Comanche (2014)

The hot new IRC supermaxi from French designers Guillaume Verdier, Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (VPLP), and builders Hodgdon Yachts in Maine. She currently holds the World's highest IRC/TCC rating (1,929), meaning that she is expected to cross the finish line before any other yacht in an IRC race. Read François Chevalier's analysis of the yacht here (translated by my good services, thank you).
sailplan, body plan, sheer plan, half-breadth plan and deck layout of the Comanche, courtesy of © François Chevalier

The Comanche was built for Dr. & Mrs. Clark; At the US Sailing leadership conference this year, Jim Clark presented his new boat, amongst his other experiences and endeavours in the sailing world. He was introduced to the stage by Ken Read, the project-manager ("build-captain") and skipper of the Comanche.


You can vote for this photograph in the 2014 Mirabaud yacht racing image contest.
All photographs courtesy of © Onne van der Wal particulars of ship, from the VPLP office, compiled against the IRC/TCC listing:
Date of launch: September 27th, 2014
IRC/TCC measured LOA: 30.46m
IRC/TCC measured beam: 7.85m
IRC/TCC measured draught: 6.67m
Air draught: 45.00m
Upwind sail area: 760sqm
Downwind sail area: 1,100sqm
Weight: under 30 metric tonnes
IRC/TCC rating: 1,929
The appendages shown in the design renders and the launch photographs shot by George Bekris are not yet final and the crew has yet to decide upon the appendage package to fit to the yacht for the Sydney-Hobart race in December. During her build she was described as a 100ft-scale-up of François Gabart's open 60ft MACIF, but all I can read from the lines and shots is that VPLP & Verdier have stepped out of their usual lines for the IMOCA circuit and drawn a large Volvo 70. Hopefully better observers than I will also comment.

The names of Native American tribes were commonly given to yachts in the 1880s-1890s, so it was very easy to find one for Comanche, here is a shot by John S. Johnston from the Library of Congress, and beautifully lit up by Mark Krasnow.
Mr. Krasnow annotated: L: 98 B: 23 D: 12 Mather & Wood - Pt. Jefferson 1891 - for W.D. Bishop Jr. - Port: Bridgeport, CT - Club: NY
(from other sources I understand that she was an 1881 Capt. Philip R. Ellsworth design, formerly Æola). Two large sailing yachts 120+ years apart.