Does anyone know what happened to Blue Arrow?

[Tomahawk]

I remember back in the 70's a local employment agency (Blue Arrow) in Snorbens decided to sponsor a radical design of tri which has hydroplanes instead of floats.

It was apparently so fast that it was almost unreal.. then the money ran out.

 

[MoodySabre]

Still there http://www.bluearrow.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx

 

[sarabande]

I watched her sailing off Falmouth in ?1988. She had a couple of support RIBS, one at each float, to keep her upright before the foils started working. Very exciting to watch, but too complicated.


Peter de Savary was involved IIRC.


I thought the hulls ended up in a Sea Museum (possibly Exeter, before it moved to Cornwall)

 

[TSB240]

Crashed out in a pitchpole possibly....

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/why-has-high-buoyancy-become-so-important-37948-2.html

Confirmed Here

http://www.americas-cup-history.at/english/blue.htm

 

[Tomahawk]

So a bit like Mr Goss… a bit toooooo radical

 

[MoodySabre]

Sorry - thought you were looking for a job

 

[AndrewfromFal]

So a bit like Mr Goss… a bit toooooo radical

Indeed! With Blue Arrow the control systems were probably not sophisticated enough to keep up with the design. Interestingly, around the same time that Blue Arrow was put together, Adrian Thompson designed and built a foil assisted 60 footer called 'We'* (later 'Sebago') to compete in the ORMA 60 class; and this happened to look a bit like an ocean going version of BA; she subsequently finished 4th in the '88 Ostar.

Thompson of course went on to design Team Phillips......

*Interestingly, 'We' was built as part of a PR/Profile raising exercise for an American eye surgeon who was running for Governor of Arkansas. He lost to Bill Clinton.