New Class 40s

The latest from Owen Clarke Design

Emerging like spring shoots from a long winter, the latest Owen Clarke Design Class 40 to launch finally reached her home port of Hamburg at the weekend. After shake down sea trials and undergoing the official Class 40 measurement tests in the UK last Wednesday, the owner finally got to sail his new stead home to Germany.

This current development of the existing crop of OCD Class 40 designs was built by Composite Creations in Totnes (builders of Alex Bennett's Fujifilm and the US-based Dragon) and differs from earlier builds from this yard with a better appointed interior incorporating, three single and one double berth, heating and refrigeration systems giving this racer the dual role capability that her owner desired. It's not just about the racing with this boat as the requirement for family use was also a big driver behind the concept. On deck however this Class 40 remains true to her roots with a tailored deck hardware package and layout to meet the demands of both inshore crewed and offshore shorthanded racing.

On her first sailing trials lead designer Allen Clarke along with John Brinkers of North Sails were in attendance, however with winds of less than 8 knots and strong tides off Dartmouth a drift down towards Brixham was the order of the day. Even days like this are useful as at least all the sails got to be hoisted and set and checked for fit. With a few adjustments made 'Red' was delivered to Hamble the following week to complete her commissioning, measurement and preparation for her longer trip home.

After the home delivery the owner reports: "We have now sailed almost 800 miles with the boat and are extremely excited about its potential. She's a huge step forward for us, after years of competitive IMS-racing. Finally a boat, which is meant for what we all like most: fast sailing on the open sea, medium to long distances, performance without any compromise. We love the balanced design and great all-round performance - upwind, light air, breezy downwind - and are looking forward to the first races: the Skagerrak two-star - a 300 miles sprint between Norway, Denmark and Sweden in June - and then the Fastnet and Class 40 world championship in August.

"A big thank you to Miranda Merron, Alex Sizer and Andy Tourell, whose advice, workmanship and input were critical to make this a successful project. Special thanks are deserved for Allen Clarke and his constant willingness to listen and consult during the building and testing process."

New Class 40 for Peter Harding

Meanwhile Jaz Marine in Cape Town has begun fitting out the hull of Peter Harding's new Owen Clarke Design Class 40. This is Peter's second boat from the same design/build partnership that produced his 2008 Class 40 World Champion, 40 Degrees, which is now racing in the United States under the name Cutlass 40.

The as yet unnamed project is being looked after by 40 Degrees' project manager Alex Sizer, who will be overseeing the fit out in South Africa.

Once finished and with keel attached the completed boat and her Southern Spars rig will be shipped to the UK in July. On arrival she will be measured, after which her sails from North UK will be bent on, prior to sailing trials and as much race preparation as is possible in the time available. The target is to be ready in time for the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Mondial Class 40 Worlds, the latter also being held in the UK this year, and staged out of Hamble, near Southampton, later in August. Joining Peter, Miranda Merron and Alex as part of the crew will be Quebec St Malo race winner Halvard Mabire, who has been providing advice on the project, especially in the area of deck layout and sail wardrobe for the boat.

The hull that has been developed is the result of collaboration between Owen Clarke Design and Americas Cup/Team New Zealand designer Clay Oliver, who also recently worked together on the Ecover 3/Aviva IMOCA Open 60 campaigns. It is the second boat of this latest generation of Class 40s to be under construction and as part of the design process a complete review of the rig, composite engineering and foil packages was undertaken for the first time in the 40ft class, by a design team with technology and methodology reminiscent of that incorporated by Owen Clarke into their Open 60s.

In naval architecture terms the two Class 40s currently under construction, although built by different yards, are identical. However, at the same time it has also been possible to semi-customise the boats in a way that reflects the past experience, preferences and race programmes of the two teams. Above the line of the sheer and in the choice of their sail plan these South African and British built boats will look quite different when they meet in the Solent prior to the start of the 2009 Fastnet.

In addition to the fully crewed events, Peter Harding and Miranda Merron will be racing double-handed in two races. The annual Class 40, 1000 Milles, is a thousand mile race sponsored by Brittany Ferries and sailed out of St Malo. This is followed by the boat's main target event for the year, the first running of the Class 40's very own transatlantic race, La Solidaire du Chocolat, from Nantes/St Nazaire to the Yucatan, Mexico.

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