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READERS OF LAST month's High Performance column by the excellent Andy Rice may have noted that he talked about the Ocean Race and how it has changed over the years. It's an interesting subject to ruminate over and wallow in a touch of nostalgia for a simpler time. What really made me sit up was the fact that this will be the first time in the race history that autopilots have been used. This really gave me pause for thought because I, like many other sailors, have a very complicated relationship with this piece of kit. Cruising or racing, sailing is about connecting with the elements; the power of the wind and waves. The helm and rudder are your lightning rod to this mysterious, visceral power. There is something totally counter intuitive to me about handing that pleasure to an autopilot. I got fully hooked on big boat sailing after delivering a big 60 footer across the Med. On the first night out we ran into a Mistral and numerous defects started to show themselves in the yachtthe first sign being that the floorboards were awash. The ashen faced skipper put me on the wheel and gave me a vague course (the autopilot didn't work) then left me to do battle with mounting seas. It was cold out but after five minutes I was sweating profusely from both fear and sheer e ort. I was also utterly exhilarated; nursing a big boat on a broad reach at speed through big seas. It was joyous and the inconvenient fact that the boat appeared to have a serious leak was forgotten.
I therefore started out sailing yachts as a purist and I recall being horrified when I signed up for a transatlantic trip where the autopilot was on continuously. I swore to hand steer through my watches but swiftly realised that this could be stultifyingly dull in many conditions and also had to admit that the autopilot seemed to be a better, more reliable, helm. The fact was though that when the going got rough, the autopilot usually gave up the ghost and you got your trick at the wheel. If autopilots are now at the point when they can handle a foiling IMOCA in the Roaring Forties, then things have changed definitively and I'm not sure I'm 100 per cent comfortable with that.
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The immense power of the latest generation of foiling IMOCA racers is captured at ther start of the Ocean Race off Alicante as the teams revved up to cross the start line in January. The boats are now preparing for the gruelling Southern Ocean leg. Foillow progress at theoceanrace.com
Photo: Ocean Race
Long-term o shore sailing sponsor Banque Populaire has come under fire after it dropped skipper Clarisse Cremer – who has recently given birth to her first child – ahead of the Vendée Globe 2024.
Banque Populaire said Cremer’s maternity leave meant she’d not been able to log enough qualifying miles to guarantee her race entry. But critics pointed to other skippers with similar or less mileage, some with projects launched more recently than Cremer’s, plus the fact that there are two seasons still to go before the race start.
The resulting row hit the headlines in France, with widespread criticism of Banque Populaire’s decision, including from France’s Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castera and from Christelle Morançais, president of the Pays de la Loire region, partner of the Vendée Globe.
The race organisers, meanwhile, said they could not bend the qualifying rules to allow for Cremer’s maternity leave “when the selection process has already begun”.
Cremer broke the news on social media, saying she had told her sponsors in February 2021 that she planned to start a family: “They still chose me for this new Vendée Globe and communicated our mutual commitment in autumn 2021.”
But she said: “I learned last Friday that Banque Populaire had finally decided to replace me. By their decision, and despite my constant will, I will not be part of the Vendée Globe 2024. Vendée Globe rules…require all skippers to compete based on race miles. On this note, I of course fell behind the other competitors at the start –this maternity leave left me out of qualifying for a year.
“Today Banque Populaire decides that it represents for them a ‘risk’ that they ultimately do not want to take.”
Cremer became the fastest woman to sail solo around the world when she raced for Banque Populaire in the lastVendée Globe. She was to take
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the helm of the former Apivia for the same sponsor in the 2024 race.
The company responded moments after Cremer’s social media post, saying it had attempted to find a solution with the race organisers SAEM Vendée in the summer of 2022: “Determined to take the start of the race alongside [Cremer] in 2024, several solutions have been proposed by Team Banque Populaire to the organiser, so that the regulations take into account the situation of women in the Vendée Globe and the question of maternity.
“All these proposals, as well as requests for the allocation of a wildcard guarantee, have been rejected, including the one made just a few days ago, and this is regrettable.
“In order, despite everything, to guarantee the future of the project in the next Vendée Globe and with regard to human (creation of a team) and financial (acquisition of a boat) investments, Team Banque Populaire must unfortunately resign itself to evolve its project by entrusting the Banque Populaire XII bar to a new skipper whose name will be communicated in the coming days.”
Fellow Vendée Globe competitor Pip Hare, based in Poole, Dorset, said: “I’m shocked and ashamed at the treatment of Clarisse Cremer.
“I love this sport because men and women compete on equal terms, but that seems not to be the case any more. I thought we’d made such progress as female sailors – as female athletes in general – to gain acceptance, compete on equal terms and take our place at the top of leadership boards. I was wrong – we have so much more to do. And Clarisse’s case will just spur us on.”
The 2024 race is likely to be oversubscribed, in which case selection would be made according to mileage.
The Ocean Race fleet was due in Cape Town on 12 February as we went to press, with the round the world sailors having stopped o in Cape Verde in January, before picking a route through the Doldrums and then taking a huge arc south west, towards an ice exclusion zone in the Roaring 40s for the best approach to South Africa.
The top boats were covering 500-nautical miles in 24 hours and Susann Beucke on Team Holcim-PRB said: “It’s very wet, it’s very grey, but we are really, really fast. We are trying to match the other boats. They’re pushing a lot so we have to push back.”
Skipper Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team had the best mileage so far of 541.7 miles. The IMOCA Charal holds the uncertified fully crewed record for the IMOCA class at 558 nautical miles, while Alex Thomson’s
solo Hugo Boss has a certified mark of 539.71 nautical miles. The Ocean Race record is Simeon Tienpont’s AkzoNobel at 602 nautical miles.
“Moving from your bunk to the back of the cockpit, which is about five steps, can take about a minute,” said Jack Bouttell on board 11th Hour Racing Team. “You have to plan each step with coordination as to which handhold you’re going to hang on to.
“And then there is the noise of the boat and how loud the hum is from the foil. The louder the hum, the faster you’re going and the bigger risk of a nosedive following that. There are times you hear the hum come on and you just hold something and don’t move and just wait for the inevitable. And then you can carry on with your day. But cooking, going to the bathroom, changing clothes, it’s all very di cult.”
World Sailing has vowed to continue supporting para sailing, following the news that the sport will not be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
The International Paralympic Committee delivered its verdict on 30 January to widespread dismay from the global sailing community. So far no sport has ever has its Paralympic status re-instated.
World Sailing CEO David Graham said: “We fully respect the verdict of the IPC and recognise the di culty the IPC Board faced throughout this process.
“However, we must also acknowledge that this is an extremely disappointing day for our whole sport and, particularly, para sailors around the world. Despite this setback, our commitment to our para sailors, to the continued growth of para sailing, and to the wider para sport movement will only grow stronger.
“We know a life on water unlocks so many opportunities for disabled people, we know how inclusive para sailing is, and we are determined that para sailing will continue to go from strength to strength.”
World Sailing launched its #BacktheBid campaign in the summer of 2021, with the support of leading sailors worldwide.
David Graham added: “There were 33 sports seeking inclusion for the LA28 Paralympic Games and we appreciate the challenge this poses to the IPC Board. No sport has successfully been reinstated and we knew this was going to be a di cult task.”
The Royal Yachting Association expressed its “profound
disappointment” at the decision, with Sara Sutcli e MBE, Chief Executive of the RYA, saying: “Para sailing is undoubtedly one of the most inclusive sports there is and we are of course both saddened and
disappointed with the decision not to reinstate para sailing to the Paralympic Games for LA28. We are, however, committed to working with World Sailing as they seek to develop a long-term sustainable structure for the sport.”
If you are a disabled person passionate about sailing and motivated by competition, the RYA para sailing hub is a network of sailors and organisations, championed by RYA Sailability and builds upon the success of the #MoreThanSailing campaign, which aims to break down perceived barriers to participation and provide more opportunities for disabled people to get on the water.
Search for ‘para sailing hub’ on rya.org.uk
PHOTO: ANTOINE AURIOL/TEAM MALIZIAIsland Sailing Club announced that entries are open for the 2023 edition of the Round the Island Race, which is being held on Saturday 1 July.
Race Director David Atkinson said:“We can’t wait for this year’s edition of the race; I’ve ordered a moderate south-westerly breeze and lots of sunshine! I’d say if you only race once this year, make it Round the Island Race – we guarantee you’ll have a wonderful time with your friends and family. Our team will be there to support all the competitors as they plan their race, including some great online tools such as blogs, videos and webinars. We know everyone loves to continue the fun onshore after the race so we’re planning some après-race parties on Saturday evening.
“For those getting competitive or even out to break some records, we have our world-class race technology, o ering real-time tracking and an incredibly speedy results service online.”
B&G is the O cial Race Marine Electronics Partner for a second year, with its team of experts hosting webinars to help people get the most out of their electronics as they prepare for race day. B&G experts will also be on-site in the run-up to the start, to assist with any last-minute queries.
Tracy Cox, Global Brand Manager at B&G, said:“Our team of experts will be delivering tutorials and unpacking specific features to o er real insights into the capabilities of the electronics on-board.”
Emma Russell, Marketing Manager for Helly Hansen in the UK and Ireland, commented: “We work closely with professionals and enthusiasts to develop our collections, and our latest Summer Collection has been designed with feedback from professional sailors to ensure those participating in the race can belong in the moment and stay and feel alive. We wish everyone the best of luck in the race!”
For race information, the Notice of Race and to enter, visit roundtheisland.org.uk
Cowes Week entries are open, with the 2023 regatta running from Saturday 29 July to the prizegiving on Friday 4 August.
Now 197 years young, Cowes Week expects to welcome more than 500 boats racing in 37 di erent classes this year, ranging from an anticipated 30 Cape 31s, to the competitive XOD class, with 50 boats expected.
Regatta Director Laurence Mead said: “We are a little later opening entries this year than previous years, but we still have a Super Early Bird discount period as we seek to keep the regatta as a ordable as possible. We have invested further over the winter on our course setting software and remain focused on delivering world-class regatta racing. Whichever class, our course setters work hard to deliver quality racing from club cruisers right up to IRC Class One.”
Bob Trimble, Chairman of Cowes Combined Clubs, said: “It takes a lot of volunteers to make Cowes Week happen every year, but the nine constituent clubs that make up Cowes Combined Clubs pool their resources into what remains a bucket list regatta for people throughout the world. Cowes Week will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2026 and we are already working on plans for this landmark event, but with the issue of the Notice of Race, all eyes are on this year.”
cowesweek.co.uk
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Enter for a chance to win in the Barton photo competition. Scan to find out more.
One of the most successful marine photography businesses in the UK, BoatPhotos.co.uk, is to be o ered for sale by auction.
With no reserve and a starting price of just 99p, eBay bidders will get a chance to become the new owner with bidding open for 10 days from Thursday 23 March.
A video with details of the sale can be viewed on our website yachtsandyachting.co.uk
“As I approach 80 years old it’s time for younger minds to carry this forward,” says owner Tony Toller. “I started it merely as a weekend hobby in 2005 but the business proved incredibly popular and sales boomed.
“In spite of selling my boat in 2018 and uploading very few new images since, orders are still coming in from the extensive catalogue of images providing an easy income of a few thousand pounds in the last financial year.”
Tony has photographed over 25,000 di erent craft, most of which are catalogued by date, boat name and/or sail number. The sale includes the library of around half a million images.
The latest website, launched in 2008, ranks highly on Google and has attracted over 20 million page views.
The winning bidder will gain full copyright to all images, which will be provided along with all company data on a hard drive storage device. Six months subscription to the website hosting platform will be included and all artwork and other promotional material will also be provided.
The sale will include a list of just under 4,000 email addresses of potential enquirers to the website and a further list of everyone who has placed orders.
boatphotos.co.uk
As this issue goes on sale, the doors open at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show presented by Suzuki, at Farnborough International over the weekend of 25-26 February.
The show is packed with activities, masterclasses, expert advice and lots of new dinghies and sailing kit.
SailGP athlete Hannah Diamond returns as show host on the Suzuki Main Stage, joined by Lee Timothy in the Knowledge Zone, while on the Watersports Stage you can find windsurfing legends Peter Hart and James Hardy hosting all things windsurfing, windfoiling, winging, and paddleboarding. For more info and tickets visit rya.org.uk/events/dinghy-show
What sailing can Royal Hospital School pupils do?
Pupils sail at our RYA Sailing Academy, a five-minute walk from the campus. They can opt to sail in games lessons, as an alternative to rugby, hockey, netball and cricket. The sailing team are on the water six days a week, all year. We have over 80 dinghies, ranging from RS Teras, to 29ers and Waszps. Pupils also use our Cornish Shrimpers for coastal cruising and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions.
What proportion of the schoolchildren sail?
All pupils in year 7 spend a week in their first term at the school, o timetable, to learn to sail. Around 100 pupils sail week in, week out. Approximately 25 per cent of the pupil body will do some sailing related activity at school each year. RHS has three full time sailing teachers and one part time, who also teaches physics. All are RYA qualified, with either Dinghy or Keelboat Instructor qualifications; three are qualified Senior Instructors and one is a Sailing Scheme Trainer. Three full time teachers are also qualified RYA Race Coaches.
How did the school’s sailing curriculum come about?
The school was founded to provide education to the children of naval seafarers, and most pupils at that time would go on to join the navy once they left the school. Navigation and seamanship were taught within the curriculum until the 1970s. Our location helps, between the River Stour and Alton Water reservoir, and in the last 25 years we have upscaled the opportunities, equipment and sta .
Have your pupils gone onto greater things in sailing?
Our most famous sailing alumna is Hannah Stodel, four-time paralympian, three-time world champion and working on a campaign to compete in the Vendée Globe. This summer, five of our pupils were at the Youth Worlds in the ILCA 6. Several pupils have gone on to the British Sailing Team and others have done well on the university team racing circuit. Others have gone on to become coaches, sail makers, naval architects and boat builders, pursuing a range of di erent careers in the marine sector.
What was your top speed at Weymouth Speed Week last year?
We were gifted Icarus, the foiling Tornado from the 1970s, twice holder of the Class B World Speed Sailing Record. We got her back flying again and managed 22kts at the 50th Weymouth Speed Week in 2022.
Is it all about racing or do you encourage cruising skills as well? We encourage pupils to try as much as possible – racing, cruising, foiling, dinghies, keelboats, match racing and team racing. Our Cornish Shrimpers are particularly popular for cruising the local coast and estuaries, as well as using them to complete expeditions for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
What’s in the future for the school’s sailing academy?
We are about to complete a new lease with Anglian Water to extend our operating hours, meaning more time on the water and the provision of changing facilities and a classroom at our sailing base.
SailGP will not visit the UK in 2023. The event has been held at Cowes, then for two years at Plymouth, but in 2023 the series will not hold a UK event, according to the SailGP calendar, recently published.
The move is a surprise given the success of the last two Plymouth events in particular, which drew thousands to the city’s famous Hoe and hundreds of boat crews watching on the water.
In 2023 and early 2024, the span of ‘season 4’, there will be European racing in Cadiz and
Taranto, with three more European venues to be announced.
Skipper of the Great Britain SailGP team Ben Ainslie said: “There is nothing like racing in your home country with the shoreline filled with home fans. The Plymouth Sail Grand Prix was always one of the team’s favourites on the championship circuit, but as the league continues to grow and with two successful Great Britain Sail Grand Prix events under our belt, I am hopeful SailGP will return to UK shores in future seasons.”
Julien di Biase, COO, SailGP, said: “It was a competitive bid process for cities to host SailGP in Season 4 and there has been an overwhelming response. It was an extremely di cult decision and there are a number of criteria and factors that have to be considered – not just in the individual host city bid but also looking at the season as a whole. Unfortunately Plymouth was unsuccessful in its bid application but following two successful Great Britain Sail Grand Prix events, SailGP hopes to return to UK shores in future seasons.”
Where does he fit into the Rules of the Road?
Helm: “What tack is he on?”
Tactician: “Er…”
Grinder: “It’s one of those powered foiling boards – we have right of way.”
Tactician: “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to get this wrong.
Isn’t he just pumping it?”
Helm: “We’re running out of water – can someone make a call?”
Bowman: “He’s de nitely a powered vessel. He gives way.”
Tactician: “Well, he’s overtaking anyway. It’s irrelevant.”
e Rules of the Road used to refer to boats. Nowadays, as ‘boats’ become boards and sailors y around attached to them, things are less clear-cut. Helms are doing doubletakes as right-of-way situations develop that bear no relation to the rulebook of yesteryear. And in the world of foiling, things happen fast. Perhaps a new book needs to be written with foiling in mind. We’re sure Jimmy Spithill and his SailGP cohorts, including their Red Bull colleague on the board (powered), had no trouble with this one. In fact, these guys are re-writing the rules as we speak. Good luck to them!
RATING: 1/5
