MARINE EXPERT SAILS ON CLIPPER RACE
Dave Monks, the Green Marine expert who lead the repair work on the Clipper fleet has decided to demonstrate his total confidence in his work - by sailing on board Glasgow Clipper on the race to Qingdao, China which left Subic Bay, Philippines on Sat 25th March. Whilst the Clipper fleet were out of the water in the Philippines following rectification work on the keel and hull of the boats, Green Marine led an impressive repair job, accomplishing the work in record time. Dave has been building boats for 16 years and has had his own boat for the past three years.  Speaking ahead of Saturday's restart he said: "My participation in the race to Qingdao will, I hope, show all crew and skippers that we have absolute confidence in the boats.  The guys here have been fantastic. At times we've had eighty-plus workers plus supervision."

Dave also revealed he had formed quite an attachment with Glasgow Clipper.

"I can't wait to get on Glasgow , having spent so long with her at Subic Bay .  I know what everything does on the boat and I think I'll get to grips with it all pretty quickly - if not they'll throw me off!"

---

GREEN MARINE TEAM CONFIDENT CLIPPER YACHTS WILL MAKE START DATE

The three-man team from Green Marine, the UK 's leading composite boat builder, are confident that the rectification work they are supervising on the 10-boat Clipper Round the World Race fleet will allow the yachts to meet their scheduled re-start date of Saturday 25th March.

When keel problems hit several of the Chinese-built boats and race organisers took the decision to divert the fleet to Subic Bay in the Philippines Sir Robin Knox-Johnston turned to Green Marine for advice on how best to deal with the situation. Speed would be of the essence and Green Marine were the obvious choice to manage the project. Surveys identified problems with the connection between the outer skin of the hulls and the keel and it was decided to correct this across all 10 boats.

Green Marine composite specialist Dave Monks arrived in Subic Bay on February 20th and immediately began the process of assembling work crews and setting up an effective production line. The local area has a few small boat yards and these provided the initial workforce but it was quickly apparent that many more would be needed. A week or so later all 10 boats were out of the water and Monks had been joined by Colin Short and Stuart Lane from Green Marine's Lymington factories. Over the next two weeks the workforce grew to 81, mostly semi-skilled locals. Monks explains "We've had to do a fair bit of on the job training - most of the local guys haven't used our methods or materials before but they are really good people and they learn fast - the rate of progress is impressive."

"Impressive" is the word when you look at a few stats: at the height of work 81 people amounts to over 1000 man hours a day which in turn averages 100 hours per boat per day. 10 68ft racing boats have been lifted out, shored up, de-rigged and stripped of all onboard furniture, tanks, engines and batteries. Keels have been removed as has the outer skin and core of the sandwich construction underneath the entire keel bracing structure installed by the original builders. This has been replaced with epoxy glass which is six times stronger than the original material. Internally the failed materials have been replaced with laminate.   Keels have been reattached and internal fittings replaced. Chinese entry Qingdao was the first boat back in the water on 17th March having been lifted out on 16 th February - that's not bad for one boat - for 10 it's "impressive".

7 boats are now back in the water with the remaining 3 due in tomorrow and the bulk of the crews are already in Subic Bay keen to start on some pre-race training and to make preparations for departure to Qingdao in China on Saturday.    

For more information about the Clipper Round the World Race visit www.clipper-ventures.co.uk

---

PATCHES WINS INAUGURAL ROLEX TP52 GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHP

March 13, 2006

As if to prove that the TP52 class is now one of the most competitive and hardest fought games in sailing, the two leaders - Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 52 and Irishman Eamon Conneely's Green Marine built Patches - entered the final day and two windward-leeward races of the Rolex TP52 Global Championship, sailed in conjunction with Acura Miami Race Week, with Kahn's boat ahead by just 0.75 points. At the end of the first race today Patches had regained first place, though leading Pegasus 52 by just 0.25 points. The outcome would come down to the final race.

Patches and Pegasus 52 tackled the pre-start of this last line-up like an America 's Cup match race, the two boats aggressively circling one another beyond the committee boat. Their progress up the first beat was relatively even until the approach to the weather mark where Patches was approaching on starboard with rights while Pegasus was on port attempting to barge its way in between the starboard tack boats.

"It was going to be close to cross with them as they had Glory right above them, but we had them, had them, had them - no problem - and kept going fast, but they did a nice job," said Pegasus' Ken Read on what transpired just prior to the mark rounding. "All of a sudden I think they got a flat spot and were hunting a bit. In about 15 seconds it went from a cross to a no cross. But by that time we were committed in there and there was no bailing out." Patches was forced into a crash tack to avoid colliding with Pegasus' transom, its crew protesting loudly. Pegasus immediately carried out a 360-degree penalty turn relegating it to last position. Finally, after rounding the mark the team had to perform another turn for having fouled within two boat lengths of the mark. "If you live by the sword you die by the sword," said Read.

This weather mark incident was clearly the deciding moment of the race, but while most teams might have taken it as a final knockout blow, Pegasus did not. Kahn's team admittedly brought up the rear for the next legs, but by the time the race finished they had done an admirable job climbing back to third place, immediately behind Patches. The finish wasn't enough to beat them overall. Eamon Conneely's team, led by British double Olympic medallist Ian Walker, won the regatta by just 32.25 points to Pegasus' total of 33.5.

"I was very nervous last night and yesterday after winning," admitted Eamon Conneely. "We had to beat Pegasus in both races today. It was incredibly close, so close you couldn't have engineered it. And it all came down to the last race..." Patches won this regatta in a particularly dramatic 'come-back' style after it had been forced to retire from the high scoring distance race on Thursday night with severe breakage to the deck, scoring maximum points in the process.

"I am thrilled for Eamon," said Walker . "He has put a lot of time and money into the boat. We only just made this regatta with the guys working for a month to fix the keel after Key West and then to break the boat here and fix it over night... It is quite a big team - not just all the guys on the boat who sailed well, but all the guys who have been fixing it and designing it and making it happen."
Source www.regattanews.com

---

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

GREEN MARINE BUILD ERICSSON AND DISNEY BOATS
Two of the seven-boat Volvo fleet have been built by Green Marine. Intensive builds on the Volvo Open 70s have taken place over the last few months with the first boat for the Ericsson Racing Team leaving the Lymington factory on 30 th June and the second, for the Walt Disney Company, which was launched and christened The Black Pearl on 13 th September - just 53 days before the start of the race.

British skipper Neal McDonald will lead the Ericsson Racing Team and America 's Paul Cayard will skipper The Black Pearl. He and his crew left immediately after the launch to complete their 2000 mile qualification passage and then headed to Sanxenxo in Spain where their shore team set up a base prior to the Volvo Ocean Race start from Vigo on 5 th November.

For the latest news on the Volvo Race visit www.volvooceanrace.org

---

GHOST

This beautiful 122-foot luxury fast-cruising sloop was launched in June. After a year-long build at our Southampton site where we built the hull, deck and complete composite structure, the boat went to the Vitters Shipyard in Holland where a team from Green Marine worked alongside the Vitters team on the finish. Ghost is a lightweight high performance yacht built to a stylish and minimalist design concept from Italian designers Luca Brenta & Associate - the result is truly spectacular.

Photos credit: Matteo Piazza / Max Ranchi

Photos credit: Matteo Piazza / Max Ranchi

---

TAMAR CLASS

The first of the new generation RNLI lifeboat - the all-weather slipway launched Tamar class was named and launched in July. The 'Peter and Lesley-Jane Nicholson' will join the RNLI Reserve Fleet while the second boat, to be named 'Haydn Miller' has been assigned to the Tenby Lifeboat Station where a new station house, designed to accommodate the new hull shape, has been under construction - she is expected to come into service in December.

The RNLI believes the Tamar to be the most advanced lifeboat in the world. Designed by the charity's in-house engineering team and with input from the Green Marine build team, the 16-metre Tamar lifeboat is built in the Green Marine hull oven from advanced composite materials - pre-preg epoxy, glass and carbon - and uses the latest technology to keep lifeboat crew volunteers safe at sea.

The Tamar replaces the Tyne class introduced in 1982 and can be slipway launched or lie afloat.

A host of technological developments are incorporated in the new lifeboat including onboard Systems and Information Management System (SIMS) which allows the crew to control many of the on board functions without leaving their seats. State of the art shock mitigating seats with improved ergonomics also reduce the risk of injury to crew members when the lifeboat is crashing through heavy seas.

---

TP52

PATCHES - HAS COWES WEEK ALL SEWN UP

It has been an exhilarating season for Eamon Conneely since his TP52 Patches was launched in May. After a short but intensive tune-up programme Patches cleaned up at various regattas at home in Ireland before heading back to the Solent to compete in the biggest regatta in the world. All eyes were on the sleek black hull at Skandia Cowes Week where she didn't disappoint.

With Olympians Shirley Robertson and Ian Walker on board she out-performed every boat in her class to make a clean sweep of all of the 'prestige' trophies. Mr Conneely looked a happy man as he collected the Rocking Horse Trophy, the Queen's Cup, Britannia Cup and the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup at the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Photo credit: OnEdition

After cleaning up in the Solent Patches headed to the Med to race in the remaining regattas in that circuit where she raced against, amongst others, Cristabella also built by Green Marine earlier this year and launched in the summer. To wrap up the year she will cross the Atlantic to the US for Key West race Week in January and the TP52 Global Championships in Miami in March

---

IMX

The all-new IMX 70, built for X-Yachts, takes blue water cruising to a new level. With the IMX 70 X-Yachts chose not to go the conventional route, but instead selected an all carbon hull and deck construction with carbon composite bulkheads and keel floor structures.

Together with the choice of the finest teak veneer interior, a lightweight yacht was created, still rigid and durable and with a luxurious interior that will set new standards in this yachting segment.

The yacht, named Xérès, was delivered to her new owner in September, Click here for the technical specifications within projects.

---

CAD OFFICE
Over the last three years Green Marine has been expanding its drawing and design capability. Originally we simply required a draughtsman to convert drawings from the designer into workshop drawings. We then started to use quite basic 3D programmes to cope with the new format design information that was now arriving by email. The requirement for this increased with the purchase of our first CNC router cutter - at that point we started to expand the drawing department considerably. As we move into the next stage of this ongoing development, we are using a very sophisticated 3D programme which is capable of modelling the whole boat including all of the internal and external structure and equipment. With this facility we are able to study intricate design requirements such as shaped hatches, engine boxes and so on. It gives us the ability to ensure that elements like this, for example, open and close properly. Traditionally this would have been tested, effectively, by trial and error, building test models or have to be mocked up on the workshop floor – a hugely time-consuming process.

On many previous projects boats have been designed and engineered before we have had much input into the build process. We are now able to be involved with the customer/designer at an earlier stage so that we can influence the project in the direction of an efficient build process. At present we are working with the RNLI to help develop the new FCB experimental Carriage Boat. Our drawing staff are sitting in on design meetings and helping with build solutions to design problems at an early stage. Our team is able to offer the customer a 3D model of the boat and quickly produce images of various layouts and ideas without having to resort to the more traditional 2D paper drawings.

---

WINDJET
Windjet is a campaign to break three Wind Powered World Speed Records on land, ice and water. Green Marine built the original Windjet land craft and is still closely involved with the project.

Travelling at five times the wind speed on land and up to 9 times on ice, the Windjet craft are probably the most efficient vehicles on the planet.

After several months in Nevada waiting for the right conditions for an attempt on the Land Record which is 116.7 mph (USA) set in 1999, the team is now back at there UK base. The next attempt for the record will be in March 2006. Check out the Windjet website for the latest news…Windjet

 

 

---

70 FOOTER FOR X-YACHTS
In build now at our Spitfire Quay factory in Southampton is the new IMX 70 for the Danish company X-Yachts.

New X70 Hull looking towards the bow

DIMENSIONS
Hull Length 21.40 m 70.2 ft
Waterline Length 18.63 m 61.1 ft
Beam 5.37 m 17.6 ft
Draft 4.00 m 13.1 ft

The X-Yachts Design Group has drawn an elegant yacht which will be built in full carbon high tech materials. Green Marine has been commissioned to build both hull and deck moulds for semi-series production of the IMX 70. This construction will be in full carbon utilising sandwich construction with Corecell foam, ensuring a durable and strong structure.
The high level of specification of the IMX 70 will include twin carbon wheel steering, rudder shaft in carbon, carbon mast and carbon furling boom as well as all bulkheads in carbon composite. The bulkheads will be covered with the finest teak veneers for an exclusive interior look without compromising on weight and structural requirements.

The engineering for the project will be undertaken by Southampton based SP Systems
IMX 70 – hull number 1 – will be delivered during the summer of 2005.

---

TRANSPAC 52 (TP52)
The Transpac 52 Class offers high-performance grand-prix sailing both inshore and offshore. The class has been hugely successful in the US and the Mediterranean Fleet is growing rapidly with more and more new boats in the works. The Transpac 52 Class is clearly the place to be!
The Transpac 52 Box Rule is a simple rule that yields fast, attractive boats, that are exciting to sail. Sailing World Magazine calls the Transpac 52 class ”the breath of fresh air that owners in search of a grand-prix rule have been waiting for.” According to Seahorse Magazine "The appeal of the TP52s has been in their clean, fast lines, sensible restrictions within a relatively simple box rule, and their raw speed. With small jibs, no runners and open deck layout, they are also as easy to sail as many popular one-designs, yet by conforming to ORC accommodation standards they can be measured using IMS parameters and so be legal under most existing rules."

Green Marine has recently completed the build of two TP52s

‘Patches’ is for Eamon Conneely and from the Reichel Pugh design team. Mr Conneely is a relative newcomer to sailing but driven by a desire to race at the highest level he commissioned the building of a state-of-the-art TP52. ‘Patches’ is the first TP52 in Ireland, and will be sailed under the Galway Bay Sailing Club and Irish flags. She is named after the birthplace of her owner - Patches, Claddaghduff, Co. Galway.

’Patches’ was launched on 24 May 2005 and after an intensive tune-up period will compete in the British IRC Championships, Cowes, IOW from 03 - 05 June. A full race schedule will see her compete in world-class events in Ireland, UK, Europe and the USA over the coming year, including Fastnet Race, Middle Sea Race and Sardinia Cup.

‘Cristabella’ for Owner/Skipper John Cook is from the Judel/Vrolijk design office. She will be based in Palma, Majorca in Spain and will compete in the highly competitive Mediterranean TP52 circuit – with events in Spain, Italy and Sardinia throughout the summer.

www.patches.ie
www.transpac52.org

---

AZUR DE PUIG
Last year Green Marine built a pair of identical 56-foot IMS custom racing yachts – Caixa Galicia and X-Sport, from the Botin and Carkeek design office - that have been hugely successful in the competitive Mediterranean IMS fleets.

Late Spring saw two more IMS race yachts – again designed by Botin and Carkeek – leave the yard. Azur de Puig is an IMS 49, built using sandwich construction technique with carbon pre-preg, Corecell core and Film Infusion. She is the latest boat for the Spanish Azur de Puig Sailing team and has a full competition calendar – attending all of the major Regattas in Spain and the Canary Islands – for the rest of the year. Her results to date have been impressive, with a 4th place at both the Trofeo Zegna and the Regata Freixenet and a 3rd at the Trofeo Conde de Godó- all held in Barcelona during May.

She boasts an impressive crew with Eddie Warden Owen and John Cutler as regular tacticians. Also sailing with the team, and Godmother to the boat, is Her Royal Highness SAR Infanta Cristina of Spain. More royal connections also with SAR Alexia of Greece – who is one of the trimmers on board.

Most recently Azur de Puig recorded another 3rd place at the Regata Castellón-Costa Azahar.

---

TALISMAN
Our second IMS yacht is Talisman. She was built for the Talisman IMS 500 Racing Programme based in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States.

The programme started in 2000, racing largely PHRF with a custom Farr design 44’. In late 2002, this yacht was upgraded to a Farr 53’. The latest generation Talisman is the Green Marine built IMS 500 class, designed by Botin and Carkeek. The boat is skippered by Marco Birch and run by Thomas Ots. Well known regulars on board include Peter Isler navigating, Adrian Stead calling tactics and Morgan Trubovitch trimming.

Shortly after taking delivery of the boat the team was racing at the IMS World Championships in Capri, Italy where they were 3rd in class and 4th Overall.

Most recently Talisman was part of the 3-boat USA team at the Sardinia Rolex Cup where they were 2nd overall in the team competition and 1st in class in the 7 race series.

The yacht will now be shipped back to her home base in the US and begin racing again in September in the American YC Fall Series, then on to the Manhasset Fall Series, the IMS 50 Fall Finale and the IMS Mid Atlantic Championships.

---

5.5 Metre
An intensive build period for an American owner has been completed on a Doug Peterson/Ian Howlett designed 5.5 Metre racing yacht. The building frames were CNC cut in the Lymington workshop and assembled in a single day – allowing the project to get off to a quick start.

Finished product ready to go!

IMS 56
All of us at Green Marine like to keep a keen eye on how our boats are performing and we’ve been watching the progress throughout the summer of Caixa Galicia and X-Sport - the identical 56-foot custom racing yachts which left Spitfire Quay in late April following an intensive 5-month build. Here’s the science: the hull, deck and main structures of the yachts are of sandwich construction using Carbon Pre-preg, Corecell core and Film Infusion; all of the custom composite components were also manufactured in Carbon. The estimated displacement of each boat is 16800kg with a LOA of 17.4m, Beam of 4.140m and Draught of 3.748m.
After a road journey to Valencia, Spain, where keels were fitted and masts stepped, the pair were ready to show what they could do on the IMS Mediterranean circuit – and they didn’t disappoint.

Caixa Galicia particularly has dominated in her first season. The results certainly speak for themselves and these Botin and Carkeek designed yachts have been much admired, talked about – and envied – by the hugely competitive Mediterranean IMS fleets.

		Caixa Galicia - photo:Ivo Rovira
REGATTA
CAIXA GALICIA	RESULT
Mediteranian IMS Championship	1st
Trofeo Costa Azahar	1st
Trofeo S M La Reina	1st
Trofeo Tabarca-Ciudad de Alicante	1st
Copa del Rey	1st
Trofeo Corporación Caixa Galicia	1st
Trofeo Conde de Godó	2nd
Breitling Regata	2nd
Trofeo S A R Principe de Asturias-Bayona	2nd
Regatta Freixenet	5th
X-SPORT
Audi Italian IMS Championship	1st
Griaglia Rolex Cup	1st
Mediteranian IMS Championship	2nd
IMS Worlds	3rd
Copa del Rey	4th

 

Farr 115 - SOJANA LAUNCHED
Peter Harrison’s new 115-foot cruising ketch was christened SOJANA and launched on Friday 12th September at his GBR Challenge base in Cowes. Green Marine carried out the hull and deck development and build at Spitfire Quay, Southampton with fit-out and finish done by Fast Cruising Ltd at the GBR Challenge yard. SOJANA is constructed from carbon fibre pre-preg, with 50mm Nomex honeycomb core. The major objective was to achieve a fast, responsive and comfortable yacht, suitable for both family cruising and high performance offshore racing. This has been realised with a relatively light displacement – 96 tons – and the provision of multiple sail configuration options from the ketch rig.

Photo Caption: SOJANA - looking aft from the mast

Conceptual drawings of the new Farr 115

SOJANA

photo credit: Rick Tomlinson

After her launch in September last year Peter Harrison’s superyacht SOJANA headed for Barbados and the Caribbean race circuit where she has been much admired. Her first major racing was at the highly competitive Antigua Sailing Week. Harrison was thrilled with the race performance of the 115-foot cruising ketch – and she’s just as impressive when she reverts to cruising mode, averaging a respectable 13.1 knots on the 9 day delivery trip. Already causing excitement on the international scene she has enjoyed fulsome praise in both Yachting World and Boat International magazines.

Designer Bruce Farr used his experience of his designs for Whitbread ketches to adapt SOJANA’s split rig with oversized mizzen to her slender hull. Green Marine’s brief for the hull and deck build was to save as much weight as possible – achieved in her construction from carbon fibre pre-preg with 50mm Nomex core. The result – a fast, responsive and comfortable yacht, excelling in both family cruising and performance offshore racing, and she looks pretty good too.

---

LIFEBOATS
Work started early in 2004 on the first of four new Tamar Class production slipway boats.