From our friends at Reichel/Pugh. Good stuff.
In 2019, the Reichel/Pugh Design Team had the opportunity to further develop the performance of their 100’ Super-maxi designs Wild Oats XI and Black Jack 100. Each team wanted to increase performance in the areas where they felt would have the most impact. For Wild Oats XI, this meant strengthening the light-wind capability, with a particular emphasis on light air performance, balance, and weight savings, while for Black Jack 100, the efforts were more focused on off-wind performance in the bigger breeze.
After previous work with Wild Oats XI on the bow modifications in 2015 and with Black Jack 100 for the extensive refit in 2017 and a new keel in 2018 the Reichel/Pugh team was well-positioned to offer a competitive advantage to both teams, with work getting started early in 2019.
The Wild Oats XI research began with an extensive design study to evaluate the current performance of the boat in terms of speed, but also balance and maneuverability. The design efforts were led by Reichel/Pugh naval architect David Oliver, in close collaboration with John Reichel, leading CFD specialist Giorgio Provinciali, foil engineer Paul Bieker, and structural engineer Skip Miller from CCG.
Beyond this design team was an extensive network of specialist suppliers, boatbuilders, and project manager Paul Magee who did a phenomenal job ensuring all parties had the information needed and critical decisions were made by the team. No small task with so many moving pieces in play. Read on.
Title inspiration thanks to The Jam.
