I had seen it in the last Dusseldorf boat show, the two-cabin version with a perfect interior. The boat had a huge storage, a huge galley and the interior looked more the one of a 45ft boat than the one of a 42ftboat. I was really impressed with the interior and with the boat in a general way and expressed that very positive impression on a post about the yacht:
Now that the boat has been tested by test sailors of many nationalities I can say that I was not the only one that has been very impressed with this yacht that the test sailors from the Norwegian sailing magazine Seil called "The ideal cruiser".
The French test-sailor from "Voiles et Voiliers" said about the way it sails: " Very well, indeed, very, very, well." The video is in French but even if you don't understand it wait for the end of the video when the designer, Marco Lostuzzi, in English, talks about the boat design and its characteristics.
The Germans from "Yacht de" said: "As a bluewater yacht, it should offer plenty of living space, plenty of comfort and be able to cope with heavy weather. but the 42 LC want to offer more than that"..."In the test, the 42 LC proved to be pleasantly lively, even in the basic version. The rudder Ballance is precise and with winds from 8 to 10 knots of wind she sails cheerfully - an interesting cross between dynamism and distinction".
"We were particularly impressed by the version which was shown for the first time at boot Düsseldorf in mid-January, with only two cabins and a galley that was significantly enlarged aft. The Grand Soleil is perfect when it comes to extended cruising over several months."
The Italian test sailors from "Giornale della Vela", sailing on the more sportive version (without the cockpit arch and a taller mast) made a detailed report about wind and speed:
"We start our test with 7-8 knots of southeast wind and long waves, despite the self-tacking jib the boat goes up to 5.2 knots, we didn't force the upwind angle, we stayed around 40º-43º of true wind... and in the meantime the wind rises: 10, 12, 14 knots. The upwind speed stabilizes above 7 knots, with peaks at 7.6 and an angle below 40 degrees, even up to 36 degrees, we definitely have fun also because the rudder feeling looks like the one of a sportive boat and not the one of a long-range cruiser boat. But who said that on a cruise you shouldn't fully enjoy sailing? ..
We unfurled the Code Zero , with the wind increasing a few more knots, up to 16, we tried the downwind performance. We sailed between 120º and 130º, the most suitable sail would be an asymmetrical with a more pronounced curve while the Code 0 we used had an obviously too flat shape, but the boat does not struggle to exceed 9 knots with averages that stabilized around 9.3, 9.4with some very pleasant Surf.
We forced the boat and the equipment a bit by tightening up to 90 degrees with the wind that has risen up to 17-18 knots, we would expect the strain but in reality, once again, it is the big blade rudder of the Grand Soleil 42 LC that imposes itself: without becoming necessary to let go too much the mainsail, just a little correction on the wheel and the boat “runs away” on the wave in acceleration, transmitting perfect control to the helmsman.
With the wind rising up to 20 knots we opened the angle even more and had fun: dry boat, easy to steer, speeds that reach peaks of 10 knots without the need to make too many adjustments.
Ultimately, a decidedly positive test even in conditions that were starting to be muscular for the new "small" of the Cantiere Del Pardo, which showed us how important comfort is but also that comfort without true sailing performance is something incomplete. The 42 LC promises to become a new shipyard's best-seller: lean only in appearance, true and reactive under canvas, suitable for long voyages and extremely comfortable and refined inside."
The sail testers from "Vela e Motore", sailing on the basic version with the smaller mast and the carbon cockpit arch, reported that with a code 0 and 11/12kt wind the boat sailed at 8/8.5kt and with 13kt wind and the self-tacking jib they 8.3/8.5kt speed at 40º from the true wind.
They also said that the wheel was light, responsive, giving plenty of control over the boat and that with the 50hp engine the boat sailed at 9kt at 2500rpm.
It is difficult for me to understand why last year in this category the boat chosen as Boat of the Year was the Amel 60 and not this one, but that is another story.
After so many nice things said about the performance of this boat maybe I should make a point regarding what we are talking about: we are talking about a boat that the designer qualifies as heavy but that is only so if we compare it with performance cruisers. For instance, the Bavaria C42 is slightly heavier and more even so because its hull has 11.99m while the one of the Grand Soleil has 12.90. To have a better understanding of comparative displacements of several high-quality cruisers look here:
So what are the differences to be expected between this fast bluewater cruiser and true performance cruisers like the XP-44 or the new Grand Soleil 44 performance? They will be faster in all points of sail and wind conditions but the bigger differences will be in very light winds, on pointing ability, close upwind speed and with strong winds on planing ability where with a good crew high two-digit speeds can be obtained.
The downside regarding cruising is that true performance cruisers will be much more nervous boats, demanding a lot more reefing and work on the wheel and trimming of sails. If sailed solo or duo they demand a more experienced sailor and one that likes to be busy with sails and boat control while cruising. For some cruisers that extra work is just fun and a way to occupy time, for others, it will be too much.
Also, the extra displacement will give the boat a more soft and less brusque motion even if that is partially compensated by the finer entries and smaller beam of the more sportive boats, meaning that if you go upwind with the same angle probably the sportive boats are as comfortable as the medium displacement boats, the problem here is that the sportive boat can go at a better and smaller angle to the wind and most sailors will sail it at the optimal angle for speed.
The smaller wind angle will mean also that you will be getting the waves more forward to the bow and that means a more uncomfortable ride that will be worsened by the bigger upwind speed. Downwind with a cruising charged boat the difference in speed will be there between the two types but sailed solo or with a wife, the high planing speeds will be out of reach and probably the speed difference will be just of one or two knots not the six or seven that are to be expected with a crew in race trim.
So, just choose what goes more with your personality and lifestyle but don't make the mistake of buying a boat like the XP-44 or a full specs GS44p to sail solo with your wife if you are not an experienced sailor and by that, I mean experience with high power sailboats. For starting it will be probably too much while on a GS 42 LC, even if not very experienced, a sailor, even with not a big sailing experience, can take vantage of the boat easiness and soft manners to learn all he needs to sail it properly and fast.
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