daggerboard

Caption: BOOSTER Hume, one of the brains behind NATO's aerial power, was brought in to engineer the carbon fibre daggerboards.

The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Rambler 88 is a new kind of pocket maxi that has punched well above it's weight since its launch two years ago; as seen by it leading the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart until smashing a daggerboard. Despite being edged out by its mightier opponent, the 100-foot Comanche in the Hobart it has had wins against the bigger boat in the Caribbean at Les Voiles de St.

Launched in December 2014 for George David, the former United Technologies Corporation chairman and CEO, Rambler 88is an all-carbon and canting boat, with long daggerboards and a deep chine.

The new Rambler 88 has water ballast of 2,800 kilograms, along with 4.84 -metre daggerboards, which look more inboard than Comanche and angled, to create lift as well as reduce leeway.

Built to a single, tightly controlled set of plans from Farr Yacht Design in the US, designed to withstand the toughest conditions on the planet, the VO65 is a collaboration among a consortium of four boatyards: Persico (Italy) for the hull, the daggerboards and some internal structure; Multiplast (France) for the deck and some components; Decision (Switzerland) for the internal structure; and Green Marine (United Kingdom) for final assembly and many of the components, including the galley, media station, rudders and steering wheels.

Richards and the crew now affectionately refer to their charge as the 'Swiss Army Knife', because of the number of appendages she boasts: a hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward centreboard, two retractable daggerboards, a canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.

The innovation adds to Wild Oats XI's blade armoury of rudder, canting keel, two retractable daggerboards and a retractable forward foil, which it uses in light, upwind work with the daggerboards retracted.

So we don't lose count of what lies beneath the surface, the yacht has a hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward rudder, two retractable daggerboards, canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.

They have led to Richards and the crew to affectionately refer to the yacht as the 'Swiss Army Knife', because of the number of appendages she now boasts: the new hydrofoil wing, a retractable forward rudder, two retractable daggerboards, canting keel, and the conventional rudder at the stern.

The twin daggerboards ensure good pointing to windward and the sail plan comes with Genoa, staysail and is set up for a cruising chute too.

The hulls are resin infused, carbon/e-glass hybrid construction with foam core and are held together with carbon crossbeams, and for upwind performance daggerboards are used.