EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour just added a ‘very’ serious new competitive element to the most accessible winter racing anywhere

Whoa!

After seven years of growing recognition EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour just took a huge step up. Organiser Oman Sail has announced an all-new look for the region’s leading racing event, with a switch to the high-performance Diam 24 multihull, and a new course that will explore the length of Oman’s striking coastline.

Add in Oman Sail’s newly extended offers of turnkey entry packages – ashore and afloat – and it’s an event that’s clearly going up a gear. Racing starts on 3 February and concludes on the 17th.

A Gulf fixture since 2011, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour needs little introduction, offering top proam racing with a mix of in-port and coastal courses. The reboot will offer more of the same magic winter mix with the addition of challenging coastal raids and eight new venues.

But for the racers it is the change from the Farr 30 to the Diam 24 tri that will grab most of the attention. Very fast, straightforward to assemble and sail (did we say very, very fast), the lightweight VPLP one-design tri has proved popular among pro sailors and recreational racers alike with growing fleets and dedicated events including, of course, the Tour de France à la Voile, where it was an instant hit.

As a one-design tri that rewards preparation, teamwork and race skills, plus occasionally a little bravery to push that bit harder, it’s anticipated the step-up in performance of the 2018 Tour fleet will appeal to a new group of international racers to add to returning fans of the event.

For those kicking their heels through the long northern winter, the Caribbean has, of course, been the default setting for those averse to frostbite options. With Key West Race Week off the calendar for now, other alternatives might have seemed limited.

Might is the operative word here, as the ‘Tour’, particularly in its new format, has earned the right to serious consideration by those seeking something warmer in February (mid-20s in Oman before you ask).

For its part, Oman Sail is now a well-established and familiar presence in the racing world, with teams competing across a wide variety of international events. Its competence in organising marquee events in the Sultanate has been seen at the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series and the Extreme Sailing Series, as well as recent Laser, Laser Radial and RSX World Championships (and that is just the sailing, they also organise the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon).

For all that, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour may still seem a bit left field, even for a team looking for something a little different in unfamiliar – if spectacular – waters. Oman Sail has been a pioneer in a number of respects – not least reconnecting Omanis, including many women, with their maritime past – and is keen to present the challenge of The Tour to as many prospective racers from as many different countries as possible.

With that in mind, for the new-look event Oman Sail is offering a new turnkey package par excellence which extends not only to the race team, the race yacht and technical support, but to family, friends, team supporters and sponsors. The whole event package costs €22,000, with a 25 per cent discount for the first four teams to sign up – so an early-bird rate of €16,500.

One boat, one cheque, one spraytop (each)
Included in the one-off fee is free return shipping of a Diam 24 and equipment between Port La Forêt, France, and Oman; all the transport costs (and logistics) of moving the boats between venues once in the Sultanate; the entry fee for three sailors; and their accommodation and catering for the full 15 days of the event; as well as crew and luggage transport between venues and event hotels, including flights.

Find a boat, pay the one-off fee between you, then it’s a spraytop, sandwiches, water and bananas (it’s a bit hot for chocolate).

Also included is Yellow Brick tracking, the loan of a mandatory race gennaker, and safety equipment (but not navigation kit). Repair of in-warranty equipment and other technical support are part of the package. A full media package, including a video and digital photo portfolio, is provided free to all competitors.

Further team members and crew can be added for ⇔2,250 each for the full 15-day package, and those wanting to charter a Diam from Oman Sail can do so for ⇔6,000 on a first-come first-served basis.

A welcome BBQ and closing ceremony dinner are also included. Obviously!

And for those staying dry
Oman Sail will also arrange hotel deals at all the locations for non-sailors and shore crew, as well as family, who are invited to travel with the organisers between venues. RIBs are supplied free at the in-port race venues. Oman Sail will connect family and friends with local tour agencies so they get the most out of the whole Tour experience and also offers a bespoke sponsor package, up to and including managing an entire PR, communications, client and VIP programme if required. This package has proved very popular with many amateur entries such as Renato Azara who saw his Sardinia-based Adelasia di Torres team take fifth on their EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour debut in 2017. The MD of the Emerald Coast-based crew and yacht management agency Sardinia Yacht Services, Azara said: ‘For me the biggest reason to do it is that it is in February! And that is a good time to get away from Europe… Everything is organised and I love it. There are plenty of people who are prepared to spend money on going sailing, and they should consider this opportunity.

‘It’s so easy, literally, you just turn up and race around some of the most spectacular coastline on the planet. Local culture, cuisine… it’s just as much fun for those travelling with you as it is for us.’

Azara bolstered his largely amateur crew with some pro experience in the form of Caterina Nitto and Duccio Colombi, but others stay with their regular Corinthian teams. The Swiss Bienne Voile team, for example, have done all three events since 2015 with a rotating team of amateurs more used to lake sailing at Neuchâtel (plus a few Fastnets and Tour de France à la Voile along the way!). Previous editions have seen student crews from Plymouth and the Netherlands, mixed and all-women teams and, of course, Omani sailors going through the Oman Sail project. For 2018 several crews from the Oman region are anticipated; plus with the use of the Diam 24 interest is expected to grow sharply from European multihull racers including crews practising ahead of the 2018 Tour Voile.

‘A big draw of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour is that it offers something remarkable to both amateur and professional sailors,’ said Salma Al Hashmi of Oman Sail. ‘Now we’re adding high-speed racing on the Diam 24s with the chance to explore the breathtaking beauty of Oman in depth.

‘At the same time we have made it even easier to come here and experience what our sailing waters offer. Our turnkey operation means sailors can turn up and go racing – it is all laid on and we will provide everything they need.’

The 2018 edition of The Tour will feature eight venues, three offshore legs, three coastal raids and four in-port races. It starts with the first in-port race in Salalah, Oman’s second biggest city and a large sea port, followed by a coastal raid to Mirbat and back. In-port racing and a coastal raid will also be held at the next venue of Duqm. Next is an offshore leg from Barr Al Hikman to Masirah, with a further coastal raid.

Some course, some regatta. Blasting round Oman in warm water and good breeze with every pit stop offering a different local experience. Sound a bit like a travel guide, well to be honest if you want an all-consuming regatta where your ‘shore team’ are as well looked after as the sailing team and where they will go home not grumbling for a change, about cold regatta tents and hanging around in the rain, then treat them if not yourself! Afterwards you will then be able to drag them off to that winter training regatta with a straight face

The second offshore leg is between the serene village of Ras Al Hadd and the ancient port of Sur, a trade centre since the sixth century. After an in-port race in Sur, the fleet relocates to the Bandar Al Khiran, known for its tidal bays and seclusion, for the final offshore leg to Mutrah, near Muscat. The port town, famous for its suq, is the venue for the concluding in-port race event of the Tour.

It’s an enticing route and a new challenge for an event that has previously attracted an impressive roster of sailing talent, including reigning champion Thierry Douillard, two-time winner Bertrand Pacé, Mathieu Richard, yachtswoman Dee Caffari, Neal McDonald, Alex Pella, Cedric Pouligny, Damian Foxall, Annemieke Bes and Volvo Ocean Race navigator Libby Greenhalgh.

And then there is three-time winner Sidney Gavignet, whose enthusiasm for the Tour remains infectious: ‘I would recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different. People come back with fantastic memories having had some great racing… and the scenery is pretty fantastic.

‘It has the same spirit as the Tour de France à la Voile, a mix of top professional sailors and some of the best Corinthians, with good racing at every level.

‘Above all, it is now such an easy and simple package – find yourself a Diam 24 tri and pretty much everything else is arranged by Oman Sail. Everything.’

A new course, a supercompetitive new fleet of multihulls, lots of good food and wonderful local hospitality. Plus Oman’s winter appeal never fades.

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In my mind, I’m going to Carolina

It started as a little local event, run out of a dusty parking lot, with a handful of friends deciding that it was time for Charleston to have its own sailboat race. Twenty-three years later Sperry Charleston Race Week has transformed itself into the biggest multi-class event in the USA and one of the biggest gatherings of sportboats anywhere on the globe.

The consistent spring seabreeze and warm weather make it easier to attract sailors, but it takes a lot more than that to go from a 100-boat regatta to a 250+ boat behemoth in a few short years; so what is the one most important thing that organisers have done to keep the Charleston train chugging forward?

‘We have made “innovation” one of our buzzwords over the years,’ explains event chairman Randy Draftz. ‘While other regattas can get stuck in their ways, our organising committee, area yachts clubs, sponsors and even local government officials spend a lot of time trying to stay ahead of the curve.’

For the past decade in the USA that curve has seen some important trends; perhaps the sportboat explosion has driven Charleston’s growth the most. ‘Long before sportboats were really “a thing” in the USA, the Melges 24 was already Charleston’s biggest class, sometimes making up half our fleet,’ Draftz says. ‘We might just have the best harbour on the planet for fast inshore racers and our shoreside attitude is inclusive and fun-driven, so it was a natural fit when the Vipers, J/70s, VX-Ones and all the other sporties decided to come and play.’

Small one-designs make up the majority of Charleston’s big entry, and while bigger yachts have always been a big part of the event, the 2017 race week saw a healthy increase in these 26-35ft planing beasts along with the experimental use of the ORC rating rule.

While the ubiquitous college student sailors, all-you-can-drink Gosling’s Dark ’n Stormies, and huge J/70 and Melges 24 fleets may be the public face of Charleston Race Week, the offshore handicap and pursuit fleets provide tight racing for hundreds of the area’s top racers as well as a growing international charter fleet – a trend Draftz thinks is likely to continue.

‘We all know handicap buoy racing has been struggling in the US, and our organising committee and race officers responded quickly to the changing desires of competitors. Our changes last year, to course format and to bringing in ORC, were popular – we continue to draw on South American as well as some European sailors, for whom this has become a bit of a bucket list regatta,’ says Draftz, who has also seen a continuing increase in both first-time racers and race week veterans in the more informal but highly enthusiastic pursuit class.

2018 will see a pile of new innovations, including the all-new ‘open course format’ for at least some races in the offshore classes. The OCF combines the best of distance and buoy racing, expanding the typical course to reward navigation and weather routeing as much as it does boathandling, rules knowledge and tactics. Draftz has long hoped to see the ocean course fleets racing neck and neck down the channel to finish in front of the beachfront hotel that plays regatta week HQ, and 2018 could be the year for it!

Organisers have also been working closely with local boatyards to help make launching much easier for 2018. Free to use, wide launch ramps continue to be the economical way to launch and recover many of the smaller boats and local yacht clubs are also available for launch/haul services. Draftz says it’s essential to keeping that accessible ‘vibe’ to the Charleston event. ‘We’ve all seen regattas where competitors get priced out, and we want this event to remain affordable to teams on tight budgets,’ he said.

Speaking of budgets, Sperry Charleston Race Week is offering a $100 early discount if you register before 31 January. The live music and full-noise, open bar beach parties are booked, plus daily video briefings by top racers, a livecommentary Pro/Am race with the College of Charleston off the beach, and reasonably priced rooms metres from the dock at Charleston Harbor Resort, regatta HQ.

Another crowd-pleaser returns from 2017: a fourth inshore course just to the north of the Ravenel Bridge. ‘The offshore fleets were blown out for two straight days in 2016 and we desperately needed somewhere to put them, so we stuck them under the bridge just hoping it wouldn’t be too terrible,’ Draftz explains. ‘Competitors loved the tight racing, omnipresent porpoises and challenging river conditions; it could serve as a backup course for the other offshore boats – so it’s back for 2018.’

Fleets are now among the most competitive to be found at any US regatta, with multiple world champ - ions and star professionals from all disciplines. But Charleston’s not where they go for long, perfectly square race tracks and headlandfree courses. On the contrary, whether inshore or offshore, the waters around this historic town feature big breeze, challenging seas and currents swirling every which way. It’s intense racing against the backdrop of a town just awarded ‘Most Desirable Travel Destination’ by Travel + Leisure magazine for a fifth straight year… Enjoy.

Click here for more information on the Charleston Race Week »

Wilson Marquinez are following the tradition of free-thinking Argentine designers ready to break the old moulds wherever they see opportunity

Argentina’s track record for producing some of the world’s foremost (and most disruptive) yacht designers is underscored by the latest offering from the young Wilson Marquinez Design House: the MW680F.

At 6.80m this small, very light yet stable design bridges a gap in high-performance sportboats between the fastest class keelboat and a true foiling sportboat. With a crew of three, the 680F is low freeboard but decked over in the bow to shed water, has racks rather than trapezes for easier manoeuvres, a lifting 1.6m bulb keel, and 40m2 of sail to propel only 300kg in boat weight plus another 250kg in crew.

Getting around in this ‘wet mode’ the boat will be fast, but when fitted with adjustable V-foils it takes off like a rocket with boat speed projected to match wind speed over about 10kt of true wind. The rake of the T-rudder needed for foiling is pre-set for the wind conditions with the main foil being controlled to maintain longitudinal stability over the foiling range. Launched as a one-design, the MW680F features a single jib, one main and one asymmetric spinnaker that is shaped more like a Code 0.

‘We are excited about this boat,’ say designers Nahuel Wilson and Laureano Marquinez. ‘It has modes that make it fast, but also safe; it should interest the keelboat racer wanting to step up towards multihull-level performance but on a more familiar platform.’

When foiling territory is reached, research put into the aero package will make itself felt in terms of improving foiling range and giving the user a reasonable level of comfort in flight. For horsepower the team is now working closely with One Sails, testing different rig options in their virtual tunnel.

The MW680F is aimed at sportboat sailors who want to take a first step into foiling but without the drama of a large foiling cat. Just as the Waszp of Andrew McDougall is proving a huge sales hit among good sailors who want to fly a dinghy but lack the time and the considerable extra cash to make a Moth interesting, so the MW680F could do the same for keelboat sailors looking for something that is more challenging but also still ‘realistic’

Wilson and Marquinez honed their design and engineering skills on a range of diverse projects from chic cruiser-racers to production designs, Volvo 70s and superyachts, as well as working on foiling catamarans in the most recent America’s Cups. After training in naval architecture the pair worked with two other great Argentine designers, Javier Soto Acebal and Juan Kouyoumdjian.

‘We are very fortunate to have so many years of experience in such great design offices,’ says Marquinez. ‘Having the opportunity to be involved in so many different kinds of projects helped give us a clear view of the importance of investigating new design directions, as well as the awareness that simple but properly executed ideas can bring big steps forward, both in grand prix performance and enjoyment of regular day-to-day sailing.

‘It comes naturally to us to search for performance and style in design, which is of great importance to our clients. A boat that is beautiful brings to its owner a strong sense of pride and that means a lot to us too,’ Wilson adds.

‘With our projects we work in small teams, usually starting with the production of rough sail plans, hull shapes and appendages, deck layouts and structural arrangements,’ explains Marquinez. ‘We refine these using CFD tools, and consult professional sailors, sailmakers and rig specialists for more details on sails and spars.’

Marquinez says they learned early how a fully integrated approach to design and project management was key to complex projects like the VO70s (Groupama and Puma), the Wally 130 and Rambler 88 among others.

While Marquinez worked on Rambler, for 2013 Wilson focused on America’s Cup foiling, where the initial designs assumed displacement, not foiling mode, before massive retrofits were needed as the paradigm changed. With Wilson being in San Francisco with Artemis, and Marquinez between the design office in Buenos Aires and Newport, RI, where Rambler was being built, efficient collaboration on tight timelines was essential. ‘There was not much time to retrofit the AC72 for foiling, it was a big challenge! But we learned a lot in that accelerated process,’ says Wilson.

For AC35, Wilson and Marquinez, now on their own, worked for Artemis supplying a variety of design services while also providing drawings that helped the Cup organiser’s (ACRM) own engineers define the structures in the new AC50.

With all this knowledge of cutting edge design, the two have since been approached to develop a wide variety of boat types, from a simple, but fun, local sportboat called the MW21, the fast MW27 cruiser-racer with a lifting keel intended for the shallow waters of Rio de la Plata, the no-compromise MW45 offshore racer (that adopts the latest foil technology), as well other sizes of potential new yachts, to a similar performance-only concept. For the free-thinking performance-driven yachtsman the Wilson Marquinez Vision is already proving attractive.

Click here for more information on Wilson Marquinez Design House »

Persico Marine and Umberto Felci (both Italian of course) have been adding some turbo to the luxury performance market

'If you can dream it, you can do it,’ said Enzo Ferrari. His 125 S, the first car ever to sport the prancing horse, was unleashed from its Maranello stable 70 years ago and soon recorded Ferrari’s first grand prix win. Enzo had never shown any interest in building anything except racing cars, but he dreamed it, and in 1950 he did it, with the 166 Inter, Ferrari’s debut grand tourer. That worked out pretty well.

Comparisons between Ferrari and Persico are obvious: passion, craft, innovation, excellence and a track record of success. They also share vision, the ability to identify a gap in the market and to own it. In the (very) grand touring market the Italian yacht builder is redefining performance superyachting through its collaboration with Wally Yachts, but, as CEO Marcello Persico wryly noted, ‘Not many people are looking for maxis and superyachts.’

In the custom build of a 65-footer Marcello believes he has spotted a new gap in the performance cruising market. He plans to own it with the Felci65.

It started with an Italian owner who wanted a soft weapon: a performance cruiser that would satisfy his competitive instincts racing in the Med, but not so twitchy it needs professional taming. ‘He wants to enjoy his boat with his wife and friends,’ says Marcello. ‘He may hire a few sailors for regattas, but he wants a boat he can run himself, so it needs to be easy to sail.’ The owner likes Umberto Felci as a designer and he wanted Persico as his builder because, as Marcello points out, ‘People come to us when they want a custom boat with the focus on performance.’

Felci’s hull offers the optimal compromise between resistance and form stability for a given displacement, streamlined and powerful with low topsides, and cup-shaped sections for stability at high heel angles and reduced wave resistance at lower angles. ‘To bring to life a boat that’s light and fast, yet comfortable and elegant,’ explains Felci. ‘Blending these features is one of the things we do best. I believe we have created an exclusive yacht for performance sailing yacht lovers,’ he concludes.

‘To bring to life a boat that’s light and fast, yet comfortable and elegant: that was the concept guiding us in our new project,’ says designer Umberto Felci. With the new Felci65 I can confidently say that we have succeeded in creating an exclusive yacht for performance sailing yacht lovers.’ With its comfortable contemporary interior and ultra-light weight, no one is going to be caught out describing the result of Felci’s latest collaboration with Persico Marine as ‘ordinary’. Mouthwatering, yes, ordinary, we think not

During build Marcello’s team determined that there is a market for a luxurious high-performance cruiser with premium materials, at a more affordable price. ‘When we suggested building semi-custom boats based on this design the owner said: “That’s fine with me,” so now we are promoting the project.’

The resulting Felci65 showcases Persico’s expertise. The hull is carbon fibre sandwich, with different densities of foam depending on loading. It was built in a CNC-machined female mould using carbon laminate and a three-step infusion process with rigorously controlled impregnation.

‘It’s not pre-preg but it’s very close,’ Marcello adds. ‘We’re really happy with the results in terms of resin impregnation and weight.’

Add a Hall Spars high-modulus carbon rig with ECsix rigging and it’s so far so normal, for Persico at least, but the project has involved plenty of creative thinking. ‘The challenge for us is finding the right balance,’ adds Marcello. ‘We know from the America’s Cup that above a certain level every kilogram you can save becomes very expensive. Sometimes, even in the AC, it doesn’t make sense and that’s the case even more so in this market.’

Persico’s experience with weight saving for its raceboats was a big plus. Working with Felci and the owner, they devised an interior that optimised use of structure without adding more panels than necessary. ‘But you need an owner who likes this approach, who makes performance one of the priorities, but at the same time it’s not a pure raceboat so you need comfort below,’ Marcello explains.

This balance also involved fitting a lighter and quieter hybrid propulsion system, powered by Li-Ion batteries storing 1,000Ah at 24v DC. Electrical systems are managed by a CAN-bus system, there’s wi-fi throughout and all lighting is LED. ‘We see ourselves as a high-tech company,’ says Marcello, ‘and not only with composites, with comfort too.

‘With the Felci65 there were three equal priorities: performance, comfort and cost. It wasn’t easy, but we think we found the right balance.’

Deliver advantage, create demand

With three new TP52s in build for the 2018 52 Super Series, the Marcelo Botín designs Luna Rossa and Phoenix along with the new Judel-Vrolijk design Provezza, Persico Marine is currently busily engaged raising the bar for the ‘most refined inshore racing yacht class in existence’

‘All the TP52s are at the pointy end of the design spectrum so finding many small gains is very important,’ says Persico Marine operations manager Mark Somerville.

‘The main challenge is to reduce the part count and parasitic weight in a class that has been around for so long. We have a reputation among industry professionals for doing that particularly effectively, and fortunately our clients are aware of that.

‘Our own TP52 story started in 2015 when we produced Rán and Gladiator, Judel-Vrolijk-designed twins from shared tooling, and they made a big impression,’ Mark adds. ‘With TP52 measurement certificates being freely available, it was clear we had built two of the lightest yachts; anyone who went below found a clean, simplistic interior – not one that needed finishing to look that good, just built to perfection.’

CEO Marcello Persico echoes that challenge and explains why TP52 builds are so important to his company. ‘The TP52 is without doubt the most refined inshore racing yacht in existence today. The class rule has been relatively stable since 2007, and every year naval architects, engineers and builders are challenged to build new boats that are somehow even better than the previous generation. After all this time improvements are hard to come by – and we all work incredibly hard for marginal gains. The work we do with TP52s pushes us to develop solutions that trickle across into our other projects, like our recent Wallycento, Tango, and the upcoming Felci65.’

Persico has a number of advantages when it comes to identifying and delivering the more subtle gains. First is a very strong in-house engineering team, which works directly with naval architects from the moment projects are conceived. ‘We don’t just build from a set of premade established drawings,’ says Mark, ‘we work with the teams, designers and engineers to integrate our knowledge and experience into the yacht. We design the process engineering from tooling to parts and integrate these seamlessly to achieve the most lightweight, simplistic part-to-part mating pieces, no matter what the size.’

As a result of this collaborative approach to structural engineering, more and more of the boats’ systems – from spinnaker takedown drums to hydraulic oil tanks – are incorporated into the main structure as load-bearing elements in order to minimise redundancy.

The second is technological. Persico’s CNC five-axis milling machines can be used to make incredibly accurate moulds, which means less filler and glue is needed to fill joints and imperfections and that results in lighter structures. Its suite of autoclaves allows in-house construction of composite components instead of outsourcing, which ensures the highest quality and enables better leverage of the internal engineering expertise.

The third advantage is simply the size of the operation. Its ability to produce different components simultaneously means large and complex boats can be built very quickly, which means architects and engineers can be given longer to refine their designs. ‘Persico now has vast experience and an outstanding facility,’ says Tobias Kohl of Provezza designer Judel-Vrolijk.

‘Just one example that makes life easier and the boat better is its huge capacity for milling moulded parts. We can get the fin and bulb manufactured there too, as across the Persico Group there is near-legendary experience of precision milling both industrialscale tooling and metal components. That sets it apart.’

A final advantage is the knowledge shared across the group, because marine is just one business unit of Persico, as Mark explains. ‘I really enjoy working with our automotive engineers. We have an enormous number of very talented people and we’re constantly cross-pollinating ideas and developing new processes. These tend to be deployed first in the build of racing yachts, to create an advantage, then we step them on to the next project, whether that’s the Felci65, or even the Wally 145 we are building. This is an incredibly exciting place to work!’

Click here for more information on Persico Marine »