The leading yacht designer Nigel Irens, delivered the CA’s annual Hanson Lecture, entitled ‘Slippery Boats’, to a 60-strong and enthralled audience, on Wednesday evening.
Nigel is perhaps best known as the designer of the 75ft trimaran B&Q, built specifically for Ellen MacArthur’s successful world record solo circumnavigation in 2005. His portfolio is wide-ranging, from racing yachts to innovative cruising designs, typically synthesising traditional forms with modern materials and methods of construction. In this talk he covered his rise and rise in yacht design, touching on a couple of his most famous designs before going on to explain the background to his latest projects.