Grand Soleil 40 and 43

There's something very special about being onboard for a yacht's first sail. There's also usually at least some measure of complication and head-scratching as the commissioning team figure out what goes exactly where from all those plastic packages of fittings and control lines, and the sail bags with funny foreign titles stamped on them.

For the purposes of this boat review, the fun came in double measure, as Sydney company Yacht Italia was commissioning two brand new Grand Soleil yachts - a 40 (pictured left) and a 43 (right) - and Trade-A-Boat was along for their first sail.

Considering that this was the first shipment of the Italian-built craft to Yacht Italia in Australia, and that the sail bags and plastic packages were in duplicate, everything went together surprisingly smoothly. It's an indication of the level of sophistication employed by the major yachtbuilding yards in these days of worldwide markets and distribution.

The Grand Soleil range of yachts are built by Cantiere del Pardo in Forli, a recreational boatbuilding hub near Bologna in northern Italy. Back in February, I was fortunate enough to visit the company and tour its new factory, where every effort is being made to incorporate best practice construction and management techniques.

The Grand Soleil name is much more widely recognised in European sailing circles than it is here in Australia. Over there, it's acquired a strong reputation for cruisers/club racers at the quality end of the production yacht scale, moving more recently towards the hard-core racing end of the spectrum.

Its closest parallel would have to be the Danish company X-Yachts, which has been building a profile here in Australia over the past three or four years. Neither company produces cheap boats, both include comfortable cruisers alongside more serious racers in their ranges, and both are well regarded for quality and innovation.

There are parallels, too, between the current development programs of the two companies. Cantiere del Pardo has introduced two impressive new models this year - the GS 44 Race designed by Judel/Vrolijk for the racing circuit (and producing some top results in the major IMS regattas of the European summer circuit) and a 56ft performance cruiser designed by Philippe Briand. X-Yachts, meanwhile, has just introduced a new IMX-45 raceboat and an X-562 fast luxury cruiser.

NEW PUSH
Grand Soleil may have kept a fairly low profile in Australia to date, but expect to see and hear more about the marque in the months to come. Sydneysider Ken Langford, one of the principals of Yacht Italia, has represented Grand Soleil in Australia (as Pacific Rim Yachts) for some years, and is himself a serious fan after owning a GS 37. His decision to import two new yachts this year is the first major marketing push here for the brand.

Langford's selection of a 43 and a 40 as the new demonstrator models provides an interesting summary of the Grand Soleil story to date, for here we have a traditionally-styled cruising yacht alongside a peppy cruiser/racer.

The 43 was first launched in 1998 and is designed by J&J Marine, a Slovenian partnership responsible for many production yacht designs for the major marques. Intended to provide cruising comfort, it is a heavy boat in comparison to the 40, with bow and stern overhangs and a full-bodied hull which is reputedly seakindly in offshore conditions.

The 40 is quite a different style of yacht, drawn up by an Italian firm, Duck Design, to be capable of achieving race results under the (IMS) International Measurement System, while also incorporating a stylish and well-equipped interior.

It's the same concept that has produced yachts like the Beneteau 40.7 and Jeanneau Sun Fast 40, although the nearest comparison would have to be the IMX-40.

The Grand Soleil 40 was introduced in 2000 and immediately proved a strong performer in terms of both sales and European regatta results, leading the company to introduce a more race-oriented version in 2001, using more expensive SCRIMP construction technology.

Although Cantiere del Pardo produces boats in both white and dark blue gelcoat finish, Langford decided to specify blue hulls for both new boats for Australia, to add an extra feature distinguishing Grand Soleil from other brands here. The dark hulls do look great, although dark boats' propensity to show dirt and grime can require some extra effort to keep up appearances.

STYLISH FITOUT
Both boats have sumptuous interiors, featuring lightened mahogany joinery and the optional Alcantara faux-suede settee covers in a cream tone which look great (and they're washable, although on a personal note I always feel anxious that I'll be the one to spill the coffee all over them).

The saloons of both boats have a well-equipped in-line galley along the port side, opposite a large dinette with central benchseats, a dining table and U-shaped lounge. Forward is a private double cabin.

Interior layout options for the 40 include two and three double cabin versions. The three cabin version has two double cabins aft, with a single bathroom situated to port of the companionway, opposite the navigation station. The two cabin version adds a second bathroom as an ensuite to the forward cabin and replaces the port quarter cabin with substantial storage space.

The standard 43 layout has three cabins and two bathrooms, one an ensuite for the forward master cabin, both with separate shower compartments.

Quality equipment includes deck fittings supplied by Harken, hatches and portholes by Lewmar and Goiot, while the keel-stepped masts and rigging are by Sparcraft and the diesel saildrives are from Yanmar.

DRIFTER
Having visited the Cantiere del Pardo factory in winter, when there was no sailing to be had, I was very keen to get out on the water in these two new imports. And that's what we did, raising these two yachts' sails for the very first time, once all the packaging had been torn open and the fittings positioned.

Sadly this was one of those crisp blue winter days in Sydney when the morning westerly fizzles out, leaving you with almost no wind at all. We took the two boats outside Sydney Heads and had some fun finding out how they performed in near-drifting conditions (the verdict - entirely adequately).

But it would be a sham to assess the boats' performance based on their first outing. That will have to wait until our next opportunity to get out sailing on these handsome Italian yachts. They're definitely worthy of a serious second look.