The latest Yacht Race Forum in Bilbao was another chance to catch up with as well as influence every possible aspect of international competitive sailing

Around 365 delegates from all over the world joined the Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao, Spain, for two days of conferences, presentations, networking and business. The leading classes and regattas, teams, brands and venues contributed to the event, designated by many attendees as “the best YRF ever”.

“The pace of change in the sport of sailing is moving quicker than ever’. This is one of the key messages that came out of this year’s Yacht Racing Forum in Bilbao. One of the sport’s brightest minds, Stan Honey, opened the two-day conference with an inspiring keynote speech that made a few predictions for the next decade. A winning navigator of the Volvo Ocean Race among many other sailing accolades, the multi-Emmy Award winner has been even more successful in developing technology for sports broadcasting including the Liveline technology that has revolutionised coverage of the America’s Cup.

The advent of foiling will open up the opportunity to take all the big offshore records, Honey predicted. Smartphones are now becoming so powerful that the kind of Liveline technology that was only affordable by the America’s Cup could trickle down to grassroots sailing. ‘We developed an electronic umpiring system for AC34, but the technology is becoming so affordable that my next prediction is that electronic umpiring will have a big impact across the sport.’

Honey’s other prediction, that the already meteoric growth in doublehanded offshore racing will continue to rise, was echoed by other speakers at the Forum including Rodion Luka, founder of the L30 keelboat, which is opening up opportunities for aspirants to the new Olympic event for the Marseille Olympics in 2024, mixed two-handed offshore racing. In similar fashion, Dawn Riley explained how Oakcliff Sailing has repurposed a fleet of Melges 24s for affordable two-up offshore competition.

“Professional sailors need to be great storytellers as well as good athletes”, was another of the key messages to come out of day one. If anyone can tell a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat it’s Don McIntyre, who laid out his vision for the Ocean Globe Race, designed to mirror and honour the tradition of the glory days of the Whitbread Round the World Race. Meanwhile Johan Salen is re-envisioning the round-theworld concept with The Ocean Race and he described the exciting future that encapsulates the VO65s and the outlandish foiling Imoca 60s. The builder of the recently launched Hugo Boss Imoca 60, Jason Carrington, reminded delegates that there is nothing cheap about high performance, describing the giant foil that protrudes out of each side of Alex Thomson’s 60 footer as like ‘having a Ferrari strapped to each side of the boat’.

The Yacht Racing Forum has always been a pioneer and advocate of social and environmental change in the sport. Vicky Low presented her research into women’s role in sailing, and her findings reveal that however far gender equality and parity has come in the past few years, it still has a long way to go. Jeremy Pochman of 11th Hour Racing and his panel addressed the business potential of sustainability. Far from being scared of the whole notion of sustainability, Pochman argued that the business opportunities in embracing sustainability are immense.

The Forum concluded with the Top of the Sport, culminating in a star-studded panel to discuss the current America’s Cup cycle. Juan Kouyoumdjian voiced his doubts about the direction taken by the Cup. ‘If you look at the AC75 from a concept point of view, utterly brilliant, but when you look at what we needed to do as a successful Cup, I’m not so sure. If you zoom into what an AC75 is, the notion of having battery or energy dependent systems, for accumulation of energy, I think that we could have looked at achieving that in a much more efficient way.’

As for the sailing itself, a Spanish sailor with Ineos Team UK, Olympic Champion Xabi Fernandez, predicted some great leaps forward: ‘Right now it looks very far away, but I’m pretty sure everyone will end up sailing dry laps. Everything is possible; we were told the foiling gybe would never happen, the foiling tack would never happen, that you can’t match race in a catamaran, but we have proved all these things wrong. My hope for this Cup is that we will see proper racing, which is always a challenge with a new design concept.’

As a concurrent part of the Yacht Racing Forum, the Design and Technology Symposium (DTS) brings together the brightest minds in the industry to discuss the innovations that drive the opportunities for exciting racing discussed in the Forum. For one day, techniques in the design and fabrication of modern high-strength composites used in masts and rigging, boats, appendages and even sails are typical topics in the never-ending quest for greater efficiencies in performance.

Chaired by Luca Rizzotti of Foiling Week, this year’s panel discussion on foiling technology focused on detailed use of robotic machinery in the fabrication of foils where the extreme loads and complex geometries demand absolute precision, and control systems need the reliability to coax the maximum repeatable performance from foiling, whether on a Moth or in the America’s Cup. The audience of 80- 100 was also treated to insights from Martin Fischer on the foil design process used in the development of the just-launched foiling monohull for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli America’s Cup team.

The foiling theme continued with a discussion of how this technology can be applied successfully to the design of luxury cruising catamarans that also stray occasionally into racing use, and drag reduction in the aero realm was the theme of Future Fibres’ Jonathan Duvall’s presentation on composite rigging.

Above: Dr Edit Olasz Harken highlights the dangers the sun presents to sailors – and the special risks of products containing ingredients that are now harming the world’s corals ... as well as the world’s humans. The 2019 Forum culminated with a star studded panel (below) to discuss the America’s Cup with Xabí Fernandez, Shanon Falcone, Ken Read, Francis Hueber, Juan Kouyoumdjian and Manolo Ruiz de Elvira

Following a discussion of the marriage of modern sail materials and design to yacht design and fabrication, a discussion led by North Sails’ president Ken Read explained North’s approach to cableless furling headsails and the tremendous promise they hold for improving the speed and shape retention built into these sails. The clever layout of high-strength fibres built into these sail systems also promises vast improvements in the deployment and furling experience for all big-boat sailors, from local inshore club racers to offshore and oceanic greyhounds to the world of superyachts.

Clever product innovations and applications in reducing parasitic chafe and friction was examined in a session presented by Pietro Parmeggiani from PROtect Tapes, and considerations of sustainability inherent to material use in boatbuilding were discussed by William Jelbert from Gunboat.

Moderated by Seahorse Magazine technical editor Dobbs Davis, a lively discussion was held among prominent designers, builders and technologists to examine trends in how Imoca designs may be influenced by shared use of these boats in the upcoming Ocean Race. Are they the same? The consensus is that it’s yet too early to tell completely, so watch this space…

And now that four teams have boats launched for the America’s Cup, another panel of designers, sailors, builders and suppliers shared their thoughts on how the sailors will best handle these challenging boats. Here the consensus is that the simulators are doing a fairly good job, and even though the current learning curve is steep as manoeuvres are worked through by the teams, everyone thinks by the time racing starts all will be ready and the focus will once again return to speed.

Perhaps the most exciting innovation to the DTS this year was in looking ahead not just to the latest in boats, sails and systems, but to the talent that will drive their development into the future. With help from Dr Ignazio Maria Viola of the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Patrick Bot from Ecole Navale in France and Dr Sandy Day from the University of Strathclyde, six graduate students from these and other schools were selected to give short presentations on their thesis projects to the DTS, followed by numerous networking opportunities as part of this conference.

‘This was a tremendous idea,’ said Jonathan Duvall of Future Fibres. ‘We regularly have interns and are always looking for smart, motivated people to join our team.’ ‘This was a great start to what I hope will be a stronger partnership,’ said Dr Viola. ‘The industry needs bright young minds, and we need to have project ideas to put these minds to work, so I foresee this having great potential to forge an important bridge between the academic and industrial worlds of sailing.

Next year’s Yacht Racing Forum will take place in Portsmouth, UK, on 23-24 November, 2020.

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Someone had to take the initiative and it is the Superyacht Cup in Palma that grasped the nettle with the introduction of a new dedicated Performance Class at its next edition in June 2020

The Superyacht Cup Palma has taken a lead in meeting the evolving nature of the superyacht community with the introduction of a dedicated Performance Class for its 24th edition in 2020. It’s a move that reflects the maturity and responsiveness of Europe’s longest-running superyacht regatta, and looks well set to be warmly welcomed by the increasing number of yachts, owners and crews who occupy the “more speed please” sector of the spectrum.

Organisers of the Mallorca-based superyacht event have of course always sought to meet the needs of the very broad superyacht church – one with a growing congregation to boot – and have done so with some style for almost quarter of a century. Any event that can embrace the likes of the 32m modern classic German Frers designed Bolero, the venerable and iconic J-Class Velsheda, and the Javier Jaudenes designed Baltic-built lightweight flyer Win Win – the last three winners of the Superyacht Cup Palma – as well as the awesome 62m Hoek-designed Athos, is selfevidently delivering the goods.

Not content to rest on its laurels, however well deserved, the new Performance Class will now join the ever-popular Original Superyacht Class and the Corinthian Spirit Superyacht Class – itself introduced in 2017 – at The Superyacht Cup Palma from 17 to 20 June.

‘The Superyacht Cup Palma has got better and better over the past 23 years, and at every edition we listen to the owners, skippers and crews and then look for ways to improve on what we deliver,’ said event director Kate Branagh.

‘It has always been a celebration of sailing in all its diversity, for yachts old and new, traditional and modern, and that vision remains at the heart of the event. The introduction of the Performance Class offers a bespoke category for the new generation of ultra-modern high-performance flyers, along with the excitement and challenge of a fleet start,’ added Branagh, whose Aquamarine Events took ownership of the Superyacht Cup Palma in 2013.

Alongside the conventional racing element of a mass start, and all the pre-start tactics that goes with that, the Performance Class will also race under the RRS on a separate course to the two other classes, all of course with the blessing of the Superyacht Racing Association and the Offshore Racing Congress.

With the Corinthian Class providing a more relaxed alternative for owners who enjoy the superyacht scene but want to avoid the hassle of extensive race preparation, and the extra crew and stress involved in flying super-sized spinnakers, the addition of the Performance Class means Superyacht Cup Palma has broadened its offering and now has something for everyone.

Regular participant Peter Holmberg is one who has welcomed the move: ‘I’ve raced in Palma for many years on all kinds of boats and I know it works because the owners love sailing here, says the US Virgin Islands yachtsman who was at the helm of the J-Class Topaz which took an SYC class win in 2019. ‘You now have a growing number of owners who have gone for fast, lightweight racer-cruisers, so for them to have their own high-performance class is a smart move – and it will also produce some great racing as well’.

The added spice of the Performance Class will enhance the appeal of the Superyacht Cup Palma, which has grown over the years. Beginning life in 1996 as an end of Mediterranean sailing season sail loft get-together for crews waiting to go transatlantic, it quickly acquired a racing component to go alongside the social side – in the early years this took the form of a safety-first pursuit race as owners were not always aboard.

In 2007 – with the America’s Cup being held in Valencia – The Superyacht Cup partnered with the New Zealand Millennium Cup to hold what was then the biggest superyacht regatta ever with 54 yachts gathered. The event was held in June for the first time, where it has remained ever since. Its professional race management was further improved courtesy of RCNP, the Real Club Nautico de Palma, an active collaborator since 2011.

Over the years the Superyacht Cup Palma has attracted a total of over 300 entries, including many yachts and owners who have returned several times. This devoted list of multiple returnees includes names such as Atalante, Ganesha, Highland Breeze, Maria Cattiva, Saudade, Scorpione dei Mare and the current champion Win Win.

Participants and observers have been treated to an incredible display of maritime design, engineering and construction that has celebrated the impressive diversity of yachts that is part and parcel of the Superyacht Cup Palma experience.

In what is a veritable marine industry Who’s Who, the list of designers and shipyards is headed by the likes of Royal Huisman, Vitters, Jongert, Wally, Classen – an SYC Silver Partner, and Baltic – a Gold Partner, on the shipyard side, with Frers, Hoek Design – an SYC Friend – and Dubois taking the podium places for the most frequently represented design houses at this annual festival of sail.

Behind it all, the success of the Superyacht Cup Palma has been built on some solid foundations. First up, the Bay of Palma’s metronomically predictable afternoon sea breeze has always been a major part of the appeal – if not an absolute certainty you wouldn’t bet against it – delivering superb, reliable sailing conditions year in, year out.

Above: high performance, race-focused modern superyachts such as the current SYC champion Win Win will be racing in a dedicated Performance Class at the next Superyacht Cup Palma in June. The Performance Class will have its own dedicated fleet start and course.
Below: of course another key attraction is the fine dining scene of Mallorca’s beautiful capital city!

Aside from the racing, the event has also earned its enviable reputation by combining the action on the water with a vibrant and exclusive social scene ashore. The custom-built race village sits in the shadow of Palma’s magnificent cathedral, which forms a backdrop to the private, relaxed and informal setting that is the focal point preand post-racing for owners and their families, guests, captains and crews.

Located in the heart of historic Palma, the race village hosts the daily captains’ briefing each morning and allows for networking and informal meetings with sponsors or suppliers during the day, before becoming the venue for evening happy hours, dock parties, live music and of course the prizegiving at the regatta’s conclusion.

It is also an easy walking distance from another one of Superyacht Cup Palma’s big attractions, the incredible range of restaurants and accommodation in Mallorca’s vibrant capital. And a short ride away is a further highlight in the form of the St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort – SYC’s preferred hotel partner – the venue for the annual owners’ dinner which features the very best of Mallorca’s fresh local produce prepared by the hotel’s Michelinstarred chef. Add in the fact that Palma is home to the world’s leading superyachts services including Astilleros de Mallorca, RSB Rigging, Evolution Sails and STP who are all on the SYC sponsor roster as Silver Partners, and the Balearic base makes perfect sense.

Peter Holmberg summed up the Superyacht Cup Palma’s USP neatly when he said: ‘In Europe you can get too little or too much breeze quite often at some venues, so Palma has got the best odds of going sailing and the reliability of the breeze is probably the number one advantage. ‘And then the shoreside is a favourite of pretty much everybody, and it’s all within walking distance of the old town, so it ticks all the boxes.’

He added: ‘The owners are the ones that select Palma, it’s on their list and an event that they want to do. It satisfies the owners’ styles and demands really well, and that’s a credit to Kate and her team.’

Branagh brings the benefit of extensive regatta management experience to every edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma, informed by a sailor’s eye with more than 250,000 sea miles of both racing and cruising.

The introduction of the Performance Class for 2020 is another valuable addition to a wellhoned organisational machine that will continue to strive to deliver a memorable and rewarding experience for all who take part.

The last word from Kate Branagh: ‘Owners, their families, guests, skippers and crews love coming to The Superyacht Cup Palma because it offers a unique mix of great racing on the water and relaxed socialising ashore, and that is something we work hard to maintain and enhance year on year.

‘At the same time we explore where we can further improve the offer, bringing in new elements to extend the event’s appeal to a larger audience in the superyacht world.’

Next year’s 24th edition will once again demonstrate the success of that mission.

Click here for more information on the Superyacht Cup Palma »

Photo: © Photoboat

Pinnacle regatta, marquee event, premier race series, you choose... but Sperry Charleston Race Week sort of crept up on the international racing scene and now it's impossible to overlook

When you put a boast out there, you’d better back it up. And that’s just what the people who are behind Sperry Charleston Race Week, the largest multiclass gathering in North America, do. For the better part of the past decade, they’ve billed their event as “a regatta unlike any other.” Fortunately, the claim rings true.

Race Week, as locals refer to it, has evolved to become a fixture on the US sailing scene. For four days in early spring. Competitors from throughout the US and around the globe make an annual pilgrimage to this coastal city in the southeast. During the day, it’s top-level competition with some of the world’s best racers competing. Off the water, it’s equal parts mad party and sailing industry conference. Think Mardi Gras meets Dussel-Boot meets Cowes Week, but on an intimate scale.

This April, Race Week will celebrate its 25th edition, and the organisers have every intention of commemorating their silver anniversary in fitting style. In part, that means living up to the reputation they’ve established for regatta innovation.

In past editions, the organisers representing Charleston Ocean Racing Association have introduced new classes (RS 21s and M32 multihulls in 2019), new formats (pursuit and hybrid-pursuit courses in recent years) and novel entertainment aspects, including a late-afternoon pro-am competition. This year, longtime event director Randy Draftz and his volunteer corps have a few additional twists in store.

For starters, the event will serve double duty as the ORC North American Trophy regatta, as well as a pre-Worlds tune-up for the Melges 24 Class - the 2020 M24 Worlds takes place here two weeks later.

‘Each year in the off-season,’ says Draftz, ‘our steering committee tweaks the programming so that we offer additional value for our participants. I think regulars at Race Week expect that because we’ve done it for over 20 years. A lot of the people who compete here know that we make every decision with the competitors’ interests in mind. That outlook is essentially embedded in the DNA of this regatta.’

Draftz isn’t just paying lip service to this notion. In 1998, after the regatta’s third edition, the organisers opted to move Race Week from mid- July to mid-April to take advantage of more consistent seabreezes at that time of year. They were also seeking to diversify the entries by attracting racing yachts that characteristically migrate from the Caribbean up the Eastern Seaboard at that time. And, in the early 2000s, the organisers intentionally froze entry fees for several consecutive years as a way of building participation and keeping the regatta affordable for a broader spectrum of sailors.

In more recent years, the organisers have augmented the Race Week’s programming so that the experience isn’t just about onthe- water competition. It’s also about education and skill building. Working closely with corporate sponsor Quantum Sails, Draftz and company now import sailing luminaries such as Ed Baird and Shirley Robertson, who deliver daily briefings. Aided by aerial videos and graphics projected on the event’s beachfront jumbotron, these experts engage their audiences with savvy tactical analyses as well as pre-race weather briefings.

Above: not just a regatta but also a very handy learning experience. Event sponsor Quantum Sails drafts in sailing luminaries such as Ed Baird and Shirley Robertson to give daily briefings.
Below: a Farr 280 at full chat in typical Charleston breeze. Another class which is always prominent at race week is the Melges 24 and in 2020 Charleston Race Week is a key tune-up opportunity for teams racing the Melges 24 worlds on the same waters just a few weeks later. A well staffed race office has the capacity to run as many as seven different race courses at the same time. Roughly 70 per cent of the several hundred entries race in highly competitive one-design keelboat classes such as the VX Ones, J/70s and J/88s as well as the Melges 24s. The remaining 30 per cent race under ORC handicap

PHOTO: TIM WILKES

Quantum’s participation in this way embodies another attribute that Draftz identifies as vital to the event’s success – longstanding commitment from key sponsors. Sperry has been the title sponsor for the past decade, providing not just financial support, but also delivering tremendous presence at the regatta by way of the company’s singular, tropical-themed retail booth. And Goslings Rum is Race Week’s most veteran corporate partner, having provided huge amounts of its delectable product and branded accessories for the past 15 years.

Draftz also cites important sponsorship from Gill North America (a 13-year backer), Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina (a 15-year backer), Quantum Sails (a six-year backer) and Vineyard Vines (event sponsor for 14 years).

‘The formula for success here,’ explains Draftz, ‘is equal parts ingenuity and commitment. Our planning team provides the ingenuity and our sponsors provide the commitment. In addition, we like to say that strategic evolution is a key phrase for Race Week. For instance, we held the regatta at a variety of venues around the harbour during the early years, but for the past decade plus we’ve operated out of one of the best venues in the country – Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina. Our regatta village is right on the beach overlooking the marina and the race courses. It’s another reason that attendance at Race Week has remained so healthy.’

In a country that has witnessed major regattas shrink (think Rolex Big Boat Series) or evaporate entirely (think Key West Race Week), the adaptive outlook of Race Week’s organisers is commendable. Consequently, it was no surprise that three years ago the committee opted to expand participation by offering scoring under ORC, along with the PHRF and one-design formats they’ve long used. The move initially drew a fleet of five 26-foot keelboats. Three years on, 24 of the event’s 220 entries competed in four classes using the ORC rating and scoring system. This growth in the world’s largest measurement-based rating system prompted the organisers to score the prestigious Palmetto Cup – one of two perpetual trophies that have always been part of this regatta – under ORC.

Despite this embrace of ORC, one-design entries remain the bread and butter of Race Week. For the past 10 years, roughly 70 per cent of the boats competing here have been one-design keelboats, ranging in size from VX Ones to Melges 24s to J/70s and J/88s. A majority of these entries are trailerable sportboats from ubercompetitive classes. And that means discerning competitors accustomed to well-managed events. If this were a second-tier regatta, many of these sailors wouldn’t be drawn to the Carolina Lowcountry.

‘Over the past 25 years,’ explains Draftz, ‘this event has steadily built the kind of assets and resources it needs to allow us to run up to seven different race courses simultaneously. That’s a high bar. But we’re able to do it thanks to the more than 200 dedicated volunteers on the water and the fact that we import some of the top race officers in the sport. The caliber of race management here is just one of the things that make Race Week a regatta unlike any other.’

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Dramatic looking, precisely tailored to its target market, well executed and winning as soon as it hit the water...

There can be few tougher tests for a new 33-footer than being thrown into the fiercely competitive Rolex Fastnet Race. To pile on the pressure, Fastrak XII, one of the new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300s, had only been launched 10 days before the start.

While Fastrak XII was in the capable hands of experienced offshore sailors Henry Bomby and Hannah Diamond, they were as new a partnership as the boat. And yet 80 hours later Bomby and Diamond had delivered an impressive performance finishing second overall in the 61-boat doublehanded fleet. But that was just the start. They were also second overall out of 84 boats in IRC3, a fleet that included fully crewed and doublehanded entries.

Their results had been a success all round. Bomby and Diamond had proved themselves as an impressive offshore duo, while for Jeanneau, success in the world’s biggest offshore race provided further validation of a new design that had shown serious potential straight out of the box earlier in the season in the doublehanded division at Spi Ouest.

For UK’s Jeanneau distributors Sea Ventures, who set up the project, the result was not only deeply satisfying but validated what they already suspected about the potency of this new Verdier/Andrieu design.

‘When you look at the performance of the top two boats in the doublehanded fleet, the success of the JPK10.30 and the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 says a great deal about how far the game has moved on with this latest generation of offshore pocket rockets,’ says Sea Ventures’ Nigel Colley, himself a keen shorthanded and solo racer.

Jeanneau’s latest Sun Fast 3300 has already proven itself to be an even more potent performer than its notably quick predecessor. With offwind speeds of 15 knots easily achieved in sea trials and well above 20 knots logged during last summer’s Fastnet Race, the 3300 is a big step on from the last generation of Sun Fasts – proving quite a bit quicker than the bigger, higher rating Sun Fast 3600

‘These are both new generation designs that beat all of the previous generation boats, including larger and higher rating boats such as the Sun Fast 3600 and JPK 10.80 on the water as well as on handicap. There can be no doubt at all that these new boats are a big step forward.’

A glance back at some of the boat data aboard Fastrak XII from the race provides even further evidence with speeds well into 20kts on the fast reach back from the rock.

‘We know just from the demo sails we’ve been doing that she will sit easily at 15kts in 20-25kts of breeze. This alone is a step up from the previous generation,’ continues Colley. ‘But what has surprised us even more for a boat that weighs the same as the Sun Fast 3200 is how she doesn’t need a wave to surf down to get up onto the plane, she just seems to climb there herself on flat water. Her new hull shape is just that much more efficient.

‘Initially, I had some concerns over whether the twin topmast backstays would make life harder when sailing shorthanded, but this is simply not the case. The swept-back spreaders provide tremendous security during tacks and gybes, which means that you don’t have to worry about them until after the manoeuvre.

But while the 3300 is enjoying early success, the Sun Fast 3600 is also proving that she is a long-term player. In the RORC overall results for last season, the top two boats were both Sun Fast 3600s. Trevor Middleton’s Black Sheep was fully crewed and Rob Craigie’s Bellino was sailed doublehanded all season.

‘We were delighted to see these two boats leading the field,’ says Colley, ‘but there were plenty more impressive results elsewhere on the final score sheet. In IRC3 the 3600s took 1st, 2nd and 4th while in the doublehanded fleet Jeanneau Sun Fasts took four of the top five places.’ All of which bodes well for the coming season which starts with Spi Ouest in La Trinité, France, where the largest fleet at the event is the doublehanded class.

Among the other key events, the RORC season will play a big part as will the ever popular and highly competitive Transquadra race across the Atlantic for singlehanded and doublehanded entries.

But for Jeanneau, 2020 also sees the Sun Fast World Cup in Cowes on 11-13 June in which there will be classes for 3200s, 3600s and the 3300s along with a vintage class.

Beyond 2020 the exciting news is of Olympic offshore sailing where mixed gender, doublehanded crews will be racing one-design boats of around 30ft. And while the specific class will not be announced for some time, it is clear that the 3300 is already showing good reasons as to why it should be considered as a serious contender.

Click here for more information on Sea Ventures »