January 2006 FEATURES mmm THE 2005/6 VOLVO OCEAN RACE A tempting new global event from 'TURNER &c MACARTHUR', a fine new-old tale from the 30 A race of extremes world of 6-Metres, SHAUN CARKEEK on the A frenzied week in Sanxenxo and then a new GP42 Class, SPITHILL finally unseats the dramatic opening 24 hours - no one can accuse 'King of Bermuda', CHRIS LITTLE explains the Volvo Ocean Race of missing out on the major changes at the RORC, ERNESTO goes headlines. TIM JEFFERY fundraising and cool tales from SKIP ALLAN 31 Round the world - or round 15 World news the bend Corentin's Mini, IMOCA changes, DC (and ROB MUNDLE catches up with Sunergy skipper others) in Auckland, a lively Hobart in prospect, ABNl - and nobody could GRANT WHARINGTON BMW go trucking and a look at Tom Stark's possibly call this race dull new TP52. PATRICE CARPENTIER, ROB So what had they learnt after MUNDLE, IVOR WILKINS and DOBBS DAVIS 48 hours or so of finally racing 32 Creating the beast each other in decent breeze? Well, the Volvo fleet was soon -Partll 24 Paul Cayard a whole lot bietter acquainted Lightest shell equals largest bulb, the prize this A lot of improving to do... but there's time with each other and with each year almost certainly went to ABN's clear-coated of their own boats. We could Boat 1, the 'Black Beauty'. Builder KILLIAN already see, for example, that BUSHE tells how they did it 26 Seatee letters Bouwe Bekking's {MoviStar) And a blow for crew recognition prior pronouncement that it was wrong to set off without a 35 Be aware conventional spinnaker pole It's not just about VPP, stupid, it's about knowing 27 ORC-Brave new world was correct. As the breeze the VPP you've got and using it - and interpreting Already things are warming up in the ORC's lightened into the third day of it - correctly. CLAUDIO FASSARDI takes us new Grand Prix classes. BRUNO FINZI the race the two conventionally through the design process for the Maxi Alexia poled Farr designs, Ericsson and Brasil 1, were mowing 28 Olympic and small boat news down the sprit-configurations 38 A loss to the family Skiff and International 14 champion ROB of ABN 1 and 2, sailing deeper The America's Cup world has started its angles widi Httle loss of speed. GREENHALGH describes his latest 'office' We could also see that canting- long-awaited winter break in sad fashion keel mechanisms and their 44 RORC news associated structures have a 39 BaGl( 'home' Rolex Middle Sea Race, plus stacking in IRC long way to go before they are as resilient as their fixed-keel TERRY HUTCHINSON looks forward to a predecessors. Nobody was busy 'winter' in Auckland... and to a new boat! 45 Design - Good rule, good boats going to back off in the first JOHN CORBY takes us through the evolution few hours of this race, what with photographers and the 40 Luna Rossa Special of his successful IRC design philosophy TV still in proximity. Whether We look into the changes wrought in the camp of or not the pace contributed, the 2000 Cup Challenger following a poor show­ 48 Seahorse raceboat build table MoviStar suffered a total ing in New Zealand in 2003. With PATRIZIO failure of one of its two ram BERTELLI and FRANCESCO DE ANGELIS - Like flies mountings, Paul Cayard's The only way to describe the spread of interest Black Pearl found that at in the Class 40. This time a new OWEN- steady speeds around 30kt the lid of the 'fish tank' (the REGULARS CLARKE design for JONATHAN CRINION plate over the keel wet-box) 4 Commodore's letter was simply blowing off and 65 SeahorserAGQ calendar allowing the boat to fill with CHRIS LITTLE water. In fact, water was a big problem, with widespread 7 Editorial 66 Sailor ofthe Month reports of bailing - in training Another battle of the sexes for you... and with less pressure crews ANDREW HURST perhaps understandably backed off a litde sooner. Swiss brothers Then, not unexpectedly, Grant Yvan {left) and Wharington's Simergy had all Steve Ravussin are manner of troubles and on lifted off tiieir ABN 1 Ivlike Sanderson found destroyed trimaran that if you connect the batteries ; i^jAjl Orange after a to the carbon hull via a beam failure in tfie dropped bolt, then surange g Transat Jacques things happen. Meanwhile, ,J Vabre. Also out Torben Grael on Brasil 1 and •"^ were the Orma tris 'the kids' on ABN 2 continued g Fonc/a (capsize), their steady progress... Sobebo (beam fail­ ure), Groupama 2 and T//W Progetto COVER: (both capsized). Jon Nash/KOS Is Orma now too INSET: P Caban/ nshore-oriented? Marine Nationale/DPPI You bet it is... rttj.liWcj^tiM February 2006 FEATURES HEPPEL looks at the bigger picture surrounding the engineering of the latest canting-keel raceboats 30 Extraordinary! They wanted action for the sponsors and they 15 World news certainly got it. In spades. TIM JEFFERY reports A quiver of records in the TJV, fresh doubts from Cape Town after the first offshore stage of about Orma, catching up with rising Spanish star the 2005/6 Volvo Ocean Race ALEX PELLA, RAY HASLAR gains public recognition in Auckland, Alfa Romeo goes 32 Strategy tungsten and a look at Key West '06. PATRICE Navigator and offshore 'routier' WOUTER CARPENHER, ROB MUNDLE, IVOR VERBRAAK reviews the teams' scores on Leg 1 WILKINS, CARLOS PICH and DOBBS DAVIS A wild race - well, sort of 34 Where next? 24 Rod Davis Actually the 2005 Transat NIGEL IRENS thinks that we may finally have A hard look at the reality of professional sailing Jacques Vabre, which saw a to come to terms with calling time on the repeat of the devastation to the stiffest carbon raceboat shells , Orma 60 fleet last seen in the 26 Olympic and small boat news 2002 Route du Rhum, was not Kevlar-built, rotating wingmast, all that rough. Certainly not for 36 Smart - and fast enough \ , lightweight and offering sparkling the North Adantic during PASCAL BIDEGORRY talks to ^ and aerodynamically advanced November. Oidy one PATRICE CARPENTIER after performance. And it was retirement, that of Fonda, was giving loyal Orma Class sponsor designed back in the mid-1970s. direcdy caused by the severity Banque Poptilaire their first big win FRANK BETHWAITE of the conditions; Foncia was effectively and unusually blown over when sailing 38 The cats to beat '44 RORC news upwind after a particularly big In the first of a two-part look at America's Teething problems... they're to be expected! gust got under the trampoline. Cup holders Alinghi we talk to newly appointed Most retirements were caused either by structural failure or race skipper BRAD BUTTERWORTH 45 Design-Pay attention through boats 'getting away' CLAUDIO FASSARDI and KARSTEN from their crews. One has to treat the latter explanation REGULARS HOCHKIRCH look at a new approach to with some circumspection, 'cutting' the design corner however. As Nigel Irens {pg34) 4 Gommodore's letter explains, to go into an oceanic CHRIS LITTLE event with the attitude of 'win 48 Seahorse raceboat build table or capsize' suggests something, 7 Editorial - All black somewhere is not right. In SIMON ROGERS feels it's time to look at particular, the advent of ANDREW HURST well-developed hfting-foils has all-carbon construcdon in mid-sized IRC builds had the dramatic effect of 8 Update raising the Orma éOs' 65 Seahorse race calendar downwind 'cruising speed' TERRY HUTCHINSON reports on a good event from around 23kt to over but a less-good result at the new Monsoon Cup in 28kt. At 28kt you crash rather Malaysia, PAUL CAYARD describes a very scary 66 Sailor ofthe Month than capsize, especially if you start to the Volvo Race for the Pirates and PETER Brains versus beauty... you decide! crash down nose-first off the foils when they lose lift. At the same time these boats Not quite as are (again) being pushed pretty as she harder than ever, by experi­ looks on this enced crews who are almost on month's cover, top of their vessels. Almost. Frank Cammas's Interesting to hear on this from once flawless Michel Desjoyeaux, who on generation-4 his own VPLP design Géant VPLP design was ahead of Groupama 2 Groupama 2 \s a when Cammas's champion 60 sad sight as she restarted following her stop for is hauled ashore repairs in the Canary Islands. after being There is no doubt that recovered from Cammas was determined not her TJV capsize. to let this event slip through his Given Nigel fingers. Even so, when Irens' comments Groupama sped past Géant a (page 34) on the few hours later a stunned brittleness ofthe Desjoyeaux estimated that materials now Cammas was sailing at least used to build 2kt faster. That is pushing at these boats, it is least 2kt harder. A few more relevant to hours and Géant was in front observe the once again.... broken-eggshell type damage to i the skins of G2 £ COVER: Bluegreen caused by her o INSET: ABN/Voivo flailing wingspar a Lt»f»1iW:1i\M March 2006 FEATURES lu World news Oats dominates the latest Sydney-Hobart (as 28 Fingers crossed Crichton fumes), Macquarie Innovation HERVE DEVAUX is closely associated with the explodes, le Professeur moves on (and up), return engineering of the canting systems on ABN of the G-Class... Rod Davis digs into Kiwi AMRO 1, but he is better known for his work on Olympic preparations, USA looks to GP42s and multihulls and racing rigs.