Pogo at the limit

In the Artemis Transat ocean racing legend Halvard Mabire is racing Structures newest version of their original Class 40

Possibly the newest boat to be competing in the Artemis Transat is Custo Pol, sailed by offshore racing legend Halvard Mabire, a veteran of Whitbreads and of both the French shorthanded offshore monohull and multihull circuits.

Mabire last entered this race in the 60ft catamaran Gerard Henon in 1988, when he remembers proudly he overtook Florence Arthaud (who two years later would win the Route du Rhum) to take seventh place the night before they arrived. (In that race the current race leader of the Artemis Transat, Loick Peyron finished third in his foiler tri Lada Poch II).

The French chantier, Structures, is well known in the Mini class as the builder of one of the most popular 'series' initially the Pogo 1 and then the Finot-Conq designed Pogo 2. However in subsequently launching the larger Pogo 40 they were instrumental in establishing the genre of the box rule that would subsequently create the Class 40.

The Pogo 40 has had a good run. Phil Sharp sailed an example to first place in the 2006 Route du Rhum. However on the racing circuit this design has since become superceded by either custom builds (such as Giovanni Soldini's Verdier design race leader) or more up to date production boats such as the Lombard-design Akilaria 40 (examples in the Artemis Transat being Bernard Herrmann's Beluga Racer and Thierry Bouchard's Mistral Loisirs, the second and third placed boats at present).

As a result Structures have come up with the Pogo 40S, Mabire's Custo Pol being the first example.

The boat is very very new. Launched just three week before the start of the Artemis Transat it barely allowed Mabire enough time to complete his 1000 mile qualifier.

However the boat is potentially special, particularly as in the highly stripped out form Mabire is sailing it, they have managed to make the boat 500kg lighter than the original model. The weight saving have been principally made by upgrading from a solid GRP construction to foam and vinylester resin and as a result they have managed to get the new boat close to the limits allowed by the Class40 rule.



"We are 31kg above minimum displacement and when it comes to righting moment we are very very close to the maximum limit allowed," Mabire told thedailysail. "The shape of the hull and foils is the same. The deck layout is the same because it is the same mould."

To improve the stability they have obviously removed the weight but they have had to increase bulb size. However Structures came up with a simple way of doing this. "The bulb is the cruising Pogo bulb, because the cruising Pogo has less draft and needs a bigger bulb. It is not so optimised but it is here," says Mabire. Structures may upgrade the bulb, as well as the hull and deck moulds in due course.

At present Custo Pol is owned by Structures and Mabire is uncertain of her future after the Artemis Transat. It is likely that he will sail her in the class' Marblehead to Halifax race on 8 June, but beyond this he is uncertain. It is likely that Structures will have sold the boat by then.

As to the Class 40 after years in the most of the top offshore racing class, Mabire, 52, is excited by it. "It is a very very interesting class. It is one of the only classes which is realistic in terms of budget, because firstly there is the sizse of the boat and it is one of the few racing boats that can have a second life. You have a nice coachroof and you can fit it out with nice accommodation and you have a perfect cruising boat."