Challenging

More impressive perhaps than her recent transatlantic record was the fact that the new Mari-Cha crossed and recrossed the Atlantic - at some speed - with little or no technical difficulty straight out of the box. JMV Shipyard built Mari-Cha IV under the watchful eye of skipper Jef d'Etiveaud, who tasked SP Technologies with getting the composite engineering right... first time. Design engineer Fred Louarn reports

Measuring 44.3m overall, with a total sail area of 1,100m2 upwind and 1,500m2 downwind, Mari-Cha IV is similar in size to her illustrious predecessor, Mari-Cha III. However, this impressive yacht displaces only 60 tonnes in sailing configuration, making Mari-Cha IV almost 50 per cent lighter than her predecessor.

Unique design features, such as her canting keel and two almost identical rigs that require separate teams of grinders and trimmers, have attracted a lot of industry interest, while so far at least owner Robert Miller and project manager Jef d'Etiveaud's brief to produce the fastest racing monohull yet seen appears to have been fulfilled.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the December 2003 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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