Brought to you in association with
– full hoist to full douse in under four seconds
The TP52 Class is perhaps today’s most important platform for research and development projects in grand prix monohulls. In 2015 nine new boats were built, creating a great opportunity to develop new products and systems to increase performance. Harken accepted the challenge and applied their engineering experience to developing new solutions for winch and pedestal transmission systems, hydraulic systems and block designs. Another area to which Harken dedicated R&D resources is the spinnaker retrieval system, commonly called a string drop system. Dousing the spinnaker, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical, has traditionally been a slow and an occasionally even dangerous manoeuvre. There is a lot to be gained at the bottom mark if the kite can get safely below without having bodies forward of the mast that would be better applied turning winches or bent over lifelines.
The history of the offshore string drop
Harken began developing spinnaker retrieval systems with America’s Cup teams as far back as 2000 in Auckland. Spinnakers
28 SEAHORSE
Kite strings
were retrieved by running a 6mm diameter drop line from the sail down the forward hatch, back to the aft bulkhead, and then back up into the cockpit and onto a large pedestal-driven, self-tailing halyard winch specifically designed to accommodate ropes between 6 and 12mm.
In 2007, for the 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia, Harken developed more advanced custom drop solutions housed entirely below deck where they could be hidden from competing syndicates. Onboard the winner AlinghiHarken had created the first pedestal- driven captive-drum drop system, which spooled the drop line in a single untangled layer along the drum.
Into the TP52s
Not long after 2007 the TP52 Class introduced this drop system technology and manoeuvre into their playbook. No doubt it took considerable practice to properly co-ordinate the timing of the tack line and guy release with the helm turn-down during the class’s spinnaker-pole era. This was even more important as, unlike the
MAX RANCHI
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 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85