Not a gramme was spared in the build of Niklas Zennström’s latest maxi, Rán 5, at Persico… as build manager Jason Carrington explains

F rom the get go the build process for Rán 5 benefited from a strong sailing team who probably have more experience of the IRC Mini Maxi class than any other team on the circuit. Add to this the Judel-Vrolijk design office and Steve Koopman of SDK Structures and a formidable team with an established and successful track record was in place and ready to go. From our first meeting the brief was clear: build the most refined and lightest boat possible within the rule.

It’s never easy to raise the bar. Not only did we need to improve on pretty much every area compared to the team’s previous boat, we also had to deliver the new boat within a tight timeframe. Palma Vela was targeted as the first regatta and seen as vital to getting the best out of the boat for the coming 2014 season.

With the hull lines delivered in September 2013 this essentially meant a 7½- month build programme. We needed to choose a builder who was not only capable of building to a very high standard but also able and willing to squeeze 34,000 hours into those 7½ months with no adverse effect on quality or weight.

Persico are without doubt now established as one of the very best raceboat builders in the world. Their facility has benefited from ongoing investment and their tool-making and milling facility is probably unmatched. With the Volvo fleet construction under control Persico’s skilled labour force was available and motivated to build a grand prix raceboat.

TERRY HUTCHINSON gets a sobering reality check

O n the ground for once which in many ways is good as it means that I am home with the family and flat out busy. Between the duties of professional sailing and Quantum, which are interrelated, things are hectic. Chuck in a 3,000-mile move cross-country with a 15-yearold boy, an 80lb labradoodle named Captain, a U-Haul chock-a-block full of stuff and the hazard of too much sun exposure (more on this in a moment) and the Cal Cup… one could say that the family has more on than the early settlers.

Sun exposure. The conclusion of the last tour came with the scheduled check to the local dermatologist. Nothing major but every six months I haul myself in to get burnt, scraped and examined for developing skin cancers. The most recent visit the good doc determined that it was time to take on liquid chemotherapy on my upper lip. This is a nasty treatment in which in essence you apply a chemical that burns the skin into oblivion and, well, leaves you less desirable to look at – as if I need anything working against me here! To quote Katherine, ‘Dad, I need you sitting next to me at dinner because if I have to look at you I will lose my appetite!’

I am laughing now… Bottom line is the sun is the hazard of the job and I would always recommend getting checked. Prevention is easy and not checking catastrophic. The upside is the forced break that allows for time in the shade.

Cal Cup. California Yacht Club and Marina del Rey hosted 15 boats (the Farr 40 class is alive and strong), 11 races in somewhat traditional Marina del Rey conditions. Shifty, lots of wind shear, kelp and emphasis on speed and starting were the order of the day (something different, I know). Onboard Alex Roeper’s Plenty it was business as usual. Marina del Rey is a fairly cruel spot and, as coach James kept reinforcing, ‘Don’t get spooked by the randomness, keep going for the percentages!’ Survive to the final day and see where we sit.