[PCP]

ARC - update

Last post about boats that have done well and arrived among the first, even if these arrivals are separated by days : 5 days and 15 hours separates the first relatively small performance cruiser (a Marten 49) to the last sailboat I will post a Bavaria 47. But even so these are the first sailboats, if we consider the 250 boats, the Bavaria 47 is among the ones that arrived on the first third (or less) regarding all the boats.

This shot was taken when the Bavaria was entering. As you can see there are boats still nearer from Cabo Verde than to Sta Lucia



On the tail of the Transat among others we can find a Nauticat 42, a Island Packet 380, a Vand de Stadt 36, a nauticat 44, a trintella 57, all heavy boats, but curiously he can also find 5 big cats. It seems that this year's unusual upwind sailing on the transat was not good for the cats. I hope they all have plenty of water and food because it is going to be a Sloooooow transat for them.

So, continuing....several hours after that Southerly 42RS arrived another group leaded by a performance cruiser, a Grand Soleil 50 and very close another of those fast and beautiful medium weight XC 45, the second arriving mostly among performance cruisers or much bigger cruisers:



followed an older performance cruiser, a Swan 44MKII, a medium weight Moody 66 and an Arcona 400, a performance cruiser:



then a well sailed Finnish Bavaria 42:



and a Portuguese Dufour 40, a performance cruiser:



a big cat, a Privilege 55 and a well sailed Bavaria 40:



Some hours later arrived at almost the same time a performance cruiser with some years, a Sweden yacht 55, a fast cat, a Catana 431, a main market Dufour 375 GL:



a jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42:



a Grand Soleil 45 performance cruiser and the first sailboat with less than 30ft, a Pogo 8.50, also a performance cruiser:



some ours later and in another group a First 44.7, a Skye 51, another fast cat, a Catana 47, an Oyster 53 and another Dufour 40:



a Southerly 47, a Grand Soleil 46, a Sweden yacht 45 and a Bavaria 47.

As I said these are just the first third, or less than that, that arrived first. Most of the boats are still days, some a week or more away.

Conclusions: Lots's of "marina" boats among the first and also many mass production inexpensive cruisers and performance cruisers.

Very few older boats among the first with exception of some Swan or other once fast performance cruisers that here showed a similar performance to mass production main market inexpensive cruising boats of the same size.

The Cats had an overall poor performance, maybe because this year the trade winds did not show as usual and there was considerable upwind sailing involved.

 

[MrPelicano]

Re: More crazy stuff:

Well, one more circumnavigation what's crazy about that?

That is going to be attempted by a pro, a good one, Yvan Bourgnon, with Vincent Beauvarlet on an OPEN SMALL CAT

The objective:

To do the first World circumnavigation with a non cruising sailboat (on a sport catamaran 6.3 meters long) and also a circumnavigation with a boat with less than 6.5 meters with no support, no GPS (navigation sextant).

Yvan Bourgnon is a great sailor:

But this is a madness

His crew, Vincent Beauvarlet, a wind surf champion give up at Canary Islands but that seems not to be a problem for Bourgnon that crossed the Atlantic alone but...he says about it " The boat almost capsized 150 times till it really capsized in a big storm.... I fought with all my strength to get back to the boat and to put it back on his feet....sometimes I got 60K winds...this is not for all, it is very risky."

Yvan Bourgnon : «J'ai lutté comme un fou, un féroce» - 11/12/2013 - LaDépêche.fr

I have to say that I had necer any doubt about that, I mean that is not for all and that is very risky

And after losing being abandoned by the crew and almost losing is live is he going to quit? No way, he will continue alone.

You can follow the mad circumnavigation of Yvan Bourgnon here:

Le défi d?Yvan | Yvan Bourgnon

For all that, he made it to Martinique in 19 days, beating the record of Alessandro Benedetto by 9 days. That's amazing, considering how totally whacky the tradewinds have been this year (listen to Craig Horsefield's interview over at the MT site where he talks about his frustration finding himself sailing upwind in the so-called trades).

I don't blame his partner for abandoning the voyage, but I suspect this will not slow down Bourgnon at all. He will be leaving for Panama shortly, to celebrate the holidays and New Year, before heading out across the Pacific, which hopefully will be more benign than the Atlantic has been. Perhaps he will eventually catch up with the two Frenchmen making a circumnavigation in their Mini 6.50, who just arrived in New Guinea a few days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEFI-Voile-650/141867589263604?fref=ts

It is funny to me how Bourgnon's effort makes sailing around the world in a Mini 6.50 seem like no big deal (of course, Benedetto has already done that before, singlehanded and non-stop).

http://www.alessandrodibenedetto.net/index.php?option=com_zoom&page=viewimage&catid=10&key=28&type=0&tmpl=component

 

[PCP]

Re: The first video with the new the RM 890, directly from the Nautic de Paris:

..
Thanks for posting the new RM. I've had great expectations to see this little yacht. ...

The canopy of the new 890 looks great, but too bad it doesn't work for the headroom (OUCH!). They should've stuck to the high 1060 canopy. I'm hoping they do a 1065 with the sexy lines of the 890. It would top my list for my next boat. That new Pogo 30 is a close second and the Dufour 310 looks great too.

That guy from Voile and Voiliers, the one that is presenting the boat should be forbidden to do that.That guy has certainly more than 1.90m. In fact the "standing weight" of the RM 890 is pretty good for a 30fter. 1.79m at the end of stair.

Regards

Paulo

 

[PCP]

Yvan Bourgnon

For all that, he made it to Martinique in 19 days, beating the record of Alessandro Benedetto by 9 days. That's amazing, considering how totally whacky the tradewinds have been this year (listen to Craig Horsefield's interview over at the MT site where he talks about his frustration finding himself sailing upwind in the so-called trades).

I don't blame his partner for abandoning the voyage, but I suspect this will not slow down Bourgnon at all. He will be leaving for Panama shortly, to celebrate the holidays and New Year, before heading out across the Pacific, which hopefully will be more benign than the Atlantic has been. ...

On the ARC this year the first boat beat the race record. Yes the weather is crazy and the wind is not on it was supposed to be but there but there is wind.

Alessandro de Benedetto is today a great sailor and a professional one but back when he crossed the Atlantic in a cat he was more an adventurer than a top sailor.

What Bourgnon is trying to do is plain crazy but he is certainly a top sailor and with no comparison with Benedetto at the time he crossed the Atlantic. Just look at his curriculum as a sailor:

In 1995, he won the Mini-Fastnet, the « Transgascogne » and the la Mini-Transat. With his brother Laurent he won the 1997 la Transat Jacques Vabres and in 1999 he finishes 3rd after having to stop on the way for repairs.

and more this:

"In 2000, he became the record holder for the longest distance ever traveled with a crew on24 hours ( 625.34 miles ) on a 60 foot trimaran during the Transat Quebec - Saint Malo finishing 3rd.

 

[PCP]

Dehler 38 - another boat test

There are lot's of great boats among the ones nominated for the European boat of the year but this would be the one I would probably choose on the performance category: The boat marks the return of Dehler to a great and beautiful cruising interior. T

The Dehler 38 is very close to the perfection in what regards compromise between cruising and club racing (with the possibility to have a top boat for serious racing, a much more expensive one), in fact if offers great performance, a big cruising potential, beauty and an interesting price. Difficult to ask for more. A great design by Judel & Vrolijk.

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/fileBank/SWF/dehler38_.swf

The boat was tested by the British Magazine Sailing Today and they said about it:

Dehler yachts have always been designed to satisfy a yearning for speed and performance under sail - and the new 38 is definitely no exception...(Dehler) is back to producing top-class sailing cruisers.

In a Hamble marina filled with beamy new cruising yachts she looks somewhat waif-like, sporting a fine bow and conservative beam (by today's standards). While this gives her an arrow-like overall appearance, it consequently also reduces the amount of interior volume - albeit not by a massive amount.

... The cockpit-adjustable genoa tracks are tucked well inboard, giving her headsail a nice tight sheeting angle as well as keeping the side decks free from trip or snagging hazards...

Her cockpit is pragmatically arranged and is likely to appeal to sailors and cruising passengers alike. Most of the sail controls are easily within reach from the helms, while still giving clear access aft to the large transom platform for accessing the water or dinghy.
..
As I descended the companionway steps I was expecting a rather stark, 'stripped out' interior that many of the more performance-orientated yachts often have. I was pleasantly surprised. ...

Rather than the acres of white, hose-down plastic I'd been expecting, there were nice, traditional wooden bulkheads and lockers, teak and holly sole boards, and pleasant off-white upholstery with all the trimmings.

To sum up her performance - she's an absolute delight to sail. Well balanced, sprightly through tacks, light on the helm, tracks as if she's on rails and generally feels like a fully-spec'd racing machine - but without the twitchiness of a thoroughbred racer.
...

This is a sailor's yacht, which, with the addition of a few more performance options, can be raced competitively if desired. However, she will perform equally well as a comfortable and safe offshore cruiser for less ambitious family holidays.

The basic price is very competitive...

Dehler 38: Review and test - Sailing Today | Sailing Today

 

[PCP]

Allures: 10 years of history and sucess

 

[PCP]

They don't know....

... two Frenchmen making a circumnavigation in their Mini 6.50, who just arrived in New Guinea a few days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEFI-Voile-650/141867589263604?fref=ts

...

These guys are ignorant:

They don't know that a Modern light 21 ft light boat has not the load capacity to carry water, provisions and cruising equipment for two on a Transat, much less in a circumnavigation.

They don't know that the boat loaded that way will be as slow as an heavy boat..... and that's why they go fast

They don't know that this is not a boat designed to cross oceans

They don't know that they should not have so much fun with so little money

If somebody wishes to do the same with a bit more comfort and not much money these guys make similarly designed boats more adapted for cruising. They even have an "huge" one with 25ft

Marée Haute - Django 7.70

 

[PCP]

Django 12.70 - Django 9.30 and Django 6.70

Great news from the shipyard Marée Haute, the one tha makes the Django 6.70 and 7.70 that I mentioned on the last post:

They are doing not one but two new and very interesting boats: A 12.70 and a 9.70, on the same principles that are used on the smaller boats. Based on Open solo racers, fast, very light, a good cruising interior and an attractive price.

The design will be by Pierre Rolland a designer specialized on this type of boats and they will be certainly fast. Few things are known about the 9.30, except this drawing:



Regarding the 12.70, that will be ready on the Spring, will share the same market as the Pogo 12.50 (also has a swing keel) we know a lot more and for what we know it looks great







Lots of light inside the boat, an interior that will look more spacious than the one of Pogo (due to the light and outside views) and a fixed spraywood are some of the innovative characteristics.

Regarding dimensions and comparing with the Pogo 12.50:

LOA ..........Pogo 12.50m / Django 12.70m
Beam .......... Pogo 4.50m / Django 4.35m
Draft.............Pogo 3.00m - 1.20m / Django / ...- 2.90m
Displacement..Pogo 5.600kg /Django 6000kg
ballast...........Pogo 1.900kg /Django 2 200 kg
Upwind SA .....Pogo 100m2 / Django 114m2
Downwind SA..Pogo 210m2/Django 226m2

It looks good to me (it even as doors) and probably it will be slightly faster than the Pogo 12.50: A little less beam, a lot more ballast, a very similar weight and more sail area.

I cannot wait to see this one on the water

In the meantime we have to content ourselves with the little own, nominated to this year's European boat of the year contest and with good chances of winning in its category.

 

[PCP]

Lagoon 39

This is not the type of boat that I would like to have but many would call this a condo marina boat and that's just unfair. The boat is what it is with its strong and weak points but it is good to remember that a 44 Lagoon finished the last ARC among performance cats, most bigger ones and performance monohulls of about the same size or bigger So, the boat is not as a bad sailing boat a many want us to make believe.

The boat, as all these type of cats (without movable foils) has a poor pointing ability but it sails well on all other points of sail...and many coastal cruisers just motor upwind, having them a Cat or a monohull.

The Lagoon 39 offers better sailing potential than previous Lagoons, a lot of space and a lot of boat for the money. This one is one of the least expensive cats, costing about 270 000 USD.

Sailors are not easily deceived and the huge success this boat has been experiencing in what regards sales means that it is the right answer for many cruisers.

Here some comments from a Yachting Today boat test:

"There can't be many sailors who haven't at some time seen a Lagoon catamaran passing them by..whatever you might think or say about its looks, however, this stalwart range of cruising catamarans has proved extremely popular - both with long-term liveaboards and casual coastal sailors alike.

.. Monohull sailors are always astounded at the sheer volume of accommodation and deck area of a cat - myself included...

A great deal of thought and listening to existing clients has pushed Lagoon into radically redesigning its sail plan. Some might say it has even regressed, closer in fact to much earlier designs such as the famous Prout range. As with all the new series, the 39's mast has been moved back to the center of the boat, both increasing the foretriangle and reducing the mainsail area and boom length. This makes them more balanced under sail, as well as easier to handle. Although mainsail furling has become popular over the past couple of decades, the extra weight and jamming risk of the ubiquitous in-mast reefing system is not ideal,especially on a catamaran.

..So Lagoon might have made a sensible move here, even more so by making the jib self-tacking, eliminating the need for long lines across the coachroof and additional blocks, clutches and winches.

Those seeking the very best performance under sail, can order a full Code 0 (gennaker) kit, which includes bowsprit, blocks, winches and large 732sqft (68m2) overlapping headsail for an additional £12,535 including bowsprit and deck gear. There's also a choice between standard or square-top mainsail, the latter adding a further 65sqft (6m2) of sail area for another £324.

We sailed on a gentle day with a cool nor' westerly blowing. ...
She does feel nicely balanced on a reach and happily tacks from beam to beam despite the self-tacking jib going around immediately. Along with the mast, the keels have also been moved aft, which enables her bows to go through the wind more easily without needing to back the jib. .. She won't tack under main alone, but then this is unsurprising for any cat.

Of all the cats I've sailed, the Lagoon 39 seems to be one of the easiest, both to handle and to move about on. She's fast yet calm, well balanced while still giving feedback to the helm and comfortably spacious below without the feeling of vulnerability under sail that some wide-open boats can impart.

The quality of construction is very good, with no corners cut or obvious scrimping to meet an accountant's bottom line, and the redesigned sail/rig plan is a definite improvement. ....

The many benefits of owning a catamaran over a monohull for cruising are all apparent here in the 39. She has heaps more interior volume than a 40ft mono, deck-level panoramic views from her saloon and acres of outdoor deck space for relaxing as well as working on the boat and its equipment."

Lagoon video

 

[PCP]

Who better than Jeff Johnstone to talk about the J88?

 

[PCP]

Back to the Django 770... a new and faster version.

They have a new version with deep keel (2.0m) more RM and a sail with more area. This baby has become even nicer

 

[robelz]

Love the Djangos. The 12.70 will be a great passagemaker. Can't await to see pictures of the interior of both...

 

[capt vimes]

it really scares me, if i see a production boat with such a thin and flimsy keel blade...
it might be OK for a well maintained race boat which is more on the dry than actually sailed, but a cruiser? even if labeled racer-cruiser...

heck - the open 60s get there keels replaced even more than once a year and still they tend to snap and fall off, as seen in this years edition of the vendee globe...
how many keels did part with the hull? safran, virbac paprec (although JP dick managed to finish), acciona... am i missing one?

 

[MrPelicano]

it really scares me, if i see a production boat with such a thin and flimsy keel blade...
it might be OK for a well maintained race boat which is more on the dry than actually sailed, but a cruiser? even if labeled racer-cruiser...

heck - the open 60s get there keels replaced even more than once a year and still they tend to snap and fall off, as seen in this years edition of the vendee globe...
how many keels did part with the hull? safran, virbac paprec (although JP dick managed to finish), acciona... am i missing one?

You need to put this in perspective. No cruiser will ever sail his/her boat at the outer limits of its performance window - i.e., pushing hour after hour at sustained speeds of 20+ knots, in big breeze and seas, for thousands of miles, under racing conditions. Just isn't going to happen. In which case, the only thing one should be concerned about is the ability of the keel strut to sustain impact damage from striking submerged objects like containers, tree trunks, sharks, etc., or grounding. That's a legitimate concern, and I'm sure the designers of the Django 7.70 have taken it into consideration when developing the specifications for this particular keel.

Ultimately, in my opinion, this configuration will appeal primarily to sailors interested in performance cruising which would include participating in events like the Transquadra. Indeed, I was looking online at an Archambault 31 for sale in Spain that swapped out the standard fin keel for a strut-and-bulb percisely to improve performance in the 2011 Transquadra, in which it ultimately finished 2nd overall in the doublehanded division. I suspect most people who buy a Django for cruising will opt for the twin keel. For me, I would go with the strut-and-bulb configuration because I still intend to race, as well as cruise.

 

[PCP]

Keels

it really scares me, if i see a production boat with such a thin and flimsy keel blade...
it might be OK for a well maintained race boat which is more on the dry than actually sailed, but a cruiser? even if labeled racer-cruiser...

heck - the open 60s get there keels replaced even more than once a year and still they tend to snap and fall off, as seen in this years edition of the vendee globe...
how many keels did part with the hull? safran, virbac paprec (although JP dick managed to finish), acciona... am i missing one?

The problems with the keels on the Open 60's has nothing to do with it. They know already what is the problem that has to do with the fact of being canting keels and with metal fatigue due to movement and stress. They are still developing knowledge that in some years will be applied to cruising boats.

The Django keel has nothing new and the technology that is behind that is well known and used successfully in race boats for many years and they don't change the keels neither they have problems with them. You have also to consider that the Django 7.70 on that version weights less than 1400kg and that keel will probably have about 500Kg. Consider also that this boat, in his unsinkable version is the smaller boat to have passed RCD class A certification.

Regarding what a "flimsy" keel like that can take look at this video (min 2.40) and take into consideration that the boat had already suffered an identical treatment when it was
throw to the beach by big waves. At the end the keel was alright and it was needed just small repairs on the rudders for the boat to be able to be sailed back from Brazil to France again.

Take also in consideration that this was a production race boat (a Pogo) that it was not a new one (it had 6 years and many races) and that it had the original keel.

Regards

Paulo

 

[PCP]

Sydney 43 by Salona.

What seems to be the first Sydney built by Salona was presented on the Nautic de Paris. The press was impressed by the quality of the finish and by the building quality.

The boat was a Sydney 43, an incredibly fast cruiser racer, the won that won last Sydney-Hobart (compensated) and that made an incredible race in real time finishing among the big yachts.

The boat is not a striped out racer and allows cruising, a bit like a Pogo 12.50, in a kind of Spartan way, but with everything that is needed, including a big sail pleasure



















The press was surprised with the quality and I was surprised with the price: 380 000 euros including 20% VAT. That is a great price taking into consideration the type of boat. This is a very light boat with 6950kg but most of all the biggest part of that weight is ballast. That needs an hugely strong hull to be able to sustain the loads that such a B/D ratio will create. This type of boats is always very expensive to built.

I hope they succeed in Europe. I believe that what is needed is two or three boats racing at high level... and I am sure, winning a lot

This risks to be the first Ker design to be sold in considerable numbers and not only to very top racers.

 

[nemier]

Love the Djangos. The 12.70 will be a great passagemaker. Can't await to see pictures of the interior of both...

,,,count me in on that one

 

[capt vimes]

PCP
The strut on the mini looks a lot sturdier than the one on the django...
Besides - a mini weighs around a ton with roughly 3 - 400 kg in the bulb... If it is a heavy one...
And granted - race boats with their canting keels impose really big loads on the strut, especially if driven hard which is their usual state of motion...
Anyway, i would not feel safe with a thin strut like this one...

 

[PCP]

DSS on Wild Oats

I was afraid that was not true but that's confirmed. It will be very interesting to see the effect of that on the Sydney Hobart performance of the yacht.

 

[PCP]

Bavaria 41 s

If someone wants a better sailing boat, one that could be more enjoyable to sail but does not want to spend a lot more on a performance cruiser, the Bavaria 41s can be the right solution.

The 41 has a nice well design Farr hull and has now a much better version for ones that want to enjoy as much sailing and cruising, the new 41s.

The boat comes with a bigger mast (50cms), more sail area, a bigger draft (2.30m), a better and deeper rudder, it is lighter, with more and bigger winches and a carbon spi pole. In the end we have significantly better sailing boat, not only faster but more agreeable to sail. If we join that to the much nicer cabin design and a better designed interior (from the 41) we will have a nice boat very hard to beat in what regards what offers: a lot of boat for the money.

The boat will cost about more 20 000 euros than the standard version (without sails). The price 169 220 euros including German VAT is very good even if you have to join about more 8000 euros for decent sails.











Have a look at the interior and storage space here (that is the regular 41 that in this regard is the same as the 41s):