Tony Bullimore gets ready with team legato

by Tony Bullimore on 23 Nov 2000 Tony Bullimore is now putting the finishing touches to his 102ft catamaran entry Team Legato for this winter's non-stop circumnavigation starting from Barcelona on December 31st.

The Nigel Irens design, formerly 'ENZA' on which Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Sir Peter Blake set a Jules Verne benchmark record of 74 days, 22 hours, 17 minutes - an average of 12.10knots - back in 1994, has been extensively modified, including the addition of an extra 12ft on the bows. These modifications were masterminded by GKN Westlands Aerospace and will, according to designer, Nigel Irens, make the boat very competitive.

The big cat has now been repainted and new electronics have been fitted. Irens has designed a taller rig which will be carried on a carbon wing mast being built by Carbospars at Hamble. 'I've got a good young crew together and we can hardly wait to get going. The boat is well proven, strong and much faster than she was in her ENZA days. We've got a good chance to win.' Bullimore enthused. as he reviewed progress on the catamaran in Bristol Docks this week.

Team Legato which will be launched in Bristol Docks at the end of November, has quite a pedigree already. Racing as the former 'Formule TAG', Canadian Mike Birch first won the Monaco to New York race in 1985, then drove her to a 24 hour record of 518 miles during the Quebec/St Malo transatlantic race the same year - a 21.6knot benchmark that stood for 9 years!

Her construction was also a world first .The hi-tech boat, designed by Nigel Irens and built by the Canadian aerospace manufacturer Canadair, was the first large pre-preg constructed yacht, with the hull mouldings cured in an 85ft oven.. The aircraft construction standards used during her building, have stood the catamaran in good stead ever since. She began life as an 80 footer (24.24m) and later had 5ft (1.5m) lopped off her transoms to conform to a change in the racing rules. She was later extended to 92ft (27.87m) for her 1996 Jules Verne challenge and has now undergone further surgery to extend her length to 102ft.

These latest modifications which are also co-ordinated by Irens, are designed to increase Team Legato's average speed in heavy weather from 18 to 22 knots as well as improve buoyancy in the bows to hinder the possibilities of her pitch-poling when surfing at these speeds through the Southern Ocean. Along with these 'longer legs' she is being given a new 120ft (36.36m) state-of-the-art wing mast now under construction at Carbospars, Southampton, UK.