Jeanneau’s Latest Sun Fast is a Whole Bundle of Fun
When Jeanneau decided it was time to replace their popular, 11-year-old Sun Fast 3200 they knew it was time to shake things up, so they invited Guillaume Verdier, designer of foiling IMOCAs, to collaborate with Daniel Andrieu, the Sun Fast’s original architect, and the result is an eyebrow-raising punchy pocket rocket.
Sailing from La Trinité the day after the boat had secured a podium position in the hugely competitive double-handed class at the Spi Ouest regatta. I found a boisterous and adventurous bundle of fun that made my face ache from grinning at the end of each downwind run.
The Sun Fast 3300 has a bold look, accentuated by an orange and grey wrap. It’s got a high volume reverse bow, full-length chines, chamfered toerail and a short, fixed bowsprit. From on deck, the fullness of the bow makes the boat seem short for a 33-footer. It reminds me of a Mini Transat yacht, the 21-footers raced solo across the Atlantic.
Despite the radical offshore looks the 3300 is designed to be versatile, for both inshore and offshore racing, fully crewed and short-handed. The concept was to retain simplicity, to make a boat that everyone will want to sail.
Punching upwind
We left the dock in a building breeze, tacking our way out of the channel in 16-18 knots, leaving both of the split backstays off to allow quick tacks among the buoys and the traffic. In the flat water of the channel the boat was easy to handle, and built speed quickly.
Once in open water I found beating into the oncoming waves on the 3300 a physical experience, as the big flat bow slapped the water. This upwind slamming is completely normal for a bow of this design and the ride can be made more comfortable by good, active helming.
Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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wallywind 110 launches
The first example of Wally Yacht's new wallywind performance cruising range launched this summer, during the iconic Italian brand's 30th anniversary year - and in time for its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.
Irish skipper wins Figaro
Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan took a historic victory in this year's La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, winning the solo multistage offshore race overall only the third non-French competitor ever to do so.
Youth AC puts on a show
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's team won the UniCredit Youth America's Cup after a highly absorbing series comprising 12 international teams racing the one-design AC40s off Barcelona.
ATLANTIC BEYOND
SAILING THE SECOND EXPLORATION 60 ON A WEST-TO-EAST ATLANTIC CROSSING WAS IDEAL FOR A RIGOROUS TEST OF GARCIA'S NEW NOWHERE YOU CAN'T GO FLAGSHIP
UNCONTROLLED
HELPLESSLY APPROACHING AN UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS WITHOUT ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS, JON VAN TAMELEN FEARED BEING IMMINENTLY SHIPWRECKED
SECRET ISLAND
BEYOND THE FORBIDDING ENTRY RULES OF TAIWAN IS A CULTURE RICH IN SEAFARING HISTORY AND STUNNING LANDSCAPES, FINDS CAMERON DUECK
LAND OF THE BIRDS
SKIP NOVAK DESCRIBES THE PERILS, CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF A CRITICAL EXPEDITION VOAYGE TO SURVEY SOUTH GEORGIA'S ENDANGERED WANDERING ALBATROSS
FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER
YOU CAN GET INTO WORLD CRUISING FROM A STANDING START AND EXPERIENCE THINGS NO OTHER TRAVELLERS DO. CATHERINE LAWSON AND DAVID BRISTOW TALK TO FOUR COUPLES WHO PROVE IT
HARD CHOICES
IN AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM HER NEW BOOK, PIP HARE REVEALS WHAT DROVE HER ON WHILE RACING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OCEAN IN THE 2020 VENDÉE GLOBE.
INTO BATTLE
COULD THIS BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE VENDÉE GLOBE EVER? HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT THE SKIPPERS WILL BE FACING.