Bowels of the beast

Cant the keel, bow down and sheet on? Forget it, the latest canting-keel designs conceal a wealth of control software and management solutions. Sydney 'Finn Master' Blue Robinson hooked up in Australia with Guy Oliver and Michael Dunn, who between them have over 40 years of experience in designing and installing control, communication and process systems. No surprise that it is to Oliver and Dunn's business, Olectric Systems, that designers such as Reichel-Pugh are turning for applications including CBTF keel and steering management and power-winch control systems

SH: Have recent problems in the Volvo Race set back the 'cause'? Guy Oliver: Pretty much every development in yachting has experienced setbacks which have been met with criticism. When wood hulls were replaced by fibreglass, there were problems with delamination. In the late 1970s carbon rudders were installed on many raceboats and they broke - but development continued. Even when the rudder was separated from the keel in the late 1950s it created controversy.

Canting keels have been around a long time, particularly in the BOC and Vendée Globe. Pete Goss raced around the world on Aqua Quorum in 1996/97 and beat upwind for 30 hours in atrocious weather to rescue Raphael Dinelli, then completed the race and sold the boat to Ellen MacArthur as Kingfisher. So the technology works well if you invest the time.

To read the remainder of this and many other topical technical articles, please purchase your copy of the July 2006 edition of Seahorse International Sailing, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

You can subscribe via our website