Rondal’s brand new manufacturing facility includes this giant oven that is capable of curing large composite structures at precise temperatures up to 100°C. The oven jet systems on both sides of the ceiling help to create optimal curing conditions with turbulent flows of heated air


When othermanufacturers were


investing eye-watering sums in autoclaves – which put a hard limit on the longest spar they could produce without splitting it intomultiple sections – Rondal sought to perfect an out-of-autoclave (OOA) production system. A single-piecemast represents amassive advantage,markedly reducing weight and complexity compared with a spar thatmust be bolted together fromseveral lengths of carbon tube. Today Rondal’s OOA systemproduces a


laminate with void content similar of that of typical autoclaved spars and has been used to build spars of up to +70m. The process starts with creating several autoclaved carbon laminates over amalemould that formthe shape of themast. These are joined together in frames and eventually become part of the spar, adding structural integrity and represent around 20 per of the total laminate thickness. Internal patching, compression tubes


Nevertheless, there’s no escaping that


loads on a performance vessel of this size are enormous. Yet success – and safety – on the racecourse demands equipment that will perform flawlessly, whether fully powered up sailing close-hauled or mid- gybe. There’s also enormous pressure for deck hardware to be as light as possible, without risk of compromising reliability. Aquarius ll is fitted with a refinement


‘Rondal’s captive reel winches offer line speeds of up to 100m per minute’


of the performance version of Rondal’s furling boom. This includes the long- running ability to adjust both luff and foot tension, giving complete control over sail shape, even when reefed. A cunningham is used to control the tack position at each reef, but the really


neat element is Rondal’s outhaul car that automatically engages with metallic plates in the leech of the sail at each reef point. Once attached, foot tension can be adjusted in exactly the same manner as with a slab reefing sail. A further request from both owner


and conduits are inserted after the moulds are produced, before the remaining 80 per cent of the laminate is added over the full length of themast, using combinations of unidirectional, woven and biaxial carbon composite pre- pregmaterial. During the construction, the mast section is oven cured in one piece for over 14 hours at 85°C to achieve ultimate mechanical and thermal properties. Pre-assembly and minor fairing is


carried out before painting, then tracks, halyard locks, instruments and other equipment are all carefully mounted. Development of Aquarius ll’s sail


handling and sailing systems by Rondal, Doyle Sails and Royal Huisman began at the inception of the project. The involvement of Doyle, which dominated in the last St Barths Bucket, was a critical factor for structural engineering and development of control systems, as Doyle’s load-sharing structured luff sails massively reduce some loads, especially in the headstay and backstays.


and crew was to create the most reliable manual back-up system possible for use in an emergency state. ‘This was only possible because we were in such really close contact with the yard,’ says Volpe. The system will work in black ship mode, even with halyard, vang or hydraulic failure. Another improvement optimised the luff track feeder to give more options for hoisting the sail without being fully head to wind. Over the past few years Rondal has


also put considerable investment into refining its captive reel winches and engineering larger models to suit the very biggest superyachts. Hydraulic versions offer working loads of up to 48 tonnes and mind-blowing line speeds of up to 75 metres per minute – a critical figure when gybing a spinnaker mid-race. There’s also an electric version that’s even faster, with 100 metre per minute line speeds. These are married to Rondal line feeders that produce a perfectly neat wrap on the drum – an essential element in creating


an absolutely reliable and robust system. A lifting keel systemis at the heart of


any fast superyacht – ideally draughtmust be restricted to 4.8m(15ft 9in) to enable access to themost desirable cruising destinations. However, froma performance perspective, optimal draught for Aquarius ll is a whopping 7.6m(25ft). The only way of meeting both criteria is therefore with a lifting keel, an engineering challenge in itself at this scale, especially when an imperative is to avoid it taking up too much space that could otherwise be used for accommodation. Rondal continues to apply expertise to


new areas and is a key supplier across the superyacht world, including both power and sail sectors, to yards including Baltic Yachts, Nautor’s Swan, Vitters, Perini Navi and parent company Royal Huisman. www.rondal.com


Heeled-state Panama transit


‘One of the limiting factors is transiting from the Caribbean to the Pacific under the Bridge of the Americas in Panama,’ explains Godfrey Cray. ‘The “Panamax” air draft has a limit of 62.5m / 205ft Interestingly, a sloop with a rig height of around 64m / 210ft had, in a heeled state, recently transited under the Bridge of the Americas. ‘So, to achieve the required


increase in interior spaces and taking into account a mast height of 64m (210ft), led us to an overall length of 61m / 200ft with a plumb bow, bowsprit, submarine anchors, lifting keel and a main mast of 64m / 210ft. This was starting to look like it ticked all the boxes. ‘However, a final check with the


port authority in Panama informed us they were no longer entertaining a heeled-state transit under the bridge. Oooops!’


SEAHORSE 71


❑


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130