The protective “anti-foul” coating Coppercoat has achieved a ‘clean sweep’ from boats in the 2017-2018 Clipper Round The World Race.
When the Clipper boats were finally lifted out after 40,000NM of racing and 16 months of continual immersion, the Coppercoat on their hulls revealed almost no loss of coating thickness. Barring the faintest trace of slime at the waterline in some parts, the hulls were virtually spotless.
“How these yachts perform is critical, not only to their racing success but also to the planning and logistics of a race on this scale,” said Clipper Race Director, Mark Light. “Coppercoat has surpassed our expectations, and as our preparations commence for the 2019-20 edition we have every confidence that the antifoul will allow superb performance of our race yachts for many circumnavigations to come.”
So well did the Coppercoat antifoul perform that, for the first time in the Clipper’s 22-year history, the boats did not need to be lifted out at the race’s halfway mark in Sydney. As every boat owner is all too painfully aware, lifting out vessels to clean off old antifoul and apply a new coat can be a slow and costly business, so Coppercoat’s matchless resilience meant substantial savings in time and money for Clipper Race organisers and crews alike.
“This enormously successful outcome understandably delighted us, the crews and the race organisers in equal measure,” adds Coppercoat Director Ewan Clark. “Look no further for a clear vindication of Coppercoat’s efficiency and longevity.”
Such positive feedback contrasts markedly with recent testimony received from sailors involved in other global circumnavigations, who reported that rival coatings used on their boat hulls only lasted for less than six months. Even by this point, barnacle growth on hulls was so advanced that it was calculated to be responsible for a 0.5 to 1 knot reduction in boat speed.
Coppercoat consists of copper powder and resin, and its non-ablative characteristics mean it will firmly adhere to a wide variety of surfaces including GRP, concrete, steel, iron and aluminium. Its leach rate is less than 50mcg/cu/cm2 after 30 days. Following a thorough examination of the 2017-2018 Clipper Race boats, it is estimated that the existing Coppercoat treatment on their hulls should remain durable for at least a further two full circumnavigations, lasting to 2022 and perhaps beyond.