What 5.5 Tonnes of Forestay Load Does to Oyster 885GT Babiana
by Cyclops Marine 25 Feb 21:30 AEDT
Oyster 885GT 'Babiana' fitted with Cyclops Marine load sensors © Tomas Moya / Oyster Yachts
Oyster 885GT 'Babiana' dominated the Oyster Palma Regatta this year, with bullets in all but the final race. With Cyclops CEO Ian "Chips" Howarth onboard as tactician, and the boat purring in all conditions, it gave us a golden opportunity to take a closer look at the loads that make this beautiful yacht sail at its very best.
Babiana runs a very limited racing programme - for most of the year she is a cruising yacht. So, she predominantly uses her Digital Direct Load Pins from Cyclops to cruise safely within loading limits, empowering her crew to take action to depower her rig when loads escalate... with the added bonus of being able to hit her fastest settings on demand come race time!
Cyclops is the standard load sensing solution for much of the Oyster fleet. Highly accurate live load data helped Babiana complete the Oyster World Rally in 2025 and is assisting many of the entries this time around - especially among the Oyster 595s - where smarttune is the standard sensor.
Find the load sensor for your boat, or speak to a Cyclops expert to learn more.