In This Issue
• Dolan First Towards Fastnet
• Akos Lukats wins Finn European Masters
• Dubarry Sailing Boots
• 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 European Championships
• Literal Storm Provides Brief Calm Before Figurative One
• YJA Stoneways Marine Awards Gala Dinner
• Rolex Middle Sea Race Reaches 100 Yacht Milestone
• Future-proofing an IMOCA 60
• Antigua Sailing Week NOR Available
• Tall Ship to visit Plymouth
• Featured Charter: JPK1180 - Sunrise
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Nautor Swan 601 - FLOW
• • Herreshoff 136 Ft Gaff Schooner - Eleonora
• • Outremer 4X - New Boat
• 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

Green Green Grass Of Home Drawing Dolan First Towards Fastnet
Irish skipper Tom Dolan leads Stage 4 of La Solitaire du Figaro towards the Fastnet Rock and the waters where he did his first real offshore sailing as a sailing instructor out of Baltimore more than a dozen years ago. A bold move while passing the Scillies and Land’s End gave the skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan a small lead which he increased through the late morning and early afternoon today. The passage to the Fastnet has been good in the past for Dolan who was in the lead group, rounding third behind Xavier Macaire in 2019.

After leaving Roscoff yesterday at 1600hrs on the 685 miles final stage of the race to Saint Nazaire Dolan took the lead early this morning when he chose to pass to the west of the Lands End exclusion zone close to the Scilly Isles while the main pack, led by Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) who is second overall on the General Classification, stayed closer to the tip of Cornwall. The Irishman, who has not stepped on the home soils since La Solitaire du Figaro went to Kinsale in 2019, sailed closer to the rhumb line - the most direct route - and had more breeze which gave him a speed edge of up to two knots at times.

lasolitaire.com

Akos Lukats wins Finn European Masters at Tihany
Akos Lukats has won the 2021 Finn European Masters at the Tihanyi Hajós Egylet in Tihany, Hungary, after no more races were possible on the final day. Bas De Waal, from The Netherlands, takes second with Taras Havrysh, from Ukraine, third.

The forecast for the day predicted very light winds and so it turned out. The light morning breeze slowly faded leaving a glassy lake and sweltering temperatures. With very little hope of a sailable wind in the afternoon, the plug was pulled at midday, so that packing could start.

With 78 boats from 14 nations, this year’s Finn European Masters was the largest so far and hopefully will continue to play an important part in the future of the class.

The overall prizes were presented by Zsombor Berecz, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo, while the prizes for the five Legends taking part were presented by the 2021 U23 Finn World Champion Doma Nemeth, from the host club. International Finn Association President, Balazs Hajdu was also attending.

Next year’s Finn European Masters heads to Spain, while in just four week’s time, the Masters will also gather in Spain at the Finn World Masters on Mar Menor. -- Robert Deaves

Final results
1. Akos Lukats, HUN, 24
2. Bas De Waal, NED, 28
3. Taras Havrysh, UKR, 29
4. Zdenek Gebhart, CZE, 44
5. Vladimir Stasyuk, UKR, 45
6. Cees Scheurwater, NED, 45v 7. Felipe Silva, POR, 61
8. Alexey Zhivotovskiy, RYF, 67
9. Felix Denikaev, RYF, 71
10. Zsigmond Kantor, HUN, 77

Age categories
Masters: 1 HUN 50 Akos Lukats, 2 UKR 8 Taras Havrysh, 3 UKR 7 Vladimir Stasyuk
Grand Masters: 1 NED 29 Bas De Waal; 2 NED 7 Cees Scheurwater; 3 RYF 41 Felix Denikaev
Grand Grand Masters: 1 CZE 2 Zdenek Gebhart; 2 RYF 1117 Andrew Bill; 3 RYF 4 Alexey Borovyak
Legends: 1 CZE 8 Jiri Outrata; 2 POL 83 Blazej Wyszkowski; 3 HUN 21 Andras Gero

Full results

2021finnmastersec.org

Dubarry Sailing Boots
Every racing sailor knows the value of optimisation. Many small gains add up incrementally to deliver a significant competitive advantage on the water. The same holds true for the kit you wear on board and Dubarry sailing boots are a sure-fire way to optimise your personal performance.

Non-Slip, Non-Marking outsoles with a super-high friction coefficient and unique water dispersion channels provide game-changing grip on wet, slippery foredecks. The midsoles offer superb shock absorption when you’re charging across the deck or or bracing for hours on end in a rough sea state. Specially shaped and cushioned insoles give extra support when you’re sailing upwind at an extreme angle of heel. Supple, hand-sewn uppers ensure full freedom of movement. Breathable Gore-Tex membranes and high-performance insulation keep your feet dry and comfortable in a wide range of conditions. Stretchy Lycra sections ensure a perfect fit, and the D-Chassis system protects heels and toes while preserving your agility.

Ultra-light Fastnet boots are ideal for fast-paced inshore racing where weight saving is crucial - an average-sized pair weighs less than a kilo and they’re engineered for athletic sailing performance.

If you also race offshore and still need full agility, or if you’re sailing inshore through the winter, the design classic Ultima boots are a smart investment. Luxuriously comfortable and resolutely practical, the full-leather uppers are incredibly strong and supple when soaked in salt water.

Whichever you choose, they’ll deliver the performance you need for years to come.

Discover the Dubarry Sailing boots range

49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 European Championships
The 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 European Championships begins racing on September 14, 2021. It was originally scheduled for May 2020, then September 2020, then May 2021, and now finally will occur in the denouement from Tokyo 2020.

112 teams are competing, with attendance mostly limited to Europeans, but with a few teams from Oceania and the America’s.

There are huge contingents from both Germany and Great Britain, both nations embracing the squad mentality and promoting domestic competition alongside international competition. There is also a large local squad, with eight Greek teams taking part.

Team have been training in wonderful conditions to date, with daily sea breezes coming in around 1 pm, and staying strong for sailing through to sunset at about 8 pm.

Racing runs for six days concluding on September 19, 2021. Results, photos, video and more are available at 49er.org/event/2021-european-championship/

Literal Storm Provides Brief Calm Before Figurative One
An unscheduled day off in the midst of a weeklong regatta is always a nice chance to recover. When it gets announced at 5 pm the day prior, it’s truly a gift. Saturday afternoon, with a solid day of practice in the rearview mirror and a forecast for 30-plus the following day, the Race Committee for the 2021 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup made the decision to cancel all sailing activity for Sunday. The net result was a 24-hour furlough for the 166 sailors competing in the sailing’s premiere Corinthian championship.

The Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Since the event was first run in 2009, it has attracted top amateur sailors from 48 of the world’s most prestigious yacht clubs from 21 countries. After five editions in the Swan 42 class, the 2021 event will be the second sailed in the IC37, designed by Mark Mills. The strict one-design nature of this purpose-built class combined with the fact that each boat is owned and maintained by the New York Yacht Club, will ensure a level playing field not seen in any other amateur big-boat sailing competition.

Racing starts on Tuesday, September 14. A live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, starting on Wednesday, September 15, will allow fellow club members, friends, family and sailing fans from around the world follow the action as it happens. Nineteen teams from nine countries will compete in 2021. The 2021 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is brought to you by title sponsor Rolex and regatta sponsors Helly Hansen and Hammetts Hotel.

nyyc.org/2021-rolex-nyyc-invitational-cup

Winners of prestigious yachting awards crowned at YJA Stoneways Marine Awards Gala Dinner
Katie McCabe receives the YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year from Stoneways Marine CEO Guy Prest, also with MC Shirley Robertson OBE. Click on image to enlarge.

A star-studded evening at the Grand Cafe Southampton held on Friday 10th September saw the crowning of the highly prestigious YJA Stoneways Marine Yachtsman of the Year, Young Sailor of the Year, and the new Young Journalist of the Year 2021 Award winners.

YJA Stoneways Marine Young Journalist of the Year Award
First up was the presentation of the YJA Stoneways Marine Young Journalist of the Year. This is a brand new award introduced in 2021 to encourage aspiring journalists to start a career in the marine sector.

The Tokyo 2020 49er gold medallist Stu Bithell presented the inaugural award to Katie McCabe, who wrote emotional and vividly descriptive blogs of her recently accomplished and record-breaking solo journey around Britain.

YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year
The YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year Award was the next to be announced, with images highlighting the achievements of each of the nominees, Katie McCabe, Lucy Kenyon and Millie Irish & Jess Powell.

Guy Prest of Stoneways Marine presented this award, and in a first for these prestigious annual awards, we have a double winner, with 14-year-old Katie McCabe again capturing the vote of the YJA members to win the trophy for her recent anticlockwise sail solo round Britain on her 26ft Morgan Giles, Falanda.

The YJA Stoneways Marine Yachtsman of the Year 2021
It was then time to announce the final award of the evening, the YJA Stoneways Marine Yachtsman of the Year 2021. This famous trophy was initiated in 1955 by the late Sir Max Aitken, a Battle of Britain Spitfire Pilot and Chairman of Express newspapers.

The audience enjoyed an overview of the incredible achievements of the three shortlisted nominees: Hannah Mills, Pip Hare and The Team GB Olympic Sailing Squad - Tokyo 2020. Then the 2019 YOTY winner, Lucy MacGregor, was called upon to present the award to Pip Hare. Regrettably Pip was unable to attend the ceremony and the famous trophy was collected on her behalf by her delighted Technical Director Joff Brown and Pip's Operations Director Lou Adams.

yja.world

Rolex Middle Sea Race Reaches 100 Yacht Milestone
The latest submission of entry forms by Swedish yacht Blur and British yacht Akouavi, brought the entry list total to 101 yachts representing 24 countries. With close of entries scheduled for Friday, 12 September, with the discretion to accept late entries up to Friday, 1 October, there is clear potential for 2021 to rival some of the pre-pandemic three-figure fleets.

The current entry list is the usual polyglot of professional and Corinthian crews, multihulls and monohulls, racing maxis and small cruiser/racers. The greatest contingent is from France with 18 entries, including strong contenders such as Philippe Franz’s Albator, third overall under IRC in 2018, and Gerard Ludovic’s Solenn For Pure Ocean (10th overall in the same year). Noel Racine was fourth overall in 2016 with a previous iteration of Foggy Dew. France’s last win at the race came in 2018 with Courrier Recommande, which came close to following up this success in 2019.

Italy is a perennial supplier of entries, understandably so, given its proximity and a large portion of the race being sailed in its territorial waters. Italian yachts have won the Rolex Middle Sea Race overall on 14 occasions, more than any other nation, including the hosts Malta. Mascalzone Latino was most recent in 2016, with B2 winning in 2015 and 2013. Boats to look out for include Massimo Minozzi’s J/99 Tokio, the Comet 45R Libertine of Marco Paolucci as well as the J/109 Chestress entered by Leonardo Petti. In fairness, most eyes will be on the reprise of the 2020 multihull battle between Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi 70 and Ricardo Pavoncelli’s MOD70 Mana, which shared the line honours and MOCRA spoils in a tight contest. This year, it will be a three-way fight with Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo, one of five American entries, adding spice to the much-anticipated contest.

The 42nd edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race will start on Saturday, 23 October 2021.

www.rolexmiddlesearace.com

Future-proofing an IMOCA 60
Building a race boat is traditionally far from sustainable due to its intense material and energy usage. What innovations can be made to the processes and practices within the marine industry to make a shift away from ‘business as usual’?

11th Hour Racing Team has confronted this challenge head-on as they built their brand new 60-foot IMOCA 60, recently launched by the Team in Concarneau, France. The next-generation offshore race boat is designed to compete, fully crewed, in The Ocean Race 2022-23. The prestigious round the world yacht race will see the Team sail up to 45,000 nautical miles through some of the most inhospitable waters on the planet.

In Episode 3 of the short series ‘The Making of IMOCA 60 11.2’, the key players in the boat’s design and construction process - 11th Hour Racing Team CEO Mark Towill (USA), Sustainability Program Manager Damian Foxall (IRL), and Boat Build Manager Wade Morgen (AUS) - explain how the Team approached this complex problem.

Aiming to drive positive change and to collaborate with the marine and maritime industries to progress sustainable practices, the Team shares insights into the challenges they faced, the innovations they developed, and the processes they chose when constructing ‘11.2’.

11thHourRacingTeam.org

Antigua Sailing Week NOR Available
The Antigua Sailing Week Committee invites you to compete in the 53rd edition of Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) with the release of the official Notice of Race.

Plans for 2022 progress as organisers work to host an exciting and responsible regatta that will adhere to global guidance on staging events in a post-covid era.

With over 40 early entries, interest in the regatta is on par with previous years during this same period. Boosted by the confidence exhibited by these early entrants, organisers are offering an EXTRA early bird rate of USD $11 per foot before the 2022 rates in the Notice of Race go into effect. New participants can take advantage of this savings if they ENTER & PAY before September 30, 2021.

Notice of Race and related race documents will be linked as they become available here: sailingweek.com/race-documentsasw/

In anticipation of significant demand for the 2022 event, we highly recommend participants and spectators, who have already decided to attend, look into booking their Covid-19 certified accommodation extra early. While most hotels & villas are no more than 30 minutes away from the racing venues off Falmouth & English Harbour - availability for the closest most convenient locations will go fast. To assist you in your search, the Ministry of Tourism have listed the properties and businesses which meet the safety and protocol requirements here.

www.sailingweek.com

Tall Ship to visit Plymouth
Click on image to enlarge.

As part of our initiative to increase relations with Gdynia, we are very pleased to say that the second largest tall ship in the world - the ‘Dar Mlodziezy’ has accepted an invitation from the Lord Mayor to visit Plymouth next week.

She will arrive on September 16th and will stay in Plymouth Sound for 5 days before heading to Portugal. The date is made all the more significant as it was of course the date the Mayflower left Plymouth for the New World in 1620.

As part of our initiative to increase relations with Gdynia, we are very pleased to say that the second largest tall ship in the world - the ‘Dar Mlodziezy’ has accepted an invitation from the Lord Mayor to visit Plymouth next week.

She will arrive on September 16th and will stay in Plymouth Sound for 5 days before heading to Portugal. The date is made all the more significant as it was of course the date the Mayflower left Plymouth for the New World in 1620.

umg.edu.pl/armator/

Featured Charter
JPK1180 - Sunrise

Sunrise was launched in Spring 2018 and is hull number 2 JPK1180.

JPK have become known for building fast and very competitive race winning yachts. The 1010 and the 1080 have both been incredibly successful inshore and offshore. The 1010 won the its class in the 2013 Fastnet and the 1080 won the Fastnet overall in 2015.

Sunrise has an asymmetric setup with a 1.7m bow sprit and an IRC handicap of 1.099. This is an exciting 40’ race charter option for any enthusiastic team wanting to win.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 2392 161272
Email:

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2005 Nautor Swan 601 - FLOW. 990000 EUR. Located in Badalona - Spain.

Hull No. 005 of eight Nautor Swan 601s build by Nautor. All true cruiser/racers with an impeccable pedigree. The Swan 601 is the perfect boat for racing in Swan Events, as there is a good rivalry between the other 601s, so fun sailing.

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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2000 Herreshoff 136 Ft Gaff Schooner - Eleonora. 6900000 EUR. Located in Spain

Steel hull with teak superstructure, ELEONORA is an exact replica of the schooner Westward which was designed in 1910 by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, also known as the ‘Wizard of Bristol’, the designer of the America’s Cup defenders which turned back all six challenges from 1893 to 1920. Westward was arguably one of the most famous racing schooners in the world

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

+33 (0)467 66 39 93

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Outremer 4X - New Boat

Outremer 4X is the fastest sailboat in its category. Its outstanding performance ensures enjoyment and safety and allowed it to earn the distinction as the European Yacht of the Year 2017

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact

Tel : +33.467 560 263

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

The Last Word
To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. -- Ogden Nash

Editorial and letter submissions to

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