Cup Spy: June 13 – Swiss drop rig
The Race to Alaska is On
Many professional races bill themselves as among the most difficult feats in sailing, but I would argue that the comparatively small and ragtag R2AK should also hold a space on the list. The race is a two-legged beast from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska, with a stop in Victoria, BC, along the way. The first leg (Port Townsend to Victoria) is a 40-mile proving ground (called, yes, The Proving Grounds), while the second 710-mile slog (Victoria to Ketchikan) is the real deal. The race itself bills it “like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter, or eaten by a grizzly bear. There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.”
Unlike more traditional sailing events, this one lives by its own quirky set of rules—for one, that there are very few rules (and certainly no handicapping or complicated classes). Among them is that any vessel is eligible, provided that it does not have an engine. This means that the race is populated with unusual retrofit designs to let competitors row or paddle when they’re becalmed (or sometimes just row in general with no sails). There is enormous variety in the boats and people who attempt it.
This year, SAIL Technical Editor Adam Cove is making the trek solo in a Marshall 18 that’s been updated with oars and a custom tiller to accommodate the space taken up by the oars. Named Team Wily Wildcat, he finished The Proving Grounds (leg one) in fine style. He’s been sharing his race prep process on our Instagram page, and he’ll be updating us as he travels—when he has time!—so head on over to @sailmagazine on Instagram or catch our Facebook page for Adam’s updates.
View the original article to see embedded media.
(If you want to hear about previous races, SAIL contributor Norris Comer had a very different experience of the race in 2022 with a crew of three other people on a Corsair 760. Read his award-winning article about it here.
The winner gets $10,000 nailed to a tree in Alaska. The second-place boat gets a set of steak knives, and everyone else gets nothing but the satisfaction of knowing they made it—which is no small thing.
View the original article to see embedded media.
If you’re interested in following along this year’s race, the best way to do it is by signing up for the race organization’s newsletter, which provides pithy, sardonic, and frequently irreverent daily updates on the fleet. You can also check out the race tracker by clicking here.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Go Team Wily Wildcat! (And best of luck to all the racers.)
Foiling Week 2024 Preview
We Are Foiling is proud to carry on the tradition of dedicating every edition of the Foiling Week to a relevant Social Theme. 2024 will be inspired to YOUTH sailing and many projects and initiatives have been set (and will be) to support it all year long.
port-starboard?
Helluva a story. So who has the right o’ way?
A seaplane lifted off directly into the side of a boat while setting off on a Saturday sightseeing flight from a harbor in Vancouver, Canada. The pilot and five passengers onboard De Haviland DHC-2 Beaver escaped the crash uninjured, CBC News reports.
Those on the boat weren’t as lucky, with two people being sent to the hospital with injuries.
Barcelona anticipates big payday
The value of hosting the America’s Cup is not easy math, as the advance forecast is typically full of optimism while the post-event calculation has led to debt and drama. Here’s an excerpt on the topic from the New Zealand Herald:
In less than three months, the America’s Cup regatta will descend on Barcelona with a big payday forecast for the region that Auckland will miss out on.
When racing commences, it will cap off a years-long period expected to have a positive economic impact of €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion US) for Barcelona, according to a report commissioned and undertaken by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in May 2023.
By comparison, New Zealand’s economy was left $2.9 million NZ (1.8 million US) worse off from hosting the 36th America’s Cup in 2021, an official cost-benefit report revealed. – Full report
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 was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming 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
Cup Spy: June 7 – Four AC75s fight for searoom
Five teams sailed on Friday – four out of Barcelona in AC75s, enjoying a 15kt southerly seabreeze and reasonable seaway…
300 Finns head to Tuscany beach for World Masters
Three hundred Finn Masters can’t be wrong when they all head to the same venue. The 2024 Finn World Masters begins next week at the Puntala Camp & Resort beside the Tyrrhenian Sea sea, 13 years after it was last held there.
The dark horse of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup is off and running.
The dark horse of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup is off and running. Persistence and tenacity were the order of the day for Orient Express Racing Team…
two skippers?
From our friends at Stephens/Waring Design…
Last year, 76-ft Zemphira racked up an impressive array of hardware, culminating in an impressive first-place overall SoT ranking for the CYCS 2023 season. We connected with the yacht’s two skippers, Kirsty Morrison and Andrew Parente, to understand the magic behind the winning boat.
How did you first discover your love for sailing?
Kirsty: My father was an avid sailor. I grew up in London and when I was 8 years old he built me an Optimist dinghy in the spare bedroom. They were originally designed so they could be built out of 2 pieces of plywood. He forgot about getting it down the staircase so he had to take the bedroom window out and lower it out of the opening. I used to race it on a reservoir near Heathrow Airport. Entirely unglamorous, but it got me started.
Andrew: Sailing a sunfish around Third Beach in Middletown RI.
What is your experience and career path to becoming a skipper? Read on.
Franck Cammas on the New York Vendée
As Head of Performance of the Orient Express Racing Team – the French challenger for the America’s Cup – Franck Cammas has his work cut out.
gotta be the fins
The Italian team #204 Acrobatica sailed by Alberto Riva and Jean Marre completed their dominate two-week run, becoming the 2024 Atlantic Cup Champions. Their first place finish in the Coastal Series yesterday guaranteed them victory for the overall Atlantic Cup. More here.
New York Vendée – Britain has three skippers in the top ten
As James Harayda (Gentoo Sailing Team) clings to tenth, Britain has three skippers in the top ten. Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) is fifth and Pip Hare (Medallia) seventh…
Official cocktail of the America’s Cup
Following the lead by Scuttlebutt Sailing News in celebrating the House Drinks in the sport, the 37th America’s Cup now has its official cocktail too. Called the Copa America, it was created by a group of cocktail bars in Barcelona, a region which apparently ranks in the Top 10 cities with the best cocktail bars in the world.
The Copa América includes Bacardí Carta Blanca, salted honey cordial with thyme, Appletiser, Alquimia ratafia, smoked with rosemary, and is served with a gastronomic apple and tajín snack.
The drink was created in collaboration with six bars, representing the same number of teams participating in the main America’s Cup competition, and can be found at 30 venues.
Multiple threats to Paris 2024
As sure as the sun rises in the east, the Olympic Games bring drama to the host city. Maybe its best the 2024 Sailing events are 500 miles to the south in Marseille, based on this report from insidethegames:
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games, a highly anticipated international event, face numerous threats due to their high-profile nature and global significance. Research conducted by Recorded Future’s Insikt Group has identified several key risks, including cybercriminal activities, hacktivist disruptions, and state-sponsored espionage and influence operations.
The event’s extensive security measures are designed to counter potential terrorist threats. However, it remains a potential target for violent extremists and opportunistic criminal groups.
The Paris Olympics, drawing athletes from over 200 nations, widespread media coverage, and millions of spectators, present a prime target for those seeking to cause harm, disrupt proceedings, enrich themselves through criminal activities, or embarrass the host nation. Based on a comprehensive assessment of past attacks, identified threats, and the geopolitical context, Insikt Group has pinpointed several high-priority threats to the Games. – Full report
Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17
Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9
Details:
• Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Sailing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/
Not all locals in love with America’s Cup
Around 40 activists blocked entry to the America’s Cup official store on Wednesday (June 5) to complain about the sailing competition, but also what they consider large projects that “break up the territory.”
The block was promoted by several pro-environmental organizations, such as Futuro Vegetal, End Fossil, Arran, and Fridays for Future, in coordination with the ‘No a la Copa Amèrica’ platform. The event was scheduled ahead of an environmental demonstration in Barcelona on June 8.
Some activists blocked the store’s entry door for around two hours, while others were already inside. Those outside hold a poster reading ‘Let’s finish with capitalism, and save our planet!’ while chanting ‘America’s Cup is killing our neighborhoods.’ – Full report
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 was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming 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
Boris Herrmann gambles on the North for victory in New York Vendée solo race to France
Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé et Prévoyance) is back in the lead of the New York Vendée Les Sables d’Olonneat some 500 miles north west of the Azores….
Massive orca in the middle of the Atlantic!
Klaus Rønn Madsen wins Open Title and Tom Morris National UK Europe Class Championship
Denmark’s Klaus Rønn Madsen was the winner of the UK Europe Class UK Open Championship and Tom Morris the UK National Championship…
SailGP:Big win for Brits in Halifax
The Final Day of Rockwool SailGP Canada was one of the most dramatic in the event’s four year history, as the British team sailed effortlessly to win in the rain at Halifax…
Cup Spy May 29: AC75s at the Barcelona Dodgems
Four teams teams sailed on Wednesday in the congested waters off Barcelona in ideal foiling conditions. All teams conducted similar sessions focussed around racing drills, with the chase boats being used to provide a competitive edge to the training.
J Class: Making the commitment
While modern America’s Cup boats will come and go, the iconic J Class lives on through the commitment of passionate owners. The latest to get a makeover is the 42.2-metre J Class Hanuman in the Netherlands for a seven-month refit to prepare for the 2025 St Barths Bucket.
In total, nine J Class yachts are currently active, including three original surviving Js – Velsheda, Shamrock, and Endeavour – and six replicas that have been built since 2003 – Ranger, Rainbow, Hanuman, Lionheart, Topaz, and Svea.
Launched in 2009, Hanuman is a replica of Endeavour II (1936) which was an unsuccessful challenger in the 1937 America’s Cup, and was later scrapped in 1968.
The refit will involve removing 500 pieces of deck hardware and the stripping of the deck back to bare aluminum, along with replacing the interior sole floorboards, a hull and topside repaint, plus the upgrading the air-conditioning and hydraulics systems. – Full report
Latitude 38 June Issue Is Out Today!
Welcome to the June issue of Latitude 38. As we sail into summer we’re excited to bring you our latest stories, photos, news and updates. It’s all possible thanks to our community of readers, advertisers, our printer, delivery drivers, and everyone who has had a part in putting these pages together. We hope you enjoy our latest offering!
Here’s a preview.
May Gray is one thing (plenty of that later in the month), but a winter storm on May 4 is quite another. While snow dumped on the Sierra, cold rain poured on San Francisco Bay all morning. The temperature dropped 25° from Friday (more in the higher elevations). We suspect that some competitors registered for the Great Vallejo Race saw the weather, hit the snooze alarm, and pulled their down comforters over their heads. The rest of us had a cold, wet romp of a sail in 10 to 21+ knots of southwesterly breeze, surfing the stacked waves whipped up in an ebb on San Pablo Bay. We hoped we wouldn’t see those waves going back on Sunday, and we pitied those who turned around after finishing to bash back on Saturday afternoon.
28 Days Before the Mast — A Sailor’s Experience Aboard Stad Amsterdam
Sailing across the Pacific Ocean on a Dutch clipper ship was not on my boating bucket list until I read about Stad Amsterdam’s voyage from Panama to San Francisco in ‘Lectronic Latitude. The ship’s stop in San Francisco before sailing to Honolulu and then Tokyo was part of its 2023-25 around-the-world voyage. The Pacific leg of this adventure had berths available!
The photo that ran with the article showed a three-masted, full-rigged ship, sails billowing, bow furrowing through the water — a picture I’d seen on the covers of all the sailing books I started reading as a kid on a farm in Oregon, far from any ocean. Thoughts of Richard Henry Dana, Herman Melville, and all the 19th-century clipper ships arriving at San Francisco during the Gold Rush filled my dreams. I was hooked.
$2 Catamaran, Priceless Adventure
An adventure like this is not for the faint of heart. When Terry Castleman found the boat of his dreams on eBay, he approached his three prospective boat partners to see if they’d throw down the cash to make the deal. After some deliberation, the three partners each Venmo-ed Terry 50 cents, at which point they had enough for the all-cash purchase of their two-dollar catamaran, Lickety Split. All that remained was cleaning it up and sailing the boat from its location in Stockton to their home in Los Angeles. Simple enough, right?
There are plenty more stories, plus our regular monthly columns:
- Letters: America’s Schooner Cup Aboard Schooner Quascilla; A Light-Wind Singlehanded Farallones, On the Other Hand, Tested Patience; Speaking of Oregon …; A Posse of Optis Took Over the Bay in April for Earth Day; and many more readers’ letters.
- Sightings: Falling In, and Saving Myself; West Coasters at Charleston Race Week; The Mini-Clipper Route; and more great stories.
- Max Ebb: Ahoy, sailors! As the sun sets on another day at sea, it’s time to chart a course through the waves of wisdom with Max Ebb. In this month’s column, we’re setting sail into uncharted waters to explore a topic that’s sure to make waves among sailors and landlubbers alike — Artificial Ideas
- Racing Sheet: A fast Newport to Ensenada Race, FLYC’s Camellia Cup, StFYC’s J/105 Women Skipper Invitational, SCYC’s Moore 24 Santa Cruz Regatta, the SSS Sort of Singlehanded South Bay Race, DRYC’s Malibu Race, the team roster of American sailors heading to the Paris Olympics, and Box Scores all get ink in this edition.
- Changes in Latitudes: This month we bring you reports on Sweethaven’s first season in Mexico (Part 2); Migration‘s return to the South Seas after a 16-year hiatus; Quark’s return to cruising after a summer in the marina; and catch-ups with voyagers from all over the place in Cruise Notes.
- Loose Lips: A wrap-up of May’s Caption Contest(!).
- All the latest in sailboats for sale, Classy Classifieds.
We appreciate all readers and all our supporters. Without you there would be no Latitude 38. Again, we extend a big thanks and appreciation to our advertisers who have made this issue possible. We invite you to show your appreciation by supporting them.
And thank you to our distributors. Go grab your new issue of Latitude 38 from any of these folks listed. Or subscribe, and have your copy delivered each month.
The post Latitude 38 June Issue Is Out Today! appeared first on Latitude38.
Cup Spy May 24: Fourth AC75 sailing in Spain
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli made their grand entrance onto the 2024 America’s Cup stage in Barcelona, today, sailing a three hour session in moderate winds, without incident. The Kiwis were not so fortunate in the AC40s…
America’s Cup: Questioning recon plan
The America’s Cup has a long history in which teams seek to gather details about their competitors. As these efforts escalated, it became an expensive aspect of the event, so it was with good intentions that the 37th edition had banned spying.
Instead, neutral reconnaissance units administered by the event authority would shadow each team on each and every sailing day, collating reports, photos, videos, and interviews which are then uploaded to a single source for all the teams to view and process independently.
While this plan also gave the public a heightened level of information, the content proved to be painfully dry and technical for the casual viewer. The information also proved to be suspect, according to Ben Ainslie, skipper of the British challenger.
“We have the reconnaissance that covers all of the teams and that’s quite entertaining when you know how your day has gone and you read the write up, and in many cases it’s a million miles off the reality,” said Ainslie. “So, we expect that that’s the same with the other teams as well.
“Until we actually line up proper with these other teams, you’re sort of guessing. There’s a long long way to go between now and when we start competition so it is about getting this boat up to the performance to know it’s optimized. That’s the key.”
For his complete interview, click here.
Cup Spy May 16: Two teams struggle in the light
The US and British teams sailed on Thursday in a session that was not hugely productive in actual sailing time compared to time on the water. The issue lay in a storm – with thunder and lightning – that didn’t hit the teams, but certainly affected them.
AC37 – INEOS Britannia lighting the after-burners
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.
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