On Test: JPK 1030

Pip Hare Feels Right at Home in This Quick, No-nonsense Boat That’s Ideal for Short-handers. Photos by Jean-marie Liot

You know the feeling when you meet an old friend and just pick up where you left off – there is no small talk, the conversation flows and you get straight into discussing the meaningful things in life? Sailing the JPK 1030 was just like that. It felt incredibly familiar: every rope and every footrest was where I expected it to be. There was no need for a warm up, we just stepped aboard, the water ballast went in, the main traveller went up and we were on the pace without a second thought.

This freshly launched model from the Lorient-based boatbuilders is set to replace the successful JPK 1010 and had been afloat for just ten days at the time of my test.

At first glance you can see the 1030 is squarely focussed at the short-handed sailing audience. The hull is powerful, with high topsides, a full-length chine and a full but not radical bow. The cockpit has a clear, functional layout, with minimal seating so crew would be forced to sit either on the rail or behind the helm.

The boat is straightforward and simple but that simplicity demonstrates a wealth of design knowledge and experience of what the short-handed sailor needs.

Following a quick tour of the boat, we set sail and allowed the JPK 1030 to speak for itself.

King of trim

Helming the 1030 upwind was easy and fun. In 18 knots of true wind we carried a full mainsail and a J2, using the 300 litres of water ballast. The helm was light and the boat easy to control in gusts. Filling the water ballast gave a significant boost to performance – we heeled less, picked up speed and the boat became less twitchy in the gusts.