The Class40 has enjoyed great success in attracting well known sailors from higher profile classes – like the Imoca 60s – who are drawn in by the opportunity to enjoy very close racing but at a sensible level of budget. This is Vendée Globe veteran and professional adventurer Pete Goss practicing for the 2010 Route du Rhum
Happy 10th
Merf Owen celebrates the first ten years of the Class40
It’s a little over 10 years since the first Class40s hit the water in France, among the first launched the Pogo 1 of Seahorse contributor Patrice Carpentier who was instrumental in the creation of the new class. For many years there had been an underlying feeling on both sides of the Channel that there was a need for a boat between the Minis and Imoca 60s. An off- shore boat, less expensive than a custom 40 or 50, within the budget of the majority who wanted to venture offshore to take part in the ‘big races’ in something larger than a 30-footer. Finally, a small group of sailors organised themselves and, at some risk, moulds were built at Pogo Structures in France. Since then the class has exploded on the sailing scene attracting new people, more than anyone ever imag- ined, to offshore and shorthanded sailing. Despite the economic downturn there
What is a Class40?
A Class40 is not an Open 40, as some peo- ple have mistakenly believed. Class 40s are defined by a box rule, the same type of rule that regulates TP52s and as such the inten- tion is to race the boats against each other without handicap – first across the line
birthday
are almost 150 yachts registered today with the class association, of which 32 have been built in the past three years. The most recent, #146, is a Pogo S3, a fourth- generation design from the yard that started this story. Meanwhile, the percent- age of ‘overseas’, that is non-French, owners of Class40s first passed the 50 per cent mark in 2009.
In fact, and unbeknown to most, the association has more international owners than French these days, it held its first ISAF World Championship back in 2009 and today a Brit, an American and a South African sit on the ruling board. There are class measurers on both sides of the Chan- nel and the Atlantic. In North America 20 Class40s take part in their own events, racing in the Caribbean and in classics such as the Newport-Bermuda Race.
wins. While one can race in rating classes under IRC and PHRF, for instance, all Class40s rate poorly under IRC. They are simply too wide, too light and carry too much draft and sail area to be fairly rated. In an effort to quantify this situation, three years ago Owen Clarke drew an experimental IRC boat with slightly modi- fied characteristics of a Class40 – with key measurements just inside the class limits. Surprisingly, elapsed-time performance over a spread of inshore/offshore courses was almost comparable with our third- generation 40 design; but the ‘IRC’ design rated 52pt less under IRC!
The Class40 rule produces fully crewed or shorthanded Category 1 and 2 offshore- capable racing yachts that with some small modifications can also race Cat 0 events. The rule is constantly revised to keep in step with technical developments, control costs and promote large entry numbers. This policy has allowed development while avoiding the diminution of the fleet due to an ‘arms war’.
When asked ‘what are the boats like to sail?’ I’ve often described them as an easier to handle, cheaper to run, shorthanded
SEAHORSE 39
MARK LLOYD/DPPI
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