Contents March 2021 FEATURES
4 All the answers? CHARLIE DALIN
36 Taking off ROB WEILAND is distinctly unrelaxed about the steady influx of self-learning AI sailing systems
38 Catching the mood A tiny silver sliver from that which will not be named has turboed two-handed sailing. And now it’s official. LARRY ROSENFELD
Gagging to get going The International Maxi Association is pressing ahead with plans for a full European season which, given the logistics of racing this size of yacht, gives hope to other race organisers and dozens of fleets of smaller yachts all desperate to start racing again – the fact that the Secretary General of the IMA, Andrew McIrvine, happens to be a renowned vascular surgeon and past president of the Section of Surgery, Royal Society of Medicine, gives us further cause for hope. As well as hunger to get afloat again ‘it’ has of course increased interest in shorthanded sailing, the doing of it and the technology to do it; people are looking at how to become more involved onboard and less moveable ballast. The IMA is already trialling rating credits for a reduction in crew and with relentless improvements in control technology those credits are going to get more attractive as owners gain the confidence to reduce crew numbers and share that same feeling of being less of a passenger on your own yacht. Over time these rules will be refined to further distinguish between active crew and guest which will make use of the limits more appealing to everyone. We sympathise with those who will find fewer crewing opportunities in future, but it is an anachronism for an AC75 to fly at 50kt with 11 crew while much slower craft appear to need three times the number… And by the way, just as every designer needs a signature feature, Ribelle designer Malcolm McKeon’s rolled timber transom treatment is as inspired as it is utterly bloody gorgeous. At every level sailing is on the move
COVER: Ingrid Abery INSET: Damien Seguin
42 The great divide – Part I Put together a wonderful designer, a highly competitive owner… and a Royal Yacht. CLARE MCCOMB
48 On arrive At least 15 new Class40s (sic) are going to be launched during 2021… all scows of course. FRED AUGENDRE looks at some very rapid development and some likely frontrunners
52 A new and better world GEOFF STOCK describes how Fibre Mechanics have gone about raising the bar even further with the build of the new CF520 IRC offshore racer
56 The missing piece – Part II And it’s time for KOSTECKI, SPITHILL and COUTTS to learn how to race a multihull (and improve their swimming). ROGER VAUGHAN
60 Getting it down on paper FRANÇOIS CHEVALIER and JEAN SANS look at the first era of the AC75 and at how some of the details have been playing out in Auckland
REGULARS
6 Commodore’s letter JAMES NEVILLE
11 Editorial ANDREW HURST
14 Update We (really) are going racing down in New Zealand, the extraordinary 2020/21 Vendée Globe, but why the pinnacle ocean race needs to move forward. Plus moody in Auckland? PATRICE CARPENTIER, JACK GRIFFIN, TERRY HUTCHINSON, DENIS HOREAU, YANNICK BESTAVEN, BRUNO TROUBLE, LOUIS BURTON, JOCELYN BLERIOT
22 World news Mini Transat madness, packed (transatlantic) schedule, Gitana go again, the essential Class40 school guide, hanging onto your keel (just), match racing your chase boat, hanging tough in Oz. Plus winning it on screen. CHRIS NICHOLSON, PIP HARE, PETE BURLING, BLUE ROBINSON, CHARLES CAUDRELIER, IVOR WILKINS, DOBBS DAVIS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, ALAIN GAUTIER, BEN AINSLIE, PETER ISLER, CHRIS BEDFORD
34 Paul Cayard
– Disclaimer issued And calling it early is never easy!
40 IRC – The wrong direction? More sails for a Thursday night race than a lap of the planet. Surely not? JAMES DADD
66 RORC news
– A more orderly sellout EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN 67 Tech Street
72 Seahorsebuild table – Just Wow! OK, we finally have it, the world’s first fully flying IMA-eligible foiling Maxi. MARK MILLS
82 Seahorse regatta calendar
105 Sailor of the Month And they’re giving us all one hell of a show
In becoming the world’s premier ocean racing class safety improvements implemented by the Imoca class have been enormous. This is the 470 champion Gerry Roufs before the 1996-97 Vendée on his 60ft aircraft carrier – in retrospect indeed looking as stable inverted as upright. Roufs was lost in the worst storm ever to hit the race; a year later LG was spotted upside down off Chile – and tellingly the keel bulb was still attached
JACQUES VAPILLON/ALEA
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