Morning Glory power reaching

The Caribbean was the stage for the first two regatta outings for the new canting keel, maxi turbo-sled maxZ86s Morning Glory and Pyewacket. With a sail plan bigger than an America's Cup Class boat, the CBTF (canting ballast-twin foil) technology and the easily driven, highly-efficient characteristics of a modern turbo-sled, the new maxZ86s were much anticipated and photographed.

Though the CBTF system has roots extending back nearly two decades, it was the phenomenal success of Bob Oatley's Azzura-built Reichel/Pugh 60 Wild Oats, the first boat to race with CBTF in Europe, that proved CBTF-equipped yachts could outperform larger rivals equipped with conventional bulb keels and water ballast. The Schock 40 is the only production CBTF boat so far. The Volvo Ocean race has recently announced that CBTF will be legal in the new Volvo 70 rule.

CBTF technology differs from a canting keel system in that the boat has twin rudders-one forward of the keel strut and one aft of the keel strut. The "rudders" perform the function of both the keel and rudder on a normal fixed keel boat relieving the canting keel strut of having to produce lateral resistance. The foils are operated in two modes:

1) Steering-both foils turn opposite directions
2) Collective- both foils are turned the same direction making it possible to dial out leeway going upwind. This capability makes it possible to go to windward sideways for short distances, for instance, in pre start maneuvering and in certain other tight situations.

Morning Glory's bowman getting ready for the hoist

One of the major benefits of CBTF is that the twin rudders, with correct placement, actually reduce wave-making resistance. No other canting or fixed keel system can effectively do this.

There are other movable ballast technologies that are simpler and less expensive but probably none faster except multihulls and monohull and multihull hydrofoils. Over the next two years several models will be launched using CBTF. At least one will be a strict One Design that will also fit into the Formula 100 class, the only development class that allows movable ballast.

Morning Glory’s sailing manager and navigator spoke to www.caribbeanracing.com about the boat’s performance so far.

www.caribbeanracing.com: You had a strong Heineken Regatta and an even stronger Antigua Sailing Week, how do feel the boat and crew is shaping up after two regattas?

Dee: “The boat is fantastic. It’s working quite well. We’re trusting the boat more and more and are able to get around better. I think we still have work to do but in general everything is going quite well.

“It’s a big boat, it’s a bit complicated but it’s easy to sail also, it’s kind of strange that way. The boat feels small but when you lift something or try to pick up something it’s really quite loaded up. The loads are extreme but in reality the boat sails quite well.

“The boat performs quite well in everything we’ve had it in. The Caribbean conditions are quite consistent with this 20-knot stuff so in these conditions the boat obviously performed quite well. It has so much power, it is easy to get through the waves and is fantastic upwind and then obviously it has good speed downwind too. So the power, the weight, the stability it’s all there, it’s quite balanced actually.

www.caribbeanracing.com: Although on paper it seems that Morning Glory dominated Pyewacket, the racing was extremely close as they match raced their way around the courses. Morning Glory generally ended with the upper hand but in some races by mere seconds. Do you think you sailed a considerably better regatta than Pyewacket or is it just that the boats are so closely matched, that the smallest mistakes make a big difference (of course, not counting the mark that Pyewacket missed in race 4)?

Dee Smith at the wheel for a rounding

Dee: “They [Pyewacket] had their ups and downs and I think were a little more consistent. They started a lot better. In St Maarten we started a lot better than they did and the boats are so closely matched that I think that one little hiccup with crew work or a tactical error and you get behind the eight ball and it just kind of snowballs from there. It’s not very easy to sail the boats perfectly. I think in general our experience in Antigua helped, I’ve probably done that regatta 15 times and know the waters and what to expect pretty well and that may have given us a little bit of a edge but in reality we might be a bit quicker but it’s still too early to tell in only one condition.”

www.caribbeanracing.com: Refreshingly, particularly in Antigua where there was a total of 65 protests, and despite neck and neck racing around Antigua in seven races Morning Glory and Pyewacket never faced each other in the protest room.

“There was a lot of bitching and moaning. There was one red flag but it never made it to ‘the room. Well, we’re friends and we have done a lot of work together. Of course when the gun goes off it’s a little different but in general we’re out there to have fun sailing. The boats are spectacular and sailing in those kind of conditions make it even better.”

www.caribbeanracing.com: Nobody expected Mari-Cha IV to win on corrected time but did you think you'd be first over the line as well?

“I thought they [Mari Cha] had a gift of a rating. It’s pretty amazing that a boat can be 70 feet longer and gave us less than we gave a boat 10 feet shorter than us and it’s [Mari-Cha] supposed to be the world’s fastest boat. So you kind of wonder don’t you.

“We expected to do it once or twice [beat her over the line] but I didn’t think we were going to be as fast as we were. I though we’d be able to get to them, just being able to get the sails up and down better. I knew they were going to have problems tacking because their system isn’t very good for close course racing but the boat isn’t designed for close course racing. And our boat is pretty much pushed in that direction. So I’m not surprised. I did have a bet that we would beat them in at least one race with another crew member and about five minutes after the start he turned around and said I think I’m going to lose my money this week.”

www.caribbeanracing.com: You won in Antigua and St Maarten but you lost the Caribbean Big Boat series:

Dee: “We lost by point in the end. Yeah, shit happens. Really wasn’t worried about it. I think we won in general we’re pretty happy.”

Next for Morning Glory and Pyewacket, the Newport Bermuda Race in June and Cork Week in July, followed by the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia in September and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October.

The new maxZ86 Class has already been accepted for the 2005 Transpac Race from Los Angles to Honolulu, and the canting keel 86-footers will be competing for elapsed time honors.

Sources: www.thedailysail.com, www.sailingsource.com, www.microsail.com

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