Design


Entry level offshore racer


Designed for the next generation of ocean racing sailors, the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 one design has a huge amount of potential


yards as if spilling off a production line, one of the latest projects to go public is at the other end of the scale, the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 One Design which is expected to hit the water later this season. This new offshore 30-footer attracted


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plenty of attention when it was announced at the end of last year. This has been a project that has been bubbling away in the background for a while having been initiated by three international parties, the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL), the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Storm Trysail Club (STC) who put out a tender for a design to promote offshore sailing by making it more accessible and affordable for the younger generation. The competition to create this new 30-


footer was won by the combined proposal from designers VPLP and builders


he growth of the shorthanded racing scene continues and while grand prix custom carbon creations at the top end of the sport seem to be emerging from


Multiplast, both of whom have a great deal of expertise in this field; VPLP for their offshore designs and Multiplast for their abilities in the conception and development of offshore racing boats. The one-design aspect of this boat


lies at its heart and as such requires the ability and resources of a production builder, which is where Jeanneau joined the party. But, given the French production builder’s ongoing success with its Sun Fast range, to say nothing of the recent impact on the racing scene of the Sun Fast 3300, you may wonder why they felt the need for yet another 30-footer in an increasingly crowded market. The answer was simple. ‘This is a one-design offshore keelboat, designed to keep the cost of competing down and avoid the pressures and expense of optimisation that are frequently incurred in the handicap racing world,’ says Nigel Colley of Sea Ventures


(UK) Ltd, Jeanneau’ s UK agent. Colley and Sea Ventures have played a big part in the development of the shorthanded scene in northern Europe and are keen to see the growth continue. ‘While there has been plenty of focus on


‘Built using recyclable resin, it’s a major breakthrough for the boatbuilding industry’


the Sun Fast 30OD as a shorthanded boat, it will also be suitable for a crew of four or five, but the first consideration was to create a raceboat for younger people. Fromthere, the second key objective was to create a programme of events for fleets which was why the three clubs were so important. ‘Cost is clearly one of the issues, but not just for the sailors. To get fleets established the 30OD has to be affordable and we are


already seeing signs that this is being achieved. It is early days and we are expecting some big announcements to come soon, but there some very interesting and exciting projects developing behind the scenes which look set to provide great access to racing fleets for both youth and


SEAHORSE 71


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