Bucket Regatta off St. Barth, end of March: While it is perhaps the best event of the year for many owners (p. 28), the 67 metre long carbon fibre ketch "Hetairos" ( Issue 2/12 ) hit an underwater rock during a race off the Caribbean island popular with VIPs.
"When rounding the small island of Petit Groupers, around 20 minutes before the finish, "Hetairos" sailed into the obstacle at a speed of around eight knots due to the unsportsmanlike and irregular behaviour of another super-maxi," says project manager Jens Cornelsen, describing the situation. "On impact, the 18-tonne crash zone of the lead bomb tore off at the predetermined breaking point, but "Hetairos" was then able to finish the race under sail." However, the owner had to cancel the subsequent regattas.
The two-stage lifting keel of the 67-metre-long carbon fibre ketch "Hetairos" extends nine metres into the depths. Down there, an eleven metre long and 63 tonne lead bomb together with a 28 tonne keel fin made of duplex steel provides the necessary righting moment. The draught is extreme and the lead bomb, which guarantees stability, is therefore unprotected and exposed.
This is a situation that the renowned keel builders at APM have managed to minimise with a development called the "Crash-Safe-Keel". According to APM boss Matteo Caglieris, a crash zone with several deep grooves at the front of the huge lead casting absorbs up to 70 per cent of the impact energy extremely effectively in the event of a collision. The effect is similar to that of a car crumple zone.
