In This Issue
• Victory for Macaire in Stage 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro
• Sled Leading
• Yacht Captain and Chef/Deck crew wanted
• Etchells European Championship
• Missing you - 52 Super Series
• Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - back in force
• Sailing World on Water
• Offshore with Dee Caffari - Cowes St Malo
• Launchings
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Gunboat 72V
• • Infiniti 52R
• • TP52 "Wot Eva"
• The Last Word: Jack Kerouac on Neal Cassady

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

Victory for Macaire in Stage 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro
Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) won the gruelling first stage of the 52nd La Solitaire du Figaro in style, with an astounding lead of 47 minutes. He crossed the finish line at Lorient at 0827CEST this morning, completing the 627 miles opening leg from Saint Nazaire in 3 days, 14 hours, 30 minutes and 21 seconds.

By contrast, last year the first 24 boats - more than half the fleet - finished their first leg within three quarters of an hour. Nevertheless, further down the fleet competitors this year enjoyed plenty of the characteristically tight racing for which this event is renowned. In a super-close finish Irish skipper Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan), who was fifth overall last year, finished the opening leg in 10th place, equalling his 2020 performance. Following a mediocre start, Dolan picked up an impressive seven places on the long beat to Lorient after rounding the Los Farallones buoy off the NW coast of Spain.

Macaire demonstrated mastery over his rivals throughout this first stage, in both downwind and upwind conditions. Closing the Los Farallones buoy he sailed almost half a knot faster in heavy downwind conditions to take a 10-minute lead when rounding the mark.

He then protected and extended his lead throughout the tough upwind leg across the Bay of Biscay, before splitting tacks away from the leading pack during the final night in a move that almost doubled his lead. In a race in which the overall results depend on the cumulative time, it was a move that puts him in a commanding position at the head of the fleet.

Leg 2, from Lorient to Fecamp (490 nm) starts Sunday 29 August.

Stage 1 rankings and elapsed times
1. Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) - 3D 14H 30M 21S
2. Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019) - 3D 15H 17M 36S
3. Tom Laperche (Bretagne - CMB Performance) - 3D 15H 58M 25S
4. Corentin Horeau (Mutuelle Bleue pour l'Institut Curie) - 3D 16H 6M 44S
5. Pierre Leboucher (GUYOT environnement - Ruban Rose) - 3D 16H 14M 16S
6. Alexis Loison (Region Normandie) - 3D 16H 29M 51S
7. Gildas Mahe (Breizh Cola) - 3D 16H 34M 40S
8. Gaston Morvan (Bretagne - CMB Espoir) - 3D 16H 44M 23S
9. Elodie Bonafous (Bretagne - CMB Oceane) - 3D 16H 45M 3S
10. Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa - Kingspan) - 3D 16H 46M 2S

www.lasolitaire.com/en/rankings/live

Sled Leading
Photo by Ingrid Abery, www.ingridabery.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Three good races on the Bay of Palma yielded three different winners in the 52 SUPER SERIES fleet at the 52 SUPER SERIES Puerto Portals Sailing Week and 20th Anniversary Invitational regatta with Takashi Okura's Sled team emerging with the one point lead over Doug DeVos' Quantum Racing. In the six boat Invitational regatta Karl Kwok's Beau Geste is proving unbeatable with five wins from five starts.

If the first two days of racing were contested in conditions which were different from the usual, 'to-order' Palma sea breeze, today it was back to business as usual as the 11-13kts thermal came in early to get the 52 SUPER SERIES regatta back on schedule after a race was lost from the schedule Wednesday.

Sled, with six times America's Cup winner Murray Jones helming won the first race of the day, adding to their win yesterday. Then a second place saw them open a points gap at the top of the leaderboard but with a seventh to Quantum Racing's fifth it remains close.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

1. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) (4,7,1,1,2,7) 22 pts
2. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) (2,1,2, 6,7,5) 23 pts
3. Phoenix (RSA) (Toni Norris) (3,8,7,4,1,3) 26 pts
4. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) (7,3,4,3,9,1) 27 pts
5. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andrés Soriano) (5,5,3,2,6,6) 27 pts
6. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) (1,4,9,8,4,2) 28 pts
7. Bronenosec Gazprom (RUS) (Vladimir Liubomirov) (8,2,6,5,5,4) 30 pts
8. Interlodge (USA) (Austin Fragomen) (6,6,5,9,3,8) 37 pts
9. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) (9,9,8,7,8,9) 50 pts

Invitational

1. Beau Geste (HK) (1,1,1,1,1) 5 pts
2. THA72 (THA) (4,2,3,2,4) 15 pts
3. Air is Blue (ITA) (2,3,4,5,3,) 17 pts
4. XIO (ITA) (3,DNF8,2,3,2) 18 pts
5. Zero Emission (FIN) (6,4.5,5,7,5,) 27.5 pts
6. Arobas (FRA) (5,6, DNC 8,4,6), 29 pts
7. Blue Carbon (ESP) (7,4.5,6,6,7) 30.5 pts

52superseries.com

Yacht Captain and Chef/Deck crew wanted
Click on image to enlarge.

Extensively cruised and superbly maintained 82' yacht seek experienced Captain and Chef/Deck couple for family cruising and a limited number of Charters. Annual seasons in the Mediterranean and US/Caribbean. Currently located in the UK.

Immediately available Crew with relevant experience including Yachtmaster Ocean and competence in engineering systems plus confident chef/deck partner please forwward CV's to:

Etchells European Championship
Photo by Rob Goddard. Click on image for more from Rob and sailing images from Gavin Ford.

The third and final day had forecasted similar conditions to Saturday afternoon but with a northerly breeze - and no AP this time. The results were tight and this meant that any of the top boats could theoretically take the overall win if things went their way. Sumo managed to overstand the newly laid windward mark for the second beat and it looked like Gelert would take the inside, but they held on and took it all the way to the finish to score a second win in a row. David Franks had already commented on this being one of the best performances by a youth boat so far during the RYS dinner on Friday night, and this certainly backed that up, perhaps the suggestion he jokingly made of selling the boat made Anthony and crew sail a bit harder!

Race 8 left it all to play for with Polaris looking favourite to take the top spot overall, it was Swedish Blue who took the win in the final race to seal their position as second overall but Polaris came home second making them the 2021 European Champions. Gelert fought hard but an unfortunate last race meant they had to settle for third overall in the regatta. Sumo also held onto forth overall after a not so great last race but still a very respectable finish. First Corinthian boat was No Dramas sailed by Andrew Lawson and crew coming home in 8th overall. -- Sam Jones (Mano GBR1194)

Final top ten
1. Stuart Childerley / Ben Childerley / Roger Marino, GBR, 27.0
2. Ante Razmilovic / Brian Hammersley / Nils Razmilovic / Andrew Mills, GBR, 39.0
3. James Howells / Ruairidh Scott / Jamie Lea, GBR, 42.0
4. Anthony Parke / Ross Mackley / Josie Meredith / Jack Aitken, GBR, 48.0
5. James Mchugh / Luis Doreste / David Vera / Casey Marfo, GBR, 58.0
6. Paul Ward / Charlie Cumbley / Paul Childs, GBR, 58.0
7. Jon Warwick / Will Bedford / Fraser Woodley / Hannah Hunt , GBR, 65.5
8. Andrew Lawson / Hamish Mackay / Billy Russell, GBR, 66.0
9. Shaun Frohlich / Mathew Howard / Duncan Truswell, GBR, 68.0
10. Lawrie Smith / Richard Parslow / Goncalo Ribeiro / Joao Matos Rosa, GBR, 69.0

Full results on YachtScoring.com

Missing you - 52 Super Series
Owners and 52 Super Series crews past and present cherish their favourite venues and there are many different reasons why. Big winds, Atlantic waves and the compact old town of Cascais; the simple reliability of Costa Smeralda with its beautiful scenery (chic and smart ashore), to name but two hardy annuals. But as the 52 Super Series should celebrate with 10 candles on our cake this year you don't need to walk far down the race dock to find sailors who go all misty-eyed for Menorca, Croatia or indeed Miami.

It is, however, appropriate that this year's - postponed - 52 Super Series Sailing Week and TP52 20th Anniversary Invitational will be hosted by Puerto Portals. The Bay of Palma is very much the ancestral home of the TP52 Med fleet and Puerto Portals always has a unique buzz about it. In high summer when King Juan Carlos used to arrive in Majorca for his summer holidays the Breitling Med Cup was the first event he would sail at.

Full story in the September issue of Seahorse

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - back in force
After a year's absence, maxi racing's premier event will return to Sardinia's magnificent Costa Smeralda in two week's time stronger than ever. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup will take place over 5-11 September. The event is the third of five in the IMA's 2021 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge.

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup has been the highlight of the international maxi racing calendar for more than four decades now. The first ICAYA World Championship took place in 1980, the year after the International Class A Association (ICAYA - maxi yachts were designated 'Class A' under the IOR rule) had been founded by keen maxi owners - Baron Edmond de Rothschild, John Kilroy, Enrico Recchi and William Whitehouse-Vaux. The event then evolved into the Maxi Yacht World Championship and with the welcome arrival of Rolex as its main sponsor, in 1994 gained its present title, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Following the demise of IOR, the ICAYA was rechristened the International Maxi Association in 2001.

Stealing the show in the Super Maxi class will once again be the magnificent J Class yachts Velsheda and Topaz. Topaz was originally a design by Frank Paine from 1935, but was only launched in 2015, however Velsheda is a true classic, built in 1933 for the then MD of Woolworths. Since being 'saved' she has been keenly campaigned for more than decades by Ronald de Waal.

An equal 'looker' among the Super Maxis will be the modern classic Geist, a 111 footer from Spirit Yachts. She will be joined by the Swan 115 Shamanna and MYRC long term competitor Vittorio Moretti's Maxi Dolphin 118 Viriella.

Among the Mini Maxi classes, the hottest competition as ever will be between the former Maxi 72s.

Racing takes place over Monday 6 to Saturday 11 September with a lay day on Thursday 9th. -- James Boyd

www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

Sailing World on Water
Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of Sailing in the last 7 days. Please Subscribe, Like, Subscribe Hit Bell for Upload alerts.

Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of Sailing in the last 7 days.
This is the Sailing World on Water, August Twenty Seventh, 2021.

These are the highlights, in the sport of Sailing, around the world, in the last seven days.

Offshore with Dee Caffari - Cowes St Malo
In their offshore double handeded campaign, Dee Caffari and James Harayda take on the famous RORC Cowes-St Malo race in a bumper fleet. This 200nm race is notoriously tricky but this year proved to be even more so with the challenges of Covid along with difficult weather.

planetsail.com

Launchings
Click on images to enlarge.

From the drafting table that brought you Dorade, comes Sparkman & Stephens' latest innovation, Design No. 2840, the first Catamaran. Fifty feet of classic sheer and New England elegance; this is luxury cruising at its finest.

For more information on the new 50' Catamaran from Sparkman & Stephens please contact them directly.

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The Hylas H57 interior features three cabins, a dedicated work/utility space and lithium ion powered air conditioning

Integrated hardtop, extending awning, windshield, and innovative social spaces

Hylas Yachts announced that its new Hylas H57 hull #1 featuring the progressive Bill Dixon design and luxurious interior is going to make her official world debut at major US boat shows this fall. The yacht will take part in the Newport International Boat Show from September 16-19 (Dock N-3 E) and then will attend the United States Sailboat Show from October 14-18 (Dock D).

"We are excited to be back to the boat shows," said Peggy Huang, Director at Hylas Yachts. "It means the market is slowly getting back to normal, at least it looks like that. We are going to show the beautiful Hylas H57 to potential clients and we are quite sure they are going to love her from the first sight. Please get in touch with me to book your appointment to see the yacht."

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The new J/45 is premiering at Cannes Yachting Festival this September.

The J/45 offers total duality in the combination of comfort and performance, meaning ready sailors can long cruise to faraway destinations and race once in situ. Sailing enthusiasts can have it all with this new evolution.

The J/45's sea-kindly motion and comfort are built-in. The combination of advanced composite construction, an easily driven hull shape, and low centre-of-gravity result in the stability and smooth sailing motion generally reserved for larger yachts. Comfort at sea is also a function of how much effort is needed by the crew. With the J/45, the same Main and Jib Combination that is used in 6 knots can also be depowered to be used in 20 knots, without needing a sail change.

The J/45 breaks new ground for J/Boats for interior design and comfort thanks to French interior designer Isabelle Racoupeau.

We recommend booking an appointment and tour in advance. Tel: 00 353 87 2506838 or Email Mark Mansfield at

afloat.ie/resources/

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Beneteau is scheduled to premiere its First 36 sailing boat at Boot Dusseldorf, which will be held from January 22-30, 2022. The First 36 is designed for planing in medium winds by short-handed or fully crewed teams and to be an all-round boat, able to perform as a club racer and family cruiser.

Due to a wide hull, the builder says the First 36 has the largest living space in its class and will offer comfort comparable to the First 40.7 "with plenty of smart solutions to make living onboard a great experience".

The new racer-cruiser marks an expansion of the new generation of First, which began when Beneteau teamed up with Slovenian builder Seascape in 2018, since creating the First 14, First 24 and First 27 sport-cruisers.

The First 36 is a collaboration between international designers and studios including Italian Lorenzo Argento following his work on Beneteau's First Yacht 53 and Oceanis Yacht 54, which both recently debuted in Hong Kong through Simpson Marine.

Naval architecture is by France's Sam Manuard, who has worked on all the seventh-generation First and First SE designs from 14-27ft, and has experience in Mini, Class40 and IMOCA 60.

www.beneteau.com

www.simpsonmarine.com

yachtstyle.co/beneteau-to-debut-first-36-at-boot-2022/

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The Discovery 48S built by Discovery Shipyard

Featured Brokerage
Gunboat 72V - NEW BOAT . POA EUR.

Introducing the Gunboat 72V, a new catamaran concept to complement the existing heritage series’ currently in production (the Gunboat 68 and Gunboat 80) - the first catamaran with Gunboat performance and a flybridge. Design and engineering is the collaboration of Gunboat, VPLP, Christophe Chedal Anglay, and Patrick le Quement (the same team for the Gunboat 68) with a bespoke interior by Isabelle Racoupeau.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

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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.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Infiniti Yachts
Tel: +44 7920 395397
Email:

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

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2001 TP52 "Wot Eva". 220000 AU. Located in Sydney, Australia.

This TP52 is of that generation that were built for offshore racing and by the highly regarded US builders Goetz. Originally called "Yassou" it then became "Glory" and was converted from symmetric spinnakers to assys before being brought to Australia as "Wot Yot" and campaigned at a high lever before being donated to the Making Waves Foundation and renamed "Wot Eva".

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lee Condell
performanceboating.com.au

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

The Last Word
He came to the door stark naked and it might have been the President knocking for all he cared. He received the world in the raw. -- Jack Kerouac on Neal Cassady

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