ESPADA

Designer’s Notes

This was the first IOR design we completed when the IOR Rule changed in November 1978 and was aimed specifically at the 1979 World Championships in Italy. Existing light displacement 1/4 Ton yachts are penalized less by the new displacement length factor than larger yachts but even so, our previous style of design would have incurred too much penalty to be truly competitive compared to heavier styles of design. Extensive computer analysis, comparing rating with known performance, has enabled us to pinpoint the correct value of DLF to produce optimum performance for the light conditions expected, and we have opted for a DLF much closer to 1.0 than any of our previous designs feature. The resulting design is therefore very slightly heavier than any of our previous 1/4 Ton designs, with slightly more beam and considerably more sail area. The design has substantially better all round performer than previous generations and excels in light and moderate conditions. The general design concept is also be capable of being developed into a more powerful version to suit more windy climes.