GC32 Code Zero by 1D Sails

We use to see the giant code zeros for the D35s or Ventilos for Lake racing in Europe. At Balaton, in Hungary they also have light winds racing and there is a local GC32 team that decided to modify their factory deliver to equip it with a new spin pole and a code Zero. For the sail they called local sailmaker Marton Balazs from 1D Sails.

Marton has taken Ullman GZ legacy forward equipping the entire range of cats. Mitch Booth and Paschahlidis-Trigonis will be racing 1D sails in next F18 Worlds t Denmark.

Below a report sent  by ‘Panka’ from 1D sails on the work done for the Hungarian GC32 ‘RSM’ new Code Zero to race at Lake Balaton, where the 2011 F18 Worlds were held:
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“Balaton, in Hungary is the largest lake of Central-Europe and has a quite big sailing life. Among the activities there is a long time lake rounding regatta, the Kékszalag (which means Blue ribbon).  The
first one was organized in 1934.

In the last few years the Kékszalag became an open regatta where also multihulls can fight for the first place. In 2015  ‘Safram’, Ventilo 35, from lake Geneva won line honours.
2010 was the first year when catamarans could race, Roland Gaebler won that year with a Ventilo 28.

To aim for the blue ribbon some crazy Hungarians even built a 50 feet long two masted catamaran, the “Fifty-fifty”, which won the big regatta two times, once right ahead of Andreas Hagara on a Ventilo 28.

Fifty-fifty is the current record holder with 7 hours 13 minutes 57 seconds. Seven hours on that lake rounding regatta, where the last monohulls arrive to the Finish line after two days of sailing.

The Hungarian sailors are keen to win the race: Three of the good old Extreme 40s, several Ventilo 28s, an SL33, a Decision 35 were acquired in the past. As we mentioned Roland Gaebler, Roman and Andy Hagara, Mitch Booth and Helge Sach have been sailing the Kékszalag before.

There is also a Hungarian GC32 team, who started to sail the GC32 series in 2015, Team ‘RSM’. The foiling GC32 catamaran, what is originally designed by the America’s Cup designer dr. Martin Fischer, had a record on that 77 km long lake straight long way of 1 hour 57 minutes. They decided to take a break of the GC series, and upgrade the boat to win the legendary Kékszalag race.

GC32 “Cupacabra”
To aim for light wind performance a longer mast arrived, which needed new sails from North. Then a few weeks ago a longer bowsprit was fitted. “Longer…”  GC32 has a lenght of 10mts, and the new bowsprit too.  Finally a new  “Chupacabra Code 0” from 1D Sails arrived.

Comments from Marton Balazs / Desgner 1D Sails:” The project was fascinating because I know the team very well,
I was studying many hours the legendary Chupacabra sail, which was originally designed for and used on the Tornado Class at the 2008 Olympics. That sail inspired me, and I think that the final design deserves that prominent name. The analyzed data is promising.

Code Zero  Specs:
The material of the sail is 1D Formula membrane, ultrasonic glued.
The area is 167 sqm.
We started to design and build the sail before the boat was assembled and the bowsprit was fitted There were many questions only with theoretical answers.

That was the hardest part of the whole process, that we had to wait months for the finished bowsprit .

I felt the difference of the theories and experiments right on my skin, but now everyone is happy with the outcome.

The first tests was during the last weekend surpassed the expectations. The results of the upgrade are the following: The new setup triplicate the light wind speed. Sailing downwind the boat wanted to fly very early at 7-8 knots of windspeed. Not bad at all…

The 49th Kékszalag will start on 6th July. Many big cats are hungry to win. Two month from now we will know who will be the winner of the Lake Balaton Blue Ribbon”
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