In This Issue
• 470 Gold Medals for Australia and Great Britain
• Protest after 470 Women Medal Race delays final results
• Cowes Week Daily Round Up Day 5
• Perfection is a journey not a destination
• IAKA Youth Team podium of Women's Day at Cowes Week
• The Persico Fly40 experience: a new-concept class and circuit
• J/70 World Championship Regatta
• Rolex Fastnet Race: World's biggest offshore yacht race starts on Sunday
• The IMOCA Class returns to the Rolex Fastnet
• Alex Thomson announces his co-skipper for the Rolex Fastnet
• Euromarine Insurance Ramsgate Week
• Club Cruiser Trophy
• Featured Charter: Swan 80 - Umiko
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Swan 46-001 Troubadour
• • MILLS 41 - "Ambush"
• • Blue Note - JPK 1080
• Back on Monday, no Friday Issue this week
• The Last Word: Lenny Bruce

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

470 Gold Medals for Australia and Great Britain
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition concluded with two Medal Races in the 470 Men and 470 Women.

With the 470 becoming a Mixed Event for Paris 2024, today was the last time that these partnerships would race side by side in the same boat.

The 8 to 10 knot wind conditions made for a tough cardiovascular contest combined with close quarters tactics and precision boat handling.

Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) won gold in the 470 Men, with Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom (SWE) taking silver and Jordi Xammar and Nico Rodriguez (ESP) bronze.

Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) won gold in the 470 Women, with Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Jolanta Ogar (POL) taking silver and Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz (FRA) bronze.

Complete results

Protest after 470 Women Medal Race delays final results
What was meant to be a straightforward gold medal celebration for Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) has had to be delayed until a protest has been heard and resolved onshore. France's Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz are protesting Great Britain for alleged team racing after a close tussle between the leading three contenders for the medals: Great Britain, France and Poland.

Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) won the Medal Race, taking fourth overall. Meanwhile Great Britain who had been second behind the Swiss, were overtaken on the final run by Germany, Israel and Poland. This put Poland back on equal points with France, giving silver and bronze to France.

However, immediately after the race the jury was informed that France was protesting Great Britain. The protest is to be heard ashore. -- Andy Rice - World Sailing

* The protest was heard ashore and the case dismissed

tokyo2020.sailing.org

Cowes Week Daily Round Up Day 5
After a long postponement racing got underway today just after lunch, in bright sun and 6-8 knots of wind. A fickle sea breeze that rarely became fully established created a really challenging day for both competitors and race officials, especially later in the afternoon when the weak south-westerly flow fought the initial south-easterly.

The first classes to get under way from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, in an easterly breeze of 6-8 knots, were IRC Classes 0 and 1. They were competing today for the Britannia Cup, one of the most historic and prestigious trophies in the sailing world. Guy Gillon and Christian Hamilton's GP42 Khumbu looked well placed at the inshore end of the tight start line, with Tony Mack's J/111 McFly also nicely placed on her windward hip. Ian Atkins' IC37 Icy also came out well in a gap further offshore, as did Peter Morton's The Jean Genie, having tacked onto port nearby just before the gun.

By contrast, Tony Langley's higher rated TP52 Gladiator started at the outboard end of the line, initially sailing her own race, continued offshore on starboard tack, when others tacked inshore right to the limit of the exclusion zone off Cowes Harbour.

Although the sea breeze was turbulent, with big wind shifts, the fleet made reasonable progress on their 17 mile course, until a leg back from the eastern Solent towards the finish on the Royal Yacht Squadron line.

Having built up a good lead on the water, Gladiator sailed into the transition zone with no wind between the early south-easterly sea breeze and the weak south-westerly that was slowly moving in from the west. Morton, however, headed towards the north shore, where the south-easterly was more consistent that he would benefit from less adverse tide in the shallow water.

Despite sailing a longer distance, The Jean Genie picked up a good vein of breeze close inshore off Lee on Solent, before tacking onto starboard and transitioning fairly smoothly into the new wind. By now Gladiator was sailing at speed in the south-westerly, but didn't have enough runway left to catch the smaller boat. Morton finished 32 seconds ahead to take line honours and win the Britannia Cup. Icy was third on the water, having also approached from the north, but was beaten into second place on corrected time by Tony Mack's J/111 McFly.

Tomorrow promises a return to a stronger winds, with a southerly 12-18 knots increasing to give gusts of 25 knots or more in a front later in the afternoon. A further amendment to the Sailing Instructions has been issued to bring some start times forward and change the start lines in use. -- Rupert Holmes

Perfection is a journey not a destination
Sailing regattas are back. Staycations are the latest craze. The BSI global network of riggers and agents continue to keep you, our customers, sailing.

“Anything that floats, with a mast and sails, appears to be sailing in 2021,” comments Ulf Josefsson Worldwide Superyacht & Custom Sales at BSI Rigging. “We have seen a huge increase in demand for rigging across all boat sizes and all markets, from 20ft keelboats across the board to the superyacht sector, and it doesn’t look as though things are easing up.”

BSI has witnessed a shift in buying habits over the past 12 months, COVID and staycations appears to have seen a strong increase in the demand for secondhand boats, which has had a knock-on effect on service and rig refits.

“We want to let you know that the lights are always on at BSI and our team are working around the clock and around the world to help us meet the current demand and help you maintain your rigs,” comments Ulf.

Remember to keep checking your standing rigging and hardware. Wear and tear are inevitable, however catastrophic events can be avoided with a simple inspection followed up phone call. BSI offer wire, Kevlar, and rod rigging solutions for when compromise is not an option, you will receive a superior product, without the superior price tag.

For more information on BSI Rigging and the high-quality marine brands within the group Jefa Steering, GORI Propellers, Hundested Propeller and OYS Rigging please visit www.bsidk.com

IAKA Youth Team podium of Women's Day at Cowes Week
Having won the selection event at the Royal Southern YC July Regatta, the newly established IAKA Youth Team is competing in the SB20 Class at Cowes Week. This was made possible by the collaboration of the Ian Atkins Keelboat Award (IAKA), administered by the John Merricks Sailing Trust, the SB20 Class UK and Sportsboatworld.

On the fourth and final day of the SB20 Grand Slam Series at Cowes Week, Alex Hamel was appropriately driving the SB20 for the IAKA Youth Team. Finishing the series with a bang, the team scored a seventh in the first race of the day and a memorable second place in the final race, to finish a thrilling series on a high.

"We are very happy, and this week has been a learning curve," commented Alex Hamel. "We have improved massively over the week and today the conditions suited us as we are all pretty good at tactics which become more important in light winds. Once we get into the competition, boat on boat is a strong point for our team. This has been an amazing experience, more than I thought it would be and it has been really good fun with three races every day and the social side in the evenings."

Racing continues for the IAKA Youth Team with the Mini-Slam continuing right up to Friday 6th August. To register your interest in the IAKA enterprise email:

The Persico Fly40 experience: a new-concept class and circuit
The future of owner-racer racing is here: Persico Marine has transferred its America's Cup experience to a 12-metre foiler designed for a 5-person crew.

Checco Bruni has been a key project advisor and ambassador; Caponnetto Hueber, together with New Zealand-based Pure Design & Engineering, are the designers.

Trailblazing regattas, simplicity and safety of piloting and cost control are the objectives of the circuit.

Five months after the conclusion of the America's Cup, Persico Marine has introduced owners and the yachting industry in general to a new project: the Persico Fly40 One Design. Now officially launched in the market, the boat is the first spin-off incorporating the research and development, construction technology and "spirit" of the 36th edition of the America's Cup.

Persico Marine has thus opened a new market segment targeted at owners, for whom the "new normal" will be a foiler with canting arms - a high-performance, one-design-class monohull conceived for an upwind start, tacking duels and every aspect of the traditional regatta, but at three times the windspeed! The Persico Fly40 is 11.8 metres in length overall, 3.4 metres wide and 1,600 kilogramsin weight and has 100 square metres of sail area and a minimum take-off speed of 7 knots TWS. Designed for a crew of 5, it can be trailered and moved easily. All of these features highlight the innovation, force and boldness of a project that is safe, enjoyable and ready to be experienced by owner-racers.

Key Figures
Boatyard Persico Marine
LOA 11.8 m
BOA 3.4 m
Hydro Draft 3.25 m
Air Draft 19 m
Yacht Weight 1600 kg (400 kg ballasted bulbs)
Crew up to 5
Sailing Weight 2000 kg
Minimum Take Off Speed: 7.5 Kts TWS
Designed by Caponnetto+Hueber
Engineered by Pure

www.persicomarine.com

J/70 World Championship Regatta
Marina Del Rey, California: The stage is set for the long-awaited J/70 World Championship Regatta to be held August 7 to 15, 2021 at California Yacht Club. Sixty-two teams from 11 nations are expected to be on the start line.

Pre-Worlds Wrap-up
Forty-four teams tuned up at the Pre-World Championship regatta July 31 and August 1: ramping up the action and excitement! Hosted by nearby Del Rey Yacht Club, the Pre-Worlds was directed by Mark Foster, who will also serve as Principal Race Officer for the Worlds.

Perfect summer weather greeted the Pre-Worlds racers. As Saturday morning's marine layer burnt off temperatures rose to the low 70s, while the breeze climbed to the high teens. The sailors welcomed the slightly lighter conditions on Sunday, with the breeze peaking in the low teens in the second and third race. With single-digit finishes in all six races - including bullets in Races Two and Four - Bruce Golison and the crew of Midlife Crisis captured the Pre-Worlds title. Chris Raab on Sugoi secured his place at the top of the leaderboard in the One Pro division by winning the last race; while the father and sons team from Chile, Ducasse Sailing Team, topped the 12 boat Corinthian fleet.

Full results are available at YachtScoring.com

Rolex Fastnet Race: World's biggest offshore yacht race starts on Sunday
While Cowes Week is taking centre stage on the Solent at present, final preparations are being made for Sunday's start (8th August) of the world's biggest offshore yacht race, the Rolex Fastnet Race.

This year, for the first time since the race was first held in 1925, the Royal Ocean Racing Club's premier event will finish in Cherbourg, France rather than Plymouth. However, this 49th edition of the race will start as usual from Cowes, where the first warning signal for the multihull classes will be given at 1100, followed at 15 minute intervals by the IMOCAs/Class40s and then the five IRC classes starting with IRC Four and finishing with IRC Zero at 1230.

At the latest tally 355 boats are entered ranging in size from the brand new ClubSwan 125 Skorpios belonging to Russian Dmitry Rybolovlev, to the lowest rated in the IRC fleet, Pierre Legoupil's 11m Illingworth/Primose-designed Maica classic, Le Loup Rouge Of Cmn, to the shortest, Tim Whittle 9.33m long T3 Trifoiler L'Albatros, racing in the MOCRA fleet.

The vast majority are competing in the IRC fleet. This spans some of the top international grand prix racers down to mum and dad's in family crews and sailing schools.

www.rolexfastnetrace.com

The IMOCA Class returns for two-handed combat in the Rolex Fastnet
The IMOCA Class is taking on this year's Rolex Fastnet Race in force, with up to 14 boats expected on the startline. The 49th edition of this historic biennial race which starts from the Solent on Sunday, is not just a great opportunity for two-handed IMOCA crews to battle against each other, it has also been designated an official qualifier for this autumn's Transat Jacques Vabre.

The IMOCA fleet includes some of the latest foilers - among them HUGO BOSS (Alex Thomson and Ollie Heer) and ARKÉA PAPREC (Sébastien Simon and Yann Elies)- and a good selection of older models including 11th Hour Racing (Simon Fisher and Justine Mettraux), FORTINET - Best Western (Romain Attanasio and Sébastien Marsset), and Groupe APICIL (Damien Seguin and Benjamin Dutreux).

Also on the startline will be the 2021 Vendée Globe winner Yannick Bestaven on board MaÎtre CoQ IV who is tackling the race alongside the 57-year-old legend Roland "Bilou" Jourdain.

This year's Fastnet is unique in that, for the first time in it's history, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, has changed the course of its most famous race. Instead of finishing at Plymouth after rounding the iconic Fastnet Rock off the southwest corner or Ireland, the fleet will head this time to Cherbourg.

This lengthens the traditional 601-nautical mile course by 15%, to 695 miles and introduces new challenges in the final stretch. Among them are crossing the Channel and the shipping lanes, dealing with the Casquets Traffic Separation Scheme and the Alderney Race and, finally, tackling the approach to the finish off Cherbourg that just might see the fleet battling light airs and heavy current. -- Ed Gorman

Full entry list

www.imoca.org

Alex Thomson announces his co-skipper for the Rolex Fastnet Race as Swiss sailor Ollie Heer
As Boat Captain of HUGO BOSS, Ollie has worked in the Alex Thomson Racing Team since 2018 and has completed over 50,000 nautical miles on the boat.

'Ollie is a natural choice, we have sailed thousands of miles together on HUGO BOSS and it's worked extremely well. He's a great sailor and has aspirations to take on the Vendée Globe, which I am very pleased to support. I am looking forward to our first race together' said Thomson.

For the first time, the Rolex Fastnet Race, which starts in Cowes, Isle of Wight, will finish in Cherbourg, France, with a 695 mile course around the Fastnet Rock in the Irish Sea. The duo will compete onboard HUGO BOSS in the IMOCA 60 fleet, with the race start on Sunday 8th August at 11:15 BST. A live stream of the race start will be available from 10:30 BST and will be shown on the Alex Thomson Racing Hub.

www.imoca.org

Euromarine Insurance Ramsgate Week
After a one-year hiatus Euromarine Insurance Ramsgate Week returned for 2021, and saw about 40 competitors compete in IRC and cruising classes.

The week saw the crews compete in glorious sunshine and with light winds for the majority of the regatta in the sheltered waters of Sandwich Bay, just off Ramsgate harbour. Neap tides and thoughtfully planned cross tide courses saw the majority of competitors complete their races in spite of the light airs that tested tacticians to a far high degree than the muscle power of the crews. IRC Classes

In the two IRC classes, coastal races which took in a combination of navigation marks and clubs own laid marks, provided a variety of enjoyable courses to test all points of sail, as crews competed for the full week series, mid-week series, QEII cup and Gold Cup. The IRC1 fleet welcomed the return of Richard Matthews with the recently launched, and stunning, 'Oystercatcher XXXV' as well as Simon Farren in the Sintessi 45 'Tiente Forte'. The majority of the six races saw podium places were pretty much shared out between Oystercatcher XXXV, the John Barrett and Paul Woodward owned Corby 36 'Stiletto' and Peter Jackson onboard the Pronavia 42 'Assassin',

The IRC2 fleet were joined by David Evans onboard the Hustler 32 'Hullabaloo XV', and saw a bigger spread of results through the week, with Mike and Jo Brand on the X-34 'Foxy' and the Green and Thomas owned 34.7 'Cobra' tussling for the series wins, whilst the Poupard family-owned X-99 'Expedite', Hullabaloo, 34.7 'Warrior' owned by Nick Rawbone and SJ320 'Scorchio' owned by Paul Glover all kept the results mixed by taking podium places through the week.

Gold Cup
Friday saw the fleet compete for the Gold Cup in winds that 'freshened' up considerably in comparison to the start of the week, with over 20 knots providing a very different challenge to that of the previous days. The race saw the fleet head on a long beat up to the 'Elbow' mark, before a challenging run that saw several boats struggle to hold symmetrical kites in winds that cycled by 20 degrees or so. After another couple of beats and runs, 'Oystercatcher XXXV' came home for line honours and the win on corrected time, from 'Stilletto' and Rob Smith on the Stewart 30 'Kabluzo'. Class two honours went to 'Foxy', from 'Scorchio' and 'Expedite'.

Full results for all classes are available at www.ramsgateweek.com

Club Cruiser Trophy
Presented by the Cruising Association, the Club Cruiser Class is making its debut at Cowes Week in 2021, with racing from Saturday 31 July to Friday 6 August 2021.

There are twenty-two teams entered in the all-new Club Cruiser Class and the stage is set to contest the challenging one race per day format.

The Club Cruiser Class features a diverse range of cruising yachts, who are switching from cruising to racing for Cowes Week. Racing on the renowned Solent waters, the Club Cruiser Class includes a Folkboat, Westerly Fulmar, Dehler 34, Dufour 38 and plenty of Bavaria and Beneteau Oceanis models amongst the eclectic line-up.

The Cruising Association's motivation to become presenting sponsor of the Club Cruiser Class Trophy is to encourage and celebrate the many sailors who enjoy competitive racing, alongside cruising and exploring new waters and returning to old favourites.

Celebrating seven days of competition on the waters of the Solent, the shiny new Cruising Association Trophy will be presented to the winning team by Alison Hadley, Chair of the Cruising Association Council, at the Cowes Week prize giving on Friday 6 August. The winning team will also receive an engraved Cruising Association glass goblet and recognising their achievements all top three finishers will be presented with Cruising Association goodie bags.

theca.org.uk

www.cowesweek.co.uk

Featured Charter
Swan 80 - Umiko

Umiko’s condition can quite simply be summed up in one word - stunning. She has been continually maintained and cherished throughout her life by professional crew for very discerning owners. She has also had the benefit of numerous upgrades during construction and post building. These upgrades have been made with full consultation with the factory. Maintained to exacting standards this Swan will appeal to anyone looking for the very best, whether they wish to cruise, race -- or both!

See listing details in Nautors Swan Charters

Contact

+377 97 97 95 07

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
1983 Swan 46-001 Troubadour. 135,000 EUR. Located in Gold Coast, Australia.

Troubadour is a special yacht with a great story. She is hull number 1 of the popular Nautor’s Swan 46 built in 1983 and has performed well above expectation as both a racing and cruising yacht.

See listing details in Nautor's Swan Brokerage

Contact
Brendan Hunt
T. +61 2 9327 5131 / +61 411 802 796

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2016 MILLS 41 - "Ambush". 350000 USD. Located in Hong Kong.

From the board of the incredibly successful Mark Mills. Mills IRC 41 AMBUSH is a must see on the list for any offshore capable Fast 40+ style of yacht. Available now and in superb order with fresh sails. Please do call for the full details.

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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2016 Blue Note - JPK 1080. 199,000 GBP. Located in Hamble, UK.

One owner JPK 1080 for sale in Hamble, UK. Commissioned 2017.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Contact Alastair for further details +44747 6888639

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

Back on Monday, no Friday Issue this week
Your humble narrator will be travelling all of Thursday; a lakeside hammock beckons from many miles away.

The Last Word
Communism is like one big phone company. -- Lenny Bruce

Editorial and letter submissions to

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