Annapolis, MD – The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200 proved her worth on Saturday as she raced from Annapolis to Baltimore in winds that consistently blew between 20 and 30 knots. Developed for racing offshore by short-handed crews, the Sun Fast 3200 performed “above expectations” said Tim Kent, Sales Manager for Harken who was part of the crew for Saturday’s event. “The boat sailed like a dream, tracked like it was on rails and we broke nothing on a day full of blown sails, at least one dismasting and a ton of DNFs. We had nothing but fun!”
Temporarily named “Dare Dare” which means “quick” in French, the Sun Fast 3200 reached a top speed of 14.8 knots while sailing off the wind under full mainsail and spinnaker. “Even at 14 knots the boat feels completely stable and under control,” said Jeanneau America President Paul Fenn who was driving at the time.
The Sun Fast 3200 received an initial PHRF rating of 81. She was 4th over the line and 4th on corrected time as well. Ben Jarashow of Quantum Sails stated “We still have a lot of learning to do with this boat. The boat felt very different from what we're used to upwind - partly due to the way the rig was tuned, partly due to the twin rudders and partly from the headsail being way more then what we needed for the conditions. We really needed about a 90% jib but all we had was 110% genoa. Off the wind the boat is a KILLER. She stays under control and tracks like a dream; not squirrelly at all, which is a welcome change from most of today's narrow waterline race-boats.”
“All and all, we are pretty happy with our results for a first race with a new crew and a new boat” said Catherine Guiader, Director of Customer Service for Jeanneau and organizer of the Sun Fast program here in the US. “Our initial goal was to get out there, have fun and learn what the boat could do and we most definitely did that” added Guiader, “Next time, we’ll do even better.”
Jeanneau America
105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 202
Annapolis, MD 21403
tel: 1-410-280-9400/fax: 1-410-280-9401