The Class40 is a dynamic offshore racing association. An international class, with many sailboats and talented skippers.
The Class40 association brings together skippers of Class40 boats as well as those involved in the development of these sailboats.
The Class40 is a monohull, offshore sailboat. These sailboats have a program of cruising and offshore races. Their length is regulated at 40 feet (12.18 m). This increasingly active class is enjoying growing success among skippers, sponsors, and the public.
Races are becoming more numerous and international, with the most famous being the Grand Prix Guyader, the Route du Rhum, the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Normandy Channel Race, Rolex Fastnet, and more.
Professional and amateur skippers
The goal of the Class40 is to bring together experienced amateur sailors and professional skippers around a program of coastal and offshore races. The appeal of this class lies in the fact that it allows sailing with a budget lower than that of the IMOCA class, thanks to its simplicity and the rigor of its measurement rule.
Before its creation in 2004, architects, sailors, and boatyard managers had already been thinking for several years about a 40-foot boat dedicated to offshore racing. The spirit was: half Mini series, half 60-foot ocean racer.
In 2004, journalist-skipper Patrice Carpentier developed the Class40 measurement rule. He was joined by skipper Michel Mirabel, Christian Bouroullec, head of the Structures boatyard, and Pascal Jamet, CEO of Volvo and sailing enthusiast. Together, they created the “Class40” association.
A Class40 gaining momentum
At the 2005 Paris Boat Show, the Class40 measurement rule and the main features of this new offshore racing series were officially unveiled, along with a sporting program culminating in the 2006 Route du Rhum. The success was immediate with the launch of the Pogo 40, Jumbo 40, and then Akilaria, as well as prototypes. Renowned skippers adopted these 40-foot sailboats, either as a stepping stone before moving on to the IMOCA class, like Maxime Sorel, or as an end goal. Others made a winning stopover, like Yoann Richomme, while some built their entire careers in this class.
Undeniably well-born and now firmly established in the world of offshore racing, the Class40 has won its first bet. Now, it must find the right balance between performance and accessibility; between “pro” budgets and more modest ones; between extreme offshore races and “grand prix” events open to all…
The Class40 continues to evolve. It is up to the class to make the right tactical choices, those that allow sailors to fulfill their dreams, quite simply.