Current Case: Windquest

Challenge: In preparation for the 2005 TransPac, this 2002-launched, 86-foot water-ballasted maxi was looking for a competitive performance boost in time for the ocean race to Hawaii.

Navtec Rigging Specified: Bi-conic PBO using Navtec titanium compression sockets for end fittings.

Launched in 2002, the Reichel/Pugh-designed maxZ86 Windquest (ex-Zephyrus V) quickly proved herself to be a winner. Within her first year of racing, the water-ballasted maxi logged three first-to-finish victories and broke the long-standing 32-year-old record for the classic 600-mile Pineapple Cup passage race from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The yacht was acquired by the DeVos family in 2004, a family with a longstanding track-record of big-boat racing against some of the top sailors in the sport. In preparation for the 2005 TransPac, Windquest’s owners were looking for a competitive performance boost in time for the 2,225-nautical mile race to Hawaii.

To help Windquest prepare for the TransPac, Navtec analyzed prospective options for weight reduction in the rig and rigging and quoted a PBO Bi-conic rigging system to be fitted to the boat’s new mast. The system would use industrially produced PBO cables with titanium compression sockets as end fittings. Such a setup would allow for quick and easy re-rig opportunities.

Although the Navtec PBO system was relatively unknown in the United States at the time, Windquest’s very knowledgeable and savvy racing team gave the go-ahead for the Navtec system.

Navtec worked closely with the customer to maximize weight reduction and customize the system further. Six cables were over-braided to provide additional chafe protection for the offshore contest. Several titanium end fittings were also custom-designed for the project.

Windquest’s rigging was built in conjunction with Navtec Sud Europe, Navtec’s plant in southern Europe. Navtec took delivery of a partial system from NavSud and generated a complete pre- assembly of the rigging on site in Guilford, Connecticut. The complete rigging package was then delivered to Hall Spars in Rhode Island for rig assembly and a dry fit.

The system was then disassembled and shipped to San Diego where the rig was reassembled and the mast was stepped. After two days of sea trials and tuning, Windquest was sent to the starting line with crewmembers who were clearly pleased with the new rigging system.

In a TransPac year when the record was annihilated by nearly a full day, Windquest was the fifth boat to reach the finish line in Hawaii in the field of 75 boats, the second-largest fleet since 1979. In her class, three of the top five boats were members of the same maxZ86 class, and they had far different and newer performance enhancements—namely, a swing keel and a different/newer generation of PBO rigging.

The Windquest crew reported that the rigging performed flawlessly and beyond their expectations. It needed no additional tuning and suffered no chafe or degradation during the 2000+ mile sprint across the Pacific.

Please see dramatic images of the yacht during the exciting finish as she blasts across the line at over 20 knots.