Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Yachting World

With their enormous curved foils, the IMOCA 60 class has pushed the boundaries of offshore foiling, but at present class rules prohibit T-foils on rudders, which would allow the 60s to fly for more prolonged periods. Louis Burton, who finished 3rd in the last Vendée Globe, recently developed an experimental load-bearing rudder foil for his Sam Manuard-designed Bureau Vallée II (the former L’Occitane, a last generation design), which saw the IMOCA fully foiling, at a consistent height and speeds of around 33 knots, for sustained periods, as these video stills show. Burton explained: “Our IMOCAs fly, more or less, on foils, but there is no forward plane on the rudders so that makes us pitch up, then down again, the nose up. We had this spare third rudder in the…

Surely the most competitive sailing competition in the world right now, the International Moth World Championship held on Lake Garda in September was won by Australian Tom Slingsby. Slingsby dominated the championship, winning 13 of 14 races to defend his title. Behind Slingsby, who is the Australian SailGP skipper and a previous America’s Cup and Olympic Gold Medal winner, the results table read like a who’s who of competitive sailing. INEOS Team UK America’s Cup trimmer and former 49er World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen was in 2nd, American Magic trimmer and former Laser World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Paul Goodison 3rd, Kyle Langford (SailGP, America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race) was 4th, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli co-skipper Francesco Bruni 5th, Nathan Outteridge 7th… and so the…

Sir Timothy Colman, the first man to break the 30-knot speed sailing barrier with his Crossbow proa/catamarans, has died aged 91, writes Barry Pickthall. Born and bred in Norfolk, Tim Colman, a member of the Colman’s mustard dynasty, learned to sail on the Broads and never lost his love for the county, nor his zest for speed on the water, going on to dominate the world sailing speed record charts for more than a decade. When the Royal Yachting Association first floated the idea of an organised speed week held over a 500m course in Portland Harbour back in 1971, Colman commissioned designer Rod Macalpine-Downie to produce a 60ft proa named Crossbow. Since the records were measured in one direction only across the Harbour, he did away with the idea…

On test: Hallberg-Rassy 50 The latest new German Frers-designed 50-footer from Hallberg-Rassy promises exceptional bluewater cruising comfort. We took her for a test sail to see how this seakindly design performs Biscay masterclass It’s transat season – but cruisers contemplating the Atlantic must first overcome Biscay. Rachael Sprot has expert advice on early and late season crossings Cruising Maine Is there anywhere more picture perfect for late summer sailing than New England? Vivian Vuong enjoys a summer spent sharing the delights of the US eastern seaboard Record defender François Gabart’s new Ultime trimaran is designed to defend his solo around the world record. François Tregouet gets a close up look at this extreme machine…

It’s increasingly rare these days to see any sailor without at least one navigation application on their phone, while tablets are even preferred to fixed multifunction displays (MFDs) on an increasing number of yachts. It’s great to have this navigation information so easily to hand and so mobile, but how good are the apps and which is best for you? Sailors need slightly different information to motorboaters. It’s nice to know if it’s going to be sunny, but we care more about whether the tide will be foul or fair. We need to know what the wind direction will be and whether it’s going to be an angle we can use, over and above nearby places of interest. We looked at the most popular navigation apps, particularly from a sailor’s…

“In my entire life I have never given up on any of my projects, but… reluctantly I decided to abandon my plans.” So wrote Jimmy Cornell in his most recent blog post, as he explained his decision to abandon his most recent circumnavigation – an around the world loop following in the wake of Magellan on an all-electric Outremer catamaran. Cornell had been preparing to set off on a project known as ‘Elcano 500’, marking the 500th anniversary of Portuguese skipper Ferdinand Magellan’s groundbreaking voyage, which was completed by Juan Sebastian Elcano in 1521. The circumnavigation, due to be Cornell’s fourth, was attempting to break new ground itself by being a fossil-free voyage. Unsurprisingly, the experimental technology involved had experienced teething problems and, having initially set off in late 2020…

This model is pitched as the first series-produced yacht with electric propulsion as standard. Arcona already has a long history of developing boats with optional electric motors, dating back to the 380Z (for Zero emissions), which was launched in 2015. As well as the electric motor, this boat was fitted with a large array of solar panels, including some that were laminated into the cloth of the mainsail. Since then, much has changed to make such a yacht more practical. The cost of solar panels is continuing to fall, for instance, and there are now more options for regeneration of electricity using the propeller when sailing. However, arguably the biggest and most important advances have been in lithium-ion batteries. These are gaining 20% more power each year, while remaining the…

Bluebottle is a Dragon keelboat which belonged to the late HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and has recently undergone an exacting refit After an 18-month restoration to an impressively high standard, Bluebottle, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Dragon, is racing again for the first time in 60 years. Even better, the boat won the class in Cowes Week, her first regatta, in the hands of Graham and Julia Bailey, with Cowes boatbuilder David Heritage as crew. She then went on to take 3rd place at the Edinburgh Cup, the Dragon’s UK National Championship. Bluebottle was originally a wedding gift to then Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh from the members of the Island Sailing Club in Cowes. She was built in 1947 by Camper & Nicholsons in Gosport and the…

The America’s Cup is no stranger to public fallings-out and backroom dealings, but the twists and turns of the venue selection for the 37th America’s Cup must rank alongside the very worst of America’s Cup disputes. The Protocol for the 37th America’s Cup is due to be published on 17 November, 2021. Ahead of that announcement, which will include the design and rules for the next regatta, the venue for AC37 was due to be announced on 17 September. However, Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS), announced instead that they were extending the selection period for shortlisted venues. In a statement RNZYS Commodore Aaron Young said: “For the benefit of both the 37th America’s Cup and the eventual host venue, we’d…

Fourteen-year-old Katie McCabe from Topsham in Devon has become the youngest person to sail around Britain (via the Caledonian Canal) single handed. She completed her solo journey sailing around Britain anticlockwise on the 26ft wooden, Morgan Giles design Falanda she restored herself. Her epic solo voyage was hampered by bad weather, leaks, locks, fog and navigating some of Britain’s busiest ports, but was completed in seven and a half weeks. McCabe began her circumnavigation from Exmouth and sailed up the east coast and through the Caledonian Canal before returning down the west coast of Scotland and Wales, then rounding Land’s End and sailing as far west as the Scilly Isles before finally landing back in Devon some two months later. As Falanda sailed back into Exmouth a small flotilla of…

While circumnavigating Svalbard the crew of Barba, a Jeanneau Sun Fast 37 skippered by Andreas Heide for marine conservation and filming projects, was treated to a visit by the largest animal in the world. The giant blue whale, which dwarfs the 37ft yacht, spent hours feeding nearby. The Svalbard expedition was part of Barba’s Arctic Sense expedition, which also included sailing to Jan Mayen and summiting Mount Beerenberg on the centenary of its first ascent, as well as collecting glacier samples to be tested for snow algae, ice algae and black carbon. Find out more at barba.no…

Sophie Dingwall is the first winner of the Yachting Monthly Brian Black Memorial Award for marine environmental journalism, launched in memory of Brian and Lesley Black. Sophie Dingwall’s article, Polluted Paradise, examined ocean plastic pollution and its devastating effects on Caribbean island communities, particularly highlighting the current crisis facing the people of the San Blas islands. The award was judged by BT Global Challenge winner and multiple world champion Mike Golding OBE, six-time circumnavigator and Volvo Ocean Race skipper Dee Caffari MBE, and Brian and Lesley Black’s daughter Sarah Brown. Sophie was presented with her award, a cash prize of £2,000 and a donation of £1,000 to an environmental project or charity of her choice, as well as a trophy at the Southampton Boat Show on 10 September 2021. Brian…

Although World Sailing and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) scrapped plans for a mixed double-handed offshore class for the 2024 Olympic Games, the genie is already out of the bottle. The idea of this new Olympic class had proved to be controversial, but the concept of a one-design 30-something-footer sailed by just two has sparked a great deal of interest across a wide range of ages and abilities, while at the same time aligning with a growing trend offshore. Although the Olympic short-handed rug has now been pulled from under our feet, the sport has been left with a range of interesting production-built designs. To some, the number of new designs was a clear indication of the competition between builders to deliver the next Olympic class. But, as those that…

“Stop filling the boat with cheese!” I exclaimed to Paul, as he stowed a massive food shop in Ponta Delgada ahead of what would be a nearly 2,000-mile passage to the Faroes. Tons of cheese, marinated Azorean peppers and pasta were tucked into every corner around the boat. It felt far more than needed. “Don’t scoff at me, you won’t like the groceries in the Faroes. Plus, the cheese will be useful,” he points out. The Faroe Islands are a subarctic archipelago of 18 islands rising dramatically out of the North Atlantic, three to four days sailing between Scotland, Iceland or Norway. Culturally they are a split between Gaelic and Old Norse, and, just like the Azoreans, the Faroese aim to be a self governing nation. For cruisers the islands…

Rudyard Kipling famously wrote that the complete person can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same. Most books of the sea end with some sort of triumph, be it a gentle circumnavigation or a race well won. Andrew Halcrow’s Into the Southern Ocean is cut from a different cloth. Having already sailed around the world through the tropics in his engineless, self-built yacht Elsi Arrub, he felt the need for harsher challenges and set out in 2006 to cross the Southern Ocean single-handed, navigating entirely by sextant. Having been foiled by a medical emergency, he vowed to do it again, from east to west against the prevailing wind. In 2013, a dismasting cut short this effort, but the book this Shetland islander wrote about…

This Dutch builder of quality semi-custom yachts has two new models based on the same Judel/Vrolijk hull design in build. The 50CS is a centre cockpit sloop that replaces the existing model of the same name, but significantly updates the concept, with a contemporary cockpit arrangement, more powerful hull shape and larger accommodation. The 49CS is an aft-cockpit design with twin quarter cabins. Both have considerably more internal volume than the previous 50CS that was launched in 2012. Overall beam is little more than 1ft greater than the older boat, but this is carried right aft, creating much more space in the stern sections, which are also deeper than before. At the same time, stability is markedly improved, as should be performance to windward and in light airs. “In physical…

This new one design class is a direct outcome of the Italian yard’s involvement in the last America’s Cup. It scales down the concept of a monohull with canting foil arms to a size that’s easy to transport to regattas and that can be managed by a crew of five. Yet the class offers the prospect of enticingly close racing, while sailing at up to three times the windspeed. With displacement of only 1,600kg, including a 400kg keel bulb for added stability, the boat is expected to fly in only 7.5 knots of true wind while the polars show speeds of 25 knots should be attainable, rising to close to 40 knots in 20 knots of breeze. Naval architecture and computational fluid dynamics for the project was led by Caponnetto…

Today’s networked marine electronics offer many advantages over their forebears, but a single faulty device or connection can cause the databus to go down. If that happens, then everything stops working. When cruising in remote places wouldn’t it be great to have the kind of kit garages use to diagnose faults on your car? This is the premise behind Digital Yacht’s NavDoctor diagnostic tool, which can be used to analyse devices and data on the network. It’s aimed at professional users, but could also be useful for owners of yachts whose sailing programme demands a high level of self sufficiency. It’s a compact unit that plugs into the NMEA2000 backbone and then connects wirelessly to a laptop, phone or tablet. A web browser is used for this, so no specific…

September saw international boat shows come back with a bang thanks to the successful running of Cannes and Southampton followed by the Genoa and Monaco shows. For many in the industry these in-water shows were a welcome return to life as they knew it (albeit with a few more restrictions in place, including face masks and awkward non-physical greetings), while for the general boating public it was the first chance to see the full ranges of new yachts in person for nearly two years. The Cannes Yachting Festival has retained its status as being the show to see the glamorous new premieres, with many mid-sized to larger yachts making their world debuts. The 500m long stretch of monohulls berthed side-by-side and stern-to in Port Canto made for a particularly spectacular…

A gilded silver yachting trophy, thought to have last been awarded by King William IV, has been returned to the UK. This King’s Cup, as it is known, was believed to have been given to the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1835. Research carried out by antiques dealer Charles Wallrock, who rediscovered the Cup and purchased it in the US, suggests it was last won by Irishman John Smith-Barry from Fota House in Cork Harbour. The bowl includes the royal coat of arms and has the inscription ‘The Gift of His Most Gracious Majesty William the Fourth to the Royal Yacht Squadron, 1835’. The annual King’s Cup race was the precursor to the famous Cowes Week regatta. King William IV was known as the Sailor King. He was a friend of…

After 30 days on charter in Svalbard with little or no wind, where the sailing vessel Vinson of Antarctica motored everywhere we had to go, the old question of sail versus power, at least for a working vessel, again loomed large. After an experience like that, discussing the pros and cons with both the crew and the charter clients becomes inevitable. Several of my colleagues in the south have evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it), from sail to power. For a working platform a motor vessel of the same length does have several advantages over sail. More internal volume is obvious, but things like more deck space and more cargo carrying capacity are all positives for film teams and science projects who always bring inordinate amounts…

Your world becomes a very small place when the ease and convenience of travel is lost, a notion that has really hit home in the last couple of years. The pandemic has also forced us to look at our lives introspectively and what we want to get out of them. That’s perhaps no bad thing for most sailors, particularly if it brings the realisation that we have the skills and desire to see more of this world in the best way possible – under sail. It seems for many it has forced the question, ‘why delay casting off’? It’s evident that an increasing number of owners are not only impatient to set off, but they want to do so in the most comfort possible. That 16 deposits were placed on this…

Although best known for its extremely competitive smaller offshore racing boats, this Breton yard also has a range of serious, yet fast and lightweight, cruising yachts. The 39FC is the company’s second generation model in this size bracket, following the existing 38FC. The new design has fuller forward hull sections that increase form stability and improve interior space, plus a distinctive reverse sheer. The latter is an inherently stiffer shape and adds internal volume in the middle of the boat, while keeping the ends light. This extra interior volume gives enough space for an optional three cabin layout, an arrangement that wasn’t offered for the 38FC. Both layouts for the new boat have a large linear galley to starboard, while the two-cabin model gains a bigger heads compartment, as well…

The first DSS foiling Infiniti 52 (see YW January 2020 issue) has emerged from the shed at Composite Builders in Holland, Michigan. This design is intended to transform offshore racing, combining speed without the need for a big team and therefore reducing overall campaign costs. It’s the first raceboat designed from the outset for use with transverse DSS foils. These offer a jump in both stability and speed, without the complexity of other types of foil. The first boat has been rigged by NZ Spars and Rigging. It’s currently being shipped to Europe for sea trials with four times Volvo Ocean Race winner, Doyle Sails’ Stu Bannatyne, ahead of competing in this year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race in October. The second example is already in production, while the third is…

DRAGON BLUEBOTTLE • ATLANTIC CROSSING TIMINGS • CREATING A WINNING CREW Teak is synonymous with boatbuilding. But the Environmental Investigation Agency recently issued a report on an 18-month investigation into the teak supply chain to the marine industry which raises ‘grave questions’, according to EIA Forests Campaigns Leader, Faith Doherty. The focus of the EIA’s investigation, which was released in September 2021, was on Italian timber importers of Myanmar (previously known as Burmese) teak. The problems with importing teak from Myanmar are both political and environmental. In February 2021 a violent military coup overthrew the elected government of the south-east Asian nation, putting the country in the control of its military commander-in-chief. Many nations, including the UK, EU and USA, since imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Myanmar in response to human rights…

For Tom Kneen, having fun is the most important ingredient in his offshore racing, he tells Andy Rice. That didn’t stop him and his team winning the Rolex Fastnet Race this summer, taking the IRC overall trophy. Despite only having come to offshore racing six years ago, Tom Kneen has proven a fast learner. He’s also done things his way, steadfastly holding to his preference to sail with friends rather than surrounding himself with professionals. “My goal is to have a load of fun and surround myself with lovely people that you enjoy being with. When you’re offshore, and you’re trying to make the boat go fast, you’re not thinking about the balance sheet or what’s going on at work. It’s a good escape from normal life.” Kneen did make…

‘Ellen had not seen anybody else since the start’ THIERRY MARTINEZ NOMINATES B&Q/CASTORAMA “For me ‘Moby’, as Ellen MacArthur’s trimaran was known, is one of the coolest yachts. In this photograph Ellen is 100 miles off the finish line at Ushant just before she broke her solo round the world record in 2005. I wasn’t working for Ellen at this time, but I had followed her from the boat’s launch in Sydney to the end of successful broken record. “The trimaran was extra cool because it had two sides: one blue side with a French sponsor, and an orange side for an English sponsor. To shoot both sides was a challenge. As I used to work for international media, I needed both. It made life a bit harder for us,…