FARR YACHT DESIGN

KWRW 2012 - Day 3 Racing - Farr 400 Class

2012-01-19T09:23:00.000-05:00

Day 2 report from Emerson Smith sailing on Sled Shelhorse's Farr 400 MERIDIAN X.

No wind today! The race committee waited most of the day for the breeze to fill in, but in the end we stayed on shore. However, lack of racing gives me a chance to talk about the boats a bit.

This is my first event sailing on the Farr 400. I was involved in the design of the boat, and it is always good to see ideas come to life. Along the same lines, seeing what works and what needs to be tweaked or altered in incredibly useful. In general the boats go upwind very well. The full bow alters the motion a bit, but you soon realize the difference is a benefit to boat speed. The 400 mainly goes over the waves instead of through, submerging less into each.

As I've said before, downwind the boat really comes alive. We are able to maintain high average speeds, while many other boats are simply surfing or rocking and rolling through the waves. The large rudder offers plenty of bite and allows us to point the boat where we want.

Outside of the sailing attributes, the pedestal driven primaries and the drop line system are what have really stood out for me. The pedestal allows you to take the power of the crew and put it to use more efficiently; whether it's in a tack, gybe, hoist or take down. Using the drop line, lead to a powered primary winch, makes take downs so much easier. No longer do we need half the crew on the foredeck to gather in the large spinnaker. By using the drop line, we suck the majority of the spinnaker in through the forward hatch. This translates to more options at leeward marks and better roundings.

We are still learning new things about the boats each day, but from what I have seen so far, this is a class with a bright future.

KWRW 2012 - Day 2 Racing - Farr 400 Class

2012-01-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

Day 2 report from Emerson Smith sailing on Sled Shelhorse's Farr 400 MERIDIAN X...

Seeing the forecast for the remainder of the week, the race committee made the call to begin racing early on Tuesday, in hopes of getting in 3 races. The breeze was a bit lighter today, in the 10-15 knot range, but turned out to be plenty to allow 3 good races.

Similar to yesterdays racing, the fleet has remained very tight. RED has started to slowly separate themselves at the front of the fleet. The years they have spent racing together in competitive one-design fleets are coming in handy.

We had a bow, to bow finish with 403 in the first race yesterday, losing by a nose to fall to 4th. Race 2 of the day was marred by a bad spinnaker hoist, which dropped us to 5th. Race 3 of the day, went a bit better as we were leading around the first two marks. RED slowly reeled us in and passed us, while we hung on for 2nd.

All in all it was a great day of sailing. Everyone is definitely still on the steep slope of the learning curve. Weather for Wednesday looks light so cross your fingers for some breeze.

KWRW 2012 - Day 1 Racing - Farr 400 Class

2012-01-16T18:12:00.000-05:00

Day 1 report from Emerson Smith sailing on Sled Shelhorse's Farr 400 MERIDIAN X...

Well the weather forecasters got it right today. They predicted a similar day to yesterday in terms of wind speeds and we got it. Winds were anywhere from 15-20 knots with gusts a bit higher. The key to the day would be avoiding the big mistakes.

The first race of the day for the Farr 400's started just before lunch. It was a clean start with most of the fleet digging into the left. True to one-design form, all 5 boats reached the weather mark within a minute of each other. We had a clean set and the fun really started. Like yesterday, the speedo was camped out around 18 knots with trips into the low 20s. On Meridian X we had a clean race and crossed the line in 2nd.

For race 2 the race committee called for a 5 leg course (finish upwind). On the second downwind, while in 3rd, and having a pretty good run, our big mistake of the day came. We were hit by surprisingly powerful gust which put us into a broach. While recovering we lost the use of our starboard wheel. We proceeded to hookup the back up tiller and steered the rest of the race (1 upwind leg) with that. All in all, our mistake didn't hurt as much as some others and we finished 3rd in the race.

Our 2,3 on the day is good for a share of second place with the tie-breaker going against us. Congratulations to RED, who scored a 1,1 today and are 3 points clear of the next boats.

We have our work list for the afternoon but nothing that will prevent us from sailing tomorrow. The forecast calls for a bit less breeze and I'd imagine the racing will tighten up even more.

Key West Race Week 2012

2012-01-16T13:14:00.000-05:00

A few of the FYD team made their way to KWRW over the weekend to take part in the racing and Farr 400 One Design class support, in particular, Emerson Smith. Emerson is a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer who has been with the FYD team since 2008. After a good day of practice, he reports the following:

"Every year hundreds of sailors flock to Key West in the middle of January. This year I am sailing on Sled Shelhorse's, MERIDIAN X, one of our new Farr 400 One Design's. Yesterday, Key West showed why so many sailors make this trip each year. Sunday is the last practice day before racing begins so we arrived to the boat a bit early to complete the last few items on our work list. We quickly ticked off what was needed and left the dock around 10am. Once out from behind the shelter of the island we found a steady 15-20 knots with gusts to 25. It was the first time that we had the entire crew sailing together, although there are a large group of regulars. We managed to put the sails up and down, while doing a few laps. Nothing too exciting, but I did come away with some general thoughts.

It was my first chance to sail the Farr 400 is any kind of substantial wind. Call me a homer, but I was thoroughly impressed. The boat settled into a nice groove upwind and REALLY comes alive downwind. We were able to point the boat where we needed and were rewarded with speeds in the high teens to low 20s.

Conditions tomorrow should be very similar to today. I'm looking forward to the Farr 400's having their own start and getting everyone lined up and sailing together. Check back later for an update. Hopefully the internet here (SLOW!) will allow for some pictures or video."

YDTS at the 2011 WRYF by Patrick Shaughnessy

2011-12-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

This year I was fortunate enough to be asked to deliver the key note address at the Yacht Design and Technology Symposium which is part of the World Yacht Racing Forum held in Estoril Portugal.

In way of back ground I would first have to say that Estoril Portugal is a beautiful spot and fortunate to have such a friendly and welcoming people. Each time I have been there I have stayed at the Palacio Estoril Hotel which is a gorgeous place to visit.

The conference itself is a well organized event put on by the Informa Yacht Group and is divided into two separate distinct parts. The Design and Technology portion of which I was part attracts numerous noteworthy industry experts who speak to a number of very relevant and interesting technology subjects. The Yacht Racing Forum attracts the business and sailor side of the sport and speaks to trends, sponsorship, and business interests in our sport.

For the attendees it certainly is a difficult choice which side to sit on as both portions offer very interesting discussions which would interest anyone in our sport. Between the various discussions, both groups empty out into a hall for refreshments or lunch which offers a great opportunity to catch up with your peers and to meet that elusive contact. Certainly there are excellent networking opportunities to be had. I always come away from this sort of opportunity impressed with the great people in our sport and the genuine want to make something really special. Very encouraging.

I would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in how the technology of the sport works, or wondering how the who’s will use what to keep us all sailing in the future to attend in 2012. December is a wonderful time to visit a warm place like Estoril.

For more info check out http://www.worldyachtracingforum.com/index.html

Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 | Battered teams gain timely boost

2011-12-09T13:21:00.000-05:00

Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 Battered teams gain timely boost

ADOR's AZZAM makes her way to rejoin fleet

2011-11-09T14:50:00.002-05:00

It was a tough Saturday night hearing the news of ADOR’s dismasting. It’s always hard for the guys to head out into a beating on the first night. You hope that the preparation, equipment, and training has the boys well positioned and safe. Obviously a leg 1, night 1, failure isn’t want anyone expects. Perhaps the word gutted is an overused expression when dealing with this type of situation even if it does sum up the situation rather well. I think it’s always important that we all take stock of a situation like this and be thankful that the sailing crew is safe and unhurt. The human part is the most important thing, because the equipment is really just that. The boat itself is more than OK and able to continue as competitive as it was at the start. That said, seeing Azzam motor back into port with the stump of a mast and the remaining rig tied alongside was emotional.

With the boat on the dock it was amazing to see all the parts of the team move into action. The group I was working with was able to quickly assess the relatively minor damage that the boat had incurred in contact with the loose rig and rigging. Repair instructions were quickly created with the help from the FYD team in Annapolis and work was underway almost immediately.

In hours we had the mast off of the boat and laid out for forensic work on land. The spare mast arrived midafternoon and a team was quickly at work dressing the new tube. Their hard work day and night would ultimately determine how quickly we could resume racing.

The boat itself was able to be hauled out of the water late the first night after the gusty wind laid down a bit which allowed the crane to work.

On day 2 we were able to wrap up all the minor composite repairs pretty quickly and start cleaning up the boat, and preparing it for racing again. The work on the new rig continued well into the evening with an eye towards stepping the rig as soon as possible. Gear bags were packed back on the boat, and the sailing team was already looking ahead at weather routing and race modeling for the leg ahead.

Day 3 saw the boat rebranded in way of the repairs and ready to go back in the water. Rig work continued well into the night so that the boat would be ready to launch first thing on Day 4. All in all it was a fantastic response by an extremely dedicated team. It is absolutely amazing how an event like this can galvanize a team. I’m astounded by the determination and focus of the human mind when it meets a challenging obstacle.

As the sailing team goes back out onto the water to resume racing from the spot they suspended, I feel for them. It won’t be an easy sail down to Cape Town without the competitive environment of the fleet. I can honestly say that we’ve done everything we can as a team to put them in a position to be competitive for the rest of the race. I think that the whole team will be stronger for the suffering, and more focused than ever at climbing our way up onto the podium again. Whatever happens, the whole team at FYD will be working to support them as much as possible.

Patrick Shaughnessy, President

Photo by Tim Stonton/Volvo Ocean Race

Cautious Confidence - VOR Iberdrola In-Port Race

2011-10-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the opening in port race of the Volvo Ocean race 2011/2012. What looked like a breezy and rainy race day cleared into a relatively soft and partly cloudy day come start time.

Our group on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing absolutely nailed the start mid line. The team was able to hold their lead even though the wind became quite patchy and difficult to navigate near the top of the beat.

What was a narrow lead at the top stretched slightly into a better margin at the bottom of the run. A good change into a masthead 0 for the leg 3 reach gave our boys a bit of a clean exit relative to some of the other teams who had different ideas about their sail call, and were in closer proximity to other boats.

By the top mark of leg three our team had stretched to a near 5 minute lead. The reach back to the finish line saw them pile on the margin to end with a near 14 minute margin of victory.

Although the conditions for the race were certainly patchy, I think you can start to see the cream rising to the top here after several practice races and one real one. Our guys are quietly optimistic and certainly feel good about their preparation and position in the overall race as they head into the “real” start on Saturday.

Yesterday’s inport race win obviously came with some emotion for me. Winning the first one feels fantastic for our whole team after all the hard hours we’ve all put in. Certainly there is a long way to go before feeling completely justified in celebration, but yesterday felt good. Really good. Our team home in Annapolis at FYD deserves to feel good. They’ve put in an enormous effort and deserve to feel very proud. The product of that hard work is innovative and special.

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on that hard work and to thank the whole team. Alon, Bobbi, Britt, Bruce, Bryan, Chris, Emerson, Jennifer, Jim, Keith, Luke, and Russ thank you so much for the incredible work ethic and willingness to make this happen. We wouldn’t be here today if we weren’t such a great team. Take a moment to enjoy this feeling.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Gearing up for the Volvo Ocean Race Start - by Britton Ward

2011-10-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

Once again the Mediterranean port city of Alicante is host to the start of the Volvo Ocean Race. Since early October the six competing yachts have been assembled in the port each going through the rigorous scrutineering process required to be issued a valid certificate prior to the start of the race. In between measurement sessions there is a seemingly never ending job list with the army of dedicated shore crew working through the final tweaks to the boat, spars, rigging, canting system, electronics etc. Final race sails are being delivered for all teams and each needs to be hoisted and thoroughly checked before being accepted. Everything is double and triple checked so as to be 100% ready to go by the time the start gun fires on November 5th.

I recently returned from a week with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in Alicante. The race village is open and thousands of people are visiting each day to see the boats and visit a number of interactive displays and events about the race. It was my first opportunity to see our competitors so I spent a good deal of my time looking over the other boats trying to assess where their strengths and weaknesses may lie relative to our design choices. Besides competing in the Fastnet race and a short 250 mile qualification passage that was sailed in very light air and used primarily to test race systems and emergency techniques this new fleet of boats has had very few opportunities to go head to head with each other and as a result the strengths and weaknesses of the different teams is still a big question mark. Every team is busy observing each other and trying to handicap the fleet before the start. While the differences amongst the boats are significant the choices in sail design are even more so and that may ultimately be the biggest differentiator in boat performance.

Over the course of the boats design and testing we have worked very closely with the sail designers, navigators and meteorologists in analyzing expected scenarios for the race, and performing detailed weather routing studies using historical weather information to explore the effects of different sail styles and inventories on each leg in expected conditions. This visit provided an opportunity to review this information with a special focus on the recent anti-piracy modifications to Leg 2 and 3 and to consider what implications this has for sail design and sail delivery strategy in the coming months.

In addition to observing the other boats this visit provided an opportunity to check in with the measurement process and to make sure that everything is checked off and all the documentation in order before the race starts. The list of outstanding measurement items has dwindled to a handful that will all be taken care of in the next few days. The number of rules the boat has to comply with and the sheer amount of documentation required to be certified as a Volvo Open 70 is astounding. Throughout the design process we had to monitor the rules and be continuously aware of the requirements as any rework to correct a deficiency could be extremely expensive in both time and dollars and with so little sailing time available any downtime could have a big impact on performance. Fortunately, the measurement of AZZAM has gone without a hitch with the boat hitting every one of our target measurement values with no modifications required.

A week prior to the start of Leg 1 is the first in-port race and that requires its own amount of preparation. Six boats sailing at very high speeds in extremely tight confines will pose a significant test of the crews skills. Starts, mark roundings, short course tactics, spinnaker hoists, gybes and drops and inshore sail selection all have to be practiced and refined to be ready on the day. These maneuvers would be challenging with a crew of 15 or 20 so trying to complete them with a crew of 10 adds a whole new dimension to the racing placing a premium on communication and technique. I was fortunate to spend a few afternoons sailing in a range of conditions with the team while practicing these maneuvers and it is impressive to see how quickly the crew of AZZAM has integrated the inshore skill set into its repertoire.

The team has been meticulously recording data since the boat was launched and we have been working very closely with our navigator Jules Salter to produce the best possible set of polar speed and performance information for the boat. The polar information is displayed on board and utilized in on board routing simulations during the race so the more accurate this information is the better decisions can be made on the race course. This has been a continual process of comparing actual performance under different sail and appendage configurations to our detailed Velocity Prediction Program results and integrating this information to produce refined on board polars. This visit provided an opportunity to review the latest information and look at possible refinements to be completed before the start.

It is always valuable to have the opportunity to see the product of our labors in real life. AZZAM and her crew are ready to go on what may be the most closely contested Volvo Ocean Race ever. We will be closely watching the fleet in the in port race and throughout the first leg to assess our performance and to continue to support the team.

Sailing on SOJANA at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup by Jim Schmicker

2011-10-13T11:11:00.002-04:00

Every year in the first week of September, the world’s most competitive maxi yachts gather in Porto Cervo, Sardinia for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. For the last two years, SOJANA, the Farr 115’ ketch (design #442) has competed in the supermaxi division against the likes of SAUDADE, VISIONE, NILAYA, HETAIROS and others. This year I was able to join SOJANA in my usual position as mizzen trimmer.

Porto Cervo can serve up a myriad of conditions and this year was no exception. Racing on day 1 was canceled due to winds in excess of 30 knots and on day 2 the winds “moderated” to just 25. For SOJANA, day 2 saw our #3 jib come apart along the leech and foot on the first upwind leg. After more than 2 years of excellent service, the material had reached its limit. Knowing the wind forecast predicted more days of strong winds we needed to recover the sail if there were any chance it could be repaired. By the time we carefully furled the sail and hoisted our staysail we were quite far behind. The same night a group of 7 of us in the crew, led by Andrew Dove and Andy Mitchell, were pressed into service as sailmakers to repair the #3. Laying a strip of Spectra all along the leech may not sound like much work but when the leech is over 38m (124 ft) long it takes a while. The repaired #3 served us well on Thursday, day 3, with the winds still ranging above 20 knots. Friday was a bit frustrating as the easterly sea breeze fought against a north-westerly at the bottom of the course. We were amongst the leaders when all were caught in the transition zone. The others escaped from mere boat lengths away on capricious zephyrs while we sat becalmed. We went from anticipating our best finish of the week to actually achieving our worst. Saturday’s final race was our best under the unique averaged IRC and ORC scoring scheme. Our final result was fifth out of nine.

One of the most enjoyable things for me as a member of the SOJANA crew is participating in the continuous effort to improve the boat both in outright performance and in performance versus handicap. During her next maintenance period a retractable bowsprit will be installed. Spinnaker area will increase nearly 15% and the more forward tack point for the spinnaker (+3.5m) will allow the setting of a spinnaker staysail for even more effective sail area reaching and running. The estimated increase in the IRC rating (+0.012) is limited because the current spinnaker area on SOJANA is below typical norms. The new configuration will be tested in SOJANA’s next race, the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Cup starting from Tenerife on November 21st.

Attending major sailing events like the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup keeps our team up to date on the latest developments in the maxi yacht classes including trends in owner participation and the desires of the owners and sailors in design features for both winning races and for achieving suitable levels of comfort and style. Staying on top of these trends is essential to continuously improving our designs and keeping FYD at the forefront of maxi yacht design.

Contact Farr Yacht Design at info@farrdesign.com if we can help optimize your boat for future events, or if you would like of our staff to do some regatta sailing with you.

Tjörn Runt Regatta aboard the Bavaria Cruiser 40S by Keith Carew

2011-09-07T10:03:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday our president Patrick Shaughnessy and I arrived in Gothenburg Sweden to race on the Bavaria Cruiser 40 Sport in the famous Tjörn Runt regatta. We designed this boat as a modification to the very popular Bavaria Cruiser 40. The design Brief was to incrementally improve the performance of the Cruiser 40 and add some features that make it more suited to racing. compared to the cruiser 40, the boat is 600kg lighter with a keel 30cm deeper and a rig that is 44cm taller. Our boat featured a jib in a tuff luff extrusion and Elvstrom Sails EPEX main and jib.

This particular 40s is owned by the Bavaria factory and is the same boat we raced earlier this year in Croatia at the Kornati Cup. At that race we finished second overall in a fleet of 102 behind the well sailed Bavaria Cruiser 40s owned by Pitter Yacht sales. The factory owns this boat to promote the 40s but also to show customers the sporting potential of the rest of the fleet of Cruisers of which we have designed all the current fleet of six.

Onboard were Bavaria's product manager Daniel Kohl, consultant Peter Meyer and journalist Marcus Schlichting. We also were fortunate to be joined by some notable locals. Magnus Olsson of Swedish yachting fame and two of his friends joined us and added a lot of local expertise as well as sailing skill and enthusiasm. Anyone who has sailed with Magnus knows the enthusiasm and good humor he brings to the effort -- on and off the boat.

The Tjörn Runt regatta has been sailed continuously since 1964. This year 332 boats participated in this 28 nautical mile race around the island of Tjörn. You may have seen YouTube videos of yachts piling up on rocks through narrow passages in Sweden. Most likely you were seeing the results of the battle to sail the shortest distance from start to finish as there are few restrictions for navigators besides the depth of your keel and your bravery.

We practiced on Friday, tuning the rig and ironing out a few wrinkles that have crept in since our April showing in Croatia. The weather was grey with light rain and light wind. But we were focusing on the next day's predicted sun and breeze. Saturday we awoke to clear skies and bright sun to start in 8-10 knots of breeze.

The breeze built as we beat along the fjord until we entered the North Sea in 25 knots and still building. We put in a reef to settle the boat and kept pushing hard. At this stage the navigators earn their keep. Our navigator Juppa has sailed this race many times but never in this boat so we sailed a conservative course and never had an incident. We did watch a competitor in an ILC 40 hit hard aground at 10 knots so we knew well what we were trying to avoid. As we sailed up the coast the wind built to as much as 35 knots with 2m swells. One feature of this event is the enormous spectator enthusiasm as evidenced by crowds lining the cliffs all along and announcers commenting on the crew and position of the various boats.

The last 8 miles were sailed in 20-25 knots dead downwind. Having shaken out the reef and set the kite, we quickly ran away from the boats around us and only one broach later had finished. As it turns out we were 6th in our class of 35 and 29th over all. With some very competitive crews ahead of us including the current European IRC champion, we felt pretty good about ourselves.

With the gorgeous venue of cliffs and big breeze and friendly crew and competitors, this will remembered as one of my favorite sailing events. I'm looking forward to doing better at this one next year as the Bavaria 40s continues its promotional activities around Europe.

The 2000 mile Qualifier aboard the VO70 by Luke Shingledecker

2011-09-06T13:56:00.001-04:00

In late July, I was fortunate enough to join the crew of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing for their 2000 mile qualifier about their brand new Volvo 70, AZZAM, which we designed. Under the rules for the Volvo Ocean Race, each entry must complete a nonstop passage of 2000 miles with the anticipated crew for leg 1 onboard. In this case, the qualifier was combined with a delivery to Southampton so that the team could compete in the upcoming Fastnet race against two other Volvo competitors, Groupama and Team Sanya.

On the Friday before departure, I met the team at their base in Cascais, Portugal and took time to familiarize myself with the boat’s systems and equipment. Cascais seems to be the perfect place for a team preparing for the Volvo Ocean Race. The marina is located immediately off the Atlantic, with virtually no sail from the dock to open ocean. Cascais is also a pleasant resort town with easy travel access to the rest of Europe.

This trip was the first chance to put some serious ocean miles under AZZAM’s keel. The direct distance from Cascais to Southampton is only about half of the required qualifying passage, but we had every intention of seeking out the best wind and testing our different sail combinations, so racking up 2000 miles was no problem.

We departed Cascais on Saturday morning (July 30). First thing on the list, we met a helicopter for a photo session just off the Portuguese coast. It was a great way to start the trip, as we had plenty of wind and big enough waves to sail the boat at boat speeds over 20 knots with plenty of water on deck. After waving goodbye, we headed west towards the Azores on a fast beam reach. On a Volvo 70, things don’t usually start to seem exciting until you’re going at least 20 knots, and this trip did not disappoint. We took advantage of the good conditions to try different sail, daggerboard and sail stack combinations, all the while recording data for later analysis. We also tried out different freeze-dried meals- not as technical as sail testing, but certainly still a big part of the race preparation.

Our trip took us nearly to the Azores before we turned north crossing a narrow ridge to reach some favorable reaching and downwind sailing angles. Most of the trip was reaching in conditions around 15-20 knots of wind. We maintained an average boat speed over 15 knots, until the last day when the wind lightened in the English Channel. We had occasional bursts of higher winds, and once reached a boat speed of 34 knots! After 6 days of sailing, we finished our trip by sailing up the Solent on a sunny day in mild conditions. It was the day before the start of Cowes Week, and there were scores of boats out practicing for the upcoming week of racing, or just out for a little cruise.

As a designer of these exciting boats, it is always a useful experience to get onboard and go sailing. Besides the obvious review to see how the systems work, it is invaluable to sail the boat with the race crew and to discuss its characteristics. This was particularly true on this trip, as we had 6 days of different conditions to demonstrate the boat’s performance and behavior. I was thrilled to see that the boat is performing up to expectations in a broad spectrum of conditions. It was a great opportunity to sail with Ian and the rest of the crew. I am extremely optimistic about this team’s chances to win the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race; it should be a great one to watch!

Sailing on the VO70 at Fastnet by Alon Finkelstein

2011-08-19T11:04:00.006-04:00

Various members of the Farr Yacht Design team have recently traveled to different countries in Europe in support of our VO70 design and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. PatrickShaughnessy and Russ Bowler were in Italy for the commissioning of the boat, Bryan Baker was in Portugal for sail testing sessions, Chris Cochran and Jim Schmicker were in England for engineering and performance analysis and Luke Shingledecker even joined the crew for the 2000 mile qualifier voyage.

However it’s not too often that an opportunity to compete in one of the most epic and challenging offshore yacht races, on one of the most advanced, hi-tech and fastest racing yachts presents itself. So when the invitation came from the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team for me to join the crew for the Fastnet race, I leaped at the opportunity with much excitement.

The race itself was the ideal platform to test the crew, boat and sails and gain valuable practice in the lead up to the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in late October. It was, in fact, the first time that the full crew had raced together as a team. Our competition in the Volvo 70 fleet came from Groupama4 and Team Sanya, both of whom are also gearing up for the 2011/12 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Beating out of the Solent in 20 knots of wind was quite a spectacle with +/-350 other boats around! The main focus at this point of the race was avoiding collisions while also keeping a close eye on our nearest competitors. Most of the first day was spent beating and tight reaching down the south coast of England in moderate breeze and favorable tide. With excellent tactics and savvy local knowledge, skipper Ian Walker and navigator Jules Salter expertly guided us to the front of the pack.

Early on day two of the race, at the western tip of England we tacked onto port and headed straight for ‘The Rock’ on a beam reach. It was interesting to compare our boatspeed with that of Groupama4 who were always within sight of us. Suffice to say the differences were small. The wind started off light/moderate but as the day progressed the breeze freshened until it peaked around 30 knots right at the Fastnet rock. This was the most frantic and exciting part of the race, with frenzied sail changes, extremely bumpy seas, low visibility and numerous hectic maneuvers. This was the part of the race where the 100 foot canting keel maxi, Rambler, capsized after breaking her keel. They were only about an hour ahead of us at the time, but unfortunately we couldn’t see them in the mist, fog and darkness and we only heard news of the event a few hours after it actually happened and everyone was safely rescued. Having lead from the start, we were a bit disappointed that Groupama4 was able to sneak by us at ’the Rock’, but with over 200 miles of racing left there were still plenty of passing lanes.

After rounding the offset mark at Pantaenious Buoy the two state-of-the-art Volvo 70’s blasted back towards the Isles of Scilly at break neck speed in excess of 25 knots with Team Sanya not far behind. After rounding the Isles of Scilly we bore off onto a run for the home stretch to the finish at Plymouth. With Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing closer to land and Groupama4 further offshore we were able to pick up some more favorable tide and regain the lead, which we held all the way to the finish, fending off our French rivals by less than 5 minutes. We crossed the finish line after 1 day, 18 hours and 39 minutes (an average speed of 14.3 knots) setting a new course record for monohull yachts.

It goes without saying that for the crew preparing for the Volvo Race, there is nothing more valuable than time spent on the boat. The same applies to designers as well. Nothing can better prepare you for the many decisions you need to make as a designer of a racing yacht as it pertains to flow physics, forces, sail trim, layouts and load cases, than being out there on the water to experience the conditions first hand. It is out on the water where you are reminded in the most vivid terms that sailboat racing is not just a bunch of numbers or simulations on the computer screen, but real life action and drama where mistakes or miscalculations can be the difference between winning and losing but more importantly can sometimes cost life or limb. You are also reminded how physically challenging Volvo 70 yachts are and how much muscle, stamina, experience, fitness and concentration it takes to sail these boats at the elite level.

In our quest for victory in the Volvo Ocean race, we are off to a promising start. With further practice and development we will continue to improve. Our crew is top notch, the boat and sails are looking good and the team is strong. It was an honor and a privilege to compete in the Fastnet Race and many thanks to Ian Walker and the entire Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Volvo 70 team for having me on board. It was a once in a life time opportunity for me and I’m ecstatic I was there to experience it first hand.

Luke Shingledecker test sails the new Farr 400 One Design

2011-04-07T18:53:00.004-04:00

Luke Shingledecker - FYD Senior Naval Architect

Last week, I headed to Dubai with Bill O’Malley (of Farr Yacht Sales) to visit Premier Composites Technologies and sail the very first Farr 400. FYD was responsible for both the design and engineering on this project, working closely with Premier to sort out all the details. This was our first chance to find out whether we had met our goal – to produce an exciting new one design in the 40 foot range that is fast, fun to sail, and with broad appeal to sailors well into the future. I had been anticipating this trip for a while - we have been working on this project since last summer. The program for the week was quite full, including launching, measurement, and some local racing in Dubai. We also spent time working on the details of the Farr 400 class rules.

The Farr 400 incorporates lots of unique elements, especially for an offshore-capable one-design. As expected, a couple of these features make a strong impression. The bow is full and powerful – a shape designed to emulate a longer boat and promote fast, bow-up downwind sailing. The deck configuration is a clean flush-deck style, but the boat has plenty of volume down below to allow easy movement through the interior. The boat presents a bold, modern appearance.

The asymmetric halyard layout allows all pit functions to be lead aft to the pedestal-driven primary winches. This is a central part of sailing the boat, as it allows for easier spinnaker hoists and gybes. The layout also includes a sliding foredeck hatch with a pedestal-driven spinnaker takedown system. I believe these features, which have been borrowed from TP52’s and other grand prix classes, will prove to be highly desirable as sailors become familiar with them. Some observers might initially have the impression that they add to the boat’s complexity, but once understood, it should become clear they allow the boat to execute quicker boat handling maneuvers without requiring exceptional strength or rare crew skill. I definitely think this style of layout is more fun to sail, and points to the future for racing boats in this size range.

After the first several days of sailing, I can report that the boat performs very well. Sailing upwind, the boat responds easily in light winds but feels very powerful in stronger breeze, producing impressive speed and great pointing height. Downwind, the boat gets up and takes off, even in surprisingly light conditions. The boat is very responsive to sail trim and crew position.

Premier Composites has done a great job building a beautiful boat and they have included lots of functional and attractive details. Southern Spars has engineered a stiff, user-friendly rig with carbon standing rigging and spreaders.

I am very pleased with the boat and everyone at the sea trials felt it has all the necessary elements to be a great ride and successful project. When we left Dubai, there were 10 confirmed orders with at least one outstanding contract and a growing list of serious inquiries. Interest in the class has been strong and continues to grow, and Premier is working to ramp up production to 2 boats per month. I think this design meets its mission and goals, and I believe that anyone who is interested in performance one-designs should take a close look.

Launching speech for the Bavaria Cruiser 40s

2011-01-28T08:53:00.000-05:00

My name is Patrick Shaughnessy, and I am the President of Farr Yacht Design, and today I very happy to be here participating in the launch of the Bavaria Cruiser 40s.

Farr Yacht Design is acknowledged as the top racing-yacht design team in the world based upon one of the most extensive and impressive records of winning yacht racing results ever compiled by a single design group. Our long-running record of achievement dates back more than 25 years and includes 40 World Championships and a multitude of design successes at prestigious grand prix yachting events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup, Vendee Globe, Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Barcelona World Race, Transat Jacques Vabre, Copa del Rey and many others. So having said that you can imagine that we were very happy to oblige Bavaria when they requested a sport version of the Cruiser 40.

When you have an existing platform you need to be very careful how you add performance. It is possible to float the boat too light, and add too much sail area, and to generally ruin a good boat’s characteristics. We needed to be responsible in order to maintain the goodness of the Cruiser 40, but to add performance, and do it in a cost effective way that could fit within the pricing, and assembly logic that has made Bavaria so successful.

We determined that an overall weight reduction targeted at 250kg was the maximum that the hull should be allowed to float up. This has been achieved by increasing the hull core thickness, and eliminating superfluous nonstructural interior components along with removal of a toilet, and the swim platform.

We’ve lengthen the mast tube 440mm, and the boom 390mm. The combination of those changes has allowed us to add 5.6m2 of sail area to the boat focused on improving light air upwind performance. Near masthead asymmetric and symmetric options provide the boat with ample downwind sail area to complement the upwind performance. Sail area / Displacement ratio increases from 4.4 to 4.6. The sails can be controlled in a racing environment by a full German mainsheet system on a traveller, adjustable jib leads, and full spinnaker controls.

Below the waterline a cast iron fin keel increased in draft to 2.3m and achieves an IRC friendly keel geometry which should produce an improved upwind sailing efficiency. The steering system has been changed to a full mechanical component system which should improve steering feel.

With all of those changes we’ve produced a boat which has a measurable performance increase over a standard Bavaria Cruiser 40. As an aside fact it turns out that the average racing windspeed is almost exactly 12 knots when considering the whole worlds racing venues. And so a comparison of the Cruiser 40 and 40 Sport in 12 knots TWS show that the Sport version is 96 seconds per mile faster VMG upwind, and 33 seconds per mile faster VMG downwind. A typical 2 mile windward leeward racing course twice around would have the Sport version finishing 4 and a half minutes earlier. While the performance remains relatively modest in a true grand prix sense we are confident that the Cruiser 40s has the sail area it needs to sailed in light air venues, and the performance versus handicap attributes to be successful under both ORCi and IRC.

Launching Speech for the new Bavaria Cruiser 50

2011-01-23T01:48:00.000-05:00

My name is Patrick Shaughnessy, and I am the President of Farr Yacht Design, and today I represent the combined design group that has produced the new Bavaria Cruiser 50.

The line-up logic for Bavaria’s Cruiser line entailed producing cornerstone type products at 55, 32, and 45 feet, and following that, derivative type products between them at 40, 36, and 50 feet. Today with the 50 we have finally the complete Cruiser line together. For Farr Yacht Design alone this body of work represents 15,000 man hours, or roughly 7.5 man years’ worth of design time. Certainly a substantial undertaking.

We’ve continued our focused effort to link the exterior living space with the water. The enormous swimming platforms that we’ve created for the Cruiser line continue to be a focal point for the 50. The deck concept is improved by adding more opening ports and hatches in response to a want for greater ventilation.

Like the 45 and 55 the 50 is a twin rudder boat. This choice allowed us to create large central storage area beneath the cockpit and to give this boat the benefit of real controllability at high angles of heel. The twin rudders also allow us to create a hull shape with a long waterline and a great interior volume. By keeping our halyard runs and dodger above deck we’ve been able to package a large interior beneath a moderate freeboard height. Within our large interior volume we’ve packaged both a 4 cabin charter boat, and an owners cabin forward 3 cabin boat. Both of those interior options can also be had with a forward Pullman style cabin increasing the potential cabins to 3, 4, and 5 cabin versions. A range of interior options available for both owners and charter fleets. All of the cabin options will be able to seat the number of people they can sleep at the exceptionally large salon seating area. A separate shower area adds to the interior features list. Beneath the cabin sole we’ve been able to use large centrally located water and fuel tanks which should improve pitch response in waves. In our engineering work we’ve moved to a thicker hull core which has produced both weight reduction, and reduced boat assembly time.

We’ve used the deck space wisely so that the whole crew can sit comfortably for dinner on deck just like we can below deck. We created a cockpit space that is closed and secure to protect a young family, but can fully open so that we can truly enjoy the places we spend the time to sail to.

We’ve worked hard to produce a boat that can be kind and forgiving for a novice and rewarding in the hands of an experienced sailor. This is a boat with 2 keel draft options at 1.85m and 2.25m, both with produce ballast ratios exceeding 28%. Both keel versions follow our logic that a true cruising boat should sail at heel angles of less than 20 degrees below 15kts true wind speed and avoid reefing until over 20 knots TWS. Even with those conservative choices a SA/Disp ratio of 4.7 ensures that the boat will have a very competitive performance in its class.

And so we have the complete Cruiser line with the new Cruiser 50 following the line logic for styling and aesthetics but still managing to find improvement in several key areas. It does all of those things with a level of performance, engineering, and safety that has been the signature of every Farr Yacht Design product. Having said those things I would like to thank Bavaria for the opportunity to produce design work for the Cruiser line, and to be here today before you.

Internship at FYD

2010-07-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

Since I first began to get seriously involved in the world of keelboat racing after joining the Naval Academy Offshore Sailing Team, I began to see designs produced by Farr Yacht Design popping up everywhere, and have raced on several. When I selected Naval Architecture as a major and learned that the Farr Yacht Design was a short 15 minute walk from the Naval Academy, I became even more interested. When the possibility of an internship with FYD arose in a conversation with one of my Naval Architecture professors, I jumped at the opportunity, scheduling the internship in lieu of going home for 2 weeks of valuable leave.

Although my time interning at FYD was brief, only 6 total working days, I learned a lot about yacht design, CAD, and career options as a Naval Architect. While my education in Naval Architecture is basic, covering only what I have learned in 2 semesters of classes and picked up from sailing and boat maintenance, I was able to understand and enjoy the majority of what was being discussed and drawn around the office.

The staff at FYD was friendly and enthusiastic about what they do, and fortunately wasted no time putting me to work. I worked on the routes for weather simulation software for the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race, turned 3D models into construction drawings, and prepared models of the next generation of Volvo Open 70 for Computational Fluid Dynamics Testing. For an amateur sailor and college student like me, who can only read and dream about boats like Volvo 70s and Open 60s, being able to contribute, however small a contribution it was, to the next generation of those boats was a greatly gratifying experience. My favorite part of my time at FYD was sitting in on conceptual design meetings, and seeing what goes in to designing a high-tech racing machine like a Volvo Open 70.

I am now surer than ever that a career in Naval Architecture and yacht design is what I want to do after my time in the Navy. If any Naval Architecture or engineering students, whatever school you attend, are looking for a place to practically apply what you have learned for the summer, I would highly recommend looking at an internship at Farr Yacht Design.

Graham Tyson

Midshipman and Naval Architecture Student

The Superyacht Circuit on SOJANA

2010-05-24T12:39:00.002-04:00

For the past six years I have often been a crew member on board the well-known, FYD-designed, 115' superyacht SOJANA commissioned by Peter Harrison and captained by Marc Fitzgerald. She regularly competes in the Heineken Regatta, Antigua Sailing Week, Superyacht Cups in Antigua and Palma, the St. Barths Bucket, Les Voiles de St. Tropez and transatlantic races and rallies traveling back and forth across the pond. Launched in 2003 she is due to hit 100,000 miles sailed by the end of 2010. Peter and Marc are always looking to improve the performance of SOJANA having made many upgrades and modifications over the years and also serving as a test bed for new materials.

Sailing on SOJANA, as well as providing technical support to the improvement program, has allowed me a front row seat at the steady progress occurring on SOJANA and in the rest of the superyacht fleet. Of all the advances made to SOJANA over the years, two stand out. In 2007, composite rigging from Future Fibres was installed on both the main and mizzen rigs. The increase in stability was readily apparent but the reduction in inertia, improving the motion in waves, was the most dramatic. This year SOJANA has been testing the first 3Di sails made for a superyacht. Both of these technologies have a huge impact on the design of a superyacht. Being present to see the effect of all the many current advances in technology is crucial to understanding them and using them to create successful designs with precise power-to-weight ratios, stability and speed that meet the goals and desires of our clients.

The next event for SOJANA is the Superyacht Cup in Palma in June. I will be onboard in my usual position trimming the mizzen.

Jim Schmicker
Vice President & Senior Naval Architect

Sailing the Bavaria Cruiser 55 in Palma Mallorca

2010-04-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

This week I was fortunate to have the opportunity for a bit of sailing on the Bavaria Cruiser 55, our design 673. My day for the opportunity was Monday, the 26th of April. I arrived in Palma around 11am, and after finding my hotel set off to find the boat.

Conditions were absolutely beautiful… for power boating. Palma had its typical sunshine, but was presenting us with a pretty weak sea breeze for the day. I had been excited when the plane landed because we landed into the bay which meant the sea breeze was already established. Unfortunately there just wasn’t much to it for some reason.

The sailing day was set up as a bit of a lead in to the Bavaria board meetings. On the boat for the sail we had quite a crowd onboard with the whole Bavaria board, as well as executives from Bavaria, and local support from Bavaria Spain.

Once outside the harbor area we unfurled the mainsail and jib. Windspeed was maybe 6 knots although the left side of the bay looked like it might hold a little more pressure. The guys went to work to trim up the sails and I settled in on the helm to see how the boat felt. We extended on a long port tack so I was able to get a pretty good feel for the boat. In general the boat is very easy to drive. The helm is well balanced and the boat tracks very easily. While the conditions were quite calm and the sea flat I came area impressed with the boat and feel pretty confident that it would be very rewarding for an owner. Our concern is always to provide enough helm feedback for an owner in light conditions and I think the boat delivers very well in that regard.

We had slowly gained on a bigger schooner that had left the harbor ahead of us. When we finally passed them windward they felt the need to go for all their remaining sail. The extra sail area definitely worked for them and they closed up under us to leeward. We tacked away to be polite and headed off to the right side of the bay. Andrew Burt took the helm so that I could have a look around the boat. The boat is very easy to get around on and provides good access to everything a cruising sailor would need. The standard cruising sails fit the boat well. Mainsail shaping isn’t that easy with the furling mainsail although I’m sure that the convenience factor will make the decision for most buyers. Unfortunately the breeze continued to lighten as we got to the right, and after an hour on each tack we decided to tack and bear away for home.

The wind speed was now probably down to 4 knots and while the boat was still making respectable speeds broad reaching we went for the motor early to provide a bit of apparent wind over the deck. Under motor the boat can make some pretty impressive speeds and will definitely get into harbor quickly. Good motoring speed is always a good thing when cocktails are on the horizon.

The key to docking a twin rudder of boat is to avoid very low speed maneuvers. Entering the marina we stayed fairly quick and made good use of the optional bow thruster to get back into the slip without any drama.

I came away impressed from the sail. The boat felt genuinely good in very light air. After my sail on the Bavaria Cruiser 45 in Holland (extremely windy conditions) I’ve definitely seen both ends of the spectrum on these twin rudder cruising boats. This appendage solution should give plenty of confidence to any skipper. Good feel in light winds, and incredible control in challenging high wind and heeled conditions. The sensible interior layouts, modern styling, and attractive prices from Bavaria make these pretty special boats. I look forward to a well rounded sail in some moderate breeze. Hopefully the buying public will see these new Bavaria Cruisers for the goodness they are and bring one a bit closer to home for me.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Benefits of Frequent Site Visits

2010-03-30T15:11:00.000-04:00

When I reflect on my recently completed site visit to the Bavaria factory in Giebelstadt, Germany, the most prominent thought that comes to mind is how constructive it is to have face to face communication with our clients and product development partners. While personally this was my first opportunity to visit the state of the art Bavaria boat building facility, in the 2 years since Farr Yacht Design began their successful collaboration with Bavaria, our engineers and designers have made no less than 40 separate trips to the factory, involving 275 man days. It is true that today’s modern communication tools (e-mail, web conferencing, Skype) help to make the world a much smaller place, however one can’t underestimate the value of personal interaction. Issues that would take days to solve via e-mail and phone call exchanges can be solved in a matter of minutes when the right people are collaborating directly and personally with each other.

The frequent site visits we make are also extremely valuable for ensuring that our design and engineering intent is being faithfully reproduced by the boat builders on the factory floor. This is particularly important in areas of the assembly line that are critical to the safe operation of the yacht, such as the hull and deck lamination, bonding of internal grids and bulkheads as well as the attachment of the keels and rudders. By having regular designer presence on the factory floor, we are able to rapidly identify areas for improvement and we can intervene if something is not being done ‘to spec’. This improves quality control, results in a more integrated end-product and hopefully translates into 1000’s of satisfied boat owners around the world.

- Alon Finkelstein

KWRW 2010

2010-02-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

Key West Race Week always holds the promise of sunny skies, good breeze and warm temperatures. As with many things, reality does not always live up to expectations. But, this year Key West did not disappoint. On the docket this year were pleasant conditions and multiple races each day of the week.

I made the journey south to do mast onboard the Melges 32, Ninkasi. This was one of my first opportunities to do mast and opened my eyes to a few deck layout and rigging issues that wouldn't be obvious when staring at a drawing on paper. It's amazing how lines never get knotted or tangled on paper, but how easily it happens in reality if blocks aren't spaced or angled correctly.

Although participant numbers are down from their peak a few years ago, the competition level has not faltered. This point was illustrated by both the Melges 32 class, where each of the top 5 finishers had at least one finish in the mid to high teens, and the Farr 40 class, where the boats seem to round every mark bow to stern with one another.

Key West also offers more than just great racing. The ability to step off the boat, go for a short ride to any one of a number of meeting places, and sit down with owners, boat captains, and project managers to discuss current issues and future plans within the industry is vital to a yacht designer. Sometimes these meetings turn out to be more valuable or more interesting than the days racing.

Not only is Key West a good place to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones, it also presents great opportunities to walk the docks while admiring and scrutinizing all the different aspects of the fleets. The IRC-1 boats really caught my interest this year. Although the larger boats in IRC 1 are truly impressive, the four IRC52s grabbed my attention. The subtle modifications made by each of the three TP52s are quite interesting. Each had added a sprit, but retained slight differences in terms of deck and stern treatments. All in all, not too different from many of the modifications we make for our optimizations. Add in the Southern Cross 52 and you have a nice fleet within a fleet.

Whether you traveled to Key West this year for the racing, weather, or networking it was hard to come back disappointed.

Emerson Smith

Launching speech for Bavaria's new Cruiser 45

2010-01-28T16:02:00.002-05:00

My name is Patrick Shaughnessy, and I am the President of Farr Yacht Design, and today I represent the combined design group that has produced the new Bavaria Cruiser 45.

After the completion of Bavaria’s flagship, the Cruiser 55, we were tasked as a team with producing a boat at the opposite end of the line which resulted in the Cruiser 32. With the two ends of the Cruiser line established we went about creating a third cornerstone design in the middle of the Cruiser line. The result of that work is the Cruiser 45. And with that design work we now have; a true flagship, an entry level yacht, and an anchor in the middle of the line to clearly show the world the Cruiser line’s complete intent.

The middle of any line represents a unique challenge. It needs to have the grace of a larger yacht, and the accessibility of a smaller yacht. The boat is a platform that needs to be capable of being a charter boat workhorse, and also a stepping stone toward a real luxury owners yacht.
In our other Cruiser line work we’ve clearly established a new way to link the exterior living space with the water. The enormous swimming platforms that we’ve created elsewhere in the line obviously needed to be a focal point for this middle of the line boat. That said we still faced a question of whether this boat should be a twin rudder or single rudder boat. In the end we chose the twin rudder approach. This choice allowed us to create large central storage area beneath the cockpit and to give this boat the benefit of real controllability at high angles of heel. Both of these are features that an experienced owner stepping up through a line of boats will realy appreciate in his or her next yacht.
We followed quite a bit of the design logic we’ve established with our two bookends. We created a hull shape with a long waterline and a great interior volume. We used our deck space wisely so that we can seat our whole crew for dinner on deck just like we can below deck. We created a cockpit space that is closed and secure to protect a young family, but can fully open so that we can truly enjoy the places we spend the time to sail to. We’ve worked hard to produce a boat that can be kind and forgiving for a novice and rewarding in the hands of an experienced sailor. This is a boat with 2 keel draft options at 1.72m and 2.1m, both with produce ballast ratios exceeding 28%. Both keel versions follow our logic that a true cruising boat should sail at heel angles of less than 20 degrees below 15kts true wind speed and avoid reefing until over 20 knots TWS. Even with those conservative choices a SA/Disp ratio of 4.56 ensures that the boat will have a very competitive performance in its class.

The new Bavaria Cruiser 45 is a boat which can be a great 4 cabin charter boat or a very rewarding 3 cabin owners boat. It clearly demonstrates how the middle of the Cruiser line will answer for styling and aesthetics. It does all of those things with a level of performance, engineering, and safety that has been the signature of every Farr Yacht Design product. Its not always easy to be in the middle of a family. The oldest gets the praise, while the youngest gets the attention. The middle child has to go out every day and do the hard work in order to get recognized. The new Bavaria Cruiser 45 is a boat designed to do that hard work, and to do it very well.

Patrick Shaughnessy

METS

2009-11-24T08:50:00.002-05:00

Following a week-long trip to the Bavaria factory in Germany, I hopped on a plane for Amsterdam, bound for the Marine Equipments Trade Show (or METS, as it’s commonly referred).

I arrived in the afternoon, and spent the first evening having a look around the downtown area. This was my first time in Amsterdam, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the city. A couple of things became apparent; the majority of the locals use bikes as their primary mode of transportation, and there are canals which parallel almost every street. One wrong step and you’re either run over by a bicycle or swimming in the canal.

The METS is a 3-day long event which showcases over 1200 of the world’s marine industry suppliers – ranging from keel manufacturers to mast manufacturers, and everything in between. The trade show occupies eleven large halls in the RAI convention center, and the suppliers are arranged by country, rather than by product. This unique nationality arrangement makes advanced planning a necessity in order to avoid spending your day doubling back on your path as you work through the list of suppliers.

My schedule had me attending only the first two days of the show, although in hindsight I probably should have stayed for the full three days. About two weeks before the show, FYD sent an email out to our entire distribution list, letting people know I would be attending METS and would be available for meetings during my visit. Response to the mailer was surprisingly big and within days I had plenty of people contacting me to organize meetings. By the time the show started, I had meetings scheduled with suppliers, existing clients, potential clients, and old friends. In fact, my schedule became so full that I had very little time to see other suppliers I wasn’t already set up to meet with. The show was a great atmosphere for serious working meetings. Next year, I’ll have to go all three days and plan my route a bit better to make the most of this great show.

Chris Cochran

Bavaria – Project kick-off meeting

2009-11-16T11:05:00.002-05:00

I’ve just returned from another trip to Germany. This was my fourth trip to Bavaria this year and sixth in two years! This time I traveled with Patrick Shaughnessy and Chris Cochran to attend a kick-off meeting for yet another project for Bavaria yacht builders in Giebelstadt. This will be our fourth project with them after completing the flagship 55, then the 32 and a 45. The 45 will have its first show in Dusseldorf this coming January. Chris stayed on a few days to help with the final touches on the 45.

Those previous three projects are the “cornerstone” projects which have defined the styling and features for the entire line-up. Now we begin work on our first “derivative” of those three. For our kick-off meeting we assembled some preliminary design ideas and benchmark information of comparable designs from Bavaria’s competitors. The meeting was attended by Bavaria’s Sales, Marketing, in-house design team, as well as Tom Allemeier and Tommy Forsgren from BMW’s Design Works USA. Bavaria’s Klaus Hammen led the discussion which narrowed down the product specifications based on everyone’s input. By the end of an all day meeting we had a well defined direction for the product as well as a schedule by which all teams will work together. This of course was followed by the obligatory group dinner at a traditional Bavarian restaurant featuring my favorite Schweinebraten and Weissbier. Thanks Klaus!

When launched in the early to middle part of next year we will have completed four boats in two years for Bavaria. Considering our level of detail work has been greater for this client than most others, this has constituted a colossal effort from our team. But the exciting thing is that we have had the opportunity to see not just one boat take shape from our designs but soon it will be an entire fleet of related designs - that is quite satisfying.

With each of these projects the coordination becomes smoother and work becomes even more enjoyable. By now we all understand each other’s roles and the cooperation gets better all the time. Since I’ll be the project management lead on this new project I’m hoping it goes at least as well as the last one which Chris led!

Keith Carew

ROMA 2 wins GP42 Global Cup

2009-10-17T11:07:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Filippo Faruffini’s team onboard ROMA 2 (design #640) who have just won the 2009 GP42 Global Cup. The team managed to put together a very consistent average of 2.25 across 12 races to finish 6 points clear of their nearest rival.

The regatta which was predominantly sailed in moderate conditions showcased the well rounded performance of this FYD product. Farr Yacht Design played a large supporting role in the ROMA program for the 2009 season. After the 2008 season an in-depth analysis of the boat’s performance led to FYD recommended hull and appendage modifications in order to improve the boat’s light air performance. I sailed with the sailing team myself as part of the crew for 4 regattas during the 2009 Medcup. Late in the season FYD also supported several boat modifications including a change to the rudder geometry.

Certainly this victory is a well deserved result for the team that finished only 1 point out of the overall 2009 Medcup lead. Congratulations again to Filippo, Paolo Cian, and the rest of the ROMA 2 team.

Design 640 (ROMA 2 and NEAR MISS) was inspired by my 2007 season of sailing with the ROMA 1 team and led to a combination of CFD research and design work that produced these 2 sister-ships. Ongoing CFD development this year at FYD indicates that significant fertile ground exists for further GP42 development. Anyone interesting in fielding a dominant GP42 effort for the 2010 season should contact FYD to talk about the GP42 focused development work we have planned for this winter.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Bavaria – What a Yard!

2009-10-11T12:05:00.002-04:00

I’ve just returned from a visit to the Bavaria factory in Germany, where prototyping for the new Cruiser 45 is in full-swing. What an exciting time to be at a boat yard! During the four days I was just at the factory, hull #1 was laminated, a plywood mock-up of the structural grid was installed, and the interior mock-up was just starting to get put into place. As Farr Yacht Design’s internal project manager for the 45, it was a very rewarding experience to be on-site as the design begins the transition from drawings/models to an actual, full-size yacht.

Farr Yacht Design has been working with Bavaria for about 18 months now, and in that relatively short time we’ve already seen the launch of two brand new models of our design. The Cruiser 55, launched in May 2009, serves as the flagship of Bavaria’s new cruising line of sailboats. This was quickly followed by the launch of the Cruiser 32 in August, capping the opposite end of the range for the new cruising line. The Cruiser 45, due to launch in January 2010, blends elements of the two previous models to form the cornerstone model in the middle of the range.

The high speed development of new production models requires close collaboration between an experienced and resourceful boat builder and a design group capable of assembling detailed high quality design information on a tight time line. This is certainly an accurate description of FYD’s relationship with Bavaria. FYD supplies Bavaria full design and engineering services. Our scope of work includes detailed 2D construction drawings and complete 3D geometry of the hull, deck, internal structure, appendages, and associated custom parts. While most of our design work is performed in the office, a significant amount of time is dedicated to working in the factory, side by side with Bavaria’s builders and production engineers. This close collaboration is what allows FYD and Bavaria to share design and production ideas, with the common goal of achieving a well-engineered, economical, production-friendly yacht.

Chris Cochran

Race day 3 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

2009-09-19T03:28:00.000-04:00

Today was moving day for us on the Roma. As a team we needed to decide if we were going to continue to slide after a bad day 2 or if we were going to come back swinging. The team was down early on the boat cleaning up after our CODE RED day yesterday. The navigator was still working frantically trying to get the new computer working. The mood in the team was focused but happy I think that the work list was almost cleaned up.

We headed out on time and got a nice beat in and a run back to the starting area. The windspeed was around 8-10 knots and the sea state was surprisingly calm given the state we left it in the day before. Even if the sea state was calmed it was certainly disproportionate for the wind speed. I’ve always felt that we have an advantage in a sloppy sea way relative to the newer boats so I was pretty confident heading into the race.

We started race 3 reasonable well but couldn’t really get anything going upwind. At one stage we were certainly last near the top of the beat. We rounded the top mark 4th and headed off down the run to grind a few boats down. We had a good boat on boat battle with Puerto Calero and rolled them. We rounded the leeward mark 2nd but coughed up a position on the beat near the top. Down the run we passed Puerto Calero again in a nice boat on boat battle to finish up 2nd. I think maybe we passed those guys 3 times…

Race 4 started off reasonable well but still only got us to the top mark in 3rd. We gained a spot on the run and then benefited from a massive shift on the second beat. The shift moved us up to first where we managed to stay through to the finish.

The breeze was back up into the mid 20’s for race 4 and the waves were back as well. We started well but didn’t have a great upwind mode going and gave up a few positions to round the top mark 4th. Our run went much better than the other breezy day and we were right in the thick of things. We were set up to round the right gate but had a last minute change to left and rounded inside the whole pack. That rounding pushed us right up to 2nd. We couldn’t get to Madrid but we were able to hold onto our 2nd to the finish.

So 2,1,2 for the day which when combined with Puerto Calero’s day gave us a 2 point lead going into the final day. A few repairs to work on overnight and more computer work for the navigator. Hopefully tomorrow he will have the Deckman back up so that we can run full instrumentation. Let’s see how we handle the lead on the last day.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Race day 2 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

2009-09-18T03:43:00.000-04:00

CODE RED. It all happened on the Roma today.

The race committee got us of the docks on time today. The fleet moved out of the harbor quickly and everyone got into some practice with the eager anticipation of some racing in nice fresh conditions. The first thing you notice outside the harbor area is the absolutely square waves. I can honestly say I’ve never sailed in such a peculiar wave shape and pattern. Any way we got a nice beat in and a run in maybe 18 knots. All pretty uneventful.

By the time race 1 started the breeze was up over 20 and the waves were even uglier. We won the boat end of the line and forced our friends on Puerto Calero to tack away. Not a bad way to start off. We did cover PC on the right but they had just enough separation to get bow forward on us and eventually cross us. We found ourselves mid fleet at the top mark, and really didn’t do anything spectacular to change that over the course of the race. We did start to have a bit of excitement in the breeze however. At the leeward mark my spinnaker halyard jammer failed. I managed to save the spinnaker though because I had a safety wrap over the pit winch. On the second run we blew up our A3 in a broach. Although we got an A2 up we just lost too much down the second run. We finished in 4th place which wasn’t really what we had in mind.

As I mentioned the other day, the time between races is where the full panic really gets started. This particular time between races was quite spectacular. We got pretty far away from the starting area while we were packing jibs, and spinnakers, and bailing out a huge amount of water below. We eventually found ourselves almost on a breakwater. In the hurry to start the engine, we wrapped the starboard afterguy around the prop. We had to work pretty hard with main only and eventually a tow from our rib as well to get clear of the shore. Next we went main down and tried to keep the boat stationary so that Pablo the boat captain could try to clear the prop. Prop cleared we went main back up, jib up, and bailing and packing like crazy off to the starting area.

In our blind panic to get to the start of race 2 we cooked up an incredible Vanderbilt start and absolutely nailed the boat end of the line at the gun. Puerto Calero was again forced to tack away, and we went about covering them. A quarter of the way up the beat Paolo Cian says were on fire. We all agree, going very well. No really a fire. Sure enough smoke was pouring out of the boat. Pablo went back into action to empty a few extinguishers into the engine box. Fire out. We rounded the top mark 1st and with Puerto Calero back mid fleet things were well in hand. Breeze was up to 25+ and the ride down wind was spectacular. Unfortunately we went through a few waves with the hatch open and really started to fill the boat with water. Once it starts it just gets worse and worse. We coughed up 1st place at the end of the run with a bad layline call and early drop. We have great boatspeed up wind though and pulled back into the lead. The second run was really fresh and we were really full of water. I would guess maybe water was 50mm over the floorboards. Maybe a ton of water? We were nose heavy and absolutely underwater. After 2 big pitchpoles into broaches that could only be ended by lowering the kite we decided to drop the spinnaker. From first to 4th. A disaster.

Back on the dock we licked our wounds a bit and went over the boat carefully. The fire had created a big mess and destroyed the boat computer. The water was everywhere. Maybe a ton was a pessimistic estimate. The team installed bilge pumps over the night and we limber holed the structure. Mathais the navigator worked up a new computer to replace the boat computer. The good news I guess was that the boat came through fine structurally. It is really remarkable to come through without any boat problems especially considering that we are by far the lightest of the GP42’s in terms of construction. The knowledge that the boat can take the pounding, the great upwind speed, and the bilge pump plan have us optimistic about tomorrow.

We’ll see how we go on day 3. Maybe the forecast will be a bit lighter, maybe the waves will be a bit smaller. Something more civilized maybe???

Patrick Shaughnessy

Race day 1 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

2009-09-17T03:19:00.000-04:00

Still nothing. The race committee held us ashore until 2pm. We went out and did a bit of sailing around in unstable conditions. The committee did eventually try to start several 52 races but abandoned each of them just before the start. In the 42 fleet we never even got into a sequence. Even so I think everyone is happy because they would rather have less good races than more bad races.

Tomorrows forecast has plenty of pressure late in the day. It looks like we’ll head out and probably try to get in 3 races. When the committee tries to rattle of 3 races it makes for tense times between the races. Usually you have at least 1 jib to pack, 2 spinnakers to wool and pack, a guy up the rig windspotting, people eating, etc. On the Roma we haven’t always been so disciplined in our management of the time between races so we’ll need to be on our toes today.

Outside the races I’ve had some time to catch up on correspondence, and to continue work on our latest version of FYD's Volvo Ocean Race proposal. We have some good tricks up our sleeves for the next Volvo race so the team is pretty excited. Stand by.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Practice race day at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

2009-09-16T03:44:00.000-04:00

We were held onshore for quite a few hours waiting for some breeze to establish. The wait onshore was a blessing for the Roma team as it gave us a few precious hours to wrap up all the little lingering jobs and repairs to our self inflicted wounds. Funny how things always seem to work out. Now we have everything fixed and ready. I just hope that our lost day of real practice sailing yesterday doesn’t come back to haunt us. Paolo Cian has worked hard to inform the crew of all the little changes which should add up to an advantage for team Roma. The changes combined with a few new sails should do the trick. We are equal on points for the Medcup trophy going into this event so we need to work hard to push into the lead.

After a few hours onshore a little something started to establish and the Roma was the first boat to jump off the dock. The slow building wind allowed us to rattle through our spinnaker inventory for another quick check on each kite. Code 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 all up, down, and packed again. We also got a nice long beat in with our new medium jib.

By the time we got back to the race course area storm clouds were brewing. Out came the mystery bag of foul weather gear and the search for each person’s size gear started frantically. After we got all the gear sorted we just had enough time for main down in advance of some bigger breeze.

In the end the first storm was more huff than puff. It rolled away and the wind behind it looked good enough for some racing so the committee started a sequence for the 52’s only to abandon it just before the start. We made good use of the starting line for some time on distance drills and then set off on a bit of a beat. Unfortunately another storm started to set up and some lightening added to the excitement that eventually killed any further attempt at racing.

We motored in with the fleet in heavy rain and set about emptying the boat for a freeboard measurement check. When we were just about finished emptying the boat the measurer decided to postpone the check until tomorrow morning. Everything back in. After it was all back in the boat we took our soggy selfs into the tent. After a quick beer in the tent the rain eased a bit we made it back to the hotel via one of the Medcups beautiful Audi Q7 VIP shuttles.

Tomorrow should be the start of real racing, as the GP42 practice race was lost in the bad weather. The forecast is for a very light day with a late seabreeze. Looks like another long day tomorrow.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Medcup Murcia at Cartahegna Practice day

2009-09-14T13:18:00.001-04:00

Today was my first day on site in Cartahegna Spain with the Roma GP42 team. The team has really bitten off quite a bit in their attempt to win the Medcup. Not all of the areas of focus are ones that I would have chosen but I’m doing my best to support the team in this last event.

We started off today working on the boat in the yard finishing off several jobs and giving the boat a quick wet sand. As is usually the case in the yard the hours ticked by and we got into the water quite late. The first thing I noticed as we motored out was that there seemed to be plenty of breeze for a “light air” venue. Sure enough 18-20 knots TWS built into 20+ with a nice short wave pattern. We looked a few new sails, and had a great run back into the harbor area.

Unfortunately we have a few self inflicted wounds resulting from last minute projects that really shouldn’t have been on our docket anyway. We also have a dead engine which made maneuvering into the harbor difficult. Long night ahead I’m afraid.

Tomorrow we have our practice race which should be good fun. Hopefully we start off fresh again with everything fixed. We’ll have to see about the weather at our “light air” venue.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Launching speech for the new Bavaria Cruiser 32

2009-09-01T17:03:00.001-04:00

My name is Patrick Shaughnessy, and I am the President of Farr Yacht Design, although today I represent the combined design group which has produced the new Bavaria Cruiser 32.

Fresh from the completion of Bavaria’s new flagship, the Cruiser 55, we were tasked as a team with producing a boat at the opposite end of the line to replace the popular 31 Cruiser model. With the 55 as a true flagship we needed to demonstrate flexibility and innovation, and with an entry model like the 32 we needed to strengthen the already strong cost position of the boat and to demonstrate a bookend for the clear Cruiser line styling logic.

A 32ft boat is a difficult design challenge. The interior layout of a boat in this competitive size range has been very well defined by the market place. We challenged ourselves to find places where innovation can happen when a specific product has already been so well targeted. What we found is that exterior living spaces weren’t working quite as well as the interior living spaces in this class. Many of the great ideas we developed on the 55 can still apply to a much smaller boat. We have produced a hull shape which allows great interior volume and next we needed to wisely use the deck space that comes from such a large planform area. The cockpit area now comfortably seats the same number of people the boat can sleep, and more. The cockpit space is closed and secure to protect a young family, but can fully open to be an inviting passage to the sea so that we can truly enjoy the places we spend the time to sail to. With a shallow draft keel option at 1.5 meters we should be able to get pretty close to these nice places. Certainly as a person with a young family I can say that this enormous swim platform is an area where my family will spend a great amount of time. And as an owner I would be happy to have a 32 foot boat where my whole family can sit side by side with our feet in the water.

An entry boat for a range has a strong likelihood of attracting novice sailors and for that reason we have a strong want to produce a boat which can inspire confidence. In order to create a manageable boat we’ve produced a sailplan which ensures that reefing isn’t required until wind speeds exceed 20kts. We also recognize that a true cruising boat should sail at heel angles of less than 20 degrees below 15kts true wind speed. Even with those conservative choices a SA/Disp ratio of 4.18 ensures that the boat will have competitive performance in class. We’ve carefully monitored the boat throughout the design and build process to result in keel weights producing a ballast ratio increase of 12-25% over the previous 31 Cruiser. We have also targeted and achieved both an AVS number of 125 degrees and CE cat A.

The new Bavaria Cruiser 32 is a boat which manages its compromises very well. It combines modern styling and aesthetics with a good level of performance and the demanding safety levels we require for all Farr Yacht Design products. With all of those things in one place it’s very easy to see why this boat has already attracted a nomination for yacht of the year.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Go the Doll!!!

2009-08-29T11:21:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Michael Hiatt and his team aboard the Living Doll, Farr Yacht Design’s design #642. Michael and his team have won Audi’s Hamilton Island Race Week IRC Grand Prix division 1, and they’ve done it with a comfortable margin to spare. Their run away win in Hamilton Island comes right on the heels of their previous IRC win at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week. Both of the Doll’s victories were contested by Ray Roberts and his team on Evolution Racing, a Cookson 50, FYD’s design #541.

The Living Doll is one of Farr yacht Design’s latest IRC specific grand Prix designs and we are pleased to see it add to our extensive record of significant IRC results. Farr Yacht Design’s design #642, is a 55 foot IRC racing design with 2 boats constructed to the design. Our project goal with design 642 was to design a boat that could race in the same class as IRC optimized TP52’s while being faster with a relatively better handicap. The 55 foot length produces the desired performance leap and moderate increases in displacement, draft and sail area limit the increase in handicap. The hull was developed using the knowledge gained from our recent extensive CFD research on Volvo 70s and GP42s. A unique feature with a large impact on the hull design is the twin rudder steering arrangement. The twin rudders generate much less stern up force allowing the bow to be finer forward for less drag in waves and chop. Because the stern lifts less at high speeds the effective sailing length can be maximized over more of the speed range without incurring handling problems in extreme conditions. Ease of handling in reaching and running conditions was a prime driver in our design process as we worked to ensure that this boat can be just as dynamic as the smaller and marginally lighter TP52’s that it will compete against.

Congratulations again to Michael and his team aboard the Living Doll. We look forward to many more victories from the Doll, and also to the upcoming launch of the second 642 currently nearing completion in Turkey.

Contact Farr Yacht Design to see how we can help your team produce IRC victories. Our IRC optimization services have produced an unparalleled list of significant results. Our specific targeted IRC custom design work is a clear extension of that optimization work and will ensure that your next custom boat project achieves the success that you deserve.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Day 4 from the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-24T03:50:00.000-04:00

Wow! day 4 was a tough one. The forecast was for a light unstable breeze on day 4 but the committee took us out in search of suitable racing breeze. We started our pre-race practice in about 6-8 knots and put in some upwind work, a set, and some downwind work. The committee started a sequence in breeze that was now up to around 12 knots and was combined with a sloppy swell.

We started race 6 slow and probably a half boat length back off of the line. In that position we were in a tough sandwich between Airis to Leeward, and Endesa and Puerto Calero to windward. After trying to hold our lane in a drag to the left we finally had to tack out and take some sterns. The rest of the beat was like watching a bad movie as we continued to sail backwards out of contention for the race, and the regatta. We rounded the topmark last, and remained last down the run and around the leeward mark.

On the second beat we were set up left of the fleet and benefited from a 10 degree shift and some pressure right at the top of the beat which allowed us to leapfrog 3 boats and to round 2nd. Is this a miracle comeback in the making? It was certainly looking that way because Airis was running 3rd ahead of Endesa which would have given us the Portimao trophy. We did our part to finish second behind Puerto Calero, but Airis couldn’t stay in front of Endessa so we watch our miracle slip away.

In the end we finished the Portimao regatta equal on points with Endesa but lost on the countback, so 2nd place for the Roma in Portimao. We also ended up in a tie with Puerto Calero for the Medcup series, but again we lose the countback, and end up listed as 2nd. The tie in the Medcup standings certainly sets up the next regatta in Cartagena as the battle royal.

The sailing is very close amongst the top 3 boats and we will need to be on our toes to pull out the win. The mods we completed at FYD for Roma have certainly resulting in a more all around boat than in the previous season. If we can consistently start well we should be able to win the Medcup. Certainly our upwind speed is superior, and our maneuvers are good. Downwind we have to work hard to defend. Mentally we need to toughen up a bit as well in order to secure the win.

Next for me is a long travel day on Monday, followed by a short week in the office. Next weekend I’m off to a show in Amsterdam for the launch of the new Bavaria Cruiser 32 designed by FYD. Stand by for an update regarding the launch of our newest production boat design.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Day 3 at the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-23T04:55:00.000-04:00

No racing on day 3. In fact, we had no sailing at all on day 3. What we had instead was plenty of waiting inshore inside the air-conditioned tent. The race committee patiently waited for a stable wind suitable for racing, but after our long wait there just wasn’t anything to work with.

So it was in the tent where we spent the day. These days are pretty valuable because a whole top end slice of our industry is stationary in the same place with time to kill. So meetings, and chats fill up everyone’s day.

The forecast is light again for day 4 so there is a good chance that we will have no more racing. That would be a shame because I think we can build on our Medcup lead and potentially win the regatta here in Portimao as well. For sure what we don’t want however is a race in light unstable wind that turns into a lottery. So stand by, we’ll see what happens.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Day 2 at the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-22T07:51:00.001-04:00

Day 2 was a good big picture day for us on the Roma. I say that because although we are still 1 point out of first for the regatta, we’ve moved back into the Medcup lead by 1 point. So a positive day when viewed in terms of overall goals.

The fleet was held inshore for a while waiting for the breeze to build today. Once the AP was lowered we were one of the first boats off the dock and eager to get into some practice sailing. Before our warning we were able to accomplish a good amount of upwind work, a set, a nice downwind session, and also some time on distance work. Our practice was in a slowly building breeze of 10-12 knots.

Race 4 was started in 12-14 knots, and we had a good start which we were able to extend slightly into a 1st place position at the top mark. The wind built into the run and was now up to 15-17 which is right about where the effort level gets big. At the bottom of the run we were set up for a right hand “kiwi” drop and had a last minute change to an “easy” left. Only the easy part didn’t quite happen because Endessa snuck in for room at the left mark which added plenty of excitement between the two Latin tempered teams. The boats were quite close and protest flags flew. After the rounding we were able to force them off our hip and re-establish a lead which we held onto for the remainder of the race. Puerto Calero had a bad 5th place race, and so the point swing for the Medcup was starting.

The between race “grande casino” was again time short, as the 52’s were off on a coastal race. Our workload was reduced slightly because we re-used the same A2 on both runs. All cleaned up we were ready for race 5 with plenty of time to spare.

Race 5 started in 14-16 knots and built to near 18. We had an OK start and did fine on the beat to end up second at the topmark. We we’re a bit divided in our attention between battling with Endessa for the race lead, and covering Puerto Calero for the Medcup lead. In the end we gave up a position on the 1st run, and another on the 2nd beat. In our battle to cover Puerto Calero we also drew their anger when they perceived that we tacked too close on a leebow however the on the water jury decided no penalty was due. We kept our cover on Puerto Calero to finish ahead of them in 4th place. A disappointing waste of opportunity to build a lead in the big battle but a point gained never the less on our main rival for the Medcup.

No protests were heard onshore so the races counted as the finished which is always the best way for our sport to work. The on the water judge is a big help to resolve the majority of the protest opportunities before they reach land. I think this also helps to keep the shore more a friendly place where we all can relax a bit.

For me, many of the maneuvers were quite tight timing wise so I had plenty on. With my fingers taped together after the dislocation yesterday I was at a bit of a disadvantage in grip on my left hand, but the pain was low in the heat of the battle. All good fun.

Light forecast for days 3, and 4 so hopefully we will get to test some of FYD’s promising light air improvement work.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Day 1 from the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-21T09:38:00.002-04:00

We were the first boat out sailing on day 1. We spent plenty of time sailing up and down in a very light but slowly building breeze. These are the conditions that we worked hard to improve at FYD. The changes seem to be quite good and I don’t think we lack for pace in the light. The race start was postponed a bit as the breeze stabilized enough for racing. We finally got into our sequence about an hour later than planned in a 15 knot plus wind.

We had a good start to race 1 and established a 1 or 2 boat length lead that we carried around legs 1, 2, and 3. Unfortunately the team on Puerto Calero passed us on the final run with some nice surfing. Bummer to have the race end that way after leading for 80% of the race.

Between races is full on action as you need to be pack and wool multiple spinnakers, flake headsails, rig tune, and race debrief and plan. The breeze was up a bit going into race 2 and we were pretty pressed to be ready in time for the start.
Race 2’s start saw us pushing Airis up toward the line but we were just a tad too far behind them to force their position such that they would be OCS. We ended up directly on their transom across the line and were forced to tack away to right immediately. We reached the topmark in 3rd and stayed that way until the 2nd beat where we forced a penalty on Puerto Calero in order to pass them. The altercation was tacking too close and the on the water jury penalized them immediately. Their turns put us in second, where we stayed until the finish.

The between race action was even a bit more frenzied after race 2 because the TP52’s were done for the day. Because of that our time between races was even shorter. After the full clean up we only just hoisted the jib 3 minutes before the start. Our starting position was penalized for sure as we limped off the line much slower that the boats around us. We managed to keep our heads however and turn the race into a 2nd. The breeze was up in the 3rd race to around 24 knots so we saw some nice downwind action, routinely sailing 17-20 knots is always fun.

My day was hard but fun. We were already aware that our team would be weighed at the end of the day so food and water had been very scarce during the day. Big breeze without food and water is always hard. My job on the boat as a pitman includes grinding during the hoists and gybes so there is plenty of fast paced action with and occasional rest upwind. Afterwards I was definitely dehydrated and tired. I also managed to dislocate my index finger on my left hand which makes gripping quite painful. Anyway after some food, water, and ice we’re off to do it again.

Forecast for day 2 is for a competing breeze to lighten and die around 1-2. The building breeze should be a bit later today than yesterday so maybe we won’t quite get into the solid big breeze we saw yesterday. Stand by for an update from day 2.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Practice race day from the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-19T15:31:00.000-04:00

Today was a good solid practice day for us on the GP42 Roma 2. We were able to sail for a bit pre-race in a light but building breeze with some of our old sails. It’s always nice to start out slowly in light breeze. The actual practice race started in around 9 knots. For sure we were a bit disadvantaged in those light conditions using our old practice sails so it was nice to be mixing it up with the top boats. The wind built to around 15 knots mid race which suited us a bit better. We had a really nice little tacking duel with Islas Canarias Puerto Calero out near the right lay line which saw us gain slowly each time but without enough runway to make anything solid out of it. The bottom of the first run included some close action with Caser-Endesa around the left gate mark where we pushed for room and forced them off to the right. Probably on a race day this would have gone to the protest room. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. We finished a boat length behind Puerto Calero, and one ahead of Caser-Endesa .

Overall we feel pretty good about the day. We feel like we’ll be strong when we get into our race sails tomorrow, and we have plenty of small things to work through which is always good. The boat work list was very short so all in all a good day on the water.

Tomorrow, race day 1 for us, should have a similar building wind speed during the day although it could pack a bit more punch. Stay tuned for Day 1 results. Fingers crossed.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Welcome to the Medcup Portugal in Portimao

2009-08-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

Every time I return to a Medcup venue I am completely astounded by just how professional this event is. At each venue the event provides a hospitality area where we have; shade, air conditioning, food and drink, and all important internet access. On a day like today, which is race day 1 for the 52’s, and the practice race day for the 42’s, the tent is full of teams preparing for the day. The tables are surrounded by top level talent working on strategy for the day.

Our ROMA GP42 team is trying to bounce back from a less than stellar finish to the Sardegna event. We have our helmsman Paolo Cian back and are confident that we can make a good effort here. We need to focus on our starts and our prediction for the first shift so that we can make our lives a bit easier on the race course. We stand 3 points out of first for the Medcup overall and need to focus on the total event.

I’m returning to the crew as a pitman for this event after working as a coach in Sardegna. I only get one day practice after arriving late here as a result of a sales call in France on Monday. Even with plenty of practice time it’s a tough gig with the boat run in Italian. I need to be on my toes around the leeward gate as things can change quickly and with a fair amount of loud Italian emotion.
Stand by for an update after our practice race.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Farr designs first to cross the line at Fastnet

2009-08-14T13:21:00.003-04:00

The first 3 boats to cross the finish line at this year's Rolex Fastnet Race were all designed by our team. For the second consecutive year, Mike Slade's Farr 100' ICAP LEOPARD has achieved line honors victory in this prestigious event. Next to cross the line was the new Farr 80 BEAU GESTE owned by Karl Kwok and skippered by Gavin Brady followed shortly by the Farr Open 60 BT IMOCA 60 skippered by Seb Josse. Our hearty congratulations to the owners, skippers and crew. Go to: RORC Fastnet 2009 Press Release

FYD President, Patrick Shaughnessy on twitter

2009-08-14T07:56:00.004-04:00

Follow our President, Patrick Shaughnessy on twitter at PS_FYD. Look for updates from Patrick as he works with the team in Annapolis on new design challenges, and travels to support our clients.

Volvo Ocean Race Stopovers

2009-02-19T13:08:00.006-05:00

by Mark Bishop, Design Engineer

While a great opportunity to get out of the office, travel and interact with the sailors and team directly, a Volvo Stopover is no vacation! For the current edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, having Farr Yacht Design exclusively involved with the Telefonica Team has meant the nature of the stopover visits have changed markedly. In the previous editions we were on site to support multiple teams and boats. One of the major difficulties faced was that of confidentiality and preventing the cross-sharing of information. For this reason, it was difficult to have a particularly close working relationship with any team. We believe there was a consensus of opinions that this really didn’t help anyone; opportunities lost, for the designers and teams, when trying to extract more performance and a better understanding of these boats.

This time it has been refreshing to be included very much as part of the team and while opinions sometimes differ as to where development should head, to be able to be part of the discussion has, I feel, helped everyone in direct contrast to previous experience.

Being responsible for the structural engineering of the boats, in conjunction with my colleagues Russ Bowler and Chris Cochran of Farr Yacht Design, the main purpose of these visits is to assess the boat’s overall integrity and help with any repairs or modifications the team may require. Thankfully, to date the boats have been performing well and despite some well understood issues with dagger boards and a pretty big wipeout from the boys on Telefonica-Black on the first leg, the boats have really been very “clean”.

The inspection process, while long and involved, is actually pretty straight forward. I basically start at the bow and work my way back looking initially for any obvious signs of distress in such areas as tape joins, frame junctures and high load points such as deck fittings and stay attachments. After that, the hull and deck come in for a close check over to make sure the skins are still bonded to the core. So far all has been perfect and this greatly reduces the stress on the shore crews as well as the entire design team!

Another early morning start; the coffee maker is perhaps the hardest working piece of equipment.

Aside from the composite structure, close attention is paid to the rams and the metallic keel mounting components. A visual inspection is made for excessive or unusual surface corrosion as well as making sure the juncture of metal to composite components are still tight and signs of “working” are not present. Singapore offered the team the first opportunity to take the keel off the boat and fully inspect all bearings and surfaces; this was certainly an event everyone was interested to see. Everything was found to be in good order, so there was no need to utilize additional non-destructive test methods to examine would-be areas of concern.

The site visit schedule itself is very fluid, since in many situations we are not aware of what we will find. In some case we are aware and prepped; for example the damage incurred by Telefonica Black in their “crash” on the first leg. In these cases we can do a lot of preparatory work before hand in determining the basic fundamentals of the repair requirements. Even so, there is no substitute for getting up close and personal with the damaged areas for a closer inspection as more often than not, secondary pieces of damage or other evidence can provide telling insight into what has occurred. This was exactly the case with Telefonica-Black in Cape Town. When the guys broke a rudder and wiped out, there was no suggestion from onboard that they had actually hit anything, which left us somewhat puzzled back at the design office in Annapolis. However when I was able to inspect the boat out of the water there were many visible signs that they had in fact hit more than one object and in more than one place on the boat! Being able to identify this enables both ourselves as designers as well as the guys sailing the boat to get a better understanding of events and what that means with respect to potential development; in this case, rudder strengthening.

Other than the structural review, which tends to occupy the first couple of days, is the important team debrief. It is vital to have the sailors’ feedback on the boat’s performance in conjunction with the sail maker and design team, as the modern Volvo 70 is an extremely complicated piece of kit. The overall performance of the boat is a function of all aspects interacting efficiently and not one single thing. It’s the way the hull deflects that effects the rig, which in turn affects the sails, which effects how they are trimmed, which effects the way the hull deflects……………..let alone the complexities of sail cross-over points and the individual design aspects of the sail’s themselves and the more than interesting hull/water interaction at 30+ knots.

While there is typically only one person from Farr Yacht Design on-site, the entire design team is very much an active participant in the development process. There is a staggering amount of data that is logged from the boats during each leg. This data; true and apparent wind speed, heading, boat speed, sail combination etc., is collated and sorted into a large database that is then used to compare performance against the VPP. This in turn gives an idea of strong and weak areas of performance relative to prediction, so areas where the boat may be under performing can be more closely addressed. The reasons for performance variables can be complicated sometimes resulting from how the boat is sailed, for example; fore & aft trim, heel angle or sail combinations; Other times it may be a compromised as a result of sail damage, hardware damage or a boat related problem. To get a clear understanding of what the raw data is really saying takes close co-operation between the sailors, sail designers and our naval architects to ensure that weaknesses are addressed without (hopefully) giving up too much from an area of strength. This information is also used to gauge performance in future legs against expected weather patterns and may influence routing and tactics as well as the sail combinations taken on board.

To bring of this all together takes an extraordinarily wide range of skills and expertise. When I look around the room during these meetings and think of the guys back in the office during the conference calls, the brain power on display is pretty staggering. Even with this, it remains a formidable challenge; this is where one of the real keys to success becomes apparent and that is TIME. It really takes time for everything to gel and to see what does and what does not work, despite all of the most advanced computational analytic tools available. If you can get a head start on the other teams, this is an advantage that is difficult to overcome simply because the learning and improvement never stops.

The net result, the stopovers are long hard days for all the team members. The sailors have just finished a grueling leg but key members are straight back into it; reviewing performance, sail modifications and further cross-over analysis, decision-making and prepping for the next leg. The shore team is running hard to finish the work list and have the boat and rig primed and ready to go. Amongst all this is the job of feeding everyone and finding accommodation – not easy! Now multiply that across all the teams – no small logistical feat, yet everyone simply, quietly and capably gets on with the task at hand. Being on site certainly allows a greater appreciation of the difficulties faced by the shore crews implementing changes; this is obviously invaluable to decisions made in the design office. Even being in such close proximity to other teams is not really an issue. Everyone from all the different teams are very professional and mindful of each other – not surprising given it is such a small community and friends are spread amongst many competing syndicates.

Being part of this is very satisfying but makes me laugh when friends comment to me about how great it is to “see the world” during the race. Well, I’ve been to Cape Town twice and have still only seen the V & A waterfront where the boats are docked. As I always remark to them, the inside of the boat looks the same no matter where you are in the world except a cold beer is certainly better when it’s warm outside. No holiday, but certainly an experience I wouldn’t miss and a truly great bunch of people to work with as well.

And why it all needs to “work” - tight reaching at 25+ knots

Farr Yacht Design: VOR support stopover schedule:

Start – Alicante, Spain – Patrick Shaughnessy, FYD President

Cape Town, South Africa – Mark Bishop, FYD Structural Engineer

Cochin, India – (FYD trip canceled)

Singapore China – Jim Schmicker, FYD Vice President

Quingdao, China – Mark Bishop, Luke Shingledecker, FYD Naval Architect

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Russ Bowler, FYD Vice President and Luke Shingledecker, FYD Naval Architect

Boston, USA - Mark Bishop, Russ Bowler

Galway, Ireland - Mark Bishop, Russ Bowler

Marstrand, Sweden - Patrick Shaughnessy

St. Petersburg, Russia - Patrick Shaughnessy

The Design Process and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

2008-10-09T10:18:00.030-04:00

by Bryan Baker, Naval Architect

Working at Farr Yacht Design has been an exciting and challenging experience for me. I began my career at FYD working on hull development via hydrodynamic research for BMW-Oracle Racing. Today, my primary role, unique to FYD, is developing and advancing our in-house Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD is becoming a fairly common term in yacht design but for most sailors its function in the design process is still a bit of a mystery. The best way to explain the utility of CFD is to describe a typical research project and expand on its role.

Think of a typical research project as a filter (Fig. 1). The results from CFD/tank testing are filtered through a Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) to create polar data. The polar data is further filtered through a race model or weather model resulting in a single performance number. This filtering process reduces massive amounts of experimental data to just a single number, like the elapse time of the intended race course, from which an optimum design is chosen. Depending on the size of the research project, upwards of fifty variant designs will be subjected to the filtering process. Each variant is used to explore a specific region of the design space helping to determine the optimal shape.

As shown above, the results of the filter are extremely reliant on quality of the test data. If there exists a substantial amount of error in the test results, then there is a very good probability that a sub-optimal design could be chosen. Thus any testing method requires meticulous execution and exhaustive validation.

In my experience, I have found that research is best executed by substantial automation of key configuration steps to avoid human errors. Pretty much let the computer do the grunt work and never key in the same quantity more than once. At FYD, a sophisticated suite of software has been developed to ensure consistency between research models. This software positions appendages while scaling volumes and moving weights to ensure each design is logically floating on its intended lines. The system also ensures realistic appendage geometry by further constraining foils to maintain realistic structural and/or hydrodynamic requirements.

Test data is best validated by confirmation from two or more completely different sources. A well funded research project utilizes both tank testing and CFD techniques to ensure realistic results. Often, we use tank tests to confirm CFD data, but the validation of both techniques is independent of one another. In the tank, typically a model is tested at some fraction of the full scale design. Thus forces and moments recorded from the model must be scaled to a full scale prediction. Unfortunately, scaling is not often a trivial operation. Usually, many iterations of scaling forces and moments are required to produce realistic results. In general, these results are confirmed by subjective review of polar data from the VPP.

CFD is calibrated much differently than tank testing. The full scale geometry is often tested to avoid the before mentioned model scale effects. Thus validation is only conducted by changing the geometry that defines the problem, the boundary conditions that govern the problem, and/or conditionals that control the problem.

In CFD, the geometry that defines the problem is called the mesh or grid, (Fig. 2). The mesh is constructed of points or nodes at the intersections of lines or elements. These nodes can be thought of as the communicator telling the fluid equations about the yacht and the domain in which the yacht operates. If the mesh has too few nodes, then there is not enough communication between the fluid equations and geometry resulting in error. If the mesh has too many nodes, then the communication will take a long time. The key to meshing is communicating our intended geometry to the fluid equations whilst managing acceptable run times. As technology evolves and computers become faster, larger CFD meshes can be computed, yielding more accurate results with shorter run times. Given current computer technology and costs, we are able to compute CFD results more feasibly than conventional tank testing. A typical tank test could take more than a month considering model construction and number of test cases. A CFD project can happen as quickly as a week given ample resources.

Boundary conditions and conditionals are fundamental to validating CFD results. Most mathematicians would agree that defining appropriate boundary conditions is the most difficult step in solving numerical methods. For this reason, our CFD resources include both academic and commercial codes developed from vastly different boundary treatments. We work directly with universities and other organizations to remain on the forefront of new code development. We rely on only the most experienced fluid dynamics professionals who maintain a clear understanding of numerical error when tuning codes to produce the most convergent solutions.

In a typical CFD solution, we are able to compartmentalize features of the yacht and locally study there effects. For instance, we can directly compute the keel-fin’s lift contribution and compare its effects from one design to another. This is not only useful for determining the validity of a solution, but also understanding the relationships between components of the yacht for a more complete optimization of the entire package. The dillet region at the hull/keel-fin intersection is a good example of optimizing such relationship.

The single largest difference between tank testing and CFD is the ability to visualize the physics of the problem. Techniques exist to trace particles, capture the free surface profiles, and record pressure and shear information in tank testing, however such devices are fickle, setup is often ‘a priori’, and implementation is expensive. CFD offers a more complete picture of these physics by virtue of the equations being solved. As previously mentioned, the nodes of the mesh contain all the information necessary to visualize the fluid domain. The shape’s influence on the flow is easily compared using special plotting techniques. New concepts and ideas can be realized by looking at different operating conditions and comparing different designs.

In all, research of performance yachts hinges on good scientific practice and design experience. We still require more than one tool to accurately predict a yachts performance. We require the most talented experimental and theoretical hydrodynamic and aerodynamic professionals in the industry to ensure the very best test results.

-Bryan Baker, Naval Architect

Making the TP52 an even better IRC option

2008-06-05T10:42:00.012-04:00

by Jim Schmicker, Vice President & Senior Naval Architect

Over the years, as handicap systems have gone out of style, older Grand-Prix racing yachts lost value and struggled to find acceptance within the latest rule fashion. It is rare opportunity and welcomed advantage to see this Box-Rule class equally competitive under IRC. TP52s have proven to be very competitive in IRC in their box-rule class configuration but there are many changes easily done that make the TP52 even more competitive and an all-around performer. At venues worldwide under various weather conditions the optimized TP52 is a threat to win any IRC race. FYD has provided optimization services to several owners who have realized the high quality and value of the Farr TP52’s and their enormous potential for IRC racing. The result is a growing fleet of IRC 52’s enjoying fast, competitive and exciting racing with the ability to target events outside of the Med Cup series.

The optimizations can be done in stages and can be tailored for specific venues and conditions. The sail plan is an obvious and cost effective starting point. Conversion to spinnakers flown from a fixed bowsprit is especially appropriate for IRC optimization because it sails at tight downwind angles even when utilizing a spinnaker pole. Eliminating the spinnaker pole offers the additional advantage of a simplified deck layout and easier crew maneuvers. There is little to no performance loss and a significant handicap gain from this change. We recommend an increase in spinnaker area (roughly 10% depending on course type/conditions) for most venues to enhance the marginal surfing performance while still receiving a handicap reduction. Other sail related optimization could include an increase in the jib mid-girth for light wind venues or an IRC optimized mainsail girth. The TP52 rule limits jib & mainsail girths with maximum limits whereas the IRC rule is more open, an increase in sail area could offer a valuable boost in performance against handicap especially in light, sloppy conditions.

A second, very constructive change is increased stability especially for moderate and strong wind venues. Most TP52s carry internal ballast (in the range of 150kg-300kg) and lead encased in fabricated steel fins to stay within the class stability limits for VCG. Since IRC does not limit the ‘vertical center of gravity’ (or stability and keel draft in general) a more efficient arrangement for IRC is a deeper draft, fabricated steel fin with the internal ballast and fin lead moved to the bulb. Stability can be increased on the order of 10% (a practical limit beyond which significant structural upgrades would be required). The IRC handicap is only changed for the modest increase in draft (100mm) yet a substantial gain in upwind performance occurs, offset by a small decrease in downwind performance (added keel volume and wetted surface). For the new keels we have designed with the biggest increases in righting moment we have recommended some strengthening of the keel structure as a prudent step.

FYD TP52 optimized for IRC including QUEST, COUGAR, PANTHERA, RAGAMUFFIN, are winning races from Australia to the Solent. Check the Farr Yacht Sales website to see more Farr-designed TP52s ready to win IRC races for you.

-Jim Schmicker, Vice President

Volvo Open 70 Build Visit

2008-05-12T15:49:00.007-04:00

by Chris Cochran, Design Engineer

Working at Farr Yacht Design is truly a unique experience and an amazing opportunity to see projects become reality. As a structural engineer and a sailor, working as part of the design team and communicating daily with the boat builders, project managers, sailing teams, and shore support teams you gain a perspective of the endeavor and efforts required to compete in an event like the Volvo Ocean Race.

Farr Yacht Design utilizes a “Team Approach” in our design process; all design team members are involved with every project, contributing in their area of specialty. Hull shape and design, foils and appendage design, structural engineering, deck geometry and layout, performance analysis and rating optimization specialists all working together on every project; it is impressive to be involved in the design meetings and hear everyone contribute. But the most interesting aspect is being on-site with the project and interacting with the sailing team.

April 2007 I (along with fellow Farr structural engineers Pete Levesque and Mark Bishop) had the opportunity to sail on the original Volvo Open 70, Brasil-1. We assisted Team Alicante with delivering the boat from Gosport, UK to the Atlantic coast town of Sanxenxo, Spain, near the start of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. During this roughly 800nm trek we had opportunities to see first hand the remarkable speeds, performance and loads associated with the Volvo Open 70. This was particularly timely since, upon our return to the office, we were to redesign components of Brasil-1 to be utilized as a training platform for Team Alicante and continue our R&D work on the 2nd generation Volvo Open 70 design.

As a follow up to our efforts, in February 2008, I traveled to Valencia, Spain to visit with Team Alicante, our exclusive clients for the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. The main purpose for my trip was to spend some time with the builders, and work with the team to sort out the final design & construction details of our 2nd generation Volvo Open70s, now well under way.

While in Spain I also had the opportunity to visit the team’s training base in Alicante, about 190 km South-Southwest of Valencia. The sailing team had just returned from a week long offshore session, training on the old Brasil 1; they were having a series of debriefs with the various sailmakers & riggers that consist of the shore crew. The base is well set up now, and it always amazes me to see what can be accomplished with a half dozen shipping containers and some large canopies.

The builder for Team Alicante boat #1 is King Marine, located just outside of Valencia. Boat #2 for this team is being built by Southern Ocean Marine in New Zealand. This international team of boat-builders is doing a great job, creating a state-of-the-art speed machine, carefully laminating every ply of carbon. The Volvo Open 70’s have a high-level of detailed design work associated with the canting keel mechanisms, twin lifting dagger-boards, twin rudders, sail-handling systems, etc. We have spent many hours working with the crew and other experts, considering how the boats operate to arrive at good, light-weight and reliable solutions for all the intricate details. However, seeing these boats in person gives you a vastly different perspective as compared to seeing the drawings on a 20” computer screen. When standing inside the hull I couldn’t help realizing how massive and powerful this generation of Volvo Open 70’s is going to be and my thoughts went back to power reaching on Brasil-1 and just how fortunate I was to have experienced this first hand. The builders are now in the final stages of assembling these systems and we look forward to the launch and first sail to see the product of our labors in action.

-Chris Cochran, Design Engineer

Internship at FYD

2008-03-03T11:32:00.005-05:00

by Emerson Smith, Naval Architect & Former Intern

I was thinking back the other day, trying to remember my first exposure to Farr Yacht Design. It seems that the memory I keep coming back to is the Annapolis stopover of the 2001/2002 Volvo Ocean Race. I remember going from boat to boat with my father and learning about each design. I started to notice a similarity among quite a few. What was this Farr Yacht Design?

To sum up my internship in just a few words, it was great! Sure, school teaches you the basics and how to learn. But the real learning does not start until you get your hands dirty. Everyone at FYD is extremely nice and patient. What impressed me the most is the collective knowledge in the office. It seemed as if every question raised was met with a confident and well thought out answer.

My time at FYD flew by. Whether it was working on weight calcs or participating in conceptual design, it was a pleasure working in the office. I cannot express how much I learned in my short time there. In the future I know I will look at designs differently, as I now realize just how much time, thought and energy go into each and every one.

-Emerson Smith, Naval Architect & Former Intern

Open 60 Trim Tabs

2008-01-21T15:36:00.002-05:00

by Luke Shingledecker, Naval Architect

The trim tabs on the Farr Yacht Design Open 60’s PAPREC-VIRBAC 2 and GITANA 80 were inspired by the trim tabs that are quite common on powerboats. On powerboats, the tabs are generally hung off the back of the transom, while on our Open 60’s, they are underneath the aft end of the boat and do not extend past the transom. Motor boats only operate upright and are not as concerned with drag as a sail boat so they can get by with relatively narrow tabs, but since sailboats operate at a wide range of heel angles, the trim tabs on our Open 60’s extend almost the entire width of the boat.

The tabs allow the sailor to vary the fore and aft trim of the boat (bow up/down, stern up/down). Since these boats are very light for their size, they respond to the movement of weight forward and aft, exactly like a dinghy. In fact, the boats sometimes carry as much as a few tons of water ballast, and one of the primary reasons for this is to adjust the trim. By lowering the tabs, the flow of water over the tabs is deflected downwards, pushing up the stern, and marginally lowering the bow. The tabs can also be raised to decrease the lifting pressure on the stern, allowing the stern to sink and lift the bow. By adjusting the tabs for the conditions, drag can be reduced and handling can be improved. In moderate conditions, the tabs are adjusted to optimize trim, while in heavier conditions, the tabs can be raised to pick up the bow and improve handling. When combined with the effect of moveable weight (sails, gear, etc) and water ballast, the tabs significantly increase the amount that trim can be varied across the wide variety of conditions these boats see when sailing around the world.

-Luke Shingledecker, Naval Architect