FEEL GOOD FACTOR

40FT A CHIC, CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE CRUISER WITH A SURPRISINGLY SPACIOUS INTERIOR

- RUPERT HOLMES

Tested by RUPERT HOLMES

Where: Barcelona, Spain

Conditions; 10-18 knots, with a smooth sea then a short, steep chop with awkward swell

Model: Threecabin with standard aluminium mast and cast iron fin keel with 2.4m draught, North 3Di, and Helix sails

Helming your own yacht - or watching friends and family do so- ought to be one of the biggest pleasures of owning a boat. Along with promoting a clean, streamlined aesthetic, this was a core principle in the development of this Italian yard's four latest models, from the Solaris 40 I tested for this report, up to the 80.

"We wanted to be very aggressive with this aspect - we want the helmsmen to feel the same benefits as sailing a racing yacht," designer Javier Soto Acebal told me. He, therefore, eliminated the side decks towards the back of the cockpit, enabling the helm stations to be positioned well outboard and aft.

The result is to maximize visibility from the helm, with an excellent view of the luff of the headsail and of oncoming waves. On my first day onboard, sailing upwind in 12-14 knots of true wind, at a 45-50° true wind angle, we made 6.57.5 knots boat speed, against an awkward and confused short head sea that would have proved testing for most boats.

Broad reaching back towards port and with the furling gennaker set the boat came alive, the seas that had impeded progress upwind now aiding us and the boat accelerating down the face of the waves at speeds of 10 knots or more.

Had there been a larger asymmetric spinnaker on board we'd undoubtedly have been measurably faster, but one of the intriguing aspects of the test boat was just how effortlessly it is set up to sail. The combination of a self-tacking jib and the furling gennaker makes for a boat that offers brisk performance, without placing big demands on its crew.