Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Cantiere del Pardo · Judel/Vrolijk · 2002
Updated
The Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) is a 13.10 m displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 2002. It races in Class B.
Length
13.10 m
43′ 0″
Beam
3.79 m
Draft
2.62 m
Displacement
8.5 t
Sail area
111 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
10%
of 20 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 20 starts by 2 boats between 2016 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Lliga Creuers2026- XXX Lliga Social CMPO2026
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2019- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2016
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
13%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
—
Not enough data yet: 4 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Farr 52 (6 meetings), Centurion 40 (6 meetings), Bavaria 44 (6 meetings), Sinergia 40 (6 meetings), Sun Odyssey 44 (Briand) (6 meetings), Swan 42 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Carkeek) (2 meetings), IMX 40 (1 meeting), IMX 45 (1 meeting), First 44.7 (1 meeting), Figaro 2 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 43 (Maletto) (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 47 (1 meeting), X-35 (2 meetings), First 47.7 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 48 (1 meeting), X-332 (1 meeting), Bolt 37 (1 meeting), Swan 45 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 34 (Skyron) (1 meeting), Dehler 39 (Judel/Vrolijk) (1 meeting), X-43 (1 meeting), Rodman 42 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 37 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Evolution 10 (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 49 (1 meeting), Grand Soleil 50 (Judel/Vrolijk) (1 meeting), Swan 68 (1 meeting), Hanse 630e (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) 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
5.86
38°
Beam reach
9.26
90°
Broad reach
10.57
135°
Downwind VMG
8.81
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 to windward when the breeze is soft, 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
It falls short off the wind when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 upwind.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.02 | 5.33 | 5.70 | 5.86 |
| 52° | 6.05 | 7.62 | 7.98 | 8.16 |
| 60° | 6.35 | 7.81 | 8.20 | 8.41 |
| 75° | 6.56 | 7.96 | 8.50 | 8.83 |
| 90° | 6.50 | 8.08 | 8.63 | 9.26 |
| 110° | 6.31 | 8.20 | 9.02 | 9.75 |
| 120° | 6.12 | 8.07 | 9.08 | 10.31 |
| 135° | 5.46 | 7.67 | 8.75 | 10.57 |
| 150° | 4.58 | 6.87 | 8.24 | 9.80 |
| Run VMG | 3.97 | 5.95 | 7.42 | 8.81 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 810 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 44 (Judel/Vrolijk) carries 18.00 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.20 m boom, a forestay 17.19 m above the deck and a 5.63 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 103 to 195 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.