Contents December 2016 FEATURES
28 Forever young It’s not easy to break into the grand prix circuit – and that’s bad for everyone. ROB WEILAND
30 Do they (still) make them like this? PATRICE CARPENTIER looks back at the first Vendée Globe and an extraordinary rescue at sea
Not so soft after all The TP52s found plenty of wind in Mahon, Menorca for their world championships. And in spite of the jokes about fragile eggshells, the boats went very fast, as usual, and there was no serious damage. Obviously bouncing around for a few hours is not the same as several days spent offshore, but given the robustness of the boats and the fact that they are a scream to race when the breeze is up, you can expect this fleet to chomp at the bit if they are held ashore too often when they move to the USA this winter. As well as a new Interlodge, the Botín TP52 Phoenix is in new ownership and starts racing at Key West – with a crew of names like Cayard, Holmberg, Constant, Vogel and Blewitt. Steve Calder is in charge of sail design. There’s no prisoners taken in the TP52 SuperSeries which takes over from the America’s Cup as the pinnacle of inshore monohull racing. Meanwhile interest grows in the TP’s smaller sibling, the Fast40+ with a new Carkeek design in build and plenty of serious talks about more new boats for 2017. Grand prix racing returns to the Solent... amazing (the boats are well worth a look as well). All new raceboats are currently being built either to no rule or to IRC because above 40ft IRC encourages the lighter, faster boats the best sailors want to race. At the same time from Italy are coming some good looking ORC cruiser-racers, especially in the sub-40ft range where IRC also prefers a bit more displacement. Slightly heavier than their IRC counterparts, and with a bit more sail some of these ORC designs are expected to sail over for next year’s IRC Europeans in Marseille. Some boat to boat comparisons there will be very helpful in finding a path towards a more unified big-boat racing environment
COVER: Nico Martinez INSET: Guy Gurney
32 End of an era The passing of JIM KILROY severs another link with a remarkable time for yacht racing. DOBBS DAVIS and BARRY PICKTHALL
34 Securing the future BLUE ROBINSON talks reliability – and communication – with Volvo Race Boatyard manager NICK BICE
36 Now that’s trickledown RICHARD JENKINS has travelled from a quirky sailing project to a world land speed record and now on to Norton Sound in Alaska...
50 (Almost) a fresh start GAUTIER SERGENT talks round the world speed, weight and reliability with DOBBS DAVIS
54 Pure energy... Something that Slovenian Mini 6.50 veteran and boatbuilder ANDRAZ MIHELIN has in spades. He talks boatspeed with ØYVIND BORDAL
REGULARS
4 Commodore’s letter MICHAEL BOYD
7 Editorial ANDREW HURST 8 Update
Two-boat, one boat, it’s all about to kick off, Denmark’s strangest secret, big changes (for the better) in the Volvo and time to look behind you... JACK GRIFFIN, JOCHEN RIEKERS, JONNO
TURNER and TERRY HUTCHINSON 12 World news
They’re ready to roll in South Brittany, it’s a maybe for Spindrift, 100-footers popping out everywhere, DALTS and ASHBY make up for lost time (and cash), SANTIAGO LANGE is still enjoying the moment (but may go again!), TERRY KOHLER’S fine legacy... plus ‘we’re tacking too’. IVOR WILKINS, BLUE ROBINSON, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS, CARLOS PICH
22 Rod Davis Just shake your head and softly whisper ‘WTF’
24 World Sailing And we have some new rules... JON NAPIER
26 ORC column – (at last) a proper scandal
39 TechStreet The ratchet furler comeback, black sails for all, get involved in the clever stuff, spin-dryer with a difference, more Italian beauty and it’s not just those old Comet airframes at risk from fatigue
57 Design – Creation and Prediction BILL TRIPP expounds on the modern rationale
60 RORC news
And it’s sunny, breezy Marseille for the latest IRC championship. EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN
62 Seahorse regatta calendar
64 Seahorsebuild table – Intense Similar but different. FINOT-CONQ and ROB HUMPHREYS add two more candidates for the growing market for modern mid-size designs
87 Sailor of the Month JB’s a winner (again) and we give you a chance to help remedy a bit of institutional oversight...
Designed by Reichel/Pugh, the new My Song on show in all her reflective glory at Les Voiles de St Tropez. The bulwark drain slots (left) were an engineering challenge, the carbon upper compression ‘plank’ being critical to fore and aft stiffness. Pretty good paint job, too (See issue 441)
INGRID ABERY
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