Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Jules Verne

Is anyone else following these two tris as they attempt to beat the Banque Populaire round the world sailing record?
At Cape Horn they were slightly ahead, but in the South Atlantic they've dropped back a few hundred miles, but if the weather improves they could still do it.
http://volodiaja.net/Tracking/

Here is the website for one of the contenders

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/jules-verne/en/live

Absolutely am. There's s lot to race for yet. It's been a fascinating 3 way duel between the boats present and past racing at over 30 knots for days on end with only a handful of crew. Contrast this with the Sydney Hobart where a bunch of dinosaurs fall to bits first day out in 25 knots.

I think that is a bit severe. There is a world of difference between racing monohulls and multihulls. To compare the two is like comparing cricket and baseball. Also there is a huge difference between a race in circumnavigation and the relatively short distance of the Sydney Hobart.

Not that I don't think the Jules Verne race is interesting and to circumnavigate at that speed show daring and preparation beyond the norm. Certainly the big trimarans have shown that it can be done if properly designed, prepared and crewed.

I do agree however that the current Sydney Hobart event where most of the maxis have been knocked out or damaged in one way or another shows a failing in the regulations that allows light weight boats that are probably great for a race of short duration to compete in an ocean race that is known to take a heavy toll on boats.

The rules for F1 cars are constantly modified to ensure driver safety and limit risks to a degree that is seen as acceptable. Some rules of this kind need to be applied to ocean racing so that crew safety is formost. The current batch of maxi yachts seem ill adapted to ocean racing and are little more than high tech giant racing skiffs. Thank goodness that this time there has been no really serious injury or loss of life.

We have just finished dinner with a guy who has done two Sydney Hobarts. Two years ago he sailed the boat first from Hobart to Sydney before the race. On the way they were knocked down in a storm and had to limp into port with a severely injured crew member that could not be lifted off by helicopter because of the severity of the storm. In the race itself they broke a stay and he seriously thought for a moment that they were in real trouble. They managed to get into a sheltered bay and make repairs before continueing down the coast to Hobart. He has done a few ocean races but has said he will never do the Hobart race again.

It may be spectacular but is a long way from its origins just like the America's Cup. The organisers of modern America's Cup seem to have forgotten that the challenger for the original cup, the yacht America, first traversed the Atlantic before racing against the English yachts. To my mind a true America's cup challenge should be between yachts capable of crossing the Atlantic, not high tech multihulls that would break apart in a storm at sea.

You are absolutely right, Peter. These tris are so far removed from "normal" yacht racing to make them irrelevant!!

Cheers and Gappy New Year from Ireland!!

Sorry -- Happy New Year!!!!

Was that the result of one glass too many of Irish Whiskey?

Was not Peter referring to the foiling cats in the America's Cup rather than the
Jules Verne tris when he referred to high tech multihulls which would break up in a storm at sea?
The Jules Verne tris are more than capable of sailing round the world, and have the advantage of enough speed to sail round the worst weather. They do get caught out beating into big storms across the Atlantic though.
I love the AC45s, but agree that they are only suitable for round the cans racing. I had a close encounter with one in the Solent this summer sailing back from Cowes. Awesome bit of kit. It dropped off its foils to sail through some traffic, crossed our bow by twenty feet at about 15 kts, then hardened up and sped off on the foils into the distance.

Absolutely I was refering to the America's Cup boats.

The Jules Verne tris of course must be robust enough to carry crew and supplies and weather the worst of storms without assistance. I know little about the theory of trimaran design but I can well imagine that there is a certain safety factor in size where a capsize becomes less likely. The trouble is that what is stable in a multihull the right way up is also stable the wrong way up. A conventional yacht, on the other hand is usually self righting.

To return to the AC45s I see them very much like the waterbourne version of the round the pillons racing aircraft (currently sponsered by Red Bull). Exciting to watch, unbelievably expensive, and somewhat dangerous if things go wrong. Perhaps this is a natural progression from the increasingly fragile and high tech monohulls that had been competing before the change to multis. I just see this as too far from the historical origin of the America's Cup and feel that they should be competing for a different trophy.

Absolutely agree that the current Americas Cup boats and series should be renamed formula one yachting. In 2013 I Crewed on an X C 42 belonging to friends for the X Yachts Solent cup, we were in the family division. The cup was hosted by the RYS and over dinner the subject was raised, I certainly got the impression that the RYS members were were the race officials at our table were in favour of returning the Americas Cup to a more traditional formal. The current format is fun to watch but is so far removed from the racing and sailing that all but an elite few carry out. Hopefully the next winner who has the choice of format will return it to more traditional sailing. The Jules Verne boats and their crews are very very tough.

Just been down to check my pride and joy, thus far two fenders AWOL and one lazy Jack worn through, not too bad in view of the winds.

Pete