Clockwise from above: remember chainplates… the V1/D1 below-deck terminations on Magic Carpet – better find somewhere else to attach the docklines; two solutions same question… minimalist spreader tips carrying continuous carbon rods or something more old-school (inset); immaculate step arrangement with a single large shim, super-clean cabling and an adjustable mast foot just like the one on your 470; the shroud attachments seen below with a carbon (obviously) drip tray to catch seepage through the metal bits
aft so once we got afloat we had plenty on. Actually, the sails were already pencilled in, rig or no rig, but for sure it was a great time to tie it all in. The only thing we had to change was kites as the rig got higher, so alterations in the belly by Gigio Russo at North Italy. But we are always doing re-cuts so that was again straightforward. SH: And how did this all feel for Lindsay helming the boat? DG: Exciting! He could feel it straightway when we started training – plus there is such a visual difference from the 3Di to the RAW. Lindsay has a great grip on every- thing combined with a tremendous memory for process. He is a great questioner on methodology – his inspiration was Lotus founder Colin Chapman. This is the practice of asking something, however stupid it sounds, but by asking it openly in the group it makes people think – and often rethink the basic premise. SH:Hydraulic changes for the rig? DG: A couple of things. Ed Bell, our engi- neer, is very good on this. We wanted a fresh look at the load studies. It is easy to think things haven’t changed much, and believe the data you have been given by Southern is correct – to assume that North
66 SEAHORSE
Sails have communicated with Southern as they are part of the same group. But Ed checks and re-checks this data with our own load-logging, which is very accurate. Several years ago something major broke onboard that was a surprise to all, and so we try to ensure that doesn’t happen again. Trust but verify is the one we still stick to. SH: And on the racecourse… DG: The gains we are working with are still increments. People say, ‘The change to X is worth five seconds on an upwind leg’. But they are often much harder to quan- tify. The key to moving ahead is lining up with a boat you know – and checking. SH: And this year… DG: To win the 2018 season in the last race of the last event in St Tropez was pretty special but the work went on. The Cento rule was adjusted last winter to accommodate everyone and keep things even, so after St Tropez we were straight into a new bowsprit and, like everyone else in this fleet, also increasing draft. SH: Adjustments to the rig after 2018? DG:We were pretty happy with our set-up and used our 2018 measurements as our start point. Obviously the standing rigging as a new product went back to Future
Fibres to check. There was a little wear and tear so we covered some of the key areas with Technora, mainly the lowers plus the forestay for wear in gybes, which we are finding is the best cover material. SH: Stretch? DG: No, it went back in well and the set-up was as we expected. We had made the changes to the boat, the bowsprit got longer, the draft increased a little and the boat got a bit lighter. SH: And what of the rig this year? DG: We went stiffer, we didn’t go lighter and that has translated into a more solid base to trim off for our sails. The only thing I’d say it is a little tricky if you want to make the rig soft, say in light airs, so we have to unstack a bit more than before. SH:How hard have you pushed the boat? DG: We have put it under some decent loads. Palma Vela was a good, windy spring regatta, we did Loro Piana which had a mixed bag of conditions and we then had a very windy and lumpy Giraglia, with a fast run down to Giraglia Rock where we averaged 20kt from France to Corsica – pretty good for a cruising boat. That plus an even rougher return trip was a good enough test for me…
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