Contents February 2022 FEATURES
4 Trial & error NICOLAS LE CORRE
40 A good save Somehow 2021 turned out better for the Maxis that it might have done. ROB WEILAND
42 Hardly midgets ALAN ANDREWS and DOBBS DAVIS revisit the mighty tiddlers of the USA’s ‘Morcey-movement’
Not this time Unfortunately for 2019 TJV winner Ian Lipinski and his co-skipper Julien Pulvé this time a collision with a large submerged object put paid to their hopes of a second straight victory. Lipinski’s Crédit Mutuel was the first Class40 scow to go afloat back in 2019 when the Raison design was followed in short order by the first two scows from the pen of Samuel Manuard. Since then rival designers Guillaume Verdier and Marc Lombard have brought new fat-noses to this fleet, Verdier’s 2021 Pogo 40S4 putting up an encouraging performance, brand new and out the box. Lombard’s new Crosscall had a much less happy transat, getting thoroughly bogged down in the very light airs that characterized the first half of the course to finish down in 22nd place; but it is still very early days for all of the latest designs. The whole class enjoyed the tightest of races across the Atlantic – in the final week the tracker still showing the entire Class40 fleet appearing as one large blob, the single outlier being the race-winner, Redman, which broke clear at the Canary Islands after which she was never overtaken. On the day on which the Class40 leader had only 1,000nm left to run, places 2nd-15th were covered by just 55nm; by way of a reference, that is less than the (albeit unusually big) overall winning margin in the 2021 Fastnet... a race little more than one-tenth the distance of the TJV Class40 course. But what did we learn new about these boats? Aside from that the latest boats are indeed very fast we now also know that skiff or scow, they all drift along much the same
COVER: Christophe Breschi INSET: Zelmira Frers
48 A spiritual force Sometimes a simple yacht name can be so much more than that. GERMAN and ZELMIRA FRERS share the story of Recluta
52 Pinning a tale on the rating donkey The latest DSS design from Infiniti Yachts is something very special indeed... but it still had to secure itself a fair rating. HUGH WELBOURN
56 The legend continues IAIN MCALLISTER relives the saga of the first, second and then third restoration of the most famous ocean racing yacht of the last 100 years
REGULARS
6 Commodore’s letter JAMES NEVILLE
11 Editorial ANDREW HURST
14 Update Good news (almost) all round... after 10 years of (tedious) Cup rumour-mongering, Alinghi is back. Flying foilers are here to stay but (America’s Cup) history offers useful pointers, a most marvellous trip to Brittany and the 30-footers go supersonic. Plus remembering the ‘third Marx Brother’. JACK
GRIFFIN, BARRY CARROLL, PAUL BIEKER, CHRISTIAN FEVRIER, DAVE HOLLOM
25World news An almost clean sweep for GUILLAUME VERDIER in the TJV, the imperious march of CAMMAS and CAUDRELIER continues at the head of the Ultime fleet, an overdue first win for RUYANT and LAGRAVIERE, and the tightest of contests in the Class40... where nevertheless the ‘First-Family’ came out on top. Plus SIMON VAN VELTHOOVEN ‘may’ be back in the saddle, SailGP business with MARIA DEL MAR DE ROS and the Women’s Pathway Programme. CARLOS PICH, PATRICE CARPENTIER, NINA CURTIS, IVOR WILKINS and BLUE ROBINSON
38 Rod Davis – Flawless Rod goes racing in San Diego, however this time he doesn’t leave his yacht at the bottom of the sea
62 TechStreet
68 RORC – A record start ... and a lot to celebrate. JEREMY WILTON
69Seahorsebuild table – Not one for beige Something different but from a familiar name
76Seahorse regatta calendar
78 SUPERYACHTS – Optimised aluminium Royal Huisman Shipyard are nearing completion of the first yacht to be built with their new hi-tech Featherlight construction method, closing the gap between aluminium and composite construction
107 Sailor of the Month Great sailors, great supporters, long overdue
‘Ben no see him’ summed up Blue Robinson, watching with Nokka from the SailGP safety boat as Ben Ainslie’s British entry smashed into fellow gold medallist Nathan Outteridge’s Team Japan, slicing off the front of the Japanese boat. No injuries but wide eyes alround. The collision removes the Ineos UK team from contention this year with points penalties for both the regatta and the series. Sir Ben’s UK team quickly offered both their own race boat and shore support to Outteridge in an effort to get his crew back out the following day
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