Extraordinary Boats: JV43 Red 2

In their Extraordinary Boats series, Yachting World profiles the 42-foot JV43, a racing and fast cruising machine designed for a couple with a thirst for adventure and a taste for the barefoot sailing life:

Compared with the multihulls and centre cockpit cruising yachts dwarfing them in Las Palmas, Mathias and Katharina Müller von Blumencron’s yacht Red 2 really is extraordinary. The JV43 is compact by comparison and shorn of the many luxuries cruising boats customarily freight. It is clearly a full-throated racer, yet the couple have been cruising around the Med for months. “A boat that isn’t quite sure what it is?” puzzled one observer.

Not at all. Red 2 is absolutely certain of purpose. It is a cruiser-racer that harks back to simpler, less complicated times yet is supercharged by the latest design concepts and technical innovations. The full, blunt-nosed bow, flared topsides, pronounced reverse sheer and large cockpit cuddy are clear statements that this is designed as a powerful short-handed offshore racer. It resembles a Class 40, but with a twist. – Full report