Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008 - (Page 48)

MINI CLASS "Actual is above all an adaptable boat, like our Class 40 and IMOCA designs: we don’t want to make the boat more suited to one particular type of condition. Of course, during the first leg of the Mini Transat 2007, it was chiefly a downwind breeze, which was light to moderate and our hull doesn’t cut through like the others. In the second leg, the weather conditions were more varied (wind on the beam, reaching, breeze, light airs) and Actual showed herself to me more effective, as she has no weak points. In boat design, nothing is lost and nothing is gained: when you develop a hull, suited to a particular type of condition, you can make some substantial gains, but they are always to the detriment of other points of sailing or wind strengths!" With the trend for organisers to avoid difficult sailing conditions and with forecasting becoming more and more precise over five days, ocean racing and particularly the Mini events, take place increasingly in light to moderate conditions. "We don’t wish to enter that spiral, as the day there is some bad weather or a strong breeze, the sailor must feel safe and make headway. Moreover, there is not only the Mini Transat on their programme and the pre-season races are much more varied in terms of weather and sea conditions. We are not in the business of Actual’s strong points making featherweight boats and we will not create lighter structures under this pretext… However, if the finish is no longer in Brazil, but goes back to the French West Indies, it is likely that hulls will be designed more and more for downwind sailing in light airs. However, I still prefer to maintain the idea of adaptability: that allows you to deal with any situation and widens the tactical choices for the yachtsman." D.Bourgeois ©Grand Pavois The Spaniard, Alex Pella’s Opensea COMPARISON BETWEEN FOUR GENERATIONS OF MINI TRANSAT BOATS DESIGNED BY THE MARC LOMBARD DESIGN TEAM Year 1989 Name Clips Number 72 Weight at start of Mini Transat 1 160 kg Weight - decked hull 300 kg Mainsail surface area 25,4 m2 Genoa surface area 11,9 m2 Draught 2,20 m Ballast 2 x 200 l 1997 Sampaquita 260 1 130 kg 270 kg 27,5 m2 13,2 m2 2,00 m 2 x 200 l 2003 Opensea 429 1 110 kg 245 kg 27,8 m2 15,4 m2 2,00 m Néant 2006 Actual 624 1 060 kg 230 kg 28,5 m2 19 m2 2,00 m 2 x 200 l Ocean Racing - december 2007 http://www.nvequipment.com http://www.nvequipment.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008

Cover
Edito
Contents
What they said
News
Portfolio - The news in the picture
Transat Jacques Vabre - Monohulls in power
In the words of the skipper - Michel Desjoyaux, A little bit more
Barcelona World Race - A couple sailing around the world
Imoca - Growth crisis in the Imoca class
Transat 6.5 - A whole series of records
Mini Class - Anatomy of a winner
Multihulls - What sort of trimarans tomorrow ?
Volvo Ocean Race - Second generation
Trials - Mach 45 : an unusual IRC
Match Racing - King Richard
Tactics - A good start
Portrait - Jacques Caraës
Lab - Tubular or wing mast ?
Forty years ago - Chichester, the lonely sea and the sky
Equipment - Shop window
New products - From the drawing board to the boatyard
Opinion - The mirage of worshipping technology

Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008