Lady Helmsman
HELMSMAN · Håkan Södergren · 1976
Updated
Measured under the previous VPP (2021–2024)
The Lady Helmsman is a 12.07 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Håkan Södergren and built by HELMSMAN, first launched in 1976. It races in Class C.
Length
12.07 m
39′ 7″
Beam
2.70 m
Draft
1.76 m
Displacement
4.7 t
Sail area
56 m²
On the podium
Where a Lady Helmsman finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
25%
of 12 starts by 1 boat
Wins
8%
Read from 12 starts by 1 boat between 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Lady Helmsman was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Burāšanas treniņš Rīga 28 JUL2026- Burāšanas treniņš Rīga 14 JUL2026
- Burāšanas treniņš Rīga 16 JUL2026
- Ķīpsalas kauss2026
- Burāšanas treniņš Rīga 16 JUN2026
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
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Not enough data yet: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: no races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Lady Helmsman actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
J/112 (7 meetings), First 40.7 (7 meetings), Oceanis 323 (5 meetings), Marina 36 (4 meetings), First 35 (Farr) (4 meetings), Hanse 315 (3 meetings), X-41 (3 meetings), Dehler 32 (3 meetings), First 34.7 (2 meetings), Omega 28 (2 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Lady Helmsman 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.
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.
How fast is a Lady Helmsman
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.81 | 4.49 | 4.67 | — |
| 52° | 5.72 | 6.63 | 6.84 | — |
| 60° | 6.01 | 6.88 | 7.10 | — |
| 75° | 6.25 | 7.14 | 7.42 | — |
| 90° | 6.38 | 7.23 | 7.64 | — |
| 110° | 6.54 | 7.48 | 7.90 | — |
| 120° | 6.38 | 7.54 | 8.14 | — |
| 135° | 5.74 | 7.26 | 8.15 | — |
| 150° | 4.88 | 6.75 | 7.69 | — |
| Run VMG | 4.23 | 5.92 | 7.06 | — |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 470 kg.
Rigging
Lady Helmsman rig and sail dimensions
A Lady Helmsman carries 13.35 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.10 m boom, a forestay 11.04 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 54 to 90 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.