Both the stories and the sailors... powerful and reliable comms has never been so important as in the era of the oceanic ‘speedboat’

Following an ocean race from the comfort of home, watching live video from yachts speeding through the Roaring Forties, you might assume they all have the same ability to keep in touch with the rest of the world. ‘That’s not always the case,’ says Nick Moloney, who has been relying on connectivity in the world’s most remote oceans since the 1997 Whitbread Race. ‘During the last edition of The Ocean Race, the home viewer experienced a connection to offshore yacht racing like never before. This was delivered by the event partner Inmarsat, and the systems and hardware were exactly the same from boat to boat. That event-sponsor partnership established a whole new benchmark of what is achievable in regards to connectivity and content transmission from the most remote parts of our oceans.’

Unlike The Ocean Race, for many other events – the Vendée Globe, for example – there are various systems and service level agreements that competitors can choose from, and these decisions can actually be amongst the most critical of the entire campaign. Given that carbon fibre creates satellite signal black spots, boat design and sail materials are part of this early decision process.

From a safety perspective, Moloney’s opinion carries a fair amount of weight. In the 2004-5 Vendée Globe, having good satcoms probably saved his life. Fighting for survival after several brutal 130- degree knockdowns in eight-metre breaking waves and hurricane force winds, his mental state was understandably in tatters. ‘There was a heartbreaking moment when I was told over the satellite phone that there was no chance of rescue if required,’ he recalls. ‘A survey ship was at Kerguélen (about 500 miles away) but conditions were so bad that they couldn’t leave the port. I actually called my father to say goodbye, that’s how sure I was that it was the end.’

Main picture: Nick Moloney had a rather eventful Vendée Globe Race in 2004-05, surviving multiple knockdowns in a Southern Ocean storm and then the loss of his keel. Having reliable satcoms on board helped to save his life. He is pictured in the same boat during the Transat Jacque Vabre in 2003.
Below: more recently Moloney has been using Fleet Xpress to stream amazing live videos from his adventures to remote locations

Race Control and the rescue unit tracking Moloney’s situation were emailing and calling his boat via his onboard satcoms every hour, on the hour, providing as much reassurance and advice as possible – it was still blowing Force 11 with a sea state that few of us can imagine. ‘It was difficult for me to pick up the pieces after that 48 -hour storm, both emotionally and mechanically,’ Moloney says.

He spoke frequently with his shore team who talked him back into action and gradually Moloney regained the resolve to repair his broken boat, get its systems running and carry on sailing. ‘I was just focused on exiting the Southern Ocean and rounding Cape Horn,’ he says, ‘and 10 days after that my keel fell off.’

With luck and skill he avoided capsize, and once again the reliable satcom link was a godsend. He was towed to Rio and 10 months later, with a new keel, Moloney sailed back from Brazil to a hero’s welcome at Les Sables d’Olonne to complete his solo circumnavigation of the globe.

In his subsequent adventures, Moloney has always sailed with the best possible satcoms on board. ‘It’s one of the basics,’ he says. ‘There is an enormous competitive advantage in identifying this and I engage with Inmarsat as they deliver the most reliable global coverage. From a performance perspective, whatever software you use for navigation, if you don’t have the connectivity to update information, such as weather files, while your competitor is receiving this vital knowledge ahead of you, this loses races, it is that simple.’

Also crucial for any pro sailor is the ability to service sponsors. ‘During my Vendée Globe I was one of the few sailors who managed to get a Christmas message off the yacht in heavy Southern Ocean conditions,’ Moloney says. ‘And that message closed out the national news in France on Christmas Day, creating enormous exposure for my sponsors. You have to earn the right to have sponsors and you do that by winning, obviously, but also by taking their brand to an audience via stories.’

In between racing commitments, which include a two-handed offshore Olympic campaign with Adrienne Cahalan, Moloney is increasingly focused on adventure projects. Earlier this year he was sailing in Antarctica with an expedition to mark the 200th anniversary of its discovery and he will next explore the Arctic latitudes. ‘Antarctica is incredibly raw and remote, it’s a humbling place where you feel real exposure,’ he says. ‘Just like ocean racing, for remote cruising you absolutely don’t skimp on communications.’ For these projects Moloney shares his awe-inspiring content with the world via Inmarsat’s high-bandwidth Fleet Xpress.

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Ordering a new boat for a full offshore race programme narrows the field when it comes to selecting a builder who will ensure that you receive a boat that is both reliable enough as well as fast enough to do the job

In ocean racing the name Black Pearl is synonymous with excellence. This is a mature team led by owner Stefan Jentzsch whose racing interest is almost exclusively offshore. He and team manager, Marc Lagesse, bring together an impressive veteran crew whose CVs are littered with multiple Volvo Ocean races, even Whitbreads, not to mention dozens of Fastnets, Transatlantics even a few America’s Cups. It's a small and tight group who enjoy their racing at a high level. It’s therefore unsurprising the team’s choice of boatbuilder for the latest Black Pearl was going to be a builder who shares the same dedication, passion and fastidious attention to detail that this team has while on the water. For Black Pearl the obvious choice was King Marine.

Over the last few years the team has ticked off class and overall wins in numerous classic races, including last year’s difficult Middle Sea Race and in 2017 the Cape to Rio Race. The latter is an impressive feat for this triennial 3600-mile race across the South Atlantic considering they raced a Carkeek 47, not a Maxi. This team prefers racing offshore with a group that’s small but versatile, trading some creature comforts to maintain this tight footprint. And in no way does small size correlate to diminished interest in their results: this is one of the best-prepared teams racing offshore today.

‘We certainly had a lot of fun and success in the five years we sailed the 47,’ Lagesse explains. ‘At the time this boat was available for us it worked into our schedule on a short timeline. However, our interests have evolved into wanting a boat just a little larger that could have just a little more comfort while racing offshore. Our brief to our candidate designers was for a fast offshore boat between 53ft up to Open 60 sizing and it had to be sailable by a crew of less than 10.”

Among several credible options, the team chose Botín Partners, in part because of their success in TP52 designs, but also their more recent successful offshore designs and fertile ideas on matching design concepts with functional realities. The decision to have a design drawn at 56ft represented their ideal optimum size and rating for their intended programme of racing: the classic 600- milers such as the Caribbean 600 along with the occasional ocean race like the Transpac.

‘This team know exactly what they wanted,’ said Adolfo Carrau of Botín. ‘They had five years of collected performance data so they knew the average range of conditions to target in the design. They knew that TP52s rate well but they wanted a boat a little larger, yet not so large that a canting keel was going to be costeffective for rating. So we opted for a fixed keel design with water ballast used to compensate for the smaller hiked crew.

‘And unlike the TPs, their offshore programme meant the boat had to be completely waterproof yet also lightweight and strong. There are many details needed to keep a highspeed boat like this waterproof, so deck design is really important. Many builders underestimate the effort needed to achieve this, but with Marc working with King Marine build manager Tony Evans and Black Pearl technical consultant Micky Costa, they have been able to achieve success.’

Lagesse agrees it’s this attention to detail where King Marine really excels. He says the atmosphere at King Marine is one of collaboration and not simply taking what’s proposed from the builder then fighting through detailed redesigns.

‘Micky and I could sit alongside the technical team and co-design the details in real time rather than endless iterations of shared drafts passed among all parties. And when what was approved deviated from the original build proposal, they were great on knowing exactly what the difference would be in cost because their tracking of time and materials is so organised.’

Lagesse says he found this transparency unusual and refreshing compared with most other builders where cost controls and pricing are not so well-organised. An example he cites is the modification of the foredeck toerails from what was described as “inshore” on the original bid contract to a design more suitable for this boat’s offshore use.

‘We looked at the original design, made modifications to our specs and right away I had a report on how much this change cost in time and materials. The whole experience was honest, open and had everyone on the same page. This is a testament to how organised operations manager Pablo Santarsiero is with his process and his team.’

This was important for the assembly process, where systems in the interior get put in place before the deck is bonded to make the installation process easier, more efficient and cleaner. In fact, keeping a clean shop is a signature feature of King Marine. Lagesse says, ‘their operation is remarkable, it is cleaner than any other boatbuilder I know. It's a testament to their attention to detail in all their operations.’

There are many other details specific to Black Pearl that make her unique compared with other similarsized raceboats, and where the collaborative environment at King Marine allowed for clever design and build execution at known cost.

These included:

• a water ballast system where 550 litres of seawater could be collected, moved and drained quickly and efficiently. The system is installed well aft, between the main traveller and the stern, and the vertical position is not as high as the sheer so that at high heel angles the extra weight does not contribute to sinking the boat. Lagesse had high praise for the installation, saying ‘it was so beautiful, so well-integrated into the existing structures that you have to look hard to see that it’s even there.’
• a deck-stepped mast that helps preserve waterproof integrity, but required more thought put into the supporting structures.
• a dual companionway open aft with a centreline peninsula to handle a winch and all clutches and associated controls. The exact design of this was decided after building a full-scale mock-up of the deck in wood to determine the exact dimensions and layout.

‘When this idea was proposed for the mock-up, the build team was very cooperative. Taking this approach made the final fabrication in carbon more exact and acceptable for everyone,’ says Lagesse. This is a prime example of the importance King places on full cooperation with the customer. And despite very difficult times with Covid 19, Lagesse says they delivered a boat that was both a work of art and built to perfection.

Above: Black Pearl was one of the first yachts built at King Marineʼs new hi-tech shipyard in the Americaʼs Cup harbour in Valencia, which offers comprehensive facilities for yacht owners and their teams.
Below: unlike most comparable boats Black Pearl has a deckstepped mast which keeps the interior watertight but requires extra reinforcing structures down below.
Bottom: another unusual feature is the dual companionway and ʻcentreline peninsulaʼ equipped with a hydraulic winch, rope clutches and associated controls

‘We take this seriously: we cannot accept disappointing those who have rewarded us with their trust,’ said King Marine’s Gabriel Mariani. ‘We also do not negotiate speeding up procedures to lower costs. We know that composites are a science and an art, that it must be respected and that is why we have spent a lot of energy in the last 10 years in order to have all the procedures written in such a way as to transmit this to our team. We have really detailed the steps to follow for us to have traceability of the processes and materials, so we may see how something successful was done and be able to repeat this in the future. We believe that it is the only way to guarantee quality and is our commitment number one.’

The Black Pearl team was also one of the first to take full advantage of King Marine’s new facilities at the old Team New Zealand base in the America’s Cup harbour in Valencia, where the facilities were not only efficient for the build team, but attractive and efficient for the visiting owner and sailing team during the commissioning process.

‘It was impressive that when at this facility we had our own office, storage areas for rigging and sails, canteen, locker rooms, a lounge area and Stefan even had his own office if he needed to attend to business matters. This made the time spent there very efficient and much easier than trying to operate out of a normal marina or yacht club. It was perfect.’

After only two days of sea trials the boat was ready to race and after just four days they embarked on a 150-mile shakedown sail before returning to her new home at the King Marine waterfront facility. Both the owner and crew have only very positive things to say about the boat and look forward to doing many fast and fun miles on her.

‘It is a pleasure for us to have satisfied clients like the Black Pearl team, which only reinforces the good decision we made when opening this second King Marine headquarters,’ says Mariani. ‘We invite all those teams that want to come to test the base to contact us so that they too can have this complete experience. For now, we continue to invest to always provide and guarantee the very best.’

As for overall impressions, Lagesse puts it simply: “’this may have been the first Black Pearl we built at King Marine, but I hope it will not be the last.’

Click here for more information on King Marine »

Conventional wisdom suggests that promoting a maxi-sized one design will always be a challenge. But then who cares about convention when a boat like this pops up on your radar?

Despite the continued growth and success of one-design classes around the world, there’s a reason why there has not been an 80ft onedesign since the Grand Mistral Maxi class of 1999. For many owners, winning at this size has frequently been as much about smart thinking and engineering their own private advantage, as it has been about success on the racecourse. Onedesign takes all that away. The big guns at Nautor’s Swan know this, some of them have been a part of those very circuits, but they also believe that the landscape is different today and that their recently announced ClubSwan 80 one-design will succeed.

The announcement of this striking, all-out 80ft racer marks another bold step forward for a builder that has reinvented itself once again by managing to shake off the popular image of a range of elegant but sedate racer/cruisers in favour of two fresh and distinct new lines – racing, with ClubSwan Yachts, and performance cruising, with the Swan and Maxi Swan lines.

But this has been just the start of a long-term campaign for the company. The launch of the radically styled ClubSwan 36 took many by surprise with a design that appeared so far out at the extreme that it was difficult to imagine it had come from one of the world’s oldest and most famous yachting marques. And for those who took a closer look there were more surprises in store. Despite her looks and technical specification, this was a boat aimed squarely at owner/drivers.

Due to COVID19, and the cancellation of many of the season’s regattas, the impact that the CS36 was certain to have, has been put on hold, at least for now. But when racing resumes, the indications are that the class will be making the headlines once again, which is good news for her 80ft sistership.

Based around a similar concept, both in appearance and in operation, by the time the ClubSwan 80 hits the water in spring 2022, the ClubSwan 36 will have done much of the ground work when it comes to putting theory into practice.

‘The ClubSwan 80 is a challenging project,’ admits Nautor Group ’s vice president Enrico Chieffi. ‘The Maxi scene is in a deep crisis. Historically this class has been very successful but this success has decayed over time with far fewer boats being built. We believe there are two reasons for this. The first is owners asking themselves why they need to go racing with a Maxi when they could have a lot of fun on a much smaller boat. We are seeing this already within the ClubSwan 36 and ClubSwan 50 fleet.

‘The second is that owners are becoming increasingly frustrated by the different rating rules and the ways that different boats are compared. This has led to a large number of classes but with few boats in each, which in turn has diluted the competition for all. So we said, why don’t we try to develop a one-design class along the same lines as the boats that we know have been successful, our own ClubSwan 36, ClubSwan 42, Swan 45 and ClubSwan 50s.’

With a typical combined fleet of 45 boats across the classes competing at each of the various ClubSwan events, a key part of the evidence to support their idea has been staring them in the face. But would the concept really scale up to a Maxi?

‘Aside from creating a boat that is clearly going to be an exciting, high- performance machine, we have looked carefully at other factors that we think will make this boat even more appealing. Among them, the total number of crew will be 14-16 compared with 24-28 for a Maxi. We have strict limitations on the sail wardrobe where the sail button system will be used to limit the number of sails that can be built in a season. Because it is a strict onedesign there is no option to change masts or keels which are frequently areas of high cost in the Maxi world. Areas like these have helped to fuel the arms race in the Maxi fleet which is now one of the central problems for the class.

‘The number of events is important too and keeping this to a manageable level is another key to success. We will be looking to run four regattas a season plus a championships.

‘In addition, we’re not allowing outside assistance from coach boats or weather services, these will be supplied centrally to the class and available to all.’

And then there’s the owner driver rule
‘While we believe we are leading the charge in this area of racing development we are not aiming to be the America’s Cup, nor are we trying to create a large TP52, our target is to be one level below these professional extremes and appeal to amateur owners who are deeply passionate about high-performance racing.’

Yet at this size, the owner/driver aspect could potentially be the hardest sell. Eighty-footers have never been easy to sail and when they look as sporty as this there is a risk that potential owners will jump to conclusions about how tricky they may be to handle and take even more persuading. But Chieffi is confident there are several important reasons why the ClubSwan 80 will buck the trend. One lies with the design of the boat itself.

Main picture and above: in many ways the new ClubSwan 80 follows the template set by the radical ClubSwan 36, albeit on a much larger scale...
Below: the rig is expected to be highly adjustable with a heavily aft-raked mast

‘The fact that the ClubSwan 80 looks similar to the 36 is no coincidence. As anyone who has sailed the 36 will know, the real key to this boat is that while it is a high-performance boat it is very easy to handle thanks to the advanced hull form and sailplan along the innovative underwater appendages.

‘The ClubSwan 80 will be the same. For example, full bow sections provide a full rocker when the boat is heeled and sailing upwind. This even distribution of buoyancy makes for a very balanced boat and a responsive, well mannered feel. Downwind the flat sections aft and twin rudders make for a stable and sure-footed feel that is again very easy to manage on the helm.

‘Where the 80 differs significantly from the 36 is that she will have a canting keel where the 36’s is fixed. It is this canting keel, along with the innovative sailplan, that is behind the reduction in crew numbers. The interiors as well are conceived to give a spartan, yet stylish possibility to have some weekend cruising. The base yacht will be the simplest, lightest and fastest you can get. We will permit options to allow for comfort, but no-one will be allowed to buy extra performance.’

But while the 80 has much in common with the 36, it was the ClubSwan 50 that gave the company further confidence that a radical and innovative boat concept would work and still be recognised as a Swan.

‘At the time of the 50’s launch there was no question that people were surprised, this was a big step forward for the company,’ continued Chieffi. ‘We have built 28 boats so far and regularly get around fifteen on the start line at events. It’s a class that has been competitive from the start and looks set to continue.’

When it comes to construction the ClubSwan 80 remains the full grand prix package with a hull and deck that will be a carbon pre-preg sandwich layup. For the construction of the ClubSwan 80, a partnership with Persico Marine has been created. Specific details around the rig design are still being refined but the final design is expected to follow similar lines to that of the 36 in that it will be highly adjustable.

‘We think the cost of running this boat will be around a third of that for current Maxis,’ said Chieffi. ‘That will clearly represent a huge saving.’

So when will we see the first boat?
‘The yacht is being constructed with our strategic partner Persico Marine and the launch is set for the spring of 2022. We are planning to have three boats on the start line in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup event in Sardinia in the same year. We are still in the process of refining some aspects of the design but our intention is to start building by the end of this year.’

Even simply from the renderings and the early details of this bold new design it is clear that Nautor’s Swan are aiming high once again with an overall style that does most of the talking. But just in case you remain in any doubt as to the scale of ambition around this project, Chieffi sums it up.

‘While she will be an easy boat manage, this will be the fastest 80 foot monohull out there. Our target is to have 10 on the start line and should we achieve this we will be writing a new page in sailing history.’

Bold talk and an ambitious goal, but from a company that is starting to make a habit of bucking the trend.

Click here for more information on Nautor Swan »

Over his eight years on the 52 Super Series Provezza Sailing’s popular owner Ergin Imre has known the highs… and the lows. But most of all it’s the addictive collection of ‘almost but not quite’ regattas that keep the hugely experienced team owner returning to the heat of battle year on year.

Since Provezza joined at the Royal Cup in Palma 2012, the third event in the inaugural 52 Super Series season, then racing with Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers on the helm and American Tony Rey calling tactics and moulding the team, Provezza have evolved from a crew that was about 50 per cent amateurs, then racing the Judel-Vrolijk designed former Desafío, to becoming today’s regular podium contenders and occasional outright regatta winners.

‘What attracted me in the beginning was the level of competition, in terms of the technical levels and the level of the sailors. It is second only to the America’s Cup so to be able to go and compete at this level was appealing,’ recalls Imre whose most recent red Judel-Vrolijk design is the 11th to bear the Provezza name.

Imre came to the class from the Farr 40, first dipping a toe in the water at the Copa del Rey and the Royal Cup in 2012. ‘Back then the goal was simply to not finish last in any race and at least beat every boat once. And we more or less managed that – although we were mostly near the back we were having some good racing with the other older boats like Paprec. After three years in the “second hand” boat we decided to build a new one of our own which we sailed for three years and then built another new boat, the red one we have now.’

Indeed their successes include winning in Puerto Portals in 2017 when they became the fifth team to have won an event, going on to fourth overall for the season. Then 2019 saw them as overall title contenders. With John Cutler moving onto the helm from the coach boat and Hamish Pepper calling tactics Provezza were a very close second in Menorca before winning outright again in Puerto Sherry.

Now Provezza were fulfilling their promise, looking like a very settled, focused, competitive but happy team… before their mast came down in Mallorca.

It is testament to Imre’s indomitable spirit, doubtless tempered by more than 30 years of serious campaigning, and his commitment – when others might have jetted home in a fit of frustration the smile scarcely left his lips. A huge effort was fired up and a new spar arrived from Valencia in time to race just two days later.

Ergin Imre quietly lives and breathes the whole breadth and depth of sailing competition but it is clear he does it for his enjoyment. It remains a fundamental principle that the Provezza team enjoy crew meals together every night, and usually at a decent restaurant! This philosophy is almost certainly the glue that has helped them ride out the occasional frustrating low and also acclimatised them to enjoying the occasional celebration.

He recalls the start of his passion: ‘We started in Istanbul where I had an old Ed Dubois One Tonner (the former Port Pendennis) which I bought secondhand from a friend. We had some encouraging results and then we went to Denmark and bought a Two Tonner with which we won more or less everything we could in Istanbul and Greece, so then we were encouraged to buy another Two Tonner on which we sailed the Admiral’s Cup as part of the British team.’

Along the way he set up a programme seeking to bring on young talent in his native country. ‘We put together a programme with Farr 40s but to be honest it was a disappointment for me. I spent a lot of money to have two equal boats and then getting young Turkish talent onboard. The best of the crews would then sail a third boat internationally. They won some races at regattas but it was a bit of a disappointment in terms of raising young talent.’

So now Imre’s focus is on competing at the highest level he can. ‘My thoughts are that slowly, very slowly we are approaching the end of our sailing careers and so we try to have the best possible group on the best possible boat to go racing.’

With the benefit of his years of experience he is objective about the fine margins that separate the Super Series fleet. ‘We did not change many positions on the boat from last year and in the small amount of sailing we did this year it was clear that things were building nicely and we were benefiting from the continuity.

‘We had enjoyed two thirds at the world championships in 2019 and a couple of podium finishes in regattas. Now after this unwanted break the goal for next year is to win another regatta, have a couple of podium places – and then let’s see.

‘There is nothing different in what you do between winning, being on the podium or not. The level is so high across the fleet. After the first half of each regatta there is nearly always a chance of being on the podium or even of winning. It is down to the last two or three races when you need to just keep your nerves under control and have a bit of luck, maybe not make mistakes when your rivals do.

‘In Puerto Sherry Azzurra made a little mistake and we could win the regatta, in 2019 we lost a race by half a boat length. The hard thing is to get up to podium level. But once you are there it is just the last races that really count – the margins are small, you can be third, you can be fifth or you can win. Then you look back and struggle to see what you did differently,’ he concludes.

Looking ahead Imre is most keen that the fleet stays in touch with its origins and remains accessible to owners. ‘It has to suit the owners and not the industry. This needs to come from the class.’

Meanwhile, he loves and thrives on the evenness of the contest. ‘It is the highest level of technical grand prix boat that can be owner driven. I don’t think there will ever be a foiling boat that can be driven by an owner to the same level as the pros. Performance-wise what we see today is not much difference between the pro and amateur drivers. Look what Sled did in the last regatta of 2019 and you can see a boat proving very superior with an owner-driver.’

At heart Provezza is a proud Turkish team: ‘Otherwise I would lose the fun of the game – we keep as many of our Turkish guys on the team as possible. Some have been with us a very long time, some since the beginning.’

But while the successes come for the TP52 team he is also proud of the Provezza Dragon crew. ‘I got the idea of having a Turkish-built Dragon and became more and more interested in the class. There are still 75 boats competing at a Gold Cup in a 100-year-old class.

‘I thought we had the talent and experience to do well in the class with Simon Fry and Andy Beadsworth and one Turkish sailor – and they won one worlds, then a second! You won’t be surprised that we are looking forward to the next world championship in 2023!’
Andi Robertson

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