Class40s are 40-foot yachts grouped together under a common measurement, the Class40. Find here the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft.
With two new races on the calendar, several new designs in the water and a growing number of contenders to join the circuit, Class40 continues to be buoyed by favourable winds at the start of the 2024 season. Tip & Shaft takes stock.
On 7 March, aboard her Class40 First Light, Cole Brauer (29) became the first American female sailor to complete a non-stop round the world race (130 days), finishing second in the Golden Globe Solo Challenge behind France’s Philippe Delamare. This performance, combined with her enthusiasm, has made her a media phenomenon in the United States. Tip & Shaft spoke to her on Thursday.
At a time when the carbon footprint of composite boats is being called into question, the Greenscow 40, designed by the architect Gildas Plessis, offers an alternative. This Class40 concept, built from birch plywood and also used for a Imoca’s preliminary draft, aims to considerably reduce the environmental impact of the boats, while delivering similar performance? Tip & Shaft tells you more.
After the Ultims and the Ocean Fifty, the Transat Jacques Vabre delivered its podium finish in the Imoca class last weekend and in the Class40 class on Thursday afternoon, with the rvictories of the duos Thomas Ruyant / Morgan Lagravière (For People) and Ambrogio Beccaria / Nicolas Andrieu (Alla Grande Pirelli). Tip & Shaft brought together a number of architects and engineers for a technical analysis of the race.
Since Tuesday and the departure from Le Havre of the Imoca boats, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre has resumed its ‘normal’ course, with matches in all four classes. Tip & Shaft takes a look at each of them (to be followed on our website), accompanied by Pierre-Marie Bourguinat, the editor covering the race for the organisation, the routers Jean-Yves Bernot and Marcel Van Triest for the Ultims, Martin Le Pape for the Imocas, Daniel Souben for the Ocean Fiftys and Bruno Jourdren for the Class40s.
On 29th October, 95 duos – compared with 78 in 2021 – will be lining up at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre. As before every major race, Tip & Shaft has brought together a panel of experts to talk about the line-up. This week, we focus on the Ocean Fifty and Class40 races with Francis Le Goff, the Race Director, Matthieu Souben, the winner of the race two years ago aboard an Ocean Fifty, Eric Péron and Gilles Lamiré, former Ocean Fifty racers, Christophe Gaumont, the Race Director of the CIC Normandy Channel Race, Cédric de Kervenoael, President of Class40, and Laurène Coroller, journalist with Voiles et Voiliers.
In fifteen years Pablo Santurde del Arco has become one of the real heavyweights of Class40. In 32 races he has scored no fewer than 28 podiums, including 17 victories! That is a unique record for a sailor who has always sailed as part of a crew or as a co-skipper in a duo set up. That, now makes him the most sought-after co-skipper on the circuit. Here we profile the ideal co-skipper two weeks ahead of the Transat Jacques Vabre, which he is racing this year with Alberto Bona (IBSA).
They are historic Class40 builders dating back to when they launched the Pogo 40S (a Finot-Conq design) in 2005, the year the class was born. Since then Structures have continued to be a key player in the 40-footer fleet. One year later, at the start of the 2006 Route du Rhum, eleven boats lined up, including the first two finishers, skippered by Phil Sharp and Gildas Morvan.
After the Ultims the Mini 6.50s and the Figaros, Tip & Shaft continues its tour of the key classes by focusing on Class40 which continues to enjoy a great dynamic, with more than ten new boats expected to launch during the coming months.
Barely two months after his very first sail on his new Class40, Ambrogio Beccaria finished second in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Speaking from Colombia, where he is taking a few days off, the Italian skipper of Allagrande Pirelli answered some questions posed by Tip & Shaft.
As in every major event, Tip & Shaft has mustered a panel of experts to analyse field in each class for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe which starts this Sunday November 6. For this second part now looking at the Ultims and Class40s, we have coaches Tanguy Leglatin and Etienne Saïz, designer Vincent Lauriot Prévost, co-founder of VPLP, Gildas Morvan, ex Figarist who was race director this year for the Finistère Atlantique and the 24h Ultim, sailors Achille Nebout and Pascal Bidégorry, as well as Didier Ravon, journalist for Voiles & Voiliers and Liberation.
Five boats are still racing in the Globe40 race which left Tangier at the end of June whilst The Race Around due to go in 2023 has been cancelled. Both races were launched just over three years ago with the ambition of each bringing together at least 15 boats. And so in the end these races around the world in Class40s which seemed at the time to promise so much have not achieved the success which was expected by their respective organizers. Here we look more closely….
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