News Around the World �
The shape of (IRC) things to come? Two of Bernard Nivelt’s lighter IRC designs, the powerful 13m Teasing Machine (left) and the smaller JND 39 Stamina (right), racing in the Solent. Over two years Teasing Machine has been skillfully optimised for all-round performance while the new Stamina is currently a light and fast reaching machine. With an upwind heeled profile (right) reminiscent of an Imoca 60, Stamina duly delivers the same sort of blinding offwind speed within an IRC context! However, relying heavily on dynamic stability, in current trim the JND 39 needs more heel than heavier IRC designs to get upwind which can make holding a lane (top) a challenge. Very good at times… experiments with these lighter designs are only going to encourage longterm growth of IRC
pure speed becomes the main criterion for the owners, who are less concerned with corrected time results than being first across the line, which is driving a nice trend towards faster boats.’ Of course Bernard would have preferred better results round the
cans for his new boats, but the 2016 event was really all about the smaller IRC designs, especially those that were well-prepared for a proper inshore/offshore test. On the other hand, Bernard agrees with Andrew that for upwind sailing in moderate/fresh conditions the JND 39 can now be improved relatively easily. The last design issue we talked about is sailing downwind on banane courses. With both the new JND 39s sailing without a conventional spinnaker, the extra distance required to sail best- VMG with A-sails means the boats need breeze. Once the breeze is up, though, the lighter designs come into their own, ‘as well as being much more fun to sail’, adds Andrew.
However, until you reach the bigger size ranges, 45ft and above, life is still not easy for light-displacement boats under IRC – but the determined Bernard is just going to try harder. Hopefully, also, some
16 SEAHORSE
owners of old-fashioned boats in Cowes will have been attracted by seeing new designs that light up offshore, even if they are still a bit of a challenge on windward-leeward courses. Noël Racine was not complaining about his team-mates on Lann Aël 2: ‘I do not know what to think about these new light boats…
‘Actually, they look quite sharp at times, but to make them go fast in all conditions will require development. You need time to find the right buttons.’
Certainly, that was the story with Teasing Machine. The Commodores’ Cup is never the same from one edition to another. Perhaps in two years’ time the JND 39s will be the dark horses?
Tight in the Class40s, upside down for Musandam The Class40 division in the ninth Quebec-St Malo Race saw another victory for Gonzalo Botín onTales 2, designed by his brother Marcello. Tales 2 also established a new 24-hour record for the class, of 373.3nm (average 15.65kt). The Spanish boat crossed the finish line after covering the 3,000nm course in just under 12 days.
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PAUL WYETH
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