Update We had our first double-handed training session last week which
was the first opportunity for everyone to line up and compare initial performance. This at first involved a few simple speed runs at different angles, followed by a coastal-type race for a few hours around some nearby islands. It is obvious that the learning curve is steep for everyone, and
with only five weeks until the first race of the season there are some intense times ahead. At the end of every day I walk round the docks to look at other
boats and see what they have changed to make the boat easier and/or faster to sail. The one-design rules are very strict but although you can’t change many things there are still some subtle tweaks available and no doubt more will make themselves known in the weeks and months to come. This makes training that much more intense, as after a nine or 10-hour day on the water you end up spending most of the evening changing the set-up of your boat ready for the next day’s training. Right now the biggest obvious difference across the fleet is sails.
The rules are relatively open in terms of sail shape, material and even size, meaning different sail designers already have visibly different ideas as to what is the ideal for each sail. It is clear to see already where some sails are faster than others in different conditions. The training we are doing now will be crucial for the development of the sails over the next few weeks. It is likely we will see some completely new shapes appearing soon. We have also been working on the set-ups for the new foils,
which it is already clear are going to be relatively complicated in how they affect the boat. Probably fortunately, this also appears be an area where we all currently understand as little as each other, since the Figaro foils created by the designers at VPLP are quite unlike anything yet seen in other classes. So far there have been no obvious glaring differences in speed
with various foil set-ups. It is becoming clear that when sailing upwind the foils work similarly to a daggerboard, progressively reducing leeway as you add more forward rake. However, the added drag may yet turn out to reduce overall VMG – something we have yet to uncover. The layout of the cockpit makes manoeuvres like tacking and
gybing quite easy, with everything being within an arm’s length. With an asymmetrical spinnaker now too, unlike in the Figaro 2 there is no need to go onto the bow to wrestle with a spinnaker pole which makes the boat considerably safer to race in strong winds – especially at night. One aspect that may prove to be a bigger challenge is hoisting
and changing sails. As the clutches are very low down in the boat, hoisting from behind the clutch results in a lot of friction. The solution for this is to hoist at the mast, but when singlehanded it can take some time after a bear-away to get the autopilot set up and the boat sailing in a straight line. And once up, of course, there is the sprint back to the cockpit to pull the halyard through the clutch before it disappears under load.
There are still so many things to learn about the boat, and
everyone is already in a race to learn as much as possible before the season proper kicks off with the Sardinha Cup at the end of March. Over the next few weeks the fine details will become smaller and less visible, making the speed gains harder and harder to find. At the moment I feel as if I am in a good position as one of the first Figaro 3s to be on the water and sailing. The boat goes well
SNAPSHOTS Brought to you in association with
l Burger time…a lot of burger time l First…and second-place finishers in the Golden Globe had no need to rush down to greet the third place man home l When…runner-up Mark Slats crossed the line in Les Sables Uku Randmaa still had 3,500nm to go l That said... organiser Don McIntyre is already signing up entries for his second race in 2022 l And... four skippers have recently bought boats just for it l Rest assured…the GGR qualifying mileage is to be doubled l Some of you…missed it l But…some of you did not l Not only…was Sir Jackie Stewart’s Matra MS9 (last month, p18) an H16 BRM l The…spanner on the steering wheel was mainly about getting out of an upside-down car quickly l JYS…having been trapped in his hot inverted car at Spa two weeks earlier while leaking fuel flooded over him l At long…last l Helming… the Dutch America’s Cup challenger will be Dongfeng Volvo race winner Carolijn Brouwer l Also of course…a three-time Olympian l Go…girl l We’ll know…soon enough l Thomas…‘45kt+ at night solo’ Coville’s new Sodebo Ultim is about to go afloat l Designer…Renaud Bañuls spills (some of) the beans next month l But…it’s certainly different l Something else…Mike Martin sailing with Adam Lowry won the 505 Worlds yet again l This time…with two races to spare l The band’s…back together l But it…was close l Winners of…the 2019 Star winter series in Miami were Paul Cayard and Magnus Liljedahl l But…only by 0.4pt from runner-up Eric Doyle l Good to see…Magnus back on the top step l No one…has done more to encourage people in the sport l Nerves are…jangling l As Cup teams…find out just how close to delivery those AC75 canting arms really are l Not very…came the reply l Fun…everywhere... l Lots of…‘négociations’ are currently going on about the ‘price’ of water ballast in IRC l The big…manufacturers are now involved l And…the (interesting) Jeanneau SF3300 (issue 468) from Andrieu and Verdier will carry water ballast this year at least l H2
O…is also going into Marc Lombard’s successful Offcet 32
Well, you’d look pretty knackered too if you’d just sailed 2,550nm across the Atlantic on a beach cat. Gianmarco Sardi and Tullio Picciolini used a custom 20ft cat built in carbon incorporating seven watertight compartments in each hull. It’s still a beach cat
16 SEAHORSE
l Ahead…of the game? l Clever JPK…sneaked water ballast into the JPK 1030 last year! l Why… Tullio Picciolini and Giammarco Sardi survived their fun jaunt by 20ft beach cat from Dakar to Guadeloupe (left) l Pronto…is the Italian economy really that bad, amici? l Ominous…for some l Steinlager…is back with Team New Zealand l No more…Blizzards... l We recently... lost Half Ton and Admiral’s Cup owner Ernest Juer l Plenty of…lead-free solutions at
RaceboatsOnly.com l But…please be advised that... l The Scuttlebutt Europe…is now the
eurosailnews.com l Update… all areas (please)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
