Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Yachting World

I’ve just returned from a fascinating few days in Barcelona, getting behind the scenes with the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team (lots more on that to come soon). But while there were many, many things to take away from chatting to the sailors and tech team, it wasn’t until I got out on the water that it became obvious what one of the biggest factors in this year’s America’s Cup is going to be: sea state. We are used to seeing wave height and wind strength forecast together, but they are not equal. Solo sailor Charles Caudrelier backed off on his ground-breaking around the world in the Arkea Ultim Challenge (page 12) twice: approaching Cape Horn and before Biscay. Both points where the wind speed alone looked concerning to us…

Two liveaboard cruisers, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, are missing, feared dead, after their catamaran Simplicity was apparently stolen following a prison escape in the Caribbean. Hendry and Brandel’s 48ft St Francis catamaran had been anchored in Grand Anse bay, Grenada, but was discovered off St Vincent, apparently abandoned with torn sails. AIS data shows the vessel left Grenada at around 2200 on Sunday, 18 February. Three Grenadian suspects are known to have escaped from police custody on 18 February. They were rearrested on Wednesday, 21 February on St Vincent by members of Grenada’s Narcotics and Rapid Response Units. Simplicity was discovered in Walliabou, on the western coast of St Vincent, the same day by another cruiser, who boarded the vessel and noted that its owners were not on board.…

The crew of Translated 9, overall leaders in the Ocean Globe Race, faced a race against time to stay in the race after suffering hull damage near Cape Horn on Leg 3. Translated 9, the Swan 65 (formerly ADC Accutrac in the 1977/78 Whitbread Round the World Race) had won both Leg 1 and 2 on IRC corrected, and was challenging for both line honours with Pen Duick VI, and 1st in IRC, in the Auckland to Punta del Este third stage when they ran into winds of 40-45 knots, gusting 60. Team boss Marco Trombetti told Yachting World: “After three days in very bad weather, two before Cape Horn and one after, we discovered a crack in the hull. There was minimal amount of water coming in, but we…

Teams in the 37th America’s Cup have to give a minimum of two month’s notice of their planned date to launch their ‘big boats’, the second-generation AC75s which will be used for the 2024 America’s Cup races. All six teams gave notice in February, which means the first AC75s are expected to hit the water in early April. Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi Red Bull Racing were first to give notification on 6 February, with Emirates Team New Zealand confirming that they plan to launch in Auckland before shipping to Barcelona by July. All AC75s must be constructed in the country of the flag nationality, so INEOS Britannia’s AC75 – codenamed RB3 – was built at Carrington’s in Hythe, near Southampton, before transportation to the team’s hub at the…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Check your storm sail Crosbie Lorimer’s wonderful article ‘Rolling the Dice’ captured the many challenges facing yachts in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race (Yachting World March 2024). However, Kurt Arrigo’s stunning photographs at Cape Raoul prompt me to write. Some readers may have spotted the Swan Class 45 Amazingrace with a loose-luffed storm trysail and wondered: was it a crew oversight or a sailmaker’s error? Neither! Conditions had moderated considerably by the time we reached Cape Raoul; a few hours earlier at Tasman Island we faced multiple hail storms and rain squalls with gusts up to 62 knots along with 8m seas and 4 knots of adverse drift! It was in these conditions the luff slides on our 20-year-old storm trysail parted one at a…

For Leg 3 of the Ocean Globe Race, L’Esprit d’équipe (FR) and Neptune (FR) were granted dispensation to sail with an all-male crew. The Notice of Race stipulates that every yacht must sail with a mixed crew, which is defined as a crew where there is at least one woman. In the Ocean Globe Race (OGR) newsletter, race organisers explained that the teams had found it ‘too difficult to find crew members at such short notice during the festive season’. The Race Committee found this a valid enough reason to permit both yachts to compete without suffering a penalty. For context, there are time and financial penalties outlined throughout the Notice of Race for not complying with the rules of safety equipment inspections, not attending media photo shoots, or not…

When we tell people we’re sailing around the world, the first question is almost always the same: ‘What about storms?’ I’m hesitant to reinforce a Hollywood dramatised view of life at sea so keep a practised response to hand: ‘We plan ahead and use lots of forecasting tools to avoid bad weather, so see it rarely.’ But my answer to where we have experienced the most challenging weather – so far – may surprise you: Australia. I should caveat this with an observation: everyone sails their own course. Having met many cruisers in over two years as a liveaboard, I’ve realised that no experience is universal. Sailing contains so many variables that every passage is different. I should stress that Australia was one of our favourite overall cruising destinations. Did…

Southern Wind SW108 LOA 32.87m 107ft 10in • Beam 7.51m 27ft 4in • Draught 4.0m-6.2m 13ft 1in-20ft 4in • Guests 8 + 6 crew • sws-yachts.com Just months after the delivery of its first smart custom 108-footer, Southern Wind is celebrating a second order which is already in build. Details are scant at this stage, but it naturally features the same rapid Farr hull as the first boat, and its interior will again be produced by Nauta Design. She is scheduled for delivery in spring 2025. The debut SW108, Gelliceaux, was only handed over to the owner in Cape Town last October, but has already covered 12,000 miles. She is now squaring up for the St Barths Bucket. The boat was a double landmark for Southern Wind: the first over…

When Nilaya’s 46.82m hull emerged from the vast build sheds at Royal Huisman’s Vollenhove yard in 2023, she was slipped into the water with minimal fanfare and taken to Amsterdam to have her mast quietly stepped. Eagle-eyed observers may have spotted her towering over the National Maritime Museum, where the owner held a private naming ceremony before sailing away. Now, six months after delivery, a wealth of fresh detail and new images has been released, painting the aluminium and carbon superyacht in a new light. With interior and exterior design by Nauta and a hull from Reichel/Pugh, Nilaya was always going to be a fast, handsome yacht. In proportion to her Panamax sloop rig with its Rondal mast, the hull itself looks sleek and low to the water. Her broad…

NORTH RENEW NPL What is it? Quality panelled laminate sailcloth made of recycled source materials and bio-based yarns Who’s it for? Cruising yachts of 25ft-45ft Many everyday items can be made of recycled source materials without impairing their functionality. However, that’s far from the case for sailcloth that must have excellent stretch resistance and cannot be too heavy. In addition, today’s laminate materials are expected to retain their shape for many years and potentially tens of thousands of miles. “It’s a big challenge to make a product of equal performance to our existing fabrics using sustainably sourced materials,” says Renew product director Tom Davis. “The common problem with using recycled materials results in degradation of the material’s physical properties.” However, North has found a route to producing Mylar film that’s chemically…

Solo skipper Charles Caudrelier has won the Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest, the first ever solo around the world race in multihulls, on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild giant foiling trimaran. Caudrelier crossed the finish line off Brest, northern France, on 27 February after 50 days and 19 hours of racing. This Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest is the first time giant multihulls have raced solo around the world head-to-head. Caudrelier is the first skipper to sail a foiling Ultim around the world alone, and in fact only the eighth ever to complete a solo circumnavigation on a multihull. Though the race is ‘non-stop’, in the sense it has no scheduled stopovers, on returning to the North Atlantic Caudrelier was the only entrant not to have stopped for repairs. But with potentially…

This summer is looking set to be a bumper year for superyacht racing in the Mediterranean, with many owners heading to Spanish waters to enjoy the America’s Cup racing off Barcelona. The Superyacht Cup Palma, which runs from 19-22 June, is already reporting strong entries. Several J Class are expected to compete, ahead of their class World Championships (also in Barcelona) over 7-11 October. Rivals Velsheda and Svea will be returning for a rematch in Mallorca, while organisers say the Dykstra updated modern Rainbow is looking set to join the party after recently emerging from a major refit (the original William Starling Burgess design won the America’s Cup 90 years ago, successfully defending the 1934 Cup against Endeavour). Other new names at this year’s event include two distinctive Hoek designs:…

A new ‘UpWind by MerConcept’ programme has been launched with the aim of getting a female skipper to the start of the next Route du Rhum transatlantic race in the Ocean 50 class. The initiative brings together MerConcept, the Brittany-based offshore sailing and tech hub founded by round the world record holder François Gabart; 11th Hour Racing as founding sponsor; and Italian offshore racer Francesca Clapcich, who won The Ocean Race with 11th Hour Racing Team last year. Clapcich will lead the sailing squad. The plan is to recruit, train, and support a squad of six female sailors in the Ocean 50 offshore circuit, with the goal of having a female skipper at the helm for the 2026 Route du Rhum. The intention is to appeal to women sailors with…

The International Multihull Show in La Grande Motte on the south coast of France has become the show to go to for cruising multihull enthusiasts and those interested in joining this ever burgeoning market. Its 15th edition is taking place slightly earlier than usual this year, during the Easter week of 3-7 April and is expected to attract around 15,000 visitors to the Occitanie region. Major catamaran yards including Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot, Leopard and Bali will all be exhibiting their latest model ranges, plus there will be some more performance oriented multihulls on show too, including from Outremer, Balance, Nautitech, Excess and Dragonfly Trimarans. The big premieres to look out for will be the new Windelo 54, which continues the innovative format and greener build techniques shown on its first…

Shortcuts to paradise Whether you’re up against the Schengen 90-day clock, or simply trying to pack as much into your cruising time as possible, Janneke Kuysters demonstrates how transiting some of the world’s most iconic canals and inland waterways can be a shortcut to exploring spectacular cruising waters. Epic Greece Known as a tourism hotpot and charter hub, many of the Greek islands are full to bursting over high season, but liveaboards Phil and Roxy Johnson discover empty bays, welcoming communities and incredible history on their Greek summer odyssey. Make 2024 your best season yet Ideas and inspiration for how to boost your sailing fun in 2024, from unique charter experiences and sailing holidays to incredible experiences to enjoy on your yacht. Taking delivery You’ve ordered a new yacht, excitement…

On 1 February 2024, Skyelark II nosed her bow through the Panama Canal’s final Miraflores Lock, and became the first yacht of this year’s World ARC fleet to enter the Pacific Ocean. It’s now a full decade since we first set off westward from the Caribbean with our sights on the Pacific and sailing around the world. For myself and my wife, Em, the World ARC in 2014 was the culmination of six years of preparation and planning, working towards that dream – and the honeymoon we had promised ourselves. Admittedly our main hurdles were mainly financial – in our 20s there was first the challenge of how to buy and equip a cruising boat, then how to fund a round the world sailing trip. Our solution was to take…

It was proper cold. An honest cold that cuts straight through us soft southerners, unused as we are to minus double digit temperatures. The docks were covered with gnarled ice, while the Ellös marina lay still and frozen. It only served to make the Hallberg-Rassy 69 look all the more commanding and inviting as its welcoming interior lights shone through the copious hull windows into the low Swedish light of December. The warmth of the centrally-heated, timber-lined interior is something special, a quality matched only perhaps by the regal feeling of sailing this, the greatest (in size) Hallberg-Rassy of all time. I discovered this first hand once we’d parted the thin ice layer, navigated out past the snow capped islands guarding the yard and were into a bitingly fresh offshore…

Perini Navi has built the world’s largest sailing multihull, a 47-metre catamaran with two entirely different modes of operation. Both a mobile art gallery and a private yacht, Artexplorer is a revolutionary build that has challenged her designers to think about how a yacht can have two lives: one public and one private. “Artexplorer began as a project to share art with a wider demographic,” explains owner Frédéric Jousset. “We developed online courses in art education, bussed students that wouldn’t usually see art to galleries; but I could see the potential for a yacht to attract more people and put art out in the world. I have long seen how yachts gain attention as soon as they arrive in port, so I thought a lot about how we could use…

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1. Don’t try to motor or motor sail too fast – trying to get close to hull speed takes an enormous amount of energy. 2. Good reaching and downwind sails help minimise the time spent under power, while maximising opportunities for regeneration while under way. 3. Don’t try to sail dead downwind in light airs – when true wind is under 10 knots a true wind angle around 135°-140° invariably gives better results. 4. Use the on-screen data to optimise boat speed and power consumption. Often only a very small push from the motor will result in a useful speed gain when motor sailing. DATA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Instrument displays of real-time fuel consumption data are common on motor vessels, yet many diesel-powered sailing yachts lack even the means to…

‘She attained the highest speed ever by a vessel of her length’ ANTOINE KOCH NOMINATES AMARYLLIS Amaryllis, and her replica Amaryllis II, are among the coolest yachts. I had the opportunity to see her in the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island, during the 2010 Little America’s Cup held in Newport. Amaryllis was the first catamaran to be designed by the great Nathanaël Herreshoff in 1875. In addition to inventing the first modern catamaran Herreshoff invented the first lightweight racing yacht (Gloriana), the first modern keelboat (Dilemna) and the first lightweight skiff (Alpha). Then he won the America’s Cup six times in a row. In 1876 Amaryllis won her first race but was protested by the captain of Clara S, who claimed that Amaryllis was ‘neither a yacht nor a…

Clarisse Crémer, who finished 12th in the 2020/21 Vendée Globe, has issued a firm rebuttal of anonymous accusations that she cheated during the solo around the world race by discussing routing with her husband ashore. The accusations did not initially name Crémer, but allegedly included photographs or screenshots of WhatsApp messages sent from a Vendée Globe skipper to their shore team. While communication systems on board the IMOCAs have become increasingly sophisticated, the fundamental rule remains that no skipper can receive weather routing or navigation assistance from their shore teams. The images were apparently leaked via an anonymous email. Shortly after, Crémer ended speculation as to the identity of the accused skipper by posting on her social media pages. Her husband, Tanguy Le Turquais – also an IMOCA skipper –…

The British squad seeking to win the first ever Puig Women’s America’s Cup has been unveiled. Skipper and CEO is Hannah Mills, the most successful female sailing Olympian in sailing history. Mills has been Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team strategist on the F50 catamaran while also leading the British Youth and Women’s America’s Cup campaign. While Mills will take one wheel of the AC40, the other named female helms are Freya Black, aged 22, who’ll be representing GBR at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 49er FX class in the months before the Cup, and Ellie Aldridge, also competing at the Olympics in Formula Kite. For the Women’s America’s Cup Mills will be reunited with Saskia Clark, with whom she won Olympic Gold in Rio 2016 in the 470. Clark…

The US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award was presented to Corinthian offshore sailor Christina Wolfe. Wolfe primarily races double-handed, often competing in the UK and Europe with her husband on the Sun Fast 3300 Red Ruby. Last season she finished 1st Overall ORC, 2nd IRC, and took double-handed line honours in the Rolex Middle Sea Race, and was first female skipper overall in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Accepting the award Wolfe said: “Never in a million years did I expect to be standing on this stage. I don’t sail for a living, but when I do sail, it’s the most alive that I feel, and I know many of you feel that as well.” Yachtsman of the Year went to Charlie Enright, skipper of 11th Hour Racing Team,…

Never underestimate the influence of sailing heroes. “When they saw Ben Ainslie walk into the room it was like they’d been electrocuted,” said Greig City Academy director of sixth form and sailing co-ordinator Jon Holt, speaking about some of his students. “Just seeing Ben in person was a huge buzz for them. And when he and Hannah Mills then came over and gave them tips on the sailing simulator it was clear just how much this meant to them.” The Greig City Academy needs little introduction, thanks to the impressive and sustained amount of work to inspire youngsters from way outside sailing’s normal catchment to get involved in the sport. From taking part in the Rolex Fastnet Race aboard their 45-footer Scaramouche, to dinghy racing at a variety of levels…

The moment the tow rope is released, two of the strongest crewmembers leap forward and begin to haul up the mainsail gaff as quickly as possible. The secret is not to power up the huge main too early, before the halyard has been made off on its rudimentary jammer made from whalebone. Once the sail is raised, you can turn towards the wind and sheet in, but there is definitely a skill in learning how high to point and just how much power these slender hulled rowing gigs can handle on the wind. A capsize and there is definitely no coming back. Welcome to Azorean whaleboat racing, where the top crews are truly athletic, able to not only row and hike hard, but also raise and lower the main mast,…

Almost 10 years ago exactly I had the privilege of racing aboard the first Nilaya during what I described at the time as the best St Barths Bucket ever, due to its teeming yet diverse entries and punchy tradewind conditions. I’d made the presumption that the dark hulled Baltic 112, with its distinctive wraparound coachroof, was a cruising yacht out for some friendly Caribbean racing. But it showed just how well a fast hull could be pushed at this level – in this case by a seasoned owner-driver, his mates and a mix of pros led by Bouwe Bekking. Indeed Nilaya became the reference point for dual-purpose superyachts, covering thousands of ocean miles and winning a slew of silverware. A multi-role build makes sense, boosting a custom yacht’s versatility, and…

During our visit to Vitters last November it was clear to see this Zwartsluis yard is as busy as it’s ever been, with four big current sailing projects on the go. Project 3090, the stunning 59m Frers design Maximus was undergoing rigging and sea trials. The 44m Reichel Pugh fast cruiser, Magic, was being fitted out for launch later this year. The shell of the goliath (in size and ambition) that is ‘Project Zero’ had just arrived and the keel for the equally grandiose 68m Hoek ketch will start to be laid as you read this. 59m Frers-designed Maximus If the timeless lines look a little familiar, it may be because her owner was bewitched by the grace of the Frers/Pendennis Rebecca and wanted a larger version of what is…

Seawind 1370 LOA 13.7m 45ft 0in • Beam 7.6m 24ft 11in • Draught 1.3m 4ft 3in • Displacement 12,300kg 27,100lb • Base price US$820,000 ex VAT • seawindcats.com The market for comfortable and spacious performance multihulls continues to grow. Seawind is perhaps less well known in Europe than French brands such as Outremer, however the yard’s background as a sister company to long-standing trimaran builder Corsair effectively gives it a long history in this market. The 1370 is a long awaited model following an extended Covid-related shut down of the Vietnam production facility. The boat won’t premiere at a show until Cannes in September, but the first seven boats are already on the water, including hull No2, Ruby Rose 2, owned by YouTubers Terysa Vanderloo and Nick Fabbri. The 1370…

SPECIAL REPORT RUPERT HOLMES ON SAILING ELECTRIC YACHTS Electric propulsion is rapidly becoming established in the mainstream yacht market. This is increasingly driven by customer demand, often by people who own electric or plug-in hybrid cars and are more than happy with the balance between their advantages and shortcomings. In my role testing new yachts I’ve sailed an increasing number of boats with electric and hybrid propulsion over the past six years, ranging from lightweight daysailers through smaller cruising yachts to heavy aluminium bluewater cruisers and large cruising catamarans. I quickly discovered that electric propulsion opens doors to completely different ways of thinking to the diesel engines we’re accustomed to using, especially when motor sailing. THROTTLING BACK Many diesel powered yachts carry enough fuel for the rate of consumption to…

Pushing a multihull to the limit is best left to those who really know what they’re doing. Pete Cumming shares some pro tips with Andy Rice Pushing fast multihulls in gnarly conditions downwind can be a hazardous business. Knowing how hard you can push, and when you need to back off, mostly comes down to experience. But it’s also down to preparation, says Pete Cumming. “We cover a lot of miles on multihulls like Gunboats and MOD 70s, but you’ve always got to respect the fact that these boats can capsize easily and with very little notice. “I’ll never forget the Round Ireland Race we did on Phaedo. When you’re competing with other boats, that’s when the red mist can come down. “We looked across at [MOD 70] Oman Sail…