trimaran mod70 zoulou

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The seventh MOD 70 platform was delivered on 27 July 2012 by CDK Technologies.Paprec Recyclage /Jean Pierre Dick, its original skipper, who did not wish to sail solo on a multihull. For the 2014 Route du Rhum, Yann Eliès was selected for this one shot. June 2015 the Concise Team bought the boat.May 2022 Erik Maris is the new owner of the MOD70: Zoulou.

Zoulou / Erik Maris 2024 - RORC Caribbean 600 2nd 2024 - l'Antigua 360 2nd 2024 - RORC Transatlantic Race 2nd 2023 - Rolex Fastnet Race 3rd 2023 -  Winner Voiles de St Barth 2023 - Vainqueur  RORC Caribbean 600 (Multihull) 2023 - RORC Transatlantic Race 3rd 2022 - Rolex Middle Sea Race 2nd

Ned Collier-Wakefield / Power Play 2022 - RORC Caribbean 600 4th 2022 - RORC Transatlantic Race 2nd 2021 - Winner Round The Island Race en 4 h 11 min 1 sec 2021 - Record de la traversée de la Manche Cowes/Dinard en 4 h 34 m 6 sec 2021 - Record du Fastnet en 25 h 4 min et 18 sec 2021 - Record 25hrs 04mins 18secs 2020 - Winner RORC Race The Wight

Peter Cunningham / Power Play 2020 - Winner Caribbean 600

N Collier / Power Play 2019 - TRANSPAC 2019 2nd  2019 - Winner CA 500 / California Offshore Race Week 2018 - Rolex Middle Sea Race 2nd 2018 - RORC Transatlantic Race 2nd

N Collier /Team Concise / 2017 - Winner  the Rolex Fastnet Race in 1 day 20 h and 55 min 2017 - Winner  Round The Island Race in 8 h 43 min and 9 is 2017 - Winner  Round The Island Race and breaks the record in 2 h 22 min and 23 sec 2017 - Winner Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race 2016 - Beats the Isle of Wight circumnavigation record in 2 hrs 4 min and 1 sec 2016 - RORC Ile d'Ouessant Race 2nd 2016 - Winner Channel Race in 9 hours and 16 minutes 2016 - Winner Cowes/Dinard-St Malo in 10 h 32 min and 50 sec 2016 - Round The Island Race 2nd 2016 - Volvo Round Ireland 3rd 2016 - Winner Morgan Cup in 7 hours 2016 - Myth of Malham 2nd 2016 - Caribbean 2nd 2016 - Winner Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race and record in 2 h 37 min 38 sec 2015 - RORC Transatlantic Race 2nd 2015 - Rolex Fastnet Race 5th 2015 - Artemis Challenge 2nd 2015 - Winner RORC Channel Race in 9 h 20 min 2015 - Winner Cowes / Dinard and race record in 9 h 12 min 35 sec. 2015 - Winner Tour of Cowes 2015 - June the boat changes ownership Team Consise Yann Eliès / Paprec Recycling 2014 - 7th in the Route du Rhum Jean -Pierre Dick / Paprec Recycling 2015 - Tour of Belle Île 3rd 2013 - Training for the Jacques Vabre (capsizes) 2013 - Route des Princes 4th

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PowerPlay MOD 70

PowerPlay Racing’s MOD70   was launched in September 2018. The record breaking trimaran adds a new dimension to the PowerPlay series of race boats.

Latest News

Celebration in Cayman Islands of Our Years of Sailing PowerPlay

May 19, 2022

News > Celebration in Cayman Islands of Our Years of Sailing PowerPlay Powerplay’s crew and their families flew in for a “Palooza”. And what a Palooza it was! Club members and friends of the couple were treated to trips up and down Seven Mile Beach...

PowerPlay Takes Line Honours – 90th Round the Island Race

Nov 12, 2021

News > PowerPlay takes Line Honours 90th Round the Island Race Peter Cunningham’s PowerPlay Racing Team has taken Line Honours in the 90th edition of the Round the Island Race. MOD70 PowerPlay, with Peter Cunningham on the helm, finished the race in an...

PowerPlay and Maserati break World Record

Jul 19, 2021

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Within the space of just a few weeks two of the most aggressively campaigned big trimarans had between them broken and re-broken two great ocean racing records no less than four times

The MOD 70 trimaran class has history and form, plenty of both. In total, seven boats have been built, all are still sailing and some are still setting records. Peter Cunningham’s distinctive blue PowerPlay (formerly Concise), and now actively for sale as a turnkey package, is among those that continue to lead the charge, having recently set new records over the Fastnet racecourse and the classic Cowes to St Malo route.

But in a clear indication of just how competitive this unique fleet of oceangoing trimarans continues to be, it took little time for a sistership to up the ante. In the case of the Cowes-St Malo route, it was just minutes before Maserati had broken PowerPlay’s new record after the pair had set out on the same morning from the Solent in a cross-Channel duel.

Cunningham and his crew, led by longtime MOD70 skipper Ned Collier- Wakefield, set an extraordinary pace around the traditional Fastnet racecourse. A month later Maserati did the double and raised the bar even further, beating PowerPlay’s time by over an hour, completing the 605nm-course in a staggering 23 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds at an average speed of 24.94kts.

To have held an impressive record across an internationally famous offshore route for such a short period of time was doubtless frustrating for the PowerPlay crew, yet the ongoing rivalry is another reminder as to why the MOD70 continues to be an appealing and reliable inshore and offshore machine. Unlike other designs, the MOD70 hasn’t just kept pace with current developments, but in many cases has led the way.

The world of performance sailing has advanced rapidly over the last decade with speeds accelerating both inshore and offshore. The development of foil technology, driven initially by the big changes in the build-up to the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco, saw the 72ft foiling leviathans raise the racing above the water’s surface taking the top speeds with them. Then, the following season, the wing-masted AC45s were up on foils as the Cup looked ahead to another high-speed foiling event.

The technology triggered responses throughout the racing world with foiling finding its way into offshore racing aboard the Ultime class of 32m multihulls as well as the Imoca 60 monohulls. Everyone it seemed wanted to fly.

Meanwhile, the MOD70s appeared to be still operating in displacement mode yet in reality their C-section daggerboards had already been quietly providing foiling assistance, generating vertical lift that was not only increasing the power through additional righting moment but also helping to prevent the bows from burying at speed. While they may not have been seen primarily as foiling boats, the lessons learned aboard the MOD70s, especially in offshore conditions, were being fed back into the system helping to fuel the highspeed revolution.

The original concept of the MOD70 started back in 2009 as a one-design oceanic racer. The aim was to build a boat which would be the standard for the next 10 years. The development of the MOD70 was a collaboration between the VPLP design firm (Vincent Lauriot-Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem) and the Lausanne-based founding company Multi One Design S.A.

The original 10-year goal has clearly been achieved, albeit in a slightly different way as the one-design element has changed and various boats have been modified and tweaked. Yet despite the range of modifications that have taken place aboard some of these boats, the racing remains impressively close when MOD70s line up against each other.

So, what is it that has made these trimarans so enduring while also remaining so quick?

‘I think VPLP, got it right with the original design as they put more emphasis into building a stronger boat compared with the Orma days,’ says skipper Ned Collier-Wakefield. ‘These boats are bulletproof. We can push them hard and they just lap it up. You can set out on a record attempt and smash it across the Atlantic and you tie the boat up at the dock at the end of the day, wash it down and it’s pretty much done.

‘Plus, I think they’re pretty safe. You can push them really, really hard and yet they’re still quick, amazingly quick. And while we’re all doing little upgrades, they’re generally pretty small ones aside from Maserati’s fully foiling package and even then, there are positives and negatives depending on what kind of racing you’re doing.’

Another interesting feature of the class is that unlike many other grand prix machines, especially ones that are capable of similar speeds, the MOD70s don’t require a large shoreside team to maintain them.

‘Martin Watts has run the boat since we took her on in 2015,’ continues Collier-Wakefield. ‘Essentially it’s been him by himself, plus a couple of young guys helping him occasionally. But there’s not much to it. They’re simple boats and don’t require much in the way of staffing. We deliver with five crew, race offshore with six or seven and inshore we might take a few more big guys to help on the handles,’

Watts is quick to confirm this while describing the maintenance of the big blue beast in even simpler terms. ‘I think of the MOD70 as a TP52 with some bits strapped to the sides,’ he says. ‘When you look at it, the winches are not huge and there’s not masses to service. The winches are the main focus as we do push them pretty hard, especially with the modern high-performance ropes which mean that the loads are up to their maximum. We also service the hydraulics every six months. These rams allow us to cant the rig and so we do change them from time to time but apart from that the maintenance programme is the same as any other boat and simply about managing wear and tear.’

But behind the scenes, PowerPlay has something that sets her apart from her sisterships, and that is her owner. Peter Cunningham is a lifelong racer, having raced a wide variety of craft in a number of different locations around the world. But after he sold his business in California he decided that he wanted to take part in some offshore racing and started looking at the MOD70. There is nothing particularly unusual in that, other than he was already in his mid-seventies when he decided to buy PowerPlay. Now, having raced across the Atlantic, competed in the Middle Sea Race and many other events, he was on board for both of the most recent record-breaking runs around the Fastnet and to St Malo. A few weeks later he would celebrate his 80th birthday.

‘It’s a physical boat and you’ve got to be careful when you’re down below, especially at speed,’ he says. ‘Plus, there are some unusual motions especially in breezy conditions when you might lift the leeward daggerboard. This means that rather than heeling over when a gusts hits, you skip sideways which can catch you off guard. So, my rule is always having three points of contact!’

Having come from monohulls, albeit with some quick ones such as a TP52 and a J70, how had he found the experience?

‘It’s exciting, probably more exciting than I thought and at times it makes you afraid, but you do get used to it after a while and when you’re steering from 20ft above the water’s surface at speed it’s just magical.

‘Experiencing flat-out sailing for five or six days non-stop is pretty special too,’ he continues. ‘It’s pretty stressful on all of the crew and while this boat is actually very forgiving, it still highlights the need to really know what you’re doing at a level that is very different to monohull racing. That in itself is very rewarding as you learn a lot about yourself and the importance of how a team needs to work together at this level. Sometimes there are decisions to be made intuitively in a split second that involve everyone, teamwork is crucial, without it you can be in trouble.

‘Seeing this, understanding it and being a part of it has definitely benefitted my sailing in other areas, it helps you put things into perspective, understand how people deal with issues and has improved my manner on other boats. I have learned a great deal.

‘I treat my sailing as a project and after you’ve experienced something like this it’s difficult to think of what kind of project you could move onto, but I do still have at least one goal. ‘My top speed at the helm is 38.9kts, I want to hit 40 and I can’t sell her until I do.’

• MOD 70 trimaran

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Erik Maris' MOD70 Zoulou (FRA) finished the RORC Caribbean 600 just 11 seconds ahead of Giovanni Soldini's Multi70 Maserati in a nail-biting finish in Antigua - Elapsed time: 01 day 06 hrs 55 mins 34 secs © Arthur Daniel/RORC

RORC Caribbean 600 – Zoulou Triumph by 11 Seconds

21 February, Antigua: After over 30 hours of racing at speeds approaching 40 knots, MOD70 Zoulou sailed by Erik Maris (FRA) won Multihull Line Honours in the 2023 RORC Caribbean 600 by just 11 seconds. Zoulou completed the 600-mile race in just under 31 hours. Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA) endured the pain of coming second after another photo-finish; Maserati was also second last year by just two minutes from Jason Carroll’s record-breaking MOD 70 Argo.

Zoulou Crew: Erik Maris, Ned Collier Wakefield, Thierry Fouchier, Loick Peyron, Bruno Jeanjean, Bruno Mourniac, Thomas Le Breton.

“That was an incredible race with such a close finish,” commented Zoulou’s Erik Maris. “We were ahead until midnight on the first day but we lost Maserati when they were very fast on their foils going down to Guadeloupe. Maserati sailed really well on the second day but on the penultimate leg (Barbuda to Redonda), they lost themselves under a cloud, just as Zoulou had done in the RORC Transatlantic Race. We came back together and the lead changed many times on the leg to Redonda. The last leg was really tough as the wind speed and direction was very unstable, but we managed to pass them on the one that counts. It was as close as it gets; an incredible finish and great fun. I decided to get into the MOD70 Class to do all the RORC races, that was the plan and we intend to do the Rolex Fastnet Race later this year.”

Zoulou’s tactician is Thomas Le Breton who has competed in the Laser, Finn, AC45, SailGP and the GC32 Circuit, but this was Le Breton’s first RORC Caribbean 600. Le Breton described the strategy and the tactics for the last leg from Redonda to the finish.

“At Redonda, Maserati was ahead of us with 30 miles upwind to the finish. We had two or three squalls and Ned Collier Wakefield knows the race very well and knew all the tricks for this last leg. We decided to play the shifts in the rain and wind to the north. We lost contact with Maserati which went to the south. At the end we ended up together and finally we were in a match race for the last five miles. We managed to pass Maserati just before the line by just 11 seconds, it was a very good fight. Maybe what helped us was our experience in the GC32 where we are used to making decisions at high speed. This race has super-nice weather and we had good fun on board, and to race against a good team with a tight finish, this has been a very good regatta,” commented Le Breton dockside.

Maserati Multi70 took the lead for the first time from Zoulou after rounding Saba at around midnight on day one of the race. Using their foils Maserati extended their lead, touching 40 knots of boat speed on the long leg down to Guadeloupe. Having built-up a 13 mile lead, Maserati then got caught under a cloud and lost the breeze after passing the penultimate mark of the course at Barbuda. Zoulou then came into Maserati with the pressure to catch up to stage the grandstand finish.

“The whole race was interesting and crazy, not just the finish,” commented Giovanni Soldini. “We arrived at the finish together and with our foils we are slower to tack in lighter winds. We made an error in the last tack; we went too early and that is the story, but it was a very nice race all the way. We pushed a lot and really enjoyed a beautiful rivalry with Zoulou. This time they have won, but it is no problem, next time it will be Maserati!”

To follow the race with satellite tracking and regular updates from the competitors and media team go to: www.caribbean600.rorc.org

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Rorc transatlantic race: maserati breaks trimaran outright speed record.

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the International Maxi Association & Yacht Club de France

Calero Marinas - Marina Lanzarote, Arrecife, Canary Islands to Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada

Race Update: Day Five: At 0800 UTC on the fifth day of the RORC Transatlantic Race, three 70ft trimarans are under 1,000 miles from the finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina Grenada. Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA) is 782nm from the finish, leading the multihull class. MOD70 Zoulou (FRA) with Erik Maris at the helm is second, with 906nm to go and Frank Slootman’s MOD70 Snowflake (USA), skippered by Gavin Brady is third, 913nm from the finish. 

MULTIHULL CLASS

Maserati has been setting the pace, including breaking the trimarans outright speed record of 37 knots! All three multihulls have been blasting along at over 30 knots of boat speed.

However, it has not been all plain-sailing for the Italian leader, Maserati. “Last night we realised that the vibrations of the rudder unscrewed the pintle of the hull. We had to cut the lid off the ballast and Matteo was covered with carbon dust!” commented Soldini via social media.           Snowflake is also making good running repairs on Wednesday, Stu MacKinven commented from on board Snowflake: “At about 1am (ship time) our gennaker furler did itself a mischief and decided to let the tack go. Bit of a wrestle to get the gennaker under control and on deck. The lads did nice work to undo furling line and get into the J0 furler and we free hoisted the gen again, and off we go. Lost a few miles to the other two multis, but good recovery.”

MOD70 Zoulou (FRA) with Erik Maris at the helm is 126nm behind Maserati, but race fans will remember that last year’s winner Maserati was about the same distance behind PowerPlay (now Zoulou) in 2022. Zoulou is positioned much closer to the rhumb line than her rivals, so it is likely that the deficit will reduce as the teams approach Grenada.

The saying ‘to finish first-first you must finish’ is most definitely applicable. However, RORC Racing Manager Steve Cole commented: “The current leader is Maserati and will need to finish before 12:46:03 UTC on Saturday 14th January to break the Multihull Race Record. Maserati’s current ETA is 17:30 UTC Friday 13th January, which will knock about 18 hours off the record!”

As the front runners in the Monohull fleet approach the halfway mark, contenders for the overall win under IRC are emerging. Eric de Turckheim’s NMYD Teasing Machine (FRA) is 1,784nm from the finish and leading after corrected time by just over one hour from Botin 56 Black Pearl (GER), sailed by Stefan Jentzsch. Volvo 70 I Love Poland (POL), skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski is ranked third overall under IRC and leads the fleet for Monohull Line Honours for the IMA Transatlantic Trophy. Henri de Bokay’s Elliott 52 Rafale (GER) is ranked third in IRC Zero and fourth overall.

In IRC One, Andrew & Sam Hall’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR) is leading the class after IRC time correction with 2,115nm to go and sent in this report: "All good aboard Pata Negra. Pleased with our passage through the Canaries. Having some champagne offshore sailing - topped out at 28kts overnight. Currently sailing under A4 at a solid 13-18kts. Just overtaken a whale... Happy with our position on the race course. Just be nice if the lead big boys slowed so we could catch up a little!"

The father and son duo; Peter & Duncan Bacon’s Sun Fast 3300 Sea Bear racing Two-Handed are ranked second in IRC One, just 9nm behind Pata Negra. Laurent Courbin’s First 53 Yagiza (FRA), skippered by Philippe Falle has made a strategic move north of the rhumb line. The additional miles sailed drops the team to third in IRC One, but if the gybe north pays off, that could well change. Global Yacht Racing’s First 47.7 EH01, skippered by Neil Maher has raced 183nm in the last 24-hours and is ranked fourth in class.

Kate Cope & Claire Dresser racing Two-Handed in Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist (GBR) sent in a detailed blog about life on board. Available here

The Day Three report describes in detail the effects of a big squall that required enormous tenacity and experience to find the solutions to sail wraps of epic proportions. Happily, today all is good on Purple Mist, all be it slower progress: “Welcome to Day 4 on a small boat in a big sea. Morning has broken and it’s a cloudy sky with big cumuli nimbus clouds …that’s the stormy ones . Wind is a heavy 20-25kts and increases to 32kts as the stormy squalls pass overhead. We’ve two reefs in the main and the teeny tiny orange storm jib. After “spinnaker-gate” yesterday we can’t fly any proper jibs as the forestay (front wire that holds up the mast) still has the S2 tangled around it. So, it’s just the storm jib.”

Image: 37 knot outright trimaran speed record in the RORC Transatlantic Race for Giovanni Soldini's Multi70 Maserati © James Mitchell/ROR

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the zoulou dance

Erik Maris’s MOD 70 trimaran ZOULOU (FRA) crossed the finish line at Cape Sounio to set a new Multihull Elapsed Time Record of 1D 13H 18M 52S. Over the 605 mile course this represents an average speed of 16.2 knots.

The high winds of the Meltemi have, however, taken their toll on the fleet with 14 boats retired from the race and one tragic accident. the Pogo 44 HEAVEN (FRA) had an incident on the leg to Kassos when one crew member fell overboard and sustained a severe head injury. Efforts to revive the victim were unsuccessful.

All sailors and organizers of the race will mourn this terrible loss of one of their fellow offshore sailors.

More here . Title inspiration thanks to The Howard Stern Show .

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MOD 70: New life for thoroughbred trimarans

• 21 March 2023

Thirteen years after their launch, the  MOD 70 s  continue to plough the seas and the number of dedicated racing events is increasing, much to the delight of their passionate and demanding owners. VPLP Design, the architect of these one designs, is collaborating with several vessels in the fleet to  enhance their performance without betraying the philosophy  of these sturdy and competitive multihulls. Vincent Lauriot Prévost and Quentin Lucet explain.

The distillation of four generations of ORMA trimarans (from  Pierre 1er  to  Groupama 2 ), the MOD 70s were designed to be competitive for at least ten years at the pinnacle of racing. The first boats in the series went into the water in 2010. While the one-design circuit that accompanied their launch was abandoned after two years, a victim of circumstance, these trimarans built by CDK Technologies have  never stopped sailing . Vincent Lauriot Prévost, cofounder of VPLP Design, says: “Apart from operating accidents, none of the boats ever had a problem with its structure. Back when we were designing them, we identified a dozen recurrent failures on the ORMAs and we took those lessons into account.   The goal was to build  multihulls that you could sail without any qualms  or frequent refits.”

After 2013  the fleet scattered to the four corners of the globe, undertaking activities as varied as public relations and record-breaking, while some such as  Gitana XV  (now  Maserati ) became platforms for testing offshore multihull foiling.

Since 2020, six of the seven MOD 70s have been meeting in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean (only  Orion , formerly  Veolia Environnement , remains in San Francisco) to race various classics, such as the RORC Transatlantic Race, the RORC Caribbean 600 and the Middle Sea Race.   “The atmosphere is fantastic because  they are owners, not established teams, who are racing for fun , beholden to nobody, and with enough latitude to organize themselves as they wish. And they’re often backed up with big names, such as Loïck Peyron, Brian Thompson and Paul Larsen”, says Vincent Lauriot Prévost.

“We don’t want to risk deteriorating the vessel’s reliability” 

And as if proof were needed that the series has retained its material coherence after all these years, the races often see tight finishes and a healthy rotation on the podium. “ The most recent RORC Caribbean 600 culminated in an 11 second gap between  Zoulou  and  Maserati ” ,  says Quentin Lucet, partner naval architect. “The differences in development get washed out in the sailing conditions.”

Some of the owners want to update their vessels, such as Jason Caroll ( Argo , formerly  Musandam Oman Sail ) and Erik Maris ( Zoulou , formerly  Paprec Recyclage ), and have sought VPLP Design’s help. “Over the last ten years,” says Quentin Lucet, “we have made enormous progress in terms of foiling, notably through our work on the Ultim class and the IMOCAs. So  we’ve been working on a new set of appendages  for the MOD 70s, the idea being to converge on a common solution without betraying the original philosophy.   The goal is indeed to  sail flatter, faster and in greater safety , and certainly not about flying three feet over the waves.   We’ve imposed on ourselves the limit of not reworking the structure because  we don’t want to risk deteriorating the vessels’ reliability . The owners appreciate the problem-free aspect of the boats, even after all the nautical miles they have accumulated in their wake.” The crew behind  Argo  have commissioned new foils from  Avel Robotics in Lorient  (France) and  T-foil rudders from C3 Technologies  in La Rochelle (France).

That the MOD 70s were recognized in 2023 by the IMA (International Maxi Association), which is becoming more open-minded about multihulls, means these one-design trimarans could be about to extend their competitive reach.  Entry to gruelling events, such as the Sydney Hobart , would be the icing on the cake. “It’s not at all unreasonable,” says Vincent Lauriot Prévost. “During the initial development of the MOD 70s, a race around the world via the canals was mooted, with a leg from Hawaii to Australia, which would have been three weeks of pretty stimulating sailing.   We built them tough! ”

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Pyewacket 70 and Zoulou take line honours in Caribbean 600

• Toby Heppell
• February 23, 2023

Zoulou won the multihull line honours by just 11 seconds in the RORC Caribbean 600 while Pyewacket 70 took the monohull spoils

Roy P. Disney’s Pyewacket 70 (USA) has taken Monohull Line Honours in the 2023 RORC Caribbean 600 in an elapsed time of 42 hours 45 mins 06 secs. Two generations of the Disney family have raced boats under the Pyewacket name. The latest Pyewacket 70 , is a turbo-charged Volvo 70 with a taller mast, lighter hull and deeper keel than the original box-rule. Pyewacket 70 is the fastest of Disney dynasty and the first to take Monohull Line Honours in the RORC Caribbean 600.

The next monohull to finish the RORC Caribbean 600 was Volvo 70 I Love Poland (POL), skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski. Pyewacket 70 has set the bar for the overall win under IRC for the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy. The vast majority of the fleet are expected to finish the race over the next two days.

“RP [Roy Pat Disney] thank you for letting us take your toy and racing the Caribbean 600 in a successful manner. We are so disappointed you are not with us to enjoy this spectacular victory,” commented Ben Mitchell the stand-in skipper for Roy Pat Disney who was not on board due to knee surgery. “The real wow factor is that Pyewacket 70 was here for the RORC 600 and this team is so good.

Pyewacket 70 took the monhull line honours. Photo: Arthur Daniel/RORC

“We had a great mix of crew that know this course very well, and crew like me who experienced this wonderful race for the first time. Each leg is like a race in itself, which keeps everybody going, but on a boat like Pyewacket 70 those legs become very short. Getting any sleep is a challenge as the whole crew is up for every manoeuvre.”

“The name of the game for the navigator is to study the weather and the nuances in this race are so different. When you get out there all your expectations can be blown,” commented crew member Peter Isler. “I had pre-conceptions of what the tactics are at different points in the race and I will say at least half the time I was wrong!

“In this race you have to keep your eyes open and understand the fundamentals of weather and be ready to adjust to the changes. A great example was going through the lee of Guadeloupe; it is the big X-Factor in this race and a total nightmare for navigators. It seems so random as to where you go to get through that wind-hole and this year was unlike any other experience I have had going through the lee.”

It was a tight battle for the multihulls Zoulou and Maserati. Photo: James Tomlinson

Tight battle for multihull line honours

Earlier a titanic battle for Multihull line honours had seen MOD70 Zoulou sailed by Erik Maris (FRA) triumph by 11 Seconds over Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA). After 30 hours of racing at speeds approaching 40 knots, it will have been a tough loss for the Maserati team who were also second last year by just two minutes from Jason Carroll’s record-breaking MOD 70 Argo .

“That was an incredible race with such a close finish,” commented Zoulou ’s Erik Maris. “We were ahead until midnight on the first day but we lost Maserati when they were very fast on their foils going down to Guadeloupe.

“Maserati sailed really well on the second day but on the penultimate leg (Barbuda to Redonda), they lost themselves under a cloud, just as Zoulou had done in the RORC Transatlantic Race. We came back together and the lead changed many times on the leg to Redonda. The last leg was really tough as the wind speed and direction was very unstable, but we managed to pass them on the one that counts.

“It was as close as it gets; an incredible finish and great fun. I decided to get into the MOD70 Class to do all the RORC races, that was the plan and we intend to do the Rolex Fastnet Race later this year.”

You can follow the rest of the fleet via the Caribbean 600 fleet tracker .

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Published on February 20th, 2023 | by Editor

Horses on track for Caribbean 600

Published on February 20th, 2023 by Editor -->

Antigua (February 20, 2023) – The 14th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 started today with 70 boats racing under IRC, Class40, and MOCRA Rules, with crew from 30 different countries. Unstable squally conditions, with the wind speed in the mid-teens, got the fleet underway for the 600 nm course around 11 Caribbean islands.

The fastest boats in the fleet are expected to finish in less than two days, but for some it will be five days before returning to a triumphant finish in Antigua.

MOCRA Class MOD 70 Zoulou (FRA) sailed by Erik Maris got away to a superb start. Flying their port hull, Zoulou had to duck a few boats on starboard, but nailed the pin end of the line at full pace. Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA) took a more conventional start inshore, but was soon up to full pace, with Zoulou and Maserati both hitting over 30 knots of boat speed. Zoulou was the first to Barbuda just two hours and 43 seconds into the race, with Maserati 26 seconds behind. Gunboat 68 Tosca (USA), skippered by Alex Thomson was leading the charge behind the two trimarans.

IRC Super Zero A classic dial-up featured in the big IRC Class; Pyewacket 70 (USA) skippered by Ben Mitchell and VO65 Wind Whisper (POL) skippered by Joca Signorini locked horns inshore before the start. Both boats have Volvo Ocean Race winners on board, but bragging rights went to Wind Whisper which stayed clear ahead.

Jens Lindner’s Volvo 70 HYPR (ESP) skippered by Seamus Fitzpatrick, arced up to the line on port and got a great start at the pin end. Johannes Schwarz’s Volvo 70 Green Dragon (NED) kept clear of trouble at the pin end to get a good start, as did Volvo 70 I Love Poland (POL) skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski.

Three hours after the start Pyewacket 70 was recording over 20 knots of boat speed with I Love Poland in hot pursuit. VO 65 Ambersail 2 (LTU) skippered by Przemyslaw Tarnacki was leading the chasing pack.

IRC Zero & Class40 With 12 high performance IRC boats and a record 13 Class40s, a thrilling start was expected and there was no disappointment. RORC Vice Commodore Eric de Turckheim’s NMD54 Teasing Machine (FRA) went straight for the pin end with a large number of Class40s for company, including Ambrogio Beccaria’s Alla Grande – Pirelli (ITA) and James McHugh’s Tquila (SUI). However, sailing higher and faster than the Class40s, Teasing Machine got away to a fast, clean start.

Meanwhile inshore the start was significantly more frantic. Marc Lepesqueux’s Curium (FRA) and IBSA (ITA) skippered by Alberto Bona engaged right under the Pillars of Hercules. Inshore, RORC Commodore James Neville racing HH42 Ino XXX (GBR) found clean air reaching down the line and hardened up for a great start. Kate & Jim Murray’s Pac 52 Callisto (USA) and ClubSwan 50 Balthasar (BEL) sailed by Louis Balcaen also got away to an excellent start.

Unfortunately, the race is over for Arto Linnervuo’s Infiniti 52 Tulikettu (FIN) which retired and headed back to port; all well onboard.

Three hours after the start Botin 56 Black Pearl (GBR) was leading IRC Zero on the water ahead of Callisto (USA) and Niklas Zennstrom’s CF520 Rán 8 (SWE). In the Class40 Division, Axel Trehin’s Project Rescue Ocean (FRA) was in the leading pack of Class40s, including; Alla Grande – Pirelli, Tquila and IBSA.

IRC One In the combined IRC One & IRC Two start, Laurent Courbin’s First 53 Yagiza (FRA) skippered by Philippe Falle got away to a great start inshore, as did Jon Desmond’s Mills 41 Final Final (USA). Two hours after the start, Andrew & Sam Hall’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR) was in the leading pack with Final Final and Adrian Lee’s Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners (IRL).

IRC Two J/133 Vamoose (USA) skippered by Bob Manchester got away well and played the shifts inshore to lead at Green Island on the water and extend the lead on the reach on the way up to Barbuda. Andy Middleton’s First 47.7 EH01 (GBR) was second on the water in close company with Ray Rhinelander’ J/133 Bella J (CAN).

Event information – Tracking – Facebook

2023 RORC Nelson’s Cup Series February 14 – Inshore racing in coastal waters of Antigua February 15 – Inshore racing in coastal waters of Antigua February 16 – Lay Day in Antigua February 17 – 360 Round Antigua Race February 18 – Series Prize Giving and RORC Caribbean 600 Opening Party February 20 – Start of the 14th RORC Caribbean 600 February 24 – Prize Giving RORC Caribbean 600

The 14th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 once again tackles the 600nm course which circumnavigates 11 Caribbean Islands starting from Fort Charlotte, English Harbour, Antigua and heads north as far as St Martin and south to Guadeloupe taking in Barbuda, Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St Barth’s.

RORC Caribbean 600 Records: • Multihull record (2022) – Jason Carroll, Argo, MOD70 (USA) – 29 hours, 38 mins, 44 secs • Monohull record (2018) – George David, Rambler 88, Maxi (USA) – 37 hours, 41 minutes, 45 seconds

PREVIOUS WINNERS: RORC CARIBBEAN 600 TROPHY – IRC OVERALL 2022 – Christopher Sheehan, Warrior Won, Pac52 (USA) 2021 – Cancelled 2020 – Tilmar Hansen, Outsider, TP52 (GER), 2019 – David and Peter Askew, Wizard, Volvo 70 (USA) 2018 – George David, Rambler 88, Maxi (USA) 2017 – Hap Fauth, Bella Mente, JV72 (USA) 2016 – George Sakellaris, Proteus, Maxi 72 (USA) 2015 – Hap Fauth, Bella Mente, JV72 (USA) 2014 – George Sakellaris, Shockwave, RP72 (USA) 2013 – Ron O’Hanley, Privateer, Cookson 50 (USA) 2012 – Niklas Zennström, Rán, JV72 (GBR) 2011 – George David, Rambler 100, JK 100 (USA) 2010 – Karl C L Kwok, Beau Geste, Farr 80 (HKG) 2009 – Adrian Lee, Lee Overlay Partners, Cookson 50 (IRL)

Source: RORC

Tags: RORC Caribbean 600

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The MOD70, a rebirth of the class

• 22 October 2022

On Saturday more than  120 boats  will set off from Valletta in Malta for the 2022 edition of the  Middle Sea Race , a 606-mile classic that circumnavigates Sicily. Within this fleet will be no fewer than five former  MOD70 s, surely signalling a renewed interest in these 70-foot trimarans launched back in 2011. Tip & Shaft looks closer.

The original ambition of the MOD70 one-design series of multihulls was to “ build a unique boat which would be the reference for the next ten years (2010-2020) ”. And while the beginnings were promising,  the series subsequently collapsed due to the lack of sponsors and then participants. But now, more than ten years after the launch of the first boat, Race for Water, five of the seven original boats which were designed by VPLP will be at the start of this Middle Sea Race.

Two competed here a year ago:  Maserati  (Giovanni Soldini) – ex  Gitana XV –  and  Mana  – the ex Spindrift – which has been owned since 2020 by the Italian Riccardo Pavoncelli. But Mana is set to change hands, as  Alexia Barrier will take over the boat . She says,  “ I am going to announce a first sponsor during the start of the Route du Rhum and then formalize the acquisition of the boat which will serve as a  training platform for two years before moving to an Ultim  in 2025 as part of my Jules Verne Trophy project ( see our article ). ”

Three other MOD70s will compete in this Mediterranean classic in their new colours, as  they have all changed hands over the past year . The former Foncia, which later became Phaedo 3 and then Beau Geste, has been bought by the Dutchman Frank Slootman, boss of Snowflake, a major player in computer data management.

Three boats now under the French flag

The other two are owned under the French flag like Barrier’s boat will be:  Erik Maris , already a player on the GC32 circuit has bought the old PowerPlay (the last MOD built originally under the name of Paprec Recyclage), renamed  Zoulou ;  Eric Defert , with the financial support of  Thibaut George , founder and managing director of Drekan Groupe, which has supported him since 2010, took over the former  Race for Water  which now carries the name of  Axciss  (whose Drekan is one of the subsidiaries).

“After racing in Multi50 (now Ocean Fifty), we didn’t find ourselves fitting into the format of the Pro Sailing Tour, which is very marketing driven.  The MOD seemed to us to be a good compromise , with a boat that is financially accessible, that really lasts and does not lose value. It is a project which does not require a big team and a program that allows us to remain autonomous and free in our choices”,  explains George. The boat, which belonged to Marco Simeoni, the man who originally launched the Multi One Design circuit, was bought back for  900,000 euros . Now Eric Defert is aiming for an operating budget of  “between 800,000 and 1.2 million euros depending on the racing programme” . more than 500,000 having already been found to date.

From his perspective in the MOD70, Erik Maris saw “ the opportunity to do something different, complementing the GC32, racing on a fast multihull, and especially  with boats very closely matched to each other. ”  The owner-skipper sails with his GC32 crew – Thierry Fouchier, Thomas Le Breton, Bruno Mourniac and Tim Lapauw – who are joined for the Middle Sea Race by Sidney Gavignet, Ned Collier-Wakefield (former skipper of the boat under the name of  Concise ) and Loïck Peyron! Erik Maris adds  “Given the existing fleet, I knew there was potential to find three or four at each event,  but this more than I expected . From my hotel window, I see five MOD70s and that is quite amazing.”

Not all boats are the same

The Italian  Giovanni Soldini  has been skippering Maserati since 2016 (to an annual budget of around 1.5 million euros according to him). The Italian adds:  “It’s great to see new teams joining us,  I hope that we will see all the MODs in the Caribbean next winter  ideally with Argo and Orion. It is very rare on this kind of owner circuit to have boats that are all the same, or almost.”  It is unlikely we will see   Orion  (formerly Veolia Environnement) there as she has hardly ever left California since her acquisition in 2014 by American billionaire Tom Siebel, but  Argo , with another American on the helm, Jason Carroll, will certainly be there.

That would make six boats out of the seven built, but, contrary to the initial concept, they are  no longer one-design, some having evolved over time . That is the case with  Maserati , whose foils have been modified to give it more power and has T foils on the rudders. Snowflake has gone even further with a rig extended by two meters and the addition of a extra bowsprit. Next year,  it will be the turn of Zoulou and Argo to be optimized , as confirmed by Vincent Lauriot Prévost, co-founder of VPLP:  “We proposed to the owners to pool certain optimizations in order to remain in a reasonably similar, balanced class and reduce costs a little. Erik Maris and Jason Carroll accepted, I think the other teams will watch how it goes before deciding. We are going to try to give a little more power to the appendages and more stability in flight, with  slightly boosted foils and T-shaped rudders. ”

Isn’t there a risk now of greater disparities between the boats which do not all run under the same rating within the Mocra rule?  “On the contrary, I find it very interesting that everyone continues to develop things on their own,”  replies Soldini.  “We do have a rating system but what matters is who crosses the line first. If we look at the results of last year  all the races were very close with each time there was a different winner . For example, we won the Rorc Transatlantic Race just 20 minutes ahead of PowerPlay, which was a “pure MOD”. And today, if I had to choose a boat for the Middle Sea Race, given the light airs, I wouldn’t take ours because we’re going to pay dearly for our larger wetted surfaces.”

A tie up with the IMA

The desire of all the owners is to  meet as often as possible on the same races : in 2023, most will participate in the RORC Transatlantic Race, the Caribbean 600, the Fastnet and the Middle Sea Race. Some will go on the Transpac, Eric Defert and Alexia Barrier are also interested in Lorient-Bermuda-Lorient, open to Ultims and also to MOD7Os. The owners have also approached the  International Maxi Association , which could open the doors to other races.

This is confirmed by IMA Secretary General, Andrew McIrvine:  “ The MOD70s all now come under private ownership and that fits our model , owner-driver with professional crews. In the IMA it is not about the boat but about the owner. And we aim to offer them some cohesion and a class association but they need to decide whether they want to pay a subscription. We are making them an offer. Easy events for them to go to would be the Mediterranean offshore events and the inshores in St Tropez and Porto Cervo and perhaps something in Palma.”

Soldini adds:  “It is certainly very interesting to get into this to try  to unlock the few races that do not want us, such as Sydney-Hobart . We will see what they offer us”.  When asked if he would have imagined such a future for this class of boat, Vincent Lauriot Prévost concludes:  “Well the boats were not really designed to develop like this as it was supposed to be a strict one-design class with the intention of doing a professional circuit, but now we feel a common desire among the owners to get together and sail together.  In a way it is a rebirth for the class .” 

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Erik Maris's MOD 70 trimaran Zoulou (FRA) sets a new course record in the AEGEAN 600