Mid-size melting pot
Every few years there is a rush to refresh the available boats in the 30-35ft IRC size range. The latest freshening-up process is more dramatic than usual – boosted by some interesting new faces joining the top table… Fred Augendre
If there is a buoyant market on the other side of the Channel, it is that of the smaller IRC boats (around 33ft), boosted by the growing interest in shorthanded races that is developing in the wake of the Tran- squadra, a solo and double-handed transat- lantic race reserved for amateurs over 40. It is from these niche foundations that a
shipyard like JPK has developed, with its JPK 960 and JPK 1010, and that a commer- cial giant like Jeanneau re-entered the racing market with the launch of its successful Sun
48 SEAHORSE
Fast 3200 (which also marked the return to the racecourse of designer Daniel Andrieu, who both drew the 3200 and campaigns his own example with great success). Now that sector is on the boil again
with new designs either recently launched or well-advanced. Jean Pierre Kelbert has started the construction of a JPK 1030, the young Spanish shipyard Mestral Marine Works is launching a 33ft Michele Molino design (issue 451), while the unusual Marc Lombard-designed Ofcet 32, first launched in autumn 2016, is now benefit- ing from a process of steady optimisation, the first fruits of which were seen with an overall win in May in the ArMen Race, a 320nm ‘mid-shore’ race starting and fin- ishing in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Among recent improvements to the boat,
the Ofcet 32 has been lightened by between 150 and 200kg depending on the boat (five Ofcets are currently competing in IRC), with further detail improvements in deck systems and rig as well as to the appendages, with
draught reduced by 8cm. For several of the boats lead has also been taken out of the gallery in the aft part of the keel allowing the longitudinal trim of the hull to move for- ward and reduce stern immersion for better performance in light air. In the same process the upwind sail area
of the Ofcet has increased by 2.7m2 (almost five per cent). As Yann Dubé, director of the La Rochelle shipyard, explains, ‘The boat’s characteristics and specifications are actually now closer to what Marc’s [Lombard] office originally intended, but which had been changed by some of the teams during the first season!’ Very radical in its design, with a wide
waterline, bulky forward sections, a blunt nose, near-vertical freeboards and a distinct turn of bilge, the Ofcet 32 immedi- ately showed strong performance in the breeze, particularly off the wind, but was not as good upwind – especially below 15kt of wind. With considerable form stability, high ballast ratio and a modest
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