Class 40 in the US

Designers, builders, sailors, importers and other interested parties got together at the Class 40 symposium in Newport

The weekend long Class 40 Open Offshore Sailing seminar held in Newport Rhode Island has been hailed a great success by all parties involved. More than 20 sailors attended the shore-based seminar and discussions on Saturday. The seminar was chaired by Mike Hennessey, the North American representative on the Class 40 Association executive.

Speakers included Brian Hancock, who presented an excellent audio-visual presentation on the Portimao Global Ocean race. Designer Merfyn Owen discussed the rules and development of the class from the first two production boats in 2005, to the next Class 40 to be launched - class number 90, an Owen-Clarke custom design launching in July. This was followed by Rodger Martin who presented a case study of Gwahir, the first North American designed and built Class 40. To cap the overview of the boats sailing in the US, Brian Harris introduced the audience to the production Class 40, the Akilaria and how it is imported and supported in the United States.

The most interesting sessions of the afternoon were delivered by Mike Hennessey (semi-custom Owen-Clarke design Dragon) and Mike Dreese (owner of the Akilaria production 40 Toothface). Mike Hennessy talked through the process he had gone through when choosing designers, builders and suppliers for his boat and offered advice to the prospective owners of how to manage the purchase of their own customised design. Meanwhile Mike Dreese entertained and informed the audience with his experiences of owning and racing his Akilaria compared to the Farr 40 he owns as part of a syndicate. Toothface will be racing the Bermuda 1-2 and Marblehead Halifax race before heading over to Europe to be one of two American competitors in the Solidaire du Chocolat transatlantic race from France to Mexico.

In the evening Alex Mehran, co-owner of the Owen-Clarke designed Cutlass and his girlfriend Maggie welcomed everyone to a cook out at their Newport home where the discussions of the day extended well into the night.

The next morning 15 of the group from the previous day stepped onboard Cutlass, Dragon and Toothface and set out into the Bay beating offshore and then returning under spinnaker in the mid-afternoon. Local marine photographer Billy Black took the trouble to come out on a Sunday morning to photograph the sight of three of North America’s twelve Class 40s beating out of Newport harbour and running under spinnaker together.

Four Class 40s are taking part in the Bermuda 1-2. Unfortunately a fifth, Bolands Mill with Merfyn Owen onboard as crew for the return, had to withdraw at the last minute because of new work commitments for her owner John Ryan. Six Class 40s are expected for the fully crewed Marblehead-Halifax Race, which is great news for the class in North America as it continues to grow at a rapid rate. Last month Class 40 was given provisional ISAF status which recognises its international nature with 51% of the boats now registered outside France. The next seminars/meetings to promote the class in North America are likely to be head around the Great Lakes and the Pacific coast.