Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek)
Cantiere del Pardo · Botín & Carkeek · 2008
Updated
The Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) is a 14.10 m displacement racing yacht designed by Botín & Carkeek and built by Cantiere del Pardo, first launched in 2008. It races in Class A. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 24% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 24% of the boats it races against.
35th of 46 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 73 starts across 25 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
14.10 m
46′ 3″
Beam
4.25 m
Draft
2.57 m
Displacement
11.9 t
Sail area
117 m²
On the podium
Where a Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
30%
of 73 starts by 7 boats
Wins
16%
Read from 73 starts by 7 boats between 2012 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026- Campionato Invernale dell'Argentario - Coastal Race2026
- Regata Brindisi-Corfù2025
- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2025
- 70a Regata dei Tre Golfi2025
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
48%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
17%
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 46 (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 46 (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
5.99
38°
Beam reach
9.42
90°
Broad reach
10.56
135°
Downwind VMG
8.55
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 upwind 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
It falls short on a broad reach 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 beam reach.
How fast is a Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.68 | 5.16 | 5.79 | 5.99 |
| 52° | 5.70 | 7.53 | 8.21 | 8.44 |
| 60° | 6.06 | 7.81 | 8.43 | 8.69 |
| 75° | 6.32 | 8.02 | 8.66 | 9.10 |
| 90° | 6.23 | 8.16 | 8.76 | 9.42 |
| 110° | 6.35 | 8.40 | 9.17 | 9.92 |
| 120° | 6.21 | 8.33 | 9.28 | 10.35 |
| 135° | 5.56 | 7.92 | 9.01 | 10.56 |
| 150° | 4.67 | 7.03 | 8.48 | 9.75 |
| Run VMG | 4.04 | 6.09 | 7.40 | 8.55 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 950 kg.
Rigging
Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) rig and sail dimensions
A Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) carries 17.35 m of mainsail hoist on a 6.09 m boom, a forestay 18.09 m above the deck and a 5.73 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 14 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 148 to 197 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.