailors just accepted it, even in the highest echelons of the sport. But with the advent of large, fully foiling race boats it quickly became a very big deal.
Full story in Yachtracing.life
Wight Vodka Best Sailors Bar
Tonight we honor the first winner, way back in 2009.... Peter-Cafe Sport - Horta, Azores. Still in business and as beloved now as it has been for decades.
From one of the glowing internet reviews:
To talk about Peter Cafe Sport is to talk about the history of Faial, from World War II to our days, today everything revolves around a gin, a simple gin. The fame has made this bar of sailors an essential reference of the Azores, there are even those who do not know where the Azores are, but Peter ..... Besides the gin, they serve lunches and dinners, simple food and well made
We welcome YOUR review of YOUR favorite sailor's bar... to help with your prose, here's another seasonal (well... Northern Hemisphere at least) cocktail.
Happy Harvest
Muddle 5 red grapes in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice, 2 oz. Wight Vodka
Add a splash of grapefruit juice.
Shake and strain into a glass.
Top with club soda and a squeeze of lime.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Bermuda And Italy Selected To Host First SailGP Events Of Second Season
SailGP today announced an updated schedule for the first half of its second season, with the opening events now set for the island of Bermuda and the southern Italian city of Taranto. On April 24-25, 2021, the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess will set the stage for an expanded season that is planned to feature nine events. Following the opener, the first-ever Italy Grand Prix will be held June 5-6 in Taranto.
Though San Francisco and New York were initially set to host the first events following SailGP's Season 2 postponement due to COVID-19, the league shifted the schedule to ensure greater certainty and reduce travel in the early part of the year. The United States Grand Prix | San Francisco will now serve as the SailGP Season 2 Grand Final, and is planned to take place in April 2022.
Just over 1,000 km/640 miles off the East Coast of the U.S., Bermuda is not only the ultimate island destination, but has been largely shielded from the pandemic. Due to its successful health and safety measures, Bermuda is an ideal venue to restart SailGP's global racing championship and host pre-season training.
Following the league's restart in Bermuda, SailGP will shift to Europe - where four of its eight national teams are based - for a series of five grand prix events beginning in Taranto. Italy has long been one of the top sailing destinations in the world, and the southern coastal city will welcome the world's best sailors for the first time.
As previously announced, the Great Britain Grand Prix | Plymouth will then take place on July 17-18, followed by the ROCKWOOL Denmark Grand Prix | Aarhus on August 20-21. Two additional European host cities will be announced with the remaining season schedule in early December.
2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award finalists announced
Four exceptional finalists have been shortlisted for the 2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award, showcasing the depth of global sustainability initiatives within the marine industry.
The 2020 nominees are the Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship (NZL), MarkSetBot (USA), Northern Light Composites (NLComp) (ITA) and Starboard (THA).
The World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award celebrates the effective execution or ongoing delivery of high-impact, highly-replicable sustainability initiatives, aligned to World Sailing's Sustainability Agenda 2030.
For the first time in 2020, the public will be invited to vote for their favourite initiative, with the voting period running 27 November to 4 December.
The public vote will open on 27 November and close on 4 December. The winner will be announced on 9 December. -- Daniel Smith - World Sailing
Launchings
Beneteau's new First 53 is an alluring, powerful all-Italian design, which sees the company enter the competitive luxury performance cruiser market - rather than the cruiser-racers that made the First name. Toby Hodges gives you the full tour while sailing off Barcelona. Base price starts at €483,000
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Next year, Jeanneau will launch the all new Jeanneau Yachts 60 which takes the concepts in the 64 (as well as the 51 and 54) to a new level. Like all modern Jeanneaus, the 60 was designed by Philippe Briand so the hull is both stylish and will slip through the water very quickly. The interior and cockpit styling were handled by noted designer Andrew Winch who is known for his elegant super yacht designs.
Jeanneau decided to make the 60 a boat that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, so it has come up with 19 different accommodation plans and several cockpit options. In the end, a new owner can configure the 60 to their specific requirements much the way an owner of a custom yacht can.
In the Yacht series, Jeanneau goes an extra mile with the quality of the hardware, equipment and joinery and offers dozens of options in woods, fabrics and flooring. One notable design feature, not often seen on 60 footers, is the large dinghy garage built in under the cockpit. This is accessed by folding down the transom, which becomes a wide sunning and swimming platform. As we look ahead to the new year in the hopes that we will be able to go to boat shows again and get back to a more normal cruising and sailing life, the new Jeanneau Yachts 60 is high on our list of boats that we want to take out for a test sail. -- George Day, Cruising Compass newsletter
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Responding to a growing need amongst sailors for a more comfortable, simpler and easy-to-own daysailer, J/Boats is excited to announce a sleek new 28 footer (the "J/9") with perhaps the most comfortable cockpit and easiest-to-manage sailplan in this size range.
"With the J/9, we set out to reimagine how to make sailing easier, more relaxing and more inclusive," said Jeff Johnstone of J/Boats. "This is a boat you can sail by yourself in just a few minutes, or bring along the whole gang with plenty of room to spare. Escaping to the water and enjoying shared family adventure has never been more important, and the J/9 is the perfect platform."
The J/9 cockpit (9.0' long) has four great corner seats to nestle into and enjoy the day. With friends and family aboard, everyone can find the perfect place to relax. And access aboard has never been easier. A swim platform behind the cockpit allows walk-through boarding, and on those downwind sails home, you can cool off by dragging your feet in the water.
Sailing the J/9 is as easy as hoisting the mainsail and trimming the sheet. Why make it any more complicated? Look around on the water and you'll notice 80% of the sailboats are sailing with only one sail. The answer is keep it simple! One tiller, one sheet. The big difference with the J/9 is you will be sailing with one sail more comfortably and quicker than most others with two sails or under motor. Ready for the afterburners? Simply unroll the jib and enjoy effortless, stable & smooth sailing from the comforts of the best J/Boats cockpit ever.
The daysailing community has not benefitted from a dedicated design from J/Boats since the award-winning J/100 (33'), which remains one of the most sought-after J's created. The NEW J/9 offers the cockpit comfort and sailing features of a larger boat, at a price most will find competitive to the best brokerage offerings.
Dimensions ft/lbs m/kg
LOA: 28.00 / 8.54
LWL: 25.40 / 7.75
Beam: 8.60 / 2.63
Standard Draft: 4.90 / 1.50
Shoal Draft: 3.90 / 1.19
Displacement: 4,250 / 1,927
100% SA: 449 / 41.71
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In an exclusive preview for Tip & Shaft, these are the first first images of the Pogo 40S4, the new Class40 from the Structures yard, designed by Guillaume Verdier. The result of a major study carried out by the Emirates Team New Zealand designer and his collaborators this new Class40 has a scow-type hull, geared towards downwind performance for the Route du Rhum. Among the three copies already ordered, the first, intended for Jean Galfione, should hit the water in March 2021.
www.pogostructures.com/fiche-bateau/pogo-40-s4/
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Vaan Yachts, a new Dutch builder of recyclable aluminium catamarans, says it will soon build a second project - a 14.95m (49ft) sailing yacht. "We are finally on our way. This has not been an easy year," says owner Igor Kluin.
Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Adriaan Brink: re Fastnet Race
Just a quick note and maybe I missed something but why not change the end of the race to where it started - Cowes? Clearly there is space there since they all started there and it would make logistics somewhat simpler.
Featured Charter
TS5 - Addictive Sailing
Designed by professional sailors the TS5 combines racing performance with comfort. These boats have made headlines for being among the fastest liveable multihulls in the world, having already recorded 23 knots in 18 knots of wind while reaching and able to cover more than 400nm per day!
Blackjack should be one of the highest performing boats in her class, and is likely to be faster and lighter than both Gunboat and HH catamarans, weighing just 8 tonnes. She has a rotating mast, fully carbon cross structure & fins and NKE instrumentation.
For full details please go to....bit.ly/LVY-blackjack
See listing details in Seahorse Charters
Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting Call: +44 2392 161272 Email:
See the the Seahorse charter collection
Featured Brokerage
Kinetic Catamarans - KC54. POA USD.
A performance catamaran that can be comfortably sailed by a cruising couple.
The KC54 maximizes living space with panoramic 360-degree views from inside its large main salon. The coach roof-mounted mast and traveler facilitate a large forward cockpit for both sailing and leisure and an aft cockpit free of sail controls. It is built for fast coastal and offshore cruising in comfort. It can also be configured as a competitive racer.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Kinetic Catamarans
USA Tel: +1 954 732 2836
Kinetic Catamarans
SA. Tel:+27 44 382 0439
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1996 Bill Tripp 54 - ANTHEM. 265000 EUR. Located in Malaga. Spain.
A beautifully crafted performance cruising yacht. This Bill Tripp 54 has a spacious interior and is very easy to maintain. Refits in the current ownership and she is sparkling for the next owner.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Ben Cooper
Berthon Yacht Sales
Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222
E-Mail:
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2018 (for sale new by the shipyard). 575000 EUR. Located in Port Grimaud, France.
TOFINOU is from the Tofinou 16 serie. She is a unique sailing yacht intended for day cruises or longer-term getaways, and which fully benefits from the features that made the luxury brand a success: the lines and performance of a classic sailing yacht designed by Joubert-Nivelt, and a large cockpit
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
Contact
Bernard Gallay
+33 (0)467 66 39 93
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents. -- Robert F. Kennedy
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