Grand Soleil 44 (Polli)
Cantiere del Pardo · Matteo Polli · 2020
Updated
- ORC World Championship · Class B2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024
Each title was won by a boat of this design, not by the design itself.
The Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) is a 13.39 m displacement racing yacht designed by Matteo Polli and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 2020. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 47% 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 47% of the boats it races against.
25th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 156 starts across 32 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.39 m
43′ 11″
Beam
4.26 m
Draft
2.64 m
Displacement
10.7 t
Sail area
115 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
21%
of 156 starts by 16 boats
Wins
11%
Read from 156 starts by 16 boats between 2021 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean 6002026
73° Loro Piana Giraglia2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
- REGATA DELLA GALLINARA - Trofeo della Cappelletta2026
- Coppa Regina dei Paesi Bassi2026
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
25%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
14%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) 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 44 (Polli) 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
5.89
38°
Beam reach
9.43
90°
Broad reach
10.85
135°
Downwind VMG
8.59
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 most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is off the wind in the light stuff, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on the beam as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on the run in a strong breeze, 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 broad reach.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 44 (Polli)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.81 | 5.23 | 5.70 | 5.89 |
| 52° | 5.84 | 7.61 | 8.11 | 8.33 |
| 60° | 6.18 | 7.87 | 8.36 | 8.59 |
| 75° | 6.44 | 8.06 | 8.65 | 9.02 |
| 90° | 6.49 | 8.24 | 8.81 | 9.43 |
| 110° | 6.52 | 8.46 | 9.21 | 10.11 |
| 120° | 6.39 | 8.40 | 9.39 | 10.42 |
| 135° | 5.76 | 8.06 | 9.11 | 10.85 |
| 150° | 4.82 | 7.18 | 8.52 | 9.82 |
| Run VMG | 4.18 | 6.22 | 7.45 | 8.59 |
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 770 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 44 (Polli) carries 17.50 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.20 m boom, a forestay 17.73 m above the deck and a 6.70 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 28 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 151 to 204 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.