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cruiser-racers that was inherent in IRC from its first days as CHS. Or did the designers just get better at speeding boats up?
Meanwhile, ORCi and other systems have been relatively free from the pressure of being tested by ‘one-off rule breakers’. I have no idea how such a boat would look and to be honest I am not keen to know. In general the more you measure the more you dictate shape and performance. Dictating shape slows down progress and nearly always pro- duces a slower boat, less pleasing to the eye. A rule like ORCi can do a more exact job rating and scoring, but beware of the day it dictates the boat you build.
For the 72s boat-wise you can see two futures. Most likely is we continue on the basis of the IRC-optimised boat with a few other limits to keep things sensible. The alter- native is more likely than you might think, that we find that chasing the rating limit tail costs so much money for so little gain that we step by step curb the extravaganza and end up closing in on a box rule boat. Never as close as the TP52 box, for sure, at least for as long as the mix of IRC72 course types remains much broader than that of the TP52. The TP52 will probably in 2018 take another step towards a faster boat by a tweaking of the current box. Then from, let’s say, 2020 it is not unlikely the class will look into other monohull concepts than the fixed keel, single rudder, soft sail approach. I do not believe we will go the full Swiss army knife… Kiss (keep it simple, stupid) is a good principle for W/L racing. I also do not believe that any of the major rules will force owners in such a complex direction.
On a different note, this class manager is still fascinated by his employers. In essence there is no difference between the owners
of the 52s and the 72s, but the choices of events and course types are so different that somewhere the two seem to have diverged. Compare the 2016 schedules of both classes and no further explanation is needed. Where the 72s aim to do a full decade’s bucket list in one year, with a mix of W/Ls, coastal and offshore courses at Key West Race Week, the RORC Caribbean 600, Rolex Maxi Yacht Caribbean Cup, Voiles de St Barth, NYYC Regatta, Bermuda Race, Copa del Rey and Rolex Maxi 72 Worlds, the TP52s concentrate on W/L racing at five 52 Super Series events in the Med and on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. Also great locations, but not with the ring of adventure of St Barths or Virgin Gorda…
It is not the difference between pro and private racing; all the boats in both classes are private and TP52s are now 75 per cent owner-driver. Maybe the difference is in focus- ing on W/L racing… with its pinball attraction. Press Enter, try for the highest score, Game Over, move on. You get very good at it and for a while you remember an exceptional score, but really it’s about the next game. The 72 owners, on the other hand, aim for a more traditional yachting experience. Traditional trophies, traditional yacht clubs, racing old acquaintances in exotic locations. The difference is not as big as it looks at first sight. For sure both share the love for our sport, for racing big boats, for managing the team and, most important for the industry, for developing and owning a racing yacht. Both like to race in nice places and both like to win. Not all like offshores, that’s for sure. Great to have on the CV but gosh it can drag on a bit. Now we are heading for a fabulous 2016, in that sense we are all winners already. Thank you for a memorable 2015.
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