PERFORMANCE ONE DESIGN
The Farr 280 One Design is a proper Grand Prix boat, and Marlow Ropes have been a big part of delivering real Grand Prix performance.
Patrick Shaughnessy President, Farr Yacht Design
on EF Language running a sewing machine. Probably not a lot of that going on out there today. Today, when you tack or gybe, you move five, very heavy sails. Hard work, but you will know it if one slides over the side.
Other than the one-design aspect, the other big difference is the route. In 1998 we were still on the ‘classic’ route… leaving the three great capes to port. Leg 2 was always the coldest as you were closest to Antarctica in springtime. I don’t know what it is like to sail up to Abu Dhabi and then east along the ITCZ (Doldrums) to China. Sounds hot and fluky to me. It looks to me that the crew will make all the difference in today’s Volvo. There is nothing wrong with that. The Olympics are like that. But a race in the Olympics lasts for two hours, these guys are pushing hard for 25 days! There is no doubt that the fittest crew will have an advantage.
It also looks like experience will make a big difference. With all the well-sailed boats going the same speed, the work of the skipper/navigator in routeing the boat and understanding the weather to make the right tactical choices will be very important. So far I am seeing those teams with skippers/navigators with multiple laps of experience in the lead.
One of the great improvements in the race is the number of ways you can follow it. The ‘Tracker’ with all its detail, and also the virtual race, make the Volvo a much more interactive experience for those who aren’t onboard. My son is racing and mostly uses his iPhone to do it, so he can log on and adjust his course or sail trim any time of the day. Pretty amazing.
Things change in life, they have to in order to keep up with the world. Today’s Volvo is not better or worse, it is just different, and it makes sense for the times we live in. I must say that I am happy to have gone around the world the ‘old’ way, a privilege that can’t be afforded today.
FIRST FARR 280 ONE DESIGN REGATTA
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