Ellen maxi-tri underway

Whilst Albert gets his jigsaw out in Cowes

The mdf mock-up of Ellen MacArthur's new solo 75-foot trimaran's cockpit and navigation area is near completion at the base in Cowes, Isle of Wight. The purpose of the mock-up is to physically test the ergonomics of the cockpit and accommodation layout: "There is only so much that can be done on paper," said Neil Graham, Technical Director for Team Kingfisher. "The 2d images do not show us if its possible for Ellen to stand at the central grinding pedastal and reach the port winch, for example. We need to check that the deck layout suits her size and reach."

The first noticeable aspect about the cockpit and navigation area is how compact it is: "It is very similar in size and depth to Kingfisher (her Open 60 monohull) - there is no need to have a cavernous area down below," said MacArthur. The advantage of the mock-up means that any changes can easily be made: "With a mdf mock up you can muck around with it - its easy to chop and change," said Graham. "Whereas altering the boat further down the line is far more expensive and time consuming."

As the mock-up nears completion in the UK, on the other side of the world, the mould tools for the main hull, floats and beams are under construction at the Boatspeed boat yard just north of Sydney.

"Seeing the images of her moulds reminded me vividly of this moment four years ago...seeing the first images of Kingfisher's wooden plug," said MacArthur. "It's an indescribable feeling of excitment and I can't wait to get out there."

A 25-man build team are working on the construction of the new trimaran: "Boatspeed are in the first stage of construction, building the molds for the floats and beams and the plug for the main hull," explained Graham. Once this stage is complete the build team will be ready to start laminating the primary components: "We have to achieve maximum efficiency in the 'cooking' cycle," said Graham. "All these main components are actually being constructed inside a huge oven that is 40m long x 11m wide x 7.4m high - this means the mold tools don't have to move when the hull and deck are ready to be cured in the oven."