Well sorted older boats like this Sun Fast 3200 are still competitive, offering an affordable way into the doublehanded offshore circuit – which has grown rapidly in recent years
boats in the sub-40ft racing scene has been based largely around the Jeanneau range and the recent Farr X2, Colley is quick to acknowledge that boats from other manufacturers such as JPK and J Boats are viable options. As a competitor himself he is perfectly
placed to understand how other designs and marques compare on the racecourse. And with Sea Ventures’ race brokerage business they are fully up to speed with the commercial comparisons too. ‘It’s always been the case that some
boats will be better-suited to various extremes of different rules and while this
Many boats built in the last decade lend themselves well to modern sail wardrobes
is a consideration for some of our owners who have a specific series or event in mind, the majority of our customers will be looking for versatility. Currently there’s a fair bit of discussion and indeed competition between various rules, IRC and ORC in particular and no one wants to be caught out with a boat that is a one- trick pony. So, versatility is the key both in the rules that boats can be competitive under and the ability to sail shorthanded or fully crewed, inshore and offshore. ‘On that subject, the definition of fully
crewed has been changing gradually too over recent seasons. Today it’s far more
common than it has been in previous seasons for a 30-footer to be sailed with just four and we see that trend moving across into bigger boats too. ‘It’s understandable that the big boats
get the glory, after all they’re the ones that frequently take line honours. But if you look at the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s results over the last couple of years as examples, the winners on handicap are frequently much smaller boats,’ he says. ‘In fact, it’s not uncommon to find double handers at the top of the results on corrected time. As we know, this is also an area that has seen huge growth in recent years. But there are some simple facts that tend to get lost in the noise and excitement of the bright lights. ‘Modern yacht design has played a big
part in making this possible, but so too has sailplan development. Soft sails are increasingly being replaced by furling sails on cables, code zeros and the likes which is not only a step up in performance in many cases, but makes sail handling much easier. ‘And this all has a part to play when it
comes to looking for a second-hand boat. The good news right now is that the recent decade of design trends has produced boats that lend themselves well to modern sail wardrobes. Couple that with a UK and European used market that has plenty of choice and the route through to competitive inshore and offshore racing in affordable, well-mannered, exciting boats has never been more accessible.’
www.sea-ventures.co.uk
SEAHORSE 73
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