boat has to be managed by just two when straightline sailing. As a result many elements of the singlehanded Imocas remain relevant. Before the Transat Jacques Vabre, when
Charlie Enright raced the new boat with Pascal Bidégorry, we made some changes to better suit doublehanded sailing; but when subsequently we returned our focus to crewed racing it’s interesting to note that none of the ‘crewed’ features returned. Twin-steering wheels and the extra
pedestals are just two examples of items originally planned that didn’t make the cut as we transitioned back to a full crew. In normal sailing conditions the set-up
onboard typically comprises one person on deck in the crew role, running around trimming, grinding and adjusting foil rake, while the other is in the ‘helmsman’ posi- tion. But, rather than hanging onto a steer- ing wheel as on the VO65s, this now involves having the mainsheet in one hand and the pilot controls close to the other. The use of the autopilot is one of the
biggest departures from previous crewed round-the-world races. In 2005 on the ‘monster’ VO70s, with a crew of only eight on ABN Amro, we had looked at the advantages of using an autopilot for manoeuvres; but this was quickly out- lawed and until now that was the last we heard of pilots in this race. For the 2023 edition we have seen the
autopilot rules evolve from ‘heading only’, in an attempt to hold onto the sailing style of old; to a one-design pilot system to limit costs; before finally the race organisers settled on parity with the rest of the Imoca fleet which allows you to develop your own systems within class rules. This has
38 SEAHORSE
meant that the autopilot has been an area of considerable evolution, but we have fortunately benefited from the experience and rapid development that already exist in the Imoca and Ultim classes. Our latest pilots sail to heading, or true
wind angle, augmented by a suite of over- lays that include heel, apparent wind angle and boat speed. The naysayers may be quick to criticise the use of pilots in crewed racing but in my experience the feeling under your bum is now more important than ever. Steering has essentially become a fly-by-wire operation, and you have to use your sailing senses to tell the pilot – which is now infinitely tuneable – what you want the boat to be doing for best performance: to me it is just a different way of approaching the problem. With the sailing all now being ‘inside’ it
has also been my experience that it is much better to allow the pilot to keep the boat on course, allowing you to focus on trimming and performance, than to invest all your energy hanging onto a heavy tiller while trying to keep the boat in a straight line by staring at the instruments. That said, even though we have good
visibility from inside our boat, and a number of cameras to improve things further, you definitely feel somewhat cut off from your normal sailing senses when you cannot feel the wind on your face. Plus the pilot invariably does a better job! It’s also a nice feature that the pilot never gets tired or hungry, but the fact that it also has no fear sometimes brings added excitement… Life onboard is rarely dull, even though
the days of hanging onto a wheel and getting fire-hosed with spray are now long gone. Rather than battling the elements as in
previous races we are now having to adjust to ‘life in the capsule’. It is probably more akin to being on some sort of space mission than the sailing we were all used to. However, given the performance the
foils bring, I think on the whole we are all grateful for the protection of a coachroof, given the alternative of an open deck. Whether we maintain that sentiment while traversing the tropics remains to be seen. There is probably less debate, however,
about whether ‘inside sailing’ is a good thing for the Southern Ocean; although conversation usually turns more to how we are going to deal with being stuck within the same four walls for over 30 days. In practice there is relatively little opportunity to get outside as all of the sailing really does happen in the cockpit. Going on deck is redefined as a ‘space-
walk’ and is only really necessary when making sail changes or tidying up a reef. Or when something breaks… In some ways it is just as well. From as
little as 14kt of wind these boats can be foiling at speeds considerably above wind speed and on deck things quickly get very wet as well as violent. This early jump in performance, coupled with the fact that you can go so fast at such tight angles, are probably two of the most impressive elements of the performance profile as compared to the boats we have raced previously around the world. It does, however, come with its consequences and as a result it is usually a very bumpy ride. Sailing at 70° true wind angle at over
20kt is definitely an acquired taste, espe- cially when you are trapped in a small room hanging on as best you can. The slamming is something that needs to be
AMORY ROSS
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