DESIGN & Build Table in association with the Spinlock Special Projects Team


Leg Zero – a philosophical analysis QI founder Stefano Beltrando and Non-Destructive Testing…


Back from Alicante, where we performed the first complete NDT session on the latest Volvo fleet and I am struck by a complete change of attitude by the race crews. Until a few years ago sailors and shore teams got genuinely upset if during NDT checks we detected any problems. Now the teams are delighted if we point out as many as four or five issues! So what has changed? Years ago the boat used for an ocean race was considered as an animal, like a shire horse or oxen. It used to have a character; it thus had to be understood. The crew used to try to interpret their boat’s moods and co-habit with it. Little cracks here and there on the surface were compared to wrinkles on a lined face, creaking sounds were the boat telling you how far you were push- ing, and each bang from a flat panel could cause a missed heart- beat. That past is also, of course, full of dismastings, severe damage and even shipwrecks –that were at times seen as evidence of heroic endeavour while operating at the limits of humanity… Now, however, the VO65 is just a tool like a racecar. You don’t claim to understand it, just squeeze it, that’s it. You don’t stress over noises, you just step on the gas. And don’t talk about one- design! Without personalisation, the boats are so… identical! But in exchange…


1. Costs have dropped dramatically while keeping the level high. 2. Development benefits come from brainstorming by groups of people who used to be rivals. 3. More people will access the technical feedback after the race. 4. The best sailing team is going to win. So all in all not a bad trade-off.


QI in Alicante


Seven days of testing by four people, 280 hours’ scanning, trying to understand the secrets of this new fleet. This is the summary


Custom builds BOAT


YD-37 Class 40


Ambush 41 TP52 TP52 TP52 TP52 TP52 TP52


Hugo Boss


LOA DESIGNER 11.22m Bakewell-White


12.12m Owen Clarke/Clay Oliver 12.42m Mills Design 15.85m Botín Partners 15.85m Botín Partners 15.85m Judel-Vrolijk 15.85m Botín Partners 15.85m Judel-Vrolijk 15.85m Judel-Vrolijk 18.28m Verdier-VPLP


Banque Populaire 18.28m Verdier-VPLP Safran Gitana Virbac


Imoca 60 Persico 60 SuperNikka High Spirit JV72


Cafe Racer Rambler


WallyCento 3


Orange II J9


Samurai J8


Tiger Jay


18.28m Verdier-VPLP 18.28m Verdier-VPLP 18.28m Verdier-VPLP 18.28m Verdier-VPLP 18.28m German Frers 18.79m Mills Design 20m


21.82m Judel-Vrolijk Juan K


Ragamuffin 100 30.34m Andy Dovell Macif


BUILDER


Yachting Developments Carbon Ocean Yachts McConaghy China Longitud Cero King Marine Persico


Cookson Cookson


Premier Composites Green Marine


CDK & associates CDK & associates Multiplast TBC


Persico Persico


Botín Partners


26.36m Humphreys Yacht Design 27m


30.34m Reichel-Pugh 30.5m VPLP


35.76m Gilles Ollier 41.5m Hoek Design 42m


Briand/Elliott et al


42.64m Hoek Design 43.6m Hoek Design


Vismara Marine King Marine Persico TBA


New England Boatworks Green Marine


City Marine, Sydney CDK


Multiplast


Holland Jachtbouw Royal Huisman


Holland Jachtbouw Bloemsma Shipyard


At the coal face … as Stefano Beltrando of QI carries out ultrasound checking on Telefónica Blue at Cape Horn during the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race


of the NDT week in Alicante for QI team. After tests at the various yards during the build, the VO65 schedule consists of systematic controls at each stage of the race, especially this check ‘0’ before the start. This test enabled us to verify whether something has shifted between launch and following the early miles sailed. Usually in large composite boats small build mistakes emerge within two months of launch. But check ‘0’ is the most difficult check, because a manufacturing defect is not necessarily directly con- nected to the importance of the area where it occurs; for instance, a non-structural component can de-bond due to vibration of the panel to which it was bonded, while the panel itself stays intact. Con- versely, after the first leg the probability of problems is more in proportion to the stress in each specific area; it’s more likely we will find a problem in the impact areas between the bow and the mast rather than further aft. But basically, at check ‘0’ every item and area has to be tested in the same way, while in subsequent checks the focus is put on the most highly stressed areas. The Volvo shore team has so far passed the test! As did the sup- pliers who delivered seven excellent raceboats. Now we must head off any little problems before they can become big ones…


q


LAUNCH COMMENTS April 2015


March 2015 April 2015 April 2015 April 2015 April 2015 April 2015 April 2015 April 2015 July 2015 Feb 2015 Feb 2015 July 2015 Sep 2015 July 2015 Late 2014 April 2015 April 2015


March 2015 End 2015 Feb 2015 May 2015 Dec 2014 June 2015 March 2015 End 2015


March 2015 2015 2015


Foxy new custom offshore racer to replace the team’s sunken J/111 All-new 2014 design built using carbon female tooling throughout All-new custom IRC racer from a designer who’s on a roll right now New Quantum Racingplus a sistership to follow for Andy ‘Alegre’ Soriano The latest Azzurrawill share tooling with the new Bronenosec The next Rán will also have a sistership – the new Gladiator


Sledand Provezza(below) signify a return to TP52 building in Auckland A new Provezzafor Turkish owner-skipper Ergin Imre


The first TP52 to come from this highly acclaimed Dubai-based builder


It’s confirmed… Alex Thomson will start the next Vendée Globe on a brand new design A new Imoca 60 to go with the team’s existing 30m (now) solo trimaran Safran’s latest Imoca 60 will be sailed by young Figaro star Morgan Lagravière Séb Josse’s hard work with Gitana pays off with the build of a new Imoca 60 (Yet) another new Imoca 60 for the flying vet Jean-Pierre Dick


Italian skipper Andrea Mura is the lucky customer for the latest VPLP/Verdier creation A series-build run modelled on Jacques Setton’s original Ciao Giannidaysailer Fast lift-keel all-carbon cruiser-racer for the Med circuit Rapid all-carbon racer-cruiser. Sistership to Caro


A second boat is now being built using the Rán tooling at Persico


New all-carbon/Nomex day racer features a deep lifting keel and twin rudders Waiting for some warmer weather... looks very full up front


The third WallyCento is to be (much) more Magic Carpetthan Hamilton… Syd Fischer’s 100-footer is getting a new fatter hull to speed her to Hobart François Gabart gets a new singlehanded multihull to help keep him fit


Multiplast have been tasked with turning Orange IIinto the world’s faster cruiser-racer Original 1936 Frank Paine design


The superfast Mari Cha IVis about to gain some interior comfort… some Original 1935 Frank Paine design Original 1937 Tore Holm design


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