Update
again in 2022 and many of them further improved. But the top performer this year was the weather: the summer Meltemi was in full swing, delivering reliable breeze of 15-25kt throughout the week to propel everyone around a spectacular 605-mile circuit of some 15 rocks and islands in the south Aegean. There is one transit gate on the course which is especially
spectacular and unique among offshore races: sailing through the caldera at Santorini. With the town’s iconic whitewashed buildings on high appearing as snow atop the dark sea cliffs, the visuals are stunning. Even at night the lights on the caldera rim are a symbolic reminder of the volcanic origin of this amazing place. While this all may sound like an idyllic summer cruise, it is not,
and this year proved that. The Meltemi spins and swirls around these islands and can cause calms as well as williwaws that can build to serious strength. Reports of over 50kt of wind encountered in some corners were common and got the attention of even the most seasoned team members, and everyone who completed the course had a well-deserved sense of satisfaction. First-time pro sailors like Jesper Radich vowed to return to try to conquer this course again, armed with what they learned this year. The favourably fast conditions produced new course records.
For the multihulls it was Adrian Keller’s Nigel Irens-designed 78ft catamaran Allegra, built in carbon at Fibre Mechanics, that com- pleted the course in a little over two days. For the monohulls it was Henri de Bokay’s canting-keeled Elliott 52 Rafale, skippered by Philipp Kadelbach with a pro-am team that set a new mark finishing in 2d 15h. Not surprisingly this event is quickly gaining interest among many
of the best international teams, with Rob Weiland on site at the start ‘taking the temperature’ on behalf of the IMA. The more off- shore-friendly Maxi72s are also taking note, perhaps skipping a Caribbean winter for leaving their boats in Europe after competing in September in Porto Cervo… we’ll see. Regardless, the Aegean 600 is deservedly now well and truly
on the radar.
Sir I think I have solved the problem (issue 509): Reliance is truly sailing because the mast hoops for the mainsail are going up the mast; I think some darkroom improvement of the photo by adding clouds to an otherwise blank sky was overdone by someone unfa- miliar with sailing craft. Capt Barr’s body language, and the crew flattened to the deck to reduce windage, all indicate sailing in a good breeze. I know that Rosenfeld, that great photographer, often enhanced
his yachting pictures by adding dramatic clouds that were not there in the original. It is likely that James Burton and other yachting photographers of the period also did the same. Your picture has been doctored.
Best regards,Vagn Worm, Essex, CT, USA q SNAPSHOTS Brought to you in association with
Charlie Barr and his low-windage crew onboard America’s Cup Defender Reliance powering upwind without any sails in 1903…
16 SEAHORSE
l Sorry, guys… when Seahorse became an international subscription magazine in the late 1970s you could buy yourself a 12-month UK sub for the princely sum of £1.80 l But more in the USA… where it would have cost you four bucks l But only if… you opted for the upmarket Air Mail option… l Otherwise… a couple of bucks a year at most… l ‘There are perfectly good reasons’… for the steep price escalation l Says the editor… (from his new villa in Porto Cervo) l Or you can blame… Brexit/Covid/Heatwave/Coldwave/Monkeypox (zero deaths and counting)… l All of which currently see… a once great, now perpetually terrified nation lock down at the first sneeze l It’s no wonder… Putin’s sizing us up (sic) l Nice job, bro… Stan and Sally Honey’s Illusion became the fourth Cal 40 to win the top division in the Newport-Bermuda l Stellar… also on Illusion were Carl ‘Gold Medal’ Buchan, Don ‘Cal 40 king’ Jesberg and flying ‘Bird’ Livingston from Richmond Ca... l Parting shot… during the 2022 Bermuda race this heavy displacement long-keel design broke 22kt… l With Car… the ‘Laser God’ Buchan driving l European Courts… The Hague, who knows where the Gabart vs Classe Ultim goes next… l But it’s making… les lawyers feel très bons l Big buckeroodles too… if Gabart misses the Route du Rhum l He has notified… the court of a ready-to-go claim for loss of earnings and media exposure… l⇔18,500,000… and change l Big boys’ toys… big toys l Happy 70th… to Skiff legend John Winning, still competing hard 47 years after he graduated following multiple 12ft skiff titles l Tipping point…the half-scale AeolDrive wing rig prototype for commercial shipping applications is up and testing in St Nazaire l See Google Earth… for details! l Well well… big congrats to Finn sailor Pieter-Jan Postma who won the 2022 Finn World Masters with a perfect score l And well done too… to Finn sailor Pieter-Jan Postma, current holder of the Finn Gold Cup… l Only time… that’s ever happened... (as in ever) l It’s kinda… cool when you turn 40 while still Gold Cup Champion l Congrats too… to our good buddy John Greenwood (GBR), eighth overall and absolutely smashing it in the Great Grand Masters l And to… Richard Hart, winner (again) in the Super Legends… l For those aged 80 and above… before you ask l Sadly… Richard is now going to give up Finn sailing l Though… he has said the same thing after every Masters Worlds for the past 20 years l Payday… 24 teams raced the US championship for the Mark Mills-designed IC37 one-designs l Cape 31… no38 (yip) recently left the South Africa build yard l That is… the Mark Mills-designed Cape 31 l Talking Mr Mills… everyone is definitely not happy to see the Flying Nikka being allowed to line up alongside IRC Maxis in the Med l Chuckle… the big boats kept (and keep) multihulls out of the Hobart but overlooked what was going on in their own backyard l As expected… the field for the next – third (sic) – Golden Globe is thinning as those 2,000nm qualifiers start to bite… l Yay… around 20 will still line up in Les Sables for this year’s start lIncluding… Tapio Lehtinen, who has barely finished the last one l Captain Barnacle… for a reason l Maybe some better… antifoul this time, Tapio, me old chum? l Sorry y’all… ‘Only four yachts have won back-to-back Fastnets’ l Oops… no5 Dick Nye’s beautiful S&S design Carina won in 1955 and ’57 (which was grown-up rough with just 12 finishers) l Young… Lawrie Smith is putting a lot of effort into the Etchells l Winning… every UK regatta in 2022 (easily) l This year’s worlds… is in Cowes too, which could be handy l May as well… have a go, since we’re here? l One-design racing… Smith... les ânes... toujours l Wanna buy a foiler…
RaceBoatsOnly.com l Wanna choose a foiler designer…
EurosailNews.com
JAMES BURTON
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