State-of-the-art solar power, wind and water generators have transformed the efficiency of alternative power sources. Can we say goodbye to diesel? Rupert Holmes investigates

Imagine a future in which there is never any need to fill up with diesel, buy gas, or top up water tanks and the only constraints are those of needing to stock up with food and maintenance of the boat itself.

It’s a scenario that’s much closer than many realise. The past decade has seen an accelerating pace of change, with technologies that appealed only to a minority, or were prohibitively expensive, now firmly entering the mainstream.

It’s already more than five years since the first of Gideon Goudsmit’s 44ft African Cat cruising catamarans sailed from South Africa to the Netherlands without using fossil fuel, even for cooking, watermaking and hot water.

Although many would baulk at the boat’s 80-mile range under power, this is not a quirky vessel in any other respect – it’s a spacious, fully fitted-out, comfortable cruising catamaran with a high level of equipment. In addition to solar and wind generators providing electrical power for the lightweight design, the boat’s electric propulsion motors were configured to be used as generators when under sail.

And it was by no means the first to do this. When Francis Joyon set the fastest time for a solo circumnavigation in 2007/8, his 80ft trimaran IDEC ll did not have a diesel generator. Similarly, Raphael Dinelli completed the 2008/9 Vendée Globe race without using any fossil fuel.

While few owners aspire to this level of self-sufficiency, incorporating some of these ideas can improve reliability and convenience for more conventional yachts, and may also reduce costs. Perhaps the most persuasive reason of all to fit additional means of generating power is that the presence of multiple charging systems improves a boat’s reliability by introducing a degree of redundancy – if one system fails much of the charging capacity remains intact.

Combining several different technologies can also balance the pros and cons of different power sources.

Thin film solar

A new development that could be the answer to the African Cat’s short range under its electric motors is extremely flexible giant solar panels that can be attached to sails, or even incorporated into the laminate. The durability of this technology was demonstrated at the end of last year by Daniel Ecalard, who used a pair of 3m² panels near the head of his mainsail to provide the electrical needs of his Open 50, Defi Martinique, during last year’s Route du Rhum race.

During the race the system stood up to a gale in the Bay of Biscay, in which ten per cent of the fleet retired, and survived the 25-day Atlantic crossing, during which Ecalard logged 4,677 miles, intact.

The system, named PowerSails, was developed by Alain Janet, owner of UK Sailmakers France. Each square metre of the panel is capable of generating 100 watts and, according to Janet, does not need direct sunlight to generate electricity: “In fact, the panels on the sail opposite the sun will generate 30-40 per cent of their maximum output with the indirect and reflected light,” he says.

These panels are made from film that’s 65 microns thick and weighs 100 grammes per square metre. This technology can also be used in other applications – a cockpit bimini shade, for instance, that could generate 1kW on a 50ft yacht.

Prices start at around £700 per square metre of panel, though this is expected to fall as production increases.

Mainstream markets

Janet has produced sails for a Dehler 39 in which a sizeable solar panel is laminated to the mainsail. The technology has also been harnessed by production boatbuilder Arcona, which has announced a version of its 38-footer equipped with an electric engine/regenerating system, sails with solar panels and a big bank of lithium ion batteries.

The boat debuted to great acclaim at this year’s Helsinki boat show, where it won the boat of the show award.

The solar panels in the mainsail are of sufficient size to generate an average of 1,000 watts of power, and the boat has a further 1,000 watts of solar panels. This is sufficient to drive it at four knots under power during daylight hours without taking any charge from the batteries.

Solar power

Almost every aspect of this sector has seen enormous development over the past decade, with worldwide installed capacity having grown by 3,000 per cent since 2005. The resulting economies of scale mean prices have tumbled, while funds are continuing to pour into research and development.

Panels are becoming progressively more efficient, with the best commercially available units now having an efficiency of around 25 per cent, although double that has been achieved in laboratory conditions.

At the moment the thin film panels mentioned above are around 12-14 per cent efficient, but in the future we can expect all types of solar panel to become smaller in area for a given output.

In addition, today’s panels are less susceptible to output drops when in partial shade and give good performance in cloudy conditions. This makes mounting panels on the coachroof, rather than a cumbersome gantry, an increasingly viable option.

Currently solar sells for a very wide range of prices, with most marine grade panels priced from around £200 to well over £500 per 100 watts.

Solar Pros:

√         Improving technology with reducing prices

√         Suitable for a wide variety of boats and conditions

√         Proven ‘fit and forget’ reliability

Cons

x         Many boats have insufficient space for a enough conventional solar panels

Hydro generators

The transom-mounted generators, such as those produced by Watt & Sea, originally came to prominence in the IMOCA 60 fleet, with the 2008 Vendée Globe race used as a gruelling testbed for the prototypes. They are capable of producing large amounts of power with minimal drag and can be lifted clear of the water when not in use.

The company’s cruising units are rated at either 300 or 600 watts, depending on the model chosen. The larger of these produces 120 watts of power amps at just five knots of boat speed, rising to more than 250 watts at 7.5 knots.

Over a 24-hour period that represents a significant amount of power that could alone run the majority of systems aboard many 50-60ft yachts, including watermakers, pilots, lights, electronics, refrigeration and water heating.

On the downside, hydro generators are relatively expensive compared with solar and wind generators, with Watt & Sea’s prices starting at a little over £3,000. Moreover, they are potentially vulnerable to damage when docking. The latter can be a particular problem in the Mediterranean, where most mooring is stern to the dock.

The Sail-Gen from Eclectic Energy (from £2,000) or the towed Aquair (a little over £1,000) from Ampair are more economic, though less convenient, alternatives.

Another option is a hybrid drive system with a regenerating function via the boat’s main propeller. Advantages include an absence of peripheral parts attached to the transom that may be susceptible to damage, or detract from a yacht’s aesthetics.

Pros:

√         High power output

√         Impressively low drag

Cons:

x         Transom-mounted types are expensive

x         Vulnerable to damage

x         Only works when the boat is underway

x         Impeller of transom-mounted models may leave the water if boat is pitching in a head sea

x         Towed type difficult to deploy and recover

Methanol fuel cells

These small, lightweight units have many attractions for use on board. Most are designed to monitor battery state constantly and automatically start charging once the voltage falls to 12.2V. They are almost silent in operation, with carbon dioxide and water the only exhaust products.

Output ranges from around 3 to 9 amps and more than one unit can be used to achieve higher charge rates. Given that a fuel cell can, in theory, run for 24 hours a day – unlike a marine diesel generator, which is more usually used for only two or three hours – a fuel cell can pump out a useful amount of power, despite the low amp hour rating.

On the other hand the long-term cost of ownership is a drawback. With retail prices of around £2,300-5,000 they are relatively expensive to buy, although installation costs are minimal. Additionally, the platinum catalyst has a finite life of around 5-8,000 hours. As this is by far the most expensive element, it’s clear that fuel cells aren’t yet up to providing power 365 days a year for long-term use.

A further problem is with the fuel, which to achieve the purity required is expensive and generally only available from specific outlets.

At the moment it looks as though fuel cells have more cons than pros for many yachts, although there are some circumstances in which they may make sense. For instance, they are popular on long-distance short-handed raceboats. A fuel cell may also be useful on a boat with a hydro generator that is self-sufficient on power while on passage, but may need an occasional boost when at anchor for long periods to supplement solar and wind charging.

Pros:

√         Unobtrusive, clean and quiet

√         Easy installation

Cons

x         Long-term ownership and operating costs

x         Fuel not universally available

Wind generators

For several decades these were de rigueur for serious cruising yachts. On paper a decent-sized unit is capable of generating the entire needs of a 45-50ft yacht. However, they also have a number of drawbacks, the most commonly cited being noise and vibration in strong winds.

In addition, most cruising routes maximise time spent sailing downwind, which reduces apparent wind strength, which in turn dramatically reduces the output of a wind generator. Similarly, generating power in many anchorages can also be problematic, as the very shelter sought by the skipper also means that wind speed is generally significantly reduced.

Nevertheless, wind generators can be useful in some circumstances; the important thing is simply to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.

Prices range from small units producing just four amps or so for less than £400 to upwards of £2,000, although for most medium to large yachts £1,400-1,900 will buy a suitable system.

Pros:

√         Capable of producing plenty of power in a strong breeze

Cons:

x         Noisy and creates vibration

x         Output severely reduced in sheltered anchorages and when sailing downwind

x         Can be bulky and cumbersome

Typical daily power outputs

Typical power inputs for 12V systems (divide the ah figures by 2 for 24V systems)

Solar

Assuming the panels are mounted in an unshaded position, each 100W of rated capacity can be expected to produce, on average, around 33ah of charge per day during the UK summer.

Hydro generators

For a yacht averaging 150 miles per day (6.25 knots), Watt & Sea’s 300W cruising model will produce around 175ah per day. This rises to around 275ah per day at an average speed of seven knots, but falls to 120ah per day at five knots average.

Wind generators

These have by far the biggest range of potential outputs, with many units averaging less than ten per cent of their rated output over a full year. That would equate to a mean of around 50ah per day for a model with blades of around 1.2m diameter.

However, there are few average days and a 24-hour period with steady 15-knot breeze would see the same unit produce more than 100ah per day. In a 25-knot wind it would be 500ah.

Fuel cells

The daily output of fuel cells is very predictable. For example, a model rated at 5 amps would produce 120ah per day, if run constantly for 24 hours.

It’s worth noting that, as the catalyst nears the end of its life this figure will tend to reduce.

Battery monitors

The more complex a yacht’s systems, with multiple power inputs and outputs, the harder it is to keep track of the battery state. However, a properly calibrated battery state monitor will measure all the power flows in and out of each battery bank. This makes it easy to keep track of power consumed and keep charge levels above the 50 per cent of battery capacity needed to ensure good battery life.

Reducing power requirements

Despite the increasing complexities of many of today’s yachts, new technologies mean that power requirements are steadily reducing in many cases. Whereas only a
few years ago the accommodation of a quality 60ft cruiser might have been lit by 400W of halogen bulbs, low-power LEDs can reduce that by 90 per cent.

Despite their growing size, TVs can now draw less power than a couple of 12V lights did a decade ago. Similarly, tablets and smartphones are increasingly used for activities that not so long ago could only be done with a power-hungry laptop.

Pragmatic solutions for cruisers

For most yachts it’s worth combining a number of different types of technology, depending on how you sail and where. Here are some options for a range of different scenarios:

1. Cruising in Northern Europe

Despite a reputation for inclement weather, solar power can be a very viable option here, thanks to long daylight hours and relatively cool temperatures. The latter may sound counter-intuitive, but the efficiency of solar panels reduces at higher temperatures.

Whether wind power is worthwhile may depend on where you’re planning to sail and the time of year. In mid-summer in the southern half of the UK, for instance, the wind is typically less than ten knots for 50 per cent of the time, so wind generators are of limited use. However, in western Scotland towards the end of the season you could generate plenty of power, which would compensate for the reduced solar output.

With the longest passages most yachts will make being 300-400 miles, a hydro generator is likely to be of less use than for boats making longer voyages. An exception might be for those planning to spend a lot of time at anchor and who therefore value the ability to arrive at an anchorage with batteries fully charged.

2. Mediterranean cruising

While many marina-based yachts, with ready access to shorepower, in the western Med appear to have been slow to adopt solar power, the opposite is true in the eastern Mediterranean where there are increasingly few privately owned yachts without an array of panels.

As an example, Alan and Deborah Mackenzie’s Lagoon 410 catamaran, based in the north-west Aegean, has three 100W semi-flexible panels. This has proved fractionally too small for their needs – to power a fridge, freezer, powerful fans and a 19in TV/DVD in addition to the boat’s systems. They plan to solve this with an additional panel.

Owners of monohulls tend to be more restricted by the space available to mount panels, although the new thin-film panels clearly offer a wider range of options. Given the relatively short distances most yachts travel on each passage, the same considerations regarding a hydro generator in northern Europe apply here.

Equally, in most parts of the Med, wind power is not viable for much of the time.

3. Caribbean

Here it would be easy to assume that solar is the best option. However, while it can certainly be useful, as the main sailing season is winter, when daylight hours are restricted, daily output is smaller than many owners expect. Given that the islands are in the tradewind belt, wind generators stand to produce a good output here.

4. Tradewind passagemaking

Here it’s clear that hydro generators (or power generation via a hybrid drive) have advantages and can deliver a good charge. Wind power, however, makes less sense for tradewind sailing, owing to the reduction in apparent wind speed when sailing downwind.

The output of solar will also suffer from the restricted number of daylight hours on a typical east to west Atlantic crossing. There are, however, more factors in favour of solar on a west to east crossing, as it is likely to be at a higher latitude – with more daylight.

5. World cruising

If you’re going further afield combining as many options as possible will yield the best rates of charging over a wide range of conditions. This is exactly the route taken by Jimmy Cornell, founder of the ARC, whose new Garcia 45 is fitted with solar, a Sail-Gen water turbine from Eclectic Energy and a wind turbine.

The water generator will create 50W of power at four knots of boat speed, rising rapidly to more than 250W at 7.5 knots. The wind turbine, from the same company, is also a high-power model, with a 1.1 metre rotor diameter, producing approximately 100W in 15 knots of wind, rising to 235W in 22 knots.

For more information:

www.africancats.com

www.sunware.de

www.solarclothsystem.com

www.wattandsea.com

www.efoy.co.uk

Eclectic Energy: www.duogen.co.uk

www.oceanvolt.com

www.ampair.com

www.hybrid-marine.co.uk

www.victronenergy.com

This is an extract from the June 2015 issue of Yachting World

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A cool 60-footer with a lift-keel and plenty of panache, the Black Pepper Code 2 is the new flagship of this Nantes-based French range

Match a spicy, aesthetics-led brand with a gifted designer and the result is this sensationally cool Black Pepper Code 2 60-footer. Although she may not offer the minimalist, go-anywhere prospect of a Django or Pogo, Black Pepper’s latest creation is still a fast lift-keel cruiser. And she has more than her fair share of sheer panache.

Like the smaller yachts in the Black Pepper range, the Code 2 uses a traditional-style doghouse and teak decks juxtaposed with a very modern, beamy hull shape to arresting effect.

The slight reverse sheer appeals particularly – this is fast becoming a signature look for designer Marc Lombard.

Twelve of the original Black Pepper Code 0 daysailers are now sailing and racing, and the all-carbon Code 1 weekender launched last year. This new flagship Code 2 is a 60ft racer-cruiser, “influenced by IMOCA 60 designs,” says Black Pepper’s founder Michel Douville de Fanssu.

Despite her high-end luxury daysailer appearance, Douville de Fanssu thinks clients will be most interested in offshore racing. Presumably their pockets will also be deep enough to include top foulweather kit.

Black Pepper’s range is built in Nantes. The Code 2 is made in carbon epoxy sandwich and will weigh around 10 tonnes. Her 4.6m lifting keel helps provide the deep draught needed to support 410m² of downwind sail area – plus there is 1,500lt of water ballast each side (the equivalent of having a rugby team on the rail).

Like the other French designs shown here, sheets are led to inboard winches, abaft the cockpit benches. So beamy is the Code 2 in the after sections that the central area between the rudder stocks lifts like the boot of a car to reveal a tender garage below.

Below decks she looks every bit the luxury weekend cruiser, including, notably, three heads.

Price on application. www.blackpepper.fr

Dimensions

LOA 17.50m/57ft 5in

Beam 5.30m/17ft 5in

Displacement 10,000kg/22,046lb

Draught 1.76-4.6m/5ft 9in-15ft 1in

This is an extract from the June 2015 issue of Yachting World

The post Introducing the spicy new Black Pepper Code 2 60ft fast lifting-keel cruiser appeared first on Yachting World.

Two yards in Brittany with a history of building Mini Transat yachts are producing fast cruisers for short-handed sailing. Toby Hodges introduces the Pogo 36, Django 9.80 and Django 12.70

If you are looking for a cruising yacht that will rapidly take you to far away places in a safe and reliable manner, it would make sense to consider the yards that build offshore raceboats.

Pogo and Django don’t just share strange names, but follow similar philosophies. Their experience in building strong, yet lightweight ocean racing yachts also forms the backbone to their fast cruising lines.

Both companies are based near Concarneau in Brittany, France, with a history of building ‘Minis’, or Mini Transat 6.50 class yachts. Pogo produces the dominant series for this discipline, as well as for the Class 40 fleet.

These yards, Pogo Structures and Marée Haute, produce strong builds, finished with simple, minimalist interiors, with an emphasis on stability, safety, speed and functionality. The fact that their racing boats are designed to sail solo or short-handed means that features are also carried over to benefit their cruising lines.

A potent new Pogo

The Pogo 36 looks like an absolute weapon, a Class 40 scaled-down to a high-speed cruiser that will weigh a mere 3.6 tonnes.

The masculine looks may be off-putting to some, but for those with a penchant for speed or short-handed cruising (or both) the renderings of this new 36 will make you as excited as a school kid in a tuck shop queue. She doesn’t even launch until 2016, but already tops my wishlist of new yachts to sail.

I was impressed with the formidable Pogo 30 and the 36 looks like a larger, more powerful sibling, with tricks learned from Pogo’s recent Class 40 S3. Winches are sited on the coachroof, just like the 30, to keep a clean cockpit. And the combination of twin tillers and deep lift keel illustrate her mix of sporty potential and cruising versatility.

The 36 will replace the 10.50, which was the first fast, lift-keel cruiser from Pogo – she launched in 2006 and 76 have been built. Designer Finot Conq has given the 36 more rocker and thinks her performance should be better in light breeze. The mast is positioned further aft and carries a square-top main.

The coachroof is long to maintain headroom forward, allowing the option of three cabins with a forward heads. Finot Conq has given this the stealth bomber treatment, a look piloted by the JPK 1080 and Sabrosa Class 40. Not only do those right-angled windows give her a mean, aerodynamic look, but provide forward viewing from the navstation or saloon.

Projected launch is early next year and a price has yet to be confirmed, although it’s thought to be similar to the 10.50.

Price ex VAT likely to be from €132,500 (£95,346). www.pogostructures.com

Dimensions

LOA 10.86m/35ft 8in

Beam 4.00m/13ft 1in

Displacement 3,600kg/7,937lb

Draught 2.8-1.1m/9ft 2in-3ft 7in

Takes two to Django

Like Pogo, the roots of the Django line lie in the Mini Transat. The yard started in 2004 with the launch of the Dingo 1, a series-built 6.50 Mini designed by Pierre Rolland.

Current clients of its cruising range like to sail off the beaten track. The first new 12.70, for example, will sail to Patagonia, where a Django 7.70 owner already cruises. And another Django owner is sailing to every French island on the globe over three years.

It was the launch of the first Django 7.70 five years ago that put this name on the fast cruising map. I sailed the 6.70, a cruising version of a Mini, and was impressed by her space, speed and simplicity.

The strong, lightweight infusion builds, together with shoal draught keel options has ensured the company has a loyal following.

Django 9.80 – family cruiser

This versatile yacht offers fixed, swing and twin keels – 80 per cent of Django 7.70 owners reportedly chose twin keels for drying out, says Marée Haute’s sales manager Luc Le Pape: “In stronger winds you win with twin keels – it has the same stability, but more inertia. So you pass through the waves with more comfort and a smoother ride.”

The beam of the 9.98 affords good accommodation in three double cabins, plus generous stowage aft. The mainsheet traveller is abaft the rudder shafts to free up the cockpit, and she looks easy and fun to sail at speed short-handed.

Price ex VAT €115,000 (£82,753) for the standard 1.95m fixed keel version

Dimensions

LOA 9.80m/32ft 2in

LWL 9.80m/32ft 2in

Beam 3.60m/11ft 10in

Draught 1.95m/6ft 5in

Django 12.70 – fast bluewater cruiser

The first Django 12.70, also due for launch in July, is sailing to Patagonia, hence the protection from this fixed-roof option. The option for a mainsheet arch is also provided, as is the choice of a fixed or swing keel.

The swing keel allows her the ability to dry out with the addition of beaching legs, which attach to the chainplates.

The 12.70 is built in infusion sandwich with strict attention to weight distribution. The anchor locker is located abaft the foredeck, for example, to keep chain weight central and reduce pitching. The interior layout is kept open and flexible.

Price ex VAT from €240,000 (£173,000). www.mareehaute.fr

Dimensions

LOA 12.46m/40ft 11in

LWL 12.16m/39ft 11in

Beam 4.35m/14ft 3in

Draught 2.2m/7ft 3in

Displacement 6,500kg/14,330lb

This is an extract from the June 2015 issue of Yachting World

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The C&C 30 strikes a good balance between performance and handling, believes Matthew Sheahan. She’s a fast ride, but without the jitters

Today, going like the clappers downwind is easy; anyone can do it. But there are two basic approaches: there is eye-watering, fixed-grin, backside-twitchingly quick, with the boat balanced on a knife edge, and there’s clocking the same numbers without the jitters.

In the latter case the boat knows where to go and encourages you to follow by gradually loading the helm as if starting a friendly arm wrestle. Push her too far and you’ll still end up on your ear, but at least you will have had plenty of warning.

Developing a balance between performance and handling has been a tough nut to crack. How do you produce slender, high-lift foils with minimal drag without creating a lifting surface that operates like the flick of a switch? Such binary hydrodynamic behaviour has taxed modern yacht designers for years, but the lessons learned aboard the big boys’ VO70s, mini maxis and TP52s, among others, have been filtering down into the smaller size ranges.

Then there’s the issue of deck layouts and control line systems. Again, the big guns have led the way with innovative details and devices to help crews change gear from the weather rail as they hike over the guardwires.

But not everything that has filtered down has been appropriate. Just as the complexity and power of a modern F1 racing car makes it impossible to pull away without stalling for anyone other than a seasoned racing driver, so not all the high technology aboard professionally run grand-prix machines works for the rest of us.

Striking the balance is the key. And that’s where the Mark Mills-designed C&C30 stands out in the new breed of 30ft raceboats.

This is a design that takes the best bits of modern high performance and wraps them up with a deck layout that will look and feel familiar to a wide range of crews, yet launch them onto a new level of performance.

Technology where it’s needed

Throughout the boat it is clear that the strategy has been to employ technology where it makes a difference while keeping things simple elsewhere. The best example is the Hall Spars carbon mast supported by 1×19 Dyform wire rigging with ordinary T-terminals on the top and open-bodied bottlescrews at the bottom.

But there are plenty of other examples, from the simple hanks on the headsails to transverse genoa tracks and control lines fitted and run above decks with rope tidy bags. Even when lines do need to go under the deck to prevent crew from standing on them at crucial times, they do so through recessed channels in the deck, which are covered by easily removable lids.

Down below there’s a similarly practical approach. Sparse though her interior is, with little headroom thanks to the flush deck, she still has basic seating and cushions with the provision for hingeing pipecots, a heads and even a small galley should you wish to take her offshore. She has no mast jack, but she has a simple rigging screw-driven adjustable mast foot to allow you to alter the mast rake.

She’s easier to keep in the groove than others of her ilk

The C&C30 also has very few openings in the deck, a rarity aboard modern raceboats, which can look like pepper pots from the inside. Despite taking several waves over the foredeck on our downhill slide and a few thumps through the chop upwind, she had less than half a bucket of water in the bilges at the end of our test sail, most of which was shipped when a wave came over the bow just before the kite drop and the foredeck hatch was open.

Look a little closer and there are some very neat ideas, among them the non-retractable, but detachable bowsprit. This can be removed when the boat is at rest by untying the bobstay that runs from the bow to the tip of the sprit and back through its centre to emerge below, where it is attached to the main bulkhead. This allows the sprit to be pulled out of its socket and stowed.

Another clever detail is the constrictor lock for the main halyard, which is operated below decks, along with the halyard itself – simple and effective.

On deck the low-friction bullseye fairleads have been set up to allow cross sheeting of the genoa sheets, and the position of the primary winches make this system easy to use from the weather rail.

Overall the deck layout has been well thought out, with everything within easy reach. One particular detail is the ability for the mainsheet trimmer to move behind the helmsman on the downwind leg without having to thread the mainsheet under the tiller – handy when the breeze is up.

Easy to get on with

The C&C30 is a boat that is very easy to get on with so long as you let her talk you through where she wants to go. Unlike the superlight, almost neutral feel of many modern machines, the helm loads up significantly, but smoothly if you stray too far outside the sail trim envelope. As always, whether sailing upwind or down, fighting the helm is a cue to talk to your trimmers, but here the feedback is that bit clearer, which helps you to stay in the groove.

She doesn’t have such aggressive chines aft as other boats of her ilk and appears to carry less rocker here too. As a result, she tends not to squat down by the stern and lift her bow when you send her downwind. To get her to accelerate and stay on the plane you still need to press her to get around 5° of heel, but the transition is much smoother than others of this type.

Upwind feedback through the helm was clear and unequivocal

This can feel a little odd at first if you are more used to the bow-up trim of other downhill flyers. It also means you have to plan the gusts a little more carefully to avoid putting the handbrake on as you bear away.

But make no mistake, she’s quick. In 16-18 knots of true breeze we were sliding along at 14-16 knots with ease. Such relatively docile handling will inspire confidence, particularly with those making the transition from heavier, conventional boats to something a little more saucy.

And therein lies what I believe is the key to the C&C30; she’s a modest, manageable and practical package that is capable of a blistering performance.

It is inevitable that she will be compared with the Farr 280, especially as both boats were launched at around the same time. Broadly speaking, they look similar and have little to separate them on the technical spec sheets. With a basic price tag of US$137,390 ex works USA, the C&C30 is slightly more expensive, but in the same ball park.

But the best thing about this boat is that she’s another in the growing band of sporty 30-footers. All want to be tomorrow’s successful one-design, and maybe some of them will be, but in the meantime her arrival adds another model into this growing fleet of sportsboats. Everyone can go quickly downhill, it’s just how you choose to do it that is different. And now there’s even more choice.

The C&C30 takes the best of high-performance design, but with a clever, conventional-seeming deck layout

Vinylester/E Glass/foam core construction throughout. The structural grid includes carbon fibre. A 12hp Volvo inboard diesel engine is standard

A well laid-out cockpit makes the C&C30 easy to get to grips with. I felt the foot rest bars were a little too low to give good support, however

Unbolting the keel plate allows the 2.30m deep fin and bulb keel to be raised by 600mm to make it easier to trail the boat. She can also be lifted on a central point

The bowsprit can be removed easily when moored by detaching the bobstay that runs through the centre of the pole and into the boat. This also helps to prevent lines getting caught under the pole

No mast jack, but a simple rigging screw adjustment to move the mast heel forward and aft to rake the rig

Car control lines run under the deck to make crew movement easier and safer, but do so in covered recesses rather than running through the accommodation.

Specifications

LOA 9.15m/30ft 0in

Beam 3.00m/9ft 10in

Draught 2.30m/7ft 6in

Displacement 1,812kg/3,995lb

Sail area:

Upwind 59.51m²/640ft²

Downwind 152m²/1643ft²

IRC Rating 1.140

Price US$137,390 ex works, ex tax

Designed by Mark Mills

Built by C&C Yachts, Bristol,RI, USA

UK/Europe agent Checkmate Sailing www.checkmatesailing.com

This is an extract from a feature in June Yachting World

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We know about their use in war zones and for aerial photography, but drones could be used to assist a man overboard or deliver a spare part. Toby Hodges looks at the new types of drone and their uses

Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), made their name through widespread (and controversial) use by military forces over the past two decades. Outside the military, however, a drone’s primary benefit, aerial photography, has meant their popularity has skyrocketed in civilian circles, where they are primarily used for producing film or using the imagery for inspection purposes.

So far it has been for photography that drones have mostly been used in sailing. They have given us a new angle on yachts under sail, the type of close-up aerial footage a helicopter can’t manage – drone footage from the current Volvo Ocean Race has been particularly impressive.

The downsides? Although great for media and high-profile team training, drone photography can be costly, risky and annoying for other sailors in the vicinity.

Dongfeng Racing used a DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Hero4 to capture great shots in the Volvo Ocean Race

However, some new quadcopter-type drones are coming onto the market now which may put them more into the mainstream sailor’s focus. These include the first waterproof model, another that flies autonomously to film your every move, and one that can drop a lifesaving device to a casualty in the water.

How drones and water can mix

One of the main problems with drones used for sailing photography is that they don’t mix with water. One mistake or problem at sea and you stand to lose not only the drone, but the camera it’s carrying.

The Lily cam (below) could address this when it launches next year. It is the first throw-and-shoot camera copter available. It’s a frighteningly futuristic-looking device that automatically follows and films its user. And it’s waterproof.

Another new drone to look out for is the Splash Drone. This is sure to be popular with sailing photographers as it will be the first fully waterproof unit, including a waterproof camera-carrying gimbal. And it floats.

In the Splash Drone and Ryptide, we will also see a couple of new types of payload release devices, which are of particular potential benefit to sailors.

Ryptide, for example, enables existing drones to carry a lifering to a swimmer or man overboard. Dutch students from Delft University of Technology, meanwhile, have developed an Ambulance Drone to deliver a defibrillator to the scene of a heart attack. And one of the initial goals of the Splash Drone was to be able to ignite and carry a flare to attract attention.

Riptide’s auto-inflating liferigh on a Phantom drone

While a pyrotechnic flare and an aerial robot might not perhaps be the best partners, the benefit of flying an electronic flare is obvious.

Add to that the ability simply to deliver a spare part or cold beer to another yacht, without having to pump up the inflatable and you start to imagine many possibilities.

What are drones used for?

Commercial drones are already used for increasingly varied purposes, from inspecting or surveying roofs, pipelines and building sites, to collecting data from fires or crime scenes.

They were used in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake – as well as bringing devastating images – and the American Red Cross says drones are one of the most promising new technologies for disaster response and relief.

Although drones are already proving valuable in circumstances that are dangerous for relief workers or in search and rescue operations, they are still fragile items and can risk injuring people. A Swiss company is developing the Gimball, which uses a roll-cage to make it the ‘world’s first collision-proof drone’. The Gimball is reportedly easy to fly, can be used close to people and can fly indoors and in confined places (www.flyability.com).

Drones in homes are proving equally popular. It is thought that over a million domestic drones are already in use. Again their primary purpose is photography. Some have built-in cameras, some are designed to carry action cams such as GoPro, and some can carry payloads.

They are controlled using remote joysticks or via mobile devices using wi-fi. The promotional video for the self-flying Lily camera (see below), which shows it following a snowboarder and kayaker automatically, went viral when unveiled in mid-May. Lily arguably opens our eyes to the potential of domestic drones more than any other product thus far.

The future of drones

Understandably, the widespread use of drones has given rise to much debate about the safety of operating these flying robots, particularly around airports and busy airspace. And with the majority being used to shoot video, the subject of privacy is a very real concern.

“If your drone is under 20kg and you’re not using it for commercial reasons, then you still have some rules to follow,” says Matthew Sparkes, technology expert at the Daily Telegraph. “Anyone filming with a drone for their own purposes must avoid flying it within 150m of a congested area and 50m of a person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the pilot.”

It is possible to buy a basic drone to fly in your house for £30 from Amazon today, a company that, together with firms such as Google and Domino’s, is trialling the use of drones for delivering parcels. In the US, private commercial drones have to be used during daytime within line of sight of the operator, which currently rules out these delivery drones.

Google and Facebook are also developing solar-powered drones that can fly for years at a time at over 60,000ft above the Earth in a bid to make wireless internet totally global – a frightening thought.

The new drones

Lily

This is the world’s first ‘throw and shoot’ camera. Casually chuck it in the air and it will orient itself before following you around for 20 minutes, capturing the most incredible HD aerial footage, all automatically. It looks cool, if a little futuristic.

Lily flies itself and uses GPS and computer vision to track its user. It is compact, waterproof to 1m and fits in a backpack. The drone will follow the wearer of a wrist-mounted tracking device from 5ft-100ft away, up to 50ft in the air. The footage produced by a Lily for the company’s initial promotional video is awesome (viewed over four million times in the first week – see it here).

Lily will fly at up to 25mph and its maker advises its use in less than 15mph wind, so it won’t suit high-speed sailors. But for those interested in getting unique aerial footage of their yacht sailing, their adventures on board or their surroundings, Lily could be just the thing.

It will follow the user, take footage from in front and is capable of slow-motion pictures, at an impressive 1080P, or 360° loop views. Footage is streamed in low resolution and the device can record high-quality sound.

It will always fly above head level – just watch out for the rig. After 18-22 minutes’ flight time, Lily will let you know the battery is dying.

Price US$499 for those who pre-order, so it looks like impressive value. Retail price will be $999 from February 2016. www.lily.camera

Splash Drone

This is perhaps the most relevant new drone for sailors and sailing photographers, as it is the first fully waterproof quadcopter – and it floats. It is not only designed to carry a GoPro, but has a payload release feature for carrying and releasing other items, including safety gear.

“You will be able to deploy an emergency flare for 17 to 20 minutes at an altitude of 400ft,” Splash Drone’s founder Alex Rodriguez told us. “This will give you a much better chance of being seen in an emergency situation.”

Rodriguez developed Splash Drone specifically for sailors and watersports enthusiasts. He used Kickstarter crowdfunding with the aim of raising US$17,500 for the first production run. More than $300,000 was actually secured this April from 315 backers, a demonstration of the thirst for this gadgetry in the marine environment.

Like the Lily above, the Splash Drone has autonomous features, including a ‘follow me’ mode, and can return to base at the flick of a switch. It is controlled with a smartphone or a joystick remote controller and it provides a live video feed.

An LED alarm warns when the battery is getting low, before the device automatically lands safely. It comes in a case with radio control, GoPro waterproof housing, gimbal mount and payload release mechanism. Maximum speed is 25mph and flight time 17 minutes.

Price US$1,299. www.urbandrones.com

Project Riptide

The aim of Project Ryptide was to find more valuable uses for drones – ie, if a drone can carry a camera, it can carry a lifesaving device. This US high school project has now received funding through Kickstarter to develop lifesaving aids for swimmers caught in rips.

The students from Stamford, Connecticut, developed a drop mechanism to use with a range of drones for deploying an auto-inflating SOLAS-approved lifesaving ring. It is compatible with a variety of existing drones, including the DJI Phantom. Using the radio control, the lifering can be dropped next to a swimmer in distress, to provide 18kg of buoyancy.

The drop mechanism uses the same radio channel that is used to control a camera gimbal on many drones. Together with the two vinyl loops used for carrying the lifering, the system attaches quickly to a drone. Advanced systems have the ability to drop up to four rings.

As the big risk of using a drone at sea is the potentially expensive loss of the equipment, a secondary benefit of the Ryptide device is as a ‘drone preserver’. If a drone goes down, this could prevent it from sinking.

Prices start at $199. www.project-ryptide.com

Tips for choosing and flying a drone

(from those who have paid the price)

Photographer Richard Langdon is on his third Phantom 2 drone after losing two in the sea. The Phantom, by camera drone leaders DJI, is one of the most popular domestic drones available.

At around £750 for the drone and gimbal, plus the GoPro camera on top, that’s a four-figure loss each time. “It’s not a question of if, but when something will go wrong – drones are temperamental,” he says.

Jesús Renedo, also a photographer, agrees, having already lost three, but he puts it down to the ‘cost of learning’: “The last one flew away in a marina full of wi-fi networks – I believe it was due to a breaking up connection with the transmitter because of the networks.”

Marine photographers typically only use drones for video. Types vary from quadcopters costing three figures carrying GoPro cameras to high-end types of £20,000 or more that can take an SLR camera on a gimballed platform.

For good photography drone users need to be able to negate vibration and turbulence, hence pros use stabilised gimbals for the camera. The overriding advice is that practice makes perfect. Doing this at home with a cheap model is best for complete novices.

“They are very easy to fly,” maintains Langdon, “but you have to be very organised with batteries, waterproof cases, etc. And w hen flying in particular you have to be spatially aware – it is very hard to judge mast heights, and easy to hit sails, etc. It takes a lot of practice to know where it is.”

Jesús Renedo agrees: “Practice a lot far away from the water until you know it very well. And assume you are going to lose it – if you are not 100 per cent sure everything is OK, don’t fly it!”

Other drones to consider

Phantom 3 Advanced

This is the latest Phantom model, over 500,000 of which have sold from the largest producer of camera drones, DJI. This latest model takes photography and flying capability to a new level for its price. It includes a 1080P HD 12MP camera, which is integrated on a stabilised gimbal. And you get live HD viewing, up to 1.2 miles away, through the dedicated remote controller.

Price £899. www.dji.com

Parrot Bebop

This looks a good lightweight model to keep aboard, one that bridges the gap between toy and pro camera drone. The Bebop allows you to control it and view the 1080P resolution footage from a tablet or smartphone. It has an emergency landing and return-home feature, but provides only ten minutes of flight time.

Price £429.99. www.parrot.com

For some superb video of and from drones go to Toby Hodges’s blog

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Adam Gosling and designer John Corby revamped the classic 36ft racer Mustang Sally to turn her into the 12th Yes!

New life breathed into the classic 36ft racer

Adam Gosling likes to win. Over the past 25 years he has competed at every Cowes Week and won his class on 12 occasions, three times winning Black Group overall. He has succeeded at international level too, winning the highly competitive Etchells World Championship in 1996 with Olympians Mark Covell and David Howlett as crew. His contact list includes some of the best sailors in the world and he is married to double Gold medallist Sarah Webb, adding to an already enviable sailing network.

Gosling has the ability, focus, will and, to be blunt, the financial means to compete at pretty much any level he should choose. Yet given all this, Gosling has a disarmingly down-to-earth approach to his sailing.

While others might commission complex one-offs or undertake major reconfigurations of large grand-prix racers to chase prestigious silverware in the glamorous headline-grabbing classes, Gosling bought an 18-year-old, tired-looking, well-used 36ft boat and fitted a new rig and sailplan. Two months later he walked away with the top trophy at Cowes 2013, and all for half the price of a new boat. This is how he did it.

He began by choosing a designer with whom he had worked and sailed with for a number of years and who has a long and successful track record in IRC racing. Designer John Corby has not only proved that he can create fast boats straight off the drawing board, but also that he can breathe new life into earlier models. In recent years Corby has been busy refurbishing his older raceboats with such success that they have been reclaiming the podium.

Gosling’s latest Yes!, his 12th boat bearing that name, was one of Corby’s early successes. Originally named Mustang Sally, she was a ground-breaking, loophole-busting, trophy magnet in the early days of IRC. But while this 36-footer claimed the silverware and headlines in the mid nineties – she scored 33 firsts from 53 starts in her first season – she was not popular with the IRC rule administrators.

Corby had exploited a weakness in the rule whereby heavy displacement was seen as slow when compared with the modern lightweight flyers. She may have been heavy, but there was nothing slow about Mustang Sally’s hull shape which, as has been proved 18 years later, was both modern and ahead of her time. Putting a heavy bulb keel on a slinky modern hull generated large amounts of unmeasured righting moment and hence power.

What is perhaps most extraordinary about the reworking of this modern racing classic is that only the rig and sailplan were changed. Her hull, deck and underwater appendages are original, with one exception: the keel was changed in 2005 and refaired to a different section in 2013.

“Adam’s previous boat was a 30-footer in which he’d won his class at Cowes three times and come 2nd once,” says Corby. “This time he wanted a boat that was slightly bigger so that his tactician, David Howlett, didn’t have to do the mainsheet. He also wanted a boat that would get into a bigger class at Cowes. On the other hand he didn’t want to be racing against boats like the King and Ker 40s. A 36-footer fitted the bill perfectly.

“We bought Mustang Sally in Kilrush last Easter. Given her state we knew it was going to be a daunting task to have her in the water 11 weeks later. We spent 2,500 man hours on reconfiguring her, yet this was still 2,000 hours less than building a new boat of the same size.” Another benefit of buying a second-hand boat was the age allowance that came with it, which Corby estimates is probably worth around a minute per hour.

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These photos of the André Hoek-designed Eagle 54 from the Netherlands show off her clean lines and luxury fittings, says Toby Hodges

Leonardo Yachts’ co-founder Melle Boersma sent us these first sailing pictures of their new Eagle 54. When I first saw them I presumed they were computer-enhanced renderings, but no, she really is that immaculately clean.

Running rigging and in-boom furling lines are all led back to the helm, cleverly hidden within the deck, with tail stowage in the coamings. There are hydraulic controls for vang and backstay tension, even for the jib car positioning, all operable from the helm.

The 54 joins Dutch-based Leonardo Yachts’ growing range of luxury daysailers, which includes a 36 and 44 designed by Dykstra Naval Architects. Take a peek at the dimensions or accommodation plan for the Eagle and you quickly understand the ethos of the boat.

She gives away 20ft alone in overhangs – now that’s luxury! The Eagle’s lines perhaps reflect how much time Hoek has spent working on J Class yachts recently.

Where the Eagle differs from a J, however, is that she promises to be a delight on the wheel, thanks to her combination of modern build and appendages. Her composite construction, with foam-cored epoxy hull and deck, results in an extremely light displacement of just nine tonnes. Moreover, her thin-chord T-keel and high-aspect fin rudder should make her highly responsive to helm, especially when heeled and sliding through flat water.

The long, deep cockpit is obviously the place to enjoy the sailing, but the 54 also has an inviting saloon and accommodation, tastefully finished in varnished mahogany. She is offered with two or four berths in a large owner’s cabin and two pilotberths.

Dimensions

LOA 16.64m/54ft 5in

LWL 10.90m/35ft 9in

Beam 3.27m/10ft 8in

Draught 2.00m/2.80m

7ft 3in/ 9ft 2in

Displacement 9,000kg/18,840lb

Price ex VAT €545,000 (£390,600). www.leonardoyachts.nl

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The Contessa 26 has a good reputation for performing well overall in the big races and Meow’s owner Chris Charlesworth has gone further than most to optimise her chances. Rupert Holmes asks him how – and why – he did it

A long-standing tenet of big fleet handicap racing is that either a very fast boat, or a very slow one, is likely to have an advantage compared with those in middle rating bands. This is regularly borne out in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, which has been won by fast boats, most notably in recent years TP52s, and by some of the very slowest in the IRC fleet. Over the years successful small boats have included quarter and mini-tonners, as well as H-Boats, Folkboats and Contessa 26s.

Although inspired by the Folkboat, the Contessa, which dates from 1965, is even heavier and more underpowered than the Scandinavian classic. This results in a rating that’s typically 20 points lower than that of a one-design Folkboat.

In 2002 and 2003 Jeremy Rogers, racing with his sons, won the Gold Roman Bowl sailing Rosina of Beaulieu, and followed this up with another win in 2006. Five years later, Rogers’s nephew Nick, a double Olympic Silver medallist, achieved the same result in 2011 in Jo Hutchinson’s Sundowner, following it up with a 2nd place in the next race, both of which were windy editions of the event.

After the 2012 race Sundowner was bought by former professional offshore powerboat racer Chris Charlesworth, who renamed her Meow. “I identified the boat as being one with a good pedigree and a lot of potential, so it would be worth spending time and effort to get it absolutely right,” he says.

He recognised at the outset that simply having a low-rated boat is not enough on its own to be assured of success in the Round the Island Race – it was clear to him that a boat that was as well prepared as the professionally maintained TP52s at the other end of the fleet would have an advantage.

“Although the boat had previously been successful, it had been used hard and thrashed in strong wind races,” Charlesworth says. “Everything had to be replaced – even the bulkheads and chainplates needed attention.”

Refitted to a higher standard

While Meow’s age was clearly part of the reason for this remedial work being needed, a further problem was that when the boat was built the Dacron sails and polyester running rigging of the time were very stretchy, but with modern lines and sails, peak loads transmitted to the boat are very much higher.

Meow therefore needed to be refitted to a higher standard than the original specification. This necessitated moving the genoa tracks from the bulwarks, where they were screwed in place and always leaked, to an inboard position where they could be bolted through the deck.

On the positive side, while older raceboats are renowned for bending in the middle when backstay is applied, Meow’s long keel ties the structure together, with the only movement possible in the overhangs. Nevertheless, the main bulkhead was removed and strengthened to take the compression loads from the deck-stepped mast.

The hull has also received a great deal of attention to get a perfectly fair finish. “There’s a lot of wetted surface area,” Charlesworth says, “so the finish has to be perfect.” He’s now happy with the result, having had the entire hull painstakingly faired and coated in Durepox by David Heritage Racing Yachts. As Meow is drysailed, antifouling is not needed and she looks superb in black and white.

Rig and sail plan

The most important changes beyond the structural work were to the rig and sail plan. “Sail area is a key issue for these boats and initially I optimised for a blow,” says Charlesworth. “This was partly because, as Sundowner, the boat had had 1st and 2nd places in the Round the Island in really windy years, but my first RTI was a very reachy one that the TP52s won. Other races that season indicated that more area in the mainsail and spinnakers was needed.”

After moving the boat to Cowes, where she is now drysailed from Shepards Wharf, Gerry Faram of Sailcare suggested working with North Sails might be worthwhile. This led to North’s Dave Lenz developing a trial suit of 3Di sails for the 26-footer, which at the time were the smallest the company had made.

To take advantage of the single furling headsail benefit IRC offers Meow and provide ample drive she has a 155 per cent genoa on a custom-made, low-profile, continuous line furling drum produced by Sailspar in Colchester. Although the furler lifts the tack of the sail off the deck, the genoa is cut to sweep the deck and take advantage of the end plate effect. Spinnakers include a Code 0 plus two symmetric sails, a reacher and a runner.

Optimising the deck gear

When he bought the boat Charlesworth asked Nick Rogers what he would recommend changing – he suggested moving the traveller to the coachroof, getting a new rig and replacing the tiller. Charlesworth appears to have little appetite for compromise, at least where raceboats are concerned, and has therefore put a huge amount of energy into getting the deck layout exactly how he wants it.

He says he spent a long time optimising systems, “especially the layout of controls and getting the purchases right and so on. After a lot of effort we think we’ve got it right now.”

Two examples of his meticulous attention to detail stand out. First, he spent a great deal of time sourcing a small-diameter foil for the furler, one with only provision for one luff track, to minimise wind resistance and weight aloft. Similarly, a great deal of research was needed to find the narrow-diameter, two-speed primary winches that fit on the same pedestal as the original single-speed models.

Once Charlesworth had assembled the deck gear, he got Cowes-based Brett Aarons to fit the new hardware. Aarons sailed on board before work started so that he could add his considerable experience. Lenz also had a critical look over the deck fittings and, among other things, suggested the cranked stanchions on the foredeck that enable both the genoa and the Code 0 to sheet inside the rail.

Meow on the water

“These are difficult boats to sail well,” says Charlesworth, “you can’t pinch and they take a very long time to accelerate.” Among other things, he has done lots of work on rudder angles. “It’s a big rudder, but doesn’t give a great deal of feel,” he explains, “so it’s really hard to feel the difference between five and ten degrees of helm.” That’s a sharp contrast with a Folkboat, which points much higher and gives more feedback on the helm.

“I don’t think there’s anything I’ve overlooked now in terms of rating,” says Charlesworth and Meow is down to minimum weight, tipping the scales at exactly the builder’s original figures, whereas most Co26s with endorsed IRC certificates are notably heavier. She is therefore quick compared with other Contessa 26s, especially in light airs – winning the Nationals in five-six knots last year, as well as taking 3rd overall in the very light-airs Round the Island Race. “We haven’t sailed her much in more than around 15 knots yet and are looking forward to our first Round the Island in a big wind.”

Of course, successful owners are always looking for incremental improvements and when we caught up with Meow at the beginning of the 2015 season Charlesworth was talking of experimenting with small tweaks to the furler height and mast rake as the next stage of refining his boat’s performance.

Race successes

1st overall, Contessa 26 Association Spring Regatta

1st in Class 6, JOG Nab Tower Race

1st in Class 2, Royal Southampton YC Double Handed inshore series

3rd in Class 2, Spinlock IRC double-handed nationals

3rd overall, JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

1st overall, Contessa 26 Nationals

See also our guide to the best routes to take in the Round the Island Race

The ultra-low profile furler that enables Meow to take advantage of the rating benefit IRC gives to 130 per cent furling genoas was supplied by Sailspar in Colchester

One of the first changes to the Contessa 26 was a new coachroof-mounted mainsheet traveller, on the recommendation of Nick Rogers, her former skipper

The original wooden tiller bent considerably under load – its carbon replacement is no lighter, but is considerably stiffer

Proper backstay chainplates replace the original U-bolts through the deck

This is an extract from the July 2015 issue of Yachting World

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The new TP52s have better performance, but it is up to crews to tweak rig and sails. And none do it better than this Botin &n Partners design, says James Boyd

Celebrating its tenth anniversary in Europe this year, racing’s premier keelboat class, the TP52, is in surprisingly good health. Through careful management it has avoided the dramatic cost escalation that typically destroys ‘box rule’ classes and, three years ago, it survived the demise of its circuit, the Audi MedCup.

That the 52 circuit exists today is thanks to its salvage by three owners – Rán’s Niklas Zennström, Quantum Racing’s Doug de Vos and Matador/Azzurra’s Alberto Roemmers – the stakeholders in the 52 Super Series. Far from dying, the TP52 is again on the ascent. On the startline this season will be nine brand new boats, all built to the latest ‘turboed’ version of the TP52 rule.

In the past an embarrassment for the 52s was that whenever they were taken out of class to race, for example, under IRC, they ended up faster with deeper bulbs, more sail, composite rigging, etc. This is now no longer the case, thanks to sweeping rule changes.

These include increasing draught 150mm to 3.5m, reducing overall displacement (to 7,025kg), increasing sail area (eg main up to 98m² from 93.5m²) and using higher modulus carbon fibre in mast, boom and bowsprit.

Nine new boats is great news for the class, but it’s disappointing that they’ve emerged from only two designers. The two TP52 heavyweights, Quantum Racing and Azzurra, plus new 52 teams Alegre and Bronenosec, are all from Botin & Partners, built in Spain, while Rán, Gladiator, Provezza, Platoon and Sled are Judel-Vrolijk, built as far afield as New Zealand and the UAE.

Identical hulls

Quantum Racing, Alegre/Azzurra and Bronenosec all have identical hulls. The reason, says Botin & Partners’ Adolfo Carrau, is because their TP52s no longer target a specific wind range. Instead they are so adaptable that, with some rejigging of their set-up, they are competitive across a wide range of conditions.

The teams also prefer this, says Carrau: “If one has a ‘light air’ boat and another has one for ‘moderate’ airs then it just leads to frustration, because everyone knows the first will do better in sub-ten knots and the second will do better over ten. This leaves the crews to tweak the appendages, sails and rig . . .”

Botin & Partners is the most successful design house in TP52s, having penned the 52 Super Series/Audi MedCup winner every year since 2008. Of these, Quantum Racing has been the most successful, winning in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Getting the new breed to plane earlier was one of the key objectives. Photo: Keith Brash

The most outstanding feature of the new Quantum Racing, the third Botin & Partners design for Doug de Vos’s team, is the swirly ‘time tunnel’ paintjob on the sails. This certainly makes the boat stand out and, of course, key to the campaign is not only to showcase Quantum sails, but to carry out R&D into sail shapes to validate the company’s iQ Technology software. Among the avenues under investigation are mainsails with shorter foot lengths.

The new-generation Botin 52s have softer turns rather than chines and redistributed volume to help offset the increased power of the rig. According to Carrau, the designers have attempted to improve downwind performance, an area where gains can particularly be made – as boats get lighter, they become more inclined to plane.

Significant work by Pure Engineering has gone into the structure, where the aim is to concentrate weight in the centre of the boat and lower the vertical centre of gravity.

Increase in performance

Carrau says the new TP52s have a three or four per cent increase in performance across the board, causing the TP52 to take another step away from being a ‘small big boat’ towards being a large sportsboat.

In addition, lowering the mast’s centre of gravity and fitting composite standing rigging – typically Southern Spars carbon fibre EC6 – has reduced pitching, improving performance upwind and in waves. “I think they are as up-to-date as they can be now. They have caught up and even exceeded the speed of the IRC 52s, which is good.”

Where TP52s are especially interesting is in the incredible lengths to which teams go to ensure not only that they sail to maximum efficiency both upwind and down in terms of cockpit layout and crew positioning, but can also turn corners and carry out manoeuvres in the most efficient way with the minimum of foul-ups. Modern TP52s represent the last word in ‘tweaky’.

And nowhere is this more evident than with Quantum Racing. From within its two 40ft containers – one a fully-speced workshop, the other a sail loft – the American team conjures up custom-built widgets in its quest for ultimate refinement.

With the companionway offset to port, the minimalist pit is to starboard and is recessed to minimise windage

Focusing on the sides of the cockpit, you can see a multitude of tiny control lines. Standard fit on TP52s, for example – to the extent that it features in the class rule – is a line that when pulled causes a small pole to extend out from the end of the bowsprit. This prevents sheets from dropping over the end of the bowsprit during gybes.

Over the years windage has become a big concern. The mast area has always been slippery, with the gooseneck covered by a neoprene sleeve, as is the mast where it penetrates the deck. On their previous 52, Quantum Racing pioneered mounting jib tracks below deck, leaving just a ring protruding through a narrow slot, while the carbon fibre pulpit is about as minimal as it can be with the lashings for the Dyneema upper guardrail running through the pulpit and terminating below deck.

The pit area has become reasonably standardised, sunken below deck height and with just a single winch – this is no longer driven by the pedestals, as halyards are instead fed to the spare primary.

Cockpit layout

The biggest differences boat to boat remain in the cockpit. Although all the boats have tiller steering and have their aft pedestal mounted immediately adjacent to the rudder stock, winch positions differ. Of the two circuit heavyweights, Quantum Racing has them further inboard and recessed, whereas Azzurra has them mounted on deck and further outboard, with bigger runner winches to crank up runner/forestay tension for the ultimate in flexible trim.

The after of the two grinders is mounted beside the rudder stock to keep weight aft when sailing downwind

Quantum Racing makes a considerable amount of custom gear in-house and this includes its own carbon fibre headsail furling drums and the reel system for spinnaker sheets. If you’re unfamiliar with the latter, they cause spinnaker sheet ends to be sucked up rapidly onto a spool below deck, keeping the cockpit free of excess rope. Although companies such as Diverse Yacht Systems make this rarefied gear, Quantum Racing has conjured up its own.

The team has also made progress with its spinnaker take-down system, a line attached to the centre of the spinnaker that ultimately ends up on a primary winch, enabling the kite to be sucked down below the foredeck hatch in just three or four seconds.

Whereas most take-down systems require a substantial roller below decks on the after side of the hatch, Quantum Racing has dispensed with this, relying on a curved underside to the hatch instead.

How much of this makes a difference on the racecourse is, of course, hard to quantify, but on a circuit today that is so competitive every little helps. Furthermore, what the big boys develop often has a way of filtering down to smaller boats.

Jib sheet tracks are hidden below deck. The vang this year is rope inside a carbon tube that can support the boom

Windage around the gooseneck is minimised with a neoprene sleeve

Down below looking aft, showing, on the front of the mast, the hydraulic ram for the deflectors and the metal frame supporting the keel. The lines running down from the deck either side are the enormous 45:1 purchases for the jib up-down

Specifications

LOA 15.85m/52ft 0in

Beam 4.42m/14ft 6in

Draught 3.50m/11ft 6in

Displacement 7,000kg/15,432lb

Mast height above DWL 23.80m/78ft 0in

Sail area:

Mainsail 98.0m²/1,055ft²

Jib 66.0m²/710ft²

Spinnaker 270.0m²/2,906ft²

Designer: Botin & Partners

Builder: Longitud Cero Composites, Spain

This is an extract from a feature in the July 2015 issue of Yachting World

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Conceived as a 32ft one-design racing cat, the GC32 is now on foils and regularly hitting 30 knots. Matthew Sheahan was hooked

First published February 2015.

“Hike her down, guys, and we’ll get her up,” called our helmsman Paul Campbell-James to the five crew of the GC32 Richard Mille. As our backsides slid over the rounded gunwale and our feet took the load on the toestraps, I could feel the power come on.

As the cat accelerated steadily and rose above the water’s surface, the noise of ripples on the carbon hull were replaced by a quiet hum, like an electricity substation, from the foils and rigging. The transition from displacement to flight took just a few seconds and our speed hit 14 knots – in barely six knots of true breeze. At speed in flat water she sliced straight though the wake of a powerboat without missing a beat – a first indication of what was to come.

Given the stress involved in climbing the steep America’s Cup learning curve for the foiling AC72 teams, along with a plethora of spectacular crashes and nosedives in the foiling Moth fleet and the long history of brave attempts and heroic foiling failures elsewhere, there is every reason to feel twitchy about sailing on foils. Yet the racing scene is now learning at an incredible pace as foiling becomes ever more popular.

The GC32 was never designed to foil, but this rapid development in foiling technology and knowledge left her creators in no doubt that this one-design 32ft cat had to fly.

Laurent Lenne, a French entrepreneur based in Amsterdam, was originally looking for a racing cat pitched somewhere between an F18 and an Extreme 40. In 2012 he commissioned multihull expert Martin Fisher to create the GC32 (Great Cup 32) one-design. Originally, she had S foils to reduce displacement, but not to fly.

“When the Kiwis started to foil we knew we had to follow,” he says. “Fortunately, we were working closely with the Flying Phantom guys and C-Class cat builders and were sharing information on designs and sails, which allowed us to go through six iterations of the design in a short space of time.”

“In many ways we now feel safer on foils,” explained crewmember Nick Hutton, who is no stranger to high-performance multihulls. “What we’ve quickly realised is that we have a big reserve, particularly when it comes to burying the bow at the weather mark. The AC45s seem pretty twitchy by comparison.”

As the breeze built and we foiled more readily the GC32 certainly felt very stable at speed. But there were some interesting differences that took a little getting used to.

The first is how quickly heel comes off as the speed increases. Having hiked hard to get her going, you’re sitting upright and inboard before you know it. Then there’s the hobbyhorse heaving motion that sets up as the vertical momentum generated as she accelerates lifts her a little too high initially. With too little foil in the water she then drops down a little to find her equilibrium.

And then there’s the windward heel and the splash that comes with deceleration in a lull as the leeward foil continues to generate lift after the sail plan has reduced power and heeling moment – a strange and unnerving feeling the first few times it happens.

So although the GC32 was never meant to foil, she’s a great example of how rapidly the technology is being embraced – to say nothing of a claimed top speed to date of just under 38 knots. One trip and I’m hooked.

Specifications

LOA 12.00m/39ft 4in

Hull length 10.00m/32ft 10in

Beam 6.00m/19ft 8in

Displacement 850kg/1,874lb

Draught 1.60/2.10m/5ft 3in/6ft 11in

Mast height  16.50m/54ft 2in

Mainsail 60m²/646ft²

Jib 23.50m² /253ft²

Gennaker 90m²/970ft²

Designed by  Martin Fisher

Price ex VAT  €239,000 (£190,715) ex sails

Hull built by: Premier Composite Technologies, Dubai

Rig, spine and beams by: Southern Spars, South Africa

Foils and rudders by: Heol Composites, France

This is an extract from a feature in the October 2014 issue of Yachting World

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A series of 45-footers in the Bestevaer range under the name Pure is good news for all dreamers in search of a robust long-distance cruiser, says Toby Hodges

Could this be the hardiest 45ft production-build ever? KM Yachtbuilders, based in Makkum in the Netherlands, has announced plans to build a series of 45-footers under the name Pure. The company is currently conducting a survey of what potential owners are looking for while developing this latest and smallest new member of the renowned Bestevaer range.

Bestevaer has created a name for itself as the ultimate, robust, aluminium sloop with alpha-male style and pilot-cutter looks. All are designed by Dykstra Naval Architects, but until now the Bestevaer range comprised full custom builds from 48 to 66ft. Their interiors are all very different, exciting and inviting.

Bespoke 50ft plus yachts like this are out of reach for most, however, so news that KMY is planning a series-built 45ST at a more affordable size and budget, gives hope to us dreamers.

The ST (straight bow) Bestevaer series was born from Gerard Dykstra’s own 53ft Bestevaer II launched in 2003. He has sailed and lived aboard her with his wife for four months each year since then, visiting many remote areas.

Dykstra describes his original concept as one that can be “sailed in cold climates and that would be able to winter [there] – the ideal concept sailing yacht for ocean cruisers, who are looking for comfortable, no-nonsense yachts.”

Surprising turn of pace

More than 20 Bestevaers have since been launched, and as I found out when I sailed Kite, the 53ft sistership to Bestevaer II, they have a surprising turn of pace. Performance is very much part of the pedigree.

“Performance doesn’t always mean fast,” Dykstra’s Jeroen de Vos told me aboard Kite, “but proper sailing angles, ease of reefing and the ability to track properly.”

KMY is well aware of the popularity of the Bestevaer range. So four years ago it produced the Bestewind 50, a moulded glassfibre version, at €250,000 cheaper than a similar-sized aluminium build. But now, finally, for the metal purists without the budget, comes news of the Bestevaer Pure.

“We’ve listened to people’s comments about how they like the bare aluminium look of Bestevaer II and Zwarte Raaf,” says KMY’s Eeuwe Kooi, “almost no paint on deck, fine sanded hull, tiller steering, deep safe cockpit and, of course, the comfortable pilothouse.”

And how have they lowered the price for an aluminium build? “We have standardised items such as the position of the bulkheads, deck layout, system drawings and sail plan.”

Pilothouse cruiser

So the Pure is a safe and comfortable aluminium build, with a pilothouse. Although the cockpit is admirably deep, the pilothouse offers protection and good visibility. The Pure will also be maintenance-friendly, with minimum paintwork.

Four or six berths are offered below in two or three cabins, plus saloon berths for a further two. The U-shaped galley looks a practical shape for working in at heel. Styling will be fresh, light and modern.

Also available with a centreboard and twin rudders

The 13-tonne sloop has a fixed keel as standard, with an option for a centreboard with double rudders. Choose the latter and you can imagine there would be very few places on the planet off limits. The first Pure will have a centreboard, and her build will begin this summer.

Price ex VAT €495,000 (£355,000). www.kmy.nl

Dimensions

LOA 14.45m/47ft 5in

LWL 13.00m/42ft 8in

Beam 4.05m/13ft 3in

Draught (fixed) 2.15m/7ft 1in

Displacement (half load) 14,000kg/30,864lb

This is an extract from the July 2015 issue of Yachting World

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Toby Hodges tries out a ParaAnchor sea anchor and a Jordan Series Drogue on a heavy weather sail training weekend in the English Channel

Drogues and sea anchors are designed to slow a boat or allow it to hold station in extreme weather conditions. They can prevent a possible capsize, roll or broach by keeping the bow or stern facing the weather. Debates about the pros and cons are rife among cruisers.

In Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Series he reveals that he isn’t in favour of streaming warps, let alone using a drogue or sea anchor. Yet there are numerous testimonials from long-distance sailors who place their faith in these devices.

Intrigued to see how practical this equipment is to use, I joined Rubicon 3, a sail training and exploration company, during a heavy weather sail training weekend. I was particularly keen to see how easy it is to deploy and retrieve a drogue or sea anchor, and compare their benefits.

We sailed from Portsmouth aboard the 60ft Hummingbird, an expedition yacht built for the original Clipper Race in 1996. We needed to sail 15nm offshore into the English Channel to reach a depth of 20m to set the sea anchor, which has a diameter of 26ft, and find enough sea room to retrieve the 110m drogue. Once these contraptions are deployed, the yacht’s ability to manoeuvre is limited.

60ft Hummingbird expedition yacht

Bruce Jacobs, together with Rachael Sprot, founded Rubicon 3 to offer a unique crossover of adventure sailing and sail training. They had requested we muster early in the morning so we could check and load the equipment. They ran through the theories of using drag devices and how we would deploy and recover them.

“The main thing you have to look for when in heavy weather is breaking seas,” said Jacobs. “The boat can handle breaking waves if they are in the right orientation – 20° each side of the bow and similarly to the stern. The thing you don’t want to do is end up sideways to the sea.”

Choices in heavy weather

Yachtsmen have the choice of battening down and riding out extreme weather by heaving-to, forereaching, or lying ahull. But these techniques will not prevent capsize if a yacht is hit by a breaking wave.

There are three choices of purpose-made tackle to help keep a yacht stable in big seas: a single drogue towed off the stern to stop it surfing, a series drogue (a series of multiple miniature drag devices or cones on one line) or a sea anchor. The latter two are bulky, expensive items to ship, but are proven to keep a yacht bow or stern to the waves.

Jacobs explained that it is easier to keep a yacht stern on to waves as it sits better to the wind and is stable running downwind under bare poles. The counter argument is that the bow has been designed to point into waves, whereas the stern can poop and take waves into the companionway. Both the theories and test accounts of using series drogue and sea anchors are wide ranging.

“Most importantly, if you can keep a fit and healthy crew, you can get around bad weather,” said Jacobs. “If you can keep the boat stationary, then the average storm will blow through in 24 to 36 hours. But most people go with it, which turns that into three to four days, with a tired crew.”

A Force 5 wind against tide produced enough chop to make life uncomfortable on board. It demonstrated how quickly crew can become ill or tired. As soon as we dropped the main, the motion changed for the worse and we struggled for balance as we prepared the drogues. “Even here, where conditions are not severe, the choppy sea has made half the crew feel seasick and want to retreat into their shell,” said Jacobs.

Para Anchor

Sea anchors, also known as parachute anchors, are typically rigged from the bow to keep it into the wind. A sea anchor will hold the boat almost stationary, producing a very gentle downwind drift.

We trialled a ParaAnchor from Ocean Safety. The main towline is made from Nylon to keep elasticity in the system. A buoyed snag line improves retrieval and stops the anchor sinking. A parachute anchor has a huge surface area however, so its retrieval is not straightforward.

“We want the sea anchor to be on the same wave cycle as the boat, to rise and fall with the wave pattern,” said Bruce Jacobs, “otherwise you have huge snatch loads. So it’s worth keeping line in reserve so you can pay it out if you’re on a bad wave cycle.”

It is also worth double-checking the sea anchor is set up properly. Flaking out the line so it can run freely without snagging helps, but may not be practical. We paid out 100m of towline, which took up most of the side deck to flake. However, sea anchors are available with a deployment bag, which can simply be thrown into the water.

We rigged a bridle to help spread the load. Depending on hull(s) and keel shapes, the correct rigging of a bridle is an important factor in keeping a yacht head to wind. Ocean cruising veterans Lin and Larry Pardey advocate the use of a bridle with a scrap of sail to help prevent rolling. “Improvements may be found in leading it to an aft quarter cleat to allow you to trim it to an angle, or even putting up a scrap of main,” said Jacobs.

“One of the biggest causes of failure is chafe, so we also use a chain first to prevent this,” he added. The preparation and deployment of the ParaAnchor is time-consuming, but it certainly felt reassuring once in action. We drifted calmly, dead in the water, the motion instantly very much more comfortable.

The helm can be lashed and left once the anchor is set. A concern with sea anchors is that they can hold the bow too securely into oncoming waves, with the potential to shunt the boat astern. Allowing some flexibility in the helm lashing, by using a shock cord for example, provides a fuse to prevent rudder damage if this happens.

Other worries with sea anchors are that they place a lot pressure on the bow fittings. Cleats may need reinforcing with backing plates. If not under pressure a sea anchor can sink and pull the bow down. Equally, too much pressure means it may rise up and break the surface, so monitoring is needed.

When in the trough of a wave the towline can go slack and the yacht may yaw away from the wind – the reason the US Coast Guard could not recommend a sea anchor deployed from the bow in its 1987 report.

Jordan Series Drogue

A series drogue comprises a multitude of fabric cones spliced in series onto a line with a weight on the end. The original series drogue was designed by Donald Jordan and it is trailed from the stern. The purpose of a series or ‘medium drag’ drogue is comparable to a sea anchor in that it is designed to hold the boat near-stationary – to prevent capsize in the event of a breaking wave.

The number of cones is determined by the yacht’s displacement, but a typical Jordan Series Drogue (JSD) has between 100 and 200 cones of 5in (12.7cm) diameter attached to a tapered line. The load is spread across the multitude of cones, 172 in the case of Hummingbird’s JSD.

“The danger with the wind behind is pitchpoling,” explained Jacobs. “The JSD will hold you back, stop you from surfing and prevent that happening.” The yacht is still able to accelerate down the face of a wave, but the JSD will slow it enough for the wave to pass through without dropping into a trough. The drag force is applied softly, allowing gentle acceleration until enough cones bite.

The potential to be pooped is an obvious concern. Can the cockpit drain quickly enough? The drogue’s inventor says crew should be below, as steering is not required. So the companionway hatch needs to be sufficiently watertight.

The JSD can flake neatly into a mesh deployment bag. A bight between each cone is attached to the bag, bridle to one end and chain weight to the other. Deployment is then just a case of setting up the bridle on winches and paying it out. We were aboard a robust yacht, but once again I could appreciate the need to make sure the attachment points for the bridle are reinforced.

Once the drogue was set, the motion changed immediately. We went from rolling and lurching to comfortably taking tea in the cockpit, making 4.4 knots SOG, but just 0.1 knot through the water.

Rachel Sprot with bridle and deployment bag, which keeps the drogue neatly flaked

If the ease of deployment is a benefit of the JSD, its retrieval is its downside. Jacobs says it can take over an hour. But a snag line can be used, and during our trials retrieval took approximately 20 minutes with the aid of a winch.

“You have to find a method that is comfortable for you and your boat – and this [JSD] obviously is for Hummingbird,” said Jacobs. See also Jeanne Socrates’s article on those who have used a Jordan Series Drogue in anger

Conclusions

The trials demonstrated the value of preparation. Trying to sort out one of these drag devices, including the bridle and chafe gear needed, when the storm has already hit, would be daunting. So knowing how to set and use the equipment is key. It was also surprising to see how quickly a drogue or sea anchor can change the motion on board for the better, and the benefit this has on the mood and fatigue of the crew.

It is quite evident that, with practice, either could be a useful tool for riding out heavy weather. I remember setting a sea anchor during a Pacific delivery, for example, to stop the boat to cut a fishing net free from the stern gear. But during our trials with Rubicon 3, I found the series drogue easier to deploy and adjust than the sea anchor, with less to go wrong.

Prices and contacts
For a 45ft yacht of 15 tonnes displacement:

• Pacific 20 Para Anchor £1,829
• Yacht Drogue (single) £395. Both from www.oceansafety.com
• Jordan Series Drogue – 139 cones – £739 (Plus £82.40 for the bridle and deployment bag from £75) from www.oceanbrake.com

Also www.jordanseriesdrogue.com

See Skip Novak Storm Sailing Techniques Part 8 Drogues and Sea Anchors

Rubicon 3 – ‘sail’ ‘train’ ‘explore’

Rubicon 3 is owned and run by RYA Yachtmaster Ocean instructors Rachael Sprot and Bruce Jacobs. They bought Hummingbird two years ago.

“We wanted to do something different to what is already out there,” said Bruce Jacobs. “There is nothing really like what we do – you can typically only do adventure sailing or sail training, but this combines the two. It’s sailing with a purpose, sailing to get to great places.”

Their clients are typically aged between 35 and 60, around a quarter are new to sailing, and most sign up to sail on their own. The company has launched a series of Ocean Crossing Masterclasses. www.rubicon3.co.uk

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“If you can sail, you can foil this boat,” says the designer of the new Formula Whisper foiling catamaran. Matthew Sheahan tests out the claim

As I stepped off the Formula Whisper, our cameraman and photographer Richard Langdon was full of praise for my first attempt at flying.

“How polite,” I thought. I had been frustrated with my first attempts – it had looked so easy in the hands of her designer. But Richard was insistent: he was surprised at how readily I had been able to foil and how long I had been flying.

It wasn’t until we went through the raw video footage that I could see what he meant. Until then I hadn’t realised how much of the time we were doing exactly what her designer had claimed was possible – foiling from the off.

In just 20 minutes my perspective had changed. This was clearly not just an interesting new design, but one that could turn out to be the turning point for performance sailing. Unless you’ve mastered sailing an International Moth recently, the chances are that you have yet to try foiling. But this new production cat could change all that and bring foiling for the club sailor a step closer to reality.

A Whisper that turns heads

The Formula Whisper is an all-carbon production version of the 20ft hydrofoiling Solent Whisper prototype that did the rounds at several boat shows last winter. She turned plenty of heads at Southampton and London and attracted a great deal of interest at the Paris Boat Show – indeed, so much interest that just a few months later 27 boats had been sold to customers in six countries, from the USA to New Zealand. This, claims her builder, is only the start.

“If you can sail, you can foil this boat,” says Rob White of White Formula, a company that has a long list of internationally successful production catamarans to its name, including the Dart 18, Spitfire, Shadow, Shockwave F18, Sprint 15 and many more.

But perhaps you’d expect him to say that. A lifelong cat sailor and double world champion in the Tornado class, his sailing and industry achievements place him in a position of high authority when it comes to multihulls and production boatbuilding.

“Look at the amount of people who want to sail a Moth, but can’t. I count myself in that, too,” he declares. “The Moth is tricky to sail, while the current production foiling cats are too expensive for most people.

“We’ve been thinking about producing a foiling cat for years and there’s no question that the last America’s Cup spurred everyone on. But it was this design that impressed us and made us think that the time was right.”

White freely admits that it was not his company’s design that has led to the new production boat. The foiling cat started life as a personal project for Ron Price, who is a regular 49er sailor and a senior lecturer in naval architecture at Southampton Solent University.

“Like so many other people I was blown away by the America’s Cup foiling cats and wanted to have a go myself,” Price explains. “But it was clear that I wasn’t going to get a ride on one of those machines, so I set about designing a foiling cat of my own.”

T-foil concept

While the motivation to fly was the same, Price’s starting point was fundamentally different. Instead of using a set of L section daggerboards to provide the vertical lift, as is the case with the Cup boats and production foiling cats such as the Flying Phantom and Nacra F20, Price used the T-foil concept that is used in the International Moth.

With the Cup-style foils it is the L configuration that provides the self-levelling control for the ride height of the boat. More speed generates more lift and raises the L out of the water. As the foil breaks the surface the amount of lift is reduced and the boat finds its equilibrium. When the boat slows down, more foil is lowered into the water, increasing the lift.

On the T-foil system, a moving flap attached to the trailing edge of the horizontal foil alters the amount of vertical lift that is generated. This flap is mechanically connected to a wand that skims the water’s surface to monitor the ride height. Too low and the flap increases the angle and hence T-foil lift, too high and the flap’s angle is reduced, which in turn reduces the lift generated.

Being able to adjust the ride height makes it easier to sail the boat in a variety of conditions. In light weather the hulls can ride high above the surface; in breezier, choppier conditions the lower ride height helps to keep the foils submerged.

The dual foil system also helps with lateral stability. Because there are two independently controlled systems on the cat, each T-foil adjusts the ride height of each hull, which helps keep the cat flat automatically.

The T-foil in each of the hulls has a flap on the trailing edge to adjust ride height. The entire daggerboard is raked fore and aft to adjust the angle of attack

In addition, the daggerboards can be raked back and forward to change the angle of attack of the horizontal T-foil, which in turn alters the speed at which the boat starts to lift. A high angle of attack would generate lift at slow speeds, but this would also create higher amounts of drag from the foil itself. A lower angle of attack would have the reverse effect.

The adjustment is made using a control line to wind a simple worm drive. Altering the main daggerboards means that the T-rudders do not need to be adjusted and can remain fixed.

Another advantage of the T-foil system for the daggerboards over the L section foils is that, unlike Cup foils which need to be raised and lowered during sailing, the boards have only two positions: up for launching and beaching; and down for sailing.

A smart build

Apart from the foil system there is another particularly impressive feature of this boat: her build. At 78kg all up she is supremely light thanks to her carbon sandwich-infused construction. A Tornado is the same length, but double the weight.

The standard of build and fit-out is also impressive, but the key to this boat is that her clever construction makes her very stiff.

Unlike conventional cats with aluminium crossbeams bolted to the hulls, the Formula Whisper’s beams are an integral part of the hull and deck. In simple terms she uses a biscuit tin type construction arrangement where the lid (the deck) slips over the hull (the tin).

Not only is this an efficient way of building the boat, but it means that her beams can be integrated with the hulls over a greater length than normal, which in turn gives the entire structure far greater torsional strength. This is particularly important to keep the two sets of T-foils operating at the same angle of attack. However, unlike conventional cats, this type of build means that she cannot be dismantled for trailing, which limits her beam and so her overall length.

On the helm

I gripped the tiller and considered how I was going to support myself once out on the wire, given that Ron Price had taken the mainsheet (the jib is a self-tacking affair). I was also bracing myself for take-off. I imagined that our departure from the surface of the water would be marked by a surge of acceleration that could launch me off the back of the boat.

As the apparent wind built we accelerated, but there was no noise, no change of feel on the helm and certainly no bow wave, wake or spray. The sudden transition I envisaged never happened – at least that’s how it felt to me. The only disorientating aspect was windward heel as the rig came over our heads.

The transition to foiling is so smooth you hardly know you’re flying

For a monohull sailor well used to being dunked on my RS800 it was difficult not to respond by swinging inboard. But, as I was to witness when looking at the video later, my perception was way behind the boat’s behaviour. We had been flying well before my mind had caught up.

As Price explains, flying with the boat heeled to windward is the same technique used on Moths, which helps the T-foils to work their way to windward. It did feel odd, though, and didn’t help when I had to settle down on the wire.

By the nature of their typically slender hulls, multihulls do not create a great deal of drag, wash or bother when travelling at speed. As a result the transition to flight was always going to be smoother than a monohull sailor used to spray, noise and drama might expect.

Furthermore, whether you’re sitting in or trapezing, flying the windward hull of a conventional multihull lifts you high above the water anyway, and foiling feels no different. Little wonder, then, that to cat sailors the transition to foils is effortless and this helped to highlight how readily this design might be adopted by grassroots multihull sailors.

Having said that, smooth foiling from the off is not as easy as the experts might suggest. The light sheet loads and a neutral helm provide little feedback and when the bows pitched downwards from time to time, my mind struggled for the appropriate, instinctive response. For a second or two I was in new territory and stuck for ideas.

Getting the foil pitch settings right and making sure that both are matched will also be new areas for most sailors.

A simple line-driven worm drive adjusts the T-foil’s angle of attack

And with hulls that are just 4.2m (13ft 9in) long the fore and aft trim can be altered significantly by moving crew weight back or forwards. This affects the angle of attack of the foils significantly and I was surprised by just how much movement was required to keep the boat balanced. So while she might look like a point-and-shoot type of boat, there is plenty to learn to keep her flying straight and level. But then that’s part of the appeal. The big advantage is that you’re less likely to be dunked as you master the technique.

Simple, but it works

This is an impressive boat, not only because she can foil in a range of conditions from 5-20+ knots, but because she makes you feel so comfortable at speed. The International Moth fleet has a solid following and is attracting new sailors, but I bet few learn to fly from scratch in a weekend. With the Whisper you could.

And it is this that impresses me most. When you look back at some of the most significant steps in sailing design, it is the ease with which new technology and techniques were adopted that underwrote their success. Asymmetric spinnakers flown from retractable skiff-type bowsprits are a good example. They are simple, easy to handle and yet often provide stacks more performance, so it is hardly surprising that they have caught on.

Super-slender bows and narrow hull lines mean she’s quick in displacement mode too

By designer Ron Price’s own admission, the Whisper is unlikely to be the quickest foiling boat out there, but she is still capable of keeping pace with a Moth on a two-sail reach. For most of us that would easily be fast enough to scratch the itch. It is this speed and ease of handling, on a well built, high-tech, all carbon boat with a sensible price tag of £19,500 (including VAT) that looks so appealing.

But there’s something even more exciting about this boat: the hint that this could be the start of a new era of foiling. Rob White certainly thinks so, as his company is already planning a range of new foilers along similar lines.

“We are looking at both smaller and larger versions,” he says. “For the smaller boats we may well be looking at alloy foils that are less expensive to build and are more robust for beach holiday companies. These boats wouldn’t be as extreme and would fly just a foot off the water, but they would be easy for beginners to get the hang of.”

The suggestion that beach resorts could have such boats is surely a good indication that foiling has taken another big step towards mainstream sailing. The Whisper is a formula for flight that could well take off.

Specifications

LOA 6.20m/20ft 4in

LWL 4.20m/13ft 9in

Beam 2.40m/7ft 10in

Weight 78kg/172lb

Sail area:

Mainsail 12.6m²/1365ft²

Jib 3m²/23ft²

Spinnaker 14m²/150ft²

Price inc VAT £19,500

Designed by Ron Price

Built by White Formula UK www.whiteformula.com

This is an extract from a feature in the August 2015 issue of Yachting World

See also Matthew Sheahan’s blog on the Formula Whisper

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This year will be a bumper one for new yachts at boat shows around the world. Toby Hodges picks his favourite debutantes and indicates where you can go to see them

Jeanneau 54

We tested the new Jeanneau 64 a year ago from Marseille during a Mistral. It proved a revelation. Her looks, build and finish quality gave a bona fide feel of luxury throughout. But it was her ease of handling – proved by two of us sailing her during two days in winds gusting over 40 knots – that made her the standout yacht of her size and class.

And now it seems Jeanneau is set to repeat the performance with this smaller incarnation, the 54. The French production marque has reunited its trusted design team from the 64, Philippe Briand and Andrew Winch, who have created an equally impressive-looking cruising yacht that brings with it some innovative concepts – and all for an equally impressive price.

There are a number of clever ideas on the deck alone that I think we will see replicated by other manufacturers. There are enough leisure areas to rival a beach resort, including a sunbed incorporated into the foredeck, aft-facing armchair seats with drinks holders designed into the forward end of the cockpit benches and sun loungers integrated into the folding bathing platform.

The latter also allowed Jeanneau to include a clever safety feature: a liferaft can be stowed at the aft end of the cockpit table and be easily deployed without opening the transom. The whole deck is kept neat yet practical, epitomised by retractable davits designed to carry a tender. It is a particularly spacious cockpit for leisure use, thanks to all sailing systems being led to the aft helms.

Expect similar canny solutions below. Layouts from two to six cabins are offered.

Dimensions

LOA 16.16m/53ft 0in

LWL 14.25m/46ft 9in

Beam 4.92m/16ft 1in

Disp 17,164kg/37,840lb

Price ex VAT €335,600 (£241,040).

www.jeanneau.com

To be seen at Cannes, Genoa, Annapolis, Barcelona, Paris (see our list of shows and dates)

Hinckley Bermuda 50

Hinckley has returned to the sailing market with a bang. The Maine boatbuilder, which has not produced a yacht in a decade, launched this stunning cruiser-racer this summer.

The original Bermuda 40 was Hinckley’s first glassfibre yacht, designed by William H Tripp Jnr in the late 1950s. Bill Tripp was commissioned to draw a ‘worthy successor’ to his father’s most famous design and the result is this powerful-looking Bermuda 50.

The B-50 is built to such a high standard that she’s more comparable to a scaled-down performance superyacht. For example, she has a stainless steel fin to her keel that lifts hydraulically to access shallow anchorages. This retracts into a carbon fibre trunk clad in the owner’s choice of wood, which also forms the bulkhead to help support the coachroof.

The retractable carbon bowsprit, plus the furler, vang, outhaul, backstay and garage door are also hydraulically operated.

Carbon fibre is used extensively throughout the build of a B-50 – 22,000ft² of it, in fact – including for the reinforced bulkheads, chainplates and rudder. The foam-cored carbon and aramid hulls are laminated with vinylester using the efficient SCRIMP process

The B-40 was a successful offshore cruiser-racer and it is intended that this B-50 should be a natural follow-on. Take a seat before looking at the price, but it does include a very full spec, including carbon mast and vee boom – remember, she is a Hinckley…

Dimensions

LOA 15.20m/49ft 10in

LWL 13.69m/44ft 11in

Beam 4.35m/14ft 3in

Draught 3.50-1.98m/11ft 6in-6ft 6in

Disp 11,500kg/25,353lb

Price ex VAT US$2,450,000 (£1.57m).

www.hinckleyyachts.com

To be seen at Newport, Annapolis

Neel 65

Sailors who find they never quite have enough space aboard might want to consider this new Neel 65, the largest production trimaran ever built. The Joubert-Nivelt design boasts 110m² (1,200ft²) of accommodation alone – the equivalent of a four-bed apartment – in a flexible layout with up to eight cabins, each with a heads. The odds are on this becoming a popular charter boat.

If you have not seen the original Neel 45, I would challenge you not to be impressed on boarding. It really makes you wonder why no one has produced cruising trimarans in series like this before. What really strikes you is the cabins on the same level as the living and cockpit areas – truly rooms with a view.

This new 65 offers the same concept, with potentially two VIP cabins on the main deck, each side of the central galley, complete with 2.5m bay windows. The saloon spans the entire beam forward.

Outdoor space is hardly found wanting either. The vast aft cockpit includes an exterior galley and a huge ‘swim deck’ terrace with bathing steps on the central hull.

A dinghy garage is concealed below this, and there is capacious stowage for sports equipment in the aft sections of the floats. There is a table for eight on the 33m² flybridge.

The founder of Neel is Eric Bruneel, who spent 26 years developing the Fountaine-Pajot brand of catamarans. He designed, built and successfully campaigned his own 50ft trimaran, Trilogic, before settling on the idea of producing comfortable cruising tris.

Neel trimarans are built in La Rochelle and a ‘high performance’ version of the 65 is available that can shed 1.1 tonnes in weight.

Dimensions

LOA 19.81m/65ft 0in

LWL 18.98m/62ft 3in

Beam 12.00m/39ft 4in

Draught 1.79m/5ft 9in

Disp (half load) 22,498kg/49,600lb

Price ex VAT €1,880,000 (£1,350,290).

www.neel-trimarans.com

To be seen at Cannes

Vismara V50 Pret-a-Porter

Here is one of the most exciting and innovative new designs we have seen in quite some time. Vismara builds high-end composite craft, particularly racer-cruisers, from its yard in Viareggio. And if you haven’t heard of its founder and designer Alessandro Vismara, this project illustrates that he is somewhat of a visionary.

The model name may not translate that strongly to English – Vismara has translated it as ‘basic for ever’ – but don’t let that detract from the clever concepts throughout. It is a brand that is particularly skilled at bespoke building, after launching more than 150 custom yachts in the past 30 years.

“The idea was born in late 2013 when we were struggling with a terrible market,” reports Vismara. “We decided our core business has to be what we call ‘individual yachts and services’.”

The new V50 was developed for those who “will go to enjoy a lunch in a bay and use the sail without any effort when there is light wind and go as fast as you can to a port in case of stormy weather”.

The design is all about easy handling. Vismara has taken a performance-style epoxy sandwich hull and added a large decksaloon and fixed bimini to create a fast and spacious bluewater cruiser. She has twin 38hp saildrives for reliability, autonomy and manoeuvrability. And 1,000lt of tank capacity resides under the saloon.

The large aft deck conceals a tender garage, while also acting as a sunbathing deck and providing seating at the twin helms. The ultra-deep cockpit has complete protection on the same level as the decksaloon.

There are nine layout options for the forward cabins, including one with a walk-in wardrobe opposite the central master cabin.

You can go onto Vismara’s website and configure your own V50 from the multiple options, including hull colour and layout. Mine looks classy in blue and the kids will love the bunk cabins.

Dimensions

LOA 15.50m/50ft 10in

LWL 13.60m/44ft 7in

Beam 4.30m/14ft 1in

Draught 2.50m/8ft 2in

Disp 13,000kg/28,660lb

Price ex VAT €750,000 (£538,680) ready to sail.

www.vismaramarine.it

To be seen at Cannes

Spirit 46

A yacht guaranteed to turn heads at the Southampton Boat Show will be a new Spirit 46, the 11th of this successful model to launch. She may be one of the smallest in the Ipswich builder’s range, but the 46 is a veritable rocket.

She is built for speed, weighing just 4.5 tonnes with carbon spars and rigging, and can reach 18+ knots, says Spirit.

She can be sailed short-handed thanks to sail controls led aft and will accommodate up to five for regattas. With just 33ft on her static heeled waterline, however, space may be a little confined below.

But who needs volume when a yacht looks as good as this?

Price ex VAT £ 467,000.

www.spirityachts.com

To be seen at Southampton

Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 48

Wauquiez proved it was back to its best last year with the Centurion 57, which scooped the Luxury Cruiser category of the European Yacht of the Year award. This year it celebrates its 50th anniversary, a reminder that this yard near Lille has produced over 2,500 yachts.

Wauquiez has a reputation for producing performance cruisers and pilot saloon yachts. Henri Wauquiez established the pilot saloon concept 25 years ago with an Ed Dubois-designed 60-footer, so it seems only fitting that the company marks this anniversary with news of this 48-footer.

She is designed by Berret-Racoupeau and has deck features that include a self-tacking jib, angled spreaders to negate the need for runners, a deep, protected cockpit, plus a tender garage with bathing platform.

The benefit of that curved superstructure is obviously the raised living space below, which seems tastefully fitted out. And the aft owner’s cabin looks pretty sumptuous too.

Dimensions

LOA 14.77m/48ft 4in

LWL 12.75m/41ft 10in

Beam 4.61m/15ft 2in

Draught 2.10m/6ft 11in

Price ex VAT €389,000 (£279,395).

www.wauquiez.com

To be seen at Cannes, Southampton, Paris

Hallberg-Rassy 40 Mk II

The Swedish maker of luxury bluewater yachts continues to move through its range, updating designs with more natural light via flush hatches and improved interior comfort.

Among improvements over the original, this 40 MkII has a taller rig for a more generous sailplan, hull windows in the saloon and a shallower companionway entrance. But the sweet Frers hull remains untouched.

Price ex VAT SK3,312,200 (£254,000).

To be seen at Friedrichshafen

Lagoon 450ST and 52ST

The 450 and 52 are two of Lagoon’s most popular models. However, in recognition that some sailors aren’t comfortable with flybridge steering, Lagoon has developed these ‘SporTop’ or ST versions.

These have more conventional steering positions and, although the sail areas are the same, the rigs are lower for increased stability.

There are updated layouts below too, including new U-shaped galleys.

Price ex VAT 450ST – €350,000 (£251,384).

52ST – €610,000 (£438,126).

www.cata-lagoon.com

To be seen 450ST – La Rochelle, Barcelona.

52ST – Cannes, Genoa, Barcelona

Hanse 315

Together with preferred design partners Judel/Vrolijk, the German giant introduces this new baby of the range, a family cruiser with a vertical stem and stern to maximise volume and waterline length. The tiller gives her a sporty look; however twin wheels are offered too, as is a fixed table.

A deep 1.85m keel is an option to increase stability and make CE Category A for ocean sailing. Owners can choose a traveller for better sail trim and open or closed transoms.

Down below are two double berths plus a single, counting the saloon sofa. It’s a clever use of space, as the aft berth lies athwartships, below the cockpit. The forward cabin can have an open bulkhead to create a larger berth, or a kid’s berth with standing room. All credit to Hanse, this looks like a promising cruising yacht at an appealing price.

Price ex VAT €59,900 (£43,023).

www.hanseyachts.com

To be seen at Orust, Stockholm, Amsterdam, La Rochelle, Cannes, Southampton, Newport, Friedrichshafen

Bali 4.0

Bali Catamarans is the brainchild of Olivier Poncin (formerly of Poncin Yachts and Dufour) combined with the build experience of Catana.

This Bali 4.0 is the new baby that completes its three-boat range and uses many of the features seen on the popular 4.3 Loft, launched last year. So the cockpit and saloon area are left open, creating a combined living space of 25m². A tilt-and-turn style glass door with gas struts can transform it from an open lounge to an enclosed saloon.

The 4.3 Loft will be on display at Southampton.

Price ex VAT €253,000 (£181,715).

www.bali-catamarans.com

To be seen at Cannes, Genoa, Barcelona

Baycruiser 26

Swallow Boats is a small yard in Wales that builds great little pocket cruisers and trailer-sailers with classic looks in plywood or glassfibre. It seems to have the knack of blending accommodation volume with performance, the latter with the aid of water ballast tanks.

This new 26 has been designed for trailer-sailing and to be rigged and prepared for sailing by one person in about 30 minutes. She has 750kg of water ballast to increase her sailing weight and performance in light airs.

Down below are four berths, a slide-away galley and an enclosed head, all with standing headroom.

Price ex VAT £58,250.

www.swallowboats.com

To be seen at Southampton

RM1270

RM 1270 and 1070

Three years ago we travelled to La Rochelle to visit the RM factory and sail the 1260. Both her type of construction and manners at sea proved an eye-opener.

RMs are built in plywood epoxy. They are a refreshingly different cruising concept – fun to sail and shallow draught, and they are offered with twin and lifting keels. The popularity of RMs has been high since our visit, particularly on this side of the Channel, where five have been delivered this year alone.

RM1070

RM has now updated the 1260 with a longer waterline length, thanks to a reverse bow. It says this should give her better planing ability – and a lifting keel is now a new option.

RM is also launching a new 1070 and has already sold 19. www.rm-yachts.com

Price ex VAT 1270 – €211,250 (£151,728) 1070: €155,000 (£111,327)

To be seen 1270 – La Rochelle, Paris.
1070 – La Rochelle, Southampton

Allures 52

This new flagship stays faithful to the Allures brand’s go-anywhere DNA. The Berret-Racoupeau design has an aluminium hull with composite superstructure and a deep, lifting centreboard. Her three-cabin layout offers
a large and light saloon with linear galley and
a forward owner’s cabin.

Obviously not content with launching one aluminium 52-footer in a year, parent company Grand Large Yachting is also building a new Garcia 52. This will be a larger version of the original 45 that was conceived for Jimmy Cornell last year, and is due to premiere at Düsseldorf Boat Show in January 2016.

Price ex VAT €508,470 (£151,728).

www.allures.fr

To be seen at Cannes

The post Hot new boats to be seen at autumn boat shows this year appeared first on Yachting World.

A 37-footer from the 1960s with racing pedigree, Misty was reworked for the classic circuit. Rupert Holmes reports on her extensive refit

Many of us dream of one day swapping the discomforts of a performance boat for the more sedate experience of racing an exquisite and well-sorted classic boat. This was just the position Stephen Card, a former Melges 24 and Mumm 30 owner, was in when he happened to be in Dundee and saw Misty on the quay where she had languished for the previous decade.

“Initially I noticed she had beautiful underwater lines,” says Card. “I didn’t know who her owner was, so I put a business card with a note on her rudder and got a call back three months later.” In the meantime, Card had been researching Misty’s history, discovering David Cheverton designed her in 1962 and that she was built in Cowes by Clare Lallow for Franklin Ratsey Woodroffe of renowned local sailmaker Ratsey and Lapthorn.

However, of more interest to Card was her racing pedigree, which turned out to be very interesting. Misty had been designed as an updated – and hopefully faster – version of one of Cheverton’s most successful designs, Danegeld. Launched in 1958, this was a boat that achieved 21 podium results, including 15 wins, in just 22 races during her first full season.

At 37ft, with a 25ft static waterline length, Misty was slightly larger in terms of LOA and therefore also heavier than Danegeld. Nevertheless, Cheverton firmly believed Misty would be faster than the older boat under the RORC rating rule that was used for offshore racing at the time.

Perhaps surprisingly, Misty was not extensively campaigned in her youth – she was used more frequently as a demonstrator for her owner’s business. However, she certainly showed good promise in the races she did enter, with results including 16th and 25th in the 1963 and 1965 Fastnet Races, along with a string of 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in her class in the Round the Island Race from 1962-66.

Although there were no sisterships to Misty, Cheverton also designed another yacht with very similar lines, but this was a significantly larger 55-footer called Chevalier, which is possibly the last yacht he designed before focusing his attention on workboats.

Remodelling Misty’s rig

Misty’s original mast – one of the earliest aluminium spars and fabricated from rolled metal – had been condemned. This offered an opportunity to investigate the possibility of optimising the new rig for IRC racing. Card has been careful to retain, and even enhance, the boat’s classic lines as much as possible, but he felt that the fact that she originally had an aluminium mast give more scope to update the rig, while remaining faithful to her original appearance.

“Had the original been a wooden spar, we might have looked for a different solution,” says Card, “but given that it was an alloy mast, there was no need to preserve a more traditional style with a wooden mast.”

The mainsheet traveller runs across the transom and the 2:1 purchase sheet is taken to winches

Having discovered the racing side of Misty’s heritage, Card turned to Allen Clarke of the famed Owen Clarke design partnership, to optimise Misty’s rig for IRC racing. ”Although their work is mainly in contemporary grand-prix yachts, I knew Allen also has an enthusiasm for classic boats,” Card explains.

It soon became clear that the rig, as originally drawn, was much too short by today’s standards, especially for the boat’s eight-tonne displacement, so before any conclusions could be drawn, more data about the boat’s hull shape, stability and weight distribution was needed.

Card had been lucky to get hold of David Cheverton’s original plans, thanks to a former employee who rescued them from a skip when the company moved out of the yacht market. Unfortunately, these didn’t provide enough detail and there was no guarantee the builders had made an exact representation of the plans at full size.

Exact hull shape

However, one of Card’s businesses is in precision laser scanning of large objects. Marcus Evans, a former boat-builder, took the equipment to Scotland, where he scanned Misty’s hull and deck. From that data he was able to create a CAD surface model accurate to within two millimetres.

This enabled the exact hull shape, ballast weight and location and so on to be input into Owen Clarke’s velocity prediction software. Card says this was an important part of the story. Evans adds: “Both sides were very symmetrical.”

The only planking that needed to be replaced was near the chainplates, which had been leaking

Historical weather data for various target events and venues was analysed to establish performance predictions. Initially Owen Clarke developed both masthead and fractional rigs, submitting trial IRC certificates for both. After cross-referencing the corrected time and predicted performance for a range of conditions, the designers ended up developing a fractional rig that optimised both the IRC rating and the predicted performance around the racecourse.

As it turns out, structural considerations became one of the main limiting factors on rig size. Unlike most traditionally built carvel wooden yachts, the gap between Misty’s planks had originally been splined and glued rather than caulked, in much the same way as the XOD fleet today.

While this produces a much stiffer structure, it was nevertheless determined that the key limitation on the size of the rig would be the stiffness of the structure, which put an effective limit on the size of the sail plan.

The result is a rig with a mast height 15.4m (50ft 6in) above the waterline. This is 2.4m (8ft) taller than the original and 1.3m taller than a revised rig that David Cheverton drew for the boat in 1964, which was never fitted. The new spar is also a more modern design than the original, significantly lighter and with two pairs of swept-back spreaders.

A change from wheel to tiller steering was more in keeping with the boat’s style

Misty’s IRC rating is just 0.874, little more than 20 points above that of Danegeld, despite her greater LOA and significantly bigger rig. Card believes she has the potential to be in the top four in her class in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. Given a breezy day, with lots of close reaching legs, in which Misty’s long waterline length relative to her rating would be a big bonus, he could be right.

A full restoration

However, before Misty could sail there was also the matter of a full restoration. The work was done to a very high standard by Adam Way’s yard in Lochgilphead in Scotland.

Many important parts of the structure had suffered significant degradation, although elements of the boat were still in sound condition, including ribs, stringers, a few deck beams and most of the planking. Each of the three original chainplates on each side had been leaking, so the planking in that area was badly damaged and had to be replaced.

Similarly, the original teak deck could not be saved and was replaced with 13mm teak over ply. New deck beams were laminated from mahogany, although those for the side decks were retained. In addition, the transom had suffered over the decades from inadequate ventilation and as a result had extensive rot and needed to be replaced.

A new interior to a higher standard than the original

Perhaps surprisingly, Misty’s original interior was not of a particularly high quality. The rebuild therefore included a new interior, which broadly follows the simple and pragmatic traditional layout of the original, but is of higher quality and offers a significantly better level of comfort within the limited hull volume available.

The post A new life for a classic boat – 37ft Misty is remodelled for the classic circuit appeared first on Yachting World.

Are these new Umberto Felci-designed semi-custom cruiser-racers from Italian company Ice Yachts the latest word in cool?, asks Toby Hodges

Since it announced its first two new models in 2013 – 44ft and 62ft Felci designs – the Italian brand Ice Yachts has been on a roll. It created a weapon of a 33ft day-racer last year, is launching this striking 52 this summer and will follow up with its first catamaran, the Ice Cat 61 (below), next year. And this is just the start of a full range of monohulls and multihulls the company intends to roll out.

The team behind it has built maxi yachts for the last 30 years at the former CN Yacht 2000 facilities near Milan.

Ice Yachts is more focused on custom or semi-custom building than series production, but it has obviously found popularity with its high-end products.

Ice 52

Ice Yachts’ new 52 is designed by Umberto Felci, as is the brand’s entire monohull range. “To my mind he is the best designer in Italy,” declares Ice Yachts’ CEO Marco Malgara. Malgara thinks the 52 shares the contemporary, sporty look of the exciting Ice 33-footer that launched last year, a day-racer that resembles a mini TP52.

Felci agrees, but also insists the hull shapes of the 33 and 52 go way back. “The first boat with that ‘champagne glass’ shape was our fantastic Open 33 Bravissima, which launched in 1994,” he explains, “and is still winning races everywhere (including 3rd overall from over 2,000 boats at the Barcolana 2014).”

He says the canoe body shape of the 33 and 52 is an evolution of that initial hull. “The main concept is low wetted area and long waterline length at zero heel – and high form stability that is increased by the heel angle.”

The difficulty Felci faced was with taking these hydrodynamic solutions created for racing and adapting them for a performance cruiser. “If the 33 is a pure racer, with the 52 the job was complicated by the fact that she had also to be a comfortable cruiser, and that the external style had to be modern, aggressive and elegant.”

The bow profile of the 52 is what really catches the eye. She has very full forward sections and an unusual stem; Ice Yachts describes this as a ‘scimitar’ in shape, the inverted curve being similar to the curved swords of the early Middle East. The combination of full forward sections and extensive beam provides “high dimensional stability at high angles of heel,” says Felci.

Malgara explains that they have been deliberately aggressive with her design and that the 52 is beamier than the 62. She weighs just 12 tonnes – more than two tonnes lighter than the Solaris 50 on test this month (see page 60) – yet can set nearly 400m² of sail downwind, which offers a clue to her potential performance.

The lightweight, stiff properties of the Ice 52 are inherited from her composite build. Ice Yachts uses a three-step infusion process – infused outer and inner skins, and a vacuum-bonded PVC core – to gain maximum mechanical properties for minimum weight. The 52 also has carbon reinforcements, structural tanks, flanged bulkheads for better adhesion to the deck and sandwich-built furniture.

The Ice 52 looks like a feisty cruiser that can be sailed short-handed yet also compete in crewed regattas. I like the way the twin wheels are sited quite far forward for good sightlines, something Ice did to good effect with the 62.

The Ice 52 will make its boat show debut in Cannes in September. Look out for our full guide to the new launches at the autumn boat shows in the next issue.

Price ex VAT €520,000 (£371,415). www.iceyachts.it

Dimensions

LOA 15.80m/51ft 10in

LWL 14.84m/48ft 8in

Beam 4.65m/15ft 3in

Draught 2.45-2.85m/8ft-9ft 4in

Displacement 12,500kg/27,557lb

Ice Cat 61

With the announcement of its first catamaran, Ice Yachts declares it is aiming to produce a multihull range from 50-70ft. The designer is Enrico Contreas whose history is synonymous with the Mattia brand of multihulls he has designed since 1970. This ranges from sports and Formula cats such as F18s, to folding trimarans and cruising cats up to 60ft known for their speed and manoeuvrability.

For the Ice Cat 61, the yard has taken the Mattia 56 as a benchmark, a catamaran that can reportedly reach 23 knots under autopilot. Cruising speeds of 25 knots plus are expected from the 61, and her projected motoring speed is 13.5 knots.

She will have a carbon mast that sets a generous sail plan. Ice Yachts says this will be easy to manage thanks to a mainsheet and traveller that can be push-button controlled and a self-tacking Solent.

The bows of the Ice Cat 61 have been given the half-moon ‘scimitar’ shape similar to the Ice 52. The company believes that, in this case, it is a practical shape that extends hull space and helps create forward volume to prevent the bows burying into waves.

Ice catamarans will be built like the monohulls – light and stiff. Options include hybrid propulsion or diesel-electric power, plus another patent-pending power solution the yard is working on that will function if there is a problem with the electronics.

The yard is also considering a turbo upgrade for adrenalin junkies: a full carbon, foiling version. A 61ft cruising cat that can fly? Pass the Chianti.

Price TBD – launch date summer 2016. www.iceyachts.it

This is an extract from a feature in the August 2015 issue of Yachting World

The post Cool as Ice – the new Italian brand Ice Yachts is on a roll appeared first on Yachting World.

Simple lines and sailing pleasure define the values of the beautiful new Swan 115 launched by Nautor at the Monaco Yacht Show

A year after the debut of their first superyacht, the Swan 105, Nautor returned to the Monaco Yacht Show last week with a yacht even larger. The first Swan 115, the dark blue-hulled Solleone, represents a key part of the Finnish company’s grand plan to extend its range in both directions.

With orders for four 115s, the move to semi custom carbon superyacht territory has been perhaps more successful than even Nautor dared hope. The company seems to have timed it just right: after a sharp contraction in sailing superyachts builds since 2008, demand is returning, though tentatively, and Nautor’s Swan is well-placed by being such a long-established prestige brand.

“In a world full of custom yachts, this will still be a Swan in ten years’ time. Owners have an idea what the cost will be. You can adapt, but it’s a formula. We spend so much money and time on designing and engineering; you are not paying for this optimisation,” says Barry Ashwell, Nautor’s regional sales and marketing director.

But leave aside the marketing proposition and look at the yacht itself and you see something truly lovely. This really does feel like a pure sailing yacht, in every respect. On deck it is exceptionally uncluttered, with a large forward cockpit seating area, and clean decks from there forward. Systems are deliberately simple for the size, with manual steering, and deck winches rather than captive winches for runners, mainsheet and headsails.

Swan 115 on deck

The sheer pleasure of sailing the boat (designed like all other modern Swans by German Frers) has been foremost. Hull no 1 is a flush decked 115s version and has been cruised this summer by Nautor’s owner, Leonardo Ferragamo. Spars are carbon and the rigging is Southern Spars’s ECSix carbon. She has a large fat-top mainsail to capitalise on light winds, and is fully powered up in 12 knots of wind.

There are large twin rudders for easy sailing at lower speeds and though we have yet to test sail this boat, I can well believe the company’s boast that her handling is akin to a 60-footer. In the 3,500 miles logged since she left the yard in Finland, Solleone has covered around half of that under sail and her captain says that she makes a very manageable average of 15-16 knots in reaching conditions of 18-20 knots under single reef and jib.

On deck, the Swan 115 sports some fine detailing. The teak decks are laid straight, rather than following the hull curve, and there is no king plank  – Frers’s suggestion. The effect, together with light grey caulking, gives the deck a crisp and clean look.

A bimini is lowered and raised on gas struts and folds down into recessed stowage just forward of the companionway entrance, rather like the roof of a soft top car. A sprayhood can be raised out of the same recess.

Below there is a large seating area on both sides and a dining area in the lower part, both of which can be used for parties. Crew accommodation is forward and two guest cabins and a full beam owner’s stateroom aft.

Upper saloon area of the new Swan 115

For this yacht Nautor and Ferragamo have elected to stick to an archetypal Swan look. Next year the company marks its 50th birthday and will be celebrating this heritage. The Swan ‘look’ that has kept their boats among the most coveted and sought after is easily recognisable here and confidently goes against the grain of most superyachts.

For example, the joinery in teak has a high gloss finish, just like on the original Swans. The louvred doors and lockers have old school look, and with a few other discreet retro fittings this is beautifully effective.

Nautor has kept the design and layout deceptively simple with little adornment other than small and not immediately noticeable touches such as stitched leather handholds, leather-covered horizontal surfaces and picture frames that open up to reveal lockers. It is a totally clean look that is an absolute fit.

Superyacht it may be, but this looks like a proper sailing yacht and its design and execution has a timeless quality that would not be foreign to any Swan owner of times gone by.

Owner’s stateroom on the Swan 115

The new Swan 115 is only part of a branching out for the company and a wave of fresh investment in growing the brand and company. Next comes an even larger design, the Swan 130, which matches a similar sized design coming from rival company and near neighbour Baltic Yachts.

But Swan also has its regatta racing background and is on the verge of launching a new one-design performance racer (more after the unveiling later this week). This will be an exciting extension and updating of the ClubSwan concept, which will be used to introduce more radical designs.

The company has yet more plans to reach into smaller yachts. They recently announced a new Swan 54, another yacht that has hit square on latent demand. Swan made sales of four of these in the fortnight following the launch.

They also have plans for a Swan 78 for serious bluewater cruising, and are looking at the possibility scaling down at the smaller end of their range and “may have a 46 or a 48.”

The post Video: Nautor launches new Swan 115 flagship at Monaco Yacht Show appeared first on Yachting World.

Crewmember for the Transatlantic Race Nick Wood recounts a memorable 12 days of ocean racing aboard the big Herreshoff schooner Mariette, enjoying rare roast beef and china cups on the crossing

This year the 138ft gaff schooner Mariette is 100 and to celebrate, her owner and her captain, Charlie Wroe, decided to take part in the Transatlantic Race. As she was built by the Herreshoff manufacturing company in Bristol, Rhode Island, only a few miles from the start at Newport, this seemed only fitting.

Our crew of 16 counted a total of 149 transatlantic crossings between them. Wroe reminded us that we were there to race, not just to deliver the boat. Mariette had been immaculately prepared by her full-time crew. The clinker tenders, davits and surplus gear were removed and Patrick, our cook, had provisioned amply.

We started on a murky day after a big depression had blown through, leaving a very unstable wind and confused sea pattern. This meant multiple sail changes the first night, a taste of the days to come.

View from 115ft up the mainmast

Our navigator, Halvard Mabire, who has five Whitbread Races and 32 transatlantics to his name, soon had us heading south-east to find the Gulf Stream, which runs at up to three knots. By day three we were in schooner heaven, with the wind just abaft the beam, gobbling up the miles to the waypoints off the Newfoundland banks placed to keep the fleet south of ice.

We carried six to eight sails at a time (of the 17 sails in the extensive sail wardrobe), including gollywobblers and fishermen of various sizes hoisted between the rigs. We ran with ballooners, spinnakers and a combination of jibs, jib-tops and staysails on the foremast and they all needed to be trimmed constantly.

A minimum of eight hands were required to change a jib. The standby watch often had to crawl out from under their warm duvets to get back into foulweather gear, but we were covering 275-340 miles a day so spirits were high.

Gary steers Mariette in 8-9m North Atlantic rollers

Patrick, who gained incredibly well developed left leg muscles from cooking on starboard tack for most of the 12 days, also kept morale high by producing great food. The menu on the sixth day was rare roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and veg – how lucky we felt thinking of crew in stripped-out raceboats eating freeze-dried food out of plastic bowls.

On day seven a big breeze arrived with large seas and the skipper chose to drop the main and hoist the trysail. Only at this point was it getting difficult to deliver four cups of tea in china cups to the on-watch crew. But still Mariette was flying under four small sails, clocking a top speed of 17.8 knots. Spume flew, ice blue waves crashed into the cockpit and the bowsprit was often totally submerged in an Atlantic roller.

Crew safety briefing in the sumptuous saloon

Mabire warned of some difficult days transiting weather systems. He was soon proved correct, as our biggest sails hung limp and wet with Atlantic fog, and eight tonnes of rig creaked, groaned and shook the boat in the leftover lumpy seas.

Our nearest opposition, the Reichel/Pugh 63 Lucky and 100ft Finot-Conq Nomad, took a more southerly route, hung onto the pressure system and passed us two days from the finish.

Another nocturnal sail change

We constantly tweaked the sheet leads, tried different sail combinations and sailed Mariette as hard as we could towards the Lizard and in a final blaze we were escorted into the Western Approaches at night by dolphins lit up by phosphorescence.

After 12d 7h 21m we had covered just over 3,000 miles. Mariette’s cannon was fired at 0450 on entry into Falmouth, waking up the resident seagulls. Family and friends greeted us on the dock with Cornish pasties and bottles of Doom Bar. We had finished 3rd across the line, 3rd on corrected time and winners of Class 4.

Happy Birthday, Mariette!

Serious sideburns – Milos, Louis and Halvard get into the centenary spirit

This is an extract from a feature in the September issue of Yachting World

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Nautor’s Swan will celebrate its 50th anniversary in style in 2016 by launching a feisty new 50ft one-design class: the ClubSwan50

This is very positive news from a yard that one may have presumed was concentrating on its larger yacht range, after recently launching its first of four new 115ft superyachts. But the ClubSwan 50 is the second new ‘smaller’ size model to be announced in as many months however, following news of a new cruising Swan 54.

And in a significant departure for the Finnish yard, she is designed not by German Frers, but by fellow Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian. “The Club Swan 50 will the first time [in modern times] we have used a different designer from German Frers,” said Barry Ashmore, Swan’s regional sales and marketing director.

Twin rudders, chines, reverse sheer and a dreadnought bow are a few of the modish Juan K design features

“We held a contest among the best designers in the world to create an innovative design that would include new technologies and materials, be stylish and iconic, high performing but easy to sail,” explained the Chairman of Nautor’s Swan Leonardo Ferragamo. “The result is the ClubSwan 50, a stunning yacht that will appeal to the young and competitive, while still allowing the pleasure of cruising in the true spirit of Swan.”

The ClubSwan 50 has many of the hallmarks for which Kouyoumdjian is so well-known, from his IMOCA 60 and Volvo 70 designs to Rambler 88. She is a very current-looking, beamy yacht (4.2m) with chines, twin rudders, reverse sheer line and a dreadnought bow.

“It is an honor for me to design a boat for Swan,” says Juan K. “From performance, seaworthiness and the capacity to sail easily with a reduced number of crew… it is a tremendous challenge.”

The design seems to strike a balance between racer-cruiser and Grand Prix style racing yachts. “It will be very fast; performance is first and foremost,” said Ashmore. “This represents innovation the easy way. We wanted a rocket boat, but one that would perform well under IRC and one that is suitable for an owner-driver.”

The square-top mainsail is sheeted to the very aft of the boat. The sailplan shows a vast foretriangle, one that should suit flying sails set from the fixed bowsprit (up to 296m2 downwind sail area).

The carbon mast is deck stepped and has three swept spreaders to negate the need for a fixed backstay. She will be built in carbon epoxy Sprint laminate to a lightweight displacement of 8.5 tonnes.

‘In one word, this yacht had to be cool’, says Swan on its dedicated new website. But she wouldn’t be a Swan if she didn’t have some sort of interior too. So like Wally Yachts, the ClubSwan 50 can be also converted for weekend cruising, and has two double cabins, plus galley and heads down below.

The interior accommodation has two double cabins, a galley and heads. The T keel has a steel fin and lead torpeedo

It is important for Swan that the boat can be transformed easily for short-handed cruising. It has a furling genoa and four of the six winches are cited around the helms. These are electric as standard and can control all sail functions on board. “We wanted a boat that would offer the maximum fun possible but be able to convert into a weekend cruiser for two people without a major effort,” says Ashmore.

Don’t be fooled by that though, this is a racing yacht first and foremost. The ClubSwan 50 will be a professionally managed owner-driver class, with a global racing circuit. Events will be run across three continents (Europe, North America & Asia) and four fleets.

The ClubSwan 50 is an owner-driver one design class, crewed by eight people

“It will be a full carbon boat and the base price will be €800-900,000,” says Ashmore. “It will be marketed as a package so that it won’t be necessary to optimise for racing and has some limited comfort options. But the point is that the cheaper the boat the faster it will be.”

Is it an alternative to the popular TP52s? “It’s unfair to compare this to the TP52. It is the opposite of those, which need a project manager and an optimisation programme,” says Ashmore. “This boat will be cheaper, it’s one-design, it can be crewed by fewer people, eight compared to the TP52’s 14 or 15, and it looks like it will rate well under ORCi.

“The TP52 are single rudder boats so they are not easy to sail; this has twin rudders and will be easier for an owner-driver, but they will challenge the TP52s as they will be carrying less crew weight.”

Nautor intends to have a fleet in action at the first world championships by 2018. They believe they could have as many as 20-30 yachts built and racing by then, but possibly more. “The best case scenario would be 50 – we have the capacity for that.”

To expand their building capacity they are going to develop a build facility alongside their lamination factory in the Finnish village of Kalby, some miles from where Nautor’s larger yachts are being built. They may create two moulds so that builds could progress simultaneously.

“We felt it was time to innovate,” says Ashmore “and that we could ring fence the ClubSwan brand.” The company has plans to extend the range if the new ClubSwan proves as popular as they hope. “We can absolutely see a smaller version of sub 40ft being built,” says Ashmore.

The ClubSwan 50 joins a growing Swan one design fleet that includes Club Swan 42, Swan 45, Swan 601 and Swan 60. In terms of current trend and interest, it looks right on the money, so don’t be surprised to see Swan’s positive predictions for this new class fufilled.

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This new creation by British designer Hugh Welbourn is described by the designer as a ‘gentleman’s foiler’ in that it should be easy to get up and flying. James Boyd takes a look at a ground-breaking design

Flying multihulls may be grabbing the headlines, but the next development in what some are calling the most ground-breaking period in yacht design is already here: flying monohulls. By this we don’t mean Moths, the 11ft single-handed dinghies that put foiling boats on the map, but keelboats.

The Quant 23 is believed to be the world’s first foiling keelboat. The secret behind its design lies with the latest-generation Dynamic Stability Systems (DSS) foil arrangement. Her evolution has occurred just as it did with multihulls.

From the late 1990s on, curved foils were used in ORMA 60 trimaran floats to provide lift to leeward and prevent the leeward float from burying its bow. Fifteen or so years later, these had evolved into the foils that first made the Emirates Team New Zealand AC72 catamaran fly.

In a similar way the DSS foil has graduated from providing lift to leeward and added righting moment, with clear performance benefits, to providing enough lift for the entire hull to become airborne.

The flying Quant 23 follows on from the prototype Quant 28 and production Quant 30, both of which are ‘standard’ DSS, narrow-hulled sportsboats, developed by Quant Boats in Switzerland.

Built in Cowes

All the Quants have strong UK ties, however, having been designed by DSS creator Hugh Welbourn and, in the case of the 23, built by Paul Jennings’s company, Projects by Design, in Cowes.

The Quant 23 bears little visual relationship to its predecessors. While the Quant 30 had twin DSS foils that were curved – if you looked at them from above – each retracting into its own case in the forepeak, the 23’s foils are more akin to daggerboards (or daggerfoils) in that there are two of them, deployed vertically through the hull – rather than through the topsides at the waterline. These have a bend in them so that when fully lowered they protrude outward, horizontally from the hull, like regular DSS foils, only deeper in the water.

The Quant 23 is, of course, also fitted with the now ubiquitous inverted-T foil rudder, common to Moths and AC catamarans, which, in combination with the main DSS foil, is what enables the boat to fly.

The end result is a foiling keelboat, although it should be pointed out that because so much of the righting moment is provided by the DSS foil, the bulb weight has been pared down. It is enough to recover the boat from a knockdown, but is substantially lighter than the bulb on a non-flying, non-DSS boat.

Although the new foils are clearly the headline-grabbing feature of the Quant 23, also notable is her scow-shaped hull. Again this is a major departure from previous Quants, and indeed other Welbourn DSS boats such as the Infiniti 36 and 46.

“It’s pretty simple really – you’re trying to get a quick base hull out of something which requires ‘x’ amount of righting moment,” explains Welbourn. “With a scow hull as your starting point you’ve immediately got a stable platform which you can push along quite nicely with just a couple of people on the edge of it. Then when you stick the foil out you’ve already got a good base span from which to increase your righting moment for when you want to get flying.”

Scow for the 21st Century

Blunt-bowed scows are typically beamy, carrying their breadth most of the way forward. However with chines, a hull-deck chamfer and an ultra-low freeboard, the Quant 23 looks like a scow for the 21st Century. The hull shape not only provides good stability, but also a wide base for the crew to get weight outboard without the design having to resort to racks or wings.

The scow hull is also central to a less obvious fundamental concept of the boat: that while pretty much all the most common foilers on the market require a reasonable amount of skill, agility and athleticism to be sailed efficiently, the Quant 23 doesn’t.

“The idea behind it is simply a boat that Joe Bloggs can leap into and ten minutes later he’s flying, without having to learn a whole myriad of complicated systems, loads of adjustments or anything like that,” declares Welbourn, agreeing that the boat could be described as a ‘gentleman’s foiler’.

In line with this ethos, the boat is very simple to foil. Yes, it is possible to change the rake of both the rudder T-foil and the main DSS foil by five degrees, but both the boat and its foil are designed so that these don’t need active controls such as rake as you typically find on other foils. During the 12 years he spent in R&D on DSS Welbourn has come up with a secret blend of variable foil section, positioning, rake, etc, so that as he puts it: “You let the boat do the work for you.”

Saying this, the Quant 23’s foil configuration does allow different modes of sailing, depending on what is required. It can be sailed without the foils, purely as a scow keelboat. With the foils fitted, but not fully lowered the boat can sail in displacement mode yet still with the usual DSS benefits of added righting moment, or the foil can be fully lowered (by a further 300mm) for full foiling mode.

The all-important aspects of ride height and heave stability require no user intervention. Depending on the point of sail and heel angle, the DSS foil will reduce its lift from either the inboard or outboard end of the foil the more it lifts out of the water as the boat accelerates, in a similar way to a V-type foil.

Simplicity

However, this ease of use comes at a small price: that is, ultimate top speed. Still, Welbourn’s view is that the top speed – which has yet to be determined, but he believes to be in the mid-20s – will be high enough for most people. More important is the simplicity of the boat and that it can foil in very little breeze.

At the time of the writing the boat was still undergoing preliminary sea trials, but, according to Quant Boats’ Michael Aeppli, had been regularly getting up on her foils in eight knots of wind and was making 16-18 knots of boat speed in ten knots. Aeppli observes: “The platform is so stable and it is leaving hull speed in almost no wind. It is a slight exaggeration, but it is like having the performance of a skiff on a platform you might need for a sailing school.”

Perhaps most impressive is that upwind she was beginning to lift out in just eight knots of wind, although we don’t have information on how cracked off she was to achieve this. One of the most noticeable differences between monohull and multihull foilers at present is that the former seem able to take-off upwind in less pressure.

According to Hugh Welbourn, the Quant 23 currently has excess righting moment, so as part of the boat’s development the team will be playing with this with the aim of being able to get airborne in the least amount of wind and then enjoy stable flight. “It’s a balancing game,” he says, “like any aeroplane basically. It’s got to be naturally a stable system. The balance between front and back is key to the whole thing.”

So is this the future of yachting? Welbourn says that the Quant 23 format is scalable, although there are definite limits. “You run into the total drag cost, so there’s a whole set of physics that puts constraints into your system.” So don’t expect foiling to be appropriate any time soon for your beloved ferro-cement cruising yacht.

From the foredeck looking aft, the foils look like normal racing daggerboards, but curve outboard rather than inboard. Note the self-tacking jib track

A shallow, but clutter-free cockpit makes it clear how wide this monohull is. Note the toestraps for the crew and helmsman, and the lack of winches

The daggerboard boxes positioned under the side decks need to be large enough to allow the curvature of the foils to pass through easily

A simple pin stop system adjusts the rake of the rudder and hence the angle of attack of the T-foil. This alters the fore and aft trim of the boat

Port side looking aft with the board 80 per cent down

Port side looking outboard with the foil fully down and the tip clearly visible out to leeward

Specifications

LOA 7.00m/22ft 11in

Beam 1.90m/6ft 3in

Draught 1.65m/5ft 5in

Sail area:

upwind 32m²/344ft²

downwind 60m²/646ft²

Displacement 265kg/584lb

Bulb weight 65kg/143lb

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