Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Yachting World

One of sailing’s most prestigious awards, the Cruising Club of America’s (CCA) Bluewater Medal, has been given to French solo sailor Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. ‘VDH’ as he is affectionately known in France, won the Golden Globe 2018 race last year, capping an illustrious career that includes six single-handed circumnavigations. The 74-year-old year old also still holds the record for the fastest solo non-stop record sailing the ‘wrong way’ route westabout the world, which he set in 2014 in the 86ft aluminium cutter Adrien. Prior to that, VDH took part in two Vendée Globe races and a BOC Challenge – his solo racing career dates back to the early days of Open 60 circumnavigations in the 1980s. Before that, like so many of his contemporaries and elite solo sailors of…

One of the oldest and most richly storied of all sailing records was smashed in February by Francis Joyon. The French sailor, leading a crew of four, including his son, Corentin, took four days off the Hong Kong-London time. This historic record dates back to the tea clipper ships, which raced to get a premium price for the year’s tea crop. Joyon set a new time of 31d 23h, several days faster than cargo ships take going through the Panama Canal, and less than a third of the 99 days it took the clipper ships to sail the same route in their most famous race of 1866. Joyon brought his maxi trimaran IDEC Sport upriver into the Thames on 19 February, after bettering the time set in 2018 by Giovanni…

We accepted a science-based charter to the South Sandwich Islands in January which was, if truth be known, a huge gamble. This semi-active volcanic arc of seven main islands and their outliers begins in the north with the impressive volcanic cone of Zavodovski, 300 miles south-east of the southern tip of South Georgia. The chain lies right in the teeth of travelling depressions that form in the Drake Passage below the toe of South America and is notorious for gale force winds, ice risk and generally miserable conditions. It’s no tourist destination for sure. The southernmost island, named South Thule, is 200 miles south of Zavodovski and sits just above 60°S, on the edge of the winter sea ice band around the Antarctic continent. It’s not quite in the Antarctic…

Tested by MATTHEW SHEAHAN Where we tested: Port Ginesta, Barcelona Conditions: 8-9 knots, flat sea Model: Hull number 1 with numerous performance options including tall carbon mast, deep keel and North Sails wardrobe There is big talk and bold talk, but often it is no talk that speaks loudest when it comes to a new launch. As I walked down the quay towards Beneteau’s latest as it sat stern-to the dock I was greeted by just that: silent smiles from the crew. There was every reason why the world’s biggest boatbuilding company might want to deliver a fanfare to accompany one of its latest new models. It has been 13 years since it launched its last 50ft racer/cruiser. The First 53 is the new flagship of the range and this…

LOA 17.00m 55ft 9in • LENGTH inc bowsprit 18.10m 59ft 5in • BEAM 5.02m 16ft 6in • DISPLACEMENT 24,960kg 55,027lb • PRICE: POA • www.contestyachts.com The latest model from this family-run and long-established Dutch yard is a superb example of a fast, quality and comfortable bluewater cruiser. Feedback from existing clients, with whom the company aims to maintain a close relationship, was an important element in developing both the overall concept and finer details. A key requirement for the interior was 2m/6ft 6in headroom in all areas, which means the beautifully spacious main accommodation spaces have even more than this and pokey corners elsewhere are all but eliminated. The interior styling features very radiused corners, which looks refreshing and maximises the feeling of space, while also reducing the risk of…

LOA 12.40m 40ft 7in • LENGTH amas folded 13.99m (45ft 10in) • BEAM sailing 8.40m (27ft 6in) • DRAUGHT board up 0.70m 2ft 3in • DISPLACEMENT light 5,500kg 12,100lb • PRICE from €509,000 ex VAT • www.dragonfly.dk This model, which attracted plenty of attention, is bristling with neat touches and feels much larger than a 40ft trimaran might, both on deck and below. The latter is the result of a combination of clever design features that encourage the brain to assume there’s more volume, combined with attention to detail and taking the trouble to build in accessible stowage wherever feasible. I was initially sceptical about the twin wheels, as my preference is for tillers whenever possible, which shouldn’t be an issue on a trimaran of this size. However, the execution…

Everyone loves an immaculate teak deck. They look great at boat shows and at chic Mediterranean quays, as well as providing excellent non-slip properties in the most demanding of conditions. However, teak also has drawbacks. Firstly it doesn’t last forever, especially if a modern, and likely relatively thin, teak deck is scrubbed regularly. At the extreme I’ve seen a deck lose 1mm of thickness each year through scrubbing. Given the high cost of replacement this can have a significant impact on a yacht’s resale value. The material also easily absorbs heat from the sun, making it uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet when in the tropics or Mediterranean summer. This also contributes to heating the interior of the boat. Teak doesn’t look good from a sustainability perspective either. A…

The inaugural Quarter Ton Cup was held in 1967, and the last Quarter Tonner to be built was launched in 1996 The famous winner of the 1980 Quarter Ton Cup, BLT was tracked down in Tahiti before being smuggled back to Cowes for a 10,000-hour refit. Owner Sam Laidlaw has enjoyed considerable success in the very competitive Quarter Tonner class. He gathered an impressive collection of trophies in the eight years he raced his Aguila, including the Quarter Ton Cup twice and the class at Cowes Week on four successive occasions. When he was looking for his next boat he chose another Quarter Tonner, naturally. But the revived class doesn’t allow newly built boats, and there is now a finite collection of potentially competitive boats since the class’s rebirth in…

SEMI-CUSTOM SUPERCAT Southern Wind unveiled this arresting 27m/90ft performance catamaran in January, a project that hints at the strong future potential for superyacht-sized catamarans. The naval architecture is by Berret Racoupeau, the La Rochelle firm behind Royal Huisman’s latest 35m/118ft sailing and power catamaran concepts (see overleaf). The multihull market is the fastest growing marine sector, but only series production options or full custom boats have so far been available. The SWCAT90 targets the segment in between by offering a versatile platform whereby the design and engineering is in place, but a good degree of customisation is still offered to the customer. The Cape Town shipyard is known for its go-anywhere 80-110ft semi-custom monohulls. The SWCAT90 concept, developed with Southern Wind’s long-term partner Nauta Yachts, has been designed to share…

‘THE GOAL POSTS MOVED WHEN IT WAS DECIDED SHE WAS GOING TO GO RACING’MALCOM McKEON, DESIGNER Over the past decade we’ve been treated to the rise of the custom built cruiser-racer. Arguably inspired by the success of the Baltic 112 Nilaya, which launched in 2010, these are typically 30-35m/98-115ft carbon composite monohulls, powerful, sexy designs that will take you around the Med or across an ocean in suitable luxury, yet still be capable of ripping round the cans. Composite specialist shipyards Baltic and Vitters have been particularly active in this area – think Nilaya, Inouï, Nikata, WinWin, Missy, and Ribelle – in addition to the series-built models by Nautor’s Swan and Southern Wind. The trend thus far has been for flat, modern deck layouts, designs which place an emphasis on…

Emirates Team New Zealand and Challenger of Record Luna Rossa have had to go through a mediation process to agree on wind limits for the 36th America’s Cup. The defender and challengers disagreed on where the upper wind limit should be set, with the Kiwi team pushing for a higher figure. It is now fixed between 6.5 and 21 knots for the round robins and repechage series and between 6.5 and 23 knots for the Prada Cup and America’s Cup match The wind range has been hotly debated because it fundamentally shapes the design of each team’s second AC75 design and foils. Teams are allowed only one measurement certificate for each event, meaning it is not possible to mode a boat for any given day depending on the forecast, as…

When most of us would be happy to do a day’s hike or sail round the coast, octogenarian Australian Bill Hatfield has been spending most of the last few years sailing alone in an attempt to circumnavigate non-stop round the world. The 81-year-old finally succeeded on his fourth attempt and became the oldest person to sail non-stop and unassisted round the world alone when he arrived back in Gold Coast Seaway, Queensland, on 22 February. Hatfield, a former fisherman from Bundaberg, has spent the majority of the last five years at sea in his 38ft cutter L’Eau Commotion. In 2015, rigging damage forced him to abort the attempt just short of Cape Horn. The following year he set out again, but was set back after two months by a significant…

Ten years ago Brad Pitt’s movie ‘Moneyball’ sparked an explosion of interest in sporting statistics, an interest that is now reflected everywhere from fantasy football leagues to the NFL. The concept was simple; data analytics can make a huge difference to outcomes on the field of play. This was old news to America’s Cup teams, where data analysis has been part of the game since the early 1980s. In those days electronic sensors and computers had their limitations and the technology to measure performance to the required accuracy just didn’t exist. The solution was to sail two boats close together, making it much easier to see even very small speed advantages. There were still problems: the boats were often in different winds, there were variations in wind shear and wind…

‘We wanted to go some way towards making her eco-friendly’ When Brian Trautman bought a 53ft Amel Super Maramu in 2008 he had little intention of living aboard for ten years. But after putting 70,000 miles under the keel, visiting 46 countries and creating over 200 YouTube videos on the incredibly popular channel SV Delos he and the Delos crew were considering making a change. “When we visited the Amel yard, we sparked a lot of speculation that we were looking for a new boat. We were considering it, but it certainly wouldn’t be a quick decision. It forced us to think long and hard about what our plans were,” explains Brady Trautman, Brian’s brother, long-time Delos crew member (and current skipper while Brian takes some parental leave). They still…

It’s becoming abundantly clear that to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets set out in the 2016 Paris Agreement, we’ll need to adopt some radical changes in all lifestyles. Thankfully sailing is, by its very nature, a green activity. In fact, if you wanted to live as carbon neutral a lifestyle as possible, move onto a yacht and go sailing! But for how much longer will we be able to buy glass reinforced plastic boats, powered by diesel-burning engines? When you consider the energy, materials and waste in composite boatbuilding, it can paint an ugly picture. Ironically, the best way forward might be to revert back to building wooden yachts with hemp ropes and cotton sails, but that is perhaps not the most practical answer to supplying today’s global boating demands.…

In this series we examine some of the more likely incidents that occur on long bluewater ocean passages, not necessarily the headline catastrophes. Here I’m going to look at some of the issues that may occur with the rig, and how to keep your crew – your biggest asset – on side, happy and healthy. CHAFE IS THE ENEMY Losing your rig might be foremost in your mind, but before we get on to that, let’s look at something you definitely will experience: chafe. Chafe is one of the biggest gremlins for bluewater cruisers. Keeping chafe at bay, checking for it and protecting against it with careful design, clever ideas and some anti-chafe protection will get you through a voyage unscathed. Without this, it will eat its way through halyards,…

LOA inc bowsprit 12.90m 42ft 4in • HULL LENGTH 11.98m 39ft 4in • BEAM 4.29m 14ft 1in • DISPLACEMENT 9,678 kg 21,336lb• DRAUGHT 1.70 or 2.10m 5ft 7in or 6ft 11in• PRICE: €157,900 ex VAT• www.bavariayachts.com The first new sailing yacht since Bavaria was rescued from administration is crucially important for the firm, as well as an interesting indication of industry expectations in the biggest part of the market. The company hopes to build 175 of these a year, both for private buyers and charter fleets, on top of the 500 boats it currently produces. This is the first Bavaria with chines, and Cossutti Yacht Design has given the hull powerful looking aft sections. There’s impressive interior space for a boat with a hull length of just under 40ft, with…

The latest daysailer from this well-known French yard updates the concept of the hugely popular Tofinou 8 with a more spacious, modern design, while retaining the brand’s key attributes and jaw-dropping style. Foam sandwich construction – a first for the company – means this boat is the same weight as its smaller stablemate, despite an extra 1.1m of overall length and 0.5m of beam. As a result, when reaching it starts to lift up on the plane in only 12 knots of true wind and the prototype has notched up 17.5 knots boat speed in 20 knots of breeze. However, the design also recognises great sailing is often found in gentle conditions. The rig is sized for the boat to reach under Code 0 at the same speed as the…

JIMMY CORNELL NOMINATES DUEN “I cannot think of a better example of a happy cruising family than that of the crew of Duen. Among the many cruising people I have met, Dottie and Albert Fletcher’s boat have been among the most remarkable. “Duen was a 50ft traditional Norwegian fishing boat built in 1939 and lovingly restored by Albert. We first met them in New Zealand in the late 1970s and our paths crossed in several places after that. Dottie and Albert had both been married previously so Duen’s crew was made up of various members of their extended families. As Duen plodded her way around the world with time of absolutely no importance, other young people were welcomed aboard with open arms, fed and looked after. Some stopped for days…

Royal Huisman has an enviable track record of producing superlative sailing superyachts, with hundreds of projects completed to date. Yet the latest vessel to leave the shipyard is extraordinary even by these standards. She is the world’s largest aluminium yacht and is one of the top ten biggest sailing yachts ever built. Sea Eagle II is a magnificent 81m/266ft three-masted Panamax schooner, created by the same Dykstra and Mark Whiteley Design collaboration that produced the stunning 56m/186ft Royal Huisman ketch Aquarius just over a year ago (see SSW April 2019). Her very experienced owner has sailed all his life and spent a lot of time at sea. “Sailing around the world in the weekends is a phrase often used to outline his days on board,” says Royal Huisman project manager…

When Greta Thunberg travelled to New York on Boris Hermann and Pierre Casiraghi’s IMOCA 60 Malizia II to address the United Nations, she was criticised for setting an example that few others could follow. While the 2,900-mile passage may have been accomplished without burning fossil fuels, there are not many of us in the world who can pick up the phone to cadge a lift with a Prince on a state-of-the-art carbon fibre race boat. But for all that, she threw a spotlight on the sustainability of sailing boats, if only for a brief moment. And it is something the industry’s biggest names hope will reverse a long-term decline. “The recent trend has been for fewer sailing yachts being built compared to motor yachts,” says Thys Nikkels, MD of legendary…

Offshore sailing’s elephants in the room are the mammals in the sea. Isn’t it time for a discussion about how we can avoid hitting them? Unsurprisingly, those who have been involved in a collision with a big fish prefer not to talk publicly about their experience. It’s hardly surprising; it’s a touchy subject. As our offshore machines get faster, so the risk to those on board increases if they hit anything, especially when you consider the number and orientation of appendages that are now slung beneath a modern race boat. From IMOCA 60s regularly maintaining speeds in the mid 20s to the blistering pace of the Ultime class where cruising at 35 knots and bursts well into the 40s is commonplace, a collision is going to be messy. The current…

At first glance, Gabriola Island does not seem to be much a haven for sailors. Sails appear on the water for just a few months of the year, as the winters are long and harsh. Dense forest covers this British Columbian rock hidden in the Salish Sea, but in the shade of the pines boats are maintained with love. Gabriola Island’s bays shelter craftsmen who work humbly and quietly on their projects. Here, sailors don’t chase after wins. Gabriola Island is not a nursery for future racing champions. The sailing community takes its time. Boat lovers ponder, dream, learn, and share their understanding of boats and life on the sea with one another. And they take pride in the task of building and maintaining beautiful boats for their own enjoyment.…

LOA 16.35m 53ft 7in • HULL LENGTH 15.5m 50ft 10in • BEAM 4.99m 16ft 4in • DRAUGHT 1.95m, 2.30m or 2.80m 6ft 5in, 7ft 6in or 9ft 2in • DISPLACEMENT 17,774kg 39,200lb • BASE PRICE: €300,700 ex VAT • www.dufour-yachts.com The first Dufour since the company’s merger with Fountaine-Pajot was launched alongside re-branding to focus the range at a younger and more active audience. This also repositions the Dufour range in a more premium part of the market in which quality finishes and good performance are important. First impressions are of a big and well-appointed boat with excellent accommodation at an attractive price. The interior is accessed via a wide and easy companionway with a minimal bridgedeck, so it doesn’t feel as cut off from the outside as on many…

The sargassum bloom of 2018 covered 6,000km2 There are 300 species of sargassum. Individual fronds usually grow to around 60cm JULY 2011 JULY 2018 To the usual list of concerns facing transatlantic sailors – too much wind, too little wind, gear failure – a new one must be added: seaweed. Specifically, sargassum. Sargassum’s yellowish-brown straggles in the water have traditionally been considered a sign that boats are nearing the tropics, but record blooms of the weed in recent years have created a vast raft straddling the Atlantic, dubbed the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. The first mass bloom was seen in 2011, while the record bloom recorded in 2018 was ten times bigger – sargassum is an increasing problem. Reports by participants of the ARC transatlantic rally suggest that the weed…

PAL-V PIONEER Resembling a cross between a helicopter and a car, this extraordinary vehicle will both drive and fly. In drive mode, it’s a low-slung three-wheeler capable of up to 160km/h with its 100hp engine. Switch to flight mode, and the propeller at the back can push it to 180km/h with a 400km range. Being a gyrocopter, the rotor blades on top provide lift and are turned solely by the forward motion of the vehicle. It allies Italian style and finish with solid Dutch engineering and the price includes mandatory training. It runs on normal petrol, weighs just 664kg and is only 1.7m high in drive mode – not so different from the tender in your garage. OLO ONE Inspired by ancient stories of the Polynesian chiefs who surfed on…

‘I SURROUND MYSELF WITH THE BEST PEOPLE POSSIBLE, AND MAKE SURE I’M THE DUMBEST PERSON IN THE ROOM' KEN READ There are many successful sailors and many more successful businessmen, but it’s rare to find someone who has achieved great things in both spheres. Ken Read is one of them. Twice Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, a College Sailor of the Year, nine-time world champion, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race skipper, he has also risen to the top of his profession as President of the North Sails Group. It’s been a long and storied career both on and off the water, driven by Read’s self-confessed intensity. “I remember the fundamental change in my life going from loving to win to hating to lose. And it’s been a long time since…

A contest between some of the world’s best prepared and varied superyachts is an annual highlight on the tiny Caribbean island of St Barth. But this year’s St Barths Bucket comes with a celebrity supporting act: the prospect of at least four of the mighty J Class returning to do battle with each other. Lionheart, Svea, Topaz and Velsheda will have parallel racing to the other classes on their pathway to a big regatta in New Zealand to coincide with the 36th America’s Cup. The Barths Bucket is a reliable barometer of trends in sailing superyachts, and often a debut for new launches. The 29 entries this year (30 if the newly refitted J Class Ranger makes it) reflect the fact that numbers taking part in racing events are down…

LIONHEART JH1 DESIGN Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens/Hoek Design BUILD Bloemsma and Claasen Jachtbouw 2010 The owner drives this yacht to great effect – she is a very serious race competitor. Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race veteran Bouwe Bekking usually calls tactics on board, and the boat has been continually upgraded. She returns to the regatta scene after a break and refit during 2019. SVEA JS1 DESIGN Tore Holm 1937/Hoek Design BUILD Vitters 2017 The newest addition to the mighty J Class was launched in 2017. She was always set up for no-compromise racing – and has delivered. The last time she sailed in J Class fleet racing at St Barths Bucket in 2018 against Velsheda and Topaz she won. TOPAZ J8 DESIGN Frank Paine/Hoek Design BUILD Holland Jachtbouw 2015 Back racing…