Race day 3 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

Today was moving day for us on the Roma. As a team we needed to decide if we were going to continue to slide after a bad day 2 or if we were going to come back swinging. The team was down early on the boat cleaning up after our CODE RED day yesterday. The navigator was still working frantically trying to get the new computer working. The mood in the team was focused but happy I think that the work list was almost cleaned up.

We headed out on time and got a nice beat in and a run back to the starting area. The windspeed was around 8-10 knots and the sea state was surprisingly calm given the state we left it in the day before. Even if the sea state was calmed it was certainly disproportionate for the wind speed. I’ve always felt that we have an advantage in a sloppy sea way relative to the newer boats so I was pretty confident heading into the race.

We started race 3 reasonable well but couldn’t really get anything going upwind. At one stage we were certainly last near the top of the beat. We rounded the top mark 4th and headed off down the run to grind a few boats down. We had a good boat on boat battle with Puerto Calero and rolled them. We rounded the leeward mark 2nd but coughed up a position on the beat near the top. Down the run we passed Puerto Calero again in a nice boat on boat battle to finish up 2nd. I think maybe we passed those guys 3 times…

Race 4 started off reasonable well but still only got us to the top mark in 3rd. We gained a spot on the run and then benefited from a massive shift on the second beat. The shift moved us up to first where we managed to stay through to the finish.

The breeze was back up into the mid 20’s for race 4 and the waves were back as well. We started well but didn’t have a great upwind mode going and gave up a few positions to round the top mark 4th. Our run went much better than the other breezy day and we were right in the thick of things. We were set up to round the right gate but had a last minute change to left and rounded inside the whole pack. That rounding pushed us right up to 2nd. We couldn’t get to Madrid but we were able to hold onto our 2nd to the finish.

So 2,1,2 for the day which when combined with Puerto Calero’s day gave us a 2 point lead going into the final day. A few repairs to work on overnight and more computer work for the navigator. Hopefully tomorrow he will have the Deckman back up so that we can run full instrumentation. Let’s see how we handle the lead on the last day.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Race day 2 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

CODE RED. It all happened on the Roma today.

The race committee got us of the docks on time today. The fleet moved out of the harbor quickly and everyone got into some practice with the eager anticipation of some racing in nice fresh conditions. The first thing you notice outside the harbor area is the absolutely square waves. I can honestly say I’ve never sailed in such a peculiar wave shape and pattern. Any way we got a nice beat in and a run in maybe 18 knots. All pretty uneventful.

By the time race 1 started the breeze was up over 20 and the waves were even uglier. We won the boat end of the line and forced our friends on Puerto Calero to tack away. Not a bad way to start off. We did cover PC on the right but they had just enough separation to get bow forward on us and eventually cross us. We found ourselves mid fleet at the top mark, and really didn’t do anything spectacular to change that over the course of the race. We did start to have a bit of excitement in the breeze however. At the leeward mark my spinnaker halyard jammer failed. I managed to save the spinnaker though because I had a safety wrap over the pit winch. On the second run we blew up our A3 in a broach. Although we got an A2 up we just lost too much down the second run. We finished in 4th place which wasn’t really what we had in mind.

As I mentioned the other day, the time between races is where the full panic really gets started. This particular time between races was quite spectacular. We got pretty far away from the starting area while we were packing jibs, and spinnakers, and bailing out a huge amount of water below. We eventually found ourselves almost on a breakwater. In the hurry to start the engine, we wrapped the starboard afterguy around the prop. We had to work pretty hard with main only and eventually a tow from our rib as well to get clear of the shore. Next we went main down and tried to keep the boat stationary so that Pablo the boat captain could try to clear the prop. Prop cleared we went main back up, jib up, and bailing and packing like crazy off to the starting area.

In our blind panic to get to the start of race 2 we cooked up an incredible Vanderbilt start and absolutely nailed the boat end of the line at the gun. Puerto Calero was again forced to tack away, and we went about covering them. A quarter of the way up the beat Paolo Cian says were on fire. We all agree, going very well. No really a fire. Sure enough smoke was pouring out of the boat. Pablo went back into action to empty a few extinguishers into the engine box. Fire out. We rounded the top mark 1st and with Puerto Calero back mid fleet things were well in hand. Breeze was up to 25+ and the ride down wind was spectacular. Unfortunately we went through a few waves with the hatch open and really started to fill the boat with water. Once it starts it just gets worse and worse. We coughed up 1st place at the end of the run with a bad layline call and early drop. We have great boatspeed up wind though and pulled back into the lead. The second run was really fresh and we were really full of water. I would guess maybe water was 50mm over the floorboards. Maybe a ton of water? We were nose heavy and absolutely underwater. After 2 big pitchpoles into broaches that could only be ended by lowering the kite we decided to drop the spinnaker. From first to 4th. A disaster.

Back on the dock we licked our wounds a bit and went over the boat carefully. The fire had created a big mess and destroyed the boat computer. The water was everywhere. Maybe a ton was a pessimistic estimate. The team installed bilge pumps over the night and we limber holed the structure. Mathais the navigator worked up a new computer to replace the boat computer. The good news I guess was that the boat came through fine structurally. It is really remarkable to come through without any boat problems especially considering that we are by far the lightest of the GP42’s in terms of construction. The knowledge that the boat can take the pounding, the great upwind speed, and the bilge pump plan have us optimistic about tomorrow.

We’ll see how we go on day 3. Maybe the forecast will be a bit lighter, maybe the waves will be a bit smaller. Something more civilized maybe???

Patrick Shaughnessy

Race day 1 at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

Still nothing. The race committee held us ashore until 2pm. We went out and did a bit of sailing around in unstable conditions. The committee did eventually try to start several 52 races but abandoned each of them just before the start. In the 42 fleet we never even got into a sequence. Even so I think everyone is happy because they would rather have less good races than more bad races.

Tomorrows forecast has plenty of pressure late in the day. It looks like we’ll head out and probably try to get in 3 races. When the committee tries to rattle of 3 races it makes for tense times between the races. Usually you have at least 1 jib to pack, 2 spinnakers to wool and pack, a guy up the rig windspotting, people eating, etc. On the Roma we haven’t always been so disciplined in our management of the time between races so we’ll need to be on our toes today.

Outside the races I’ve had some time to catch up on correspondence, and to continue work on our latest version of FYD's Volvo Ocean Race proposal. We have some good tricks up our sleeves for the next Volvo race so the team is pretty excited. Stand by.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Practice race day at the Medcup Murcia in Cartagena

We were held onshore for quite a few hours waiting for some breeze to establish. The wait onshore was a blessing for the Roma team as it gave us a few precious hours to wrap up all the little lingering jobs and repairs to our self inflicted wounds. Funny how things always seem to work out. Now we have everything fixed and ready. I just hope that our lost day of real practice sailing yesterday doesn’t come back to haunt us. Paolo Cian has worked hard to inform the crew of all the little changes which should add up to an advantage for team Roma. The changes combined with a few new sails should do the trick. We are equal on points for the Medcup trophy going into this event so we need to work hard to push into the lead.

After a few hours onshore a little something started to establish and the Roma was the first boat to jump off the dock. The slow building wind allowed us to rattle through our spinnaker inventory for another quick check on each kite. Code 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 all up, down, and packed again. We also got a nice long beat in with our new medium jib.

By the time we got back to the race course area storm clouds were brewing. Out came the mystery bag of foul weather gear and the search for each person’s size gear started frantically. After we got all the gear sorted we just had enough time for main down in advance of some bigger breeze.

In the end the first storm was more huff than puff. It rolled away and the wind behind it looked good enough for some racing so the committee started a sequence for the 52’s only to abandon it just before the start. We made good use of the starting line for some time on distance drills and then set off on a bit of a beat. Unfortunately another storm started to set up and some lightening added to the excitement that eventually killed any further attempt at racing.

We motored in with the fleet in heavy rain and set about emptying the boat for a freeboard measurement check. When we were just about finished emptying the boat the measurer decided to postpone the check until tomorrow morning. Everything back in. After it was all back in the boat we took our soggy selfs into the tent. After a quick beer in the tent the rain eased a bit we made it back to the hotel via one of the Medcups beautiful Audi Q7 VIP shuttles.

Tomorrow should be the start of real racing, as the GP42 practice race was lost in the bad weather. The forecast is for a very light day with a late seabreeze. Looks like another long day tomorrow.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Medcup Murcia at Cartahegna Practice day

Today was my first day on site in Cartahegna Spain with the Roma GP42 team. The team has really bitten off quite a bit in their attempt to win the Medcup. Not all of the areas of focus are ones that I would have chosen but I’m doing my best to support the team in this last event.

We started off today working on the boat in the yard finishing off several jobs and giving the boat a quick wet sand. As is usually the case in the yard the hours ticked by and we got into the water quite late. The first thing I noticed as we motored out was that there seemed to be plenty of breeze for a “light air” venue. Sure enough 18-20 knots TWS built into 20+ with a nice short wave pattern. We looked a few new sails, and had a great run back into the harbor area.

Unfortunately we have a few self inflicted wounds resulting from last minute projects that really shouldn’t have been on our docket anyway. We also have a dead engine which made maneuvering into the harbor difficult. Long night ahead I’m afraid.

Tomorrow we have our practice race which should be good fun. Hopefully we start off fresh again with everything fixed. We’ll have to see about the weather at our “light air” venue.

Patrick Shaughnessy

Launching speech for the new Bavaria Cruiser 32

My name is Patrick Shaughnessy, and I am the President of Farr Yacht Design, although today I represent the combined design group which has produced the new Bavaria Cruiser 32.

Fresh from the completion of Bavaria’s new flagship, the Cruiser 55, we were tasked as a team with producing a boat at the opposite end of the line to replace the popular 31 Cruiser model. With the 55 as a true flagship we needed to demonstrate flexibility and innovation, and with an entry model like the 32 we needed to strengthen the already strong cost position of the boat and to demonstrate a bookend for the clear Cruiser line styling logic.

A 32ft boat is a difficult design challenge. The interior layout of a boat in this competitive size range has been very well defined by the market place. We challenged ourselves to find places where innovation can happen when a specific product has already been so well targeted. What we found is that exterior living spaces weren’t working quite as well as the interior living spaces in this class. Many of the great ideas we developed on the 55 can still apply to a much smaller boat. We have produced a hull shape which allows great interior volume and next we needed to wisely use the deck space that comes from such a large planform area. The cockpit area now comfortably seats the same number of people the boat can sleep, and more. The cockpit space is closed and secure to protect a young family, but can fully open to be an inviting passage to the sea so that we can truly enjoy the places we spend the time to sail to. With a shallow draft keel option at 1.5 meters we should be able to get pretty close to these nice places. Certainly as a person with a young family I can say that this enormous swim platform is an area where my family will spend a great amount of time. And as an owner I would be happy to have a 32 foot boat where my whole family can sit side by side with our feet in the water.

An entry boat for a range has a strong likelihood of attracting novice sailors and for that reason we have a strong want to produce a boat which can inspire confidence. In order to create a manageable boat we’ve produced a sailplan which ensures that reefing isn’t required until wind speeds exceed 20kts. We also recognize that a true cruising boat should sail at heel angles of less than 20 degrees below 15kts true wind speed. Even with those conservative choices a SA/Disp ratio of 4.18 ensures that the boat will have competitive performance in class. We’ve carefully monitored the boat throughout the design and build process to result in keel weights producing a ballast ratio increase of 12-25% over the previous 31 Cruiser. We have also targeted and achieved both an AVS number of 125 degrees and CE cat A.

The new Bavaria Cruiser 32 is a boat which manages its compromises very well. It combines modern styling and aesthetics with a good level of performance and the demanding safety levels we require for all Farr Yacht Design products. With all of those things in one place it’s very easy to see why this boat has already attracted a nomination for yacht of the year.

Patrick Shaughnessy