In This Issue
• Rolex Middle Sea Race Line Honours
• Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
• Never to late to party - Orient Express Racing Team
• The explosive increase in IMOCA performance
• Three GSC competitors set sail: The fleet at sea grows
• Waiting for Irish Winds
• The 2023 ARC Season Begins
• Early-Entry Incentives For Selden Sailjuice Winter Series
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing Youth & Women’s teams
• Featured Charter: First 53 - Yagiza
• Featured Brokerage:
• • 2017 J/V Pac52 "Warrior Won"
• • JFA 75 Alloy Custom Sloop
• • Swan 48-203 'Mia'
• The Last Word: Groucho Marx

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

Rolex Middle Sea Race
The 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race has welcomed its first finisher, as the MOD70 Limosa, skippered by Alexia Barrier, rolled over the line at 1310 CEST on Monday afternoon. Taking multihull line honours for the second year in a row as skipper of a maxi trimaran is an important achievement. Barrier and her Famous Project team have their eyes set on the greater prize of an all-woman round the world record attempt in 2025. The 2023 Rolex Middle Sea Race was regarded as an important rung on the ladder to that goal. Elsewhere, the majority of the monohull fleet and the remaining multihulls continue their circumnavigation of Sicily, with close battles ongoing throughout the 102 entries still racing.

In the monohull line honours contest, the big news of the day was the dismasting just south of Favignana of American entry Lucky, Bryan Ehrhart’s 27 metre Juan K flier, and the former five-time first finisher Rambler 88. Receiving the news around 0800 CEST, the Royal Malta Yacht Club Race Control was quick to establish all crew were safe and well, and to offer any assistance required. Lucky has now taken on fuel and is motoring back to Malta.

Taking a broader view at 1600 CEST, Leopard 3 looks to have finally achieved a few miles separation from Andrea Recordati’s Italian Wally 93, Bullitt, and is powering upwind on port tack into the penultimate turn at Lampedusa. The 30.78m maxi from Monaco is expected into Malta in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Race Tracker

rolexmiddlesearace.com

Five Scottish Nationals have crossed the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
Five Race Crew from Scotland have just crossed Atlantic Ocean - the first major ocean crossing of the Clipper 2023-24 Race.

They make up over 200 Race Crew from around the globe that have been welcomed into port at Punta Del Este, Uruguay having completed an arduous 5,300nm crossing of the Atlantic from Puerto Sherry in Spain.

Race 2: Hundred Years Cup was a game of tactics from the start, with the 26-day north to south Atlantic passage being notorious for its testing and varied conditions and can challenge even the most experienced of sailors.

North-east trade winds with consistent downwind runs, flat calms and sticky heat in the equator, and the vicious unpredictable squalls of the Pamperos weather front, the race to Uruguay left risk and reward a real balancing act.

Having departed Portsmouth, UK on 3 September, it will take almost a year to complete its full 40,000nm circumnavigation. Divided into eight legs, the arrival in Uruguay marked the end of Leg 1 of the race.

This edition features over 700 people, aged 18 to 71, representing 55 nationalities and many diverse walks of life including electricians, orthopaedic surgeons, police sergeants and teachers, and the event’s first mother-daughter duo, competing together on a matched fleet of 70ft ocean racing yachts. 22 percent of the crew had never sailed before signing up to the challenge as a mandatory and intensive four stages of training is provided. Each team is led by a professional Skipper and First Mate.

clipperroundtheworld.com

Never to late to party - Orient Express Racing Team
Seahorse: Can you bring us up to date on where you are now?

Bruno Dubois: We were a late entry and we know we have a mountain to climb, but it is going well and we have a clear view of our route to the summit. We found a sponsor in late November last year – the Accor Group and its Orient Express and ALL.COM brands – and we signed with them on 24 December.

We immediately ordered an AC40 from McConaghy China with delivery set for July; after a mammoth push by the shore and technical teams she was in the water in August and ready for the first America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Vilanova i La Geltrù.

Given our timeframe, it was very important to focus on what was important and avoid any distractions. It meant we had to make some quick and smart decisions... the team made two moves which I am particularly proud of. The first is the AC75 design package we were able to buy from Team New Zealand; the second was acquiring a complete boatyard from the Ocean Race. All of the containers, tools, pretty much everything we need.

Full article in the November issue of Seahorse

The explosive increase in IMOCA performance - the numbers tell a spectacular story of innovation
Click on image to enlarge.

Anyone who has followed the growth of the IMOCA Class in recent years will be well aware that the boats are now going faster than ever before and that the advent of foils has produced a spectacular jump in performance.

While the skippers are well aware of the increase in speeds, and the ability of the latest boats to convert ever lower true wind speeds into ever-increasing boatspeed, there has been little published work on this subject to help those following the Class understand exactly what has been going on.

But now the French sailor and performance expert Olivier Douillard, whose company AIM45 specialises in data analysis and data management and works with many IMOCA teams, has completed a study that clearly shows the breathtaking changes over the last 20 years in the way IMOCAs perform.

Using polar data and performance data from the best boats in the fleet through each Vendée Globe boat generation, Douillard has studied the way IMOCAs have been sailing over 20 years starting from 2002. This is a period when boats have gone from daggerboards to canting keels and then the advent of foils in 2016 which, along with hull designs, have been steadily refined since then. -- Ed Gorman

Read more...

Three GSC competitors set sail: The fleet at sea grows
On Saturday, October 21, three more solo sailors began their adventure in the Global Solo Challenge: William MacBrien, a Canadian skipper, on the Class40 Phoenix (formerly SecHayai); Pavlin Nadvorni, a Bulgarian skipper, on the Farr45 Espresso Martini; and Ari Kansakoski, a Finnish skipper, aboard the Class40 ZEROChallenge (formerly Fuji). In A Coruña, amidst white clouds of cumulus and cirrus layers that decorated the sky like brushstrokes, the sun peeked out, blessing the departure of the three competitors. A brisk and cool northwest wind blew around fifteen knots, and temperatures were still reasonable, around 12-15 degrees Celsius.

William MacBrien, aboard Phoenix, appeared in high spirits and was the first to cross the starting line. He was followed by Josh Hall on a dinghy, his project manager and experienced sailor, who had helped him prepare his project up to the departure day.

The Canadian skipper chose a conservative sail setup for the start. Phoenix sailed with its staysail and a mainsail with one reef, looking a bit underpowered in the big swell persisting from the previous day’s storm.

Second to cross the start line was Pavlin Nadvorni aboard Espresso Martini.

For Ari Kansakoski, aboard ZEROChallenge, the last days before the departure were hectic, finishing many last-minute tasks. However, he managed to leave just fifteen minutes behind the others, taking some extra time to load and arrange the last items and bid farewell to many friends and his extensive team that had supported him in Spain. Once at sea, ZEROChallenge quickly found its pace, catching up to Phoenix in no time. -- Margherita Pelaschier / Global Solo Challenge

globalsolochallenge.com/fourth-departure/

Waiting for Irish Winds
Ireland's leading solo sailor, the French-based Tom Dolan, is still waiting at Greystones Harbour Marina in County Wicklow for the right wind to embark on his second bid at the Round Ireland speed sailing record.

Sunday night (October 22) brought the prospect of ideal conditions for a start off the Kish light on Dublin Bay, only for a late shift in the weather forecast to thwart plans.

"We have reviewed the latest forecast and decided not to go this evening. Winds are light on Tuesday off the coast of Clare, and the LP 973 is coming in Wednesday with 30-40 knots", Dolan said.

It is now considered 'unlikely' that the right conditions will be present this week for Dolan's latest adventure to round Ireland in under four days and break the 2020 doublehanded record, according to the bid lodged with the World Speed Sailing Record Council. He is also attempting what he describes as a 'faux' solo record and carrying an onboard reporter.

Whenever the bid happens, it will be a journey of 700 nautical miles around Ireland and all its islands; his seven-sail boat can hit speeds of up to 26 knots, or 52km per hour, but averaging much less than that, about seven knots.

afloat.ie/sail/

The 2023 ARC Season Begins
November marks the start of ‘ARC Season’, as over 250 yachts gather in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to prepare for their transatlantic adventure to the Caribbean with the annual ARC rally. The first wave of 96 yachts will depart on the ARC+ rally on 5 November bound for Grenada via Cape Verde, with a larger fleet of 159 ARC yachts departing on 19 November direct to Saint Lucia.

Family Cruising
ARC rallies provide a supportive environment for cruisers, and it is exciting to see increasing numbers of families pursuing the blue water dream. A record number of 65 children will cross the Atlantic with the ARC rallies this year.

Catamarans are clearly a popular option for families, comprising almost two thirds of family boats. More families choose to sail on the ARC+ route, which divides the Atlantic into two legs with a four-to-six-day stopover in Mindelo, creating a more manageable voyage for small sailors. 45 children will sail in ARC+ 2023, aged from 8 months to 16 years, and a further 20 children in the direct ARC route to Saint Lucia.

Racing to the Rum
ARC is the only World Cruising Club rally with a competitive racing division, and 14 monohulls will race under IRC from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia. Boats to watch include the sleek Vismara 62 Leaps & Bounds 2 (MLT) and the pair of CNB 76s SOL (MLT) and Playstation PS5 (MLT) will undoubtedly enjoy a tactical tussle.

The ARC Racing Division is popular with boats heading for a Caribbean racing season, and regular participants EH01 (GBR), Hot Stuff (GBR), Emily of Cowes (GBR) and Escapado (GBR) deliver a taste of competitive ocean racing to amateur crews under the watchful eye of a pro skipper.

Some of the speedier multihulls are likely to challenge the racing yachts into Saint Lucia, with the new Marsaudon ORC50 Ti ana (FRA) a hot tip for line honours.

worldcruising.com

Early-Entry Incentives For Selden Sailjuice Winter Series
It’s four weeks until the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash on 18 & 19 November, the first of eight events in this season’s Selden SailJuice Winter Series. This is the multiclass handicap travellers’ circuit that has been going for 15 years and offers some of the fairest competition to almost every kind of sailing dinghy in the UK.

Selden Mast is back for the fifth year as title sponsor of the series and there are a couple of incentives to sign up for multiple events at the same time:

Enter 4 or more events before the Draycote Dash and get entered into draw for a Selden Goody Bag Enter 2 or more events, and you’ll receive a Selden waterproof bag

Entry for the events is now open at sailjuiceseries.com

Make The Series Your Class Winter Championships
Some fleets choose to use some of the events as their class championships. “It’s a really low-hassle way of keeping your class calendar rolling with almost no effort required by the class association,” says Simon Lovesey. “For classes that struggle to muster sufficient numbers for their own standalone open meetings, joining in with the multi-class events in the Selden SailJuice Winter Series is an obvious and easy solution. If you’re interested in choosing one, some or even all of the events in the Series to construct your own class championships, email me for more details: ”

Want To Be A Category Sponsor?
Every year more than 80 different types of sailboat, mainly monohull dinghies but also some multihulls and small keelboats, come to join in with the Series. Because the events have visibility across pretty much the whole of the UK dinghy racing scene, sponsoring part of the Series is a great way to gain visibility in the market. There are many different categories available for sponsorship in the Series. If you’re interested in becoming a commercial sponsor for one of the different categories (eg. Family/ Lady/ Club/ Youth), please contact:

Alinghi Red Bull Racing Youth & Women’s team selections unveiled
Two new crews are joining the Alinghi Red Bull Racing campaign with the addition of 12 sailors unveiled today by team officials (selected candidates listed below). They will make up the two Swiss boats competing in the Youth & Puig Women’s America’s Cup next year. The Youth America’s Cup is scheduled for 26 September - 2 October 2024 with the Puig Women’s America’s Cup immediately following from 10-16 October 2024 interspersed with the America’s Cup. Each team features a six-person roster with four crew competing in the regattas on-board the foiling one-design AC40s.

The current Alinghi Red Bull Racing campaign features five sailors that competed in previous iterations of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in 2013 and 2017, validating the event as a springboard to the elite senior ranks of sailing. The twelve Youth & Women were chosen after comprehensive trials and evaluations by the selection committee made up of Coraline Jonet, Matías Bühler, Nils Frei, Pierre-Yves Jorand and Hans-Peter Steinacher.

Women
Nathalie Brugger, 25.12.1985, Fribourg, Gstaad Yacht Club / CV Estavayer /CN Morges
Marie Mazuay*, 21.05.2005, Aire-la-Ville, Club Nautique Versoix / Societe Nautique de Geneve
Elodie-Jane Mettraux, 07.11.1984, Hyeres, COYCH Hyeres
Maja Siegenthaler, 11.11.1992, Bern, Thunersee-Yachtclub
Alexandra Stalder*, 12.07.1999, Oppeano, Circolo Vela Torbole
Anja von Allmen*, 23.05.2003, Spiez, Gstaad Yacht Club / Regatta CLub Oberhofen / Yacht Club Spiez

*Eligible for the Youth America’s Cup

Youth
Andrea Aschieri, 30.11.2003, Gland, Societe Nautique de Nyon
Arno de Planta, 12.03.1999, Pully, Societe Nautique de Geneve / Cercle de la Voile de Vidy
Arnaud Grange, 21.09.2002, Anieres, Societe Nautique de Geneve
Morgan Lauber, 01.12.1999, Ballens, Club Nautique Morges
Joshua Richner, 05.04.2002, Courgevaux, Gstaad Yacht Club / Thunersee-Yachtclub
Jann Schüpbach, 04.12.2000, Thun, Thunersee Yachtclub / Regattaclub Oberhofen

redbullcontentpool.com/alinghiredbullracing

Featured Charter
First 53 - Yagiza. Located in Caribbean.

The vision for the First 53 was for high-performance cruising for an owner keen on regattas. This luxury performance sailing yacht has a well-balanced helm, easy-flow deck plan and a modern marine interior with white lacquered bulkheads and moulded wood.

With a flush teak deck, low coachroof and a sleek modern look, she has all the virtues of a thoroughbred. The First 53 marks a new era for First Yachts with a top quality mast, high-end deck gear and a powerful sail plan that is easily controlled by a shorthanded crew. Available in the Caribbean

See listing details in Seahorse Charters

Contact
Lucy Jackson - LV Yachting
Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261
Email:
lvyachting.com

See the the Seahorse charter collection

Featured Brokerage
2017 J/V Pac52 “Warrior Won”. POA USD.

2017 J/V Pac52 “Warrior Won”, one of the worlds most potent offshore racing yachts is for sale.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Collin Leon
+1.516.361.9156

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1993 JFA 75 Alloy Custom Sloop. 480000 EUR. Located in Palma de Mallorca.

Utterly fantastic custom aluminium performance sloop from JFA in France to designs by Finot Conq & Patrick Roséo. Continually and comprehensively updated and refitted during her last ownership of 20yrs.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Lucio Pellegrini
Tel: +34 675 236 174
Email:

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Swan 48-203 'Mia'. 1,300,000 EUR. Located in Scarlino, Italy.

The Swan 48-203 'Mia' has three full cabins. Additional windows have been added during construction which have enhanced her already light filled interior

See listing details in Nautor Swan Brokerage

Contact
Lorenzo Bortolotti

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

The Last Word
Whoever named it necking was a poor judge of anatomy. -- Groucho Marx

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