Class40, the most attractive class in ocean racing

Ian Lipinski's Class40 Crédit Mutuel © Chloé Torterat

On the majority of offshore races, the Class40 is still the one that brings together the most participants?! The proof is in the Route du Rhum 2018! However, on this Transat Jacques Vabre 2019, it will be dethroned in terms of the number of participants by the IMOCA class. This "accessible" class attracts many professionals, but also pro-am.

Chloé Torterat Published on October 2, 2019

The Class40 was born in 2004, with the ambition to make ocean racing more accessible. These monohulls of 12.19 m maximum are at the border between a Mini 6.50 and the big IMOCA boats of more than 18 m. At ease in cruising as in racing, they are designed for the high seas and on a human scale.

An attractive class

What makes this class attractive is a gauge that is both simple and rigorous. Indeed, technological evolutions are tolerated, but constrained for financial reasons. This is the reason why we find within the Class40 experienced professionals and enlightened amateurs. The first ones dream of great sailing careers and invest in state-of-the-art boats, which they take the time to develop and optimize in order to climb the steps of the podium, while the others wish to realize their offshore dreams, and manage to do so with more financially accessible boats.

In 2006, barely ten months after the creation of the rule, 25 solo sailors took the start of the Route du Rhum. In 2018, it is the most represented class in the fleet with 53 participants (out of 57 pre-registered). Such a great response that the class had to propose a new selection method for the Route du Rhum 2022 .

Men and women, French and international sailors mix in Class40, which is the result of the mix.

More than 160 boats in the class

More than 160 yachts have left the shipyards, born from the hands of more than 20 international architects. It is in terms of hull shapes that the boats stand out the most, especially in recent years with rounder bows (like Carac, its "sistership" Veedol-AIC or Ian Lipinski's latest Crédit Mutuel).

It is the "box-rule" system that determines the characteristics of the Class40. Thus, the length cannot exceed 12.19 meters, the width 4.50 meters, the draft 3.00 meters, the weight 4,500 kg and the upwind sail area 115 m2.

A dedicated circuit that includes the biggest offshore races

Class40 has a dense racing calendar with dedicated races - such as the Atlantic Challenge or the 40 Malouine SACIB, launched in 2019, but also all the major French or foreign transoceanic races, such as the Route du Rhum or the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Two world tours dedicated to these boats have been proposed to the class, The Race Around and the Globe 40 .