Wind Horse’s neighbor in Halifax is PRB, perhaps the most advanced Open 60. The Dashews jump at the chance to take a tour.<\/div>\n

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Having what is arguably the most advanced Open 60 laid up next to Wind Horse<\/em> is an invitation to explore. She represents the latest thinking from the Bruce Farr office on how to go fast, and in her second season, has been fine tuned to a degree.<\/p>\n

Consider this: 60 feet of length, 18 feet of beam, 16,000 pounds of displacement, and a huge rig. All sailed at a competitive level by one person.<\/p>\n

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PRB was in the process of racing single handed across the North Atlantic when she collided with a whale (or perhaps a whale shark) damaging the highly stressed articulating keel mechanism. Unsure of the damage, her skipper, Vincent Rieu, abandoned her off the Grand Banks and hitched a ride with another competitor. Delivered to Halifax, he then organized the salvage of PRB and she was towed to the RNSYS and hauled out.<\/p>\n
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The abrasion marks on the keel are from whatever was impacted. The scratches are not deep, like would be caused by a heavy layer of barnacles, leading us to think more in terms of whale shark rather than whale.<\/p>\n
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An expert in high tech fiberglass construction was inspecting the structure around the keel pivot point. He had with him an ultrasound tester, a thermal imager, and a testing device which uses radio waves. His verdict: as soon as the new keel is received she is fit to be sailed back to France.<\/p>\n
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We were fortunate to meet the shore crew (who will also deliver PRB back across the Atlantic) and traded looks. He was as interested in our boat as we were in his. This is a hugely powerful beast, with much more sail and higher loads than the previous generation Open 60s. The upwind sail area exceeds 2000 square feet, while 6000 square feet flies downwind. The pedestal is linked to the two primary winches and the center winch.<\/p>\n
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We counted 16 lines leading to this winch. Can you imagine being caught aback at night in a squall and dealing with this?<\/p>\n
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This rotating wing mast is almost 100 feet (30m) tall!<\/p>\n
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Rigging is all high modulus rope, attached with soft connections.<\/p>\n
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Soft connections are lighter, and have less of tendency to take an unfair lead than is the case with metal.<\/p>\n
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PRBs rudders kick up, yet remain within the influence of her hull for an efficient end plate.<\/p>\n
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This is looking down at the upper (deck level) dagger board bearing. The keel is there for stability, while the dagger boards carry side forces. These are angled to the center so the hull can go straight through the water. Note the asymmetric foil shape. Just guessing now, but they look a lot like a 68 series laminar section. Very efficient. Of course, you have to tack the boards – only the leeward board can be down at one time. So there are two control lines led aft for each board. One forces the board down, while the other leads to a block on the mast for raising the board.<\/p>\n
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Several of the recent Farr Open 60s have fitted these planing strakes.<\/p>\n
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The idea is to keep the bow from burying when pressing hard down wind.<\/p>\n
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Forty years ago we sailed catamarans and added spray rails for the same reason. They worked, until the spray rails immersed, at which point they would then act to hold your bow down, or drive the bow further into the wave ahead. Apparently these rails work the same. At true wind angles down to 140 degrees, they do the job. But if you sail deeper, and start pushing the bow in, they are counterproductive. Be interesting to see if they stay on for the Vendee Globe single handed around the world race.<\/p>\n
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This is a sliding "dodger". In the forward position, shown here, protection is minimal, and view of the rig is maximized. Pull it aft and you are more protected, while looking up through the bubble.<\/p>\n
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The interior is, well, Spartan. This is it. A Nav station, with Nav seat\/bunk which adjusts to stay level.<\/p>\n
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And voila, the galley. Nice gimbaled pressure cooker.<\/p>\n
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Storage "lockers" like that above are on both sides. Maybe this is all an incentive to get the race over quickly and back to the comforts of home?<\/p>\n
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A two cylinder Yanmar for generating DC power. The large pulley on the front is for starting with a pull cord (there is a decompression lever). No electric starter to fail. But can you imagine having to bleed the injectors? The propulsion engine, which is electric start, is fitted with the same alternator. But the little guy will consume a lot less fuel for the 90 to 100 days of the race.<\/p>\n
We’ll be watching this fall to see how PRB does in the Vendee Globe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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