Contents February 2015
FEATURES 27 I’ll be back
JOCELYN BLERIOT talks to ARMEL LE CLEAC’H about Rhum disappointment and also the exciting Vendée Globe story that lies ahead…
31 Man at the helm
He won the first Fastnet Race and went on to found an ‘Ocean Racing Club’ in its image… CLARE MCCOMB andBEN HOOGE - WERF look back at the fascinating life of EG ‘GEORGE’ MARTIN
Smoking…
Bernard Stamm and his co-skipper Jean le Cam send it hard during training onboard their Imoca 60 Cheminées Poujoulat ahead of this winter’s Barcelona World Race. Stamm’s latest Imoca 60 replaces his powerful Juan K design which was lost after breaking in two mid-Atlantic one year ago, believed to be as a consequence of localised corrosion within the hull’s aluminium core. The ‘new’ Cheminées Poujoulat has already completed several circumnavigations, being the former Farr-designed Foncia on which Michel Desjoyeaux utterly destroyed his opposition during the 2008 Vendée Globe… in spite of being forced to restart the race nearly two days late. Eight Imoca 60s will line up for the latest Barcelona World Race, the third edition of this important two-handed event. Meanwhile, and looking further ahead to the next Vendée Globe in 2016, the Imoca 60 class once more finds itself in rude health with no fewer than seven new builds now confirmed and several of the best of the existing fleet already in the hands of new owners, including Armel Tripon (ex-Groupe Bel) and Yann Eliès (ex-Safran). Meanwhile, the winner of the last Vendée, François Gabart’s Macif, has also recently been sold as Gabart himself prepares to take delivery of his new 100ft solo trimaran. The Imoca class switch to one-design keels and rigs appears to have reinforced confidence in this elite but expensive fleet, with 20 to 25 boats now expected for the next Vendée. Interestingly, of the choice of wing-mast versus conventional spar now allowed in the class, to date every new rig order has specified the wing solution using long deck spreaders…
COVER: Thierry Martinez INSET: Brian Carlin/Vestas
34 The story of a passion… From offshore oil exploration to creating an innovative new range of IRC designs... PATRICE CARPEN- TIER talks to incoming Archambault Shipyard supremo THOMAS DUHEN
39 Caribbean (race) charter… From boats to regattas to nightclubs… how to go about it and how to make the correct choices
42 Revolution in the village Pontos… and a new paradigm in winch control
44 An iconic gathering
ROB WEILAND finds himself on an illuminating voyage down offshore racing’s own memory lane
REGULARS
4 Commodore’s letter MICHAEL BOYD 7 Editorial
ANDREW HURST 8 Update
IAN WALKER has very clear views about taking on the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race, TERRY HUTCHINSON wraps up 2014 at the Melges 32 worlds and GUY NOWELL takes a (warm) look
at the Raja Muda Selangor’s 25th anniversary… 12 World news
And it’s top (Rhum) marks for ALEX PELLA and our own roving correspondent MIRANDA MERRON, Bermuda wins the opening skirmish of America’s Cup 35… and GRANT DALTON reacts, XABI FERNANDEZ explains the changes onboard Volvo entry Mapfre… some context to ‘NICHO’S’ heartbreak and Wild Oats heads for Hawaii… CARLOS PICH, BLUE ROBINSON, IVOR WILKINS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS
22 Rod Davis
And how Artemis Racing intend to rewrite the playbook for the 35th America’s Cup in 2017
24 ORC column
Making life easier for regatta organisers (and competitors). DOBBS DAVIS
46 Design
– A competitive commission… Current Mini Maxi world champion designer MARK MILLS is thrown down a new gauntlet by the ultra-competitive ROBERTO LACORTE
48 RORC news
And a greatly expanded inshore and offshore programme is planned for the club’s 90th anniversary season. EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN
49 Seahorsebuild table
– Fire-breathing monster SHAUN CARKEEK spots a gap in the ‘HPR style’ market for a new ‘upper mid-sized’ design…
52 Seahorse regatta calendar 71 Sailor of the Month
Both fast… albeit at opposite ends of the spectrum
It blew pretty hard on finals’ day during the second edition of the Star Sailors’ League in Nassau, with the American pairing of Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Faith (inset) taking a last gasp victory from 2012 gold medallists Lööf and Ekström. Young
Brazilian Finn sailor Jorge Zarif turned heads to finish fourth overall
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74