Kiwi-designed, Kiwi-built and Kiwi-rigged yachts set to take on ANZ SailFiji

Preparation is a huge part of any off-shore yacht race.

There’s sails to choose and electronics to update, freeze dried food to stow and crew to rally, and of course the task of inspecting every part of the rigging in anticipation for all weather conditions. 

As all eyes turn to the forecast for the ANZ Sail Fiji Race we look at three of the smaller yachts making up the 17-strong fleet bound for Port Denarau on 4 June 2017.  

The trio in the under-40ft category are New Zealand-designed, New Zealand-built, and Hall Spars & Rigging NZ equipped YD37 Anarchy, Shaw12 Blink and E35 SuperSport Crusader.

“This year's fleet is quite different from two years ago and our 35-40 foot ‘division’ is the one to watch,” says Andrew (AJ) Reid who will be at the helm of Anarchy -  the Yachting Developments build, designed by Brett Bakewell-White.

He thanks the Hall Spars & Rigging NZ team for their “top notch” work in checking their  rigging and making sure Anarchy is good to go following their launch last year and successful summer of racing in Auckland.

With the weather pattern now posing some favorable conditions AJ says the crew is simply “fizzing” in the build up to the 1100 nautical mile challenge.

“There’s plenty to play for on Anarchy. And of course, the race will no doubt throw up a curve ball or two which means anyone can take out the top prizes,” he says.

AJ says the race will be a fierce contest between Anarchy, Crusader and Blink with success factors coming down to detailed planning, preparation, teamwork, and execution of tactics and strategy.

“At least that’s how it’s meant to be in yacht racing nirvana. Of course, this is ocean racing, and no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy – so luck will, as always, play a part,” he adds.  

All three yachts showcase different Hall Spars & Rigging NZ customised set ups.

While Anarchy features rod rigging with a high modulus mast, the Rob Shaw-designed and Craig Partridge-built Blink features carbon rigging and high modulus carbon mast, and the Elliott Marine-designed and Salthouse-built Crusader has aerofoil carbon rigging with an ultra high modulus carbon mast.

From all of us at Hall Spars and Rigging NZ we wish all competitors favourable winds for a safe journey. 

Re-fit Underway on World’s Biggest Boom at Hall Spars & Rigging NZ

Wheeling superyacht M5’s boom into the workshop proves there’s no limit to the highly skilled re-fit service work and technical skill on hand at Hall Spars & Rigging NZ.

The 78m yacht is the largest sloop ever built and the decision to contract Hall Spars for a full re-fit on the boom reflects a growing reputation in the market for servicing rigs of all sizes.

At 92ft (28m) long and 6.5ft (2m) wide the boom dwarfs everything else in the workshop.

“It’s exciting for the team to have gear of this size here. Having the experience, facilities, and capacity to work on any rig is key in our philosophy of providing world class customer service for any client,” says Hall Spars & Rigging NZ’s operations manager Dave Ridley.

“By having it in the shop we’ve got the best scenario possible with all facilities in place and the tools and personnel on hand to carry out the job efficiently with no travel time,” continues Ridley.

With four staff working full time with support from Gurit’s engineers to carry out a full ultrasound on the entire boom, upgrade structural areas and replace the inboard end and gooseneck, the boom will be on the shop floor for about a month in total.

Working on M5’s boom follows on from other re-fit work including rigs on the custom Baltic 78m ‘Lupa of London’ and the Dubois 37m ‘Escapade’.

Stock Battens Available for Overnight Dispatch

With a flood of orders for Hall Spars and Rigging's recently launched hollow composite battens, sets of stock battens have been manufactured and packaged ready to cater to urgent demand. After sending a stock set to the Caribbean overnight to meet a 66ft catamaran on the same day the order was made, the operations team have looked to further broadening the stock range available in line with exceeding service expectations. 

"Light as a feather" the battens have been much praised as a welcome alternative to the market with much speculation as to the growth of their use in the Pacific region.

Stock and custom battens are now available.
Please email: battens@hallspars.com to enquire or order.

Four Oceanfurl Booms Fly Out of the Factory

For a brief moment four Oceanfurl booms lay next to one another in Hall Spars New Zealand's state of the art Silverdale factory before a rigorous schedule saw them spread across the USA and UK for stepping. 

From New England to Savannah and Fort Lauderdale, the slick high performance booms have been custom made for a Tripp 60, Dubois 37m, and a 98ft Sparkman & Stephens. The fourth boom goes to meet a new build Oyster 825 number 5 with boats six, seven and eight on order. 

We Don't Just Rig, We Race

The Hall Spars brand was out in full force at the Bay of Islands Sailing Week (BOISW) with both staff competing and a fleet of Hall Spars rigged vessels seen across several divisions including the superyacht specific Pacific Cup. Dave Ridley, Hall Spars’ New Zealand operations manager, fought a fiercely contested IRC Division A match in the Hall-equipped Viento TP52. Missing out on a second place finish narrowly but garnering attention as a "standout boat" in the competition by the sailing week's organisers, Viento is certainly one to watch. 

With podium finishes for Hall Spars rigged boats in IRC Divisions A, B and Sports Divisions, there was a Hall Spars red and grey wash across the prize giving ceremony. 

Hall Spars-rigged Boat Victorious in Sydney to Hobart

Battling through inclement weather in one of the most difficult yacht races in the world, Hall Spars-rigged yacht Balance has won the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race for 2015.

The 71^st edition of the race saw a fleet of 108 yachts sail out of Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, with some harsh weather conditions awaiting the sailors early on. As always, yacht and personnel durability were of high importance, with lightning, thunder, rough waters and blustery winds greeting the fleet. Almost a third of the starting yachts were forced to retire, many within the first 24 hours sailing down the NSW coast.

Despite encountering some horrible conditions, Balance owner Paul Clitheroe praised his rig’s durability, having had no problems throughout the race.

“Given the issues other boats have had with masts, it’s a very positive statement,” said Mr Clitheroe.

“Clearly it is a critical element in Balance’s success… As the boat has now won two Hobarts with this mast, it clearly does its job and has done so for many years, at times under extreme conditions.”

To cap off a great 2015 year for Hall Spars & Rigging, it was not only Balance that added to Hall Spars’ resume of successful yachts, but also Chinese Whisper, coming in fifth in line honours, taking out division honours in class zero, and finishing in an incredible fifth on IRC. This result comes in the wake of a number of top results, including a second place in the Sydney to Gold Coast race in July.

The biggest shock of the race was the retirement of eight-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI on the first night. The 100 footer had been the first to finish the previous three years, but was forced to retire with a destroyed mainsail – proof of the harsh conditions this years’ sailors faced.

Despite the weather throughout the race, Hall Spars’ supremacy shone through, with not one of the 12-strong fleet of Hall Spars-equipped yachts reporting any mast problems throughout the race.

But until the yachts line up again on Boxing Day this year, it’s Balance, and Hall Spars, who sit on top of the pack.

New Ultrasound Technique Finds Flaws Hidden From the Naked Eye

Hall Spars have pioneered and developed expertise in the application of a medical-grade solution to the service of masts and booms; uncovering flaws that may escape the naked eye. The utilisation of ultra sounding enables technicians to find voids and wear in areas of high stress or delaminating from damage or impact. A visually striking understanding of a product and its current state is gained, interpreted and presented to a client. When service has been undertaken and completed, a further ultrasound test is undertaken to evidence that all flaws have been rectified leaving you ready to go further, faster, longer.

"With ultrasound testing technology we can accurately determine the structural integrity of any monolithic laminate with no destruction of the existing laminate" says Hall Spars head designer Matthew Stuart. "It also gives us the option to map out the composite spars before they leave the shop to give us a reference for any future inspections."

To find out more, email: m.stuart@hallspars.com