Miss Nylex catamaran
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| Yacht club | Sorrento Sailing Club Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron |
|---|---|
| Nation | Australia |
| Class | C-Class catamaran |
| Sail no | KA29 |
| Designer(s) | Roy Martin |
| Builder | Len Dobson |
| Launched | 1972 |
| Owner(s) | Nylex Corporation Ltd |
| Fate | Donated to Australian National Maritime Museum in 1988 |
| Racing career | |
| Skippers | Bruce Proctor |
| Notable victories | International Catamaran Challenge Trophy 1974 |
| Specifications | |
| Type | Catamaran |
| Length | 25 feet |
| Beam | 14 feet |
| Mast height | 36 feet |
| Sail area | 300 square feet |
| Crew | Graeme Ainslie |
Miss Nylex is a C-Class racing catamaran, designed and built in Australia in the 1970s specifically to compete in the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT). It has a single wingsail with two aerodynamic flaps, instead of the conventional mast and sail combination.[1]
Miss Nylex won the ICCT in 1974 and was the first catamaran in the world to win the race using a wingsail. The wingsail design was revolutionary for its time and changed the course of C-Class catamaran racing. All winners of the ICCT from 1977 to 2007 were subsequently won using wingsail designs.[2]
Miss Nylex was designed by Roy Martin and built by Victorian boat-builder Len Dobson.[3] When launched in 1972, it was the fastest catamaran in the world, breaking the speed record for an Australian yacht at 24 knots.[3]
History
The story of Miss Nylex began in 1971 when a syndicate was established to build a yacht to defend the ICCT, which Australia had won from Denmark in 1970.[2] The 1970 win had brought the trophy ‘down under’ for the first time and the Sorrento Sailing Club was tasked with defending the trophy and hosting the event on Port Phillip Bay near Melbourne.[1] The ICCT was also known at the time as the ‘Little America’s Cup’ due to similarities with the America's Cup.
The Miss Nylex syndicate was formed by John Buzaglo (later OAM) and Frank Strange, with backing by the founder of the Nylex Corporation, Peter (later Sir Peter) Derham. The syndicate also included Chris Wilson, Leon Ward and boat designer Roy Martin. [3]
Since 1965, the ICCT had been sailed over a course of a set shape and length, laid out carefully according to the prevailing wind direction. Most of the race was spent beating to windward or broad reaching. The syndicate decided that the new boat would need to perform well under these conditions. After assessing the likely challenger from the United States, the syndicate decided that the existing defender, Quest III (ICCT winner in 1970), would probably be superior, giving them the freedom to experiment with something new without jeopardising Australia's chance of winning.[1]
Drawing on his aeronautical expertise, designer Roy Martin developed a 'rigid aerofoil rig' or solid wingsail, which was highly efficient in windward conditions. Designers in the United States and Denmark had been experimenting with wingsails, but without much success in racing conditions (e.g. Patient Lady II).[1]
1972 - development
In 1972, eight contenders competed in the Australian selection trials.[4] Miss Nylex was highly competitive and considered by many to be the superior boat, but the selectors (Jock Sturrock, Russ Gibbons and Bob Clark)[5] conservatively opted for Quest III as the Australian contender for that series. Miss Nylex was faster in the trials, but the syndicate did not have a spare wingsail if anything got damaged during the race and the selectors were also cautious about the reliability of the revolutionary new design.
Australia, with Quest III, beat the United States contender 'Weathercock', which kept the trophy at Sorrento, where Miss Nylex was based. This allowed the syndicate to further develop the wingsail design.
1974 - wingsail wins
For the Australian selection trials in 1974, the design of Miss Nylex had been refined and the wingsail rig had been modified to eliminate many of the earlier problems of too much power in high winds. A new wingsail had been built and the original wingsail was kept as a reserve in case of damage. The rigging had been modified to allow much greater wing rotation for downwind sailing and for reducing power in heavy weather conditions.[5]
In 1974, Australia accepted a challenge from New Zealand with their boat ‘Miss Stars’ (Sail Number KZ2). Miss Stars was competitively sailed by helmsman Brett de Thier, but was heavier and less efficient than Miss Nylex, which was sailed by an experienced crew of Bruce Proctor (helmsman) and Graeme Ainslie.[5] Australia beat New Zealand, four races to nil.[4]
Australia’s victory with the new wingsail design was a world first in yacht racing. Roy Martin was named Victorian Yachtsman of the Year, which was the first time a yacht designer had won this award.
1976 - wingsail vs sail
In 1976, Miss Nylex was chosen to defend the trophy for a second time, seeing off a challenge in the selection trials of a resurrected Quest III.
Australia accepted a challenge from the United States with their boat Aquarius V (Sail Number US76).
Weather and wind strength proved to be the deciding factor in the 1976 series. Aquarius V had a conventional mast and soft sail rig and was superior in light winds, while Miss Nylex outperformed Aquarius V in winds above 12 knots. After five races, Aquarius V was down 2 races to 3 against Miss Nylex, but light winds in the final two races enabled Aquarius V to come from behind and win the series, taking back the trophy to the United States for the first time since 1961.[4]
After the 1976 race, Miss Nylex was offered for sale to Tony Di Mauro of Connecticut, owner of C-Class catamaran 'Patient Lady', but he declined due to the price being too high, saying it would cost him over AUD$30,000 to purchase the boat.[6] The syndicate disbanded, as a new sponsor could not be found to contest the 1977 challenge series and Miss Nylex was placed into storage. [4]
Current status
In the 1980s, Miss Nylex was restored to its original condition by members of the syndicate and other interested parties. It was donated to the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney by the C-Class Catamaran Association, where it is part of the National Maritime Collection and listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Miss Nylex was on display in the foyer of the Museum when it opened in 1991, but it has been in storage since 2006.
References
- ^ a b c d Martin, Herbert Roy (1976). “The Catamaran Miss Nylex”. The SAE – Australasia, Journal of the Society of Automotive Engineers Australasia. 36 (5): 198-207.
- ^ a b Chevalier, Francois and Hydros Foundation (2015). The Exceptional History of the Little Cup. Abrams, New York. ISBN: 978-1-4197-1943-1
- ^ a b c [1]
- ^ a b c d Wilson, Chris and Press, Max (1976). Catamaran Sailing to Win. pp. 22-53. Kaye & Ward, London and Methuen, Australia. ISBN 0718211928
- ^ a b c Wilson, Chris and Press, Max. (1974). Modern Boating. Sydney, Australia. 9 (4): 102.
- ^ Wilson, Chris and Press, Max. (1976). Modern Boating. Sydney, Australia.11 (6): 10-12, 101.