Contents July 2018 FEATURES


4 Chimney Seems that Armel Le C’léac’h had been finding new ways to make his Imoca 60s go faster…


30 First steps (always) are exciting Close and intriguing start to the TP52 year. Less tight for the Fast40s… ROB WEILAND


A game of contrast A ClubSwan 50 racing at the PalmaVela and a tense Chris Nicholson at the wheel of VO65 AkzoNobel deep in the Southern Ocean. Same sport only different, very different. Nautor’s Swan recently announced a new ClubSwan 36 to bolster their line-up for these glamorous events held predominantly in warmer climes, as the Volvo Ocean Race has gone into lockdown while the new management tackles the enormously difficult question of where a great event should go next. Much depends on what happens in terms of the ownership of the race and there are inevitably all sorts of stories flying around… few with any foundation but it’s likely one will be near to the truth. Certainly the race’s China connection is still growing, with a complex ownership structure between Dongfeng and Volvo –who own 45 per cent of Dongfeng’s commercial vehicles subsidiary. Whatever the ins and outs, do not be surprised to see the race at least partially rebranded next time. There has also been the confident talk of the race ‘definitely’ going Imoca next time round. As we reported in the last issue, the Imoca class is now (finally) in favour of this but some current Volvo skippers, including race veteran Chris Nicholson (page 18), have poured a certain amount of cold water on the idea, suggesting that when driven hard by five or six world-class grand prix sailors the existing Imoca model would simply self-destruct. So if changes are needed to make the Imoca Volvo-ready, what does that mean for the rest of the class and how quickly might existing support evaporate? Then we have those 1,000nm per day Ultims waiting to put everyone else in the shade anyway. Who’d want the job?


COVER: Ingrid Abery INSET: James Blake


36 The calm before the hurricane Reefable wing sails are getting there – and now there is the substantial boost coming from the new AC75 programmes. JOCELYN BLERIOT, MARC VAN PETEGHEM, BRUNO BELMONT, EDOUARD KESSI, ROMARIC NEYHOUSSER


40 Delivery It’s 1926 and Jolie Brise owner – and Ocean Racing Club co-founder –George Martin wants to do the Bermuda Race… CLARE MCCOMB


44 The game of drones Emirates Team New Zealand’s magic ingredient. NICK BOWERS and ROB KOTHE


48 A busy year 1983 and at the new San Diego design ‘office’ of Reichel/Pugh life is about to change. JIM PUGH and DOBBS DAVIS


52 A foot in both camps When not fettling their fleet of classic boats one famous New Zealand yard is restoring Whitbread maxis and building superyachts. IVOR WILKINS


REGULARS


6 Commodore’s letter STEVEN ANDERSON


9 Editorial ANDREW HURST And did anyone else understand any of that?


10 Update Tricky (Cup) details, another (eventually) happy customer, very strange decisions arrived at very strangely. GARY JOBSON, JOE LACEY, DOBBS DAVIS, DAVE HUGHES, STEVE BENJAMIN, JACK GRIFFIN, DON STREET


16World news The unstoppable Class40, the (new) Aussie dirt-bike king, a very tough leg. Plus… the Italians are coming? GLENN ASHBY, PATRICE CARPENTIER, BLUE ROBINSON, IVOR WILKINS, GIULIANO LUZZATTO


28 Paul Cayard


– Even the longest journey The perfect storm… or rather bottleneck


33 IRC – Passion and common sense The big four… well, really three plus an ambitious new boy. And why course selection is everything


54Seahorsebuild table


– Tidy package? Bruised but back… FRANÇOIS LANGE 58Seahorse regatta calendar


60 RORC news – A grand venue EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN 61 TechStreet


95 Sailor of the Month Olympic champions in the game of putting back


The second half of this Volvo has not gone as sweetly as the first for Xabi Fernández’s Spanish entry Mapfre. After an unusually poor leg 9 the pre-race favourites slipped 1pt behind race- long rival Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng while Bouwe Bekking’s Brunel had crept up close behind to third overall… Pete Burling is on Brunel, Mapfre are desperate to end the run of strong Spanish entries faltering at the last. Our money’s on Caudrelier, Pascal Bidégorry and crew. Yikes


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