AC45 v Extreme 40

Sander van der Borch Photography / Artemis Racing
Terry Hutchinson and Dean Barker share their thoughts
Emirates Team New Zealand skipper and helmsman Dean Barker and his Artemis Racing counterpart, Terry Hutchinson (who was in Barker’s afterguard for the 32nd America’s Cup) have both been sailing on the America’s Cup World Series and Extreme Sailing Series this season and in this article offer their views between the AC45 and the Extreme 40, the two grand prix inshore catamarans of the moment. While the Yves Loday-designed Extreme 40 was first launched back in 2005, the AC45 has the advantage of being brand new this season and obviously is fundamentally different with a wingsail instead of a conventional mainsail. As is the trend in offshore multihull design, so the AC45 is be longer than the Extreme 40, with added volume in her bows, but it is a fraction narrower. The 40 has less sail area and weighs less, as you would expect. AC45 Extreme 40 LOA 13.45m 12.19m Beam 6.90m