Radical Transpac Record Holder For Sale In San Diego

Mighty Merloe, an Orma 60 racing trimaran and Transpac record holder, was recently listed for sale in San Diego by Denison Yacht Sales broker Kurt Jerman. The Mighty Merloe broke the Transpacific Yacht Race record in July, 2017 with an elapsed time of four days, seven hours, three minutes and 30 Seconds. The previous record set in 1999 took five days, nine hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds.

Built to sail fast and get instant spectator approval, current owner HL Enloe has been racing Mighty Merloe in just about every west coast offshore event held in the past few years, often with no serious competition. According to Patrick Murray, the North Sails expert in San Diego, “the enthusiasm Enloe put into this program really opened a door to multihull sailing in Southern California.”

The product of intensive R&D, Mighty Merloe employs three daggerboards: a straight board with a trim tab in the center hull, and asymmetric curved “C” boards in the floats. Together they enable Mighty Merloe’s highly accomplished crew to finely tune the balance of vertical lift (to keep the bows up) and horizontal lift (to reduce leeway) based on boat speed and wind angle. The massive canting rig with rotating wing mast gives the crew full control over sail shape and weight distribution through a remarkably simple set of controls.

Built in France of carbon fiber with a Nomex core, this boat is a MUST for anyone wanting to compete and collect trophies.

“I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the evolution of a guy living in the desert, who got the idea that he wanted to sail, and sail fast. Selling H L Enloe his first of many Corsair trimarans in 1995, I was able to join him on numerous Ensenada races, a number of Corsair National events, and then watch him make the transition to the bigger tri’s. He has done the work and created an amazing program and winner with the Mighty Merloe.”