Contents June 2015
FEATURES 6 Bol d’Or Mirabaud
And the first classic of the 2015 European season
26 Keeping it in proportion ROB WEILAND asks if the big regattas have not become too dependent upon sponsor largesse…
Keep the airways clear Recovering the giant chutes found on today’s Superyachts when racing can be hazardous. The whole Superyacht regatta circuit is now finding some maturity to go along with the increase in popularity. For too long this growing fleet has raced under a mixture of rating systems, generally with a considerable degree of subjectivity – with boats being re-rated overnight following a particularly good (rarely very bad) performance. Certainly boats have been regularly re-rated between events, which has been a major cause of discontent among the owners in particular. Remember that although these are cruising boats, which may race for a few days each year, by their nature those who own such large and beautiful yachts are rarely lacking in competitive spirit. Also, while numerous well-known racers earn valuable income crewing these large boats, many others stay away because the racing, while colourful, is often pretty meaningless in terms of a good performance necessarily translating into a good result. This can lead to a tedious regatta where the conviviality (and financial benefit) may only partially compensate for competitive dissatisfaction. Recently, however, the fleet has been trialling a new rule created in partnership with the ORC, which initially at least appears to be delivering much better results in terms of underpinning good racing. The necessity for most Superyacht regattas to employ a staggered, pursuit-race format remains, primarily because of reasons of insurance, but at least there is now a prospect of some better competition. Certainly recent endorsements of this new rating system by respected racers like Mike Sanderson must go a long way towards generating optimism for the future. Fingers crossed
COVER: Ingrid Abery
27 Less complex than we thought BURNS FALLOW and the Emirates Team New Zealand aero team talk to IVOR WILKINS about AC wing design
31 All the king’s horses… JAMES DADD looks at the challenges of resurrecting Team Vestas Wind and ensuring that the rebuilt VO65 remains in class
32 Nothing is indestructible BLUE ROBINSON sits down with Volvo Ocean Race boatyard manager NICK BICE
34 A rough guide MIRANDA MERRON on the trials and pitfalls of preparing a Class40 for the Route du Rhum
36 Big task – little time
BRANDON LINTON and his build team did a pretty remarkable job in delivering the 100-footer Comanche within a rather challenging timeframe
46 Spreading the word The new Vismara 46 Mills
48 It’s twins –well, not quite Two more glam TP52s from Persico
REGULARS
4 Commodore’s letter MICHAEL BOYD 9 Editorial
ANDREW HURST 10 Update
ANDY CLAUGHTON of BAR is happy to be working on the AC48, TERRY HUTCHINSON is not quite as enamoured with the AC35 changes, JULIAN EVERITT sums ‘things’ up and BLUE ROBINSON talks to SCA’s SOPHIE CISZEK
14 World news ‘Nipper’ LUKE PARKINSON stars onboard Azzam, BERNARD STAMM is back in the saddle, China turns red, yet more multi-tasking from CAMMAS, Auckland launches raceboats again, RIBES and ALTADILL on the BWR and lukewarm Cup reactions from the USA. BLUE ROBINSON, IVORWILKINS, CARLOS PICH, PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS
21 ISAF Column
And sailboat racing is officially now a six-continent sport
22 Rod Davis
Some hard truths about leadership 24 ORC column
Rating the Superyacht monsters. DOBBS DAVIS
40 Design – Oak trees and acorns TRISTAN VANDERHAEGHEand a keen group of Canadian students in Montreal intend to be on the startline of the next Little America’s Cup…
42 Seahorsebuild table
– Magnificent achievement PETER JOHNSTONE confounded the doubters when Gunboat’s new G4 foiling cat graciously took to the air on its debut in Sint Maarten
50 Seahorse regatta calendar 52 RORC news
EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN 71 Sailor of the Month
Two people who scored very well this month…
Suggestions that one of the causes of the Dongfeng dismasting (inset) may have been the team’s unique use of a triple-header rig were dispelled by this sighting of Brunel later power reaching under exactly the same configuration. Possibly this rig gave Dongfeng an early competitive advantage but now everyone is using it – which could of course mean that the whole fleet is also now at risk?
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