Venues are chosen with the aim of providing optimum conditions for participants to get their foiling catamarans flying. America’s Cup-style courses are set that are large enough to provide a good racing experience for competitors and to enable the GC32s to achieve maximum speed.
Set up in 2014, the GC32 Racing Tour is the original circuit for the one design foiling catamarans designed by Dr Martin Fischer, Design Co-ordinator for Luna Rossa’s challenge for the 36th America’s Cup and now Chief Designer for INEOS Britannia for the 37th.
These boats allow regular sailors to get a taste of the latest and fastest style of sailing – as exemplified by recent America’s Cups – but at a fraction of the cost, with far simpler logistics and without any hydraulics or a wing to worry about. In 2017, the GC32 received official recognition from World Sailing, enabling its first World Championship to be held in 2018.
Key to the GC32 Racing Tour is its appeal to both private owner-drivers and commercially-backed pro teams.
Venues are chosen with the aim of providing the best chance of optimum conditions to get the catamarans flying.
Courses are set with emphasis on providing a good racing experience for competitors with courses large enough to enable the GC32s to achieve their maximum speeds.
Course configurations are similar to those used in the America’s Cup – windward-leewards with reaching starts and finishes. However in light conditions and at the top of the wind range, the race committee reverts to courses with upwind starts.
The GC32 Racing Tour provides the opportunity for guests and VIPs to experience the flying in a high octane environment. Guest and sailors alike also get to enjoy the hospitality and social program laid on ashore at all the events.
While another season of five events had been arranged for the GC32 Racing Tour in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic all unfortunately had to be cancelled. Four events were held in 2021 with a similar program scheduled for 2022.
Today the GC32 Racing Tour offers a unique opportunity in the yacht racing universe for owner-drivers to compete against top professional teams from the America’s Cup to SailGP.
Interested in joining?
Contact GC32 Racing Tour Manager, Christian Scherrer at Christian@gc32racing.com
With the GC32 officially receiving World Sailing recognition in 2018, the GC32 International Class Association hosted its first World Championship event in Riva del Garda, Italy in 2018. This saw a record-sized fleet of 13 foiling catamarans from across the globe come together with the teams of the GC32 Racing Tour and Extreme Sailing Series competing on the same race track.
Team Tilt, steered by Olympic 49er sailor Sébastien Schneiter, was crowned first ever GC32 World Champion.
In 2019 the World Championship took place in Lagos, Portugal where Ernesto Berarelli’s Alinghi team stole the show soaring to the top of the podium with two races to spare.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 GC32 World Championship, scheduled to take place in Villasimius, Sardinia in September has been cancelled but the fleet have already been invited back to host the 2021 World Championship here.
The GC32 is a 10m long (12m including bowsprit) by 6m wide foiling catamaran conceived by Laurent Lenne and designed by Dr Martin Fischer, currently Design Co-ordinator of the Challenger of Record for the 36th America’s Cup, Luna Rossa. GC32s are built in carbon fibre by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai.
The GC32 is fitted with T-foil rudders and J-shaped daggerboards/foils, conceptually similar to those used on the America’s Cup catamarans, with adjustable rake on all appendages.
However a significant difference is that there are no hydraulics, no pedestals and no bicycles! Also unlike the AC50s, the GC32 features a more manageable, easier to trim soft-sail rig and has one design sails.
Despite all this GC32s are fast, capable of speeds approaching 40 knots.
The GC32 is demountable with a two piece mast for easy road transportation and can even be launched and retrieved without need of a crane.
See more information about the GC32 here
The GC32 is marketed by Great Cup BV, the company of GC32 Founder Laurent Lenne. Contact: email: laurent@thegreatcup.com
The GC32s have their own Class Association – more can be found at www.gc32.org. Current President is Simon Delzoppo.
