T&T - News: Grand Soleil 54: Yacht for connoisseurs

The new 56 from Italy, designed by the successful duo Philippe Briand and Patrick Roseo, is intended to fulfil only two owner wishes: to sail extremely fast (even single-handed) and to offer maximum comfort at the same time.

With a waterline of 14.86 metres, it can reach a hull speed of 9.36 knots in purely mathematical terms. A massive 189 square metres provide a lot of propulsion even in light winds. The sail load factor of 5.19 is extremely high. A 2.85 metre deep keel counteracts the rig forces. Despite this, the new model is lightweight; the consistent use of sandwich with foam core results in a displacement of just 18.5 tonnes. The first yacht is almost finished. Interested parties can already view it by appointment at the shipyard. She will be presented to the public for the first time at Hiswa te Water in Amsterdam in September.
Manufacturer: Grand Soleil Yachts; Sales: BAV-Yachthandel GmbH, 24235 Laboe; Tel. 04343/ 8731, Fax 422199.