With its sleek waterline and slim deep bow and stern, the Grand Surprise is designed for fast sailing. It tends to seek an upright position due to a lead counter weight in the keel and this helps it to be both powerful and efficient when sailing close to the wind. With a following wind or even with little wind, it accelerates easily thanks to the surface area of the mainsail, designed with a ratio of 7:8 and the power of an assymetric spinnaker.