During the La Grande-Motte show we exhibited a boat that sums up exactly what we set out to build: the ORC 57 ADV, MERU.RS. Her owner, Malcolm Wood, ORC ambassador, was on board to present her and answer our questions. A chance to revisit a catamaran built to sail fast, far and for a long time, and to look back at the family round-the-world project that brought her to life.
An ambassador who actually goes sailing
Malcolm Wood is an entrepreneur, explorer and athlete, he approaches the sea the way he approaches everything else: by pushing the limits, but without giving up on simplicity. That is precisely ORC’s home ground. When he went looking for the boat to carry his long-distance family cruising project, he wanted neither a floating apartment nor an unliveable racing machine. He wanted a real sailboat, fast and reliable, one you can also live aboard for months at a time.
That requirement led to a direct collaboration with our design team.
The ORC 57 ADV: the 57's DNA, a new interior expression
ADV is not a separate model. It is a customisation option for the ORC 57, developed by three voices working together:
- Darnet Design, for the consistency, the detail and the precision of the layout.
- Malcolm Wood, to translate the expectations of sailors who live outside, far from the coast.
- ORC owners, whose feedback, gathered after real seasons of sailing, has turned into concrete decisions.
The starting idea is simple: to make life on board warmer and smarter, without diluting what makes an ORC. Useful simplicity, the sea first.
In practice, ADV works on three pillars. A warmer atmosphere, with more welcoming lines and a calmer mood. Smarter storage, designed to work on the move, when the boat is loaded and the space is shared. And lighting that follows real life, adjustable whether you are at anchor, reading or standing a night watch.
None of this touches the fundamentals. The spirit of the ORC 57 stays direct, alive and seaworthy.
Two kinds of comfort, one boat
Malcolm Wood puts it well when he talks about his boat: there are two kinds of comfort at sea. The first is the one you notice at the dock, the good light and the nice materials. The second is the one you discover at three in the morning, mid-watch, when the boat is moving, the crew is tired, and everything has to be right: accessible, logical, effortless.
The ORC 57 ADV was born from bringing those two comforts together. Not from effect, but from use.
Fast and light, for real
Designed by Marc Lombard Yacht Design, the ORC 57 remains the yard’s adventure boat. Her direct tiller steering delivers the full essence of the design, and her ultra-light platform gives her that rare feeling of a catamaran that is at once alive, easy to read and simple to handle. She starts sailing in as little as 5 knots of true wind, which changes everything on a round-the-world voyage, where so much time is spent in light airs.
A few figures to place her:
| Length overall | 18,39 m |
|---|---|
| Hull length | 17,56 m |
| Overall beam | 9,61 m |
| Standard draft (daggerboards) | 1,65 / 3,30 m |
| Air draft | 25,80 m |
| Empty weight (ISO standard) | 10,9 T |
| Mainsail area (developed) | 107 m² |
| Self-tacking jib J1 (developed) | 84 m² |
| Engines | 2 x 57 HP saildrives |
Light means sensations. Simple means efficient. This is what we call the Fast & Light philosophy, and it is exactly what Malcolm Wood came looking for.
Heading for the horizon
MERU.RS, the fifth ORC 57, was launched at Lorient La Base. She joins the fleet with one clear ambition: to sail fast, far and for a long time. For Malcolm Wood and his family, that is not an end in itself. It is the means to spend more time at sea, with no fuss.
Adventure is not minimalist, it is organised. That is the whole point of ADV, and it is what you will discover in our video, filmed on board, where Malcolm presents his boat