Thank You For Flying Oman Air

Sidney Gavignet is no stranger to high-pressure yacht racing. A veteran of four Volvo Ocean Races, the last with Puma Ocean Racing, and the skipper of the giant maxi multi Oman Air, you’d think that day racing small catamarans would be a walk in the park for one of the most experienced skippers in the Extreme Sailing Series. Think again. As a rookie in the Extreme Sailing Series, the learning curve in these ultra high performance machines has been brutal. Extreme 40 sailing requires split second thinking, and a level of mental and physical endurance that is completely different than ocean racing. Miss a shift or band of wind here, and you’re done. A bad tack can cost you six places, and since you’re right in front of the spectators, everyone can see it and second guess you.  I was fortunate enough to be invited onboard Oman Air for a race, and it was an experience that will never be forgotten.

After being given the required lifejacket and crash helmet, I was shuttled out to the boat by RIB. Stepping aboard, I was greeted by Gavignet, trimmer David Carr, tactician Kinley Fowler, and Oman’s own Nasser Al Mashari on the bow. Nasser gave me a quick overview of the rules for being a 5^th man (Don’t touch anything, no talking during the race to the crew, no hiking, and don’t fall off.) and we were off to get ready for the race.

We set up for the start near the pin end of the line with about a minute to go and a nice lane in which to accelerate. The start was quite like starting a dinghy, with Oman Air pulling the trigger with 10 seconds to the start and going from nothing to flying almost instantly.  The plan was to sail to the left side of the course, where the band of wind appeared to be. Sailing the past few days has been a massive game of snakes and ladders, and the breeze patches are really hard to see in a race that totals all of nine minutes, so the pre-start strategy is much more critical here than in a more conventional sailboat race. Our plan worked well, and within two minutes, we were on the port tack layline, looking to round the weather mark to starboard in 3^rd place. Things were great, until Alinghi caught a puff and came storming in on starboard, flying a hull on a collision course with us.

As the give way boat, Oman Air had to quickly luff to avoid Alinghi. Unlike a keelboat where you can carry momentum, the X 40 simply stops.  With Nasser desperately trying to back the jib to get us going again, we were stuck watching helpless as Alinghi sped by us, followed by Nice For You on the inside. On the other side, Luna Rossa got stuck on our hip trying to avoid us, and Red Bull came skidding into Luna Rossa with a dull thud. Artemis saw the mess unfolding and was able to speed around our pileup on the outside. Pindar wasn’t so lucky. Ian Williams misjudged his position and hit Red Bull, shearing off their rudder in the process.

With our 3^rd now being a 9^th in the span of about 30 seconds, there was a lot of catch up to be done. We were able to bear off and set the gennaker, and the battle to catch the fleet and keep Luna Rossa at bay was on. The run to the leeward mark took all of 2 minutes, as Oman Air flew a hull and tried to hold off Luna Rossa, who had taken up position inside us. We were going to be on the outside after the gybe and would need to regain our place on the next beat.

The short trip back upwind gave us few passing lanes as Luna Rossa kept a lose cover on us. We would have to hope for a mistake on their part, as the race had now come down to a match race, and every point in this series has been critical.

In the end, we were able to roll Paul Campbell Jones and the Luna Rossa team, and score an 8^th place. The entire race for us lasted just over 9 minutes, a time filled with incredible hull flying acceleration, and instant death. For me, I was off the boat to reflect on what had just happened. For the crew, they needed to put the disappointment behind them and immediately re-focus on the next race. To survive in the Extreme 40 Series, you need a short memory and the fortitude to shake off stress and loss. Every team has at least one bad race, and the key to making out of a race day on top is consistency. Oman Air recovered in the following race, scoring a 4^th, but the team is struggling to find its consistency. After 2 days, the team is in 9^th overall, but with another 20+ races to go, don’t count them out yet.

Postscript:

A lack of consistency mired Oman Air to an 8^th place finish overall. Emirates Team New Zealand snatched overall victory from Artemis Racing in a thrilling final race in front of approximately 12,00 fans at Boston’s Fan Pier. The Wave Muscat, skippered by Leigh McMillan finished a surprising third, given that this was McMillan’s first time at the helm this season.

Yacht Club Time Machine

Yacht Club Time Machine

By Ryan O’Grady

The New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta is always as much spectacle as it is a regatta. Really, how many other weekend regattas have a Volvo 70 entered in IRC? This year the boat porn quotient of the event was raised even higher with the approaching starts of the Transatlantic Challenge and J Class Regattas. Walking the piers of Newport Shipyard, you’d be treated to the enormous, odd, yet strangely beautiful Maltese Falcon, the VO 70 on steroids Rambler 100, her archrival ICAP Leopard, the stunningly beautiful J Class Valsheda, Puma’s Mar Mastro, and a collection of the hottest racing boats on the east coast. (If you missed the spectacle, check out the US Sailing Roadshow blog at ussroadshow.blogspot.com for a video tour) Walk a little further down the pier, though, and you enter the yacht club time machine. Nestled amongst the carbon behemoths are the 12 meters, ghosts from the day when the Americas Cup was really Newport’s Cup. For over 50 years, the 12’s have graced the waters of Newport and they show no signs of going away anytime soon.

With a length of around 70 feet, and a whopping displacement of around 60,000 pounds, the 12 meters have been lovingly referred to as “The world’s most expensive way to sail at 8 knots.” Everything about these boats is big and heavy. If you need to do a headsail change, bring friends as the genoas weigh in at close to 85 pounds each. (Yes, that’s an aramid sail. I feel really bad for the traditional 12 meter crews who are stuck with Dacron cloth!) From my spot in the trimmer pit of the modern 12 meter Victory 83, I’m immune from hauling jibs around this week. I just need to worry about a jib sheet with 15,000 pounds of load wrapping around my waist and cutting me in half. With wind speeds hovering in the upper teens for racing, a misstep could lead to serious injury. I try to keep that thought out of my mind as I ask for the backstay to be tightened over 12,000 pounds….

12 meter yachts were used in the Americas Cup from 1958 to 1987. When the Cup came out of retirement after the wars, the 12 meter was seen as a cost sensitive alternative to the J class. Since it was also based on the internationally popular International Rule, global support for the class was also present. 12 meter yachts were built to Lloyd’s standards, a main reason why so many hulls are still sailing. (Does anyone really expect to see any IACC yachts sailing in 5 years, let alone 50 years from now?) Newport became home to the 12’s, and many of the historically significant yachts still sail regularly. Columbia was the first yacht to successfully defend the Cup twice. Intrepid also defended the Cup twice and was a critical component to 4 Cup campaigns. Ted Turner’s Courageous still patrols the waters off Newport, and is still very fast. Even New Zealand’s “plastic fantastics” from 1987 are here. Remember these, the first fiberglass 12 meters that caused Dennis Conner to say during a famous press conference “The last 20 12 meters have all been built from aluminum, why would you build one from fiberglass unless you want to cheat?” 12 meters even became movie stars in the movie Wind.

While the yachts are pieces of history, it’s the crews that make sailing on a 12 meter worthwhile. I remember watching the 1987 Americas Cup on TV as a kid. The guys who were crewing the 12’s then are still crewing the 12’s now. The stories and the camaraderie drive the yacht club time machine. Every time I sail, I feel like a kid living out his dream of waking up as a member of his favorite sports team. I’ve heard what it felt like to be part of the crew of Australia II when they finally defeated the New York Yacht Club in 83 so many times that I feel like I was there. Their stories have become our stories, and the good old days have never ended. Last fall, the 12 meter legends officially gathered in Newport for a reunion coinciding with the North Americans. There I was, sailing with and against the likes of Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts and Gary Jobson to name but a few. It was 1983 again, just without the big hair and short shorts.

Back to reality, the weather mark is approaching, again. The Race Committee has given us two 6 leg short track races in a row on a windy day. Things are happening fast, even on a 12 meter. There’s a constant spray of water in my face as we pound through short Bay chop. We’ve managed to push Intrepid to the other side of the course and now there’s one final cross before the mark. Victory tacks with a series of creaks and groans as the sheets unload. Grinders toil to bring in the big genoa one last time. We round ahead of the fleet again and hoist the big symmetrical spinnaker for the final run to the finish. (No Wind fans, we don’t have a sail called a “whomper”) The pole gets squared back and Victory pushes away the sea at 8.5 knots. Assuming we don’t really screw up, the regatta is won. All too soon, the yacht club time machine will return me back to the present, but for now, I’m really enjoying living in the past.

On the Air

On the Air

By Ryan O’Grady

Our pre sail brief begins with “OK, so today we would like you to go out sailing for some B-roll footage.” I’m awfully used to a pre-sail briefing sounding like “Today we’re practicing gybe sets”; maybe my long winter layoff from sailing really has affected my brain. It’s not until the camera guys are jumping in the boat that I remember that my first day sailing this year is being filmed for a TV series, and a segment for NBC’s Today show. Unfortunately for my ego, my 15 minutes of fame is greatly overshadowed by my skipper for the day, Paraolympic gold medalist Maureen McKinnon Tucker. When not pursuing Olympic glory, Maureen is the coordinator for adaptive sailing at Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston, MA, one of the nation’s hot spots for disabled sailing access. Piers Park’s goal is to allow everyone access to sailing, regardless of physical or financial ability, and has been constructed specifically to allow for persons of all disabilities to sail their fleet of Sonar keelboats. From simple articulating seats, to complex “sip and puff” technology which allows quadriplegic sailors to steer the boat using nothing but their breathing, Piers Park empowers all to be participants, not passengers in the sport of sailing.

Jothy Rosenburg is also looking to empower sailors and non-sailors alike through a new TV reality show called Who Says I Can’t. According to his website: “Who Says I Can’t” is a television show that tells the story of brave and determined men and women as they overcome disabilities and become athletes. The program will feature the “up close and personal” style of Olympic features combined with the heart-warming community elements of “Extreme Makeover” and mix them with the excitement of “The Amazing Race.”

“Who Says I Can’t” will be hosted by Jothy Rosenberg, a cancer survivor, entrepreneur, and extreme athlete. Jothy lost a leg and then a lung to cancer as a teenager. With an experimental treatment, he beat the odds and survived to become an avid swimmer and biker. He also earned a PhD in computer science and has started various high tech companies. Jothy is a true renaissance man.

In each hour episode Jothy will introduce three different characters on location and tell their story using interviews with them, family members and doctors. Family photos and videos will help tell the story. Jothy will then participate with the subject in whatever athletic endeavor they are undertaking. Whether it’s climbing a mountain, open water swimming or mountain biking, Jothy will say “Who Says I Can’t” and give it his best shot.

Along the way Jothy will relate his own experiences while encouraging the subjects. He was a 16-year-old high school student when diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancerous bone tumor that usually develops during adolescence. He had an above knee amputation. Three years later, while in college, the cancer metastasized and part of his lungs had to be removed. A doctor told Jothy no one had previously survived this type of cancer once it spreads to the lungs.

So, Jothy headed to the Rocky Mountains. His plan – “Ski till I die.” Well, spring came, the snow melted and he was still alive. He lived because of an experimental treatment. Jothy went on to get a PhD in computer science and become a successful tech entrepreneur and never stopped skiing, swimming, riding, rafting and trying new things every time he was challenged. He’s swum the Alcatraz Sharkfest event 17 times, rode the 192-mile Pan Mass Challenge Bike-a-thon 8 times and works out just about every day.

As it turns out, Jothy is a pretty good sailor too. Piers Park Sailing Center is the subject of the first episode of Who Says I Can’,t and Maureen and I are to match race Jothy as a primary segment of the show. Should be a walk in the park with an Olympic medalist onboard, right? Not really. Jothy comes at us with a fierce determination, and it’s clear he’s not going to let us win. We’re not going to let him win either, not even for good TV. With the breeze in the mid teens, the Sonars bob and weave in close combat. Our onboard TV camera crew is getting thrown around, but the producers in a nearby boat are too caught up in the action to notice. At the first mark rounding, Jothy catches a shift first and rounds just ahead of us. We pounce downwind and sail into a controlling position. With just inches between the boats the tension is high. Maybe the Americas Cup television producers can learn from us, for this is as good as racing gets! Whichever teams gybes better will win the race. Both teams hit the layline and start to gybe. There’s yelling and luffing and absolutely no give between the two teams right up until the end. I’d like to tell you that we won, but then would you watch the show?

The nation’s first taste of extreme disabled sailing action will be August 11, when a preview of our episode will air on NBC’s Today show. Who Says I Can’t will debut this fall. If you’re too motivated to wait that long to see what happened, then it’s time to get in on the action yourself. Centers like Piers Park exist across the country and rely on the help and support of the sailing community to survive. You can find the site nearest you here: http://racing.ussailing.org/Disabled_Sailing/Where_to_sail.htm Centers like Piers Park are always looking for able bodied companion sailors to assist its disabled members in boat operation. If you love the sport of sailing and want to share that love, there is no better feeling than watching someone like a blind sailor break out into a grin, feeling the wind on his face as he steers into a stiff sea breeze. Additionally, adaptive programs are expensive to operate due to the specialized equipment required. Financial donations are always appreciated.  Always be a sailor, not a passenger and support those who make it happen!

For more information on Jothy Rosenberg and Who Says I Can’t: www.whosaysicant.org

For more information on Piers Park Sailing Center: www.piersparksailing.org

One For the Admiral

As Published in Sailingworld.com

One for the Admiral

By Ryan O’Grady

Caller ID can be a wonderful thing. On one of the coldest days of the year, my mood was immediately brightened seeing the phone ring from an old sailing friend. Hoping the call was an invite to a tropical sailing event, I picked up the phone. In an instant everything changed. “Did you hear about the Admiral?” Tom asked. “He’s very sick. I’m going to see him now, you should come along if you can.” The words hit me like a breaking wave.

The Admiral, as his friends fondly know him, owned a number of very successful yachts that competed in the Northeast and Caribbean. He took a chance on me back when I was young and had more attitude than ability, and through a combination of luck and circumstance, I became part of his extended family. And a family it was. While he made a living as a shrewd and innovative businessman, the Admiral’s true skill was surrounding himself with loyal and dedicated people. Becoming part of his crew was to be accepted into a group of people unlike any other. Every event and regatta became an extravaganza, right down to the day when the Admiral retired from competitive sailing and he decided that the boat couldn’t be donated without one last party onboard as a sendoff. Since then, some of the crew has spread to other programs, while others have returned to the “real” world.  Like any other family, though, they will all drop anything to be there for each other.

Walking to his door, I was terrified to face what might be behind it. This was a man who always attacked life, what would he be like when life started to attack him? While weak, it was clear that the Admiral was thrilled to see his extended family coming together again. As more of the crew from the years arrived, the stories of the “old days” ramped into high gear. The stories have ascended to legendary status, and none of them can be printed on these pages, but to us, they were some of the best times of our lives.  Up until now, we had all taken these times for granted, now all of us know these moments must be savored and treasured.

Yacht crews in many ways take on the personality of their owners. All too often today at the high level, owners and crews are experienced professionals. The boat is run like a business, and at the end of the race day, everyone goes his or her own ways. The Admiral was different. His programs were always just happy to be sharing another adventure. A victory just made the time even sweeter. The magic of sailing with the Admiral was always that the crew stuck together through thick and thin. From the first beat to last call, the team was the team. The Admiral wouldn’t have it any other way, even in his last days. On his final run through life, he made sure to stay alive long enough to say goodbye to all of his team. Generations of the team all came from near and far, 15 years of teams in all. While not happy with the circumstances, the team was happy to be together again, and the positive energy filled the Admiral’s house. For perhaps the very first time, his family saw why these people were so important in the Admiral’s life, and the collective passion was comforting.

In the end, the Admiral couldn’t outlast his disease, but his spirit can live on forever in every sailing program. We all spend much of our free time on the water, sharing a passion. We sacrifice time from our real families to join together in the pursuit of racing excellence. As most of us are now eagerly anticipating a new racing season, let’s commit to spending as much time building our sense of team as we spend wet sanding our bottoms. Boats may come and go, but the crews last forever.

Fair winds, Admiral. We all love you.

A Wing and a Prayer, 2011 Moth Worlds- As Appeared on Sailingworld.com December, 2010

“The Eagle has landed.” Ever since this phrase was transmitted from the Moon, these words have signaled a quantum leap in technology. When Moth class sailor Adam May posted these words to his blog in late summer, 2010, sailors around the world knew that the rumors were true and the first solid wing sail had appeared in the Moth class. Since that time, a total of four wings have been built for Moths, and though they have yet to ever compete in a race, they have created a firestorm within the class. Now, with wings being shipped to Australia for the 2011 Zhik Moth Worlds in Belmont (Jan 8-15), the class needs to reach a consensus on whether a wing is a sail, and if so, how to measure it. Caught in the middle are American Moth sailors Bora Gulari (2009 Moth Class World Champion) and George Peet, now en route to Australia, unsure if their boats will be allowed to compete with their new wings made by Object 2 Skiffworks. You may remember Object 2; they are the shop responsible for turning out the last two Little Americas Cup winners, and their wings. Clearly, they know a thing or two about designing wings for sailboats.

The International Moth Class can trace its history back to 1928. From the start, the class was created as a development class with just length (11ft) and sail area (8 m2) fixed. The enduring success of the class has been in large part to class rule 1.1 The International Moth is a single-handed development class boat. The intention of these class rules is to give the designer and builder the fullest liberty in design and construction, within these rules to develop and produce faster boats. Over the years, the class has evolved from scow, to skiff, to finally ultra high performance hydrofoil speedsters.  With the emergence of the foiling Moth, however, the class has gone from a mostly homebuilt class to a class of production hulls (Mach 2, Assassin, Bladerider..); and with the excitement of foiling and the ease of acquiring a hull, the class has seen explosive growth in recent years.  This growth has come with some pain, however. The early Bladerider hull has been all but obsoleted by the more advanced Mach 2 hull, and if you want to win the Worlds, you had better be riding the most current hull.  With boats now costing upwards of $20,000, the arms race can get expensive in a hurry, but such is the nature of a development class, and if you want to play, you had better be prepared to stay on the leading edge.  

In early 2010, both Gulari and May had come to the conclusion that the next big development in the Moth class would be a solid wing, similar to those seen on BMW Oracle’s trimaran in the 33^rd Americas Cup. Both set out to build wings, with Adam May being the first to debut a wing sailed Moth in August, with Gulari’s emerging in October. 2 more wings were built by Object 2 in addition to Gulari’s, one for George Peet, and a spare that may also be sailed at the Worlds. May’s wing has two main elements, while Gulari’s wing has two main elements with a flap attached to the main element. Since Adam May is the classes Chief Measurer, the Moth Class Executive Committee (less May and Gulari) were asked to interpret the rules to confirm the legality of the wing, and determine how to measure them. The class response was issued on August 12, but not published until November, and created more questions than answers. Rather than rule a wing of any configuration as a single sail, the class deemed that a two-element wing is not just one sail, but a combination of a mast and a sail. This should allow May’s wing to compete, but what about Gulari’s? Here’s where the controversy gets interesting. If Gulari can prove his wing, with two elements and a flap is a two-element wing, it should comply. If the class, however, deems his wing as a three element wing, then “The IMCA Executive Committee has discussed these types of sail/mast combinations and is of the belief that under the current class rules these would either be illegal (due to not satisfying the one sail rule) OR would have to be measured in their entirety as sail area.” With this vague ruling, a turf war started. The anti wing camp, which includes builders of the some of the current Moth hulls, trying to ban the American wings claiming they violate the one sail rule and the spirit of the class.

So how would current Moth rules apply to this case? Based on the August interpretation, the leading edge element of the wing is considered a mast.

Class Rule 8.1 then states that “The overall length of mast shall not exceed 6250 mm.” The second element of a wing would then be considered the sail, with pertinent rules 8.3 “The distance between the bands (effective luff length) shall not exceed 5185 mm.” and rule 9.1 “The boat shall carry only one sail when racing, with the total sail area being not greater than 8.00 m2” Based on a strict interpretation of these rules, it’s conceivable that a wing could be built with the first element one meter larger than the second element, creating a lot of unrated area. Rumors abound that Australians John Harris and Dave Lister were designing a wing that would take advantage of this loophole, but the wing will not be coming to the Worlds in Belmont. Both May and Gulari were aware of this potential loophole and agreed to build wings to the 5185mm height and a total area of 8m2. The real contentious issue with Gulari’s wing lies in the flap that is part of the first wing element. Some may see this flap as a non-structural piece that is allowed to deflect by aerodynamic forces. Since it doesn’t support the sail and produces lift, it must be considered a sail. Gulari disagrees, reasoning that since there is no visible gap between the leading edge element and the flap, they must be considered as a single assembly.  Since the class already allows camber inducers in soft sails, it would be counter intuitive to rule against similar camber inducing mechanisms in a wing sail. Gulari further notes that should wing be deemed as more than two elements, the last paragraph of the rule interpretation allows for the wing to be measured, provided that the entire area is used in the calculation.

Further, the Moth Class Measurement Manual clearly states, “Measurers should assume that anything which is not specifically prohibited is permitted.” Making the situation even more confusing is the fact that the Moth Class doesn’t control it’s own destiny, ISAF (International Sailing Federation) does.  Since becoming an international class in September of 1972, any changes or interpretation of class rules needs to be ratified by ISAF, and to date, ISAF has not taken any action regarding wings.  Given that ISAF already has experience with wings in both the A and C Class catamarans, it can be assumed that wings will be deemed legal, but ISAF may choose to remove some of the vagaries in the Moth interpretation by mandating their own measurement rules for wings. This ISAF guide to Measurement and Calculation of Sail Area is the document that has been used for decades to measure C-Class wings in the Little Americas Cup, and contains clear language pertaining to measuring wings with multiple elements. Section 1.1 of the manual states “The intention is to establish a reliable and simple method of measuring the whole driving area of the sail plan, including the spars, foils, and flaps (or wing sails).” Further, section 16.2.2 (b) of the document addresses flaps on wing sections, stating” devices or fairings added to a spar or wing sail shall be measured as part of that spar or wing sail.” 16.2.2 (e) further states, “An articulated wing sail, such as that shown in fig. [2] below, shall be measured as described in 16.2.2...”

In all of this debate, the one point on which nearly everyone can agree is that we want to know if a wing sail can beat the best of the soft sailed Moths.  With an Americas Cup looming in wing sailed yachts, this Worlds will capture attention far beyond the class aficionados and tech geeks. This has something for everyone.  As Gulari says “There is a huge importance to the class of having this wing experiment go forward. Tens of thousands of people have seen the pictures and articles about the wings Adam and I have built for this event. Moth wings are what people are talking about, even people far outside of the class. Everyone has the same questions: Will it work? Will it be faster? Will it break? Everyone wants to know if a small wing sail will work on a high performance foiling dinghy. Lets find out. Our class has a phenomenal chance here to solidify its reputation as the class at the leading edge of our sport where this sort of cool stuff happens.”  The volunteers who run the Moth Class are doing their best to ensure that no one in the class feels disenfranchised, but now is the time to embrace the historical spirit of innovation within the class and allow wing development to take place. By interpreting the class rule to assume that any single wing is one sail, and using the ISAF measurement procedures for wings, development can happen in an organic and transparent way. If wings prove to be durable and faster than soft sails; the marketplace of innovation will find a way to make the technology cost effective and transportable, in the same way that hydrofoils went from an expensive experiment to commonplace. With top sailors worldwide looking for a way to make their name in the brave new world of wing sails, the Moth Class can become a haven for those with Americas Cup aspirations, as well as a new generation of speed junkies. In nature, all moths must undergo a transformation. Now it’s time for the Moth class to come out of the cocoon and spread its wings.

Carbon Ocean Yachts 82, First Sail- As Appeared in Sailing Anarchy November, 2010

“How many builders does it take to build my new yacht?” It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke at a yachtie bar in St. Tropez, but for Brian Benjamin, this situation became an awful reality when the formerly famous Goetz Custom Yachts twice went into receivership during the construction of his new Rogers 82, Aegir II.  Benjamin picks up the story from there. “How the hell are we going to finish this yacht? We looked at the three sorts of options we had come up with at the time. The first was to pack it up and send it to New Zealand. It was in two bits at the time, so it wasn’t that easy. We could send it to Italy, or we could start a boat company and finish it here. So for better or worse, richer or poorer, we chose the third one.” Only a true anarchist would attempt to [re-] start a boat building business that had failed twice in the middle of a global economic recession. “I was advised by everyone that no matter what situation I got myself into, do not buy or start a boatbuilding company. So yeah, obviously I didn’t take much notice there.” Benjamin continued.

From there, Carbon Ocean Yachts (www.carbonoceanyachts.com) was created with managing partner David Lake and Britt Colombo joining forces with several former Goetz employees to first finish Aegir II, then attempt to break into the world of Med style fast cruisers.  “It’s our view today that lots of people want to cruise fast, they just don’t have a vehicle to do it in yet.  So it’s basically building a high technology boat with a superyacht interior. Everybody thought we were a little bit crazy when we started, but we hope they’ll be suitably impressed.”

Impressive is certainly the thought that comes to mind as you approach the yacht on the Quay. Painted in the same silver metallic paint used by Ferrari, Aegir II is easy to find in the now nearly empty dock space at Hinckley Marine in Newport. With a drop dead date of December 5 to leave for the Caribbean fast approaching, boat builders, sail makers, and the racing crew are buzzing about the boat in preparation for the first sail in racing trim. I arrive just in time to start loading the sails. Make no mistake; though this may be a fast cruiser, the Hall spar painted in the same silver metallic as the rest of the yacht carries an ample sailplan.  The A2 kite takes two people to carry down to the dock. That felt light compared to the Cuben Fiber Code 0 that takes five good-sized crew to haul down.  Moving the sails will end up being the most physically demanding portion of the day. Once underway, all of the sail handling systems on the boat are hydraulic. The mainsheet is controlled by a joystick driving a large Lewmar captive winch. Other controls, such as traveler, vang, outhaul and Cunningham are driven by pushbutton from a panel near the helm station.

The primary winches have two foot pedals for clockwise and anti-clockwise control (Lewmar does not make an auto shifting hydraulic winch), and buttons for jib tack and car position. With all of the sail controls hydraulically operated, the deck is amazingly clean, making the light color teak decks look larger much larger than they actually are.

As a proud member of the international grinders union, this is the first time I’ve ever sailed a pushbutton yacht. The crew of 20 is mostly there to move sails around, take them down, and hike hard. The hardest part of tacking the boat is finding a good dry spot on the new rail! Sailing upwind in about 12 knots of breeze, Aegir II was close to her target speed of 9.5 knots. After a few tacks to check the hydraulic systems, a long beat down the Bay was in order to give us some room to go fast under spinnaker. Simon Rogers, the yacht’s designer was all smiles as she sailed effortlessly under the Pell Bridge, while owner Brian Benjamin wore the look of relief, with this three-year saga finally coming to an end.

Soon Aegir II will begin her racing career in the Caribbean 600, followed by the St. Martin Heineken Regatta. With a preliminary IRC rating of 1.525, hopes are that she will be more than just a contender. “With high performance cars, there are magazines that test them head on and the results are there for all to see. With boats, each one gets built, and the magazines all say she’s great, but nobody wants to test head to head. I’d like to take our boat, a Wally, and a few others and give them to journalists to try out for a week each to see who is really the best.” Benjamin said.  With the main competition for this boat seen to be the Not Wally 82, Highland Fling, Benjamin, Rogers, and crew know they have a steep learning curve to climb in a short period of time. “In the end, though, if we never win any races, I’m just happy to have a fast cruising boat.” Benjamin waxes philosophically. Surprised, I asked “So you’ll really see this as a success if you never win a race?” “Hell no!” was the reply with a quick wink.

Handicapping the Fleet- As Appeared in Sailingworld.com November 2010

In less than a year, the starting gun will fire on the world’s premier crewed global ocean race, but who will be on the line? So far, six teams have officially entered the Volvo Ocean Race, and an equal number of teams are still dreaming of making the start. While race CEO Knut Frostad has often predicted 10 entries, the current economic climate has made it hard for even established teams to find the financing they need.  So who will make it to the starting line, and who will win?

The Official Entries (in alphabetical order)

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (http://abudhabioceanracing.ae/):  While the intention of this Emirate to compete in the Volvo was well known for a while, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is the last of the major players to officially enter the race. Last may not be least, however, as Ian Walker and his High Aspect management company has been brought on as skipper and project management. Walker cut his teeth with the cash strapped Green Dragon syndicate last time around, but now has a rumored  25 million budget, so he will have no excuses to not be competitive this time around. The team has purchased Puma Avanti (nee ABN Amro 2, the world’s 2^nd fastest monohull) as a training yacht that quietly went into the NEB shed in Newport this past spring for some work before being shipped to the Middle East.

Crew selection and trials have begun, and while no official announcements have been made, it would be safe to assume many of Walker’s lieutenants from Green Dragon will be headed to Abu Dhabi this winter. The team is also committed to finding Emirati nationals to join the sailing and shore team. "We are searching for a compatriot with steely determination, enduring physicality, strength of mind, quick intelligence and dynamic personality to be part of our multinational crew who will aim to win honors for the emirate. Whoever is selected will take on the considerable responsibility of working towards, and sharing, the aspirations of their homeland," said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, ADTA. While applications were supposed to close on October 24, you can still apply through the team website, providing you meet the nationality and eligibility requirements.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has chosen Farr Yacht Design to create their new boat, and construction is underway at Italy’s PERSICO yard, under the direction of master builder Jason Carrington. This is the same yard that has previously built Americas Cup yachts like Luna Rossa and Il Moro de Venzia, but will be their first VO 70.  While a safe choice for design would have been another Juan Yacht Design variant, Walker does have a longstanding relationship with Farr, and the design house is eager to return to the level of offshore design prominence achieved under the Volvo 60 rule. Farr designed the Telefonica boats for the last race, and while the boats were light air weapons, more power will be needed from the new generation to keep up with the Juan K and B&C designs in power reaching conditions.  It is also expected that Farr’s experiments with bow strakes will be abandoned in this iteration as well.

The team will have to work hard this winter to make up for a lack of sailing time and development other teams had this summer, but with sailing time limited by race rules, Walker’s team should be able to catch up with the other teams by sailing in the warm Persian Gulf this winter. While currently a wild card, don’t count this team out for overall honors next year.

Camper- Emirates Team New Zealand (http://www.camper.com/volvo_ocean_race/en/):  Grant Dalton is once again going back to his ocean racing roots, this time managing the Camper Emirates Team New Zealand entry. According to Dalton, “The Volvo project instantly energizes our team, allows our designers and engineers to get going and in Camper we have found a great partner. They are a family company with family values and a culture that fits very well with Emirates Team New Zealand and our family of sponsors.

“The team has the capacity to integrate a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to sit alongside its commitments to the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the Audi MedCup 2010 and the next America’s Cup.

“There is some certainty in the America’s Cup following BMW Oracle Racing’s defeat of Alinghi. It’s apparent that with the timing of the America’s Cup, either 2013 or 2014, Emirates Team New Zealand can comfortably integrate a Volvo campaign into its operations.

Grant Dalton said a Volvo Ocean Race campaign was a natural fit for the team. “Our objective, once the team had re-established its credentials, was always to diversify as a means of keeping our people busy, focused and creative.

“With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to organize from scratch.”

Dalton has been busy going through his Rolodex, hiring many veterans to fill out the new ocean racing team. Australian Chris Nicholson, watch captain on il Mostro last time around, has been appointed as skipper, while Roberto “Chuny” Bermudez de Castro and Stu Bannatyne have been announced as watch captains. The level of afterguard experience here is immense, and instantly makes the team a major contender. The rapidly rising match racing star Adam Minoprio has also been added to the crew list as one of the three required under 30 crew members, and it will be exciting to watch this ocean racing rookie adapt to “Life at the extreme”.

The Emirates Team New Zealand design team, headed by principal designer Marcelino Botin, is already hard at work designing the team’s new yacht. It will be built by Cookson Yachts, Auckland, and launched in the first quarter of 2011 before been sea-trialed and shipped to the Atlantic coast of Spain. This is the same team that designed the all conquering ETNZ TP-52, as well as Botin’s experience designing Puma’s 2^nd place winning il Mostro, signals a powerful boat to rival the best of the new Juan design boats to grace the starting line.

The only drawback this team seems to have on paper is the lack of a VO-70 for training and sail design.  With a reduced amount of sails allowed in this race, real time testing of designs and their crossover points is essential. This is still one area where computer CFD analysis cannot be solely relied upon. This team will need to work hard to catch up on sail development when their new boat hits the water in early 2011.

Groupama (http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en): The French are back in crewed monohull ocean racing for the first time since 1993, and they are instantly a favorite with legendary multihull specialist Franck Cammas heading a well funded Groupama challenge that has already committed for the next two races.  In their desire to win the race, Cammas has ventured outside of the French sailing world to hire Damian Foxall as sailing program manager. Foxall, watch captain for the Green Dragon in the last race, has 7 previous laps around the planet in both mono and multihulls, and will be key in getting this team up to pace in lead assisted sailing. Crew trials have been underway this summer, and Groupama carried 6 under 30 crew in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, crushing the race record sailing the former Ericsson 4.

Groupama have begun construction of their new Juan Yacht Design boat at the Multiplast yard, under the direction of builder Killian Busche. Busche has a great relationship with Juan K and is undefeated in VO-70 yachts, being previously responsible for the construction of the Ericsson and ABN Amro programs. While it would have been fascinating to see a Verdier or VPLP design compete in the Volvo, Groupama took the safe choice and has been building on the extensive design database from the Juan studio, ensuring steady refinement in a wining design pedigree. With a stable sponsor, well organized team, and immense experience, it can be certain that this team will win a Volvo in at least one of their next two attempts.

Puma Ocean Racing Powered by Berg Propulsion (http://www.pumaoceanracing.com): The boys from Newport are back for their second crack at winning the Volvo, but only after Puma found a second sponsor to offset their level of financial commitment. Given the resounding success of Puma’s merchandise sales during the last race; this should be a clear indication of how hard it is for any team to secure funding this time around. (Note to Puma, bring Puma City to all the ports this time around. For those unfamiliar, Puma City was a portable store/bar/nightclub that quickly became THE place to be in Alicante and Boston) With the financial side secured, Puma settled into a summer of training in Newport, testing a new Hall Spars rig and new sail combinations on il Mostro. For anyone sailing in Newport this summer, the sight of il Mostro blasting through Narragansett Bay was an impressive sight! With a ban on two boat testing in place this time around, Puma was forced to race against boats like Rambler and Speedboat in the summer’s offshore races including Newport to Bermuda and the Ida Lewis Race. These events were great opportunities to try out new crew, since key members of the last team have left to pursue other opportunities. Puma has been quick to hire on new talent, picking up Brad Jackson and Tony Mutter from Ericsson 4, Tom Addis from Telefonica Blue, and Andrew Lewis (under 30) from ABN Amro2. Clearly experience is the key, and Puma has indicated there will be no rookies on this team, meaning under 30 crews with at least one lap have been a regular fixture at the team’s base this summer.

The next Puma yacht will be the second of three new Juan Kouyoumdjian designs in the next race, and construction is taking place at New England Boatworks.  We are eager to see the new boat with a great paintjob hit the water in the spring. In the meantime, we hear that the team will be doing winter training on the Juan K 100 Speedboat, which has been chartered for the season by George David, owner of Rambler.

Undisclosed Entries (2):  The final two confirmed entries remain officially under wraps, but they are widely assumed to be two boats from Spain. These entries were a condition of the deal that brought Volvo Ocean Race headquarters to Alicante, Spain in 2009. A new Juan Yacht design boat is being built now at a shed in Valencia, and Telefonica Azul (Blue) has been training this summer under the direction of Iker Martinez. The assumption is that one new boat and T-Blue will be the two Spanish entries, but the lack of an official statement seems to be due to the lack of committed sponsors. Telecommunications giant Telefonica, who sponsored 2 boats in the last race, and Movistar in 2005-2006, are reluctant to provide full funding, so syndicate head Pedro Campos has been looking for another title sponsor for the second boat.

Possible Entries

Green Dragon: Thanks to the success of the Galway stopover and the 3^rd place finish in the last Transatlantic leg of the Volvo have convinced the Irish to give the race another shot.  2.5 million of funding has already been secured and Matt Humphries has been brought aboard as skipper of the Irish project. In an attempt to do the race on a  10 million budget, the old Green Dragon has entered a shed in Galway for a winter of repairs. The Reichel Pugh design was widely assumed to be a fast hull, but the boat had the lightest keel bulb in the fleet. Work this winter will involve strengthening and removing weight from the interior structure, to allow for a maximum weight bulb. Crew selection is underway, and the team hopes to have funding to begin training and building sails in early 2011. Of all the possible entries, this team has the best shot to make it to the starting line, but they need to ensure enough funding to be competitive all the way around the world.

Italia 70: The Italians made a big splash in 2009, with Giovanni Soldini, best known for rescuing fellow Around Alone competitor Isabelle Autissier from the Southern Ocean in 1999, being announced as skipper of a new team. With financial backing from Fiat’s John Elkann providing initial financing, the team purchased Ericsson 3 and planned to race it again around the world.  Since then, the team has gone rather dormant. While rumors of sponsorship from Fiat and Pirelli have been floating around, the failure of the team to sail or race in events like the Middle Sea Race this year would indicate that the team is in jeopardy. They do, however, own a fast boat, and a quick injection of cash will get them to the starting line.

Brazil: Lars Grael was the first to announce an entry of an all Brazilian team in late 2008. Since that time, there has been little substance behind the claims. It would be highly unlikely to see this team make the start of the race.

Others: There have been rumors of a Swedish team and a Russian team trying to secure funding and a boat. Unfortunately for any new team, time is running out. While good boats like il Mostro and Ericsson 4 will be for sale in early 2011, sailing talent is being hired, and sails are being designed and tested by established teams.  The window is fast closing, and it is likely that only 7 teams will make it to Alicante for the start October 2011. While the fleet may be small, this race is shaping up to be the most competitive field ever assembled to contest the Volvo Ocean Race. Life at the Extreme, you can’t get here soon enough!

A Reality Check- As Appeared on Sailingworld.com October, 2010

If there is one certainty for the next Americas Cup, it’s that it will be the most revolutionary event the sailing world has ever seen. Yet instead of anticipation, there is almost universal disdain for the choice of wing masted multihulls. A recent Sail World survey found that 67% of racing sailors would prefer to see the next Americas Cup sailed in monohulls. The common excuse for this disdain has largely been publicly voiced as a lack of good competition, but I think if we look a little further, we’ll find the real cause is keelboatitis.

For starters, let’s look at the contentions concerning quality issues and try to debunk some myths.  The most common myth is that the multihulls will not be evenly matched, and BMW Oracle already has a significant design advantage. In an attempt to help challenging teams get up to speed; BMW Oracle has commissioned the design of 45-foot wing masted cats that will begin hitting the water this December, with racing commencing in the 2011 Americas Cup World Series. These yachts are designed by the BMW Oracle design team, including Dirk Kramers and Scott Ferguson, with the final design being given to the independent Americas Cup Race Management authority. While this should be seen as a noble gesture intended to foster development of the skills needed to design and race yachts like this; many say it’s simply an excuse for BMW Oracle to start designing their defender in advance of the challengers. Where does this argument fit in reality? The simple fact of the matter is that only two large wing masted multihulls have ever been built, and the last large catamaran was designed in 1987. Those with the most recent experience in building large winged multihulls are designing the AC 45, the tooling is being built to allow multiple builders produce the boats, and the engineering details are being made available to any challenging team. While BMW Oracle may gain some design insight from this process, if their motive was to defend the Cup “at any cost”, why would they provide design and build support to other teams?

When we look at the larger AC 72 rule, it is important to remember that US Sailing, with Morreli and Melvin as principal designers, independently drafted the rule. The rule was then made public, (you can view draft 2.0 here:http://www.americasc...+RULE+2.0+Draft), and all teams have the ability to make comment on the new rule. Further, designers for hulls, wings, and structures may be shared until April 1, 2012 (AC34 Protocol, Sec 33.1).  Teams and designers can collaborate with anyone, including the defender. Let’s hope teams take advantage of this resource while it’s available to them to increase everyone’s design knowledge. This is the most open set of design rules in the modern Americas Cup era, and it should lead to teams being closer in terms of performance than any other class launch. It is also critical to remember that had a new monohull class rule been approved, there would be no guarantee of evenly matched yachts, or design collaboration. In 1992, the first Americas Cup event in IACC yachts, there was a wide disparity between yachts. Only after 15 years of refinement did the class get to the close racing seen during AC 32.  Finally, word has it that Emirates Team New Zealand has hired Morreli and Melvin as designers, and Steve Killing and Magnus Clarke from C-Class fame to design wings.  That should make for at least one fast challenger right out of the blocks.

John Cox Stevens brought the yacht America to Cowes in 1851 to demonstrate the best of American yacht building. The AC72 yachts will once again demonstrate the best of yacht building. And if you still don’t believe multihulls can be great racing machines, watch the highlights from the Extreme Sailing Series.

So, from a rule and design standpoint, there’s no reason to believe the next Americas Cup will be any less competitive than an event held in monohulls. So where does this overall multihull disdain come from? I think it’s a symptom of keelboatitis. Keelboatitis is the disease of sailing slow, lead filled sailboats. It’s an all too common disease for most North American sailors.  For too many of us, multihull or high performance dinghy sailing is something we only see in magazines and You Tube clips. We can’t relate to it, and if we can’t relate to it, we become fearful of it. Most racing sailors would love to sail in the Americas Cup. When the event was in monohulls, that dream was more real. Now, with high tech, high performance yachts, we can’t lull ourselves to sleep dreaming of Cup glory because our skills are no longer good enough.

Now is the time to expand your sailing horizons. Go find a multihull or a small dinghy to sail. There is a 505 or International 14, or Hobie 16 in most boat parks. Go meet the owners and take a ride. Yes, you’ll need to learn some new skills, and you’ll find those skills will make you a better keelboat sailor. You may also find something re-awaken in you. That feeling of adrenaline rushing through your veins as you take off on a screaming reach; that feeling you had when you first began to master sail can be yours again!  In other parts of the world, boat parks are filled with small, high performance boats. This is our opportunity to catch up. In addition, small high performance dinghies cost much less than keelboats, require fewer crew, and will attract a younger demographic to your yacht club.

North American sailors, this is your wake up call. The next Americas Cup will change the sport forever. Get out of your bubble and experience lead free sailing!

C-Class Wing Technology- As Appeared on Sailingworld.com September, 2010

The Americas Cup rumor mill is back in full swing again. The latest story making the rounds has the event being staged in Italy in 2013 using 60 wing masted multihulls. Adding fuel to this rumor is the appearance of BMW Oracle’s Glenn Ashby and James Spithill at this week’s International C Class Catamaran Championship, lovingly referred to as the “Little Americas Cup”. The duo will be sailing the yacht Alpha against five other international teams in the weeklong event, kicking off Monday in Newport, RI. Since wings are all the rage now, and notables such as Juan K, Tom Schnackenberg, Kevin Shoebridge, and Dirk DeRidder are in Newport to study the wings, let’s explore how a wing rig works on a sailboat.

The C class rule is quite simple. Build a symmetrical catamaran 25 feet long, 14 feet wide, and with a sail area of 300 square feet or less, and you’re in.  The devil, of course, is in the details. Modern C class boats are at the cutting edge of design and technology, and the wings are works of art. It is no wonder why BMW Oracle secured the services of Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke, the current Little Americas Cup holders, when they decided to pursue a wing sail. The wing, in fact, has been critical to the success of the C Class for many years, since a wing can produce nearly twice the driving force of a soft sail of a given area.

Typical C Class wings consist of three elements: a twistable leading edge section that doubles as the main load carrying member (element 1), an interim flap that can deflect to a small angle (element 2), and a large trailing edge flap that is slotted and can deflect up to 45 degrees. (Element 3)(Due to time constraints and build simplicity, BMW Oracle’s wing only consisted of two elements, the leading edge and large trailing edge flap) The wings are built of a series of carbon frames, and then covered with heat shrink plastic, much the same way as a model airplane wing is built.

Detailed view of Alpha’s wing. Element one is furthest to the left, followed by the smaller second element, and trailing edge element 3

Controlling the wing is a matter of adjusting the twist and camber. With a conventional soft sail, twist occurs naturally in the sail, and can be controlled with vang and mainsheet. On a wing sail, twist has to be physically manipulated into the wing. Explains Steve Clark, designer of Cogito, Aethon, and Patient Lady VI: “The main structural element of the wing is a round mast. This is inside the #1 element of the wing forward of the quarter chord. The wing surface is attached to this spar above the hounds such that the spar rotates with the wing surface. Below the hounds, the wing is located on the spar with saddles, but is free to rotate relative to the spar.

At the bottom of the wing, there is a large boom like structure (called the Boom Box), which is the foundation of the wing control system. This is attached to the wing surface but can rotate about the spar. At this height the spar has a rotation tiller, similar in all respects to what you see on any beach cat. If the tiller is centered on the boom box, the wing above the hounds lines up with the boom box and there is no twist. If the tiller is eased, the wing above the hounds will be eased by the same amount, thus twisting the #1 element below the hounds.  As the flap angle is controlled by a system that has all of its foundations on the wing, flap angle is unchanged by twist. So all the twist happens in the bottom 25' or so of the wing, which is where the greatest speed differences in boundary layer occur.

That is at least how all of the Cogito wings operate, and 5 of the 7 wings at Newport will work this way. Patient Lady VI's wing was built before we thought of this and only has the ability to wash out flap angle.”

Wing control system on Alpha.

Magnus Clarke, crew on Canaan further explains: “The aft flap twist control is a relative system. Essentially the delta translates the camber angle at the boom box to the camber angle at the hounds. If you ease the system, it's the base camber angle, minus whatever you ease into it. So 20 degrees minus 10 equals 10 degrees of camber at the hounds, which also looks like leech twist to soft sail sailors.

So in practical terms, upwind, we have the front twist locked at zero and downhill we ease it out to get an even break across the wing from top to bottom, on the LE. The #3 twist, we generally have boned until we are depowering and don't want to take any more camber out. This is actually pretty important as it affects the downwash of the whole wing. As you all know an even downwash profile will produce the lowest possible induced drag for a wing, which translates into higher or faster. The trade off is still having the right amount of heeling moment to fly a hull, and having enough camber that your net vectors actually kind of point forwards not all sideways which only loads up your underwater foils.”[1] Two further adjustable lines control the overall camber (depth of the hard sail foil) and twist of the leach (reduction of camber with height). All controls are self-tacking so once they are set; the crew need not adjust them through the tack. [2] Most of today’s wings twist through about 70% of their span. Steve Clark, designer and helmsman of Aethon, has designed a new wing that would twist through its entire span. Due to teething problems, this wing is not ready at the moment and will not be sailing at the 2010 Little Americas Cup. To see how this all works out in real life, check out this cool video shot by Fred and Magnus on their newest C Class, Canaan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39vPzdTE0c&feature=player_embedded

Racing for the little Americas Cup is a mix of fleet and match racing. The top two teams from the fleet racing portion will face off in a best of 5 series. Racing was postponed on Monday due to high winds, but beginning Tuesday, viewers can watch the racing action live at www.littleac.com. For those interested in learning more about the design of a modern C class catamaran, Steve Killing, designer of Fred Eaton’s boats, has penned an excellent summary of the design of Alpha in the following article: http://www.stevekilling.com/SteveKilling_CSYS2009.pdf

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[1] Sailing Anarchy Forums: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=101656&st=725

[2] Alpha and Rocker - Two Design Approaches that led to the Successful Challenge for the 2007 International C-Class Catamaran Championship

Steve Killing, Steve Killing Yacht Design, Midland, Ontario, Canada: http://www.stevekilling.com/SteveKilling_CSYS2009.pdf

The RC 44 has Come to the US- As Appeared in Sailing Anarchy, July 2010

The boat was hard to miss at the docks of Newport Shipyard, even though the yard was filled with some of the world’s hottest maxis getting ready for the Bermuda race. It’s clear coat carbon gleaming and low freeboard just screamed sex appeal. This was the first Russell Coutts 44 in North America, and I was there to do some sailing and help get the boat up to speed. Anything with the name Russell Coutts attached to it carries high expectations, and this boat, and the reputation of the European RC 44 Championship Tour were creating a buzz on the docks. But is the buzz worth it?

On first glance, the boat looks like the unlikely love child of a Star and an IACC boat. Performance was paramount in the design brief, and no sacrifice was made for the sake of any rating rule. The RC 44, in fact, won’t even rate under IRC. (It did carry a PHRF rating of -45 during our Tuesday night racing) With a displacement of only 7800 lbs (3560kg), a big square top main, trim tab, and a ton of sail area; the boat is fully powered up in about 6 knots of breeze. That’s when the fun really starts. With no lifelines, the crew drops over the side into the classic Star mini hike position. But with no foot straps, you had better find something to hold on to before dropping your butt over the side! The foredeck and jib trimmers have the best spots, the foredeck can grab the shrouds and the trimmer can grab the winch handle. For everyone else, its first come-first served to grab a halyard tail, jib car line, or whatever sheet is handy. It’s easy to fall off, and at the recent RC 44 event in Copenhagen, crews did manage to go over the side. If you want to race on one of these boats, get to the gym and start working on your abs and forearms now. With only 8 crew onboard, everyone works hard and there is no space for rail whales. Russell wouldn’t have it any other way. If it doesn’t make the boat go faster, it’s not needed. What has been included though is a technical boat lovers dream. Prospective teams will need to spend a lot of time determining optimum rake settings and trim tab angles in order to get up to speed with the top European teams. Both rake and tab angle have beautiful analog indicators built into the sides of the cockpit, along with the standard B&G instrument package. Once dialed in, the boat is a dream to sail, and off the wind, she just flies under a 1722 sq ft (170 sq M) kite.

Great performance doesn’t guarantee a successful, growing class, so how will the RC 44 set itself apart from all of the other choices out there? The answer lies in the successful RC 44 Champions Tour in Europe. Class management, headed up by Bertrand Favre, has set up a series of events that appeal to sailors and shoreside events alike. For 2010, the class mandates a fee of  €15,000 from each competing yacht. The management fee includes admission to all 6 events, plus on the water umpiring, turnkey logistics, and shore events. Host cities also provide a hosting fee to the class to support each event. Team owners need to simply write a check and show up with crew. Boat captains don’t need to be full time, they arrive a few days in advance of the event, unpack the boat from  its container, bolt on the keel fin, set up the mast, and wait for the class ordered crane to arrive. The class also provides a container with full spares, including crash bows, and stern sections, as well as a refrigerated container for each team to store and ship sales. Shoreside hospitality is top notch, and the class even produces a full color press kit, highlighting each team and venue.

A RC 44 North American Tour may be the closest thing to a real pro-am sailing series to succeed in the US. The first Tour event will be in Miami, December 7-12, 2010. Another Championship Tour event will be hosted in San Diego in early 2011, with a stop at Key West Race Week in between. The full North American schedule for 2011 is up to the committed owners to decide, but locations such as Lake Tahoe, Newport, San Francisco, and Chicago have already been mentioned. The North American class is also free to decide if they would like to adopt the current Tour model of fully professional match racing for two days, followed by three days of fleet racing. For all of this to happen, 6 owners need to step up and place an order for the €395,000 boat. The purchase price includes Maffioli rigging, B&G instruments, and the custom shipping container/cradle. Campaign costs are being estimated at $50,000 (US) per event. While the number may seem large, a total campaign around $400,000 (US) would actually price out at less than a top flight Farr 40 program. Russell has indicated they were close to the critical mass, and after a day of sailing, he was off to put the hard sell on the remaining uncommitted prospects. Teams need to decide fast, if they want to ensure getting their boats in time for the December event. While in Newport, Russell received orders for 2 new boats, both for Russian owners.

Top level sailing in the US needs a format like the RC 44 series. With any luck, 2011 will be the start of something really unique in the racing community.

A Star is Born- As Appeared in Sailing Anarchy July 2010

The ranks of elite sailors are filled with Star class alumni, so when I was recently invited to participate in a Star clinic hosted by Cottage Park YC in Boston, I had to accept. The Cottage Park fleet is typical of many local Star fleets; passionate sailors who have been in the class for decades, but lacking younger and new members. In an attempt to spark new interest in the class, the CPYC fleet organized an introductory racing clinic, complete with on the water coaching by local ace Jud Smith. The event quickly fillet out, and soon 20 eager sailors were assembled on the docks for an introduction to fleet and the boat.

Before being turned loose on the water, Jud gathered the Star newbies around for a quick walkthrough of the boat. “The Star mast is actually quite durable, unless you do something dumb” joked Jud as the mast was raked forward. Since a Star has no spinnaker, raking of the mast fore and aft is critical to maintaining flow over the huge mainsail downwind.  As our second coach for the day, Snipe world champion Ernesto Rodriguez, demonstrated raking the mast to its upwind position, Jud directed of a litany of “Don’t do this or the mast will come down” notes to us. “Don’t forget to ease the mast puller before going upwind”. Check. “Don’t have the upper check on going downwind or you’ll invert the rig.” Check. “Don’t get the whisker pole in the water to weather or you could break the pole.” Check. Soon, the new Star sailors were all glancing around, partly thinking Jud was being an overprotective parent, partly hoping they wouldn’t be the one to break a mast!

Finally, new sailors were paired with current owners who graciously agreed to let total strangers race their babies. For the owners, it was also a chance to pull on a harness and hang off the side for some crewing practice. Sails went up, and soon Boston Harbor was filled with teams eager to race. Perfect conditions allowed for six races and some practice drills.  Racing proved instantly competitive, with four boats all converging on the weather mark at the same time.  Over post race socializing, current fleet members put the hard sell on all of the new Star converts to stay involved with the fleet.

You don’t have to be in Boston to become part of the Star class. Active fleets can be found on both US coasts, and throughout the world. With a generous crew weight maximum, you can be a competitive Star sailor weighing as little as 170 pounds, or as heavy as 250. Fleets are always welcoming to new sailors, and they want YOU. Find a fleet near you at www.starclass.org and go for a sail. Who knows, you may soon be lining up against Paul Cayard, Hamish Pepper, Robert Scheidt, or me!

Slaying the Dragon- As Appeared in Sailing Anarchy May 2009

There’s no better way to celebrate a good day on the water than with a cold beer. On any other boat, the crew can do this on the dock, chatting about the day and telling lies the way we always do. This, however, wasn’t just another day, and it certainly wasn’t any old boat. Not by a long shot. Today was the day I was invited to be a crewmember on the VO 70 Green Dragon for the Pro-Am Race in Boston’s Inner Harbor. How could I say no to this? The forecasted winds in excess of 20 knots had materialized, along with thousands of people, hoping to see some fast boats and lots of carnage. In consideration of the high winds and limited sea room, Volvo Management and the skippers wisely decided to change the format of the Pro-Am day to two boat drag racing, instead of a more traditional full fleet buoy race. Fastest elapsed time over a reach to reach course would win a big bottle of Moet champagne. This had never been tried before, but we were all excited to give it a go.

I’ve sailed lots of races in my life, but this was the first time I’ve had a send off from the dock with hordes of screaming people and U2’s Elevation being blasted over the PA. Puma may be the hometown boat, but Green Dragon is a sentimental favorite, and plenty of well wishers were decked out in Dragon gear cheering us on to impending victory. Skipper Ian Walker, along with Johnny Mordaunt, Tom Braidwood, Damian Foxall, Andrew Mc Lean,  Phil Harmer, and Justin Slattery seemed to truly enjoy sailing with each other and their enthusiasm was quickly spread to a mix of sponsors, Volvo dignitaries, and even a hack like me. Anyone was allowed to drive, even during the races. In contrast, some of Puma’s “amateurs” included the likes of Paul Cayard and Michel Desjoyeaux. Even though we sailed with a reef and J-4 only, the sailing was amazing. Legs were about .6 miles each and the fastest elapsed time for the 4 leg course was around 6 ½ minutes by Puma. We averaged mid teens, topping out at near 20 knots in a 32 knot puff. We even won our last race to finally exercise the “curse of the Dragon” that had been following the team since Rio. Ian thinks this is the start of a new trend for the team and even the pros onboard were excited to hand a defeat to Delta Lloyd. The race format was perfectly suited to shoreside spectating. It was short, exciting, and easy to understand. Maybe the sailing establishment needs to understand that instead of getting people to understand sailing, sailing should begin to understand people. To that end, dock talk amongst team bosses and Volvo management was that this format of racing will be adopted as the new standard for pro-am races at all future stopovers. Not only that, it was fun. After a career of windward-leewards, drag racing was a refreshing change that brought smiles to all of our faces, pros and amateurs alike.

So back to the beer. I had brought a case of suds to the base in the morning, but when we hit the dock, we found out that Volvo sailors aren’t allowed to be seen drinking in public. This needs to change. One of the biggest complaints of this edition of the Volvo is that the sailors are too sanitized. Rumors are rampant that the media crew members are often asked to wipe footage of onboard incidents. Ideas are being circulated to correct this in the next edition of the race, including having MCM’s employed by Volvo that will rotate boats during the stops to keep them from getting too close to their crews. The sailors, not the boats, need to be the stars of this event. By and large, they are all very approachable and eager to take time in the race village to stop and talk to anyone who recognizes them. That’s the beauty of sailing. How many other major events can you just walk up to the athletes and say hello. Now if only we could share a beer……

After saying my goodbyes for the day, I was off to home by way of the local liquor store near Fenway. Still dressed in team kit, people on their way to the Sox game were driving by and honking their horns and shouting support for the Green Dragon. People would stop me in the street and ask about the race and how we were doing. One guy even asked me to autograph his baseball. None of these people had been to the race village, but they know the teams and were excited. Other people were shouting their support for Puma. I was blown away. Volvo and Premiere Racing had done it. They’ve connected with a city that many thought would never embrace sailing. 20,000 people welcomed the fleet to the city. Nearly 10,000 people took part in the in-port race, and many thousands more saw great sailing today. In a city with an over abundance of sports choices, professional sailing is relevant here. Puma City is THE social scene. Turnout has exceeded expectations tenfold. While the Volvo Ocean Race may have its flaws, it is certainly a commercial success. 3 teams are already confirmed for the next race, and Green Dragon organizer, Jamie Boag, is confident that at least 10 teams will be on the starting line in 2012., with most of the current teams renewing their sponsorship.  As for me, I’ve  been able to sail on one of the fastest boats in the world and be treated as a peer by some of the world’s best sailors (even Paul Cayard who either forgot or overlooked the fact that I asked him for a Sailing Anarchy interview) Who could ask for anything more. Except maybe a beer?