It all starts with data

Article by Seahorse Magazine - June 2025

Rondal’s fully integrated, holistically engineered sailing systems take all of the guesswork – and much of the risk – out of superyacht handling.

‘On a small boat you have the sheet in your hand, you can feel how much force you’re applying,’ says Rondal’s proposal engineer Bart van der Meer. ‘With these bigger boats, 60m-plus, you can’t sail on feel. You need data. We’ve seen a lot of harm done to rig packages simply because the information wasn’t presented usefully or wasn’t available at all.’

Van der Meer’s solution to this problem is integrated sailing systems for superyachts. Team Rondal believes it is the only way to give a sailing superyacht’s crew absolute clarity about what’s happening in every sail handling system. Only then can the crew sail the yacht to its potential without worrying about breaking it – or indeed actually breaking it.

From Product Supplier to System Partner

‘Our goal is to enhance the human-machine interface so that a crew can sail a 60m-plus sailboat comfortably. We need to think in a different way, a holistic system-based approach instead of a product-based one. It’s always an exciting conversation with an owner’s team.’

‘Nilaya was the first project where Rondal was responsible for the entire sailing system and acted within the shipyard’s team as project engineer. Being an integral team member gave us direct access to the owner’s team, allowing us to collaboratively push the system beyond current capabilities. We went from one load measurement on the headstay to 20 measurements, six position indicators, boom angles…’

Smart Systems, Safer Sailing

‘These guys don’t leave the dock without fully defined trim sheets. You need access to reliable data to understand what’s happening. With smart systems – like with Reckmann furlers, where the tack load must stay within limits – automation and load feedback help prevent damage. We log all these data points.’

‘By setting hardware limits, and eventually dynamic limits based on sail sets, wind angle, and speed, we can create self-learning systems. These could suggest trim modifications to optimize boat speed – similar to how your phone recommends a faster route.’

Integration Over Complexity

‘We want Rondal to provide not just the muscle (hydraulics), but also the brain (PLC), the motor control (valve block), and the nervous system (sensors). That way, the shipyard only needs to provide power and pressure – and we take responsibility for performance.’

‘For example, with Nilaya’s runner system, we managed the full integration, saving 1,200kg and four cubic meters in the lazarette. The yard wouldn’t have done that independently, because they don’t supply all parts – we do.’

Better Data, Better Decisions

‘When crews have load data and warnings, they can sail with confidence instead of fear. This technology is standard in grand prix racers – why not superyachts? Sure, measuring loads is expensive, but so is a broken mast.’

‘We now include load pins in every cylinder – blade sheets, main sheet, boom vang. And we continue to refine the system with clients from the earliest stages: operational profiles, valve blocks, PLCs, specs, commissioning protocols, manuals. Every component clearly documented – so the crew knows exactly how it works.’

Towards Autonomous Sailing

‘We envision a future where the yacht itself understands how to sail. You say “deploy main”, and based on wind conditions, it adjusts automatically. It’s definitely something we’re thinking about. But it all starts with data.

Article by Seahorse Magazine - June 2025