This 60ft Judel/Vrolijk daysailer is the latest commission by French businessman and serial boatowner Jack Setton. Those familiar with Setton’s yachts over the last few decades will know he is a pioneer with innovative tastes who has owned a fleet of vessels ranging from daysailers to an ice-breaking tug and a converted shrimper – and that this latest carbon creation is just the type of purist ‘upwinder’ he has long been passionate about.

“Once again it’s a design with no rating concerns, rather helming pleasure is the top priority,” he enthused when I caught up with him pre-launch. Comparisons will obviously be made to Ciao Gianni, an inspirational daysailer which Setton had designed by Frers in 2010 but sold in 2018. This new JV60 Jaro is purposely around a tonne heavier and has a more rounded hull as “Ciao Gianni used to slam a bit upwind”.

It will be used as a daysailer from Sardinia, but is designed to be able to sail offshore, to cope with the Mistrals in those waters, Setton explained. Hence the higher freeboard and bulwarks, more ballast, plus a proper sheerline for seakeeping.

Setton’s last custom boat was a 30ft Paolo Bua-designed daysailer called Paja (an ultra slim yet stable design, with pronounced sheer), which we featured in our Extraordinary Boats section and there are echoes of that again. “I really loved Paja… it had no deck, like a whaler. And I dreamed of doing something similar at 60ft.”

Not a typical deck or 60-footer design! Narrow hull and deep draught on Jack Setton’s latest carbon daysailer, Jaro

However, Rolf Vrolijk calculated the rigidity would not be sufficient and that such a design would cost too much in weight at this size. So they met halfway with the bulwarks, adding one level of guardrail for safety. “I’m 74 and sail alone, and wanted to be able to go up front if I break a halyard,” reasoned Setton.

Another unusual feature is Jaro’s very small, but protected cockpit, with wheels forward – I don’t want to see guests, I want to see the bow,” Setton exclaimed. It’s reminiscent of his last Judel/Vrolijk daysailer, the 36ft Roljack from 2015, which has a near all-flat deck. Once again a name blend of Jack and Rolf, Jaro is designed to be easy to manage solo, using two captive winches for the main and electric furling jib.

Windward performance is critical, hence the 3.9m draught and a whopping 65% ballast ratio. Setton predicts it’ll sail at 20º to the apparent wind. “I won’t carry a Code 0 ever anyway, and this can still do 14-15 knots with a self-tacking jib.”

He hadn’t planned to go down the custom build route again, but the outspoken Setton found the production yachts he recently owned or sailed too slow and compromised once all the typical cruising extras are fitted. Hence this all-carbon build by custom composite specialists Multiplast.

“It’s not a revolutionary boat, it’s just pushing to the limit the classic fixed keelboat,” said Setton, adding, “and I’m hoping when the weather is rough, it’s gonna go smoothly.”

JV60 specifications

LOA: 18.30m / 60ft 1in
Beam: 3.88m / 12ft 9in
Draught: 3.90m / 12ft 10in
Displacement: 11,000kg / 24,251lb
Sail area: 188m2 / 2,024ft2

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