It has been three years since the small, fine shipyard in Brittany presented its last performance cruiser, the Pogo 30. Now the bigger sister, the Pogo 36, is following. And many sailors will be eagerly awaiting its debut. After all, Christian Bouroullec and his crew have not only shaped the market niche of light, wide and fast cruising boats - visually and conceptually based on the Class 40. They invented it.
With the latest model, Pogo Structures, originally founded as a company for ocean-going racing yachts, is consistently continuing along the path it started. In doing so, they have increased the performance potential as well as the comfort on and below deck.
Even though the Pogo 36 was longer, wider and significantly more voluminous overall than its predecessor, the 10.50, the displacement remained unchanged at 3.6 tonnes. This is an exceptional value in series boat building. By comparison, the J 112 E, which is also new, sporty and roughly the same length, displaces just under 5.2 tonnes - almost 45 percent more!
As the first photos exclusively shown by YACHT online prove, the Finot-Conq construction has a lot of volume in the bow, much more than the 10.50 and also more than the Pogo 30, which means that it has more buoyancy reserves when under a lot of pressure and at the same time does not twist as much in the leeward position.
A lot of work went into the design of the underwater hull in order to minimise the wetted surface and resistance. The extent to which this has been successful will soon be revealed by the first test runs in the European Yacht of the Year competition, for which the Pogo 36 has been nominated. The boat has a fixed keel as standard. However, a swivelling keel with electro-hydraulic drive is also available for an additional charge.
On deck, the first thing that catches the eye is the unusual design of the superstructure windows, which are angled forwards and therefore allow a view from the saloon. The cockpit benches are bordered by a fixed coaming; until now, the small Pogo models only had backrests made of mesh material - and these were only available as an extra.
The rig is positioned very far aft, which allows for a relatively large, barely overlapping genoa and a mainsail that is widely flared at the top. The mast has only one pair of spreaders, a configuration never before realised in this size and segment, which should help to reduce weight and drag. This is another step that shows how courageously and consistently the shipyard implements innovations.
For the first time, there is now a separate wet room below deck between the saloon and foredeck. Previously, Pogo only provided an area separated by a curtain and bulkhead in the smaller models - a solution that seemed rather provisional and was not exactly safe to use in rough seas.
Next week, the shipyard crew will carry out the first trial runs off Concarneau before the Pogo 36 is transferred to La Rochelle. There she will have to face the jury of the European Yacht of the Year Awards for five days. An exciting premiere, which we will report on YACHT online.
