Monthly Archives: April 2016

International Moth – Stagione agonistica 2016 in Italia

by IMCA Italy

imcaitaly

Dopo una stagione 2015 in forte crescita per la classe Moth italiana il 2016 si prospetta un anno intenso di regate in cui il livello e il numero dei regatanti è atteso proseguire il suo trend positivo grazie anche alla moda dei foils che sta invadendo tantissime aree e classi veliche e che proprio nei Moth ha sempre trovato un banco di test per timonieri e per lo sviluppo tecnico.

La stagione italiana avrà inizio il 30 aprile con la prima tappa Italia Cup presso il Circolo Vela Arco sul lago di Garda, per poi proseguire a fine Maggio sull’alto Lario e poi a luglio sul Sebino per terminare a Settembre con il Campionato Italiano valevole anche come ultima tappa dell’EuroCup a Punta Ala.

Le regate Italiane saranno intervallate alle tappe Eurocup in Slovenia, Austria e Germania e non scordiamo il Campionato del Mondo in Giappone dal 24 al 29 marzo dove sarà presente una delegazione italiana a sostenere il tricolore, il Campionato Europeo di in Francia dal 18 al 24 Giugno e la ormai classica Foiling Week che si terrà come da tradizione a Malcesine dal 7 al 10 Luglio e dove verrà organizzata una regata nelle acque che saranno sede del campionato del Mondo Moth 2017.

Calendario stagione 2016
• 30 aprile-1 maggio – Arco – Valida come Italia Cup
• 13-15 Maggio – Slovenia, Portoroz – Valida come Eurocup
• 24-29 Maggio – Giappone – Campionato del Mondo
• 28-29 maggio – Gravedona – Valida come Italia Cup
• 3-5 Giugno – Austria, Traunsee – Valida come Eurocup
• 18-24 Giugno – Francia, Carcans – Campionato Europeo
• 7-10 luglio – Malcesine – Foiling Week- Test 2017 Moth Worlds Waters regatta
• 15-17 Luglio – Germania, Wittensee – Valida come Eurocup
• 30-31 luglio – Lovere – Italia Cup
• 2-4 settembre – Punta Ala – Campionato Italiano e valida come Eurocup

Flying Phantom Series Cannes 2016

by Phantom International

From April 8th to 10th was held in Cannes – France the first event of the 2016 Flying Phantom Series season. After 3 days of racing and 9 races the young duo Arthur Boc-Ho and Cantin Roger (Team Foiling) took the first place on the podium ahead of Tim Mourniac – Tom Laperche (Team ENVSN) and Thomas Normand – Antoine Joubert (Team Momentys).

L’hydroptère abandonné, vendu 20.000$

by courseaularge.com

hydropterevendue

Triste fin pour l’hydroptère déclaré abandonné sur un ponton d’Hawaï et vendu 20.000 $ pour pièces. C’est le forum Sailing Anarchy qui a publié hier les photos du bateau et de la pancarte de la marina où il est mentionné que le bateau est déclaré abandonné suite à un arriéré de 20.000 $ n’ayant pas été payé depuis des mois. Le compte Twitter officiel d’Hydroptère confirmait la vente du bateau et un elliptique « Back to soon to San Francisco ».

hydropterevendue1

On sait qu’Alain Thébault est aujourd’hui sur un projet de voiture sur foil sur la Seine et que ses relations avec ses anciens partenaires (DCNS) sur l’hydroptère n’ont pas été des plus faciles. Joint cet après-midi, il n’a pas souhaité nous en dire plus. Un accord de confidentialité a été signé avec l’acheteur. On ne connait pas le montant exact de la vente. Mais les 20.000 $ d’arriérés ont été payés à la Marina.
A suivre.

hydropterevendue0

Dalì foils explained

by Safran Sailing Team

Find out everything you wanted to know but never dared ask about foils, with this 3D presentation. With a montage of real images of the boat sailing, and 3D computer modelling, it illustates very clearly how they are operated and function on an IMOCA 60 like Safran. These funny foils, shaped like Salvador Dali’s moustache, will no longer hold any secrets from you.

Story of a gamble

by Gitana Team

In late 2013, the members of Gitana Team embark on an adventure that is as thrilling as it is complex: overhauling the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild, a 70-footer initially built to race in crewed configuration on a one-design circuit, in a bid to become the first flying offshore trimaran. It is an ambitious project. Like Rome, which wasn’t built in a day, the transformations to Gitana XV call for over two years’ research and innovation to satisfy the objectives of the five-arrow team. However, everyone agrees that the interplay is very worthwhile. Just a few days ago, equipped with her new appendages, the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild definitively took flight, racking up some 43 knots on the speedo in 20 knots of breeze and thus validating the efforts of a whole team, supported by the passion and commitment of the boat’s owners, Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild.

There is nothing new about the idea of flying… but the 34th edition of the America’s Cup, which was held in 2013 in San Francisco, revived this quest to such an extent that it has changed the face of contemporary offshore racing, modifying the vision and the ambition of the sailors who shape the milieu. The spectacular images of the AC72s, the winged catamarans created during the last Cup, quickly find an echo within Gitana Team. However, true to the aspirations which guided its creation in 2000, the stable founded by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild is keen to gear its sights towards the open ocean. We review the team’s perfectly choreographed ramping up of activities.

2014, the Rhum launch pad

In this way, from late 2013, a series of studies is launched with a view to a participation in the Route du Rhum in the main Ultime multihull category. In a bid to do well and stand a chance of keeping pace with the class’ XXL competitors, which measure between 30 and 40 metres compared with Gitana XV’s 21 metres, all the appendages (rudders and foils) need revising, as does as the sail plan. However, there isn’t much time left and the full jobs list is abandoned in favour of enhancing the boat’s reliability in a manner that is more coherent with the sports programme: T-foil rudders replacing the classic rudders. A new genre of appendage for an oceanic trimaran, they are the result of a close collaboration between the Gitana design office, naval architect Guillaume Verdier, who is as talented as he is modest, and the members of Team New Zealand, Jamie France, Bobby Kleinschmit as well as the Pure Design company. The intended speed gains are considerable. However, as ever, the theory still has to be transferred to the water. Sébastien Josse’s very fine third place in the famous transatlantic race between Saint Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre has a rather positive ring to it for the five-arrow team.

“ The system of lifting surfaces developed by Gitana Team, in collaboration with Guillaume Verdier’s team, has clearly proven itself and the rudders have made it to Guadeloupe intact. This transatlantic has enabled us to validate the system’s reliability in rough weather over the first days of racing, as well as throughout the remainder of our journey. The T-foil rudders create an indisputable turbo effect on the boat on certain points of sail. They are also appealing in terms of safety as we’ve made solid gains in stability, which notably enabled me to go on the attack during the first few days in the big breeze, without feeling that I was putting myself in danger. Gitana Team’s gamble was a daring one given the short amount of time we had for development and making her reliable but the experiment is a success. There is still considerable room for improvement and the next www of the adventure promises to be thrilling,” Sébastien Josse comments on his arrival in Pointe-à-Pitre on 11 November 2014.

2015, foils on guard

The feedback from the Route du Rhum backed up the theories put forward by the naval architects and reinforced Gitana Team’s choices. For all that, Sébastien Josse and his men are only at the start of their journey. Now free from any sports programme, the Mulit70 Edmond de Rothschild is to become a fantastic test laboratory. With the appendages trialled during the Route du Rhum proving to be super efficient, it’s time to switch to the second phase of the initial project, namely equipping the trimaran with new foils. Favouring a research approach, it is decided that these appendages must be asymmetric: L to port and C to starboard. This highly informative and promising test phase results in the boat’s debut flights offshore.

2016, the realisation

The third and final phase must enable Gitana Team to take the project to another level and live up to the expectations of the original project. To achieve this, the members of the technical team have to make structural modifications to the platform, particularly around the foil casing. These will be the main focus of the winter refit. Meantime, new foils with profiles more geared towards flight are built. On 22 March, Gitana XV puts in her first tacks as the 2016 iteration: the sensations are excellent as are the speeds! With many miles in flight making between 35 and 40 knots, the boat racking up a record 43 knots in 20 knots of breeze and the shared sentiment that they have a lot more to discover… The first part of the gamble has paid off: the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild has just taken flight!

“Theory is one thing, putting it into practice is another. Despite the calibre of the project’s contributors and the ground we’ve covered in terms of digital calculation, nothing replaces miles on the water. Being in a position to benefit from a platform like Gitana XV throughout this period of reflection, followed by the construction of the future Maxi, is an incredible opportunity, which we’ve been able to make full use of.

Dedicated to flight, this second test campaign has proven to be more than positive! The sea trials we’re carrying out right now are just incredible, so much so that I never thought I’d see the day… With our new appendages, we’ve exceeded speeds we hadn’t expected to reach in this configuration, or at least not as quickly! Speed is a very important thing, but on top of that these latest sea trials have also taught us a great deal about how the boat handles, which is clearly very different to our understanding thus far. The boat no longer floats, she flies along on two blades… We’ve passed a very important milestone. We’ve also learned very interesting lessons about what steps to avoid in the future in terms of both our architectural choices and the on-board systems. As such, the design office has a significant amount of data with which to continue its research. The work never stops and the sea state is still something we need to make progress with!” explains Sébastien Josse

However, the incredible sensation of flight on such a machine, as pleasant as it is to be powered up at over 40 knots, is not Gitana Team’s only objective of course. Following the announcement made in May 2015, the five-arrow team also began construction of a maxi-multihull at the Multiplast yard in Vannes, south-west Brittany back in November. This craft, the twelfth in the history of Gitana Team, will reap the full benefit of the trials carried out on the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild from 2014 to 2016. Indeed, Sébastien Josse and his men have been able to build the future on the water rather than solely at a desk.

“Today is massively satisfying and I feel immense pride for the entire team that I manage. The project seemed a bit crazy when we began in late 2013 but once again, within Gitana Team, we benefited from the unfailing support and enthusiasm of the owners of the boat, Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild. When we presented the project to them, they immediately understood the challenges and the appeal of staking out the future and they didn’t hesitate an instant in encouraging us along this pioneering route. We were in a transition phase because we were at the dawn of major technological change. Indeed, the switch from sailing in Archimedean mode to flight mode might be compared to the switch from steam engines to combustion engines. Although the America’s Cup had gone a long way to showing us the direction things were heading in terms of flight in inshore racing, transferring that knowledge to offshore sailing was a whole new ball game as the very philosophy of flight is different. It’s a far cry from simply getting big multihulls to fly around the world as the AC72s did in San Francisco bay… It’s something else entirely, but the expected gains are huge and this is where the future’s at. We’ve passed a milestone and a new adventure is opening up in front of us!” admits Cyril Dardashti, Director of Gitana Team.

Oscar Lindley-Smith is not like most teenagers

by totaluae.com

uaeboy

He doesn’t spend his weekends hanging out with friends, watching films or walking around a mall.

As the world’s youngest competitive foiling helm – a sailor who steers a catamaran which flies up on top of the water suspended on a pair of hydrofoils – 16-year-old Oscar, who lives in Abu Dhabi, spends most of his spare time at sea.

And now he has another mission to occupy him: to secure US$240,000 of sponsorship to help him forge a career in the sport and compete in Foiling Week – the world’s only dedicated event for foiling boats – on Lake Garda in Italy this summer
.

He hopes to find a company or companies that will sponsor him to help him continue his sailing experience and be recognised at the top of the field.

Foiling is the new generation,” says Oscar, who used to sail an 8-feet long mono hull but has since moved on to a Flying Phantom, an 18ft carbon fibre catamaran, which his family has shared with another family for just over a year.

There are less than 100 of these boats around. We bought boat No 11 from the first batch of boats. So I am one of the most experienced young helms anyway for this boat, which is a unique selling point I’m trying to use.

But because the boats are so new, they are expensive.

If his sponsorship bid is successful, the money will pay for the purchase of another boat, which is worth upwards of €40,000 (Dh167,355) to use in Europe, plus all the running costs, spares and repairs. He will also find a professional crew to take the place of his father, who currently sails with him.

As a sailor I will be the youngest foiling person in the world competing at the high end. There will be no one else of my age up there competing,” says Oscar.

Any company that partners with me from the beginning will also benefit from this success. At the moment sailing is in a massive growth www. The viewings have gone up tenfold since even last year. It is a very spectacular sport with these new boats. There are lots of different stunts that can be done that create spectacular imagery.

Oscar was introduced to sailing at the age of three, but was not immediately taken by the sport as it was initially limited to group exercises with paddles to keep it safe. But his potential was quickly noticed and he was soon sailing twice a week.

That was when I really started enjoying it because we were racing and sailing independently instead of doing these exercises,” says Oscar, who is from the UK but has lived in the UAE for the past 11 years.

One of the main things I enjoy is being out and the feeling this gives you. There is a lot of responsibility on you. It is all about the hard work you put in and I really enjoy reaping these rewards when racing.

To help secure the sponsorship, Oscar, who attends Brighton College, has produced his own proposal document to present his business case. The document outlines his motivations – the freedom, challenge and enjoyment it offers – as well as his achievements, plus short and long-term targets. It shows where a company could display its logo, such as on his rash top, trousers, trailer, the boat itself and even his car.

But most importantly, the document outlines why a company should sponsor him. According to Oscar, the company or companies will receive global TV coverage reaching at least 5.5 million unique viewers and a further 200,000 views via social media. In the UAE, Oscar points out that he trains on the Abu Dhabi Corniche breakwater surrounded by five-star hotels and apartments, which received 1.2m visitors in the first quarter in 2014. He estimates sponsors will receive a further 1,000 views from him sailing in front of Jebel Ali Hotel in Dubai. And more than 2m visitors to Lake Garda will see him train there over the summer.

Foiling is the high performance top end of sailing that has exploded since the last America’s Cup was raced using giant foiling catamarans,” says the sponsorship proposal, which Oscar put together himself.

The speed that comes with foiling has drawn many times more spectators than has ever previously been seen in sailing – it has become the Formula One of the sport. Drones continually film and broadcast to spectators on the shore. TV and YouTube coverage is released after every race.

But persuading companies to get on board here is hard. Oscar has spoken to a few so far, but his conversations have been limited to email so far. Juggling sailing and school is also a challenge.

I am getting interesting pressure from both sides. I was recently in Oman for the America’s Cup and catching up just two days from that was difficult. I have my AS levels in a month’s time so it is very difficult,” he says.

I am trying to do both, because if something happens in my sailing, if I get an injury or something, I need a fallback plan. At the moment it is sort of a double focus.

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Le petit hydroptère d’E.T.

by Frédéric Monsonnec – Auteur depuis 2008 du blog Foilers
Texte originele ici

Non non, George Lucas n’avait pas prévu de faire voler E.T. l’extraterrestre à bord d’un hydroptère (enfin je ne le pense pas).

E. T. c’est aussi le grand Eric Tabarly qui, d’une certaine manière, était un extraterrestre ! Les photos du bel hybride que pilota Eric Tabarly en 1976, ont du faire naitre des vocations de pilotes d’engins à foils (au moins une!).

Photo Bernard Deguy 1976

Photo Bernard Deguy 1976

La genèse
L’idée d’utiliser des hydrofoils, Eric Tabarly, l’avait déjà fin 1971. Il souhaitait développer un foiler pour améliorer la stabilité d’un trimaran de course tout en diminuant la trainée (il avait croisé Williwaw le premier foiler océanique en 1969 aux USA). En 1975, il rencontre Alain de Bergh et Claude Picard ingénieurs chez Dassault. Le duo, qui va s’intéresser au projet d’Eric Tabarly, va se transformer en trio avec l’arrivée de l’aérodynamicien Pierre Perrier. Puis en quatuor avec le professeur Tsen du CEAT ENSMA de Poitiers. C’est Alain de Bergh qui, après plusieurs semaines de recherches, propose d’étudier la possibilité de faire voler l’engin. En 1975 des essais en soufflerie sont réalisés, des foils sont testés à l’école nationale supérieur de mécanique aéronautique de Poitiers (ENSMA) et une maquette sur un plan d’eau (tractée par une canne à pêche !)…

En 1976, au retour du Triangle Atlantique qu’il vient de gagner avec Pen Duick VI, Eric Tabarly rencontre Jean Garnault professeur à l’IUT Génie civil de La Rochelle. Jean Garnault lui propose de construire la maquette navigante de son projet. Cette maquette devait permettre de valider les idées d’Eric et des ingénieurs de Dassault. Idées qui, à l’époque, faisaient sourire certains. La maquette devait surtout permettre d’observer le comportement d’un hydroptère à voile en navigation. En Angleterre et en France, d’autres engins de ce type existaient déjà comme ceux de Claude Tisserand (Véliplanes) ou de Roland Tiercelin (Trimama, Triplane …), mais l’engin réalisé par Jean Garnault allait permettre de valider les premières esquisses du projet.

Réalisation
La bête fut construite à partir de la coque centrale d’un Tornado, de son gréement, d’un profil de mat pour le bras de liaison, de flotteurs en contre plaqué stratifié et de foils à priori eux aussi en CP stratifié. Le safran était équipé d’un empennage en V dont l’incidence était réglable en tournant la barre sur elle-même (rotation d’un pas de vis, puis d’une crémaillère fixée en tête de safran).

Pour augmenter la surface du pont, une plaque de contre plaqué avait été rajoutée sur la coque centrale. Sur chaque côté de cette plaque, étaient fixés 2 répétiteurs (girouette, anémomètre …). Cette plate forme rendait le canot légèrement plus «confortable» mais les pieds du barreur se trouvaient tout de même au même niveau que ses fesses. La barre se trouvait dans le dos du pilote, ce qui ne devait pas permettre un pilotage en finesse.

Sur la coque de Tornado, à l’emplacement de la poutre arrière, un petit profilé dépassant de chaque coté avait été boulonné. Il permettait de fixer une pantoire pour l’écoute de GV. De même à l’avant, une mini poutre servait de point de fixation à la poulie d’écoute de foc.

Voiles & voiliers N°448 juin 08

Voiles & voiliers N°448 juin 08

Caractéristiques :
Longueur : 6.09 m
Largeur : 7m
Poids : 160 kg environ, 230 avec le pilote
Surface de voilure : GV 16,87 m² ; Foc 5,20 m²
Longueur des foils : 2 m

Navigations
Assemblé au port des Minimes (arrivé démonté sur une remorque tractée par une DS), l’engin a volé dés sa première sortie, au près serré, par 10/15 nœuds de vent. Il semble que le premier vol n’est pas été réalisé par Eric Tabarly mais par quelqu’un de l’équipe de La rochelle…

Eric Tabarly, qui avait ancré Pen Duick VI à la Rochelle pour l’occasion, fut enchanté par le comportement tout en douceur de l’engin. Décollage et atterrissage en souplesse, passage dans le clapot et le sillage de bateaux à moteur sans soucis. De temps en temps, une jambe de force crochait l’eau mais rien de dramatique. L’envol avait lieu dès 10 nœuds, la vitesse max. atteinte lors de ces essais fut de 15 noeuds.

Hors Série Voile magazine « Tabarly » 1996

Hors Série Voile magazine « Tabarly » 1996

La suite
En 1976, malgré ces navigations encourageantes (durant tout l’été), en l’absence de sponsor, le projet piétine. Autre point négatif, pour réaliser un trimaran de 18 m, l’extrapolation à l’échelle 1 des résultats obtenus à partir de la maquette impliquait un poids maxi de 6,2 tonnes et des foils de 6m de long. Les matériaux de l’époque ne permettaient pas de construire un engin de ce poids et des foils de cette dimension (nous étions aux balbutiements de l’utilisation du carbone). Il a donc fallu se « contenter » de réaliser un foiler en aluminium : Paul Ricard. Mais l’idée de faire voler un hydroptère n’a jamais quitté Eric Tabarly…

Bien des années plus tard, en 1985 Alain Thébault rencontra Alain de Bergh pour lui présenter ses croquis puis Eric Tabarly. Lorsque Alain Thébault, avec l’aide d’Eric Tabarly, a souhaité relancer le projet d’hydroptère, il a voulu réutiliser cette maquette pour refaire des essais. Malheureusement, il semble qu’Eric Tabarly avait oublié de remercier Jean Garnault et l’équipe de l’IUT de La Rochelle pour leur travail (dixit A Thébault, Pilote d’un rêve Flammarion 2005). Alain Thébault essuya donc un refus, et réalisa une nouvelle maquette sur laquelle il navigua de 1987 à 1992. La suite, nous la connaissons…

Sauf erreur, la maquette de 76 après être restée plus de 20 ans remisée, serait maintenant la propriété d’une personne du team d’un tri ORMA. Je rêve d’admirer ce canot de près. Si il existe toujours, il mérite sa place dans un musée ou encore mieux sur l’eau !

Complément d’informations ou rectifications bienvenues !!

Bateaux N°594 nov 07

Bateaux N°594 nov 07