Update
most out of it with some fun along the way, I’m sure – while I did not race, reports were it was rough and windy. Can’t wait to hear the stories! Currently sitting in the Mutiny Hotel in Coconut Grove, Florida,
at a Moth training session. Working alongside Moth legends Bora Gulari, Paul Goodison and Andrew Campbell, needless to say it has been incredible. I am day five into Moth sailing and I don’t think I have ever been more tired after sailing, or drank more saltwater, and while I occasionally foil I seem to have done a lot of swimming. The guys all say that I am progressing at a good rate and yet I
cannot help but laugh as I have yet to execute a successful foiling tack or gybe. In my defence the lightest day was day 1 when Biscayne Bay served up 13-15kt. Since then a solid 15-20 has been on order and, well, I have bruises and pains I did not think possible. We came off the water on day 4 after a solid session in 18-22kt of TWS and Paul said good news, it is not going to get a lot harder than those conditions. Thank the lord, I thought. Things that stand out: Bora, Paul, Andrew, on top of being great
sailors, are great athletes. Their abilities in the boat are impressive. As on any boat we race they are comfortable ripping along upwind at 18kt of boat speed and seamlessly making adjustments to improve performance. The physical nature of the boat requires hiking hard at all times and, well, it has been a long time since I have had to put in, in that capacity. But, as with anything new, one comes off the water with a youthful enthusiasm to keep learning. Sailing against these guys inspires one to get better. One more day of this Moth sailing lesson but certainly not the last time for me! From Miami there is a bit of America’s Cup work and then the
TP52 work. The new Quantum Racing is under construction at Longitude Cero in Spain and on target for a mid-April launch. Our first warm-up event is Palma Vela in late April. So straight into it. Over a 10-day period we also have to prepare the boat for the
first Super Series event in Croatia. We have already seen the launch of Sled, which is a sistership to Quantum. I am excited to see the difference in performance. In 2017 the Botín boat was slightly better upwind than the Judel-
Vrolijk and the Vrolijk boat slightly better downwind. As a tuning partner we knew the traits of Vrolijk’s Platoon and she was slippery – it will be interesting to see if the new boats now switch over. Our design brief still remains the same… get to the top mark first. Up next: Farr 40s, yep, still chipping along in the Farr 40. The
fleet heads back to the west coast and on Alex Roeper’s Plentywe look forward to getting into some quality racing. Interesting the fleet on the west coast of the US is 15 boats strong and should make for 18-boat regattas. Good news too that Star boat legend Vince Brun has just bought a boat to join the fun. Tough guy to beat in any boat and a man who does a lot for the sport. After 20 years the Farr 40s are still great racing! Standing by exhausted after an incredible week of learning q
SNAPSHOTS Brought to you in association with
The damage was much worse than it first appeared following the tragic collision between Vestas and a Chinese fishing boat as the Volvo fleet approached Hong Kong – an entire new bow section was built in Italy at Persico then flown out to be fitted. Has any sponsor ever had worse fortune than the Danish energy giant?
16 SEAHORSE
l Bad…but probably for the best of reasons l Were…a star-studded crew including designer Paul Bieker and Olympic gold medallist Jonathan McKee pushing like hell when the Bieker cat Fujin (issue 448) capsized during the Caribbean 600? l We…certainly hope so l The boat’s…(still) bl**dy awesome l We’d…have one like a shot l Our readers…don’t scare that easy l Meanwhile…the mighty, or is that mighty curious, 100ft cigar CQS retired from the same race l Reason…software issues l Made worse by…engine issues l Sailing race…huh? l Smashed…Giles Scott returned to the Finns in Miami after an 18-month break playing AC50s l And…he did indeed smash it (by 32pt…) l Give up now…guys l Brill…old bestie Juan K will design the third new Imoca 60 to be confirmed for the 2020 Vendée Globe l We lurv…what Guillaume Verdier is doing in that class both with VPLP and working alone l But…even he will welcome new competition bringing new ideas l Be…certain that Juan K will bring new ideas! l Groove ahead…masters of the bang per buck Fareast Yachts are going ahead with their new 37-footer l Price…probably about 50 bucks, knowing their ‘previous’ l And…fast as hell l Cyclor…Yes, Simon Van Velthooven did come home from Bermuda to learn ‘to race’, not ‘to sail’ as legend had it (page 20) l But…when the modest English 12 Metre grinder known to all as ‘Jabba’ returned from the Fremantle America’s Cup he headed straight to the UK Sailing Academy in Cowes to learn to sail l Smart…2018 Cowes Week sees the introduction of a double- handed class l Catch…that wave l While…on his lonesome l Polish…skipper Szymon Kuczynski completed his non-stop solo circumnavigation on his Maxus 22 Atlantic Puffin in 170 days l That’s…22 feet not metres, BTW l Please…will someone finally kill this story… l Dee Caffari’s…Volvo crew waved as they passed the abandoned Sea Nymph 1,000nm off Japan l Sea Nymph…stupid story about stupid people surviving a storm that did not exist l Saved…(at least) one dog l And seemed to have…plenty of pies onboard for themselves l Yeah…that Sea Nymph l Go away…will you, damn it l 2020…it’s Sam Davies’s turn to race the Vendée after husband Romain raced the last one l But…Romain just acquired a new Imoca 60 of his own… for the next Vendée cycle (allegedly!) l Joint accounts…that’s the only way to keep track of ’em (maybe) l Farewell…to iconic filmmaker Warren Miller at the age of 93 l Groundbreaking…films, skiing, sailing, surfing l A great…skier, sailor, surfer l Then…sometimes words fail completely... l This month…we lost talented, popular and successful British youth squad sailor Olivia Burt at the age of just 20 – awful l Apology corner…writing about the (real) J-Class for Seahorse Don Street Jnr has been ably assisted by well-known yachting historian and Seahorse writer John Rousmaniere (page 52) l The boats get better…at RaceBoatsOnly l Like the coverage…at ScuttlebuttEurope l Sorry…too much cheese l Much, much…too much cheese (ed) l Interesting…Dean Barker will drive for the New York YC America’s Cup team at 2018 events including the TP52 Super Series l Of course… NYYC Cup skipper Terry Hutchinson will be telling him where to go l In the…nicest possible sense
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