Long, narrow and heavy

Expect GBR Challenge's new boat to be at one end of the design spectrum says Peter Bentley

Rob Humphreys and Jo Richards discuss the state of the nation with
Syndicate boss, Peter Harrison

Despite their low key approach, the British design team has lacked nothing in either quality or quantity. Anyone who is anyone in British racing yacht design is in on the project. Derek Clark (Kookaburra, Victory’83 and Blue Arrow) leads the group with Rob Humphreys, Hugh Welbourn, Steven Jones, Phil Morrison, Simon Rogers all contributing along the way. Jo Richards’ input has one suspects, been hugely influential. Akihiro Kanai and Taro Takahashi both from the Nippon Challenge can hardly fail to have had significant input.

Although the construction of a second boat has recently been announced, the original concept was for just one and this placed very considerable limitations on the designers in the initial stage. While the need for an improvement over the previous generation of boats was clear, the need to produce a reliable boat that would not disappoint was paramount. “We are just tying to produce a sensible solid product,” says Rob Humphreys.
Though one might expect some excitement from the design team the day before their creation was brought out in public, they remain noncommittal about its prospects. Jo Richards was prepared to admit that the new boat is, “a significant improvement over JPN 52,” at least in the test-tank and on the computer. Cautious as ever, he points out that this does not always translate into success on the race course.

The big problem is that no one knows either how fast the benchmark JPN 52 was, nor even more importantly what developments have taken place since. “We are mindful of the fact that other people are working really hard as well,” says Rob Humphreys.

In many respects the work of the design team is only partially complete. Not until Wight Lightning is launched and tested will the strengths and weaknesses of her performance start to become truly apparent. “The reality is that you can do a lot in terms of [performance] profiling,” says Rob Humphreys. The key will be to develop the new boat in areas where it shows weakness without compromising its basic strengths. And that will be all about attention to detail as Humphreys is only too well aware. “The minor things collectively can make a big difference,” he says.

Though the design and build may be finished, the process of getting the best from the new boat has only just begun. “We have come a long way since last year,” says Jo Richards, “but it makes you realise there is an awful lot to learn.”