Elliott 35SuperSport Newport to Bermuda success

by Elliott Marine on 27 Jun 2016 The Newport to Bermuda race attracts yachts and yachtsmen from a diverse range of sailing backgrounds. This year the inclusion of an Open Class enabled canting keel and water ballasted racing yachts to enter.

This open class included the smallest yacht in the race fleet - the Elliott 35 SuperSport, Inigo Montoya, recently arrived on the east coast of the US. As the last start nearly three hours after the first Divisional start the Elliott 35 thrilled the crowd lining Castle Hill, by winning the start from the 100ft Comanche, who blasted off the start line to easily break the race record. Inigo Montoya completed the race in 4 days 9hrs 37mins. Inigo Montoya passed 116 yachts to finish third in class and 17th on elapsed time.

Based on pre race weather reports of gale force conditions a decision was made to sail a westerly course as a safer more sea kindly route for the small yacht. Although this proved to be a frustrating decision at times, adding 100 plus miles to a rhum line course, the crew report exhilarating rides and boat speeds of up to 20 knots for a 12 hour period when the wind speed was 25+ knots. Greg Elliott, happy with the boat’s performance, commented that “the varied weather conditions made for an interesting race allowing the E35ss to show exceptional performance in the variety of conditions”.

The Elliott 35SuperSport is designed to race offshore both short handed and fully crewed. Testament to the success of the design are the numerous podium places achieved such as: Groupama Round New Caledonia Race Line Honours Race Record, Transpac 2015 Fastest Elapsed Time Yachts under 36ft, NZ Central Triangle Offshore Line Honours & Coastal Classic Race Record Yachts 40ft <, Double Handed Round North Island NZ Race Line Honours x2 , Coastal Classic double handed line honours.

Elliott’s latest designs, currently underway, include features of the E35SuperSport and design innovations developed from original successful concepts of the design.