In This Issue
• Favourites struggle to exert their dominance on a tricky opening day
• Pyewacket Arrives Into Hawaii
• Fast clothing - why not? - North Sails
• Virago wins the RORC Channel Race
• Stars+Stripes to Join New York Yacht Club's Challenge for 37th America's Cup
• Fleet Race Finale At British Classic Week
• Who's going to win the medals in Tokyo 2020?
• Finn Focus at the Tokyo 2020
• Controversy & Close Calls - Plymouth SailGP Review Show
• Melges 24 European Sailing Series
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Nautor Swan 601 - FLOW
• • Powerplay
• • SW78 Ocean Horse
• The Last Word: Jesse Owens

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

Favourites struggle to exert their dominance on a tricky opening day
After two weeks of training in steady onshore breezes, the sailors were dealt a very different and more difficult hand for the opening day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.

On the Enoshima course, close to the sailing centre, the Men's and Women's RS:X Windsurfers opened with three races in a light and fluky east north easterly breeze blowing from the shore.

The light air specialists were making their weight advantage pay, requiring the pre-regatta favourites to work extremely hard to stay in touch with the front of the fleet.

It was even tougher over on the Kamakura course where the Laser Radial Women's One Person Dinghy completed two stressful races that yielded two unexpected winners, followed by just one race for the Laser Men's One Person Dinghy. Here the winner's gun went to one of the event favourites while a number of other podium potentials were floundering further back in the pack.

The Laser, Laser Radial and Men's and Women's RS:X continue racing on Monday 26 July at 12:00 JST.

Tuesday 27 July will see the next wave of sailors take to the water with the start of the Men's Heavyweight One Person Dinghy - Finn, Men's Skiff - 49er and Women's Skiff - 49erFX.

Schedule and results

Pyewacket Arrives Into Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii - Five days, 16 hours, 53 minutes and 20 seconds since starting off San Pedro in Los Angeles last Saturday, the team on Roy Disney's turbo Volvo 70 Pyewacket crossed the finish line at 2:53 AM at Diamond Head to be first to finish in this year's Transpac. While not breaking the 5 day 2 hour course record set in 2017 by the VPLP 100-footer Comanche, this was still an impressive feat in having an average speed of 16.3 knots over the entire 2225-mile course. Knowing they could not defeat the course record, the team decided instead to go after another record: the longest 24-hour run in the race. Navigator Peter Isler laid out the scenario: rather than gybing on wind shifts to reduce the distance to the finish they would extend to the north corner of the course, gybe once, and head at high speed for Oahu. The tactic worked: in 24 hours the team sailed 506.4 miles, at an average of 21.1 knots of speed.

Having start dates staggered this year over five days and near-perfect strong breeze over the 2225-mile course has resulted in the first big wave of competitors coming across the finish line at Diamond Head today in the 51st edition of the LA-Honolulu Transpac. Since yesterday 10 more teams have finished the race today, with 9 more teams expected in tonight before dawn tomorrow. This makes more half the fleet of 41 entries expected to be in to their berths at Hawaii YC or Waikiki YC before another large wave of 18 finishers are expected tomorrow and tomorrow night.

transpacyc.com

Fast clothing - why not? - North Sails
Assemble a group of top international sailors for their ideas. Add one of the most famous names in the development of technical clothing for his knowledge and experience. The result was always going to be special...

It's difficult to pinpoint at what stage clothing started to become "technical". Some say the advent of truly breathable fabrics presented designers with the opportunity to completely re-think the way that items were constructed as the materials were behaving in a new and sophisticated way that allowed wholesale changes in construction techniques. Others say it was more complicated than that because new materials and methods complemented the breathable fabrics to drive a bigger revolution. But whenever and however the transition took place, the new Performance range of foul weather gear that has just been launched by North Sails isn't just firmly placed in the technical category, but takes specialist sailing clothing on to a new level.

Full article in the August issue of Seahorse

Virago wins the RORC Channel Race
Teams racing Two-Handed in IRC Four dominated the overall results for the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Channel Race. Held in light to medium airs, the 98nm offshore race was won overall by Jeffrey Knapman's MG335 Virago, racing with Tristan Kemp. Second overall was the Sun Fast 3200 Cora, raced by Tim Goodhew & Kelvin Matthews. Gavin Doyle's Irish Corby 25 Duff Lite, racing with Alex Piatti, was third. Duff Lite was a slender 17 seconds ahead of William McGough & Christian Jeffery, racing J/109 Just So.

Congratulations to all of the class winners, including Eric de Turckheim's NMYD54 Teasing Machine, Michael O'Donnell's J/121 Darkwood, Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, Henry Bomby & Sam Matson racing Sun Fast 3300 Swell, and Class40 Manic, skippered by Brian Thompson.

The RORC Season's Points Championship continues on Sunday the 8th of August with the 49th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Starting from the RYS Line Cowes, about 400 boats will set off on the Royal Ocean Racing Club's flagship offshore race.

Full Results

rorc.org

Stars+Stripes to Join New York Yacht Club's Challenge for 37th America's Cup
The New York Yacht Club has taken an initial, but significant, step toward establishing a sustainable franchise that can both win the 37th America's Cup and provide a road map for the Club's future involvement and for how international sport's oldest competition should evolve.

To bring together the best American sailing talent, the Stars+Stripes team founded by members Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield, the reigning Match Racing World Champions, will join the New York Yacht Club's campaign for the 37th America's Cup. The legacy of Stars+Stripes' campaign for the 36th America's Cup includes numerous key components and relationships that will contribute to a successful Cup campaign.

"As the founding trustee of the America's Cup, we have an obligation to steward the competition toward a brighter, more sustainable future," said NYYC Commodore Christopher Culver. "While our campaign for the 36th America's Cup ended short of its ultimate goal, it provided us with an opportunity to reconnect with the Cup and a platform to advocate for the changes we think are necessary to ensure a vibrant future for this great competition. Our goal is to establish a syndicate that will keep us involved going forward and create an enduring legacy for American sailing and the Cup at large."

As the New York Yacht Club is neither the Defender nor Challenger of Record for the event, it must await the Protocol and details on the timing and location for the 37th America's Cup, which are expected to be announced this fall. In the meantime, the New York Yacht Club will work to build the necessary partnerships and support for a substantial and serious America's Cup campaign. By the time the date, location and class of yacht for the competition are announced, the Club plans to have enough structure in place to hit the ground running.

nyyc.org

Fleet Race Finale At British Classic Week
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

The final day of British Classic Week blew into on a strong breeze ready for the replacement NAB Tower race (postponed from earlier in the week). Instead of the planned NAB Tower race, the committee set a long inshore course to end the regatta.

After a general recall on the first start, the fleet set off from the outer Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line to the east in 15knots and on the last of the ebbing tide. Beating up to the first mark, North East Ryde Middle, it was a port rounding and a bear away, with some yachts hoisting code zeroes for the short second leg to Royal Yacht Squadron.

Gybing around Royal Yacht Squadron, yachts hoisted spinnakers in the sunshine to glide downwind with the tide to South Bramble.

Heading up and tacking around South Bramble to port, the fleet set off on a long upwind leg punching against the tide in 14-15knots. Most yachts chose to tack close inshore up the mainland coast to get out of the strong oncoming tide, before sailing into the channel to round Browndown to starboard.

A big bear away around the mark and spinnakers were hoisted for the final downwind leg with the tide back to the RYS outer line.

Spirit 65 Chloe Giselle won Class 1, Class 2 was won by Giles Sloop Cetewayo, Whooper won Class 3 and Kim Holman designed Stiletto won Class 4.

britishclassicweek.co.uk

Who's going to win the medals in Tokyo 2020?
That's a question I've been thinking a lot about in recent weeks, writing preview stories and looking at the track records of the athletes going into the Games.

Just published is a podcast I've done here from my hotel room in Tokyo while working through my 3-day quarantine before I'm released into the wider world again.

Together with TV commentators Alec Wilkinson (GBR) and Peter Lester (NZL), we go through all 10 sailing events and the Runners & Riders...

Or if you prefer to go straight to my previews of the events and the leading sailors in each category, you can find them here

On the Road To Gold Facebook Group, I'm asking a question about superstitions and pre-race rituals. Beard or Bald? Neither? What would you choose?

I hope you enjoy following the Games (or good luck if you're competing in them!)

Great to see the racing going ahead. Thank you Japan and let's wish the organisers and the athletes the very best for the coming fortnight. -- Andy Rice, Sailjuice editor

Finn Focus at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition at the Enoshima Yacht Harbour
There are always many stories to come out of the Olympic Games, but for the 19 Finn sailors at Enoshima, these are all the more poignant as they contemplate the Finn's final appearance at the Games and maybe their only or final chance for Olympic glory.

It will be an event like no other before, and hopefully never again, but once on the race track, all the stress from the shore must be left behind if anyone is to succeed.

The key factors will be coping with the extreme heat, not getting distracted by the COVID protocols, and being adjustable to the many different conditions expected in Enoshima, from light, shifty and tidal days to huge swells and strong winds.

While defending champion Giles Scott, from Britain, still has a target on his back, he will have a very hard time to win back-to-back Olympics. He also is attempting to continue perhaps the longest winning streak in Olympic sailing history with the last five Finn gold medals being won by Britain.

In the run up to Rio 2016, Scott was dominant, winning pretty much every event he entered. This time things are vastly different, and he has not won a major event since the 2019 European Championship.

Nicholas Heiner, from The Netherlands, has been pushing the front for the last four years, but has been a bit inconsistent this year despite lots of race wins. However, if the next week goes his way, he will be a definite contender for gold.

"We always say Japan is about all-round sailing so I think we'll get a bit of everything. This last week we've had 6-7 days of nice sea breezes of 7-12 knots, but that means during the Olympics things will be completely different. It suits me quite nicely, when we get a range of different conditions. Looking forward to getting started and it will be an amazing event even though it's not normal. Nevertheless I love racing the Finn and I love racing these guys."

tokyo2020.sailing.org/

finnclass.org

Controversy & Close Calls - Plymouth SailGP Review Show
For the first time in SailGP's history a team was sent off for dangerous driving as the umpires issued a black flag, but this was only part of the action in Plymouth. In the face of a tricky weather forecast the event delivered way more action than many had expected including boats speeds hitting three times the wind speed and fleet racing that turned inside out with every race and often leg by leg. Plus, there was controversy aplenty over that pivotal decision and the repercussions that followed.

Melges 24 European Sailing Series
Riva del Garda, Italy - The second event of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2021, considered also Act 4 of the Italian Melges24Tour 2021, finished in Riva del Garda today, where two final races were held to constitute the series of nine.

Three days of racing and three different leaders, where Estonian Tonu Toniste's team on Lenny managed to climb to the top on final day, taking overall and Corinthian victory. Italian Paolo Brescia's Melgina follows second and the podium is completed by German Peter Karrie's Nefeli.

There were six Corinthian teams in Top 10. In conclusion lots of changes in the regatta with strong performances from all the teams and some new teams.

Top six Melges 24 teams after nine races and one discard in Riva: 1. Tonu Toniste, ITA, 24 pts 2. Paolo Brescia, ITA, pts 3. Peter Karrie, GER, 29 pts 4. Sergio Caramèl, ITA,29 pts 5. Michael Tarabochia with Luis Tarabochia helming, ITA,35pts 6. Marco Zammarchi with Niccolo Bertola helming, ITA,45 pts

Full results

Event website

The next appointment for Melges 24 fleet is in one-month time on August 20-22 at the same place - third event of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series and Act 5 of the Italian Melges24Tour will be hosted by Fraglia Vela Riva again. But the most anticipated event of the Melges 24 season awaits the sailors on September 4-11 in Portoroz, Slovenia, where the Melges 24 European Championship 2021 will be the first major championship hosted by the International Melges 24 Class Association since the Worlds in Villasimius, Italy in 2019

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The Last Word
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