Yachts & Yachting - July 2018

that to stray from the standard design

wouldbesimplytoomuchofagamble.

Asusual,thereisnonetperformance

gainwithoutsomelosssomewhere.

Class manager Rob Weiland describes

the choice of designer as “betting on red

orblackratherthanhavingtobetona

number”, while Botin’s Adolfo Carrau

explains: “Clients trust us to choose the

best design for the season. Everyone

wantstohaveaboatwhichisstrongfrom

eightto20knots.AtthislevelIcan’tsee

anownersaying‘Iwanttobestrongerin

10 to 12 knots and weak in other areas’.

Wesetthebarhighandtheexpectation

veryhigh.Ithinkhistoryhasproven

that this approach has been good and we

canreallyfocusonthedevelopment.

“Itisalsomorecomfortingforthese

ownerstoknowthereisnostrong

crossovers with the other boats; say

we did a boat which was very quick

upwind in light airs and one strong

downwind in heavy airs but weak

upwind, nobody wants to be in a corner,”

says Carrau. “he design brief is the

same from the owners: the best boat

in the widest range of conditions.”

he latest designs are slightly

quicker;inthecaseoftheBotin

design it is a smaller step on from the

late 2016-launched Interlodge – now

Gladiator. here were signiicant changes

from the previous generation (designed

in 2014, launched in 2015). Carrau

explains: “We changed the stern shape

specially (from Interlodge to the new

generation) to help the boat go faster

downwind without losing upwind

performance. We have achieved that.

“he Gladiator-Interlodge was a big

step up from the previous generation.

he appendages are the same as on

Interlodge, we had some new tools and

power before Interlodge and so that

foilpackagewasabiggerchange.

Commenting on the Vrolijk design,

he says: “In the case of the new Platoon,

thepreviousPlatoon,ProvezzaandRán

Racing were all electric fast above 13-15

knots windspeed downwind, but at irst

sight at Sail Racing Palma Vela in early

May, the Vrolijk design (of which Platoon

was the only one racing in Palma) looked

especially quick and high upwind.”

Everyone wants a boat which is strong from

eight to 20 knots... Expectation is very high

ONE TO WATCH

Overall, as a circuit the 52 Super Series

is in excellent health. It is driven by a

core of like-minded, mature owners

most of whom have a long and

storiedhistoryingrandprixyacht

racing. he ethos is all about hard,

fair and even racing on the water.

Although Niklas and Catherine

Zennström may have stepped out

of the 52 arena this season (see last

month for Y&Y’s report on their new

Fast40+ Rán) – equally there is new

blood coming in, in the shape of Hasso

Plattner, who bought the 2014 build

Phoenix for some fun and has loved it

so much he has built a new boat which

he will share with his daughter, Tina,

and for which Ed Baird is tactician.

heleetstaysinCroatiathismonthfor

the second (of ive) Super Series events,

moving up the coast to Zadar (20-24

June). From there, they head to Cascais,

Portugal for July’s world championship. It’s

certainly a leet worth watching this year.

Above

Tony Langley’s

Gladiator

campaign reverts,

though with some

INEOS Team UK

crew retained

TP52S INSIGHT

PHOTO: MARIA MUINA

28 Yachts & Yachting July 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk