Louis Vuitton returns to AC

28 May 2015

Ben Ainslie will introduce the America’s Cup World Series to the world in July at Portsmouth – photo: Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images

AMERICA’S CUP: The America’s Cup was undoubtedly the loser in all the shenanigans that led to the Louis Vuitton’s withdrawal from the world’s oldest competition in 2007.

But now, Louis Vuitton is back. With an involvement throughout the entire series that obviously suggests the America’s Cup is back as a No 1 promotional method for one of the world’s top brands.

The French fashion brand has always been famous for its luggage and its involvement in the America’s Cup. But now the company has increased its involvement to include the America’s Cup Qualifiers and Challenger Playoffs.

In addition, Louis Vuitton will also be the presenting partner of the 35th America’s Cup Match and the America’s Cup World Series too. So Louis Vuitton will be at Portsmouth in July.

We wonder if the recent allocation of broadcast rights might have brought the AC to the attention of TV advertisers.

NBS has TV rights for the USA. Recently it was announced the French broadcaster Canal+ has captured the TV rights for over 50 territories, including France, Monaco and French speaking Switzerland.

And just recently, BT Sport beat Sky TV to the UK broadcast rights, starting with the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) that will launch the entire America’s Cup towards the eventual 2017 dice in Bermuda.

“Since 1983, Louis Vuitton has continued to play a major role in the America’s Cup, but this agreement is the widest ranging yet,” said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup. “Over time we have built a partnership that is quite unique in sports in terms of its longevity and our relationship is strengthened by more than 30 years of shared history. But now is the right time to take a major step forward. Under this agreement, Louis Vuitton is extending its involvement throughout the entire event.”

Michael Burke, CEO of Louis Vuitton said: “It is a great honour for us to be able to renew our partnership with the America’s Cup. Together, we are about to write a new chapter of our shared history.”

Louis Vuitton will assume a prominent role in all aspects of the event, said Mr Burke; ashore, on the water, in international television broadcasts and on online platforms.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series begins in Portsmouth, from 23-26 July.

via Boating Business – Louis Vuitton returns to AC.

Volvo Ocean Race: Vestas Wind returns

01 Jun 2015

‘Team Vestas Wind’ on the water on May 30 – photo: Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

VOLVO RACE: ‘Team Vestas Wind’ shore crew chief Neil Cox breathed a huge sigh of relief as his boat was successfully returned to the water on May 30 for her first sail since grounding on an Indian Ocean reef last November.

“It’s no longer a boat building race,” he said, sporting the biggest smile in Lisbon. “We’re back in a boat race.”

The battle to return Team Vestas Wind to the Volvo Ocean Race has been one of the most absorbing stories of the entire nine month marathon event – and one of the most remarkable in its 41 year history.

After crashing onto a reef near the Cargados Carajos Shoals on November 29 during Leg 2, and damaging huge sections of the hull, many observers expected the team to call quits there and then on the campaign.

But the Danish based, global wind energy company Vestas, and its backers, including Powerhouse, were determined to salvage what they could. So they set a highly ambitious target of returning to the Volvo Ocean Race for Legs 8 and 9.

That involved recovering the boat as intact as possible from the reef and rebuilding the shattered Volvo Ocean 65 in four months; half the time it normally takes to construct a one design Volvo boat.

Part one was successfully completed when Team Vestas Wind made a moonlit arrival in the Portuguese capital. Part two was her first sail from Lisbon to Cascais and back on Saturday, May 30.

Mr Cox, skipper Chris Nicholson and the rest of the Team Vestas Wind crew, had the answer they wanted in the kind of testing conditions they will face during Leg 8 from Lisbon to Lorient, France: 25 knots of breeze with the boat’s canting keel bulb almost lifted out of the water.

Afterwards, Mr Cox was delighted to see how the boat had fared. “On Friday, getting the boat in the water was a huge thing in the sense that it was a milestone,” he explained.

“But I knew that all we had was a boat in the water. Now, we needed to sail it. The nervousness and anticipation around being fit for purpose focused on today – Saturday.”

Mr Cox and the rest of the team have paid fulsome tribute to the workers of the Italian Persico boatyard, who toiled night and day to put Team Vestas Wind with the other six boats on the Lisbon start line.

On June 6, Team Vestas Wind will rejoin the Volvo Ocean Race when she competes in the Lisbon In-Port Race, before taking on the 647nm Leg 8 to Lorient starting the following day.

via Boating Business – Volvo Ocean Race: Vestas Wind returns.

Luís Figo, the Portuguese football great, on Monday visited the Volvo Ocean Race village in Lisbon on International Children’s Day to promote the work of his charity foundation, which helps to bring sport to a wider network of youth around the world (full story below).

– Portuguese football great meets up again with Azzam crew

– International Children’s Day special event for Lisbon kids

– ISAF jury to hold protest hearings on Wednesday

LISBON, Portugal, June 1- Luís Figo, the Portuguese football great, on Monday visited the Volvo Ocean Race village in Lisbon on International Children’s Day to promote the work of his charity foundation, which helps to bring sport to a wider network of youth around the world.

The retired Portugal attacking midfielder, who was one of the game’s leading players during the 1990s and 2000s, is no stranger to the race, having been on board Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in 2012.

He again visited the Emirati boat, which is currently leading the 2014-15 edition, and met many local children visiting the Lisbon stopover in his home country.

Figo, 42, said: “It’s a great pleasure for us to join this global event, and have the opportunity to bring, on International Children’s Day, so many kids from different sections of Lisbon.

“They were able to spend a different kind of day, doing activities around the sea, and learning how this event works.

“Today is International Children’s Day and in my foundation, since we started this work, we’ve tried to celebrate this day with a special event.

“This year we had the chance and the privilege to be here in association with the Volvo Ocean Race to try and offer kids the chance to try different activities related to the sea and sailing.

“One of the areas we work on in the foundation is social integration, so I’m pleased to have this chance.”

Figo, a former FIFA World Player of the Year, was particularly pleased to link up again with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s crew and their British skipper, Ian Walker.

“I follow the race through the news and the newspapers. I know that Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are doing pretty well – I had the chance to meet them three years ago in Lisbon and I hope that they continue to do well and have a successful finish.”

*********

The ISAF-appointed independent international jury will be hearing four cases on Wednesday (June 3) after alleged breaches of sailing rules during Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Team SCA are to answer two cases: that they sailed against the traffic flow in a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), and, additionally, into a Rhode Island Sound exclusion zone.

Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE are also facing protests that they sailed against the traffic flow in a TSS.

The Race Committee has brought all the cases to the jury, If a penalty is awarded, the jury has discretion on what it will be.

via Figo and Volvo Ocean Race put focus on youth| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) shore crew chief, Neil Cox, breathed a huge sigh of relief as his boat was successfully returned to the water this weekend for its first sail since grounding on a reef in the Indian Ocean back in November (full story below).

– Vestas Wind comes through first sail test with flying colours

– ‘It’s time to look forward, not back,’ says shore chief Cox

– See how the stricken boat was put together again

LISBON, Portugal, May 31 – Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) shore crew chief, Neil Cox, breathed a huge sigh of relief as his boat was successfully returned to the water this weekend for its first sail since grounding on a reef in the Indian Ocean back in November.

“It’s no longer a boat-building race,” he said, sporting the biggest smile in Lisbon. “We’re back in a boat race.”

The battle to return Vestas Wind to the Volvo Ocean Race has been one of the most absorbing stories of the entire nine-month marathon event – and one of the most remarkable in its 41-year history.

After crashing on to a reef near the Cargados Carajos Shoals on November 29 during Leg 2 and damaging huge sections of the hull, many observers expected the team to call quits there and then on the campaign.

But the Danish-based, global wind energy  company Vestas, and their backers including Powerhouse, were determined to salvage what they could and then set a highly ambitious target of returning to offshore sailing’s most prestigious event for Legs 8 and 9.

That involved two huge hurdles: recovering the boat as intact as possible from the reef where it grounded, and rebuilding the shattered Volvo Ocean 65 in four months, half the time it normally takes to construct the one-design vessel.

Part one of ‘Mission Nearly Impossible’ was successfully completed when the Vestas Wind made a moonlit arrival in the Portuguese capital midweek.

Part two was the boat’s first sail from Lisbon to Cascais and back, on Saturday.

Sure, it had been rebuilt according to the exacting one-design standards demanded by the Race, but would any problems show up once it started sailing?

Cox, skipper Chris Nicholson, and the rest of the Team Vestas Wind crew had the answer they wanted in the kind of testing conditions they will face during Leg 8 from Lisbon to Lorient, France: 25 knots of breeze with the boat’s canting keel bulb almost lifted out of the water.

Afterwards, Australian Cox was delighted to see how the boat had fared.

“On Friday, getting the boat in the water was a huge thing in the sense that it was a milestone,” he explained.

“But I knew that we still hadn’t been sailing – all we had was a boat in the water. Now, we needed to sail it. The nervousness and anticipation around being fit for purpose focused on today (Saturday).

“Now we have a work list that’s all about going forward – not backwards.

“It’s certainly been the hardest thing I’ve had to do. It’s a collective effort, no one person could have done it. On a personal level, I’d say it’s the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome.”

Cox and the rest of the team have paid fulsome tribute to the workers of the Italian boatyard of Persico, who toiled night and day to return the Vestas Wind to join the other six boats on the Lisbon start line.

Next Saturday (June 6), Team Vestas Wind will join the competition once more with the Lisbon In-Port Race, before taking on the 647-nautical mile Leg 8 to Lorient the following day.

“The night of June 7 when the guys go offshore will be quite a moment,” grinned Cox, with typical Aussie under-statement.

via ‘We’re back in a boat race’ | Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

The first time Team SCA skipper Sam Davies watched the new Volvo Ocean Race-Team SCA 360º/virtual reality video, she recoiled instinctively as her boat nose-dived into a giant wave in the Southern Ocean (full story below).

– Volvo Ocean Race, Scopic and Team SCA combine efforts for 360-degree virtual reality video

– It also shows the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn in this technique for the first time

– Watch it here!

ALICANTE, Spain, May 29 – The first time Team SCA skipper Sam Davies watched the new Volvo Ocean Race-Team SCA 360º/virtual reality video, she recoiled instinctively as her boat nose-dived into a giant wave in the Southern Ocean.

That’s how realistic the ground-breaking new video gets as it focuses on the epic Leg 5 crossing between Auckland (New Zealand) and Itajaí (Brazil).

The production  has been launched today on littlstar.com. It is not only the first Virtual Reality offshore sailing video ever, but also the first time Cape Horn and the treacherous Southern Ocean are captured in this technique.

This has been made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Volvo Ocean Race, Team SCA, and the 360-degree/virtual reality Dutch production company, Scopic.

“Cape Horn has never been shot in 360 and this production was so unique as most people thought it would never work out in these rough conditions. Anna Lena (Elled, Team SCA onboard reporter) had to work with six independent cameras,” said Scopic co-founder Yori van Gerven.

This ground-breaking technique puts viewers at the centre of the sailing experience by being able to look around in 360 degrees, using the arrows, the click and drag mouse button, or dragging the screen on mobile devices.

The 360-degree experience is enabled for both Chrome browsers and Android.

Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR, among other VR devices, bring the experience to the level of virtual reality.

Scopic is a Virtual Reality Production Company based in Amsterdam, specialising in productions at the highest end of 360-degree video for online, smartphone/tablet, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

via A video so real, you can almost feel the splash!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

For a man whose boat finished only fifth in the transatlantic Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker was sporting a surprisingly large smile on Thursday (full story below).

– Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing still sitting pretty after fifth place finish

– Caudrelier plans family time to shake off disappointment

– Team Alvimedica triumphed in ‘knife fight with spoons’

– The Boys in Blue are back in the Race

LISBON, Portugal, May 28 – For a man whose boat finished only fifth in the transatlantic Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker was sporting a surprisingly large smile on Thursday.

In the last edition in 2011-12, the Briton had entered Lisbon as leg winner and the Portuguese capital also has special importance for him as his crew’s European pre-race training base.

But there was not a particularly happy ‘homecoming’ for Walker and his seven crew members just after dawn on Wednesday, as they trailed disappointingly in the wake of Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED), who in turn only just saw off a challenge from MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) to cross the finish line first after the 2,800-nautical mile stage.

Yet still, Walker and his men were beaming like winners. “Yes, it was a very difficult leg for us, very frustrating. In fact, the best bit of it was getting off the boat at the end,” he joked.

But thanks to Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) who took the third podium slot after what their skipper described as a “knife fight with spoons” against Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) in a slow-motion battle into port, Walker’s mood remained buoyant.

The Chinese-backed boat’s fourth place in a leg, which they had led for long periods, meant that Caudrelier and his crew only took one point away from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s six-point overall lead and Walker continues to occupy a very strong position indeed with two ‘sprint’ legs remaining.

Walker told a news conference after the arrivals: “I was proud of the guys. Everyone kept fighting and it just shows how you have to keep fighting. We could have even got third out of that finish after a week of torture.

“At one point it looked like Dongfeng could have won the leg and we could have finished fifth or sixth, so in many ways we got out of jail and I don’t think we had a lot of unhappy faces at the end.

“We’ve now got two legs to go and we’re five points ahead. I’d have bitten your arm off if somebody had offered me that in Newport at the beginning of the leg, let alone at the start of the race.”

Enright was also in good humour after winning their thrilling dogfight with Dongfeng Race Team over the final miles, following a botched manouevre by Caudrelier’s crew.

His boat catapulted from fifth overnight to claim their third podium finish of the race so far.

“It was a very good morning for us, that’s for sure,” he conceded. “We had a ridiculous, excruciating 20-tack game of attack-and-go with Dongfeng. I told Charles it was like a knife fight with spoons. It was all pretty sloppy.”

Caudrelier was trying to find some comfort after watching a vital point slip through his fingers.

“We are still second overall, and for sure, we will try to fight to keep this place and hopefully come back,” he told the conference.

“Right now, I’m trying to control my anger. But I will see my family and try to forget everything and be positive for my team.”

Meanwhile, Team Vestas Wind’s Australian skipper Chris Nicholson was excited at the prospect of seeing his totally rebuilt boat returning to sailing on Saturday (May 30), after their collision with a reef in the Indian Ocean on Leg 2 on November 29.

He is still taking nothing for granted after being out of the water for so many stages while the reconstruction took place in Persico’s boatyard in Bergamo, Italy.

“We need to be out on the water and make sure we’re reliable for the race. At the moment, touch wood, everything looks on track for that,” he said.

Nicholson’s team has a week to prepare for the following Saturday’s Lisbon In-Port Race before joining the rest of the fleet for the Leg 8 departure for Lorient on June 7.

via Walker’s get-out-of-jail card| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) was restored to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Wednesday, nearly six months to the day when the boat ran aground, setting off a story of team-work, determination and sheer hard work to return the crew to the start line in Lisbon (full story below).

– Team Vestas Wind defy the odds to rejoin the fleet

– Skipper Nicholson: Now we’ll finish what we started

– Backers applaud team effort behind rebuild

– How Team Vestas Wind was put back together

LISBON, Portugal, May 27 – Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) was restored to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Wednesday, nearly six months to the day when the boat ran aground, setting off a story of team-work, determination and sheer hard work to return the crew to the start line in Lisbon.

Many experienced observers of the 41-year-old race had feared there was no way back for the Danish team in the race’s 12th edition when the Vestas Wind ran aground on the Cargados Carajos shoals in the Indian Ocean during Leg 2 on November 29.

The collision caused heartbreaking, extensive damage to the beautiful blue boat.

But the doubters would have underestimated the combined efforts of an expert team assembled by Vestas and race organisers, who have managed to rebuild the shattered Volvo Ocean 65 boat to the strict one-design demands of the race in four months – half the time it would normally take to build the boat.

The bulk of the work has been carried out by the Persico Marine boatyard in Bergamo, Italy.

On Saturday, May 22, the boat left the Persico yard and embarked on a land and sea journey to Lisbon, with the help of Maersk Line and GAC, where she arrived in the small hours of Wednesday morning, ahead of schedule.

In the final stages of her journey before arriving in the Portuguese capital, the boat was transported just over 50 kilometres by road, crossing the Vasco de Gama Bridge (the largest bridge in Europe) across the Tagus River.

Final preparations, including the reassembly of the keel and rig, are now underway. The team is preparing to return to the water for the first time on Saturday ahead of the long weekend of racing (June 4-7), which includes the Lisbon In-Port Race on June 6 and Leg 8 departure for Lorient, France, the following day.

“We’ve been waiting for this day to arrive for some time. It’s a testament to all involved in the rebuild to have the boat and team almost back in race mode,” said Team Vestas Wind’s Australian skipper, Chris Nicholson.

“It’s a true story of coming together to make things work, and we’re all motivated and in good shape to get back out on the water and finish what we started. These extra days’ preparations will help us become as competitive as we can be for the in-port and final legs of the Race.”

Commercial Director of Team Vestas Wind and Vice President of Global Marketing at Vestas, Mirella Vitale, added: “It’s a great achievement for Vestas and Team Vestas Wind to be where we are today.

“We’ve lived a different race than we originally envisioned, but we knew that our story could not end on that reef. We thank our fellow teams for their generosity and sportsmanship by providing seats for our guests on their boats while our boat was being repaired.“

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, applauded all the combined efforts that have ensured Team Vestas Wind are back in business for the final legs to Lorient and then to Gothenburg, via a pit-stop in The Hague.

“It has been an incredible display of teamwork to return Vestas Wind to the start-line despite all the many obstacles along the way,” he said.

“Seeing Chris and the guys on the start-line for Leg 8 will be one of most memorable and proudest moments I have experienced in seven years as Race CEO,” he said.

Patrick Lammers, member of the retail board RWE, parent company of sub sponsor Powerhouse, added: “In order to be able to appear at the start in Lisbon, everyone involved has given their utmost.

“This was the ultimate race in a race, where no one thought of giving up. As a sponsor, Powerhouse could not have wished for a better team and partners. With this success, they truly carried out what we stand for.”

via Mission accomplished!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

A real Golden Globe race…

25 May 2015

SOUTH WEST: A new Golden Globe Race has been announced – to take place 50 years to the day that Sir Robin Knox-Johnston set out on his epic voyage, writes Katina Read.

The race will start from Falmouth on June 14, 2018, with the format to sail solo non-stop around the world via the five Great Capes and return to Falmouth.

Entrants will be restricted to using the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Sir Robin in his first race, sailing without modern technology or the benefit of satellite based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall designed prior to 1988.

“The overriding aim is for a race where adventure takes precedence over winning at all costs; one where sailing skill and traditional seamanship, rather than modern technology and outside support, gets you round and where the achievement truly belongs to the skipper,” said race founder Don McIntyre.

Already, 26 solo sailors have made a commitment to enter the race, which has a prize purse of £75,000.

via Boating Business – A real Golden Globe race….

Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) completed a triumphant Leg 7 early on Wednesday to bolster their hopes of finishing with a podium place in the Volvo Ocean Race and also keep alive their hopes of overall victory (full story below, updating with full finishing positions).

– Team Brunel edge home ahead in transatlantic leg

– MAPFRE chase them all the way into Lisbon

– Team Alvimedica beat Dongfeng in thrilling dogfight

– Team Vestas Wind are reunited with rest of the fleet

LISBON, Portugal, May 27 – Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) completed a triumphant Leg 7 early on Wednesday to bolster their hopes of finishing with a podium place in the Volvo Ocean Race and also keep alive the possibility of overall victory.

The Dutch boat sailed a near faultless transatlantic stage, edging MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) into second, just under 22 minutes behind.

Behind them, Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) edged out long-time leg leaders, Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), after an enthralling dogfight over the final miles.

The Chinese-backed boat was caught by Enright’s crew in the early hours of Wednesday, but battled their way back and looked sure to overtake them again before a botched tack ruined their chances.

They lost out by just 55 seconds after nearly nine days and 13 hours of sailing across 2,800 nautical miles (nm).

With overall leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) finishing fifth ahead of Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), the overall race standings are left finely poised.

The Emirati crew now have a five-point lead over Dongfeng Race Team with two short legs to sail, while Team Brunel are a point further adrift of Charles Caudrelier’s crew.

Caudrelier made no attempt to hide his disappointment after leading the leg for so long and seeing a podium place disappear in the final miles.

“I’m feeling very bad, very upset and very sad,” he summed up. “We deserved better, but I guess that’s life.

“Most of all, I’m upset with myself because my crew did a great job and I made a huge mistake – and I don’t accept mistakes. We really missed a chance in this leg with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finishing fifth.”

Few sailors in the fleet will savour a win over one of the race’s trademark legs more than Team Brunel’s 51-year-old skipper, Bouwe Bekking, in his record-equalling seventh appearance.

He has certainly experienced the ups and downs of racing across the Atlantic. Few will forget the agonising position he faced in 2006 before he was finally forced to abandon his sinking movistar boat during the same stage of that Volvo Ocean Race.

Bekking insisted last week that he had not lost ‘a single night’s sleep’ over the incident and the confident way that Team Brunel sailed the leg would bear that out.

Team Brunel were harried all the way over the past 24 hours by both MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team, especially over the final few miles when the breeze dropped to almost zero in the Tagus River as they approached the Lisbon finish.

“We sailed a tremendous leg but just at the end when there was no wind, it was getting a bit gnarly,” said Bekking. “But we pulled it off.”

The victory was achieved with two newcomers on board, Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Timo Hagoort (NED), the latter replacing the injured Gerd-Jan Poortman (NED).

“It was good to have those young guys on board, they did a fantastic job,” added Bekking.

Team SCA crossed the line, XX hours behind Team Brunel, after an action-packed transatlantic leg in which they sailed within the pack over much of the nine days and at one stage threatened a podium finish after taking a bold strategic choice around the Azores High.

The final two stages, to Lorient (France) and then Gothenburg (Sweden) via a pit-stop in The Hague (Netherlands), will once again be contested by seven boats.

Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) rejoin the fleet for the first time since November 29 when the boat was grounded on a reef in the Indian Ocean.

After a four-month rebuild in the Persico boatyard in Bergamo, Italy, the boat was transported by sea and road to Lisbon, arriving a few hours before the rest of the fleet in the small hours of Wednesday morning.

Over the next few days, the rig will be stepped ahead of the Danish-backed team’s competitive comeback on June 6 in the Lisbon In-Port Race. Leg 8 to Lorient, a relative sprint at 647nm, begins a day later.

The race concludes on June 27 with the In-Port Race in Gothenburg after nine months and 38,739nm of sailing, visiting 11 ports and every continent.

Current latest standings (low points wins, In-Port Race Series splits ties): 1) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 16 pts, 2) Dongfeng Race Team 21, 3) Team Brunel 22, 4) MAPFRE 26, 5) Team Alvimedica 27, 6) Team SCA 43, 7) Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) 52 (DNS).

via UPDATED: Lisbon lights up for flying Dutchmen| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Seasonal maintenance: Spars

BY ADMIN • MAY 4, 2015 • NEWS, YACHT MAINTENANCE • COMMENTS OFF • 55

It’s all too easy to assume the mast, boom, spinnaker pole and, where fitted, rigid vang of a yacht are items with an almost infinite lifespan. Granted, at some stage many owners will opt to maintain the cosmetic appearance with a comprehensive paint system.

If you opt for this route don’t be tempted by a quick paint job as these invariably do not last well. In any case, given the expense in removing the rig, surface preparation, masking and so on, it’s always worth the extra up front investment to do the job properly, including proper etch primers and decent epoxy based paints.

However, the bigger concern with spars is a structural one, with the key issue being corrosion that can happen with few, if any, external indications. The problem here is with the many stainless steel fittings that are riveted to the typical aluminium mast or boom. These two metals are relatively far apart on the galvanic scale, meaning that there’s lots of potential for corrosion if they are not kept apart electrically. Unfortunately it’s the alloy of which the spars are constructed that will fizz away.

Keep an eye open for any white powder forming around fittings that are attached to the spar. This powder – it’s basically aluminium oxide – is a product of corrosion and you can be assured that, if the fitting is removed, a much greater area than expected will be damaged.

If there’s any risk of the structural integrity of the spar having been damaged it’s vital to have it professionally inspected as soon as possible. In many cases even quite advanced damage can be successfully repaired through welding or internally sleeving the spar in the damaged area.

If you add any new fittings to the mast it’s important that they are not in direct contact with the spar – monel rivets should be used and the fitting should ideally be separated from the spar with a plastic shield. Failing that a barium chromate or zinc chromate paste such as Duralac will help to keep the two metals isolated.

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via Seasonal maintenance: Spars | Yachting News Report | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.