After a period of strong growth, the Class40, which made its 2025 debut with the Spi Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest last weekend, is now back at cruising speed, while at the same time succeeding in renewing itself. With a brand-new race in the Mediterranean, an ever-expanding round-the-world race, architectural innovations and an ever-increasing number of competitors, the formula continues to attract.
At the beginning of the winter, a small wind of anxiety blew over Class40. Offers of boats for sale or charter were piling up, there were sponsor withdrawals, while the Pogo Structures shipyard announced it was ceasing its activity in the class. After the construction boom following the arrival of the scows from 2019 – 50 boats launched in four years, 21 in 2023 alone – would inflation and the unfavorable economic climate put a serious halt to the growth of this class, previously praised for its affordability and the reliability of its investment?
As the weeks went by, the market gradually regained color, reassuring the various players in the class, which celebrated its twentieth last year. “There was a bubble, things froze up a bit afterwards, but the market is in the process of naturally rectifying the course of things. The price of scows will drop a little and everything will become more affordable again,” reassures Cédric de Kervenoaël, President of Class40. Our aim is to guarantee our attractiveness, and to always work in the same direction: cost control and cost control!”
A sign of the continuing interest in the sport, a number of skippers who have excelled on other circuits are arriving this year, starting with Spain’s Pep Costa, chosen by his new sponsor, Groupe VSF, to lead Ambrogio Beccaria’s former Musa 40, winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 and The Transat CIC 2024. The 26-year-old Spaniard, who started in Figaro racing, has teamed up for the season with the ultra-experienced Pablo Santurde del Arco (see his portrait) and carried out an extensive refit this winter to optimize the boat, which just finished fifth in the Spi Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest. “Ambrogio was on board, and the feedback is really good: we’re right where we wanted to be in terms of helm feel,” enthuses her architect, Gianluca Guelfi.
Musa has the wind in its sails
The Italian can smile, as the V2 of his Musa 40 continues to be the most ordered boat at present. Two new boats have just been launched, for Benoît Sineau and the Italian Luca Rosetti, winner of the La Boulangère Mini Transat 2023 series and who has “now a budget to match his ambitions” thanks to a new partner, Maccaferri. A third is planned for this summer for Robin Follin, already familiar with Class40 – as co-skipper of Jules Bonnier in particular – and also accompanied by a new entrant partner to the class, Solano.
“We made the choice not to build a new hull, and I think it was the right one,” continues Gianluca Guelfi. We were able to concentrate on precision developments, which is time-consuming and costly, but necessary. After the revolution following the arrival of the first Raison design [Crédit Mutuel in 2019], we reached the limit of powerful hulls. The differences between the boats are less significant, we can see that good ideas are being taken up, they’re converging and the difference is going to be in the details.”
Lombard Yacht Design has made a different choice, launching a V3 of its Lift, whose hull and deck have been built in new molds, explained in Tip & Shaft Corentin Douguet, who launched the first model this winter – a second is currently under construction. In any case, he didn’t miss a beat, taking first place in the Spi Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest. “We know he’s going one of the top skippers this year with his co-skipper Axel Tréhin, but we also saw that there was a match to be made and that the differential isn’t decisive,” says Daniel Souben, trainer at the Orlabay center in La Trinité-sur-Mer.
He adds: “It’s a good thing that things are calming down on the new boats front, because what really counts now is training. We can see, for example, that the Mach 5 [designed by Sam Manuard] is still a top performer, never the fastest but always fast, with Guillaume Pirouelle in particular being a top skipper. Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé know their Lift V2 by heart and remain a benchmark, as does Fabien Delahaye. In La Trinité, we also have a good small group, with Guillaume L’Hostis and Quentin Le Nabour, who is making good progress on his Mach 6, as well as Alexandre Le Gallais and Michel Desjoyeaux, who are waiting for their new boat.”
The challenge of diversification
The new boat in question is none other than L’Agité40, designed by the two-time Vendée Globe winner and built by his Mer Agitée yard, and due to be launched after the CIC Normandy Channel Race and make her racing debut in June at Les Sables-Horta. “I’m really happy to be joining this class, there’s a great group of people, the boats are nice, and we’re more into a logic of efficiency and simplicity, which speaks to me,” explains Michel Desjoyeaux. As I had no experience in Class40, I mainly looked at the rules and the things the others weren’t doing. I hope we’ll be able to show some good stuff and that the order book will fill up quickly. In any case, the class program is very appealing.”
Class40 has indeed sought to expand its range of races, particularly in the Mediterranean basin, with the launch of the CIC Med Channel Race, the first edition of which starts this Sunday, April 27, from Marseille. Copied on the model – and success – of the CIC Normandy Channel Race, which has already announced a new participation record this year with 34 entries, the 1,000-mile double-handed race brings together 12 Class40s. Including Ian Lipinski’s first Crédit Mutuel, David Raison design launched in 2019, for which the skipper, who has had a new Max 40 since last year – still designed by David Raison – has still not found a buyer.
He will be teamed up with Alberto Bona, who has sold his Mach 5 to former Mini sailor Sasha Lanièce, who has launched a 100% women’s offshore racing team, Les Déferlantes, and is accompanied by a new sponsor, Alderan. Ian Lipinski will then return to his second Crédit Mutuel to compete in the CIC Normandy Channel Race, before embarking on the second edition of the Globe40, a double-handed round-the-world race in six legs, starting in September.
The Globe 40 goes stronger,
what about Route du Rhum?
With 15 crews pre-registered, including the scow Belgium Ocean Racing, skippered by Jonas Gerckens, its organizer Manfred Ramspacher, also head of the CIC Med Channel Race and Normandy Channel Race, is delighted: “Today, despite the difficult economic climate, we’re able to offer a very varied range of events, because Class40 attracts skippers and sponsors. The fleet is powerful enough to be divided into complementary programs, depending on the profile of the sailors and sponsors. The rise to prominence is impressive.”
An observation shared by Vanessa Boulaire, Class40 director: “We’re back to a mix of professionals and amateurs, it is in fact the historic DNA of the class, with more controlled and rational budgets. There are also a lot of foreign crews arriving, and a lot of women too, so this diversity is good.” On the women’s side, in addition to Sasha Lanièce, Aïna Bauza and Axelle Pillain will be competing this season, selected by the Transat Café L’Or organization as part of Cap pour Elles program and will be sailing on the 175, Matthieu Perraut’s ex-Max 40, Ireland’s Pamela Lee charters Xavier Macaire’s ex-Pogo S4, Belgium’s Djemila Tassin will race on Jules Bonnier’s ex-Mach 3, and Sophie Faguet will be Nicolas Jossier’s co-skipper on a Mach 5.
The only concern is the number of places reserved for Class40s in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, a key event in the class’ appeal. “The organizer (OC Sport Pen Duick) has announced 40 places for us, compared with 55 for the last edition, and above all, we’re the only class to suffer such a reduction, even though we have 80 boats racing regularly,” Cédric de Kervenoaël is annoyed. Discussions are still ongoing.” To bolster its case, Class40 has also announced the launch of a study into its media impact, to “show how much our boats are appreciated by the general public and embody the spirit of the Route du Rhum: one boat, one sailor, one ocean”, adds Kervenoaël.
Photo : Jean-Marie Liot
