Volvo Ocean Race 2012

It's over. Nine months, 39000 miles and one winner. The talented Franck Cammas and his crew aboard one of the Juan K. boats. I also have a few observations about this latest edition of the Volvo Ocean race.

Each one of the boats with the exception of Sanya won at least one Ocean leg, winning from a tactical decision and position, not necessarily from boat speed.
Inshore races, again with the exception of Sanya, each one of the boats won at least one race where tactics and decisions came into play. It seems to me that the Box Rule in effect does a pretty good job in the design of the boats and that where you go is still the deciding factor.
Breakage. There was material failure in various degrees for all of them. The construction of the boat can be reviewed to include modifications to the scantlings. Ought to be not too difficult with the amount of feed back and observations gathered over the past few months. Keep the performance high, the drama low.

NEWPORT, USA. America's Cup World Series

Newport was the America's Cup battleground for generations. The competition against sailing nations was the motive. The sailing boats involved were the best that Traditional Yachting could offer at the time.

- Now it's all different. Last week, in the sailing Capital of the world, the lethal weapon of choice became 45' catamarans zipping along the Narragansett Bay. Close to Fort Adams, which never fired a shot. Great spectacle, offered to a public of over 60000 people who came to see sailboat racing over the few days of the competition. That is a first in Newport, I think. All good for the sport.

- I very much enjoyed the show, and being practical about America's Cup venues, I applaud anything to get the "Old Mug" going for a long time. 

But for me, the America's Cup was a "Victorian Affair". Important, were the Nationalist aspects, when designers, builders, manufacturers had to represent the best of their respective countries, challenging for the Cup.



A little side story. When I was working for Andre Mauric, the French architect, in the first Baron Bich Challenges for the Cup, there was little known about the design of a Twelve-Metre Yacht.

Intrepid had won the previous America's Cup and was a breakthrough 12M. Of course, the plans were not made available to us.

Therefore, in order to reproduce the boat, to establish a set of data, we went about redesigning Intrepid based on the Rating Certificate and 2000 photos.

                                                                          Scrolls of the Dead Sea. My own 12M. Design.

Bermuda Race

The 90' R/P Rambler shattered the previous record of the Newport Bermuda Race by 14 hours.
Finishing first across the line in 39 hours, 39 minutes, and 18 seconds after the Newport start.
Bella Mente was second.
The 67' Tanton's Circus Maximus, back in 1978, finished first over the line in 105 hours, 9 hours, and 9 minutes.
- The race that year was the slowest in Bermuda's race history. A combination of almost total lack of wind and sailing it all against the wind, let the skipper to say " I felt as if I was racing the seaweed, and at one time, the seaweed was winning".

- In the same Summer, C-M went on to break the 1939 Marblehead to Halifax record.

- Circus Maximus. Start of the 1978 Bermuda race.

- À lire aussi: SEARCH. Circus Maximus.

North-West Passage.

Three years ago today, my two children embarked on an epic journey near the Top of the World to conquer the NW. Passage. Leaving Newport on the 16th. of June 2009, the voyage took five months, ending in Seattle. The vessel was a 57' Nordhavn.
Thanks to modern communication, the trip is the object of a long film documentary and will be released soon. I'll keep you posted.
Chauncey, since has crossed the Atlantic on a J60 and is completing his MBA.
Dominique is involved with the racing program of the new 72' "Bella Mente". The boat is sailing in the 2012 Bermuda Race, which started yesterday.

                                                            The Good Ship "Began"
                                                                http://www.bravingit.com/

Lunacy ex StarCruiser.

The wonderful exploits of the 16-year-old Jessica Watson going around the world solo, more recently, the Laura Dekker story, and so many others remind me of my own desire at their age to do the same. Of course, it never happened.  But the next best thing is to have many Tanton's designed boats to make the trip of a lifetime. One of them is the StarCruiser. Now named Lunacy, the owner for a few years is Charles Doane, an editor for Sail Magazine. I found his own blog interesting, with the many different segments of articles, and the fact that Charles really knows about boats.
www.wavetrain.net/the-lunacy-report

A little side story:

The boat was built in Canada. On an inspection trip, while the boat was being built, I arrived at the Canadian border coming from New-York State. The Customs Officer asked me what I had in this copper tube, looking like a bazooka in the back of the car. I said " A roll of plans for a boat I am having built in Kingston, Ontario, and that I am the yacht architect. Looking suspiciously at the large-scale drawings, he raised his voice with authority to say: " How come for a boat built in Canada, the boat building company is not using a Canadian Architect? " Of course, I had no answer to this question, nor would I know how to give an explanation about International Trade to a Customs Officer who should know better. He added, " You have to leave the drawings here; you can pick them up on your way back."

Dumbfounded silence followed. I was on my way.
Fortunately, I had sent a set of the plans by regular mail, and they were at the Metal Craft facility when I arrived. You never know about boats! Just another Boat Story.

Class 40, Atlantic Cup.

- This new event, in its second year, is a success. To have been able to attract 15 boats on this side of the Atlantic, for what is essentially a European sort of thing is a major achievement. The double-handed race started in Charleston to New-York city, then on to Newport. I like the Class, the size, the speed, the concept. I drew one a few years ago to get a sense of the design, and the following text will give you an idea behind the thinking. I am always updating the basic plans as time goes on to get abreast of the evolution of this class.

- The Class 40 Tango follows parameters set by the Box rule, to the maximum of all dimensions.
The result is a platform with a fine entry, a wide beam, and a transom. The shallow Veed stern is carried all the way forward to the midsection at a constant angle to keep the buttocks as straight and flat as possible. A true chine boat. The lines are carried towards the bow in a deep and sharp section. The overall simplicity of the hull shape hides the reasons behind everything.

- The twin outboard rudders, placed well to the sides are out of the wake exit and are perpendicular to the bottom angle. In case of hitting something, the rudders swing aft, thanks to a "fuse" line built into the system.

- The keel is designed to carry all of its lead into the shape of the bulb for maximum stability. The blade is designed to maximize the aspect ratio available with an optimized sweepback angle.

- The sail plan represents an effort to place the mast as far aft as dictated by balancing the rig with the below waterline appendages.

- The deck plan reflects the need for sailing the boat single or double-handed with the necessity of getting protection from the elements.

- The Accommodation Plan in its simplicity offers a couple of options, all within the same building for a strong structure.

Here we go. "

Mystic Seaport.

I do not know if you know about the Mystic Seaport. Above and beyond the Slave ship, Whale boat and the Fisherman Schooner, the place has a special section with 100000 Boat Plans inherited from the Masters of my profession. Buy the Book/Catalogue and drool. Recently, I purchased a couple of decorative prints from 1916.