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Editorial First world problem
Andrew Hurst
It is now just 20 years since Rohan Veal used an experimental foil to place third in the Moth Worlds in France. The following year Veal won every regatta entered and at the worlds in 2005 he won eight from eight by margins of between two and 17 (sic) min- utes. That evening every ‘skiff’ Moth was effectively consigned to the newly created Low Rider division.
After years of rapid development above the water as well as below,
designers and sailors now have a good handle on making a foiling Moth go fast. Speeds are high but not yet insane. The highest officially recorded speed for one of these 11-footers is 36.5kt but most racing is conducted in the range of 20-28kt. At Moth speeds cavitation is an occasional nuisance but not a key
performance limiter. Not so on the larger craft spawned by the Moth pioneers. Cavitation is a primary limiting factor not only in the extremely inshore AC40s and AC75s in the America’s Cup but also, remarkably, for the extremely offshore Ultim fleet racing around the world. A few years back, on one of his singlehanded round-the-world
attempts, Thomas Coville prompted amazement when he radioed from the Southern Ocean that he was averaging 45kt of boatspeed and was doing his best to slow down his non-foiling 100-footer. Entering the Southern Ocean during the Arkéa Challenge he
reported back in similar vein, though for different reasons. Onboard the foiling Sodebo 3 Coville was trying to limit his speed to 45kt to avoid cavitation-induced loss of control, as well as damage to the fine surfaces of his foils. Given all foiling Ultims are capable of steady speeds over 50kt, keeping the speed down takes stamina and skill. Who could ever have imagined that the legacy of what Rohan Veal
and his fellow Australian foiling pioneers achieved would be that just 20 years later the most difficult thing on an ocean racer would not be going fast but how to slow down? Of course foiling is not for everyone. Only a tiny handful of sailors
think about cavitation when afloat. In the context of the numbers of those going sailing around the world foiling numbers are trivial. But in 2024, as Magnus Wheatley touches upon elsewhere, foiled sailing – boards or boats – is a great tool to attract new blood to the sport. A potential out of all proportion to the maths of the situation. But to make the most of that potential we have to think bigger. We
Divisive but worthy For rated yacht racing I am still a single number guy. I like the simplicity of IRC, as I liked IOR before it. I like to instantly know how I’m doing against another yacht with a quick glance across the water. I accept that if you design for a particular set of conditions there is a price paid elsewhere. But any system that encourages good all-round design is surely good, no? That said, in ORC world, with its multiple scoring offerings, I recog-
nise the big steps made with the new Weather Routing Scoring option (pg32). For offshore racing under ORC it looks like the best yet, if you favour the highly mathematical all-things-to-all-men approach. For ORC enthusiasts this will appeal. But with heavy reliance upon
pre-start weather predictions I also see its potential to further turn off those committed to IRC. Us single number neanderthals have been around too long to trust predictions as arbiters of our results. This is a great piece of work by ORC that deserves to succeed
among its constituency. But I believe it will push adherents of each rule further apart rather than closer together. After all, look at the close results under IRC in the latest Hobart between different types of boat. Hard to argue for more complexity there. But there is room for both and we spur each other on!
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have to exploit every means to expose youngsters to the new excitement available afloat. And, perception being everything, it has to look cool too… Well, with the invasion of the foils looking cool is surely no longer an issue? But knowing what is out there definitely is. In some countries in Europe, by accident or design they are on the
way to cracking this. Where there may have been a plethora of small clubs in a single area many now join forces – avoiding splitting the modest potential market and boosting financial horsepower. There is still plenty of room for the small family club, though many could widen the offer beyond poor food – at least buy a few club SUPs! Where once specialised clubs really hit paydirt is by throwing
everything at it, joining resources with others to create something more akin to a watersports facility open to the general public. This model is working well. Local exposure is good, local govern- ment support may be forthcoming (welcome the public, remember) and local schools often welcome a new outdoor activity for pupils that is available at minimal cost. So back to foiling and looking cool. A kid
of five or six starts visiting that new ‘water- sports centre’. They probably start splashing about on their knees with a paddleboard or small rowboat. They grow older and move on to a junior board or small modern dinghy. Meanwhile, they have been jealously watch- ing older youngsters splatting about on the facility’s own foilers or foiling boards. You know what happens next… throw in the social benefits of combining lots of former
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James Hunt and Barry Sheene, in the days before men could get pregnant…
regret it – Van Bueren
JOIN US The Seahorse editorial team is hiring. If you are interested pick up the phone or drop the editor a line and we’ll talk more.
andrew@seahorse.co.uk
SCHOOLED Dear Mr Floyd, Money is
not a gas – The Fellows of the Royal Society, writing to Roger Waters in 1973
IMAGINE THAT? Great cover this month (Issue 528), a sailboat, in the water, with people on the rail
hiking and trimming! – Mike Toppa
THE LONG GAME I was hitting 45-46kt, which really felt a bit quick for what it is, after all… the start of a
LAST LAUGH 1,217,900 euros!!
Absurd! – Max Verstappen gets the invoice to renew his Super Licence (charged by points scored in the previous season)
Last year it was
€963,800… bad enough! – Angry Dutchman
Q: Do the boos [at Monza] bother you? A: No. I’m the one that goes home with the
trophy, fine by me! – Much less angry
round-the-world race – Charles Caudrelier, Gitana 17
LOVE YA If any of you don’t read Seahorse, the journal of international sailing, then let the designer articles by Julian Everitt be the reason to run over to the kiosk
this afternoon – John Lammerts van Bueren I’ll eat my shoes if you
SELF-DOUBT Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell is the best record ever made. This is not a matter of opinion, it’s
a matter of fact – (Brilliant) music writer David Hepworth
MYSTIFYING Does no one in Cup world ever pause to ask why one or two of those ‘game-changing’ ex-F1
hires are ex-F1? – Ed
SEAHORSE 11
clubs into a single facility and the pool available to build a parallel social life also multiplies. Make going to the ‘club’ fun again for kids. Combining resources secures enough instructors and other staff to send the parents away after drop-off. This is key. Let kids be kids. And let them see what the sport offers as they grow. Then we have
a real chance of boosting the numbers again. Changing the whole model will be painful for many but in the long run better for all.
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