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Designing, building and racing an Open 60 world-class racer
Open 60s are among the fastest boats in sailing - built of carbon fibre using the latest hi-tech structures, they are designed to be as light as possible (faster) but strong enough to withstand the worst the seas can throw at them.
They are designed to be sailed by just one person. The drivers of these machines will spend most of their time in the Navigation work station. This is the nerve centre, packed with electronics and computer equipment to help navigate, check performance, communicate and often it is also where they sleep.
The boat has a number of different sails to suit various conditions - not as many sails as a boat designed to be sailed by a 12+ strong crew, but enough to keep the solo skipper working hard all the time matching sailplan to wind and sea conditions. There are three types of sails - a mainsail, headsails on furlers (rolled up around the stays) and spinnakers - although alone, the spinnaker is only used in stable conditions (to be caught in a squall with this huge balloon of sail could mean disaster - end of race).
Open 60 Specifications
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