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Thursday, 3 April 2014

Spindrift Racing update, maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 relaunched after extensive program of modifications

From the following press release by Spindrift Racing:

News:

-       An optimised Spindrift 2 relaunches for crewed records and for the solo Route du Rhum
-       The maxi trimaran on standby from the start of June in Newport for the North Atlantic and 24-hour team records.
-       After Mirabaud (Gold Sponsor) and Zenith (Official timekeeper), Genes-x joins the Spindrift racing team for three years as a Gold Sponsor.
 
After three months of ambitious boatbuilding, the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 was relaunched on wednesday, April 2 in Lorient (France) and returned to the base in La Trinité-sur-Mer. The largest racing trimaran in the world has been optimised for the demanding North Atlantic and 24-hours crewed records and then for the solo Route du Rhum. As good news never comes alone, the team created in late 2011 by Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard is continuing to develop: Genes-x, a specialist in DNA, has agreed a three-year deal and joins Mirabaud, as a Gold Sponsor of Spindrift racing.
 
“I congratulate the Spindrift racing team for getting this work done despite such a tight schedule,” Guichard, the skipper, said. With a shorter mast, new sails, new centreboard, new autopilots, general weight loss and a modified deck plan and fittings, the last few weeks have been very busy. “We look forward to being at sea and enjoying the high performance of this fantastic boat,” Guichard added. “The changes made for the North Atlantic and the Route du Rhum mean we have the potential for a stronger performance even while we’re pushing Spindrift 2 less hard. I’ve always tried to sail with finesse, whether in Olympics or offshore and even on a machine of this size, it is possible.”
 
8,000 hours of work
Antoine Carraz, the technical manager and part of the sailing team, said: “We are split between stress and excitement. We fixed the date for the launch of Spindrift 2 three months ago; it’s a point of pride for the team to meet that deadline. Most notably we made structural changes which were necessary after the reduction in size of the mast, these were long and complicated tasks. Spindrift 2 is also a huge puzzle with parts coming from all over Europe and the United States. Coordination of all this is a daily challenge that we have overcome.”
 
read more here

Spindrift 2 ready to launch, photo copyright Eloi Stichelbaut
 

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