Today’s round-the-world trip is done with equipment on board that you can have too (Gaetano Mura’s word)
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Forget Moitessier, his stove, Joshua’s tree that was a telephone pole. Leave aside the sextant, solcometer and even nautical charts. But also forget about the unattainable supertechnologies, which used to be the preserve of a few, very few indeed. Welcome to the world of modern ocean sailing, a world of extraordinary normalcy. How much the way of approaching a world tour has changed (without losing an ounce of romance and sense of challenge) is showing us Gaetano Mura, who on the Class 40 Italia (on which he departed 34 days ago from Gibraltar to try to break the solo, nonstop round-the-world record for Class 40s) on Saturday or Sunday will round the Cape of Good Hope, the southern end of Africa, and enter the Indian Ocean. His boat is equipped with every amenity from a watermaker to a wrist-mounted gps/tactical device: but nothing he uses is inaccessible, you can have it on board too.
FIVE MONTHS OF INTERVENTIONS
The preparation of Gaetano Mura’s Class40 required about 5 months of work at Cantiere Nautico Gottardi in Olbia, other work was taken care of by Cantiere Bert Mauri in Rimini. It was necessary to make internal bulkheads for structural strengthening of the hull and to carve out a survival cell. Bert Mauri built the elongated deckhouse, that is, the cover for the protection needed while sailing in extreme conditions. An X-ray examination of the hull and mast was performed. Creative Yachting Solutions, on the other hand, is the company that took care of the installation and optimization of Gaetano’s onboard systems: all the electrical and renewable energy systems as well as several other works that were done during the boat’s 3-month stay at the port of Cagliari.
THE ON-BOARD ELECTRONICS
On-board instrumentation is by Garmin Marine Italy, and specifically includes GPSMAP 7400 series chartplotters with specific functions for sailing, the gWind Race wind transducer, the GNX 120 and 130 maxi displays that allow data to be read in all conditions, the aviation-derived GHP Reactor autopilot, and the Quatix 3 smartwatch. An additional autopilot is from NKE (specifically a Gyrographic). An emergency rudder was also installed.
COMMUNICATIONS
Satellite communications and connectivity are provided by technology provided by Compagnia Generale Telemar and Marlink.
HEATING, FRESH WATER, ENERGY
For navigation in the Antarctic seas, the Eberspächerheater , Airtronic series, has been installed , with emission control that makes the device environmentally friendly. A Katadyn desalinator is provided for fresh water production. Production of the necessary energy on board is provided by SolbianFlex photovoltaic panels, developed for Giovanni Soldini’s Class40 in collaboration with CNR. These are flexible panels, thus easily adaptable, allowing the production of electricity from solar sources under any conditions.
ROPES, DECK EQUIPMENT, SAILS
Finally, all ropes, halyards and sheets on board taken care of by Gabriele Bacigalupo’s SoluzioniTessili are from Armare, the Italian company based in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine). For deck equipment, blocks, pastecks, textile rings and stoppers, products from Antal were used. The sails are from Veleria North S ails and were fine-tuned with the help of sailmaker Giovanni Sanfelice.
KNOWLEDGE IS EVERYTHING
Standard equipment for the Sardinian skipper: who, however, unlike a regular “Sunday user” (as he should be) knows it in every detail. It has to, because failure is always around the corner. On the night of Nov. 28, for example, Mura had to perform surgery on the hydro-generator system. Below we show the video of the Sardinian skipper’s night work (“let’s hope the cable to be cut is the right one,” great Gaetano!).
TROUBLE ABOARD ITALY – MURA’S INTERVENTION
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