What is a Performance 40?

A ‘Performance 40’ is a Cruiser/Racer around 40ft and defined by the specified limitations, which utilizes information from her IRC Certificate:

IRC Band 1.075-1.150
LH 11.15m-14.1m
DLR 125-205
Max Draft 2.70m

Also known as a P40, the intention is for this to be a mostly ‘Corinthian’ Class, where family and friends get a taste of Grand Prix style Racing.

For reference a First 40 is at the bottom of the band and an XP44 is at the top of the band. This includes but is not limited to; J111s, J122s, J133s, J121, IMX40s, Grand Soleil 43s, Arcona 41s, JND 39s, Corby 41s, Mills 39s, Matt 12s, Farr 40s, King 40s, Azuree 46s, etc.

While not grabbing the headlines granted to the 52 SUPER SERIES or FAST40+ Class which attracts the elite professionals and highly refined race boats, the idea remains the same behind the P40 Class: define the racing characteristics, in both vibe and boat type.

Popular in Great Britain, a six regatta inshore series corrals interest, with Christopher Daniel’s J/122e Juno winning the 2019 edition, narrowly edging out defending champion Mike Blair’s King 40 Cobra.

“Chris and the Juno team are exactly what the Performance 40 Class is all about,” commented Performance 40 Class founder Dave Swete. “Juno is a Corinthian boat with a core crew of the Daniel family mixed with young, and especially women sailors.

“The team has improved as a crew year on year and the atmosphere on board is just fantastic. After racing the Performance 40 Class love to get together for a drink in the yacht club bar, which is fundamental part of the spirit of Juno and the whole class.”

Christopher Daniel has been racing Juno for five years with a young crew of family and friends, including three siblings all in their twenties.

“When the kids were younger I drove them to the extremities of the country to attend various dinghy regattas, and now all three of them are crewing for me, which is great, sailing as a family makes it more fulfilling.

“Juno normally sails with at least four girls on board and half of the crew are under 25. When we started racing Juno, the network for potential crew was thrown very wide and slowly over the years that has resulted in a pool of about 15 sailors to make up our racing crew of 10.

“We all go sailing for fun because we enjoy it, and that is definitely an ethos we have on board. This keeps the team together, as does improving our ability and results.

“Having a young crew gives a great energy on board but we run a quiet boat, to me a leader shouting at his crew is a sign that the skipper has lost control. Everybody is encouraged to give their feedback at the end of the race and every opinion is respected.”

“We targeted winning the P40 Championships at the beginning of the season,” commented Christopher Daniel. “It was a tall order given the strength and depth of the competition and our position last year. We set about it with some structured training sessions from Dave Swete, a largely consistent crew and a programme of reflection and improvement.

“We ended up winning three of the events, but still only managed to win by half a point owing to Cobra’s consistency and the strength of the rest of the fleet, and if you look down the finish times, most races were won by just a few seconds.”

More information here: https://www.p40class.com/