News Around the World
What’s quite cool in this shot of the VO65 Scallywag, winner of leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, is that a seemingly very busy headsail configuration appears to be helping lift the bow of the boat a little further than from the wave-bounce alone. The multi-headsail rig has been around since the dawn of time (or when Uffa was a boy) – but, with today’s flatter sails holding their shape at high angles without closing down the slots, it delivers vastly more driving force than was possible just 10-15 years ago. And maybe a little lift too
build a maxi boat that we would use at 80 per cent of her potential or a boat with a little less maximum power that we could sail at 100 per cent. We chose the 100 per cent formula – it is a more suitable solution for solo use than the other Ultims.
So Macif could sail faster… VL-P: Yes, that’s the idea. The next test will be a record across the Atlantic. Then it will be the solo round-the-world race in 2019. But bear in mind the current foils are still first generation – they are very stable but limited in speed. The next foils will be a little less stable with less drag and will go a bit faster. Let’s say that where Macif currently goes at 35kt, she will reach 38kt… Instead of usually travelling between 720 and 760 miles a day, she will go between 760 and 800. Xavier Guilbaud (VPLP): Macif already flies her leeward float but the central hull still carries 10-15 per cent of the displacement, acting like a regulator which allows you to stabilise the boat and to reach those speeds for long periods, not just in bursts. When Macif beat the solo 24-hour record averaging 35kt (a run of 851nm), it means she sailed continuously between 36 and 40kt.
Macif is not completely flying right now… XG: Let’s say that it is an intermediate mode – hybrid – between Archimedes and a little flying. When we designed Macif in 2013 we thought that if we made the floats flying thanks to the foil and simultaneously we used some buoyancy from the main hull, plus the elevators on the rudders to reduce pitching, it would definitely be a good step forward, a good starting point. At that time we were just after the first America’s Cup with foiling
cats. We did not know how to make very long foils that allow us to sail high in the air offshore. We stayed quite conservative with foils with an longer cord and a small tip… It was the right choice! A simple and light boat, that François, who had no experience of big trimarans, could sail fast. Why build a sophisticated Ultim when at the time there was no competition? Now François has enormous experience and with so much data recorded we are ready to take the next step.
20 SEAHORSE
And next… XG: The team is going to spend a long time in the shed at CDK because we are moving to the Version 2 configuration: better (longer) L-foils, which are clearly going to lift more and sooner with less drag (keeping the current 2D adjustment – up/down and rake). Also, we will add deeper lifting rudders (the current rudders are
fixed) on the floats like the new Banque Populaire and Gitana, again with elevators to manage the longitudinal trim. At last Macif should be able to fly completely above the water in some conditions. The ultimate dream is to round the world keeping a ‘dry hull’.
That is not yet possible but we should be able to fly for long periods, which is quite interesting… Patrice Carpentier
NEW ZEALAND Most people, when discussing improvements to their living arrange- ments, talk airily in terms of square metres – and almost always more of them. Scott Donaldson, in conversation with his builder, is revelling in the luxury of an extra 30mm – less than half a thumb- length. ‘It’s going to make a big difference,’ he grins. The 30mm in question will give him slightly more backroom in
the cockpit of his ocean-going kayak as he makes his second attempt to become the first person to paddle across the Tasman Sea. Rowers have successfully made the crossing, but the rowing action, utilising all the big muscles, generates more power than paddling. So far 14 kayak attempts have been made and all have come up short. This spring, when weather man Bob McDavitt gives the green
light, Scott will set off once more from Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales coast determined to crack the gruelling challenge. This time he will have the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron burgee on his tiny vessel as part of support he is receiving from the marine industry. If he is looking forward to the extra comfort 30mm will provide
and glad of the expertise and backing that have gone into this mission, painful experience means he is also fully aware of the odds stacked against him. In 2014 he had to call it quits after 84
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