In This Issue
• Solo Racing Returns In The IMOCA
• Jeddah - First Impressions Of A Red Sea Wonder
• Up to the (biggest) challenges - Reckmann
• Class40 News
• Sustainability - Caribbean Multihull Challenge
• 2023-24 NSW 18ft Skiff Championship
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• Sea Ventures Super Series - Round 3
• Australian 18 Footers League Ltd Proposed Amalgamation
• Featured Charter: Grand Soleil 46 - Belladonna
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Alexa Of London
• • Beneteau First 36
• • RM 1070+
• The Last Word: Hawkeye Pierce

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

Solo Racing Returns In The IMOCA Class With The Retour A La Base
On the startline in the sunshine on Thursday will be over 32 boats and their skippers, taking on the north Atlantic in the depths of winter for the first time in a race of this kind.

Ahead of them is the daunting challenge of sailing out of the heat of the Tropics and into the cold and often dangerously unstable December weather off northern Europe in a race that, for many, is a key component in their qualification for the Vendee Globe.

This is the Transat Jacques Vabre in reverse and the mood on the dockside at Fort-de-France is one of understandable nervous anticipation for what looks like a fast but testing west-east transatlantic.

Romain Attanasio is something of a veteran in the IMOCA Class these days as he continues his preparations for what will be his third Vendee Globe. The Fortinet-Best Western skipper, who finished in 17th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre, summed up the challenge of this 3,500-nautical mile course.

"To be honest, it's not really easy. When I meet other skippers, everybody says 'yeah, yeah, my God, why are we doing this?"Attanasio, 46, told the Class. "It will be difficult because everybody is tired and it's not an easy road ahead."

"We know the north Atlantic is hard in winter, and there has been just one week for recovery, which is not enough for us. But yeah, we are happy to go back to France in this race but we know it will be hard for sure,"he added.

imoca.org

retouralabase.com/en

Jeddah - First Impressions Of A Red Sea Wonder
The Red Sea city of Jeddah on the most western coastline of Saudi Arabia is an arresting, stunning sensory experience, and a truly outstanding place for international yachting. The vision to hold the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah, presented by NEOM, (to give it its full title) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a marker of the future, a journey into a whole new chapter for the sport of sailing and related marine activity as well as being an utterly thrilling experience.

The Jeddah Yacht Club, host for the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah, presented by NEOM, stands at the harbour entrance, as a 5,000 square metre mast-and-sail, steel and glass structure that takes yacht club design to the next level. At night the club is lit in sparkling diamonds and a striking red hue, visible for miles around, at the gateway to the simply vast 122,000 square metre marina that is bona fide world-class, surrounded by bustling restaurants of every cuisine.

The Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina is a forward-looking yacht club facility, a yachting campus almost, that plays host on a daily basis to that vital commodity for every sailing club the world over - youth. Young Saudi girls and boys are welcomed at its purpose-built Academy building, all eager to get afloat on the club's RS Tera and RS Zest dinghies and are encouraged by a superb staff who are true inspirers and enablers of the next generation. -- Magnus Wheatley

americascup.com

Up to the (biggest) challenges - Reckmann
Reckmann is constantly refining and developing its headsail, code sail and mainsail furling systems, keeping pace with changes in the types of boat that its customers want to sail

Reckmann is best known these days as a market leader in sail-furling solutions for superyachts but they also produce headsail, code sail and mainsail furling systems in standard sizes for 15m to 25m yachts. What these standard furlers and the much larger custom units have in common is the same impeccable engineering - and thus the same rock-solid reliability for which Reckmann has always been renowned.

'In the old days we made furling gear for boats from 30ft upwards,' Reckmann CEO Marcus Schuldt recalls. 'And when a couple went off cruising they had a 35-footer or a 40-footer. Now they tend to start with at least a 50-footer, quite often a 60-footer and sometimes even a 70-footer as their first cruising yacht...

Full article in the December issue of Seahorse

Class40 News
Kaori Concept and naval architect Gildas Plessis have joined forces to build a new Class40, the Greenscow 40. Built for the Globe40, the boat would be 400 kg heavier than a classic Class40. It will be made from a sandwich of birch plywood and basalt fibers. A racing version and a cruising version will be offered. Construction is expected to begin in the coming days.

Clara Fortin and Martin Louchard appealed for donations. Objective: to raise 60,000 EUR to repair the Flamingo Rosso. Their boat fell into the port of Cherbourg because of storm Gerard last December. Objective: raise the necessary funds and go back to sea with two deckchairs next year, the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2025 and the Route du Rhum in 2026.

A Class40 skipper is now among the nominees for French sailor of the year! Nicolas Andrieu is among the 13 skippers to be nominated for this prestigious honor. Indeed, the French winners of all classes of the Transat Jacques Vabre are named. This selection being open only to the French, Ambrogio Beccaria does not qualify! A jury of experts will decide and the public can express themselves and count as two votes. The verdict will be announced next Friday, December 8 at the Olympia in Paris. Everyone get on your keyboards to vote!

class40.com

Sustainability comes to the 6th Caribbean Multihull Challenge
Artist’s rendering of Aurora - the new TradeWinds 59’ TW6e smart electric yacht built by Fontaine-Pajot. Click on image to enlarge.

TradeWinds Experience and the Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race & Rally are joining forces this February on the occasion of the 6th annual running of this fast-growing regatta & rally. As TradeWinds introduces its new Fontaine Pajot 59' TWe6 Smart Electric Yacht - Aurora - it has selected the Sint Maarten Yacht Club's CMC to showcase its initiative toward creating advanced sustainability by adding electric catamarans in the years to come.

Aurora is powered by hydro, solar, and wind. She is state of the art sustainable... as green as can be given recent advances in technology. With 5 comfortable cabins, ensuite heads, and entertaining space everywhere, she is built for her guests to enjoy perfect luxury in the Caribbean and anywhere she goes. Available only to TradeWinds Experience club members and their guests, we are bound to hear more and more about her in the marine and luxury travel industry press as we go forward.

To highlight the kick-off -- and further celebrate their 25th anniversary; TradeWinds - founded in Sint Maarten -- is supporting the marine environmental work of both the Caribbean Cetacean Society and CLEAR Caribbean. Through the generosity of the CMC and TradeWinds - marine mammal protection and coral reef restoration activities in the Caribbean will benefit from a campaign to raise funds and build awareness for both these enterprises.

CaribbeanMultihullChallenge.com

trade-winds.com

Enter the CMC at YachtScoring.com

2023-24 NSW 18ft Skiff Championship
Fluctuating winds and a number of start and racing incidents affected Day One of the 2023-24 NSW 18ft skiff Championship, which was conducted by the Australian 18 Footers League on Sydney Harbour last Sunday.

In the first of two windward-leeward 2-lap races staged on the day, a light variable South-East breeze sent positions throughout the fleet into a spin, particularly near the weather mark in Rose Bay.

The OCS and need to re-start by five teams (Lazarus, Balmain, Smeg, The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines, Marine Outlet) only added more confusion to the race.

Despite not having the usual action-packed racing conditions and the disappointment for a few of the leading contenders, the results on the day created a feeling of dejà vu as the father and son-led teams of Yandoo and Andoo dominated the top of the result sheets - as they did in the 2022-23 NSW Championship.

With two consistent placings on Day One (2nd and 4th), Rag & Famish Hotel is well placed to challenge the Winning family domination to date, as is the brand new unsponsored skiff 'Your Name Here', skippered by former Australian Cherub champion Kirk Mitchell, with placings of 5th and 3rd in the two races.

Australian champion Finport Finance, which will have her regular skipper back for next Sunday's racing, and Jordan Girdis' Fisher & Paykel are heading the rest of the fleet on the points table but a number of other teams hoping to perform better than last weekend include Balmain (Henry Larkings), Lazarus (Tom Cunich), Burrawang-Young-Henrys (Simon Nearn) and The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Jacob Marks).

There are six more races to be sailed (two windward-leeward, 2-lap races each day) over the next three Sundays. Each team will discard their worst performance to determine their final total.

The early forecast for Sunday afternoon is a 17-18 knots Southerly breeze. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.

Watch the racing live

18footers.com

Seahorse December 2023
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
Having at it again in Barcelona, controlling that AC power, Admiral's Cup response, fine art from Seattle, firing up those AC40s. Luca Rizzotti, Peter Shipway, Terry Hutchinson, Jack Griffin, Giuliano Luzzatto

Something to celebrate
With two next-generation ClubSwan models not just announced but already in build, it's been another cracking year for Nautor

All good thing
Sometimes there really is only one way to learn. Rob Weiland

Sailor of the Month
And a definite flavour of persistence this month

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Sea Ventures Super Series Test Event - Round 3, Yarmouth Isle of Wight
Under a sunny & bright blue winter's morning sky, Round 3 of the Sea Ventures Super Series test event got underway from the mainland shore to the North East of Lepe Spit. A light and cold Northerly breeze saw the fleet starting downwind with a strong Westerly going tide catching some of the fleet out. Once across the MarkSetBot start line, the key decision was whether to stem the tide on port under spinnaker or sail to the Island shore for tidal relief.

Starting this time on the Island shore the fleet was given an up wind start for Race 2 with all teams showing their starting skills, the whole fleet on the line at start time! Flat water and 10kts of breeze delivered a competitive beat with teams trading places - after the first lap and 45 mins of racing PRO Rich Palmer made the call to shorten the course due to a right-hand wind shift and sun light starting to fade at 15:50!! [That's winter sailing for you.]

Frozen decks and a confused wind direction greeted the sailors on Sunday - the race team held the fleet ashore under a short postponement allowing the wind direction to settle. Round 3, Yarmouth Top 3 Results

1. Fastrak XII, SF3300, James Harayda - 6 Points
2. GameOn, SF3300, Ian Hoddle - 7 Points
3. Kestrel, SF3300, Simon Bamford - 8 Points

The fourth and final Round of the Sea Ventures Super Series will take place as a single day's sailing on the 9th December when the winner of the series will be decided and the host port shall be Hamble.

sea-ventures.co.uk/race-yachts-super-series

Australian 18 Footers League Ltd Proposed Amalgamation
Since the Notice of Amalgamation October 19, 2023 between the Australian 18 Footers League and the Sydney Flying Squadron, there have numerous discussions, emails, as well as the information sessions over the weekend.

The 18 Footers Board and Management have prepared documents to assist in answering the queries.

The Business Case can be viewed here

The Sailing Strategy can be viewed here

And finally, the FAQ Document has been updated with all the questions formally presented to date, and can be viewed here

All documentation related to the amalgamation

The General Meeting for the Sydney Flying Squadron to vote on the amalgamation and modify the constitution is to be held on Saturday, 25th November 2023 commencing at Midday in the premises of the Club 76 McDougall Street, Kirribilli, NSW.

The General Meeting for the Australian 18 Footers League to vote on the amalgamation is scheduled to be held on Sunday, 26 November 2023 commencing at 11:30am in the premises of the Club 77 Bay Street, Double Bay, NSW.

Featured Charter
Grand Soleil 46 - Belladonna. Located in the United Kingdom.

This incredible Grand Soleil 46 is a very special Racer Cruiser, with her sporty lines and stylish Italian design. Belladonna has a comprehensive sail inventory, a great electronics package and has been professionally maintained her whole life. She is in fantastic condition and ready to race!

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
1992 Gaff Cutter 'Alexa Of London'

Gaff cutter ‘Alexa of London’ is a beautiful yacht with stunning classic lines and a gracious yet powerful rig configuration. Alexa has been meticulously maintained year on year by her passionate owners and long standing crew. Without doubt she is the ‘belle’ of any anchorage and is much admired wherever she sails. Alexa truly is a turn-key package and would suit the owner who loves powerful gaff yacht sailing but with the onboard luxuries of a modern day superyacht. Commercially compliant to charter up to 150nm from a safe-haven, Alexa of London has an excellent charter record who’s guests have repeatedly booked her year on year. Alexa easily achieves 8 weeks charter at 40-50k EUR per week.

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
Carrswood Yachts Limited, UK
email:
Tel: +44 (0)7476 888639

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Beneteau First 36. From 238,813 (VAT excluded) EUR.

You can now experience the thrill of high-performance sailing – not only on the race course, but also on family holidays or day-sailing trips.

We have made this possible through a carefully placed high-tech and meticulously designed deck and interior ergonomics, which is bringing the most important features of grand prix racing boats into the hands of a club racer or active cruiser.

First 36 is the first mainstream racer/cruiser where onboard comfort doesn’t affect the experience of high performance sailing.

For full details please go to... www.beneteau.com/first/first-36

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
beneteau.com

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RM 1070+. 216,300 ex VAT EUR.

The RM1070+ has it all to seduce you…and is definitely a head-turning boat!

A stiff, light and solid hull, to sail faster and further. A modern hull to enhance the fun at the helm of a responsive and lively yacht.

No-compromise ergonomics, to facilitate safe and efficient maneuvering. An optimized sail plan (bowsprit, staysail, etc.) to maximize top and average speeds.

For full details and to download a brochure please go to... rm-yachts.com/rm-1070

See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly

Contact
RM Yachts
Zone Industrielle des 4 chevaliers, Rond-Point de la Republique, 17180 Perigny, France

+33 5 46 44 73 00

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

The Last Word
We act insane, because if we didn’t, we would most surely become insane. -- Hawkeye Pierce

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