The importance of wearing a halo
by John Curnow, Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com 24 Nov 08:00 UTC
Where to begin with Dragonfly? Well, Dragonfly's external appearance certainly piqued one's curiosity, but it might not have been much more than that, save for the truly exceptional performance of an earlier ditty. That Editorial was, Trust your instincts - Trust in Maverick, and one of the persons involved in that was Anders Berg from Dixon Yacht Design.
So, what was essentially 12 months later, to the day, Anders, myself, and this time also with Boaz Dikken from Rondal, got together to take a look at this most intriguing of catamarans. Is it a new transformer, is it a motorsailer, is it an architecture statement, or is the best new way to get people not only interested once more in the joy and majesty of sailing, and wear a genuinely green one-piece swimsuit, all day, every day?
Answer? All of it, and probably some more, too.
Now back to that halo thing, and well, one of those bright rings of light floating above the head kind of instantly lets you know you're talking with an angel. Equally, in F1 it can save your life in a prang, so you won't be conversing with said Lieutenants too early. In Dragonfly, it's like the F1 car in terms of placement.
An elevated fore beam if you will, but it is actually all about framing the glorious view that the Owner's Stateroom enjoys. Incidentally, this can alternatively be specified as two VIPs. Now if you made it said beam actually aero, the area available from the 18m span would be akin to that of the famed Group 5 Sportscars of yesteryear. Reverse it from those monsters and go from downforce to lift, and you'd almost have enough Larry to get the bows out! (Yes. Yes. That is literary licence...)
So, seeing as we are speaking of wings then, and apart from the 25m tall multiple element carbon and other composite devices generating power, the bridge wings not only serve the usual navigation aid, but are just that bit further aft to also protect said wings when they are in the tilted or flat form.
As for that tilting mechanism, well expect it to take around 15 minutes from standing tall to flat, and you will need to set up the support post for the wing tip separately, and this lives under a hatch. BTW, this support post is much like a boom cradle, should you happen to go back that far...
The real deal
So, at 275 metric tonnes displacement (alloy hulls and carbon superstructure), along with a hefty 18.54m beam spanning the two hulls, ICE will not be far away. It is best to consider Dragonfly as sail assist in the bulk of conditions, although her pair of 25m rigs will generate enough oomph once TWS gets to a certain level, and at that point hydroregeneration also comes into the mix, which is yet another speciality of Rondal. Think 15 knots SOG on a reach and two units (one in each hull) and HVAC requirements are disposed of as easily as the nautical miles at that speed. This will add to the 100m2 of solar on the lid.
Therefore, when it is all about meandering at say four or six knots TWS (or not trying to get anywhere in a hurry which is an objective for a lot of people), then sail could well be enough. When it becomes about point-to-pointness, well you will be able to go on the proverbial beeline. Point and shoot.
Dikken added, "With the development of the wing sail, we envisioned making sailing easier to use, and also more feasible for more people out there who may not have a sailing background. There are no lines on deck, winches, or standing rigging to get in the way, and it also makes the process of going sailing that much faster. If the rigs are 'up', you can be off sailing in under 10 seconds."
"The forward-facing section is a single element, and then we have four different flaps behind there, which optimise the trim. You trim it like a sailboat, and you can increase or decrease the power you get into to the wing with the flaps. This is also part of the reason for the partly concealed flying bridge, so that you can be right there to assess the wind."
Of course, Rondal is famous for a lot of superyacht gear, especially for over 30 years now with their captive winches, and wouldn't you know it, the gears at the base of the wings are exactly that. No need to reinvent the wheel, after all. You have joystick and push button control, or let the computers do it. Just look at the world of IMOCA or Ultim to get an idea of well that all works.
One also needs to take into account that Rondal are part of the greater Royal Huisman empire, and when it comes to aluminium and sailing, there simply is none better. "For now, we have an eight-metre prototype here in Vollenhove (Nederland), which is being used on our J/22 for a lot of testing. Apart from sailing mode, we also get to analyse the behaviour when it's situated just in the water at anchor mode," said Dikken.
"We have already started development of the automatic sailing, so you don't have to use any controls. The system will think for you, and will give the Captain a proposal to adjust the sail setting, and then the Captain can accept or reject it. Naturally, it can still be manually trimmed by the remote controls, and we are presently developing the smartest solutions that allow you to set the course from A to B, and then the sails will trim themselves to the specified course."
Rondal's innovation department is already working on having the J/22 travel from Vollenhove to Blokzijl under its own auspices. This is a journey of 30 minutes.
The project might have been developing for a couple of years now, but it was only as Rondal's world-famous engineering began to take shape that it was time to put the hulls underneath it. Maybe not bleeding edge, per se, but certainly leading edge. In the last week or so, Approval-In-Principle has been signed by Lloyd's Register for Rondal's Aero Wing Sail.
"I think dealing with something so different, and it is different, means it does force you to think about things in a slightly different way. We can draw 60 metres pretty rapidly, to be honest, because we know what a 60 metre does, or a 50 metre or a 40-metre sailboat. But something like this did force us to kind of rethink the whole process. It was a process of discovery, and it worked out really well. We're very proud of that, actually," said Berg.
Not one, but two big sticks!
For almost 30 years now, Rondal has been a composite specialist, and has the knowledge to cover off UV, corrosion, and conductivity/lightning in the design phase. Just have a look at some of their giant carbon rigs to get a handle on all of that. With Dragonfly, the wing itself is carbon composite, and some of the other systems integrated into it will not be, like gears to move all of the different elements at different heights inside the rig.
"So there are no winches needed anymore. The movement of the flaps, and also the tilting of the rig will be done by cylinders, which is a specialty of Rondal," said Dikken. "It will always be two rigs up or two rigs down. We can adjust each wing with multiple flaps to increase or decrease the power, or we can even let one wing feather in the breeze."
For Berg the tilting aspect was an important element. "Not only does it get them out of the way, it offers significantly more navigational opportunities. I really wanted to do a rendering of the boat passing through Tower Bridge. We didn't manage to do that exactly, but it was that the ability to tilt the rigs and drive into areas you wouldn't be able to take a sailboat that really kind of ignited us."
By the numbers, the air draft is just 12.12m tilted, and 33.37m when in use. Whilst navigation was a consideration for the tilting rigs, so too was shade, which is why Dragonfly looked to not only have the rigs for power, but also other uses, and aesthetics, as well.
Now with a bit of mass to consider, there comes the question of volume required for control mechanisms, mast steps and so forth. These impinge on interior space, and as always, you are aiming to keep the weight low, and as central as possible. Now a cat has interior volume on tap, and Dragonfly is 499GT from her 39.98m LOA, but it is hardly the thing you want to trade off swiftly, and you have two sticks to locate, after all.
By way of explaining, Berg commented, "I think there's one thing that's really interesting here. On a traditional rig you get a lot of compression, which is load that has to be transferred/supported. You don't get any compression here, only dead weight, because it's not a stayed rig. So actually, the mechanism of supporting the wing isn't as complicated as you think. It's a bearing. It's a huge great rudder bearing. That's what it is."
"Of course, you do need structural bulkheads, and we've thought about that with our space planning. There's a certain depth that you need within the construction. You need to bury it down a certain amount," said Berg by way of accounting for Larry (Load), which is never too far away with any sailing vessel.
"Dragonfly is a future-oriented vessel, but it's not anything too off the page. Just great use of everything that is available to us now."
It's always good to have friends
"The whole process of Dragonfly was about trying to find partners who can bring something to the table. I brought in a buddy of mine who helped with the development of the GA's. For that part of the collaboration, Michael (of Michael Leach Design) was invaluable, given his expertise in multihull superyachts," said Berg.
Quite possibly it is the main deck where you get to appreciate the thought the most. The central galley and pantry, with the Tenders either side makes for great utilisation. In turn, that means the Main Saloon can enjoy the full beam, with dining, bar and lounge options, but perhaps more importantly, offer 180 degree views through the expanse of glass, and even the bulwarks have been lowered at this point to deliver greater height to said view, and enhanced connection with the sea, which is what every nautical adventure is all about.
As discussed, for'ard can be one capacious Master Stateroom, or two huge VIPs, and this space has direct, private access to the foredeck, and is set apart by that view capturing beam. Out aft there is no end of space, more dining and bar options, along with the plunge pool, and lazarettes that will house any amount of water toys. Speaking of stowage, and all throughout ample deck lockers are present to account for the never-ending amount of cushions and paraphernalia that adorn a vessel of this calibre.
One shall not forget the large actuating platform that will go up and down into the water and also retract away for passage making.
On the lower deck four guest doubles occupy the greatest beam ahead of the engine rooms, and then the crew take the forepeaks on both sides. The upper deck once again reprises the open expanse of views, whether that is the whole beam Portuguese Bridge with so many seating/lounging options, and the ability to go to the foredeck, as well as slip past the bridge wings and go to the ultimate in party town.
A transparent lid for viewing, and the rigs when tilted will offer shade, lounges, bars, dining, a Butler's Pantry to ensure the good times live on, and over on the other side the undercover, primary helm station, with the stairwell to the stars right beside it, that will take you to the best seats in the house on the flying bridge. There are only eight BTW, so be early... What's not to like. If you want openness and multi-zone living, nothing does it better that a cat.
Other bonuses
Arguably, to go with the ease of going sailing, and being a cat there will be flat so lower heartbeats all round, there will be lower maintenance, as there are no sails, standing or running rigging, and winches to run them. These arguably will make it easier for new to boating types, and those wanting to odder a greener edge to their exploits. When you look at the ease of use of the rig on the J/22, you have to say, thereafter it is only a matter of scale.
By being a sail assist vessel, Dragonfly avoids block of flats type discussions, and it is more about being sleek, subtle, and delivering a sense of splendour, and you are only at 40m LOA. Dragonfly stands out by not standing out, albeit tilted wings does make for a head turning moment. Mercifully, they do not overhang, so going stern to will not be a problem.
There is also a lot of form stability, with keelsons as well, so many will not even know, but if you see Dragonfly parked right up at the beach, you'll know why. The owners will appreciate the height of the bridge deck, which tapers down from 3.1m forward to 2.1m under the cabin, for slamming would see the boat on the market pronto, as the Owner's Stateroom is right above it and it takes two steps up to access it.
Dragonfly can be built by any yard, sailing oriented or not. The rigs are essentially drop in and go. There are no furling, sheeting, lifting/swing keel mechanisms to get in the way. You just need the bearing holes to be as specified, and you're done. Let's face it. As there are significantly more motor yacht builders out there, it's probably going to be more competitive anyway...
So welcome to Dragonfly - multihull, multi-zone, and multi-generational. For my money, in Dragonfly you have something that is clever. It is also quite captivating, almost mesmerising. And in that, you are almost certainly left considering that this is like watching nature at work. Yes. It is the wonderment. Just like an infant hanging around a pond, spellbound by all the creatures, and the many great things they do...
If you want to see what is happening in the other Hemisphere, go to the top of the SailWorldCruising home page and the drag down menu on the right, select the other half of the globe and, voila, it's all there for you.
Finally, stay safe, love your yachting, and be respectful to oceans and other sailors alike.
John Curnow
Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com