2017 EUROPEAN YACHT OF THE YEAR, THE NOMINATED BOATS

The 25 boats nominated for the 2017 European yacht of the year, are divided in 5 categories: Family Cruiser, Performance Cruiser, Luxury Cruiser, Multihull and Special Yacht.

Family Cruiser: Django 12.70, Ikone 7.50, Jeanneau 51, RM 970, Sunbeam 22.1.

Performance Cruiser: Dehler 34, Grand Soleil 58, J 112, EOfcet 32, Pogo 36.

Luxury Cruiser: Bestevaer 45ST Pure, Garcia 52 Exploration, Italia Yachts 12.98, Oceanis Yacht 62, X-Yachts X4.

Multihull: Lagoon 42, Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40, Nautitech 46, Outremer 4, XTricat 30.

Special Yacht: Bihan 650, Easytofly, Scow FR18, Seascape 24, Spirit 47CR.

The boats were nominated by the staff from 11 major yachting magazines across Europe and they have already tested the boats  at Cannes in mid-September and at the La Rochelle, some days ago. The first movie is from Cannes were apparently the wind was too light and the one below from La Rochelle were the conditions seem better.

Lot's of very interesting boats this year and among then this one, a Marc Lombard design that I hope it will sail as well as it looks:

And probably it will, because the hull design is an evolution of the MC34 Patton and that one is a blast to sail. The winners will be announced in January at the Dusseldorf boat show.

POGO 36, SOME MORE INFORMATION

First Thomas then Tunes called my attention to the video above that was posted just some days ago. It is from a Danish sail magazine (BådNyt) and even if they call it a test, it is just a boat presentation but for the first time we can see the Pogo 36 interior. Tunes asked for some comments and here they are:

The interior seems  better than the one from the Pogo 10.50. More light coming from those almost frontal "windows" and the lateral storage space is also bigger, being now the full size of the saloon, but in what regards space and light effect it is a long way for what the first drawings. Look at the picture on the right.

Even if better it leaved me a bit disappointed, not only because the interior feeling is not the one given by the photos, but also because the frontal windows are not so frontal and their practicability in what regards looking forward is not that good. Look at the movie, min 5.55, when the skipper looks outside to see if there is no obstacles ahead and see the position he has to reach for doing that and you will understand what I mean.

Don't take me wrong, I am sure the Pogo 36 is a great boat, better than the 10.50 with whom it shares many similarities but I think that in what regards the cabin and the new design, it could have been better, not only in what regards practicability but also outside looks.

Regarding outside looks they made it worst because they did not followed the designer drawings in what regards paint scheme and made all deck and cabin the same color and that is a basic design mistake that make the boat look fatter than it really is. Just  look at the original paint scheme with differentiated colors on the deck and cabin and what happens when you use white everywhere.

The boat is being tested by Voile magazine on its annual big testing section (with the readers) to chose the magazine boat of the year, so soon we will have more information.

X4 FROM XYACHTS, ON THE WATER AND TESTED

The X4 promised to be one of the most exciting boats of 2016 and I have no doubt it is a great cruiser, with an emphasis on sailing and safety due to the structural strongness and big stability, but after seeing photos of the boat interior, it looked a bit deceiving to me.

I am not sure if the interior is that different from the one of the XP line, in comfort and interior space. Besides that, if on the outside the look is modern, inside the lateral "windows" look and feel dated.

The interior is modern but it looks just "normal" and a bit small, nothing special and it should be special on a boat of that price. Don't take me wrong, I like the boat but I wonder if the price diference is justified regarding a boat like the Maxi 1200.

As expected the boat sails well, the cockpit layout is great and on the test, Toby Hodges, the sail tester from Yachting world, puts all the emphasis on the sail performance and feel, but also don't look much excited regarding the interior.

Certainly I will visit the boat at the Dusseldorf boat show and will reserve a final opinion regarding that interior but it seems to me that Grand Soleil is making a better job with its LC line (cruising line), with boats that sail well and are clearly differentiated (in interior space and interior feeling) from the ones from its performance line.

More about the X4: http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2015/11/x4-41ft-from-new-series-of-x-yachts.html#comment-form

INDEX....FINALLY IT IS COMPLETE!!!

The INDEX was a good idea that I never had time or patient to finish and till some days ago refereed to only a small part of the blog. Now it is complete and you can just go there, find what you are interested in and you will have a direct link to the subject. 

You can access the Index on the lateral right bar under PAGES: you can select HOME (the blog) or INDEX.

Also a good new: for the first time the blog went over a 1000 hits a day and for several days. The record is now 1292 hits on a day. Thanks for your interest :-)

Paulo

SWAN 50 - TEST SAIL

A year ago when I posted the first designs of this boat I could not be more enthusiastic about. It seemed to me that Swan had recovered the leadership in design that was its trademark some decades ago. Now that the boat is on the water it does look as good as in the drawings I am not not the only one being enthusiastic about it: Just look at the eyes of Toby Hodges (the boat tester from Yachting world) when he is talking about the boat, or sailing it. http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2015/10/swan-is-back-swan-50-club.html

This Swan is cruiser racer, more pointed to racing than cruising but even so the interior is almost as well designed as the hull, a very modern and zen one that will suit cruising in style for a small crew.

Two movies, one from the yachting world test sail other from Swan with interesting designs about the boat building (carbon). What a boat!!! One that will but the a smile on the face of anybody sailing it for the first time...and that is not what sailing is about? Pleasure?
                                                                                                      7.5k speed with 5k trw? WOW!!!

INCREDIBLE!!!!

3D_BP_IX por voile-magazine
Yes, the new maxi Banque Populaire is beautiful, with 104 for 75 ft, weighting only 14T with 890m2 of sail area, a huge foiling machine designed to fly over the oceans at over 30k. But that is not what is incredible. Incredible is what is going to be the first assignment of that huge trimaran: A solo non-stop circumnavigation!!!! Even knowing the talent of Armel le Cleash that is just incredible and never attempted on a trimaran of this size, even more a flying one. The boat is already being built.

Armel come from the Open 60's, 2th on the last Vendee Globe. we will be the favorite for this year's Vendee:
 And after that he is going to concentrate on this circumnavigation multihull. What a sailor, mono and multihull alike!!! Look at him smashing a record on the "old" Banque Populaire and imagine what it would be doing that for several months non stop!

Maxi Banque Populaire VII - Armel Le Cléac'h... por VoileBanquePop

He may well be the first sailor to manage to hold the two bigger records, the ones of a solo circumnavigation on a monohull and on a multihull. I bet he will have a big competitor regarding that huge achievement: François Gabart, the winner of the last Vendee.

POGO 36 FIRST IMAGES

What is happening with structures and the Pogo 36? The drawings were released two years ago, the boat took an eternity to be built, is on the water for some time but the photos are very rare and no test sails yet? Don't seem normal to me, neither a good sales strategy. It didn't happen that way with other models. Anybody knows what's going on?

As it had seemed to me on the drawings, the hull design is beautiful but I find the boat too voluminous, specially on the forward sections and I don't find those frontal windows well designed. The ones on the JPK are much nicer.

Some no data regarding the stability has been published and the Pogo 36 will have a 126ºAVS with a keel down and 100º with a keel up. Those are good values for this type of boat, specially the one with a keel up. I would say that with weaker winds (or with reefed sails) one would not have a problem sailing the boat in swallow waters. No photos of the interior yet.

More information regarding this boat on previous posts and a nice movie about structure shipyard:
http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2014/12/more-about-pogo-36.html
http://interestingsailboats.blogspot.pt/2015/07/pogo-36-designer-comments.html