Technology
from the outset. ‘We started with a nearly year-long CFD study of the hull and rig,’ he says. ‘One result of which was a much bigger mizzen than originally planned. ‘A yacht of that size would
normally have headstay loads of around 45 tons,’ Zebny notes. ‘We pull 22 tons on the tack of the jib, which means the headstay load is dramatically reduced. Yet all the professionals involved with the project have commented they have never seen so little headstay sag.’ Racing Maximus, according to
the skipper, is like handling ‘two large sloops round the track with soft sails flying off both rigs’. The race crew of 35 earn their keep. ‘In anything under 12kts of
breeze, we don’t even use snuffers on the spinnakers,’ Zebny adds. ‘It is fun to watch about 1900 sq m of spinnaker come down in a conventional drop.’ Luke Molloy, the third apex in the
triangle at Doyle Sails Palma, has ushered the Wally 93 Bullitt through a full Structured Luff conversion with similar success to the Leopard 3 and WinWin experiences. Not long after launching, Bullitt
was stranded by the Covid pandemic and spent a couple of years tied up in a Barcelona marina. While she was going nowhere, rival yachts like Leopard 3, Magic Carpet, Galatea and Open Season (now Spirit of Malouen X) were all busy upgrading. But, when Andrea Recordati,
70 SEAHORSE
commodore of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, bought Bullitt, he immediately set about catching up. ‘The boat was originally specced
for standard sails,’ says Molloy. ‘As part of the refit we worked with Judel/Vrolijk, mast designer Steve Wilson and the people at Carbo-Link to accommodate a Doyle Sails Structured Luff inventory. ‘By upgrading the tack cunningham and the halyard lock on the mast, we reduced the forestay load by about 60 per cent and transferred most of that into the headsail luff, with impressive results. ‘Bullitt is now fully competitive
upwind but there is some room for improvement downwind. She would benefit from a taller rig, but we have been working really hard on the spinnaker designs to find the sweet spot between downwind sail area versus rating.’ On one of her first post-refit
outings, Bullitt won the 2023 Rolex Middle Sea Race and, remarkably, even pushed the larger Leopard 3 all the way round the track for line honours. Storm damage prevented Bullitt from defending her Middle Sea Race title in 2024 but she had the consolation of winning the Barcelona Maxi Regatta later in the year. This year Bullitt’s plans are to
cross the Atlantic for the RORC Caribbean 600 series, the Nelson’s Cup regatta and a maxi series in the British Virgin Isles. Molloy will also return to the 52
Above: the Wally 93 Bullitt has been through a complete conversion to Structured Luff sails, with excellent results since then on the regatta circuit
Super Series this year. Having won the 2024 ORC world championship with Interlodge, he will continue racing on the same boat under new ownership with Vitamina colours. Also on Luke Molloy’s busy 2025 calendar is working with the crew of the Botin 56 Black Pearl on their performance and sail package for the revived Admiral’s Cup. For somebody who early in his
career was a very reluctant offshore yachtsman – ‘I didn’t like it and wondered what it was all about’ – Molloy’s annual race commitments continue to add prodigious sea mileage to the two Volvo Ocean Races he completed in 2005 and 2018. Safe to say he has well and truly figured out what it is all about. These and other high profile
results-driven campaigns, which showcase the unique advantages of Doyle Sails, continue to draw interest fromthemuch larger population of yachts of all sizes and ambitions passing through Palma and other lofts in the worldwide network. Increasingly they want to share in the benefits, placing growing demands on service and sales. Since Scott Zebny joined the
Palma loft at the end of 2019, he has watched the operation triple in size and turnover. ‘We have expanded into another building but already we need more people and more space,’ he says. ‘It is a nice problem to have …’
www.doylesails.com
❑
OSCAR TORVEO
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 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110
