stainless steel for maximum strength with the lowest weight,’ Schuldt explains. ‘The special torque tube on which the slider travels and all other above-deck parts are made out of duplex.’ Despite the massive increase in strength, these new furlers are only slightly heavier than the equivalent standard models, he says, because duplex steel has a superior strength- to-weight ratio. Thus the weight reduction performance advantage of the lighter cableless sails is mostly preserved. The Reckmann furlers’ unique Real Time Adjuster, which allows a crew to adjust stay tension under sail, has also been preserved. Two other Reckmann furlers complete the set for SW9603. The CZ-8 code zero furler is a below deck- mounted, hydraulic turning padeye. ‘Its compact design and light weight makes it ideal for all code zero and light-wind furling purposes,’ Schuldt says. ‘And because of its high furling speed even extremely large sails can be furled very fast.’ Excellent corrosion resistance allows it to be mounted in a yacht’s anchor locker and Reckmann supplies a very wide range of stay connectors.
example of this is the recent advances in sail technology such as Doyle’s Cableless code sails and Structured Luff headsails, and North Sails’ Helix. These innovations are real game-changers not just in terms of performance, dramatically reducing luff sag and cutting weight aloft while improving the luff’s projection to windward; they also make the sails easier for the crew to handle on deck. However, they also change the way tack, halyard and forestay loads are transferred. Both of the yachts currently in build at Southern Wind – SW96 hull number three and SW105 number four – will be using structured luff headsails and cableless staysails.
‘The owner loves his racing and the choice was obvious to us,’ says, Riccardo Benoni, captain of SW9603. ‘The advantages are to reduce the sag of the headsails, broaden the true wind angle usage of code sails and lastly but more important to reduce the load, hence the weight of the mast.’
Different solutions were required for upwind and downwind sails. ‘A cableless gennaker will have less combined load on the tack line,’ Dabbadie explains. ‘We could engineer the bow or bowsprit to be lighter but we prefer to give full flexibility to the owner, making it possible to retrofit a conventional sail. Therefore the engineering will be made to consider a higher load.’
Above right: launched in response to the growing popularity of cableless headsails, Reckmannʼs new UD-4sctc furling gear is made of high grade duplex stainless steel and engineered to cope with three-times more tack load than a regular Reckmann UD-4 furler without being significantly heavier than the standard model. Using a cableless genoa on a Southern Wind 96
transfers nine tonnes of load from the forestay to the furlerʼs tack swivel
For the headsails it was a bit more complex. ‘On a structured luff jib the combined load of stay and tack also comes down but we differentiate between the forestay and jib tack,’ Dabbadie says. ‘The forestay load decreases but for safety reasons and to allow the possibility to fit a normal sail, we keep the engineering and construction for a normal stay load. The tack load of a structured luff jib actually increases a lot, so we are upsizing the engineering and hydraulic cylinders. Our philosophy is to allow full flexibility and safety instead of chasing the couple of kilos that could be gained there.’ The massive increase in tack load required major changes to the Reckmann furlers used in SWS’s standard rig packages, which spurred Reckmann to develop a new model for structured luff sails: the UD-4sctc. ‘The load on the standard tack slider is around two to three tonnes with a conventional sail,’ says Reckmann chief executive Marcus Schuldt. ‘The cableless genoa transfers nine tonnes of load from the forestay to the furler’s tack swivel.’ With many other clients expected to start using the new sail technology in the near future, Reckmann had to figure out how to build furlers that were more than three times stronger – and fast. The standard tack slider was duly redesigned and beefed up, but further refinements were needed. ‘We have used high-grade duplex
The staysail, meanwhile, is set on a Reckmann SF-15s furler – a combination of a turning padeye and a hydraulic stay tensioner. ‘The self- aligning deck suspension allows a flush deck installation and avoids bending loads on the extended piston,’ Schuldt explains. A strong hydraulic brake stops the sail from unfurling on its own and a removable stay connector with a quick release pin enables faster sail changes. ‘I’m excited to see the efficiency of the cableless staysail in strong wind,’ says the captain of 9603. ‘Often on a conventional rig this sail has high sag ratio but with the cableless technology we should have a nice blade-shaped sail.’
SW9603 will soon be delivered through the Roaring Forties to Sydney, then on to New Zealand where her owner, captain and crew are due to defend their title in the Millennium Cup. After that, it’s either a tour of the South East Asian regattas and some cruising on the way, or a cold-water cruise to Alaska and the Transpacific Race in 2022. Meanwhile, the Reckmann team is working up a larger version of their new structured luff headsail furler for the next SWS yacht in build, the fourth Southern Wind 105. ‘Reckmann furlers are not the cheapest but they offer the best value for money,’ Schuldt says. ‘Most superyachts trust in their reliability, performance and durability. The gears are rock solid, long lasting and require very little maintenance.’
www.reckmann.com
q SEAHORSE 67
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