12m yawl v. open 60 in rough weather

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oakum

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Reading of Dee's dismasting and damage would forumites prefer to be in the yawl a few posts below or the open 60, in heavy weather, assuming parity in electronics and crew numbers etc - these modern boats seem to break things very frequently whereas the older classic racers go on and on albeit with refits and restoration.
 
Give me the old yawl every time! The son of one of my friends crewed on a Sydney-Hobart hopeful and got himself ashore as quickly as he could. He reported that the hull was flexing alarmingly while still in relatively sheltered waters! I'm afraid that the idea the "Weight belongs in steam-rollers" has been taken to extreme lengths, compromising hull integrity.
Peter.
 
Open 60. Provided you have the comm's and reliability you can place yourself where you want or sail out of the situation. Speed is your friend on these boats, rather that than have to heave to. Losing the rig in any boat is going to require a big effort to keep going. Did any one read about that westerly abandoned mid atlantic, didnt drop the rig for ages, alweays thought your boat was the best place to be and amazed by the crews inability not to be able to cobble someting together and worried by the sorts of people now sailing offshore. Though always easy to comment without being there.
 
Funnily enough, the last time I heard someone saying "Speed is your friend", and "you can sail around the weather" was from one of the Team Phillips people. Despite all their comms and speed it didn't do them any good.
 
Interesting comments, my views are that the yawl's shape has evolved over many years and got to stage where it did as best it could the job it was designed for - and could cope with a lot of what nature could throw at it even if heaving to or laying ahull needs to be considered.
With the open 60's and their ilk I think the idea hasn't evolved enough to its optimum design and CADs can't replicate stresses and strains found in colossal seas at speed or where being overpressed. Masts and rudders flapping about and breaking leave a susceptible hull floating about with more damage likely if left for any length of time - in these mega sponsorship days and impressive electronics however casualties can be assured of a prompt rescue and then we get back to the whole issue of the way racing is going.
Without immediate access to rescue I think I would feel safer on the old yawl !
 
It all depends on what rings your bell.

If you want to work hard and cover ground very quickly indeed - choose the Open 60 - but you will be accepting some downsides to the speed - like a truly awful motion in waves and a huge amount of work to keep the boat moving well.

As far as rough weather goes - the Open60 would be so much stronger than the yawl that there is no comparison - so you do have to take the yawl more gently - but that gives you a chance to rest and recoup.

I do have to laugh a little at all the Open60 type thinking that is moving into the mainstream of yacht design - people don't realise how hard these boats are on the sailors or just how expert you have to be or how nasty the motion of a light very wide boat is.

On the other hand the worthwhile innovations they offer are big mainsails and small headsails, some of the handling gear (furlers and asymmetrical spinnakers).

To get the power of the Open60s with a lot fewer of the drawbacks it makes a lot of sense to go for a multihull. You still have the great beam to help develop power - you have even more speed - but the lower volume of the hulls means the sea will throw you round a whole lot less and they have a lot more directional stabilty.

Again - it just depends on what you like.

Best of the season to all!

Michael Storer
 
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