[Itj.l^WJ'itM January 2014
F E A T U R E S
22
Revisiting ttie classics... wiiile
building on innovation
J O C E L Y N B L E R I O T takes us on a lap of the new course f o r the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race
Italian designer G I O V A N N I CECCARELLI
Juxtaposition
Two ends of sailboat racing on our cover this month and both are thriving. Around the most glamorous ports of the Mediterranean and along the eastern US seaboard the classic racing scene has never been stronger. Meanwhile, Falmouth this autumn saw the strongest C-Class gathering in the fleet's long history. As a consequence of the rude health of the classic yacht racing scene the best restorers continue to keep busy, preserving or resurrecting old skills that would otherwise be lost for all time. In terms of the racing itself, classic boats defy the trend to ever smaller crews with a constant need for a full complement, sometimes stretching the rugby analogy to two full teams for the biggest schooners; so plenty can share the fun. Meanwhile, Franck Cammas's victory in the Little America's Cup showed once again why right now Gammas is one of Europe's very best hopes for a successful America's Cup challenge. No one else in European sailing can match Cammas's experience of creating and leading a big campaign; in addition, his own technical decisions in preparing for the Little America's Cup showed peerless insight. When he campaigned for the 2011-12 Volvo race Cammas was quick to point out that his was a sighting shot, with a race win expected to require a second attempt. He made similar claims about his 2013 C-Class programme; yet it was Canunas's own input that dictated the perfect balance of performance vs usability that Groupama delivered, resulting in an easy win against a faster but less user-friendly competitor COVER: J a m e s Robinson Taylor INSET: Christian Fevrier
28
Getting over i t - P a r t i
Two-time Little America's Cup winner M A G N U S C L A R K E reports on the staggeringly rapid pace of development i n today's C-Class cat fleet
32
A philosophy of change
BLUE R O B I N S O N catches up w i t h current Oracle Racing manager, former Alinghi manager and Austraha I I veteran G R A N T S I M M E R . . .
36
Unconvinced
Foil specialist and n o w winning International 14 and Narional 12 designer D A V E H O L L O M thinks there is more to Oracle's big
turnaround than at first meets the eye
40
Filmless composite sails
OneSails introduce the 4 T F O R T E filmless sailmaking systemR E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE7
Editorial
A N D R E W H U R S T8
Update
It's a wrap, w i t h TERRY H U T C H I N S O N , 'just make bigger cradles', says M A R K W E I N H E I M E R and the extraordinary Costa Concordia story w i t h
14
World news
(Many) bad hair days m the Bay of Biscay, Austraha again in the Coastal Classic, government support for DALTS and BARKER, it's almost certainly cats again for Oracle's M A N O L O RUIZ DE ELVIRA, and some simplified offshore regs from the USA. DOBBS DAVIS, BLUE ROBINSON, CARLOS PICH, I V O R WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER
24
Paul Cayard
Plenty to celebrate about AC34 and an overdue return to the Star fleet... in glorious Nassau
26
IRC column
JAMES D A D D pulls no punches when it comes to 'gently' overlooking the rules
41
Design-A mighty
undertaking
J I M P U G H and R Y O N W A R R E N of Reichel/Pugh describe the evolution of their successful first WallyCento Magic Carpet'
44
Seahorse regdXt^ calendar
46
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N O W E N^7
SeahorsehuMishk
-Slightly stretched
DOBBS DAVIS looks at a Shaun Carkeek 45 that ended up a 47...
67
Sailor ofthe Month
T w o great names i n the sportyed s;'
fourth s e a s o n an employing flax a s one of the p r i n c i p^ W i b r j^ i l' I H y i W l l l l lay-up. Needless to s a ^ t h e r e w a s pl
(Contents
February 2014
Surprise!
Benoit Marie celebrates having won the 2013 Mini Transat on his weh-travelled 2010 Finot-Conq designed Mini of the same name. Marie could be parricularly pleased since he only found out he was in the lead when he was hailed by a fishing boat as he approached the finish. This year's race had been led for all but the final 36 hours by Italian Giancarlo Pedote onboard the previous race winner - David Raison's well-publicised scow design, now renamed Prysmian. Sadly for Pedote, his powerful Mini suffered a broken bowsprit in the final days which left him unable to defend his lead against the fast charging Marie. This was an exceptionally good Mini Transat, with closer racing than for some time and another impressive result scored by Series class winner Aymeric Belloir, who finished in 6th overall, well in among the more glamorous Protos. Although Prysmian did not take the overall prize this year, her ability to run at the front throughout an event that many felt would not favour the scow concept will make for much head scratching among the Mini 650 community. If a scow can so effortlessly lead a race with plenty of upwind and light air sailing, then the arguments against the concept evaporate quite rapidly. In wider terms the Glasse Mini is righter than ever before, with a good group of well-proven Protos and a well-refined fleet of Series designs fairing better than ever. It remains to be seen if the class flexes its muscles to curtail the comperitiveness of Raison's scow design; if not then expect to see a raft of new scows lining up in 2015 COVER: Jacques Vapillon llNgEï; Marl< Lloyd/DPPI
F E A T U R E S
2(r
Soldtothe man at the front
BOB FISHER talks to D u t c h skipper B O U W E B E K K I N G about his latest Volvo Ocean Race entry - backed by D u t c h conglomerate Bruneiupmm
T E R R Y H U T C H I N S O N is slumming it in Key Largo, BORA G U L A R I reveals the detail behind his success to BILL GOGGINS and R O B C O O K offers a nice lateral tvvist for the next Cup planners
26
Driven by technology
M A R C E L L O PERSICO describes the fascinating range of projects his team currently has underway
29
Getting over i t - P a r t 2
M A G N U S C L A R K E looks at the construction foibles of the Little America's Cup fleet while R O L A N D W H I T E H E A D gives the historical context to the C-Class's biggest ever gathering
12
World news
GAB ART and DESJOYEAUX meet theh match, blisteringly close Class40 racing, PEDOTE drops the bail at the end, K A R L K W O K ' s latest speed machine, SLINGSBY and friends off to Hobart, bumper Key West line-up. DOBBS DAVIS, BLUE ROBINSON, CARLOS PICH, I V O R WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER
35
Chasing affordabihty
A N D Y RICE talks to project leader A L A N ROBERTS about a new iniriative i n the International 14 Class22
Rod Davis
Good times among N e w Zealand's dinghy fleets
38
New broom
0 Y V I N D B O R D A L interviews ISAF president C A R L O CROCE
40
A Gucci product
Sparbuilder ERIC H A L L traces the gestation of his company's latest carbon rigging solutions
24
ORC column
ALESSANDRO N A Z A R E T H
45
Design-Diligent and
dominant
M A U R I Z I O COSSUTTI describes the evolution behind his all-conquering ORC racers
48
SeahorsevBgatidL
calendar
44
24-hour solution
50
RORC news
The remarkable resource that is M a u r i Pro Sailing E D D I E W A R D E N O W E N
R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE51
SeahorsebwM
table - Pocket
rocket
J I M D O N O V A N ' S GP26 flyer is i n producrion
7
Editorial
A N D R E W HURST71
Sailor ofthe Month
Two genuine giants go head to headJérémie Beyou and C h r i s t o p h e ^ t t s u r f a c r o s s the Trarisat J a c q u e s V a b f e f i n i s h i i n e in 3rd place ifi ^ the Imoca 60 c l a s s . BayoatTMtre Coq was originally Michel Dèsjoyeaux's last F p n c / a , after w h i c h it
becams-SanqökPópulaire, finishing 2nd in the last Vendée Globe. The boat still features canted but
ht boards for simplicity - very similar in configuration to Kart K w o k ' s n e w Beau Geste (see pg14)
March 2014
C l a s s i c
Conny van Rietschoten and his crew on Flyer approach the finish line in Portsmouth at the end of the second Whitbread Round the World Race in 1978. Van Rietschoten passed away quietly this month at his home in Portugal at the age of 87, prompting plaudits and reminiscences fiom many members of the Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race community. Prominent among those paying their respects was Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, who raced with the hard-driving Dutch skipper on his second attempt at the race onboard Flyer Il in 1981-82, where his crewmates included fellow New Zealand saihng luminaries Erie Williams and Joey Allen. In recruiting a bunch of aggressive young New Zealanders, Van Rietschoten not only won the race for a still unmatched second time, but he also raised the bar for future entries. 'Nearly all of us can trace our careers back to Conny,' said Dalton. 'We were all young, resdess, most of us totally unproven yet Gonny took a chance on us. He allowed us to be ourselves, sometimes guiding us, sometimes coming down hard on us. He taught us -and everyone else - how it was going to be done in the future and he introduced a professional business approach to offshore racing. Gonny truly was a pioneer. His picture hangs on my wall alongside Peter Blake and it always will.' It is easy to forget what a tough competitor the Dutchman was; during his second race on Flyer II he suffered a heart attack in the Southern Ocean but swore his crew to secrecy about what had happened lest they offer encouragement to their rivals on Ceramco...
COVER:
A j a x / E a s t l a n d / D P P I INSET: S t e v e Killing
22
A whole new ball game
A N D Y RICE talks to M A R K T U R N E R about returning to the Volvo Ocean Race after 25 years
24
Not
SO
new kids
A look at Milan-based Advanced Yachts
26
Behind the scenes - Part 1
We spend some time with the technical gurus at Harken in an effort to get to grips w i t h what was really going on out of sight onboard USA 1730
A fundamental shift - Part 1
C-Class and AC72 design star (and also designer of some slippery rowing shells) STEVEK I L L I N G traces the emergence of the f u l l foiling catamaran
34
The Tour
Like the Tour Voile only somewhat warmer... EFG Bank Sailing Arabia
37
Ruling the waves
J O C E L Y N BLERIOT paid a visit to
F R A N C K C A M M A S at the headquarters of his Groupama Racing Team i n Lorient
R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE7
Editorial
A N D R E W HURST8
Update
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N heads south, things
begin to evolve at Team N e w Zealand, a plea for simplification, a stylish new offshore regatta sees IRC making inroads into the Adriatic, Scheidt really is the king (in Nassau as weU as Oman). Plus the reality of tha t San Francisco weather...
14
World news
A death-defying performance f r o m BERNARD S T A M M and D A M I E N G U I L L O U . . . and some unknown unknowns, New Zealand gets all misty eyed over l O R , BOB OATLEY trounces his upstart rivals (again) and the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation moves up a gear. DOBBS DAVIS, BLUE ROBINSON, CARLOS PICH, I V O R WILIONS, PATRICE CARPENTIER
25
IRC column
It comes d o w n to the racecourse - J A M E S D A D D
41
Design-Fit for purpose
CROSBIE L O R I M E R talks high performance ocean racing w i t h the team behind M A T T A L L E N ' s new Carkeek 60 Ichi Ban44
Seahorse regatta calendar
46
RORC news
Some leading indicators f r o m the latest W o r l d Yacht Race Forum - EDDIE W A R D E N O W E N
47
SeahorsehuM table - Champion
evolution
The great (but modest) P A U L BIEKER describes his latest Internadonal 14 design development
67
Sailor ofthe Month
T w o experts i n the art of persistence
T h o m a s Coville w a v e s farewell to his shore crew a s he s e t s out for another attempt on F r a n c i s J o y o n ' s formidable singlehanded round-the-world record of 57 d a y s and 13 hours, s e t nearly five y e a r s ago. T h i s is Coville's fifth attempt on J o y o n ' s mark, the last being In November when gear failure on day two brought proceedings to a premature end. Coville's Irens designed tri is very similar to J o y o n ' s Idee 2 but features a much more sophisticated electronics s p e c
rnnntfintsfjaaiUlliE^
Pioneer
The late Steve Fossett's Morrelli and Melvin-designed 110ft PlayStation back in 2000 when she was among the first of what became the G-Class of giant mukihulls. Since those early, heady days, when sailors and engineers were constantly exploring new limits, particularly of the available sailing equipment, we have got quite blasé about these incredible boats. In 2010 Franck Cammas (of course) rewrote the rulebook when he took the next step into the sailing unknown, re-rigging his 30m trimaran
Groupama 3 for solo sailing
and going on to win die Route du Rhum of that year. Now it has been confirmed that in this year's Rhum Yann Guichard will attempt to singlehandedly sail the 40m Jules Verne record holder Spindrift 2, formerly
Banque Populaire V and the
fastest and most powerful offshore sailing boat ever created. Legendary Breton skipper Francis Joyon, whose own Rhum entry Idee is a mere 100ft in length, sounds a note of caution with respect to singlehanding all of these very large boats. As Joyon says, the last Rhum was quite a gentle affair and no one knows how Gammas would have faired had he hit a typical run of Adantic lows (Joyon is politely reminding us of the 1986 and 2002 editions of the race when violent storms decimated the fleet). Meanwhile, Francois Gabart is now building a new 100ft tri for shorthanded saihng which will raise the game by yet another notch. There is no doubt that the cat (or rather tri) is now out of the bag; there is no going back as a new wave of G-Glass launches beckons. But don't be surprised if the odd bit of milk is spilt along the way
COVER: Gilles Martin-Raget INSET: Vincent Curutchet
F E A T U R E S
4
A longlasting commitment
D O N A B E R T A R E L L I and a serious step up i n the sailing activities of her new sponsor M i r a b a u d
26
l\/lai(ingtiie difference
M I K E SANDERSON, I A N W A L K E R and JULES SALTER look at what it w i l l take to w i n the first ever one-design race around the planet
A N D R E W HURST
ypilate
28
Reaping tiie benefits
Quantum sail designer BRETT JONES discusses the real-life benefits of using the VSPARS system
30
My next dream has no rules
F R A N g O I S G A B A R T is indeed the man of the moment and now he is involved i n launching a new round-the-world race34
Strength in depth
... A n d then some. We look at the impressive resources of Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai35
A fundamental
S h i f t
- P a r t II
STEVE K I L L I N G on f u l l flight and wiggle boards36
Veni, vidi, vici
N o w among the world's most 'winningest' designers, G U I L L A U M E VERDIER reflects upon his first C-Class experience... w i t h Groupatna C
38
Behind the scenes - Part II
Rope versus hydraulics - moving those AC72 foils
R E G U L A R S
6
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLETERRY H U T C H I N S O N on tour and I V O R W I L K I N S takes a close look at some o f the new technology that worked so w e l l . . . and at some that did not, at the 2014 A-Class worlds in Takapuna
14
World news
Y A N N GUICHARD's big commitment... Lnoca rule changes, new blood hits the ground running at Emirates Team New Zealand, the remarkable and multi-talented CHRIS N I C H O L S O N and a nice
result down m San Diego... DOBBS DAVIS, BLUE ROBINSON, CARLOS PICH, IVOR
WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER
22
Rod Davis
Building that (most) perfect America's Cup sailing team
24
ORC column
A n d the 2014 O R C worlds look f k to burst
5
w a:
I
42
Design
- High performance... sensible price
B A R R Y C A R R O L L introduces the new C & C 3 044
Seahorse regatta calendar
46
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E NAl
SeahorsebwWA table
- T h e biggest yet
Here comes the new Gunboat 101
67
Sailor ofthe Month
It's an all-Australia batde this m o n t hAs S e v e Jarvin and the boys of Goffa Love It / attempt to match lain Murray's (above, left) record of s i x J J Giltinan trophies in the 18-Foot skiffs a quick reminder of the old team... Murray, Andrew Buckland and Don Buckley in 1978. From an even earlier era {inset) B e n L e x c e n ' s J J Giltinan winner Venom in 1961 complete with modern-looking rolled topsides and a pair of horizontal f e n c e s on the rudder blade
f
c
O
n t e n t s
I
i^i
fiVÈd U%
F E A T U R E S
22
Never
Stand Still
Team New Zealand... the perfect proving ground
7
Editorial
A N D R E W H U R S T
26
A fresh approach
: Class40 sailor CHRIS MUSELER looks at the background to America's latest Volvo Race entry
28
A new twist...
Southern Spars' new headsail f u r l i n g system is lighter and it also furls faster. SCOTT V O G E L Swing lier down
The Soto 33 class is going great guns in South America as this keenly priced one-design, from the board of Soto 40 creator Javier Soto Acebal, finds increasing traction among both big boat owners downsizing and small boat sailors moving up. The market in modern 'non-rule-focused' race designs at this size range is suddenly hotting up with new product launches from designer Mark Mills (see last month) and Farr Yacht Design (next month!). In addition, there are still some pockets of racing to be found among the original 'modern 30', the Farr 30, including a busy scene in the Middle East where tliis outstanding and timeless design was used for the 2014 edition of Sailing Arabia - The Tour. One of the issues in this size range is that to dehver a new boat over long distances can add a very significant amount to the purchase price; hence the Soto 33s are continuing to grow in number but primarily in Argentina where they are built. The Mumm 30, as the Farr 30 was originally called, bucked this trend with explosive international growth, probably fuelled by the fact that aside from being a terrific boat it was also the first modern one-design of this size, built without so much as a nod towards any rating rule. With the Soto 33, Melges 32 and the new boats onhne from Mills and Farr it will be interesting to see if any of these can break into a more international market. At its peak the Mumm 30 delivered some outstanding
international competition -with the world championship something really worth winning. It would be an excellent step if one of these new classes can rephcate that broader appeal. We shall see...
COVER:
Matias Capizzano INSET:
Osltar Kihlborg/VOR
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N reflects on a busy month with more chaUenges to come, STUART
A L E X A N D E R reports on the remarkable contrasts delivered by Sailing Arabia - The Tour and London 2012 gold medallist i n the Laser Radial LIJIA X U discusses her future plans w i t h her race coach and mentor J O N E M M E T T
29
Win win
As the first TP52 buih to the 2015 rule (sic) hits the water Super Series class manager ROB W E I L A N D unravels his boat equalisation programme
30
The genesis of a mad
I d e a - P a r t i
J O C E L Y N BLERIOT celebrates the 20th anniversary of the T r o p h é e Jules Verne
34
Effective design - or fashion craze
Midtiple Volvo Race-winning designer J U A N K O U Y O U M D J I A N allows himself a w r y smile as boat design plunges headlong into 'chine w o t l d '38
We've come a long way (baby)
GEOFF STOCK reflects upon a sea change in composite boatbuilding technologies40
Long overdue
T w o whole race cycles after he w o n the 2006 Route du Rhum, solo skipper P H I L SHARP is finally returning to the shorthanded arena...
42
It was time for something new
As sailmaker P A O L O SEMERARO and lead designer G I O V A N N I CECCARELLI explain...R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE12
World news
Corrosion is blamed for B E R N A R D
S T A J M M ' S near-smkmg, C H A R L E S
C A U D R E L I E R gets the Dongfeng call, two-handed round New Zealand, why
C H R I S N I C H O L S O N can't wait for the
2014 Volvo to begin and ICEN R E A D is
voting 'two-hull'. D O B B S D A V I S , B L U E R O B I N S O N , C A R L O S P I C H , I V O R W I L K I N S , P A T R I C E C A R P E N T I E R
23
Paul Cayard
And it's great to be sailboat racing once again
24
IRC column
It's about the boats getting better. J A M E S D A D D
44
Design - Smoothing out the kinks
FRANCESCO P E L I Z Z A was entrusted w i t h a comprehensive refit o f t h e mighty Stravaganza48
Seahorse regatta calendar
50
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E N51
5eaA0r56
build table
- A promising future
As the TP52 class comes back apace A D O L F O C A R R A U talks to DOBBS D A V I S about the challenges of building f o r t w o different rules
71
Sailor ofthe Month
A true cast of characters this m o n t h . . .
Shorts a n d oilskins - given how everyone who took part is raving about the glorious balmy and breezy weather during this y e a r ' s Caribbean 600, this shot of overall I R C winner Shockwave approaching the imposing uninhabited island of Redonda looks m u c h like something from the Fastnet R a c e
^
Contents
W i U ' i f c M i i i i
^ n
Memorable
Look carefully and you can see Enza, jointly skippered by Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston, dragging warps attached to all sorts of bullcy items as they attempt to slow down their much modified Nigel Irens design Ln a Force 10 storm on the final approach to Ushant and a new Jules Verne record of a little under 75 days. Blake and his crew had sailed as far south as 61-degrees on their rough passage before knocking nearly four days off Bruno Peyron's original, first sub-80 day mark. This all took place 20 years ago this year and it is worth reflecting on just how far such oceanic record breaking - and racing - has come in the intervening years. Currendy Vendée Globe winner Frangois Gabart and his sponsor Macif are in tafks with at least two other serious teams - Banque Populaire and Sodebo - about an unlknited singlehanded race aroimd the planet starting within the next
18 months. Incredible to reflect that what 20 years ago was a testing voyage at the very limits of contemporary seamanship using fully crewed craft is now the setting for a solo race, using similarly massive but much faster multihulls that will lap the globe in a fraction of the time taken by Blake and Knox-Johnston and their six crew. Indeed, with the fully crewed Jules Verne mark now down at a truly daunting time of 45 days it is no surprise that the bulk of the focus of current 'big' projects is the solo mark. No one is presently lining up to build a faster read larger -boat than the former Banque
Populaire V but several people
have their eye on the solo benchmark, held of course by the great Francis Joyon at 57 days... for which budgets are just a httle more modest
COVER:
Christian Fevrier INSET:
Carlo Borlenghi/DPPI
F E A T U R E S
4
Bol d'Or Mirabaud
The queen of lake regattasA N D R E W HURST
Opdate
24
High-performance composites
King Marine are (hterally) heading for outer space28
Live online tracking for all
Time to share the best sweets around a little
PETER H O L M B E R G looks at ratings f o r the Caribbean tour, TERRY H U T C H I N S O N on Bella Mente 2014 and G I U L I A N O L U Z Z A T T O talks to ambitious Italian shorthanded
skipper (andscowman) G I A N C A R L O PEDOTE
29
Crème de la crème
ROB W E I L A N D watches as the wraps come off the first TP52 to be b u i h to the new 2015 class rule
30
Honey, they shrunk the
planet
J O C E L Y N BLERIOT brings us up to date w i t h the T r o p h é e Jules Verne
34
Onwards
A n d London 2012 is ancient history as A N D Y RICE reports f r o m Palma
14
World news
A n d the next Vendée Globe is rolling already, as is the Transat AG2R and the H A L V A R D
-M I R A N D A show. Plus -M a x i cut-and-shut in Auckland, getting off the line with
J I M M Y SPITHILL and T O M
SLINGSBY and a smooth transition i n St Thomas. BLUE ROBINSON, I V O R WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENHER, DOBBS DAVIS
36
New bat new ball
A b u Dhabi skipper I A N W A L K E R explains his new approach to the Volvo Ocean Race
38
Enigma
They certainly look the part, but w h y are so many of today's raciest-looking production boats so heavy? 0 Y V 1 N D B O R D A L , NIELS JEPPESEN and T O M H U M P H R E Y S
42
A lone wolf
ANDREAS B O R R I N K catches up w i t h top German singlehander J O R G RIECHERS
R E G U L A R S
6
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE22
Rod Davis
Time f o r pastures new and time also to reflect on the pathway of Emirates Team N e w Zealand
26
ORC column
Refining the wish list. DOBBS DAVIS
46
Design = Powerful heritage
Farr Yacht Design president P A T R I C K SHAUGHNESSY on the significance of and the sigmficant w o r k that went i n t o the new Farr 28048
Seahorse regatta calendar
50
RORC news
E D D I E W A R D E N - O W E N51
SeahorsehuM table
-Sharpening up
When does a Farr 400 O D become a Farr 440?
71
Sailor ofthe Month
T w o largely unsung heroes..,
Steve Benjamin's SpooWe c o m e s cleanly off the line In Charleston on the way to yet another regatta win in the HPR c l a s s . T h e two nearest boats are flying North's latest 3D! R a w fore and aft s a i l s , 10¬ 12% lighter than 'regular' 3Di by eliminating the protective grey outer non-woven surface, and replacing It with a layer of clear a d h e s i v e
C
liontents
Full-on
The young American-Turkish Volvo Ocean Race entry, Team Alvimedica, are training hard out of their Portuguese base in advance of the race start in Alicante in October. Surprisingly little is being heard from most syndicates in tlie run-up to the next Volvo race, with the notable exception of the all-women team on SCA whose media management is aheady standing out as exceptional -much as you would expect from this polished and professional group. Just as in the America's Cup, there is a confhct between a race team's desire to engage followers through the trialhng period and not giving away secrets. This is understandable in the America's Cup, which is a privately funded event, paid for by individuals with litde or no desire for pubhcity, but it is less easy to grasp in the case of commerciaUy funded Volvo teams. What is also interesting is the 'form' for the next event. There wUl hopefully soon be two more teams to add to the current line-up of five, but these will of necessity be relatively rushed campaigns and so will almost certainly stack up behind the best of the current crop. Of those aheady sailing it would take a brave man to bet agamst Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, with Bouwe Bekking and Brunei almost certainly Walker's closest threat for overall honours. With the new one-design fleet there will certainly be a few individual off-the-wall results, as teams lagging in overall pace take big strategic gambles - some of which may come off Overall, however, this race will be about the detail of the teams' preparation and a relentless focus on driving the boats hard. The 'old lags' will take some beating COVER: Gilles Martin-Raget INSET: Christian Fevrier
F E A T U R E S
25
Fast and fun
DOBBS DAVIS takes a close look at the Bolt 37
26
Fair?
ROB W E I L A N D has his own slant on the Oracle Team USA cheating scandal and its repercussions
29
One stop sliop
Persico celebrate the successful launch of Ran V
30
Everslirinking
DOBBS DAVIS looks at some o f t h e rigging innovations on Niklas Zennstrom's latest m i n i maxi
34
Departure
D A V E H O L L O M took some time out f r o m designing foils to have a crack at a new International 14... and things have worked out rather well
38
0fftiieslielf
M A G N U S C L A R K E and his skipper FRED E A T O N are taking a break f r o m C-Class racing but not before putting i n place a brilliant new initiative to encourage wider growth in the fleet
R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE7
Editorial
A N D R E W HURST8
Update
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N loses a r i g . . . but wms a regatta, PETER H O L M B E R G wraps up another
successful Caribbean season and JAMES B O Y D takes a look at the Ocean Masters Imoca series
12
World news
New IRC designs shine in La Trinité, young chargers challenge in the Transat AG2R, LOÏCK (PEYRON) returns to his roots, a right royal dust-up in Auckland, the return of Big Red, a nice debut for Ran V - and Phoenix - at PalmaVela, the mighty McConaghy 3 8 and Adantic Cup success. BLUE ROBINSON, I V O R WILIONS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS, CARLOS PICH
22
PaulCayard
If you're going to try something new then why not start at the very top of
the scale...
24
IRC column
A n d a visit around some of the 'other' areas of operation of the rating office with JAMES D A D D
42
Design = Genuine dual purpose
G I N O M O R R E L L I and PAUL HAKES talk to DOBBS DAVIS about their all-new H H 6 6 Supercat - the latest i n an exciting new genre44
Seahorse regdXidi calendar
46
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E N47
Sea/förse build table
- Beaujolais nouveau
T O R B J O R N L I N D E R S O N has had his (multihull) pencil out once again
67
Sailor ofthe Month
Y o u t h f u l genius a l l . . .Figaro and C l a s s 40 veteran Armel Tripon w a s not put off by the quite high price that w a s being a s k e d for Kito de Pavant's Verdier-VPLP Imoca 60 Groupe Bel. Tripon's debut event with his new steed (now renamed
Imagine) w a s
the recent fully crewed Tour de Belle Isle... Imoca 60s have lately been changing hands faster than ever before with the latest generation of Verdier-VPLP d e s i g n s clearly recognised for good longterm competitiveness
F E A T U R E S
26
An explosive recovery
The TP52s could be back into the mid-teens next year w i t h at least six new boats. ROB W E I L A N D
Swing lier down Niklas Zennstrom's latest Mini Maxi Ran comes powering out of the traps at the first inshore round of the 2014 Rolex Guraglia Cup. On the opening day Ran came out slightly ahead overall of the Mills design Alegre and the previous Ran, now renamed
Robertissima. There is a
sistership to the latest Ran now in build at Persico using the same CNC-machined toohng, for launch later this autumn. Other than this the only maxi-sized designs currently in build are larger, including Jim Clark's new 100ft monster [see page 30) and the new Juan K88
Rambler for George David,
which may or may not be to a scow configuration (harbour scuttlebutt appears to be equally divided; however, in the fust images seen of the hull coming out of the shed at New England Boatworks it certainly does look quite scow-like...). Although they are steadily inching forwards, with one or at most two new boats appearing each year, the Mini Maxis are not exhibiting the strong growth that is being seen in the TP52; certainly a Mini Maxi is considerably more expensive but it is as much the increased logistics that are proving offputting. Then again there is the fact that, having weathered the financial storm, the TP52s are once again offering decent-sized fleets and outstandingly close boat-for-boat
competition of a kind that even the latest handful of Mini Maxis would find hard to match. There is no doubt that at a length hmit of 72ft the Mini Maxi fleet will continue to grow steadily, having particular appeal for those who also want to race for line honours offshore - but right now the TP52s are yet again 'the' big game m town
COVER:
Carlo Borlenghi/ROLEX INSET:
Hugues Turckheim
28
Politics, philosophy and
engineering
GEOFF STOCK of Green Marine describes the groundbreaking data gathering tools that wiU be carried by this year's Volvo Ocean Race fleet
30
Fastest (monohull) on the
planet?
That w i l l almost certainly be the outcome of J I M CLARK's New3 project as G U I L L A U M E VERDIER explains to J O C E L Y N BLERIOT
34
Aerial advantage
D R J O N A T H A N J O H N S looks at the fast-growing market f o r unmanned drone usage in sailing performance evaluation
38
A fascinating (and challenging)
task
Foiling M o t h pioneer D R I A N W A R D has recently completed a project designed to put foiled sailing w i t h i n the reach of practically everybody
R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE7
Editorial
A N D R E W H U R S T8
Update
T I M JEFFERY stands impressed as SIR B E N AINSLIE unveils his America's Cup challenge.
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N muses upon the goading by J I M M Y SPITHILL of which Emirates Team N e w Zealand has recently been the victim, I V O R W I L K I N S reveals that we were nearly in for another Deed of G i f t Challenge plus the next H i g h Performance Yacht Design gathering in Auckland
12
World news
Record hunters prepare, Figaro 2014, 'that' Protocol receives an initially cool reception in New Zealand, before matters are revisited, G R A N T SIMMER decides to stay put for 2017, taking on -and defeating - Oracle Team USA. Plus deciding the
Cup venue... BLUE ROBINSON, I V O R WILIONS, PATRICE CARPENTIER,
DOBBS DAVIS, CARLOS P I C H
22
Rod Davis
Some things that Emirates Team N e w Zealand got wrong back i n 2013 and a number of other things that they almost certainly got right...
24
ORC column
A n d another record that w i l l be broken at this year's O R C w o r l d championships in K i e l . . .
42
Design - No end in sight
D E A N H A R P E R and J A R R A D W A L L A C E explain just h o w far grand p r i x spars have come i n even a relatively short space of time44
Seahorse regatta calendar
46
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E N47
Seahorse build table - A new twist
HUGUES T U R C K H E I M has taken a long hard look at the latest wing rigs i n an effort to come up w i t h something more widely relevant
67
Sailor ofthe Month
T w o w o r t h y - and recent - champions
The 2014 B o s p h o r u s C u p saw t e a m s converge on Istanbul for three d a y s of racing In one of the most s c e n i c v e n u e s in the world. T h e event featured two days of c o u r s e racing south of the Straits, and one d a y within the Straits t h e m s e l v e s . For this race the organisers impressively had traffic halted in one of the busiest s e a lanes in the world for no l e s s than five hours...
riif.^WU^^/.-^
September 2014
The world's a-f oiling The Martin Fischer-designed Great Cup 32 catamarans were always envisaged as a fully foiling platform so it was something of a false start last year when they sailed their first few comperitive events in displacement mode. Many people were franldy a htde disappointed at the impact made by these sophisticated beasts in non-foiling mode, while all the sailing world was focusing on the crazy flying action emanating from San Francisco with the AG72s. Now, however, the Great Gup 32s have got their 'proper' curved foils and the benefits have been dramatic. In flying mode these relatively lightweight and powerful designs are proving blisteringly fast and are reminding everyone just why foihng means a rewriting of the rulebook. Just as we saw with the early iterations of the foihng International Moth, once your platform is lifted above the water overall length becomes a less meaningful parameter; indeed length is only really relevant in order to maximise the longitudinal span between the main hft foils and the rudder stabihsers, ie to resist the forward pitching moment induced by the rig. The first Great Gup regatta - for foilers - took place a couple of months back in Austria and drew a large crowd of interested America's Cup observers. For Gup training purposes the GG32 offers a lighter platform than the New Zealand-built SL33 plus a ready-made regatta circuit that is already attracting many top names from the Olympic and America's Gup scenes. They are also considerably cheaper and more portable than an AG45, even though they do not offer the solid wing experience. This circuit now has a lot going for it... Good growth is expected!
COVER: IVlark Lloyd INSET: lan Roman
F E A T U R E S
22
In pursuit of a better halyard lock
You can always do better... says ERIC H A L L28
Speeding up the design curve
The latest sail design technology saves time f r o m the initial shape creation to the final rig set-up30
The view... from halfway up the
mountain
W i t h seven new TP52s already i n the pipeline you'd think he'd be satisfied... but there's so much more to do, says ROB W E I L A N D
ifSstssia!
A N D R E W HURST
32
The start of the fifth cycle
Former Figaro competitor M A R C U S H U T C H I N S O N takes stock as the Artemis Offshore Academy rolls into another round of pre-selections34
A fascinating (and
challenging) task - Part 2
D R I A N W A R D describes how the ambitious flying Laser foiling programme was turned into a practical as well as an affordable reahty
39
Remarkably close
Just 29kg covered the spread of measured dry weights for the first seven new V 0 6 5 s out of the yard... Class measurement manager JAMES D A D D explains just h o w i t was done
42
Phase one... tick
JAMES B O Y D looks at h o w development is advancing in the nevi' Imoca Ocean Masters series
45
(A fine) case study - Part I
N o stone was left unturned to ensure that Ran S was the lightest I R C M i n i M a x i built to date, as build manager J A S O N C A R R I N G T O N explains
R E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLEUpdate
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N gets a sobering reality check amid all the day-to-day regatta activity and travelling, BILL HARDESTY does his new young team proud with another Etchells w o r l d title and Oracle Racing USA's PAUL BIEKER is never one to let his feet float too high off the gtound...
12
World news
CHARLES CAUDRELIER's toughest task yet, BEYOU gets a third Figaro title, amid more rigging
travails... New Zealanders of all 'nationalities' rally around D O D S O N and BARNES,
I A I N M U R R A Y doesn't recall being offered a second AC62. Plus a slow boat
to Bermuda. BLUE ROBINSON, FVOR WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS, CARLOS PICH
24
Paul Cayard
A n d there is life outside the America's Cup... even (especially) i n San Francisco
27
IRC column
Maintaining a (sometimes tricky) balance... JAMES D A D D
48
Design - (Rapidly) changing times
S H A U N CARKEEK is 100 per cent committed to the high-performance argument50
Seahorse regatidi calendar
52
RORC news
EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E N53
SeahorsehuM table - Designed
and built in Italy!
G I U L I A N O L U Z Z A T T O talks to O R C designer d u j our M A U R I Z I O COSSUTTI
71
Sailor ofthe Month
A couple of battlers... and championsClockwise from bottom left: the
c l e a n , modern IRC deck layout of the Faroux designed 1/4 Ton C u p winner
Bullit; the rather
'different' s h a p e of the Whiting design Runaway
Bus; the radical
Pepin Gonzalez designed Cote w a s one of the last 1/4 Tonners to be launched back In 1990; you gotta love those headroom requirements...
riif.^UJ^^ikl October 2014
Squeezing througli ... As sailmaker Mike Lennon ducks the boom onboard his Kevin Ellway-designed Exocet Moth during the 2014 world championships. Lennon would go on to finish 10th overall in the 133-boat fleet (that was spUt into Gold and Silver groupings to keep thmgs manageable). Lermon's Moth was notable for making the most extreme use of a canting rig, to allow the rig to faU away to leeward and so remaui relatively upright whUe the boat itself is canted dramaticaUy to windward to maximise lift and righting moment. Other skippers in the fleet tried a similar system, albeit with only 6-8 degrees of cant compared to Lennon, whose rig could move through 18 degrees in either direction. Although Lennon did not win, the physics is inescapable and without any rule restriction such canting rigs can surely be expected to proliferate with further refinement. After aU, unlike canthag a big multihuU rig to windward, in the case of a foihng Moth it is simply a case of letting the natural rigging forces do their stuff. Gontrol wUl be key, along with making such a system as simple as possible... but it wiU come. Another hot topic at the Moth worlds was placmg a limit on foil lengths; with a foiling monohull canted to weather the longer the foil the greater the theoretical righting moment. However, if this is taken to extremes it could not only make hfe challenging afloat but also, in extremis,
it could have the effect of
limiting usable sailing waters - not something you would normally associate with a lightweight l i f t saihng dinghy. The speed with which foiling has penetrated and then spread throughout sailing - Moths, AC boats and cats are just the beginning - is truly incredible. Some great times undoubtedly lie ahead...
COVER: Tliierry Martinez
KiSEl: Ricliard Langdon
F E A T U R E S
22
A (polite) plea for simplicity
TP52 class manager ROB W E I L A N D cautions against the ever growing complexities i n the sport23
It all started in a garage = Part 1
DOBBS DAVIS sits down f o r a serious history lesson w i t h J/24 designer R O D J O H N S T O N ER E G U L A R S
4
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLE7
Editorial
A N D R E W HURST26
Take good care
A n d t r y not to take your crew f o r granted.
28
(A fine) casestudy
- P a r t 2
Rein 5 build manager J A S O N
C A R R I N G T O N moves on to look at systems, foils and final detailing
30
A most remarkable man
- P a r t i
BLUE R O B I N S O N sits down w i t h fellow Finn class alumni I A I N PERCY, B E N AINSLIE and A N T H O N Y NOSSITER to pay tribute t o close friend and confidante B A R T SIMPSON
34
Caribbean racing circuit
Former Alinghi helmsman and champion match racer PETER H O L M B E R G gives his o w n unique insights and guide to a successful winter season
38
The Holy Grail (of sail materials)
U K Sailmakers are upping the innovation stakes w i t h the introduction of Uni-Titanium...40
And the best man won
A N D Y RICE talks to 2014 M o t h champion N A T H A N O U T T E R I D G E and designers K E V I N E L L W A Y and A N D R E W M C D O U G A L L about the status quo and also the pros and cons of a little bit of possibly fortuitous tightening of the rules...
42
Staying d r y - P a r t i
Designer C H R I S T I A N S T I M S O N interviews former Oracle Team USA software speciahst A N D R E W M A S O N about the strides being taken in the field of America's Cup class simulation
48
EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2015
A n d a growing event has now truly come of ageUpdate
TERRY H U T C H I N S O N grabs a little time out, a successful 2014 ORC world championships i n Kiel, more success f o r the Cowes Classics, plus a
breathtaking and extremely professional performance from SIDNEY
G A V I G N E T s team around Britain
12
World news
S T A M M and LE C A M team up for the Barcelona World Race, SOUBEN beats C A M M A S to the Tour Voiles, no Atlantic records (for now), the Irish close out the French i n Cowes, another 'new' Half Ton launch (in Kiwi), plus a new Class 950, I A I N M U R R A Y on making 'that' difficult decision... and design data for all courtesy of STAN H O N E Y and friends. BLUE ROBINSON, I V O R WILIONS, PATRICE CARPENHER, DOBBS DAVTS
20
Rod Davis
A n illuminating reprise of coaching methodology f r o m one of the latest recruits to Artemis Racing
27
ORC column - Glass warfare
45
Design - Acceptable no more
Gunboat founder PETER J O H N S T O N E explains the all-new thinking that has gone into the breathtaking (and fast) Gunboat 55 series50
5&a^0rs6 regatta calendar
SeahorsehuM table
- Welcome back
Time f o r a new raceboat f r o m STEPHEN JONES
56
RORC news
E D D I E W A R D E N - O W E N
71
Sailor ofthe Month
N e w faces but long-estabhshed skills...
It didn't always go smoothly (/eft), but y o u were nowhere at this y e a r ' s Round Texcel R a c e if y o u weren't both foiling and foiling well. Foiling Nacra 17s and 18s dominated the results, taking the top six places. Overall winners were the s u c c e s s f u l Nacra 17 team of G u n n a r L a r s e n a n d L i s a Westerhof
rit^i%tj^li^MNovember 2ÖÏ4
strike one
The Sevenstar Round Britaui Race produced a cracking result for both Ian Walker on
Azzam (pictured) and for the
Volvo Ocean 65 fleet as a whole, which came through a tough lap of the British Isles in good shape and with no serious technical issues. After two bruising previous races on boats that were simply not quick enough, Walker has made the most of his strong position in the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race, having launched early and with the underlying reassiurance of competing in a one-design class. The brand new V065 fleet has akeady effectively spht into two groups, with Azzam, Brunei,
Vestas and Team Espana
leading the charge for the outright win as the 'A fleet'. That said, this is a long and complex contest and the other, less-experienced entries can be expected to improve rapidly as the event unfolds and we hope will spring some surprises. Meanwhile, tf some of those previous races in VO60s, in particular, were close in terms of boat performance, this next event will put the leading crews under quite
unprecedented and relendess strain in terms of having to push to the maximum for every minute of every day. On the surface, at least, a one-design contest is a confident skipper's dream, with all doubts about performance taken out of the equation; the fhp-side is that it can also become a bit of a nightmare... At least during the days of modest design differences in the VO60s (and less so in the VO70s), good boats would have 'a condition', when they knew they were fast and so could let the boat take some of the strain. Not so now. Expect the top four boats to get orily closer in pace as the 2014/15 race develops. Exciting times...
COVER: Rick Tomiinson/VOR INSET: Guilain Grenier/GMR
F E A T U R E S
23
Quality sells
Even TP52 class manager ROB W E I L A N D is faintly amazed at the number of TP52s i n build
9
Editorial
A N D R E W HURST28
Fixtures and fittings
As we roll into another Volvo Ocean Race T I M JEFFERY - there f r o m the beginning - reflects on the heritage that underpins this magnificent event
32
Nowhere to hide
A N D R E W HURST throws caution to the w i n d as he looks at this year's round-the-world fleet...
Gliding
Ofi
J O N M I T C H E L L of M a r l o w looks at the progress that continues to be made w i t h Djmeema fibres
39
A most remarkable man - Part 2
W i t h the first edition of Bart's Bash BLUE R O B I N S O N , I A I N PERCY, B E N AINSLIE and A N T H O N Y NOSSITER reflect on the big man himself44
Have your say!
The Saihng Yacht Research Foundation needs your help... as DOBBS DAVIS explains
45
Staying d r y - P a r t 2
Oracle Team USA software specialist A N D R E W M A S O N expands on the potential f o r advanced simulation ahead of the next America's Cup
49
It all started in a garage - Part 2
A n d the J/Boats team take a first tentative step into the grand prix w o r l d . R O D J O H N S T O N ER E G U L A R S
6
Commodore's letter
M I K E GREVILLESome you w i n some you lose... w i t h TERRY H U T C H I N S O N , DOBBS DAVIS celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Big Boat Series, N I C K H O L R O Y D of Emirates T N Z takes a first look at AC62 design and we catch up w i t h 'new' Italian skipper on the block... ROBERTO T O M A S I N I
14
World news
It's aU change at the Tour Voile as the event goes multihull (much to the approval of
FRANgOIS GABART), a look atthe extraordinary 'Ultime' line-up m the 2014 Route du Rhum, a stirring tale of courage and calm f r o m the Tasman, an epic 31st Hamilton Island Race Week and something a little better than PHRF. BLUE ROBINSON, I V O R WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS
25
Paul Cayard
And h o w the sport - and the Rolex Big Boat Series - is steadily changing f o r the better...
26
IRC column-Flying a kite
A new approach to oceanic self-rescue f o r the V 0 6 5 fleet. JAMES D A D D53
Seahorse build table - Cool as ice
G I U L I A N O L U Z Z A T T O catches up w i t h an. ultra-slippery new offering f r o m U M B E R T O FELCI ofFelci Yacht Design
56
Seahorse
regailR
calendar
58
RORC news
A n d the 'new' M a x i 72 Class officially comes into being... EDDIE W A R D E N - O W E N
75
Sailor ofthe Month
Just keep plugging away (and you'll get there)
This Isn't s o hard... at least In daylight. Löick Peyron gets to grips with the s y s t e m s onboard the 30m tri Banque Populaire (ex-Groupama 3) which he will skipper in the Route du Rhum, replacing regular skipper Armel Le Cléac'h who steps down through Injury. Peyron Immediately became joint favourite
