Yachts & Yachting – April 2018

No. 63 Hatch-hiking

DIFFICULTY RATING:5/5

POSITION

In the world of professional sailing it is all about fine margins

There has been a

backlash by some members

of the public over the new

hiking position, which may

see it banned

MARTIN KUREZORE/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

T

he Volvo Ocean 65 is a notoriously

wetboat.Youdon’thavetotake

a look at many videos or images

before you see that the pretty

dreadnought bow manages to hose

the crew with spray on a semi-regular basis.

Notonlyaretheboatsverywet,buttheyhavealso

been shown to be extremely sensitive with a fine line

betweenfastandslow.Withalltheteamscompeting

for the smallest fraction of a knot during the world-

girdling race, sailors have been finding new and

unique ways of trimming their boat and focussing

their crew weight to achieve best results. Here a

memberofoneteamhasbeenputon‘outtheback’

duty, instructed to get as much weight as possible

aft, she is attempting to balance how much body

weight she can get out the hatch and still hang on.

noblemarine.co.uk | 01636 707606

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98 Yachts & Yachting April 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk