
" I imagined a fast, light yacht which would still keep the joys of surfing in the Great South or elsewhere, and more comfortable than my Vendée yacht. You need to take all the know-how from our powerful monohulls and remove the professional elements (centreboards, physical trimming) just to keep the sensations and pleasures of sailing." Jean-Pierre Dick
You appreciate it when the boat surfs, when she slips gently over the back of the waves and catches up with the previous one, you feel her take off and quiver with the elements. “I first discovered thrills such as these during my Round the World voyages and I'm rediscovering them now aboard the JP54. I relish heading off on a cruise as I enjoy sailing and relish the comfort of a cruising boat”.
Lightness is essential to the success of the concept and has guided our thought processes. Lightness really is the critical element, because the lighter and more powerful you are, the faster the boat will go! It's magic. This need for lightness dictated the use of carbon for the hull, deck, mast bulkhead, mast, boom and sails, as well as some of the options chosen:
All our seafaring and racing experience has been incorporated in this design and each kilo on board has been analysed to ensure only critical weight is added. Guillaume Verdier has used higher safety margins than those on the current IMOCA yachts as a guarantee of security.
The consequence of these design processes are there for all to see: 9 t displacement and 3 t bulb, an incredible ratio on a cruising yacht.
The swing keel and the turning live cell gives great power to the boat. Racers are well aware that any weight to windward can provide additional speed and this basic principle has been incorporated intelligently in the design: