Please select your home edition
Edition
CollinsonCo 728x90 TOP

New Georgia Racing launched in Auckland

by Zoe Hawkins, Wildemedia on 8 Oct 2009
Georgia Racing in the slings prior to her launch Zoe Hawkins www.wildemedia.co.nz

Direct from the drafting board of the duo that designed Emirates Team New Zealand’s Audi Med Cup winning yacht comes the latest grand prix racer to join the New Zealand fleet.

The sixth in a series called ‘Georgia’, the boat, which an almost identical sistership to the Emirates Transpac 52, will be faster and more versatile, capable of achieving speeds of up to 25 knots thanks to 350 square metres of sail area, a dynamic hull shape and lightweight engineering.

Owned by Georgia Racing, a company owned and directed by Auckland barrister Jim Farmer QC, it was launched at the Emirates Team New Zealand base on Thursday 8 October.

The Transpac 52 – or TP52 as the class is known – is an elite, mostly professional one design class raced throughout Europe.

'I had been thinking for the last few years that a TP52 was likely to be the next mid-sized boat to have,' explains owner Jim Farmer, who is a director of Emirates Team New Zealand, many of whose crew have sailed on Georgia Racing boats.

'They are a development class, a very good reaching boat as well as being fast upwind and downwind.'

Farmer says he discussed purchasing the ETNZ boat after its first year’s racing, but instead decided to build a boat using the same hull mould, but customising it for IRC racing, which is popular in New Zealand and Australia, and adding more interior space.

'Because Marcelino Botin had designed the Emirates boat and is ETNZ’s America’s Cup designer and because of my own association with ETNZ, I was then able to put together this boat which achieved all the objectives of having a customised IRC boat but with the pedigree of a Transpac. The fact that, thanks to the Recession, Mick Cookson had no new boats under construction was also a great help and we were able to put together the project in a way that was cost effective for Georgia Racing and also enabled him to keep his best boat builders together.'

Internal ballast has been removed from the ETNZ design to accommodate a more comfortable interior, and a heavier bulb has been applied. The sail plan is slightly larger for a slightly lower overall displacement, and the deck and cabin top have been re-designed.

'I have always admired Marcelino’s designs, especially the design work that he has done for ETNZ on its America’s Cup boats. This design of the TP52 hull was very radical, by comparison with other current TP designs, and there were many who were saying that it would not be successful. The ETNZ results in this year’s Med Cup, where they annihilated the competition and the best sailors and designers in the world, has proved otherwise.'

For summer 2010, Georgia which, contrary to popular trends, is fitted with a conventional keel, will challenge other IRC racers in the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic, Bay of Islands Sailing Week, the New Zealand IRC Championships in Wellington, and BMW Auckland Regatta, building up for the prestigious Hamilton Island Regatta, taking place in September 2010.

Georgia Racing’s plans for the 2011 sailing season may include one or more of the famous Admiral’s Cup event, should it be reinstated, the Round Australia event, the Transpacific marathon between San Francisco and Hawaii, and the Big Boat Series in San Francisco.

The boat will be sailed by the team that Jim has built up over many years of local racing, and which includes Ricky Royden and George Hendy (who project managed the building of the boat), as well as some up and coming younger sailors. Two very well known America’s Cup sailors – who will have amateur status – will also race on the boat during the coming year.

'I think that it is a tribute to the boat that they are happy to sail with us on that basis,' says Farmer, who says he builds and races his boats to keep him from working 24/7, and to provide opportunities for young male and female sailors, as well older sailors who have missed out on international competition to race on a great boat.

Key specifications:
- LOA - 15.85m.
- Beam - 4.5m
- Draft - 3.2m
- Displacement - 7.4 T
- Upwind sail area - 158 m2
- Downwind sail area - 350m2
- Max speed - 25Kn
- Designed by Botin and Carkeek
- Built by Cookson Boats
- Sails by North Sails
- Rig by www.nzrigging.co.nz
_Zealand_Rigging

Selden 2020 - FOOTERMaritimo M600X-Yachts X4.3

Related Articles

Rolex Fastnet Race Start - view from Hurst Castle
A video montage as the fleet went out of the Solent I went out to Hurst Castle with his camera and drone to capture the action as the boats, ranging from the mighty Ultim trimarans, through to the IMOCAs and grand prix yachts competing in the 2025 Admiral's Cup went through the narrrows out of the Solent.
Posted today at 5:58 pm
WASZP Games 2025 overall
Perfect conditions for the final day showdown The final day of the WASZP Games 2025 delivered everything you could want in a championship showdown—tight racing, pressure starts, tactical battles, and decisive performances. With the Gold Fleet behind on their race schedule, the priority was clear.
Posted today at 5:04 am
Rolex Fastnet: Steady conditions expected
Competitiors are expected to start in a 12-14kt Westerly and assisted by the easterly tide. Predictwind's metrologist Arnaud Monges expects the Rolex Fastnet Race to get underway in a 12-14kts WSW breeze, with a building current from an easterly direction. Using weather routing we have predicted finish times for the Ultims and AC25 yachts.
Posted today at 1:05 am
Rolex Fastnet Race/Admirals' Cup: Big questions
"So far we've under performed as a boat in the Admirals' Cup. We're looking to put that right." The defending Rolex Fastnet champion, Caro (NZL) faces some big questions given their performances to date in the Admirals' Cup. However the Botin 52 has a reputation for scoring strongly in longer offshore racing - will they repeat in 2205?
Posted on 25 Jul
Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race start tomorrow
Coundown to blast off for the 444 yachts entered For the 444 yachts entered in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centennial Rolex Fastnet Race all eyes remain on the weather going into the last hours before the start tomorrow (Saturday 26 July).
Posted on 25 Jul
Canada's entry into the iconic Rolex Fastnet Race
Team Be Water Positive returns to settle unfinished business Canada Ocean Racing - Be Water Positive will line up this weekend for the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the most iconic offshore races in the world.
Posted on 25 Jul
Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Day 7
Sarah-Quita Offringa survives Super Final scare to earn 16th Freestyle world title Sarah-Quita Offringa survives Super Final scare to earn 16th Freestyle world title and 27th overall, while Yentel Caers powers to victory in Men's.
Posted on 25 Jul
Vaikobi V-DRY-X Team Kit
We speak to Pat Langley and Bart Milczarczyk V-DRY-X is a major launch for the Australian technical clothing brand Vaikobi, launching into the yacht racing team market with high performance outer layer clothing specifically designed to be customised with the branding and colours of that team.
Posted on 25 Jul
Admiral's Cup Tom Hicks Thursday Photo Gallery
He is always ready to capture Solent action Tom Hicks is always ready to capture Solent action, and the Admiral's Cup naturally delivered. These shots are from Thursday 24th July 2025.
Posted on 25 Jul
WASZP Games 2025 Day 4 Photo Gallery
A snapshot of the day by Mark Jardine It was a case of grabbing the wind and sunshine while it lasted on Day 4 of the 2025 WASZP Games, and each of the fleets got a bit of racing in before the rain started to fall and the breeze died away.
Posted on 25 Jul