The Round Britain and Ireland race lives on long in the memory of anybody lucky enough to have competed in a previous edition.... But winning the toughest of European offshore events is unforgettable

If you ever wondered if you’re tough enough, the 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is for you. Three-times longer than the Fastnet, some round-the-world veterans even go so far as to suggest it could be as hard as a global circumnavigation.

You don’t have to venture into the farthest flung corners of the world’s oceans to encounter the harshest sailing conditions. If you live in the UK, they’re all in your backyard. ‘The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland is one of the toughest races I have ever done,’ says two-time Clipper Round the World Skipper, Gareth Glover. ‘At times racing in the Clipper is simple, pointing in one direction for weeks on end. This race has tidal gates, wind holes, 40 knots of breeze, big sea state; it is just relentless.’

First organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in 1976, the 1,805nm Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is one of the highest peaks that any offshore racer could hope to scale. Held every four years, the next edition will start on 7 August 2022. Starting from Cowes and exiting the Solent to the east, the course takes a westerly clockwise direction around a myriad of headlands, through treacherous tidal gates.

The Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland is a World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations Category 1 race with RORC prescriptions. At least half of the crew must have completed at least 500 miles offshore racing within 18 months of the race start, including the skipper. Every crew member must also have experience of sailing a boat offshore and be prepared to encounter heavy weather.

‘This is a race like no other in the RORC programme,’ says RORC racing manager, Chris Stone. ‘It is a very tough race in remote locations with a lot of navigational work required. This is not a race to put a crew together at short notice, it is a race for a wellseasoned and well-practised team who have passed the qualification process. It is not a race for novices.

‘You could encounter everything that you would expect to see from the Southern Ocean all the way up to the Arctic Circle. And then on the way south, you have the navigational challenges of the North Sea to contend with. In terms of miles, this race is three Fastnets back-to-back but in real terms it is exponentially larger than that. Completing it is an achievement beyond most others.’

The overall winner of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is decided by IRC time correction. The winner of the last edition in 2018 was Giles Redpath’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra. Antoine Magre was one of the crew and will be racing again in 2022 on Class40 Palanad 3. A number of Class40 teams are expected. Palanad 3 is both the 2021 Fastnet Class40 champion and overall winner of the 2021 RORC Transatlantic Race.

‘In 2018 I said to myself that I need to do this race on a Class40. There is some upwind, but a lot of reaching angles where you can open up – it will be a whole new world in a Class40,’ says Magre. ‘It is a very fast and very harsh race; that is the attraction. You know you are going to have storms to deal with and it can be wild and hostile. It is a complete race in terms of seamanship skills and I would love to put a second notch on my belt!’

British servicemen and women have raced with the RORC since the Club’s conception. The British Army Sailing Association (ASA) was founded in 1947 and has competed in RORC races for decades. Will Naylor will skipper the ASA’s Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu British Soldier for the 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. On three different iterations of British Soldier, Naylor has completed every race and this will be his fourth. ‘For me this is a proper offshore sailor’s race. You get all of the weather conditions and you use every sail in the locker.

‘The biggest achievement is to finish; a good result is a bonus. There is no better sailing test of the military skills of leadership and teamwork. Getting round in one piece is down to the crew. In 2018 we had power issues so we had to sail the boat like a dinghy. We crossed the finish line at 0200 on my birthday. It was my first race as skipper and we had got the job done. I genuinely love this race; it is a fantastic experience and that is why I keep coming back.’

Below: in 2014 the MOD70 Musandam Oman Sail smashed the course record with an astonishingly fast average speed of 23.48kts... and they made it all the way around the course without ever needing to tack.

Senior RORC member Gavin Howe competed in 2018 aboard Tigris, a Sun Fast 3600, typical of the size of boat that competes in the race. While it was his 23-year-old team mate Sam Cooper’s first time, Howe’s first Round Britain and Ireland Race was back in 1978. ‘I did the race when I was roughly the same age as Sam, so returning to it is very nostalgic for me,’ he says. ‘Back then I raced two-handed with Mike Owen on a 24ft Finot design, Rêve de Mer. We had to modify it to make it big enough for the entry requirement!

‘In those days we had no GPS, no electricity, not even a VHF. All of that is very different for the race today. You have to complete the statutory 500 miles racing with the RORC and comply with the special regulations. It’s incredible to look back and think that we really did this race in a boat with a 17ft waterline and no selfsteering or electricity!’

The race attracts sailors of all ages. Teenagers Lou Boorman and Elin Jones are planning on taking on the race doublehanded, despite most of their racing experience being on short courses in Topper dinghies. The girls are doing everything they can to build the required experience between now and the start. ‘We were in the Welsh and British National Teams for Toppers. Elin has experience offshore and is currently qualified on paper up to Day Skipper but will be completing her Yachtmaster Ocean after her term at university finishes,’ says Boorman.

‘What drives me to do the race, especially this year, is that we will be breaking records. I will be the youngest skipper to ever compete in it (as far as we know the youngest skipper was 21 in the 1988 race). So I would be the youngest female skipper too. One of the best things about this race is that we can see the whole of the UK from a perspective that no one else gets to see it and that's a real privilege. I might be able to see my home county in the first leg too which is always a bonus!’ The young duo are looking to charter a J/109 for the race and there’s a lot of fundraising to be done between now and the start, but Boorman and Jones are tenacious.

While the standard direction is to race clockwise, in 2014 RORC made an 11th-hour call to send the fleet anti-clockwise due to the impending arrival of an intense low-pressure system over the northern UK. It came as a relief to the competitors who could now set out on a downwind charge instead of an uphill battle. It was a scary but exhilarating ride, particularly for the fastest boats in the fleet. Five world records were broken, including the outright record by the MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail. Skippered by Sidney Gavignet, they finished the race in three days, three hours 32 minutes, 36 seconds.

Below: a strong contingent of Class40s is expected for the 2022 edition of the race, including Palanad 3 which took class honours in last year’s Rolex Fastnet and won the RORC Transatlantic Race outright

At an astonishing average speed of 23.48kts, Oman Sail-Musandam set a record that could stand for many, many years. ‘The weather was exceptional…I doubt you could find better for the course, let alone the race. We went around Great Britain and Ireland without a tack, only gybes. No tack, zero tacks. That is rare, possibly unique,’ comments Gavignet.

That same year, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s VO65, Azzam, skippered by Ian Walker, set the monohull race record of four days 13 hours 10 minutes 28 seconds. ‘So much of that race is a blur now, but I can remember that we didn’t tack until we got back to the forts, not long before the finish. There’s no doubt that this is a pretty tough race, it's a proper offshore race. It's not like the Fastnet which is a bit of a sprint, it’s 2,000 miles of hard sailing. But you also see some beautiful places along the way. The whole west coast of Ireland is absolutely stunning.’

Ross Appleby, skipper of Scarlet Oyster, has a wealth of offshore racing success and has some good advice for would-be competitors in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race: ‘I was very careful about choosing and preparing this crew. Everyone on board has done a Fastnet or equivalent, and as a team we did three RORC races to pull ourselves together. If you want to finish this race, I would recommend you do the Fastnet first. Essentially this race is three Fastnets; colder at the top and you are very likely to encounter gale force conditions for extended periods – you need to be ready for that.’

Click here for more information on Round Britain and Ireland RORC »

Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery for the generous folk behind Doyle’s brilliant Structured Luff technology. Greater forward thrust, kinder on your rig, forgiving to trim... what’s not to admire?

After eight years of developing and validating the performance benefits of its Structured Luff technology, Doyle Sails passed a significant milestone this year when the concept reached the market-acceptance tipping point to become mainstream. ‘Customers have seen and understood the benefits of Structured Luff technology and increasingly the pro sailors advising owners are pushing them in this direction,’ says Doyle Sails CEO Mike Sanderson.

Any number of business school studies have shown how innovations, be they screw-top wine bottles, online shopping, electric cars or sails, follow a rite of passage from resistance to acceptance, charting how markets let early adopters risk the leap to test their merits. Ultimate validation comes when rival brands shift from demonising the disruptive newcomer to launching their own versions.

Sanderson has watched Structured Luff pass through all these stages, greeting the new imitations with a philosophical shrug. ‘We could either be offended or flattered’ he says. ‘We choose to be flattered. The industry is well aware of how this all began.’

It began in 2013 when Sanderson came up with “a crazy idea” for a Code Zero for the Maxi 72 Bella Mente. To get around the 75 per cent mid-girth measurement rule for asymmetric downwind sails, sailmakers were looking for ways to create masthead Code Zeros that could be sheeted flat as the apparent wind moved forward.

The standard solution was a genoa-type shape supported on an integral luff cable, with superfluous material attached along the leech to achieve the 75 per cent mid-girth target. As the trimmers cranked up the luff load and sheeted on hard, the excess leech material flapped away – disturbing windflow and losing efficiency.

Sanderson’s idea was to build vertical structure into the natural leading edge load lines of the sail itself and meet the mid-girth dimension by shifting superfluous material from the leech and placing it ahead of those load lines.

Making that concept work relied on the “genius” of designer Richard Bouzaid, according to Sanderson. Bouzaid ran a structural study and came up with one-piece vertical panels that would take the load and allow the sail to set up without a cable. Because of the curved shape of the load bearing vertical panels, he described it as a lens.

‘The first trial was a 90 per cent success,’ Sanderson recalls. ‘The design was a bit compromised as we adapted an existing sail and the front floppy bit shook around too much, although it did want to fold back along the leeward side as planned. But the big shock was how the sail set up. There was basically no sag. This was a phenomenon we had stumbled across.’

On further development, the Doyle Sails team found that, freed of the constraints of a 30mm cable locking the luff in a bar-taut line from masthead to bowsprit, they could project the lens effect further forward enabling them to meet the mid-girth dimension without any superfluous material. And, in a rare win-win situation, the cable-less version flew straight on the centreline, even slightly positive, under four-ton tack loads, compared with the six tons required for a conventional sail.

The Doyle designers immediately recognised the ramifications of achieving more efficient sails with a significant reduction in loads were enormous. It could mean lighter rigs, lighter forestays, lighter runners, smaller runner winches, more righting moment – huge benefits for racers but also for superyachts, which could specify smaller engines and reduce fuel consumption.

Doyle Sails quickly applied for “patent pending” protection of the concept. ‘To get that protection, the authorities first go through a rigorous due diligence process to ensure there is nothing else like it in the market,’ says Sanderson. ‘The fact that we received that protection is clear proof of our authorship.

‘After a year, however, we decided against proceeding with a full patent. We felt it would not be in the best interests of the sport or our owners. We’d rather devote our resources to developing our technology and product than to endless legal fees.’

In the intervening years, applying Structured Luff technology to Code Zeros as well as spinnaker staysails and genoa staysails fully justified the excitement the Doyle Sails team experienced in that eureka moment with Bella Mente back in 2013.

The progression to Structured Luff upwind jibs came about with a major refit on Mari Cha III in 2016. ‘We installed a jib lock, but found we could not modify the furling unit to accept an adjustable tack. So, we retained the existing forestay, but engineered a jib structure with less stretch than the forestay.’ The result was another eureka moment.

‘Going up the wind range, the load ratio switches from the forestay to the jib. As the sail takes more of the load, it gets flatter and, as an extra bonus, the driving force moves forward. They think it is magic.’ This led to another solution for a superyacht owner who had struggled for years with a rig that was too light. ‘The forestay sag was horrendous,’ recalls Sanderson. ‘Where the furler sat in the bow, they kept having to cut a bigger hole, because it was constantly rubbing against the sides. Now, with a Structured Luff jib and staysails, their rig is perfect. From the helm position for the first time you can actually see the headsails sitting straight up on the centreline.’

Below: this aerial shot of the SW96 Seatius shows a complete absence of luff sag.

On grand prix racers, the numbers tell the story. With a conventional jib, a typical Maxi 72 in Structured Luff jib configuration now sails upwind with compression load significantly reduced to 11 or 12 tons, comprising five to six tons on the forestay and five to six tons on the jib tack.

Add an adjustable jib tack to the equation and it opens up the ability to switch the load ratios between forestay and headsail. ‘By playing with the load ratios you can trim the sail shape,’ says Sanderson. ‘It is a bit counter-intuitive, but if you want a full sail shape, you have the forestay carrying about 70 per cent of the load and the sail 30 per cent. For a flatter shape, haul down on the tack, or ease the headstay/runner to reverse the ratio.

‘This has turned out to be quite a big thing. During the 2021 America’s Cup, the teams were playing with these ratios all the time, which enabled their jibs to work across a massive range, upwind and down. Intel suggests most teams were getting a depth range of four per cent between their downwind and upwind shapes, just by playing with tensions and ratios (bearing in mind foiling AC75s always have apparent wind well forward in any mode).

‘The Cup crews were actually doing something similar with their mainsails. Initially, they thought there would be very little mast bend adjustment, but by the end they were using the cunningham ram to induce mast bend and adjust the depth of the sail. American Magic actually introduced a full head-to-tack Structured Luff type lens on their mainsail.’

Above and below: for the same heeling moment, Structured Luff  (below, left) delivers 1.7 per cent more thrust and 76 per cent less sideways sag than a conventional sail (below, right)

Bella Mente has also developed a Structured Luff mainsail. ‘It was phenomenal how we were able to open the top of the main,’ Sanderson says. ‘The response was amazing.’

As the technology has followed the classic path from resistance to acceptance, owners and naval architects have increasingly become emboldened to bank the gains on offer. ‘You can track that as a linear progression,’ says Sanderson, who recalls a conversation with an owner about to start a superyacht project four years ago. Hesitant about committing to a concept he felt was still experimental, he opted for a conventional set-up. ‘This year he came to us for a racing blade, but was disappointed that, with his conventional forestay swivel, lock and tack arrangement, he would not get the full benefit of a Structured Luff sail. However, we still made some nice gains for him.

‘Since then, every new-build superyacht that we are involved with has embraced the technology to a greater or lesser degree. That’s the beauty of it. Owners can choose their level of comfort and commitment knowing that they will make gains no matter how far they wish to go with it.’

Looking back, Sanderson is grateful to the owners who enabled this technology to prove itself and progress to mainstream acceptance. ’This is not just a Doyle Sails story,’ he insists. ‘It is about the teams we have worked with. Just to name a few: Bella Mente, Proteus, Hugo Boss, Cannonball, Comanche, Info- Track, Leopard, Mari Cha III, Momo, Hetairos, Caro, Beau Geste, Ichi Ban and Deep Blue… the list goes on.’

As for the future? ‘The exciting thing is that we are only scratching the surface with Structured Luff. We will keep developing it and also our Stratis product, which is incredibly adaptable. The last thing we will do is chase gimmicks. Structured Luff is not a gimmick. We pushed it hard right from the start because we had total faith that it was real. We are not in any rush to take over the world. We set out to be a bespoke operation with cool customers who wanted one-on-one attention. We just want to keep doing a better and better job and really looking after the people who have believed in us.’

Click here for more information on Doyle Sails »

But Ben Rogerson’s foxy new 41ft hybrid design offers high performance offshore racing in both fully-crewed and shorthanded formats...

Shorthanded or fully crewed, the smart layout of the BRYD 41 has been designed to cater for both approaches to offshore racing. From the Hamble-based stable of Ben Rogerson Yacht Design (BRYD), the aero sleekness of this twin-ruddered carbon 41-footer oozes speed and purpose. Look more closely at the deck and cockpit layout and you start to see that there will be very few occasions when anyone will need to venture forward of the mast.

Rogerson and his team felt there was a gap in the market for a hybrid in the 40ft range, capable of meeting the growing demand for longdistance double-handed racing but without sacrificing the possibility of competing fully crewed. ‘The concept of the boat is largely aimed at the shorthanded market, and that’s fundamentally the ethos of the boat,’ Rogerson explains. ‘The BRYD 41 has been developed more towards achieving a performing IRC shorthanded design, because I think there's quite a few options in terms of shorthanded, and, of course, there are a number of high-performance designs like the Class40. But if you want to go and do well under IRC and be able to take part in some of the world’s great offshore regattas, I do think there is a boat that’s been missing from the market.

‘The ethos has been to develop a shorthanded-oriented 41-footer performance design that is optimised to a crew of two up to a crew of six. For the short-handed shorter races, you can take the boat two-handed and go and do your Cherbourg race, of even a Rolex Middle Sea or other 600-milers. But if you're looking to do maybe Transatlantic or the Round Britain and Ireland, then is it also is quite well-suited to a crew of up to six and running a watch system. So you can continue to push the boat without as much fatigue but still operate in a shorthanded style of offshore mode.’

While there is much to be gleaned from the modern Class40 designs, Rogerson wanted a more open cockpit to suit a larger crew when required. ‘The boat can pretty much be run from the back of the cockpit, but not to the extreme lengths of the Class40 where the cockpit is pushed all the way aft. That makes it very difficult for operating with higher crew numbers whereas this setup will accommodate six comfortably.

‘It’s a very human centred approach and the deck layout is very ergonomic. We have dual pits with all the control systems leading aft to the helming position. So from where you're sitting, while you're driving, you can access a large portion of the control systems, which is really useful for manoeuvres and changing gears etc. The extended cockpit means you have space for a full crew, while still being very much oriented to a two-handed setup.’

While the open cockpit is very different to a typical Class40, Rogerson acknowledges the debt to smart Class40 design too. ‘There are quite a lot of interesting systems that we've mirrored and taken across into this design. For example, ensuring that all the deck systems are overdeck led, so we can ensure that the boat is kept very dry, minimising white water through the boat and trying to keep the cockpit as dry as possible. All the control systems are led through tunnels to the furling headsails. All the systems are very easy to access, with your J1 and J2 both on furlers. Even a large proportion of your flying sails are on furlers as well. Conservation of energy is very important for shorthanded sailing which is why everything has been designed to be easy to handle from one position. You can very quickly change gears when you need to, with minimum hassle or risk to the crew.’

Talking of risk, safety is on the agenda for the 41-footer. ‘The cockpit is quite enclosed and there are several hook-on points around the boat. There’s no reason to be detached at any time,’ says Rogerson. ‘For the offshore and categorised races, there is good liferaft storage at the back of the boat, which is easily accessible.’

There is a strong emphasis on ease of handling for sail changes and manoeuvres. The idea is if you want to sail a lot freer you have the transverse-mounted tracks which give you a very good sheeting angle upwind, or go to a more outboard setup for cracked sheets very easily without leaving the cockpit.

‘Each one of the sail systems can be locked off with a clutch or constrictor system which means you have multifunctional use of different winches. If you're doing a complex rounding of a mark and you're setting up for the next leg then there's a number of winches that you can bring into play. It’s a very adaptable winch and clutch package which gives you a lot of choice and control.’

Above: the cockpit layout is significantly different to a typical Class40 with dual pits and the helm position much further forward.

Customisation
Depending on the intended purpose for the boat, there are a number of customisation options. ‘Whether the Round Britain and Ireland Race or the Middle Sea Race is your priority, perhaps fully-crewed, or if you’re thinking primarily in terms of shorthanded, there are a few key things you can change,’ says Rogerson. ‘From deck layout, whether you want tiller or wheel steered, to configuring the sail package. As you would expect, a great deal of resources have been attributed to he design and performance analysis of the hull, appendages and aero configuration, the goal has been the development of an optimised but versatile platform that can be tuned between the setups.’

Sail plan
The sail package can be optimised for IRC or ORC, with options for either hanks or furling headsail setups as well as a multipurpose furling J3/staysail providing the ability to change gears with ease and efficiency. The mainsail supports two single line reef systems, with options for lazyjacks to work with the conditions and racecourse format. There are multiple options for downwind sails, including masthead top-down furling A sails, a fractional A5 and a masthead Code Zero.

Interior layout
The BRYD 41 has a minimalist racing yacht interior with a navigation station located on the mast bulkhead. This provides for quick access to the navigation tools, with screens fully visible through the companionway hatch.

The galley is situated on the starboard side supporting options for gas hob or jet boil utilities with ample stowage for supplies. Berths are made up of three carbon fibre pipe-cots port and starboard.

A 30hp Yanmar saildrive engine is underneath the companionway steps, which form part of the lightweight engine cover. The heads is forward of the mast on the port side.

Composite structure
The BRYD 41’s structural design has been refined to achieve a lightweight yet very robust platform that is easily capable of meeting the most rigorous demands of performance offshore racing. With twin carbon rudders and bowsprit, the structure is produced in prepreg carbon fibre that is cured under four atmospheres of pressure in one of two autoclaves at the forefront of composite technology.

Above and below: to overcome the limitations of commercially available yacht design software BRYD have developed a unique design and performance toolset using their own VPP and in-house CFD infrastructure

Who is BRYD?
Established just over five years ago, Rogerson’s team at BRYD has broad experience across a range of maritime design projects. ‘I was very fortunate in the years previous in another career to work on a number of raceboat campaigns and being a boatbuilder,’ says Rogerson. ‘This also allowed me to do a lot of sailing with some really interesting teams. I set up BRYD as a logical development of that knowledge and experience from the racing world. From the outset we've taken a very R&D focused approach. Along with my colleague Stuart Lynes, who’s been there since the beginning, we've developed our own in-house design and performance analysis toolset, using our own VPP, and also built up our own RANSE CFD infrastructure using Cadence Fine Marine, which is known for being one of, if not the best solvers for marine applications. To provide a competitive option, we knew we needed to run a lot of the performance analysis in-house in quite a new way. The commercially available software comes with its limitations and we wanted to be able to do our own performance analysis on a whole range of hull forms and configurations. Developing our own toolset has given us the ability to optimise a design much more quickly and efficiently, without the limitations of a more iterative process.’

Alongside this, BRYD is currently involved with a variety of projects from blue water cruisers and performance powercraft to innovation research projects with their team of four engineers and yacht designers, all with a diverse background and expertise honed within sectors of the industry.

‘The sailing and powerboat worlds are very different in some ways, but they are also two worlds that run in parallel. In the end, everything comes down to design and engineering challenges. That variety of backgrounds gives us a different angle to asses a wide range ideas and concepts, and apply some very innovative solutions.’

Click here for more information on BRYD »

Combining the expertise of Fibre Mechanics and Multiplast with that of VPLP, under Gunboat’s reputation for design, build quality and finish... it’s no wonder that the new Gunboat 80 offers such a breathtaking package

Imagine sailing faster than the wind while cruising with your family in just six knots of breeze, when all other yachts are motoring. Now imagine racing that same boat with your team, with boatspeeds reaching 30kts. Welcome aboard the Gunboat 80.

After the success of the Gunboat 68, the next step was to go bigger – and a lot more hi-tech. More than ever before, this new flagship model brings Gunboat into the world of grand prix sailing technology. The CFD modelling, structural engineering, prepreg carbon construction and rig optimisation of the Gunboat 80 are on the same level of sophistication as an Imoca or Ultime build project, with the same fanatical focus on weight reduction.

‘When you’re building high-performance cruising catamarans, being on weight is just as important as being on time and on budget, ’says Gunboat’s managing partner Benoît Lebizay. ‘When someone puts their faith in us we deliver.’

Like a grand prix raceboat project, some of the solutions developed for the Gunboat 80, such as a system that effectively allows the daggerboards to be lifted under full load at speeds over 20kts – have pushed the boundaries of design and engineering.

There are, however, some crucial differences. First, unlike any stripped-out raceboat the Gunboat 80 has to achieve its grand prix level of performance as well as high-end cruising comfort and quality of finish. Second, it has to work equally well as a safe, versatile, reliable world cruising platform and family home as it does in line-honours racing mode. And third – a key differentiator for the Gunboat brand – it needs to deliver all of the above in a semi-custom package that avoids the inherent risks, budget overruns and delays of a full custom build while still offering owners a huge scope for customisation. It wouldn’t be a Gunboat if each owner couldn’t place the cursor exactly where they want it to be on the performance-cruising continuum and tailor the boat to precisely fit their own personal style and sailing ambitions.

The innovation without the risk
At the cutting edge of sailing, highperformance design and engineering move forward in leaps and bounds, sometimes in good directions and other times down blind alleys or worse. Gunboat’s close partnerships with some of the industry’s leading innovators, like VPLP Design and North Technology Group, allow them to take full advantage of the latest developments while maintaining the boundaries of safety and structural integrity that are equally crucial elements of Gunboat’s ethos, and among the widely admired qualities of its boats.

Most sailors develop strong opinions and ideas about their ideal boat as they gain experience, and they often assume that a full custom build is the only way to achieve it. The downside is that full custom projects are inherently fraught with risk. They typically take twice as long to design and build, and they often end up costing 50 to 100 per cent more than was originally envisaged. While a racing yacht builder can deliver a high-quality hull, deck and structure, they very rarely have the knowledge and experience to install and integrate the immensely complex and sophisticated hotel systems of a high-end cruising yacht while maintaining the crucial focus on both weight reduction and reliability.

Above and below: Progress on Gunboat 8001 Highland Fling. Fibre Mechanics and Multiplast apply the latest build techniques and hi-tech materials proven on elite grand prix racing yachts.

Some owners still prefer to go their own way in every aspect of a project. For them, that element of risk is part of the thrill and is worth the inevitable delay, hassle and expense. But for most owners, Gunboat’s proposition – using process-driven, quality controlfocused operations to deliver the best aspects of a full custom build whilst removing the worst and most unpredictable elements – makes a lot of sense.

Owners have almost complete free rein to customise the interior of their Gunboat. The primary bulkheads have to stay in place but the secondary bulkheads can all be moved, so there is a lot of flexibility with what you choose to do with the space. The first two Gunboat 80s are extensively customised and have very different interiors. The first boat has the owner’s cabin starboard side aft; the second has it port side forward. One boat has a family room and a kids’ room. The galley is highly configurable and you can have helm stations inside, outside or both.

Leveraging the best of the best
Gunboat has always used a carefully judged, meticulously evaluated combination of in-house production and partnerships with other industry leaders to deliver top quality. For full prepreg construction of the Gunboat 80, its partners include two world class raceboat builders: Fibre Mechanics building the hulls, bridgedeck, and secondary bulkheads, and Multiplast supplying the deck, coachroof and primary bulkheads.

‘Outsourcing different elements of the boat means that there's no compromise in the build process,’ says Gunboat’s chief operating officer William Jelbert. ‘For me as a boatbuilder and project manager it's like being a kid in a candy shop because we get to work with the absolute experts in their field.’

‘The raceboat teams at Fibre Mechanics and Multiplast have worked together for many years, collaborating on high-profile Volvo and Imoca yachts as well as giant Ultime racing trimarans, ’says Geoff Stock, managing director at Fibre Mechanics. ‘We are using the same materials and techniques to build the Gunboat 80 as we do for custom racing yachts.’

The hull is cooked and cured three times during hull shell construction with a final cure of 10 hours at 95°C, Stock explains. The majority of the fibre is unidirectional carbon, preimpregnated with a very accurately controlled resin film that makes up just 35 per cent of the total hull skin weight. The foam core is thermoformed to shape on a hydraulically controlled adaptable mould surface, then bonded to the outer hull skin at 90°C with an epoxy adhesive film.

Below: the VPP for Gunboat’s new flagship breaks 30kts

Another big benefit of building hull components at Fibre Mechanics is the shipyard’s strict quality assurance. ‘Our laminating techniques and oven cure processes have been developed side by side with the increasing ability of NDT specialists to analyse a cured laminate,’ Stock explains. ‘We have been working with the best ultrasound experts in the business for many years, and as their accuracy has improved we have been able to adjust the way we do things to eliminate the faults and flaws that used to go unnoticed. This is all equivalent to an America’s Cup level of quality oversight’

Safe and reliable
Safety, reliability and seakeeping are just as important to Gunboat as their boats’ remarkable speed and superb quality of finish. All aspects of safety on board receive the same meticulous attention as weight savings and performance enhancements, from the height and strength of the stanchions to the placement of handholds and clipping-on points, the reliability and control of sailing systems and the general ergonomics on deck. Whether you’re planning to use the boat for inshore regattas, offshore passage racing, trans-ocean voyaging or coastal cruising, all Gunboats are built and outfitted to the same extremely high standards. And that’s one of the keys to their notably high resale value. The build quality of the brand is widely known and when a Gunboat comes back on the market it tends to sell quickly.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of Gunboat’s offering is that buyers can have full confidence, backed up by the brand's reputation, that their new boat will be delivered exactly as expected, on weight, on time and on budget. The full joy of ownership starts straight away – without major snags or surprises. 'We give a realistic project management proposal with a cost and a timescale that we’re actually going to deliver to,’ Jelbert says. ‘You can’t tell someone there’s no risk in boatbuilding because there always is. But we are very good at mitigating the risks, even with an ambitious, complex and sophisticated project like a Gunboat 80.’ And if you’re a sailor who loves performance, you’ll end up with a boat that really grabs your soul.

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