Monaco-based Infiniti Yachts and Britain’s Dynamic Stability System (DSS) announce a partnership with celebrated American firm Farr Yacht Design for a new high-performance yacht, Infiniti 53R. As with the other Infiniti yachts already sailing, two 36GTs and a 46-footer set to debut at the RORC Transatlantic Race in November, the the 53R designed by Farr will make use of innovative DSS technology, which increases performance at every gait, particularly at slack with an increase in speed of up to 20%.
SPEED BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY STABILITY
The Infiniti 53R is proposed as the heir to the Cookson 50, a winning design by Farr in 2003 (which brought the advantages of canting keel among small series performance cruisers) that still has a say on international race courses today. The sail plan was carefully designed, as were the water lines, which ensure low hydrodynamic resistance. In addition to the DSS, the boat will be equipped with a canting keel and a long edge running along the entire hull to increase stability to lurching boat. The lightweight construction is ensured by the best structural analysis to optimize the use of epoxy matrix carbon fiber coupled with a foam core.
THE ADVANTAGES OF DSS
Designer Hugh Welbourn, in collaboration with Gordon Kay, spent ten years studying and developing the DSS system, which takes advantage of two retractable appendages placed laterally in the middle of the hull and is an alternative to the canting keel (the most famous hull using them is Wild Oats XI, Bob Oatley’s maxi). Like the pendulum keel, it has the function of increasing the stability of the boat and thus its speed. In light winds, on the other hand, the foil is simply retracted inside the boat, which sails in the traditional way, taking advantage of the smaller wetted area and reduced displacement due to the lower ballast required for the righting moment. The most famous boat to mount the DSS is undoubtedly Australian wine magnate Bob Oatley’s maxi Wild Oats XI.
