There is a mythical boat that races (and wins) in the upper Adriatic Sea

In the ever-changing world of offshore racing. (Today IMOCA 60s and Minis fly, there are DSS, appendages, “T” rudders and ultra-thin keels, carbon and composites everywhere.) it makes quite an impression to read the name of the boat that crossed the finish line first at The Fifty, a 50-mile regatta along the Caorle-Lignano-Grado coastal route (we told you about it HERE): New Zealand Endeavour, “class” 1992.

It is precisely the historic ketch that won the sixth edition (1993/94) of the Whitbread Round The World Race (later to become the Volvo Ocean Race and now The Ocean Race), the 32,000-mile crewed round-the-world race in stages, in the Maxi Yacht category. The boat also starred in a few editions of the Sydney Hobart. At the helm then was a great sailor destined to make America’s Cup history, Grant Dalton.

The boat arrived in North Adriatic waters four years ago thanks to owner Ezio Tavasani, who undertook a painstaking refit to bring her to her former glory: in La Cinquanta she had Valentino Maestrutti as skipper. What is now a sprightly “little old lady” was, in her time, a concentrate of technology.

ALL THE SECRETS OF NEW ZEALAND ENDEAVOUR

Designed by New Zealand genius Bruce Farr, this 87-foot (25.69 m) prototype embodies that generation of Maxis that took hold after Peter Blake’s Steinlager 2 won the 1989/90 Whitbread. Compared to Steinlager, New Zealand Endeavour has a shorter waterline and a much lighter displacement (27,660 kg vs. 35,150 kg), as well as less sail area.

The aerodynamic drag of the appendages was drastically reduced through the use of smaller keel foils coupled with large bulbs, and “smoother” hull sections that ensured lower drag for equal stability and an equivalent IOR rating.

The tapered bow is reminiscent of that of old clipper ships, has a bowsprit function without having to resort to the actual bowsprit, which was penalized by the regulations of the time (a solution adopted after New Zealand’s defeat at the America’s Cup in 1992 by the Moro di Venezia, which challenged the Kiwis-successfully-about the irregular use of the bowsprit).

The New Zealand Endeavour was built by Marten Marine and then represented the state of the art of offshore sailing: the hull is a complex carbon fiber laminate lay-up of five outer skins and three inner skins laid on top of three Kevlar skins, which in turn were embedded in a 25-mm Nomex honeycomb core and then cured at 80 degrees. The deck equipment saved weight: for example, the winches were molded from carbon fiber and milled from titanium and aluminum. The ketch rigging solution makes this maxi fast especially at the carriers and in light wind conditions.

NEW ZEALAND ENDEAVOUR, ANDREA CARLONI’S GALLERY

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