canvas, we can share a commitment to protect the marvels of the natural world for future generations.’ For the Vesper project she used
an existing painting called Summer Bliss which had toured as part of her solo exhibitions all over the world including Central Academy Fine Arts, Beijing, the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest, the State Russian Museum, St Petersburg and Gallery Noack in Berlin. After an exhibition in Lisbon, the painting was withdrawn to be devoted to the Vesper design. She adds: ‘Summer Bliss was
inspired by seaside summers and thus could not be a better fit. It was definitely the one for this exciting project.’ Graphic artist Bill MacGowan
of Mac Design in Newport, Rhode Island was called upon to assist in a ‘truly unique and creative collaboration’ with Swartz and Doyle Sails to achieve the final result. A sailor himself, MacGowan has worked on many marine projects including previous Swartz yachts, Moneypenny and an earlier Vesper. The current Vesper look involves
energetic swirls, perhaps suggestive of waves rising from the sea up across the hull and continuing up the sails, with striations of subtle, multi-hued detail from the Summer Bliss painting filling the shapes. The hull graphics were printed separately on vinyl coatings and then clear-coated for protection. Achieving the finished product
across a variety of materials and disciplines demanded close communication and cooperation. ‘Effective communication among all parties was key and critical to its success,’ Swartz agrees. ‘We all knew that we were working on something special together.’ Swartz and her husband are also
both founder members of Impact Partners, an Oscar and Emmy award- winning documentary production group working for change on pressing social and environmental issues. As the Vesper project was going to be a dynamic, kinetic piece of art, one wondered if a cinematic, movie-maker’s sensibility might have been called to action? ‘I always push myself to try
something that has never been done before,’ Swartz replies. ‘I am technically trained in realism painting and could spatially imagine the form. But this project also required thinking three- dimensionally and energetically in the abstract sense. ‘I challenged myself to imagine
how colour striations and sight lines would mix with the motion of bounding through the ocean at
Above: Doyle Sails’ SailArt graphics were also used on Hugo Boss. Not only do they render the sponsors’ logos in ultra-high resolution, the weight they add to the sailcloth is negligible at just seven grams per square metre. Above right: Doyle Sails’ CEO Mike Sanderson had a great view of Vesper’s new sail graphics – from right behind her, at the helm of Bella Mente
high speeds … exploding with colour and drama. When I first saw Vesper sailing in
this new form, I was truly awestruck and quite literally speechless. It brought tears to my eyes … ‘The open ocean is by far my
most compelling artistic partner to date and the sailboat my most unique medium. It takes my breath away to think about it. Even for Sanderson, the outcome
has been a revelation. ‘I was actually a bit sceptical about how the boat would look but on the water when the sun is behind the sails it lights up like a lantern. It is very striking. This project certainly showcases the accuracy of our process. It is a great thing to be able to do.’ With performance always front of
mind, Sanderson adds that another huge benefit is that SailArt graphics only add seven grammes of weight for every square metre applied, compared with about 35 gm/m2 for conventional systems. He recalls endless arguments during the 2003 America’s Cup with sponsors demanding massive logos on sails that were going to add significant weight. ‘Now we can say to any sponsor or client, “Go for it – do whatever you want”.’ At the St Barth’s regatta in April,
where Vesper’s new livery was on show, Sanderson was delighted with
the inroads the Doyle Sails brand is making in the Maxi 72 fleet. ‘At the next worlds we will have Cannonball, Vesper, Proteus and Bella Mente all racing with Doyle Sails,’ he notes. During the racing, Sanderson
helmed Bella Mente in owner Hap Fauth’s absence. In the heat of battle he had plenty of opportunity to admire Vesper’s new sails but he would have preferred to have been looking over his shoulder rather than peering ahead to do so. ‘To be honest, Vesper gave us a good pasting,’ he admits ruefully. At one point Bella Mente tactician
Terry Hutchinson urged Sanderson to hold pace and line with Vesper as they approached a turning mark. ‘I am struggling to hold up with them,’ replied Sanderson. ‘Well,’ snorted an exasperated Hutchinson, ‘it’s your fault for selling them those sails.’ ‘ It wasn’t me, it was Duffy,’ protested Sanderson in reference to fellow Doyle Sails director David Duff, who handled the Vesper project. The science side of sailmaking
would vigorously insist that no graphics, however inspired or beautiful, could make any boat go faster. But the evidence of Vesper’s convincing win at St Barth’s would surely convince the most rigorous of scientists that the graphics
were certainly not slowing her down.
www.doylesails.com
❑ SEAHORSE 63
JAMES TOMLINSON
ALEX THOMSON RACING
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