Mediterranean success a boost for small Irish design house

SAILING MIDDLE SEA RACE:THE OUTCOME of the annual Rolex Middle Sea Race was being toasted in Wicklow this week following the conclusion of the 606-mile course that was described as "brutal" for the high winds and seas.

Andy Soriano’s British entry Alegre emerged overall winner, while Cathal Drohan and Paul Egans’ Legally Brunette from Dun Laoghaire was eighth in Class Three under IRC handicap.

At 68 feet, Alegre had to contend with several larger entries, including Mike Slade’s 100-foot Leopard. But it was the presence of several Volvo Ocean Race veterans with Soriano that may have tipped the balance by adding their pace-setting experience in the gales on the southern Mediterranean earlier this week.

Alegre’s success is also being marked in Wicklow where her designer, Mark Mills, is based. The high-profile win is a valuable boost for his business, which is challenging big-name design houses.

“I only checked the race progress about once every five seconds over the last few days!” Mills said. “It’s one of the best successes we’ve had. It’s one more factor in getting people to open doors to you – success at this level allows conversations to happen that otherwise wouldn’t ever happen.”

There are several possible new build projects in the pipeline in a market heavily affected by the recession. Being at the cutting-edge of design offers trickle-down benefits for smaller and club-level boats.

So where does Alegre’s performance fit in the Mills stable that is best known for smaller IRC yachts? “Because she’s the biggest boat we’ve done, its hard to make a comparison with other designs we’ve done,” Mills said. “The mini-maxi class really is at the grand-prix edge of yacht racing worldwide, and that’s what makes this a major achievement.”

After optimising the former IOR Mandrake for IRC handicap, Mills’ line of designs began with Peter Beamish’s Aztec, now sailing as Raptor. More recently, Tiamat, marinerscove, and the King 40 design all proved successful.

But like all the major design houses, the recession has halted new builds, and smaller projects, such as re-fitting existing boats, is about the size of the market. In keeping with other naval architects, the past six months has seen a surge in inquiries from serious potential owners with money to fund new projects.

Except nobody has decided to push the start button just yet, and with the lead time to have new builds ready next season rapidly closing, a slow restart appears likely.

But the situation is not all doom and gloom. At last month’s Newport Boat Show in Rhode Island, new owners were clearly more confident and were buying smaller production boats.

“It was impressive to see people back on the dock with their cheque-books out,” remarked Mills, who contrasted the scene a year earlier when America first felt the bite of recession. “I think they were people with money who were waiting to see that the world hadn’t unravelled before coming back out.”

And for the really big-bucks market, Mills has a couple of 60-metre designs and other exotic offerings for super high-end luxury market ready to begin building. Just add money.

branigan@indigo.ie