EuroSail News #4811 - 7 April
In This Issue
• Royal Ocean Racing Club appoints new Chief Executive
• 2021 America's Cup Hall Of Fame Induction
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Hamble Warming Pan at Easter - two days of fun!
• Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta
• Absorbed
• Transpac welcomes GoodEnergy as its 60th Entry
• Industry News
• Featured Charter: Curanta Cridhe - 50ft Catamaran
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Gunboat 60 ALAIA
• • Infiniti 52R
• • Judel Vrolijk 16m Performance Cruiser
• The Last Word: Douglas Adams
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
Royal Ocean Racing Club appoints new Chief Executive
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce Jeremy Wilton as the new Chief Executive of the London and Cowes based Club from 6th April 2021. He will take over the leadership and development role of one of the world’s most influential yacht clubs from Eddie Warden Owen, who has helped shape the success of the Club through its international offshore racing programme for the past 12 years.
“We look forward to welcoming Jeremy who has an excellent understanding of leading membership-based clubs and a proven record of delivering strong financial and commercial results,” says RORC Commodore, James Neville of the new CEO, soon to head the 4,000-strong worldwide membership.
“Having held senior leadership positions in the world of rugby, where he spent over seven years working at Bath Rugby and Wasps, as well as over a decade at Whitbread PLC and founded and developed a marketing communications agency, we are certain that Jeremy’s experience and vision will be a huge asset, ensuring that the RORC is in a strong position as it nears the Club’s centenary in 2025,” continues Commodore Neville.
Wilton is no stranger to the world of sailing. During his time at Whitbread PLC, he oversaw and developed a sponsorship portfolio which covered two Whitbread Round the World Races, and having been introduced to sailing at a young age, it has featured heavily throughout his life, both in Australia and the UK.
Starting in dinghies of various shapes and sizes and graduating to offshore racing. He has competed in the Fastnet, Sydney to Coffs Harbour and nearly all of the RORC’s long-distance races; numerous Cowes Week regattas, and narrowly missed out on representing Great Britain in the Admiral’s Cup.
Warden Owen will step down from the overall running of the RORC in April, but will continue to work on delivering the Club’s flagship event - the 49th Rolex Fastnet Race starting from Cowes, UK on Sunday 8th August and finishing for the first time in Cherbourg, France.
2021 America's Cup Hall Of Fame Induction
After a virtual induction event in 2020, the ACHOF induction ceremony returned to a traditional gala dinner held at the RNZYS, and while this event had to be postponed from March 8th due to the Level 3 "lockdown" that postponed the start of the America's Cup, the fact that New Zealand is relatively COVID-free is what made this event possible.
Unfortunately, the downside of the tight NZ border controls that make the event possible is that only one of this year's two inductees was able to attend, New Zealand's own Peter "PJ" Montgomery. The other inductee, Ed Baird, had to watch with envy from St. Petersburg, FL, but he was there in spirit and via video, and was introduced by his old teammate Brad Butterworth.
This year's emcee duties were shared by Hall of Fame member Bruno Troublé and RNZYS Commodore Aaron Young, the grandson of one of New Zealand's best known yacht designers. While perennial ACHOF emcee Gary Jobson will be missed, Mr. Troublé and Commodore Young are excited about the opportunity, and they have been working diligently on their material.
Peter John Montgomery MBE (NZL)
From Newport in 1980 onwards, Peter "PJ" Montgomery covered twelve America's Cup series through a period of profound change as a broadcaster and as the "Voice of the America's Cup." His distinctive delivery and riveting commentary have captured, entertained, and informed audiences, making him an instantly recognizable and popular figure in the America's Cup.
Montgomery's commentary captivated not just sailors but millions of non-sailors, converting many into knowledgeable fans of the sport. This growth in the mainstream public's interest in the America's Cup fostered commercial and government support for the Cup-encouraging new teams and new countries to compete for yachting's oldest prize. When Hollywood produced Wind, a feature length movie about the Cup, Montgomery was invited to play the commentator.
Phillip Edward Baird (USA)
Ed Baird is a two-time winner of the America's Cup-as coach of Team New Zealand in 1995 and as helmsman of Team Alinghi in 2007.
In 1995, Baird's guidance on match racing tactics and work as tune-up skipper contributed to Team New Zealand's success in San Diego where they defeated the defender, led by Dennis Conner, in five straight races. Baird recalls, "My experience with Team New Zealand was incredible because it really opened my eyes to the levels people could reach. I thought I knew a lot of the better sailors in the world until I got onto that team and realized there was another substantial step up. It was also impressive to be in a group that was pushing the limits in many areas of the sport, but that was also on a very limited budget." Later that year, Baird went on to win the IYRU Match Racing World Championship as a further testimony of his exceptional racing skills.
Seahorse April 2021
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
When three hulls win
Neel's fast ocean going trimarans are becoming an increasingly familiar sight around the great cruising destinations and with good reason... not all of them immediately obvious
An unprecedented edition
If there is one thing for which the latest Vendée Globe will be remembered it will be as the closest round-the-world race ever - and in any discipline. Patrice Carpentier
When the music stops
There has been little if anything that has been predictable about America's Cup 36. Andy Claughton
Quite the machine
The much trailed TF35 semi-automatic foiler was scheduled to debut 12 months ago. Now at last the show is about to begin. Dirk Kramers
Spot on
When Daniel Andrieu and Guillaume Verdier designed a new shorthanded racer for Jeanneau even they couldn't have dreamt what a stunning success they were about to set in motion
1yr Print Sub: €77 - £48 - $71 / Rest of the World: £65 www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs/
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Discounts shown are valid on a one year subscription to Seahorse magazine.
Hamble Warming Pan at Easter - two days of fun!
Photos by Mike James, Catrina Clarke and Mike Foster. Click on image for photo gallery.
Hamble River Sailing Club's 2021 Hamble Warming Pan over the Easter weekend featured the Junior Warming Pan on Saturday and the 59th edition of the club's famous dinghy open meeting on Sunday, with a total fleet of 84 locally based boats attracted by good weather and the Easter 'staycation'.
With two fleets of Optimists, one for the more experienced racers and the Regatta class for beginners, plus Fevas and Toppers and a mix of other junior classes under PY, the brisk north-easterly breeze delivered thrills and spills for the 50 entrants, all under the watchful eye of PRO Mike Foster and the many assistants aboard the committee and safety boats.
William Fletcher won the main Optimist class with three firsts, discarding an OCS, from Hennie Burlton and Joe Armstrong-Rowland. Henry Ross achieved three wins and a third to win the Oppie Regatta class from Phileas Rousselle and Sophie Le Grice, with racing for this class run by Alice Ryan on a separate course. Freddie Callaghan and Thomas Roy won the Feva class with three wins ahead of helms Monty Ross and Elsa Kelly, and in the fleet of 12 Toppers, Alfie Noel was first overall with 3 points ahead of Immi Rees and Thomas Peace. In the PY class Laser Radials took the first three spots, and won by Archie Wright on equal points with Xavier Dunn ahead of Ewan Cameron with Finlay Craigen 4th sailing an RS Aero 5.
With more sunshine and a building breeze from the south-west on Sunday the fleet of 34 boats (RS400, Finn, Foxer and PY) enjoyed some close racing with Paul Howard as the PRO. In the RS400 class with four boats entered, the RYA's Director of Racing Ian Walker won with three wins from David Swift on 9 points, with Bruce Mills and PlanetSail America's Cup commentator Matt Sheahan crewed by his daughter Ellie on equal 10 points.
A fine fleet of five Finns saw a very close tussle for top spot between Martin Hughes (1st overall on 5 points) and John Heyes, with Kieron Holt snatching a win in the final of the three races. Roger Cerrato and Chris Barbery were never far behind with some compact finishing times in this competitive group.
The 14-strong PY fleet had a good mix of single and two-handers (ILCA/Lasers, Solo, Firefly, RS Feva XL, RS 200, RS Aero5, Wayfarer, and RS Feva) with Andy Le Grice taking first place overall in his ILCA Laser (standard rig) from Ian Campbell in a Solo and Roger Morris is the nicely varnished Firefly. Some of the junior sailors joined in the senior event; Archie Wright, Ewan Cameron, Freddie Callaghan and Thomas Roy, and with Gabriella and Hennie Burlton in fourth place overall and no doubt all gaining valuable experience.
In the Foxer fleet of 11 boats Peter Greenhalgh ripped up the form book with two wins and a second with Ian Southworth second on 2,3,1, and Shaun Barber on 3,4,3. Darren Baker was 4th overall with John Langdown 5th including a 2nd place in Race 2.
Full results at www.hrsc.org.uk/hrsc-results/open-results
Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta
Photo by Paul Brown. Click on image for photo gallery.
Following the inevitable, pandemic-driven cancellation of the 2020 event, the Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta 2021 is back on the racing calendar from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th July. The South Coast's most popular yacht club regatta encompasses a weekend of first class racing in the Western Solent with onshore entertainment based in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. In 2019, a record breaking 214 boats raced over two days at the regatta and this year's event has already attracted 170 registrations of interest.
Champagne Taittinger is returning as longstanding title sponsor and is joined for the first time this year by local Yarmouth businesses the River Yar Boatyard and Wight Marine in the role of supporting sponsors. In a new and exciting, international collaboration with Austria's Edelweiss & Gurgl Hotel in the Otztal Alps, a seven-night stay for two in the luxury hotel's 1889 Panorama Suite is up for grabs, with the winner to be drawn out of a hat from the winning boats in each class.
As the regatta's organisers continue to monitor the UK's social, sports and entertainment guidelines, the Royal Solent Yacht Club will publish the event's Notice of Race online next week (12-16 April), followed by the launch of online regatta entry in the latter half of April. Sailing Instructions for the Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta 2021 will be available from 1st July.
Taittinger Royal Solent Yacht Club Regatta 2021 key dates:
12-16 April - Notice of Race published
Late April - Online regatta entry opens
July 1st - Sailing Instructions published
Friday 16th - Sunday 18th July - regatta weekend
Absorbed
I will forever be indebted to the sailing network (they know who they are) that sourced for me a signed copy, number 365, of the late, great Bob Fisher's America's Cup opus, An Absorbing Interest. And what a fascinating, absorbing read it is and as lasting legacies go, this is it. This is everything. As treasured possessions go, this is one of those life-long books that sits alongside the copy of 'From Newport to Perth' that is still 'on loan' from a school library, 'Born to Win' signed by JB and Skip Lissiman no less, 'No Excuse to Lose' and 'Comeback' both by DC.
Bill Koch, the now 83 year old scion of the Koch Industries family provided the wherewithal and drive to complete this historical record and is paid due respect by Bob up front in the books where reference is made to Koch's extensive model room in Palm Beach, Florida. I've seen photos of it before and my goodness it's impressive. As Bob writes "His collection of models of the Cup contenders is second to none - they are all there, from the 17 that raced around the Isle of Wight in 1851 and the 18 off New York for the first challenge through the pair that raced in Auckland in 2003, all at three-eighths of an inch to the foot, mounted on the same water-plane, with their half models on the wall behind them."
It's the kind of room that I dream of wiling away a warm Palm Spring afternoon, savouring the history and admiring every tiny detail like a kid in a candy store. I imagine the model room at the New York Yacht Club has the same effect in an even more majestic setting but the sheer intimacy of Koch's private collection is awe inspiring. -- Magnus Wheatley
Full editorial: rule69blog.wordpress.com
Transpac welcomes GoodEnergy as its 60th Entry
The 63-foot Reichel/Pugh-designed GoodEnergy co-skippered by George Hershman and Mark Comings is now the 60th entry in this year's 51st edition of the Transpac, the Transpacific Yacht Club's 2225-mile ocean racing classic from Los Angeles to Honolulu. GoodEnergy joins a strong fleet of similar high-performance monohulls along with a diverse array of many other boat types who will be starting in the race in three waves beginning on July 13th, 2021.
Having just bought this proven offshore yacht from Australia - she was built in 2009 as Loki in carbon/nomex at McConaghy, and was the 2011 winner of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race - Hershman thinks this is right time for Transpac.
While this is the first Transpac for Hershman, he says he has surrounded himself with a strong veteran team the includes co-skipper Mark Comings, navigator Jib Kelly, Chuck Clay, Mike Burch, Kenny Dair and others to be named soon for the roster of 12 crew. To prepare for the race, the team plans to do the SoCal 300 in May, and some work on the boat. "Some optimization is needed for Transpac," said Hershman. "We plan to update the sail plan and reduce some bulb weight, and upgrades to the electronics, but not much. The boat is in very good shape."
Industry News
Boat Tech Srl has taken legal action against H. Taylor and Sons (Brockley) Ltd, trading as RS Sailing, claiming an unlawful breach of its distribution agreement.
In a statement, Aldo Rinaldi, CEO of Boat Tech, says the agreement was terminated in February 2021 after 15 years working together.
Aldo claims his company had an exclusive agreement to distribute RS sailing dinghies in Italy, however RS entered into a new distribution contract with Negrinautica Srl in September 2020.
The latter has also been sued, with Boat Tech citing unfair competition.
The court of Milan has been asked to prohibit the sale of RS Sailing boats by parties other than Boat Tech.
Aldo points out that RS Sailing imposes UK jurisdiction on its distributors, however where the market is seriously violated - as he claims in this instance - he is bringing his case before the Italian justice system which does not allow the exclusive protection of Italian SMEs to be delegated abroad.
In his statement, Aldo claims Boat Tech has distributed RS sailing dinghies with 'diligence and professionalism'.
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Clamcleats has warned customers that supplies of nylon-based materials are under threat as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and difficulties with trade following the UK's exit from the European Union.
Stock levels are not yet critical but concerns are mounting within the industry. Boating Business spoke to Paul Botterill, who has recently joined Clamcleats as marketing and business development manager.
"There is a problem with ABS, nylon and some nylon blend raw materials," said Paul. "This was primarily caused by the slump in the oil price during the first Covid outbreak around the world," he continued.
Paul said that the company holds good stocks of raw materials but warns that other manufacturers may face problems if their stocks are less plentiful. "Raw material distributors stocks are very limited with many nylon brands stating 'Force Majeure'," said Paul.
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Changes to the layout of this September's Southampton International Boat Show have been confirmed by organisers British Marine.
Working in partnership with Southampton City Council, BM says additional land has been secured for use by the show making it larger than in previous years.
A new entrance to the show will be located outside the city's Westquay shopping centre and once inside, visitors will be guided through new zones catering for specific interests.
The first zone will be for paddle boards, kite surfers, kayaks and windsurfers, accompanied by a stage, street food and music.
A Dinghy Zone geared towards the interest of dinghy sailors and high-performance sailing will flow into a Classic Boat & Day Boat Zone aimed at celebrating the boats and craftsmanship that stands the test of time.
Mayflower Park and the marina will host power and sail boats, equipment and services.
The show is scheduled to take place from September 10 - 19 2021.
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Scheduled to take place from 28 April to 2 May, the organisers of the International Multihull Show have announced the cancellation of the exhibition for reasons of public health protection, linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 50 boats had registered to attend the show, which was scheduled to take place at the harbour of La Grande-Motte in the South of France, including 18 making their world premiere.
Launched in 2010, this one-of-a-kind boat show was built around the concept of exclusively showing multihulls afloat, at a single dedicated venue.
There are plans to hold the next show in April 2022.
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The Federation des Industries Nautiques (FIN) has announced the dates for this year's Paris Boat Show, otherwise known as the Nautic. It will be held at the venue where it has been staged for many years, the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre, from the 4th-12th December.
Last year's show had to be cancelled but the organisers are confident that the conditions which prevailed then will not inhibit the show taking place this year. The assumption being that the very high Covid infection rates being experienced at the moment in France and particularly in Paris, which is subject to severe lockdowns, will have eased significantly in a few months' time.
When last run in 2019 the Paris show attracted 150,000 visitors and 800 exhibitors.
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The 2021 Vilamoura Marina International Boat Show is scheduled to go ahead this year from June 5-13 at Vilamoura Marina in Portugal, according to the organisers.
The outdoor boat and lifestyle show will bring together all types of new and used (brokerage) boats, both on water and on land, along with marine equipment and accessories, and related services.
The event follows the cancellation of the regular Nauticampo Lisbon Boat Show earlier in the year.
Featured Charter
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Infiniti 52 R POA EUR.
The Infiniti 52 R is a custom-designed Grand Prix racing yacht developed to take full advantage of the performance benefits of DSS. Ideally suited to race coastal and offshore in locations all over the world and competitive under all rating systems, the Infiniti 52 R changes the game in this size range. Developed in conjunction with 4-time Whitbread/Volvo winner Stu Bannatyne, the Infiniti 52 R was developed to fulfil the wishes of a number of clients who were looking for a yacht that would provide a significant performance increase over current options but able to sail and race with 50-60% of the crew traditionally required for yachts of this size.
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1991 Judel Vrolijk 16m Performance Cruiser. 165000 EUR. Located in Ibiza.
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
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