SolOceans One-design has new mast

by SolOceans on 12 Feb 2010 Following Liz Wardley's dismasting, on 17 December 2009, the decision was taken to change the rigging of the SolOceans One-design to return to a less innovative option than that originally adopted, but better matching the skippers requirements.

The design meeting for this new mast was held on Tuesday 9 February 2010 at the SailingOne base in Saint Philibert - La Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan). For the occasion, Jean-Baptiste Daramy, production manager of the SolOceans One-design at SailingOne, brought together: Michel Desjoyeaux, the class technical advisor; Charles Caudrelier who was Test Skipper of the SolOceans One-Design Bostik in 2007-2008 and sailed the equivalent of more than half a world tour on its test sail, the architect, Pascal Conq (Finot Conq et Associés), Beat Wildberger, Engineer and designer of filament wound high modulus carbon fibre masts (Alucarbon), Benoît Coville, designer of the Navtec standing rigging and Jean-Philippe Connan (Karver furlers).

At the end of the studies carried out before this meeting and on the basis of the ideas put forward by Michel Desjoyeaux and Charles Caudrelier on his return from Wellington (NZ) in the spring of 2008, in collaboration with Pascal Conq and Jean-Baptiste Daramy, the decision was taken to replace the initial wing mast of the SolOceans One-design with a fixed mast with single spreaders. These spreaders will be articulated to make reefing manoeuvres easier. This rigging will use a solution perfected and tested successfully by Michel Desjoyeaux on PRB, his IMOCA 60 prototype for the Vendée Globe 2000. The sail plan remains exactly the same as that perfected on the recommendations of Charles Caudrelier.

The cost of the rigging will increase noticeably while remaining low compared to that of a prototype mast, that is to say in the general philosophy of this intermediate one-design class. The strong point of this new rigging is the increase in weight of 100 kilos in relation to the mast that fell, off the shores of Madeira: 360 to 370 kilos instead of 475 kilos. 'This rigging is simple, functional and is very efficient for its cost-weight ratio. It is in harmony with the general philosophy of the SolOceans One-design which is the intermediate stage essential for single-handed oceanic racing between solo boats of 10-12 metres and IMOCA 60 prototypes', Michel Desjoyeaux concluded at the end of this meeting.

http://www.soloceans.com/