Yellow Pages Endeavour
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Pages Endeavour, or YPE, is an Australian sailboat
designed for speed sailing
, which held the outright 500 meter world record from October, 1993 to November, 2004, when it was taken by windsurfer
Finian Maynard
; the YPE still holds the C class record. The YPE has been succeeded in record attempts by the similarly designed Extreme 50, renamed Macquarie Innovation, built and operated by the same team.
Designed by Lindsay Cunningham, the both boats are triscaph proa
-like designs (though often referred to as a trimaran
) intended for sailing in one direction. They have three hulls
attached to a Y shaped aka
. The ama
, or windward hull, contains the cockpit
and controls for the two crew members. The remaining two hulls travel in line, forming a vaka
, or leeward hull. The rigid wingsail
is attached to the center of the Y. The YPE used a high aspect sail, while the Macquarie Innovation uses a larger, lower aspect sail on a wider platform in an attempt to generate more power with less heeling force. Though the designs are often referred to as foil born, the hulls are designed to plane, and both versions have been photographed with the ama lifted clear of the water. A series of cavitation
resistant asymmetric foils, with fences to prevent ventilation at height speeds, are situated in the vaka hulls serve to provide lateral resistance.
The construction of the load-bearing portions of the vaka hulls and aka are primarily of unidirectional carbon fiber
composite over a nomex
core. These are then faired using heat shrink membrane over foam cores. The ama is constructed of lightweight marine grade plywood
, and is designed to shatter and throw the crew clear of the cockpit in the event of a crash. The wingsail is made of a heat shrink membrane over a lightweight foam core.
and crew member Tim Daddo took the world record
in the YPE with an official speed of 46.52 knots (53.5 mph or 86.2 km/h) off the coast of Sandy Point, Victoria
, Australia
. The record was set in winds of 19 to 20 knots (39 km/h), for a top speed of 2.3 times the windspeed.
In early testing, the Macquarie Innovation demonstrated speeds of 43 knots (84.3 km/h) in 15—17 knots (33 km/h) of wind, 2.5 times windspeed, and the team hopes that a good sailing day in 20 knots (39.2 km/h) of wind will break the 50 knots (98 km/h) barrier.
In 2008, the World Speed Sailing Record Council certified a C class 500 meter record of 48.14 knots (94.3 km/h) for the Macquarie Innovation, skippered by Simon McKeon at Sandy Point. In 2009, McKeon and the Innovation broke the 50 knot barrier, with a certified speed of 50.07 knots (98.1 km/h). The team contested the speed as certified, due to a 0.35 knot (0.685943999451245 km/h) adjustment to the recorded speed to compensate for an ebbing tide during the record run. The Macquarie Team position is that most, if not all, of the 0.35 knot correction was due to wind blown drift, not the ebb tide, and was therefore applied in error.
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...
designed for speed sailing
Speed sailing
Speed sailing is the art of sailing a craft as fast as possible over a predetermined route, and having its overall or peak speed recorded and accredited by a regulatory body. The term usually refers to sailing on water, even though sailing on land and ice is progressively faster because of the...
, which held the outright 500 meter world record from October, 1993 to November, 2004, when it was taken by windsurfer
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
Finian Maynard
Finian Maynard
Finian Maynard is a six-time speed windsurfing world champion and held the absolute 500m sailing speed record for sailing vessels from late 2004 until early 2008....
; the YPE still holds the C class record. The YPE has been succeeded in record attempts by the similarly designed Extreme 50, renamed Macquarie Innovation, built and operated by the same team.
Design and construction
Proa
A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...
-like designs (though often referred to as a trimaran
Trimaran
A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
) intended for sailing in one direction. They have three hulls
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
attached to a Y shaped aka
Aka (sailing)
The aka of a multihull sailboat is a member of the framework that connects the hull to the ama . The term aka originated with the proa, but is also applied to modern trimarans....
. The ama
Ama (sailing)
The term ama is a word in the Polynesian and Micronesian languages to describe the outrigger part of a canoe to provide stability. Today, among the various Polynesian countries, the word ama is often used together with the word vaka or waka or va'a , cognate words in various Polynesian languages...
, or windward hull, contains the cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
and controls for the two crew members. The remaining two hulls travel in line, forming a vaka
Vaka (sailing)
The vaka is the main hull of a multihull vessel.-Origin and use of the term:The term vaka is used in the Polynesian, Malay and Micronesian languages for a 'canoe', 'ship' or 'boat.' Other parts of a traditional vaka can include the aka and ama .A proa consists of a vaka, the main canoe-like...
, or leeward hull. The rigid wingsail
Wingsail
A wingsail is a form of marine propulsion similar to conventional sails. However, a wingsail is a built-up structure with airfoil cross-section, like an airplane wing, which shape can provide a much better lift-to-drag ratio than conventional sails....
is attached to the center of the Y. The YPE used a high aspect sail, while the Macquarie Innovation uses a larger, lower aspect sail on a wider platform in an attempt to generate more power with less heeling force. Though the designs are often referred to as foil born, the hulls are designed to plane, and both versions have been photographed with the ama lifted clear of the water. A series of cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquidi.e. small liquid-free zones that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid...
resistant asymmetric foils, with fences to prevent ventilation at height speeds, are situated in the vaka hulls serve to provide lateral resistance.
The construction of the load-bearing portions of the vaka hulls and aka are primarily of unidirectional carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
composite over a nomex
Nomex
Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...
core. These are then faired using heat shrink membrane over foam cores. The ama is constructed of lightweight marine grade plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
, and is designed to shatter and throw the crew clear of the cockpit in the event of a crash. The wingsail is made of a heat shrink membrane over a lightweight foam core.
Record attempts
In October 1993 skipper Simon McKeonSimon Mckeon
Simon McKeon is an Australian businessman, philanthropist and sportsman. On 25 January 2011 he was named Australian of the Year for 2011 by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.- Business :...
and crew member Tim Daddo took the world record
Speed sailing record
Speed sailing records are sanctioned, since 1972, by the World Sailing Speed Record Council . Records are measured either by average speed over a specified distance or by total distance traveled during a specified time interval...
in the YPE with an official speed of 46.52 knots (53.5 mph or 86.2 km/h) off the coast of Sandy Point, Victoria
Sandy Point, Victoria
Sandy Point is a township in south Gippsland, Victoria near Wilsons Promontory. At the 2006 census, Sandy Point had a population of 227, growing to several thousand during the holiday period. It is surrounded by areas of significant natural heritage....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The record was set in winds of 19 to 20 knots (39 km/h), for a top speed of 2.3 times the windspeed.
In early testing, the Macquarie Innovation demonstrated speeds of 43 knots (84.3 km/h) in 15—17 knots (33 km/h) of wind, 2.5 times windspeed, and the team hopes that a good sailing day in 20 knots (39.2 km/h) of wind will break the 50 knots (98 km/h) barrier.
In 2008, the World Speed Sailing Record Council certified a C class 500 meter record of 48.14 knots (94.3 km/h) for the Macquarie Innovation, skippered by Simon McKeon at Sandy Point. In 2009, McKeon and the Innovation broke the 50 knot barrier, with a certified speed of 50.07 knots (98.1 km/h). The team contested the speed as certified, due to a 0.35 knot (0.685943999451245 km/h) adjustment to the recorded speed to compensate for an ebbing tide during the record run. The Macquarie Team position is that most, if not all, of the 0.35 knot correction was due to wind blown drift, not the ebb tide, and was therefore applied in error.
Difficulties
The YPE and MI designs are highly specialized craft, designed to operate only under ideal conditions for record attempts. The location, Sandy Point, provides the unusual combination of very smooth water and high winds needed for record attempts. Even so, times when ideal conditions are available are scarce; in the 2007 season, one 28 day period yielded only 1.5 hours of good sailing time, in a 17 knots (33 km/h) wind, not enough for a record setting performance Every run also risks a crash, which, due to the lightweight nature of the craft, can result in disaster, such as in 2004 when a capsize destroyed the Macquarie Innovation. When this happens, the vessel must be rebuilt, costing time, money, and possible good sailing days. On the other hand, the YPE set the world record only 8 months after a crash that wrecked the vessel.External links
- Macquarie Speed Sailing official website, with information on the Macquarie Innovation
- Pictures of a Macquarie Innovation sail failure and the cockpit after a crash.
- Paravane (water kite)Paravane (water kite)]The paravane is a towed winged underwater object—water kite. Paravanes have been used in sport or commercial fishing, marine exploration and industry, sports and military. The wings of paravanes are sometimes in a fixed position, else positioned remotely or by actions of a human pilot...