Bakewell-White supermaxi designed to take Transpac's Barn Door Trophy
by Richard Gladwell Ssail-World.com/nz on 8 Jul 2014
The Bakewell-White designed supermaxi, Rio ex Lahana ex Zana being remodelled for the Transpac at Cooksons SW
After being based in Australia since 2008, Bakewell-White Yacht Design's 30m Supermaxi 'Lahana' (nee Konica Minolta, nee Zana) has returned to New Zealand for what the designer called 'a major refit'.
The rebuild is taking place at the highly regarded Cookson Boats yard in Auckland's North Shore.
Renamed 'Rio', her new US owners wanted a boat that would be able to have a serious crack at the Barn Door Trophy in the Transpac Race, which runs from Los Angeles to Hawaii.
The Barn Door Trophy is a slab of carved koa wood traditionally awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time, but can't be won by a yacht that uses stored power to operate a canting keel or power winches.
Built in Wellington in 2003, by Hakes Marine for owner Stewart Thwaites, she used water ballast to provide righting moment instead of a canting keel. Zana, later renamed after the Konica Minolta sponsorship, took line honours and many race records on the SW Pacific racing circuits.
She was purchased in Europe by Australian owners and renamed Lahana, competing in several major offshore races.
Under the upgraded design, Rio has been lengthened from 98 to 100ft overall, and had beam added along with more draft, and her pverall weight has been reduced. She will retain the same mast, but has been fitted with a new boom and will carry sails from Doyle Sails with a full set of the latest generation Carbon\ICE technology.
Launching is expected in mid-August.
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