Just a Dream or Two, or Are You Living Them?

It was probably the worst day of the year for smog, the weather forecasters were advising people to stay in, but we had been invited to the launch of the yacht Fortissimo. So risking all, we headed down to Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth to meet Jannine Stoodley and James Close who are the directors of Dream or Two Sailing and would be our crew for the day. On arrival the smog was so thick that even the iconic Napoleonic forts in the Solent were hidden from view. However we had enough time to have a good look around the boat before setting off.

Dream or Two Class 40 yacht Fortissimo

Fortissimo is a purpose built Class 40 racing yacht, and the company, Dream or Two, had recently taken delivery of this number 97 of 142 registered in the class. She had undergone a refit to add a few extra features to the spartan interior of this ultra lightweight racing machine. This provided the “luxuries” of some cushions for the berths, toilets behind new bulkheads and an alcohol power cooker.

What is a Class 40?

The familiar offshore racing yachts such as Hugo Boss (Alex Thomson), Ecover (Mike Golding) and Aviva (Dee Cafari) are part of the IMOCA Open 60 Class. As the pinnacle of racing boats they are naturally very high tech in order to achieve maximum performance, however this also means very expensive! Even the smaller Open 40 Class boats are expensive machines, due to the carbon fibre construction and canting keels. A more affordable, high performance offshore racing yacht was needed and so in 2005 the Class 40 association was formed. Carbon hulls and canting keels were banned and anything that could become too expensive is carefully controlled.

dream or two yacht Fortissimo tied up in Gunwharf Quay

After a welcome coffee and sandwiches, and a chat with Jannine and James, our crew for the day, we slipped the lines and headed out of the berth. The smog was quite thick, and the usually clear view of the Isle of Wight was nowhere to be seen. We quickly hoisted the sails and got underway, passing the Sir Ben Ainlie’s Base for his America’s Cup challenge. Jannine took the helm and demonstrated how Fortissimo handled. Soon I was invited to take the helm, which I eagerly accepted. The twin tillers were an unfamiliar configuration for me, but after a few tacks I got in the groove. Her turn of speed was impressive even on the light winds that prevailed, and as expected of such a light boat she was agile and responsive.

Eventually the smog lifted and the world of the Solent came into clear view. We were approaching Nab Tower so turned downwind for a run back to Portsmouth. Unfortunately, the clearance of the smog was accompanied by the demise of the wind. So with the tide rushing us towards Spitbank Fort we started the engine and motored the final stretch.

Dream or Two will be using Fortissimo to provide the unique opportunity for non-professional sailors to experience the excitement of racing a high performance yacht. They will also be competing in many regattas such as Round the Island Race, the Fastnet Race and other RORC races. The crew will get fully involved as the company limit the numbers to just 6 onboard to ensure full participation.

As Portsmouth has been selected to host 2 of the 35th America’s Cup series, there is also the rare opportunity to be “part” of this fantastic sporting event, which will take place on 23-26 July 2015 and 21-24 July 2016. Dream or Two Sailing are offering exclusive packages on Fortissimo over each of the 4 days (Thursday and Friday training days, and the actual Race days on the Saturday and Sunday). Packages include tickets to the exclusive Waterfront Festival Arena.

I recommend that you get in touch with Dream or Two Sailing and experience the dream!