Please select your home edition
Edition
Craftinsure 2023 LEADERBOARD

Sun Fast 30 - The future of offshore racing

by RORC 13 Jul 2023 16:14 BST
The new Sun Fast 30 conceived for offshore racing © Jeanneau

The new Sun Fast 30 conceived for youth offshore racing will be featured in the Race Village at the finish of the Rolex Fastnet Race in Cherbourg.

In 2021, the Royal Ocean Racing Club in collaboration with the UNCL Pole Course du YCF and the Storm Trysail Club started the project to create an affordable offshore race boat designed to attract youth sailors. The Sun Fast 30 is now in production with Hull #1 to be on display this month at the Rolex Fastnet Race Village in Cherbourg.

The one-design Sun Fast 30, which will also be raced under IRC, is conceived for youth offshore sailing, a fun and accessible boat intended to excite the young generation and train tomorrow's champions. The environmental concern lies at the heart of its philosophy since the beginning. With Beneteau Group's involvement, the selected duo VPLP/MULTIPLAST relies on the innovation and industrial agility of the world leader in boating. The boat is versatile enough to respond to the requirements of clubs willing to replace their aging fleet for one-design racing enthusiasts as well as for IRC sailors.

The Sun Fast 30 is set to open a new page of offshore racing by offering a vibrant and powerful monohull, economical, simple - without foils or ballasts - geared towards competition over several days with a crew of 4 to 5 people, double or even single-handed, with certification eligible for transatlantic races.

A new Class with an ambitious race programme

The racing division of the YCF has established, together with Multiplast, the rules for the new C30 Class Association with a race programme soon to be announced. Several Sun Fast 30s have already enrolled for the second edition of the Cap-Martinique Transatlantic Race which will start on April 14, 2024, from La Trinité sur Mer. In 2024, the Sunfast 30 Class are expected to be racing in the RORC Season's Points Championship, as well as other high-profile events in Europe such as Spi Oest and the Armen Race. Scheduled for the end of summer 2024 will be a project like the original "Tour de France à la Voile" is being planned. At the initiative of a private investor who has ordered around twenty boats, collective fleets of Sun Fast 30s, will be available for charter located in Portsmouth UK, and in France at Lorient and Marseille.

A big step-up for sustainability

The Sun Fast 30 construction benefits from a new technology taking over three years of research and development to perfect. The implementation of the first liquid thermoplastic resin, Arkema's Elium®, which can be reheated at the end of the boat's lifecycle to eliminate the fibers and recover the polymer, leads the boating industry into a new era.

The boat is distributed by Jeanneau impressive network, while construction is ongoing at the very modern Bénéteau Racing yard in Cheviré (Nantes) made famous by the production of the Figaro 3. The Sun Fast 30 will be produced at the rate of one boat per week from September 2023. Technically, the molds are the same as those needed to manufacture a polyester laminate, with equivalent structural properties and weight specifications. But the infusion moldings process had to be rethought with the introduction of a new component. It also relies on the Group's industrial agility to ensure strict cost control. To date, 43 units have already been sold.

For more information on the Sun Fast 30:

Related Articles

Women sailors reflect on Admiral's Cup inclusion
Pivotal milestones, but there is still so much more to achieve The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has long acknowledged the slow but steady path toward gender inclusion in offshore sailing. Posted on 11 Jun
2025 IRC National Championships preview
This year's event has teams racing from all over the world The 2025 IRC National Championship, part of the Royal Thames Yacht Club's 250th Anniversary Regatta, will bring together over 50 IRC-rated boats for three days of competitive inshore racing in the Solent. Posted on 10 Jun
Warrior EAORA top scoring boat in North Sea Race
Winning the Charlie Mills Memorial Trophy Simon Farren's A40 Warrior, co-skippered by Ben Peter, won class two in ther RORC North Sea Race - so winning the Charlie Mills Memorial Trophy for the highest placed EAORA boat in the race. Posted on 4 Jun
RORC centenary Rolex Fastnet Race
All set for another record-breaker Less than two months now remain until the start of the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race, this year coinciding with the Royal Ocean Racing Club's centenary. Posted on 2 Jun
The call of the mighty
See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action, braving the elements, and glory for the victorious. As an Australian, you have King Louie (the late Lou Abrahams), and the late Sir Jim Hardy as the poster boys. Posted on 1 Jun
2025 North Sea Race
Wind farms, whiskers, winning moves After time correction, Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 Bellino, racing double-handed with co-skipper RORC Commodore Deb Fish, was the winner by just 53 seconds after 22 hours of racing. Posted on 1 Jun
2025 Offshore Double Handed Worlds preview
Global competition and an iconic venue The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in collaboration with Cap-Regatta and supported by Lorient Grand Large, The Yacht Club de France and Jeanneau, is proud to host the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championship. Posted on 29 May
Admiral's Cup: La Dolce Vita meets the Haka
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches assault for the Admiral's Cup Giovanni Lombardi Stronati has entered two boats for the 2025 Admiral's Cup that will be competing under the burgee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS). Posted on 29 May
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 - NoR published
Charting a new course west to a spectacular finish in Antigua, West Indies The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France, is delighted to announce the publication of the Notice of Race and the opening of online entry for the 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race. Posted on 29 May
CYCA team to take best shot at the Admiral's Cup
The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black The Australian flag will fly proud on Zen and Back 2 Black during the Admiral's Cup to be held in Cowes from the Isle of Wight from 17 July - 1 August. Posted on 28 May