Good speed in the family cruiser Campus 7.4

Premier on the race course for Campus 7.4

The new Campus 7.4 has never competed against other boats at a regatta so we have not gotten a clear indication of how it compares in speed. In this year Tjörn Runt, with wind speed up to 31 knots, we had a proper test.

Does the folding keel work in tough competition?
Can a boat optimized for ease of handling, comfort and trailer ability keep up with regular keelboats and race boats? It is quite a difference with a keel that can be completely folded and a race oriented T-keel. By sailing a standard boat with spinnaker we sought the answer.

Rating SRS 1,138
With a rating of 1,138, the same as a Star or an X-79, and with winds up to 31 knots going upwind the Campus 7.4 had a to show it´s true colours. In this years event the larger yachts were favoured as they did not have to tack on the first beat, when the wind shifted, and with earlier starts had finished before the wind dropped. The smaller classes had between 20-30 knots upwind for about 2,5 hours which made it tough and no smaller boat had any impact on the total result list. The first smaller boat was an Express on 43:rd place.



Result
A 21:st in it´s class out of 45 boats may not look to impressive but a closer look at the boats in the calls reveals a really good performance for the Campus 7.4 even in tough conditions.
Finishing before in the result was six IOD´s and an R6, boats really good for hard upwind conditions. There were also 2 Stars before but also 2 behind. All 7 Maxi Racer was behind and 2 Banner 28. Out the 6 starting CB 66 Racer 5 were behind in the result.

Great speed
Per Erik Johansson, the skipper of the Campus 7.4, said after the race, “We had great speed in the boat, went even with the Stars upwind with a speed of around 5,8 knots. The only comparable boats we had problems with were the best of the Express. Downwind we gained on them again. It was a fun race but a bit too much wind to be able to compete with the more classical upwind oriented yachts.”
What does all this mean for the average Campus client looking for some cruising? A boat that sails well is a joy for an owner, an experienced sailor as well as a novice to sailing. It extends the range of the boat and gives more pleasure.

Sailed times
Looking at sailed times The Campus 7.4 had 5:09:22, the best Maxi Racer 5:14:11. Repeat winner and well known Swedish Champion Michael Collberg sailed his Express on 4:43:57 and the “mid” Express 7:th in class on 5:17:16.

Unique
We are now in the position to be able to state that the Campus 7.4 offers a unique combination of qualities; ease of handling on a trailer, sailing qualities comparable to larger yachts, comfortable for a family to live in. The Campus 7.4 is simply unique.