Yachts & Yachting — February 2018

Antoine Carpentier on V and B – also

established a new 24 hour distance

record sailed in 24 hours: 377.7 nautical

miles (average speed 15.7 knots).

OFFSHORE RACERS

A growing interest in doublehanded

racing means more and more

yachts are being designed with

easy conversion in mind, including

the Sunfast 3200 and 3600.

Built by Sea Ventures (UK) Ltd,

Swanwick, both designs have seen a

surge in doublehanded and solo sailing.

Although mainly centered on the Solent,

with 18 Sun Fast 3600 regularly racing

in the UK, and top results including first,

second and third overall in the RORC

Doublehanded class in 2017, and overall

winner of the SORC (Solo O‘shore

Racing Club) 2017 Series there will, no

doubt, be even more interest this season.

The Sun Fast 3200, now (as of the

2017 season) has a new, optional version

available, which includes an open

cockpit, taller carbon fibre mast, and

an all-lead straight keel. The Jacques

Valer designed JPK 10.10 is enjoying

continued success as a popular IRC racer

and, as we go to press, Jangada, the

British JPK 10.10 has just won IRC 2 and

the Two Handed class, in the 3,000-mile

RORC Transatlantic Race. There has

also been plenty of success elsewhere

for JPK with JPK 10.80 taking overall

wins in the Rolex Middle Sea Race

with the Russian JPK 10.80 Bogatyr,

and UK IRC National Championship

IRC Class 2 with Adam Gosling’s Yes.

This season will also see the launch

of the new model, the JPK 11.80, which

has every possibility of becoming yet

another successful inshore/o‘shore

IRC race boat. Jean Pierre Kelbert

tells Y&Y the JPK 11.80 is scheduled

for an end of January 2018 launch.

FRESH INITIATIVES

The venerable Half Tonner class, which is

built to the IOR half ton rule, is enjoying

an IOR-revival, with events, including

• the Half Ton Classics Cup – taking
  place on a regular basis. Bert Janssen –
  class secretary – commented: “We are

delighted to report that we have been

able to constantly grow the number of

active Half Tonners all across Europe.

Nieuwpoort, Belgium, still counts with

the highest concentration of frequently

racing Half Tonners (15 boats).

Activity in 2017 included the tenth

Half Ton Classics Cup in Kinsale, Ireland,

and the overall IRC racing was won

by Swuzzlebubble, a Farr 1977 design

owned and sailed by Phil Plumtree.

The series boat trophy was won by

X-95 Crakajax, owned by Richard Hollis

and Ursula Bagnall from Cowes.

Janssen says the next Half Ton

Classics Cup will be held in Nieuwpoort,

The new JPK 11.80 has every possibility of

becoming another successful IRC race boat

Above

The Sun Fast 3600

appeals to full

crews, as well as

doublehanders

JEAN-MARIE LIOT

64 Yachts & Yachting February 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

Keelboat classes_AC-GC-hg_th_TH.indd 64 19/12/2017 09:26