Contributors EDITOR Andrew Hurst
DESIGNER Stephen Stafford
Kenny Read… the most successful J/24 skipper of all time still manages to combine top-level sailing with a very serious day job
SUB-EDITOR Sue Platt EUROPE
Patrice Carpentier Carlos Pich Tim Jeffery
Torbjørn Linderson Andy Rice
Giuliano Luzzatto Jocelyn Blériot Brice Lechevalier
USA & CARIBBEAN Dobbs Davis Peter Holmberg Cam Lewis Dee Smith
JAPAN
Miranda Merron’s sixth place in the Rhum Class40 was also the best result by a woman since Florence Arthaud’s race win in 1990
Yoichi Yabe Ken Toyosaki
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE Ivor Wilkins Blue Robinson Rob Brown Rob Mundle Julian Bethwaite
COLUMNISTS Paul Cayard Rod Davis
Burns Fallow has led the Team New Zealand sail programme ever since the team’s first America’s Cup win in San Diego in 1995
ACC TECHNICAL Terry Hutchinson David Hollom Steve Killing Andy Claughton Jack Griffin
ACCOUNTS AND CIRCULATION Christine McKechnie
ADVERTISING MANAGER Graeme Beeson
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Luke Parkinson followed fellow countryman Chris Nicholson in (successfully) stepping off a 49er and on to a howling Volvo racer
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Patrizio Bertelli and Prada have been among the most loyal – and gracious – Cup supporters. Their loss will certainly hit the event hard
4 SEAHORSE
Seahorse International Sailing is published monthly by Fairmead Communications Ltd, 5 Britannia Place, Station Street, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 3BA, UK. USA subscribers: Seahorse International Sailing (USPS 010-341) is distributed in the USA by SPP, 75 Aberdeen Rd, Emigsville, PA 17318. Periodicals’ postage paid at Emigsville PA. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to Seahorse International Sailing c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318. Distribution by Comag Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction without prior written permission is prohibited.
How brave was that… Peter Johnstone and Gunboat are the first to go ahead with a production racer-cruiser foiler. A-Class champions DNA Design drew the lines of the extraordinary G4 – working alongside Holland Composites
eight races, many of them super bananes(‘sausages’ in other jurisdictions) and three coastal races showing off the Baie de Quiberon. Our 11-hour days began early and finished late. After a rainy morning on day one, we had perfect sail- ing conditions with winds of 14-30kt. It was not warm – our Monday 0730 start requiring us to de-ice the crew voiture. Peter Rutter’s Grand Soleil Quokka 8had made a heroic 310nm delivery passage, facing strong contrary winds in La Manche and 50kt gusts in the Solent. Perhaps, sulking at this rude awakening to her hibernation, Quokkawas moody for the first few days. We struggled to find our 2014 form in a highly competitive IRC 1 class but finally attained the podium in the last race on a cloudless but breezy day. Sorry, Quokka! The lively prizegiving was crowned by a raucous weighing of the class winners who went home with their avoirdupois in huîtresand Sauvignon Blanc.
Our time in France was punctuated by delightful reports of the success of our Easter Challenge in Cowes, notably for the huge and spirited attendance of members enjoying our new clubhouse (nom de baptême, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club). This is a great augury and a tribute to former commodore Mike Greville and our CEO, Eddie Warden-Owen, who led the merger. Congratulations also to Anthony O'Leary and crew for success at the regatta on the new Antix(nom de baptême, Catapult).
Michael Boyd Commodore
q
Commodore’s letter
he Easter weekend took us to Paris in the spring… then a smooth TGV journey west to La Trinité and the famous Spi Ouest regatta where we rejoined Quokka 8. In Paris we met UNCL, our IRC co- owner, for talks about the state of our rating rule. We were happy to learn of improved numbers in the first quarter of 2015 – the UK is up 15 per cent after some years of recession and France is showing an increase of eight per cent. Both offices report a ‘good feeling’ about 2015. Getting close to La Trinité are many reminders of French sailing legends – L’École Eric Tabarly at Auray, the exquisite Philippe Plisson photo gallery on the Quai and magazines mourning the tragic death of Florence Arthaud in Argentina. Spi Ouest is the popular curtain raiser for the sailing season of France’s Atlantic coast. This year it had 380 boats and over 2,000 marins. 121 yachts raced in five IRC divisions and there were huge fleets in a variety of one-designs. Inscriptionhad some surprises for the first-timers – requests for sailing licences and medical certificates. Considerately, étrangèresbenefit from exemptions. Older boats must declare their original names, charmingly called noms de baptême – and there were many, including well-remembered IOR and Admiral’s Cup campaigners. Four intense days crammed in
T
RICHARD LANGDON
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