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£4.75 Issue #1742 February 2020 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

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SAILING IN GREECE Where to go in 2020

Which rope for which job

LASER WORLD CHAMPION “The race of my life” AMERICA’S CUP Training with INEOS 420 WIZARD

We meet Chris Grube

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THIS MONTH FEBRUARY 2020

Analysis & advice 18

Making our sport sustainable COVER STORY: Cutting edge iniatives to lead the way

PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: SALTY DINGO; SAILING ENERGY-WORLD SAILING; CHRIS HATTON; SHAUN ROSTER

26 32

Beneteau First Yacht 53

Sailing the AZAB

COVER STORY: New performance Beneteau tested Rupert Holmes reports first hand on a tough event

470 wizard

Windsurfer in a sail team

48 52

Greek charter

WIN! Charter competition

Latest charter news for those considering the islands of Greece as their next holiday destination 62

COVER STORY: Win a holiday with Dream Yacht Charter

Latest kit

Which rope for which job

New gear for racing sailors

COVER STORY: We look at the latest materials in rope design and how they match jobs on board

We meet Chris Grube We meet Tom Squires

America’s Cup COVER STORY: Bob Fisher goes out training with Sir Ben

Laser world champion COVER STORY: Tom Burton

REGULARS 6

13 Bob Fisher

Hamilton Island Race Week

14 Andi Robertson

Practical dinghy sailing

17 Andy Rice

Promoting the RYA Dinghy Show in March and April

80 Clubs & Classes

Falmouth Sailing Week

90 Position

By the event’s race officer

News

Barrier Reef regatta

Equipment & travel

Reach to victory COVER STORY: Mark Rushall on offwind tactics

88 Letters

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

PHOTO: RYAN DAVIES/LYMINGTON TIMES

EDITORIAL Editor Rob Peake rob.peake@chelseamagazines.com News and Digital Editor Chris Rosamond Art Editor Gareth Lloyd Jones Clubs & Classes Editor Paula Irish club@yachtsandyachting.co.uk

Club of the Year

here is still time, as you read this, to vote in the Club of the Year competition, which we run with the RYA. We had a tough job whittling down the clubs that applied to the shortlist you can see on our website. The harder job, however, is now yours! Your votes will decide the winner of the Club of the Year, which is announced – always to a packed house – on the main stage at the RYA Dinghy Show, which runs from 29 February to 1 March. You can find the voting page and details for each club via yachtsandyachting.co.uk. British 470 sailor Chris Grube, interviewed this month, makes an interesting point about dinghy sailing being the “ultimate sport”, demanding a combination of the highest levels of fitness and of tactical guile. While 470 helm Luke Patience uses all the cunning in his substantial kitbag, Grube operates at a phenomenally high average heart rate out on the wire, with pumping having become a central part of success in the class. The demands on 470 crew have become such that a crucial part of race tactics is when to pump and when to save energy. Will we see dinghy crews wearing heartrate monitors with their BPMs fed back live to the media, as per the Tour de France and other events? As we hear talk that sailing needs to adapt to remain an Olympic sport – with media and television-friendliness a core requirement – perhaps it’s something World Sailing will consider. Meanwhile, as we’ve reported, the 470 becomes a mixed class for Paris 2024 and the Brits already have one top crew formed with victory in mind.

Ryan Orr, who narrowly missed out on Tokyo 470 selection with Arran Holman, has now teamed up with Vita Heathcote. Vita and her 420 partner Milly Boyle were shortlisted as Youth Sailors of the Year in our British Yachting Awards, after winning the 420 worlds in 2019. The new partnership of Ryan and Vita, pictured, both from Royal Lymington YC, have already been racing out in Italy where they took silver in the Under 24 European champs. They are now seriously looking for sponsorship – see their Facebook page for details – ‘Vita/Ryan 470sailing’. It’s been fascinating interviewing some of the Team GB sailors recently. They have all been down-toearth, friendly and open about their next five months. Many of them are now in Australia or New Zealand at a spate of world championships. Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell have just taken bronze in the 49er worlds in Auckland as I write. And the two British Nacra crews of John Gimson & Anna Burnet and Ben Saxton & Nikki Boniface were just two points apart at the end of their worlds, also in Auckland. Both crews have earned Olympic selection, but of course only one can go. We will hear very shortly which it is.

Contributors: Bob Fisher, Rupert Holmes, Paula Irish, Rob Kothe, Mark Rushall, Sue Pelling, Andy Rice, Andi Robertson Cover image: Maverick, Quentin Stewart’s Infiniti 46R, set to compete in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart 2019, photo by Tim Wright ADVERTISING Sales Director Cameron Hay Marine Group Head of Market Jodie Green +44 (0)207 349 3722 jodie.green@chelseamagazines.com Y&Y Advertising Manager Mark Harrington +44 (0)207 349 3787 mark.harrington@chelseamagazines.com PUBLISHING Chairman Paul Dobson Chief Operating Officer Kevin Petley Finance Financial Officer Vicki Gavin Director of Media James Dobson Publisher Simon Temlett Publishing Consultant Martin Nott Marketing Manager Daniel Webb daniel.webb@chelseamagazines.com EA to Chairman Sarah Porter WEBSITE yachtsandyachting.co.uk Yachts & Yachting is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Tel: +44 (0)20 7349 3700 CHELSEA CREATE Managing Director Steve Ross Partnerships Director Lyndall Beeton SMALL PRINT © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2019. All rights reserved. ISSN 0044-000 Printed in England by William Gibbons. Ad Production: All Points Media www.allpointsmedia.co.uk Distribution: News Trade (UK and Rest of World), Seymour International Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT. Tel: 020 7429 4000 Fax: 020 7429 4001 Email: info@seymour.co.uk No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission in writing. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information in Yachts & Yachting, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice portrayed herein. The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd makes every effort to ensure that the advertising contained in this magazine is derived from responsible sources. We cannot, however, accept responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers. Yachts & Yachting welcomes letters

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WRITERS THIS MONTH INCLUDE… Musto Skiff sailor Andy Rice has an unparalleled knowledge of the dinghy scene from grass roots sailing to Olympic level

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

Mark Rushall coaches at the highest levels of the sport, covering all types of racing from dinghies to round the world big boat events

Stalwart of the Solent racing scene, Rupert Holmes is a successful sailor, RYA keelboat race coach and freelance journalist

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NEWS

Sailing stars honoured at our Awards The British Yachting Awards, organised by Yachts & Yachting and our sister title Sailing Today, were presented at a ceremony at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in December. Guest speaker was Dee Caffari and the audience included many other big names from the international racing and cruising worlds. The winners were announced by Yachts & Yachting editor Rob Peake, after 21,000 votes came in from around the world for the shortlisted candidates. The British Yachting Awards are the only UK sailing awards voted for by the public alone. The full list of winners was featured in last month’s Yachts & Yachting and can be found on our website yachtsandyachting.co.uk

Among the winners there was a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for Key Yachting’s Paul Heys, received by his widow Marie-Claude and Paul’s daughters Gemma and Natalie. Other awards on the night went to Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Mary Rook of four-times world match racing champions Team Mac, Laser Radial world champion Matilda Nicholls, J/Boats president Jeff Johnstone for the J/99 and Oyster Yachts owner Richard Hadida for the Oyster 565. Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby sent a video message from Perth, where he was preparing for the Moth worlds, thanking voters for the award and saying he was looking forward to challenging Ben Ainslie and the British team in SailGP 2020.

High profile guests included Paralympian Helena Lucas, Andrew Pindar, Laser sailor Sam Whaley and officers of the Royal Thames YC including Vice Commodore George Ehlers. Dee Caffari’s introductory speech focussed on equality of opportunity in the sailing world, a theme that was picked up by Andrew Pindar, one of the category sponsors, who spoke about the research he has recently funded investigating opportunities for women in sailing on behalf of World Sailing – see a future issue of Yachts & Yachting for more on this. The British Yachting Awards is sponsored by the Boat Building Academy, GAC Pindar, GJW Direct, Coppercoat, Pantaenius and Poole Harbour Boat Show.

Maxi Edmond de Rothschild beats Ultim rivals in Brest Atlantiques After almost 29 days at sea, Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier, accompanied by media man Yann Riou, won the Brest Atlantiques on 4 December on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The event saw four of the big Ultim trimarans race from Brest, to points off Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and back again. Maxi Edmond de Rothschild covered 17,084 miles at an average speed of 24.57 knots. Rivals MACIF and Actual Leader were second and third, while Sodebo 3 abandoned the

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

race after a forced stop in Cape Town with keel damage. Cammas and Caudrelier narrowly won line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race earlier this year as Maxi Edmond de Rothschild pipped MACIF to the finish by 58 seconds. Despite various problems en route, the success of the Brest Atlantiques has been seen as a vindication of the Ultim class after some spectacular breakages over the last couple of years in different events.

5 hours, 5 mins and 4 seconds

IN NUMBERS

Two-handers win RORC Transatlantic Racing two-handed with Jeremy Waitt, Richard Palmer’s JPK 10.10 Jangada scored the best corrected time under IRC to win the RORC Transatlantic Race overall, having completed the 3,000nm course in 17 Days, 10hrs. Jangada is the first two-handed team to win the RORC Transatlantic trophy, as well as the smallest boat to do so. “This win absolutely exceeded all our expectations – a great start to the season!” said Palmer. “The competition out there certainly gave us a run for our money – Childhood 1 was doing 20 knots and we could never match that speed, and Pata Negra 12 knots, but we just said ‘bring it on’ and we raced hard all the way to the finish. “Persistence and perseverance were the key to keep going for each three-hour watch. It was hard work but it paid off. It is absolutely fabulous to be back at Port Louis Marina in Grenada. We were here two years ago and we are looking forward to celebrating for a few days!” They also suffered an MOB – see quote to the right.

Offshore two-handers wanted The RYA is on the hunt for sailors and boat owners interested in the new double-handed mixed offshore event that will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The new Olympic discipline will see mixed pairs battle it out over a four-day offshore race off Marseilles. With planning for Paris 2024 already underway, the RYA has registered an entry for a British team in the 2020 World Sailing Offshore World Championship (OWC), held in conjunction with the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The RYA would now like to hear from any motivated and experienced sailors interested in trying double-handed offshore sailing, and they are also keen to hear from any boat owners who may either be looking for a racing partner or prepared to loan or charter a suitable boat to others. Email racing@rya.org.uk

Phil Sharp’s new record for an Isle Of Wight circumnavigation set aboard Class 40 OceansLab

THEY SAID… “A wave caught us and I went straight over the side. I was being dragged at seven knots and that is a moment when you think about a few things, when you are in the middle of the ocean. The survival gene kicks in fairly quickly and it was a good bit of team work to get back on board. I have a few bruises but I don’t think Richard was too impressed as I was slowing the boat down! When I was safely back on board, Richard said: ‘Shall we have a cup of tea?’ I replied: ‘Let’s get the spinnaker back up first!’” Jeremy Waitt after falling overboard off Jangada in the RORC Transatlantic (see story to the left). He was clipped on at the time, about 1,000 miles from Grenada.

6 Toppers have been loaned to young sailors who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford their own boats, by our new Charity of the Year, the National Schools Sailing Association

30 years of the Exe Sails Starcross Steamer Pursuit Race will be celebrated on 19 January at Starcross YC

“We should be looking at 10 teams — that would be ideal. If you ask any of the team principals, they would agree this particular boat is too expensive. For a new team looking to get involved, it is quite daunting. “It still comes back to the fundamentals. Reading the wind and trying to take the right course, that doesn’t really change that much whether you are sailing a Laser dinghy or an America’s Cup boat.” Sir Ben Ainslie, INEOS TEAM UK principle and helm of AC75 Britannia, sharing his thoughts on the cost of America’s Cup competition in a recent Financial Times interview

650 square metres – the downwind sails set by 32m Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild

“If we want our sport to progress and move forwards then we need to consider 50% of the population, otherwise we are going to be left behind. This is for all of us to take forwards into the future with a collaborative and cohesive approach to make the sport stronger.” Dee Caffari speaking about the World Sailing Trust’s Women in Sailing Strategic Review, which was released to the public in early December – more in a future issue of Yachts & Yachting

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

INEOS TEAM UK

AC youth A new Youth America’s Cup regatta will be raced in a brand new class of foiling monohull, the AC9F. The multi-leg event starting in 2020 will feature a fleet race in China in November, a match racing event in Auckland, with finals held outside the RNZYS in March 2020.

INEOS TEAM UK and AC75 Britannia face America’s Cup showdown in the Solent

Match champs

Youngsters from Oxfordshire’s Cokethorpe School were crowned schools match racing champions after a commanding performance on the waters of Weymouth and Portland. Led by skipper Barty Gray, the Cokethorpe School team took the top spot at the Moody Decking Schools Match Racing Championship with an unbeaten scoreline. Star turns

Iain Percy and Anders Ekström have won the Star Sailors League Finals to be crowned SSL champions 2019. Xavier Rohart and Pierre-Alexis Ponsot were second, while Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin finished third.

The four teams hoping to lift the next America’s Cup will race off Portsmouth from 4-7 June. The British crew – INEOS TEAM UK, led by Sir Ben Ainslie – will be among those racing the brand new AC75 foiling monohulls, in a warm-up series of events called the America’s Cup World Series. The America’s Cup proper takes place in Auckland in February and March 2021. The first ACWS event will take place in Cagliari, Sardinia, from 23-26 April, 2020, the second in Portsmouth, then the concluding event in Auckland as part of the Christmas Race from 17-20 December. The ACWS is then followed by the Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series which will determine which foreign yacht club will take on the Defender of the America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the 36th America’s Cup Match presented by Prada 6-21 March, 2021, in Auckland. Having raced at the two previous ACWS events in Portsmouth, Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said: “Portsmouth

was a fanatically supportive city for the ACWS in 2015 and 2016, so we are looking forward to getting back there. The difference this time is the racing will be in the new AC75’s which will be a spectacle like nothing seen before on the Solent. “With the dates now also confirmed for the ACWS to climax in Auckland between 17-20 December next year, as part of the Christmas Race, we are now really set up for an intriguing year in 2020 as the run in to the main event in 2021.” Sir Ben Ainslie, Team Principal and Skipper, INEOS TEAM UK, said: “We are really looking forward to competing in front of our home crowd again. The 2015 and 2016 America’s Cup World Series events in Portsmouth saw an estimated 250,000 fans line the Southsea waterfront. It’s so great that Portsmouth has been chosen as only one of two locations outside of New Zealand where people can watch the AC75 foiling monohulls in action. We are confident the racing will deliver a true spectacle.”

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RS-fest

The RS Elite International Grand Prix, with an International Invitation Regatta and the UK National Championship, will take place at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes on 8-12 July. It is expected to be the largest regatta for the class to date. Enter at rys.org.uk Minis

The Minisail Class is creating a register of surviving boats. Owners are invited to log whatever details they have at: www.minisail.org. uk. Minisail No.10 is currently the oldest known survivor at almost 60 years old.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

This month our sister magazine Sailing Today FIRST THE features practical BEST? information for those sailing in the Menai Straits, as well as those cruising from Turkey to Greece. Classic Boat features its own shortlisted Classic Boat Awards candidates, VIOLA music as well as articles on one of The of Fife the most successful Fife designs in modern times, the stunning Viola, and a restored RNLI lifeboat. FEBRUARY 2020 sail ng oday co uk £4 75

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Spain SailGP replaces China A new Spain SailGP Team will replace China in 2020, after CEO Sir Russell Coutts announced the series was not granted permissions necessary to continue operating the team within the existing structure. “With numerous active discussions around future teams, we were fortunate to be in the position to make an immediate substitution,” he said. China was one of SailGP’s six league-funded teams for its inaugural season, and finished third overall.

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Bronze medals for Fletcher and Bithell at 49er worlds Team GB’s Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell clinched bronze at the 49er World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. It bodes well for the duo’s Olympic hopes as they go into the 49er event at Tokyo 2020 with podium finishes at every regatta they’ve entered over the last year, including gold at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma and European Championships, and silver at the Miami round of the World Cup Series and the Tokyo 2020 test event. In Auckland, Fletcher

and Bithell were third after a capsize in the drama-filled final race. They were beaten to the title by reigning Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke of New Zealand, with Germany’s Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel runners up. “Being the only team to medal at every major regatta we have entered shows our consistency,” said Fletcher. “We need to improve to consistently winning, but the room is there and we left a lot of points on the table this week.”

Ô Q&A JEREMY ENTWISTLEof marine insurer GJW Direct Does GJW Direct employ sailors to answer the phones? Yes, GJW Direct employs sailors in different departments including underwriting, marketing and claims. It’s important that we understand the market we’re working in to ensure we are covering the right boats. Are you a sailor yourself? I was fortunate to grow up in a sailing family so have been sailing all my life. I was lucky to get a career in the marine industry straight from school and moved into marine insurance in 2011. Any outrageous claims you’ve dealt with over the years? A gentleman never tells. You would be amazed at some of the claims we have dealt with. It’s surprising to see some of the items people take sailing with them….

RORC honours Racing Manager Janet Grosvenor The Royal Ocean Racing Club has presented Racing Manager Janet Grosvenor with a Lifetime Achievement Award and made her an Honorary Life Member for her contribution to the club and the sport of sailing. RORC CEO Eddie Warden Owen paid tribute to Grosvenor’s commitment and contribution at the club’s annual awards ceremony in London: “We are honouring a person who has given her life to the RORC. When Janet applied for the job as a receptionist in 1969 she never expected it to be a job for life, but as always in these situations, the club evolved, her roles changed, and so did she.” Grosvenor started as Membership Secretary and later became RORC Racing Manager. “I could not have imagined what a wonderful tapestry of a working life I would go on to have,” said an emotional and surprised Grosvenor after receiving the award.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

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Bob Fisher OPINION

The latest America’s Cup boats don’t do much for me – why not go back to the 12-Metre or even J-Class?

INGRID ABERY

ust what Eddie Warden-Owen and his cohorts at the Royal Ocean Racing Club have done proved an early topic of conversation at the Custodians’ Dinner of the South West Shingles Yacht Club recently. Messing about with a fixed point in the yachting calendar [moving the finish from Plymouth to Cherbourg] did not find favour with any of those present – the Rolex Fastnet Race was generally considered sacrosanct, simply not to be messed with. Comments like “the finish of the Sydney/Hobart will now be at Adelaide” and “it is to make sure that someone is awake on deck when they cross the Shipping Lanes” came thick and fast, before the important matters of the evening were established. One of those returned to the Fastnet, when the real reason for the move emerged – the inability of Plymouth to cope with the larger fleet. It has been a problem for some years, and has restricted the number of entries. The 300 mark was passed within a few minutes of the entries opening, which I believe adequately tells you that there is a need for a larger number of entries, and that is what motivated Eddie WardenOwen and his cohorts at at the RORC. And, why not? Most of the other less prestigious races are bigger, in pure numbers. If the number of entries swells to 500 or more, the port of Cherbourg can cope with ease with adequate moorings for the multitude. The only downside, if indeed it is one, is the fact that towards the end of this physically exhausting race, the crews are faced with crossing the Shipping Lanes. So what? They have been, or should have been, keeping a strict lookout for the previous 600 miles of the race. Job done, Eddie, and your team at the RORC. There has also been much conversation this month about that other great competition – the America’s Cup. Not the usual arguments about which team has the best tools to win, but whether the tools are the right one for such a prestigious event. Just what are being used and shall be used for the next Cup, and the preceding Prada series of

But we are stuck with a monster of a different type altogether – a dish on spoons trials, cannot in any way be described as yachts, although the recent area is closer in shape that those used in Bermuda. The general demand is for the craft to more resemble their Cup predecessors and this may be due to last summer’s 12-Metre World Championship, when 21 boats competed on the same stretch of water where the America’s Cup races used to be held. That may well have been the stimulus for current thinking and anyone who was there at that regatta and any previous Cup events in Newport, RI, would have held that this was how it should be. One is not alone in this thinking. Recent posts in various blogs suggest that even the J-Class boats are built and after racing, handed to new owners to equip them as cruisers/racers. There might be a problem in convincing the winner that immediate disposal is a good thing. But the size of a J is right and the overall impression is correct for the most important international yacht race. And another fact, which I drew from a book written in 1947 by Douglas Dixon, The King’s Sailing Master. In it he quotes Nelson: “Let the battle ground be your practice ground”. We should, therefore, if this is to be believed, be sailing off Auckland

Above The 12-Metre worlds at Newport, RI, held last summer

One of the biggest names in yachting journalism, Bob Fisher has a passion and depth of knowledge that’s second to none

right now. Familiarisation with the various breezes and their idiosyncrasies is of paramount importance. But we are stuck with a monster of a different type altogether – a dish on spoons – as it has been described by one critic, but while the J-Class may seem to be ideal, the truth may be found in Dixon’s text: “When the owner of a J-Class cutter turns in, he leaves a lighted candle on top of his deckhouse. If in the morning the candle is still alight there is obviously insufficient wind to warrant all the effort required for racing, of course, alternatively if the candle has been blown out, then, without question, there must be far too much wind for it to be within the bounds of reasonable safety to set any sail at all!” While not quite true of today’s contraptions, it points in the right direction. Just how and when they are committed to movement on the water is very much dependent on the state of the weather. Plus ça change. But there is more than a year to go before Britannia meets her rivals on the Auckland waters – time enough, one would have thought, to iron out all the problems. Go Sir Ben, do what no one has been able to do before. When you do, you will bring smiles to all the sailors in the UK.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

Andi Robertson YACHTS

It is transfer season in the TP52 Super Series – and for offshore sailors there’s also been that Fastnet thing

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

PHOTO: PAUL WYETH/RORC

ape Town, South Africa early March looms large on the calendar for the 52 Super Series teams. The boats that are going to compete will have to be on the ship by mid-January and there has been little downtime for the shore teams since the end of the season in late September and by the sounds of things they only had a few days off through the festive holidays. While spring would usually be the time to be finishing off the updates and optimisation before the curtain rises on the new season, this time all the work has had to be finished by mid-December. To that end I was in Valencia to catch up on developments within the fleet and to get away from the miserable English weather. Five boats were due to test when I was there. Alegre’s plans were thwarted when they discovered a D2 shroud was damaged. By the time the cracks came to light the whole crew was either in Valencia or en route. Ado Stead, who sailed the last regatta of 2020 with them, will continue in the role of tactician, replacing American Andy Horton. Other new faces for 2020 will be Jonathan McKee, double Olympic medallist, who will complement compatriot Morgan Larson on Bronenosec next year while Sime Fantela takes a sabbatical in search of his second Olympic medal. Champions Azzurra has to fill the tactician’s role as Santi Lange focuses on the Olympics too. They have opted to sail with Michele Paoletti who originates from Trieste and who represented Italy at three Olympics: 2000 in the Soling and 2008 and 2012 in the Finn. He has recently won the J/70 Europeans a couple of times, most recently sailing against some of the Azzurra crew in their native South Africa. One of the most important things with this team is having someone who will fit into the team and its Latino mindset and culture. For me Paoletti represents a safe pair of hands whose ability to step in on the right level will be as much of a dividend as his tactical ability. Lange and the previous incumbent Vasco Vascotto were chalk and cheese in terms of their personality on the

The Transat starting in Brest and finishing in Charleston is a completely different event racecourse – Vascotto loud, charismatic, passionate and bold in his choices, Lange much quieter and more involved in the technical aspects of the boat. In the meantime, as I alluded to here before now, it will be interesting to see if Cameron Appleton is retained by Quantum Racing, considering that he had pretty much swapped roles with Ed Baird by the end of the season, Appleton sailing as strategist with Baird as tactician. Technically the teams are setting up for a wide range of winds expected off Cape Town – 10-25 knots as one project manager told me – but the consensus is to err towards strong winds moding. Provezza – the only other Vrolijk design in the fleet alongside Platoon – has also decided to add a third pedestal winch at the back of the cockpit. On a different subject, working in France as much as I do, it was interesting to experience my colleagues’ response to the Rolex Fastnet Race finish moving to Cherbourg. Most were not surprised at all. Besides the fact that offshore and ocean racing is a massive, flourishing business in France, there is considerable competition now between the big towns and cities to have sailing properties. Les Sables d’Olonne has the Vendée Globe – and the Golden Globe now too – Saint-Malo the Route du Rhum, Le Havre has the Transat Jacques Vabre, and Brest now has the Brest Atlantiques Ultim race as well

Above Plymouth put on a show but Cherbourg promises a bigger race village in the centre of the town

Few people can match Andi Robertson’s insight into the big boat world, both in the UK and globally

as investing in taking The Transat from Plymouth. Cherbourg already has the Drheam Cup – a mixed fleet race including the IMOCAs and Multi 50s over a 450 mile offshore course around the peninsula – and the town pursued the Fastnet race with its considerable resources. Bear in mind that Cherbourg is a big, significant commercial port and so has money. I have a foot in both camps. I do think change can be good and should not be resisted if it genuinely advances the event for the competitors, but The Transat starting in Brest and finishing in Charleston is a completely different race. Equally, the operating costs of running a race like The Transat will be upwards of €1m and the company which now owns the event, OC Sport, needs to turn a small profit. I leave the final worlds to Gery Trenteseaux, a member of the RORC and overall winner of the Fastnet 2015 (and IRC2 this year): “I am someone who is quite conservative and traditional. I do not see the interest in this change, which will complicate things tactically, with the traffic separation zones to be negotiated. For me it is like doing the Sydney-Hobart without going to Hobart. I think the English are too admiring of what the French have in ocean racing, and so maybe they want to copy. But in fact we, the French, like to drink beer in Cowes, go to the Squadron, go around the Fastnet and finish in Plymouth to bring back tea and ginger cakes.”

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Andy Rice DINGHIES

How to revive an ailing class? Look no further than the thriving Scorpions

PAUL WYETH/RYA

omething remarkable has been happening in the Scorpion class recently which could well see the Scorpion exceed 100 entries for the 2020 National Championships in Penzance. Note that in 2019 only four classes made the Hundred Club – the RS200 being the only senior fleet, while the other three were youth classes and all the enormous support that goes with that: the Optimist, Topper and RS Tera. Bearing in mind the Scorpion fleet has done well in recent years if it has managed to tip over into the Fifty Club, then to hit triple figures – especially at a remote venue not 10 miles from Land’s End – would be a magnificent feat. Even before Christmas, pre-entries for the Scorpion Nationals had reached 85, so there’s every chance they’ll comfortably exceed the hundred. So what’s changed? Class secretary Steve Walker explains: “It started with a group of four people sitting in Staunton Harold Sailing Club one Sunday morning and thinking: ‘We have been enjoying this sport and Scorpion sailing since we were kids, but we need to see if we can do something to get ourselves out of the spiral of lowering attendance, lack of new boats and maybe just doing the same old thing’.” Just doing the ‘same old thing’, staying faithful to the status quo, is perhaps the singlemost destructive thing that class associations can do. That’s easy to say, but the ability to convince your membership to strike out in a different direction – even when extinction is staring you in the face – is a rare skill. Fortunately the class chairman is Chris Yates, whose job is helping turn around the fortunes of ailing companies, so designing and inspiring change is meat and drink to him. Meanwhile as a contract IT project manager, Steve’s job also requires him to lead his colleagues through change on a regular basis. However there are some important differences when you’re looking at changing your unpaid pastime, as opposed to your salaried job. “You

Just doing the ‘same old thing’ is perhaps the most destructive thing a class can do can’t just start demanding deliverables and timescales,” says Chris. “You have to find a way of bringing people with you, of demonstrating that some of the old ways just aren’t working and showing how some new approaches might yield better results.” Having communicated their message of ‘Change or Die’ (my words, not theirs), at the past couple of class AGMs, Chris, Steve and the rest of the committee have been given their lead to try something new, and now that the numbers are showing up on the entry for the nationals, the sceptical are becoming the converted. Few if any new boats had been ordered in recent years, but now some of the frontrunners and class stalwarts are ordering new boats, selling their secondhand boats, the whole market has started moving again – the ‘Circle of Life’, as Steve describes it. By the way, Steve has put his money where is mouth is, being the proud owner of a beautifully finished Scorpion, Tallulah, which wowed the crowds at last year’s RYA Dinghy Show. One thing the committee does well is to use WhatsApp for communication through the fleet – including at national events to make announcements of sailing instruction changes. The app holds the community together once the event is over. Chris adds: “It also means that Steve and I can communicate almost daily with

Above The unforgettable Tallulah turned heads at the RYA Dinghy Show

Musto Skiff sailor Andy Rice has unparalleled knowledge of the dinghy sailing scene, from grassroots to Olympic level

the members at a personal level. It’s all part of the committee’s overall approach of creating a supportive community.” With the Scorpion having struggled to muster sufficient numbers to hold viable open meetings – a problem most national classes could relate to – they’ve decided to reduce the number of events on the calendar and focus on making each of those a roaring success. Perhaps if the enthusiasm continues to grow, then the open meeting circuit could start to grow again. Or dare I suggest it, the Scorpion class along with many other national classes might like to take part in the Great British Sailing Challenge events or the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series. It was exactly this problem – low one-design open meeting turnouts – that convinced my co-organiser Simon Lovesey and myself to launch these handicap circuits, to create the economies of scale that make hosting an event attractive for a sailing club, where the number of participants exceeds the number of people running the event! The Scorpion class has formed a long-term partnership with the Hornet class. If you don’t fancy the ready-made solution by joining in with multiple other classes and competing in handicap competition, then partnering with other one-design fleets offers a good alternative. There is no doubt that something extraordinary is happening in the Scorpion fleet. However, there is the added boost of 2020 being the class’ 60th anniversary. So the real test will be seeing the turnout for the 2021 nationals. It would be a stretch to believe that the Scorpions can hit the hundred club two years in a row. But there, I have thrown down the gauntlet! I hope Chris, Steve and the other members of this crack commando committee with their WhatsApp grenades and battalion of Scorpion enthusiasts can blow my challenge out of the water. I wish them well for 2020 and beyond. And if you want to see first-hand how the transformation of a national class works in real life, maybe you should beg, borrow, or buy a Scorpion yourself and take part in this year’s nationals.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

SUSTAINABLE SAILING

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

SUSTAINABLE SAILING How ‘sustainable’ is sailing? Emerging technologies are providing important advances. RUPERT HOLMES reports

TORQEEDO

here are many ways in which sailing is not as sustainable as we’ d like to think, especially at the top end of the sport. While the wind is ostensibly free, to harness it efficiently we invest in an inordinate number of plastic sails, build boats from plastics, travel around the globe ourselves and ship vast amounts of race-related equipment around the world in containers. On the positive side, a number of aspects of technology are heralding rapid changes that have potential to make sailing much greener. At the

same time, technology that was originally developed for the America’s Cup is now being adapted to reduce the enormous CO2 footprint produced by the world’s 53,000 ships by around 30 per cent. THE PROBLEM OF PLASTIC BOATS Most of us sail boats that are made of plastics that will remain in the environment forever. Materials manufacturers are therefore working on improved materials with a lower content of plastics, or recycled core materials. For instance, both Wessex Resins and Gurit offer bio resins, which are less noxious than standard epoxies. These are excellent for use in most

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

The boat was as stiff as the standard model, but made using 80% natural materials boat building, but are more expensive than standard polyester resins and don’t offer the high-end performance needed for Grand-Prix raceboats. Nevertheless, given that most competitive IRC designs are relatively heavy, these products could be suitable for offshore raceboats, as well as for one design classes where the key priority is to match the weight of the boats across the fleet. The RS21, for example, is made using a bio-derived resin and recycled core materials. In addition RS Sailing, together with boat builder Paul Jennings, spent a lot of time looking at how vacuum bags used in the construction of each boat could be recycled. It’s also possible to substitute fibreglass mat with natural flax-based derivatives. This was used by Friedrich Deimann of GreenBoats for a green version of the Bente 24 as proof of concept. This boat was as stiff as the standard model and the same weight, yet was built of 80 per cent natural materials. BREAKING THE MOULDS An important factor that often goes unnoticed is the mould that’s used for laying up both hull and deck structures, especially for one-off yachts at the top end of the sport. Even if only one hull is built an entire mould the size and shape of the yacht still has to be created, which

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

can represent many tonnes of what is effectively single-use plastic. Technology also promises a solution here. Dutch company Curve Works uses reconfigurable adaptive moulds that can morph into whatever shape is required to produce shaped composite structures. Co-founder Tahira Ahmed is involved in a number of research projects that aim to produce composite panels for superyachts using these smaller re-usable moulds for sections of the boat and then piecing them together in much the same way as aluminium superyachts are made of separate panels that are welded together over frames. An existing alternative method for one-off and low production numbers is strip-planked hulls, such as those used for Spirit Yachts, or cold moulded structures such as the Humphreys designed Tempus Fugit superyachts. The shape of these boats is formed by the laminated frames that eventually become part of the structure. This eliminates the need to build a mould for a one-off design, while the boat itself is built of largely sustainable materials, with only a small amount of epoxy used to glue the elements together into an incredibly stiff

Above left The RS21 is made using a bio-derived resin and recycled core materials Above right The Spirit 111 in build

monocoque structure and to protect the timber from water ingress. At the end of their life, even if it’s in 100 years time, boats built this way won’t present the headache that’s associate with disposing of unwanted fibreglass and roto-moulded boats, as many clubs and boatyards up and down the country know to their cost. PLASTIC SAILS Conventional laminate racing sails that have a Mylar film are impossible to recycle. Yet collectively we buy huge numbers of them, many of us filling garages, attics and containers with

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old sails that, realistically, are never going to be used in anger again. However, a number of the larger sail-making groups have been making big inroads in a more sustainable direction, partly through eliminating the Mylar film. In OneSails’ Forte4T membrane, for instance, glues, resins and solvents have been replaced by heat fusion. The base polymer is 100 per cent recyclable in a standard waste separation process and as a result the sails have ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment certification. They are also 25 per cent lighter than the previous

Above right Ellen MacArthur has long been a champion of the circular economy

generation material, while offshore spec sails don’t need a heavy taffeta layer for UV and chafe protection. OneSails, of course, is not alone in ditching plastic film – North Sails did the same with its 3Di range back in 2010. Meanwhile sailmakers are beginning to work on methods of recycling sails, by extracting material from old sails in such a way that it can be extruded back into filament on site and made into new sails. This is not technology that is in use yet but it lies on the horizon – and would be a perfect example

of the circular economy longchampioned by Ellen MacArthur. ELECTRIC PROPULSION On land much is made of the potential for electric cars to reduce emissions, although detractors point out the electricity often comes from old-tech power stations with vast emissions of both CO2 and other pollutants. Therefore, while electric vehicles have no exhaust emissions – an important public health factor in urban areas – the reality is an electric vehicle will produce roughly 50-70 per cent of the CO2 a conventionally powered car generates over its lifetime. It’s an important saving, but far from a zero emission utopia. The longer-term sustainability of electric vehicles looks rosier, however, thanks to the rapidly increasing amount of renewable generating capacity. There are understandable concerns over the peaks and troughs of power outputs from wind and solar sources, however, a large number of batteries in electric vehicles can help to store power on a large scale and therefore smooth these problems. This is possible because, while maximum range may be a problem for electric vehicles, few of us drive 200 miles or more every single day – the average is less than 30 miles – so intelligent systems could priorities charging when there’s a high level of renewable energy output. Electric vehicle batteries are designed to be retired after eight years, or 100,000 miles, by which time their capacity is predicted to have reduced to 80 per cent.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

SUSTAINABLE SAILING

The total fossil fuel use is likely to be a fraction of conventional yachts

use the propeller as a turbine to generate significant amounts of power while sailing. Spirit Yachts already fits a conventional diesel inboard engine to only half the 37-111ft yachts it builds and expects all to be electrically driven within five years. Some of these will also have ultraefficient small diesel generators to eliminate range anxiety. These will be sized for motoring at 5-6 knots in an extended calm and are therefore well under half the size of a diesel propulsion engine. The total fossil fuel use of these boats is liable to be a tiny fraction of that of conventional long-distance cruising yachts, enabling them to sail further without refuelling, while reducing laden weight thanks to smaller tankage. At the same time we’re seeing an increase in the numbers of all-electric fossil fuel free long distance cruising

Above Solar panels on the new Hugo Boss

yachts. A notable example is Jimmy Cornell, founder of the ARC transAtlantic rally and one of the most experienced of all cruising sailors, with some 200,000 miles under his belt. His next boat, for a circumnavigation via the Magellan Straits to mark the 500th anniversary of the first round the world voyage, will be an all-electric Outremer 4X performance cruising catamaran.

Below Sir Keith Mills’ Invictus had her diesel engine replaced with an electric alternative

PAUL WYETH

However, the batteries are far from useless at that stage and many will be repurposed for battery farms that will also smooth peaks and troughs of renewable power generation, or be used as domestic ‘power walls’ that will allow those with solar panels on their roofs to store excess energy locally, rather than feeding it back into the grid. Already we are seeing electric propulsion afloat as the default choice for new dayboats, whether designed for cruising or, like the RS21 and ClubSwan 36, for racing. Others have opted to retrofit electric power – for instance Sir Keith Mills’ former Fast 40+ Invictus had her original diesel engine replaced with an electric alternative when the boat was only a year old. The choice is arguably more complicated for yachts intended for longer-distance sailing. However, these can benefit from systems that

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

FOSSIL FUEL FREE RACING It’s not only high-profile cruisers that are choosing to sail without fossil fuels on board. Alex Thomson’s team worked with Finnish electrical propulsion and charging specialist Oceanvolt to develop state of the art systems for the latest Hugo Boss. Not long ago Vendée Globe competitors would load up to half a tonne of diesel at the start of the race, as well as carrying a heavy generator, to supply their power needs. Instead, the new boat relies predominately on solar power for charging. “There is often a perception that implementing more sustainable systems can bring about a performance disadvantage but we don’t believe that needs to be the case in our sport,” Alex says. “In fact, we think that integrating more sustainable systems could actually deliver certain advantages, and that’s an exciting prospect.” Others, notably Conrad Coleman, have already proved it’s possible to complete the race without fossil fuel, but this will be the first time the boats at the front of the fleet are set to realise a significant competitive advantage through being completely fossil fuel free.

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Atlantic Rally (ARC) 2020 Race Across The Atlantic on a 90ft Yacht Embark on a truly unforgettable sailing adventure racing across the Atlantic Ocean.

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The amazing atmosphere in Las Palmas builds as start day approaches. Yachts flying flags from all over the world converge on Las Palmas marina in the days running up to the start. There are seminars, talks, safety kit demonstrations plus lots of parties all organised by the race organisers.

Accommodating guests across 3 refurbished staterooms, with en-suite bathrooms. Of those people who have dreamt, planned or actually crossed an ocean there are still only a few who will have experienced that special feeling the great explorers felt whilst sailing the southerly trade wind route. Those who have were probably boat owners or their friends, so it would have been difficult to achieve this otherwiseâ&#x20AC;Ś Until now! The Atlantic Rally. Setting sail from Las Palmas the voyage to St Lucia takes around 3 weeks to complete, The race across the Atlantic to Rodney Bay in St Lucia will start on 22nd November.

It will get hotter and hotter the closer you get to the Caribbean and you will arrive in St Lucia perfectly acclimatised to a warm tropical Caribbean welcome. And parties! Lots of parties Caribbean style. You will see the big deep blue ocean close up, a 360 degree horizon for about two weeks!, dolphins, maybe a whale or two, sunrises,sunsets, the odd other boat. You will meet some kindred spirits and likely forge friendships that will last long past the voyage. You will log about 2700nm and get some great ocean sailing experience.

Please call 07894 429453 for more infomation about the Atlantic Rally and our special rates for 2020.

songbirdadventures.co.uk

info@yachtsongbird.com

@yachtsongbird

FEATURE

SUSTAINABLE SAILING

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY Invariably boats with electric propulsion currently rely on similar technology to electric vehicles. The energy density of these batteries is increasing annually, with the result that today’s batteries are around 80 per cent cheaper relative to capacity than those of 10 years ago. On the other hand, there are issues that can’t be ignored. Current battery chemistry means cobalt, lithium and class 1 nickel are essential raw materials. The latter two appear to be available in large quantities, however, 60 per cent of cobalt is currently mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One-fifth of that is in properly dangerous “artisanal” operations in which child labour at subsistence pay is rife and numerous children are alleged to have died or been maimed. It’s also currently difficult to recycle the component elements of lithium ion batteries. Nevertheless, these problems mean the mammoth resources of the automotive sector are being thrown behind a race for alternative battery technologies, viable recycling of raw materials and improvements of the current battery chemistry. The scale of change and the resources being pumped into it should not be underestimated. A June 2019 report by consulting firm McKinsey predicts the continuing fall in battery prices mean the total cost of ownership for an electric car will reach parity with conventionally powered vehicles in as little as six years. The same report also points to a colossal 32 per cent annual growth rate in battery production. Long distance racer Phil Sharp is involved with a totally different project for storing power for use on board. His aim is to showcase and prove the integration of technologies to decarbonise the maritime sector. He says: “The Lab is mid-development of an advanced fuel cell and renewable hydrogen system that is highly scalable [and will] accelerate uptake of fuel cells and zero-carbon fuel solutions.” The hydrogen energy storage system Sharp is working on will be fitted in an IMOCA 60 he’s lining up to compete in the 2021 Ocean Race will store energy generated by renewable methods in a similar manner to a battery. This is on a different scale to existing methanol fuel cells that are commonplace among long-distance short-handed racers on smaller boats, but are rated at only around 100 Watts of power – Sharp’s system will produce 8.5 kilo Watts.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

RACE BOAT TECHNOLOGY IN SHIPPING At the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao at the end of last year, VPLP unveiled its sail assisted propulsion system for ships. This is based on an automated version of the wing sails the company helped develop for BMW Oracle in the 2010 America’s Cup. The first vessel with the system, a 121-metre-long transporter that will ferry Ariane 6 rocket components from Europe to French Guiana, is scheduled for completion in 2022. It’s intended as a motor sailer that will reduce fuel consumption by 30 per cent, giving a payback time on the extra cost of the sailing systems of only five years. Intriguingly, VPLP’s Marc Van Peteghem says the ship will be most

Above Phil Sharp is trialling a hydrogen energy storage system on board

efficient following the kind of transocean weather routing that racing yachts adopt. Windship Technology, a British based consortium, including superyacht designer Simon Rogers as a director, is also well advanced in developing a system that will create similar benefits for shipping. Given the design life of a ship is around 25 years it wouldn’t take long for half the world’s fleets to have sails. These are great examples of technology and ideas that have been developed and refined for sport having massive real-world impacts. Next month: Rupert Holmes looks at what individual sailors can do to help

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HOW TO WIN

MAKING THE MOST OF THE REACH

VICTORY IN REACH Play the rules, play the gusts and play the angles and the reach can be yours – a time to make big gains, says MARK RUSHALL

atch any club race, and you’ll see plenty of racers happy to sail a course a little higher than the boat ahead (which has sailed a bit higher than the boat ahead of them), defend from behind, and enjoy the break from mental effort. You will also see boats that embrace the opportunity, think for themselves, and take advantage of the situations presented to gain places, gain ground on other boats, or time on handicap. This article aims to highlight some of the key factors behind your reaching decision-making, and some of the plays that you might utilise to make the most of them.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

THE BIG PICTURE

In a closely packed one-design fleet, finding a clear lane and avoiding being luffed or rolled will be the main priorities. But even so, opportunities to break away from the chain gang may come up. Starting the leg with a clear view of what would be the fastest route down the reach in the absence of the other boats will give you the best chance of taking these opportunities. SAIL THE SHORTEST COURSE Generally, the shortest course between two points is a straight-line route. A defensive fleet always tends to get sucked into a “great circle route” as they attack and defend by luffing to windward of the rhumb line. Even with

Above The shortest course is the straight line; it’s easy to get sucked into the ‘great circle route’

no distractions, most helmsmen will naturally sail a detour to windward of the rhumb line, losing time and distance. A reach across the tidal set makes sailing extra distance even more likely. Practise sailing the rhumb line by picking up a transit on a piece of land behind the mark. If the land moves left against the mark, steer further right, and vice versa. Use the transit, even when you are committed to defending your line, to give you an indication of just how fast the fleet is sucking you away from the rhumb line. In diagram 1 opposite, Violet sees that the land is moving quickly right behind the mark: the fleet is going to end up sailing broad and slow to get down to the mark. With this knowledge in the bag

COURTESY OF MARK RUSHALL

rhumb line, then sailing high enough to keep the boat planing for as long as possible in the lulls (diagram 2). LOOK FOR THE GAINS Offwind, the strategic priority is nearly always searching out and staying in more pressure. Are there any wind shadows affecting the leg? Avoid at all costs! Are there any headlands or valleys causing the wind to be compressed? Make the most of them. In a club handicap fleet, look out for and avoid the patch of dead wind below the big bunches of boats on the leg ahead or behind. If there are other potential gains on the leg, for example less adverse tide to windward or to leeward, you need to know this well before the start of the reaching leg. You will

Above Violet is looking for a patch of pressure to take him free of the melee and set up for gains at the bottom of the leg

only get enough separation from the other boats to make the gain significant if you commit to the strategy early, and ensure that your mark rounding gives the best possible launch pad.

Below Sail high in the lulls to get into the next band of pressure; sail low in the puffs to keep in the breeze for longer

WHEN TO HOIST? Many reaching legs are marginal: it may not be possible to carry the kite for the whole leg. With a clear race-track, even on a marginal reach, my vote is for an early hoist. It is really hard to judge how far and how high to two-sail down a marginal reach before hoisting, and if you sail too far, you can never get back the lost time. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much easier to time the drop to give a nice fast two-sailer to the reaching mark. If the mark is unreachable with the kite up, but another offwind leg follows, avoid the big bear away necessary to carry out a full drop, by uncleating the

heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking for a nice patch of pressure, while the boats behind are down speed, to get low and free of the melee and set up to make gains at the bottom of the leg. SAIL IN THE BREEZE Sailing high in the lulls gets you up into the next band of breeze earlier. Sailing low in the puffs keeps you in the pressure for longer, and ensures that you stay close to the rhumb line to minimise distance. Use the same process when big waves are providing surfing conditions. Once the boat is surfing on a wave, use the apparent wind increase and header to make ground to leeward. In marginal planing conditions, you can make big gains by staying in the gusts once planing, sailing well below the

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

HOW TO WIN

MAKING THE MOST OF THE REACH

halyard and letting it run. (Be prepared for the windward lurch as the boat comes upright!) Pull the foot of the spinnaker tight across the forestay with the sheet, and sail to the mark with the spinnaker safely flapping to leeward. At the mark, ease the sheet, re-hoist the halyard, and continue with the race. (This may not work with some boats with chutes: test it first before trying in competition!) In a closely packed bunch, an early hoist may simply put you straight into the bad air of the boats ahead or on another leg: you’ll then get rolled by the boats behind. In this situation you’ve no choice but to twosail high into a clear lane. But make sure you’re not the last to hoist! DON’T GET ROLLED! A quick luff at the start of the leg, to show the boats around that you are awake, is much less painful than a long, protracted luffing match. Be aware of the positions of the boats around, especially when you are most vulnerable during the hoist. If there is a gap ahead, commit fully to the hoist: dial down to get the boat flat, and enable the kite to be set as quickly as possible: your kite will fill before the half-hearted efforts of those to windward and they should not trouble you again.

if he is committed to passing to windward, sail low to minimise the damage, take your medicine, and put his sail number in your little red book for next time. Sail high to accelerate once your wind is clear. If there are a lot of bigger boats behind, especially if they are only a little faster, you do need to preserve clear wind: get into a high lane well above the rhumb line so the bigger

boats can slip by to leeward without being held up. Or, if there are no boats of your class just behind, work down to a low lane as above to try to minimise the damage as the big boys slide past.

WILL LOY

HANDICAP RACING In a handicap race, your options will depend on the relative sizes and speeds of the boats around. There is little point engaging with a single boat that is significantly faster:

NICK CHAMPION

THE SMALL PICTURE

CHECK OUT THE ANGLES If there is time, check out the tightness of the reaching leg before the start. With this knowledge, if there is a left shift on the final approach and the starboard reach was already a tight one, you know that we need to sail high before going for the hoist: if the wind is right, you can go for the hoist immediately: if the reach was already broad the low route may be an option. CLOSE REACHING TACTICS On a close reach, the windward route is the most likely passing lane. Luffing matches are slow, so if you have the speed, delay the kite hoist, get two boat lengths or so clear of the line of boats ahead, and go for it (see diagram 3 opposite). Here, Orange holds the hoist and sails far enough to windward to discourage the leeward boats from defending by luffing. At this distance she is fast enough to roll them if they try. If you find yourself in Light Blue’s position, rounding the windward mark just behind Orange, get on her

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

BROAD REACHING TACTICS On a broad reach, if you find yourself ahead of a group who are threatening to attack to windward, let them go high but make sure you keep your air clear forward of them: go high enough to keep forward of their wind shadow. Eventually when they bear off for the mark you will have pulled ahead. Very occasionally, there is an opportunity to break through to leeward on the reach. Consider this option if you are in a reasonable gap, in a gust, and the group ahead have carried themselves high enough that there is a clear wind on the low route. Hoist immediately and use the gust to carry you well clear to leeward of the bunch. Sail as far below the rhumb line as you dare without slowing the boat, and only luff to point at the next mark when you can sail straight to it at a fast reaching angle. The big gains will be at the end of the leg, when all the boats that have gone high are slowly broad reaching down, and you are still sailing flat out and high (see diagram 1 previous page).

quarter wave and follow her down: keep aiming at her leeward quarter so she’s not tempted to luff: with luck she will slow the pack to leeward enough for you to roll past too. If you are going for the windward passing lane, set up for it on the windward mark approach: don’t get stuck below boats bearing off for an early hoist. Slow down if necessary, to get into a clear lane above them. Keep an eye out for a poor hoist on the boat immediately

ahead: in this case the passing lane may not even be two boat lengths away. And make it absolutely clear to boats behind, with a short sharp luff if necessary, that there is no way through to windward. In the last third of the leg (or earlier if there are no more boats to pass!) you should be looking for any nice waves or patches of pressure to work back down to the rhumb line: try to avoid approaching the mark on a slow broad leg with boats fast reaching through to leeward.

WAIT FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES If you are behind, or in the middle of the bunch, and the boats around have good boat-handling and reasonable speed, attacking options are limited. You can’t plan ahead; you just have to take the opportunities that are presented to you. If there is a pack behind going high and boats ahead going high, it is pretty hard to leave them to it and keep your wind clear. Point at, or just below the boat ahead’s transom, to encourage him to sail the rhumb line route, watch for a mistake, and work hard at trying to establish an overlap before the next mark. THE NEXT LEG Occasionally the next leg affects reaching strategy: for example, if the next leg is a run, biased to port gybe, it may be worth sailing the low route on the starboard reach so you can gybe early inside the pack. THE REACHING START Reaching starts are fun, especially in a mixed fleet when tactics may be different for each type of boat. In addition to the big and small picture considerations above, here are some things you might ask yourself: 1. What is the shortest route to the mark? If your boat’s speed doesn’t change much with wind angle, you may as well minimise the length of the leg! Draw a

December February 2020 2019 Yachts & Yachting

HOW TO WIN

MAKING THE MOST OF THE REACH

SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING

line from the mark, perpendicular to the start line. The shortest route will be to start as close as possible to that line. What is the quickest route to the mark? Tight is fast for many classes, especially single-handers. Starting from the leeward end of the line on a high fast angle may get you there first, even if the distance is a little further. A three-sail boat might accept a longer leg, if by starting higher on the line you get a better kite reaching angle. What is the safest place to start? If you are not confident with your time and distance, the leeward end start may not be for you. A late windward approach will at least give you clear wind. And you do know what you need to practise! What is the next leg? Reaching starts generally lead to a congested first mark rounding. The leeward approach is particularly strong if you are bearing away at the next mark: all you need is an overlap to lead the outside boat on the next leg.

What will give you clearest wind at the start of the leg? If you are the slowest class in the fleet, even a perfect leeward end start will lead to the faster boats rolling and slowing you on the reach. Starting to windward of the majority of them may be the least worst option. REACHING RULES The great news is that the rules are pretty simple on the reach. For boats on the same tack, the clear astern boat (Yellow, diagram 4 above) keeps clear of Green, who is clear ahead (Rule 12). Once there is an overlap, the windward boat becomes keep clear boat (Rule 11). Initially, Yellow must give room to keep clear, unless the overlap was created by Green’s actions, possibly through a big bear-away (Rule 15). There are other possible restrictions on the actions of the leeward right of way boat, though the windward boat always remains keep clear boat. In diagram 5 below, Red has caught Blue from behind and is now give way

boat, overlapped to windward. If Blue luffs, he has to give Red room to keep clear (Rule 16) – that is, the time and space Red needs when acting promptly and in a seamanlike way for the conditions. That applies each time Blue alters course. If Blue is turning continuously, the obligation is continuous. If Red has to drop his kite to keep clear, that’s what he has to do. If Red becomes clear ahead, Blue needs to be aware of Rule 17 (explained below) if they become overlapped again. In diagram 6 below. Purple has caught Orange and gained an overlap to leeward within two of her hull lengths. Purple must not sail above Purple’s proper course while the overlap continues (Rule 17), except to pass across Orange’s transom. What is Purple’s proper course? Simply ask: “What course would Purple sail to finish as soon as possible?” Purple sailing high solely because Orange’s dirty wind is affecting Purple’s spinnaker, does not meet this definition!

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

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FIRST YACHT 53

BOAT TEST

FIRST PROGRESS Drawn by an America’s Cup designer, the First Yacht 53 is Beneteau’s long-awaited re-entry into the performance world. RUPERT HOLMES went to see if it’s as good as they say 32

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

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PHOTOS OF BOAT SAILING: GILLES MARTIN-RAGET ; OTHER PHOTOS RUPERT HOLMES

Above and left More than 20 of the First Yacht 53 have sold already

here has been huge interest in the Beneteau First 53, the company’s sole new model in its performance-oriented First range since the short-lived First 30 of 2011. Other than the incorporation of the former Seascape range into the line-up in 2017, Beneteau had neglected this sector of the market, despite having had a run of very successful models spanning several decades. At the time of our test, a few weeks after the

design was unveiled at the Cannes Boat Show, some 20 to 25 boats had already been sold. Beneteau’s Damien Jacob tells me most sales to date have been to existing First series owners, particularly those with First 40s and 45s, designs that are now more than a decade old. He says these owners are invariably keen and experienced racing sailors who have reached a stage in life when they can spend more time on the water and are looking for a larger, dualpurpose yacht to combine periods of cruising with iconic regattas and

offshore races such as the Rolex Giraglia Cup, Les Voiles de SaintTropez, Copa del Rey, plus the Rolex Fastnet and Middle Sea races. CONCEPT 9/10 This boat is the result of a competition in which Beneteau invited designers to produce a concept for an easy to sail, powerful and fast cruising yacht with both inshore an offshore racing potential. Beneteau expects most owners to spend around 80 per cent of their time cruising and the remaining 20 per cent racing, as the boat can also provide high comfort levels, with a generator, air-conditioning options and so on. Biscontini Yacht Design, led by former America’s Cup designer Roberto Biscontini, teamed up with Lorenzo Argento, who is responsible for the interior and deck layout. They won the contract for the design in part thanks to a radically different concept for the boat’s interior. This recognises that not everyone wants to sail with eight to 12 people on a boat of this size, whether racing or cruising, and the meals are

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FIRST YACHT 53

BOAT TEST

Options include a 3m bulb keel and electric power for all four winches likely to be taken ashore when in port, or al fresco in the cockpit when at anchor. The hull shape has fuller bow sections than would have been drawn even just a couple of years earlier, while a marked chine combined with maximum beam extending right aft provides both stability and additional interior volume. Given the need to produce a boat that’s relatively economic to build, Biscotti and Beneteau have done well to contain the displacement at 15,500kg. CONCEPT8/10 Our test boat, the second First Yacht 53 to hit the water, was kitted out with almost every option available, including a carbon mast – one metre taller and 100kg lighter than the standard aluminium spar – and an alloy Park Avenue boom. The carbon rig also comes with a hydraulic vang and backstay, plus rod rigging in place of Dyform. To date, Jacob says roughly 30 per cent of owners have chosen this option. Further options on the test boat include a 3m keel with lead bulb in place

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

Above Plenty of space for relaxing and well-suited for a small race crew Below right Well into double figures downwind and still finger light on the helm

of the standard iron 2.5m keel, plus a full teak deck, electric power for all four winches and electric headsail furling. The working area is at the back of the cockpit, close to the twin helm stations. There is no mainsheet traveller, but a powerful hydraulic vang helps control sail shape. A racier option is a raised central pod with a dedicated mainsheet winch at the aft end of the cockpit. Most other sail controls are led aft to a pair of winches just ahead of each of the helm stations. Towed jib sheet cars – rather than a

floating sheet lead – are mounted on the edge of the coachroof and help to create a stylish, clean and uncluttered deck layout. The low-profile coachroof and black epoxy-coated stainless-steel pulpit extensions and pushpit also help create a very sleek appearance. Evidence of the boat’s dual purpose can be seen in the forward part of the cockpit, which is fitted with cushions as a lounging area with tables each side, although a central walkway gives easy unobstructed access from the back of the boat to the companionway.

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A commendable amount of ondeck stowage is provided, both in large areas, such as the forward sail locker and the tender garage, as well as in easily accessible smaller lockers, for instance under the cockpit benches. The very capacious sail locker is compartmentalised to make it easy to keep this area well organised, including a separate forward section, shelves outboard for smaller items and secure baskets. There’s also a deep chain locker right forward, where a neat touch is a Dyneema strop to take the load off the windlass without having to rig a cumbersome nylon snubber. The tender garage will accommodate a 2.4m RIB, although I’d be likely to specify a folding model to have a larger and more capable tender, while also allowing space to stow other watersports

toys. Dedicated liferaft stowage is provided under the cockpit sole. On the downside, bigger rope bins would be advantageous and it’s a shame Beneteau hasn’t mounted the winches further inboard on a pedestal for easier access and sail handling. On the other hand, the provision of jammers instead of clutches will save the fingers of the unwary and help make this a safer boat to push hard when sailing with friends and family. UNDER SAIL 9/10 Our test boat was equipped with North 3Di sails, Carbonautica carbon wheels, plus a comprehensive suite of B&G instrumentation. It also benefitted from a neat Harken mainsail car track which splits the cars on each side of the spar to more neatly stack the luff of the mainsail. The flat deck style layout makes it very easy to move around. The working area at the aft end of the cockpit could get busy in a full-on, fully crewed inshore race. It’s a much better configuration for a more lightly crewed offshore team. Closehauled and well powered up in 9 to 10 knots of true wind speed, with the boat speed nudging close to 8kt, the boat proved finger light on the helm. The helm positions are good, whether

Above l-r North 3Di sails on a carbon mast; all lines led well aft Below right Garage for a 2.4m RIB Below left B&G instruments at the pedestal

standing behind the wheel or sitting on the coaming with one foot braced on the wheel pedestal to get a good view of the headsail luff when steering upwind. On bearing away and deploying the Code 0 on a reach we were touching just under 10kt of boat speed, with the boat still easy on the helm with bags of power left in the twin rudders. The test boat A2 asymmetric was set up to be launched in a snuffer direct from the forward sail locker. This is very much cruising style, but makes it a very easy sail to manage, despite a colossal 260sq m area. With the kite up at a true wind angle of 125 degrees, boat speed started around 8.5kt in 11.5kt of true wind speed, before building into double figures when the breeze crept up to 14kt, with the boat remaining just as finger light on the helm. It was disappointing not to have been able to sail the boat in stronger winds, but it’s clear the First Yacht 53 is a powerful yacht with the ability to achieve much higher speeds while staying well within the envelope of control. The optional electric winches and furler take all the physical effort out of sailing a boat of this size and power, albeit at the expense of additional complication and maintenance requirements.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FIRST YACHT 53

BOAT TEST

INTERIOR 9/10 As already mentioned, the saloon layout is very different to that of most yachts, as Biscontini and Argento understand there is no need for the arrangement to provide dining space for a large crew. The starboard side of the saloon is therefore given over to an extended lounging area, with expansive settees, plus a coffee table. It’s the perfect spot to relax in the evening with a good book, magazine, or a film on a pop-up TV. On the port side ahead of the galley is a dinette with an extending table that seats up to six people. By the standards of performance boats, the galley is superlative, with acres of stowage and worktop space protected by deep fiddles. Our test boat had the optional larger galley, with space for a domestic-sized upright fridge/freezer, microwave and small dishwasher. The two aft cabins are almost identical, with plenty of space and stowage. On the downside, the sleek deck styling limits the possibility of large opening hatches for natural ventilation here, although the large hull windows help provide ample natural light. There are options for either two en suites in this part of the boat, or a single heads to starboard, which gives room for the extended galley on the port side. The fuller forward hull sections, while nowhere near as radical as designs such as Jeanneau’s Sun Fast 3300, help to create useful additional space in the forward owner’s suite. This has a large island bed, separate toilet and shower stall en suite, plus very good stowage. A neat touch here is lights that automatically turn on when the locker doors are opened – it’s a small point, but demonstrates a level of attention to detail that one finds in many aspects of this boat. One obvious lacking on our test boat was any form of navigation station. Even if electronic charts are used on passage, for many of us the

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

chart table now represents the hub of a home office while on board. However, the dinette area clearly could be used for this purpose if necessary. VERDICT 9/10 Overall the First Yacht 53 a neatly executed and very appealing design. It’s a model that offers a breath of fresh air in an era in which many high-volume production yachts are configured to pack in as many cabins as possible or seek to simplify deck layouts as far as possible. This is a genuine performance boat that is well thought through to make it easy for a small number of people to handle, even though it’s a powerful vessel with high loads if driven hard. As such it is also capable of delivering some very high-adrenalin sailing. While the boat clearly has potential to do well on the race course, it is important to recognise the First Yacht 53 isn’t an IRC- or ORC-optimised design. Nevertheless, that was also true of popular older models in the First range, including the 40.7 and

Above l-r Less focus on eating on board; test boat has the optional larger galley; spacious owner’s double cabin with en suite shower and loo Below Comfortable and practical helm position, for cruising and racing

First 40, which have proven to have excellent potential in this respect. A key factor behind the boat’s appeal is also in the pricing. Beneteau has the size and volume to employ slick production engineering techniques that maximise economies of scale. It’s equivalent to a mass-produced car, in which each one leaves the factory identical and with consistent quality, compared with one that’s hand-built. The base price of just under €500,000 excluding VAT is lower than that of ostensibly similar boats 1-1.5m shorter and with 50cm less beam, from Italian and Scandinavian builders.

SPECIFICATIONS

Hull length 15.98m/52ft 5in Beam 5m/16ft 5in Draught 2.5m/8ft 2in or 3m/9ft 10in Displacement 15,500kg Upwind sail area 168sq m/1,808sq ft Price from €579,360 including UK VAT beneteau.com

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February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

MAILASAIL AZAB 2019

A CORINTHIAN DREAM

hort-handed open ocean racing has a reputation for being ultratough. However, there are also many glorious days. That was certainly the case for the start of the outbound leg of the 2019 edition of the Azores & Back Race, better known as the AZAB, sponsored by MailASail. My partner Kass Schmitt and I were on Zest, her 11.1m Rob Humphreys one-off. We left Falmouth on a beautifully sunny day with a light easterly breeze. By contrast, the finish a month later saw Zest surfing the last few miles to the line at 14 knots, under storm jib and trysail. The pleasant weather of the start quickly deteriorated thanks an advancing depression and a succession of fronts only a few hours apart. Each of these brought big windshifts, creating a chaotic sea state in which it was difficult for all competitors to avoid crashing off waves, even though the mean windspeed rarely topped 25 knots.

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It’s never good to hear a Mayday on VHF and doubly chilling when it’s a friend’s boat 100 miles offshore. We were only a few miles away when Rob Nelson’s J/105 Bigfoot experienced water ingress and cracks in the hull. We made best speed to stand by, joining Kate Cope’s Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist. Fortunately, as Bigfoot turned downwind towards the Scilly Islands, the ingress slowed and she was eventually safely escorted to shelter by the St Mary’s lifeboat. This was only the first of many retirements. One of the next was single-hander Charles Emmet’s very successful and much travelled Sigma 36 British Beagle, whose rig came down when the boat fell off the back of a wave. This was the first of two dismastings on that leg, while a third boat, the Reflex 38 Walk on By, had a forestay failure, but reached Ponta Delgada with the mast intact. A second boat, the Contessa 35 Jacoby, also had water ingress around the keel and retired in the early stages. Once in the polar maritime air behind

the fronts, we were no longer in upwind mode, but the fleet was pummelled by a huge number of squalls, then torrential rain for the next couple of days. By this time, those who had drysuits on board had long ditched conventional foul weather gear. It was also unseasonably cold – we were still running the Eberspacher heater in the early mornings until south of latitude 42 degrees. STORM MIGUEL It’s rare to encounter a named storm so far south in mid-summer. Fortunately, as well as downloading very low resolution GRIB files for weather data via the IridiumGo satellite communicator, we checked the GMDSS Shipping and High Seas forecasts at the same time. On day five this warned of Storm Miguel, which we would intercept when it was a recently formed secondary low. Dave Butters and Ian Millard dropped the mainsail on the JPK10.10 Joy when the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ED WILDGOODSE/MAILASAIL

The MailASail Azores and Back Race offers a rare chance to experience open ocean short-handed racing without a huge time commitment. RUPERT HOLMES did the 2019 race and reports on an unusually tough edition

“

following wind topped 40 knots. French singlehander Pierrick Penven, however, kept his up, powering away into a Class 2 and overall lead on corrected time in his Sun Fast 3200 Zephyrin. We tacked to the west, so were a little further from the centre, but still enjoyed a few hours of fast surfing at up to 15.6 knots in the middle of a jet black night. It was only after arriving in port that would later learn of the destruction the storm wreaked elsewhere, including the three French lifeboat crew who lost their lives. The weather improved for the last couple of days of the outbound leg and drysuits were eventually swapped for shorts and T-shirts as we enjoyed downwind sailing in progressively lighter winds. Donald McDonald’s Lightwave 395 Rainmaker, which had been following hard on our heels, started to slip back at this stage, partly due to a problem with the mounting of his pilot. One key tactical decision remained – which side of the 34-mile long island to pass to

reach the finish. The eastern route is seven miles shorter, but more time is spent in the variable winds in the lee of the mountains. In 2015 we lost a lot of time at this stage, having sailed directly into the wind shadow off the southeast corner of the island. This time, the two Class 1 boats ahead of Zest, plus the leading pair from Class 2, went west. However, we opted for following Richard and Sophie Palmer in the JPK10.10 Jangada to the east, where the gradient wind seemed likely to hold out for longer. We approached the southeastern corner three miles off and managed to keep moving, albeit slowly, before finding the belt of gentle southerly breeze in the wind reversal downwind of the island. We finished after eight days and almost six hours, taking sixth place on the water in line honours and fourth on corrected time, behind the two JPKs and Zephyrin. This was my third outbound trip to the islands on Zest in six years and by far the hardest and slowest.

The stopover in Ponta Delgada was a welcome break and opportunity to dry the boat out thoroughly, check the rig and systems and make any necessary repairs before the second leg. There was also ample opportunity for swapping stories of the outbound leg with other teams and sightseeing. LEG 2 From the outset the return leg looked like a big lottery in several respects. A number of low pressure systems cut off from the jet stream, and therefore unpredictable in their movement, would have to be negotiated. In addition, there was no agreement among the models of the weather at the end of the leg. The startline was in an east-west orientation, with boats then able to choose which end of the island to round before heading northeast back towards the UK. The longer westerly route offered potentially more reliable breezes and you’d be likely to be the first into the new wind

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

MAILASAIL AZAB 2019

WHAT IS IT

filling in from the west. However, this route was seven miles longer and carried the risk of no wind the following day in a big hole in the lee of the island. Fortunately, we had 6-8 knots of wind at the start and joined the other leading boats in heading west. We started under Code 0, rather than the spinnaker that the other boats in our group were carrying, which turned out to be the right choice, and it wasn’t long before the wind came even further forward and we all changed to jibs. We then had a jostling match with Jangada, Joy, Zephyrin and Je Vole for the next 30 hours in a wind that rarely exceeded four knots. It was a really frustrating period, with the sails slatting around violently in a swell left over from a near gale a couple of days earlier. However, they’re conditions in which we know Zest can perform well. For much of the race we had seen lots of wildlife, but these light airs provided an extra bonus in this respect and the company was more obvious. As well as dolphins and pilot whales, there were large fields of Portuguese men o’ war – some the size of match boxes, others obviously older and more successful, a foot long and surrounded by a shoal of small anchovy and sardine-sized fish.

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In the early hours of the following morning, still off the northwest corner of the island we had the ignominy of being slowly overtaken by Joy, without it having been apparent that we were leading. Initially the boats that went east around the island were doing well, but eventually we popped out 6-12 miles ahead of Rainmaker and Jenda, with more speed and continued to extend. The wind didn’t fill until late in the evening of day two, when we gradually started accelerating under Code 0 and, along with Joy, Jangada, Zephyrin, and Je Vole, crept further ahead of the pack. In the early hours of the following morning we peeled from the code 0 to S2 spinnaker, and started pulling up to the boats that were slightly ahead, while leaving Je Vole astern. Dawn was spectacular, with clear skies and the sea having completely smoothed out. That day the wind continued building, up to the mid-teens by mid-morning. We were sailing a tight angle with the big kite, regularly hitting 9-9.5 knots of boat speed and pulled away into the overall lead on corrected time. As the breeze continued to rise we soon peeled to the S4, and then dropped the first reef in. The next few hours were great fun, with the breeze gusts in the mid 20s

The MailASail Azores and Back Race is organised by the Royal Cornwall YC and takes place every four years, regularly attracting fleets of 50-70 boats. The total distance is around 2,300 miles and there’s a 7-10 day stopover in Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel, roughly 900 miles west of Lisbon.

Above left Post-start screenshot, leg 2, showing an unusual start line with a choice of going directly east or west around the island Above right Departing Falmouth Below from left Leg 1 winner Akouavi, Chris Swallow’s Pogo 12.50; Rupert Holmes raced on board Zest, a 36ft one-off design by Rob Humphreys, with his partner Kass Schmitt; farewell from the Azores; Susie Goodall and Mark Slats returned to ocean racing after their Golden Globe Race adventures

and frequent long surfs of 13, 14 and 15 knots, but we held onto the kite for too long. As we prepared to drop, the wind spiked well above 30 knots, we broached, accidentally dropped the sail in the water during the drop and had to cut the halyard to avoid the sail dragging the boat into an involuntary gybe. However, much as on the outbound leg, Zephyrin continued on course accelerating away into a corrected time lead that was never challenged. The wind veered in the early hours of the following morning, so we gybed and poled out the jib, making good progress on the rhumb line, gradually overhauling Jangada again. We then stayed close to each other for the following three days – a pleasing outcome at this stage, given Zest’s 14-point rating advantage By now, the weather for the final couple of days was clear – a beat against a full northeast to easterly gale created by

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ED WILDGOODSE/MAILASAIL; PHOTOS BELOW IN AZORES COURTESY OF JOHN HEATH

isobars squeezed between low pressure over France and a high further north. It’s rare to be in a full upwind mode in oceanic racing – usually it’s faster (and a lot more comfortable) to foot off quickly towards a more favourable wind shift, as we had done when negotiating the many fronts in the outbound leg. As the wind built, we progressively shortened sail. By mid-afternoon we were still overpowered with three reefs and storm jib, so dropped the main and hoisted the trysail. Frustratingly, the wind then eased a few hours. We were tired, and Zest’s mainsail had already covered some 24,000 miles, so we continued with the storm sails, even though we were losing miles to Jangada. It wasn’t long before the wind returned and a very uncomfortable night followed, with Zest tacking at disappointingly large angles thanks to mammoth leeway, even though boat

speed and true wind angle were good considering the conditions. Jangada continued to pull away, thanks to better sails and the greater stability of her more modern hull form. Dawn revealed a chaotic sea state, with some nasty breaking waves – a situation that worsened as the gale wore on. Fifteen miles southwest of Lizard point, a big crest broke over the boat – the third most frightening wave I’ve encountered in 85,000 miles of sailing. A wall of white water higher than the boom swept across the deck. I was on the helm at the time, clipped onto the adjacent jackstay with a short tether and to a companionway D-ring with a long tether almost at its fullest extent, so I wasn’t washed back against anything solid when I lost grip of the tiller and stanchion I’d been holding. Given Jangada was now

PONTA DELGADA AND SAO MIGUEL The fleet stays in the recently built marina in the largest city in the Azores, Ponta Delgada, which has a population of 45,000. The volcanic island is around twice the area of the Isle of Wight, but the highest peak of more than 1,100 metres is higher than any in the UK apart from Ben Nevis. Like the other Azores islands, Sao Miguel is a stunning destination, enhanced by the warm welcome from the Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada and camaraderie of fellow crews.

ahead on corrected time, and the next boat was well behind, we considered safety to be the key priority and tacked south again, towards slightly lighter winds and easier seas. After taking a wide route around the Lizard and the Manacles, on a jet black night we finally bore away for the finish, surfing the final few miles at speeds up to 14 knots, still under just storm jib and trysail. Bertram de Linge’s higher-rated Dutch J/109 Yenda finished an hour

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

MAILASAIL AZAB 2019

Pierriek Penven won the AZAB 2019 overall in his Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200, Zephyrin. Here he reflects on aspects of his boat set-up and on-board life. 1. We had very tolerant sail shapes and settings – no good for inshore racing, but great offshore at night. 2. We were almost always using the autopilot, hand-steering only for fun or in difficult conditions. I was very happy with our NKE Gyro2. 3. We got lots of sleep (with feet facing forward), but with alarms for windspeed, wind angle, speed and so on. We also set an alarm on the Adrena software to wake us for every little loss of performance – quite annoying at times! 4. We did our best to stay dry on the outbound leg when passing the fronts. I twice used the Guy Cotten TPS survival suit – once for 24 hours – and I think this is an important safety item. 5. Using twin poles when gybing spinnakers in strong breezes on the return leg was always a pleasure. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT 1. We changed sails too late sometimes when passing weather fronts – on one occasion we were caught with the J2. 2. We had no Code 0 for light airs, which was a mistake. 3. Weather/water protection for the cockpit and companionway is vital. We didn’t have this. 4. Newer spinnakers would have been better.

and 40 minutes after Zest, having encountered a breaking wave that trashed her sprayhood and swept the transom storage box off the back of the boat only two miles before the line. Just as the first finishers had avoided the worst of the gale, so those in slower-rated boats that were further back also experienced different conditions. By the time they reached the Western Approaches, the low pressure had dissipated, leaving an extended calm and fog patches near the TSS south of the Scilly Isles. This led to yet more retirements, either due to competitors running out of time or

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

AERIAL PHOTO COURTESY OF ED WILDGOODSE/MAILASAIL; ON BOARD PHOTOS RUPERT HOLMES

HOW I WON THE AZAB

needing to clear the shipping lanes. In the end, only 27 of the original 44 starters completed both legs of the course. The first four places overall were all taken by Class 2 boats. Pierriek Penven’s Zephyrin added an overall AZAB win to his already impressive record, which includes victory in the solo division of the 2015 TransQuadra. Dave Butters’ JPK10.10 Joy took second overall, while father and daughter team Richard and Sophie Palmer on Jangada were third, also winning the family trophy by an impressive three days. We were very happy to take fourth

Below left Zest in full ocean mode, with solid companionway shelter, heavy weather jib stowed next to the mast and already hanked on to a removable Dyneema inner forestay, plus the trysail also at the base of the mast, ready to hoist on its own luff track Below Leg 2 finish, with Zephyrin crossing the line second on the water and taking an overall win on IRC

overall on Zest. Chris Swallow’s Pogo 12.50 Akouavi won Class 1 and took fifth overall, while Golden Globe Race sailors Mark Slats and Susie Goodall won Class 3. Newcomer to racing Rory Hamilton’s long-keel OE32 took victory in Class 4 and sixth overall. However, two factors were far more important than the overall positions: the satisfaction of testing yourself and boat in conditions that would never otherwise be encountered, plus the camaraderie engendered when comparing experiences and lessons with other teams. There’s a huge amount of mutual respect among competitors, whatever your result.

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INTERVIEW

CHRIS GRUBE

MEET OUR OLYMPIANS

HIGH OCTANE

Continuing our series in which we meet Team GB Olympic sailors, ROB PEAKE chats to 470 crew Chris Grube

he maximum heart rate for the average 34-year-old should be about 185 beats per minute. Chris Grube, however, is not your average 34-year-old. Now going to his second Olympics as crew for Luke Patience in the 470, Grube will often hit 195, even 200 beats per minute and over the course of a 45-minute race will be operating at a fearsome 170bpm. There aren’t many sports outside triathlon or cycling that demand that kind of intensity for such a duration. Consider, too, that a 470 regatta will see Grube and Patience doing three races a day, for a week. The ‘pumping-allowed’ flag

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

goes up for the 470s in anything above eight knots, so Grube’s job is hardly hanging around on the end the wire. “I do a lot of cycling,” Grube remarks with a laugh. “The 470 has really changed as a class and the physical training is what takes up most of my time. “It means that it is a true sport in every sense of the word – physical and mental. Everyone’s been pushing it further and you’ll see next summer just how much sailing has changed in the class.” Grube, known as Twiggy for his wiry frame, was an 11-year-old club dinghy sailor when he watched the 1996 Olympics and decided what he wanted to do in life. “The thing I

remember most was the 470 with John Merricks and Ian Walker. That memory sticks out. I liked the idea of being able to take the sport to its pinnacle.” Now resident in Hamble, but originally from Chester, his home sailing club was the Snowdonian Bala SC, where he crewed for his father in a GP14 and Fireball. “I have a lot of very good memories of sailing at Bala. It gave me the love for the sport. Having that – those great memories of the simple side of it, the friends you make and the social side of it, just messing around in boats – gives you the drive to then go through the tough times.” He joined the Welsh squad and moved into Toppers and Lasers. “Then at university I realised my natural body weight [then]

It means that it’s a true sport in every sense, physical and mental

was about 72kgs. I struggled to be competitive in the Laser. I realised if I wanted to do the Olympics I was going to have to be crew in the 470.” Maybe Grube drew on his Bala days, when he suffered bitter disappointment over selection for London 2012, beaten to the 470 spot by none other than Luke Patience, who at that stage was sailing with Stuart Bithell. “It was quite a blow to not be selected and hats off to Luke and Stuart – they did an amazing job. I had about six months out and I found the fight to do another Olympic cycle was still there.” Grube is married – Patience was best man at his wedding – and he has a young son. As we speak he has just returned from a training camp in Portugal and after a few days at home will flying back out there again. “We are predominantly in a kit-testing phase,” he says. “Masts in particular. We’re pretty set on the manufacturer so it’s long days on the water working on the set-up. We are getting to the pointy end of things, but if you look at the

Above Grube will be going to his second Olympics in the 470 with helm Luke Patience; giving demos at the RYA Dinghy Show

America’s Cup, they are always trying to improve on what they’ve got, right up until the last minute. We don’t have the same bandwidth, but we are still putting resource and time into making sure we are the fastest out there.” Grube and Patience showed their class way back in 2006 when they won bronze in the junior 470 worlds. They parted ways in 2009 but came back together for the Rio Games four years ago under difficult circumstances. Patience had qualified with Elliot Willis, but had to find a new partner and requalify after Willis was diagnosed with bowel cancer just months before the Games. Grube stepped in and he and Patience were fifth in Rio. “We were both proud of what we did in the eight months we had together. But the thought was always there that we were doing it for Elliot. This time we showed we can do it as a team.” Amid regatta successes since Rio, they have won Enoshima Olympic Week, the 470 North American Championships and the Miami round of the 2018 World Cup Series. They were seventh at the recent 470 worlds and will be aiming to podium at least at the Palma worlds in March 2020. As for their main rivals, Grube says: “It’s hard to ignore the Australians [Matt Belcher and Will Ryan]. They have put together numerous regatta wins and are the main title contender. The Swedes [Anton Dahlberg and

Fredrik Bergstrom] have showed form over last three years. They are generally good in the light but they have got some cracks and not so good under pressure. The Spanish [Jordi Xammar and Nicolas Rodriguez] are the young guns – very high energy, but they’re also quite aggressive.” Grube has also sailed the 49er and the Moth, both to a high level, and says: “I can’t stress enough to young sailors, your class boat is important to learn, but also just sail with as many different people and classes as you can. It was really good for me to do the 49er – I learned a lot about boat handling and being quick. I wouldn’t have been as good a sailor without all that experience.” He adds: “The longer I am in the sport, the more I realise everyone has the same skills, it’s more about outworking people. It is the amount of effort and energy that you put out that enables you to succeed.” Grube worked part-time in a factory in his early days to fund the time on the water, but nowadays is National Lottery-funded and has enjoyed the long-term support of healthcare specialist BTG and Volvo cars “to make all of this happen”. He says: “It’s fantastic to be selected, but of course that is only part of the battle. Now Luke and I want to come back with a medal – ideally the shiniest one.”

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

INTERVIEW

TOM SQUIRES

MEET OUR OLYMPIANS

GETTING SERIOUS

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it like being a windsurfer in a sailing team? Team GB member Tom Squires talks to ROB PEAKE 46

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

om Squires is used to a bit of banter. After all, he is a windsurfer in a sailing team. “We’re not quite the same,” he admits with a laugh. “You get used to being told, ‘You are not a proper sailor!’ A lot of people think it doesn’t make sense, but our racing is so similar to the boat racing that it fits very nicely. “The British Sailing Team does fully embrace windsurfing,” he adds, in a more serious tone. It’s mid-November and Squires is in the midst of winter training in Portland Harbour. “Obviously it’s a lot more serious now – I’ve got to bring home a medal!” Squires was chosen for the Tokyo games in the summer after what he admits has been a “pretty big battle” with colleague Keiran Holmes-Martin over the past 18 months. “I was the underdog in a way,” says Squires. He took a step back from the squad over last winter, training in Hong Kong and New Zealand, before coming back to the summer regattas with guns blazing. “I spent all my money on travelling but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” The on-form Squires was fourth in the Olympic test event, narrowly losing out on a medal, and then sixth overall and first Brit in the World Cup event that followed. “It is surreal [being selected]. You go a bit mad for a day, then it’s back to training and organising your life for the next six months.” Squires was on holiday in Cornwall aged 11 when he first tried windsurfing

with his father. They enjoyed it so much that on their return home to Oxford they signed up for an RYA course at a local reservoir. Squires junior was soon sailing on weekday evenings as well as the weekend. Then he found out about the wider windsurf racing scene and never looked back.

It was a brand new £3,000 board and I split the nose in half He is a sailor too but “a very bad one... I do Bart’s Bash each year, normally sailing a cat. The rules of windsurf racing are very similar, although we are allowed to hit the mark.” His top speed on an RS:X? “About 28 knots. Some people have gone 30 but I haven’t seen that yet on my watch. I will try for it in Japan! The venue is super-tricky. The wind isn’t quite what it seems. It looks like a nice onshore sea breeze, good for speedracing, but in reality it feels like an inland lake. The windsurfers mainly race close to the shoreline and the wind is so unpredictable. It’s tricky to know which way to go. It’s going to be interesting.” Meanwhile he is gunning for a medal at the worlds in Melbourne in February. Two days before we speak, World Sailing confirmed the windsurfing equipment for the Paris 2024 Olympics will be the iFoil. The RS:X has its last games in Enoshima, but Squires is positive: “When I was younger, getting into windsurf racing, I was so excited with the RS:X. That was the only option

for me and all my friends, but these days in Portland Harbour, it’s foil city round here. That is what all the kids are excited by. Whatever makes the kids happy and getting the excitement that I had – that should be the Olympic board.” Squires isn’t averse to a spot of foiling himself and comes clean that his biggest ever windsurfing wipeout came just two weeks previously on a foiling board. “I was doing a training camp for young windsurfers looking to foil. The breeze kept building…it was a brand new £3,000 board and I split the nose in half. Foiling wipeouts are just another level. But the good thing is with windsurfing, if it goes a bit crazy you can just let go and all the power is gone. When you crash it’s rare that you hurt yourself. Kite-surfing is a different story.” Is he in favour of kite-surfing as an Olympic sport? “Yes, I think so. The training and structure they have in their campaigns, the professionalism and hard work they put in... people act like they don’t care and like they’re the cool kids, but some of the stuff you see them do in training... they take it very seriously.” Despite an agreeably laid back manner, Squires takes things pretty seriously too. “I was in the gym this morning! I tend to do a lot of cardio, but I have to become more like a sprinter. I stay away from weights. I’m 6ft 4in (1.93m) and I have to keep my weight down for the RS:X. It’s a nightmare!” Then it’s out to Portugal to join his colleagues for warmer weather training. “The structure of being in the British Sailing Team is the best thing, the knowledge you get from other sailors. The people you’re surrounded with are the key to success, with everyone feeding off each other.”

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

INEOS TEAM UK

TAMING THE BEAST BOB FISHER got an exclusive up close

and personal look at INEOS TEAM UK as they trialled their new AC75, the boat that Ben Ainslie called a ‘beast’!

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

o one could have been more excited to receive an invitation for a day afloat with Britannia – not last century’s royal racing cutter, but the recently launched AC75, on which the hopes of a nation to return the Auld Mug to its rightful place depend. Such invitations don’t come often and everything else in the diary gets cancelled to reply in the affirmative. I had been to her launch a few days earlier; now I would see her under sail. The invitation, however, wasn’t for a ride on board – that experience is reserved for team members only in this Cup – but that’s perhaps just as well, because from our chase boat I was able to observe that it was anything but a soft ride, and from conversations with the crew subsequently, I was appraised of the battering through which they had to go. And it was not a short day by any means. It began with a long tow from the INEOS TEAM UK Portsmouth base to the west Solent, and that took the best part of an hour. My seat was aboard an inboard-engined launch with full cabin facilities. While I envied the sailors, I knew I was going to stay dry and warm. Only after the tow was any move made to make sail. The two-ply mainsail was hoisted slowly up the one-design mast of this new class with its twin luff grooves

and we watched while this process slowly evolved. It was, like progress, a mighty slow process. Each side had to match the other. Even when the halyard locks were set, there was much to do. For us, we observed that it had taken 27 minutes to complete and we could also see for the first time the ‘badging’ on the sail – from top to bottom, an America’s Cup design, atop of “presented by Prada”, and the Union Flag. Beneath all that, just above the boom, in large letters is INEOS. Such things matter to the lifetime Cup observer. Once that was set, it was time for the headsail. The black sail, not the biggest available, was set from the root of the bright orange bowsprit and it sported two of INEOS’s subsidiaries – Belstaff and Grenadier. And then the fun began, with Sir Ben aiming first to raise Britannia clear of the water and secondly to maintain her in full flight on the foils – the foil arms and the foils showing clearly, white against the black of the hull. That, not surprisingly, took some time to perfect, and then came the maintenance of this situation. All the while it was watched by a ‘spy’ from the New York YC’s team – Ian ‘Soapy’ Moore – carefully noting every aspect of the INEOS team’s boat. Back and forth went Britannia, closely attended by her tender,

PHOTOS THIS PAGE SHAUN ROSTER

All the while it was watched by a ‘spy’ from the New York YC

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

INEOS TEAM UK

and it was obvious that the object was to keep her ‘flying’ for as long as was possible on each flight. Speeds were in the region of 23-26 knots (judging by the speedometer on our launch). After half an hour, the decision was made to change to a bigger jib, which was set from the end of the bowsprit, and it was instantly noticeable that it produced an increase in speed and clearer foil riding – the speed went up to close to 30 knots. We took up a ‘chasing’ position and could see the inside of Britannia – a clear channel on either side from the stern to well forward of the mast, with vertical sides, to allow the crew to move as required to trim the boat – the foils require constant attention – and a smooth ‘deck’ surface in the middle of the boat, allowing the crew to clamber across when tacking. This back-and-forth process continued for the best part of two hours, with a noticeable improvement, judged by the flying time, in the sailing performance. It was then time to return to the INEOS TEAM UK headquarters in Portsmouth, where I had the opportunity to talk to one of the structural engineers that made it all possible – Philibert Chenais. A key member of the design team, holding the drawing package for the hull and the entire structure of the AC75, Chenais works with the structural

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

The decision was made to change jibs and the speed went close to 30 knots engineers. He was responsible for the first of its kind that I had just watched perform. He said he thought that it had behaved well and I had to agree. It had shown that even at this stage of its trials it was capable of foiling tacks, but Chenais and the team knew this some time ago. “The simulation process is key in our programme,” he explained. “The simulator is fed with inputs for the aero forces coming from the rig, and the aero forces coming from the hull, with foils and weight, so we know where the centre of gravity will be. You can model these hulls in the computer and then run them in the CFD software and this gives you what we call false match races. Putting all that together you get a first look at how the boat will perform. “Then you can start running some sensitivity studies on what happens, for instance, if we have the foil a little bit here, or the hull a bit more like this and so on. The more you put into this loop the more you learn, so the more you go to one direction or the other.” Can they improve it? “We already have,” he said. “We were issued all the information almost a year

Above Britannia up on her foils in the Solent Below left Philibert Chenais says the team will begin building boat No. 2 very soon Below Ben Ainslie on the simulator

ago and since then we have had a year to think about how to make this boat go faster, so we already know what we could do better on boat one, and we already know how much faster, on the paper, boat two will be. “It is early days but we are all happy with what we see on the water. There are always frustrating moments – we were sailing later than we initially hoped – but we are getting some good testing in and some very useful days on the water now. “We are very, very close to starting the build of boat two and we are going to release the hull lines and the deck lines very shortly so that Carrington’s can start building.”

SIMULATOR: HARRY KH/INEOS TEAM UK; PHOTO ABOVE MARK LLOYD

FEATURE

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

CUP SAILMAKING

Shinzy has campaigned with numerous Cup teams, whereas for Sam and Danny the AC36 will be their first. Sam says: “The nice thing about this type of sail, compared to the previous wings, is that it does bring back the more traditional skills and machine work, which I think some people have been missing in the previous editions. “The mainsail is the biggest sail on the boat; it is the primary device for controlling and powering the boat. It’s the equivalent to having a rudder in the sky! Iain [Jensen] is our trimmer onboard, there’s a lot of controls that primarily attach to the head of the sail, including the twist and camber control.” These controls have a big impact

Above Sail loft production manager Ian ‘Shinzy’ Pattison Below The two-ply nature of the main is clear here

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: HARRY KH /INEOS TEAM UK

ne of the most interesting changes for this Cup is the return to traditional sailmaking. Some see this as a retrograde move, given that the catamarans of Bermuda used semi-rigid 23m wings, but a ‘trickle down’ into mainstream yachting is perhaps more likely. The two-skinned design is said to bring some of the aerodynamic advantages of the wing into the ‘traditional’ sail. The two sail skins that constitute the mainsail are attached to the corners of the back of the D-shaped mast. It’s a 3Di product from North Sails, made from carbon fibre and equipped with buoyant material or airbags at the top, to provide buoyancy in case of capsize. The rig, meanwhile, is one design, developed and produced by Southern Spars. Each team employs sailmakers and can produce up to 10 mainsails under the rules. There are five jib sizes to accommodate different conditions, each weighing around 60kg. Unlike the main, they are a single-skin construction. There is also a Code 0 for downwind and, in some cases, upwind, when it’s very light. “The previous wing concept was complex and required a specialist operations team and a crane to attach it to the platform,” says INEOS Team UK. “The new mainsails need support from more traditional sailmakers and allow the team to change sails on the water.” The INEOS Team UK sailmaking team is three-strong, headed up by manager Ian ‘Shinzy’ Pattison, with sailmakers Sam Haines and Danny Leech.

on the balance of the boat and the mainsail trimmer must work very closely with the helmsman to control the boat and keep it going fast. “The mainsail is essentially the same product you see out on a 30ft (9.1m) sailboat out on the Solent, just some of the engineering is different because of what we are trying to achieve with these AC75s. There’s a lot of components inside the sails, so the boat builders are manufacturing these for us. There’s a lot of involvement from the different trades within the team. “We are still in a development phase and looking at different concepts and set-ups. However, a lot of the thinking has come from how the wing sails worked, so we are trying to adapt this concept into the soft sail. We are really going to be pushing the boundaries.” Sam and the team are on the water for any training days in case repairs are needed. “But our day really starts when the team get back,” he said. “We bring the mainsail, jib and Code 0 into the base, check all the internal and external components, check the corners and batten tensions to make sure there’s no wear and tear we have missed. It’s around three hours of checking per sailing session.” “It’s a really exciting time to be a sailmaker in the America’s Cup and I think this concept can – and will – eventually trickle down to the wider sailing industry.”

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

THE PERFECT RACE

PLAYING CATCH-UP

rom beneath his Australian team cap, Tom Burton squinted into the sunlight and cast his eyes over the waters of Guanabara Bay. The date was Tuesday 16 August 2016, with only moments to go before the starting sequence got underway for the Laser medal race at the Rio Olympics. Second so far in the 46-boat fleet, Burton had had what he calls “a reasonable regatta”, posting six single-digit finishes. Ahead of him was the Croatian sailor Tonči Stipanović, with 57 points. Burton had 67 and behind him was Sam Meech, from New Zealand, on 77. “So Tonči and I were guaranteed medals,” Burton recalls. “The colour was another matter. “For me to win gold, if I won the medal race, Tonči needed to be sixth or worse in the 10-boat fleet.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

“The chances of that were slim, I thought, perhaps one in 10. I knew that I needed to bury him in the pre-start, but cross the line in contact with the other eight boats.” Looking back today on the few moments that followed, Burton talks with candour and humour.

Above The start of the medal race at the Rio games, with Burton behind

Below left ‘TB’ had been Tom Slingsby’s training partner in the Laser at Weymouth 2012

Laser world champion Tom Burton recalls the race of his life, the Rio medal race. It didn’t all go his way, as he tells ROB KOTHE

He admits it was the most important race of his life, even if it turned out to be one of few he didn’t win. Burton, now 29, known universally as TB, began sailing Sabot dinghies, before trying his hand at the OK and Laser Radial and first representing Australia at the 2007 Laser Radial worlds. His early sailing hero was Ben Ainslie, whom a 10-year-old Burton watched win Laser gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Burton rose through the ranks at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in his hometown of Sydney before making his move to the Australian Institute of Sport as a teenager. He won his first Australian Youth Championships in 2008, before taking a seventh place at the Youth Worlds in Aarhus, Denmark, that same year. He stepped up into the senior ranks with a third in Sail Auckland 2010

and third again in Sail Melbourne the same year, becoming a member of the Australian Sailing Team under the guidance of coach Michael Blackburn, a former Laser World Champion and Olympic medallist. Burton recalls: “I’ll never forget Sail Melbourne in 2010, when I qualified for the Australian Sailing Team [finishing second behind Britain’s Nick Thompson and ahead of fellow Australian Tom Slingsby]. “It was a week of great results and lots of pressure. People weren’t sure if I was going to hang on to the result – and I had some doubts myself – but I managed to maintain consistency throughout the event and qualify for the team.” Slingsby was pushing hard for the Australian Laser place at London 2012, but Burton was getting ever more consistent results, benefiting from being Slingsby’s training partner.

In 2011, Burton finished third behind Slingsby and Nick Thompson at Sail Melbourne and then won the Australian Laser title. At Sail for Gold 2012, held shortly before the Games in Weymouth, he finished second behind Slingsby. It was Slingsby who got the nod from selectors, going on to win gold at Weymouth in 2012. It had been a tense selection battle, but despite losing out, the young Burton was keen to use everything to his advantage. “I worked hard with Slingo in training and stayed right through the Games. I soaked up the Olympic atmosphere, and that experience helped me right through.” Then came the Rio Olympic cycle. Slingsby himself describes it best: “TB picked up the baton and ran with it.” Burton was on fire. He won

Sail Melbourne 2012 and was ranked world number one Laser sailor for much of the next four years. It wasn’t all straightforward. The hard training caught up with him in 2014/15 and injuries set him back. “I’ve been through some tough times, but none tougher than training at the highest level, only to be brought down by injuries and watch all my hard work slowly slip away,” he says. “I learned that it’s not just about training and competing. Your recovery and timing of your training are so important as well.” The injuries were overcome and Burton rose again. He won Rio selection over the rising star and his senior training partner Matt Wearn from West Australia. “There was a lot of fitness in the bank from training and competitions over the quad, so preparation for Rio was more about fine-tuning.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

THE PERFECT RACE

I tried not to engage, because I didn’t want him to know what I was going to do “Looking back on Rio, there was one race which for me was the most important race in my career. I didn’t win it, but the result was perfect. It was the Laser medal race.” And so to the startline in Guanabara Bay, Burton eyeing Stipanović, and Stipanović eyeing Burton, both knowing the enormity of what was at stake. As if to ramp the tension yet further, they’d been here before. At the 2015 Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, in the penultimate race of the regatta, Stipanović had matchraced Burton aggressively and pushed him back through the fleet. But the International Jury found that Stipanović had infringed RRS17, by sailing above his proper course. Burton was granted redress and went on to take the gold medal. Before the Rio medal race, Burton had discussed with his coach, Michael ‘Blackers’ Blackburn, a range of scenarios. “There was a rest day, then we had bad weather and the medal race was postponed, so there was plenty of time for discussion,” Burton recalls. “A penalty in the Laser is not very big, so for it to have an impact on the pre-start, it must be done at the right time. It needs to be done so that you can make the start line, but so that the other person can’t. That is what I somehow needed to make happen. “As we expected, from about four minutes into the start sequence, Tonči was attacking me, and I tried not to engage because I did not want him to know what I was going to do. I did not want to show him how to get out of the situation when I finally attacked. “We were off by ourselves, well back from the line. I was ready to cause him a penalty, then have a successful timed run for the start line. “I had just one shot. With a minute to go, Tonči came hunting once more. I surprised him – I attacked, I hooked him, luffed him up. To escape, Tonči need to back, but I backed with him, and windwardleeward rules were still applying. “He lost control, there was small contact between our boats, but as the windward boat, he had no rights

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

and incurred a penalty. It was perfect timing for me but could not have been worse for him. “I lost a few seconds grabbing the red penalty flag, then I headed for the start line. I was five seconds behind the fleet at the wrong end of the line. There was a big committee boat and I fell into the wind shadow a little, but I was away and still in contact with the fleet.” Most importantly for Burton, the regatta leader was off the back, and after doing his 360° turn was about 30 seconds behind the fleet. One job was done, but another lay ahead. “I set out trying to catch the pack and halfway up the first beat I thought, ‘It’s a possibility now’. I was very excited at this stage, but I calmed down and realised that I just had to work patiently and make gains a few metres at a time, sailing up through the fleet. “Obviously, there were a lot of boats to pass. I was still second last, but what was going through my mind was, ‘Just one at a time’. “Normally my upwinds are great, my downwinds are ordinary. But I felt the important thing was not to panic and take flyers, and risk falling out of contention. I just kept sailing steadily and making gains.” On the first leg Tonči was 10th, Burton ninth. There was no change on the run but he was closing in on the

Above The final reach into the finish, with Robert Scheidt leading and Burton having caught up to third place on the water Below right The moment it sunk in

bunch ahead, who were fighting each other. Then at the bottom mark he was able to split the gates. Nick Thompson (GBR), Pavlos Kontides (CYP) and Juan Ignacio Maegli (GUA) were jostling for position and went round one gate, while the Australian chose the other and climbed away in clear air. He was in bronze medal position and had the bit between his teeth. “By the top mark I was fifth, as Julio Alsogaray (ARG) had pulled out – he had been OCS. I never really looked back. Down the last run, I passed Rutger

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

Above On the podium with Croatian Tonči Stipanović and New Zealander Sam Meech

van Schaardenburg (NED) early. I already knew that Tonči was second last. Trying a little too hard, he had received a yellow flag for pumping and had to do a 720. That meant for him a ninth place. And I was in silver medal position. “Up ahead, there was no stopping Robert Scheidt (BRA). He was plainly going to win the medal race. Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) was second behind him. “I closed on Sam Meech (NZL) and at the bottom mark, before the reach to the finish, I got an inside line and sailed

through him. I was third on the water while at the back Tonči was still ninth.” Six places behind, times two: a 12 point difference. Was it enough? “I still did not believe it when I crossed the line, but people were getting excited, but I after 10 seconds everyone was looking at me and Blackers came with the Australian flag and I believed it.” Burton was Australia’s only sailing gold medallist at Rio. “It was the race of my life. I’ve got the video on my laptop and I’ve watched it a few times. “In that race, there were so many parts that needed to link together to make the result happen. It all went perfectly for me.” In the run-up to the Tokyo games, keen to defend his Olympic gold, Burton has been World Sailing’s No. 1 ranked Laser sailor and is the 2019 Laser World Champion. But sadly for him, he won’t be at the Tokyo games. Embarrassed with talent, the Australian Laser class will be represented by world number two Matt Wearn, aged

Tom Burton (AUS) 73 Tonči Stipanović (CRO) 75 Sam Meech (NZL) 85 Robert Scheidt (BRA) 89 Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) 90 Nick Thompson (GBR) 103 Pavlos Kontides (CYP) 104 Juan Ignacio Maegli (GUA) 117 Rutger Van Schaardenburg (NED) 118 Julio Alsogaray (ARG) 129

24, who will be making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, winning selection after strong results over the last two seasons. This included wins at the European Championships and Olympic Week in Hyeres, as well as second places behind Burton at the Laser Worlds and the World Cup Series in Enoshima. The decision to select Wearn was made by Australian Sailing’s Olympic Nomination Panel, which includes chairman David Kellett, three-time Laser world champion Glenn Bourke and five-time Laser world champion and London gold medallist Tom Slingsby. Burton said: “Obviously, we both wanted to win Tokyo selection, but we recognise that at the end of the day only one person can go. “Blackers, after coaching Slingo to London 2012 gold and me to Rio gold, was very happy to have me as 2019 world champion and Wearny as number two and us as the top two, in the same order in the world ranking. “For me, it’s a big blow to miss out. It was a tight battle for quite some time. While we fought for Tokyo Olympic selection, we had each other as training partners and that is one thing that has always led to success, with an excellent training environment for the Australian Laser squad, and it’s been paying dividends. “The southern hemisphere Laser squad is strong. Looking at worlds results, we were one and two, and the Kiwis were three and four. From that squad, I am sure Wearny will do us proud. “I will continue with a little Laser sailing and some coaching, but will miss the Australian nationals in 2020.” Burton was competing in the 2019 Moth worlds as Y&Y went to press.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK

GLORIOUS HAMMO

Crews will sail the equivalent of six Fastnets to get to Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite winter regatta, reports ROB KOTHE

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

n Whit Sunday In June 1770, an English sailor, Lt. James Cook and his 93 British naval sailors aboard HMS Endeavour, sailed into a 74-island Great Barrier Reef archipelago, which Cook named the Whitsunday Islands. Over the next 200 years a larger island, first named Terra Australis, grew from its native people and then convict inhabitants plant sugar cane fields, build coastal towns, roads and airports. In 1983, an Australian property developer began building a tropical resort on one of those 74 islands, Hamilton Island. On the mainland, the charter yacht industry was burgeoning, and two industry pioneers proposed a yachting regatta and Hamilton Island Race Week was born. When the first event was staged in 1984, the resort was very much a work in progress, all the roads were gravel, although the first arms of the marina were in place. Two days into this inaugural regatta, a cyclone appeared in the Coral Sea to the north. Rains of more than six inches hit the new resort. In the bars, the event was being re-titled Hamilton Rain Week, and it was being sailed in the Wetsundays. But despite the ankle-deep mud, the regatta was a booming success. The atmosphere was great, and in the 36 years following, the same combination of island scenery, venue and camaraderie bring sailors back to Hamilton Island Race Week (HIRW). As you’d expect, its rarely called that by the Australians. It’s ‘Hammo’. It’s a long sail for the southern fleets to attend this regatta – six Fastnets there and back from Melbourne, just

four for Sydney-siders. Of course, for most of the crew, families and friends, nothing goes to windward like a Boeing. It’s two hours’ flight time to Hamilton Island’s own airport. The numbers keep growing. Why? August is the dead of Australia’s southern winter, where temperatures can be in the pre-teens, and so sailing in t-shirt and shorts out of a Great Barrier Reef tropical resort, with temperatures often in the mid-20s, has a certain charm. Among the many who have been regular contestants is the Oatley family, with patriarch Bob Oatley campaigning a series of ever-larger boats called Wild Oats. In 2001 the Oatley family had sold their Rosemount wine brand and in 2003 bought the island resort and embarked on continuous investment. Bob insisted that the main channel into the marina was dredged for much bigger racing yachts and over the years there have been many expansions of the marinas to take more and more cruising boats and now multihulls. Under the Oatleys’ stewardship, Hamilton Island Race Week has grown and it is now unchallenged as the premier racing and cruising regatta in the Southern Hemisphere. At the same time the Oatley’s 60, 66 and 100-footers Wild Oats IX, X and XI have become mainstream media favourites. In 2008 the island gained a new chief executive, who by any measure is a serious yachtie. Glen Bourke, three times Laser world champion and former CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “The event is much bigger than a sailing regatta, with sailors able to bring

ALL PHOTOS SALTY DINGO

Despite ankledeep mud, it was a booming success

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK

their partners and families to enjoy the social side that is planned to suit all interests and budgets. Across the series the usual boating services are available, and we go over and above to foster the strong atmosphere and camaraderie. We bridge the two sides of the harbour by taking the morning coffee cart, complimentary ice delivery and daily sausage sizzle to the marina community.” Despite a softer Australian economy, Hamilton Island Race Week 2019 drew the second largest fleet in 36 years. Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson is now in his 14th year at HIRW. He said: “This year we had 234 boats, and the boats are getting bigger and more dynamic, less heavy cruisers, more cruiser-racers. “A typical racing day here in August, the last month of southern hemisphere winter, is all sunshine, 18-24 knots trade wind breeze from the southeast. What more could you want? “Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane boats make up most of the fleet. The skippers remind us always that they can do windward-leewards anywhere. So our windward-leewards are not around buoys anymore – we use islands, like Pentecost, a square-mile island, with an imposing rock outcrop reaching 180 metres skywards. The only problem is if we get wind changes – we can’t drag the top marks to new positions.” He continued: “With the big tidal ranges and flooding tidal races amongst the islands, we must set courses so the tail-enders come home with a following tide. That is always popular.” There is always an unusually large spectator fleet for HIRW, because each year 25,000 humpback whales sail from the plankton-filled Antarctic up the Australian east coast to northern Queensland, arriving in July and August to watch the boat

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

racing and while they are waiting to take the opportunity to calve. “We have to be careful, because they don’t pay a lot of attention to the sailing instructions. We often must delay starts, particularly in Dent Passage in front of the marina, if there is a pod of whales negotiating the passage. That happened mid-week this year, when we had a pod of four humpbacks wanting to watch the starts.” We talked to four HIRW division winners who represent a cross-section of the Australian yacht racing community. Multihull division winner, Back in Black, is skippered by Melbourne sailor Michel Van Der Zwaard. Dutch-born, he came to Australia as a 20-year-old backpacker and never left. The boat is one of five Extreme 40s from the European stadium circuit sold into Australia, and for his first serious northern regatta season, Michel, more familiar with off-the-beach F16s and

Above Islands form race marks Below left and right Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan; one of the local hooligans

Tornadoes, assembled a high quality multihull crew, including current Tornado world champions Brett Burvill and Max Puttman from west Australia, foiling Moth pioneer Rohan Veal from Melbourne, along with Mark Bulka, three times Contender world champion. Van Der Zwaard said: “Because the extreme 40s were designed for flatwater stadium racing, offshore these cats are incredibly wet for the crew. The foredeck crew tell me they feel like they are floating in watery space. “Our sail configuration is not ideal yet for heavy conditions; the original stadium course sails were too powerful for offshore conditions and the ones we fitted leave her a little underpowered. “We’ve discovered the hard way that 25 knots and wind against the is probably the limit for the X40s.” The first few days of Hammo 2019 were light, but after a lay day it blew up, with a front coming through and gusts into the mid thirties.

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ALL PHOTOS SALTY DINGO

“For the last two days we had great conditions,” continues Van Der Zwaard, “and in the in the last race we hit 26 knots and then had four or five whales right on the nose. We needed to turn! Those are things you remember.” IRC Division 3 winner was Bruce McCraken’s Beneteau First 45, Ikon. McCraken, 63, bought the boat 10 years ago, one of only six in the country. “We won our division in the Australian IRC 2013 Geelong titles, and we won again in Sydney in 2017. “This the second time we’ve been to HIRW with this boat. We came up here in 2016; that year the IRC Australian titles were here, and we were third in our division. “The weather this year was very good for us; we had a couple of light days, but we were able to hang on to the lighter boats. We are 12 tonnes and when the wind kicked in, we were in good shape. We had four good windy days and we were able to do what the boat does well, which is go fast upwind in lumpy seas. “For us, sailing is very much a family sport. We race socially on Wednesday nights in the summer in Melbourne, out of Hobson Bay Yacht Club. This year, sailors from our local club delivered the boat up here, while we stayed at work. It arrived early, so my wife and I and a few families cruised around the Whitsundays for two weeks. “Then the gang arrived on Saturday, and we started racing on Sunday. All in all, 26 family and friends, children, grandchildren. Of the crew half are family. We have sailed together for 30 years. We like HIRW because it’s a wonderful place for

Above Trade wind conditions and perfect temperatures, during the south Australian winter Below The island has become a luxury resort but many stay on board during the regatta

family sailing, good for the grandkids too, and we will be back again.” IRC Division 2 winner Ray ‘Hollywood’ Roberts sailed his Botin 40, Team Hollywood, to a picket fence, with six bullets. He was smiling dockside: “It’s a beautiful boat to sail, a real gem. We enjoy strong breezes, and we had some wild downwind weather this week.” Now in his seventies, Roberts thinks he has done between 20 and 30 Hammos.His first was the inaugural regatta. “It was wet and very muddy, but we had a great time. It’s certainly changed dramatically since that time. It’s a beautiful place to come and sail now. “It’s well-run, with magnificent marine life. I sail in the US and I’ve won four Asian events, the King’s Cup, Phuket Race Week, Raja Muda, Langkawi Race Week and the China Cup, but Hammo is something special.”

His words were echoed by IRC Division 1 winner, vitamin supplement mogul Marcus Blackmore, who was also at the first Hamilton Island Race Week regatta in 1983, and who said: “I’ve sailed Cowes Week, the Admiral’s Cup, the Farr 40 worlds, campaigned multiple boats around the world, a dozen Hobart races, but this is a special event, and it’s the 2,000 sailors and their families who make it unique. “This afternoon, in the last race, we were doing 18 knots downwind to Molle Island, a flotilla of about 200 boats under spinnaker. One of my crew said: “Look at that spinnaker, it’s from Emotional Hooligan!” That’s the Mumm 36 I raced here 21 years ago.” As you read this, 26,500 Humpback whales (adults and calves) are migrating south again and to be sure some of them are singing about Hammo 2020. hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

PROMOTING THE RYA DINGHY SHOW

RIG TUNING Jonny McGovern and Mike McNamara on how to set up for the conditions you find – and what to do with each control

he RYA Dinghy Show features a host of useful practical talks and demonstrations for small boat sailors. Two of those speakers write here, firstly Jonny McGovern on this page, and opposite we hear from Mike McNamara.

JONNY MCGOVERN

Jonny McGovern is one of the most in-demand coaches at youth and Olympic level, working with our 470 representatives for the Tokyo Olympics later this year, Luke Patience and Chris Grube (see p44 for our interview with Chris). Jonny’s also a great sailor in his own right, having won a medal at the Youth Worlds and the 470 World Cup, as well as having two victories to his name at the John Merricks Tiger Trophy on Rutland Water, winning both as a helm and crew. At the RYA Dinghy Show, Jonny will be talking through boat tuning, with a specific focus on his specialist area of the 420, but in a way that will still appeal to any sailors in doublehanded boats and for trapeze boat sailors in particular. Here Jonny talks us through some of his main rig-tuning philosophies.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

MODES One of the main things I try to get across when I’m coaching is this – when you understand what you're trying to achieve in terms of changing sail shapes through the range of different wind and wave conditions, you’re much better equipped to set up whatever kind of boat you’re sailing in the future. At the RYA Dinghy Show I’ll be using the 420 rig to illustrate the changes that you make through the wind range. Basically you’re in three modes: sub-powered in light winds (0 to 8 knots); close to max power in medium winds (8 to 15 knots); and overpowered in strong winds (16 knots and over). LIGHT WINDS: The wind is lazy and doesn’t really want to flow around your rig unless you encourage it as much as possible. The wind wants to take the path of least resistance, so you want to flatten out your main and jib as much as possible, with open leeches to help the air flow off the back of the sails. This means removing chocks from the mast gate, which allows

the lower mast to bend, whilst not trimming too hard on the mainsheet. Looking up at the tell-tail at the back of the top batten, aim to get this flowing around 80 to 90 per cent of the time. MEDIUM WINDS: Once the crew is starting to sit on the side deck and thinking about hooking up on to the trapeze, you can start powering up the rig. Now you’re looking to make the wind bend as much as possible away from its original direction, so you’re looking for harder, tighter leeches. Put maximum chocks into the mast gate to straighten up the mast, and then you can sheet the mainsheet harder, aiming to have that top tell-tail streaming just 30 per cent of the time. On the 420 you will want to barberhauler the jib in a bit harder at the base, or in boats with adjustable fairleads, to sheet harder down the leech and slightly further inboard to tighten the slot. STRONG WINDS: Once you’re overpowered, you want to start flattening out the sails again. But unlike in light winds, you want to pull hard on the kicker and cunningham, both of which will further bend the mast. So you need to keep the chocks in the same as

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what you had for medium winds, to give the kicker something to work against. There’s much more I’ll be covering at the RYA Dinghy Show, including how you’ll want to rake the mast back progressively through the wind range, and what to do with your centreboard in different conditions. I hope you’ll come away from the session with a greater understanding of the underlying principles of rig tune that you can then apply to any boat.

MIKE MCNAMARA

Mike will be focusing on slower, hikingout doublehanders at the RYA Dinghy Show. A very successful sailmaker, Mike has won 75 national and international championships, helming or crewing in nine different classes. He has run tuning sessions at the RYA Dinghy Show for more than 30 years, and has a good understanding of the common tuning pitfalls that trouble club sailors up and and down the country: OVERSHEETING Oversheeting is the biggest problem I see when I’m watching people racing. The simplest way to get your sheeting right is to look up at the luff of the mainsail just above the hounds, typically the class insignia panel of the sail, and see if the sail is luffing there. Ease the mainsheet until you see the front of the mainsail just starting to backwind, and then sheet in a touch again. On the jib, the rule of thumb I use before the start is to luff a bit too much to see where the sail is backwinding. If it backwinds throughout the length of the luff, then you’ve got the right amount of leech tension. If it backwinds more at the top, then either sheet in harder or

increase the sheeting angle of the jib sheet downwards. If it backwinds soonest near the deck, then ease the sheet or make the sheeting angle shallower. While the mainsheet and the jib sheet are the two primary and most important controls, it’s good to have some rules for the three sub-controls too: KICKER When the back of the boom is within 150mm of the centreline, you can use the mainsheet to control leech tension. But as it gets windier, and you find yourself needing to ease more than 150mm, use the kicker to take over control of your leech tension. CUNNINGHAM My old helmsman in the Albacore, the legendary Mike Holmes, used to slap my hand every time I reached for the Cunningham. Mike would tell me: "The Cunningham is the fastest way to the back of the fleet." So the only time I’d pull on the Cunningham is when

there was a photographer around, to pull the wrinkles out of the luff. OUTHAUL If the crew is in the boat, ie. your crew is too heavy, you need the foot of the sail as tight as possible to let the tired, slow-moving air flow off the back of the sail. If your crew is is too light – ie: it’s windy – then you need the foot tight to depower the sail. In middle conditions, on your birthday when the crew is just the right weight, ease the foot to get some more power. Look for the bottom of the sail to be backwinding 10% of the time.

LEARN MORE AT THE SHOW

Jonny and Mike will be talking at the RYA Dinghy Show (29 February to 1 March) at Alexandra Palace, London. Fundamentals of Boat Speed with Jonny McGovern (13.00) on the West Hall Stage, and Rig Tuning with Michael McNamara (15:00) in the Knowledge Zone. Visit rya.org.uk/ dinghyshow for tickets and info. Meanwhile the new edition of RYA Tactics (RYA book ref G40) is available to order at rya.org.uk/go/ G40, RRP £16.99, or visit the RYA Publications team at stand C69 at the RYA Dinghy Show.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

FALMOUTH SAILING WEEK

MULTI-CLASS ACTION Race officer NIGEL SHARP reports on a successful Falmouth Sailing Week, with a huge variety of classes and boats out racing

t was not long after the Second World War that the Falmouth area clubs first got together to jointly organise regattas on consecutive days. Falmouth Sailing Week’s current format has been well established for many years: seven days of racing organised by the Port of Falmouth Sailing Association (POFSA), with six days nominally hosted by one of the local clubs (Helford River SC, Mylor YC, Restronguet SC, Royal Cornwall YC, St Mawes SC and Flushing SC, each of which hosts the daily teas and prizegivings) and the traditional Champagne Race (now sponsored by Ancasta) on the other day. Competing boats are split into two fleets, with a dozen classes of dinghies and mostly traditional open boats sailing in the sheltered waters of the Carrick Roads, while seven keelboat classes and the Firebird catamarans race in Falmouth Bay. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to POFSA that some competitors, particularly those in the Bay, think that seven days of racing is too long, but at the same time others still enjoy a full week. While it was decided this year to retain seven days of racing, a compromise was made with the Bay

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

classes that, it was hoped, would suit everyone: the first four days would be standalone regattas (with two regattatype courses on each of the first three days and then the traditional long regatta-type course race on Champagne Day), and over the last three days there would be a series of races – possibly as many as three per day – over mainly windward-leeward courses. Meanwhile, in the Carrick Roads, the format would remain unchanged: one race per day on regatta-type courses for most classes, but with the Ajaxes sailing a second race on two days and the Sunbeams sailing a second (windward/leeward) race on each of the last three days. For the third year I was the race officer for the Carrick Roads races with a highly experienced team on board Jack Penty’s committee boat Noon Hi. Our race format included an initial beat from the committee boat to a specially laid windward mark and thereafter followed regatta-type courses using the 20 or so navigation marks and fixed, seasonally laid racing marks. The Carrick Roads, which is mostly less than a mile wide, is a challenging piece of water in

Above Falmouth Working Boats always enjoy close racing Below Racing takes place in Falmouth Bay as well as in the Carrick Roads

which to run such multiple class races, but all the more enjoyable for that. As it turned out, strong winds forced us to cancel one day of racing – St Mawes SC’s day on the Friday – although that was no surprise to anyone, as that day’s forecast had been consistently bad all week. Apart from that, competitors enjoyed mostly brisk and challenging breezes all week, generally between northwest and southwest. On the opening day, the classes starting in the last group endured torrential rain halfway through the race, resulting in the wind veering enough to turn the beats into fetches, and dropping to almost

“ nothing. For a while it looked as if we would have to dispatch RIBs to different marks of the course to display Flag S, and shorten the course for various classes to ensure they didn’t run out of time. Thankfully the wind not only filled in again, but also backed to its (more or less) original direction. Thankfully, also, that turned out to be the only occasion all week when we had to even consider shortening any courses. Two days later, however, it initially looked as if we might not get in any race at all. The forecast was for a veering southwesterly, but when we first arrived in the Roads there was the faintest wind from the southeast and so we set up a line and windward mark accordingly. Just as we were about to get the racing under way, however, all around us we could see zephyrs coming from a number of different directions, so up went the answering pennant. Luckily, soon afterwards it settled with reasonably convincing strength from the west-south-west and so we moved across to the other side of the Roads and set up again. The first start was delayed by just over an hour but eventually good racing was enjoyed by all. Each day the dinghy class was the first to start, and it was important to send them on a course that would take them away from the bigger boats

starting after them. Dinghy racing was reinstated to Falmouth Week in 2018 after many years of being run as a separate regatta. This time around the local boats welcomed five visitors from Burghfield Sailing Club. Two of these – David Entwistle and Pete Barlow, both sailing Blazes, prevailed in the overall results, followed by Partick Clarke (the first local sailor) in his Aero. “You are so lucky to have a large piece of water to sail in,” said Entwistle afterwards. “The format you deploy to use large sections of the Carrick Roads to race in, is an absolute winner for us inland pond sailors, and is a real driver in making the decision to come to Falmouth.” The Flying Fifteen and Handicap Dayboat classes were dominated respectively by Simon Kneller’s

Above l-r J/80 Jem; Balaton 31 Levity in R fleet

Really Flying and Howard Paterson’s Dragon Integrity, each of which counted five first places. In the Hine Downing-sponsored Falmouth Working Boat class – the biggest class in the Week, with 13 taking part and, many would say, the most spectacular, with their uniquely coloured topsails – overall victory went to John Peters’ Rita, which, having discarded a 5th place, only had to count firsts and seconds. However, there was close racing throughout the class all week, perhaps best illustrated by the fact that six boats finished within a minute and a half of each other on corrected time in the nearly three-hour first race. While the Ajax class was dominated by Polyphemus – owned by Mike Grice and mostly helmed by John Howard –

TIPS FOR SETTING REGATTA-TYPE COURSES FOR MULTIPLE CLASSES IN CONFINED WATERS LIKE THE CARRICK ROADS ● Avoid anchoring the committee boat, the distance mark or the windward mark in the 30m-plus deepwater channel. ● While there is a need for reasonable precision when laying and relaying the line and windward mark in a shifty wind, don’t be too fussy – competitors don’t like to be kept waiting and it’s not the Olympic Games. ● Try not to lay the windward mark too close to a high-sided shore, although that can be difficult when the wind is blowing across such a narrow bit of water. ● Think carefully about courses at low water springs – although Falmouth is often billed as the third largest deepwater harbour in the world, it has some very shallow bits! ● Although the Sailing Instructions clearly state that boats must not go through the start line after their start, try to set a course that makes it impossible for them to make such a mistake. ● Give the competitors a variety of downwind leg angles – for most this will enhance the enjoyment and it should be fairer for the boats in the handicap classes with different reaching and running abilities. ● Avoid starboard roundings of windward marks, especially the first one, when boats may still be bunched up together – the rules make it considerably safer to allow boats to approach the windward mark on a starboard tack lay line and then just bear away. ● Obvious but vital: never have different classes going round the same mark in opposite directions!

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

FALMOUTH SAILING WEEK

just one point separated the next three boats, with Ian Woods’ Artemis just securing second place. Meanwhile, in the Falmouth Gaffers class, two points separated the first three boats with David Brunyee’s Arlette narrowly beating Andy Platt’s Scallywag and Mike Rangecroft’s Miss Agnes. The Piper/Rustlers, the newest class to be welcomed to Falmouth Week, also enjoyed close racing. The Piper was designed by David Boyd in the 1960s. Since 2006, Rustler Yachts has been producing the Rustler 24 with the same hull but with a rig that is slightly different, although close enough to allow the two types to race level. After nearly two hours of racing on Tuesday, for instance, the first five boats finished within 48 seconds of each other. Bob Edwards’ Piper Kelpie won the series, followed by John Todd’s Rustler Mistress and Charles Taylor’s Piper Piccolino. The closest racing took place at the top of the Sunbeam fleet, sponsored by Mylor Yacht Harbour. The Sunbeams were scheduled to have two series: the all-week 10-race series and the miniseries of six races over the last three days. In the final results in both series, David and Emma Mantle’s Whimsey finished level on points (and with identical placings) at the top of the table – with John Fox’s Pixy in the full-week series and with Roger Ford in Audry in the mini-series – but the ‘last race’ tie-break procedure knocked her back to second place... in both series. The disappointment that the Mantles must have felt can only have been accentuated with the memory that they lost two of the mini-series races by just one second – one to Audry and the other to Pixy. Meanwhile, in Falmouth Bay, my opposite number Chris Davis – race officer for the eighth year and again with an experienced team supporting him on board Andrew Poole’s committee boat Sweet Briar – ran up to 14 races for all classes. After IRC 1 produced

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

four different winners in the seven standalone races, the end-of-week series was dominated by Simon Britten’s Briand One Tonner Hero, which won four of the six races, closely followed by Rupert Tildesley’s Archambault A31 Omerta. Robin Edwards’ GK34 Firebird of St Helier won five of IRC 2’s standalone races but slipped to third in the series, which was won by David Cunliffe’s Laser 28 Encore just a point ahead of John Hicks’ Half Tonner Rampage. In IRC 3, Stuart Higgins’s Hunter Impala Atalanta won nine out of 13 races, giving a comfortable victory. Chris Jelliss’s Hunter Sonata A Little Trifle and Luke Goodden’s GK24 Kizzy fought it out for second place with the latter prevailing by just a point. There were also three classes for boats using an alternative rating system – the South West Yacht Time Correction System (YTC), which was started at Mylor YC a few years ago and is spreading in popularity throughout the West Country. Harry Hill’s Open 30 Alice’s Mirror won four of the standalone races and then all but one of the series races. The XP44 minX, sailed by Gary Fry, his wife and their two young children, was second. YTC Division 2 mostly proved to be a battle between Simone Kennett’s Sigma 33 Jambo! and Christopher

Above l-r Ultraviolet scored three bullets in the Firebird class; Omerta was a close second in the Class 1 series Below l-r Howard Paterson and crew of Dragon Integrity; Chris Bell and crew from Sadler 34 Hawk; Verity Cunliffe from Sunbeam Whimsey with Simon Boote from Ancasta; young Fry family crew from XP44 minX with Chris Davis (RO Bay Fleet and Rear Commodore Sailing RCYC)

Bell’s Sadler 34 Hawk, with the two of them finishing level on points in the series, but with the ‘most firsts’ tiebreak procedure giving victory to the latter. Kevin McLean’s Dehler 34 Infinity and Clive Catherall’s Sigma 33 Rumble mostly shared the spoils in the YTC white sails class standalone races, but in the series, Julia Hopkins’ S&S 30 Jemelda took overall victory. In the IF Boats (formerly known as Marieholms), Matt Davis’s Mathilde proved the importance of consistency by taking overall victory without a single race win. In the Firebird class, Harvey Bowden’s Hyper and Peter Stephens’ Ultraviolet won all but one of the standalone races, but in the series Steve Hutt’s Cornish Meadow beat them into second and third by the narrowest of margins. The dates for Falmouth Sailing Week in 2020 will be 8-15 August

By Nigel Sharp (chairman of the Port of Falmouth Sailing Association and race officer for the Carrick Roads in Falmouth Sailing Week)

In past years, some dinghy classes have held their national championships in conjunction with Falmouth Sailing Week. The Port of Falmouth Sailing Association would be pleased to hear from any dinghy classes that might be interested in doing so in future. raceoffice@falmouthweek.co.uk

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for further details contact Pauline Turner on +44 (0) 1892 614140 or pauline.turner@usail.net facebook.com/UsailIonian www.usail.net

Drascombe Lugger Sailing in the Greek Ionian “… a brilliant holiday! The combination of a Lugger with the lovely Geni Garden was perfect”

Join us in 2020 for the largest sailing festival in Ireland and to celebrate one of the greatest maritime events taking place in our lifetimes.

VOLVO CORK WEEK - JULY 13-17

• ICRA National Championships • 1720 European Championships • Beaufort Cup 2020 • International Dragon Class Southern Championships • SB20 Southern Championships • Classic Regatta

OTHER KEY EVENTS

• International Power Boat Festival - July 11 • IRC European Championships - July 13-17 • Royal Cork Fleet Review - July 12 • Wild Atlantic Way Cruise in Company - July 12-22

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKS

• National 18 Class Championships - August 2-7 • Irish Optimist National Championships - August 13-16 • Irish Laser Class National Championships - August 20-23 Plus a huge range of harbour support events.

Sail one of these iconic Luggers in the sun, based from our superb water's edge apartments. Pure relaxation.

Web www.cork300.com www.corkweek.ie www.royalcork.com #cork300 Email info@cork300.com Phone +353 21 4831023 Royal Cork Yacht Club, Crosshaven, Co Cork, P43 HD40. Ireland.

www.dragondrascombe.com February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

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EVERGREEN GREECE No sailor tires of the crystalline waters of Greece, says SUE PELLING. Here are some ideas for holidaying afloat there in 2020

espite an influx of new charter destinations flooding the market in recent years, there are few places to beat Greece for that dream sailing holiday. With 15,000 kilometres of coastline and around 6,000 Islands to explore, the cruising area of Greece is vast and offers a huge range of conditions to suit all levels of ability. If you are looking to escape the madding crowds, don’t be put of by the popularity of Greece because one of the reasons it remains a charter holiday hot spot is because there are plenty of places off the beaten track to explore. In fact, most charter bases in Greece are located in prime positions, which means you don’t need to sail for days to find tranquil anchorages off the beaten track, or quaint harbour towns with waterside cafés and restaurants. There are plenty of opportunities to embrace the rich and diverse local Greek traditions, too, so ultimately, it could be the ideal place if you are keen to combine sailing with cultural activities onshore.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

WHERE TO GO The wind conditions throughout the Greek Islands vary considerably, which means some areas will be less suitable for beginners, families or teams with mixed experience. Generally speaking the wind gets stronger as you head eastwards across the Aegean so ideally you should choose a sailing area to suit your experience. These etesian northerly winds, known locally as meltemi, occur in the summer months (May to early October) and can reach up to 30 knots in areas such as the corridor between the Dodecanese and Cycladic Islands. To help narrow down your selection when choosing a Greek destination it is wise to be aware of the six main cruising areas – Ionian, Argolida/Saronic Gulf, Cyclades, Sporades/Dodecanese, Northern Sporades, and Crete – with the Aegean Sea to the east and the Ionian/Peloponnese to the west. You’ll also need to consider your fellow travellers, and their level of experience in order to determine the type of charter required. Most companies offer plenty of choice, including flotilla, bareboat, skippered, crewed or by the

cabin charter. If you are keen to become qualified to charter your own yacht, then there are plenty of companies, such as Sail Ionian Sea School or Sunsail, that offer holidays combined with tuition. LESS EXPERIENCED If you are a beginner, or have little sailing experience, the southern Ionian is a good option. HDM Sailing is one good option. The company has four bases in Greek waters including at Kos in the southern Ionian, with a range of monohulls and catamarans on offer. James Foot from Helm says: “The islands in this ‘inland sea’ are blessed with classic conditions you can almost literally set your watch to, with little to no wind in the morning, and a gentle, cooling afternoon breeze that picks up around lunchtime and dies down around 6pm. You’ll also find the process of mooring less demanding – generally sternto with almost always a friendly restaurant owner on hand to help secure your lines.” Corfu, in the northern part of the Ionian, or the Saronic Gulf are also good spots for those with less experience. Roger Garnett from

Tenrag, a company that offers all types of charter throughout Greece, says: “If you are looking for gentle sailing then I would recommend a flotilla on our Saronic route taking in Poros and Athens.” Kiran Fothergill from SailSterling also rates the Saronic Gulf, and Peloponnese. He says: “Start at Alimos Marina in Athens. Not only does this offer easy access from Athens airport, but also the very calm water is ideal for those with less experience.” Fun-loving adventurers may like to consider joining a group of like-minded sailors at MedSailors. The company specialises in flotilla holidays for 20- to 35-year-olds, offering travellers by-the-bunk/ single cabin opportunities in the Ionian or Saronic islands. SEASONED SAILORS There are definite areas more suitable for those with experience, such as

the Cyclades, that often experience the full brunt of the meltemi – the northerly wind that funnels down the Aegean at around Force 6 most days, particularly in July and August. James Foot, from Helm, says this area is a definite favourite among their more experienced sailing clients: “These winds can provide some great sailing, especially on longer reaching legs, like Kithnos to Paros. The Cyclades are further apart than other Greek island groups, and so you can get stuck into some longer passages of 40+nm and visit more remote places like Folegandros, with its fantastic church standing high above the town. The Dodecanese, further southeast and just off the Turquoise Coast, also benefit from the meltemi and are a beautiful place to spend a week.” While the Cyclades and the Dodecanese are destinations renowned for the more experienced, Di and Neil Bingham – Sail Ionian

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

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directors – advise not to forget the Ionian as an attractive choice for experienced sailors: “While we love the fact that the southern Ionian islands are within close proximity, and navigation is mainly line of sight, some careful route planning can mean you can cover a couple of hundred sea miles in a one week visit. There’s no harm in heading down to Kefalonia or Ithaca on day one, and then back up to Meganisi on day two – you don’t need to take the circular route that most flotillas follow. Why not head into the Northern Ionian towards Corfu, taking in Preveza, Parga and Paxos on route – the North tends to be more exposed to the wind so remember to reef early. Visiting early and later in the season also makes for windier conditions, too, so consider sailing in April, May and October.” FAMILY FRIENDLY One of the best areas for a family holiday is undoubtedly the Ionian because it offers something for everyone, including predictable wind conditions. Kiran Fothergill from SailSterling said: “Take in Kalamos, Paleros and Ithaca – there are beautiful beaches there only accessible by boat, and kids can try kitesurfing at Milos beach. Learn about history at the traditional village of Katomeri (you can also explore Greek and Byzantine ruins at Paleros and Kalamos) – kids

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

CREDIT: ROBERTHARDING / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The Ionian offers something for everyone and has predictable wind conditions

will be fascinated by learning about Greek mythology at Ithaca (legends of Odysseus). Plus there are plenty of dolphins to see along the way.” Another company to consider is Yacht Getaways, which not only offers by-the-cabin charter, but also skippered or bareboat charter sailing

Above Most stunning marina berth ever? Beneath Corfu’s Old Fortress Below Skippered charter with Sail Ionian

holidays for families in Greece. For some real Greek culture, take a look at Seafarer Cruising and Sailing Holidays’ new Gulf of Corinth 2020 destination. Company director Chris Lorenzo commented: “Our new base in the town of Corinth is less than a mile from the entrance to the Corinth canal. The gateway airport is Athens, whilst destinations to explore in this area include the Alkyoni Isles, the island of Trizonia, the historic town of Galaxidi and a transit of the spectacular Corinth Canal as a bonus.” If you and your teenage family are keen to embrace the buzz and excitement of Greece, then a charter taking in Mykonos, an island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea, is something to consider. Amanda Munroe at Dream Yacht Charter said: “This is a big party island, but still upmarket, and definitely worth adding to your Dream Charter itinerary.” Kate Staniforth, Senior UK Marketing Manager at The Mooring recommends Corfu, in the northwest of the Ionian, for families. “The sleepy working fishing village of Petriti is located on the east coast of Corfu. It is one of the few

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

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GREECE

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

CREDIT: ROBERTHARDING / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The Ionian offers something for everyone and has predictable wind conditions

Above Most stunning marina berth ever? Beneath Corfu’s Old Fortress Below Skippered charter with Sail Ionian

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

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recommends the Northern Sporades, starting in Skiathos. “Take in Skopelos, Alonnisos, Kyra Panagia and more over the course of a week. See the famous beaches where Mamma Mia! was filmed [Skopelos and Skiathos] and visit Arkos Island [uninhabited and with pristine beaches]. This area also offers some of the best snorkeling in Greece.” Nautilus managing director Jonathan Shears advocates Volos in the Sporades, not least because easyJet now provides low cost flights to the area. “It is good because it’s easy to get to and there are lots of interesting places to explore in the Gulf of Volos or in the Sporades,” he explained.

SUNSAIL

See the famous beach where Mama Mia was filmed and visit uninhabited islands

CHARTER COMPANY UPDATES In a pledge the company has made to sustainable sailing for the 2020 season, and to decrease the impact on climate change in the future, Sail Ionian has equipped 18 yachts with electric outboards, while a total of 26 yachts will have solar panels. The company has also equipped the yachts, and shower blocks at its bases, with eco-friendly toiletries in biodegradable bottles, and reports that it is now possible to recycle around the islands as well as at its home base. For its 2020 season, SailSterling has launched the ‘Wine and Catamaran Club’ – a brand-new themed package holiday to the Sicilian Aeolian Islands. The relatively new Jeanneau Sun Loft 47 monocat is now available for charter at a selection of companies, including Tenrag, Dream and MedSailors. Top right Sunsail has bases in Athens, Corfu and Lefkas Bottom right Lakka on the island of Paxi in the Ionian

We Clean your Sails and Covers to find out more visit www.tiptopsails.co.uk 70

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

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PRIVATE & GROUP SAILING COURSES February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

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Yachts & Yachting, Sailing Today and Classic Boat magazines ogether offer a mix of charter content, covering new yachts, global destinations and practical tips – as well as celebrating the friendly cruising lifestyle. Visit yachtsandyachting.co.uk for your chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime holiday afloat, courtesy of our partner Dream Yacht Charter. The winner of our free-to-enter prize draw* will be offered a six-berth three-cabin yacht for a week’s charter in one of over 60 destinations worldwide. Dream Yacht Charter’s comprehensive list of exotic locations spans Asia, Indonesia, Europe, the Caribbean and UK. Where will your dream take you? Take a look online at the wide range of destinations you can explore via dreamyachtcharter.co.uk

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Yachts & Yachting February 2020

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WIPEE orward WIP, together with the French Women’s Olympic team, have developed a male urination device called the Wipee, esigned to be used in conjunction with eir WIP Woman’s longjohn. Just use, rinse nd stow. 0 rwardsailing.co.uk

KIT INNOVATIONS Our pick of the latest new products and best kit launches

OLAS WIRELESS MOB ALERTS It triggers a loud, 85 decibel emergency alert within four seconds if anyone goes overboard. With the Extender you can improve range to suit an 80ft boat. The idea is each crew member (including the dog) wears an OLAS transmitter. Olas Core £99 exposurelights.com

GILL THERMOSHIELD TOP A new laminated fabric with a thermal micro fleece lining and adjustable stretch neoprene waistband for a secure, watertight seal and externally taped seams for improved water resistance. With a protective high thermal collar. £100 gillmarine.com

HARKEN REFLEX FURLER Having proven itself over three years furling asymmetrical kites, the Harken Reflex furler is now available for cable-free Code 0 sails, using head and tack components that are designed to be sewn or webbed directly to the sails.. £TBC harken.com

TRIED AND TESTED GUL CODE ZERO 3MM BS HIKEJOHN WITH PADS AND CODE ZERO PRO TRI-LAMINATE SPRAY TOP I tested the Gul Code Zero HikeJohn with Pads at the Merlin Rocket Nationals in the summer, writes Jodie Green. It’s a tough, close fleet, so hiking hard really makes a difference and the right equipment is important for that. The main thing I liked was how the integrated pads are actually quite thin and fit comfortably around your leg. It means you stay connected to the boat and remain flexible to move around, yet still have the support to make it as comfortable as possible for a day racing. The material on the seat is another positive feature, giving great protection from deck fittings and grip, meaning you don’t slide too much, even in big wind and waves. There aren’t many longjohn wetsuits with built in hiking pads and knee/shin protection out there, and I’m really not sure why. For me they give you the perfect mix of upper body mobility and all over protection for your legs to keep you going on the racecourse. I paired the longjohns with Gul’s Code Zero Pro Spray Top. The main thing that struck me compared to other tops I’ve worn was the stretch of the fabric. It really does make a difference, meaning you keep the flexibility and range of movement that extra layers can sometimes reduce. Over the week we had a range of conditions, and the top worked well in them all. Breathable and open necked on the warm, light wind days, then waterproof and windproof on the colder, wetter, windier days. The best endorsement I can give is that this is now my preferred spray top year-round. For those of you who haven’t refreshed your spray top in the last few years, this product would be one I’d recommend. Hikjohn £200; Spray Top £110. gul.com

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

ROPES

TAKING THE STRAIN NIGEL SHARP looks at the latest rope tech and

what lines suit which jobs on board

t was soon after the Second World War that ropes made from synthetic materials such as polyester and nylon, and then later polypropylene, first became available. They had massive advantages over their natural fibre predecessors, which were prone to rot and not very strong, but to achieve high strength and low stretch – in halyards, for instance, and even sheets on larger boats – it was still necessary to use (stainless) steel wire. It wasn’t until the 1980s when Kevlar was first used in rope

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

construction that there were any further developments in terms of materials. Since then a bewildering range of additional high-tech materials have appeared, including Dyneema, Vectran, Technora, Cordura, Zyex and Zylon, which have allowed rope manufacturers to produce increasing numbers of different products. Pure polyester ropes are still available and can adequately perform a general purpose role in different running rigging applications, particularly on cruising boats and

club racing boats, but the more serious racers have plenty of opportunities to use different products which have been developed for specific applications. Amongst the more important considerations when selecting a particular type of rope are its intended application – sheet, halyard, kicker, runner and so on – and also to what extent it will need to integrate with deck and rig fittings such as winches, jammers and sheaves. It is important to select the right product and it is very easy to select the wrong one.

PHOTOS INGRID ABERY

The most commonly used of the hightech materials is Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMwPE), easily the best known of which is Dyneema, which is supplied by Dutch company DSM. Dyneema has been available in various forms but the three which are currently commonly available are SK78, SK99 and DM20. Not only is Dyneema extremely strong – 10 times stronger than steel per unit of weight and twice as strong as Kevlar – but it also has excellent stretch characteristics (less than 1%); but the SK78 and SK99 do suffer from creep (non-recoverable stretch). DM20, however, has “low to non-existent” creep characteristics according to Paul Honess, Sales Director of Marlow Ropes, as does Zylon (also known as PBO) and Vectran, making them suitable for lines which are continuously highly loaded for long periods of time, such as running

backstays and halyards. To make things all the more complicated, neither is as strong as SK99. Each of these materials can be used in its own right or (as is more often the case) as a core material with an outer cover. In these applications, the core provides the majority of strength while the cover is there to protect the core and to give an overall diameter, which allows handleability; and the cover can be made from a variety of individual materials, or blends of materials, to suit the application, according to how much abrasion, UV or heat it might experience. The most common cover material is good old polyester, not least because it is relatively inexpensive, but also because it has good resistance to abrasion and UV. But its heat

resistance is poor – “if it gets hot enough it melts, and actually looks as if candle wax has dropped on it,” said Gordon Bonney of Performance Rigging – which is a particular problem when easing highly loaded sheets around winches, and so other higher spec materials which have better heat, abrasion and grip qualities are often used in covers, either by themselves or blended together in various combinations. Dyneema, Kevlar, Vectran, Technora, Cordura, Zyex and Zylon area all used in covers and all have some advantages over pure polyester, although none are perfect. Kevlar, for instance, is vulnerable if it is led around tight sheaves (“because the fibres chafe each other and it can turn to powder on the inside and then just break,” said Bonney) and it also has poor UV resistance although nothing like as bad as Zylon.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

ROPES

“because we have found that it holds well in jammers and on winches, and wears well.” Most Liros ropes, at least in the larger diameters, are 32-plait but their Herkules range has a ‘one over one’ cover. “One over one is a single strand with a high twist level crossing over another one,” said Simon Thomas, Sales Director of UK Liros distributors Seago. “It is the most durable jacket Liros produce. It is extremely hard wearing and great in clutches.” Some ropes have an intermediate layer – sometimes called a traction jacket - between the core and the cover: Liros’s Racer and Regatta 2000, for instance, and Gleistein’s Dynalite. “Sometimes this is incorporated into a rope with a small Dyneema core where

strength is not too crucial, to fill the space and make up the outside diameter,” said Neil Brinsden of Advanced Rigging and Hydraulics. “It can also work better in clutches because you can get more cohesion between the three layers.” Rope technology needs to keep pace with developments in boat construction and deck gear, and vice versa. “When someone develops a new clutch, there needs to be a new rope to suit it, and when someone develops a new rope, there needs to be a new clutch to suit it,” said Nigel Saddington of Kingfisher Ropes who often carry out in-house testing, sometimes in conjunction with clutch manufacturer Spinlock. “It is a bit of an endless circle.” Advanced Rigging and Hydraulics also work with Kingfisher ALL PHOTOS BOTTOM OF PAGE BY INGRID ABERY

“Zylon’s UV resistance is dreadful,” said Honess, “to the extent that when it breaks down and mixes with water, the crew can get saturated in a green liquid.” So it is no surprise that all the major rope manufactures supply products with Dyneema cores – “nearly everything on a racing yacht is going to have Dyneema in it,” said James Green of rope suppliers and riggers Jimmy Green Marine – with varying amounts of Dyneema to reflect different budgets and strength requirements, and with polyester covers. Almost all of them also supply covers with a Technora/ polyester blend and amongst the many other cover combinations available are a PBO/Technora blend (supplied by Marlow Ropes and Southern Ropes); Kevlar/polyester/Cordura (Kingfisher Yacht Ropes and Gottifredi Maffioli who work together on the development and manufacture of various products); PBO/ Dyneema (Liros); Dyneema/polyester (Marlow Ropes, Liros and Gleistein); and PBO/Zylex (Marlow Ropes). With regard to rope construction, cores are traditionally described as being made up of strands, and covers of plaits. Almost all Dyneema cores are 12-strand, although some smaller diameters are 8-strand. Covers can be made up of 16, 24, 32 or even 48-plait. “Most of our ropes are 24-plait,” Honess told me,

PHOTO INGRID ABERY

It’s all too easy to upgrade so that your lines are too strong for the boat

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

PHOTO SAILING ENERGY/ WORLD SAILING

and Maffioli to develop new specialised ropes, one of which recently came about when it was realised that there was a need to improve an established product to avoid the highly loaded halyards on the new Melges IC37s slipping in the clutches. The result is Racing Dyneema 99 Pro Halyard (with a stronger SK99 core and a Kevlar/Polyester/Cordura cover for excellent holding power in jammers and clutches) which, Kingfisher expects, will also have a longer life span. It is all too easy, nowadays, to find a rope with strength and stretch characteristics that are more than adequate for the role intended. In fact problems often begin when existing ropes are upgraded to higher tech ropes which are too strong and not

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

ROPES

stretchy enough, and which then put unfair loads on a boat and its fittings, which were not designed to take them. “You start with a lower grade Dyneema which puts a 650kg load on a jammer with an 800kg limit,” said Saddington. “But then you might upgrade the rope and increase the loadings to more than a tonne and the jammer just won’t hold it.” “Nowadays you are more likely to pull a fitting out of the deck or break something else than have a rope fail due to being overloaded,” agreed Honess. CUSTOMISATION With regard to customisation, rope manufacturers mostly leave that to rigging companies. Tapered ropes – both sheets and halyards – are common requirements on race boats, whereby part of the rope consists of the core only (to save weight and windage) and the remainder has a cover (to maintain the diameter needed for handleability and jamming, and to protect the core). In many instances this will be achieved by starting with a fully covered rope and then removing the cover as necessary. Marlow Ropes, however, offer a less wasteful service. Its catalogue lists cores and covers separately, allowing it to supply any combination and, in the case of tapered ropes, it merely covers the part of the rope which needs it. It is also often useful to add localised jackets for specific purposes. This might be to replace a short length of polyester cover with a piece of Dyneema to reduce chafe which, said Bonney, is particularly useful on 2:1 main halyards round the headboard shackle and on spinnaker halyards with only spectacles [fairleads] to run through on longer passages. A quick option on some jammers where there is slippage, he adds, is to splice on an extra ‘better grip’ jacket to bulk the rope. Clearly there is a demand for a variety of coloured ropes for easy identification and in the case of tapered ropes it is often highly desirable for the core and cover to be the same colour as each other. Recent developments have allowed Dyneema to be effectively dyed and Honess said that Marlow “can now mix almost any

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

PHOTO INGRID ABERY

Use a localised jacket to add bulk and grip where there is slippage on a jammer

colour you need – and we have had some outrageous requests!” However, when it comes to matching the cover, they are restricted by what polyester colours they can buy economically in sensible quantities. There are also practical considerations with colour. English Braids’ Sprintline Brights product has the added benefit of neon fibres to produce a rope which is effective in low light. In recent years, the application of various coatings has further enhanced the qualities of high-tech ropes. Liros, for instance, claim that their LCS system increased UV and wear resistance by up to 50%, and also have a water repellent Dry Rope System; while Marlow’s coatings include Armourcoat (also for UV and wear resistance), Siliconecoat (a lubricant) and Dricoat (a water repellent). The increasing use of halyard locks has meant that creep is much less of an issue in halyards and so the lighter weight Dyneema is now very much more in favour than Vectran. Despite the poor UV qualities, TP52s and mini maxis often opt for Zylon covers for runners and mainsheets. “That’s because it has the highest strength and best heat resistance of any material which is important on the new smaller and more aggressive ceramic winch drums,” said Honess. “We generally recommend that at the end of each day’s racing they are immediately removed and put into a container out of the sun to try to prolong their life, but even then they often find they have to renew them after just one or two regattas.” DINGHIES All the major rope manufacturers view the dinghy market as every bit as important as the keelboat market, and most have dedicated products for dinghies. English Braids, for example, offers a high performance Dinghy Dyneema, with a 32-plait polyester cover, and a ‘more supple’ upgrade called D-Racer 16. A few companies have a small-boat focus, like Rooster, which

offers a range of lines recommended by top dinghy sailors. Several companies make sheet ropes with a combination of high strength materials like Dyneema and polypropylene, which provides the bulk to give a manageable overall diameter. “All-up weight is an important consideration on a dinghy,” said Green, a former Laser sailor in the British Sailing Team. “Polypropylene is particularly light and neither Dyneema nor polypropylene absorb water.” COST With regard to costs, it would be misleading to try to compare the actual prices of different companies’ products as they all have such different pricing policies according to whether they are selling their products by the metre through chandleries or as made-up items through rigging companies. However, price comparisons can be made within each companies’ range of products. Kingfisher’s new Racing Dyneema 99 Pro Halyard is about 50% more expensive than Racing Dyneema 78 (SK78 core with a polyester cover); Marlow’s GP78 (Dyneema SK78 core with polyester and Technora cover) is about 30% more expensive than their D2 Racing (Dyneema SK78 core with pure polyester cover); and Liros’s Control XTR (Dyneema SK99 core with Technora/Polyester cover) is about twice the price of their Regatta 2000 (Dyneema SK78 core with polyester cover) which in turn is about 2.3 times the price of their full colour Herkules (polyester core and polyester cover). But whatever the theoretical pros and cons of different products, like with so many things in life, sailors will often be led by fashion. “People go to the chandleries and rigging companies and ask about particular things because they have read about them or heard other people talking about them,” agreed Martin Bean, formerly of Seago and now of Spencer Rigging.

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February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

CLUBS & CLASSES

Submit your event reports to club@YachtsandYachting.co.uk

CLUBS The Seldén SailJuice Winter Series is underway with some class acts battling for supremacy. Paula Irish reports

PAUL WYETH, WWW.PWPICTURES.COM

Wood & Ahlheid claim RS Feva winter crown

Protis claims Hamble Winter Series top trophy With a fair bit of wind from the north-east, the final day of the HYS Hamble Winter Series saw a couple of teams working out they would win their class without venturing into the cold December air: Peter Rutter and James Crew in Half Tonner, Quokka 9 could not be bettered in IRC 3, nor Simon Perry’s J/109 Jiraffe in IRC 2. Team Hamble, Ian Southworth and friends aboard Quarter Tonner Protis in IRC 4, would have none of this staying at home on a Sunday morning and went out to add a 10th first place to their record, to finish with a

superb net 8 points. In IRC 1, the battle between Melges IC37 Icy, Ian Atkins, and the J112e Devanti Tyres, of Chaz Ivill, was settled when Icy took the final race. According to Atkins this was his first victory at Hamble River SC since he won in a Mirror dinghy in 1967! Lee Pollock from Hamble Yacht Services presented the overall prizes, the Yacht of the Series trophy going to Protis. The new Paul Heys Trophy went to Simon Perry (Jiraffe); this trophy will be presented annually to the best J/Boat in memory of Paul.

A memorable Noble Marine RS Feva Winter Championships had fickle winds, tricky racing and a dolphin joining in with the fun at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy. The wind was up and down on the first day and many teams had a mixed bag of results but keeping it consistent with a 3,4,4 to lead overnight were Millie Irish and Katie Byne (Draycote Water). Very light winds then saw just one more race on the second day, with Jakey Wood and Tristan Ahlheid (Hayling Island/Frensham Pond) finishing third, enabling them to discard a 12th from the previous day to win the championship counting a 4,2,3. In a close finish for the podium spots, Irish/Byne were second and first ladies with Oliver and Matthew Rayner (Yorkshire Dales) counting two race wins and a 10th for third overall, with just three points separating the top three!

RS Aeros at Draycote Water SC

TIM OLIN

Barton races RS Aero 7 to Datchet Flyer victory

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

Pete Barton raced his RS Aero 7 to victory at the Datchet Flyer, the second round of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series and the first time an Aero has won a SailJuice event outright. Barton, from Lymington, took a consistent 2,2,1 from Saturday’s three races in moderate breezes around a trapezoid course. The Pursuit Race on the Sunday was then abandoned after the wind kicked up to over 30 knots resulting in carnage across the racecourse. The event had a maximum entry of 100 boats representing 42 dinghy classes from 52 clubs. Second overall was the local Wayfarer of Andrew and Tom Wilson. Then scoring equal points were the GP14 of Pete Gray and Shandy Thompson with the RS800 of Hugh Shone and Fiona Hampshire, with the GP14 winning the tie to claim the final spot on the podium.

Sixty RS Aeros turned up for the End of Season Championships at Draycote Water supported by Rooster to celebrate the end of a successful year and mark the start of the winter season. Medium breezes provided excellent racing although the first bite of winter was felt and sailors wrapped up warm for the seven-race series. Jonathan Bailey (Grafham) took the RS Aero 5 series by

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Largs SC Winter Series delivers close racing Now in its third year, the Harken Largs SC Winter Series saw 44 boats competing and with 18 races scheduled, 14 were delivered in varied and often difficult conditions. There were some great battles over two types of course: windward-leeward (Long Fleet) for the faster boats and trapezoidal (Short Fleet) for the singlehanders and slower boats. In the Long Fleet, Josh Kerr and Ali Kent got to terms with balancing on their B14 in light airs to rack up four first places to win over Martin Faulkner and Bill Forsyth’s RS200, with Phil and

Carol Alderson’s twin-wire Cherub hanging on to third. In the Short Fleet it was a D-Zero benefit. The top five places out of 28 boats went to D-Zeros, who were getting ‘a wee bitty competitive’ ahead of their 2020 nationals at Largs. In truth the real battle was between Jon Bassett and the previously unbeatable Alistair McLaughlin (Prestwick), with each counting a string of bullets and Bassett winning by just a point ahead in the final reckoning. Third was Alan Henderson (PSC). Largs SC was chuffed to finally win both classes in their friendly rivalry with PSC!

a point from local Fergus Pye with Ben Millard (Emsworth) third and Alice Lucy (Rutland) first lady. In a small but competitive RS Aero 9 fleet Chris Larr (Northampton) made the early running but a win in the final race gave the series to Peter Barton (Lymington Town). Results in the RS Aero 7 fleet went down to the final race with Chris Hatton (Bowmoor) holding his nerve to stay in the lead and claim the title with Tim Hire (Lymington) second and Noah Rees (TorpointMosq/Cawsand) third. Top lady was Ellie Craig (Draycote) in 12th.

Jay were separated by just four points overnight and maintained their lead such that going into the seventh and final race, it was only these two boats that could win the championship. Matched racing saw them starting in fourth and fifth before going opposite ways and then fortune favoured Who Dogged the Buoys: Tom Neilson, James Neilson and Ben Swyer. This team took the final bullet to claim the SB20 Warsash Marine Trophy, with Blue Jay - John Reekie, Rory Yardley and Doug Innes - second in the race and overall. H2 Racing’s Oliver Hill, Megan Farrer, Peter Dill and Randall Jackson were third.

main challenger was Jeremy Cooper (Shotwick Lake) ahead of Simon Hopkins and Caroline Hollier. Penny Yarwood scored well in the early season, winning at Up River, Denholme and Ulley, but then didn’t race in the series until the final event – the inlands at West Oxfordshire. Yarwood headed into this event in ninth overall but then took three straight race wins to claim the Travellers Trophy by three points from Cooper once the best 12 races out of the 30 had been taken into consideration, repeating her success from 2017.

Comeback for Penny wins Lightning 368 travellers trophy

The RS Aero UK Southern Circuit saw 232 competitors taking part in at least one event, visiting Island Barn and Lymington before celebrating the fifth birthday of the class in June at Warsash with a new record entry for a weekend event of 71.

SB20 inlands at Rutland

The SB20 UK Inlands at Rutland SC had teams from eight clubs, including three new to the circuit, with four short and sharp races in a building breeze on day one keeping crews warm with plenty tactical manoeuvering in the hunt for shifts and pressure. Who Dogged the Buoys and Blue

The Noble Marine Insurance Lightning 368 Travellers Trophy Series took place over 30 races at eight locations. In total 28 sailors took part and by mid-season the

Record-breaking 5th season for RS Aero Southern Circuit

Warsash’s short-standing record was then beaten at the inlands at Rutland with 79 entries, before the series concluded at Draycote with 60 RS Aeros. The overall series winners were: RS Aero 5s, Jonathan Bailey (Grafham); RS Aero 7s, Tim Hire (RoyalLymYC); RS Aero 9s, Peter Barton (Lymington Town).

Blind sailing nationals success for Charlie

The Blind Sailing nationals were hosted by South Cerney SC, supported by Rooster, with teams using Flying Fifteens kindly lent by their owners for the weekend. With a scheduled 34 windwardleeward races lasting around 12-15 minutes, the emphasis was on getting a strong start in terms of both time and distance but also line bias. The format saw teams sailing in a three-person combination with a blind helm, jib trimmer and sighted main trimmer, who was also in charge of tactical decisions and boat speed.

A light westerly breeze filled in for the Laser Masters’ Inlands at Rutland SC, where Richard Major, who forgot to pack his Radial sail, found he was leading the first race in the Standard fleet by a country mile. For no good reason though, Major followed the Radials down the last run - perhaps longing to be with his own kind - gifting first place to Stuart Hudson, to finish second. Hudson then sniggled through to another win in the next and final race of the day. Another light wind day then saw a bullet for Alan Davis, putting him level on points with Hudson going into the last race. They ended up on the right side of the course along with Major, which was very wrong, and so it was that the top three overall were the last three round the top mark. The race was won by Graham MacWhirter. The wind disappeared so the challenge for the title was tied but Hudson won on count back to receive Guy Noble’s newly painted Masters’ Inland trophy. In the Radial fleet it was two bullets for Jon Emmett then one for Rob Cage, before Emmett worked his way through the field to claim the event. Cage was second overall with Mike Kinnear third after a good four-race series despite trying conditions.

GUY NOBLE

MARC TURNER / WWW.PFMPICTURES.CO.UK

Laser Masters’ Inlands at Rutland

CLUBS & CLASSES

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

H2 inland champs The H2 Inland Championship, sponsored by Callaghan Design, was held as part of the first day of the Draycote Dash. The H2s were among the fastest in the medium handicap group, making it reasonably easy to get clear starts. The helm who made the most of this was class chairman Richard Lefley, of South Cerney SC, who was well at home with the race conditions and sailed brilliantly in the shifty 8-10 knot breeze to take four straight wins, successfully defending his title from 2018. The tussle for second and third came down to who beat whom in the last race, Michael Alexander just gaining the honours from Simon Hipkin.

February 2020 Yachts & Yachting

RS400s at Notts SC

PATRICK CONDY

Despite flood warnings and fog, 30 boats arrived at Notts County SC for the finale of the RS400 Rope4Boats Northern Tour, with three crews in with a chance of taking the title. Light winds coming over the hill meant the shifts were brutal in their choice of who should win or lose, although somehow the usual suspects ended up at the front, with a win for Sean Cleary and Annalise Nixon (Oxford) and two for Mike Sims and Mark Lunn (Carsington). Sunshine lifted spirits for day two, which saw a bullet each for Richard Catchpole and Gary Coop (Leigh & Lowton), and Dave Exley (Leigh & Lowton) sailing with local favourite Izzy Reynolds. The top three all had large results in race five, leaving no room for error in the final race, which would decide the event and the overall tour. Sims/Lunn held their nerve to take the race and with it the event, and also wrapped up the Rope4Boats Northern Tour title on countback from Catchpole/Coop and Chris Pickles/Matt Sharman (Bassenthwaite), all three boats finishing the Tour on eight points.

Strong winds test RS Tera sailors on Isle of Wight Eighteen young sailors competed at Gurnard SC for the inaugural Isle of Wight RS Tera Championship, marking the conclusion of four weekends of winter coaching led by Paralympic medallist Helena Lucas and local legend Harry Blowers. The sun was shining but a strong biting wind from the north-east provided challenging conditions. Race officer Steve

Cole set up a short windwardleeward course in front of the clubhouse, giving the spectators a good view of the action. Sam Osbourne looked to be enjoying the windy conditions, taking a commanding lead to win race one, but subsequently suffered gear failure. As the conditions took their toll, some deciding to downsize their sail or head in for a hot chocolate, Thomas Leather

Murrays’ Punt wins Dash

DAVID EBERLIN

Colin and Oly Murray sailed their Norfolk Punt to victory in a 115-boat fleet at the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, the first of eight events in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series. With a Force 2 and three separate starts for Fast, Medium and Slow on a trapezoid course, traffic avoidance and clear air were key to success. With the tallest rig in the fleet, the

70th for EAORA

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

In an 8-12 knot breeze, day one closed with a clear leader in Charlie Griffiths, sailing with Ben Hazeldine and Kate Healy, while a close battle was developing for second between world champion Lucy Hodges (with Gary Butler and Tim Greaves) and Andrew Cattermole (with Malcolm James and Dennis Manning). Day two brought a more unpredictable, snakes and ladders form of racing, but the same boats found their groove. Griffiths maintained her substantial lead while the fight for second was won by local knowledge, allowing Cattermole’s team to pip Hodges to the post.

Legs Eleven team wins RS Elite Grand Slam

TIM OLIN

The 70th anniversary of the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association, sponsored by MS Amlin, saw a welcome upsurge in entries across the board, with yachts ranging in size from Ed Harrison’s 28ft Impala Alchemy to Richard Matthews’ Custom Ker 52, Oystercatcher XXXIII. Members celebrated in style at the EAORA prizegiving dinner at Medway YC. West Mersea-based Oystercatcher XXXIII dominated the season, winning the overall championship convincingly and making it the seventh time that Matthews has won the title, each in different boats. Second was Victoria, an Archambault 31, of Adrian and David Gibbons (Colne), and third was Golden Fleece, an S&S 41, of Michael Wheeler (West Mersea).

father and son duo in the Norfolk Punt made the most of the conditions. The Murrays finished fifth on corrected time in race one and then scored a hattrick of bullets. Steve and Sarah Cockerill raced their RS400 to second overall ahead of the third-placed team in their world championship-winning GP14, Ian Dobson and Andy Tunnicliffe.

found his gear to win the next three races in a row and claim the Junior Champion Trophy donated by Patsy and David Franks. Second overall with a consistent series was Killian Boag with Will Bradley third and Matilda Moore first girl. The Under 10s were won by Samuel Leather with Taylor Willows second and Harris MiddletonLeal third.

Competition in the RS Elite fleet was wide open in 2019 with three different winners of Grand Slam Trophy events. Mike McIntyre and crew sailing Foudafafa won the UK nationals - part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire

Regatta - while Russell Peters and Crew sailing Riff Raff won the Southern Championship at Bembridge and Paul Fisk and crew sailing Legs Eleven won Cowes Week. Fisk took the Grand Slam Trophy for the best performance over all three qualifying events, ending Russell Peters’ run of success in the three previous years.

Bowmoor Bubble The RS Aero open at Bowmoor SC - The Bowmoor Bubble - saw 37 sailors competing with a fresh medium breeze, ideal for hiking hard but without getting too splashed on a chilly day! The RS Aero 9 win went to Dave Lynall, while the RS Aero 7 fleet saw Chris Hatton taking first overall with Lily Barrett first lady. It was the final event of the RS Aero Thames Valley Mini Series, in which 100 RS Aeros took part. The only person to win two events was Dave Lynall. Top lady was Josie Meredith.

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The first round of the Blithfield Barrel opened with a light-easterly breeze for the 43-boat fleet, with two of the 22 Merlin Rockets leading the first race. Simon Potts and Molly McArthur extended away for the win with locals Chris Gould and Caroline Croft giving chase and the RS400 of Paul and Michelle Keeling slipping into third. Matt Biggs and Becka Jones in another Merlin then claimed the second race with the Keelings second and Mike and Liz Senior, also in a Merlin, taking third. And so it was consistency that paid off, with the Keelings leading by a point from Biggs/Jones and Gould/Croft. The four-event winter series is sponsored Harken, Birmingham Dinghy Services, Creation Covers, Hartley Boats and Freedom Breweries.

PAUL GIBBONS

CLUBS & CLASSES

Blithfield Barrel

NEIL DAVID

Phantom Midland Travellers Series The P+B Phantom Midlands Series concluded at Grafham Water SC as part of the Ovington Winter Championships with Martin Watts (Netley) taking the final event victory of the season ahead of Alister Morely (Salcombe) and Richard Sims (Carsington). The travellers series comprised five events - also taking in Northampton, Carsington, Shustoke and Blithfield - with a total entry of 33 boats spread

across 19 clubs making it a reasonable start to reigniting Phantom sailing in the Midlands after a gap of several years. The overall winner was Jim Hopton (Shustoke) with a consistent scoreline enabling him to claim the Midlands Series Trophy. Second overall was Mike Webster (Northampton) with Richard Sims (Carsington) third.

The Leigh & Lowton Revett Series saw 51 boats competing over five Sundays despite no weather within a “normal” range of wind conditions throughout. Two days were abandoned in zero wind and two had very light conditions before the final day delivered up to 35 knot gusts to blow away the cobwebs. Close racing meant the overall results in all fleets were only finalised on the last day. Oliver Blackburn won the Laser fleet, Phantom sailor Martin Knott the handicap fleet and Richard Catchpole/ Gary Coop’s RS400 the asymmetric fleet. The Solo fleet was dominated by Nik James while a sterling final day performance by Oppie sailor Ben Welfare earned him the junior title.

Yachts & Yachting February 2020

29ER UK

Revett Series

29er Ovington champs 29er worlds venue WPNSA hosted the 29er Ovington Championship, with a range of conditions testing all 53 entries. David CampbellJames was PRO. Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Fin Armstrong (HISC/Royal Torbay) claimed the overall win with a dominant

performance, counting an impressive series of four race wins and three seconds. Brothers Rupert and Henry Jameson (HISC) were second overall with Oliver Evans/ Louis Johnson (Gurnard/ HISC) third. First girls were Annie Hammett/Jess Jobson (HISC/Royal Torbay).

FORTHCOMING EVENTS ● 1-2 February

John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland SC

● 8-9 February

Ogston Woolley Jumper, Ogston SC

● 9 February

Harbour Icicle Open, Highcliffe SC Snowflake 5&6, Chichester

YC. Blithfield Barrel, Round 4, Blithfield SC ● 15 February

Oxford Blue, Oxford SC ● 23 February

Harbour Icicle Open, Highcliffe SC Snowflake 7&8, Prizegiving, Chichester YC

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