safer and, dare I say, cheaper foiling boats? There are some parallels in Formula One. Back in the day, fear of drivers becoming mere passengers in an automated car led to the banning of a whole raft of driver aids and also active suspension. Active suspension using an acceler -
ometer and hydraulic rams to keep the tyres pressed to the road was extraordin - arily effective; it is now commonplace in road cars. Constrained by the regulations, the Formula One engineers must now try to replicate the effect of active control through increasingly complex and costly mechanical systems. They are obliged to build a Babbage computing engine instead of nipping down to PC World for a laptop. The foiling future, certainly in offshore
boats, is becoming clearer. Now that Volvo have abandoned bankrolling their one-design fleet, the Imoca 60 is ‘the’ off- shore boat. Thankfully the Imoca rule stays common for the Volvo Race and the traditional Imoca events. Now all we need is to have a course that doesn’t call for too much upwind sailing in the tropics – other- wise there will certainly be an undesirable divergence between Vendée Globe and Volvo Imoca designs. The America’s Cup is moving further
from the mainstream. Despite the talk of ‘cost control’ through using standard equipment, the AC75 boats are still massively expensive. Competitors are also obliged to queue up at single suppliers for their mast and foils. This rather cuts the ground from under a smart but cash- strapped challenge who want to build their own hardware. There will be talk of trickledown, but the most useful trickledown for a start-up
38 SEAHORSE
Another high-profile Mini 6.50 foiling project is Arkema, described in detail in issue 448. Until 2019 Arkema was one of the only flying Minis to meet class rules on beam and the only boat to compete in class racing; the project suffered through developing different technologies simultaneously, including a reefable wing sail which is both heavy and in current form still quite clumsy. The Arkema Mini is notable in another way too, being constructed entirely out of recyclable thermoplastic composites using Arkema’s own acrylic Elium brand resins infused with carbon. Definitely not one for the garage-builder
challenge, some good secondhand boats, will be few and far between. And if you do eventually get hold of a half-decent boat the running costs will be enormous due to the complexity of the systems. All of which doesn’t bode well for development of a world fleet as we saw with the ACC monohulls, where 100 boats were built in a 15-year period. The biggest test of the appetite for foils
will come when the new Figaro fleet gets going. While the foil style of the latest Figaro 3 restricts the boat’s ability to fully fly, it will be interesting to see how the reli- ability of the structures and bearings etc
works out. Also, the solutions as to how to moor up the fleet without damaging the foils will be interesting. Hugo Boss do a lot of sailing with one foil removed so they can sit alongside the pontoon. It saves losing corporate guests down the gap. Finally, there may also be a lead from
the powerboat community. The new Princess R35 has an active foil system linked to speed and trim sensors that adjust foil lift to minimise resistance. The foils also provide roll and pitch control for a more comfortable ride when required. The first powerboat with a Ride Control button. Simples!
q
VINCENT OLIVAUD/ARKEMA
FRED AUGENDRE
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