X-Yacht 37

You don't have to be Sherlock Homes to see that the Danish X-Yachts are made from the best ingredients. The gorgeous X37 heaving before me on the outside arm of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron beams in the midday sun. Stealing my gaze are the stainless-steel Anderson winches, polished aluminium deck hatches and matching jammers, teak decks, large leather-bound wheel, rod rigging and hydraulic backstay. Down below I discover a different but no less exclusive world.

Put all this eye-candy on a well-bred hull with pretty lines and pedigree and you have a Euro yacht with poise. Sadly, however, there is no wind to check on the X37's performance. We shoot the breeze, so to speak, and waited on the clubhouse deck.

Was that faintest puff of wind on my face? Or was that the waiter walking past? The Australian flag starts stirring. Then in she comes: a hot, summer northerly to fuel an afternoon of champagne sailing on this Danish blueblood.

In fact, the arrival of this new Danish X-Yacht was as timely as the northerly wind: at the time of writing, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederick and his wife, 'our' Mary, were in Sydney for the best of three matchraces on the harbour.

THE X-FACTOR
Back in Denmark, X-Yachts is turning out about 300 yachts a year. This is the first X37, a new model released in July last year and destined to be campaigned in Spain in the IMS 670 Class during the coming Northern Hemisphere season.

The X37 is not the first X-Yacht in Australia, however. Far from it. X-Yachts are a known quantity here (think IMX 40, for example). More recently, in the last Hamilton Island Race Week an X-43, White Satin, came second in IRC. While there wasn't an IRC certificate, the X37 is destined to rate well. The importer expects it will rate similarly to a Beneteau 36.7.

The X-Yachts range spans the 37, a 40, a 43, a 46 and a 50. A special 35OD is on the way to Australia, while the factory works on a bigger 55 and impressive 70.

 There was a big change to X-Yachts about 18 months back when they cleaned up the lineup and released a new range of yachts. Thankfully, the yard's excellent designer, Niels Jeppesen, who is among the 25-year-old company's founders, remained.

The 37 is one of the 'performance cruisers', designed to satisfy owners with racing ambitions. Having said that, the owner of this boat sought nothing more than a beautiful yacht. And that it is. But it is testament to X37's raciness that it still sailed so well in my hands and, moreover, with the furling headsail, lazyjacks and boom bag, teak decks, anchor in the bow, and a load of bits and pieces squirreled away in lockers.

The quest for speed is helped by low stretch, low windage standing rod rigging; light and powerful twin-spreader alloy stick; North sails; weight savings from foam-cored construction; and the amount of sail this yacht can fly. The Sail Area Displacement Ratio is in the racer category.

Yet the yacht is very stiff on the ballast/displacement ratio front. The standard 1.98m keel carries 2715kg of the boat's 6400kg displacement. The wide beam amidships also points to good stability and the angle of vanishing stability comes in at –84.12.

STRONG DANE
Along with speed, the X-Yacht touts strength and is built to operate in 7m waves and winds to 55 knots. On the harbour in choppy water the yacht felt stiff thanks to fully glassed-in bulkheads.

Besides Divinycell foam-cored construction, the hand-laminated hull and deck feature biaxial E-glass for strength. The keel-stepped mast, shrounds leading to chain plates, and keel are attached to an internal galvanised-iron grid system that takes their loads and has a central lifting point. While it must weigh a tonne or more, the frame keeps its weight down low in this moderate displacement yacht.

The rudderstock is made from heavy-duty tapered aluminium with needle bearings in the hull and deck. The steering, meanwhile, is a Jefa rack-and-pinion system that is delightfully light and balanced but with feedback should you be overpowered. All through-hull fittings are bronze and flush.

The local agents added some icing of their own by way of the extended teak decks, concealed windlass, an electric primary winch (on a 37-footer, no less) and a big cockpit table, plus electronics. The owner (ex-Bavaria) sails shorthanded with his wife and he didn't want a yacht that was a handful to sail. The X37 is a delight to sail.

DECKED OUT
The yacht's cockpit is commodious for a cruiser-racer. All lines are fed through Frederiksen blocks back to the cockpit, with 40ST halyard winches and polished-alloy Spinlock clutches on the cabin tops and 46ST primaries mid-cockpit including the optional electric that can also be used to hoist the main. The headsail is a North's polyester furler with belowdeck drum.

 The mainsheet system ahead of the wheel and the button for the electric primary winch are within reach of the skipper if needs be. There are both rough (4:1) and fine (8:1) trim sheets for the 43.7sqm dacron North sail. The hydraulic backstay made flattening the sail plan a snap for beating close hauled.

The Frederiksen genoa tracks are accommodating of an optional self-tacker if you wish. The cars have a control line or puller leading back to the cockpit. Most of the lines and sheets are Spectra, including that for the single-line reefing system.

The solid transom has a handy boarding platform, swim ladder and optional hot/cold handheld shower. Internally, the ergonomics are superb, with comfortable moulded teak bumrests and good support when heeled over.

There is storage in a lazarette for the gas bottle and access to the emergency tiller, and storage in two cockpit lockers including a cavernous area instead of the optional third cabin.

I noted padeyes here and there for hooking up your harnesses when passage-making, a binnacle with compass, moulded facia for mounting electronics over the companionway, and a very, very clever dodger that stows flat to the deck and has complimentary lines when assembled, as we did after just a few minutes, during heavy weather.

The rod rigging means the shrouds are quite a way inboard and, with wide side decks, stainless steel handrails, a good grade of non-skid on the house, and teak toerails, this is an easy yacht to get around. The anodised Lewmar hatch frames and cleats sure look the part.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The X37 comes in two or three-cabin layouts. This was the two-cabin, single-head version, with that aforesaid extra deep lazarette for storage and a standard satin-finished light mahogany joinery that is a cut above the production pack.

Moulded liners with integrated halogen lights, grabs and fiddles make for a clean but safe interior. The hatches have integrated shade and privacy screens. The pull-off fiddle on the huge dinette lets you fold the table for better thoroughfare.

Opposing sofas/sea berths each measure 200cm long and with the dinette assembled you have the space for entertaining. It is certainly a comfortable yacht for a family complement of, say, four. With the saloons you could sleep six if you had to.

The navigation station is accommodating of electronics and charts with a first-class wiring plan and at-a-glance water, fuel and volt meters. The boat has Shorepower, 240V outlet at the nav station and heat-exchanger/240V hot-water heater.

 There is a 172lt stainless-steel freshwater tank, the option of more water, and 80lt fuel tank for the freshwater-cooled 29hp Yanmar diesel motor with Saildrive. I noted easy access to the dipstick, excellent sound insulation, about 7 knots motorsailing speed and, wow, an extractor fan in the engine room for venting.

An L-shaped space that will work well at sea with a strap, the starboard-side galley boasts a 105lt top-opening fridge with Coolmatic 12V unit under the twin sinks, two-burner gimballed stove/oven, Corian counters, deep fiddle rails and loads of cupboard space and drawers.

Trendy catches, quality hinges, reading and down lights, clock, barometer, storage nooks, cabinetry, and abundant hatches for fresh air add class and comfort. The starboard aft cabin has an offset double bed, only two small hatches for ventilation, but headroom at the foot of the bed. There are shelves and a decent wardrobe with timber vents.

Up front, the spacious master cabin beckons with an even bigger double bed, dresser seat and hanging lockers. Back aft, the head is a moulded white insert on the port side with vanity, manual loo, wet locker and cabinet. The hot/cold mixer doubles as a handheld shower. Watch the 40lt holding tank, however, it won't take long to fill.

SAILING DAZE
That the wind had filled in to the point of whistling through the local yacht fleet's rigging was good news, indeed. While the X37 is certainly agile, it relished the breeze. We broad reached to about 8 knots, did 7–7.5 knots upwind and 6.5 knots downwind with the jib poled out as though on a twilight mid-week race to nowhere.

The handling was predictable and, when sailed flat, the little yacht finds its own path. While the X37 wasn't performing in a race sense, it was performing for its owner.

Definitely a premium European product, the unplanned Australian/Danish collaboration looks set for a long future. Performance cruisers are where the market's at and Australians are increasingly looking overseas for inspiration.

HIGHS

LOWS