Comet 850
Comet · Jean-Marie Finot · 1990
Updated
The Comet 850 is a 8.46 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jean-Marie Finot and built by Comet, first launched in 1990. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 8% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 8% of the boats it races against.
146th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 28 starts across 16 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
8.46 m
27′ 9″
Beam
2.87 m
Draft
1.59 m
Displacement
3.0 t
Sail area
38 m²
On the podium
Where a Comet 850 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
21%
of 28 starts by 3 boats
Wins
7%
Read from 28 starts by 3 boats between 2018 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Comet 850 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Αγκιστρι 2026"2026- "Νικολαος Σαρικαβαζης 2026"2026
- ¨16ο Athens Trophy 2026¨2026
- "Αιγινα2026
- Κασίδι2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 1 race of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
22%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Comet 850 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) (7 meetings), Oyster 37 (7 meetings), Hanse 315 (6 meetings), Bavaria 40 (6 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Comet 850 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.07
41°
Beam reach
6.73
90°
Broad reach
7.32
135°
Downwind VMG
6.38
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a reach in a working breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a broad reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short running deep once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Comet 850
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.55 | 3.52 | 4.00 | 4.07 |
| 52° | 3.96 | 5.28 | 5.83 | 5.96 |
| 60° | 4.21 | 5.51 | 6.01 | 6.19 |
| 75° | 4.37 | 5.69 | 6.19 | 6.52 |
| 90° | 4.47 | 5.96 | 6.46 | 6.73 |
| 110° | 4.59 | 6.07 | 6.67 | 7.33 |
| 120° | 4.44 | 5.99 | 6.63 | 7.46 |
| 135° | 4.00 | 5.70 | 6.45 | 7.32 |
| 150° | 3.42 | 5.10 | 6.09 | 6.90 |
| Run VMG | 2.97 | 4.43 | 5.47 | 6.38 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 310 kg.
Rigging
Comet 850 rig and sail dimensions
A Comet 850 carries 8.66 m of mainsail hoist on a 2.83 m boom, a forestay 9.99 m above the deck and a 3.77 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 13 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails