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World’s Fastest Sailboat: Quantum Leap

• By James Boyd
• Updated: June 18, 2013

Vestas SailRocket 2

Last November, in southwest Africa, a landmark moment occurred in the history of sailing when Paul Larsen pegged the outright world sailing speed record. In recent years the record was eclipsed in small increments, usually a fraction of a knot, but the Australian’s innovative Vestas SailRocket 2 flew down the 500-meter course at an average speed just over 75 mph, almost 10 knots faster than the previous record held by American kiteboarder Rob Douglas.

Tim Colman’s asymmetric Crossbow established the first 500-meter record in 1972 with a heady 26.3 knots. Windsurfers took hold of the record in 1986 and held it until 1993 when Simon McKeon’s asymmetric yacht Yellow Pages took it and held it until 2004. Windsurfers reigned again for a few years, but it was the kiteboarders who shattered the mythical 50-knot barrier in 2008. In 2009 Alain Thebault’s foiler L’Hydroptère managed 51.36 knots. But the kiteboarders quickly won it back when Douglas pushed the record to 55.65 knots.

With the latest record Larsen not only reclaimed it on behalf of “the boats,” but set a benchmark—65.45 knots to be precise—that will be hard to surpass.

Despite the stunning margin of increase, the record did not come easily. The feat was the culmination of 10 years of hard graft, fiscal uncertainty, and severe setbacks.

The Australian-born Larsen had been best known in the sailing world for his offshore adventures. He crewed on Pete Goss’s ill-fated Team Philips , then ended up sailing around the world in The Race with Tony Bullimore. He completed another lap aboard Doha 2006 , winner of the Oryx Quest.

In 2002, he and his Swedish girlfriend, Helena Darvelid, herself an accomplished offshore sailor, teamed up with English naval architect and speed sailing junkie Malcolm Barnsley.

The catalyst for the SailRocket project was the book The 40-knot Sailboat written in 1963 by American rocket scientist and yacht design visionary Bernard Smith. At a time when yachts still had long keels, Smith described the idea of a sailing vessel dubbed the “aero-hydrofoil” with neutral stability: where the heeling moment from the rig is completely offset by a foil located to windward. Smith built models to prove his concept, but it was only when the first Vestas SailRocket was launched in the spring of 2004 that his concept was proven at full scale.

Initial progress was slow. In 2005, after two seasons getting to know the platform, they replaced its softsail rig with a wing. The first trials with the boat were on Portland Harbour, close to Larsen and Darvelid’s home in Weymouth, Great Britain. In 2007, the duo decamped to Walvis Bay, Namibia, a venue with perfect characteristics that offered more opportunity to carry out runs: a gently sloping beach, regular winds, and a 1,000-meter stretch of obstruction-free water. In recent years, Namibia has taken over from The French Trench in Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, as the preferred location for breaking sailing speed records. All the speed records set by kiteboarders were done in Luderitz, Namibia, some 250 miles south of Walvis Bay.

The first big speeds came in 2007, with SailRocket hitting an instantaneous speed of 42.4 knots during one run. It was well short of the record at the time, but fast enough to prove Smith’s concept. That number also enabled Larsen and Darvelid to gain vital sponsorship from wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.

With such a groundbreaking boat, teething problems were inevitable. They were getting faster, but the boat, rather than the pilot, was still mostly in control. A significant issue was the steering. “The back of the boat looked like Edward Scissorhands,” says Larsen. “We had three rudders hanging off the back; one system was confusing the other. It was a mess.”

After nearly destroying the boat in a crash, Larsen and Darvelid, along with Barnsley and engineer George Dadd, set out to create a better steering system. With this fitted, and_ Vestas SailRocket_ rebuilt, they set off again, as Larsen says “on one of the wildest runs I’ve ever had in that boat.” The steering was better—the boat would bear away to some degree—but far from perfect. On one run, Vestas SailRocket ran onto the beach at 35 knots.

But despite the troubles controlling the boat, Larsen knew they were on the right track. After tweaking the rudder over the next few days, they did one run, in big winds and relatively rough conditions, where Larsen felt for the first time that he was in control of the beast. It was a landmark moment.

“After that run, we booked the WSSRC for the first time,” he says, referring to the World Speed Sailing Record Council, which administers and validates all sailing speed records.

While the boat continued to get faster, a more fundamental design issue became apparent. With the pilot’s seat in the rear of the main hull, trying to keep the boat pointed in the right direction was a challenge. It was, Larsen describes, “like trying to fly an arrow backwards. It would try to turn around and fly the proper way with the weight at the front and the feathers at the back, by turning laterally into the wind, or vertically if it had to.”

On one memorable occasion, Vestas SailRocket took off and performed a complete backflip, leaving Larsen upside down in the water and the boat once again in pieces. The video of this crash went viral on YouTube and has been played more than 400,000 times. But this was one of many incidents: “We had rounded up into the wind, smashed the wing, and folded up the beam at least four times before we even got to the flip,” he recalls. “Each one of those was a big crash, big repair, damaged wing, broken struts; once we got the boat going really quick, then she started to somersault.”

Amid all of this, the world record was being pushed further down the track by the kiteboarders with Douglas stealing it from the windsurfers and then Frenchman Sebastien Cattelan being the first sailor to break the 50-knot barrier. But Vestas SailRocket also made its mark. The same day as the backflip, SailRocket became the world’s fastest boat, as opposed to board, at a speed of 47.3 knots.

The following season Larsen and company realized time was running out for Vestas SailRocket . They had an unofficial run of 49.38 knots and a peak speed of 52.78 knots, but the runs were still very much do or die. Larsen endured another full backflip and a separate catastrophe when the forward beamstay broke, causing the beam to fly back into the main hull and the boat to fold up, putting the pilot in the hospital. “It went from over 47 knots to a standstill, and the beam came back at me like a cricket bat,” says Larsen. “I still rate that as the most violent crash in yachting yet.”

With Vestas SailRocket reaching the limit of its potential, the team was already deep into the design of Vestas SailRocket 2 , harnessing all the knowledge they’d learned from the first boat.

While Barnsley spearheaded the design of the first boat, the principle designer of the second was Chris Hornzee-Jones, a structural engineer and aerodynamicist, who heads the company AeroTrope and designed the wingsail for the first Vestas SailRocket .

Launched in March 2011, Vestas SailRocket 2 incorporated all the fundamental features of the first boat: a hull to windward incorporating the all-important foil, a single crossbeam, and a wingsail inclined to weather by 30 degrees. In other ways, however, it was a significant step forward. At 40 feet long by 40 feet wide, it was slightly bigger, and the hull was now more like a glider fuselage sitting on two short floats at the bow and stern, with the rudder mounted on the forward one. To leeward the wingmast sat atop a third float.

Most noticeable was that while the floats pointed in its direction of travel, the fuselage was offset to starboard by 20 degrees to point into the direction of the apparent wind in order to minimize drag at high speed. They also “reversed the arrow,” putting the cockpit in the bow of the fuselage. They enlarged the wing from 172 sq. ft. to 193 sq. ft., added a hooked section at the bottom of the wing (giving it a hockey stick profile), which acts as an endplate for the wing and also provides some control over how high the leeward float flys.

In the cockpit, in addition to the steering wheel, the controls Larsen uses during a run are the mainsheet and the control for the flap on the outboard extension of the wing. There are also controls for raising and lowering the main foil and the low-speed skeg, and controlling the wing when stationary.

During the 2011 season, the team made solid progress. Vestas SailRocket 2 proved more controllable and stable than the previous boat, and in two seasons of use it experienced none of the same catastrophes that afflicted the first boat. However, regardless of the wind speed, the new boat couldn’t surpass the low 50-knot range. By this stage, Douglas had pushed the record to 55.65 knots.

The culprit proved to be the foil, mounted on a bracket well aft on the windward side of the fuselage.

In 2011, the team trialed two foils. Both were L-shaped, one a conventional asymmetric teardrop shape—with a similar section to an IMOCA 60/Volvo 70 daggerboard—the other a ventilating foil. With the former both the low- and high-pressure sides of the foil are put to use, but when traveling at speeds approaching 60 knots the foil cavitated. This is a common problem for propellers, caused when pressure on the low-pressure side of the foil becomes so low it causes the water to vaporize, effectively detaching it from the foil. With only one side of the foil working, the performance of the foil drops suddenly, with potentially disastrous effects.

A ventilating foil with more of bullet shape (a sharp leading edge, and a blunt trailing edge) is, in hydrodynamic terms, much less efficient: Its effective working area is much reduced, and it creates more drag. However, this shape theoretically removes the cavitation issue and allows the foil to operate smoothly at speeds well in excess of those where a conventional foil starts to struggle. During the 2011 season Vestas SailRocket was mostly being sailed with this foil, only it failed to ventilate properly. In desperation the team took out the grinder and progressively shortened the foil in 6″ chunks, down from 3’3″ to 1’9″, before returning to base to consider the data.

Back in Great Britain, the team planned to build a new foil, but was unsure what exactly to build. Talking to the experts only caused more confusion. They were advised a ventilating foil shouldn’t be able to get beyond 30 knots, but they had achieved speeds in excess of 50 knots with it. So they reverted to their original concept of a ventilated foil, only a depth of around 2′ submerged and a chord of 10″ at its maximum—about 60 percent of its original area. They also fitted Cosworth data loggers to the foil to establish where cavitation or ventilation was occurring.

The eureka moment came not with the new foil on its own, but when they added a strategically placed fence to prevent ventilation in an area of the foil that shouldn’t have been ventilated. And the rest, as they say, is history. Initially they set a new record of 59.23 knots, and 10 days later Larsen managed 65.45 knots with a peak speed of 67.74 knots.

What’s it like at 60 knots? “It depends on how close I get into the beach,” says Larsen. “If I stay out of the rough stuff, it is a short, sharp, bumpy ride, like on a high speed powerboat. This thing doesn’t knife through the waves, it skips over the top of the small chop. At the back of the boat it is pretty good, just riding on a foil, it is pretty civilized. The visibility is brilliant. I have got no sunglasses or visor on. There is no spray coming into the cockpit, compared to the last boat. I only feel a little bit of spray just when I start up.”

At present there are no plans to progress with Vestas SailRocket . The point has been proven. From the heavens Bernard Smith, who passed away on Feb. 10, 2010, can smile. Larsen is adamant the concept will go faster; in theory there is nothing to stop this genre of boat from hitting 100 knots. But it will require another foil. With his offshore background Larsen is intrigued to see if the neutral stability concept can be developed for more practical applications, but only if it makes boats like the 131-foot Banque Populaire maxi tri [the outright ’round the world record holder at 45 days] look like pedestrian dinosaurs.

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AB Yachts’ Speedy Superyacht

• By Diane M. Byrne
• April 22, 2022

Dating back to its founding 30 years ago, AB Yachts has focused on high-performance yachts equipped with water jets. Given that AB Yachts is an Italian shipyard, that emphasis on speed comes packaged with sleek styling. The builder continues to add larger models, and when it launched Hull No. 1 of its 100-foot AB 100 series in 2016, it announced a 52-knot top-end speed. Other semicustom maxis existed in this size range, but none clocked on the radar gun quite like this one did. Advances in engine technology and lightweight construction have since allowed the shipyard to make the yacht even faster. The same series is now reportedly capable of a 54-knot maximum speed.

Which wasn’t enough for one particular customer—or for AB Yachts.

Together, they created the AB 100 Superfast, with what the yard says is a 59-knot maximum velocity and a cruising speed of 53 knots. This makes the AB 100 Superfast not just the fastest boat in the builder’s range but also a boat that’s faster than most, if not all, other yachts of its size from any shipyard. In fact, the AB 100 Superfast’s top speed is about 25 knots higher than that of other high-profile maxis in the 100- to 110-foot range.

The owner and shipyard shared the belief that an invitation to customize a semicustom yacht should indeed mean customization. AB Yachts allows clients to tailor exterior styling and interior design, and the AB 100 Superfast differs from its predecessor in several ways. The avid cruiser wanted to take his personal bond with the sea to a higher level. “That was the key goal that we interpreted in the interest of our owner,” says Gennaro Candida De Matteo, the CEO of AB Yachts’ parent company, Next Yacht Group.

The first hint is seen in the AB 100 Superfast’s profile, which has more glass than the AB 100. Along the main deck, the glass is nearly sole-to-ceiling, complemented by glass insets in the lowered bulwarks. The dark tint lends the illusion that the glass wraps uninterrupted from one side of the yacht and around to the other. Belowdecks, the small oval ports are gone, replaced with two long stretches of glass to port and starboard.

Aft, like any large yacht, the AB 100 Superfast has a table and settee. The setup seems unassuming enough for enjoying alfresco meals or the spirited ride. But at the press of a button, both the table and the settee’s backrest lower to ensure that the owner and his guests truly have uninterrupted views when they’re seated inside the open-plan main deck. (On a related note, the owner opted to increase the perception of volume inside by eliminating the bulkhead between the helm and dining area.) A similarly lowering settee backrest is on the flybridge too.

Two more cruise-enhancing surprises are at the waterline. The first: The yacht has a nearly full-beam settee nestled against the transom, providing the ultimate front-row seat to the swimming and water-toy action. Consider it a permanent open-air beach club. The second surprise is how the toys launch.

“This is one of the most interesting features of this boat,” De Matteo says. At the press of a button, the backrest rises up to reveal the garage. The transformer-type swim platform rises too, so a RIB or other toys can slide directly into the water.

When peace and quiet are what the owner and his guests want, they can retire belowdecks, where there are accommodations for eight. This owner chose two twins, a VIP and a full-beam master stateroom. While some maxi opens look and feel tight below, the AB 100 Superfast doesn’t—even with its 22-foot-3-inch beam being comparable to that of slightly larger maxis from other builders. Adding to the owner’s comfort, a port within the picture window in his stateroom opens.

Even with the emphasis on his own enjoyment, the owner and AB Yachts didn’t overlook the practical needs of the four-person crew. For example, stairs by the inside helm—which the owner designed with the shipyard to achieve an automotive-type look in carbon fiber and leather—lead directly down to the Corian-outfitted galley and crew mess. The laundry area is right here as well. The foredeck leisure area, meanwhile, has significant stowage beneath the equally sizable sun bed.

Most people who end up seeing the AB 100 Superfast cutting across the horizon will probably consider the yacht to be a maxed-out maxi. Yes, it is an unabashedly fast yacht—and one of the fastest superyachts in the world to boot. But from the American walnut soles and furnishings to the view-enhancing features and re-imagined use of space, the AB 100 Superfast also reflects a clear, custom vision.

One that just happens to be capable of nearly 60-knot speeds.

Power Punch

The AB 100 Superfast gets its head-turning performance from triple 2,600 hp MANs with water jets. The AB 100, by comparison, had three 1,900 hp MANs and water jets. Kevlar and carbon-fiber construction keep weight down, part of the shipyard’s practice across its models.

American Success Story

While AB Yachts’ American clients are similar to European counterparts in being attracted to speed, the AB 100 series’ 4-foot-3-inch draft has more specifically led to sales stateside. Clients who regularly cruise between South Florida and the Bahamas need the shallow-water access.

Next Yacht Group’s Next Move

GB Investment Holdings, which has interests in artificial intelligence and luxury properties, is AB Yachts’ parent company. It named its yachting division Next Yacht Group to reflect a future focus. It plans to leverage its AI and resort knowledge to improve the yachts and customer experiences.

Take the next step: abyachts.com

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World’s Fastest Sailboats – The Catamaran, Trimaran, Windsurfer and Kiteboarder

By Danny Cruz

Photo by: CultivArte

Any time someone mentions a sailboat as being fast, the non-sailors cringe at the thought of 12 knots being fast. Can you say 50 knots? Teach them a lesson about fast sailboats…

While 12-15 knots is actually quite fast for a racing sailboat in good windy conditions, high-caliber racing sailboats can do more than 20 knots in high-wind situations. In fact, TransPac TP52 sailboats for example, have been clocked around 30 knots for short burts. That’s nearly 35MPH for easy comparison! And a TP52 is a monohull! Trimaran and catamaran sailboats are typically much faster. On a sailboat, those kinds of speeds feel quite incredibly fast. Doing 20 on a sailboat feels like doing 40 in a powerboat – possibly even more exhilarating than that! Specially given the fact that to go that fast it has to be very windy, which in turns equals choppy seas unless you are in some narrow channel. Consider what it might feel like doing 20 knots in choppy seas where the boat is hammering into wave after wave. You can probably imagine the excitement.

Most of the above comments are based on above average sailboats. Well, to be fair, a TransPac or Santa Cruz 52 is well above average. They are in super boat territory. But, there exists a certain breed of speed sailing boat that is at a whole other level of performance and speed unattainable by standard production boats – Boats that are purposely built for speed as the number one priority. If a TP52 is a super-boat, the way a Ferrari 360 is a super car, the freaks of nature we are talking about would be hyper boats. The same way one would call a Mercedes McLaren 722 a hyper car, boats like the wing-sail AC45 and AC72 developed by the Oracle team for the America’s Cup would be exactly that. These boats which run on a new class in the America’s Cup, are capable of average speeds over 30 knots. Multi-hulls is what the America’s Cup is all about these days, with full teams racing them. Much harder, but much faster and much more exciting for those who love to see fast sailing. In essense, the AC45 is being run during the America’s Cup World Series events in preparation for the America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013 where the larger AC72 will be raced.

Check out the AC45 and AC72 video below:

Oracle America’s Cup AC45 Photo:

Photo by: chatani If this is not exciting enough yet, check out this high-speed capsize of the Oracle AC45:

These are like sailboats on steroids capable of performance and speed like no other. Most of these hyper-boats are either multi-hull catamarans or trimarans and the random hydrofoil like the l’Hydroptére shown in the photo at the top. But while a multi-hull sailboat is almost always faster than a monohull, you can’t completely write-off a mono. There is a certain breed of monohull sailboat capable of speeds close to 40 knots with sustained distance-averages up in the 20’s. Once such boat is the Mari-Cha IV, a carbon fiber mono-hull that holds the world record for the fastest single-hull sailboat to cross the Atlantic. According to the WSSR and ISAF, the 140-foot monster yacht crossed the Atlantic in 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds at an average speed of 18.05 knots.

There will always be a place for fast single-hull sailboats even if the latest trend is toward multihulls for the sheer speed. Plus, keep in mind that until recently the America’s Cup was done with mostly mono-hulls. There are also plenty of major regatta’s dedicated to monohulls. For the combination of speed and rough-seas ability, fast single-hull sailboats will always have a place.

Video of the record setting l’Hydroptére:

Then there is also the very well known sailing craft, which could also be considered a monohull, called the windsurfer. Yes, we’re talking about the guys on a surfboard with a sail on it! As common as they may seem, they are actually one of the fastest sail-powered crafts on water. And of course, we have to mention the kiteboarders which are actually even faster than the windsurfers if the conditions are right. There’s a lot of debate however as to whether a kiteboarder can be considered a sail-powered craft but we’re simply not going to get too much into the stupid politics related to that.

The big numbers…

Top speeds are usually calculated over short distances such as 500 meters. Most of the fastest sailing vessels can reach high top speeds but because they cannot sustain the speed for long distances, average speeds over long passages seem somewhat low for inexperienced eyes.

Since top speed is the key to a lot of people’s excitement, the numbers for fastest sailing speeds over short distances (500 meters) are also held as world records. Let’s look at some of them:

• l’Hydroptére mentioned above, clocked for over 500 meters: 51.36 knots (59.33 MPH)
• The strange Macquarie Innovation which could be considered a catamaran, but hardly: 50.05 knots (57.62 MPH)
• SailRocket , a wing-sail minimalist boat: 47.36 knots (54.50)
• The Yellow Pages Endeavor , another sailboat made just for speed: 46.52 (53.53 MPH)
• Long Shot , another type of strange trimaran… er… or something 43.55 (50.12 MPH)

However, let’s look at the more common “boats” that are actually FASTER than the strange (and expensive) speed machine sailboats listed above.

• Antoine Albeau holds the speed record on a windsurfer at 49.09 knots (59.49 MPH) – Not quite as fast as some of the mutant sailboats, but still one the fastest sail-powered crafts over water.
• Finally, an American Kiteboarder Rob Douglas did 55.65 knots (64.04 MPH) over the waters of Luderitz, Namibia while kiteboarding, making him the fastest sail-powered vessel in the world!

However, ISAF does not want to acknowledge a kiteboarder as a sail-powered craft claiming that a kite is not a sail. (Even though it’s powered solely by wind). That’s up for debate, and nothing takes away the fact that it’s the fastest wind-powered craft over water.

Of course, these are the current records and someone will soon build something that will break them. But, top records aside, it’s the fact that a sail-powered craft can go THAT fast what really matters. Yes, sailing is exciting. Next time some petrol-head wants to argue about how boring sailing is, show him this article and teach him a thing or two about speed sailing!

About Danny Cruz

Publisher of FloatWays, Danny Cruz is resourceful creative designer, lover of the ocean and all things that float.

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Fast yachts for sale: speed demons and dashing dayboats

Powerful, showy and thrilling, these boats are all about getting places – at speed. Perfect for short day cruises, weekends away or just opening the throttles at sea for the sheer joy of it. The era of austerity and rocketing fuel prices may have dampened the ardour of some for these speed demons, but with their sleek, sporty looks and unabashed power they still hold immense appeal. Moreover, these kind of yachts are often ground-breakers, whether it be hull design, build technology, new materials or fuel efficiency, so the fuel bill may not be as high as you fear.

And while top speeds can be impressive, they are more likely to be reserved for special occasions. More important for normal operation is performance at cruising power and range, so they really come into their own as dayboats and weekenders. Take your pick from this powerful pack, and start planning your Friday getaway…

Mistral 55 | 52 knots/47 knots

When a yacht takes the name of a strong wind, you can guess that her performance is going to be promising and this Pershing 115 does not disappoint, delivering a blistering 52 knots thanks to 12,500hp from twin Codag MTU engines and triple waterjets. She cruises at a no less impressive 47 knots, and comes with oodles of Italian style courtesy of Fulvio de Simoni , who was responsible for her naval architecture, styling and interior.

Mirage | 50 knots/45 knots

One of the fastest luxury yachts in the world, the 30 metre Mirage tops out at 50 knots thanks to her three 2,430 hp MTU engines coupled with Arneson drives. She is fleet of looks too with an immense glass windshield that flows back to the open deck space, a sleek black hull and low-riding superstructure, with a flybridge that melds into the yacht’s lines. Launched in 2010, she is the second Baia 100 to be built and accommodates up to 10 guests in suitably slick style.

Shooting Star | 48 knots-plus/40 knots

This 38 metre carbon flyer packs a punch with her 48 knot speed, but that’s only from the standard configuration of twin 16 cylinder MTU engines. With space for 20 cylinder engines, her innovative hull has been tank-tested all the way up to 65 knots. Combined with an ultra-light, pared-back Scandinavian style, acres of glass and tip-top technology, Shooting Star is one fast lady.

Daloli | 54 knots-plus/37 knots

Built by Heesen for the Sultan of Brunei in 1995, Daloli (ex- AA Absolute ) has some superlatives to her name. Her 16 cylinder MTU engines are boosted by triple waterjets and can push her to a no-holds-barred 54 knots, while at a cracking cruising speed of 37 knots she has a range of 1,000 nautical miles. Performance is matched by an ultra-modern interior, of course.

AB 116 | 50 knots/44 knots

Speed is obviously a priority when a yacht such built using the light, strong materials and technology developed for the aerospace industry, but it is not the sole raison d’etre of the AB 116 , for these innovations also eliminate vibrations, making the ride smooth even at 50 knots. Power comes from triple 2,400hp MTUs linked to water-jet drives.

Moon Goddess | 53 knots/44 knots

Styled by Espen Øino and built by Danish Yachts in 2006 for the owner of Princess Mariana , Moon Goddess  - now listed for sale with Burgess - was in many respects the predecessor of Shooting Star. The carbon fibre open sports yacht is light and manoeuvrable, with 16 cylinder MTU diesels driving twin water jets for speeds of up to 53 knots.

Ermis² | 55 knots/45 knots

The need for speed prescribed this unique New Zealand-built 37 metre superyacht’s power systems, design and construction – a whole new class of ultra-light technology. She was built specifically for getting to weekend destinations fast, and that means faster than a Force 10 wind at her 55 knot top speed. She also copes with any seas and with her extended ocean range of 2,300 nautical miles at 30 knots, the world could be your oyster almost every weekend. Ermis2 is now listed for sale with Ocean Independence.

One More Toy | 42 knots/35 knots

One of a kind, One More Toy is the only Pershing Pininfarina Limited Edition in the world, and with those Italian car designer credentials her styling is appropriately reminiscent of fast cars, right down to the Ferrari red leather interiors and Ferrari Grigio Silverstone paint job. With throttles open she tops 42 knots and cruises at a cracking 35.

And if you are looking for speed without fuel consumption, here’s a super sailer that would leave the average superyacht in its wake.

Swift | 30 knots under sail

The world’s fastest sailing catamaran – formerly known as Orange and more recently Gitana 13 – has been converted into a fast cruiser that is still capable of 30 knots under sail. She has set quite a precedent for gobbling up nautical miles – taking 43 days to sail New York to San Francisco, 11 days from San Francisco to Yokohama and 41 days from Hong Kong to London. Maybe a bit more than a weekender, but still an exhilarating ride without regard for the price of fuel.

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Sail GP: how do supercharged racing yachts go so fast? An engineer explains

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Sailing used to be considered as a rather sedate pastime. But in the past few years, the world of yacht racing has been revolutionised by the arrival of hydrofoil-supported catamarans, known as “foilers”. These vessels, more akin to high-performance aircraft than yachts, combine the laws of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to create vessels capable of speeds of up to 50 knots, which is far faster than the wind propelling them.

An F50 catamaran preparing for the Sail GP series recently even broke this barrier, reaching an incredible speed of 50.22 knots (57.8mph) purely powered by the wind. This was achieved in a wind of just 19.3 knots (22.2mph). F50s are 15-metre-long, 8.8-metre-wide hydrofoil catamarans propelled by rigid sails and capable of such astounding speeds that Sail GP has been called the “ Formula One of sailing ”. How are these yachts able to go so fast? The answer lies in some simple fluid dynamics.

As a vessel’s hull moves through the water, there are two primary physical mechanisms that create drag and slow the vessel down. To build a faster boat you have to find ways to overcome the drag force.

The first mechanism is friction. As the water flows past the hull, a microscopic layer of water is effectively attached to the hull and is pulled along with the yacht. A second layer of water then attaches to the first layer, and the sliding or shearing between them creates friction.

On the outside of this is a third layer, which slides over the inner layers creating more friction, and so on. Together, these layers are known as the boundary layer – and it’s the shearing of the boundary layer’s molecules against each other that creates frictional drag.

A yacht also makes waves as it pushes the water around and under the hull from the bow (front) to the stern (back) of the boat. The waves form two distinctive patterns around the yacht (one at each end), known as Kelvin Wave patterns.

These waves, which move at the same speed as the yacht, are very energetic. This creates drag on the boat known as the wave-making drag, which is responsible for around 90% of the total drag. As the yacht accelerates to faster speeds (close to the “hull speed”, explained later), these waves get higher and longer.

These two effects combine to produce a phenomenon known as “ hull speed ”, which is the fastest the boat can travel – and in conventional single-hull yachts it is very slow. A single-hull yacht of the same size as the F50 has a hull speed of around 12 mph.

However, it’s possible to reduce both the frictional and wave-making drag and overcome this hull-speed limit by building a yacht with hydrofoils . Hydrofoils are small, underwater wings. These act in the same way as an aircraft wing, creating a lift force which acts against gravity, lifting our yacht upwards so that the hull is clear of the water.

While an aircraft’s wings are very large, the high density of water compared to air means that we only need very small hydrofoils to produce a lot of the important lift force. A hydrofoil just the size of three A3 sheets of paper, when moving at just 10 mph, can produce enough lift to pick up a large person.

This significantly reduces the surface area and the volume of the boat that is underwater, which cuts the frictional drag and the wave-making drag, respectively. The combined effect is a reduction in the overall drag to a fraction of its original amount, so that the yacht is capable of sailing much faster than it could without hydrofoils.

The other innovation that helps boost the speed of racing yachts is the use of rigid sails . The power available from traditional sails to drive the boat forward is relatively small, limited by the fact that the sail’s forces have to act in equilibrium with a range of other forces, and that fabric sails do not make an ideal shape for creating power. Rigid sails, which are very similar in design to an aircraft wing, form a much more efficient shape than traditional sails, effectively giving the yacht a larger engine and more power.

As the yacht accelerates from the driving force of these sails, it experiences what is known as “ apparent wind ”. Imagine a completely calm day, with no wind. As you walk, you experience a breeze in your face at the same speed that you are walking. If there was a wind blowing too, you would feel a mixture of the real (or “true” wind) and the breeze you have generated.

The two together form the apparent wind, which can be faster than the true wind. If there is enough true wind combined with this apparent wind, then significant force and power can be generated from the sail to propel the yacht, so it can easily sail faster than the wind speed itself.

The combined effect of reducing the drag and increasing the driving power results in a yacht that is far faster than those of even a few years ago. But all of this would not be possible without one further advance: materials. In order to be able to “fly”, the yacht must have a low mass, and the hydrofoil itself must be very strong. To achieve the required mass, strength and rigidity using traditional boat-building materials such as wood or aluminium would be very difficult.

This is where modern advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre come in. Production techniques optimising weight, rigidity and strength allow the production of structures that are strong and light enough to produce incredible yachts like the F50.

The engineers who design these high-performance boats (known as naval architects ) are always looking to use new materials and science to get an optimum design. In theory, the F50 should be able to go even faster.

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Average Speed of a Sailboat (Plus Top Speed)

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

Going fast in a sailboat can be lots of fun. But what is the average of a sailboat? Well, let's find out.

The delight and gratification that comes from speed can be a big plus for adrenaline-seeking sailors. Well, nothing can fire up the adrenaline more than having a speedy boat ride out on the water. This is essentially why having an idea of how fast a sailboat can go is of great importance. When it comes to looking at the speed of a sailboat, it can be crucial to consider the types of activities that you'll be using your sailboat for. In fact, your sailboat should only be considered ideal if it meets the level of expectations required of it in terms of speed and activities on the water. Even with this, the speeds of sailboats can vary based on several factors. But what is the average speed of a sailboat?

The top speed of a sailboat will vary based on its size and purpose. For example, high-end racing sailboats are purposely designed to reach maximum speeds while larger and bulkier sailboats may be slower due to drag and friction. That being said, the average speed of racing sailboats is 15 knots (17 mph). On the other hand, the average speed of cruising sailboats is 4-6 knots (4.5-7 mph) and can attain a top speed of 7 knots (8 mph). In essence, cruise speeds of over 8 knots are quite normal.

Let's get into the details.

Table of contents

Measuring Sailboat Speed

The nautical measurement of speed is the knot. According to the World Sailing Speed Council, one knot is equal to about 1.15 mph. The knot measurement is dependent on the circumference of the Earth. So if your sailboat is cruising at an average speed of 1 nautical mile per hour, it means that it's cruising at a speed of 1 knot.

Modern sailboats have GPS tracking devices that can be used to measure the distance covered, as well as the speed at which the sailboat is sailing.

Factors that Determine the Speed of a Sailboat

Different types of sailboats can attain different speeds. There are several factors that can determine the speed of a sailboat. Let's take a look.

The Length and Size of a Sailboat

While the speed of a sailboat will depend on several factors such as currents, wind conditions, and many other factors as we'll discuss later, the most important thing that can influence the speed of a sailboat is its size and length. You may be asking yourself; what's the connection between the length of a boat and its speed?

Well, the ability of a sailboat to go fast depends on the harmonizing act between its length and the power that drives it. When a sailboat moves through the water, it creates a pattern of waves. These waves include one along the side of the sailboat, which produces a ridge of water at the bow and a trough at the stern.

If the length of the wave is almost equal to the length of the boat, it creates a huge ridge that shoves the sailboat back into its trough, thereby slamming it up against an almost dense wall of water resistance. This then gives the sailboat sufficient speed to lift its bow out of the water and the ability to skim above the bow waves while allowing it to overcome the resistance that the water or the waves create.

A sailboat, of course, needs a lot of power to get over the hump in the resistance curve. So a longer boat will have a higher speed than a shorter boat. This is because a longer sailboat will create longer waves across its hull and move faster. On the other hand, short sailboats tend to generate shorter waves, thereby will have reduced speeds. In essence, it's almost impossible for a sailboat to travel faster than the speed of a wave if the wave is longer than the boat.

In most cases, boat designers create extreme lengths to get boats over the mound of the wave resistance. While a lightweight boat can easily achieve this, it can leave you shorthanded in heavy winds as it can be easily pushed by the winds. Again, it may not have the stability needed to carry enough sails to get the appropriate power to sail on the water. So if the boat is light, it should at least have a double hull to at least compensate for its instability.

The Shape of the Hull

This may be hard to believe but some hulls are more efficient than others when it comes to creating the wave resistance that is needed to move the boat. Generally, hulls should be very slim and carefully shaped. Keep in mind that a sailboat that has a hull that's shaped like a fat tub will not be as fast as a sailboat with a very slim hull even if they're of the same length.

A proper indication that the hull has the ability to be faster depends on its aft or buttock lines. If a hull has a straight line from the lowest point of the hull to the transom and the transom is a little bit wide, the boat will not only be stable but will be much faster. On the contrary, a hull that curves a lot but has a narrow stern may not be that fast. In essence, hulls play an integral role in slicing through the water and do not push water aside and down.

Comparing the Speeds of Catamarans and Monohulls

Are catamaran or trimaran hulls more superior to Monohulls in terms of speed? Well, cruising on a sailboat with a cat hull will be much faster than cruising on a sailboat with a monohull by 25%-30% if the two sailboats are of the same length. A catamaran hull will not only achieve speeds of a racing monohull but will be more comfortable to sail on.

A tri-hull is even much better in the sense that they're generally designed towards the performance end of the spectrum. They will, therefore, double the speed of a racing monohull.

The only downside of a cat and trimaran hull is that they're more sensitive to loading and their performances will significantly suffer if they're loaded. On the other hand, a monohull can perfectly handle loading and this is a huge advantage is you're planning to sail with a crew. To this end, you should consider keeping your cat or tri boat as light as possible if you want to maximize speed. We all know that keeping your sailboat light is as difficult as they come but it's of importance if speed is your main goal.

Monohull (6-8 knots)

Most average sailboats are designed with monohulls. They're generally displacement hulls designed to split through the underwater. This not only stabilizes the boat but slices through the water smoothly. If you want to make a monohull sailboat much faster, you can consider raising the entire hull above the water.

Catamarans and Trimarans (9-10 knots)

Unlike monohulls, cats and trimarans are located on top of the water. This means that they'll be displacing less water, thereby making them a lot faster. The only downside is that this design will make the boat less stable, which can be a cause for concern given that safety should always come first while on the water. This is essentially why catamarans and trimarans have two and three hulls respectively. This will, however, make the boat extremely buoyant.

Waves play a critical role not just in the speed of your boat but also in the safety of your boat. We all know that waves are very unpredictable. They can be calm and gentle but can suddenly become wild, confusing, irregular, and angry.

Generally described as freaks or rogues, waves can be very dangerous. They can bully your boat and attempt to roll it over. Waves can also make your boat faster or slower. As such, waves can either positively or negatively affect the speed of your sailboat. Given that calm waves cannot be appropriate in achieving the maximum speed of your boat, the right wave condition that should enable your sailboat to move faster should overlap and interfere in the right way.

The wind is the only thing that propels sailboats. The wind will fill up the sails, which is then used to move the boat. Both true winds and apparent winds can be integral in moving the boat forward. True wind is essentially the type of wind you feel when you stand still and it's what pushes a boat. Needless to say, strong winds may move a sailboat faster than calm winds but this may depend on the wind direction.

How to Improve the Speed of Your Sailboat

Having looked at the average speed of a sailboat, as well as factors that may affect its speed, it's important to highlight how to improve the speed of your sailboat.

It's important to make sure that your sailboat is properly designed to attain maximum speed. The sailboat should also be properly maintained and serviced to work at maximum speed. Make sure that the hull and foils are clean and in perfect shapes. Here's what to do.

• ‍ Make sure that the foils do not have seaweeds or plastic bags
• Ensure that the hull is in tip-top shape and can hold tension
• Make sure that the sails are in the right conditions
• Make sure that the masts have the right stiffness

You may have a lot of difficulties reaching your targeted speed if the weight of the crew exceeds the appropriate capacity of your sailboat. This is because there will be some sort of drag and tension and this may significantly hinder the speed at which the boat travels. In essence, a lighter boat may be a lot faster than a heavier boat. This is what you should do.

• ‍ Make sure that the weight is appropriate
• Ensure that the boats overall weight is moving aft and out appropriately
• Make sure that the maximum weight is not exceeded

The settings of your sailboat can either negatively or positively affect its speed. For instance, you should make sure that the mast rakes, mast step position, shroud tensions. Jib car position, vang tension, and keel position, as well as any other part of the sailboat, are perfectly set to make the boat faster.

You should compare various settings and figure out which type of settings gives you maximum speed. Here are some of the things to do.

• ‍ Ensure that jib cars are in the right position
• Make sure that your mainsails are in the right position
• The vang tension should be efficient

The technique you use on your sailboat can make a difference when it comes to your speed. Techniques such as steering and trimming can be a huge speed factor, particularly when the conditions at sea are difficult. You should also have varying trimming techniques. Here are some important skills.

• ‍ Know how to steer perfectly
• Know how to control primary upwind
• Know the right amount of curl to have in your kite
• Make sure that you're pumping efficiently
• Know how to play the jibs and genoas

These factors can be of great importance in increasing the speed of your sailboat. You can use them efficiently next time you want to be up to speed.

Bottom Line

Sailing speed is, without a doubt, one of the most favorite discussions among sailors. Most sailors often try to figure out how to make their sailboats faster or why a given sailboat is faster than another one. In essence, the average speed of a sailboat ranges between 4 knots to 15 knots but this may depend on the size and type of the sailboat, as well as other factors. This means that the average speed of sailboats is 8 knots but there several factors such as the type of the hull, waves, and wind conditions can affect the speed of your sailboat.

It's, therefore, important to know how these factors may affect your speed and what you need to do about them. For example, your sailboat may not be as fast as you may want if it's not properly prepared or maintained.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Monofoil: The pocket rocket that can foil in just 8 knots of breeze

• Matthew Sheahan
• October 1, 2019

Built and developed in secret, the 8m Monofoil is a super-fast one-off foiling monohull, originally designed as a lake racer

The spectacle of a flying catamaran, be it an Olympic Nacra 17, a GC32, the recent America’s Cup 50-footers, or anything in between, has become almost normal in today’s racing world, so rapid has the shift to foiling been among multihulls.

But, even 17 years after they first appeared, the sight of a diminutive foiling Moth still turns heads. Foilers don’t have to be big to be impressive, balancing a single hull on a single foil is enough. Like those who can ride a unicycle, there’s something awe-inspiring about watching sailors who have pitch perfect balance fly a twitchy monohull while making it look like the most natural thing in the world.

There have been plenty of attempts to bring monohull foiling to bigger boats and to the masses. Yet no one has yet cracked the code, at least not for production boats.

Little surprise then, that whenever a new monohull foiler comes onto the scene it attracts plenty of attention. One of the latest is the 8m Swiss-built Monofoil. This extraordinary and complex looking boat is essentially a sportsboat with an open cockpit but with outrigger foils, like bicycle stabilisers, that generate righting moment by pushing upwards on the leeward side.

She was designed by Swiss match racing sailor Eric Monnin and built by Damian Weiss, both of whom shared a common goal: to create a fast foiling monohull for the European lakes.

Interestingly, neither had any desire to create a production version, nor tell the world that this was the answer for others. Instead, they simply wanted to find out if they could fly fast enough on one hull to stand a chance of winning some of the big prizes at Europe’s top lake races, including the famous Bol D’Or Mirabaud.

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Launched in the spring of 2018 after two years of secret development, the initial signs looked good as the 8m sportsboat delivered an impressive opening performance, topping 25 knots on one of her first outings.

After a winter of tweaking and refining, where the team had increased the foils by 20% and reduced her overall weight by 50kg, the Monofoil was back afloat for this season. Shortly after her re-launch at Easter, it was clear that the team had raised the game.

“We can now foil upwind in just 8 knots of breeze,” said Monnin. “And when the breeze builds to 12 knots we are travelling at 16-20 knots at a true wind angle of around 50-60°. When it comes to downwind performance we can happily sit at 22 knots in 12 knots of wind with the gennaker. After that, when the breeze is up to 15-20 we are holding 24-27 knots with just the main and jib,” he continued.

The carbon bowsprit is 1.2m long and cants so the tack of the gennaker can be set further to windward, allowing the Monofoil to sail deeper

All impressive stuff for an 8m monohull. This is a proper pocket rocket that weighs just 650kg and can be rigged off the road trailer and launched in a couple of hours. Indeed, Monnin explains, her performance was in part limited by the need to keep the maximum beam down to 2.5m to meet European towing regulations.

Single hull foiling

So how does the Monofoil work? Setting the foils to one side to start with, the 8m long sportsboat flies a self-tacking jib upwind and a gennaker off a canting bowsprit downwind. She is designed to be raced by a full crew of four, including the helmsman, with two on trapezes to boost the righting moment.

She has a large square-topped mainsail that makes full use of the available space in a sail plan that sees the boom extend all the way to the transom where a full width traveller allows plenty of mainsheet tension to keep the head of the main stand up. This does mean she has a pair of running backstays rather than a single fixed stay, but double aft swept spreaders provide sufficient fore and aft support for the mast.

The foil deployed, but in the raised position. Normally it wouldn’t be underwater but the boat was heeled at the dock

Being a potent performer, she sails at high apparent wind speeds with the apparent wind ahead of the beam. This makes the full width mainsheet traveller an important feature to allow the mainsail to be dropped down to leeward while still maintaining leech tension, much like a multihull.

Her rudder is mounted on a transom-hung gantry to ensure greater efficiency for the T-foil blade. The rake of the rudder can be adjusted to alter the fore and aft trim of the boat.

While the foils look large and complex, their operation is surprisingly simple and belie the amount of work that has gone into designing a complete system that allows the curved foils to slide through a set of bearings in the hull.

A simple rope-driven worm drive alters the rake of the T-foil rudder, which in turn alters the trim of the boat. The rudder is mounted on a gantry off the transom to minimise cavitation

Much like the Beneteau Figaro 3, the idea is that both boards are lowered when sailing. Yet unlike the Figaro, the windward board is lifted partially to help raise it above the water’s surface and reduce the chances of it becoming immersed where it would create drag.

The clever part is the small amount of movement that is required to lift and lower the boards, especially when compared to the amount of movement required to raise and lower daggerboards on a modern multihull.

Also unlike the Figaro, the Monofoil’s boards are fully retracted in light winds. With very little of the foil in the water there is minimal drag and the boat can be sailed like any other monohull.

A custom bearing lets the daggerboard slide vertically to be raised or lowered. Rake is adjusted by the green line winding a worm drive

In these conditions the skinny and efficient 2.2m deep keel, with its 160kg bulb, is a good combination when the breeze is below 8 knots and allows the Monofoil to perform like any other similarly sized sportsboat.

The dihedral (upwards angle) of the foils is also an interesting feature that provides a degree of automatic heel control. As the boat accelerates and comes upright, so less of the foil is in the water, which reduces vertical lift.

Deceptively simple

At rest this boat does look pretty complex, yet once she’s rigged and underway you realise how simple she is to operate as well as how much effort has gone into designing her that way.

Below decks the full carbon construction is clear to see

This is an ingenious trailer-sailer that will fly in light conditions and be stable on foils right up through the wind range, something the crew demonstrated during this year’s Mirabaud Bol d’Or. As a vicious 50-plus knot storm swept through the fleet, she and her crew were one of the few to survive unscathed and go on to complete the overnight race.

The irony remains that – unlike many others in the Bol d’Or – this is not a boat that was intended to be the prototype for a new range of production foilers, even though she appears to provide answers to plenty of questions.

The bottom line is that the Monofoil seems to work. Irrespective of what speeds she clocks up, what is most impressive is how she performs across such a wide range of wind speeds.

Rectangular cut-outs in the hull allow the foil to be lowered completely on the leeward side. The windward foil is raised slightly in a similar way to pulling up a normal daggerboard

The Monofoil is no one-trick pony and while the concept wasn’t created for production, it could provide an appealing route for those who are realistic about their ability to learn how to balance like a Moth sailor, or ride a unicycle.

Specification

LOA: 8.0m (26ft 3in) Beam: 2.5m (8ft 2in) Displacement (empty): 850kg (1,874lb) Mast height: 12.2m (40ft 0in) Mainsail area: 32m 2 (345ft 2 ) Headsail area: 16m 2 (172ft 2 ) Gennaker area: 50m 2 (538ft 2 )

Attainable Adventure Cruising

The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

• Converting a Racing Sailboat to a Fast Cruiser—Performance and Rig

I have owned three offshore cruising sailboats over the years. Two of them were primarily racing boats before I bought them.

The other, although I raced her successfully in two Newport to Bermuda races, was designed primarily as a cruising boat . And there is no doubt that the cruiser was the better boat for long-distance ocean voyaging.

That said, if we shop wisely, a racer/cruiser, even if the bias is toward racing, can make a good and cost-effective cruiser as long as we buy the right one and make the right changes once she is ours.

So this series of articles will be about:

• How well the J/109 we bought three years ago has met our goals.
• The things we have changed and added to make her a better cruiser, particularly short- and single-handed.
• The repairs that we had to make, primarily to fix the builder’s original screw-ups—most production boats will need work like this.
• Figuring out a crew overboard prevention system for this small boat.
• And, finally, what all this cost.

Note: I will not be trying to sell you on a J/109, or a boat like her. She might be just right for us, but she would be totally wrong for most cruising profiles.

However, we can still learn a lot from the new Morgan’s Cloud that will be useful for larger and heavier offshore cruising boats, and that’s what I will focus on (blue boxes).

Let’s start with my report on how our J/109 has measured up to our performance criteria .

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More Articles From J/109 Fibreglass Fractional Sloop—Performance cruiser/racer:

• Turning A Small Simple Boat Into a Cruiser—On Deck
• Our New Boat Selection Process—Part 1, Fitness For Mission

I’d love to see the details of exactly what you’ve done for the headsail in-haul. Our C&C 35 has no headsail tracks (the sheet blocks are clipped directly to the toerail), which helps keep the side decks clear, but I’m convinced it causes a five-degree hit to our close-hauled angles.

I suppose I could add tracks – they’re shown in the plans as an option, and it has designated spots for them – but if an inhaul can do the job well enough for one-tenth the price, that’d be tempting.

I would also love details re rigging an in-haul, especially for a non-overlapping high clew solent on a masthead sloop.

Hi Michael,

I’m guessing that sail is sheeted outside the shrouds? If so an in-haul is not going to work since sheeting angle is controlled by spreader length and chain plate position.

Yes. But I’ve wondered if the solent sheet could be lead inboard of the stays or in the gap between lower stay and the intermediate and cap shroud, then restricting the sail to only higher points of sail.

Sure that may work, but in-haulers won’t work if there is no track to take the sheet when lead that way. As you can see in the photo, we have tracks well forward, so all the inhauler is doing is pulling the sheet in a bit further.

I’m guessing that with an overlapping jib tracks are going to be a better option, but you will be able to figure that once you see what I have done. Either way, given that you have a boat with a good hull form and reasonable efficient foils fixing sheet angle should be a big benefit worth doing.

Very interesting article, thanks for that. You got yourself a lovely boat. Congratulations. Looks like a really nice setup and also nice sails.

I would also be interested in more details of your in-haul setup. I will experiment with in-haulers on our tired old H-Boot on the lake and also for the big one, once she’s in the water (hopefully later this summer).

We don’t have tracks either, but rails with many positions for adding blocks as needed. More clip-on points could be easily welded on if needed.

You might want to avoid wrapping the sheet around your hand – it’s more comfortable 99% of the times but could badly hurt you in the wrong circumstances. Perhaps better not to get in the habit.

Seems like there is enough interest in a short piece on in-haulers, so I’m thinking about it.

I have heard that idea that one should never wrap a line round the hand, but can’t really subscribe to it since a rule like that would make it hard, perhaps impossible, to sail a high performance boat particularly ones like 505s and E22s like I did when younger. In those boats not wrapping a light line, of which there are many, would result in it slipping through your band, perhaps leaving a nasty rope burn.

So to me, rather than hard rules like that, the answer is common sense, which seemed to have served me well given that I have been doing that for some 60 years without hurting myself…touch wood. Or to say it another way, we must always be mindful of the loads on a line before releasing it, is more my kind of “rule”.

Another “yes” to see details of your in-haul solution.

Our Beneteau 473 was designed with a 140% overlapping genoa but to go offshore we put on a Doyle Strata 103% furling jib with inboard sheeting and never changed back.

Currently we carry our 165% Code 0 upwind which works great. However at around 12 knots TWS we get overpowered and then become a bit “sticky” upwind with only the jib. At 15 knots we are fully powered up again. We carry full jib up 30 knots TWS, whilst reefing the fully battened Strata main.

I’m not sure jib in-haulers would work with our slight mast overlap – any thoughts please? Specifically I can’t see how to: 1. overcome the trip-hazard they might create and 2. rig them so as not to interfere with our tethers where we transition forward from our main deck jack-line to a foredeck jack-line.

So if you could also cover perhaps:

if in-haulers were fitted, could/should we change to a non-overlapping blade without losing performance (our jib is now 10 years old).pros and cons of in-hauling vs self-tackers (I notice these becoming standard equipment or popular options on production boats.did you consider converting to a self-tacking blade jib on a traveller for short-handing as we get older (though I guess your Cat Rig mode negates this need to some extent)? Many thanks.

Hi Rob, What means “Strata” when you refer to your sails/ Thanks, Dick

Not sure … I think the spell checker may have edited my input or a “grey moment”. Either way should have read Doyle “Stratis”. You can read about how and why these sails are made here: https://www.doylesails.com/innovation/stratis-technology/

We have a full set of their Stratis performance cruising sails which are in excellent condition 10 year on, except the jib where the leech has stretched a wee bit, resulting in slight curl on the trailing edge. Nothing to bother a cruising skipper and nothing like we would see in a similar Dacron sail. Br. Rob

Hi Rob, Thanks for the info. Your accolades sound like the same sentiments I assign to my HyrdaNet Radial sails. In a similar observation, I have made the argument that the added expense of HydraNet Radial cloth on the front end pays off because the shape lasts so much longer than Dacron. My best, DickS

Thanks, I will add all that to my thinking. Sounds like in hauling might easily fill that power gap.

One thing I will say now is that I’m not a fan of self tacking tracks: too much clutter and weight for me to like them and blade jibs are so easy to tack I just don’t see the point.

And yes depending on deck layout in-haulers could cause problems with moving around. On the J109 it’s not a problem but that’s boat specific.

A friend’s boat has self-tacking tracks for his J3; took some fiddling and adjusting but then worked like a charm. Tacking is then as much work as what you describe in cat-mode.

In principle, you are correct, what’s the big deal. On the other hand, if everyone on board is tired and perhaps sick, a low-work option for single-handing is nice. I wouldn’t put it on a new boat, but neither would I remove them if they are there already.

Sure, self tacking tracks have advantages, most everything does. But I can’t see the tired/sick benefit since the payoff for self tacking is inshore in confined waters, not offshore where tacking is a lot less frequent.

Anyway, to me the disadvantages (clutter weight and complication) outweigh them, but to others the balance will be the other way, and that’s fine.

I’d love to hear more about rig tuning for single handing vs crew…

A complex subject and probably not a rabbit hole I’m going down, but the fundamental is that the standard tuning guides for a race boat like the J/109 assume that there are a bunch of crew on the rail adding stability, so if we are cruising where that’s not the case we need to tune the rig so that for a given wind speed it’s more de-powered.

On a fractional rig that’s a lot about how much mast bend and where, but I don’t think we would have enough members that would be interested to make a guide worth my time since fractional rigs are rare on cruising boats.

Anyway, we do have a full tuning guide for mast head rigs: https://www.morganscloud.com/2018/05/27/rig-tuning-dock-tune-part-1/

Our 30 year old (45 year old design) Bowman 47 has no tracks for the headsail sheet blocks, which I was very surprised by initially, but soon rigged barber haulers using low friction rings and a 4:1 block with 6mm line to either a handy pad-eye or stanchion base and it is extraordinarily effective. And means you don’t have to adjust car positions.

We also changed up from the 110% overlap headsail to 135% along with a longer boom and correspondingly longer mainsail foot, all of which has given a big lift to our light airs performance, particularly off the wind (we are cruisers so rarely sail upwind 😎) where the ability to sheet further forward and outboard is great for performance. But where we are sailing upwind, the sail control most used is the barber hauler, which is eased in the gusts and has a similar effect to easing the vang in the gusts when sailing with a shy spinnaker. The boat stands up again and charges on.

Off the wind, a reef or two in the main and the full headsail is just such a powerful, balanced and simple rig in even quite strong breezes. For the life of me I don’t understand why the designers of cruising yachts have almost totally moved away from masthead rigs.

In my world a barber hauler is used to move the sheet lead outboard when reaching, so very different from an inhauler. I’m also surprised to hear you say that your boat use a barber hauler up wind. Perhaps we are using different nomenclature. Also, perhaps what you are doing is moving the sheet point aft, which is a standard trimming technique when the wind is up to depower, regardless of how it’s done. We do the same on the 109 by moving the car aft by slacking the adjustment tackle.

As to the mast head or fractional rig debate, while I agree that a mast head rig is generally better for offshore cruising, we should not discount the advantages of fractional rigs, although it is true that it generally takes more fiddling around and skill to get the best out of them both when tuning and then sailing. One of the big reasons more and more modern boats are fractional is that so doing, together with a sprit, separates the A-sail or code from the headstay, which is a very good thing.

I always thought a J109 (with the shoal draft option) would be almost a perfect cruising setup for a solo sailer. Especially with the J Boat talent for sailing with just a mainsail.

However, with the age of the J109’s (and 120’s) I wonder about the keel bolts and reliability. Not sure if it’s myth or reality but lots of opinions online. One thing that did give me pause is to read they used stainless bolts but regular steel washers that over time can rust and compress; causing issues with the bolts. What has your experience been with the keel and keel bolts (eg any fixes or maintenance required)?

More on that in a future post, but I can say that my boat has SS washers on the keel bolts as did the 120 I looked at and a 133 I inspected, so I think that one is a forum-myth.

Also I would never buy a shoal draft J/109, to me that would be like buying a Ferrari and then asking for a smaller engine and tyres. To me the reason one puts off with the tradeoffs of a boat like the J/109 is the sparkling performance, particularly up wind. In fact I’m not really a believer in shoal draft keels at all. I explain why here: https://www.morganscloud.com/2020/05/10/outbound-46-review-part-2-keel-rudder-bow-thruster-and-construction/

To me, if we want a shallow water boat, go the whole hog with a lifting keel or centreboard boat, or a multihull.

The 5’6″ keel of our C&C 35-2 really doesn’t open up that many more cruising opportunities, versus the 7′ keel of John’s J/109. Most of the harbours meant for big boats around here have a 7′ or 8′ limiting draught… and the interesting places with shallower draught limits are either <5', or have low fixed bridges, or both.

The Ferrari analogy is a good one. A boat like a J/109 forces a fair number of compromises on you, in exchange for being absolutely amazing to sail. Taking the same compromises, but also dialling back the sailing characteristics to "just ordinary", seems unwise.