Composite construction and tulip fields

When it comes to hubs of high tech sailboat construction in the USA, not many would identify a small Michigan city along the shore of Lake Macatawa as the place to be, but just around the corner from Tulip City Brewstillery in Holland is Composite Builders.

Primarily known for the Tulip Time Festival, which has been ranked as America’s third largest town festival, the Dutch heritage of Holland is now home for boat building too.

After gaining some notoriety during the 36th America’s Cup as where Stars+Stripes Team USA had their AC75 partially built before they ran out of funds, Composite Builders has now pushed into the daylight the first of two Infiniti 52s they are building.

The foil-driven sailing yacht is the first racing yacht designed, engineered, and built around the innovative Dynamic Stability System (DSS) which provides proven performance without the risk and cost of more complex class-driven foil solutions. DSS provides significant righting moment allowing the yacht to be sailed with a much smaller crew of 7-8.

The first Infiniti 52 will be shipped to the UK to undergo extensive sea trials and crew training. She is anticipated to participate in the RORC Transatlantic Race in January 2022.

“We have an ambitious set of offshore goals, and this is the future-proof Grand Prix yacht required to achieve them,” said skipper Arto Linnervuo. “We are thrilled to be part of the revolution and look forward to racing this fast, fun rocket that will be easy to sail with a smaller crew.”

Hull two is under construction at Composite Builders for delivery at the end of 2021.