‘Hound is a poster child for a bygone era of yacht design’

It’s early morning on 25 June, and final evening was powerful. The wind peaked at 32 knots and up on deck the temper was just a little sombre. Down within the galley space was the A4 gennaker, soaking moist after being recovered from the ocean.

The heavy air sail had burst its zippers earlier than it was on the halyard lock, filling prematurely and loading the halyard. Because the on-watch crew tried to winch it up the ultimate metre, the halyard snapped. After I’d shouted for help, the soggy sail was recovered again on board, however was in two items.

I ran the tapes to see if it was repairable, however sadly the A4 was performed. I glanced on the nav pc, we would have liked that sail to stick with the fleet using the slow-moving entrance on the longer easterly route. With out it, we’d fall off the entrance and into the sunshine winds behind it. We would have liked a revised technique.

Ed Cesare and I share the navigating duties on Hound, a stupendous Nineteen Seventies Aage Nielsen sloop. Constructed by the famend Abeking-Rasmussen shipyard, Hound is a poster little one for a bygone period of yacht design together with her varnished toerails and chic overhangs.

Crusing the Transatlantic Race: Race-winning upgrades

Hound is owned and skippered by Dan Litchfield, who acquired the yacht in 2020. Along with Tom Stark, Hound’s boat captain, he has overseen a sequence of race-winning upgrades, together with a brand new, taller carbon mast, a bowsprit and a brand new North Sail stock that appears to take advantage of a few of the gaps in her efficiency polar.

Not simply the prettiest boat on the dock, Hound’s traditional design now masks an distinctive all-round efficiency, with no notable efficiency weak spot regardless of her 25 ton displacement.

Silky easy crusing and dolphins for firm. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

Mid-Atlantic, we shortly ran a brand new route on Expedition with the newest ECMWF mannequin forecast and it confirmed the northern route was only a few hours slower than the japanese possibility. It might put us nearer to the ‘nice circle’ route and maintain us within the stronger north-westerly winds behind the entrance.

After the A4 sail injury, a noticeably shaken watch had hoisted the jib-top and we had been now reaching into an more and more constructing sea state. As our watch got here again on deck, the choice was already made to place the smaller fractional A3 gennaker up and get ripping alongside once more.

An opportunity to chill out in gentle airs. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

It’s by no means a straightforward determination to separate from the fleet, however all three of the yachts forward of us in our class had been lighter, extra highly effective downwind flyers and would probably keep forward of the entrance in recent south-westerly winds. Ed and I believed it unlikely we may sustain and, as soon as that was clear, Dan made the fast determination to again ourselves on the northern route.

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Dodging windmillls

The RORC Transatlantic Race takes the fleet from Newport, Rhode Island, to Cowes, UK – a month earlier than the centenary version of the Rolex Fastnet Race (for which I might even be navigating on Hound).

The Transatlantic began at 1300 EDT on 18 June with the road shrouded in thick fog. It was simply attainable to make out the Fort Hill lighthouse, which marked one finish. We had a fantastic begin and spent the primary evening crusing proper by way of the center of the partially constructed Winery Wind Farm (the primary industrial wind farm within the US).

Hound didn’t win the RORC Transatlantic Race, however Conrad Humphreys nonetheless discovered the journey was an enlightening expertise. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

We weren’t the one ones to sail proper by way of the center of the farm, and I quickly heard one other former World Problem skipper and nice buddy Dee Caffari on the radio, speaking to the wind farm operator, who appeared bemused as to why we’d knowingly sail by way of a wind farm in thick fog.

Like Dee, we had sight on each radar and AIS of the 62 large generators that had been spaced one mile aside. Unknown to each of us was the truth that many weren’t but in operation and never on AIS!

As soon as safely by way of we set about crossing the Nantucket Shoals, the place the primary of two waypoints had been set to maintain us to the south of the North Atlantic Proper Whale space of conservation – an initiative the place science is more and more getting used to assist maintain crusing boats away from delicate whaling conservation zones.

Humphreys research the climate. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

From Nantucket, we started a 1,200-mile drag race to the southern ice restrict waypoint Alpha. Having watched fellow IRC competitor Moana prolong just a little within the early phases of the leg, crusing within the north with higher strain nearer to the ice restrict, we opted to additionally depart any beneficial Gulf Stream early and search for higher strain.

Because the excessive strain took maintain, Moana and the 2 different class leaders (Haspa Hamburg and Ikigai) discovered themselves within the centre of the excessive, so we made some actually good good points across the outdoors with a observe alongside the ice restrict. By the point we reached Level Alpha we had been again main our class in IRC.

Route decisions

On Hound, we sail with two watches, with Ed and I sharing the navigation duties. Utilizing Starlink, we will seize common GRIB climate recordsdata (ECMWF and GFS world fashions), satellite tv for pc imagery, synoptic charts and a few native observations (usually from buoys or different ships) We might then run the fashions utilizing Expedition and color code our routes, earlier than spending time doing a little evaluation, based mostly on our precise noticed situations.

Straight from the oven. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

We’d additionally run some routes for our opponents, that are tracked by way of Yellowbrick. At Level Alpha there was a pleasant jet of Gulf Stream present working to the north-east (as much as 2.5 knots), however after that the routeing prompt we proceed crusing eastward simply forward of a chilly entrance, slightly than the extra typical nice circle course to the north-east.

There was a hazard with following that route, that except we may keep excessive averages, we’d fall off the again of the entrance.

Ed and I thought of that if we couldn’t keep excessive speeds, we is perhaps higher gybing again onto port in the direction of the rhumb line, so we ‘pressured’ the routeing with an additional mark on the good circle course – the delta was solely three hours, which didn’t appear quite a bit, contemplating there was a danger that if we dropped off the entrance, we’d be pressured to gybe north in a lot lighter winds.

Authentic Nineteen Seventies espresso grinder remains to be in use. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

Splitting from the fleet was not a call I needed to take, albeit we had been the slowest of our class and the most definitely to drop off the entrance first.

We agreed to push on with our eastward trajectory and take a look at the subsequent climate replace in six hours’ time. The breeze was regular at 20-25 knots and the on-watch determined to set the A4 gennaker. It was moments later that we had been again on deck fishing the sail out of the water.

For the primary few days, confidence inbuilt our revised technique. With the A3 we had been fast and, whereas the ocean state was difficult, we discovered a mode that was quick. Nonetheless, our mates within the east had been additionally making good speeds, pointing their bows immediately on the UK. We may solely hope that the entrance would overhaul them.

Trendy sails and traditional strains make Hound a quick all-rounder. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

Final probability

Twenty-four hours later our pace slowed because the low strain moved away and excessive strain moved in. A robust secondary low shaped on the trailing fringe of the entrance and this was the killer blow.

Contemporary Atlantic crusing. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

It supplied a welcome slingshot for the japanese pack, permitting them to sail quick downwind nearly all the best way to the western approaches. We confronted some headwinds on the northern facet of the low, however had been too far-off to go underneath it. This was sadly the nail in our coffin. We may solely watch as Moana, Haspa Hamburg and Ikigai disappeared over the horizon and we had been left languishing.

What did shock me, nonetheless, was that regardless of these gentle downwind situations Hound was nonetheless making good pace. We had a number of hours the place the wind shut down utterly, however in 6 knots of wind we may sail very deep at 130-150° TWA with 7 knots boatspeed. Which, for a 25-tonne yacht, was spectacular!

The crusing was silky easy and we skilled a few of the finest sunrises and sunsets of the journey. We had been additionally handled to an superior show of wildlife with quite a few whale and dolphin sightings.

Drone shot as Hound heads right into a sundown. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

It was magical crusing and I feel we realized quite a bit concerning the boat’s efficiency throughout that ultimate week that may show invaluable for the Rolex Fastnet Race later in July.

As we closed in on the Isles of Scilly, we received our first glimpses of the notorious Bishop Rock Lighthouse and the low mendacity island of St Agnes. From there we handed Wolf Rock and eventually closed in on the Lizard, passing it on 4 July, to mark our official time for crossing the Atlantic.

From the Lizard to Begin Level is my again backyard, having spent many fantastic coaching periods between Plymouth, Lizard and Begin Level as I ready for the Vendée Globe. Plymouth has been house since 1994, so I at all times really feel a fantastic sense of nostalgia arriving again into these waters. Fortunately for me, the wind lifted us into the bay, so we handed inside a mile of Eddystone Lighthouse.

Carbon mast and a bowsprit imply Hound can carry extra sail space. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

Raiding occasion

We gybed again onto starboard because the wind continued to again round to the south-west and construct. We peeled to the A2 gennaker off Begin Level and Tom appeared with the customs flags, a yellow for ‘Q’ and the Pink Ensign. Moments later, a big gray Border Management vessel handed by, I guessed en path to Plymouth.

However they paused behind us after which proceeded to launch their RIB, which was aimed straight at our stern wake.

UK Border Power officers climb aboard Hound. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

I known as them up on the radio to ask what their intentions had been and to see how we’d help, however earlier than I had an opportunity to complete the decision, they’d rammed the RIB alongside and 4 border management officers hauled themselves on deck.

They then searched the vessel whereas the particular person in cost requested a sequence of questions as to what we had been carrying. I used to be fairly shocked – boarding a yacht whereas racing underneath spinnaker at speeds of over 10 knots was harmful and pointless.

Hound’s RORC Transatlantic Race crew. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

A fast search on-line would have recognized the boat, the American flag and the truth that had been racing within the Transatlantic Race. We had been additionally flying a Q flag, which ought to have indicated we had been complying with Customs rules. Then, having established our credentials they left by way of the excessive facet of the yacht, nearly inflicting an incident with considered one of their very own staff. I used to be left fairly flabbergasted after the raiding occasion left.

The ultimate run up the Channel was nice enjoyable, with winds of 20 knots from the south-west, we gybed in in the direction of Portland Invoice after which picked up a beneficial wind shift to put the Needles.

Humphreys takes his activate the espresso grinder. Picture: Nicholas Horbaczewski

By this level it was darkish, so my American staff mates weren’t in a position to see the well-known rock formation on the entrance to the Solent, however I may sense their pleasure as we swept previous Hurst Fort with the flood tide and eventually crossed the road off Cowes to complete the Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time of 16d 08h 49mins.

General, this was considered one of my finest transatlantic crossings. Hound proved herself a beautiful yacht to race. The sunsets, the wildlife, the banter and the beautiful meals made for a effective journey and I used to be trying ahead to our subsequent race in July, the Rolex Fastnet Race.

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