class 40 sailboat interior

Solo Challenge

Cole Brauer and the Class40 First Light at the GSC: A Woman’s Breath Over the Ocean

• Margherita Pelaschier

©Samuel Hodges Photography

Cole Brauer , a young American sailor, entered in the Global Solo Challenge aboard her Class40 First Light, adds a feminine touch to the event with her infectious enthusiasm and passion for sailing. Cole works tirelessly to prepare for her round-the-world trip and has assembled a team that shares her values and assists her in managing the project. “Sailing is both my profession and my hobby; I never take breaks. Preparing for a round-the-world race means constantly thinking about the next step. Thankfully, I have an extraordinary team that supports me and tries to relieve the psychological pressure so I can focus solely on the race aspect. Moreover, I wholeheartedly believe in my boat and her equipment.”

For her round-the-world journey, Brauer chose a boat to which she is sentimentally attached: “I’ve always wanted to sail around the world and envisioned doing it on a boat I know, love, and trust. For this reason, I chose First Light. To me, she embodies all of this. When we’re at sea, I talk to her as if she were my child. When she’s fine, I’m fine. We have a wonderful relationship and deep mutual understanding: when things aren’t going right, I feel she’s showing me she’s doing her best to improve the situation. Furthermore, as a Class40, she was born and built sturdy and resilient for challenges like this.”

First Light was previously named Dragon, and Cole had captained the boat for four years before she was sold to the Day brothers, who subsequently changed her name. The two brothers didn’t have enough time for the boat, so they asked Cole if she’d continue sailing her and develop a racing program. Initially hesitant and busy with other boats, Cole eventually agreed and relocated to Florida, where First Light was based. She participated in various races, honing her skills and forming an even stronger bond with the Class40. This led to her desire to expand her horizons to international competitions. “The original plan wasn’t to participate in the GSC; I wanted to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre. However, when one of the Day brothers asked if there was a chance to win it, I said ‘no.’ Given her age, First Light wouldn’t be competitive.”

First Light is a 2008 Class40, designed by Owen Clarke Designs and built in the UK by Composite Creations, the same model as ZeroChallenge (formerly Fuji) sailed by Ari Känsäkoski.

The Owen Clarke design studio, based in Dartmouth, UK, with branches in the USA and New Zealand, is renowned for designing performance cruising and racing boats, superyachts, and high-latitude exploration boats. Their designs range from Mini 6.50s to eighteen Class40s and eight IMOCAs that participated in the Vendée Globe, culminating in the creation of a massive 75-meter aluminum schooner.

Founders Merfyn Owen and Allen Clarke began collaborating in 1993, bringing their unique skills to the table to devise high-performance, seaworthy, and attractive vessels. Merfyn Owen, a graduate of University College London, boasts extensive experience not just in naval architecture but also as a sailor with over 250,000 miles covered in races and expeditions. Allen Clarke, trained at Falmouth Boat Building College and Southampton Institute, is a reference point in the world of Class40s and in the development of fast cruising boats. He gives particular attention to details and aesthetics, thanks to his previous career as an interior designer.

In preparation for the Global Solo Challenge, First Light underwent a detailed refit and thorough examination at the Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island. “By November 2022, the mast and rigging had already been replaced and are now brand new. First Light was in the yard from June to September this year. The mainsail track on the mast has been reinforced. The keel was inspected, repaired, and subsequently reattached. All running rigging, including halyards and sheets, have been renewed. The team dedicated an entire month to reinstalling the equipment, making sure every single detail was examined. We only entered the GSC a few months ago and therefore started preparations later than other teams. Without the patience and understanding of Newport Shipyard, which believed in this project from the start, none of this would have been possible. First Light’s sails, made by North Sails, are new, and during the Atlantic crossing to A Coruña, I had the opportunity to test them, and I was pleased with the results.”

Cole loves the boat that will help her realize her dream but she is also aware of her weaknesses: “First Light is structurally very sturdy, and I believe she will prove to be a reliable vessel for my project. I know every inch and have explored every corner. However,she has her weak points, such as friction spots that tend to wear out materials rather quickly. She’s a real war machine; she destroys everything in her path, including things trying to make her go faster!”, the sailor jokingly comments.

For power generation, Brauer will rely on the hydro generator and a methanol battery, the Efoy, which can also serve as heating in colder seas. She hopes to primarily use renewable energy sources but will also have the engine’s alternator for emergencies. Moreover, along with the electrician who revised the onboard systems, she’s considering installing backup solar panels.

Regarding rest onboard, the sailor is confident: “I’ve always managed my sleep cycles well onboard. In areas away from marine traffic, I can sleep for two hours, then wake up, check the boat to make sure we’re on course and that the sails are set correctly, and then go back to sleep. I also follow navigation from my bunk, so when I feel drowsy, I sleep. I tactically plan my sleep cycles in relation to sail changes and wind conditions. In light and unstable conditions, like in the Doldrums, it will be harder to stop thinking and turn off the brain.”

There is one distinguishing trait of her character, which the sailor emphasizes, which will probably help her in situations where not every detail can be planned. “In general, I have the ability to let things go. When something doesn’t go right, I might get upset at that moment, but then, much like a goldfish, I forget and move on to the next challenge ahead.”

For provisions, Cole has a very pragmatic approach, revealing she’ll mainly bring dried foods, which she confesses she sometimes even uses on land for the convenience in preparation. “We’ve already prepared bags with three full meals a day, plus one or two snacks to ensure I eat enough.”

Cole’s project is a solo voyage, but one of its pillars is her team. The sailor tells us about what unites all the members of the group and how the message she wishes to convey at the GSC concerns all of them.

“My team has made this journey possible. Before meeting them, I was losing weight due to stress. I called upon the universe for help and was gifted the best team I could have ever wished for. I cannot thank them enough for all the work and energy they’ve invested in this project. I am very happy to be able to share this adventure with them. Special thanks go to the core group: Duncan Nevard, Brendon Scanlon, Jimmy Carolla, and Sammy Hodges, but also to everyone else.

Through my sporting challenge at the GSC, I want to promote the idea that any individual, no matter how “small” or limited they might seem, can achieve great things. Every member of my team, at some point in their lives, has felt overlooked, underestimated, or rejected for who they were. Each of us carries stories of pain and challenge. We came together with the common purpose of realizing this dream, supporting one another.

My desire is to be a competitive sailor but also to maintain a positive and joyful attitude, seizing every opportunity to have fun, smile, and savor every moment. My goal is to give a voice to those silenced and belittled and ensure that, especially women, are taken seriously in the sport of sailing. I just wish it were possible to enjoy the sea and sailing, even in a competitive setting.”

The boat’s name aligns well with the strong social message Cole tries to bring into sailing and sports. First Light, an initial glow meant to illuminate many stories and make them known so that certain episodes don’t repeat. It’s a call for more respect in sport and in life, in general. “I liked the boat’s original name, Dragon, because for the first time, I was in the role of captain. Even though she wasn’t mine, I saw her as my Dragon. However, I also love First Light. It reminds me that, even when everything seems to be going wrong, when everything is shrouded in darkness, the sun will always rise. It’s a certainty and it’s very comforting.”

At sea, Cole Brauer has collected many beautiful memories. Through a woman’s breath on the ocean, we discover how one can feel alive and in the right place.

“One of my favorite sailing memories is from when I sailed in Hawaii. That period marked a turning point in my life. I was born in Long Island, NY, where it’s warm for a few months a year. Then, moving to Hawaii, where good weather is the norm, I realized that I loved living outdoors. I wanted to explore what the world had to offer. I remember one night at sea, under a starry sky without the moon, when I saw bioluminescence lighting up and enveloping the bodies of dolphins as they swam at the boat’s bow… It felt like I was breathing for the first time in my life. Every day, out in the ocean, I stand at the bow of First Light and repeat that same breath. I smile. I cry. I scream. Then, silence. There’s something so magical about the ocean. I can finally… breathe.”

Ready to embark with Cole and her team? “All the members of my team have transformed their lives to join this project; so, I firmly believe we will persuade many more people to come on board with us!”

Cole Brauer and her First Light’s departure from A Coruna is scheduled for October 28 .

The  Global Solo Challenge  kicked off on August 26. Given its unique format, the  20 skippers  will set off in staggered starts over the next four months, depending on the performance of their boats.

For further details on the departure dates of each skipper, please visit this link:  https://globalsolochallenge.com/start-dates/

To follow the route of the skippers at sea, a tracker is available on the Global Solo Challenge website:  https://globalsolochallenge.com/tracking/

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Class 40 “Icarus Racing” 40' / 12.19m

The first Class 40 to be designed and built in the United States. Currently being campaigned by Jeffrey MacFarlane. http://jefferymacfarlane.com/

Yacht Specifications

“icarus racing” – the first u.s. built class-40.

Build of the boat is by Ted Brown and Stewart Wiley of Al Fresco Composites, Portsmouth, RI.

To begin the design process we decided to test a series of hulls in a weather matrix for the race as well as a long-race performance predicition tool developed in-house by RMD. Class 40 is a ‘box rule,’ so we investigated one shape overtly maximized to the box. The other extreme was considerably narrower than the maximum, with a single rudder, lighter hull and a higher ballast-ratio, both to the minimum displacement. A third boat tested was between these extremes. For these three exploratory types, we used a ‘parent/child’ annex to our Velocity Prediction Program (VPP). This allows the boat to choose the location and amount of ballast (including ballast to leeward or empty) to give the boat its best performance in every wind strength and direction. Of course it doesn’t take into account sea conditions, exhaustion, broken gear and the indefinable issue of seakindliness. If it did, we could leave it all to the machines!

An intuition that a subtle step further was needed, led to the final hull choice. It was faster in the weather matrix and RMD’s own RTW test by a greater margin than all the others. We were on our way and sent the surface files to Goetz Custom for computer cutting. Design partner, Ross Weene has worked wonders (and long hours) to complete this program efficiently and accurately.

Spars are by Halls Spars of Bristol, RI.  Sails are North 3Di. Steve Koopman, Dirk Kramers’ partner in SDK Structures has worked with Ross to engineer advanced light, durable hull and appendage structures with materials from Rich O’Meara’s ROM Composites of Newport.

This is not only an all-out US entry into Class 40 and ocean racing arena, but an all-Rhode Island entry too.

ICARUS RACING SAILPLAN (pdf)

ICARUS RACING COMPOSITE PLAN (pdf)

Published on September 14th, 2014 | by Editor

Made in USA: Owen Clarke Design Class40

Published on September 14th, 2014 by Editor -->

Carbon Ocean Yachts, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA have started to build a new Owen Clarke Design Class40 for an American owner. The design team includes Clay Oliver, engineering by PURE and weather modelling data from Chris Bedford.

“It is exciting to become part of a growing class in the US and we hope to stimulate and encourage others to do so,” commented Matt Baldwin who is representing the owner for the Class40 project. “Carbon Ocean Yachts have an excellent track record, delivering the highest quality on time and budget, and Rhode Island is the best place in the US for a high tech composite project.”

“The team is really excited about the project,” confirmed Carbon Ocean Yachts COY MD, Britt Colombo. “The Class40 scene in the USA is one of the most vibrant, developing classes and we are working with a very experienced team of highly regarded designers and engineers. We have the means and capability of producing an outstanding yacht and the team at Carbon Ocean Yachts is determined to deliver a race winner for the owner and spark interest for more Class40s to be built using the same mold.”

UK designers, OCD and US based America’s Cup designer, Clay Oliver have been working together on a hull development program spanning many months and have eventually arrived at a max. beam design with lines that are unique in the class. Sail wardrobe, ballast tank positions and appendages have all been reviewed on the back of the weather and course data developed during the hull design but the finished design is still work in progress for the client, project and design team.

COY is building the Class 40 in Bristol, Rhode Island and is close to completing the male plug, which will produce the carbon female mould. The hull shell construction drawings have been delivered by PURE, the engineers responsible for Team New Zealand’s last and future AC 72 America’s Cup challenger.

As part of the weather profiling for the yacht OCD used the same software utilised in their larger IMOCA Open 60’s to run computer simulations of design candidates on courses such as the Atlantic Cup and Bermuda Races. Using high resolution weather data provided by Massachusetts based weather forecaster Chris Bedford. Comparing their new designs against existing Class40s whose performance was used as a benchmark and modelling races as far back as 2000. The results of the simulations showed the new design was faster than the current generation of yachts, in the vast majority of conditions.

Lead designer, Merfyn Owen puts his expectations for the latest Class 40 in North America in perspective. “We expect some real innovation and quality in the build from Carbon Ocean Yachts and I’m sure it will be the quickest boat on ‘paper’. However, history tells us that those with current boats need not despair! Wise sailors know and my experience of racing in the class in the US, for the last five years, tells me that especially in short-handed sailing, once the hull gets wet; experience, local knowledge, preparation and good old time on the water are all great levellers.

We’ve been designing racing boats for US owners for more than ten years but it’s really exciting for me and important for Owen Clarke Design to be working with Carbon Ocean Yachts to create this new racing yacht and for it to be built in the United States. It’s great news for Class40 in the US, that an owner has the confidence in the future of the US Class to invest in a new boat and the tooling to produce it.”

For more information visit: www.carbonoceanyachts.com

Report by Louay Habib. Photo credit: Carbon Ocean Yachts/ Billy Black.

Tags: Carbon Ocean Yachts , Chris Bedford , Class40 , Clay Oliver , Owen Clarke Design

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Class 40 Mighty Mites

• By James Boyd
• May 23, 2023

For sailing fans visiting from ­outside France, the Route du Rhum is a cultural shock, barely to be believed even once seen. It is France’s oldest singlehanded race, first held in 1978, and run every four years from St. Malo in northern France 3,500 miles across the North Atlantic to Guadeloupe. The fleet of 138 boats that assembled for the start in November 2022 was incredible, with an estimated value of 260 million euros—from the implausible 100-foot Ultime trimarans to a record fleet of 38 IMOCA 60s and a similarly impressive fleet of 55 Class40s. Dock sides are crammed with spectators, many hoping to catch a glimpse of the top skippers—some are genuine sports stars. Had the 2022 start not been delayed, French President Emmanuel Macron was to have attended. It’s that much of a big deal.

In the days and hours before the Route du Rhum started, more than 1 million people passed through its race village in St. Malo. In this environment, even non-French amateurs, such as the two US Class40 skippers, Alex Mehran and Greg Leonard, gained celebrity status with relentless autograph signing, selfies with fans and press interviews. Usually outshone by the bigger, higher-profile boats, the Class40 is the most successful 40-footer of all time. While the Farr 40 never topped more than 40 boats at a world championship, this is the second Route du Rhum in which more than 50 participated. To date, 192 Class40 hull numbers have been allocated.

While “Open 40s” once competed in the OSTAR and Around Alone, the Class40 came about independently. Born in France in the early 2000s, two designs defined the class: the Pogo 40 and the Jumbo 40. But the success and longevity of the Class40 is due to its highly constrictive box rule, drafted by a group that includes wise French sailor and journalist Patrice Carpentier, which remains robust 18 years on.

The box rule’s basic parameters are a maximum length overall of 39 feet, 11 inches; max beam of 14 feet, 9 inches; draft of 9 feet, 10 inches; average freeboard of 3 feet, 6 inches; max mast height of 62 feet, 4 inches; max working sail area of 1,238 square feet; minimum displacement at 10,097 pounds; and max water ballast of 1,653 pounds per side. Most brutal are the materials limitations: Carbon fiber, aramid, honeycomb cores and pre-preg resin are forbidden from the construction of the hull, deck, interior structure and fittings; go down below on one and, joyously, thanks to the GRP construction, it is not coffin black.

Carbon fiber is permitted for the mast, boom and ­bowsprit, while standing rigging must be steel rod. Sails are limited to eight, and all but two and the heavy-weather jib must be polyester and nylon. A single fixed keel and as many as two rudders are permitted, but daggerboards and foils are banned, as are canting, rotating masts, mast jacks, and adjustable or removable forestays. However, complex kick-up rudders are permitted. (Although their effectiveness to kick up in a collision is allegedly dubious.) Over the years, displacement and average freeboard have slightly reduced, but the biggest rule amendment has limited “how scow” Class40 hull shapes can be. While the latest foiling Protos in the Classe Mini (the “flying bathtubs”) are fully flat-bowed, Class40 has two max beam limits just short of the bow to prevent this. Naturally, costs have risen, but the rule has successfully limited them; today, a top Class40 costs 700,000 to 800,000 euros.

Those sailing the Class40s in the early days were a mix of pros and amateurs. Today professionals on sponsored boats are the majority. As for aspirant French pro sailors, the Class40 has become a significant stepping stone between from the Classe Mini and Figaro circuits to the IMOCA.

As skipper of Groupe SNEF , leading Mini and Figaro skipper Xavier Macaire says: “The transatlantic races like this [Route du Rhum] are very interesting to us, and the boat is not very expensive. The Class40 is easy to maintain and prepare, and is not a complicated boat like an IMOCA where you need 12 guys. With this, you need two or three, not full time. It is an easy, fast boat.”

With more top pros like Macaire joining, 30 new Class40s have been launched in the last four-year cycle. The most recent Route du Rhum podium, for example, comprised two-time Solitaire du Figaro winner Yoann Richomme ( Paprec Arkea ) and Mini Transat winners Corentin Douguet ( Queguiner-Innoveo ) and Ambrogio Beccaria ( Allagrande Pirelli ) of Italy.

Of the French classes, the Class40 and the Mini remain the most cosmopolitan, with entries from other European countries, notably Italy at present, while the United States, Australia and South Africa were also represented in the Route du Rhum. Far from being put off by the pro element, Americans Alex Mehran and Greg Leonard were thrilled to be on the same starting line. “It is such a privilege to race against some of the top offshore sailors in the world,” says Leonard, who hails from Florida. “It is like playing football against a first team in the NFL—it is that level of quality. There are not that many sports you can do that in.”

Both American skippers came to the Route du Rhum from similar paths. With his Mach 40.3 Kite , Leonard is a professional economist originally from Texas. He campaigned a J/120 for many years with his remarkable son Hannes, who raced his first doublehanded overnighter with his father at age 13. Now 18 and with thousands of race miles under his belt, both in the US and Europe, he is a Class40 expert. For his father, the Route du Rhum was his first singlehanded race.

Over the years, several top shorthanded sailors, notably British Vendée Globe skippers Mike Golding and Miranda Merron, have raced with him, also coaching him. He is very enthusiastic about the Class40: “They are beautiful boats, such fun to sail. When we delivered her to St. Malo, we had 28 to 40 knots just aft of the beam, and we just hung in the low 20s boatspeed, and it was finger-light steering.”

Mehran skippers Polka Dot , which has the perfect pedigree, being Yoann Richomme’s 2018 Route du Rhum winner—a Lift V1 design. Growing up as part of the St. Francis YC Laser squad and subsequently a Brown collegiate sailor, he met Welsh Class40 designer Merfyn Owen in 2009 and raced one of his designs. Remarkably, he won his first major singlehanded race, the 2009 Bermuda 1-2. He subsequently graduated to an Owen Clarke-designed Open 50, in which he set a record in 2012’s singlehanded Transpac. He then went off, had four kids, and developed his commercial real estate business before getting the itch once more last year. He competed ­doublehanded with Owen in the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre on an old Class40, but as Mehran puts it, “We needed to get ­something scow.”

He too has been receiving coaching from Merron and Golding, among others. According to Mehran, one of the most difficult things to explain to those back home is less the offshore-racing fever that afflicts French fans, but that their skippers are not multimillionaires. Instead, they come from a wide age group and all have commercial backing to either buy a secondhand boat or—if they are higher-­profile, more accomplished or just plain lucky—build a new one. So, returning to the Route du Rhum podium, Paprec’s business is waste disposal (admittedly, its owner races his own Wally 107), Arkea is banking and insurance, Queguiner is building materials, Innoveo is an app-­development platform, and Pirelli makes tires (its CEO has a Wally 145).

Over the last two decades, the Class40s themselves have evolved, despite Draconian design limitations. What started as cruiser-racers with fitted-out interiors became racer-cruisers and are now refined pure racers. They may not be black inside, but the build quality of the latest-generation designs is of the highest ­standard, and it seems no longer possible to buy a cruiser-racer.

A delight of the Class40 is that no one designer is dominant; eight different designs make up the 30 boats built over the last four years. Pogo Structures, last of the original builders, is on its fourth version of its Pogo 40, the S4, designed by Emirates Team New Zealand’s naval architect, Guillaume Verdier (who also designed Structures’ scow-bowed flying Proto Mini).

The man who developed the first blunt-fronted scow Mini, David Raison, produced the Max40, built by JPS in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Also built by JPS are Sam Manuard designs—the Mach 40.4, such as the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre winner Redman , skippered by Antoine Carpentier (nephew of the original rule’s writer), and now its evolution, the Mach 40.5, of which two competed in the Route du Rhum.

In 2020, VPLP made its first foray into the class with the Clak 40, built by Multiplast, of which four raced in the Route du Rhum, the top finisher being Martin le Pape’s Fondation Stargardt. Etienne Bertrand, another successful Mini designer, had two Cape Racing Scow 40s in the race, while Allagrande Pirelli , believed to be the most expensive of the latest crop and campaigned by last year’s Mini Transat winner, Ambrogio Beccaria, is an all-Italian affair designed by Gianluca Guelfi and built by Sangiorgio Marine Shipyard in Genoa.

However, after the recent Route du Rhum, ­nosing in front in the design race is Marc Lombard with his Lift V2s, of which seven were racing, including Yoann Richomme’s winner, Paprec Arkea . Lombard is one of the longest continuous players in the Class40, and has worked with Tunisian manufacturer Akilaria on its RC1, RC2 and RC3 models since 2006, of which 38 were built. His latest designs have been the Lift, introduced in 2016; Veedol-AIC , one example, took Richomme to his first Route du Rhum victory. The Lifts were custom-built with a hull and deck made by Gepeto in Lorient, but finished off by the V1D2 yard in Caen, and were more precisely engineered and built than the Akilarias. They were superseded this cycle by the Lift V2, the most popular of the new Class40s, with seven competing.

For Richomme, the Route du Rhum was a small distraction from having a new IMOCA built. He entered the Route du Rhum to defend his title and stay race-fit. If the first Lift was an early scow, the present one is at the limit, to the extent that it has a bump in the hull 2 meters aft from the bow at the limit of where the Class40 rule restricts the max beam to prevent such extreme scowness.

The scow bow provides more righting moment, but it also does interesting things to the boat’s hydrodynamics. “With a pointy bow, the keel is more angled and creates more drag,” explains Richomme, who is also a trained naval architect. “When a scow heels, the hull is almost parallel to the keel, so sometimes when we go over the waves, we can feel the keel shudder when it is producing lift. The chine is low and therefore very powerful, and when we heel, it makes for a very long waterline length. Also, we have very little rocker, whereas other [new] boats have a lot, which creates a lot of drag so they don’t accelerate so well when they heel.”

The Lift V2 “is a weapon reaching,” Richomme says. “We can hold the gennaker higher than we used to. Last time, I didn’t even take one. But with the power going up, so have the loads, and we are having problems with the hardware. I have broken two winches already.”

A downside of the big bow and straight chine is downwind, where the technique seems to be preventing the bow from immersing. Paprec Arkea is typically trimmed far aft, including the stack and the positioning of the 1,653 pounds of water ballast (most new boats have three tanks each side), while its engine is 19 inches farther aft, and the mast and keel 11 inches farther aft than they were on his previous boat. They are 77 pounds below the minimum weight, which Richomme admits may be too extreme—during training they broke a bulkhead.

Otherwise, their increased cockpit protection is most noticeable on all the new designs (although not to IMOCA degrees), while most have a central pit area with halyards fed aft from the mast down a tunnel running through the cabin. On Paprec Arkea , a pit winch is mounted just off the cockpit sole. With the main sheet and traveler lead there as well, Richomme can trim from inside the cabin.

Most extraordinary about the scows is how fast they are. Anglo-Frenchman Luke Berry, skipper of Lamotte-Module Création , graduated from a Manuard Mach 40.3 to a 40.5 this year and says: “It is a massive improvement both in speed and comfort. Reaching and downwind, we are 2 knots faster, which is extraordinary.”

The top speeds he has seen are 27 to 28 knots. “Most incredible are the average speeds—higher than 20.”

This effectively turns yacht-design theory on its head, with ­waterline length and hull speed having less effect upon defining the speed of a boat that spends so much time planing. On the Mach 40.5, the waterline is just 32 feet, with a length overall of 39 feet. Compared to the Lift V2, it has more rocker, supposedly making it better able to deal with waves.

Nowhere is the speed of the latest Class40s more apparent than where they finished in the Route du Rhum in comparison to the IMOCA fleet. Paprec Arkea arrived in Guadeloupe ahead of 13 IMOCAs, or one-third of the way up the IMOCA fleet. Richomme says he used to sail on a Lombard-designed IMOCA 20 years ago, when they would make 10.5 knots upwind. “On a reach, I reckon we are faster than them now. We can do 20 to 22 knots average speed.”

Ugly seems to be quick, but when it comes to the Class40, beauty is in the eye of the beholder of the trophy.

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• Sailboat Reviews

Though now an old and dated design, the Cal 40 was a hot boat when new, and she carries that legacy.

Thunderbird, a Cal 40 owned by IBM president T. Vincent Learson, took first in fleet over 167 boats in the 1966 Bermuda Race. Because this was the first computer-scored Bermuda Race, Learson got a lot of gaff about the IBM computer that had declared him the winner—and about beating out his boss. Thomas J. Watson, IBM’s chairman of the board, sailed his 58′ cutter, Palawan, second across the line, but ended with second in class, 24th in fleet, on corrected time.

In fact, the computer scoring system was not especially kind to Learson. Both he and Watson would have fared considerably better under the old system that calculated scores from the NAYRU time allowance tables. Thunderbird’s victory was a legitimate win, another in a stunning series by Cal 40s that was establishing the boat as a revolutionary design. The first Cal 40 was built for George Griffith in 1963. That winter, hull #2, Conquistador, took overall honors in the 1964 Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC). The Transpac races of 1965, ’66, and ’67 all went to Cal 40s. Ted Turner’s Cal 40, Vamp X, took first place in the 1966 SORC. In the ’66 Bermuda Race, five of Thunderbird’s sisterships finished with her in the top 20 in fleet, taking five of the first 15, four of the first nine places. And so on. In their first few years on the water, Cal 40s chalked up an astonishing record.

The 40 was the fifth in a line of Cal designs that C. William Lapworth did for Jensen Marine of Costa Mesa, California. Lapworth had already designed a series of moderately successful racing boats, the L classes, including an L-24, L-36, L-40 and L-50, when he teamed up with Jack Jensen. The Cal designs were built on concepts he had tried in his Lclass boats. The first Cal was the 24, Jensen’s first boat, launched in 1959. The Lapworth-Jensen team then produced a 20, 30, and 28 before getting to the Cal 40, which proved to be a successful distillation of Lapworth’s thinking up to that time.

Aspects of the boat that departed from the conventional wisdom were her light displacement, long waterline, flat bilges to encourage surfing, fin keel and spade rudder. The masthead rig is stayed by shrouds secured to chainplates set inboard of the toerail, a then unusual innovation that allows a reduced sheeting angle. The success of the design helped legitimize fiberglass as a hull material, establish Jensen Marine as a significant builder of fiberglass boats, and propel Lapworth to the forefront of yacht design.

Three decades have passed since Lapworth drew the Cal 40. In that time, using computers to score races has become commonplace—boat measurers and designers would be paralyzed without them. The CCA Rule, the NAYRU tables and the Portsmouth Yardstick have been replaced by IMS, IOR, and PHRF, with the effects of their parameters expressed in the shape, size and weight of new boats. New building materials and techniques have changed the meaning of terms such as “light displacement,” “long waterline,” “fin keel,” and “fast sailboat.” Today the Cal 40 is a dated design, having been surpassed in her revolutionary features by her descendents. She remains among the esteemed elite of racing yachts, but she is not especially light, long on the waterline, or fast compared to current designs.

The Cal’s builder was transformed by time, as well. Jensen Marine was bought by Bangor Punta Marine, and the Cal production line was moved to Florida about the time that the Cal 40 went out of production in 1972. For the next decade, the company’s name and address shifted between combinations of Cal, Bangor Punta and Jensen in California, New Jersey and finally Massachusetts, where it joined O’Day under Bangor Punta’s umbrella in the early 1980s. After 1984 the company was called Lear Siegler Marine, Starcraft Sailboat Products, and finally emerged as Cal, a Division of the O’Day Corporation, in Fall River, Mass. Cal and O’Day ceased production in April, 1989.

Construction The construction of the Cal 40 is typical of Jensen Marine boats of the 1960s. The hull is solid hand laid fiberglass with wooden bulkheads and interior structures. Strips of fiberglass cloth and resin secure the wooden structures to the hull, but this tabbing is rather lightweight and has been reinforced in some Cal 40s where it has failed. If it has not been reinforced, it probably needs it.

Because saving weight was a priority in building the Cal 40, the reinforcement provided by the bulkheads and furniture is critical to hull stiffness. Failure of the bonding can be a significant structural concern.

The hull-to-deck joint is an inward-turning hull flange, upon which the deck molding is bonded, then through-bolted and capped with a throughbolted teak toerail. This is a strong type of joint, but there is some complaint of minor leaking along it in a few boats. The leaks are most likely one result of the relatively light construction of the hull skin, which has a tendency to “oilcan” in heavy weather, creating stresses at the joint.

The deck, also a solid fiberglass layup, has reinforcement designed into it during layup, so no interior metal backing plates are provided under winches, cleats, and other hardware. PS generally recommends backing plates behind high-stress hardware as a matter of course. We found little indication of trouble with leaking or working of most of the fittings, but one owner said that his lifeline stanchion bases had to be reinforced. This would be an area to inspect carefully.

Colors and non-skid surfaces are molded in, but due to the age of any Cal 40, the finish will look tired unless it has been renewed. A good Awlgrip job will do it wonders, and is probably warranted for this boat unless it is in general disrepair.

The deck and cockpit of the Cal 40 we inspected have numerous cracks in the gelcoat in corners and other stress areas. Check these areas closely—they are unsightly, but in most cases are not a structural concern.

Ballast is an internal lead casting dropped into the keel before the insides were assembled. If there is evidence that the boat has suffered a hard grounding, invesitgate the ballast cavity to see that it was properly repaired. It should not have a hollow sound when rapped, and there should be no cracks, weeping, or other evidence of moisture inside. Due to the construction sequence, major repairs could be awkward.

Wiring was also installed prior to the interior, which makes it quite inaccessible in some areas. What may be of more concern is that it is low enough in the boat to get wet if the last watch forgot to pump the bilges and the boat heels over to her work. That’s what happened to one owner, who lost all the electricity on the boat when approaching Nova Scotia’s Bras d’Or Lakes after an all night sail. Fortunately, dawn arrived in time to avert a navigation problem. They anchored in the harbor and found that the electrical system worked fine, once it got dry again. Before the next season rolled around, the boat’s entire electrical system had been replaced in elevated, accessible locations. The implication is that you should look carefully at the wiring in a Cal 40 before you make any decisions. If it has been replaced, try to learn who did the work and how well qualified he/she was for the job. If it has not, you may have to work the cost of rewiring into your acquisition expenses. We would suspect the worst until proven otherwise.

You might expect wheel steering on a boat this size, but the stock Cal 40 came with a big tiller. The boat is well enough balanced to be controlled with a tiller, and many helmsmen prefer it to a wheel, which masks feedback from the rudder and makes sensitive steering more difficult.

The cockpit is roomy, but properly designed for offshore work with relatively low volume, a bridgedeck and small companionway. The tiller sweeps the cockpit midsection, allowing the helmsman to sit fairly far forward, a help to visibility.

Winch islands are located aft of the helmsman, where there is room for the crew, but it also makes the sheets accessible to the helmsman for shorthanded sailing. The teak cockpit coaming has cutouts giving access to handy storage bins.

The aluminum mast is stepped through the deck to a fitting that meets it at the level of the cabin sole. The shroud chainplates are secured to a transverse bulkhead at the mast station, and then tied into an aluminum weldment in the bilges. This weldment also supports the mast step. While chainplates have been an area of concern in some designs, because they can work under the large loads they carry, our indications from Cal 40 owners are that the chainplate/shroud/mast step attachments have served well.

Sailing Performance The Cal 40 is in her element in heavy air, especially off the wind. Her long waterline and flat bilges help her get up and go on reaches and runs, surfing in heavy air. On the wind, the flat hull forward pounds in waves and chop, which slows the boat somewhat and is irritating. Owners agree that she sails best with the rail in the water. She is not dry on the wind, so a dodger is a welcome feature.

The masthead sailplan allows relatively easy reduction of headsails to suit heavier conditions, and Cal 40 owners extol the survivability of their boats. “Simple rig, nothing breaks, strong, easy to use,” is a typical comment. Despite her stellar racing record, the Cal 40 is only ordinary in performance by today’s standards. She carries a PHRF rating between 108 and 120 seconds per mile, depending on the region. That’s about the same as a C&C 38 or an Ericson 36, both IOR designs of the late 70s. Compared to a mid-1970s design such as the Swan 38, the Cal 40 is a bit slower on the wind and in light air, a bit faster off the wind and in heavier going, about equal in speed overall. It’s not surprising that these boats perform alike if you look at the length of their waterlines and their displacements.

In comparing the Cal 40 to boats of her own vintage one sees what all the fuss was about. The Columbia 40, for example, is a 1965 Charles Morgan design, an “all-out racer” with a 27′ waterline, displacement of 20,200 pounds, and a PHRF rating of about 170. Or look at the Hinckley 41: 29′ on the water, 18,500 pounds, PHRF about 160.

The Cal 40’s waterline is almost 31′, but she displaces one or two tons less than the Columbia or the Hinckley, and rates nearly one minute per mile faster under PHRF. In that context, she is indeed a fast, light displacement boat with a long waterline. Just look at her “fin keel” and you can see the progression. Compared to a full keel with attached rudder, it is small. Compared to a modern fin keel, it hardly seems small enough to qualify for the name. If Cal 40s win races today, it’s because they are well sailed, not because the boat is the fast machine on the race course.

Interior In the 60s, “accommodations” tended to imply the number of berths in a sailboat, and the more the better. It also included the notion of a basic galley with sink, stove, icebox, and a table of sorts, plus a head with toilet and sink. Space age electronics had not arrived in the galley or the nav station, nor had space arrived in the concept of the main saloon.

Inside, as elsewhere, the Cal 40 is well designed and functional, but she speaks of her own era. The layout is very traditional, with a V-berth forward, separated from the main cabin by a head and hanging locker. Pilot berths and extension settees port and starboard provide sleeping for four. The dropleaf table seats four, six if you squeeze. Next aft is the galley to port and a nav station to starboard, consisting of a chart table over the voluminous icebox. The galley has a usable sink next to the well for a gimbaled stove with oven.

Flanking the companionway steps are the entrances to the quarterberths, known affectionately as “torpedo tubes,” which gives you an impression of their dimensions. They extend from the main cabin through to the lazarette, which allows good circulation of air. In fact, on a return trip from Bermuda, one seasick sailor found great solace between tricks at the helm by climbing into one of the cocoon-like torpedo tubes, where he was washed with a fresh breeze from  the dorade vent on the lazarette cover. The fact that the quarterberths flank the engine compartment  doesn’t matter as long as you are under sail, but it’s a different story when under power.

So you have sleeping accommodations for eight, which is too many people on a 40-footer, except perhaps when racing. The extension transom berths, however, do not lend themselves to use under way. The interior, not spacious by modern standards, fills up fast with extra bodies aboard. Owners tend to convert some of the berths to storage space. The pilot berths are especially tempting for that use, but since they are also the most comfortable berths on the boat, the quarterberths are often sacrificed for storage.

One of the best features about the Cal 40’s interior is the dining table. Set slightly to port, it is supported by a sturdy sole-to-overhead stainless steel post at each end with a 4′ 4″ gimbaled mahogany tray between them above the table. The posts make excellent handholds, and the gimbaled tray can serve for everything from salt and pepper holder to bookshelf to diaper-changing table. The table has a drop leaf to port and to starboard, so it can be set up for use from the port settee without blocking fore-and-aft passage through the boat.

Engine A variety of powerplants will be found in Cal 40s. Some early hulls were equipped with Atomic 4 gasoline engines. Later hulls got Graymarine 4-112 gasoline or Perkins 4-107 diesels. It’s likely that the original engine will need to be replaced if it has not already been done. Even the newest Cal 40s are rather old, and the early models have passed the quarter-century mark.

Boats in our files have Volvo MD2B, the Perkins, Pathfinder 50, Westerbeke 4-108, and Pisces 40 from Isuzu listed as replacements for the original engine.

The engine is located under the cockpit, between the torpedo tubes, which allow access to both sides, but are not especially convenient, particularly if the area has been turned into storage space. Better is the companionway ladder, which removes to expose the front of the engine. That can be an inconvenience, too, if the engine needs some attention while under way.

Used for the minimum requirements of a racing yacht, primarily getting in and out of port, you can probably make do with any of the engines. If the boat is to be used for cruising, with greater demands to be made on the engine, the Atomic 4 would likely be inadequate.

Generally the boat will do about six or seven knots under power, depending on the power plant and propeller. We suspect that many Cal 40s will have folding propellers, good for racing but not the best for powering, especially in reverse. The spade rudder set well aft confers good maneuverability under most conditons.

Conclusions The Cal 40, a hot racing boat when new, carries that legacy with her into maturity. Generally, the boats have been raced hard, some cruised hard as well.Owners have tended to be the type to add gear and modifications to keep the boat comfortable and competitive. The boats are likely to have a large inventory of much-used sails.

Because of her age and dated design, a Cal 40 may be available for much less money than a newer boat offering comparable quality and performance. Prices will vary according to the condition of the boat and gear, but will likely fall in the range of $40,000 to $50,000. If the boat has lots of add-ons in the galley and nav station, modern racing hardware, renewed standing rigging, new finish on the topsides, and the bottom is in good condition, it might fetch something higher. One performance extra to look for is a special (non-factory) fairing job on the keel and rudder that was available when the boats were young.

On the other hand, it should not be a surprise if there are areas that require attention, and you should calculate the cost of the work into the price you are willing to pay. Twenty or 25 years of hard sailing will take its toll. Significan’t expense could be incurred if the boat needs new wiring, an Awlgrip job on the topsides, extensive reinforcement of the interior furniture tabbing, a new engine, or new rigging. If racing is in your plans, new sails might be scheduled in as well.

This would be a good boat for a handy do-ityourselfer. Over the years, most of the boat’s problems have been solved more than once by other Cal 40 owners, many willing to share their wisdom. You would probably have a choice of solutions, and indications of which worked best.

Although there is not currently an active owners association, there persists a loose fellowship among present and former owners. If you buy a Cal 40, you will acquire a modest boat, with good pedigree and performance, and—should you desire them—a few new friends, as well.

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FARR 40 ONE DESIGN

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The FARR ® 40 One Design was conceived as a high performance 40 footer that would gather the benefits of modern materials into an economic platform for short course racing that was demanding, exciting and not beyond the capabilities of relatively inexperienced and mature crew members. The boat also had to be capable of competing in the offshore classes and be a competitive IMS performer to give the purchaser a wide range of events in which to compete and to carry through times before class fleets were established. The design of the boat and the formation of Class Rules and Constitution proceeded in parallel allowing input from the operator and builder side of the equation. The Owner/Driver class rule was an influencing factor in the conceptual phase of the design, encouraging us towards easy to tune, simple arrangements that would not take time and energy from the primary activity of sailboat racing.

We arrived at the basic parameters from a study of our very successful Farr 39ML (d esign № 336) and our other designs of this size more focused towards IMS design optimization. The Farr 40 One Design has similar beam and displacement for its length compared to Design 336, but has higher stability and sail carrying ability. The lightly raked stem and limited aft overhang give the hull a long waterline length, which combined with a clean run aft and fine forward sections, give the boat a good balance of upwind and downwind performance. A low center of gravity keel with lead bulb and cast iron fin bolted to an aluminum interior frame provides a stiff and robust structure for those who insist on going aground.

Interior layout was kept clean and simple while still providing the basic elements for long distance work. A full private head forward, saloon with galley and centrally located navigation station aft make the boat ocean racing ready. The cabin was sized in excess of minimum IMS requirements to give the boat a spacious feeling for those who would choose to do limited cruising and to provide a reasonable area for after race gatherings.

Our very successful MUMM 30 class has proven that spar design and building technology now permits the relatively economic and reliable manufacture of carbon runnerless rigs, and that when properly designed and tuned, the short footed headsails and large mainsail can be a very competitive and easily managed sail plan. This style of rig was in line with a desire in the market place for an arrangement that would not punish poor crew work with expensive mast repairs and became an obvious choice. A two swept spreader rig carbon mast with fractional chutes flying from a fairly high "I" point give the boat plenty of downwind speed. A masthead spinnaker option is available for those who desire more downwind thrills in open and PHRF events.

A large cockpit provides the crew with ample space for basic operations, and the arrangement can handle both wheel and tiller installation. Jib inhauler controls lead back to the cockpit to give the jib trimmer complete control on his sheeting options. Masthead backstay adjustment is through a direct hydraulic system with controls within easy reach of the mainsheet position.

Construction is detailed in foam core with glass-reinforced skins. Rudder has a carbon stock and shell.  Internal moldings combine with bulkheads and composite frames to provide a sturdy and serviceable interior. Prototype work enabled the builder and the designer to control weights and develop a strict one design set of limits and tolerances based on lessons from the MUMM 36 , COREL 45 and MUMM 30 one design rules.

The market has responded positively to the FARR 40 One Design with fleets being established, close racing enjoyed, and favorable results in competitive IMS regattas.

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The sails of a Class 40 explained by the engineer who designed them

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DRAGON in the making

• October 4th, 2023

Merfyn Owen is one of the renown naval architects and their racing yacht designs are competing against the who-is-who of the regatta scene. When he recently posted a new facebook title picture I was intrigued: New racing boat designs especially those of the more restricted box-rule classes are of utter interest for me, so I contacted him if he could tell me more about his new project.

Pro as he is, I received an instant answer: “Of course, would love to!” Much more surprising than his prompt answer was the level of insight and information density he openly and freely started to share with me as normally – especially with ongoing projects – those infos are much more restricted. So, here we are: Let´s talk about this ominous new racing yacht in Merfyn´s facebook-title …

Talking to Merfyn Owen about DRAGON

Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: “Merfyn, mid of this year you posted this picture (above) in your facebook-account and hinted a new project: Could you please shortly introduce this new boat to us?”

Merfyn Owen | Owen Clarke Design: “Yes, of course, Lars: This is Owen Clarke’s sixth generation Class 40 , a scow. She will be the nineteenth of our designs built to the rule.”

NFS.com: “Can you disclose the client or customer who ordered this boat from Owen-Clarke-Design?”

Merfyn Owen: “The client is a return customer, Michael Hennessy who previously had #54 Dragon, one of our second-generation designs. Our new project, his boat, will be Class 400 designation number #200. So, the 200 th such boat measured to the Class 40 rule: The yacht is 12.19 meters length over all with an additional 2 meters bowsprit. Her maximum beam is 4.50 meters, draft restricted to 3 meters and a minimum class displacement of 4.580 kilograms plus 750 liters of water ballast each side. Her upwind sail area is of 115 square meters.”

NFS.com: “For which races or highlight-races will this boat be principally built?”

Merfyn Owen: “A good question, Lars, because this is the first of our boats that has been designed specifically for the Route du Rhum. Historically, most of the French designs since around the year 2008 have been developed in a four-year design cycle aimed specifically at that race, the most important event in the Class 40 calendar for the French professional 40’ sailors and their sponsors. All Owen-Clarke clients on the other hand since our first 40’ design in 2004 have been Corinthian/amateur sailors and our boats have been developed to perform well in a wide range of conditions that are encountered in other events such as the Normandy Channel, Fastnet, Azores and Transat Jacques Vabres-races. In 2015 we also designed a masthead rigged Class 40 called LONGBOW #143, for another American client, specifically aimed at the North American circuit: The Newport-Bermuda, Bermuda 1-2 and Atlantic Cup.”

NFS.com: “So this indeed is a special boat! Are there any other designers or developers involved in this project?”

Merfyn Owen: “Yes, we had Peter Hobson on the team again, who worked on the LONGBOW project. His brief was primarily the lifting steering design, the cockpit layout and line handling systems. Since LONGBOW, Pete’s now on his third Vendee cycle as designer for Alex Thomson Racing. For the composite and keel engineering we worked once again with PURE, Team New Zealand’s IACC engineers. Integral to the design process has also been Illy Brummer at Axxon Masts and the owner’s sailmaker, Mark Washeim, and the team at One Sails.”

NFS.com: “What will this new boat be like? What are the main characteristics, what will she be very good at sailing conditions-wise? Are there any principal differences from current Class 40 designs?”

Merfyn Owen: “From the outside the most obvious difference between this and previous generation designs, as well as other racing boats is of course the scow bow. But this high-volume bow is the result of the hull design, not a feature that is then worked aft to develop the hull. This new design carries her maximum waterline beam and volume well forward of the mast. The result is a yacht that has 25 to 30 % more righting moment, or power, than a conventional Class 40. Another aspect of the rule is that it limits the water ballast volume to 750 liters on each side. If ballast was not limited, we would want to design in 1.250 to 1.500 liters of ballast for each side. So, we use weather modelling to optimize the position of the 750 liters in order to target the design for specific races and events. For this design, like on LONGBOW, we have three ballast tanks each side but they are further aft than previously, thus optimizing the boat for reaching rather than all-round polyvalent performance.”

NFS.com: “I see. It seems that those limits of the box rule aren´t so limiting at all but more so initiating or catalyzing more innovation and experimenting. Are there any other details within the construction which you would describe as revolutionary or brand new?”

Merfyn Owen: “Well, the sheer power and speed of these boats means that they are very wet. Before construction began in South Africa, we built a mock up of the cockpit and coachroof in the UK. Over several days of design-meetings we sat Mike in it and worked through the ergonomics of working in it to make sure every detail was perfect. DRAGON has the highest level of cockpit protection of any of the current Class 40s with a large over-hanging coachroof which is covered in high-efficiency solar panels. These panels mean the yacht is not reliant on its diesel engine or hydro-generators for making electricity. The rudder is also a highly refined design, a machined high strength hard anodized aluminum alloy stock with a kick up system based on JP3 upper and lower bearings. Highly customised to save weight and improve survivability in case of impact. Last not least, as with IMOCA 60s, but unlike most of the current fleet of Class 40s, to save weight and improve efficiency the cockpit layout relies on several highly customized pieces of deck hardware rather than off-the shelf organisers and jammers.”

NFS.com: “… a lot of innovation, for sure.”

Merfyn Owen: “Yes, there are numerous small innovative details, parts of the interior and exterior that save weight and/or lower the center of gravity of the structure. This is especially important in a scow design, because the additional volume and righting moment comes at the expense of a significant increase in surface area of deck, hull and interior.”

NFS.com: “Merfyn, what is the timeline in building this boat? Who is building this boat?”

Merfyn Owen: “The project plan from the start was to build the composite components at Evolution Marine in South Africa, with a small group of specialist builders from overseas supporting the local team and acting as owner’s representatives during this phase. As we have done with two previous projects, the assembled composite structure would then be sent to V1D2 in Caen, where all the Class specialised fit-out, like steering, deck hardware, keel assembly and mast stepping would be undertaken. This means that the labor-intensive parts of the program, like mould building and composite construction, would take place in a country where the yard overhead is very competitive. The knowledge and experience in Class 40 and offshore racing that a French yard like V1D2 brings can then be used to complete the boat to a high specification, in this case before this year´s Transat Jacques Vabres. Late delivery of the composite hull and deck meant that the plan changed because it was obvious the boat could not be made ready in time to qualify for the TJV and so she was shipped to Maine Yacht Centre for final fit-out.”

NFS.com: “I personally find it so interesting to see that building a yacht for such a use-case is much more complicated and involves many more people and milestones …”

Merfyn Owen: “Oh yes. And it is even more interesting: Main Yacht Centre for example is run by Brian Harris, also a very experienced IMOCA 60 and Class 40 preparateur and owner himself who recently completed a round the world race on his own Class 40. He used to be the North American agent for Akilaria and undertook similar fit-out work on a number of Akilaria first, second and third generation designs. The fit out at MYC is being managed for the owner by Kyle Hubley, a professional sailor who was part of the build team in South Africa and is himself a former Class 40 owner. Regarding the timing, as launch from the Maine yard is likely to coincide with the cold weather on the east coast it is unsure when the boat will be moved to Charleston SC, where Mike has traditionally operated from in the Winter. We are unsure at this point if the first event will the RORC Caribbean 600 or the 2024 Atlantic Cup. Currently the plan is to take part in the fully crewed Quebec-St. Malo Race and then undertake some racing in Europe.”

NFS.com: “Which will be absolutely exciting for DRAGON´s owner, I am sure! I can imagine that building such a yacht is connected to a lot of challenges to overcome. Could you give some more insight into high-end racing boat building process?”

Merfyn Owen: “Well, as the Class 40 rule has a minimum weight that a boat must hit to be competitive and because of the very large surface area of a scow design achieving this target is much harder and involves designing a more complex structure than previously. On this Class 40 the internal supporting structure aft of the mast is based on a system of longitudinals. But unlike our 60s, forward of the mast this changes to athwartship frames, seven of them in total. This and other details have put more pressure on the yards building these boats in terms of the skill level required and the attention to detail in areas such as resin/fibre content for both secondary bonding and the hull/deck/parts infusion process. You see, if these ratios get out of control, then for the same number of parts, significant weight can be added to the yacht and unless there is monitoring during the build this will come as something of an unpleasant surprise during the measurement process.”

NFS.com: “Which explains the high budgets needed in racing …”

Merfyn Owen: “Yes, and obviously one of the challenges of building a long distance away from the designer’s and/or owner’s base is ensuring that was is designed is built, and to the right quality. OC have a good deal of experience in managing this aspect of such a project, going back to the time when we oversaw the build of Ellen MacArthur’s KINGFISHER in New Zealand, and before that Team Group 4 in France. Both times this involved the client having their own people on site full time and this is how the project at Evolution was also planned. In addition to a physical presence, real-time data was also commissioned to monitor quality during the build. The hull plug was laser scanned prior to mould production, test panels were made prior to infusion and NDT/ultrasound testing of the hull, deck, and assembled parts was undertaken once completed. The result of all these efforts is that the completed composite structure, when checked on two separate loadcells, is 80 kilograms below the required mass on boat #1, a significant achievement! This is not to say the build was without its challenges, few ever are. During IMOCA 60 builds I have personally required the scrapping of components, bulkheads, and a keel on a previous occasion. During this build one of the reasons the composite assembly was late is that more core had to be shipped and a second complete deck built, when the inside skin, the last infusion process was less than perfect the first time around.”

NFS.com: “This is absolutely incredible, Merfyn! So different from what I get to see on a daily basis and certainly many levels up. But what I find most exciting is the level of determination and passion that everyone displays, making such a project become reality!”

Merfyn Owen: “Absolutely, Lars! Let me finish on a positive note: While not the easiest or simplest project, along with LONGBOW, this Class 40 #200 is without doubt the most innovative and, shall I say “tidy” Class 40 build we have been involved with to date!”

Thanks so much, Merfyn, for this exclusive insight into the making of your latest project DRAGON. I will certainly check on the performance of this boat and hope to see her in real life soon when I happen to be roaming the hotspots of racing in France in the future!

More Class 40-related articles may be browsed here:

Merfyn Owen, Britton Ward and the legendary Marc Lombard on Class 40 designs

Visiting the all-new Pogo 40 S4

Meeting Henrik Maswkowitz aboard his Akilaria RC2

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Best Midsize Cruiser 40-44 Feet

• By Herb McCormick
• Updated: December 12, 2017

Winner: Elan GT5

This is going to be a tough category,” said Bill Bolin of the Best Midsize Cruiser 40 to 44 Feet division. “We have three very different but very good boats in this class — the Elan GT5, the Hallberg-Rassy 412 and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440.”

To begin, Bolin said of the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, “It’s the best Jeanneau I’ve ever seen.” The judging panel agreed, crowning the boat the fleet’s Most Innovative design for 2018.

And what, exactly, led to that designation? “One big reason is the side decks,” said Tim Murphy. “One of the design features is wide-open side decks all the way aft” that permit easy egress going forward without the need to scramble over cockpit coamings. “It’s a clean path ahead,” he noted. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it’s something we expect to see on more boats, including a scaled-up Jeanneau 490, in the very near future.

“You go down below and, maybe for the first time, Jeanneau has separated the mast compression post from the main bulkhead,” he added. “Now there’s just a compression post that runs down into the main saloon, and the main bulkhead that would’ve come to that position is now several feet forward. So they’ve opened up more space in the main cabin and taken it away from the forward cabin, where they’re arguing you don’t need it quite as much. I think that’s also a fine change. It has twin rudders, and under sail, I thought the helm was beautiful. It’s a solid boat.”

So, too, thought Bolin, was the Hallberg-Rassy 412. “This is the largest aft-cockpit model Hallberg-Rassy has built,” he said. “There is a 40-foot center-cockpit model, but this is a different hull entirely, optimized for upwind performance, with a code zero sail for downwind work. There’s a retractable bow thruster — we saw a lot of those this year — to reduce drag and get the thruster deeper in the water and farther forward as well. The boat we inspected had upgraded sails, and when we went sailing, they were ­spectacular. There was a beautiful full-­battened sail and the boat sailed very well.

“It had a slippery hull and moved nicely,” he added. “We sailed it in 12 to 14 knots of breeze, so there was decent wind. Most of the time we were making 6.5 to 7 knots. As we fell off on a beam and then a broad reach, I think this was the first boat where we didn’t see a drastic drop in speed. It performed well on all points of sail. It had a nice big wheel and great visibility forward. It would be an easy boat to single­hand. I really like it.”

“This is a mainsail-driven boat, and I think that might explain why it’s so peppy off the wind,” said Murphy. “So the sail plan is a small jib with a big main. They’re one of the few remaining builders that are giving us a true traveler but also genoa sheet-lead controls from the cockpit, showing that they’re concerned about sail shape, and rightly so. Going down below, it’s the classic Hallberg-Rassy mahogany interior, and it’s just lovely, as lovely as it ever was. We’ve talked about good handholds, but on this boat, they weren’t just good, they were also beautiful. The fiddles are these beautiful rounded shapes that are perfect for your hand. They look great and feel great. Very nice.”

That left the Slovenian-built, 43-foot-4-inch Elan GT5. The company builds dedicated lines of racing and cruising boats, but, said Murphy, “The GT5 is sort of a hybrid between those two lines. It has a high-­performance hull and a very comfortable cruising interior.

“Sailing it was pretty joyful,” he continued. “We sailed in very light air and it was still moving very nicely. It looked really good on the water. It really seemed to have answered the performance side of Elan’s DNA.”

“The company is doing some progressive things in terms of systems,” said Ed Sherman. “The electrical system on the boat has a nice, graphically designed power distribution panel with push buttons that light up things to let you know, for instance, that the running lights are on and that sort of thing.”

“I was really taken with this boat,” said Bolin. “It looks like a race boat from a distance, and as Tim mentioned, its DNA is rooted in that. But you go below and it’s very unique, with lots of special features. I like the galley-­forward arrangement a lot. You come down into the main cabin and you’ve got max beam where the living quarters are, you have a great sense of entry. Figuratively speaking, you’re not walking through the back door and the kitchen to get into the house. I think this layout makes very good use of space. And there’s lots of storage. Finally, I’d say it’s a high-tech boat, vacuum-bagged with 100 percent vinylester. There’s a lot to like about it.”

At the end of the day, Bolin’s colleagues agreed, which is why they chose the Elan GT5 as the Best Midsize Cruiser 40 to 44 Feet.

Other Winners:

• Best Midsize Cruiser 44-47 Feet/Overall Winner
• Best Pocket Cruiser
• Best Full-Size Cruiser 50-54 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser 54-58 Feet
• Best Cruising Catamaran
• Best Luxury Cruiser
• Most Innovative

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