Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel)
Cantiere del Pardo · Alain Jézéquel · 1986
Updated
The Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) is a 11.92 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Alain Jézéquel and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 1986. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 44% 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 44% of the boats it races against.
89th of 159 in its class.
Updated — Figure recalculated on a larger measured fleet.
This design has been found in real race results — 52 starts across 37 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.92 m
39′ 1″
Beam
3.76 m
Draft
1.99 m
Displacement
8.5 t
Sail area
88 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
10%
of 52 starts by 7 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 52 starts by 7 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Αγκιστρι 2026"2026
4ª Golfo dei Poeti Cup2026- 59° Trofeo Fiorillo2026
- "Νικολαος Σαρικαβαζης 2026"2026
- 32nd Cyclades Regatta - '262026
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: 5 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
9%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) 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
5.16
39°
Beam reach
8.13
90°
Broad reach
8.87
135°
Downwind VMG
7.59
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.
It does its best work before the breeze fills in. Early-season racing and morning breezes play to its strengths; once it pipes up the fleet comes back to it.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beat in a strong breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off 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 broad reach.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.42 | 4.62 | 5.03 | 5.16 |
| 52° | 5.23 | 6.73 | 7.17 | 7.30 |
| 60° | 5.52 | 6.94 | 7.36 | 7.50 |
| 75° | 5.72 | 7.09 | 7.55 | 7.83 |
| 90° | 5.64 | 7.14 | 7.67 | 8.13 |
| 110° | 5.54 | 7.31 | 7.97 | 8.64 |
| 120° | 5.38 | 7.23 | 7.97 | 8.91 |
| 135° | 4.82 | 6.88 | 7.77 | 8.87 |
| 150° | 4.08 | 6.21 | 7.39 | 8.36 |
| Run VMG | 3.53 | 5.38 | 6.55 | 7.59 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 560 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 39 (Jézéquel) carries 14.22 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.32 m boom, a forestay 15.82 m above the deck and a 5.19 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 13 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 91 to 122 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.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.