SUPERSAIL WORLD 30 APRIL-JUNE 2018
ASSERTING DOMINANCE
The rest of the superyacht fleet raced in timed-start pursuit
classes. A ‘chase race’ means that, in theory, if the entrants
are rated correctly and sail without fault, the yachts should
all finish at the same time in their class. It’s potentially the
most exciting format and the first race, an anti-clockwise
circumnavigation of the island, proved just that.
Only two seconds separated the 43m (141ft) sloop Koo
and the 52m (171ft) ketch Q after the 21-mile race – and only
30 seconds divided the first three boats home in class. The
same margin separated Nilaya from Visione after two-and-half
hours’ racing.
The 36m (118ft) Ted Fontaine pilothouse sloop Whisper
quickly asserted class dominance. It was the first time in
nearly 10 years she had returned to the Bucket, reportedly
because owner Hap Fauth, one of the recently announced
backers of the NYYC America’s Cup campaign, wanted to
support the island in its time of need.
With eight of Fauth’s Maxi 72 racing team aboard,
including tactician Mike Sanderson and navigator Ian Moore,
Whisper seemed untouchable in her class. “We started last
out of everybody in our fleet every day,” Fauth explained.
“With big Perini Navis like Rosehearty, you know she’s much
faster and that in 15-knots, the boat’s going to be gone – but
we were lucky the breeze dropped off in the 10-knot range.
That’s our sweet spot.”
Things were different in Class C, where just 27 seconds
separated the 34m (111ft) Spiip from the 32m (102ft) Farfalla
- a factor that is also indicative of how tight the racing can be
among the 30–35m (100–115ft) performance designs today.
These are relatively lightweight performance cruisers, which
have the manoeuvrability to be thrown around the track, can
take a variety of sail packages and are fun for the pro crews to
sail fast.
In recent years, the performance edge has been pushed
further with launches of boats such as Nikata, Ribelle, WinWin
and Inouï. Examples of this growing performance cruiser
sector at the Bucket were more seasoned yachts, including
Nilaya, Spiip, Sojana, Farfalla and Danneskjold. The skipper of
32m (105ft) Danneskjold, Simon Hill, explained how they have
spent the last couple of seasons racing it hard, pushing it to
see what breaks where, and how it can be improved.
GRIPPING RACING
For the first race, a counter-clockwise course round the
island, I joined Farfalla, a four-year-old Farr and Nauta design
and the first of Southern Wind’s SW102 raised saloon series.
Here is a prime example of a modern, advanced composite
yacht, which started life as a cruiser and has been adapted as
its owner has got more into racing.
Skipper Richard Chadburn explained that the owner
still cruises and charters the boat, so there is only a certain
amount they can adapt for regattas. A bowsprit was
recently added, but can be removed with only eight bolts,
for example. A short mainsheet track has been retrofitted,
as have in-haulers for racing. Farfalla is also indicative of
how well-crewed today’s mid-size performance cruisers are
at superyacht regattas. Racing aboard demonstrated how
having pro crews in the right areas – namely the afterguard,
trimmers, crew boss and bowman – is essential to getting
a superyacht around a track as quickly but as safely as
‘ A chase race means
that, in theory, if
the entrants are
rated correctly they
should finish at the
same time’
HAP FAUTH’S
WHISPER RETURNED
TO THE BUCKET FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN
EIGHT YEARS TO
SUPPORT THE
ISLAND AND WAS
REWARDED WITH A
CLEAN SHEETCory Silken