Phaedo3 Off to New Zealand

Hong Kong-based department-store baron Karl Kwok has long had an affinity for ultra-fast racing sailboats and has owned a plethora of them over the years. From custom 45-footers to TP52s and even 80-ft maxi yachts, Kwok has campaigned his boats near and far in pursuit of some of sailing’s great challenges. Keeping our ear to the street in Honolulu, we have recently learned that Karl has added one of the USA’s most famous racing yachts to his New Zealand-based stable: the MOD70 Phaedo3. We’ve waxed poetic about our love affair with the VPLP-designed trimaran for years, as it has broken world sailing speed records and won major regattas all over the world under the ownership of New Mexico’s Lloyd Thornburg. Kwok will no doubt stock the boat with talent of the same top-tier caliber, so it’s with bated breath that we wait to see Beau Geste 70 (or whatever they call it) hit the water in anger. A delivery crew consisting of American multihull ace Ryan Breymaier, along with members from both the Phaedo and Beau Geste syndicates, left Honolulu last Sunday and can be tracked here.

Speaking of Kwok and his stable of Beau Geste racing yachts, one of them is in KKMI’s Point Richmond yard right now preparing for a Rolex Big Boat Series showdown that promises to be one of the most significant divisions to race the regatta in years: the Pac 52s. Kwok’s ace skipper Gavin Brady was instrumental in helping form the Pac52 class, and the Kiwi has played a pivotal role in the success of the young class’s standout, Frank Slootman’s Bay Area-based Invisible Hand. Four Pac 52s began the season, Beau Geste made it five, and just this week Britain’s Tony Langley has confirmed that his Gladiator syndicate will enter the Pac52 Cup and the 2018 circuit. This new California-based fleet is quickly gaining momentum and cementing itself as one of the world’s premier racing fleets.

St. Francis Yacht Club will host the Rolex Big Boat Series on September 14-17. Keep an eye out for our full preview coming soon.