Fastest round

We take a look at some of the cats going for line honours at the Round Texel this year

With its removal from the Olympic Games, the Tornado seems likely to slip from its spot as the leading catamaran class to sail in over the coming years (as we wrote last week). While in round the cans racing terms its natural successor is certain to be the highly popular Formula 18 class, the F18 lacks the Tornado’s blistering pace and years of Olympic refinement. However when it comes to balls to the wall performance, a look at the entry list for this weekend’s cat extravaganza, the Round Texel Race, indicates there to be a number of 20 foot powerhouses waiting to fill the Tornado’s shoes. Here the fastest new 20ft designs will be going up against the Olympic cat as they gun for line honours ahead of the 450 strong fleet

Looking at the differences between the Tornado and the new designs, in general terms the newer 20ft catamarans conform to the maximum trailable width for most countries – as laid out in the Formula 20 rule – the Tornado with its wider beam, may still have the edge in the windier conditions when power is everything, particularly upwind. However, most modern designs are now getting significantly lighter and with hulls optimised for high speed downwind planning, the Tornado could struggle once spinnakers are up and pulling. Currently a Tornado holds the course record for the Round Texel at 2 hours 11 minutes and 11 seconds, though one has not taken line honours since this was set in 2005.



The Tornado:

In spite of being a 40 year old design the Tornado continues to dominate the 20ft catamaran scene. The class’ many years of Olympic competition have seen the design pushed to the very limits. With top sailors in the boat on a daily basis during the Olympic cycle no stone has been left unturned in how to extract the best from this boat.
An updated rig in 2000 saw the boat with a square top main and spinnaker which has kept the class competitive against a great many other challengers.

At Round Texel this year, top Olympic cat sailor, Mitch Booth along with his crew, Pim Nieuwenhuis, will be racing the Tornado hard around the island. Compared to some of the newer boats the Tornado’s one great drawback is the lack of carbon in the build, leaving it significantly heavier than the other 20 footers, at 170kg. It is commonly felt due to this the Tornado will suffer in lighter conditions such as those forecast for the Round Texel this year.

Specifications:

Length 6.1m
Beam 3.08m
Hull weight 145kg
Mainsail 17m²
Jib 7m²
Spinnaker 25m²



M20:

Marstrom, who have dominated the building of Tornados for many years, came out with the M20 three years ago. The M20 was designed and developed by Göran Marstrom and the company claims it is the ‘fastest 20-fot cat in existence’. It is built in carbon inside an autoclave and its most prominent feature is having only a mainsail and spinnaker (and no jib) on its 10.5m rig despite being a two man 20 footer. The M20 weighs in at just 115kg.

The Dutch crew Xander Pols and Tjiddo Veenstra took line honours in the 2007 edition of Round Texel on an M20, when they showed a clear speed advantage over the rest of the fleet in the light winds. They were a significant distance ahead when they crossed the finish line after 3 hours, 16 minutes and 34 seconds.

Specifications:

Length 6.1m
Beam 3.5m
Weight 115kg
Main 24 m²
Spinnaker 25 m²



Volvo Extreme 20:

The all carbon Volvo Extreme 20 is based on the M20 with the same hull but a different sail plan. Where the M20 has only a large mainsail and spinnaker, the VX20 carries a Tornado mast, with a modified Tornado sail plan with a smaller jib and bigger main. The VX20 weighs 125 kilograms, some 45kg less than the Tornado.

This weekend Booth’s old Tornado crew, Herbert Dercksen, will once again take the helm of the Volvo Extreme 20, this year with 2004 British Tornado representative, Mark Bulkeley. Dercksen sailed the Extreme 20 at the event last year when it was just a prototype and took second place over the line in 2007.

In addition to Dercksen, Wouter Samama and his crew Paul Buyse (NED) will also be sailing their brand new Extreme 20. It was Samama who in 2005 set the present Round Texel record after he and Jeroen van Leeuwen blasted round in their Tornado in 2005.

Specifications:

Length 6.1m
Beam 3.5m
Weight 115kg
Sail Area Unlisted



The Eagle 20:

The Eagle 20 is yet another carbon 20ft catamaran, though weighing in at 145kg it is one of the heaviest of the new breed. The boat can easily be recognised by its high aspect sail plan. In 2004 the Eagle 20 was first over the finish line in the Round Texel and has also taken line honours in a number of other high profile races.

Probably the strongest competition in the Eagle 20 is likely to come from Dutchman Vincent Huntelman who has been on the overall Texel podium before but is new to the battle for line honours. His crew Sven de Laaf (NED) will offer some valuable experience of being first over the line, after being the fastest in 2003.

Specifications:

Length 6.1m
Beam 3m
Weight 145kg
Mainsail 19.25m²
Jib 4.8m²
Spinnaker 28m².

With light winds predicted this year it would seem unlikely any records are going to be broken. However, the battle for line honours this year looks set to be a close and exciting one. In many ways the various designs are not just fighting to win the even but to prove they can be the new king of the cats.