Nacho Postigo was navigator on the J Class yacht Topaz which just won the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the Supermaxi division. He tells us about his week on the J Class yacht.
How did the week go?
It was a very challenging week. When the organisation decided that the regatta would be run using ORC ratings along with other Super Maxis, rather than under the J Class system, we started to study the best configuration, and in the end we took a pretty risky decision to take only one genoa on board per day, so we wouldn't be able to replace it. This forced us to have long briefings every morning, to decide on the right sail to bring along. And on the penultimate day when we had a small tear in the genoa, it didn't look good. We saw the damage and decided that it was better to avoid doing too many tacks, and this forced us to navigate on the side of the course that in the end, fortunately, turned out to be the most favourable, and at the cross we were able to get in front of Svea. It really was an epic regatta.
With over thirty people in the crew, how does communication on board work?
The helmsman Peter Holmberg has a microphone to interact with the trimmers, then there is Tim Kroeger, the “crew boss”, who speaks with the crew, and gives directions to the guys on the bow based on the information I provide on timings to reach marks and lay lines. Normally during racing Tony Rey, the tactician, sits next to Peter.
How did you find sailing on this kind of boat?
This is the first time that I have sailed with this team and on a J Class.
Even these “classic” boats have very sophisticated and complex instruments on board, like the ones you'd find on a TP52. We have sensors everywhere to monitor listing, pressure on the mast and the angle of the rudder. In short, on these boats you'll see all the innovative technology possible, what you have to consider, however, is that these are long keel boats that weigh 200 tonnes and the time needed for manoeuvres is very different compared to a TP52 with a displacement of 7 tonnes.