Steinlager 2

Greenheart

Greenheart

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What a legend. It doesn't feel like 23 years since this big ketch was proving that sloops weren't the only way to win.

I'm surprised she's still sailing. Must've been solidly built...I wonder if more recent lightweight racers will be taking corporate parties out in a quarter of a century. Great looker too...I suppose it's sheer size which makes her look a nice place to be. Every race-boat I've seen this century looked like an ordeal to spend time aboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1TUMs04Gus

I just read that she won the 1989 Fastnet race, despite not officially being an entrant. I can vaguely recall that, but not the reason why. Anybody remember?
 
We were parked next to her in English Harbour (Antigua) a couple of years back.

Looking a bit rough round the edges, but still has it.

Just a shame that the skipper's not still here too.
 
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dancrane said:
What a legend. It doesn't feel like 23 years since this big ketch was proving that sloops weren't the only way to win.

I'm surprised she's still sailing. Must've been solidly built...I wonder if more recent lightweight racers will be taking corporate parties out in a quarter of a century. Great looker too...I suppose it's sheer size which makes her look a nice place to be. Every race-boat I've seen this century looked like an ordeal to spend time aboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1TUMs04Gus

I just read that she won the 1989 Fastnet race, despite not officially being an entrant. I can vaguely recall that, but not the reason why. Anybody remember?
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A ketch being competitive was simply a function of the rules at the time. She looked nice, but slow compared with what is being designed and built now.

Boats will be designed and built to a design brief. "Solidly built" in a race boat probably means slow. And the sponsors would much rather have a boat that wins than one that is still sailing around under someone else's ownership, possibly under a new name, in 25 years.

Some boats will be designed and built for multiple campaigns, multiple races etc. If boats are designed for one specific race and that's all, there is no reason to design and build it to last beyond that race. A bit like F1 engines that need to last for a few races but not a whole season. That would be unacceptable in a road car but is what they design to.

As for race boats being an ordeal, that depends in part on your point of view / attitude. I have never really felt it was an "ordeal" to be aboard a race boat, at least because of the design. Conditions, yes. Design, no. I quite enjoy the spartan interior of race boats, but then I haven't seen the Southern Ocean.
 
Good find Dan. What was the other big ketch that became a sloop following an entanglement with a spectator boat? Was it Fisher & Paykel?
 
bbg said:
A ketch being competitive was simply a function of the rules at the time. She looked nice, but slow compared with what is being designed and built now.
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Granted, the upwind inefficiency of the ketch rig wasn't a handicap on a mostly-downwind route. But it seemed a long time since anyone had thought to use ketch rig to advantage for any course, and I haven't seen any racing ketches since, either...well done Iain, I'd forgotten the name of the other, white, ketch that year - Fisher and Paykel.

As for design longevity, it's natural today that boats built only for lightness and speed won't endure, because they don't need to...but did they ever need to? The fact that Steinlager's still sailing despite having been fast enough to win 23 years ago, seems to suggest a regrettable assumption of disposability about race-boats built now.
 
dancrane said:
Granted, the upwind inefficiency of the ketch rig wasn't a handicap on a mostly-downwind route. But it seemed a long time since anyone had thought to use ketch rig to advantage for any course, and I haven't seen any racing ketches since, either...well done Iain, I'd forgotten the name of the other, white, ketch that year - Fisher and Paykel.

As for design longevity, it's natural today that boats built only for lightness and speed won't endure, because they don't need to...but did they ever need to? The fact that Steinlager's still sailing despite having been fast enough to win 23 years ago, seems to suggest a regrettable assumption of disposability about race-boats built now.
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The Whitbread 60s from the 1st edition (93/4) are pretty much all still going. Mostly as corporate charter boats. The more recent 70s are also finding new homes, though I haven't seen one in the corporate game yet, I think they're seen as being far too powerful and not suitable rather than fragile though.
There is one being campaigned as an offshore boat in this country - the former team Russia, which is just a bonkers idea. Awesome, but bonkers!

By and large any offshore boat is likely to have a life well after her competitive offshore days are over as the strength required will always be more than is needed for a joyride around protected waters with an amateur / paying crew. The 70s will require a lot of maintenance, largely on the canting keel, but there shouldn't really be any structural issues now they're not being loaded up and smashed through the Southern Ocean. (Famous last words I know....)

Inshore race boats have always been a different matter though. Not famous like the Volvo/ whitbread boats, so no ready charter market and these days not easily converted for cruising. Or especially suited to that role anyway.
 
The Russian boat is operated as a charter boat. www.projectracing.co.uk

Plenty of old ACCs giving day charter.

Ketches _only_ made sense thanks to the rule, which under measured sail area. From an aero pov, you would prefer a sloop.
 
Keen_Ed said:
He hopped onto Intrum Justitia.
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And sent it... That 24 hour record stood for 4 years. It was only beaten in the 1997 race by Dennis Connor.

Which lasted a matter of weeks before Laurie Smith sent it again on Silk Cut and took it back, which then lasted until 2002.
 
The one that was really built like a brick outhouse was Peter Blake's Lion NZ. Fabulous boat to be aboard, because she was a tad overspecced. A real looker and still going strong.

lion-nz-lg1.jpg
 
Big Red skippered by the late great Sir Peter Blake - he has both hands up as they crossed the line in 1990 at the finish. They won every leg and did more overall miles than anyone else in the fleet. Grant Dalton on Fisher & Pycke
l was 45 mind behind. My signed shot:

 
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