IMS Yachts converge from all corners of the Earth.
by Susannah Bourne 5 Apr 2001 09:39 PDT
It is a measure of the strength of an event to see how far people are prepared to travel in order to compete in it. The Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship, taking place this July in Valencia, is attracting competitors from the Americas - as well as from all over Europe.
Interest in IMS racing in South America is growing rapidly, and that is reflected in the five entries that are expected to make the journey to Spain from places like Buenos Aires and Punta del Este. Two boats are due to be shipped from Montevideo in May - Audaz, owned by winner of the South Atlantic racing circuit Mr A Mill, and San Gregorio, an IMS-optimised Mumm 36 owned by Gonzalez Ferrari.
At the larger end of the scale, Argentinian Alberto Roemmers is also expected to bring his Maxi yacht Alexia to compete, and she will almost certainly be one of the biggest boats present.
South African yacht designer Shaun Carkeek is excited at the prospect of seeing two of his latest designs hit the water. A 46-footer, currently being completed in Cape Town, is due to be shipped to Spain for the busy racing season, with double Olympic Champion Jose-Luis Doreste scheduled to take the wheel of this exciting new yacht, called Banco Spirito di Santo.
Tipped as the bright young sparks of IMS design, Carkeek and his partner Marcelino Botin have introduced a number of features that draw their influence from the America's Cup yachts.
"We have been working with Steve Calder of North Sails, who is also working closely with the Prada syndicate, and he has advised us on our sail plans for our new boats. Our rigs are quite high-aspect ratio, with 130% overlapping headsails."
In Italy, Andrea Vallicelli has designed a new 40-footer for the IMS season, while recently-announced America's Cup campaigner Vincenzo Onorato has commissioned Farr Yacht Design in the US to design his latest Mascalzone Latino, this time a 51-footer.
Another interesting project is that of the re-worked Exposure, a Tony Castro design of which the deck has been retained while a new hull by Judel/Vrolijk is being attached in its place, again drawing on some of the America's Cup influences that seem to be gaining popularity in the IMS world.
All in all, with at least 80 racing yachts predicted, the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship is shaping up to be one of the most competitive events of the year.
The Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship takes place in Valencia, Spain, from 2-8 July 2001 and is co-organised by RCNV and YCCS.
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