Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek)
Cantiere del Pardo · Botín & Carkeek · 2003
Updated
- ORC World Championship · Class A2009
Each title was won by a boat of this design, not by the design itself.
The Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) is a 12.67 m displacement racing yacht designed by Botín & Carkeek and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 2003. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 51% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 51% of the boats it races against.
46th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 234 starts across 34 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.67 m
41′ 7″
Beam
3.21 m
Draft
2.55 m
Displacement
6.4 t
Sail area
100 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
25%
of 234 starts by 12 boats
Wins
6%
Read from 234 starts by 12 boats between 2011 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
National Championship for Keel Boats2026
25. Bosphorus Cup2026
"Πανελληνιο Κυπελο ORCI 2026"2026- ORC World Championship2026
Corporate Regatta2026
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
22%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
19%
of these races end on the podium
Level across both. Plenty of designs fall away once the course gets long — a light hull that thrives round the cans can struggle through a night at sea. This one does not.
Who she races against
The designs a Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) 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 42 (Carkeek) 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
5.87
37°
Beam reach
9.39
90°
Broad reach
11.04
135°
Downwind VMG
8.82
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.
The stronger it blows, the better this design looks. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage running deep as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.98 | 5.39 | 5.72 | 5.87 |
| 52° | 6.01 | 7.68 | 8.02 | 8.21 |
| 60° | 6.31 | 7.87 | 8.25 | 8.47 |
| 75° | 6.50 | 8.03 | 8.55 | 8.93 |
| 90° | 6.43 | 8.06 | 8.76 | 9.39 |
| 110° | 6.31 | 8.24 | 9.07 | 9.91 |
| 120° | 6.13 | 8.14 | 9.20 | 10.58 |
| 135° | 5.49 | 7.69 | 8.82 | 11.04 |
| 150° | 4.59 | 6.85 | 8.20 | 9.87 |
| Run VMG | 3.98 | 5.93 | 7.37 | 8.82 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 820 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 42 (Carkeek) carries 16.35 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.98 m boom, a forestay 15.66 m above the deck and a 5.01 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 9 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 86 to 125 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.