ARC as a way to look at how different types of boats sail

[Polux]

on long range cruising conditions also as a way to look at boat reliability.

Monohulls versus multihuls compared performance with a cruising load to cross the Atlantic and go cruising on the Caribbean (cruising class).
The same between heavy cats and performance cruising cats, between modern performance cruisers and modern mass production main market cruisers.
Between the two above and expensive modern luxury boats that are usually called bluewater boats.
All the above with older designed boats, even if some are still produced, and finally, regarding all types the importance size has on the boat performance, on boats loaded.



It seems interesting to me and I do that every year on the last 5 or so, as a way to increase my knowledge about different boats and different boat types. Obviously there will always some boats better sailed than others, but average results in several hundreds of boats are always meaningful, as have been on the last years.

There are two separated ARC rallies, one that passed by Cabo Verde (they sailed first, have been there and are already on the way to America and the bigger one, that cross the Atlantic directly and that one leaved Yesterday.

We have more solid results from the one that already had passed Cabo Verde. On this one there are fewer boats but comparatively more cats and less performance cruisers. Thee boat that is ahead is a Cigale 18, an Aluminium fast monohull voyage boat. They have a new model but this one has already some years (10?) even if it is still a relatively fast boat (but not as fast as the new model).

Following it close, two brand new Outremer 51 performance cats. Not far a Lagoon 620, a Jeanneau 57, A Catana 471, a Xp44, a Fountain Pajot 67. A bit more faraway, a new Amel 55, a Voyage 440 cat, a First 45 a Jeanneau 49DS, a Catana 50, a Jeanneau 469, a Lagoon 52.

This year it has been all downwind sailing, with some strong winds. anyway a bit surprising the performance of that Big Lagoon. Many mass market Jeanneaus doing very well, all performance monohull cruisers on this first group (only 3) as well as all performance cats. Two non performance big cats (over 60ft) doing really well and on this group also a smaller Lagoon 52.

On the tail of this group we find the first middle weight "bluewater" boat, the Amel 55.

Leading the middle group we will a new Malo 47 and two Lagoons 450, An older 54ft Amel super Maramu, a Bavaria 46, an older Bowman 48, a Jeanneau 54ds, a Bavaria vision 44and a Hanse 445

On this second group, two Lagoons and two Bavarias, all with 44/45ft and some bigger "bluewater" medium weight boats,one a 47ft new Malo, two older 54fters and a surprisingly fast old 48ft Bowman. on this group also a jeanneau 54DS.

On the third group we have on the head a Najad 460, a Catalina 440, a Halberg Rassy 37, a Gozzard 41, a Hanse 445, a one of 42fr cruiser, a Amel 54, an Island Packet 45, a Najad 520.

Great performance of the relatively new and light HR37, showing that the new HR, contrary to the older ones are fast boats and also a surprisingly good Gozzard 41, even if only in the end we will know how much diesel they have used.

The last group is composed for smaller mass production cruisers, medium weight bigger older sailboats and surprisingly by all the cats with 40ft or smaller: A lagoon 38 and a brand new Nautitech 40.

Regarding size it seems that only performance cruisers are very clearly faster than other monohulls of the same size nad as fast as much bigger boats, even if that HR 37 is an exception. Some other mass production medium sized mass market monohulls are a match to slightly bigger medium weight "bluewater" boats and performance monohulls seems to be size for size a match for performance cats, but as there is here much more performance cats here then performance multihulls so we will look better at this on the other Transat.

Off course this regards mostly trade wind sailing, meaning mostly downwind and this says nothing about comfort, motion adl all kind of subjective criteria. Regarding motion there are all sort of preferences that are not measurable, I mean some prefer the movement of the cats, some the movement of light performance cruisers and some the movement of heavy cruisers, so let's stick to what is measurable: sail performance under cruising conditions.

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