July 2022
FEATURES
Such promise
RICK TOMLINSON
Less is more?
Not always, says ROB WEILAND. We are all surely delighted with the growth of two-handed sailing but it does come at a cost as opportunities for less experienced sailors inevitably contract
Neanderthal in a carbon cave
Tour Voiles winner, TJV winner, Barcelona World Race winner, yet never quite the Vendée Globe. But there is plenty else to be proud of. OYVIND BØRDAL meets the hyperactive JEAN-PIERRE DICK
Master craftsman
FEDERICO NARDI and his four other co-owners at the Cantiere Navale dell’Argentario could never have imagined how a single challenging 12 Metre restoration would give birth to an entire new industry. GIULIANO LUZZATTO
Champion!
For somebody who keeps himself below the radar designer DAVE HOLLOM has been racking up some big titles. His new 5.5 Metre also just went straight to the top of the charts at Lake Garda
TECH STREET
Best for your yacht, better for the environment
Making the exceptional standard
DESIGN
The same but different
Why Sørvind – the fifth Southern Wind 105 off the stocks – is exactly that. KIERAN FLATT
REGULARS
Commodore’s letter
JAMES NEVILLE
Editorial
ANDREW HURST
Update
Remembering HERVE DEVAUX… without whom a lot of us would still be going a lot slower, Alinghi starts to shop, SLINGERS goes alongside GOODISON as American Magic goes all-in, and Barcelona starts to buzz… already. GUILLAUME VERDIER, JACK GRIFFIN, DAMIA CALVET, TERRY HUTCHINSON, CARLOS PICH, PAUL BIEKER AND VINCENT LAURIOT PREVOST
World News
CARL RYVES is the real deal, PAUL MEILHAT gets his 60, Class 30… the talking’s over, back at it (and eating). And remember who pays the bills. GERY TRENTESAUX, BLUE ROBINSON, PATRICE CARPENTIER, JO ALEH, GAVIN BRADY, IVOR WILKINS, DOBBS DAVIS
Paul Cayard – Out of the drought
At the end of the tunnel a light appears…
ORC – Head for the sun
It took them a while to work it out
RORC – Words into action
It’s working pretty well for them… maybe it can do the same for you? RAY CAMPION
Seahorse build table – First of many?
Ladies and gentlemen (provocative…), we bring you the IRC scow. ANTOINE MAINFRAY
Forty years ago – a proper baddie
Seahorse regatta calendar
Sailor of the Month
A magnificent match racer and a magnificent two fingers to a repulsive international bully
Starting from the top

Perfectly matching rig, rigging and superyacht at the first attempt takes on new meaning when the key suppliers can be many thousands of miles apart from each other
A close working relationship between a builder and suppliers is important whatever the size of vessel, and the rapport between a mastmaker and boatbuilder is a crucial one where millimetres can define the difference between success and stress. In our super-connected world, the geographical challenge for two such operations might be considered to be one of pure logistics, but when it is Hall Spars and Southern Wind Shipyard, the distance between the two facilities means that getting things right first time aboard a yacht that will be over the horizon in days is not just desirable, but crucial.
Southern Wind’s fifth SW105, Sørvind exemplifies this. Like many that emerge from the Cape Town facility, her first passage was to the Mediterranean. ‘While we treat all our clients with the same detailed level of attention and support throughout the entire process, with Southern Wind we are always very conscious that the first voyage for many of their yachts will be a 7,500nm passage from South Africa to Europe. For any new 100-footer that's a big ask which focusses minds on all sides,’ says Hall Spars’ project manager Alex Runciman.
‘Very few boatyards faced with such a big maiden passage would be prepared to say yes to a trip like this after just a couple of test sails. But for us, this is the reality and it sets the bar high from the start. But it also says much about two of the key characteristics of a Hall Spars rig, namely precision and reliability.
‘The physical distance between Hall Spars in the Netherlands and Southern Wind in Cape Town make both absolutely essential. The rig has to fit perfectly first time and it has to be totally reliable.’
But it’s not as simple as that. The complete rig with its carbon spars and composite standing rigging still needs to deliver the weight savings and low centre of gravity that make a modern composite rig the go-to for performance yachts. Here, Hall Spars’ considerable experience in spar-building, along with its position within the North Technology Group, which also includes Future Fibres, places it among the most advanced companies in the marine world. And while on the face of it carbon spars may look the same, under the skin Hall Spars are distinctly different.
‘Our spars are built on an aluminium male mandrel using our seamless technology,’ Runciman continues. ‘This means that unlike other manufacturers we do not have a join along the front or the sides of a mast tube that has been built in two halves in female moulds. Instead, we create the tube by wrapping the laminates around a male mandrel in a range of different orientations from those on the zero axis, which are in line with the mast and run from the bottom to the top, to 45s which run orthogonally across the tube and then 90s, which run transversely or in hoop direction. From there, we add patch laminates onto the tube to create the strain relief around key stress points on the spar such as the spreader and shroud attachment areas.’
This seamless tube is also a very efficient and cost-effective way of building a high-quality spar and this, in turn, contributes to another important Hall Spars characteristic. A further example of combining best practice with an efficient build can be seen in the way the laminate is cured.

Above: Hall Spars’ Magic Collar is a rectangular section that is integral to the mast and fits neatly into the deck partners.
Below: Sørvind’s mast is stepped in Cape Town. After just a few days of sea trials, she sailed more than 7,500nm non-stop to the Med

‘All our spars are created in a single cook,’ says Runciman. ‘We do not do stage cook which means we don’t do a partial or pre-heat as you might in the construction of a hull where the process may start with a 70-degree warm session before then going to 80 degrees with the final cook at 110. One of the issues with this multi-stage method is that you have to make sure that the first cook is bonded to the second. Our single cook system ensures that we have a fully consolidated laminate which is another of the factors that helps us to create reliable spars efficiently.’
And the benefits of building on a male mandrel don’t stop there. The seamless technique means that there is little, if any, need for fillers and fairing which further reduces the construction time and the overall weight of the spar.
‘We can save 30 to 40 kilograms of fairing on an SW105 rig by using our semi-faired system,’ he continues. ‘Imagine a patch area that comprises multiple layers of reinforcement. One layer that's say one millimetre, then another larger one underneath, and so on, which would create a series of stepped plateaus. Our semi-faired system bridges those small plateaus to achieve the look of a fully faired rig, yet in reality just these specific areas have been faired.’
The benefits of a Hall Spars rig are not solely down to their proven and efficient construction techniques. Anticipating the future use of the yacht and catering for a spar that can also be adaptable is important to Runciman and his team.
‘We take pride in being able to anticipate and cater for the different ways in which a yacht may be operated,’ he says. ‘Sometimes this will be driven by a change of ownership and hence change from say occasional racing to full-time blue water cruising. One example might be a slight change of use that requires a halyard lock. This would require some patching to cater for the additional loads. It’s easy to include this in the original build and might allow a lock to be fitted without unstepping the mast. To put additional patching in afterwards is a bigger and more costly exercise.
‘The backstay configuration is another example for masts that have a dual role where they can be configured either with topmast runners with a deflector system for racing, or a classic fixed backstay with continuous legs alongside fixed checkstays for cruising. To achieve this the checkstays, which are normally fixed, are removed and replaced by deflectors that are pulled via the existing checkstay tangs and actuated by means of a hydraulic cylinder at the bottom of the mast. When we want to put the runners on, we take the checks away and change the tangs out to allow the dog bone system at the top of the running backstay to form the attachment. This can all be done with the mast in situ and takes a few hours rather than having to take the rig out. As a result, it means that the boat can be more versatile, allowing the owner or skipper to combine a season of extensive cruising with some occasional racing without having to compromise in any way.
‘We’re also very excited about being able to integrate a Synapse load-cell system into our rig packages, which has already proven to be a very appealing and reliable system for monitoring rig loads.’
Elsewhere, there are other examples of versatility being designed into Hall masts with the inclusion of pods that cover up the radar bracket holes and the satcom dome mount when they are removed for racing. As well as cleaning up the aerodynamics of the mast they also provide low profile stowage for the coiled-up cables.
When it comes to standing rigging, Sørvind has Future Fibres ECsix multi-strand carbon rigging, comprising bundles of continuous strands of carbon fibre running from their attachment point, be it a cap shroud or a diagonal, down to the deck.
As well as weight saving and efficiency, aesthetics are also important. Here, the cap shrouds are fitted internally whereas the upper end of each diagonal passes through the relevant spreader root to a semiinternal fitting above the spreader. This not only ensures a clean look from below, but makes maintenance easier as the attachment points are easily accessible.
Talking of detail, the mast partners, where the keel-stepped tube passes through the deck, provide a further example of how looks and efficiency have been combined. The Magic Collar is a rectangular section that is integral to the mast and fits neatly into the deck partners with shims attached either side as required for a perfect fit and alignment. Once in place, a skirt fairing is attached to provide the finishing touch to the deck seal around the mast and a sleek, clean look.
The slab reefing boom on Sørvind is also a carbon structure incorporating a deep section onto which carbon wings are attached.

‘Unlike the masts, we do build them in a female mould because these sections are much deeper,’ Runciman says. ‘When it comes to the slab reefing mainsail stowage there are two options, either racks or wings. Sørvind has wings which are foam cored and carbon sheathed.
‘As with our masts we pride ourselves on the detailing, especially in areas where the versatility of the spar is discreetly integrated into the overall design. The integral bolt rope tracks for the bimini in the lower corners of the boom as well as those for the mainsail cover, which are on the top of the wings, are two good examples.’
Another major factor in Southern Wind choosing Hall Spars and Future Fibres for these projects is their unique capacity to service their customers with RigPro anywhere the yacht sails. RigPro is the only authorised service provider for these sophisticated products and offer a total care above deck package. Its RigPro Care maintenance programme puts owners and captains minds at rest knowing that the servicing and maintenance of the rig and rigging package is all taken care of within the same group of companies.
So, while it is clear that creating a sophisticated mast must never compromise its performance or that of the boat, reliability is especially important for a company that regularly sends its brand-new boats off on a 7,500nm maiden sail.
To do that requires a special relationship and trust with a company at the other end of the world.
Click here for more information on Hall Spars »
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The same but different
Sørvind is optimised for fast cruising in the frequently light breezes of the western Mediterranean. Looking forward from the stern, it is obvious that the deck plan designers have fully understood their brief
The Farr-designed SW105 platform lends itself well to customisation. Sørvind is a full carbon build with an extra-large Hall Spars rig, and a new cockpit design. Subtle changes were made to the coachroof that give her a subtly unique silhouette

Boat No5 in the Southern Wind 105 series displays more custom tweaks while maintaining every ounce of quality and performance... again
The fifth Southern Wind 105 was launched in March and like each of the four 105s that came before, Sørvind is subtly but significantly unique. Made to measure for a keen lifelong sailor, this SW105 is a pure performance cruiser: fast and comfortable in equal measure but above all simply a joy to sail.
‘We are delighted that Sørvind’s owner selected Southern Wind to build the superyacht of his dreams,’ says Jeremy Peek, deputy commercial manager at Southern Wind. ‘When we first met in early summer 2020, there was an instant connection and positive collaboration. The owner had clear ideas about what he wanted and what he did not like and fortunately, the Southern Wind 105 smart custom platform served as the perfect starting point. We were able to adapt certain aspects to match his design brief and now, only 21 months later, the yacht has already been delivered.’ Launched in March, with sea trials completed in April, Sørvind is now on her maiden voyage from Cape Town to Mallorca where a busy charter season awaits.

Concept
With a clear design brief built on the owner’s three core pillars of “distinct, refined and essential”, the project got under way with a design loop in which Southern Wind, Nauta Design and Farr Yacht Design worked with the owner and his captain Timothy Anderson to customise and style the boat. ‘Sørvind’s design brief calls for a high-performance blue water cruiser that will be fast and fun to sail but she is the first SW105 that has been optimised for success on the charter market,’ Peek explains. ‘Special attention has been dedicated to hospitality and specifically, towards the enjoyment and overall experience of everyone that sails on board.’ This is the first SW105 delivered to RINA charter class, but to achieve that classification only minor modifications were required. “The key to our success was the communication between the shipyard, the owner and myself,” Anderson says. “He wanted a sailing boat where he was still in touch with the ocean and the wind, which with bigger boats can sometimes get lost. I think we really hit a very nice size and style of boat. Everything is very uncluttered and smooth and clean. We’ve carried a Norwegian aesthetic throughout the styling of the boat.”
Despite the size and power of this yacht, its sailing systems are designed for easy handling by a shorthanded crew
Interior design and layout

The interior design scheme features sharp contrasts with pale fabrics, sole boards and headlining offset by dark hardwood, inspired by the Nordic winter
The ‘Nordic cool’ style of Sørvind’s interior draws some of its inspiration from the SW96 Seatius, which won a major marine industry design and innovation award in 2019 with a similar interior created by the same team – Nauta Design working with Jeroen Machielsen of Studio Hermanides, who was the owner’s design representative for Sørvind's build.
‘The Nordic winter features strong contrasts,’ Peek explains. ‘The long nights mean everything that is up is dark while everything down is covered with snow and very light. This is one of the main trends with Sørvind, a blend of dark and light tones with textured materials to add further highlights.’
The lines of the interior are crisp and clean, with open sightlines extending all the way from the foot of the companionway through the main saloon, which has separate lounge and dining areas, and down into the lower mezzanine bar area on the starboard side of the keel trunk. Pale-coloured fabrics, sole boards and headlining are offset by dark hardwood veneers, while stepped surfaces and reveals add depth and interest.
The general arrangement puts the master suite in the bow, as far as possible from the noise of the yacht’s sailing and hotel systems, with large lateral windows on both sides. The master cabin has a forward-facing king size island bed offset slightly to port of the centreline, an L-shaped sofa to starboard and the en suite heads in the forepeak with his-and-hers sinks and a separate shower compartment. There’s another large double guest cabin aft of the master suite and to port, opposite the bar area and two twin-berth cabins amidships, aft of the main saloon, which should make comfortable seaberths if the owner or guests are on board during offshore passages.
The crew area is aft, ideally located for long-distance deliveries between cruising grounds. A dedicated crew companionway leads down from the working cockpit with the forward-facing nav station at its foot, conveniently close to the helm positions on deck. There are twin-berth bunk rooms to port and starboard, and a captain’s cabin with a double bed a little way forward on the starboard side, all with en suite heads and shower. The large galley to port also serves as the crew’s mess with a five-seat dinette on the centreline.

The master suite is in the bow, the quietest part of the yacht
One of the main objectives was to create a yacht with outstanding performance in light airs – one that will typically switch its engine off and start sailing in just a few knots of breeze. Thus a larger-thanstandard rig was selected with an extra metre added to the height of the mast. ‘The VPP shows Sørvind sailing at 7.47 knots at target upwind angle in six knots TWS which is half a knot faster than the VPP for standard mast height,’ Peek says.
To boost the yacht’s internal volume up to 78GT and maximise the amount of natural light in the main interior living spaces, the Raised Saloon (RS) option was chosen – one of three deck plans designed by Nauta – as used on two previous SW105s, Wolfhound and Kiboko Tres. The coachroof was slightly modified, however, to give Sørvind a subtly unique silhouette.
Customisation
Chamfered deck and coachroof shapes are a feature of the earlier SW105s. ‘As we developed the fifth yacht in the series it was important to create something new and unique,’ Peek says. ‘The chamfers were softened into radius curves by modifying the tooling.’
Every one of the five SW105s has a different keel and ballast arrangement. Sørvind has a telescopic keel made by APM, which retracts from 5.6m to 3.65m, and twin rudders. ‘The steering system is mechanical and is similar to the tiller and track system seen on Imoca 60s,’ Peek says. ‘This allows better usage of the lazarette while still giving natural feeling and feedback to the helmsman.
The tender garage in Sørvind's stern is enlarged to carry a Williams 435 SportJet RIB. ‘The garage and lazarettes are also optimised to store a plethora of toys including diving equipment, stand up paddle boards and two road bikes,’ Peek says. ‘The tender is launched with a sliding overhead bridge crane mounted on the deckhead of the garage. This custom system designed by SWS and built in carbon allows the crew to manoeuvre the tender safely and smoothly without any rollers and rails on the transom door.’
Construction
Despite being a cruiser Sørvind is a full carbon build, 400kg lighter than the standard option of a glass/aramid hybrid outer skin, and weight control was a priority throughout. The hull, deck and bulkheads are carbon/epoxy Corecell sandwich and the interior is honeycomb and foam sandwich, finished with premium veneers. Further weight savings include about 125kg with titanium deck fittings and 800kg by using Flexiteek.
‘Weight calculation and trim are important on every Southern Wind yacht and the weight of every installation, together with its location on the horizontal centre of gravity is compiled into a detailed weight calculation,’ Peek explains. ‘Sørvind is the fifth yacht in a mini-series and a further development of nearly 30 Southern Wind yachts in this size range. This prior knowledge and experience has allowed us to be very accurate with the weight calculation and provide very precise figures about the weight and position on board.’ The resulting displacement of 65.9 tons, combined with the extra sail area, should ensure exceptional performance in light airs.
On deck
The sailplan is 9/10 fractional on a high-modulus carbon mast with a split backstay and swept-back spreaders, a moderately sized foretriangle, a large pinhead mainsail, a furling code sail on the stemhead and a gennaker flown from the end of the bowsprit. Seven skylight hatches are set into the flush foredeck and four winches are clustered around the mast. The headsails are sheeted to longitudinal tracks set well inboard.
The large, multi-purpose foredeck locker is a unique feature. 'It is capable of storing a furled staysail, code zero or gennaker that can be quickly and easily hoisted and deployed,’ Peek says. ‘It has a variety of uses and does not intrude on the interior spaces.’
The passenger cockpit is a classic Nauta configuration with broad, raised and sculpted coamings fitted with more skylight hatches on each side. The pair of huge sunpads come into their own when the yacht is anchored. Aft of the sunpads, the crew companionway also serves to keep the passenger seating safely separate from the working cockpit, which has two hydraulic primary winches in front of the twin wheels and two aft.
Performance
How fast does she go? ‘Sørvind clocked 17kts boatspeed on her very first sailing sea trial,’ Peek says, ‘which shows that Southern Wind is confident to push these yachts on sea trials, even on the first one.’ With numbers like that, she really will be a joy to sail.
Large headsails sheeted to longitudinal tracks set well inboard, combined with a deep keel, contribute to excellent pointing ability
Click here for more information on Southern Wind »
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Making the exceptional standard

At first glance the sheer quality of Rondal’s captive winch engineering can make a critical and highly demanding task look too easy...
Superyachts haven’t just been getting larger in recent years. They’ve also become far more strongly focused on sailing performance and helm response in light airs. For designers and builders this means an ever-increasing preoccupation with weight reduction is required, while at the same time rigs are getting larger and the loads that the yachts’ sail control systems have to handle are higher than ever before. Rondal has been a key player in enabling this evolution, not just by building the giant carbon spars for the new generation of mega sloops but also, more recently, creating a super-light version of its unique integrated sailing system to control their enormous sailpower. This includes a remarkable range of captive reel winches, built in carbon fibre and 22 per cent lighter than their aluminium anodized alternative. That’s a potentially massive gain for a racing yacht or a performance cruiser. Installing a full set of Rondal carbon winches can reduce the sailing displacement of a 60-metre yacht by at least two tons.
Rondal’s aluminium captive reel winches – both hydraulic and electric types, currently available in model variants with 2.5-ton, four-ton, six-ton, eight-ton, 12-ton 18-ton and 24-ton pull loads – have earned an enviable reputation for rock-solid reliability. That’s why they’re used on so many of the world’s largest sailing yachts. Not just those built by Rondal’s parent company, Royal Huisman, but also Baltic Yachts, Vitters, Oceanco, Perini, Pendennis, Holland Yachtbouw, Nautor and most other leading superyacht shipyards. After 20 years of service, it’s not uncommon for a set of Rondal winches to need only a small amount of cosmetic refurbishment before being reinstalled for another two decades of sailing.

All Rondal winches are designed with a safety factor of 150 per cent of the pull load built in, so the 18-ton pull load model for example has a hold load of 27tons. Their line speeds are equally impressive at up to 90 metres per minute, delivering a competitive advantage in regattas by enabling fast gybes and swift spinnaker hoists. The winches are optional fitted with load sensors, enabling live read-outs for sails, sheets and halyards. Alarms for safety purposes are available too. All models can be customised for a precise pull load and larger, even more powerful winches can be built on request. ‘For a new project we are developing 48-ton winches,’ sales manager Rudy Jurg reveals. A mini version completes the range, typically used as a forward pull for runners.
All-carbon advantages
The full carbon variants of these tried-and-trusted, high-performance winch designs have been engineered and tested, by both Rondal and by independent external test companies, to ensure that the same very long service life as the aluminium versions can be expected, with the same minimal maintenance requirement. In addition to minimal corrosion, the carbon winch drums are proven to be as impervious to chafe-related wear as their metal equivalents. A range of hybrid inches is also available with aluminium base and carbon drum, and these are currently the most popular option, Jurg explains, as they offer the best ratio of weight saving versus cost.
There are, however, compelling reasons for a new-build yacht to choose the all-carbon option. First, the frame of each winch can be fully integrated into the structure of the hull or deck, eliminating the need for a heavy base plate.
The reduced weight of all-carbon winches could potentially also give naval architects and shipyards’ design engineers more scope to consider alternative locations for mounting them, with less impact on the yacht’s overall weight distribution and stability.
Design and construction
The reliability of Rondal reel winches is about more than build quality, although that is of course crucial. It’s also about design. The line is stored on the drum in a single layer to prevent a second layer from jamming in the first. The drum length is thus dictated by the line diameter and the length of line to be stored. The motor is mounted alongside the drum while the gearbox and brake are inside it.
Next to the drum, a spindle-driven slider ensures the line turns are stored properly. The pitch of the spindle is fixed and the ratio of pulleys is selected for specific line diameter. This gives the possibility of changing line diameters easily when needed in the future. End switches safeguard the use of the winch, which will stop when all but three turns of the line have been paid out, and also as soon as the drum is full.
To eliminate slackness in the line, all Rondal captive winches have an optical sensor that transmits a beam of light beneath the drum. If the line slackens, the turns around the drum will drop and interrupt the beam, generating an electrical signal that stops the winch. At the same time a signal indicating failure of the winch operation is dispatched to the helm and/or winch control position.

Above: a complete set of aluminium captive reel winches for a 60-metre sloop, ready for delivery after being tested at full working load (plus 150 per cent safety margin).
Below: the full carbon models are at least equally robust and powerful but 22 per cent lighter.
Bottom: a spindle-driven slider ensures that all line turns are stored properly on the drum


For something as safety-critical as superyacht sheet, runner and halyard winches, the highest quality materials are required. The carbon fibre winch drums are manufactured using a filament winding process and liquid epoxy resins. The drums are wound on metallic mandrels, post cured, then machined to final dimensions. The frame components are bonded together with mechanical parts while the gearboxes and motors are mounted inside and alongside the drum with fasteners. Finally, a protective clear coat finish is applied to seal the surfaces of both drum and frame.
‘Rondal uses Lloyds-approved prepregs,’ Jurg explains. ‘These are unidirectional high elongation carbon, XC411 biaxial and RC416 woven materials. Curing is done in an autoclave at 120°C for 12 hours to achieve the best possible mechanical and thermal properties.’ Given the superlative build quality of Rondal’s carbon masts and indeed all other components of its integrated sailing system, one would expect nothing less.
Winches are not yet included in the scope of classification societies’ certification requirements but although there is no need for thirdparty assessment, Rondal conducts its own stringent test programme in house. ‘To ensure absolute quality, each winch is evaluated on the test bench to ensure all specifications are met with precision,’ Jurg says. ‘Every winch is tested at full load (plus 150 per cent safety margin), providing yacht owners and skippers with the assurance that the winch system will withstand everything the wind and ocean can throw at it.’
Electric benefits
There are also some compelling reasons for forward-thinking owners, designers and builders to choose electric rather than hydraulic winches. The obvious benefit is peak shaving technology. ‘A conventional hydraulic system must be set up to meet the maximum peak power requirements at all times, resulting in a costly and oversized system for conditions that the yacht will rarely, if ever, see,’ Jurg explains. ‘By contrast, electric winch setups can be laid out for average power requirements because peak demands can always be met by a battery bank and/or an additional generator set.’ Also, the hydraulic board system can be reduced or be made obsolete.
The other big advantage of Rondal’s electric captive reel winches – ideal for the next generation of ultra-low emission yacht concepts that some shipyards are starting to propose – is an option for power regeneration when easing a line and braking. ‘In hydraulic winches this power is instantly converted to heat, whereas our electric winches can feed electrical power back into the system,’ Jurg says. ‘This adds to the battery reserve and, in the event of a blackout, can assist essential sailing systems. Power regeneration not only reduces engine loads and fuel consumption, it also contributes to lower CO2 emissions for the vessel as a whole.’
Peace of mind
Whichever types and sizes of Rondal captive reel winches are fitted, the stand-out benefit is peace of mind for the owner, the skipper and crew, the shipyard and everyone else involved. ‘Our products offer more than exceptional functionality, they provide the assurance that the yacht is equipped with the best there is,’ Jurg says. ‘We are dedicated to finding optimum solutions for every conceivable winch-related requirement. As a result, Rondal winches are remarkable in their simplicity, yet ahead of the game in terms of durability and reliability. We offer peace of mind because we have poured all our sailing and engineering experience into creating virtually maintenance-free and incredibly silent winches that sailors love to use.’ Rondal has a service team for worldwide support and maintenance of its winches. In practice Rondal winches require very little maintenance.
Click here for more information on Rondal »
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Best for your yacht, better for the environment

A+T Instruments will never tell you to throw it all away
When yacht instruments start to reach the end of their life or a lighting strike forces the issue it is tempting to think only of throwing them away and starting again. A+T has turned this on its head by offering upgrade paths which give the best performance, are superbly engineered, often cost less and do not involve throwing away good working parts and cabling.
A+T products are all repairable at component level and A+T also repairs all older marine electronics, again at component level. Contrast this with other instruments on the market which comprise sealed units or for which parts cannot be obtained, so can only be completely replaced, with parts then ending up in landfill. A further consideration is that almost all A+T parts are made in the UK with manufacture and design in the same place, so cutting down on supply chains and associated shipping. This has the additional benefit of keeping stock levels of finished parts available for shipping worldwide.
A+T processors and pilots are designed and engineered to the very high standards by a team that includes sailors at the top end of the sport. It is not a surprise that five of the seven class winners at the recent St Barth’s Bucket Regatta and two yachts on the line honours podium in the Caribbean 600 were equipped by A+T. More than 400 superyachts and race boats are now using A+T in various stages of their upgrade programmes.
A wide range of A+T displays are available to upgrade existing systems, with A+T being well known for making the clearest and largest colour displays on the market. Again, these come with interfacing that allows them to be used to enhance existing systems. Recent examples of this include fitting the large colour Big Format Displays (BFD) to Oui Fling, a Spirit 52D that runs an H5000 processor and the ClubSwan 50 Stella Maris, which runs a FaRo processor. Like all A+T products, these displays are backed by five-year warranty.
Below: Component level servicing and instrument repair at A+T Instruments in Lymington, UK

Upgrade projects can use the yacht’s existing cabling with no loss of performance so saving huge amounts of time, cost and replacement cables. On new builds A+T is being installed with an increasing number of large projects using a single Ethernet cable around the yacht, linking all sensors and displays; again, saving on copper, cable and weight. Some yachts are even choosing for this to be done with fibre optics.
A+T upgrades can use all existing sensors, where these are working fine. Where existing sensors are failing, then in almost all cases A+T makes parts and replacements for them. Examples of these include the gate valve (shut-off valve) systems used on many large sail and motor yachts, and now wind sensors. Spare parts for the many, many thousands of 213-type wind sensors supplied to yachts since the 1980s have dried up from the original manufacturer. A+T makes new and improved parts for all of these, again saving very substantial cost and time for the yacht and unnecessary waste.
A good example of an upgrade incorporating many aspects mentioned above is the upgrade of the 62m schooner Athos. Over several years some failing displays had been changed out for A+T and then, in 2021, a failing WTP system that could no longer be supported. A surgical change-out to an A+T processor was done in just a few days by Osprey Technical Consulting. This is a complicated system with two wind sensors, 35 displays and a large number of load-cells and other sensors. A year later the yacht is now at Royal Huisman for refit and is changing more displays and replacing underwater sensors with A+T shut-off valve units sensible for a boat of this size. This shows how a yacht can be upgraded to an entirely new and well supported system in stages if needed.
Plenty of captains, engineers and project managers are discovering that an A+T upgrade is the most cost effective and best way forward including the well-respected project manager Tim Bright who recently said: ‘I have known Hugh and the A+T team over a number of years. For both refit and new installations I have been extremely impressed with the product adaptability, quality and service.’ They can also be confident that this approach is also the best for sustainability.
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