Tests complete

Volvo Ocean Race Chief Measurer James Dadd gives Team Russia's VO70 Kosatka the thumbs up

Volvo Ocean Race Chief Measurer James Dadd gave Team Russia the green light after successfully completing its pull down test in Portland Harbour, on the south coast of England today.

The team, fresh back from safety training in Newcastle, were on hand to witness the tests required by VOR to check the hydraulics of the canting keel.  With almost 72 tonnes of force being expended through the Volvo Open 70 Kosatka, this was also a major test of the boat's structural integrity and design.

Kosatka's designers Rob and Tom Humphreys were on hand during the test along with Greg Waters from Central Coast Hydraulics & Engineering who had flown in from Australia.  This was Greg's fourth VO70 being tested for the Race, joining a prestigious list of canting keel designs including Speedboat, ICAP Leopard and Wild Oats X1 that all sport hydraulics designed and installed by his company.

Team Russia's shore team led by Tim Dean completed the tests set out by Dadd to ensure the boat is rule compliant to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race. Once Kosatka was weighed, she was put back into the water and prepared for the pull down. The rule clearly requires that the keel be canted horizontally in the air on one hydraulic ram and then the processes repeated on the other side.

First the hydraulics were isolated on one side and the ram automatically set to go to maximum cant, this caused the boat to heel. A rope leading from the mast to the dock was winched down to achieve a 50deg angle then the DC electric pump was used to move the keel back to the centre position.

The next stage was to move the keel to its opposite maximum cant so that the keel lifted slowly out of the water, representing a 40-degree canting angle. 

"During this manoeuvre the DC electric pump is working at full load, double the normal psi," explained Greg Waters. "It's important the pump is designed to be large enough to handle these loads but not too large to create a weigh penalty. As with all race boats it's getting the right combination between reliable function and weight.  It looks like we got this spot on - so a good day for me and the Team."

The Team are now preparing the boat for its 2,000 nautical mile qualifying trip, which they plan to complete later this week.