The new "Container", one of the successors to the legendary yachts of the same name from the eighties and nineties and the direct successor to the STP-65 class mini-maxis of the last two sailing seasons, is currently being built as the TP52 at Green Marine in southern England.
After a construction period of just four months, the new racing yacht should be ready in time for the start of the new Audi Medcup series. Like its predecessors, the high-tech TP-52 class boat will be built using Schütz honeycomb technology (Cormaster). As the sister ship of the new Ran (Great Britain), the design also comes from the Judel/Vrolijk design office in Bremerhaven and benefits greatly from the use of the same moulds for the hull, deck and frames in terms of shortening the construction time.
15 years after the Container won the legendary Admirals Cup and a two-year excursion into the mini-maxi class, Udo Schütz and his team are now moving into the highest-calibre monohull class and the corresponding European regattas. The new boat is due to pass its baptism of fire during the first Medcup regatta off Cascais (Portugal) in mid-May.
This was the logical consequence of our experience in the mini-maxi class," says Udo Schütz about his entry into the TP-52 business. Nowhere else in the world is monohull sailing more professional - the perfect environment in which to present and further develop our product. One reason for the change was obviously that the STP 65 was never competitive despite being rebuilt for measurement reasons.
As skipper and helmsman, Markus Wieser will once again be largely responsible for the sporting success. The current European and Vice World Champion in the Dragon is confident: "It's great that we have the opportunity to lead the Container Team into a new dimension of offshore regatta sailing - a great team and some of the sailors have already gained experience in the TP-52 class. Nevertheless, we remain realistic and know that the competition is incredibly strong and that anything can happen on the tight courses.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
