In This Issue
• Allegra claims IMA Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series
• Louis Robein successfully assisted by Argentinian Navy
• The First Year Of Harken Zircon: A Status Report
• First Look - Alinghi Red Bull Racing's new AC75 Revealed
• What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
• America's Cup Enters The E-Sports Arena
• 2027 Ocean Globe Race Announced
• Lisa Blair set to smash World Sailing Speed Record
• Eight Bells for Sally Helm
• Featured Charter: MOD 70
• Featured Brokerage:
• • Elan E6
• • YYachts Y7
• • RM 1180
• • Nautitech 44 Open Sport (January 2024)
• • Contessa 32
• The Last Word: Robert Lowell
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
Allegra claims inaugural IMA Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series
Adrian Keller's Irens 84 catamaran Allegra enjoyed the breezy conditions of the first two days in the BVI. Photo: Alex Turnbull / Tidal Pulse Media. Click on image to enlarge.
The first running of the International Maxi Association's Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series concluded on Sunday with the end of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival held out of Nanny Cay, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The new series recognises the growing part of maxi yachting - private owners who wish to race large, fast multihulls, either for their pure blistering speed, in the case of the MOD70 trimarans, or, in the case of the catamarans, because their performance, combined with their huge interiors, make them the ultimate cruiser-racers.
The Series kicked off with the Caribbean Multihull Challenge held in St Maarten at the beginning of February, continued mid-February with the RORC Caribbean 600 (the Series' sole offshore race), returned north for St Maarten Heineken Regatta at the beginning of March before finishing last week in the BVI. The series featured ten 60+ft maxi multihulls. Ultimately the Nigel Irens-designed 84ft catamaran Allegra of Switzerland's Adrian Keller won the inaugural IMA Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series by a single point over Todd Slyngstad's HH66 catamaran Nemo.
In fact the accomplished, well-seasoned crew on Nemo, led by Slyngstad and including experienced American pro Ryan Braymaier, sailed supremely, winning their class both at the Caribbean Multihull Challenge and BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. However a premium points co-efficient for the RORC Caribbean 600 just put Keller's catamaran ahead. -- James Boyd / International Maxi Association
internationalmaxiassociation.com
Louis Robein successfully assisted by Argentinian Navy after running aground in remote bay. Click on image to enlarge.
![Louis Robein](https://mcusercontent.com/c29f6dab419ffad4fdfba5b97/images/ca9496f0-2845-d9da-3fb5-bd786b1b6fc7.jpg" "Allegra claims inaugural IMA Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series")
Yesterday Louis Robein arrived safely in Ushuaia after his unfortunate ordeal, running aground in Bahia Aguirre, in the southeastern peninsula of Mitre in the Tierra del Fuego. He was very fatigued when the incident happened, after his incredible voyage that saw him sailing with no autopilot for over three weeks in the open Pacific before successfully rounding Cape Horn on April 5th.
tended to reach Ushuaia for repairs after rounding the Cape. Heavy weather affecting the area, with northwesterly winds of up to 60 knots made it impossible to immediately motor up the Beagle Channel and Louis patiently spent the evening of the 5th until the morning of the 6th hove-to, drifting slowly with sails on opposite tacks, in the shelter of the Tierra del Fuego and the archipelago de the Islas de Hornos.
By midday on the 6th the wind was still blowing hard but had decreased enough for him to start making way towards the coast of the Tierra del Fuego before heading west up the channel to Ushuaia. When steering in the cockpit, and with no autopilot Louis was unable to easily and quickly plot his position on the paper charts as the wind would immediately blow the boat off course. The sun was setting and as the profile of the headlands started to fade but despite the approaching darkness he was confident he was motoring up the Beagle Channel.
Unfortunately, fatigue, deception brought by the waning light of day and a dead reckoning misjudgment resulted in Louis motoring into the Bahia Aguirre.
We are extremely grateful to the Argentinian Navy for deploying such significant resources and dedicating time and personnel to deal with the situation so professionally, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Louis first and then inspecting Le Souffle de La Mer III with their divers and towing the boat for 95 miles to Ushuaia.
The ordeal had a happy ending, the fact that the winds blew from shore ensured the stranded boat was not crushed or broken by waves onto the beach.
globalsolochallenge.com/louis-robeins-argentina-en/
The First Year Of Harken Zircon: A Status Report
It's been a full year since the first trimmers discovered better sail shapes were hiding deep in the periodic table of elements. They departed the 'Before-Zircon' Era forever. Today Zircon blocks are available in eight models: singles, singles with becket, doubles, and doubles with becket in both 40 mm and 57 mm sheave sizes. Feedback from sailors has been quite positive. So, more sizes and sheave options are on the way. Zircon blocks overcome rolling resistance so easily, information flows acutely back and forth from sail-to-hand. In the lightest air, trimmers feel they can actually push the sheet out. Zircon block bearings are derived from the element Zirconium, a metal, #40 on the periodic table, more commonly known as ceramic. Inside Zircon are just seven ceramic balls. They're so microscopically smooth and so incredibly hard if they didn't travel in bearing races of the same metal, they'd destroy the block from the inside.
Consider this the latest step in Harken's eternal quest: how much inertia can be overcome while still safely delivering ever-increasing performance?
Zircon is no all-purpose block--no block is a perfect match for every application. But Zircon-equipped trimmers respond in fractions of time and sheet...creating shapes better matched to new conditions which pay off in boat lengths. Boat lengths that can be the difference between looking down from the podium...and looking up.
Zircon-equip your trimmers here
First Look - Alinghi Red Bull Racing's new AC75 Revealed
Theirs was the first to arrive in Barcelona, the America's Cup host city.
Theirs was the first to slide out into public view.
And theirs will be the most talked about boat in the Cup....for now.
But this was much more than just a new boat reveal...this was the first glimpse of a new generation AC75.
Alinghi had hinted that their new boat would be radical and they weren't kidding......but are all the new crop of new Cup machines going to look like this?
The answer is that we don't know.....yet.
What we do know, is that this is the boat Alinghi Red Bull Racing will use for their assault on the 37th America's Cup. It's a striking looking machine and more aggressive than many had expected.
Matt Sheahan explains some of the key aspects of Alinghi's weapon of choice.
Seahorse May 2024
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
30 years and it’s only just begun
That’s how long charismatic Italian skipper Giovanni Soldini has been knocking round at the front of ocean racing and record breaking. So quite late in the career to take on what is easily his biggest and most high-profile project ever...
Race of the (almost) midnight sun
The first edition of the 600-mile Roschier Baltic Sea Race showed just how good the sailing - and racing - can be up here in high summer
One boat for many modes of sailing
Can one yacht really satisfy a wide range of sailors? It’s a tough design brief but Bavaria and Cossutti reckon they’ve cracked it
Update
A new FD, getting impatient in Barcelona and a fast new face at the helm. Tim Jeffery, Deb Fish, Jack Griffin, Terry Hutchinson
Still greatly missed
Magnificent former columnist Gary Mull
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America's Cup Enters The E-Sports Arena
America's Cup, the pinnacle of international yachting, is taking a leap into the virtual world with the launch of its official simulation videogame, AC Sailing, along with its first-ever e-sports world championship, America's Cup E-series.
AC Sailing, the ultimate regatta simulator built on actual simulation technology used by America's Cup teams, will be available for free download on Steam from April 9th, 19:00 CET
America's Cup E-series will be the first e-sports league by the iconic sailing competition, attracting top virtual sailors from around the world to claim their place among America's Cup legends.
The America's Cup E-Series will allow players from around the globe will have the chance to race against each other and claim their place among the America's Cup legends. The E-series will consist of Online Qualifiers and a Grand Final taking place in Barcelona in September, with exact dates yet to be revealed.
Powered by AC Sailing as its official videogame, the first season of the America's Cup E-series will be open to all gamers. The final events will be live streamed on Twitch for a global audience, marking a historical moment for the America's Cup and the sailing community at large.
2027 Ocean Globe Race Announced
Today Don Mcintyre made the announcement that many have been waiting for.
"It's not finished yet, but this OGR has and continues to be one hell of a race and grand human adventure capturing the imagination of so many. We are immensely proud of all the sailors involved, the passion and courage they display and the power of following dreams and never saying no. It is really obvious and incredibly satisfying that we are all making history with this unique around the world race. Over the past nine months I have been talking to so many who are looking forward to doing it again, or for the first time in the 2027 OGR. We have learnt a lot with this edition, so it is really exciting to announce today that McIntyre Adventure will once again underwrite the second edition of the Ocean Globe Race in 2027 and is looking forward to speaking with partners who would like to become part of something very special. "
Applications are now open and the Pre-Notice of Race is available.
26 entries are available overall and four OGR "special invitations" may be considered. Initially a maximum of seven entries from any one country will be accepted up until 1st January 2026 when this rule may be relaxed.
Lisa Blair set to smash World Sailing Speed Record by more than 4 days
The World Sailing Speed Record for Sydney to Auckland is set to be smashed by acclaimed Australian Solo Sailor Lisa Blair who is due to arrive across the finish line between North Head and Rangitoto Island between 3pm to 4pm NZST ( 1 – 2pm AEST) today, April 9, taking 4 days off the record.
She will claim the record for the fastest person and first woman to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted from Sydney, Australia some 1200 nm to Auckland, New Zealand. Her arduous journey across the notorious Tasman Sea (The Ditch) has been marked by 30 knot squalls and fluky conditions including frustrating hours of virtual calm, a knock down mid Tasman and lightning storms but with little sleep over the 8-day journey she maintained a leading track over the previous record set in 2020 of 12 days and 14 hrs.
"On this trip the weather and seas threw every element at me and because it was a short window I have hardly slept and really pushed my settings the whole way. The boat has performed superbly but I am pretty exhausted and thrilled to be heading to this early finish and record and showcasing Climate Action now for a healthy ocean," she said from onboard about 40 nm to the finish.
Lisa is sailing to promote Climate Action in her yacht called Climate Action Now adorned with messages from her followers and fans.
Eight Bells for Sally Helm
It is with a heavy heart that I report this week that Sally Helm, retired publisher of The Sailing Company (Cruising World and Sailing World magazines), passed away on March 20 at the age of 70. I've known Sally for more than 40 years and although we were competitors in business, we were always friends and respected adversaries. Sally's contribution to the sailing industry was significant in many ways.
She was a fierce advocate for the company she led and kept the magazines successful through some very hard financial times. But more than that, she was a stalwart supporter of the whole sailing industry and a long-time leader of Sail America, the sailing industry's trade association. And, she was a life-long supporter of women in sailing and supported many organizations and associations devoted to empowering women to get on the water and take the helm. Those of us who knew her well appreciated her professionalism, her tireless work ethic, her friendship and her lovely sardonic sense of humor. Her laugh was infectious and I will miss her. -- George Day, BW Sailing
Check out this longer remembrance published in Scuttlebutt on March 21 here.
Featured Charter
MOD 70
One of the fastest offshore racing boats in the world, the Multi One Design 70 Trimaran offers premier ocean racing to the world's best sailors. With maximum speeds of up to 40 knots and full ocean racing capabilities, the MOD 70 is a force to be reckoned with. Available in the Mediterranean and 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
Elan E6. POA EUR.
Compared to other yachts in Elan’s repertoire, the Humphreys Yacht Design team distilled even more performance in this project, while keeping the dual-purpose ethos that has been the hallmark of the E Line range for years.
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Begunje 1,
4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem,
Slovenia
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YYACHTS Y7. POA EUR.
The Y7 was created in collaboration with US designer Bill Tripp, considered one of the world's best naval architects. Our goal was to combine comfortable sailing performance with competitive sailing performance, even on the regatta course.
In conditions where other yachts still use their engines, the sails are already set on the Y7. A displacement of only 29 tons and almost 300 square meters of sail area at wind make move the yacht even in light winds; Y7 owners don't have to worry about the perfect weather all the time.
All halyards, sheets and stretchers run hidden to the steering columns - so the helmsman can operate the Y7 alone at any time. This is not a matter of course for a 70-foot yacht and allows the owner to sail with a very small crew or even on his own.
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RM 1180. From 277,389 ex VAT EUR
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Nautitech 44 Open Sport (January 2024). 745,080 (ex VAT) EUR.
This is your last chance to buy a sportive Nautitech 44 open catamaran ready to go sailing before the 2024 sailing season!
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1980 Contessa 32. 115000 GBP Located in Lymington, UK
Utterly unique ‘zero-houred’ classic Contessa 32. Launched in 1980 and with just four owners since new. Totally upgraded and fully fitted out for cruising and competitive class racing.
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See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
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