INEOS Britannia arguably put in the performance of the day, lighting the after-burners and just looking better and better…
Cup Spy May 9: Testing the wind machine
Luna Rossa sailed for the fourth successive day from Cagliari, Sardinia. A point of interest on Thursday was the relative performance of its two wing foils – one to the new AC75 Class Rule, the other a legacy foil used in the 2021 America’s Cup…
First to foil Giant multihull around world
First to foil a Giant multihull around the world, Charles Caudrelier has moved the bar in offshore racing. Helen Fretter finds out how he got there:
It would be a scene worthy of the most outrageous Hollywood action movie: a man, alone on an enormous flying trimaran, is hurtling across the ocean’s remotest reaches, when he plunges through the floor of the cockpit. He dangles, metres above the churning waves – with no way of calling for help – until he manages to haul himself back on board. Then he dusts himself off, and keeps racing. But Charles Caudrelier barely mentions it.
“You had some wave damage?” I ask during our chat about the Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest, the solo around the world race in 100ft foiling Ultims.
“Oh, yes. Before Cape Horn, I caught some 7m waves and with the wind churning and the waves coming off a front for a few hours that was quite uncomfortable. A wave onto the back of the boat hit the deck, so I had a big hole in my boat. That was quite difficult, because you feel safe in your cockpit and then suddenly your cockpit is open and you can see water” – Full report
we’ve been warned
The Environment
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasted a “severe solar storm” that’s expected to hit Earth tonight, according to a release. These geomagnetic storms happen every so often, but as the Sun approaches the maximum of its 11-year solar cycle, the space weather is getting more intense.
A geomagnetic storm occurs when solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) occur on the Sun, causing variation in the solar wind that hits Earth’s magnetosphere, the protective sheath of Earth’s magnetic field. Read on.
Foiling Week returns to the USA
Foiling Week, held in Europe since 2014 on Italy’s Lake Garda, returns to the USA for a seven-day celebration of the future of watercraft mobility. With previous editions held in Newport, RI (2016) and Miami, FL (2018), the 2025 event will be on February 24-March 2 in Pensacola, FL
“Foiling Week Pensacola is the culmination of Sail Pensacola’s first year of work and will bring a whole new international appreciation of our town as a vacation option,” said Timothy Ryschon, President of Sail Pensacola.
“The event is set on a four-year minimum cycle and will dramatically accelerate our goals by generating new interest in sailing, demonstrating diversity in the sport, showcasing the Pensacola Bay for racing events, increasing adoption of foiling technology in the U.S., and bringing industry attention to Pensacola as ‘the’ epicenter for future high-performance marine design and manufacturing.”
Event producer Luca Rizzotti adds, “Foiling isn’t only about the excitement of competition, it is a symbol of innovation that leads to progress in marine transportation, ecological undertakings, and our delightful and very strong bond with the sea.”
Aside from a lineup activities, Foiling Week Pensacola will host racing classes on Pensacola Bay such as the WASZP, Moth, and iQFOiL plus on-water demonstrations featuring foiling boats and boards.
Foiling Week Pensacola will be the occasion to set a Foiling Trade Show dedicated to consumers, showcasing the latest in nautical hi-tech gadgets and apparel. There will also be a Foiling Film Festival, symposium exploring foiling applications, and live music entertainment from Community Maritime Park.
Foiling Week Pensacola hopes to captivate audiences of all ages and backgrounds, inviting both seasoned sailors and curious spectators to experience the thrill of Foiling firsthand.
Details: https://foilingweek.com/
America’s Cup: American Magic splash and sail
American Magic rolled out their new AC75 at 5.45am on Tuesday, with the first set of slightly asymmetric race foils, rudder and rig all in place and revealing an interesting deck layout putting the helms and trimmers side by side and well forward.
repeat after me…
“This is fun. This is fun. This is fu….” Lots o’ rain and plenty cold at the Sail Port Stephens regatta. Photo thanks to Promocean Media.
Clipper Race: From Seattle to Panama
The 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is on the move again for the 4200nm leg down the western coast of North America from Seattle, WA to Panama. The 11 teams departed Bell Harbor Marina on May 4 where they had been berthed since their arrival, transiting the Puget Sound to the offshore location for the start on May 5, 2024.
The Seattle stopover saw one of the biggest crew changeovers of the edition, as the circumnavigation progresses into its final quarter. With yachts seeing a turnover of nearly all their leggers, there was a buzz of fresh-faced crew, excited and ready to join the rest of their teammates rejuvenated after an incredible stopover in Washington state.
Following the North Pacific crossing, the conditions the crew will face on the next race will vary greatly as they go from the cold to heat near the Equator.
“The joke is you start the race, hoist up your Code 3, the heaviest spinnaker that you use for the windiest of wind, you sail until you can’t fly it anymore,” said Washington, DC Skipper Hannah Brewis. “Then you hoist your Code 2, then you hoist your Code 1, which is the lightest spinnaker, once you can’t fly that, then you hoist your Windseeker which you use for the really really light winds, then you fly that till you can’t and the race ends…”
Yoann Richomme wins Transat CIC
New York, NY (May 6, 2024) – French skipper Yoann Richomme made it two back-to-back solo Transatlantic wins today when he brought his IMOCA 60 PAPREC ARKÉA across the finish line first on the historic Transat CIC race across the North Atlantic from Lorient in Brittany to New York.
Richomme on his Finot Conq-Antoine Koch designed PAPREC ARKÉA crossed the finish line of the 15th edition at 18:23:32 UTC (14:23:32 EDT) to conclude a very close battle with German skipper Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) who was less than 30 miles behind when he crossed. Richomme’S elapsed time for the 2,950 nautical miles course since leaving Lorient on April 28 was 8d 6h 53mn 32sec.
After winning his first ever solo IMOCA Transat, the Retour à La Base, a race from the Caribbean to Lorient in December, Richomme highlights again his outstanding potential for the solo non-stop round the world race, the 2024-25 Vendée Globe, which starts early November.
It is the first time since 2016 that this historic Transatlantic race, which originated in England in 1960 as the Observer Transatlantic Race, has been contested. Richomme, 40, follows up the success on that edition of Armel Le Cléac’h who then went on to win the 2016-17 Vendée Globe the following winter.
Richomme’s elapsed time bears some comparison with Le Cléach’s 12 days, at least in proving how much faster the latest generation of foiling IMOCAs are compared with Le Cléach’s Banque Populaire VIII which was one of the first ever IMOCAs with hydrofoils.
He was second for a big part of the race, chasing his long time rival Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé et Prévoyance) who looked to be odds on to win on his return to solo racing after missing last Autumn’s two Transats with a medical issue.
But Richomme out-maneuvered him as they negotiated the north side of a nasty Atlantic depression whilst Dalin was reported to have suffered a technical problem which required him to stop for a few hours the following day.
The Frenchman – who was born in Fréjus but spent three and a half years at a tough public school near Philadelphia while his father was working there – is a renowned, data-driven perfectionist and is perfectly bilingual with a distinct US accent.
He has said in the past that staying on top of his target numbers all the time and living in his own bubble, sailing his own race, has been the passport to his key successes to date, winning the solo Route du Rhum twice in Class 40 and winning La Solitaire du Figaro twice.
After an outstanding win on his solo IMOCA debut last December, he told Yachting World magazine: “I am really in my own world, I don’t look at the others, a little bit now and again, but I am in my own world and then what works well is all the data analysis we do before to be able to have the right polars, to make the right decisions, to have the right sails. Yes, it is that digital thing, the numbers.
“Otherwise, if you do routings all the time and it shows you to go different ways, it messes you up. It is all about the work I do before that pays off in these races. And then the thing is it works, I am not making big mistakes. You cannot change a big gennaker twice in a day, as the next day you are dead. You need to make the right sail choices all the time and know what you are doing when, as otherwise you are going to f#ck up. You will never recover. All the learning curve from sailing the boat here, and analyzing the data and being able to use that on the race course, efficiently and not making mistakes is what makes it work.”
Since launching in February 2023, the successes of PAPREC ARKÉA have been striking as Richomme and Yann Eliès finished second in the Rolex Fastnet race and on the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre and now he adds victory on the ‘original’ fiercest ‘north face’ Transat to his growing list of accolades.
The key moment was on May 2 when he overtook Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) to the north who was visibly suffering from technical problems. Richomme echoes how winning cyclists know how to attack and deliver a blow as soon as the peloton seems to be running out of steam. When fatigue sets, he attacks with striking lucidity and composure.
“It is so good to win this crazy, hard, historic race which really launched ocean racing with the victory of Eric Tabarly and so on,” said Richomme after the finish. “So I am super proud to accomplish this and this is my first time arriving by sea into New York so now I can really look forwards to that.
“I am happy and proud of the work the team has done and winning two back to back Transats shows we are working well. I had a few little problems after the start, making choices with sails and some energy problems, but I made some good trajectories and am happy with the speed of the boat.
“I am proud of my course through the depression, we had a good race Charlie (Dalin) and I made good executions of my strategy. But everything is wet, wet through and it is difficult to contemplate two or three months living like that on the Vendée Globe. And the race with Boris was good too; he has a very fast boat downwind.”
Tentatively, the winning average speed over actual course sailed of 3293.55 miles was 14.83 knots, and the speed over the theoretical course was 16.56 knots.
Event details – Tracker – Facebook
Source: agence.rivacom.fr
7 up
Of course we love Jalopnik, and we love poking fun at SailGP. Needless to say, they did a great job with this. The comments are excellent!
It’s understandable to assume that yacht racing is solely the purview of ascot-wearing socialites. However, hydrofoiling catamarans used in the highest level of international competition aren’t toys. SailGP yachts are capable of reaching 60 miles per hour. Higher speeds also mean bigger incidents, and Team USA found out the hard way last Friday during practice for the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix. Read on.
SailGP: Spain wins Final in Bermuda
Diego Botin’s young Spanish team executed flawless tactical decision-making to head off New Zealand and Australia season, in the three-boat winner takes all sailed on Bermuda’s Great Sound…
SailGP USA dramatically capsizes during Bermuda’s practice racing
Taylor Canfield’s United States dramatically capsized during Bermuda’s practice racing…
First Sail for INEOS Britannia’s AC75
INEOS Britannia’s new race boat for the 37th America’s Cup has set sail for the very first time…
What is the history of beer can racing?
Since the start of the Beer Can Racing season is upon the yachting community, the question has been asked: When and where was the first beer can race held? While we profess to know a little about a lot, our archives are empty on this topic. If you know, send the details to editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com.
As for the history of the beer can itself, here is how it began:
Before Prohibition, the main vessels for consuming beer were bottles and glasses used to down draft suds. But Pabst and Anheuser-Busch knew there was a better way, so they attempted to engineer a functional beer can in the 1920s. Unfortunately, their plans fizzled in the wake of the 18th Amendment.
In the early 1930s, just before Prohibition was officially repealed, the American Can Company created a usable beer can prototype that New Jersey’s Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company tested with just 2000 cans of their Krueger’s Special Beer.
The 12-ounce cans offered the highest alcohol content possible at the time—3.2 percent—and received rave reviews from 91 percent of those dedicated drinkers who were invited to partake in the first batch, with the vast majority of them saying it tasted more like draft beer than its bottled counterpart (which was a good thing).
Given the production and shipping costs for heavy bottles, canned beer was financially smarter for breweries in the 1930s, too. Bottles were also returnable at the time, which not only added another shipping cost for breweries, but necessitated more man-power for inspection of whether or not a bottle was fit for reuse. Which is why the invention of the beer can was so revolutionary—and why it has an official holiday on the calendar (January 24). – Full report
down, not out?
Jérémie Beyou, one of the top hopes for the Transat CIC solo race from Lorient to New York is returning to Lorient after damage to his J2 forestay. The skipper of Charal made the decision to turn around after discussions with his technical team, to be able to make a repair as quickly as possible and carry out a complete check of the boat.
Beyou will leave again quickly with a reduced crew to deliver the IMOCA to New York. As determined as ever Beyou wants to make sure of starting the New York-Vendée race on May 29.
A Second Consecutive Congressional Cup Victory for Chris Poole
Long Beach Yacht Club kicked off this year’s World Match Racing Circuit with the past weekend’s 59th annual Congressional Cup. USA’s Chris Poole, and his Riptide Racing team, returned to win his second consecutive Congressional Cup and crimson blazer. Poole and his team — Joachim Aschenbrenner, Bernardo Freitas, Mal Parker, Luke Payne, and Harry West — defeated five-time Congressional Cup winner Ian Williams 3-1 in a tense final.
Showing dominance early, Poole claimed the first point of the event. With so much talent and experience in these boats, Williams and Poole pushed the match-racing rules and boats to their maximum.
Reflecting on the victory, Poole said, “It’s an incredible feeling. It would be impossible without my team. We didn’t start the week the way we wanted to, but once we started sailing like we did last year, we were pretty confident it was going to be ours to win.”
Experience and confidence paid off as the Riptide team held off Williams to stay on top for the win.
Complete results and information here.
The post A Second Consecutive Congressional Cup Victory for Chris Poole appeared first on Latitude38.
yeah, no
We’ve all been there, just not usually caught this blatantly on camera! This uh, timely shot, is thanks to Max Ranchi at the seemingly never-ending 52 Super Series, this time at Palma de Mallorca.
It is worth noting – to me at least – that this series now never sends us any info. Did we hurt your fee fees? Welcome to the club. – ed.
SailGP’s Racing on the Edge latest episode
The latest episode of SailGP’s Racing on the Edge docuseries, in partnership with Rolex, unfolds all of the drama and action from the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in March…
Cup Spy Apr 25-26: Three Sailings and a Reveal
Two teams sailed today – one in Auckland and the other in Cagliari. American Magic gave an unexpected reveal today, when the US Challenger opened the shed door and saw daylight for the first time…
Top four advance at Congressional Cup
Long Beach, CA (April 25, 2024) – The first stage of the 59th edition of the Congressional Cup concluded with the double round robin series and the top four teams – Ian Williams (GBR), Jeppe Borch (DEN), Dave Hood (USA), and Gavin Brady (USA) – advancing to the Quarter-final stage of the event.
The remaining eight teams will compete in a repechage stage tomorrow, where the top four finishers will also join the Quarter-finals.
After an overcast start to the day, the clouds burned off and the breeze built for another spectacular day in Long Beach with an 8-10 knot southwesterly breeze which shifted consistently to the right throughout the afternoon.
Denmark’s Jeppe Borch and his Borch Racing were the first to confirm their spot for the Quarter-finals, losing only two races to finish the round-robin stage at 8.5 points, with a half-point deducted for damage. Great Britain’s Ian Williams and his Gladstone’s Long Beach team finished the stage with nine wins and two losses, winning the round-robin.
Going into the 13th flight late in the day, there was still much to play for to qualify for the Quarters. With Borch through, Williams, Brady, Berntsson, and Hood all had a strong chance to also get to the knock-out rounds. It began some of the closest racing of the day.
Hood and his DH3 Racing needed one more win to secure their position into Quarters, and fellow USA skipper Scotty Dickson’s Dickson Racing was not going to give it up easily. The two locals got up close and personal with each other, as well as a brush with the Race Committee boat. The action continued up the course, with contact at the windward mark, which cleared all penalties as they came down the final run bow to bow. Ultimately, Hood clinched the win…
Debut (sort of) for American Magic AC75
Barcelona, Spain (April 25, 2024) – New York Yacht Club American Magic, Challenger for the 37th America’s Cup, today slid its AC75 race boat, “B3,” outside of the shed as commissioning continues since its arrival on March 25.
Previously hidden, it had traveled 3,500 miles from its construction at the build facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to its current home in Barcelona.
While the team did not release significant images, B3 made its public debut for structural and load testing at the American Magic base. This marked the first unveiling of the race boat after a two-and-a-half-year development and build process, totaling over 108,000 design hours and 65,000 construction hours.
A further phase of commissioning and testing completes the path for B3 before an official naming ceremony and inaugural sail.
“Our shore crew and engineers have been working methodically over the last 30 days to get us to this moment,” said Skipper and President of Sailing Operations, Terry Hutchinson. “We look forward to sea trialing and further development in the coming months.”
Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.
Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)
2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain
2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)
2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)
For more schedule details, click here.
Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.
Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Additional details: www.americascup.com/en/home
Source: ACE
America’s Cup: What Mother Nature sees
Sailing Hall of Famer Buddy Melges is famous for saying how “instruments are great, but you have to look at the water and present the boat to Mother Nature.” While it is computers that have created the latest batch of America’s Cup AC75s, Mother Nature will get the final vote on which team got it right. Here’s a glimpse of what she’ll be seeing:
With four teams revealing their box-fresh AC75s, it’s abundantly clear that different solutions have been found for very similar questions. The design teams have worked feverishly to deliver their best and latest thinking whilst the electronics and mechatronics engineers have been hard at it to produce the control and power-delivery systems that will define each team’s campaign. So what do we know so far?
With three teams sailing, what we are seeing is fast-flight being achieved by a combination of Barcelona-specific hull design and clever-thinking on controls. For Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, we are only seeing a fraction of their potential as they are with legacy foils and foil arms. That will change.
The performance, however, of Alinghi Red Bull Racing has everyone sitting up and taking notice with the team running full-span bespoke foils which clearly have an enormous effect on performance.
Hull differences and bustle treatment are more nuanced. Easy to say that Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli are from the same stable of progressive thinking, so too perhaps INEOS Britannia, but Alinghi Red Bull Racing has thrown a spanner in the works with their chine on the bow and full length, considerable, bustle leading to the stern.
All the teams have gone for T-section shapes at the stern run-off but it’s in the bow area where the differences are most marked. INEOS Britannia have real volume in their in-built immediately voluminous bustle, whereas the Italians and Kiwis have aggressively flared bow profiles back to the foil arm boxes.
The deck area is key. For anyone that has seen an overlaid flow diagram of an AC75, the biggest disturbance air passing over the yacht is at deck level and it’s here where designers and technicians have worked the hardest.
The Italians have a beautifully contoured naked carbon approach, moulding the side pods evenly into the deck and aft off the transom. Emirates Team New Zealand does the same with a raised ellipse stern that screams aero.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing has detail from bow to stern with what look like Venturi bumps on the bow to aid airflow into the jib and then an incredibly open cockpit that creates something of a tunnel with the raised pods having internal sidewalls rather than blended in an aggressive treatment of the flow.
INEOS Britannia, from early morning spy shots, appears to be somewhere in the middle of the Italians and Swiss with blended side pods streaming aft – we will know more when they officially launch in the coming days.
Bumps and both hull and deck dilets are evident on all designs but perhaps the biggest differences lie in the treatment of the bustles and skegs that run down the middle of the boat. What we see on the Swiss AC75 is almost an International Moth style of skeg whilst for the Kiwis and Italians, they have a more blended, considerate approach.
Emirates Team New Zealand’s bustle runs full length, kicking up in the final third to the transom allowing for the rudder to be hung beneath the bustle. Its angularity is marked, similar in fact to the sharpness of INEOS Britannia’s treatment although their bustle stops a few feet from the transom tip, meaning the rudder mechanics are mainly all above deck.
The Swiss have considerable volume at the stern in their bustle with the added benefit of getting those rudder controls low and hidden. Same too for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli whose refined bustle goes full length and again has the rudder slung off the underbelly. All the boats so far have a keel chine running off the bow with varying degrees of depth.
Another similarity so far, appears to be in crew configuration with everyone so far going for the trimmer in the forward pod, followed by the helmsman and then the two cyclors in the aft. A screen on the forward pod of Alinghi Red Bull Racing confirms their aero intention whereas for the other trimmers, it’s just a very low position out of the wind that they maintain.
Same too for the cyclors, the power units of this Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. They are arched into an almost time-trial position with their heads down in the ‘pain-locker’ pedaling for all they are worth – rarely do you see a cyclor look up when the boats are in motion.
In terms of sail control, we can see that all the teams have gone for trench configurations on both their jib track and mainsheet track but there’s a world of difference and new thinking going on here.
Emirates Team New Zealand have innovated once again and removed all of their control componentry below the aft deck to produce a very neat dual control system that auto-varies side to side and gives them ultimate control over both skins of the mainsail.
Jib systems all look to be sunken 3D controls mounted on self-tacking tracks and all the teams have been seen linking up mast rotation to the mainsheet system.
Pre-sets will become defined as the teams ramp up their time on the water, making these AC75s some of the most refined and setting-repeatable boats ever created, placing much emphasis on the data for given wind conditions.
One of the closely guarded areas of development is the foil design. Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have both opted at launch to keep their designs secret and complete the commissioning of their boats on legacy foils.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing, however, did not have this option and what we saw at their launch was a first iteration of the long-span, low volume foils that are beautifully sculpted with almost invisible dual flaps and upturned wing tips. Designed for super-fast flight and early foiling, we’ve already seen the Swiss get airborne in just 6.5 to 7.5 knots of breeze which is an impressive performance upgrade on the first-generation boats.
INEOS Britannia revealed their boat but kept their new foils shrouded until launch, but what we can certainly see is the trend for back slung foils off a slender bulb – expect this to be the norm but whether will we see innovations here such as ‘Tubercles’ like the Swiss trialed on their LEQ12 moded AC40 or something different, is the big question that won’t be answered for some time yet.
Standing by for NYYC American Magic and Orient Express Racing to reveal their boats.
Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.
Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)
2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain
2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)
2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)
For more schedule details, click here.
Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.
Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Additional details: www.americascup.com/en/home
Source: ACE
A rite of passage for SoCal sailors
The 76th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will commence on April 26, 2024. The 125nm course from Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada, Mexico has long been a rite of passage for Southern California sailors, with the more recent option of an 88 nm course to San Diego, CA
The entry list has 164 boats going the full distance with 20 teams staying north of the international border.
The 2023 race saw better-than-expected winds at the start, but dropped overnight, making for very close racing by morning’s light. For 2024, the Windy.com app is suggesting that westerly winds will carry the fleet all the way to the finish.
The inaugural race was held in 1948, with a record 675 boats entered in 1983 to earn N2E the title of “World’s Largest International Yacht Race.”
Tom Siebel’s Orion, a MOD70 has held the multihull elapsed time record since 2016 when it broke an 18-year-old record with a time of 5:17:26. A new monohull elapsed time record was set in 2022 when Manouch Moshayedi’s custom RIO 100 crossed the finish line before sunset with a time of 7:02:17.
Trophies are awarded in more than 40 classes for the best in ultra-light and maxi-yachts and non-spinnaker and cruising classes.
Transat Ready: Solo Skippers Optimised For Success
With the Vendée Globe on the horizon, excitement is building as the IMOCA skippers hurtle towards the world’s premiere offshore challenge…
Clipper Race: Winning the China-USA leg
Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam has claimed its fourth win on the 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, topping the fleet of eleven 70-foot yachts on the longest and toughest race on the circuit. The team finished the North Pacific Crossing from China to the USA in 25 days, 19 hours, 26 minutes and 11 seconds on April 22 with a 140-mile lead in Seattle, WA.
Led by Race Skipper Bob Beggs and AQP (Additional Qualified Person) Cameron McCracken, the team will double the eleven points scooped up for first place, having played its lucrative Joker on this race. The team also adds a further three points to its take home after a Scoring Gate win, meaning a certain shake up of the top spots on the overall Race Standings.
This victory on the 5580nm course comes as another in a stream of great results for the team as no other boat has won more than one race on this edition.
Sailing terms for landlubbers
In a humorous movie scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Jack Sparrow and his mutinous helmsman-turned-ally Hector Barbossa stomp down the deck of the Black Pearl barking orders at the crew. “Trim that sail!” one of them shouts. “Slack windward brace and sheet!” another roars. “Haul the pennant line!” they bellow in unison.
Although the scene ultimately revolves around the unsolved question of which one of them is Captain, much of the comedy derives from the fact that the film’s audience—largely comprised of 21st-century landlubbers with a limited understanding of sailing jargon—has absolutely no idea what the characters are talking about. – Full report
INEOS Britannia AC75 – Filling in the details of RB3 with hopes riding high
End of a long day for the INEOS Britannia team after their 05:15 dawn rollout…
king of the vangs?
Big Pimpin’
Allen has just unveiled its latest development in sailing hardware: the Vang King.
The Vang King is not just a gas strut; it’s a game-changer in vang control systems for keelboats up to 26ft. Designed to serve as a boom support system, the Vang King seamlessly integrates with a purchase system to deliver unmatched control of your mainsail vang settings.
In light winds, the Vang King will hold the boom up which will reduce the unwanted weight on the mainsail leech and thus result in a better sail shape and more speed. Whether you’re cruising or racing, the Vang King ensures optimal performance in every sailing condition.
Find out more here.
Race to Alaska Podcast
The Race to Alaska will hold its 8th edition in 2024, continuing with its 750-mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Ketchikan, AK. And now there is a podcast series prior to the June 9 start. Featured in this episode are perhaps the two most different teams in pursuit of glory:
Team Stranger Danger
Yet another team only shaking hands for the first time just days before race start, meet Stranger Danger—riding high aboard their Schock 40 until the keel probably falls off. Oh, and Katy Stewart is back, if that means anything to anybody.
Team Barely Heumann
The internet got a collective brain freeze when a randomly posted photo of Jim Heumann’s Nauticraft Escapade was posted to the R2AK social media landscape. Why does Jim think this is a good idea? Hear the answer from him
America’s Cup Defender christened “Taihiro”
In a stirring ceremony, Iwi Ngati Whatua Orakei gifted and blessed the name ‘Taihiro’ on the boat that Emirates Team NZ will sail in their defence of the 37th America’s Cup. The launch event took place at the Team’s base in Auckland’s Wynyard Point…
76th N2E Yacht Race – One week to go
The 76th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will depart from its multi-line start. A multitude of racers and 145 boats that keep N2E a Southern California yacht racing favorite, will take to the 125mn course bound for the Hotel Coral and Marina…
Cup Spy April 16: Luna Rossa revealed
The first tow-run reached a boat speed of 20 knots before turning around and proceeding with the second one at 25 knots and finally increasing to 30 knots…
Cup Spy Apr 16: Radical Swiss AC75 revealed
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was revealed in daylight on Tuesday in Barcelona – showing some very unique design features – and looking to leapfrog the other design teams, and make a two generation advance in AC75 design…
Match Racing Tour begins in USA
The 2024 World Match Racing Tour gets underway with 17 teams and over 100 of the world’s top match racing sailors competing across back-to-back events in Long Beach, CA. Using Catalina 37s, the Grade 2 Ficker Cup (April 19-21) is followed by the Grade 1 Congressional Cup on April 24-28, with both events hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club, this year celebrating its 95th Anniversary.
Eight teams from five countries will compete at the Ficker Cup with the top three finishers advancing to the expanded 12-team field for the the 59th edition of the Congressional Cup.
The oldest continuously-held sailing match race regatta in the world, the 2024 Congressional Cup roster has defending champion Chris Poole, USA (Riptide Racing), five-time Congressional Cup winner Ian Williams (GBR, Team Gladstone’s Long Beach), 2009 Congressional Cup winner Johnie Berntsson (SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team), Eric Monnin (SUI, Capvis Swiss Match Racing), Jeppe Borch (DEN, Borch Racing), Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL, Knots Racing), Rocco Attili (ITA, RBYS) and Dave Hood (USA,DH3 Racing).
Returning to the event after 12-years is also four-time Congressional Cup winner Gavin Brady, USA (True Blue Racing). While back on the World Match Racing Tour last year, Brady narrowly missed out on the 2023 Match Racing World Championship title in Shenzhen, China after being defeated by GBR’s Ian Williams in the final.
“It will be a very special week for me being back at the Long Beach Yacht Club and racing in the Congressional Cup,” said Brady. “My match racing started in 1996 at the Ficker Cup and Congressional Cup, I won my first Congressional Cup before one of my crew was even born!”
A-Class Cat North American Championships overall
The A-Class Catamaran Admiral’s Cup and North American Championship wrapped up on Saturday, April 13 with a total of seven races raced in the North Americans, allowing one throw-out…
2024 UK Wingfoil Tour in Portland Harbour
The arrival of the 2024 UK Wingfoil Tour brought the biggest numbers to date within the national wing foil fleet, and with good wind all weekend at Portland Harbour, this first event kicked the season off with some spectacular wing foil course-racing…
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 has the style, does it have the pace?
As expected the latest Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 has already claimed plaudits as the best-looking boat of this cycle…
2024 Star Western Hemisphere Champs
Thirty-three teams competed in the 2024 Star Western Hemisphere Championship, won by Tomas Hornos and Mauricio Bueno on April 12-14 in Miami, FL. After posting a 15 in the first race, Hornos/ Bueno had top four scores in six of the remaining seven races, climbing past the consistency of Piet Eckert/ Frederico Melo in second and Augie Diaz/ Bruno Prada in third. – Details
Cup Spy Apr 14: Kiwis up close
Emirates Team New Zealand sailed a three hour plus session on Sunday. It was the first chance to see the America’s Cup Defender sailing in daylight, and with a close up of the new mainsheet and traveller system…
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