{"id":156693,"date":"2025-02-12T06:33:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T06:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=156693"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T09:35:10","slug":"extraordinary-boats-the-mini-globe-race-globe-5-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/extraordinary-boats\/extraordinary-boats-the-mini-globe-race-globe-5-80-156693","title":{"rendered":"Extraordinary boats: The Mini Globe Race Globe 5.80"},"content":"Scow bow designs are still very rare in the UK and mostly elsewhere in northern Europe. The exception is France, especially on the Atlantic coast, where their distinctive spatula-shaped forward sections are an increasingly common sight on Mini 650s, Class 40<\/a>s and IMOCA 60<\/a>s, and now the new Ace 30.\r\n\r\nScow designs are now even pushing into the cruising domain. The Mojito 650, for instance, is a detuned version of the phenomenally successful Maxi 650 that took five of the top nine places in the last Mini Transat, with demand outstripping the rate at which builder IDB Marine can produce them. The Mojito 650 offers huge accommodation volume for a 21-footer, along with distinctive style, yet still offers planing performance downwind and a surprising turn of speed close hauled.\r\n\r\nWith the explosion of interest in short-handed offshore racing<\/a> on both sides of the English Channel, it\u2019s perhaps no surprise to find a new scow bowed yacht aimed at IRC racing, even though that\u2019s a much harder challenge to overcome. While planing designs now dominate among new IRC boats launched in the 40-45ft and upwards sector, the opposite is the case for smaller boats, where heavier displacement designs still dominate.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142299\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Scow hulls aim to keep the boat going above the waves rather than through them. Photo: Photo Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe problem is that getting a decent IRC rating for a smaller lightweight boat is seen as being next to impossible. As a result, some of the most successful designs this season, such as the\r\nJPK 10.10 and Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600<\/a> \u2013 between them accounting for all of the top four places in the 2022 RORC overall season\u2019s points, weigh 4 or 5 tonnes and therefore have relatively heavy displacement length ratios.\r\n\r\nAttempting to disrupt the status quo with a radical lightweight design is a brave move, but that\u2019s what the new Ace 30 is hoping to achieve. At the same time, the boat is intended to appeal to former Mini 650 owners \u2013 this class has a huge number of alumni, many of which continue to seek fast and innovative new boats.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142297\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Downwind performance should be impressive. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n

Ace 30 \u2013 a tardis concept<\/h2>\r\nWhen viewed from the dock the Ace 30 looks like a small boat with slab sides and a big chunky coachroof. However, once on board, whether above or below decks, it feels like a much larger vessel with very impressive stability. The reverse sheer is not a style statement. It increases the intrinsic stiffness of the hull, increases volume in the central parts of the accommodation and reduces weight in the ends of the boat.\r\n\r\nThe deck layout is very similar to that of JPKs and Sun Fasts, although the benches forward lack even the smallest of coamings. Even so, anyone who has sailed these or similar boats will feel instantly at home.\r\n\r\nMy sail on board wasn\u2019t in optimal conditions for the boat, with true wind of mostly 5-6 knots. Nevertheless, it immediately proved to be quick, with boat speed of 6-7.5 knots even when VMG running at 140\u00b0 true wind angle in these light airs. Upwind 5-6 knots was possible, though you have to sail at wide angles of around 50\u00b0 TWA and it's important not to pinch too close. Bearing away as little as 5\u00b0 can increase boat speeds by 1 knot and markedly reduces slamming.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142294\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The cockpit layout of the Ace 30 is broadly similar to that of Sun Fasts, JPKs and similar boats of this size. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn stronger winds during the European Yacht of the Year trials at La Rochelle, we could see the boat matching the close hauled speeds of around 7 knots achieved by the much larger Linjett 39 and First 36, albeit sailing noticeably lower.\r\n\r\nLike other scows it\u2019s when power-reaching and downwind in a blow that this boat will really come into its own. A very different setup and sail trim are required compared to conventional boats. The mast is very well aft in the boat and needs a lot of both mast rake and bend.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142295\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"320\"]\"\" Transom-hung rudders reduce weight and complexity, while also allowing easy adjustment of toe-in angle. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n\r\nDesigner and builder Antoine Mainfray of Atelier Interface in La Rochelle says he worked hard to keep the IRC rating down, while also keeping the weight of the boat low. During the design process he applied for three trial certificates, with the last of these coming in at a respectable 1.014. During the build he moved the engine back slightly to trim the stern down, made the interior more comfortable, and further tweaked sail sizes.\r\n\r\nThe final rating of 1.001 also reflects the setup of the first boat, which is optimised for transatlantic<\/a> races such as the Transquadra, Cap Martinique, and RORC Transatlantic. It therefore has a very short luff J2 jib and is not rated with the J1 that would be needed on shorter offshore races, where more light air upwind sailing is likely to be experienced. Nevertheless, this is a figure very close to that of older successful and heavier designs such as the JPK 10.10 \u2013 and several per cent lower than the Sun Fast 3300.\r\n\r\nThe stability of this boat is such that the J4 doesn't need to be used until the true wind speed is greater than 25 knots. Equally, the 100m2 A2 spinnaker \u2013 a very large sail for a boat of this length and weight \u2013 is intended for use in true wind of up to 25 knots, after which you switch to the A5.\r\n

Eco footprint<\/h2>\r\nSustainability is also an important element of the concept and Mainfray, who has also recently delivered a foiling<\/a> Mini 650 that uses bamboo \u2013 \u201ca material that can have a negative carbon footprint\u201d \u2013 in the structure, appears to do as much as possible to live by his values.\r\n\r\nThis is one of the reasons for the plywood build of the Ace 30. The carbon footprint of this boat is 1.9 tonnes, whereas an equivalent GRP hull would be over 6 tonnes, even before making allowance for building moulds.\r\n\r\nPlywood is also inherently lightweight and stiff, making it ideal for building one-off raceboats and small production runs without a mould. This boat also includes carbon reinforcement, primarily around the chainplates and a spider of unidirectional fibres on the coachroof.\r\n\r\nThe okoume ply used for the hull is mostly 12mm thick, with 15mm used for some parts of the structure. Outside of this are two layers of biaxial rovings, plus a third at 45\u00b0. These are laid up using bio resins and increase strength, particularly around the keel, where the lay-up is thicker, while also providing impact resistance to protect the timber. Inside the boat, the ply is coated and impregnated with epoxy, but is not sheathed with glass.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142292\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Interior is functional but spacious and light and includes a settee each side, central table, nav station and galley. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe coachroof is partly made of GRP, using bio epoxies and recycled PET cores, but again without a mould.\r\n\r\nMainfray says that in areas without much curvature the sandwich can be laminated and infused in one go. Where complex curves are required he moulds one skin on a jig or template, then adds the core material and the second laminate in another phase.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_142290\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The computer monitor is on a big swing arm, so can be moved to each side of the boat or viewed through the companionway when on deck. Photo: Ludovic Fruchaud\/EYOTY[\/caption]\r\n

Roomy interior<\/h2>\r\nBelow decks is functional, but surprisingly spacious, with enough volume to make a reasonable ultra-fast cruiser. The low freeboard means there are no sole boards, so you stand on the hull and have to step over the structural members to get around. This gives reasonable 1.75m (5ft 9in) headroom near the table, increasing to well over 6ft under the cuddy.\r\n\r\nThe saloon has a long settee each side, with sitting headroom under the very wide side decks, plus a central table that houses the diesel tank, keeping weight central and low down. There are twin open plan double berths aft, and seats each side for taking a nap near the companionway.\r\n\r\n
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“Go small, go cheap, go now,\u201d famously said Lin and Larry Pardy, who sailed for decades aboard small engineless yachts they built themselves. For Don McIntyre, the restless mind behind the Globe 5.80, his newest race is an idea with simplicity and accessibility at its core. And while his previous events \u2013 the Golden Globe Race and Ocean Globe Race \u2013 were \u2018revival\u2019 events that specified vintage designs to race in modern recreations of races from the 1960s and 1970s, the Mini Globe Race is an all-new concept that called for an all-new design. \u201cI just love little boats and big adventures,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019m not doing it for money. There is none! It will be a low impact and sustainable adventure for all those who choose to take up the challenge. Perhaps, where the comfort of a high standard of living we all aspire to is flat-lining, the Mini Globe will be a chance for individuals to define who they really are.\u201d While established rallies and races offer a high level of support, and boats can be built with an abundance of comfort and greatly increased levels of safety, the uptake of the Globe 5.80 challenge would suggest many are seeking out something more pared back to bare essentials. The Mini Globe Race promises an adventure that will not only connect each participant \u2013 15 skippers are currently bidding to qualify \u2013 with the challenge of ocean sailing, but also the experience of living very simply on each passage. Many participants are not only racing, but have also built their 5.80s from a series of licenced plans and kits, adding another dimension to the challenge and a unique sense of satisfaction to each project. Human scale In a yacht that was created for single-handing from day one, there is a rare singularity to the design of the 5.80 that is striking as soon as you step on board. The rigging is slight, the sails small, the overall scale diminutive. Despite this, it works elegantly, and it\u2019s not a huge leap to imagine a long ocean passage aboard. Article continues below… At the helm, with the tiller extension in hand, skippers\u2019 shoulders will still sit below the doghouse and there\u2019s a surprisingly high freeboard relative to the length of the boat. Aft, one part of the yacht that appears almost overbuilt is the wind vane self-steering gear, the primary autopilot. However, it\u2019s when stepping down into the yacht \u2013 a surprisingly long way down \u2013 that you feel most at home. There are two well-sized bench berths, a navigation station, and a single burner. Forward, beyond a watertight bulkhead, is a large storage area. Unlike the Mini Transat 6.50 designs or other modern ocean racers, it doesn\u2019t have a canting keel or even water ballast. Instead, it has a simple bulbed fin keel, a single, transom-hung rudder and a standard aluminium rig of modest proportions. Home built While some yachts have been professionally built, a condition of the race is …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":447,"featured_media":156701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[976,159],"tags":[901,1633],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156693"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/447"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156693"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156706,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156693\/revisions\/156706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156693"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=156693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}