Maxi yacht
Encyclopedia
A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing
sailboat
of at least 70 feet (21.3 m) in length. It is also a Swedish brand of smaller sailing yachts.
(IOR) rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a single-number rating to each boat. This number was approximately equal to the sailing waterline length in feet, plus or minus speed enhancing or reducing factors in the design. A yacht with a rating of 40 feet (12.2 m) was generally about 47 to 52 ft (14.3 to 15.8 ) in length overall. The IOR had upper and lower rating limits of 16 feet (4.9 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) , so a yacht designed and built to the maximum limit of 70 feet (21.3 m) rating was known as a maxi.
For a time in the 1980s they were the most glamorous, exciting, expensive and high-visibility racing yachts in the world, with regular appearances at most of the great races such as the Fastnet
, Sydney-Hobart
, Bermuda Race
, and their own private series of regattas in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and elsewhere. The maxis were also prominent as line-honours winners in every Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race
) from 1973 to 1993.
.
The first Super-Maxi owners, the New Zealanders Charles St. Clair Brown, a businessman and self-made millionaire, and his co-owner, Bill Buckley, an engineer, were encouraged to build their yacht, Maximus (later rechristened Investec LOYAL), they say, due to the relaxed rules.
This obsession with quirky class rules, it is said, causes the energy and effort that goes into improving the performance and appeal of the sport itself to be diverted and overshadowed by design limitations – several maxi ex-campaigners, and so it seems the entire sport are right behind this sentiment; and the Maxi Circuit is undergoing a resurgence.
, Alfa Romeo II
, ICAP Leopard 3, Wild Oats XI
, Lahana or Rambler 100) are built specifically to win line honors, but these days, have just a single constraint of keeping their length to 100 feet (30.5 m). Mini-Maxis, such as Alfa Romeo III (69' in length), still compete for corrected-time titles, however.
The new rules permit experimental technology such as rotating wing masts – which are most commonly found on high-performance catamarans – light weight materials such as carbon fiber and epoxy resins, along with more established technologies like water ballast, swing keels, and asymmetric spinnakers. These relaxed restrictions in class design should prove to keep the innovation and the excitement on the water, rather than in the courtroom, which has been a major criticism of the America's Cup
syndicates over the years.
Island of Gotland
for more than 30 years. More than 16,000 Maxi cruiser/racers have been built to date with overall lengths up to 13 metres. Current production boats include the Maxi 1050, Maxi 1100, Maxi 1300 and the Swedish Match 40.
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
of at least 70 feet (21.3 m) in length. It is also a Swedish brand of smaller sailing yachts.
Origin
The term maxi originated with the International Offshore RuleInternational Offshore Rule
The International Offshore Rule was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club rule.-Rule context - past and present rating systems:...
(IOR) rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a single-number rating to each boat. This number was approximately equal to the sailing waterline length in feet, plus or minus speed enhancing or reducing factors in the design. A yacht with a rating of 40 feet (12.2 m) was generally about 47 to 52 ft (14.3 to 15.8 ) in length overall. The IOR had upper and lower rating limits of 16 feet (4.9 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) , so a yacht designed and built to the maximum limit of 70 feet (21.3 m) rating was known as a maxi.
Competition
The IOR Maxis were generally 75 to 82 ft (22.9 to 25 ) long overall, and raced boat-for-boat without handicap, unlike the rest of the IOR fleet which raced with a time correction factor depending on the boat's rating.For a time in the 1980s they were the most glamorous, exciting, expensive and high-visibility racing yachts in the world, with regular appearances at most of the great races such as the Fastnet
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
, Sydney-Hobart
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
, Bermuda Race
Bermuda Race
The Bermuda Race, or Newport Bermuda Race, is a biennial yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the island of Bermuda, a distance of 635 nautical miles across open ocean. The first Bermuda Race started in 1906 from Gravesend Bay, N.Y. with three entries. The race was held several times in the...
, and their own private series of regattas in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and elsewhere. The maxis were also prominent as line-honours winners in every Whitbread Round the World Race (now the Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo...
) from 1973 to 1993.
Match Racing & Fleet Racing
These boats are generally custom-designed and built, so each one is unique, but some are built to conform to class specifications that make them capable of similar speeds. One recent example of a maxi yacht class is the "maxZ86" specification. Maxi yachts are raced in both short-distance buoy races and in offshore ocean racingOcean racing
Ocean Racing may refer to either yacht racing, in particular of the Maxi yachts; or multisport events with a significant Ocean related Swim or Kayak...
.
Modern Maxis
A new breed of even larger racing yachts are now being built - at 90 to 100 ft (27.4 to 30.5 ) these are larger in every dimension, and much faster than the old-style maxis, and are commonly referred to as supermaxis, and these relaxed rules are spawning a whole new breed of record breaking super-sailors:The first Super-Maxi owners, the New Zealanders Charles St. Clair Brown, a businessman and self-made millionaire, and his co-owner, Bill Buckley, an engineer, were encouraged to build their yacht, Maximus (later rechristened Investec LOYAL), they say, due to the relaxed rules.
This obsession with quirky class rules, it is said, causes the energy and effort that goes into improving the performance and appeal of the sport itself to be diverted and overshadowed by design limitations – several maxi ex-campaigners, and so it seems the entire sport are right behind this sentiment; and the Maxi Circuit is undergoing a resurgence.
New Rules
Like Maxis, the new generation of Super-Maxis (such as Investec LOYALInvestec LOYAL
Investec LOYAL is a racing supermaxi yacht, with a length of 100 feet. Originally named Maximus, she was built by TP Cookson for Charles St...
, Alfa Romeo II
Alfa Romeo (yacht)
Alfa Romeo can refer to several yachts owned by Neville Crichton, the Alfa Romeo automobile distributor for Australia and New Zealand. In 2003, Crichton was named Yachting New Zealand's "Sailor of the Year" for his accomplishments with yacht Alfa Romeo I.Alfa Romeo I is a fixed keel "supermaxi"...
, ICAP Leopard 3, Wild Oats XI
Wild Oats XI
Wild Oats XI is a maxi yacht, most famous for being a multiple line honors winner of the 'blue water classic' Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. She is owned by Robert Oatley, and skippered by New South Welsh yachtsman, Mark Richards....
, Lahana or Rambler 100) are built specifically to win line honors, but these days, have just a single constraint of keeping their length to 100 feet (30.5 m). Mini-Maxis, such as Alfa Romeo III (69' in length), still compete for corrected-time titles, however.
The new rules permit experimental technology such as rotating wing masts – which are most commonly found on high-performance catamarans – light weight materials such as carbon fiber and epoxy resins, along with more established technologies like water ballast, swing keels, and asymmetric spinnakers. These relaxed restrictions in class design should prove to keep the innovation and the excitement on the water, rather than in the courtroom, which has been a major criticism of the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
syndicates over the years.
Other uses
Maxi is also the brand name for a range of production sailing yachts designed by Olympic medallist Pelle Pettersson and built on the SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Island of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
for more than 30 years. More than 16,000 Maxi cruiser/racers have been built to date with overall lengths up to 13 metres. Current production boats include the Maxi 1050, Maxi 1100, Maxi 1300 and the Swedish Match 40.
See also
- YachtYachtA yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
- International America's Cup Class