Jeanneau to launch Assisted Sail Trim

French yacht and powerboat maker Jeanneau is set to release its long-awaited Assisted Sail Trim system to the international yachting media at the 2016 Jeanneau Press Sea Trials in Cannes on the French Riviera next month.

boatsales and BoatPoint will be attending this press event to test drive the latest 2016-model Jeanneau power boats. We understand the new Assisted Sail Trim system will be fitted to the flagship 2016 Sun Odyssey 519 cruising yacht at this event.

The revolutionary Assisted Sail Trim (AST) is actually a Harken product developed with Jeanneau to simplify sailing and perhaps encourage more powerboaters to the fold.

The push-button system uses a compact LED screen at the helm to raise, trim and lower sail, all without leaving the cockpit.

The details about Assisted Sail Trim were released last year following a three-year collaborative effort between Harken and Jeanneau to "re-imagine cruising and shorthanded sailing."

This collaboration set out to make sailing easier for families, cruisers, shorthanded crews, solo sailors, and those with limited mobility.

Using sensor-guided, push-button sail control system, Assisted Sail Trim consists of three key OEM packages:

>> The Auto Tacking base package adjusts the headsail for the new tack while you steer through the manoeuvre. Sensors detect wind speed and apparent wind for safety.

>> Auto Trim complements Auto Tacking for easy cruising. Set the initial trim, press the button to engage Auto Trim, and then let the system handle sheeting. The system monitors apparent wind for perfect trim angles while you relax at the helm, Jeanneau says. An integrated heel control detects gusts and limits heel to your desired setting for maximum passenger comfort.

>> The Sail Management package can hoist and douse the main or genoa. Load sensors detect jams and allow the halyard to be eased for safe operation.

The Assisted Sail Trim packages use Harken Rewind winches or Captive Reel winches to allow the system to both trim and ease without manual intervention. All packages feature full redundancy and manual backup in the event of power loss.

"It's been a challenge to keep this project secret through years of development and on-the-water testing, but this finely-tuned system was definitely worth the wait," said Davide Burrini, International OEM Sales Manager with Harken

"By centralising controls, integrating wind and equipment sensors, and allowing skippers to control all sheeting from the helm, this project has the potential to revolutionise cruising and shorthanded sailing."

Erik Stromberg, Sailboat Product Director Jeanneau said, "Our AST will give Jeanneau owners more of the relaxation they love about sailing, with less of the sail handling and adjustments that can sometimes intrude.

"This project has been a very unique collaboration. It has at times been
difficult to tell where our Harken partners ended and we at Jeanneau
began. The result is quite an elegant system-with room to grow its
capabilities built right in."

Local Jeanneau dealer Rohan Veal from 38 South Boat Sales in Melbourne, who saw the prototype in action in Croatia, say the Assisted Sail Trim package looks promising for those with 47ft-plus models who want to cruise shorthanded offshore.

Lee Condell from Performance Boating on Pittwater adds that while nobody in the Jeanneau dealer network worldwide has experienced it yet, the system holds great promise. The price in Australia for this option was $55,000 at the time of writing.

"The Australian dealer network are excited at this new technology developed by Jeanneau, which will make sailing available to a wider audience through making the process of sailing even easier," Lee told boatsales and BoatPoint, a month out from its Cannes press launch.

As far as we know, Assisted Sail Trim is exclusive to the 2016-model Sun Odyssey 519, the flagship cruising yacht in the range, at this point in time. More when it comes to hand or, rather, the extension of a finger and press of some buttons. You can read more about how Assisted Sail Trim works here