Contents April 2015 FEATURES
22 Hope balanced with frustration For Maxi 72 class manager ROB WEILAND a week in Key West prompted some broad reflections on today’s multiple rating systems
27 The (other) Pope – Part 2 Bring on the Technology Tigers… as explained by DOBBS DAVIS and LOWELL NORTH
Enjoying (almost) every minute of the ride… Dongfeng has been the revelation of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. We knew skipper Charles Caudrelier was very, very good, but few had realised what a brilliant choice he had been as a skipper tasked with bringing on enough young Chinese sailors during the race to form the core of a future all-Chinese team. And Caudrelier’s task is not an easy one… especially for a hard-core racer who will always be motivated primarily by winning (remember Caudrelier, a Figaro Race winner, also won the VOR at his first attempt with Frank Cammas and Groupama). To the surprise of many observers and no doubt many of his rivals, after winning Leg 3 the Dongfeng skipper confirmed that nothing had changed in the overall plan and there’d still be no fewer than four crew changes for Leg 4. ‘In an ideal world,’ said Caudrelier, ‘for sure, we would not be making all these changes, but this is part of the project. We could easily take the best Chinese sailors and keep them on the boat, but that’s not in the deal. I accepted the contract and I will do it the way that we have planned.’ There are probably not too many top skippers who could live with so much compromise in an event that anyone serious about offshore racing would kill to win, but Dongfeng’s skipper is on top of the bigger picture and demonstrates a lack of ego that is a pleasant change from some of those who have preceded him. The ‘plan’ is for Dongfeng to be the first step in a longterm project to deliver a competitive Chinese team in the future – given the personal concessions made by Caudrelier and his no2 Pascal Bidégorry in terms of their own ambitions, let’s all hope the plan is seen through
COVER: Sam
Greenfield/Dongfeng INSET: Thierry Martinez
32 (Great) sportboat value Meet the ‘keenly priced’ FarEast 28R
34 Get a grip…
The lab boys at Gill have been busy 35 Maçeeve…
Or is it? JOCELYN BLERIOT discusses FRANÇOIS GABART’s new 100ft trimaran with GABART and VPLP lead designer XAVIER GUILBAUD
38 The ultimate red hat party And the thoroughly excellent Mount Gay Round Barbados race series is on the up once again
40 Look closely ANDY RICE discusses technical development with the winners – and the winning designers, sailmakers and builders – at the International Moth and 14 championships in Australia…
REGULARS
4 Commodore’s letter MICHAEL BOYD 7 Editorial
ANDREW HURST Les Ultimes, a fast saucepan and the Waszp
8 Update TERRY HUTCHINSON suffers a ‘hump’ day in Key West while ANDY RICE catches up with Volvo Race sensation CHARLES CAUDRELIER
12 World news BERNARD STAMM and ‘KING’ JEAN make for the dominant pairing, the TP52s start to get organised in Auckland, Team Vestas begin to put Humpty Dumpty back together again, BURLING the magnificent, and a little too much whining in Key West? BLUE ROBINSON, IVOR WILKINS, GIULIANO LUZZATTO, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS
20 Rod Davis
And it’s a wonder that today’s America’s Cup crews can actually stand up and walk to their boats
24 ORC column
2015 is going to be a (very) busy year. DOBBS DAVIS
44 Design – Bang up to date UMBERTO FELCI, LUCA UNGARO and the PlanaTech design and build team review the creation of a brand new – winning – ‘one-design’
46 Seahorsebuild table
– (Sporty) new entrant MARK MILLS introduces the new MATS 1180 50 Seahorse regatta calendar
52 RORC news – Upgrade! EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN
71 Sailor of the Month Two more huge talents…
Even world champions make the odd mistake (left) as today’s top Int 14 pairing of Truswell and Pascoe try a Chinese gybe during training ahead of the 2015 worlds… which they later won quite easily. ‘Maybe ease the jib…’ Also in Oz, the 18s are having another pretty vigorous season (inset). A flying 18 was once a ‘wow’ moment, but today they seem to spend as much time aloft as afloat
CHRISTOPHE FAVREAU FRANK QUEALEY (INSET)
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