Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Cantiere del Pardo · Judel/Vrolijk · 2003
Updated
The Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) is a 13.58 m displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 2003. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 1% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 1% of the boats it races against.
46th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 85 starts across 27 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.58 m
44′ 7″
Beam
4.26 m
Draft
2.34 m
Displacement
10.8 t
Sail area
107 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
18%
of 85 starts by 9 boats
Wins
4%
Read from 85 starts by 9 boats between 2015 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale West Liguria2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
- Campionato Invernale West Liguria2025
Regata Strait Challenge2025
Friendship Regatta2024
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
16%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
11%
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 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) 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 45 (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
5.90
38°
Beam reach
9.26
90°
Broad reach
9.97
135°
Downwind VMG
8.53
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 is an upwind boat first. Windward-leeward courses give it more of what it is good at than a coastal race does.
Where it gains
Its best ground is upwind when it blows, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage across the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off 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 beam reach.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.62 | 5.06 | 5.70 | 5.90 |
| 52° | 5.58 | 7.42 | 8.07 | 8.29 |
| 60° | 5.92 | 7.67 | 8.27 | 8.54 |
| 75° | 6.17 | 7.83 | 8.50 | 8.96 |
| 90° | 6.04 | 7.91 | 8.65 | 9.26 |
| 110° | 5.96 | 8.08 | 8.96 | 9.89 |
| 120° | 5.80 | 7.95 | 8.90 | 10.22 |
| 135° | 5.16 | 7.45 | 8.59 | 9.97 |
| 150° | 4.33 | 6.57 | 8.04 | 9.31 |
| Run VMG | 3.75 | 5.69 | 7.11 | 8.53 |
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 730 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) carries 15.84 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.70 m boom, a forestay 16.49 m above the deck and a 5.37 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 — 123 to 139 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.