Vodafone 32 foiling catamaran due in Auckland this week

by Sail-World.com on 5 Nov 2015 Team Vodafonesailing has advised that their new GC32 foiling catamaran will be arriving in Auckland this week and will be launched next Friday November 13.

The GC32 will be co-branded with the TeamVodafoneSailing logo and Zhik, which is represented in New Zealand by Simon Hull's company Multihull Ventures, trading as Zhik New Zealand.

The TeamVodafoneSailing GC32 will be known as the Vodafone32.

Designed by Dr Martin Fischer, the GC32 is similar to the foiling catamarans used in the America's Cup - but with a conventional soft sailed rig. The main lifting foils are large, allowing the boat to get foil-borne in the widest range of conditions from 7 knots of windspeed.

The large foils also make for a relatively stable ride, reducing pitching. Contrary to expectation, the large foils seem to have little effect on top end speed – a GC32 has been clocked at 39.2 knots. The large foils also enable the GC32 to foil upwind, although this requires 18-20 knots of windspeed.

The team will continue to race the ORMA 60, which holds many Pacific offshore race records and the PIC Coastal Classic record.

The new GC32 will enable add to the existing foiling fleet in Auckland of SL33 genre developed for Emirates Team NZ as their test platform ahead of the 34th America's Cup. However, the GC32 uses a more refined version AC72 first generation foiling technology.

TeamVodafoneSailing will race the GC32 in club and harbour sailing.

Both boats will be fully branded with Zhik, the clothing apparel brand favoured by top Olympic sailors. The Australian developed range is fast making inroads into off shore and other forms of high-performance sailing including America's Cup.

Earlier it was announced by Zhik's Australian founding company that Simon Hull and Multihull Ventures will be trading as Zhik NZ and representing the Zhik range in New Zealand.

The GC32 is fitted with a conventional catamaran rig with rotating mast and three sails (main, jib and gennaker). Compared to an AC72’s wingsail, the GC32’s rig configuration is easier for regular sailors to adapt to and makes the logistics of running the boat far simpler, in particular, docking and transportation.

The TVS Zhik GC32 also has a better all-round foil package, than the AC72, and is easier to helm and get foil-borne,

The GC32 class is a strict one-design and limits the sail inventory that can be used by a team during the season. Currently, it is sailed on the Bullitt GC32 circuit in Europe.

Unlike the AC72, hydraulics are not used by the GC32. The pitch of the rudder T-foil and J foil daggerboard is altered during racing using a line-driven worm drive.

In August, the Extreme Sailing Series have announced that they too will use the GC32 in their racing, replacing the Extreme 40 displacement catamaran for the 2016 season.

Dimensions:

Length (overall): 12.00m
Length (hull): 10.00m
Beam: 6.00m
Weight: 950 kg (Including sails)
Draft (upwind): 2.10m
Draft (downwind): 1.60m
Mast height (above deck): 16.50m
Bowsprit length: 6.60m
Mainsail: 60.00m²
Jib: 23.50m²
Genniker: 90.00m²

About the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour

The GC32 is a 10m long (12m including bowsprit) by 6m wide foiling catamaran conceived by Laurent Lenne.

Her hulls and foils were designed by Dr Martin Fischer, previously a leading F18 catamaran designer with his Capricorn, Hobie Wildcat and Phantom F18 designs and who was part of the design teams behind the Groupama ORMA 60, maxi-trimaran, VO70s and Groupama C C-Class catamaran. Until recently he was a designer with the Italian Luna Rossa America's Cup Challenge.

With structural engineering carried out by Brett Ellis (ex-Alinghi/Luna Rossa), the boat is built in carbon fibre throughout by Premier Composite Technology in Dubai, builder of the Carkeek 40HP, 47HP and 60 and the Farr 400.

The foils are manufactured by Heol Composites in France: The GC32 features T-foil rudders and J-shaped daggerboards/foils, similar in concept to those used on the AC72 America’s Cup catamarans.

The boat is demountable with a two piece mast for easy transportation.