In This Issue
• Triumphant Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019) Wins 52nd La Solitaire du Figaro
• 49er, 49erFX Europeans
• Sailmaker vacancy
• Owner-driver Erik Maris leads GC32 World Championship
• Sun shines for Hamble Classics
• Land Union September Regatta
• Timeline For America's Cup Host Venue Decision Extended
• NYYC Rolex Invitational Cup
• Elite kiteboard racers suffer faltering start to campaigns on mountain lake in Austria
• Featured Charter: Whitefin - 90ft Classic Yacht
• Featured Brokerage:
• • TP52 - Gladiator
• • Swan 60 Dream Catcher III
• • Comar Comet 41s
• The Last Word: Francis Bacon

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

Triumphant Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019) Wins 52nd La Solitaire du Figaro
Pierre Quiroga (Skipper Macif 2019) won the longest and toughest La Solitaire du Figaro of recent years, his ninth place on the fourth, final stage, finishing into Saint Nazaire on the French Loire Atlantic coast tonight, one hour and 12 minutes after his nearest rival Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) proved more than enough to secure overall victory,

After a four different, contrasting stages amounting to 14 days and 16 hours of intense solo racing, covering nearly 2500 miles, Quiroga won by a 48 minutes and 22 seconds ahead of Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) who, on his 11th participation, finished on the podium for the third time.

The 29 year old skipper Quiroga came into this 52nd edition of the annual French multi stage offshore with a decent track record, ninth last year and winner of this season's first long offshore back in March, the Solo Maitre Coq. But his simple, stated ambition was to win a stage and shoot for a top five result.

He finished a good second to an impressively quick Macaire on the first open, offshore stage on the Bay of Biscay to Span and back but then won a very technical, coastal Stage 2 and triumphed on Stage 3 to give himself a margin of one hour and 53 minutes going into the final leg last Sunday.

Originally from Marseille and with his family running a small family vineyard near Hyères, Quiroga becomes the first Mediterranean skipper since Kito de Pavant in 2002 to win La Solitaire du Figaro. Apparently his first ever time sailing an Optimist was on a Wednesday as a nine year old and he won his first ever race on the Sunday.

A past French Olympic 470 squad sailor he represented his country at the Youth Worlds and passed from Optimist to Laser to 470 to match racing, with a decent level of successes, before he took to solo offshore racing actually succeeding Macaire on the helm of the Centre Entrainment Mediterranée's supported Figaro talent selection in 2015.

International rookies Pep Costa (Cybele Vacances-Team Play to B) and double Olympian Francesca Clapcich (Fearless State Street Marathon Sailing) both had their best Stage finishes of their first La Solitaire du Figaro experiences. The Catalan skipper was 14th - losing out towards the end having been up in fifth - and Clapcich two places behind. Costa, 22, finishes 22nd overall, third rookie, and Clapcich 25th on the General Classification.

Final top ten results
1. Pierre Quiroga - Skipper Macif 2019 - 14d 16h 24mn 45sec
2. Xavier Macaire - SNEF GROUP - 14d 17h 13mn 7sec
3. Tom Laperche - Brittany - CMB Performance - 14d 18h ​​58mn 22sec
4. Alexis Loison - Region Normandy - 14d 19h 50mn 53sec
5. Fabien Delahaye - Gilbert Group - 14d 19h 58mn 43sec
6. Gildas Mahe - Breizh Cola - 14d 20h 1mn 27sec
7. Gaston Morvan - Bretagne - CMB Espoir - 14d 20h 43mn 50sec
8. Corentin Horeau - Mutuelle Bleue for Institut Curie - 14d 20h 59mn 14sec
9. Martin Le Pape - Keeping sight - 14d 21h 4mn 10sec
10. Erwan Le Draoulec - Skipper Macif 2020 - 14d 21h 21mn 54sec

Full standings

www.lasolitaire.com

49er, 49erFX Europeans
The Schultheis sisters had a storybook start to their first ever European Championships winning all three races. Fresh out of the 29er class, with only a Youth Worlds and Kiel week in their FX experience column, they were not phased by the 37 boat fleet and used great starts and great speed in the lighter conditions to stay clear of the chasing pack. At only 20 and 18 years old, and accompanied by their younger brother in the 49er, they sailed hard all winter at home in Malta and then only break up to Europe for racing. Their brother was sailing FX against them early in the year, but now moved into the 49er as the youngest sailor in the fleet here, a family affair to be sure for these Maltese sailors.

With 37 boats on the line, it was easy to get caught up in tough mark rounding situations or loose lanes with big consequences. Not that it is likely to get any easier for these 49erFX teams. The winds in Thessaloniki have been remarkably consistent each day, with the sea breeze bringing winds from 6-14 knots, flat water but for the motor boat chop, and little respite for teams who prefer the stronger stuff.

Lukasz Pryzybtek with Pawel Kolodzynski (POL) showed the young fellas in the 49er fleet how to convert good starts today and scored a 2, 4, 1 and lead the 61 boat 49er fleet. They started well, and had good speed, but critically, kept their heads of the boat and remained open minded as to what was working on the race course.

After a left favored first race, they went left again in the second race. Critically, they picked up on the right hand pressure and altered their strategy mid race, right to pass a number of boats on the second lap. Understanding what was going on, they then won the final race of the day to move clear ahead. These Tokyo Olympians were able to keep open minded about the race course and convert that into a lead.

They are chased by their Polish countrymen, Mikolaj Staniul with Kuba Storch who sit in second and Buksak with Wirrzbicki (POL) who sit in seventh. France and the USA sit in third and fourth respectively.

After a somewhat disappointing finish for the Polish team in Tokyo, they are looking to heading to Paris squad on the front foot.

49er.org

Sailmaker vacancy
Ullman Sails St. Maarten is a full service loft on the island of St. Maarten (Dutch side) in the Caribbean, offering services that include sail repairs & alterations, new sails & all types of canvas products.

We are currently looking for a qualified sail maker for our upcoming season from November 2021 to May 2022.

The applicant would be responsible for all types of sail repairs & alterations, removing & re-installing sails. The fitting of new sails & U-Stack covers. Experience in canvas work would be a plus.

The successful applicant must-
1) Be a qualified sailmaker capable of high quality repairs & alterations to all types of sails, ranging from board sails to superyachts.v 2) To be able to work independently or as part of a team
3) Possess a positive attitude.
4) Ideally be active in racing /cruising.

Employment would be full time for the above dates with the possibility of a longer contract.

Please send resume to
Rob Gilders
Ullman Sails St. Maarten

Tel. +1 721 544 5231

Owner-driver Erik Maris leads GC32 World Championship
The third GC32 World Championship got off to a difficult start today off Villasimius, Sardinia. One race was successfully held on the magnificent bay off Marina di Villasimius and the Capo Carbonara marine reserve before the wind began performing laps of the compass dial.

The GC32 one design is the only 'boat-sized' foiling catamaran to be permitted by World Sailing, the governing body of the sport, formally to hold its own World Championship. Since the first was held on Lake Garda in 2018, the event has evolved into becoming the high point of the GC32 calendar. It was therefore with much anticipation, possibly too much anticipation, that when the first start gun was fired on schedule just after 1300 four boats were called over early and had to duck back behind the line to re-start: They were Alinghi, Black Star Sailing Team, Jason Carroll's Argo and Swiss Foiling Academy.

While more races would have been preferable on this opening day, the race committee did all it could under difficult circumstances. As Black Star Sailing Team's Christian Zuerrer put it: "It was tricky conditions for everybody. Unfortunately the breeze was not stable enough to do more races. The race committee did a great job - they tried hard, but unfortunately they were not lucky." -- James Boyd

Standings after 1 race
1. Zoulou - Erik Maris - FRA
2. Red Bull Sailing - Team Roman Hagara - AUT
3. Team Tilt - Sebastien Schneiter - SUI
4. Alinghi - Arnaud Psarofaghis - SUI
5. Team Rockwool Racing - Nicolai Sehested - DEN
6. Black Star Sailing Team - Christian Zuerrer - SUI
7. Argo Jason - Carroll - USA
8. Swiss Foiling Academy - Julien Monnier/Loic Forestier - SUI

www.gc32racingtour.com

Sun shines for Hamble Classics
Photo by Rick Tomlinson, rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Champagne sailing conditions in September might sound far-fetched but that's how yacht crews in the 6th Hamble Classics Regatta hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club described racing last Saturday. New arrivals in all classes ensured hot competition in the one-design classes plus intense racing amongst the strongest entry list yet for the competitive IRC class.

With a flood tide and westerly breeze rising from 10 to 20 knots the IRC and Regatta classes run by PRO Peter Bateson had two races with tough windward beats from QXI to the RORC and RTYC race marks, fine judgement of lay lines would be crucial. In the Gaffers Ossie Stewart's 1894 Dorothy won the single long race while on the one-design course CRO Kathy Smalley and team managed three races for the 6-Metre, Dragon, Nordic Folkboat and XOD classes - Fenton Burgin, Owen Pay, Michael Stoner and John Tremlett winning respectively. Rory Heron's Swan 37 Mojitabel pipped Giovanni Belgrano's Whooper in IRC with their aggregated corrected times just ten seconds apart.

Jonty Sherwill and Vicki Weston in Cockleshell won the Regatta class for the first time in six years of trying. During an enjoyable supper evening Paul Moxon, owner and skipper of 'Amokura' described his 2021 RORC Rolex Fastnet Race experiences aboard the oldest boat in the race.

With a forecast for almost zero wind on Sunday the overall winners were confirmed in the morning with sponsors Spinlock, Performance Rigging, Sandeman Yacht Company, Classic Marine, OneSails GBR, Blakes & Taylors, the Elephant Boatyard, Collars, Walcon Marine and Salcombe Gin all thanked before the Concours d'Elegance Awards, overall Whooper rewarded for her continually improving finish, most authentic the immaculately restored S&S 1966 Clarionet, best Spirit of Tradition the 2007 Pilot Cutter Polly Agatha, and best GRP yacht to a perfectly beautiful committee boat, Quailo III.

Full race results at Yachtscoring

Land Union September Regatta
Hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, the Land Union September Regatta is the final regatta for the 2021 RSrnYC Summer Series and will incorporate the HP30 National Championship. Over 80 boats are expected, racing on two separate courses in the Solent. Racing for the HP30 Nationals starts on Friday 17th September. The Land Union September Regatta, for the entire fleet, will run from Saturday 18th to Sunday 19th September. Results will decide the class winners and the overall champion for the Royal Southern Summer Series.

Black Group
Well over 50 teams will be racing in Black Group, including three IRC Classes, the Cape 31 Class, the HP30 Class and the Club Class. Teams will have up to three races per day on windward-leeward and round-the-cans courses.

In IRC One, Cornel Riklin's J/111 Jitterbug (RTYC, RLymYC) leads the series by a narrow margin from Louise Makin & Chris Jones' J/111 JourneyMaker II (RSrnYC). Several more teams are still very much in contention, including the overall winner of the 2019 Royal Southern Summer Series, Blair & Beckett's King 40 Cobra (RTYC) and Rob Bottomley's Mills 41 Sailplane 3 (RSrnYC).

The HP30 National Champion will be decided at the regatta with ten pocket-rockets in action from Friday to Sunday. For the Royal Southern Summer Series, Glyn Locke's Farr 280 Toucan (RTYC) is in pole position for the series and was the winner of the Land Union Regatta last year. Jonathan Powell's Farr 280 Peggy (Warsash SC) is second for the series, narrowly ahead of Jamie Rankin's Farr 280 Pandemonium (RORC).

The Cape 31 UK Class has seen a meteoric rise this season with most of the fleet based in Hamble. Seven Cape 31s are entered for the Land Union September Regatta. Russell Peters' Squirt (RYS) leads the one-design class. Lance Adams' Katabatic (ISC) is second for the series, and Tor McLaren's Gallivanter III (RYS) is third. -- Louay Habib

Full results on YachtScoring

www.royal-southern.co.uk

Timeline For America's Cup Host Venue Decision Extended
Following a very close 37th America's Cup (AC37) Host Venue selection process consisting of three compelling and professional international proposals, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) together with Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), announced today that they are extending the selection period for the shortlisted offshore venues to continue to work through final details and provide further information required for their respective bids.

ETNZ and RNZYS have had to balance the need for further time to ensure they accept a bid that is in the best interests of the America's Cup event with the need for Challengers to know the final venue as soon as practicable.

Furthermore, on Wednesday morning, ETNZ and RNZYS received a letter from Mark Dunphy regarding the viability of his funding to maintain the event in Auckland. This extension of the process will also allow Mr Dunphy further time to answer the questions we have already put to him over the past month.

Grant Dalton, CEO of ETNZ, commented:

"The fundamental fact is that we have a number of outstanding potential venues literally going down to the wire and all of them with strong and competitive bids on the table and firmly committed to completing agreements in the coming weeks - that's a good place to be in for sure. It's frustrating not to have been able to close our agreement with a Host Venue by the planned date of 17 September as previously proposed but we are now giving ourselves more time to work through the final details of the respective venues as the current COVID situation in New Zealand has made the process more difficult.

As we have always maintained throughout, however unlikely it seemed, Auckland has never been off the table for obvious reasons. So now that we finally have an 11th hour letter from Mr Dunphy, it would be remiss of us not to explore the viability of an Auckland event and if it in fact can be fully and completely funded locally. To date there has been no evidence of this being the case."

The search for the AC37 Host Venue was started back in May 2020 by Origin Sports Group but was paused for an exclusive three-month period from March 17th, during which the New Zealand Government had the exclusive right to negotiate AC37 being held in New Zealand and continued once this period lapsed.

americascup.com

NYYC Rolex Invitational Cup
Intense pressure creates diamonds and with its back to the proverbial wall, San Diego Yacht Club turned in a gem of a performance, winning both races and saving its hopes of a podium finish after a middling start, by its lofty standards, to the regatta. The runner up from 2019 now sits fourth.

Southern Yacht Club also sparkled today, transforming a near disaster in Race 8 into a fourth and extending its overall lead to 13 points. With four races remaining, this regatta is Southern's to lose. They have shown exceptional speed and, save for one decision today, superb tactics.

Day 3 Provisional Results
1. Southern Yacht Club, Boat 3, USA, 28 points
2. Royal Thames Yacht Club, Boat 10, GBR, 41
3. Royal Cork Yacht Club, Boat 13, IRL, 43
4. San Diego Yacht Club. Boat 17, USA, 46
5. New York Yacht Club, Boat 19, USA, 50
6. Eastern Yacht Club, Boat 16, USA, 56
7. Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Boat 5, CAN, 63
8. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Boat 14, ITA, 73
9. The San Francisco Yacht Club, Boat 2, USA, 76
10. American Yacht Club, Boat 8, USA, 78
11. Yacht Club Argentino, Boat 9, ARG, 90
12. Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Boat 15, CAN, 92
13. Nylandska Jaktklubben, Boat 12, FIN, 96
14. Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Boat 6, SWE, 98
15. Noroton Yacht Club, Boat 7, USA, 98
16. Yacht Club Italiano, Boat 18, ITA, 110
17. Itchenor Sailing Club, Boat 11, GBR, 119
18. Howth Yacht Club, Boat 4, IRL, 121
19. Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Boat 20, BER, 148

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

Elite kiteboard racers suffer faltering start to campaigns on mountain lake in Austria
The opening round of the KiteFoil World Series Traunsee stop got off to a dramatic, if stuttering beginning, amid the splendour of striking Austrian mountains that offer a glorious backcloth to the lake's racetrack.

With a challenging weather forecast for the first day of racing in the UPPER AUSTRIA KiteFoil Grand Prix, which is hosting the World Series tour stop, the race committee was eager to get racing under way.

But as the race started with the kiteboarders on their biggest 21m and 23m kites, the fickle 7kts to 8kts breezes were fading at the top mark of the course, which is sandwiched by mountains.

Twenty-nine of the world's fastest kitefoil racers - 21 men and eight women from 15 countries - have travelled to compete in the four-day regatta for the €15,000 prize pot, which will be shared equally between the genders.

The event will also host the Austrian KiteFoil Championships on the final two days of competition at the weekend, when local riders will compete amongst the elite racers for the national crown, with the racing featured on Facebook Re-Live.

Featured Charter
Whitefin - 90ft Classic Yacht. From 25,000 per week EUR. Located in West Mediterranean.

WHITEFIN was designed by Californian Bruce King. The result is an exquisitely proportioned mix of agility, lightness and grace.

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lisa Spiller
Charter Manager
Bernard-Gallay
Phone 1 : +33(0)6 33 42 45 09
Phone 2 : +33 (0)467 66 39 93
Mail :

See the the Seahorse charter collection

2015 TP52 - GLADIATOR. 750000 EUR. Located in St Thomas, BVI.

Built by Persico and project managed by Jason Carrington. Widely regarded as one of the highest quality TP52's ever built, with absolutely no stone left un-turned. Specifically optimized for an owner-driver, this is the last 2015 boat to leave Super Series captivity, with recent IRC optimization.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Sam Pearson - Ancasta Race Boats

+447759 424900
+442380 016582

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1996 Swan 60 Dream Catcher III. 1,100,000 USD. Located in Sydney, Australia.

Dream Catcher III is a superb Nautor’s Swan 60 (hull number 005) launched in 1996. She is truly loved by her owners and no expense has been spared to maintain her to an exceptional standard. A must see for anyone looking for the best!

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

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

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2009 Comar Comet 41s. 128000 EUR. Located Nr Rome,

2009-launched, 2-cabin, 2-heads version of the popular Italian designed and built Comet 41S from Comar Yachts. Lightly used and is still under her first and only ownership.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Tel: +39 333 7489281
Email:

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

The Last Word
Money is a Good Servant but bad master. -- Francis Bacon

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