News Around the World
Though shortlived as a one-design class, the creation of a fleet of MOD70 trimarans a few years ago provided a boost to the genre in other ways. Modified MOD70s have been active in open offshore races – the best-known example being Phaedo3 – while other boats including the Gitana team’s own example (above) have been worked hard as development platforms. Gitana converted their MOD70 to foiling two years ago and since then have been testing and developing non-stop. The product of all that work will be seen next month with the launch of Gitana 17, a foiling Ultim designed by Guillaume Verdier working closely with Gitana’s own technical team
by blustery autumnal blasts on the second, so the Elliott’s ability to notch up four bullets, a second and a fifth on its scorecard for the overall A-Division handicap win was a pleasing outcome. Elliott designs generally favour passagemaking, where they can
stretch their legs. Launched in 2006, Ran Tan II is a slightly detuned version of the earlier Sportivo, which featured a tacking forward canard, a rotating mast and a wider canting arc for the keel. Ran Tan’s canard does not tack, nor does the mast rotate, but in other respects she remains a stripped-out composite racer that has stood the test of time. She was built for Wellington yachtsman John Meade, who came to sailing later in life after a long involvement in distance running. Under Meade’s ownership the yacht notched up an impres- sive list of line honours and some records in passage races around the New Zealand capital’s notoriously windy coastline. Brian Petersen was a regular member of the crew during those
Wellington campaigns, bringing with him a wealth of offshore racing experience. And that offshore resumé is prodigious, featuring multiple races to the Pacific islands, three (and a half) Sydney- Hobarts and four races to Japan. These include three double-handed Melbourne-Osaka races, two of which were in Elliott-designed yachts. The first, in 1991, was with Whangarei yachtsman Trevor Smith,
who built his own all-titanium (sic) yacht, Icandu. In 1995, sailing with designer Greg Elliott on the Elliott Marine schooner with its twin rotating carbon masts, the duo led the race for all but the final 100 miles, when Australian Grant Warrington snuck past with Wild Thing. Victory finally came in 2003 with the Elliott 45 Maverick II, which Petersen co-skippered with Australian John Bankart. After his initial association with John Meade in Wellington,
Petersen’s role on Ran Tan II became more occasional as he developed his business as a chicken farmer. However, three years ago, when Meade decided to sell the boat, he was determined it should go to Petersen. ‘Actually, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, which is a bit back to front really. Anyway, here we are and it has worked out pretty well.’ Indeed it has, as this summer’s results testify. Apart from the
Jack Tar victory, in the 2017 Bay of Islands Sailing Week, Ran Tan led across the line in every race and finished second on handicap in the passage-racing A-division. But the highlight of the summer
16 SEAHORSE
was the gruelling Round North Island Race. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the race, which was inaugurated in 1977 by Peter Blake and Martin Foster of the Devonport Yacht Club in Auckland shortly after Blake returned from competing with Robin Knox-Johnston in the two-handed Round Britain Race. Blake sailed the inaugural event with Graham Elder, taking line honours in the groundbreaking Farr-designed 42-footer Gerontius. The race, now run under the auspices of the Short Handed Sailing
Association of New Zealand as its flagship event, is a daunting 1,250-mile circumnavigation of New Zealand’s North Island starting and finishing in Auckland. With only three stopovers, competitors are exposed to the full length of the west coast, with few refuge opportunities, plus the often wild Roaring Forties conditions of Wellington and the Wairarapa coast, up to New Zealand’s feared East Cape, which has seen many wrecks over the years. Petersen last competed in this event in 2002 with Greg Elliott
on Maverick II, when they took line-honours and won Division Five. This year his co-skipper was Richard Bicknell from North Sails. ‘Bicky is a great guy to sail with,’ says Brian. ‘He is very positive with a good outlook and attitude.’ Reflecting on the successes of the 2017 summer, Petersen says
they have come about through a progression of many small improve- ments, including a new 3DL mainsail and 3Di genoa from North Sails. (The genoa can reef ‘French-style’ to a #2 and the inventory also includes a #3 and #4 which furl on an inner forestay.) ‘We extended the forestay a bit, so we could rake the mast back
slightly, moved the runners up to the masthead and replaced the checkstays with deflectors. We also put locks on the fractional and staysail halyards. Finally, the prod used to swing from side to side but we simplified things by fixing it on the centreline.’ The 25 yachts competing in this year’s race faced the usual
challenges of getting round prominent and forbidding capes and headlands, negotiating fearsome tidal rips and dealing with winds ranging from capricious zephyrs to 50kt blasts. Ran Tan II suffered its share of heartbreak, particularly coming
into Wellington. They had established a substantial lead down the west coast and, romping in towards the leg finish in pleasant conditions, were anticipating mid-morning coffee at one of the
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