About the Class

The “Esse 850 International Class” is the official class association of the Esse 850 one-design yachts and was founded in January 2007 at Rapperswil Castle. Its purpose is to enable international regattas, promote communication among Esse 850 sailors, and coordinate activities in Switzerland and internationally. At five to six international regattas, the best crews compete against each other and determine the winner of the Esse 850 International Class Cup each year. In 2010, the Swiss Esse 850 class was admitted as a member by the Swiss Sailing Federation, “Swiss Sailing”, and has since been entitled to hold official Swiss Championships.

The class association currently has 50 members who actively participate in the regatta scene. The social aspect is also very important, because the sailors are not only sporting competitors. Both the official event, the General Assembly, and the many shared dinners are important and foster common interests and sporting friendship.

Purpose of the Class Association

Promoting regatta activity and sailing activities for the Esse 850 yacht
Organising national and international regattas
Maintaining the uniformity of the yachts by issuing class and construction rules and allowing sensible, appropriate innovations that uphold the yacht’s value and preserve sporting comparability
Representing interests vis-à-vis third parties such as associations and authorities
Maintaining contacts and exchanging information among members

About the Boat

Josef Schuchter consistently gave Umberto Felci the brief of combining simplicity with speed. The Esse 850 was intended to be sailed fast without difficulty, single-handed or with a small crew, without excessive heeling. Umberto Felci implemented this concept brilliantly. Thanks to its high ballast ratio and great form stability, the Esse 850 has a very large righting moment and is very stable and safe.

Further Details

The Esse 850 was voted “Boat of the Year” in Europe (2005) and in the USA (2007)
No running backstays
Gennaker instead of a spinnaker
All trim controls can be operated from the cockpit
One sail set: mainsail, jib, gennaker (no genoa)