Contents April 2021 FEATURES
4 A flawless racing performance OLIVIER BLANCHET
12 Brim to overflowing TIM JEFFERY remembers the extraordinary working and racing lives of BOB FISHER
38 A bean counter’s perspective ROB WEILAND considers the financial realities of campaigning at the highest levels of the sport
Successful project With her career in business already underway Clarisse Crémer only got involved in offshore sailing in 2017 with occasional appearances in the Figaro and Mini fleets. At the same time with her professional approach to social media (memories here of a young François Gabart) she was building a profile that was making inroads far beyond the followers of the yacht races in which she was competing. Also at the time Banque Populaire manager Ronan Lucas was looking around for ways to maintain his team’s profile while they were busy building a second new Ultim for their skipper, Armel Le Cléac’h – Vendée Globe winner in 2016-2017. Lucas now concedes it was Crémer’s popular profile, more than her race results, that caught his attention, luckily at the same time that he was considering reusing the former Macif of Gabart, winner in 2012 and proven as the best and of the non foiling generation. An idea grew in his head to train up a relatively inexperienced skipper, who was already media-friendly, and try to extract sponsor value in a different sort of campaign on a smaller budget more appropriate to a ‘place holder’ for his employer. So Le Cléac’h took Crémer under his wing (also finding time to win another Figaro) and ran an intense training programme that included competing together while Crémer learned a new type of craft. A brilliant tutor and a pupil who proved a fast and determined learner. There were few hiccups on the way and Banque Populaire could surely never have dreamt of the success of this unusual project in helping raise their ‘sportif’ profile even further
COVER: Christophe Favreau/DPPI INSET: Pierre Bouras/DPPI
42 An unprecedented edition If there is one thing for which the latest Vendée Globe will be remembered it will be as the closest round-the-world race ever – and in any discipline. PATRICE CARPENTIER
48 When the music stops There has been little if anything that has been predictable about America’s Cup 36. ANDY CLAUGHTON
52 Quite the machine The much trailed TF35 semi-automatic foiler was scheduled to debut 12 months ago. Now at last the show is about to begin. DIRK KRAMERS
56 Reality check CARLOS PICH and JUAN KOUYOUMDJIAN analyse the performance of the three different types of Imoca 60 racing the latest Vendée Globe and look forward to the options for building new
60 Just say ‘yes’ Hard to encapsulate the remarkable and diverse various careers of STAN and SALLY HONEY. However, CAROL CRONIN has done her best
REGULARS
6 Commodore’s letter JAMES NEVILLE
11 Editorial ANDREW HURST and JOCELYN BLERIOT
14 Update A brutal way to leave, VPLP regroup, the four solutions to the AC75 riddle, understanding (and dodging) the big Imoca catastrophes and are we looking at a fleet of obsolete solo oceanic racers? TERRY HUTCHINSON, JACK GRIFFIN, PATRICE CARPENTIER, ROBERT LAINE
22 World news Welcome to the new Ultims, FRANCIS JOYON… the master returns, back and forth in Auckland, minding your fences. Plus America and the America’s Cup, and just how deep are the problems? GLENN ASHBY, PETER ISLER, ED BAIRD, PETER HOLMBERG, RONAN LUCAS, DOBBS DAVIS, PATRICE CARPENTIER, IVOR WILKINS, BLUE ROBINSON
36 Rod Davis – Carpe diem for all We have an opportunity – now we need to grab it
40 ORC – Responding to the market Which means consolidating the rule structure to race under. STAN HONEY and DOBBS DAVIS
66 RORC – An absorbing interest EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN
67 Tech Street
75 Seahorsebuild table – Something special(ised) DOBBS DAVIS looks at a tempting and accessible new shorthanded offering from HANS GENTHE
84 Seahorse regatta calendar
109 Sailor of the Month Great sailors, great adventures… and great stories
Two photos taken 80 years apart yet the comparison is striking. The bow concept of the Cup Defender is driven by the dynamics of this forward shape forcing up the bow, also angling up the foils to get a sticky-looking high-speed hull out of the water. Rivals rely more on buoyancy in the bow and less on dynamic lift – though Patriot’s spoon bow sits somewhere in between the two
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