130 TOP RACERS FAST ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

There are two racing Transats going on and crossing the Atlantic, the Mini Transat that goes to the Caribbean (81 boats) and the Transat Jacques Vabre (59 boats) that goes to Brasil. The Mini-Transat is a solo race, the other a duo race.

Many or even most of the sailors racing are professional or want to become professionals (on the Mini) and many of the ones that race the Jacques Vabre, on bigger boats, started on the minis. All in all the cream of solo/short crew racers are at sea crossing the Atlantic and among those there are also many sailors that have raced on the VOR or have even won the VOR.

This type of racing has become more and more popular not only among the public but also among top sailors because contrary to IRC fast and big machines, that are owned by millionaires or very rich people (and generally skipped by them even if the crew is composed of professionals) these boats are owned by the sponsors (commercial companies or corporations) that contract the best racers to sail them.

We can only find something similar on the VOR but because the VORs have  big crews and a crew is expensive, not all of them are really top sailors, unlike the vast majority of the ones that are racing the  IMOCAS on the Transat Jaques Vabre..... and this year the race is better than ever.

Most of the duos are composed by a very experienced sailor, a winner of many races and a younger talented sailor (sometimes also a winner of top races) and curiously not always the skipper of the boat, the one that has contract with the sponsor, is the more experienced.

I will not follow the races in detail here, I am just calling your attention to these races that can be followed with a tracker and are good fun to watch. You can even learn a lot about routing looking at the meteorology (that is given on the trackers) and understanding the several options taken by the skippers..... and they are hugely different.

On the Jacques Vabre on the IMOCA the lateral separation between the boats (West-East courses) is more than 500nm and that means a completely different approach to routing.

On the IMOCA race there is a lot of interesting stuff going on like an almost unknown American (to solo/duo) making a great race, having as boat the Hugo Boss that was 2nd on the last Vendee Globe and having as co-skipper a very good solo/crew sailor.

I am talking about 11th Hour Racing and Charlie Enright / Pascal Bidegorry. Charlie has made two VOR campaigns, Pascal three and won the last one, but most of all he has won everything that was to be won on solo from the Figaro class to the IMOCAS and on the giant trimarans (ULTIME class). It seems that the younger american sailor (35) is learning fast with the old master (51) because they are sailing now in 6th place but at only 25nm from the 1st.

Curiously the boat that is leading can be considered an old one (PRB 2009) and the duo, composed by two good sailors was far from being a favorite. Kevin Escofier has participated as crew on many top races and world sailing records but as skipper on a duo/solo boat has very little experience while Nicolas Lunven is a solo Figaro champion, a very good sailor but with little experience with IMOCA class boats.

This is only possible because this has been a very unusual race with lots of upwind sailing and the old boats are not worse and possibly are better than the new one in what regards sailing upwind and Alex Thompson on his new Hugo Boss by now should  know this very well: he is only 22nd  due to the bad upwind performance.

Another interesting performance comes from Clarisse Cremer that ascended to IMOCAS directly from the Minis and is 4th on a boat that is old (Banque Populaire X 2011) the one that has won the 2012/2013 Vendee Globe. Of course her co-skipper is no less than the last winner of the Vendee, Armel and that certainly helps a lot LOL.

Also very interesting the performance of the italian Pedote that has as co-skipper Marchand. Pedote is a Mini champion winner of many races and that after a successful passage on the Multi 50 (won the Route du Rhum) comes to the IMOCA. Marchand is a Figaro sailor, a champion that finally made its way to the IMOCA class. The Prysmian Groupe is 17th now but not that far from the leading boat.

I could be writing for hours, it is really a fantastic race but the best is if you to follow the race. If you still don't know you can see who the sailors are and what their careers have been here:
https://www.transatjacquesvabre.org/fr/skippers/imoca
and follow the race here:
https://www.transatjacquesvabre.org/fr/cartographie-et-classement?fbclid=IwAR2QX0W4gN5MEVr1HUkNC12cNV2pxAlKOpFmgaFsVClSCXC1815dA0M5Gwc

On this Transat you have 3 races, the IMOCA one but also the race of the Multi 50 (only three) and the race of the Class 40 (that are many). The race of the Class40 has been very interesting too. Many class 40 sailors come from the Minis but the two sailors that lead on come from a different background. Aymeric was a mini top sailor 7 years ago, but he is racing and winning on Class 40 for some years now and his co-skipper is a champion on smaller boats (470, J80) and only a medium sailor on Figaro.

The second are a British/French team with Goodchild, the skipper, with a very varied but average career having experience with Class40 and IMOCA and Delhaye, a French Figaro top sailor. Neither of them has a big advantage over many of the other boats, the race has been hot and the pace is so high they are catching the slower IMOCA.

Finally on the Mini Transat the surprise was that  Axel Tréhin, the winner of the first leg, did not have a boat with the new foils, neither the second that arrived only 6 minutes later, after 8 days racing. The first boat with foils was the third that arrived only 26 minutes after the first. These three arrived well ahead of all others and the surprise came with the 4th boat to finish, not another proto but a series . "Chapeau" to the performance of the italian Ambrogio Beccaria, a name to retain.

Also deserving a note is the 4th place in proto of Marie Gendron a woman that has left behind 13 sailors. Marie, 27 years old, is a composite engineer that having no money to buy a boat built her own. It took her five years and it seems more two to reach top level in what regards sailing it. If she continues sailing we will have here a potential new top sailor to join the several that this year will be making the Vendee Globe.

They have finished the First leg (Canary Islands) and the second leg to the Caribbean starts in two days. You can follow here:
https://www.minitransat.fr/en/follow-race/cartography

BIG MESS ON THE ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE

The overall victory was attributed to the JPK 11.80 Courrier Recommandé (a French Team) and then mysteriously changed to the First 45 Elusive 2 (a Malta team) without any explanation. 

The JPK was already leading the race on the previous check points and according to the final classification the elapsed time difference between the First, that arrived first, and the JPK was 87 minutes, but if we check the tracker we will see that in fact the JPK arrived only 48 minutes later. 

The JPK 11.80 being an IRC5 started the race 10 minutes before the First 45, that is an IRC4, so the real elapsed time difference should be about 58m (according to the tracker) and not 87 minutes as it is given on the final results.

EDIT: The situation was finally explained by the organization: several boats inverted course to help the trimaran Blackwater that had lost the mast and Elusive 2 one of them. They should have explained that from the beginning as well as announcing what was the redress time (they did not).
https://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com/news/5db1d91d938b040000b69893?year=2019&month=October&fbclid=IwAR2NU1OFdG7EFW8BOnHcyTcqLqwKaMotvDSjx1aXh3zbQXPturmf3ENIz0g#

SUN FAST 3300 BEAUTIFUL AND FAST

This year was a great year in what regards fast small racer-cruisers, boats that are more used to race than to cruise and one of them was the Sunfast 3300.

The new boat is faster than the previous one (3200) but it has needed some adjustments: it has received bigger rudders and to be competitive in solo/duo sailing, water ballast (it seems that the WB system still needs some improvements).

Its racing career on the big classics started well on the Spi-Ouest (two handed) being 2nd, in compensated and real time behind a JPK 10.80 but beating its rival, the JPK 10.30 that won one of the races but was handicapped by problems due to lack of tuning (the boat was launched just some days before).   

Anyway the Spi Ouest was this year raced on atypical conditions with weak winds, being some races cancelled due to lack of it.

JPK 10.30

Then the 3300 was beaten by the 10.30 on the Fastnet and on the Quadra Solo/duo Med. 

On the Quadra Solo/Duo they have not competed on the same class, the JPK 10.30 won the solo division and the Sun Fast 3300 was beaten on the duo division by a JPK 10.10 (the model the JPK 10.30 replaced) but I would say mostly due to the inconsistency of the results on the several legs.

The next big battle between the two in major races will be on the Middle Sea Race  where we will see two very good teams racing them, the 10.30 skippered by Laurent Camprubi and the 3300 by Mallaret. The Middle Sea Race starts next Saturday and I will be following it.

 Lots of interesting sailboats racing this edition. Besides these  two we will have a very well sailed Grand Soleil 34, a MMW33 and several JPK and Sun Fast as well as many Jboats, but unfortunately not the new 99, that seems to be a step behind the new JPK and the new Sun Fast in what concerns performance.

 It is going to be interesting to see how fast performance cats, used almost exclusively for racing (and that do the Fastnet) will perform on the med waters and this year the conditions will be Med typical, lots of upwind sailing, weak winds and strong ones will be met.

 And on on the two handed division how the Pogos 36 will perform against the JPK 10.80/Sunfast 3600 and the Pogo 12.50 against a J122.

 Without doubt the Sun Fast 3300 is a great sailboat, faster than its predecessor the 3200 and faster than the JPK 10.10. The only problem for the Sun Fast 3300 is the JPK 10.30 that seems to be just a bit faster overall and has a better handicap.

The JPK 10.30 interieur

It is yet too soon to make a definitive evaluation because the races where the two boats raced together, with top crews, are few. It is yet to be seen if the JPK 10.30 will leave the Sun Fast 3300 on its shadow, the same way the JPK 10.10 has done with the Sun fast 3200 (that nonetheless is a great sailboat too).

It remains to be said that while both boats have interiors mostly thought for ocean racing the one of the JPK is nicer and more adapted to cruising and many racers like to do some summer coastal cruising with the family.

SWAN 48 THE PERFECT PERFORMANCE CRUISER?

The Swan 48 is on the water, we have photos, videos and also the technical characteristics. It is time for another post, even before seeing it in Dusseldorf, because this is a very interesting yacht and probably will be one of the most popular on the long Swan history.

The last time I checked they had already sold 24 (only 3 built) and I bet that the sales will increase after the possibility to see and sail the boat. In fact the Swan 48 looks even better on the water than on the drawings and after having a look at the interior, hull, cockpit and the technical data I find very little to criticize.

The interior looks just fine to me. They resisted the modern tendency to turn all the available space to the interior, to make it bigger, at the cost of storage space. No, in what I am concerned the layout of this yacht is perfect, it has even space for a 2.50 m dinghy on a garage as well as a considerably sized sail locker as well as lockers under the cockpit seats.

The galley is good, the saloon has enough space and the quality of the design and materials, typical on Swan, will make it a lovely space. The cabins without being king size have an adequate dimension and I would say that the forward one is large offering big storage and a a head with a separate shower with adequate dimensions.

The two aft cabins are smaller being one of them bigger than the other and offering two individual beds. The storage there is not much unless one opts for the alternative layout that offers a folding berth on the smaller cabin and a lot more storage.

For the ones that do extensive cruising this layout makes a lot more sense and that way the boat will have two cabins and two heads being perfect for two couples to cruise. When the kids come to visit they can find sleeping space on the folding berth and on the saloon.

On the first post I said I did not like the single rudder. They have considered that possibility while designing the boat but had opted for a two rudder set up that has many advantages over a single one in what cruising concerns and only a disadvantage: a less effective control at slow speed at the marina for reasons I have already explained (there is a post about it). But because this yacht will have a bowthruster that is really not a problem.

Above Swan 48, below Solaris 50

I can only find three things I don't like, one of then unfortunately has become the rule on luxury yachts. I mean the electric captive winch technology linked to a single point main sheet system. Everything is operated by a joystick, the winch is below deck and I doubt that it has a manual override.

That is a great way to simplify the deck layout that will need only more 4 winches instead of 6 and allows for an easy operation. I would say that it is an indispensable system on big yachts sailed without a big crew. The forces are huge and the system has been used already for some years (Harken and Lewmar) with success.

Solaris 50

But on a performance cruiser with 48ft? On a mainsail with 77.1m2? The system will rely entirely on electric power and on a generator. A generator makes sense on this type of boat where it is expected to have AC, but excludes the possibility of having a traveler for the main that even if  not essential for cruising will certainly contribute for the pleasure of sailing.

Solaris 50

Sailors that like to sail love to have their sails perfectly trimmed, it is not about the speed (many times only some extra decimals of a knot) it is for the pleasure of doing it. That is what performance sailing is about and a performance cruiser should offer the means to do that specially on a boat with less than 50ft were the efforts are manageable by a single sailor.

The second thing I don't like, and this one seems to me absurd, is the mainsheet going through two holes on the back of the cockpit table (look at the 2nd foto). The efforts on the system will be considerably bigger due to friction and the lateral efforts at the base will be huge. It makes no sense and it looks odd and poorly designed.

The 3rd one has to do with the windlass position and the two opening hatches of the forward chain locker/sail storage space. The winch is on the side and I don't think that is the problem, but one of the hatches, near the winch effectively restricts winch operation specially if something goes wrong and you need more space than the little one that is provided to operate it. The problem would be solved with a bigger single hatch opening to the opposite side of the winch.

Very little for a boat that seems very well balanced and designed. For reference we will look at the numbers comparing them with the ones of the Solaris 47 and Solaris 50, probably the closest competition for this boat that should cost just about a million euros, not far but probably a bit more than the Solaris 50.

All measures on metric system (m, kg)

LWL: SW48-13.88, SO47-13.40, SO50-14.25; Beam: SW48-4.59, SO47-4.36, SO50-4.55; Dipsplacement : SW48-15000, SO47-12600, SO50-14200, Standard Draft (all with a similar type of torpedo keel): SW48-2.40, SO47-2.80, SO50-2.80; B/D : SW48-35%, SO47-34%, SO50-35%.

Regarding the keel it is worth noting that the superior draft of the Solaris will mean that for an identical B/D it will offer more righting moment.

Solaris 47

Regarding the hull we can see that the Swan, that looks to be less beamier than the Solaris, is in fact more. What gives that impression is that while all the beam on the Solaris is pulled back, that is not the case on the Swan. This means that the Solaris will roll less downwind, being easier to be driven fast on autopilot and that the Swan (if all other things are equal) will offer probably a better performance upwind and in light winds.

The Swan has  a two rudder system and both Solaris a single rudder. I think that for cruising a two rudder system is preferable but probably for this type and size of hull, in what regards performance, a single rudder is marginally better. Not the case with extreme beams, like for instance Pogo 50 (5.15) but the case of most TP52 (max beam 4.43).

SA/D : SW48-23.4, SO47-24.2, SO50-27.8; D/L : SW48-155.8, SO47-146.0, SO50-136.1. This means that the Solaris, especially the 50, is proportionally lighter and also that proportionally to the weight they have more sail area. That would make the Solaris faster in almost all conditions even if it is not a huge difference. I would not be surprised if upwind with medium to strong winds the Swan is faster.

All great sailboats, very similar in what they offer and on the style of cruising they provide and even if neither of them is a cruiser-racer, if well crewed, they would not look bad on any race. The Swan offers a prestige that the Solaris still aims to reach, due to decades of success, but I would say that if the Solaris continues on the same trend some day it will reach a similar status.

Personally I would say that I like more the hull design of the Solaris and also its deck and cabin design but I would prefer the Swan 48 interior. The one from the Solaris looks a bit impersonal and even in what regards the Swan I am judging only by photos and videos and assuming it has the same quality of the 54, it looks warm and cozy.

Of course I am talking mostly about style and regarding that the tastes can be very different but if I had to chose between the Swan 48 and the Solaris 50, well, it would not be an easy choice and probably I would want to sail both boats to decide.

THE NEW VENDEE GLOBE FLYING RACERS

While the mini Transat is just beginning, let’s have a look at the incredible new IMOCAS that will race the Vendee Globe. This edition will be specially interesting because not only the number of new boats is big (8) but also the number of Naval Architects that designed them is considerable (4).

 Unlike on the last edition, where most of the new boats were designed by Guillaume Verdier, this year he will have only two new boats racing (Apivia et aDvens) while Juan Kouyoumdjian will have also two (Arkéa-Paprec and Corum), VPLP will have three ( Charal, Hugo Boss, DMG-Mori) and Sam Manuard will have L’Occitane. 

Sam Manuard is the least known and also the one with a smaller cabinet but you will remember him if I say that he was the designer of the Seascape 27 (today First 27) and more important, the designer of many recent winning boats on the class 40. He is also a good solo/duo racing sailor.

And to make things even more interesting the new boats are very different regarding design and foils. Some are designed to fly high on the water like VPLP designs, narrower boats and designed to have a minimum drag while flying, sailing with little heel.

The designs of Verdier are quite the opposite, quick to raise the bow out of the water but not designed to fly high. He bets on a superior stability given by beamier hulls that provide a big lateral support to the boat. 

For diminishing wet area, their boats are designed to sail with a considerable heel. The approach of JK is an intermediate one with beamy hulls needing heel for the righting moment but with a foil design that allows the boat to go higher on the water, as we can see on spectacular images of Arkéa-Prapec. 

And the surprise may well come from Sam Manuard that says his boat will be very different from the others and from Sam good things are to be expected. He does not have the same experience regarding foils but he is working with Nat Shever the one who designed the foils on the winning boat on the America’s Cup and who is working now on American Magic. 

Regarding the rules of the last edition there is a change that brought a huge evolution: now it is possible to modify the angle of the foils but Michel Desjoyeaux, the double winner of the race and today involved in boat design, says that the boats will be unbalanced without foils on the rudders (that are not allowed).

The IMOCAs, in what regards foiling, have only 2 support points, keel and foil and are inherently unstable having the need to have a bit of the transom on the water for support. We can see on the Hugo Boss video that  when it goes higher and lifts the transom out of the water instability follows and the boat falls backwards due to lack of support.

It seems obvious that the boats to continue to evolve need lateral foils on the rudders, but it don’t seem probable the rules to be changed before the Vendee Globe.

Regarding the performance of the new boats versus the last generation ones, Lauriot-Prévost (from VPLP) says that Charal can foil with 13Kt of wind and that, while older boats with 16Kt wind could do 22/25kt, the new ones can go at 26/30kt.

When the boat starts to foil it will win 4kt speed. This means that the angles that they will choose to sail will be different depending from boat to boat and the wind needed to foil. Everybody will be looking for conditions to foil even if that means a slight detour that will be more than covered by the extra speed.

A difference of 96 NM each 24 hours is a huge difference and certainly means that, if they don’t break, one of the new boats will win the Vendee, but it is not sure that they will not break, specially the foils.

 The foils are now much bigger and the forces on them increased a lot. And if they break probably the high flyers, the boats from VPLP, will be the ones that will see their performance more compromised: they are narrower, with less righting moment and specifically designed to fly.

Maybe Guillaume Verdier and JK are counting that the chances of a boat to do the entire race without breaking a foil are slim and are not handicapping so much their boats in what regards sailing without foils.

 Also big foils, like the ones of the VPLP designs, cannot be lifted on any considerable extension and therefore in light winds they make the boat slower due to more drag. Not that on the Vendee there is a lot of light wind but they will find it on the Doldrums, that they will pass twice and there a considerable difference of speed can be very important.

Foils will probably be the key element of the race. It will be a fight between more lift and more drag (flying boats) versus less lift and less drag, this in what regards the drag from the foils because the superior drag from the foil can be compensated by the smaller drag of a boat flying. Probably, if the design is equally good, foils with less drag will tend to break less than foils that offer more lift (and drag). All very complicated and interesting.

One thing is for sure, this will be a great race and one not only among sailors but also among designers, kind of race that makes yacht design progress, my kind of race.😉