Dufour 44

The latest from Dufour continues the French builder’s move toward refining its performance cruising chops under the guidance of naval architect Umberto Felci, “integrating elements from the Dufour 470 and Dufour 530, emphasizing fluid communication in the cockpit, facilitating easy passage to the deck, and optimizing the overall length of the boat.”

The big sister to the Dufour 41, a SAIL Top 10 Best Boats winner for 2024, this boat adopts the same design philosophy of bringing the beam far forward for maximum interior space yet keeping the hull relatively narrow below the waterline for improved performance. Sailing the 41 last year, we were impressed with how it would heel to a certain angle—in this case, about 18 degrees—and park there, a sweet spot for brisk upwind work in 20-plus knots of breeze. The new 44 shows the same pronounced flare above the waterline, and we would expect it to perform much the same.

Despite all that beam carried to a nearly plumb bow, the flat sheerline and low deckhouse keep the profile sharp. The sailplan offers multiple gears with a self-tacking jib, overlapping furling genoa, and a tack point on the sprit for an asymmetrical headsail.

The large cockpit, which seats at least six, has cleaner access to the side decks than the 41, as well as a massive lazarette, outdoor grill accessed while standing on the swim platform, and access on both sides to that platform.

The interior, designed by Luca Ardizio, is enormous for a 44-footer and comes in four layouts with three or four cabins, the option for a C-shaped galley forward or a linear fore-and-aft arrangement, and a hexagonal salon table that seats up to 10 people.

LOA 45’7” LWL 40’1” Beam 14’7” Draft 7’2” (std) or 5’10” Air Draft 66’8” Displacement 22,487 lbs (light) Ballast 6,283 lbs Sail Area 1,076 sq ft (main, genoa) 366 sq ft (self-tacking jib) Power Yanmar or Volvo 50-60 hp options (option for hybrid electric)

HH52

Despite already having an award winning cat in this size range, the 50, HH has launched a new model with a new purpose: electrification. With owners increasingly asking for quieter, more sustainable, fume-free, long range cruising, electric options are looking like the future of the industry.

The purpose-driven design features a new cabin top to accommodate a solar array and additional sail area so that owners can spend more time sailing and less time motoring. Small wings have been added to the keels, which calculations suggest should reduce leeway by up to a degree while sailing upwind, adding back some of the efficiency that cats aren’t known for. This all supports a 48 volt electrical system with a 43.2kWh house bank and EcoDrive Parallel Hybrid Electric/Diesel propulsion system.

The cat itself maintains a svelte and sharp appearance despite spacious lounge areas and comfortable cabins. Much of the boat is customizable, with two or three cabins; an option for a workshop with pullman berths; and a U-shaped or an island galley. You can even swap some of the aft seating for a BBQ with dive tank storage. But the big choice for owners is going to be in the helm position, with two options: dual aft helms or an interior forward helm. Both come in an Ocean Cruising (50/50 e-glass/carbon) or Sport Cruising (100% carbon fiber) version. If you opt not to put the helms aft, you can instead get outboard seats with instrument panels that have a distinctly space-age vibe. In any configuration, it will be a lux, comfortable ride.

SC Specs LOA 55’11” LWL 49’6” Beam 24’4” Draft 5’5” (brd up) 11’7” (down) Air Draft 79’7” Displacement 24,500 lbs (light) Sail Area 1,742 sq ft (main and overlapping solent) Power 2x BETA 38 hp

SAIL New Boats & Gear 2025 is here and it’s chock-a-block with new boat reviews by SAIL’s boat review team, info on the latest models hitting the water, and gear SAIL‘s editors have checked out as well. It’s available on newsstands, so head to your nearest West Marine or Barnes & Noble, or catch us at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis in October to say hi and get your issue. 

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The final race of the 2021 America’s Cup was on March 17, and ever since that day when New Zealand beat Italy 7-3 to capture the 36th edition, the effort to dethrone the defender quietly began again. Five challengers stepped forward, and their fates will now be decided at the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series in Barcelona, Spain.

To be held from August 29 to October 7, it is the Double Round Robin Series through September 8 that is pivotal. For the defender, they participate but their races do not count. It will be over a month before they race again in the 37th Match. For the challengers, one team is eliminated at the conclusion of this stage.

Based on their performance in the Preliminary Regatta on August 22-25, that team would be the French. Here is their statement:

Orient Express Racing Team head into the Louis Vuitton Cup knowing how much they have already achieved, and completely aware of what they now have to accomplish.

“We have to be aware of where we have come from and especially where we can get to. We can go far if everything aligns well,” said Thierry Douillard, coach to the Orient Express Racing Team race crew.

“The team spirit is solid, so we need to focus on pure performance, and there are so many aspects of the boat, so many parameters and so many departments of the team involved, that although it is eight sailors on that boat, the whole team is onboard with them.”

The Orient Express Racing Team’s AC75 showed great potential in the recent Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta, and the crew had seized the opportunity to develop their understanding of the high-tech foiling yacht which they sailed for the first time in June…

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Photo courtesy of Xquisite Yachts

The new Xquisite 30 Sportcat looked like a drag racer, tugging at her dock lines at the Annapolis sailboat show. At 30 feet, she was by far one of the smallest boats in the water, but this carbon speedster looked like she’d give the big boats a run for their money. She was, in a word, enticing.

With a rotating carbon mast, carbon deck beams, displacement of just 1,872 pounds, an interior whose greatest luxury is a mattress, and a construction methodology that lets it be dismantled and fit onto a trailer and inside a 40-foot shipping container, this little rocket is just begging to be sailed fast and fun—and that is precisely its purpose, according to Tamas Hamor, Xquisite’s founder and CEO.

A cruising sailor himself, Hamor launched Xquisite just 10 years ago after deciding he could build a better cat and provide better service to boatowners. The company has since launched 50 boats built in South Africa—large, luxury bluewater cats—and now they’ve expanded into power cats as well…

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As sailing event broadcasts evolve, viewers for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup will now see how the wind varies across the racecourse in real-time. Furthermore, a yacht simulator will take the wind data and calculate the optimal routes around the course.

A feat of engineering and design, WindSight IQ means that commentators and viewers will have more data and insight into the pinnacle event of international sailing than is available to the competing teams on the water.

With 77% of Gen Z and 75% of Millennials preferring to watch sport outside of live venues, the viewing experience on screen is more important than ever. As wind patterns are a key factor in competition, the new technology by WindSight IQ seeks to bring a whole new dimension to the race experience for fans and broadcasters.

“WindSight IQ is an innovation America’s Cup Media have been evaluating for a long time now, our objective has been to take another quantum leap in using technology to increase the understanding of sailing and the intricacies that the sailors at the pinnacle of our sport have to conquer,” explains Grant Dalton, CEO of the America’s Cup Event…

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Will it be the moment of truth, or the moment before the moment? Either way, the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta gets underway on August 22 with far more questions ahead of the competition than answers.

This is the third Preliminary Regatta on the journey to the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup but is the first to be sailed in the latest generation AC75 yachts, and the final preparation ahead of the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series beginning on August 29.

It’s a very simple fact that no team wants a bad, morale-sapping regatta at this stage but with the racing not counting towards points in the Louis Vuitton Cup, there could well be a number of different strategies at play and variances of approach team by team.

Everyone will be eyeing the competition with interest with a focus on performance in specific wind ranges. The Performance Analysts and coaching teams will be working overtime to analyze every aspect of the competition’s yachts and tactics and for sure, the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta will start to reveal profiles and nuances un-seen before.

What we do know is that relative speeds are incredibly close across the fleet. At this stage, there is simply no front-runner across all the conditions, and every team is more than capable of beating the others. The starts are key and the ability to sail a clean, powered-on race with great tactical and meteorological execution will, undoubtedly, produce results.

First up is a fascinating opening encounter between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing Team where the well-drilled Swiss will be looking for success against a French team that clearly has a very fast boat – particularly upwind.

Skipper of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Arnaud Psarofaghis and his co-helm Maxime Bachelin will be looking to use the high maneuverability of BoatOne whilst the French will be eyeing outright speed profile. This will be a close call but the form book from training would suggest a Swiss win.

Next up, is a blockbuster race between the finalists of the last America’s Cup in Auckland 2021 – Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. In training, these two teams have continued to set the standards in this America’s Cup cycle and with the reveal of their AC75 designs, it was clear that both teams have taken a step forward and, on the face of it, appear to have a similar speed profile across a wide range of conditions.

This could well come down to racecraft and skill from the respective afterguards with skipper and Cup winner Peter Burling alongside Nathan Outteridge for the Kiwis enjoying a solid and consistent relationship. Equally Luna Rossa, who have an abundance of helming talent, will most likely pair skipper Jimmy Spithill, one of the true global talents of the sport, with the experience of Francesco Bruni. This race is just too close to call.

Next up we will see INEOS Britannia and NYYC American Magic facing off with so many performance and boatspeed questions to be answered.

Can the American cyclor team, seated in a recumbent position facing aft, match the power output of the traditional set up on the British boat? How fast is Britannia now that her foils are shorn of the Pitot tubes and in race trim? And which hull design is fastest – the low profile of the Americans or the muscular aero profile of Britannia?

What is more certain is that we will see some top-class match racing with Ben Ainslie and either Dylan Fletcher-Scott or Giles Scott on the British boat matching up to Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison on ‘Patriot’ – expect fireworks but picking a winner out of these two teams could well come down to outright performance in a specific condition.

The final race of the opening day sees Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli return to the racecourse for their second race of the day, this time against Orient Express Racing Team. What will be incredibly revealing here will be the pre-start and the relative upwind performances with the French more than capable of pressing hard and using their inherent hull-form speed. The race may well come down to maneuver execution, which is an area that Luna Rossa excel in, but this is match-up where we can expect the unexpected. Not to be missed.

Days two and three of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta see the format unfold and patterns emerging. By the end of Saturday, after three days of intense racing we are expecting the leaderboard points to be tight. The final day of racing on Sunday with New Zealand against USA, Italy against Switzerland, and France versus Britain could well be the final determinants for the top spots ahead of the grand final where the top two boats will fight it out in a one race, winner-takes-all decider.

The business end of this America’s Cup cycle is within touching distance and it’s almost time to reveal all. As the precursor to the Louis Vuitton Cup, this final test regatta has an importance and a resonance that can set the tone for the coming weeks.

How to watch:
On all competition days, races start at 14:00 CET (08:00 ET) and run until 16:30 or 17:00, depending on the schedule. The races will be streaming live and free on the event website, YouTube, and Facebook. The races will also be broadcast in over 200 territories around the world. To check the available broadcast options, click here.

For live viewing opportunities, click here.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain

2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)

For competition details, click here.

Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home

Source: ACE, Scuttlebutt

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