MAST BACK IN CQS

Sydney, Australia: 17th December 2016

The mast has been installed back into CQS in preparation for the Rolex Sydney Hobart race, after routine maintenance and some minor modifications.

Ludde thanked his team and staff from Hall spars for their work to ensure the mast is in first class condition going into the race on Boxing Day, “they have worked hard over the past few days, and checked the spar and rigging from top to bottom, we have made some minor modifications to the halyard lock.”

The boat was taken from its berth at Birkenhead Point Marina to White Bay on Saturday afternoon, just upstream of the Harbour Bridge, when a large crane lifted the 37.5 metre long spar into place.

The boat then returned to its berth, and on Sunday friends and family will get a chance to look at the boat before training resumes on Monday.

Ludde emphasised that there is still a lot of work to do as they prepare for the big race, but he becomes more confident each day that the huge rebuild that has taken almost a year has been worthwhile. “All we have to do is learn how to sail the boat to its full potential, and the Rolex Sydney Hobart race will be part of that learning curve.”

SYDNEY TO HOBART PREPARATIONS CONTINUE

Sydney, Australia: 14th December 2016

After the White Island Race, crossing the Tasman Sea from Auckland, a few days of hard training on the Pacific Ocean off Sydney and an excellent training session on Tuesday, the CQS team is taking the next couple of day to make adjustments ahead of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart

As part of the process we have to lift out the mast for 2-3 days to complete a number of improvements.  

Work will start immediately and we hope to have the rig back on Friday evening for the weekend the latest.

LUDDE INGVALL ANNOUNCES MULTI-NATIONAL CREW FOR CQS

Sydney, Australia: 10th December 2016

Ludde Ingvall has announced a very strong international, provisional crew to sail CQS in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, starting on Boxing Day, 26th December.

In addition to the three New Zealand watch captains already announced, Chris Dickson, Rodney Keenan and Chris Main, there are ten other Kiwis in the crew, five Australians and two from Britain.

Skipper, Ludde Ingvall, and navigator Scott Disley are both Australian, as are Sir Michael Hintze, Jude Burrell, Lucas Chapman, Ron Creevey and David Ward.

The British component in the crew are Charlie Egerton-Warburton and Michael Rummel.

The team doctor on board is New Zealander Adam Bartlett, then a string of rising young Kiwi sailing talent makes up the rest of the team.

Final crew training will commence on Monday, with any adjustments to the crew list to be made by the middle of the week.

The remainder of the crew are:-

Chris Skinner – N.Z.

Malcolm Paine – N.Z.

Logan Andresen – N.Z.

Ant Crossan – N.Z.

David Wood – N.Z.

Martyn Baker – N.Z.

Simon Minoprio – N.Z.

LUDDE INGVALL’S CQS ARRIVES IN SYDNEY.

Sydney, Australia: 6th December 2016

Ludde Ingvall’s super maxi CQS arrived in Sydney today from Auckland, New Zealand, having left last Thursday. The crew said they’d had a very good shake down.

Ludde Ingvall said he was very excited to see the boat arrive in her home port again, “after the huge effort by the whole team of designers, builders and engineers, it was a very significant moment when she came through the Heads. We have a number of tweaks and modifications to make and it will take a few days to iron them out. The only disappointment the crew had was that they didn’t catch any fish because they were going too fast.”

Once they have cleared customs, the yacht will dock at the Sydney’s Birkenhead Point Marina, where it will be based until the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart race on Boxing Day.

The crew now have three weeks of intensive training and preparations for the race to Hobart.

Ludde and his cousin and sponsor, Sir Michael Hintze, will have their first sail together on CQS a few days before the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race, which will be the realisation of a dream that started on Boxing Day 2014, while watching the start of that year’s race.

Ludde Ingvall’s CQS finishes race.

Auckland, New Zealand: 26th November 2016

Ludde Ingvall and his crew on CQS have taken line honours in the Royal Akarana Yacht Club’s Round White Island Race. The eye-catching super-maxi completed the 320 nautical mile race in a few seconds less than 1 day, 4 hours.

Speaking after the finish, Ludde said it had been a good shake-down for the boat and the crew, and paid tribute to everyone who had put in such a huge effort to get it from the builders to the starting line in time.

“We have now qualified for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, which was the prime objective of this race for us,” the skipper said. “It has given us a valuable opportunity to put the boat through its paces, and for us to work together as a crew in a competitive situation, for the first time.

“We had winds of 25 to 30 knots, and we achieved some good speeds during the race, but we know we are still on a steep learning curve. She has shown that she has potential, we now have to learn to maximize that potential.”

With heavyweight Kiwi sailing talent like Chris Dickson, Rodney Keenan and Chris Main in the team, there is no shortage of expertise to get the boat tuned up ready for the Boxing Day start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

The Round White Island Race started on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour on Friday morning, and took the fleet across the Hauraki Gulf, then south to the Bay of Plenty where they rounded White Island, an active volcano, before returning to Auckland.

CQS crossed the finishing line off the Royal Akarana Yacht Club at 13:14:04:44 local time, nearly seven hours ahead of the second boat, and set a new monohull course record.

Round White Island Race

Auckland, New Zealand: 25th November 2016

Day One: 

The Royal Akarana Yacht Club Round White Island Race started on time at 10:05 Friday 25th November 2016. CQS started conservatively on a port tack due to low tide. Taking north passage due to the draft. 

Throughout the day wind eased to 20 knots. Passing the Coromandel peninsula on a beam reach with FRO up and clicking along at 15+ knots.

Day Two: 

Wind was moderated over night from a northerly 20 to 25 knots to a westerly 5 to 10 knots. Sea state now calm and sailing past Great Mercury Island.

CQS crossed the finish line at 14:06, completing the White Island in 20 knot westerly on a fine day. Skipper Ludde Ingvall was pleased with overall performance. The race was a good shake down for the crew and boat, both of whom performed above expectation!

BIG NAMES JOIN LUDDE’S CQS

Photo - Ivor Wilkins

Auckland, New Zealand: 25th November 2016

Three big names of New Zealand yachting have signed up to join Ludde Ingvall’s super maxi CQS, and will be on the boat for its first competitive outing, the Round White Island Race, starting in Auckland on Friday (25th) morning.

Chris Dickson, Chris Main and Rodney Keenan will be the three watch captain on the boat for this race and the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, starting on Boxing Day.

Chris Dickson, a trail-blazer of the current era of professional sailors, who made his name in the eighties and nineties, mostly on the match racing circuit, before leading several America’s Cup challenges, and contesting round the world races and the maxi circuit.

Commenting on the cutting edge CQS he said, “a 100 foot slippery maxi is always fun, it’s a very technical boat, as they all are these days. We’ve got a good team of guys to sail the boat, and a great team of guys putting the boat together.”

Rodney Keenan is the head of Evolution Sails in Auckland, and has a long and varied history of highly competitive sailing, ranging from multi-hull round the world challenges to America’s Cups. He has 17 Rolex Sydney Hobarts under his belt, plus Fastnet, Transpacs and a host of other major offshore races.

Chris Main is another Kiwi sailing legend, and is still active on the World Match Racing Tour, as well as being in demand as a tactician on a number of monohull grand prix circuits.

Ludde Ingvall, who has won the Rolex Sydney Hobart race twice before commented, “I am extremely excited that after two years of planning and more than a year of building, we are about to compete in our first race. I am proud to be leading a team of such experience and talent.

Photo - Ivor Wilkins

“The yacht is a true learning curve for the team and we have much to learn and to do to get the most out of her,” he added, then referring to his main sponsor, Ludde added “My only regret is that my cousin Sir Michael Hintze is not with us this time.”

The White Island race, around an active volcano, is a 320 nautical mile offshore race organised by the Royal Akarana Yacht Club. From a 10:00 am start on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, it takes the fleet south to the Bay of Plenty, around White Island, and back to Auckland.

This is also a qualifying event for the Rolex Sydney Hobart race, though being the first competitive outing for CQS, it is being regarded more as an opportunity to learn about the boat than a measure of performance.

TICKING JOBS OFF THE JOB LIST

Auckland, New Zealand: 16th November 2016

Ludde Ingvall’s team are working hard to get CQS ready for her sea trials, commenting this morning on the frenzied action on the boat, he said, “the team are ticking jobs off the job list.”  Elaborating on the various tasks to be undertaken, he said that the riggers were currently “pumping up the rig and letting it down again.”

This operation is part of tensioning the various rigging components to ensure that the mast is properly supported when it comes under load. Once the rig is properly set up, the Spabond mast collar will be poured to create a watertight seal where the mast goes thought the deck. 

The conditions in Auckland are still not ideal, with strong winds and exceptional tides, caused by the recent “supermoon”, causing some problems with getting CQS measured for her rating. However Ludde says that progress is on schedule and the team are looking forward to, weather permitting, hoisting the sails over the weekend. 

CQS arrives in Auckland

Image Courtesy of Greg McNabb (Southern Ocean Boats)

Auckland, New Zealand: 15 November 2016.

Ludde Ingvall’s supermaxi, CQS, arrived in Auckland this morning, after a tough and testing journey from Tauranga. The journey, was not without challenges including contending with strong headwinds and tsunami warnings.  

Commenting on the passage Ludde said, “despite the concerns posed by the earthquake and tsunami warnings the trip was OK. We had 25 knots of wind on the nose nearly all the way, but we got there.” 

Ludde, thanked his team for their efforts, “we’re all tied up at Silo Marina now. It was truly a team effort, many thanks to Chris, Malcolm, Jacob and Logan for getting her here.”

The team now have a huge job list, with Hall Spars working on tuning the rig, in anticipation of the first sea trials over the weekend, weather permitting.

Radically re-modelled super maxi ‘CQS' emerges.

Tauranga, New Zealand: 31st October 2016.

"World renowned yachtsman Ludde Ingvall has unveiled major modifications to the former 90 foot Nicorette, when it emerged from the boatbuilder’s shed in Tauranga, New Zealand today. The yacht, now named CQS, won the Rolex Sydney Hobart race in 2004 under the name of Nicorette."

Read More: 

Articles in English

Publication: Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2016 Website

http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/news/2016/pre-race/ludde-ingvall%E2%80%99s-super-maxi-emerges/

 Publication: Yachts and Yachting

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/193101/Ludde-Ingvalls-Super-Maxi-emerges

 Publication: My Sailing

http://www.mysailing.com.au/offshore/ludde-ingvall-s-super-maxi-emerges-intime-for-sydney-hobart

Publication: Sailing World

http://www.sailingworld.com/new-high-tec-100-footer-unveiled

Publication: Sun Live

http://sunlive.co.nz/news/139933-supermaxi-unveiled-tauranga.html

Publication: XS Sailing

http://www.xssailing.com/article/world-racer-rolls-supermaxi-conversion-tauranga/

Publication: Sails Magazine

http://www.sailsmagazine.com.au/j/index.php/livenews/1652-the-sum-of-its-parts

Articles in Norwegian

Publication: Seil Magasinet.no

https://www.seilmagasinet.no/innhold/?article_id=47496

Articles in German

Publication: Segel Reporter

https://segelreporter.com/regatta/sydney-hobart-100-fuss-dss-foiler-fertig-moeglicher-herausforderer-fuer-wild-oats-xi/