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Water Ways Ray Pendleton |
Mari Cha IV
fulfilled its purposeTo almost no one's surprise, the West Marine Pacific Cup has a new record-holder.
At 6:13 p.m. Wednesday, British yachtsman Robert Miller's 140-foot ketch Mari Cha IV flew across the finish line outside Kaneohe Bay to set a San Francisco-to-Oahu record of 5 days, 5 hours, 38 minutes and 10 seconds.
There was little surprise, even though this year's wind conditions were not remarkable, because Mari Cha IV was just doing what it had been designed to do: break all the world's existing monohull sailing records.
After two years in construction in Cherbourg, France, this all-carbon-fiber boat was launched in Aug. 2003, and with a capability for speeds of more than 40 knots, on its maiden voyage, it shattered two of the world's most prestigious sailing records.
Mari Cha IV crossed the Atlantic last October -- from New York to the southwest coast of England (2,925 nautical miles) -- in less than seven days to eclipse the transatlantic record by more than two days.
During that same crossing, the boat and its crew made additional sailing history when they smashed the 24-hour distance record, sailing 525.7 nautical miles in a 24-hour period -- the first monohull yacht to sail more than 500 miles in one day.
As for the secret of Mari Cha IV's success, it's really no secret -- size matters in sailing.
Boat speed equates to its length, weight and sail area. So when two giant 148-foot masts carrying a vast amount of sail area are combined with a lightweight, 140-foot hull, performance is bound to be spectacular.
In fact, a major concern becomes one of strength. Will the hull, spars and rigging hold together under the enormous stress that's created by the wind and waves?
Although Mari Cha IV can be reconfigured for cruising with a smaller crew -- using hydraulic drives for its windlasses, among other options -- the crew required for racing is about 23, including Miller, its owner.
As last week's record run in the Pacific Cup is just part of a three-year international racing campaign to set records, and because there are very few appropriate anchorages here, we aren't likely to see Mari Cha IV here for long.
According to its Web site information, the next challenge for Mari Cha IV will come with a "Jules Verne" 'round the world speed record attempt -- named after that famous author's book, "Around the World in 80 Days."
The current record for the Jules Verne is 93 days. However, it is Miller's plan to not just beat the record, but to make Mari Cha IV the first monohull in history to make a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe in less than 80 days.
As an ultimate test of the boat and crew, this race against time starts at a point between England and France. The boat's course will head south around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, then eastward, to pass south of Australia and along the South Pacific's "Roaring Forties." Once around Cape Horn, it will head north through the Atlantic back to the start-finish line.
Through it all, Mari Cha IV will pass through every type of ocean and weather condition imaginable, from windless doldrums to fierce winter gales, and warm, tropical oceans to iceberg-threatened seas.
In retrospect, setting this year's Pacific Cup record will no doubt become a very pleasant memory.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.