France has been taking part in the America's Cup since 1971 and has never been able to win thepreliminary round robins. Naval architecture is a dominating element in this competition. Each time the crew has been unable to save a boat which was a long way behind the best ones. This is not representative of the level of French technology nor of the French nautical industry.

A heavy defeat was suffered in San Diego. Two different boats were greatly surpassed. One naval architect had been holding a monopoly for several challenges. Each time something was called into question and each proposition invariably led to the same answer : it is a private challenge. The public authorities were never the less solicited and they financed a great deal without it ever being possible to hold an invitation to tender. That being the case, the winning French boats which are talked about are those of the Peyron brothers, the Bourgnon brothers, the transatlantic races, single-handed circumnavigations (Vendée Globe and BOC), mini-transat races, the Fastnet race, the Gotland Runt, the Jules Verne Trophy, the world speed record, the 8m JI world and European championships…all of which concern boats which are designed by naval architects and engineers who are excluded from the America's Cup.
 

Ever since San Diego, the challenge has been looked at very closely. The Prime Minister placed Jean-François Deniau in charge of a parliamentary commission. Three challenges were put forward for the year 2000. YAKA was the only one to have obtained minimum financial support. After the collapse of the "private challenge", the public relations line was about opening up and bringing things together. I put myself forward offering to supply and finance a study into the numeric calculations and a model to be tried out in a test tank. The response was favourable but handed on to the hierarchy and the decision was put back until later on several occasions. During the course of an interview which I managed to obtain six months later, it was accepted. The C.R.A.I.N. (1) was supposed to send a draft contract in confirmation of the agreement but never did so. An architectural team does exist but it is drawn from previous challenges. I was told that progress could only come from the experience of defeat. The C.R.A.I.N. which is well-established in San Diego, is the sole organism in charge of the project for the new boat. It put together the "YAKA design Team" to design 6° SENS. Hard-hitting communication hides the truth : a winning French challenge is not part of it.
 

6° SENS is narrow. Apart form that, the options of the previous French challenges have been used again. There is nothing new about her and nothing to hide. A large stern means that the whole of the hull volumes have been distributed in a very risky way. VILLE DE PARIS was close to the Italian boat, except for her keel. This model has reappeared on 6° SENS. The tips of the bulb keel turn down which along with other side effects makes it impossible to add efficient winglets. They are replaced by fins… There is little chance of these options being seen on the other boats. The prognosis could have been made when she was launched.

DAUPHIN is very different. This does not prove anything but this opposition demonstrates the potential that there would have been in seeking other approaches and other technical points of view. This concept was created prior to the latest challenge. Rather than remaining on a hard disk indefinitely, it is now surfing the web. The specifications are sufficiently precise and defined for it to constitute a registered design. Prior to the first preliminary rounds, a bet had been laid on the future results and trends.
 

DAUPHIN

Drawings :

This project attempts to express curiosity, speed, agility and harmony of understanding, just like a shoal of dolphins coming over to have a closer look at you when out sailing. I have been lucky enough to crew for or to work with several of the America's Cup winners (2). They are easy people to get along with, skilled and organised. In France things are not so straightforward. The last French challenges were put together by top level racing yachtsmen trained on one designs. They are not used to having to choose naval architects. They do not understand the way they work. Who you happen to know and associate with replaces method. By the time the boat's potential has been discovered, it is too late. My attempt to work with YAKA confirms that this is a private domain. The "Design Team" affirms having assessed one hundred hulls in order to develop the "absolute arm". But it did not want to be confronted with even one single hull from elsewhere. You can be way off target with a hundred bullets. With just one, you have to be sure of your shot.
 
 

 Guy Ribadeau Dumas.
 
 
 

Main characteristics LOA 25.83 m LWL 17.98 m LBG (length 200 mm over LWL) 19.94 m Beam ( from zero to 5.5 m) 3.26 m BWL 2.78 m Draft (maximum) 4.00 m 250 mm buttock slope (maximum allowed) 12.5 ° Weight DSP (maximum allowed) 25 Tons Measured sail area S 325.4 m²

Within the rule, it is a seek for length, maximum L/D ratio and ballast stability. The couterparts are less manœuvrability and clumsy overhangs.

(1) Centre de Recherche pour l'Architecture et l'Industrie Nautique.
(2) Bob Mac Cullough, Bill Ficker, Steve Van Dyck, Australia 2 crew and Doug Peterson.