An amazing start for Team Philips
by The Race Media Centre 16 Mar 2000 09:45 GMT
Royal festival for the naming of Team Philips
London St Katherine's Dock
Under an overcast London sky a purple silhouette walked down towards the
Thames between two rows of red uniforms. But on Tuesday March 14 this was no
warship that Her Majesty the Queen of England was about to review. The red
carpet unfolded towards an immense blue machine half dolphin and half bird.
The catamaran Team Philips had arrived that same morning from Dartmouth
(West of England) at the end of an inaugural passage of 250 miles and more
than 2 years under construction. For her skipper Pete Goss this instant was
an unprecedented privilege. Apart from Royal Navy ships the Queen Elizabeth
II had named only one private boat before the one that carries her name
the liner Queen Elizabeth 2.
When the past and the future merge
Of course the Cunard flagship has nothing in common with Team Philips. The
former symbolises a bygone era when the sea was the only link between the
Old and the New Worlds. On the contrary Team Philips is the progeny of The
Race and of the Third Millennium: an all-carbon boat measuring 120 ft long
and 70 ft beam. Designed to fly along at more than 40 knots she has a twin
rig and revolutionary wave-piercing hulls.
On mooring under Tower Bridge the ancient guardian bridge at the East end of the capital Team Philips suddenly appropriated the heritage and the hopes of a prodigious maritime nation.
Mike Calvin the journalist who is a member of the 6-man crew summed up the
situation perfectly: On sailing up the Thames this morning we rediscovered
an eternal unchanging Britain. Yet our catamaran was well and truly there
alive under our feet. All of a sudden the past and the future seemed to
coalesce.
I bless this boat
But then silently watched by thousands of respectful spectators the Queen
climbed onto the net stretched between the 2 hulls. A ribbon was cut
releasing the bottle of champagne. It broke first time on the aft part of
the central pod the sort of flying saucer slung between the crossbeams
housing both the cabin and the steering station.
The sovereign spoke : I bless this boat and all who sail in her. Then the
royal chaplain read a prayer written by Cornish schoolchildren not far from
Totnes. May the crew live in harmony and mutual respect. May they compete in
each race in a spirit of fair play and integrity. The microphones went
quietS But not quite quick enough. They caught the voice of the skipper just
as brimming over with joy he whispered in the Queen s ear: If I let myself
go, I would give you a hug!
Speed: 17, 18 ... 23 knots
Indeed the ex-Royal Marine has every reason to be happy. Team Philips s
first cruise went as smooth as silk as Pete s mate Andy Hindley explained:
In Dartmouth we cast off with no wind towed out by two Ribs (rigid
inflatable boats). But as we left harbour we felt a slight fair wind. The
boat accelerated effortlessly and in an instant we had overtaken the
accompanying boats.
Paul Larsen the Australian on board continued : The sea was completely
smooth but we were still able to notice how incredibly easy Team Philips is
to handle. Only two people are needed to gybe (move sails from side to
side). And above all she accelerates strongly: 15. 16. 17. 18 knotsS She
feels so slippery! In 13 knots of wind we reached peaks of 23 knots.
The party in Dartmouth remains the best memory. There must have been 100,000
people on the docks with music bangers and fireworks Mike Calvin said. Pete
s comment was: It s as though we were in France back in 1997 in Les sables
d'Olonne. That year the Briton finished the Vendee Globe (non-stop
round-the-world single-handed yacht race) as a her after having saved a
fellow competitor.
Magic wings
The catamaran owes it performance to among other elements her two wings one
on each hull. The whole rig (masts mast-foot pods & sails) was installed in
just three days from Thursday March 9th to Sunday March 12th. Team Philips also
owes them her extraordinary elegance. The masts are 135 ft tall without a
single shroud to stay them and they resemble two long slender feathers.
There is still a slight problem with the sailboard-type wishbones. Their
articulation on the masts has only limited clearance which prevents the
sails from being fully hoisted. Adrian Thompson the designer of Team Philips
sees this as just a minor incident: The machine is not yet completely
finished and there are still a number of points to be optimised.
Off to 1st circumnavigation