In This Issue
• All Transpac teams past the halfway point
• Dare to Dream - IRC Four in the Rolex Fastnet Race
• North Sails Performance
• Brisbane picked to host 2032 Olympics without a rival bid
• Australian Sailing celebrates Brisbane 2032 announcement
• Tailored to perfection - Marlow Ropes
• British Finn dominance at risk at Tokyo 2020
• Cora to Celebrate Her 100th Birthday
• America's Cup: Covid slashes cash haul
• Pierre-Etienne Rault 27th entry in the GSC
• Featured Charter: Sailplane 3 - Mat 12
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Blackcat 50
• • YYachts Y7
• • JPK 10.30
• The Last Word: Ogden Nash

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

All Transpac teams past the halfway point
The predictions of this year's 51st edition of the biennial Transpac race from LA to Honolulu as being a fast race appear to be holding true: all teams that left the mainland starting about a week ago through the end of last week are past the halfway point in the race. The 40 boats out on the course this year have been fortunate to have a strong stable North Pacific High pressure system to the north of the course area that is allowing them to enjoy perfect 15-20 knot winds through the majority of this race.

While the ocean seems like a vast place, you have to keep out a watchful eye on this race. This is the first Transpac for Kate and Jim Murphy from Chicago who are racing on their TP 52 Callisto, and not only did they have a close pass a couple nights ago while overtaking Greg Dorn's Dehler 46 Favonius, but they've encountered other traffic more recently as well: "We had two port-starboard crossings last night both within 100 meters! One was with Compadres (the Andrews 77 from Division 1) and the other with Horizon (Len Boze's Santa Cruz 50 from Division 6)."

Use of the YB tracker system has revolutionized our ability to follow the race, and even with the 4-hour delay restriction placed on the public side of the system there is endless speculation about ETA's for the team's finishing dates and times at Diamond Head. The YB system helps fuel this speculation by displaying its own predictions based on measured rates of progress that project into the future to calculate a finish time.

At her current rate of speed with 690 miles to go, Roy Disney's turbo Volvo 70 Pyewacket would be at Diamond Head at 0700 Hawaii Standard Time on Friday July 23rd. Next across the line would be Cecil and Lynn Rossi's Farr 57 Ho'okolohe a little over 9 hours later in the afternoon. Then on Saturday and Sunday boats from all divisions will start coming in fast and furious to fill the docks over the weekend at Waikiki with Transpac sailors, their families and friends.

transpacyc.com

Dare to Dream - IRC Four in the Rolex Fastnet Race
Paul Moxon's 1939 Amokura is the oldest boat in the Rolex Fastnet Race. She competed in the 1959 race and again 60 years on in 2019, but did not complete either. Photo by Nic Compton. Click on image to enlarge.

More than 70 boats are expected to be on the start line racing in IRC Four for the Rolex Fastnet Race. Nearly all of the 500 plus sailors racing in the class are amateurs, and all bar a few boats are under 40ft. For the small boat class, the race is a labour of love and in many respects the toughest challenge of the Rolex Fastnet Race.

First established for the race in 2011, IRC Four is a relatively new class to the Rolex Fastnet Race. Jean-Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33 Iromiguy won the class in 2011, following on from Iromiguy's famous overall victory in 2005.

Since its conception, IRC Four has always been won by a French boat and for the last four editions by a team racing a JPK 10.10. Noel Racine's JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew won in 2013 and 2019, but having changed his boat to a JPK 10.30, Foggy Dew will not be racing in IRC Four. This year's edition has nine JPK10.10s in action, several can be considered favourites for class victory.

Among the 40 or so British teams competing in IRC Four, perhaps Richard Palmer's JPK 10.10 has the best shot of breaking France's winning streak. Racing Two-Handed with Jeremy Waitt, Jangada has an enviable track record: 2020 RORC Boat of the Year and winner of the 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race.

At least 18 classic yachts have entered the Rolex Fastnet Race in IRC Four. These yachts are typically owned by seasoned veterans of offshore racing - true Corinthians that race for passion not for profit.

Paul Moxon and Steve Jones' Amokura is the oldest boat in the race. The Fredrick Shepherd 50ft Bermudan yawl was built by Moodys, Swanwick in 1939, originally for Lord Mountbatten's Aide de Camp, Ernest Harston. With a pitch pine hull on oak beams, teak deck and seven ton bilge keel, Amokura is a heavy displacement yacht. She competed in the 1959 Fastnet Race and again 60 years on in 2019, but finished neither. Amokura's relationship with Cherbourg dates back to 1946 when she was credited as being the first British yacht into Cherbourg after the war. It is highly unlikely that Amokura will take line honours for the Rolex Fastnet Race, but there is no doubt that she will receive an ovation for finally finish the race that she was built for.

www.rolexfastnetrace.com

North Sails Performance
Technical clothing expert and North Sails Performance Director, Nigel Musto, recommends key pieces for your Rolex Fastnet Race kit bag.

Fastnet conditions are unpredictable. I have taken 5 days and drifted and I've done it in 2.5 days and 45 knots. I've worn everything from shorts and T-shirt to full foulies. If you're up the pointy end and it's blowing hard in those short seas it gets wet.

My ideal kit bag would include a North Sails Performance Offshore Smock and Trousers. Duraseals will keep you dry and comfortable if it blows. I would also have a Hybrid Jacket to wear in the more moderate stuff, at 480 grams it's a luxury you can afford to take.

I would pack a microfleece mid layer and take the high loft fleece just in case. It could make the difference between being warm and alert rather than cold and miserable. Pack a Merino base layer for breathable warmth, and a pair of Trimmers shorts and a Fast dry shirt for when it warms up.

Don't forget the suntan cream, the sunglasses. Good pair of gloves. Merino socks. I always take a tube of Neutrogena for your hands. And baby wipes - this isn't a luxury, staying clean prevents body sores.

Keep it all in a protective dry bag.

Take some cash, a credit card, passport and a fully charged but switched off mobile phone sealed in a watertight pouch. You don't always finish the race where you thought you would.

Visit www.northsails.com/PERFORMANCE

Brisbane picked to host 2032 Olympics without a rival bid
Brisbane was picked Wednesday to host the 2032 Olympics, the inevitable winner of a one-city race steered by the IOC to avoid rival bids.

The Games will go back to Australia 32 years after the popular 2000 Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in 1956.

"We know what it takes to deliver a successful Games in Australia," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told International Olympic Committee members in an 11-minute live video link from his office.

When the award was later confirmed, with Brisbane winning the vote 72-5, Morrison raised both arms in the air and gave two thumbs up.

The victory led to a fireworks display in Brisbane that was broadcast to IOC members in their five-star hotel in Tokyo.

Brisbane follows 2028 host Los Angeles in getting 11 years to prepare for hosting the Games. Paris will host in 2024. -- Graham Dunbar

apnews.com

Australian Sailing celebrates Brisbane 2032 announcement
Australian Sailing has welcomed tonight's announcement by the International Olympic Committee that Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.

Australian Sailing President Daniel Belcher shared the excitement of the sailing community at the announcement. "This is a landmark moment in Australian sporting history," said Belcher. "We are incredibly thankful to the work done by the bid team at the Australian Olympic Committee, and the support shown for the bid by the State and Federal Governments.

"The kids on the beaches and boat ramps of sailing clubs all around Australia now have something truly special to aspire to - representing Australia at a home Olympic Games in eleven years' time."

Australia has a proud history of success in Olympic sailing, and south-east Queensland has provided its share of Olympic heroes in that time. 2012 Olympic Champion and 2016 silver medallist in the Men's 470 class, Mat Belcher, grew up there and still calls Palm Beach on the Gold Coast home.

Australia is expected to attract several class World Championships to Brisbane in advance of the home Games, providing opportunities for young sailors and local clubs to enjoy the benefits of hosting the Olympics.

The announcement comes just two days before the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Australia has qualified eight boats for the event, with the first races set to commence on Sunday 25 July. The best way to follow the team is via the 7plus app and the Australian Sailing Team social media accounts using the #GoAusSailors hashtag.

sailing.org.au

Tailored to perfection - Marlow Ropes
It's not just top raceboats that require customised line solutions

Marlow Ropes' Grand Prix series has revolutionised the way sailors specify and order their high performance running rigging. Whatever kind of boat you sail, chances are you want your ropes to help you operate at the highest possible level around the racecourse. But because you care about cost and sustainability, you don't want to order any more rope than you need for the task in hand.

Thanks to a system of continuous feedback from Marlow Ropes' global network of specialist grand prix riggers, and from customers themselves, the Grand Prix series is always in a state of development, always looking for new ways to improve the product and the service.

The Grand Prix Series uses the highest performance materials such as Dyneema SK99, Zylon, Technora, Kevlar, Teflon and Zyex. Marlow's technical team works with their network of riggers to adjust the combinations and percentages of these materials to create the desired qualities for any given cover or core, such as higher strength, improved abrasion resistance and thermal properties, higher or lower friction and improved winch or other deck gear handling properties.

Full article in the August issue of Seahorse

British Finn dominance at risk at Tokyo 2020
The Finn, the Men's Heavyweight Dinghy, is the oldest boat at the Olympic Games, making its debut at the 1952 edition when Denmark's four-time Olympic Champion Paul Elvstrom won the event in Helsinki.

For the past two decades, Great Britain has won this event at every Games since 2000 when Iain Percy took gold on Sydney Harbour. Sir Ben Ainslie won three consecutive gold medals from 2004 to 2012 before passing on the baton to Giles Scott who won in Rio 2016. While Scott was the clear favourite for the last Games, this time the Briton really has his work cut out if he's to defend the title.

In 2019 New Zealand's Josh Junior became the first ever New Zealander to win the Finn Gold Cup, the first Kiwi to win in the long history of this prestigious regatta. Despite his compatriot and training partner Andy Maloney winning the most recent edition of the Finn Gold Cup, Junior narrowly won selection ahead of his friend who goes to the Games as Junior's coach. Imagine that! The reigning World Champion - as your coach.

There are many other serious challengers to Scott's crown, but the 34-year-old will not lie down without a fight. After dominating the four-year cycle into Rio 2016, his preparation for Tokyo has been more fragmented because of America's Cup commitments. However, the defending Olympic Champion has four Finn Gold Cups under his belt, and is still the most successful sailor in the fleet. At 1.98m, he's also one of the tallest.

Full list of competitors

tokyo2020.sailing.org

Cora to Celebrate Her 100th Birthday at the Irish 12 foot Dinghy Nationals at Dun Laoghaire
Cora then known as Gadget is on the right in this photo taken at Seaview on the Isle of Wight in 1921. Click on image to enlarge.

In 1955, Irish Olympian Dr Alf Delany bought an International 12-foot dinghy called Cora. She is now owned by his daughter Margaret Delany and Cora is again racing. Gerry Murray, who races her with Margaret has been looking into Cora's history and discovered that she was built in 1921. The class is holding a 100th birthday party for Cora at the Irish 12-foot Nationals in Dun Laoghaire on 29th August.

Cora was built by Camper and Nicholsons in Gosport. She was commissioned for Lt Col The Hon Claud Brabazon and he called her Gadget with sail number K29.

In 2006 Margaret Delany inherited her and Cora was rejuvenated. A rebuild at the International Boat Building College in Lowestoft and much more work by Doughal MacMahon brought her back to full racing trim in her original configuration. Since 2013 she has competed in West Kirby, Loosdtrecht, De Kaag, Lowestoft, Oulton Broad, Rutland Water and she has been at every Irish 12-foot Nationals in Dun Laoghaire since 2015.

I am hoping that some readers will be able to fill in some of the gaps in Cora's history. Any information would be helpful to understand who owned and raced Cora at any time but especially between 1933 and 1955. We would like to know how her name was chosen and as much as possible about Norman Ross.

If you have any memories of Cora, we would be delighted to hear from you. Her email is -- Gerry Murray in Afloat

afloat.ie/sail/sailing-clubs/

America's Cup: Covid slashes cash haul as regatta returns 79c for every dollar spent
The 36th America's Cup in Auckland returned 79 cents for every dollar invested by the Government and the Auckland Council, a new study has shown.

The economic benefit assessment, produced by consultancy Fresh Info, said that nationwide a total of $744.2 million was invested publicly, but it generated revenue of just $588.1m.

The performance in the host city of Auckland was better, returning 85c in the public dollar, with $629.4m spent and $537.8m generated.

The extra economic activity generated nationwide in 2021 is smaller than 2000's $640m revenue, but bigger than 2003's $529m.

The formula used has some unusual features, including $92m of Auckland Council infrastructure that was not cup-specific.

The benefits also don't include the value of overseas television and media coverage, which politicians put great store in during the regatta for showing Aotearoa as active during the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The pandemic ensured the event fell far short of providing the $600m to $1 billion expected boost to the New Zealand economy that was forecast in 2017 - a return of between 99.7c and $1.14 for every dollar invested.

The biggest loss was the spending by visiting superyachts that largely remained absent, and with the absence of foreign cup-related tourists and overseas media and sponsors.

www.stuff.co.nz

Frenchman Pierre-Etienne Rault from Bubry is the 27th entry in the GSC
Frenchman Pierre-Etienne Rault de Bubry has dreamed of going sailing around the world since childhood. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Golden Globe Race he was not ready to take part in the Longue Route 2018, now that he has the boat he had dreamed of for that trip there is no reason to wait further. In this project he intends to open an introspective parenthesis, take stock of what he has built and see what remains to be achieved. The sea is for him the ideal space for this type of experience. He is a first-class merchant navy officer.

What prompted you to sign up for this event?
Sailing around the world was in my head since I was a child. In 2018 for the 50th anniversary of the Golden Globe, I was not ready to take part in the Longue Route. Now that I have the boat I dreamed of for this trip, there is no reason to wait any longer.

I will move my boat forward as best I can, but I am under no illusions about my chances of victory. My victory will be first of all arriving with a boat in good condition, happy with my preparation and my trajectory.

Acrux is a good boat. It was designed in the early 1970s by architect Mils Clark with the specifications to to sail around the world by the three great capes. Long steel keel, 3m10 beam for a length of 10m30, is a boat built for the open sea and safe navigation.

Although it is more of a tortoise than a hare, it can still hold an average of 130-140 miles per day on long crossings.

globalsolochallenge.com

Featured Charter
Sailplane 3 – Mat 12

Sailplane is a combination of a pure-bred IRC racing boat with the comforts of a cruiser. Although being a boat designed for racers, her deck was built with comfort and safety at the foremost importance, with a modern rig with twin spreaders, a non-overlapping jib, and her interior a comfortable layout makes MAT 12 a real dual-purpose yacht.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
http://lvyachting.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
Blackcat 50. POA.

Blackcat 50 is an entirely new superyacht platform, setting the standard in large cruising catamarans.

The world of superyacht sailing is rapidly changing. Over recent years superyachts have grown dramatically in size and improved performance.

This is mainly due to stronger and lighter construction materials coupled together with evolution in design and innovation. All these developments lead to the most logical conclusion in your next choice of superyacht.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Ph: +34 696 483 962

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YYACHTS Y7. POA EUR.

The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.

In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.

All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
T. +49 3834 5858 77-0
E.
www.yyachts.de/en/y7

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2020 JPK 10.30. 250,000 EUR. Located in Brittany

JPK 10.30 - fully equipped for offshore racing

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Gilles Lamarque

+33 6 80 01 79 41

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

The Last Word
There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all. -- Ogden Nash

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