A softer approach
Simon Rogers and James Day of RYD discuss why the focus has been very much on the detail of their new MkII Class 40 design
The latest production Class 40 design from Rogers Yacht Design was released in November following first and third-place finishes by its predecessor in the Solidaire du Chocolat transatlantic race, the premier event on last season’s Class 40 calendar. These boats were hulls #1 and #3, launched in 2007 from the original production run and were both in the hands of their original owners: Tanguy de Lamotte (sailing with Adrien Hardy on Initiatives–Novedia), and Bruno Jourdren (sailing with Bernard Stamm on Cheminées Poujalat). This came on the back of 2009 wins for Tanguy in the Rolex Fastnet Race and Bruno in the Brittany Ferries 1000 Miles. While we cannot deny that we were fortunate to have such talented sailors on our boats for these races, these results have satisfied us that the original design is a worthy benchmark for future development, having established these successes in fleets that included Giovanni Soldini’s proven 2008 Verdier design, and 2009 designs from all the other leading designers of these boats.
Generation X
Due to the intensity of the Class 40 calendar and the variety of sailing involved – from speed trials to ocean races – there is not the same spate of launchings at the start of each season that you see in, say, the TP52 class. Consequently, it is harder to group boats by ‘generation’. There was also less consensus in the early days of the class as to the correct design direction to follow.
In 2007 the Rogers Class 40 was the first design to make use of the maximum permitted beam of what is essentially a box rule, while maintaining the class minimum weight and maximum permitted 90-degree righting moment...
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