Dalton Open 60 completes IMOCA 90 degree test. |
| Thursday, 09 May 2002 |
The test stipulated as part of a series of safety measures under the open 60 regulatory body class rules was completed under the eyes of the class measurer Jim McElrea and Merfyn Owen, representing the yacht’s designers; Owen Clarke Design. Although the results have to be independently ratified by the class body IMOCA the readings taken appeared to be better than expected and well inside the limits set by the class rule.
The process involves lifting the yacht up to the 90 degrees using a strop wrapped around the keel fin and then tethering the mast with a load cell out on a heavy pontoon in the middle of the Viaduct Basin. This test is repeated for both port and starboard sides, with freeboards being taken in the upright and heeled conditions. Finally as a check the boat is weighed with another loadcell. From this information and a set of hull lines, the class association are able to calculate the center of gravity of the yacht. Then the angle of vanishing stability and ratio of positive to negative areas under the stability curve is calculated from this data. The IMOCA class defines that these shall not be less than 127.5 degrees and 5:1 respectively at measurement trim.
A more public and tangible demonstration of the class’s drive to improve safety will occur on Saturday in the port of Tauranga (venue for the third stopover in this year’s Around Alone Race) Having first been laid on her back (without her mast in) by another crane the keel will be operated by Graham Dalton inside the main cabin and then Hexagon, emblazoned with logos of her sponsor HSBC will hopefully under the eyes of the television cameras perform a faultless 180 degree roll into the upright condition. What could possibly go wrong !
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