This type of sailing is not only becoming increasingly popular in France, the regatta format is also gaining ground in Germany and Scandinavia: offshore regattas, single or double-handed, with IRC or ORCi boats that are still manageable in size.
A typical representative of this genre is the JPK 10.80 from France, a performance cruiser with sporty and performance-orientated genes that can still offer an astonishing amount of comfort below deck. In the YACHT test with shipyard boss Jean-Pierre Kelbert (JPK), the design by Jacques Valer revealed the best sailing characteristics and a lot of potential for the really long strokes.
The test will be published in the next YACHT, issue no. 19/2014 (available from 3 September).Until then, the first pictures from the test are available here in the online gallery.