Sydney 43
Sydney Yachts · Jason Ker · 2011
Updated
The Sydney 43 is a 13.13 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Jason Ker and built by Sydney Yachts, first launched in 2011. It races in Class A.
Length
13.13 m
43′ 1″
Beam
4.20 m
Draft
2.78 m
Displacement
7.9 t
Sail area
111 m²
On the podium
Where a Sydney 43 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
17%
of 12 starts by 2 boats
Wins
8%
Read from 12 starts by 2 boats between 2023 and 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sydney 43 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Rolex Middle Sea Race2025
ORC European Championship 2025 / 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE2025
Regata Jabuka2024- Regata Jabuka2023
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: 8 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 4 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Sydney 43 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Elan 450 (3 meetings), Mat 11.80 (2 meetings), Dehler 46 (2 meetings), Elan E6 (3 meetings), Pac 52 (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3300 (Andrieu) (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3200 (1 meeting), JPK 10.30 (2 meetings), Irc 52 (1 meeting), TP 52 (Carkeek) (1 meeting), Comet 38 (Vallicelli) (1 meeting), Dufour 34 (1 meeting), Arcona 380 (1 meeting), First 40 (1 meeting), Botin 56 (1 meeting), Farr 30 (1 meeting), J/109 (1 meeting), Sun Fast 3600 (1 meeting), IMX 40 (1 meeting), Cookson 50 (1 meeting), J/111 (1 meeting), TP 52 (Judel/Vrolijk) (1 meeting), X-41 (1 meeting), Mat 122 (1 meeting), Dufour 44 (1 meeting)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Sydney 43 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
6.29
37°
Beam reach
10.12
90°
Broad reach
12.66
135°
Downwind VMG
9.70
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.
This is a boat that wants breeze. On a windy coastal course it is in its element; on a light-air windward-leeward it has to be sailed well to hold on.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage downwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 1.0 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the broad reach.
How fast is a Sydney 43
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 4.17 | 5.63 | 6.08 | 6.29 |
| 52° | 6.31 | 8.04 | 8.47 | 8.71 |
| 60° | 6.64 | 8.25 | 8.72 | 9.03 |
| 75° | 6.88 | 8.40 | 9.06 | 9.59 |
| 90° | 7.14 | 8.64 | 9.21 | 10.12 |
| 110° | 7.03 | 8.79 | 9.78 | 11.06 |
| 120° | 6.80 | 8.79 | 9.98 | 11.82 |
| 135° | 6.14 | 8.46 | 9.78 | 12.66 |
| 150° | 5.14 | 7.58 | 8.96 | 11.20 |
| Run VMG | 4.45 | 6.56 | 7.80 | 9.70 |
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 800 kg.
Rigging
Sydney 43 rig and sail dimensions
A Sydney 43 carries 17.94 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.58 m boom, a forestay 17.33 m above the deck and a 7.14 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 6 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 196 to 220 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.