It's all about new boats in this week's Australian Marine Business World newsletter
by Peter Rendle, Sail-World.com 2 Feb 2018 09:41 PST
Fareast 37R © Fareast Yachts Australia
First up is the new FarEast 37R. This is FarEast's first 'large' yacht and will attract attention from anyone contemplating a new club racer in the foreseeable future. The boat features a large asymmetric kite for spectacular downwind rides, form stability is high and the carbon keel fin carries an 1800kg lead bulb. The sports interior is modern with carbon and stainless inlays and ambiance backlighting ads a nice atmosphere. Weight has been kept to an absolute minimum and as we all just like to sail the overall package is easy to maintain.
In Europe, Philippe Briand's design for the 44-feet Jeanneau yacht has taken home the award for European Yacht of the Year in its category. Six months after its unveiling, the Philippe Briand-designed Sun Odyssey 440 has been named as Yacht of the Year in the Family Cruiser category at the prestigious 2018 European Yacht of the Year awards, held at the Flagship Night on the eve of the boot Düsseldorf boat show.
Staying with the Dusseldorf Boat Show (20th – 28th January) Bavaria Yachts amazed everyone with eight world premieres in a breathtaking opening show last Saturday. In all, five sailing yachts from the new C-Line were introduced, as well as the Bavaria E34 Fly, a motor boat with an extraordinary amount of space both on and below deck, the Bavaria R55, the new flagship of the motor boat fleet, and the power catamaran Nautitech 47 Power. The visitors' interest in the new models was overwhelmingly positive to the middle of the week. Bavaria Yachts is expecting a new sales record.
Also at boot Dusseldorf, the Wauquiez shipyard unveiled in a world premiere at the BOOT Düsseldorf their latest sailing yacht in the Pilot Saloon range, the Pilot Saloon 42. Finally revealed to the press and public, the Pilot Saloon 42 raised considerable interest during the event.
On the multihull scene Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans has just announced the latest model to be released in its range, delivering unprecedented space and luxury to this multihull market segment. The new 42 is distinguished by an abundance of natural light, energetic lines, elegant living spaces and unparalleled comfort, while retaining the shipyard's DNA for exceptional offshore performance.
From the USA the new J/121 has been created to allow fast, simple sailing for those who want to spend their time tackling classic ocean races (quickly) as well as local beer can races and not chasing down a large crew. Four decades ago a sleek, flush-deck keel boat appeared in the summer race circuits around New England and turned heads with both its looks and its speed around the race courses. Fractional-rigged with a large genoa and balanced sail plan, the J/24 was an instant hit; within a few short years fleets were appearing all over the US and elsewhere, with the top names in the sport enhancing the competition among rival sailmakers fighting for their share of a fast-growing new market for sails.
And from the UK on the 12th of January the RS 21 was announced with the bold headline "New RS21 to bring back popularity to keelboat racing". Which led some to state keelboat racing is doing just fine, and why is another boat necessary in a sector which already has the SB20, J/70, J/80, VX-One, Melges 24, Viper 640, K6 and RS's own Elite? But the RS21 isn't just another keelboat!
Aveagooden
Peter Rendle, Sail-World.com