In This Issue
• Tell him he's dreaming
• Transpac 2021: Full steam ahead
• (Fast) horses for courses - Contender Sail Cloth
• Head To Head: Momentary drag race between Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand
• Virtual Spring Promo Week 22-28 March
• Performance 40s head offshore in the Rolex Fastnet Race
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Cancellation of the Semaine Olympique Francaise
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Figaro 3 - Raw
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Botin 65 King Marine HIGH SPIRIT
• • Kinetic Catamarans - KC54
• • NEEL 43- Trimaran
• The Last Word: Jack Kerouac

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

Tell him he's dreaming
Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby has played down suggestions their boat is reaching record speeds in the lead-up to the America's Cup match.

"We don't know exactly how fast we are and we'll find out probably in the first race," Ashby told 1News.

That first race is expected to be Wednesday after this weekend's start was postponed due to Auckland being in alert level 3.

Team New Zealand had already denied reports of Te Rehutai nearing the 60-knot mark, putting it down as 'dockside chatter'.

Ashby quoted Australian classic film The Castle in playing down those speed rumours.

"60 knots is pushing things," Ashby told 1News.

"There once was a movie saying, 'Tell him he's dreaming,' so it's very much that with the 60 knots.

"The boats are definitely getting faster and we're pushing the boundaries pretty hard but you run into some barriers at just over 50 knots.

"That's physics."

www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/

Transpac 2021: Full steam ahead
The Board of Directors of the Transpacific YC has confirmed the 2021 Transpac race is on. Interest is strong among participants, sponsors and members of the club to have no interruption this year in the 105-year history of this classic 2225-mile biennial ocean race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

With a strong turnout of 58 entries to date, three start dates are still on schedule, with the first start planned for July 13, 2021.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for us in planning this 51st edition of the race," said TPYC Commodore Jim Eddy, "particularly for shore side logistics and social events at both the start and finish venues. Nonetheless, we have been working through many scenarios with some expert help and feel confident about conducting this race safely."

The expert help comes from consulting epidemiologist Sara Stone, MSc, who has been working closely with TPYC on devising specific relevant protocols that maintain safety and compliance to the current restrictions in place for California and Hawaii. She has compiled a detailed report that will be used as the basis for a COVID-19 webinar being planned for Transpac participants on Saturday, March 13th at 0900 PST. All Transpac participants are urged to attend, and will be contacted on how to register for this important and informative briefing.

"Our current plans reflect our current circumstances," said Commodore Eddy, "and these will no doubt evolve between now and July. Yet we recognize our race remains solidly attractive to our participants because it is a unique opportunity to get out sailing and have the rewarding experience of crossing the ocean and finishing off beautiful Diamond Head."

transpacyc.com

(Fast) horses for courses - Contender Sail Cloth
Where Contender's original Superkote fabric came in a choice of one now there is a variant for every occasion...

With downwind sails, strength to weight ratio is critical, which is why many top sailing teams ask their sailmaker to specify Contender spinnaker cloth. The Superkote, Powerkote and Maxikote series together constitute a complete range of spinnaker fabrics that contain the right cloth for every type of spinnaker. When Superkote fabric was launched in 1986, there was one weight of cloth. Now there are 12, ranging from 31 grams per square metre up to 150g/sqm. The Contender range of spinnaker fabrics is used in everything from dinghies up to J-Class yachts and superyachts.

As the range of sail choice has expanded enormously in recent decades, the fabrics have had to develop to match that explosion of technology.

Full article in the March Issue of Seahorse

Head To Head: Momentary drag race between Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand
Emirates Team New Zealand sailed over to where Luna Rossa was practising at about 3pm. They circled each other for a short while and engaged in a momentary 'drag race' before Te Rehutai sailed east to continue her practice.

Virtual Spring Promo Week 22-28 March
The Cruising Association (CA), Britain's largest organisation exclusively representing over 6,300 sail and motor cruising members around the world, is running an online Spring Promo Week from 22 - 28 March, coinciding with the fitting out season and fully inclusive to appeal to members and non-members alike.

Their package of incentives and virtual activities will be of significant interest to anyone thinking of joining the CA and will also provide plenty of opportunities for members to benefit, no matter where they're based; you just need a computer or other device, and an internet connection.

There are three new webinars open to everyone to register for, and a fabulous Prize Draw bundle to be won, including a cabin stay at CA House in London. If you've been thinking of joining the CA then this is the week to do it. New activities and incentives have been tailor-made to help you make up your mind. For starters, anyone joining during Promo Week gets 25% off their first year's subscription when paid by Direct Debit.

Promo Week visitors are being encouraged to book a timed slot for a one-to-one Zoom visit around the CA's highly informative website, or have a guided tour of the popular CAptain's Mate app. Questions about membership or anything else can be put to a member of the CA team using the website's Live Chat facility from Mon-Fri 0930-1700.

The CA is also announcing the winner of its Winter Big Prize Draw. This has been running with Jeckells The Sailmakers for a Cruising Chute, manufactured in the UK with Robline sheets and halyards, valued at £2,000.

www.theca.org.uk

Performance 40s head offshore in the Rolex Fastnet Race
In this August's Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most popular 'classes within a class' will be the Performance 40. At present more than fifty of these racer-cruisers and cruiser-racers are currently entered in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's pinnacle event. So, what is the Performance 40, why has it struck such a chord and why to date has it been so 'under the radar'?

If the FAST40+ and Class40 represent the pinnacles of inshore and offshore racing respectively at this size, the Performance 40 is a less extreme, less costly version. For example under its class rules, a FAST40+ must have an IRC TCC of 1.210-1.270, whereas the Performance 40's rating band is a more modest 1.075-1.150.

Other physical constraints among its brief rules include LH of 10.9-14.1m, displacement:length ratio of 125-206 and maximum draft of 2.70m. Essentially, aside from this, IRC is left to level the playing field. As a result Performance 40s can include everything from First 40s to JPK 11.80s, J/111s, J/122s, J/121s, Mills 39s, Matt 12s, King 40s and even Farr 40s, zippy production boats to older IRC race boats. In fact if you were to create a class around the bulk of larger keelboats regularly racing on the Solent, the Performance 40 would be it.

2021 will be the Performance 40's fourth season, but whereas to date it has been exclusively an inshore circuit, based in the Solent, this year the class will also run an offshore series in conjunction with the RORC. This will include any two of the club's offshore races starting from Cowes (i.e. Myth of Malham, Morgan Cup, De Guingand Bowl, Cowes-Dinard-St Malo, Channel Race) and will culminate in the Rolex Fastnet Race, which cannot be discarded from the series. Trophies will be awarded both for the top Performance 40 in the Rolex Fastnet Race (the class' ranking will appear within the race's results) and overall for the class' new series.

The new offshore circuit has been welcomed by leading Performance 40 teams: "All these boats were designed with offshore capability. To go off and do the Fastnet is what we like to do in the UK," explains Nick Jones, who runs Robert Bottomley's MAT 12 Sailplane. "For the Rolex Fastnet Race I think it will add a fantastic extra dimension." -- James Boyd/RORC

www.rolexfastnetrace.com

Seahorse March 2021
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Doing the ground work
There are many good reasons for the welcome explosion of two-handed racing but doing your homework before leaving the dock for the first time double-handed will bring precious dividends

IRC - The wrong direction?
More sails for a Thursday night race than a lap of the planet. Surely not? James Dadd

RORC news - A more orderly sellout
Eddie Warden-Owen

Seahorse build table - Just Wow!
OK, we finally have it, the world’s first fully flying IMA-eligible foiling Maxi. Mark Mills

Sailor of the Month
And they’re giving us all one hell of a show

1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

1yr Digital Sub for £37.50: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/

Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.

Cancellation of the Semaine Olympique Francaise
For almost a year, the organising committee of the Semaine Olympique Francaise has designed and developed many measures to welcome the elite of Olympic sailing in the safest conditions possible. All scenarios were considered and proposed to the DIGES (France's inter-ministerial delegation for major sporting events), but unfortunately they have not given their permission and the event will not be able to take place in April.

Coming a few months before the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Semaine Olympique Francaise in Hyeres was to be the key event for Olympic sailing. Several different series had been planned to make the Hyerois event the highlight of the season. The Finn class had planned to award their European title there, the RS: X their World Champion title, and the Laser the last 4 European quotas for the Olympic Games. This historic event, one of World Sailing's World Cup events, was initially to be held from April 17 to 24, before a new version scheduled over four weeks was proposed to meet the health constraints governing physical distancing between people.

"We made the difficult decision to cancel Hyeres's 2021 Semaine Olympique Francaise following the response from DIGES," Nicolas Henard, President of the FFVoile (France's sailing federation), said. "We studied all the ways we could guarantee an event that would respect health standards and guarantee all the athletes attending watertight health and safety. We hoped that this event, focused on sailors engaged in an Olympic programme, would obtain the necessary agreements, especially after re-planning it over four weeks. But at this point, due to the ongoing health crisis, we cannot hold this event.

As in 2020, the organising committee will be offering a Virtual Semaine Olympique Francaise from April 17 to 24 on the Virtual Regatta Inshore platform. The great novelty of this virtual edition will be that the players will discover a new body of water this time - the bay of Hyeres in the Toulon Provence Mediterranee area.

The focus of the organising committee is now on the 2022 edition, and with Toulon Provence Mediterranee and World Sailing as partners they will prepare an exceptional event from April 23 to 30. It will be an international competition even more notable for hosting the new Olympic disciplines for "Paris 2024".

sof.ffvoile.fr

Industry News
Yachting World has appointed Helen Fretter as editor. Helen previously served as deputy editor at the title and can be found tweeting at @helenfretter.

Helen has a background of racing one-design keelboats and IRC yachts, and competed for many seasons at Solent events such as Cowes Week and the Commodores' Cup, as well as regattas in Cork, Deauville, Cascais, Kiel and the Caribbean.

Helen joined Yachting World in 2016, and was formerly Deputy Editor of Yachts & Yachting magazine. She has also worked as a communications manager and writer for events such as the Vendée Globe, Barcelona World Race, Round the Island Race, and America's Cup World Series.

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NMMA adds Atlantic City to boat shows it has been forced to cancel. What next for US shows?

This statement from the NMMA was released yesterday regarding the Atlantic City Progressive Boat Show:

"The health and safety of everyone involved in producing, attending and exhibiting at our shows is of utmost importance. Following a thorough analysis of the local market and our safety-first principles, we have decided to cancel this year's Progressive Insurance Atlantic City Boat Show, which was originally postponed from February 24-28 to April 7-11, 2021. We hope to see you in 2022, when we return to the Atlantic City Convention Center."

"The decision to cancel the show is the result of our continued due diligence to ensure a safe, successful, and high-quality experience with health and safety top of mind for everyone involved," said Frank Hugelmeyer, NMMA president on the official NMMA website.

"While we have had to cancel NMMA's winter 2021 boat shows, we stand ready to deliver world-class events, including the Atlantic City Boat Show, and will be back stronger than ever next year to help drive sales for the recreational boating industry."

This latest cancellation follows the NMMA's announcement last October that it was being obliged to cancel nine of its 2021 shows including Miami. However, since then it has also had to pull the plug on its New England February show in Boston and the North West Sports Show in Minneapolis which was due to be held from the 25-28 March.

The only major boat show in the US still due to take place in March is the Palm Beach Yacht Show scheduled for the 25-28th.

ibinews.com

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The 52 SUPER SERIES will use GEORACING for the next 3 years

The 52 SUPER SERIES is established as the world's leading grand prix monohull yacht racing circuit. For its 10th edition, the organization has decided to entrust GEORACING with the GPS tracking of all its regattas for the next three years.

A brand new generation of GPS trackers, operating at high frequency (10Hz) and with centimeter accuracy (RTK), will be deployed during the 1st event in May 2021. Designed by our partner Mc Lloyd, this sensor is currently used daily during horse races as well as by many top athletes in soccer, rugby, athletics, rowing, cycling During the live streaming on both the 52 SUPER SERIES's website site and mobile app, the GEORACING team will be in charge of a 3D virtual production enabling a better understanding of the different strategies operated by the teams. An interactive 2D player will also allow detailed analysis of trajectories and other race data.

Furthermore, our developers are also currently working on the creation of a new mobile application (iOS & Android) for the 52 SUPER SERIES. This should be revealed to you in the coming weeks.

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With nearly six months to go before the start of the 52nd edition of La Solitaire du Figaro, this ocean racing classic welcomes a new Official Supplier: Kooi. Specialising in camera surveillance, with the mission of improving the security of construction sites and wind farms among others, Kooi, a Dutch company, is present in 20 European countries.

Becoming a partner of an event such as La Solitaire du Figaro is no coincidence". Kooi is headquartered in Drachten, the Netherlands, in the province of Friesland: the province of water sports par excellence. We sponsor and participate in the traditional Skûtsjesilen, sailing competitions with traditional Friesian ships", explains Marc STAN, Managing Director France. Now located in the heart of the Sailing Valley, it was evident for the company to get closer to this French Classic. But, more than that, the values of the race, organised by OC Sport Pen Duick, seduced this young company which has, since its creation in 2010, innovation and performance as strong values.

The mobile surveillance solution developed by Kooi will be available in each of the villages of La Solitaire du Figaro and will monitor the Figaro Bénéteau 3 and the race villages throughout the event.

www.lasolitaire.com

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Venice boat show to go ahead in May

Exhibition to be held from May 29 to June 6 in the historic location of the Venice Arsenal

Preparations are underway for the second edition of the Salone Nautico Venezia, the Venetian boatshow due to take place from 29 May to 6 June 2021 in the historic location of the Venice Arsenal. With a waterbasin of 50,000 square meters, over 1,500 linear meters of pontoons, 10,000 square meters of outdoor exhibition spaces, and 10,000 square meters of pavilions, the show will display around 150 yachts in water and a total of 130 exhibitors, including shipyards and suppliers of nautical accessories, that have already signed up to take part, representing an increase of 50% in the number of boats and over 20% more exhibitors compared to the 2019 edition.

This year's show is expected to see a 50% increase in the number of boats and over 20% more exhibitors compared to the 2019 edition

The 2021 edition of the Boat Show will be included among the events celebrating the 1600th anniversary of the Venice foundation, paying homage to the city's important naval history. The uniqueness of the Venice Arsenal location will be further enhanced by the simultaneous presence of the International Architecture Exhibition of the Biennale.

www.ibinews.com

Featured Charter
Figaro 3 - Raw. POA.

The Figaro 3 is the first production foiling one-design monohull. Resulting from a collaboration between Beneteau’s best experts and the Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prevost (VPLP) office, the architects of the two last boats to win the Vendee Globe, this boat is fast, powerful and very exciting to sail. It is equipped with foils, a slender and deeper keel, a setback mast and an extensive and large sail plan.

The Figaro 3 has recently been awarded Sailing Worlds “Boat of the Year” for 2019, with judges praising its sailing on all points of sail! Chartering the Figaro 3 will be the experience of a lifetime. A truly awesome racing machine, you are bound to have an exhilarating time on the water putting the boat through its paces.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2015 Botin 65 King Marine HIGH SPIRIT. 1,500,000 EUR. Located in Caribbean.

The 65-foot sailing yacht BOTIN 65 is a truly unique racing yacht with a functional, stylish interior. HIGH SPIRIT was built by Spanish shipyard King Marine and launched at the end of 2015.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
BERNARD GALLAY Yacht Brokerage

+33 (0)467 66 39 93

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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

Contact

Kinetic Catamarans
USA Tel: +1 954 732 2836

Kinetic Catamarans
SA. Tel:+27 44 382 0439

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

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NEEL 43- Trimaran. POA EUR.

The NEEL 43, surprising and innovative. The latest Lombard-designed addition to the range is even more innovative and impressive and with a marked move towards the use of bio-sourced and recyclable materials, NEEL-TRIMARANS has confirmed its determined commitment to respecting the environment.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
4 rue Virginie Heriot - Plateau nautique
BP 23085 - 17032
La Rochelle Cedex - France
Tel. : +33 546 290 871

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

The Last Word
Two piercing eyes glancing into two piercing eyes- the holy con-man with the shining mind, and the sorrowful poetic con-man with the dark mind. -- Jack Kerouac on the night Ginsberg and Cassady met

Editorial and letter submissions to

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