Pen Duick 5 is already Eric Tabarly’s fourth racing yacht. It is of modest size since its length does not exceed 10.67 meters. A tiny boat designed to be able to cross the Pacific Ocean. But above all to take part in a single-handed race between San Francisco and Tokyo.

Pen Duick 5 a boat designed to win

This boat was built in Lorient in the same shipyard as Pen Duick III and Pen Duick IV. If Eric Tabarly applies the same recipes for success to this new yacht, he will continue to experience the same setbacks. Pen Duick 5 will not escape the rule. Delays in the construction of the vessel will prevent it from approaching the Transpacific with serenity. But the keys to this success lie once again in Eric Tabarly’s ability to envisage a high-performance and innovative boat. Pen Duick 5 will be made of aluminium like its two predecessors, Pen Duick 3 and Pen Duick 4. This material makes it possible to build a lighter and therefore, faster sailboat.

The recipe for ballasts to ensure the stability of the sailboat

But to this, Eric Tabarly will add ballasts.  It is thus two tanks that can contain 500 litres of water. These tanks are located on either side of the sailboat, which allows counterbalancing the wind pressing on the sails. Each time the boat turns, the water must be pumped by hand to send the water into the wind. This ingenious system allows counterbalancing the heel of the sailboat. Keeping a regular trim improves the boat’s behaviour and speed.
Another positive point is that the ballast tanks allow to carry a little more sail and to be more potent in lousy weather. Today, almost all racing monohulls have ballast tanks to improve their racing performance. This is notably the case for the IMOCA class of yachts that compete in the Vendée Globe every four years.

A clear-cut victory with an 11-day lead in the 1969 Transpacific race

When Eric Tabarly launches into the first single-handed race across the Pacific, it’s a real departure into the unknown. Indeed, the Transpacific is a single-handed race that takes place between San Francisco and Tokyo. On April 15, 1969, only five of them will set off across the largest ocean on the planet. When he crosses the finish line, Eric Tabarly will be alone. No one in the race committee was expecting him so early. It was just an other brilliant victory of Eric Tabarly, the most famous french sailor.

Technical Sheet Pen Duick V

hull length: 10.67 meters – 35 feet
length at waterline: 9.15 meters
maximum width: 3.5 meters
height under inside the boat: 1,6 meter
Draft: 2.3 meters (Keelboat)
air draft: 15 meters
displacement: 3.2 tons + 500 liters of ballast
Upwind sail area: 63 square meters
Canopy area downwind: 110 square meters
mainsail: 30 square meters
genoa: 40.7 square meters
Spinnaker: 80 square meters
type of rigging: sloop Marconi

year of construction: 1968 / first launch: January 4, 1969

construction site: La Perrière (city of Lorient) – With Pen Duick III, Pen Duick IV and Pen Duick V, this Lorient construction site built three of Eric Tabarly’s six Pen Duicks.

Architects: Michel Bigoin and Daniel Duvergie

Want more informations about Pen Duick 5 ?

Book : From Pen Duick to Pen Duick, Eric Tabarly, collection Sans Limite – Arthaud.

website : the city of the sea – Tabarly (Lorient)

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Pen Duick, a William Fife sailing boat.

Photo credits: nightstopover.com – Yann