34 Breeze Magazine
BOAT TEST The interior is surprisingly roomy and comfortable, the absence of bulkheads and bright surfaces maximising the sense of space. aft, over a 940kg lead keel and T-bulb, drawing 2.2m. Stability is further assisted with side waterballast tanks carrying 200 litres each. With the removable carbon prod in place, the long foredeck provides multiple headsail options. The swept single-spreader rig is well supported with shrouds to the gunwales.The twin masthead backstays control bend. The underwater profile is shallow and clean, with a “stealth drive” retractable shaft and fixed prop activated from the cockpit. This is a winwin, reducing drag under sail, but providing plenty of bite under power, which, in turn means only a 10hp diesel engine is required. For the sail wardrobe, Michel turned to Evolution Sails which has “invested heavily in supporting double handed racing as an event sponsor.,” he says. “I like what they are doing. They have done a lot of work on reefable headsails that actually work and retain good shape, which is a great asset for short-handed racing.” The approach, according to Evolution’s Josh Tucker, was for a simple inventory with each sail providing a broad working range. “You don’t want to be changing sails for every small change in windstrength,” he says. With foredeck space for multiple headsails, a wide selection of options, combinations and crossovers come
into play. Working from the front, there are two nylon gennakers, both from the same masthead hoist: one is a big running sail, the other, smaller, flatter slightly heavier an all-purpose design. There is also a panelled, triradial code zero built in Technora fabric. The J1 headsail is on soft hanks and includes a reefing point that reduces it to a J3 (from 28.5m2 to 21.5m2). Reefing is simple: pull the tack down to the reef point, attach the sheets to the new clew, roll up the loose foot and it zips away into a tidy solution. “We did a dozen or so of these sails for the Round North Island Race and they worked really well,” says Tucker. A furling J4 jib, which doubles as a storm sail or gennaker staysail, sets on an inner forestay. The two-reef flat-top main and the jibs are carbon and aramid Element membrane sails. Down the track, an offshore mainsail with three reefs will be added to the inventory. Both mains utilise Ronstan ball-bearing cars, as opposed to bolt ropes. Tucker is a SSANZ stalwart with four Round North Island races, a Round New Zealand race and a race to New Caledonia among an extensive racing resume. He is impressed by the Dehler product.
