Left: Yoann Richomme’s Rhum-winning Class40 is the latest Lift40 design from Marc Lombard and demonstrates how hard designers are trying to force scow thinking into a class rule that aims to control forward fullness. It works both ways too and this compromise profile is not so different from the latest Minis from Verdier and others. Perhaps the limits are not so harsh after all? Above: for AC35 testing different foils each side was standard practice – this is Ineos playing with anhedral on their AC75 mule. For François Gabart’s Macif Ultim they built a single foil to begin with, testing it thoroughly before committing to the matching pair
are first-to-five-points knockouts and the finals first-to-seven-points. By the time this is printed more of potentially eight (really!?!) late
challengers may have been confirmed. And we won’t have long to wait to learn whether there will be one or two ACWS events in 2019 – the protocol stipulates that the venues (but curiously not the dates) be announced by 31 March. The first of two planned 2019 regattas has already been
announced for Cagliari, Sardinia, some time in October. That may be a bit late to squeeze a second ACWS into 2019. The last day of March is also the first date permitted to launch an AC75, although we probably will need to wait until later in spring to see the first ones sailing. Lots of interesting developments await us in 2019.
was as an announced sponsor for Adelasia di Torres, a Sardinian project that had hoped to mount a challenge, but he dropped out of that. As we wait for details we know that Cataldi has met Iain Percy. Now leading Artemis Technologies, Percy headed up Artemis Racing for AC34. If the Malta Altus Challenge can land Percy and some of his Artemis mates they will be an interesting part of the mix in Auckland. Until these new challenges were announced it seemed that the
competition format spelt out in the protocol would make the America’s Cup World Series extremely important, since the top challenger in the ACWS would have a bye into the second round. With only three teams that would be a direct route to the Prada Cup finals. The repechage specified by the protocol after the first round
would make little sense with only two teams in the first round. More likely, the protocol would have been changed, probably to a round robin first round to eliminate one team before the finals. Now, with more challengers, the protocol’s format makes sense.
The top challenger from the ACWS will proceed directly to the Prada Cup semi-finals. The other teams will pair off for first-to-five-points matches. The winners go to the semi-finals. The losers sail off in a repechage to determine the fourth semi-finalist. The semi-finals
RELAX? – Terry Hutchinson The past month was solid! Solid primarily as the early development of Hap Fauth’s new Botín Partners-designed Maxi72 Bella Mente was put through its paces off the coast of South Florida. Early stage of any boat is nervous times. As I read in the pages
of Seahorse the sea-trialling in Newport, RI did indeed go quite well. But for the most part Newport was a flat-water venue and, while we achieved all the milestones, you really need some waves to drop off to give the boat a good test. Mission accomplished. Five minutes into day one starboard tack
straight into 5-7ft waves. Unnerving, to say the least, especially as Hap was not onboard and, well, I did not want to have to be the bearer of bad news in case something went pear-shaped. But all went incredibly smoothly. Each day in the Gulf Stream saw us gain more confidence in the
build of Bella Mente. On day five the team went out into the Stream in reefed, double-headed set-up, sending the boat down 12ft waves at high 20kt of boat speed. This seven-day session was a big nod towards the build team and the quality of work executed. Bella Mente’s concept was an evolution of Botín’s previous Maxi
Cannonball and what we had learnt as a team in the beat down of the 2017 season. Meanwhile, the more powerful hull shape of
SEAHORSE 15 w
GIOVANNI GOTTI
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 |
Page 101 |
Page 102
