Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Bright lights at a dark time

by Mark Jardine 8 Mar 2022 18:00 GMT
Sailing stands in solidarity with Ukraine © with permission

It's difficult to know where to start when the situation in Ukraine dominates the headlines and our thoughts. We can all feel helpless when a despot leader seems hell-bent on destruction, and can see the pain and suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people, but we can donate to the humanitarian organisations who have set up appeals, such as UNICEF, the Red Cross, or the Disasters Emergency Committee in the UK, and I strongly encourage you to do so if you can afford it.

It is a dark time, but sport is hugely beneficial to wellbeing and, as we've discussed so often before, sailing and being out on the water is the one of the greatest tonics for both body and mind. Around the world we are seeing some great racing action, and I also encourage you to get out and sail at your local club at the next opportunity.

Let's start with one of my favourite classes, the 18ft Skiffs, who are holding their world championship on Sydney Harbour: the JJ Giltinan Trophy. Many in Australia have been affected by terrible flooding, and the skiffs have been racing in some huge rain squalls, but the Andoo team of Seve Jarvin, Matt Stenta and Sam Newton have put on a masterclass in the first two races. The live video coverage from the racing is superb, and well worth a watch in the embedded video we add to our daily reports, as well as all the great pictures from this most photogenic of classes.

Tuesday's racing didn't happen due to more gales and rain on Sydney Harbour. The fleet did go out, but took a beating in gusts of up to 33 knots.

In the build-up to the championship, Frank Quealey often brings us some history from the class, and this time he told us the story of the event on Waitemata Harbour, Auckland in 1977 where a new type of boat changed the face of 18ft Skiff racing. The story also introduces a rookie who is now a legend in the sailing world.

The Caribbean racing season hasn't happened for a couple of years, so it was great to see Simpson Bay full of colour for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

This event attracts keen amateurs on small yachts, holidaymakers on charter yachts, up to the fully professional supermaxis, but has stuck with its ethos of 'serious fun'.

There's often debate as to whether week-long, weekend, or three-day is the best format for major events, but I'm more and more thinking that four-day events are the way forwards. This is the formula used at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and it seems to fit in with many people's idea of a good event.

If you're looking for the bright lights who will be the next Olympic stars, then look no further than your local 29er fleet. There are some seriously talented youngsters in this class and it's an exciting boat to sail. Julian Bethwaite designed the two-person performance skiff in the late '90s and it looks just as good today as it did back then.

This past weekend saw 37 boats take part in the Allen 29er Grand Series event at the WPNSA, the Olympic sailing venue in 2012. We embedded a couple of the videos from the racing which are really worth a watch for some fine boat-handling, especially the spinnaker drops at the final mark in race 3 before the reach to the finish.

It's also Bacardi Cup time at Biscayne Bay, Miami, with 58 Stars opening the show in picture-perfect conditions and a breeze of 14-16 knots.

Regatta Chair Mark Pincus said, "The weather is going to be phenomenal this week. There should be some great times out on the water with a great week of races and competition that we have been missing over the last couple of years. Year in year out, everyone wants to come back and sail Bacardi because they have so much fun as well as great competition."

Class legends Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada took the win in the first race and will be tough to beat, even though there are a host of the world's top sailors in the fleet.

The J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640, VX One and 69F fleets start their racing at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta on Thursday.

Moving back to the UK, the last weekend of February saw the return of the Dinghy Show, at the new venue in Farnborough, Hampshire. I'm still working through the content I gathered, but one of the boats which caught everybody's eye was the new MD3 International Moth on the Ovington Boats stand. Sporting an AC75-style bustle and taking aero to a new level, I spoke to Kyle Stoneham to find out more.

It was great to be judging for the Concours d'Elegance Boat of the Show again, and Glen Truswell became the first two-time winner of the prestigious trophy, this time with his Sleeping Tiger International Canoe dinghy, after his International 14 'Scrumpet' won in 2016.

So, let's celebrate all that is bright and beautiful about sailing and being out on the water. Enjoy and appreciate the feeling of freedom it gives us, while keeping in mind those who are fighting for their freedom and sovereignty in Ukraine. We stand by them, and they are very much in our thoughts.

Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

Understanding sMRT Alert with Jack Sharland
Man Overboard Devices have come a long way in the last few years Man Overboard Devices have come a long way in the last few years with more features packed into smaller devices, but with all these features it can sometimes be difficult to understand what they all do. Posted today at 1:30 pm
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
An evening with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust
Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy (GCA). But they've shown it can be accessible to everyone, with amazing results. Posted on 2 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun