A SAILJET 40 GOING FAST ON THE ARC!!!!!!!!!

Yes, a sailjet is the boat above and now you understand my surprise that probably will be yours too. And they say that they would continue cruising on the Pacific! Have a look at the ARC: http://yb.tl/arc2014plus#

The Sailejet is a kind of radical MacGregor, a very expensive one built with top materials and top quality.

The boat is very interesting, very light, with 4.5/5.0T of displacement, with carbon masts and rudder. It is a ballasted centerboarder  (only 500kg) and all the other ballast (if any ) is on the boat interior. It cannot be much since this is not a carbon boat but an epoxy one, it has a good cruising interior and the light weight gives no room for any significant ballast. They say that "the water and fuel tanks as well the batteries play an active role in stabilizing the yacht minimizing the need for passive dead weight", but in that it is not different than a well designed sailboat. The boat is narrow (3.49m) and does not have a big hull form stability. I would like to have a look at the stability curve but it cannot be a good one in what regards reserve stability or AVS, a rather poor one I would say, not one that would recommend the use of the boat on offshore conditions.

It motors fast and it sails very well downwind and given the type of boat, surprisingly well upwind. The ones that tested the boat were positively surprised with the sail performance, specially downwind and that would explain the amazing performance on the ARC : they are ahead of several cats (Broadblue 42, Helia 44), going at the same pace of a Fountain Pajot 40 (Cat), an Allures 45, an OVNI 395, an Halberg Rassy 43, well ahead of a Swan 47. Great sailing performance, but I am afraid that is not all that matters for crossing Oceans.

 I am not particularly fearful but I have to say I would not cross the Atlantic on that boat and it seems to me a crazy idea to do so, much more crazy going crossing on the Pacific with it, not to mention coming back. If they succeed they would not prove that the boat has offshore potential, but only that they had luck and did not encounter the conditions that could endanger that boat...and they are not that hard to find on an Ocean.

GRAND SOLEIL 46LC MOVIE

I have already talked about the new Grand Soleil 46 LC, that stands for long cruising, the first of a new line of boats. They will maintain the previous line, the GS, a more sportive one where they have a 46.
 http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2014/04/grand-soleil-46-lc.html

The GS line offers fast performance cruisers with great cruising interiors and certainly the 47 is a long range cruising boat but I understand Grand Soleil: They are on the business of selling boats and they have not sold many on the last years and they know that main market cruisers sell more than more expensive performance cruisers and that wives are normally determinant in what regards choosing a boat and wives look at boat interiors and care for little else. So this boat is about that, a bigger nicer interior and that means a beamier boat with a higher freeboard and probably a less expensive boat. For what I can see on the new movie the interior seems great and certainly will seduce a lot of wives ;-) being also a great interior for extensive living aboard with all comfort... and the new Grand Soleil will sail better than a Bavaria or a Beneteau, so, it can be the right choice regarding the family point of view.

But will sail worse than a Grand Soleil GS 47 and the 47 has already a great cruising interior even if slightly smaller than the one from the LC 46 that looks a bit nicer too. But if the interior of 46 seems nicer, on the outside it is the opposite, the 46 bigger freeboard makes it uglier . I would certainly try to convince my wive regarding having a 47 over the 46...but then there is the "small " question regarding price. Does anybody knows the price of the new LC46?

DEHLER 46 FIRST TEST

By Yacht.de and as usual they have made a nice movie:
http://www.yacht.de/yacht_tv/test_technik/dehlers-neues-topmodell-im-test/a93889.html

The boats looks fast...but all that black on the interior seems to take a lot of light away and the interior seems too dark. Another point that leaves me with some doubts regards the bow buoyancy, certainly adequate for a racer but one that will make this one a wet cruiser. Look at the movie at minute 2.24: There are almost no waves but the boat seems to dig quite easily the bow in the waves and the water goes over the deck even on settled conditions. Of course I can be wrong ;-)

Some time ago I have compared the Dehler 46 with the Azuree 46:
http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2014/10/dehler-46-azuree-46.html
Maybe after having looked at the Dehler it's interesting to look at the Azuree 46 again:

Compared with the Azuree 46 the Dehler looks a lot more....traditional? I don't know if the therm is the most appropriate, maybe more classic? Certainly the interior looks to have quality but the one from the Azuree looks a lot brighter. I have already been inside an Azuree 46 and I liked a lot the interior. I will reserve my opinion about the Dehler till I have the opportunity of seeing it at Dusseldorf.

360º PANORAMIC INTERIOR SAILBOAT VIEWS

Short of a visit to a boat there is no better way for having an idea of a boat's interior than a 360º panoramic view. Some boats have them on their sites, others don't. I will post here the links to some sites that have plenty of them. May come useful and besides some really have great interiors, like for instance the Fountain Pajot Helia 44 and it is a pleasure to look at them :-)

On the site of visual boat you have the 360º views of:

Corsair; Oceanis 38; Optio 9; J122; Dufour 310GL; Dehler 38; RM 890; Astus 24; Tricat 25 evolution. 

Here: http://www.visualboat.fr/nautic-2013/

Amel 55 (2013); BlackPepper Code 1; Flyng Phantom; Huzar H28; Revolution 22; Lipari 41 evloution; CNB 60; Weta 4.4; 

Here: http://www.visualboat.fr/nautic-2013/page/2/

Bavaria Vision 46; Alphena one; Sun Odyssey 469; Tiwal; Hanse 345; Hanse 575; Dufour 500GL; Lagoon 39; Sense 46; Oceanis 55; FP Helia 44; 

Here: http://www.visualboat.fr/nautic-2012/

Sanya 57; Victoria 67; Amel 64; Triaskell; Elan 210; Arwen Marine; Bavaria Cruiser 36; Amel 54;

Tofinou 12.

Here: http://www.visualboat.fr/voilier/

On the YachtingMonthly magazine site:

Catalina 455; Nordship 430DS; Bavaria 46 vision; Allures 45; Amel 55; Elan 444; Dehler 35SQ, Hanse 345; Malo 37; Sundbeam 36.1.

Here: 

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/archive/new-boats-from-the-2012-psp-southampton-boat-show/

Bavaria 40; Bavaria 45; First 30; Sense 50; Contest 50CS; Delher 45; Delphia 40.3; Delphia 47; Dufour 373; Elan 350; Hanse 455; Sun Odyssey 409; Lagoon 450; Salona 41; Sirius 31DS; Swedestar 370; XC 38.

Here:

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/virtual-tours/new-boats-at-southampton-2010/

OLD RACERS, NEW RACERS - VIDEO

Classic beauty: Looking at the 8 meters class we understand why the British call "she" to a sailingboat. Lovely ladies these ones and Sphinx made the news sailing over 2000nm to the next race (Finland to France) instead of doing it on the truck as the rest of the fleet:

And the new racers that look more a "he" than a "she, with their huge power and massive muscular shapes, on a very good edition of Destopnews including the Inport VOR race on Cape Town and the victories on the Route du Rhum on the 50multi class and IMOCA class (open60).

As a Bonus, the last edition of SVN: nice boats, you can read online: http://svn.uberflip.com/i/388903/30

GREAT JPK 1080 VIDEO!!!

Just some days after that post about the JPK 1080 interior Yacht.de posted a video with them test sailing the boat. The video is great but Michael Good, the test sailor, has to improve his solo sailing skills LOL. The video:

http://www.yacht.de/yacht_tv/test_technik/racer-fuer-lange-schlaege-jpk-1080/a94009.html
I Really like the boat, from the way it sails to the interior.

POINTER 25 VERSUS WINNER 8 VERSUS MAXUS 26

Pointer 25

Small interesting boats seem to come recently from Holland and Poland. The ones from Poland are mostly centerboarders with limited final stability, the ones from Holland are mostly keeled boats with a much bigger B/D ratio and modern bulbed keels. Let's have a look at the two more recent offers from Holland, one of them, the Pointer 25 (nominated for this year's European boat contest), the other the Winner 8 and one from Poland, the Maxus 26, also a new boat.

Winner 8

Looking at the boats they don't seem that different on the outside but there are significant differences among them. Let's start by looking at the dimensions of the three boats, in m, kg, m2,. First the dimensions of the Pointer, then the ones of the Winner (two versions) and for last the dimensions of the Maxus:

Maxus 26

Length: 7.70; 8.00; 7.62. Beam: 2.50; 2.65; 2.62. Weight: 1500, 2400 or 2300, 2350kg.

Draft: 1.20; 1.00 or 1.50; 0.35/1.43 B/D ratio: 47%; 42% or 39% , 26%; SA upwind: 37, 40 or 45, 35. Engine: SD 9hp, SD 9hp, outboard not included. STD price incl 21% VAT: 59500€, 74500€, 42603€.

Maxus 26

The prices indicate  that in fact the boats are very different:

 Regarding the interior, the Winner has a not very different interior from the Maxus 26 even if the quality of the Winner would be probably superior. Anyway a very nice interior in what the Maxus is concerned. The Pointer has a very basic naked interior although it has also what is needed to cruise, including a true marine wc, even if an open one. A spartan interior that can be suited for some but much less comfortable than the other two.

Winner 8

In what regards sailing it is the opposite, it's the Winner that is close to the Pointer in sail performance, being the one from the Maxus much lower, specially upwind. The Maxus relies on form stability to sail and the 26% of B/D ratio is much lower than on the two other boats and that relative ratio, even if already low, is much lower than what it looks, since it corresponds to a ballast on the bottom of the boat while the other two have most of the ballast weight on a bulb at the end of the keel. That's the main reason why the Maxus is so inexpensive: the hull can be less reinforced as well as the boat structure, that, and the outboard engine.

Pointer 25

Considering the Pointer and the Winner, the first one has a narrower hull and relies more on ballast while the Winner has a lot more form stability and also a considerable B/D ratio. A very stiff boat specially on the version with the bigger draft. Probably the Pointer will be as fun to sail due to the narrower hull, big ballast ratio, small weight and big sail area. A lot of fun for the price ;-)

Pointer 25

So what is the best sailboat? As usually that depends of what we want. If I wanted a boat for all family to sail ( small kids) on a lake, or sheltered waters, to live sometime aboard, to learn how to sail and to move around exploring the shores, the Maxus 26 makes sense. If it was me when I was younger, with kids and all, I would take the Pointer: not expensive, a great sailing performance, fun to sail, more seaworthy...I would trade all that by the extra comfort of the Maxus and I would even consider that difference in price fair.

Maxus 22

 Regarding the Winner, I love the boat, specially the performance version that will cost way more than the basic listed price...but if I was a young man looking for my first boat I would look at something bigger for the the same price. The Standard Bavaria 9.9 Easy costs less 14000 euros than the Basic Winner 8.

Winner 8

The price restricts a lot the ones that will be interested on the Winner 8: A very rich kid looking for his first boat or a middle aged guy that wants a fast boat for having fun on semi sheltered waters and wants to sleep sometimes on the boat. If we take price in consideration the Pointer seems very attractive and with a bigger market. The Maxus too, regarding the ones for whom the interior is the most important feature of a sailboat, and they are many, has a great price for what it offers.

You will know what is the one that best fits your life style...and your budget ;-)

FC3 61 and FC3 53 by Finot/Conq

Two extraordinary one off by the famous pair of Naval Architects, fast performance cruisers having as hull base the ones of Open 60's solo racers.

The bigger one is already being built and the other is already commissioned. The FC3 61 was designed for an owner, a very experienced racing sailor, as a family cruising boat for a couple with a child. The program is long range cruising on a very fast, short handed boat. The boat will have 18.50m, it will be comfortable, with a quality interior but will remain as simple as possible to improve reliability and lower the weight. That explains the choice of a fixed keel.

The dimensions are not given, except the weight, that will be less than 14T but we can also see on the drawings that the boat will have a big draft and a big torpedo bulb. It has the traveler for the main on an arch, but contrary to their design on the Oceanis, it is situated aft on the cockpit, at the end of the boom, maximizing its efficiency.

The yacht will be made of carbon and will have a tailored interior to the owner wishes, with only three cabins and an elevated saloon/galley to allow outside views.

The FC3 53, equally based on Open solo racers seems even more interesting to me, featuring a swing keel (3.75/1.6m) and a big main traveler on the transom. I like more the design of the smaller boat that looks more elegant, particularly on the cabin design.

The FC3 53 was designed for an experienced sailor that wanted:"a fast cruising yacht, comfortable, safe, very easy to handle double-handed, and very stylish, both outside and inside". It will be a carbon made boat, very light (10.5T) with 1T of water ballast on each side, a big tankage, a dinghy garage and a nice interior.

JPK 1080 CRUISING INTERIOR

I have already talked on the blog about this extraordinary boat and its very close competitor, the Sunfast 3600. The two are very fast and very close in what regards performance. The JPK 10.80 won the first leg of the Transquadra but the difference was so minimal that either boat could have won. They are also both very good at crewed regattas and again very close, but the JPK 10.80 is incomparably better in what regards a cruising interior and cruising potential.

Looking at this photo we can see that the JPK 1080 offers a nice and comfortable interior, not properly what we would expect on a racer and one that will allow for family cruising out of the racing time. A true cruiser-racer while the Sunfast 3600 has the minimal interiors of a racer. This make the JPK a more versatile boat...and those two openings that allow a forward view from the interior, besides being useful give it a very distinctive look, a cute one.... I like it a lot ;-)

GARCIA EXPLORATION 45 VERSUS COMET EXPLORER 46

Two boats pointed to the same type of sailors but two very different boats even if sharing a kind of similar look. The Garcia is an aluminium centerboarder with almost all the ballast inside the boat, the Comet is a swing keel boat with all ballast on the keel. Both have a cutter rig.

This gives Garcia an advantage in what regards simplicity and  Comet a clear advantage in what regards performance: For the same RM the Comet will only need a percentage of the ballast that will be needed on the Garcia.

The Garcia is almost integrally built in Aluminium, the Comet is made of vinylester resins, Eglass and kevlar and carbon reinforcements, using an infusion process. The finality is giving max impact and compression resistance on critical areas. The boat has a sacrificial crash box at the bow and another one at the stern. The cabin can have a watertight door. Even with all the kevlar reinforcements in what regards resistance to impact I believe that the aluminium hull will be a better option.

Regarding dimensions (m, kg, m2, L): LOA:  G - 14.21; C - 13.99. LWL: G- 12.57; C - 13.97. Beam: G - 4.44; C - 4.50. Displacement: G - 14 100; C - 11 500. Draft: G - 1.14/2.90; C - 1.60/3.50. Ballast: G - 4300; C - 4800. Sail Area upwind: G - 91.0; C - 85.3 (with Jib) 116 (with Genoa). Engine: G - 55/75hp; C - 75hp. Tankage: G - Water 500; Diesel 700; C - Water 440; Diesel 680.

From the dimensions we can see that to a very close LOA and Beam correspond a bigger  LWL and ballast on the Comet. The max draft is also deeper but the really huge difference regards RM and almost for sure AVS and inverted stability. The Comet has more 500kg of ballast but most of all it has all that ballast on a keel wilt 3.5m, while the Garcia has most of it inside the boat, just a bit below  the water line. The difference of effectiveness of both ballasts is huge as the stability of both boats, not in what concerns overall stability, due to the Garcia bigger weight, but in what concerns the stability/weight ratio.

The Comet will not only be a much more powerful boat in what regards sailing as  it will have a better reserve stability and will recover much quickly from a knock out. The Garcia has the advantage of maintaining intact its stability with the centerboard up and that can be important regarding seaworthiness in extreme weather but probably the Comet with the keel up will have a similar stability to the one of Garcia.

It seems to me that the Garcia is a more specific yacht, pointed to voyages in extreme latitudes while the Comet will also be able to do that (even with a less resistant hull) but will be a more versatile sailboat with a much better sailing performance, a long range cruising boat with a big autonomy and seaworthiness.

 Both boats can be sailed from the interior and have an all around view from the cabin and the rigging is designed to be used by a solo sailor.

The Comet  looked a lot worse on the first low quality drawings. On the new ones the boat looks a lot better and more elegant than the Garcia that,as I have already said, looks fat and too high to me. Not that I find the Comet particularly beautiful even if I like the hull.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE, GREAT VIDEOS WITH +30K WINDS

                                                                                                                          Photo by Charlie Shoemaker/Volvo Ocean Race

Time for a check up on this great race: the First leg had a great final with several boats battling till the finish line: Abu Dabi won the leg over Dongfeng and on the last positions the girls (SCA), with the finish line on sight, overtook Mapfre. On Mapfre that with AbuDabi I had considered the big favorites things did not went well and Desjoyeaux leaved the team.

        Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget

They tried to make everything look like normal but the fact is that nothing went well on the boat, the conflicts were many, the Spanish skipper did not follow the advise of the French navigator (Nico Lunven) and the last drop was near the end where against Luven opinion, Íker, the Spanish skipper, decided to go for the final approach near the coast, instead of a more offshore option, having as result to be overtaken by the girls. Too much for the French sailing star, Desjoyeaux, that is not used to lose, much less to come in last.

http://www.abc.es/vela/noticia/desjoyeaux-se-baja-del-mapfre-por-desacuerdos-con-iker/

Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Things continue not to be well for them: they made again last on the Cape inshore race and even if they made a great start with strong wind, starting the race in first and are among the first now, I don't see them as favorites anymore ...unless Íker starts to listen to the new navigator instead of deciding himself about the best course.

You can follow the race here:
 http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/virtualeye.html
The start of the leg two, the inshore race and a resume of the leg one, all great movies:

NEW SALONA 38PC AND 38PR

Thanks to Anders, that call my attention for it, some images of the new Salona 38PC.  It is designed by Cossutti, the one that designed  the NM 38 and that means a boat that probably will be very competitive in handicap racing (ORCI and IRC). Avery good looking sailboat too!

Regarding cruising that will mean a boat not very different from the actual 38, that by the way was nominated by Sail magazine for boat of the year (like the 35 and 44), but a bit better specially downwind. A boat maximized to sail upwind and with very light winds: my kind of boat ;-)

They will have a performance cruiser version (PC) and a performance racing version (PR) and probably that denomination, like on the Dehler R is a bit misleading since the PR it will be probably just an upgraded epoxy boat with a lead keel, more draft and better specs. Sure they will also make a true racing version for the clients that want to make top racing but then it will be a boat based on the PR with higher specifications, like basalt/carbon bulkheads, carbon spars and even special keels. Anyway, very curious to see the hull dimensions and the B/D ratio, even if I don't expect nothing very different from the actual 38. Two completely different boats, not sharing the same hull with the same basic name: Salona 38. That's quite unusual.

AN ALL SPANISH TEAM WON THE ROUTE DU RHUM

On the class with more boats and where the competition is harder, the 40class, Alex Pella did not only win the race but also beat the record by one day and five hours. The boat was designed by Gonzalo Botin, the brother of Marcelino Botin and built by Longitud Cero. A completely Spanish team, from the sailor to the builder, passing by the designer, beating all the French on the biggest French Transat. That's a hell of an accomplishment and also one that means the French are not alone anymore in what regards top solo sailing and top racing solo boats design. 

Regarding design, several designers have tried including Ker, Owen and Clarke and Rob Humphrey but the  honor of having designed the first 40class racer  that beat the French designed boats on the bigger Transat, is for  Gonzalo Botin.
The name of Botin partners is not very well known out of the racing world but if I name some of their designs I believe that many will recognize the boats because they are winners: Caro, the Knierin 65 performance cruiser that beat all the race boats and won the last ARC, Beau Gest, the 80ft racer, the Grand Soleil 50, the VOR70 Camper and many top TP52 among other great boats. One of the more exciting and best NA teams around.

Alex Pella is a great sailor having taken part in two IMOCA seasons (2009 and 2011) and that, for lack of budget that would allow him a competitive boat, has passed to the 40class. He has been a top contender on the previous Transat, did not win  because he had to stop at La Coruna to repair a rudder  but after that he made an incredible recuperation to the first places, finishing second very near the first (with Pablo Santurde).

42 year old Pella, is at the top of his abilities as a solo racing sailor and it would really be a shame not to see this all Spanish team enter the next Vendee Globe. I really hope that this great victory can contribute for a Spanish national support that allows them to enter the next big solo race with a top boat, a Botin designed one, built in Spain.

Une course parfaite ! Arrivée d'Alex Pella... by routedurhum

GORGEOUS NEW COMET!!!

Unfortunately I don't know anything about it except what we can see on the image, a Yacht of about 60ft (or over) that does not come on the line of any of the actual designs on the different comets series, featuring a more beamier hull with the beam pulled back . We can see also a different winch set up (easy for solo sailing) but most of all, instead of a traveler over the cockpit, one of those direct system, type black magic double swivel airblock for mainsheet on a boom style park avenue. It looks just great and show that something is changing in what regards design orientation on Comar. It looks like a Marc Lombard design, even if there are many that could have designed something similar, all great NAs, since this is a great design. If it is a Mrac Lombard one maybe there is a big swing keel on that hull ;-). I want to know more about this one and most of all if the aging sports series is going to soon be renovated with hulls like this one, with a rigging setup easy for solo sailing (and crewed racing too).

PS: Well, it was quick, I mean receiving information. Yes it is a Marc Lombard design, it is a  62ft yacht and the first one would be probably made in aluminium!!! but it can also be made in resin. Probably that means  Comar works in GRP, Carbon and now Aluminium. If that is the case that is a double surprise :-).

NEO 400

I don't know why I have not posted about this boat already, certainly it is one of the most interesting 40fters around, a Ceccarelli design. I had made a quick reference to it on the old thread but at the time it was only at a building stage. Now it is on the water, winning races and most of all showing an incredible performance in real time and also a huge seaworthiness (on the stormy Middle Sea race). After that race the crew said about the boat and the sea conditions:

"With us was a veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race and he said he never would thought that in the Mediterranean the sea could be like that with eight meters with a breaking and a a that has increased quickly from 20K to 25K and then up to 35K and 40 knots, so constant, relentless. At the end we saw 48 knots, without a break for 200 miles. We sailed between Lampedusa and Malta, for us the worst part, with storm jib and the mainsail with two reefs. 
We were consistently between 16 and 18 knots, with peaks around 22 and beyond. At 22 knots the log was out of water and did not work anymore, so we do not know how much speed we made, but it was really tough. The unusual thing was that the wind never fell, ..40-45 knots for at least 12 consecutive hours, it was really hard...Waves as ever I've ever seen in Mediterranean and we manage to sail the boat in safety without giving up performance. .. the boat behaved very well and we have not broken anything, I noticed a excellent behavior under storm jib. ..... we have outsailed 50 fters and beaten boats like the B2 and a Cookson 50..."

http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2014/10/20114-middle-sea-ra-look-at-comparative.html

They outsailed the J122 that won the race (on compensated) by almost 4 hours, were faster than the fastest racing class40 and left behind a Sydney 43 (+3 hours) and a DK46 (+2 hours), a truly incredible performance that showed that the boat can go as fast as the absurdly high rating it has. It should be said that the J122 was incredibly well sailed and that's why it won on compensated. Those 4 hours difference are a true expression of the difference in speed between the two boats.

As a way of better understanding from where that speed and power comes let's compare it with a J122, a very fast boat and a preferred of mine, as a performance cruiser, a winner of many races (dimensions in kg, m and m2):

LOA: J -12.19; N - 12.15.  LWL: J - 10.55; N - 11.50. Beam: J - 3.63; N - 3.99; Weight: J - 6770; N - 4600. B/D ratio: J -37,4%; N - 52,2%. Draft: J - 2.20; N - 2.60/1.60.SA upwind: J - 80.4  N - 105.0.
Two very different boats. The carbon Neo makes the J look very heavy (it isn't) but the four most remarkable differences are the huge difference in RM, the difference in weight, the difference in LWL and the diference in hull design. No wonder the Neo 400 is so seaworthy, it is incredibly stiff.
The J122 is a stiff boat but the Neo with a lot more beam, a hugely bigger B/D ratio, a considerable bigger draft and a more efficiently designed keel, makes it it look like a tender boat. Also impressive is the difference on the LWL, almost 1 meter on a boat that has about the same LOA. The difference in weight was expected, being the Neo a carbon boat.

Regarding hull design the Neo 400 is very modern, with a lot of beam and all of it pulled back with a transom design that would make easier to control the boat downwind sailing fast. The J 122 has a very different hull, a more dated one, not because it is narrower but because a more modern design would have that transom slightly modified and the beam more brought back, as it is featured on the more modern J111. That and the old designed keel on the J122 makes the boat look outdated when compared with the Neo, even if still able to deliver an impressive performance.The first time I saw The Neo 400 specifications I thought: WOW!!! and when I saw what the boat was capable of doing on that race, I said again... WOW!!! what a boat!!!
They plan a more cruising version and I cannot wait to see it. It does not need to be carbon, a top light epoxy vacuum infused hull will put about more 1000kg on that boat but even with the extra weight it will be a hell of a boat. I can only hope that they can make a cruising interior as good as the one of the new version of the J122. The one of the racing version of the Neo cruiser racer is really...spartan, even if functional. Besidesbeing a hell of a sailboat, the Neo is also a Gorgeous boat: