News Around the World ‘More high-tech materials are also being used, such as the
aluminium honeycomb (instead of Nomex) which is more compli- cated to use effectively,’ adds Antoine Carraz. To this technical complexity is added particularly tight timing, as
Penfornis points out: ‘To build an AC75 typically takes about 45,000 hours of work over 10 months. By comparison the construction of a 60ft Imoca requires 30-35,000 hours over 12-18 months. So for the AC75 you have to put in more hours in a shorter period of time.’ To meet these deadlines Multiplast will mobilise a third of its
staff, about 30 full-time builders, to which will be added members of the French challenge squad. ‘For the Cup there is only one dead- line… and we cannot afford to be late!’ emphasises Napoléoni.
more than passing mention in the mainstream media. When the idea of this race was first mooted in the 1960s it was
shunned by both the local yacht clubs and national sailing authority as a madcap notion. It might have floundered there and then, but Sir Francis Chichester, who lived for a while in New Zealand before he found fame as the first man to sail singlehanded around the world, thought it was a fine idea and donated a trophy for the winning yacht. The Solo Trans-Tasman Race was born and, coming 10 years after the first singlehanded Transatlantic race – which Chichester happened to win – it remains the world’s second oldest solo trans- ocean race and the only event of its kind in the southern hemisphere. In the 53 years since, it has remained a Corinthian affair, largely
populated by adventurers, many of them repeat offenders, and often in boats they have built themselves. Despite the absence of multimillion-dollar campaigns, big name sponsors and rockstar competitors, there are recognisable names among the alumni. David Adams, Ian Kiernan, Kay Cottee, Jon and Chris Sayers (not related) and Gerry Clark are among those who went on to significant solo achievements including round-the-world races, or voyages, Mini Transats and the like. On the slightly more eccentric but no less admirable side of the
ledger, Kiwi rock musician Andrew Fagan of the Mockers completed the race in 1994 in his tiny 5.3m boat, aptly called Swirly World in Perpetuity. It took him just over 17 days, not the slowest ever passage by any means. That mark was set at 24d 17h in 1982. The fastest time belongs to Austrian orthodontist Reini Gelder, who completed the race in his trimaran Shark Angel in 6d 7h. No lives, but several boats have been lost over the years. Bill
Belcher drifted in a liferaft for a month before being picked up by a freighter after his yacht Josephine II struck Middleton Reef in horrific weather and sank during the 1978 race. Belcher had won the previous race with his 8m yacht Raha. Hubris, or at least irony, was in evidence in the inaugural 1970
Forty-five years after his first Solo Trans-Tasman 76-year-old Malcolm Dickson won the 2023 race on the 15m Sarau, reaping the rewards of putting his 2002 yacht on a 3-tonne crash diet before going racing, the diet seeing marginally essential items like the washing machine and even the dishwasher left ashore. Sarau’s vast mileage includes a 10-year circumnavigation, ‘with some diversions’, during which the white goods stayed onboard
Exciting year Five races are scheduled for the 2023 Imoca Championship, includ- ing the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre and the solo Retour à La Base. It will be a season when the pecking order for the next Vendée Globe will be established among new boats and refitted older ones. Antoine Mermod, Imoca president, is looking forward to a classic year as the class continues to flourish in solo, double- handed and fully crewed ocean racing in a season that also includes the climax of The Ocean Race, the Rolex Fastnet and the Défi Azimut- Lorient Agglomération: ‘It will be an exciting year… We still have six more new boats on the way and a lot of older boats are undergoing big refits. And for the last two events in 2023 – the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Retour à La Base – almost the entire 2024 Vendée Globe fleet will be facing its first big confrontation…’ Patrice Carpentier
NEW ZEALAND Roughly every four years since 1970 hardy fleets of solo sailors have set out from the provincial city of New Plymouth on New Zealand’s west coast to race across the Tasman Sea to Queensland, Australia. Their efforts in taking on what can be a cantankerous 1,300-mile stretch of ocean have largely gone unheralded, known and respected within a small community of short-handed racers, but seldom given
26 SEAHORSE
race when Sydney stockbroker Charles Ure boasted of his superior navigation skills, but on his way to the start missed New Plymouth and arrived at the small settlement of Raglan 80nm to the north. He eventually found his way to the start, and to the finish across the Tasman, but failed to enhance his reputation at his second attempt in 1978 when his boat sank in New Plymouth Harbour… Most, however, have demonstrated salutary competence,
seamanship, sound decision-making and the kind of tight-knit camaraderie and mutual respect that are often found among people who undertake serious enterprises of this sort. This year marked the 14th edition of the race. It was third time
a charm for Kiwi yachtsman and former boatbuilder Malcolm Dickson when he took line honours after a challenging crossing in April. Dickson first competed in this race 45 years ago, crossing the
line in sixth place, two behind Australian rival Jim O’Keef. His next attempt came in 2018 when he finished second behind his son Hamish. That result was a double pleasure. ‘It would have been nice to win, but I’m more than happy to be beaten by my boy in a boat I designed,’ said Malcolm at the time. ‘We achieved the ultimate outcome, which was to come first and second.’ This year eight yachts set off from New Plymouth on the New
Zealand west coast, with two Dicksons once again among them, 76-year-old Malcolm and his 74-year-old brother Alister. Both were sailing yachts they designed and built themselves, Malcolm on his 15m Sarau and Alister with his 12m steel centreboarder Frontier. Also returning to the fray was Jim O’Keef in his self-built modified Adams 13 centreboard design, Hullabaloo. O’Keef had intended to line up against Malcolm in the 2018 race, but was dismasted while crossing from Australia to New Zealand and missed the start. This time, however, the 45-year friendly rivalry between Malcolm
and Jim came full circle with honours even. O’Keef’s 13m Hullabaloo crossed the line in second place, 12 hours behind Dickson’s Sarau. ‘It was great having Jim there again,’ says Malcolm. ‘He and I first raced against each other as young fellows. He beat me then, so I had to try to get my own back…’ The Tasman lived up to its contrarian reputation with the fleet
STU/SMOKEYLEMON
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