Technology
Engineered to win T
he return of the Admiral’s Cup in 2025 sent a wave of excitement through the global sailing community.Widely seen as the unofficialWorld Cup of
offshore racing, the revival attracted elite international teams competing under IRC in a uniquely challenging format thatmixed inshore intensity with offshore endurance. At the core of several standout
campaigns was Hall Spars, which is globally recognised for delivering trusted carbon spar and rig packages through close collaboration with owners, designers and naval architects. With more than four decades of expertise, Hall Spars supports a variety of projects from new builds to complex upgrades and refits. Crucially, as part of the North
Technology Group, Hall Spars’ mast designs can be fully integrated with Future Fibres composite rigging and sails from the world’s leading sailmakers, bringing spar, rig and sail development under one roof. Hall Spars specialises in building rigs for racing yachts up to 50ft LOA, an expertise that aligns closely with Admiral’s Cup Class 2, in which Hall Spars-rigged yachts dominated the fleet. Hall’s sister organisation, Southern Spars, provided bespoke high-performance rigs for much of Class 1. A quick glance across the 2025
Admiral’s Cup fleet reveals the influence of Hall Spars’ engineering. Pierre Casiraghi’s winning Carkeek 40, Jolt 6 (YCdM), raced with a brand new Hall Spars mast and Future Fibres’ ECsix rigging. Already fitted with a Hall Spars mast, Sean
60 SEAHORSE
Langman’s GP42 Back to Black (CYCA) added a brand new Hall Spars boom to its rig package in the lead-up to the regatta. Other notable entries – including James Neville’s Ino Noir (Carkeek 45, RORC Red), James Murray’s Callisto (GP42, RNZYS), and Erik de Turckheim’s Teasing Machine (NMD 52, YCdF) – trusted Hall Spars and Future Fibres with rigging upgrades, ensuring their equipment was dialled in for this pinnacle event. But presenting perhaps the most
technically demanding briefs was the trio of JPK 1180s competing in AC2 - Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Django JPK (YCCS), Per Roman’s Garm (RORC Red), and Tom Kneen’s Sunrise (RIYC) – this being the most popular class entered in the regatta. All three approached Hall Spars with
similar requests for new mast combos that would enable them to extract every possible gain but without negatively impacting rating. Topping their objectives was reducing weight and optimising mast bend characteristics, all while maintaining a low rating. The key to this was using conventional rod rigging rather than simply switching to lighter carbon options such as Future Fibres’ ECthree. Despite their overlapping ambitions,
each teamhad its own specific performance targets, with each therefore requiring a bespoke solution from Hall Spars. This is where the challenge really came in. Matt Dalziel, Hall Spars engineer manager, explains: ‘These are professional teams who come to us with a clear understanding of what they want to achieve. This is typical of many of our
How carbon spar and rig packages provided Admiral’s Cup teams with the winning edge…
clients. We pride ourselves on listening first, then advising based on load data analysis, rating impact, and practical integration with the sails and other existing equipment. ‘In the Admiral’s Cup, performance in
both inshore and offshore conditions was, of course, equally critical, so the design challenge became even more complex. Every detail – weight, mast bend characteristics, reliability, aesthetics and integration with sails and other existing equipment – had to be carefully balanced,’ Dalziel continues. Hall Spars modelled multiple configurations customised to reflect each team’s requirements, resulting in three distinctly different rig solutions. Interestingly, although their development paths diverged in the run-up to the event, when they met on the water the three JPKs found themselves in tight competition. In more than one of the inshore races, they crossed the finish line just moments apart; in one memorable race, they actually took all three AC2 corrected time podium spots. And 24 hours into the Fastnet Race, the three JPKs held the top three positions in AC2 under IRC – testament to the close performance of all three boats; with Hall’s involvement, the bar had definitely been raised in this class. Ultimately, however, it was Django JPK
which emerged among the three as the top Admiral’s Cup performer, finishing fourth in AC2 and so helping secure third overall in the team event alongside their YCCS teammates on Giovanni Lombardi
PAUL WYETH
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