Rupert Holmes speaks to designer, Mark Mills about Flying Nikka a new foiling 60ft Mini Maxi built with Mediterranean inshore and offshore racing in mind The Flying Nikka
\nconcept aims to create a new class of foiling yachts for racingGiven the history of the America\u2019s Cup, which has provided the sailing world with the benefit of equipment ranging from winches to aluminium masts, it\u2019s no surprise that technology from the current edition of the Cup would filter down to other parts of the sport. And that technology is likely to be first seen in Flying Nikka.
\nEven so, given the extremely radical concept of the AC75s, few of us would have predicted the development of an offshore yacht relying on the same foiling technology before the finish of the current Cup cycle.
\nRoberto Lacorte is no ordinary owner. Vice-president of the International Maxi Association, he is the founder of the popular 151 Miglia race, and a hugely successful owner-driver with a string of high-profile victories to his name, including the inaugural season\u2019s trophy in the foiling Persico F69 one-design.
\nHis intention for Flying Nikka is to compete in Mediterranean coastal and shorter offshore races, up to Category 3. It\u2019s a tall order and one that many have assumed to be impossible.
\nHowever, Mark Mills, designer of Lacorte\u2019s existing Mini Maxi, the Vismara V62 SuperNikka, was willing to take it on.
\nHull and deck shape optimisation is still being worked on
\nMills has gathered a world-class team, including Spanish analytics experts KND and the engineering know-how of Giovanni Belgrano\u2019s Pure Design and Engineering.
\nRobust solutions
\nCreating such a boat for an owner\/driver who sails with a mix of professional sailors and friends clearly placed constraints on the project. The same is true for the budget which, although a substantial figure, is only a fraction of what the Cup teams have spent.
\n\u201cThis narrowed down the scope of what is possible in a way that I think is a real positive for the project,\u201d Mills told me. \u201cIt forces you into simple, robust solutions that aren\u2019t going to require America\u2019s Cup teams to maintain them, won\u2019t require an America\u2019s Cup budget to build it, or an America\u2019s Cup team to sail it.\u201d
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
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Typical summer Mediterranean wind patterns mean this boat will spend more time in \u2018Archimedes\u2019 mode \u2013 that is to say non-foiling mode \u2013 in less than 10 knots of breeze compared to the America\u2019s Cup boats that have been optimised specifically for sailing in New Zealand\u2019s Hauraki Gulf.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a key reason why the boat will look different to an AC75,\u201d says Mills. As a result, minimising wetted surface area is also an important design priority.
\nAnother obvious difference to an AC75 is the keel and bulb, which is required to satisfy the static stability requirements for Category 3 offshore races. The keel also helps to provide lateral resistance while in displacement mode and during the transition to foiling.
\nIn super light airs the boat will be able to sail in Archimedes mode with both foils out of the water. As the breeze builds Mills says: \u201cI think you may start dipping the leeward foil in the water as soon as you can start getting some positive stability from that foil without immersing the entire foil.\u201d
\nThe Flying Nikka concept aims to create a new class of foiling yachts for racing
\nThe transition space, between displacement and foiling modes is \u201cextremely interesting\u201d from a design perspective and was still being refined when I spoke to Mills.
\nFor this Mediterranean-based boat the focus has been on enabling early foiling, rather than maximising top speeds.
\nFlying Nikka: 40-knot potential
\n\u201cThe difference between foiling in 9 knots and foiling in 10 is really significant statistically \u2013 the earlier you can get up the better,\u201d he says. This requires foils with a large surface area, but that in turn restricts the boat\u2019s top speed potential.
\n\u201cWe won\u2019t be fast enough to have to worry about cavitation issues,\u201d adds Mills, \u201cbut I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be capable of more than 40 knots.\u201d
\nTotal boat weight is likely to come out at around seven tonnes, with the bulb responsible for about one tonne.
\nMills says the optimisation of hull and deck shapes they are currently carrying out are aimed at minimising the final displacement: \u201cAs the deck geometry changes and we build volume up outboard, that raises the centre of buoyancy, shifting it away from the bulb when the boat is lying flat at 90\u00b0. So I\u2019m hoping that we\u2019re going to be able to reduce the bulb weight.\u201d
\nAlthough Flying Nikka is clearly inspired by the AC75s it won\u2019t require an America\u2019s Cup budget to build it, or an America\u2019s Cup team to sail it
\nSophistication for less
\nGiven the 14-17 people of a typical Mini Maxi crew adds well over a tonne of mass, weight saving is a key driving factor in determining the optimum team size.
\nAt the moment they\u2019re working on the basis of a team of five, though Mills says it may be possible to sail the boat two-handed.
\nWhat about costs? He points out that the America\u2019s Cup teams got their original \u2018mule\u2019 boats operational without spending colossal amounts of money. \u201cWe can do that too,\u201d he says. \u201cThe boat will be very sophisticated \u2013 we\u2019re not using crude solutions \u2013 but we can get to 90% of the AC performance for around 10% of their costs.\u201d
\nThis is one of a number of factors, along with the small crew requirement and relative ease of maintenance, that are expected to appeal to a number of owners.
\nNautor\u2019s Swan has shied away from equipping its new ClubSwan 80 with foils, which arguably leaves a space in this part of the market. The Flying Nikka concept therefore has the potential to create a class of near-identical radical foiling yachts competing at some of the world\u2019s most iconic events.
\nSpecifications:
\nLOA: 18.30m \/ 60ft 0inApprox displacement: 7 tonnesPrice: POADesigner: www.mills-design.com
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The post Mills 60 Flying Nikka: America\u2019s Cup tech for the Med circuit appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rupert Holmes speaks to designer, Mark Mills about Flying Nikka a new foiling 60ft Mini Maxi built with Mediterranean inshore and offshore racing in mind The Flying Nikka concept aims to create a new class of foiling yachts for racingGiven … <\/p>\n