Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

Garcia Yachts Exploration 45 - Jimmy Cornell's newest adventure

by nk on 12 Aug 2014
Garcia Exploration 45 @ Morris Adant
When most cruising sailors reach their seventies they wonder how long they will keep cruising. They don't start designing their 'perfect' cruising boat with a plan to sail it through the Northwest Passage. That's because they are not Jimmy Cornell.

Specialist international and national press were invited to the Garcia Yachting shipyard in Cherbourg, Normandya few weeks ag when the official launch of his new Garcia Exploration 45, Aventura IV, took place. Jimmy Cornell himself, long time cruising sailor, rally organiser and author of 13 books on sailing, was also present to see her go into the water.



The best-selling nautical author, founder of the ARC and organiser of several round the world rallies, is preparing for a voyage that promises to be the culmination of his sailing life.

During this coming summer 2014, Jimmy Cornell will sail his new yacht in his latest project, the Blue Planet Odyssey, a global event aiming to raise awareness of the effects of climate change. A transit of the Northwest Passage in the company of other like-minded sailors will highlight the direct consequences of those changes.

To accomplish that voyage, Jimmy conceived the ideal boat, perfectly suited for both high latitude and tropical sailing. In recognition of their skills and expertise, the team at Garcia Yachting consider it an honour and privilege to have been asked to build this exceptional yacht for an exceptional sailor.



'My requirements were very clear: a strong, fast, comfortable, functional and easily handled boat perfectly suited for both high latitude and tropical sailing,' explains Jimmy Cornell. 'What was new, however, was my insistence on a deck saloon that would ensure almost all-round visibility. This, and an inside steering position, was something that had never been tried before on a centreboard yacht. The designer has produced what I believe to be the perfect solution: a comfortable and spacious deck saloon with 270° vision, also ideal for watchkeeping and navigation.'

The Garcia Exploration 45 has the benefit of a font of unmatched experience in the field of long distance cruising. While Jimmy Cornell will realise with this boat a masterpiece based on a life dedicated to offshore navigation, Garcia Yachting's team of designers and builders contribute more than four decades of expertise in producing high quality yachts for long distance navigators.



Garcia Yachting was an ideal choice. They have been specialists in custom-built aluminium boats from 45 to 115 feet since 1974. Their 'handmade' boats embody the high end range of French production. There are more than 300 Garcia yachts cruising the world.

At the launch Jimmy Cornell introduced his new boat and talked about Blue Planet Odyssey, a round-the-world rally aiming to raise awareness of climate change. Jimmy’s attempted transit of the Northwest Passage on board Aventura IV this coming summer will be undertaken as part of the Blue Planet Odyssey and under the auspices of UNESCO and the IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission).



About Aventura IV:

The idea for Jimmy Cornell was to bring his experience to bear to conceive the ideal boat, perfectly suited for both high latitude and tropical sailing. The 14.72 m long and 4.43 m wide Garcia Exploration 45 from France, a deck saloon sailing yacht with a 270° panorama view from the interior helm station in the saloon, has been developed for ocean sailing trips. Jimmy has injected his experience into the aluminium construction with a retractable keel and is taking ownership of the first in the series in spring 2014.

Its features include specially sealed-off areas in the bow and stern so that, in the event of collisions with flotsam, the remainder of the hull remains watertight. All of the seawater cocks discharge above the waterline and the saloon windows are double-glazed. 'My requirements were very clear: a strong, fast, comfortable, functional and easily handled boat perfectly suited for both high latitude and tropical sailing,' explains Jimmy Cornell.

'What was new, however, was my insistence on a deck saloon that would ensure almost all-round visibility. This, and an inside steering position, was something that had never been tried before on a centreboard yacht. The designer has produced what I believe to be the perfect solution: a comfortable and spacious deck saloon with 270° vision, also ideal for watchkeeping and navigation.

'For much of my sailing life I have been trying to find out if there was such a thing as an ideal cruising boat.'
Only time will tell whether he has found it this time...



Technical Specifications

Length: 13.98 m
Lwl : 12.34 m
Bmax: 4.43 m
Draft: 1.05/2.8 m
Displacement: 14.1 t
Water capacity: 500 l
Offshore category: 6/8 persons
Onshore category: 6/8 persons
Architect: Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design

For more information about the Blue Planet Odyssey go to www.blueplanetodyssey.com/

Maritimo S SeriesHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeSwitch One Design

Related Articles

All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects!
Posted on 10 Jul
America's Cup: Luna Rossa to sail for Naples club.
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest the next America's Cup as the team of a Naples club. Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest its seventh America's Cup as the team of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia of Naples, as club that is new to the America's Cup.
Posted on 10 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 3
Big breeze in the morning, calm in the afternoon The third day of racing at the 2025 Moth World Championship kicked off early, with the first warning signal for the Blue fleet scheduled for 8:30 AM. Due to strong northerly winds, however, the fleet's departure was postponed to 9:00.
Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly.
Posted on 10 Jul
Everything to know about The Ocean Race Europe
One month to go to the race start in Kiel One month out from the start of the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe seven mixed-gender crews made up of sailors from across 13 nations are in the throes of their final preparations for the Race start in Kiel, Germany.
Posted on 10 Jul
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez preview
An exceptional fleet of grand classics are preparing An exceptional fleet of grand classics led by the legendary three-masted schooner Atlantic, a strong showing from the Wally yachts among the numerous Maxis, and the arrival of the new Magic Carpet e are all signs...
Posted on 10 Jul
OK Dinghy Europeans at Warnemünde overall
Charlie Cumbley wins after no racing on final day Britain's Charlie Cumbley has won the 2025 OK Dinghy European Championship, in Warnemünde, Germany, after all racing was cancelled on the last day with strong winds and passing storms.
Posted on 10 Jul