Tagesberichte siehe Menu unten
Tuesday September 21st, 2010
Only for the Dragons...
Eole is on strike... Today’s weather was definitely not on the race
committee’s side at the Régates Royales – Trophée Panerai: cloudy, warm,
humid, and unfortunately no breeze!
WEB
Even though they went out at sea around noon, the seventy-seven Classic
Yachts had to give up and abandon the race area at 3pm, as Cannes’ bay
didn’t appear keen to provide a stable wind for the races... Tomorrow, the
day’s schedule starts at 11am with hopefully more action on the water as
weather forecast is for a bit stiffer sea breeze.
The Dragon’s tactics
Only, the 63 One designs were able to take a start today, in the light and
unstable southerly breeze. And the best tactics win the day! Apart from the
first placed, the French crew on Child’s Dream IV (Jean-Pierre Gailes) who
were over the line ... After a very hardly fought race it was the British
trio on Blue Haze (Ivan Bradbury) to win followed by two Russians boats:
Dragon (Yuri Bozhedomov) and Sunflower (Victor Fogelson). Unfortunately,
only 35 boats crossed the line today, the rest of the fleet being overtime.
Winner portrait
Who will end the incontestable and uncontested – as for today- supremacy of
Rowdy? The Fighting Forty boat designed by Nat Herreshoff in 1915 was
supposed to be the first of a one-design family especially conceived for the
New York Yacht Club. Who can beat Rowdy, if not one of her existing fourteen
sister ships?
The number of her victories says it all: this One Design has won almost
every prizes over three seasons since Graham Walker had Rowdy (NY-49)
refitted in indexe, following the steps of her predecessors such as Marilee
(NY-50) built in 1926 and re-launched in 2001. That same year, she won,
among other, the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes. Originally designed for
family cruising and amateur sailors who wished to have lunch off Newport’s
harbour, the Fighting Forties turned out to be fantastic racing yachts...
But the “Bristol’s Wizard” didn’t like to compromise: when he set his mind
on an idea - and he had plenty indeed – he wanted to see it happening,
that’s why he designed radically new sailboats for his time. These 40
footers (at the waterline) are particularly extreme, with their impressive
width, their original “V” shaped hulls, and their moderate weight for their
large sail area.
No need to take a reef!
This was Nathanaël Herreshoff’s leitmotiv as he explored all sorts
architectural ideas, from when he was sixteen (Violet-1864) to the last
years of his long life (Belisarius-1935) – he died on June 2nd, 1938 at the
age of 90! He designed at least 18.000 plans for more than 2.000 yachts,
most of them built by his brother’s shipyard... So when the New York Yacht
Club (NYYC) decided to create a One Design Class for its members, the Club
recruits the most experienced and awarded designer, who had six America’s
Cup under his belt. Vigilant (1893), Defender (1895), Columbia (1899 and
1901), Reliance (1903), Resolute (1920) still reindex among the most
impressive yachts from that time but the architect, who studied at the
notorious MIT, also designed motorboats, catboats, fishing boats,
battleships, dinghies, sloops, ketches, motor yachts, schooners... and even
catamarans (Amarylis-1875).
The new rule defined some restrictions, but set a single compulsory
measurement, a max waterline length of 40 feet, so that Nat Herreshoff
imagination could run free and create a truly innovative boat. In 1900, he
had already conceived a One Design with 70 feet a waterline, for the NYYC.
The light weight construction, the impressive silhouette and the flat deck
of these yachts makes them unforgettable for any sailor. Nine other units
completed the fleet some years later. “The index characteristic of
Herreshoff’s designs is that they can virtually sail in any sea condition,”
said Casper Withney.
From Marilee to Rowdy
Fighting Forties are an instant success: twelve boats are built in 1916,
among them, Maisie and Rowdy the last one in this first production and later
two more, Marilee and Rugosa launched during 1926. With her gaff sloop
rigging and her wide hull, this one design is very stable to a point that an
illustrious member of the NYYC declares: “They’re excellent boats in strong
breeze, easy to manoeuvre and steer in windy and choppy conditions. I’ve
never seen a Forty reefing…” If one thinks that she was conceived for a crew
of three people! On the following years the New York One Design 40s were
equipped with a bowsprit and their sail area was increased.
In 1924, Memory rigged as a marconi yawl, wins the famous Bermuda Race, an
offshore event she was not designed for by her architect, and in 1930 it’s
the last Fighting Forty, Rugosa to write her name in the race’s scoreboard…
Nowadays it’s Rowdy to herald Nat Herreshoff’s name on the racecourses, long
life to the “Bristol Wizard”! With as many wins as her predecessors, owner
Graham Walker and his crew have collected honors and victories on the
classica yacht circuit.
Fighting Forty
Designer: Nathanaël Herreshoff
Builder: Herreshoff Manufacturing Compagny
Overall length: 20,10 m
Boat length: 17,90 m
Waterline: 12,20 m
width: 4,40 m
Draft: 2,40 m
Displacement: 21 770 kg
Upwind sail area : 225 square metres
www.regatesroyales.com
|
