Promoting the Fast 40+ Class in the Med

In the fall of 2015, a group of owners gathered in the Solent area and agreed on the creation of the Fast 40+, an owner/driver IRC class for similar-type boats. Entering its second season in the UK this year, the class is expecting up to fourteen boats in the Solent, with now a group in the Mediterranean looking to expand activity in 2018.

Founded by the yachting entrepreneur Siggi Mansaker and yacht designer Shaun Carkeek, the Med40 Series will follow the Fast 40+ class rule. Boats of both new and old design will be allowed to enter, however, new boats should be built according to the rule. Initially, the series will accommodate a wide rating band at the lower end.

“The Med40 Series has evolved out of a real need on the European circuit for a more open high-performance planing boat that has that wow-factor,” Carkeek, said. “Most of the boats being raced at the moment don’t plane downwind; these boats do and once you’ve sailed one it’s hard to go back.”

For the organisers, this Series is a natural evolution. Carkeek has been designing successfully for every high-performance circuit on the globe, right up to the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, for over two decades. He introduced this high-performance concept in the USA after discussion with clients at the New York Yacht Club eight years ago.

“I’ve been designing these 40-footers for 7-8 years,” he said. “We started this class in the US; we developed the HPR (High Performance Racing) rule and the boats raced all over the US winning every major regatta. Then, gradually, design offices came round to it and that led to the Fast 40+. The Med40 Series is the next logical step as the 40ft class grows internationally.”

The high-performance Fast 40+ has been highly successful in the UK in the Solent after its debut in 2016 and the Med40 Series will bring that drama to the Med in 2018.

The first Med40 Series has four rounds scheduled during the summer of 2018 with an autumn series planned for October to December.

Season 2018 – Palma de Mallorca
Round 1 PalmaVela, May
Round 2 MED40 Series, June
Round 3 MED 40 Series, July
Round 4 Copa Del Rey, August
Autumn Series: October to December

Fast40+ class information – Fast40+ Class rule