Modern Maxis
A new breed of even larger racing yachts are now being built - at 90 to 100 feet (27 to 30 m) these are larger in every dimension, and much faster than the old-style maxis, and are commonly referred to as supermaxis, and these relaxed rules are spawning a whole new breed of record breaking super-sailors:
| “ | The rules governing the Maxi’s eligibility to race have since been relaxed and new technologies have been allowed to advance the speed and agility of these great behemoths, says Charles St Clair Brown | ” |
The first Super-Maxi owners, the New Zealanders Charles St. Clair Brown, a businessman and self-made millionaire, and his co-owner, Bill Buckley, an engineer, were encouraged to build their yacht, Maximus (later rechristened Investec LOYAL), they say, due to the relaxed rules.
| “ | I liked the idea of building a boat for Maxi regattas, says St. Clair Brown. I thought the world of yacht design (for example, the America's Cup) had become too focused on designing around class rules and parameters, with the sole aim to beat the rules or over-performing within the rules. | ” |
This obsession with quirky class rules, it is said, causes the energy and effort that goes into improving the performance and appeal of the sport itself to be diverted and overshadowed by design limitations – several maxi ex-campaigners, and so it seems the entire sport are right behind this sentiment; and the Maxi Circuit is undergoing a resurgence.
Read more about this topic: Maxi Yacht
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