Info Navtec Case Study: Shamrock V Classic J Class   Current Case: Shamrock V Classic J Class Challenge: Replace the yacht’s standing rigging as she was being outfitted with a new Rondal mast to ready the boat for performance cruising as well as J Class racing in Antigua, St. Tropez and the America’s Cup jubilee. Yacht Design: Nicholson Yacht Specs: Shamrock V is 36.89 meters (121 feet) in length, has a 6-meter (19.3ft) beam and displaces 160 tons. Shipyard: Pendennis Shipyard, Falmouth, UK. Navtec Rigging: Nitronic-50 rod rigging and components. Shamrock V was built in 1930 for Sir Thomas Lipton's fifth and last America's Cup challenge. Designed by Nicholson, she was the first British yacht to be built to the new J Class Rule and is the only remaining J to have been built in wood. The classic J yacht, was being refit to make another foray into the competitive J-Class circuit under new ownership. The former owner and project manager of the Shamrock V refit project chose Rondal Masts in Vollenhove, Holland for the task of designing a new mast. Rondal, in turn, approached Navtec in the spring of 2000 to provide the standing rigging. Because weight aloft as well as durability are important for racing, Navtec provided it’s Nitronic-50 rod rigging, and fitted lightweight pultruded Kevlar rods on the jumpers. The rigging was custom manufactured at the Navtec US headquarters in Guilford, CT to the specifications of Rondal, which included specific chainplate dimensions, rod lengths, diagonal and vertical angles and load requirements. In order to achieve the optimum result within the time allotted, the interface with the mast designer is critical. Because the mast was being designed in Holland, the rigging was being produced in the US and the yacht was in the UK, the accuracy of the work done was critical to minimize the amount of re-work and shipping involved. In October 2000, Navtec shipped the rigging by container to Rondal in Vollenhove, where the mast was dressed to insure that the rigging fitted. The mast and rigging were then shipped on to Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth where Shamrock V was being completed, ready for launching. The mast was stepped early February 2001, signifying the successful completion of the project. Shamrock V went south with her new mast and rigging to cruise in the Mediterranean and tune up for her first J-Class competition at the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes, England. This comprehensive refit has improved ballast ratio and with the addition of a new rig and sails, performance is dramatically enhanced. Shamrock V is now ready to give many more years of service as one of yachting’s great queens and as one of just three remaining original J's from the 1930's.