Now Nearing Critical Mass

After racing his Sig 45 Vamonos last fall in the St. Francis Yacht Club Big Boat Series, Tom Siebel was ready for more. In this case, more was to step up from the racer/cruiser catamaran to the MOD70, a full on one design racing trimaran.

The MOD70 circuit got launched in 2012 with a transatlantic race and a four-week European tour from Germany to Italy with a mix of distance racing and inshore racing for five teams. It was a proof of concept, and it worked.

With seven MOD70s built, the desire was to corral them in Europe, to maintain critical mass in the multihull rich region. But with 2013 being an organizational year for the class, it gave Siebel the chance to buy one of the boats and bring it to California.

Franck David, Executive Director of Multi One Design SA, saw an opportunity.

“It was a good surprise to be in contact with Tom Siebel,” explained David. “Now we have one boat in California. For us it’s a new era. We are trying to promote the MOD70 on the west coast of America.”

Siebel and his Orion Racing team had been training in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, but were in San Diego to showcase the boat before continuing to San Francisco for the summer.

“In Europe there are a lot of inshore and offshore racing teams on multihulls, but not so much in America,” observed David. “But with the America’s Cup, there is new interest now, and we hope that the MOD70 helps some people to fulfill their new interest.”

The west coast is now nearing critical mass, with Orion Racing joining the 60-foot trimaran Loe Real, 72-foot trimaran Tritium, and the newly arrived 60-foot trimaran Groupama 2.

“The MOD70 is intended for both inshore and offshore racing, so it would seem well suited for the mix of racing out west,” David said. “And because the boat is designed around the one design concept, it was our intent to insure it is durable, and easy to sail and manage.”

All he needs now is an audience of salivating America’s Cup spectators eager to take the step too.