Editorial Andrew Hurst Some dilemma
There may no longer be a chance of an Olympic medal for shorthanded sailing but shorthanded sailors, aside from a handful for whom that was the only attraction, are really not bothered. There are half a dozen or more good French
shipyards with proven capability to deliver a winning design in the Class40, Imoca 60 and
Mini 6.50, plus more elsewhere in Europe... including Eastern Europe. But if you want a new boat in any of these classes in time for the next big race you will have to build it yourself or pay a team of America’s Cup/TP52 builders to rush something together for you. Good French builders are now taking orders for 2023 onwards. And the second, ‘grand prix option’ is not as obvious as it may
sound… I recently talked to some Class40 buyers who had explored our ‘elite’ alternative; it did not go well for them. To begin with, a new Class40 to the latest design from a current class builder will set you back ⇔685,000–950,000. To hit the first figure requires owner input, the higher number means you’ve hit all the gold-plated equipment targets! A reliable median is ⇔750,000–850,000 – to get you afloat on a boat capable of winning the Route du Rhum. So what about that alternative: go to a builder better known for
knocking out Cup winners? Some will certainly have a go, but... Without naming names, quotes received here for a new Class40
ranged between ⇔1,100,000 and ⇔1,500,000. The much more expensive boat would undoubtedly be immaculate in every way and bang on weight, but against that a grand prix yard is unlikely to have important class knowledge. So the reality is that for a wannabe Route du Rhum skipper
entries, the winning two-handers, Jules Hall and Jan Scholten, on their J/99 Disko Trooper-Contender Sailcloth would have been fourth overall in Open IRC. Scored under ORC they would have won the race outright! So the standard of racing was exemplary, and so too was the standard of preparation and seamanship in the shorthanded division; every one of whom successfully finished or got home without fuss under their own steam if they retired. An informal post-race dockside poll suggested that fully crewed
teams had few objections to the shorthanders being admitted in future into the overall results. Indeed, who can argue that if a stock J/boat with two crew can beat a Maxi or TP52 on corrected time then they deserve the top prize? Or, put another way, it’s a pretty hollow victory for the actual ORC winner in 2021, Celestial, having been beaten on corrected time by the top two-hander. (But given their other travails in Hobart, in this instance let’s cut Celestial a bit of slack please). The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia still have a lot of catching
up to do with their classic 600-miler. They still do not allow multi - hulls… of any size or shape. Less about safety than to maintain the gloss of the handful of 100-footers that take part each year, seen as essential to maintaining the race’s media profile. So how about a compromise? The CYCA agree to defer the multi -
without a boat the only option is to buy a well-proven existing design, then spend some proper money bringing her up as close as possible to her more modern rivals. Then again you should still hurry, prices of good used boats are also moving up… for all the same reasons! Shorthanded offshore racing has gone bonkers. Be it in IRC or
the open classes. Supply will steadily increase to match demand, which is anyway unlikely to remain at today’s extreme levels. But the end result will be bigger fleets, more and better sailors and a whole new and younger generation exposed to what has become the ‘new pinnacle’ of offshore racing.
On that note The performance of the two-handers in the Sydney-Hobart was what was needed. To say they sailed fast is an understatement… at the finish the results shook out with the same flavour we are used to in Europe. Had they been allowed to score alongside the fully crewed
‘ ONE-NIL NICE
results. – Steiner
1976 F1 World Champion James Hunt would struggle to keep a straight face confronted with Lewis Hamilton’s sartorial choices, but he would have had huge respect for his skill and workrate. Hunt’s race prep was more ‘fags, beer, sex’, but he was incredibly brave, with nerves so bad that he’d throw up before every race
hull question for another cycle but allow the shorthanders a shot at the overall prize in the next Sydney-Hobart on Boxing Day? Without doubt there are no longer any reasonable arguments against allow- ing the two-handers to compete for the big prize. Unless, that is, behind closed doors those generous-sounding big-ticket crewed teams are not quite as supportive as they claim?
Are these the actual cannonballs fired at Trafalgar?
– French tourist onboard HMS Victory
still has those – Tour guide
THE GREATEST GENERATION
No, madam, your Navy
There are a lot of old people in there
You nailed it – Augie Diaz reads
Carol Cronin’s profile of him in issue 503
FINDING SOLACE At the start of the year I said we would invest 0 money in our car and
would score 0 results – Haas F1 team manager Guenther Steiner
Say what you f’ing want. That makes us the most reliable and
consistent team ever – Steiner
We scored 0 podiums, 0 points and 0 top-10
VOTER REMORSE? Both great lads… however, Lucas Rizzotti’s Foiling Week is my image of what
heaven is like – Simon Payne
– Blue Robinson Snr, 91, is relieved to leave hospital following eye surgery
I voted for Stu Bithell, not only because he deserves it, but the gentleman that Luca Rizzotti is he broadcast on Facebook that we
should all vote for Stu! – Trevor Parekh
SAY WHAT YOU LIKE The children won’t leave without me. I won’t leave without the King
And the King will never leave
q
– HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is advised to move out of London during the Blitz
– HM the Queen Mother INDEED
As soon as I arrived I felt that Chatsworth was home
– The Duchess of Devonshire And a perfectly
ordinary home at that – Devonshire (Chatsworth boasts 126 rooms)
Seahorse magazine and our associate raceboatsonly brokerage site are both at:
seahorsemagazine.com The editor is contactable by email at:
andrew@seahorse.co.uk
SEAHORSE 11
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