Jeanneau 50 Deck Saloon

Nifty fifty

The reason that pirates wear patches over one eye isn't because they lost a sword fight or got hit by the boom. No, it's so that when they head below decks, they can switch from the daylight eye to the covered one and gain instant ‘night' vision - touché. Remember that next time you encounter Jack Sparrow.

A pirate's patch is otiose on Jeanneau's new 50 Deck Saloon, a yacht that brings the outdoors back indoors thanks to lots of glass with class. Now for another sail-ient (pun intended) point: unless you're hopelessly sleep deprived after riding out a night storm or racing to Hobart, the ocean generally brings great clarity of mind.

Midway through our passage, bling, that light bulb thing happened.

"Which island?" trumpeted dab sailing hand Ron Jacobs, as he jumped up the companionway with a spring in his step.  "It could be any of them," I replied, looking wistfully at the telltales flying in unison like a gold medal performance by a rhythmic gymnast.

Though ours was a mere rounding of Lion Island, which stands guard at the entrance of Broken Bay like, well, a sphinx, once could just as easily sail to the tropical islands or, for that matter, Tassie, Kangaroo or Rottnest islands. Thus, it doesn't take much imagination to see Which Island splashed across the 50 DS.

A far-reaching yacht for those with long-distance vision, Jeanneau's big 5-0 is a ticket to ride. Of course, destiny is not a matter of chance it is a matter of choice. So if you want to go see the islands then here's a yacht that's deserving of a place on your shopping list.

Replacing the popular 49 DS, the new 50 DS has a bigger cockpit to better suit the Australian way of life. Long the weak point of European yachts, where crews hunker below decks or cuddle in an icy cockpit, outdoors living space is a real attribute.

Now for the extras. Performance Yachting, which has for many years sold Jeanneau yachts to itinerant sailors, did its thing with the options list. The 50DS sailed here had electric two-speed primary and halyard winches that require little more than an extension of the index finger to hoist and trim sail. And, after years of battling Sydney traffic, I'm well practiced at that.

A Raymarine E120 combo GPS chartplotter was mounted in the cockpit, to which you can connect the television or DVD and keep track of the cricket or pass the time with music videos as you cruise the coast. Cockpit speakers and windlass are within reach of the excellent helm consoles, and an ST6002 autopilot offers handsfree sailing and tacking.

A rope cutter was fitted to the shaft for the Yanmar 75hp donk, the boat had upgraded freezer space, and there were extra house battery and 60amp charger as well. For added weather protection there was a dodger, bimini and infill panel.

Recently, I've seen Jeanneaus at anchor with their owners cocooned behind these biminis, reading a book betwixt their mitts. By now, these same people will be strewn about the cockpit or seated around the optional folding timber table with a repast from their rail-mounted barbies. Above or below decks, living is the forte of the deck saloon.

OCEAN BOUND
For serious ocean sailing, the owner has an inner forestay fitted to create a cutter rig and, thus, make reducing sail a snap when shorthanded. When not flying the storm sail, the 50 DS derives a lot of its power from its 140 per cent genoa, It also motors to 8.1kts without stressing the 75hp Yanmar.

The standard fractional twin-spreader Sparcraft cruising rig comprises a deck-stepped alloy stick that's well supported by shrouds kept inboard to improve access forward. These tie to impressively big chainplates bolted to the sub-floor GRP grid stringer system. Suffice to say, I haven't heard of any structural issues with Jeanneaus.

With an upgraded Quantam fully battened main with lazy jacks, the 50 DS sailed here was ready for club and twilight racing. A performance rig with taller mast is available for those who want that little bit more. Otherwise, the yacht comes standard with in-mast furling.

All the strings are concealed on deck in a ‘garage', the traveller is mounted on the cabin top to create a clean cockpit, and the yacht has a solid vang, of course. With the primary winches back near the twin leather-bound wheels, you can tack from the helm. All the deck gear, including adjustable cars, is from Harken.

The twin wheels ensure you can see ahead from the helm on the wide-beam 50 DS, which is based on the same Philippe Briand hull, keel and rudder as the popular 49 DS, which is now available only as a racy 49i low-profile cabin yacht. The keel is a cast-iron fin with low COG bulb that draws 2.15m. A shoal draft version is available.

With ISO 9002 accreditation, the Jeanneaus weigh within a whisker of their published weight, says Jacobs. According to Jeanneau, the 50 DS displaces 13,400kg, whereas the old 49 was 12,600kg. But I'm guessing the specifications I'm referring to were printed before the first 50 DS was built. With the same hull and keel, it should weigh closer to the 49.

DECK FEATURES
Those who sail places will tell you they covet storage space above all else, somewhere to stow sails, the outboard and duckie, perhaps an additional deep freeze and fishing tackle or dive gear hold. Recognising as much, the 50 DS has a huge bow locker with a lockable watertight hatch and ladder, as well as a traditional sail locker under the cockpit seat, and aft garages for mounting the liferaft and optional generator. The gas-bottle locker is big enough to take two Swap'n'Goes. Rusting bottles aren't your problem.

Peace of mind comes from the anchoring setup, with the spare anchor carried in the anchor locker, a Lewmar windlass and 50m of chain. Teak toerails help keep you contained on deck, the integrated fairleads reduce visual clutter, shade-cloth covers the forward saloon windows to cut heat indoors, the cockpit is teak-topped, and the yacht comes with walkthrough transom, requisite swim platform, deep-reach ladder and hot/cold handheld shower.

But it's the accommodating cockpit that calls the loudest, with navy blue Sunbrella-upholstered cushions over long lounges that, with a few pillows, will soon have you muttering zeds. The high-gloss folding teak table with icebox and bottle holders is perfect for doing lunch with up to six and, as you might see from the shadows in my photos hereabouts, there's a welcome amount of shade. Think of the cockpit as a patio complete, as seen here, with rail-mounted barbie.

For'ard are a portside settee and U-shaped lounge around the dinette opposite that can seat about eight for dinners and social discourse, while doubling as sea berths depending on your tack. Other times, the 65cm flatscreen television - an optional 2000W inverter is needed if you're serious about living aboard - will regale you and the crew. You can feed the E120 back through the TV for onboard route monitoring.

The nav station doesn't skimp on space, with a neat multifunction battery/water/fuel gauge, huge chart table and modular grog locker that can be fitted with anything from washer/dryer to icemaker or dishwasher, though the self-drain dish dry at the galley is much simpler and less thirsty.

Galley features include generous Corian counters - every time I lift a Corian cover over a sink I think: gee this stuff is heavy - abundant storage space, gimballed two-burner gas stove and oven, twin sinks and class-leading fridge and freezer capacities. Opening hatches take care of ventilation and, with the companionway stairs lifted out and side access panels, you can get to all parts of the Yanmar for routine maintenance and servicing.

The standard accommodation plan comprises three cabins, with a wonderful stateroom forward with an island double berth, vanity/office and en suite with shower and electric loo. You can turn the twin aft cabins, which each have double berths, into a fantastic full-beam stateroom with even more real estate and headroom. As an owner, heading away on occasion with another couple, that would be my preference. Another layout option turns the forepeak into twin cabins, thereby creating up to four cabins with three heads in total. Finally, you can also have the 50 DS as a two-cabin yacht with staterooms at either end.

However you choose to order it, the 50 DS is accommodating, with a warm ambience, just the right amount of contemporary design courtesy of interior designer Vittorio Garroni, who has been working with Jeanneau for more than a decade, and a great sense of space thanks to the raised cabin or so-called deck saloon. Enjoy the vistas down below at anchor. I did.

ISLAND HOME
With the sun beaming overhead, a solid 15kts or more of westerly and seasoned offshore sailor Jacobs at my beck and call, this was a perfect test sail. Not one to let your down, the 50 DS finds its cruising groove with remarkable ease. She hits eight to 8.5kts without much fuss and that's fast enough to reel in the sea miles and reach places before you know it.

According to my calculation, 8.85kts is hull speed and, after the wind filled in some more, with squirts up to 20kts, we cracked nine knots on a beam reach as spray licked over the bow. The helm is balanced, the motion pleasant and predictable, and the underlying impression is one of a solid, go-anywhere cruising conveyance.

Having circumnavigated Lion Island, I can now imagine the 50 DS on a greater ocean passage, finding farther and better islands in the stream. As luck would have it, the yacht's owner is a South Australian, who doubtless appreciates the robust build, seaworthiness and big tankage of the Jeanneau 5-0.  He intends sailing The Bight with his mates and cruising places like Kangaroo Island with his wife, I'm told.

Evidently, the owner's wife prefers motorsailing and the connectivity of the deck saloon, where pirate's patches aren't needed and you can enjoy the views underway or at rest. As someone once said: "Let there be light." And, behold, there was light.

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