Moving and Trucking Boats--Designer Nigel Irens
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To return to Steven Callahan’s Home Page, click below: http://www.stevencallahan.net/schome.html To return to Steven Callahan’s ProBoat Articles Page, which includes links to a number of articles on leading designers, click: http://www.stevencallahan.net/proboat.html To return to Steven Callahan’s Publications Page which includes links to both articles and books, click: http://www.stevencallahan.net/publications.html OR You can go directly to the Articles Page, which links to both the Professional Boatbuilder Articles Page and other sites containing articles by Steven Callahan, by clicking: http://www.stevencallahan.net/articles.html Or You can go directly to the Books Page, which links to books by Steven Callahan and his associates, plus descriptions and links to books recommended by Steven Callahan, by clicking: http://www.stevencallahan.net/books.html The magazine for those working in design, construction, and repair NUMBER 63 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2000 DESIGNER NIGEL IRENS $5.95 DEVELOPING A SCANTLINGS STANDARD THE REBUILD OF A CLASSIC MOTORYACHT o designer has ever dominated and '96. Moreover, no designer had around Britain at an average speed the multihull racecourse as ever swept a major international of 21.5 knots while consuming just Nigel Irens does today. In 1984, multihull race, either, until boats 2,000 liters of fuel. A decade later, the his 80' catamaran Formule Tag, one of designed by Irens placed one-two- 35m (114.8') Cable and Wireless the first pre-preg composite racers three in both the Singlehanded Adventurer—a larger version of Irens' in the world, sailed an astounding 518 Transatlantic and Quebec-to-St.-Malo Voyager design concept—rounded the miles in 24 hours, a record that would races in '96. In addition, Irens' cre- globe in 74 days, 20 hours, and 58 last 10 years. In 1994, the same boat ations have won: the Round Britain minutes (despite making 15 "public (by then a well-campaigned war Race, the Trophee des Multicoques, relations party stops"), thereby beat- horse), renamed Enza New Zealand, the Grand Prix de Brest, the Route du ing the powerboat record of 84-plus circumnavigated the globe in a record- Rhum, and half the UAP Round days, set by the U.S. Navy nuclear setting 75 days. Before Irens, no Europe Races (in '97 placing first, sec- submarine Triton. designer had delivered three consecu- ond, fourth, and fifth). Irens is no oceanic cowboy burning tive winners in the oldest of modern Still. Irens did not rest on the laurels up the racecourse with bravado. He's offshore adventure races—the Single- of his sailboat winners. In 1988, soft-spoken and quick to credit others. handed Transatlantic Race, often his breakthrough 21.3m (70') power He sees himself slowly evolving as a called the OSTAR or CSTAR—but this trimaran iLAN Voyager drove 1,568 designer, freely adopting the wisdom race belonged to Irens in 1988, '92, miles without refueling to set a record of colleagues, and paying heed to 86 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER Many are the high-performance multihulls of Nigel Irens. And many of those are not only successful (see the brief summary on page 88), they're remarkably durable. Given the speeds these boats sustain and the punishment they endure in offshore condi- tions, the fact that Irens' multis remain both competitive and intact for as long as they do is testament to Irens' deep under- standing of the type—a technical know/edge he's gained as designer, builder, and, earlier in his career, as racer. Clockwise, from upper right, a gallery of shots of Irens raceboats in action: Fujicolor, Biscuits La Trinitaine, Region Haute Normandie, Banque Populaire, Corum Watches (ex-Region Haute Normandie,). In the last photo, the three boats nearest the camera are Banque Populaire, Fujicolor, and Corum Watches in the '97 Round Europe Race, won by Fujicolor. On the following page is a photo of the famed cat Formule Tag, which, as Enza, set a global circumnavigation record under sail in '94. Now 17 years old, Enza is undergoing modifications for yet another high-speed global circumnavigation: The Race in 2001. failed experiments in the field. He looking monohulls in which he can studies at the Southampton (England) tempers theoretical speed potential sail up winding creeks with a few College of Technology, Irens lived with the pragmatics of budgets and friends and a good bottle of wine. aboard a salty 22' gaff yawl as he boatbuilding. In recent years, Irens' The roots of his love for divergent learned carvel and cold-molded con- common sense has returned him boat types reach back to 1969. During struction, and worked summers in to classic cruisers—very traditional- three years of Boatyard Management surrounding yards. After graduation, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2000 87 he opened a sailing school in Bristol, but in 1975 was drawn away to work in a multihull yard, known for its big and rather boxy cruising trimarans. 1977 18m (60') cruising trimaran The yard owner, injured in a car acci- Promenade. Built for the dent in 1976, closed the yard, but Caribbean charter trade and still Irens was able to continue there. active. While building a 60' charter tri. Irens' future appeared in the form of a 1980 12m (40') racing trimaran Gordano Newick-designed 31' daysailing tri- Goose. Thirty-five thousand miles maran that had been salvaged from of racing and cruising, including the mid-Atlantic. six Atlantic crossings. 1982 12m (40') racing trimaran IT82. 1988 Awarded Silk Cut Award for n the 1960s and early '70s, many Class winner of Round Britain design of Carlsberg Single- multihulls were designed on the Race in 1982. Handed Race winners and for backs of envelopes and then 1982 15m (50') racing catamaran Vital. work on power-driven iLAN owner-built in backyards. It was a Voyager concept. period marked by ambitious technical Placed third overall in Route du experiments, and some notable struc- Rhum singlehanded St.-Malo-to- 1988 21.3m (70') iLAN Voyager breaks Guadeloupe Race. Round Britain powerboat record tural failures and capsizes that cap- with an average speed of 21 knots, tured worldwide press. By the mid- 1983 24m (80') racing catamaran completing a 1,455 nautical-mile 1970s, however, American designer Formule Tag. Winner of 1985 trip with no fuel stops. Dick Newick and a handful of col- Monaco-to-York Race. Holder of leagues had created a collection of world record until 1994 for dis- 1990 18m (60') racing trimaran multihulls that held together in the tance sailed in one day: 518 miles, Fujicolor II launched. Fourth place roughest conditions, thereby ushering average speed 21.6 knots. in Route du Rhum. multihulls into a new era of sea- 1985 18m (60') racing trimaran 1991 Fujicolor II wins Trophee des worthiness and performance. Irens Apricot. Winner of 1985 Round Multicoques, and second place in and friend Mark Pridie set off in their Britain Race. Crewed by Nigel UAP Round Europe Race. salvaged Newick tri and handily won their class in the 1978 Round Britain Irens and Tony Bullimore, who 1992 Fujicolor II wins Europe 1 Single- Race. "I started with my feet very were jointly elected Yachtsmen of Handed Transatlantic Race. the Year at the 1985 London much in the Newick camp, " says Boat Show. 1992 Awarded Royal Institution of Irens. "Dick was most generous and Naval Architects' Small Craft helpful." But Irens thought he could 1986 23m (75') racing trimaran Fleury Award for work on both power- advance the structural elements of Michon VIII. First in Silk Cut and sailboat development. racing multihulls, which must handle Brighton-to-London Race. First enormous, complex loads generated overall in Route du Rhum single- 1993 Fujicolor II wins UAP Round by their big rigs and the hulls slam- handed St.-Malo-to-Guadeloupe. Europe Race. ming across acres of bumpy seas. Holder of west-to-east trans- 1994 Enza New Zealand (ex-Formule In 1980 Irens debuted his own atlantic sailing record, June Tag) wins Jules Verne Trophy for approach with the 40' tri Gordano 1987 to April 1988. the fastest-ever circumnavigation Goose. She employed Newick-like 1987 18m (60') racing trimarans of the world under sail. hulls that were highly rockered and Fujicolor and Laiterie Mont St.- 1996 Europe 1 Single-Handed Race. veed from bow to stern, but Irens' Michel. Fujicolor winner of Grand First three places: Fujicolor, boat was more low-slung than Prix de Brest 1988. Region Haute Normandie, and Newick's. By reducing windage and 1987 12m (40') Formula 40 catamaran Biscuits La Trinitaine. lowering the sail plan, Irens aided sta- Data General second overall in 1996 Quebec-to-St.-Malo Race. First bility. At the time, many multihulls F40 Championship. Sistership three places: Fujicolor, Banque suffered upwind under heavy load Fleury Michon/Jenneau placed Populaire, and Region Haute when their light hulls bent and head- third. Normandie. stays sagged. The curve of the Goose's turtleback cabin intersected rigging 1988 18m (60') racing trimaran Fleury 1997 UAP Round Europe Race. First, loads at the bow and stern and created Michon IX. Sistership to Fujicolor, second, fourth, and fifth places a substantial compressive beam out of winner of Carlsberg Single- with Fujicolor, Corum Watches, the deck. In a 24-hour Le Mans-style Handed Transatlantic Race, beat- Banque Populaire, and Biscuits race in France, Irens spun the Goose ing record by six days.