Archambault continues its winning ways

4:43 AM Wed 11 Mar 2009 GMT

'Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta 2009, Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Sydney (AUS) -
ALEGRIA' Andrea Francolini / Audi &copy

For all the glossy advertisements, posh cocktail parties and over-zealous bar talk, there's no substitute for results when it comes to IRC production racing yachts. And France's Archambault is more than happy for its boats' performance to do the talking.

With two wins out of two major regattas this season, Archambault is once again showing its all-conquering class in the Audi IRC Australian Championships.

Mooloolaba-based skipper Rod Jones won the title (and an Audi Q7) two years ago in his Archambault A35 Alegria and his new Archambault A40rc of the same name is on track to repeat the feat.

The yacht comfortably won IRC Division 2 at Geelong Week in January, a fourth placing being its race discard. Three arch-rival Beneteau First 45s were no match, especially in winds below 15 knots.

Jones repeated the dose on the weekend at the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, putting the new A40rc in poll position to win another car and national title, and fast earning it the tag of Australia's top IRC production yacht.

It was a giant-killing performance, with Alegria being some five feet shorter than its nearest rival. The Marten 49 Perpetual Mocean, linehonours winner in this year's Pittwater to Coffs Harbour race, was the only boat capable of holding out the Archambault across the line in the final race.

'We're getting better at a lot of things, including going faster,' Jones said after the regatta. He also added ominously, 'And we've still got at least another 5% to extract.'

Through tuning improvements and greater familiarity, Jones's A40rc is stretching its race-winning ways into higher wind ranges. Indeed the sheer consistency of its results at both Sydney and Geelong suggests it has no Achilles heel.

'The boat is very capable across a wide range of conditions,' Jones said. 'With the steep chop off Sydney it took me most of Saturday to figure out how to get around the race course . we changed the base settings and had really good pace on Sunday.'

The A40rc is a development of the successful A35, being optimised specifically to win IRC regattas. Designers Joubert/Nivelt not only got the hull equation right - the sail plan generates the right amount of horsepower without sacrificing too much in rating.

Apart from sporting factory options such as carbon mast and rudder, hydraulic backstay and ram, and high-quality B&G instruments, Alegria is a standard turn-key boat. It has a plush cruising-oriented interior with twin aft cabins, enclosed shower/head compartment, spacious galley, dinette table and more.

It ensures the racer-cruiser can lead a double life as a comfortable family boat that wives and children will enjoy as much as competitive husbands.

Newcastle Yachting, the national importer of Archambaults, has a new A40rc in stock and available for immediate test sail. Contact (02) 4962 5288, email sales@newcastleyachting.com.au

by David Chappell

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