Fight to be first home
While the Judel-Vrolijk 115 Nikata will be the largest yacht competing among the 350 yachts starting the Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday 6 August, the battle for line honours glory looks set to be between two titans of the grand prix racing world.
While the Judel-Vrolijk 115 Nikata will be the largest yacht competing among the 350 yachts starting the Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday 6 August, the battle for line honours glory looks set to be between two titans of the grand prix racing world.
But the race which has gone down in history was a decade later, when he skippered Nicorette, the former 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race maxi Charles Jourdan but much modified, to line honours, finishing a massive 24 hours ahead of the next boat.
Although, significantly that year Nicorette not only claimed line honours but victory on handicap as well.
“We walked away with 16 trophies, which was amazing. I still remember the speech at the prize giving where they said ‘the Vikings have been here before and now they have come back to steal our silver!'”
That race, 22 years ago, was the last occasion someone won the Rolex Fastnet Race line honours and handicap ‘double’.
During 2016, this boat underwent major surgery extending her to 100ft by fitting a new bow.
Small wings were added at deck level to widen her shroud base to accept a larger, more powerful rig and she was also fitted with retracting lateral Dynamic Stability Systems foils to provide lift to leeward.
“We are taking steps forward all the time, but everything still feels quite new and we really haven’t had enough time with a regular crew.”
A week and a half’s training with her race crew before the Rolex Fastnet Race will help rectify this.
CQS will face stiff competition from American George David’s Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Rambler 88.
“The modern maxis like Comanche and Rambler have huge wetted surface so when they are not heeled you are carrying a lot of viscous drag around with you.”
He says Rambler 88 has changed little from her 2015 configuration other than some sail development and a weight loss program. “That is why we’re hoping for a bit of breeze.”
“We are still learning about the DSS foil which improves our stability. When it is a matter of stability and power they will be hard to beat, whereas if it is about light airs and finesse, then I think we will be pretty good because we are so narrow and low resistance in the water. It will be fun to race each other.”