Page 10. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2015


Waterfront News As the skipper of two successful race


boats named Rambler—90 and 100 feet long, respectively—George David has been the favorite for line honors in most of the long-distance yacht races he has entered during the past decade. But this will change next July when David skippers his third Rambler, a soon-to-be-launched 88-footer, in the Transatlantic Race 2015. The boat could well be faster than either of his two previous yachts. But, in terms of raw speed across a range of conditions, David’s boat will fi nd itself looking up at Jim Clark’s 100- foot Comanche, which will be skippered by two-time Volvo Ocean Race skipper Ken Read.


This time, as David notes with a smile,


“We’re the little boat.” The Transatlantic Race 2015 will start from Newport, RI, in late June and early July of 2015 and fi nish some 2,800 miles away, off the southwestern tip of England. The race, which was last sailed in 2011, is being run by the Royal Yacht Squadron and New York Yacht Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and Storm Trysail Club.


An international fi eld of more than 50 boats from 40 to 290 feet in length is


Sailing Heavyweights to Battle Across Atlantic in 2015


expected to take part in the 2015 race. A handicapping system will afford each yacht, regardless of speed potential, the opportuni- ty to compete for overall honors. “The fl eet is more than double what


we had in 2011 race, and there are plenty of high-profi le competitors,” says David, who is also serving as the co-chairman for the event. “An ocean race such as this spreads the fl eet out over multiple weather systems. Anyone can win.”


Distance races usually recognize two winners: the one who has the fastest cor- rected time and the one that sails the course in the shortest elapsed time. Comanche was built with only the latter goal in focus. “Comanche was designed to leverage advanced technology in monohull boat de- sign, and hopefully break some records with the result,” says Clark. “If it’s successful, we hope to hold these records until someone builds a better boat with later technology. The design is pretty radical, very powerful.” This is not the case for Rambler, says


David: “We’re paying attention to two things: speed through the water and results on handicap. The new Rambler has been optimized for IRC [a rating rule that will be utilized by the race] and that’s one reason we like having 12 less feet of waterline length.” Crews of both boats are in for a wild


ride. The North Atlantic is one of the toughest stretches of ocean to cross, and the Transatlantic Race 2015 is one of the most daunting races on the grand prix yachting circuit. Read, who has twice rounded the fabled Cape Horn during the Volvo Ocean Race, was unequivocal in his assessment of the challenge of sailing the modern breed of no-holds-barred race boats.


“This is not a ‘been there, done this be- fore’ boat,” says Read, the president of North


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Sails. “Comanche is out there. It’s going to scare the crap out of you. Then there will be times when you’ve got the biggest smile on your face, and a lot of time somewhere in between. This is defi nitely a little different. It’s not a 50-knot fl ying multihull in San Francisco Bay, but it might be a monohull equivalent to that.” With the potential to exceed 40 knots of boatspeed in the right conditions, these yachts are often sailed on the edge of control. Aside from keeping the sailors and boat in one piece, a crew that knows when to push, and how hard, is the key to victory. “The ability to have good group of guys that can let the boat do its thing, unless we’re sailing in conditions where it needs to be held back, is crucial,” says Read. “Co- manche is no different from any other boat,


2016 Vendée Globe: all lights are go With less than two years to the start


of the Vendée Globe, Bruno Retailleau, President of the Saem Vendée, gave a com- plete rundown of the situation concerning the eighth Vendée Globe at the Paris Boat Show this afternoon (Tuesday). As well as confi rming the start date for Sunday 6th November 2016, we also learnt that around fi fteen sailors are already certain to compete and that 20-25 were well ad- vanced in their project. This press confer- ence was also an opportunity for Sodebo and the town of Les Sables d’Olonne to announce that they have renewed their commitment to the race. Many skippers were also present to present their proj- ects.


The start date is now offi cial. The start of the eighth edition of the non-stop solo round the world race, the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe, will take place on Sunday 6th November 2016. Bruno Retailleau, Pres- ident of the Vendée Council and the SAEM Vendée, the event organiser, appeared very optimistic. “Everything seems to be looking favourable for this edition, both in terms of the race and the organisation.” After showing a teaser video, Bruno Retailleau reminded everyone of some very impres- sive fi gures. “The Vendée Globe is already France’s leading sporting event in terms of media coverage along with the Tour de France and Roland-Garros with coverage representing 200 million euros. We can


people make it by making the design, engi- neering and sailing decisions, and deciding how to position it relative to the other boats. It’s an amazing tool, but at the end the day it’s all about people.” With a lot of seawater, adrenaline and sleep deprivation thrown into the mix. The Transatlantic Race 2015 charts a 2,796-nautical-mile course from Newport to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England. Pre-start activities will take place at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, while awards will be presented at the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Cowes Cas- tle clubhouse on the Isle of Wight. Three separate starts – June 28, July 1 and July 5 – will feature 50-plus boats ranging from the newest designs of 2015 to those of 1915.


2016 Vendee Globe Update


also see some other data about the 2012 event, which illustrated how exceptional the impact was for such an ocean race. 9 million single visitors looked at the website during the three months of the race, 285 million pages were viewed, 30 million videos watched, 500,000 players joined in with the Vendée Globe Virtual Game, 85 hours of live TV were watched, 1,700 accredited journalists attended the Race Village at the start…”


Sodebo back as partner to the event The digital boom with Internet and so- cial networking means we can look forward to even greater coverage for the 2016-2017 edition. Bruno Retailleau explained, “New media arrangements and innovative edito- rial formats will mean increased coverage of the race, the skippers and the partners. During the race, the Vendée Globe will have its own Web TV broadcasting 24 hours a day with three live daily broadcasts and two weekly shows. People will be able to follow closely the lead up to the race with a video magazine “Aiming for the Vendée Globe” which will throw the spotlight on all the news concerning the various projects.” In addition to this, 90 % of the budget for the event has already been secured, in particular, because the three major partners for the Vendée Globe, the Vendée Council, Sodebo and the town of Les Sables d’Olonne have renewed their support for the Everest of the Seas. Patricia Brochard, President of the Sodebo Group and Didier Gallot, Mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, were on the stage to express their support for the Vendée Globe, alongside Jean-Pierre Champion (President of the French Sailing Federation), Jean Ker- hoas (IMOCA President) and Denis Horeau


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Royal River is progressing well but weather has been marginally problematic. The proj- ect is anticipated to conclude in January. Next Meeting(s): The next PSF meeting will include some national level speakers as well as a demonstration of the Maine Maritime Academy bridge simulator and other on-campus interactive activities. You should make time to schedule the trip to Castine for this special PSF meeting. April 15, 2015 (Maine Maritime Acad-


emy, Castine) 10:00 AM, Maine Maritime Academy, 1 Pleasant Street, Castine, ME 04421


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