Something that seemed ‘out there’ just a few years ago is now making its way firmly into the mainstream. It is also winning yacht races… Gordon Kay has an update on DSS state of the art

With the monohull world increasingly embracing foils it seems timely to reflect on some of the lessons learnt over the past year and how 2017 and beyond look for the impact of DSS and for the other foil solutions in the 2017 marketplace..

While dramatic footage of semi-flying or flying yachts gets the headlines it is the background story that is perhaps more significant. In 15 years of developing, engineering and supplying DSS foils and installing them on various yachts we have never had a failure beyond the cracking of one foil, quickly identified as a failure by the builder to build the hull exit bearing surface as drawn. It is therefore quite thought-provoking to see the failure level in some other avenues of foil development.

The problems suffered by the Imoca class, particularly in testing, have been significant, not limited to foils in the water but to the windward foil as well (echoing issues the big tris experienced when ‘over-stiff’ ama construction led to failures through wave impact on the windward float).

(There have also, in passing, been a great many – unpublicised – foil failures during testing for this year’s 35th America’s Cup. However, this is a different situation where lightweight constructions are consciously being explored and tested to the ultimate limit. Still, it does confirm that this is a complex area of development when the best engineers and designers in yacht racing still have to place more than a little reliance upon good old trial and error.)

Safety and reliability have always been the watchwords in our development of foils at DSS. If it was not going to work reliably or safely then we could not see the point of investing heavily in R&D and practical testing. It will not always be possible to get a client to write endless cheques to cover ‘development’, or if it is then the class will go the way of the Orma 60s and others.

So we stand at a key point in the development of foils within the industry; it is no longer the preserve of the lunatic fringe, and it is crucial that future development needs to prioritise safety and reliability.

Modern history
2016 began with the Welbourn-designed DSS Quant 23 winning its division in the European Yacht of the Year awards. The first fully flying keelboat for production, and designed to be very much the everyman design that would allow a new generation, young and less young, to fly in safety and without the need to swim if it all went wrong.

To date 10 Quant 23s have been sold, and with the original Q23 now on Lake Garda and available for all to try, more and more people have seen what is available without spending a king’s ransom and requiring America’s Cup levels of skill.

The launch of the Infiniti 46 offshore racer, again Welbourn designed, caused a few raised eyebrows and comments when she first arrived in Europe in May, particularly with respect to the ability of such a boat to sail to its IRC rating.

Class wins and podiums in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and then the RORC Transatlantic Race, all with a Corinthian crew, demonstrate that perhaps the rating office might have been closer to the mark than the armchair experts.

What has been more interesting has been the amount learnt in the 10,000 miles of sailing in 2016 that the first Infiniti 46 has now completed. Zero structural failures, zero foil issues, zero issues with foil exits and, interestingly, zero UFO strikes…

We have always built our foils with Dom Pedron of Isotop and to date they have all been engineered by either Gurit or Will Brooks and, so far, they have all performed to expectation.

An interesting fact taken from the Infiniti 46 is that while the displacement of the yacht is 5,500kg, the foil exits are engineered for 9,500kg of load. Conservative? Probably, but avoiding failure as far as one can through a little extra diligence just seems smarter than saving a gram or two, with the consequential risks, as seen with some of the failures in the Imoca 60 fleet.

Another interesting launch was the prototype FLO1 from Aeronamics. A dinghy that flies but is not a Moth, and as with the Q23 is designed to introduce the averagely capably sailor to an easier and safer flying experience.

As 2016 drew to a close two larger projects emerged. First the CQS, Ludde Ingvall’s inspired reincarnation of his previous yacht, expertly handled by Brett Bakewell-White and launched a few weeks before the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race – making it to the startline against all the odds. That process was bittersweet for us, as the DSS foil itself, built in Vietnam, failed early in the race, having shown glimpses of the performances we have come to expect; with just a few days of sailing with the foil prior to the race there is much to learn. 2017 will no doubt be an interesting year of development for this team, with an all-new boat also in the air…

Finally, we completed our collaboration with Farr Yacht Design on the creation of a new 40m+ fast-cruiser that is now under construction. The process of due diligence took over six months with exhaustive studies of various foil geometries – necessarily in conjunction with different interior layouts. Details are still under wraps but we expect this yacht to demonstrate the same strong performance relative to its conventional peers as the Infiniti 46.

In terms of market appeal, according to our clients not everyone prefers the final designs from a previous generation.

And ratings…
The rating story persisted throughout 2016 and into 2017, which will also see updated ratings for retrofits such as the Reichel-Pugh 60 Wild Joe. Faced with the challenge of a single-figure rating for allcomers, IRC have given a great deal of thought to how best to address DSS when rating the boats. Clearly, when executed intelligently, like most yacht designs, these boats can sail to their rating; what has been identified as undesirable is fitting foils that are not particularly effective or have a limited range and then asking IRC or ORC for a rating credit to ‘help’.

There are no rating credits for poorly designed rudders or keels so the same should apply to the foils and how they make up the overall balance and performance of a yacht.

We have conducted many studies internally and with both Farr Yacht Design and Brett Bakewell-White, plus comparison routeings with navigator Ian Moore, and while there is no silver bullet it is clear you can no longer dismiss DSS when you are considering an offshore/coastal programme, be it ORC or IRC focused.

We continue to work closely with the rating authorities, with both poacher and gamekeeper reasonable bedfellows as we look to provide confidence for owners who wish to move forward, while the rating managers ensure that their current fleets remain competitive… (Strangely the best sailed and prepared boats still seem to do well regardless of configuration).

2017 will bring more DSS ratings to the fore and so more performance data with which to validate the rating numbers.

Imoca 60s
Bittersweet also best describes our experience within this class so far and this is where a history lesson is perhaps appropriate. In 2008 Hugh Welbourn and DSS were approached by Alex Thomson Racing to look at the possibility of collaborating with Finot-Conq in incorporating DSS into a new design for the next Vendée cycle. The base boat was not suitable so we declined; an opportunity missed.

Vendée Globe yacht design… in a nutshell. Five of the latest-generation Imoca 60s, including Banque Populaire (above), were committed to similar VPLP/Verdier designs when Alex Thomson (shrewdly) pressed the button with the sixth… Hugo Boss (below). Thomson’s boat used a simpler, more DSS style of horizontal foil than her foiled rivals; but as significant is that with extra dynamic righting moment his team ‘risked’ a slightly narrower hull – which contributed to some devastating pace downwind and in light air. Thomson powered away from the fleet on the opening leg, at times sailing 2-3kt faster

However, work on other Open 60 proposals led us towards slimmer, lighter design concepts using DSS as the starting point, which in hindsight may well have turned a well-established fleet on its head. At the same time we opened discussions with the Imoca class, and eventually DSS did end up being accepted… but with an expensive sting in the tail.

A single transverse ‘traditional’ DSS foil would be counted by Imoca as two of five allowable moveable appendages; assuming a traditional wide hull requiring twinrudders, plus canting keel, then any foil solution would now need to deliver dynamic lift and increased righting moment (RM) plus enough sideforce to resist leeway.

In the end a complex hybrid solution with an assortment of vertical tips became the norm for the most recent VPLP/Verdier designs, but these brought into focus the risks – and costs – of introducing complex angled sections into highly loaded composite boards (a pair of typical Dali foils will set you back €300,000–350,000 plus).

Effectively then, these boats had put their eggs very much in one basket – side force and RM all combined in one item, with the failure risk increased with the tip additions. Hit something with a relatively straight, flattish foil and the shock loads fore-and-aft can be designed for… hit something just with one of those long tips and suddenly you are also dealing with torque loads on the inner foil and cassette that are much harder to resolve accurately.

Not surprisingly, the phonecall came in from ATR early in 2014. One of their in-house technicians had been working with Infiniti Yachts on a 30m project for Danish Yachts before joining ATR and had had plenty of sea time on the Infiniti 36 and our 27ft test boat and so was well informed as to DSS and its potential.

‘What are your thoughts on a DSS-type 60 to the current Imoca rules…’ So Hugh ran some comparisons which demonstrated that, executed properly, significant gains could be made over both the existing fleet and the new designs we were then aware of. Hugh and Will Brooks developed several design options, which to our eye looked normal but in the context of superwide Imoca 60 world the boats did look quite radical! We then provided ATR with some basic lines and a couple of appendage configurations which went into the Qinetiq tank for evaluation; soon afterwards we learned that ATR had opted to sign an agreement with VPLP for their new boat.

However, the story did not quite end there. ATR asked: ‘Would we collaborate with VPLP?’

So we arranged to take VPLP sailing and ATR chartered the first Infiniti 36 for a number of months. We arranged further tests with the ATR team on DSS boats and generally headed in the right direction. Sadly, while all was well during the sailing trials, back on land matters of exclusivity between DSS and ATR started to creep in and ultimately the working relationship ended. However, the information and thoughts that we had already shared could hardly be unlearnt, but clearly we had done enough to convince them that foils were the way forward.

If nothing else, even with some of the starboard foil broken off, Hugo Boss did at least prove to be the fastest Imoca 60 in the Vendée Globe. Encouragingly for us, the boat that Alex took around the world was also indeed narrower and lighter than the similar but not identical new boats of his French rivals, moving closer to the design tested at Qinetiq.

The Vendée design directions are very clear – the race is usually decided on the run down the Atlantic and being first boat into the Southern Ocean systems. Ice limits then corral the boats into narrow strategic options riding the weather systems around the bottom, and finally around the Horn after which it is a case of protecting your position – far from easy when passing through the Doldrums and dealing with the complex weather on this final stage of the course. So the slimmer, lighter, more easily driven option scores heavily here on the Vendée course matrix – add in the pace from fully utilising foils in the design and it’s a no-brainer. Or at least it should be.

Whether through lack of insight and/or just a lack of confidence in a new technology, or simply timing, the other five new Imoca 60s all featured ‘standard’ fatter hulls with added Dali foils of varying configurations, that could revert to standard configuration if the experiment failed.

Although they are quicker than the previous non-foil generation, the speed of the slightly slimmer Hugo Boss implies that five very expensive recently built yachts may already be past their prime. It would also have been interesting to see PRB’s time without her own keel problems.

The technical conclusion seemed clear. With two foils Hugo Boss was demon - strably quicker than any other yacht in the class; in particular the undesirable ‘crashing and about to crash’ operating mode of the Dali is softened, with a DSS-style foil plus narrower hull making for higher sustainable average speeds.

As the 2016/2017 Vendée Globe reached its conclusion it was interesting to read in Seahorse that some Imoca designers are already thinking about the next generation of narrower designs, something we have been doing for some years.

Hugh Welbourn’s flying scow, the Quant 23, uses a curved foil to achieve essentially the same lift effect as is enjoyed on the Infiniti 46 with its straight DSS foils. However, in the case of the Quant the result is full flight in just 8-10kt of breeze. Compared with the Imocas, the Quant benefits from a keel fin to resist leeway, dispensing with the Imoca’s large foil tips. But the similarities, especially between the little foiler and Hugo Boss, are evident. Yet there is still a huge amount to learn, particularly in solving the Imoca puzzle with its rule constraints. Hugo Boss’s 24-hour record was, ultimately, only 2nm better than François Gabart managed four years ago without any foils at all…

Nor, it seems, has the DSS effect been lost on the wider market as we already have interest in new designs to move the game forward again in the Imoca class.

Anything but DSS?
As we move from the lunatic fringe into the mainstream DSS is increasingly being accepted. We have technical partnerships, licensing agreements and design arrangements with companies building boats from 4.5m to 40m plus. Farr Yacht Design, McConaghy Boats, Seair, Mer Forte, Bertrand Design, Infiniti Yachts, Quant Boats, Brett Bakewell-White, Aeronamics, Baltic Yachts and a few others we cannot talk about are proving the appeal of DSS across a wide spectrum.

The price of the DSS licence fee is oft discussed but we feel it is fair, particularly when one considers it is a one-off cost that equates to a couple of sails. For an Imoca 60 at the time we were in discussions the licence was €50,000. The cost for one set of Dali foils was, as mentioned, up to €350,000, then you break a few, develop a few and before long it is almost real money. The complete package for the DSS retrofit of the 60ft Wild Joe, including all costs is significantly less than half that of one set of Dali foils… in a new build it would be even less.

Does DSS really work? DSS foils have been proving themselves for some years now and continue to do so. Whether you want an IRC pocket rocket, a gentleman’s daysailer or a fully flying keelboat DSS has delivered, first time, out of the box, without a failure – not very exciting, but sometimes boring is good.

Inevitably ‘not invented here’ is something we have to address from time to time. Indeed, one client was advised by a leading firm of naval architects that fitting DSS would make his yacht unsafe – his question to us was, ‘hy did they say this?’

Our reply was that perhaps they did not want to lose him as a client. ‘Well, they lost me as a client,’ he replied.

In an industry where we are struggling to bring new people to the sport, and often struggling to retain even the people who already love the sport, how can we continue to take risks with the goodwill of the very people we rely on for an industry, the client? We need to tread carefully to bring a new generation to the world of foilassisted sailing.

But there are some worrying ‘foil developments’ being looked at elsewhere that may harm this gradual softening of resistance. Ever more complex arrangements – or proposed arrangements – have been sighted that can only ever be more expensive and less reliable in use. None of us needs to see things go backwards for the sake of costly efforts to reinvent the wheel. Failure always attracts more coverage than success. We all need to be mindful of that.

2017
New DSS projects for 2017 include more work in the fast cruising market in partnership with Farr Yacht Design for the Infiniti 50, 56 and 85 designs. The further adoption of DSS by Farr for their new 42m makes an ever more compelling case for DSS in this sector, where comfort and performance are the primary drivers but not traditionally the most comfortable of bedfellows. Less pitching, less heeling, more performance and shorter passage times are all high on every owner’s wish list.

We continue to work on DSS projects from 4m to 40m-plus whether flying or just cruising faster. Not all projects can be listed here sadly; however, they are all challenging and rewarding in equal measure.

Ben Ainslie’s 2017 America’s Cup team are paying much more than lip service in their wide-ranging environmental partnership with 11th Hour Racing

It all started with the ocean, the playing field that inspires every sailor’s dreams, and the vision that sport is a powerful force for positive change. Then a top-notch 2017 America’s Cup team and an organisation devoted to advancing practices that protect and restore the health of the oceans came together – and a partnership was born.

Newport RI-based 11th Hour Racing is the exclusive sustainability partner of the Land Rover BAR America’s Cup challenge, working with Ben Ainslie’s team to meet the ambitious standards they set together at the onset of the co-operation.

As Jeremy Pochman, president of 11th Hour Racing, highlights, ‘We challenge and change practices in technology, procurement, energy production and use, efficiency, economy, community and legacy. We collaborate closely with Land Rover BAR to implement solutions to overcome or mitigate environmental issues, and promote a lasting legacy — and we believe this is happily also fundamental to creating the strongest team possible.

The team’s sustainability strategy is based on three specified targets, driving innovation, promoting smarter futures and generally inspiring excellence, the elements blending together to ensure a lasting legacy both in the UK, where Land Rover BAR are creating an inspirational centre of marine technology, as well as in Bermuda, the team’s temporary home for the 35th America’s Cup. In the UK the team are engaging with their local community through a rich portfolio of activities – from installing solar panels at a local school, to running a sustainability challenge for students at Portsmouth University, through the work of the team’s official charity, the 1851 Trust, to creating the Tech Deck education centre at the team base.

In Bermuda the BAR team have built a base that offers permanent value to the local community while also including sustainable construction features and a lower operational footprint. Moreover, this base will also host a dedicated educational centre open to the public, the 11th Hour Racing Exploration Zone, which features interactive exhibits on ocean health, invasive species, the New Plastics Economy and renewable energy. In collaboration with the leading environmental organisations of Bermuda, the team are also developing a legacy project around the lionfish, an invasive species that is creating havoc in the Atlantic Ocean.

Playing field
For a first-time America's Cup team Land Rover BAR could have focused solely on the path to Bermuda in 2017, but when they first set up the team in 2011 key members were aware they couldn't be a technologically innovative organisation without thinking about the wider impact they would have.

When marketing head Jo Grindley started mapping out the strategy that would secure funding for the team and talks commenced with 11th Hour Racing in their role as first commercial partner of the team, sustainability was identified as a key element of the process.

Without knowing at the time where the 35th America's Cup was going to be held – or its likely format – the group had to rethink the traditional commercial model, defining what they could control without worrying about the event itself. Becoming a sustainable team was a central factor, and 11th Hour Racing realised this created a great opportunity, not just through the powerful voice that an America’s Cup team has as a role model and educator, but also through the future partners that the team would be recruiting.

Meeting Jeremy Pochman and the co-founder of The Schmidt Family Foundation, Wendy Schmidt, in London in December 2013 solidified the team’s commitment towards sustainability, and importantly highlighted to Sir Ben Ainslie that forming a relationship with 11th Hour Racing was not just acknowledging the issues involved, but actively engaging his team from the start.

This was not about the sailing team wearing a certain brand of shoes, it was about the entire team being conscious of everything they did. From what they ate, to how they travelled to work, to how they built the team base, Ainslie himself quickly took onboard that this was not a detracting factor but, on the contrary, that sustainability embedded throughout Land Rover BAR made his team more attractive to other commercial sponsors.

No one in the sport needs reminding about the energy, focus and sheer determination that Ben brings to every project he undertakes. Ainslie admits that he thought he already had a reasonably good understanding of the global issues surrounding climate change, until visits to the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability and the British Antarctic Survey, arranged by 11th Hour Racing for his Cup team and some of their commercial partners. ‘Immediate, frightening and urgent’ are some of the words Ainslie uses to describe his experience there. With that understanding, and as a team leader and now new parent, Ainslie knows that the time is now and that taking action is non-negotiable.

But what did the team at BAR then actually do in practice? The first thing was to get their own house in order: building a 68,000m2 state-of-the-art base in Portsmouth, while minimising operational impact with efficient and innovative lighting, heating and construction methods – and becoming the first professional British sports team to operate under the BREEAM sustainable building initiative, where 100 per cent of electricity is from renewable resources, generating solar power from all available roof space; rainwater is collected in harvesting tanks; landscaping mimics local shingle habitats and promotes biodiversity; protected cages are built to revive Portsmouth’s declining native oyster population.

The team also created the Tech Deck Education Centre – with the aim of engaging 35 per cent of the region’s schools by the end of 2017 working around a rich STEM curriculum.

Then there is personal transport, with Ben’s team wherever possible choosing to walk, cycle, take the ferry, use public transport or car and boat share. When not at work in Bermuda, Ben and his young family now live on the Isle of Wight, so for them a daily commute by boat also makes perfect sense.

One fact that shocked the sailors particularly was to discover that the amount of plastic that enters the world’s oceans each year has now reached no less than eight million tonnes. How could the team make a difference? Saying no to single-use plastics and engaging their fans to raise wider awareness was the natural first step. But the issue of ocean plastic goes far beyond single-use drink bottles, it's also about engaging those involved through their supply chain. From everyday needs related to hydration for the sailors, to catering and team hospitality at events, right through to the construction and production of their chase and multiple raceboats – and investigating end of life boat solutions.

Above: home base for Land Rover BAR in the UK was designed from the start to deliver the smallest possible carbon footprint, both in construction and then during use. Solar roof panels are among many energy-saving and recovery systems that are integral to the contemporary design from locally based HGP Architects. The team’s integration with its local community is still evolving, working with a local technical college to design and build two of these AC50 docking RIBs (below) using recycled materials wherever practical

Existing recycling methods used by automotive companies see them burn carbon at such a high temperature that the fibres are compromised, and so can only be reused in non-structural ways. Considering the projected worldwide growth in carbon fibre components over the next decade, there is going to be a major issue with disposal and proper waste management, similar to what we have with plastics and grp. The Land Rover BAR team decided to have a go at tackling this problem, working at solutions to separate the fibres in carbon fibre after use, while retaining their structural integrity. This evolved into setting up a PhD project with South ampton University, which Land Rover are funding but with opportunities for other partners to engage in.

Another example of how BAR are innovating sustainable technology is their successful collaboration with a local apprentice college in the build of two specialised docking RIBs – in the process the team researched the most sustainable materials from which to manufacture the boats, and this led to the initial development of an LCA (life cycle analysis) tool. This process perfectly embodies one of the team’s goals – whatever they do, they want to talk to industry and effect change.

The LCA represents a scoreboard that measures the team’s environmental and financial impact relating to building the race and support boats. In simple terms it can be seen as a launchpad for something much bigger. As Pochman of 11th Hour Racing points out, ‘The goal is to produce a blueprint that other marine companies can use to integrate LCA into their operations, helping make the industry more sustainable and more innovative in environmental considerations.’

The docking RIB project highlighted some interesting points. Many remained frustrated that the RIB project ultimately didn’t use 100 per cent recycled materials – that simply wasn’t possible at the time but progress here is ongoing. It also highlighted that recycled materials are harder to work with, and so these skills need to be addressed in technical colleges, for example. What Land Rover BAR are now aware of is the importance of sharing those learning experiences with other training establishments, and that is done by communication… including articles such as this.

Ainslie’s team also has a food charter, wherever possible sourcing food from within a 25-mile radius of the base. After threetime America’s Cup winner Jono Macbeth attended an 11th Hour Racing screening of the film Racing Extinction, the next day he stood up in front of the whole team and proposed they adopt ‘Meatless Monday’ to reduce CO2 emissions.

One thing Land Rover BAR have discovered, also a key philosophy of 11th Hour Racing, is that problems that initially seem too big usually become manageable when you break them down. 11th Hour Racing organise periodic ‘Raising the BAR’ sessions for the team and their families, with this message very much in mind – that individual actions remain crucial. As Pochman reminds us, 11th Hour Racing’s creed is ‘one degree at a time: too much helm will slow the boat, but small incremental changes will get you there faster’.

As Ben Ainslie himself confirmed, ‘It was Wendy Schmidt who really instilled in me the responsibility and the opportunity that we have to make a difference. At Land Rover BAR we now have a dedicated sustainability team, and with 11th Hour Racing we set ourselves the goal to be the most sustainable sports team in the country.

‘We look forward to sharing our experience for the benefit of the marine industry, and to working with all our partners to set about furthering this agenda within our sport and to the wider world. There is so much more we can and must do – we are just scratching the surface and the lesson I learned in Cambridge is that time is running out: we are at the 11th hour.’
Blue Robinson

The Morrelli & Melvin-designed HH 55 from Paul Hakes and Hudson Marine takes all the best bits of the same team’s successful HH 66 to deliver an exceptionally attractive – and fast – new mid-sized package

It’s safe to say that high-speed offshore multihulls are no longer just a novelty enjoyed by a select few devotees. More and more of these craft are appearing around the world and builders are seeing a steady stream of interest and demand at various sizes for proper offshore yachts that are not only fast, but also comfortable, stable and versatile in use.

Last year’s launching of Hudson Marine’s HH 66 represented the introduction of the newest generation of offshore catamarans; the sleek 66-footer quickly demonstrated that luxurious and stylish cruising accommodation could now be delivered with an even higher level of sailing performance, the HH 66 beating more seasoned peers in the Mediterranean Multihull Cup last autumn. This success not only prompted more business for Hudson Marine – five HH 66s have been launched, are in build or are on the order books– but also some valuable feedback to influence the next big cat in the product line, the new HH 55, due out for sea trials this month.

‘The usage of these boats has a big influence on our parameters in design,’ says Gino Morrelli of Morrelli & Melvin. ‘For example, we find that on the larger designs there will typically be a professional captain with possibly another mate or two to assist in system management and maintenance.

‘With this professional help, the complexities of sophisticated electronics, hydraulics, propulsion and sail-handling systems are more likely to perform reliably when needed, and thus the boat can be equipped with these systems with greater confidence and optimised for performance around the owner’s demands.’

As with every multihull, the key to good performance is the inherent sensitivity to payload weight and how it affects sailing trim. However, this is actually of slightly less concern on the largest cats, not only due to their greater size (and thus the dilution of the effect of adding extra equipment), but also because of the pattern of use: most owners of boats in this size range are less likely to take long, extended cruises than they are to be sailing for two to three weeks in shorter sprints between destinations. Therefore the weight of stores carried is less, allowing for more allocation of the weight budget for toys to be carried for use at stopovers. Because of the shorter itineraries there is also less call on the weight budget for items necessary for longterm selfsufficiency, such as spare parts for the engine or any of the numerous systems onboard.

The HH 55 in contrast has about the same design payload as the larger 66 due to the typical owner’s interest in being self-sufficient, so the hull design reflects this. At nearly the same hull volume, the 55 still has wave-piercing bow sections for performance, but a flatter aft run with less rocker, and is therefore able to accommodate variations in weight with less effect on fore and aft trim.

For sailing efficiency the 55 can be supplied with two deck layouts: an aft cockpit configuration with all the sail-handling systems also routed aft, or a forward cockpit just aft of the mast, a layout commonly seen on the larger cats but that is more exposed to the elements while in use. So far the preference expressed by new owners is evenly divided between the two options.

Hull and deck construction for the 55 employs the same resininfused carbon/thermoformed damage-tolerant foam used in the 66, which optimises strength but also ensures durability for the long, hard use expected with an extended-range performance cruiser. High-temperature curing pre-preg is used to build the daggerboards and T-rudders for greater stiffness and strength. There is also an option to use a higher-performance TexTreme carbon, but build manager Paul Hakes has seen less interest in this alternative material than for the larger HH 66.

Immaculately finished Southern Spars carbon mast (above) and elegant and slightly futuristic sail management pod (below) are typical of the very carefully thought-out detailing and high-quality finishes to be found throughout the new HH55. After an early career spent building custom race boats in New Zealand, at Hudson Marine lead boatbuilder Paul Hakes has found a new spiritual home where he can continue to develop a well-earned reputation for delivering beautifully presented and reliable composite yachts

This philosophy of sensible application of technology carries through to the engineering of the hull and main structures; for example, use of carbon in the forward crossbeam gives greater peace of mind in exchange for only a few ‘micro-knots’ in windage drag. To date HH 55 owners have deemed the trade-off to be worth it!

The same applies to the carbon mast built by Southern Spars, where Morrelli says their in-house design and engineering tools show a good fit to his own calculations, thereby allowing for optimal efficiency in materials and design.

This is particularly important in high-speed cats due to their high righting moments and ever-changing dynamic loadings – especially in a seaway. For example, compared to the 66, the 55 is 3-4 tons lighter but proportionally has higher stability, placing ever greater demands upon spar engineering.

One-design load case applied to the rig involves flying a hull on a reach under just the reacher alone… ie with no mainsail to offer fore-and-aft support. In this configuration the torque on the rig is at its maximum, so on the HH 55 the attachments of the standing rigging are separated in order to reduce the maximum stress concentrations and thus to avoid overloading the laminate.

Sail-handling systems on the 55 are a notch below the grand prix level. Both Morrelli and builder Paul Hakes have found the potential HH 55 owner to be more hands-on and less likely to have professional help onboard, and therefore the choice of systems was driven by a tailored balance in weight and complexity, along with ease of use in both operation and maintenance.

‘At 55ft in length, the scale of the sail-handling systems is at what we think is the upper limit for what a competent cruising couple can handle without professional crew,’ says Hakes.

‘When specifying the systems for the HH 55 we tried to imagine the worst-case scenario a couple could find themselves in and still be able to work through without too much stress, rather than the system that would be the absolute lightest in order to pursue the best outright performance possible.

‘There is a balance here, and it’s important to know where the comfort zone is for the non-professional owner who wants to go fast on his own, but not at the expense of safety or comfort.’

An irony in all these small tradeoffs in weight is that, according to Morrelli & Melvin’s performance modelling, the HH 55 is actually nearly as fast as the larger 66 with all its high-tech systems. Analyses indicate about only a 1kt reduction in boatspeed in most wind scenarios, with maybe slightly more in the upper wind ranges where sail handling becomes more demanding and ideally requires a component of professional crew.

Much of the reason for this relative gain in the performance of the smaller boat lies in the power developed in the long, curved boards on the HH 55 that are to the same design as on the 66, but just 400mm shorter. These produce enough lift to reduce the wetted surface of the hulls substantially, and according to Morrelli very nearly allow the boat to break free and foil. T-foils on the rudders also stabilise the pitching motions and ensure a comfortable ride.

This is a key feature in these new-generation cats: not just foilinglevel performance achieved in a large luxury yacht, but performance that can be done safely and reliably for an experienced couple on a long passage (or race) to the destination of their choice.

‘This boat is well-built and reliable, and it’s also fast, make no mistake,’ says Hakes. ‘There’s no hiding the fact that here at the yard we are all now looking forward to the first sea trials…’

Click here for more information on HH Catamarans »

Why reduced line loads, improved flexibility and the reduced coiling diameter of the latest VO65 headsail furling cables should make for happier round-the-world sailors when the next Volvo starts in October

TorqueLite 2.0
You’re on the foredeck of a Volvo 65, at night, bouncing up and down and heeled over with constant spray turning your headlamp beam into a light show, with the occasional half ton of green water trying to tear you off the boat while you wrestle with trying to furl the code zero. The watch captain says you’ll gain a full knot in boatspeed and hold course better by getting this sail furled and off the deck… quickly. The pressure is on.

In these trying circumstances aren’t you glad the sail luff is secured to a TorqueLite 2.0 cable? Even with the countless hours of performing this manoeuvre over many months, you know the process will be smooth and reliable due in part to the improvements Future Fibres have made in their latest cable product:

TorqueLite 2.0 has twice the torsional stiffness of its predecessor, halving the number of turns required to get your furl started. This means that less physical effort is expended, especially in demanding conditions, in getting the sail away quickly and safely, allowing the trimming team to re-mode more quickly.

Getting the furled sail on and off the deck during deployment or stowing is now much easier since TorqueLite 2.0 has been developed with a proprietary construction that has halved the minimum coiling diameter of the cable. Even with the sail attached this is a vast improvement in terms of time and effort spent wrestling with previousgeneration materials with their relative lack of flexibility.

Main picture: Any sailors to have found themselves in close proximity to the big furled headsails commonly found on today’s fastest race boats – and on some of the largest superyachts – will not need reminding how hard it can be to keep ‘the big snake’ under control, whether attaching it up on the bow ready to deploy or bringing the monster safely down below deck… and without it casually flicking somebody over the side. Future Fibre’s softer new torsion cable (below) will go a long way to making a tough task a little bit more manageable

Besides having greater flexibility, TorqueLite 2.0 cables are made using a new lamination method and lighter-torque material that allows for a 20% weight reduction, further improving sail handling.

The new construction method and materials combine to make the TorqueLite 2.0 cable more stable and less prone to performance decay over its lifespan.

There are numerous boats competing in offshore races around the world that can benefit from the new features found in TorqueLite 2.0, but none are more demanding than the VO65s in the Volvo Ocean Race, starting its 13th edition in October. Attracting the best offshore sailors in the world to compete on one-designs means all of the equipment must operate perfectly as boats and crews are tested to the limits of endurance; the concept of an equipmentsupplied one-design oceanic contest makes mechanical failure of any sort simply unacceptable.

With the performance potential demonstrated by TorqueLite 2.0, it’s not surprising that the Volvo Race organisers soon recognised its value for its eight-boat fleet.

In 2017-2018 each race entry will carry Future Fibres’ TorqueLite 2.0 furling cables in their sevenheadsail inventory, ranging from a 29.7m2 storm jib up to a 420m2 A3 gennaker plus the VO65’s giant masthead code zero.

‘The Volvo Ocean Race team were really impressed with the TorqueLite 2.0 furling cables,’ said Nick Bice, director of boats and maintenance. ‘Having seen them in action, we were excited to order 56 cables for the teams competing in the next edition of the race; they surpass anything we’ve seen before.

‘Our sailors push their gear extremely hard in the toughest conditions, so they need the best equipment. We believe the TorqueLite 2.0 cables will meet the high expectations they place on us to give them the right tools for the job.’

This order marks a continuation of Future Fibres’ involvement in the Volvo race and dovetails neatly into parent company Southern Spars’ role as VO65 mast supplier. Due to the compatibility in design and engineering standards, matching a Future Fibres cable to a Southern Spar mast is a straightforward plug and play operation.

‘We are delighted to be involved in another Volvo,’ said Future Fibres CEO Sam Watson. ‘This order is testimony to the design expertise and innovation that have gone into TorqueLite 2.0. It’s now tough enough to stand up to the rigours of an around-the-world race and also be perfect for superyachts and larger boats everywhere.’

Future Fibres also continue to offer their highly popular TorqueLite 1.0. The new high-perfor mance Torque Lite 2.0 simply now extends the company’s furling cable range for ultimate offshore applications.

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