Class CHeavy displacementCruiser/Racer

Feeling 39

Kirie · Philippe Briand · 1999

Updated

The Feeling 39 is a 11.64 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Philippe Briand and built by Kirie, first launched in 1999. It races in Class C.

Feeling 39 - Philippe Briand - KirieP 13.59 mLOA 11.64 m

Length

11.64 m

38′ 2″

Beam

4.04 m

Draft

1.98 m

Displacement

8.4 t

Sail area

75 m²

This design does not carry a Race Edge. The speeds below still come from measured boats.

On the podium

Where a Feeling 39 finishes when she goes racing.

On the podium

0%

of 28 starts by 2 boats

Wins

0%

Wins0%0
Seconds0%0
Thirds0%0
Off the podium100%28

Read from 28 starts by 2 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.

Recent regattas

The latest events where a Feeling 39 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.

  • Greece43ος Ιστιοπλοικος Αγωνας Κορφος ΄262026
  • Greece¨16ο Athens Trophy 2026¨2026
  • Greece"Κυπελλο Χριστουγεννων"2025
  • Greece"Κυπελλο Δεη 2025"2025
  • Greece8ο Κυπελλο Καλλιθεας2025

Raced one we are missing?

Report a regatta

Round 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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.

Offshore & coastal

0%

of these races end on the podium

28 races over 10 NM

Who she races against

The designs a Feeling 39 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.

This design aheadRival ahead
Discovery 30020%ahead in 6 of 30 meetings, 23 racesalmost always behind
Dufour 3045%ahead in 13 of 29 meetings, 22 races
Oceanis 39363%ahead in 17 of 27 meetings, 22 races
Dufour 34 (Dufour)68%ahead in 17 of 25 meetings, 22 races
Bavaria Holiday 3517%ahead in 6 of 35 meetings, 21 racesalmost always behind
Dufour 3255%ahead in 1 of 21 meetings, 21 racesalmost always behind
First 30 (Berret)14%ahead in 3 of 21 meetings, 21 racesalmost always behind
Atlantic 3132%ahead in 9 of 28 meetings, 20 races
Hanse 31560%ahead in 12 of 20 meetings, 20 races
Moody 3475%ahead in 15 of 20 meetings, 20 races
First 35 (Berret)26%ahead in 6 of 23 meetings, 20 races
Dufour 39020%ahead in 4 of 20 meetings, 20 racesalmost always behind
Nereis 3058%ahead in 11 of 19 meetings, 19 races
Bavaria 360%ahead in 0 of 19 meetings, 19 racesalmost always behind
Oceanis 38178%ahead in 14 of 18 meetings, 18 races
Carter 3712%ahead in 2 of 17 meetings, 17 racesalmost always behind
First 31.712%ahead in 2 of 17 meetings, 17 racesalmost always behind
Sun Odyssey 33 (Andrieu)69%ahead in 11 of 16 meetings, 16 races
Grand Soleil 34 (Finot)0%ahead in 0 of 16 meetings, 16 racesalmost always behind
Sun Shine 3644%ahead in 7 of 16 meetings, 16 races
Elan 3469%ahead in 11 of 16 meetings, 16 races
Cyclades 43.471%ahead in 10 of 14 meetings, 14 races
Catalina 32043%ahead in 6 of 14 meetings, 14 races
Contest 25075%ahead in 12 of 16 meetings, 14 races
Sun Odyssey 33.150%ahead in 7 of 14 meetings, 12 races
Feeling 92036%ahead in 4 of 11 meetings, 11 races
Sun Odyssey 2640%ahead in 4 of 10 meetings, 10 races
First 3811%ahead in 2 of 19 meetings, 10 racesalmost always behind
Feeling 10933%ahead in 3 of 9 meetings, 9 races
Gib Sea 31250%ahead in 5 of 10 meetings, 8 races
Nek 2625%ahead in 2 of 8 meetings, 8 races
Sun Odyssey 4038%ahead in 3 of 8 meetings, 8 races
Sun Odyssey 45.112%ahead in 1 of 8 meetings, 8 races
Bavaria 3188%ahead in 7 of 8 meetings, 8 races
Sun Magic 4412%ahead in 1 of 8 meetings, 8 races
First 45 (Farr)25%ahead in 2 of 8 meetings, 8 races
Dromor 269%ahead in 1 of 11 meetings, 8 races
Gin Fizz50%ahead in 6 of 12 meetings, 8 races
First 280%ahead in 0 of 8 meetings, 8 races

Also met, too few times for a figure:

Sun Fast 37 (6 meetings)

Some of the boats it races against

How the Feeling 39 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.

Feeling 39 vs Bavaria Holiday 35ahead 17% of 35 head-to-heads
Feeling 39 vs Discovery 300ahead 20% of 30 head-to-heads
Feeling 39 vs Dufour 30ahead 45% of 29 head-to-heads
Feeling 39 vs Atlantic 31ahead 32% of 28 head-to-heads
Feeling 39 vs Oceanis 393ahead 63% of 27 head-to-heads

Speed at every angle

The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.

36930°60°90°120°150°WIND8.9

Upwind VMG

5.08

40°

Beam reach

8.12

90°

Broad reach

8.66

135°

Downwind VMG

7.37

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.

This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.

Where it gains

Its best ground is on the beam in moderate air, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.

Where it pays

It falls short on the run when it blows, 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.

True wind
Upwind-0.11 kn
Beam reach+0.26 kn
Broad reach+0.13 kn
Downwind-0.02 kn

Full width is 0.6 kn either way.

At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.

How fast is a Feeling 39

Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.

Angle6 kn10 kn14 kn20 kn
Beat VMG2.964.214.925.08
52°4.616.307.097.30
60°4.926.587.297.53
75°5.116.797.467.87
90°5.187.077.718.12
110°5.287.207.948.74
120°5.117.077.898.89
135°4.546.627.648.66
150°3.835.847.148.11
Run VMG3.315.056.277.37

How they are set up

The range each sail spans across the fleet.

Mainsail26 m² – 35 m²
Headsail36 m² – 49 m²
Gennaker82 m² – 104 m²

Roughly half carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 490 kg.

Rigging

Feeling 39 rig and sail dimensions

A Feeling 39 carries 13.59 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.10 m boom, a forestay 14.35 m above the deck and a 4.75 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.

Rig

Mainsail hoistP13.59 m13.55 – 13.64
Boom lengthE4.10 m4.07 – 4.12
Forestay heightIG14.35 m14.31 – 14.38
Fore triangle baseJ4.40 m4.39 – 4.40
Spinnaker hoistISP14.35 m14.31 – 14.40
BowspritTPS4.75 m4.54 – 5.00
Boom above deckBAS1.60 m1.59 – 1.68

Sails

Mainsail33.0 m²26.2 – 34.8
Headsail42.2 m²36.3 – 48.9
Gennaker95.4 m²81.5 – 104.0

The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 82 to 104 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.