Happy New Year everyone! 2019 is upon us and we have a great sailing programme planned so make sure you have your diaries marked and get organising your participation. If you need help with any aspect of your attendance at regattas please don’t hesitate to contact us on secretary@6mr.org.uk.
Right now though, your editorial team is hard at work on the January edition of the BISMA E-news which will be published towards the end of the month, so if you have stories, photos or videos you want included please email Editor Fiona Brown on fiona.brown@fionabrown.com with details.
The British 6 Metre Association sailing programme for 2019 has now been confirmed and can be viewed 
Many of you will know Tapio Lehtinen, owner and long time campaigner of May Be IV from Finland. Tapio often sails his 6 long distances to reach events, but currently he is taking on an even greater challenge in the shape of the 30,000 mile non-stop, single handed, no outside assistance Golden Globe Race.In August 1966 Sir Francis Chichester single handedly sailed Gypsy Moth away from England and around the globe. 274 days and one stopover in Sydney later he sailed home again, setting the world record for the fastest time by a small boat circumnavigating the globe. The adventure ignited interest in long distance solo sailing and in 1968 the first Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was launched as the first single handed non-stop race around the planet. Sir Robin Knox-Johnson sailed to victory becoming the first single handed circumnavigator in the process.
Fifty years on and 18 sailors from 13 nations have taken up the Golden Globe challenge again, coming to the start line at Les Sables d’Olonne, France on 1st July 2018. Like the original race,the 2018 Golden Globe is very simple. Depart Les Sables-d’Olonne, France on July 1st, 2018 and sail solo, non-stop around the world, via the five Great Capes and return to Les Sables-d’Olonne. Entrants are limited to sailing with similar yachts and equipment to that which was available to Sir Robin in the first race. That means sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite based navigation aids. Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 – 10.97m) designed prior to 1988 that have a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. These yachts are heavily built, strong and sturdy, similar in concept to Sir Robin’s 32ft vessel Suhaili. In contrast to the current professional world of elite ocean racing, this edition travels back to a time known as the ‘Golden Age’ of solo sailing.
Tapio Lehtinen from Helsinki is a life long sailor who started in Optimist dinghies at the age of 6. A former Commodore of the Helsingfors Segelsällskap (HSS) Yacht Club, his experience ranges from racing Lasers, 470s and 29ers to keel boat and ocean racing, including a three-decade-long racing career in his classic six metre May Be IV. He has competed in the 1981/2 Whitbread Round the World Race aboard Skopbank of Finland, the 1985 Two handed Round Britain and Ireland Race, the 2-STAR transatlantic race 1986, the Azores and Back race in 1987 and the 2014 Bermuda Race.
The final day of racing in La Trinite brought mixed fortunes for the British contingent. In the Open Division Andy Beadsworth at the helm of Peter Harrison’s St Francis IX closed the regatta with another two good races to add a third and sixth to their score sheet, but it wasn’t quite sufficient and they ended the regatta in fourth place, a single point off the podium. Rob Smith helming Paul Smith’s Valhalla was second British boat in the Open Division and opened the day with a steady fifth, but then disaster struck at the start of the final race as their forestay fitting failed and they were forced to retire, leaving them in 9th overall. Robin Richardson’s St Kitts and Andy Postle and Brian Pope’s Cream had been sparing all week and ultimately ended up in twelfth and thirteenth place respectively.
In the Classics Erica was hopeful of fourth place, but a secondary decision by the jury to award Titia average points for the fifth race, in which she had originally been scored OCS but was badly damaged in a start line incident. This decision pushed Erica down into fifth place by 1.25 points. Dirk Stolp’s Valdai was second Brit in the Classics, finishing twelfth overall, while Robert Laird’s Mena took fourteenth and Christian Teichman’s Abu was fifteenth.
Overall it was a fantastic week’s racing and the standard of sailing was without doubt higher than ever. La Trinite sur Mer laid on a wonderful welcome with some terrific parties and a great gala dinner night. At the final prize giving and brunch on Friday morning every single crew was called to the stage to receive wonderful gifts and mementos as well as their prizes and ISMA Chairman Robert Owen was fulsome in his praise of the organisation and the community of La Trinite.
The full reports from the regatta are available at 
With stronger breezes and grey skies day three of the 2018 International 6 Metre European Championship in La Trinite brought a change of pace and mixed fortunes for the British contingent.
Paul Smith’s Valhalla with Rob Smith at the helm also struggled in the day’s opening race ending up thirteenth (their worst score of the regatta so far), but bounced back with a sixth and fourth which leave them in eighth place. After racing Paul Smith noted that the competition gets tougher each year and the standard of sailing at this event is exceptional.
It was not such a good day for Robin Richardson and the St Kitts team, who opened with a steady seventh but then slid down the fleet with a thirteenth and a nineteenth, leaving them in eleventh place overall.
In the Classics Erica continues to put in a good showing for us, but were unfortunately over the line in the day’s first race. They went on to reprieve themselves with a fifth and fourth and ended the day in fourth place. Although the Classic Division has already been won by His Majesty don Juan Carlos, Erica is still in firmly within touching distance of the remaining podium places as they are just one point off third and eight points off second.
Two races remain to sail and with the sun shining and a decent northerly blowing there is every hope that the fleets will get good racing today. The forecast for the Friday reserve day is very light and shifty so expectations are that the race committee will do everything it can to finish the eight race series today.
The second day of racing at the 2018 European Championship in La Trinity brought mixed fortunes for the British Contingent and some tricky sailing conditions. The first race of the day went relatively smoothly with 8-10 knots from the north east at the start dropping to 5-7 by the final run. An attempt was made to start a second race and the Moderns just about made it round the top mark before the wind died completely forcing the race committee to abandon the race. With little chance of the breeze returning the fleet was sent home.
In the Classics Erica was still performing well in the increased breeze but couldn’t quite match her previous two second places. On the final run she was engaged in a tight battle between half a dozen boats for fourth place. Ultimately she finished in sixth which means that she holds onto her third place overall in the series. For the other British Classics is was mixed fortunes with Mena ninth, Abu twelfth and Valdai fourteenth. Valdai therefore goes into day three in eleventh place with Mena thirteenth and Abu fourteenth.
The opening day of the International 6 Metre European Championship in La Trinite brought light airs and mixed results for the British contingent. The predominantly north easterly wind was initially fairly steady at around 8 knots, but by the second race it had dropped and the final run turned into a very slow affair. Fortunately the sun was shining and the boats looked stunning regardless of the conditions.
In the open Division Andy Beadsworth at the helm of Peter Harrison’s St Francis IX took second in the opening race behind Switzerland’s Nivola, while Robin Richardson and the St Kitts crew were hard on their heels in third. Paul Smith’s Valhalla with Rob Smith on the helm finished in ninth with Andy Postle and Brian Pope’s Cream thirteenth. The light airs of the second race were not so much to the Brit’s liking. Valhalla was the first British boat to finish in seventh with St Kitts tenth, St Francis IX eleventh and Cream thirteenth again. Overall St Francis IX and St Kitts are on equal points in fifth and sixth place respectively, with a six point delta on the leader. Valhalla is just three points behind them in ninth place and Cream lies fourteenth overall.
In the Classics the newly restored Erica was on flying form in her first serious outing and took second in race one and third in race two to end the day in third overall, five points behind leader Llanoria and two adrift of second placed Bribon Gallant. Dirk Stolp’s Valdai scored and eighth and eleventh to put her into ninth place overall. There’s clearly something about finish thirteenth that the Brits like as Robert Laird’s Mena followed Cream’s example by finishing in that position in both Classics races. Overall Mena is now in thirteenth place, just ahead of Christian Teichman’s Abu in fourteenth.
Registration is now underway in La Trinite Sur Mer, Brittany for the 2018 International 6 Metre European Championship where a strong British contingent will be challenging for the title.
British International Six Metre Association 