[citation needed] Following Griffith's initial design, the Cal 40 was developed by naval architect C. William "Bill" Lapworth.

A major undertaking for its time and radically different from other production racing sailboats with its fin keel separated from a spade rudder mounted well aft, the Cal 40 astonished the yachting community[citation needed] by Don Salisbury's Hull #3 "Psyche" winning first overall in the 1965 Transpac with Griffith aboard.

This is one of the reasons these ruggedly built and surprisingly affordable[clarification needed] boats remain popular nearly fifty years after they first appeared in the recreational marine marketplace.

celebrated its 50th year concluding its National Championship regatta with 53 boats entered at Alamitos Bay and Long Beach Yacht Clubs in Southern California.

All Is Lost, the 2013 American survival film written and directed by J. C. Chandor and starring Robert Redford, includes turtling and sinking of the Cal 39 sailboat and the liferaft amidst the myriad disasters befalling the protagonist.