After a long wait we are thrilled to go racing in the M32 again! The starting point for the much delayed 2020 season will be Newport, RI, USA July 17-19 and Marstrand, Sweden August 7-9. Both venues are famous worldwide for their sail-racing heritage and incidentally also areas with a large local M32 presence.
“Safety for our sailors and the community at large is always the top priority. We are working together with local authorities and sport federations to follow all guidelines and some activities, like meetings and socials, will have a new look,” says class manager Mattias Dahlstrom.
Joining the fleet in a brand new boat is team Surge with Ryan McKillen who comments “I chartered an M32 for the February 2020 event in Miami where the class organizers conjured up a full weekend of 25 kts. Nice sales tactic. I’m excited to be joining the class and competing on the Surge #63 against a talented fleet this weekend in Newport.”
“Many teams have an international crew. And with travel restrictions still in place, Newport and Marstrand both have an abundance of world class sailors with M32 experience. We can help the teams fill the gaps and get racing.  It has opened up new opportunities to share knowledge through the class” says Dave Doucett of M32 North America.
Another addition to the M32 fleet is Yonder Racing with skipper Doug Newhouse, who was seen practicing in Newport waters the last few weeks. “As a new M32 sailor, I am excited to participate in the Midtown Oyster Cup! Last weekend we competed in the IYAC Newport Cup 2020 – an “Around the Island” race in Newport – and came in 2nd out of 26 boats! We missed first by 16 seconds over an 18 mile distance course. So far the boat is exhilarating and exciting to sail. I was a bit nervous in the beginning given the boat’s speed and unique ability to “fly a hull”. However, now that I have some experience I am looking forward to competing with seven boats on the line in a traditional short course M32 regatta.” Editor’s note: the boat winning, Team Argo, racing the MOD70 trimaran will step into their M32 for the Midtown Cup for some one design action!Â
A delayed season goes ahead
In Europe the season goes ahead after Marstrand with the European Championship in Riva del Garda, Italy September 4-6. After a successful World Championship last year in Riva, the place instantly became a favourite among M32 teams. 3 days of racing is scheduled for the Championship, and the weekend after is the famous 30 mile distance race “The Gorla” which in the past has attracted several M32 teams.
In North America, the fleet will split into two regional hubs to avoid travel as much as possible. In Newport there will be racing August 21-23 and September 18-20. Another fleet will race in Michigan.Â
Newport Training Weekend
No less than 5 teams went to training in Newport after the guidelines had been updated allowing “stable groups” to race together as a crew. Two days of great weather saw several new and old teams getting back into the boat, all eager to be joined by a few more teams and get racing this weekend.
Training Weekend Result:
Argo, Jason Carroll
Midtown, Larry Phillips
Yonder Racing, Doug Newhouse
Young American, Carina Becker
Rule #1, Jerry Kirby
Join the fun with the M32 Demo Boat
The M32 Demo Boat is the perfect way to get introduced to M32 racing in a way that is tailored to your background in racing and other classes. Maybe you have your own racing team and just need a few hints on M32 specifics, or maybe you need help with setting up an M32 experienced crew and start from the beginning with multihull racing.
This is the way most of our class members got introduced to the boat. The most common answer to the question ”Why did you start racing the M32?” has always been, “I tried it, and then I was hooked.” The demo boat will be available on most regattas to give you a chance to join the fun.
m32world.com/demoboat/
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Gennaker Halyard Lock
Masts built after August 2018 are fitted with a gennaker halyard lock specified in the class rules as “KFH Karver Mast Lock”. Karver have updated the The KFH1 Halyard lock with some smaller upgrades. The older version will likely be discontinued. New masts will be delivered with the new version lock and both versions will be allowed in the class rules.
