Grass is greener
I've often wondered what it would be like to go down the professional big boat sailing route, but the truth be told, my heart has always stayed with dinghy sailing. Nevertheless, you can't help but dream about what it would be like to sail these glamorous yachts full time. So it's reassuring to discover from a few old friends from dinghy sailing - now living the high life as well-paid, professional sailors - that their hearts also still lie with dinghy sailing. "Get me back into a skiff, please," said one friend I met out at Antigua Sailing Week recently. He is one of a number of Brits involved in racing some of the most cutting edge yachts on the big boat scene, and yet given half a chance many of them would jump right back into a dinghy.
It's further evidence to prove Lennon's Law, the formula that I discussed in last fortnight's Rolltacks, that fun is inversely proportional to the length of boat you're sailing. However, there were a couple of yachts I would love to have had a ride on. Mari Cha IV was an obvious one, she being the 145-footer that recently smashed the Transatlantic Record. But for me, even more impressive were the Z86 Maxis, the sisterships Pyewacket and Morning Glory. For someone who is generally left fairly underawed by the performance of most yachts - by comparison with a high performance dinghy they are quite inefficient machines - I have to admit to being gobsmacked by these 87-foot, pencil-thin speedboats. They are capable of 15 knots upwind, about the pace of a modern Olympic Tornado, and I imagine they are well capable of exceeding 30 knots downwind.
87-foot skiff
The Z86 derives its immense power-to-weight ratio through combining hi-tech, lightweight construction with CBTF technology. This stands for Canting Ballast Twin Foil, which means a big bulb that you can swing side to side through 52 degrees, allied to twin rudders, one at the stern and one under the bow. This gets around the problem of a conventional keel serving the twin but compromised purpose of providing right moment and lateral resistance, neither particularly effectively. The CBTF configuration makes the Z86 akin to a high-performance dinghy, with her rudders providing the sideways resistance and the swinging bulb the equivalent of a few rugby teams trapezing off the windward gunnel. Now that's what I call efficiency, and the results are breathtaking. In the strong wind and high seas of Antigua, Pyewacket and Morning Glory ran rings around pretty much everything else out there, except for the 145-foot leviathan Mari Cha IV which for an ocean-going liner, turned in a very strong performance around some quite short courses.
Now, variations on the CBTF theme have been around for some years, but it will be interesting to see if the example set by the Z86s is sufficient to establish this innovative technology more strongly in the yacht racing scene. Interestingly, it could be argued that the National 12s were the first to come up with the idea, or more specifically Mike Jackson. Mike drew a few fast 12s in his time, as well as designing the Lark, and is the only sailor I know of who bought and actively sailed a 49er whilst in his 70s. But it was one of his more radical 12s that could perhaps claim to be the forerunner of twin-foil technology. He built a 12 with a conventional rudder and a daggerboard that slotted down through the bow. Apparently it was quite fast at times, but proved impractical in the event of a capsize, at which point there was not too much to stand on. So don't discard your conventional daggerboard quite yet.
Grandfathered
The National 12 class has come up with an interesting way of grandfathering the older boats in the country which have long been left behind by the faster modern designs. This is how 12 sailor Graham Camm describes the system. "The National 12 is a development class with a very long history and whose Owners Association recognises that development tends to produce quicker designs over a period of time. The RYA is only able to issue a single PY number for the whole class, which can sometimes penalise older designs. To avoid this and maintain a boat's competitive level, particularly when racing in club handicap races, the National 12 Owners Association has considered the key design developments over the years in order to suggest handicaps for use in club sailing (not for open meetings).
"The figures recommended are based on the various speeds and PYs being used at the time the design was introduced and also handicaps used in club racing. We would recommend that National 12 sailors who would like to make use of these Portsmouth Numbers in club handicap racing discuss them with the sailing secretary at their clubs. The figures below should provide a good baseline which can be adjusted for local conditions."
Sail No. Range Approx Year Range Recommended Handicap (Portsmouth Number)
1 - 1599 1936 -1958 1170
1600 - 2511 1958 - 1970 1145
2512 - 3140 1970 - 1980 1130
3141 - 3271 1981 - 1987 1115
3272 - 3410 1988 - 1994 1104
3411 + 1995 - present 1093
Iso Experiment
A variation on the theme of keeping ageing boats up to date comes from the Iso class. Bearing in mind the Iso is only 11 years old it seems quite early to giving the boat such a major overhaul, but the Class Association has decided to trial a number of modifications that the members will vote on over the coming months and years. In fact, if you visited the Iso stand at the Sailboat show, you may have noticed that the display boat was sporting new versions of the boom, rudder, wings and sail plan, plus a few subtle tweaks to the layout.
Class chairman Bob Ladell explained the aim behind these proposed changes. "Our overall objective as a Class Committee is to get people out on the water economically and not to split the fleet by implementing change too quickly. Change, if it is voted in, will be adopted in an evolutionary way. We have had significant success in increasing numbers during the 2003 season. The stand saw many of the early Iso sailors enthusiastically visit the stand telling us about their new Iso purchase and impending return to the 2004 fleet."
The proposal for the boom is to replace the alloy version with a carbon alternative, with the hope that a carbon boom will break less often.
"Rather more controversial are the new prototype wings," admits Bob. "These change the Iso style which some consider more attractive. Others firmly disagree. Whilst they are lighter than the regular GRP wings they also have the scope to be weighted, so retaining the original Iso equalisation design intent. Weight could be removed in later years as opinions change. A final version can be expected to have a trampoline added to fill the gap for both comfort and safety."
On the rudder proposal, Bob takes the opportunity to fire a broadside at the suppliers. "Rudder supply has had some difficulties over the last year, inspiring us to look at alternatives. The Blaze pedigree of the alternative on show needs further work to make it suitable for the Iso. We rather hope that the manufacturers and distributors take the hint and sort out the supply chain. Other manufacturers have already been invited to offer their ideas ..."
Another controversial proposal is the new sail plan. A larger, bow-mounted jib and part-battened main is planned, with the spinnaker remaining unchanged. "This plan was test sailed about two years ago and reported to have similar performance to the standard rig," says Bob. "It also has the benefit of being easier to handle in stronger conditions enabling a wider skill range to be able to handle the boat, potentially increasing fleet sizes. Class members rejected it at the time on the grounds of cost and risk of splitting the fleet. We showed it again this year to remind everyone of what can be done with revised styling."
Most people would agree that a bow-mounted jib is generally more aesthetically pleasing, but makes hoisting the gennaker more difficult. This seems quite a drastic change, as does the reduced-leech profile of the new mainsail. However, following the lead set by the RS800 with full battens at the top of the sail and half-length battens in the bottom half, should help make the boat easier to tack and handle in strong winds.
Bob says that test sailing in 2002 with the new sail plan showed no speed advantage compared to the standard rig. He says this was the intention, not to make the boat faster but just easier to handle. The trouble is, even if there is no real speed difference between old and new, it will be very difficult not to get ‘psyched out' by the thought of having inferior sails if you find yourself at the wrong end of the fleet.
Some of these proposals seem quite risky, but full marks to people like Bob and other active Iso members for attempting to breathe new life into the class. Even if some of these proposals end up in heated and angry debate, it is better to have an agitated class membership than one that is completely comatose. It is human nature to want to tinker with things, and the challenge of a strict one-design is to allow enough tinkering without alienating the more conservative sailors. The Topper has introduced the centre mainsheet conversion, and now the Laser even allows you to use vang, Cunningham and outhaul adjustment systems that actually work! Has anyone looked back since? I don't think so. Change, when discussed and debated properly, is more often than not a good thing - even for a one-design.
