A set of sail battens, the largest of which measures 24m, was delivered by rigging specialists Marine Results to the megasized sailing yacht Mirabella V. Picture it – one long batten, the length of the average mast on a 46 foot racing yacht – and that’s long. Making a single batten 24 metres long is no mean feat, and when Marine Results was given the task of replacing the original set of battens in sailing yacht Mirabella’s mainsail, because they kept failing, it was a question of designing something that was tougher, more flexible, and with a longer life.
Biggest sail battens ever made delivered to Mirabella V
The sail battens are now fitted into a brand new massive 1557m² (16,760ft²) mainsail, supplied by Doyle Sails, which was used for the first time in March when yacht Mirabella V raced at the St Barths Bucket superyacht regatta.
The team at Marine Results designed the necessary specification and then called in engineers who were able to design the fabrication of the battens, numbering twelve in total (six and six spare). The battens were tubular and made of high-strength carbon fibre in an epoxy resin matrix. Because of their length they had to be transported in lengths under 12m and were then joined together on site. The diameters of the battens varied – the top batten was 72mm diameter and the bottom batten 93mm diameter.
Jon Morris of Marine Results, who led the project, commented “We believe these are the longest sail battens ever made, so it was quite a challenge to ensure that we could meet Mirabella’s brief, which quite simply stated that a tough structure was needed which was not prone to breakage. With the help of our engineering partners we have delivered to specification.”
Ed Danby Robbie Doyle on Sailing Yacht Mirabella V
Completed in 2004 and still the largest single-masted yacht in the world, super sailing yacht Mirabella V measures 75.22 metres (247 ft) and her mast stands 88.5 metres (292 ft) high from the water, that’s just 50ft short of the length of a premier league football pitch.
Marine Results provides a full service worldwide yacht rigging solution including supply and installation of spars and rigging, standing rigging and hydraulic. The company also handles shipping, and carries out non-destructive testing.
