MAVERICK

Skipper:Rod Smallman

Co-Skipper:Tyson Smallman

Sail Number:SM 3600

Design:Jeanneau Sunfast 3600

Draft:2.13

LOA:11

Beam:3.55

Year:2016

Maverick’s 2018 Osaka campaign originally started off with a boat named “Defiant”, a 13.8 m Van De Stadt cutter sloop which was being built from scratch. (Video clip) As time progressed however, the start line loomed and it became clear that the build wasn’t going to finish in time, let alone having additional time to work the boat up for such a big race.

So along came Maverick, a Jeanneau Sunfast 3600, to stand in for Defiant on this occasion. As it happens, Maverick is an ideal boat for this race and with the added bonus of two other Sunfast 3600’s being in the 2018 event, it forms a mini fleet. Designed by Daniel Andrieu, the Sunfast 3600 is perfectly adapted for double handed racing benefiing from the latest advances in vacuum bagged resin infusion to ensure exceptional strength and rigidity while drastically reducing weight.

Maverick is fitted with the latest B&G H5000 electronic system optimized with Expedition and Predictwind software for navigation and route planning. She has the latest in 3DI sail technology in her very comprehensive sail wardrobe, a Watt & Sea hydro generator for power generation during the race and a water de-salinator.

Rod Smallman’s interest in the Osaka Cup, like most competitors, started in 1987 with the first race but circumstances seemed to conspire against him for all these years. Rod says in response to why this time, “I think with a race such as this it’s simply a matter of saying yes and working the rest out later. At some stage you tell too many people and before you know it you’ve crossed the point of no going back”.

Rod has been sailing since he was a teenager but nothing on the scale of the Osaka Cup. His other passion is wine and he’s been making and bottling wine under the Chirping Bird label on the Mornington peninsula since 1999. Rod’s son Tyson put his hand up for this race very early on and has been training for it ever since. The pair recently embarked on a 3100nm shakedown cruise part of which qualified them for the race and both are excited to be involved in the lead up to and competing in, the 2018 Osaka Cup.

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